Everton bid for Barcelona's Emerson rejected

Tuesday, 01 September 2020



Some reports are claiming that Everton have had an offer rejected for Barcelona right-back Emerson.

The 21-year-old is currently on loan at Real Betis until next summer, where he has played 41 times in all competitions.

Emerson, who has one cap for Brazil, made his name in his home country with Ponte Preta and Atletico Mineiro before being signed by Barcelona in 2019.

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Japan's Suga cements frontrunner status in PM race Yoshihide Suga is the favourite to be the next Japanese prime minister

Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday cemented his status as the clear frontrunner in the race to become the country's next prime minister, ahead of a vote expected on September 14.

Suga has yet to officially announce he is running for the top job, after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last week he would resign over health problems.

But he has nonetheless already become the favourite, with the largest faction within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party throwing its support behind him on Tuesday, local media said.

Two other key factions have also said they will back Suga, who is set to make his candidacy official on Wednesday, when the LDP is expected to confirm the election date.

Local media said candidates will be required to register their run on September 8 -- with campaigning beginning immediately after.

The LDP election is for the party leadership, with a parliamentary vote for prime minister following on September 16, reports said. Opposition candidates are expected to stand, but the vote is seen largely as a formality that will endorse the ruling party's choice.

A leadership contest would usually poll ruling-party lawmakers and LDP members nationwide. But the LDP has opted for a constrained format, polling only its MPs and three representatives from each of the country's 47 prefectures.

The decision has elicited some criticism, but party officials said it would take too long to organise a broader vote.

"The prime minister is sick, his illness has re-emerged. He is working hard under very difficult conditions," Shunichi Suzuki, chairman of the party's general council, told reporters on Tuesday.

"If we were to hold a full-scale election, it would take two months. With the prime minister's health, two months is very long. We can't take that long," he said.

- Three main candidates -

While several candidates have emerged for the race, Suga appears to have built a virtually insurmountable support base within the party.

Story continues

The 71-year-old has held his powerful post for years -- coordinating policy among ministries and agencies, and serving as the effective face of the government as its chief spokesman.

Considered a pragmatist without strong ideological positions, he is a close Abe advisor who encouraged the prime minister to run again after a disastrous first term in office ended after just a year in 2007.

Other candidates are expected to include former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, who polls well with the general public but is less popular among party members.

Ishiba once left the LDP, spending time as both an independent and briefly joining another party, and many within the ruling bloc have not forgiven the political dalliance.

LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida, a former foreign minister, announced Tuesday he will stand.

He was often described as Abe's favoured successor, but the outgoing prime minister has said he will not endorse a candidate, and Kishida's limited public profile may pose a problem as he launches a challenge to the likes of Suga.

Abe announced his shock decision to step down on August 28, explaining he was suffering a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, a condition that has plagued him for years.

He is Japan's longest-serving prime minister, but has seen his government's approval ratings sink in recent months with the public unimpressed by his handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

His successor will face a raft of challenges, from the pandemic to a sinking economy, as well as the task of ensuring the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games can go ahead next year.

hih-sah/kaf/axn
New Zealand has detected 14 new cases of coronavirus, comprising nine in returned travellers and five in the community.

Seven of the traveller cases are people returning from India, some via Fiji; one came from Qatar and one from the United States. They are in managed quarantine facilities in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington.

The five new community cases are genomically linked to the previously identified Auckland cluster.

New Zealand became the envy of the world when it succeeded in eliminating community transmission of the virus by imposing a strict nationwide lockdown. The government continues to pursue an elimination strategy. Credit:Bloomberg

Minister for Research, Science and Innovation Megan Woods said the relatively sharp rise in the number of people testing positive on their return to New Zealand showed "that COVID is growing, not slowing, around the world".
Newsfrom Japan

Tokyo, Sept. 1 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga is increasingly likely to win the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sept. 14 leadership race as he has secured the backing of five major factions.

Suga, 71, is set to announce his bid for the LDP presidency Wednesday. He is expected to garner votes from an overwhelming majority of the party's lawmakers, including members of the biggest faction with 98 lawmakers led by former Secretary-General Hiroyuki Hosoda.

Meanwhile, LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Fumio Kishida, 63, and former Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba, 63, declared their candidacies Tuesday.

Defense Minister Taro Kono, widely considered a potential candidate, told reporters that he will not run this time.

The party's election to choose the successor to outgoing President Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, therefore will be a three-way battle among Suga, Kishida and Ishiba.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
A n American soldier is under investigation after posting a "vile" joke about the Holocaust in a TikTok video.

The video, shared with the young army officer's three million followers, made light of the systematic murder of millions of Jews before and during the Second World War.

The clip has been widely condemned and the officer himself, who serves in the XVIII Airborne Corps, is now under investigation "at the highest levels", US army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Joe Buccino said.

"This has a lot of attention of the XVIII Airborne Corps leadership," he added.

The XVIII Airborne Corps confirmed it was investigating the soldier, stating: "We are investigating reports of a Soldier assigned to XVIII Airborne Corps allegedly making vile remarks on a social media video.

"The statement made in the video is completely inconsistent with our values. We will review all facts and take appropriate action."

While the soldier was kept anonymous by the army, the Washington Post reported his name to be Nathan Freihofer.

It appears as though the account has since been disabled. The Evening Standard has reached out to TikTok for comment.

The gates at Auschwitz / PA

The soldier is also under investigation for a hand gesture made during the video, which appears to resemble a Nazi salute.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau museum, which commemorates the victims of one of the largest Nazi concentration camps, also condemned the clip.

The museum said on Twitter: "Nathan, if you see this, take this lesson to learn why you hurt real people & their memory."

The US army has a strict social media code that urges service people to "demonstrate dignity and respect for self and others."
DUBAI  Emirates and flydubai have announced that customers of both airlines can once again access a wider range of travel options around the world, connecting seamlessly and safely through Dubai.

Following the progressive resumption of passenger flights to global destinations, the two Dubai-based airlines have revived their successful and strategic partnership to offer customers increased connectivity, convenience and travel flexibility. Emirates customers can now travel on codeshare flights to over 30 destinations on flydubai, while flydubai customers have over 70 destinations they can travel to on Emirates. Some of the favourite flydubai destinations for Emirates passengers include: Belgrade, Bucharest, Kyiv, Sofia and Zanzibar.

Commenting on the renewal of the partnership, Adnan Kazim, Emirates Chief Commercial Officer said: We are delighted to announce that our customers can once again take advantage of the complementary strengths of Emirates and flydubai to access an enhanced network of cities on a single ticket and integrated loyalty programme, enjoy a safe, smooth and stress-free transfer experience through Dubai and have their baggage checked through to their final destination.

The partnership has crossed a number of successful milestones since its inception in 2017 and over the coming months, Emirates and flydubai will be working together to re-open even more of the world for our customers, added Kazim.

Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai said: We are confident that the demand for travel will continue to increase as more countries gradually start to lift restrictions on international travel. flydubai has restarted operations to 32 points around the network since June and we expect the number to steadily grow over the next few months. Dubai has put strong health and safety protocols in place which has encouraged well informed passengers to travel, whether for business, leisure or to reunite with their loved ones.

We remain agile in our approach to maximise the utilisation of our fleet by supporting government efforts to operate repatriation flights and increasing cargo-only operations. Our partnership with Emirates will continue to facilitate a more seamless flow of passengers and cargo across our combined networks in the recovery phase, commented Obaidalla.

Emirates and flydubai will offer travel experiences reflecting their individual brands while keeping the health and safety of customers and employees on the ground and in air as their top priority. The two airlines have each implemented extensive safety measures to combat COVID-19 at every step of the customers journey including enhanced sanitisation of all touchpoints and advanced HEPA filters fitted in aircraft cabins to eliminate dust, allergens and germs from the cabin air.

Customers transiting through Dubai go through thermal screening at the airport. Transfer desks at Dubai airport have been fitted with protective anti-microbial screens and airport staff dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) are available to provide additional assistance. Several of flydubais flights to destinations in Africa, Central Asia and Europe operate from Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, facilitating seamless connections to passengers travelling on Emirates flights to and from Dubai.

COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit customers to Dubai further assuring a safe transfer experience through the airport for customers of Emirates and flydubai.

Customers boarding Emirates flights will also be provided with a complimentary hygiene kit containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and anti-bacterial wipes.

Customers booking with Emirates can also travel with confidence as the airline has committed to cover COVID-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should they be diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel while they are away from home. This also includes travel on any codeshare flights with flydubai on an Emirates ticket. For more details: www.emirates.com/COVID19assistance

The partnership between Emirates and flydubai first came into effect in October 2017 and received a tremendous positive response from customers who were able to benefit from the increased connectivity and greater choice along with a smooth transfer experience in Dubai. Over 5 million passengers took advantage of the un-matched city-pair connections offered during the first two years of the partnership.

In August 2018, flydubai adopted Emirates Skywards as its loyalty programme, allowing customers to earn more Skywards Miles and Tier Miles, reach their rewards faster and enjoy more privileges as they move through membership tiers.

Related
New York City postponed students return to classrooms by more than a week to keep working on coronavirus safety precautions, announcing the delay Tuesday after teachers said they might OK a strike over the citys drive to open schools.

The change came nine days before the nations largest public school system was set to resume teaching students face-to-face.

Now, instead of starting a mix of in-person and remote learning on Sept. 10, the citys more than 1 million public school students will start remote-only classes Sept. 16. In-school instruction will begin Sept. 21.

It is a revision that still allows us to keep things moving forward on a tight timeline, but with additional preparation time, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

That time is to be spent finishing virus-safety steps that were already planned and working out some new provisions, including random testing of 10% to 20% of all students and staffers per month. Thats intended to get a handle on whether people without symptoms might be in schools and potentially infectious.

City officials had emphasized for weeks that schools were making extensive preparations and would reopen safely Sept. 10. But de Blasio faced growing pushback from teachers, principals and some parents and politicians.

The teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers, had said Monday it was negotiating with the city but could authorize a strike vote if no deal was reached by Tuesday afternoon, though New York state bars teachers and other public employees from striking.

By Tuesday morning, the heads of the teachers and other school unions joined de Blasio to herald the new agreement. He said it addressed real concerns that have been raised about how to do things the right way, how to do them the safe, healthy way.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew said the new plan represented the most aggressive policies and greatest safeguards of any school system in the United States of America.

The plan got a thumbs-up from 82% of UFT delegates at a meeting later Tuesday, the union said.

Still, some teachers and parents said more needed to be done to ensure safety.

A 10-day delay doesnt do that. Random testing doesnt do that, said Madeline Borrelli, a city public school teacher who joined scores of parents and educators a protest march in Brooklyn on Tuesday. What we need is a delay, fully remote.

As a Brooklyn public school parent herself, Borrelli said she was worried for the safety of not only our staff but our families and communities.

She isnt the only one. Over 360,000 students families have opted for remote-only learning for their kids.

Yet other parents are frustrated by the delay in returning New York City children to classrooms for the first time since March 13.

Psychologist Dr. Adam Bloom and his wife both have government jobs that were deemed essential in the pandemic.

If it was safe enough for essential employees from police to health professionals to grocery store clerks to go in to work, Bloom says, now its time for the teachers.

These kids, come next week, they need their essential workers, said Bloom, whose 9-year-old daughter is starting fourth grade. Hes concerned about children her age missing the face-to-face instruction, socialization and structure of school.

The mayor, a Democrat, said he empathized with parents eager for schools to reopen, but he cast the delay as a very modest change to resolve outstanding issues so we can all move forward together.

De Blasio, a Democrat, emphasized for months that the citys pandemic recovery depends on getting students back in classrooms in person after the coronavirus abruptly forced a thorny plunge into remote learning in March.

New York suffered the deadliest coronavirus spike in the U.S. before getting the virus spread in check in late spring, even as it climbed anew in many other parts of the country.

Even as other big U.S. school systems  including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston  decided to start the school year with students learning remotely, de Blasio stuck with the citys plan for a hybrid reopening. It calls for students physically going to school part-time and learning from home the rest of the time.

De Blasio said Tuesday he believed the new schedule allowed enough time to resolve safety concerns. Mulgrew said that while there is plenty of ironing-out to do, there is no longer a disagreement about what a school needs to have to open and operate.

The citys plan to restart schools already included mask-wearing, staggered schedules to reduce the number of students in rooms, supplying every school building with a nurse and asking all staffers to get tested shortly before school starts. The city dispatched ventilation experts to check out air flow in classrooms, and officials said they would work to make parks and streets available as teaching space if principals were interested.

The teachers union had pushed for requiring testing  either for active cases of the virus or for antibodies to it  for all students and staffers who plan to be in school.

Representing a compromise, the random-sample plan will vary by school in the size of the sample, but parental consent will be required for children to participate.

___

Associated Press video journalist Ted Shaffrey and writer Deepti Hajela contributed to this report.
No one will disagree that the past five months have been among the weirdest of most peoples lives.

The global COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we do many things from working and grocery shopping to going to church and entertaining our children.

Zippia.com decided to find out what the most interesting thing each state was searching Goggle for more than any other state during the quarantine period of the pandemic.

And, staying with the theme of 2020  weird  the answers are certainly interesting.

Using Google Trends, we determined the most interesting thing each state was googling more than any other state during quarantine. Google searches are a great way to learn more about people, because people Google pretty transparently, with no self-conscious thoughts (cough, Cracker Barrel Alcohol, cough, Tennessee).

We searched hundreds of terms ranging from outdoor activities to DIY, copious foods and drinks, self-improvement  and not self-improvement. Interesting is subjective, selected based on what we thought was the most fun. Your opinion may vary.

We used a broad time period ranging from April 2020 to August 2020 as our quarantine period, Zippia wrote.

In Pennsylvania, although we were staying home more  and thus have more time to water, prune, fertilize - we apparently could not figure out Why are my plants dying?

It could be worse.

People in Louisiana apparently were giving up some personal hygiene during the pandemic. They asked Google, How often should you wash your hair?

Hair is also on the minds of folks in Ohio who asked, How to dye your hair blonde at home.

Some of the more interesting searches:

How to stop drinking  Colorado

How to sleep at work  Florida

Delete Facebook  Idaho

How to become a YouTuber  Indiana

We are a bit concerned about folks in Minnesota Googling boxed wine, Mississippi looking for vodka pops, questions about day drinking in New Mexico, bloody Mary in Wisconsin and Missouri, you have a problem  your folks are looking for meth recipes.

People in Michigan were Googling how to make cannabutter. Had to look that one up - its a combination of cannabis and butter. Hmmm.

Food was on many minds  In Alabama they searched for BBQ, Alaska was pizza delivery, Arkansas wanted Little Debbie Cakes, in Hawaii they are making banana bread, the McDonalds value menu is of concern in Illinois, smoothies in Maryland, going vegan in Nevada, chicken nuggets in Oklahoma, Chinese delivery in Rhode island, sourdough starter in Vermont, grilled cheese in Virginia, how to roll sushi in Washington and hot wings in Wyoming.

Some of the more traditional searches were dog adoption in Connecticut, building a chicken coop in Maine, virtual interviews in New Jersey and how to get a cruise refund in North Carolina.

Folks in South Dakota have apparently just had enough.

They wanted to know  how to move to Canada.

READ MORE

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 06:37:55|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- More than 200 women, all dressed in black, rallied on Tuesday in Cameroon's capital Yaounde to denounce violence against women in the country's English-speaking regions that have been ravaged by a separatist conflict since 2017.

Beheadings, mutilations, murders and all forms of violence against women in the regions must stop, said Marie-Therese Abena Ondoa, Cameroon's Minister of Women Empowerment and Family, who organized the protest.

"We have had enough. Attacks on women and children need to stop. We need peace and stability in the regions," Ondoa told reporters.

Protesters said women should feel safe and protected all over the country and demanded that gunmen lay down arms "to give peace a chance."

Criminal violences against women in the restive regions have grabbed headlines across Cameroon in recent months.

In August, there was outrage in the country after suspected armed separatists in Muyuka, a locality in the troubled region of Southwest kidnapped, brutalised, killed and then beheaded a mother of three whom they accused of conniving with government forces to leak their hideouts.

Separatists have been seeking to secede from the majority French-speaking Cameroon and create an independent nation in the two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest which they call "Ambazonia." They have been clashing with government forces since 2017. Enditem
Tiffany Trump, Donald Trump's daughter, attacked Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Monday, accusing him of being a liar.

"Please stop lying Joe. You may think we are too ignorant to see through the lies  but God knows the truth," she wrote on Twitter.

Though Ms Trump doesn't specify what she is accusing Mr Biden of lying about, her attack came on the heels of Mr Biden suggesting Mr Trump "fomented [violence]" during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Monday.

Mr Biden asked voters if anyone would "believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected."

The former vice president said Mr Trump "long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He can't stop the violence, because for years he has fomented it ... fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames."

Ms Trump has only recently become a more vocal part of her father's political life since graduating from Georgetown Law School this year. While she did speak at the 2016 Republican National Convention, she has been mostly absent from the Trump brood that hovers around cable news circuits and the White House.

She spoke again during the 2020 RNC, this time taking more cues from her father's rhetoric by going on the offensive against tech companies and the media and claiming voters were being "mentally enslaved."

During her speech, she said "people must recognise that our thoughts, our opinions, and even the choice of who we are voting for may and are being manipulated and invisibly coerced by the media and tech giants."

"If you tune into the media, you get one biased opinion or another," Ms Trump said. "And what you share, if it does not fit into the narrative that they seek to promote, then it is either ignored or deemed a lie regardless of the truth," she said.

Ms Trump provided little in the way of specifics or examples in her speech, instead keeping her accusations vague and her argument conspiratorial.

"Ask yourselves, why are we prevented from seeing certain information? Why is one viewpoint promoted while others are hidden? The answer is control," she said. "our nation suffers by inhibiting our diversity of thought and inclusion of ideas."

Without specific examples it's difficult to say for certain what Ms Trump is alluding to, but it stands to reason she is suggesting conservative voices are being stifled.

However, right-leaning Fox News is the highest rated cable news network of the main 24-hour news networks. Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News is also the highest rated show in all of cable news.

OANN, a network that has been criticised as being adjacent to state propaganda, has been publicly endorsed by the president.

Facebook and YouTube have long been criticised for allowing right-wing extremist and conspiratorial content to thrive on the platforms.

Buzzfeed News reported that a militia group's Facebook post calling for attendees to show up armed to the Kenosha protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake was reported 455 times, but wasn't removed because the site's moderators claimed it broke no rules.

Last year, YouTube was pressured to remove thousands of videos featuring right-wing extremism, including neo-Nazi ideology, Holocaust denial and white supremacist content. However, the service later restored some of the right-wing content after numerous creators filed appeals with the video service that they had not violated the site's rules.

Ms Trump's gripe may be in reference to both Facebook and Twitter's decisions within the last year to begin flagging posts that included misinformation or information without context.

Earlier this month, both Facebook and Twitter penalised the "Team Trump" accounts for spreading misinformation about the coronavirus. Twitter also flagged several of Mr Trump's tweets for misinformation and blocked Donald Trump Jr from posting for 12 hours after breaking its rules on coronavirus misinformation.
The Secretary of the Association of Iranian Airlines, Maqsoud Ass'adi Samani, said that despite direct flights continuing to depart between Iran, France, the Netherlands, and Austria, Iranians cannot still visit Europe as tourists.

Speaking to the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA), Ass'adi Samanii also noted that Schengen (European Union) visas are not currently being issued to Iranian citizens.

"Although Iranian airlines have resumed their flights to some European countries following months of suspension over the coronavirus outbreak, there is still no possibility of unnecessary tourist trips to these countries and Schengen visas are not currently issued to Iranian citizens," Ass'adi Samani said.

Austria, Britain, France, and the Netherlands are among the European countries with direct flights to Iran that announced new travel regulations for Iranian citizens, ISNA reported on Monday.

France allows Iranians holding EU, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swiss, British, Canadian, and Australian passports to enter the country. The country recently eliminated the COVID-19 PCR test for travelers, but still says that Schengen visas will not be issued for Iranian citizens until further notice, due to the widespread outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran.

However, the European Union announced two months ago that it allows citizens of Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, and Rwanda. Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay to visit 27 countries in the Schengen zone. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland (four non-EU countries and Schengen allies) are also subject to such regulations.

Meanwhile, the Dutch government announced that even those who have obtained a Schengen visa might be tested for coronavirus upon arrival. The non-Schengen UK has allowed entry to Iranians who hold EU, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swiss, British, Canadian, American, and Australian passports and those with residence permits, student visas and UK tourist visas.

Iranian citizens must be quarantined for 14 days after entering the UK, and are required to complete a self-declaration health form provided to passengers by the embassy and the airline. Otherwise, the passenger will be fined, Tehran Times reported, cited ISNA.

According to the British Embassy in Iran, its visa section in Tehran has resumed operations since late July.

Since the coronavirus outbreak, Iran's air and land borders have been largely closed, but with the gradual easing of restrictions, some international flights resumed. Ass'adi Samani said that Iran's foreign flights to Amsterdam, Bangkok, Doha, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, London, Manchester, Paris, and Vienna are currently operational.

Meanwhile, ISNA reports that further studies show that there have been direct flights from Tehran to Guangzhou, China; Moscow, Russia; Delhi, India; and Beirut, Lebanon. However, travelers need to follow the health protocols announced by these countries.

Most countries require a health certificate with a negative coronavirus PCR test result and self-isolate for fourteen days.

In a sermon on June 15, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini lamented that Iranian are travelling abroad too frequently and told them to quit this bad habit.
On Thursday, as Donald Trump was about to accept the Republican nomination from the South Lawn of the White House with warnings that No one will be safe in Bidens America, National Public Radio was doing its small part to make sure the president would be re-elected.

NPRs assistance in this matter was surely unwitting. But that doesnt make it any less effective.

The assist came in the form of a lengthy interview by NPRs Natalie Escobar with Vicky Osterweil, author of In Defense of Looting. The book makes the case for looting because it attacks some of the core beliefs and structures of cisheteropatriarchal racial capitalist society; rejects the legitimacy of ownership rights and property; and reveals all these for what they are: not natural facts, but social constructs benefiting a few at the expense of the many, upheld by ideology, economy and state violence.

To judge by the NPR interview, In Defense of Looting is not an interesting book. It speaks for almost nobody beyond the fringe left  and certainly not for looters who hadnt thought about cisheteropatriarchalism. The fact that the publisher is an imprint of the international conglomerate Hachette (2018 revenues, approximately $2.7 billion) compounds foolishness with hypocrisy.

Nonetheless, the book is symbolically important. I became aware of it when several friends separately forwarded to me the NPR interview. Many of these friends, I suspect, will reluctantly vote for Trump  not out of sympathy for him, but out of disgust with defenses of looting and other things they see too often on the left.
Are We Deliberately Trying to Provoke a Military Crisis With Russia?



Tensions are becoming dangerous in Syria and on Russia's back doorstep



By Ted Galen Carpenter August 31, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - A dangerous vehicle collision between U.S and Russian soldiers in Northeastern Syria on Aug. 24 highlights the fragility of the relationship and the broader test of wills between the two major powers. According to White House reports and a Russian video that went viral this week, it appeared that as the two sides were racing down a highway in armored vehicles, the Russians sideswiped the Americans, leaving four U.S. soldiers injured. It is but the latest clash as both sides continue their patrols in the volatile area. But it speaks of bigger problems with U.S. provocations on Russias backdoor in Eastern Europe. A sober examination of U.S. policy toward Russia since the disintegration of the Soviet Union leads to two possible conclusions. One is that U.S. leaders, in both Republican and Democratic administrations, have been utterly tone-deaf to how Washingtons actions are perceived in Moscow. The other possibility is that those leaders adopted a policy of maximum jingoistic swagger intended to intimidate Russia, even if it meant obliterating a constructive bilateral relationship and eventually risking a dangerous showdown. Washingtons latest military moves, especially in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea, are stoking alarming tensions. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter There has been a long string of U.S. provocations toward Russia. The first one came in the late 1990s and the initial years of the twenty-first century when Washington violated tacit promises given to Mikhail Gorbachev and other Soviet leaders that if Moscow accepted a united Germany within NATO, the Alliance would not seek to move farther east. Instead of abiding by that bargain, the Clinton and Bush administrations successfully pushed NATO to admit multiple new members from Central and Eastern Europe, bringing that powerful military association directly to Russias western border. In addition, the United States initiated rotational deployments of its forces to the new members so that the U.S. military presence in those countries became permanent in all but name. Even Robert M. Gates, who served as secretary of defense under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, was uneasy about those deployments and conceded that he should have warned Bush in 2007 that they might be unnecessarily provocative. As if such steps were not antagonistic enough, both Bush and Obama sought to bring Georgia and Ukraine into NATO. The latter country is not only within what Russia regards as its legitimate sphere of influence, but within its core security zone. Even key European members of NATO, especially France and Germany, believed that such a move was unwise and blocked Washingtons ambitions. That resistance, however, did not inhibit a Western effort to meddle in Ukraines internal affairs to help demonstrators unseat Ukraines elected, pro-Russia president and install a new, pro-NATO government in 2014. Such provocative political steps, though, are now overshadowed by worrisome U.S. and NATO military moves. Weeks before the formal announcement on July 29, the Trump administration touted its plan to relocate some U.S. forces stationed in Germany. When Secretary of Defense Mike Esper finally made the announcement, the medias focus was largely on the point that 11,900 troops would leave that country. However, Esper made it clear that only 6,400 would return to the United States; the other nearly 5,600 would be redeployed to other NATO members in Europe. Indeed, of the 6,400 coming back to the United States, many of these or similar units will begin conducting rotational deployments back to Europe. Worse, of the 5,600 staying in Europe, it turns out that at least 1,000 are going to Polands eastern border with Russia. Another result of the redeployment will be to boost U.S. military power in the Black Sea. Esper confirmed that various units would begin continuous rotations farther east in the Black Sea region, giving us a more enduring presence to enhance deterrence and reassure allies along NATOs southeastern flank. Moscow is certain to regard that measure as another on a growing list of Black Sea provocations by the United States. Among other developments, there already has been a surge of alarming incidents between U.S. and Russian military aircraft in that region. Most of the cases involve U.S. spy planes flying near the Russian coastsupposedly in international airspace. On July 30, a Russian Su-27 jet fighter intercepted two American surveillance aircraft; according to Russian officials, it was the fourth time in the final week of July that they caught U.S. planes in that sector approaching the Russian coast. Yet another interception occurred on August 5, again involving two U.S. spy planes. Still others have taken place throughout mid-August. It is a reckless practice that easily could escalate into a broader, very dangerous confrontation. The growing number of such incidents is a manifestation of the surging U.S. military presence along Russias border, especially in the Black Sea. They are taking place on Russias doorstep, thousands of miles away from the American homeland. Americans should consider how the United States would react if Russia decided to establish a major naval and air presence in the Gulf of Mexico, operating out of bases in such allied countries as Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. The undeniable reality is that the United States and its NATO allies are crowding Russia; Russia is not crowding the United States. Washingtons bumptious policies already have wrecked a once-promising bilateral relationship and created a needless new cold war with Moscow. If more prudent U.S. policies are not adopted soon, that cold war might well turn hot. Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in security studies at the Cato Institute and a contributing editor at The American Conservative, is the author of 12 books and more than 850 articles on international affairs. His latest book is NATO: The Dangerous Dinosaur (2019). - " 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 The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
The Chinese government has made changes to rules and regulations that could severely affect the sale of TikTok to a US company.

The viral video app is looking to be sold to an American company  most likely a combination of Walmart and Microsoft  or face a ban in the US following an executive order by President Trump.

Beijings changes affect personalised information based on data analysis and artificial intelligence interactive interface technology, according to the state news agency Xinhua, and both technologies are used by TikTok.

The regulations also affect companies which use data processing, speech and text recognition technologies, and experts suggest that it may slow down Bytedances potential handling of the sale.

Cui Fan, a professor at the China University of International Business and Economics, told Xinhua that technology exporters who have not completed transactions when the new catalogue takes effect [are] recommended to suspend the negotiation and trade procedures and perform the relevant application procedures."

Speaking specifically about Bytedance, Cui Fan said that it should go through the licensing procedures and consider whether it is necessary to suspend the substantive negotiation of related transactions, perform the legal declaration procedures, and then take further actions as appropriate.

Changes to the regulations have not been made since 2008, and Cui Fen says that the adjustments have been coming for some time with discussions started in 2018.

However, others have hypothesised that it could be used to purposefully delay the sale of TikTok.

At a minimum theyre flexing their muscles and saying, We get a say in this and were not going to be bystanders, said Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies who studies Chinese economic policy, to the New York Times.

It could be an effort to outright block the sale, or just raise the price, or attach conditions to it to give China leverage down the road, he added.

President Trump said that the US Treasury should take a cut of the sale, despite it being forced by his own administration, comparing the relationship to that between landlord and tenant.

Its a little bit like the landlord/tenant; without a lease the tenant has nothing, so they pay whats called key money, or they pay something, Mr. Trump, who owned numerous properties in New York said. Key money is an illegal practise in the US.

As with any cross-border transaction, we will follow the applicable laws, which in this case include those of the US and China, ByteDance General Counsel Erich Andersen said in a statement, and that the company is studying the new regulations

China's changes to its export control rules are a way for the country to exert some leverage over the situation, said to Anupam Chander, a law professor at Georgetown University to CNN. It will cause any bidder to pause and wonder how to proceed."

TikTok has argued that the executive order is illegal, and would file a lawsuit against the administration. The company claimed there was a lack of due process in its negotiations with the US government.

A company spokesperson added that TikTok had no choice but to challenge the order to ensure that the rule of law prevails and that our company and users are treated fairly.

The reasons for the ban on TikTok are due to perceived national security concerns over data sent from the US to China, though the company has repeatedly denies it shares information.

President Trump has issued similar orders against Chinese messaging app and payment platform WeChat.
Shares of Vodafone Idea on Tuesday tumbled nearly 13 per cent, while those of Bharti Airtel rose more than 6 per cent after the Supreme Court granted 10 years to telecom firms for paying the AGR-related dues to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) with certain conditions.

Vodafone Idea shares tanked 12.76 per cent to close at Rs 8.89 apiece on BSE. During the day, it plummeted 24.53 per cent to Rs 7.69.

The stock went into a tail-spin after the order, erasing all its early gains.

Shares of Bharti Airtel, however, jumped 6.38 per cent to settle at Rs 546.75. During the day, it rose by 7.99 per cent to Rs 555.05.

Bharti Airtel was the top gainer in the Sensex pack.

RIL shares also gained 0.43 per cent to close at Rs 2,087.55 apiece after rising 2 per cent to Rs 2,121.75 per unit during the day.

The Supreme Court verdict is not as beneficial to Vodafone Idea as it is to Bharti Airtel. Vodafone was looking forward for a 20-year-payment cycle which has now reduced to 10 years. Considering the high annual interest, depreciation and amortization cost the annual AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue) dues could put further strain on the cash flows of the company, said Rusmik Oza, Executive Vice President, Head of Fundamental Research at Kotak Securities.

Also read | Telecoms get 10 years to repay AGR dues: 10 things to know about the case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted 10 years to telecom firms such as Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices for paying the AGR-related dues to the Department of Telecommunications with certain conditions.

The apex court asked telcos to pay 10 per cent of the AGR-related dues by March 31, 2021.

The SC verdict giving a 10-year time frame for payment of AGR dues with 10 per cent upfront payment can be regarded as reasonably fair. However, the 10-year time frame puts a question mark on the survival of Vodafone. For the stock market the verdict is mixed. Since it is positive for Bharti and RIL these two heavyweight stocks are likely to remain resilient, supporting the markets, V K Vijay Kumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services said.

Failure to pay the instalments of the dues would incur penalty, interest and contempt of court, the bench cautioned the telecom firms. PTI SUM RUJ RUJ
The NPP in Akim Oda, on Thursday, August 28, 2020, inaugurated its constituency campaign committee for the 2020 Parliamentary and Presidential elections. The team members were sworn in by the Eastern Regional Youth Organiser, Mr. Jerry Osei Poku in a short but important inaugural ceremony held at the Methodist Conference Hall - Akim Oda.



The Parliamentary Candidate of NPP in Akim Oda Constituency, Mr. Alexander Akwasi Acquah, and the Constituency Chairman, Alhaji Awudu Issaka Co-Chairs the Constituency campaign committee, with all the other 18 Constituency Executives and five (5) senior citizens of the party as members.



The campaign committee also includes Mr. George Amprofi (IT official) and Mr. Maxwell Anti is popularly known as Kofi Nti to be in charge of Social and electronic media.



Addressing party faithful, the Member of Parliament of Akim Oda, Hon William Agyapong Quaittoo called on members to come together and win more votes for NPP in Oda. "This issue of Skirt and blouse should not happen in Akim Oda Constituency" the legislator added.



Other Speakers, the Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive Hon. Victoria Adu, Alhaji Ismaila (Dir of Operations OTVP), and Alhaji Awaudu Issaka (Constituency Chairman) all spoke about unity and the need to work harder to accomplish the 80% target the constituency have set ahead of the General elections.



The parliamentary Candidate of NPP in Akim Oda constituency, Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah on behalf of the Committee thanked the Senior minister and the party for entrusting confidence in them and He assured the party that the team would work hard to secure an emphatic victory for His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and attain the 80% mark they have set.



He disclosed that all factions during the primaries have been brought together and are on course to achieve a resounding victory for the Party. He added, "I'm the luckiest PC" and appealed to the members of the party and the Ghanaian people, in general, to continue to repose their confidence in the NPP, which, according to him, is the only party in Ghana that is able to deliver prosperity to the Ghanaian people.



Guest Speaker, Senior Minister, Hon Yaw Osarfo Marfo implored the members of the committee to discharge their mandate diligently in spearheading the partys campaign in its stronghold. He added that the NPP has achieved a lot of excellence and Ghanaians must be informed. The senior minister also told members of the party to go out and campaign to retain the NPP in power. He also advised members to use every opportunity they get to win more votes for NPP in Akim Oda.



In attendance were Senior Minister, MP for Akim Oda, Parliamentary Candidate (Akim Oda), Chief Executive (Birim Central Municipal and Achiase District), , Alhaji Ismaila, All Constituency Council of Elders, Constituency Executives, Electoral Area Coordinators, Polling station Executives, Former Party executives, Former MCE, Party Volunteer Groups, Team AAA, Media houses which includes Akwasi Acquah Media Team.

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Neetu Kapoor recently took to her Instagram handle to share an adorable picture with daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni and granddaughter Samara Sahni. Along with the picture, the actress penned an emotional caption as she missed hubby, Rishi Kapoor.



In this picture, the trio is all smiles as they posed together for a selfie. The post was captioned as ''A part of you goes with the person who has gone and a part stays with you''.



They were twinning in blue as they came together for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations with Rima Jain, Aadar Jain, Armaan Jain, and other family members. Amitabh Bachchan's grandson Agastya Nanda was also a part of the gettogether.







Image: Instagram



According to Mumbai Mirror, Kapoor Sahni has planned an intimate gathering for her birthday on September 15. She has been with her mother Neetu Kapoor in Mumbai since her father's demise.





Image: Instagram



After Rishi Kapoor's demise, the Khel Khel Mein actor shared a throwback photo with him and captioned it: 'Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye; Cheerio, here I go on my way; With a cheer, not a tear, in your eye; Give me a smile, I can keep for a while; In my heart, while I'm away.'





Image: Instagram



She has been missing the late actor, and posted a photo of the whole family captioning it, 'How I wish this picture could remain complete as is.'





Image: Instagram



Rishi Kapoor passed away on May 2, 2020, after losing his two-year battle with leukaemia. He had received treatment in the US for a year before he returned back to India. The statement from the family mentioned that "everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him." Neetu was with him throughout his treatment in the USA and in India and had remained the pillar of support for him.
Czech Republic, Jamaica and contracts hub Switzerland have been removed from the UKs covid-19 travel corridors list, meaning contractors returning from the trio must self-isolate.

In fact, since 4 a.m. on Saturday, all contractors arriving in England having worked in any one of the three countries have been required to spend 14 days indoors without leaving.

The order from the UK government, issued in attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus, follows flare-ups in the number of confirmed cases in each of the three nations.

Jamaica has seen the biggest upswing of the three in terms of weekly cases in percentage terms, rising from 4.3 cases  per 100,000 -- on August 20th, to 20.8 cases on August 27th.

But unless they are holidaymakers returning from the Caribbean, UK contractors will be more concerned by the flare-ups in Czech Republic, and Switzerland, as they work there in greater numbers.

'Not an appealing prospect'

A glance at business networking websites indicates that already, the removal of Switzerland from the UKs travel corridors list is having an impact.

Recalling an early morning telephone call from a technology recruiter, one contractor said: I'm fine with remote working, I've done a lot of that.

But [this time] the actual work.would have to be done remotelyfrom within the [client] country. Since the other country is Switzerland, this was not an appealing prospect.

'Difficulty finding anyone interested'

The contractor added that, unfortunately for the agent, there was little financial incentive to further consider the Zurich-based opportunity.

The rate was only about 25% of what I would have needed, the contractor said.

The recruiter said she was having difficulty finding anyone interested and I did not express any surprise.

'No relaxation in Spain's residency test'

But it's not just contractors touching down in England from Switzerland who are feeling the effects of the pandemic  its those from Spain too, despite Spain still featuring on the travel corridors list.

Tom Wallace, head of tax investigations at WTT Consulting explained: The Spanish authorities have announced that there will be no relaxation of their residency test to take account of days spent in Spain due to movement restrictions caused by Covid-19.

Now more than ever, those that are in danger of becoming tax resident in a state due to days spend there as a result of Covid-19, need to seek advice as to their position and the records they will need to keep.

The advice comes after Cuba was added to the UKs travel corridors list after covid-19 cases there decreased, meaning anybody arriving from Cuba to England after 4 a.m. on August 29 no longer needs to self-isolate.
In March, after Grand Central Publishing announced that it had dropped its contract with Woody Allen for his memoir, Apropos of Nothing, Manuel Carcassonne promptly made the media rounds in France. Carcassonne is the managing director of Editions Stock, which had purchased the rights to the French edition of the book, and he underlined his intention to continue with publication as planned. The situation in France is not the American one, he told Le Point.

Carcassonne released Allens memoir in June as Soit dit en passant, to mixed reviews. Left-leaning and moderate outlets panned Allens hypersexual descriptions of actresses as well as his vehement attacks on Mia Farrows mothering. Others argued that the books literary merits should be judged apart from the controversies of Allens person.

In the US, Arcade Publishing picked up publication rights to the memoir. Jeannette Seaver, the acquiring editor, is Frencha fact that French conservative outlets immediately seized on. She was interviewed right away by Le Point and Le Figaro, and I was really annoyed that she was being used by these old white men to confirm their theory that feminism has gone crazy in the US, says Clementine Goldszal, a journalist who profiled Seaver for Le Monde.

Theres a common narrative in American media that the French attachment to sexual and artistic liberties has made the country less receptive to feminist progressive thought. When, in 2018, more than a hundred French women signed a letter defending a mans right to bother, American readers were left assured that the US was leading the way for the Me Too movement. The rare French cinema stars who have publicly voiced support of Me Too, including Isabelle Adjani and Adele Haenel, go largely unnoticed stateside.

Anglo-American gender politics has undeniably influenced younger generations of French women, who are more likely to cite Beyonce and Emma Watson as their feminist icons instead of French politicians such as Caroline De Haas.

Meanwhile, in French media, Americans are typically presented as puritanical and susceptible to hysterical groupthink, incapable of appreciating the higher pleasures of sex or art, and eager to air personal grievances for capitalist gain. I think Americans might need scandals to talk about certain issues, Valentine Faure, a journalist who writes about feminism, told me in an email.

But Anglo-American gender politics has undeniably influenced younger generations of French women, who are more likely to cite Beyonce and Emma Watson as their feminist icons instead of French politicians such as Caroline De Haas. Many in France believe that coverage of sexual abuse must be taken outside the country to be taken seriously. There is a pattern of victims in France speaking to Anglo-Saxon media because they seem to trust that their story will be represented fairly, says Laura Cappelle, a sociologist and cultural critic in Paris who contributes regularly to the New York Times.

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Indeed, Lea Seydoux, an actor, took her complaints against Harvey Weinstein and director Abdellatif Kechiche to The Guardian and the Daily Beast, respectively. Earlier this year, after Vanessa Springora accused Gabriel Matzneff, a prominent writer, of pedophilic abuse in her memoir Consent, another one of his victims came forward to the New York Times, saying that she had been trying to do the same for almost two decades but had been silenced by the French culture industry. When Mediapart, a French news organization, first reported on accusations against directors Luc Besson and Christophe Ruggia, the Times picked up both stories.

In its treatment of Me Too cases, the French press has put a particular emphasis on economic inequality. Sometimes the way class dominates discussions of social justice (as opposed to identity difference) can undermine the women who come forward. Soon after Seydoux spoke about her experience working with Kechiche, he responded by calling her a spoiled kid from an untouchable caste. Both social media and the press took the bait, excoriating her for her wealth and privilege. Because I come from a bourgeois family, I did not have the right to express myself, Seydoux told France Inter last year.

Nevertheless, many French women feel that they have gained unprecedented attention in the way their voices are heard. This spring, the country experienced something of a resurgent Me Too movement in response to Roman Polanskis Cesar win for best director in February. (The Cesars are the French equivalent of the Oscars.) Haenel furiously marched out of the awards ceremony, calling it shameful. Virginie Despentes, a writer, published an enraged polemic in which she declared, From now on, we will get up and get the hell out.

Iris Brey, a critic, saw the Cesars as a tipping point that led many women to believe they could no longer keep their feminist thoughts unspoken. It was maybe more radical in France than in the States because weve been waiting for so long, Brey says.

WHEN I ASK Lenaig Bredouxa journalist who has been called the Ronan Farrow of France for her reports on sexual abuse at Mediaparthow Woody Allen is examined in the French press, she says, Hes not. The accusations against him are completely invisible, or perhaps recounted as anecdote. It makes the whole scandal sound like folklore.

Polanskis case is often invoked to defend Allen, because unlike Polanski, Allen has never been convicted of abuse. (Polanski pleaded guilty to rape of a minor in 1977, while Allen was not criminally charged following Dylan Farrows allegations of sexual abuse in 1992.) Maureen Orths 1992 Vanity Fair article on Allen and Farrows 2018 interview with CBS have not always carried over to the French context, making the controversy sometimes seem far away. Most French people arent informed about his daughters allegations against him. Many of the journalists I interviewed did not think they could determine whether Allen was guilty on the basis of the available evidence.

This also reflects an important legal reality. The Me Too movement has been widely applauded in the US for allowing women to publicly voice experiences of harassment and assault and to demand justice outside of a legal framework that turns their experiences into cases of he said, she said. In France, however, accusations that cannot be backed up by a court decision are often criticized for undermining the judiciary ideal of presumption of innocence.

I think the French media are even more conservative than society itself, Lenaig Bredoux says.

French media, too, has to contend with a lower legal threshold for successful defamation claims against women who have made public allegations. In the first year of Me Too, journalists at Mediapart, Le Monde, the French channel of BuzzFeed, and Liberation, among others, gave attention to stories detailing allegations of violences sexuelles. Since then, most outlets have backed away for fear of retribution in court. Were blocked today at the level of the justice system, says Aude Lorriaux, chief reporter on gender inequality at 20 Minutes and cofounder of Prenons la une, an association for women in media. This falls outside of journalisms prerogative.

According to Lea Forestier, a business and media lawyer, the problem is less the law than its implementation. French law reflects our time, and at first glance resembles the legal systems in many other countries, she says. It is its institutional application by judges in cases of sexual abuse that is lacking.

Bredoux, the Mediapart journalist, confirms that institutions remain a bastion of traditional values. I think the French media are even more conservative than society itself, she says. Given the number of emails and phone calls we receive, people have changed more. They want to come forward. Its just that the discourse of the French elite remains completely out of touch.

If a celebrity were to be accused of sexual harassment today on French territory, Bredoux and her colleagues at Mediapart would be the first to break the story. The outlet is an exception to the entre-soi of Frances artistic, political, and media elites; it does not receive the government subventions standard in the French media, and is editorially aligned with the radical left. It takes after an anglophone model of investigative journalism: an independent entity capable of calling those in power to account.

Mediaparts investigations have generated change. In 2016, Bredoux reported on allegations of sexual assault against Denis Baupin, a Green Party politician, and Baupin subsequently resigned. Articles on Haenels allegations of abuse and the Academie des Cesars familial inner workings prompted the organizations members to collectively step down; it has since made a commitment to gender parity.

IN FRANCE, THE SAYING GOES that two groups have a strong following on Twitter: fascists and feminists, says Lorriaux. For the American reader, the comparison might be astonishing. It aligns with a fear of dictatorship by the moba mob that has been imagined since the French Revolution as emotional, frenzied, and feminine.

When Woody Allens name is invoked in France, it is almost always with the aim of defending French artistic liberties and condemning American cancel culture. For young peopletwenty, thirty years old who have nothing but the internetwhat they will hear about Woody Allen will cut them off from masterpieces, Jean-Marc Parisis, a writer, said last year on France Culture, a public radio channel.

Parisiss comments come from the premise that state-funded culture brings the French populace together in the shared purpose of higher ideals, a purpose that is often articulated in contrast to American individualism and materialism. When feminists question the standing of such cultural productssuch as Polanskis most recent film, which received more than six million euros from at least four public fundersthey are blamed for advocating a Netflix consumer model over one that values great culture.

France is very attached to the artistic side of film, says Pauline Mallet, who served on the jury at this years Critics Week at Cannes. Theres a stereotype of American cinema as Disney and big blockbusters. She notes that coverage of Harvey Weinstein in France put forward a capitalist critique, focusing on his exceptional wealth and power. I think that this is partly what prevented the explosion of Me Too in France, Mallet adds.

As an American journalist, I have often taken French women to task for their willingness to tolerate sexist behavior and institutionsonly to learn that they are fighting in ways that diverge from what is familiar to me.

The French journalists I spoke with for this piece are considered radical. But because of the historical omerta surrounding gender inequalities, they were leery of applying a preconceived idea of what good feminism should be, and did not hesitate to express reservations about the conflation of social media hashtags and whisper networks with political activism.

Feminism also remains much less mainstream than it is in the US. Engaged journalists are therefore more likely to accept invitations to argue with universalist (anti-feminist) thinkers who defend the likes of Woody Allen, instead of dismissing the debate as irrelevant to their cause.

I think its a good thing Allens memoir will be published, says Faure, who published a book with a sister imprint in 2018. Different points of view should be allowed to make themselves heard.

While in the US an emphasis on the differences of lived experience has superseded an abstract idea of absolute equality, in France the latter continues to be held up as an ideal. Of course I support Me Too; Im thrilled that were starting to be heard, says Lorriaux. But I think that feminism should be for justice in general, not just for women.

Yes, Woody Allens memoir was published in France; yes, the cancellation of his contract has been shamelessly repurposed to silence those who speak in the name of feminism. But this does not mean the French media are passively standing by, nor is it a sign of French backwardness, as is so often implied in the American media. French journalists are paying attentionbut they must situate their reporting within their own cultural framework in order to generate the desired change.

As an American journalist, I have often taken French women to task for their willingness to tolerate sexist behavior and institutionsonly to learn that they are fighting in ways that diverge from what is familiar to me. Me Too is a global, not a national, movement, and we cannot fully understand its reach and scope through a strictly American lens. If Me Too is about listening to women, then a cross-cultural comparison can be used to better understand the mechanisms of power on both sides.

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Madison Mainwaring has written for the New York Times, The Economist, and Harpers, among other publications. She is a PhD candidate in French at Yale and lives in Paris.
Chennai, Sep 1 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Tuesday said it was the state government that protected reservation for government doctors in post graduate medical admissions.

He also hailed the apex court's verdict on Monday upholding the quota for government doctors in post graduate course admissions.

In a statement issued here, Palaniswami said for a long time in Tamil Nadu the practice of reserving 50 per cent of the post graduate medical seats for government doctors out of the state quota of 50 per cent of the total seats has been in existence.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) came out with its regulations affecting this position.

Palaniswami said the government had appointed lawyers and argued the case when the government doctors association approached the apex court.
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Linkedin Michelle Nichols (Reuters) New York, United States  Tue, September 1, 2020 12:15 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41dfea0 2 World UN-Security-Council,Indonesia,US,MilitantGroups Free

The United States on Monday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on foreign militants fighting with groups like Islamic State because it did not address repatriation, an issue that has long pitted Washington against its European allies.

The other 14 council members voted in favor of the resolution drafted by Indonesia, isolating the United States.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, said the draft text aiming to reinforce international action on counterterrorism "was worse than no resolution at all."

"It fails to even include reference to the crucial first step  repatriation to countries of origin or nationality," she said. "The United States will not participate in such a cynical and willfully oblivious farce."

The US veto comes after Indonesia, council president for August, last week dismissed Washington's attempt to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran because 13 members had expressed their opposition to the move.

The United States wants foreign militants sent home and either prosecuted or rehabilitated there. European states, however, have been reluctant to try their nationals at home, citing difficulty in collecting evidence, concerns about a public backlash and the risk of fresh attacks on European soil.

Thousands of foreign militants from dozens of countries are being held by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria. The Kurdish-led forces also hold tens of thousands of Syrian and foreign women and children - family members of suspected militants - in squalid camps.

The draft resolution encouraged states to facilitate "the return of the children to their countries of origin, as appropriate and on a case by case basis."

A spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office said: "We regret the resolution was not adopted. We are working closely with international partners to reduce the risk posed to us collectively by foreign fighters."
Amid the ongoing border standoff between India and China, Beijing on Tuesday said it has never encroached upon foreign territory in the 70-odd years of new Chinas foundation as it again tried to blame New Delhi for the tensions in Ladakh.

China, which has alleged that Indian troops illegally trespassed across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the southern bank of Pangong lake, said India should take its concerns seriously and make efforts to contribute to peace and tranquility at the border.

Seventy-odd years since the founding of new China, China never provoked any war or conflict and never occupied an inch of other countrys territory. China border troops always strictly abide by the LAC and never crossed the line," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Earlier on Monday, Indias defence ministry said Chinese troops had carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo" in the eastern Ladakh region over the weekend.

Military commanders from the two sides held talks on Monday in a new bid to ease tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who fought a border war in 1962 and have staged regular high altitude clashes since.

Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground," said Indias defence ministry.

China did not confirm Saturdays incident, but the foreign ministry said its troops have always strictly respected" the unofficial border known as the Line of Actual Control.

Reiterating its stand, Hua said on Tuesday, The Indian sides statement may be different from the Chinese but there is only one truth and fact.

She further said, Perhaps there are some communication issues. I think both sides should stick to facts and have goodwill in maintaining the overall bilateral relations and take concrete measures to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity along the border.

Hua also referred to the Indian militarys strengthening of deployment along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. We noticed that for some time in India there have been many media reports about increased military along the border. I think people of the two countries want to live peacefully together and such Indian media reports are not consistent with peoples aspirations, she said.

The spokesperson added that for some time China and India have held multilevel engagement and talks and made active efforts to peacefully resolve differences on the border and possibly disputes to safeguard peace and tranquillity along the border.

On August 31st, Indian troops violated the consensus reached in previous multi-level engagements and negotiations between China and India, illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector of China-India border, and conducted flagrant provocations the Chinese embassy statement claimed.

What India has done runs counter to the efforts made by both sides for a period of time to ease and cool down the situation on the ground, and China is resolutely opposed to this. China has made solemn representations to the Indian side, urged the Indian side to strictly control and restrain its frontline troops immediately withdraw its troops illegally trespassing the Line of Actual Control it added.
Campaign joins with customers to fund millions of breakfasts; effort builds on nearly $100 million raised for hunger relief in 2020 alone

BOISE, Idaho, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Every child deserves a healthy breakfast. Every day.

Thats the stand taken by Albertsons Companies Nourishing Neighbors community relief fund, which throughout September will enable customers to donate money to help provide millions of healthy breakfasts for children in the communities they serve.

Breakfast is an essential school supply for kids to learn, grow, and thrive, said Albertsons Cos. Foundation President and Executive Director Christy Duncan Anderson. In partnership with our generous customers, were proud to be one of the largest contributors to food banks and hunger-relief programs in the neighborhoods we serve.

In September, shoppers at Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaws, Star Market, Tom Thumb, Randalls, ACME, and other Albertsons Cos. stores can donate at checkout to Nourishing Neighbors. Each store is partnering with a local charity that will use their local donations to fund healthy breakfasts for children in need in the community.

To help spread awareness of this important fundraiser, partner charities are being encouraged to use the hashtag #NourishingNeighbors on social media to engage the community on the progress of the campaign.

Nourishing Neighbors is a charitable program of the Albertsons Companies Foundation, which is working to eradicate childhood hunger in America. With 14 million children in America not knowing where their next meal will come from, the funds donated by customers in September will be dedicated to local efforts that ensure every child has access to a healthy breakfast.

Central to the work of Nourishing Neighbors are two core beliefs:

Children in America are suffering. Hunger is robbing them of their childhood.

For a child in America, possibilities should be limitless. We teach our children to aim highto reach for the stars. The hopes for our future rest on our childrens shoulders; our continued prosperity becomes their responsibility.

Story continues

Nearly $100 million raised for hunger relief in 2020 to date

Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 created unprecedented uncertainty and need throughout the country, Nourishing Neighbors has raised nearly $100 million for community hunger relief. Albertsons Cos. has provided a $53 million commitment to the fund, and the companys generous customers have donated an additional $44 million at the register. All donations stay local to help fight hunger in the communities served by the company.

Albertsons Cos. has a long-standing commitment to hunger relief. In the last five years, the company has donated more than $2 billion in food to food banks and other hunger relief agencies, expanding their standing as one of the biggest retail supporters of hunger relief in the country. These donations were in addition to hundreds of tons of food contributed through local and regional food drives.

For more information about Albertsons Cos. commitment to hunger relief, please visit here.

About Albertsons Companies

Locally great and nationally strong, Albertsons Companies is a leading food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs. The Company is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2019 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company gave $225 million in food and financial support. In 2020, the Company made a $53 million commitment to community hunger relief efforts and a $5 million commitment to organizations supporting social justice. These efforts have helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, social justice and programs for people with disabilities and veterans' outreach.

Attachments

CONTACT: Andrew Whelan Albertsons Companies Andrew.Whelan@albertsons.com




Queen Mathilde of Belgium and King Philippe of Belgium joined their youngest daughter Princess Eleonore as she attended her first day of secondary school this morning.

The family all sported masks when arriving at Heilig-Hartcollege in Wezembeek-Oppem, and Eleonore, 12, opted for a pink top and jeans, while carrying her school bag.

Mathilde put on a stunning display in a orange top and trouser combo with a matching mask as she appeared alongside her daughter and her husband.

It's the second time the mother-of-four, 47, has sported the bold trouser suit, after first wearing it in May when visiting Oostnieuwkerke flower farm.

All schools in Belgium are resuming on-site teaching from the start of the new academic year this month.

Queen Mathilde of Belgium put on a stunning display in a coordinated two-piece ensemble and mask as she joined her husband King Philippe for Princess Eleonore's first day of secondary school (pictured together)

Mathilde wowed in a vibrant orange top and trouser combo with a matching mask as she appeared alongside her youngster and her husband (pictured)

Highlighting her slender frame, she teamed her outfit with caramel-coloured heels and accessorised with a golden watch and burnt orange earrings.

She kept her makeup look natural, and opted for an elegant straight hairdo to complete her sophisticated style.

King Philippe, 60, sported a black suit but jazzed up his outfit with a colourful tie.

Their youngest daughter (centre), 12, appeared alongside her parents in a pink top and jeans, while carrying her school bag when arriving at Heilig-Hartcollege in Wezembeek-Oppem

Highlighting her slender frame, Mathilde teamed her outfit with caramel-coloured heels while wearing a golden watch and burnt orange earrings (pictured)

It's the second time the mother-of-four (pictured right), 47, has sported the bold trouser suit, after first wearing it in May when visiting Oostnieuwkerke flower farm

Princess Eleonore did want to continue her studies at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege, having completed her primary school education there, according to local media.

However, she had to accept her second choice of Heilig-Hartcollege because she doesn't have an older sibling at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege and lives outside the catchment area.

Heilig-Hartcollege is a Dutch language catholic secondary school in the Brussels region.

Mathilde (pictured with her daughter and husband) kept her makeup look natural, and opted for an elegant straight hairdo to complete her sophisticated style

King Philippe (pictured with his wife), 60, sported a black suit but jazzed up his outfit with a colourful tie and a white shirt

Princess Eleonore (pictured with her parents) did want to continue her studies at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege, having completed her primary school education there, according to local media

However, the princess (seen centre, with her parents) had to accept her second choice of Heilig-Hartcollege because she doesn't have an older sibling at Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege and lives outside the catchment area

She lives in the Royal Castle of Laeken with her parents and three siblings Princess Elisabeth, 18, Prince Emmanuel, 14, and Prince Gabriel, 16.

All schools in Belgium will resume on-site teaching from the start of the new academic year in September, it was announced in June.

For students in secondary education, the current plan means they will go to school four days a week and distance-learn on Wednesdays.
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Jammu on Tuesday declared terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar an as absconder in the 2019 February Pulwama terror attack case. The NIA had on August 25 filed a charge sheet in the case naming Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, slain terrorist Mohammad Umar Farooq, suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar and other terrorist commanders operating from Pakistan.

These are apart from the six other accused arrested by the NIA in connection with the case. The 13,500-page-long charge sheet details how the planning and execution of one of the deadliest terror attacks in Kashmir was done from Pakistan.

According to the NIA lawyer, the next hearing of the Pulwama terror attack case has been fixed on September 15. An accused Waiz-ul-Islam has submitted a bail application citing the JEE mains examination in which he has to appear. The court will decide on the application on September 2 (Wednesday).

Over 40 soldiers were killed when a suicide bomber rammed a security convoy with a car full of explosives in February 2019. Ahead of filing the charge sheet, an NIA official had said, "The agency will file a charge sheet (on Tuesday) against Azhar, Asghar, their slain relative Farooque, six arrested accused in the Pulwama terror attack case at a Jammu Special NIA court."

The official had said that the agency has prepared a watertight case against the people named in the charge sheet along with all the irrefutable evidence, including their chats, call details to highlight the role of Pakistan in the February 14, 2019 attack in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed.

The official had said that this attack was a plot hatched by the Pakistan-based terror group to project the attack as the handiwork of terrorists operating in Kashmir.

The NIA has also accused several top commanders of the terrorist group in its charge sheet. The agency also arrested Mohammad Iqbal Rather, 25, a resident of Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir in July. Heis accused of facilitating the movement of Muhammad Umar Farooq, the JeM terrorist and a key conspirator in this case, after he infiltrated into the Indian territory in the Jammu region in April 2018.

Earlier, the NIA found that Rather was in constant touch with the Pakistan-based leadership of the JeM and was in communication with them over secure messaging applications and was also part of the transportation module of the terrorist organisation.

The other five arrested accused named in the charge sheet are Mohammad Abbas Rather, Waiz-ul-Islam, father-daughter duo Tariq Ahmad Shah and Insha Jan -- all alleged ground workers of the JeM.
Hyderabad, Sep 2 : Ganesh immersion procession passed off peacefully in Hyderabad on Tuesday amid tight security and low-key festivities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hundreds of devotees gathered at Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of the city for immersion of idols, marking the culmination of the nine-day festival.

About 5,000 idols were immersed in the lake and the process was on till midnight. However, the number of idols decreased compared to the previous years due to Covid.

The grand immersion procession began from Balapur with several idols carried on trucks.

The famous Khairatabad Ganesh was also brought to the lake in a procession. The size of the idol this year was reduced to just nine feet. It used to be the tallest idol in the city.

The organisers said this was the first time in the last 66 years that the size was reduced. Every year, the organisers used to increase its height by one foot and this year, they had planned to install a 66-feet idol.

In view of the pandemic, the organisers of the festival did not organize traditional auctions of 'laddus' and 'prasadam' distribution programmes.

Authorities made elaborate arrangements for smooth conduct of the immersion. Nearly 15,000 personnel were deployed as part of the massive security.

A total of 21 cranes were deployed around Hussain Sagar for immersion of the idols brought from various parts of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and the outskirts.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar, who monitored the security arrangements, visited the lake along with other police officials. They observed the immersion from a boat on the lake.

The police chief said the immersion was continuing in a serene atmosphere, and Covid-19 rules were being followed. He said the number of idols decreased this year.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The day before kids go back to school, MPPs will be going back to the legislature.

Premier Doug Ford insisted Monday that the Progressive Conservatives have no plans to prorogue the house.

That means MPPs will return to Queens Park on Sept. 14, on the eve of students and teachers across Ontario resuming classes in person for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March.

We arent going to prorogue. We need to be there working around the clock, Ford told reporters during a campaign-style swing through an Etobicoke auto parts factory.

And we all have been working even if we arent at Queens Park, said the premier, who is in the midst of an eight-week provincial tour that will take him to 38 of Ontarios 124 ridings.

We have a lot of items to get done, so, we wont be proroguing. Well be working all the way through, he said.

There had been prorogation talk for the provincial Tories, who are midway through a four-year mandate.

That would have enabled Ford to press the reset button and table a speech from the throne to outline a new agenda for Ontario, which, like most jurisdictions, has been upended by COVID-19.

More than 2,800 Ontarians have died from the coronavirus in the past six months with almost 1.2 million jobs lost at the peak of a pandemic that has plunged the province into an economic recession.

The Conservatives, who are projecting to spend a record $186.7 billion this year, are saddled with a $38.5 billion deficit, by far the largest shortfall in Ontario history.

But unlike Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus minority Liberal government, which prorogued parliament until Sept. 23 and will face a confidence motion on a throne speech that could trigger a federal election, Ford has a majority.

The Tories will not face voters until June 2022 and the premier has told the Star he is ruling out a snap election before then.

Were going to year four, he said on July 14.

Despite that assurance, some jittery Liberal strategists remain convinced Ford will pull the plug early in order to capitalize on his resurgence in public-opinion polls due to his handling of the pandemic.

In July 2019, the premier had a 20 per cent approval rating with 69 per cent disapproval  and 11 per cent unsure  for an overall -49 per cent.

A year later, in this past Julys Campaign Research poll for the Star, Ford had a 66 per cent approval with 27 per cent disapproval and six per cent unsure for an overall 39 per cent rating. Thats a swing of 88 percentage points in 12 months.

Senior Grits, speaking on background in order to discuss internal deliberations, believe the premier may want to go to the polls early to get out in front of any looming economic hardship.

They note that New Brunswick Tory Premier Blaine Higgs, a Ford ally, called a snap election for Sept. 14 that could see the minority Conservatives there returned with a majority.

If the PCs win re-election in NB, watch out, warned a high-ranking Liberal strategist.

Under Ontario law, elections must be held every four years, but the Tories could easily use their majority to amend that legislation for a snap vote.

Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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Seven Mount Sinai Health System hospitals have received top quality achievement awards from the American Heart Association for ensuring that patients with stroke, heart failure, and severe heart attacks receive the most appropriate and safest treatment for the best possible outcomes.

"Congratulations to our teams for these significant achievements that demonstrate Mount Sinai's dedication to quality of care. The experts across our Health System have executed innovative approaches to diagnosis and treatment of stroke, heart failure, and heart attack," said Kenneth L. Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. "I commend them for their dedication to setting standards for excellence and making the care and safety of our patients a top priority."

The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai Brooklyn, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai Queens, and Mount Sinai South Nassau received the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Awards. The award recognizes each hospital's commitment to ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. Additionally, Mount Sinai West was honored with Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus award, which highlights its goal of treating patients with compliance to high standard levels of care.

Each of these Mount Sinai Health System hospitals earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health and get a follow-up visit scheduled, and have access to help transitioning their care from a hospital to home setting.

Additionally, The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and Mount Sinai South Nassau received the association's Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll Award. Mount Sinai Queens received the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Award. Mount Sinai West received the Target: Stroke and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award, and Mount Sinai Morningside also received the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient's arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke each year. The "Get With The Guidelines" quality improvement initiative can often lead to fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.

For cardiac care, The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and Mount Sinai South Nassau also received Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure Gold Plus Award and Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association. This program helps hospital teams follow the most up-to-date research-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients. The hospitals earned these awards by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the patient, proper use of medications, and aggressive risk-reduction therapies, such as ACE inhibitors/ARBs, beta-blockers, diuretics, anticoagulants, and other appropriate therapies. Before patients are discharged, they must also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, schedule a follow-up visit, and have a plan to transition their care from hospital to home.

An estimated 6.2 million Americans are living with heart failure and its prevalence continues to rise, with more than 8 million Americans projected to be diagnosed by 2030. The chronic condition accounts for approximately 900,000 hospitalizations annually, which is nearly two hospitalizations every minute. Numerous published studies demonstrate the Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure programs have achieved significant improvements in patient outcomes including reducing 30-day readmissions.

Additionally, Mount Sinai Morningside has been honored with the Lifeline Gold Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award and Mount Sinai Beth Israel and The Mount Sinai Hospital have been given the Lifeline Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award. These recognize the implementation of specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks.

Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it's critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication. The American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline program's goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. The initiative provides tools, training, and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.

###

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai is a national and international source of unrivaled education, translational research and discovery, and collaborative clinical leadership ensuring that we deliver the highest quality care--from prevention to treatment of the most serious and complex human diseases. The Health System includes more than 7,200 physicians and features a robust and continually expanding network of multispecialty services, including more than 400 ambulatory practice locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of the Top 20 Best Hospitals in the country and the Icahn School of Medicine as one of the Top 20 Best Medical Schools in country. Mount Sinai Health System hospitals are consistently ranked regionally by specialty and our physicians in the top 1% of all physicians nationally by U.S. News & World Report.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
" " Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann accepts the 2009 Edison Achievement Award for her work as the president of new product development at Genetech. The awards annually honor the top cutting-edge products, organizations and business executives. Courtesy of Edison Awards

If we subjected Thomas Edison to a modern-day, corporate performance review, it would be difficult to begin describing his life. How could you capture Edison's impact when he held 1,093 U.S. patents and 1,239 non-U.S. patents in 34 countries on such inventions as the phonograph, electric lights, electric automobile and the moving picture apparatus?

In fact, if we think we have a lot on our minds, imagine being Edison -- a man who had 19 experiment ideas listed on just one of his journal entries from 1875, and who was known to work 60 hours straight with just naps and periodic snacking [source: Watson].

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However, capturing this hard-working inventor's impact is just the point of the Edison Awards, a program that recognizes, honors and showcases innovation. As such, the awards are very much for those people who might not imagine being Edison, but certainly may imagine like he did.

The Edison Awards, which have been noted in such publications as Fast Company and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission newsletter, are given to people, products and organizations for such attributes as ingenuity, creativity, sustainability and having a lasting impact on our global society. Examples of past winners include Martha Stewart, J.W. Marriot Jr., Apple iPhone, WiiFit and Tide to Go.

So how does one strive to join the roster of winners? And what is the inside scoop on the Edison Awards -- awards that, per the program's mission, "symbolize the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison" [source: Edison Awards: Facts]? Take a pause from your own imagining to journey through the inner workings of this program. In this article, we'll talk about the judging criteria, catergories and awards process, but up first, learn about the types of Edison Awards.
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State-owned CIL will pump in over Rs 1.22 lakh crore on projects related to coal evacuation, exploration and clean coal technologies by 2023-24, to achieve 1 billion tonnes of fuel output target, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday.

Out of the proposed spend of over 1.22 lakh crore, Coal India Ltd (CIL) has planned to invest Rs 32,696 crore on coal evacuation, Rs 25,117 crore on mine infrastructure and Rs 29,461 crore on project development by 2023-24, the minister said while addressing a stakeholders' meet organised by the PSU through video conferencing.

He added that the state-owned company will also invest Rs 32,199 on diversification and clean coal technologies, Rs 1,495 crore on social infrastructure and Rs 1,893 crore on exploration works.

The investment of Rs 1.22 lakh crore will be utilised to fund a total of 500 projects, Joshi added.

The company is eyeing 1 billion tonnes of coal output by 2023-24, he said.

"Engagement and involvement of all concerned stakeholders in the company's affairs will reduce and uncover the project risks. Such two-way interactions help pave way for mutually beneficial newer ideas, improvement areas and project-related expectations," the minister said.

The minister said avenues for business opportunities with Coal India are huge. The company would invest around Rs 14,200 crore by 2023-24, in two phases, for its 49 first-mile connectivity projects, he added.

First-mile connectivity is the transportation of coal from pitheads to dispatch points. This is being done to bring in improved efficiency in coal transport and computer-aided loading, replacing the existing road transport between the two points.

Similarly, to raise coal output and reduce import dependency of coal, CIL has identified a total of 15 greenfield (new) projects to operate through the mine developer and operator (MDO) mode. It would entail a total investment plan of about Rs 34,600 crore, of which likely investment ending 2023-24 pegged at about Rs 17,000 crore.

Evacuation infrastructure is another major area where Coal India will infuse large amount of money into economy.

Investments in rail logistics like developing major railways (about Rs 13,000 crore), railway sidings (about Rs 3,100 crore) and procurement of own wagons (Rs 675 crore) would total up to over Rs 16,500 crore by 2023-24.

"Coal India and its subsidiaries are engaged in procurement of various types of goods, works and services amounting to approximately Rs 30,000 crore per year. This is where the role and importance of stakeholder step in," the minister said.

Coal Secretary Anil Kumar Jain, CIL Chairman and Managing Director Pramod Agarwal, and other senior officials from the and the company attended the meet.

(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.)
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Islamabad, Sep 1 : Incessant rains continued across Pakistan, affecting daily life and creating a flood-like situation in several rivers, while the Met Department on Tuesday forecast more downpour for the next two days.

In Sindh, the flow of water from the Gaj river increased due to the water coming from the Khirthar mountain range, The Express Tribune reported.

According to the Sindh irrigation department, the water level in the Indus river was surging at the three barrages in the province after the incessant rains.

It said that nine canals of the three barrages had been closed due to heavy rainfall.

Because of the rain, the Rawal dam, that provides the water needs for the cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, was filled to the brim.

As a result, the dam's spillways opened to release 6,000 cusecs of water from it.

There was a risk of flooding in the Sawan River due to the water released from the dam.

Meanwhile, the floods in the Chenab and Jhelum rivers inundated more than 50 villages and settlements.

The Meteorological Department said on Monday that more rains were expected in most parts of the country till Wednesday.

It said that heavy rains might cause urban flooding, floods in canals and landslides in the mountainous areas.

The department has alerted all agencies concerned, especially reservoir operators and water managers, to remain alert in the wake of moderate to heavy rainfall in most parts till Wednesday.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Several dozen students picketed outside their universities and marched through the city centre.

Belarusian authorities have resumed arresting protesters in the capital, Minsk, where students have taken to the streets against President Alexander Lukashenko.

Several dozen students on Tuesday held pickets outside their universities and marched through the city centre on the fourth week of mass protests rocking the country.

Belarusian media reported that at least 18 students were arrested as police moved to break up the crowd.

Lukashenko has dismissed the protesters as Western puppets and bristled at the demands for him to step down after 26 years in power or start a dialogue with the opposition.

After a crackdown on demonstrators in the first days after the August 9 vote that caused international outrage, his government has avoided large-scale violence against demonstrators and sought to end the protests with threats and the selective jailing of activists.

Several dozen students marched through the city centre [BelaPAN via Reuters]

Several strike organisers at top industrial plants have been arrested. On Tuesday, people started gathering near several large plants in support of the striking workers.

Belarusian prosecutors have opened a criminal probe against the opposition Coordination Council, accusing its members of undermining the countrys security.

Last week, the countrys courts handed 10-day jail sentences to two council members and summoned several others for questioning, including Svetlana Alexievich, the 2015 Nobel literature laureate.

Another council member, Lilia Vlasova, was arrested on Monday.
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Potterheads, accio your wands and say alohomora to a brand-new Harry Potter theme park coming soon in Japan. Its going to be ready by 2023 at a part of the area that was the Toshimaen amusement park until Monday, August 31.

Toshimaen amusement park closed its doors for the last time after being in business for more than nine decades (94 years to be precise), with part of the site set to make way for a Harry Potter theme park.

Toshimaen amusement park opened in 1926 in northern Tokyo, caught the imagination of locals such as Junko and Hikari Abe, a mother and daughter who work at the park and met their partners there.

SEE PHOTOS: Toshimaen amusement park in Japan closes, Harry Potter theme park to open soon

Junko, a 62-year-old park keeper who has worked intermittently at Toshimaen since the 1970s, said she had assumed it would be there till the end of her life.

Daughter Hikari, 30, started working at the park in 2015. She had hoped to take family photos there after getting married with her fiancee, whom she met there as well.

It was a spot I had taken for granted because it had been there from the time I was born, so I cant believe that it will be gone, she told Reuters.

Other visitors remembered family visitors, school outings, and traditional coming-of-age celebrations they had at Toshimaen, which limited the number of people who were allowed to enter over the coronavirus crisis.

Its regrettable and sad, I cant stop wishing for a delayed closure of the park or for it to survive, said Akiyoshi Tomizawa, 54.

Tomizawa, who visited the park from the age of four, said he used to go swimming in the park with friends and take dates there as a teenager.

Part of the parks charm lay in its variety of attractions, which included swimming pools (a doughnut-shaped one), eateries and roller coaster rides.

Yasuko Tagata, 56, recounted watching fireworks, which are a nighttime summer tradition in Japan, with friends from the parks swimming pools.

Toshimaen is a place where people grew up together, she told Reuters.

The new Harry Potter theme park is expected to open in 2023, and will be Japans first.

Touted to be called the Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo  The Making of Harry Potter, this new venture will take a few cues from Londons Harry Potter attraction. Therell be everything from costumes, props, exhibitions and special events at the theme park as well as a chance of a tour around the sets. You may want to keep your version of the Marauders Map ready too and solemnly swear youre upto no good.

September 1 also marks back-to-school for all young wizards and witches at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and due to the coronavirus pandemic, the classes are going online. WizardingWorld.com held a back-to-school celebration from Aug. 27-30, and Sept. 1 will see a Back to Hogwarts livestream on Facebook and Instagram.

-- with Reuters inputs

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In the latest development in the 'drug-angle', pertaining to the Sushant Singh Rajput case, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday handed over a list of 18 people to the Mumbai Police who are said to be active in the drug distribution network in the city. This move is being seen as the NCB's first big step towards nabbing the larger drug nexus in Mumbai. Sources have revealed that NCB's list includes people from the lower /middle ring of the drug cartel in Mumbai.

Earlier in the day, NCB had taken two suspects into custody, furthering the probe into the case. According to sources, the NCB will require this list of 18 people to be brought in for questioning in the next 48-72 hours.

Read: Rhea In Hot Water; CBI To Meet NCB As Pithani Makes Drug Nexus Revelation In Sushant Probe

Read: Gaurav Arya Hires Camera To Record Media's Sushant Probe Coverage; Republic Confronts Him

4 'big names' under lens in SSR's drug angle

In a sensational development, sources from investigative agencies probing the drug angle told Republic TV that '4 big names' are under the scanner following conclusive proof.

Sources said that out of the four big names, two are Mumbai-based politicians, one is an actor and one is a filmmaker. This comes as an explosive development amid investigative agencies probing into Rhea Chakraborty's link to a purported drug cartel. Sources also said that NCB Director-General Rakesh Asthana was in Mumbai to take stock of the probe so far.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has registered a case under sections 20, 27 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS). These sections pertain to criminal conspiracy in procuring and consuming illegal drugs.

It has not yet summoned anyone in the case but sources have told Republic TV that Rhea is likely to be summoned first. With the massive revelation of an actor, politicians and filmmaker being under the scanner of the agencies, the drug angle in the Sushant death case that was revealed first by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) continues to get bigger.

Read: In Sushant Case Drug Angle, 4 'big Names' Under Lens: 1 Actor, 1 Filmmaker & 2 Politicians

Read: 'Dope Test Bollywood Stars Like Sports Stars': MP Min writes To Centre Amid Sushant Probe
Naomi Osaka vowed to continue highlighting issues of racial injustice after reaching the second round of the US Open with a hard-fought win over Japanese compatriot Misaki Doi.

Osaka, who initially pulled out of her semi-final at last week's Western & Southern Open in solidarity with protesters, wore a face-mask onto the court bearing the name of Breonna Taylor, who was shot dead by police in Louisville in March.

The 22-year-old Osaka said after her 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win that she planned to wear a mask bearing the name of a different shooting victim for each round that she remains in this year's tournament.

Naomi Osaka wears a face mask bearing the name of Breonna Taylor, who was shot dead by police in Louisville in March

Breonna Taylor, 26, was shot eight times while sleeping in her bed with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker when three plain clothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her Louisville apartment on March 13

Cops fired more than 20 rounds into Taylor's apartment, striking and killing the 26-year-old

THE DEATH OF BREONNA TAYLOR Breonna Taylor was sleeping in bed when three cops - Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officers Brett Hankinson and Myles Cosgrove - burst into her Louisville home after midnight on March 13. Her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, a licensed firearm carrier, thought robbers were entering the home and opened fire, hitting one officer in the leg in self-defense. The cops responded by firing more than 20 rounds into the apartment, striking and killing Taylor. The officers claim they identified themselves as police upon arrival at the property but Walker and Taylor's family have disputed this. The cops were not wearing bodycameras at the time. Officers had been searching for convicted drug dealer Jamarcus Glover, who they believed may have been keeping drugs or money at the home. However, no drugs or cash were found at Taylor's apartment and Glover had already been arrested 10 miles away and taken into police custody before the raid at her address. Advertisement

Osaka told Amazon Prime: 'Actually I have seven (masks), and it's quite sad that seven masks isn't enough for the amount of names.

'So hopefully I will get to the finals and you can see all of them.'

Taylor was killed when three police officers - sergeant Jonathan Mattingly and officers Brett Hankinson and Myles Cosgrove - burst into her apartment looking for convicted drug dealer Jamarcus Glover.

Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fire, believing robbers had broke in, before the cops responded by firing more than 20 rounds of their own.

Taylor was hit eight times and died on the night of March 13, sparking protests which flared up again following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.

Osaka had reversed her decision to withdraw from last week's tournament after discussions with organisers, only to subsequently pull out ahead of the final against Victoria Azarenka due to a hamstring injury.

And that affliction appeared evident in the way she laboured for long periods, requiring just over two hours to secure victory over an opponent who had won just one match in seven previous appearances in the US Open main draw.

'It was very difficult and I kind of expected it because I know she's a tough opponent,' added Osaka. 'I knew there was a chance it would get really long and I'll just have to see how I feel tomorrow.'

With six of the women's world top 10 absent from this year's tournament, Osaka is one of the favourites to reclaim the title she first won in 2018.

But despite appearing to back up those predictions in an opening set in which she threatened to sweep Doi aside, she was left looking tired and unreliable for much of the second in which Doi fired back.

The world No 89 moved into a 5-2 lead and although Osaka hit back to level, Doi kept her nerve to force the decider.

Having been broken in the opening game, Doi summoned one final effort to fashion two break points in the next, but Osaka survived and went on to claim what was ultimately a clear if not entirely convincing win.

Osaka earned a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory over compatriot Misaki Doi in US Open first round

Osaka revealed she will wear a mask bearing the name of different shooting victim each round

She taps rackets with Do after beating her in three sets on day one at Flushing Meadows

Nor was it entirely plain sailing for No 1 seed Karolina Pliskova who dropped serve in her first game but recovered to dispatch Anhelina Kalinina.

The world No 3, promoted to top billing following the withdrawals of Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep, won 6-4, 6-0 in just over an hour inside the empty Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The tournament in New York is being played behind closed doors with just a handful of support staff in attendance.

The 28-year-old Czech, beaten early on at last week's Western & Southern Open, said: 'I felt better than in my previous match last week. I think the centre court is better place to play.

'I mean, it's still without people, but I just felt somehow a little better. And I had a lot of practice on this court, so I felt just quite used to it.

Karolina Pliskova plays a forehand return during her victory over Anhelina Kalinina in New York

'Also, just to play without people, I think that even though I just had one match without people, I thought it helped me just to know how it feels.'

Two former Wimbledon champions, Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova, also reached the second round with little fuss.

Kerber, the 2018 winner at SW19, beat Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, the German 17th seed prevailing 6-4, 6-4.

Two-time Wimbledon champ Kvitova came through against Irina-Camelia Begu, the sixth seed winning 6-3, 6-2.
Jim Hackett, president and chief executive officer of Ford Motor Co., right, speaks as Jim Farley, president of global markets, stands next to a 2020 Ford Motor Co. Explorer sport utility vehicle (SUV) during a reveal event in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019.

Ford Motor reportedly plans to cut about 1,000 salaried jobs in North America as it tries to execute an $11 billion restructuring plan that has failed to meet Wall Street's expectations.

The planned reduction, reported by Bloomberg, comes as the company is expected to report its first annual operating loss in a decade. It also follows thousands of previous job cuts under the 2-year-old plan that's expected to continue for several years.

The job cuts are expected to come in the form of voluntary buyouts and are not related to rising costs from the coronavirus pandemic, according to Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources familiar with the plans.




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Married At First Sight's Jules Robinson is expecting her first child this month.

And on Tuesday, the 36-year-old was blooming beautiful as she enjoyed a visit to The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney.

Posing in front of a virtual forest of flowers, the former reality star looked stunning in a fitted, white ribbed dress.

Lovely! Married At First Sight 's Jules Robinson (pictured) is expecting her first child this month. And on Tuesday, the 36-year-old was blooming beautiful as she enjoyed a visit to The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney

Over the top, the glowing mother-to-be wore a flowing blue cardigan with a sash ribbon and collar detailing.

Jules finished her look with tan boots, and beamed as she held a cup containing a green juice in her hand.

Her porcelain skin appeared flawless and her red locks were complimented by her pink lipstick and smokey eye shadow.

A look: Posing in front of a virtual forest of flowers, the former reality star looked stunning in a fitted, white ribbed dress. Over the top, she wore a flowing blue cardigan with a sash ribbon and collar detailing

Jules captioned the post: 'Fresh flowers, fresh juice, winter white legs and my go to cardigan for this spring sorted'

Jules captioned the post: 'Fresh flowers, fresh juice, winter white legs and my go to cardigan for this spring sorted.'

She also shared a short video which showed her on the phone among the flowers at the famous cafe.

On Monday, Jules shared a number of photos and videos to Instagram, detailing her lavish baby shower in Roseville, NSW.

Fun! On Monday, Jules shared a number of photos and videos to Instagram, detailing her lavish baby shower in Roseville, NSW

Spoiled! Jules explained that her girlfriends threw her the do and all she had to do was 'turn up and get spoiled'. Pictured with a friend

Jules explained that her girlfriends threw her the do and all she had to do was 'turn up and get spoiled'.

The venue was decorated with bowls of candy, balloons featuring glitter inside and white flowers.

She stopped to open some of her many gifts including a pair of red baby shorts from the brand Seed.
The U.S. Army's top enlisted soldier is speaking out about his decision to share his struggles with racial identity on social media.

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston released a short video in June where he describes how he came from a mixed-race family.

Read Next: Here's the Marine Corps' Plan to End Gender Segregation at Boot Camp

"I was born in 1968; my father was black, my mother was white," Grinston said in the video, describing how his parents divorced when he was three years old and he grew up in Alabama.

"Racial identity is something that I struggled with my entire life."

A lot of people have asked Grinston why he decided to share his past, Grinston told an audience Monday at an Association of the United States Army Noon Report event, which hosted a discussion on race.

"I thought it was the right time," Grinston said. "If I was struggling with putting my story out there to share with the whole world, I thought well maybe there is somebody else out there that is going through these same challenges.

"It wasn't as easy as I thought it [would be], but I am really glad I did it."

Grinston and other Army leaders have been traveling the country, holding discussions on race with groups of soldiers as part of Project Inclusion, an initiative to promote greater racial understanding. The effort follows demonstrations and riots over racial injustice that spread nationwide after the death of George Floyd, a unarmed Black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Four squad leaders joined Grinston at Monday's virtual event.

Grinston said he found it difficult at first to know how to start conversations with soldiers about race. But, he said, he decided it was best to start with a prompt: "Tell me how you grew up and what was that like."

"If you don't know how they grew up, you don't know how strong their family ties are, you don't know maybe they are a really hard worker or maybe they didn't have much ... so it's such an important question," Grinston said.

Staff Sgt. Giselle Solis, a squad leader assigned to the U.S. Eighth Army, said she grew up in the Bronx, New York and that it was a "very tough upbringing" because she had to learn at an early age "how to protect yourself."

Solis, who is Puerto Rican, did say that she was glad her surroundings were so diverse as a child because it "absolutely helped the transition into the military. Because I was not surprised to meet someone from another nationality."

Solis was very open about witnessing racism in the Army.

"You see it in many forms; it's indirect, it's direct and it's a lot of times gender-based as well," she said.

"They assume you are a nationality of a certain race and then you open your mouth and your accent is completely different and they are shocked which is a lot of times what happens to me," Solis added. "They assume I am Caucasian, and I open my mouth and you can absolutely tell that I am Puerto Rican."

Staff Sgt. Akeem Williams, who is assigned to U.S. Army Europe, grew up in Hope Mills, North Carolina, a small town outside of Fort Bragg. Both his mother and father served in the military until his father died when he was very young.

Williams, who is Black, said he had not experienced racism directed toward him, but had seen one of his mentors encounter it.

"English is her second language and often when she would brief, people would start to shrug or give little snickers, and it's just ignorance, that is all that it is," Williams said. "You start hearing these conversations of 'hey, how did this person get promoted? You know, they can't even speak English.'

"It's one of the things that I have to intervene on and just say, 'hey, he or she was selected because they were effective and they know what they are doing, and it is ignorant of us to think that we are better than someone who is trying to learn our language."

Staff Sgt. Coralina Lucas, who is assigned to U.S. Army Forces Command, grew up in Puerto Rico and joined the Army when she was 19 years old.

"When I first joined the Army, my English was horrible," Lucas said. "I was very afraid of speaking up or speaking in front of people because of that, but I know my competence, and I know I am a good soldier so I kind of let that go.

"I do see racial bias in the Army, but I am very -- how you say it -- I tell people how it is and I will pull somebody to the side, let them know that was wrong, you shouldn't do that."

Solis said he has felt in the past that it is "taboo" to say anything about the racial bias she has witnessed.

"You don't really want to point it out, because you don't want to be picked on for that," she said.

Staff Sgt. Erik Rostamo, who was named the Army's drill sergeant of the year for 2020, said he felt "very blessed" to have grown up in a Minnesota town outside Minneapolis.

He agreed with Solis about it being difficult to speak out, calling the times he stayed silent his biggest regret as a leader.

"I was just in an incident where people were smirking about how someone was talking ... and I didn't say anything about it; I didn't stop it from happening. Because I feel like everyone is just afraid to be that guy, to walk up to someone and be like, 'that was inappropriate,'" Rostamo said.

Grinston stressed that race shouldn't be taboo to talk about but acknowledged that, "maybe I didn't say anything when I was a young staff sergeant."

He now regrets those silences too, he said.

"If it was open and blatant, it's OK in a tactful way to say, 'I don't think that was correct,' or 'could you clarify that.' Maybe the person didn't mean that ... but sometimes it's not only pulling a person aside, sometimes everybody needs to know whatever happened isn't appropriate."

Grinston said he has yet to have one of these discussions in which soldiers didn't talk about their own experiences with racial bias.

"To say, 'Well, I don't have an issue,' well, that is OK for you, but that doesn't mean your soldiers are having issues and if you haven't had these conversations, you don't know what issues are there," Grinston said.

"These are some difficult topics that people are struggling with, and they may be internalizing it, and they don't have any leaders. It's happening in our country, and everybody needs to sit down and have this conversation."

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: 'Sailors Using the N-Word': Navy Leaders Hear Painful Cases of Racism
A Conservative MP arrested on suspicion of rape has "voluntarily agreed not to attend the House of Commons for the period of the bail", Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said.

It comes after calls for the party whip to be removed from the member of parliament - who has not had their name disclosed due to concerns that it may put his accuser at risk of being identified.

The former minister in his 50s was arrested in August and released on bail pending enquiries into allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Addressing the commons, the speaker said: The house will know that a member has been arrested in connection with an investigation into allegations of a very serious criminal offence.

I have received assurances from the member and from the government chief whoop that the member has voluntarily agreed not to attend the House of Commons for the period of the bail.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA

I, the House of Commons Commission and the House Service take the safety of our staff and the parliamentary community as a whole very seriously, and will ensure that any necessary measures are taken with respect to MPs and employers and staff."

It comes after reports the former minister's accuser had wanted a politician to name the accused in the palace of Westminster - getting around legal limitations on the naming of perpetrators of sexual assault with parliamentary privilege, which allows absolute free speech to politicians in the chambers of parliament.

Sir Lindsay added: While this investigation is ongoing I believe it would be wholly inappropriate for any further reference to be made to this matter in the house, including any attempt to name the member concerned."
On Sept. 1, 1995, Tina Daenzer and 11 other jurors found Paul Bernardo guilty of murdering two Ontario schoolgirls following a harrowing four-month-trial in downtown Toronto.

Daenzer will always be haunted by the memory of the days in court when we had to watch those videos, referring to the tapes the serial rapist made of his sadistic assaults on the two teenagers.

I was zoned out and I would come home, lie on the sofa, my husband would bring me a cup of tea, Daenzer said Monday. I cant remember looking after my kids. My husband probably did everything. I would drag myself up in the morning and go back there again the next day.

For her service, Daenzer and her fellow jurors received paltry compensation: No pay for their first 10 days of service, $40 each day after that and then $100 daily after day 49.

For Daenzer, that wasnt a big deal. She was a stay-at-home mother whose husband earned enough money to support the family, while her friends, also stay-at-home moms, kept an eye on her boys until she returned from jury duty.

Whats unacceptable, Daenzer said, is that juror compensation in Ontario today remains the same as it was 25 years ago to the day, with no accounting for how the world has changed  particularly now in an era of precarious work and pandemic uncertainty.

On Tuesday, Daenzer will return to the University Avenue courthouse on the anniversary of Bernardos conviction to demand governments invest in jury duty. The former journalist is CFO of Canadian Juries Commission, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving jury duty in Canada.

Joining her will be CJC founder Mark Farrant, a former juror with PTSD. Their group has spent three years advocating for mental health support and duty reforms that are needed now more than ever, they say, as the justice system attempts to get jury trials back on track in Toronto and beyond after a shutdown of more than five months over the pandemic. Letters have already gone out to residents randomly selected from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) database telling them you are required by law to complete a questionnaire to determine if you qualify.

Last month, Farrant told the Star he expects there will be widespread resistance to jury duty, given the challenges of social distancing in enclosed spaces.

Daenzer believes bumping up juror compensation is one way to encourage people to serve.

I shouldnt have to do that (civic) duty at the expense of my own health, or expense of my own pocketbook, she said. At the very least, governments should pay for a jurors parking or public transportation costs, which can potentially run into the thousands of dollars depending on the duration of a trial.

They need to take care of people and take care of their expenses, and if you want a greater portion of the population to participate, you need to be able to let them do that.

Daenzer also worries about the impact of the current system on the composition of juries and whether they reflect broader society as intended. What if only well-heeled people sit on juries, because low-income workers cant afford it?

The Ontario government said recently it does not intend to raise the amount jurors are paid. In that case, Daenzer said Ottawa should set aside that money and transfer it to the provinces for that purpose.

The CJC also wants Canadian jurors to receive mental health support. A House of Commons standing committee has recommended the federal government provide $20 million over 10 years to the CJC to support juror mental health.

Back in 1995, now retired judge Patrick LeSage, a former Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice, requested that all of the jurors in the Bernardo case receive paid-for, post-trial counselling.

Daenzer appreciated that, but wrongly assumed it was always available. We were lucky to have a judge who recognized our trauma, she said. Many other jurors arent as lucky.

Even with counselling and all these years later, her juror experience has residual effects. She would never go for a run in the woods by herself, for instance. And if Im out in the evening and I have to go to my car in a parking lot, I have my keys in my hand, Im constantly looking over my shoulder. I was never like that before.

While Daenzer was grateful for the counselling, what would have helped more is a (mental health) professional to talk to at the end of a tough day. PTSD happens over time and jurors have no one they can talk to during a trial, she wrote in a text message.

On the days I had to view the videos, I couldnt sleep because they would keep replaying in my head.

Still, there are some things no amount of counselling can erase.

As a regular person, you read the news and you know theres bad people out there, but you dont know that kind of evil until youve seen that and what that person does, she said.

A quarter-century later, talking about the Bernardo case makes her voice catch, because it still breaks my heart for those moms.
Micro-Collegiate Academy Logo

TEL Education, a non-profit organization specializing in online courses for early college high school, is launching the Micro-Collegiate Academy, an affordable, turnkey solution that allows micro-schools, homeschool co-ops, and other organizations to offer a collegiate academy experience for grades 9-12. With support from the Charles Koch Institute, TEL will be providing 50% scholarships for students enrolling the 2020-2021 school year.

As students and families look for options to traditional high school, many are turning to micro-schools, learning pods, and independent learning options such as homeschool co-ops. TEL Education created the Micro-Collegiate Academy to provide an equitable option that offers all families and their students access to a high-quality and rigorous curriculum at an affordable price.

TELs Micro-Collegiate Academy provides a scaffolded online curriculum that prepares students for college-level work and gives them the opportunity to earn up to two years of college credit, with an associate degree option, by the time they finish their high school studies. The program includes complete curriculum options for grades 9 and 10, as well as a comprehensive college-credit sequence that students can begin as early as the Spring of their 10th-grade year. Micro-Collegiate Academy offers course sequences and degree checklists for 10th and 11th grade students, as well as course bundles for 12th graders. College-credit courses in the program include all materials, instruction, technology, and support.

College-credit courses are provided under the direction of York College, a four-year, private, regionally accredited Christian college located in York, Nebraska. Students will receive an official college transcript for their college coursework.

Registration opens Sept. 8 and will go through October 12, 2020. Visit our website, http://mca.tel-education.org for program details, including costs.

ABOUT TEL

TEL is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing equitable access to highly engineered postsecondary learning to anyone, anywhere, at any time. We achieve this mission by partnering with regionally accredited colleges and universities to deliver affordable, college-credit courses using TELs rigorous curriculum and proprietary learning system. TEL also maintains a free reference library of its openly licensed course materials. All TEL efforts are guided by our commitment to transforming and educating for life. For more information, please visit http://www.tel-education.org.

ABOUT YORK COLLEGE

York College is a four-year, private, Christian college located in York, Nebraska. The mission of York College is to transform lives through Christ-centered education and to equip students for lifelong service to God, family and society. York College inspires students to grow intellectually, physically, and spiritually through a caring Christian community of supportive peers, excellent educators and passionate alumni. York College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week?

local
A 75-year-old man was robbed of Rs 2.8 lakh in cash at gunpoint at IndusInd bank on Gill road on Tuesday morning.

When the banks guard rushed to his rescue, the robbers threatened him also.

The victim, Kuljit Singh, 75, of Jamalpur Colony, told the police that he worked at a bearing and oil store and had come to the bank to deposit cash in his firms account.

As he was about to enter the bank around 11.30am, two men suddenly snatched his bag containing the cash, causing him to fall on the stairs.

Hearing his cries for help, security guard Baghel Singh rushed to his aid, but was threatened by the robbers at gunpoint to steer clear. In no time, the duo fled with their accomplice waiting on a motorcycle nearby.

Inspector Amandeep Singh Brar, SHO at Division Number 6 police station, said according to Kuljits employer he has been working for at the firm for decades, and used to handle the work of depositing and withdrawing cash from the bank.

The SHO said they had registered a case of robbery and initiated investigation to trace the accused, who seemed to have been tailing the victim.

Police are scanning footage of CCTVs cameras installed in the area for clues.
The defence secretary has apologised after he was pictured shaking hands with a man before a socially distanced meeting of Boris Johnsons cabinet.

Ben Wallace flouted coronavirus guidance on his way to the meeting on Monday morning.

The meeting  the first since MPs returned from the summer recess  was being held at the Foreign Office because there is more space for ministers to maintain social distancing than at Downing Street.

Mr Wallace was filmed smiling and greeting an unidentified man with a handshake before walking into the building.

Following the meeting, the prime minister's spokesperson said Mr Wallace "recognises the mistake" and "apologises for slipping up".

Recommended Social distancing has drained the life out of politics

Government guidance states people should always maintain social distancing around people that are not part of their household.

The prime minister was expected to stress at Monday's cabinet meeting that he wanted the UK to get back to more normality.

Government scientists said earlier this year that ministers should discourage the public from shaking hands to reduce to risk of spreading Covid-19. But on the day the scientific advisory committee made the recommendation, Mr Johnson said he had shaken hands with everybody on a visit to a hospital with coronavirus patients.

I can tell you that Im shaking hands continuously, he told a Downing Street press conference.
Ithra Dubai, a wholly-owned unit of the Investment Corporation of Dubai, has announced the launch of Plot 3 of Phase One of the Deira Enrichment Project (DEP) known as "Sherina Plaza".

Plot 3 is the first instalment of DEP to be launched within the massive mixed-use development meant to rejuvenate and revitalise Dubais heart of commerce and the oldest community.

It boasts 350 residential units featuring one-, two- and three-bedroom units, ranging from 861 to 2,045 sq ft, a four-star hotel with 290 rooms operated by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, 45 restaurants and retail units, and 721,182 square feet of office space.

Plot 3 has entered the close-out and handover phase, leading the way before Plots 1, 2, 11 and 12 soon to be completed within Phase 1 of DEP, said senior company officials during a media tour of Plot 3 organised by Ithra Dubai.

Director and CEO Issam Galadari was joined by Raad Jarrah, Chief Development Officer, as well as engineers and architects who helped bring this project to life, during the tour.

"We are happy to announce the launch of Plot 3 of the Deira Enrichment Project. We are driven by one objective and that is to enrich cities and add value to their citizens, whether by elevating lifestyles or offering integrated solutions that balance work, living and leisure," remarked Galadari.

"We are committed to delivering the project in a timely manner without compromising on the highest in quality standards. Inspired by the Dubai vision, DEP will reaffirm Deiras historic standing as Dubais original trading hub and will play a vital role in the future development of the city," he stated.

Commenting on this new achievement, Raad Jarrah said, "DEP broke ground in 2017 and is today launching the first of its mixed-used plots. From deference to heritage with a modern application in design and architecture to incorporated green spaces and a concern for sustainability, DEP accounts for every aspect of Ithra Dubais vision."

"The development will ease navigation in and around Deira thanks to multi-storey car parks and an integrated transportation hub under construction in Plot 4," noted Jarrah.

"All of Dubai transport authority services such as metro, buses and taxis will be available, facilitating access to public transportation and minimising dependence on private cars," he added.

Commenting on the buildings ready to be delivered, he said: "DEP was at all times meant to be the place where people want to spend their time, whether to live, work or play. Plot 3, for instance, consists of two residential buildings, a hotel and an office building with panoramic views of the waterfront, as well as small parks with nearby children play areas."

"Residents will enjoy a number of facilities such as rooftop pools, gyms, a plaza, prayer rooms and public baths. Sherina Plaza is ready to receive its new residents and welcome future tenants," stated Jarrah.

Next to Phase One, Two and Three of the project, DEP features the Waterfront Market and the Gold Souk Extension scheduled to open for the public beginning of next year.

Phase One includes 50 mixed-use buildings, 2,200 residential units, 416 commercial units, 843 retail units, restaurants and cafes, as well as eight hotels with more than 1,450 rooms and serviced apartments, multiple leisure facilities, a park overlooking the waterfront, green landscapes and multi-storey parking space, said the statement.

"Ithra Dubai will next be launching Plots 1, 2, 11 and 13, equally consisting of mixed-use facilities and boasting of lush green areas and ample parking spaces," noted Jarrah.

"Plots 11 and 13 are dedicated to the Gold Souk Extension and designed to suit the unique needs of gold traders and precious stone merchants," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Postcard from a Wyoming town that punches above its weight

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Not far from Wyomings border with Montana is Sheridan.



With a population of 17,444 this is a medium-sized city by Cowboy State standards. Yet, in almost every other state it would be considered small-town America.

Sheridans downtown is neat. The streetscape features a mix of architecture from the first half of the last century. Over 40 of these buildings, including the Perpendicular Gothic-influenced St. Peters Episcopal Church, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Unlike many communities of its size Main Street is mostly occupied with mom-and-pop shops, including the must-visit Kings Saddlery. The charming vibe makes for a perfect weekend trip.

The Brinton Museum in Big Horn (population 307) on the outskirts of Sheridan is hands down the biggest draw. The impressive collection of Western art and Indian artifacts  once the private collection of the museums namesake, Bradford Brinton  is housed in an architecturally striking building with spectacular views of the Bighorn Mountains.

Back in town, Trails End State Historic Site offers a glimpse into the early 20th-century life of cattle baron John Kendrick, sometime governor of Wyoming and U.S. senator. The mansions Flemish Revival architecture and Gilded Age interior decor is on par with its contemporaries on the East Coast.

On a summer weekend one of the most popular things to do is watching a polo match. In fact, the environs of Sheridan are home to two competing clubs, Flying H and Big Horn.

The sport, played locally for more than century, was brought to rural Wyoming by blue-blooded or otherwise well-to-do English immigrants, the so-called remittance men who under the rules of primogeniture stood to inherit nothing back home.

Where to eat and stay

Brinton Bistro, the uncreatively named restaurant at the Brinton Museum, has both indoor and outdoor seating. Its the perfect setting for lunch and Sunday brunch, although the menu is somewhat limited.

Sheridans best restaurant is arguably Birch. Think cheffy without pretentiousness. Also worth consideration are Smith Alley Brewing Company and Market Hall, the latter of which features several different concepts for lunch and dinner within the old 1912 train station. For a cold beer or excellent people watching  the locals come into town on Fridays and Saturdays wearing, as expected, cowboy boots and hats  head to the Mint Bar, an old-school establishment known for its bold neon sign.

I stayed at the Sheridan Inn, which first opened in the late 1800s under Buffalo Bill Cody. Masterfully restored, it reopened to guests in 2015. Sadly, the old saloon and dining room with its ornately carved original bar closed long before coronavirus.

Alternatively, Marriott has a newer Fairfield Inn located a short drive from downtown. The family-owned Mill Inn is also a good choice.

How to get there

Most out-of-state visitors arrive by car as the drive from Denver is just six hours. If you prefer to fly, United Airlines has limited service to Sheridan. Caspers airport  about two hours away  has expanded flight offerings.

Spires and Crosses, a travel column exclusive to The Christian Post, is published every week. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter and Instagram.
We knew we were going to be downsizing and be moved, said Ross Horst of Ravenna. He is a longtime club member and has a number of his antique tractors on display at the fair. He is a retired farmer.

Roger Hanousek of Cairo, who still farms, said having the antique tractor show at the State Fair this year was up in the air because of the uncertainty created by the pandemic. But State Fair officials worked with the club to make sure they were part of this years fair.

We love them and they love us, Hanousek said. They bent over backwards to make sure we were going to be part of the fair this year.

The tractors at this years fair are from the 1930s through the 1970s. They present a good picture of how agriculture has advanced exponentially during the last 100 years.

For example, there is a 1949 WD Allis Chalmers on display, owned by Bryce Ewoldt of Grand Island. Attached to the tractor is a two-bottom plow with a rolling cutter. The plow has two moldboards or disks for plowing two furrows at a time. It takes about 24 horsepower to pull the plow. The tractor was capable of producing about 35 horsepower.
The next meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will be held in Vienna on September 1.



The meeting will be chaired by Secretary-General of the European Union External Action Service Helga Schmid and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi.



The event will be attended by representatives of France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia. The meeting will be held at the level of deputy ministers and political directors of the Iranian and 4+1 Group foreign ministers, Mehr reported.



Last July, after receiving a letter from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif regarding the non-adherence of European countries to this agreement, Schmid said that the next meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA will be held as soon as the conditions for travel are available.



However, the forthcoming meeting is important because the U.S. has illegally called for the reinstatement of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.
Prosecutors dropped all charges Tuesday against a Black jogger who was mistaken for a domestic-violence suspect in Texas, but then arrested due to the ensuing interaction with police officers.

Mathias Ometu, 33, had been booked on suspicion of two counts of assault on a peace officer following his run-in with police last week.

But then on Tuesday, both of those counts against Ometu were dismissed, court records showed.

"After reviewing all the evidence as well as considering all the facts and circumstances, I have decided that the just outcome is the dismissal of all charges against Mr. Ometu," Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said in a prepared statement.

While Ometu turned out to be the wrong person, the prosecutor refused to fault officers.

"In this case, the officers did have a description that led them to believe that Mr. Ometu may have been the suspect they were seeking," Gonzales said.

"However, Mr. Ometu was not that person and did not have an obligation to identify himself or make a statement. Ultimately, the officers agree that dismissal is in the interest of justice."

Ometu, an insurance adjuster, was jogging on Aug. 25 when San Antonio police pulled up on him, believing he matched the description of a man involved in nearby domestic-violence report.

San Antonio police released body camera footage of the officers questioning Ometu, telling him he matched the suspect's description. Ometu is Black and was wearing a green shirt, like the suspect.

But the woman also told police her abusive ex-husband had "just a little bit of scruff on his chin," according to the video.

Ometu has a pronounced, long and noticeable beard.

"Im not getting into the car, I didn't do anything," Ometu told officers before they tried loading him into their car to take him to the woman for identification.

The officers said they had no choice, because he matched a description.

"Yeah, Im sure I do," Ometu said, seemingly sarcastically. "Im sure I match the description."

Story continues

A physical struggle between police and Ometu ensued as officers tried to force him into the vehicle, lasting about two minutes. The video released Tuesday goes dark during the altercation, perhaps because the camera is knocked off the officer. But the audio kept recording.

"Get in the car, quit fighting!" one of the officers screamed.

"You're choking me!" Ometu repeatedly said.

At one point, it sounds like Ometu screams and moans in agony, coinciding with a buzzing noise.

The struggle to get Ometu locked into the car turned out to be unnecessary, because police were able to drive the woman to the scene. Her voice couldn't be clearly heard on the body camera, but she appeared to be telling the officers Ometu wasn't the man who had choked her.

"That's not him? OK. Not at all? Even in the face nothing at all?" an officer asked. "That's for sure 100 percent not him?"

That same officer then walked away to tell his colleagues: "That's not him."

Jenifer Rodriguez, who was walking her dog, told NBC News she saw police approach and handcuff Ometu as the jogger asked: "What did I do?"

"So he's in handcuffs and they are not telling him what he did wrong," said Rodriguez, who then rushed to get her boyfriend, Victor Maas, who worked nearby and showed up moments later.

A Black jogger, mistaken for a domestic-violence suspect in Texas, was arrested could face felony charges stemming from the ensuing scuffle with police officers, authorities said Tuesday. (Victor Maas)

Both witnesses took cell phone video of officers struggling to get Ometu into the back of their vehicle. Despite Ometu's hesitation to sit in the car, Rodriguez and Maas said the handcuffed jogger wasn't fighting back.

"This is the key to this whole thing: He wasn't being aggressive. They were being aggressive. He did not assault them," Maas said.

"They assaulted him, choked him and Tased him. And now they're trying to cover their butts. And what's worse is that police chief is backing them up. I think they could have de-escalated."

Officers claim they were kicked by Ometu, leading to his arrest.

The jogger's father, Victor Ometu, insisted his son did nothing wrong.

"If you saw you were being approached by such a force and handcuffed, you will panic, Victor Ometu told NBC affiliate WOAI. Especially when you know that you didn't do nothing wrong."

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, in a memo dated Sunday to City Manager Erik Walsh, defended his officers and accused Ometu of escalating the confrontation by refusing to identify himself  although he was under no legal obligation to do so.

"I have determined that the officers acted appropriately, within their legal authority," McManus said in the memo that was made public on Tuesday.

"Unfortunately the situation could have been resolved within minutes with any degree of information sharing with the police officers."
- The Minority NDC has asked the government to provide well-detailed information about the Agyapa agreement

- The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said a future NDC government will not accept the Agyapa agreement

- The Minority staged a walkout when Parliament on August 14, approved the controversial Agyapa Mineral Royalty Limited agreement

- Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Minority Leader of Parliament Haruna Iddrisu has said, a future government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will not respect the Agyapa deal.

Iddrisu, at a press conference, monitored by YEN.com.gh on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, said the decision of the finance minister to endorse the transaction is in clear violation of article 181 (5) of the Constitution.

"... which requires that side documents, together with the agreements, be laid before Parliament, and, as we speak, we did not have any documentation defining the terms and conditions and the prospectus to guide a decision on this matter," he quoted the Constitution.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu. Source: Myjoyonline.com.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: GFA President gets GH 12,000 as monthly salary; GH1,600 as sitting allowance

The Tamale South MP further said: as a direct consequence of this concealment of vital information from the people of Ghana, the debate on the floor of Parliament, got even extremely acrimonious.

He served notice that a future NDC government will not honour the terms of this "unconscionable agreement as described by the current Attorney General.

The lawmaker added that the NDC is of the strong view that the decision to mortgage Ghanas mineral royalties in perpetuity is grossly inimical to the interest of the people of Ghana.

Parliament, a few weeks ago, in line with the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act, 2018 (Act 978), approved agreements to allow the country to derive maximum value from its mineral resources and monetise the mineral income accruing to Ghana in a sustainable and responsible manner.

The move gives Agyapa Royalties Limited the right to secure about $1 billion to enable the government to finance large infrastructural projects.

READ ALSO: 2020/2021 National Service set to begin as 86,000 get posted

The Minority in Parliament boycotted the deal and accused the government of mortgaging Ghanas gold resources.

YEN.com.gh also earlier reported that former president John Mahama has also reiterated the Minoritys concerns and said he will not respect the deal should he win the December 7, 2020, polls.

A coalition of CSOs in the mining industry has also kicked against it.

"We don't want NPP or NDC. We want another party in power" - Angry Ghanaian speaks | #Yencomgh

Got a story you think we should know about? Get interactive via our Facebook page!

Source: YEN.com.gh
ELKHART, Ind., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- THOR Industries, Inc . (NYSE: THO), the world's largest recreational vehicle manufacturer, is paving the way to a net-zero future by signing the UN Global Compact Business Ambition for 1.5C Commitment. As part of its focus on Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), the Company has pledged net-zero greenhouse gas emissions targets by 2050 to help meet a 1.5C future.

The goal of the Business Ambition for 1.5C campaign is to encourage companies to set emissions reduction targets consistent with keeping global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Entering the initial phase of the commitment, THOR will develop and publish a plan within two years detailing the specific actions it will be taking to achieve net-zero emissions. The plan will be backed by interim science-based targets.

"Signing the Business Ambition for 1.5C Commitment is the first critical step to ensure responsible and sustainable global operations across the THOR family of companies," stated Bob Martin, THOR President and CEO. "Our mission is to connect people with the outdoors, and families with each other. Our efforts to become greenhouse gas net-neutral will play an important role in making sure the outdoors remain available and desirable for generations of RVers to come."

Further emphasizing its commitment to ESG, THOR established a new senior management role to lead the Company's efforts. Chris Workman has been named VP of Global Supply Management and Sustainability. Workman is especially well-suited to the role, and brings more than 20 years of cross-functional business leadership, LEAN expertise, and an educational background in the Environmental Sciences to the Company's drive to lead the RV industry in ESG initiatives worldwide.

"I am excited to be a part of this bold action taken by THOR to acknowledge the environmental, financial and social risks presented by climate change," stated Workman. "It is our goal to be an industry leader in ESG, and this is a significant first step to deliver on the vision. We can't do this alone, and combining the responsibilities of global supply management with sustainability creates a unique opportunity to proactively engage with our business partners across the value stream."

In accordance with the Business Ambition for 1.5C Commitment, THOR will publish the plan to meet net-zero greenhouse gas emissions on their ESG website by June 1, 2022.

ABOUT THOR INDUSTRIES

Thor is the sole owner of operating subsidiaries that, combined, represent the world's largest manufacturer of RVs. For more information, please visit: https://www.thorindustries.com/ .

INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT

Mark Trinske

574-970-7912

[email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT

Renee Jones

425-503-8268

[email protected]

SOURCE Thor Industries, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.thorindustries.com


The divorce between Love & Marriage Huntsvilles Martell and Melody Holt may get messy. Melodys already been hinting that Martell is not taking the split easy but rumors are now surfacing the Martells longtime mistress is pregnant, resulting in Melody filing divorce papers.

Martell and Melody Holt via Twitter

A recap of Martell Holts relationship with his mistress, Arionne Curry

Love & Marriage Huntsville fans are familiar with Martells infidelity. According to Curry, she and Martell met at a party hosted by his cousin. She tells Tasha K in a January 2020 interview that she did not discover Martells marriage until a year into their relationship.

Still, she says she fell in love with Martell and made the decision to continue with the relation. Curry says her relationship with Martell spans five years. Within that time, she alleges leaving Martell several times, but he refuses to let her go.

Source: YouTube

RELATED: Love & Marriage: Huntsville Star Martell Holts Alleged Mistress Speaks!

During one of Martells therapy sessions that aired on the show, he admits to his counselor that he has deep feelings for Curry, attributing his feelings to only having one mistress versus multiple affairs.

Martells caught much backlash for referring to Curry as a peasant. He recently apologized following the airing of the second seasons premiere.

Arionne Curry is reportedly pregnant with Martell Holts child

Tasha Ks new video alleges that multiple sources close to Curry and Martell say Curry is pregnant. A side baby is confirmed, Tasha K says in the video. Arionne is pregnant and due in December this year  and shes having a baby boy.

If Currys due date is true, this means that her and Melodys daughter will be a year apart. Melody and Martell welcomed their fourth child in December 2019.

Tasha K says shes been in constant contact with Curry since interviewing her in January. She says Curry is insisting the rumors about her pregnancy are false, despite Tasha K alleging to have rock-solid proof.

Source: YouTube

RELATED: Love & Marriage: Huntsvilles Martell Holt Isnt Letting Melody Divorce Him Without a Fight

Despite Curry denying the reports, she hints on social media that she is pregnant, posting then deleting a cryptic message about a baby carriage to her Instagram story.

If the rumors are true, this wouldnt be Currys first time carrying Martells child. In her interview with Tasha K, Curry says she became pregnant by Martell a few years into their affair but opted to terminate the pregnancy to avoid additional drama.

A source tells All About The Tea that Currys pregnancy has been rough. Despite Arionnes pregnancy, she and Martell are not getting along, the source says. And shes been depressed over the pregnancy and all the drama the show has brought into her life.

Melody is currently seeking to divorce Martell. Not only is she ending the marriage, but she no longer lives in Huntsville. Melody is currently living in Atlanta.

In her divorce petition, Melody says she and Martell have a current custody agreement in place in which their children split their time between Georgia and Alabama to spend time with both parents.
"I don't begrudge the Victorian government because obviously they've been in crisis management mode and perhaps we're not top of the list in terms of what they need to address but we're starting to see a better flow of information." Victoria recorded 70 new cases and five more deaths on Tuesday, while NSW had 13 new cases, including 11 which were locally acquired and linked to a known case or cluster. Ms Berejiklian again stressed that she has not had any discussions with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who says she will not budge on her decision to keep NSW residents out. Easier travel for NSW-Victoria border residents The new border region will extend 50 kilometres either side of the NSW-Victoria border, encompassing a number of additional Victorian towns as far south as Beechworth. Currently, the border region is 2.5 kilometres either side of the border.

Within this region, people who hold a residents' permit will be able to travel to the other side of the border to obtain necessary goods or services, for care or compassionate reasons, and to attend work or school. "Of course any movements outside the border communities comes with additional restrictions, but, in terms of people being able to tend to their daily life without unnecessary stress, we hope, from Friday, life will change in a positive way for people," Ms Berejiklian said. Australian Army soldiers assist New South Wales Police Officers at the Wodonga Place border control point in Albury. The permit holder must only travel within the border region once over the state border, and Victorian residents who have visited greater Melbourne must not use their border permit for 14 days after their visit. The changes will come into effect at 12.01am on Friday, September 4.

Ms Berejiklian said she would not leave the border closed to Victoria "a day more than it needs to be because it was a very difficult decision to do it in the first place". "As soon as the health advice to me says, 'Premier, it's no longer a health risk' my government will jump at that opportunity," Ms Berejiklian said. The new permit system for border towns followed widespread criticism from locals about the current restrictions, and Ms Berejiklian said the extended bubble would make life much easier for residents on either side of the border. Ms Berejkilian said she "deeply" regretted the challenges faced by border communities under the restrictions, particularly given that the decision was made very quickly. "I tell you, hand on heart, that one of the most difficult decisions I've made personally and the government's made during this pandemic has been closing the New South Wales-Victorian border. It was a decision of last resort," Ms Berejiklian said.

NSW records 13 new cases NSW recorded 13 new coronavirus on Tuesday in the latest 24-hour reporting period, from 14,815 tests. Of the new cases, two are returned travellers in hotel quarantine and 11 are locally acquired. Seven of the cases are linked to the Sydney CBD cluster, bringing the size of that cluster to 41. "Of these, two worked at Reddam Early Learning Centre at Lindfield, one visited the Tattersalls City Gym, two are household contacts of previous cases and two are close contacts of previous cases," NSW Health's Jeremy McAnulty said.

There has also been another case linked to the cases at Liverpool Hospital, and the three remaining local cases are students at St Paul's Catholic College at Greystanes, where a student tested positive on the weekend. The school remains closed and the source of the original case is still under investigation. After the additional cases connected to Reddam Early Learning Centre at Lindfield, all staff and children who have been on-site at the centre have been identified as close contacts and directed to self-isolate. New health alerts across Sydney A number of health alerts have been issued for Sydney's inner west and other areas of the city on Tuesday. Anyone who attended It's Time for Thai restaurant at Newtown on Friday between 5pm and 8pm is considered a close contact and must get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, fell victim to the fireworks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) last Friday as the party raised serious allegations in attempt to dent his image in the preparations for the September 19 governorship election in Edo State. National Daily preliminary investigation shows that Igini does not in anyway reflect the sort of allegations the Edo APC raised against him in his years of election administration as a REC.

APC had on Thursday Igini, INEC REC in Akwa Ibom State of holding midnight meeting with Governor Godwin Obaseki to compromise the governorship election in Edo State. The party said that Mike Igini met with Governor Obaseki at his private residence at dawn on Thursday where a deal was purportedly struck to rig the election in the state.

Again, APC last Friday accused Igini of going for a meeting with INEC Commissioners from Abuja at Protea Hotel in Benin City, noting that the INEC National Commissioners from Abuja lodged there. The APC, therefore, accused Igini of connivance with incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki to rig the September 19 governorship election. The APC alleged that Igini left the meeting with sacks of money and quickened his unapproved recruitment of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members traditionally engaged by INEC to serve as presiding officers at polling units.

Igini, however, on Channels Television debunked the allegations. He explained that he had traveled by road on a long journey to Benin City, Edo State; and was tired on arriving the city. The INEC REC said that he only went to the said hotel to eat. Besides, on arriving the hotel, he met APC members, among whom is Prince Kazeem Afegbua.

Mike Igini also said that APC lied in saying that he drove to the hotel, adding that he did not drive himself but his driver.

However, National Daily investigations further showed that Igini has very strong background in human rights activism and advocacy for justice and equity. He does not compromise social standards and does not submit to corruption.

Igini in the 2019 general elections resisted inducement and overtures to rig the elections in Akwa Ibom State. He was precise with figures and did not allow alterations.

Indeed, Igini received more fires and attacks in Akwa Ibom, essentially, towards the conduct of the rerun senatorial election in the state. In all these, President Muhammadu Buhari understood the political tricks, simulation, and propaganda war. The President ignored pressures to remove Igini from Akwa Ibom state as demanded by APC leaders in the state.

In fact, certain actors in Akwa Ibom State disclosed how Igini used technology installed in the state before the general elections by Governor Udom Emmanuel to monitor electoral processes live across the state from his office. The actors revealed that the Secretary to the State Government had contracted some information technology experts in Israel to install the surveillance facilities one year before the elections. The technology was said to have further assisted in monitoring the security situation on election days which culminated in the arrest of a gang with their arms Akwa ibom State during the election period by the Police.

Apparently, there are indications that the accusers of Igini may fear his resolute stance on election transparency, fairness and free. He is a man very difficult to influence or induce with money. The phobia that Igini will not accept money to allow politicians tinker with the electoral process and results to their advantage could account for the caustic and sarcastic attack on Igini by the APC leaders in Edo. Indeed, the ploy could be to discredit Igini and intimidate INEC from deploying the REC from Akwa Ibom to be part of the supervisory REC for the Edo governorship election.

APC had requested the INEC to investigate and sanction Igini and carry out a cleansing exercise to purge its rank of compromised officers.

The attack on Igini reflected an indirect use of the federal might at the behest of the APC for the Edo election.

PV: 21
While doing a good job in its prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, China has also overcome its own difficulties and done everything it can to help the international community and safeguard global health, demonstrating its sense of justice and responsibility, as well as its commitment to the ideas of mutual assistance and international cooperation as a major country through concrete actions.

President Xi Jinping learns about Huoshenshan Hospital's operations, treatment of patients, protection for medical workers and scientific research after arriving in Wuhan, March 10, 2020. (Photo/Xinhua)

China has put the lives of its 1.4 billion people front and center. Chinese President Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has taken personal command of the situation, planned the response, and emphasized that peoples lives and health must come first.

The country has covered all treatment expenses for COVID-19 patients, maximized the detection and cure rates while minimizing infection and death rates. Medical workers have raced against time to save lives.

Since the onset of the epidemic, China has shouldered its responsibility as a major country in the world. The country took the initiative to inform the World Health Organization (WHO) and relevant countries of the epidemic at the earliest possible time in an open and transparent manner.

It promptly closed all outbound channels from Wuhan, the former epicenter of the epidemic, to prevent the spread of the virus. The country has updated its diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control solutions, and shared them with over 180 countries and more than 10 international and regional organizations.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that Chinas forceful actions protected not only its own people, but also the rest of the world.

While fighting the epidemic in an all-round way, China has cooperated and shared information with the international community in an active, open and transparent way, demonstrating the image of a responsible major country, said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation in the U.S.

China has also fully demonstrated its sense of justice in the battle against the epidemic by strengthening unity and cooperation and promoting multilateral coordination.

In his phone calls and meetings with foreign leaders and heads of international organizations, President Xi explained Chinas strategy and achievements in fighting the virus. He has also repeatedly emphasized the importance of solidarity and cooperation at international meetings.

Mankind is a community with a shared future. Solidarity and cooperation are our most powerful weapons for defeating the virus, Xi said at the Virtual Event of the Opening of the 73rd World Health Assembly.

At the Extraordinary G20 Leaders Summit, President Xi noted that it is imperative for the international community to strengthen its confidence, act with unity and work together in a collective response, calling on all countries to comprehensively step up international cooperation and foster greater synergy so that humanity as one can win the battle against this major infectious disease.

Chinas voice has injected impetus into the global anti-epidemic cooperation and boosted confidence in safeguarding multilateralism and justice.

On March 16 local time, 300,000 masks from China arrive at the Liege Airport in Belgium. (Photo/Xinhua)

By the end of May, China had sent 29 medical expert teams to 27 countries, and offered assistance to 150 countries and 4 international organizations. It has instructed its medical teams stationed in 56 countries to support the local fight, and provide counselling and health information to local people and overseas Chinese. They have so far organized over 400 online and offline training sessions related to this endeavor.

Chinese factories have operated at full capacity to make high-quality medical supplies and equipment that are badly needed around the world. As of May 24, it had exported 56.8 billion surgical masks and 250 million protective gowns, among other provisions.

These concrete actions fully reflect Chinas belief that a just cause should be pursued for the common good, winning high recognition from the international community.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said China has set a good example for the international community by promptly lending a helping hand to other epidemic-hit countries.

When France was also hit hard by the virus, China gave a concrete display of its solidarity through a shipment of masks and hospital equipment, which was highly appreciated by the French government and people, said former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

The Sino-French friendship will emerge strengthened from this tragic crisis. It is in difficulties that we measure true friendship, he added.

Meanwhile, Chinese people have conveyed their love in the COVID-19 response through non-governmental assistance.

A little volunteer (left) distributes masks to local children in Tokyo on Feb. 29, 2020. (Photo/Xinhua)

A Chinese girl held a cardboard box with the Japanese words Gratitude from Wuhan on it and distributed masks on the streets of Tokyo, with the intention of raising awareness of epidemic prevention and thanking the Japanese people who had donated masks to China. The girls actions left numerous internet users deeply moved.

Such stories are commonly heard around the world. The small streams that gathered together in their global pandemic response have formed a magnificent river of unity, justice and advancement against the virus, writing a stirring chapter in the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

As the epidemic spreads around the world, Chinese non-governmental organizations and overseas Chinese from all over the world have also contributed to the fight against the epidemic.

The Silk Road Community Building Initiative launched by the China Association for NGO Cooperation has facilitated cooperation with dozens of countries in donations of materials, experience sharing and volunteering services. In addition, a campaign named the Green Ribbon Initiative was jointly launched by over 150 social organizations and other units in China, and has donated anti-epidemic supplies to about 20 countries, including Italy and Iran, as well as the United Nations Human Settlements Program.

Non-governmental forces are sending their love beyond borders. The deep friendship between China and the international community in their anti-epidemic fight brings to life the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
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Socialism with Chinese characteristics, China's path for development, has brought benefits to not only China, but also the whole world, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

While delivering a speech entitled "Solidarity, Cooperation, Openness and Inclusiveness, Jointly Safeguarding the Progressive Trend of Peace and Development of Mankind" at the French Institute of International Relations, Wang noted that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people have blazed the trail for their country's development and rejuvenation amid arduous exploration through thick and thin.

Over the past more than 70 years since the People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded, especially the past 40 years since the country's reform and opening up, the Chinese people have made remarkable achievements along the path. China has accomplished leapfrog development with its comprehensive national strength growing continuously, and the Chinese people have become the true masters of their country with their livelihoods improving incessantly, Wang said.

This year, the Chinese people, under the leadership by the CPC, have achieved the goals of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way and securing a decisive victory in poverty alleviation, which marks the first time that China eliminated absolute poverty in its history, and accomplished, 10 years in advance, the goal of eradicating poverty listed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations (UN), Wang added.

He stressed that China's development is the result of the Chinese people's hard work, wisdom and courage, and has benefited from a peaceful and friendly global environment, as well as mutually beneficial and win-win international cooperation. Meanwhile, China's development has not only benefited the Chinese people, but also the whole world.

China is always a constructor of world peace and constantly "injects positive energy" into the evolution of the international situation. When the PRC was first founded, it established an independent foreign policy of peace and the principle of safeguarding world peace was enshrined in its first constitution, becoming the first country in the world to make such a solemn commitment, Wang said.

He added that over the past over 70 years, China has never provoked a war or conflict, nor encroached upon the territory of other countries. Since its reform and opening up, China took the initiative to reduce its military personnel by over 4 million, and actively participated in the processes of international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Now, China has become the second largest contributor to the UN regular and peacekeeping budget, and the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, having taken part in the handling of almost all major international and regional hotspot issues, he noted.

China has always been a defender of the international order, constantly adding stability to the global governance system, Wang noted, adding that to date, China has acceded to almost all universal intergovernmental international organizations and more than 500 international conventions, and has actively fulfilled its responsibilities and obligations and paid its membership dues in full every year.

Over the years, China has taken an active part in the reform and development of the global governance system, resolutely upheld the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law and the multilateral trading system represented by the World Trade Organization, and firmly defended international fairness and justice, he said.

China has always been a promoter of globalization and has made important contributions to the effort to build an open world, Wang said, adding that at present, China has become one of the countries with the highest degree of openness in the world. By 2019, China's overall tariff level had dropped below 7.5 percent, which is lower than that of most countries in the world and close to the European level, and will continue to fall in the future.

China's market access has also been expanding and has become one of the economies with the greatest improvement in business environment for two consecutive years, Wang said. China is the largest trading partner of more than 130 countries and regions in the world and one of the most important markets for major international multinational enterprises. About 490 of the world's top 500 enterprises have investment projects in China, he added.

Since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Belt and Road Initiative seven years ago, China has signed cooperation documents with 138 countries to jointly build the Belt and Road, Wang said. China's total trade in goods with partner countries has exceeded 7.8 trillion U.S. dollars and the direct investment has exceeded 110 billion dollars, which has greatly promoted the employment and socio-economic development of all countries, he added.

Wang also noted that in the first half of this year, China's investment in the countries jointly building the Belt and Road increased by 19.4 percent year-on-year, while China-Europe freight train services operated 5,122 trains, up 36 percent year-on-year, which has become a hope-carrying "team of iron and steel camels" and played an important role in ensuring smooth logistics and stable goods supply for China, EU and the Belt and Road countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

China has always been a contributor to world development and has continuously provided strong impetus for global economic growth, Wang said, adding that since its reform and opening up, China has been one of the fastest growing countries in the world, contributing more than 30 percent to world economic growth for more than 10 consecutive years. In addition, China has contributed more than 70 percent to global poverty reduction.

During the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the international financial crisis in 2008, China's prudent policies and solid economic foundation played an important role in driving regional and world economic recovery and development, he said.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, China has launched, over the past six months, the largest global emergency humanitarian operation since the founding of the PRC, Wang said, noting that China has so far provided emergency medical supplies to more than 150 countries and international organizations to meet their pressing needs, and has held video conferences of health experts with more than 180 countries, sharing without reservation mature diagnosis and treatment experience and prevention and control schemes. China has also dispatched 33 medical expert teams to 31 countries with urgent needs to carry out face-to-face exchanges and instructions.

Wang pointed out that all these figures and examples prove that the development path chosen by 1.4 billion Chinese people meets their aspirations and the trend of peaceful development, which is beneficial not only to China but also to the world. Since it is a correct path, "we will stick to it unswervingly," he added.
As promised, Gov. Ned Lamont on Tuesday extended his emergency powers until February in the coronavirus pandemic that has killed 4,465 residents and disrupted the Connecticut economy.

Citing the need to further address the pandemic, including the crucial opening of schools and businesses still shut in the health crisis, Lamont ordered the civil preparedness and public health emergencies to now expire on Feb. 9. Without the extension, they would have ended on Sept. 9, possibly putting in danger the wide-ranging public health measures, including the closures of bars and partial openings of restaurants.

Minority Republicans in the General Assembly immediately protested the action and called for the 10-member group of legislative leaders who approved the emergency powers in March to meet again this week to reconsider the action before a 72-hour deadline passes.

Weve come a long way from where we were when COVID-19 first hit Connecticut back in March, and working with our public health officials, other stakeholders, and residents, weve built an infrastructure that has taken our state to one of the lowest rates of transmission in the country, Lamont said in a statement. But Connecticut is not out of the woods yet, and the executive orders weve put in place remain critical in our daily fight to contain COVID-19.

Lamont warned that Connecticut cannot risk the progress the state has made during the pandemic.

Over the next several months, our administration will continue working with our partners in the legislature, in our municipalities, in our nonprofits, in our long-term care facilities, and in our hospitals to collaboratively combat this virus, Lamont said.

But House Minority Leader Themis Klarides and Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano said they have grave concerns about the extension of unilateral power, even though the General Assemblys next regular session doesnt start until January.

We believe that the power must be given back to the elected representatives who have been elected by the people to act legislatively, said Fasano, R-North Haven and Klarides, R-Derby. Whether Gov. Lamont did a good job or not is not what is in question. This is about protecting the operation of equal branches of government in which the peoples voices are heard through their representatives. To achieve that end, we need to reject the full extension of the governor's emergency powers without any additional checks and balances.

Lawyers are now studying the two state laws on emergency declarations. While the public health emergency allows the extension or renewal by the governor, subject to a veto by the group of 10 predominantly Democratic leaders, the civil preparedness emergency seems to require new legislative authority, according to a theory that could lead to a legal challenge.

A group of conservative House Republicans on Tuesday vehemently opposed the extension.

It is time now for the Connecticut General Assembly to stand up and end the unilateral rule of Gov. Lamont, reestablishing its appropriate role of representing the people of Connecticut, said the group, which includes Rep. Craig Fishbein, of Wallingford, Rep. David T. Wilson, of Litchfield, Rep. Joe Polletta, of Watertown, Rep. John Piscopo, of Thomaston, and Rep. Vincent Candelora, of North Branford.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - France's President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beirut hours after Lebanese leaders named diplomat Mustapha Adib as the new prime minister on Monday under French pressure, and will press for reforms aimed at dragging the Middle East nation out of a financial abyss. With its economy devastated by a financial crisis, a swathe of Beirut in tatters following a huge port explosion on Aug. 4, and sectarian tensions rising, Lebanon is facing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-90 civil war.

By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam

BEIRUT (Reuters) - France's President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beirut hours after Lebanese leaders named diplomat Mustapha Adib as the new prime minister on Monday under French pressure, and will press for reforms aimed at dragging the Middle East nation out of a financial abyss.

With its economy devastated by a financial crisis, a swathe of Beirut in tatters following a huge port explosion on Aug. 4, and sectarian tensions rising, Lebanon is facing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-90 civil war.

Macron was met at the airport by President Michel Aoun in the French leader's second visit in less than a month. "So President, it's been a busy day, hasn't it," Macron told Aoun.

He also addressed the Lebanese people in an Arabic-language tweet, saying he had returned as promised to "work together to create necessary conditions for reconstruction and stability".

Macron will push politicians to enact reforms that donors have demanded to tackle corruption and waste before they will release financial support.

Senior Lebanese officials said Macron's mediation was essential in securing agreement on a new prime minister in the 48 hours before consensus emerged on Adib, the former ambassador to Germany. Politicians had been deadlocked last week.

"The opportunity for our country is small and the mission I have accepted is based on all the political forces acknowledging that," said Adib, who won the support of nearly all Lebanon's main parties in consultations hosted by Aoun.

"There is no time for talk and promises ... It's the time to work with everyone's cooperation," he said.

He called for the formation of a government of competent specialists in record time, an immediate start to reforms and a deal with the International Monetary Fund. Lebanon's talks with the IMF on vital support have been stalled since July.

Forming governments has often taken months in the past.

"We welcome the nomination of a new prime minister and hope that a new government will be formed shortly with a mandate to implement the policies and reforms that Lebanon needs to address the current crisis and restore sustainable growth," an IMF spokesperson told Reuters.

Adib, who has a doctorate in law and political science, later visited areas hardest hit by the port explosion that killed some 190 people and injured 6,500.

"Our children died. We don't recognise you," a passerby shouted at him as he inspected the shattered neighbourhoods. Another offered to shake hands with Adib, who wore a facemask as Lebanon battles COVID-19.

The explosion, caused by what authorities say were 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the port, led to the resignation of the previous government, now acting as caretaker.

UNDER PRESSURE

Since October, the crisis has sunk Lebanon's currency, locked savers out of deposits held by a paralysed banking system and fuelled poverty and unemployment. The root cause is decades of corruption and waste overseen by a political elite.

Macron's visit coincides with Lebanon's centenary, at a time of profound doubts that it has a future as a viable state under the sway of former warlords and sectarian leaders loyal to different regional masters, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Macron made a series of phone calls to Lebanese leaders at the weekend that were vital to securing consensus on Adib.

"It was the pressure of his calls to everyone, the pressure of his coming to Lebanon, the pressure of everyone not wanting to upset him," a senior Lebanese politician said.

A French presidency source said Macron was demanding "a government of mission, clean, efficient, able to implement the necessary reforms in Lebanon".

Macron told journalists on Friday that the exceptional moment facing Lebanon led him to increase pressure.

"France has convinced its European and American partners and a good part of the regional partners that we are honest brokers," he said.

Adib's name surfaced on Sunday when he was nominated by former prime ministers, including Saad al-Hariri who heads the biggest Sunni Muslim party. Under the Lebanese system, the post of premier must go to a Sunni.

Hariri's Future Movement and the powerful Iranian-backed Shi'ite party Hezbollah were among those nominating him.

With Hariri's backing, Adib will enjoy more support than Hassan Diab's outgoing government, nominated by Hezbollah and its allies which together have a parliamentary majority.

Lebanon won pledges of more than $11 billion in support at a Paris conference in 2018 conditional on reforms it failed to carry out.

(Reporting by Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul and Ahmad Kerdi in Beirut and Elizabeth Pineau and Michel Rose in Paris; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Michael Georgy, Edmund Blair and Catherine Evans)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Former president Pranab Mukherjee was on Tuesday cremated in New Delhi with full state honours.

Earlier in the day, leaders from the entire political spectrum paid their last respects to the senior Congress leader at his Rajaji Marg residence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, vice president M Venkaiah Naidu and defence minister Rajnath Singh were among the leaders who visited Mukherjees residence this morning.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and members of the Congress party were also seen paying tribute to the veteran leader, who served as the president of the country from 2012 until 2017.

The 84-year-old died on Monday at the Army Hospital Research And Referral in the Capitals cantonment area. He had been admitted to the hospital on August 10 following a fall at his home. He underwent a surgery to remove a clot in his brain.

He was since then in a coma and was on ventilator support. After the leaders health condition declined in the morning, his son Abhijit Mukherjee later in the evening announced the news of his death on Twitter.

The government has announced a seven-day mourning period for the Bharat Ratna awardee. The national flag will fly at half-mast at all buildings throughout the country through the week.

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Most of the countrys political conversation is focused on the November general election. And that conversation might have stayed focused on the general if we hadnt seen this political ad about the Democratic Senate primary in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts primary is Tuesday, and this ad, released by incumbent Sen. Ed Markey just a few weeks ago, was designed to take over the conversation. Its three minutes long and refers to revolution and new deal legislation. It notes Markeys work with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. And then, the ad takes unmistakable aim at Markeys opponent in the race, Rep. Joseph Kennedy III.

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This ad shows how the Massachusetts Senate primary has become a contest of whos more likely to shake things up in Washington: 74-year-old Ed Markey, a fixture in Congress since the Carter administration, or 39-year-old Joe Kennedy, elected to the House in 2012? I spoke with Victoria McGrane, a political correspondent for the Boston Globe, to help me get a better sense of the Markey-Kennedy matchup and what this primary can tell us about the strength of the progressive brandand the Kennedy namein Massachusetts. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Ray Suarez: What stood out to you in that Markey ad?

Victoria McGrane: The first thing is just the general image that Markey portrayed, which is obviously very powerful. That hes had this career of being a leader of movementsfearless out in front. But the reality of Markey is a little more mixed than that ad would lead you to believe. One good example is the very first consequential vote he had to take as a senator in 2013 when the Obama administration was asking for the authority to use military force in Syria. And Markey was on the committee that had to approve that request before it went to the full Senate. The request was being made by Secretary of State John Kerry, who had helped make sure that Ed Markey got his Senate seat and had endorsed him and supported him. And Markey voted present. He didnt vote yes. He didnt vote no. He didnt take a stand. And he was the only member on that committee to do that. A number of Democrats who have worked with Markey throughout his career say that is more the Ed Markey that they know: somebody who was very cautious at times.

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Long before Joe Kennedy ever jumped into this race, Ed Markey was seen as incredibly vulnerable. So that was the chatter in the political circles in Massachusetts: Who was going to take on Ed Markey? And it seems that Kennedy surprised everybody by being the one to do it, because he hadnt been signaling that he was really laying the groundwork for this, but he very clearly made a calculation that this was a risk worth taking because there was a shot at it.

If youre in Texas or Idaho or California, I think we ought to remind people just what the Kennedy name means in Massachusetts. That it even makes it possible for an Ed Markey to portray himself as the outsider.

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Yes, the name is both a help and a hurt, I think, for Kennedy. When we see the results come in, itll be a real test of how much power does that name still have in Massachusetts politics. Some of the things weve seen in this race you would not have seen a decade ago. Markey has weaponized the Kennedy name against the congressman in ways that would have been just beyond the pale not that long ago. But a lot of the particularly young voters who have really flocked to Markey dont have that same connection to the Kennedy brand in Massachusetts even that you would have seen a few decades ago. So, yes, being a Kennedy, it makes it hard, despite the name, to paint yourself as an outsider. And theres been a big backlash against the congressman, whether fair or not, that hes doing this because he feels like he is entitled to the seat. I dont think thats what Kennedy has ever said. But theres a sense that we need to end dynasties. And that is a very powerful feeling among Markeys base.

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Theres a reason this primary race has become a test of progressive bona fides and the Kennedy name. Ideologically, Markey and Kennedy arent that far apart, right?

Theyve had to dig deep into the annals of each others voting history to come up with anything to complain about. Kennedy has also criticized Markey for being out of touch with Massachusetts. Theres been a couple of cases of constituents whove come forward with very damaging stories about how the senator treated them. The father of D.J. Henry, who is a young Black man from Massachusetts shot by police 10 years ago in upstate New York. Kennedy put out a video saying that when Henry and his wife went to Ed Markey asking for help, for justice, for their son, Markey dismissed them. In the meantime, Markey has really solidified this image of a progressive warrior, AOCs hip grandpa, as one analyst put it to me recently.

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Lets talk about AOC a little more, because this race has turned out to be like a magnet dropped on a tabletop full of iron filings. Everybody has to line up somewhere, and some interesting outcomes have occurred. Nancy Pelosi, who served with Ed Markey for decades, has supported Joseph Kennedy. How does she explain that?

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That was a real surprise that she decided to wade into a race like this at all. She has been a fierce defender of incumbents in the House, so her endorsement of Kennedy sparked all sorts of complaints of hypocrisy on the left, including from AOC, because Pelosi has this policy of blacklisting vendors who work for challengers to Democratic incumbents in the House. This is a Senate race, but Pelosi said she decided to get in because of these attacks the Markey campaign had started waging against the Kennedy family. Markey has made a lot of noise about allegations that Kennedys father, the former congressman, has been funneling money into a super PAC thats run some negative ads against Markey.

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And so I took the Pelosi endorsement on two levels. One, by all accounts, she really loves Joe Kennedy. She tapped him to deliver the Democratic response to Trumps first State of the Union. She has a long connection to the Kennedy family. Her father ran JFKs campaign in Maryland. And I really just read it as sort of a sign that shes saying to Markey, who she worked with and was close allies with in the House, that, Hey, this is too much. The extent to which thats going to help or hurt or change anything in this race? Probably not a lot. Im not sure that anyone in Massachusetts is going to be swayed toward Joe Kennedy because of Nancy Pelosi.

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At the same time, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, who famously primaried and took down a powerful incumbent, a member of the House leadership, instead of looking upon Joe Kennedy as in that same mold has endorsed Ed Markey.

If Markey wins, I think we can safely say that the most important political move he made was teaming up with AOC on the Green New Deal. That has really generated all this excitement among the younger progressive voters that has really transformed his image. And thats been very important to how this race has gotten to where we had three polls out yesterday that show Markey is now in the lead.

Massachusetts has no shortage of other big political names deeply entrenched incumbents: Elizabeth Warren, Deval Patrick, Barney Frank, Jim McGovern. Have any of them come out and said anything one way or the other?

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Elizabeth Warren has endorsed Ed Markey. Markey very clearly recognized he was vulnerable and locked down as many endorsements as he could very early. Warren endorsed him in February of 2019, if I recall correctly, so its unclear if she would have stayed neutral had she known Kennedywhom she also has a very close relationship withwas getting in the race.

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Is it too easy to overstate Massachusetts liberalism? I mean, this is a place that currently has a Republican governor.

Yeah, who enjoys sky-high approval ratings from Democratic primary voters. I moved to Massachusetts in early 2018. And that has been one of the enduring lessons I have taken away from my move: It is not the stereotype that the rest of the country has of this bright blue, ultraliberal state. Dont forget that Joe Biden won the presidential primary here. Elizabeth Warren came in third. The Democrats here, there is a healthy portion who are more moderate.

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Does this race advantage a Republican candidate in the general? Does either Ed Markey or Joseph Kennedy face a serious opponent in November? This isnt all over after Tuesdays votes are counted.

Theres two candidates running in the Republican primary. One is Dr. Shiva, who ran as an independent against Warren in the 2018 Senate campaign as a conspiracy theorist and all-around kind of an extreme guy.* And the other candidate, Kevin OConnor, is more of a traditional Republican. But theres just really no evidence that either one of them has wide appeal in Massachusetts. I dont think there is going to be a real race after this primary.

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Porn actor Ron Jeremy was charged with rape and sexual assault earlier this year. Today he was charged with 17 more counts along similar lines, including one alleged victim who was only 15 years old. The number of charges and their severity could send Jeremy, 67, to jail for the rest of his life.

The new charges date as far back as 2004, while the most recent one involves an incident that allegedly took place January 1st, 2020. The ages of the alleged victims range from 15 to 54.

The 2004 incident involves a 15-year-old girl who attended a party in Santa Clarita, California, where Jeremy allegedly assaulted her. For that incident, Jeremy was charged with assault with intent to commit rape, penetration by a foreign object on an unconscious or sleeping victim and lewd conduct.
Shares in Saga rallied today after the company confirmed reports its former boss, Sir Roger De Haan, is returning to the boardroom and bringing 100million into the company with him.

The move was warmly welcomed as shares in the insurance and travel company rose 95 per cent as markets opened. But the excitement subsided, leaving them up nearly 38 per cent.

In a statement, Saga said: 'The board unanimously considers that the proposed equity raise will support the execution of its reinvigorated strategy under its strengthened management team, which it believes will return Saga to sustainable growth and lead to the restoration of significant shareholder value.

Saga has been battered by the Covid-19 crisis but it is set to benefit from a 100m investment boost from former boss Sir Roger De Haan

'Saga has continued to make good progress against the plan launched last year and has taken a series of actions in the last six months to protect the business from the significant disruption that has resulted from Covid-19, especially in relation to the group's travel operations.'

Hargreaves Lansdown equity analyst William Ryder said that it was unsurprising that Saga needed extra cash.

He said: 'In some ways, it would be hard to design a company more susceptible to a pandemic than the group's travel operations - and Saga didn't start the year in the best of health either.'

Over the weekend Saga said De Haan would return to the businesses as non-executive chair.

He will also be investing 100million into the firm, in a bid to stabilise its finances, as part of a 150million equity raise.

Around 60million of De Haan's investment will be invested in shares which he will buy at 27p each, a big increase on Friday's closing price of 13.61.

Shares briefly reached 26.6p, before dropping back to around 19p on Tuesday.

Ryder added: 'The new money will dilute current shareholders, but we doubt there are too many long term investors left.

'The shares have fallen heavily over the last few years, and the pandemic only threatened to administer the coup de grace.'
GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ  For the second time in a month, Gloucester Township police broke up a house party attended by hundreds of people amid the coronavirus pandemic. The most recent party took place at 1580 Jarvis Road on Sunday, and there were 250 to 300 people in attendance, Gloucester Township police said Tuesday morning.

When police initially responded to the scene, they were told by security at the party that it was strictly a family affair. However, they were later told by attendees that they were charged between $100 and $150 admission to enter, police said.



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No one was wearing a face covering or following social distancing guidelines, police said. Using a sound level meter, police also determined that the music violated the townships noise ordinance, police said.



Several people who attended the party also blocked neighbors driveways and stop signs, and there was trash and broken bottles all over the front lawn, police said.



Police issued 25 parking tickets and stopped five cars. Gloucester Township Public Works responded Monday morning to assist with the clean-up.



The homeowner, 56-year-old Lionel Mincey, was issued citations for noise violation, maintaining a nuisance and littering. More charges may be filed for violation of the Governors Executive Order.



The investigation is continuing with referrals being made to the Camden County Prosecutors Office, New Jersey Alcoholic Beverage Control, Camden County Health Department, the New Jersey Division of Taxation, and the US Internal Revenue Service, police said.



On Aug. 9, Gloucester Township police broke up a pool party attended by 250 people who werent wearing masks at 12 Prospect Court. That party went on for five hours, and the homeowner and a promoter were charged with violating the governors executive order. Read more here: Police Break Up House Party Attended By 250 In Gloucester Twp.



Story continues

Police have repeatedly warned residents against having large parties amid the pandemic. Read more here: Gloucester Twp. Police Warn Against Large Parties Amid Pandemic



On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that indoor dining could resume and movie theaters could reopen on Friday. He also raised the indoor gathering limits to 150 people, or 25 percent capacity, for religious services, weddings, funerals and memorial services and political activities.



See related: NJ Coronavirus Reopen Updates: Heres What You Need To Know

This article originally appeared on the Gloucester Township Patch
The President of the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara (file photo).

The deadline for submitting applications in Cote d'Ivoire's October presidential election expires Monday at midnight, with 36 bids officially confirmed. Opponents have challenged the legality of President Alassane Ouattara's decision to run again.

With only two months to go before Ivorians head to the polls to choose their new president, the picture is far from clear about whether the incumbent leader Alassane Ouattara is eligible to run for a third term.

Technically, the constitution limits the president to two terms, but Ouattara and his supporters argue that a 2016 constitutional tweak reset the clock. His opponents beg to differ.

"Article 55 of the constitution is very clear," says Alexandre Didier, coordinator of the non-governmental organisation Tournons La Page or Let's Turn The Page.

"The President of the Republic is elected for a five year-term by direct universal suffrage. He can only be reelected once. That excludes a third mandate," he told RFI.

Constitutional ambiguity

The confusion emanates from each side's interpretation of the new constitution explains Alex Vines, director of the Africa programme at Chatham House.

"It's ambiguous, possibly deliberately so, so that it's open to interpretation," he told RFI on the line from London.

The new constitution retains the two-term limit, but says nothing regarding terms served prior to its adoption.

"Therefore depending on what political position you stand, you will interpret it in a particular direction. It's that ambiguity that is not helpful," Vines said.

For Didier, there is no ambiguity about it. He showed RFI a 2016 tweet posted during the constitutional reform, stipulating that the "new constitution would not break with the old constitution's two-term presidential limit." The tweet has since been removed.

The president's dithering over whether to run again has also not helped.

"It's clear that Mr. Ouattara has been thinking about whether he should or should not run again for a while," continues Vines, pointing to the immense pressure on the 78-year-old not to seek a third term, notably from France.

Je salue la decision historique du President @AOuattara_PRCI, homme de parole et homme d'Etat, de ne pas se presenter a la prochaine election presidentielle. Ce soir, la Cote d'Ivoire donne l'exemple. https://t.co/oDcmBl1sNW - Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 5, 2020

Ouattara, who has governed since 2011, said in March he would not stand for re-election on 31 October.

Tense climate

But his preferred successor, then-prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, died in July, leading the ruling Houphouetist Rally for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party to ask Ouattara to reconsider.

Cote d'Ivoire election preparations in chaos following death of prime minister

"That has thrown things up in the air," comments Vines. "It is a worrying time for Cote d'Ivoire, there is a history, a tradition of electoral violence."

That history, which saw some 3,000 people killed following the 2010 election, is at risk of repeating itself.

"The climate is very, very tense," reckons Didier of Tournons La Page or Let's turn the page.

Talk of Ouattara's running again sparked clashes earlier this month in the town of Divo, about 200 kilometers northwest of the capital Abidjan, and in Bonoua, some 80 kilometers from the capital. Eight people were killed and more than 100 injured.

Deadly violence in Cote d'Ivoire as Ouattara gears up to claim third mandate

"There were reports of armed youths attacking civilians in conjunction with law enforcement officers," Didier told RFI from Abidjan.

Democracy shrinking

On Friday, Amnesty International issued a statement condemning the crackdown on protesters opposed to Ouattara's decision to run for a third term in office.

For Didier, it is a sign that democratic space in Cote d'Ivoire is shrinking.

"Today, there are people who have the right to demonstrate without being stopped by police and those who are barred. Everyone should be allowed to demonstrate freely."

Ouattara has defended his third term bid, which he says was provoked by an "act of God" after the sudden death of his successor.

Still, his efforts to stay in power have raised concerns that Cote d'Ivoire will go the way of other African countries in repeating a practice whereby presidents remain for life.

Constitutional Council under scrutiny

If unchallenged, Ouattara will square off against 35 other candidates on 31 October, including 86-year-old former President Henri Konan Bedie and 67-year-old former Premier Pascal Affi N'Guessa.

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Election authorities rejected the candidacies of former President, Laurent Gbagbo, and ex-rebel leader Guillaume Soro, who helped bring Ouattara to power before falling foul of him.

Nonetheless, on Monday Gbagbo filed his application for presidency, months after being acquitted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Gbagbo's refusal to cede power to Ouattara in 2010 triggered a post-electoral crisis that claimed 3,000 lives.

"The constitutional council played a role in that crisis from the moment it declared Gbagbo the winner," reckons Didier.

End bloodshed

For the NGO coordinator, institutions like the constitutional council must be strengthened to avoid a political vacuum. The body is yet to rule on whether Ouattara's third term bid is valid.

Opponents doubt the council's president, Mamadou Kone, who was handpicked by Ouattara, will rule against him.

That puts the onus squarely on Ouattara.

"We want the president to keep his word," insists Didier. "We want him to withdraw to avoid any further bloodshed."
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Millenials are mixing mocktails over cocktails this Sober September.

As more millenials abstain from alcohol, female entrepreneur Jo-Anne Reynolds has launched "Sexy AF," a brand of alcohol free spirits, perfect for mixing a great tasting mocktail.

Reynolds, a health and fitness enthusiast, wanted to introduce a new way to enjoy a mocktail, one that didn't involve child themed non-alcoholic drinks weighed down with heavy, high-calorie syrups and pop. Her line of refreshing and healthy spirits is 100 percent alcohol free, with flavors made for mixing, to make your mocktail Sexy AF.

"Being sober or sober curious doesn't mean missing out or feeling excluded, now you can enhance your experience with a great tasting cocktail, that's alcohol free" Reynolds said. "Our hashtag is #SoberIsSEXYAF because we want our brand to be something people love; love to drink, love to share and love to be a part of. When you allow Sexy AF to be part of your sober lifestyle and your social networks, that's important to us and our community, we want you to share your Sexy AF sobriety and we want others to support and welcome you into our growing community."

Just in time for sober September, Sexy AF is rolling out a premium lineup of alcohol free beverages, including ViirGiin, Triple Sexy, Amar-Oh and Kampari.

"We developed 36 batches over the course of a year. Thirty plus botanicals go into each batch, they are individually macerated for 10 to 60 days to get the best flavour. The final stage we blend and botanically infuse then rack, filter and bottle" Reynolds said. "These four were selected because their intense flavors, aromas and mouthfeel held up the best when combined into a delicious mocktail."

Every Sexy AF product is handcrafted from plant-based ingredients. The alcohol free spirits are sugarfree, gluten free with only 30 calories per ounce.

Currently, alcohol free, non-alcoholic and low ABV spirits are one of the hottest trends in the food & beverage industry. The United Kingdom is the most established market, boasting more than 150 brands. The United States and Canada are quickly catching up.

"Sexy AF is excited to be a leader in the North America markets thanks to the amazing line of beverages we have developed," Reynolds said.

Sexy AF spirits are available in select liquor stores & specialty food markets as well as direct to consumer online through SexyAFSpirits.com

Photos:

https://www.prlog.org/12836462

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Sexy AF Spirits

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Someone suggested to McAvoy that the cross should be treated with an epoxy finish to protect it from the elements. He retrieved the cross and finished it with a shiny protective coating. But it darkened the wood and made it nearly impossible to read the inscriptions of Charlies name and the dates of his birth and passing.
Vietnams government has issued a decree against illegal oil and gas exploration in its waters in the South China Sea, threatening fines and property seizures for violators, regardless of whether they are Vietnamese or foreign entities.

Vietnam has a long-standing dispute with China regarding offshore exploration in the South China Sea. In fact, China has this sort of disputes with all of its neighbors as it claims territorial rights to most of the basin that may hold 28 billion barrels of oil, according to an estimate from the U.S. Geological Survey from the mid-90s. Since then, with technology improvements, this figure could have increased substantially. Of course, low oil prices or no low oil prices, everyone wants a piece of the oil pie, and China wants the biggest one.

But Vietnam and the other countries around the South China Sea also want their fair share of the oil wealth, and that is despite the current industry crisis that has made a lot of exploration commercially unviable.

In the last couple of years, Vietnam has been vocal about China interfering with its offshore exploration using threats to discourage these activities. It stands to gain a lot in terms of oil revenuesin a better-price futureif exploration is successful. And it has the support of companies such as Exxon and Rosneft, who appear to share the belief that the Vietnamese section of the South China Sea could become a treasure trove of oil and gas. But China is not backing down.

In July, the media reported that China was exerting pressure on Vietnam to terminate an exploration project in partnership with Rosneft. As a result of this pressure, the Rosneft-PetroVietnam venture canceled an order for a drilling rig it had placed with Noble Corp.

The new decree about offshore exploration could be seen as David flexing his muscles at Goliath with little else it can do to topple the giant or at least push it out of its waters.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Factory has been set up at Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone in Visakhapatnam

Mumbai based Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd., Indias leading IVD company has launched Made in India ErbaLisa COVID-19 IgG ELISA-based antibody test kits for detection of COVID-19.

Designed and developed in India, the ErbaLisa COVID-19 IgG ELISA kits are a perfect solution to fight the current scenario of the pandemic in the country. The kits have been validated for a proven sensitivity and specificity of >99% and are suitable for use on all widely available semi and fully automated ELISA systems.

For the last 40 years, Transasia has been meeting the needs for quality, diagnostic solutions that are accessible and affordable. Very early on, we identified that Manufacturing in India is the only way forward to reduce the dependency on imports and make India truly ATMA NIRBHAR. Our ErbaLisa COVID-19 IgG ELISA kits are a result of dedicated efforts of our R&D team in India. We are proud to remain committed to ATMA NIRBHAR BHARAT by manufacturing these kits in India, said Suresh Vazirani, Chairman and Managing Director, Transasia-Erba group.

We are thankful to ICMR and NARI for acknowledging our efforts in developing the COVID-19 testing kits. This approval has come at the right time, as India ramps up its testing capacity and inches towards normalcy. Manufacturing these kits in India, will help us further offer affordable kits that are accessible to the citizens of India and contribute to the governments strategy of test, treat and track, added Ravi Kaushik, CEO, Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd.

ErbaLisa COVID-19 IgG kit has been evaluated and approved by National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), Pune, and is included in the ICMRs list of validated COVID-19 IgG antibody tests. The kits have also approved by CE IVD. The kit offers the following advantages:

Sample required for test  Blood Serum/Plasma

Assay time  90 min

Simplified protocol with In-Well Sample Dilution

Ready to use reagents

Semi-quantitative result

> 99% sensitivity and specificity

Adaptable to automation

The government has put in a lot of efforts to slow down the surge in the spread of the infection in India. As a company that is truly Indian by heart, we are proud to contribute to the fight against COVID-19. This kit is made in India for the people of India and is dedicated to all COVID heroes who have been relentlessly, ensuring the health of the nation, often putting their own health at risk, concluded Anil Jotwani, Sr. President, Sales & Marketing, Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd.

Transasias R&D team based in Mumbai, has been working round-the-clock to develop the kit and evaluate it on a large number of population belonging to different demographics in India. The high sensitivity and specificity offered by the MADE IN INDIA ErbaLisa COVID-19 IgG kits can help policy makers plan and implement appropriate public health interventions for prevention and control of the disease. These ready-to-use kits can test up to 96 samples and give results in a couple of hours.
BJP leader Ram Kadam on Monday said that it is because of the "creaseless and determined" efforts of the media that led to a "ray of hope" for the grieving family of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Kadam was responding to actor Taapsee Pannu who spoke against the alleged media trial of Rhea Chakraborty, who is the main accused in Sushant's death case.

'Soon expect justice'

Taapsee in a tweet had said, "I didnt know Sushant on a personal level nor do I know Rhea but what I know is, it only takes to be a human to understand how wrong it is to overtake judiciary to convict someone who isnt proven guilty. Trust the law of the land for your sanity and the deceaseds sanctity." Taapsee also retweeted a note by South actor Lakshmi Manchu in which she demanded justice not just for Sushant but for Rhea as well.

Countering Taapsee, the BJP leader said that the "cunning Maharashtra government had already botched up the probe declaring it as suicide." He added that the investigating agencies are probing the case and she should "soon expect justice"

With due respect @taapsee ji it is bcoz of the ceaseless and determined efforts of the #media that led to a ray of hope for the grieving family of #SSR This cunning MahGovt had already botched up the probe declaring it as suicide.CBI,ED NCB probing the case soon expect justice https://t.co/sUFBD4ggTG  Ram Kadam (@ramkadam) August 31, 2020

Rhea grilled for over 9 hours; summoned again

Meanwhile, Rhea Chakraborty has been summoned for a fourth round of questioning by the CBI. She has been asked to make an appearance on Monday. The accused was questioned by the officials three days in a row from Friday at the DRDO guesthouse in Mumbai.

READ | Rhea bought drugs without ever using in her life?: Sushant's brother-in-law says 'hogwash'

According to sources, the CBI questioned Rhea about her claims that Sushant suffered from 'mental illness.' She was also asked about her Europe trip in 2019 with Sushant, and about her claims that he had 'break down' at a hotel in Italy. The accused was asked about the doctor's visits, prescriptions and medicines that SSR allegedly had, and why she let him have drugs and other narcotics, if that was the case, when he was under medication, as the combination could have lethal consequences.

READ | Sushant death case: CBI grills Rhea Chakraborty for 9-hrs on Day 3; here's what they asked

The same set of questions were repeated on day 2, but another set was asked on day 3, on Sunday. The CBI remained tightlipped on inconsistencies in her statements, sources said. Siddharth Pithani was also asked if he supplied drugs to Rhea or if anyone consumed drugs on June 13, the night before SSR passed away.

READ | Sushant death probe LIVE Updates: Rhea Chakraborty summoned for 4th round of questioning

READ | Protection to Rhea, not Kangana?: BJP's Ram Kadam wonders 'is Maharashtra govt scared?'
The An Duong-Thanh Nien overpass in Tay Ho district, one of eight major traffic projects aimed to ease congestion in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Problems remain in the implementation of Hanois middle-term public investment plan for the 2016-2020 period, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal Peoples Council Phung Thi Hong Ha said.

Speaking at a meeting on public investment on August 31, Ha said that public investment projects helped address issues of transport, infrastructure, environment and improve living conditions in the city.



However, slow disbursement for public investment projects reduced the efficiency of the States capital and land use.



Notably, only nine out of 55 key public investment projects in the city have been completed since 2016.



This year, the city earmarked about 28 trillion VND (1.2 billion USD) for 581 projects, Ha said, calling for drastic measures to solve problems and ensure that all funds would be disbursed by the end of the year.



Vice Chairman of the municipal Peoples Committee Le Hong Son said that from 2016 to 2019, the city approved a total public investment of over 107.3 trillion VND (4.6 billion USD), of which, the city earmarked more than 79 billion VND for projects.



As much as 67.49 billion VND (2.9 billion USD), or 85.3 percent of the arranged funds, were disbursed from 2016 to the end of January 2020.



With the disbursed funding, 396 projects were completed.



In the first seven months of this year, 50 out of 155 city-level basic construction projects were completed, while another 222 projects are ongoing.



By the end of July this year, the city disbursed over 14.6 trillion VND (630.5 million USD), accounting for nearly 33 percent of planned funding, Son said.



Son said that official development assistance (ODA) projects were being implemented and disbursed slowly because from 2017, the ODA funding was allocated in line with the States yearly plan, not in line with the speed of projects that received the ODA.



Moreover, the ODA funding was from donors and they have to be consulted on the disbursement before selecting bidders.



Difficulties in developing relocation housing hindered land clearance activities, resulting in delayed projects.



Nguyen Cao Minh, Director of the Management Board of Urban Railway Projects, said that it put aside 5.3 trillion VND (229 million USD) for railway projects in 2019 and 2020.



Until now, just 43 percent of investment for Urban Railway Line No. 3 Nhon  Hanoi Railway Station was disbursed because of COVID-19, which delayed the import of equipment from Europe.



The Line No3 project will have 97 percent of funding disbursed by the end of this year, Minh said.



However, for the Urban Railway Line No. 2 Nam Thang Long  Tran Hung Dao, its funding would not be disbursed this year because changes in the project must be submitted and approved by the National Assembly in its meeting in October 2020.



Nguyen Van Hung, Director of the citys Investment Management Board for Water Supply, Drainage and Environment Works, said that the board was allocated 1.3 trillion VND this year but until now, just 42.3 percent of the funding was disbursed.



Personnel capacity and investors are key factors affecting the speed of disbursement, but of 186 staff on the board, many fail to meet the job requirements, Hung said.



For the Yen Xa waste water treatment project, just 40 percent of total investment was disbursed because it had to open bidding twice with the first bidding results removed and the second bidding results helping save over 900 billion VND.



Chairwoman of the Hanoi Peoples Council Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said that the citys public investment during 2016-2020 was very important to the development of the city and the country as well, because funding for the citys public investment accounted for ten percent of the countrys public investment fund.



At this time, public investment would help boost economic growth, support enterprises and create more jobs.
We dont think that genomic startups should be spending money building a lab, hiring technicians, and burning up capital to generate the data they need to prove out their concept.

Murrieta Genomics, the launch pad for genomic sequencing startups has become a Media Sponsor for the three day Digital RESI (Redefining Early Stage Investments) Conference being held virtually September 14, 15 and 16.

Murrieta Genomics was formed to launch great genomic sequencing companies, stated Jay Goth, CEO of Murrieta Genomics. We believe that we are in the very early phase of precision medicine and genomic sequencing is one of the fundamental technologies driving this new trend. Life Science Nation provides an incredibly important service to early stage life science companies by connecting them with products, services and capital.

The event is hosted by Life Science Nation (LSN) who has pioneered a unique global partnering event model that matches buyers and sellers based on their specifically stated needs and declared partnering mandate initiatives garnered from one-on-one interviews and curating buyer/seller databases in a selected industry.

RESI is the largest partnering conference in North America focusing on early-stage life science investments and strategic partnerships and has around 2000 global investors and channel partners that regularly attend 2-3 RESI conferences a year. LSN estimates that over 300 companies have raised over $400mm dollars by including RESI as part of their fundraising strategy.

The digital partnering event is an innovative approach to partnering that was developed in response to the current Coronavirus pandemic. LSN has had to shift their planned Boston event to a digital platform due to the restrictions on travel and found that opening the conference to a virtual audience was a game changer.

Digital RESI Global doubled our predicted attendee turnout with investment partners and fundraising CEOs. The metrics are actually quite interesting and surprised us in revealing the pent-up demand for action in the life science arena in these troubled times, stated Dennis Ford, founder and CEO of Life Science Nation. I never would have thought that these troubled times would have contributed to a new model that seems to be shifting the paradigm.

Murrieta Genomics is on the lookout for new potential candidates for the incubator. We can offer genomic startups critical resources that most life science incubators and accelerators dont, said Goth. For example, our advisory board is comprised of industry leaders  not only in the genomic and science areas, but also in necessary fields including legal, accounting, human resources and investment banking.

We dont think that genomic startups should be spending money building a lab, hiring technicians, and burning up capital to generate the data they need to prove out their concept. We offer them the sequencing know-how and access to resources that would normally be cost prohibitive with no bench fees or overhead costs except for hard costs such as reagents. People with genomic domain knowledge can prove their science while building a business model before reaching out to investors.

Early stage life science companies can register for the Digital RESI conference here and use the promo code MG10 to save 10% off of registration fees.

About Murrieta Genomics

Murrieta Genomics provides access to next generation sequencing technology for researchers in the health, veterinary, agriculture, forensics and direct to consumer industries. The company is a true business incubator, offering mentorship and guidance from both the scientific and business perspective to aspiring genomic-related entrepreneurs. The founders of Murrieta Genomics have extensive background in business, finance, science and technology. They are supplemented with a prestigious advisory board from both business and science. The company provides Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) services, hands-on consulting, review, appraisal, and guidance. In addition, it provides help with company value propositions and potential seed funding support to qualified incubator graduates. For more information visit http://www.murrietagenomics.com.

Murrieta Genomics is part of the Murrieta Innovation Center, a building owned by the city of Murrieta and dedicated to supporting life science companies. The Innovation Center has medical device, therapeutic, software, clinical research and of course genomic companies that are working hard to advance new ideas and innovations that can impact the world in a positive way. The Center is also a resource for all types of local startup companies, offering services and workshops from a local SBDC, several veteran organizations, a SCORE branch and more.

About Life Science Nations RESI Conference

The Redefining Early Stage Investments (RESI) conference series was created by Life Science Nation (LSN) to bring together startups with early-stage investors and strategic channel partners. The goal was to maximize the capability of these companies, from seed to series B, to find partners who are a fit for their technology and stage of development. What is unique about RESI is that the event is cross border and cross domain, connecting startups with 10 categories of global investors across the silos of drugs, devices, diagnostics, and digital health, the 4 Ds. RESI caters to both the earliest stage startups, those seeking grants, seed and angel capital, and the early-stage firms who seek series A and B funding.


Alaska Airlines announced Tuesday that it will be permanently scrapping its flight change fee for all domestic and international bookings, following in the suit of Delta, American and United who all implemented similar policy changes earlier this week, effective immediately.

The decision to eliminate the long contested, onerous fees comes as an effort to entice customers to re-take to the skies as the air travel industry tires to re-stabilize from the economic turbulence brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Alaskas $125 fee will now be waived for all customers, except for those who booked basic economy fares, akin to the policies announced by their competitors over the last 48 hours.

But the Seattle-based company has step further than the competition by extending the policy to all international flights  not just domestic and selective international journeys.

In announcing their policy change, Executive Vice President and CCO Andrew Harrison said in a statement that COVID-19 has taught the company that flexibility in travel is key.

As we evolve our approach to travel to include more than 100 safety actions, it's important to give our guests flexibility when they book by eliminating change fees, he continued.

Alaska Airlines announced Tuesday that it will be permanently scrapping its flight change fee for all domestic and international bookings, following in the suit of Delta, American and United who all implemented similar policy changes earlier this week, effective immediately

Delta and America Airlines will both scrap flight change fees for domestic travel in the US, both companies said Monday

United Airlines made its announcement saying it was getting rid of its $200 flight change fee, effective immediately, on Sunday. The change impacts economy and premium seats only

Similarly to the other airlines, Alaska is extending its flexible travel policy through December 31, 2020, on all new ticket purchases, including Saver fares.

In addition to enhanced flexibility for its customers, Alaska is seeking to enhance their piece-of-mind through the introduction of its layered safety approach, consisting of nearly 100 Next-Level Care measures designed to protect guest.

Such measures include a mandatory face covering policy for all customers and staff, blocking off the middle seat for all mainline flights and introducing a series of touch-free service options to help limit person-to-person contact.

Alaskas announcement comes a day after Delta and American announced the elimination of their $200 flight change fee.

According to an announcement on Delta's website, all tickets for travel within the US, including Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, will be exempt from the onerous charge, with the exception of Basic Economy tickets.

Similarly, American said only Basic Economy tickets will still be subject to a change fee, but extended the policy for flights to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean as well.

The two airlines follow rival United, which on Sunday became the first US legacy carrier to standard to eliminate economy and premium cabin flights, as well as standby fees for all same day departures.

Much like Alaska, Delta, United and American were already waiving change fees through the end of the year to give travelers more flexibility during unprecedented and uncertain times.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the cancellation fees represented around two percent to three percent of their total revenues in 2019, though analysts said the overall financial impact going forward will be limited as focus remains on generating bookings.

Delta collected $830 million in ticket cancellation and change fees last year, American $819 million and United $625 million, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

For Alaska, the share was much higher, with the ancillary fees accounting for around seven percent of total passenger revenue in 2019, to a sum of around $567 million.

The TSA revealed how their number of daily passenger screenings during the pandemic compares to the numbers experienced in the same time period in 2019

The Department of Transportation showed the dramatic drop in air travel passengers

A nearly empty United gate at San Francisco International Airport is pictured May 11

United CEO Scott Kirby said getting rid of the $200 flight change fee was a 'top request' from its customers.

Starting January 1, 2021, the airline said, passengers will also be able to fly standby on earlier or later flights on the day their original ticket was booked without having to pay a $75, one-way fee.

Those with United's MileagePlus Premier member status will be able to get a confirmed seat on a different same-day flight, so long as there's availability in the same fare-class cabin.

Additional changes have also been for award flight travel.

'Change is inevitable these days  but it's how we respond to it that matters most,' United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a video that was released by the airline Sunday.

'When we hear from customers about where we can improve, getting rid of this fee is often the top request. Following previous tough times, airlines made difficult decisions to survive, sometimes at the expense of customer service. United Airlines won't be following that same playbook as we come out of this crisis. Instead, we're taking a completely different approach  and looking at new ways to serve our customers better.'

The companies' moves fall in line with the no change fee policy that Southwest Airlines has long had and comes at a time when airlines are taking a massive hit as air travel has dropped significantly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Passenger numbers decreased during the pandemic, as people worry about being able to socially distance on flights or face self-quarantine orders at their destinations. A passenger sits by himself in a row on a United plane May 11

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement that eliminating the fee has 'built on the promise to ensure were offering industry-leading flexibility, space and care to our customers.'

Delta also extended its waiver on change fees, including for international flights and Basic Economy fares, through the end of the year and will extend its expiration on travel credits through December 2022 for tickets booked before mid-April.

The airline is also blocking middle seats through January 6 of next year as a COVID-19 protection measure.

Both Delta and United excluded basic economy tickets from their no change fee policies. Although, American added enhancements to basic economy fares with more flexibility for upgrades, preferred and main cabin extra seats, priority boarding, and same-day flight changes.

'By eliminating change fees, giving customers an opportunity to get where they want to go faster with free same-day standby on earlier flights and providing access to upgrades and seats for all fare types, were giving customers the freedom to make their own choices when traveling with American,' Vasu Raja, American chief revenue officer, said in a statement.

The latest changes come at a time when major airline carriers are in desperate need of more revenue, as demand for air travel has plummeted with the coronavirus pandemic continuing to wage on.

The Seattle-based company has step further than the competition by extending the policy to all international flights  not just domestic journeys.

The US Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said on August 10 that airline passengers in June had dropped 80 per cent from where they were in 2019.

That is not as bad as in April and May, when passengers had decreased 96 per cent and 90 per cent, respectively, compared to 2019's figures.

The TSA has released figures showing how far air travel has dropped off since the middle of March, when coronavirus concerns began to hit the US hard and states began going into lockdown mode.

On March 1, the TSA said it had screened more than 2.28 million travelers, close to the 2.3 million travelers it had screened on the same day in 2019.

But, on March 16, those numbers began to drop off in a major way - only 953,699 were screened that day, compared to 2019's 2.17 million screenings that same day.

Throughout April - during the height of the quarantine phase and pandemic in the US - the TSA reported that the number of passengers screened frequently fell to 80,000 to 90,000 people. In 2019, they routinely screened more than 2 million passengers.

Since travel restrictions have begun lifting and cities are reopening, people have begun taking more flights.

From June through August, between 500,000 to 800,000 travelers were screened by the TSA, however these numbers are still down by about 30 per cent from where they were in 2019, especially considering it was peak summer travel season.

Airlines are scrambling to appeal to the fraction of people who are still willing to travel during the pandemic, particularly as the $25 billion government bailout funds they received to help stave off layoffs is ending.

In 2019, the Department of Transportation said that US airlines had made $2.8 billion in ticket change and cancellation fees, according to ABC News, thanks to charging between $50 to $200 to make changes to domestic flight tickets.
We are now in the month of September and the next thing to look forward to is some new technological announcements from IFA 2020. Held annually in Berlin, Germany, it will be realme's first time attending the event and their conference is on 4 September, 12.25-13.10 CEST (UTS+2).

If you're expecting them to reveal some new devices, well, that's usually not the case at IFA. In case you're not aware, IFA is the venue where tech brands would unveil their latest technologies such as the Internet of Things and 5G. In realme's case, it seems that the company is also heading to that direction with their trademark AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) even though they haven't really embarked a true ecosystem with the like of Apple, Samsung and Huawei. So with that, we hope to see more of their original ecosystem blueprint for the future.

realme Malaysia has already released a bunch of smartphones over the past few months, so we think (and hope) that they would be taking a break from that until the next one which is realme 7 series that is launching soon in China. Ah yes, we will definitely be keeping an eye on that. Until then, stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.
The Delhi high court on Tuesday granted bail to Pinjra Tod member Devangana Kalita in one of the cases filed against her for alleged provocative speech ahead of the February riots in Delhi, saying it is the fundamental principle of criminal jurisprudence that every individual is presumed to be innocent till found guilty. It said police have failed to produce any material that her alleged hate speech instigated women of a particular community or it led to the loss of a young mans life and damage to property.

Also read: ED gets suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussains custody for 6 days

The court cited the case diary produced in a sealed cover along with pen drive before it and added Kalitas presence is seen at a peaceful agitation, which is a fundamental right guaranteed under Constitutions Article 19.

Kalita was arrested along with another member of the group in May for their role in an anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protest, which led to violent clashes during the Delhi riots. The two were booked for rioting, unlawful assembly, and inflammatory speeches.

Admittedly, agitation was going on since long, print and electronic media was present throughout in addition to cameras of police department, but there is no such evidence which establishes that the alleged offence has taken place on the act done by the petitioner, except statements recorded under section 164 CrPC much belatedly, though, those witnesses were allegedly remain present at the spot throughout, the court said.

It added no prejudice would be caused to the police investigation by the grant of relief to Kalita, and she would be prevented from suffering further unnecessary harassment, humiliation, and unjustified detention. The court said similarly placed persons like Kalita have not been arrested. It added the continued custody of the petitioner would serve no purpose.

Justice Suresh Kait granted the bail in lieu of 25,000 bond and surety of the same amount while directing Kalita against influencing any witnesses or tampering with the evidence. He underlined personal liberty is the most important fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution.

Kalita has been arrested in four cases related to communal riots in north-east Delhi in February and has been charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for her alleged role in hatching a conspiracy along with other accused persons.

The Delhi police have accused some anti-CAA protesters, who blocked a road and made inflammatory speeches, of planning the riots. The arrested anti-CAA protesters, who include students, activists, and local politicians, have denied the allegations and said the police have launched a witch-hunt against them. The violence claimed 53 lives.
A farmer has created a crop circle during this year's harvest to raise awareness of the value of locally produced food to the UK economy.

The crop circle was created on Antony Pearce's field at Moat Farm, Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire.

Mr Pearce, who grows wheat for Weetabix, said it took over 36 hours to create the farmland image.

The crop circle highlights Weetabixs commitment to working with local farmers to source all of its wheat from within 50-miles of their mills in rural Northamptonshire.

Mr Pearce said: As a British farmer it's comforting to see some positives emerge from the first half of the year with people looking to support local businesses and seeking to have a greater understanding of where their food comes from.

"We have grown the highest quality wheat to meet Weetabixs high standards for 10 years and are proud to be one of the farms that fall within the 50-mile radius of their factory.

The crop circle highlights Weetabixs commitment to working with local farmers

It follows the release of a new survey by Weetabix which found that almost half (48%) of British consumers now actively look for locally sourced food in the supermarket.

More than a third do so to be more ethical in their shopping habits, whilst over two thirds hope to support local farmers and almost half do so for healthier and fresher produce.

A further 51% believe that by buying local they are helping the economy, and 45% hope to reduce their food miles.

The poll was conducted by OnePoll on 19 - 21 August 2020 with a survey of 2,000 people as national representatives.
The French satirical paper whose staff was decimated in a violent attack by Islamic extremists in 2015 is reprinting caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed cited by the killers, declaring history cannot be rewritten nor erased. The announcement on Tuesday came on the eve of the first trial for the January 2015 attacks against Charlie Hebdo and, two days later, a kosher supermarket.

The killings touched off a wave of violence claimed by the Islamic State group across Europe. Seventeen people died  12 of them at the editorial offices  along with all three attackers.

Thirteen men and a woman accused of providing the attackers with weapons and logistics go on trial Wednesday.

In an editorial this week accompanying the caricatures, the paper best known for vulgar irreverence said that although it had declined to publish caricatures of Mohammed since the attacks, doing so for the opening of the trial was necessary.

The only reasons not to stem from political or journalistic cowardice, the editorial said.

As the attackers, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, walked away from the carnage, they cried out We have avenged the Prophet. Claiming the attacks in the name of al-Qaida, they then killed a wounded policeman point-blank and drove away.

Two days later, a jailhouse acquaintance of theirs stormed a kosher supermarket on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, killing four hostages and claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group. The Kouachi brothers had by then holed up in a printing office with another hostage. All three attackers died in near-simultaneous police raids.

The supermarket attacker, Amedy Coulibaly, also killed a young policewoman.

The caricatures re-published this week were first printed in 2006 by the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten, setting off sometimes violent protests by Muslims who believe depicting Mohammed is blasphemy.

Charlie Hebdo, which was then little-known outside France and regularly caricatures religious leaders from various faiths, republished them soon afterwards.

The papers Paris offices were firebombed in 2011 and its editorial leadership placed under police protection, which remains in place to this day.

Laurent Sourisseau, the papers director and one of the few staff to have survived the attack, named each of the victims in a foreword to this weeks edition.

Rare are those who, five years later, dare oppose the demands that are still so pressing from religions in general, and some in particular, wrote Sourisseau, who is also known as Riss.

Three of the accused, including the wife of one of the attackers, will not be at the trial because they are abroad and its not known if theyre alive or dead.

Most of the 11 who will appear in court say they knew it was for a crime but claim they had no idea it was for mass killings.

Among those inside the market was Lassana Bathily, an employee whose home village in Mali was just 20 kilometers from that of Coulibalys.

Bathily hid a group of the stores Jewish customers in a cold room and slipped out to warn police about the terror attack inside. Eleven days later, the unlikely hero was granted French citizenship. He is among nearly 200 plaintiffs at the trial.

We want to know what really happened even if the terrorists wont be there. I hope that those who worked with them, helped them financially will be punished for what they did. Thats the only thing we expect, Bathily said.

We want to know the truth because we dont know anything, weve heard nothing for the past five years. The world rallied behind France in the days after the killings.

Leaders from around the world joined millions of people who poured into Paris enormous Republique plaza and other gathering spots in France bearing defiant signs that read I am Charlie. But the January 2015 attacks were seen as a colossal intelligence failure for France.

At least one of the Kouachi brothers had traveled to Yemen to train with al-Qaida. Cherif Kouachi, the younger, acknowledged as much in an interview with a French television network during their final siege.

Said Kouachi was under surveillance until mid-2014. In a 2008 interview with Le Monde newspaper, Coulibaly himself described prison, where he met Cherif Kouachi then awaiting trial on terrorism charges, as the best crime school. Their jailhouse mentor is among those scheduled to testify.

Afterwards, the French government reorganized its intelligence structure, raised the national security budget and hired hundreds more investigators to monitor homegrown extremists.

The opening of this trial is the moment to remember that the fight against Islamist terrorism is a major priority of the government, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Monday in a speech at the French intelligence headquarters. We will fight relentlessly. The trial will be filmed for posterity, a rarity in France reserved for proceedings of historical import.

One of the three absent defendants is Hayat Boumedienne, Coulibalys wife who fled to Syria days ahead of the attacks. She took a starring role in one of Islamic States propaganda blitzes, urging French Muslims, men and women alike, to follow her path.

French media reported that a woman who returned from Syria encountered Boumedienne last year at the enormous al-Hol camp for Islamic State families, living under an assumed name. Since then, the camp has seen numerous escapes.

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Pravind Jugnauth announced a phased reopening of Mauritian borders for international travel.

Repatriation of Mauritian nationals will continue until the end of September.

As from the beginning of October more flights will be scheduled to and from designated destinations. Mauritian Nationals, residents and holders of work/occupational permits will be given priority for travel to Mauritius. Passengers will be able to book their airline tickets and hotel rooms online.

The next phase will be the complete reopening of borders which will be considered based on the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Hyderabad, Sep 1 : Top Maoist leader Ganapathy, who is ailing for some time, is likely to surrender before the Telangana Police.

Ganapathy, whose real name is Muppalla Lakshman Rao, is reported to have conveyed to the top brass in the police that he wants to lay down arms.

The reports were yet to be confirmed but some police officers said they were ready to welcome surrender by any extremist.

Ganapathy, who hails from Jagtial district of Telangana, may surrender before the police along with some other leaders of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist.

The 74-year-old is reported to be suffering from acute arthritis and other age-related ailments. He quit as the General Secretary of CPI-Maoist in 2018 on health grounds.

Explosives expert Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basvaraj succeeded him as the top leader of the outfit. Ganapathy himself proposed the name of Keshava Rao as his successor at the outfit's Central Committee meeting and it was accepted by the other members of the highest decision-making body of the CPI-Maoist.

After quitting the top post in the organisation, Ganapathy continued as a member of the Central Committee.

Hailing from Birpur village of Jagtial, he had joined the banned CPI-ML-People's War Group some 40 years ago.

Son of a farmer, Ganapathy holds B.Sc and B. Ed. degrees and was a teacher before joining the rebels. He was considered close to PWG founder, late Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, who was arrested in 1993.

Ganapathy, who is seen as a Maoist ideologue, took over the reins of the organisation in 1993, and carries Rs 1.5 crore reward on his head.

He played a key role in formation of CPI-Maoist with the merger of CPI-ML-PWG and the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) in 2004.

After the merger and the failure of first-ever direct peace talks with the government of then undivided Andhra Pradesh, the outfit suffered a series of setbacks following intense anti-Maoist operations by the state police.

The top Maoist, who is reported to be active outside Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, had admitted in an interview to the outfit's prohibited magazine "People's March" in 2019 that the revolutionary movement had been on the down side for last eight years.
US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden have been accusing one another over violence that has erupted at protests in Portland, Oregon.

A man linked to a right-wing group was killed on Saturday, as elsewhere in the city a pro-Trump rally clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters.

Trump called participants of the rally "great patriots" and blamed the city's Democratic mayor for the unrest. Biden in turn accused Trump of "rooting for chaos and violence", the BBC reported.

In a campaign speech in the city of Pittsburgh on Monday, the Democratic candidate said: "Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames. But we must not burn. We have to build."

Portland has become a flashpoint for demonstrations against police brutality and racism since the police killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 triggered a wave of national and international outrage.

Media reports say a man who calls himself an anti-fascist is being investigated over Saturday's deadly shooting, while the founder of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer identified the victim as a supporter.

Trump on Sunday re-tweeted what appeared to be the dead man's name along with the message "Rest in Peace".

Police have not publicly named the suspect or the victim, or specified whether the shooting was directly linked to the clashes.

The President is set to visit the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday amid anger there over the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake.

Trump has blamed Portland's Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler for the unrest.

"Portland will never recover with a fool for a mayor," he wrote on Twitter on Sunday as he suggested sending federal forces to the city.

He also accused Biden of being "unwilling to lead".

Trump continued on Monday, describing Portland as "a mess" and repeating calls for "LAW & ORDER".

"If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them," he wrote.

In another tweet he said "Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their 'Movement'."

"It wasn't supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and don't listen anymore - even forced Slow Joe out of basement," he added in reference to his Democratic rival.

On Sunday, Biden said the president "may believe tweeting about law and order makes him strong - but his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is".

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Argentina's Economy Minister Martin Guzman waves before attending a news conference to give details about the agreement to restructure Argentina's debt, at the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace, in Buenos Aires

By Hugh Bronstein, Walter Bianchi and Adam Jourdan

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina has defused fears of a messy default after it gained backing from creditors, allowing it to exchange 99% of the bonds involved in a $65 billion restructuring, a deal that could set a precedent for future sovereign crises.

After months of winding and tense negotiations, framed by the coronavirus pandemic, bondholders tendered 93.55% of the eligible bonds in the exchange, which with collective action clauses (CACs) allowed a near-full deal to go ahead.

"In recent days we have worked on the conditions of an offer that gained massive acceptance by our creditors as a result of the dialogue process in past months," Economy Minister Martin Guzman told a news conference on Monday.

A strong deal is a major win for Argentina, Latin America's No. 3 economy, as it looks to escape from its ninth sovereign default and revive an economy in its third year of recession and expected to contract around 12.5% this year.

Reuters reported on Friday, when the deal deadline closed, that the government was confident of high creditor support after winning over its main three creditor groups to a deal in principle earlier in August.

Center-left President Alberto Fernandez, who took power in December, said Argentina had been in a "labyrinth" of debt that had now been solved. He thanked allies, including Pope Francis, an Argentine, and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The government said the deal and a separate restructuring of local law dollar debt would together bring financial relief of $37.7 billion over the 2020-2030 period, and help cut average interest payments on foreign law bonds to 3% from 7%.

"Now there are other challenges, the first of which is to reactivate the domestic market," Fernandez said at the Casa Rosada presidential palace.

WHAT NEXT?

Guzman said Argentina now needed to turn attention to sealing a new program with the International Monetary Fund to replace a defunct $57 billion facility agreed in 2018, as well as tackling provincial debt amid various smaller regional restructurings.

Story continues

He said the government planned to send a 2021 budget bill to Congress in mid-September, which would include a forecast for a primary fiscal deficit next year of around 4.5%. A new deal with the IMF is unlikely before March next year, said Guzman.

The 1% of bonds that did not meet collective action clause (CAC) thresholds of support for a restructuring highlighted pockets of holdouts on individual bonds, though Guzman told reporters it was not a major issue and would be resolved.

In a statement, the government said it had excluded certain bond series including the USD Par 2038 Bonds II and III and Euro Par 2038 Bonds II and III following the invitation results.

The bonds being restructured have CACs that mean the government needs a certain level of support to restructure them. Older 2005 indenture bonds require a combined 85% of creditor support, with two-thirds of support needed on each individual series.

The strong support and few holdouts stands in contrast to Argentina's 2005 debt restructuring, which saw creditors holding around a quarter of bonds reject a deal, leading to over a decade of legal battles.

"I was expecting them to easily clear the CAC threshold on most of the bonds, but this result was on the high side of my expectations," said Ajata Mediratta, president of Greylock Capital Management in New York, which was involved in the talks.

Eduardo Levy Yeyati, an economist at Torcuato Di Tella University, said the good result underscored the important role of CACs, similar to what had happened with a recent successful restructuring in Ecuador.

"Once the government made a realistic offer acceptable to creditors, the CACs induced the rest to get on board, dissuading holdouts and avoiding costly litigation," he said. We now have four years ahead of us to implement the policies that make this swap a sustainable solution."

(Reporting by Adam Jourdan, Hugh Bronstein and Walter Bianchi; Additional reporting by Eliana Raszewski and Rodrigo Campos in New York; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien, Leslie Adler and Catherine Evans)
Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is in the middle of an incredible drum battle with 10-year-old prodigy Nandi Bushell.

The young musician challenged Grohl earlier this month, sharing a video of herself playing the Foo Fighters hit song Everlong to Twitter. She accompanied the post with the caption: Mr Grohl I would love to have a drum battle with you! I LOVE Everlong its really hard to play as its so fast but so much fun.

The video, which has been watched more than two million times, shows Bushell impressively jamming out to the fast-paced track.

This weekend, Grohl replied to her challenge via the Foo Fighters Twitter account.

The drummer wrote: Challenge Accepted and shared a video of himself playing Dead End Friends by Them Crooked Vultures.

He thanked Bushell for instigating the drum battle, Havent played these songs in a loooooong time .... thanks for the inspiration!!! and signed off, Your friend in rock, Dave.

In the video, Grohl also praised Bushells drumming skills and said he has watched all of the videos on her YouTube channel, which boasts more than 100,000 subscribers.

He said, Youre an incredible drummer. And Im really flattered that youve picked some of my songs to do for your videos.

Although Bushell is yet to respond, the young musician shared a reaction video of her excitedly watching Grohls short clip.

This is UNREAL! she tweeted to her 116,000 followers. Now its my turn to learn dead end friends ... I am going to checkmate this one too!
Credit: Shutterstock

Australia has seen the latest extraordinary twist in its climate soap opera. An alliance of business and environment groups declared the nation is "woefully unprepared" for climate change and urgent action is needed.

And yesterday, Australian Industry Groupone of the alliance members  called on the federal government to spend at least A$3.3 billion on renewable energy over the next decade.

The alliance, known as the Australian Climate Roundtable, formed in 2015. It comprises ten business and environmental bodies, including the Business Council of Australia, National Farmers Federation and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).

Last week, the group stated: "There is no systemic government response (federal, state and local) to build resilience to climate risks. Action is piecemeal; uncoordinated; does not engage business, private sector investment, unions, workers in affected industries, community sector and communities; and does not match the scale of the threat climate change represents to the Australian economy, environment and society."

This is ironic, since many of the statement's signatories spent decades fiercely resisting moves towards sane climate policy. Let's look back at a few pivotal moments.

Preventing an early carbon tax

The Business Council of Australia (BCA) was a leading player against the Hawke Government's Ecologically Sustainable Development process, which was initiated to get green groups "in the tent" on environmental policy. The BCA also fought to prevent then environment minister Ros Kelly bring in a carbon taxone of the ways Australia could have moved to its goal of 20% carbon dioxide reduction by 2005.

And the BCA, alongside the Australian Mining Industry Council (now known as the Minerals Council of Australia), was a main driver in setting up the Australian Industry Greenhouse Network (AIGN).

Don't let the name fool youthe network co-ordinated the fossil fuel extraction sector and other groups determined to scupper strong climate and energy policy. It made sure Australia made neither strong international commitments to emissions reductions nor passed domestic legislation which would affect the profitable status quo.

Its first major victory was to destroy and prevent a modest carbon tax in 1994-95, proposed by Keating Government environment minister John Faulkner. Profits from the tax would have funded research and development of renewable energy.

Questionable funding and support

The Australian Aluminum Council is also in the roundtable. This organization used to be the most militant of the "greenhouse mafia"organizationsas dubbed in a 2006 ABC Four Corners investigation.

The council funded and promoted the work of the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), whose "MEGABARE" economic model was, at the time, used to generate reports which were a go-to for Liberal and National Party politicians wanting to argue climate action would spell economic catastrophe.

In 1997, the Australian Conservation Foundation (another member of the climate roundtable) complained to the federal parliamentary Ombudsman about fossil fuel groups funding ABARE, saying this gave organizations such as Shell Australia a seat on its board. The ensuing Ombudsman's report in 1998 largely backed these complaints. ABARE agreed with or considered many of the Ombudsman's recommendations.

Meanwhile, Australian Industry Group was part of the concerted opposition to the Rudd government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. In response to the July 2008 Green Paper on emissions trading, it complained: "businesses accounting for well over 10% of national production and around 1 million jobs will be affected by significant cost increases."

Australian economist Ross Garnaut was among many at the time to lambast this complaint, calling it "pervasive vested-interest pressure on the policy process."

Back in July 2014, the Business Council of Australia and Innes Willox (head of the Australian Industry Group) both welcomed the outcome of then prime minister Tony Abbott's policy vandalism: the repeal of the Gillard government's carbon price. The policy wasn't perfect, but it was an important step in the right direction.

In doing so, Australia squandered the opportunity to become a renewable energy superpower. With its solar, wind and geothermal resources, its scientists and technology base, Australia could have been world-beaters and world-savers. Now, it's just a quarry with a palpable end of its customer base for thermal coal.

What is to be done?

Given the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the global pandemic and the devastating fires of Black Summer, it would be forgivable to despair.

It shouldn't have been the case that business groups only acted when the problem became undeniable and started to affect profits.

Somehow we must recapture the energy, determination and even the optimism of the period from 2006 to 2008 when it seemed Australia "got" climate change and the need to take rapid and radical action.

This time, we must do it better. Decision-makers should not look solely to the business sector for guidance on climate policythe community, and the broader public good, should be at the center.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Ian Paterson is serving 20 years in jail for 17 counts of wounding with intent

Rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson was free to butcher cancer patients for eight years despite nine separate reports of botched treatments, a tribunal heard.

Paterson carried out 'experimental mastectomies' on women that left the breast tissue in place, allowing the cancer to return. In some cases he advised treatment for women who did not have cancer, offering them more expensive procedures.

He worked at NHS hospitals in the West Midlands and private clinics including those run by Spire hospitals. 675 out of 1,207 women who underwent the unregulated treatment had died by 2017.

Now a medical tribunal has heard allegations that issues were raised about the doctor as early as 2004, but he was allowed to carry on working.

Senior colleagues at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) were aware of nine separate reports of botched treatment by 2007 - but in 2010 only one was reported to the General Medical Council for investigation, it was claimed.

Fresh details of the scandal emerged at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service where two senior doctors accused of failing to stop Paterson began a legal battle to save their careers in medicine.

Mark Goldman and Ian Cunliffe are facing misconduct charges after a two-year investigation concluded that a culture of 'denial' enabled Paterson to perform more than 1,000 botched or unnecessary operations.

Mr Goldman, who was Chief Executive of HEFT, quit in 2010 with a 2.7million pension pot just three months before news emerged of a recall of Paterson's patients.

Mr Cunliffe, a former medical director at the trust, was accused of attempting to block a full recall of patients despite concerns their health was at risk.

Mark Goldman (left) and Ian Cunliffe (right) are facing misconduct charges after a two-year investigation concluded that a culture of 'denial' enabled Paterson to perform more than 1,000 botched or unnecessary operations

Nick Clarke QC, for the GMC, told the Manchester hearing: 'Mr Patterson was working at the hospital in 2003 and in 2004 a number of concerns had already been raised.

'By 2007 issues had arisen about his conduct towards colleagues and inappropriate and incomplete mastectomies having been undertaken. There was already an awareness and potential for there to be risk of harm posed by Mr Patterson.

'But between June and August 2007, there are failures to inform the trust board of a number of matters and to recognise significant lack of informed patient consent.

'The real give away was a plethora of reports then coming in, interim reports and final reports from a number of individuals - nine in number. Initially none of that information was shared with the GMC so the matter was not reported to the GMC.

'There was no formal complaint or procedure at any time in 2007, 2008 and 2009, so when the interim orders panel came to consider the position of Mr Patterson in 2010 they had to deal with it first on the information provided to the GMC.'

Victim Patricia Welch (centre) speaks outside Nottingham Crown Court following Ian Paterson's sentencing in 2017

Paterson is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence following a 2017 conviction of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding between 1997 and 2011.

Mr Clarke continued: 'We are dealing here with the very harrowing actions of physical trauma that was inflicted by a surgeon.

'But the fitness to practice hearing will be dealing with not patients' complaints in this case - but with professional concerns about what was going on and about steps that should have been taken to stop what was happening in order to protect patient safety.'

Jailed for 20 years for wounding with intent: Ian Paterson Butchering breast surgeon Ian Paterson is currently serving his 20-year prison sentence. What was he convicted of? He was convicted of 17 counts of wounding with intent and three counts of unlawful wounding between 1997 and 2011, after a trial in 2017. How did he harm patients? Paterson carried out 'experimental mastectomies' on women that left the breast tissue in place, allowing the cancer to return. In some cases, he also advised treatment for women when they did not have cancer and offered them more expensive procedures. Who has been affected? 675 out of 1,207 women who underwent the unregulated treatment had died by 2017. Where did he work? Paterson worked at NHS hospitals in the West Midlands and private clinics including those run by Spire hospitals. Advertisement

The hearing was told of six Interim Order Panels (IOPs) between 2010 and 2012. The first in December 2010 concerned a single complaint in relation to an operation that Mr Paterson had undertaken in 2006 and no order was made.

A second review took place in July 2011 by which time the number of complaints had risen to four but Paterson was allowed to carry on working under supervision.

Further reviews took place on 19 December 2011 and 31 May 2012 at which conditions were maintained.

Additional complaints gave rise to a further review in July 2012 by which time there were twenty complaints - but the conditions on Paterson's registration was maintained.

By October 2012, there were thirty complaints under investigation and he was formally suspended.

He had already been excluded by the health trust in 2011.

Goldman and Cunliffe face various misconduct charges including delivering inadequate managerial responses following concerns raised about Paterson, failures to share the full history of concerns with investigators, failures to respond in a 'timely manner' to concerns, failing to stop him from undertaking breast surgery, and protecting patients from the risk of harm and failing to notify the GMC of concerns about the surgeon.

Defence lawyer Mark Sutton QC told the hearing: 'The GMCs allegations against Mr Goldman include seven that relate to failure through a period of 2007 to 2009 to place adequate restrictions on Mr Patterson practices.

'But the GMC cannot reasonably criticise Mr Goldman for not restricting Mr Patterson's practices when an IOP didn't impose an order. What material did IOP have in front of it to justify imposing no restrictions?

'It does overlap with a period of time when both my clients are being criticised for their decision making.'

The panel ordered the GMC and lawyers acting for the doctors to disclose legal documents ahead of a full disciplinary hearing next year.
India has joined hands with Brazil, Germany and Japan to call for expediting the process for reforming the UN Security Council, with the four countries saying that inter-governmental negotiations on the issue have dragged on for more than a decade without substantial progress.

The four countries, also known as G4, outlined their position in a common letter submitted to the President of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, on Monday. They demanded action for transforming the UN Security Council in line with Common African Position, and said negotiations shouldnt be held hostage, procedurally and substantially, by those who do not wish to bring about reform.

Indias letter, submitted by the deputy permanent representative to the UN, K Nagaraj Naidu, referred to the draft decision regarding roll-over of the inter-governmental negotiations on equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council, and said this process must capture clearly the tangible progress made in two meetings held earlier this year.

The letter said clear progress was made in the negotiations this year with member states backing the Common African Position as laid down in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, and the urgent need for transparency and application of the General Assemblys rules of procedure to the inter-governmental negotiations.

The Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, containing the common African position on reform of the UN Security Council, were developed by a committee on UN reform established by the African Union Summit in 2005.

The growing support for the Common African Position has, in fact, been reinforced not in one but multiple forums, and from multiple groups, the letter said. The concept was also backed by the Non-Aligned Movement, comprising 120 states, in October 2019 and by G4 in a foreign ministers joint statement in September 2019.

Consequently, it is only correct and fair that the growing support expressed for the Common African Position in the two meetings of the [inter-governmental negotiations] earlier this year are captured in the body of the roll-over decision. Otherwise, we will be in the danger of endorsing an incorrect perspective of this years work and give an impression that nothing has transpired, the letter said.

The letter also emphasised the need to redress the historical injustice against Africa and to ensure better African representation in a reformed Security Council in line with the Common African Position.

India and the three other countries also expressed their concerns about the inter-governmental negotiations since 2009, saying there has been practically no progress in the discussions.

Even the discussions are dubbed as informal and the UNGA rules of procedure do not apply. In eleven years, the situation has not changed. There has been no attempt to capture the discussions in a single consolidated text for negotiations, the letter said.

In fact, the [inter-governmental negotiations] process has become a convenient smokescreen to hide behind for those who do not wish to see any reform in the Security Council. Consequently, there is a need to ensure that the process is not held hostage, procedurally and substantially, by those who do not wish to bring about reform in the Security Council, it further said.

If this happens, and there are indications that this is already happening, those who demand reform will be forced to look for other ways to achieve the same end outside the [inter-governmental negotiations] process, it added.

The letter also noted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres call on July 18 for reform of the Security Council. It quoted him as saying, The nations that came out on top more than seven decades ago have refused to contemplate the reforms needed to change power relations in international institutions...Inequality starts at the top: in global institutions.
September 01 : In the latest development in Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, the CBI has issued summon for Rhea Chakraborty's father and mother to join the probe, while Rhea is expected to return for the fifth round of questioning today.

While Rhea's parents, Indrajit Chakraborty and Sandhya Chakraborty, have already arrived at the DRDO guest house for the questioning, Rhea and her brother Showik Chakraborty, and Sushant' manager Shruti Modi will also be grilled today.

Parents of Rhea Chakraborty & Shruti Modi reached the DRDO guest house for CB questioning.



Details by TIMES NOW's Siddhant, Tamal & Kajal. pic.twitter.com/nJVRBNCxIG  TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 1, 2020

Rhea to take legal action against Sushant Singh Rajputs family

Rhea Chakrabortys lawyer Satish Manshinde reportedly said that Rhea would take action against Sushant Singh Rajputs family for making false statements before the investigating agencies and the Supreme Court. Her lawyer said that the late actors family was aware of his mental health. Yet, they lied to the court and ED that they were not aware of his health status, the lawyer reportedly said.

Recently, two WhatsApp chats surfaced on the internetone was between Shruti Modi and the late actor's elder sister Nitu, where she asked the manager for Sushants prescription. Another chat was between Sushant and his sister Priyanka, in which she sends him a prescription from a doctor in Delhi. Satish Manshinde said this clearly proves that the family knew about his mental state as the prescriptions suggested medicines for depression, it is reported.

Gaurav Arya arrives for day two of interrogation by ED

Meanwhile, hotelier Gaurav Arya, whose name came up in Rheas drug chat, arrived for the second days interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today. Gaurav has been linked to the alleged drug angle in the case.

Back in 2017, in a WhatsApp chat, Rhea spoke about hard drugs and MDMA with Gaurav. The ED and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are probing the drug angle and an alleged drug racket in Mumbai, it is reported. Gaurav arrived from Goa for the probe and was grilled by the ED on Monday for the first time. Gaurav reportedly told the ED that he has no connection with the case, and has never met Sushant Singh Rajput. He only met Rhea in 2017.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
The COVID-19 crisis has led to a disproportionate decline in public transit use compared to car travel and other modes, in part because the countrys bus and subway commuters are far more likely than others to have started working from home, according to a new study from Statistics Canada.

Figures released by the agency in August show that as businesses closed and millions of residents went into lockdown after the pandemic hit this spring, nationwide transit use sunk to a low of 24.9 million trips in April, an unprecedented 84 per cent drop compared to the same month in 2019. That drop also corresponded with an 82-per-cent decline in transit revenue, a loss of nearly $280 million for the agencies surveyed.

By June, the most recent month captured in the figures, ridership had increased but was still 74.6 per cent below normal.

Trips taken by other modes have also decreased, but to a lesser degree. Before the pandemic, about 75 per cent of Canadians commuted by private car. As of June, that was down to about 68 per cent. But in the same period, the portion of workers commuting by public transit fell from almost 13 per cent to just 3 per cent.

We can see that although use of private vehicles has decreased, the decrease has not been as significant as the decrease in public transit, said Statistics Canada analyst Katherine Savage.

That conclusion is supported by data collected by GPS software app Waze, which shows that the kilometres driven by Canadians every day had begun to return to pre-COVID levels by early July. On some days that month, Canadians drove more than they did before the pandemic, a trend that continued in August.

Savage said that one possible reason for public transit ridership dropping more sharply than car use is that people fear contracting the virus on crowded buses and trains.

Even among regular transit users who told Statistics Canada they felt safe returning to work, nearly three-quarters said they were very or extremely concerned about using public transit, indicating many Canadians are more anxious about riding buses and subways than spending their days in an office.

Another factor is that transit commuters were far more likely to start working from home during the crisis. As of June, 42 per cent of Canadians who previously relied on transit to get to their jobs were working remotely. By comparison, fewer than 16 per cent of people who normally drive to work had made the switch, while the number among people who walk or cycle to their jobs was 17 per cent.

Savage said the higher portion of transit users who have converted to working remotely can partly be explained by where they live and the nature of their jobs.

Public transit users are found in large census metropolitan areas, such as Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, said Savage. In a lot of these cities, the jobs that people have in the city cores are more likely to allow them to telework.

Although the study didnt record the type of jobs former transit users are now doing from home, Savage noted that federal public servants who used to take public transportation to office jobs in Ottawa are now working remotely with no timeline for return.

In Toronto, the downtown subway system that every weekday before the pandemic carried hundreds of thousands of workers to their office jobs in finance and other sectors has remained uncrowded even as ridership has started to return to the TTCs suburban bus network. Many employers in downtown Toronto office towers have told their employees not to expect to return until at least next year.

The greater portion of transit riders working from home does underline what is the potential problem facing the nations transit operators, said Marco DAngelo, president of the Canadian Urban Transit Association, an industry group that represents most public transportation agencies in the country.

If people have left transit for working from home, thats something that may or may not be permanent. I get concerned if while theyre doing that, they make a choice to purchase a private car. Thats the kind of pattern we dont want to solidify, he said, warning of increased gridlock and negative environmental impacts if transit use doesnt return to normal.

Continued low transit ridership would also have major economic consequences for cities. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has estimated that lost transit revenue represents between 30 and 50 per cent of pandemic-related losses in cities with transit systems.

Although Canadian transit operators cant control how work patterns shift in the wake of the pandemic, DAngelo said agencies can do their part to attract riders back by communicating the effectiveness of safety measures that have become standard across the country, including frequent cleaning of vehicles and stations, and mandatory mask use.

Nevertheless, DAngelo predicted that Canadian transit agencies will continue to require federal financial assistance for at least another 12 months. Its going to be a challenging year, he said.

Toronto Mayor John Tory sought to reassure residents this week that the TTCs COVID-19 precautions are working. On Monday he posted photos of himself using the subway, and in a video message declared, Its safe.

Im using it myself, and I think we should all try to use it to get the city back going again, he said.

As of last week, TTC ridership was between 35 and 40 per cent of pre-crisis levels. The agency is expecting a bump later this month when students go back to school.

By the numbers Public transit during COVID-19 84% Drop in Canadian transit ridership as of April 13% Portion of commuters who took transit to work pre-COVID 3% Portion of commuters who took transit to work in June 42% Number of former transit commuters who now work from home Source: Statistics Canada

By the Numbers

84%  The drop in Canadian transit ridership as of April

13%  The portion of commuters who took transit to work pre-COVID

3%  The portion of commuters who took transit to work in June

42%  The number of former transit commuters who now work from home

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation for the Star. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr
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Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 14:45 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41f24d6 1 National Fadjroel-Rachman,influencer,State-Palace,social-media-influencer,Joko-Widodo,President-Jokowi,policy,democracy,digital-transformation Free

The State Palace has defended the use of social media influencers to promote public policies, claiming the opinion leaders spearheaded the countrys digital transformation and democracy.

Presidential spokesperson Fadjroel Rachman said influencers played a vital role as key opinion leaders to help communicate public policy in a connected society dominated by a digitally active middle class.

The active role of these digital actors is an inevitability in the countrys digital transformation. They will continue to grow their important roles in developing an information network to affect social, economic and productive political activities, Fadjroel wrote in a statement on Monday.

He added that President Joko Jokowi Widodo had urged the country to push through a digital change as a prerequisite for a digital economic and democratic transformation. Therefore, many policies need to be based on digital society and system.

Read also: 'Unhealthy in a democracy': Concerns mount over govt using 'influencers' to promote policies

The government has been criticized for using social media influencers to promote its policies. Civil society groups have expressed concern that such a practice might be used to cover up problems in policies and muddle the public discourse.

A study issued by Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) found that President Jokowis administration had spent Rp 90.4 billion (US$6 million) since its first term in office on goods and services procurement containing the word influencers in the documents.

NGOs fear social media influencers might speak beyond their capacity or without proper disclosure that their content is sponsored or under a paid partnership with the government.

Several social media influencers came under fire in August for posting content supporting the controversial omnibus bill on job creation using the hashtag #IndonesiaButuhKerja (Indonesia Needs Jobs).

While denying that the campaign had been ordered by the government, an expert with the Executive Office of the Presidential, Donny Gahral Adian, argued that using influencers to promote policies was fair enough, because they could reach a broad audience through social media.
After years of planning, China now dominates the worlds production of new generation batteries that are key to transitioning away from fossil fuels. These new batteries are essential for electric vehicles and most portable consumer electronics such as cell phones and laptops.

By 2040, energy analysts estimate over half of all passenger vehicles sold worldwide could be electric, according to 2019 report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. They expect a similar percentage of light commercial vehicles in the U.S., Europe and China sales will be electric within that time, BNEF predicts.

If current trends continue, most of them will likely use Chinese batteries, a key element for transitioning away from fossil fuels, and most of those batteries will be lithium-ion, which are also popular for cellphones and laptops because of their high energy per unit mass relative to other electrical energy storage systems, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Looking at the global automotive industry chain, China, for the first time, has taken the lead in the world in the manufacturing of key parts," state media Xinhua said in August in a report titled "China's dominant position in batteries needs to be further consolidated."

Switching from oil

As the United States and China face off over advanced communication technologies like 5G, the worlds battery supply is not yet a major issue. But it will likely grow in importance if the U.S. continues to transition away from fossil fuel energy sources for items such as vehicles, power grids, mobile phones and laptop computers.

And that could make the global battery supply an issue of national security.

For nearly half a century, American politicians have sought to protect the country from disruptions caused by foreign oil producers.

"All of our national security decisions were set against the backdrop of what they might mean to our energy security, following the 1973 Yom Kippur war when Egypt and Syria invaded Israel and the Arab nations cut off supplies to the US and allies who helped Israel." Dan Kish, senior vice president for policy at the American Energy Alliance, a not-for-profit energy advocacy organization, told VOA.

In 2019, the U.S. achieved its long-held goal of energy independence producing enough oil and gas for its domestic needs.

The achievement points to the challenge of controlling the raw materials that will power the worlds next energy revolution. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), last year the U.S. imported 78% of its cobalt, and all of its graphite. For the foreseeable future, the country will likely need to depend on Chinese supply chains to produce the batteries that help power Americas economy.

Graphite, cobalt, lithium

According to data released from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a London-based research firm for the lithium-ion battery industry, in 2019, Chinese chemical companies accounted for 80% of the worlds total output of raw materials for advanced batteries.

"Of the 136 lithium-ion battery plants in the pipeline to 2029, 101 are based in China," the firm said in May.

"China controls the processing of pretty much all the critical minerals, whether it's rare earth, lithium, cobalt or graphite, Pini Althaus, the chief executive of USA Rare Earth, said in a telephone interview with VOA.

A little-known Chinese company that was founded in 2011 is now the worlds biggest maker of electric vehicle batteries.

For three consecutive years ending in 2019, South Korea's market tracker SNE Research has ranked Chinas Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) as No. 1 in the electric vehicle battery production, with a 27.9% market share. CATL makes electric-car batteries for Tesla.

CATL hairman Zeng Yuqun told Bloomberg last month that they have developed a power pack that lasts more than a million miles. Among their top customers are Daimler AG, BMW and Toyota.

Battery supply chain

China has focused on building capacity at every stage of the battery supply chain.

In addition to rare earths, the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries depends on some key materials like graphite, the material used in pencil tips. In 2019, China produced more than 60% of the worlds graphite, according to U.S. government research. That means Beijing can set world prices.

"This is a completely untenable situation," said Althaus, whose company has a pilot project in Colorado with the goal of producing a full range of rare earths as well as lithium.

He said that it could take the U.S. 20 to 30 years to catch up with China. It does not matter whether it is China or any other country. It is very dangerous if the world only depends on one country to provide key raw materials.

African cobalt, Chinese factories

Cobalt has emerged as one of the hottest commodities in the new energy revolution because it is widely used in electric vehicles as well as computer and consumer electronics. But unlike graphite, which China has significant natural reserves, the country's cobalt reserves accounts for only about 1% of the world's total. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) produces more than 60% of the worlds mined cobalt.

But Beijing controls the global supply of this silvery-blue metal.

According to a working paper published last year by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), eight of the 14 largest cobalt mines in the DRC are Chinese-owned and account for almost half of the countrys output.

DRC mining ownership was not always controlled by China. For example, the largest mine in DRC, the Tenke Fungurume Mine where cobalt is a by-product of its copper mining, was owned by an American company until 2016. That year, for $2.65 billion, Freeport-McMoRan Inc., a leading international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, sold its mine to China Molybdenum.

Chinas influence dominates cobalt processing with Chinese companies controlling about 80% of the cobalt refining industry, where it is turned into commercial-grade cobalt metal and power, according to Benchmark Minerals.

World lithium reserves

China is among the five top countries with the most lithium resources, according to the 2020 USGS, but it has been buying stakes in mining operations in Australia and South America where most of the world's lithium reserves are found.

China's Tianqi Lithium now owns 51% of the worlds largest lithium reserve, Australias Greenbushes lithium mine. In 2018, the same company also paid about $4 billion to become the second-largest shareholder in Sociedad Quimica y Minera (SQM), the largest lithium producer in Chile.

Another Chinese company, Ganfeng Lithium, now has a long-term agreement to underwrite all lithium raw materials produced by Australia's Mount Marion mine, the worlds second-biggest, high-grade lithium reserve.
President Donald Trump Tuesday took his tough law-and-order message to Kenosha, the latest US city roiled by the police shooting of a black man, as he branded recent anti-racism protests acts of "domestic terror" by violent mobs.

Trump has been hoping for months to shift the election battle against Democrat Joe Biden from a referendum on his widely panned coronavirus pandemic response, to what he sees as far more comfortable territory of law and order.

And in the Wisconsin city of Kenosha, in upheaval since a white police officer shot 29-year-old African American Jacob Blake in front of his three young sons, the Republican found his mark.

"These are not acts of peaceful protest but really domestic terror," Trump said after touring damaged areas of the city, describing multiple nights of angry demonstrations last week that left two people dead.

Crowds lined the barricaded streets where the president's motorcade passed, with Trump supporters on one side and Black Lives Matter protestors on the other, yelling at one another from a distance and in sometimes tense face-to-face encounters.

"Thank you for saving our town," read the sign of one supporter along the road. "Not my president," read another.

Under heavy security that blocked off the road, Trump visited a burnt-out store where he told the owners "we'll help you rebuild."

"These gentlemen did a fantastic job," he said, in reference to law enforcement units that quelled the violent protests.

"This is a great area, a great state," Trump said, adding later that his administration was committing at least $47 million to Wisconsin law enforcement, small businesses and public safety programs.

"We'll get Kenosha back in shape," he said.

Trump had suggested in Washington that a meeting with the Blake family was possible during his high-profile trip, but it did not materialize.

- 'They choke' -

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A microcosm of the racial and ideological tensions of the Trump era, Kenosha has seen Black Lives Matter protests, riots, and the arrival of armed, white vigilantes, culminating in an incident in which a 17-year-old militia enthusiast, Kyle Rittenhouse, allegedly shot dead two people and badly injured another.

Democrats and police-reform advocates view Kenosha as a symbol of institutional racism.

They see Rittenhouse, a Trump supporter, as emblematic of right-wing militias that are increasingly brazen about brandishing weaponry in political settings.

Trump, however, came with a different priority: countering what he has repeatedly described as the "anarchy" in Democratic-led cities.

Trump has refused to condemn the growing presence of armed vigilantes on the streets, calling the alleged killings by Rittenhouse "an interesting situation."

"We have to condemn the dangerous anti-police rhetoric," he said at a command center set up in a Kenosha high school.

In an interview Monday, Trump likened police officers who err when making split-second decisions to golfers who "choke" under pressure.

"Shooting the guy in the back many times. I mean, couldn't you have done something different?" he said. "But they choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt."

- Fanning 'flames' -

Wisconsin's governor and Kenosha's mayor, both Democrats, had urged Trump not to visit but he ignored their pleas -- and Biden has accused him of deliberately fomenting violence for political gain.

"Trump failed once again to meet the moment, refusing to utter the words that Wisconsinites and Americans across the country needed to hear today from the president: a condemnation of violence of all kinds, no matter who commits it," the Biden campaign said in a statement after the visit.

"Trump cannot bring himself to condemn violence that he himself is stoking," the statement added. "We must come together to reject the chaos Trump has inflamed.

Trump for his part accuses Biden of weakness in addressing violent protests in cities such as Kenosha and Portland, Oregon, seeking to paint the Democrat as incapable of controlling the party's left wing.

Trump's visit came as new protests were planned in Los Angeles following the fatal shooting by sheriff's deputies of a black man, identified as 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee, after a violent altercation.

Last week's unrest in Kenosha rekindled a months-long surge of protest against police violence and racism, unleashed by the death of an unarmed African American, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

Watching from her front porch as police closed nearby streets in Kenosha, resident Nicole Populorum took issue with Trump's statement that he saved her city from burning down by deploying the National Guard.

"The community came together, so for him to say if it wasn't for him there would be no Kenosha is ignorant and insulting," Populorum said.
SACRAMENTO  On an acrimonious final night of its session, the Legislature approved a bill to head off evictions of tenants who have been unable to pay their rent because of the coronavirus pandemic and to keep out-of-work Californians in their homes through the beginning of next year.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the measure shortly before midnight. It takes effect immediately.

The legislation, AB3088, grants tenants who have lost income because of the coronavirus pandemic a reprieve on their missed rent and gives them five more months before they must start paying again in full.

The bill was the product of lengthy negotiations involving legislstors, the governors office and tenant and landlord groups. Sen. Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, said it was a temporary solution that would keep thousands of Californians from being pushed into homelessness while lawmakers work on a more sustainable fix.

If we all had a crystal ball, wed look at it and wed know when the COVID pandemic is going to end, whats going to happen to the economy, when are people going to get back to work, she said. None of that is possible at this time.

The eviction moratorium was one of hundreds of bills taken up as the legislative session crawled to a end Monday. In a session interrupted twice by the coronavirus pandemic, lawmakers found themselves running short on time to address the biggest policy issues of the year as the clock ticked toward a midnight deadline.

Before the state Senate broke for dinner, Democrats moved to limit debate on bills in order to squeeze in the rest of their agenda, earning a sharp rebuke from Republicans who said they were being silenced. Tension had been bubbling for days  since most of the GOP caucus was ordered to work from home after being exposed to a coronavirus-positive colleague  and when the motion to limit debate was raised, GOP Sen. Melissa Melendez of Lake Elsinore (San Bernardino County) complained, This is bulls-.

Paul Kitagaki Jr. / Associated Press

The session ground to a halt for more than an hour in a showdown over the move, even as dozens of bills awaited action. When the Senate returned, Democrats rescinded the limit on debate, but the anger was far from settled. Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, tweeted that some GOP reps have taken their objection (to their quarantine) to new heights actively trying to stop the Peoples Business, filibustering & stalling to run down the clock so important bills on police reform, COVID response, housing, dont pass.

The tensions arose as lawmakers rushed to pass the eviction relief and other proposals that would die without a vote by midnight.

With lockdown measures pushing unemployment to record levels during the pandemic, millions of Californians have been struggling to pay the rent  as many as one in seven households, in some recent surveys. The state, which has limited financial resources to devote to the problem, has been scrambling to figure out how to avoid mass evictions when the state court system's moratorium on all eviction legal cases ends Wednesday.

AB3088, by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, would shield tenants facing financial hardships because of the pandemic from being evicted over any missed rent from March through August. The money would be converted into civil debt, which landlords could pursue in small claims court starting March 1.

Tenants would be expected to to pay a quarter of their total rent between September and January, with the rest becoming civil debt. If they could not pay at least 25% of the rent for those five months by Jan. 31, their landlords would be allowed to file to evict them starting in February.

Los Angeles Times / TNS

Landlords would have to give residents 15 days to affirm under penalty of perjury that they have lost income because of the coronavirus. Those who make more than 130% of the median income in their area, if it is above $100,000, could be asked to show proof  an attempt to crack down on wealthier tenants who have engaged in solidarity rent strikes during the pandemic.

Renters who do not make this declaration to their landlord could be evicted for nonpayment starting Oct. 5, while cases that do not involve a tenant who cannot pay because of the pandemic could begin immediately in most of the state. A few Bay Area communities have extended their eviction freezes further  to the end of September in San Francisco and to the end of the year in Alameda County.

Newsom, legislative leaders, landlord groups and tenants rights advocates engaged in intense negotiations for weeks to craft the proposal. Few were satisfied with it, and those involved said the deal was simply the best they could come up with under the circumstances.

Since this pandemic began, millions of Californians have lost their jobs, depleted their life savings and gone into extreme debt. And as a result, they have not been able to pay the rent, Chiu said Monday. This bill is an imperfect but necessary solution to an enormous crisis.

While some tenant advocates believe the bill would avert the worst of an eviction wave, other groups complained that it leaves many people vulnerable to being kicked out their homes in the middle of the pandemic. They called on Newsom to extend the eviction freeze for all cases, not just those involving tenants hurt by the pandemic.

Small landlords raised concerns that the deal means they could end up going without rent for nearly a year  from the start of the pandemic through January  leaving them without the means to cover their own expenses and at risk of losing their properties to foreclosure.

AB3088, which needed a two-thirds vote in both houses, passed 33-2 in the 40-member Senate and 56-8 in the 80-member Assembly. The bill was largely supported by Democrats, with a few Republicans joining them.

But lawmakers are counting on the possibility that the federal government might provide a bailout for tenants and landlords in the coming months, giving them an opportunity to craft a new solution next year.

My hope is that we will get the leadership, the so-called leadership, in Washington to step up, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, said on the Senate floor, because this problem has been created by a failure in addressing a pandemic that has put so many people at risk.

The measure would provide no direct financial relief for landlords, but would temporarily extend some additional foreclosure protections those who own no more than three rental properties, each containing four or fewer units. If any of their tenants are unable to pay rent because of the pandemic, those landlords would be protected through 2023 under a state law that requires their mortgage servicers to contact them at least 30 days before foreclosure to explore alternatives.

Several Republicans criticized the bill as a one-sided approach balanced too far toward tenants. Sen. Andreas Borgeas, R-Fresno, urged his colleagues to reconsider a proposal to offer landlords tax credits for missed rent, which was scrapped earlier this month because of its enormous cost. Though he voted for the bill, he warned that there would be long-term financial consequences for landlords.

If we continue down this path, we may have short-term survival, but liquidity is going to dry up, Borgeas said.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: akoseff
A handful of Confederate monuments have come down across Georgia. Now, a local group plans to boycott the crane companies that removed them.

These companies have shown the sacrifices these veterans made is of no value when compared to a quick buck, leaders with the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans said in a release announcing the boycott Sunday. All is for sale. They have sold themselves out to these liberal municipalities and county governments.

The group has called on its 33,000-plus members to quit doing business with the two companies hired to remove monuments in Athens-Clarke, Dekalb, Henry and Rockdale counties.

Roper & Sons has relocated statues in Rockdale and Henry counties, and was tapped by Covington city officials in July to remove a Confederate memorial statue from the city square, according to the Henry Herald. Superior Rigging & Erecting Company of Atlanta was hired by Dekalb and Athens-Clarke counties to remove monuments there, the newspaper reported.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans criticized the companies for dismantling Georgias Veterans Monument in the dark of night and discouraged contractors, vendors, construction professionals and others from using their services in the future.

Thousands sign petition to save KKK statue amid calls for removal from Georgia cemetery

This Boycott is no reflection on the hard-working men and women who are the operators, riggers, shop mechanics and drivers for these crane companies, the group wrote, saying it wouldnt hold those employees liable for the greedy actions of their bosses.

It is unfortunate that these crane companies have placed their employees in this position just to make a fast buck, the group said. Many of these monuments were erected by mothers, wives, sisters and daughters to honor their lost loved ones. Many of these fine employees are veterans themselves or descendants of veterans.

At least four confederate monuments have been removed in Georgia amid renewed scrutiny over Civil War-era symbols sparked by the in-custody death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed on Memorial Day by Minneapolis police when an officer knelt on his neck for about eight minutes as three other officers failed to intervene.

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Several monuments are still standing, however, with the Peach State having more Confederate statues and memorials on public property than any other state, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Georgia is also home to Stone Mountain, the nations largest Confederate monument.

The state leads with 114 memorials honoring Confederate soldiers, followed by Virginia with 110 and North Carolina with 97, the organization said.

Its unclear how much support the Sons of Confederate Veterans boycott has gained, however, comments left on the groups Facebook page suggest traction may be slow.

Boycotting is a weak but feel good/virtue signaling effort that  unless done be millions of people across America or the majority of the clientele of a business, has zero effect, one user commented.

Im more concerned about the politicians who voted for removal, wrote another. Serious discussion is needed with them.

Streets named for Confederate generals spark renewed calls for change in NC city
Munich-based identity verification provider takes over Wirecard Communication Services

MUNICH and LEIPZIG, Germany, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- IDnow, a leading provider of Identity Verification-as-a-Service solutions and Wirecard Communication Services GmbH announce the signing of an agreement for the acquisition of Wirecard Communication Services by IDnow. IDnow will retain the Leipzig location preserving the majority of employees.

With Wirecard Communication Services, IDnow will focus on providing identity services and continue to build additional capacity for the strong growth of IDnow identification processes. In light of organic growth in digital services as well as the added needs related to restrictons imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, IDnow is experiencing a sharp increase in demand for its digital verification procedures. The acquisition is intended to enhance the service quality of IDnow products and thus further increase the responsiveness for customers and cut waiting times.

Wirecard Communication Services GmbH was established on April 29, 2003, and is part of the Wirecard Group. In a structured investor process, Wirecard Communication Services GmbH was offered for sale by way of an asset deal. IDnow and Wirecard Communication Services have already been working together successfully for more than five years.

At a staff meeting on Monday afternoon, the insolvency administrator, attorney Dr. Nils Freudenberg from Tiefenbacher Insolvency Administration, announced the takeover to the staff of Wirecard Communications Services. The first step will be to provide the employees with appropriate qualifications and to adapt the technical infrastructure. Following this realignment, the Leipzig location will be expanded in a targeted way and integrated into the IDnow processes in order to enable even faster implementation of projects as well as further technical development of the Ident services.

"With the integration of Wirecard Communication Services into the IDnow Group, we are seizing the opportunity to further improve our range and service quality for our customers. We have worked in close collaboration with this division of the company for several years and greatly appreciate the qualifications and experience of its employees. We are on a strong growth path and will maintain and further develop the Leipzig location," says Andreas Bodczek, CEO of IDnow.

"We are delighted to have found in IDnow a buyer who appreciates and knows our company and has such a friendly culture. Personally, I am very pleased to stay on board and work in the team at IDnow," says Amra Blume, Managing Director Wirecard Communications Services.

About IDnow

With its Identity Verification-as-a-Service (IVaaS) platform, IDnow has set out to make the connected world a safer place. IDnow's unmanipulable identity verification is used across industries conducting online customer interactions that require a high degree of security. IDnow uses Artificial Intelligence to check all security features on ID documents and can therefore reliably identify forged documents. Potentially, the identities of more than 7 billion customers from 193 different countries can be verified in real-time. In addition to safety, the focus is also on an uncomplicated application for the customer. Achieving five out of five stars on the Trustpilot customer rating portal, IDnow technology is particularly user-friendly.

IDnow covers a wide range of use cases both in regulated sectors in Europe and for completely new digital business models worldwide. The platform allows the identity flow to be adapted to different regional, legal, and business requirements on a per use case basis.

IDnow is supported by venture capital investors Corsair Capital, BayBG, Seventure Partner, G+D Ventures as well as a consortium of renowned business angels. Its portfolio of over 250 customers includes leading international companies from various industries such as Bank of Scotland, BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, eventim, Raisin (Weltsparen), Sixt, solarisBank, Telefonica Deutschland, UBS and Western Union as well as fintechs such as Fidor, N26, smava, and wefox.

Press contact:

Christina Schwinning

press@idnow.io

+49 89 41324 6054

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1195347/IDnow_Logo.jpg
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.




An Australian citizen who works as a TV anchor for a Chinese state-controlled broadcaster has been detained as tensions between Canberra and Beijing escalate.

The Australian government was notified on 14 August that Cheng Lei, an anchor for a business show on the China Global Television Network, had been detained in Beijing.

In a statement released on Monday night, Australias foreign minister, Marise Payne, acknowledged the detention and said a consular visit had been conducted via video link.

Australian officials had an initial consular visit with Ms Cheng at a detention facility via video link on 27 August and will continue to provide assistance and support to her and her family, Payne said.

The foreign minister said further comment will not be provided owing to the governments privacy obligations.

It is highly unusual for foreign journalists to be detained in China.

Cheng was born in China but later became an Australian citizen. In 2018, when she was an anchor for BizAsia on China Central Television, she appeared on ABCs QandA program. She was previously China correspondent for CNBC for nine years.

She last tweeted on 12 August and her profile on CGTNs website has been taken down. CGTN videos featuring Cheng have been removed from online platforms and social media pages.

Cheng has not been charged but is being held under residential surveillance at a designated location, according to an ABC report which states she can be held for up to six months without access to lawyers.

#Shakeshack's first #Beijing store set to open in 12 hours' timethe staff are psyched! Loving the Beijing touches in food and decor. Opening ceremony will feature pedicabs and pesky Beijing uncles! Make shakes, not war pic.twitter.com/kkMZVZxw9r  Cheng Lei (@ChengLeiCGTN) August 11, 2020

The ABC reports Chengs two young children are being cared for in Melbourne by family members and supporters are organising legal representation.

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We are aware of the current situation with regard to Cheng Leis status as advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, her family said in a statement provided to the ABC. In China, due process will be observed and we look forward to a satisfactory and timely conclusion to the matter.

Geoff Raby, former ambassador to China and a friend of Cheng, said he was very concerned, and that her circle of friends had no idea where she had been for the past few weeks until Monday.

Raby told ABCs Radio National it was astounding that someone of Chengs profile working for state media in China had been detained.

Cheng Lei is a very skilful operator, she knows where the limits on public comment are she understands how it works and shes pragmatic and hardheaded, and was mainly doing business programs, he said.

Its very hard to see where the sensitivity is, and where she may have overstepped any red lines around political sensitivities in China.

The Alliance for Journalists Freedom called for Chengs immediate release from her unjustified detention pending judicial proceedings, in line with international laws to which China is a signatory.

In the absence of evidence, the only conclusion we can come to is that she is being used as a hostage in a wider diplomatic spat between Australia and China, or perhaps because of some critical comments she may have made, said the Alliances spokesman, Peter Greste. Either way, it is simply unacceptable.

Amid deteriorating relations, Australia currently warns its citizens they may be at increased risk of arbitrary detention in mainland China.

[Chinese] authorities have detained foreigners because theyre endangering national security, the foreign affairs department states.

Confirmation of Chengs detention follows Mondays announcement by Chinese authorities of a second trade investigation into Australian wine imports in as many weeks.

Simon Birmingham, the federal minister for trade, acknowledged there were a number of issues with the relationship between China and Australia.

Im disappointed that the Chinese authorities have not agreed to have those sorts of minister-to-minister discussions. We continue to support engagement at a range of different levels of cooperation, and stand ready and willing to do so, he told ABC News Breakfast.

But we continue to be committed to working as closely as we can, and particularly in the areas of mutual interest and advantage for our two nations.

Canberra, meanwhile, is pursuing legislation to allow the federal government to stop state, territory and local governments, and universities, from entering agreements with foreign powers considered detrimental to Australias national interests.

On Tuesday morning the hawkish state media mouthpiece, the Global Times, ran several articles and op-eds, warning Australia over the move, and accused it of unprovoked attacks in normal economic exchanges, and of blindly following the US in anti-China rhetoric.

In the past decade, China has been Australias largest trading partner, and this market is difficult to replace. If Australia views this close economic relationship as well as China-Australia collaboration in other sectors such as science as a burden rather than an opportunity, it will face far-reaching consequences it cannot bear.

In the months since Australia pushed for an international inquiry into Chinas handling of Covid-19, China has increased tariffs on Australian barley, citing dumping, and banned imports from some abattoirs over alleged compliance issues.

China has also told its international students and citizens not to travel to Australia because they could encounter racism.

After tensions initially escalated as a result of the coronavirus inquiry, the Australian government changed its position to declare Beijings claims in the South China Sea invalid, and condemned Beijings moves to curtail freedoms in Hong Kong.

Cheng is the latest high-profile Australian to be detained by Beijing. Her detention comes more than a year after former Chinese diplomat turned Australian academic Dr Yang Hengjun was arrested and charged with espionage.
Photos have emerged of dozens of students at a Florida high school crowding to get on buses following the first day of in person classes.

The images were taken of students at Bartow High School in Polk County, just outside Tampa, last week.

Ashlee Caraway, a former student whose younger sister still attends the school, posted the photos on Facebook with the caption: '#covid19.'

They show dozens of students crowding together outside the school as they waited to board buses at the end of the day.

Some students can be seen wearing masks in the photos.

The images were taken of students at Bartow High School in Polk County, just outside Tampa, last week

The photos, which appear to be screenshots from a Snapchat video, have the caption 'whole lotta social distancing' and 'social distancing to the MAX' written across them.

In an interview with the Daily Beast, Caraway said the lack of social distancing enforcement shown in the photos was 'messed up'.

'I want people to see how messed up it is,' Caraway said of her decision to share the photos on social media.

'If the health department went in there they would be shut down.'

No students at Bartow High have tested positive for COVID-19 in the week since classes began but a student at the Sumerlin Academy was confirmed to have the virus on the second day of in person classes.

Sumerlin is a public military school that shares a campus with Bartow. The military school's students sometimes attend classes at Bartow facilities.

Caraway said her younger sister had decided to stay home for the rest of the week after learning the Sumerlin student had tested positive.

The photos show dozens of students crowding together outside the school as they waited to board buses at the end of the day. Some students can be seen wearing masks in the photos

No students at Bartow High have tested positive for COVID-19 in the week since classes began but a student at the Sumerlin Academy, which shares a campus, was confirmed to have the virus on the second day of in person classes

'She decided to stay home and let the week ride out,' Caraway said.

Bartow High is one of the 150 schools that falls under the Polk County school district.

A spokesman for the district said they were aware of the social distancing issues apparent in the photos and had been working to address them.

'Staff assessed conditions after the first two days of school,' the spokesman said.

'On Wednesday afternoon, the school started releasing students by bus number to further spread them out and help cut down on crowding.

'School staff are present during dismissal and are reminding students not to bunch together.'

He said the school was taking the temperatures of 20 percent of the student population, which is required by the district.

Polk County currently accounts for just over 17,000 of Florida's 630,000 cases. More than 2,400 of the county's cases are between the ages of 15 and 24.
The potential merger between Accor and IHG would create the largest hospitality group in the world

The move, according to industry insiders, has been caused mostly by the coronavirus which has seriously devastated the hotel industry, with absent tourists and the subsequent shutdowns of many hotels.

If the merger is realised, the combination of Accor and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) would create the largest hospitality corporation in history. The new combined group would have 1.6 million rooms, or around 200,000 rooms more than Marriott International, the current industry leader.

Meanwhile on August 25, Service Properties Trust (SVC), a real estate investment trust which owns a diverse portfolio of hotels, net lease services, and necessity-based retail properties across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada, announced that it will transfer the branding and management of 103 hotels to Sonesta International Hotels Corporation from IHG.

Previously SVC, which boasts 149 distinct brands across 23 industries, sent notice of termination to IHG for failure to pay minimum returns and rents due for July and August totalling $26.4 million, plus accrued interest, and IHG had until August 24 to avoid termination by making payments.

SVC did not receive any payment from IHG by August 24, nor do we expect to receive any payments from IHG in the future, and the management agrees with the terminations. The effective date of the termination is November 30, which is the same date that SVC currently plans to transfer the branding and management of these hotels to Sonesta, according to SVCs statement.

SVC president and CEO John Murray said, SVC and IHG have had a long relationship, but we were unable to reach a mutually agreeable resolution. Therefore, after a period of negotiations with IHG, we are determined to terminate these contracts and rebrand these hotels with Sonesta. Based on experience, we believe the current portfolio of 103 hotels may perform as well, or even better, once Sonestas new hotels stabilise in their respective markets.

Both Accor and IHG have reportedly discussed a deal internally. However, high ranking officials from both two sides refused to make any comments on the deal when being contacted by VIR.

Nevertheless, Patrick Basset, Accors COO for Upper Southeast & Northeast Asia and the Maldives, told VIR that as of August 24, 4,200 of the groups hotels (83 per cent) are currently operating.

Despite these strong figures, Accor also suffered under the pandemic as Basset stated that revenue per available room was down 59.3 per cent in the first-half of 2020, which resulted in a net loss of 1.5 billion.

This marked decline reflects the dramatic deterioration in the industry linked to the spread of the virus worldwide, as well as lockdown measures and border closures implemented by governments.

Basset reaffirmed though that the group is observing signs of recovery in all regions, after a particularly hard period in April and May.

We enjoy a strong and sound balance sheet  our liquidity position exceeds 4 billion ($4.7 billion) and we did a lot to protect both earnings and liquidity. Accor has a well-balanced portfolio, a global footprint, and remains an attractive partner  and we are still adding new hotels, with 12,000 new rooms being added in the first half of 2020, he added.

Talking to VIR, Rajit Sukumaran, IHGs managing director for South East Asia and South Korea, admitted it is a challenging time for the hotel industry. Weve been focusing on responding to COVID-19 in the best way we can on every front. Trading is tough globally since we saw demand fall quickly in March. We are now seeing progress with the reopening of our hotels around the world and were doing everything we can to emerge from this period in the strongest possible position, Sukumaran said.

Adam Bury, executive vice president at JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, said that the hospitality industry is one of the more fragmented sectors across the world.

The top five hotel companies have an approximate 26 per cent market share. By way of example, this compares to the beer industry where the top five groups have an approximate 60 per cent market share or the top five car rental businesses which sit at over 90 per cent.

While it may be too soon to say if the Accor/IHG deal will be completed, and neither side have made any official comment, there are obvious synergies which would create the biggest hotel company in the world. The most obvious may be the distribution of rooms  with IHG having a strong presence in the US and China, whilst Accor is the leader outside of these markets, including in Vietnam, Bury said.

Based in France, Accor currently offers around 5,000 hotels in 110 countries, with 60 per cent of its portfolio in Asia. Meanwhile IHG currently has nearly 6,000 hotels globally, offering some 883,000 rooms.

While giant hoteliers are fluctuating in the global market, Vietnams hotel and tourism industry remains positive under the eyes of property consultants. According to CBRE Vietnam, while COVID-19 will have far-reaching and dramatic implications on the hotel landscape of tomorrow, the long-term outlook for Vietnams hotel sector remains positive, thanks to expected improvement in infrastructure, favourable visa policies, and political stability.

Vietnam has been praised by the international community for its decisive and effective efforts in the containment of COVID-19, which would help the country to enhance its image on the global tourism scene as one of the safest travel destinations once the pandemic is over.

Regarding the investment landscape, there are some opportunistic investors looking for distressed assets at a big discount. However, the market so far has not seen many distressed assets in the 4- and 5-star segments.

There will be more opportunities in the lower segments though, as well as from hotel chain owners seeking to divest some assets that are considered less strategic.
STATEN ISLAND. N.Y. -- Before you plan your annual pumpkin picking trip, I urge you to plan a sunflower maze trip with your family. You will not be disappointed. There are over 1.5 million flowers to photograph, in bloom only from August 22 - Sept. 13, so the window is slowly closing.

After some research, my teenage daughters decided upon the Sussex County Sunflower Maze, which they deemed most Instagram-able. We lucked out with great weather- sunny and dry -- so the 90-minute drive to New Jersey was actually delightful. Please check the forecast when you plan your trip, as there are no refunds.

Admission ticket rates for the Sussex County Sunflower Maze: $10 for adults, $6 for children (4-12), and kids (3 and under) are free. Cash or credit cards are accepted and no refunds are given once you enter the farm.

In its 10th year, the Sussex County Sunflower Maze was a sight for quarantined-sore eyes. There were bright, gorgeous sunflowers as far as the eyes could see, their vibrant yellow, red, and orange hues longing to be photographed. Ubiquitous were thousands of bumblebees and Monachs, too, amid the sunflower stalks that averaged five feet in height.

Notably, social distancing was observed. Masks were required to enter and exit the field, and visitors must keep six feet away from other groups strolling the fields. The maze paths are seven feet wide this summer, so youll be able to comfortably pass people.

Helpful hints: Make sure you charge your smart phones, as you will want to capture memories that will surely last a lifetime. A selfie stick might be helpful. Also, wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes. Some areas may have small rocks or be muddy, so strollers might be difficult to push.

Consider bringing an umbrella if you are prone to sunburn, as there is little shade. As far as parking, we got very lucky and found a spot in the adjoining lot when we arrived at 3 p.m. There is road parking available, but you may need to walk a bit, so arriving early is recommended.

To check out the Sussex County Sunflower Maze website, please click here. Liberty Farm is located at 101 County Road 645, Sandyston, N.J. 07826.

The Sussex County Sunflower Maze is a 90-minute drive from Staten Island. (Dr. Gracelyn Santos/Staten Island Advance)
WASHINGTON  The Department of Homeland Security started an effort a year ago this month to address domestic terrorism, white nationalist threats and other acts of homegrown violence, a major shift for an agency created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to protect the country from foreign terrorism.

Today the plan to carry out that new mission remains stalled in a bureaucratic morass as clashes between protesters and counterprotesters have escalated to precisely the violent acts that the plan was supposed to address.

Instead, a new crop of Department of Homeland Security leaders, led by the confrontational acting secretary, Chad F. Wolf, appear to be doing the opposite of what had been promised. Far from cooperating with local governments and citizens to combat domestic unrest, particularly from the far right, they have joined President Trump in lashing out at American mayors and governors while deploying federal tactical teams to cities  often expressly against the wishes of the local governments with which they had pledged to cooperate.

On Monday night on Fox News, Mr. Wolf said he spoke with Attorney General William P. Barr about arresting leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Demolition began Tuesday on the downtown business location of Sanford Hardware.

The store has been a staple of the community and was heavily damaged during the May dam failure and flash flooding.

Owner Denny Sian said they looked into renovating the space but it just wasnt feasible. He noted that while the store, which was three spaces combined over the years, had charm, it wasnt as practical as it could be. To remodel, they would have had to raise the floors in a space that already didnt have high enough ceilings.

The right thing to do is just take it down and build a new one and it will be better suited for us and our customers, Sian said. And hopefully it will be there for a lot of years to come.

Sian said they are working with Three Rivers Corp. to have the space hopefully completed and open again by the end of the year or early next year.

Were working with them, but we dont have the final design done, he said. So, hopefully well get started real soon with it.

Since July, the store has been operating in a temporary location  donated by a customer  to provide the community with a list of essential supplies. Sian said its about a third of the size theyre used to and doesn't have as much stock as they usually have. The temporary location is currently at 278 E. Saginaw Road.

As always, Sian spoke highly of his supportive customers and the Sanford community.

We sure appreciate our customers  I tell ya, weve got some wonderful customers in the Sanford area, he said. They not only helped us financially trying to get back on our feet by just making donations to us, but they were there to help us clean up after the flood ... its amazing how great they are and thats why we want to get back there (to the old location).
The Ecuadorian spouses have broken the record of being the world's oldest married couple by Guinness World Records.

Julio Mora and Waldramina Quinteros have been married for 79 years since February 1941. According to AP News, the couple had a secret wedding as both families disapproved of their relationship at the time, the sweethearts knew that they were meant to be. Mora slipped away from his parents to marry Quinteros secretly.

Julio was born on October 16, 1915, and Waldramina on March 10, 1910. The couple had their wedding on February 7, 1941, in La Iglesia de El Belen.

Quinteros,104, and Mora, 110, were retired teachers who lived in Quito's capital city. Amid the COVID-19 health crisis, the couple missed large family get-togethers. However, Quinteros and Mora can make a crowd among their four surviving children, eleven grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

Cecilia, the couple's daughter, said that since March, they had not had any of that, as per Fox News' outlet. "My parents need family contact," she said.

Cecilia described Quinteros and Mora as lucid, active, and in good health. According to Cecilia, the couple has felt a bit depressed by the ongoing health crisis. "For a month, they have been different, more downcast as they miss large family gatherings," Cecilia explained.

When in terms of the couple's routine, they make it simple. Cecilia said that Julio, her father, enjoys drinking milk and watching television while Waldramina, her mother, loves desserts and enjoys reading the newspaper every morning.

The Ecuadorian spouses received the Guinness World of Records certification, and hopefully, they will receive a prize from the world-famous record-keeping authority. The breaking record is assumed to lift the couple's spirit.

There might be longer marriages than Quinteros and Mora. Still, aside from the length of marriage they have, the Ecuadorian spouses also hold the title as the eldest living couple with 215 years combined. Julio Mora and Waldramina Quinteros defeated Charlotte and John Henderson of Austin, who previously has the most aged married couple's record with a combined 212 years and 52 days.

According to Guinness World Records, the Ecuadorian spouses enjoyed many happy moments and faced challenges like any other married couple. But the love and respect that they have for each other secured the title of the oldest married couple.

The couple's story began when Quinteros went to visit her sister during her school vacation. Her cousin lived with the same building as Mora. They met because of Quinteros' siter's husband, who was Mora's cousin.

At first, they created a friendship that soon led to a loving relationship. After seven years, the couple got married.

The sweethearts said that a family's unity under the rules of love, respect, honesty, and proper education based on what is real family values are the keys to a healthy relationship. Julio and Waldramira firmly hold on to love, maturity, and respect in achieving a long and happy marriage.

"It was not easy because our relatives didn't have a good relationship. However with time and patience, we were able to unite them. We became example and the best reference for the younger generations," the inspiring Ecuadorian spouses said.

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Donald Trump doubled down on his claim Tuesday that a plane full of Antifa came to Washington D.C. in an organized attempt to cause chaos in the National's Capitol  but it appears this claim is repeating a similar rumor that was spread earlier this summer.

'What happened is the entire airplane filled up with the looters, the anarchists, the rioters  people that obviously were looking for trouble,' Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One to head to Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday.

He defended the claim as well, insisting that an individual 'you know' was on the airplane when it became filled with uniformed Antifa rioters.

'I will see whether or not I can get that person to speak to you. Maybe they will speak to you and maybe they won't,' Trump said. 'But this was a first hand account from a plane going from Washington to wherever.'

Trump said Monday night in an hour-long interview with Fox News' Laura Ingrahm that there is now an investigation into 'a plane full of thugs' who he claims flew to Washington D.C. to stir up trouble during the Republican National Convention.

The president also changed the story on Tuesday, claiming the plane of Antifa people was 'going from Washington to wherever.' When he told the account on Monday, however, he said the plane was coming to Washington D.C.

Donald Trump repeated his claim Tuesday that a plane full of Antifa rioters flew into D.C. to cause chaos during the Republican Convention last week  and said a 'person you know' was on the flight when a group of uniformed individuals boarded

'What happened is the entire airplane filled up with the looters, the anarchists, the rioters  people that obviously were looking for trouble,' Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One to head to Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday

The president originally made the claim to Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Monday evening  but it appears the story is repeating a discredited rumor that circulated on Facebook earlier this summer

During the interview he slammed Democrat-run cities, said Portland has been 'burning for decades' and painted a bleak picture of what America will look like when he leaves office.

Trump to Ingraham that his Democratic rival Joe Biden was having his 'strings' pulled by 'people you have never heard of, people in the dark shadows.'

Ingraham replied: 'What does that mean? That sounds like conspiracy theory.'

But Trump replied: 'They are people that are on the streets, people who are controlling the streets.

'We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city, this weekend. And in the plane it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms, with gear and this and that. They're on a plane.'

When asked for details, he replied: 'I'll tell you some time. It's under investigation right now.'

The new claims line up with a viral Facebook post from June 1 that falsely claimed, 'At least a dozen males got off the plane in Boise from Seattle, dressed head to toe in black.'

The original post was made by an Idaho man and warned residents to 'Be ready for attacks downtown and residential areas.' He also claimed one passenger had 'a tattoo that said Antifa America on his arm.'

That post was shared over 3,000 times on Facebook and sparked other pages to make similar posts, with one claiming Payette County Sheriff's Office confirmed 'Antifa has sent a plane load of their people.'

That particular rumor picked up so much steam that the Sheriff's Office needed to release a statement insisting that it was 'false information.'

Trump's statement came on the same day that he defended the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse  the 17-year-old who shot two people dead during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin  during his White House press briefing earlier Monday.

Trump said the teen - a supporter of the president - 'probably would have been killed' by an angry mob if he hadn't fired at them with the illegal gun he was carrying.

He said that a 'plane full of thugs' was sent into the Nation's Capitol to cause chaos

Guests leaving the White House after Trump's acceptance speech, including Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and his wife, were physically attacked and verbally accosted by Black Lives Matter protesters on Thursday night

The Kenosha shooting came amid nationwide protests against police violence, which Trump claims are being funded by outside influencers.

In the interview, Trump told Ingraham that someone on a flight 'from a certain city' to Washington DC for the convention saw the crowd of 'thugs'.

'This person was coming to the Republican National Convention and there were like seven people in the plane [with] this person, and then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage,' Trump insisted.

He also said the money for the protests is coming from 'very stupid rich people', who were fomenting violence that has continued throughout the country for months.

'The money is coming from some very stupid rich people [who] have no idea that if their thing ever succeeded, which it won't, they will be thrown to the wolves like you've never seen before,' he said.

The president said the money for the protests is coming from 'very stupid rich people', who were fomenting violence.

While Trump spoke at the RNC, yells and chants could be heard from protesters in the background

Attendees at the last night of the Republican National Convention were assaulted and accosted by a large crowd of demonstrators as they left the White House on Thursday night.

Footage from the streets surrounding Pennsylvania Avenue showed one white-haired man being punched in the back of the head and later knocked to the ground by a mob of activists who also threw water over him.

Meanwhile RNC committeeman Chris Ager and his wife were repeatedly abused by a balaclava-wearing protester who threatened to 'f*** you up' as they tried to get into the doors of their hotel.

Hundreds of activists had gathered outside the White House to protest Trump's nomination acceptance speech, trying to drown it out with air horns and fireworks.

While demonstrations started peacefully things grew progressively ugly as the night wore on, with attendees forced to run a gauntlet of angry activists as they tried to leave the event.

Footage showed some scuffles breaking out between police officers and protesters, some of whom aimed punches at officers who drew batons in response.

Senator Rand Paul was also accosted by protesters who almost pushed him to the ground as he left the White House, after shoving a police officer into him.

Protests erupted outside the White House on Thursday evening, as Trump addressed the RNC

Republicans attending the White House speech on Thursday needed escorting away

However, multiple videos showed no police protection for attendees who were surrounded by group of aggressive protesters.

Protests had begun at midday in Washington DC, with a rally outside Amazon owner Jeff Bezos's mansion demanding a $30 per hour minimum wage.

Demonstrations then moved to the streets around the White House from 7pm, with DJs and bands playing in an attempt to drown out the RNC.

During the convention itself, which lasted from 9pm until 11pm, protesters let off fireworks and blared air horns which could be heard in the background of Trump's speech as it was broadcast on TV.

Scuffles initially began between the activists and a smaller number of counter-demonstrators leading to two arrests, according to DCist.

But as the convention finished the disturbances became more widespread.

Against the backdrop of the protests, Trump's speech painted a stark choice for voters this November: a second term for himself or voting for Joe Biden, who he claimed would 'demolish' the nation.

'Despite all of our greatness as a nation, everything we have achieved is now endangered,' the president warned in his acceptance speech, given on the South Lawn of the White House.

On Monday Trump defended the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, saying the 17-year-old 'probably would have been killed' in Kenosha, Wisconsin if he hadn't opened fire, killing two protesters last Tuesday.

'He was trying to get away from them I guess, it looks like, and he fell on then they very violently attacked him,' Trump said in response to a question from DailyMail.com on Monday.

'It was something that we are looking at right now and it's under investigation, but I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would've been killed. It's under investigation,' he added during his press briefing.

Rittenhouse is charged with two counts of 'intentional homicide,' a charge in Wisconsin state law which is the same as murder in most other states, for his actions in Kenosha that left two people dead and one wounded.

President Trump defended the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, saying the 17-year-old 'probably would have been killed' by an angry mob if he hadn't fired at them with the illegal gun he was carrying.

Rittenhouse was part of a group of armed civilians protecting a service station in Kenosha. There was a scuffle between them and the protesters. Shots were fired and 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum was fatally shot in the head.

Video posted on social media shows a man whom police believe to be Rittenhouse make a call on a cellphone and say: 'I just shot someone.'

He flees and is pursued by many protesters, at least one of whom is armed with a handgun. Rittenhouse falls to the ground and the crowd rushes in to seize his weapon.

He was hit over the head by protester Anthony Huber, 26, who had a skateboard and wanted to disarm him.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was patrolling the streets with an AR-15. He fell over, was hit with a skateboard by other protesters who tried to disarm him, and opened fire, wounding one person and killing two. He is now being held on murder charges

Rittenhouse then starts firing into the group and ended up killing Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz.

He was not arrested until the following day, back in Illinois, despite approaching police with his hands in the air while other protesters yelled that he'd just shot multiple people.

He is in custody in Illinois. A judge will decide at a hearing on Sept. 25 whether Rittenhouse will be extradited to Wisconsin, where he would be tried as an adult. He faces six felony charges that include first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide, and a misdemeanor charge for possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor.

Rittenhouse's attorney Lin Wood said the 17-year-old vigilante was 'attacked' with 'lethal force' and 'had the right to defend himself.'

Democratic nominee Joe Biden condemned President Trump defense of the shooting.

'The President declined to rebuke violence,' he said in a statement after Trump's press conference.

'He wouldn't even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it. So once again, I urge the President to join me in saying that while peaceful protest is a right  a necessity  violence is wrong, period. No matter who does it, no matter what political affiliation they have. Period,' he added.
With a focus on expanding its consumer base, the award-winning spiked seltzer company is updating its full product lineup with new, innovative packaging and an improved formulation. Still delivering its signature true-to-fruit taste, Mighty Swell's 12-oz cans are offered with 5% ABV but now with only 100 calories, 3g of carbs and 3g of sugar.

"We have listened to our consumers and I am extremely proud of the advancements we've made in our brand. Our focus is, and always will be, providing a natural low calorie, low sugar spiked seltzer that doesn't compromise on flavor," said John Beal, President and General Manager of Mighty Swell. "During this step forward, Mighty Swell has also become gluten-free certified and OU-Kosher certified. This is another milestone in the brand's development which empowers our consumers to shop with confidence."

Throughout 2020, Mighty Swell has become one of the top independent brands in both the Spiked Seltzer and total FMB sales categories. An expansion into major retailers such as Publix, Hy-Vee, Meijer and Southeastern Grocers, as well as becoming an official partner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has all contributed to Mighty Swell's rapid growth.

Mighty Swell is celebrating the brand's 100+ percent year-over-year growth with the sale of its twelve-millionth can, or 500,000 cases, in July. "Wholesaler partners who believe in Mighty Swell and consumers avidly seeking it out have contributed to our rate of sale and growth. We have a cohesive, driven team of ten people and are competing alongside brands from international brewers," commented Jeana Harrington, Head of Sales.

For more information on Mighty Swell, including the nearest retail location where the product is available for purchase, visit www.mightyswell.com or follow them on Facebook (@mightyswellseltzer) and Instagram (@mightyswell).

About Mighty Swell

Austin, Texas-based Mighty Swell thoughtfully crafts spiked seltzers that packs a juicy punch with pure and natural ingredients. The company's product line includes five refreshing flavors  Blackberry, Cherry Lime, Watermelon Mint, Grapefruit and Peach  sold in 6-packs and single-serve 16-ounce cans as well as a variety 12-pack that now include Blackberry. Mighty Swell's spiked seltzers are available in supermarkets, convenience stores and various liquor stores throughout AL, AR, CO, CT, FL, GA, IA, IN, KS, LA, MA, MI, MS, NC, NJ, OH, RI, SC, TN, TX, and WI.

SOURCE Mighty Swell Spiked Seltzer

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Is Liturgical Worship Biblical or Man-Made?

Liturgy comes from both the Bible and man. And before this gets confusing, we need to show how liturgy has existed long before the church did.

The Old Testament has a lot to say about liturgy, especially when it came to the Levitical law, sacrifices, and how people conducted themselves at the Temple (or Tabernacle, depending on when in history). Although we cant provide every passage on Old Testament liturgy (considering the Book of Leviticus alone is practically a guide on liturgy), lets take a look at one in Leviticus.

Leviticus 1:1-9: The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aarons sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aarons sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

The passage goes on but we see strong Bible origins in liturgy. With that said, in terms of liturgy in churches now, theres a man-made element as well. The way we run our church services dont always directly correspond with the picture we have of the Early Church in the Bible. The Bible doesnt say, Paul started off the church service with a greeting time where all the introverts awkwardly avoided eye contact with those who were greeting them with a holy kiss. But churches do exercise an intentionality with liturgy and base what they do in service upon what we see practiced in Scripture.

Photo Credit: GettyImages/Design Pics
There is a huge rush among nations across the globe to immunise their citizens against coronavirus. According to the World Health Organisation, around 170 coronavirus vaccines are currently under development around the world. However, only a handful are nearing the final stage of testing.

Vaccines mimic the virus - or part of the virus - they protect against, stimulating the immune system to develop antibodies against the disease.

HOW ARE VACCINES TESTED?

Pre-clinical stage: This is the earliest stage in which researchers test the vaccine on animals to check if it triggers an immune response. Phase-1: In this phase of clinical testing, a vaccine is given to a small group of people to understand whether it is safe, and to learn about the immune response. Phase-2: At this stage of the clinical trial, the vaccine is given to hundreds of people to gain an understanding of the safety and correct dosage of it. Phase-3: This is the final phase of vaccine development, wherein thousands of people get a dosage of the vaccine. In this phase, scientists and researchers try to determine the rare side-effects and effectiveness of the vaccine. This trial involves a control group that is given a placebo.

Coronavirus vaccine - The Frontrunners:

1. University of Oxford/AstraZeneca: The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca PLC has developed the first vaccine candidate to start the final round of testing of the coronavirus vaccine. India's Serum Institute of India (SII) has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca to manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine candidate for India and low-and-middle-income countries. The SII has selected 17 sites in India to conduct the Phase 2 trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.

Moreover, the Oxford vaccine's Phase 3 trials are underway in the US, UK, Brazil, and South Africa.

AstraZeneca aims to make two billion doses available worldwide and said one billion doses of the vaccine will be available this year.

2. Moderna Vaccine: American biotech company Moderna is developing a vaccine candidate using messenger RNA (or mRNA for short) to trick the body into producing viral proteins itself. Moderna and US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease are testing two-dose shot. Moderna's candidate was the first one to enter human trials in the US. Moderna's final-stage testing is underway with 30,000 human trials that might yield interim results by the end of 2020. It must be noted that the mRNA vaccine has never been approved for any disease. Moderna has promised to supply between 500 million to 1 billion doses a year starting 2021.

3. Pfizer: US Biotech firm Pfizer is also developing a coronavirus vaccine using mRNA. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE have begun enrolling 30,000 people in 120 different sites. The US government has approved to pay $2 billlion to Pfizer and BioNTech for 100 million doses. It is estimated that Pfizer will distribute 1.3 billion doses by the end of 2021.

4.Sinopharm: China's biotechnology firm Sinopharm is developing two coronavirus vaccines with the government agencies Wuhan Institute of Biological Products and Beijing Institute of Biological Products.

At present, Sinopharma has entered into an agreement to conduct testing in several countries, including Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Chinese officials have said they aim to make a vaccine available to the public before the end of the year with a production capacity of 220 million doses a year.

5. Sinovac: This is a private Chinese company that began the final-stage trial in Brazil in July. Sinovac has also struck a deal with an Indonesian pharmaceutical firm called PT Bio farma to make up to 250 million vaccine doses each year for Indonesians.

6. Johnson & Johnson: A single dose of the J&J vaccine triggered a strong immune response in early animal testing. Johnson & Johnson has used a weakened form of a common cold virus, called adenovirus to develop the coronavirus vaccine. The US-based company will conducted a trial on 60,000 persons, which could be the largest late-stage clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine. J&J said that it will carry out the study at nearly 180 locations in the US and eight other locations where the transmission rate is high.

Johnson & Johnson is expected to produce one billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021, including 100 million doses for the US.

7. Novavax Inc: US-based Novavax is making a vaccine that consists of two shots given 21 days apart. The vaccine delivers proteins resembling the spike of SARS-CoV-2. Researchers are hoping that the protein will trigger the production of antibodies and immune cells that can fight off the coronavirus. Novavax has planned to provide 100 million doses for use in the US.

8. Gamaleya Research Institute: Russia's Gamaleya Research Institute is developing a coronavirus vaccine based on the combination of two adenoviruses. Although Russia has already approved the use of the vaccine in early August, the shot hadn't gone through final-stage testing. The Russian government is planning for mass vaccination in October.

Also read: AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine enters phase 3 trials in US

Also read: Coronavirus update: India reports 69,921 in 24 hours; caseload nears 37 lakh
Comedian and actor Bill Hader has provided Saturday Night Live fans with some of its most memorable moments in recent seasons. However, Hader ran into his fair share of obstacles as a cast member SNL. Heres why the actor  and future Barry creator  thought hed get fired in his first few seasons on Saturday Night Live.

Saturday Night Live cast member remembers anxious nights filming the sketch show

Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader during the monologue on the episode Hader hosted in 2014 | Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

According to an interview with ABC News, Hader found even his fellow cast members at Saturday Night Live intimidating.

When I started at SNL, Hader remembered, being at a bar with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers, and all these people that I watched and admire  God, I just didnt want to get fired.

The Barry star recalls hyperventilating backstage before going on as his various Saturday Night Live characters.

I love the people there, but doing that show was really hard for me, Hader told the news outlet. It was this funny thing of being trapped by this thing that was hurting you.

Bill Hader wanted to make movies before he got into comedy  and cast on SNL

It wasnt Haders life-long dream to be on Saturday Night Live  like so many other comedians. The SNL alum explained his background to podcaster Sam Jones on his show Off Camera.

I moved out here to be a filmmaker, to make movies, and write movies, Hader said of Los Angeles. But for a long time, that dream wasnt coming true.

Michael Che and Bill Hader as Stefon during Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live on October 11, 2014 | Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

RELATED: Saturday Night Live: The Real Reason Taran Killam Left the Show

Nothing was happening for 6 years, Hader remembers. I was just a PA.

The soon-to-be SNL star was writing, but wasnt ready to say he wanted to direct yet. Hader blames that on his Oklahoma upbringing  where being boisterous or confident was seen as an ugly quality.

You came out to LA to be creative, and youre just  delivering film elements to Photo Chem, he says of himself at the time. Eventually, he found a comedy theater.

I took classes at Second City LA, Hader explained to Jones. He had seen a friends Level 5 show, and realized there were a lot of creative people in the city doing improv and sketch.

Well, I like Monty Python, Hader thought, and joined in.

Haders challenges during his early episodes on NBCs SNL

After only a few classes, Hader got spotted in a class show and snagged himself a role on Saturday Night Live.

However, the NBC sketch show was a huge challenge for Hader.

Im a really anxious person, he admitted in the Off Camera interview.

I get like, flu symptoms, Hader said, describing his anxiety. I just start to feel really dizzy, and my arms get really heavy.

Its crazy to hear you say that, and the fact that you did, what  8 years on SNL? Jones asked. How did you survive? It sounds like: just barely.

The first 4 years at SNL I was like, Im going to get fired at any moment,' Hader recalled.

It got so obvious that Lorne Michaels eventually told Hader after a Saturday Night Live taping: You know you could work here as long as you want. Just relax.

Bill Hader was a nervous wreck before appearing on the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update segments as Stefon

Hader remembers pacing around the SNL studio before taping a sketch, shaking his hands and trying to get rid of the nerves.

Any time Hader had an appearance on Weekend Update  to play Stefon or one of his other iconic characters  an SNL crew member would push him out in the chair onto the stage. For Hader, the guy would console him telling him, its gonna be fine.

Jones simply couldnt believe Hader was battling that  while still performing so impressively on Saturday Night Live.

RELATED: Bill Hader: How Much is the Barry and SNL Star Worth?

Hader eventually found meditation and other strategies helpful.

I had to go to a therapist and do meditation  all these things to try to calm my nerves, he told ABC News. It was becoming really detrimental for my performing.

Another on-air trick Hader would use? Hed purposely mess up his very first line  only a little bit.

If the line on the cue card was, hello, ladies and gentlemen, he would say how we doin, gang? or some other variation.

Then it would trick my brain into going, you screwed up  this is what youre afraid of  and youre still here, the lights are here; everythings fine. And it would immediately relax me, Hader explained on Off Camera.

Isnt that weird?
A very emotional moment when a representative of Mele Community tearfully handed the remains of the Holy Mary statute that was broken during the 1978 incident to Catholic Bishop Jean-Bosco Baremes.
CHERRY HILL, NJ  A Cherry Hill man in his 70s has died after testing positive for the coronavirus, Camden County officials announced on Tuesday. He is the 166th Cherry Hill resident to die in connection with the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.

One new case was also reported in the township on Tuesday. A woman in her 30s is the 1,315th Cherry Hill resident who has tested positive for the coronavirus. There were 23 new cases reported in Camden County, and trace investigations are underway in all new cases.



It pains me to think of the families who continue to be irreparably broken by this virus. Our thoughts and prayers are with these most recent victims and their loved ones, Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. Camden County has averaged just over 27 new cases per day over the past week, a stark departure from where we were just a few months ago when each day saw more than 100 new cases. We can sustain this progress if we take our role in this fight seriously. We cant afford to have anyone neglecting their individual responsibility to help fight the spread. If we work together, we will get through this stronger than we were before.



New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.



As of Tuesday, there are 9,810 cases of the coronavirus in Camden County with 564 confirmed deaths. According to the Camden County Department of Health, there are 1,443 confirmed cases among residents at the county's long-term care facilities, with 333 deaths. Another 581 cases were reported among staff members, with three deaths.



On Tuesday, the Cherry Hill Public School District also announced it would begin the 2020-21 school year under an all-remote plan. The district doesnt plan on returning to in-person learning until at least Nov. 4. Read more here: Cherry Hill Schools Switch To All-Remote Plan To Start Year



See related: NJ Coronavirus Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

This article originally appeared on the Cherry Hill Patch
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio Department of Health Interim Director Lance Himes signed a public health order Monday that allows limited reopening of senior and adult day centers.

Gov. Mike DeWine had announced earlier in August he was going to allow the centers, which have been closed since March 23, to reopen Sept. 21.

Adult day centers work with people with developmental disabilities, as well as those with diseases such as stroke and Alzheimers.

The seven-page order mandates face masks generally be worn by everyone in the centers, that six feet of distance be maintained between people and that people who are sick need to stay home.

Capacity needs to be reduced, although DeWine has allowed centers to decide what that capacity should be. Officials need to consider factors such as staffing levels, local hospital capacity and the color or level a county is on the states Public Health Advisory System.

Read the order below:

More coverage:

Ohio coronavirus testing positivity rate dips to 3.9%: Monday update

Just six of 88 counties are red on latest Ohio coronavirus advisory map

State officials advise people arriving in Ohio from 4 states to self-quarantine: travel advisory map
Students at the University of Washington are on campus for the last day of in-person classes, in Seattle on March 6, 2020. (Karen Ducey/Getty Images)

How Beijing Wields Chinese Student Groups to Suppress Free Speech on US Campuses

The Chinese regimes covert activities at U.S. universities have attracted increasing attention and concern as part of the Trump administrations campaign to halt Beijings subversion of the United States.

In the past year, the United States has focused on Beijings efforts to steal American research by prosecuting academics who hide links to China, barring entry to graduate students affiliated with the Chinese military, and targeting undercover Chinese military scientists working at U.S. universities.

Meanwhile, the Chinese consulate in Houston was shuttered in July as the Trump administration asserted that the diplomatic post was a base for efforts to recruit local scientists to join Chinese talent plans. These programs have been criticized by U.S. officials for incentivizing participants to transfer U.S. technology and know-how to China.

Most recently, the administration urged U.S. universities to review partnerships with Beijing-funded Confucius Institutes, saying they spread Chinese propaganda and exert malign influence on college campuses.

But one facet of the regimes influence activities that has drawn less attention is how it deploys Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CSSA) to control Chinese students and suppress free speech on college campuses.

While the student groups, with chapters at more than 100 U.S. colleges, offer a social outlet for Chinese students adjusting to life in a foreign country, analysts say the organizations also serve a more insidious function: to advance the Chinese communist regimes interests in U.S. academia.

CSSAs are one branch of a very powerful treethe center of which is the intelligence gathering, espionage, propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party, said Jacob Kovalio, an associate professor of Asian history at Canadas Carleton University.

Controlled by Consulates

CSSAs form part of Beijings sprawling overseas influence activities run under the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) United Front Work Department (UFWD). The Party unit coordinates thousands of groups to carry out foreign political influence operations, suppress dissident movements, gather intelligence, and facilitate the transfer of technology to China, according to analysts.

The CCP has for decades worked in Western countries such as the United States to spread the word about the goodness of the regime as well as at the same time, establish significant propaganda channels directly from among some Chinese immigrants, Kovalio says.

CSSAs are supervised by local Chinese consulates, he said, adding that the groups are a major vehicle through which Beijing transmits its propaganda on U.S. campuses, while also suppressing free discussion of speech critical of the communist regime.

Many CSSAs openly say or have previously stated they are directed, supported, or financed by local Chinese consulates.

For instance, the charter for the CSSA at Saint Louis University in Missouri says the organization is under the direct leadership and support of the Chinese embassy and the Chinese consulate in Chicago. The CSSA at the University of Tennessee, in its charter (which has since been taken offline), said that the organization received funding from the Chinese embassy.

The Chinese consulates grip over the Southwestern CSSA, an umbrella group covering 26 universities in the region, is even more blatant. Its charter says that CSSA presidential candidates must be approved by the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles. It also says that the group receives instructions from the consulate, and lists it as a point of contact on its website.

The Chinese regimes control over CSSAs isnt a recent phenomenon. Frank Xie, now an associate professor in the School of Business Administration at the University of South CarolinaAiken, came to the United States in 1986 as a chemistry doctoral student at Purdue University in Indiana. He was shocked to discover that the CSSA there was tightly controlled by the Chinese consulate in Chicago.

I wasnt expecting that in a free society. Youre still controlled so tightly by the regime in China, Xie said. I wasnt happy with this.

Xie began pushing for reforms at the CSSA and eventually became vice president. Two years later, he led a coup to sever the consulates control. After the club became independent, the consulate ended funding and other support, he said.

It was then that Xie realized that the consulate had dispatched Chinese students to spy on him and other pro-democracy-minded students on campus.

They were reporting our identities, our activities back to the consulate, Xie said.

The professor said that after the regimes bloody suppression of pro-democracy students in Tiananmen Square in June 1989, Chinese students in the United States, in solidarity with the protesters, took control of all CSSAs across the country, becoming independent from the consulates. But as that cohort of Chinese students graduated, the groups fell back into the hands of the CCP, Xie said.

Since then, the regime has perfected this control and influence scheme over Chinese students in the country, he said. Chinese students know theyre being monitored by CSSAs and consulates, and that their relatives at home may be threatened by authorities if they publicly voice viewpoints that arent in line with those sanctioned by Beijing.

They constantly have this fear, Xie said.

In 2017, Chinese student Yang Shuping felt the wrath of the Chinese regime after she praised the fresh air of free speech found in the United States but not enjoyed at home, in her commencement speech at the University of Maryland. That sparked a fiery backlash from the schools CSSA, and other Chinese students and netizens, who described her comments as traitorous; she was forced to make a public apology.

The Epoch Times reported in 2018 that a 20-year-old female Chinese student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania was summoned to a meeting with members of the universitys Chinese Student Association after criticizing the group in a private WeChat chat group between friends for promoting a violent video game following the deadly Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. WeChat is a popular Chinese social media platform.

The members warned her not to make trouble and demanded an apology for her comments, telling her, You cant talk this way in your friends circle, the student said.

String of Scandals

CSSAs in the United States and elsewhere have repeatedly sparked criticism over their attempts to cancel events or speeches hosted by overseas dissident groups, including Tibetans, Uyghur Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners.

In 2017, when Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama was scheduled to speak at the University of CaliforniaSan Diego, the CSSA said in a social media post that it had asked the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles for instructions on how to stop the event.

In September 2019, Canadas McMaster University banned its CSSA, citing the clubs violation of a rule prohibiting conduct that puts peoples safety at risk. The move came months after the CSSA protested a human rights event on campus that discussed the regimes persecution of Uyghur Muslims in the region of Xinjiang.

The Chinese consulate in Toronto had asked students to report their observations about the gathering, and to have the CSSA complain about the event to university officials, according to WeChat group chats seen by The Epoch Times at the time.

But many of the CSSAs efforts to suppress open discussion go unreported. Xie recounted an incident from around 2004, when he was teaching at Pennsylvanias Drexel University. There, he got to know the Chinese students economic club at the University of Pennsylvania, and helped arrange for prominent U.S.-based Chinese economist He Qinglian to give a speech for Chinese students on campus. The economist, a contributor to The Epoch Times, is known for her critiques of the Chinese economy and political system.

The clubs president, however, came under pressure to cancel the event, Xie said, and ultimately pulled the plug. While the president wouldnt acknowledge who was pressuring him, the professor said it was obvious that it was the work of the CSSA or the Chinese consulate.

CSSAs have also been linked with espionage activities. In the mid-2000s, the CSSA at a Belgian university acted as a front for industrial espionage for China, according to French newspaper Le Monde.

In another case from the 1990s and early 2000s, Canadian immigration officials accused Yong Jie Qu, a Chinese student association leader at Concordia University, of engaging in acts of espionage and subversion. Authorities said he identified pro-democracy students and reported information about them to the Chinese embassy.

Omid Ghoreishi and Joshua Philipp contributed to this report.
The government suggests integration of the local OTT market in order to better compete with global content giants. / Captured online photo



By Kim Hyun-bin



The government suggested integrating the local over-the-top (OTT) market to effectively compete with global content giants such as Netflix and Disney Plus, the latter of which is expected to enter the Korean market early next year.



The Ministry of Science and ICT is working on creating an OTT vitalization support team as early as this week to brainstorm ways to improve the local industry and to take charge of possible integration efforts.



But is combining all local platforms the right move to better compete with global content giants? Industry watchers are skeptical as each provider airs different content and has implemented varying profitability models. Watcha focuses on movies, while Tving showcases tvN dramas and Wavve airs major TV broadcast programs, so experts claim there is no guarantee that integration would create synergy.



"Even if the platforms are integrated, there is not going to be much synergy between the companies as they show different types of content. Also it will still be difficult to compete with Netflix," an OTT official said. "When Netflix first entered Korea in 2015 it wasn't that popular, but it steadily increased its subscriber base by creating original content and offering other services. So local companies need to take a similar path."



But following Netflix's example is easier said than done, as local OTT platforms won't be able to match global content giants' investments in original content creation. Netflix has invested $15 billion (18 trillion won) and Disney $18.7 billion (20 trillion won) on in-house content production. On the other hand, Wavve, Tving, Watcha and Seezn's combined investment came to a mere 1 trillion won, a fraction of those made by Netflix and Disney.



Citing such concerns, M&A issues should be left for the companies to decide, the official said, while the government needs to focus on other critical issues that could fuel future market growth.



Of note is China's lifting of its Korean content ban, which was imposed after Seoul's decision to allow the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in the southern provincial county of Sangju in 2016. All Korean dramas and other cultural products including movies and games were banned from the Chinese market in a retaliatory move by Beijing.



Expectations are high for the local content market as Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit with President Moon Jae-in during his expected visit to Korea later this year.



"If the ban on entering the Chinese market is lifted it could become a great opportunity for local OTT platforms to open ways for joint investment and compete with Netflix's market domination. It is imperative for the government to work to lift the ban," another OTT content company official said. "Before the ban the Chinese market was the top export destination, followed by Japan and Southeast Asia."


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Jay Jordan

A Houston man on Monday was accused of sexually assaulting and strangling his infant daughter, according to the Harris County Sheriffs Office.

Luis Luna, 23, has been charged with capital murder in the death of his 9-month-old daughter Savayah Mason. Deputies first encountered Mason on Aug. 24, when they were called to an apartment at 15035 Westpark in reference to an unresponsive child.
City of Laredo and Webb County officials confirmed on Tuesday 249 additional cases of the novel coronavirus and no new related deaths.

With the results, the total number of cases since the emergence of the pandemic has surpassed 11,000 as it rose to 11,094 while deaths remain at 244.

The surge in cases is similar to Saturday when 251 cases were announced. The two days combined for 500 cases, the same total as the other eight days accumulated spanning the past 10 days combined.

Laredo was coming off of a week of 395 positives  its fewest since racking up 338 on June 20-26. However, this week already has 612 positives through four days, or 87.4 per day. The city must be judged on a Saturday through Friday basis to accurately account for the time it stopped reporting COVID-19 numbers on the weekends.

Overall, the city announced 359 test results Tuesday, meaning that 69.4% of the results from that day were positive. That led to a sharp increase in the seven-day rolling positivity rate as it jumped up to 19.7%, up significantly from the 13.3% from Monday. Its rolling figure is now nearly twice Texas rate of 11.2% and almost four times that of the rest of the nation at 5.7%.

The rolling positivity rate is at its highest since Aug. 19 at 23.6%. Its highest figure was 63.4% on July 17, but that was prior to the city changing its method for counting tests to keep track by test instead of by person. positivity rates have dropped since that change, as they were expected to.

A total of 135 people remain hospitalized in Laredo medical facilities, three lower than Monday, with 60 still under intensive care, the same total.

As of 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, a total of 35,460 tests for the virus have been submitted locally with 24,336 returning negative.

The city did not reveal the pending cases in its total. It had 11 on Monday.

There are now 729 active cases of the coronavirus. The city announced 265 recoveries giving it 10,121 total.

According to data from the City of Laredo Health Department, a majority of positive cases continues to be found in young adults. A total of 23%, or about 2,600 people, have been found in the 20-29 age group. The next highest segment of positives has been found in the 30-39 and 40-49 age groups, with each accounting for 16% of cases.

Meanwhile, out of the 244 total deaths, there have been eight deaths from those in their 20s, nine from their 30s and 15 from their 40s. The 70s age group has the most deceased with 53 ahead of those in their 60s (49), 80s (44), 90s (33) and 50s (31).

Free COVID-19 testing continues at the Sames Auto Arena daily through Sept. 4. The clinic, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is open to the public and does not require an appointment.

Those who would like to get tested just have to provide a valid ID, phone number and address. Children must be 5 years or older to get a test.

Tests are performed at the clinic through an oral swab.
Coronavirus infection rates are climbing again in Germany, and authorities sees Germans returning from vacation abroad as a strong contributor to the uptick. Photo: Andreas Rentz/2020 Getty Images

The number of companies participating in the German governments furlough scheme, known as short-time work is slowly falling. According to the Ifo economic institute in Munich, 37% of all companies surveyed still had their workers on short-time hours in August, down from 42% in July.

The proportion of companies on short-time work declined across almost all sectors, even if there are still many overall, said Ifo labor market expert Sebastian Link.

However, more than half of industrial companies surveyed are still reliant on the programme, and within that sector some 80% of metal producers were still on short-time hours, and 65% in the automotive industry.

A collapse in global demand for new cars, one of Germanys most important exports, is threatening jobs in the industry. Automotive supplier Continental said in August that it was reckoning with a 20% drop in car production globally this year. The German Automotive Industry Association warned in June that 100,000 jobs are at risk in the sector due to enduring low demand.

The furlough scheme, known as Kurzarbeit (short work), means the government pays around 60% of a workers salary  more if they have children  while they are sent home or work reduced hours.

READ MORE: Germany extends short-time work support until end of 2021

That amount goes up to 70% of lost wages if people are on short-hours for more than four months, and to around 80% after seven months.

The travel industry in Germany remains devastated by the pandemic, with 88% of travel and tour operators on Kurzarbeit, as well as 71% of hotels.

In the service industry, 33% of companies were still availing themselves of the furlough scheme, down from 39% in July.

The government recently agreed to extend the scheme by an extra year, until December 2021, to help companies avoid layoffs and enable them to keep their staff on standby until things pick up again.

German finance minister Olaf Scholz recently described Kurzarbeit as the countrys greatest economic and socio-political act, and a masterpiece of the German state.

Story continues

Germany in August experienced a surge in infections not seen since April this year.

While there are currently no plans to return to the nationwide lockdowns of March and April, the government has ramped up virus testing and mandatory quarantine for those returning from some 160 countries designated as high-risk.

READ MORE: Merkel warns COVID-19 pandemic likely to get worse in coming months

At her annual summer press conference last week, chancellor Angela Merkel said that the coronavirus pandemic was likely to get worse moving into the colder seasons. She urged people to keep taking it seriously as the rise in infections is worrying.
Fear of second major oil spill in Mauritius as oil barge sinks in coral lagoon

by Nishan Degnarain

September 01,2020 | Source: Forbes

In an incredible new development overnight on Monday 31 August, a major operation is underway in Mauritius as a barge carrying oil from the stricken Japanese iron-ore vessel The Wakashio collided with a tug boat pulling it.



The tug boat - which had been involved in the Wakashio salvage operation - has sunk in the coral lagoon and a major operation is underway to rescue the 8 crew from the water under darkness.



There is still much confusion about the circumstances and events of the sinking.



According to reports from local media present on the scene, the Mauritius Port Authority tug boat, called the Sir Gaetan Duval, was towing the oil barge back to the harbor capital city, Port Louis.



It had been travelling from the location of the Wakashio oil spill in Pointe dEsny in the South East of the country, and was heading North around the island.



Both vessels appeared to be around 30 miles North of the original crash site of the Wakashio when they ran into trouble. This is around 20 miles North of where dozens of whales and dolphins had washed up dead on Mauritius coasts in the past few days.



According to a statement released by the Mauritian Port Authority, the oil barge was called the lAmi Constant and owned by Mauritian maritime services company, Taylor Smith. The statement also confirmed that the vessel was transporting oil from the Wakashio.



Satellite tracking of the Sir Gaetan Duval boat reveal the unsteady path following the collision.



Local officials reported that at 7.40pm on Monday 31 August, the tug boat encountered difficulties with the heavy swells and the oil barge and tug boat collided in the darkness.



Following the collision, water started coming on board the tug boat and the crew jumped into two life rafts. Due to conditions in the water at the time, the life rafts overturned.



One crew member was rescued by helicopter and transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Three others were rescued over the course of the evening, with four remaining missing.



Local media are reporting at least three coastguard vessels, other tug boats, local fishermen and multiple Mauritian Government helicopters and aircraft are involved in the major rescue operation which is taking place under the cover of darkness in the North of the island.



According to the Head of the Mauritius National Coastguard, all crew had been wearing life vests at the time of the tug boat sinking.



Since 11 August (20 days ago), there had been no update on the amount of oil on board the Wakashio, in the ocean or on the oil barges. Neither had the details of the fuel transfer operation been disclosed, meaning the public is not aware of how frequently the oil barge had been transporting oil back and forth between the Wakashio and the capital city, Port Louis, to give an indication whether all the oil that had been collected from the Wakashio had been spilled into the ocean or just a smaller fraction.



This lack of transparency from local authorities, the international consultants on the scene, SMIT Salvage, Le Floch Depollution, Polyeco, ITOPF and advisers from the International Maritime Organization, French Government and Japanese Government who are all involved in the massive salvage and cleanup operation, have frustrated Mauritians on the scene and internationally who had been trying to understand the gravity of the situation, and are having to rely on information out from the media. There had been many offers of help internationally that appears to have been ignored or sidelined as the salvage and clean up appeared to veer from one catastrophic response to the next.



None of the international consultants from SMIT Salvage, Le Floch Depollution, Polyeco, ITOPF have responded to questions from the media. Shipowner Nagasaki Shipping has not issued any further statements on the latest sinking of a vessel involved in the Wakashio salvage operation.



This lack of transparency has now meant there is even greater uncertainty over how much oil was on the oil barge being used to transport the fuel to the capital city.

Theme(s): Others.
Chennai, Sep 1 : Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has summoned the next session of the state assembly on September 14.

According to the Assembly Secretary K. Srinivasan, the assembly session will be held at Kalaivanar Arangam here.

The state government has decided on a change of venue in order to maintain social distancing among lawmakers which was not possible in the Assembly.

The Assembly was adjourned on March 24 and the next session should be convened by September 24, 2020.
Mr. Muctar M. Abbas (Esq), Exec. Head of Legal Service and Company Secretary of Bank of Africa Ghana (BOA), has told Ghanaians in the diaspora who intend to invest in the country that Ghana has elaborate laws to assist their operations in the local economy. Mr. Abbas also pointed out that Ghana has specialized institutions that are ready to assist them right from the business registration stage to when trading actually commences.



To that end, he said, the investors must clear all doubts in their minds with respect to whether or not Ghana is an ideal place to invest, and go ahead to inject their capital into the oil-producing West African country.

He spoke at a webinar for over 500 Ghanaians in the diaspora under the theme: Ghana, An Ideal Destination for Diaspora Investors. The event was organized by Bank of Africa to attract Ghanaian and other foreign nationals investors in the diaspora to invest in the Ghanaian economy. This is the second of a 3-part webinar series scheduled to offer the needed information that will assist diasporans in investing in Ghana.



Mr. Abbas emphasized that the relevant state institutions are first and foremost, enablers of investments and business operations in their respective sectors. He added with the introduction of technology and the digitalization of our process, many of the institutions are also employing technology to expedite transactions and lessen the burden of businesses in their dealings with them.



Explaining the registration requirements in Ghana, Mr. Abbas told the gathering that the law requires of them to provide particulars of the company; name, object, address, telephone number, and email address, as well as particulars of shareholders/subscribers: name /Date of Birth, Profession/Tax Identification Number/Address.



They are also to provide the particulars of the beneficial owners, the particulars of at least 2 directors, Directors statutory declarations, particulars of external auditors, particulars of company secretary, companys constitution /regulations. Amount of stated capital and number of shares (ltd).



Some of the statutory registration requirements of businesses in Ghana include registration with Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, (GIPC), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), Local Authority business, he said.



Also speaking at the webinar was Caliis Nii Oman Badoo (Esq), he took the participants through the structure and regulatory environment of Ghanas financial sector including the frameworks for affecting investment, Banking and Non-Banking transactions, securities and capital sector, new developments in West Africa, etc.



He educated the audience on some amended Acts and some new Acts which have been passed to help streamline activities. Amongst them are Banks and Specialized Deposit-taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930), Non-Bank Financial Institutions Act, 2008 (Act 774), Securities Industry Act, 2016 (Act 929), Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2010 (Act 798), Companies Act, 2020 (Act 992), Corporate Insolvency and Restructuring Act, 2020 (Act 1015), etc.



Under the Capital market, he explained that Ghana Alternative Exchange is there to assist small and medium-scale start-ups, the rules under this flexible with a stated capital of GHS250, 000. He again told them of access to support funds for the cost of raising capital, they are also qualified for fees waivers he said.



The Ghana Commodity Exchange is structured to promote Public Private Partnership with the aim of establishing a linkage between the agric sector and commodity producers and buyers, he said. Caliis again said that this will ensure competitive pricing for agricultural products as well as guarantee the quality of produce.



Touching on new developments in West Africa Market, he spoke of the West Africa Capital Integration Council (WACMIC). This institution was established to bring together stock exchange markets in the sub-region and also create more options for brokers, investment bankers, fund managers, etc.



He continued by saying that the West Africa Securities Regulatory Association (WASRA) as constituted consists of Capital Market regulators in the West African sub-region. He said the association aims at fostering market integration within the region. It again offers a common platform to allow capital to be raised across borders within the region with the same benchmarks.



Interestingly, there is the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2010 that allows arbitration awards from countries that are not signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. This presents some relief on all disagreement and court judgement that may arise in the course of business their business transactions.













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
A B-52H Stratofortress from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., and six F-16 Fighting Falcons from Misawa Air Base, Japan, conduct bilateral joint training with four Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s off the coast of northern Japan

By David Lague

HONG KONG (Reuters) - On July 21, two U.S Air Force B-1B bombers took off from Guam and headed west over the Pacific Ocean to the hotly contested South China Sea. The sleek jets made a low-level pass over the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its escorting fleet, which was exercising nearby in the Philippines Sea, according to images released by the U.S. military.

The operation was part of the Trump administration's intensifying challenge to China's ruling Communist Party and its sweeping territorial claims over one of the world's most important strategic waterways. While senior Trump officials launch diplomatic and rhetorical broadsides at Beijing, the U.S. Defense Department is turning to the firepower of its heavily armed, long-range bombers as it seeks to counter Beijing's bid to control the seas off the Chinese coast.

Since late January, American B-1B and B-52 bombers, usually operating in pairs, have flown about 20 missions over key waterways, including the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan, according to accounts of these flights from U.S. Air Force statements and official social media posts. These missions, military analysts say, are designed to send a crystal-clear signal: The United States can threaten China's fleet and Chinese land targets at any time, from distant bases, without having to move America's aircraft carriers and other expensive surface warships within range of Beijing's massive arsenal of missiles.

In this response to the growing power of China's military, the Pentagon has combined some of its oldest weapons with some of its newest: Cold War-era bombers and cutting-edge, stealthy missiles. The supersonic B1-B first entered service in 1986; the newest plane in the B-52 fleet was built during the Kennedy administration. But these workhorses can carry a huge payload of precision weapons. A B-1B can carry 24 of the U.S. military's stealthy new Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, which entered service in 2018 and can strike targets at ranges of up to 600 kilometers, according to U.S. and other Western officials.

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"A single B-1 can deliver the same ordnance payload as an entire carrier battle group in a day," said David Deptula, dean of the Washington-based Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General. And, in a crisis, he added, bombers can be rapidly deployed.

"Depending on where they are, ships can take weeks to get in place," said Deptula. "But by using bombers, they can respond in a matter of hours," he adds, noting that the U.S. object is to deter war. "Nobody wants to engage in conflict with China."

Chinese and western military strategists warn that a conflict between the two nuclear-armed powers could be difficult to contain.

In a clash with China, this fast response from the bomber force could be vital while the U.S. and its allies rush naval reinforcements to the Pacific to bolster the vastly outnumbered U.S. naval fleet stationed in the region, according to current and former U.S. and other Western military officers.

A spokeswoman for Pacific Air Forces, Captain Veronica Perez, said the U.S. Air Force had increased its publicity about its bomber missions to assure allies and partners of Washington's commitment to global security, regional stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific. "Though the frequency and scope of our operations vary based on the current operating environment, the U.S. has a persistent military presence and routinely operates throughout the Indo-Pacific," she said.

China's defense ministry did not respond to questions from Reuters.

LOWEST POINT

While the bomber missions continue, relations between Washington and Beijing have reached their lowest point since the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. In a show of force, Chinese fighter jets crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait while U.S. Secretary for Health, Alex Azar, was visiting Taipei on Aug. 10 to congratulate the government of President Tsai Ing-wen on its successful containment of the COVID-19 virus. Azar was the most senior American official to visit Taiwan in four decades.

Taiwan's missile radars tracked the Chinese fighters in only the third such incursion across the median line since 2016, the Taiwanese government said. Beijing condemned the visit. It regards the island as a province of China and hasn't ruled out the use of force to bring it under Communist Party control.

In a series of speeches ahead of Azar's visit, top Trump officials had hammered China on multiple fronts, including its military build-up, territorial ambitions, domestic political repression, intellectual property theft, espionage, trade practices and its failure to alert the world to the danger of COVID-19.

In one of the most harshly worded attacks on China from an American official in decades, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on July 23 that China's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA), was not a normal fighting force.

"Its purpose is to uphold the absolute rule of the Chinese Communist Party elites and expand a Chinese empire, not protect the Chinese people," he said. "And so our Department of Defense has ramped up its efforts, freedom of navigation operations out and throughout the East and South China Seas and in the Taiwan Strait as well." In July, Pompeo declared most of Beijing's claims of sovereignty over the South China Sea illegal.

With the combination of bombers and long-range missiles, the United States is trying to turn the tables on the PLA. Over more than two decades, China has assembled a force of ground, sea and air-launched missiles that would make it deadly for warships of the U.S. Navy and its allies to approach the Chinese coast in a conflict. This Chinese strategy is specifically tailored to threaten U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups and the network of bases that form the backbone of American power in Asia.

In a demonstration of this capability, the PLA launched one of its so-called carrier-killer missiles, the DF-26, in an exercise in the South China Sea following the deployment in July of two U.S. aircraft carriers to the area, China's official military media reported in early August. And a U.S. defense official told Reuters that on Aug. 26, China launched four medium-range ballistic missiles that hit the South China Sea between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands.

But the PLA Navy's huge and rapidly expanding fleet is also vulnerable to long-range missiles. China has built the world's biggest navy, including new aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships and powerful cruisers and destroyers. And the PLA's extensive network of bases and ports would also be targets for missiles.

In a conflict, U.S. bombers over the Western Pacific could target PLA Navy warships at their bases on the Chinese coast or underway inside the so-called first island chain, the string of islands that run from the Japanese archipelago through Taiwan, the Philippines and on to Borneo, enclosing China's coastal seas. Chinese warships would be even more vulnerable if they broke out through the island chain into the Western Pacific, outside the coverage of the PLA's land-based air defenses and strike aircraft.

THE FIREPOWER GAP

In the aftermath of the Cold War, Washington assumed it had uncontested control of the oceans and neglected to arm its surface fleet with modern, long-range anti-ship missiles. To be sure, the U.S. and its allies, particularly Japan, still have a powerful fleet of attack submarines that would pose a deadly menace to PLA warships. But the bombers help fill the firepower gap in the U.S. surface fleet while the Pentagon is re-purposing existing missiles and introducing new versions to its destroyers and cruisers, according to maritime strategists.

The bomber deployments are one element of a much wider reshaping of forces and tactics that the U.S. and its allies in East Asia have launched to deter China from attacking Taiwan, expanding its hold over the South China Sea or seizing other disputed territories. These include the uninhabited group of isles in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China, which are claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing.

Tensions are on the rise around these islands, now under Japanese control. The commander of U.S. forces in Japan, Lieutenant General Kevin Schneider, pledged in July that America would help Japan monitor "unprecedented" Chinese incursions into waters around the Senkakus that were challenging Tokyo's administration. Within an hour of Schneider's comments, China's foreign ministry fired back that the islands were "Chinese territory."

Long-range U.S. bombers operating from distant airfields would remain a threat if Chinese missile attacks disabled key U.S. bases in Japan, South Korea and Guam. These bases, mostly a carry-over from World War Two and the Korean War, were built at a time when China had very limited means to attack them.

Now it does. In a clear acknowledgement that Guam is now at risk, the U.S. Air Force announced on April 17 it would end its continuous rotation of bombers to the island base and withdraw them to the U.S. mainland.

The absence of a permanent bomber presence at Guam is a blow to Washington's ability to deter China and North Korea, airpower experts say. The island in the Western Pacific is less than a five-hour flight from the South China Sea.

"It makes it look like the Chinese military build-up has worked," said Peter Layton, a visiting fellow at Griffith University in Australia and a retired Australian air force Group Captain who has worked at the Pentagon. "They are now taken out of range."

Since then, the United States has sent bombers to Guam for short-term deployments from their continental bases. U.S. airpower researchers suggest that the availability of better training facilities at mainland U.S. bases was also a factor in the decision to withdraw the bombers. But in further evidence of Guam's vulnerability, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Philip Davidson, has asked Congress to fund a powerful missile defense system for the island by 2026.

Another hurdle for the Pentagon: America's bomber force is shrinking just as the PLA challenge grows. From a force of more than 400 at the end of the Cold War, the U.S. bomber fleet has shrunk to 158 aircraft. Of those planes, 62 are B-1Bs and 76 are B-52S. The United States also has a smaller force of 20 newer B-2 stealth bombers.

The air force plans to retire 17 B-1Bs next year to concentrate resources on the remaining bombers until the planned introduction of a new generation of stealthy bomber, the B-21, toward the end of this decade. This bomber is expected to sharply improve the U.S. Air Force's ability to penetrate Chinese airspace. Northrop Grumman is now building the first prototype, according to air force officials.

'NOT LIKE FIGHTING SADDAM'

As the risk of conflict rises, some Western airpower experts doubt that U.S. bombers would deliver a decisive advantage in a clash with the PLA. They say the Chinese military has spent decades preparing formidable, integrated air defenses. Even if the U.S. bombers were able to sink PLA Navy warships and stealthily penetrate Chinese airspace to strike some ground targets, they say it would not necessarily translate into victory against a vast and powerful adversary.

And, they warn, it might be impossible to fight a limited conflict on China's periphery. "It is not like fighting Saddam Hussein, it would be a major world war," said Layton, the retired Australian air force officer. "Both sides have nuclear weapons and there is the potential for escalation. If either side is losing, what is going to happen then?"

Alongside relying on its bombers, the United States has been forced to develop other plans to offset the Chinese missile and naval threat. The U.S Marine Corps is planning to disperse smaller units armed with long-range anti-ship and land-attack missiles through the first island chain, where they could threaten the Chinese navy and land targets on China's mainland.

The U.S. Army also intends to spread forces through the first island chain and other outposts in the Western Pacific. It is planning a series of major exercises this year and next where troops would deploy to islands in the region, according to senior commanders and top Pentagon officials.

New weapons are in the pipeline that would give specially formed army task force units the firepower to strike at Chinese warships and other targets in a conflict. The U.S. Army's top commander, General James McConville, told an online seminar hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies in late July that a very long-range hypersonic missile was under development and tests had been successful. And soldiers would have the tools to attack an enemy's navy. "We are going to have mid-range missiles that can sink ships," McConville said.

The U.S. and its allies also intend to link all their surveillance systems and weapons together in a regional network so that tracking information about a target could be shared between radar stations, satellites, surface warships, submarines, aircraft and land forces. In this system, a stealth fighter flying from a carrier could detect an enemy warship and relay this information to an army unit on an island, which could attack the foe with an anti-ship missile.

On May 21, two U.S. B-1B bombers from Guam flew to an area near Misawa Air Base in Japan, where they conducted long-range anti-ship missile training with a P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft and the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, according to a U.S. Pacific Air Force statement. This exercise demonstrated that the U.S. had the capability to "hold any target at risk, anytime and anywhere," said Perez, the Pacific Air Forces spokeswoman.

The ships and aircraft involved in this exercise likely practised the sharing of target information to mount a simulated attack, according to U.S. and Asian military experts. On other missions this year, the American bombers have held joint exercises with U.S., Japanese and South Korean fighters.

CHINESE AIRSPACE

In this networked battlefield, the Pentagon's old warhorses of the air would be an even more formidable rival.

The speed and range of America's Cold War-vintage bombers would allow them to approach Chinese targets from different directions and fire salvos of difficult-to-detect missiles at multiple ships, according to current and retired U.S. air force officers. With even longer range missiles that Washington has in the pipeline, such attacks could be mounted from well outside the range of China's powerful, land-based air defenses. American bombers can also drop precision-guided mines to block strategically important ocean passages or ports.

And the U.S. B-2 stealth bombers could penetrate more deeply into Chinese airspace and attack key targets with sharply less chance of detection than the older bombers. These bombers already carry a heavy payload of precision, land-attack munitions and could also be configured to carry the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile.

A B-1B could take off from the continental United States, refuel from tanker aircraft en route, and arrive over the Western Pacific in about 15 hours, according to Deptula and other military aviation analysts. From Hawaii the trip would take about nine hours, they say. Even closer, from northern Australia, the transit would take six hours without refuelling.

The Australian government announced in February it would spend $814 million upgrading a key air base at Tindal in the Northern Territory, including a major extension to its runway. Part of the reason for the upgrade is to support expanded U.S. Air Force operations, the Australian government said. American bombers are already using the base.

The B-1B originally served as a nuclear bomber. That role has been phased out. It now carries around 34 metric tonnes (75,000 pounds) of conventional guided and unguided weapons, the biggest payload of any U.S. aircraft. In the military operations launched after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, these bombers were flown hard for almost two decades to provide ground support to American and allied troops in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

With the Pentagon having turned its competitive sights on China, the B-1B is now increasingly employed as a ship killer. In future, it could also be armed with a new hypersonic missile, the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), now in testing, and a new long-range cruise missile, according to senior U.S. Air Force commanders. Hypersonic missiles traveling at more than five times the speed of sound would be hard to intercept.

The B-52 is an even older icon of American might, in service since the mid-1950s. It carries a slightly smaller payload than the B-1B. As part of this weapons load, it can be armed with up to 14 upgraded versions of the Cold War-era Harpoon anti-ship missile. And, it could also be configured in future to carry 20 Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, according to air power experts. Along with the B-2, the B-52 can also launch nuclear missiles.

While these older bombers remain potent, American air power experts say a strong force of B-21 stealth bombers will be much more effective when they begin entering service later this decade. The new bomber is being developed in a highly classified program. "All the indications are that it is proceeding well in the development phases," said Deptula.

(Reporting by David Lague in Hong Kong. Edited by Peter Hirschberg.)
WestJet Airlines Ltd. is raising its surcharges on domestic flights in response to a 30 per cent rate increase by Nav Canada, which operates air navigation across the country.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A pilot taxis a Westjet Boeing 737-700 plane to a gate after arriving at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on February 3, 2014. WestJet Airlines Ltd. is raising its surcharges on domestic flights in response to a 30 per cent rate increase by Nav Canada, which operates air navigation across the country. The airline says it has hiked the fee it charges for air traffic control services by between $4 and $7 per passenger, depending on flight duration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

WestJet Airlines Ltd. is raising its surcharges on domestic flights in response to a 30 per cent rate increase by Nav Canada, which operates air navigation across the country.

The airline says it has hiked the fee it charges for air traffic control services by between $4 and $7 per passenger, depending on flight duration.

It also says it is looking into an appeal of the rate increase, which is effective Tuesday, and will scrap the surcharge if the move is successful.

"We are deeply concerned the Nav Canada rate increase will lead to a further reduction in the number of travellers," WestJet CEO Ed Sims said in statement.

"We are sympathetic to their situation, like ours, where a lack of sector-specific federal support has hindered their ability to recover. Burdening travellers who have been severely impacted by this pandemic with incremental costs will only serve to undermine Canada's economic recovery."

Air Canada said it is still reviewing the impact of the decision, which Nav Canada announced in May. Transat plans to adjust its fares to reflect the higher cost, rather than include it as a surcharge.

The rate hike represents a "significant additional cost" for carriers, underscoring the "shortcomings" of the country's user-pay model and hindering the industry's already uncertain recovery, said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.

Meanwhile some airports have said they will increase their airport improvement fees by half after laying off hundreds of staff, adding to carriers' financial worries.

Robert Kokonis, president of Toronto-based consulting firm AirTrav Inc., says the fee boost at Nav Canada will hit travellers trying to visit friends and family the hardest, as domestic business travel has largely dried up.

"These are people that are also suffering economically, and to ask them to come up with an additional X amount of dollars is adding insult to a very grievous injury," Kokonis said.

The higher surcharge at WestJet could cost a family of four up to an extra $56 on a round trip.

Canada, unlike countries including France, Germany and the United States, has held off on sector-specific support for carriers. Instead Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rolled out financial aid available across industries, including the federal wage subsidy  now extended to December  and loans starting at $60 million for large firms.

"Ottawa is fiddling while the house is burning. I can't say it any better. They are all frustrated that nothing is coming out of Ottawa," Kokonis said of Canadian airlines.

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Transat spokesman Christophe Hennebelle criticized Canada's continued blanket restriction on foreign travellers and called for more financial aid.

"Nav Canada has no other option but to increase its service charge. However, this can only worsen the situation," Hennebelle said in an email, highlighting the "complete collapse in passenger volumes."

To draw customers back to the skies, carriers north of the border have largely done away with change fees until a couple days before takeoff.

In the U.S., United Airlines scrapped its US$200 change fee for domestic flights on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC, TSX:TRZ)
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The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened between men and women and reversed decades of limited and fragile progress on and women's rights, the chief said on Monday.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned young women from civil society organisations at a virtual town hall meeting that without a concerned response, we risk losing a generation or more of gains.

Since the start of the pandemic, he said women have been on the front lines of the response, as healthcare workers, teachers, essential staff and as carers in their families and communities.

Yet, while 70 to 90 per cent of healthcare workers are women, only 30 per cent are in decision-making roles, he said.

Guterres said the pandemic has impacted physical and mental health, education, and labor force participation.

Today, millions of teenage girls around the world are out of school, and there are alarming reports of an increase in teenage pregnancies in some countries, he said. We know from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa that when teenage girls leave school, they may never return.

The secretary-general also pointed to disturbing reports from around the world of skyrocketing levels of gender-based violence, as many women are effectively confined with their abusers, while resources and support services are redirected.

In short, he said, the pandemic is exposing and exacerbating the considerable hurdles women face in achieving their rights and fulfilling their potential.

And Guterres warned that progress lost may take years, even generations, to recover.

The secretary-general issued a policy briefing in April on the impact of the pandemic on women, and stressed again that they must be at the centre of all efforts to tackle and recover from the

The pandemic is only demonstrating what we all know: that millennia of patriarchy have resulted in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture which damages everyone women, men, girls and boys, he said. This is the time to rebuild more equal, inclusive, and resilient societies.

On the health front, Guterres said women are suffering because funding is being redirected from maternal and reproductive health services.

Guterres said the UN has also urged governments to prioritise the protection of women from gender-based violence in their national COVID-19 plans. He said he was heartened that more than 140 governments committed to taking action to designate women's shelters as essential, and to continue and expand online services.

On the economic front, he said, mitigating the social and economic impact of the pandemic starts with putting money into the hands of women who work in both the formal and informal economies.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Lian Degui

Japanese defense minister Taro Kono met with his American counterpart Mark Esper in Hawaii on August 29, the second day of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abes announcement of his resignation. Soon afterward, Abe held talks with Donald Trump over the phone on August 31 about how to cope with the military threats from China. How the Japan-US military cooperation will proceed in the post-Abe age has captured close attention.

The military ties between Tokyo and Washington have seen some changes recently. On the one hand, both sides want to use China as the excuse to deepen bilateral military cooperation; on the other hand, Japan has unusually and bewilderingly canceled several weapon orders with the US.

Japans weapon purchase from the US is all through Americas Foreign Military Support (FMS) program. It has found itself plenty of reasons to cancel the orders - the Aegis Ashore missile systems have safety hazards. Still, the US demanded an additional 200 billion Japanese Yen for providing the rectification data and the systems , which, however, wouldnt be delivered until 12 years later. What infuriates Japan even more is that the American interception system has long become outdated, given the remarkable progress in China and DPRKs missile technology.

Moreover, a Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was shot down by Iran in June 2019, and it is useless in the face of Chinas immense air defense capability. Yet, the US had the nerve to demand a 23% price hike from Japan. Japan doesnt want to waste its defense budget on buying outdated and ineffective defense systems because that affects the development of the Japanese military industry, said ex-Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani.

Washington demanded Japan to buy its military equipment to balance the trade deficit. Trump asked Abe to buy the Aegis Ashore missile systems during his visit to Japan in 2017, apart from asking Tokyo to bear USD8 billion expenses for the stationed American troops.

Japan has an annual defense budget of about USD50 billion, most of which is spent on buying American military supplies and weapons, with an extra care budget for the stationed American troops every year. Trump, who is trying hard to win the re-election, once bragged about the tremendous amount of weapon export during his first term, and Japans termination of weapon purchase from the US before the election in November will tarnish Trumps performance sheet.

Washington doesnt care who is in power in Tokyo as long as the Japan-US relation, especially their military cooperation, isnt affected, and the interests of American troops stationed in Japan are not harmed.

Such a large volume of military deals is hard to come through without the excuse of threats from foreign countries. The talks between Taro Kono and Mark Esper focused on Chinas ocean entry and exit and its so-called unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas by force and coercion, and Abe and Trump also discussed over the phone how to cope with the situation in the two waters and the alternative measures in replacement of land-based Aegis system.

The recent hype of Chinas launch of two missiles by foreign media also became gold for the China threat theory concocted by Tokyo and Washington, who said close attention has to be paid as one of the missiles can reach Guam. At the same time, the other can destroy the American aircraft carrier.

Regarding missile defense, Japan not only stresses the threat from DPRK but also China. The problem now is not the deployment of Aegis Ashore missile systems, but how to attack the enemy base. However, this kind of preemptive attack may violate Japans pacifist Constitution and break its exclusively defense-oriented principle. Therefore, some Japanese politicians proposed that Japan will not wage war, but should take precautions against possible attacks for its own security, thus making its self-defense legitimate and giving it the excuse to make preemptive offensives at enemy bases. In other words, Japan wants to launch attacks but doesnt want to bear the responsibility for aggression, which cannot help but remind us of the September 18 Incident and the Lugou Bridge Incident.

After pulling out of the INF Treaty, the US made clear that it would resume the deployment of intermediate-range missiles, with Japan being a favored option of location, but Tokyo hasnt given a clear answer yet. Besides, the US is scheming the Satellite Constellation program and plans to bring Japan in. The program is said to be able to deploy a network of small satellites to monitor and hit down new missiles developed by China, Russia, and DPRK. Although the effectiveness of the program is yet to be verified, one thing is sure- the US is exaggerating the threats from China and DPRK to lure massive investments from its allies, especially Japan, and maintain its leading position.

All in all, Washington doesnt care who will take the helm in Tokyo in the post-Abe age;all that matters is who will be helpful for Americas paid military assistance.

(The author is a professor with the School of Japanese Studies of Shanghai International Studies University)
OnePlus started as an Oppo offshoot, eventually becoming its own recognizable brand in Western Europe and the United States. Its co-founder and CEO Pete Lau has now become a Senior Vice President at OPLUS - a mysterious company that wholly owns Oppo while it has a majority stake in OnePlus and a smaller stake in Realme too.

Pete Lau with OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren

A OnePlus spokesperson confirmed Lau will remain CEO at OnePlus, but in the same time he has also taken on the role of SVP and chief product experience officer for OPLUS.

His new role is announced just days after Realme unveiled its ambitious plans for European expansion and it seems like Laus job will be to make sure the three companies are not competing against each other in the same price categories. Currently, the Oppo Find X2 Pro and OnePlus 8 Pro flagships have similar specs and price tags in countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.

Pete Lau (middle), speaking at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, January 2020

OPLUS is an organization that oversees three of the smartphone brands that are owned by BBK Electronics. However, vivo, another name owned by the Chinese conglomerate, is not part of Laus company, and he insists that OPLUS has nothing to do with BBK. However, these are all private companies and it's hard to verify such claims. The three companies are all claiming they are perfectly independent, despite clear evidence on extensive R&D collaboration.

Source
BERLIN - Representatives of Iran and the world powers working to save the nuclear deal with Tehran agreed Tuesday in Vienna to do everything possible to preserve the landmark 2015 agreement in their first meeting since the United States announced a bid to restore United Nations sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Helga Schmid, the European Union representative who chaired the meeting, said afterwards on Twitter that the participants are united in resolve to preserve the #IranDeal and find a way to ensure full implementation of the agreement despite current challenges.

Iranian representative Abbas Araghchi did not comment after the day of talks, but ahead of the meeting said the U.S. move would definitely be an important discussion topic with delegates from France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China.

President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action unilaterally in 2018, saying that it was a bad deal and needed to be renegotiated.

The deal promises Iran economic incentives in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, but with the reinstatement of American sanctions, the other nations have been struggling to provide Iran the assistance it seeks.

Complicating the matter, the U.S. announced recently it was triggering a 30-day process to restore virtually all U.N. sanctions on Iran, invoking a snapback mechanism that is part of the JCPOA agreement. Washingtons argument is that as an original participant it still has that right, even though it left the deal.

Other signatories to the JCPOA agreement have rejected that argument, setting the stage for a potential crisis in the Security Council later this month, with the U.S. claiming to have re-imposed sanctions and most of the rest of the world saying the Trump administrations action is illegal and ignoring it.

After U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo travelled to the U.N. to invoke snapback on Aug. 20, Indonesias U.N. Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, whose country held the rotating council presidency, said there was overwhelming opposition in the 15-member body to the U.S. position. He said it was unlikely there would be any action on Washingtons demand.

Nigers U.N. Ambassador Abdou Abarry, who took over the rotating council presidency on Tuesday, said: Up until there would be maybe new facts, and I havent seen any yet, we are staying at the level of the Security Council aligned with this position as expressed by the president, ambasador Djani.

Chinese representative Fu Cong told reporters after the Vienna meeting that the member countries all agreed that the U.S. no longer has the legal ground or legal standing to trigger snapback and that in Chinas view Washington was using it to try to sabotage or even kill the JCPOA.

He suggested the other countries were also not prepared to just wait and see whether Trump is reelected in November.

The U.S., even though it is a superpower, is just one country, Fu said. So other countries are moving on.

The Russian delegate to the JCPOA, Mikhail Ulyanov, took a swipe at the U.S. ahead of the meeting, tweeting that Tuesdays talks involved participation of all (not self-proclaimed) participants of the nuclear deal.

Afterward, he tweeted that the meeting demonstrated that its participants are fully committed to the nuclear deal and are determined to do their best to preserve it.

The ultimate goal of the deal is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, something Iran insists it does not want to do.

However, since the U.S. withdrawal, Iran has been steadily violating its restrictions on the amount of uranium it can enrich, the amount of heavy water it can possess, and the purity to which it enriches its uranium. Thats all to put pressure on the other nations involved to come ahead with more economic incentives.

It now has enough enriched uranium to make a bomb, but nowhere near the amount  or the purity  it had before the nuclear deal was signed.

Those working to save the deal also note that despite the violations, Iran continues to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to access all sites in the country.

Last week, Iran held out an olive branch to end one issue of contention, agreeing to allow IAEA inspectors into two sites where the country is suspected of having stored or used undeclared nuclear material in the early 2000s.

Iran had insisted the agency had no right to inspect the sites, since they dated to well before the JCPOA came into effect.

_____

Associated Press writer Philipp Jenne in Vienna contributed to this report.

Read more about:
Xi sets out plans for new era in Tibet

People's Daily Online

(China Daily) 09:10, August 31, 2020

President calls for efforts to build united, prosperous, harmonious region

China has set the policy direction for developing the Tibet autonomous region in the new era, focusing its Tibet-related work on safeguarding national unity and strengthening ethnic solidarity while improving people's well-being.

Speaking at a two-day high-level symposium on Tibet-related work, which concluded in Beijing on Saturday, President Xi Jinping called for more education and guidance among the public to mobilize them in combating separatist activities, thus forging an ironclad shield to safeguard stability in the region.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stressed the committee's long-term commitment to Tibet to ensure the region has support from the central authorities and assistance from the whole country.

Efforts must be made to build a new and modern socialist Tibet that is united, prosperous, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful, Xi said.

The symposium was the seventh since 1980, when the first central symposium on Tibet-related work was held. Observers said that the central government used the latest meeting to strengthen the full implementation of its strategy in governing Tibet to allow the region to be part of the country's high-level development.

In his speech at the symposium, Xi called for efforts to ensure national security and long-lasting peace and stability, steadily improve people's livelihoods, strengthen border defense and ensure frontier security.

He underlined the importance of strengthening patriotic education in all schools, and required continuous efforts to enhance awareness of the motherland, the Chinese nation, Chinese culture, the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics among people of all ethnic groups.

Tibetan Buddhism should be guided in adapting to the socialist society and should be developed in the Chinese context, Xi said.

On the socioeconomic development of Tibet, he stressed the need to speed up high-quality development, consolidate the achievements made in poverty alleviation, and protect the ecology of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

A number of major infrastructure projects and public service facilities will be completed, including the Sichuan-Tibet Railway, Xi said.

Galsang Drolma, a researcher of socioeconomics at the China Tibetology Research Center in Beijing, said the message Xi conveyed at the high-level meeting was clear - the central government wants to maintain enduring peace and stability in Tibet and keep meeting the aspirations of the Tibetan people for a better life despite the challenges of the region's inadequate and unbalanced development.

The researcher said the Party's leadership and the system of regional ethnic autonomy are fundamentals for Tibet's socioeconomic development. "Currently, national unity and ethnic solidarity have become a social consensus in Tibet," she said.

Thanks to consistent support and aid from around the country, Tibet has made great headway in socioeconomic development, and all of its 74 poverty-stricken counties have been lifted out of poverty, the researcher said. "People's livelihoods keep improving, and all this demonstrates the great practice of the Party's people-centered philosophy in Tibet," she said.

More than 18,000 officials and professionals have been sent to Tibet to help the region to develop, and their contributions largely improve the region's public services, according to the researcher.

Zhou Liping from Tianjin, who was sent to teach at a primary school in Tibet a year ago, said she has witnessed the efforts of her peers from around the country to help the region develop in various sectors as well as the great achievements Tibet has made in the critical battle to reduce poverty.

As a teacher, Zhou said she does her utmost to strengthen her students' love for the motherland and the Chinese nation.

New chapter

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee, with Xi at the core, has worked out a series of policies and strategies for social stability, border development, ecological protection and ethnic unity in Tibet, and has opened a new chapter in improving governance, stability and people's well-being in the region.

On March 9, 2013, when joining the delegation from Tibet in a panel discussion at the first session of the 12th National People's Congress, Xi said, "To govern the country well we must first govern the frontiers well, and to govern the frontiers well we must first ensure stability in Tibet."

A meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Xi presided over on July 30, 2015, discussed economic and social development in Tibet and how to ensure the region achieves long-term stability.

In a key speech at the sixth central symposium on Tibet-related work in August 2015, he defined guiding principles, objectives and tasks for developing Tibet in the new era. Ever since then, Tibet has made comprehensive progress and historic achievements on its way toward sustained stability and prosperity.

While carrying out national development plans, the central government has also paid special attention to Tibet and allowed the region to build some major infrastructure projects that suit local conditions and benefit local residents.

In a congratulatory letter to the Forum on the Development of Tibet in June last year, Xi expressed his hope that Tibet would seize the opportunities for development, build a beautiful and happy region, see the flourishing of its fine traditional culture and protect the plateau's ecological environment. He also urged the region to implement a more active opening-up policy and develop extensive international exchanges and cooperation.

Galsang Drolma said that given the grave and complex international situation, Tibet should firmly uphold opening-up, and at the same time align itself with the huge domestic market for further development.

Tseyang, a farmer from Bagchib, a village in Bagyib township of Nyingchi city in southeastern Tibet, said he was happy to learn through watching television about the just-concluded central symposium on Tibet-related work.

Thanks to the Party's leadership and policy support from the central authorities, dramatic changes have taken place in his village and throughout Tibet, he said.

"We are living a happy life, and we want to thank General Secretary Xi and the CPC Central Committee," he added.

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One of the men charged in connection with the shooting deaths of two people during a home invasion robbery in Glassboro last month was involved in a highly publicized encounter with local police two years ago.

Altaifjoe H. Hassan, 23, of Glassboro, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the killings of Manuel DelaRosa Jr., 26, and Shantal Farrow, 36, who were found in their Warrick Avenue residence on Aug. 19.

Three others are charged with murder in the case.

In October 2018, Glassboro police stopped Hassans car on the Rowan University campus and ordered him and Giavanna Roberson out at gunpoint, later saying they were acting on a tip that he had a gun. No weapon was found.

Hassan was a Rowan student at the time, but is not currently enrolled at the university. He was last enrolled in the fall of 2019, a university spokesman confirmed.

The traffic stop took place in the parking lot of a university building and was captured on video by student bystanders. The videos show multiple officers with guns aimed at the pair.

A man approached officers at the Collegetown Shopping Center and reported seeing a heavy-set black male with puffy hair pointing a gun at a vehicle before getting in that car and driving away, police said.

Acting on the description of a black Dodge Charger, police said they immediately spotted and maintained sight of the vehicle described until it stopped on campus.

Hassan and Roberson, who was also a student, were handcuffed and detained in police vehicles for about 35 minutes before they were released. No charges were filed.

They filed federal civil rights lawsuits against Glassboro police in March over the incident.

In an interview in 2018, Hassan said he had gone to the shopping center to pick up his new eyeglasses and believed the tipster mistook his glasses case for a weapon.

While police said they were simply doing their jobs by investigating the report, Hassan said the encounter left him traumatized.

I was never so sure I was gonna die, he said. To not be able to see whats going on. What if I trip? Boom. Im shot.

Hassan said he had been stopped frequently by Glassboro police in the past and wondered if race was a factor.

The incident prompted the university to host a forum in the student center days later to discuss race relations and law enforcement.

Hassan and his brother, Abdelgadi H. Hassan, 19, of Trenton, are charged along with Devon J. Conover, 19, of Trenton, and Daniel P. Hall, 23, of Teaneck, in the Aug. 19 killings and in a Glassboro home invasion the day before in which $700 and a watch were stolen. Two victims were assaulted in that incident.

In the Aug. 19 case, Conover told police he went to the Warrick Avenue home with the intent to rob the victims of money and marijuana, according to his affidavit of probable cause.

The victims had ties to Rowan University.

DelaRosa graduated in 2017 and Farrow worked on campus for Gourmet Dining Services, the universitys food services contractor.

The defendants are scheduled to appear in court this week for detention hearings.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
Pranab Mukherjee's mortal remains arrive at his residence, last rites to be held today

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Sep 01: Former President Pranab Mukherjee was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi road electric crematorium on Tuesday afternoon. His son performed his last rites. Mukherjee's family and relatives paid their last respects clad in PPE kits while conforming to COVID-19 safeguards.

An Army contingent gave a guard of honour and a gun salute to the former president. The former president passed away on Monday at the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) Hospital where he was admitted earlier this month and had undergone surgery for the removal of a clot in his brain.

Diplomatic missions, envoys of various countries condole Pranab Mukherjee's demise

Pranab Mukherjee, 84, was admitted to the Army Hospital in Delhi on August 10 and had also tested positive for COVID-19.

The former president's last rites will be held today and his body will be laid in state at his official residence 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi where people will be allowed to pay their last homage following the COVID-19 guidelines.

Country has lost one of its greatest leaders: Congress pays rich tributes to Pranab Mukherjee

Mukherjee's son Abhijit was the first to break the news of the death of the veteran politician, the Congress' troubleshooter through the decades who became India's youngest Finance minister when he was just 47 and also held the portfolios of External Affairs and Defence in the years that followed.

"With a Heavy Heart, this is to inform you that my father Shri Pranab Mukherjee has just passed away inspite of the best efforts of Doctors of RR Hospital and prayers, duas and prarthanas from people throughout India! I thank all of You," his grieving son said on Twitter.

As condolences poured in for India's 13th president, who served as the country's first citizen from 2012 to 2017, President Ram Nath Kovind described Mukherjee's demise as the passing of an era.
CALGARY, AB, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Crescent Point Energy Corp. ("Crescent Point" or the "Company") (TSX: CPG) and (NYSE: CPG) is pleased to announce reactivation of economic volumes previously shut-in and provide revised 2020 guidance along with a preliminary outlook for 2021.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Reactivated shut-in volumes, resulting in second half 2020 production increasing by approximately 20 percent.

Capital expenditures expected to be approximately $665 million in 2020, in-line with the lower end of the prior range.

in 2020, in-line with the lower end of the prior range. Generating approximately $125 million of excess cash flow in second half of 2020.

of excess cash flow in second half of 2020. Preliminary 2021 outlook to sustain or exceed second half 2020 production with continued excess cash flow generation.

"Our process to shut-in and reactivate economic production demonstrates our continued focus on returns in a disciplined manner," said Craig Bryksa, President and CEO of Crescent Point. "We expect to generate excess cash flow in the current price environment and have further increased our downside protection through our strong hedging portfolio. We have also enhanced our sustainability in a low price environment through both ongoing improvements to our cost structure and the expected moderation in our decline rate."

REACTIVATION OF SHUT-IN VOLUMES AND REVISED 2020 GUIDANCE



During second quarter, Crescent Point shut-in certain higher cost production to preserve value and enhance its financial flexibility. The Company's reactivation plan is now complete and all economic production has been brought back on-line.

Crescent Point's annual average production guidance is now forecast to be 119,000 to 121,000 boe/d. The mid-point of the Company's revised 2020 guidance implies second half production of approximately 110,000 boe/d, which is approximately 20 percent higher in comparison to its previous guidance. Crescent Point's 2020 capital expenditures are now expected to be approximately $665 million, in-line with the lower end of its prior guidance range of $650 to $700 million. The Company also retains continued flexibility and discretion to adjust capital expenditures, if necessary.

Crescent Point expects to generate approximately $125 million of excess funds flow during the second half of 2020, based on guidance at current strip prices, which it plans to allocate to continued net debt reduction. Given the Company's strong results and execution during the first half of the year, total net debt reduction during 2020 is now expected to total approximately $600 million.

Approximately 70 percent of Crescent Point's second half of 2020 oil and liquids production, net of royalty interest, is hedged primarily through swaps with an average price of over CAD$65/bbl WTI. The Company has also hedged into 2021, and will remain disciplined in its approach to layering on additional hedges in the context of commodity prices.

OUTLOOK

Based on preliminary work done on its 2021 program and current market expectations, Crescent Point anticipates being able to generate annual average production in 2021 that is in-line with, or exceeds, its estimated second half 2020 production while spending approximately $500 to $550 million in development capital. The Company continues to work through its plans for 2021 and expects to formalize its annual guidance early in the new year.

This 2021 preliminary program is expected to be fully funded in the low US$40/bbl WTI range and generate excess cash flow at current strip prices. Crescent Point's current funds flow sensitivity in 2021 is approximately $45 million for every US$1/bbl change in WTI.

The Company retains flexibility and discretion in the allocation of its capital and overall operations in the event lower commodity prices, or other market developments, impacts its plans. Crescent Point will continue to focus on its key value drivers of disciplined capital allocation, cost efficiencies and balance sheet strength.

Crescent Point remains in a strong financial position, having over $2.4 billion of available liquidity as at June 30, 2020 and no material near term debt maturities.

2020 BUDGET AND GUIDANCE SUMMARY

Total annual average production (boe/d)

% Oil and NGLs Prior 110,000  114,000 90% Revised 119,000  121,000 91% Development capital expenditures ($ millions) (1)

Drilling and development (%)

Facilities and seismic (%) $650  $700

91%

9% $665

90%

10%

(1) Development capital expenditures excludes approximately $80 million of capitalized G&A, land acquisitions, capital leases and reclamation activities.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Throughout this press release, the Company uses the terms "excess cash flow", and "net debt". These terms do not have any standardized meaning as prescribed by IFRS and, therefore, may not be comparable with the calculation of similar measures presented by other issuers.

Adjusted funds flow from operations is calculated based on cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital, transaction costs and decommissioning expenditures. Transaction costs are excluded as they vary based on the Company's acquisition and disposition activity and to ensure that this metric is more comparable between periods. Decommissioning expenditures are discretionary and are excluded as they may vary based on the stage of Company's assets and operating areas. Management utilizes adjusted funds flow from operations as a key measure to assess the ability of the Company to finance dividends, operating activities, capital expenditures and debt repayments. Adjusted funds flow from operations as presented is not intended to represent cash flow from operating activities, net earnings or other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with IFRS.

Free cash flow is calculated as adjusted funds flow from operations less capital expenditures, payments on lease liability, asset retirement obligations and other cash items (excluding net acquisitions and dispositions). Excess cash flow is calculated as free cash flow less dividends. Management utilizes free cash flow and excess cash flow as key measures to assess the ability of the Company to finance dividends, potential share repurchases, debt repayments and returns-based growth.

Net debt is calculated as long-term debt plus accounts payable and accrued liabilities and long-term compensation liability net of equity derivative contracts, less cash, accounts receivable, prepaids and deposits and long-term investments, excluding the unrealized foreign exchange on translation of US dollar long-term debt. Management utilizes net debt as a key measure to assess the liquidity of the Company.

Management believes the presentation of the Non-GAAP measures above provide useful information to investors and shareholders as the measures provide increased transparency and the ability to better analyze performance against prior periods on a comparable basis.

Forward-Looking Statements

Any "financial outlook" or "future oriented financial information" in this press release, as defined by applicable securities legislation has been approved by management of Crescent Point. Such financial outlook or future oriented financial information is provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and "forward-looking information" for the purposes of Canadian securities regulation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). The Company has tried to identify such forward-looking statements by use of such words as "could", "should", "can", "anticipate", "expect", "believe", "will", "may", "intend", "sustain", "continues", "strategy", "potential", "grow", "estimate" and other similar expressions, but these words are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.

In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements pertaining, among other things, to the following: second half 2020 production increases and the reason for the increase; 2020 capital expenditures, including how such expenditures are allocated to drilling and development and to facilities and seismic; 2020 total annual average production including production from oil and from NGLs; amount of excess cash flow generated during the second half of 2020 based on guidance at strip prices; the ability to sustain or exceed second half 2020 production in 2021 within funds flow in the low US$40/bbl WTI range; focus on returns in a disciplined manner; generating excess cash flow in the current price environment; expected total net debt reduction in 2020; downside protection hedging provides; key actions expected to enhance sustainability in a low price environment; 2020 annual average production guidance; second half 2020 production guidance; flexibility and discretion in capital budget; the allocation of excess cash flow to net debt reduction; 2021 annual average production based on preliminary work, current market outlook and 2021 development capital expenditures of approximately $500-$550 million; timing to formalize 2021 guidance; expectations that the preliminary 2021 program will be fully funded in the low US$40/bbl WTI range and generate excess cash flow at current strip prices; current 2021 funds flow sensitivity for every US$1/bbl change in WTI; capital allocation and operations remaining flexible; continued focus on disciplined capital allocation, cost efficiencies and balance sheet strength; and a strong financial position.

All forward-looking statements are based on Crescent Point's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the assumption was made. Crescent Point believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this report should not be unduly relied upon. By their nature, such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which could cause actual results or other expectations to differ materially from those anticipated, expressed or implied by such statements, including those material assumptions and risks discussed in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2019 under "Risk Factors", our Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2019, under the headings "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information" and for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 under "Derivatives", "Liquidity and Capital Resources", "Changes in Accounting Policies", "Risk Factors" and "Outlook". The material assumptions are disclosed in the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2019, under the headings "Capital Expenditures", "Liquidity and Capital Resources", "Critical Accounting Estimates", "Risk Factors", "Changes in Accounting Policies" and "Outlook" and are disclosed in the Management's Discussion and Analysis for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 under the headings "Derivatives", "Liquidity and Capital Resources", "Changes in Accounting Policies" and "Outlook". The impact of any one risk, uncertainty or factor on a particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with certainty as these are interdependent and Crescent Point's future course of action depends on management's assessment of all information available at the relevant time.

Additional information on these and other factors that could affect Crescent Point's operations or financial results are included in Crescent Point's reports on file with Canadian and U.S. securities regulatory authorities. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date it is expressed herein or otherwise. Crescent Point undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required to do so pursuant to applicable law. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, attributable to Crescent Point or persons acting on the Company's behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CRESCENT POINT ENERGY, PLEASE CONTACT:

Brad Borggard, Senior Vice President, Corporate Planning and Capital Markets, or

Shant Madian, Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

Telephone: (403) 693-0020 Toll-free (US and Canada): 888-693-0020 Fax: (403) 693-0070

Address: Crescent Point Energy Corp. Suite 2000, 585 - 8th Avenue S.W. Calgary AB T2P 1G1

www.crescentpointenergy.com

Crescent Point shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CPG.

SOURCE Crescent Point Energy Corp.

Related Links

http://www.crescentpointenergy.com


President Donald Trump speaks at an airport hanger at a rally a day after he formally accepted his partys nomination at the Republican National Convention on August 28, 2020 in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

President Donald Trump is actively working to incite violence and chaos in American cities, hoping he can carry himself to a reelection victory on a "law and order" platform.

Trump on Sunday took to Twitter to decry anti-racism protesters and praise a caravan of his supporters who rode into Portland after deadly violence followed clashes between the groups.

Biden has fervently condemned the recent violence while Trump expresses explicit support for one group over others, and paints all protesters as destructive anarchists.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump is making no effort to hide the fact he believes that violence and chaos on the streets of American cities will boost his reelection prospects.

Trump is using his Twitter account to incite violence and fuel divisions across the country, perpetuating an "us vs. them" mentality among his supporters.

After deadly violence in Portland on Saturday following clashes between Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters, the president took to Twitter to bash the city's mayor and decry the anti-racism protesters.

"The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing," Trump said in a tweet. "The people of Portland won't put up with no safety any longer. The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard!"

"The only way you will stop the violence in the high crime Democrat run cities is through strength!" Trump, who controversially sent federal agents into Portland in response to the protests earlier this summer, said in another tweet.

Trump praised the large group of his supporters who drove into Portland in a caravan to confront protesters, hailing them as "GREAT PATRIOTS."

The man who was shot and killed in Portland was reportedly affiliated with Patriot Prayer, a far right group.

Story continues

As Trump praised the caravan of his supporters who rode into Portland, the president in separate tweet characterized protesters in Washington, DC, as "Disgraceful Anarchists."

The violence in Portland over the weekend came a week after the police in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, seven times in the back. Some of the peaceful protests in the following days turned violent as people looted and defaced nearby businesses.

Armed citizens took to the streets in response to the demonstrations, which has fatal results. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, has been accused of opening fire during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha and killing two people in the process.

Trump on Sunday liked a tweet that spoke positively of Rittenhouse. "Kyle Rittenhouse is a good example of why I decided to vote for Trump," the tweet said.

The president has given a platform to conspiracy theorists, including those who claim ongoing anti-racism demonstrations represent a "coup attempt" against Trump, and people who've threatened protesters exercising their First Amendment rights with violence.

Experts on authoritarianism and fascism have warned that Trump's behavior bears unsettling parallels to autocratic leaders of both the past and present.

"Trumpism is something akin to a fascist social and political movement," Jason Stanley, author of "How Fascism Works," told CNN on Sunday. "We've got militias roaming the street. We have one of our political parties turning into a cult of the leader."

The president is moving ahead with a visit to Kenosha on Tuesday, despite the fact local leaders have made it clear they don't want him there.

"I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together," Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, wrote in a letter to Trump.

The Kenosha shooting came just one night after a St. Louis couple who made headlines for pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters earlier this summer spoke at the Republican National Convention. Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the gun-toting couple, in their remarks for the GOP convention said Democrats "are not satisfied with spreading the chaos and violence into our communities" and want to "abolish the suburbs all together."

Trump and his allies have repeatedly pushed the false narrative that US cities led by Democrats are consumed by crime and destruction amid nationwide protests against racism and police brutality. While there has been rioting and violence on the fringes of these demonstrations, they've primarily been peaceful and Trump's rhetoric on this is at odds with reality. Crime in the US remains historically low.

The president is trying to convince white, suburban voters that they're in danger of being overrun by anarchists if he loses the election, so he's going full-steam ahead with painting former Vice President Joe Biden as weak on crime and unwilling to condemn violence. Meanwhile, Trump trails Biden in the polls.

'Rioting is not protesting'

Biden has a fairly hardline record when it comes to crime, which is part of the reason he's not particularly popular with the progressive wing of the Democratic party, and he's taken to the campaign trail to forcefully decry recent incidents of violence.

"Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting ... And those who do it should be prosecuted," Biden said in Pittsburgh on Monday, during a speech in which he also condemned "unwarranted police shootings."

The Democratic presidential nominee also slammed the president for his "failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia."

To Biden's point, the White House has openly stated that "violence and chaos" is good for Trump and his "law and order" messaging.

"The more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who's best on public safety and law and order," White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said during an interview on "Fox and Friends" last week.

By fueling violence and disarray, Trump also distracts from his disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The US has the highest number of cases and fatalities from the virus in the world, and the outbreak has left millions unemployed. Trump is trying to divert attention away from this by perpetuating culture wars.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Gavin Williamson can only apologise. He can only apologise for the week of A-Level results meltdown he was warned about months in advance but chose to ignore until it was far too late. He can only apologise for, or rather to, the thousands of BTec students who are yet to receive their qualifications.

For everything that is Williamsons fault and for which other people have been sacked, all Williamson can do is come off the despatch box of the House of Commons and say I can only apologise.

Does it matter that its not true? When Williamson says I can only apologise, he is, of course, entirely wrong. An apology is far from the only course of action open to him. The traditional one is to resign. What he means when he says, I can only apologise is I am only prepared to apologise.

It was, in a way, the performance of his life. The occasion was entirely unremarkable but arguably nevertheless represented the high watermark of the new politics of which we are all the victim.

The despatch box of the House of Commons is, in theory, where ministers come to be held to account because their actions have been liberated from their consequences.

Donald Trump once boasted that he could shoot someone dead in Fifth Avenue and wouldnt cost him any votes. Williamson could be filmed with his top off on the dancefloor at an illegal warehouse rave and then, when called to the House of Commons to explain himself, perform the introductory rap to Im The Scatman by Scatman John then walk off and go about his day.

He has already been sacked for endangering national security by leaking information from the National Security Council (at this point, we must point out for legal reasons that Williamson denies those allegations, but also that those denials were not believed by anybody. If they had been, he wouldnt have been sacked.)

He has now overseen the single greatest fiasco of modern times, one so big it has created a new kind of political microclimate. The A Level results farce was so bad that both the head of the exam regulator, Ofqual, and the most senior civil servant in the Department for Education have lost their jobs over it, but Williamson hasnt.

 A-level results: Students protest outside Downing Street amid growing pressure for Gavin Williamson to resign

So the evidence that errors of unforgivable, jaw-dropping magnitude took place are not contested by anybody, not even by Williamson. But the person ultimately responsible for them, Williamson, bears no responsibility at all.

What was said or not said at the despatch box of the House of Commons no longer matters. We live not so much in an era of post-truth as of post-responsibility.

It is now so clearly established that as there is nothing that Williamson can do, no problem that is not too complex for him, no nanoscopically small part of governing that is not infinitely beyond him, that there is also nothing he cant do.

To expect Williamson to take responsibility for his actions is no different from expecting a two-year-old to take responsibility for wetting their trousers.

Why should they? Its not their fault. Its yours for expecting any different.

Williamson can only apologise. You should take it as literally as its meant. Saying sorry is absolutely all that the man can do.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 22:37:07|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on Aug. 3, 2019 shows a road along the Pangong Tso lake in Ngari, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

The Chinese embassy in New Delhi says:

- Indian troops illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake.

- China has urged the Indian side to restrain its frontline troops.

NEW DELHI, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday urged India to immediately withdraw its troops illegally trespassing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and immediately halt any move that would escalate tensions.

In response to a media query on the China-India border situation, Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India Counselor Ji Rong said China has urged the Indian side to restrain its frontline troops and immediately end all provocative actions.

"On Aug. 31, Indian troops violated the consensus reached in previous multi-level engagements and negotiations between China and India, illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector of China-India border, and conducted flagrant provocations, which again stirred tension in the border areas," Ji said.

Indian and Chinese national flags flutter side by side at the Raisina hills in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 16, 2014. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar)

"India's move has grossly violated China's territorial sovereignty, seriously violated relevant agreements, protocols and important consensus reached between the two countries, and severely damaged peace and tranquility along the China-India border areas," said the spokesperson.

"What India has done runs counter to the efforts made by both sides for a period of time to ease and cool down the situation on the ground, and China is resolutely opposed to this," she added. 
PLANTATION, Fla., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Legal Aid Service of Broward County (LAS) and its Board of Directors are pleased to announce Patrice Paldino, Esq., M.S.Ed. will be the organization's next Executive Director, effective January 1, 2021. LAS is a not-for-profit law firm providing high-quality free civil legal advice, representation and education to vulnerable residents of Broward County. Paldino succeeds the current Executive Director, Anthony J. Karrat, Esq., who will retire at the end of December 2020 after more than four decades of service to the community.

Paldino will continue to hold her current position as Executive Director of Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida (CCLA), the organization's sister not-for-profit firm, until 2021, when she will assume the new position. Prior to this role, Paldino worked as Director of Housing Rights Programs at LAS for more than ten years.

"Patrice is passionate, committed and driven to improving the lives of underserved members of our community, and has a great track record of identifying necessary resources to effectively serve those most in need," said Sherylle Francis, Board Chair for LAS. "We are confident that having her at the helm will advance LAS's mission of serving the community."

During her tenure as Executive Director at CCLA, Paldino increased the organization's staff by 30 percent and grew the budget by 25 percent, further strengthening CCLA's legal services delivery system. Her leadership has ensured that advocacy is aggressive and client centered.

"I am excited about this next step and consider myself fortunate that my career has allowed me the opportunity to work with many great people at both CCLA and LAS," said Paldino. "I am honored that the Board of Directors entrusted me to lead Coast to Coast and now Legal Aid in providing critical legal services to the most vulnerable members of our community."

Patrice Paldino has consistently worked to better the lives and living conditions of others. She began her legal career as an Assistant General Counsel to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board, where she drafted sections of the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Law that were subsequently adopted by the State Legislature.

After relocating to Florida, she represented the State of Florida in dependency cases where children suffered the most extreme abuse, abandonment or neglect. Paldino led the cases that were the removals of children from their parents and terminations of their parental rights where parents had committed acts of extreme sexual and physical abuse, including the murder of siblings and/or parents.

Shifting her career to the representation of families in distress, Paldino joined the Housing team at LAS in 2009. There she coordinated appellate and other advocacy efforts focused on effectuating systemic change for tenants throughout the state of Florida. She participated in the design and implementation of county-wide collaborations amongst several multi-disciplined partner agencies to enhance services to persons with HIV/AIDS, the LGBTQ population, veterans, and families. She is a nationally recognized expert on the creation of legal service programs designed to resolve root cause issues which lead to homelessness, particularly among vulnerable groups.

Known for her outstanding advocacy and effectiveness in negotiating favorable settlements for her clients, Paldino also does not shy away from litigation. She has participated over a dozen appeals, one of which resulted in a favorable ruling from the 4th District Court of Appeals with a direct impact on renters statewide. Specifically, the appellate court ruled that eviction courts violate tenants' due process rights when the court grants a motion to dismiss the eviction case but awards rent to the landlord nonetheless. This has significant impact in a State such as Florida where the law requires a tenant to post rent in order to be entitled to a hearing.

Paldino received a M.S. in Education and Community and Social Change from the University of Miami, graduating summa cum laude in 2013; graduated cum laude with a J.D. from New England Law in 1996; and graduated with honors with a B.S. degree from Rutgers University in 1992.

About Legal Aid Service of Broward County

Legal Aid Service of Broward County is a not-for-profit law firm established in 1973. The mission is to provide high quality free civil legal advice, representation and education to the poor of Broward County so as to improve the lifestyle and living conditions of the low-income community and to encourage self-sufficiency. For more information please visit BrowardLegalAid.org or call 954-765-8950.

Media Contact:

Aimee Adler Cooke | 561-302-6902 | [email protected]

SOURCE Legal Aid Service of Broward County

Related Links

https://www.browardlegalaid.org


The last few months have seen strong opposition from the international community in general to the U.S.'s efforts to extend the arms embargo on Iran. The opposition from major European countries, including France, Germany and Britain, was particularly noticed in the media. The EU countries' positions in this regard have served to maintain the stable evolution of the Iran nuclear issue.



On August 14 and 21, major European members of the UN Security Council rejected a resolution to extend the arms embargo and a snapback mechanism to sanction Iran.

On August 20, the foreign minister of France, Germany and Britain issued a joint statement expressing their opposition to the extension. Important EU states, together with other major representatives of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), except the U.S., will participate in the meeting of the Joint Commission on the Iran nuclear agreement due to take place on September 1 in Vienna. The Joint Commission will be chaired on behalf of EU High Representative Josep Borrell by Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Helga Maria Schmid.

The EU, by its explicit opposition to U.S. policy on the Iran nuclear deal, has expressed its dissatisfaction with the U.S. for its withdrawal from the JCPOA two years ago and its position to safeguard the nuclear deal as well.

The EU certainly has multiple reasons for holding its above-mentioned positions. First, the EU is dissatisfied as it has not harvested the economic benefits expected from the nuclear deal. The EU countries regard Iran as a major economic partner with a population of over 80 million, which means both business profits and job opportunities for its citizens. Economic slowdown and depression in the last decade have made Iran a crucial market.

But Trump administration's withdrawal from the JCPOA and restoration of sanctions threatens the EU's prospect of economic cooperation with Iran. Although the EU created the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) to solve the payment problem, the instrument has not served to reverse the situation, and EU-Iran economic relations have been reduced to a minimal level.

Second, the EU regards the United States' withdrawal from the JCPOA as undermining its reputation. The EU has long been a leader in the negotiations among relevant parties for the JCPOA. For about twelve years from 2003 till 2015, EU High Representatives for Security and Foreign Affairs had worked hard to bring parties to the negotiation table.

The EU believes that its normative diplomacy featuring dialogue and negotiation is the right approach for solving problems, including those in the Middle East. Moreover, the JCPOA had been regarded as a typical success story for its normative diplomacy and as a signature achievement in this regard.

By withdrawing from the JCPOA, Trump administration undermined the EU's efforts in the Iran nuclear issue, spoiled its achievement, and harmed the EU's reputation as an effective broker of international disputes.

Actually, the EU has previously demonstrated its opposition to the U.S. on this issue, and EU-U.S. division on the Iran nuclear issue has existed for a long time. The EU has frequently, and for several years, expressed its disagreement with the U.S.'s withdrawal from the nuclear deal. In January 2019, EU leaders and foreign ministers of France and Germany boycotted the conference held in Warsaw for the purpose of launching the strategy to confront Iran.

The EU's opposition to the U.S. policy in this regard will also be significant in maintaining the stable evolution of the Iran nuclear issue. The U.S.'s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and its resumption of unilateral sanctions have destroyed one of the two tracks of the nuclear deal. Iran proclaimed not to implement a significant part of its commitments in the JCPOA but has refrained from withdrawing from the deal. The reasons lie largely in the EU's support for the JCPOA in addition to the backing of China and Russia. If Iran announces its withdrawal from the deal, the other track, too, will have stalled.

The EU has reasons for opposing U.S. unilateralism on this issue, and this opposition is critical in maintaining the JCPOA.

Last but not least, the EU's opposition to the U.S. policy regarding the JCPOA is only one part of its struggle against unilateralism. In fact, the EU is opposed to the U.S. not only on the Iran nuclear issue but also on a variety of issues, including U.S. withdrawal from UNESCO, quitting climate change agreement and quitting WHO. This suggests that even its allies sharing the same values are not satisfied with its unilateralism.

Jin Liangxiang is Senior Research Fellow with the Center for West Asian and African Studies, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
WB govt plans to handover freehold land deeds to people residing in 119 refugee colonies

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Kolkata, Sep 01: The West Bengal government is planning to handover freehold land title deeds to over 20,000 people residing in 119 refugee colonies of the state, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"For the purpose, the state government is preparing a database and an initial list of around 15,000 residents is ready while another one of around 6,500 people is getting prepared," he said.

Recipe for disaster: WHO warns Countries against lifting of COVID-19 restrictions too quickly

"Once the list is complete, it will require the approval of the chief minister after which the date of distribution of the land title deeds by her will be fixed," the senior official said.

In March this year Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had distributed freehold land title deeds to the residents of 94 refugee colonies in the state. She had announced about taking similar measures to distribute freehold land deeds to residents of another 119 refugee colonies.

India enters Unlock 4: With 69,921 new cases, COVID-19 tally climbs to 3,691,166

The entire survey was conducted by officials of the state Land and Land Reforms and Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation department amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Of the residents of the 119 refugee colonies around 3,500 beneficiaries are from neighbouring Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas and Nadia districts, he said.

There are a large number of people from Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur districts, the official added. According to the official, a freehold land title deed owner will not be able to sell the land for the first 10 years.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 12:42 [IST]
Actor Rhea Chakrabortys parents were summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday and questioned for close to nine hours as part of the agencys probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Her parents left from home around 10:30am and reached the DRDO guest house in Santacruz around 10:50am. They left the guesthouse at around 7.45 pm after their questioning.

This is the first time that Chakrabortys parents - Indrajit andSandhya Chakraborty - have been questioned by the CBI in the case. Rhea Chakraborty was grilled for around 35 hours over the last four days while her brother was quizzed for the last five days

The CBI also questioned Rajputs cook Neeraj Singh, house help Keshav Bachner, roommate and creative director Siddharth Pithani, his former business manager Shruti Modi and house manager Samuel Miranda again on Tuesday.

Last month, the CBI took over the investigation into Rajputs death based on a FIR filed by his father KK Singh. The actor was found dead in his rented Bandra house on June 14.

The Enforcement Directorate, which is also investigating a case of money laundering, in connection with the actors death, against Rhea and others, again called Goa Hotelier Gaurav Arya for questioning on Tuesday. Gaurav reached the ED office at 11 am and was questioned till 7.45 pm.
Leaked emails allegedly show that a CVS pharmacy store ordered staff not to inform customers that prescriptions had been filled by an employee who had tested positive for coronavirus.

As first reported by Business Insider, a technician from a store in Georgia claims they were instructed via email by a CVS district leader to track medications filled by the sick worker and to pull them from shelves.

The email also reportedly told employees that if a patient had already picked up their drugs, policy dictated to 'NOT make an outreach call.'

Staff were allegedly told that if they revealed to customers someone in the store had tested positive for COVID-19, they would face disciplinary action or be fired, according to the technician.

A CVS district leader in Georgia allegedly told employees to track medications filled by an employee who tested positive for coronavirus and to pull them from shelves (file image)

It remains unclear when the coworker at the Georgia CVS store allegedly began exhibiting symptoms and tested positive for the coronavirus.

However, the technician told Business Insider that staff members who had been in close contact with the sick worker were instructed not to get tested for the virus themselves 'because they couldn't have anyone else out of work.'

CVS spokesperson Michael DeAngelis disputes this account to DailyMail.com and says the email was not indicative of the company's official policy.

'It is not our policy to prohibit our pharmacies from informing patients if their prescription was filled when an employee who tested positive for COVID-19 worked in the pharmacy,' he said in a statement.

'Business Insider refused to provide us a copy of the email in question so that we could look into the anonymous accusation or the source of the alleged internal email.'

However, DeAngelis did not say whether or not it is policy to disclose to patients when a member of pharmacy staff tests positive.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contact tracing guidelines, it is unclear if businesses can or should notify customers if an employee is infected.

More than one dozen CVS employees allegedly told Business Insider that the chain has a pattern of 'bullying' staff.

Staff members said CVS forced employees to work while sick despite reported incidents of COVID-19 exposure.

DeAngelis told DailyMail.com that when an employee contracts the virus 'they are placed on a 14-day paid leave in order to self-isolate.'

Employees are allowed to work after being exposed to the coronavirus, however.

Guidelines include wearing a surgical mask, monitoring symptoms and having their temperatures taken before and after every shift for 14 days.

DeAngelis told DailyMail.com that the chain works with local health authorities if an employee tests positive.

'When we're notified about a pharmacy employee's diagnosis, as a matter of precaution any prescriptions filled while that employee worked in the pharmacy that have not been picked up will be quarantined and replaced with new product,' he said.

'For patients who've already received their prescriptions, we cooperate with local departments of health and provide patient contact information as requested. In these situations, patients - if they choose to - can return and replace medications.'

According to Bloomberg, several companies have instituted gag rules prohibiting workers from speaking out about cases of COVID-19.

Employees at Amazon.com, McDonald's, and Target have all allegedly been told to not speak about employees who've tested positive, the article states.
Bank of Kigali has appointed Obinna Ukwuani as Chief Digital Officer replacing Regis Rugemanshuro who was appointed to head Rwanda Social Security Board in February this year.

The position among other things involves leading the Digital Factory division for product innovation and development in digital banking. Obinna commenced work in June.

The division is responsible for innovation such as Ikofi, a digital wallet that offers financial services with a focus on Rwandan farmers, agro-dealers, Agri-businesses and other players in the agricultural ecosystem

Obinna bring to the bank experience from entrepreneurial ventures in software, agricultural processing, and education among others.

Prior to joining Bank of Kigali, Obinna worked with Paystack, a tech startup involved in facilitating payments.

He holds a degree in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
MONTREAL  The visage of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canadas first prime minister, has adorned the $10 bill of the country he helped create 153 years ago. But he has also been criticized as a racist who ruthlessly tried to wipe out Indigenous culture.

Yet after a crowd of cheering activists toppled his statue in a public square in Montreal over the weekend, politicians across the political spectrum in Canada denounced the act. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that while a country must inform itself about both the positive and negative aspects of its leaders, vandalism had no place in a country with the rule of law.

Those kinds of acts of vandalism are not advancing the path toward greater justice and equality in this country, he said.

Cities across the world have had reckonings over what to do with statues or monuments celebrating historical figures who had racist views or supported slavery. The debate has pitted those who argue that removing them is whitewashing history against those who say that keeping them causes pain and promotes discrimination.
BOSTON - U.S. Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts defeated U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III in Tuesdays hard-fought Democratic primary, harnessing support from progressive leaders to overcome a challenge from a younger rival who is a member of Americas most famous political family.

It was the first time a Kennedy has lost a race for Congress in Massachusetts.

Markey appealed to voters in the deeply Democratic state by positioning himself as aligned with the liberal wing of the party. He teamed up with a leading progressive, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, on the Green New Deal climate change initiative  and at one point labeled Kennedy a progressive in name only.

That helped Markey overcome the enduring power of the Kennedy name in Massachusetts. The 39-year-old congressman sought to cast the 74-year-old Markey as someone out of touch after spending decades in Congress, first in the House before moving to the Senate.

At a victory celebration in his hometown of Malden, Massachusetts, Markey ticked off a series of priorities, from support for the Black Lives Matter movement to a call for Medicare for All, to combating climate change, a signature issue for Markey.

Every other problem is linked to it. No solution to any challenge will be successful unless we address it. There will be no peace, no justice and no prosperity unless we stop the march to climate destruction, he said. We must pass a Green New Deal.

To make good on those pledges, Markey said Democrats have to take back control of the U.S. Senate and oust President Donald Trump in November.

He is the most corrupt, most racist, most incompetent president in American history, Markey said. We must banish his agenda of division and destruction to the history books.

Markey also credited his win in part to support from younger voters telling them when they say youre too young, show up with your friends.

Earlier Tuesday evening Kennedy said that while the results arent the ones hed hoped for, he would work for Markeys reelection.

The senator is a good man. You never heard me say otherwise, Kennedy told supporters at an outdoor rally. Kennedy also suggested that the movement of supporters the campaign pulled together would continue past the current election.

We may have lost the final vote count tonight but we built a coalition that will endure, he said. I would do this again with all of you in a heartbeat.

In the waning weeks of the campaign, Kennedy leaned into his familys long political legacy in Massachusetts. His pedigree includes former President John F. Kennedy; former U.S. Senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, his grandfather; and former U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, who held a Senate seat in Massachusetts for nearly half a century until his death in 2009.

Markey countered by leaning into his own family story  growing up in the working class city of Malden with a father who drove a truck for the Hood Milk company.

In one campaign video, Markey also paraphrased a famous JFK quote, saying, We asked what we could do for our country. We went out, we did it. With all due respect, its time to start asking what your country can do for you.

Markey found himself on the defence at times during the campaign, with Kennedy repeatedly trying to portray him as having a tin ear to racial equity concerns.

Kennedy faulted Markey for his initial opposition to the effort to desegregate the Boston Public Schools beginning in the 1970s.

Markey countered by noting that he changed his views on the contentious issue that tore at the fabric of the city. He also said he supported the creation in 1973 of a state Senate seat aimed at helping elect a Black senator to the Massachusetts Legislature.

Kennedy also repeatedly pointed to the father of Danroy DJ Henry, a young Black man from Massachusetts killed by police 10 years ago. Henrys father has criticized Markey, saying he failed to help the family seek justice.

Markey said he has apologized to the Henry family and signed a letter seeking a federal Justice Department investigation into the killing.

Markey also wasnt shy about talking about the Kennedy family, at one point pressing Kennedy to tell his father  former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy ll  to stop supporting a political action committee that was running ads against Markey.

Im sure your father is watching right now, Markey said. Tell your father right now that you dont want money to go into a super PAC that runs negative ads.

Kennedy said he had no idea if his father was helping fund the PAC.

Late in the race, Kennedy landed a major endorsement when Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally backed his candidacy.

While Markey, who served with Pelosi in the House for decades, congratulated Kennedy, Pelosis decision angered some of Markeys younger progressive supporters. Markey had earlier won the endorsement of Ocasio-Cortez and fellow Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Ed Markey wasnt afraid. He offered his expertise & partnership. He wasnt scared of big policy & didnt use kid gloves. Its great to watch him overcome the odds and win tonight, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Tuesday night.

The coronavirus upended the way both candidates could campaign  limiting more traditional means of electioneering like knocking on doors, shaking hands or holding big rallies.

Instead, the campaigns were largely waged online with virtual rallies, virtual endorsements, virtual fundraisers and virtual roundtable events to discuss issues. Eventually, as Massachusetts began to suppress the virus and emerge from a near lockdown, the candidates began to take their campaigns on the road with social distancing and face masks.

The showdown drew criticism from some Democrats nationally who feared it would siphon time and money away from defeating President Donald Trump and winning control of the Senate. It also wasnt cheap, with both Kennedy and Markey raising and spending millions.

Markey now faces a general election contest where he is considered a strong favourite against Republican primary winner, Kevin OConnor, in November.
India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist

India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent

China took provocative action again to change status quo in Pangong Tso Lake, says Centre

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 01: India on Tuesday said the Chinese army "engaged in provocative action" on August 31 even as commanders from both sides were engaged in discussions to de-escalate the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh on the southern bank of Pangong Lake.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the Chinese side violated previously agreed understanding and engaged in "provocative military maneuvers" in the late night of August 29 and on August 30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the south bank area.

"As stated yesterday by Indian Army, the Indian side responded to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive measures along the LAC in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity," he said in response to a media query on the issue.

Srivastava said the Chinese troops again engaged in "provocative action" on Monday even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation.

"Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo," he said.

Jaishankar likely to attend SCO meeting in Moscow alongside China amid heightened LAC tension

The MEA spokesperson further said the actions and behaviour of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the LAC have been in "clear violation" of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquility on the border.

"Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two foreign ministers as also the Special Representatives," he said.

"We have taken up the matter of recent provocative and aggressive actions with the Chinese side through both diplomatic and military channels and have urged them to discipline and control their frontline troops from undertaking such provocative actions," he added.
The Campaign Manager of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said the party will absorb apprenticeship fees if it comes to power.

Carpenters, welders, plumbers, electricians, and hairdressers, among others, often pay varied amount of fees to be trained for some months.

Professor Joshua Alabi said the party's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme would also recognize experiential knowledge for progression to higher levels.

Explaining in detail the party's TVET programme, the Campaign manager said the NDC Presidential Candidate believes that providing financial support to an apprentice would contribute towards both job creation and the development of the critical mass needed for national development.

In countries like Germany and Singapore it is skills development that moves the country but in our country, we've placed more emphasis on the grammar type of education, he bemoaned.

The NDC Campaign Manager said the time is ripe for the country to see technical and vocation education and training (TVET) as a potent tool for development and that is what Mr Mahama is committed to.

Professor Alabi was reacting to the TVET programme outlined by Mr Mahama during his tour of the country.

The tradition in Ghana is that an apprentice learning any trade may have to pay an amount as a commitment fee to their masters. This amount sometimes serves as a setback to some people who critically need to acquire the skills.

But Professor Alabi has assured Ghanaians the next government of His Excellency President John Mahama will focus on job creation and we are going to look at vocational and technical training since a lot of the youth fall in the skills development category.

The government of HE John Mahama would absorb the fees that they usually pay to their masters, he said, adding: the NDC government will deploy a prior learning recognition framework which would recognize knowledge gained through experience.

Professor Alabi further explained the national comprehensive qualifications framework would mark the knowledge gained through training and experience to various levels for progression from certificate level, through Diploma to a degree (B-Tech), masters (M-Tech)and professional Doctorates (D-Tech).

He said the qualification framework would apply to those apprentices who want to progress to acquire higher qualifications.

The certificate acquired would define what one can do and that would be used to place those who want to progress on the professional academic ladder. The certificate acquired can qualify one into either technical school or technical university. So one has the opportunity to continue to practice his skills in his own business while at the same time attend technical university if he or she so wished.

According to the NDC campaign manager, the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) has in place the qualification framework to recognise prior learning but this has not yet received full implementation.

But Professor Alabi said the next NDC government under the able leadership of H.E John Mahama will give full meaning to these existing policies and framework to promote TVET in Ghana to drive Ghana's development agenda.

If you want to be a dressmaker, the government will absorb the amount required and we would establish technical universities in the new regions as well as technical and vocational schools across the country, he said.

First you are guaranteed your jobs then if you want to progress beyond that you can attend any of the technical universities because they are going to be free, he explained, adding the programme is designed to facilitate technology transfer at all levels.

The NDC Campaign Manager was emphatic the TVET programme of Mr Mahama is going to be the main engine to drive the economy.
China detains Australian journalist

WORLD: China has detained an Australian news anchor working for its state-run English-language television network CGTN, Australias foreign minister said yesterday (Aug 31).

politicsChinese

By AFP

Tuesday 1 September 2020, 09:10AM

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia was told on August 14 that journalist Cheng Lei was being held by Beijing authorities. Photo: AFP.

The detention of journalist Cheng Lei is a new blow to deteriorating relations between the two countries that have seen China warn its citizens of travelling to Australia and vice-versa.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia was informed on August 14 that Cheng was being held by Beijing authorities.

Australian consular officials spoke to Cheng in her detention facility via video link on August 27 and were in touch with her family, Payne said in a statement.

She provided no further details, but public broadcaster ABC said Chengs friends became concerned after she stopped responding to messages in recent weeks.

The CGTN website page which described Cheng as an anchor on the networks Global Business programme was no longer available after news of her detention emerged.

The ABC said Cheng was being held under residential surveillance at a designated location, a form of detention that allows investigators to hold and question a suspect for up to six months without them being formally arrested.

The broadcaster published a statement by Chengs family in Melbourne expressing confidence that In China, due process will be observed and we look forward to a satisfactory and timely conclusion to the matter.

We ask that you respect that process and understand there will be no further comment at this time, the statement said.

Ties began to sour between Australia and China  its biggest trading partner  more than two years ago when Australian authorities began to move against what was seen as Chinas growing political interference and influence peddling in the country.

Beijing was particularly infuriated by Australias leading role in international calls earlier this year for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which began in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Since then, China has taken steps to curb key Australian imports and encouraged Chinese students and tourists to avoid the country.

Cheng is the second high-profile Australian citizen to be detained in Beijing after writer Yang Hengjun was arrested in January 2019 on suspicion of espionage.

Earlier this year Australia warned its citizens they faced the risk of arbitrary detention if they traveled to China.
TORONTO, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQX: MEDIF) (FSE:MLZ) ("MediPharm Labs" or the "Company") a global leader in specialized, research-driven pharmaceutical-quality cannabis extraction, distillation and derivative products, today announced it will supply cannabis concentrate products in Denmark to two new medical cannabis customers under two separate white-label agreements. These customers will be serviced by both GMP approved facilities, MediPharm Labs Inc. and MediPharm Labs Australia Pty Ltd ("MediPharm Labs Australia"). This marks MediPharm Labs' first supply agreements for the export of finished products to Denmark.



Denmark granted patients legal access to cannabis-based medicinal products two years ago as part of a four-year pilot program. The program provides patients with safe product access and national health authorities with patient data that they can use to understand usage and efficacy. According to information complied by New Frontier Data and the Danish Ministry of Health, over 2,100 patients (primarily women between the ages of 42-64) received cannabis-based medicinal products from 429 prescribing doctors under this program in 2019.

"The express purpose of establishing a multi-jurisdictional, GMP-certified production capability is to lead the global cannabis market for medicinal, wellness and adult use applications and these agreements represent another step forward in realizing our ambitions," said Pat McCutcheon, CEO, MediPharm Labs. "Getting in on the ground floor of the Danish medical market with new and innovative medical cannabis focused products positions us for additional growth in Europe and adds to MediPharm Labs all-important body of knowledge that we are leveraging to enhance the design of our formulations for patients and consumers everywhere."

Under the agreements, one which has an initial two-year term and the second a one-year term - both subject to renewal, MediPharm Labs will supply a full range of specially formulated CBD and THC cannabis oil products that will be white-labeled for distribution.

MediPharm Labs anticipates delivery to its customers to begin in October 2020, pending regulatory approval by applicable health authorities.

GMP Certification Ignites Growth for MediPharm Labs Australia

"Since the beginning of 2020, MediPharm Labs Australia has secured several very attractive domestic and international supply agreements with high quality partners, now including new customers in Denmark," said Warren Everitt, CEO, MediPharm Labs Australia. "This volume and the pace of new business wins are a clear and important validation of our decision to build a GMP certified cannabis extraction facility supply chain for world markets and a testament to MediPharm Labs growing profile and reputation. We look forward to ramping up production under all of these agreements."

MediPharm Labs Australia received its Good Manufacturing Practice ("GMP") certificate from the Therapeutic Goods Association in May 2020, which enables it to sell cannabis APIs and finished products to countries across the EU, including Denmark. The Company entered into its first European white-label cannabis supply agreement that same month with Therismos Limited.

About Denmark's Medical Cannabis Market

Denmark launched its four-year medical cannabis pilot program on January 1st, 20181. Post-harvest Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) is required for distribution of medical cannabis products in Denmark2.

Through the program, physicians can prescribe medical cannabis for all purposes and are guided by recommendations in four areas: pain caused by multiple sclerosis, pain caused by spinal cord damage, side effects from chemotherapy treatment and neuropathic pain that is due to brain, spinal cord or nerve damage3. The guidelines published by the Danish Medicines Agency are based on an extensive review of literature as well as assessments of: cannabis schemes in the Netherlands, Canada and Israel; previous cannabis drug approvals in Europe and the US; and scientific evidence by the National Academy of Sciences (USA, 2017).

About MediPharm Labs Corp.

Founded in 2015, MediPharm Labs specializes in the production of purified, pharmaceutical quality cannabis oil and concentrates and advanced derivative products utilizing a Good Manufacturing Practices certified facility with ISO standard built clean rooms. MediPharm Labs has invested in an expert, research-driven team, state-of-the-art technology, downstream purification methodologies and purpose-built facilities with five primary extraction lines for delivery of pure, trusted and precision -dosed cannabis products for its customers. Through its wholesale and white label platforms, they formulate, consumer-test, process, package and distribute cannabis extracts and advanced cannabinoid-based products to domestic and international markets. As a global leader, MediPharm Labs has completed commercial exports to Australia and is nearing commercialization of its Australian Extraction facility. MediPharm Labs Australia was established in 2017.

For further information, please contact:

Laura Lepore, VP, Investor Relations

Telephone: 705-719-7425 ext 1525

Email: investors@medipharmlabs.com

Website: www.medipharmlabs.com

______________________________

1 Medicinal Cannabis Pilot Program. Retrieved: https://laegemiddelstyrelsen.dk/en/special/medicinal-cannabis/citizens/medicinal-cannabis-pilot-programme/

2 The Medical Cannabis Market in Denmark & Europe. Retrieved: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/the-medical-cannabis-market-in-denmark-europe/80721/

3 The Danish Medical Cannabis Pilot Programme: Putting the Patient First. Retrieved: https://www.healtheuropa.eu/the-danish-medical-cannabis-pilot-programme-putting-the-patient-first/92991/

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements". There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, MediPharm Labs assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change.
Marina Butler wants to see changes made in regard to Fort Eries relationship with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Butler introduced a series of three resolutions at the Aug. 24 council meeting that called for a number of measures to be taken, both by the town in the form of a new animal rights bylaw, a revised animal control bylaw and an ability to inspect facilities and obtain information related to qualifications, training and certification of staff at the Jarvis Street shelter who are tasked with euthanizing animals; animal control complaints and outcomes; animal intake including care, control, veterinary care and outcomes among other things.

The current contract between the town and the SPCA signed last year expires May 31, 2022.

But before town politicians voted on the trio of resolutions, Butler grilled SPCA board chair Dr. Art King in what sometimes became a heated exchange.

Specifically, Butler expressed concern over euthanasia practices at the shelter when it comes to injured wildlife, particularly the use of a drug named T-61, which she said causes great pain to the animal and, while allowed in Canada, is actually not recommended for use in the United States by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

I would rather not see an animal suffer, she said.

King said it is a question of availability rather than how the euthanasia concoction works.

The (American veterinary association) doesnt recommend T-61 because it is not available in the U.S., he said.

Butler also pressed King concerning complaints about the procedure and whether or not he was aware.

King said there has been only one complaint he was aware of and that the complaint is in the hands of lawyers.

Ward 3 Coun. Kim Zanko wondered how it is possible King is not aware theres been more than one complaint.

Im not sure how you have not seen any complaints, Zanko said. I have also received multiple complaints. How are complaints handled?

I dont know, King said. Coun. Don Lubberts sits on council and he is on the board. He has never brought any complaints forward.

King was appearing before council to answer questions pertaining to allegations made against the SPCA by an unnamed individual. Earlier he questioned if Butler knew the difference between animal rights and animal welfare.

He said if the town does implement an animal rights bylaw, it would have far reaching implications for all animal owners in the town.

It would impact all livestock and poultry farms, Safari Niagara in Stevensville, the Fort Erie race track and other equestrian facilities, he said.

King also said he saw no need to replace the towns existing animal control bylaw and noted a previous council had rejected adding the regulation of cats to those animals covered under the bylaw.

He also bristled at the notion more oversight of the SPCA is needed, despite agreeing with the need for defining roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in executing the animal control bylaw.

The SPCA, he said, provides a monthly report to council that details all of the organizations activities. He said there are no attempts by the organization to not be forthright about any issues.

In the end, council deferred Butler motions dealing with the town implementing an animal rights bylaw and calling for an update to the towns animal control bylaw until Oct. 19.

The third motion, calling for staff to begin work on a new animal control contract, would reflect a revised animal control bylaw and an animal rights bylaw. It would also include among other things, including giving the town more control over inspections to ensure that professional, ethical, moral care and control of animals are followed.

The new contract would be put out to tender prior to the contract with the SPCA expiring in 2022.
Chandigarh fared the worst in terms of rate of decline in road accidents  both fatal and non-fatalamong all Union Territories between 2018 and 2019.

This has been revealed in the Accidental Deaths and Suicides Report in India 2019 released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on Tuesday.

Recording 304 road accidents in 2019, Chandigarh saw a drop of just 4.1% as compared to 317 mishaps in 2018.

All UTs collectively saw a drop of 13.3%, much higher than Chandigarhs, though the national decline stood at only 1.6%.

Chandigarh has also reported the highest increase (71.1%) in accidental deaths among all states and UTs. The figures stood at 242 and 414 in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Manoj Kumar Meena, officiating senior superintendent of police (SSP), traffic, said, It is important to see the record over the past five years. Every year, the number of road accidents in Chandigarh goes down. It is an achievement to continue this decelerating trend. More efforts are needed to make sure this continues.

DRIVER FEEDBACK SYSTEMS TO BE EXPANDED

Meena said police had recently built a divider with barricades in Sector 25 (West) to better manage traffic there, and were looking to expand the driver feedback system. Ever since the driver feedback system was installed in December 2019, some of the most dangerous roads of the city reported no fatal accidents, which is an encouraging news, he said.

According to data provided by traffic police, 28 people have died in road accidents this year as compared to 64 till the end of August last year. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP, traffic) Kewal Krishan said, There were fewer fatal accidents this year due to the two-month lockdown. We want to keep such deaths under 75 this year.

Navdeep Asija, member of the state road safety committee, said: Right now, the city needs to make infrastructure changes to reduce the number of accidents. Cycle tracks make cyclists safer, but junctions are still dangerous. Traffic calming devices like table tops are the need of the hour.

Kamal Soi, member of National Road Safety Council, said: Any reduction is good. Police enforcement on Chandigarh roads is bearing results and the authorities need out-of-the-box solutions to further reduce the number of accident.
Jackie Ormes, the illustrator and activist who challenged how black women were portrayed with popular cartoons, has been celebrated in a Google Doodle.

The drawing, which is visible throughout the United States on Tuesday, celebrates Ms Ormes work with an interactive cartoon depicting her career and activism.

As the first and only Black female newspaper cartoonist of her time in the United States, Ms Ormes engaged readers with a single panel comic strip starring characters who dealt with the struggles of everyday life.

They included Ginger and her 6-year-old sister Patty-Jo, who were the main characters in the groundbreaking Patty-Jo n Ginger cartoon that debuted in the Pittsburgh Courier for the first time on 1 September 1945.

Ms Ormes started working with the Courier, a newspaper serving the citys black community, soon after she graduated from high school, where she was said to have taught herself how to draw.

Her first cartoon titled Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem was published in 1937 when she was 26-years-old.

As with all of her work, Ms Ormes used that comic strip to depict the stories of people who migrated from the South to the North to escape racism and seek other opportunities in the mid-20th Century.

The illustrators black heroines, as depicted in the Google Doodle, also often dealt with issues such environmental justice and gender inequality.

As Google described these cartoons, Her characters were all independent womenconfident, intelligent, attractive, and brave, who persevered against adversity to reach their next adventure.

The anniversary of Ms Ormes Patty Jo comic strip comes as issues of racial inequality once again receive widespread attention in the wake of police actions towards Americas black community.

The cartoonist, who retired in 1956, was posthumously inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame in 2014, following a long career dedicated to fighting against the injustices faced by black women.
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at this hour. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Centre likely to issue guidelines on Wednesday after meeting officials of 15 Metro corporations

The ministry of housing and urban affairs on Tuesday held a meeting with metro corporations to finalise the standard operating procedures (SOP) for operating metro services allowed under Unlock 4 guidelines, which are likely to be issued on Wednesday following the home ministrys nod, officials aware of the development said. Read more

India says China resorted to provocative action yesterday, its actions this year have been in clear violation of agreements

India said on Tuesday China resorted to provocative action a day earlier when it attempted to change the status quo in the Pangong Lake area even as military-level talks were underway. Read more

India writes to Facebook, alleges it is the latest tool to create social disturbances

In a strongly worded letter, India has raised the issue of free speech with social media giant Facebook, alleging that the platform is the latest tool being used to create internal divisions and social disturbances by vested groups. Read more

The indestructible Nokia 3310 was launched 20 years ago today: Heres looking back at the phone

Nokia launched the Nokia 3310 20 years back on September 1, 2020. Nokia launched an upgraded version of the phone in 2017. As the phone turns 20, we take a look at the iconic Nokia 3310. Read more

Vidya Balan slams vilification of Rhea Chakraborty: Isnt it supposed to be innocent until proven guilty?

Vidya Balan condemned the media coverage of the Sushant Singh Rajput death case and vilification of Rhea Chakraborty, who has been accused by his family of abetting his suicide. She lamented the media circus and said that the law must be allowed to take its course. Read more

One of Bharats brightest Ratnas, says Amul in tribute to Pranab Mukherjee

Former President Pranab Mukherjee died at the age of 84 on Monday, August 31. Many have since taken to social media to pay tributes to the beloved leader. Among them is dairy company Amul that shared a special post to commemorate the veteran leader. Read more

Star India batsman picked by David Gower to captain his best Test XI

David Gower, the former England captain and popular commentator, has picked India skipper Virat Kohli as the leader of his Test XI of current cricketers, which also features Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and all-rounder Ben Stokes. Calling Kohli and Stokes immediate picks, Gower went with Indias R Ashwin and Nathan Lyon of Australia as the two spinners in his line-up and explained why Kohli is his pick to captain the team. Read more
The green movement's left flank is stepping up efforts to shape Joe Biden's circle of advisers, releasing an open letter Tuesday calling for a ban on all "fossil fuel executives, lobbyists, and representatives from any advisory or official position on [Biden's] campaign, transition team, cabinet, and administration."

The big picture: It's signed by 145 local and national groups. These are actors that will battle more moderate Democrats for influence if Biden wins and Democrats control Congress, such as Sunrise, Oil Change U.S., Justice Democrats, 350.org, Greenpeace and others.

The other side: The Washington Examiner has a good, detailed story about the pressure on Biden  and pushback against it. Josh Siegel reports...

"Centrist Obama administration alumni counter that it's counterproductive to impose limits on the pool of talent who can provide counsel to Biden on a complex and technical issue such as climate change."

"'The only litmus test should be that people who want to serve in the Biden administration should be 100% on board and supportive of the Biden climate agenda,' a former Obama administration official told the Washington Examiner, requesting anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject."
A fisheries minister is accused of trying to hook, line and sinker the British public after sharing a photo of herself fishing with no visible line on her rod.

Eagle-eyed Twitter users claim that Conservative MP Victoria Prentis, 49, was posing on a boat with a rod angle without a line in a PR stunt gone wrong.

She had taken to sea to promote the Government's Brexit Fisheries Bill, which ends current automatic rights for EU vessels to fish in UK waters.

'Getting in the mood for the fish bill next week with a good day catching mackerel off the Pembrokeshire coast,' Ms Prentis, a Defra minister, tweeted.

But Twitter users have slammed the MP for Banbury for 'lying' and being 'clueless', and allege she was trying to distract people as emergency UK-EU talks are held today amid growing gloom over a Brexit trade deal.

One social media user claimed: 'I've never been fishing in my life but even I can tell that the rod is upside down. Rather like your ridiculous policies.'

Eagle-eyed Twitter users claim that Conservative MP Victoria Prentis, 49, was posing with her rod angle out to sea without a line in a PR stunt gone wrong

Social media users rounded on the Conservative fisheries minister after tweeting a photo of herself holding a rod angle out to sea with no line on Saturday

Another tweeted: 'There's no line on the rod. The rod is upside down. The rod has obviously been photoshopped into the image. She's got a better chance of catching a fish by holding her pocket open and waiting for one to jump in.'

'A perfect metaphor for a clueless Tory. The rod is upside down and has no line', said one, while another claimed: 'No line; wrong way up! Do you think we're that stupid?!'

One Twitter user said: 'I am not a regular angler at all gone fishing twice in my life. That mistake was immediately apparent Fed up with MPs posing for photo opportunity to raise empty feelings and knee jerk reactions'.

'Is it just me or not only does that picture have no line, but if you zoom in on it... it's been really poorly photo shopped, you can see the pixelation around the entire length of the rod,' another tweeted: 'So it was a mock-up'.

One social media user said: 'Rod is the right way, but the daft prat is missing line.'

Social media users rounded on the Conservative fisheries minister after tweeting a photo of herself holding a rod angle out to sea with no line on Saturday

MailOnline has approached Ms Prentis for comment.

Ms Prentis had taken to Twitter to promote the Government's Brexit Fisheries Bill, which ends current automatic rights for EU vessels to fish in UK waters.

In a statement, Defra said the Bill will also enable the Fisheries Administrations to ensure that foreign vessels follow the same rules as UK vessels.

The Government also says the legislation will ensure that fish stocks, and the marine environment, are better protected for future generations with new powers to set UK fishing opportunities and days at sea, new measures for the Devolved Administrations, as well as a single set of UK-wide fisheries objectives.

As the Bill passed the House of Lords in July, Ms Prentis said: 'I am encouraged to see the progress of the Fisheries Bill through Parliament. This Bill offers us the opportunity to set a gold standard for sustainable fisheries and gives us the powers to protect our precious fish stocks while enabling our seafood sector to thrive.

'Now that we have left the EU, we have the opportunity to create a more resilient and profitable fishing industry, leaving behind the outdated Common Fisheries Policy.'

It comes as Michel Barnier and the UK's David Frost hold emergency talks today amid gathering misery about the prospects for a Brexit trade deal.

The EU negotiator is coming to London for the meeting as the hunt for a breakthrough becomes increasingly desperate.

With just a month to thrash out trade terms in time for the end of the transition period, the bloc has accused Britain of 'intransigence'.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier (right) will travel to London for the unscheduled talks with David Frost (left) in a bid to break the deadlock

But angry UK sources point out that Mr Barnier is refusing even to discuss proposals on access to fishing waters - one of the key issues.

Mr Frost is expected to confront his counterpart today on his policy of 'parallelism', which means he will not negotiate on an area until Britain has made significant concessions on others.

A UK source told the Times that the EU team was not 'engaging' on so-called 'room papers' that could form the basis for a deal.

'The EU has always said that fishing is a key issue for resolution but has subsequently declined to discuss it,' they said.

'We had hoped to make progress and presented room papers but, unfortunately, the EU refused to engage due to their self-imposed requirements.'

Formal negotiations between the two sides will resume next week.

A Whitehall source said that although the UK's transition period from the EU is not due to finish until the end of the year, there is 'realistically only a month' to agree a deal in time for it to be ratified.

Both sides have become increasingly gloomy about the prospects for a deal in recent weeks after hopes of a summer breakthrough faded.

France yesterday accused Britain of deliberately stalling post-Brexit trade deal negotiations and having unreasonable expectations.

Speaking to his nation's ambassadors, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: 'Negotiations are not advancing because of the intransigent and unrealistic attitude of the United Kingdom.'

But British sources said the deadlock was due to the EU's intransigence.

'They don't seem to be prepared to move on any of the big things,' one said.

Boris Johnson has said that from the end of this year, the UK will determine access for foreign trawlers in British waters, in common with other independent coastal states.

Boris Johnson (pictured on a visit to a school last month) has said that from the end of this year, the UK will determine access for foreign trawlers in British waters, in common with other independent coastal states

But the EU is demanding that its fishing fleet continues to enjoy its existing access rights indefinitely.

Brussels is also demanding to know details of the UK's state aid regime  the rules on bailouts of struggling companies and sectors  before moving on to other areas of negotiation.

The EU wants guarantees that the UK will not undercut its own industries.

But British ministers insist that as an independent country, the UK should be free to set its own industrial policy.

Mr Le Drian insisted yesterday the bloc of 27 will not buckle under pressure from London, adding: 'On Brexit we always showed unity and proved wrong those who saw signs of an overall implosion of Europe.

'It is in staying united that we can stick to our line of a global accord.'

But UK ministers are also confident Mr Johnson will not back down, raising the prospect of leaving without a trade deal at the end of this year unless negotiators can achieve a sudden breakthrough.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 14:59:58|Editor: huaxia

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SUVA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Fiji confirmed on Tuesday that a 25-year-old female nurse is now a new COVID-19 border quarantine case in the island nation.

Fiji's Acting Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services James Fong said on Tuesday the nurse contracted the virus while treating one of the border quarantine cases in an isolation unit.

Fong said this is the first positive case confirmed for the health care staff in Fiji.

Fong said Fiji is considering this as a border quarantine case because the nurse never entered the public space after contracting the virus. This is the 11th border quarantine case.

After returning a positive result for COVID-19, she was re-admitted to the isolation ward in the Nadi Hospital in Fiji's second largest city and is now recovering well.

Her fellow isolation unit nursing colleagues and medical officers on rotation have all returned negative tests as well as all relevant frontline health, hotel staff and military personnel have been swabbed for the virus and tested negative.

He said the medical staff work through a roster system and live in these care facilities for 14 days, then go into quarantine in one of the government designated facilities for 14 days. They must then register another negative COVID test before they can rejoin their families.

The new case has brought the total number of COVID-19 cases to 29 in Fiji since March 19 this year, and two of them have died. The island nation now has four active COVID-19 cases.

Currently, Fiji still maintains a nationwide curfew effective from March 30 this year. Enditem
Dr. Darrell Brann and Dr. Yujiao Lu from Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Credit: Phil Jones, Senior Photographer, Augusta University

When the brain isn't getting enough oxygen, estrogen produced by neurons in both males and females hyperactivates another brain cell type called astrocytes to step up their usual support and protect brain function.

In the face of low brain oxygen that can occur with stroke or other brain injury, these astrocytes, star-shaped brain cells that help give the brain its shape and regularly provide fuel and other support to neurons, should become "highly reactive," increasing cell signaling, releasing neuroprotective factors and clearing neurotoxins, scientists report in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Astrocytes also should start producing protective estrogen, but it's neurons' producing estrogen that is critical to the protective cascade, they report.

"Astrocytes are always there and hovering and supporting," says Dr. Darrell W. Brann, neuroscientist and Virendra B. Mahesh Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience in the Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

"When something bad happens, they are supposed to go into overdrive, get big and pushy, but this work suggests that you have to have neural estrogen for that to happen," Brann says.

The scientists say that theirs appears to be the first report demonstrating that neuron-derived estrogen is critical to astrocyte activation following an ischemic injury like a stroke. They reason that by understanding how estrogen is controlled, it will unlock therapeutic targets to one day help regulate the hormone's protection in the brain in the face of these maladies, as well as potentially normal aging.

Brann and Dr. Ratna Vadlamudi, molecular biologist and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Health, San Antonio, are co-corresponding authors on the study and co-principal investigators on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke grant that helped fund it.

"The hallmark of activation is astrocytes get very large, hypertrophic, their volume increases tremendously," says Brann, often more than doubling in size, he says, although he has no evidence they increase in number.

To try to understand how astrocytes take on this enhanced role, they knocked out the enzyme aromatase, which is critical to estrogen production, in neurons in the forebrain, the largest region of the human brain, in their animal model.

They found that one way estrogen made by neurons is protective in ischemia is by suppressing signaling of the fibroblast growth factor, FGF2, which is also made by neurons and known to suppress astrocyte activation, Brann and his colleagues write. Normally neurons use this FGF2 brake to help keep astrocyte response from getting out of control.

In this scenario, when they used a neutralizing antibody to block FGF2, astrocytes became more active and neuron damage was decreased. "The astrocyte activation came back and we saw the protective growth factors that they make," Brann says. Giving more estrogen produced similar benefits, including improving cognition after ischemia.

But without the ability to make aromatase, and consequently estrogen, in the male and female neurons, they found activation of astrocytes was significantly reduced, brain estrogen levels were decreased and the results included worse damage to neurons and cognitive dysfunction following a period of ischemia. When they looked closer, they found changes in pathways and genes associated with astrocyte activation, brain inflammation and oxidative stress in the aromatase knockouts.

They also saw less of known neuroprotective growth factors, like brain derived neurotrophic factor and insulin-like growth factor 1, which astrocytes normally release at an increased rate in response to a stressor like ischemia, and more suppressive substances like the brake FGF2.

The findings are more evidence that decreased activation of astrocytes has functional consequences to astrocytes' role in neuroprotection, Brann says.

"We know estrogen can just go right out of the astrocyte to the neuron and help regulate neuron protection," he says. It also can help regulate microglia, another type of glial cell in the brainastrocytes also are glial cellsthat instead releases inflammatory factors that can exacerbate damage.

Activated astrocytes also help clear glutamate, the brain's most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter that normally helps neurons communicate. But without estrogen from the neurons, the glutamate transporter, GLT-1, which removes about 90% of the glutamate, is significantly decreased and the chemical can accumulate at toxic levels in the brain and become a major cause of neuron destruction. "Glutamate is essential for brain function, but if it's overproduced, it's brain toxic," Brann says.

When all is going well in the brain, only neurons appear to be a local estrogen source, but with a stressor like ischemia, aromatase and the estrogen it enables are known to increase significantly in the astrocytes as well, if they are activated.

"We know that you have to have astrocyte activation to have the aromatase activated," Brann says. "We only see aromatase in astrocytes when they are activated after an injury, after a stress," Brann says. When aromatase goes up, is when they can start making estrogen, he says of the star-shaped supporter cells. That just did not happen in their knockouts.

Now they want to learn more about why astrocytes typically don't produce aromatase and resulting estrogen routinely, and exactly why they do in ischemia. They think those answers will provide even more direction for possible intervention, again for males and females, with oxygen challenges to the brain. Brann notes there are research compounds that produce estrogen in the brain they will be working with in the lab moving forward, which may be a good option since there are health concerns, including for the breast and uterus, about increasing estrogen bodywide, Brann says.

Brann's lab reported last year in The Journal of Neuroscience that estrogen in the brain is important to neurons communicating and making memories and that when male and female neurons don't make estrogen, they have less dense spines and synapses, key communication points for neurons. At the time, Brann said it was direct evidence that neuron-derived estrogen is a critical messenger for these.

While the neuroprotection afforded in these studies was essentially equal between males and femalesthey removed the ovaries in the females to remove peripheral estrogen from the equationBrann's lab and others have evidence of gender differences in areas like the impact on memory. For example, they have found a more significant impact in females, about 90% versus 60%, in the molecular basis of memory, called long-term potentiation, when neurons could not produce estrogen, suggesting that brain-derived estrogen may have a bigger regulatory role in females, Brann says.

Brann also has some evidence that estrogen in the brain also has ongoing roles in both male and female brains. "When you have a challenge is when you see that role very clearly," he says.

There is no evidence that without estrogen, astrocytes turn on the neurons they typically support, rather they no longer can provide their usual protection, Brann notes. There also is no evidence that estrogen produced by the neurons themselves goes up in response to low oxygen.

Dr. Yujiao Lu, a recent Ph.D. graduate in neuroscience from The Graduate School at AU who is now a postdoctoral fellow with Brann, is the study's first author. Collaborators also include Drs. Gangadhara R. Sareddy, Uday P. Pratap and Rajeshwar R Tekmal from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Health, San Antonio.

Ischemic strokes account for 87% strokes, according to the American Heart Association. Like circulating estrogen levels in females, brain-derived estrogen also decreases with age in both sexes.

Explore further Estrogen made by neurons important to making memories

More information: Yujiao Lu et al. Neuron-Derived Estrogen is Critical for Astrocyte Activation and Neuroprotection of the Ischemic Brain, The Journal of Neuroscience (2020). Journal information: Journal of Neuroscience Yujiao Lu et al. Neuron-Derived Estrogen is Critical for Astrocyte Activation and Neuroprotection of the Ischemic Brain,(2020). DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0115-20.2020
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It wasnt a huge investigatory leap for North Catasauqua police to determine a 22-year-old Catasauqua man stole a tip jar containing about $220 from a pizza place in the Northampton County borough, court papers say.

Nicholas M. Mark, of the 300 block of Limestone Street, had applied for a job on Wednesday at Pizza Doro at 192 Main St. and left his name and cell and home phone numbers, police said.

That same day Mark grabbed the tip jar and took off, police said. An employee chased him but Mark pulled a knife and the employee backed off, police said.

In addition to the personal information Mark provided when seeking the job, he also left a backpack behind that contained several items with his name as well as drug paraphernalia, police said.

The employee and the pizza shops owner identified Mark from a photo lineup and the police departments computer system provided a home address, police said.

Mark was arraigned Friday evening before District Judge Daniel Corpora on two counts of robbery (the second to account for the alleged knife incident), and single counts of theft, possession of a weapon, simple assault and possession of drug paraphernalia, records show.

He was housed in Northampton Count Prison in lieu of $35,000 bail pending a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled 9 a.m. Sept. 11 in District Judge Robert Hawkes court in Lehigh Township, records show. Court papers do not list an attorney for Mark.

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Tony Rhodin can be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
Jeffrey Wright has been enjoying some downtime, since production on The Batman was put on hold in March.

And the Golden Globe winner is recharging during a tropical getaway, as Hollywood bounces back from COVID-19.

He showed off his guns Monday in sleeveless swimwear, as he caught some waves while surfing on vacation in Hawaii, before getting back to work on his upcoming superhero flick.

Gun show: Jeffrey Wright showed off his guns Monday in sleeveless swimwear, as he caught some waves while surfing on vacation in Hawaii, before getting back to work on The Batman

The 54-year-old filled out a sleeveless black wetsuit top with a navy blue bathing suit, featuring a tie-dye print.

He revealed his muscled physique and showed off his skills, while slicing through a wave on a white shortboard.

Wright is reportedly gearing up to return to the UK in September, as The Batman resumes production, following the COVID-19 lockdown.

According to Variety, they completed about two months of filming before going on hiatus, with three months left.

Beach babe: The 54-year-old filled out a sleeveless black wetsuit top with a navy blue bathing suit, featuring a tie-dye print

Hang ten: He revealed his muscled physique and showed off his skills, while slicing through a wave on a white shortboard

The delay has forced Warner Bros. to push the premiere date back from June to October, 2021.

Fans recently got a glimpse of Wright in character as Commissioner James Gordon, when the first teased dropped earlier this month.

He recently told SiriusXM why he loves this depiction of the iconic comic book character: 'Comic book films have sucked a lot of oxygen from the cinematic room.

Back to work: Wright is reportedly gearing up to return to the UK in September, as The Batman resumes production, following the COVID-19 lockdown

Pushed back: The delay has forced Warner Bros. to push the premiere date back from June to October, 2021

First look: Fans recently got a glimpse of Wright in character as Commissioner James Gordon, when the first teased dropped earlier this month

'But with Batman, we have an opportunity to use all of the trappings of that genre to explore some things in an American city through a lens of crime, corruption that are really grounded and relevant and interesting.

'So the detective work there is an exploration of Gotham but it also becomes an exploration of a city very much like New York City.'

Wright stars alongside Robert Pattinson as Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler and Colin Farrell as Penguin.
The in Bihar will kick off its virtual campaign in the pandemic era for the upcoming Assembly elections from the state's Betiya town in West Champaran district on Tuesday.

Madan Mohan Jha, the president of the Bihar unit, said on Monday the party has set up two war rooms -- in the capital Delhi and in the state capital Patna, and both and state leaders are expected to address the meeting.

"The idea is to connect with voters at ground level. I, along with the state in-charge, will be present in Sadakat Ashram and the office in Patna. The leaders and some leaders of the Bihar unit will be present in Delhi," Jha said.

"The virtual meeting will be addressed at the block level. The district-level in-charge has been given the task to make arrangements in such a manner that the maximum number of villagers assembles there. The social distancing norms will be followed. The block-level representatives have been given the task to add 5,000 members from their respective blocks. The digital membership campaign is already initiated in Bihar," Jha said.

In the initial phase, top Congress leaders like Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad will address the meetings.

After completing such meetings in each of the 38 districts in Bihar, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address a grand rally in which over five lakh people are expected to attend.

The Bihar Congress unit has also urged party's interim chief Sonia Gandhi to address the rally. "An official confirmation is yet to come," Jha said.

The Congress is a part of the Grand Alliance (Mahagathbandhan) in Bihar.

--IANS

ajk/pgh/dpb

(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.)
Former Royal aide Simon Case was confirmed as the youngest head of the civil service in living memory today.

Boris Johnson said Mr Case, drafted in to be the top aide at Number 10 earlier this year, would do a 'fantastic' job as Cabinet Secretary.

The appointment of the 41-year-old, who will officially start on September 9 and said he was 'honoured', represents the latest stage in the Government's dramatic shake-up of Whitehall.

Mr Johnson also heaped praise on Sir Mark Sedwill, who previously stepped down from the post with a 250,000 package after apparent clashes with maverick adviser Dominic Cummings.

The PM said: 'After serving for decades with great distinction, I believe he has earned the gratitude of the nation.'

Mr Case spent almost two years working as Prince William's right-hand man before temporarily moving to Downing Street earlier this year to assist with the coronavirus response.

Simon Case (pictured last year when he was private secretary to the Duke of Cambridge) is expected to be announced as the new head of the civil service tomorrow

The appointment of the 41-year-old represents the latest stage in the dramatic shake-up of Whitehall by Boris Johnson (pictured at the Cabinet meeting with outgoing civil service chief Mark Sedwill today)

Simon Case (left) delivered a speech on David Cameron's last day as Prime Minister in No. 10

Theresa May arrives in No.10 Downing Street with her husband Philip, for the first time as Prime Minister

Royal aide becomes youngest Cabinet Secretary in living memory At just 41, many thought that Simon Case would prove too young for the top job in the civil service. But the married father of two daughters has been a high flier in public service for many years. Having joined the civil service in 2006, the Cambridge graduate's roles have included helping to deliver the London Olympics in 2012, private secretary to David Cameron, and being part of Theresa May's EU negotiations team. But crucially he was not among the tight-knit group blamed by many Brexiteers for bungling the divorce talks with Brussels. Mr Cameron was apparently so impressed by Mr Case that he was ready to award him a knighthood on leaving office. But then-Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood advised him to shun the accolade as it was deemed to be too early in his career to accept such an honour. Mr Case was drafted back into Whitehall to become permanent secretary at No10 earlier this year after a spell as private secretary to Prince William. Boris Johnson is said to have personally called Prince William to ask for permission to 'borrow' Mr Case. His arrival back on the political scene was widely regarded as sealing the fate of predecessor Sir Mark Sedwill. Downing Street had not had its own permanent secretary for eight years. It was Mr Case, rather than Sir Mark, who was tasked with carrying out the review into the two-metre social distancing rule that resulted in it being downgraded to 'one metre plus'. Sources told The Spectator that Mr Case is 'patriotic to his core' and a 'passionate unionist'. But he was also described as 'a bit of a gossip' who has a 'slightly pompous' approach. Advertisement

There had been speculation that a longer-serving official, such as Department of Health permanent secretary Chris Wormald, might get the top job.

The senior mandarin at the Trade Department, Antonia Romeo, had also been widely tipped.

However, Mr Case, who is married and has two children, was given the nod. No10 source insisted the process had been handled by First Civil Service Commissioner Ian Whatmore.

Mr Johnson said: 'Simon will make a fantastic Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.

'His years of experience at the heart of government and working for The Royal Household make him ideally suited for this crucial role.

'I would also like to thank Mark Sedwill for his outstanding service to the Government and the country as a whole. After serving for decades with great distinction, I believe he has earned the gratitude of the nation.'

Mr Case said in a statement: 'It is an honour to be appointed as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service.

'Over these few months of working on the Covid response, I have seen how much hard work is being done by the Civil Service to support the government and our country through unprecedented times.

'It is a privilege to come into this role to lead a Service that is working day in, day out to deliver for people right across the country.

'I'm grateful to Mark for the kindness and support he has given me in my career and I wish him well for his next chapter.'

In June there were reports Mr Cummings told political aides a 'hard rain is coming' in Whitehall, suggesting the Cabinet Office needed radical overhaul.

A series of mandarins have departed during the drive for change.

The recruitment of Mr Case as the permanent secretary at No10 was seen as sealing the fate of Sir Mark.

Downing Street had not had its own permanent secretary for eight years - since former Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood gave up the title.

Mr Case previously worked on the Brexit negotiations, and is well-regarded within the PM's close circle.

It was he, rather than Sir Mark, who was tasked with carrying out the review into the two-metre social distancing rule that resulted in it being downgraded to 'one metre plus'.

One senior official told the FT: 'Simon's appointment is very much a 'hard rain' appointment.

'It's a sign they want to do things quickly.

'But if the other permanent secretaries don't recognise that person as 'the boss' there will be trouble. Will he find that the levers aren't attached to anything?'

While out of government, Mr Cummings wrote extensive blogs detailing his fondness for 'red teams' explicitly tasked with finding reasons why policies should not be pursued, and his criticism of the Whitehall infrastructure.

That included saying the Cabinet room was not fit for purpose because it does not have any 'tools' for modern times - with even the clock not always working.

The former Vote Leave chief, who worked for Michael Gove at the Department for Education, previously described the civil service machine as 'Kafkaesque', and wrote of support for ministers: 'The whole structure of 'submissions' and 'red boxes' is hopeless. It is extremely bureaucratic and slow...

'The whole approach reinforces the abject failure of the senior civil service to think about high performance project management.'

Civil service unions accused No10 of orchestrating a series of 'corrosive and cowardly' briefings against Sir Mark  whom Mr Cummings is said to have seen as a 'roadblock' to a Whitehall shake-up.

Sir Mark has previously hit out at 'unpleasant' off-the-record briefings and what he described as political 'sniping'.

Giving evidence to MPs, he called them a 'regrettable feature of modern politics'. He also denied 'resigning', saying he had agreed with Boris Johnson to step down.

David Cameron holding his last but one 8am meeting with his staff in No.10 Downing Street the day before he stepped down

Sir Mark Sedwill previously stepped down from the post with a huge pay-off after apparent clashes with maverick adviser Dominic Cummings (pictured in Downing Street today)
The King and Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari II, has been praised for bringing peace to the Dagbon Kingdom and by extension the entire Northern Region.

The Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), Dr Joseph Siaw-Agyepong, made the commendation when he led a high-powered delegation accompanied by the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Salifu-Sa-eed, to pay homage to the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari II, at his Gbewaa Palace in Yendi in the Northern Region.

He said the current peace in Dagbon, and for that matter, the whole of the Northern Region will help woo investors into the region to bring about development.

I want to use this opportunity to congratulate you first, for your ascension to the skin, and second, for your strenuous efforts in bringing peace to the Dagbon Kingdoma place where investors some years back felt jittery to invest.but through your ascension to the skin, you have brought peace and development to Dagbon, Mr Siaw-Agyepong stated.

PLEDGE

Mr Siaw-Agyepong, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, promised to support Ya-Na Abukari II in any development initiative that he will embark on for the people of Dagbon.

He again commended the Overlord of Dagbon for appointing the Sulta Na as the Chief of Sanitation, stating that this was a good initiative which my company [Zoomlion] will support to make sure Dagbon and the whole of the Northern Region is always free of filth.

OPPORTUNITY

He also used the opportunity to inform Ya-Na Abukari II of his companys plans to build solid and liquid waste treatment facilities in the Northern Region as part of efforts to improve sanitation in the region.

He revealed that funds and equipment had been secured which will see the two projects commence soon. He said the two projects when completed will create 125 direct and over 500 indirect jobs respectively.

According to him, Zoomlion which today has gained international fame started its humble beginning in the Northern Region, using tricycles to collect and dispose of solid waste.

"from a humble beginning, today, Zoomlion is in Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, has an office in China, Dubai and India, he noted.

PEACE

While acknowledging Dr Siaw-Agyepong for his pivotal role in the development of the country, Ya-Na Abukari II on his part, made a passionate call for peace ahead of the 2020 general elections.

Finally, as December 7 is almost at the corner, my humble and persuasive call for peace is in recognition of the tumultuous period of our electioneering campaigns and the palpable tension that it arouses. Dagbon has had its past experiences so long as part rivalries and politicking are concerned, he said.

Against this backdrop, Ya-Na Abukari II stressed the need for Ghanaians to demonstrate restraint and tolerance towards dissenting opinions.

He gave the assurance that he will continue to champion peace in Dagbon, and, therefore, called on the media to also help in promoting peace across the country.

DONATION

Later, Mr Siaw-Agyepong presented 50 bags of rice, 10 gallons of cooking oil, 100 dustbins, Zoomlion branded T-shirts and executive diaries to the Overlord of Dagbon in support of the celebration of this years Fire Festival. He also gave an amount of GHC10,000 to Ya-Na Abukari II and his family and elders of Gbewaa Palace.
By Associated Press

Beijing, Sep 1 (AP) Children returned to school Tuesday in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the original epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic that underwent months of lockdown but which has not seen new cases of local transmission for weeks.

State media reported 1.4 million children in the city reported to 2,842 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools as part of a nationwide return to classes.

Life has largely returned to normal in Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus was first detected late last year.

After what critics called an attempt to ignore the outbreak, the city underwent a 76-day lockdown during which residents were confined to their homes and field hospitals opened to assist an overwhelmed medical system.

Wuhan marked a milestone on Sunday when its last confirmed case, a patient who brought the virus from overseas, was released from a city hospital.
A stylish toddler has amassed a huge online following thanks to her $20,000 designer wardrobe packed with pieces from Gucci, Versace and Givenchy.

Anita Felix, who is just two-years-old, has accumulated more than 12,000 followers on Instagram because of the daily snaps her mother Stela shares of her latest luxury buys.

The account is run by 'momager' Stela, 27, from Yorba Linda, California, who discovered her love for designer brands when working as a personal shopper before giving birth to her daughter.

Stela has forked out a shocking $20,000 on glamorous clothes for her daughter including labels such as Balmain, Gucci, Versace, Fendi and Givenchy - and despite receiving some backlash, she has no plans on curbing her spending.

Two-year-old Anita Felix (pictured) has amassed a huge Instagram following thanks to her $20,000 designer wardrobe packed with pieces from Gucci, Versace and Givenchy

Anita (pictured left as a baby in a Versace sleeping bag, and right recently) boasts more than 12,000 followers thanks to the daily snaps her 'momager' Stela shares of her new luxury buys

Stela (pictured with Anita), 27, from Yorba Linda, California, discovered a love of designer brands while working as a personal shopper before giving birth to her daughter

The stay-at-home mother said she loves posing Anita up for fashion pictures for her Instagram account and has already collaborated with several brands.

Stela and her husband Ashvin, 32, who works as a physician, have recently introduced another member to the family, three-month-old Luka who already has his fair share of luxury clothing.

The mother said: 'When she was born, I started posting one or two pictures a month and saw a lot of interest from other Instagram pages who were reposting her.

Stela (pictured with her daughter) has forked out a shocking $20,000 on glamorous clothes for her youngster including labels like Balmain, Gucci, Versace, Fendi and Givenchy

And despite receiving some backlash, Stela has no plans on curbing her spending. Pictured: Anita in her luxury ensembles from her $20,000 wardrobe

The stay-at-home mom said she loves posing Anita (pictured as a baby with a gold Versace pacifier) in fashion snaps for her Instagram and has already collaborated with several brands

Stela and her physician husband Ashvin, 32, recently gave Anita (pictured) a sibling, three-month-old Luka who already has his fair share of luxury clothing

'So, I slowly converted my Instagram into hers. She gets featured on a lot of popular Instagram pages and designer clothing shops for children.

'I was a personal shopper at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York which is a luxury department store and that's where I developed my love for designer clothes.'

She added: 'Anita's wardrobe is 95 per cent designer and is worth $20,000 - there are a lot of people in this world who don't have the opportunity to buy their children designer clothes, but I do and I want to give her the best.

The mother said: 'When Anita (pictured last winter) was born, I started posting one or two pictures a month and saw a lot of interest from other Instagram pages who were reposting her'

However, not everyone is a fan of Stela's decision to make Anita (pictured) into an influencer - with some suggesting the mother spends too much on her daughter

'We get a lot of negative comments from people who think I spend too much on her,' the mother admitted. Pictured, Anita sporting a Gucci swimsuit and Versace shoes

Stela said: 'She's been gifted a few things from different companies which is always amazing - you can even find her on a card when you order from an online designer store for children'

'Sometimes she will ask me to take a picture of her but sometimes she doesn't want her picture taken, so I just have to go with her mood - she can definitely be a diva.'

However, not everyone is a fan of Stela's decision to make Anita into an influencer - with some suggesting the mother spends too much on her daughter.

'We get a lot of negative comments from people who think I spend too much on her,' the mother admitted.

'They think it's a waste of money. But I would love to have grown up with designer clothing, and now I have the ability to do what I think is best for me and my daughter.

'She's been gifted a few things from different companies which is always amazing - you can even find her on a card when you order from an online designer store for children.'
KBR has been awarded a $75 million recompete contract by Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe Africa Central to enhance infrastructure at multiple bases in Djibouti, Africa.

Under this five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, KBR will provide engineering, design, construction, renovations, repairs, maintenance, demolition and other services at both Camp Lemonnier, and its associated Chabelley Airfield.

This work complements KBR's premier base operating support throughout Africa. Notably, the company has provided base operating support services at Camp Lemonnier since 2013, with work in the region dating back to 2002.

While performing key services in Africa, the KBR team has achieved more than 25 million hours without a lost-time safety incident, a salute to KBR's commitment to sustainability and safety.

"KBR will continue its legacy of delivering trustworthy results and expertise to the US Navy through this award," said Byron Bright, KBR Government Solutions President. "We are proud to be a part of strengthening these bases for our troops and allies."

For over 75 years, KBR has helped ensure the success of US government missions and military readiness. The company provides solutions for base and contingency operations, asset management, prepositioned stocks and operations maintenance for US and allied forces globally. Known for excelling in complex and extreme environments, KBR is trusted to overcome some of the nation's most pressing challenges.-- Tradearabia News Service
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
By Jill Akanshumbusha

KAMPALA On Friday, August 28, 2020, the civil society launched a new campaign dubbed My Body is not a Democracy was at Skyz Hotel Naguru.

This campaign is part of a bigger project named National Advocacy on Bodily Autonomy and Integrity project in Uganda which is run under the partnership of civil societies which include; Uganda Network on Law Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET), Uganda Key Populations Consortium (UKPC), Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV/AIDS (UNYPA) and the AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA).

This campaign, which will run for the next 2 years, is intended to educate and enlighten young people about bodily autonomy and integrity highlighting the fact that it is a basic human right.

Other goals of the project include fostering, nurturing and reminding the young generation about Teenage pregnancies, fighting against child and forced marriages plus HIV/AIDs related stigma and discrimination in communities.

We want this to be safe space where everyone has a voice and this is why we are here this afternoon, stated Dorah K. Musinguzi, the Executive Director of UGANET. She followed this by giving heart-breaking testimonies of young girls who have fallen victims to issues like rape and defilement because they do not have a say when it comes to their bodies.

She also emphasized that denial of SRHR services and information due to age and race, sexual orientation, HIV status and gender norms/stereotype have influenced the increase in occurrence of violence upon young people.

In this endeavor, whenever you want help from members of parliament, you need to hear what their constituencies are saying first, said Hon. Asuman Basalirwa, Member of Parliament for Bugiri Municipality.

He emphasized the need for a functioning criminal justice system as it is the place that determines what happens to perpetrators and helping society become a safer place for people.

He added, This advocacy should be extended to the criminal justice system so that all our efforts are not futile. If the criminal justice system does its work, all these vices of preying on the bodies of young people will deplete.

Dr. Dan Byamukama, Commissioner at Uganda AIDS Commission who cut a ribbon to mark the end of this very important discussion thanked these civil societies for the fantastic work they are doing to protect human rights especially those of young people.

Related
By Trend

The Netherlands' haber.nl portal published an article about a military officer, Major of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces Anar Novruzov, who heroically died during the prevention of military provocations of the Armenian army in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Affairs with Diaspora told Trend.

The article was written by Emil Aliyev, an employee of the Coordination Council of the Netherlands-Belgium Azerbaijanis, and a member of the council, Head of the International Azerbaijani Ladies Club Kamala Ceylinova.

The article provides detailed information about the life journey of Anar Novruzov and his 25-year military career.

Following continuous ceasefire violations of Armenia's armed forces, the country launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan on July 12. Grossly violating the ceasefire regime, Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district.

As a result of the appropriate measures, the Armenian armed forces were silenced. The tensions continued on the border, July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, army vehicles.

As a result of the shelling, many houses in the Tovuz district's border villages were damaged.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Move comes a day before 13 men and one woman  accused of assisting the 2015 attackers of the newspaper  go on trial.

The French satirical newspaper whose Paris offices were attacked in 2015 is reprinting the controversial caricatures of Islams Prophet Muhammad that the gunmen who opened fire on its editorial staff cited as their motivation.

The move was announced on Tuesday, a day before 13 men and a woman accused of providing the attackers with weapons and logistics go on trial on charges of terrorism on Wednesday.

In an editorial this week accompanying the offensive caricatures, the paper said the drawings belong to history, and history cannot be rewritten nor erased.

The January 2015 attacks against Charlie Hebdo and, two days later, a kosher supermarket, touched off a wave of killings claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group across Europe.

Seventeen people died in the attacks  12 of them at the editorial offices  along with all three attackers.

The attackers, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, claimed their attack on the newspaper in the name of al-Qaeda. As they left the scene at Charlie Hebdo, they killed a wounded policeman and drove away.

Two days later, a prison acquaintance of theirs stormed a kosher supermarket on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, claiming allegiance to ISIL. Four hostages were killed during the attack.





The Kouachi brothers had by then holed up in a printing office with another hostage. All three attackers died in near-simultaneous police raids.

The supermarket attacker, Amedy Coulibaly, also killed a young policewoman.

Blasphemy

The decision to republish the cartoons will be seen by some as a defiant gesture in defence of free expression. But others may see it as a renewed provocation by a publication that has long courted controversy with its satirical attacks on religion.

The caricatures re-published this week were first printed in 2006 by the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten, setting off sometimes violent protests by some Muslims who found the depictions offensive.

The Prophet Muhammad is deeply revered by Muslims and any kind of visual depiction is forbidden. The caricatures were perceived as linking him with terrorism.

Charlie Hebdo, infamous for its irreverence and accused by critics of racism, regularly caricatures religious leaders from various faiths and republished them soon afterwards.

The papers Paris offices were firebombed in 2011 and its editorial leadership placed under police protection, which remains in place to this day.

Ignore

Laurent Sourisseau, the newspapers director and one of the few staff to have survived the attack, named each of the victims in a foreword to this weeks edition.





Rare are those who, five years later, dare oppose the demands that are still so pressing from religions in general, and some in particular, wrote Sourisseau, also known as Riss.

The president of the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM), Mohammed Moussaoui, urged people to ignore the cartoons, while condemning violence.

The suspects, who go on trial from 08:00 GMT on Wednesday, are accused of providing various degrees of logistical support to the killers.

The trial had been delayed several months with most French courtrooms closed over the coronavirus epidemic.

The court in Paris will sit until November 10 and, in a first for a terrorism trial, proceedings will be filmed for archival purposes given public interest.

National anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard dismissed the idea that it was just little helpers going on trial since the three gunmen were now dead.
By Yuddy Cahya Budiman and Tommy Ardiansyah

TANGERANG, Indonesia, Sept 1 (Reuters) - For the residents along Indonesia's Cisadane River, the coronavirus has brought not just deadly disease, but also a deluge of medical waste: a constant stream of syringes, face masks and hazmat suits floating by.

The double threat for those who depend on the 138-kilometre-long river to bathe and wash their clothes comes as Indonesia has struggled to contain COVID-19, now with the highest death toll in Southeast Asia, and in the past week almost 3,000 new infections a day.

As the virus has spread, medical waste had been piling up at Tangerang's Cipeucang landfill. Then in May its walls collapsed, sending tons of garbage straight into the Cisadane's khaki green waters.

"I still worry to be honest, but I have to wash here," local resident Eka Purwanti, 36, told Reuters, as she did her laundry in the river, and children played on the riverbank, "I hope nothing will happen, although I know it's a deadly disease."

Like countries around the world, Indonesia has seen the pandemic bring a huge increase in medical waste, an issue that has raised concern in places from Spain to Thailand and India.

In the months since the landfill collapsed, Ade Yunus, founder of the Cisadane River Rubbish Bank, has been working to cleaning up the waterway.

"The first time we found medical waste was after the landslide," said Yunus, bending down to pick up a syringe and deposit it in a safe box. "In the beginning, we found around 50-60 items every day."

Indonesia's health ministry acknowledged the problem - saying 1,480 tons of COVID-19 medical waste was produced across the country from March through June - and admitted the country lacked treatment facilities, but was working on solutions.

"A new regulation has just passed that included guidelines around medical waste treatment in every health facility," said ministry official, Imran Agus Nurali.

Story continues

Most health facilities in Indonesia, including hospitals, currently rely on third parties to incinerate their waste.

The deluge has raised fears among public health experts that the medical waste could spread the disease, with those in riverside communities at high risk.

"If this medical waste spreads in the residential area near the river then it could potentially pollute the water that is used by people there," said Mahesa Paranadipa Maikel, an epidemiologist from the Indonesian Law Health Society, "It could potentially result in the transmission of COVID-19."

By the river, it's a risk residents recognise.

"I worry if the children could get infected with COVID-19 when they swim here," said Cisadane local Astri Dewiyani. "That's why I always forbid my kids to swim at the river." (Additional reporting by Johan Purnomo; Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
SACRAMENTO  California would eliminate a disparity in its statutory rape laws that critics say is a discriminatory vestige of the historic criminalization of gay sex, under a bill sent Monday to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

SB145 by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would remove automatic sex-offender registration for young adults who are convicted of having anal or oral sex with a minor, leaving the decision up to a judge. Newsom has until the end of September to act on the measure.

Under current law, a judge can decide whether to place a man who has vaginal intercourse with an underage teenage girl on the sex offender registry based on the facts of the case. But if anal or oral sex, or vaginal penetration with anything other than a penis is involved, the adult must register as a sex offender  a relic of a penal code that criminalized those acts until 1975, even between consenting adults.

The California Supreme Court upheld the legal difference in 2015, arguing that because vaginal intercourse can lead to pregnancy, forcing a father to register as a sex offender would subject him to social stigmatization that could make it difficult to find a job and support his child.

Wieners bill would treat all sex acts the same: Although minors cannot legally consent, if a teenager ages 14 to 17 voluntarily had sex with an adult who is less than 10 years older, the judge would have discretion over placing the adult on the sex-offender registry.

This eliminates discrimination against LGBTQ youth in our criminal justice system, Wiener said on the Senate floor.

The bill squeaked through the Legislature on the last night of session, passing the 80-member Assembly on a bare minimum 41-18 vote before it was approved 23-10 in the 40-member Senate. Several members raised objections to a policy that they argued condoned mistreatment of minors.

I cannot in my mind as a mother understand how sex between a 24-year-old and a 14-year-old could ever be consensual, how it could ever not be a registrable offense, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego. We should never give up on this idea that children should be in no way subject to a predator.

The measure is supported by LGBTQ rights groups, which warn that young people are vulnerable to unfair punishment for gay and lesbian relationships, as as well by as organizations representing district attorneys and police chiefs.

Many law enforcement agencies say Californias sex offender database, with about 100,000 registered offenders, has become too large to fulfill its purpose of tracking potential predators. They have previously supported other legislation allowing people convicted of less-serious crimes to cycle off the list.

Although it had no organized opposition, Wieners bill stalled last year after becoming a political flash point in a legislative race. Wiener said right-wing conspiracy theorists picked up on the measure over the summer and began falsely accusing him of trying to legalize pedophilia and sending him death threats online.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
"With over one gigawatt (GW) of operational solar projects, and nearly three GW in contracted projects to be completed by the end of 2023, Origis Energy is delivering the economic benefits of clean energy to communities across the country," said Guy Vanderhaegen, Chief Executive Officer & President of Origis Energy.

"There is more to come as we develop a 15 GW pipeline putting clean energy, and the economic benefits it creates, within reach of more Americans," continued Vanderhaegen. "The timing of these efforts could not be better as the contributions of large scale solar and energy storage are more likely localized in rural regions where the rebuild effort is vital."

Economic development efforts by community organizations and leaders are crucial for the deployment of renewable energy in the U.S. Those efforts are rewarded when solar and energy storage investments create jobs, contribute to environmental initiatives, support local charities and job training programs and increase tax revenue. As these incentives become even more relevant for the revival of the economy in the aftermath of COVID-19, communities will heavily depend on these investments.

"Economic development not only was a sound basis for our team reaching these significant milestones, they increasingly drive our future growth," said Johan Vanhee, Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Procurement Officer of Origis Energy. "Without the trust and support of so many customers, utilities and large Fortune 500 companies, underwriting the importance of our local communities, Origis Energy would not have become a leader in the new economy of renewable energy in America."

On a company level, Origis Energy has also contributed to workforce gains in the communities where it has offices. Headquartered in Miami, FL, Origis has grown to 85 employees since its inception in 2008. While continuing safe Shelter in Place requirements, the company operates satellite offices in San Diego, CA and Austin, TX and reports continued gains in workforce bucking overall employment trends in the country. Overall Origis Energy has seen a 15% gain in workforce since the onset of COVID-19.

Workforce and facility gains have been made as well over the last year as leadership successfully launched Origis Services to operate and manage its own- and third-party projects.

Samir Verstyn, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operations Officer concludes, "Our future is challenging but bright. We envision the continued smooth collaboration with our financing, construction and equipment supply partners, all of whom are needed to complete projects that contribute to making our electrical grids cleaner, more reliable in an affordable way and rebuild our country economically. We are ready for the future and commit to the hard work to fulfill our clean energy mission."

About Origis Energy

Origis Energy is bringing clean and cost effective solar and energy storage solutions within reach for utility, commercial and industrial as well as public sector clients. The Origis team has worked to ensure the interests of all stakeholders are upheld in over 150 projects worldwide totaling nearly 3 gigawatts to date of developed solar and energy storage capacity. Headquartered in Miami, FL, Origis Energy delivers excellence in solar and energy storage development, financing, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operations, maintenance and asset management for investors and clean energy consumers in the U.S.

SOURCE Origis Energy

Related Links

https://origisenergy.com/


Aaron Jay Danielson, the man fatally shot Saturday in downtown Portland after a pro-Trump rally, was remembered Monday by his business partner as a proud American and a proud Portlander.

We were like brothers. We were inseparable, Luke Carrillo said as a group of Danielsons friends gathered at Portlands Washington Park to talk about him.
Orlando P. Duarte, the Harrisburg resident charged with Saturdays shooting death of 16-year-old Kyan King, had been on the states public registry of sex offenders since November 2015.

But that Megans Law listing - meant primarily as a way for the public to keep track of convicted sex offenders - wasnt the only law enforcement tail on Duarte since he served time in state prison for sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl who had been left in his care on several occasions more than a decade ago.

Back in 2012, when Duarte was sentenced to four-to-eight years in state prison for that sexual assault, Dauphin County Judge Scott Evans also placed a 10-year term of probation on Duarte that would not start until he was out of prison.

Duarte remained on that probation term - filled with rules on how live his daily life - as of Saturday, when he was arrested on charges that he shot King in broad daylight on a Harrisburg street, and the terms of that probation may explain why, according to arrest records, the only thing that he told police after they sought to interview him after his arrest was that he thought the boy was 18.

See, the terms of Duartes parole from state prison contained a battery of conditions that were designed to keep Duarte separate and apart from anyone under age 18.

Aside from not being able to live with anyone under 18, an October 2017 Board of Probation and Parole decision reads, Duarte was barred from maintaining any kind of relationship with a youth that wasnt expressly approved in writing by his parole officer, including talking, writing letters, buying presents, emailing or texting, right on down to making physical gestures like waving or winking.

He was barred from participating, attending or even loitering around places or events that are known to draw youth, including playgrounds, schools and school bus stops, amusement parks, community fairs and carnivals. The rules also barred Duarte from buying things designed to appeal primarily to children, like toys, stuffed animals or videos.

The prohibitions even included entering into a romantic or intimate relationship with anyone who had full or partial custody of a child under 18, and he was ordered - upon his anticipated release from prison in May 2018 on a parole violation, to continue in out-patient sex offender treatment until treatment staff and / or his parole officer deemed it was no longer needed.

Duarte had violated his parole in 2017. The state board found in its October ruling that he had changed his residence without permission, failed to successfully complete sex offender treatment, and failed to comply with the rules of an electronic monitoring system he was on. He was ordered back to prison for nine months.

The state parole terms, however, were all to remain in effect through at least the end of 2018; it was not immediately clear Monday if they all continued as Duartes case moved from state parole to the follow-up term of 10 years county-ordered probation as his maximum state sentence expired that December.

PennLive was not able to get information Monday on Duartes level of compliance as probationer since his latest release.

But clearly, one of Duartes first concerns about his connection to King, as reported by police, was the shooting victims age.

Harrisburg Police said King was shot shortly before 1 p.m Saturday near 18th and Forster streets. Witnesses told PennLive that King was running away from Duarte and shouting for help moments before gunshots rang out.

Avon Burton told police she was walking home from a store when she heard a loud yell for help. She could not tell where the shouting was coming from at first but could tell someone was in trouble. She soon heard gunshots. She told police she looked to her right and saw the boy on the ground and Duarte over him. Kyan said help again, but this time it was fainter, and Duarte shot him two more times, she told police.

Duarte was taken into custody shortly thereafter. Police tried to interview Duarte, but he would only tell them that he thought the boy was 18, court records state.

Duarte, whose most recent address was in the 600 block of North 17th Street in Harrisburg, had been charged in two sexual assault cases more than a decade ago in Dauphin County.

According to court records, in 2007, the Dauphin County District Attorneys Criminal Investigation Division filed charges against Duarte. They said Duarte told a 7-year-old boy to come into the bedroom of his home on the 500 block of Forrest Street in Harrisburg on March 13, 2005. Thats when investigators say Duarte sexually assaulted the boy.

In that case, Duarte was sentenced in 2008 to six to 23 months of confinement and probation after pleading no contest to charges of simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, indecent assault of a person less than 16 and disorderly conduct, court records indicate.

Then in 2010, Harrisburg police filed more charges against Duarte. They say he repeatedly sexually assaulted a girl who was left in his care over the course of three years. The girl was 6 years old when the assaults began, investigators said.

Duarte was sentenced in 2012 to four to eight years in prison and 10 years of probation on those charges, which included involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, aggravated indecent assault without consent, indecent assault of a person less than 13, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors.

It was the latter crime that landed Duarte a spot as a lifetime registrant on Pennsylvanias Megans Law.

Because Duartes triggering offense occurred before December 2012, he was required to verify his address and other information at least annually, but also report any changes of address, employment or enrollment as a student within three business days. Harrisburg Police Sgt. Kyle Gautsch said Monday that the department believes Duarte - whod lived in Harrisburg for the last two years - was current on all of his verifications.

But the homicide suspect avoided a second designation that year, as a sexually violent predator, that would have put the onus on police to share his whereabouts with neighbors.

According to court records, Evans did order Duarte to be evaluated by the states Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, and the board submitted its finding in July 2012. The boards evaluations are not made public, but we do know from his filing status that Duarte was, in the end, not deemed to be a predator.

If he had been judged a sexually violent predator, local police would have been mandated to make one active community notification, during which officers are required to distribute flyers with the offenders name, address, a current photo and qualifying offenses to all buildings within 250 feet of the persons new residence.

The same notification is also required to go to the home school district and any child care centers in the city.

Its not clear whether that one-time notice would have had any direct impact on Saturdays case, though in the aftermath of Kings death, there have been some community calls for heightened awareness about sex offenders and their presence in the city.

There are 878 persons currently listed on the registry who either live or work in Dauphin County, a search Monday showed. That more than any other county in south central Pennsylvania; 466 of those offenders live in Harrisburg.

Heres a little more about how Megans Law works today, how it applies to Duartes case, and how you might make it work best for you.

What is it?

Megans Law is named for Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old New Jersey girl who was raped and murdered in 1994 by a man who had been convicted of sex crimes twice before. Her family said they could have protected her if theyd known about her killers history.

Controversial from its start, it is currently the subject of several cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in which defendants argue that the laws policy underpinning that people convicted of certain sexual offenses cannot change and therefore are prone to reoffending is flawed and a violation of registrants Constitutional right to reputation.

Attorneys for offenders are arguing that only a small number of offenders fit that bill, while the rest get lumped into that group, suffering a lifetime of harm.

Who goes on it?

People convicted of any one of several dozen enumerated offenses are required to be placed on the Megans Law registry of sex offenders, which is maintained and posted online by the Pennsylvania State Police. According to the most current data, there are 21,554 offenders on Pennsylvanias registry.

Duarte, because of the severity of crimes he was convicted of in 2012, was required to go on the list for the rest of his life.

That listing, in his case, includes his current home address, the make, model and license plate of any vehicles he owns, updated photographs, a physical description including height, weight and identifying marks like tattoos, and a list of the offenses on his criminal record. The registry also provides, by municipality, any places where the person works or attends school.

Who gets this information?

The primary function of the registry to make this information available online, to the public.

At the states Website, anyone can search for offenders by city, down to within a half-mile of a given address. But the onus, in most cases, is one the searcher to look first. And, according to state police numbers, many people do: The agencys Megans Law annual report shows that nearly 2.7 million people visited the Web site in 2018.

In addition, any member of the public can register with the state for email alerts about registered offenders moving in within up to five miles of a designated address, be it your home or your childs school or day care, for example.

In cases where the person has been identified by the state as a sexually violent predator, however, there is also that separate active community notification requirement under which the police department with local jurisdiction is required to distribute flyers with his name, address, photo and qualifying offenses to all buildings within 250 feet of the persons residence.

The same notification is also required to go to the home school district.

How current is the Megans Law Website?

Because Duartes triggering offense occurred before December 2012, he was required to verify all of their information at least annually, but also report any changes of address, employment or enrollment as a student within three business days. Subsequent changes to the law force some offenders to verify their information in person as many as four times a year, in addition to reporting any changes in real time.

The Megans Law registry is updated daily.

Are there requirements on where Megans Law registrants can live?

Not specific to this law. However, sometimes judges or probation departments can impose such restrictions in sentencing orders or as a condition of parole or probation.

Does the registry list a persons specific residential address?

The Web site shows specific street addresses for all registrants who have one.
Game Of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are now working with Netflix on their first epic drama since the end of their HBO saga last year.

The writing team will be adapting the Chinese sci-fi trilogy The Three-Body Problem for the streaming service, according to a new report from Deadline.

Benioff, Weiss and Netflix will have the help of an A-list executive producing ensemble, which is set to include Star Wars' Rian Johnson, AMC's The Terror: Infamy co-creator Alexander Woo, and actress Rosamund Pike, among other industry pros.

Back in action: Game Of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are adapting the Chinese sci-fi sage The Three-Body Problem for Netflix. They're seen in Novemeber 2019 above

This will be Benioff and Weiss' first dramatic project with Netflix since signing an overall deal with the streaming giant last year. They are currently executive producing the half-hour dramedy The Chair, featuring Sandra Oh and written by Amanda Peet.

It will also be their first expansive, world-building endeavor since Game Of Thrones ended on a lackluster note in 2019.

Woo - who also signed an overall deal with Netflix this year - will join the GoT duo as a writer and executive producer.

Rian Johnson will exec produce alongside his producing partner Ram Bergman.

Rosamund Pike will work with Brad Pitt's production company Plan B along with her and Robie Uniacke's own company Primative Streak.

Lin Qi, chairman of the books' rights-holders Yoozoo Group and The Three-Body Universe, and Zhao Jilong, the vice president of The Three-Body Universe, will also exec produce alongside Bernadette Caulfield.

Out of this world: Three-Body Problem saga - which consists of three book Remembrance of Earth's Past, The Dark Forest and Death's End - tells the story of Earth's first contact with an alien civilization

Behind the scenes talent: Star Wars' Rian Johnson (left) and Rosamund Pike (right) will be part of the executive producing slate along with AMC's The Terror: Infamy co-creator Alexander Woo, and other professionals

Followup: It will also be their first expansive, world-building endeavor since Game Of Thrones ended on a lackluster note in 2019

Caulfield was an exec producer on GoT and was recently installed as President of Benioff & Weiss' production company.

Joining them will be Nena Rodrigue, President of Television for Rian Johnson and partner Bergman's production company T-Street.

The author of the Three-Body Problem Liu Cixin will serve as a consulting producer alongside Ken Liu, who wrote the English translation for The Three-Body Problem and sequel Death's End.

Three-Body Problem saga - which consists of the three books Remembrance Of Earth's Past, The Dark Forest and Death's End - tells the story of Earth's first contact with an alien civilization.

The first tome follows Ye Wenjie, who attempts to held extraterrestrials invade Earth after witnessing the death of her father during China's Cultural Revolution.

Three-Body Problem made history as the first Asian novel to win a Hugo Award For Best Novel, the highest honor in science-fiction and fantasy literature.

Storytelling: The first tome follows Ye Wenjie, who attempts to held extraterrestrials invade Earth after witnessing the death of her father during China's Cultural Revolution

Excited: Talking about their vision for the project Benioff and Weiss said: 'Liu Cixin's trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we've read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe. We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world'

A Chinese film adaptation of Three-Body Problem began being adapted in 2015, but never made its way to production.

Talking about their vision for the project Benioff and Weiss said: 'Liu Cixin's trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series we've read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe. We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world.'

Author Liu Cixin shared their excitement saying: 'I have the greatest respect for and faith in the creative team adapting The Three-Body Problem for television audiences. I set out to tell a story that transcends time and the confines of nations, cultures and races; one that compels us to consider the fate of humankind as a whole.

'It is a great honor as an author to see this unique sci-fi concept travel and gain fandom across the globe and I am excited for new and existing fans all over the world to discover the story on Netflix.'
GROTON  Just before a small plane crashed into a house last month, the pilot reported an engine malfunction and attempted to land on a street, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 17, the Groton Emergency Communications Center received multiple calls reporting a plane crash at Ring and Donna drives.

The plane crashed into the homes roof and into its living room.

Inside the twin-engine Piper PA-34-200 aircraft was a certified flight instructor and a pilot undergoing instruction.

The planes two occupants, who were not identified, self-extricated themselves and were transported to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London. Both sustained minor injuries, police said.

Ken Johnson, owner of the house, was in his bedroom after watching television in his living room. Johnson, who was not injured, had some throat irritation from the fuel smell from the crashed plane.

Officials said there was no fire after the plane slammed into the house.

Johnson said it was pure luck that he had left the living room. His daughter, Tammy de la Cruz, who lives a few houses away, called it a miracle that her dad wasnt hurt.

I said to my dad, Theres an angel thats on your shoulder, she said.

The crash happened about 2 miles from Groton-New London Airport.

The plane, owned by Upgrade Inc., had earlier flown from Groton-New London airport to Bangor, Maine, leaving Groton at 5 p.m. and arriving in Bangor at 7:17 p.m., where it landed safely and refilled its fuel tanks, according to the NTSB report.

Around 8 p.m., the plane left Bangor and flew to Augusta State Airport and then to Portland International Jetport. The flight instructor indicated the pilot undergoing instruction performed one, and three touch-and-go landings at the airports, respectively, the report said.

After the last touch-and-go landing in Portland, the flight proceeded to Groton, where the pilot under instruction performed two more touch-and-go landings, the report said.

The flight departed and remained in the traffic pattern for the same runway, where, when abeam (in the general position of) the approach end of runway 23 with the landing gear extended and 10 degrees of flaps extended, the pilot under instruction began to descend while turning onto the base leg of the airport traffic pattern, the NTSB stated.

The flight instructor stated that at times he heard an engine sputter and verified the controls were in the proper position, the report said. He heard the engine sputter again and felt the [airplane] jerk and stated, my controls.

He maintained airspeed and verified the engine controls were full forward, retracted the flaps but decided to leave the landing gear extended due to the altitude and proximity to the airport, the report said.

He verified the malfunction to be the right engine and felt it was developing some power, but with less output than the left. He briefly pitched nose-down, then nose-up, and when he noticed a high decent rate, he feathered the right propeller and placed the right mixture control to idle cutoff, the report said.

According to the report, the pilot was looking for a place to land on the street when the plane crashed into the house, the report said.

The airplane came to rest suspended by the roof structure of the house. The airplane, which had substantial damage, was recovered for further examination of the air frame, engine and propeller systems, the NTSB said.

The preliminary report did not list a probable cause of the crash. That finding will be in a final report that will be released within 18 months.
Last Thursday in my column, I celebrated an exciting new range of candles called Scents of Normality, designed to evoke the smell of places and events that have been cancelled by lockdown.

These candles may sound like a joke, but I am happy to say they are real. The Festival candle is described like this: 'A floral haze of cut grass, burned skin, and sun-warmed cider, with just the merest shimmer of distant Portaloo.

'Top notes of burger van and singed candyfloss bloom above an earthy bed of unwashed hair and dew-damp sleeping bag. A resonant bouquet, tied with a ribbon of sweet cannabis smoke.'

Anyone who has ever been to a rock festival will recognise these aromas, and may well be spurred to purchase a Festival Candle. Of course, smells, though evocative, are not everything.

Last Thursday in my column, I celebrated an exciting new range of candles called Scents of Normality, designed to evoke the smell of places and events that have been cancelled by lockdown

However, those requiring the complete Festival Experience can recreate it by sitting in a corner of a muddy field and watching a television in the distance through a pair of binoculars turned the wrong way round.

The manufacturers of these candles have broken new ground by bringing authenticity to a market steeped in the phoney. On Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP website, overpriced scented candles are described in absurdly overblown terms.

We are asked to believe, for instance, that her 'Orchard' candle (66)  has 'a scent of sun-warmed apricot, fresh hay and dry earth...

Sandalwood and orris root deepen the fragrance and give an addictive, sexy aspect. Grounded in earth and infused with the almost-pregnant atmosphere of impending harvest, Orchard possesses a pure, utterly original sensuality.'

Paltrow attempts to force upon her customers all sorts of off-putting smells. At 70 a pop, her Revitalising Body Serum, for instance, is, she enthuses, 'a miracle blend of oils  including sea buckthorn, prickly pear and baobab'.

On Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP website, overpriced scented candles are described in absurdly overblown terms

For many years, the great satirist Auberon Waugh wrote a wine column, in which he eschewed the fancy-pants prose taken by such sensitive souls as Gwyneth Paltrow. Pictured: Stock image

But if we accidentally spilled any of these on our skin, most of us would reach for the nearest J-cloth. Elsewhere on her website, Paltrow offers her advice on 'Everything You Need to Nail a Beach Picnic'.

Most of us would be happy to settle for a few cheese sandwiches, a bottle of wine and a packet of smoky bacon crisps, but Gwyneth clearly expects more from a picnic. 'Just round up the essentials,' she advises.

She then goes on to list 18 items, all available through mail order from her website.

These picnic essentials include hand sanitiser, balm, Sweet Potato Chips with White Bean and Basil Dip, sunscreen, a set of four stainless steel straws, a black string triangle bikini top, 'sneakily sexy and utterly classic' (160), plus black bikini briefs (140), a long skirt, described as 'a quick and easy cover-up for when you're en route to the beach/pool/lake' (148), sandals (234), a Zoodle Salad with Grilled Corn and Cherry Tomatoes, a pink beach blanket which 'doubles as a cozy throw' (120), a beach bag with a 'chic' looped strap (346), plus a set of 'Inner Compass Cards' which come with the instructions: 'Pull one or a few of these pretty cards, and see what symbols and themes  vulnerability, practice, letting go  you connect with' (42). And, last but not least, the most essential of all picnic items  a Marlo Laz Lucky Charm Bracelet, 'inspired by ancient Greek and Roman coins' to help you 'get lucky on the sand', which can be yours for around 3,300. It all makes me yearn for the more robust British approach.

For many years, the great satirist Auberon Waugh wrote a wine column, in which he eschewed the fancy-pants prose taken by such sensitive souls as Gwyneth Paltrow.

Of one French wine, he noted that: 'People say it reminds them of violets and wild strawberries, but I feel they must be mad.' Waugh preferred the no-nonsense approach.

He described one wine he had sampled as tasting like 'blue ink and curry powder', another as 'Ribena-flavoured beetroot soup', and another as reminiscent of 'a collapsed marquee fallen into a rotting silage pit'.

For him, strong cocktails were mandatory for the early evening in order 'to anaesthetise the brain, drive out the worries and preoccupations of the day and prepare men and women for each other's company'.

But of course, as Waugh observed, most British prefer beer, because 'the beer belly is sexually irresistible to many women in the north of England'.
- Racism in the United States has forced 19 families to buy almost 97 acres of land to build a city where black people will be safe

- The families, who are tired of the killings of black people, purchased the land in Toomsboro, Georgia

- The initiative was launched by a realtor identified as Ashley Scott, and her friend named Renee Walters

As racism continues to be a major issue in the United States, a group of 19 black families have purchased almost 97 acres of land in Toomsboro, Georgia, to build a safe city for black people.

A realtor identified as Ashley Scott launched The Freedom Georgia Initiative with her friend named Renee Walters.

Scott said the death of Ahmaud Arbery inspired the initiative. Arbery was killed while he was outdoors for a jog.

In an op-ed published on Blavity, Scott said she said sought counselling from a black therapist and it helped her.

Scott said: "It helped me to realize that what we as Black people are suffering from is racial trauma. We are dealing with systemic racism."

The initiative was launched by a realtor identified as Ashley Scott, and her friend named Renee Walters. Photo credit: How Africa

Source: UGC

According to her, what black people in the United States are dealing with will require more than taking to the streets to protest.

She said black people in the US need to plot, plan, strategise, organise and mobilise.

Scott said: "So thats what I and my good friend Renee Walters, an entrepreneur and investor, did.

In other news, the GoFundMe account set up for another black victim of police brutality, Jacob Blake who was injured in Wisconsin, grossed over $1 million in a day, passing its $250,000 mark.

The 29-year-old man was shot many times in the back as he was going towards his car after police officers were in his neighbourhood for domestic violence call.

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh previously reported that a Nigerian man living in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said he had a share of injustice in the United States where he said he was charged for a crime he did not commit.

The man identified as Mac Eze said he was arrested and handcuffed by police, charged to court but he was able to prove his case.

Speaking with Legit TV, he said despite what he faced in the United States, he prefers the North American country to Nigeria.

Source: YEN.com.gh
Amidst the current global pandemic, masks and gloves have become mandatory in our lives. While the masks that we wear usually come in the affordable range, there are a few brands that are making them with rather ostentatious price tags.

I mean, would you spend $500 on a mask? Many street-wear brands have turned the new norm into a fashionable accessory and hence, here's a list of the most stylish germ blockers with jaw-dropping prices:

1. Emilio Pucci Badea Print Face Mask

Price: $85

 Emilio Pucci

If you do the math, $85 sums up to approximately Rs 6,200 which isn't that bad, compared to the other names on this list.



Pucci has come up with at least nine versions of face masks during the pandemic and to our surprise, most of these pieces are sold out. Clearly, some folks have no problem in spending an outrageous amount of money on masks as well.

2. Off-White

Price: $136

 Off-White

As of now, it looks like masks have become more of an accessory than being a protective gear. In the 'brand race' for masks, Off-White is ahead of the pack and is selling its pieces like hotcakes.



These masks are edgy and fashionable but cost Rs 9, 905 approximately. Yea, let that sink in!

3. BAPE

Price: $206

 BAPE

BAPE is a Japanese streetwear brand that has curated some genius fashionable accessories. Quite popular for its shark teeth logo, the masks made under BAPE are all the rage at the moment.



These masks can only be bought online and they cost a whopping Rs 15,000.

4. Revival Ruby Crystal Face Mask

Price: $500

 Michael Ngo

It's not just basic three-layered masks or cotton masks that are being sold but brands have taken the mask game a level higher by designing Swarvoski crystal-encrusted masks as well.



These masks can easily burn a big hole in anyone's pocket as they cost a staggering Rs 36,000.

The Revival collection makes masks out of patent leather with versatile designs and the net proceeds are given to the L.A Food Bank as a donation.

5. Givenchy Paris Cap With Mask

Price: $590

 Givenchy

It's Givenchy and it's a luxury brand, so you know what you are in for.



Even though the mask designed by the brand costs a whopping Rs 42,000, it at least gives full coverage with a hat and a mask together to combat the spread of COVID.

6. Gold Mask

Price: $3,971

 YouTube/South China Morning Post

A lot of brands and people are coming with bizarre mask-making ideas. One such instance was that of a Pune-based businessman, who wore a gold mask made by his jeweller, costing Rs 2.89 Lakh.



The man seems to be obsessed with the concept of gold and got himself this thin mask made of the precious yellow metal. This bizarre idea struck him when he saw another businessman wearing the same in silver.

7. Yvel Jewelry Black and White Diamond Face Mask

Price: $1.5 million

 Yvel

Okay, this is indeed the most expensive mask you will ever find. Yvel, an Israel-based jeweller, made an announcement that he would make a white gold and diamond-encrusted mask, valued at a whopping $1.5 million.



Furthermore, this lavish mask would be adorned with an18-karat gold base with 3,600 diamonds and N99 filters as protection from the virus.

With such a heavy base, the weight of the mask is over half a pound, and it's said to be ready by the end of this year.
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Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Deputies with the gang unit and federal agents teamed up as part of Operation Legend to target crime across the city Saturday afternoon, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office.

This operation has everything to do with Operation Legend, Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III said, flanked by a crowd of deputies peppered with federal agents. This operation is for one purpose and one purpose only: to take violent criminals off the streets of Albuquerque.  Its not anything other than that.

Gonzales said members of BCSOs Gang Recognition and Intelligence Patrol, U.S. Marshals and Homeland Security Investigations served federal and local warrants on violent offenders.

On Sunday night, BCSO posted on social media that 14 felony arrests and eight misdemeanor arrests were made during Saturdays operation. Authorities recovered two stolen guns, one stolen vehicle and a small amount of drugs.

Most of the arrests were for warrants, according to BCSO, but there were arrests for possession of a controlled substance, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, resisting or evading an officer and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

We are frustrated to some degree with whats going on with the criminal justice system here in New Mexico so we have to take another approach and this is the right approach, Gonzales said.

BCSO vehicles could be seen pulling over residents Saturday afternoon  including at least one bicyclist  and making arrests in the International District. In one bust, the task force photographed what looked like a container of marijuana, cash and handguns on the hood of a car they had stopped near Central and Louisiana.

Since being announced last month by U.S. Attorney General William Barr and President Donald Trump, Operation Legend has sparked protests and concerns from some local leaders about federal authorities overstepping their bounds. But Department of Justice officials have pushed back on those claims, saying the initiative is a continuation of an earlier endeavor, Operation Relentless Pursuit, that was put on hold due to the pandemic.

According to the DOJ, Operation Legend involves more than 25 federal officers coming to town to combat violent crime, but it is unclear how many participated in Saturdays operation.

During the news conference, a van of people drove in circles yelling Black Lives Matter, and Gonzales said they are taking extra precautions to keep deputies, the public and the media safe after instances of protesters showing up  something the sheriff said happened during the arrest of a suspect in the high-profile Jacqueline Vigil homicide case.

They were very organized. They were showing up almost immediately at the crime scene. It poses a threat to our deputies, he said. Theres a place for that. We dont facilitate protests  I believe the city does. We dont.
New Delhi: The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Tuesday reported 17.1 percent increase in sales at 1,24,624 units in August.

Maruti Suzuki India Limited posted total sales of 124,624 units in August 2020. This is a growth of 15.3 percent over July 2020 and a 17.1 percent over August 2019. Total sales include domestic sales of 115,325 units and 1,379 units for other OEMs, MSI said in a statement.

In addition, the Company exported 7,920 units in August 2020, a drop of 15.3 percent over August 2019.

Sales of mini cars comprising Alto and WagonR stood at 19,709 units as compared to 10,123 units in the same month last year, up 94.7 percent.

Sales of compact segment, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire rose 14.2 percent to 61,956 units as against 54,274 cars in August last year.

Mid-sized sedan Ciaz sold 1,223 units as compared to 1,596 units earlier, down 23.4 percent.

Sales of utility vehicles, including Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga, increased 13.5 percent to 21,030 units as compared to 18,522 units in the year-ago month, MSI said.

Exports in August were up down 15.3 percent at 7,920 units as against 9,352 units in the corresponding month last year, the company said.

The Company remains committed to the health, safety and well-being of all members across the value chain. All production and sales continue to take place fully consistent with all safety requirements for employees and customers, MSI said.
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COVID-19 placed a lot of restrictions on traveling at the start of the pandemic, canceling a lot of people's upcoming trips through various methods of transportation.

But 25-year-old Santiago Restrepo Orrego was vacationing in Austin before the virus, and six months later, he still hasn't been allowed to return home to Colombia.

He was enjoying his time and staying with his boyfriend at first, but the relationship didn't work out, and things started to go downhill from there, Orrego said.

"I was enjoying myself here. But then everything just changed instantly with this virus, and I was not expecting at all to be stuck here, because I was only taking a brief vacation from work and was supposed to go back to Colombia," he said.

Even when things got rough at the beginning, Orrego said he thought he'd be okay since he hadn't come to the country with empty pockets, but it costs to be in this country, and he basically spent all of his funds in the first month.

MENTALLY, HOW ARE YOU? Experts worry about mental health as COVID-19 continues

"I been struggling with this situation and its been complicated," he said. "Since Im Colombian and I came with a tourist visa, I cant work legally in United States. Not even caring about this, I tried to apply in many jobs during this times but I have not received any job offer at all."

Orrego said he's tried reaching out to friends and family for help, but everyone keeps telling him they're worse off than he is.

His visa expires Tuesday, Sept. 1, and Orrego said he is desperately trying to get on a humanitarian flight home so he doesn't lose his documentation.

A humanitarian flight is one that is operated exclusively for humanitarian purposes, or a good cause, and in Restrepo's case, would be "used to evacuate persons from a place where their life or health is threatened by such emergency and/or disaster to a safe haven in the same State or another State willing to receive such persons."

Colombia has closed off all commercial flights because of COVID-19, making humanitarian flights the only option available.

"Sadly these flights are really expensive but its the only safe and secure way of getting out of this country," said Orrego. "I dont have the human resources to stay more time in this country. I want to go back home. I want to see my dog. Im tired of eating bad and sleeping in the floor. Im really scared of losing my visa."

Orrego has set up a GoFundMe to raise the funds he needs to return home, and has so far raised almost $600 of his $1,200 goal.
Indias economy had officially entered recession, as released data on Monday showed a collapse of 23.9 per cent of gross domestic product in the second quarter.

This was largely due to the Indian economy was weighed being down by the coronavirus pandemic and the severest of lockdowns that led to halt in business activities and a sharp fall in consumer demand.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) said GDP contraction in the April-June period of FY21 was the largest slump on record since India started reporting quarterly data in 1996.

Indias nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25 and continued till the end of May, after which restrictions were gradually lifted from June. While April and May are considered washouts for most businesses, pent-up demand boosted consumption somewhat in June, though well below pre-Covid levels.

A report conducted by London School of Economic researchers, Shania Bhalotia, Swati Dhingra and Fjolla Kondirolli, measured how Indias jobs and earnings were impacted in the similar period (May-June.)

The report, titled City of Dreams no More: The Impact of Covid-19 on Urban Workers in India," surveyed 8,500 workers aged 18 to 40 in urban India to understand their experiences at work during Covid-19.

It found that on an average, earnings fell by 48% in April and May, compared to pre-Covid months of January and February. Financial assistance from the government or employers was available to less than a quarter of the workforce.

15.5% of the workers surveyed lost their jobs and, 21.7% worked zero hours during the survey months. 70% percent of urban workers have no guarantee of a minimum number of days of work in the year. Of them, 70% would like to have a guarantee of 100 days of work, primarily to overcome the livelihood insecurity from Covid-19.

The survey also found that only 27% actually have written employment contract while a little over half have access to some benefits (provident funds, sick pay, health insurance) through the government or their employer.

It also found that Gen Z (those aged between 18 to 25 years) suffered the most. The authors of the study state that Gen Z was more likely to be employed informally and more likely to be

paid less. The pandemic has left the lockdown generation with lower employment rates and a legacy of entrenched inequality."

Ironically, the study also found that Gen Z was much more likely to want a job guarantee, primarily for the livelihood security that they provide in these hard times.

India is struggling with one of the worlds largest virus caseloads and the effects of a lockdown so abrupt and punishing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the poor to forgive him.

The study adds the repercussions of this: Trying to make generate jobs. Inadequate job protections and the severe economic downturn from the pandemic have renewed the debate over a job guarantee in urban areas of India."

It adds how several states in India are introducing urban jobs programmes, particularly for young workers, to prevent the crisis from further developing into long-term unemployment.

The study notes that This is a step in the right direction because even more recent data reveals that easing the lockdown has not fully reversed the patterns of rising unemployment and reduced earnings."
New 1.2M MRI scanner for Nobles

A new MRI scanner will be installed at Noble's Hospital this week.

The scanner at the cost of 1.2million has been funded by the Henry Bloom Noble Healthcare Trust.



Health officials say it will allow more complex scanning to be carried out on Island than in the past, and as a result fewer patients will need to travel to UK hospitals for their scans.



A crane will be required to lift the MRI off its lorry and manoeuvre it into place through a hole in the outside wall of the hospital.
Victoria's State of Emergency has been extended by six months after Premier Daniel Andrews' contentious bill passed parliament by just one vote.

It came as Victoria's coronavirus cases continued to plummet on Wednesday with just 90 new active cases and six deaths.

Victorian Greens upper house MP Samantha Ratnam returned from maternity leave to vote for the government's amended bill during a marathon parliament session early this morning.

'I felt it was just too important that I had to be here,' she told reporters as she arrived at parliament with two-month-old Malala.

The bill passed just before 2am on Wednesday in the Victorian Upper House, with 20 votes in favour and 19 against.

Victorian Greens upper house MP Samantha Ratnam returned from maternity leave to vote for the government's amended bill during a marathon parliament session early on Wednesday morning

Daniel Andrews faced intense backlash over his original proposal of a 12-month extension to the state of emergency powers

Reason Party MP Fiona Patten and Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick also voted in favour of the six-month extension, giving the government 20 votes in the 40-member upper house.

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos, whose speech was met with jeers, told Parliament those who voted against the bill were effectively voting for a 'third wave'.

'This is the most important bill ... in the 21 years I have been in the Victorian Parliament. We have an ongoing public health emergency,' she said.

State of Emergency powers The law hands Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton two sets of sweeping powers to make legally enforceable public health directions. The first set allows him to have any person in an emergency area detained for as long as necessary, restrict their movements in that area and prevent people from entering an emergency zone. It also empowers him to 'give any other direction ... reasonably necessary to protect public health'. The second set of powers allows Dr Sutton and health officials to do the following in order to 'investigate, eliminate or reduce a risk to public health': - Without a warrant, entering any premises and to search for or seize anything 'that is necessary' - Inspecting or closing any premises for a period of time to investigate a possible public health threat - Requiring a person to provide their name and personal information to health officials under threat of legal penalty - Requiring a premises be cleaned or disinfected or any thing be destroyed or disposed of to 'eliminate or reduce the risk to public health' - Directing a person or group of persons to enter, not to enter, to remain at, or to leave, any particular premises for the period of time Advertisement

'This pandemic will not be finished in two weeks' time, it won't in fact be finished in six months, this will be going into 2021 because we know in all likelihood there will be no vaccine . within that six-month period.'

The six-month extension was a compromise by Mr Andrews, who initially proposed a 12-month extension which was met with furious backlash from the public, civil rights groups and both sides of politics.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison directly asked Mr Andrews last week to reconsider his proposal and urged him to seek monthly or quarterly prolongments instead.

The State Opposition were unsuccessful in their push to have the State of Emergency powers extended on a month to month basis.

The State of Emergency powers allow Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton to impose restrictions including to wear masks or to stay at home.

The pandemic sparked a state of emergency on March 16, but that is due to expire on September 13 after a maximum six extensions along with Melbourne's stage four lockdown and regional Victoria's stage three rules.

The amended bill is specific to the COVID-19 pandemic and includes additional transparency measures, Ms Mikakos said.

Mr Andrews has previously stressed the extension does not mean stage four restrictions - due to end on September 13 - would be in place for another year.

It comes as Victoria recorded five coronavirus deaths and 70 new cases on Tuesday, its lowest single-day increase in cases since July 3.

The state government on Sunday will release its plans to move both Melbourne and regional Victoria out of restrictions, noting they will be different.

'Given the low case numbers it will be possible for us to have different settings in regional Victoria, and a different timeline and road map compared to what will be essential in metropolitan Melbourne,' the premier said.

On Tuesday, a leaked government report has revealed the strict new rules that businesses will have to follow as the state prepares to ease its stage four lockdown.

The state government announced its 'reopening roadmap' - the plan for the easing of Melbourne's stage-four COVID-19 restrictions and Victoria's stage-three measures - will be unveiled on Sunday.

Under Premier Daniel Andrews' new industrial plans, Victorians will be encouraged to work from home, car pooling will be banned and face masks will be mandatory in high-risk workplaces.

The new measures also require meetings and tea rooms to be held outside, while workplace 'bubbles' mean employees can't overlap during shift changes.

Areas that are commonly touched such as elevators and door handles will also need to be disinfected regularly.

A traffic light system of closed, heavily restricted, restricted or open with a COVID-safe plan will be implemented in industry fields.

Mr Andrews said there will be relief for hospitality businesses, as warmer weather means pubs, cafes and restaurants can offer outdoor table service.

'We'll be having very detailed discussions with that industry,' he said.

Victoria recorded five coronavirus deaths and 70 new cases on Tuesday, its lowest single-day increase in cases since July 3

The state government on Sunday will release its plans to move both Melbourne and regional Victoria out of restrictions, noting they will be different

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said state health authorities will need to have a backup plan to prepare for another dreaded outbreak.

'What are the fail-safe mechanisms that are going to be put in place? We know there are going to be outbreaks, sadly, so how do we deal with that without having to shut down all of industry and, in fact, all of the state?' he told ABC Radio.

'We need confidence in the contact tracing system because if that is working then the caseload should be limited by the fact that we're onto it and onto it quickly.'

The new road map will also detail whether Victorians will be allowed visitors in their homes.

'If we do this too quick, if we do this chasing something that might be popular for a few weeks, if we forget that it's a pandemic and think that it's a popularity contest, then Christmas won't look normal at all. It will be a very, very different Christmas Day,' Mr Andrews said.

The state government's 'reopening roadmap' - the plan for the easing of Melbourne 's stage-four COVID-19 restrictions and Victoria's stage-three measures - will be unveiled on Sunday

The current state of emergency was due to expire on September 13, along with Melbourne's stage four lockdown and regional Victoria's stage three rules

'I want to find a COVID normal based on the best medical advice where there will be some rules but where we can lock that in for months.'

Full details of the government's plans to ease restrictions more broadly will be released on Sunday.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on Monday described the premier's handling of the crisis as 'the biggest public policy failure by a state government in living memory'.

'Victorians want to hear a definitive plan from Daniel Andrews about the lifting of stage 4 restrictions,' he said.

'What has transpired in Victoria has been a like a slow-motion car crash.'

He said there had been a 'litany of failures' regarding hotel quarantine and the state's testing and tracing regime which became overwhelmed.
Saving money on car insurance is not that difficult. Parking the car in a safe place and shopping around for better insurance deals can help you save hundreds of dollars per year, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

All states, except New Hampshire, require drivers to obtain car insurance. For many drivers, car insurance can be an expensive necessity. Luckily, there are plenty of methods and discounts provided by insurers that can help any driver save money on car insurance.

The following methods can help drivers pay lower insurance premiums:



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Maintain a good credit score or try to improve it. Insurance companies consider that policyholders that have a good credit score will pay their insurance bills on time and they are less likely to file insurance claims. There are several ways to improve a credit score. Paying the bills on time and not gathering debt will help drivers have a better credit score.



Graduate a defensive driving course. Besides helping drivers to improve their driving skills, defensive driving courses can also help them save money on car insurance. Drivers who manage to graduate an approved defensive driving course will be rewarded with a consistent discount that is between 10% to 15%.

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For additional info, money-saving tips and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org

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The Madhya Pradesh Police arrested 28 people including six under National Security Act for taking out a religious procession and organising a gathering in violation of prohibitory orders in Indore on Sunday. The six booked under NSA include an ex-corporator, police said on Monday.

Four FIRs were lodged with Khajrana police station against 16 people and several others in connection with their taking out a procession with Tazia in Muharram, later gathering and provoking members of a community through a video clip posted on social media in Khajrana area on Sunday in violation of sections 188, 269 and 270 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), a police statement said.

The administration had earlier shifted Khajrana police station in-charge Santosh Singh Yadav to police lines and issued show cause notice to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) on the ground of dereliction of duty for not acting against people participating in the procession.

Action under National Security Act (NSA) was taken against ex-corporator Usman Patel, Ansar Ali, Mohd Ali, Ismail Patel and Shahzad Patel, all residents of different localities in Khajrana area and Farukh Ali. The other 22 accused were arrested and sent to judicial custody on Monday. Police have launched a manhunt to nab other accused who would be sent behind the bars at the earliest, the Indore police statement said.

The release warned, Strict punitive action will continue to be taken to check the spread of global pandemic Covid-19 against those who violate the instructions issued by the government and the administration.

District collector Manish Singh said the administration had held a meeting with community leaders a few days ago where religious leaders and others had promised there will be no procession with tazia in Muharram. But still there were violations of orders. In fact, there were lapses on both the sides. Had the police station in charge, SDM and city superintendent of police concerned been alert the situation would have been avoided, he said.
There are some movies that don't require your complete attention in order for you to easily follow the plot, and then there are movies that are a little too complicated to completely understand in one viewing.

Of course, Christopher Nolan's movies fall in the latter category and his latest work might be the most confusing of the bunch.

It's not me saying that because, obviously, the movie isn't out here in India yet, but almost every person who has had the pleasure to watch the movie already, is of that opinion.

Big Movie. Big Screen. Loved it. pic.twitter.com/DrAY5tRg5P  Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) August 25, 2020

Tenet was easily one of the most-anticipated movies of the year and if 'Miss Rona' had not interrupted us, we would have already watched it multiple times and had our reviews and theories ready.

But since we'll have to wait a little bit longer, or a lot longer if people still find it hard to follow a few rules, we can only rely on the first reactions of the movie that are already out.

 Warner Bros

First of all, just to catch everyone up, the movie's plot is basically about "a secret agent who is tasked with preventing World War III using an unusual ability to alter the flow of time."



Yep, if it's dealing with time, it's gotta be confusing.

Moreover, people have gone as far as to compare it to Inception, calling the Leonardo DiCaprio starrer an extremely easy on to sit through.

Well, looks like we need to pay attention to every little detail while watching it.

Finally watched #Tenet and I swear this movie makes Inception look so easy to sit through. First half of the film I was so confused and all that loud music shadowing the dialogues my brain was all over the place. pic.twitter.com/wgSHlRXK7E  afie (@coco_puffs_0930) August 29, 2020

Well, he's always been talented, people just dismissed him.

I never thought id say this but damn. Robert Pattinson was excellent in #TENET!! I hated him in Twilight. That franchise was soooo bad imo. But, hes brilliant in this! It just take a good director and a good script to show how talented he actually is. pic.twitter.com/JFZvaVifGy  shrazghfr  (@shrazghfr) August 31, 2020

Haven't been able to stop thinking about #Tenet  BD (@BrandonDavisBD) August 28, 2020

#Tenet (English|2020)



Nolan delivers a great film to experience. Complex narration, involves Time Travel & inverted concept. So its confusing at times. Reverse action blocks r mind blowing - car chase, aeroplane, climax. Fantastic BGM & Visuals.



MUST (Repeat) Watch in Theatre! pic.twitter.com/fKrXC0vTPY  Christopher Kanagaraj (@Chrissuccess) September 1, 2020

There is nothing else in the world, and i mean NOTHING, that compares to the feeling of watching a new Chris Nolan film in the theatre.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT. #Tenet pic.twitter.com/VTczc4Tk4A  Stefano Vetere (@StefanoVetere) August 28, 2020

#Tenet is a lot to take in. Its ambitious, crazy, mind-boggling, and probably Nolans most complex movie. John David Washington is badass as the Protagonist and Robert Pattinson steals the scenes hes in. pic.twitter.com/ebUiYDp9Nv  Nate Richard (@NateKnowsMovies) September 1, 2020

Just got home from seeing @TENETFilm or am I really on my way to see it? #Tenet pic.twitter.com/xUyPHAM2TE  Goldy (@mgoldknopf) September 1, 2020

When you watch #Tenet for the second time shit starts making sense pic.twitter.com/dHHPKiZ3tv    (@Rob__Alt) August 31, 2020

Accurate representation of me after watching Tenet...



Robert Pattinson is fantastic x



#TENET pic.twitter.com/rcMjDuwl0n  Alex Burgess (@alexie_bee) August 30, 2020

#Tenet is sensory overload to the highest degree. There's so much to take in on one viewing but what I can say is it's an exhilarating rush and one of the most ambitious blockbusters I've seen in a long time. Can't wait to see it a second time! pic.twitter.com/820L60AFR2  Jeremy the Crab (@That_Short_Nerd) September 1, 2020

Final Verdict for #TENET : This is a film where Chris Nolan goes all out. It is a must see on the big screen (if you can, watch it in IMAX). John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and the rest of the cast are exceptional. You can easily watch this over and over. (9/10)  BerkleyDJH (@BerkleyDJH) August 28, 2020

For the first time I really enjoyed having a headache.#Tenet pic.twitter.com/JSiImaHJuy  ABDULLAH (@1Tayr) August 28, 2020

Can't wait to feel like that.Uhh.Release the movie already!What?It's a theatre movie.Yep.A great cast, a great plot, a great movie.I love how the 'no context' tweets are making me more excited.Can't wait.Looks like Robert Pattinson has stolen the show.Such promising reviews.Okay then.Can't wait for the headache!

Just release the movie in India already.


Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday paid glowing tributes to former President Pranab Mukherjee and said he had worked relentlessly to strengthen the nation and his contributions will never be forgotten. In a condolence message, Shah also said that Mukherjee had mastered the art of keeping everyone together  both while in the government as well as when in opposition.

Shah said it is a matter of sadness and shock that Bharat Ratna Pranab Mukherjee is no longer in this world. "For decades, Pranab da had been working true to his name in the horizon of Indian polity. He worked relentlessly to strengthen the nation. His immense contributions will never be forgotten," the home minister said.

He said as a parliamentarian, Mukherjee's speeches have given the nation an enriching debate, a new direction and a different point of view. "Pranab da had mastered the art of keeping everyone together. When in government, he always worked with the opposition and while in opposition, he never shied away from playing the role of a constructive opposition.

"Whether he would frame the policy or strongly criticise its formulation, every occasion is testimony to Pranab Da's acumen, he said. Shah said during his long and distinguished career, Mukherjee left an indelible mark on many ministries including Finance, External Affairs, Defense and Commerce.

Having made such a long unblemished contribution to public life, without committing even a single mistake, is itself perhaps a great achievement of Mukherjee, he said. The home minister said by choosing the Congress party as his medium of service, he contributed invaluably to make Indian polity strong and take it in the right direction.

"I believe his contributions will be inspiring to all the youth aspiring for a political career, he said The home minister said when Mukherjee became the President, he left no stone unturned to uphold the dignity of the highest office of the land. Shah said opening the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan to the common public is a no mean feat.

Mukherjee brought prestige and great respect to the country with his practical nature, scholarly insights, knowledge of history, diplomacy and international affairs, he said. Today Pranab Da is not amongst us; this will be an irreparable loss to all the citizens of the country and those are who working in public life. I believe, all aspiring politicians should minutely study Pranab Da's life to learn how one can contribute to nation-building by remaining non-controversial. May God give peace to his soul, and his family the strength to bear this loss. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti," he said. Mukherjee passed away on Monday at the Army Research and Referral Hospital here at the age of 84. He was cremated on Tuesday with full State honours.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent appeal for going vocal about local toys has evoked mixed feelings in Sadar Bazaar Delhi's iconic wholesale toy market.

Soon after India announced stricter quality compliance requirements on imported toys, Prime Minister Modi met senior officials on August 23 to discuss ways to boost the manufacturing imprint of Indian toys, suggesting that the youth be engaged in coming up with innovative designs. But a number of stakeholders in Delhi's popular toy market predominantly dominated by cheap Chinese toys, are sceptical about these ambitious plans.

Sadar Bazaar, on the western side of the Khari Baoli road that leads to Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, is one of the biggest toy markets in the Capital. But Chinese toys have come to dominate the retail landscape. According to Rajendra Sharma, General Secretary of the Federation of Sadar Bazaar Traders Association, an umbrella body of 80 associations, 70% of the toys sold in Sadar Bazaar before the lockdown were made in China. Despite border tensions, Chinese products still hold a chunk of the market.

Sharma insists there is a big gap between dreams and reality. "The main problem for Indian toy makers is difficulties in establishing a factory. The officials on the ground create so many problems that no one wishes to start a business. First, the Prime Minister should create an environment conducive for business. The government needs to work in mission mode to make it business-friendly. Thereafter policies need to be amended for the toy industry," Sharma told IANS.

The toy industry in the country has a long way to go before it can join the "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" bandwagon, says Sharma. He gives the example of teddy bears to make his point. "The raw material for 'Made in India' teddy bears comes from China. Now, decide for yourself, whether the product with Chinese material will be a 'Made in India' or 'Made in China'. Moreover, Chinese teddy bears are cheap and attractive which easily capture children's imagination," he reasons.

Those privy to the dynamics of Delhi's toy market insist Chinese products are far ahead in terms of features. Toys based on pop culture characters such as Iron Man, Batman and Ben 10 are highly sought-after. China produces these on a large scale. The challenge for Indian domestic toy manufacturing will be to live up to these standards, all the more so when the Prime Minister himself stressed on toys "aligned with Indian culture and ethos".

Many wholesalers, on condition of anonymity, told IANS there is complete lack of coordination between the AAP-ruled Delhi government and BJP-ruled MCD, which has led to deterioraion in law and order in the market. "People's pockets are routinely picked and women often feel unsafe," said one of the wholesalers. Unless these issues are addressed, Indian wholesalers can't hope to make a dent in the share of Chinese toy makers.

Sharma says the lockdown and Indo-China border tussle has further aggravated the situation. "Before the lockdown, around 200 containers used to come every month. But ever since the border skirmish, it has come down to 20," he says.

Pushpa Pandey from Nangloi, a reseller, however, says the Aatmanirbhar toy market is not necessarily a pipe-dream. She told IANS, "My husband goes to the bylanes to sell Indian toys. We buy toys worth Rs 1000 which we resell in 10 to 15 days." Indian toys like jhunjhuna, peepni and toy cars have better chances of sale during festivals and melas. But for that, normalising the Covid situation is a prerequisite." However, her optimism goes against the popular sentiment. Sharma, who knows the toy market of Delhi like the back of his hand, sums it up, "PM Narendra Modi ki soch achhi hai. But implementing it on the ground is really difficult."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
National Guard units in each state answer to the governor and sometimes state legislatures, not to the president. When National Guard forces from outside Wisconsin came in to help, it was because the governor has asked for that help from fellow governors, not the White House.
ALTON  Starting Wednesday, no indoor service will be allowed for bars and restaurants in Madison County and the six other counties in the Illinois Department of Public Healths Region 4.

On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the IDPH announced additional COVID-19 mitigation efforts will be implemented for the Metro East after the region was still reporting a seven-day rolling positivity rate average of 9.6 percent for coronavirus tests on Tues day.

The Metro East area has seen its positivity rate decline from 10.4 percent to 9.6 percent as of Saturday, according to the IDPH website. That was not a big enough decrease to offset further mitigation measures from the state.

State Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, was quick to disagree with Pritzkers new virus regulations for the Riverbend area.

I believe that choosing to place the burden of this solely on our restaurants, bars and other businesses is misguided and will only hurt small businesses more than the incredibly difficult situation they already find themselves in, she said.

With most of the communities I serve so close to the Missouri border, these efforts restricting our Illinois businesses will only lead to more people driving across the river and spending their money in another state, rather than in Illinois, she said. New cases of coronavirus also remain steady in Missouri, which adds to my concern that additional cases may be brought back into our region from those traveling across the river, creating the opposite effect of these mitigation efforts.

Starting Wednesday, all outside bar service must close at 11 p.m. and not reopen until 6 a.m. the following day. Bar stools must be removed and tables should be 6 feet apart.

No ordering, seating or congregating at a bar will be allowed. No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors while waiting for a table or exiting will be permitted. And no dancing or standing will be allowed indoors.

Reservations will be required for each party and no seating of multiple parties at one table will be permitted.

At restaurants, no indoor dining or bar service will be allowed and all outdoor dining must close at 11 p.m. and not reopen until 6 a.m. the following day. Outside dining tables should be 6 feet apart.

No standing or congregating indoors or outdoors will be permitted while people wait for a table or exit. Reservations will be required for each party and no seating of multiple parties at one table will be allowed.

New rules also take effect Wednesday for meetings, social events and gatherings in the Riverbend area, including weddings and funerals. Seating must be limited to the lesser of 25 guests or 25 percent of the overall room capacity.

The new rules also prohibit party buses and requires casinos  limited to 25 percent of capacity  must close by 11 p.m.

Indoor visitation in long-term care settings and off-site outings continue to be prohibited.

Bristow said that, from Day 1, she made it clear one of the areas top priorities must be protecting residents from the virus, particularly seniors, while also making sure efforts are done in a responsible way that do not cripple local businesses.

Many businesses that have been making long-term plans  bringing back workers and making inventory investments  are now going to face added burdens because of this sudden change of direction, she said.

Choosing to concentrate solely on Illinois restaurants and businesses who are already following the rules in place does not truly aid the shared goal of mitigating this virus while trying to stabilize our economy, Bristow said. I am calling on the governor today to send new and additional resources and funding for the grant programs designed to aid these small businesses and to reopen all grant applications to allow these downstate businesses to apply for them.

IDPH will continue to track the positivity rate in Region 4 to determine if mitigations are relaxed, extended or expanded. If the areas positivity rate averages less than or equal to 6.5 percent over a 14-day period, the region will return to Phase 4 mitigations under the Restore Illinois Plan. If it remains the same or increases over the next 14 days, health officials said more stringent mitigations may be applied.

A full list of mitigation measures pertaining to businesses and industries is online at www.dceocovid19resources.com/restore-illinois.
DUBLIN, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "String Inverter Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global string inverter market is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 15% during the forecast period of 2020-2025.



Factors such as increasing deployment of solar projects, on account of the supportive government initiatives, and the declining price of solar photovoltaic components are expected to drive the market. Governments across the world have incorporated various policies to implement renewable energy as a source of alternative energy.



However, the lack of financing options to install solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the residential sector in underdeveloped and developing economies is expected to hinder the string inverter market growth during the forecasting period.



Key Highlights

The utility segment is likely to witness significant growth during the forecast period, owing to the increase in solar power projects in various countries across the globe to develop a sustainable and affordable energy source.

With the targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the coming years, countries across the globe are adopting various targets to mitigate climate change. For instance, California is one of the prominent states in the United States , that has targeted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40% by 2030. Moreover, it is estimated that by 2030, the global demand for electricity would be nearly 36 thousand terra watts hours. The increasing demands for electricity clubbed with the targets for GHG emissions are expected to promulgate the increase in renewable energy facilities like solar PV, which is likely to create an opportunity for the string inverter companies to expand its business in the near future.

is one of the prominent states in , that has targeted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40% by 2030. Moreover, it is estimated that by 2030, the global demand for electricity would be nearly 36 thousand terra watts hours. The increasing demands for electricity clubbed with the targets for GHG emissions are expected to promulgate the increase in renewable energy facilities like solar PV, which is likely to create an opportunity for the string inverter companies to expand its business in the near future. Asia-Pacific is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period, with the majority of the demand coming from China , Japan , and India .

Market Trends



Utility Segment Likely to Witness Significant Growth

Utility-Scale solar photovoltaic installations are massive projects that cover multiple acres of land that are used to generate electricity, solely for distribution purpose. The string inverters are used to convert the generated direct current (DC) by the solar panels into alternating current (AC).

The utility-scale solar facilities generate electricity through several technologies that include concentrating photovoltaics (CPT), concentrating solar power (CSP), and photovoltaics (PV). Among all, photovoltaic is the most widely implemented technology, on which string inverters are getting used.

In2019, global solar PV installed capacity was nearly 580.2 gigawatts (GW) and is expected to increase during the forecast period on account various initiatives taken by the countries to have a sustainable and cheaper form of energy source.

Utility segment string inverters are primarily three-phase, have a power rating of more than 80kW, and have unique properties to withstand extreme climatic conditions.

For instance, the solar park project in Tatvan town of Turkey is one of the recent utility solar projects, that installed nearly 40 string inverters. The installed capacity of the park is around 5 megawatts and was commissioned in 2019.

is one of the recent utility solar projects, that installed nearly 40 string inverters. The installed capacity of the park is around 5 megawatts and was commissioned in 2019. With increasing demand, investment for solar utility projects are growing over the years. Countries like China and the United States are among the top countries that are concentrating on having a large number of utility projects in the upcoming years. Such steps in the utility sector are likely to have a large installation of string inverter and thus would help to dominate the market during the forecast period.

Asia-Pacific to Witness Significant Growth

Asia-Pacific is dominating the region with the highest installed capacity of solar PV and string inverters. In 2019, the region has nearly 330 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV installed capacity, with China , Japan , and India as the major countries.

is dominating the region with the highest installed capacity of solar PV and string inverters. In 2019, the region has nearly 330 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV installed capacity, with , , and as the major countries. China is the major country in the region with approximately 205 GW of solar PV installations in 2019. It is expected that the country is planning to double its installation capacity by 2025, which is likely to expand the string inverter market during the forecast period.

is the major country in the region with approximately 205 GW of solar PV installations in 2019. It is expected that the country is planning to double its installation capacity by 2025, which is likely to expand the string inverter market during the forecast period. Tengger Desert Solar Park and Longyangxia Dam Solar Park of China , Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park, and Kamuthi Solar Power Station of India are the few key projects in the region that have installed string inverters.

, Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park, and Kamuthi Solar Power Station of are the few key projects in the region that have installed string inverters. As per the National Energy Administration (NEA), China has allocated three billion yuan of subsidiaries for solar projects during the year 2019. Out of the total, nearly 750 million yuan is expected to allocate to the rooftop solar power projects. Subsidiaries allocated is expected to install more solar PV facilities, which is likely to boost the string inverter installations during the upcoming years.

Competitive Landscape



The string inverter market is moderately fragmented. Some of the key players in the market include KACO New Energy GmbH, Delta Energy Systems GmbH, ABB Ltd, Sungrow Power Supply Co Ltd, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, Chint Power Systems Co Ltd, Ningbo Ginlong Technologies Co Ltd, Fronius International GmbH, SMA Solar Technology AG, and Eaton Corporation.



Key Topics Covered



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Scope of the Study

1.2 Market Definition

1.3 Study Assumptions



2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



4 MARKET OVERVIEW

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Market Size and Demand Forecast USD billion, till 2025

4.3 Recent Trends and Developments

4.4 Government Policies and Regulations

4.5 Market Dynamics

4.5.1 Drivers

4.5.2 Restraints

4.6 Supply Chain Analysis

4.7 Porter's Five Forces Analysis



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 Phase

5.1.1 Single Phase

5.1.2 Three Phase

5.2 Power Rating

5.2.1 Up to 10kW

5.2.2 11kW to 40kW

5.2.3 41kW to 80kW

5.2.4 Above 80kW

5.3 End-user

5.3.1 Residential

5.3.2 Commercial & Industrial

5.3.3 Utility

5.4 Geography

5.4.1 North America

5.4.2 Asia-Pacific

5.4.3 Europe

5.4.4 South America

5.4.5 Middle-East and Africa



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Mergers and Acquisitions, Joint Ventures, Collaborations, and Agreements

6.2 Strategies Adopted by Leading Players

6.3 Company Profiles

6.3.1 KACO New Energy GmbH

6.3.2 Delta Energy Systems GmbH

6.3.3 ABB Ltd.

6.3.4 Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ltd.

6.3.5 Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.

6.3.6 Chint Power Systems Co. Ltd.

6.3.7 Ningbo Ginlong Technologies Co. Ltd.

6.3.8 Fronius International GmbH

6.3.9 SMA Solar Technology AG

6.3.10 Eaton Corporation PLC



7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vg80tk

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

Related Links

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OAKLAND, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dictionary.com today announced its latest new words addition, updating more than 15,000 entries in the company's largest release to date. The release includes 650 brand new entries, along with thousands of new and revised definitions, etymologies, and pronunciations. From dictionary-wide changes that highlight the evolution of the English language over time, including the addition of whole-person language for suicide and addiction, to new additions that capture trends in culture and technology, the update reflects a significant year of change as seen through language.

"The work of a dictionary is more than just adding new words. It's an ongoing effort to ensure that how we define words reflects changes in languageand life," said John Kelly, Senior Editor at Dictionary.com. "Among our many new entries are thousands of deeper, dictionary-wide revisions that touch us on our most personal levels: how we talk about ourselves and our identities, from race to sexual orientation to mental health. Our revisions are putting people, in all their rich humanity, first, and we're extremely proud of that."

Dictionary-wide changes reflect changing language usage

Site-wide updates include changes made to language surrounding race and ethnic identity. Dictionary.com capitalized Black, affecting hundreds of entries across the dictionary, as a mark of respect and recognition that's in line with capitalizing other cultures and ethnicities. A separate entry for Black, as it refers to a person, was also added, breaking with dictionary conventions to group together words that share the same origin. This change reflects Dictionary.com's point of view that language entries have consequences and go beyond being simply an academic exercise. Additionally, a number of new words have been added relating to race and ethnicity, including Afro-Latina , Afro-Latino , Afro-Latinx , brownface , Filipina , Filipinx , Pinay , Pinoy , and Pinxy .

LGBTQIA language site-wide was revised to change instances of homosexual to gay and homosexuality to gay sexual orientation. The changes were made to the previously clinical language, now placing the focus on people and removing the implication of a medical diagnosis, sickness, or pathology when describing normal human behaviors and ways of being. Additionally, all -sexual words, including bisexual and pansexual , were updated from "romantically or sexually attracted to" to "romantically, emotionally, or sexually attracted to." Broadening these definitions better reflects the complexity and richness of the experiences of these identities and helps eliminate heterosexual bias as the unmarked, default experience. Related terms with new or revised definitions include ace , asexual , deadname , gender-inclusive , Pride (which also has a separate entry and is capitalized site-wide in relevant references), they , them , their , theirs , themself , and trans+ .

Dictionary.com also revised all entries to update language used around both suicide and addiction in order to eliminate language that implies moral judgement or incorporates historical prejudice. All use of the language commit suicide was removed and replaced, where relevant, with die by suicide and end one's life, while new or revised definitions in line with these changes were added for suicide and poison pill . All instances of addict as a noun were replaced with person addicted to or habitual user of, with additional new or revised definitions for user , alcohol use disorder , lush , and dipsomaniac .

New words from af to zhuzh

Dictionary.com's latest release goes beyond updated language for existing terms, adding hundreds of new entries relating to animals, the environment, culture, and technology.

Many additions are influenced by trends in social media and popular culture. New entries on Dictionary.com include abbreviations that are popular as social shorthand, such as af , DGAF , and GOAT , along with slang terms amirite , jabroni , and janky . New entries also incorporate beauty and fashion trends, with official entries for those who want to zhuzh up their look through contouring . Other culture terms added or updated reflect complex societal issues, like emotional labor , dead white male , and MeToo , while others include terms that highlight the influence of streaming platforms and social media sharing, such as gender reveal , ratio , sharent , swole , and Twitch .

Planet Earth

There are several new entries for the different types of animals that help people physically, emotionally, and cognitively, including assistance animal , comfort animal , companion animal , emotional support animal , service animal , and therapy animal . While a number of these terms may be used interchangeably, and many of them serve similar roles, there are distinct differences in terms of their legal status, training, person served, and the domains in which they help. These differences are key in understanding and respecting our relationships with the communities they serve that are too often invisiblesuch as mental health and disability.

A number of new words reflect environmental issues, such as ecoanxiety , critically endangered , and extinct in the wild , as well as work being done to protect planet Earth, including cap and trade , emissions trading , conservation dependent , and conservation status .

"2020 has been a year of change like never before, affecting how we live, work, interactand how we use language," said Jennifer Steeves-Kiss, CEO of Dictionary.com. "Our biggest release yet represents a tireless commitment from our entire team not only to documenting how language evolves, but ensuring our users always find the meaning they need on Dictionary.com."

More insight on these updates, along with the full list of additions, can be found here .

About Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com is the world's leading online source for definitions, word origins, and a whole lot more. From Word of the Day to the stories behind today's slang, Dictionary.com unlocks the secrets of the English language for millions of people.

SOURCE Dictionary.com

Related Links

http://www.dictionary.com


By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Planning to visit a mall in the coming days? Be prepared for an all-new experience as the commercial establishments have come up with a slew of measures to adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by the State government on Monday. As per the SOP, customers are required to wear face mask, maintain at least six feet of physical distance and be asymptomatic. Those shopping centres in containment zones shall remain closed.

In a statement on Monday, Pooja Patti, centre director, Phoenix MarketCity and Palladium, said they have launched Nhance by Phoenix - an app that can be downloaded from Google Play store and App store to increase ease and safety. The app gives a live overview of all the people entering inside the mall, the statement said. It added that patrons can pre-book an express entry to the mall and locate their favourite stores easily, make contactless payments and pre-order their food.

The management of Express Avenue mall, stated on their social media pages that contactless payment methods have been introduced. As per the rules announced by the government, managements are required to thermally screen all visitors and install sufficient number of hand hygiene systems. Air circulation system should allow fresh or treated fresh air with fresh air levels of more than 50 per cent, the government has said.

Individual retail stores in malls should also cap the maximum number of visitors allowed into the stores. Food courts and restaurants shall allow only 50 per cent capacity and malls should make arrange for contactless payment methods. Dining tables and chairs should be disinfected after every service.

Hotels, in addition, are required to disinfect visitors luggage before sending them to rooms. The management of ITC Grand Chola, in a statement on Sunday, said: Tableware, crockery and cutlery at restaurants will be pre-sanitised and served in a cover; hand sanitiser will be present on each table; e-payment will ensure no contact. The statement further said a 30-minute gap shall be ensured between guests to provide time for deep-cleaning of furniture.

Room service or take away is encouraged by the government in hotels instead of dine-in. Food delivery personnel should leave the packet at customers door. Persons above 65 years of age, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years are advised to stay at home.
Chinas agricultural sector is already suffering from floods and drought. And now Chinas southern provinces are facing their worst locust plague in decades.

Massive protests broke out over the weekend in Inner Mongolia in response to a leaked secret order from Beijing, which some are calling cultural genocide.

A high-profile TV anchor from Australia has been detained in Beijing. Shes long appeared on business programs for Chinas state-run English news channel CGTN. The news is adding fuel to already tense Australia-China relations.

China is hoping to get rid of its reliance on Western technology for high-end chips. With one key company coming to a halt, that dream is now hitting a major roadblock.

And the Czech Republics second highest official is in Taiwan on a six day visit, sparking protest from China. The Czech official said he was visiting Taiwan to defend its freedom, saying that democratic countries should support each other.

Subscribe to our Youtube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian addressed a congratulatory message on the occasion of Knowledge and Schooling Day, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

The message runs as follows:

Dear pupils and students, tutors and parents,

Today is the Knowledge and Schooling Day, and on this occasion I congratulate you all and send my best wishes.

My special congratulations go to the first-graders and teachers who will enter the school for the first time.

The road leading to knowledge has always been enjoyable and difficult. It becomes especially difficult in extraordinary situations.

But a person is not only able to set a goal but also overcome emerging difficulties.

You, todays generation, have the opportunity to do it not only in a classical way but also by using modern technologies, by creating and mastering them. But before it, the first step to be done is entering the school.

The path, which will become your life road, starts here. It is the road toward simple human relations, road to work, road to love and happiness and, certainly, toward knowledge.

Knowledge about life, people, the world and nature It is a key which seems to be far away but in reality it is very close and available. It is a key which can open every door, from the door of your home, to a space shuttle door, from the door to the most secret hiding place in our heart, to a seemingly unlockable door of artificial intelligence. To master that key is easy  it is necessary to learn, to toil, to work.

Dear pupils and students, you get the knowledge with the help of your teachers in kindergarten, in school, your lecturers in university, and, certainly, your parents. I take this opportunity to thank all tutors and especially our first teachers who leave a profound imprint in our life. Knowledge is power which allows to move mountains in direct and indirect sense.

That power comes first of all from the Family, Fatherland, and native land. Fatherland ought to become the main place where your knowledge will be used. You can receive the best possible education and knowledge, master foreign languages and modern technologies, create artificial intelligence with your own intelligence and channel it towards the creation of great values.

But always remember that familial and national values come first as well as national interests. Knowledge is a double-edged sword:

It can help but also can harm if it is not supported by the highest human values and morality, which are based on the love for the man and the nature, love and dedication to Fatherland, to ones own history and nation.

I wish you good health and peace, success and all the best.
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DUBLIN, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Firdapse (Amifampridine) - Drug Insight and Market Forecast - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report outlays comprehensive insights of the product indicated for the treatment of its approved condition. A detailed picture of the Firdapse (amifampridine) in Seven Major Markets, i.e., United States, EU5 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), and Japan, for the study period 2017-2030 is provided in this report along with a detailed description of the product.



The product details cover mechanism of action, dosage and administration, route of synthesis, and pharmacological studies, including product marketed details, regulatory milestones, and other development activities. Further, it also consists of market assessments inclusive of the market forecast, SWOT analysis, and detailed analyst views. It further highlights the market competitors, late-stage emerging therapies, and patent details in the global space.



The report provides insights into:

A comprehensive product overview including the product description, mechanism of action, dosage and administration, route of synthesis, pharmacological studies (pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics) and adverse reactions.

Elaborated details on regulatory milestones and other development activities have been provided in this report.

The report also highlights the drug marketed details across the United States , Europe and Japan .

, and . The report also covers the patent's information with expiry timeline around Firdapse (amifampridine).

The report contains historical and forecasted sales for Firdapse (amifampridine) till 2030.

Comprehensive coverage of the late-stage emerging therapies (Phase III) in the space with a brief snapshot of the details.

The report also features the SWOT analysis with analyst insights and key findings of Firdapse (amifampridine).

Analytical Perspective



Market Assessment



This report provides a detailed market assessment of Firdapse (amifampridine) in Seven Major Markets, i.e., United States, EU5 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), and Japan. This segment of the report provides historical and forecasted sales data from 2017 to 2030.



Clinical Assessment



The report provides the clinical trials information of Firdapse (amifampridine) covering trial interventions, trial conditions, trial status, start and completion dates.



Report Highlights

In the coming years, the market scenario for Firdapse (amifampridine) is set to change due to the extensive research in the treatment of the indicated condition and incremental healthcare spending across the world; which would expand the size of the market to enable the drug manufacturers to penetrate more into the market.

The companies and academics are working to assess challenges and seek opportunities that could influence Firdapse (amifampridine) dominance. The therapies under development are focused on novel approaches to treat/improve the disease condition.

Other approved products for the disease are giving market competition to Firdapse (amifampridine) and launch of late-stage emerging therapies in the near future will significantly impact the market.

A detailed description of regulatory milestones, development activities, and some key findings provide the current market scenario of Firdapse (amifampridine).

Our in-depth analysis of the sales data of Firdapse (amifampridine) from 2017 to 2030 will support the clients in the decision-making process regarding their therapeutic portfolio by identifying the overall scenario of the Firdapse (amifampridine) in the market.

Key Questions Answered

What is the prescribed dosage and strengths of Firdapse (amifampridine) are available in the market?

What are the common adverse reactions or side effects of Firdapse (amifampridine)?

What is the product type, route of administration and mechanism of action of Firdapse (amifampridine)?

What are the chemical specifications of Firdapse (amifampridine)?

How are the clinical trials diversified on the basis of the trial status?

What is the history of Firdapse (amifampridine), and what is its future?

What are the marketed details of Firdapse (amifampridine) in the seven major countries, including the United States , Europe ( Germany , France , Italy , Spain , and the United Kingdom ), and Japan ?

, ( , , , , and the ), and ? How many patents have been granted to Firdapse (amifampridine) and when these patents will get expire?

What are the pros (benefits) and cons (disadvantages) of Firdapse (amifampridine)?

In which countries Firdapse (amifampridine) got approval and when it gets launched?

What are the clinical trials are currently ongoing for Firdapse (amifampridine)?

How the safety and efficacy results determined the approval of Firdapse (amifampridine)?

What are the key collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, licensing and other activities related to the Firdapse (amifampridine) development?

What are the key designations that have been granted to Firdapse (amifampridine)?

What is the historical and forecasted market scenario of Firdapse (amifampridine)?

How is the market trend of Firdapse (amifampridine) is different in the Seven Major Markets ( the United States , EU5 [ Germany , France , Italy , Spain , and the United Kingdom ], and Japan )?

, EU5 [ , , , , and the ], and )? What are the other approved products available and how these are giving competition to Firdapse (amifampridine)?

Which are the late-stage emerging therapies under development for the treatment of the indicated condition?

Key Topics Covered



1. Product Overview

1.1. Indication

1.2. Mechanism of Action

1.3. Dosage and Administration

1.4.1 Dosage Forms and Strengths

1.4. Route of Synthesis

1.5. Pharmacology

1.4.2 Pharmacodynamics

1.4.3 Pharmacokinetics

1.6. Adverse Reactions

1.7. Product Snapshot

1.8. Development Milestones of Firdapse (amifampridine)

1.9. Marketed Details

1.4.4 United States

1.4.5 Europe

1.4.6 Japan

1.10. Patent Details



2. SWOT Analysis

2.1. Analyst Views



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Claim: A photo shows accused shooter Kyle Rittenhouses armed mother in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on the night protesters were killed.

A week after 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse arrived in Kenosha from Antioch, Illinois, and  according to criminal charges  shot and killed two people during a night of protests and chaos, a photo is circulating on social media purporting to describe how he got there.

Rittenhouse was recorded on video on Aug. 25 carrying a rifle and saying it was his job to protect life and property. It was the third night of unrest after a Kenosha police officer shot a 29-year-old Black man Jacob Blake seven times in the back at close range. Rittenhouse has been charged with homicide and remains in Illinois awaiting further legal proceedings.

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Kyle Rittenhouse, at left in backwards cap, walks along Sheridan Road in Kenosha, Wis., at around 11 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, with another armed civilian Tuesday night. Less than an hour later Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Illinois, is accused of shooting three other people, killing two of them, with at least two of the shootings captured on video by onlookers showing Rittenhouse as the shooter. The incident took place after curfew in Kenosha less than 72 hours after demonstrations and riots broke out in the lakeside city following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

On Aug. 28, Facebook user Doug McLean shared a photo and connected it to the night of the deadly shooting. It has since drawn more than 800 shares and, in its various iterations, scores of comments.

In the picture, a white woman is shown wearing fatigues with a long gun strapped to her chest. That image is set next to one of Rittenhouse.

How did Kyle Rittenhouse cross state lines to Wisconsin? His mom, pictured below drove him. #KyleRittenhouses mom Wendy, photographed on same night her son killed two people and shot another, McLean wrote.

A release from Rittenhouses attorneys on Aug. 28 disputes this. That release says Kyle Rittenhouse had stayed in Kenosha for the night after finishing work as a community lifeguard.

But theres a bigger problem with the photo that was shared: Its not even from the same day.

Or the same city.

Lets dig in.

More: Fact check: Police gave Kyle Rittenhouse water and thanked him before shooting

Police in riot gear confront protestors outside the Kenosha Police Department in Kenosha on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. Kenosha police shot a man Sunday evening, setting off unrest in the city after a video appeared to show the officer firing several shots at close range into the man's back

Photo is from a related protest in Madison a few days earlier

The woman with the long gun actually appears in a photo in a separate city, on a different day. The image was cropped in the Facebook post in question to focus on her.

Story continues

Facebook user Miki Pope shared the original photo, in which the woman stands with a group of other similarly armed people outside the Wisconsin state Capitol in Madison, where protests also occurred after Blake was shot by police.

Last night (Aug. 24) in Madison, these counter-protesters showed up with long guns, Pope wrote in the early morning hours of Aug. 26.

Popes post references the Kenosha violence Rittenhouse is charged with, but it does not in any way tie him to the people in the photo aside from decrying the actions of such militia members that have been showing up at various protests.

I'm afraid this won't be the last shooting, as armed white supremacists are becoming more and more public about their hatred for Black lives and the Black Lives Matter protests, Pope wrote.

Its unknown whether Rittenhouses mother had any involvement in bringing her son to Kenosha that day  but the image alleging to be mother and son is a fabrication, using a photo from a different place and time.

Our ruling: False

A composite photo purported to be Kyle Rittenhouse's mother, Wendy, is not her. It is an image from a protest in Madison, not from a Kenosha protest. Its cropped from a larger image of a handful of people with guns standing outside the state capitol two days earlier. We rate the claim FALSE.

Our fact-check sources

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug. 28, What we know about the victims of the Kenosha protest shooting that killed two men and injured another"

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug. 27, Kyle Rittenhouse, charged in Kenosha protest homicides, considered himself militia"

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug. 27, Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with homicide. Here's what we learned about the Kenosha shootings from the charging documents"

Doug McLean, Aug. 28, Facebook post about Rittenhouses mother

Miki Pope, Aug. 26, Facebook post about Madison counterprotesters

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Photo doesn't show Kyle Rittenhouse's armed mom in Kenosha
01.09.2020 LISTEN

We the members of CPST-Ghana, having listened to the 16th address of the President of the Republic of Ghana do hereby state that,

On the eve of the President's address, our members had hint through a grape vine that the government has no money to fund THE FREE SHS so they will not reopen schools till January 2021. Hence, the address did not come as a surprise to us. Though we reject the reasons for denying the Ghanaian children their constitutional rights to education for almost one year and the right of private school teachers to work to earn decent livelihoods when active cases in Ghana as at the time of His address was less than 1200 and all businesses including drinking spots, market places, churches etc. were reopened and airport to be reopened for business yet managers of this country are of the view that schools rather cannot be safe for the Ghanaian child to also develop his or her career and are therefore justified to scrap the whole of the academic year. We wish to indicate to all our members that, the Commander In Chief has spoken and has the constitutional backing to act as he pleases. As private school teachers, we have already suffered for the past six months and have been slapped with another four months of school closure without respite. We will not lead our members into any act that will inflict further physical pain and the already deplorable state if the state security is unleashed on us to brutalize us. The silence of all political parties, religious leaders, the media, civil society organizations etc.to this issue is a clear attestation to the fact that Ghana as a country does not prioritize the education of our children and if indeed it is true that we reap what we sow, then posterity will be a better judge. We wish to state in no uncertain terms that, we cannot match the powers and the force that the President wields, neither are we ready to contest the matter in any law court. For school of thought has said the law is a tool in the hands of the ruling class. For us as teachers in the private sector, all we say is that if indeed we are being denied our decent livelihoods and the Ghanaian child is taken out of the classroom for almost a year just for political expediency, the Bible has said that vengeance is the Lord's. This battle is indeed the Lord's.



(2 chronicles 20:15 and our supplication is in Isaiah 10: 1-4). Because, Italy, one of the worst hit countries in the world, is going back to school on the 14th of September, 2020 according to our sources. We urge all private school teachers and anybody or institutions whose business is collapsed or affected to join Private School Teachers to fight this battle on our knees (Effective and fervent prayer of the righteous availed much  James 5:15 part B) for God to exact judgment if indeed the poor private school teachers, school related businesses and the Ghanaian children deserve what we have been served with.

Finally we urge all our members to explain to our dependents, our friends and families and loved one to think twice and take with a pinch of salt when a politician offers anything for FREE

HW3 WASETINA MU NA TO ABAPA

NANA KWAME DUODU NATIONAL PRESIDENT (0239255333)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 17:17 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41fd710 4 National health-ministry,coronavirus,Indonesia,COVID-19,covid-19-Indonesia,COVID-19-Indonesian-patients,hospitals,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Despite recent reports of overwhelmed COVID-19 hospitals in several regions, the Health Ministry has claimed that the nationwide capacity was still sufficient to accommodate patients.

The capacity is considered sufficient for the time being, and the bed occupancy rate has only reached 42.3 percent, the ministry's acting director general of health services, Abdul Kadir said in a virtual discussion on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Abdul said the institutions claiming that COVID-19 hospitals had been fully occupied were spreading a hoax.

He said 839 of 2,900 hospitals in Indonesia were COVID-19 referral hospitals. A total of 132 hospitals were national referral hospitals and the other 707 were regional referral hospitals, he added.

Abdul, however, did not provide a breakdown of the bed occupancy rate in each region.

Read also: Patients occupy over 50% of Jakarta hospital beds

Previously, COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said the bed occupancy rate for COVID-19 hospitals in Jakarta, the epicenter of the countrys coronavirus outbreak, was no longer ideal.

He said Jakarta currently had 67 official COVID-19 referral hospitals and 170 hospitals providing services for COVID-19 patients.

However, he added, the occupancy rate for isolation rooms in Jakarta had reached 69 percent and that for intensive care unit (ICU) beds had reached 77 percent.

This is not an ideal situation, Wiku said on Monday.

Wiku said the rate should drop to 60 percent to reduce the burden on healthcare workers.

Patients with moderate and mild symptoms would be transferred to the Wisma Atlet Kemayoran [emergency COVID-19 hospital in Central Jakarta], he said.

Read also: Restriction relaxation leads to increase in Depok household clusters

In Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, the number of patients has reportedly exceeded the isolation room capacity of eight hospitals in the city.

I ask for understanding from the public, as the number of people being treated has exceeded the capacity of the hospitals, Balikpapan Mayor Rizal Effendi said in a press conference on Monday, as broadcasted by KompasTV.

Rizal said there were 221 cases currently under treatment at eight hospitals in Balikpapan.

Our hospitals have only 212 [isolation rooms]. So, you can imagine that, said Rizal.

Due to the limitation, Rizal said, the hospitals would be more selective in accepting COVID-19 patients.

As of Monday, 1,814 cases in COVID-19 infection have been confirmed in Balikpapan, with 1,069 people having recovered and 126 having died, while another 398 patients are undergoing self-isolation at home.

Nationwide, Indonesia reported 2,775 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total tally to 177,571. (syk)
Students and teachers returned to classrooms around the world, hopeful, excited  and wary.

Sept. 1, 2020

Leer en espanol

From Wuhan to London to Tel Aviv and many places in between, students are returning to classrooms this week after months of staying home in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Opening schools is a step toward normalcy, in a changed world where the virus has killed more than 850,000 people and infected 25.4 million. Many countries see the return as imperative to jump-starting economies devastated by the pandemic.

Some are taking the risk despite rising cases, and schools are requiring precautions like wearing masks, washing hands, checking temperatures and keeping children in social bubbles.

In the Chinese city of Wuhan, the original center of the pandemic, state-run news media said that more than 2,840 primary and secondary schools, serving nearly 1.4 million students, reopened on Tuesday. Students had their temperatures taken and were instructed in hand-washing techniques.
Conner Strong & Buckelew, a leading insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm, is proud to announce a partnership with AI-powered benefits experience platform HealthJoy. The HealthJoy app offers an easier way for employees to interact with their benefits, make better healthcare decisions, and save money.

We are dedicated to be offering groundbreaking solutions that solve our clients problems, said Joseph DiBella, Executive Vice President of Conner Strong & Buckelew. Our partnership with HealthJoy allows us to help clients drive utilization of all their benefits, lower healthcare spend and simplify the experience for both HR and employees. We are delighted to have HealthJoy as a strategic partner and to offer this exceptional product to our clients. Were recommending all our clients add this low-cost solution to their benefits package.

HealthJoy keeps benefits top-of-mind by integrating with a clients existing benefits package to deliver a personalized digital benefits wallet to each employee. They also gain on-demand access to online medical consultations, live healthcare concierges, Rx Savings, and much more. The platform completely changes the way benefits are used by employees and helps them make better decisions throughout the year.

HealthJoy is pleased to partner with Conner Strong & Buckelew to bring our platform, live support, and AI technology to its customers, said Doug Morse-Schindler, President and Co-Founder at HealthJoy. When we partner with benefits consulting firms, were looking for innovative partners that seek to challenge the status quo and deliver forward-thinking solutions to their clients.

About Conner Strong & Buckelew

Conner Strong & Buckelew is among Americas largest insurance brokerage, risk management, and employee benefits brokerage and consulting firms. The firm is an industry leader in providing high-risk businesses with comprehensive solutions to prevent losses, manage claims, and drive bottom-line growth. Its employee benefits practice focuses on providing best-in-class benefits administration, health and wellness programs, and strategic advisory services. Founded in 1959 with offices in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Delaware, and Florida, Conner Strong & Buckelew has a team of nearly 400 professionals, serving clients throughout the United States and abroad.

For more information, visit http://www.connerstrong.com or follow us on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/conner-strong-&-buckelew.

About HealthJoy

HealthJoy is a first-of-its-kind benefits experience platform helping companies save money while improving employee satisfaction. Through personalized guidance and AI technology, we empower employees to better use and understand their benefits. The result is happier employees, increased cost containment, and fewer questions for HR. HealthJoy empowers employees to become educated healthcare shoppers and fundamentally changing the dynamics of healthcare.
The new Rolls-Royce Ghost comes at a purchase price of 222,000

Rolls-Royce launched its eagerly-awaited new "Ghost" model on Tuesday, even as the luxury carmaker's chief warned that coronavirus would impact the automotive market for several years.

The new model, complete with a 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12 engine, minimalist design, and even a branded umbrella, will cost some 222,000 (250,000 euros, $298,000).

Nevertheless, the lure of a new status symbol car for the super-rich would not be enough to soften the blow of the pandemic in the short-term, the group warned.

"We expect COVID-19 to remain (a difficulty) for some time, until a vaccine is available," said Rolls-Royce Managing Director Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes in a telephone interview with AFP.

"In the medium term, I would say within three years, we should be back to normal, and even better than normal."

Like the rest of the car market, luxury brands have suffered during the pandemic, and Rolls-Royce is no exception.

"Of course we have been affected," said Mueller-Oetvoes.

"On the one hand, many of our partners around the world, our dealers, have been forced to close", while at the same time "we have seen a large number of potential customers reconsider their purchasing decision", he said.

Rating agency Moody's has forecast a fall of 14 percent in the global automotive market this year.

A rebound was "likely" in 2021, but Moody's cautions that that depends on how quickly the pandemic reaches its peak.

'Cautiously optimistic'

In the first half of this year, Rolls-Royce's sales fell by 30 percent compared with the same period in 2019, said Mueller-Oetvoes, but pointed out that last year was a "record" year.

However, he noted that Rolls-Royce had not implemented any lay-offs during the pandemic and remained "cautiously optimistic" for next year.

The launch comes at an interesting time for Rolls-Royce, which has sought in recent years to reposition itself in the market.

"We have massively rejuvenated the brand over the past 10 years and the average age of our customers is 43," said Mueller-Oetvoes.

Founded at the beginning of the 20th century, the emblematic British brand was bought by German car giant BMW in 1998.

And as well as the coronavirus, Rolls-Royce faces another immediate challengeBrexit.

As fears over a potential "no deal" between Britain and the European Union increase, Mueller-Oetvoes also voiced concern about the prospect of a British exit from the EU without an agreement.

With 600 suppliers worldwide, "my greatest concern is to see a disrupted supply chain," he said.

Despite that, he said Rolls-Royce was "fully prepared" for any eventuality.

 2020 AFP
Robert Duncan, chairman of the U.S. Postal Service board of governors, is displayed on a television monitor while speaking during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020.

The chairman of the U.S. Postal Service board of governors is a director for a super PAC aligned with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Robert Duncan, chairman of the board that selects the postmaster general, is listed as a director for the Senate Leadership Fund, according to a new Virginia state business record that was filed at the end of August.

The PAC is run by allies of McConnell, including Steven Law, the majority leader's former chief of staff. The group aims to protect and expand the Republican majority in the Senate.

The revelation comes as USPS leaders face scrutiny from Democrats after the post office removed mail-sorting machines and implemented other cutbacks at a time when millions of voters are preparing to cast ballots by mail due to the coronavirus pandemic.

House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said she plans to issue a subpoena to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for documents related to mail delays. She also expects to request documents from Duncan himself, who, along with the other board members, was responsible for selecting DeJoy to lead the agency.

As CNBC previously reported, Duncan, who is often called Mike, was listed on a 2019 filing as a director for the PAC. He's also a director of American Crossroads, a super PAC backing President Donald Trump's reelection bid.

A spokesman for the PACs told CNBC that Duncan is on the boards that oversee a number of issues, including executive compensation.

"Mike Duncan has been a member of the boards of directors of American Crossroads and Senate Leadership Fund for a number of years, and he continues to serve in that role," said the spokesman, Jack Pandol. "Our boards, like most boards, oversee organizational policies, financial management, senior executive compensation and management performance  but are not involved in directing day-to-day operations or projects."

A USPS spokesman did not return a request for comment.

The Senate Leadership Fund is on track to have its best election cycle for fundraising since it was formed in 2015. It has raised just over $129 million in the 2020 cycle, close to $1 million away from its 2018 record of $130 million, according to data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The PAC had $117 million on hand going into the final three months of the election. It has only spent nearly $17 million.

Top donors to the PAC include casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam; Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman; and Timothy Mellon, chairman of Pan Am Systems.
The U.S.'s decision to launch economic talks with Taiwan opened a new front in Taipei's effort to push back against increased pressure from Beijing.

The Economic and Commercial Dialogue announced by Washington and Taipei this week marks a breakthrough in Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's four-year quest for trade talks with the U.S. The Trump administration announced the framework days after Tsai dropped restrictions on the American pork products that Washington viewed as a barrier to broader negotiations.

Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the Washington-based U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, called the decision "bigger than the F-16 sale" last year. "There's very little chance this will go unnoticed, primarily because it'll rightly be seen as a play for a bilateral trade agreement commitment from the Trump administration," Hammond-Chambers said.

The trade talks add a new dimension to the expanding cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S., as Donald Trump's administration highlights its efforts to challenge China in the president's re-election campaign. So far, the U.S.'s outreach has focused on diplomacy, such as Health Secretary Alex Azar's landmark visit to Taipei last month, and defense ties, including the administration's decision to approve the first fighter jet sale to Taiwan in almost three decades.

The American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto embassy, also Monday released declassified Reagan-era cables that among other things clarify that the U.S. believed its arms sales to Taiwan should be proportional to the military threat from China. The U.S. has continued to sell weapons to Taiwan, despite formally recognizing the government in Beijing in 1979 and the repeated protests from China, which views the island as part of its territory.

China's foreign ministry denounced the U.S.'s so-called Six Assurances to Taiwan, which were mentioned in the declassified cables, as "wrong, illegal and void" from the beginning. "We urge the U.S. to stop elevating U.S.-Taiwan ties, stop official interactions with Taiwan in any form, and stop walking further down this wrongful and dangerous path," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a briefing Tuesday in Beijing.

While proponents acknowledge formal trade talks would likely stretch well into the next U.S. presidential term, both sides share a desire to reduce their economic dependence on China. The country is the U.S.'s largest trading partner and accounts for more than 40% of Taiwan's exports.

China's efforts to deepen economic bonds with Taiwan have stumbled since former President Ma Ying-jeou was forced to withdraw an unpopular trade deal and voters swept Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party into power in 2016. Chinese President Xi Jinping has sought to isolate Tsai diplomatically, limiting tourist trips to Taiwan and stepping up military patrols around the island.

On Tuesday, Taiwan's defense ministry released a report accusing China of sending warships and military planes daily to the median line of the Taiwan Strait, saying the activities were exerting personnel and undermining security. "This was done to test our air-defense reaction, constrict our space to carry out activities and shorten our warning time," the report said.

David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said in a speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation on Monday in Washington that the U.S. would "continue to help Taipei resist the Chinese Communist Party's campaign to pressure, intimidate and marginalize Taiwan." He said the annual economic dialogue would "explore the full spectrum of our economic relationship -- semiconductors, health care, energy and beyond -- with technology at the core."

The talks will be led by Keith Krach, the undersecretary for economic growth, energy, and environment. Tsai's decision to ease restrictions on American meat products drew criticism from Taiwan's powerful pork lobby and suggested that she was willing to spend some political capital built up since her landslide reelection win in January on working to bolster U.S. economic ties.

"Reducing our overreliance on China is crucial to Taiwan's future," said Kolas Yotaka, a spokeswoman for Taiwan's presidential office.
(TNS)  Now that Hurricane Laura has passed, Louisiana politicos are returning to the issue of what role mail-in balloting will play in the Nov. 3 presidential election.With Republicans wanting to limit absentee balloting by mail and Democrats wanting to expand it, the issue has been dumped into federal court.Responses are due this week to a lawsuit filed by three voters, the Louisiana branch of the NAACP, and the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick, of Baton Rouge, ordered during a status conference held as Hurricane Laura bared down on the southwest Louisiana coast. She set Sept. 8-9 hearings to deliver evidence and arguments on the issue. Youll probably be having a busy Labor Day weekend, Dick told the lawyers. I will be reading everything filed.The issue is an emergency plan for handling voting on Nov. 3 election and the Dec. 5 runoff amid the coronavirus pandemic and economic shutdown. COVID-19 transmits primarily through in-person contact, and about 20 percent of the infected people need hospitalization, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 40 million people have filed for unemployment insurance since March.In addition to electing a president in November, Louisiana voters are choosing a U.S. Senator; all six members of the U.S. House delegation; two justices on the Louisiana Supreme Court; a member of the Public Service Commission; several state appellate court judges; all the state district court judges and prosecutors, along with various local posts.While the emergency election plan will be decided in court, I hope any ruling includes the critical mechanisms my office needs to administer the election in the extraordinary circumstances of a pandemic, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said Friday. He had testified that he needed to start getting operations in place no later than Sept. 10.In his initial plan, drafted in March when the state was still in lockdown, Ardoin proposed an expansive list of voters who could choose to absentee vote by mail. He was pilloried by fellow Republicans in the state Legislature and returned to the drawing board to come up with fewer, though still some, exceptions that would allow mail-in voting for the July and August primaries. Democrats and enough Republicans signed off on that plan, but the Republican majority in the Legislature warned Ardoin that they wouldnt approve similar protocols in the November-December election.Ardoins latest emergency election plan offered no expansion of who can vote absentee beyond those already covered under state law except, primarily, for registered voters who test positive for the COVID-19 after early voting starts but before Election Day. Ardoins proposal provides no mail-in option for someone urged to isolate because they were exposed to the coronavirus or for people at greater risk of serious complications or for caregivers  they will have to cast their ballots in person."I have to go pragmatically where the votes are," Ardoin told lawmakers during House and Senate committee hearings, during which he shed tears for the partisan polarization in the Louisiana Legislature.This is not the best plan. Unfortunately, it's the best plan I thought I could get passed."Slidell Sen. Sharon Hewitt, the Republican who chairs the Senate committee overseeing elections issues, said voting in person is no more dangerous than going to the grocery store.Only one Republican voted against Ardoins plan in what otherwise was party-line approval by the two GOP-majority House and Senate committees, then sending it out for a vote by the full Legislature, which also is overwhelmingly Republican.The Legislatures ballots on the plan  being mailed to Baton Rouge, ironically, Dick observed  will be tallied Sept. 9.But the full Legislatures position doesnt really matter because state law requires Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards to also approve Ardoins emergency plan. He does not.Sadly Louisiana appears to be the only state in the country moving in the direction of providing less voter protections for those affected by COVID-19, leaving Louisiana to again be an outlier on protecting the health and safety of our citizens, Edwards wrote Ardoin in an Aug. 20 letter rejecting the plan. The official current recommendations from the CDC for those with underlying health conditions is to limit your interactions with other people as much as possible and to take precautions to prevents getting COVID-19 when you do interact with others.Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia offer eligible voters the option of mail ballots. Of the 16 states that require an excuse to vote absentee by mail, several have expanded the scope of absentee eligibility for coronavirus situations, including Arkansas and Alabama.The Republican National Committee is involved in lawsuits in 17 states over the issue and with the Trump campaign has set aside $20 million for litigation and poll watchers.President Donald Trump has made 91 attacks on the integrity of voting so far this year, according to The New York Times, repeatedly tweeting unsupported claims that mail-in ballots would lead to widespread voter fraud.With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history, Trump tweeted last month. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???Postal Service executives warned that on-time delivery of ballots cannot be relied on in almost every state in the union.In Louisianas federal lawsuit, Harding, et al., v. Edwards, et al., the plaintiffs argue that with COVID-19 infection and death rates still rising, many voters are faced with the choice of participating in the election or putting themselves in danger. And because the virus seems to impact Black and Hispanic people more than White people, the decision to forgo an alternative means of participation effectively would disenfranchise many of those voters.In-person voters  both during early voting and on Election Day  will have to wait in line, including indoors, in close proximity with other individuals, sometimes for hours, before they can vote. And in such crowded conditions some polling places may be unable to accommodate necessary social distancing, the petition states.Attorney General Jeff Landry and Edwards, who usually oppose each other on most political issues, are on the same side, at least officially, in the federal lawsuit.Edwards chief counsel, Matthew Block, told the status conference that the governor already has made his position against the emergency plan known.Landrys team refused comment for this article saying their response is not due until Wednesday.
Farmers Business NetworkSM launches new platform that environmentally scores grain, boosts farm revenues by providing buyers with direct access to verifiable Low-Carbon Grain producers

POET Ethanol Pursues Low-Carbon Grain Programs Through GRO Network

Farmer's Business Network, Inc. (FBNSM), the leading direct-to-farm ag tech platform and farmer network, today launched GRO Network, which provides new technology and services that facilitate the scoring, sourcing, and pricing of Low-Carbon Grain from farm to fork, making environmental transparency in the grain industry a reality now.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005290/en/

GRO Network enables comprehensive environmental transparency, and supports a market for premium, environmentally-scored grain. GRO Network also provides buying intelligence software that directly connects farmers with consumer packaged goods companies, animal feed providers, biofuel makers and the world's other major grain buyers.

POET, the world's largest producer of biofuels has joined GRO Network as a key customer in the market for verifiable Low-Carbon Grain.

"Family farms have already invested the time, innovation and sweat-equity to develop the regenerative practices required to grow Low-Carbon Grain," said Amol Deshpande, CEO and Co-Founder of FBN. "With GRO Network, the efforts of farmers as well as food and feed companies, biofuel makers, and ordinary consumers to reduce carbon emissions just got a huge boost."

Transparency in the agriculture supply chain starts with data direct from the field.

Farmers share information on their cultivation practices including fertilizer applications, tillage, and cover cropping with GRO Network, which is processed with artificial intelligence that leverage FBN's 240 million acre-events of real world farm data, validates and distills the practices into a single farm-level score. This single score which is the only information shared between GRO Network and prospective buyers informs the buyer to then source premium grain as well as build programs to meet unique sustainability goals, while protecting farmers' data privacy.

Importantly, verifiable Low-Carbon Grain will allow agricultural processors and food companies to meet their own significant emission goals. Policymakers will be able to evaluate a precise, farm-level carbon-intensity score to more accurately measure the GHG reduction of biofuels for low carbon fuel policies. GRO Network will help these companies embed the required carbon traceability into their supply chains, all within the current government policy framework.

"At POET we know that agriculture is the key to combating climate change, and we want to support farmers who share our mission to be good stewards of the earth by using environmentally friendly practices," said POET Founder and CEO Jeff Broin. "We are excited about the potential of the GRO Network to promote sustainable agriculture and utilize the resulting Low-Carbon Corn to produce even greener bioethanol and bioproducts."

GRO Network is focusing initially on carbon abatement, which, based on GRO Network pilots, can reduce grain emissions by up to 50%, while increasing farm revenues at the same time. It relies on proven, existing science and robust FBN analytics to measure the benefits of conservation activities on the farm, providing immediate, low-risk solutions to reduce the environmental impact of the agriculture supply chain.

"Regenerative agriculture techniques have not only saved us money, they've made us money," said Todd Hanten, who farms 3,000 acres of corn, soybeans and spring wheat in South Dakota. "We've always tried these practices side by side and can compare conventional tillage to no-till and strip till and we've realized the benefits through our data analytics. We're happy to find out that the practices we've adopted are saving us money and making us a better return."

FBN began development of GRO Network close to two years ago in order to allow fuel, food and feed companies to work alongside farmers to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices that deliver the biggest impact. GRO Network incentivizes sustainable conservation and soil health practices by producers, ensuring a consistent supply of high quality, Low-Carbon Grain for buyers.

"Ultimately, GRO Network aligns farmers, processors, brands, consumers and policy-makers in the fight against climate change," Deshpande said. "We are excited to see family farm incomes improve as a direct result."

Learn more at www.fbngro.com

About FBN:

Farmer's Business Network, Inc. is an independent ag tech platform and farmer-to-farmer network with a mission to power the prosperity of family farmers around the world, while working towards a sustainable future. Its Farmers First promise has attracted over 14,000 members to the network with a common goal of maximizing their farm's profit potential. FBN has set out to redefine value and convenience for farmers by helping reduce the cost of production and maximize the value of their crops.

The FBN network has grown to cover more than 40 million acres of member farms in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Blending the best of Midwestern agricultural roots and Silicon Valley technology, the company has over 600 personnel and offices in San Carlos, Calif., Chicago, Sioux Falls, S.D., a Canadian headquarters in High River, Alta., and an Australian headquarters in Perth.

To learn more, visit: www.fbn.com.

Copyright 2020 Farmer's Business Network, Inc. All rights reserved. The sprout logo, "Farmers Business Network", "FBN", "Farmers First" and the Farmers First flag logo are registered service marks of Farmer's Business Network, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Copyright 2020 GRO Network. All rights reserved. "GRO Network" and the GRO Network logo are registered trademarks of GRO Network.

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Compounds found inside honeybee venom can help to tackle aggressive forms of breast cancer without putting healthy cells at risk, a clinical study discovered.

Experts from the University of Western Australia used venom from 312 bees found in Perth, Western Australia, Ireland and England as part of the research.

The team tested the effects of venom on different types of breast cancers that have limited treatment - they found it rapidly destroyed tumours and cancerous cells.

Before this study nobody had compared the effects of honeybee venom or a component of the venom called melittin on cancerous and normal cell types.

Researchers were able to extract melittin from the venom, recreate it and then use it to kill up to 100 per cent of cancer cells without having an effect on normal cells.

Experts from the University of Western Australia used venom from 312 bees found in Perth, Western Australia, Ireland and England as part of the research

The Australian team found that the synthetic product mirrored the majority of the anti-cancer effects of honeybee venom.

It was able to 'selectively and rapidly 'reduced the viability of triple-negative breast cancer' as well as other cancerous cells.

Lead researcher, Dr Ciara Duffy, said melittin in the right concentrations can be used to completely destroy cancer cell membranes within 60 minutes.

Melittin in honeybee venom also had another remarkable effect; within 20 minutes, it was able to substantially reduce the chemical messages of cancer cells that are essential to cancer cell growth and cell division.

'We looked at how honeybee venom and melittin affect the cancer signalling pathways,' said Duffy.

These pathways are the chemical messages that are fundamental for cancer cell growth and reproduction - finding pathways were quickly shut down with melittin.

'Melittin modulated the signalling in breast cancer cells by suppressing the activation of the receptor that is commonly over expressed in triple-negative breast cancer,' Duffy explained.

'It suppressed the activation of HER2 which is over-expressed in HER2-enriched breast cancer,' she said.

Western Australia's Chief Scientist, Professor Peter Klinken, described the synthesis of melittin as 'incredibly exciting'.

'It provides another wonderful example of where compounds in nature can be used to treat human diseases', he said.

Dr Duffy also tested to see if melittin could be used with existing chemotherapy drugs as it forms pores, or holes, in breast cancer cell membranes, potentially enabling the entry of other treatments into the cancer cell to enhance cell death.

'We found that melittin can be used with small molecules or chemotherapies, such as docetaxel, to treat highly-aggressive types of breast cancer. The combination of melittin and docetaxel was extremely efficient in reducing tumour growth in mice.'

As part of the study Duffy and colleagues had to put bees to sleep with carbon dioxide and kept them on ice until the venom barb could be pulled out.

While there are 20,000 species of bees, Dr Duffy wanted to compare the effects of Perth honeybee venom to other honeybee populations in Ireland and England, as well as to the venom of bumblebees.

Before this study nobody had compared the effects of honeybee venom or a component of the venom called melittin on cancerous and normal cell types

'I found that the European honeybee in Australia, Ireland and England produced almost identical effects in breast cancer compared to normal cells,' she said.

However, bumblebee venom was unable to induce cell death even at very high concentrations.

One of the first reports of the effects of bee venom was published in Nature in 1950, where the venom reduced the growth of tumours in plants.

However, Dr Duffy said it was only in the past two decades that interest grew substantially into the effects of honeybee venom on different cancers.

In the future, studies will be required to formally assess the optimum method of delivery of melittin, as well as toxicities and maximum tolerated doses.
The Philippines is still struggling to rid their nation of ISIS influence.

Over the week, 14 people were killed and 78 others were injured after the two bombs exploded in Jolo, Sulu. The first bomb detonated at the main street in the town of Jolo in Sulu province, about 621 miles from Manila. It is recorded that at least five soldiers and four civilians were killed. The second bomb was carried out by a female suicide attacker who detonated herself with others who were around her.

Jolo is currently known to be in a serious lockdown. One of the villains who lives a couple of meters away stated it was very heartbreaking to see dead children and women scattered in the plaza. He also stated they gathered many people to donate much-needed blood for the injured who were brought to the hospital.

Philippine military officials say Muslim militants allied with the Islamic State group have set off a powerful motorcycle explosive followed by a suicide bombing.








Ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament beginning September 14, the government has reached out to the opposition, explaining why it will be difficult to schedule the Question Hour in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, people familiar with the development said.

From the government , defence minister Rajnath Singh has called up several opposition leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of the Congress and Derek OBrien of the Trinamool Congress.

Chowdhury confirmed that Singh called him and informed him that it will not be possible to schedule the Question Hour because it would require the presence of a large number of officials in Parliament to brief ministers. Singh assured him that the government will try to accommodate the oppositions demand for the Zero Hour to continue so that members can raise urgent matters .

During the conversations, both sides stressed the need for smooth functioning of Parliament during the monsoon session. Singh, who is known to share a good relationship with the opposition, made several calls to some of the parties to reassure them, but the opposition is adamant.

Question Hour is usually the first hour of business in the House, when members can ask questions after having given notice 10 days earlier. Zero Hour follows Question Hour and is a more informal session where members can raise questions of public importance.

Chowdhury had written a letter to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla last week, urging him not to do away with Question Hour and Zero Hour during the monsoon session.

You will kindly appreciate the fact that raising questions in Parliament, and issues of public importance during the Zero Hour are foremost of the procedural methods available to Members to vent issues of national and public interest, Chowdhury wrote in the letter.

Curtailing the Question Hour and the Zero Hour by way of restricting the number of issues that could be raised and time earmarked would, therefore, not be in the interest of elected representatives, he added.

For his part, OBrien argued strongly in favour of the Question Hour and insisted that the officials can brief the ministers virtually.

I will prove to them that if you dont have private members bills, then you can have equal time as pre-pandemic time. Question Hour belongs to the opposition as ministers have to answer. This isnt Parliament, this is M and S Private Limited (figure out abbreviation), the Trinamool Congress leader said.

Azad, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and one of the 23 dissenters who wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi seeking a complete overhaul of the party organization, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts to reach him.

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More than 50,000 driving licences have been leaked online, sparking warnings from experts that hackers can use the information to apply for credit cards and loans.

Ukrainian security consultant Bob Diachenko stumbled upon the folder of PDF and JPG files containing 108,535 scanned images of over 54,000 NSW licences.

He also discovered another folder containing Roads and Maritime Services toll notice statutory declarations.

The data was stored on an Amazon cloud storage service and contained phone numbers, addresses and birth dates  all of which were available for public view.

'More than 50K scanned driver licenses (front+back) and toll notices exposed in a misconfigured S3 bucket,' Mr Diachenko tweeted along with a screenshot of a list of files dated back to 2018.

'Most likely - part of NSW RMS infrastructure (Road and Maritime, New South Wales, Australia). Secured now.'

The data was stored on an Amazon cloud storage service and contained phone numbers, addresses and birth dates  all of which were available for public view

Ukrainian security consultant Bob Diachenko stumbled upon the folder of PDF and JPG files containing 108,535 scanned images of more than 50,000 driver's licences

Mr Diachenko labelled the mysterious data leak a 'dangerous exposure,' and said the files had most likely been seen by 'malicious actors' who could have made a copy of already.

'A malicious actor can impersonate somebody and apply for credit, or do something on behalf of that person,' he said.

'For example, you take one licence and connect the dots with one owner of this licence, with his or her emails exposed in another data breach and you've got more information on that person.'

IDcare security counsellor Christine Jackson said driver's licence theft is 'the golden ticket' for scammers because they are often used to verify identities by Centrelink, phone companies and banks.

'So often that will be telephone accounts, mobile phones are purchased, they might purchase iPads, tablets and things like that as well - so it can rack up to a lot of money,' she told the ABC.

'They'll also apply for credit cards, personal loans and they'll just keep going until your credit history is in a mess and they can't go any further.

'And then they'll lay low for a while, wait for you to clean it up when you find out what's gone on, and then they'll reinvest in that compromised document.'

Ms Jackson said brazen criminals even steal licences from victims' letterboxes after being sent to their homes from Roads and Maritime Services.

Scams reported to the ACCC involving identity theft or the loss of personal or banking information cost Australians at least $16 million last year.

Four in 10 Scamwatch reports in 2019 involved attempts to gain information or the actual loss of victims' information.

Some of the ways scammers obtain personal or banking information are through direct requests for scans of driver's licenses or passports, often in dating and romance scams.

Fraudsters can empty victims' bank accounts, take out thousands of dollars in bank loans under victims' names, and even purchase furniture or electronics under 'no-repayments for 12 months' schemes

Fraudsters can empty victims' bank accounts, take out thousands of dollars in bank loans under victims' names, and even purchase furniture or electronics under 'no-repayments for 12 months' schemes.

Security researcher Troy Hunt believes the source of the leak could be a fleet or toll road operator.

'The presence of toll notices [in the leak] is probably a bit of a clue and suggests it's more likely that it's a toll operator, or a fleet operator,' he told Car Advice.

Mr Hunt said the nature of the breach would be 'trivial' for anyone with a solid amount of technological knowledge to uncover.

'You don't have to be at Bob's level, but if you're someone who likes to crawl around the internet looking for this stuff [it would be possible]  I'm concerned about someone who makes a concerted effort to find it,' he said.

'It was open to public view which was obviously the concerning thing and it's unclear how long it was open for public view.'

The source of the uploaded files remains unknown, but it's understood those affected by the breach are yet to be contacted.

Transport for NSW said in a statement they do not retain or collect tolling data, and said it is working with Cyber Security NSW to investigate.
Two men marched into battle with 50,000 other soldiers some 600 years ago , leaving behind only two ax heads to tell the world their story.

Archaeologist uncovered the weapons while excavating a site of in northern Poland where one of the greatest battles of medieval Europe' was fought  the Battle of Grunwald.

The weapons are of two different designs with one having a longer closed shaft for a handle and the other boasts a shorter open shaft, but both are in almost perfect condition from when they were laid on the ground six centuries ago.

The team has been investigating the area for years and have pulled dozens of other artifacts, including swords and spear heads.

Two men marched into battle with 50,000 other soldiers some 600 years ago , leaving behind only two ax heads to tell the world their story

The Battle of Grunwald took place on July 15, 1410, with Polish and Lithuanian forces on one side and the German Teutonic Knights on the other  experts say there were more than 50,000 soldiers in total.

The feud between the groups was over the Tuetonic's expansion along the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea and the group's greed for power.

Following a gruesome fight, the Polish-Lithuanian army defeated the Teutonic leadership, leaving their fighters either dead or taken as war prisoners.

The victory also allowed Polland-Lithuania to emerge as one of Europe's most powerful states.

Archaeologist uncovered the weapons while excavating a site of in northern Poland where one of the greatest battles of medieval Europe' was fought  the Battle of Grunwald

The team has been investigating the area for years and have pulled dozens of other artifacts, including swords and spear heads

The First News spoke with Dr. Szymon Dreja, director of the Museum of the Battle of Grunwald, who said 'the discovery of the battle axes are an archaeological sensation.'

'In seven years of our archaeological research we have never had such an exciting, important and well-preserved find,' he stressed.

The site of the massive battle has been a destination for people around the world who flock to the field with the hopes of uncovering clues from that bloody day.

The Battle of Grunwald took place on July 15, 1410, with Polish and Lithuanian forces on one side and the German Teutonic Knights on the other  experts say there were more than 50,000 soldiers in totat. The battle took place in Poland

The feud between the groups was over the Tuetonic's expansion along the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea and the group's greed for power. Following a gruesome fight, the Polish-Lithuanian army defeated the Teutonic leadership, leaving their fighters either dead or taken as war prisoners

Many of these amateur archaeologists bring along a metal detector, which is how Aleksander Miedwiedew uncovered the axes.

He discovered the relics in a marshy area of the field, hiding two feet below the surface.

Miedwiedew explained to The First News that the swampy landscape protect the aces from air and corrosion, which is why they looked as if they were just made.

Many of these amateur archaeologists bring along a metal detector, which is how Aleksander Miedwiedew uncovered the axes. He discovered the relics in a marshy area of the field, hiding two feet below the surface

'It was a huge shot of endorphins, adrenaline plus a hundred. It was like flying to the moon,' he said describing the moment he stumbled upon the axes.

'Like crossing a bridge between people from 1410 and us.'

Over the years, archaeologists and volunteers have discovered hundreds of other relics from the Battle of Grunwald, mainly short swords and spear heads used by the soldiers.
Police seize a large quantity of weapons in raids in five locations in the countrys north.

Police in North Macedonia have arrested three men on suspicion of planning attacks in the country and have seized a large number of weapons in raids in five locations in the countrys north.

Police said on Tuesday the three men, one aged 22 and the others aged 25, had previously been convicted of participation in the ISIL (ISIS) armed group and had served prison terms on their return from the Middle East.

They were arrested on suspicion of creating and participating in a criminal cell, based on the ideological matrix of the ISIS terrorist organisation, with the intention of carrying out a terrorist act on targets in the territory of the Republic of Northern Macedonia, police said. No specific targets were mentioned.

The group members allegedly provided financial means and procured a large number of weapons, ammunition and military equipment, which they hid near a road in the northern village of Biljanovce, authorities said.

The arms cache

Police said they seized five automatic rifles, a machinegun, 18 ammunition belts for automatic rifles, eight grenade launchers with fuses, camouflage vests and an ISIL flag with an Arabic inscription from the location.

Another three raids in the northern town of Kumanovo and one in the capital Skopje led to the seizure of two handmade belts filled with explosives, metal ball bearings, two hand-grenade launchers and other items.

The three have been charged with terrorism and creating a terrorist organisation. If tried and convicted of both charges, they face a total of up to 15 years in jail.

In 2016, authorities estimated that about 150 Macedonian nationals had travelled to fight in Iraq and Syria.

Most were from the countrys Muslim majority ethnic Albanian minority, which represents about one-fourth of North Macedonias population of 2.1 million people.
The Olivenhain Municipal Water District is drilling a test well for groundwater desalination. (Union-Tribune file photo)

Construction starts this month on a $1.5 million test well to show whether desalinated groundwater could supplement the drinking water supply for 86,000 customers of the Olivenhain Municipal Water District.

The district serves parts of Encinitas, Carlsbad, San Diego, San Marcos, Solana Beach and neighboring communities, and relies almost entirely on water imported from the Colorado River and Northern California. Like agencies throughout Southern California, its looking for ways to diversify its water supply.

Drilling will begin in about two weeks on a 120-foot-deep well in the San Dieguito River watershed, water district officials said. Beginning around May, the well will be pumped for a year or longer at different rates to determine its effects on the water levels and quality in nearby existing wells on private property within the aquifer.

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The district would have to produce at least 1 million gallons of water per day for the project to work, which probably would require a minimum of two wells.

Feasibility studies show the project could be cost-competitive with other water sources and that it would have no negative effects on other wells or the environment, district General Manager Joey Randall said in a recent presentation to the Del Mar City Council.

Groundwater was pumped heavily for agricultural irrigation through the 1970s in the area and some of those wells remain in use, Randall said.

Construction of the complete desalinization project, should the pilot well prove successful, would cost about $30 million, he said. That would include the wells, water filtration equipment and pipes linking to the water supply and for the concentrated brine removal. Most of the money is expected to come from government grants.

Groundwater desalinization is rare in Southern California, but the Oceanside municipal water district has been doing it for 20 years.

Oceanside announced earlier this year it will receive a $2.6 million grant to add two more wells, that will bring the citys total to 10, all in the Mission Basin aquifer near the citys airport along the San Luis Rey River.

With the additional wells, the city expects to get about 15 percent of its water from the Mission Basin aquifer.

Pushed by the increasing cost of imported water, agencies throughout the region also are increasing their reliance on recycled water.

Phil Diehl is a reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune
TOKYO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held separate telephone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday pertaining to his recent decision to resign, the government here said.

During his talks with Trump that lasted around 30 minutes, Abe reportedly thanked the president for his cooperation in strengthening the Japan-U.S. relationship.

The pair also agreed that both countries would continue to work together to combat the coronavirus pandemic and work towards the successful development of a vaccine and related treatments.

In a Tweet following the call, Trump wrote "Shinzo will be recognized as the greatest prime minister in the history of Japan, whose relationship with the USA is the best it has ever been. Special Man!"

Abe's call with Trump was the first to a foreign leader after his shock announcement last Friday that he would be resigning due to an an intestinal disease, ulcerative colitis, that brought his first tenure to an abrupt halt in 2007, flaring up again.

A week prior to Abe announcing his resignation, he became Japan's longest-serving prime minister in terms of consecutive days in office.

Abe also held talks with Putin, thereafter, during which the pair agreed to continue bilateral talks aimed at resolving a decades-old territorial dispute that has prevented both sides from signing a postwar peace treaty, officials here said.

Putin was quoted as saying that Abe had made solid contributions to removing obstacles between the two countries, while Abe, for his part, expressed his hope that future talks would continue to be productive.

Officials here said Putin thanked Abe in Japanese saying "arigato" while Abe thanked Putin in Russian saying "Vladimir, spasiba."

Abe will remain in office until a new leader is chosen, with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party slated to hold a leadership election on Sept. 14, party sources have said.
The next full moon will be the "Corn Moon" (Getty)

A full corn moon will blaze in the sky over Britain on Wednesday morning, but youll have to get up early to see it at its best.

Peaking at 6.22am on Wednesday, the moon will also look very close to full on Tuesday night and on Wednesday night, according to the experts at Royal Museums Greenwich.

Also known as a harvest Moon, the September full moon is so called because its bright light would let farmers continue working into the night.

Its often the nearest full moon to the autumnal equinox.

Other names for this full moon around the world include fruit moon and hungry ghost moon, NASA explains.

Read more: What is a supermoon?

Full moons occur when the moon appears as a full circle in the sky, when the whole side of the moon facing the Earth is lit up by the sun.

A blog post at Royal Museums Greenwich explains: It may at first seem odd to think of a full moon occurring during daylight hours.

The reason this happens is that the time refers to the exact moment when the sun and moon are aligned on opposite sides of the Earth.

This moment is known as the 'syzygy' of the sun-Earth-moon system, and can happen at any time day or night.

Read more: Five moon myths (and how to disprove them yourself)

Americans disagree on the title, referring to this full moon as the corn moon and the next full moon (on October 1) as the harvest moon.

In Britain, we call Octobers full moon the hunters moon.

Royal Museums Greenwich writes: After the harvest moon comes the hunter's moon, in the preferred month to hunt summer-fattened deer and fox unable to hide in bare fields.

Like the harvest moon, the hunter's moon is also particularly bright and long in the sky, giving hunters the opportunity to stalk prey at night. Other names include the travel moon and the dying grass moon.

NASA expert Gordon Johnston explains that US names for full moons are derived from Native American folklore.

The Maine Farmer's Almanac first published Native American names for the full moons in the 1930s, writes Johnston.

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Over time these names have become widely known and used.

According to this almanac, as the full moon in September and the last full moon of summer, the Algonquin tribes in what is now the northeastern USA called this the corn moon, as this was the time for gathering their main staple crops of corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice.

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Syrians in the Turkish-held city of al-Bab have continued to face serious injuries as humanitarian workers clear unexploded ordnance and opposition troops warn that the threat of the Islamic State has not disappeared.

The Islamic State group, which once controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria, lost its last Syrian strongholds in early 2019.

But last week, U.N. counter-terrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov said that more than 10,000 Islamic State fighters were believed to remain active in Iraq and Syria two years after its defeat, and their attacks had significantly increased this year.

He said the movement had regrouped and its activity had increased, not only in conflict zones like Iraq and Syria but also in some regional affiliates.

In an al-Bab hospital, the mother of a nine-year-old amputee said "we want security, we want security."

"Everyone wants to go back to their hometown," Rim al Abdullah told British broadcaster Sky News.

A White Helmet humanitarian worker working to clear unexploded ordnance spoke of the "big responsibility" in clearing the land. "Every time a child gets hurt, I feel partially responsible," said Mahmoud Ali Houri.

Turkey controls most Syrian territory bordering its southern frontier after a series of military operations.

Moatasm Abbas, an opposition commander holding the line against regime forces at the border of the Turkish-backed buffer zone, said "we have no other choice... we either fight with what weapons we have or we die."

"Turkey is the only one with us on the ground, with weapons and military equipment," he added.
CMR Surgical appoints Tony Vernon as Non-Executive Chairman

~ Former CEO of Kraft Foods with more than 30 years experience in senior executive positions

Cambridge, UK. 1 September 2020 (07:00 BST). CMR Surgical Ltd, the company behind the next-generation surgical robotic system Versius, today announces the appointment of Tony Vernon as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. As Chairman, Mr Vernon will lead the Board, working with the CMR management team as they drive the Company's global strategy and international expansion.

Mr. Vernon is a seasoned executive, having spent more than 30 years in senior executive positions at several world-class companies. He was the first CEO of Kraft Foods after it was spun off in 2012 and held the role until 2014. His global leadership experience is further complemented by significant healthcare expertise, guiding businesses that have a strong mission to improve healthcare outcomes for patients. This includes 23 years at Johnson & Johnson in a variety of leadership roles including Company Group Chairman of Depuy Orthopedics, President of Centocor Biotech, President of McNeil Consumer and President of Johnson & Johnson-Merck joint venture.

Following his time at Johnson & Johnson, Mr. Vernon served as healthcare industry partner of Ripplewood Holdings, a US based private equity and venture capital firm. He currently serves on the boards of a range of healthcare and consumer companies including Intersect ENT, Novocure, Nuvation Bio, McCormick Foods, and Nature's Fynd.

CMR has continued to strengthen its Board and senior team as part of its global expansion plans. The addition of Tony Vernon to the Board follows the appointment of Per Vegard Nerseth as Chief Executive Officer at the start of the year and more recently Barrington D'Arcy as Chief Operations Officer.

Per Vegard Nerseth, Chief Executive Officer of CMR Surgical, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Tony as our Chairman and have someone with his expertise lead the Board as we continue to expand globally. CMR has completed over 600 clinical cases to date and, with strong demand for Versius, this is an opportune time for Tony to join us as we grow and enter new markets. He has an outstanding background leading several large consumer and healthcare organisations and deep experience supporting the growth of companies that are looking to improve the lives of patients around the world. This is firmly in line with CMR's mission and ideal for leading the Board as we deliver on our ambitious strategy."

Umur Hursever, Partner, LGT Lightstone, commented: "CMR is experiencing accelerated growth as it globally commercialises Versius. I am delighted to welcome Tony to the Board. With his exceptional credentials, he will strengthen CMR's ability to globally scale and bring minimal access surgery to everyone who needs it."

Tony Vernon, Chairman of CMR Surgical, said: "CMR Surgical is a hugely innovative business with an increasingly international presence. It is exciting to join the Board at such a pivotal time as the Company focuses on expansion and further commercialises Versius. I believe CMR is well positioned to realise the potential of robotic surgery."

- ENDS -

Media Contacts:

If you wish to see more, please contact CMR Surgical at:

Sarah Ghabina / Ashley Davis-Marin

Global Communications Manager / Senior Communications Executive, CMR Surgical

T +44(0) 1223 755801

Epressoffice@cmrsurgical.com

Mary-Jane Elliott / Angela Gray / Lindsey Neville

Consilium Strategic Communications

T +44 (0)20 3709 5700

Ecmr@consilium-comms.com

Notes to editors:

About CMR Surgical Limited

CMR Surgical (CMR) is a global medical devices company dedicated to transforming surgery with Versius, a next-generation surgical robot.

Headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, CMR is committed to working with surgeons, surgical teams and hospital partners, to provide an optimal tool to make robotic minimal access surgery universally accessible and affordable. With Versius, we are on a mission to redefine the surgical robotics market with practical, innovative technology and data that can improve surgical care.

Founded in 2014, CMR Surgical is a private limited company backed by an international shareholder base of specialist and generalist investors.
The Supreme Court will hear a case this term on whether a Catholic foster-care agency can get a city contract and exclude gay couples. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press)

During the term it completed in July, the Supreme Court decided several important cases involving religious liberty and one that expanded legal protection for gay Americans. In the term that begins next month, the justices will hear a case that purportedly pits those two interests against each other. But the real question in the case is simpler: whether a religious organization that receives government money can violate civil-rights laws. The answer is no.

Catholic Social Services of Philadelphia has long participated in the citys efforts to place children in foster homes, receiving a payment from the city for each child who is placed. But the city stopped referrals to the agency because it wouldnt work with same-sex couples as foster parents  a policy the city said violated its Fair Practices Ordinance prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations.

The case raises some of the same issues as a decision two years ago in which the court ruled in favor of a Christian baker who didn't want to provide a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. But while the court ruled narrowly in the wedding-cake case  finding for the baker on the grounds that state civil rights commissioners made comments reflecting hostility to his religious beliefs  this case raises the possibility of a more sweeping decision.

Joined by three foster parents, Catholic Social Services went to court seeking to force the city to resume referring children to the agency, only to lose in federal district court and in the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. Writing for the appeals court, Judge Thomas L. Ambro said: "The city's nondiscrimination policy is a neutral, generally applicable law, and the religious views of CSS do not entitle it to an exception from that policy.

The appeals courts ruling was based on a 1990 Supreme Court decision, Employment Division of Oregon vs. Smith, which held that the 1st Amendments protection of the free exercise of religion didnt allow believers to opt out of generally applicable laws. The ruling led Congress (and several states, including Pennsylvania) to enact statutes prohibiting governments from passing laws that substantially burden religious freedom unless they serve a compelling interest and are narrowly tailored.

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In its petition to the Supreme Court, Catholic Social Services asked that the high court reconsider the 1990 ruling, though it also suggested that (as in the wedding-cake case) government officials displayed a hostility to religion. The Trump administration has also urged the court to rule in favor of the Catholic agency.

But even if the court were to overrule the Smith decision, Catholic Social Services should lose. The 3rd Circuit explained why: Outlawing discrimination  including against gay and lesbian people  is a compelling government interest. Requiring compliance with civil-rights laws is the least restrictive means of pursuing that interest. Indeed, it is the only way to ensure that there isn't illegal discrimination.

As for Catholic Social Services' claim that the city displayed hostility toward religion, the evidence is thin. It includes a claim that the city's human rights commissioner suggested that the agency listen to Pope Francis rather than Philadelphia's archbishop. That is hardly proof of anti-Catholicism.

The agency also claims that while the city required it to adhere strictly to the anti-discrimination ordinance, it allowed for exceptions such as considering a child's race or disability in making some foster-care placements. But, as the appeals court noted, taking such factors into account in an individual case is far different from Catholic Social Services' blanket refusal to work with same-sex couples.

Finally, Catholic Social Services notes that when the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that same-sex couples had a right to marry, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned.

In that live-and-let-live spirit, Catholic Social Services says that it shouldnt be compelled to affirm same-sex marriages as the price of continuing a religious ministry. Just as no LGBT couples are prevented from marrying because a particular church does not perform same-sex weddings, no LGBT couples are prevented from fostering because a particular church cannot provide an endorsement.

But the government isn't involved in religious marriage ceremonies. By contrast, the city of Philadelphia is intimately implicated in foster-care arrangements made under a city contract. If a religiously affiliated agency seeks to enter into such a contract, it must agree not to discriminate against any group protected by anti-discrimination laws. That is how the court should rule.
Punjab jails are the worst in the country when it comes to protecting human rights of prisoners, if the number of complaints filed by inmates is of any indication.

According to the National Crime Records Bureaus recently released report for 2019, the national and state human rights commissions received the highest number of complaints of cruelty and denial of lawful rights of inmates from Punjab in 2019.

The state has 24 prisons where 24,174 inmates, including 8,172 convicts and 15,949 undertrials, are lodged against the capacity of 23,488 prisoners, it says.

Nearly 20 percent of a total of 290 complaints filed by the inmates with the NHRC are from Punjab.

Also, 180 such complaints were received by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission from prisoners, 38 percent of the total received by all state-level commissions across the country.

In terms of pending complaints with the NHRC, the highest (59 of 101) were from Punjab. Of a total of 464 complaints pending with all state-level rights commissions, the maximum 103 were with the Punjab body.

HAD SECOND HIGHEST

NUMBER OF CLASHES

The report highlighted that Punjab along with Madhya Pradesh witnessed the second-highest number of clashes or group clashes in the country after Delhi.

While the two states recorded 25 incidents each, the national capital had 57 incidents. Interestingly, Punjab was the only state that reported an incident of firing in prison that year. Also, 49 prisoners and 12 jail staff were injured in clashes in Punjab jails, after Delhi where 92 inmates got injured.

MOST UNNATURAL DEATHS

OF INMATES AFTER UP

The report reveals that 137 deaths, including 117 natural and 20 unnatural, occurred in the Punjab jails in 2019. The number of unnatural deaths of inmates was highest after Uttar Pradesh where 29 such incidents were reported.

As many as 13 inmates committed suicides in the states prisons, again the second highest across the country after UP (20).

Two prisoners each were murdered by fellow inmates in the jails of Punjab and Haryana, the highest figure for the prisons of all the states. The report underlines the fact that Punjab reported the highest number of deaths due to HIV the same year. The state reported 9 deaths due to HIV of a total of 41 such deaths across the countrys jails.

The data also shows that Punjab has the highest number of inmates at 272 (21 convicts and 251 undertrials) in youth detention centres (borstal schools) across the country. In 2019, of a total of 26,390 persons released on parole, maximum 7,973 were from Punjab, followed by Madhya Pradesh (3,663).

ITS A FASHION TO FILE PLAINTS

IN PUNJAB, SAYS ADGP JAILS

Additional director general of police (ADGP jails) Praveen Kumar Sinha said it is a fashion in Punjab to file complaints. Merely filing of complaints dont establish the fact that there have been human rights violations of inmates in the prisons. Not even a single complaint did go unattended whether it was probed by judicial officers, senior jails officials or police, said Sinha. On the deaths due to HIV, Sinha said the most victims were drug addicts who used syringes of each other for substance abuse and ended up infecting others.
Wild Terrains women-only group trips Argentina has a nuanced history of powerful women - like Eva Peron - at its helm, but its the newest generation of Argentine women who are shaping the countrys cultural landscape. I cant wait to show our travelers this side of Argentina.

Women-fueled travel company, Wild Terrains, announced today its newest destination for 2021: Argentina. Wild Terrains has partnered with talented women across Argentina to build a special travel experience designed for women craving community. Like all Wild Terrains trips, this itinerary supports women hoteliers, chefs, artists, designers, historians, and more.

Ive had my heart set on Argentina as a Wild Terrains destination since living there years ago. said Wild Terrains founder Lauren Bates. Argentina has a nuanced history of powerful women - like Eva Peron - at its helm, but its the newest generation of Argentine women who are shaping the countrys cultural landscape. I cant wait to show our travelers this side of Argentina.

Some highlights on the Wild Terrains Argentina itinerary include:



Staying at stylish, women-owned boutique hotels, like Patricia OSheas HOME Hotel in Buenos Aires and Cecile Adam Entre Cielos in Mendoza

Wine tasting at a private vineyard with renowned sommelier and winemaker Mariana Onofri

A puerta cerrada curated by one of Argentinas top female chefs, Mica Najmanovich of Anafe

A sensory hike through a Patagonian forest led by FRASSAI Fragrances Natalia Outeda, followed by a perfume blending workshop

Designing your own leather handbag with Clara Bartolome of leather goods brand Nimes

A private tour of Bodega Lagarde and dinner with winery owner Sofia Pescarmona

A feminist historical tour in Buenos Aires centered on Eva Perons life, led by a female journalist

Horseback riding at women-run ranch Los Chulengos in the middle of the Andes mountains

A fireside dinner in a Patagonian forest prepared by chef Julieta Caruso of Casa Cavia

Visiting the home and studio of Uruguayan artist Ivonne Jacob

A spa day at Entre Cielos' famous hammam

Argentina is the third destination offered by Wild Terrains, which already operates in Mexico and Portugal. While the travel industry has been severely impacted by COVID-19, many of Wild Terrains 2021 group trips to Portugal and Mexico City are already sold out.

Bates says The world may look different now, but community has never been more important. Weve been really flexible with our booking terms to give our travelers peace of mind, and were taking COVID-19 travel precautions very seriously. Wild Terrains was granted the Safe Travels stamp by the World Travel & Tourism Council earlier this year.

Bates adds, Were also seeing a lot of new bookings for 2021 from travelers who just need something to look forward to. Were hopeful that travel will find a new normal early next year.

Wild Terrains has three Argentina group trips scheduled for 2021: April 9-18, 2021 (Mendoza/Buenos Aires/Patagonia), October 14-20, 2021 (Buenos Aires/Patagonia) and October 21-27, 2021 (Buenos Aires/Mendoza). Rates for these first departures start at USD$3,890 per person (double occupancy) and USD$4,490 per person (private room). Group size is capped at 12 travelers per trip. Pricing includes accommodations, all activities, most meals, transportation to and from activities, and gratuities for drivers and guides. Airfare to and from Argentina, visa fees and travel insurance are not included.

About Wild Terrains

Wild Terrains is a travel company on a mission to cultivate meaningful relationships that propel women forward. Wild Terrains specializes in small group tours for women of all ages and all life stages. They've cultivated relationships with women-owned businesses around the world to create one-of-a-kind travel experiences by women, for women. Wild Terrains curates group trips in Mexico, Portugal, and Argentina, with more destinations to follow.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Law enforcement agencies in Artsakh are trying to find the suspected arsonist who has set fire to multiple homes and a municipal gristmill in the village of Talish, Martakert.

The unknown perpetrator targeted the houses of seven individuals, another three structures and the municipal gristmill with the intention to destroy or inflict damages to the property.

Authorities are treating the incident as arson.

Investigators said they havent identified the suspect or suspects yet.

The Committee of Investigations did not report injuries in the incidents.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Pediatric ophthalmologists are a rarity in medicine. There are only about a thousand of them to serve America's 75 million children. And as other physicians fled private practice for hospitals or have been gobbled up by private equity firms, most pediatric ophthalmologists remain in private practice.

Unfortunately, the factors that make the specialty uncommon have also made pediatric ophthalmologists and their patients uncommonly vulnerable to the ravages of the COVID-19 shutdown.

A survey conducted by the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) shows that pediatric specialists are struggling to keep their practices viable in the wake of the shutdown. As a result, children in America may suffer medical outcomes not anticipated in first-world countries.

AAPOS conducted the survey of its members in April, one month after the shutdown, to assess the effects of the pandemic on private and institutional pediatric ophthalmology practices. The results are sobering and portend access-of-care issues for children with blinding conditions and life-threatening diseases.

While all sectors of pediatric ophthalmology were affected by the reduction in patient volume, private practices were the hardest hit. Among the survey's findings:

Practice revenue was only 13 percent of usual, across all practice types.

10 percent were considering bankruptcy, nearly all of whom are in private practice.

More private practice physicians than employed hospital and academic physicians (27 percent vs. 7 percent) expressed plans to limit Medicaid patients.

9 percent said they planned to retire earlier.

This is an alarming, important and pivotal moment in the history of medicine. We appeal to the legislative bodies to support pediatric ophthalmologists to champion eye health and vision of our most valuable commodity  our children." Shira L. Robbins, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Shiley Eye Institute, University of California-San Diego

Dr Robbins the survey effort.

Dr. Robbins stressed that pediatric ophthalmologists have limited access to federal financial assistance programs because the assistance is based on treating elderly Medicare patients, while other assistance programs have left many fixed practice expenses uncovered and only partially covered staff and physician salaries.

AAPOS conducted a follow-up survey in July to gauge the extent of the recovery since the initial shock of the April shutdown. While it shows some improvement, many pediatric ophthalmologists continue to struggle to remain in business. Dr. Robbins predicts that as the pandemic continues, so will the strain on the delivery of medical care. Among the topline results:

3 percent of practices are closing permanently

At least twice as many practices plan to limit Medicaid compared with pre-COVID levels

5.4 percent are considering or have declared bankruptcy

42 percent feel their practice viability remains "day to day" with bankruptcy as a possible outcome

52 percent experienced a salary reduction

26 percent received less than $1,000 from the first round of assistance from Health and Human Services

51 percent continue to operate with reduced staff compared to pre-COVID levels

91 percent expect further staff reductions (up to 25 percent) following completion of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan requirements

"Pediatric ophthalmologists are rare medical subspecialists with the majority working in private practices," said Kathy Lee, MD, PhD, president of AAPOS. "Without continued governmental financial support, many will not be able to sustain their practices contributing to an even greater access problem for children with eye problems."
Last week, a Morning Consult poll found that President Trump received a bounce from the GOP Convention, but that his standing among black voters declined somewhat. I found the latter result surprising, given the relentlessness with which Republicans appealed to Blacks during the convention.

Now, a Hill-HarrisX poll finds that Trumps support among black voters was up by 9 percentage points after the first two days of the Republican Convention. 24 percent of registered black voters in the Aug. 22-25 survey said they approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 76 percent said they disapprove. In an Aug. 8-11 survey only 15 percent of this cohort approved of the presidents performance. (Hill-HarrisX also found that Trumps approval rating increased by 2 points among Latino voters, a result that probably lacks statistical significance.)

The Hill-HarrisX result on the view of black voters makes more sense to me than the Morning Consult result does. Im a little surprised, though, that Trump got this much of a bounce with Blacks from just two days of the convention. Television ratings for the first two days werent great, and I wonder how many Blacks tuned in. Perhaps Tim Scotts great speech spread among Blacks through social media, etc.

Oddly, the Hill-HarrisX poll found that Trumps approval rating among all voters declined by one point from August 8-11 through August 22-25. A one point decline isnt statistically significant, but the result suggests the absence of a convention bounce.

Hill-HarrisX and Morning Consult thus reached opposite results on both a Black bounce and an overall bounce. My guess is that Trump did receive a convention bounce of 3-4 points and a bounce among Black voters, though perhaps a smaller one than Hill-HarrisX found.

The real lesson, though, is that we shouldnt take polls like these very seriously  not at this point, anyway.
Back-to-school season is upon us and while American students attempt to return to the classroom, in-person learning for many has been canceled.

Aside from the impact on the individual student, this lack of child care can create a huge drag on the economy. Nobel laureate Esther Duflo suggests the U.S. subsidize child care for a few reasons aside from the benefit to the children themselves.

Child care requires constant attention by ideally qualified and highly trained professionals, creating a source of jobs that cannot be outsourced internationally to China nor automated away. "You're always going to need to take care," she said.

To pay for this attention and investment in our children, Duflo recommends a straight transfer of funds to the child's guardian. The U.S. currently offers a tax credit of up to $2,000 per child under 17 years old or $1,400 per child as a tax refund if the credit is larger than the taxes the family owes. The federal government offers a credit of up to $500 for other dependents, including college students ages 19 to 24. She thinks that child allowances should be much greater.

Duflo suggests the U.S. economy would benefit greatly from these investments for two specific reasons. First, this policy would free up women to maintain their status in the workforce. Women are more likely to bear the brunt of the so-called "second shift," even during the pandemic, and some fear the U.S. could see a dropoff in female workers as the recession continues.

Second, guaranteed access to good quality child care, no matter where a person lives, will help create more social and economic mobility, according to Duflo. She suggests that Americans often attempt to live closer to child care options, such as their extended families. Workers would be more willing to move for economic opportunities if they were assured of child care.

Duflo did not feel qualified to suggest how to best provide care during the pandemic but was adamant that it could help grow the economy. Watch the video above to see the full interview.
Officer who faces charge, discipline after Monday wreck identified

A charge is pending against Watertown police officer Karter Lingen, 27, after a Monday afternoon crash in which one person was injured, to the state.
Ukrainian troops held their fire.

Russian occupation forces twice opened fire in the Joint Forces Operation zone on August 31, Ukraine's Command reported.

That's according to a morning update posted on the JFO Facebook page September 1.

Provocations were reported near the settlements of Vodiane and Avdiyivka.

In the first location, the enemy employed small arms, and in the latter it was an under-barrel grenade launcher, according to the update.

Read alsoFokin's "compromise." Why Ukraine should forget about forgiving enemy in Donbas"These fire provocations by enemy forces posed no threat to our defenders, so Ukrainian units did not return fire. There were no combat losses as a result of enemy shots," the report says.

Since day-start on Tuesday, no fire provocations have been recorded in Donbas.

The JFO HQ has recalled that starting today, all crossing checkpoints along the line of contact switch to the autumn operating mode. Open hours are from 7:00 to 18:30.

Donbas ceasefire: background

The latest full and comprehensive ceasefire has been operating on the contact line in the zone of the Joint Forces Operation in Donbas since July 27.

Russian invaders have been provoking Ukrainian troops by random gunfire, while no heavy artillery shelling has been reported in the warzone.
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Weeksville Heritage Center (WHC), a one-of-a-kind historic house museum that brings to life the history of one of the largest free black communities in pre-Civil War America through its arts, culture and preservation efforts, announces the start of much-needed preservation work on its key historic assets, the Hunterfly Road Houses. The work on the three original structures from the mid-19th and early-20th century that are the last remaining physical evidence of the existence of the community of Weeksville, Brooklyn, is made possible through the generous support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, American Express and the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

Weeksville's Hunterfly Road Houses

"Given the economic challenges New York City is facing due to COVID-19, especially the cuts to the City's capital budgets, there's no way we could've done this work without the support of these philanthropic partners," noted Rob Fields, WHC's president and executive director.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) funded Weeksville's preservation manager position, enabling the work to be overseen by someone with hands-on knowledge of the specific needs of historic houses. For this role, WHC tapped Zulmilena Then, who comes to Weeksville with a focus on preservation work in underrepresented communities, having founded Preserving East New York, and was the recipient of NTHP's 2018 40 Under 40: People Saving Places Award.

"Among the areas in our purview, we focus on preserving sites of activism, achievement and community, and Weeksville falls squarely in this category," says Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "With this in mind, we are thrilled to provide the resources that enable Weeksville to hire stellar preservation talent to protect the legacy and inspiration the Historic Hunterfly Road Houses represent."

A longtime supporter of Weeksville, the New York Landmarks Conservancy provided key infrastructure repairs to the Hunterfly Road Houses. "The Landmarks Conservancy is proud of our long relationship with Weeksville, and honored to have had [Weeksville's founding executive director] Joan Maynard on our Board," notes New York Landmarks Conservancy president Peg Breen. "In recent years we have given more than $60,000 on grants to preserve Weeksville's irreplaceable historic wooden homes. Continuing to assist Weeksville's preservation is one of our top priorities."

And, at a moment when the nation is elevating Black voices, it's clear that preserving the history that provides the context for understanding the present is even more critical, and WHC's funding partners are keenly aware of this, particularly American Express, which provided a $250,000 multi-year grant.

"American Express is proud to continue its support of the Weeksville Heritage Center and aid in the restoration of the Hunterfly Road Houses," said Timothy J. McClimon, President, American Express Foundation. "These historically significant residential remnants are an important part of the stories of African-American men and women who called Weeksville home."

About Weeksville Heritage Center

Weeksville Heritage Center is an historic site and cultural center in Central Brooklyn that uses education, arts and a social justice lens to preserve, document and inspire engagement with the history of Weeksville, one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America. www.weeksvillesociety.org

About NTHP's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is a multi-year initiative led by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in partnership with the Ford Foundation, The JPB Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and other partners, working to make an important and lasting contribution to our cultural landscape by elevating the stories and places of African American achievement and activism. www.savingplaces.org/actionfund

About The NY Landmarks Conservancy

The New York Landmarks Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $52 million over the past 47 years, contributing to more than $1 billion in preservation projects throughout New York. https://nylandmarks.org/

About American Express

American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com.

CONTACT: Rob Fields

Date: Monday, August 31, 2020

Phone: 718-756-5250 x 300

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Weeksville Heritage Center

Related Links

https://www.weeksvillesociety.org/


UPDATE: The missing has returned home, police said. Read more here.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD is asking for the publics help to locate a missing senior from Queens who left home in a car that crossed into Staten Island over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

William Lewis, 90, was driving a silver 1999 Toyota Camry with New York license plate AMJ1139 when he left his home around 11 a.m. on Monday, according to a police statement and a source with knowledge of the investigation.

We have him entering Staten Island by the way of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and we dont have anything that would suggest that he exited Staten Island, at least not in that vehicle, the source said.

The investigation indicates that Lewis crossed the span around 9 p.m. on Monday, the source said.

Lewis suffers from dementia and may be in need of medical attention, according to a Notify NYC Silver Alert.

The police statement describes Lewis as standing about 56 tall and weighing about 155 pounds. He was seen wearing a blue, short-sleeve shirt and gray jeans.

Anyone who has seen Lewis or the Toyota is urged by Notify NYC to call 911 or contact the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 (TIPS). For Spanish, dial 1-888-577-4782 (PISTA). The public also can submit tips on the Crime Stoppers website, or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
Following Governments failure to meet its demands, the Association of Resident Doctors working in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, will commence an indefinite from Tuesday.

President of the Association, Dr Roland Aigbovo disclosed this in a communique issued after its emergency general meeting in Abuja.

According to him the strike will begin on Tuesday 8am, 1st September 2020, after the government failed to meet its demand at the expiration of the 14 days ultimate it issued to the FCT Administration.

He said, The congress observes with dismay that despite timelines and promises made to pay the covid-19 hazard and inducement allowance within the period of the issued ultimatum, the allowance is still yet to be paid to health care workers in the various FCT Hospitals and the covid-19 isolation and treatment centres thereby negating the positive gains already achieved.

As an association, we believe in dialogue as a means of dispute resolution and we have always stood by this principle in all our dealings with the FCTA management even in the face of financial burden but we note with dismay the care free approach exhibited by the office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory in handling this issue.

The doctors are demanding the payment of the COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowance as well as the variation of the 2018 promotion exercise implemented.

He however regretted any inconveniences this decision might cause government and the general public needing healthcare delivery during this period while calling on the government to address the issues raised.
On August 27th, prosecutors in Kenosha County filed six charges against Kyle Rittenhouse which read as follows:

First degree reckless homicide, use of a dangerous weapon First degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon First degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon Attempt first degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon First degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon Possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

A detailed breakdown of the facts of the case can be found here. What follows is a breakdown of the law applicable to the case.

Counts 1, 3, and 4 relate to shots fired at Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and Gaige Grosskreutz respectively, all of whom are on film attacking Kyle Rittenhouse as he attempts to flee. Count 2 is ancillary to Count 1, relating to Daily Caller reporter Richard McGinnis, who was following Rosenbaum at the time of the incident and was therefore in Kyles line of fire. Count 5 refers to the two shots fired at the unknown male who attempted a jumping stomp on Kyles head after he tripped and fell while fleeing a violent mob. Both shots missed and the man fled the scene. Count 6 is an attempt to punish Kyle for merely having the gun.

The defense against Counts 1 to 5 will be Wisconsins broad self-defense laws. Citizens have no duty to flee when endangered (although Kyle did) and maintain self-defense privileges even if attacked by those one provokes (so long as the provocation did not include criminal entrapment). There is no duty to use the least possible force when threatened, only reasonable force, a standard judged by the person in question. In other words, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Kyle Rittenhouse did not believe he had risk of great bodily harm and that the force he used was unreasonable according to Kyles own standards. Unlikely, given the facts of the case.

Additionally, both men killed by Rittenhouse had their hands on Kyles gun at the time of being shot, a detail confirmed by eyewitness Richard McGinnis and videos of the incident, making the men in possession of a gun. Both Rosenbaum and Huber were convicted felons and therefore may not possess firearms in Wisconsin. Bizarrely, even the charges mention that the men had grabbed Rittenhouses gun, undermining the prosecutors allegations. Worse yet, Gaige Grosskreutz, the third felon shot by Rittenhouse, had an illegal handgun drawn and pointed at Rittenhouse just before being shot. Grosskreutz later admitted through a third party that his only regret was not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun before emptying the entire mag into him. Grosskreutz has not been charged with a crime.

We are left with Count 6, illegal possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18. Kyle Rittenhouse is only 17, an open and shut case, right? Not quite. There is an exception for minors under 18 years of age armed with a rifle, which Kyle was indeed armed with. There are exceptions to this exception dealing with persons under 16 and hunting approvals, but neither are applicable in this case. Kyle Rittenhouse escapes this charge as well.

Considering the facts of the case and the state laws governing Wisconsin, it becomes clear that Kyles actions were not reckless -- the prosecutors decisions were.

The story of Kyle Rittenhouse is more than a gripping piece of news, it is a telling philosophical Rorschach test. A lone individual stood up to a mob of violent felons, abusers, and pedophiles, asserting his right to live over their lust for his blood, and won. While the American public, generous in their deference for human life, and may have paused in horror at the shootings, the tide of public opinion is turning for Kyle as the deluge of exculpatory facts break through the dam of misinformation. Americans should take note at which institutions were quick to back Kyle, which condemned him, and the cowards in between.

Americas Founders foresaw the need for armed young men to rise to the defense of their communities against rioters, looters, and foreign invaders. Men younger than Kyle fought in the American Revolution, put down insurrections under George Washington, and trained in militia groups in anticipation of threats. It was for these men that the 2nd Amendment was written, and it is men like Kyle whom the amendment must continue to protect.

The frailty of the charges brought against Kyle Rittenhouse show the well from which the insurrectionist mobs draw their power: the political class, the prosecutors office, and the media. Rittenhouse is charged with allegations refuted by the prosecutors own complaint, but the Portland murderer can gun down Trump supporters in the street because prosecutors declined to press charges for his gun crimes. The privilege of immunity for city leaders and prosecutors who abdicate their duties must end. It is time for President Trump to order his Justice Department to lock up corrupt prosecutors and city leaders who knowingly put people in danger.

Until then, we depend on citizens like Kyle Rittenhouse.

Image: Pixabay
San Antonio police are trying to determine if foul play was involved after a body was found near Salado Creek Tuesday morning.

A jogger in the area of Loop 410 and Ira Lee Road noticed buzzards flying overhead about 10 a.m. They then found the body when they went to investigate, officer Doug Greene, a spokesman for SAPD said.
Did Jesus go to India? Was he taught by Hindu and Buddhist sages? There are many who are convinced that between the ages of 12-29, Jesus travelled.

These sorts of claims are presented in the film The Lost Years of Jesus. They are also made in Shirley Maclaines Out on a Limb, Janet Bocks The Jesus Mystery, Elizabeth Clare Prophets The Lost Years of Jesus and Holger Kirstens Jesus Lived in India. Edgar Cayce the trance medium, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and Sai Baba have also claimed that Jesus went to India.

The Life of St Issa

The claim that Jesus spent his missing years in India originated with Nicholas Notovitchs The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ in 1894 Notovitch, a Russian journalist, claimed he had found documents in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery which described Jesus life.

In these scrolls Jesus was known as St Issa. At the age of 12 he left Jerusalem for India where he studied the Vedas. He was welcomed by the outcasts for his wisdom and miracles but the Brahman priests grew jealous and sent St Issa away. He journeyed to Kashmir and Tibet. In Tibet he mastered the Buddhist Scriptures and then returned to Palestine to preach.

Do these scrolls exist? Janet Bock concedes:

Of course, the truth about the missing years in Jesus life cannot be historically proven and therefore will always be subjective for each individual who explores it, which is the way it should be. We have no need to prove anything about this story (p.5).

Since she admits there is no historical evidence to support these claims it seems presumptuous of her and others to attribute to Jesus things he neither said nor did. Surely what Jesus really said and did is more significant than the presentation of what these writers want Jesus to say. The real Jesus is preferable to the fictitious one.

St Issa The Buddhist

According to Notovitch, Jesus mastered Buddhism whilst living in Tibet. The big problem with this is the fact that Buddhism did not reach Tibet until the 7th century AD. Buddhist author Christmas Humphreys states in his book Buddhism (Penguin 1962):

Before the seventh century the sole religion of Tibet was the Bon... Sometime in the fifth century AD a number of Buddhist books were brought into Tibet from India, but they seem to have been ignored, and it was not until the reign of King Srongstsen Gampo in the middle of the seventh century, that Buddhism became a force in Tibet (pp. 190,191).

In The Elements of Buddhism John Swelling himself a committed Buddhist, notes; We can trace two principal transmissions of Buddhism to Tibet: an initial one begun during the seventh century CE and a second one starting around the year 1000. (pp33-34)

So the evidence shows that Jesus could hardly have been a student of Buddhism in Tibet in the first century AD. What must also be noted is that what St Isaa teaches bears almost no resemblance to Buddhist teachings.

In 1895 J.A. Douglas, a professor at Government College in Agra, India retraced Notovitclis steps to Tibet. He interviewed the Head Abbot at the Monastery where Notovitch claimed the scrolls were. Douglas obtained an affidavit from the Abbot denouncing Notovitch's story as a lie.

Douglas established there were no scrolls about St Issa or Jesus. He published his findings in the popular monthly journal The Nineteenth Century (The Chief Lama of Himis on the Alleged Unknown Life of Christ April 1896).

What about the New Testament?

The primary source of information for the life and teachings of Jesus is found in the four Gospels. Here one can apply basic historical tests concerning the authenticity and accuracy of the documents.

In contrast to Notovitchs forgery, there are more than 5000 Greek manuscripts available for the four Gospels which can be compared to ascertain if the texts have been faithfully copied and recopied down the centuries. On this point, Sir Frederick Kenyon of the British Museum concluded:

The interval, then, between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed.

Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established (The Bible and Archaeology pp. 288-289).

Another important fact is that the Gospels were written either by eyewitnesses to the events (Matthew, John) or by people who interviewed the eyewitnesses (Mark, Luke). J.A.T. Robinson in Redating the New Testament argued that all the New Testament books were in circulation before 70 AD that is within 40 years of the events.

The Gospels can also be tested by external evidences, such as the writings of non-Christians (Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius and Pliny the Younger) and from archaeological findings. In all these respects the Gospels pass the critical tests for historical reliability.

Who is Jesus?

So what did Jesus say about himself? He claimed to be God in human flesh and rested the proof of his credentials on the fact that he would be put to death and rise again from the dead. The Gospels painstakingly present the evidence that Jesus was executed and then rose from the dead. Jesus taught that he alone was the Way, the Truth and the life. He did not say that God could be reached by following any other religious path. Jesus also made it plain that He alone was God and that we are not.

Jesus taught that we suffer from soul-sorrow which separates us from God and that the way to overcome this is to enter into a personal relationship with Him. We can do this by acknowledging out need of Jesus, by accepting that what he taught is the truth, believing that his death was on our behalf so that we may be forgiven of our soul-sorrow, and by trusting Jesus we can enjoy friendship with God forever.

The claim that Jesus went to India or Tibet and taught Hindu and Buddhist dogmas is a spiritual deception. Why settle for a fabrication when your journey in life can be enriched by meeting the real Jesus?
Roberta BRUZZECHESSE /EIB

Christian Kettel Thomsen joins as Vice-President on the EIBs Management Committee.

Thomsen will serve a four-year term on behalf of Denmark

Christian Kettel Thomsen has been appointed Vice-President and Member of the Management Committee of the EIB. He takes up his duties today, succeeding Andrew McDowell, whose mandate on behalf of Ireland ended at the end of August.

The EIBs Board of Governors appointed Mr Thomsen, a Danish national, on a proposal from the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark and with the agreement of the EIB-shareholder constituency the country shares with Ireland, Greece and Romania.

Upon joining the EIB, Christian Kettel Thomsen remarked: Its exciting to be here, and perhaps even more exciting to join this European Institution in such challenging times. The European Investment Bank will have a crucial role to play in making the rebound from the current crisis a green recovery, it will be my focus to contribute to that.

Prior to becoming EIB Vice-President, Mr Thomsen was the Permanent Secretary of State in the Danish Prime Ministers office, as well as a Secretary to the Queen in Council, positions he has held since 2010. Holding an MSc in Economics, which he obtained in 1991, he built up a long track record working at the Danish Ministry of Finance ever since graduation, climbing through the ranks to become deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry in 1997. As of the early 2000s, Mr Thomsen was Permanent Under-Secretary of State in the Prime Ministers Office, before serving as Permanent Secretary of state for Finance in 2005-2010.

The Management Committee is the EIBs permanent collegiate executive body, consisting of a President and eight Vice-Presidents. The members of the Management Committee are appointed by the Board of Governors  the economy and finance ministers of the 27 EU Member States.

Under the authority of Werner Hoyer, President of the EIB, the Management Committee collectively oversees the day-to-day running of the EIB as well as preparing and ensuring the implementation of the Board of Directors' decisions, notably regarding borrowing and lending operations.
'This is harassment': John MacArthur's church to be evicted from land leased for parking lot

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Los Angeles County has notified Grace Community Church, led by Pastor John MacArthur, that it will soon be evicted from a parcel of land it uses as a parking lot  a move lawyers say is retaliation for the churchs decision to hold indoor worship services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter dated Aug. 28, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works informed the Sun Valley-based church that on Oct. 1, it is being evicted from a large portion of the parking lot of the church that has been in place continuously since 1975.

The county warns that if Grace Community Church fails to vacate the premise as required, the District may enter the premises and remove Grace's personal property in accordance with the Agreement and applicable law, and Grace will be responsible for any resultant expenses incurred by the District.

Jenna Ellis, special counsel to Thomas More Society, said the move is clearly in retaliation for the church's decision to fight Los Angeles Countys ban on indoor church worship services.

"Los Angeles County is retaliating against Grace Community Church for simply exercising their constitutionally protected right to hold church and challenging an unreasonable, unlawful health order, Ellis said.

In America, we have a judicial system to ensure that the executive branch does not abuse its power, and Grace Community Church has every right to be heard without fear of reprisal. The Democrats' message to Americans is clearif you don't bow to every whim of tyranny, the government will come after you. The Church has peacefully held this lease for 45 years and the only reason the County is attempting eviction is because John MacArthur stood up to their unconstitutional power grab. This is harassment, abusive, and unconscionable."

Over the last few weeks, county officials have repeatedly attempted to get a court order to shutter the church, which has been holding in-person worship services since last month in violation of orders from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has mandated that churches in some counties refrain from indoor services amid the pandemic.

County officials previously threatened MacArthur with repercussions such as fines and even possible arrest if his church doesnt comply with state orders.

However, a California judge concluded last week that the countys attempt to obtain a restraining order did not meet statutory requirements and that the Court of Appeals' order did not justify a new temporary restraining order.

The next scheduled hearing on the original lawsuit filed by the church against the county and the countersuit filed by the county against the church will take place Sept. 4.

In a declaration released last week, MacArthur argued that the county is attempting to impede on his and his congregations free exercise of religion by criminalizing activity directly required by our faith.

As a church, we have a moral and religious obligation to continue allowing our congregants to gather in our sanctuary to worship the Lord, the pastor said, adding that the church is the core of life for thousands from nursery to seniors.

Our church is not an event center. It is a family of lives who love and care for each other in very intensely personal ways, he said. So essential to personal well-being that people rushed back as soon as they could. The utter unnecessary deprivation of all our people by completely shutting down the mutual love and care that sustains our people in all the exigencies, pressures and challenges of life, was cruel.

Grace Community is not the only California church embroiled in a legal battle due to state closure and reopening orders.

Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks was recently found to be in contempt of court for violating the state's COVID-19 health orders.

Also this month, North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara was fined $5,000 for holding a morning service and $5,000 for the evening service in violation of orders from Gov. Newsom.
In a big relief to telecom companies, the Supreme Court has allowed telcos 10 years to make staggered payment of the pending AGR dues. The apex court said the telecom companies have to pay 10 per cent of total pending dues upfront and can't default on the annual payments. The SC has also fixed February 7 as the date for annual installment. The court said the telecom companies, including Airtel, Vodafone Idea and others, must pay the 10% pending dues by March 31, 2021.

Also read: AGR verdict: SC allows telcos 10 years to clear dues, but with conditions

Check all the latest updates on the AGR issue on BusinessToday.In Live blog

11.50 AM: The SC has also allowed the telecom companies, including Airtel, Vodafone Idea and others, to pay the 10% of the dues by March 31, 2021.

11.47 AM: The apex court has said if telcos default on the annual AGR installment, interest would accrue and it may also invite contempt of court.

11.46 AM: The SC has fixed February 7 as the date for annual installment of AGR dues.

11.43 AM: The Supreme Court has said the telecom companies must have to pay the 10 per cent of total pending dues upfront.

11.42 AM: The Supreme Court has allowed 10 years for staggered payment of AGR dues.

11.33 AM: Judges and lawyers have assembled to pronounce the final verdict on the 14-year-old AGR case.

11.29 AM: The SC to announce whether telcos can transfer the spectrum rights, and sell it under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). This mostly applies to three operators that have become insolvent, namely Reliance Communications, Aircel and Videocon Telecom.

10.40 AM: The SC will ascertain the AGR liability of Jio and Airtel for the spectrum deals that they have done with the insolvent telcos. Jio, for instance, went into a spectrum trading and sharing agreement with RCom in 2016 where Jio had bought airwaves in the 800 megahertz band from RCom in 13 circles in addition to sharing spectrum in the same band in some other circles. Airtel, on the other hand, had spectrum sharing and trading agreements with Aircel and Videocon Telecom.

10.20 AM: As of now, out of 15 affected telcos, five have paid just a fraction - about Rs 30,254 crore - of the AGR dues to DoT out of the total demand of Rs 1.69 lakh crore.

10.18 AM: While the Department of Telecommunications had sought a 20-year time frame for payment of AGR related dues, incumbent telcos Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel have sought 15 years for the same.

10.10 AM: The bench has outlined three areas on which it would pass the judgement:

Timeline for staggered payment schedule on AGR dues by telcos

Decision on recovery of AGR related dues from telecom companies facing insolvency proceedings

Whether spectrum given to these companies can be sold

Also Read: Supreme Court puts onus of AGR dues of ailing telcos on spectrum users

Also Read: AGR case: Supreme Court fears telco dues will be wiped out in IBC process

Also Read: AGR case: Why shouldn't Jio pay RCom dues, SC asks
The global race is on to develop a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19. Every country wants to make sure its scientists are at the cutting edge and its citizens arent left out once the vaccine is available.

That was the thinking in May when Canada, through the National Research Council, announced a collaboration with a Chinese company to conduct trials of a promising vaccine candidate at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

At the time, the prime minister himself hailed the deal as a path to producing a vaccine right here at home. The NRC said it would potentially make Canadians among the first in the world to have access to a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19.

Sounded great. But its all ashes now that the NRC has pulled the plug on the arrangement. Chinese customs authorities simply wouldnt give permission for the company involved, CanSino Biologics Inc., to ship samples of its vaccine candidate, known as Ad5-nCoV, to Canada for testing. Research in this area is moving fast, and the delay effectively killed the project.

The Chinese government wont explain the hang-up and Canadas foreign minister refuses to draw the obvious conclusion: that its part of Chinas ongoing campaign to punish Canada for detaining Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Francois-Philippe Champagne just says he wouldnt necessarily link the two events.

Let us link them for him, then. If Beijing truly wanted to see cooperation between China and Canada on this vital public health issue, it would have cleared the way for CanSino to send the needed samples to Halifax. Trials would have started many weeks ago, to the benefit of Canadians, Chinese and potentially all humanity.

Aside from the possible health benefits, it would have sent a valuable signal that Beijing is willing to work with Canada despite the tense relations between the two countries.

Instead, the opposite signal has been sent  that China is practising what has become known as vaccine nationalism, using research on a potential treatment for the scourge of COVID-19 as yet another weapon in its search for advantage around the world.

It wouldnt be the first time. In July, for example, China announced it would give the Philippines preferential access to successful vaccines, just as that country reiterated its support for Chinas position in the South China Sea. The link was clear.

Perhaps this should come as no surprise, given the increasingly aggressive nature of the Chinese government under President Xi Jinping. But its still shameful, not to mention scientifically indefensible. If ever there was a problem that demands a world-wide solution and genuine cooperation among governments, its defeating the coronavirus.

The federal government has committed hundreds of millions of dollars to the battle, through initiatives like the Global Coronavirus Response and GAVI, which distributes vaccines to less-developed countries. Its also putting millions toward supporting Canadian research.

This is all valuable and necessary, in part because Canada let its domestic capacity for manufacturing vaccines run down over many years. Were playing catch-up to rebuild capacity and make sure Canadians arent left out once an effective vaccine does become available.

That makes the collapse of the China deal all the more regrettable. The government is trying to fill the gap in several ways. In early August it signed deals with two major companies, Pfizer and Moderna, to secure millions of doses of vaccine candidates now in Stage 3 trials. And its working with two other promising vaccine research groups  one based in Massachusetts, the other at the University of Saskatchewan.

It all underscores the need for Canada to be at the forefront of research and to make sure Canadians have full access to a vaccine. We were caught short on PPE when the pandemic struck; theres no excuse to repeat that mistake when it comes to developing and distributing the eventual treatment.

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Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with a brutal assault on a senior citizen earlier this month in downtown Winnipeg.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (507 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with a brutal assault on a senior citizen earlier this month in downtown Winnipeg.

Police responded to the 200 block of Pacific Avenue at 7:40 a.m. Aug. 7, after receiving a report of an assault. Upon arrival, officers found a 76-year-old woman lying on the ground "suffering from serious injuries."

The woman was taken to hospital in critical condition. Police declined to provide an update on her medical condition during a media conference Monday.

Investigators determined the woman was attacked by two suspects while out for a morning walk around 5 a.m., police said.

The suspects fled after the initial assault, but returned a short while later and assaulted the woman a second time, police said. They also stole clothing from her, police said.

The woman was laying injured on the ground for roughly 2 1/2 hours before anyone came across her and called 911, officials said.

"An incident like this is extremely alarming and traumatizing. This is a senior citizen that was on her morning routine and was randomly assaulted. It was unprovoked; these suspects were unknown to her," Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Rachel Vertone said.

"This is a traumatizing incident for this victim, for the victims family and her support systems, as well as our officers dealing with this call."

Police requested the publics help in the investigation on two occasions. On Aug. 12, police asked anyone who was in the area during the time of the crime to get in touch with investigators; on Aug. 27, WPS released security footage of two suspects, asking for assistance in identifying them.

"Somebody had seen the photos we had put out and assisted us, and that led to these arrests," Vertone said.

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The suspects and the victim were not known to each other, police said.

One day after the release of the security footage photos (Aug. 28), police arrested a 17-year-old male and 18-year-old woman.

Both were charged with aggravated assault and robbery. They were released from custody on a promise to appear in court.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe
Photo: GT

Chinas Western Theatre Command said Monday evening that Indian troops once again illegally crossed the Line of Actual Control near the south bank of the Pangong Lake and Reqin mountain pass on Monday, a blatant provocative move that seriously infringed on Chinas territorial sovereignty, and undermined the peace and stability in the China-India border area. Earlier in the day, India, who first moved to accuse China of carrying out provocative military movements, said it preempted Chinese military activity.

The word preempt shows it was the Indian troops that first took destructive actions, and the Indian troops initiated the standoff this time.

Twenty Indian soldiers died in the Galwan Valley clash between Chinese and Indian troops in June. In the following two months, anti-China opinion dominated Indian society. India overreached itself by economically sanctioning China and strengthened interaction with the US in order to gain an upper hand over China. Washington almost publicly sided with New Delhi, which further encouraged the latter.

The south bank of the Pangong Lake where the latest confrontation took place is under Chinas control. India is trying to turn it into a new disputed area as a bargaining chip in negotiations. Obviously, India is taking an aggressive approach on border issues rather than prioritizing stability in border regions.

India is now burdened with domestic issues, especially the coronavirus situation that has almost spiraled out of control. On Sunday, the number of new infection cases reached as high as 78,000, breaking the world record. The economy has been dragged into a sluggish state. By provoking tensions at the border, New Delhi also aims to shift domestic attention, which is a hooligan behavior externally, and political flimflam internally.

But it must be pointed out that New Delhi is facing a powerful China. The PLA has sufficient force to safeguard every inch of the country. Chinese people have shown support to the government which wont seek to provoke India, but does not allow it to encroach on Chinas territory. China is strategically firm in the southwestern border areas and is also prepared for any circumstance. China welcomes it if India wants to co-exist in peace. If India wants to engage in competition, China has more tools and capability than India. If India would like a military showdown, the PLA is bound to make the Indian army suffer much more severe losses than it did in 1962.

India should not have any illusions of Washingtons support, nor does it need to embolden itself by strengthening cooperation under the Quad framework. China-India border issues are bound to be solved by the two. The US can only support India verbally. How can it help India grab Chinese territory? What is really in the minds of the Americans is to let India and China consume themselves so that India can become a more useful pawn in the US China containment strategy.

The confrontation in Pangong Lake shows that India did not draw any lessons from the Galwan Valley clash. It is still determined to provoke China. Since the Doklam standoff in 2017 when the Indian army crossed the border to provoke China, the tense situation in the China-India border area continues with the same logic. China-India border frictions are likely to prolong, and various kinds of crises, be they big or small, will become normal. We have to be prepared for this.

China needs to prepare to carry out a military struggle in the China-India border area. We should try our best to resolve frictions through peaceful means. But when India recklessly challenges Chinas bottom line, China must not be soft. It must take military actions when necessary, and ensure it can win.

China is several times stronger than India, and India is no match for China. We must smash any Indian illusion that it can deal with China by colluding with other powers, such as the US. The history of Asia and the world has told us that any force keen on opportunism tends to bully the weak while fear the strong. India is a typical opportunist when it comes to the China-India border issue.


PARIS - September 1, 2020 - Sanofi today announced that the global Phase 3 trial investigating intravenously administered Kevzara (sarilumab) at a dose of 200 mg or 400 mg[a] in severely or critically ill[b] patients hospitalized with COVID-19 did not meet its primary endpoint and key secondary endpoint[c] when Kevzara was compared to placebo added to usual hospital care. The 420-patient randomized trial was conducted outside the U.S. in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia and Spain (86 in placebo, 161 in 200 mg, and 173 in 400 mg arms).

"Although this trial did not yield the results we hoped for, we are proud of the work that was achieved by the team to further our understanding of the potential use of Kevzara for the treatment of COVID-19," said John Reed, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head of Research and Development, Sanofi. "In times like these, commitment to properly designed, controlled clinical trials, provides the information and understanding the scientific community needs for fact-based decision making. At Sanofi, we are committed to help combat the global COVID-19 pandemic, including developing vaccine candidates that can be manufactured at large-scale."

Although not statistically significant, numerical trends were observed toward a decrease in duration of hospital stay as well as an acceleration in time to improve clinical outcomes, as measured by a 2-point improvement from baseline on the 7-point scale. Further, a trend was observed towards reduced mortality in the critical patient group which was not seen in the severe patient group. Finally, the time to discharge was shortened by 2-3 days (statistically non-significant) in the patients treated with Kevzara within the first two weeks of treatment.

Serious adverse events were experienced by 26-29% of Kevzara patients and 24% of placebo patients. The incidence of adverse events leading to death was approximately 10% in all three treatment arms. Serious infections (including COVID-19 pneumonia) were observed in 11-13% of Kevzara patients and 12% of placebo patients.

Detailed results will be submitted to a peer-reviewed publication later this year. At this time, Sanofi and Regeneron do not anticipate conducting further clinical studies for Kevzara in COVID-19.

About Kevzara (sarilumab) Injection

Kevzara is currently approved in multiple countries to treat adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have not responded to or tolerated previous therapy.

Kevzara binds specifically to the IL-6 receptor and has been shown to inhibit IL-6 mediated signalling. IL-6 is an immune system protein produced in increased quantities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and has been associated with disease activity, joint destruction and other systemic problems.

[a] The protocol initially prescribed a single infusion, and subsequently amended to allow a second infusion of the randomly assigned treatment 24-48 hours after the initial infusion if clinical deterioration or no improvement was observed according to protocol-defined criteria.

[b] Severe disease: requires oxygen by nasal cannula, simple face mask, or other similar oxygen delivery device. Critical disease: requires oxygen by non-rebreather mask or high-flow nasal cannula, or use of invasive or non-invasive ventilation, or treatment in an intensive care unit.

[c] The primary endpoint was time to improvement of 2 points or greater on a 7-point clinical scale (where 1=death; 2=hospitalized, on invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation;3=hospitalized, on non-invasive ventilation or high flow oxygen devices; 4=hospitalized, requiring supplemental oxygen; 5=hospitalized, not requiring supplemental oxygen - requiring ongoing medical care (COVID-19 related or otherwise); 6=hospitalized, not requiring supplemental oxygen - no longer requires ongoing medical care; 7=not hospitalized). The key secondary endpoint was percentage of patients alive at Day 29.





About Sanofi







Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.







With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.







Sanofi, Empowering Life







Sanofi Media Relations Contact

Sally Bain

Tel: +1 (781) 264-1091

sally.bain@sanofi.com (mailto:sally.bain@sanofi.com)





Sanofi Investor Relations Contacts Paris

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Sanofi Forward-Looking Statements



This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates regarding the marketing and other potential of the product, or regarding potential future revenues from the product. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans" and similar expressions. Although Sanofi's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Sanofi, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include among other things, unexpected regulatory actions or delays, or government regulation generally, that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the product, the fact that product may not be commercially successful, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including future clinical data and analysis of existing clinical data relating to the product, including post marketing, unexpected safety, quality or manufacturing issues, competition in general, risks associated with intellectual property and any related future litigation and the ultimate outcome of such litigation, and volatile economic and market conditions, and the impact that COVID-19 will have on us, our customers, suppliers, vendors, and other business partners, and the financial condition of any one of them, as well as on our employees and on the global economy as a whole. Any material effect of COVID-19 on any of the foregoing could also adversely impact us. This situation is changing rapidly and additional impacts may arise of which we are not currently aware and may exacerbate other previously identified risks. The risks and uncertainties also include the uncertainties discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and the AMF made by Sanofi, including those listed under "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in Sanofi's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019. Other than as required by applicable law, Sanofi does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements.





Attachment
A total of 18 physicians from various medical specialties have signed on to practise on the Island in 2020, according to an update from Health PEI.

Yet doctors are still in high demand across the province; as of Aug. 24, there were 13,364 people on P.E.I.'s patient registry, the list of Islanders without family physicians.

Health PEI says the recent hires include 12 specialists and six family medicine doctors.

A news release issued Tuesday says 13 of the 18 have already started working on P.E.I. Five specialists will begin work later this year and another will come on board in 2021.

In an interview with CBC News, Minister of Health and Wellness James Aylward said he was grateful to recruiters for their efforts in filling "high-demand" health positions.

"I'm always concerned when we have a vacancy, but you know, I think this announcement speaks volumes for the great work that's being done by the team," he said.

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, P.E.I. has been seen as a leader when it comes to controlling the health emergency across Canada, Aylward said. He added physicians are now reaching out with questions about coming to the Island.

Asked how many previous new hires have stayed on as doctors in the province in the past few years, Aylward said he didn't have the answer to that question but promised to look up recruitment and retention rates.

Doctor shortage previously identified

In the spring of 2018, Aylward, who was then Opposition leader for the Progressive Conservatives, took the Liberal government to task over the shortage of doctors in western P.E.I.

The province's physician recruitment co-ordinator later said P.E.I. had hired 20 physicians in 2018 and another six in 2019.

A 2019 post on the government's website notes that financial incentives have been used to attract and retain physicians from out of province or residents in P.E.I.'s training program.

In the June 2019 throne speech, the Dennis King government committed to identifying the needs and providing timely access to appropriate health-care services through recruiting and retaining doctors and other relevant professionals.

Story continues

"We will make additional and sustained investments to primary care and specialized care to ensure the needs of Islanders are met  that every Islander has access to a doctor and that wait times in areas such as hip and knee replacements are lessened," the speech said.

Still hiring

The P.E.I. government's website lists several current job postings for physicians.

It shows the province is looking to hire more physicians in emergency medicine at Western Hospital in Alberton and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown; family medicine in the Queens and Prince primary care networks; specialists in areas including general surgery, pathology and oncology; and several locum positions in fields such as radiology, pediatrics, anesthesiology and psychiatry.

Aylward said recruiters are "working hard" to fill those vacant positions.

Laura Meader/CBC

Some of the new hires will be replacing physicians who are retiring, he said.

He said the addition of some new specialists, such as a neo-natal specialist, will mean some Islanders will no longer need to travel out of province for certain procedures and types of care.

"We're better able to support these premature babies and, even more so, the entire family," he said.

Two family medicine sponsored residents will also be placed in the provincial health system in the coming months.

The government said in the release that so far this year, 76 graduate registered nurses, four graduate nurse practitioners, three experienced registered nurses and two experienced nurse practitioners have been hired.

Aylward could not immediately provide a breakdown of the new hires in terms of full time versus part time, or how many are permanent, temporary or casual.

There were 78 nursing students engaged by Health PEI and private long-term care facilities this spring and summer, which the government said in the release is more than double the usual number.

Another 26 university students were hired this summer to work in health-care settings across the Island, the release said.

More P.E.I. news
Fourteen people face charges of complicity as the long-awaited trial for deadly attacks on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a police officer and a kosher market open in Paris on Wednesday. Lawyers are warning judges not to make an example of the defendants if clear links are not established.

Fourteen people, including three in absentia, face various charges related to complicity in the attacks that killed 17 people in the Paris region in January 2015.

All are suspected accomplices of brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi or Amedy Coulibaly, who died in shootouts with police after a three-day rampage targeting Charlie Hebdo, police officers and kosher supermarket Hyper Cacher in and around the French capital.

After five years of investigations, they will answer to charges that risk heavy penalties, including life in prison for complicity in terrorism, 20 years for complicity in a terrorist enterprise and 10 years for complicity in organised crime.

A painful trial

Lawyers emphasise the importance of the trial for the approximately 200 victims, survivors and relatives of those killed who will attend and provide testimony over the two months of proceedings.

It's going to be very painful for Lilian and for the other victims to attend and to revisit what happened, says Antoine Casubolo Ferro, lawyer for Lilian Lepere, who hid in a closet for eight hours as the Kouachi brothers occupied a printing office at Dammartin-en-Goele northeast of Paris.

Lepere's testimony speaks to an underlying concern about the trial. Most of the accused are associated with Coulibaly, and their links with Kouachi brothers are not entirely clear.

Lilian is one of the last people to have seen and heard the Kouachi brothers alive, Ferro says. His testimony is going to be very important to reconstitute the scene. If this was not important for him, he would not be there. Lilian had no particular desire to be famous and have cameras on him.

Lawyers for both plaintiffs and defendants are also expressing concern about the intense emotions and extensive media attention around the trial.

I'm convinced that this trial is being held for media to help heal a very deep wound in French society, says Safya Akkori, lawyer for defendant Mohamed Fares, who is contesting charges related to allegedly helping Coulibaly obtain weapons.

This raises a concern of whether the legal system will show the rigour expected of it when it comes to issuing judgements and handing down sentences.

Court must establish intention

It will be no easy task for judges. Prosecutors have sought to identify accomplices, but even if evidence establishes contact and logistical support, it may not be enough to provide a clear picture of intention.

By providing cars, phones and lodging, did they know what the assassins were preparing to do? Ferro says of the questions facing the court. If they knew, then they contributed, and it is a matter of knowing to what degree.

But complicity is difficult to establish, not least because the perpetrators are unable to provide testimony.

It's a complicated case, because the main actors are dead and cannot respond, and justice is being sought with people who are very distant from the perpetrators, based on links that are very hard to identify, Akkori says.

Democracy at stake

Both Ferro and Akkori say democracy and the rule of law are at stake as the court faces pressure to help turn the page on a difficult chapter in French history.

If the accused are found guilty, they will be severly punished, but it's important not to make an example of them, Ferro says.

The problem these attacks pose, as we've seen for years, is the rift between liberty and security, he continues. We have to find a balance between security, which means finding punishments that fit the crime, and liberty, which means going no further than what the law says, and certainly not making decisions based on emotion.

On the side of the defence, Akkori expresses a similar concern for the accused.

I fear they will be made to serve as an example, she says. My hope is that if this trial establishes that these individuals committed reprehensible acts or crimes, they will be punished by the fairest and most balanced means possible.

My other hope is that the judges will be brave enough to recognise that it's entirely possible that at the end of the trial, the charges cannot hold.
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India's GDP contracts 23.9% in Q1; construction, manufacturing, trade bear the brunt

The Indian economy reported its worst quarterly performance in the first quarter of the current fiscal as the coronavirus-led nationwide lockdown disrupted activities across manufacturing, construction and service sectors like hotels and transportation. India's GDP contracted by a record 23.9 per cent to Rs 26.90 lakh crore in April-June period of the financial year 2020-21, compared to compared to Rs 35.35 lakh crore in the corresponding period last year. This is the worst quarterly GDP numbers ever recorded since India started compiling GDP data on quarterly basis in 1996.

As India's GDP shrinks by 23.9%, Rahul Gandhi says 'I told you so'

With India's GDP contracting to 23.9 per cent, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday slammed the government for ignoring his warnings. Making a reference to his previous warnings to the government on India's economic situation, Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter, "GDP reduces by 24%. The worst in Independent India's history. Unfortunately, the Govt ignored the warnings."

'Left an indelible mark on India's growth': PM Modi, President Kovind honour Pranab MukherjeeFormer President Pranab Mukherjee, 84, passed away on Monday evening. Politicians across party lines and people from all walks of life expressed their sorrow over his demise. The government has declared seven-day state mourning from August 31 to September 6 throughout India in memoriam.

Demand will only materialise once economic activity gathers momentum: Dun & Bradstreet

The pace of economic revival crucially depends on how quickly the health concerns abate, economic activities restart, and the psychological impact of COVID-19 subsides, says a report. According to Dun & Bradstreet's Economy Forecast, demand will only materialise once the economic activity gathers momentum.

Congress seeks probe into Facebook-BJP nexus, wants India leadership suspended

The Congress has reiterated its demand for a joint parliamentary committee investigation into the alleged Facebook-WhatsApp-BJP nexus. It has also demanded a separate criminal investigation into the matter and immediate suspension of Facebook's India leadership team until the completion of such investigation. The demands of Congress come after international media reports point to the alleged bias showed by a key Facebook India employee to favour the ruling party.

India's foreign minister says favourable U.S. visa policy would be good for both countries

Foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, said on Monday a U.S. visa policy that supported Indian talent would be beneficial for both countries. A more knowledge-driven, global economy will require more trusted talent, which is an opportunity for India, Jaishankar told a virtual conference on relations between the two nations.
- KT's Smart Energy Platform Assists Uzbekistan's 8 Million Users -

- Korean Telecom Leader Seeks to Expand Business into Central Asia -

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- KT Corporation (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT), South Korea's largest telecommunications company, has built a national data center to manage and remote control electricity service for Uzbekistan's 8 million utility users, securing a foothold for entering the Central Asian market.

The new data center's opening ceremony was held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, on August 20. The attendees included Umarov Olimdjon Muhamadjanovich, advisor to the prime minister of Uzbekistan, Sultanov Alisher Saidabbasovich, Minister of Energy, Lee Han-Sup, KT's senior vice president, and representatives of Regional Electrical Power Networks (REPN) and energy enterprises.

"KT's Uzbekistan project is part of the global business expansion of its AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) Energy Platform and latest AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Big Data-based technologies," said Park Yoon-Young, president of KT's Enterprise Business Group. "Following its success in Uzbekistan, KT plans to expand its smart energy business to other nations across Central Asia."

KT was tasked with building a national integrated data center and a centralized smart meter managing and remote controlling platform to better manage power consumption and billing. The platform is dubbed Centralized AMI Data Center. The data center is capable of processing information from 8 million smart meters in real time. Installation of the smart meters is targeted for completion next year in 14 administrative divisions.

In Uzbekistan, manual reading and control by visiting each household has caused the delay and inaccuracy. It also resulted in a difficulty to forecast the consumption of electricity in real time and prevent the blackout.

"With Centralized AMI Data Center, we are now able to analyze electricity usage and adopt a variety of pricing policy by systematically handling the process from generation to consumption," said former First Deputy Prime Minister for ICT Development Umarov at the opening ceremony. "We are grateful for assistance from KT, which has successfully carried out our new national energy management project."

The national electricity data center, using KT's Centralized AMI System (CAS), will enable state-run REPN to better monitor power usage of its 8 million customers, improve the efficiency of transmitting power, control electricity supply to customers' payment status, and take swift action for the line loss on the spot.

Artificial intelligence-based analyses of Big Data on smart meters, amassed from the KT CAS platform, will introduce time-of-use pricing, a measure designed to disperse on-peak demand to off-peak hours. Users will also be able to monitor their power consumption and billing at an online site in real time.

"The digital data storage process has enabled us to control electricity trading and usage, and to design a wide range of pricing policy," said Energy Minister Sultanov. "We have been deeply impressed by the professionalism KT has demonstrated in carrying out this project."

"In strategic partnership with KT, a top Korean business enterprise, we have successfully built a Centralized AMI Data Center," said Ulugbek Mustaev, chairman the board of REPN. "We look forward to more energy business relationships with KT in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other CIS countries."

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ABOUT KT CORPORATION (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT)

KT Corp., Korea's largest telecommunications service provider, reestablished in 1981 under the Telecommunications Business Act, is leading the era of innovations in the world's most connected country. The company is leading the 4th industrial revolution with high speed wire/wireless network and new ICT technology. KT launched the world's first nationwide commercial 5G network on April 3, 2019, after successfully showcasing the world's first trial 5G services at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in February 2018. This is another milestone in KT's continuous efforts to deliver essential products and services as it aspires to be the number one ICT Company and People's Company.

For more information, please visit our English website at https://corp.kt.com/eng/

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Individual data collected by the government from people who opt for the government's unique digital health identity (ID) number will have complete control over its usage, National Health Authority (NHA), the central government agency that is implementing the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) said.

All data linked to the Health ID will be anonymised before it will be made available to government agencies for policy-making or public health intervention purposes, the authority claims. NHA has already rolled out the scheme on a pilot basis in six Union Territories namely Puducherry, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Ladakh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep.

In an interaction with Business Today, Dr Praveen Gedam, Additional CEO, NHA said the individual will be the master of his or her data that is stored digitally under NDHM. "Security/privacy is inbuilt into the design. There is no way a hacker or a mischief monger is going to be allowed to enter into the system. We have enough expertise in our country to ensure that this data can be stored in an extremely secure fashion and Aadhaar is the best example of that. Similarly, the data will be owned by the data principal, the person to which the data belongs. It will not be possible for anybody else to access that data including the National Health Authority," Dr Gedam said.

ALSO READ: Data security plan proposed to protect citizen record under digital health mission

According to him, the data will be accessible only to the doctor, only on the consent of the patient. "We will allow partial consent. Which means consent to access only selected medical records, or give consent to access for a limited period of time, and also provision to withdraw the consent, if need be, before the time is over. So patient will be the master of data, and in case the patient is incapable of giving consent, then the legal nominee who is supposed to give consent in the present physical system shall be in position to give consent. These legal features also take into account various guidelines laid down by Supreme Court in various judgements. I can assure you on behalf of government of India that the data privacy and security has been given paramount importance while designing this particular mission," he explained.

Health ID is one of three modules that are part of NDHM launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15. The other two are DigiDoctor and Health Facility Registry (HFR). While Digi-Doctor is a repository of all doctors practicing or teaching modern/ traditional systems of medicine, HFR is a repository of health facilities - both public and private hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories and imaging centers, pharmacies, etc - of the country across different systems of medicine.

ALSO READ: PM Modi launches National Digital Health Mission; every Indian to get health ID
Oswego, N.Y.  The bar that had its liquor license suspended Friday for what the state calls an egregious violation of the states coronavirus order is owned by the town of Oswego highway superintendent.

Robert Malone Jr. had just taken over The Ferris Wheel at 6 Market St. earlier this year. His opening was delayed by the coronavirus and the liquor license was issued on July 8. That was not long after the state allowed bars and restaurants to operate indoors and outdoors with restrictions like social distancing, masks and a 50% capacity limit.

The State Liquor Authority suspended its license after investigators found dozens of patrons dancing, ignoring social distancing guidelines and failing to wear masks. It is the 168th location in the state to have its liquor license suspended since the initial coronavirus restrictions took effect in March. They are entitled to appeal the suspensions.

In all more than 900 bars and restaurants statewide have been charged with violations, but only the most serious cases have led to what the SLA calls summary suspensions. The others are awaiting hearings.

Malone declined to comment on the suspension. He was first elected to lead the Oswego town highway department in 2015.

The current Ferris Wheel occupies a well-known bar/restaurant location in the heart of downtown Oswego.

It has two levels: The Ferris Wheel Supper Club is on the lower level and a dance club space called Hurricanes is on the second level with its own bar.

Through a news release issued Saturday by the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the SLA said it had received numerous complaints that the bar was overcrowded with no social distancing.

SLA investigators showed up on Aug. 27, and said they found at least 25 people lined up outside, many without masks and all ignoring social distancing.

Investigators disclosed their identity and entered the premises, discovering between forty and fifty patrons on the second floor, dancing and consuming alcohol, in complete disregard of the social distancing and face covering regulations, the SLA said through a news release from Cuomos office.

In addition, the investigators noted that no food was being served, another violation of the state orders.

Until Malone took it over, The Ferris Wheel had been operated by James Tesoriero. According to a story at the Oswegonian, the student newspaper at SUNY Oswego, Tesoriero moved his bar, Hurricanes, from a location across the street into the spot at 6 Market St. in 2015. He named the lower portion The Ferris Wheel in a nod to a bar that had occupied the location in the past and used Hurricanes for the second floor club.

The bar had also once been known as Club Crystal. It lost its liquor license in 2011 following several violations of state liquor laws.

MORE ON BAR AND RESTAURANT RULES

East Syracuse bar hit with coronavirus charge: Weve tightened up since then

How to open a pub in a pandemic: A case study at Sammy Malones in Bville

Poll: Should bars be allowed to charge for live entertainment?

Music venues across New York sue to challenge state music restrictions

Cuomos coronavirus rules: No dancing, no cornhole, no karaoke, no kidding

State pulls licenses of 2 Upstate bars over egregious coronavirus rule violations

Relax, Upstate New York: The governor is not coming after your beloved chicken wings

We just lost control that night. CNY restaurant owner explains state coronavirus violation

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook
2025 target to increase patients reached in LMICs with strategic innovative medicines by 200% and the Novartis Flagship Programs by 50% - bringing potential reach to over 23 million patients across these initiatives



Enhanced target for full carbon neutrality across all company operations and entire supply chain by 2030 1



New collaboration with the African Union initiated Africa Medical Supplies Platform to aid supply of Novartis COVID-19 Pandemic Response Portfolio



Company completed enrollment in the CAN-COVID Phase III clinical trial with expected readout in Q4 2020

Basel, September 1, 2020 - Novartis will host a virtual investor event today to provide a comprehensive overview of the company's progress in its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy.

"ESG is a key strategic priority for the Novartis Board and Executive Committee and we made progress in all of our key ESG strategic pillars," said Joerg Reinhardt, Chairman of Novartis. "Moving forward, we are further reinforcing the way we measure our impact with a set of new ESG targets, increasing our ambition to drive more value for society."

Novartis focuses on 4 key strategic ESG pillars defined as material by stakeholders; Ethical Standards, Pricing and Access, Global Health Challenges and Corporate Citizenship. The company has developed ambitious and challenging targets against key elements in each of these areas. These include addressing access and global health challenges, which are areas with the highest unmet need worldwide and where Novartis can have the greatest material ESG impact. Novartis is also reinforcing its ambition to be a leader in environmental sustainability in the healthcare industry, further strengthening its already ambitious target for carbon neutrality to include its entire supply chain by 2030.

Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, said "Novartis continues to take bold steps to deepen our impact on major global challenges, like access to medicines and climate change. By establishing targets to measure what matters most for stakeholders, we are further embedding ESG into the core of our business operations and strengthening our committment to communicating our progress in a transparent way."

New targets to expand impact on access to medicines and climate change

As part of the company's ambition to expand access to innovative medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) Novartis is committing to increase patient reach with its strategic innovative medicines by at least 200% by 2025. In addition, Novartis plans to increase patient reach of its global health flagship programs in Leprosy, Malaria, Chagas Disease and Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) by at least 50% over the same time period. Novartis estimates achievement of these targets to result in a potential reach of over 23 million patients across both initiatives.

Novartis also further strengthened its carbon neutrality target to aim for full carbon neutrality across its supply chain (Scope 1, 2, 3) by 2030, in addition to its already stated target for carbon neutrality in its own operations by 2025. This new target replaces the previous target aiming for a 50% reduction (vs a 2016 baseline) in carbon emissions across the supply chain.

Novartis also announced a collaboration with the African Union (55 Member States which represent all the countries on the African continent) initiated Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) to support the supply of medicines from the Novartis COVID-19 Pandemic Response Portfolio. This portfolio of 15 medicines, including Dexamethasone, for symptomatic treatment of COVID-19 for LMICs was launched in July 2020 and is provided through Sandoz, the generics and biosimilar division of Novartis. AMSP, a non-profit initiative, provides an online platform that aggregates certified medical equipment, clinical management devices and medicines to supply African governments in need of critical COVID-19 supplies. This new collaboration aims to help alleviate supply and logistical constraints by ensuring efficient and rapid access of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response Portfolio medicines to African governments.

Key highlights on progress in the last 12 months:

Novartis also highlighted the strong progress made in the last 12 months on a number of key areas, reinforcing ESG as a cornerstone of its strategy.

Access Principles - Novartis launched its Access Principles2 in 2018 and committed to systematically integrating access strategies in how it researches, develops and delivers all new medicines. Through Emerging Market Brands (EMBs) and broader access strategies, Novartis reached 376,000 patients in the first half of 2020. Novartis also established a new business strategy and single organization to broaden patient reach and availability of its portfolio of medicines in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), which is home to the largest underserved patient population in the world. The newly formed sub-Saharan Africa unit is deploying innovative approaches to sustainably double patient reach across the full income pyramid by 2022. Adding to partnerships with Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and AMSP, Novartis SSA unit is also starting strategic partnerships with different governments to ensure better access to Novartis medicines.

Response to COVID-19 Pandemic - Novartis has made significant contributions to the global effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and support the stability of global healthcare systems. These include leveraging its R&D capabilities, clinical trials expertise, supply of medicines and philanthropic aid. There are in total over 15 Novartis medicines being studied in 35 investigator-initiated trials around the world. The company completed enrollment in CAN-COVID Phase III clinical trial, studying canakinumab in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, with an expected readout in Q4 2020. Novartis also continues a Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the use of ruxolitinib in COVID-19 patients with a severe immune reaction. The company has agreed to donate USD 40 million to support communities around the world impacted by the pandemic. In addition, Novartis continues to be active in cross-industry research initiatives such as the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator, coordinated by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard, as well as a COVID-19 directed partnership supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI).

Ethical Standards - Continuing its long term journey to build trust with society, Novartis also resolved its material legacy litigation matters including the settlements related to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and US speaker programs. To further reinforce principles-based thinking and ethical decision-making in the organization and through interactions with external stakeholders, the new Novartis Code of Ethics which was co-created by thousands of our associates and is embedded in an innovative decision making framework, launches today, September 1, 2020.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "ambitious," "targets," "to increase," "achieve," "by 2030," "by 2025," "to support," "expected," "will," "strategy," "strategic priority," "moving forward," "ambition," "focuses," "strategic ESG pillars," "commitment," "launched," "aims" "to expand," "commiting," "plans," "aim," "starting," "committed," "initiatives," "long term journey," "launches," "potential," "can," "could," "investigational," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding our environmental, social and governance activities; or regarding potential new products, potential new indications for existing products, potential product launches, or regarding potential future revenues from such products; or regarding our response to the COVID-19 pandemic; or regarding research and development activities and timelines; or regarding current and potential future or pending collaborations, partnerships and alliances; or by discussions of strategy, plans, expectations or intentions, including with respect to current, planned and potential future efforts in the areas of ethical standards, pricing and access, global health challenges and responsible citizenship; or regarding efforts to provide the Novartis Pandemic Response portfolio; or regarding increases in access to medicines and reductions of our energy & carbon footprint, waste production and water consumption. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that we will achieve any or all of the ESG targets described in this press release in the expected time frame, or at all. Neither can there be any guarantee that the collaborations, partnerships and alliances described in this press release will be successfully formed, or achieve any or all of their intended goals and objectives in the expected time frame, or at all. Nor can there be any guarantee that any or all of our efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic will succeed in the expected time frame, or at all. Neither can there be any guarantee that we will successfully increase access to medicines and health programs as planned, or successfully reduce our energy and carbon footprint, waste production and water consumption in the expected time frames, or at all. Nor can there be any guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Neither can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such efforts, collaborations, partnerships, alliances and products could be affected by, among other things, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollment in, initiation and completion of our clinical trials in the future, and research and development activities and timelines; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures and requirements for increased pricing transparency; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; uncertainties regarding actual or potential legal proceedings, including, among others, product liability litigation, disputes and litigation with business partners or business collaborators and intellectual property disputes; our performance on environmental, social and governance measures and our ability to achieve our environmental, social and governance goals and targets; disruptions of our manufacturing or supply chain impacting our ability to meet demand for our products in the future; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political, economic and business conditions, including the effects of and efforts to mitigate pandemic diseases such as COVID-19; safety, quality, data integrity or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 109,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at https://www.novartis.com (https://www.novartis.com).

More information about the Novartis ESG practices is available at https://www.novartis.com/investors/environmental-social-and-governance (https://www.novartis.com/investors/environmental-social-and-governance).

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References

1. Scope 1 are emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by Novartis, Scope 2 are emissions from the consumption of purchased energy (e.g. electricity) and Scope 3 are emissions that are a consequence of Novartis operations (e.g. supply chain, business travel). This commitment goes beyond our existing approved Science Based Targets (March 2019)

2. https://www.novartis.com/our-company/corporate-responsibility/expanding-access-healthcare/access-principles (https://www.novartis.com/our-company/corporate-responsibility/expanding-access-healthcare/access-principles)

# # #

Novartis Media Relations

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It is well known that Israel would welcome a diplomatic relationship with Pakistan and feelings of a section of the Pakistani military were likewise.

Ashis Ray reports from London.

IMAGE: What will Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan do? Photograph: Mohsin Raza/Reuters

The United Arab Emirates establishing full diplomatic relations with the predominantly Jewish State of Israel -- only the third Muslim Arab country to do so after Egypt and Jordan -- has raised questions in academic and diplomatic circles as to whether Pakistan will follow suit.

And if it does, will the US reward it with a fleet of F-35s -- its fifth-generation stealth fighter jets?

A Pakistani diplomat, who was close to the late Benazir Bhutto, revealed that when the latter was out of power and attempting to make a comeback, American officials met her over dinner and told her point-blank that the US administration would not only help her to return to office, but ensure an extended tenure in government, if she gave a commitment that Pakistan would recognise Israel once she was in the driving seat.

Bhutto had been a victim of two unceremonious ousters in 1990s -- with the Pakistani military being complicit in these -- after being elected prime minister.

It is unclear if she provided any guarantees, since political opinion in Pakistan has staunchly been behind the Palestinian cause.

Countries like the UAE have historically been no different. Now, American media are reporting that talks have taken place between Washington and Abu Dhabi on a potential sale of F-35 jets.

The Wall Street Journal claimed such dialogue is 'raising thorny questions for Israel's security in the Middle East'.

It cited, quoting US officials, that the UAE 'has long sought the jet fighters' and that extending a hand of friendship towards Israel was based on 'an understanding that the Emirates could have access to advanced American military hardware'.

CNN thinks the proposed transaction is a 'secret push' by US President Donald J Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner, and that the clandestine initiative 'has caused confusion and frustration among agencies and congressional committees that would normally be involved in such a sale, but have been left in the dark'.

Trump himself stated the sale, previously on hold, was 'under review'. A senior director for West Asia in the US administration's national security council, Miguel Correa, is said to be leading the discussions with the UAE.

The UAE foreign ministry stated, 'The F-35 has been part of these plans for more than six years.'

'With the signing of the new accord (with Israel brokered by the US) and the added assurances it provides,' the UAE added, 'we expect closer security cooperation among all three countries, including on air defence and systems'

The New York Times corroborated that the Emirati military was recently given a classified briefing by US administration officials on the F-35s. However, any sale of these would be subject to approval from congressional committees.

Notwithstanding Israel's elation over recognition by the UAE, the Jewish lobby in the US is expected to persuade representatives and Senators to block it. Arms exports from the US generally take years to mature.

Israel's Jerusalem Post wrote, '(Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu has faced scrutiny in Israel over these developments.'

He apparently admitted he did not take alternative prime minister and defence minister Benny Gantz into confidence about normalisation of relations with the UAE.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi reportedly said he was not made aware of any security aspects of the deal.

Hardliners in Israel are concerned about it losing its air superiority in West Asia.

It is well known Israel would welcome a diplomatic relationship with Pakistan and feelings of a section of the Pakistani military -- an Israelogist at the School of Oriental and African Studies observed -- were likewise. He did not, though, envisage Pakistan openly embracing Israel. Instead he visualised a covert link.

In the past, informed circles in Britain have maintained Israel supplied components for F-16 aircraft to the Pakistan air force.

When in 1992, then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao proceeded with full diplomatic relations with Israel, Tel Aviv supported India's position that Pakistan should vacate the part of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by it. But it did not reiterate this stance in a joint statement between then prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Ariel Sharon in 2003.
BETHLEHEM  A chemical leaked from a rail car Tuesday morning at the SABIC Innovative Chemicals facility in Selkirk, releasing a foul smell into the air, spurring Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to send state resources to assist on the scene and pushing town officials to declare a state of emergency.

The escaping gas prompted emergency workers to evacuate businesses within a half-mile of the plant. Officials urged people to shelter in their homes and businesses within a half-mile radius beyond that boundary. Firefighters poured water on the tanker to keep the car cool and prevent further leaks once a valve was sealed.

Officials said the chemical that was leaking was styrene, a monomer used in the manufacturing of plastics. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says styrene may cause headaches, fatigue, dizziness, confusion, and drowsiness.

Styrene can also be highly combustible and authorities later in the day said emergency crews would work all night and possibly into Wednesday to completely control the situation. They didn't completely discount the possibility of a widespread evacuation, although they stressed that was highly unlikely.

Although the site is stable right now and we are not planning an evacuation it is important for everybody to develop your own plan in the unlikely event that an evacuation may become necessary tonight, Michael Kopy, state director of Emergency Services said during a press briefing at 5:30 just outside the plant. We expect that wont happen but its always better to be prepared.

The leak began early Tuesday when styrene began escaping from a rail car on on siding on the plant grounds. The sweet plastic-like smell was apparent miles away where even state Environmental Commissioner Basil Seggos, who lives in the neighboring community of Voorheesville, said he noticed it.

"I knew something was off," Seggos said, adding "I self-deployed up here." The vapors at that level didn't cause a health threat however, he said.

The leak lasted for about an hour but officials were unsure how much of the chemical escaped.

No injuries were reported, Police Commander Adam Hornick said.

The leak was stopped after the pressure in the tank was stabilized, according to Seggos.

With water being sprayed on the tanker car, environmental personnel set up nine air monitoring sites around the perimeter to detect anymore escaping gases. As of Tuesday evening, there had been none, said Seggos.

"We're taking every precaution here and acting as if the worst case scenario could come to bear," he added.

As Seggos and others were speaking, firefighters and emergency crews were staged at Elm Park, some three miles away. Route 32 from the park was closed off to traffic and Bethlehem Supervisor David Van Luven said the road would be closed for as long as necessary. Additionally, a team of outside experts had been brought in to control the leaking tank car.

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

VanLuven declared the state of emergency that could remain in effect for 30 days. The order means that town officials have the authority to close roads and implement evacuations. The order also directs all town departments and agencies "to take whatever steps necessary to protect life and property, public infrastructure, and provide such emergency assistance as is deemed necessary."

Throughout the day, Route 32 was closed to traffic, along with Creble Road at Elm Avenue and Creble Road at Old School Road.

Based in Saudi Arabia, SABIC is one of the largest petrochemical manufacturers in the world, according to the company's website.

The plant manager for the SABIC's local facility said the gas leaked for about an hour.

"SABIC stopped the venting and is now cooling the railcar with water to minimize the risk of further venting," Liz Vitaliano said. "We are monitoring the air quality of the perimeter of the railyard and are working closely with local and state response authorities to address the situation."

"Styrene vapor has a prominent smell and we apologize for the odor our communities are experiencing."

Will Waldron and Wendy Liberatore contributed to this article.
New Delhi: South Korean Electronics major Samsung has officially said that it will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 2 foldable smartphone next week, when it will announce further details of the phone.

Join us on September 1 for Galaxy Z Fold2: Unpacked Part 2 to explore in depth the groundbreaking features of the Galaxy Z Fold2 Event will be available at Samsung.com and news.samsung.com/in/ at 10 a.m. ET or 07:30 p.m. IST, Samsung has said in a statement.

The event will be held online due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Viewers can watch the live streaming on Samsungs global website and news.samsung.com.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 was first showcased at the Galaxy Unpacked online event on August 5, though the detailed specs of the as well as the price of the phone was not made official.

Here is what we know so far

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the successor to Samsung's original foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, that was launched last year.

Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 features a 7.6-inch screen when unfolded, while having a 6.2-inch cover display, both larger than its predecessor's 7.3-inch and 4.6-inch displays.

It packs a 4,500mAh battery. The foldable handset comes in two colours: mystic black and mystic bronze.

The company added "Z" in the name to consolidate its foldable smartphones under one brand. The Z lineup currently includes the Galaxy Z Flip, a vertically folding phone.

Like the Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung said it will also release the limited edition of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in partnership with fashion brand Thom Browne.
[September 01, 2020] Klook Strengthens Domestic Things To Do, Launches Train Ticket Booking Services in Italy to Revitalize Domestic Tourism and Economy Klook introduces the train ticket booking services as one of the safest modes of shared transportation across the country, enabling the recovery of local community and tourism

Enhancing Italy's domestic offerings, serving more avid local travelers to explore their backyards in over 15 major Italian cities

domestic offerings, serving more avid local travelers to explore their backyards in over 15 major Italian cities With enhanced local offerings, seamless user experience, innovative technology and benefits from Klook Credits reward scheme, Italian travelers are empowered to discover, book and experience at their fingertips MILAN, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Klook, a world-leading travel activities and services booking platform, today announced its expansion of travel activities and train ticket booking services in Italy. In addition to its over 100,000 travel offerings around the world, Klook adds the train ticket booking services in more than 350 cities across the country. This enhancement of services caters to further boost business opportunities in the local destinations via rail and activities along the train routes, contributing to the recovery of tourism in Italy. As a key strategic market for the company's growth roadmap in Europe, Klook has been operating in Italy since late 2019, focusing on building long-lasting partnerships with local operators and bringing in countless travelers from around the world. However, the global pandemic has impacted the global travel industry heavily with a 98% fall in international tourists numbers in May 2020 when compared to 2019[1] and a similar impact is also seen in Italy[2]. With new expectations and behavioral changes of travelers emerging, enhancing domestic offerings is fundamental to the recovery of tourism and the broader economy in Italy. "It is a challenging time for our industry and many tourism businesses in Italy are suffering. With our growing European footprint, continued investments and plans to facilitate domestic travel, we are committed to helping the travel industry and overall Italian economy recover as quickly as possible," said Nicolo Grosoli, Senior Marketing Manager of Italy, Klook. "We are excited to launch our train ticket booking services in Italy today to spur Italian travelers to rediscover the beauty of our nation, safely and conveniently, with zero booking fees on our platform." Rail as one of the safest modes of transport domestically and enabler for recovery While public health and safety remains one of the largest concerns for the majority of Italians[3], rail offers one of the safest shared means of transportation across Italy with managed passenger capacities and an increased focus on hygiene measures. The potential risk of taking trains can be largely reduced with the hygiene and safety measures undertaken by the stations and rail operators[4], such as ensuring social distance and strengthening train cleaning procedures. Klook's launch of the train ticket booking services will provide domestic travelers with a safe and convenient transportation option that would allow them to satisfy their wanderlust and rediscover their homeland. With Klook, domestic travelers are empowered to travel safely again, by rail, and revitalize businesses in destinations, contributing to the overall recovery of the travel and leisure industry in Italy. Ranging from skip-the-line tickets of Colosseum in Rome, guided tours of the Vatican Museums, day tours in the wonderful surroundings of Florence, to exclusive food and wine tastings in Bologna, Parma and the rest of Emilia-Romangna and the access to the best amusement parks in Italy, etc., all these activities can also be easily booked on Klook. Klook also introduces its reward scheme in the nation - Klook Credits, bringing additional benefits for Italian customers to enjoy while exploring the backyards. By completing the activities booked on Klook, customers can earn up to 10% of rebate in the form of Klook Credits of the booking value. The Klook Credits can be used in the next purchases with access to over 100,000 travel offerings around the world. "With train ticket booking service and our very best Klook Credits reward scheme as the first few enhancements we've launched in Italy, Klook will continue investing in Italian products across attractions, tours, unique experiences and more in the coming months," Grosoli added. A localized, truly mobile experience for discovering, booking, and redeeming The global pandemic has transformed customer behaviours and has accelerated the adoption of new technologies. With more people expecting a truly mobile experience, demand for using contactless payment and redemption methods is increasing. As a leader in the in-destination travel industry, Klook is well-positioned to serve Italian travelers with innovative technology, seamless user experiences, and enriching travel offerings - from booking on-the-go with instant confirmation to redemption with QR code vouchers all within the Klook App at their fingertips. Over the last year, Klook has been laying foundations and growing rapidly in Europe, setting up local offices in Milan, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Barcelona. The platform also offers locally preferred payment methods and supports multiple European languages including Italian, French, Spanish, Russian, and German, offering a hyper-localized user experience.



[1] Impact of COVID-19 on Global Tourism Made Clear as UNWTO Counts the Cost of Standstill by UNWTO [2] Survey: The long wave of the COVID emergency sinks the summer of tourism by Assoturismo , Italy's Tourism Federation [3] Survey: Italian consumer sentiment during the coronavirus crisis by McKinsey & Company [4] The risk of COVID-19 transmission in train passengers: an epidemiological and modelling study by Oxford Academic About Klook Founded in 2014, Klook is a world-leading travel activities and services booking platform. Klook empowers travelers around the world to discover, book, and experience the best things to do anywhere, anytime. It provides a seamless way for travelers to explore popular attractions, tours, local transportation, food and beverage, and unique experiences around the world on Klook's website and award-winning app (consecutive Best of Year awarded by Google Play and Apple App Store). Each day, Klook's travelers indulge in their wanderlust and spontaneity through over 100,000 offerings in more than 400 destinations. With 28 offices worldwide, Klook's services are available in 14 languages, supporting 41 currencies. Get inspired by Klook at www.klook.com, the company blog or @Klook. SOURCE Klook

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Drinkers have been caught appearing to defy COVID-19 restrictions by dancing on tables at a pub while signing DJ Otzi's 2000 hit 'Hey Baby'.

A video shared from the The Club Hotel-Motel at Roma in Queensland on Saturday show pubgoers enjoying their night.

Patrons can be seen jumping on chairs and thumping tables to the song's catchy beat.

Footage also shows them waving their arms in the air and drinking while standing, which goes against the venue's COVID Safe Plan.

People are required to be seated while drinking as part of the state's coronavirus requirements.

It also requires them to remain four square metres apart inside venues, meaning pubs, clubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels with less than 200sqm of floor space can only host a maximum of 50 people.

An investigation into the footage at The Club Hotel-Motel has been launched, with an Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation spokeswoman telling The Courier-Mail 'we are looking into the matter' after a complaint was received.

Footage has emerged capturing the shocking moment on Saturday night, showing pubgoers at The Club Hotel-Motel at Roma (pictured) enjoying themselves a little too much

Patrons can be seen jumping on chairs (pictured), thumping tables to the songs beat and drinking while standing

Club Hotel-Motel licensee Felicity Waldron said the complaint was, however, 'a whole lot of crap'.

She believed the venue was 'probably the only one in town' to comply with COVID Safe rules and said she was confident CCTV would rectify any breaches.

Ms Waldron blamed the complaint on competitors who have suffered throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The Club Hotel-Motel (pictured) licensee Felicity Waldron said the complaint was, however, 'a whole lot of crap'

'One guy was on a table for about 10 seconds before he was asked to get down,' she told The Courier-Mail.

'The police were here with body worn cameras.'

A number of businesses in regional Queensland have been fined for breaching COVID-19 safety regulations.

These include the Commonwealth Hotel and Royal on Ninety-Nine in Roma, the Federal Hotel in Wallumbilla and the Injune Hotel.

Queensland Police said in July the businesses failed to restrict patron numbers appropriately, implement social distancing, appropriately maintain guest registries and restrict people from gathering around bars, according to Drinks Trade.

Pubs have also been fined in Sydney, including the Phoenix Hotel in Woollahra, the Garry Owen Hotel in Rozelle, the Golden Sheaf Hotel in Double Bay and the Watsons Bay Hotel.

Clubs including the Zhivago nightclub in South Australia and Melbourne's Love Machine, among others, have also been fined for COVID-19 breaches since the pandemic began.

The Queensland Hotels Association in July said enforcing the no-standing rule in licensed venues was 'virtually impossible'.



Queensland Hotels Association chief executive Bernie Hogan said the ban added 'an additional level of complexity'.

'This is a frustration that will have the public more confused and less engaged in keeping themselves safe or adhering to restrictions,' he told AAP.

His comments followed Health Minister Steven Miles saying the ban was 'not too much to sacrifice to keep the doors open and keep all those workers employed.'

'We do not want to get to the point where we have to close down businesses again,' he said.
The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 6:24 p.m. EDT on Sept. 1, 2020:

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man wears a face mask as he cycles by a mural defaced by graffiti objecting to mask usage as a measure to protect against the spread of COVID-19, in Montreal, Sunday, Aug 30, 2020, as the pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 6:24 p.m. EDT on Sept. 1, 2020:

There are 129,425 confirmed cases in Canada.

_ Quebec: 62,614 confirmed (including 5,762 deaths, 55,438 resolved)

_ Ontario: 42,421 confirmed (including 2,812 deaths, 38,369 resolved)

_ Alberta: 14,066 confirmed (including 241 deaths, 12,427 resolved)

_ British Columbia: 5,848 confirmed (including 209 deaths, 4,505 resolved)

_ Saskatchewan: 1,622 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,567 resolved)

_ Manitoba: 1,232 confirmed (including 14 deaths, 759 resolved)

_ Nova Scotia: 1,085 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,014 resolved)

_ Newfoundland and Labrador: 269 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 265 resolved)

_ New Brunswick: 191 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 186 resolved)

_ Prince Edward Island: 44 confirmed (including 41 resolved)

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_ Yukon: 15 confirmed (including 15 resolved)

_ Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved)

_ Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved)

_ Nunavut: No confirmed cases

_ Total: 129,425 (0 presumptive, 129,425 confirmed including 9,132 deaths, 114,604 resolved)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020.
Mass Protests Erupt as China Moves to End Mongolian-Medium Teaching in Schools

2020-08-31 -- Tens of thousands of ethnic Mongolian students and parents are demonstrating in northern China over unannounced plans by the Chinese government to phase out Mongolian-medium teaching in the region's schools.

Protests have broken out across major cities in China's northern region of Inner Mongolia over the weekend, including Tongliao, Ordos, and the regional capital, Hohhot, while one student jumped to his death, RFA has learned.

Local residents said one high-school student had died after jumping from the roof of the Sheebert Mongolian High School in Horchin Left Banner, a county-level administrative division.

"On the evening of Aug. 30, a Mongolian student ... reportedly jumped from the building to his death," SMHRIC said, posting video footage showing an ambulance leaving the school amid angry protests.

An ethnic Mongolian resident confirmed the report.

"A school in Tongliao locked down its campus, shutting the students inside," the resident said. "The parents went to get the students, and then the armed police came."

"A student on the fourth floor jumped off ... because his mother was detained outside the school," the resident said.

A directive from the Inner Mongolia education department recently ordered an end to Mongolian-language classes for first-year primary students and an end to Mongolian-medium teaching and materials in favor of the Chinese language, teachers in the region have told RFA in recent weeks.

Police cordons broken

Students across the region forced their way through police cordons around schools that had been designed to hold them in, to join their parents who were protesting outside, several video clips showed.

At the gate of one school, kneeling students in school uniforms shouted: "Our language is Mongolian, and our homeland is Mongolia forever! Our mother tongue is Mongolian, and we will die for our mother tongue!"

Meanwhile, local authorities dispatched riot police to a high school in Zaruud Banner, a county-like division, after the authorities tried to lock down the campus amid widespread protests over an end to Mongolian-medium education.

Hundreds of ethnic Mongolian parents gathered in front of the Gahait Mongolian School demanding the authorities release their children after it became clear that the authorities were ending Mongolian-medium teaching in schools across the region without making the policy public ahead of the start of the new semester.

"SWAT teams and hundreds of riot police poured to the scene, preventing the parents from accessing the school dormitories," the New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) reported.

"Following hours of standoff, parents finally broke through the police barricade and proceeded to pick up their children," it said.

Parents beaten by police

Meanwhile, in Horchin Left Rear Banner and Huree Banner, police beat and detained several protesting parents amid protests outside schools there, SMHRIC said, adding that hundreds of Mongolian activists have either been detained or placed under residential surveillance, a form of house arrest.

Authorities also began a region-wide censorship campaign, shutting down Mongolian WeChat groups and removing Mongolian-language books from the shelves of retail outlets.

"The crackdown is very serious," ethnic Mongolian herder Bukhbataar from Urad Middle Banner told RFA on Saturday. "More than 70 groups had been closed [by this evening]."

"In some places, the local police have been beating people up, beating up ethnic Mongolians, for protesting in the streets," he said. "This is oppression of ethnic minorities."

Khubis, an ethnic Mongolian from China now living in Japan, said students at schools in Hohhot had boycotted class.

Classrooms were empty at the Inner Mongolia Normal University in Hohhot, while only around 50 out of 2,000 students had turned up to attend a primary school in the city.

"There should be more than 2,000 students in Xin'an Road Primary School in Hohhot, but today, only around 50 showed up for school," Khubis said.

Bater, a herder from Ganqika township in Horqin Left Rear Banner, said more than 3,000 students from three local primary schools had also boycotted class.

"In Ganqika, there are three Mongolian schools with a total of 3,000 students," Bater said. "Most of the parents have already taken them home."

Tuyaa, a parent of a student from the Xilin Gol League, estimated that around 80 percent of the region's 23 million ethnic Mongolians were taking part in civil disobedience and protests linked to the new language policy.

"We are not sending our kids to school now," she said. "Mongolian across the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region are rebelling."

Many who call for rebellion are being detained.

According to SMHRIC, police have detained Ulaantuyaa, a teacher from Zaruud Banner, and Nasanbayar, who rallied local people publicly to protest the new language policy, while herder activists Bao Guniang and Yanjindulam have been ordered to remain in their homes.

Nonetheless, protests continued throughout the weekend after the authorities brought forward the starting date of the new semester without publicly announcing details of the new language policy.

Hundreds of students in school uniform gathered in front of the Tongliao Mongolian Middle School, one of the largest Mongolian schools in Southern Mongolia, chanting in tears, "Our mother tongue is Mongolian. Until death, we are Mongolian!" SMHRIC reported.

Government workers, police refuse orders

Government officials, education bureau workers, and even some police of Mongolian ethnicity are refusing to execute orders, SMHRIC said.

It said almost half of the Bairin Right Banner police force are ethnic Mongolians who are refusing to arrest protesters or take part in any official propaganda activities.

"Artists, bands, and sport clubs across Southern Mongolia are sending out joint statements to protest the new language policy that was set to take effect Sept. 1, 2020," the group said.

"Colorful signatures with red finger prints and their names and pictures have gone viral via social media," it said.

Traditional Mongolian-language storytellers have begun using their art form to call on all ethnic Mongolians to oppose the new policy, and to save the Mongolian language.

"For tens of thousands of years, our mother tongue has been Mongolian," sang one in a video posted to YouTube. "How can we accept Chinese as our mother tongue?"

Protests also erupted at Chinese embassies and consulates in the United States, Europe, and Japan, while citizens of the independent country of Mongolia said they were planning a protest in front of the Chinese embassy in their capital, Ulaanbaatar.

Cultural genocide

Many see the new language policy as the next step in a policy of "cultural genocide" by Beijing.

The protests come amid a region-wide boycott of schools, with empty classrooms pictured across the region, SMHRIC said, citing photos and videos it received from participants.

"Ignoring the school authorities' pressure and threat to terminate employment, all Mongolian teachers in Ereen-hot City in Shiliin-gol League have gone on strike," it said, adding that there are signs of a region-wide move to homeschooling by ethnic Mongolian families.

Some retired teachers and even college students are volunteering to teach all subjects in Mongolian, while others are calling for simultaneous protests across major cities in the region, SMHRIC said.

It said ethnic Mongolian lawyers and legal professionals are providing guidance to people looking to defend their rights, and are mulling potential lawsuits against the government over the changes, which they say are in breach of ethnic Mongolians' constitutional and legal rights under national minorities legislation.

One parent said in a video clip posted by SMHRIC: "This might be my last live broadcast. They said they will arrest me in a month. I told them they are very welcome to do so."

"No matter what, what I say will still be the same: I categorically reject so-called 'bilingual education.' I urge all Mongolian parents not to send their children to school on September 1."

Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

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Makurdi  Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has warned that Nigeria would be doomed if the National Assembly passes the National Water Resources Bill. He urged Nigerians to resist the law.

Professor Soyinka who spoke Monday while presenting 107 copies of several books to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state for onward distribution to persons taking refuge in Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps across the state, commended the Benue state Governor for always being on the side of truth.

Represented by the outgone State Chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, Dr Charle Iornumbe, Professor Soyinka stated that, "the National Water Resources bill is a deliberate, flanking move towards RUGA colonisation.

"It must be resisted across board. No compromising or this nation is doomed since it will be resisted by any and all means."

While assuring that the book donation would be a continuous process, the Noble Laureate said, "this is my personal immediate donation. The idea is to widen the project and ask for contributions from one's various contacts."

He said the donation was in fulfilment of the pledge he made to the state government and IDPs the last time he visited the camps in the state.

Receiving the books, Governor Ortom described Prof. Soyinka a great Nigerian ho stood up for the state in her time of crisis and pain.

"Prof. Soyinka is a great Nigerian who stood with us during our trying times, despite his age he took time to visit us to give us support and also show solidarity which we cannot forget in a hurry," Ortom said.

While commending the Noble Laureate for the donation, the Governor stated that the books would help encourage the children in IDPs camps across the state to embrace reading promising that this Education Commissioner would ensure the distribution of the books to the beneficiaries.

Vanguard News Nigeria.
She's expecting her second child with actor husband Josh Brolin.

And on Monday, Kathryn Brolin showed off her growing baby bump in an Instagram snap.

'6 months and counting,' she wrote in the caption alongside the mirror selfie in which she's wearing a bra and sweat pants and posing with daughter Westlyn, who turns two in November.

Baby on board: She's expecting her second child with actor husband Josh Brolin. And on Monday, Kathryn Brolin showed off her growing baby bump in an Instagram snap

Kathryn, 32, is a former assistant to the 52-year-old Hollywood star and became his third wife in 2016.

The couple confirmed back in July that they are adding to their family.

Brolin is also dad to two adult children from his first marriage to actress Alice Adair.

He is the son of actor James Brolin and his most recent big screen credits include Avengers: Endgame, Sicario: Day of the Soldado and Deadpool 2.

Couple: Kathryn, 32, is a former assistant to the 52-year-old Hollywood star and became his third wife in 2016. The couple confirmed back in July that they are adding to their family

A week ago, Kathryn revealed via her Instagram that she and her daughter Westlyn had upped sticks and moved away from California.

Sharing a photo of herself and her child in a cavernous empty room in their new home, she shared: 'The rest of the year brings a new adventure. Decided to skip out on our beloved Cali and move across the country.'

She then tagged her mom Deborah Boyd-Brown, who is a luxury real estate broker in Atlanta, Georgia, suggesting that she has moved to be closer to her mother as she awaits the birth of baby number two.

On Friday, she posted a photo of Brolin gazing moodily out of a window as she celebrated his arrival to join her and their daughter, writing in the caption: 'Reunited with my person.'

New home: A week ago, Kathryn revealed that she and daughter Westlyn had upped sticks and moved away from California. She tagged her mom Deborah Boyd-Brown, who is a luxury real estate broker in Atlanta, Georgia
European countries brace for new school year amid COVID-19 resurgence

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:03, August 31, 2020

LJUBLJANA/BRUSSELS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The recent resurgence of COVID-19 in many parts of Europe is challenging the preparation work of most schools across Europe, as they are set to open their campuses to students for the new school year in the coming days.

Ensuring the compulsory education while keeping kids safe has become a top priority for many European governments, who are rolling out various measures to hope to make it work.

MULTIPLE MEASURES, ONE GOAL

Spain has registered 43,747 cases in seven days last week, the worst weekly figure since the end of March. France's data released on Friday showed the highest daily COVID-19 tally since March 31. Infections are also rising in the United Kingdom, Germany and some other European countries.

Different authorities across Europe are working for one goal this time -- avoiding another blanket closure of schools this autumn.

The Spanish Health Ministry and Education Ministry published a list of 29 measures and five recommendations for the start of the school year. Key measures include taking teachers' and students' temperature every morning, wearing of masks for children over six years old and cleaning their hands at least five times during the school day. Schools are required to apply extra hygiene measures and create stable "bubble groups" of children, in which closer contacts will be allowed.

In Italy, where the reopening of schools on Sept. 14 is seen by many as the biggest challenge after the COVID-19 lockdown feat, wearing of face masks will be mandatory for teachers and staff all the time, and for students in primary and secondary schools (from six to 18 years old) every time the one-meter safety distance rule cannot be observed.

Similar face covering measures were also announced in countries, such as France, Britain, Ireland, Croatia, Serbia, although the age and prerequisite for the wearing varied.

In addition to some already observed preventive measures, such as social bubbles, social distancing and frequent hands washing, some countries adopted more sophisticated measures based on color-coded systems or flexible learning.

The Austrian government launched a four-color coronavirus "traffic-light" system to help avoid a second wave of the pandemic. The system is intended to increase public health awareness and thus prevent a second wave in autumn, especially in view of the upcoming start of school, said Health Minister Rudolf Anschober at a press conference.

Romania will also classify their schools into three categories: green, yellow, and red according to the severity of the epidemic. Schools in the green area can take classes normally, the schools in the yellow area combine offline and online teaching, while the ones in red area adopt online teaching.

Serbia is set to start its new school year in either "basic" or "combined" model.

Although the new school year will start normally in Lithuania, remote learning might be reinstated in specific schools if they become COVID-19 hotspots, according to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.

Albania announced days ago three-scenario-based guidelines for the new school year, which requires distance learning once the pandemic worsens to certain extent.

DEBATE AND WORRIES

Despite the well-planned measures, worries remained among some parents and experts.

Children can carry coronavirus in their noses for up to three weeks, even if they have no or few symptoms, according to a study from South Korea.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recommended children aged five years and under should not be required to wear masks, explaining that this is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance. Aged 6-11 should be based on some factors, such as whether there is widespread transmission in the area, where the child resides, the ability of the child to safely and appropriately use a mask. Aged 12 and over should wear a mask under the same conditions as adults.

The using of the masks is not only a technical problem in some countries.

The Britain's opposition Labour party accused the government of "passing the buck" on decisions back to schools, while some Tory MPs also criticized the move, the BBC reported. One of the Tory MPs, Huw Merriman, told the BBC that telling some pupils to wear face coverings sent "the wrong message" and suggested "schools are not a safe setting."

According to the Society for Virology, the largest virological society in Europe, infection rates in children and their role in the pandemic have so far only been incompletely recorded by scientific studies. And it warned against the notion that children are not involved in the pandemic and transmission. Such ideas are not in accordance with scientific knowledge.

Some Romanian health experts even admitted that the start of the new semester will bring more new cases to the country, not only the children themselves, but more parents, especially grandparents, will become new infected ones.

Lithuanian Minister of Education Algirdas Monkevicius voiced similar concerns. "We cannot be sure that the infection will not affect Lithuanian schools, therefore, we must be prepared for it and know what actions must be taken immediately," Monkevicius was quoted as saying in a press release on Tuesday.

Parents are in a mixed feelings in sending their kids back to school.

"I look forward to the new school year with concern, not so much for my children's health, because it seems kids are less at risk even if infected, but for the great uncertainty in terms of family organization," Rosanna Magnano, a Milan-based journalist and mother of two, told Xinhua.

Another working mother, Cristina Zen from northern Alessandria, Italy, worried about the broader impact of school reopening on the country.

"Since the end of the lockdown, this is actually the first such large movement. What if infections ramp up again and we need another lockdown?" she wondered.

Stevanic, a father of a student from Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, said although the school took various preventive measures, he was still a little worried about the pandemic, due to the increase in infection cases recently.

In Germany, where daily infections exceeded the 2,000-mark last Saturday for the first time since April, Chancellor Angela Merkel called on German citizens to prepare for difficult COVID-19 times in the coming months on Friday.

She stressed that everything had to be done to ensure that children would not become the losers of the COVID-19 pandemic. Education was the most important and "schools must not leave anyone behind."

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By Olesya Astakhova and Polina Nikolskaya

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A small independent Russian teachers' union is urging members not to be coerced into accepting shots of the "Sputnik V" coronavirus vaccine which is to be mandatory for military personnel.

Moscow clinics last week began receiving supplies of the vaccine, which has been approved for use inside Russia even though the final Phase III tests, involving 40,000 people, began only last Wednesday.

From September, doctors and teachers will be among the first to be offered the jab on a voluntary basis, officials have said, an arrangement President Vladimir Putin has said he supports.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said shots of the vaccine will be made mandatory for military personnel.

With Russian schools re-opening on Sept. 1 for the first time since March, the teachers' union Uchitel has launched an online petition against making the vaccine mandatory for teachers before all clinical trials are complete.

"It's likely that school principals will be under pressure for everyone to be vaccinated," the petition says.

Uchitel represents only about 700 of Russia's 1.2 million school teachers, a senior union official said, but it says nearly 1,400 people have signed its petition.

The Health Ministry said vaccination would be voluntary and redirected other questions to the Education Ministry, which did not reply to a request for a comment.

The Moscow mayor's office said any trials would be on a voluntary basis and that "there is no pressure on schools and therefore, no punishment measures towards teachers." Uchitel is the only teachers' union known to have issued such a petition.

But Uchitel's co-chair, Marina Baluyeva, an English-language teacher from St Petersburg, drew parallels with occasional weekends when staff are asked to help do clean-up work, saying this work was voluntary in theory but that teachers who decline to do the work can get into trouble.

Story continues

WARNINGS BY WESTERN EXPERTS

Russia is the first country to license a COVID-19 vaccine, calling it "Sputnik V" in homage to the world's first satellite, launched by the Soviet Union. Western experts have warned against its use until all internationally approved testing and regulatory steps have been taken. Moscow has dismissed such criticism as an information war.

One Moscow school has already offered voluntary shots to its nearly 80 teachers, several staff at the school said. One of the teachers, Larisa Ivanovna, said 20 had signed up for the jab but that her decision was driven by fear of losing their job.

"I am afraid of taking the risk of an untested vaccine," said Dmitry Kazakov, a history teacher who signed the Uchitel petition and is wary even though his bosses have not asked him to have the jab. "Sometimes you get an offer you cannot reject."

(Reporting by Olesya Astakhova, Polina Nikolskaya and Maria Vasilyeva; Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Darya Korsunskaya and Polina Ivanova, Writing by Katya Golubkova, Editing by Sujata Rao, Andrew Osborn and Timothy Heritage)
WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper to provide witnesses for a hearing on Afghanistan policy, and threatened to issue subpoenas if their departments did not comply.

In letters to the pair, Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committees subcommittee on national security said the State Department and Pentagon have ignored for more than a year invitations to send witnesses or responded "with delay, obfuscation and excuses" for not providing them.

They said they would subpoena witnesses for a Sept. 9 hearing if the departments failed to confirm their participation by Wednesday.

"The subcommittee will have no other choice but to receive testimony through compulsory process," they wrote.

The State and Defense departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The United States and the Taliban signed a Feb. 29 accord for a "conditions-based" pullout of all U.S. forces by May 2021, with the level dropping to 8,600 by this June. It also called for intra-Afghan peace talks that have been delayed by wrangling between the Taliban and Kabul.

The Democrats noted that President Donald Trump recently said he planned to cut U.S. troops to no more than 4,000 by the Nov. 3 U.S. election, and they expressed concern the reduction is politically motivated.

They cited U.S. military and U.N. reports that said the Taliban have not severed links with al Qaeda as the Feb. 29 accord required. They also noted that the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army General Kenneth McKenzie, said on June 10 that conditions for a full U.S. withdrawal had not been met.

Meanwhile, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, said in a statement that he expected the State Department to brief Congress on recent Taliban attacks on U.S. forces that constituted a "clear violation" of the Feb. 29 accord. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay Editing by Paul Simao)
In an age of unending available information, North Korea stands alone. No reliable information comes from that reclusive, totalitarian kingdom. This means that North Koreawatchers, including geographically vulnerable South Korea, have to try interpreting whatever drips and drops they do manage to obtain.

A couple of weeks ago, there was speculation that Kim Jong-un, the current dictator, was in a coma or even dead and that his sister, Kim Yo-jong, was about to take over. On the old theory that the female of the species is deadlier than the male, many were worried, but it may be that their worry was premature.

For some time, rumors circulated that Kim Jong-un was in a coma, with his sister taking on a starring role:

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has fallen into a coma, a former South Korean official is claiming on the heels of reports that the northern leader has ceded some of his power to his younger sister. Chang Song-min, a former aide to late South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, has alleged that the Hermit Kingdom's honcho has become seriously ill amid speculation about his limited public appearances this year, the Mirror reported. "I assess him to be in a coma, but his life has not ended," he told South Korean media. The former aide added that the leader's younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, was poised to help lead the country.

The White House did not take this latest rumor seriously:

I spoke to a White House offical this AM on the news #KimJongUn was in a coma or dead. The offical bust out into laughter. I think we all need to move on. #NorthKorea. I will have more on this later in an op-ed coming out soon.  Harry Kazianis (@GrecianFormula) August 24, 2020

That White House official was correct. North Korea started publishing pictures that are almost certainly contemporaneous, proving that Kim Jong-un is alive:

Just In: North Korea's state news agency runs photos of Kim Jong Un at a Workers' Party of Korea Executive Policy Council meeting that took place on Tuesday. For a chap in a coma, he's looking better than I expected. pic.twitter.com/BcgfetIPuh  Martyn Williams (@martyn_williams) August 25, 2020

Who's missing now from the photos is Kim Jong-un's up-and-coming sister, Kim Yo-jong. There are a few things that could be going on here. It could all have been a tempest in a teapot, and family relationships are going swimmingly in Pyongyang. It could also be that Kim Jong-un needed R&R, whether from fatigue or health problems, and that Kim Yo-jong stepped in as a loving sister would.

But there's always the possibility that Kim Yo-jong violated Ralph Waldo Emerson's cardinal rule: "When you strike at a king, you must kill him." Benedict Brook thinks Yo-jong's strike might have missed. For the last couple of years, the pretty, but always angry-looking, young woman has seemingly been missing from the public eye:

And yet, just as talk reached fever pitch that she might be next in line to the throne, Ms Kim is nowhere to be seen. Ms Kim has not been seen in public since July 27. She was absent from a politburo, or cabinet meeting, on August 13, according to NK News. The images that emerged this week from Pyongyang showed Kim with many high-ranking officials. His sister did not seem to be among them. Her mistake may have been to become almost too noticeable. Which in turn led to growing speculation about her future ambitions. While she may not have uttered the words "second in command", the fact that's now being openly talked about might have been enough to put her in the bad books.

Moreover, as Brook's also notes, like Ottoman sultans of old, the Kims tend to kill, quite brutally, those family members and their cronies who threaten their power. North Koreawatchers will have to wait for another cup of tea leaves to interpret before anyone can see with certainty what's going on in the Peyton Place of Pyongyang.

Image: Kim Jong Un at a Workers' Party of Korea Executive Policy Council, from North Korea's state news agency.
Last month, a group of Indigenous writers called out 2019 Governor General award-winning and self-described Metis and Anishinaabe poet Gwen Benaway in an open letter on Twitter, asking for accountability regarding Gwen Benaways identity, people, and privilege.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last month, a group of Indigenous writers called out 2019 Governor General award-winning and self-described Metis and Anishinaabe poet Gwen Benaway in an open letter on Twitter, asking for "accountability regarding Gwen Benaways identity, people, and privilege."

In the letter, the writers trace "a number of contradictions and discrepancies about her identity and lived experience" and how, when asked, "Gwen has provided no concrete evidence to prove she is Indigenous."

In response, Benaway closed her Twitter account and has never published anything since.

Frankly, I dont know if Benaway is Anishinaabe  and Im Anishinaabe.

Barely a week goes by without an email asking me to expose a person who is "lying" about their Indigenous identity.

Barely a week goes by without an email asking me to expose a person who is lying about their Indigenous identity.

This past week I was called about a person claiming to be Cherokee, hired to work in a Manitoba hospital. According to the message, this person knows nothing about Cherokee culture, cant say what community they come from or provide any proof of tribal enrolment.

Last month I was called by some academic friends about a professor who claims to be Metis.

Same story. This person knows little about Metis culture and comes from a family in a Manitoba town where community members say they never called themselves Metis.

Theres more. Over the past five years Ive been notified about a prominent childrens author who claims to be Indigenous and has made a living from publishing traditional stories.

This person, who has spoken to thousands of children throughout Manitoba, is alleged to be "fraud," according to the messages Ive received.

Im not the only one being contacted about dubious Indigenous identity claims. In just our community alone, there are serious and pressing questions about politicians, teachers and police officers, among many more.

I could spend a lifetime researching these.

Gwen Benaway (left) receives a Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry for her work Holy Wild from Gov. Gen. Julie Payette in December. Benaway claimed to be Indigenous, then shut down her Twitter account when asked for proof. (Chris Wattie / The Canadian Press files)

Two years ago, I wrote a column entitled "Indigenous identity more than DNA", where I wrote: "Being Indigenous has a little to do with blood and ancestry, but has far more to do with the relationships one builds and embodies. In terms of identity, most Indigenous peoples use the adage: its not about who you claim but who claims you."

This remains true, but relationships are admittedly tough to prove, especially to those seeking to hire an Indigenous person.

How do you prove Indigenous people claim you?

Do you bring your auntie down to your office and get her to tell the story of when you chopped wood? Do you bring your drum group to the job interview? Do you show family photographs from the feast and, if so, how many?

Proving Indigenous identity on one hand is complicated. On the other, its not.

Trauma surrounding Indigenous identity is real. For years, Indigenous identities have been suppressed and attacked and, frankly, its never been safe until very recently to publicly claim to be Indigenous.

This is not to mention the gymnastics of section six of the Indian Act, which uses blood quantum to determine whether someone has "Indian status" or not.

Section six has been used as a political tool to eliminate Indians altogether. Indigenous women lost status due to marrying non-Indians, soldiers lost status by fighting in wars and the Indian agent used it to get rid of community members he didnt like.

Indigenous identity is admittedly complicated. This is why simplistic solutions will not help.

Indigenous identity is admittedly complicated. This is why simplistic solutions will not help.

Take, for example, what is happening in the Canadian public service, which employs just under 300,000 people. There, to get a job intended for an Indigenous person, all you have to fill out is an "Affirmation of Aboriginal Affiliation Form," a one-page promissory note stating that you are Indigenous.

Surprise, surprise: this has led to people lying to get jobs, particularly in fields such as justice and health where Indigenous employees are needed.

So, on one hand identity is complicated, but its really not.

How about letting Indigenous governments control who gets status, membership, and proof of identity?

In recent years, First Nations governments have been developing membership codes, taking the control out of Ottawa to determine who is and who is not an "Indian."

The Manitoba Metis Federation, alongside other Metis governments, have already been doing this for years.

While there are some alleged "fake" communities that have sprung up, the bigger issue is in determining legitimate Indigenous governments but, again, why not let Indigenous peoples decide?

In terms of identity, most Indigenous peoples use the adage: its not about who you claim but who claims you. (Virginia Mayo / The Associated Press files)

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It appears the only route out of this confusion surrounding Indigenous identity is to hand absolute control of Indigenous membership over to Indigenous communities.

Lets recognize Indigenous decisions and laws when theyre passed after being debated in Indigenous courts and parliaments.

While youre at it, Indigenous governments need to actually govern, so give their land and resources back, too. All of it.

No? Well at least then lets fulfil the treaties and recognize Indigenous governments on par with Canadian governments.

I guess identity is tricky after all, but not for Indigenous peoples.

Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe and is a columnist at the Winnipeg Free Press.
The Daily Beast

A man and woman in New York have been both fired and arrested for verbally assaulting a family on a train in an incident that police have determined to be a hate crime.The Daily Voice reported that Justin Likerman and Kristin Digesaro, of Long Island, turned themselves in on Wednesday. They have been charged with aggravated harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. New Yorks Metropolitan Transit Authority said the charges were brought in conjunction with the Manhattan Distri
This Morning is said to have smashed new records for the first time in 10 years.

The ITV chatshow, which has been airing throughout the coronavirus pandemic, has reportedly seen rating records rise to 1.2 million.

And amid the new records, This Morning presenter Alison Hammond has landed her own travel segment with co-star Josie Gibson, which will be inspired by the classic film 'Thelma and Louise'.

Amazing! This Morning is said to have smashed new records for the first time in 10 years with rating records rising to 1.2 million (hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield pictured)

The two former Big Brother stars, aged 45 and 35, will compete against each other to find the best places to staycation in the UK.

Alison told the Mirror: 'Josie - it's on! Who doesnt love a good old fashioned game of Top Trumps and even better, This Morning has given it a crazy new twist by incorporating some of Britains most unusual staycation spots.'

While Josie joked to the publication: 'Alison & Josie - some may have coined us the better looking version of Ant & Dec (okay that someone might have been me!).'

A source added: 'Josie's always wanted to work on This Morning and when she originally got the job she asked if she could be the "Judith Chalmers of the UK". So with this new strand she's now got her dream job, with her dream woman in Alison.'

Incredible! And amid the new records, This Morning presenter Alison Hammond (pictured) has landed her own travel segment with co-star Josie Gibson, which will be inspired by the classic film 'Thelma and Louise'

MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.

It's an exciting time for Alison as she has also landed her own documentary called, Back to School, which will see her take the ultimate school history trip to mark ITV's Black History Month.

The news comes after it was confirmed that Holly Willoughby and and Phillip Schofield will return to This Morning on Tuesday after their summer break.

The TV duo will be back on screens on September 1, taking back the reins back from Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford who stood in for them during their hiatus.

Exciting: The two former Big Brother stars, aged 45 and 35, will compete against each other to find the best places to staycation in the UK (Josie pictured)

Holly had to cut her seven-week family holiday to Portugal short so she could quarantine for two weeks to be ready to return to the show in time.

The show will be back with all of its regular segments and appearances from show favourites such as John Torode, Gino D'Acampo and wellness expert Liz Earle.

The autumn shows will also include a new four-part 'Best of British' series where Nigel Havers will tour around Britain.

Viewers will also be treated to a three-episode series called 'Dr Scott's Super Dogs' which will see the show's resident vet meet dogs who are helping to save lives across the country.

This Morning continues on weekdays at 10:30am on ITV.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Base effect along with a slight rebound in domestic demand led major automobile players to report healthy sales numbers for August.

Other factors such as healthy monsoon, pent up demand and preference for personal mobility over public transport during the pandemic has aided in the upswing, said analysts.

Automobile major Maruti Suzuki's total sales during August 2020 rose 17.1 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

The company's total off-take increased to 124,624 units from 106,413 units sold during August 2019.

"This is a growth of 15.3 per cent over July 2020 and 17.1 per cent over August 2019," the company said. The total sales include 115,325 units off-take in the domestic market and 1,379 units to other OEMs.

"In addition, the company exported 7,920 units in August 2020, a drop of 15.3 per cent over August 2019," the statement said.

Similarly, Hyundai Motor India's August domestic sales rose by 19.9 per cent.

The auto major's total domestic off-take increased to 45,809 units from 38,205 units sold during the corresponding month of last year.

However, the auto major's exports fell to 6,800 units during the month under review from 17,800 units from August 2019.

Consequently, cumulative sales declined to 52,609 units from 56,005 units sold during the like month of last year.

"We would like to carry on with cautious optimism as uncertainty still surrounds the pandemic," Tarun Garg, Director (Sales, Marketing & Service), Hyundai Motor India said in a statement.

Other auto makers saw the decline in overall sales narrow-down on a YoY basis.

Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) reported a fall of 16 per cent in its total sales during August, on a year-on-year basis.

The company sold 30,426 units, including exports, last month, compared to 36 ,085 vehicles sold during the same period last year.

It reported a fall of 13 per cent in domestic sales last month to 29,257 units from an off-take of 33,564 units in August 2019.

Commenting on the performance, Veejay Nakra, Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Division, M&M said: "At Mahindra, we continue to see good recovery in demand both for SUVs and Pick-ups in the Small Commercial Vehicles segment." "For the month of August, we have registered growth in both SUVs and Pick-ups. We have been able to meet the uplift in demand by managing the supply chain challenges and going forward will continue to keep our focus on it." Premium automobile manufacturer Toyota Kirloskar Motor's sales rose to 5,555 units in August 2020, thereby exceeding sales volumes as sold in Jul y 2020.

The company had clocked 5,386 units in the month of July 2020.

It had sold a total of 10,701 units in the domestic market in August 2019 and had exported 843 units of the Etios as well.

Another premium car manufacturer Honda Cars India registered monthly domestic sales of 7,509 units in August 2020. The total number of domestic sales in August 2019 stood at 8,291 units.

Two- and three-wheeler manufacturer TVS Motor Company registered a sales gro th of 14 per cent in August 2020 with 287,398 units as against 252,744 units in July 2020.

It had registered sales of 287,398 units in August 2020 as against 290,455 units registered in the month of August 2019.

In terms of two-wheeler segment, Hero MotoCorp reported a rise of 7.55 per cent in its total sales including exports for the month of August.

The company sold 584,456 units of motorcycles and scooters in August 2020 from an off-take of 543,406 units in the corresponding period of last year.

The two-wheeler major's total domestic off-take increased to 568,674 units from 524,003 units sold during the corresponding month of last year.

However, the company's exports fell to 15,782 units during the month under review from 19,403 units from August 2019.

On its part, Suzuki Motorcycle India made a substantial comeback in the month of August 2020 by recording a sale of 57,909 units.

It registered a sequential growth of more than 46 per cent in August sales as compared to July 2020 due to enhanced production levels.

"In line with expectation, the sales momentum in the two wheeler segment continued to improve in August 2020 both on a sequential and YoY basis. Recovery in the 2W segment is driven by healthy offtake from rural markets, ramp-up by OEMs to improve channel inventory and increasing preference for personnel mobility," said Shamsher Dewan, VP & Sector Head - Corporate Ratings, ICRA.

"ICRA expects the recovery trend to continue in a gradual manner. However, rising instances of disease outbreak outside the metros and supply chain disruptions remain key monitorables." According to Sridhar V, Partner, Grant Thornton Bharat LLP said: " The passenger vehicle sales are experiencing an upward momentum if one were to go by the numbers OEMs have reported for August 2020. Even if it were to be seen over a low base of the previous year indications are that the festival season could turn out to be a positive one for the sector on the back of good monsoon and new introductions and a pent up demand." "It may still not be time to cheer considering the contraction economy has reported." In addition, Suman Chowdhury, Chief Analytical Officer at Acuite Ratings and Research said the despatch volumes of two bellwether companies in the Indian automobile sector - Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp reflect a revival in consumer demand which can go a long way in improving the overall demand environment.

"Although the lower base in the previous year has been a factor in the growth numbers, such data is surely encouraging in the context of the significant contraction in Q1 GDP," Chowdhury said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
President Donald Trump does not have plans to meet with the family of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin when he visits the city on Tuesday but will visit law enforcement officials, the White House said on Monday.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said Trump planned to survey the damage resulting from protests in the aftermath of the shooting and meet with business owners, making the trip despite encouragement from state and local leaders to forgo travel there while the city seeks to heal.

Also read: Wisconsin lieutenant governor says state does not need a visit from President Trump

Another White House spokesman, Ben Williamson, said in a tweet that Trumps chief of staff Mark Meadows had reached out on the presidents behalf to Blakes family and left multiple messages since last week.

The president has made law and order a main theme of his re-election campaign against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

McEnany dismissed a suggestion the he was going to Wisconsin because it is a politically important battleground state. The president has not visited Portland, Oregon, which has seen weeks of protests and the deployment of federal officers.

The presidents showing up to see hurting Americans, McEnany said of the Wisconsin trip.
But Kitty Kurth, spokeswoman for the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, said the video appeared to be staged. Rusesabagina was wearing the same jacket and tie he was photographed in on Monday, she said, and the video was not filmed at Rusesabaginas homes in Texas or Belgium. She said he exclusively speaks off-the-cuff in recorded speeches, whereas in the video he seems to be reading from a script.
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New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Delhi Police has sent one sub inspector to district lines while an assistant sub inspector, a head constable and four constables have been suspended at Hari Nagar police station of west Delhi.

Though the Delhi Police has denied that the action has anything to do with the DCW raid over a sex racket at a spa and massage centre at Tilak Nagar but the spa comes under the jurisdiction of Hari Nagar police station.

"The suspension of police personnel of Hari Nagar police station is not related to any raid of DCW on the spa. It has been done for some other administrative reasons," a senior police officer said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had busted a sex racket running under the cover of a spa and massage centre in Tilak Nagar area.
at the UN has called for permanently removing the issue of under the outdated agenda item of the India- question' from the Security Council's agenda, saying such "irrational exuberance" has no takers in a dignified world.

In a veiled attack on Pakistan, said that there is a delegation that repeatedly attempts to rebrand itself as contributing to international peace, but unfortunately fails to recognise that it is globally known for being the fountainhead of international terror and the hub for terror syndicates.

During a virtual informal meeting of the plenary on the annual report of the Security Council, Pakistan's UN envoy Munir Akram had raked up the issue of and said that the Security Council has also been found lacking in implementing its own resolutions and decisions on the situation in

He added that the Council has met thrice during the last one year to consider the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

India, without naming Pakistan, said in a statement on Monday that there is a delegation that repeatedly attempts to rebrand itself as contributing to international peace, but unfortunately fails to recognise that it is globally known for being the fountainhead of international terror and the hub for terror syndicates.

This delegation keeps pushing for discussions on an outdated agenda item in the Council, which for all matter needs to be removed from the Council's agenda permanently. Such irrational exuberance has no takers in a dignified world, said on the Report of the Security Council for 2019'.

An August 3, 2020 summary statement by the Secretary-General of "matters of which the Security Council is seized listed The India- question' among those items that have not been considered by the Council at a formal meeting during the period from January 1, 2017 to August 1, 2020.

The agenda item India- question' was first taken up by the Council at a formal meeting on January 6, 1948 and was last considered on November 5, 1965.

Pakistan, backed by its all-weather ally' China, has been repeatedly seeking to have a discussion on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the Security Council.

The Council had held closed consultations on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir on August 16 last year after China asked for the "closed consultations" to discuss the matter. That meeting had ended without any outcome.

In January this year, China, on behalf of Pakistan, had again made an attempt to raise the Kashmir issue under "other matters" during closed consultations in the Security Council Consultations Room. Then too, China stood alone in the Pakistani corner to get the Security Council to focus on the Kashmir issue.

Last month, as India marked the first anniversary of ending the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Beijing again called for a discussion on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the Security Council under 'Any Other Business'.

All these meetings ended without any outcome, as many other members of the Security Council have underlined that Jammu and Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti had told PTI that contrary to what Pakistan may claim, Islamabad has not been successful in trying to put Jammu and Kashmir on the UN agenda.

Frankly, the attempt by Pakistan to try and internationalise, what is a bilateral issue, is nothing new, he had said.

Tirumurti had pointed out that contrary to what the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mehmood Qureshi asserted, there has been no formal meeting of the Security Council on the India-Pakistan issue even once for the past 55 years, let alone three times!



Pakistan, backed by China, has only been able to bring up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir informally and in closed door meetings under what is called Any Other Business', a category where literally any item can be brought for discussion by anyone. These meetings have no records and there is no outcome.

Tirumurti had pointed out that even UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his statement last August, clearly referred to the 1972 bilateral Simla Agreement.

Consequently, Pakistan has been singularly unsuccessful in making any inroads into the UN on Jammu and Kashmir. That is the reality, Tirumurti had 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.)
More than 8,000 passengers from the US arrived in Ireland last month, with overall arrivals almost four times higher than June as the country emerged from lockdown.

According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 8,100 passengers from the US arrived in Ireland and 4,100 people from Ireland travelled in the other direction.

However, with ongoing travel restrictions due to Covid-19 this was a fraction of the number of people who arrived into Ireland from the US in July 2019 when 199,700 passengers jetted in.

July saw 227,300 overseas arrivals, an increase of 298.1pc on June which saw only 57,100.

A total of 97,100 people who arrived into Ireland had travelled from the UK, 23,000 came from Spain and 13,200 from France.

Lockdown

However, travel into the country remained "dramatically lower" than in July 2019, when there were 2,225,900 arrivals.

The total number of passengers handled by airports in July 2020 fell from 3,911,133 to 416,436, a drop of 89.4pc when compared with the same period in 2019.

CSO data also shows the impact of the lockdown on travel in the first half of the year.

There was a fall of 70.5pc in travel into the country and abroad from January to July this year compared to 2019.

There was a surge in travel out of the country in July with 275,400 passengers leaving, compared to just 73,900 the previous month - a 272pc increase.

Departures in July grew after airlines increased flights and the Government published its so-called 'green list' on July 23, which allowed people to travel to certain countries and return home without having to restrict their movements for 14 days.

Some 82,800 passengers from Ireland who travelled overseas went to the UK, 38,500 to Spain and 23,800 to Poland.

Of the 227,300 people coming in and out of Ireland, the majority (82.7pc) travelled by plane.

Meanwhile, transport volumes continued to drop following the Government's announcement on August 18 to only use public transport where necessary and to work from home.

At the beginning of August, the "gradual recovery" in traffic volumes since mid-April dropped back due to local lockdowns in Kildare, Laois and Offaly and further nationwide restrictions on August 18.

The volume of private cars for the week of August 16 was 22.7pc lower in Dublin and 19.8pc lower in other areas than the corresponding week in 2019.

However, the volume of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in 2020 has exceeded 2019 volumes since June.

Crisis

The number of bus and rail journeys taken during the week of August 16 was 58.4pc lower than the first week of March, even though the country went into lockdown on the last three days of that week.

The data indicates that rail is the most severely hit form of transport.

At the start of April, the number of journeys was 97.2pc lower than it was in the first week of March.

In Dublin, the pandemic has had a slightly greater impact on passenger numbers on the Luas green line.

The CSO also reported that the number of journeys on public transport is not recovering at the same rate as road traffic.

The number of vehicles licensed in first seven months of 2020 fell by more than 31,000 compared to the same period in 2019.
Israeli strikes on Syria killed one civilian, three government troops and seven allied foreign fighters, a war monitor said on Tuesday in a new toll.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which had previously put the toll from Monday's strikes at five, said Iran-backed paramilitary fighters were among those killed in the attack.

The Britain-based monitor said the strikes hit Syrian army positions south of Damascus as well as positions belonging to Iran-backed paramilitaries, including fighters of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, in the southern province of Daraa.

The Observatory said it could not confirm if Hezbollah fighters were among those killed.

Late on Monday, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported that "the Zionist enemy carried out a strike... on some of our military positions south of Damascus and our air defences confronted them".

"The Israeli attack led to two martyrs being killed and seven soldiers being wounded," the source said, adding the fire had came from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

It later said that one civillian was also killed in the attack.

Israel has carried out hundreds of raids in Syria since the civil war broke out in 2011, targeting Iranian and Hezbollah forces as well as government troops.

The Israeli army rarely acknowledges individual strikes, but said that on August 3 it had used fighter jets, attack helicopters and other warplanes to hit Syrian military targets in southern Syria.

Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah warned on Sunday that the group would kill an Israeli soldier for each of its fighters slain by the Jewish state, after one of its combatants was killed in an Israeli strike in Syria on July 20.

(AFP)
SEBEWAING  Students at Unionville-Sebewaing Area Elementary School arrived on the first day of classes Tuesday morning wearing face masks and ready to learn. It was the first time since March that students attended in-person classes after schools were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

To maximize social distancing and ensure health and safety, students were divided by grade level and entered the building through three separate entrances. Just inside each door was a station equipped with hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, latex gloves and surgical masks.
In the context of the dramatic erosion of Hong Kongs freedoms over the past year, the tests have been viewed by many as a way for officials to curry favor with Beijing. Although the swab-taking is done by local doctors and nurses, the involvement of a support team from mainland China has raised concerns, given the Chinese governments documented use of health databases and DNA collection to aid its mass surveillance of citizens.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) will host a conference call to discuss third quarter 2020 financial results on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 4:30 PM Eastern time.

A press release with third quarter 2020 financial results will be issued at approximately 4:10 PM Eastern time on Wednesday, October 21, 2020.

Participants can join the conference by dialing 1-888-317-6003 and will be prompted to enter the code 8356997. International callers can dial 1-412-317-6061 and will be prompted to enter the code 8356997.

The call will also be webcast live from the Company's website on the investor relations page at ir.chipotle.com and registration is available at https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/1894/36947. An archived webcast will be available approximately one hour after the end of the call.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had over 2,650 restaurants as of June 30, 2020, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. With more than 91,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. Steve Ells, founder and former executive chairman, first opened Chipotle with a single restaurant in Denver, Colorado in 1993. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM.

SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.

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http://WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM


Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 1 : State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K. Surendran called upon Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to quit before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) reaches his office after a NIA team arrived at the Secretariat on Tuesday to collect evidence as part of the probe into the gold smuggling case.

Surendra said, "People of Kerala are in shock after the NIA team entered the Secretariat to go ahead with their probe in the gold smuggling case. Vijayan should quit before they enter his office." An NIA team along with top officials of the CCTV department of the Secretariat reached here on Tuesday to check the visuals to find out if the now arrested and prime accused Swapna Suresh or her associates visited the Secretariat.

The NIA had earlier asked the officials to hand over the CCTV footage to them, but due to the voluminous data which had to be copied, it was not done.

The NIA officials are looking at the visuals from July 2019 till the arrests of the accused.

The NIA team also went around the Secretariat complex to check the position of the CCTV cameras.

"It's now clear that Vijayan does not want to hand over the CCTV visuals to the NIA, as he knows that he will be in trouble. The mysterious fire that broke out in the Secretariat is all part of the conspiracy to destroy the evidence. Even though Vijayan tries to give an impression that the state government is cooperating, but it is actually engaged in destruction of evidence," said Surendran.

The gold smuggling case was unearthed when P. S. Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, was arrested by the customs department on July 5 when he was facilitating smuggling of 30 kg of gold in the diplomatic baggage to Thiruvananthapuram from Dubai.

It turned murkier when the name of Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the Consulate, and employed with the state's IT Department, surfaced and more so, when her links with Sivasankar, who held the dual posts of Principal Secretary to Vijayan and state IT Secretary, came out.

The IAS officer was subsequently removed from both the posts and then suspended by Vijayan.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
ACS100 all-in-one reader and controller The trend with landlords and property managers is to look for more architecturally pleasing products throughout their buildings. A plain old industrial-looking reader just doesnt cut it anymore, said Steve Van Till, President and CEO of Brivo.

Brivo, the global leader in cloud-based access control and smart apartment automation, announces the launch of the ACS100 all-in-one reader and controller. Designed to lower hardware costs and make installation easier and faster, the ACS100 is used with Brivo Onair, Brivo Mobile Pass, and secure physical credentials to deliver better affordability and broaden the application for access control at more doors.

A key feature of the ACS100 is Fluid Access, which allows users to unlock doors without removing their mobile credentials from their pocket. In a time when reduced physical contact can halt the spread of germs, the ACS100 delivers a hands-free access solution to unlock doors.

The trend with landlords and property managers is to look for more architecturally pleasing products throughout their buildings. A plain old industrial-looking reader just doesnt cut it anymore, said Steve Van Till, President and CEO of Brivo. Between the evolution of great looking IoT products in the smart home environment, plus the PropTech focus on occupant amenities, todays products have to deliver both good experiences and good aesthetics.

Key benefits of the ACS100 combination reader and controller include:



Multi-technology reader and controller all in one convenient device

Scales from single door to the largest multi-site, global deployments

Architectural finishes, form factors, and colors to match property aesthetics

Designed for hands-free user experience with Fluid Access

Multiple credential technology supports both mobile and smart cards

Supports a second external reader for in/out and antipassback applications

Encrypted data storage and communications to meet the highest security standards

Indoor and outdoor rating for broader use cases

Lower hardware costs and faster installation

Weve seen a steady trend over the last 10 years toward IoT devices on the edge of the network, and away from traditional centralized control panels, explained Van Till. Weve supported this migration with several different flavors of PoE controllers over earlier product cycles, so the ACS100 represents the logical next step in this shift of customer preferences to a single product that takes the place of two pieces of hardware and all the wiring between them.

To learn more about the ACS100, visit here.

About Brivo

Brivo is the global leader in cloud-based access control and security platforms for commercial and multifamily properties. Our mission is to provide Simply Better Security solutions that improve user experiences for property managers, tenants, employees, and visitors. With over 20 million users and 1,500 authorized resellers, our SaaS platform has been unifying the security experience across access control, mobile credentials, video surveillance, identity federation, visitor management, intercoms, and elevator control since 2001. Hundreds of software partners and end-users use our APIs and SDKs to extend our solutions to unique vertical market offerings. More than ten years of SOC audits underscore our commitment to protecting customer privacy and data security. Brivo is privately held and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.
A cook cuts red onions on a wooden cutting board. (Getty)

Canadians are being advised to avoid consuming onions if they arent sure where they originally came from.

An investigation continues into the outbreak of illnesses linked to red onions contaminated with Salmonella, product which originally came from the United States. Since mid-June, there have been a total of 457 cases of Salmonella in Canada linked to contaminated onions, 78 of those illnesses reported since August 21. One person has died, but its not known whether Salmonella is the cause of death. Many of the individuals had reported eating red onions at home, in menu items ordered at restaurants and in residential care settings, prior to getting sick.

It is possible that a recent spike in the number of illnesses may be reported in the outbreak because of the time between when a person became sick to when they reported the illness to public health officials. For this outbreak, the illness reporting period is between two and four weeks.

Who is at risk of infection?

Salmonella can infect anyone, but it is particularly dangerous for children aged five years and under, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. Most people will recover in a few days. Its possible for some people to be infected with the bacteria but not experience any symptoms. However, they can still spread the infection to others.

Which onions to avoid

The Public Health Agency of Canada is urging Canadians not to eat, use or serve any red, white, yellow and sweet yellow onions from the company Thomson International Inc. of Bakersfield, California, USA, or any products made with these onions. This advice also applies to retailers, distributors, manufacturers and food service establishments such as hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals and nursing homes. If you arent sure where an onion is grown, its advised to throw it out.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued food recall warnings for related products that were distributed across Canada.

Story continues

How to stay safe

Check your home for red, white, yellow, and sweet varieties, including whole, sliced, or chopped onions, and any prepared foods that contain onions as an ingredient, such as pre-made salads, sandwiches, wraps, salsas, dips or guacamole. These products could have been bought from a grocery store or convenience store, ordered in a salad or other food item from a restaurant.

If you have a recalled food product, throw it out. After you do, be sure to wash your hands.

If youve been diagnosed with a Salmonella infection, do not cook food for other people.

Symptoms of a Salmonella infection

A Salmonella infection, which is called salmonellosis, typically starts six to 72 hours after exposure to Salmonella bacteria from an infected animal, person or contaminated product.

Symptoms include:

fever

chills

diarrhea

abdominal cramps

headache

nausea

vomiting

These symptoms can last between four to seven days. In healthy people, salmonellosis clears up without treatment, though antibiotics may be prescribed. Hospitalization is needed in some severe cases. Those who are infected can be infectious for between several days up to several weeks.
Days after WhatsApp chats between Sushant Singh Rajput and one of his sisters revealed that she was arranging a prescription for him, his fathers lawyer Vikas Singh has said the family was only aware that the actor had anxiety. The chats that have now surfaced are from June 8, where his sister Priyanka Singh is arranging a prescription for him.

In one text message, Priyanka asks Sushant to take Librium for a week, Nexito everyday and to keep Lonazep handy for when there is anxiety attack. When told by the actor that he wont get these medicines without a prescription, she says she will see if she can arrange it. My friend here is a renowned doctor who can get you connected to the best doctor in Mumbai all confidential.. so dont worry, she says in another message. She later sent him a prescription, and said it should not matter if it is from Delhi, If anything, one can say it is on online consultation.

Reacting to the claims that it contradicts the familys assertion that they were unaware of Sushants diagnosis, lawyer Vikas Singh told Indian Express that it does not contradict our story in any manner. The family did not know he was having any psychiatric problems. Yes, he had informed the family about anxiety and his sister was doing some self-medication. Since there was a lockdown, she got a prescription from Delhi, he said.

Rhea Chakrabortys lawyer Satish Maneshinde had said on Monday that she left actors home as Priyanka had changed Sushants medication without proper consultation. Rhea Chakraborty in her statements to the CBI and ED said that on June 8, Priyanka had chatted with Sushant. She asked Sushant to take three different medicines without prescription. Rhea protested as she said that he was already taking medicines prescribed by Sushants doctors. Rhea had an argument with Sushant regarding the same and then Sushant asked her to leave. Rhea then called her brother, Showik Chakraborty, to take her home, he had said.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 11:51:48|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The offender responsible for the Christchurch terror attacks on March 15, 2019 has been designated as a terrorist entity, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Tuesday.

"Designating the offender is an important demonstration of New Zealand's condemnation of terrorism and violent extremism in all forms," Ardern said in a statement.

A designation under New Zealand legislation freezes the assets of terrorist entities and makes it a criminal offence to participate in or support the activities of the designated terrorist entity, the prime minister said.

"This designation ensures the offender cannot be involved in the financing of terrorism in the future," Ardern said.

"We have an obligation to New Zealand and to the wider international community to prevent the financing of terrorist acts," she said.

There are currently 20 terrorist entities designated under New Zealand law, including this offender, the statement said.

Under Section 22 of the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002, the prime minister may designate individuals or groups as terrorist entities, on advice from officials.

Details of the designations process and the statements of case supporting designation of these entities can be found on the New Zealand Police website, it said. Enditem
After more than 15 years in jail, Anand Nageshiya was more than happy when he returned home to his family in Aamdarha village which is Ambikapur, North Chhattisgarh.

He was most joyful to meet his daughter Yamini who was hardly over a year old when he went to jail, as per a report in Indian Express.



Indian Express

Anand, 40, was in prison for killing his paternal uncle over a dispute back in 2005.



But he was hit by reality when he saw his daughter struggling in the online classes because she did not have gadgets. Due to the COVID threat, this was the only way for students to study. His daughter is in Class 12 of a government school.



So what did he do? The man bought a smartphone for her. Where did he get the money? It was from what he earned in jail.

iStock

"I was moved when my daughter told me she was not having any device to attend online classes. She wished to become a doctor and render her service to humanity by joining the medical profession. I realised the importance of education while in jail. I will leave no stone unturned to ensure my daughter doesn't face any hurdle to pursue her dream," he told the Indian Express.

Anand was released from jail early due to good conduct.

"He along with 19 others were recommended to the government for granting remission of sentence from Ambikapur Central Jail after they were found maintaining overall good behaviour consistently. We saw Nageshiya, who was serving a life imprisonment for murder, has downright reformed and disciplined himself and his name was cleared on the grounds of good conduct," said Rajendra Gaikwad, superintendent at Ambikapur Central Jail.

CNN

Anand's move to buy the smartphone shows that while he may have not been there to see his daughter grow up, he is still the father she needs. Taking responsibility at the first chance are signs that he has not forgotten his duty.


Police Spokesman Charles Owino has addressed the recent spate of crimes in Nairobis Kilimani suburbs, denying that politicians are involved.

Speaking on Sunday, August 30, Mr Owino dismissed reports that influential politicians have been using unscrupulous businessmen as proxies for their criminal activities in fake gold scams and money laundering.

I do not think politicians have anything to do with the activities that we see in Kilimani save for situations where there could be impunity in terms of planning and management between these places, he explained.

As police, we do not experience that directly but as residents, Im sure maybe that could be a point of concern. I do not think politicians are involved whether it is people dealing with wash wash business, gold nuggets and so on, added Owino.

The police spokesman also noted that most criminal cases in Kilimani involve individuals who are licensed firearm holders.

What we have seen in Kilimani area are kind of white-collar crimes where people are dealing with gold and large sums of money.

The area is also occupied by middle-class people with a large number of clubs definitely we will have to get a few white-collar crimes, Owino explained.
The delegation of the transitional government of Sudan and the armed movements in Darfur sign seven protocols to end the fighting in the region.

Sudan's transitional government has signed a long-awaited peace agreement with a coalition of armed groups. The deal raises hopes of an end to decadeslong civil wars -- but not all rebel groups are on board.

Officials from Sudan's transitional government on Monday signed a peace agreement with the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of several armed groups, after nine months of tough negotiations.

The deal with the SRF was signed by Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and the chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, during a televised ceremony in the South Sudanese capital, Juba. The signing took place under the auspices of South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, who played a large role in mediating the agreement.

The pact foresees power sharing, compensation and reconciliation measures. It also contains agreements on allowing people displaced by 17 years of conflict to return home.

'The start of peace-building'

Among other things, the provinces of Blue Nile, South Kordofan and West Kordofan will be granteed self-rule, according to a draft of the agreement seen by The Associated Press.

After the signing, Hamdok called the deal a "great work" and "the start of peace-building."

An SRF representative said the coalition hoped the deal would end the suffering of Sudan's people.

In a joint statement, Norway, Britain and the US hailed the agreement as an "an important step in restoring security, dignity and development to the population of Sudan's conflict-affected and marginalized areas."

Elusive final goal

Sudan's transitional government, which came to power after President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April 2019 by the military amid an uprising, has made ending rebellions in the country's provinces a key goal. Among other things, it aims to use cuts in current military spending to boost the country's ailing economy.

But other groups, including the largest single one, the Sudan Liberation Movement-North, have yet to reach a deal, while another major group, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Army, rejects the transitional government as a legitimate entity,

Sudan's civil conflicts, which have wracked the country since 2003, when unrest broke out in the Darfur region, have killed some 300,000 people and displaced millions, according to the United Nations.

(dpa, AP)
Pastor John Gray says he has submitted to a process of restoration after new infidelity allegations

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Megachurch pastor John Gray announced that he has submitted to a process of restoration that will sometimes take him away from his church in the wake of new allegations of infidelity, some of which he admits are true.

Im sorry for the areas of my life that I left unattended, that I was apathetic about, the areas where I have treated the calling of God, the grace of God and the hand of God casually in my life. For every area of behavior that has dishonored the holiness of God, I want to tell you that Im sorry. There have been a number of things, blogs, some of them accurate, some of it not. But all of it, my responsibility, the embattled leader of Relentless Church in Greenville, South Carolina, said in an address to his church and family Sunday.

I apologize for putting the name of God in harms way and I and I alone take the responsibility for the actions that harmed and injured Gods sheep. No matter how many pseudo-excuses one can hurl in a moment like this, for the purposes of self-preservation, all of them ring hollow when all that is truly needed is the truth, he said.

Grays address comes after his lawyers said a week ago that he was being blackmailed and extorted after he was accused of engaging in another inappropriate relationship.

The latest allegation against Gray came from a 48-year-old Houston woman who identified herself as Mary during an interview with online personality Tasha K, which was broadcast on YouTube. The Houston woman said during her interactions with Gray, she sent him partially nude photos at his request and he video-chatted with her while revealing his underwear. She claimed that he also met with her in Houston and invited her to visit his home and she declined because she felt he may have wanted to sleep with her.

Gray did not specifically address any of the allegations against him but explained that he had been in therapy for himself as well as in marriage therapy with his wife for a while but those efforts were insufficient in helping him to become the pastor, father and husband he aspires to be.

He said after being confronted by godly friends and leaders, he will now submit to a process that he has never endured before for an indefinite period.

[I] submitted to a process of restoration that will require me to continue to do the deep work, not only of therapy but of emotional health professionals; physical restoration because my body and my soul have been deeply wounded and impacted by a life that was rooted in shame, he said. I dont know how long that process is going to be.

He said he has the help of pastors who will help him get whole and urged members of his church to continue giving to his ministry as he seeks the help he deserves in the broken areas of his life.

He argued that one of the reasons he didnt seek radical help before now was because he incorrectly assumed that his church could not survive financially without him always at the helm.

I never submitted to anybody in those other areas, whether through shame fear or an inflated sense of worth. Well, the church needs me to keep preaching so that everybody can be able to take care of their families, he reasoned before noting, If God needed someone who was stuck in sin to help Him then I aint read the Bible.

Gods Church is His business and it is my prayer that a mature Relentless Church will continue to sow into this great work while I continue to seek the help, the health, the healing and wholeness that I deserve. My kids deserve a whole father, not a fragmented puzzle piece of a man, he said. Some weeks youll see me. Others you wont.

In the latest allegations against Gray, online personality Tasha K also recently shared a video on Instagram highlighting the Greenville preacher complaining to Mary that his wife, Aventer Gray, did not cook for his family and offered to fly her to Cabo, Mexico, for a rendezvous during the pandemic.

In early 2019, Gray publicly revealed he had wanted to end his life and received prayer from Bishop T.D. Jakes as allegations of infidelity clouded his marriage. Weeks before that, Gray had drawn flak for gifting his wife a more than $200,000 Lamborghini Urus to celebrate their eighth wedding anniversary.

The South Carolina pastor had previously told his congregation that his wife, Aventer, discovered that he had started listening to the wrong voices and let some people get too close  she set it off just like a good wife should.

Aventer Gray then revealed to their congregation that one of those wrong voices belonged to a strange woman, whom she fought off with prayer and Scripture. During that revelation, Grays wife stood stoically by his side.

On Sunday, Gray faced his church alone and publicly apologized to his wife and his church, declaring that this time, his repentance would be true.

As Ive said to my wife, I say to her now in this moment, Aventer, I am sorry for the pain that I have caused you and my prayer is that the life I live from this moment is one worthy of the love that you have extended and that our family receives from, he said.

I am grateful for you [and] our children and I pray that God would restore the joy that we had in the days when we would drive around the city dreaming. You know more than everyone else, the areas of pain that I have carried for years.

I believe that this moment had to come so God can make me the man I need to be. Im sorry for the pain that Ive caused. You dont deserve it. You are an amazing woman of God and I love you and I will face me so that the man that comes out of this moment will be able to honor you in a way that I never have before.

He explained to his church that God still required holiness of pastors and the standard had not changed.

To my church, I am sorry. You have gone through enough. From cars to meetings with leaders that have caused great pain and deep division amongst political ideologies to one thing after another. I want to tell you Im sorry. The standard has not changed. Holiness is still right. And I want you to know that it is my prayer from this moment of true repentance that you will see emerge from this moment a pastor that you can be proud of, he said.

He also had words for the bloggers who helped to expose his sin and argued that he is Gods man and they would not have the last word.

People have better things to do than to stay on blogs rejoicing in the demise of who they have incorrectly ascribed a charlatan. No, I didnt make me. God made me. And Hes going to get the glory out of my life, Gray said.

There are people who have made brokenness a commodity, seeking the worst about people to monetize their pain in vulnerable moments. May the Lord heal whatever broken places in you that needs to see someone fall for you to feel better about yourself. Im a man, Im not a god. I serve God and Im Gods man and my failures will not be the final chapter of my life.
She will celebrate her 18th wedding anniversary on Tuesday.

And on Monday, Sarah Michelle Gellar was spotted out and about in Los Angeles, running some errands with her two children.

The actress, 43, shares daughter Charlotte, 10, and son Rocky, seven, with her husband of Freddie Prinze Jr.

Family: Sarah Michelle Gellar was spotted out and about in Los Angeles on Monday, running some errands with her two children - daughter Charlotte, 10, and son Rocky, seven

The doting mom made sure the trio held hands as they crossed a busy intersection during their outing.

And all three covered up with cloth face masks as required under California law due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with Sarah opting for a design from Gotta Have Face.

100 per cent of the net proceeds from the sale of the masks are donated to charities to help those most affected by the ongoing pandemic.

The Buffy The Vampire Slayer star was dressed in a black top tucked into black slacks and added a blue jean jacket.

She stepped out in a pair of white sneakers and wore her blonde hair tied back from her face, and she completed her look with designer sunglasses.

Hands on mom: Gellar, 43, was dressed in a black top tucked into black slacks along with a blue jean jacket. She stepped out in white sneakers and added designer sunglasses

Ready: Earlier on Monday, the actress showed off her 'back to school' preparation, sharing images of how she's organizing her kids as they start a new school year studying from home

Home school: The Buffy The Vampire Slayer star shared pictures of drawers of school supplies as well as a desk with laptops and her daughter's fifth grade text books

Earlier on Monday, Gellar showed off her 'back to school' preparation, sharing some images of how she's organizing her kids as they start a new school year continuing to study from home.

She shared pictures to her Instagram Story of drawers of school supplies as well as a desk with laptops and her daughter's fifth grade text books.

Gellar and Prinze Jr., also an actor, first met on the set of the 1997 movie I Know What You Did Last Summer but they didn't start dating until three years later.

They married in Mexico on September 1, 2002, and welcomed their daughter in 2009 and their son in 2012.

The couple worked together again on screen as Fred and Daphne in the live action version of Scooby-Doo, released in June 2002, and its sequel, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, released in March 2004.

Watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer on Stan in Australia.
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After decades of interviewing criminals, Hussain Zaidi's book  and subsequent Netflix series produced by Red Chillies Entertainment  Class of '83, revolves around Mumbai Police. In this interview, the journalist and writer talks about the boundaries between media, crime and Bollywood.

Hussain Zaidi was 27 and jobless when he joined The Indian Express in Mumbai. He did not have specific ambitions other than to provide for his family. A rookie reporter then, Zaidi, didnt think too much of it when his editor asked him to take up the crime beat. I just wanted to score a front page byline. I had no idea about the kind of life and experiences that awaited me back then," he says.

Two years later, Zaidi interviewed, exclusively, and for the last time, the most wanted man in India  Dawood Ibrahim. He would soon become one of the most prolific reporters on the beat, documenting and investigating Mumbais underworld at a pace, and with a depth that not many were able to match. Over the past two decades, he has also become the source of gritty crime stories, furiously adapted for both cinema and streaming.

Class of 83, which recently released on Netflix, is based on Hussain Zaidis book, his first on the Mumbai Police.

Zaidi is a straight speaker, an out and out journalist, probably more adept as asking questions than providing philosophical answers to them. As to whether a life of stalking and chasing the knifes edge has rubbed off on him in any way, he says plainly, My father used to say there is innate goodness and evil in every human being. Im capable of doing wrong, just as much as you are. It is only about whether we let this side become us, and who we are. If you have conviction, and values, nothing can change your beliefs. Zaidi is a teetotaller and claims to have never uttered an abusive word during the course of his 25 years in reporting on the vilest breed of foul-speaking humans there is  the mafia. I was told that unless you start abusing or drinking alcohol, you will never become a successful journalist. I did not conform with that perception, yet I feel that by the grace of almighty I am quite successful. Despite speaking chaste Urdu and Hindi, never had a sip of alcohol and have still gotten stories that went on the front page," he adds.

Tailing criminals and crime, in general, comes at psychological cost. Zaidi witnessed his first encounter in 1997, while tailing a local cop. It was a traumatic experience, that first time. It took me months to get over, he reminisces. A couple of years later, he narrowly escaped death when the police nabbed a sharpshooter before he ticked Zaidis name off from his list. I believe that its only God who decides when one will die. Its not up to people like you and me. I have travelled to foreign countries, in search of international criminals. I scoured for Dawood in Karachi, and not a thing happened. I believe it is destiny. I have to believe in it, or else I would be too scared to do my job, he says. Not everyone though has that elusive narrative written in their favour. In 2011, Zaidis protege, Jyotirmoy Dey, was shot in broad daylight by armed assailants on a motorbike.

Zaidi wrote his first book, Black Friday, about the Mumbai bomb blasts in 2002. It was soon after turned into a film by Anurag Kashyap.

I could never have imagined that my first book would be turned into a film. Black Friday opened so many doors for me. To me that was just a stroke of luck. I have never really worked on anything with the intention of having it adapted to screen and film, he says. Over the last two decades, Zaidi has written a several books documenting the lives of Dawood Ibrahim, Abu Salem, Haji Mastan, Karim Lala and so on. Its incredible, really, that one man has accessed minds that in general parlance can only be deemed notorious and evil, and yet not philosophised either existence or purpose. He has, he believes, neither made any friends in his life, nor enemies. Even though the latter though is hard to accept. Its simple. Ive written as strongly against police brutality and corruption within the department as I have against the likes of Salem and Ibrahim. You are doing your job right if you are not taking any sides, he says.

The demand for Zaidis work can be adjudged by the fact that Class of 83 was acquired by Red Chillies even before he had completed it. I had written books about the dons and underworld of Mumbai, but I hadnt written a book about the police. This narrative, this story from the 80s intrigued me and I wanted to bring it to a wider audience, he says.

For all its stylistic flourishes, the Netflix film joins a long line of Bollywood projects that glorifies trigger-happy cops. I do not endorse police encounters. I do not believe in them as a mode of justice. I have in fact exposed several fake encounters over the course of my two decade long career. The police has to choose a certain method because criminals escape the system too easily, and return to a life of crime at the end of it. Because they cant get these criminals sentenced or punished the police chooses to fight bullets with bullets, he says. In an interview with NYT, several years ago, Zaidi claimed 95 percent of all encounters were fake.

Also read on Firstpost: With The Class of 83, Hussain Zaidi departs from the world of gangsters to write about encounter specialists

The popularity of Zaidis work, which he claims is enough to sustain him on its own now, is reflected in the boom of the Mumbai noir genre. We have always been interested in villains. Right from Mother India to Baazigar, something about the negative character is fascinating. But for a long time this portrayal was too gimmicky, like that of Ajit [from Yaadon Ki Baarat, who addresses his secretary in a nasal twang as 'Mona darling']. Its after stories, interviews and books began being written about actual criminals, that we got a better understanding of their mind, he says.

What about the many masculine eccentricities or exaggerations that fiction writers liberally layer their characters with? DK Rao, the gangster thrice survived police encounters. On the third occasion, he was shot 16 times. They waited for him to die and he, somehow still stood up at the hospital. This is fact, this has happened. Its hard to believe, but its in the police records. What is true is true , he adds. Raos brother, only last year, fought civic elections from Dharavi.

Zaidis life, it is safe to say, isnt as simple as other writers who conjure their villains behind locked doors. He has, instead, stared into their eyes. Given his success, he also sits on the boundaries between media, crime and Bollywood.

One need not look too far to find absurdity or be swallowed by its ubiquity. I think these criminals choose to speak to me because I never convey the idea that I belong to the other side or that Im trying to push a perspective. Its not that because Im a Muslim, that Muslim gangsters might see me as allies. I have grown up in a secular home, I dont think that way. Even with criminals, there has to be that dignity that you need to uphold, Zaidi says about just why bad people would want to talk to him. This explains Zaidis matter-of-fact tone, his temperament and aversion to intellectualising the criminal mind. He calls himself a pen pusher and considers himself lucky to have worked in journalism, back when it meant something.

Would he ever consider writing his own story, a small memoir maybe? Im not that important. All I want to do is my journalism and die doing stories I love, he says, chuckling, for the first time.
President Trump spent part of Tuesday afternoon surveying businesses damaged by riots last week in Kenosha, Wis., sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Afterwards, the president spoke at a roundtable where he blasted looters, rioters and really bad people who had taken part in the demonstrations that turned violent. He also questioned the existence of systemic racism, an issue that has been one of the main drivers behind the recent protests.

Violent mobs demolished or damaged at least 25 businesses, burned down public buildings and threw bricks at police officers, Trump said of the events that unfolded in Kenosha. These are not acts of peaceful protest, but really domestic terror.

Trump said he worked with local authorities in Kenosha to very, very swiftly deploy the National Guard and surge federal law enforcement into the city to stop the unrest.

I strongly support the use of the National Guard in other cities, Trump said.

The country has been gripped by civil unrest since late May, when a Black man named George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis as a result of an officer holding a knee to his neck for more than eight minutes. In many cities, Black Lives Matter protests erupted, and some have been accompanied by looting and rioting. Kenosha became a focal point of the demonstrations on Aug. 23 when Blake, who is Black, was shot seven times in the back by police in the city as he entered his car.

President Trump at a roundtable discussion on community safety in Kenosha, Wis., on Tuesday. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump was joined at the roundtable by local officials who praised his response to the protests in Kenosha, but the reaction to his visit hasnt been universally supportive. Prior to the presidents trip, the states Democratic governor, Tony Evers, asked him not to come and suggested it could inflame tensions. Kenoshas Democratic mayor, John Antaramian, also called on Trump to cancel his visit, saying the city needed time to heal.

The president has made the protests  and his calls for an aggressive response to them using federal forces  a major theme of his reelection campaign. He has repeatedly suggested that his election opponent, Joe Biden, is, along with other Democrats, behind the unrest, and he has discounted the premise behind the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Black Lives Matter is a Marxist organization, Trump said in a Monday night interview with Fox News Laura Ingraham. The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, I said, Thats a terrible name. Its so discriminatory. Its bad for Black people. Its bad for everybody.

Trump has also linked the demonstrations to rising crime and used these alleged conspiracies to suggest that America would be chaotic under a Biden administration, while he will bring law and order.

As he critiqued the protests in Kenosha, Trump also made comments Tuesday suggesting he doesnt believe there is systemic racism within the country.

To stop the political violence, we must also confront the radical ideology that includes this violence, Trump said. Reckless far-left politicians continue to push the destructive message that our nation and our law enforcement are oppressive or racist. Theyll throw out any word that comes to them.

Demonstrators in Kenosha, Wis. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)

Following the roundtable, reporters questioned Trump on whether he believes there are systemic issues of racial prejudice within U.S. law enforcement.

I dont believe that at all, he replied. He also reiterated his view that instances of inappropriate police violence are the result of some bad apples.

I think youd agree every once in a while youll see something. And you do have the other situation, too, where theyre under this tremendous pressure and they dont handle it well. They call it choking, and it happens, Trump said.

Trump was also pressed on whether he believes in the existence of systemic racism more generally. He criticized the reporter for bringing up the issue and urged him to focus on the tremendous violence taking place along with the protests.

You just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that weve seen, said Trump, later adding, You may have protesters, but you have some really bad people too. You have anarchists and you have the looters, rioters, you have all types. You have agitators, and thats what you should be focusing on.

Within the past week, shootings at protests in Kenosha and in Portland, Ore., have claimed the lives of three people. While the president has decried the violence coming from leftists, he defended a 17-year-old apparent Trump supporter who killed two people in Kenosha on Aug. 25.

Attorney General William Barr, who also attended the roundtable in Kenosha, offered a more detailed assessment of the violence taking place among the protests. He blamed it on Black Bloc radicals from around the country who travel to demonstrations equipped to fight.

Violent instigators were coming to Kenosha. They were coming from California, Washington state, a lot from Chicago.  Once again we saw the hijacking of a protest by a hard-core group of radicals who were carrying out, planning a coordinated, violent attack on law enforcement, on public property and on private property, Barr said. They use these Black Bloc tactics, throwing projectiles at police and literally trying to inflict injuries on police, arson and rioting.

Trump said leaders in cities that have violent protests should ask his administration to deploy federal forces.

Were ready, willing and able to send in, you know, a massive group of people that are really highly trained, he said.

Trump seemed particularly eager to send federal forces to Portland, where there have been nightly clashes between leftist protesters, far-right demonstrators and law enforcement since Floyds death in late May.

We could solve that problem in less than an hour in Portland, so I hope they call, said Trump. And at some point  well just have to do it ourselves.

Reporters asked him whether he meant he would send federal forces into cities where they were not requested. Trump suggested he wouldnt do this, but he blasted the citys mayor as having no clue whats going on.

It could be solved in an hour, and were tired of watching, said Trump.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The MIT Sloan School of Management recently announced record enrollment in the MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance. To date, more than 50,000 participants from 175 countries have enrolled in classes in the program, which launches on Sept. 30 after delays arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. MIT Sloan Prof. Egor Matveyev, who was appointed associate faculty director of the program, will cohost a webinar about the program for prospective students as well as enrolled learners on Sept. 18.

"The MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance is designed to meet the growing demand for the skills and expertise required for a career in finance. It is built on the curriculum of the MIT Sloan Master of Finance Program, so regardless of where you are in the world, online learners have access to the same high-quality content and assessments as our on-campus graduate students," says Matveyev.

MIT Sloan Prof. Leonid Kogan, who teaches in the MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance and is cohosting the webinar, says, "Modern finance began at MIT and we are looking forward to sharing our unique approach to finance education in this program. While the pandemic delayed our start date by a few months, it also highlights the importance of developing our content to make it as accessible as possible for learners around the world."

He adds, "I'm excited to work with Prof. Matveyev, who has a breadth of experience teaching finance and is committed to developing a top-quality program that will give participants the knowledge and skills needed for success in their finance careers."

The MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance was created with MITx at MIT Open Learning. The program includes a bundle of five finance online courses taught by MIT Sloan faculty on the edX platform. All five courses mirror on-campus graduate-level MIT coursework and cover topics such as: modern finance, financial accounting, mathematical methods for quantitative finance, and derivative markets. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of global markets and learn to apply critical financial theories, models, and frameworks across all areas of finance.

Learners who complete and pass each course may apply to the MIT Sloan Master of Finance Program and, upon acceptance, earn credit for work performed online. This educational pathway allows learners to complete the Master's degree quicker, with only two terms spent on campus at MIT.

The MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance is designed for current college students, recent graduates, and early to mid-stage professionals interested in developing a deeper understanding in finance.

Matveyev explains, "This program will help current students and early-stage professionals differentiate themselves in the job market and help mid-career professionals accelerate their careers. It also provides interested students with a practical pathway to a Masters of Finance from MIT or other universities."

Heidi Pickett, assistant dean of the MIT Sloan Master of Finance Program, notes that the MITx MicroMasters in Finance Program also offers a business-to-business model for companies interested in building the online classes into their training programs. Other universities can also utilize the program to supplement their curriculums. "This is a great opportunity for organizations to offer employees and students the benefits of learning from MIT," she says.

The MITx MicroMasters Program in Finance starts Sept. 30, 2020. Learners can continue to enroll in the 1st course, Foundations of Modern Finance I, until November 4, 2020. For more information and to enroll, visit: Micromasters.mit.edu/fin

To participate in the Sept. 18 webinar, register at: https://micromasters.mit.edu/fin/webinars/

The edX platform for education and learning was founded by MIT and Harvard. A global nonprofit, edX transforms traditional education, removing the barriers of cost, location, and access. Home to more than 20 million learners, edX delivers courses on topics ranging from data and computer science to leadership and finance.

The MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations, and improve the world. Learn more at mitsloan.mit.edu.

For further information, contact:



Paul Denning or Patricia Favreau Director of Media Relations

Associate Director of Media Relations (617) 253-0576

617-253-3492 [email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE MIT Sloan School of Management

Related Links

http://www.mitsloan.mit.edu


A one-time anti-Islamic State fighter has been found not guilty of killing a drug dealer whose body was found in a shallow grave next to a tomahawk.

But a jury has found Ashley Mitchell Scott Dyball, 28, guilty of improperly interfering with the corpse of Samuel Thompson.

After a four-day trial and less than a day of deliberations, the Brisbane Supreme Court jury found Dyball not guilty of murder and not guilty of manslaughter.

Ashley Mitchell Scott Dyball (right) has been found not guilty of killing a drug dealer

Mr Thompson's decomposed body was found buried in Beerburrum State Forest, north of Brisbane, about three weeks after he was killed on March 7, 2017.

The trial heard he died either from a blow to his face with a tomahawk, or from being strangled.

The cannabis dealer - who made thousands of dollars from selling drugs - told friends he was meeting a new supplier on the day he died.

The trial was shown CCTV footage of Dyball arriving at the house of another dealer Roberto Boscaino shortly before Mr Thompson on the day of the killing.

Samuel Thompson's decomposed body was found buried in Beerburrum State Forest, north of Brisbane, about three weeks after he was killed on March 7, 2017

Mr Thompson's body was later taken from the house in a toolbox on the back of Boscaino's Mitsubishi Triton ute.

Boscaino was sentenced to life in prison in December after being found guilty in a separate trial of murdering Mr Thompson. He pleaded guilty to a charge of interfering with a corpse, along with drug and weapons offences.

But Dyball, who fought with Kurdish forces against Islamic State in Syria five years ago, pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder and another of improperly interfering with Mr Thompson's remains.
As residents in the southeast Houston area breath a sigh of relief following last weeks storm threat, two local churches are busy with relief efforts to help residents in parts of east Texas and Louisiana hit hard by Hurricane Laura.

The storms 150-mph winds tore through rooftops and downed power lines in cities like Orange and Cameron, La., leaving thousands without power and basic resources.

Sagemont Baptist Church, 11300 S Sam Houston Parkway E. in the South Belt area, has sent two teams to the Orange community, where the first truckload of sack lunches and bottled water arrived this week and were distributed to those in need.

A second truckload from the church arrived nearby with a 10-member crew that brought a big smoker and 70 briskets to prepare for a community-wide barbecue.

Were just trying to meet those immediate needs and trying to help, said Sagemonts lead pastor, Matt Carter.

At First Baptist Church Pasadena, the congregation has been collecting supplies. According to the churchs associate pastor, Tom Gamble, First Baptists first U-Haul filled with diapers and toilet paper was expected to reach hard-hit Lake Charles, La. by Wednesday.

Both Sagemont and First Baptist are in contact with church leaders in storm-stricken areas to learn how their congregations can contribute to relief and recovery efforts.

How to help To participate in First Baptist Church Pasadena relief efforts, visit http://www.fbp.org/laura Phone: 281-991-1232 For more information on relief efforts at Sagemont Baptist Church, click on https://bit.ly/3lMT7Bt Phone: 281-481-8770 See More Collapse

Thats been our main point of contact  communicating with churches that are over there on the ground to find out what their needs are and how we can help them, Carter said.

First Baptist, 7500 Fairmont Parkway, is reaching out to families in the region where homes sustained major damage to provide monetary assistance, and the church is working with churches in Orange as well as Cameron, where the hurricane made landfall and where many areas are still underwater.

Were talking with each church, and they are going to provide a list of families (affected by the storm), because we want to get the funds directly into the hands of the families, Gamble said.

The storm wreaked havoc on communities along the Texas-Louisiana border that have battle scars from Rita in 2005, Humberto in 2007, Gustav and Ike in 2008, Harvey in 2017 and last year, Imelda.

One pastor I called, when I told him what we could do and asked if he was interested, he said, Yes please, whatever you have, our needs are great, Carter said.

First Baptist is planning to send a third crew to the region in the next few weeks to participate in the ongoing relief efforts.

Were thinking that it doesnt matter whether they had insurance or didnt have insurance  theyre devastated, Gamble said.

According to Carter, Sagemont is extending the same generosity it experienced after Harvey, which caused significant flooding to a portion of the church.

When Harvey hit, we got a lot of assistance from people from Louisiana and the community; so we want to return that, he said. Thats what the church is for and what were about.

yorozco@hcnonline.com
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Export of grain and legumes from Turkey to Turkmenistan increased by 48.32 percent in the first 7 months of 2020 compared to the same period of 2019, having exceeded $18.1 million, Turkeys Ministry of Trade told Trend.

According to the ministry, in July 2020, Turkey exported grain and legumes to Turkmenistan by 49.42 percent more compared to July 2019, which in monetary terms made up over $2.6 million.

The export of grain and legumes from Turkey to world markets increased by 7.2 percent from January through July 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, having exceeded $4 billion.

The ministry noted that the export of grain and legumes made up 4.5 percent of the country's total exports during the mentioned period.

In July 2020, Turkey exported the grain and legumes to international markets in the amount of over $590.5 million, which is 8.1 percent more compared to July 2019, the ministry said.

Turkeys export of grain and legumes in July 2020 accounted for 3.9 percent of the country's total exports.

Over the past 12 months (from July 2019 through July 2020), Turkey exported the grain and legumes worth over $7 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
By Arthur I. Cyr





"A riddle, wrapped in an enigma, inside a mystery."



Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union with those words. He was speaking in October 1939, right after World War II commenced in Europe.



Churchill's words have direct importance for continuing and current developments in the strange world of Vladimir Putin's Russia. The regime, society and underlying culture remain fundamentally different from those of the United States and the wider Western world.



Alexei Navalny, a prominent and influential Russian opposition leader, is currently in a coma. German doctors state he was poisoned. Navalny is now in Berlin, flown in a secure German aircraft for specialist medical treatment.



In Britain on March 4, 2018, a police officer found Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, a city near London. Authorities immediately hospitalized them in intensive care. The nerve agent also sickened the officer, likewise hospitalized.



They were the victims of an extremely rare chemical not readily available to the public, or even the criminal underworld. The military nerve agent is a product of Russia.



Skripal worked for the GRU, the military intelligence arm of Russia's government. He also started working as a double agent for British intelligence in 1995.



In 2006, a Russia court convicted him and imposed a prison sentence of 13 years. In 2010, authorities freed him as part of a U.S.-Russian spy swap, following the exposure of a ring of Russian espionage agents in the United States.



In September 2018, opposition activist Peter Verzilov became severely ill after a court hearing related to a protest and his subsequent arrest. He also was flown to Berlin for specialist medical treatment, where poisoning was diagnosed as the likely cause.



Vladimir Kara-Murza, an opposition leader and journalist, suffered two severe health attacks in 2015 and 2017. The diagnosis in each case was probable poisoning. He is vice chairman of Open Russia, an organization founded by successful business entrepreneur Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a strong Putin opponent who has been persecuted and imprisoned.



A particularly prominent victim is Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London in November 2006 from acute radiation poisoning. Litvinenko was a former colleague of Putin in the KGB, the principal arm of state security in the Soviet Union, an agency rightly feared for its ruthless methods and effective results. Putin is a product of the KGB's distinctive culture.



Litvinenko defected to Britain, where he until silenced was a prominent and influential public critic of Putin and the government of Russia. After a meticulous thorough investigation, representatives of Scotland Yard testified in a public inquiry the Russian government was involved in his killing.



Earlier, critics of Russia's regime sometimes died violently gangland style, in public. In early 2009, in a public street near the Kremlin on a sunny day, a gunman murdered activist attorney Stanislav Markelov. Journalist Anastasia Baburova was murdered as well, trying to aid him. The hit man was a practiced pro, his pistol equipped with a silencer.



Markelov had publicly denounced the early release from prison of Colonel Yuri Budanov, sentenced to 10 years for strangling a woman during the war in Chechnya.



Churchill observed "the key" to Russia was national interest. Alliance with the Soviet Union was vital during World War II, when our interests joined.



Today, as in the past, national interest should guide policy. Scientific collaboration, including space exploration, should continue. NATO should shield Europe. We must condemn criminal behavior, including election meddling.





Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of "After the Cold War" (NYU Press and Macmillan). Contact acyr@carthage.edu


Acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf is urging Portland mayor Ted Wheeler to accept federal assistance after months of unrest in the city, warning in a letter on Monday that the federal government will have no choice but to protect our American citizens if the chaos continues unchecked.

I urge you to prioritize public safety and to request federal assistance to restore law and order in Portland, Wolf wrote in the letter dated August 31. We are standing by to support Portland. At the same time, President Trump has made it abundantly clear that there will come a point when state and local officials fail to protect its citizens from violence, the federal government will have no choice but to protect our American citizens.

Portland has been plagued by months of violent rioting and protests in the wake of George Floyds death. As of July 31, local law enforcement had arrested 255 people and declared 23 riots and unlawful assemblies, according to DHS. Unrest in the city turned deadly recently as Antifa clashed with right-wing counter-protesters.

Due to a lack of action throughout the summer, Portland and its law-abiding residents continue to suffer from large-scale looting, arson, and vandalism  even killing. Businesses remain shuttered and Portlanders are held hostage by the daily violence that has gripped the city with no end in sight, Wolf said.

Wolf criticized Wheeler for suggesting that the unrest would ultimately burn itself out, saying the evidence demonstrates otherwise.

The chaos, destruction, and suffering in Portland are evils you can stopand must stop, Wolf said. Consider what happened recently in Wisconsinwhere the State of Wisconsin requested and received federal law enforcement assistance and the violence and looting there ended.

Wolfs letter is an apparent response to a letter Wheeler sent President Trump on August 28 in which the mayor rejected the presidents offer to send federal law enforcement to the city.

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Wheeler said that Portland didnt need the presidents politics of division and demagoguery.

Portlanders are onto you, Wheeler wrote. We have already seen your reckless disregard for human life in your bumbling response to the COVID pandemic. And we know youve reached the conclusion that images of violence or vandalism are your only ticket to reelection.

More from National Review
The COVID-19 pandemic is still being battled across the world and a lot of organizations have come to an ambiguous halt. In such uncertain times, businesses are reorienting their approach towards the new normal. Especially, for an industry like Events and Conferences, where the real essence is a large gathering of like-minded people coming together to create an experience. Adapting to the new norm, Clavent is organizing a virtual conference on 5th and 6th September 2020 called the  EMERGE 2020 MARTECH SUMMIT 

Clavent, an India based global conferences company, is hosting Emerge Martech Summit powered by Clevertap, a Marketing and Advertising Technology Conference on 5th & 6th September. Emerge Martech Summit 2020 will bring together marketers & business leaders looking to take their business to the next level. It will cover the latest factors that are set to transform the future of marketing, technology, and data functions.

The virtual conference will facilitate a digital networking platform that will allow unrivalled real-time interaction and seamless networking experience with speakers, exhibitors, and fellow delegates. The platform will try to recreate all the elements of an offline conference in an online environment having different sections like lobby, networking lounge, speaking area, virtual expo area, and a speakers networking area.

The conference will cover four major themes- AdTech, Content & SEO, User Analytics & Retention, Affiliates/Media Buying. Clavent has secured an outstanding lineup of talented thought leaders and influencers like Sam Baisla, Founder & CEO at Brand Samosa; Atin Chhabra, Global Director - Digital Customer Experience at Schneider Electric; Shweta Srivastava, Head of Digital at Philips; Penny Soo; Alexis Chiagouris, Director, Digital Marketing at Flexera; Puneeth Bekal, Director - Marketing at Mastercard; Nakul Laad, GM Business planning, and Strategy at Swiggy; Rebecca Kurian, Head of Marketing, India at Logmein; Prithvi Raj, Strategic Media Client Leader at Nielsen Media - South Asia; Neel Pandya, Head of Media at LOreal; Mahip Dwivedi, Head Mobile App Marketing & SEO Growth at Flipkart; Rahul Singh, Co-Founder & CEO of Winkl; Malay Harsha, Director Marketing at CleverTap and more. During the two days of dynamic discussion, attendees will discover industry secrets and gain a new cache of knowledge about the latest in advertising and marketing technology.

"In previous years, Clavent has been organizing great global conferences in countries like Australia, Philippines, Singapore, India, England, and France. This year, with the COVID outbreak, the industry has taken a hit and there have been major layoffs and shutdowns but we as an organization are adapting to the situation and organizing virtual conferences. This year we are going to dig into the fast-changing landscape of digital marketing together - but virtually. We really want to thank Clevertap for partnering and supporting us for this conference." said Sneha Betharia Jha, Director of Clavent.

Emerge is set to discuss things beyond the tried and tested best practices which are not enough to be effective at capturing a market share the way they once were. Emerge will cover new tools, applications, tactics, and technologies for Marketing and advertising which are much needed in entering the digital arena in this post COVID world. It will help industry professionals become more digital market savvy and effectively compete in the global marketplace. Emerge 2020 is sponsored on Gold level by Winkl and will feature brands like Time of India, ALT Balaji, Blue Star Limited, EarlySalary, Lenskart, Max life insurance, Ogilvy, OkCredit, Raymond limited, SBI, VFS global, Wipro, Zomato, Ola, Master Card, Flipkart, Zee5, Swiggy, Grofers, Mastercard, Philips, Schneider Electric, Pepsico, BurgerKing, Udaan, Paytm, Vedantu, Logicserve iFlix which are participating in the conference.
Every now and again a person in their 50s or 60s, somebody who frequented Harmans Cafe back when it was a homey breakfast and lunch nook tucked inside a Portage Avenue pharmacy near Lions Manor, will curiously pop their head inside Harmans Cafe at 570 Sargent Ave. Picking up on the scent of garlic, ginger, cardamom and cumin emanating from the kitchen, theyll turn to owner Desta Negatu and openly wonder what gives, remarking her locale definitely isnt the nosh they remember.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (507 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every now and again a person in their 50s or 60s, somebody who frequented Harmans Cafe back when it was a homey breakfast and lunch nook tucked inside a Portage Avenue pharmacy near Lions Manor, will curiously pop their head inside Harmans Cafe at 570 Sargent Ave. Picking up on the scent of garlic, ginger, cardamom and cumin emanating from the kitchen, theyll turn to owner Desta Negatu and openly wonder what gives, remarking her locale definitely isnt the nosh they remember.

Thats when Negatu, born in Ethiopia, will explain that she worked at the original Harmans and selected the name for her own restaurant, which opened in 2009 and specializes in East African cuisine, as a nod to where she got her start in the biz.

Except anyone whos ever chatted with Negatu while shes serving platters piled high with slow cooked meat, stewed veggies and rolls of injera knows full well thats just the Coles Notes version of her story.

"You really want me to tell you the whole history? Because it is very long," she asks, seated next to a photo of herself snapped "a lifetime ago" when, at age 20, she was preparing to board a ship bound for Italy, a journey that, in a roundabout way, eventually led her to Winnipeg.

When a scribe nods his head yes, mentioning he has no place else to be and all day to get there, she settles back in a chair, tells her lone employee to call for help if any orders come in, and begins.

Desta Worku Negatu brings out her sampler platter, which is a selection of traditional dishes served on Ethiopian flatbread made daily. (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press)

Negatu, 54, the fifth youngest of 12 siblings, is originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopias capital and home to some three million residents. When she was nine or 10 her family moved to Korem, a city in the north central part of the country, where her father, a political sort, was elected mayor.

Life in Korem was unsettled to say the least, owing to a number of factors. Chief among them was a two-year famine in the early 1980s that killed 1.3 million Ethiopians, coupled with a bloody civil war that largely paralyzed the nation from 1974 to 1991, resulting in hundreds of thousands more deaths.

Korem was home to a number of refugee camps. At the age of 14, Negatu, who dreamed of becoming a nurse one day, began spending much of her free time assisting members of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), an international humanitarian organization that provided aid inside the camps.

At 16 years old, having lost two brothers to the war, she made the difficult decision to leave Korem. Most of her older siblings were already gone, having spread out as far as Atlanta, Toronto and Rome. But due to the ongoing conflict, it wasnt as simple as buying a plane ticket and bidding her parents farewell. Far from it.

Late one evening, after her mother and father had gone to bed, she snuck out of the house carrying a small bag of personal items. For the next two weeks she and 19 other "skippers" travelled to Djibouti, the capital city of the country with the same name, roughly 600 kilometers away.

"I couldnt tell my parents I was leaving or they never would have let me go," she says. "We had to pay 3,000 Ethiopian birr (roughly C$110) each for a ride out of Korem, but most of the trip was by foot. And because it was very dangerous  if soldiers caught us they would take us back or shoot us  we walked mostly at night, hiding wherever we could during the daytime."

"I couldnt tell my parents I was leaving or they never would have let me go.... Most of the trip was by foot. And because it was very dangerous  if soldiers caught us they would take us back or shoot us  we walked mostly at night, hiding wherever we could during the daytime.  Desta Negatu

Not everybody in her party made it. By the time she reached Djibouti, the largest city in the country, only six of her companions remained, the others having succumbed to the heat  during their trek mid-day temperatures often soared as high as 45 degrees Celsius  or to members of the Derg, the military junta that ruled Ethiopia during much of the civil war.

Before departing, an acquaintance had instructed her to go to a specific hospital in Djibouti, the administrator of which was sympathetic to Ethiopians fleeing the country. She couldnt speak Arabic or French, Djiboutis two official languages, however, so she had trouble making herself understood.

Late one afternoon, after spending eight hours outside the hospital trying to spot "somebody who appeared to be in charge," she was approached by a man in his 50s. Determining she spoke a bit of English, he asked whether she was homeless.

Yes and no, she told him, detailing where shed come from and why she was there. It turned out her inquisitor was the very person shed been hoping to meet. He invited her inside, fed her a meal of rice and chicken then showed her to an empty patients room where she was able to get a good nights sleep.

The next morning the two of them sat down to chat. She told him she needed a job in order to save enough money to join her siblings abroad. He asked what skills she possessed. She said she had been a nurses assistant back home.

"I guess because I looked so young and skinny he laughed and said, You know nursing? Ill have to test you. I said that was OK, he could ask me anything he liked."

After proving she was able to perform a few rudimentary tasks such as taking patients blood pressure and administering medication, he gave her a job, as well as a small apartment in a dormitory-style wing of the hospital.

Though she started out pursuing nursing, Desta Worku Negatu turned to cooking when she moved to Winnipeg and got a job at the original Harman's. (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press)

Negatu, who was able to contact her parents to let them know she was safe and sound, spent the next three years in Djibouti working, in her words, 24/7.

With no friends or family in the city, she was only too happy to pitch in as needed, telling doctors not to worry about waking her up in the middle of the night if they needed a hand with a patient. Her strong work ethic was the reason everybody there was sorry to see her go when she finally left for Rome to live with her sister.

Negatu stayed in Italy for six years. During her time there, a brother living in Toronto implored her to come to Canada to pursue a nursing career. He sent her a list of people known for sponsoring African refugees, one of whom was Sister Aileen May Gleason, founder of Winnipeg-based Hospitality House Refugee Ministry.

Negatu still remembers the date  July 5, 2002  when Gleason, who died in 2019 at age 94, picked her up at the airport to welcome her to Manitoba.

One thing, though; while Negatu knew Winnipeg was her destination, her original intention was to stay just a week or two  after all, her brother had warned her about the citys harsh winters  before leaving for Toronto.

"I had no idea how far apart Winnipeg and Toronto are," she says with a laugh. "I thought I could go back and forth, no problem. But after Sister Aileen showed me around and got me set up in an apartment on Garry (Street), I told my brother I was staying and enrolling in the (nursing) program at Red River (College)."

Desta Worku Negatu's Harman's Cafe is currently only open for pickup and takeout. (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press)

In 2004, Negatu and a classmate went for breakfast at Harmans Cafe, 647 Portage Ave. At some point during their meal, the owner, whom Negatu later learned had travelled to Africa numerous times to volunteer at refugee camps, spoke to her in her native tongue.

One thing led to another, and within a month she had landed a part-time job at Harmans slinging bacon and eggs. That despite the fact she initially didnt have a clue what sunny side up even meant.

Negatu eventually put nursing school on hold to manage Harmans full-time. The owner sold the building in 2006, and with no job, Negatu travelled to Israel, where a planned three-month stay turned into three years.

She returned to Winnipeg in 2009 intent on completing her studies. Except a chance lunch date with a cousin at a Vietnamese restaurant called Trieu Chau changed her life, yet again.

"I still dont know why because it wasnt like there was even a for sale sign in the window but as my cousin and I were paying for our meal the owner asked if I wanted to buy her restaurant," Negatu says, pointing to a spot near our table where their conversation took place.

"I told her that was impossible, I had no savings, but my cousin kept saying I had to do it, that it was meant to be." A few weeks later, Harmans Cafe was reborn.

Harman's Cafe now features Ethiopian flatbread called Iniera, made fresh daily. (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press)

Negatus establishment was a hit right out of the gate, thanks to a glowing review that appeared in this newspaper not long after she opened her doors. She chuckles, recalling she didnt know what to make of "this woman," meaning former Free Press food critic Marion Warhaft, who arrived with three companions and told Negatu to bring them "everything on the menu."

Not sure shed heard her guest correctly, Negatu repeated back, "Everything?" "Thats right, everything," came the answer. ("Eating here is a hands-on experience, although forks will be provided for those too squeamish to eat with their fingers," Warhaft wrote for any readers unfamiliar with Ethiopian cuisine.)

Business was still going strong  besides life-long Winnipeggers, Negatu also welcomes people who moved to the city from Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia... "all over really"  when she shut down completely in mid-March to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

It was a gut-wrenching move, she says, because besides being her source of income, Harmans Cafe also supports dozens of underprivileged children in Ethiopia via a charity she started called Bete Desta, or Happy Home.

"It's overwhelming how generous people are. My brother was right. The winters here are cold but Winnipeggers' hearts? They are so warm it more than makes up for it."  Desta Negatu

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.

"Normally I put on a big fundraising dinner every May with all proceeds going to my kids," says Negatu, the 2015 recipient of the YMCAs Peace Medallion. "Due to COVID we werent able to do that this year, which hurt me deeply."

Readers will be happy to know that many of her customers, regulars who are well aware of her philanthropic side, have stepped up since Harmans reopened in June for takeout and delivery only.

Negatu is still lost for words when a person comes in to pick up an order and instead of paying for a single meal hands her enough to cover four or five dinners saying the rest is for Bete Desta.

"Its overwhelming how generous people are. My brother was right. The winters here are cold but Winnipeggers hearts? They are so warm it more than makes up for it."

David Sanderson writes about Winnipeg-centric restaurants and businesses.

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca
The JNU student was arrested in May, along with Natasha Narwal, in connection with violence in North East Delhi, Daryaganj and during the anti-CAA protests

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Tuesday granted bail to Pinjra Tod member Devangana Kalita in a northeast Delhi violence case, saying the police failed to show she instigated women of a particular community or gave hate speech as she was seen in a peaceful agitation which is her fundamental right.

The agitation, held against the citizenship law CAA, had been going on for long with print and electronic media present throughout, in addition to the cameras of the police department, but there is no evidence which establishes that the alleged offence took place on Kalita's action, the High Court said.

The evidence produced constituted statements recorded much belatedly, under section 164 CrPC, though the witnesses allegedly remain present at the spot throughout, the court observed.

"Charge sheet has already been filed against the petitioner on 2 June. Moreover, I have gone through the inner case diary produced in a sealed cover along with pen drive and found that though her presence is seen in peaceful agitation, which is fundamental right guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution of India, however, failed to produce any material that she in her speech instigated women of particular community or gave hatred speech due to which precious life of a young man has been sacrificed and property damaged," Justice Suresh Kumar Kait said in the 21-page judgement.

The court granted bail to Kalita on furnishing of a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and a surety of the like amount. It also directed that she will not directly or indirectly influence any witness or tamper with the evidence and not leave the country without permission of the trial court.

Kalita, however, will not be released from jail as she has managed to secure bail in only three of the four cases registered against her. She is yet to secure bail in a case under UAPA.

Kalita and another member of the group Natasha Narwal were arrested in the case in May by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including rioting, unlawful assembly and attempt to murder.

They have also been booked under the stringent anti-terror law - Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a separate case related to the communal violence, for allegedly being part of a "premeditated conspiracy" in the riots.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on 24 February after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

In all, four cases have been registered against her, including in relation to the northeast Delhi riots earlier this year and violence in old Delhi's Daryaganj area during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in December last year.

The police had earlier told the high court that they do not have the videos of the time when Kalita was allegedly making instigating speeches during the riots incident.

It had said that they have the videos of her allegedly instigating people before the riot incidents that took place on 24 and 25 February and also of 22 and 23 February when a large gathering was sitting and protesting outside Jafrabad Metro station against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The high court, in its verdict, said Kalita satisfied the triple test which has been upheld by the Supreme Court in Congress leader P Chidambaram's money laundering case in the manner that she was arrested without even a notice under the CrPC and she remained available at her home on 23 May and even provided her phone to the police previously and had also joined investigation.

Evidently, she did not try to evade arrest or even file for anticipatory bail because she had no reason to believe that she ought to be in custody. The petitioner is a student pursuing her higher education and sufficient standing in society without any possibility of fleeing from justice, the court noted.

Regarding tampering with evidence, the court said the material in relation to her participation in the protests are available with the investigating agency and there is no documentation or evidence of any other nature in her possession.

On the the third test, influencing witnesses, the court said she was not in a position to influence witnesses in the FIR, which in any event appears to relate to public servants/ police officials. The court said it is settled law that the purpose of incarceration during trial is not punitive and incarceration is to be limited to cases where it is absolutely essential.

"In my considered opinion, no prejudice would be caused to the respondent's investigation by grant of relief to the petitioner, and she would be prevented from suffering further unnecessary harassment, humiliation and unjustified detention. Moreover, persons similarly placed as the petitioner, as per documents placed on record by the investigating agency, have not been arrested by the investigating agency in the subject FIR, and as such, the continued custody of the petitioner in the subject FIR would serve no purpose," Justice Kait said.

Kalita had challenged a trial court's order which had dismissed her bail application.

Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage) was founded in 2015 with an aim to make hostels and paying guest accommodations less restrictive for women students.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

Trend:

The Netherlands' haber.nl portal published an article about a military officer, Major of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces Anar Novruzov, who heroically died during the prevention of military provocations of the Armenian army in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district, the Azerbaijani State Committee on Affairs with Diaspora told Trend.

The article was written by Emil Aliyev, an employee of the Coordination Council of the Netherlands-Belgium Azerbaijanis, and a member of the council, Head of the International Azerbaijani Ladies Club Kamala Ceylinova.

The article provides detailed information about the life journey of Anar Novruzov and his 25-year military career.

Following continuous ceasefire violations of Armenia's armed forces, the country launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan on July 12. Grossly violating the ceasefire regime, Armenian armed forces opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district.

As a result of the appropriate measures, the Armenian armed forces were silenced. The tensions continued on the border, July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, army vehicles.

As a result of the shelling, many houses in the Tovuz district's border villages were damaged.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 19:47:40|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenyans transacted a record 450.9 billion shillings (4.18 billion U.S. dollars) on mobile phone in July, with the usage boosted by increased uptake of the service due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) data released Tuesday shows that usage rose from 3.6 billion dollars in June to 4.18 billion dollars in July, the biggest jump ever.

The huge surge is attributed to a government measure instituted to curb COVID-19 spread by encouraging the use of mobile money payments.

This saw mobile money service providers remove charges on transactions that are less than 9.3 dollars to cushion low-income consumers.

Transaction fees on payment of bills and transferring cash to bank accounts were also eliminated to discourage the use of banknotes, giving a huge boost to mobile money transactions amid the pandemic.

The number of mobile money subscribers during the month surged to 62 million as monthly transactions clocked 158 million, according to the CBK.

The number of mobile money agents, however, declined to stand at 234,747 from a high of 243,118 in April, an indication of the effects of the pandemic on the sector.

"Mobile money has been instrumental in driving business during the pandemic, it is thus not surprising that usage has risen considerably and would certainly continue to rise," said Bernard Mwaso of Edell IT Solution, a software development start-up in Nairobi. Enditem
FAIRFIELD  Police have charged a Bridgeport man for allegedly committing a burglary spree in 2019.

Fairfield police Lt. Antonio Granata said Daniel Abraham was charged with three counts of third-degree burglary, two counts of third-degree larceny and one count of fourth-degree larceny.

Granata said the charges stem from three commercial burglaries all within a mile of each other reported between June 19 and June 29 last year. All three businesses  two liquor stores and a hookah lounge  were broken into overnight during that time.

Granata said $1,500 worth of cigarettes and alcohol were stolen from Premier Wines & Spirits on Tunxis Hill Road on June 19 after the front glass window was smashed.

A witness described seeing a dark colored sedan in the parking lot around the time of the alarm activation, Granata said. Two males and a female  (were) in the front passenger seat.

A freshly-smoked cigarette was found at the scene by a detective, Granata said, which was sent to the State of Connecticut Forensic Laboratory for DNA testing.

The next morning, Granata said, the owner of Villa Wine & Spirits on Villa Avenue reported their business had been entered through an unlocked rear door. He said about $3,150 worth of cigarettes, alcohol and cash was taken along with two videocassette recorders attached to the security cameras.

Granata said a separate system of ADT security cameras captured a male suspect inside the store at 8:30 in the morning.

The suspect was similar in stature and resembled known commercial and residential burglary suspect Daniel Abraham, he said, later adding that Abraham had been arrested in Fairfield multiple times and charged in several burglaries and robberies.

Granata said an alarm activation at Euphoria Hookah Lounge on Black Rock Turnpike notified police of another burglary on June 28. He said arriving officers found the business had been entered through an unlocked rear door.

Security footage captured a black Hyundai Sonata at the rear of the building at 5:30 a.m., Granata said, noting the plerson spotted in the business appeared to be the same person seen in security camera footage at the previous burglary. He said the person loaded approximately $6,000 worth of cigarettes into a large plastic bag and then fled through the same door.

According to police, Abraham was driving a black Hyundai Sonata at the time of his previous arrests, adding that the method of operation was similar in all three June burglaries. He said police considered Abraham to be the suspect in all three crimes.

Abraham was also believed to be the co-conspirator in two residential burglaries in Fairfield that occurred on Algonquin Rd on (July 19, 2019), Granata said, adding that Abraham was arrested last December in relation to a different residential burglary committed in 2018.

Granata said a warrant was issued for Abrahams arrest after the state forensic lab matched his DNA with DNA found of the cigarette collected by detectives in the Premier Wines & Spirits burglary.

Abraham was arrested in Bridgeport on Aug. 26.

According to court documents, Abraham is being held on a $75,000 bond and had yet to enter a plea. His court date is set for Sept. 15, where he will also enter pleas for 12 other charges.
The nation's top infectious disease expert has addressed new data revealing that nearly every American who has died of coronavirus also had underlying conditions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 94 percent of those who have died of COVID-19 had at least one pre-existing health issue such as high blood pressure, obesity or diabetes.

This had led some to suggest that only 9,000 people in the US have died of the infection and not the official figure of more than 183,000.

In fact, even President Donald Trump retweeted a claim that discounted the coronavirus death toll, which was later taken down by Twitter for spreading false information.

In an appearance on Good Morning America on Tuesday, Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says the fatality count is not exaggerated and that COVID-19 is a contributing factor in all these deaths.

Dr Anthony Fauci addressed new CDC data that shows coronavirus listed as the sole cause of death for just 6% of the more than 183,000 fatalities in an appearance on Good Morning America on Tuesday (above)

Fauci said the new data only means that 94% of people died of a combination of COVID-19 and underlying conditions such as hypertension or diabetes. Pictured: Fauci (right) speaks with host Amy Robach

Fauci says clinicians can and should test people who have been exposed to the virus even if they don't have symptoms after the CDC released on testing guidelines. Pictured: Nurse Kyah Paschall checks on 64-year-old-coronavirus patient Patricia Luera at Paradise Valley Hospital, National City, California, July 8

'The point that the CDC was trying to make was that a certain percentage of [fatalities] had nothing else, just COVID,' Fauci told anchor Amy Robach.

'That does not mean that someone who has hypertension, diabetes who dies of COVID didn't die of COVID-19. They did.

'So the numbers you've been hearing, the 180,000-plus are real deaths from COVID-19. Let there not be any confusion about that, it's not 9,000 deaths from COVID-19. It's 180,000-plus deaths.'

Fauci also spoke about the CDC's changed guidelines on coronavirus testing.

Last week the CDC suddenly amended its testing recommendations to say that people who have come into contact with COVID-19 patients but don't have symptoms 'do not necessarily need a test.'

Previously, the agency had urged anyone exposed to a confirmed patient to be tested for the virus.

During a media call with reporters on last week, US 'testing czar' Adm Brett Giroir said the updated recommendations were discussed with members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Fauci.

But Fauci told CNN he 'was under general anesthesia in the operating room and was not part of any discussion or deliberation regarding the new testing recommendations.'

He told Robach that the guideline was trying to make a point that not everyone who wants to be tested needs to be tested, but it ultimately created confusion.

'There's no doubt that there's asymptomatic infection and that asymptomatic people can transmit and that you can and should test asymptomatic people,' he said.

He said he believes President Donald Trump trusts him and his advice and that they 'are on the same team.' Pictured: Fauci speaks about the coronavirus, as Trump listens, April 17

Robach then asked Fauci if he thinks Trump trusts him and his advice after a recent interview in which the commander-in-chief said he doesn't always agree with the physician.

'I think he does,' Fauci said.

'I was at the White House yesterday at a task force meeting with the vice president and everything that we discussed what you just spoke about, regarding children, regarding everything that's going on that gets to him and he understands that.

'So, I think it's a distraction to pit me against the president. We are all on the same team.'

He also discussed the reopening of schools and said there are green zones in which reopening can be done safely with measures such as wearing masks and yellow and red zones, in which viral activity is very high.

'I might say though, importantly, the best way to get schools open is to decrease the rate and level of infection in your community,' Fauci said.

'So if you are in a red zone, get yourself into a yellow or green zone and we wouldn't be having this conversation about whether or not to open the schools.'
It is often said that having uncooked meat could have severe repercussions on our body and this new case shows us just how dangerous and life-threatening it can actually become.

Jiangshu TV/ Pear Video

Doctors have successfully managed to pull out a 5-inch worm that has been present inside a 23-year olds body for nearly 17 years. This surgery was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wuchang University in Eastern Chinese province in Jiangsu.

Reported first by Jiangsu Television, Mr Chen, the patient told his doctors that he started experiencing numbness in his hands and feet around 17 years ago along with headaches and nausea. He kept on ignoring the symptoms as he saw his parents also facing issues moving their limbs, and thought this was genetic.

He eventually sought medical attention in the year 2015 after he completely lost sensation on the right half of his upper body. After doctors conducted a CT scan, they found a twisted parasite inside his brain. He was then diagnosed with sparganosis mansoni -- a rare parasitic disease.

The doctors told reporters, Once the worm enters the humans body, it would cause severe infection, a medic told reporters. The parasite would eat the brain and damage its function, which causes numbness in hands and feet or affect ones intellect.

Pear Video

The doctors decided to postpone the surgery as the worm was at an inappropriate location that would be difficult to operate on. He has been undergoing conservative management and on August 25 he finally underwent the surgery.



Doctors were able to remove the live worm which was around 12 centimetres or 5 inches long. Chen is recovering gradually although doctors havent really mentioned if he will make a full recovery.

Doctors feel that the worm entered Chens body after consuming raw wild meat as a similar case was found in a 23-year old Chinese woman who had a larger 6-inch worm in her brain and complained of similar headaches and nausea.
GETTY

Canada needs to reconsider its approach to foreign direct investment (FDI) in the innovation sector as part of a COVID-19 recovery plan, industry experts say.

The Council of Canadian Innovators latest report, titled a Plan for Economic Recovery and Reorientation, highlights eight recommendations from the tech sector on how to give a boost to Canadas economy.

The eight recommendations range from introducing better return to work policies, revisiting the analytical framework for FDI, and increasing Canadas IP capacity to help capture COVID-19 related R&D.

Ben Bergen, executive director of the CCI, said in an interview that FDI has typically benefitted specific industries that rely on supply chains. This model isnt applicable to most tech companies.

If Canada wants to create a wealth and prosperity strategy from innovation, it has to be in the ownership of the IP and the data thats generated from headquartered Canadian companies.

What you see in FDI when it comes to large tech companies is that there are not those supply chains. Google opens an office in Toronto, its not like theres a supply chain of domestic firms into Google. Youre not getting that knockoff effect, he said.

Bergen added that the government also looks into FDI as a form of job creation, but says the tech sector predominantly has negative unemployment, which means there are thousands of jobs to fill.

Really, all youre doing is in a lot of ways, taking away talent opportunities from your own domestic firms by supporting FDI, he said.

The report indicated that as part of the COVID-19 recovery plan, the government needs to help local firms that are working to help find solutions to the global pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic, Canadian technology companies operating in the healthcare, education, remote work, and enterprise sectors have actively provided their services and products to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in Canada, the report said.

Story continues

Despite the contribution Canadian tech firms have made, the report adds that Canada has featured incentivizing the expansion of foreign tech branch plants across Canada over developing strategies to grow domestic innovators.

Government should conduct study into FDI

Bergen noted that revisiting the FDI framework would mean doing a proper government study on the spillover effects of FDI.

Weve called for the federal government to do a proper study, he said. A full approach needs to be brought in to understand what is the actual negative outputs that are coming from FDI.

Dan Ciuriak, Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), said in an interview that there is a net benefit test in the Investment Canada Act, but is only applied for investments that surpass a certain threshold. The test was used when Australia-based BHP Billiton tried to take over PotashCorp of Saskatchewan in 1975.

Agreeing with Bergen, Ciuriak said FDI typically hasnt seen incremental benefits in the tech sector and it would be worthwhile for the government to conduct more research. He added that it might be worth instituting a formal process notification for foreign companies coming into Canada.

[This would indicate] what your plan is... [and] emphasizes having an IP plan, making sure that if the Canadian government is putting money in, then you want the intellectual property to somehow remain in Canada, he said.

Technology flow is out of Canada

Ciuriak says FDI is a net positive in some industries, but it is trickier to evaluate in the tech sector because a lot of the technology flow is now out of Canada.

When a company invests in an innovation sector, for example, a U.S.-based company, they may wind up extracting the key innovation resources and taking them abroad, he said.

Justin Trudeaus Liberal government hasnt shied away from investing in foreign companies to set up shop in the country in order to create jobs. In January, the government invested $50 million in U.S.-based MasterCard to build a cybersecurity centre, and in the past even pushed for Amazon to open its second headquarters in Toronto.

The MasterCard deal was widely criticized, with some arguing that the company had enough of its own capital to develop the centre without government aid. The federal government said investment would create jobs for Canadians.

This will make Canada a world leader in cybersecurity and help us tackle the cost of cybercrime in Canada - an estimated $3 billion a year, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains said at the time.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android and sign up for the Yahoo Finance Canada Weekly Brief.
MOUNT PLEASANT, MI - A group of student activists at Central Michigan University covered prominent campus areas with signs and banners Monday, Aug. 31, calling for the university to suspend in-person classes out of concern for students safety.

The demonstration is the latest by those participating in the #NotFiredUpForFall campaign, a play on the universitys marketing for the return to campus. The campaign is spearheaded by New America Project, a Democratic socialist student political activism group at CMU, but also includes leaders in student government, other student organizations and activist groups, and simply some concerned students, organization President Emily Jones said.

The students originally presented their petition and demands to campus administrators in late July, reaching out through email and phone when they didnt receive a response. Most eventually responded by email, Jones said.

Thats the only official response weve received from them, other than the blog posts, Jones said. Today was our next escalation.

The list of demands includes a COVID-19 response that puts people over profit. This includes suspending in-person classes, reducing tuition to reflect the switch to online classes, protections such as increased sick leave for CMU employees, and more.

Its very concerning, Jones said. Going into our third week here with how many cases we already have here, its clear how many cases we could possibly have if we continue to stay with this face to face format.

The petition supporting the demands has more than 830 signatures as of Tuesday morning. The organizers are meeting again this week to see if they want to do an additional protest, and the group plans on more activism again in the near future, Jones said.

We really want to extend appreciation to everyone thats supported us so far, Jones said. Im really proud of the work that weve done and I really hope we can keep fighting for students in the future.

As of Monday, more than 160 new COVID-19 cases are connected to students returning to CMUs Mount Pleasant campus, according to the Central Michigan District Health Department.

In response to the protest and petition, CMU executive director for communications Heather Smith said the university decided to return to on-campus learning because of popular demand by students, but most classes are either fully or partially online. The university is also allowing students to break housing contracts without a fee if they want to attend remote classes, she said.

The health and safety of our students, faculty and staff remain our top priority, Smith said in a statement. We are closely monitoring positive cases and how they may affect our campus and surrounding communities, and we continue to follow guidance from local, state and national health leaders as we move through our fall semester.

Read more:

More than 60 new coronavirus cases at Central Michigan University in past week

Central Michigan University now has 110 coronavirus cases related to students

Outdoor gatherings in Mount Pleasant limited to 25 after Central Michigan University coronavirus spike
The total number of confirmed cases grew to 123,303.

Ukraine said 2,088 new active COVID-19 cases had been confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours as of September 1, 2020.

The total number of confirmed cases grew to 123,303, as seen on the interactive map compiled by the National Security and Defense Council.

As many as 57,802 patients, including 688 in the past day, have recovered.

Read alsoBack to school: Health minister explains new rules amid quarantine restrictionsThe pandemic has taken 2,605 lives with 48 fatalities recorded over the past day.

In total, 1,506,655 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have been run since the outbreak, Ukraine's Health Ministry wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.

The overall incidence per region is as follows:

4,044 cases in Vinnytsia region;

5,523 in Volyn region;

2,398 in Dnipropetrovsk region;

1,448 in Donetsk region (Ukrainian-controlled districts);

3,382 in Zhytomyr region;

7,600 in Zakarpattia region;

1,627 in Zaporizhia region;

9,348 in Ivano-Frankivsk region;

816 in Kirovohrad region;

13,546 in the city of Kyiv;

5,755 in Kyiv region;

14,703 in Lviv region;

320 in Luhansk region (Ukrainian-controlled districts);

1,284 in Mykolaiv region;

7,494 in Odesa region;

808 in Poltava region;

9,269 in Rivne region;

1,532 in Sumy region;

6,194 in Ternopil region;

9,338 in Kharkiv region;

400 in Kherson region;

2,519 in Khmelnytsky region;

10,420 in Chernivtsi region;

1,594 in Cherkasy region; and

1,941 in Chernihiv region.

Data from Russia-occupied areas  the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions  is not available.

COVID-19 tests were run by the Public Health Center's virological reference laboratory and regional laboratories. As of the morning of September 1, 2020, the Center had received 2,379 reports of suspected cases. In total, there have been 184,031 reports on suspected COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020.

COVID-19 in Ukraine: background
Nepal is home to eight of the world's highest peaks but coronavirus restrictions have devastated the tourism and mountaineering sectors

Nepal is making a royal exception to its coronavirus ban on foreign arrivals, with a mountaineering team including a Bahrain prince set to tackle two major peaks.

The Himalayan country shut its borders in March including grounding international flights just ahead of the busy spring season, devastating the local tourism sector.

The 18-member party were given special permission to enter Nepal to climb the 8,163-metre (26,781-feet) Mount Manaslu and the 6,119-metre (20,075-feet) Lobuche.

"A 15-member Bahrain team including the prince of Bahrain and three British citizens will be allowed to come to Nepal in a chartered flight... following the health protocols," government spokesman Yuba Raj Khatiwada said late Monday.

The Bahrain team, due to arrive as early as mid-September, is also planning to climb Everest -- the world's tallest mountain -- next year.

More than 50 Sherpas will join the expedition, with helicopters used to minimise contact, said organiser Seven Summit Treks.

Nepal reopened its mountains -- including Everest -- in late July for the autumn climbing season, in anticipation that international flights would resume in mid-August.

But a jump in virus infections in recent weeks saw the government delay opening up such flights.

Limited international flights resumed Tuesday but only for citizens and foreign diplomats. Domestic flights have not restarted.

Foreigners have also been banned from entering Nepal by land.

The absence of foreign climbers has exacerbated the financial fallout for tourist operators.

The country of 28 million people recorded 9,000 new coronavirus infections and 91 deaths over the last 10 days. It has reported a total of 39,460 cases and 228 deaths.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks and foreign climbers are a major source of revenue.

str-pm/grk/mtp
Iraqs crude oil exports fell in August compared to July, as OPECs second-largest producer is reducing supply in an attempt to comply with the OPEC+ production cut pact, which it had largely disregarded in previous deals.

Iraqs crude oil exports in August averaged 2.597 million barrels per day (bpd), down from the previous month, according to early estimates from Iraqs State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) received by the Shafaq News agency.

In July, Iraqs total crude oil exports stood at 2.763 million bpd, oil ministry data showed.

In August, Iraqs crude oil exports of 2.597 million bpd included 2.5 million bpd of exports from the southern oil ports at Basra and another 97,000 bpd of oil exports from Iraqs northern oilfields through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, SOMO said today.

The average price per barrel of exported Iraqi oil was $43.693.

Iraqs revenues from its oil exports in Augustoil income being the majority of Iraqi budget revenueswere at US$3.517 billion, Iraqs oil marketing company said.

Oil revenues are critical to Iraqs budget income, but in recent months OPECs second-largest oil producer has come under pressure from its fellow OPEC+ partners led by Saudi Arabia to stop cheating on their production quotas and finally start complying with the OPEC+ agreement.

Iraq promised additional cuts of around 400,000 bpd in August in order to compensate for the lack of compliance with the OPEC+ deal in the previous months.

Iraq, which has been the least compliant member of the OPEC+ production cut pact since it was first launched in January 2017, has been promising for months that it would reduce its oil production and fall in line with its quotasomething it hasnt done since 2017.

Despite the pledges and the reduced exports, Iraq has yet to comply with the production cut deal.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The university system in the United States has accomplished a great deal of good, but it has strayed from its chief goals of scholarly inquiry and responsible teaching, especially in the past 20 years.All too often, universities allow teaching to become shallow and trendy, failing to challenge students intellectually and disparaging traditional principles of justice, ethics, and liberal education. Students know little about the history of their country or the institutions that led to this nation's freedom and prosperity. Students can get by without taking rigorous courses; non-academic activities overshadow scholarship. As a result, many college graduates have poor skills in computation, communication, and logical analysis. Faculty are allowed excessive latitude in what they teach  and often get away with little teaching at all  because research is emphasized.Taxpayers as well as students and their families pay hefty prices to support a system that often provides too little educational value. Across the country, states spend roughly $100 billion per year on higher education-more than 12 percent of total state expenditures. Despite this tremendous cost, colleges and universities have failed to provide value to students, taxpayers, and society. The average 6-year graduation rate at public universities is just 54 percent.State legislators and university trustees have an opportunity to address many of these issues. The Martin Center's "Blueprints for Reform" provide detailed plans of how to do so.Our Blueprints for Reform provide recommendations and solutions ready for implementation. They include specific proposals, model university policies, and model legislation from public policy organizations and states that have already introduced successful reforms.Each Blueprint focuses on a single topic. Check back frequently to find out if new Blueprints have been released. And if there is a topic you think we should cover, send an email to info@jamesgmartin.center and we'll add it to our list.1. Blueprint for Reform: Viewpoint Diversity
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd. (TSXV: SCZ) (FSE: 1SZ) (the "Company" or "Santacruz") reports on the operating and financial results Zimapan Mine in Zimapan Hidalgo Mexico and the Rosario Project in San Luis Potosi, Mexico for the second quarter of 2020. The full version of the financial statements and accompanying management's discussion and analysis can be viewed on the Company's website at www.santacruzsilver.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. All amounts are in thousands of US dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Q2 2020 Highlights

Cash Cost per tonne decreased 34% from $62.80/t to $41.44/t as compared to Q2 2019;

Gross Profit from mining operations of $796, notwithstanding the mine suspension period for 42 days at the Zimapan Mine and a 40% personnel reduction at the Rosario Project; and,

Consolidated cash cost per silver equivalent ounce sold $15.25/oz and AISC of $16.90/oz.

Carlos Silva, CEO of Santacruz stated, "The global outbreak of COVID-19 and the steps necessary to mitigate the impact of this disease on our operations has created a more agile decision making process at all levels and strong leadership to guide these efforts as we strive to be more efficient and productive in these trying times. Some of the operational and administrative adjustments undertaken in Q2 are here to stay, specifically those aimed at the safety of our employees and our performance target metrics." Mr. Silva continued, "We are enjoying a solid third quarter, leaving behind the COVID-19 mandatory suspension and aiming to re-establish our mines' production targets and improved profitability with stronger metal prices."

The Company also announces the resignation of Mr. Rob McMorran from the office of Chief Financial Officer of the Company which he has held since the Company's formation in April 2012. Mr. McMorran will remain as an advisor to the Company's Board of Directors. Arturo Prestamo, Executive Chairman, has been appointed Interim CFO while the Company finds an appropriate candidate for this position. The Company would like to thank Mr. McMorran for his valuable service these past eight years. Mr. Arturo Prestamo, Executive Chairman stated, "I would like to personally thank Rob for his significant contribution to the Company over the past years and wish him well in his retirement."

Story continues

Financial Results

Selected financial information for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2020, March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2019 is presented below:



2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2019 Q2







Revenue - Mining Operations 5,939 7,816 3,247 Revenue - Mining Services - - 888 Gross Profit (Loss) (1) 796 (1,874) 251 Debt forgiveness 412 - - Net Loss (636) (87) (1,137) Net Loss Per Share - Basic ($/share) (0.00) (0.00) (0.01) Adjusted EBITDA (1) 12 (2,909) (113)

(1) The Company reports additional non-IFRS measures which include Gross Profit (Loss) and Adjusted EBITDA. These additional financial disclosure measures are intended to provide additional information. See the Company's MD&A filed on SEDAR or its website for a reconciliation of these amounts to the unaudited interim financial statements for the respective periods.

(2) Financial results from the Zimapan Mine have been recorded on a 100% basis in the Q2 and Q1 2020 figures but not in the Q2 2019 as the Company did not acquire the lease rights to the Zimapan Mine until July 2019.

The Company realized an average silver price of $16.49 per ounce during Q2 2020, which represents an 12% increase from Q2 2019 and a 1% decrease from Q1 2020.



The Company recorded a net loss of $636 ($0.00 per share) for the three-month period ended June 30, 2020 compared to a net loss of $1,137 ($0.01 loss per share) for the same period in 2019.

Revenues in 2020 of $5,939 arose entirely from mining operations whereas in 2019 $3,247 was generated by mining operations and $888 by mining services. The significant increase in mining operations revenue is a result of the acquisition of Carrizal Mining during 2019.

Silver equivalent production for Q2 2020 increased by 105% to 709,765 ounces as compared to 346,021 ounces in Q2 2019. This increase is largely due to the inclusion of production from the Zimapan Mine during Q2 2020 (2019 - nil) offset by a 50% decrease in production at the Rosario Project and suspension of operations at the Veta Grande Project.

Selected operating information for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2020, March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2019 is presented below:

Operational Results and Costs



2020 2019 Q2 Q1 Q2 Material Processed (tonnes milled)





Zimapan Mine (5) 106,725 139,903 - Veta Grande Project - 11,095 37,156 Rosario Project 10,074 17,497 20,789 Consolidated 116,799 168,495 57,945 Silver Equivalent Produced (ounces) (1) (4)





Zimapan Mine (5) 639,021 829,514 - Veta Grande Project - 64,870 204,612 Rosario Project 70,744 73,251 141,409 Consolidated 709,765 967,635 346,021 Silver Equivalent Sold (payable ounces) (2)





Zimapan Mine (5) 461,324 626,984 - Veta Grande Project - 47,854 149,898 Rosario Project 30,018 61,111 127,850 Consolidated 491,341 735,949 277,748 Cash Cost of Production per Tonne (3)





Zimapan Mine 40.67 48.15 - Veta Grande Project - 148.36 59.59 Rosario Project 49.53 62.12 68.55 Consolidated 41.44 56.20 62.80 Cash Cost per Silver Equivalent Ounce (3)





Zimapan Mine 14.88 16.53 - Veta Grande Project - 39.52 17.68 Rosario Project 21.45 23.47 14.23 Consolidated 15.25 18.60 16.09 All-in Sustaining Cash Cost per Silver Equivalent Oz (3)





Zimapan Mine 16.00 17.57 - Veta Grande Project - 46.34 19.70 Rosario Project 31.91 29.01 16.59 Consolidated 16.90 20.39 18.27 Average Realized Silver Price per Ounce (3)





Zimapan Mine 16.47 16.38 - Veta Grande Project

17.01 14.67 Rosario Project 16.89 16.38 14.65 Consolidated 16.49 16.66 14.66

(1) Silver equivalent ounces produced in 2020 have been calculated using prices of $17.85/oz., $1,480/oz., $0.92/lb, $1.09/lb and $2.80/lb. for silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper respectively applied to the metal content of the concentrates produced by the Veta Grande Project, Rosario Project and the Zimapan Mine. Silver equivalent ounces produced in 2019 have been calculated using prices of $15.25/oz., $1,281/oz., $0.94/lb, and $1.20/lb for silver, gold, lead and zinc respectively applied to the metal content of the concentrates produced by the Veta Grande Project and the Rosario Project.

(2) The comparative figures for Q2 2019 have been restated from the originally disclosed amounts based on an internal review of past metallurgical reporting practice and the adoption by management of new procedures designed to more accurately calculate the relevant data.

(3) Silver equivalent sold ounces have been calculated using the realized silver prices stated in the table above, applied to the payable metal content of the concentrates sold from the Veta Grande Project, Rosario Project and Zimapan Mine respectively.

(4) The Company reports non-IFRS measures which include Cash Cost per Silver Equivalent, All-in Sustaining Cash Cost per Silver Equivalent, Cash Cost of Production per Tonne, and Average Realized Silver Price per Ounce. These measures are widely used in the mining industry as a benchmark for performance, but do not have a standardized meaning and may differ from methods used by other companies with similar descriptions.

(5) Amounts reported for the Zimapan Mine reflect the Company's 100% interest in the mine operations during Q1 and Q2 2020 but was nil% during Q2 2019 as the Company did not acquire the lease rights to the Zimapan Mine until July 2019.

Cash cost of production per silver equivalent ounce sold decreased by 5% in Q2 2020 to $15.25/oz as compared to $16.09/oz in Q2 2019. This change in unit costs reflects the positive impact of the inclusion of the operating costs from the Zimapan Mine offset by a 51% increase in unit costs due to a 50% decrease in the silver equivalent ounce produced at the Rosario Project. The increase in unit costs at the Rosario Project is entirely due to the decreased production in Q2 2020 that occurred as a result of reduced staffing levels in connection with Covid-19 pandemic safety measures.

As compared to Q1 2020 the Q2 2020 unit costs decreased 18%. This change reflects a 10% decrease in unit costs at the Zimapan Mine together with a 9% decrease at the Rosario Project. The consolidated cash cost of sales for mining operations decreased by 41% while the amount of silver equivalent payable ounces sold decreased by 28% due to the mine suspension period for 42 days at Zimapan and a 40% personnel reduction at Rosario mine.

All-in sustaining cash cost of production per silver equivalent ounce sold decreased by 7% in Q2 2020 to $16.90/oz as compared to $18.27/oz in Q2 2019. As referenced above, this change in unit costs reflects the impact of the inclusion of the operating costs from the Zimapan Mine offset by the suspension of mining activities at the Veta Grande Project, and a 92% increase in unit costs at the Rosario Project due to a 50% decrease in the silver equivalent ounces produced. The consolidated all-in sustaining cost for mining operations increased by 77% and there was a 91% increase in silver equivalent payable ounces sold.

As compared to Q1 2020 the Q2 2020-unit costs decreased 10%. This change reflects a 9% decrease in unit costs at the Zimapan Mine and suspension of the Veta Grande Project, offset by a 10% increase at the Rosario Project. The consolidated all-in sustaining cost for mining operations decreased by 40% with a 33% decrease in silver equivalent payable ounces.

About Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Santacruz is a Mexican focused silver company that currently owns and operates the Rosario Project. The Company also owns 100% of Carrizal Mining S.A. de C.V. Carrizal Mining is a Mexican mining company that holds a 20% working interest in the Company's Zacatecas Project and has the right to operate the Zimapan Mine until December 31, 2020 under a mining lease agreement. On July 28, 2020 the Company announced that it had reached agreement with Minera Cedros, S.A. de C.V. ("Minera Cedros"), a wholly owned subsidiary of IndustriasPenoles, S.A.B. de C.V., to acquire outright the Zimapan Mine for US$20.0 million (plus applicable IVA of US$3.2 million), subject to a number of conditions, including receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals including approval of the TSXV to the transaction which will constitute a "Fundamental Acquisition" pursuant to TSXV Policy 5.3.

The Company also has rights to two exploration properties, the Minillas property and Zacatecas properties as well as the Veta Grande Project where mining operations are currently suspended.

The Company is managed by a technical team of professionals with proven track records in developing, operating and discovering silver mines in Mexico. Our corporate objective is to become a mid-tier silver producer.

Forward looking information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements relating to the Zimapan property the agreement with Minera Cedros and the acquisition of the Zimapan Mine by the Company. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions. In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, and that future metal prices and the demand and market outlook for metals will remain stable or improve. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to above prove not to be valid or reliable; there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in completing the acquisition of the Zimapan Mine (including obtaining the necessary funding); risk of delays or inability to obtain the approval of the TSXV to the acquisition of the Zimapan Mine; market conditions and volatility and global economic conditions, including increased volatility and potentially negative capital raising conditions resulting from the continued COVID-19 pandemic and risks relating to the extent and duration of such pandemic and its impact on global markets; risk of delay and/or cessation in planned work or changes in the Company's financial condition and development plans; risks associated with the interpretation of data (including in respect of the third party mineralized material) regarding the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the uncertainty of the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits and the risk of unexpected variations in mineral resources, grade and/or recovery rates; risks related to gold, silver, base metal and other commodity price fluctuations; risks relating to environmental regulation and liability; the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law.

Zimapan Mine

Production at the Zimapan Mine is not supported by a feasibility study on mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability or any other independent economic study under NI 43-101. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with production operations at the Zimapan Mine. Production and economic variables may vary considerably due to the absence of a complete and detailed site analysis in accordance with NI 43-101.

Rosario Project

The decisions to commence production at the Rosario Mine, Cinco Estrellas Property and Membrillo Prospect were not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability, but rather on a more preliminary estimate of inferred mineral resources. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with this production decision. Production and economic variables may vary considerably, due to the absence of a complete and detailed site analysis according to and in accordance with NI 43-101.

Veta Grande Project

The decision to commence production at Veta Grande Project was not based on a feasibility study on mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. Accordingly, there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with this production decision. Production and economic variables may vary considerably due to the absence of a complete and detailed site analysis in accordance with NI 43-101.

'signed'

Arturo Prestamo Elizondo,

Executive Chairman

For further information please contact:

Arturo Prestamo

Santacruz Silver Mining Ltd.

Email: info@santacruzsilver.com

Telephone: (604) 569-1609

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62955
Guwahati/Agartala, Sep 1 : The four month long monsoon has so far been erratic in the mountainous northeastern region. Four of the eight northeastern states, including Assam, have received excess rain while the remaining four reported a deficit.

According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists, the erratic monsoon is likely to affect both the kharif and rabi crops in the region.

According to the records of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), till August 31, Sikkim recorded plus (excess) 65 per cent rain, Meghalaya plus 19 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh plus 6 per cent and Assam plus 5 per cent. Manipur recorded minus (deficit) 49 per cent rainfall, Mizoram minus 30 per cent, Nagaland minus 26 per cent and Tripura minus 18 per cent.

According to IMD officials and experts, the four-month long southwest monsoon (June-September) is in full swing in most parts of the hilly northeastern region which in most years recorded a good monsoon.

IMD scientist Ranjan Phukan said as the monsoon trough was active along the foothills of the Himalayas, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya experienced good and heavy monsoon rains. "Until the first half of the monsoon, it was good rainfall in four northeastern states. One after another low pressure in Bay of Bengal, the monsoon trough and related wind condition moved to eastern and central India region skipping the northeastern states causing less rainfall in various states," Phukan told IANS over the phone.

As per the IMD rainfall data from June 1 till August 31, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim recorded 1277.2 mm, 1,451.5 mm, 2834.4 mm, 2129.1 mm rainfall respectively, against the normal of 1213.8 mm, 1375.1 mm, 2381.1 mm, and 1291.1 mm. During this period (June 1 to August 31), Manipur witnessed the highest rainfall deficit by recording 584.4 mm against the normal 1144.1 mm, while Mizoram registered 898.8 mm against 1287.8 mm, Nagaland 682.1 mm against 922.1 mm and Tripura received 992.8 mm against the normal rainfall of 1203.7 mm.

According to the disaster management officials, monsoon floods and landslides have claimed 140 lives in Assam, 10 in Arunachal Pradesh, seven in Meghalaya and one in Tripura.

The ICAR's Principal Scientist Shankar Prashad Das said that the erratic monsoon would affect the kharif crops in the northeastern region. "During the tillering stage of the crop the short rainfall would affect the production and otherwise. Distribution of rain is very erratic in the region. The deficient rainfall would affect the crops in Mizoram followed by Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura," Das told IANS.

According to Das the reproduction phase of the crops would also be affected in the northeastern region due to the unreliable rainfall.

Like the previous years, Assam this year too witnessed devastating floods that killed 113 people in 22 districts, while 26 others were killed in landslides since May 22. With respite from the monsoon rains, the situation improved significantly in the first week of August even as 57 lakh people have been affected in 5,378 villages in 30 of the state's 33 districts.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) officials, a total of 2,65,402 hectares of crops in 30 districts were badly affected while the worst-hit 11 districts are Goalpara, Morigaon, Bongaigaon, Dhemaji, Baksa, Nagaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Sonitpur, Jorhat and Kamrup.

The floods also badly hit domestic and wild animals in various sanctuaries and national parks including the world-famous Kaziranga National Park, where 18 rhinos and 135 wild animals died due to the deluge.

Kaziranga National Park Director Karmashree P. Sivakumar said that 172 wild animals have been rescued from the flood waters, even though over 95 per cent of the park remained inundated until July 23. "Last year, 263 animals, including many endangered rhinos, were killed in floods while 169 animals were rescued...all-out efforts are being made to take care of the animals in the entire Kaziranga National Park," Sivakumar told IANS over phone. The animals that perished this year in the Park include 18 rhinos, 107 hog deer, 12 wild boars, six wild buffaloes, four porcupines and three swamp deer. The 172 rescued animals include three rhinos, 120 hog deer, 31 pythons and four cobras.

Various NGOs and individuals including Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar have donated money and provided relief material to the flood-affected people.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The logic offered by the director of national intelligence for restricting in-person briefings for Congress on foreign meddling in the election campaign doesnt pass the smell test.

John Ratcliffe indicated in so many words on Friday that he was worried there would be leaks of classified information, so Congress will receive primarily written briefings instead.

But isnt warning voters just weeks away from an election that they are potentially being manipulated by hostile foreign powers the whole point of gathering this information? What good is knowing that Russia is trying to keep President Trump around for four more years, if its kept secret?

Russia knows what it is doing. Russia knows the United States knows. Besides, how does relying on written rather than oral reports reduce the threat of leaks?
PromesaArtStudio/iStockBy BENJAMIN SIEGEL and KENDALL KARSON, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- After nearly half a century in Congress, Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., was expecting the primary race of his life against Rep. Joe Kennedy III, the young and telegenic standard-bearer for the legendary political clan who announced his challenge with a message of urgency in September 2019.



Almost a year later, Markey, 74, heads into election day as the front-runner -- touting his alliance with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and his working-class roots to cast himself as the anti-establishment choice in the race against Robert Kennedy's grandson.



"Markey has done a very good job of, in some ways, reinventing himself and turning this around so he's more the insurgent," former Rep. Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat who has remained neutral in the primary, told ABC News.



The race -- which has divided Democrats in Washington and tested the durability of the Kennedy brand in Massachusetts -- could be the first election a member of the family has ever lost in the state.



Markey aligned with progressive leaders



Unlike some long-serving incumbents who have recently lost primaries to dynamic, younger Democrats running from their left, Markey, who was first elected to Congress before Kennedy was born, closely aligned himself with leading progressives.



That includes Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who endorsed Markey before Kennedy -- her former Harvard Law School student -- announced his bid.



In an interview with ABC News from his campaign bus, Markey recalled inviting Ocasio-Cortez to lunch in the Senate dining room in Washington after her surprise 2018 primary victory in New York -- a meeting that lasted two-and-a-half hours and formed the basis for their partnership on the Green New Deal, the signature environmental plan he introduced in the Senate.



"I am the candidate of change in this race, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been saying," Markey told ABC News, one of the roughly half-a-dozen times he mentioned the New York Democrat in the 15-minute interview.



Markey, whose campaign has also released a 30-second spot featuring Ocasio-Cortez speaking straight to camera, recently released a longer-form video about his career, blending elements of his personal biography -- his working-class roots as the son of a milkman from Malden, Massachusetts -- with scenes from recent Black Lives Matter and climate change protests.



"With all due respect, it's time to start asking what your country can do for you," Markey said in the now-viral video, produced by the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led environmental group that helped push the Green New Deal, and endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary.



The tongue-in-cheek riff on President John F. Kennedy's famous line is one of several times Markey has subtly referenced Kennedy's family in an effort to sharpen the contrast between the two candidates' backgrounds.



In their last debate, Markey took Kennedy to task over reports that his father, former Rep. Joe Kennedy II, was funding a Super PAC attacking the senator.



"Tell your father you don't want the money to be spent on negative ads," Markey said, as Kennedy noted that he had come out against negative advertising publicly and repeatedly.



Kennedy embraces family legacy in final stretch



Until Markey's jabs at his family in their last debate, Kennedy, 39, spent most of the primary downplaying his lineage on the trail.



The name is a "mixed blessing," Frank told ABC News, "in the current climate of almost reflexive anti-establishment-ism, even among people on the left."



"You get me, you're not getting my father and you're not getting my grandfather, either of his brothers or anybody else. You get me for better or worse," Kennedy said in a phone interview on Saturday between campaign stops in Lowell and Worcester, two of Massachusetts' largest cities that were once industrial centers.



In the closing days of the race, Kennedy deployed family members as surrogates, including Vicki Kennedy, the wife of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, and family matriarch Ethel Kennedy, his grandmother.



The call to the Kennedy family cavalry is the latest shift in a campaign that has struggled to articulate a clear rationale, Democrats and experts said.



Seen as the favorite when he entered the race last year -- so much so that some Democrats speculated his announcement would lead to Markey to consider retiring -- Kennedy instead finds himself running as the underdog, and barnstormed the state for 40 events in the last four days of the race to scrounge up votes from any remaining undecided Democrats.



The role reversal is even more surprising given the relative lack of policy disagreements between the two candidates.



Markey and Kennedy "are ideological peas in the same pod," said Jeffrey Berry, a professor of political science at Tufts University. "They have some different priorities -- Markey on the environment, most notably, and Kennedy on civil rights and mental health. But if they served in the Senate together for the next six years, they would have almost identical voting records."



Only in the race's final weeks has Kennedy sought to define Markey, sharpening his attacks over Markey spending the least amount of time in the state of the entire Massachusetts delegation. He's also focused on the aspects of Markey's long record that conflict with contemporary progressive positions, such as his 2002 vote in favor of the Iraq War, his backing of the 1994 crime bill and his opposition to busing in the 1970s to achieve racial desegregation in Boston public schools.



Markey has distanced himself from some of his more conservative stances in the 1980s and called his vote for the war in Iraq a mistake.



Just ahead of Tuesday, the congressman made perhaps his most coherent argument against Markey, calling out his effectiveness and suggesting that he isn't a progressive who can get things done.



"Just because you file the bill doesn't mean it passes and  Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump certainly aren't going to support sweeping legislation," he told ABC News in an apparent swipe at Markey for his role in the Green New Deal. "Success is never final in this business, failure isn't either. But it means that just because you get a law passed, you still have to approach this with the relentlessness that this moment demands."



It's not clear how effective Kennedy's closing efforts to define Markey will be in the race. The senator, who was largely unknown statewide before this campaign, used a strong digital operation to successfully rebrand himself into a favorite of young progressives, who have helped his ads go viral online and spread dozens of Markey-themed memes.



"In the absence of a compelling narrative from Joe Kennedy, Ed Markey was able to sort of define himself and really I think set the tone for the campaign that Kennedy wasn't ever able to, I think, really effectively counter," said Shannon Jenkins, a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.



The other key race in the Bay state



Markey isn't the only incumbent facing a tough primary challenge on Tuesday.



Rep. Richard Neal, 71, the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, is facing progressive Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, who earned the backing of Ocasio-Cortez's Courage to Change PAC and Justice Democrats.



In what has been a bitter primary for the 1st Congressional District, which covers most of western Massachusetts, Neal is defending his seat after College Democrats at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, who are supporting the veteran congressman, reportedly engineered allegations of impropriety against Morse.



Morse, who was elected at 22, denied using his position as mayor and as a lecturer at U-Mass Amherst to pressure students into relationships, though he acknowledged having consensual relationships with college students. Neal and his campaign have denied knowledge of the effort against Morse.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Public transit agencies may soon be able to fast-track construction projects after a bill to let them bypass some lengthy and costly environmental reviews passed the California Legislature and headed to the governors desk Monday.

SB288, the Sustainable Transportation COVID-19 Recovery Act, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, exempts sustainable transit projects from stricter review under CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires environmental consideration in construction.

The goal of the bill is to both promote projects that could cut down driving and reduce carbon emissions, and offer a boost to struggling public transit agencies that have hemorrhaged money during COVID-19.

SB 288 will help us recover from COVID-19s economic impacts and will support sustainable transportation projects across California, Wiener said in a statement Monday. As wildfires continue to rage across our state, its clear that climate change is having immediate and serious impacts on California. We need to act quickly to cut down on carbon emissions and improve our air quality. SB 288 will help get our economy back on track, create jobs, and improve our sustainable transportation infrastructure.

Bus lines, transit stations, biking and walking projects, facility repairs and electric-vehicle charging stations would benefit. Construction projects not meeting minimum parking requirements would also bypass stricter review. The exemptions will last two years, except for bicycle plans.

The CEQA review process can take years and face lawsuits that increase time and cost, Wiener told The Chronicle in June. Under this bill, exempted construction plans would still require CEQA approval, but specific projects in those plans could get fast-track authorization. Projects must pass certain criteria to win exemptions, including being located on a public right of way in a city.

The bill was sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, or SPUR, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and the Bay Area Council, of which BART is a member.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed sent a letter in support of the bill to Wiener in July.

If these time-sensitive projects are granted a CEQA statutory exemption, it will help the City avoid costly litigation and potentially years of delay at exactly the time when we need it the most, Breeds letter read. Stalling these projects is not an option if we want a successful transportation recovery. If people turn to driving rather than returning to Muni, walking, or biking, we could see a drastic increase in congestion on City streets.

Jason Baker, the Silicon Valley Leadership Groups vice president of transportation, housing and community development, said the bill was important to the businesses he represents because of three things: more jobs on the street sooner rather than later, reducing traffic and reducing pollution.

The would-be law is also critical to getting people back on public transit, said Gwen Litvak, senior vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council.

This bill is really a no-cost stimulus to get projects moving during this economic recession, Litvak said. Its important to get people back on transit in order to create the revenue to invest again in transit.

The goal is to make sure that projects that were in the pipeline are built so that people will continue to feel safe and confident using public transit, she added.

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

In San Francisco, the bill could help the Fulton Street Safety & Transit Project, Embarcadero Enhancement Project, and the Excelsior Neighborhood Traffic Calming Project. It could also make permanent the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agencys temporary emergency transit lanes, which were created during the pandemic to make quicker and more efficient bus routes.

The agency feared, as ridership plummeted on public transit, that more people would take to their cars, clogging streets and slowing Muni service, its website read. The lanes focused on neighborhoods with high percentages of people of color and low-income households.

As of last week, there were four approved lanes on Mission Street, Laguna Honda Boulevard/Woodside Avenue/OShaughnessy Boulevard/Bosworth Street, Masonic Avenue/Presidio Avenue, and Seventh and Eighth streets. Nearly two dozen more have been proposed.

The temporary lanes were authorized by the SFMTA Board of Directors in June, but if they wanted to make them permanent, they would have to go through the CEQA review process. If the new bill is signed into law, they would be able to more easily cement the lanes to keep buses moving for those who need them.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Carolyn Said contributed to this report.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench
A negligee wearing son stabbed his 86-year-old mother with an ornamental sword before decapitating her and put her head in the freezer, a court has heard.

Philip Tarver, 47, is alleged to have murdered Angela Tarver at the 600,000 family home in Woking, Surrey, in December last year.

He is then said to have turned on his father Colin Tarver, 83, threatening to kill him during an argument in the kitchen, the court heard.

But the heroic father managed to wrestle the weapon away from his son and call the police, jurors were told.

By the time police arrived at the scene, Mrs Tarver's severed head had been placed in the freezer and her left ring finger sliced off and put in the kettle by her son, the court heard.

Opening the murder trial at the Old Bailey, Alexandra Healy QC said: 'It is the prosecution case that at around midday that day, in the kitchen of the address, the defendant stabbed his mother in the chest with an ornamental sword, killing her.

Philip Tarver, 47, allegedly attacked Angela Tarver at the 600,000 family home in Woking, Surrey, in December last year. Pictured: Police at the scene

He is then said to have turned on his father Colin Tarver, 83, threatening to kill him during an argument in the kitchen, the court heard. Pictured: A forensic officer at the scene

By the time police arrived at the scene, Mrs Tarver's severed head had been placed in the freezer and her left ring finger sliced off and put in the kettle by her son, the court heard. Pictured: Police cordon off an area near to the house

'Brandishing that sword in the dining room of the property he argued with and threatened to kill his father.'

Ms Healy said: 'It appears that, whilst the police were making their way to the address, the defendant decapitated his mother, placing her head into the freezer in the kitchen.

'And he amputated her left ring finger, which he placed into a kettle.'

Tarver began to clean up, washing himself and the knife he used to decapitate his mother, it was claimed.

When police arrived, he came to the front door 'waving a Union Jack and saying he surrendered', Ms Healy said.

Following his arrest, Tarver heard his father was being spoken to by police and allegedly commented: 'Oh, of course his wife. His wife is in the freezer.'

On arrival at the police station he said he was 'sorry for killing her' adding that he 'must repent my sins', the court heard.

Jurors were also told how Tarver had 'drunk a bottle of vodka and six beers the night before the killing,' and had walked downstairs wearing wearing a womens nightdress and began to spring clean.

Ms Healy added: The defendant came downstairs wearing a female nightie or negligee and while he normally wore male clothing he did sometimes wear female clothes.

During the morning his son began to unplug wires and claim his beer last night had been poisoned.

After preparing a breakfast of poached eggs, the father heard his wife screaming.

Tarver, who is on trial at the Old Bailey (pictured) in London, denies murdering his mother and making a threat to kill his father

He heard a short, sharp scream, and ran from where he was into the dining room, Ms Healy added.

She said: 'Suddenly, the defendant appeared in front of him holding an ornamental sword.

He was holding the sword out in front of him, pointing it towards Colin Tarver.

He said something to the effect of: I am going to kill you or I have to kill you.

He had a demented look in his eyes which he said were bulging.

During a mental health assessment, Tarver went on to explain how he killed his mother, jurors were told.

He was taken to a mental health hospital where he remained until March when he was deemed fit to be interviewed by police.

Tarver denies murdering his mother and making a threat to kill his father.
Baku describes the cooperation in a trilateral or quadrilateral format, particularly the integration of the three energy systems, as promising. The Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have expressed confidence that a number of regional projects are going to be implemented. Caspian News reports in its article Baku, Moscow Aim To Keep Regional Projects Alive that speaking at a joint news conference with newly appointed Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Moscow, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov voiced his country's support to the active implementation of the projects, including the construction of the North-South transport corridor involving Iran and the East-West corridor engaging Turkey.

"The Russia-Azerbaijan-Iran energy bridge is also very relevant and demanded project," Lavrov added. The idea of linking to one another's grids has been in the works for years. In 2018, the three Caspian littoral states. created a working group consisted of 18 people - six from each country - to discuss the issue of connecting the energy systems of the three countries. The group must prepare technical specifications for a feasibility study, which is expected to encompass the technical and economic aspects of the conditions for connecting the power systems and explore the possibilities for electric power transmission.

Baku describes the cooperation in a trilateral or quadrilateral format, particularly the integration of the three energy systems, as promising, Bayramov said on his part.

Answering the question about Baku's stance on the North-South corridor at the press conference, Bayramov informed that Azerbaijan has completed a new highway between Baku and the Iranian border, and in the next few months will finish building another highway connecting Baku with the Russian border. The Azerbaijani foreign minister also stressed that despite the Covid-19 outbreak, traffic volume on the North-South and East-West routes is increasing.

"Today we also spoke about the interest of our countries in promoting the Astara-Baku-Astrakhan route," Lavrov said, adding that this route is also within the North-South corridor.

To facilitate the realization of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and the East-West Trans-Caspian Trade and Transport Corridor that links European markets to that of in Asia, Lavrov underscored the need to complete the Iranian section of the Rasht-Astara railway line, which is designed to allow the 7,200 km (4,474 mi) INSTC to pass through the Caspian region.

In December 2017, Azerbaijan put the Astara-Astara line online, which forms a part of the multi-modal network of rail, road, and sea routes that will carry goods from South and Central Asia to Finland in Europe. The continuation of the line in Iran is the Gazvin-Rasht-Astara railway.

"All this would be simpler, more effective and more useful for multilateral cooperation within the framework of creating such a corridor if there were no illegitimate unilateral [U.S.] sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran," the Russian foreign minister added. "But even in this situation, I am sure, we will implement everything, which will benefit the huge region of this part of Eurasia."

Following the unilateral withdrawal in May 2018 from the Iranian nuclear deal brokered under the Obama administration in 2015, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions on Iran, vowing to reduce Irans oil exports to zero. Dozens of foreign companies suspended investments in the Iranian oil and gas industries as a result of weakened confidence in doing business in Iran.
Experts said the death of actor Chadwick Boseman from colon cancer at 43, while tragic, could help shed light on the illnesss impact on the Black community, as well as the fact that more young people are contracting the disease.

On Friday, it was reported that Boseman  star of such highly-regarded films as Black Panther, 42 and Marshall  died after a four-year battle with colon cancer. While many were shocked by Bosemans death, local authorities said it should be taken as a warning sign of how pervasive the disease is.

No one is immune to this and we should never take signs and symptoms lightly no matter how young we are, said Dr. Xavier Llor, medical director of the Colorectal Cancer Prevention Program at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital.

Colorectal cancer, often referred to just as colon cancer, occurs in the colon  part of the large intestine  or the rectum. It is often detected via screening, either through a test that looks for signs of cancer in a persons stool or a visual exam of the colon or rectum commonly done through a colonoscopy.

American Cancer Society / Contributed

The American Cancer Society reports that colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women, with an estimated 147,950 people expected to be diagnosed in 2020. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, with about 53,000 people expected to die from the disease in 2020.

Though the illness was originally more common in older people, experts said its increased among younger people in recent years. The ACS states that the average age of diagnosis dropped from age 72 in 2001-02 to age 66 during 2015-16; deaths from colorectal cancer among people younger than 44 have increased 2 percent per year from 2007-2016.

In 2020, the cancer society predicts, there will be about 18,000 cases of the cancer diagnosed in people younger than 50  the equivalent of 49 new cases per day.

Llor said its unclear why the illness has become more common among the young, but its not an increase that can be explained by any kind of rise in cancer screenings. Screenings are typically not recommended in those younger than 50, though the American Cancer Society has pushed for screening to start at age 45 for those at average risk.

American Cancer Society / Contributed

The increase, then, would definitely be linked to some environmental or lifestyle factor, Llor said.

Not only was Boseman young, but he was also Black  a demographic that is 20 percent more likely to get colon cancer and 40 percent more likely to die from it than other racial and ethnic groups, according to the cancer society.

When it comes to racial and ethnic background and colorectal cancer risk, African Americans have the highest colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates of all racial groups in the U.S., said Patrice Lastrange Mack, spokesperson for the cancer societys Northeast region. The reasons for this are not fully understood.

Locally, Dr. Daniel Lavy, colorectal surgeon with St. Vincents Medical Center in Bridgeport, agreed.

Its not clear whether the higher risk (in the Black community) is biologic, or due to lower access to screening or some other factor, he said.

To help aid in earlier detection, its recommended that Black people, and other groups at high risk for colorectal cancer, begin being screened at age 45.

Lavy said a high-profile death such as Bosemans highlights the need for greater awareness about colon cancer, both in the Black community and in general.

His death speaks to a real need to reach out, he said.

Llor said anyone of any age should contact a doctor if they experience such symptoms as blood in the stool, a change in bowel habits or abdominal pain that wont go away.

This can happen to anyone, he said
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday expressed shock at the callous manner in which the Congress government had neglected Amritsar which has been ranked amongst the 10 filthiest big cities in the country.

Demanding a high-level probe to identify those responsible for defiling the name of the holy city globally, Sukhbir said the city was being discriminated against under the Congress government. It is shocking that the Swachh Survekshan rankings had revealed that cleanliness in the walled city comprising Sri Harmandar Sahib was the worst, with sewerage facilities being choked and no planned system of garbage collection, he said.

On Tuesday, HT published a story, the first in a five-part series, on Amritsars performance in the national rankings, taking an in-depth look at what ails its sanitation and cleanliness.

Stating that this state of affairs as well as the Swachh Survekshan ratings undertaken under the Swachh Bharat mission would have a detrimental effect on the image of the city internationally, the SAD president called upon the Congress government to probe corruption in use of funds.

He also called for immediate approvals for all pending infrastructure work as well as procurement of more modern machinery that would be needed for cleaning and disposing garbage.

Sukhbir said he had been constantly highlighting how the Congress government was discriminating against the city and how cleanliness had been given the go-by in the case of the Heritage Street. I have myself also cleaned the street on occasions to send a message to the government to maintain this prestigious project but it does not seem to have had any effect on the Congress government. Garbage piles keep lying unattended, making them eyesores for visitors who come from across the globe, he added.

He said the SAD would not sit idle and allow this state of affairs to continue. The party would initiate a campaign to force the government to provide optimum civic facilities to the holy city, he said.
U p to 50,000 West End retail workers face losing their jobs due to the lack of visitors, a Tory MP today warned today.

Nickie Aiken, MP for Cities of London and Westminster, said the loss of international visitors had majorly impacted London's economy.

It comes after swathes of central London have remained quiet after lockdown was lifted and Transport for London faces major losses as city workers continue to work from home.

The district is on course to lose a third of its retail and hospitality workforce and more than 5 billion in retail sales by the end of the year, business estimates suggest.

Ms Aiken told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Almost half of the 10 billion annual spend in the West End is from overseas travellers and then the lack of office workers who have not been back at their desks since March.

That has a huge effect on the overall turnover of West End shops and hospitality.

Between about 70 to 80 per cent  basically you're looking at around about 50,000 job losses in West End retail jobs alone."

The former leader of Westminster City Council said there had been a "huge fall off in confidence" in the perceived safety of public transport.

She added: "We've got to get that back, we've got to get businesses, the Mayor of London and Government to work together to provide that confidence to get people back in."

Sadiq Khan / PA

Ms Aiken urged caution, saying that returning to work had to be done sensibly and added: Im not saying we should all get back on the Tube at the same time at 7am. Its got to be staggered.

Weve got to make sure people can come in at different times, maybe come in a few days a week. Even just coming back into the office a couple of times a week will make a huge difference to the local economy.

Asked if civil servants should be coming back to work, she replied: Everybody when its safe to do so, if they feel that they can come back, if businesses have got the social distancing situation under control in their offices then yes weve got to get back to as normal as possible.

But taking into consideration that weve still got this virus, its still out there but weve really got to start coming back even a couple of days a week will make a huge difference.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called on Boris Johnson to take action to save the West End. However, the mayor has also come under criticism for not doing enough to boost the capital.

The drop in visitors and workers has also forced TfL to ask the Government for another major bailout as the network faces a potential funding black hole of up to 5 billion.
Philadelphia's mayor apologized after a widely circulated photo showing him eating indoors at a Maryland restaurant drew criticism because indoor dining in his city remains banned until next week.

I know some are upset that I dined indoors at a restaurant in Maryland yesterday, Mayor Jim Kenney said Monday on Twitter. I felt the risk was low because the county I visited has had fewer than 800 COVID-19 cases, compared to over 33,000 cases in Philadelphia."

I know some are upset that I dined indoors at a restaurant in Maryland yesterday. I felt the risk was low because the county I visited has had fewer than 800 COVID-19 cases, compared to over 33,000 cases in Philadelphia.



Regardless, I understand the frustration.  Jim #MaskUpPHL Kenney (@PhillyMayor) August 31, 2020

"I understand the frustration," the mayor continued. Restaurant owners are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Im sorry if my decision hurt those whove worked to keep their businesses going under difficult circumstances. Looking forward to reopening indoor dining soon and visiting my favorite spots.

The photo was widely circulated on Facebook on Sunday by a Pennsylvania resident who said they were in the same restaurant as Kenney at the time.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, in blue, eats at a restaurant in Maryland on Aug. 30, 2020. (via Facebook)

It was reposted on Instagram on Monday by renowned Philadelphia chef and restaurateur Marc Vetri, who sarcastically addressed Kenney over his "narrative of unsafe indoor dining."

"I guess all your press briefings and your narrative of unsafe indoor dining dont apply to you, Vetri wrote in the post Monday, which had more than 8,000 likes as of midday Tuesday. Thank you for clearing it all up for us tonight."

Philadelphia halted indoor dining on March 16, while allowing takeout service. A lifting of the ban on indoor dining was pushed back twice in the city, while restaurants in Pennsylvanias 66 other counties were allowed to resume seating people inside at limited capacity.

Story continues

The city is set to allow indoor dining to resume on Sept. 8, with each restaurant's capacity limited to 25 percent and no more than four people seated at one table.

Kenney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

A spokesperson for his office said in a statement, "The mayor went to Chesapeake Bay, Maryland on Sunday to patronize a restaurant owned by a friend of his." It added that later the same day, "he also went to Rouge (and dined outside)," referring to a restaurant in Philadelphia.

The statement said the mayor bases restaurant restrictions on health guidance, and it suggested that federal authorities bore blame for the current state of the pandemic.

The Mayor has consistently deferred to the guidance of the Health Commissioner, who in this case felt strongly about waiting until Sept. 8 to resume indoor dining," the statement said. "If elected officials at the federal level had similarly deferred to health experts over the past five months, this might not even be an issue by now."

As of Sept. 1, Philadelphia County has recorded the highest number of coronavirus infections and deaths in the state  over 33,000 cases and 1,749 deaths, according to NBC Philadelphia.
(CNN)  A prominent Australian journalist has been detained in China as tensions between the two countries rise.

The Australian government received a "formal notification" of Cheng Lei's detention on August 14, according to a statement released by Marise Payne, Australia's minister for foreign affairs. Consular officials spoke with her by video chat on August 27.

The journalist is a business anchor on CGTN, the international arm of China's state-owned broadcaster, according to Australia's Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In a statement, the family of the detained journalist said they are in "close consultation" with the Australian government.

"[We are] doing everything we can as a family to support Cheng Lei," the statement said. "In China, due process will be observed and we look forward to a satisfactory and timely conclusion to the matter."

CGTN and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The relationship between Australia and China has frayed in recent months. After Australia called for a investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, Beijing targeted it over trade, suspending some imports of beef and slapping heavy tariffs on barley. It also said Monday it will investigate whether Australian wine exports had been unfairly subsidized.

Last week, Australia effectively blocked the sale of a dairy business to a Chinese company, claiming the acquisition "would be contrary to the national interest."

Steven Jiang and Michelle Toh contributed reporting.
NEW DELHI: Indias Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) plans to offer 600 million LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs in rural areas at 10 per piece, without any government support or subsidy, according to a top executive at the state-run firm.

The lowest globally priced LED bulb to be offered by EESL by leveraging scale, will comes as a boost for Make in India and will also give Indias climate change strategy a shot in the arm under the proposed Gram UJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All) scheme.

EESL, that is presently running the worlds largest domestic lighting programme, is in the process of registering the Gram UJALA scheme under the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), that will enable it to claim carbon credits. The governments UJALA scheme had cut LED bulb prices to 70 apiece from around 310 in 2014. Under the new scheme, the revenue earned from carbon credits will contribute 60 per LED bulb piece, with the balance 10 to be paid by the rural consumer.

"We realised that a rural consumer isnt able to pay 70 per LED bulb. Under the proposed scheme, we will be taking back the consumers incandescent and CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) bulbs and provide this LED bulb for 10 a piece. The balance cost and our margin will be recouped through the carbon credits earned," Saurabh Kumar, executive vice chairperson, EESL Group, told Mint in an interview on Saturday.

It has been observed that less than one fifth or only 18% of the 360 million LED bulbs distributed under the UJALA scheme was in the rural areas.

The Gram UJALA scheme will also help improve energy access in rural areas, with the mandatory domestic manufacturing clause in sourcing LED bulb tenders expediting India efforts to become an integral part of global supply chains, as firms look to move production lines out of China following the coronavirus pandemic that originated in Wuhan.

In the first phase of the new scheme in the works, 10 million LED bulbs will be offered. Of the total investment requirement of 4,000 crore, rural consumers will pay 600 crore with the balance 3,400 crore accruing from carbon credit revenue.

The moment that the scheme is registered under CDM, we will launch Gram UJALA," said Kumar.

This comes in the backdrop of the Indian government restricting companies from countries with a shared land border from participating in bids for government procurement without approval from competent authorities and ensuring compulsory purchase preference to local suppliers.

India is running the worlds largest energy efficiency programmes, with EESL offering large procurement contracts in the energy sector enabling businesses to leverage scale and achieve economy to bring down prices.

According to EESL, India offers a compelling reason for investment in combating climate change. In developed economies, while it takes an investment of around $100-$200 for one tonne reduction of green house gases, in India for the same quantum of green house gas reduction, the investment is pegged at $10-$40.

India is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China, and among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. India plans to reduce its carbon footprint from its 2005 levels by 33-35% by 2030, as part of its commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted by 195 countries in Paris in 2015.

EESL, a joint venture set up by NTPC Ltd, Rural Electrification Corp. Ltd, Power Finance Corp. Ltd and Power Grid Corp. of India Ltd has also been conducting price discovery exercises for International Solar Alliance (ISA), by aggregating the demand from ISA member nations for solar-powered agricultural pumps. The tender achieved global disruption by bringing down the cost of such pumps by half.

It is currently running the largest global solar home system price discovery tender, for the ISA member nations for a potential order of 47 million home power systems, valued at around $28 billion, reported by Mint on 6 August. The first phase will be for 9.3 million home power systemeach comprising of a solar panel, battery, LED bulbs, fan and charging port for radio, TV and USBwith the bids to be submitted by 31 October.

According to EESL, India is currently the second-largest LED market in the world by value, with the UJALA scheme likely to help avoid peak electricity demand of 9,428 mega watt.

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Sinn Fein TD for Laois-Offaly and Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Brian Stanley has published Sinn Feins proposals for 'Regenerating the Economy in Laois and Offaly, which outline an ambitious plan to create a sustainable, vibrant economy in the Midlands.

For too long, consecutive governments have underinvested in the Midlands and have failed to plan for its future.

We have the highest rates of deprivation in Ireland (20% compared to 13% in Dublin, CSO) and an average disposable income that is 15% lower than the national average. It is essential we put in place a long-term integrated strategy for the Midlands to address these inequalities.

Sinn Fein has launched our economic strategy paper which outlines how we will regenerate Laois and Offaly and place the Midlands at the heart of Irelands Just Transition.

We also outline the investment which is needed in key infrastructure to support and encourage indigenous economic development in the region.

It is essential that we make the most of the infrastructure which the State currently owns and operates. Both Bord na Mona and the ESB are State owned enterprises with a successful track record.

These enterprises must be supported by a major stimulus package to facilitate their transition towards renewable energy and sustainable, good quality employment.

We want to see the Midlands become a key hub for the development of biogas, biomass and solar industries. To support this Sinn Fein is proposing that the Mount Lucas Training Centre be expanded to become the national centre for apprenticeships in renewable energy, high energy efficiency construction and the retrofitting of homes and businesses.

"Laois and Offaly must also be supported by investment in key infrastructure to facilitate economic investment.

If we are serious about developing new businesses and keeping our best talent then greater investment in Local Link transport between villages and high-speed broadband provision are essential components.

The economic history of the Midlands has been one of under development and it is time for that to change. Sinn Fein has a strategy for the Midlands to ensure the region has a sustainable, secure future which will provide communities with the opportunity to develop. Now is the time to implement it.
Facebook today threatened to block Australians from sharing news stories on its website if it is forced to pay for them.

The move is in response to an Australian law that would force Facebook and Google to negotiate fees with the news companies whose stories appear on their websites - with fines of millions of dollars if they fail to comply.

But Facebook said today it would 'stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram' if the proposal becomes law.

One expert said Facebook wanted to kill off Australia's initiative to stop it spreading to other countries where the financial impact would be more severe.

The social media giant says it faces unlimited costs if the move becomes law in Australia and is fighting a bitter battle with regulators to stop it.

Australia's government immediately dismissed the threat today and vowed it would 'not respond to coercion'.

Google has also campaigned against the new law with pop-ups saying 'the way Aussies use Google is at risk', but has not threatened a cut-off like Facebook.

Facebook (pictured, CEO Mark Zuckerberg) is threatening to block news stories from being shared in Australia if the social media giant is forced to pay for them

Australia's crackdown is targeting stories that appear in Google searches, Facebook's news feed and on Instagram without any money going to the news businesses which actually produce them.

Australia says this is a 'fundamental bargaining power imbalance' which means that news websites are unfairly deprived of advertising revenue siphoned off by Google and Facebook.

Facebook Australia was paid A$674million (370million) by local advertisers in 2019.

Regulators say that Facebook and Google not only benefit financially from showing the news stories, but also boost their status as news providers in Australia and collect user data which is used to improve their services.

Facebook also profits from the 'like' and 'share' buttons on other websites which allow its servers to track people's activity and send them tailored ads.

In addition to payment for content, the measures would also force transparency around the closely guarded algorithms that tech firms use to rank content.

The code will require Google and Facebook to give publishers 28 days notice of any algorithm changes that are likely to have a significant impact on their traffic.

The initiative is being closely watched around the globe as media companies worldwide face financial struggles, made worse by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement, Facebook's Australia and New Zealand managing director Will Easton said the proposed overhaul 'misunderstands the dynamics of the internet'.

'Most perplexing, it would force Facebook to pay news organisations for content that the publishers voluntarily place on our platforms and at a price that ignores the financial value we bring publishers,' he said.

'Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram.

'This is not our first choice - it is our last. But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australias news and media sector.'

The government of Australian prime minister Scott Morrison (pictured in parliament yesterday) has vowed it will not respond to 'coercion' from Facebook

Easton also accused Australian regulators of having 'ignored important facts' during a lengthy consultation process that ended on Monday.

The regulator 'presumes that Facebook benefits most in its relationship with publishers, when in fact the reverse is true,' he said.

'News represents a fraction of what people see in their news feed and is not a significant source of revenue for us.'

Easton said Facebook sent 2.3billion clicks to Australian websites in the first five months of 2020 at an estimated value of A$200 million (110million).

It had also been preparing to bring Facebook News to Australia, he said - a feature launched in the US last year where the tech giant pays publishers for news.

'Instead, we are left with a choice of either removing news entirely or accepting a system that lets publishers charge us for as much content as they want at a price with no clear limits,' he added.

'Unfortunately, no business can operate that way.'

Facebook also announced a change in its terms of service from October 1 which allows it to remove access to content if 'necessary to avoid or mitigate adverse legal or regulatory impacts'.

Terry Flew, a professor in the creative industries faculty of the Queensland University of Technology, said it was impossible to predict how much the proposed laws could cost Facebook because prices had to be negotiated with Australian firms.

'My sense would be in terms of overall revenues for Facebook, not very much,' Flew said of the likely costs.

'The bigger concern that's animating the digital platforms is the possibility of this legislation extending from Australia into other jurisdictions where it might start to significantly impact upon their global business,' he said.

Google has also campaigned forcefully against the proposed changes, urging YouTubers around the world to complain to Australian authorities.

The search giant issued an open letter describing the new law as a threat to individual privacy.

'Under this law, Google has to tell news media businesses "how they can gain access" to data about your use of our products,' the letter said.

'There's no way of knowing if any data handed over would be protected, or how it might be used by news media businesses.'

Australia last month unveiled a new law to force Google and Facebook (file photo) to pay news companies for using their content

The Google letter added: 'The law would force us to give an unfair advantage to one group of businesses - news media businesses - over everyone else who has a website, YouTube channel or small business.

'News media businesses alone would be given information that would help them artificially inflate their ranking over everyone else, even when someone else provides a better result.

'We've always treated all website owners fairly when it comes to information we share about ranking.

'The proposed changes are not fair and they mean that Google Search results and YouTube will be worse for you.'

However, Google has not threatened to cut off services in Australia as Facebook has done.

Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the proposed laws would 'create a more sustainable media landscape and see payment for original content.'

'Australia makes laws that advance our national interest. We don't respond to coercion or heavy handed threats wherever they come from,' Frydenberg said.

Rod Sims, head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which drew up the draft law, said Facebook's threat was 'ill-timed and misconceived'.

The new law would simply ensure that embattled news firms 'can get a seat at the table for negotiations with Facebook and Google', Sims said.

'Facebook already pays some media for news content,' he said. 'The code simply aims to bring fairness and transparency.'

The legislation, due to be passed into law this year, will initially focus on Facebook and Google but could eventually apply to any digital platform.

A 2019 study estimated about 3,000 journalism jobs have been lost in Australia in the past 10 years, as traditional media companies bled advertising revenue to Google and Facebook which paid little or nothing for news content.

The crisis has been exacerbated by the pandemic, with dozens of Australian newspapers closed and hundreds of journalists laid off in recent months.

'Mark Zuckerberg is happy to let Facebook be a tool to spread misinformation and fake news, but is apparently fine with Facebook dropping real news altogether,' John Stanton, co-founder of the Save Journalism Project, said in a statement.

'Regulators need to rein in the tech giants' total domination of the online marketplace before it's too late.'

The draft law, which aims to succeed where other countries have failed in forcing the tech giants to compensate media firms , was unveiled in July.

Unlike other countries' efforts to make Facebook and Google pay under copyright regulations, the Australian initiative uses competition law to tackle what it calls an 'acute bargaining power imbalance'.

News Corp Australia, one of the country's largest media conglomerates, declined to comment on Facebook's statement.

The firm's executive chairman Michael Miller previously called the law a 'watershed moment' and declared that the 'platforms' days of free-riding are ending'.
Tunnels for Rome's third metro line now reach Piazza Venezia.

Excavations for Rome's Metro C tunnels from the Roman Forum to Piazza Venezia have been completed, the city's mayor Virginia Raggi announced.

"Another goal achieved in the construction of the third metro line of the capital, which will unite the suburbs to the heart of the city," Raggi posted on social media.

The mayor said the next step will be presenting the ministry of infrastructure with plans for the Piazza Venezia "station-museum," a reference to the planned display of excavated archaeological artefacts, similar to the S. Giovanni Metro C station.

History of Metro C

The Metro C line was originally meant to run from Pantano, in the eastern suburbs, across Rome's historic centre to a new station near the Vatican and even beyond to Piazzale Clodio. However, since the project began in 1990, it has been beset with difficulties. These have included funding overspends, lengthy delays and the abandonment of planned stations across the historic centre caused by the discovery of archaeological remains underground.

In 2014 Italys audit court accused the projects consortium of cost overruns that were neither accounted for nor agreed, on the Pantano-Centocelle section. The court said that over 360 million of public funds were wasted between 2006 and 2010, and that the system was designed to reward delays.

In 2012 the courts president Luigi Giampaolino said that Metro C seemed set to become the most expensive and slowest public works project in Europe and the world. Since construction began 29 years ago, the cost of the project has risen from 1.9 to more than 5 billion.

Metro C today

The driverless 19-km line currently comprises 22 stations and runs from Pantono in east Rome to S. Giovanni, where it connects with Metro A and the central Termini train station. With the opening of the Fori station, scheduled in 2023, Metro C will connect with Metro B.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Indian and Chinese militaries began the third round of talks at Chushul on Tuesday to resolve the fresh skirmishes at Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh.

"A Brigade Commander-level talk started at 10 a.m. in Chushul on the Indian side," said a source.

The agenda of the deliberation were the fresh development at three contentious points on the southern banks of the Pangong Lake. India has also raised concerns about Chinese deployment in areas near the Black Top and Helmet Top.

Indian troops have also occupied hill tops and the Chinese want them to step back.

Talks between the two sides took place for five long hours on Monday also.

Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in skirmishes at the southern bank of the Pangong lake where the Chinese brought in close to 450 troops and attempted to change the status quo, the Indian Army said as it thwarted the opponent's effort.

Sources said, Chinese People's Liberation Army troops with help of ropes and other climbing equipment started climbing at a table-top area between Black Top and Thakung Heights at Pangong Tso's south bank.

Hearing the commotion, the Indian Army was alerted and swung into action.

Earlier, Indian intelligence agencies had alerted the Indian Army about the Chinese's PLA plans to change the status quo in other areas along the Line of Actual Control. Thereafter, skirmishes erupted between both sides but things did not escalate. When Chinese troops saw the strength of Indian troops, the skirmishes stopped.

"Both the countries' troops are still in an eyeball-to-eyeball position," said a source. To further de-escalate, the brigade commander-level flag meeting is taking place.

The Indian Army, however, has officially denied any skirmish.

In a statement issued here, the Indian Army said that on the intervening night of August 29 and August 30, 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus agreed in military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.

"Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong lake, and undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground," the force said.

The Indian Army also stated that they are committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity through dialogue, but are also equally determined to protect India's territorial integrity.

China on Monday maintained its troops never crossed the Line of Actual Control.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Even before El Al flight 971 made its historic landing in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 31, ministers from the Blue and White Party had a series of warm phone calls with their UAE counterparts.

The first to make a call was Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. He spoke with the UAEs Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed just a few days after news of the agreement was released. They agreed to maintain a direct line of contact in the days leading up to the signing of the normalization agreement and said that they would meet in person soon. The next day, Israelis and Emirates could place direct calls to each other.

On Aug. 30, Minister of Agriculture Alon Schuster spoke with his counterpart, the UAEs Minister of Food and Water Security Mariam al-Muhairi. A statement from Schusters office said that he and Muhairi agreed to collaborate on projects pertaining to food and water security. They also agreed to open a direct line of communication between the two ministries and to work together on a plan for cooperation. Schuster said he found a very impressive partner with a series of well-conceived ideas about the environment, water and food security.

Their conversation took place after the UAE announced on Saturday that it was lifting its economic boycott of Israel, an indication of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed's commitment to achieving full normalization with Israel as quickly as possible.

For the Blue and White ministers, the normalization agreement with the UAE is justification for continuing their complicated partnership with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Still, those same ministers are subject to constant criticism from their voters for participating in a government led by someone accused of bribery. Fighting within the party is taking a harsh toll on it, as evidenced by the sharp decline in support for Gantz among his center-left base. Now, however, Blue and White has a chance to participate in the realization of the vision of a new Middle East, which they hope will soften the sting of their partnership with Netanyahu.

True, everything seems to be following Netanyahus timeline, which is the opposite of what they expected. Normalization of relations with the pragmatic Arab states is taking place first, while a return to negotiations with the Palestinians has been pushed off to an uncertain future date. Nevertheless, there is a major shift in motion that could reshape the region, especially as other pragmatic Arab states join the peace process.

It looks like the next few weeks will help the Blue and White publicly and politically. Both Israel and the UAE have been highlighting the economic and civil potential of the agreement to advance a thriving economy in the region, and this means that quite a few Blue and White ministers with portfolios relevant to collaborative ventures will become more active in the peace process. Potential candidates include Minister of Culture Hili Tropper, Tourism Minister Asaf Zamir and even Labor Minister of Economy Amir Peretz.

Current assessments, supported by recent reports, indicate that embassies in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv will open in a matter of months, and that Israelis will soon be able to fly freely to the UAE and vice versa. High-ranking delegations from these ministries are already preparing to visit Abu Dhabi, while Israel is preparing to receive the first UAE delegation.

A defense delegation headed by the director of the Defense Ministry, Gantz confidant Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, is set to leave for Abu Dhabi within weeks. The event is expected to receive extensive media coverage and lead to a series of agreements that the press will inevitably dub historic. The situation will play into the Blue and White's hands.

The real question is whether this agreement will save Israels unity government and the train wreck of the relationship between Gantz and Netanyahu. It is too early to tell.

It is already obvious that the normalization agreement has improved the mood in the unity government, which is still reeling from the health and economic crisis resulting from the pandemic. In practical terms, the longer Netanyahu enjoys some quiet from his partners, the greater the chances of this government surviving. Because of the diplomatic breakthrough, Blue and White leaders Gantz and Ashkenazi seem to have been supportive of Netanyahu over the last few days. They must realize that they also stand to benefit from this agreement so went out of their way to praise the delegation that flew to Abu Dhabi on Monday.

On Sunday, an American delegation led by White House adviser Jared Kushner and national security adviser Robert OBrien landed in Israel. After meeting with Netanyahu, the delegation met with Gantz and Ashkenazi, helping Netanyahu counter claims that he sold out Israels security by allegedly agreeing to the sale of F-35 jets to the UAE as part of the agreement. That news, which figured prominently in the Israeli media over the last two weeks, cast the UAE agreement in a bad light. It also embarrassed Gantz and Ashkenazi and put them on the defensive, since they had been excluded from the process. Gantz was furious at the possibility that Israel would agree to the Americans selling the F-35s to the UAE. Though Netanyahu denied making the concession, he could not overcome Israeli fears that it already happened. This task was left to Kushner, President Donald Trumps son-in-law with whom Netanyahu has an excellent relationship.

After meeting with Kushner and OBrien on Sunday, Gantz indicated that the meeting was a success. The defense minister congratulated Kushner and his team for their constructive efforts to establish peace in our region and for the American commitment to Israeli security, noting that he considered it an important step forward in strengthening stability in the Middle East.

Interestingly, Gantz said that he was satisfied with the answers he received about the deal. The proper thing to do, he noted, is to work together with the US administration to find the right ways to ensure Israels superiority in matters of defense, so vital to maintaining regional stability.

That statement was politically significant, supporting government stability by absolving Netanyahu of suspicions that the agreement is at heart an arms deal that endangers Israel.
I cant stop thinking about children who dont have parents at home or dont have good internet access. You probably saw the picture of the kids sitting outside a Taco Bell because it had free Wi-Fi and it was the only way they could attend their virtual school.

The fact that so many of our kids, weve lost contact with them or they were in these digital deserts or didnt have the equipment, means that we need to rebuild our infrastructure, we need to make sure that we are providing internet to kids in our most vulnerable communities.

This idea that people thought that all you had to do was turn on a computer and continue to teach in the same way does not give any credence to the fact that being an educator is a profession and people train a lifetime to do this, that you have to work hard and practice to get good at it and teaching remotely is a very different skill set.

Where is the point at which you think it would be safe to send kids back to schools?

I cant think of any other segment of the economy that even proposed reopening at full capacity. Not airlines, not restaurants, not theaters, nothing. And to have that even be a part of the conversation when it came to schools  and not be supported by the science or the data  I think is completely irresponsible.

Ive been in a school where we lost a student [before the pandemic]. One student is too many. The reciprocal effect of that on the faculty, on the student body, the families and the community is one of those intangibles that unless youve lived it you dont truly understand it.

What is your advice for millions of American parents of schoolchildren who suddenly find themselves proctoring their students education?

My son is 12 years old and Im not sending him back for the first couple weeks because I want to see that it works. And this is going to present a challenge because my husband and I work. There are so many levels of difficulty there, but when I do a cost-benefit analysis, I can catch him up on a couple months of school, but I cant even imagine the health consequences [if he goes back too soon]. For all of those parents, it is hard. I get it that people have to go to work. Our first concern should be the safety of children.
By PTI

MUZAFFARNAGAR: The police in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana on Monday put up property attachment notices at the houses of four members of the Popular Front of India in connection with an anti-CAA protest held in December last year, officials said.

All four PFI members -- Dr.Gufran, Dr.Munawer, Ahmad, and Kari Abdul Wajid -- are absconding, they said.

Station House Officer of Kairana police station Premvir Rana said a local court has issued the notices under Section 82 (attachment of property of person absconding) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and directed the accused to appear before it on September 25.

These PFI members are among 18 people who were booked for holding a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Kairana town of Shamli district on December 20 last year, the police said.

While 14 people have been arrested, the PFI members are absconding, they said.
Bharti Infratel has informed the exchanges that its Board of Directors discussed, in a meeting held on August 31, the scheme of arrangement with Indus Towers and related agreements, and has decided to proceed with the merger.

After deliberations the Board has authorised the chairman to proceed with the scheme and comply with other procedural requirements to complete the merger  including approaching the National Companies Law Tribunal (NCLT) to make the scheme effective subject to certain procedural condition precedents, the companys statement read.

Based on the adjustments, the company shared likely shareholding structure (subject to change based on agreed closing adjustments) as Vodafone with 28.2 percent stake, Providence Equity Partners (PEP) with 3.2 percent stake, total share swap for Indus as 31.4 percent, and Infratel shareholders with 68.6 percent in the merged company.

This is a basis cash consideration chosen by Vodafone Idea for its 11.15 percent shareholding in Indus which will be based on 60 days VWAP as at closing date (and agreed closing adjustments) for approximately Rs 4,000 crore, the statement added.

The merged company will see Airtel hold 36.7 percent stake, followed by Vodafone UK with 28.2 percent stake, and Providence with 3.2 percent stake, while the balance 31.6 percent will be held by public shareholders, CNBC-TV18 reported.

Vodafone Idea has entered into certain security arrangements with Bharti Airtel to secure its payment obligations under MSAs, Vodafone Idea and Vodafone Group Plc for the benefit of the merged company, it also informed.

These arrangements include a combination of a security deposit by Vodafone Idea, security via pledge of a certain number of shares of the merged company out of those issued to V Plc. (as part of the scheme) and a Corporate Guarantee by V Plc. which can get triggered in certain situations and events.

These security arrangements remain subject to all applicable regulatory approvals and any approval of Vodafone Plcs lenders and will provide the merged company a payment cover of over one year for operational payments due from Vodafone Idea, it added.

The scheme shall become effective on the date on which certified copy of the NCLT order is filed with the Registrar of Companies and will be communicated to the exchanges once through, it said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 06:32:23|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired a Downing Street meeting of his most senior ministers Tuesday as the parliamentary machine sprung back into action after its lengthy summer recess.

With issues surrounding COVID-19 high on the agenda, the focus was also on latest developments on the Brexit front, with looming fears a future trading deal between Britain and Brussels will not be reached by the end of this year.

According to media reports in London, Number 10 played down prospects of reaching a trade deal, with an official spokesperson for Johnson saying it will be very difficult, heaping blame on Brussels' insistence on tackling tough issues before a deal can be brokered.

Britain's chief negotiator David Frost met Tuesday his EU counterpart Michel Barnier in London for informal talks ahead of the next round of formal talks next week.

The EU side is expected to hold a critical meeting next month when it hopes to finalise a trade agreement with Britain. It said it needs the green light in October to enable the 27 member states of the bloc to have enough time to sign-off any agreement before the end of this year.

Time though, said political analysts, is running short with a deadline looming in a matter of weeks.

The Guardian said Johnson's official spokesman conceded that hopes of a deal were dwindling.

"The EU continues to insist that we must agree on difficult areas in the negotiations, such as EU state aid, before any further work can be done in any other area of the negotiations, including on legal texts, and that makes it very difficult to make progress," the spokesperson said in a media briefing after the cabinet meeting.

The spokesperson said an agreement with Brussels was still possible, but warned it would not be easy to achieve because of differences between the two sides.

The Guardian said Brussels has consistently said it wants to see issues such as the fisheries policy and state aid settled up front.

Johnson's spokesperson said: "We'll set out further detail of our domestic regime in due course. After the transition period, the UK will have its own regime of subsidy control, and will not be subject to the EU's state aid regime. We have been very clear about that throughout."

"The UK's future subsidy arrangements are a matter for the British people and parliament, not the EU."

Although Britain ended its membership of the bloc on Jan. 31, it is abiding by EU rules during a transition period which expires Dec. 31. Johnson has insisted Britain will not seek an extension.

That would mean Britain trading with the EU on WTO terms from January if there is no deal in place.

Meanwhile, Johnson is facing calls to address a meeting this week of backbench Conservative MPs, back at Westminster Tuesday. Many MPs are said to be disillusioned by the number of government U-turns on high school exam results and other issues linked to the pandemic.

Their fury was made worse by the latest opinion poll showing the Conservatives and main opposition Labour running neck and neck on 40 points each. Just months ago Johnson's party was racing ahead with a 26 point margin.

Johnson's spokesperson told the media briefing U-turns were an inevitable part of responding to an unprecedented situation.

The spokesperson said: "We have been responding to a global pandemic with an entirely novel virus and we have been guided by the scientific advice and as more is learned about the virus then we have ensured we have taken the right steps to keep the public safe. But the PM is clear the government will not be knocked off course of levelling up the country." Enditem
In a big boost to the 'Make in India' initiative, the has signed contracts worth Rs 2580 crores with Indian companies to supply six Army regiments with missiles.

The Acquisition Wing, Ministry of Defence signed contracts with Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML), Tata Power Company Ltd (TPCL), and Larsen & Toubro (L & T) on August 31, a statement from the ministry said.

The six Regiments comprise of 114 Launchers with automated gun aiming & positioning system (AGAPS) and 45 command posts to be procured from M/s TPCL and M/s L & T, and 330 vehicles to be procured from M/s BEML.

These will be operationalised along the northern and eastern borders, and their induction is planned to be completed by 2024.

The project has been approved by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) has been indigenously designed by DRDO, it is produced by the industries named above in a flagship project showcasing public-private partnership.

(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 number of coronavirus cases in Midland County are trending lower.

That is what the metrics show when it comes to the number of cases and the percentage of people testing positive.

It appears the coronavirus peak took place during the week of Aug. 2-8, when there were 414 cases, the most of any week during the pandemic. Still, there were 1,093 new COVID-19 cases in Midland County  a 26.04 percent decrease  in August, and the month ended with two weeks when the number of weekly cases dropped under 200. There were 157 new cases during the last full week of the month  a 62.07 percent drop from the peak weekly total earlier in the month and the lowest total of any week going back to mid-June.

Midland Health CEO Russell Meyers said Tuesday the percentage of people testing positive also is dropping. Despite an increase in the number of people being tested last week, the number of confirmed cases dropped. Meyers said the positivity rate for tests performed by Midland Memorial officials fell under 10 percent. He said previously that the positivity rate had risen to around 30 percent earlier in the summer.

The number of deaths because of COVID-19 related issues remained flat, compared to numbers in July. The city of Midland reported 27 deaths during both July and August. That is 54 of the 69 deaths (78 percent) in which COVID was reported as a factor during the pandemic. The most deaths during any week in August was nine (Aug. 16-22).

Total cases

Month-to-month

May 30 129

June 30 701

July 31 2,179

Aug. 31 3,272

Week-to-week

July 26-Aug. 1 372

Aug. 2-8 414

Aug. 9-15 297

Aug. 16-22 194

Aug. 23-29 157

Total deaths

Month-to-month

May 31 12

June 30 15

July 31 42

Aug. 31 69

Week-to-week

July 26-Aug. 1 7

Aug. 2-8 7

Aug. 9-15 4

Aug. 16-22 9

Aug. 23-29 5
A grieving dog in the US who lost her whole litter after birth has adopted a trio of orphaned kittens.

Sunshine Dog Rescue, based in Phoenix, Arizona, took in the mother, who they named Georgia, and soon realised she was heavily pregnant.

But her entire litter was born prematurely and none survived.

Owners of the animal refuge said Georgia was heartbroken and kept searching for her puppies.

Anita Osa, founder of Sunshine Dog Rescue, told ABC15 Arizona: "I've never had a mom dog lose a whole litter before.

"The best way I could describe it was she was frantic. It was so sad, she was looking for those babies. She tore up the toddler mattress we had her on, trying to find her babies."

In a bid to support Georgia, Ms Osa put out an appeal for motherless puppies on social media but instead a trio of newly-born orphaned kittens arrived.

Georgia immediately bonded with the kittens and the maternal bond grew so strong that she has been able to feed her adopted babies

The shelter wrote on Facebook: "We took in three motherless newborn kittens for Georgia. She LOVES them. So far we have been able to get one to latch and are bottle feeding until the other two figure it out too."

Anita said: "I introduced them to her gently. I first bought one out and let her sniff it, and she seemed to accept it, so I brought the others out. It's amazing to see how she instantly calmed down.

"I think for the kittens, they have no idea that Georgia is a dog."

Anita said: "They do nurse on her. She cleans them and everything but the bond is strong. It's really something to see, she protects those kittens just as if they were her babies."

One of the kittens, which was bleeding when it was orphaned, passed away but the other two are said to be "thriving".

Find out how you can support the Sunshine Dog Centre here.
The Journals (Aug. 11) editorial titled Will APS allow students to enter schools this year? presents a partial picture of the dangers involved with school reopening and is disrespectful toward Albuquerques public education community. In the face of the herculean task of reinventing how we, as public servants, deliver a public good, the Journals decision to degrade the profession is counterproductive.

Educators are currently caught juggling our students physical and emotional well-being, the publics well-being and continuing to perform our public service. Educators, students and families deserve to be supported as they begin this new adventure into online learning, not be dismissed as failing before even beginning.

New Mexicos response to the pandemic has succeeded because of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration acting upon the scientific communitys recommendations to keep New Mexicans safe. This is despite the lack of federal leadership or assistance to combat the virus spread.

However, there is no guarantee these successes will continue when schools reopen. Israel was an early success story in controlling its COVID-19 outbreak. By mid-May, just after cases fell to their lowest levels, the government reopened schools. This rush to reopen quickly led to outbreaks across Israel. The Israeli lesson for the rest of the world is this: Hasty reopening can lead to deadly and dangerous consequences. A truly evaluative analysis from the Journal would have included the potential risk factors involved with school reopening.

Recently, our school community lost an essential, cherished member to COVID-19. She had touched the lives of our students, parents and faculty with her dedication. She is one of the many who we have lost and that we collectively mourn. The void left when a loved one dies or becomes ill does not just stop with the family but sends shockwaves that have a long, lasting effect on everyone. 

The Journal, too, did not even consider that Albuquerque students and educators could do well at distance learning. These past couple weeks of school, we have been part of a vast effort of educators ready, willing and able to reinvent how to reach students. We have been contacting families, learning new teaching techniques, learning new technology, sharing engagement strategies and sharing resources. This is all in an attempt to support our students and families as people and as learners.

Educators have, are and will continue to evaluate all of the factors that go into the decision to reopen schools, and these considerations weigh upon each of us every day. This past week has been an example of our public school educators concern for student well-being and education. We are dealing with a pandemic that has altered the lives of so many around the world. Educators are on the front lines trying to strike the balance between safety, the emotional welfare of our students and their education. In such an unprecedented time those who take up a pen should be supporting our educators, families and students and not inciting scorn against them.
CALGARY - Operator Inter Pipeline Ltd. says it has partially shut down its Polaris pipeline system following a leak detected on Crown recreational land just east of the Fort McMurray airport in northern Alberta.

According to the Alberta Energy Regulator, initial reports indicated about 550 barrels or 90,000 litres of light oil were released with no reported impacts to waterbodies or wildlife.

The pipeline is used to move light petroleum such as condensate from Edmonton to the region where it is used by oilsands companies to dilute heavy bitumen so it will flow in a pipeline to market.

In a report, analysts at Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. warned the shutdown, if prolonged, could potentially affect the supply of diluent for steam-driven oilsands projects owned by companies including Imperial Oil Ltd., Husky Energy Inc., Cenovus Energy Inc. and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.

On its website, Inter Pipeline says its leak detection systems signalled an anomaly on Saturday morning and its Polaris and Corridor bitumen pipeline systems were shut down. The source was discovered to be Polaris on Monday and the Corridor pipeline was restarted.

The company is in contact with its customers but has not yet identified the cause of the leak, nor does it have an estimate of how long it will take to make repairs and get the line running again, said spokeswoman Breanne Oliver.

In 2019, the Polaris system transported an average of about 238,000 barrels per day of diluent, Inter says on its website. Oliver said she couldnt say how much diluent is still being delivered.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:IPL, TSX:CVE, TSX:HSE, TSX:IMO, TSX:CNQ).

Read more about:
A man who was shot and blinded by a British soldier in Northern Ireland during the height of The Troubles says the veteran has finally apologised 14 years after they formed an unlikely friendship.

Richard Moore was robbed of his sight as a 10-year-old boy when he was hit by a rubber bullet as he walked home from school past a military checkpoint in Londonderry in 1972.

The married father-of-two, who grew up in the mainly Catholic Creggan estate in the city, was struck by round fired by Charles Inness, then a captain with the Royal Artillery.

More than 30 years later, Mr Moore - whose uncle was shot and killed by British paratroopers on Bloody Sunday - came face to face with the former soldier from Whitsome, in the Scottish Borders, for a BBC documentary in 2006.

The friendship was even hailed by the Dalai Lama, whom they both met in 2010, and who told Mr Moore - now the boss of charity Children In Crossfire - that he was his 'hero.'

Now some 14 years after they came face to face for the first time and formed a close bond, Mr Inness, 78, has finally apologised for what happened.

Charity chief Richard Moore (right) from Londonderry, who was blinded at the age of 10 in 1972 after being struck by a rubber bullet fired by Charles Inness (left) then a captain with the Royal Artillery

Mr Moore, 59, said: 'Charles was of the opinion that, when you say sorry, it means that you didn't mean to fire the bullet.

'He'd say 'I meant to fire the bullet, but I never meant to cause the damage'.

'He always said if he'd known what was going to happen to me, he wouldn't have fired it.

'To me that is semantics, but the more I talked with Charles and the more we got to know each other, I always felt that he was sorry. He just couldn't bring himself to say it.

Richard Moore was just 10-years-old during The Troubles when he was struck and blinded with the rubber bullet

'And then, eventually, many years after we first met, we were talking about the 'sorry' word one night and he said to me 'Richard, I am sorry'.

'When it came, it was really moving. I didn't need it, I didn't ask for it, but when it came it was really, really nice. It really was.'

Mr Inness said: 'I was 30 at the time; 1972 was the most unpleasant year of the Troubles, the violence was unbelievable, almost on a daily basis a soldier, a police officer or a prison officer was killed or seriously injured.

'The intention of firing the rubber bullet was to get youths who were in the process of throwing stones and generally causing mayhem around a post, which was an RUC station.

The pair went on to become close friends after meeting for the first time in 2006 for a documentary and their friendship has been hailed by the Dalai Lama whom they met in 2010

'We were there to protect it, and I fired a rubber bullet, one of thousands fired that year, the vast majority of which gave little more than a bruise, and unfortunately the one I fired horrifically nearly killed poor Richard.

'Years later, when we met, we immediately got on exceptionally well, we had a bond and have formed a great friendship.

'At some stage I certainly said to Richard 'I am awfully sorry this happened'. As I say to other people, the intention of the rubber bullet was no more than to get the people who were causing the problem to go away.

'That was the sole intention; the idea I had intended to damn nearly kill a 10-year-old child was never there.

'I had children of a similar age myself, and the last thing in the world I wanted to do was damage a child. But the only means we had of trying to disperse people being violent was a rubber bullet gun.

Richard Moore (left) meets the Dalai Lama at a Children In Crossfire event, a charity he has formed to raise millions to help youngsters worldwide

'The great regret remained with me for a long time.'

The two men have given talks together, including at a community centre which now stands where the rubber bullet was fired.

Mr Inness added: 'Richard and I come from totally different backgrounds, our whole lives have been totally different, but from the moment I met him I felt I had known him all my life.

'We have become really great friends. Somebody said to me to what level would I put that. I put it as succinctly as I can - when I die, there are two people who are going to speak at my funeral, one of them is Richard.'

Mr Moore echoed his friend's thoughts: 'As soon as I met him, I liked him, we got on very well and have remained friends.'

In an interview in 2017, Mr Moore told how his mother lost her brother, his uncle Gerard McKinney, when he was shot dead on Bloody Sunday. Months later he was blinded by the rubber bullet.

The Derry man said he has never dwelt on losing his sight, and went on to form the charity Children In Crossfire, which has raised millions to help youngsters worldwide.

The charity was recently awarded a 250,000 grant through the Department For International Development's UK Aid Direct scheme to help provide 100,000 children in the Dodoma region of Tanzania with an education.

Mr Moore said his unique experience has helped him inspire people he meets in Africa.

'I meet lots of disabled or disadvantaged people who are totally written off, but I hope, when they see the role I have as a person with a disability, they can see that there is a life to be had,' he said.

'I go to a lot of places where there's been conflict and people are suffering and I hope my story helps prove that forgiveness is the best way to move on.'

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: 'Richard Moore's inspirational story helps illustrate how UK aid is supporting charities like Children In Crossfire to help children fulfil their full potential and step out of poverty through education.

'Through supporting projects like this, over the past year the UK Government has helped to build more than 3,000 primary classrooms in Tanzania, helped train almost 54,000 teachers in over 5,000 schools, and set up almost 1,900 community pre-schools.'
North Korea could have oil storage capacity of up to 1.5 million tons or almost 11 million barrelsan amount that could last it a full year if the country gets cut off from external oil suppliers. That is according to think tank Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability, based on CIA estimates of North Korea's storage capacity as well as satellite images.

The pariah of the international community, North Korea has a restriction on the amount of oil products it can receive from abroad, and this restriction stands at 500,000 barrels a year. However, North Korea may have been boosting its underground storage capacity, according to the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability.

"This would be the equivalent of about one year's worth of our estimates of domestic oil products produced in the DPRK's refineries plus our estimates of oil products imports in recent years combined," the think-tank noted.

North Korea has been under international sanctions since 2017 when it decided to pursue an ambition to become a nuclear power. However, it continues to receive oil from China and Russia legally but also, in some cases, illicitly.

In July, more than 40 UN members, including the United States and Japan, told the UN that North Korea had breached the limit for oil imports using illegal ship-to-ship transfers. According to these members, the country had taken in some 1.6 million barrels of oil products between January and May through 56 ship-to-ship transfers at sea.

These UN members called on the organization to enforce the oil import restrictions and penalize North Korea for the illicit imports, but with China and Russia disputing previous requests for penalty, chances are this request will also fail to achieve its goal.

All UN members who have dealings with North Korea are required to report their oil shipments to the sanctioned country.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
William, here meeting charities in July 2020 in Sandringham, will be losing his right hand man for a while longer. (Getty Images)

Boris Johnson is reported to have called Prince William to see if he could pinch his man ahead of giving the former royal private secretary a top job in government.

According to a Times Radio report, which has not been denied by Number 10, Johnson called the Duke of Cambridge to speak to him about hiring Simon Case, who was the dukes private secretary for about two years.

The duke is understood to have agreed, and 41-year-old Case was confirmed on Tuesday as the youngest head of the civil service since 1916.

Case, who has a doctorate in political history, has worked in the civil service since 2006 after he finished his PhD. In March 2018 he moved to work for William at Kensington Palace.

He reportedly wanted to move back to working for the royal but instead has become the youngest person to lead the civil service since 1916.

Case will take over from Sir Mark Sedwill, who is leaving the top job of cabinet secretary after effectively being sacked by Johnson.

Simon Case has been appointed as the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service. (No10 Downing Street)

Read more: Could Meghan Markle be US President despite being a member of the royal family?

It comes after a tricky few months for the civil service, with the departure of five permanent secretaries who were either ousted or quit. The PMs top advisor, Dominic Cummings, s reported to be driving much of this change. and is reported to have told a briefing in June that a hard rain was coming on the civil service.

Case also saw the royals through a difficult time, and was present at the so-called Sandringham Summit, at the beginning of the year, where senior royals met to discuss the potential terms of Prince Harry and Meghan leaving their working royal roles.

According to Times Radio, Johnson and William, 38, have a good relationship formed when they worked together on the failed 2010 bid for England to host the 2018 World Cup.

Cases new job was confirmed on Tuesday, as Johnsons team said hed take up the role on 9 September.

Johnson said: Simon will make a fantastic cabinet secretary and head of the Civil Service. His years of experience at the heart of government and working for The Royal Household make him ideally suited for this crucial role.

Story continues

I would also like to thank Mark Sedwill for his outstanding service to the government and the country as a whole. After serving for decades with great distinction, I believe he has earned the gratitude of the nation.

Simon Case joined Prince William and Kate for afternoon tea with Ireland's president Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina Coyne in March. (Getty Images)

Case said: It is an honour to be appointed as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service. Over these few months of working on the COVID response, I have seen how much hard work is being done by the civil service to support the government and our country through unprecedented times.

It is a privilege to come into this role to lead a service that is working day in, day out to deliver for people right across the country.

Im grateful to Mark for the kindness and support he has given me in my career and I wish him well for his next chapter.

According to The Telegraph, Case will still be able to offer advice to Prince William, but on an unofficial basis.

The two men became friends while Case was Williams private secretary.

The paper reported: They have a close personal friendship so I am sure the Duke will want Simon to remain in touch. He was very sad to see him go but realised he needed to give him up for the sake of the country.

Sir Mark Sedwill, pictured here with Boris Johnson, will step down this year. (PA)

Read more: Statue of Princess Diana to be installed in Kensington Palace next year

Cases previous work includes helping to deliver the London Olympic Games in 2012, and dealing with the border issue between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit.

The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William met Harry at the Queens Norfolk home after Harry and Meghan had released the shock statement that they no longer wanted to be senior royals.

Case, originally from Bristol, is married with two daughters.
Jackson Morrill joins the American Wood Council as President & CEO on September 16. The structural wood products industry is poised for growth. I believe in this industry and am passionate about what it represents as a sustainable building material.

The American Wood Council (AWC) will welcome Jackson Morrill, President of the Composite Panel Association (CPA), as AWCs new President & CEO on September 16. He is succeeding Robert Glowinski, who is retiring at the end of the year after over 41 years with the wood products industrys associations and the last 10 years spent as AWCs President & CEO.

The structural wood products industry is poised for growth. I believe in this industry and am passionate about what it represents as a sustainable building material, Morrill said. Additionally, I am fortunate to be coming into an organization that has an excellent track record and staff, and strong, sustained leadership from the current President & CEO Robert Glowinski. I look forward to continuing Bobs legacy in advancing the industry, especially in looking for opportunities in new markets, such as those made available through AWCs remarkable efforts in support of tall mass timber construction.

Jackson comes to AWC with over 20 years of experience working on environmental, sustainability, industry standards and testing, and other issues, as a lawyer and trade association representative. Prior to CPA, he worked at the American Chemistry Council, practiced environmental law at a Beveridge & Diamond, and served as an environmental law consultant at the World Bank. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Tulane Law School and is admitted to the Maryland and District of Columbia bars.

Jacksons background shows him to be an outstanding choice to lead the industry and further leverage the unique aspects of wood products. Our selection committee was equally impressed by his demonstrated leadership, demeanor and outlook. AWC and CPA have worked together on a number of issues over the years, which gives him additional insight into AWCs program focus on building and fire code development, legislative and regulatory advocacy, education and strategic communications. We are very excited to have him come in and lead the association to its next level of excellence, said LP Building Solutions Executive Vice President and AWC Board Chair Neil Sherman. And I can confidently speak for all of AWCs membership in thanking Bob for working tirelessly for many years on behalf of the industry. He was the associations first President & CEO, and its under his leadership that a fledgling association has truly grown to be the voice of the wood products industry.

###

The American Wood Council (AWC) is the voice of North American wood products manufacturing, an industry that provides almost 450,000 men and women in the United States with family-wage jobs. AWC represents 86 percent of the structural wood products industry, and members make products that are essential to everyday life from a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon. Staff experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards for wood products to assure their safe and efficient design, as well as provide information on wood design, green building, and environmental regulations. AWC also advocates for balanced government policies that affect wood products.

http://www.awc.org | @woodcouncil
200th anniversary of the arrival of British settlers

ZS1820S is a special call sign registered by the Port Elizabeth Amateur Radio Society (PEARS) to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the British Settlers on Thursday 7 September 1820. The call sign has been heard around the world and throughout South Africa - landing a special QSL card in the inbox for many amateurs.



Monday 7 September marks the arrival of the British Settlers - to the day! To commemorate this, members of PEARS will operate a field station at the iconic Donkin Reserve in Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth, of course, gets its name from the wife of Sir Rufane Donkin who was the acting governor at the Cape at the time of the Settlers arrival.



Anyone contacting the station will get a special QSL card in their e-mail - and not just the normal ZS1820S card either, but one marking the special day. A card from a special event station for a special event!

While propagation is what it is, PEARS will operate (SSB) from 04:00 until about 09:00 UTC on 80, 40 and 20 m as conditions dictate.
(Natural News) No doubt there are some right-leaning Americans who pose threats to the national security of our country.

But what is equally clear is that there are plenty of Left-wing anarchist, Black Lives Matter and Antifa types who do so as well, and so do openly.

Yet, as usual, the Marxists at Google are only interested in the former.

And whats more, the search behemoth is turning over the names of people who lean right to law enforcement by proclaiming they, and only they, are threats to society.

The Guardian explains:

A little-known investigative unit inside search giant Google regularly forwarded detailed personal information on the companys users to members of a counter-terrorist fusion center in Californias Bay Area, according to leaked documents reviewed by the Guardian.

But checking the documents against Googles platforms reveals that in some cases Google did not necessarily ban the users they reported to the authorities, and some still have accounts on YouTube, Gmail and other services.

The users were often threatening violence or otherwise expressing extremist views, often associated with the far right.

[O]ften associated with the far right.

Sure. More like always associated with the far right because thats who and what Google is, an enemy of conservatives.

The Guardian noted that the documents originate from a trove known as Blueleaks, which hackers managed to steal from servers at a Texas-based hosting firm that was used by a number of law enforcement agencies. The trove contains hundreds of thousands of documents dating back to 1996 and extending through June 2020.

Cybersecurity experts have verified the leak, by the way, so its legitimate.

The Google documents were signed by the search giants CyberCrime Investigation Group (CIG) and most definitely contain subscriber info. And while the group has been mentioned in media coverage of criminal actions involving alleged cyber crime, until now CIGs feeding of raw information to law enforcement agencies had not yet been exposed.

The Blueleaks trove revealed that documents are tied to the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, which is part of a nationwide fusion center network created after the 9/11 attacks to speed the sharing of information between local, state, federal and tribal law enforcement agencies, The Guardian notes.

In a moment of reckoning on the failure of police to keep people safe, it is reckless for Google to hand off private user information to law enforcement, said Steven Renderos, executive director of MediaJustice, a non-profit that pushes a media and technology environment that fuels real justice.

While the prevalence of hateful activities across Google-owned platforms is a real problem, deflecting responsibility to police is not the solution, Renderos continued. (Related: Review of Google Health  Technology Achievement or Privacy Disaster?)

Without a doubt, the information Google is providing law enforcement is a blatant violation of statutory law and the Constitutions privacy provisions; information is literally stolen by the CIG and provided to police and law enforcement without a warrant or, perhaps, even probable cause  and certainly, it seems, without the users knowledge.

The Google documents retained by NCRIC highlight the activities of individual users, providing detailed subscriber information, which often includes real names, street addresses, credit card numbers, Gmail and recovery email addresses, YouTube channel addresses and the time and IP addresses of recent logins, The Guardian reported. Many of the documents also include copies of comments users have made on Google services like YouTube.

Electronic Frontiers Foundation staff lawyer Saira Hussein told The Guardian that her organization was concerned about the vast amounts of user data that Google appears to be handing over voluntarily. Hussein also questioned the search behemoths motives.

Are they expecting law enforcement to do something, or is this just a way of covering themselves? Does Google see its responsibility as simply reporting this to law enforcement and moving on? Hussein said.

Sources include:

TheGuardian.com

NaturalNews.com
NEW DELHI: China on Tuesday (September 1, 2020) reiterated that it never provoked any war and its troops never crossed the line in the backdrop of the fresh skirmish with the Indian troops in the southern bank of the Pangong Tso and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector near the Line of Actual Control.

Hua Chunying, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, said, China never provoked any war or conflict and never occupied an inch of other country's territory. China border troops never crossed the line. Perhaps there are some communication issues.

I think both sides should stick to facts and have goodwill in maintaining the bilateral relations and take concrete measures to safeguard peace, tranquillity along the border, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson added.

The remarks from the high-ranking Chinese Foreign Ministry officials came several hours after the Indian troops thwarted China`s alleged attempt to transgress in Ladakh. The Chinese Embassy in India also issued a statement, claiming that the Indian troops "illegally trespassed" the Line of Actual Control (LAC) which "damaged" peace and tranquillity along the border."

On August 31, Indian troops violated the consensus reached in previous multi-level engagements and negotiations between China and India, illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector of China-India border, and conducted flagrant provocations, which again stirred tension in the border areas," Ji Rong, spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, said in a statement.

India`s move has grossly violated China`s territorial sovereignty, seriously violated relevant agreements, protocols and important consensus reached between the two countries, and severely damaged peace and tranquillity along the China-India border areas," she added.

The spokesperson said China has made solemn representations to the Indian side and urged the latter to "stop any actions" which could further escalate the situation at the border.

"China has made solemn representations to the Indian side..., and immediately (should) withdraw its troops illegally trespassing the Line of Actual Control and immediately stop any actions leading to the escalation and complication of the situation," she said.

Earlier Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the boundary between India and China has not yet been demarcated and "so there have been problems," according to state-run Global Times.

The Indian Army has thwarted an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday and talks are being held now to resolve the issue there, an Army spokesperson said on Monday.

"On the night of August 29-30, People`s Liberation Army troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," said Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand in a statement.

The Indian Army took measures to strengthen its position and "and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground".

India and China are engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including Finger area, Galwan valley, Hot springs and Kongrung Nala.

The talks between the two sides have been going on for the last three months including five Lieutenant general-level talks but have failed to yield any results, so far.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks to the media at City Hall in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 30, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Progressive Groups Call for Resignation of Portland Mayor Over Fatal Shooting

Several progressive groups in Oregon have demanded Portland Mayor Ted Wheelers resignation following the fatal shooting of a right-wing protester in the city over the weekend.

In a joint letter, left-wing organizations the Oregon chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Oregon Justice Resource Center, the Portland Democratic Socialists of America NextUp Action Fund, Portlands Resistance and Popular Mobilization PDX said Wheeler has not protected or supported Portlands residents.

The groups also called for the resignation of Police Chief Chuck Lovell following the Saturday shooting that killed a supporter of the conservative group Patriot Prayer, Aaron Jay Danielson.

Oregon-based Civil Rights and Community Organizations Call for Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to Resign. Press conference going live now: https://t.co/vxXntE8wGo pic.twitter.com/xWAbZWpnYN  CAIR-Oregon (@CAIROregon) August 30, 2020

What took place last night was inevitable given Mayor Wheelers repeated failure, the letter said. He has not protected or supported Portlanders. We do not have confidence in his ability to course-correct. He must resign.

Bobbin Singh, executive director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center, demanded the resignations of local leaders.

All of us from these organizations have been concerned about and predicted for the past several years now that someone would die in the streets of Portland because of actions committed by individuals because of these conditions that have been created, Singh said during a virtual press conference.

These conditions have been createdI want to be very clearbecause theres been a lack of leadership, a lack of vision, and a lack of willingness to confront the issues around racism, white supremacy, law enforcement oversight, accountability, and practices. And we can no longer move forward with the current leadership thats in place in Portland.

Danielson was identified by Joey Gibson, founder of the Patriot Prayer. He was reportedly wearing a Patriot Prayer hat when he was shot.

We love Jay and he had such a huge heart, Gibson said in a social media post. God bless him and the life he lived.

Joey Gibson, leader of Patriot Prayer, arrives at the scene of a shooting in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 29, 2020. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Reuters)

A GoFundMe fundraising page for Danielson says he was a Portland resident who went downtown to exercise his constitutional rights.

Patriot Prayer has regularly held demonstrations in Portland and Seattle, where theyve faced opposition from Antifa, a far-left group, and other activists. Brawls between the groups arent uncommon.

An Antifa member was identified by his sister as a possible suspect in the shooting.

Mayor Wheeler on Sunday publicly refused federal aid from President Donald Trump to stop rioting in his city and alleged that the president is responsible for Saturdays shooting. The president has blamed the Democratic mayor for allowing violence to escalate in the city.

After more than 90 consecutive days of demonstrations, arson incidents, looting, and unrest in Portland, Wheeler has come under increasing pressure to bring in federal resources.

Zachary Stieber and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
FORT COLLINS, Colo., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DH2i, the leading provider of multi-platform Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) and Smart Availability software, today announced DxEnterprise support for the recently announced Microsoft Azure shared disks and new Azure Disk Storage enhancements. By coupling DxEnterprise software with Azure shared disks, customers can now eliminate complexity and achieve high availability (HA) and disaster recoverability (DR) for their SQL Server deployments in Azure - all while significantly reducing costs and planned downtime. Organizations looking to make the switch to Azure can now have highly available SQL Server with shared storage up and running in just minutes.

Many organizations are changing the way they run their business and the need to move to the cloud has become increasingly prevalent. In fact, the benefits of cloud computing are so prominent that research predicts that by 2022, around 60% of enterprises will utilize an external service provider's cloud-managed service offering, which is double the percentage from 2018. As more deployments are moved to the cloud, the need to ensure uninterrupted access to applications beyond on-premises has become extremely important for business operations. Fortunately, with the release of Azure shared disks, this requirement has been met for SQL Server users. Customers that are deploying SQL Server in Azure are now able to create HA instances using shared disks for full instance failover.

However, organizations currently using Pacemaker or WSFC for SQL Server cluster management face various challenges with their deployments. With these legacy solutions, configuration and ongoing maintenance are complicated, numerous pre-requisites must be met, and the associated licensing costs can be extreme. DxEnterprise's innovative approach rids these common disruptions while offering all of the benefits of intelligent, self-healing HA and DR. DxEnterprise provides flexibility by allowing users to build clusters with more than 2 nodes on any edition and pool together the different versions of SQL Server for further consolidation.

"With DxEnterprise, organizations get all of the advantages of intelligent, self-healing high availability and disaster resilience with multi-subnet failover," said Don Boxley, CEO and Co-Founder, DH2i. "Paired with Azure shared disks, companies can achieve true HA for their SQL Server deployments in Azure and benefit from easy business workload portability, all while dramatically reducing costs and planned downtime."

To learn more, please join DH2i for a live webinar titled, "How to Build Shared Disk SQL Server Clusters in Azure" featuring Microsoft Principal Program Manager Kevin Farlee on September 2nd, at 2:00 pm Eastern Time (register here: https://bit.ly/2QsuhrN). During the presentation, attendees will see first-hand why it is now easier than ever to run existing on-premises SQL Server instances directly in Azure. The presentation will conclude with a DH2i DxEnterprise demo showing how the innovative software uniquely enables:

Highly available clustered SQL instances on any platform without WSFC or Pacemaker

Safe instance stacking on Windows for peak consolidation and cost-savings

Quick provisioning and configuration with simple, intuitive management

In addition, the DH2i white paper titled, "DxEnterprise & Azure Shared Disks for Highly Available SQL Server Instances" can be found here: https://dh2i.com/whitepapers/dxenterprise-azure-shared-disks-for-highly-available-sql-server-instances.

Technical Quickstart Guides are now also available:

Windows: https://dh2i.com/dxenterprise-v19-5-quickstart-for-mssql-ha-for-windows-on-azure/

Linux: https://dh2i.com/dxenterprise-v19-5-quickstart-for-mssql-ha-for-linux-on-azure/

Tweet this: @DH2i Announces #DxEnteprise Support for @Microsoft @Azure shared disks and New #Azure Disk #Storage Enhancements https://dh2i.com/press/ #SQLServer #HA #DR #EasyManagement #DramaticCostSavings #ROI

About DH2i

DH2i Company is the leading provider of multi-platform Software Defined Perimeter and Smart Availability software for Windows and Linux. DH2i software products DxOdyssey and DxEnterprise enable customers to create an entire IT infrastructure that is "always-secure and always -on." To learn more, please visit: www.dh2i.com, call: 800-380-5405 or +44 20 3318 9204, or email: [email protected].

DH2i Company 2020. DH2i, Smart Availability, DxEnterprise, DxOdyssey, DxConsole, DxHADR, DxTransfer, DxCollect and InstanceMobility are trademarks of DH2i Company. All other brand or product names contained in this press release may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

PR Contact:

Nicole Gorman

Corporate Communications / PR

DH2i

M: 508-397-0131

[email protected]

SOURCE DH2i

Related Links

http://www.dh2i.com


PARIS  Tugging on their masks or dashing to hug long-unseen friends, millions of children returned to school across Europe and beyond Tuesday in a mass experiment aimed at bridging inequalities and resuscitating economies  despite the persistent pandemic.

The virus threat lurked in the shadows as children kissed their parents goodbye in France, shyly greeted their teachers in Israel, settled into spaced-out desks in England, and raised their hands in Russia.

While acknowledging a bit of fear, Jerome Continent brought his first-grader Baptiste to school Tuesday anyway in the Paris suburb of Roissy-en-Brie, where the buzz of first-day excitement was even more intense than usual after the coronavirus upended the previous school year.

I know we are being careful, he said. The children also have to live.

With France reporting thousands of new infections daily  more than any of its neighbors  all French schoolchildren 11 and over must wear masks all day, recess and music class included. Similar rules are in place in Balkan countries, while other countries are more lax about masks. Some classrooms look starkly different from previous years, with plastic shields around desks and virus warning signs plastered everywhere.

While many U.S. school districts started class online only and others introduced a mix of online and face-to-face learning, in-person class is the norm as Europe goes back to school. Governments are trying to show that life goes on despite a virus that has infected at least 25 million people worldwide and killed more than 800,000.

Frances prime minister sat with elementary school children at a school Tuesday, and the president wished kids well in an Instagram video. In Britain, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson sent an open letter to parents saying school really is the best place for them to be. Nothing can match being in a classroom with a real teacher to inspire them and their friends to share their discoveries.

Hundreds of thousands of British schoolchildren are heading back to classrooms, with parents facing fines if they refuse to send their kids back. Schools have introduced measures to reduce contact between children, such as staggering break times and keeping pupils in bubbles with their class or year group.

The World Health Organization is advising governments on how to resume in-person schooling safely, and acknowledged Monday that while the virus remains a real threat, school closures have hurt childrens mental health and social development, especially those from low-income families, with disabilities or in an abusive home environment.

We cannot let children become the hidden victims of this pandemic by denying them the opportunities they so fundamentally deserve, WHO Europe said in a statement.

Medical experts say the risk of opening schools depends on how widespread COVID-19 infections are in the community and what safety measures are taken. Evidence suggests young children dont spread the disease very easily, while kids aged 10 and up may transmit as easily as adults. But while children appear less likely to get infected than adults, severe cases and deaths have occurred.

The return to school isnt working smoothly everywhere. A middle school class in northern France ordered all its pupils into two-week quarantine after a student tested positive last week.

And in Serbia, the complicated reopening system has frustrated working parents. Still, about 95 percent of parents have decided to send their children to schools anyway.

In Estonia, back-to-school day looked almost normal, with students wearing their finest dresses or neat school uniforms and donating flowers to teachers. As in many former Soviet republics, Sept. 1 marks a national day to celebrate education, with musical performances and speeches.

Schools remain closed in most of Africa and several Asian countries, but have resumed elsewhere  notably in China, where the last groups of students returned to regular classes Tuesday, following two weeks without new cases of local transmission in the country.

In the Belgian capital Brussels, anxious parents brought enthusiastic children back to primary school Tuesday.

I have a good feeling about today, said Faouzia Hariche, Brussels alderwoman in charge of education. I can see that children are happy to return to school, teachers are all present so we will try to organize things in the most natural way possible.

___

Jeffrey Schaeffer in Roissy-en-Brie, France, Sylvain Plazy in Brussels, Jill Lawless in London, Karel Janicek in Prague, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed.
01.09.2020 LISTEN

Today, the BBC announced that Kenyan TV presenter, Victoria Rubadiri, has been awarded the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award.

She is the sixth winner of the award, following in the footsteps of Solomon Serwanjja, Waihiga Mwaura, Amina Yuguda, Didi Akinyelure and Nancy Kacungira. Victoria is the fourth East African, and second Kenyan, to win the award.

Victoria is a features reporter and news anchor with Citizen TV in Kenya where she hosts the channels prime-time news. A well-rounded, multifaceted journalist in East Africa, she has interviewed some of the leading names in politics and current affairs, including UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohamed and former Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Victoria will begin her three-month placement at the BBC by attending a training course with the BBC Academy before joining BBC News teams - across TV, radio, and online  which will provide her with the opportunity to gain skills and experience across BBC News platforms.

Following the training and placements in Nairobi, Victoria will work alongside a top BBC producer, to report on a story for a global audience. The story will then be broadcast on BBC platforms, which reaches audiences of 426 million across the world each week.

Victoria said, Komla was a well-rounded journalist whose style, though authoritative, was also compassionate, empathetic and uplifting. His ability to give the facts comprehensively, and yet still be attuned to his audience, was something I admired and a skill I seek to emulate. The media industry in Africa is growing, with a plethora of content providers and changing consumption trends, and the complexities of reaching audiences in a meaningful way has also evolved. I am excited at the prospect of learning new skills at the BBC to be able to connect with audiences locally, regionally and internationally, no matter on which platform the story is being told.

Victoria impressed judges with her eloquence and passion for telling African stories on both traditional media platforms and social media. Her passion for connecting with audiences on a myriad of platforms had led to over half a million followers on her social media accounts, and she continues to pursue this engagement on social media. Through her storytelling, Victoria has brought peoples extraordinary experiences to life, a key journalistic trait that resonates with the BBCs global audiences.

Jamie Angus, Director of BBC World Service Group, said, Were delighted to have Victoria on board to bring her insights and passion to the BBC. Theres never been a more significant time for our global audiences to hear grassroots stories from Africa, and its really important that we tell these stories with integrity and authenticity. Komla had the incredible ability to give stories from the continent global resonance, and also deliver it with familiarity and understanding. Were looking forward to seeing Victoria embody that by bringing her perspectives to life.

The award was set up in honour of presenter Komla Dumor, who died in January 2014, and aims to continue Komlas legacy by celebrating African journalism and finding exceptional talent. The judging panel included Sam Taylor, Head of Live and Breaking News at the BBC; Miriam Quansah, Assistant Digital Editor at BBC Africa; and award-winning Nigerian journalist, Idris Akinbajo of the Premium Times.

Victoria will be interviewed on Focus on Africa on Tuesday 1st September at 1730 GMT, BBC World News (DStv 400).

BBC World News and BBC.com, the BBCs commercially funded international 24-hour English news platforms, are owned and operated by BBC Global News. BBC World News television is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and over 450 million households and 3 million hotel rooms.

The channel is also available on over 180 cruise ships, 53 airlines, including 13 distributing the channel live inflight. BBC.com offers up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis, and features, including BBC Worklife, BBC Culture, BBC Future, BBC, and BBC Reel, for PCs, tablets, and mobile devices to more than 145 million unique browsers each month.
The Thai government on Monday delayed the purchase of Chinese-made military submarines for a year following public outrage over the controversial agreement.

Bangkok [Thailand], Sep 1 (ANI): The Thai government on Monday delayed the purchase of Chinese-made military submarines for a year following public outrage over the controversial agreement.



The Royal Thai Navy asked the parliaments budget committee to slash the submarine procurement funding to zero for this fiscal year, a person well-versed with the matter said, Nikkei Asian Review reported. Government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who also holds the post of Defence Minister, told the Navy to postpone the agreement until the fiscal year 2022.

The decision comes as a setback for the Thai government amid protests by the youth who are seeking political reforms and protections for civil liberties. It also comes as the countrys economy has witnessed a slump due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



The two Yuan-class S26T submarines were supposed to cost a total of 22.5 billion baht (USD 720 million) over seven years. An allocation of 3 million baht as initial payment was sought by the government in the 2021 budget. But, the decision invited strong opposition from the public, with critics saying the money should be spent to revive the flattened Thai economy.



Also read: Former President Pranab Mukherjee dies at 84: Prez Kovind, PM Modi share condolences

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5HYBn-p_TE

Also read: Didnt intend to disrespect SC: Prashant Bhushan responds to contempt case judgement

Anucha said that Thailand will begin talks with China on the details of the delay.



These are the second and third of three submarines which Prayuth had promised to China and the Royal Thai Navy when he was the leader of a junta that toppled the democratically-elected government of Thailand in 2014, according to Nikkei Asian Review. In 2017, the budget for the first submarine was approved and it is being built in China for delivery in 2024, the Navy said.



On August 22, the agreement attracted public attention, passing a lower house budget subcommittee by the narrowest margin. The meeting did not yield a unanimous conclusion and was tied initially at 4 to 4. However, a ballot from the chairman, who is a member of the ruling Palang Pracharat Party, allowed the deal to proceed to the full budget committee.



Among the four members who opposed this decision was Yutthapong Jarassathian, deputy chairman of the subcommittee from the opposition Pheu Thai Party.A memorandum of understanding exchanged upon the first submarine order between Prayuth and then-Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan did not state that Thailand was obliged to buy the two additional submarines, Yutthapong was quoted as saying.



The Prime Minister must choose between the submarines and the economic survival of the people, he said. The subcommittees decision was met with criticism on social media, with a hashtag #PeopleSayNoToSubs trending in Thailand on Twitter. Following this, the Navy was forced to present its views on Monday with Royal Thai Navy chief-of-staff Sittiporn Maskasem commenting that the Navy needed more submarines as to boost its defence sector, and urging the people not to politicise the agreement.



The Thai Prime Minister pushed for a yes vote regarding the purchase of the submarines, saying they were vital for national security. In the next days, everyone will have to take responsibility if something happens to our country, he said.



According to the Navy, most of Thailands coastal neighbours possess subs. While Vietnam has six submarines, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia have five, four and two, respectively. Myanmar has one submarine.



Earlier on August 25, Deputy spokesperson of Democrat Party, Akkaradet Wongpitakrote, had said that at least seven out of 13 Democrats would vote against the agreement, citing economic measures as a long-term and greater priority. The budget committee comprises 48 members from the ruling coaliton and 24 from the opposition.



The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Thailands economy hard with Gross Domestic Product shrinking 12.2 per cent on the year in the second quarter, which was the biggest contraction since 1998.



The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council has forecast a contraction of 7.3 per cent to 7.8 per cent for 2020, which could become the worst slump in Thailands history. The economy had shrunk 7.6 per cent in 1998, when the country was in the midst of the Asian financial crisis, Nikkei Asian Review reported.



Tourism, which accounts for around 20 per cent of the Thai economy, was the hardest-hit industry. Exports, which include spending by tourists, shrank by 28.3 per cent. To revive the sector and overall economic growth, the government has approved a domestic tourism stimulus package which is expected to create two million domestic trips from July to October, thereby helping to generate income for businesses like hotels, airlines, restaurants and travel agencies.



The government has allocated 22.4 million baht budget for the package, nearly the same amount for purchasing two Chinese submarines.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the governments across the Asia-Pacific region to rethink about their defence spending. Earlier in June, Japan decided to stop the deployment of US-made Aegis Ashore missile shield after its price swelled up to USD 4 billion from an estimated USD 2.15 billion. The move could likely free up funds for economic recovery.



Last week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had announced that the government would boost defence spending by 1 billion Australian dollars to upgrade military facilities and provide additional paid employment to army reservists. This decision is expected to boost the countrys economy through consumption and construction orders. (ANI)

Also read: Big relief for Prashant Bhushan, SC lets off Bhushan with a token fine of Re 1
Dear Premier,

We, the undersigned, are senior medical practitioners of various specialities who practice in Victoria and are deeply concerned with the Victorian governments management of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) viral pandemic as a public health issue.

The purpose of this letter is to make you aware that not all medical practitioners are in agreement with the Chief Medical Officer and the Victorian government regarding the most effective way to control this disease. We believe that an alternative medical response is required that reflects what we know about the spread of the virus, those who have died from it, and the impact that the stage 3-4 lockdown restrictions are having on the physical and mental health of the general population.

For the sake of people in Victoria with other medical illnesses, it is vital that Stage 4 restrictions be lifted on schedule in mid-September.

This letter details our concerns and recommendations. We are ready to offer any assistance we can to help create and implement a revised, effective and just response to the Victorian situation; to this end we would be pleased to meet with you at your convenience to discuss the matter further.

Government Response to Covid-19 and Available Data

Focusing on the numbers of cases of COVID-19 is at best an unsophisticated way of looking at disease management. Factors such as the side effects of any policy, its cost effectiveness, the quality of life years lost, and the cost per life saved are fundamental when considering disease management. In addition, any policy to manage any disease must be reviewed in light of new data.

We believe that the governments initial response to handling COVID-19, via a stage 3 lockdown to flatten the curve, was reasonable in view of the limited information available at the time on the outbreak in China and the alarming number of deaths in Italy. The initial response, though arguably excessive, was still highly effective in preserving medical capacity and allowing time to co-ordinate a full medical response, with the community accepting that the social and economic consequences were reasonable and for the common good.

However, we now know that whilst COVID-19 is highly contagious, it is of limited virulence.

Whilst an accurate cause of death of a person can be difficult to determine, we are told that since March 2020, 565 Victorian patients have died either with or from the virus (31st August numbers). This compares with annual Victorian deaths of approximately 10,000 patients with cardiovascular disease and 11,000 with cancer. Accordingly, the COVID-19 deaths are a relatively small proportion of the 114 deaths per day that are normally seen in Victoria. In comparison, since the start of March COVID-19 has been associated with 3 of the 114 deaths per day.

Most of the 565 deaths have occurred in nursing homes which according to doctors currently working in this environment have described causal factors related not only to the virus but to other care related issues, including isolation, loneliness, and related diminished nutritional intake.

However, in Victoria we have had 541 LESS deaths this July compared to July last year. (3,561 deaths compared to 4,102 deaths in July 2019).

In Australia last year, 2019, in the month of July alone we had 71,000 new laboratory confirmed cases, and a total of 313,000 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza for the year. This is only a fraction of the actual total cases of influenza, as many cases go untested.

In August 2017 we had 99,000 new laboratory confirmed cases of Influenza and a total of over 250,000 cases for the year.

During 2017 and 2019 Influenza resulted in 25-30,000 hospital admissions and up to 2500 ICU admissions across Australia. Three per cent of hospital admissions were pregnant women and up to 18 per cent were under the age of 16.

The deaths from Influenza each and every year is between 3500 and 4000, according to the Australian Influenza Specialist Interest Group website and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This is despite recent excellent rates of vaccination in the vulnerable population and millions of vaccinations utilised each year. (2020,18 million, 2019 13.2 million, 2018 11 million, 2016 8.3 million)

The vast majority of deaths associated with COVID-19 have occurred in frail people over 80 years, many of whom also had significant co-morbidities. In Victoria more than 73 per cent of known COVID-19 deaths resided in nursing homes. (381 out of 524 and 30 out of 52 in NSW, as of August 30).

For people who are physically well and under 60 years of age, the mortality risk is extremely low. Contrary to what you have said, Mr Andrews, the virus DOES discriminate. See graphs below.

Since June 2020, the death rate has risen sharply in aged care facilities where the risk of transmission of COVID-19 has been unacceptably high. However, the government, and the doctors advising it, have not reviewed their policy in order to focus on this vulnerable segment of the population. Instead, stage 3-4 lockdowns for the whole community have continued for no apparent scientific reason.

Medical and Social Consequences

As medical practitioners, it is our collective experience that patients are presenting later to us with their medical complaints. Specialist referrals from GPs, and indeed GP workload, have fallen dramatically due to patients reluctance to leave home in fear of acquiring the virus. As a direct consequence of this delay, many will have poorer prognoses. This has especially been the case with consultants who treat cancer. A study in the UK estimated an extra 4000 deaths from not screening the four main cancers alone and not from lack of treatment.

In addition, it is our professional opinion that the stage 4 lockdown policy has caused unprecedented negative economic and social outcomes in people, which in themselves are having negative health outcomes. In particular, it has caused or exacerbated depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, as well as contributed to domestic violence, through an extreme and unjustified disruption to family, social and work life. Job losses, home schooling, the isolation of the elderly and single people and the restriction on the number of people who may attend funerals, are but a few examples of how the governments current response is harming the health of the general population.

In short, the medical, psychological and social costs of the lockdown are disproportionately enormous compared to the limited good being done by current policies, and are relevant factors to be taken into account by any responsible government.

Proposed Amendments to the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic)

We further note with much concern, that the proposed amendment to the Public Health and Wellbeing Act that would effectively allow the government to continue its current policy to manage COVID-19 even if there were to be zero cases over a period of time. This is unfathomable and certainly contrary to the objects of the Act, which require accountability, proportionality and collaboration to be fulfilled.

Specifically, the legislation explicitly mandates that the governments decisions on public health initiatives must be transparent, systematic and appropriate, with members of the public given access to reliable information in appropriate forms to facilitate a good understanding of the issue. In addition, the legislation acknowledges that decisions will be enhanced through collaboration between all levels of government and industry, business, communities and individuals.

Recommendations

For all these reasons, ordinary sensible people if properly informed, should inevitably conclude that the current government policy is ill focused, heavy-handed, and unjustifiable as a proportionate response to the risks posed by COVID-19 to the publics health.

As the virus is not going away soon, and an effective vaccine may not be available for a considerable period of time, if at all, we respectfully call upon the government to do the following:

The State of Emergency not be continued past September 13 with an agreement made for parliament to be allowed to openly discuss and debate appropriate medical plans to manage the current COVID-19 crisis. A panel of non-politically aligned medical and health-related experts be selected by a bi-partisan parliamentary group to provide the transparent and active role of informing and advising government decisions and responses to the epidemic. Ensure adequate measures, testing, and protection of the vulnerable, especially those in aged residential care environments and their families and carers. Clearly communicate to the public the medical evidence-base, objectives and timelines of any proposed future management plans, with open disclosure of the processes and negative consequences, to inform those discussions and decisions. A broader focus be given to the health and well-being of Victorians, by utilising all relevant available data and by calculating the costs and harms, including the social, economic, family, emotional, psychological and spiritual impacts on the community, of any decisions and plans to manage the COVID-19 crisis, thereby explaining and justifying the merits of these plans as a reasonable and proportionate response. To review regularly the outcomes of any management decisions and demonstrate a willingness to modify plans as new data and insights become available.

Thank you for your time in reading this letter. We look forward to your early response.

Yours faithfully,
Preparations are underway at a hospital here for the commencement of the second phase of human clinical trial of 'Covaxin', India's indigenous COVID-19 vaccine , officials said.

"The Phase I of the trial is still continuing as we are planning for the start of the Phase II trial shortly," Dr E Venkata Rao, Principal Investigator of the trial at Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, faculty of medical sciences, said.

The blood samples collected from the volunteers who received the vaccine were to ascertain how effective the vaccine was in terms of the level of antibodies developed, Dr Rao said, adding that there had been 'no side effects' in the first phase trial of the vaccine. The IMS and SUM Hospital is one of the 12 medical centres in the country chosen by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for conducting the human trial of the vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech.

"Two doses of the vaccine were administered to each volunteer after they were selected through a screening process conducted over a period of three to seven days prior to vaccination. The first dose was administered on Day Zero while the blood sample was collected. The second dose was given on Day 14 and the blood sample was also collected," Dr Rao said.

Blood samples of the volunteers will also be collected on different days (28, 42, 104, 194 day) for estimating the duration of protection subsequently, he added. Dr Rao said there was a lot of enthusiasm among people to be part of the second phase of the human trial.

Those who wish to be part of this trial could contact the centre at http://ptctu.soa.ac.in, he said.

There are over seven anti-corona vaccines at various stages of development in the country with two of them having received the drug regulator's go-ahead to start the human clinical trials of their vaccines.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday expressed confidence that the country's COVID-19 count will be "under control" by Diwali this year.

Inaugurating the 'Nation First' webinar series, organised by the Anathkumar Foundation, he pointed out that the country was much ahead in tackling the pandemic.

"The COVID-19 will significantly come under control by the Deepavali this year. The leaders and common people effectively worked together to fight the pandemic. He inaugurated Nation first webinar series organised by Ananth Kumar Foundation," the press release said.

He further said that the health officials had held a meeting much before the first COVID-19 case was reported in India.





*With inputs from agencies

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OMAHA  Embattled Nebraska U.S. Senate hopeful Chris Janicek doubled down Monday on his refusal to bow out of the race, despite relentless pressure from the state Democratic Party after he admitted to sending sexually offensive text messages about a campaign employee.

Janicek reaffirmed his pledge to stay in the race during a news conference at his Omaha cupcake bakery. The Democratic nominee has until 5 p.m. Tuesday to request that state officials remove his name from the ballot, but he made clear that he has no plans to do so.

The Nebraska Democratic Party disavowed Janicek in June after he was caught sending sexually offensive messages about a campaign employee in a group text with other staffers.

The female contract staffer was accidentally included in the message and filed a complaint with the party. Janicek has said he apologized to the woman in a phone call, in person, and in writing, and that she accepted his apology. The woman has disputed Janicek's account, saying she doesn't accept his apology and maintains that he should drop out of the race.
Mumbai, Sep 1 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday continued questioning Goa-based hotelier Gaurav Arya in connection with the money-laundering probe related to the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

According to a senior ED official, Arya, the owner of Hotel Tamarind and Cafe Cotinga in Goa, once again appeared before the financial probe agency on Tuesday morning and is being questioned about his chats with Sushant's girlfriend Rhea, where the two are allegedly discussing drugs. The ED official said Arya is also being probed about his financial dealings with Rhea and her brother Showik.The ED is recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED questioned Arya on Monday for the first time for more than seven hours. On Sunday, Arya claimed he had never met Sushant and he had met Rhea once in 2017. He also claimed he has no connection with the Sushant case.

Last week, after Arya's name cropped up in a social media message, an ED team visited Hotel Tamarind in Anjuna, north Goa, but the property was shut owing to the Covid pandemic restrictions. The ED has till date questioned Rhea, her brother Showik, father Indrajit, Sushant's flatmate Siddharth Pithani, house manager Samuel Miranda and Sushant's ex-manager Shruti Modi, among others.

The ED has also recorded the statement of Sushant's father K.K. Singh and his sisters Meetu Singh and Priyanka Singh.The ED had registered a case of money-laundering on July 31 on the basis of the Bihar Police FIR filed on the complaint of Sushant's father. Besides the ED, Arya is also being investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
In an online campaign earlier this summer, dozens of anonymous women accused Zaki of committing sexual crimes against them

Egypts prosecutor-general on Tuesday ordered Ahmed Bassam Zaki be referred to criminal court on charges of sexual assault of minors, blackmail and sexual harassment.

Zaki, who is in his early twenties and a graduate of the American University of Cairo, was arrested in July after the prosecution received an official complaint from a woman with the help of the National Council for Women accusing him of blackmailing her in November 2016 in an attempt to force her to have sex with him.

According to the prosecutions statement on Tuesday, Zaki is accused of sexual assaulting three girls under the age of 18 years old and threatening them, along with another girl, to divulge matters that will harm their honour, while demanding they continue having sex with him.

The statement added that Zaki is accused of sexual harassing two of the victims and of taking photos of one of the victims while kissing her, without her consent in a private location.

He is also accused of using telecommunication devices and social media networks in committing crimes, and of possessing cannabis with the intention of consuming it.

The statement added that a forensic report had determined the defendant had tested positive for cannabis consumption.

The prosecution said that it built the case upon the testimonies of the victims and a number of witnesses as well as police investigations. Evidence gathered included a number of SMS and screenshots of conversations between victims and the defendant.

Dozens of women anonymously accused Zaki of committing a multitude of sexual crimes in an online campaign earlier this summer. Some of the victims posted messages and calls with him that purportedly supported their claims.

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On Monday morning, the usually crowded Mien Dong Bus Station had just a few people buying tickets to travel during the National Day holiday.

The station, the largest in Vietnam, hosts buses that travel from Ho Chi Minh City to south-eastern provinces as also the central and northern regions.

Do Van Phuong, 34, said he had just bought two sleeping bus tickets to travel to the beach town of Nha Trang on Tuesday night.

"I could have booked these tickets online but from experience in previous years, its usually difficult to buy tickets on the companys website as too many people do it at the same time. So I decided to come here in person to be certain. But there were not many passengers and I got the tickets quite easily. "

Also Tuesday, Hoang Dung, 26, bought a ticket for Phu Yen Province, also on the central coast. She got the tickets within five minutes, and there were still many left for different departure times.

"Due to the pandemic, not many people are choosing to travel this holiday. We do not have to jostle to buy tickets as weve had to in previous years," she said.

Do Phu Dat, deputy director of the station, said the number of passengers traveling from the station was around 14,000 on September 1, down 55 percent against last year, and 16,000 on September 2, down 72 percent.

Ever since the pandemic resurfaced in Da Nang City late July, the average number of passengers at the station has dropped by as much as 21,000 each day.

Staff at the Mien Tay Bus Station, from where passengers travel to the Mekong Delta, said the number of tickets sold for this National Day holiday has dropped around 50-55 percent over last year at just 18,000-20,000 on the peak day, September 1.

At both stations, staff blame the Covid-19 pandemic for the significant drop of passengers.

Due to the national social distancing campaign in April and the resurfacing of the pandemic, the number of passengers traveling from the two stations between April 23 and August 16 dropped 48 percent against last year.

Vietnam has recorded 1,044 Covid-19 cases to date with 735 recoveries and 34 deaths.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is demanding an independent probe of the valuations of royalty rights in the Agyapa Royalties deal before backing down on some contentions with the deal.

At a press conference on Tuesday, September 1, Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu said a future National Democratic Congress government will not honour the terms of the Agyapa deal if the doubts of the Minority are not cleared.

The NDC maintains that Ghanas assets have been grossly undervalued in the agreement.

Based on a preliminary assessment, the government has valued Ghanas royalty rights at $1 billion.

But Mr Iddrisu insists that the worth of our gold revenue and their projects needs a further thorough probe by independent economic transaction advisors for us to appreciate that they [the Akufo-Addo administration] are not ripping this country off.

He made reference to the Power Distribution Services deal which was abrogated after it took off because of purported fraud.

Agreements similar to it [like the Agyapa deal] will walk on the same path tomorrow, he stated.

Despite the Minoritys call for minimum documentation, Mr Iddrisu contends that the government refuses to be transparent with the deal.

The Minority, which boycotted the approval of the agreement in Parliament, has raised questions about the value of Ghana's royalties and fears the government has been trying to hide the beneficial owners of the deal.

It has also cautioned that Agyapa Royalties Limited, the Special Purpose Vehicle created for the deal, could be used as a conduit for money laundering.

Among the issues outlined by the Minority Leader were issues of conflict of interest and procurement malfeasance.

He said further clarity on the procurement for Africa legal Associates, which has Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko as a partner, to consult on the deal, among other legal entities named.

How were they procured and how much have they been paid and whether this was done competitively and advertised for the good people of Ghana. We also want to know the cost of the transaction and how much has been paid to those firms and why the choice of the Senior Minister's son, Mr Iddrisu added.

Because of these concerns, the Minority also intends to make a complaint to the London Stock Exchange, on which Agyapa Royalties will be listed.

The Minority wants to make clear its belief that this agreement is therefore tainted with some corrupt acts.

We will today put the London Stock Exchange and the Financial Conduct Authority on notice that this agreement does not meet the minimum requirement of diligence and transparency and minimum requirements of our constitution, Mr Iddrisu said.

About the deal

In 2018, Parliament passed the Minerals Income Investment Fund Act 2018 which establishes the Fund to manage the equity interests of Ghana in mining companies and receive royalties on behalf of government.

The purpose of the fund is to manage and invest these royalties and revenue from equities for higher returns for the benefit of the country.

The government then, through the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), set up Agyapa Royalties Limited to monetise Ghana's gold royalties.

This was after Parliament on August 14, approved the Agyapa Mineral Royalty Limited agreement with the government of Ghana despite the walkout by the Minority.

In exchange, the company plans to raise between $500 million and $750 million for the Government on the Ghana and London Stock exchanges to invest in developmental projects.

---citinewsroom
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan has increased to 41,994, Trend reports with reference to the statistics of the Uzbek Ministry of Health.

To date, 39,275 (93 percent) patients have fully recovered in the country, while 320 have died.

Under the instructions of president of Uzbekistan, unlimited movement of vehicles, as well as local air and railway travel in Uzbekistan, was resumed since August 15, 2020. Also, from August 17, 2020, Tashkent resumed public transportation.

Citizens are required to wear masks when entering public transport (buses).

Meanwhile, from August 20, 2020, clothing and building material markets, large shops, gyms, fitness clubs, and swimming pools resumed operations.

The first case of coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan was detected on March 15 in the laboratory of the Research Institute of Virology; it was an Uzbek woman who returned from France. The Ministry of Health later announced that her son, daughter, husband, and grandson also tested positive for coronavirus.

The outbreak in the Chinese Wuhan city - which is an international transport hub - began at a fishing market in late December 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.

Uzbekistan as an active member of the WHO European Regional Office has joined the Coronavirus vaccination program.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Authorities say the deadly explosion at the Proshyan Brandy Factorys plant in the Armavir village on September 1 was caused by negligent welding works near the wine distillation tanks of the facility.

Two employees of the factory were killed and four others injured in the blast.

A criminal case is initiated on Article 157  Violation of Work Safety Rules, the Committee of Investigations said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
New York City schools will open to students for in-person classes on September 21, about ten days later than originally anticipated. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

New York City Schools will return students to classrooms for in-person instruction beginning on September 21, 10 days later than anticipated.

Students haven't stepped inside schools since the city shifted to remote learning on March 16.

Teachers will return to classrooms on September 8 to prepare, and remote instruction will begin on September 16.

While some US school districts have brought students back for in-person learning, most major districts have kept students learning remotely in order to avoid further coronavirus outbreaks.

While New York experienced the worst outbreak of COVID-19 nationally at the start of the pandemic, the positivity rate in the state is now less than 1%.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The city of New York plans to allow its 1.1 million public school students back to classrooms for in-person learning beginning on September 21, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.

The September 21 date delays the start of the school year by 10 days after educators in the city expressed concerns over their ability to get their school buildings ready to welcome students back in time. School leaders cited issues implementing with proper preventative measures, like when to test students for COVID-19, and concerns over aging ventilation systems in school buildings, The New York Times reported.

New York educators also had concerns about how they would be able to create lessons that would serve both students who returned to school buildings and those who opted to continue learning virtually, according to the report. Before the new plans were announced, the union representing teachers in New York City had planned a vote Tuesday afternoon to authorize a strike over concerns related to the original back-to-school date.

Teachers in the largest US school system will return to their classrooms beginning on September 8 in order to prepare for the return of students, who haven't been inside schools since the city shifted students to remote learning on March 16. In August, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave the go-ahead for school buildings throughout the state to reopen.

Story continues

"If any state can do it, this state can do it because we've been smart since day one," Cuomo said last month. "We can bring the same level of intelligence that we brought to the economic reopening."

While the state of New York experienced the worst US outbreak of the novel coronavirus at the outset of the pandemic reaching the country, its mitigation measures have been successful. The state has maintained a positivity rate of approximately 1% since July, down from a peak of 50% in April, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

De Blasio has argued that New York City students, especially those in the city's low-income neighborhoods, need in-person instruction to succeed, as The New York Times noted.

School systems in other major cities, from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, announced their students would begin the school year online over coronavirus concerns. Some school systems, however, like those in Detroit, have implemented plans that afford students the opportunity to return to the classroom.

Some school districts across the US that had already opened to students experienced outbreaks and were forced to quarantine students and staff. Several US universities that brought students back to campus later shifted their semesters online after experiencing outbreaks.

The question over whether to welcome students has been the subject of monthslong nationwide debate, with President Donald Trump serving as a vocal proponent of a return to in-person instruction.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A former Starr County Sheriffs Office captain convicted of providing law enforcement information to drug traffickers has been arrested after U.S. Border Patrol agents found a gun in his truck, according to court documents.

A criminal complaint filed on Tuesday charged Romeo Javier Ramirez Jr. with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The case unraveled Aug. 23, when a white Chevrolet pickup arrived at the checkpoint on Texas 16. Hebbronville Station agents identified the driver as Ramirez. He stated he was on his way to work in San Antonio. During his inspection, a K-9 unit allegedly alerted to possible contraband within the vehicle, and Ramirez was referred to secondary inspection.

A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of a FN Herstal 5.7x28mm pistol and three magazines containing 66 rounds of ammo in the backseat, according to court documents.

Ramirez admitted to agents that he was a felon and could not possess a firearm. Ramirez also told agents that the firearm they discovered was his and that he was carrying it with him for protection, states the affidavit.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agents responded to further investigate the incident. Prior to questioning, authorities reviewed Ramirezs criminal history and confirmed he was convicted of extortion under color of official right.

From 2006 to 2008, Ramirez received about $30,000 from traffickers to provide law enforcement information. He served 12 months and one day in federal prison. Ramirez allegedly agreed to provide a statement following his arrest on the gun allegation.

Ramirez told agents that while working as a police officer in 2013, he plead guilty and was convicted of bribery under the color of law and sentenced to 12 months and one day, states the affidavit.

Regarding the gun, he said he put it in his truck about two months ago and forgot it was in the backseat, according to court documents. He allegedly purchased it two years ago.

Ramirez remains in federal custody.
We used to get up in the morning and go to the nearby park and pick all types of beautiful flowers for making our flower rangoli on Onam. I miss doing that, this year, says Chitra Madanan, a Delhi-based corporate. One of the many city residents who will be celebrating Onam this year, with precautions such as practising social distancing, Madanan says, I will be making rangoli from the flowers delivered to our house. Me and my friends will share our final rangoli design, over WhatsApp, with each other to see who gets the most likes, gleams Madanan.

Onam (August 22 to September 2, 2020) celebration is almost synonymous with payasam, a milk and rice pudding that is prepared for guests who visit their relatives on the festival. Manmohan M, a DU student, who is spending this Onam at his PG, away from his family in Kerala, feels its difficult to even meet his relatives in the Capital. I cant believe that this year I wont be able to enjoy the payasam that my aunt makes! Usually my friends who live in the same PG as me, accompany me to my aunts house in Vasant Kunj, to enjoy the Onam feast. This year, however, has put a dampener on our plans. So, we decided to try out making payasam on our own watching a YouTube link. Hopefully it doesnt burn!

During Onam celebrations, in the pre-pandemic times, a Malayali household would usually be packed with friends and family who were invited for lunch or dinner, to share a special Onam Sadhya (feast)! Right now its not advisable to invite relatives over from different parts of the city at ones place due to the pandemic, so I have sent out an invite to my neighbours for weekend lunch, says Ijaya Nambiar, a Gurugrammer, who plans to celebrate Onam with as much fervour as she did last year. Celebration means happiness. It doesnt matter if the happiness is of a friend or a relative, she adds.

Some denizens are planning to dress up in traditional attire and light lamps at home. Our RWA has cancelled the annual celebration that we have for Onam. Ill still don the traditional attire, light lamps and pray for the well being of everybody, especially those fighting Covid-19, says Gouri R, a Delhi-based homemaker, adding, We are all hoping that Onam ushers in a new beginning for everyone and the pandemic ends soon. May Onam bring us the much needed cure for the pandemic.

Author tweets @FizzyBuddha

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Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 1 : With the Kerala Police on Tuesday formally arresting four Congress workers and taking into custody another four alleged to be part of the conspiracy to eliminate two activists of the CPI-M's youth wing, a war of words has broken out between the two parties. The Congress is demanding a CBI probe into the double murder.

The four were arrested on Monday and another four accused were being questioned on Tuesday.

The murders took place close to midnight on Sunday, when 24-year-old Haq Mohammed and 32-year-old Mithilaj, both youth wing activists of the CPI-M, were hacked to death by five people who came on bikes armed with swords and knives at Venjaramoodu, about 25 kms from the state capital's suburbs.

According to the police, the arrested include Shejith, Ajith, Najeeb and Sathi, while two others -- the prime accused Sajeev and Sanal -- are yet to be arrested. Four more people have been picked up for questioning.

State Industries Minister E. P. Jayarajan, soon after visiting the homes of the victims alleged that the Congress MP from the locality Adoor Prakash knew everything about the incident.

"There are reports that have come out that after the brutal murder of the two young CPI-M party workers, the attackers got in touch with Prakash. This is a cold blooded murder unleashed by the Congress party, who are out to wreck things. A detailed probe will have to be done," said Jayarajan.

Reacting to this, Prakash said the onus was on Jayarajan to prove his allegation.

"I am ready to take up the challenge as I have done nothing in this. As the local MP, it's my duty to get involved when our party workers are wrongly arrested by the police. Since Jayarajan has levelled this allegation about me, the onus is on him to prove it," said Prakash.

Joining issue was State Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran who condemned the brutal murders and said they do not have faith in a probe by those who are close to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

"CPI-M is a party which celebrates murder and they indulge in collecting party funds in the name of murder. We do not have faith in a probe by the police of Vijayan, instead we demand a CBI probe, then only the truth will come out. The Congress party is not one which dabbles in violence and has always condemned any such acts. The Congress party has no role in this ghastly incident," said Ramachandran.

Even though the FIR does not mention that these are political murders, the police pointed out that these two factions first clashed during the May 2019 Lok Sabha polls and since then, there has been an uneasy calm between them.

The top CPI-M leadership, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, condemned the double murder and ordered a probe into it.

The incident occurred when the two deceased, who were travelling on a bike, were stopped and attacked by the five persons who came on two bikes. While Mithilaj died on the spot, Mohammed died in the hospital.

After the incident, angry CPI-M workers went around the area and are alleged to have damaged the Congress offices at several places in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
PATNA

Former commissioner of Patna Municipal Corporation, Anupam Kumar Suman, on Tuesday ridiculed the state governments show cause slapped on him for disciplinary action for the last years water logging in the capital city and said chief minister Nitish Kumar should also be held to account for the mess.

Suman, a 2004-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, said he took to the media to reply to the state governments charge, which he received a couple of days ago, because the letter did not bear any significance as he had taken voluntary retirement. I would have definitely given a befitting reply had I been in service, said Suman, adding that he came to know about the state governments action against him only through the media.

Blaming the acute shortage of resources and lack of political will for perennial waterlogging in Patna, Suman said he fell victim to witch-hunting. If head of the institution is held accountable for fault at the subordinate level, how the PMC mayor, departmental minister and the chief minister shall escape the responsibility. They also review every bit of PMCs preparations for the monsoon, he said.

Dismissing the charge levelled by the state government against him, Suman said flimsy grounds such as lack of leadership quality, inaccessibility, absence of proper cleaning of drainage, etc, were cited as reasons for his suspension, which never came into effect. Why the government did not fix responsibility on the officers who waste public exchequer and time to sanction projects under Smart City mission and then cancel them without any substantial reasons, asked the former PMC head.

Almost a month before Patna was caught in deluge due to heavy showers for four days (September 27-30) last year, Suman had stepped down as the PMC chief and sought voluntary retirement from his parent department, the ministry of revenue. Suman claimed his VRS was accepted recently.

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Kangana Ranaut took to Twitter on Monday to share the story of how her mother adopted a Dalit womans daughter when she was young. Kanganas posts were in response to being tagged in news stories about the atrocities on Dalit community in the country.

Kangana shared a bunch of pictures from her childhood with her adopted sister in a Twitter thread. Dear friends, I see a lot of people tag me in all the news of atrocities inflicted on Dalits and many over smart people who know India only through news mock my take on modern India,sharing the story of my own life n my sister Rajudi the bride in the picture,do read the thread, she wrote with her post. It included a picture of Kangana and her sister Rangoli Chandel with Rajudi at her wedding.

Dear friends, I see a lot of people tag me in all the news of atrocities inflicted on Dalits and many over smart people who know India only through news mock my take on modern India,sharing the story of my own life n my sister Rajudi the bride in the picture,do read the thread  pic.twitter.com/VYviE42BtH  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 31, 2020

Raju di grew up with us and at the age of 21 mom married her to Bhumi Jiju, they live in Chandigarh, this week her son Bhanu got married, when I received the lovely pictures of the couple my mother said in passing the girl is a Brahmin, this will never be shown in any news  pic.twitter.com/8o63XqV52C  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 31, 2020

3) Few relatives condemned moms actions but noone dared say anything in front of Raju di.

4) I dont call Rangoli didi but papa made sure we call Rajudi didi

5) Rangs and Raju di shared bedroom,where I wasnt allowed because of my age and girl talk.

This is the India I know   Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 31, 2020

Rajudis mom... Mansa mausi with me in my ancestral house, she is like a mother to me and all the children of the house, this is what our parents taught us, I want to encourage this India not the brutal orthodox sadistic India which people glorify for their political gains  pic.twitter.com/ucpBkCNhMA  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 31, 2020

My mother was newly married she got deeply affected by the plight of a Dalit woman called Mansa in the village who had three daughters but no source of income,against her in-laws wish she adopted the youngest baby girl named her Rajkumari,sent her to school later to college, she added in another tweet. Kangana said that her mother got Rajudi married and this week, Rajudis son got married to a Brahmin girl. This will never be shown in any news, she said.

The atrocities against Dalits you all tag me on I have never experienced but I believe you, but when I share the modern India my mother gave me who are you to call me a liar? Anyway these children look so good together, please bless them, she said. Kangana added that her mother had to face criticism by her relatives for adopting Rajudi. The girl would help around the kitchen in the beginning but after objections from their grandmother, she was restricted to serving food.

Kangana said that while she never called her sister Rangoli didi, her father told them to address Rajudi as didi. This is the India I know, she wrote.

Also read: Happy birthday Rajkummar Rao: 5 must-watch films of the actor that prove he is one of the finest of his generation

Kangana recently took over her teams Twitter handle and announced her arrival on social media with a video. She said that she made the decision after witnessing the power of social media with the mass movement on seeking justice for late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Availability of unlicensed spectrums such as CBRS and MulteFire bands, growing demand in industrial and commercial IoT and mobile robotics and ML are expected to shape the future of the private LTE market



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05661895/?utm_source=PRN



The global private LTE market size is projected to grow from USD 4.0 billion in 2020 to USD 7.5 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.6% during the forecast period. Major factors such as the need for unique and defined network quality are expected to drive the growth of the global private LTE market. However, the fragmented spectrum may limit the market growth.



TDD segment to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period

It is used with data transmissions (data or digitized voice).The LTE-TDD mode is complementary and the perfect choice for providing high-speed mobile broadband access in an unpaired spectrum.



Several operators have deployed both FDD and TDD modes in their networks. LTE-TDD also provides a path for Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA).



Unlicensed segment to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

3GPP has industrialized a new approach with LTE License Assisted Access (LAA) to enable access to LTE-U in the 5GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. Globally, a substantial amount of unlicensed spectrum available in the ISM band can be used across a wide range of applications. Enterprises can design, develop, and operate private LTE networks in unlicensed bands. For instance, MulteFire, with its unlicensed band, provides optimum network coverage, improves network capacity, offers seamless mobility, and increases QoS. Apart from enterprises, telecom operators can also use unlicensed bands with carrier aggregation technology to extend their network coverage. Unlicensed bands have opened up several opportunities for enterprises, ISPs, CSPs, MSPs, MNOs, and cable operators by acting as a neutral host to support multiple business use cases.



Asia Pacific (APAC) region to record the highest market share in thePrivate LTEmarket in 2020

APAC is an emerging region in the private LTE market.China, Japan, and Australia are the major countries contributing to the growth in APAC.



APAC also constitutes major economies, such as Singapore, South Korea, and India.Japan, China, and Australia as essential for the growth of the private LTE market in this region.



Japan and China are the largest manufacturing economies that produce automobiles, IT products, and electronic products. Manufacturing paradigm has changed considerably with industry seeking advanced technologies such as robotics and big data analytics becoming popular among them.

 By Company Type: Tier 1  35%, Tier 2  39%, and Tier 3  26%

 By Designation: C-level  55%, Directors  40%, and Others  5%

 By Region: North America  38%,Europe 40%, APAC 21%,and Rest of the World (RoW) 1%



This research study outlines the market potential, market dynamics, and major vendors operating in the private LTE market. Key and innovative vendors in the private LTE market include Nokia( Finland),Ericsson (Sweden), Huawei (China),ZTE(China), NEC(Japan),Affirmed Networks(US), Athonet (Italy)Samsung (South Korea), Redline communications(Canada), Airspan (US), Boingo Wireless (US), ASOCS (Israel), Casa Systems (US), Cisco (US), Comba (Hong Kong), CommScope (US), Druid Software (Ireland), ExteNet Systems(US), Fujitsu (Japan), Lemko (US), Mavenir(US), Quortus (UK), Star Solutions(Canada), Tecore(US), Telrad Networks(Israel), Wireless Excellence (UK), Accelleran(Belgium), Air-Lynx (France), Altiostar(US), Amarisoft(France), Baicells Technologies (US), Celona (US), IPLOOK (Hong Kong), JMA Wireless(US), Parallel Wireless(US), Phluido (US), NetNumber (US), JI Technology(Japan), Verizon (US), Sierra Wireless (Canada), Future Technologies (US), Ambra Solutions(Canada), URSYS (Australia), Geoverse (US), and Cradlepoint (US).These vendors have adopted many organic as well as inorganic growth strategies, such as new product launches, and partnerships and collaborations, to expand their offerings and market shares in the private LTE market.



Research coverage

The market study covers the private LTE market across different segments.It aims at estimating the market size and the growth potential of this market across different segments based on component, technology, frequency band, end users, and regions.



The study also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key market players, along with their company profiles, key observations related to product and business offerings, recent developments, and key market strategies.



Key benefits of buying the report

The report is expected to help the market leaders/new entrants in this market by providing them information on the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall private LTE market and its segments.This report is also expected to help stakeholders understand the competitive landscape and gain insights to improve the position of their businesses and to plan suitable go-to-market strategies.



The report also aims at helping stakeholders understand the pulse of the market and provide them with information on key market drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05661895/?utm_source=PRN



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Malaysia on Tuesday said it would bar entry of long-term immigration pass holders from India, Indonesia and the Philippines from September 7, in a bid to curtail imported coronavirus cases amid a spate of new clusters in the country.

Health authorities in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy have recorded over 9,300 cases as of Tuesday, and 128 deaths, with new cases found in clusters detected in at least four states.

The entry ban on pass holders from the three countries will include permanent residents, expatriates, students and those on spouse visas and participants of Malaysia's My Second Home programme, senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

"The decision was made on the advice of the health ministry to clamp down on the spread of imported COVID-19 cases," Ismail Sabri said in a televised news conference.

India is the third most affected country by the pandemic behind the United States and Brazil, with its coronavirus tally reaching nearly 3.7 million on Tuesday.

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

A total of 7,505 people have died of the coronavirus in Indonesia, the highest in the region, while the Philippines, which has reported over 224,000 cases, has seen a continuous rise in infections.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
South Africa: Sisulu orders Gauteng to deal with officials in illegal sale of houses

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says the Gauteng Provincial Government must deal with officials implicated in the sale of government houses.

This follows reports that some public servants have illegally benefitted in the Clayvile Housing Project in Tembisa.

According to the Gauteng Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements, some units expected to be allocated to indigent beneficiaries have been sold to public servants, who do not qualify for fully subsidised housing.

We commend members of the public for their bravery in exposing these unlawful activities. We cannot have public servants who break the law and steal from the poor.

We have full confidence in our law enforcement agencies that they will get to the bottom of this, even if it means arresting some of their own, Sisulu said.

Sisulu has also appealed to Co-operative Governance MEC Lebogang Maile to deal swiftly with those fingered in this illegal act.

The Clayville Mega City Project is one of the integrated housing development projects in Gauteng, which is expected to deliver over 14 000 units, consisting of fully subsidised government housing, rental stock and bonded houses, as well as social amenities including schools, parks and shopping centre.

Sisulu has also encouraged members of the public to be vigilant and to protect what is due to them by exposing and reporting all suspicious activities in human settlements projects.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Nicola Sturgeon has unveiled her programme for government - Getty Images Europe

Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of living in a "bubble" after unveiling plans in the middle of a pandemic for another independence referendum while doing little more to stem a wave of imminent job losses.

Unveiling her Programme for Government for the coming year, Holyrood's version of Westminster's Queen's Speech, the First Minister said she would publish a draft Referendum Bill with a ballot paper question and timetable.

She said she would then seek a "clear endorsement" for another separation vote in next May's Holyrood election, with polls suggesting she is on course for a landslide victory.

Boris Johnson would come under intense political pressure to drop his opposition to handing Ms Sturgeon the powers to stage a legal vote, amid concerns blocking it would drive up support for separation.

But the new Scottish Tory leader castigated Ms Sturgeon for publishing independence legislation "in the middle of a pandemic", with Scotland facing a tidal wave of job losses.

Douglas Ross said the First Minister "just doesn't get it" and "needs to leave the Holyrood bubble and get back into the real world, where people are fearful of losing their jobs".

Business leaders welcomed an array of longer-term financial measures in the programme, including a 100 million Green Jobs Fund, but warned it lacked the urgency required to help companies on the brink of collapse.

Andrew McRae, the Federation of Small Businesses' Scotland policy chair, said: "Our big concern is that few of these initiatives will kick in overnight and at least some businesses are reaching the end of the road."

Liz Cameron, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce chief executive, also praised the blueprint's "ambitious aims" but said: "We need to ensure equal amounts of energy and investment are focused on the survival of our businesses now as well as into the future.

Story continues

Tracy Black, CBI Scotland's director, warned that the furlough scheme winding up next month meant "speed is of the essence". She added: "There isn't a moment to lose."

First Minister @NicolaSturgeon set out her Programme for Government earlier today in @ScotParl.



It details our continuing response to coronavirus and our plans to shape a stronger, greener and fairer future for Scotland.



Find out more  https://t.co/ynOovuvtbb#ScotPfG #BSL pic.twitter.com/ZG9wb68Ch8  Scottish Government (@scotgov) September 1, 2020

However, Ms Sturgeon argued the emphasis was on the Chancellor to extend the scheme, saying it would be "unconscionable" to allow "otherwise viable businesses" to go under.

Among the other major announcements in her speech was a review of the care sector, which will examine the creation of a National Care Service.

Coronavirus claimed the lives of at least 1,950 residents after hundreds of hospital patients were transferred into the facilities, including more than 1,000 who were not tested and at least 37 who had previously tested positive.

Jeane Freeman, the Scottish Health Secretary, later told parliament the "vital" review would produce its first report by January, to allow the next parliament to "take any steps necessary - legislative or otherwise - to put in place the reforms our adult care sector needs".

Ms Sturgeon also announced of a proximity tracing app later this month to track down contacts of those infected with the virus.

She said the Protect Scotland app would tell people if they have "been exposed to someone who has tested positive - even if you dont know them and they dont know you".

Video GP consultations are to become the "default option", she also said, and a new centre created to support firms and employees to continue home working indefinitely.



Its not been a generation Nicola - ditch independence and get on with the day job. pic.twitter.com/TOWakuWcly  Jackson Carlaw MSP (@Jackson_Carlaw) September 1, 2020

Her programme was published against the backdrop of official figures published showing Scotland's economy suffered one of the deepest recessions in Europe during lockdown and has bounced back far more slowly than the UK's.

Ms Sturgeon used her address to announce training funding for 10,000 people facing redundancy and a guarantee to ensure every young person get access work, education or training.

The First Minister also unveiled plans for a 100 million Green Jobs Fund over the next five years and an inward investment plan to create 100,000 jobs over the next decade.

But she received by far the loudest cheer from her backbenchers over her referendum announcement, which followed a series of polls showing a small majority of Scots now support separation.

The First Minister just doesnt get it.



We need to take Scotland forward and recover from this crisis together, not go back to the divisions of the past. pic.twitter.com/AKPZdUbUEP  Douglas Ross MP (@Douglas4Moray) September 1, 2020

"That is why, before the end of this Parliament, we will publish a draft Bill, setting out the proposed terms and timing of an independence referendum, as well as the proposed question that people will be asked in that referendum," she said.

"And then at next years election, we will make the case for Scotland to become an independent country, and seek a clear endorsement of Scotlands right to choose our own future."

Mr Ross, the Moray MP, said: This was the moment where the First Minister could have put selfish, narrow interests to one side and united the country.

Instead, were told the solution is another Referendum Bill, only this time in the middle of a pandemic."

Ian Murray, Labour's Shadow Scottish Secretary, said: This reckless announcement from the First Minister shows that her top priority is to divide the people of Scotland.

All her focus should be on post-Covid recovery, not returning to the old politics of division that will harm Scotlands society and economy."
The Allahabad high court on Tuesday quashed the detention of Dr Kafeel Khan under the National Security Act and ordered his immediate release, saying the Aligarh district magistrate did a "selective reading" of his speech at the Aligarh Muslim University.

IMAGE: The order comes days after the Supreme Court asked the high court to decide and dispose of the petition related to the release of Dr Kafeel Khan in 15 days. Photograph: ANI Photo

The bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Marhur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh allowed the writ petition filed by Khan's mother Nuzhat Parveen and said the order for his detention passed by the district magistrate is illegal.

The petition argued that Khan was granted bail in February by a competent court and he was supposed to be released on bail. However, he was not released for four days and the National Security Act was subsequently invoked against him. Hence, his detention was illegal.

Khan has been in jail since January after he delivered the allegedly provocative speech at the AMU during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in December last year. He is lodged in Mathura jail.

Under the NSA, a person can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if authorities are satisfied that he or she is a threat to national security or law and order.

Quashing Khan's detention order, the court said, "A complete reading of the speech prima facie does not disclose any effort to promote hatred or violence. It also no where threatens peace and tranquility of the city of Aligarh. The address gives a call for national integrity and unity among the citizens. The speech also deprecates any kind of violence.

"It appears that the District Magistrate had selective reading and selective mention for few phrases from the speech ignoring its true intent."

The court further said in the instant case, the "causal link is found to be missing or completely broken".

"In absence of any material indicating that the detainee continued to act in a manner prejudicial to public order from December 12, 2019 up to February 13, 2020 or that he committed any such other or further act as may have had that effect, the preventive detention order cannot be sustained," it said.

"In fact, the grounds of detention are silent as to public order at Aligarh being at risk of any prejudice in February 2020 on account of the offending act attributed to the detainee on the date December 12, 2019," the court said in its order.

"What remains is a mere apprehension expressed by the detaining authority without supporting material on which such apprehension may be founded," it said.

The court said it had also tested the legality of the detention on the count of giving effective opportunity to the detainee to represent at earliest.

"The grounds for detention along with material were supplied to the detainee in light of clause (5) of Article 22 of the Constitution of India enabling him to submit representation to the competent authorities at earliest," it said.

"The material so given was a compact disk of the speech delivered by Dr Kafeel Khan on 12th December, 2019 at Bab-e-Syed gate of Aligarh Muslim University," it said.

"On asking, it is conveyed to us that no transcript of the speech was supplied to the detainee. The non-supply of transcript would have been of no consequence, if a device would have been supplied to the detainee to play the compact disk. It is the position admitted that no such device was made available to the detainee," it added.

One more important aspect of the matter is that the orders of extension of detention were never served upon the detainee, the court said.

"The record shown to us and the pleadings of the petition also refer that only radiograms relating to decision of the State Government for extension of the term of detention were supplied to the detainee," it said.

"The radiograms mention that the actual order shall be sent through speed post but in fact nothing except the radiograms were given to the detainee. In light of the discussion above, we are having no hesitation in concluding that neither detention of Dr Kafeel Khan under National Security Act, 1980 nor extension of the detention are sustainable in the eye of law," it said.

In its order, the court said, "The writ petition for the reasons above is allowed. The order of detention dated 13th February, 2020 passed by District Magistrate, Aligarh and confirmed by the State of Uttar Pradesh is set aside. The extension of the period of detention of detenue Dr Kafeel Khan is also declared illegal."

"A writ in the nature of habeas corpus is hereby issued to release Dr Kafeel Khan, the detenue, from State custody forthwith," it said.

In August, the Uttar Pradesh government had extended Khan's detention under the NSA by a period of three months.

In an order dated August 4, the Home Department said the NSA was invoked against Khan on February 13, 2020, on the orders of the Aligarh district magistrate. After this, the matter was sent to the advisory council, which, in its report, said there are "enough reasons" to keep Khan in jail.

Khan first hit headlines after the 2017 tragedy at Gorakhpur's Baba Raghav Das Medical College, where several kids died due to lack of oxygen cylinders.

Initially, he was hailed as a saviour for the children for arranging emergency oxygen cylinders. However, later, he faced action along with nine other doctors and staff members of the hospital, all of whom were released on bail.
In March, Costa Rica imposed strict land and air border closures, effectively shutting U.S. travelers out of the small Central American nation.

Beginning in waves this September, however, residents of 11 states and D.C. will be allowed to visit Costa Rica once again, with a negative coronavirus test result in hand.
THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 is considering plans to allow more public utility vehicles (PUVs) from other local government units to enter Cebu City after the city was placed on modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, until the end of the month.

However, the PUJs dont include traditional public utility jeepneys (TPUJs) which, until now, are not yet allowed to operate in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

LTFRB 7 Director Eduardo Montealto Jr. said a coordination meeting with Cebu City is scheduled on Thursday, Sept. 3.

We want to know their plans, like which additional establishments will be allowed to open and how many workers will they allow. We want to know where these establishments are located so we can study the routes that we will reopen, he said in Cebuano.

He said LTFRB has allowed some units to enter when Cebu City was placed on GCQ, but they will need to determine the number of additional PUVs that will need permits to enter the city, while also considering the City Governments guidelines.

He said they will also find out if buses from the south whose current end-point is Lantaw in Talisay City can now enter Cebu City.

Montealto also assured that they will issue special permits to operate more buses and other means of transportation suitable for the area.

Memorandum

He said 23 additional buses will be deployed in Cebu City by Friday, Sept. 4, after meeting with some bus operators.

In a regional memorandum, dated Sept. 1, Montealto said the LTFRB 7 allows the automatic renewal of special permits issued to all PUVs, except trucks-for-hire, without extra fees, effective Sept. 1 to 6.

He also said all modernized public utility jeepneys (MPUJs) will operate in their authorized routes per certificate of public convenience with corresponding issuance of special permits.

This, he said, is to ensure a continuous and unhampered public transportation to cater to personnel of health care and other frontline services tasked to enforce MGCQ guidelines.

Story continues

He said operators who were given special permits are advised to visit LTFRB 7s official Facebook page for further updates and route modification.

PUVs operating without special permits will be tantamount to colorum operations.

As of Aug. 16, the LTFRB 7 issued 22 special permits for Utility Vehicle Express; 130 for TPUJs in Cebu Province; and 98 for buses and MPUJs in the tri-cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

It also issued special permits for 142 buses and MPUJs to operate in Cebu City; 252 for buses operating in northern Cebu; and 342 for buses operating in southern Cebu. (WBS)
MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish economy has been growing at a rate of more than 10% so far in the third quarter after a record drop in the preceding quarter due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Economy Minister Nadia Calvino said on Monday.

The Spanish economy was one of the worst-hit by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in Europe, posting an 18.5% contraction in April-June from the previous quarter as non-essential activities ground to a halt for most of the period. It had contracted 5.2% in the first quarter.

"With all the precaution and prudence, we can expect growth of more than 10% in the third quarter of the year," Calvino told a financial event held in the northern city of Santander.

The growth estimate from Calvino, who also said the labour market was rebounding, is slightly more conservative than that by fiscal watchdog AIReF, which last week upgraded its third quarter GDP expansion forecast to 15.2%.

To repair the ravaged economy, the Spanish government is counting on the 140 billion euros (125.23 billion pounds) it is due to receive from the European Union's recovery fund, about half of which will be in non-repayable grants.

"A plan that, according to government estimates, will lift up our country's economic growth by more than two percentage points in the long run," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a conference in Madrid.

The Spanish central bank has said the economy could contract by 9%-11.6% in 2020, without ruling out an even sharper contraction of 15.1% due to the possibility of a new wave of coronavirus.

(Reporting by Jesus Aguado, Emma Pinedo, Belen Carreno and Inti Landauro; editing by Andrei Khalip and Mark Heinrich)
Shanghai: China is able to make India suffer more severe military losses than in the past if it wants to engage in competition, state-backed newspaper Global Times said on Tuesday, after a fresh border flare-up between the two nuclear-armed countries.

Indian forces foiled an attempt by Chinese troops to occupy a hill on the Asian giants disputed border in the western Himalayas, officials in New Delhi said on Monday.

Pangong lake is seen near the India China border in India's Ladakh area. Credit:AP

On the same day, China's military spokesman demanded India withdraw troops that Beijing said had illegally crossed their shared border. China's Foreign Ministry said Chinese border troops had not crossed the line of actual control.

"India ... said it pre-empted Chinese military activity," the Global Times said in an editorial. "The word 'pre-empt' shows it was the Indian troops that first took destructive actions, and the Indian troops initiated the stand-off this time."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is ordering state health agencies to cut ties with Quest Diagnostics, one of the country's largest labs, after the company failed to report nearly 75,000 coronavirus tests in a timely manner, the state's Department of Health said Tuesday.

The bulk of the 75,000 previously unreported tests are two-weeks old with some dating back as many as five months, the department of health said. The Department of Health said Quest informed everyone who tested positive of their results, despite the backlog in reporting onward to the state.

The governor's office did not learn of the backlog in test results until Monday, the Department of Health said.

"The law requires all COVID-19 results to be reported to DOH in a timely manner. To drop this much unusable and stale data is irresponsible," DeSantis said in a statement. "I believe that Quest has abdicated their ability to perform a testing function in Florida that the people can be confident in. As such I am directing all executive agencies to sever their COVID-19 testing relationships with Quest effective immediately."

Jason Mahon, spokesman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said Quest was processed Covid-19 tests at a "limited number" of state-supported testing sites and will no longer be used at them.

"Whenever a lab does not fulfill its obligations to provide testing results with an acceptable turnaround time, or report those results to the state, the Division stops doing business with that lab," he said in a statement to CNBC. He added that he has "no concerns" about transitioning to different labs.

Quest attributed the delay in reporting to a "technical issue," adding that the affected test results are just 75,000 of the roughly 1.4 million coronavirus tests Quest has processed in Florida.

"We apologize for this matter and regret the challenge it poses for public health authorities in Florida. The issue has since been resolved. Importantly, the issue did not affect or delay reporting of test results to providers and patients," Wendy Bost, a spokeswoman for Quest, said in a statement to CNBC. "We remain open to working with the state Department of Health to provide testing that meets the needs required for patient care and public health response."

Shares of Quest traded more than 2% lower in midday trading.

The reporting backlog, the Department of Health said, is impacting the state's data. Without including the backlog, Florida reported 3,773 new cases on Monday and 5.9% of all tests conducted came back positive, the state said. Including the backlog, the percent of tests that came back positive rose to 6.8% and the total number of new cases reported on Monday increased to 7,643, according to the state.

Labs across the country struggled to keep pace with the rapid rise of coronavirus cases earlier this summer, leading to long lines at testing centers and turnaround times of more than a week for some patients. Last week, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith pressed five of the nation's largest testing labs, including Quest, over delays in processing coronavirus tests as the flu season approaches.

While new kinds of tests have come onto the market, alleviating the burden on commercial labs like those operated by Quest, the senators expressed concern that as flu season settles in and the same labs work double-time to process tests for both flu and Covid-19, it "may again strain labs' ability to perform and deliver test results in a timely manner."
The order passed by the Allahabad high court on Tuesday quashing the detention of Dr. Kafeel Khan under National Security Act is one among the long list of recent orders involving Chief Justice Govind Mathur upholding fundamental rights of citizens.

On August 19, justice Mathur took cognizance of a letter addressed to him drawing the attention of the court to an incident in which a student of Benares Hindu University (BHU) went missing on February 16, 2020, after he was allegedly picked up by certain police personnel. The court registered a Habeas Corpus petition based on the letter.

During the hearing of the matter on August 25, a bench headed by justice Mathur took exception to the fact Uttar Pradesh police filed a vague affidavit instead of placing all facts on record.

We fail to understand why the police authorities instead of placing on record all the details relating to the facts that happened on after February 12, 2020 and more specifically after the boy ran away from the police station, which facts must have been recorded in the general diary, have filed a vague affidavit, the court said.

The court ordered Varanasis senior superintendent of police to file an affidavit placing all details relating to the missing of the student and will now hear the case on September 3.

In May, the bench headed by justice Mathur took cognisance of various issues arising due to Covid-19 and the lockdown. In one case, the court passed orders to improve the unhygienic conditions at quarantine centres while in another, the court batted for the welfare of migrant workers who were amongst the worst affected due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Earlier in March, Justice Mathurs bench passed a significant order directing Uttar Pradesh government to remove hoardings erected at public places displaying pictures and addresses of persons alleged to have taken part in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The court held that such hoardings are in violation of right to privacy which is an intrinsic aspect of right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The high court had, in fact, taken up the matter suo motu (on its own) after news reports emerged of Uttar Pradesh police having erected several hoardings across Lucknow, identifying those accused of violence during the protests that took place against the CAA in December last year.

Courts are meant to impart justice and no court can shut its eyes if a public unjust is happening just before it, the order passed on March 9 said.

The UP government had later filed an appeal before the Supreme Court where it is currently pending.
PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Account Reconciliation Software Market by Component (Software and Service), Deployment Model (On-Premise and Cloud), Enterprise Size (Large Enterprises and Small & Medium Enterprises), Reconciliation Type (Bank Reconciliation, Customer Reconciliation, Inter-Company Reconciliation and Others) and Industry Vertical (BFSI, Manufacturing, Retail & E-Commerce, Healthcare, IT & Telecom, Energy & Utilities, Government & Public and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027."According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global account reconciliation software market generated $1.82 billion in 2019, and is estimated to reach $5.38 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 14.6% from 2020 to 2027.

Download Sample Report: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/6978

Key determinants of the market-

Increase in online transactions among various industries and rise in need for reconciliation management system, and growing adoption of automated banking solutions across the globe to reduce reconciliation time augment the growth of the global account reconciliation software market. Nevertheless, various security issues in account reconciliation software restrains the market growth. Conversely, higher adoption of account reconciliation software among the SMEs and rise in usage of machine learning and artificial intelligence in account reconciliation software offer new opportunities in the near future.

COVID-19 scenario:

During COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for account reconciliation software market has been increased, owing to rise in online transactions and surge in use of remote technology.

The market players, on the other hand, have adopted remote working system to continue the working procedures and provide services to the customers.

Moreover, the end of covid-19 is yet unpredictable and therefore, the use of online payment applications and online transactions are anticipated to grow, which would benefit the account reconciliation market as well.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Account Reconciliation Software Market

The large enterprises dominated the market in 2019-

Based on enterprises, the large enterprises segment contributed to the largest share in 2019, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global account reconciliation software market, and is estimated to maintain its dominant position during the forecast period, owing to the increase in the adoption of these systems in large organization. However, the SMEs segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 16.9% from 2020 to 2027. This is due to the rise in adoption of this software by the SMEs.

The large enterprises dominated the market in 2019-

Based on component, the software segment contributed to the largest share in 2019, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global account reconciliation software market, and is estimated to maintain its dominant position during the forecast period, owing to rise in adoption of account reconciliation software as it is cheaper than services and are faster to deploy. However, the services segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 16.5% from 2020 to 2027. Rise in need of various different services such as managed service and professional services drives the growth of the segment.

For Purchase Inquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/6978

North America to lead the trail throughout 2027-

Based on region, North America contributed to the highest share, accounting for more than one-third of the global account reconciliation software market in 2019, and will maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. The availability of major key market players in this region drives the market growth. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 16.4% from 2020 to 2027. This is owing to rise in penetration of IoT, cloud services, and BYOD in this region

Leading market players:

AutoRek

BlackLine Inc.

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Fiserv Inc.

Oracle Corporation

Quickbooks

ReconArt Inc.

SAP SE

Sage Software Solution Pvt. Ltd

Xero Limited

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Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at campaign event at Mill 19 in Pittsburgh on Monday. Read more

I am not banning fracking.

Joe Biden, in a speech in Pittsburgh, Aug. 31

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden appeared Monday in Pittsburgh and defended his position on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking  a controversial drilling technique that has lifted the economy in Western Pennsylvania.

I am not banning fracking. Let me say that again. I am not banning fracking. No matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me, said Biden, who spoke at a Carnegie Mellon University robotics institute.

Bidens remarks came after Trump, speaking Thursday on the final night of the Republican National Convention, accused him of wanting to abolish natural gas production in the United States. Fracking is used to extract natural gas from reservoirs deep beneath the Earths surface.

Weve examined Bidens position on fracking before, so we know he has not called for banning the practice. He wants to block the federal government from issuing new permits for drilling on public lands but would allow existing fracking operations to continue.

The Biden campaign also noted in an email that 90% of fracking takes place on private land.

Bidens position on fracking became muddled earlier this year when he misspoke during a March debate with Bernie Sanders, his last opponent standing in the Democratic primary.

Heres an excerpt of their exchange:

Im talking about stopping fracking as soon as we possibly can, Sanders said. Im talking about telling the fossil fuel industry that they are going to stop destroying this planet  no ifs, buts, and maybes about it.

So am I, Biden replied.

Well, Im not sure your proposal does that, Sanders said.

No more  no new fracking, Biden said.

Biden seemed to be saying he wanted to ban fracking  a sharp departure from his official position. And the former vice presidents opponents pounced.

 READ MORE: Fact-checking Trumps frequent claim that Joe Biden abandoned Scranton

Republican operatives quickly cut a short video of Bidens remarks to use as a cudgel in races against moderate House Democrats, the Washington Post reported. And Sanders supporters accused Biden of misleading voters about his policy, which wouldnt ban fracking like Sanders wanted.

The Biden campaign retracted his remarks the night of the debate, but that hasnt stopped conservative media outlets from inaccurately reporting that Biden supports a total ban on fracking.

Our ruling

Biden said hes not banning fracking if he wins in November. Ban means prohibit, and Biden doesnt want to prohibit fracking. He would allow existing fracking to continue. Biden does, however, want to stop issuing new permits for fracking on public lands, and he left that part out of his speech in Pittsburgh. Bidens statement is accurate but needs clarification. We rate it Mostly True.

Our sources

The Philadelphia Inquirer, A fight over fracking at a Pennsylvania steel mill is forcing a reckoning among Democrats, March 17, 2020

The Hill, GOP mischaracterizes Bidens energy agenda in convention speeches, Aug. 30, 2020

Biden for President, Climate: Joes Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice accessed July 20, 2020

Email interview, Biden campaign, Aug. 31, 2020

The Houston Chronicle, Did Joe Biden just pledge to ban fracking in debate against Bernie Sanders? March 16, 2020

The Washington Post, Fact-checking the Biden fracking fracas, March 19, 2020

Axios, Clearing up the Biden-Bernie fracking tussle at the debate, March 16, 2020

The Washington Free Beacon, Biden Promises No More Drilling Under His Presidency, March 15, 2020

PolitiFact is a nonpartisan, fact-checking website operated by the nonprofit Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
"Post Reports" is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you've come to expect from the newsroom of The Post - for your ears.

- - -

In this episode:

Rachel Lerman explains why President Donald Trump wants to ban TikTok, and what a ban could mean for users and employees in the United States. Emily Rauhala reports on what the pandemic means for international students in America. Plus, Lauren Lumpkin discusses what it feels like to start college remotely.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy arrives to speak during a news conference in Trenton, N.J., on Sept. 12, 2019. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

New Jersey, California Allow Some Indoor Dining to Resume

New Jersey and California on Aug. 31 took a big step toward resumption of their pre-pandemic economies by allowing restaurants to begin limited indoor dining, as new coronavirus cases abated nationwide even as some new hotspots emerged.

The two states are among the few that have continued to ban indoor dining while most others have lifted restrictions, according to the National Governors Association.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the states restaurants and movie theaters could open for indoor service on Sep. 4 for the first time since a coronavirus shutdown in March. But they must limit indoor patrons to 25% of their capacity and space seating between groups in accordance with social-distancing rules, Murphy said at a news conference.

Masks are required to be worn at all times in the theater unless youre pulling it down to put away a handful of popcorn, Murphy said.

California will allow indoor dining in San Diego and San Francisco starting on Aug. 31, and lift some other restrictions in nine counties. Gyms, houses of worship and movie theaters can also reopen for indoor activities with limited capacity.

Full restrictions remain in effect in other California countieswhere 80% of the population livesincluding the states largest, Los Angeles County. Hair salons, however, were allowed to reopen on Aug. 31 with modifications in all counties under a system unveiled on Aug. 28 by Governor Gavin Newsom.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio ruled out a resumption of indoor dining anytime soon for the citys thousands of restaurants.

It would take a huge step forward to get to that point, de Blasio told a briefing on Aug. 31.

Indoor dining with restrictions is permitted in the rest of New York State.

New Jersey and New York were the countrys two hardest-hit states when the virus began spreading in the United States in the spring but have since brought their infection rates down to among the nations lowest.

By contrast, California reported more new cases of COVID-19 in August than any other state, with nearly 200,000 infections. The level is down from July, when California reported over 262,000 new cases, according to a Reuters tally.

Nationally, the number of new cases fell 2% last week, the sixth consecutive week of declines. But the number of new infections still averages more than 41,000 a day. On Aug. 30, the country reached 6 million cases since the start of the pandemic, nearly a quarter of the worlds total.

Coronavirus cases rose in 10 states, up from eight states a week ago, according to a Reuters analysis of the past two weeks compared with the prior two. Deaths rose in 12 states, compared with 13 states a week ago.

By Peter Szekely& Barbara Goldberg
Markus Braun, chief executive officer of Wirecard AG, arrives for the company's annual news conference in the Aschheim district of Munich, Germany, on Tuesday, April 25, 2019.

German lawmakers launched a parliamentary enquiry into the collapse of payments firm Wirecard on Tuesday, a probe that will force the government to reveal more about a failure to avert the country's biggest post-war corporate fraud.

The implosion of what was seen as a German success story once worth $28 billion has embarrassed the government, which prides itself on a reputation for rectitude and reliability, amid criticism that German authorities ignored many red flags.

"This was a fake company," said Fabio de Masi, a German lawmaker who played a key role in launching the enquiry that

empowers parliamentarians to interrogate officials and demand information. "We are not getting the answers we need."

Wirecard is now being dismantled, after its disclosure of a 1.9 billion euro hole in its accounts earlier this year

triggered its insolvency.

Former CEO Markus Braun and other executives have been held on suspicion of running a criminal racket that defrauded

creditors of 3.2 billion euros. They deny wrongdoing. Former chief operating officer Jan Marsalek is on the run.

The company's collapse has highlighted Germany's lax oversight of financial firms, prompting authorities from

regulator BaFin to local government to deflect responsibility for what one top official conceded was a "total disaster".

"Instead of explaining itself, the government is stone walling," said Lisa Paus, of the Green party, announcing the

alliance with the Left party and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) in launching the probe.
Chadwick Boseman received outpouring farewell from fans and fellow actors, including from his "Black Panther" co-star Michael B. Jordan.

The 33-year-old actor, who played the supervillain Erik Killmonger in the Marvel film, shared an emotional tribute after the passing of the South Carolina-born star.

Boseman's death was confirmed through a statement posted on his official social media, revealing that the 43-year-old actor died due to complications from his four-year battle with colon cancer.

"Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV. A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much," the statement read. It came withh a black and white photo of the actor.

Meanwhile, the "Just Mercy" star took to Instagram to write a heartfelt message to Boseman.

He began his lengthy post by admitting that he was devastated by his death and "wished" he had one more time with the actor.

Jordan mentioned how the "Da 5 Bloods" star helped and inspired him during the early days of his career.

"Since nearly the beginning of my career, starting with All My Children when I was 16 years old you paved the way for me. You showed me how to be better, honor purpose, and create a legacy. And whether you've known it or not... I've been watching, learning and constantly motivated by your greatness."

Jordan described Boseman as a "legend and hero" who cared about his family, friends, his craft, the community and the "culture and humanity."

Michael ended his post by "dedicating" the rest of his days trying to live the way Chadwick Boseman lived his life.

"With grace, courage, and no regrets. "Is this your king!?" Yes . He is! Rest In Power Brother," he wrote as he posted a black-and-white photo of him and Chadwick.

Aside from Jordan, the Hollywood industry paid tribute to Boseman, including his "Black Panther" co-stars Letitia Wright (who played the role of Shuri), Sterling K. Brown, Golden Globe actress Angela Bassett, Winston Duke, Danai Gurira and Forest Whitaker.

Meanwhile, Marvel Studios released an emotional video tribute to the actor with the headline,"You Will Always Be Our King."

The video has already reached more than 2.35 million YouTube views since its posting on Sunday.

Furthermore, even high-profile politicians expressed their grief over Chadwick Boseman's death.

"The true power of @ChadwickBoseman was bigger than anything we saw on screen," Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden tweeted, adding that the late actor served as an inspiration to younger generations and showed them that "they can be anything they want - even superheroes."

Former U.S. President Barack Obama recalled when the Black Panther himself visited the White House "to work with kids when he was playing Jackie Robinson."

Obama also shared how blessed he is for being an instrument for the children to "give them heroes to look up to" and "to do it all while in pain," as he posted on Twitter.

READ MORE: Fake Hair? Machine Gun Kelly Sparks Hilarious Rumor With VMAs Look!
JACKSON COUNTY, MI  Positive cases of the novel coronavirus are increasing in Jackson County after a summer lull, officials say.

There were 53 new cases of COVID-19 reported between Aug. 24-31, bringing the total to 804 positive cases, per data from the Jackson County Health Department. There were 76 new cases reported between Aug. 4-24.

Three people also died from the virus in the last week, compared to four people in the 20 days before that, data shows.

4 people died from coronavirus in Jackson County in last 20 days

We did have a lull there that was actually nice, Health Officer Rashmi Travis said. We didnt have a lot of cases for a while. I would even say through July things were fairly quiet, even into June. But somewhere along the line toward the middle to end of summer things have started to pick up again.

An additional 51 people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing that total to 643 people who are alive 30 days after the start of their infection, per the health department.

There were no large events or conferences that the health department knows about that may have contributed to the recent increase, Travis said.

I would attribute it more to the travel and things opening up more, she said. People are going out-and-about, restaurants are open, all of that. I think thats partly whats attributing to that.

Schools opening also may be part of the reason for the increase, but its not for certain, Travis said.

How the first week of school went inside a Michigan elementary

Jackson County has an average 12.7 new confirmed positive cases a day as of Aug. 27, including correctional facilities. Thats up from 2.6 per day on Aug. 21, according to a database from the University of Michigan. A total of 2.6 percent of tests return positive results, per the database.

There are three Jackson County residents hospitalized at Henry Ford Allegiance Health with the coronavirus as of Aug. 27, per the hospital.

Spring Arbor and Summit townships had nine new cases in the last week, per the health department. Jackson had eight new cases and Blackman Township had 10. All other townships had five or fewer new cases reported.

Michigan reported 113,025 positive cases and 6,753 deaths as of Monday, Aug. 31.

Read more from MLive:

75 years after WWII end, Jackson veteran remembers his role at Pearl Harbor

Pizza Hut delivery driver robbed at stop sign in Jackson, police say

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After 50 years in business, Michigan bowling alley to permanently close due to pandemic
'Home back home': Rapper Akon plans $6bn city in Senegal homeland Akon said the new city would be built using renewable materials of African origin to the extent possible

Rapper Akon has set his sights on building a sprawling $6 billion city in his Senegal homeland to welcome Africans of the diaspora to their "home back home".

The R&B star, who boasts two multi-platinum albums, told a news conference Monday he had laid the first stone for the city in the Atlantic Ocean village of Mbodiene around 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the Senegalese capital Dakar.

As he was growing up in the US state of New Jersey, where his family moved when he was seven, Akon "ran into a lot of African-Americans that didnt really understand their culture," the 47-year-old said.

"So I wanted to build a city or a project like this that will give them the motivation to know that there is a home back home," he said, adding that he had received the blessing -- and advice -- of Mbodiene's elders.

Akon City will offer hotels, a university, hospitals, business and leisure centres including a casino, as well as movie studios, all featuring futuristic designs by architect Hussein Bakri, with African sculptures for inspiration.

Wakanda, the fictional African city of the "Black Panther" comic book series, served as additional inspiration, Akon acknowledged.

Speaking alternately in English and Wolof, the dominant language in Senegal, the talent with hits including "Locked Up" and "Smack That" said that Akon City would also include a "village of African cultures".

"As you come in from America, or Europe or anywhere in the diaspora, and you feel like you want to visit Africa, we want Senegal to be your first stop," said Akon, whose real name is Alioune Badara Thiam.

The musician and green entrepreneur who set up Akon Lighting Africa to boost solar power on the continent said the new city would be built using renewable materials of African origin to the extent possible.

He said the project would cost an overall $6 billion but would not name the principal investors because of confidentiality clauses.

Story continues

"We are still talking with partners and investors," Akon said, adding that local investment "no matter how small or how big" would be welcome.

- No 'pipe dream' -

Akon said he told Bakri -- who accompanied him at the press conference -- "I need a building that looks like a statue that you can take home... like real African sculptures that they make in the villages."

He added: "The shapes might be weird, but they are African."

Work will start early next year, with completion of the first phase set for 2023.

The town will initially cover some 55 hectares (135 acres) but grow to 500 hectares by the end of the decade, with plans for artificial islands and a marina that can accommodate cruise ships.

Bakri said the city's population would eventually reach 300,000.

Senegal's Tourism Minister Alioune Sarr hailed the project, saying he hoped it would give the lie to "Cassandras... who always view new projects as pipe dreams" and vowing to help see that it is completed on schedule.

Akon, who said the project would benefit the local people, notably young Senegalese, is not the only international star with West African roots involved in such investments.

British actor Idris Elba -- son of a Ghanaian mother and Sierra Leonean father -- plans to build an eco-tourism complex on an island off Sierra Leone.

Elba visited the former British colony in December last year.

siu/gd/ach
There are eight Turks for every Greek, so you might think the Greeks have to fold. But Greece has the backing of France, Italy, Israel, Egypt, and practically every other country in the eastern Mediterranean and the Arab world, as well as the entire European Union, so it has just called the bet and raised it.

This poker game is all about rival claims to seabed territory with promising gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkeys strongman president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been throwing his weight around  or maybe hes just bluffing, but how much is Greece willing to risk to find out? Especially since Athens cant be sure which way its friends will jump if the shooting starts.

The quarrel between Greece and Turkey is mainly about control over the waters and seabed of the Aegean Sea that separates them. The Aegean is only an average of 200 kilometres wide, and it would be easy just to run a line down the middle  except that there is a chain of Greek islands running down Turkeys west coast, often within sight of the mainland. Almost all the other islands in the sea are Greek too.

So its a Greek sea, really  but Turkey refuses to accept that. In defiance of both traditional maritime law and the 1982 United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea, Ankara insists that the Greek islands do not generate their own territorial waters and seabed rights. It claims half the Aegean Sea as its own, and a big chunk of the Mediterranean beyond it too.

You can see why Turkey feels cheated by geography, but the law is the law for every country, and by and large Turkey abided by it  until the prospect of undersea gas wealth and the pressures of populist politics spurred it to push its spurious claims very hard.

Its really fools gold. The recent collapse in gas and oil prices is likely to last long after the COVID-19 crisis ends, perhaps even permanently, for renewable energy prices are now competitive with fossil fuels and demand is trending downwards. Laying seabed pipelines is expensive, and even without the risk of war its unlikely to happen in the eastern Mediterranean now.

Since last year, Turkish seismic exploration and drilling ships, escorted by warships, have been searching for gas in waters off Crete and Cyprus that no other country in the world regards as Turkish. In reply, French and Italian warships and fighter aircraft from the United Arab Emirates have taken part in joint exercises with Greek and Cypriot forces.

The European Union has given Turkey until late September to stop its illegal activities in the eastern Mediterranean, after which sanctions may be imposed. And last Thursday Greece declared that it was going to extend its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea from six nautical miles to the maximum permitted 12 miles.

Thats the Ionian Sea, between western Greece and Italy, not the Aegean, between eastern Greece and Turkey. In the Aegean both Greece and Turkey still observe the old six-mile limit in practice, although it is unclear whether Turkey officially accepts it in theory.

Both Greece and Turkey joined NATO during the Cold War out of fear of the Soviet Union, and the other NATO members are now trying hard to ward off a conflict that could break the alliance. But its an uphill struggle because the two countries have been enemies for a long time.

The Turks conquered all of the Balkan Peninsula, including Greece, and ruled over it for centuries. Greece took part in the attempt to carve up what was left of Turkey as European colonies after the First World War. The Turks expelled the long established Greek minority from most of the country when that attempt failed.

Two generations later, the Greek government engineered a bloody coup by ex-EOKA terrorists in Cyprus with the intention of unifying the island with Greece. Turkey invaded in order to stop that and protect the Turkish minority in 1973, and its troops are still there to support the separatist government of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus.

There have been at least three other Greek-Turkish crises since then, none of which ended in war. This one probably wont either, but its going to come closer than any of the others did. Erdogan sees his power slipping away, and hes getting desperate.

Gwynne Dyer s new book is Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work)

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Education is a hot topic this Legislative session. Here's what bills we're watching.

Here are some of the hot-button education bills were tracking at the Argus Leader. Check back each day to see where they stand as we update.
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maxonrow today announced the launch of its asset tokenization serviceTrue Asset Issuing (TAI), available starting Sep 1. As a leading technology company committed to helping businesses and governments improve security and efficiency in digital processes, Maxonrow launched its Maxonrow Blockchain and MAX-Wallet on the same date in 2019. One year later, the company is proud to share another milestone.

With TAI, Maxonrow aims to optimize financial services and connect the world economy by making value exchange effortless, efficient and transparent. Through the service, users with genuine and verified identity can issue digital assets backed in real life. Maxonrow does not accept anonymous or pseudonymous submissions, ensuring that only real people supported by verified identities who can provide valid proof of ownership can issue digital assets. In the Maxonrow ecosystem, all identities are verifiable.

To ensure a great user experience and utmost security, Maxonrow joined forces with KYC-Chain , a global compliance solution and KYC onboarding platform. With the collaboration, Maxonrow can offer users added safety and comply with regulations without sacrificing convenience or comfort.

Announcing the partnership, Edmund Lowell, CEO of KYC-Chain, said, "We at KYC-Chain are thrilled about the collaboration with Maxonrow, with KYC-Chain's state-of-the-art technology repertoire, we will be able to support Maxonrow with a secure and smooth onboarding experience". Carlo Chung, CTO of Maxonrow, commented, "We are excited to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Maxonrow Blockchain/ MAX-Wallet launch with this new partnership. As we at Maxonrow continue to help our clients develop safer and smarter solutions, we are grateful for partners like KYC-Chain who protect our users' security while maintaining a seamless user experience."

About Maxonrow

Maxonrow is a leading technology company committed to building a safe and efficient digital world. The company develops an array of products and services powered by blockchain technology, focusing on increasing security and efficiency in digital processes, including document management system, asset tokenization services, and digital identity wallet solutions.

Learn More

Official Website www.maxonrow.com

Telegram https://t.me/MXWOfficial

Twitter https://twitter.com/Maxonrow

About KYC-Chain

KYC-Chain provides state of the art compliance solutions for businesses of all sizes. Since 2014, KYC-Chain has helped service providers cost-effectively process millions of KYC applications.

SOURCE Maxonrow
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How long shall we as a church continue to live this way? We have been reluctant and stayed in our comfort zones for so long. We have pursued our selfish desires without concern for the last instructions that Jesus gave to His disciples. We have complained so much that the government wants to Islamize Nigeria. We have prayed severally for God to kill Boko Haram members and Fulani Herdsmen, but we have failed to realize that our inaction is responsible for the tragedy in Nigeria. It is high time we woke up and become responsible Christians and pursue the agenda of the Great Commission.

The mandate of the Great Commission has been abandoned by Nigerian churches; we are no longer interested in advancing the kingdom of Christ to areas where Christ has not been preached. Western missionaries sacrificed their lives to give us the Gospel but we now merchandise it and all our churches are concentrated in cities and towns where offerings and tithes are large. This empire building and money making agenda in our churches have hindered the spread of the Gospel in Nigeria.

Our inability to reach the North with the Gospel and love of Christ is responsible for insurgency and terrorism in our country. While we were busy with selfish and prosperity messages in our churches and fellowships, the enemy went ahead of us with AK-47 and bombs and equipped our prospective target group with the instruction to wipe away Christianity from Nigeria. The Church today is now a sitting Church instead of a going Church. The true greatness of any church should not be measured by how many it seats but by how many it sends.

We have abandoned the going agenda and now engrossed so much with increasing the seating capacity of our churches. According to Roland Allen, missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual belief nor out of theological argument but out of love. Lack of love is responsible for this criminal negligence. We have monopolized Jesus for so long; let us start sharing His love, mercy and saving power with others. He did not die to save us alone; he died to save all, including terrorists. In Mathew 24:14 Jesus said that He will not come to take the saints until the Gospel is preached to all nations of the world. I strongly believe that no one has the right to hear the Gospel twice while there remains someone who has not heard it once no matter the race, tribe or tongue.

The knowledge of Jesus has saturated the southern part of Nigeria while the northerners are Gospel-starved. The place of electronic media in evangelism cannot be denied but many churches and men of God have been deceived by the devil to replace the going agenda with the broadcasting agenda when the Word of God is preached on television and radio. Who do we really want to reach out to? Who are our target groups? Majority of the unreached in Africa continent do not have access to electronic media and the few that do, do not have any business with Christian programs and networks. The only veritable tool to be utilized in reaching the unreached is GO YE. Until we start going or sending missionaries to reach the unreached, the Great Commission remains an abandoned project.

It might interest you to note that about 64 million Nigerians have not heard about Jesus and we are comfortably building human kingdoms and empires. Churches have gone commercial. Gospels are now for sale. Multibillion properties are developed for sale. Banks, hotels, schools and universities are built to make money for the church and nothing is invested to reach the unreached. How many mission schools and hospitals do we still have in Nigeria? The bitter truth is that many of Nigerian pastors went through mission schools constructed and managed by Western missionaries with minimal payment or no school fees at all. Why can't we extend this kind gesture to others and attract them to the saving power of Christ? Mission is not a ministry of choices for a few hyperactive Christians in the Church. Mission is the purpose of the Church and the reason for the existence of every Christian.

We have two options to the Kingdom tension in Nigeria: To aggressively pursue the mandate of the Great Commission and push the Gospel further North, or to remain in our comfort zones and show indifference attitude to the salvation of over 64 million Nigerians who are waiting for someone to tell them about Jesus. Whichever choice we make, there is a reward. We are supposed to go back to the drawing board and bring out missiological strategies aimed at reaching to the dying souls in the world for lack of the saving knowledge of Christ. Churches should go back to the old time religion and act like the apostles in the book of Acts.

I believe that many churches and pastors are not into mission because the brand of their religion is not worth propagating. How do we preach prosperity to impoverished naked people? It is obvious that seed sowing will never work in such environments because they do not have any offering, seed or tithe to give. The Gospel is only good news if it gets to the people in time. We are supposed to do God's business in a hurry because delay is dangerous. For how long will this project remain abandoned?

As we discover the mission of the Great Commission, may we put all hands on deck to fulfill the mission by going, giving, groaning and sending. May we realize that it is not our choice to spread the Gospel; it is our death if we do not.
President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a news conference in the briefing room at the White House in Washington on Aug. 31, 2020. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump Doctor: President Is Fit for His Presidency, Denies Stroke Allegation

President Donald Trumps physician issued a response to reports suggesting that the president may have suffered a stroke in a recent hospital visit.

Dr. Sean Conley, the physician to the president, was asked by the White House to address the recent public comments regarding his health.

I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media, Coney said.

He added: The President remains healthy and I have no concerns about his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule ahead of him. As stated in my last report, I expect him to remain fit to execute the duties of the Presidency.

A rumor sparked by a New York Times reporter, Michael Schmidt, said that Vice President Mike Pence was on standby to assume presidential powers when Trump visited Walter Reed Hospital in November 2019. Ultimately, Pence didnt assume presidential powers.

On Twitter, Trump said the claim is more fake news.

It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate  FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2020

It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes, Trump wrote on Twitter.

A number of legacy news outlets carried the NY Times claim.

Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party! Trump wrote, suggesting that his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, had health issues.

At the time, Trump said that on the way back from the facility, Im hearing rumors that Im in the hospital.

Then Im hearing rumors that I had chest pains. Then Im hearing rumors that I had a massive heart attack. Then Im hearing rumors that Im not coming back  Im staying at Walter Reed overnight and maybe for a long time, the president said.

In his last physical exam, doctors said in June that Trump weighs 244 pounds, stands 6 feet 3 inches, has a blood pressure of 121/79 mmHG and a resting heart rate of 63 beats per minute.

The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, stated the results indicate Trump is healthy.

Conley also said there were no findings of significance or changes to report.

The doctors memo noted Trumps use of hydroxychloroquine, which he revealed last month he began taking after staffers at the White House contracted the CCP virus.

Coney said the decision to take the drug was done in consultation with his appropriate care team members and close monitoring of the electrocardiogram (EKG) for changes in the QT interval.
Mission: Impossible actor Tom Cruise has just proven that there are no missions that are impossible for him. According to a report, Cruise recently rented a nearly $700,000 ship in order to continue the filming of its upcoming 7th installment of the action film.





Tom Cruise just proved nothing's impossible to him

One of the most iconic roles of award-winning Hollywood actor Tom Cruise is his character as special agent Ethan Hunt on Mission: Impossible film series.

In 2021, the 7th installment of the film is set to be released in theatres. But since the pandemic started, the production of the film was postponed for the safety of the crew and the actors.

However, the shooting may now soon proceed just in time. Daily Mail UK reported on Tuesday, Sept. 1, Cruise allegedly rented a 500-seating capacity ship worth nearly $700,000 to continue shooting his film.

Sources from the report said that the Hollywood actor rented the grandest Hurtigruten watercraft for filming most of his scenes in Norway.

It was not specifically said whether the ship would be the crew's service or location site in the area, or whether it will be used as part of the scene. However, it was entailed that Cruise wanted everyone to be safe from any viruses they may get outside from doing scenes. Therefore, rented the ship for the M.I. crews and staff.

Cruise's main purpose in renting the ship although, is to make sure that they will finish the scenes before the scheduled release of M.I. 7.

"They are terrified of further delays. Tom is determined not to see any more hold-ups," said by an unknown source. "The studio believes it will keep everyone safe and get this shoot wrapped up."

Are they allowed to shoot amid pandemic?

As also reported via Daily Mail UK and Norwegian publication VG, it was recently claimed that Cruise was actually 'exempted' from Norway's quarantine rules due to the film.

Norway's Minister of Culture Abid Raja noted that he allowed the production team of Mission: Impossible to continue its shooting even without having to quarantine at home.

However, all of them are subjected to take two health tests 48 hours upon their arrival in Norway. The minister also clarified for its citizens that the Cruise's production team are not allowed to have contact with anyone aside from their crew members.

Skydance Media, New Republic Pictures, Paramount Pictures, or even Cruise's team have not yet confirmed any of these reports.

But if it is true, he definitely proved that no mission is impossible for him. At this time, it is the pandemic he needs to face.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Jamie Pancho

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Dhaka, Sep 1 : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed hope that "the history will one day expose the conspirators of the August 15, 1975 massacre" while stating that power, to her, is a responsibility towards the people.

Urging the student wing -- Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) -- of the ruling party to love the motherland first, she talked about the disappearance and killing of "Bangabandhu" Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Hasina also recalled the "horrible days" of the Ziaur Rahman regime. After the killing of the Father of the Nation (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman), Hasina said, Ziaur Rahman, HM Ershad and Begum Khaleda Zia made power as a tool to enjoy.

"To me, power is a responsibility towards people. The conspirators behind the scene couldn't be found yet... this information will definitely come out someday," the chief patron of BCL said.

She said the killers had tried to shatter the pride of the nation and the country by killing him (Bangabandhu).

The Prime Minister said this while delivering a speech at a programme of the student wing of the ruling party -- BCL, held at Awami League central office at 23 Bangabandhu Avenue, marking the National Mourning Day.

She joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

"We've held the trial of killers and with this, we've ensured that justice prevails in this country.... some killers still absconding," she said.

By killing Bangabandhu, Hasina said, the killers thought that they would be able to erase his name, the sacrifices of millions of martyrs and thousands of women, and Bangladesh would turn helpless without any direction and ideals.

"That means they tried to totally destroy the country's prospect of advancement in terms of education and economy, getting free from poverty and will stay in the world with its head high. They tried to demolish the ideals on which Bangabandhu liberated the country," Hasina said.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the sacrifice of her mother 'Bangamata' Fazilatunnesa Mujib, saying her mother was beside Bangabandhu throughout her life.

"My father could fully engage in the service of the country as he got such a companion beside him... this is very rare. Had my mother not stood beside him like that way, I wonder, whether Bangladesh would have been liberated or not," she said.

Hasina said her primary aim is to build "Golden Bengal" as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.

She asked the BCL activists and leaders to be imbued with patriotism and follow the ideals of the Father of the Nation.

At the beginning of the programme, a silence of one minute was observed as a mark of respect to the martyrs of the August 15 massacre.
"I am honored by this recognition and grateful to be in the company of exceptional entrepreneurs and leaders," said Imran Aftab, co-founder and CEO of 10Pearls. "I am incredibly proud of the entire 10Pearls team for helping build a culture of excellence, innovation, compassion, and inclusivity."

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced that Imran Aftab, Founder and CEO, of 10Pearls was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Mid-Atlantic Award finalist. Now in its 34th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors entrepreneurial business leaders whose ambitions deliver innovation, growth and prosperity as they build and sustain successful businesses that transform our world. Mr. Aftab was selected as a finalist by a panel of independent judges.

Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria, including overcoming adversity; financial performance; societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company; innovation; and talent management. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

"I am honored by this recognition and grateful to be in the company of exceptional entrepreneurs and leaders," said Imran Aftab, co-founder and CEO of 10Pearls. "We have come far from what started as a simple idea: to change the world through opportunity creation. Today, 10Pearls is a thriving global business, poised to accelerate even further. I am incredibly proud of the entire 10Pearls team for helping build a culture of excellence, innovation, compassion, and inclusivity.

Imran launched 10Pearls with a mere $2,000 and the help of his brother, Zeeshan Aftab, in Pakistan. From the outset, the goal was to build a double-bottomed-line company that would not only create value for customers and shareholders, but also employees and society at large. To this day, 10Pearls is 100% privately held with no outside investment. The company remains committed to investing in a culture of learning, innovation, inclusivity and giving back through initiatives like 10Pearls University, 10Pearls Labs, Women in Tech Program, and Empower Foundation  helping to create a balance between high-growth and human-centric values.

10Pearls continues its high growth trajectory, earning recognition for a second consecutive year in the annual 2020 Inc. 5000 list which ranks the nation's fastest-growing private companies.

Award winners will be announced through a special virtual event in early October and will join a lifelong community of esteemed Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. This year, unstoppable entrepreneurs who have provided extraordinary support for their communities, employees and others during the COVID-19 crisis will also be recognized for their courage, resilience, and ingenuity.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards to be announced in November during a virtual awards gala. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June 2021.

Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries  all supported by vast EY resources.

About 10Pearls:

10Pearls is an end-to-end digital technology services partner that helps businesses with innovative product development, digitalization of existing business processes, modernization and acceleration through augmentation of existing teams. We leverage our deep understanding of the latest technologies and the nuances of the digital landscape in your specific industry to drive company growth, no matter where you are on your digital journey.

10Pearls is proud to have a diverse clientele including large enterprises, SMBs, and high growth startups. We work with clients across industries, including but not limited to healthcare/life sciences, energy, communications/media, financial services, technology and education. Our many long-term, successful partnerships are built upon trust, integrity, and successful delivery and execution. To learn more, visit https://10pearls.com.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth, and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. Winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year title. ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY:

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, strategy, transaction and consulting services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
A new Pentagon policy update aimed at tearing down practices that discriminate against pregnant service members is now complete, and will be distributed in coming days, the Defense Department's chief diversity officer said Tuesday.

The change was ordered in July by Defense Secretary Mark Esper as part of a package of changes designed to root out "discrimination, prejudice and bias in all ranks." Some of the changes were immediate, including a directive to end the use of photos in promotion boards. Others were referred to the services or specific departments with a deadline to develop policy.

Read Next: Russian and Chinese Military Harassment Is Increasing. Should the US Be Worried?

Esper gave a Sept. 1 deadline for an update to equal opportunity policy to "prohibit pregnancy-based discrimination," and a Sept. 15 due date for the services to propose changes to hair and grooming standards that include racial bias.

Cyrus Salazar, director of the Pentagon's office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, told a meeting of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services Tuesday that work on the former policy is now complete.

"And everything has been fully coordinated and actually signed off on so this will be in policy in the coming days," he said. "So [this is] a groundbreaking day for the department in terms of where we have been to ensure we add the same protections for our civilian counterparts to our service members as well."

Salazar explained that previous policies protecting employees from pregnancy discrimination failed to include service members. The federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 applied to civilian employees only, and a DoD directive governing discrimination extends pregnancy protections only to department civilians.

He noted that the Air Force had already approached his office in February with a proposal for change, which prompted meetings with Pentagon legal teams to ensure policy could be changed without new legislation. Esper's memo, however, was a shot in the arm, Salazar said, accelerating efforts to finalize the policy.

"So to me, it's a huge victory [against] pregnancy discrimination that we now have the same protections for not only civilians, but for service members," Salazar said.

Military.com reported last month on the reality of pregnancy bias in the ranks. Female troops recounted stories of facing professional repercussions because they took breaks to pump breast milk during the workday, and missing crucial career-altering opportunities due to pregnancy.

Air Force Lt. Col. Jessica Ruttenber, a mobility planner at the Pentagon, told Military.com she was motivated to start a website, Hidden-Barriers.org, to address the realities of pregnancy discrimination in the military. It caught the attention of a lawmaker, Rep. Debra Haaland, a New Mexico Democrat, who introduced legislation in the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act to eliminate military career repercussions due to pregnancy and parenthood.

Salazar said he couldn't yet reveal the specifics of the new policy, but noted that it will focus on clarifying terms.

"It just defines that pregnancy discrimination, as a form of sex-based discrimination, will not be tolerated within the department," he said. "And we're leaving it up to the services then to take that language and apply it to their respective, whether it be an Army regulation, an Air Force instruction, or whatever it would be."

The services then will have 90 days to develop their own policies in line with the Defense Department instruction, he said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk contributed.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

Related: Military Leaders Are Confronting a New Form of Discrimination: Pregnancy Bias
The authorities of Da Nang City yesterday collected samples for Covid-19 tests for 11,000 students who are planning to attend the high school graduation exams on September 3-5. This task was scheduled to be completed within one day.

On September 1, samples for Covid-19 tests will be collected from all teachers and staff involved in the high-school graduation exams 2020 in the city.

This year nearly 11,000 students will attend the exams, held at 25 schools throughout the city.

Those testing positive for Covid-19 will not be allowed to attend the exams, said Mr. Mai Tan Linh, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Education and Training.

Students with positive results, if eligible, will be specially recognized for graduation, while teachers and staff with positive results will be replaced, Linh said.

During the exams, those with high temperature and fever will take the exam in separate rooms.

Due to the second Covid-19 outbreak, a total of 26,000 students in 27 provinces and cities, including 11,000 in Da Nang, over 5,300 in Dak Lak, over 9,100 in Quang Nam, and 708 in other provinces will have a late high-school graduation exam on September 2-5.

Previously, over 900,000 students in 62 provinces and cities took the exams on August 9-10. The exams were cancelled at that time in Da Nang, Dak Lak and six administrative units of Quang Nam province due to the spread of Covid-19.

Some photos taken by VietNamNet at Phan Chu Trinh High School:

Dieu Thuy - Nguyen Hien - Ho Giap

Nam Dinh leads country in 2020 high school graduation exam scores Nam Dinh and Binh Duong have taken the lead for the highest average high-school graduation exam scores this year, according to statistics from 62 provinces and cities in Vietnam.
President Donald Trump views property damaged during riots in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump Tours Damage From Riots in Kenosha, Promises to Help Businesses Rebuild

Announces $41 million in emergency funding

President Donald Trump on Tuesday met with business owners affected by the riots in Kenosha that took place last week in the Wisconsin city, along with law enforcement officials.

The president flew to Illinois before being driven across state lines to survey damage inflicted by marauders that began on Aug. 23, hours after the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Were going to work with you. Were going to help you. Okay? Well help you rebuild. Its a great area. Its a great state. This should never happen. A thing like this should never happen. They have to call early, Trump told business owners and managers after touring buildings reduced to rubble by fires lit by rioters.

Scott Carpenter, the manager at B & L Office Furniture, said that he appreciated the president visiting.

Were so thankful that we got the federal troops in to help because once they got here, things did calm down quite a bit, he told reporters while standing with Trump.

President Donald Trump talks to business owners in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 1, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

President Donald Trump views property damaged during riots in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump sent federal officers to Kenosha, but only after a few days of rioting, a delay he blamed on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.

One of the reasons Im making the trip today and going to Wisconsin is weve had such a big success in shutting down what would be, right now, a citythat wouldve been Kenoshaa city that wouldve been burnt to the ground by now, the president told reporters in Maryland before boarding a plane for the trip.

Among others with the president were acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, Attorney General William Barr, and Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis.

Evers, a Democrat, urged Trump not to visit the city of 100,000 between Milwaukee and Chicago, claiming an in-person appearance would lead to further divisiveness. Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, a Democrat, also said he shouldnt visit.

Groups of pro-Trump sign holders and people wearing clothing supporting the Black Lives Matter movement were gathered at most intersections in Kenosha, a city of some 100,000 situated on Lake Michigans shoreline between Chicago and Milwaukee.

After touring the damage, Trump traveled to a roundtable with business owners and law enforcement officials nearby.

John Rodes, owner of Rodes Camera Shop, thanked the president for visiting and sending National Guard forces during the roundtable.

Samantha Kirkman, a state representative, told Trump: Thank you so much for the resources that you sent. Our constituents werent feeling safe.

President Donald Trump meets with officials at Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Sen Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), right, speaks during a tour of an emergency operations center at Mary D. Bradford High School in in Kenosha, Wis., during a visit from President Donald Trump, on Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump said his administration would provide economic help in addition to the law enforcement support.

The Justice Department announced that it would provide $41 million in grant awards to the state of Wisconsin and local communities in the state to address a surge in community violence and ongoing civil unrest. The funding will support community-level crime-fighting initiatives, local victim service programs, and hiring and training of law enforcement officers.

Attorney General William Barr said law enforcement officials obtained information that violent instigators would be traveling from outside the state to Kenosha, noting that 102 of those arrested for crimes during rioting were from outside the city.

Before the federal officers arrived, we expected matters to get worse, he said.

The violence that erupted shortly after the shooting is simply not a legitimate response to a police shooting. And the looting and the arson were unacceptable. And as it progressed it became more and more distant from the issue of racial justice. It was violence for violences sake, he told those assembled.

Once again we saw hijacking of a protest by hard-core group of radicals who were carrying out, planning a coordinated violent attack on law enforcement, on public property and on private property. And that cant be tolerated.
President Donald Trump suggested Monday that a 17-year-old accused of killing two people during the civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, may have acted in self defense.

"You saw the same tape as I saw, and he was trying to get away from them," Trump said at a White House press briefing when asked about Kyle Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse, an Illinois resident, was arrested last week after two people were fatally shot during the tumultuous protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Rittenhouse is facing charges including first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide. Videos appearing to show the confrontation involving Rittenhouse have been widely circulated on social media, becoming a political Rorschach test as some condemn the teen while others spring to his defense.

"I guess it looks like and he fell and then they very violently attacked him and it was something we're looking at right now and it's under investigation," Trump said at the briefing Monday evening.

"I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed. But it's under investigation," Trump said.

Trump's remarks followed a lengthy tirade against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who earlier in the day had condemned violence in all forms at the protests while blaming the president for fomenting a climate of violence. The president slammed Biden for not specifically calling out "far-left" violence from groups like Antifa.

But when a reporter asked if Trump condemned his supporters who shot paintballs and sprayed mace in clashes with protesters in Portland, Oregon, over the weekend, the president declined to do so.

"I understand they had large numbers of people that were supporters, but that was a peaceful protest," he said of the pro-Trump demonstrators.

"And paint is a defensive mechanism. Paint is not bullets," Trump said before pointing out that another man had been shot and killed in Portland and claiming to the reporter that "your supporters" were responsible.

In a statement later Monday night, Biden said Trump "declined to rebuke violence" at the press conference.

"He wouldn't even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it," Biden said.

Trump is scheduled to visit Kenosha on Tuesday.
FLINT, MI -- Former Mayor Karen Weaver says a $600 million settlement proposed by the state for its role in the Flint water crisis is not enough, calling the proposed deal a slap in the face for residents.

Some of it is insulting as far as Im concerned, Weaver told MLive-The Flint Journal Monday, Aug. 31. I mean, when you take away what the attorneys get, it really doesnt leave that much money.
Farmers may be forced to get a prescription for common veterinary medicines if proposed legislation is introduced to restrict the sale of such products.

The move could lead to the closure of veterinary supply shops, with the loss of hundreds of jobs, according to the Irish Licensed Merchants Association (ILMA).

To date Ireland has utilised a derogation on EU legislation, which was introduced in 2006 around the sale of all veterinary medicines, that allows around 1,400 suitably qualified persons to sell medicines such as doses and wormers without a prescription from a vet.

However, adoption of the EU regulation is under review by the Department of Agriculture.

Ollie Ryan of Midland Veterinary in Tullamore said: The proposed legislation on the Ministers desk states that all veterinary medicines should be subject to a prescription issued by a vet.

If this is signed into legislation it will lead to job losses, possibly create a cartel and is anti-competitive. It also brings us issues around traceability, as farmers would be able to buy these products in Northern Ireland, as it will operate a different system to us.

He said around 1,400 people are trained up as suitably qualified people, which allows all licensed merchants and co-ops, as well as vets with licensed merchant licences, to dispense licensed merchant products without a veterinary prescription to a farmer.

He said that around 75pc of licensed medicines, which would now require a prescription, are sold through by non-veterinary practice holders.

If this regulation, as it currently stands, is implemented, all responsible people operators will go out of business and all veterinary medicines will have to be prescribed and dispensed by a veterinary practitioner, said Mr Ryan.

There are about 2,000 merchants who would be hit by this and the majority will close if this happens.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority Taskforce Report last year recommended reform, increased regulation and education around the supply and use of antiparasitic veterinary medicinal products, and that these products should require a veterinary prescription prior to their supply and use.

The Veterinary Council said there needs to be action taken to stem the growing threat of increased antimicrobial resistance and that it is important that reforms are introduced in the use of antiparasitic and anthelmintic medicines, and practices amended to reflect the updated scientific evidence.
Gavin Williamson today said the Government is 'determined' that exams and assessments will go ahead in 2021 after a summer of education chaos.

The Education Secretary said he is working with the sector to ensure that the examinations process 'is done as smoothly as possible'.

He also apologised to students who were caught up in the recent A-level and GCSE results debacle, telling them he was 'deeply sorry' for the situation they were put in.

The coronavirus pandemic meant exams were cancelled this year and grades were initially calculated using a controversial algorithm.

That algorithm, designed by regulator Ofqual, was ditched after massive public outcry after 40 per cent of grades were downgraded below teacher estimates.

Grades were then awarded on the basis of teacher predictions as the boss of Ofqual, Sally Collier, subsequently resigned while the permanent secretary at the Department for Education, Jonathan Slater, was sacked.

There were widespread calls for Mr Williamson to carry the can for the fiasco but Boris Johnson has stood by his Education Secretary.

Gavin Williamson told MPs this afternoon that the Government is 'determined' that exams planned for 2021 will go ahead

Pupils across England are returning to school this week and Mr Williamson said this afternoon that exams planned for next year will go ahead.

However, question marks do remain over the exact timing of the assessments amid suggestions the normal dates could be slightly pushed back by a couple of months.

Mr Williamson told MPs in the House of Commons: 'We are determined that exams and assessments will go ahead next year, and we're working with the sector to ensure that this is done as smoothly as possible.

'While none of this disruption is what we wanted for our students, I believe that they now have a certainty and reassurance they deserve and will be able to embark on the next exciting phase of their lives.

'I hope the whole House will join me in wishing all of them the very best for their future.'

Mr Williamson said he was 'deeply sorry' to school pupils who had their grades unfairly downgraded across England.

He told the Commons: 'The independent regulator Ofqual had put in place a system for arriving at grades that was believed to be fair and robust.

'It became clear, however, that there were far too many inconsistent and unfair outcomes for A and AS-level students, and that it was not reasonable to expect these to be dealt even through a boosted and enhanced appeals process.'

Mr Williamson continued: 'This situation has, I know, caused a great deal of stress and uncertainty, and I am deeply sorry that those who have borne the brunt of it have been students themselves.

'I can only apologise to them again for this.'

Mr Williamson also insisted he is 'confident' the necessary preparations are in place to ensure a 'successful return' for all schools pupils in England.

The Education Secretary said welcoming pupils back this week will be a 'massive milestone' for schools.

Mr Williamson said pupils are returning to a 'safe environment', telling the Commons: 'I know that these past few months have been some of the most challenging that schools, parents and, most of all, children have faced.'
Chinese FM slams US for harassing, interrogating Chinese students

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 21:08:40

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the US for using judicial force to harass and interrogate Chinese students in the US, or even to arrest and prosecute them on trumped-up charges, after US media reports claimed the Chinese military had sent students to study in the US "under false pretenses" in recent years, and many have been arrested this year on suspicion of visa fraud.

In the latest case, an Indiana University PhD candidate and researcher was arrested in July after an FBI investigation alleged he was one of several Chinese researchers in the US who knowingly lied on his visa application by saying he had never served in the Chinese military, media reported Sunday.

Some US media reports said the Chinese Embassy in the US and its consulates in the country assisted them to avoid being investigated, and helped them return to China. They even suspected that the Chinese consulate in Houston was asked to close because it was involved.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, slammed the US for infringing on Chinese students' legitimate rights and jeopardizing the normal cultural and educational cooperation between the two sides.

A number of Chinese students were harassed by US law enforcement officers after they arrived. Their mobile phones, computers and other items were inspected arbitrarily or even detained, Zhao said. "We urge the US to immediately correct its mistakes, stop making excuses for itself, and stop discriminating against Chinese students. China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens."

China has repeatedly stated its solemn position on the US request to close the Chinese consulate in Houston.

"I would like to stress once again that Chinese diplomatic and consular missions and personnel in the US have always performed their duties in the US in accordance with the law," Zhao said.

Excuses made by the US are untenable and cannot conceal the fact that the US has seriously violated international law and basic norms governing international relations, and seriously undermined China-US relations, he noted.

China will continue to take legitimate and necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and dignity, he stressed.



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More than half of Canadian restaurants might be forced to close down in the next three months as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to deter people from eating out despite the recent reopenings.

Restaurants Canada, a lobby group speaking on behalf of around 30,000 food service companies, said that 31% of eateries will be able to operate for only 90 days more, while 29% cannot function under current social distancing policies.

If we dont ask for support, or if theres a second wave, theres going to be massive bankruptcies across the industry, said David Lefebvre, vice president of Restaurants Canada.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia attended a meeting with the finance ministers of seven non-BJP ruled states which rejected the Centre's suggestion of states borrowing to make up for the GST shortfall. A Delhi government statement said Sisodia, who is also Delhi's finance minister, discussed viable options with the finance ministers regarding the shortfall in the economy due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the statement said.

In the virtual meeting, states resolved that the following is the only legally tenable option during this critical situation --- the entire estimated shortfall of Rs 235,000 crore in the compensation cess fund may be borrowed by the Centre through RBI or any other suitable mechanism, the statement stated.

Also read: GST Compensation Row: Whatever is said outside GST Council meeting is not important, says Sushil Modi

These states also resolved that the repayment of the principal and the interest liability should start 2022 and should be entirely serviced out of the receipt from the cess for which the GST Council should extend the period of levy of cess beyond five years or till the time it is required to repay the debt, it stated.

The Centre and non BJP-ruled states are at loggerheads over the financing of the Rs 2.35 lakh crore GST shortfall in the current fiscal. Of this, as per Centre's calculation, about Rs 97,000 crore is on account of GST implementation and rest Rs 1.38 lakh crore is the impact of COVID-19 on states' revenues. The Centre last week gave two options to the states to borrow either from a special window facilitated by the Reserve Bank of India or from the market and has also proposed extending the compensation cess levied on luxury, demerit and sin goods beyond 2022.

Also read: GST compensation: Chidambaram urges states to reject Centre's proposals
UW Receives NSF Grant to Study Connections Among Bedrock, Water and Life at Earths Surface

UW graduate student Russell Callahan inspects weathered bedrock exposed in a roadcut in the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range in California, which is one of seven sites to be studied under a $5.33 million NSF grant. Pore space in this material, known as saprolite, is a vital reservoir of water for mountain ecosystems. Saprolite lies between topsoil at the surface and unweathered bedrock at depth. Callahan will serve as a postdoctoral associate on the project. (Cliff Riebe Photo)

Thanks to a $5.33 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, researchers from the University of Wyoming and eight other universities will focus on connections among rock, water and life at Earths surface.

Specifically, the five-year grant will help researchers define the critical zone, which refers to the Earths near-surface layer from treetop to bedrock.

This project seeks to improve understanding of how weathering of rock beneath Earth's land surface influences subsurface water storage and flow, erosion of soil at the surface and the productivity of forests that are rooted in the weathered rock, says Cliff Riebe, a professor in the UW Department of Geology and Geophysics. Additionally, we seek a better understanding of how these processes (water flow, erosion and forest productivity) also influence weathering of rock at depth. Its a complex system, and there are a number of exciting feedbacks that have remained poorly understood by scientists up until now because the subsurface is difficult to study. It has remained largely hidden beneath our feet.

Riebe will serve as the grants principal investigator (PI) for UW, which received $1.63 million of the overall amount. His co-PIs at UW are Brad Carr, an associate research scientist in geology and geophysics, and director of the UW Near-Surface Geophysics Instrument Center; and Dario Grana, an associate professor of geology and geophysics.

The grant, awarded through NSFs Critical-Zone Collaborative Network program, begins Sept. 1 (today) and runs through Aug. 31, 2025.

Other institutions involved with the grant are Clemson University; Colorado School of Mines; Concordia University in Quebec, Canada; Dickinson College; Johns Hopkins University; University of Minnesota; Virginia Tech University; and the University of California-Los Angeles.

Of the critical zone, Riebe says, Its basically Earths skin, where water, rock and life meet in a dynamic interplay that creates and maintains a substrate for life at Earths surface.

The multi-institutional and multidisciplinary work on the deep critical zone will take place at seven sites spanning a wide range of climatic conditions across the continental U.S. These will range from a subtropical site in the South Carolina Piedmont to a set of hot, dry sites -- the San Jacinto and San Gabriel mountains -- located in Southern California. Other sites to be studied under the grant include the Laramie Range in Wyoming, the Colorado Front Range and a site in Maryland near Baltimore.

The project team will unite the disciplines of geology, biology and hydrology, combining direct sampling of subsurface materials via drilling and borehole logging with noninvasive, indirect imaging techniques. These techniques are analogous to methods used in modern medicine to image the human body, Riebe says.

As the basis for the life that flourishes around us, the critical zone is important to understand, especially in how it is likely to respond as climate changes and land use intensifies over the coming decades, Riebe explains. In particular, our work should help improve management of forests and water resources by improving understanding of how deep critical zone processes influence forest ecosystem response to drought.

The work also has some broader impacts. Because the critical zone is so tangible, there is a lot of potential to connect the science to everyday people and their concerns, Riebe says.

To help realize this potential, the project will first focus on communication training for the project team, and then undertake an outreach and engagement program with the theme of Bringing the Critical Zone to Educators and Students. Riebe says the program will include a new set of interactive 3D visualizations based on extensive imaging and measurements of roadcuts and quarries that dissect the critical zone.

This platform, called the Virtual Critical Zone, will broaden access to science to anyone on a computer, providing educators with a new tool for teaching about the critical zone in distance learning and classroom settings alike, Riebe says. This is especially relevant with COVID-19 keeping everyone in lockdown.

The project also will include hands-on programs for high school teachers and students, with experiential training for teachers and summer camps for students. All activities will support diversity and inclusion in critical zone science through intentional recruiting and outreach, including a teacher training program that targets underrepresented minorities in urban areas -- Baltimore, Denver and Los Angeles -- and first-generation and Native American populations in rural areas. These are rural Pennsylvania, South Carolina, southwest Virginia and Wyoming.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing additional funding for the construction of Guba-Gonagkand road in Guba district.

Under the presidential order, 22 million manat have been allocated to the Azerbaijan Highway State Agency for the completion of the construction of the road connecting 66 residential areas with a total population of 68,000 people.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : It is now official that the Lok Sabha will meet again this September 14 at 9 a.m. It will be meeting for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic broke out.

A gazette notification read, "In exercise of the powers conferred upon me by clause (1) of article 85 of the Constitution, I hereby summon the Lok Sabha to meet at New Delhi on Monday, the 14th September, 2020 at 9.00 am", attributing it to President Ram Nath Kovind.

Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla held a meeting with officials of the Health Ministry, AIIMS, DRDO, and other agencies to give a final shape to arrangements and had said that all MPs would have to undergo a Covid-19 test to attend the session. "All members shall be requested to undergo Covid-19 test," he had said.

During the meeting, Birla had given directions to ensure that proper caution is exercised with regard to health safety and for this, comprehensive arrangements related to health checkups are being put in place within the Parliament House.

Facebook's alleged bias, the country's economy, the India-China military standoff and Sushant Singh Rajput's mysterious death are some of the issues that are likely to dominate the lower house.
DENVER, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Avant Natural Resources, LLC ("Avant" or the "Company") today announced the promotion of Pete Williams to the position of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, where he will continue to oversee all financial responsibilities of the Company. Mr. Williams has served as Vice President of Corporate Strategy since joining the Company in early 2020. Prior to Avant, Mr. Williams was an investment banker at Petrie Partners assisting oil and gas companies in capital raising and transaction execution.

"Pete's experience coupled with his results-driven work ethic have been extremely valuable to Avant as we look to capitalize on attractive investment opportunities in the current market environment," said Founder and Co-CEO Jacob Nagy. "This promotion is well-deserved and we look forward to having Pete serve as an Officer as we look to drive future growth for the Company.

Founder and Co-CEO Skyler Gary added, "From the moment Pete joined our team, he has been a major contributor to Avant's success. His deep financial background and understanding of our operations make him uniquely qualified for the CFO role and I look forward to continuing to work closely with Pete in the future."

ABOUT PETE WILLIAMS

Pete Williams brings nearly a decade of oil and gas transaction advisory and execution experience to the Avant team. Prior to joining Avant, Pete was a Vice President with Petrie Partners, where he successfully completed numerous asset acquisitions and divestitures, public company mergers and private and public company financings totaling over $25 billion in value. Pete earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Colorado.

ABOUT AVANT NATURAL RESOURCES, LLC

Avant Natural Resources is a Denver, Colorado based investment platform focused on the energy sector, with a core area of focus in the Permian Basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Additional information about the Company may be found on its website www.avantnr.com.

SOURCE Avant Natural Resources

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Ericsson is officially launching its annual Ericsson Innovation Awards (EIA) 2020, a global competition that offers university students around the world the chance to develop new, innovative ideas with support from Ericsson experts.

The theme in 2020 is Reclaim the future, which centers on addressing current and future climate challenges and focuses primarily on how information and communications technology (ICT) can provide radical climate change mitigation for consumers and industries alike. Based on Ericsson research, ICT solutions have the potential to improve energy use in industrial operations, minimise negative environmental impacts, and enable a reduction of global carbon emissions by up to 15% by 2030.

Heather Johnson, Head of Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility, Ericsson, says: Through our research and collaboration with academia and industry partners, we know that digitalisation will drive the innovation and opportunities we need to achieve a 1.5-degrees-Celsius future in line with the Paris Agreement. Thats why this years Ericsson Innovation Awards will challenge some of the best and brightest students sharing our passion for innovation to demonstrate how technology can support climate action.

Ericsson believes that young people drive innovation and development when it comes to current pressing issues. Thats why, with innovation at the heart of Ericsson, the firm wants to invite young talents to register for Ericsson Innovation Awards 2020.

Ericsson Innovation Awards is open to students currently enrolled in University studies. Students from around the world are invited to enter the competition and are encouraged to form diverse teams of two to four members. Teams must register and submit their ideas by September 30, 2020.

This year, 14 teams will advance to the semi-finals, where they will have the opportunity to receive mentorship from Ericsson experts before competing to claim one of three spots in the finals. The three finalist teams will then go on to compete in the Grand Final event (held digitally this year) in December 2020.

The winning team will receive a cash prize of EUR25,000, with a second-place prize of EUR15,000 and a third-place prize of EUR5,000.

The global innovation competition was first launched in 2009 as the Ericsson Application Awards. In 2015, the scope was broadened to focus more on innovation, when it was renamed the Ericsson Innovations Awards and made exclusive to students.

The Ericsson Innovation Awards remains one of Ericssons greatest opportunities to reach students around the world and cultivate relationships with the next generation of innovative change-makers while helping to drive and enhance positive innovation.

The theme of 2019 was Dive deeper, which challenged students to harness the power of water and underwater material environments to develop innovative solutions to global challenges.

Exploring this theme, more than 2,000 university teams represented 120 countries in the competition. The winning team was the Adelaide Bio-AUV team from the University of Adelaide, Australia, with their bioinspired autonomous underwater vehicle (Bio-AUV) designed to help reduce the effects of climate change. -- Tradearabia News Service
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 17:02 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41fbdd9 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,puskesmas,Papua,Jayapura Free

North Jayapura Community Health Center (Puskesmas) in Jayapura, Papua, has reopened its doors to provide medical services for the public despite being understaffed since a number of health workers contracted the coronavirus.

Jayapura Health Agency Head Ni Nyoman Sri Antari said 17 medical workers from the Puskesmas were currently in isolation after they tested positive for COVID-19.

Earlier we found out that one person from the Puskesmas tested positive. We conducted swab tests for the rest of the staff and found 16 more positive cases," Ni Nyoman said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

She said the Puskesmas was previously closed for three days due to building renovation. As of Tuesday, it has been reopened to the public albeit for limited operational hours since there are only a few available workers.

The Puskesmas has 48 health workers in total, but it now only has 31 workers available for duties after 16 medical workers were put into quarantine and one worker was hospitalized in Marthen Indey Hospital in Jayapura.

Ni Nyoman went on to say that the Puskesmas was important for the community since people from five subdistricts in North Jayapura area relied heavily on it.

We only open from the morning until the afternoon and continue providing services through an online platform afterward," she said without specifying the operational hours.

As of Monday, Jayapura had recorded 2,118 COVID-19 infections, with 1,886 recoveries and 27 deaths. (dpk)
The U.S. Air Force is giving airmen who suffer a miscarriage a more flexible time period before they take their next physical fitness assessment, according to an updated instruction.

The Air Force will officially give PT exemptions for pregnancies that last fewer than 20 weeks, according to the new instruction, "Duty Limiting Conditions." Air Force Magazine was first to report the news.

Read Next: Russian and Chinese Military Harassment Is Increasing. Should the US Be Worried?

The Air Force in 2015 gave women who had pregnancies lasting at least 20 weeks -- including miscarriages -- the exemption from PT for a year. Women who suffered miscarriages earlier in their pregnancies were evaluated for exemptions on a case-by-case basis.

Now, women who have pregnancies that last fewer than 20 weeks will also be given a grace period: Women whose pregnancy ends in a miscarriage between 12 and 20 weeks "will have a fitness assessment exemption of 180 days," the AFI said. A pregnancy duration of "up to 12 weeks will have a fitness assessment exemption of up to 60 days," it said.

The recommendation came from an obstetrics consultant during an annual review of the AFI, said Lou Burton, spokesman for the Air Force Surgeon General's office.

"Providing guidance to ensure standardization is key in caring for our Airmen and Space professionals, especially during traumatic events like a miscarriage," Burton said in an email. "Applying a consistent approach also helps our members be medically ready to deploy and standardizes the process for our medical personnel."

The service has been working to remove more career-limiting barriers for women, especially for those who are trying to have a family.

For example, the Air Force last year began allowing some female pilots to stay in the cockpit longer without a medical waiver, removing some restrictions on flying while pregnant and eliminating the requirement for "a higher headquarters waiver" for airmen with uncomplicated pregnancies to be able to return to flight.

Last month, the service said it has begun allowing all pregnant and postpartum airmen to attend professional military education without requiring an exception to policy or a fitness assessment test first.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: Military Leaders Are Confronting a New Form of Discrimination: Pregnancy Bias
Memphis, TN, Aug. 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the National Civil Rights Museum launched ImagineAnAmerica, a digital platform that heightens awareness of the privilege and necessity of voting. #ImagineAnAmerica encourages us to get out and vote, no matter what! It connects voters to resources that enable community activism and accountability. While the initiative is designed to engage young voters, first-time voters and non-voters, its goal is to reach across generations, ethnicities and political ideologies to mobilize citizens to envision a nation that lives up to its democratic ideals.

Recently, Americans have been inundated with images of racial violence, economic instability, pandemic misinformation, government dysfunction and abuse of power. With a generation of young people exposed to institutional mistrust, it is no wonder there is voter apathy among millennials and Gen-Xers, the largest age group of eligible voters, during one of the most critical election cycles in this nations history. To overcome the malaise that facilitates willful voter suppression, the museum endeavors to honor the fight for voting rights and bridge generational gaps by acknowledging the barriers, providing accurate information and serving as a link to empower the nation to imagine an America and vote to achieve that vision. Not voting is not an option.

The ImagineAnAmerica platform provides a historical backdrop, a civic roadmap highlighting how far we've come and how to navigate the journey ahead. By casting creative vision and inspiring hope, the museum seeks to unite voters through stories of perseverance and power to push forward civil and human rights issues, foster an informed electorate and encourage new changemakers.

Civic engagement is critical for every American citizen. At the top of that list is exercising our vote in every election. Not voting is not an option. To create positive social change we must work both outside and within our electoral system. And our youngest voters need to understand how important their vote is to creating change, said museum president, Terri Lee Freeman. ImagineAnAmerica is a tool to help people do just that.

Throughout Americas civil rights history, young people have initiated positive change and led movements that call for justice and accountability, as was the legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis. Lewis emphasized the the vote as the most powerful, nonviolent tool we have. In that same spirit, this platform envisions what a better America should look like, and positions voting as the call to action to achieve a country that truly values freedom, liberty and justice for all.

ImagineAnAmerica is a social and digital campaign anchored by an interactive website with a voting rights timeline, voter statistics, and real-time, practical information about access to voting state-by-state. The website encourages viewers to share their stories using the hashtag#ImagineAnAmerica or #YourVoteYourVoice. For more information, visit ImagineAnAmerica.org.

About the National Civil Rights Museum

The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. Since the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the world have come, including more than 90,000 students annually. Serving as the new public square, the Museum is steadfast in its mission to honor and preserve the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s assassination. It chronicles the American civil rights movement and tells the story of the ongoing struggle for human rights, serving as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive social change. A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is recognized as a 2019 National Medal Award recipient by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS), the top national honor for museums and libraries. It is a TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Top 5% U.S. Museum, USA Today's Top 10 Best American Iconic Attractions; Top 10 Best Historical Spots in the U.S. by TLC's Family Travel; Must See by the Age of 15 by Budget Travel and Kids; Top 10, American Treasures by USA Today; and Best Memphis Attraction by The Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Business Journal.

About Smithsonian Affiliations

Established in 1996, Smithsonian Affiliations is a national outreach program that develops long-term collaborative partnerships with museums and educational and cultural organizations to enrich communities with Smithsonian resources. The long-term goal of Smithsonian Affiliations is to facilitate a two-way relationship among the Affiliate organizations and the Smithsonian Institution to increase discovery and inspire lifelong learning in communities across America. More information about the Smithsonian Affiliations program and Affiliate activity is available at www.affiliations.si.edu.
French citizens living in the United States are furious about Covid-19 testing requirements that France has imposed on travelers, complicating their return home.

France issued an order in late July requiring travelers coming from four countries, the United States, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Panama, to show a negative Covid-19 test result at the airport before boarding their plane. The test must be taken less than 72 hours before the flight.

Five French citizens, including a New York-based lawyer, Pierre Ciric, filed a lawsuit against the French government in mid-August, saying the policy violated their constitutional "right to return", as it is difficult to receive test results in such a short time in the US.

A French court agreed that restricting a citizen's ability to return to his or her home country was a constitutional violation, but the policy was not reversed.

Instead, the court gave permission for travelers to seek a medical exemption from the French consulate instead of providing a negative Covid-19 test result, though such exemptions are not easy to obtain.

Olivier Guibert, a French retiree living in Arizona, said, "I'm trying to go and see my mother, whom I haven't seen in a year, and unfortunately the French government is stopping me from going to my country."

"I feel discriminated against because we are on the list of the pesky countries that have to present a Covid test 72 hours before boarding. I just don't get it," he added.

Click on the video player above to watch the full report.
C hildren in England are three months behind in their studies after lockdown, a teacher survey has found.

The learning gap between rich and poor pupils has grown by almost half since schools closed in March, according to the same study.

Almost a quarter (21 per cent) of primary and secondary school teachers surveyed believed boys had fallen further behind than girls.

The new term begins in England and Wales this week. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, school is already under way.

The National Foundation for Educational Research's (NFER) found that 98 per cent of teachers felt students were not as far along with their learning as would normally be expected.

Its study found that as of July, teachers had on average covered 66 per cent of the curriculum during the 2019/20 academic year.

Teachers estimated on average that their pupils were three months behind in their studies, the survey said.

However, more than half (53 per cent) of those teaching in the poorest schools in England reported their students were "four months or more" behind in their learning.

That is compared to 15 per cent of teachers in wealthier settings.

The survey also found that the learning gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off peers had increased by 46 per cent, adding that the figure was likely to be an "under-estimate".

The majority of pupils had been expected to learn at home throughout the 2019/20 summer term, but teachers reported that only 38 per cent returned their last piece of set work in July, compared to 42 per cent in May.

School leaders said that just over half (56 per cent) of students who were eligible to return did so, with those from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds having lower attendance at 49 per cent.

Almost a third (32 per cent) of school leaders said safety concerns from parents were a common reason for their children not attending.

Almost three quarters of teachers (74 per cent) did not feel able to teach to their usual standard while the coronavirus regulations were in force, the survey found.

In an open response question, 49 per cent of 1,034 teachers whose teaching was affected said distancing requirements had a negative impact on areas such as group work and their ability to interact with pupils properly.

More than half of school leaders (51 per cent) also reported that they were using teaching assistants to lead classes.

Teachers estimated that 44 per cent of their pupils will need "intensive catch-up support", the survey said, with the percentage increasing to 57 per cent in the most deprived schools.

NFER's list of recommendations included the need for schools to receive further support to manage pupil non-attendance and more money to help with managing coronavirus safety measures.

The Department for Education said its 1 billion "Covid catch-up package" will tackle the impact of lost teaching time and include "targeted funding" for the most disadvantaged students.

Shadow education Secretary Kate Green said: "The learning that children have lost in recent months shows that keeping schools safely open to all must be a national priority in the months ahead.

"When schools are closed, we see deep inequalities become more entrenched, and those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds lose out most."

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, which represents leaders in the majority of schools, said: "This is another alarm bell that the Government needs to pay attention to.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted education for the majority of children, and schools were already struggling to provide everything children needed before this crisis, damaged as they and other social services have been by a decade of austerity."

Mr Whiteman said schools will "absolutely require" additional support to "play their part in healing the scars" left by the pandemic.
Jasmine Mansbridge sees the poetry and the irony: her sculpture has gone where she can't.

Installed on a Gold Coast beach for this month's SWELL festival, her work You/Me/Sky/Sea, a 'thought catcher' constructed of mirrored stainless steel will reflect the sunrise and the sunset, the movement of the ocean, the line and the light of the horizon. It will merge with its environment.

Sculptor Jasmine Mansbridge with her new work You/Me/Sky/Sea Credit:@georgie.mann.photos

Mansbridge will still be at home in Western Victoria, under the pandemic lockdown, where she built the sculpture in her backyard.

"The work goes where I physically cannot go," Mansbridge says. "It holds my thoughts and ideas beyond my ability to take them. And that's what art's always done. It tells stories, it conveys the emotions and the ideas of the artist beyond the present  beyond here and now."
(Newser)  Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan are donating $300 million to help secure the November election. The majority of thatsome $250 millionwill go to the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a nonprofit that seeks to modernize US elections, according to a Tuesday announcement, per Axios. The remaining $50 million will go to the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a nonprofit focused on increasing voter participation and improving election efficiency. "These donations will help to provide local and state officials across the country with the resources, training, and infrastructure necessary to ensure that every voter who intends to cast a ballot is able to, and ultimately, to preserve the integrity of our elections," the couple said in a joint statement, acknowledging the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, which has left many areas struggling financially.

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The CTCL will redistribute funds to local jurisdictions to assist with staffing, training, and equipmentfrom polling place rentals and equipment to process ballots to personal protective equipment for poll workers. The CEIR will use its portion to "scale up" existing efforts "to engage in more effective civic outreach ... combat disinformation, and inform voters of their options." David Becker, CEIR's executive director, emphasized the need to "bolster transparency and legitimacy" as "the threat of disinformation could greatly diminish voters' confidence in [the] democratic process." "When so much is changing around us, Americans need to know now more than ever how to make their voice heard," added Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. "These dollars are going to go a long way to making that happen." (Zuckerberg denies that he has a deal with President Trump.)
The coronavirus did not take a summer break in Spain. According to figures released last night by the countrys Health Ministry, a total of 174,336 new cases were diagnosed during the month of August, with 23,572 detected since Friday alone. That works out as an average of 5,623 a day. This figure is almost five times higher than that of July, and confirms a second wave of the virus that is not showing any signs of losing strength across Spain as a whole.

The figures supplied on Monday by the Health Ministry recorded 83 new Covid-19-related fatalities, bringing the official death toll since the crisis began to 29,094. More than half of these latest victims were notified from the Madrid region.

For Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts (CCAES), and the visible face of the government during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, this past month has been bitter-sweet. Speaking on Monday evening, he admitted that there had been very significant rises in the indicators, but he also pointed to positive factors. For example, diagnostic capacity is now double what it was in July, but the rate of asymptomatic cases is falling. Another factor the chief epidemiologist pointed to was that there have not been more outbreaks among seasonal fruit pickers, something the ministry had been concerned about. Meanwhile, the size of the outbreaks that originated in social settings is falling, and perhaps the most encouraging, the regions with the biggest growth in cases in July have managed to stabilize transmission  i.e. in Catalonia  or reduce it, as has happened in Aragon.

The population shouldnt be distressed but they should be concerned Fernando Simon, director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts

The rise is bigger than we would have liked, but its to be expected, the CCAES chief said on Monday. We are detecting nearly as many cases as we did at the peak of March and April but things are completely different to how they were then, he continued. But we cannot sleep easy, at least not us, he said in reference to his team. The population shouldnt be distressed but they should be concerned.

Ildefonso Hernandez, a public health professor and spokesperson for the Spanish Public Health Society (SESPAS), agreed with Simon in that the cases in Aragon and to a lesser extent Catalonia can be seen as encouraging, but he classed the progress of the epidemic as very worrying. What has been illustrated in the month of August is that the epidemiological monitoring, early detection and contact tracing has not been taken seriously, he said. If this is not done well we are going to have problems in the future.

The second wave began in Aragon and Catalonia, and from there it spread to the capitals of those regions

The expert also pointed to the haste to restart certain activities, such as nightlife, and which has ended up being counterproductive. Whats more, I believe that communication has been a failure on issues such as face masks. It is true that people wear them in general on the street, but this is perhaps where it is least necessary to do so, he concluded in reference to closed spaces, where the face coverings are much more useful.

The second wave began in Aragon and Catalonia, and from there it spread to the capitals of those regions, where there is high citizen mobility and population density  in particular in Barcelona. This was followed by northern regions such as Navarre and the Basque Country, with outbreaks in residences and healthcare centers, but in particular at social events. Finally the second wave began to be seen in Valencia, Andalusia and Madrid, the latter region accounting for one in every five cases in Spain and becoming  once again  the focal point of the outbreak in Spain.

This, Simon explained, coincides with all of the journeys people have taken in order to enjoy their summer vacations. While these [journeys] have been fewer than in other years, they have happened, he said. There has been a mixing of people from areas that had high transmission rates and others that had very low ones. We dont know if the return from holidays in July could have affected Madrid, but it is true that many Madrilenos have been outside with other groups and the chance that this has happened is high, Simon explained, admitting that the interaction of travelers in the capital causes concern. Madrid has a high risk because fortunately and unfortunately it is the basic hub for all transportation in Spain, he concluded.

A warning

The situation in the Madrid region is particularly concerning because hospital occupation continues to rise there. Since the Health Ministry began publishing this data point, on August 20, Covid-19 patients have risen from 1,245 to 2,128, which is an increase of 70%. Intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, meanwhile, have gone up from 126 to 218, which is a 73% rise. While the occupation of beds by coronavirus patients is at 16%, which is far from capacity, this could change in just weeks if current growth rates hold steady.

The second region with highest hospital occupation is Aragon, with 13%. The big difference is that there, the figures are not growing and have held steady for the last two weeks. In Spain as a whole, the average is 6% of Covid-19 patients with respect to total capacity. Hernandez, from SESPAS, believes that the figures are a warning that the situation could get worse.

English version by Simon Hunter.
Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis says he is looking forward to seeing more of Victor Osimhen after the Nigerian scored a hat-trick in his first game for the Serie A side.

De Laurentiis described the Super Eagles star as a gazelle,a speedy animal and he is anticipating how the clubs gaffer, Gennaro Gattuso will deploy the Nigerian when the Serie A season starts.

Osimhen? He seems like a beautiful gazelle, now lets see which formation he will play in, said De Laurentiisin an interview with Radio Kiss Kiss.

The story in Naples is how Gattuso will change the teams system to accommodate the Nigerian who scored 18 goals for Lille in his first and only season in France before switching to the Serie A.

Also Read  Laliga Santander 2020/21: Chukwueze, Nwakali Clash On Matchday-1; Azeezs Granada Face Bilbao

Gattuso is expected to switch to 4-2-3-1, with Hirving Lozano, Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne fanning out behind the Nigerian centre-forward.

Napoli fans are expecting a lot from their Nigerian import this new season but Gattuso has warned fans not to get over-excited after the forwards debut hat-trick.

Its too easy to get excited now, weve got to give him time and let him work, not put pressure on, insisted Gattuso of the 80m signing from Lille.

He is an important player and we paid a lot for him, but there were no doubts he would give us something different that we havent had in my time here. Theres a long way to go.

Copyright  2020 Completesports.com All rights reserved. The information contained in Completesports.com may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Completesports.com.


Stephen King's iconic 1978 novel The Stand comes to life in the first trailer for the highly-anticipated CBS All Access limited series, which was first showcased during the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.

The trailer (via CBS All Access YouTube) offers a first look at this star-studded cast, including Whoopi Goldberg playing Mother Abagail, James Marsden as Stu Redman and Alexander Skarsgard portraying Randall Flagg.

The beloved novel was originally adapted into a four-episode mini-series by CBS in 1994, starring Gary Sinise as Stu Redman, Ruby Dee as Mother Abigail and Jamey Sheridan as Randall Flagg.

New trailer: Stephen King's iconic 1978 novel The Stand comes to life in the first trailer for the highly-anticipated CBS All Access limited series, which was first showcased during the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards

The trailer begins with a young woman named Frannie Goldsmith (Odessa Young) walking through a cornfield, when she comes to a mysterious circular clearing, where she meets Abagail.

'My name is Abigail Freemantle. You come see me at Hemingfoot Home,' Mother Abigail tells the awestruck young woman.

The rest of the 30-second teaser is comprised of brief shots of several main characters, who are dealing with the aftermath of an influenza pandemic that kills nearly the entire world's population.

Abigail: The trailer begins with a young woman named Frannie Goldsmith (Odessa Young) walking through a cornfield, when she comes to a mysterious circular clearing, where she meets Abagail

Among the other characters we're introduced to are Heather Graham's Rita Blakemoor, who is seen wandering the streets of New York City with Jovan Adepo's Larry Underwood.

We also get a glimpse at Owen Teague's Harold Lauder, who is seen slapping himself in front of a mirror, while Tarun Keram's Steve is seen looking up from a piano.

Greg Kinnear's Glen Bateman is seen lying on the floor blowing smoke rings before we get a glimpse at Alexander Skarsgard's villainous Randall Flagg.

Survivors: Among the other characters we're introduced to are Heather Graham's Rita Blakemoor, who is seen wandering the streets of New York City with Jovan Adepo's Larry Underwood

Characters: We also get a glimpse at Owen Teague's Harold Lauder, who is seen slapping himself in front of a mirror, while Tarun Keram's Steve is seen looking up from a piano

Villain: Greg Kinnear's Glen Bateman is seen lying on the floor blowing smoke rings before we get a glimpse at Alexander Skarsgard's villainous Randall Flagg

The final shot of the trailer offers a glimpse at James Marsden's Stu Redman as Mother Abigail is seen with a large white dog.

The nine-episode mini-series is based on King's epic novel, which, at 1,152 pages, is the longest novel in King's illustrious career.

The novel has sold over 4.5 million copies around the world, and has been named one of the best novels of all-time by Time, Rolling Stone and the BBC.

Final shot: The final shot of the trailer offers a glimpse at James Marsden's Stu Redman as Mother Abigail is seen with a large white dog

Epic: The nine-episode mini-series is based on King's epic novel, which, at 1,152 pages, is the longest novel in King's illustrious career

The Stand was created by Josh Boone (The New Mutants), who directed all nine episodes, and Ben Cavell, based on King's novel, with the author himself writing a brand new coda for the series.

The series will premiere on Thursday, December 17 on the CBS All Access streaming service.

New episodes will be dropping weekly on subsequent Thursdays, as opposed to the binge watch model.

Creator: The Stand was created by Josh Boone (The New Mutants), who directed all nine episodes, and Ben Cavell, based on King's novel, with the author himself writing a brand new coda for the series

Premiere: The series will premiere on Thursday, December 17 on the CBS All Access streaming service
B oris Johnson has joined business social networking website LinkedIn, Downing Street said today.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said it was particularly important for Mr Johnson to connect with businesses during the economic recovery.

He told Westminster journalists: The purpose of that is another platform for him to engage directly with businesses and workers.

Thats something that is particularly important during the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

You can expect to see on there a mixture of written and video content from the PM which will promote UK businesses, jobs and economic announcements.

Other leaders using the professional networking site include French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern.

In his bio, Mr Johnson describes himself as: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Leader of the Conservative Party.

Under experience, he cites being MP for Henley, Mayor of London and Foreign Secretary.

It comes after the Prime Minister held his first cabinet meeting after the summer recess this morning.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was pictured shaking hands with someone on his way to the socially distanced meeting in the Foreign Office.

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After the meeting it was announced that Prince Williams former private secretary Simon Case is being made the UKs top civil servant.
A pregnant woman was shot to death as she slept in bed at a Connecticut home early Monday, just hours after her cousin was slain in a shooting on a nearby street.

Karla Bermudez, 22, was struck multiple times after gunshots were fired through the second-floor window of a large multi-family home on the corner of Washington Terrace and Washington Place at around 5:30am this morning.

Police say Bermudezs boyfriend, who was lying next to her in bed at the time, was the intended target of the shooting. He too was struck by gunfire but suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Bermudez, who was 23 weeks pregnant, was rushed to St. Vincents Medical Center, but despite lifesaving efforts, she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Her unborn child, a baby girl, also did not survive.

Her death came just over 24 hours after her cousin, 24-year-old Heriberto Marquez, was found dead by police having suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, just four blocks away.

Karla Bermudez, who was 23 weeks pregnant, was rushed to St. Vincents Medical Center, but despite lifesaving efforts, she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Her unborn child also did not survive

Bermudez, 22, was struck multiple times after gunshots were fired through the second-floor window a large multi-family home on the corner of Washington Terrace and Washington Place at around 5:30am

Her death came just over 24 hours after her cousin, 24-year-old Heriberto Marquez, was found dead by police having suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, just four blocks away

Bermudezs boyfriend, who has not been publicly named by police, is reportedly not cooperating with investigators. He suffered a gunshot to the buttocks and is recovering in hospital.

Bridgeport Police Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said that currently there is no evidence to suggest the fatal shootings of Bermudez and Marquez are connected, calling their violent deaths an unfortunate coincidence.

Police said witnesses observed two or men stood outside the Washington Avenue home at 5:35am Monday and began firing into the second floor window.

I heard shots and I knew it wasn't firecrackers, a neighbor told News 12. I said call the police, call the police.

By the time police arrived, the group of men had disappeared and the street was littered with empty bullet shell casings. Its currently unclear how many shots were fired, and how many of the suspects observed at the home were armed.

Bermudez did not live at the home where the shooting happened and had only been staying over for one night to visit her boyfriend.

Police did not say if any arrests were made, but they are investigating the incident as a homicide.

Two other adults were in the home at the time of the shooting but were not injured, police said.

Bermudezs boyfriend, who has not been publicly named by police, is reportedly not cooperating with investigators. He suffered a gunshot to the buttocks and is recovering in hospital

Police said witnesses observed two or men stood outside the Washington Avenue home at 5:35am Monday and began firing into the second floor window

Bridgeport Police Capt. Brian Fitzgerald said that currently there is no evidence to suggest the fatal shootings of Bermudez and Marquez are connected, calling their violent deaths an unfortunate coincidence

Its currently unclear how many shots were fired, and how many of the suspects observed at the home were armed (pictured: bullet holes are shown on the outside of the home)

Marquez, meanwhile, was found on the ground with a gunshot wound to his head at the intersection of Iranistan Avenue and Hanover Street early Sunday. He was pronounce by paramedics at the scene.

So now the grandmother lost two grandchildren in less than two, three days, Marquezs mother, Elizabeth Delgado, told News 12. Everybody is devastated. I thought it was a dream but when I woke up, reality hit me and it's no dream. Its no dream, hes gone.

The gun violence came after a string of shootings in Bridgeport over the weekend that left three people dead. Late Friday night, 25-year-old George John, of Shelton, was also shot to death in Bridgeport.

Involved individuals who knew individuals shooting each other. Some who know each other. Some who lost friends, family members, and relatives at the scene, who at this moment will not even assist police, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim said.

Bridgeport has recorded 14 murders so far this year, exceeding the dozen suffered around the same time in 2019, CBS2 reported.

Delgado says she's praying whoever is behind her son and nieces slaying is caught. She says that's the only way her family can begin to heal.

If anybody knows anything, say something... if it was your child, you'd want someone to say something, she says.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Bridgeport Police Department Tips Line at 203-576-TIPS.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:17:14|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Tuesday reported 3,404 new COVID-19 cases during the day, raising the total nationwide infections to 238,338.

The new cases included 858 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 245 in Dhi Qar, 231 in Duhok, 229 in Najaf, 220 in each Karbala and Muthanna, and 210 in al-Qadisiyah, while the other cases were detected in the other provinces, the ministry said in a statement.

It also reported 81 deaths during the day, raising the death toll to 7,123, while 3,871 more patients recovered in the day, bringing the total number of recoveries to 180,473.

The new cases were recorded after 18,427 testing kits were used across the country during the day, and a total of 1,624,331 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, Hazim al-Jumaili, deputy health minister, told the official Iraqi News Agency that the health authorities are mulling new proposals for the health preventive measures, as Iraq is facing financial difficulties and many commercial activities such as restaurants and shops are suffering from the impacts of the coronavirus restrictions.

"We are studying some proposals to reduce the impacts of the health restrictions and will make appropriate decisions in the coming days," al-Jumaili said.

He also said that while the Iraqi health authorities are seeking to reduce the number of infections, Iraq is witnessing an increase in recovery cases because of the good treatment procedures.

Iraq has been taking a series of measures to contain the pandemic since February when the first coronavirus case appeared in the country.

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 Iraq's capital Baghdad.

Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem
T housands of students across England and Wales returned to the classroom this morning.

For many students, it was the first time they have stepped into a classroom since March, when schools were told to close as part of a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

Parents and students were pictured queueing at drop off at Charles Dickens Primary School in south London on Tuesday. The young pupils were also seen following coronavirus guidance by washing their hands before entering the school.

According to the current Government guidance for schools, pupils will be grouped into bubbles to reduce the transmission of the virus. In primary schools an entire class will form a bubble, and in secondary schools entire year groups will form bubbles.

Social distancing rules will not be applied at all times, but older children will be encouraged to keep their distance from their peers where they can.

Schools in Scotland began to reopen on August 11, while all pupils in Northern Ireland were due to return from August 31.

Students return to classrooms in England and Wales as unions rally against absence fines

It comes as the former health secretary Jeremy Hunt backed a call from epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson for rapid testing to be introduced in schools, using a similar model to that used in Germany.

The Commons Health Committee chairman told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I think he is right, and the reason he is right is because we know something now we didnt know back in January, which is that about 70 per cent of the people who transmit coronavirus dont have any symptoms at all and so that makes it much harder to get public consent for things like sending people back to school or going back to offices and so on because it is a silent transmitter and even a silent killer sometimes.

The way you get round that is by having very quick, very effective large-scale testing.

I think, in fairness to the Government, it is heading in this direction but we could be much more systematic about it if we really wanted to raise confidence.

Pupils at Charles Dickens Primary School wash their hands / PA

If, for example, we said that every secondary school teacher was going to be tested twice a week, then that would really give people confidence that if they were sending their kids back to school, they werent sending them into a zone where they might pick up the virus.

Mr Hunt said he thought it was possible to ramp up testing in such a way but that there were concerns around false positives  although he said a second test could help rule out such anomalies.

Schools minister Nick Gibb urged parents to send children back to the classroom on Tuesday and insisted "schools are doing everything they can to make sure that their pupils and their staff are safe".

Pressed on whether a Covid-19 case would lead to a full school closure, Mr Gibb told Sky News: "Not necessarily. It will depend on the extent of the contacts that pupil has had, whether there are other positive cases of coronavirus.

Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London / PA

"But they will take advice from the local health protection scheme and maybe send mobile testing units into a school - there is a whole raft of measures that we will take if there are positive cases of coronavirus in schools."

Meanwhile education unions urged the Government to temporarily scrap school absence fines.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) general secretary Paul Whiteman said: "If you are a parent and you are worried about safety, a fine is unlikely to make you feel any safer.

The Government understands this, but the threat of fines still remains, so were urging the Government to take the threat of fines off the table for the coming term.

This would send a powerful signal to parents and families and could well mean that more of them are willing to bring their children back to school, which is what we all want to see.

The school leaders union said while it hoped attendance would be as close to 100 per cent as possible, it understood there will be some families who do not yet feel ready to return.

A recent poll by Tes found that 86 per cent of nearly 6,000 school staff in England said minimising contact between pupils would not be possible.

More than a third (35 per cent) also felt that the Governments approach to coronavirus safety in schools would not work and left them at risk.

Additional reporting by PA Media.
Im in this campaign for you, no matter your color, no matter your ZIP code. No matter your politics, Biden said. When I think about the presidency, I dont think about myself. This isnt about my brand. This is about you. We can do better. We must do better. And I promise this: We will do better.
RICHMOND  Heightened COVID-19 restrictions in Hampton Roads will remain in place through Labor Day, as state officials hope to stymie a potential surge following the busy holiday weekend.

While the rest of the state remains under Phase Three guidelines, private and public gatherings in the states Eastern health region are limited to 50 people, compared with the current statewide limit of 250. All restaurants across 11 localities in the region currently must stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m. and close down for service at midnight, as well as limit patrons to 50% of their capacity.

Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday that keeping the restrictions in place to avoid a surge will be imperative as schools and colleges reopen.

We need to think back to Memorial Day and July the 4th. We saw surges in the week, two weeks after those holidays across the state and certainly here in Virginia. We want to avoid those as summer comes to a close, Northam said.

The governor said his decision aligns with guidance from federal health officials. On Monday, Northam participated in a call with the nations top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who urged states to be wary of holiday weekend surges.

Now is the time to double down on what we know is working so we can set ourselves up for success this fall, Northam said.

Northam said that if downward trends continue in Eastern Virginia, and people are observed following social distancing guidelines through the holiday weekend, the additional restrictions on the region would be lifted soon after Labor Day.

COVID-19 trends statewide have been trending up since mid-August, but the share of positive cases among all tests remains below 10%, as suggested by public health experts.

Trends in the states Central, Northern, Northwest health regions remain steady. Cases in the Southwest health region are trending up  a sign Northam said is worrisome given limited health care resources in the states rural southwest.

License renewals

The state is extending the validity of drivers licenses that expired in August, September and October by 60 days as the Department of Motor Vehicles works to address the backlog resulting from COVID-19.

In addition, licenses expiring in November will remain valid until the end of that month.

The DMV said Tuesday that the extension will apply to roughly 275,000 customers. DMV offices are currently open, but operating by appointment only.
SEAL BEACH, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CUDDLY , a mission-driven fundraising platform dedicated to helping animal welfare organizations worldwide, closed a $4 million Series A round. The round is being led by Lead Edge Capital , a growth-stage investment fund based in New York and Santa Barbara.

The new funding will accelerate the growth of CUDDLY's platform for its sheltering partners. It will allow the company to add fundraising consultants to support the organizations they serve, increase marketing spend to fuel the growth of new donor acquisitions, and continue to improve the overall product experience.

"It's an exciting time for us as we continue to grow and watch our mission gain traction," stated John Hussey, CEO of CUDDLY. "We are very thoughtful about who we partner with and couldn't be more thrilled to team with Lead Edge Capital to bring our work to more animal-welfare nonprofits worldwide."

Hussey continued: "As a double impact bottom line business, our goal is to help our sheltering partners improve their fundraising efforts through community, innovation, and technology. They are passionate about saving every animal and our role is to help provide the resources needed to achieve that objective."

CUDDLY enables animal shelters and rescue organizations to create product wishlists and fundraising campaigns so donors can give transparently by purchasing products or financially donating. By connecting directly with nearly 300,000 donors, CUDDLY is helping to save thousands of animals in the most critical need.

"CUDDLY's platform is redefining how thousands of animal welfare organizations worldwide operate by providing them with the fundraising tools they need to better support the animals in their care," adds Zach Ullman, Vice President at Lead Edge Capital, who will join CUDDLY's Board of Directors. "Their dedicated team and community of hundreds of thousands of donors are empowering traditionally underserved shelter and rescue ecosystems. The CUDDLY team is doing important work and we're eager to help the company advance its mission."

CUDDLY has experienced a 350% growth YoY since June 2019. While the global pandemic has hampered fundraising efforts for many nonprofit organizations, CUDDLY has been well positioned to step up and assist their more than 2,100 sheltering partners by providing virtual fundraising tools.

The CUDDLY community of donors continue to support the urgent cases that put such a strain on the resources of rescues and shelters. Through their proprietary fundraising platform, CUDDLY has raised over $20M in product sales and monetary donations since launching in 2014 and has recently surpassed over 10,000 campaigns.

About CUDDLY

CUDDLY is a fundraising and wishlist platform dedicated to helping animal organizations worldwide, while supporting over 2,100 non-profit animal shelters across the United States. The for-good startup seeks to help all animals find a healthy life and a loving home. Through CUDDLY, animal lovers can purchase and give in a modern, transparent way, via online shops, gift registries and monetary donations. CUDDLY also provides fundraising and marketing support, as well as valuable community business tools, to help support the important initiatives of animal welfare organizations. For more information, please visit cuddly.com .

About Lead Edge

Lead Edge Capital is a growth stage investment fund with $2 billion of capital raised since inception, and portfolio companies across the internet, software and consumer spaces  including Alibaba Group, Asana, Duo Security, Signal Sciences, Toast and TransferWise. Lead Edge Capital offers its entrepreneurs flexible capital and extensive domain expertise via its robust Limited Partner Network. Lead Edge Capital leverages its LPs to connect companies with the customers, partners, talent and advisors needed to accelerate success. Lead Edge Capital was founded in 2009 and has offices in New York City and Southern California.

Follow CUDDLY on social media @WeLoveCUDDLY

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New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Centre and Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that the moratorium on repayment of loans is extendable by up to two years.

Appearing for the RBI and the central government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta contended before a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan that the Centre is in the process of identifying the distressed sectors to decide what kind of relief could be provided, as per the impact of the hit they have taken.

Mehta clarified that moratorium is capable of being extended as per the circular.

He also informed the top court that the Centre has filed its reply on the powers under Disaster Management Act, and urged the court to allow Centre, RBI, bankers associations to sit together.

The bench replied that it has been hearing about this meeting since past three hearings on the matter. Mehta submitted that they will identify the class of borrowers.

The bench said it wanted something concrete on the issue.

Mehta reiterated that the moratorium period is anyway extendable by two years.

The bench insisted that it will have to take a decision on many other issues on the basis of its merit.

Mehta said the court can go through the affidavit and take up the matter in two days.

The bench wanted to know whether a decision can be taken in two days? Mehta said that may not be possible.

To which, the bench said it would hear on Wednesday the bunch of petitions demanding waiver of interest, or waiver of interest on interest on the deferred EMIs during the moratorium period.
Hazardous emissions from a chlorine plant fire, abruptly shuttered oil and gas refineries and still-to-be assessed plant damage are seeping into the air after Hurricane Laura, regulators say, but some key state and federal monitors to alert the public of air dangers remain offline in Louisiana.

While the chlorine fire was being monitored as a potential health threat, Louisiana environmental spokesman Greg Langley says he knows of no other major industrial health risks from the storm in the state. He said restoring power and water was a bigger priority.

But some Louisiana residents and environmental advocates say a shortage of solid government information on the state of the air is typical. With dozens of petroleum, petrochemical and other industrial sites, Louisiana is home to communities with some of the nations highest cancer risks, according to Environmental Protection Agency rankings.

In the Lake Charles area, with refineries, a major natural gas project and other industrial sites, residents generally dont get any information except what the industry puts out, said Carla Chrisco, a Lake Charles lawyer who evacuated the city before Laura.

The area was among the hardest hit when Laura struck parts of the Texas-Louisiana coast with up to 150-mph (240 kph) winds and a storm surge that Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said rose as high as 15 feet (4.5 meters).

An electrical outage that deprived hundreds of thousands of people of power and is expected to last weeks has knocked offline the states stationary air monitors in the storm-battered communities.

Oil and gas facilities that the U.S. Department of Energy says account for 13% of U.S. refinery capacity shut down as a precaution along an industrialized roughly 60-mile stretch from Port Arthur, Texas, to Lake Charles before the hurricane.

The abrupt shutdowns, and eventual restarts, for hurricanes typically mean the emission of up to millions of pounds of additional cancer-causing soot, heavy metals and other hazards from refinery smokestacks.

A fire at a plant making swimming pool chemicals in Westlake, part of the larger Lake Charles area, since Aug. 27 has on occasion sent enough chlorine into the air to be detected by emergency workers hand-held monitors, Langley said. Chlorine levels were not high enough to warrant evacuation, officials said, although residents of the industrial area around the plant were under orders to shelter inside their homes for days after Lauras landfall.

With debris clogging roads, industry still is assessing damage along the Texas-Louisiana coast. No word of any major industrial threat other than the chlorine plant fire had emerged by three days after Laura. After Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017, confirmation of more than a hundred toxic spills into the air, land and water took days, weeks and months to become public, and many were never investigated.

In a storm of this magnitude, theres going to be some leaks, theres going to be some spills, Langley said Saturday. Were still in the process of assessing that. I dont know of anything personally thats major.

Texas has requested the EPAs help overall looking for any so-far undiscovered hazardous air releases after the hurricane, but Louisiana, with the exception of the chlorine plant fire, has not, EPA spokesman James Hewitt said.

EPA stands ready to assist states and local governments who need help, and have already done so following Hurricane Laura, Hewitt said in an email.

Texas made a formal request for air-monitoring help through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hewitt said. As a result, EPA has sent a bus-mounted mobile lab to the Houston area to start monitoring and assessing air for any hazardous emission levels, he said.

Texas also has asked the EPA to deploy a monitoring plane over Port Arthur, where the aircraft will collect infrared images and air readings to help track any damage and releases from the storm damage.

Information will be provided to the public as it becomes available which follows our standard procedures, the EPA spokesman said.

By Aug. 29, EPA contractors had left the area of the chlorine plant fire, said Langley, the Louisiana environmental spokesman. An environmental consulting firm would continue to do all air monitoring, he said.

State officials also would be flying over the damaged area to look for obvious leaks, sheens, wayward drums and any other signs of industrial threats, Langley said. We have a lot of experience in hurricane response, looking for that, he said.

Christina Stephens, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana governor, said that in addition to hand-held monitors, Louisianas Department of Environmental Quality also has mobile air labs, although it so far has not deployed them since the storm.

The agency has the experienced team and the resources  to assess and respond to environmental issues in the aftermath, Stephens said. If the state also needs EPA resources, we will not hesitate to call on them.

But some environmental and public health advocates single out Louisiana for what they say is too lax vigilance over industrial threats to the public, even in the best of times.

Louisianas response since Laura sounds like its about what it usually is. Not robust is putting it kindly, said Anne Rolfes in New Orleans, founder of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, an environmental group.

People are worried about the possibility of toxic releases from the storm, Rolfes said. But over the years, she said, Louisiana residents have come to have tremendously low expectations, for these institutions that are supposed to be protecting us.

Knickmeyer reported from Oklahoma City. Associated Press writer Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Texas Louisiana Hurricane Pollution
ASUS ZenFone 7 series initial launch was about a week ago in Taiwan, and now the phones launched globally. We also have European price tags for the two phones as well.

Before we get down to it, do note that the phones will not be going to the US, at least for the time being. ASUS did not mention anything about them being available in the US.

The ASUS ZenFone 6, a predecessor to these two handsets, did launch in the US last year. That gives us some hope that these two phones will make their way to the States eventually.

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The ASUS ZenFone 7 & 7 Pro launch globally with appealing price tags

That being said, the vanilla ASUS ZenFone 7 is priced at 699 in Europe. The ASUS ZenFone 7 Pro, on the other hand, comes with a price tag of 799. These two handsets are here to compete with the OnePlus 8, pretty much.

The regular ASUS ZenFone 7 comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The Pro variant includes 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. There are no additional models available.

This is not the only difference between the two devices. Their SoC is different, and there are also some differences in the camera department. The ASUS ZenFone 7 comes with the regular Snapdragon 865, while the Pro model includes the Snapdragon 865 Plus.

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Only the Pro model offers OIS on two of its cameras

The ASUS ZenFone 7 Pro also includes OIS for its main and telephoto lenses. The ZenFone 7, on the other hand, does not. So, if you want to get absolutely the best out of the cameras, you should consider getting the Pro unit.

Other than the OIS difference, the camera setups are the same. These two phones are actually the same in every other way. They do look the same, plus the rest of their specs are identical.

Both devices are made out of metal and glass, and feature flat displays. A side-facing fingerprint scanner sits on both phones, while the flip camera module sits on the back of the two devices.

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When you switch to the selfie camera mode within the camera app, that camera module will flip up, allowing you to use all three cameras as your selfie shooters.

The ASUS ZenFone 7 and 7 Pro may end up being quite appealing phones mainly due to their price tag, interesting camera module, and no notches or display holes.

These two devices certainly have a lot to offer, and probably offer the best selfie cameras on the market. The two devices will probably reach more markets in the coming weeks / months. Were just not sure if one of those markets will be the US.
It has only been a few months since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle permanently planted their roots in the US by purchasing a multi-million dollar mansion in Montecito, Santa Barbara.

Unfortunately for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, residents of their exclusive community already want them out.

While the buzz of this famous couple moving into their quiet little town was initially exciting, Montecito residents are now bombarded with tourists, helicopters, and paparazzi.

Though the 39-year-old former "Suits" star and her husband have not been seen in public yet, their presence is driving most of the neighbors wild as the influx of paparazzi has been crazy to get their perfect shot of the couple.

TMZ reported that the scene outside the entire village is now busy - helicopters hover above Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's mansion four times a day. Paparazzi are hungry to get just a glimpse that they're staking out their home and even in public areas such as the nearby shopping center.

Not only are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attracting these photographers, but they're also attracting a lot of tourists. Sources told the gossip website that Montecito visitors annoyingly ask local shop owners if they have seen the Duke and Duchess of Sussex around.

Though Montecito is also home to other famous faces such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Carol Burnett, and even the Kardashians, the little town is a no-paparazzi zone.

Before the former British royal family members moved in, the celebrities, as mentioned earlier, and the locals had no problem dining out and shopping. However, it all changed when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle came to the picture.

Locals told TMZ that they asked the paparazzi to exhaust themselves and give up because they feel that these photographers are compromising the Sussexes' privacies and the too annoyed locals.

Once the coronavirus pandemic is all over, Montecito locals are reportedly expecting for the worst. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will finally venture all out, amping things up in a big way.

Along with their one-year-old son Archie, the couple moved to California since stepping down as senior members of the royal family in March.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were warned their privacy is even more at risk in Los Angeles than in UK's Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

According to royal expert Marlene Koenig, the Duke of Sussex's decision to live in Los Angeles is "crazy."

Speaking to Express UK, "I think for Harry that is going to be difficult to swallow."

"They would have far more privacy living in Frogmore Cottage behind the fences at Windsor Great Park than they will ever have to live in a gated community in LA."

She added, "Perhaps this is another stop before they make a final decision of where they want to set up home, but I think LA is crazy."

The expert said that they are becoming "celebrities" instead of "royals," which could give them issues in the future.

"If he or she will be here on official business, they would have state department security. But they're not afforded any of that because they're not here in capacity as members of the royal family."

READ MORE: Princess Diana CREEPY Secret: One Gross Thing She Always Kept In Her Fridge in Case of Emergency
While there is no concrete time yet when Prince Charles can take over the throne, royal experts explained why the transition will not do good for the monarchy.

For years, Prince Charles has been so vocal about his plan to slim down the monarchy by cutting down the number of working royals.

But despite dedicating his life to pursue his life-long dream, a royal commentator warned about the downside of such a reckless change.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, royal historian Bob Morris pointed out that slimming down the monarchy will only push the remaining royals to "work hard or do less."

Although it is a fact that the British royal family has the greatest number of active royals than any other European country, this will cause the monarchy to lose its balance, especially since U.K. has a much bigger population.

"We're 66 million, Sweden has nine million, Norway has five, Poland has about 18 to 19," Morris pointed out. "On the other hand, Spain who has a population of 40 million really only has two people. They will have to work hard or do less."

If and when this re-establishment occurs, Price Charles reportedly only wants to highlight the works of those closer to the throne. That list includes the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Although lessening the number of working royals means lesser outlays, the royal engagements will surely burden the central members.

Furthermore, the move could alienate hardworking members of the royal family, including Princess Anne.

Prince Charles Not Coming To Buckingham?

The theory came after royal expert Christopher Warwick revealed that Prince Charles would use the Buckingham Palace as an office. But it is highly likely that he will remain in Clarence House.

"I can't help thinking that Charles may not come to the throne for another five to six years. Will he really in his late 70's want to up sticks from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace?" Warwick told True Royalty TV.

Meanwhile, Sunday Times royal correspondent Royal Nikkah agreed and said that Buckingham Palace remains the monarchy's HQ.

"I imagine that it will still be monarchy HQ and I wouldn't be surprised if the Cambridges stayed in Kensington Palace," she went on while also talking about the future of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.

Meanwhile, a theory also unveiled how Prince Charles could remove the royal members' titles in the future.

"The number of senior royals could be reduced, which would mean fewer royals are completing royal engagements," Express news stated. "The move would also mean fewer members of the Royal Family would be entitled to funding from the Sovereign Grant, which is Government-funded."

No one can tell whether Prince Charles can successfully push through his slim-down plans. Only until the time comes royal fans will finally know whether the Prince of Wales' succession can indeed put the monarchy in danger.

READ MORE: Princess Diana's Death: 3 Times the Royal Family Disappointed, Hurt the Princess of Wales
FCTA continues to give free rides to those affected by the tornado
Germany urged China to withdraw the national security law imposed on Hong Kong and grant access for international observers to visit Xinjiangs Uygurs on Tuesday, marking an adversarial end to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yis European tour.

At a press conference after bilateral talks, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also criticised Wangs threats against the Czech senate presidents trip to Taiwan, a row that overshadowed Beijings intended focus on cooperation with the European Unions biggest economy.

Germany, which currently holds the EU presidency, plans to organise a special summit with Chinas president Xi Jinping later this month. Some other EU leaders are also expected to attend, in a bid to pile pressure on Xi to accept wider market access for EU companies as part of an EU-China investment deal still under negotiation.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

Four of the five European countries Wang visited raised concerns publicly with him over Hong Kong, leaving the Chinese official on the defensive and repeating the nations need to curb Hong Kong independence movements.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas following their meeting on Tuesday. Photo: AP via dpa

Maas, however, dismissed Wangs reassurance that Hong Kongs freedoms were protected under the new law.

You know that our concerns about the effects of the security law have not been allayed, Maas said. We want the one country, two systems principle to be applied as fully as possible.

Maas also called for Legislative Council elections to take place in Hong Kong quickly and unhindered. The elections, which were planned in September, were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Democratic opposition groups see the postponement as illegitimate.

The security law prompted the US to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and countries including Canada, Australia, Britain and Germany have suspended extradition agreements with Hong Kong.

Story continues

The European Union agreed in July to limit exports of equipment to Hong Kong that could be used for surveillance and repression.

In his answer to reporters questions, Wang lashed out at the Bild newspaper, which last year hosted an event where Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung met Maas. The tabloid paper, Wang said, was full of bias.

Whether Hong Kong or Xinjiang, both fall into the category of internal Chinese matters. We do not want any foreign interference in Chinese society, said Wang.

Leading a protest by several hundred demonstrators outside the foreign ministry in Berlin on Tuesday, Joshua Wongs political ally Nathan Law Kwun-chung called for more support from Berlin over the security law.

Hong Kong activist Nathan Law, wearing a face mask, holds a rally with other activist groups during Chinas foreign minister Wang Yis visit in Berlin on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Berlin is very quiet when the topic is China. Berlin is very quiet when the topic is Hong Kong, said Law, 27, who fled to Britain after the security law came in.

Appeasement strategies are really, really useless, he added.

Law was joined by supporters waving the blue and white flag of the Uygurs, an ethnic minority group that activists say suffers from repression and persecution in Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang.

According to the UN, roughly one million Uygurs and other Turkic people have been detained in camps.

Maas said he and Wang had discussed the camps and I reiterated that we would very much welcome it if China would  grant access to the camps to a UN observer mission.

The German foreign minister also denounced Chinas threats against a senior Czech politician who led a delegation to Taiwan.

Wang had said on Monday that China would make Czech senate president Milos Vystrcil pay a high price for his short-sighted behaviour and political speculation.

During the press conference on Tuesday, Wang accused Vystrcil of crossing a red line and recognising Taiwan as a country, which he said was against the one China policy under which Taiwan was part of China.

Wangs threats to a fellow EU country while in Germany infuriated some German politicians, who stressed the need for EU unity to support the Czech Republic.

Maas warned that the EU treats its foreign partners with respect and expects the same in return, adding: Threats do not fit in with this.

Wangs visit to Berlin is the final stop on a tour of five European countries as he seeks to shore up economic and diplomatic relations in light of tensions with the US.

Protesters tear up a flag of China during a demonstration on Tuesday outside the Foreign Office in Berlin. Photo: AFP

This trip, his first out of China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, also took in the Netherlands, France, Norway and Italy, where he signed two trade agreements, including one on the supply of gas.

Wangs visit will be followed by another European tour by his higher-up, Politburo member Yang Jiechi.

Yang, considered Chinas top diplomat, will visit Greece and Spain this week, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse

More from South China Morning Post:

This article Germany urges withdrawal of Hong Kong security law, seeks access to Uygurs in Xinjiang first appeared on South China Morning Post

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The authorities at the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Hospital in Dehradun, Uttarakhands premier healthcare facility dedicated to coronavirus disease (Covid-19) treatment, are finding the going tough as far as plasma therapy is concerned owing to reluctant plasma donors amid a daily spike in the viral infection cases in the hill state.

Doctors said recovered Covid-19 patients are steadfastly refusing to donate plasma because they are scared that they might contract SARS-CoV-2 that causes the viral disease.

This is a dedicated Covid-19 facility after the first case of the viral outbreak was reported in Uttarakhand. Many Covid-19 patients, who have since recovered, are reluctant to donate plasma because they are scared that they might get infected again. However, we are trying to convince them that the Covid-19 wards and plasma donation centres are two separate entities. And the plasma donation process is absolutely safe, said Dr. Ashutosh Sayana, principal, GDMC.

He explained that the hospital authorities had pulled out all stops to create awareness about donation of plasma through mass media such as newspapers, television channels and other means of communication like social media platforms.

Hospital counsellors have been tasked to convince recovered Covid-19 patients to donate plasma, but their efforts have come a cropper to date.

Dr. Shashi Upreti, in-charge of plasma therapy and blood bank, GDMC Hospital, said not a single recovered Covid-19 patient has donated plasma since the equipment for plasma therapy was installed at the government-run healthcare facility.

The machinery for conducting plasma therapy was installed at the hospital around end-July, but not a single recovered Covid-19 patient has donated plasma to date. We managed to trace seven-eight recovered Covid-19 patients, but unfortunately, they didnt have sufficient anti-bodies. As a result, they couldnt donate plasma, said Dr. Upreti.

She said only the mild and severe Covid-19 patients are mostly able to develop enough antibodies to donate plasma.

For plasma donation we have to check a few parametres. For instance, Covid-19 patients in the age group between 18 and 65 years are eligible to donate, except for pregnant women and those suffering from comorbidities. Most Covid-19 patients are asymptomatic, who recover quickly. However, only mild and severe Covid-19 patients can develop enough antibodies that help them to donate plasma. We have over 800 such eligible donors, but a vast majority refused to donate their plasma. Of the 800, only eight were screened and all of them found to be ineligible, as they did not have sufficient antibodies, she said.

The officials urged the public to come forward and help other Covid-19 patients in the hill state.

Dehradun district has reported the second-highest Covid-19 cases in Uttarakhand, as over 4,000 people have been found to be afflicted with the contagion.

The hospital authorities also highlighted a crisis of blood in the blood bank.

Only 10 units of blood were available in the bank until Monday and none from negative blood groups. We are trying to organise blood donations camps, as the hospital is in dire need of blood for its bank, Dr Upreti added.
For the second conservative year, the government has not made any allocation from the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) to the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) despite the Fund raking in 5.5 million dollars returns on its investment in the 30 million dollar KIA terminal 3 project in three years.



Mr Mark O.A. Agyemang, Technical Manager, Public Interest and Accountability Manager who disclosed this at a workshop at Aburi at the weekend said, the returns on investment in KIA Terminal 3 project was commendable hence the need to see a continuous allocation to the Fund.



After reviewing GIIFs investment of 30 million dollars in KIA Terminal 3, and the subsequent returns of 5.5 million dollars of the initial investments in three years, PIAC recommends more of such investments in high-yielding projects, he said.



The investment he said aligned with the spending aspirations of the ABFA with respect to capital expenditure.



On the non allocation of funds to the GIIF for two conservative years, Mr Agyemang said this was not only worrying but was contrary to the provisions of the Petroleum Revenue Management Law (PRMA) and the GO IF Act.



The GIIF is a permanent investment vehicle established by law to lead, promote, facilitate, fund and backstop the development of, and investment in, infrastructure.



Section 21(4)(b) of the Petroleum Revenue Management (Amendment) Act, 2015 (Act 893), and Section 5(1)(b) of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund Act, 2014 (Act 877), provide that a maximum 25 per cent of the amount allocated for Public Investment Expenditure under the ABFA shall be allocated to the GIIF for infrastructural development.



Mr Agyemang said the government must ensure that this was not repeated again as the non-allocation of funds defeat the purpose of the GIIF establishment.



Mr Noble Wadza, Chairman of the PIAC, in his presentation asked Parliament to ensure that the Ministry of Finance accounted for the 1. 5 billion dollars unutilised Annual ABFA.



For the third consecutive year, not only has a sizable proportion of the ABFA not been fully utilised but it has also not been accounted for, impeding PIACs appreciation of the full scope of accounting to the public on the utilisation of our petroleum revenues, he said.



Mr Wadza said in 2019, 45.14 per cent of the actual ABFA was spent on recurrent expenditure, with 54.86 per cent on capital expenditure in violation of Section 8(4)(a) of Act 893 which requires that a minimum of 70 per cent be spent on public investment expenditure.

He said PIAC before issuing its reports invited the Ministry of Finance to come and explain the rationale for not utilising and not accounting of the GH 1.5 billion but they failed to attend.



He said the country was on the path of the resource curse if the current trend of spending oil revenues was not reversed.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









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Two rockets fell near Baghdad International Airport on Sunday few days after two other rocket attacks hit the Iraqi capital.

The attack by Katyusha rockets, according to the defense ministry, made casualties and has not been claimed by any group or organization.

It is the third such attack last week.

A Katyusha rocket landed in Baghdads heavily fortified Green Zone, which is home to government buildings and foreign missions, causing damage to an empty building, Anadolu news agency reports citing the Iraqi police.

Thursday, three rockets fell in the Green Zone.

No casualties were reported in both attacks.
A pair of Ukrainian sailors' pork predilection will see them punted from Perth after five kilograms of prohibited pig products were seized from their bags.

The biosecurity breaches will see them booted from Australia and likely banned from returning for three years.

One man failed to declare almost 2kg of raw pork fat, 660 grams of salami and 100g of pork rind.

One man failed to declare almost 2kg of raw pork fat, 660 grams of salami and 100g of pork rind (file picture)

He also had 870g of fish that hadn't been gutted, 350g of other fish and 340g of chicken in his luggage.

The man's fellow traveller failed to declare 2.2kg of pork meat and fat.

The pair arrived last Friday on a flight from Singapore to Perth, where they were hoping to quarantine for two weeks before linking up with a commercial ship at Fremantle.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said the men were the 13th and 14th people to have their visas cancelled under beefed up biosecurity laws since October 2019.

'Each of the items seized could pose a direct threat to our agricultural industries and environment,' he said on Tuesday.

'Australia will not tolerate people putting our world-class clean, green reputation at risk by failing to declare food on arrival in Australia.'
The opposition BJP in Odisha on Monday accused a BJD MLA of blowing off a river embankment in flood-affected Jajpur district with dynamite and sought stringent action against him.

BJP state general secretary Lekhasri Samantsinghar alleged that the 300-feet breach in one of the embankment of Kelua river, a distributary of Brahmani river in Jajpur district, was deliberately created by blowing it off using dynamite.

BJD MLA Pranab Balabantaray and his maternal uncle Naren Jena alias Badal Jena, who is a junior engineer, are involved in the act. An amount of 24.42 crore was spent to revamp the 20-feet wide embankment last year so that it can withstand any kind of floods. The embankment was breached to embezzle the money, alleged the BJP leader.

Neither BJD MLA Balbantray nor the party commented on the allegations even as HT sought their comments.

Engineer-in-chief of water resources department Jyotirmaya Rath also admitted that the breach in embankment of Kelua river was an artificial one. An FIR has been lodged in connection with creation of the breach in Kelua river embankment using dynamite. District administration will take action, said Rath. He added that so far 36 breaches have been created in river embankments, including 5 breaches in Mahanadi river system.

The floods in Odisha have left 17 people dead and over 10,000 houses damaged while affecting 1.4 million people in 20 districts. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik who made an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas on Monday, ordered distribution of 50 kg of rice and 500 to all families in the villages that have been severely affected/inundated/marooned due to the current flood. Besides, one polythene sheet will be given to each deserving household whose house has been damaged.

Demanding stringent action against the Balabantaray and Jena, the BJP leader said cases should be filed against them under the Explosives Act and National Disaster Management Act for putting public lives at risk. Meanwhile, police have launched an investigation into the matter after assistant engineer of Jaraka Irrigation department Kamadev Das filed an FIR in this regard. No arrests have been made so far.

Water resources department officials said as many rivers are flowing above the danger level it will take at least 12-15 hours to get drained into the sea. Since full moon day is on September 2, draining of the water into the sea will get halted and it will take four more days for this water to get drained, said an official.
The development of safe and effective HIV prevention methods for cisgender women has long been a global health priority, yet research in women during pregnancy and breastfeeding, when they are most vulnerable to infection, has lagged years behind.

Women need safe and effective methods for HIV prevention they can use at all times of their lives, say researchers from the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), who have just launched a new study called B-PROTECTED, or MTN-043. B-PROTECTED will enroll women who are breastfeeding, as well as their babies, at trial sites in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

In these and other sub-Saharan African countries, women are estimated to be up to four times more likely to acquire HIV when breastfeeding - more than any other time in their lives, including during pregnancy. And if they get HIV, chances are higher they will transmit the virus to their babies, as well.

The first sites to begin the B-PROTECTED study are the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (Wits RHI) Shandukani Research Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University (MU-JHU) Research Collaboration in Kampala, Uganda. A similar study involving pregnant women, called DELIVER (MTN-042), is also ongoing at these two sites; both studies will be conducted at the Malawi and Zimbabwe sites as well.

Both B-PROTECTED and DELIVER are open-label Phase IIIb studies designed to evaluate the safety of two HIV prevention methods - a daily antiretroviral (ARV) pill called Truvada, an approach known as oral PrEP (short for pre-exposure prophylaxis) that is already approved in many countries, and the monthly dapivirine vaginal ring, a new HIV prevention method, which in late July received a positive opinion by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), a significant step toward its potential approval in African countries. The EMA's review of the ring was conducted in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) through the Article 58 procedure.

If approved by national regulatory authorities, the monthly dapivirine ring would be the first biomedical prevention method designed specifically for cisgender women and the first long-acting method. Importantly, the ring would represent another option for women who are unable or prefer not to use daily oral PrEP.

DELIVER and B-PROTECTED aim to collect the kind of information needed for regulatory authorities and national programs to consider making the dapivirine ring available to pregnant and breastfeeding women. The results of these studies will also enable health care providers, and women themselves, to make informed choices about whether to use the ring or oral PrEP during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Both methods have been shown to be well tolerated and to reduce the risk of HIV in previous trials involving nonpregnant and non-breastfeeding women.

Most of the information about the safety of Truvada (which contains emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), during pregnancy and breastfeeding is from women living with HIV who used it in combination with other drugs as treatment. It's based primarily on this safety data that the WHO recommends Truvada as daily oral PrEP during pregnancy and breastfeeding, while also acknowledging the need for safety data specifically in HIV-negative women. Thus far, a growing body of evidence suggests that PrEP use does not pose significant risk to the mother, her pregnancy or baby. Less is known about the use of the dapivirine ring during pregnancy and breastfeeding. B-PROTECTED is the first study of the ring in women who are actively breastfeeding. Likewise, DELIVER is the first study of the ring in pregnant women.

The dapivirine ring, which was developed by the nonprofit International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), slowly releases the ARV dapivirine into the vagina - the potential site of HIV infection - during the month it is worn. Women can insert and replace the ring themselves.

B-PROTECTED will enroll up to 200 HIV-negative breastfeeding mothers and their 6- to 12-week-old babies. Participants will be randomly assigned to use either the monthly dapivirine ring or Truvada as daily oral PrEP, with more participants assigned to use the dapivirine ring than oral Truvada. Women will use their assigned product for three months and be followed by the study team for an additional two weeks. Researchers will assess how much drug from Truvada and the dapivirine ring passes into breast milk and how much passes to the baby after breastfeeding, and will measure the effects, if any, this may have on the health and safety of both mother and child.

In an earlier study called MTN-029/IPM 039, MTN researchers found dapivirine was absorbed at very low levels in breast milk and noted no safety concerns. MTN-029/IPM 039 enrolled 16 women in the United States who were no longer nursing their babies but still producing milk and who used the dapivirine ring for 14 consecutive days. The study was designed so that babies wouldn't be exposed to drug, but based on levels measured in maternal breast milk, researchers estimated an infant's daily exposure to drug would have been very low.

B-PROTECTED will be important for confirming these results in women who are actively breastfeeding and using the ring, as well as provide additional insight about the safety of Truvada as daily oral PrEP so that decisions about the use of these products while breastfeeding can be made based on evidence rather than guesswork.

Quite simply, we want what's best for both mothers and their babies. We want babies to be able to receive the nutritional benefits that only breastmilk can provide and we want moms to remain HIV-free during the time they are breastfeeding." Maxie Owor, MBChB, MMed (Paed), MPH, protocol chair of the B-PROTECTED study and based at the MU-JHU site

Protocol co-chairs are Jennifer Balkus, Ph.D., MPH, from the University of Washington School of Public Health, and Lisa Noguchi, Ph.D., CNM, from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who also led the MTN-029/IPM 039 study.

"We aren't adequately addressing women's needs for HIV prevention unless we provide tools that can safely reduce their susceptibility while they are pregnant and breastfeeding, which for many women, adds up to be several years of their lives," commented Sharon L. Hillier, Ph.D., professor and vice chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and MTN principal investigator.

"The MTN identified this as an imperative in our scientific agenda more than 14 years ago, when we were first funded as an HIV/AIDS clinical trials network. It's only fitting that the B-PROTECTED study be the final study we initiate as a network."

In addition to the two sites that have just started the study, B-PROTECTED will also be conducted at the College of Medicine-Johns Hopkins University Research Project in Blantyre, Malawi; and the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences Clinical Trials Research Centre, Zengeza. B-PROTECTED is anticipated to be completed and report results in 2021.

In parallel, and through a collaborative procedure coordinated by the WHO, IPM will seek regulatory approval of the dapivirine ring in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe, where the public health need is great and previous studies of the dapivirine ring took place. The first of these approvals could be as early as mid-2021. IPM will seek approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well. Also, in parallel, the WHO will review evidence on the ring as part of its treatment and prevention guidelines process and conduct an abbreviated review for the ring's prequalification, a quality assurance designation that facilitates access to medicines that meet global standards for quality, safety and efficacy.

Until data from the B-PROTECTED and DELIVER studies is available, national programs and health care providers are unlikely to recommend the ring's use by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Indias acknowledgement of a fresh faceoff with Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) reflects the grim reality of the situation along the disputed border after several rounds of talks couldnt take forward the disengagement process, experts said.

A statement from the Indian Army said soldiers had pre-empted provocative military movements by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to change the status quo on the night of August 29-30. It added that these actions violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the standoff in Eastern Ladakh that began in early May.

Over the past few weeks, after several rounds of talks between corps commanders on the ground and the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs, the differences between the two sides on the disengagement and de-escalation process have emerged in the open.

The Chinese side has even referred to both sides having positively evaluated the progress in disengagement, but the Indian side has insisted that the process remains a work in progress and more needs to be done to take it forward.

At the last weekly news briefing of the external affairs ministry, spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said complete disengagement requires re-deployment of troops by each side towards their regular posts on their respective sides of the LAC, which can be done only through mutually agreed reciprocal actions by both sides.

Former navy chief Admiral (retired) Arun Prakash said the time had come for the Indian side to do a reality check and prepare for the worst. He added, Its a grim situation.

The Indian side, Prakash believes, has misread the situation especially since the actions of the Chinese side have often differed from it said. They seem to have decided to restore their boundary to whatever it was according to their historical interpretation, he said.

More significantly, the latest clash occurred on the southern bank of Pangong Lake, where most of the friction in this area has been on the northern bank.

The Chinese actions also run counter to Chinese envoy SunWeidongs assertion last week that the existing situation on the ground is under control on the whole and there is no fresh standoff between the two forces. The envoy has even described the June 15 clash  which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and unspecified Chinese casualties  as a brief moment from the perspective of history.

Sameer Patil, fellow for international security studies at Gateway House, said the latest clash reflected the obdurate attitude of the Chinese in resolving the standoff along the LAC.

The incident goes against what their diplomats have been saying. The Chinese are suing the diplomatic track to create a smokescreen while the Central Military Commission headed by President Xi Jinping is pushing the case on the ground, he said.

Patil also believes the latest Chinese action could be part of efforts to shift the domestic narrative after several photos shared widely on Chinas social media platforms purported to show the graves of Chinese troops killed in the June 15 clash.

There have been at least four such images of tombstones and maybe the Chinese want to stonewall the domestic narrative and shift it to one of protecting national interests, he said.

Former navy chief Prakash said India will need to keep its feet firmly on the ground and look for alliances and partnerships to tackle the challenges facing it. If things take a military or kinetic turn, escalation wont be in our hands, he said.
61% of people surveyed in seven countries want their governments to invest in the global fight against COVID-19

Multiple, potentially deadlier, waves of COVID-19 could continue to threaten millions of lives if leaders fail to prioritize vulnerable people everywhere

If COVID-19 deaths mirror the 1918 influenza pandemic, more than 1.56 million people globally may die after a second wave, with potentially millions more dying from secondary health impacts caused by the pandemic

MISSISSAUGA, ON

Sept. 1, 2020

Canada

Australia

Germany

Japan

Netherlands

Switzerland

Canada

Lindsay Gladding

Canada

Canada

/CNW/ - A report released today by international aid agency, World Vision, reveals 80% of people surveyed in seven countries say their country won't be able to return to normal life until COVID-19 is under control everywhere. The majority of those interviewed by World Vision in, and the UK, believe that repeated outbreaks in other countries put their own nations at risk.Aftershocks: Deadly Waves also warns that 1.56 million people are at risk of dying in a deadlier second wave of COVID-19 if governments do not do everything they can to prepare and protect everyone globally. World Vision is recommending that, along with other governments, invest in robust testing and tracing to avoid extended lockdowns, which can be harmful in wealthy countries and impossible in poorer countries. The NGO is also calling for all countries and contexts, particularly those most fragile, to be equipped with appropriate resources to ensure that vaccines, when available, can be safely and comprehensively distributed."As Canadians, we all have a responsibility to help the world's most vulnerable people fight this pandemic, otherwise the consequences will be deadly for millions of people, particularly children," said, Director, Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs, World Vision Canada. "Even as we get cases under control and ease the lockdown in, we could face waves of COVID-19 due to outbreaks in places that aren't currently equipped to stop the spread. Our latest research is clear; people want governments to lift their eyes above their own national interests and ensure the most vulnerable in the world are cared for. Those in power must act and think globally."If the virus continues to thrive in fragile countries, it will pose a perpetual health and economic threat to both the world's poorest people and the richest, World Vision's new report finds. It warns that just like countries devastated by illnesses like AIDS or Ebola, many poorer countries will inevitably require massive investment to address the social and economic fallout from COVID-19.World Vision commissioned the report to explore how Canadians and citizens in other countries are feeling about the pandemic through a global lens, and to learn more about Canadian sentiment towards an increased Government ofrole in the global pandemic response.The Aftershocks report series has highlighted the clear and present danger posed to children by COVID-19: violence, secondary health impacts, devastating loss of family income and more.MEDIA RESOURCES"Aftershocks: Deadly Waves" report: HEREStory resources (photos and videos) related to World Vision's COVID-19 response HERESOURCE World Vision Canada
The Belarus capital of Minsk was largely quiet a day after tens of thousands of protesters flooded the city on Sunday, calling for an end to the rule of President Alexander Lukashenko. But authorities again moved to target leaders of the protest movement.

Belarus' security force, still known as the KGB, detained the leader of a strike committee at Belaruskali, one of the largest factories in the Eastern European country. Anatoly Bokun, who had been leading a strike at the potash factory in the city of Soligorsk, was given a 15-day jail sentence for taking part in an unauthorized protest.

In Minsk, security agents on Monday also detained Lilia Vlasova, a member of the opposition's Coordination Council, which was created to negotiate a transfer of power. Vlasova was summoned by police on charges of taking part in an unsanctioned protest, local media reported.

Huge protests again flood Belarus' capital Minsk despite heavy security presence

The protests in Minsk have taken on a weekly rhythm, with demonstrations becoming far smaller during the week before erupting again on Sunday. The security forces have acted with greater confidence during the mid-week pause, detaining more protesters and last week jailing two opposition leaders for 10 days. Masked police ordered a small crowd of protesters to disperse from Minsk's main Independence Square on Monday evening.

PHOTO: Opposition supporters take part in a rally against presidential election results near the Independence Palace in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 30, 2020. (Tut.by/via Reuters)

Authorities on Monday also blocked Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the 74-year-old Catholic archbishop of Minsk and Mohilev, from returning to Belarus. Last week, Kondreusiewicz condemned Belarsusian police for locking the doors of a Catholic church on Independence Square after protesters had fled inside.

Sunday night's massive protest, which again drew more than 100,000 demonstrators, underlined the continuing scale of the opposition to Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994. But it also highlighted the current stalemate in Belarus between the protesters and authorities, with no sign that the country's well-equipped security forces are abandoning their embattled leader. Hundreds of riot police with shields, as well as camouflaged troops backed with armored vehicles, moved aggressively to block protesters in some places on Sunday. But the huge crowd again marched up to one of Lukashenko's formal residences and halted in front of a line of police.

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The protest was the first large one since Russian President Vladimir Putin warned he could send security forces into Belarus if protesters seek to remove Lukashenko violently. Putin said on Thursday he believed that was not currently necessary and his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, reiterated that Monday, saying for now the Kremlin believes Lukashenko has the situation in hand.

"I would like to stress that at present the use of this reserve is out of question. At present we see that the situation is under control, so now there is no point to talk about it," Peskov told reporters during Monday's daily call. "Certain actions are continuing, but we can see that in this case, the republic's law enforcement and leadership are keeping the situation under control in a rather confident manner and aren't providing any chance for provocations to be staged."

PHOTO: Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Aug. 30, 2020. (Tut.by/via Reuters)

Belarus' main opposition leader, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran against Lukashenko on Aug. 9 in the country's contested election, warned Putin on Monday against sending Russian riot police to her country.

"We are extremely concerned about Mr. Putin's statements about sending Russian riot police into Belarus. It would be a serious violation of Belarus' sovereignty and would have grave consequences for relations between Belarus and Russia," Tikhanovskaya's press service told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

In a statement, Tikhanovskaya repeated her position that negotiations were needed for a way out of the crisis and that the opposition would welcome international aid in obtaining talks.

Belarus bans most foreign media from working, as pressure grows on protesters

Lithuania, where Tikhanovskaya is currently sheltering, as well as Latvia and Estonia announced travel bans on Monday against 30 top Belarusian officials, including Lukashenko, and called on the European Union to follow suit.

"We are giving a clear signal that such actions are not acceptable and that those responsible for such acts are not welcome in Latvia," Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics told the Baltic News Service. "We call upon the European Union to promptly proceed with similar decisions."

PHOTO: Belarusian servicemen block a street during an opposition supporters rally protesting against disputed presidential elections results in Minsk, Belarus, Aug. 30, 2020. (Tut.by/AFP via Getty Images)

Lukashenko has rejected demands from protesters to negotiate, instead proposing a discussion around potentially changing Belarus' constitution -- something the opposition has said it views as a stalling tactic.

"I believe that, despite everything, we have a somewhat authoritarian system of arrangements in civic life," Lukashenko said during a televised meeting with the head of Belarus' Supreme Court, discussing the country's judicial system. "It's an issue of personality, and it needs to be done so that the system is not tied to a personality, including Lukashenko."

Few observers, though, believe Lukashenko -- who has shown himself brandishing an assault rifle on the days of the past two protests and denounced demonstrators as part of a NATO plot to invade Belarus -- is currently prepared to step aside.

Fyodor Lukyanov, an analyst and a member of the Russian International Affairs Council, said he did not believe the Kremlin was an enthusiastic support of Lukashenko, but that Putin's message signaled in the short term they were determined he stay in place so a managed transition could be carried out in the future. A violent popular revolution that topples him is totally unacceptable to the Kremlin, Lukyanov said.

"Lukashenko is seen as the lesser evil. But I doubt very much that anybody in Moscow would put high stakes on him for the middle-term future," Lukyanov said. "And of course now the task is to stabilise the situation, to keep him going."

Authorities in Belarus again target opposition leaders following Sunday's massive protest originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
KDI School Campus / Courtesy of KDI School of Public Policy and Management



By Lee Hyo-jin



KDI School of Public Policy and Management will open admissions for the 2021 spring semester to both international and domestic students starting from Sept.7, according to the KDI School, Tuesday.



Online application for the 2021 spring semester will be available from Sept. 7 to Oct. 5.



Established in March 1998, KDI School is the educational body of the Korea Development Institute (KDI). The school has successfully positioned itself as the No.1 think-tank in Asia, and as an unrivaled institution in teaching and research in the field of development and public policy.



It is also known for its global alumni network, with over 5,800 alumni from 138 countries since its foundation.



All courses are taught entirely in English and both master's and Ph.D. programs are open with various scholarships for the 2021 spring semester.



An Open House session will be held online through KDI School's YouTube channel and Zoom livestreaming to provide prospective students with detailed information about admissions and programs. The session will be organized under the theme "Innovative education in the new normal era."



Registration for the online Open House event is available at KDI School's website.



During the session, Professor Kim Dong-seok will introduce KDI School's innovative artificial intelligence (AI) teaching method. Some students who were at the lower end on the Initial Knowledge Check achieved the highest scores after 100 hours of study through the school's Intelligent Tutoring System.



For the master's programs commencing in the 2021 spring semester, those interested can apply for one of the four courses: MPP (Master of Public Policy), MDP (Master of Development Policy), MPM (Master of Public Management) and MIPD (Master in Intellectual Property and Development Policy). The MIPD program is only open to full-time students.



For the Ph.D. programs, applicants can apply for one of two courses: PP (Ph.D. in Public Policy) and DP (Ph.D. in Development Policy). The additional PM (Ph.D. in Public Management) is available for part-time students only.



Detailed information will be announced on kdischool.ac.kr, the official website of KDI School of Public Policy and Management.


- Pastor Ruth Matete made a comeback on social media after close to four months since she deleted her accounts

- Her decision to delete the accounts was triggered by the loss of her beloved hubby John Apewajoye who passed on in April following a gas explosion at their home

- Judging from the photos on her new page, the former TPF star looks healthy, strong and beautiful

- The expectant woman also opened up on her new YouTube channel which she said will be used to encourage and give hope to others

Months after deleting her social media pages, former Tusker Project Fame winner Ruth Matete is back on social media.

Matete wiped out all her social media pages following her Nigerian husband's painful death, which saw her face all manner of ridicule.

READ ALSO: Funeral service turns chaotic after sister of deceased accuses widow of having an affair

READ ALSO: Kai Havertz: Leverkusen boss confirms star will not return to club amid Chelsea links

A closer look at her Instagram indicates that the woman of God made her first post on August 18, 2020.

Judging from the few photos posted on her official page, Matete seems to be just coping fine and trying to move on from her husband's loss.

READ ALSO: DP Ruto kumchagua mwanamke kuwa mgombea mwenza 2022

Pastor Ruth Matete is back on social media months after deleting her accounts. Photo: Ruth Matete.

Source: Instagram

In one of the post, the widow announced that she had started a YouTube channel titled Bold & Candid whose aim is to give hope and to encourage.

"This channel exists to give hope and to encourage, through real-life experiences, backed up by the word of God Almighty. Subscribe and get ready to be blessed with my music as well. It is my prayer, that the word of the Lord will come alive in your life through the content that will be shared here," announced Matete.

READ ALSO: Maria actor Luwi tickled by meme describing him as the inventor of mourning

Matete buried her hubby John Apewajoye on Thursday, July 23.

The man was laid to rest at the Lang'ata Cemetary after staying in the morgue for close to three months.

John met his death after sustaining injuries following a gas explosion at the couples home in Athi River.

The late pastor was trying to light the cylinder on the balcony before he caught fire and ran into the house screaming for help.

READ ALSO: Funeral service turns chaotic after sister of deceased accuses late's wife of having an affair

John was rushed to the hospital and admitted to the ICU. He had reportedly suffered 60% burns, sepsis and multiple organ failure.

Following the announcement of the preachers sudden death, his friend Jesse Ekonaze accused Ruth of having a hand in her spouses death.

However, on April 25, an autopsy performed on Johns body revealed he had suffered 60% burns which led to multiple organ failure.

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Turning the tables for the first time since the Sino-Indian stand-off began in eastern Ladakh in May, Indian Army troops have positioned themselves at least on four dominating heights on the southern banks of the Pangong lake to keep an eye on some of the Peoples Liberation Army positions, even as PLA troops made a second provocative action to change the status quo.

On August 31, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Also Read | India, China hold Brigade Commander-level talks in eastern Ladakh

While the outcome of the Brigadier level meeting at Chushul for the second successive day remained inconclusive, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at a high-level review meeting in the capital on Tuesday told the armed forces to fortify their positions and defend the territory.

The second flag meeting between ground commanders took place in the wake of a second Chinese provocative action on August 31, which was thwarted once again by the Indian troops.

Also Read | Chinese embassy says Indian troops illegally trespassed LAC, reports claim India now in control of South Pangong area

This happened a day after the PLA troops made their first attempt to alter the status quo on the Line of Actual Control.

Sources said alert Indian soldiers outranked the Chinese as they climbed to the ridge line at an elevation of 16000 ft on southern banks of the 135 km boomerang shaped lake within three hours to occupy the heights from where they can keep an eye on the Spanggur gap and Spanggur garrison near Chushul.

The quick action cornered the PLA troops who were on the slopes as they lost the dominating heights.

The Chinese did something very similar on the northern banks of the Pangong Tso that witnessed a face-off between the Indian and PLA soldiers in May. After mutually agreeing on disengagement from the Finger 4 area, the PLA moved out of the base camp but kept the troops on the ridgeline to watch out for any Indian movement.

Also Read | India-China border not yet demarcated, there will always be problems: Foreign Minister Wang Yi

While tensions were running high in the area after Indian troops foiled the two Chinese attempts to occupy the heights, Indian Army sources said there were no physical fights between the troops. The sources also denied any incident of firing.

At the review meeting, the Director General of Military Operation gave a detailed presentation on the Ladakh scenario and shared various options on how the situation might unfold in the coming days. The forces have been instructed to maintain a high operational alert.

The review took place a day before Singh leaves for Moscow on a three-day visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Defence Ministers meeting during his visit.

While the Chinese Defence Minister will also be attending the SCO meet, no bilateral talk is scheduled.
Eishia Hudson was an artist who loved sports, a 16-year-old girl raised by her grandmother in Berens River, before moving to Winnipeg to live with her mother and siblings.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Eishia Hudson was an artist who loved sports, a 16-year-old girl raised by her grandmother in Berens River, before moving to Winnipeg to live with her mother and siblings.

Jason Collins was a 36-year-old father of three children, full of life and love for his family and friends, a power-line worker who worked across the country. His daughter, Tianna Rasmussen, said he had a heart of gold.

SUPPLIED Tianna Rasmussen is the daughter of 36-year old Jason Collins, an Indigenous man killed by Winnipeg city police on April 9. Rasmussen attended the Black Lives Matter rally in Winnipeg on June 5 to honour her father.

Stewart Andrews, 22, was a young father to not only his one-year-old son, but two stepchildren he was raising with his girlfriend in Winnipeg.

All three were Indigenous  and over a 10-day period in April, all were shot and killed by members of the Winnipeg Police Service. After their deaths, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Arlen Dumas said: "First Nations have been dehumanized, mistreated and have been killed through WPS officer involved shootings" for years.

Five months later, their families are still waiting for answers as the provinces law-enforcement watchdog investigates whether police were justified in using lethal force.

Leah Gazan, an NDP member of Parliament (Winnipeg Centre), says it is no coincidence the three shooting deaths in April were of Indigenous people. The MP attended one of the rallies led by Eishias family in June, when supporters gathered, calling for an end to police brutality amid recent police-involved deaths of Black, Indigenous and other racialized people in Canada and the United States. Those rallies joined others across North America calling for police reform.

Gazan said Eishia was a teen who should have been given a chance to learn from her mistakes.

SUPPLIED Eishia Hudson

"Were in a moment, we need to embrace this moment to make real changes, needed changes, and to ensure justice for Eishia," Gazan said. "If people dont find the death of a 16-year-old girl, for whatever reason, a complete tragedy, I think we need to ask ourselves why that is and I think part of it is the normalized violence that has occurred, that has been perpetuated against Indigenous and Black lives."

Gazan pointed to the federal governments delay in implementing an action plan in the wake of the final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which calls for, among other things, establishing an independent Indigenous civilian oversight body to investigate police misconduct, as well as improving victim services for Indigenous women and girls.

Internal Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) director Zane Tessler says hes received interim briefings on each of the three cases and is satisfied with the progress investigators are making, but cant give a timeline for when they would be completed.

The IIU, which conducts investigations into serious incidents involving on- and off-duty police, will determine if there are any grounds for criminal charges against the officers involved  something it has done only once since it became operational five years ago.

The string of Winnipeg police shootings began April 8 after 5 p.m.

Police were called to a liquor store robbery allegedly involving a group of youth who then stole an SUV from a parking lot, leading officers on a pursuit. The chase came to an end when the SUV, driven by Eishia, crashed into other vehicles at an intersection, where officers then fired at her, according to Winnipeg police.

Eishia was pronounced dead at hospital. Four other suspects, ages 15 and 16, were arrested and charged with robbery and possession of property obtained by crime.

Less than 12 hours later, Winnipeg police said they responded to a domestic call at a residence where they found Collins inside with a firearm, along with a teenager and a woman who appeared to be in distress.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES An organizer holds a picture of Jason Collins as people chant and gather at the daily Justice 4 Black Lives rally outside the Winnipeg police headquarters on June 29.

Police said they left the home to de-escalate the situation, and the teenager escaped through the back door. Collins reportedly then confronted police outside, where they shot him.

Nine days later, April 18  with tension in the city high over those two shootings  police say they responded to a gun call, assault and attempted robbery around 4 a.m., when they encountered Andrews and a 16-year-old boy.

At a news conference, Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth said Andrews was shot when he confronted police. He was pronounced dead at a hospital and the 16-year-old was arrested and charged with several offences, including robbery, possession of a weapon and firearm, pointing a firearm and failing to comply with a sentence.

Family members say they want to know why police used lethal force on Andrews, who they say was unarmed.

Andrewss mother, Carmel Nasee, said she became worried for her son when his girlfriend called her around 5 a.m. to ask if she had heard from him. Nasee, who lives in Gods Lake First Nation, about 550 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, spent the morning calling hospitals and jails looking for her son, until she heard on the news a 22-year-old had been shot and killed by city police.

She said her family has been kept in the dark by police and IIU investigators ever since. She found out from the funeral director her son was shot three times.

"We miss him so much. Wishing every day that I can hear his voice. It hurts so much," said Nasee, who is now caring for her 13-month-old grandson. She says she hasnt been able to grieve yet, distraught with trying to figure out how to move forward without her son and without answers.

The 16-year-old friend Andrews was with the day he died paid a visit to the family when they were Winnipeg, said Andrewss grandmother Benita Wood.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE FILES Leah Gazan, NDP MP for Winnipeg Centre

"He said (Andrews) never had a weapon, thats what he told us. He said Stewart was a good guy, he didnt deserve to die like this. He said the cops shouldnt have even shot him," Wood said.

William Hudson says his family is planning a vigil this weekend at the intersection where his daughter Eishia was killed. Since her death in April, Hudson has organized rallies in Winnipeg to bring awareness to the justice he wants to see for his daughter and "all the other lives."

"What happened here in Winnipeg should be not only news in Winnipeg, it should be all around Canada, even around the world. This is a problem that we have with Indigenous people and its not being noticed enough," Hudson said.

The IIU has investigated at least 24 officer-involved shootings in Manitoba since 2015, according to information on its website.

Eighteen of those investigations have involved the WPS and the deaths of 10 individuals, all males between the ages of 22 and 44, except for Eishia. At least eight of the 10 shooting deaths have been individuals who are Indigenous or from other racialized groups.

In 2017, an IIU investigation into the 2015 shooting death of a 39-year-old father of two by a Thompson RCMP constable resulted in a recommendation of charges against the officer. The officer was acquitted of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing death, but was sentenced to probation for criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Manitobas director of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Mark ORourke, said inquests into the three April deaths will presumably be called, but only after the IIU completes its investigations, which he expects will be sometime next year. Most provinces in Canada, including Manitoba, are supposed to call an inquest when a person dies in custody or from use of force by a peace officer.

In 2016, Manitoba Justice Anne Krahn presided over a medical examiners inquest into the death of Craig McDougall, a 26-year-old First Nations man who was shot and killed by Winnipeg police on the front lawn of his family home in the summer of 2008.

Corey Shefman represented the family at the inquest, where the judge also examined if systemic racism played a role in McDougalls death. Specifically, Krahn heard evidence of differential treatment of police witnesses and family witnesses by officers and investigators following the shooting, including how his father, Brian McDougall, and uncle John were handcuffed and forced onto the ground next to where McDougall lay dying.

"It is about the way the Canadian state treats Indigenous people and Indigenous bodies and the lack of care we see in the justice system," Shefman said in an interview, pointing to the eight years it took to hold the inquest and the "criminal" treatment of innocent witnesses such as Brian McDougall.

In her report, Krahn said she found no evidence of systemic racism or discrimination, but some of her 16 recommendations included implicit-bias training and Aboriginal awareness programs for officers and protecting witness rights during police investigations.

The treatment of Indigenous people by city police has been scrutinized before.

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The 1991 Aboriginal Justice Inquiry report looked at the relationship between Indigenous people and the provinces justice system, following the 1988 shooting death of John Joseph (J.J.) Harper by Winnipeg police and the 1971 beating death of Helen Betty Osborne in The Pas by a group of white men.

Some of the 296 recommendations from the inquiry focused on the need for civilian oversight for police, particularly when it comes to misconduct and serious incidents, and employment and recruitment strategies to increase Indigenous representation in police organizations.

It took the Taman Inquiry report in 2008  which examined police misconduct in the 2005 death of Crystal Taman, a 40-year-old mother killed by an off-duty Winnipeg police officer who was drinking and driving  and several years more before changes were made to the provinces Police Services Act, which now includes the oversight body of the IIU.

The province began a review of the act last year, which is near completion, said Glen Cassie, a public affairs specialist for the province.

The final report, which was originally expected at the end of March, will provide a gap analysis in all areas of the provinces policing, including governance, oversight and service delivery, the spokesperson said.

 Globe and Mail
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo delivering her debate on the President's Address on 1 September, 2020, in Parliament. (PHOTO: Parliament screengrab)

SINGAPORE  Manpower Minister Josephine Teo was visibly emotional during her speech in Parliament on Tuesday (1 September) when she stressed that the government would maintain its steadfast support for workers in Singapore amid the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please know that you too are always in our hearts. However long this storm lasts, the MOM (Ministry of Manpower) will walk the journey together with you. However tough it may be, we will help you bounce back," she said.

The ministrys mission is to help each one of you emerge stronger by never giving up hope and by working with employers in Singapore to treat you fairly, to make your hard work bear fruit, Teo added.

Our work is not yet done. We have taken firm steps forward and we will press on whatever the challenges  with you, for you, for Singapore.

During her speech in Parliament, Teo spoke at length about the governments push to retain the Singaporean core in the local workforce.

These include adjusting work pass policies regularly and slowing down the growth of Employment Pass (EP) and S Pass holders considerably, she said.

For instance, she pointed out, in the past five years from 2014 to 2019, the number of EP and S Pass holders has grown less than 9,000 annually on average, less than one-third of the average annual growth of 30,400 in the previous five-year period.

At the same time, the number of locals  Singaporeans and permanent residents  in PMET (professional, manager, executive, and technician) jobs has grown by around 35,000 annually from 2014 to 2019, Teo said.

In other words, for every new EP or S Pass holder added in the last five years, about four more locals took up PMET jobs, she added, noting that the population of permanent residents has remained stable, at about 0.5 million, throughout the same period.

With COVID-19, the number of EP and S Pass holders have come down sharply  between January and July this year, it dropped by 22,000.

Story continues

The MOM, as mentioned in last weeks announcement of the tightening of EP and S Pass requirements, will place additional emphasis on whether the employer has kept up its support of local PMETs in its employment as well as whether it has been responsive to efforts by government agencies to help it recruit and train local PMETs, reiterated Teo.

The ministry will also take into consideration whether an employer has discriminated against qualified local PMETs, she added.

Of all possible infringements, this is what offends Singaporeans most, that they have the qualifications but lost out to a foreign candidate who did not appear to be better.

Therefore, among the changes the MOM will embark on include engaging an expanded group of employers to review their hiring practices and the HR community to do more, Teo said.

This expanded group will include firms whose Singaporean core has been weakening, or whose EP and S Pass workforce are overly concentrated from a single foreign nationality source.

On raising EP salary requirements, Teo said the move would help to improve quality over time, and subject more foreign professionals at the lower end to quota controls.

To similarly impose quotas at the higher end of EP holders is not unthinkable. But it would be unwise, she noted.

Teo also spoke about the governments efforts to raise wages at the lower end, pointing out that the NTUCs Progressive Wage Model (PWM), launched in 2012, now covers around 80,000 workers in the cleaning, security, and landscaping sectors.

Although we have not legislated a single minimum wage across the board, we have in fact implemented features of a minimum wage through the PWM in several sectors, she added.

Such workers have seen cumulative wage growth of around 30 per cent in the last five years, Teo said.

But because businesses are still trying to find a firmer footing, any moves to expand the PWM into new sectors immediately carries higher risk, she observed.

Given our overriding priority to preserve jobs, we should proceed with care. While it may be too risky to mandate PWM in more sectors right away, we can still promote its voluntary adoption by progressive employers that are able to do so, Teo said.

To give this effort a bigger push, the government will work with the tripartite partners to introduce a PWM Mark  companies that voluntarily pay progressive wages and provide job progression pathways to their lower-income workers will be recognised with this PWM Mark, she added.

While Teo noted that sectors such as food services and retail trade have the potential to come on board, she added that for it to work, a broader movement involving society at large must exist.

As consumers, we must be prepared to pay slightly more, and intentionally support such progressive companies by purchasing their products or services, she said.

Such support will spur more companies to be progressive and adopt the PWM Mark, which in turn will benefit lower-income workers.

(We) must have it in our hearts to consider this a small price to pay for better jobs and income security for those among us who need it most.

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A Japanese company has announced the successful test drive of a flying car.

Sky Drive Inc. conducted the public demonstration on Aug. 25, the company said in a news release, at the Toyota Test Field, one of the largest in Japan and home to the car companys development base. It was the first public demonstration for a flying car in Japanese history.

The car, named SD-03, manned with a pilot, took off and circled the field for about four minutes.

We are extremely excited to have achieved Japans first-ever manned flight of a flying car in the two years since we founded SkyDrive  with the goal of commercializing such aircraft, CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa said in a statement.

(Courtesy of SkyDrive)

We want to realize a society where flying cars are an accessible and convenient means of transportation in the skies and people are able to experience a safe, secure, and comfortable new way of life.

The SD-03 is the worlds smallest electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle and takes up the space of about two parked cars, according to the company. It has eight motors to ensure safety in emergency situations.

In designing an unexplored, new genre of transportation known as the flying car, we chose the keyword progressive for inspiration, Design Director Takumi Yamamot said.

We wanted this vehicle to be futuristic, charismatic and desirable for all future customers, while fully incorporating the high technology of SkyDrive.

The company hopes to make the flying car a part of normal life and not just a commodity. More test flights will occur in the future under different conditions to make sure the safety and technology of the vehicle meet industry standards.

The success of this flight means that it is likely the car will be tested outside of the Toyota Test field by the end of the year.

The company will continue to develop technologies to safely and securely launch the flying car in 2023, the news release said. No price has been announced.

CNN contributed to this report.
As painful as Covid-19 has been for Suezs share price, dividend policy and cost of doing business  when the economy tanks, so does industrial demand for waste management  its underlying operations have started to look in better shape. The company expects a recovery in pretax earnings in the latter half of this year. Veolias Frerot seemed to acknowledge as much, boasting a tie-up would deliver a boost to profitability from the first year. And thats with promised cost savings of only 500 million euros, a sum that represents an estimated 1.5% of combined operating costs, according to Barclays research.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh will leave for Russia on Wednesday to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which is expected to deliberate on regional security scenario, officials said.

Photograph: @SpokespersonMoD/Twitter

Besides attending the SCO defence ministers' meeting, Singh will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu and several other top military officials with an aim to expedite the implementation of several defence procurement programmes, they said.

The SCO defence ministers' meeting is taking place at a time when two of its member countries, India and China, are locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe is expected to attend the SCO meeting.

Asked about the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Singh and Wei on the sidelines of the SCO event, sources said there is no such plan.

It will be Singh's second visit to Moscow since June.

He had represented India at the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on June 24 that commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Russia has also invited External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to attend the SCO foreign ministers' meeting on September 10.

Singh will leave for India on the evening of September 5, they said Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh for over three-and-half months.

Indian Army on Monday said the Chinese military carried out 'provocative military movements' to 'unilaterally' change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.

The fresh confrontation has further escalated the tension along the Line of Actual Control.
A state-of-the-art steel facility will be set up in the UAE following steel industrialist and Conares CEO Bharat Bhatia obtaining a formal approval from Dubai FDI, a part of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai, for 100 per cent ownership of business operations in the UAEs mainland.

Bhatia, who has been active in the UAEs industrial sector for more than 30 years, said in a statement that the approval is in line with UAE governments recent initiatives to promote business activities with foreign investments in the mainland, said a statement. The UAE Government offers FDI permission for business ownership in the mainland for a variety of sectors and economic activities.

Bhatia obtained the licence under the FDI regulations and has committed to invest in a major steel facility with a capacity to manufacture 100,000 tonnes of steel.

The new plant will manufacture products catering to increasing demand of infrastructure-development projects in the Middle Eastern region. This will help reaching out to projects across the UAE, GCC and other Arab countries promoting the Made in UAE product range, the statement said.

Bhatia said: It feels great to hold Dubai FDI licence to own an industrial manufacturing unit in the UAEs mainland. After residing in the UAE for more than 30 years, this adds massive value to my business, and we hope to contribute more to the economic growth. I am thankful to the Government of UAE and Government of Dubai for their constant support and trust in the industrial sector. This will allow us to operate on a larger scale across the Arab region.

I am thankful to HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, President of the UAE; HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; HH Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces for their vision to transform UAE to a manufacturing hub in the region. The rulers of UAE and the government institutions have provided the atmosphere to encourage business growth, that makes investors like me proud to be a part of this countrys evolution, he added.

We are amongst the top steel manufacturers operating 24x7 to serve the upcoming projects in the region. Our operations are well aligned with the regions requirement for infrastructure development and keeping in mind the vision of UAE and Dubai Vision 2021. We foresee a good demand for our products for ongoing and upcoming projects in the UAE, Bhatia said.

Our product is used in a wide number of major projects in the UAE, including Etihad Rail and the prestigious Expo 2020. I also expect the UAE governments announcement of new projects in different sectors. Local industries would be more prepared to align their business operations with the expectation of newer projects.

According to Bhatia, the industrial sector is the backbone for any economy in the world. Industries create innumerable employment opportunities in line with the business evolution, infrastructure investment, increased consumption and individual purchase power resulting in greater economic growth.

The business of trading and re-exports is slowly fading out. Value addition is the only way forward. I believe that the new FDI regulations will attract new breed of investors to set their businesses here. With the government safeguarding industrial interests, more industries shall be encouraged to come forward and set up their units. This will help to make the Made in UAE brand reach new heights, and export the products manufactured in the UAE to be well recognized across the globe, he concluded. - TradeArabia News Service
In a big boost to the 'Make in India' initiative, the defence ministry has signed contracts worth Rs 2,580 crores with Indian companies to supply six army regiments with Pinaka missiles.

The acquisition wing of the ministry of defence signed contracts with Bharat Earth Movers Ltd, Tata Power Company Ltd, and Larsen & Toubro on August 31, a statement from the ministry said.

The six Pinaka Regiments comprise of 114 Launchers with automated gun aiming and positioning system and 45 command posts to be procured from M/s TPCL and M/s L&T, and 330 vehicles to be procured from M/s BEML.

These will be operationalised along the northern and eastern borders, and their induction is planned to be completed by 2024.

The project has been approved by defence minister Rajnath Singh, and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Pinaka multiple launch rocket system has been indigenously designed by the DRDO and it is produced by the industries named above in a flagship project showcasing public-private partnership.
At a press conference late Monday afternoon, President Donald Trump defended the right-wing gunman who shot to death two protesters against police violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last week. Trump spoke on the eve of a scheduled appearance Tuesday in the impoverished rust belt cityan intervention that has the character of a political provocation, coming barely a week after the police shooting of Jacob Blake and requests from state and local officials that he stay away.

Trump was asked by one reporter whether he would condemn the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old former police cadet who opened fire with an assault rifle last Tuesday night, killing two unarmed men who were protesting against police violence.

Trump claimed the right-wing vigilante acted in self-defense, saying, He was trying to get away from them and he fell and then they very violently attacked him I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed.

This account is a deliberate whitewash. Rittenhouse was a police enthusiast who had traveled to a Trump campaign rally in Iowa last January, where videos show him sitting in the front row. He tried to enlist in the Marine Corps but was turned down. On August 25, he left his home in northern Illinois and drove with his AR-15 across the state line to Kenosha, where he joined with dozens of other right-wing gunmen whose activities were coordinated and condoned by the police.

Rittenhouse shot to death two men who were peacefully protesting the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, left paralyzed with seven bullets in his back. He shot and wounded a third protester as well.

After the killings, the gunman was allowed to pass through police lines carrying an assault rifle, without being arrested or even stopped for questioning. He was subsequently arrested at his home in Illinois and charged with first degree homicide.

Trump also praised his supporters in Portland, Oregon, who invaded the city in a convoy of cars and pickup trucks and attacked demonstrators against police violence, firing paint-ball weapons, pepper spray and other toxins. A melee broke out in which one of the right-wing provocateurs was shot and killed, under circumstances that remain unclear. But Trump declared that the provocateurs in Portland were supporters [of his] but that was a peaceful protest. Paint is not bullets.

This defense of right-wing violence came at the end of a 30-minute fascistic diatribe in which he referred dozens of times to the far left, left-wing radicals and Antifa (which does not actually exist as an organized group, but has become the main bogeyman of the fascist right).

Trump repeatedly made an amalgam of left-wing radicals, Democratic Party mayors and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, claiming, as he did at last weeks Republican National Convention, that a Biden victory in the November 3 election would mean the collapse of American society.

As he usually does, Trump began the press briefing by praising the performance of the stock market, the sole measure of human progress as far as he is concerned, hailing the best stock market Dow in 36 years.

He then claimed a 38 percent decline in new coronavirus cases, a figure thatif not simply made up for the purposes of the briefinglargely reflects a substantial decline in testing. In reality, coronavirus is sweeping almost unchecked through factories, meatpacking plants, college campuses and public schools, and the toll in both infections and deaths is likely to rise exponentially in the coming months.

He then proceeded to his main purpose, to update the news on the violence in Democrat-run cities. Trump claimed that federal authorities had arrested more than 200 people for various offenses and announced a joint investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice into what he called the violent left-wing civil unrest that began in Portland.

The rest of his statement consisted of a largely incoherent melange of praise for the police (There is a war on law enforcement in this country. Without law enforcement, there is chaos.) and vilification of Biden and the Democrats as the enablers and supporters of left-wing terrorists.

He claimed that in order to teach our children that America is a free and just nation it was necessary to jail lawbreakers and defeat their hateful ideology. He seemed to be echoing the extraordinary statement made by Newt Gingrich earlier in the day on Trumps favorite cable television show, Fox and Friends, where the former House speaker said that the only way to break the fever of violence in the streets was to keep arresting people until theres no one left.

Trump combined praise for the police and denunciations of the Democrats with an invocation of nationalism that would not have been out of place in a speech by Mussolini. The only path to unity is to rebuild a shared national identity and focus on common American values and virtues, of which we have plenty, he said. This includes our nations schools.

Trump seemed to be particularly disturbed by an incident Thursday night after the final session of the Republican National Convention, when Senator Rand Paul and others were accosted by anti-Trump protesters outside the White House. This incident has been portrayed by the right-wing media and the Republican Party as an example of left-wing mob violence, an indication of the extreme fear of popular opposition that characterized the convention throughout.

The driving force behind Trumps increasingly unhinged and incoherent denunciations is the initial stirring of working class resistance to the policies of his government, particularly its homicidal effort to force workers back to their jobs and teachers and students back to school, regardless of the dangers from the coronavirus.

The Democratic Party shares Trumps fear of the developing movement of tens of millions of working people, which will threaten the profit system that both capitalist parties defend. They warn that Trump, by his criminal negligence in relation to the coronavirus pandemic and his transparent indifference to anything but the fortunes of billionaires like himself, is provoking an uncontrollable upheaval from below.

This was the meaning of the speech delivered by Biden earlier Monday in Pittsburgh, his first public appearance since the Democratic National Convention and his first major speech setting out the themes for the final two months of his election campaign.

It was obvious that the primary purpose of the speech, announced on short notice, was to counter Trumps law-and-order and anti-communist demagogy with a clear statement on the part of the Democratic ticket in support of law and order and the suppression of violence. There is growing nervousness in Democratic Party circles over indications that Bidens lead in opinion polls is shrinking in the aftermath of the Republican convention.

Declaring that we have to stand against violence in every form it takes, Biden drew an equivalency between the violence of killer cops and fascistic vigilantes and that of extremists and opportunists among the protesters. He declared, I want to make it absolutely clear Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. Its lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted.

His basic line of attack against Trump was that he, not the Democrats, was responsible for the violence and chaos in our cities. Middle-class suburbanites who felt unsafe in Trumps America would be safer in Bidens, because he would more effectively work with the police and their critics to contain social opposition.

This was, of course, combined with well-practiced sympathy for the families of Jacob Blake, George Floyd, Brionna Taylor and other African American victims of police violence, references to the enormous death toll from the coronavirus and Trumps incompetent response to the pandemic, some perfunctory remarks on the economic collapse triggered by COVID-19, and a warning of Trumps scheme to bankrupt Social Security. But he did not propose a single practical measure to deal with any of these social evils, except to replace Donald Trump with Joe Biden.

He issued a direct disavowal of any sympathy for socialism, saying: Ask yourself, do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? And he pointed to the record of the Obama-Biden administration in protecting federal property, stating: When President Obama and I were in the White House, we had to defend federal property. We did it You didnt see us whipping up fears around the deployment of secret federal troops. We just did our job

Most dangerously, he embraced the anti-Russia demagogy that has been the staple of the Democratic Party since Trump entered the White House. He repeated the bogus Afghan bounties story invented by the New York Times, which claims, without a shred of evidence, that the Kremlin was paying the Taliban to kill American soldiers. And he denounced Trump for allegedly playing a subservient role to a Russian leader, President Vladimir Putin, claiming this is not only dangerous. It is humiliating for the rest of the world to see.

Here, then, is the choice offered to the American people by the capitalist two-party system: the ultra-right ravings of the Republican Trump, who seeks to create a police state, or the reasonable alternative offered by the Democrat Biden, who demands more aggressive preparations for war against nuclear-armed Russia.
Crowdz, a Campbell, CA-based invoice financing marketplace, closed a $2m Series A+ funding round.

The round wss led by Bold Capital Partners, with participation from Augment Ventures and TFX Capital. The company has raised to-date $9.1M in funding, building on $6.1m led by Barclays bank & Bold last year.

The company will use the funding to bolster its product roadmap and launch globally, with the UK in its immediate sights.

Led by CEO and founder Payson Johnston, Crowdz provides a marketplace for businesses to sell unpaid invoices to investors in exchange for cash.

The companys product roadmap will be tailored towards supporting SME growth, as well as delivering value to the enterprise and investors, with new offerings. This will include Crowdz proprietary SMART Score, a real-time risk assessment, with a number of inputs such as Edward Altmans famed Z-Score* and Probability of Default, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reputational risk. The product will be available in 2021 as a standalone offering to enable funders, banks, and enterprises to track the risk of buying receivables and monitor real-time risk in supply chains.

The company is further expanding its offering to support alternative revenue streams, including its whitelabel offering  Supply Chain Finance as a Service (SCFaaS). Crowdz will also continue to grow its in-house finance facility, which it launched during the pandemic to make a return on invoices within its marketplace, by fully funding, or part-funding alongside other investors on the platform.

The announcement follows Crowdz latest partnerships which include integrations with Inuit Quickbooks, Zoho Books and Xero. The company has also been admitted as a member of the COVID-19 Fintech Taskforce, responding to the urgent need for financial support from UK SMEs impacted by the pandemic, as well as a participant in the UKs FCA Sandbox testing.

FinSMEs

26/08/2020
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Social distancing and hygiene measures to rein in the spread of the coronavirus will be in force for upcoming Dutch local and national elections, the government announced Tuesday, creating a possible headache for local authorities who have to organize the voting.

Dutch voters are scheduled to cast their ballots March 17 next year in a national election for the 150 members of the lower house of parliament.

Corona will almost certainly still be among us for upcoming elections. But by taking measures these elections can be organized so that it is safe for voters to vast their ballot and for polling office staff to do their work, said Interior Minister Kajsa Ollongren.

Booths will be arranged so that voters can maintain the governments recommended 1.5-meter (5-foot) social distancing and extra equipment will be provided including screens to shield staff and disinfectant to clean the booths and pencils used to mark ballot papers.

The government said it is drawing up legislation to clear the way for some of the measures, and earmarked 30 million euros ($36 million) to help municipalities cover the increased costs. The new measures mean that not all the usual voting locations will be suitable.

The new measures will be implemented Oct. 21 during local elections on the tiny Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, which is classified as a Dutch municipality. There are also two local elections in the Netherlands on Nov. 18 before the nationwide parliamentary vote on March 17.

The Dutch public health institute said Tuesday that the number of new coronavirus infections over the past week was almost unchanged from the previous week at 3,597. Around 2.2% of the 163,000 people who were tested during the week were positive for the virus; last week the percentage of positive tests was 2.5%.

The Dutch COVID-19 death toll since the global pandemic began stands at 6,230.
Facebook Inc said that it is preparing for Myanmars 2020 election by improving its ability to remove hate speech and content that incites violence from its platform. The social media giant announced its course correction after it failed to prevent the misuse of its platforms to foment division and incite offline violence in the country.

During the crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, several reports claimed that Myanmar military personnel turned Facebook into a tool for ethnic cleansing. Nearly 7,40,000 Rohingya Muslims were forced to take refuge in several camps in Bangladesh after Myanmars military launched a crackdown on the minority group.

Myanmars Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) submitted a 461-page final report in January 2020, admitting war crimes, serious human rights violations, and violations of domestic law during the security operations between August 25 - September 5, 2017. However, the government-appointed panel failed to find any genocidal intent behind the displacement of Rohingya Muslims from the Rakhine state.

Read: Facebook Found No Link Between Kenosha Shooter And Militia Page: Mark Zuckerberg

Read: 'Don't Want Corporate America Dictating Indias Democracy': Sacked Jha Slams Facebook

Misinformation policy

Facebook has now announced that it is working to reduce the spread of harmful misinformation and removal of inauthentic networks in Myanmar that seek to manipulate public opinion. One of the executives for Southeast Asia said that Facebook has expanded its misinformation policy in Myanmar to remove misinformation that could lead to voter suppression or damage the integrity of the electoral process.

For example, we would remove posts falsely claiming a candidate is a Bengali, not a Myanmar citizen, and thus ineligible, wrote Rafael Frankel, Director of Public Policy Southeast Asia.

Facebook introduced its third-party fact-checking program in Myanmar in March as part of its ongoing integrity efforts to reduce the spread of misinformation. The social media firm said that it has identified and disrupted six networks engaging in Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior in Myanmar since 2018.

Although we know that this work will continue beyond November, we acknowledge that Myanmars 2020 general election will be an important marker along the journey, added Frankel.

Read: Congress Writes To Mark Zuckerberg; Claims Evidence Of Quid-pro-quo Between Facebook & BJP

Read: Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi Announces Candidacy For Upcoming Elections
Pratima Rangarajan, CEO of OGCI Climate Investments, will deliver a Keynote Address

Ministers from Singapore and Canada to speak at prestigious Gastech Virtual Summit

Industry leaders speaking include Maarten Wetselaar, Integrated Gas & New Energies Director and Member of the Executive Committee at Shell and Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman, President & CEO of Baker Hughes

Summit, opening in less than one week, set to deliver the latest commercial strategies and trends dominating the natural gas industry

LONDON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Joseph McMonigle, Secretary General of the International Energy Forum, will deliver a Keynote Address at the Gastech Virtual Summit. The world's convening event for the Gas, LNG and Energy industry will take place digitally from 7  11 September.

Joseph McMonigle officially assumed his position on 1 July 2020 as the fifth Secretary General of the International Energy Forum (IEF), the largest international organisation of energy ministers and based in the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has over 20 years of experience working on energy issues in the public and private sectors, and will deliver his address, "The Imperative of Producer-Consumer Collaboration to Expedite Market Recovery and Secure Long-Term Volumes of Natural Gas" on Tuesday, 8 September.

Mr. McMonigle is well known as an energy policy expert, geopolitical strategist, and leading analyst of energy markets. Covering all six continents and accounting for around 90% of global supply and demand for oil and gas, the IEF is unique in that it comprises not only consuming and producing countries of the IEA and OPEC, but also Transit States and major players outside of their memberships, including Argentina, China, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa.

Pratima Rangarajan, CEO of OGCI Climate Investments, will deliver a Keynote Address, "Vision for energy 2020 and beyondAddressing the climate challenge."

The address will highlight the need for a collective response to climate change, to lead the transformation and meet the challenge head-on. She will speak on the industry's history of innovation and resilience and how it will form the basis for our future vision.

The Gastech Virtual Summit Strategic Conference comprising of the Ministerial & Global Business Leaders Sessions, C-Suite Dialogues and Gastech Tech Talks will deliver advanced insights into the latest commercial strategies and trends dominating the Gas, LNG and Energy industry, providing delegates with fast track information on how best to align business models for the post-pandemic landscape.

Nick Ornstien, Vice President Energy for dmg events, said: "We are looking forward to the Gastech Virtual Summit taking place next week, with those leading the energy transition speaking on strategies and innovation that will shape the future of our industry. With the rapid pace of change in our industry it is important to remain connected, and ensure we address the challenges and opportunities collectively for a post COVID-19 energy landscape."

Maarten Wetselaar, Integrated Gas & New Energies Director and Member of the Executive Committee at Shell, will be interviewed by Steve Sedgwick, Anchor for CNBC Squawkbox in an exclusive Interview. Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman, President & CEO, Baker Hughes is confirmed to deliver a Keynote Address.

Other industry leaders confirmed to speak in the virtual conference are Honourable Seamus O'Regan, Honourable Minister for Natural Resources, Canada; Peter Clarke, Senior Vice President, ExxonMobil Upstream Oil & Gas Company; Laurent Vivier, Senior Vice President Gas, Total; Assistant Secretary Francis Fannon, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources, United States Department of State; Shawn Tupper, Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Canada; Eugene Kaspersky, CEO, Kaspersky; Prabhat Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, Petronet LNG; Thomas Siebel, Author & Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, C3.ai; Keisuke Sadamori, Director, Energy Markets and Security, International Energy Agency; Sanjiv Lamba, Executive Vice President, APAC, Linde; Thorbjoern Fors, Executive Vice President, Industrial Applications, Siemens Energy; Hiroki Sato, Managing Executive Officer & Chief Global Partnership Officer, JERA Inc.; Jun Nishizawa, Executive Vice President, Group CEO, Natural Gas Group, Mitsubishi Corporation and Jane Liao, CEO, Natural Gas Business, CPC Corporation, Taiwan.

The Summit will feature 200+ industry leaders who will outline and share strategies and visions for confronting the new and changed energy markets. Attendees will have access to exclusive critical insights from Ministers, policy makers, business leaders, disrupters and innovators. Issues impacting the future of the industry; energy security of supply; affordability and sustainability; the prospects for demand and investment recovery; and changes to supply in a post COVID-19 world, being top of the agenda. Sponsors include ExxonMobil, Sempra LNG, Lloyd's Register and Shearman & Stirling.

The topics which the Gastech Virtual Summit will cover include the role of natural gas in the energy transition; the criticality of IoT and data security in the future of the energy industry; the impact of deregulation on markets and investment; opportunities and challenges to the energy sector posed by Industry 4.0; hydrogen's ability to deliver on decarbonisation commitments and what impact environmental activism will have on the emerging growth opportunities for the industry.

Alongside the strategic conference, the Summit will also showcase the very latest and peer-reviewed research on new technologies and business strategies to help companies thrive in challenging times and exclusive keynote addresses from globally renowned leaders in the technology space. The technical conference sessions will feature certified content delivered by industry leaders on recovery, the new post-pandemic energy landscape and how the industry can capitalise and build on reduced emissions for a sustainable and secure long-term energy future.

The Gastech Virtual Summit 2020 is being held in place of the Gastech exhibition and conference, scheduled to take place in Singapore, in September. dmg events and the Gastech Governing Body, in consultation with Enterprise Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board collectively took the decision to postpone that event, to 13  16 September 2021, due to concerns around the global pandemic, accessibility and the wellbeing of speakers, delegates, exhibitors and visitors.

About Gastech

For almost 50 years, Gastech has been at the heart of the Gas, LNG and Energy conversation. As the world starts to emerge from the shadow of COVID-19, the Gastech Virtual Summit will engage with, and address, the key issues and most promising opportunities for the Gas, LNG and Energy industries in the 4th industrial age.

Taking place from 7-11 September 2020, Gastech Virtual Summit will provide leadership and direction as the Gas, LNG and Energy industries seek to strike a balance between business priorities and their licence to operate, in a post COVID-19 world. With an emphasis on technology innovation; supply and demand dynamics; evolving partnerships; people and talent and governance and influence, the Summit will set the agenda for the global Gas, LNG and Energy industries for decades to come.

For more information please visit www.gastechevent.com.

SOURCE Gastech Virtual Summit 2020

Related Links

https://www.gastechevent.com


Fire officials on Tuesday cautioned crews battling the three major blazes in the Bay Area to remain vigilant and avoid complacency  even with full containment of the regional fires in sight.

The warning came the day after one firefighter was killed and another injured battling the August Lightning Complex blazes in Mendocino County. Media outlets in Texas identified the fallen first responder as Diana Jones, a firefighter and paramedic with the Cresson Volunteer Fire Department near Fort Worth. Jones worked with a company that contracted with the federal government to deploy firefighters to California.

The August Complex  comprising 37 fires in and around the Mendocino National Forest  was 20% contained after burning more than 242,000 acres, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group reported Tuesday.

Forest Service officials said the firefighter was killed in a vehicle accident that injured the second firefighter while working on the Tatham Fire. A third firefighter was not injured.

This was a tragic incident and our hearts go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of the fallen firefighter, said Acting Forest Supervisor Sandra Moore. Right now we are committed to providing support to those involved, while safely continuing firefighting operations.

Crews battling the CZU Complex fires in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties observed a moment of silence for the fallen firefighter on Tuesday morning.

Right now is the time not to be complacent, Cal Fire Division Chief Damon Godden told crews during their daily operational update. Stay engaged, keep your head on a swivel and keep your folks safe.

Godden asked crews to remember the 2008 death of Andy Palmer, an 18-year-old National Park Service firefighter hit by a falling tree while battling a blaze in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Palmer died at an airport more than three hours after he was struck, waiting to be taken to the hospital. The NPS called Palmers death a jarring wake-up call for many in the wildland firefighting community, and the incident led to firefighting groups developing more robust medical-emergency protocols.

When you go into your assignment, think about this: What are you going to do if someone gets hurt? Godden said. How will you get them out of there, and how long will it take to get them to the hospital?

Fire officials said they expect the CZU Lightning Complex fires  which have burned more than 85,000 acres  to be fully contained next week.

Crews continued encountering problems with fires at higher elevations in the Santa Cruz Mountains  where added moisture and humidity cant reach, and potential fuel remains dry and susceptible to burning.

Firefighters focus remained on the northern section of the fire zone, in Butano State Park in San Mateo County, where active fire continues to burn.

Repopulation efforts took place Monday and Tuesday along the southern section of the blaze, near Davenport (Santa Cruz County). With more evacuees returning, firefighters have fielded more calls for service from residents as pockets of smoke and fire continue to pop up, Cal Fire Chief Mark Brunton said.

Areas around and north of Boulder Creek have not been repopulated because of concerns about non-fire hazards, Brunton said.

Its more the hazard trees that have continued to fall and the hot ash pits that we want to render safe before we allow people back in, because we dont want anybody to get injured or killed from any of those hazards that exist, Brunton said.

The LNU Lightning Complex fires, burning in several North Bay counties, including Napa and Sonoma, as well as Lake County, jumped to 74% containment Tuesday after having burned more than 375,000 acres, fire officials said.

Good news continued to come from crews battling the SCU Complex fires. Evacuation orders in San Joaquin, Santa Clara and Alameda counties were lifted Monday.

The SCU Complex fires are 72% contained after having burned more than 391,000 acres.

Michael Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: michael.williams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michaeldamianw
The Trump administration plans to lift endangered species protections for gray wolves across most of the country by the end of the year, the director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday.

Were working hard to have this done by the end of the year and Id say its very imminent, Aurelia Skipwith told The Associated Press on Monday.

The administration also is pushing ahead with a rollback of protections for migratory birds despite a recent setback in federal court, she said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service last year proposed dropping the wolf from the endangered list in the lower 48 states, exempting a small population of Mexican wolves in the Southwest. It was the latest of numerous attempts to return management authority to the states - moves that courts have repeatedly rejected after opponents filed lawsuits.

Shot, trapped and poisoned to near extinction in the last century, wolves in recent decades rebounded in the western Great Lakes region and portions of the West, the total population exceeding 6,000. They have been removed from the endangered list in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and portions of Oregon, Utah and Washington state.

Federal protections remain elsewhere. A federal judge in 2014 restored protection for the animals in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, a decision upheld by an appeals court in 2017.

Director Skipwith, echoing the Fish and Wildlife Services long-held policy, told the AP the wolf has biologically recovered and that its removal from the list would demonstrate the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act.

But the Humane Society of the United States and other wildlife protection groups contend wolves are still vulnerable. Dropping protections across the Lower 48 would doom any chances of their spreading to other states where they could thrive if humans allowed it, they say.

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A final decision had been expected last spring, but the service is taking extra time to review the science behind its position and issues raised in court rulings, Ms Skipwith said.

We just want to be sure were covering all the bases, she said. When groups want to come in and sue because of such a success, it takes away resources from species that need them.

She added that the agency doesnt believe much suitable habitat remains beyond areas that wolves currently occupy, a claim that environmental groups and some biologists dispute.

We dont anticipate them expanding, regardless of that federal protection, Ms Skipwith said, declining to take a position on a November ballot initiative that would restore wolves to Colorado.

If thats the approach that Colorado wants to take, thats their prerogative, she said.

Ms Skipwith said the agency also is proceeding with changes in how it enforces a century-old law protecting most American wild bird species, despite warnings that billions of birds could die as a result.

A US judge in New York this month invalidated the administrations use of a legal memo to justify its position that accidental but foreseeable killing of birds should not be criminally prosecuted. The administration had argued that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act applies only to the intentional killing of birds and not incidental killings during normal activities by electric utilities, oil developers and other industries.

National Audubon Society chief conservation officer Sarah Greenberger criticised the agency for pressing ahead with a rule change that would cement the policy into a regulation that could be harder to overturn.

There was never a good reason to weaken the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the administration should have taken its recent loss in court as an opportunity to abandon its bird-killing policy, Ms Greenberger said.

Director Skipwith said the Fish and Wildlife Service was still evaluating the judges decision and planned to issue a final rule by the end of the year. The agency remains committed to making sure were not criminalizing these unintentional actions while stepping up efforts to protect migratory birds, she said.

The Endangered Species Act has protected at-risk species for more than 40 years and has been credited with saving species like the bald eagle, along with the gray wolf. More than 90 per cent of voters support the Endangered Species Act, according to a 2015 poll, across party lines.
Disgraced former NBCUniversal vice chair Ron Meyer has blown over $100million gambling, sources close to the Hollywood executive told DailyMail.com.

People close to the legendary former talent agent, who resigned this month over an affair with a young actress, described Meyer's extreme high-rolling habits that saw him lose up to $7million in a single gambling trip and rack up millions in debt from unscrupulous casinos.

Meyer, 75, stepped down from his $25million-a-year role earlier this month after revealing he had an affair in 2012 with then 20-year-old British actress Charlotte Kirk and claiming that others had tried to extort him over the tryst.

But despite his huge salary, sources said he is now fighting to secure a 'golden parachute' or he could face financial difficulties.

Former NBC executive Ron Meyer has blown over $100 million gambling, DailyMail.com can reveal

'He would blow between $5million and $7million at Caesars,' one source said, adding that the vice president of f marketing at Caesars Atlantic City would send a helicopter to take him to his casino

'Ron Meyer is one of the biggest craps players ever. He has blown north of $100million in the years of his gambling. He's gambled everywhere from Las Vegas to Atlantic City,' a source told DailyMail.com.

'He would stay at the penthouse suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York while on business, and the vice president of marketing at Caesars Atlantic City would send a helicopter to take him to his casino.

Meyer was forced to step down earlier this month after blackmailers sent a draft lawsuit to NBCUniversal detailing his affair with actress Charlotte Kirk

'He would blow between $5million and $7million at Caesars. Once he exhausted his credit line there, the VP would take him to Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut where he would blow $3-5million as well at each place.'

A source said that in binge after binge, Meyer would empty his own sizable wallet, then go to casino executives for loans of up to $3million to keep playing.

'It's really not a nice thing to do, because the gambler is in heat and wants that money, but if you really care about your player, you send him home,' the source said. 'Don't let him go in a losing streak and lose more money.

'But it shows you how reckless the gambler is and how the people in the industry don't give a s**t. Because they're getting paid commissions on what you lose. So they want to take as much money as possible from you.

'In a single trip to all these casinos he could blow up to $10million if things went bad. It's a lot of money.'

A spokesperson for Meyer declined to comment.

One source told DailyMail.com Meyer was treated like a king when he visited the gambling resorts, with casino executives vying to take advantage of his lust for gambling.

'He was probably in the top three most sought-after whales in the gaming industry. Everybody tried to get him to come play at their casinos,' the source said.

'They would give him hundreds of thousands of dollars of promotional chips and discounts of up to 20% on his losses.

'He had access to the nicest suites in every casino. He got a helicopter picking him up in New York and flying him there. He'd have a stretch limousine whisk him to the casino.

'But he didn't really care about the accommodation. He was there to gamble.'

A source close to Meyer said the Hollywood legend, who co-founded top agency CAA, kept his giant gambling debts hidden from his family  until the truth came out in his split from his second wife Kelly Chapman (pictured together in 2017)

The Hollywood legend's gambling habits have been previously mentioned in biographies of his fellow Hollywood scions.

CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz wrote in his memoir that Meyer twice asked him for the company's help to pay off a $5million and a $6.5million loan.

And according to James Miller, author of Powerhouse: The Inside Story of CAA, Meyer was 'once in the hole for several million dollars' of gambling debts to mobsters in the 1980s and 1990s.

'This wasn't some casino on the strip,' Miller wrote in his 2016 book. 'The 'guys' Meyer was on the hook to only swam in the deep end of the pool.'

The author said the only reason Meyer got out of one late-night meeting with the loan sharks with 'both legs operative, genitalia intact', was that he got a loan from Ray Stark, producer of hit films The Way We Were and The Goodbye Girl.

A source told DailyMail.com that Meyer's financial solvency now hangs in the balance as he negotiates an exit deal with NBCUniversal  which had previously had him under contract through next year.

'That has significantly affected his life. It's stress, it's pressure every day'.

'Meyer was probably in the top three most sought-after whales in the gaming industry. Everybody tried to get him to come play at their casinos,' a source said

A source close to Meyer said the Hollywood legend, who co-founded top agency CAA, kept his giant gambling habits hidden from his family  until the truth came out in his split from his second wife Kelly Chapman.

Warner Bros chief Kevin Tsujihara was fired last year after interactions with Kirk became public

'When he finally filed for divorce his wife had no idea he was blowing this money,' the source said. 'He had to sell his $125million dream house in Malibu. It wreaked havoc in his life.

'In the divorce settlement his wife asked for a forensic accounting, because she thought he was hiding the money. But he wasn't hiding the money, he just blew it.'

A friend of the Hollywood executive said his wife suspected something was wrong when Meyer began selling his assets  including a Mark Rothko painting he had purchased for $900,000 which turned out to be a forgery.

The source said the gambling debts have put strain on Meyer's relationship with his family, already in turmoil after he admitted to cheating on his second wife.

The 75-year-old Hollywood executive began an affair with British actress Charlotte Kirk, then aged 20, after meeting her in 2012.

At the time he was still married to Chapman, who filed for divorce in 2018.

In his resignation statement from NBCUniversal Meyer said he was forced to sign a settlement with Kirk to keep his 'very brief and consensual affair' quiet, after Kirk's boyfriend and ex-boyfriend allegedly threatened him with lawsuits that would publicly reveal the tryst and smear the company.

Meyer said he sought help from the FBI over the alleged extortion, but the two men have denied the claims.

Kirk was also involved in the downfall of another top movie executive only months earlier: former Warner Bros. boss Kevin Tsujihara was ousted after their 2013 affair was revealed in March last year.
Student registration fees are 'too high' and will be looked at over the lifetime of the Government, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said.

As students prepare for the college year, he insisted the Susi grant system will be flexible to "take on board if a family's income has changed due to Covid-19".

On the issue of fees, he said: "I've been minister for eight weeks and I would like to look at this over the lifetime of the Government, obviously we have a Budget in October."

He added that as colleges resume, it is "important we have the safeguards in place".

"There will be strict rules when it comes to college life," he said. "Not everybody will be back full time. It will vary from institution to institution. There will be a priority placed on subjects with a science element and on first years, as it will be hard to introduce someone to college life via Zoom. When people live on campus accommodation, there will be new rules your housemates may also be in your classes."

Mr Harris said that college authorities will have the responsibility to ensure these measures are met.

The minister said "there will always be people who do stupid things" after a video circulated on social media showed a group of young people drinking on the street in Killarney on Saturday night.

Chanting revellers can be seen crowded onto the footpaths, with little evidence of social distancing.

"We shouldn't lose sight that most people are sacrificing so much, but we also shouldn't decide that it's just one generation or age group of people when it comes to parties... Most young people have been extraordinarily responsible," Mr Harris told RTE Radio One.

Earlier, independent Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae called for pubs to re-open and said the Killarney incident had been "most unfortunate" and not representative of the town.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got it right on Monday when he was asked about the toppling of a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Montreal this past weekend.

Essentially, he said: its fine to protest statues of historical figures who had a role in perpetuating injustice and racism in the past. And its fine to try and persuade others that they should be torn down.

But its not fine for a group of activists to take it upon themselves to make the decision for everyone else. Its not fine for them to engage in what the prime minister flatly called vandalism.

Actions such as that, he said, have no place in a society that abides by the rule of law.

Quite. As we examine our history more closely in the light of current knowledge about racial injustice, its important to do it in the right way. There needs to be a collective reckoning with the past, and lessons learned about how the wrongs of previous centuries live on and continue to poison our present.

The goal must be to make things better today, not just to settle scores from times gone by. And so, as Trudeau said, its not up to a small group of people to decide unilaterally that a particular person should not be recognized.

The statue of Canadas first prime minister was pulled down, and decapitated in the process, as protesters calling for racial justice and defunding the police gathered in Place du Canada in the heart of Montreal.

Its no surprise that Macdonald is the focus. He played the key role in forging Confederation in 1867 (in the words of his biographer, the late Richard Gwyn, no Macdonald, no Canada). But modern research has shone a harsh new light on his role in the abuse, including outright starvation, of Indigenous people.

Macdonald is far from alone. Wilfrid Laurier brought in the infamous head tax to discourage Chinese immigration; Mackenzie King kept Jews out of Canada rather than save them from Hitler. As Trudeau acknowledged, all past prime ministers, including his own father Pierre, must be looked at more critically in the light of present values.

Trudeau was right to speak out on this for another reason: right-wing politicians are already seizing on the toppling of the Macdonald statue to pose as the defenders of Canadas heritage against what they would condemn as mob rule.

It would be a big mistake for those in the centre and the left to allow Conservatives like Erin OToole and Jason Kenney to own the debate. The great majority of Canadians want to feel proud of their country even as they work to make it better; liberals (and Liberals) need to channel that pride into constructive change, not try to shame people into doing the right thing.

We also have the horrifying example of the United States playing out before us. These same issues of justice and change versus heritage and history are being openly manipulated by the likes of Donald Trump, who is trying to rescue his failing bid for re-election by associating Democrats as a whole with the violence of activists out to battle with police in the streets.

The last thing Canada needs to have its own version of this debate polarized to the point that there can be no discussion and the two sides just retreat to their corners and shout slogans.

It is possible to do this right. In Toronto, for example, city council is about to launch an examination of streets, parks and monuments named after problematic individuals from the past, starting with Henry Dundas who gave his name to the street and square but has been accused of delaying the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.

The goal, says the man behind the move, is nothing less than a re-examination of how we engage with public memory. Thats ambitious, even daunting, but it could lead us to a better place. Simply tearing down street signs would be quicker, but it would fail as a way to achieve meaningful change.
AL-DHAFRA AIR BASE, United Arab Emirates - Jared Kushner and U.S. officials visited a major air base in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, speaking to Emirati and American pilots on the tarmac, as Irans supreme leader called the UAEs recognition of Israel treason that will not last for long.

The U.S.-brokered deal to establish diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE reflects a changing Middle East in which shared concerns about Iran have overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians. While the U.S. says the deal will promote regional peace and stability, the belligerent threat by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei underlined the risks inherent in the rapprochement.

The U.S. delegation, headed by Kushner, arrived in the UAE on an El Al plane on Monday in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight between the two countries. The flight followed an agreement brokered by the Trump administration last month that saw the two countries agree to establish diplomatic relations.

The Israeli delegation returned home Tuesday after a quick visit that included a series of high-level meetings, while Kushner continued on to Bahrain, where he met King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the state-run BNA news agency reported.

King Hamad praised the steadfast, historic stances of the United Arab Emirates in ensuring Palestinian rights, BNA said. Kushner has expressed optimism that other Arab countries will soon follow the UAE in establishing official ties with Israel, even in the absence of a peace deal with the Palestinians.

Kushner later travelled to Saudi Arabia, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. They discussed the prospects for the peace process in the region and the need to resume negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to achieve a just and lasting peace, SPA said.

While at the base near Abu Dhabi, Kushner and U.S. National Security Adviser Robert OBrien met Emirati Maj. Gen. Falah al-Qahtani, a top defence official. Thousands of American troops work at the base.

Our relationship has been built on trust and mutual support, al-Qahtani told reporters. We have stood together to fight extremism in all of its forms.

OBrien added that the U.S. expected a significant security aspect in the Israel-UAE normalization, without elaborating. Journalists also toured a joint command centre run by both the U.S. and the UAE at the site.

Kusher, not wearing a facemask amid the coronavirus pandemic, shook hands with the U.S. and Emirati pilots gathered for the event. He also left a written message at the base.

May the relationship with America continue to grow and together, through strength, will benefit as we bring more peace and prosperity to the Middle East and beyond! he wrote.

But as the visit drew to a close, state media in Iran begin broadcasting Khameneis remarks, which referred the UAEs recognition of Israel as a stain on the country.

The United Arab Emirates committed treachery against either the Islamic world or Arab nations and regional countries, as well as Palestine, Khamenei said. The treason will not last for long.

Both the UAE and Israel share a mutual suspicion of Iran. The UAEs day-to-day ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, long has warned about Irans intentions, particularly its nuclear program. Thats a concern shared by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Iran long has insisted its program is only for peaceful purposes. But since Trump unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Tehran has broken all the limits the accord placed on its program amid a series of escalating incidents in the region.

An Emirati official dismissed Khameneis comments.

The path to peace and prosperity is not through incitement and hate speech, Foreign Ministry official Jamal al-Musharakh said. That kind of rhetoric is counterproductive to peace in the region.

The journalists visit to Al-Dhafra shows the change in the relationship between the Emirates and the U.S., which established defence deals with the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, amid the 1991 Gulf War. Emirati special forces deployed to Afghanistan after the 2001 American-led invasion that followed the Sept. 11 attacks.

But the U.S. military for years only vaguely referred to Al-Dhafra as a base in southwest Asia. In recent years, the UAE has been far more willing to acknowledge the U.S. presence here and elsewhere in a country that hosts some 5,000 American troops. Dubais Jebel Ali port also is the U.S. Navys busiest port of call outside of America.

Al-Dhafra has hosted U.S. Air Force F-35 stealth warplanes for years, as well as surveillance aircraft, armed drones and refuelling planes. The American delegations visit to the base during the this tour suggests a sale of the F-35s to the UAE, which has long coveted the advanced aircraft, could be a key part of the deal.

The UAE has touted the normalization deal as a tool to force Israel into halting its contentious plan to annex parts of the West Bank sought by the Palestinians for their future state. It also may help the Emiratis acquire advanced U.S. weapons systems that have been previously unattainable, such as the F-35 fighter jet. Currently, Israel is the only country in the region with the stealth warplanes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied any connection between the normalization deal and the U.S. providing advanced weaponry to the UAE.

The U.S. has said it is reviewing a longstanding UAE request for the warplanes, while remaining committed to maintaining Israels qualitative military advantage over its Arab neighbours.

Netanyahu also has denied agreeing to halt his plan to annex West Bank territory as part of the deal. He says he agreed to delay it, but insists he still intends to carry out the annexation in the future.

The Palestinians have fiercely opposed the normalization as weakening traditional Arab refusal to form ties with Israel before the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. That past Arab support was one of the Palestinians few advantages in moribund peace talks with Israel. Palestinians have held public protests and burned the UAE flag in anger.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Netanyahu issued a statement saying the two countries signed an agreement on banking and finance.

These understandings will help us advance mutual investments and broad co-operation, Netanyahu said.

___

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Follow Aron Heller on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aronheller.
Some of the planning that went into the sit-ins took place at First Baptist Church on Garfield Street and that's where Watts and his sister Emma would recruit both Morrison and Ramseur. The reverend at the time, J.C. Harris played a pivotal role in both organizing and stoking the fires of the anti-segregation movement. Some of the members of that church would join others to serenade the protesters when they were locked up in the Iredell County Jail.

The planning of protests like this was as important as the execution, though ironically Horton was a last-minute replacement for his sister Latona Horton after she was arrested for another protest. Billy, however, was already a veteran of the movement and participated in other sit-ins and protests before that day in 1962.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 10:46:14|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) to be held in Beijing in early September is a good move to help resist the global economic recession amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an Egyptian expert has said.

Gamal Bayoumi, head of the Cairo-based Arab Investors Union (AIU), described the upcoming fair as "a good step from China," which is the world's largest exporter and the second largest import market.

"In my opinion, we should encourage and take part in the fair, for it is beneficial for us as both exporters and importers," the Egyptian expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Bayoumi, also a former assistant foreign minister for economic affairs, noted that over the past months, the world has suffered massive losses as a result of the lockdowns and precautionary measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

"Most world economies are expected to shrink, except a few that will maintain lower growth rates," he said.

Bayoumi said he believes China, as the world's second-largest economy, plays a good role in maintaining the global economy.

He said that amid the global economic recession, the world should not give up but hold such fairs to try to promote trade and resist economic shrinking, "and this is what China is doing."

"We praise China for trying to push forward trade, economy, and services in the world," said the AIU chief, adding that the idea of holding international trade fairs is a good one and Egypt is also experienced in this area.

With regards to the Egyptian-Chinese cooperation, Bayoumi said that the two countries have succeeded in developing their ties and opened new areas of cooperation over the years, such as potential joint investment in Africa.

He mentioned that Egypt is one of the few countries that enjoy custom-free access to the African and Arab markets.

"If China exports through Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone, it will be closer to African and Arab markets. China will enjoy the custom exemption given to Egypt in these markets," he added.

"So, cooperation between Egypt and China in this area, whether related to the African or Arab markets, is a win-win situation," the expert said.

Many Chinese companies are currently carrying out major national projects in Egypt in the fields of infrastructure and industrialization.

The joint Chinese projects in Egypt are held under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that seeks common development via win-win partnerships among BRI states.

"Egyptian-Chinese diplomatic relations were among the first established in the developing world," Bayoumi said, stressing that Egypt has welcomed BRI from the start.

The policies of China and Egypt are respectable and far-sighted, and their relations are very deep-rooted and they always stand by one another, said the Egyptian expert.

Bayoumi also noted that the growth of the Egypt-China relations is attentively sponsored by the leaders of both countries.

"So, I expect greater cooperation between Egypt and China under the BRI that would lead to more success of the initiative, given that the bilateral relations have been elevated to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership," he said. Enditem
(ANSAmed) - PARIS, SEPTEMBER 1 - The French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on Tuesday republished political cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that made it a target of Islamic terrorism, said the magazine ahead of the start this week of the trial for the January 2015 attack at its newsroom, which killed 12 people. "We will never lie down. We will never give up," said Charlie Hebdo owner Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau, in the edition in which the controversial caricatures of the Prophet are reprinted on the cover.(ANSAmed). (ANSA).


VANCOUVER, Wash., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Onboard Systems International, LLC, a leading provider of innovative helicopter cargo hook equipment, today announced that its replacement cargo hook kits for the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk have been STC certified by the FAA. The new kits feature a dual solenoid design to eliminate the need for high-cost Cartridge Activated Devices (CADs) for back-up release functionality.

TALON MC Cargo Hook Replacement Kit for the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk (front view) TALON MC Cargo Hook Replacement Kit for the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk (back view)

According to Karsten Lemmon, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Onboard Systems, "When the U.S. Army started releasing Black Hawks for sale to the civilian market in 2014, we anticipated that there would be interest in replacing the legacy cargo hook equipment, since it requires CADs for the backup release functionality. As more and more Black Hawks are retired from military service and reconfigured for civilian external load missions, we believe our replacement hook kits will prove very popular."

Onboard's TALON MC Keeperless Cargo Hook Replacement Kits for the Black Hawk were designed to include all of the safety features operators have come to expect from Onboard products, including lower hook weight, a keeperless design to eliminate dynamic rollout potential, 2.5 times the rated load release capacity, and a dual-actuation release lever to help eliminate accidental releases caused by contact with foreign objects.

The newly certified TALON MC Keeperless Cargo Hook Replacement Kits are available with an Onboard Weighing System (P/N 200-438-00), or without (P/N 200-437-00). An Onboard Weighing System lets pilots instantly know the cargo weight on the hook, reducing the risk of overload airframe stress and helping them make more informed aircraft loading decisions. To ensure maximum load security, Onboard's Surefire Technology is also built into the Black Hawk cargo hook kits. The Surefire circuit requires a purposeful, half-second press against the hook release button, guarding against inadvertent load loss resulting from accidental contact with the release button during flight.

About Onboard Systems

Onboard Systems International, LLC designs and manufactures innovative helicopter lift equipment for the worldwide aerospace industry, including belly hooks, cargo hook suspension systems, Onboard Weighing Systems, and remote hook equipment. Its low-weight, high quality products provide operators with increased safety and cost efficiencies through customer-driven designs, responsive service and support, and low on-going maintenance costs. Onboard Systems maintains a rigorous quality management system (QMS) designed to meet or exceed the strict requirements of AS9100 Revision D, ISO 9001:2015, helicopter airframe manufacturers, and aviation regulatory agencies. Founded in 1975, Onboard Systems was acquired in 2019 by Liberty Hall Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in businesses serving the global aerospace and defense industry. Onboard Systems is based in Vancouver, Washington; visit our website, OnboardSystems.com, for more information.

Media contact:

Sheri Gormley

[email protected]

360-546-3072

SOURCE Onboard Systems
In the bathroom, Calderone and Bellanti say to always use an exhaust fan or an open window to cut down on humidity. In the kitchen, keep a lookout for mold in refrigerator drip pans, door seals and garbage pails. Whatever you do, McLaughlin says, never paint or caulk over mold; remove it instead. McLaughlin says mold will never go away unless it is mechanically removed. When the spores are treated with spray, the growth can be killed at the time, but if the environment still supports mold growth, the problem will recur. A common method of mechanically removing mold is soda blasting, which is a pressurized system using baking soda or dry ice that minimizes damage to the surface but is abrasive enough to release the spores. This process, used in conjunction with HEPA filtration of the air, will capture loose spores.
Former Abia state governor and Senate chief whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, has indicated interest to run for 2023 Presidency, if given the opportunity by the electorate.

Kalu who stated this in Minna during a private visit to Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (Rtd) and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), said he would not hesitate to serve Nigeria if Nigerians indicate interest in his presidency.

The Senator noted that there was no zoning in the constitution of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that any person in the party can contest for the position of the president.

I am still in the senate, and I will seek for re-election into the senate but if our people want me to serve as president I will not hesitate. Zoning is not a constitutional matter in APC. Any person can contest any post in APC, he said.

KanyiDaily recalled in December 2019, Kalu was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was convicted for N7.1bn fraud alongside his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited, and a former Director of Finance during his tenure as governor, Ugo Udeogu.

However, on May 8, 2020, the Supreme Court nullified the conviction of Kalu and Udeogu on the grounds that the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, lacked the jurisdiction to have presided over their case. The Senator was released from Kuje prison on June 3, 2020.
Kidnappers who demanded a $2 million ransom have been apprehended.

The Kyiv Police Department says an abducted businessman has been released in a recent raid, who has been kidnapped and then held in captivity for the past week.

The six kidnappers who demanded ransom in the amount of US$2 million have been detained on August 29, says Kyiv's Chief Prosecutor Oleh Kiper, according to his press office.

At a joint briefing with Kyiv PD chief Andriy Krishchenko, Kiper elaborated on the investigation results.

It was revealed that on August 21, under the pretext of real estate showcasing, the attackers met with a 48-year-old businessman in the center of Kyiv before luring him into a car and later sedating and bringing the abduction victim to a house under construction outside Kyiv and demanded ransom.

Read alsoMeth lab exposed at Lviv university (Video)According to the head of Kyiv police, the victim got both of his legs fractured as he attempted to flee and jumped from the house's second floor.

The culprits turned out to be the victim's former business partners, while the pretext for the abduction was unfulfilled financial obligations.

Immediately after the release, the victim was rushed to a hospital to be treated for injuries sustained.

The detainees are all Kyiv residents, aged 35 to 52, with no criminal record.

Thirteen searches were carried out at their homes. A large number of weapons was discovered, namely 12 grenade launchers, 28 grenades of various systems, more than 5,000 cartridges, automatic weapons, pistols, as well as fuses and 400 grams of TNT.

Hostage situations in Ukraine: background
Coming out of the lockdown, leading English newspaper The Times of India has launched a multi-media campaign  #NewspaperMornings  highlighting readers relationship with the newspaper.

Conceptualised by TOI and Wunderman Thompson, the brand has launched a campaign film with lyrics and narration from poet and lyricist Gulzar. Although the way we interact and communicate with media has undergone a shift during the lockdown, the campaign taglinem Some relationships never change, reminds us of the pleasure of our abandoned reading habits.

English newspaper circulation had been hit particularly hard during the lockdown as services like Metros and trains that are essential for delivery of newspapers had stopped. TOIs campaign will be live on TV, digital and OTT platforms for four weeks and will signal to readers and advertisers the return of the print publication to full circulation strength.

Elaborating on the campaign, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director  Brand, The Times of India, said, The epidemic has created a new paradigm and people have reassessed their needs according to the situation. This communication is aimed at people who love reading the morning paper, but have discontinued the habit for various reasons. The pleasure of reading the newspaper is an integral part of our mornings and how we begin the day. And it is for this reason that we felt that we needed to have a communication which served as a reminder to the world about the power of the newspaper.

Speaking about the creative film, Senthil Kumar, Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman Thompson India, asked, What are mornings without The Times of India? There is a whole lot missing from a day in the Life of India when you dont receive the Times. Its like your favourite morning person is missing from your life. The wind has taken away your wings to the world that you viewed with a flutter of your wings every morning. Many such relationships between the reader and the newspaper ring true in this emotional ode in the film. During the lockdown, many homes did not receive the newspaper in spite of our best efforts and it is time now to remind our readers of their relationship with that fluttering paper and revive that missing relationship.

Adding further, he said, The emotional connection with the audience is the same as the readers connection with the morning habit of the newspaper. The absence of the newspaper and the elevating presence of the newspaper have been captured in this captivating narrative by the words of the legendary poet Gulzar Sir and visuals of thousands of readers interpreting the poem in scenes from the morning scenes across the country, delivering the truth that our relationships with our morning newspaper can never change.

In conversation with Adgully, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director - Brand, The Times of India, speaks about the campaign, the need for such a communication, and the revival of circulation and advertising to the newspaper.

Tell us about the journey of the campaign? How did you come to collaborate with Gulzar?

The whole idea was that there is a certain romance, intimacy, familiarity at an organic level with the newspaper, rather than speak to the readers rationality. We wanted to appeal to the heart and not just the mind. Thats why we felt that poetry was a great medium of communication. When you talk about poetry, what better name is there than Gulzar Saab?

I am a fan of Gulzar Saab, who has written a lovely poem called Kitabein. The poem speaks about his love for the printed word and the pleasure of reading from the hard copy of a book. I was very inspired by that piece of poetry and intimated the same when we spoke to him. We requested him to write something for newspapers and he loved the idea because he also believed that there is no substitute for a physical newspaper. So, the poetry has really come from his heart.

What happened to English newspaper circulation during the lockdown?

The lockdown came as a rude shock to the entire industry, including print media, and our circulation came to a complete halt when the Prime Minister made the announcement. Of course, he had declared newspapers as an essential service and, therefore, we were able to quickly restart our operations in the next two weeks. Since then, we have steadily gained circulation in the market. We have actually reached over 90 per cent of our original base, and at an all India level, we will return to full strength in a couple of months.

Why did your readers drop off? Where did they go? Did they belong to a particular demographic?

They dropped off for various reasons. For example, in Mumbai, the lockdown continued for a very long time. Newspaper is a physical product and its delivery was disrupted. We saw people stop reading due to fear of infection or migration to TV or digital. There are many reasons why people have stayed away from the newspaper, and we need to bring them back.

After a lot of research, we found that 90 per cent of readers want newspapers back in their lives. They have been reticent for one reason or another. This communication just reminds them that life is beautiful when the newspaper arrives every morning.

Whats your media strategy to effectively reach your readers who have dropped off?

The circulation in the South markets have returned to normal levels and in some markets like Kerala, the circulation has reached over 90 per cent of the original base. In the print media market, these are the bigger markets. So, for me it was a very easy choice where to deploy our communications. The campaign is clearly directed at North and West India and those are our key markets. I dont see any dichotomy between the language of the film and our target markets.

How do you feel about building the readership base of print media on the back of a TV and digital marketing strategy?

Even before the crisis, there was over 70 per cent duplication between our print readers and our digital readers. So, for us there is no real change. Post COVID, that 70 per cent may have touched 85 per cent. We always welcome users to our digital platforms, because it is actually a very large platform after Facebook and Google. Its always good that users migrate to our digital properties.

The newspaper has its own value both for readers and advertisers. The newspaper curates the news and presents it in a familiar format and essentially offers the experience of accidental collision with news. Digital media is search based, which means that your search patterns begin dictating what news comes to you. Thats the nature of the Internet. To be a well-rounded and knowledgeable person, you need to have accidental collision with all events around the world, whether it is politics, business, economics, local affairs or sports, and the newspaper is the source of holistic information. Thats why we feel the newspaper has a special place in the lives of consumers.

What is your strategy to woo advertisers during this festive season?

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Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 08:45 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41cb28b 1 Business economy,Faisal-Basri,economists,DPR,hearing,indef,finance-ministry,COVID-19,pandemic Free

Indonesias economy faces a near-certain recession in the third quarter this year, economists say, as a robust economic recovery will depend on whether the government can control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and stimulate peoples purchasing power.

The government will need to focus on controlling the coronavirus outbreak amid a rising number of coronavirus cases, said University of Indonesia senior economist Faisal Basri, adding that a strong economic recovery would come naturally if the threat of the outbreak was dealt with.

We are afraid that the governments policy response does not care about COVID-19 anymore by emphasizing heavily the economic recovery, he told lawmakers in a hearing on Monday. We should have controlled the virus spread first before the economy could grow. If the virus cases declined, the economy would automatically pick up.

Indonesia booked record high single-day numbers of COVID-19 positive cases in three consecutive days from Friday to Sunday. The countrys economy shrank by 5.32 percent in the second quarter this year, the worst since 1999, as all components of economic activity slowed.

The economy may shrink by a further 3 percent in the third quarter, Faisal said, adding that the contraction was a result of the governments incompetence in handling the pandemic.

The government, he went on to say, should follow the steps of countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand by prioritizing the pandemic response over the economy, adding that such measures could allow the economy to recover at a faster pace.

The governments strategy in handling the pandemic is waiting for a vaccine, but before that happens, they do not have a strategy at all, he told House of Representatives Commission VI overseeing trade, industry and state-owned enterprises.

The government is campaigning heavily on the new normal protocols, including by wearing face masks, face shields and social distancing, among other measures, to rescue an economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. However, the rising case numbers in recent months have shown that the governments plan has yet to be effective in reducing the spread of infections.

An economic recession is not doomsday and not something that we need to be scared of, said Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) senior economist Enny Sri Hartati. The economy is at a near-certain recession based on several economic indicators in July such as retail sales and vehicle sales, among others, she added.

The question is how to reduce the economic shocks by boosting peoples purchasing power and boosting [the resilience of] micro, small and medium enterprises, she told the same hearing.

Enny urged the government to evaluate the current stimulus programs to reduce pressure on businesses cash flows and to give a boost to domestic demand. If it is well-targeted, government spending will be crucial in stimulating the economy, she added.

The government expects the economy to shrink by 2 percent at worst or post flat growth at best in the third quarter, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said recently, expecting the economy to shrink by 1.1 percent at worst for the year 2020.

The government will optimize state spending in the third quarter this year to help support the economy, said the Finance Ministrys head of climate change and multilateral financing policy Adi Budiarso during the same hearing. We will boost government spending that will support supply and demand in the economy, he emphasized.
A Easyjet passenger was hauled off the plane by police after refusing to wear a face mask.

Two officers were called to Glasgow airport on Sunday after staff reported that a man on the Luton to Glasgow flight had refused to comply with coronavirus guidelines.

In a video taken by a fellow passenger it showed the moment masked police officers boarded the plane to speak with the man before escorting him and a woman off the flight.

The man was later handed a police warning.

The incident on Sunday came just days after police officers escorted an "obstinate and aggressive" passenger aboard an EasyJet plane at Jersey Aiport who also refused to wear a mask.

A spokesperson from EasyJet said: EasyJet can confirm that police attended flight EZY77 from London Luton to Glasgow on Sunday 30 August due to a passenger behaving disruptively onboard and refusing to wear their face mask.

In line with new guidelines, all passengers are currently required to bring their own face mask for their flight which must be worn during boarding and onboard."

"EasyJets cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and to act quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers is not compromised at any time.

"Whilst such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously, and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour on board."

The Government announced in a series of guidelines earlier this year that all passengers on a plane must wear a facemask during their journey.
PARIS (AP)  On the cusp of a crucial month of negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal between the European Union and the U.K., France has lambasted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government for what it sees as deliberate stalling and for harboring unreasonable expectations.

The 27-nation EU and the U.K. remain deadlocked in their talks on future trade ties after a transitional divorce period ends on Dec. 31. That has raised concerns that no agreement will be in place in time and that tariffs and other impediments to trade will be imposed on Jan. 1.

Negotiations are not advancing, because of the intransigent and unrealistic attitude of the United Kingdom," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told his nation's ambassadors Monday in Paris.

His comments underscored the recent pessimistic tone of the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, who has said the talks seem to be moving backward.

Britain left the EU on Jan. 31 but both sides hoped that a chaotic Brexit departure could be avoided by striking a comprehensive trade deal during the 11-month transition period.

Both sides say September will be a crucial month in the discussions. The EU, for its part, insists that the talks conclude before November to allow time for parliamentary approval and legal vetting of the trade deal.

And Le Drian insisted that the 27 EU nations won't buckle under pressure from London.

On Brexit, we always showed unity and proved wrong those who saw signs of an overall implosion of Europe, he said. It is in staying united that we can stick to our line of a global accord."

The main differences appear to center on rules for state aid for businesses and on fisheries.

The EU is insisting on a level-playing field" for companies from both sides, so British firms can't undercut EU firms by disregarding stringent EU rules on environment or workplace and social standards. The U.K. is also vexed by EU demands for long-term access to British fishing waters.

Britain accuses the bloc of making demands that it has not imposed on other countries it has free trade deals with, such as Canada.

Story continues

The EU is still insisting not only that we must accept continuity with EU state aid and fisheries policy, but also that this must be agreed before any further substantive work can be done in any other area of the negotiation, including on legal texts, making it unnecessarily difficult to make progress," the U.K. government said.

Both sides say they want to avoid a no-deal scenario and want their divorce not to impede cooperation in the fields of defense, security and fighting crime.

The next round of talks between Barnier and his British counterpart, David Frost, begins in London on Sept. 7.

____

Casert reported from Brussels. Jill Lawless in London and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

-

Follow all AP news about British politics and Brexit at https://apnews.com/Brexit.
Vegan milk brand Oatly is facing a boycott from UK customers after it sold a 150million stake to a group lead by a private equity firm whose boss is a major Donald Trump donor.

The Swedish firm sold its stake to a group of investors - including Oprah Winfrey and Natalie Portman - lead by Blackstone.

Blackstone's CEO Stephen Schwarzman is a long-time friend of Trump and is his largest campaign donor.

Schwarzman donated 2.8million ($3.7million) to Trump's 2020 reelection campaign, Bloomberg reports.

Oatly said - in a Tweet from it's UK Twitter account - that it 'understands our owners can have other investments that don't align with us' but insisted that 'they all believe in and fully support us in our mission'.

Furious oat milk lovers have vowed to strike off Oatly for selling the $200million (150million) share, claiming the company 'sold their soul'.

Vegan milk brand Oatly is facing a boycott from UK customers after it sold a 150million stake to a group lead by a private equity firm whose boss Stephen Schwarzman (left) is a major Donald Trump donor

Blackstone's CEO Stephen Schwarzman is a long-time friend of Trump and is his largest campaign donors

Gina Martin wrote: 'I am so disappointed that Oatly is now part of the Blackstone Group. The CEO is Steve Schwarzman, a major Trump donor.'

Begum Rice wrote: 'For crying out loud. Were you guys that short of offers for investment that you went with Blackstone Group?

Furious oat milk lovers have vowed to strike off Oatly (file image) for selling the $200million (150million) share, claiming the company 'sold their soul'

'I'll be voting with my purse I'm afraid. Recommended you to literally tens of people. That comes to an end too. Why sell your soul? Not everything is money!'

Oatly's UK Twitter account replied to the tweet writing: 'Hi there, we really appreciate all the amazing support you've given us in the past, and we're sorry to see this come to an end.

'We're still Oatly, committed to promoting the plant-based movement.

'We chose Blackstone because they believe in us and our plant-based mission and because their investment has steered a major stream of capital into sustainability.

'We're convinced that if we want to create real change for a more sustainable future, global capital needs to directed towards more sustainable investments.'

At the time of sale, Oatly's CEO Toni Petersson said: 'Leaders in asset management like Blackstone play an essential role in order to create real sustainable change.

'It is my belief that capital has to turn green and do so for the right reasons.

'Since we re-launched our brand in 2013, our focus has been to positively impact society by enabling people to change their lives with better, more environmentally responsible food choices, and in so doing, re-shape the food system to better contribute to the future of the planet.

Oatly's UK Twitter account replied to the tweet writing: 'Hi there, we really appreciate all the amazing support you've given us in the past, and we're sorry to see this come to an end. 'We're still Oatly, committed to promoting the plant-based movement'

'We chose to partner with Blackstone Growth because of their tremendous resources and unique reach.

'Our new partners' commitment to supporting us and furthering of our mission is a clear indication of where the world is heading, which is in a new, more sustainable direction.'

Jon Korngold, Global Head of Blackstone Growth, said: 'Oatly is a premier global brand whose product is committed to healthy and sustainable living with significant runway for continued growth to meet rising consumer demand.

'We are privileged to partner with Toni and the broader Oatly team to help the company extend its global leadership position in the years to come.'

Other Blackstone senior executives have made substantial contributions to Joe Bidens campaign and related, supportive groups - totaling $1.3 million firm-wide.

Jon Gray, Blackstones President and COO, and Tony James, executive vice chairman, are significant and long-time supporters of the Democratic party and have each held multiple fundraisers for Joe Biden.

Steve Schwarzman himself has helped presidents of both parties on various initiatives over the years.

Mr Gray and his wife Mindy alone have given $255,600. Mr James has also given $102,800.

Blackstone have been approached for comment.
Australia's electronic spy agency says it needs to collect intelligence on Australians because not all Aussies are the 'good guys'.

A debate surrounding the Australian Signals Directorate was triggered two years ago when News Corp newspapers published leaked information about coalition government ministers seeking to expand its powers to monitor Australians on home soil.

Key figures in the Australian intelligence community responded to the reports, saying there was 'no proposal to increase the ASD's powers to collect intelligence on Australians or to covertly access their private data'.

ASD boss Rachel Noble will use a rare speech on Tuesday to lay out why it can and does help other agencies in collecting intelligence on Australians

In an effort to clarify the role of her agency, ASD boss Rachel Noble will use a rare speech on Tuesday to lay out why it can and does help other agencies in collecting intelligence on Australians.

But Ms Noble is at pains to point out the ASD is a 'foreign intelligence agency', meaning it does not have broad domestic powers to spy on Australians.

'Our ability to collect intelligence on Australians is not new because not all Australians are the good guys,' she will tell the ANU's National Security College.

She noted that an intervention by Labor senator John Faulkner in 2001 had led to ministerial authorisation being required of any intelligence collection, or other activities relating to Australian persons must be obtained.

'These written authorisations must be in place for such collection or other activities to occur and cannot exceed six months duration unless renewed by the minister,' she says.

But the activities must be connected to the ASD's legislated functions, such as someone who is presenting a significant risk to a person's safety, acting for a foreign power, threatening security, breaching a UN sanction, smuggling people or money, or illegally transferring intellectual property.

'These are the rules by which ASD still operates today - 20 years later,' she says.

Ms Noble says ASD staff are comprehensively trained in their obligations and responsibilities.

'For more than 20 years ASD's role in relation to intelligence collection against Australians has been laid bare on the face of legislation,' she says.

'And I'm sorry if this is news to you but not all Australians are the good guys.

'Some Australians are agents of a foreign power.

'Some Australians are terrorists. Some Australians take up weapons and point them at us and our military.

'Some Australians are spies who are cultivated by foreign powers and are not on our side.'

She said when it came to intelligence collection and cyber offensive operations 'ASD is a foreign intelligence agency'.

'It is a matter for ASIO to concern itself with Australians who may pose a threat to our way of life,' she says.

'ASD cannot, under law, conduct mass surveillance on Australians.'

Touching on the issue of having more powers, Ms Noble said agencies 'must and do have carefully considered conversations about how to manage contemporary threats, including whether the management of such threats might ultimately involve legislative change'.

'And after doing so agencies will provide advice to government about their options.'

But it was the role of politicians, not public servants, to decide how best to address any new risks.

Dr Noble said the ASD's core mission after 73 years of operations remained to give the government insight into foreign strategic and military developments, to protect the nation from cyber threats and to conduct cyber offensive operations.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 22:10:04|Editor: huaxia

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by James Gashumba

KIGALI, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Marlene Muhongerwa, a second year medical student at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, was in March informed by the university via email about changes in her learning model.

This followed a decision by the Rwandan government on March 14 to shut all schools for an initial period of two weeks, as a measure to fight COVID-19 transmission. Five months later, schools remain closed, as the country is still battling with the coronavirus.

On a recent Friday morning, Muhongerwa sat through a lecture in her brightly lit room in Burera district. She and other students have to adapt to remote learning.

She attentively listened to a lecture on infectious diseases delivered via video conferencing from 8:15 a.m. local time (7:15 GMT) until 9:45 a.m.

For the first three days of the week, the online lectures are held from 8:15 a.m. until 4 p.m. local time with regular short breaks in between. For the remaining two days lectures are held only in the morning hours.

"It is an amazing experience because the online class system we use is effective. Our lecturers make the online classes as interactive as possible by bringing in activities like breakout rooms and flipped classes (using zoom), which keep the lessons interesting," she told Xinhua.

"My digital campus experience was and is till conducive. The video conferencing materials we use are advanced with good quality," she added.

Bernard Bahati, director for teaching and learning enhancement at the University of Rwanda (UR), one of the best universities in Rwanda, underlined the need to shift mindsets among teachers and students and close the digital divide to facilitate remote learning.

"The UR accelerated digitizing teaching and learning since March. Lecturers were asked to upload their instructional material to the university learning platform so that all students keep engaged in learning off campus," he told Xinhua.

The university has been monitoring students' visits on the learning platform and majority of them were logging onto learning material, he added.

According to Leon Mwunvaneza, chief information officer at Rwanda's Ministry of Education, there are thirteen free e-learning portals for universities, meaning students in public and private universities are accessing the learning material made for them free of charge, under an arrangement with telecom companies.

Audio-video lessons are also broadcasted on the national television and private radio and television stations every week day, covering the different subjects.

"We need to keep students learning at all levels through different channels such as radio, television and Internet. We started with making the education content available for learners, and the second was to strengthen the means of publication of the necessary content," Mwunvaneza said.

The learning material for different subjects are uploaded on learning portals for each level of learning, which are accessible on laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphone, he explained, adding that the ministry set up a team to monitor and ensure that there is learning and teaching at all the education levels without interruption.

The monitoring shows that learning and teaching has been effective, according to him.

Visits to the ministry of education's e-learning platform increased to more than 70,000 students a day from 5,000 before the pandemic, the ministry's figures showed.

For students to assess the learning process, Ministry of Education introduced an application assessment platform on both smart and feature phones.

A series of well-structured questions for every subject at any level were put on the platform to help students to test their learning outcomes and reflect on what the teacher has taught or on what is catered for across the curriculum.

Although great efforts and progress have been made in facilitating remote learning, students told Xinhua that they still face some challenges in adapting to this new means of studying. For example, they can't have hands-on laboratory activities and get teachers' instruction in time.

Official figures showed Rwanda has about 2.5 million primary school students and about 600,000 secondary school students.

Online learning measures introduced during the outbreak of novel coronavirus are likely to continue in a post-pandemic world, said the recent Global Learners Report of Pearson Education, a company that provides education contents and assessment services to schools and corporations.

It polled over 7,000 people in different countries including the U.S., UK, Brazil, China, Canada and Australia. Enditem
Update: 1 dead, 1 injured in shooting in Syracuses Skunk City

Syracuse, N.Y.  A large crowd gathered as Syracuse police responded to a reported shooting with injuries Monday night in Skunk City, according to 911.

The Onondaga County 911 Center started receiving calls at 9:44 p.m. reporting up to two dozen shots fired, as well as someone shot outside 206 Bradley St., dispatchers said.

Callers told 911 dispatchers the shooting victim was unconscious and struggling to breathe, according to police dispatches.

A vehicle suspected to have been involved in the shooting was last seen heading down Bradley Street, toward Rowland Street, according to the police dispatches.

Syracuse police and firefighters, and American Medical Response (AMR) responded to the scene. Police remain on the scene and have not yet commented on the shooting.

Check back for updates.

Have a tip or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call 315-470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook
If Hamilton police ever outfits officers with body-worn cameras, it should consider a test run first.

Thats the advice of a report before the police services board Thursday.

If approved, its recommended a 14-month pilot involve 100 cameras at an estimated cost of roughly $250,000 for the technology alone.

While transparency is an obvious goal for deployment, there are some limitations concerning it, Supt. Mike Worster and Sgt. Scott Moore write in their report. It is hoped, however, that use of (body-worn cameras) could assist in rebuilding a strained relationship with the community, as well as identify efficiencies for front-line officers.

Hamilton police and city council have fielded letters advocating for cameras after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. But some who have lost loved ones to police shootings have pushed for cameras for years to improve accountability.

Late last year, Norm Dorr argued a test run would make sense. Lets just get a pilot project and see how it goes, he told The Spectator.

Dorr is the father of Steve Mesics fiancee. Police shot Mesic, 45, dead in 2013 during a mental-health crisis. The Special Investigations Unit later cleared officers of wrongdoing.

The family of Anthony Divers, 36, killed in a police shooting in 2016, have also advocated for body-worn cameras. The SIU cleared the officer in that case.

Chief Eric Girt has told the board, however, that cameras come with complexities and costs associated with data storage. Their accuracy in depicting confrontations between police and the public is also questionable, he has suggested.

Worster and Moore write the fundamental question of the effectiveness of body-worn cameras remains unclear and the reviews are mixed.

But a pilot would help provide contextual data for a final decision on a 610-camera program, which they estimate would cost about $5 million over five years.

The report notes police services in Canada have already run pilots or plan to do so. Some are moving ahead with permanent programs. Barrie and Guelph plan pilots while Toronto aims for front-line deployment this year, the report says.

Kojo Damptey, who leads the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, however, questions the value of cameras absent meaningful police reform.

Instead of asking critical questions, they are still asking for an increase in funding, and we know that even cameras dont stop the killing of Black and Indigenous people in this country.
Savers unfortunate enough to have put their faith in disgraced fund manager Neil Woodford will shortly receive notification that a third wind-up payment from his LF Equity Income Fund has arrived or will soon be credited to their bank or investment account.

More than 15 months have passed since the most high-profile and far-reaching savings scandal of recent times and still there has been no reckoning for those involved.

Andrew Bailey  the regulator in charge of the Financial Conduct Authority in the build-up to the failure of the Woodford empire  has moved onwards and upwards as governor of the Bank of England.

Neil Woodford is still enjoying the fruits of the 8m fees he received while investors remained trapped in his funds, and is being sought for investment advice despite egregious failings

Woodford is still enjoying the fruits of the 8million fees he received while investors remained trapped in his funds, and is being sought for investment advice despite egregious failings.

Broker Hargreaves Lansdown, which exposed some 300,000 investors to losses in Woodford funds, is prospering on the back of some of the highest profit margins in the financial sector at around 50 per cent.

And Link, the authorised corporate director, has proved as hapless in winding up the Woodford funds as it was in making sure that savers' money was safe.

It contrived to bulk-sell a package of Woodford's biotech stocks hours before one of the key holdings, Synairgen, soared 420 per cent in value on the back of its promising treatment for Covid-19.

As all this has been going on, there has not been a peep from the rudderless FCA as to the outcome of its probe into the affair. It has a snail-like approach to inquiries and has been deliberately obstructive.

Only last week a former appeals court judge, Dame Elizabeth Gloster, criticised the FCA for delaying her investigation into the collapse of the mini-bonds firm London Capital & Finance with a late dump of 3,500 previously undisclosed documents.

We shouldn't be surprised by the dawdling, ineptness and legalistic approach of FCA regulation.

More than a decade after the collapse and rescue by Lloyds of consumer bank HBOS a report into management failings is still buried in the bureaucracy. The chairman of the FCA, Charles Randell, should be ashamed of this record.

New chief executive Nikhil Rathi needs to get a grip and order immediate publication of an interim report into the Woodford implosion. Investors, including this writer, deserve proper answers and need justice done.

Arm lock

One of the first big tests of Business Secretary Alok Sharma's attitude towards British high-tech will be the proposed sell-off by Softbank of the UK's smart chip champion, Arm Holdings, to US gaming chipmaker Nvidia.

Weekend reports suggested that if the 23billion sale were to go ahead, the Government would be inclined to sit on its hands.

Perhaps, someone should remind Sharma that when Theresa May's government allowed Arm to be sold down the river it required Softbank boss Masayoshi Son to make solemn commitments on doubling the workforce, maintaining investment and keeping Arm in Cambridge.

At the very least, those stipulations must be renewed and extended by the next owners or the deal blocked.

Rising Son

Reaching 90 doesn't seem to have inhibited the ambitions of Warren Buffett, who chose the last day of August to go East, buying 5 per cent stakes in several of Japan's big trading houses including Marubeni, Sumitomo, Mitsubishi and Mitsui at a cost of a neat 5billion. Many happy returns.
Police in Belarus detained several dozen university students on Tuesday as they marked the first day of school with protests against strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Hundreds of students took to the streets of the capital Minsk for the latest in three weeks of rallies rejecting the strongman's claim to have won a sixth term in elections last month and demanding he resign.

Students from several universities chanted "Fascists!" and "This is our city!"

Some attempted to form a human chain but were detained by riot police, with rights group Viasna saying more than 40 were arrested.

Thousands of Belarusians have been taking part in unprecedented protests since the August 9 election, which Lukashenko says he won with 80 percent of the vote but critics say was rigged.

More than 100,000 people have flooded the streets of Minsk for three straight weekends to demand the resignation of the 66-year-old strongman, who has ruled the ex-Soviet country since 1994.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised the possibility of sending military support if Belarus "starts to get out of control" and Lukashenko has been pictured brandishing an assault rifle during protests.

Lukashenko has dismissed the calls to resign, brushed off the idea of holding new elections and instead detained protesters and members of the opposition.

On Tuesday, Lukashenko vowed to punish EU members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania after they banned him and 29 other high-ranking officials over the election and subsequent crackdown.

"We will simply try to solve this problem with economic methods," Lukashenko said on a visit to the western city of Baranovichi, suggesting he could re-rout Belarusian cargo from Baltic ports and send it via Russia.

"Of course, it would be a little bit disadvantageous for us. But we can agree with Russians on tariffs."

Lukashenko also accused the opposition of wanting to cut the country "into pieces" and claimed that if his critics came to power "it will be massacre".

Story continues

"What happened in Ukraine will be just a walk in the park" in comparison, he said, in an apparent reference to a Kiev uprising and the outbreak of a separatist insurgency in Ukraine in 2014.

- UN calls for torture probe -

Lukashenko has proposed plans for a referendum on constitutional reforms, in what appears to be an attempt at compromise.

His election rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya rejected the proposal on Tuesday, accusing Lukashenko of playing for time.

"Citizens' demands come first, then reforms that are only possible after honest elections," she wrote on her Telegram channel.

Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old political novice who ran in the election after her husband was jailed and barred from the vote, insists she won the vote. She left the country and was granted refuge in Lithuania.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday voiced support for Lukashenko's proposal of constitutional reforms and denounced sanctions against Belarus as "unacceptable".

Lavrov said Western countries were "delivering verdicts" on events in Belarus, which Moscow considered "to be unacceptable in the modern world."

During the first days of demonstrations, Lukashenko's security forces detained thousands of protesters, many of whom accused police of beatings and torture.

On Tuesday, the UN's special rapporteur on torture said Belarus must "stop torturing protesters" and bring to justice any police officers who had beaten them with impunity.

Nils Melzer and 14 other UN human rights experts said they had received reports of 450 documented cases of torture and ill-treatment of people deprived of their liberty in the mass protests and arrests.

"We are extremely alarmed at the hundreds of allegations of torture and other ill-treatment in police custody," they said.

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Italy's chief diplomat paid an unannounced visit to Libya on Tuesday to press for an end to the bloody civil war following cease-fire initiatives by the U.N.-supported government and rival parliament.

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio met with Fayez Sarraj, head of the Government of National Accord based in the capital Tripoli, before heading to eastern Libya to meet with Aguila Saleh, speaker of the rival Tobruk-based House of Representatives, Libyan officials said.

Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled long time ruler Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival east- and west-based administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.

Sarraj announced a cease-fire Aug. 21 and called for demilitarizing the key city of Sirte and the nearby area of Jufra, which would mean the withdrawal of forces of military commander Khalifa Hafter. Sirte is the gateway to Libya's major oil export terminals also controlled by Hafter's forces

Saleh, a Hafter ally, said he supported the demilitarization of Sirte but did not mention Jurfa.

The cease-fire proposal, which came after international pressure, was seen as a breakthrough amid rising fears of a new escalation in the chaotic proxy war, as rival sides mobilize for a battle over the city.

Hafter refused Sarraj's proposal as ``deception'' and a move that could thwart international efforts to secure a lasting cease-fire.

Sarraj's office said in a statement that he discussed with Di Maio on Tuesday ``points of agreement'' with Saleh on implementing a permanent cease-fire and demilitarization of Sirte and Jufra.

Sarraj's office said in a statement that he discussed with Di Maio accelerating the return of Italy's construction and engineering firms to Libya, where for decades they were heavily involved in building projects.

Italian state radio said earlier Tuesday that Di Maio was trying to revive former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's plan of more than a decade ago to construct a highway across Libya, dubbed the ''highway of peace,`` and a new international airport for Tripoli.

Separately, the European Union's foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell also met with Sarraj in Tripoli.

They discussed the EU's naval operation, which tries to enforce a U.N. arms embargo on the conflict-torn country. Sarraj called for the operation to include arms transfer by air and land.

Previous efforts to secure lasting cease-fires have stalled. The two sides also agreed on the need of an ``effective'' international support to the political solution to Libya's conflict, the statement said.

Hifter's forces launched an offensive in April 2019 trying to capture Tripoli. But his campaign collapsed in June when the Tripoli-allied militias, with heavy Turkish support, gained the upper hand, driving his forces from the outskirts of the city and other western towns.

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Facebook took down a small network of fake accounts and pages associated with Russian operatives. Read more

Facebook removed a network of fake accounts and pages created by Russian operatives who had recruited U.S. journalists to write articles critical of Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, an apparent bid to undermine their support among liberal voters.

Facebook said it caught the network of 13 fake accounts and two pages early, before it had a chance to build a large audience  an action that the company said was evidence of its growing effectiveness at targeting foreign disinformation operations ahead of the 2020 election. The takedown emerged as a result of a tip from the FBI and was one of a dozen operations tied to the Russian Internet Research Agency or individuals affiliated with it that Facebook has disrupted since the last presidential election, when IRA-backed pages amassed millions of views on the platform. The pages had about 14,000 followers.

Theyve gotten better at hiding who they are, but their impact has gotten smaller and smaller, Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebooks head of security policy, said of the foreign operations.

Facebook said Tuesday it separately took down a disinformation network associated with a Washington-based public relations firm that Facebook said had spent millions of dollars to target users in Latin America. Content included posts supporting the political opposition in Venezuela and Bolivias interim government, as well as criticism of a Mexican political party, Facebook said.

In the case of the Russian disinformation network, Facebook said the operatives created fictitious personas on Facebook to direct people to a new site called Peace Data, which billed itself as a global news organization whose goal was to shed light on the global issues and raise awareness about corruption, environmental crisis, abuse of power, armed conflicts, activism, and human rights.

One article posted on Facebook about the far-right militia movement known as the boogaloo movement featured a headline that read, USA Far Right is Growing Thanks to President Trump, according to a report provided by Facebook.

A report Tuesday by Graphika, a network analysis firm based in New York that received the Facebook data in advance, found that the Russian effort was small but echoed past efforts to undermine support for Democratic Party candidates by appealing to left-wing U.S. voters. Among the targets were Biden and Harris, D-Calif., who were criticized by the phony network as immoral tools of political conservatives. Some posts also criticized Donald Trump, but the target audience in the United States was democratic socialists, environmentalists and disaffected Democrats, the report found.

Some of the fake content focused on racial justice and unrest in the United States since the killing of George Floyd in May. The English-language content on Biden and Harris was noteworthy for its hostile tone, according to the Graphika report. One article by a guest writer accused the pair of submission to right-wing populism [ ] as much about preserving careers as it is winning votes.

The operation seemed designed to divide Democratic supporters and to depress support for Biden and Harris, said Camille Francois, chief innovation officer for Graphika.

In 2016, Russian operatives from the Internet Research Agency ran widespread disinformation campaigns on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, garnering huge audiences with content that attempted to sow division among U.S. voters and bolster Trumps campaign for president. The technology platforms faced significant blowback from Congress and the public for failing to prevent foreign interference and since then have invested resources in countering such activity.

As the 2020 election draws near, experts say technology companies have become more skillful at getting ahead of foreign interference, even as the threat has broadened beyond Russia to countries such as China and Iran. But social media platforms are still rife with misinformation and abuse, often emerging from domestic actors that have caused false stories about current events to go viral.

Facebook said it plans to inform 200 or so journalists who were recruitedby the Russian operatives.

One of the journalists who wrote columns for Peace Data, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his career, said that an editor reached out to him through a direct message on Twitter in July offering $200 per article.

He pursued the opportunity in part because he had lost his job in the pandemic. He wrote articles about the conspiracy movement QAnon, covid, and on U.S. militarism driving climate change.

The co-option of unwitting locals is part of a growing strategy used by foreign disinformation operatives.

Hiring people who are fluent in the language and culture avoids the kind of tells that can expose an operation, said Renee DiResta, technical research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, which has tracked the strategy.

Most of the content for Peace Data was in English, with 500 articles overall. About 5 percent were explicitly aimed at the U.S. election and candidates. There were also 200 articles in Arabic, Graphika found.

Disinformation researchers do not consider the Internet Research Agency, the St. Petersburg-based operation indicted by U.S. officials for interfering in the 2016 presidential election, as still functioning in the same way it did years ago. Researchers instead see numerous operations by Russian people and groups that appear to have some previous affiliation with the IRA, using an updated playbook that typically involves more targeted  but less viral  efforts to affect political debates and elections.

Avoiding detection is a key goal of these operations, experts say. Facebook and Twitter, for example, took action against a Russian-linked operation in March that worked with a nonprofit group in Ghana and sought to influence Black voters in the United States with targeted messages. The IRA in 2016, by contrast, pushed viral messaging on social media platforms designed to reach large numbers of voters based on political interests and affiliations. The Russian operations in 2016 paid for ads aimed at U.S. voters using rubles, the Russian currency, signaling a lack of concern regarding detection.

The public relations firm involved in the other takedown was CLS Strategies, Facebook said. Headquartered a few blocks from the White House, CLS previously advised foreign clients that used Facebook, according to news reports and its own website.

A CLS Strategies partner, Juan Cortinas, said in a statement, CLS has a long tradition of doing international work, including on social media, to promote free and open elections and to oppose oppressive regimes, and we take seriously our commitment to adhering to the fast-evolving policies of Facebook and other social media platforms.

Cortinas declined to address additional questions about the nature of the firms involvement.

Facebooks Gleicher said the effort involved 55 Facebook accounts, 42 Facebook pages and 36 accounts on photo-sharing subsidiary Instagram, targeting audiences in Venezuela, Mexico and Bolivia. Together these online information operations reached more than 550,000 users on the two social media sites and also involved $3.6 million in advertising.
For ByteDance that requirement is a problem. Donald Trump, personally, has given it until September 15 to either sell TikTok to a US company or shut it down. ByteDance has been negotiating with a consortium of Microsoft and Walmart, another involving private equity firm Centricus Asset Management and a music video and social media platform Triller and with Oracle for what could have been a $US20 billion-plus ($27 billion) sale of its US and other international operations. China and the US are locked in a technology arms race. Credit:Bloomberg At the very least the new regulations will either delay the negotiations beyond the deadline while ByteDance waits to see if it can get a regulatory clearance or significantly devalue the deal if the affected technologies have to be quarantined and excluded, if that were possible. In the meantime the clock is ticking loudly in the countdown to Trumps deadline. The Chinese response to the US ultimatum to ByteDance could be seen as retaliatory and a sign that China is finally reacting to the broader US assaults on its technology companies.

The most notable of those has been the ban on telecommunications giant and Chinas technology flagship, Huawei, including restrictions on access to the chips essential to its 5G technologies. The US is considering wider restrictions on exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and software, a sector where China badly lags the US. Loading While China would be mindful that its actions could provoke an even stronger response from the US (which is already threatening to ban Tencents WeChat in an extension of its crackdown on Chinese social media apps) the US attempts to constrain its technologies and companies threatens a key strand of its economic ambitions. The list of technology exports China is now restricting or banning  using the same "national security" criteria as the US has used as the basis of its bans - includes agriculture, pharmaceutical IP and laser and other high-tech segments that could be categorised as "NextGen" technologies. They form part of the "Made in China 2025" program that, with a lot of state direction and financial assistance, is designed to push Chinas manufacturing industries up the value chain and give China parity with the US as a leader in the technologies that will shape this century.

Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, 5G, pharma, biotech, aerospace, semiconductors, IT, robotics and automation, "green" technologies and the "internet of things" are key components of the strategy that China is updating this year to provide a road map for its strategic industries through to 2035. Its ambition is to be the world leader in those categories and it is clearly making rapid progress. Last year, for the first time, China filed more patents internationally than the US. The US is determined to protect its historic leadership in the technologies that will define economic  and military  supremacy in this century while China is trying to reduce its dependence on the West and become more technology self-sufficient to offset the US effort. It was the making of its ambitions transparent with the "Made in 2025" manifesto that galvanised the China hawks in the Trump administration, who have accused China of forcing US technology transfer and even theft of US intellectual property to facilitate those ambitions. The US is determined to protect its historic leadership in the technologies that will define economic  and military  supremacy in this century while China is trying to reduce its dependence on the West and become more technology self-sufficient to offset the US effort.

This year it has increased tax breaks and investment incentives to boost its research and development efforts and domestic production of chips and software. It is devoting tens of billions of dollars to technology research and development, particularly to artificial intelligence R&D, where its stated aim is to be the world leader by 2030. The US has responded with plans of its own for the $US1 billion-plus funding of AI and quantum computing research hubs. Loading There is a technology arms race occurring as the US tries to defend its technology leadership against the Chinese challenge, cutting off access to its technologies, weaponising the US dollar, fanning security fears and deploying diplomacy backed by the threat of sanctions to enlist/coerce allies into joining it in the attempt to frustrate Chinas aspirations. The square-off over what appears to be a somewhat cheesy social media app points to the larger contest occurring.
LEXINGTON  Two North Carolina men were arrested by the Dawson County Sheriffs Office after they were discovered to be traveling with over half a ton of marijuana and 60 pounds of THC.

On Monday, Aug. 31, around 5:50 p.m. a deputy with the sheriffs office performed a traffic stop on a cargo van due to a vehicle defect, near the westbound I-80 rest stop, according to the DCSO.

Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

During the stop the deputy became suspicious of criminal activity and received consent to search the van. The deputy utilized a K9 unit and during the search, 1,745 pounds of marijuana and around 60 pounds of THC were concealed in cardboard boxes marked as coffee.

The driver, Robert Demmery of Delmont, N.C. and Toby Bell of Gastonia, N.C. were both arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of THC with intent to distribute and possession of drug money.

The Nebraska State Patrol assisted in the investigation.
In normal times it is, of course, in the nature of things for those in the public service to be careful in their public remarks, to say nothing that might offend and offer just that blend of bland that they will blandly blend into the background and be instantly forgotten.

Take it away, Sir Humphrey Appleby of Yes Minister fame, when his minister Jim Hacker asks him to give a straight answer on whether or not he will offer him support before a committee on a matter he has committed to. Well minister, Sir Humphrey replies, if you ask me for a straight answer, then I shall say that, as far as we can see, looking at it by and large, taking one thing with another in terms of the average of departments, then in the final analysis it is probably true to say, that at the end of the day, in general terms, you would probably find that, not to put too fine a point on it, there probably wasn't very much in it one way or the other as far as one can see, at this stage. Blah, blah, blah, on and on, into the hazy horizon.

Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius told it like it is last week. Credit:Justin McManus

Exceptions, however, are showing up in the midst of this plague. Time and again we are seeing public officials actually say memorable stuff, in clear language, simply because the stakes are so high. A classic case in point came up a couple of days ago when the Victorian Assistant Commissioner of Police Luke Cornelius was asked his views on the anti-lockdown protest that was being planned for next week.

The tinfoil-hat-wearing brigade is alive and well out there in our community, he said without hesitation, and they are taking every opportunity to leverage the current situation to serve their own ridiculous notions about so-called sovereign citizens, about constitutional issues about how 5G is going to kill your grandkids.
Tyrel Henry would rather be at home. Instead, the junior at Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho spends his days mostly alone in his room or working out at a gym.

There isnt much to do in Lewiston, he said, and he's losing money by being there. If he had stayed home in Kamiah, Idaho, he could live with his grandmother and save money.

It wasnt supposed to be like this. The college is offering courses in a hybrid format, one in which students take both in-person and virtual classes.

Days into his semester, he realized his classes were mostly online. That's a daunting prospect given how his spring semester of digital learning went.

I wasnt prepared and motivated enough to learn online, Henry said. I struggled, and I was on edge about coming back to school because I didnt want to struggle again.

Henry, like many American students, was lured to move back to his college town by the prospect of in-person classes. He has only one class on campus, he said  on Wednesdays. But he is effectively a full-time resident of Lewiston for the semester. For college students such as Henry, the coronavirus-era line between "in-person" and "remote" course offerings is increasingly blurry.

I really moved to Lewiston for online classes.. hate to see it.  Tyrel (@T_Hen30) August 25, 2020

Across the country, students have crowded into off-campus housing and apartments  some prepared for a semester in person, others living with their friends for another semester online. As campuses reverse their plans for reopening or professors elect to offer individual classes online, the students are still living in town. Many plan to continue the social interactions college officials are trying to end by going online.

At Lewis-Clark State, the college is offering on-campus activities to keep students engaged, along with a mix of in-person, online and hybrid courses, spokesman Logan Fowler said. "Our campus has only seen one confirmed COVID case this fall," he said in a statement. "Were off to a successful start."

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For some students, the chance of having some in-person classes is worth the health and financial risks.

But enthusiasm may dwindle as universities offer watered-down in-person classes, alter their course offerings at the last minute or see spikes in coronavirus within the community.

'Please don't kill him': Fall college classes kick off with COVID-19 warnings, miles of Plexiglas

'In-person' in name only?

Almost all colleges offer some online instruction, even if they publicly say their classes are all in person, said Katie Felten of the Davidson College Crisis Initiative, a group tracking colleges responses to coronavirus.

The fine print may be buried on colleges' websites, and some students said they were blindsided by the details after they signed leases or moved on campus.

Families and students should check the course catalogs, most of which are online, to get a better sense of what to expect, Felten said.

But, she said, view that information with skepticism. Some colleges have quickly pivoted their course offerings, and more will follow. Institutions that thought they could open safely are realizing they lacked the resources they need to effectively control the viruss spread, she said.

COVID-19 tests on campus: Colleges need testing to stay open, scientists say. Some don't have much of a plan

Schools such as the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Notre Dame, North Carolina State University and others opened for in-person instruction  though they had a digital component  only to change to mostly online classes as cases surged on campus and in the community.

College students move in for the fall semester at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. The school announced it would close residence halls less than a week after moving classes online because of COVID-19.

Butler University planned an in-person semester but switched to online courses a day before classes started. The university encouraged students to refrain from returning home during the period of remote instruction, saying a modified shelter-in-place would contain virus cases while preventing further spread.

The University of Alabama said Friday it had recorded roughly 1,000 cases since Aug. 19. University President Stuart Bell urged students Monday to follow health guidelines and didn't mention the possibility of switching to remote instruction.

"Everyone who truly values the Alabama experience will continue to follow our health and safety protocols, which provide a path to complete the semester together on campus," Bell's statement read.

'Shame and blame'? Students say college coronavirus outbreaks aren't their fault

Even universities that offered remote learning for the semester, such as Washington State University, have seen outbreaks in their communities. That institution announced it would try to increase testing in the town of Pullman after health authorities reported "increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases involving WSU students living in privately owned, off-campus housing."

Often the effects of reopening in person linger after the switch to digital. After moving to remote instruction Aug. 19 and encouraging students to return home, UNC on Monday reported a nearly 30% positive rate in the roughly 900 COVID-19 tests administered from Aug. 24 to 30.

North Carolina State canceled in-person classes but initially told students they could stay on campus. That changed last week when Chancellor Randy Woodson told students they would have to vacate campus housing.

The rapid spread and increasing rate of positive cases have made our current situation untenable, he said.

Many universities, such as Clemson or the University of California-Berkeley, delayed the start of their in-person classes. It's unclear whether they will start face-to-face courses or whether they are just saying what students want to hear, Felten said.

No one knows how to handle this situation, she said. Everything is changing every day.

'A complete fantasy'? College students move in but make COVID-19 backup plans

Digital classes, in-person prices

For some students, the potential for time away from home is worth the uncertainty. Sadie Varon, 18, moved into her off-campus apartment in Gainesville to attend the University of Florida instead of staying with her family in Tampa.

All her courses will be online, but when she signed up, they were all in-person. Regardless, she said, she is happy to be out of the house. She had lived with her older brother and her parents, and it became chaotic when they all were on Zoom calls at the same time.

Like many students, she said that if classes are all digital, the university ought to offer a discount on tuition. That hasnt happened at the University of Florida, but a handful of colleges, including Johns Hopkins, Georgetown and Princeton, offer some form of tuition discount.

Then there are the campus fees.

Danielle Cosner, studying for a master's in social work at the University of Iowa, signed up for in-person courses, but that changed the day she was supposed to start. Thats partially welcome, she said. Cases in Iowa City surged, and she doesnt feel safe studying on campus.

Students wearing face masks walk along the T. Anne Cleary Walkway on Aug. 24, the first day of in-person classes at the University of Iowa.

What is unwelcome are the university fees  $61.50 for the student union or $150 for the recreation facility  associated with an in-person experience that she doesnt have full access to.

Cosner said she tried to appeal the fees, since her coursework is virtual. The university told her she's ineligible for a fee waiver because she lives nearby. The university did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

@uiowa @uiowagpsg @gazettedotcom @presscitizen @LittleVillage @VanessaMiller12 All 6 of my classes were moved online. I am now a distance learning student paying for on campus. UI really wont refund any fees? What about all the stuff I have to buy to go full time online? pic.twitter.com/NO99lKHipZ  dani (@daytime_ghost) August 25, 2020

Had she known her classes were going to be online, Cosner said, she would have applied for the digital program, and saved some money while she was at it.

With the cash she would have saved, she could have upgraded her internet, which she described as spotty, or bought a computer that doesnt crash.

The response from the (university) feels like, Sorry, sucker. You already signed up for on campus, she said.

Education coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation does not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19 college fall 2020: Students surprised to find class is online
MONTREALMenAtPlay has just released its latest title, Meeting in Progress, part of its ongoing theme of featuring hunky, suited-up men having sex in unexpected places,. The DVD is now available in both retail and wholesale markets.

The action includes four scenes that show what really goes on behind the closed doors of a MenAtPlay style meeting, a company rep explained. Everything from a notary that offers additional services, a co-worker who gets caught snooping through his officemates cell phone pics, a psychologist that gets his own unexpected session from a client, to a home tour during a party that leads to an off-limits domination playroom, is what happens when these men get together to meet.

The cast features Andy Star, Bruno Max, Dani Robles, Diego Reyes, Gabriel Phoenix, JP Dubois, Marco Napoli and Pierre Alexander.

For a look at the box art and a hardcore preview of the action, click here.

Fans can find MenAtPlay online at MenAtPlay.com and on Twitter @menatplaycom.

For more information, contact Nicolas F. of StunnerMedia's Licensing Department at [email protected].
The end of August brought a reminder that the border standoff between India and China is far from being resolved. On the military front, both countries have significantly increased deployment along the Line of Actual Control (most recently, on August 29, when India moved fast to scotch another adventurist foray by China) and their soldiers are eye-ball to eye-ball  a far cry from the disenga-gement and de-escalation that military commanders continue to discuss. On the diplomatic front, India has pulled out of a Shanghai Cooperation Organi-sation exercise rather than have its soldiers stand side-by-side with Chinese troops while a foreign-ministerial meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue has been fast-tracked. The economic relationship is also slowly disintegrating.

India has rightly said that the changes in the territorial status quo must be reversed. China has said the two sides should accept the present ground reality, move on and think of the future. Beijings position is absurd. With wars of conquest largely history, Beijings preferred model is to impose political humiliation through symbolically powerful victories designed to make the other side look weak.

While there is a debate as to what motivates Beijing, there can be little doubt as to what would happen if New Delhi gave in  the perception of subordination of India to its northern neighbour in the eyes of citizens as well as other countries. Which is why the present situation is unacceptable and which is why the border will remain on a hair-trigger.
Eos Energy Storage Announces Agreement for 500 MWh Project with Carson Hybrid Energy Storage Choosing Eos was easy, as their zinc aqueous technology is safe from fire, made in the USA, and provides green jobs.

Eos Energy Storage (Eos), a leading manufacturer of safe, low-cost, and long-duration zinc hybrid cathode (Znyth) battery energy storage systems, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to supply Carson Hybrid Energy Storage, LLC (CHES) with 500 MWh of integrated AC battery energy storage systems (BESS). Eos will manufacture, design and deliver its zinc-based battery solutions to CHES starting in the first quarter of 2023. These safe, sustainable, long duration battery solutions will be used in parallel with existing power generation and substation architecture to store renewable energy generated capacity, and to provide power quality and better resilience to the California Power Grid.

The recent rolling blackouts in California call for another transformation in energy, this time related to supply. We believe long duration energy storage is going to play a pivotal role in this transformation over the next three to five years, commented Dr. Balki G. Iyer, Chief Commercial Officer of Eos. Eos is delighted to be partnering with an innovator such as CHES, which is seeking to build this project to provide solutions around a premium zone in Los Angeles. Eoss zinc batteries are non-flammable, built with environmentally friendly materials, and are manufactured right here in the USA. They are a perfect fit for addressing the need which we have seen from some of our recent projects in California on a smaller scale.

Peter Reardon, President of CHES, commented, California needs fire safe, large scale energy storage located in our cities and towns to provide grid reliability as we move towards our zero carbon future. The recent blackouts showed that California cannot rely on out of state imports during climate induced heat waves affecting regions and not individual states. CHES is committed to developing safe energy storage solutions located in the Los Angeles basin. We seek to partner on this project and a second project with LAs Load Serving Entities (LSE) that value our safe, city based product. With support from Southern California Edison, we are going to maximize the benefit of an existing interconnect to allow for this important energy storage resource to be located in the Los Angeles basin. Choosing Eos was easy, as their zinc aqueous technology is safe from fire, made in the USA, and provides green jobs. We will implement a pilot 1 MW behind the meter project in the Los Angeles basin in 2021 and then scale rapidly.

About Carson Energy Storage, LLC

Headquartered in California, CHES operates under the California Independent System Operator Corporation (CAISO) tariff as a grid connected generator.

About Eos Energy Storage

At Eos, we are on a mission to accelerate clean energy by deploying stationary storage solutions that can help deliver the reliable and cost-competitive power that the market expects in a safe and environmentally sustainable way. Armed with a patent for a membrane-free zinc battery technology, Eos has been pursuing this opportunity since 2008 when it was founded. Eos Energy Storage has 10+ years of experience in battery storage testing, development, deployment, and operation. The Eos Aurora system integrates the Companys aqueous, zinc battery technology (Znyth) to provide a safe, scalable, and sustainable alternative to Lithium Ion.

To learn more about Eos, please visit: https://eosenergystorage.com.
Prosecutors are reviewing the actions of four LAPD officers during recent protests. Above, LAPD headquarters. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Prosecutors are reviewing allegations of misconduct by four Los Angeles police officers during protests in the city in early June, according to law enforcement officials.

The LAPD also is investigating why some police supervisors told officers to take off their body cameras during the protests, officials said.

No charges had been filed as of Tuesday, but staff in L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey's Justice System Integrity Division are reviewing the four officers' actions after being forwarded their names by LAPD internal affairs detectives, officials said Tuesday. The division investigates police misconduct.

Josh Rubenstein, an LAPD spokesman, said the four officers were involved in an arrest for an alleged curfew violation on June 1 in Van Nuys. The city was under nightly curfews at the time in response to widespread protests of police brutality against Black people, and due to other acts of arson, burglary, and vandalism at and around the protests, including that day in the Van Nuys area.

Rubenstein declined to name the officers, citing rules against the release of personnel information, but said each had been assigned to non-field duties pending the resolution of the case.

Lacey's office confirmed a case involving four officers has been presented to prosecutors, and is "under review."

Rubenstein said internal affairs had initially reviewed the actions of 10 officers involved in the incident, though only four were referred to Lacey's office.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore has previously said that several officers were under investigation by internal affairs after they surrounded and smashed the window of a car in Van Nuys on June 1. Rubenstein said he believed that is the same incident that prompted the referral to Lacey's office.

The elevation of the case to Lacey's office is the most serious outcome to date from hundreds of complaints about police misconduct during the unrest.

Police released information about the referral Tuesday after a commander made a passing reference to it during a Police Commission meeting and The Times asked for details.

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LAPD Deputy Chief Robert Marino, who oversees internal affairs, told the Police Commission that his office had received hundreds of complaints about officers' protest conduct via calls and emails, and that nearly 100 individual officers stood accused of some violation in total  including 55 instances of alleged excessive force.

Only the one case had been referred to Lacey's office, he said, though other investigations are ongoing. Nearly 1,000 hours of body-worn camera footage has been reviewed by internal affairs investigators, he said.

The investigations are all being shared with the department's inspector general, Marino said, and the department has said it is conducting a comprehensive after-action review of the protests and its handling of them. The Police Commission also hired the National Police Foundation to conduct another review.

The actions of police during the protests are the subject of several lawsuits alleging excessive force, including a substantial class-action lawsuit that alleges police badly injured protesters using projectiles and batons. An investigation by The Times found that many protesters were injured, some seriously, as a result of police efforts to clear large gatherings that police had labeled unlawful.

Police have released body-camera footage from several of those incidents, showing intense standoffs between protesters and police on skirmish lines. One video showed a protester kick an officer before being shot with a projectile in his groin, which ruptured one of his testicles. Another video showed a protester standing some distance from police with his hands in the air being shot in the head.

After Commissioner Dale Bonner asked Tuesday about the existence of body-worn camera footage from the skirmish lines, Marino said that his investigators reviewing complaints of misconduct had identified some instances where officers' cameras were off.

Marino said that, by department policy, officers on the skirmish lines should have had their cameras on, but some had been in the field for extended periods of time and the batteries on their cameras had been drained.

"Officers have been out on that skirmish line for multiple hours where their body-worn camera is no longer holding that charge or being activated," Marino said.

Most cameras in use by the department have a battery life of 12 hours.

Department policy states that officers whose cameras are not working should report that to a supervisor and get a new camera before returning to the streets. However, officials have said that wasn't possible during the protests.

"The dynamic and changing nature of the civil unrest required officers to maintain their positions on the skirmish line for extensive periods of time without the ability to leave their posts," an LAPD spokeswoman said in July.

In other instances, "some of the officers were directed by their supervisor to secure their cameras in their vehicles due to concerns of the cameras being knocked off their uniforms during encounters with protesters," the spokeswoman said.

On Tuesday, Rubenstein said the fact that the entire department was mobilized during the unrest  forcing officers to remain on their posts at the end of their shifts  showed the need for officers on the streets and made it "impractical to remove an officer from a skirmish line solely because of a dead battery in a camera."

However, supervisors should not have told officers to leave their cameras in their cars, Rubenstein said  and the department is investigating those directives as violations of policy and to determine why they were given.

Marino did not say whether his investigators had identified any instances where officers had deliberately turned off their cameras when they were still functional. Rubenstein said he did not know if any deliberate shutoffs had been identified.
Ellen DeGeneres  current controversy aside  is generally known as a media success story and a barrier-busting darling who was one of the first openly gay leading women on television. After getting her start in stand-up comedy, the actor found a real calling as a talk show host and has been heading up the long-running and popular The Ellen DeGeneres Show for years.

It would be hard to call any of the choices she made leading up to this thriving career a mistake, but she did make one choice early on that has to leave her wondering what if  at least every now and then. Back in the early 1990s, DeGeneres turned down a role that almost certainly would have changed her entire life  and probably made her hundreds of millions of dollars.

Ellen DeGeneres is known as a trailblazer

Ellen DeGeneres attends the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

DeGeneres spent much of her childhood in her home state of Louisiana. She was raised as a Christian Scientist, and when her parents divorced, she relocated to Texas as a teen.

She attended a single semester at the University of New Orleans and majored in communication studies, but she decided to take some time off and ended up in a series of retail and waitstaff jobs. She found her love of comedy through performing stand-up in coffee houses, and she started to pursue the career more seriously by the 1980s.

People began to compare DeGeneres to comedians like Mary Tyler Moore and Lucille Ball, and her reputation helped land her on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1986. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, she was in several television roles, and she landed a starring part on These Friends of Mine in 1994.

After one season, the show changed its name simply to Ellen, a testament to how much DeGeneres personality resonated with fans. It was on this show that DeGeneres famously played a character who declared she was a lesbian. In 1997, both the character Ellen and the real-life DeGeneres came out, making her the first primetime sitcom lead who was openly gay.

Ellen DeGeneres had several acting roles

I might be in the wrong profession. #TBT pic.twitter.com/7v2PqHzmec  Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) April 18, 2019

RELATED: Is Ellen DeGeneres Mean? Her Jokes At Sofia Vergaras Expense Would Suggest So

These days, DeGeneres is mostly known for portraying herself on her talk show, and even though her character on Ellen was fictional, her real-life persona was clearly part of the appeal. Along the way, though, DeGeneres had more traditional parts in both television and film. Her TV work includes Open House and Laurie Hill. She did film work in Coneheads and Mr. Wrong.

Perhaps the best-known film work that the comedian has done was in animated form. She lent her voice to the role of Dory, the absent-minded but lovable fish in Finding Nemo. The character was so popular that DeGeneres got to reprise the role for a starring part in Finding Dory.

There is one shocking part Ellen DeGeneres turned down

Clearly, DeGeneres path to fame worked out, but she made a choice early on to turn down a role that might make fans gasp. In the early 1990s, she was offered the chance to play Phoebe on Friends. Of course, its hard to imagine anyone in the now-iconic role other than Lisa Kudrow, the actor who would eventually take the part and play Phoebe for an astoundingly successful ten seasons.

Theres no way to know if DeGeneres presence on the show would have positively or negatively impacted its reception, but it is clear that DeGeneres decision may have cost her big time. Since Friends had such a popular and long run  and continues to enjoy success in streaming and syndication  the actors involved all made quite a bit of money. In fact, Kudrow and her co-stars became some of the highest-paid television stars of all-time, raking in over $1 million per episode in the final two seasons. On top of that, their success has continued with royalties from the series earning each one up to $20 million per year.
Courtesy photo/Getty Images

A man who Houston police investigators were on the verge of arresting in another killing was fatally shot Monday night after being lured to a Humble parking lot, according to authorities.

The man was found shot to death around 9:30 p.m. outside the Studio Movie Grill at 8440 Sam Houston Parkway, where multiple witnesses saw an assailant flee in a four-door sedan.
The residents of the nursing home, in San Francisco, Chile, have been told theyre the subject of a documentary. So we get to see Sergio, who becomes one of only four men at the home  the women number about 40  checking in and becoming a quietly charming resident, albeit one with a more inquisitive bearing than the others.

The movies straddling of the dramatic and the documentary forms is unsettling. Unless you unquestioningly accept its method, this chronicle can look like a glaring invasion of privacy. But the films people are moving, and the payoff is compassionate, humane and worth heeding.

The Mole Agent

Not rated. In Spanish, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. Rent or buy on iTunes, Google Play and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.
(Newser)  The commander who has overseen Fort Hood during numerous troubling incidents is being removed from the post and has also lost his next assignment. Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt will no longer be taking command of the 1st Armored Division, which NBC describes as a potentially "career-ending move." The Army says Efflandt will remain at the Texas base for now as deputy commanding general, reports KWTX. The Army said Tuesday that Gen. John Murray, one of its most senior commanders, will "lead an in-depth investigation into the chain of command actions related to Spc. Vanessa Gullen," whose body was found months after she disappeared from the base. The Army said Murray would roll several investigations already underway into a probe that will "delve into all activities and levels of leadership." (Read more Fort Hood stories.)
<p>Shadow education secretary Kate Green said exams should be pushed back to allow extra teaching time as pupils now face a "mountain to climb" after losing out on up to six months of teaching because of <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/covid-19-8518" target="_blank"><strong>COVID-19</strong></a>.</p><p>She said exams due next May should be delayed until June or July.</p><p>Ms Green said: "Pupils across the country who have missed out on vital teaching time will have a mountain to climb to prepare for May exams unless the government steps in.</p><p>"Ministers had warning after warning about problems with this year's exam results, but allowed it to <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/exams-algorithm-not-mutant-and-contained-predictable-errors-says-top-statistician-12058124"><strong>descend into a fiasco</strong></a>.</p><p>"This is too important for <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/boris-johnson-5853" target="_blank"><strong>Boris Johnson</strong></a> to leave until the last minute. Pupils heading back to school need clarity and certainty about the year ahead."</p><p>The shadow education secretary told Sky News there are "no ideal solutions in the crisis that we're in".</p><p>Speaking to Sky News @ Breakfast, Ms Green said: "We really need to put young people first when we're thinking about this and make sure that they're given every possible opportunity to perform to their best and to be able to show their potential when it comes to the year-end assessment.</p><p>"That's why we've suggested delaying the exam date, so there's more time for teaching and learning, obviously commensurate with there being enough time for the exams to be marked and the results to be agreed and then for colleges and universities to run their admissions process."</p> <p>She acknowledged the change could prove to be "challenging", but added: "I think it is really important that the government does the work to do that detailed planning now and to have a contingency plan in place for if exams can't take place next summer."</p><p>Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said Labour's proposal was "worthy of serious consideration".</p><p>He said: "A delay is not without its problems, a consequential delay to the publication of results will put pressure on higher education providers such as universities and colleges as well as employers. All this will need to be dealt with."</p><p>A DfE spokesperson said: "We recognise that students due to take exams next summer will have experienced disruption to their education, which is why we prioritised bringing Year 10 and Year 12 pupils back to school last term.</p><p>"Exams will go ahead next year, and we have been working closely with the sector, Ofqual and exam boards to consider our approach."</p> <p>Schools across England will open for pupils in all year groups on Tuesday - and many have brought in strict new rules due to the <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/coronavirus-8483" target="_blank"><strong>coronavirus</strong></a> pandemic.</p><p>Pupils at Ark Alexandra Academy in Hastings, <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/east-sussex-6731" target="_blank"><strong>East Sussex</strong></a> could be excluded for "deliberate or malicious coughs/sneezes at any point; humorous, inappropriate comments or statements related to the <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/coronavirus-8483" target="_blank"><strong>coronavirus</strong></a>; purposeful physical contact with any other person".</p><p>Byron Academy in Acton, west London, said in a letter to parents that if a pupil refuses to follow hygiene routines and social distancing instructions they will "immediately be moved to a separate area".</p><p>It said: "Some behaviours (eg coughing deliberately on another person) that were previously 'simply' anti-social, are now potentially extremely serious."</p><p>The Department for Education (DfE) has said schools should make the consequences of bad behaviour clear, particularly around new movement restrictions and hygiene rules.</p> <p>In its updated guidance for schools, it said on Friday: "It is likely that adverse experiences or lack of routines of regular attendance and classroom discipline may contribute to disengagement with education upon return to school, resulting in increased incidence of poor behaviour."</p><p>The DfE added that schools should work with pupils "who may struggle to re-engage" by providing them with support "for overcoming barriers to attendance and behaviour and to help them re-integrate back into school life".</p><p>Pupils in Scotland and Northern Ireland <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-masks-now-mandatory-for-secondary-pupils-in-scotland-and-northern-ireland-12060083" target="_blank"><strong>now have to wear face masks</strong></a> in school corridors and communal areas to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.</p><p>Linda Hamilton, headteacher at Springburn Academy in Glasgow, told Sky News that face coverings will be a "good safety precaution".</p> <p><strong>:: Listen to the Daily podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sky-news-daily/id951048357?mt=2" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL3Nob3cvMzI4NzI0Ni9lcGlzb2Rlcy9mZWVk" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3RdXZrbbG3NydLsPYmRSJy" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/sky-news-daily" target="_blank">Spreaker</a></strong></p><p>"It's very very difficult for the young people to socially distance in the corridors, the corridors are quite narrow in the school," she said.</p><p>"It's quite difficult at social times, when they're coming and going from different places in the school, to keep their distance."</p><p>In England, the government made a U-turn last week when it decided that masks should be mandatory in secondary schools - but only in regions where lockdown measures are in place due to an increase in local cases.</p><p>Meanwhile, a higher education union <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-fears-over-covid-19-spread-in-universities-as-students-set-to-make-uks-biggest-annual-migration-12059250" target="_blank"><strong>has warned</strong></a> that universities could become the "care homes of the second wave of COVID-19".</p>
Arshad Khan By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Indias fiscal deficit has breached the full-year target set in the Budget in the month of July itself. Data released on Monday showed that this figure stood at Rs 8.21 lakh crore at the end of July, or 103 per cent of the budget estimate for the whole year.

Fiscal deficit is the difference between a countrys income (such as tax revenues ) and expenditure. Post-pandemic, the governments revenue has plunged, even as expenditure has soared.The Union Budget, announced before the Covid-19 utbreak, had pegged the fiscal deficit for FY21 at Rs 7.96 lakh crore3.5 per cent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

But, the governments direct tax collections up to this period stand at just Rs 1.49 lakh crore compared to Rs 2.21 lakh crore last year. Income tax collection stood at Rs 91,244 crore against Rs 1.28 lakh crore. Corporate tax collection saw a steep decline of 39 per cent at Rs 53,724 crore. So, while total receipts for the first quarter stood at Rs 2.32 lakh crore, expenditure was Rs 10.54 lakh crore, 34.7 per cent of budget estimates.

Economists say a double-digit rise in expenditure amidst the ongoing revenue shock will reinforce challenges posed to fiscal management. According to Aditi Nair, Chief Economist ICRA, The economic uncertainty... will dampen direct tax collections.., though the pace of contraction would ease in subsequent months.

With the Centre admitting to a GST collection shortfall of Rs 3 lakh crore, and planning additional borrowing to plug that hole, the outlook is not too rosy. The IMF has already predicted that deficit for this year will touch 7 per cent of GDP. It already recorded a seven-year high of 4.6 per cent in the previous fiscal.

And the fallout is visible. The Centre has announced expenditure cuts; subsidy payouts are lower, as is spending on the social sector. Despite subsidised food distribution, food subsidy was 49 per cent of the budget against 59 per cent last year.
JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- A single-car accident near Highway 613 Monday resulted in the death of a 4-month-old and seriously injured his mother and brother.

According to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell, the accident occurred about 6:15 p.m. Monday on Davis Sawmill Road, about 1/2 mile from Hwy. 613.

Ezell said it appeared the driver, Roketa Smith of George County, lost control of her vehicle and left the roadway, striking a large pine tree.

Smith was airlifted to the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, while her 9-year-old son was transported to USA Medical Center by ambulance. The infant was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ezell said the accident remains under investigation and no further details will be released at this time.
For students and staff, Monday was a back-to-school first day unlike any other as thousands of Delaware County students started the fall semester in a virtual format.

Upper Darby, Haverford, Wallingford Swarthmore and Rose Tree Media were among the districts starting their year Monday; Chester Upland and Garnet Valley will follow on Tuesday. Most other districts in the county start next week. The Archdiocese of Philadelphias Catholic schools are scheduled to open their year in a hybrid in-person model next week.

At Chatham Park Elementary School in Haverford, Principal Dr. Jabari Whitehead welcomed students through YouTube on their first day.

The first day of school Were ready for another outstanding school year, said the enthusiastic principal as he welcomed students on his YouTube channel. Im really excited. Were going to grow together. We have 185 days to get this right, and get better and thats what it is all about.

Between the National Anthem and birthday wishes to students, Whitehead imparted some important etiquette and expectations for his students in the age of virtual learning.

He had 10 tips for this new normal. Number one: Get out of your P.J.s! Its not like you have to leave the house, but it puts you in a different mindset.

Others included getting your space organized 15 minutes before each school day starts and making sure technology works. Another tip: If you are not asking the question or not called upon, stay muted. And if you leave your device, turn off your video.

His final recommendation was one more adults should take note of: Be kind! Everyone you meet, online and in person, everyone wants to be seen, heard and valued and loved, Whitehead said.

Over at Upper Darby School District, while a few parents were still getting their students their Chromebooks, administrators were ready for the school year.

We are really excited and we are looking to go one-to-one, K to 12, looking to get a device into the hands of every student across the entire district, said Frank Salerno, director of Elementary Schools. Wed much prefer it be in person but we understand why we are not. The teachers have been incredible in the planning and preparation for today.

Salerno said the district is using a learning management system known as Schoology, in addition to the virtual instructional tool Google Meet to deliver virtual instruction.

The next few days are about how to navigate the two worlds were in, said Dr. Greg Manfre, director of secondary schools, who referred to it as Upper Darby 101. Were walking our kids through their daily synchronous instructional schedule, their a-synchoncious instructional schedule, how to access teachers, proper decorum during class.

There is going to be a lot of time, especially at the younger grades, just making sure that we are explicitly teaching students how to become familiar with this virtual learning plan that we have, said Salerno. There is going to be a lot of routine, procedures, expectations. That is a lot of what the teachers are doing today with the kids.

Salerno said he was pleased with what he had seen on the first day during his virtual visits to class. Kindergarteners and first-graders with their headsets on, at their work stations at home.

Both administrators said there had been a few small issues, such as students needing help logging on or using their credentials, but few, if any, major problems. All in all things have gone well. They are looking forward to having students back in brick-and-mortar buildings some day.

I dont think this is the kids favorite way of going to school, said Manfre, but its a reality we understand and have to move forward. Upper Darby is prepared to move forward to bring students back slowly in a flexible mode with cohorts and flexible schedules. I think it is important that our community understands while we are in this virtual world we are still planning and preparing to get our students back as soon as we possibly can.

Were excited about the new year. Were here for our families and will do what we can to support our families, said Aaronda Q. Beauford, M.Ed., director of communications at Upper Darby. These are very unknown unprecedented times so everybodys flexibility and understanding is appreciated.

In the Rose Tree Media School District, teachers gave their virtual lessons from their classrooms.

We had a very positive start to the school year! Although we missed having our students in our classrooms and hallways, we were able to greet them and reconnect with them virtually which brought smiles to everyones faces, said Superintendent Eleanor Dimarino-Linnen. Parents were a great support and partner in making this such a successful first day and our students were active and engaged learners. Despite all of the trepidation, everyone rose to the challenge together to reopen school in a successful and positive manner for our kids.

At Strath Haven High School, one group of students was so excited for the return of school they posed on King Field, socially distant, to watch the sun rise. Seeing them together and hearing their laughter is a reminder of how we will get through these challenging times with positivity, connection, and community, Wallingford Swarthmore administrators posted on their Facebook page.

While most parents and students managed well on the first day there were some issues. One high school teacher had to quickly close the program after an obscene image appeared.

In Haverford, Oliver Assiran spent 20 minutes searching the program dashboard for his daughter Quinns third-grade link to music. He eventually turned to Facebook for the answer.

Our first day was smooth sailing. I felt the school District did a great job, said Cia Cinaglia whose two sons, Dino and Ian, both go to Haverford Middle School. They didnt need me for anything once they went on. Except for lunch, they stayed at their desks the whole day.

Despite the pandemic, Wallingford Swarthmore School District s Facebook page was filled with photos of excited children ready on their first day of school ready for learning. One parent posted a photo of their two boys in elementary school. The photo showed a chalk board with their teachers names. It read First Day of School Aug. 31, 2020. First grade  Ms. Powers. Third grade  Mrs. Jukkala. Assistant  Mom. IT  Dad.
Image: Twitter/@drkafeelkhan

The Allahabad High Court on September 1 ordered immediate release and the dropping the National Security Act (NSA) against Dr Kafeel Khan who spent 212 days in jail over an alleged inflammatory speech against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The bench headed by Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh, was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Khans mother Nuzhat Parveen, who fought for his release on grounds that he had been detained illegally.

The order issued by the court says, "A complete reading of the speech of Dr Kafeel Khan prima facie does not disclose any effort to promote hatred or violence. It also no where threatens peace and tranquility of the city of Aligarh. The address gives a call for national integrity and unity among the citizens."

His mother in her petition said that her son was granted bail in February, but the NSA was invoked against him before he could be released.

She also said he was not released for four days after given bail, therefore making his detention illegal.

Khan was arrested in January for delivering a speech at Aligarh Muslim University on December 10, 2019. On February 13, the NSA charges were invoked against him on the orders of the Aligarh District Magistrate.

While on August 16, his detention under NSA was extended for the second time by three months.

Under the NSA, people can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if authorities are satisfied that they are threat to the national security or law and order.

Dr Khan was booked under IPC section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion).

According to the FIR registered against him, his speech threatened to disrupt the harmony between the communities and was also likely to create a law and order situation.
Speaking at the event on August 28, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Linh Lan reviewed the development and contributions of Vietnams diplomatic sector in the past struggle for national liberation and reunification as well as the current cause of national construction and defence.

She stated this year holds significance as Vietnam assumes the dual role of non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and rotating Chair of ASEAN.

As Vietnam and Switzerland will celebrate their 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year, Lan said the embassy will stay united and do its best to fulfil its political tasks, contributing to promoting bilateral ties and improving Vietnams stature in the international arena.

On the occasion, the ambassador also delivered a message of congratulations by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to officials and cadres of the diplomatic sector working at home and abroad.

On August 31, the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore also held an online ceremony celebrating the 75th anniversary of National Day of Vietnam (September 2).

Vietnamese Ambassador Tao Thi Thanh Huong highlighted Vietnams achievements since the beginning of this year in its capacity as ASEAN Chair 2020 and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure.



She affirmed that Vietnam is determined to further strengthen the friendship and multifaceted cooperation with ASEAN member states, including Singapore, and other countries towards a world of peace, prosperity and sustainable development.

The embassy also presented Vietnamese food vouchers and sent videos popularising Vietnams tourist attractions to partners and embassies in the host country.
Lee Jae-yong was jailed in 2017 for bribery and other offences but was cleared on appeal and is currently being retried

South Korean prosecutors indicted the heir to the Samsung empire Tuesday over a controversial merger of two business units seen as a key step towards his succession, in the latest legal blow to the sprawling conglomerate.

Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, committed stock manipulation, breach of trust and other offences when two other subsidiaries, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, merged in 2015, the prosecutors said.

Ten other current and former top Samsung executives were also charged.

Lee and his subordinates had carried out "a systemic scheme to take control of the Samsung Group with the least cost", said the prosecution, by deploying "various unfair transactions" that damaged other shareholders' interests.

Lee is already separately being re-tried on charges of bribery, embezzlement and other offences in connection with the corruption scandal that brought down former South Korean president Park Geun-hye.

The businessman was not detained, but the charges are likely to prove a distraction as his firm seeks to navigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Samsung Electronics is the flagship subsidiary of the group, which was founded by Lee's grandfather and has grown to become by far the biggest of the family-controlled conglomerates, or chaebols, that dominate business in the world's 12th-largest economy.

Its overall turnover is equivalent to a fifth of South Korea's gross domestic product and is crucial to the country's economic health.

The firm saw profits rise in April-July with data centres moving to stockpile its DRAM chips to meet surging demand for online activities as a result of global lockdowns.

But the South's economy shrank 3.2 percent year-on-year in the same period, according to a revised estimate by the central Bank of Korea on Tuesday.

Samsung Electronics declined to comment on Tuesday's charges, referring inquiries to Lee's legal team, who did not immediately issue a statement.

Story continues

- 'Cloud of uncertainty' -

Chaebol families often have only a small ownership stake in their empires, but maintain control through complex webs of cross-shareholdings between units.

Lee was the largest shareholder in Cheil Industries, and critics say Samsung sought to artificially lower the price of C&T to give him a bigger stake in the merged entity -- a key part of the Samsung structure -- consolidating his grip on the conglomerate.

Lee's latest legal troubles add a layer of "uncertainty" to the company and could "burden the South's economy as a whole", said Kim Dae-jong, a business professor at Sejong University in Seoul.

"The fact that he will have to stand another trial creates a cloud of uncertainty and probably affects Samsung's long-term investment plans," he told AFP.

With the country feeling the economic pain from the outbreak, "the timing isn't good", he added.

Some chaebol leaders who have been convicted in the past have subsequently received presidential pardons in recognition of their economic roles.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in campaigned in part on a promise of reforming the chaebols and the prosecution's move came despite a civilian review panel recommending Lee should not be indicted, citing a lack of evidence.

Lee was jailed for five years in 2017 after being found guilty of bribery and other offences linked to former president Park, before being cleared of the most serious charges on appeal and released a year later. That case is currently being retried.

Lee apologised in May over the issues, pledging to ensure "there will be no more controversy over the succession" and that he would not allow his children to take over from him at the firm.

"Our technology and products are being hailed as first-class but the public gaze towards Samsung still remains harsh," he said, bowing to the cameras. "This is my fault. I apologise."

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave telecom firms 10 years to pay back dues amounting to about Rs 1.6 lakh crore of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) they owe to the government by 2031.

The telecom firms will have to pay 10% of dues by 2021 due to Covid-19 and the rest can be paid in installments by March 31, 2031, a bench headed by justice Arun Mishra ruled. However, if a company fails to repay instalments, it will be punishable for contempt of court, it said.

It also asked the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to decide whether spectrum can be a subject matter of resolution process on the point as to whether spectrum can be sold by the telecom companies facing proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Telecom providers pay the department of telecommunications (DoT) nearly 3-5% of their AGR in usage charges for spectrum or airwaves and 8% of AGR as licence fees.

Here are 10 things you need to know about the AGR case:

1. Major telecom companies, including Vodafone-Idea and Bharti Airtel, owe a substantial amount to the department of telecom (DoT). The total liability on Vodafone-Idea is Rs 58,254 crore and Bharti Airtel was fastened with a total liability of Rs 43,980 crore.

2. Out of the remaining Rs 1.43 lakh crore outstanding dues (as the rest has already been repaid by a few firms), Rs 38,959 crore is due from four companies which are under liquidation. Reliance Communication (RComm) which is one of the companies under insolvency, alone owes more than Rs 25,000 crore out of the Rs 38,959 crore.

3. Vodafone-Idea has paid more than Rs 7,000 crore and with more than Rs 50,000 crore outstanding. Bharti Airtel has cleared more than Rs 18,000 crore and is yet to pay Rs 25,976 crore.

4. The top court had in its verdict on October 24, 2019, upheld the interpretation given to the definition of AGR by DoT and included revenues from various heads for calculation of AGR thereby imposing a cumulative burden of over Rs 1.69 lakh crore on 16 telecom companies.

5. DoT in March this year moved a petition in the Supreme Court to grant the firms a staggered period of nearly 20 years to clear the outstanding AGR dues to the tune of Rs 1.43 lakh crore.

6. DoT submitted that competition in the telecom sector and quality of services given by mobile companies will be adversely impacted and it will lead to loss of direct and indirect employment besides negatively impacting foreign investment sentiment. The telecoms sought 15 years to complete the payment during the course of the hearing.

7. While reserving the verdict on the plea on July 20, the bench that also comprised justice BR Gavai and justice Krishna Murari had said it wont hear even for a second the arguments on reassessment or re-calculation of the AGR.

8. Earlier, the court had stated that the period of 15-20 years sought by some of the firms was not reasonable and the telcos were then asked to file their books of accounts for the last 10 years and give a reasonable time frame for paying the AGR dues.

9. Also, on the courts direction to apprise it of the basis of spectrum sharing done by telecom companies, the DoT had on August 24 informed that all liabilities including AGR-related dues should be cleared by telecom firms prior to spectrum trading as per the guidelines. Following the hearings, the top court ruled on Tuesday that the decision on the issue of sale of spectrum by telecom companies facing insolvency proceedings shall be taken by NCLT.

10. While pronouncing the verdict, the top court said that till the last instalment is paid by the telcos, their bank guarantees furnished to DoT would be kept alive.
East Downtown's 8th Wonder Brewery began welcoming guests back to its taproom on Monday.

While the taproom, open daily from noon to 8 p.m., and onsite walk-up window for to-go sales are open, the brewery's distillery tasting room remains closed, according to a Friday release.

POP-UP: Struggling bartenders to serve up specialty cocktails

The brewerys limited operations follow an order issued in late July by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC).

When Gov. Greg Abbott closed bars on June 29 to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, an establishment with alcohol sales of 51 percent or more of its total revenue was deemed a bar. The distinction between beer sold for retail or wholesale purposes from a beer sold at the restaurant to a customer was not made and breweries were closed.

The July TABC order makes the distinction, allowing breweries to reopen with the requirement that non-alcohol sales make up more than 51 percent of total revenue.

In compliance, the companys Eatsie Boys food truck is serving burgers, sandwiches and loaded waffle fries. Package options will be available such as a souvenir pint glass for $8 and three beer tokens for $7.

We thank our friends at TABC for granting us permission to reopen in a limited fashion, the brewery said in the release.

COVID-19 safety measures include mandatory face masks when not eating or drinking, no inside seating and no more than six people per party.
Apple is getting ready to ship a whopping 75 million new iPhone 12 models this year, according to new estimates.

The tech giant is expecting sales of the next-generation iPhone to reach as high as 80 million units in 2020 alone, Bloomberg says, citing 'people familiar with the situation'.

The initial figures are in line with previous iPhone launches, suggesting Apple doesn't think consumer interest is waning due to the coronavirus pandemic and economic slowdown.

The company is planning to launch four iPhone 12 models later this year with different screen sizes, 5G support and crisp OLED displays.

Apple is also preparing a new iPad Air with an edge-to-edge screen, two new versions of the Apple Watch, a smaller and cheaper HomePod speaker and its first over-ear headphones outside of the Apple-owned Beats brand.

Concept Creator created renders of the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max models for LetsGoDigital, based on 'known information'

Apple and its partners that manufacture iPhone components ramp up production ahead of the rollout of new iPhones, which usually takes place in September, but will be delayed by at least a month due to the pandemic.

In a conference call at the end of July, Apple admitted the new iPhones would ship 'a few weeks later' than last years iPhone 11 models, which started shipping on September 20.

'In the summer of 2019, suppliers were preparing to make components for as many as 75 million handsets,' Bloomberg says in its report.

'The target in 2018 was similar, so this years goal of 75 million to 80 million units is a bullish sign.'

Apple devices including iPhones, iPads and Mac computers are still in hot demand as they support people working and studying from home during lockdowns, the report added.

Apple will be releasing four iPhone 12 models this year, according to Bloomberg  two regular models and two larger and more expensive Pro models.

The two regular iPhones will be available with either a 5.4-inch or a 6.1-inch sized screen, while the Pro devices will offer a 6.1-inch or a 6.7-inch display.

The latter would be the largest display Apple has ever put in an iPhone, topping the iPhone 11 Pro Max's 6.5 inches.

Apple and its component suppliers have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which has pushed back the launch of the iPhone 12 by 'a few weeks'

The larger Pro model will also have the same LIDAR camera as on the latest iPad Pro, to support augmented reality (AR) applications.

Apple plans to ship the regular models sooner than the Pro devices as part of a 'staggered release strategy', Bloomberg added.

All four new iPhone 12 models will support 5G, according to a previous report from LetsGoDigital, based on known information.

Bloomberg also corroborates previous reports that iPhone 12 models will have flat, squared-off edges like the iPad Pro and early iPhone models.

Earlier leaks suggest the new flagship iPhone will feature squared-off edges, to make it more shatter resistant.

Critics of the curved edge claim it makes the iPhone less resistant to damage - a device that falls on its curved edge is more likely to take out the glass screen

The leaked photos from Twitter user @Jin_Store, an Australia-based reseller of Apple products, supposedly show a metal iPhone dummy and virtual renderings of the device.

The sides are squared off, just like the rumored #iPhone12 [and] #iPhone12Pro, said @Jin_Store.

iPhone 12 would be the first flagship iPhone model to feature squared-off edges since the iPhone 5s, which was released in 2013.

The fourth-generation iPad Pro, released this March, also had squared-off edges.

Bloomberg also says that Apple is planning a dark blue colour option on the Pro models to replace the Midnight Green of 2019s iPhone 11 Pro line.

The leak originated on the Chinese social media platform Xiahongshu but was shared on Twitter by relatively new Apple leaker DuanRui

Apple's new iPad Air 4 is also set to feature a full-screen display and no home button  with TouchID built into the power key instead.

Leaked pages of the the iPad Air 4 manual shared on Chinese social media platform Xiahongshu suggest the tablet will include Apple's TouchID technology integrated into the top power button for the first time.

The four images appear to be from a Spanish language version of the manual and show an edge-to-edge screen similar to the iPad Pro.
Asked during his visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, Tuesday whether "systemic racism is a problem" in the U.S., President Trump told a reporter: "Well you know, you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that weve seen in Portland and here and other places."

The big picture: Trump used his trip to Kenosha, where violent protests had erupted in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, to stress his support for law enforcement and denunciation of riots by people he called "domestic terrorists."

He acknowledged that there are "bad apples" within law enforcement and said that some police officers "choke sometimes" because they are under "tremendous pressure."

The president did not address the root causes of the anti-racism protests that have continued throughout the country over the past few months, suggesting that some people want "structural change" but that most people want "law and order" and to feel safe.

What he's saying: "We should talk about the kind of violence that we've seen in Portland and here and other places. It's tremendous violence. You always get to the other side, well what do you think about this or that? The fact is we have seen tremendous violence, and we will put it out very quickly if given the chance."

"I keep hearing about peaceful protests, I hear it about everything. And then I come into an area like this and I see the town is burned down."

"It's a tough job. It's a tough job, a dangerous job, but I have to say this to the police: The people of our country love you."

In photos

President Trump tours an area affected by civil unrest in Kenosha. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Trump, with Attorney General William Barr, speaks to the press in Kenosha. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Trump speaks with officials at Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
PM Narendra Modi (File image)

Opposition-ruled states are planning to seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention on the issue of goods and service tax (GST) shortfall compensation.

Seven states and one union territory (UT) - Punjab, West Bengal, Kerala, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Rajasthan and Puducherry - have so far rejected the two options provided by the Centre, PTI reported.

Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha might also oppose the proposals and instead ask the Centre to borrow money to compensate the states, according to a report by The Economic Times.

"At least a dozen chief ministers will write to the Prime Minister individually...Kerala will be sending a letter tomorrow," Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac told the publication.

Also Read: GST compensation dues | Here are full details of two borrowing options for states

"Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha had taken strong position in the Council (opposing the proposals)...we hope they would also join," Isaac added.

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal on August 31 wrote a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, asking her to reconsider the GST Council's decision.

Badal had called the a "clear breach of the solemn and constitutional assurance and betrayal of spirit of cooperative federalism".

Under the Centre's first option, states can borrow the shortfall arising out of GST implementation (calculated at Rs 97,000 crore approximately) through the issue of debt under a Special Window coordinated by the Ministry of Finance.

The second The entire shortfall of Rs 2.35 lakh crore (including the COVID-impact portion) may be borrowed by states through the issue of market debt. The Centre will issue an official memorandum committing to repayment of principal on such debt from cess proceeds.
A Japanese company has made a declaration of a remarkable test drive of a piloted flying car.

According to Sky Drive Inc. in a news release, they commenced the public demonstration on the 25th of August at the Toyota Test Field which houses the car company's development base and one of the largest test fields in Japan.

The manned flying car named SD-03 zipped through the skies, hoisted itself to several feet (1-2m), and hovered in the field for an estimated four minutes.

According to the CEO of the company Tomohiro Fukuzawa, "We are extremely excited to have achieved Japan's first-ever manned flight of a flying car in the two years since we founded SkyDrive... with the goal of commercializing such aircraft," reported Defense World.

By 2023, Fukuzawa hopes that the flying car could be made into an actual product. However, he conceded that there are a number of safety concerns that need to be addressed before that transpires and people have to feel safe while riding it.

A pilot operated the vehicle as it circulated over the Toyota Test Field. A computer-assisted control system accompanied the flight to affirm its stability and safety. Ground staff oversaw flight conditions and the exhibition of the aircraft simultaneously.

The flying car appears to resemble a slick motorcycle with propellors. A test flight footage of the contraption was shown to the press on Friday, reported Asia Times.

All throughout Japan's history, the event was the first public exhibition of a flying car.

Also Read: Olympics Threatened Due to Coronavirus, Japan Has No Plan B

According to Fukuzawa, "We want to realize a society where flying cars are an accessible and convenient means of transportation in the skies and people are able to experience a safe, secure, and comfortable new way of life," reported CNN.

Taking up the space of an estimated two parked cars, the SD-03 is the globe's tiniest electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. It comprises eight motors to affirm security in emergency scenarios.

Uber Gizmo noted that the contraption they trialed could hover in the air for an estimated 5-10 minutes which is not long but still a remarkable achievement. The website is unsure if a future is being molded with flying cars as the new standard particularly since the cost can be a factor.

The contraption makes use of four pairs of rotors that work in opposing directions to lift off and fly in the necessary direction. In the case of a setback, each rotor is operated by its own motor to enable safe soaring and landing.

The CEO stated regarding the vehicle's safety, "Of the world's more than 100 flying car projects, only a handful have succeeded with a person on board. I hope many people will want to ride it and feel safe."

He added that is the duration of its flight could be extended up until 30 minutes, it will have more potency including exports to locations such as China.

Related Article: 'Harry Potter' Theme Park to Replace Tokyo's Toshimaen, May Open 2023

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Major banks are seeking $2.3 million in repayments on four Vancouver properties allegedly used to launder money.

Recent petitions filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia showed that Coast Capital Savings, Westminster Savings, Vancouver City Savings, and First National Financial are demanding repayment on mortgages and loans on the four homes.

The properties located in Maple Ridge, Burnaby, Mission, and Coquitlam have a collective value of more than $4.5 million. These are among the six assets involved in a case by the BC Civil Forfeiture Office, The Vancouver Sun reported.
Facebook wants to play a role in Ireland's recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, senior executive Sheryl Sandberg has told the Taoiseach.

Newly released letters also show Amazon Web Services' Irish chief Mike Beary said his company also wants to help to "reignite" the economy.

The tech company executives wrote separately to Mr Martin to congratulate him on becoming Taoiseach.

The correspondence has been released under Freedom of Information rules.

Facebook employs almost 5,500 people in Ireland and high-profile chief operating officer Ms Sandberg tells Mr Martin that under normal circumstances it "strives to be a partner" to people, businesses and the Government here.

She adds: "That is even more important now as we navigate this unprecedented moment together. While governments worldwide manage the social, economic, and cultural impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to play a constructive role in the recovery."

Ms Sandberg says Facebook amplified the Government's public messaging around Covid-19 and is also focused on "helping Irish businesses get back on their feet". She promises the company will host free training webinars on digital skills.

Ms Sandberg also notes concerns that governments and citizens have about social media platforms "when it comes to online content, privacy, elections and more". She says there's "nothing more important" to her and Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerburg than "keeping people safe on our platform".

She adds: "We hope to constructively engage with you and your Government on these important issues."

The Government has committed setting up a new Online Safety Commissioner to help tackle issues like cyberbullying and require social media platforms to have "timely and effective" measures to remove content.

Ms Sandberg tells Mr Martin Facebook would welcome the opportunity to "connect" with him and mentions Nick Clegg - the former British deputy prime minister who is now the company's vice president of global affairs and communications. She says Facebook hopes to welcome Mr Martin to its offices in the future but "in the meantime, wish you a smooth transition".

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the cloud computing subsidiary of Amazon.

Mr Beary tells the Taoiseach that 2bn in investments in recent years has provided 2,000 jobs and Amazon's retail business employs more than 1,000 people here.

He says: "We are keen to build upon the investments we have made to date in Ireland to help reignite the economy after the Covid-19 emergency."

Mr Martin wrote back to Mr Beary, saying he is aware of the "huge contribution" Amazon makes to the economy.






The U.S. auto industry took yet another tumble in August. Those manufacturers who still announce their sales figures at the end of each month reported declines pretty much across the board. Per industry analysts, transaction prices slipped slightly in August compared to July as well, despite a nearly 4-percent increase over last year's average. There were two fewer selling days in August this year, contributing to reported declines.

Toyota on Tuesday reported a 23% drop in U.S. new vehicle sales in August versus the same month in 2019, as a two-month industry-wide shutdown of auto production in the spring to halt the spread of COVID-19, as well as an uncertain economic recovery, weighed on sales. This was Toyotas fifth straight month of U.S. sales declines.

South Korean automaker Hyundai said its U.S. sales fell 8.4% in August, largely due to a decline in fleet sales to rental car companies, government agencies and corporations. Hyundai had posted a slight sales gain in July. SUVs made up two-thirds of Hyundai's total retail volume in August, the company said, indicating a further amplification of existing sales trends.

Toyota and Hyundai's slips were too large to be accounted for merely by the decrease in total selling days in August. Mazda's 5.4% slip, by contrast, was actually a 2.2% increase in terms of daily selling rate (DSR), which accounts for the number of days dealerships were open.

Transaction prices also slipped slightly compared to July, but remain up 3.9% compared to the same time period in 2019.

Vehicles are continuing to sell at higher transaction prices when compared to the prior year even amidst the pandemic, said Eric Lyman, Chief Industry Analyst for TrueCar subsidiary ALG. However, we are seeing month-over-month declines in average transaction price since May due to pullbacks on the richer automaker incentives that were in the market at the beginning of the pandemic. Consumers leaned into those offers to upgrade to higher priced trims and models which drove up transaction prices.

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For the second month in a row, since March, automaker revenue for new vehicle sales will be up month-over-month by almost six percent. This is a positive sign for the auto industry as targeted incentive spending by automakers continue to fuel the recovery for new vehicle sales, added Lyman.

(This article contains reporting from Reuters.)
The same offenders are arrested night after night, only to be released by the court and not charged with a crime by the DAs Office. The next night they are back at it, endangering the lives of law enforcement and the community all over again, Roberts said. The criminal justice system will need do its part and hold offenders accountable.
Planes carrying aid to help Syria deal with the coronavirus pandemic have landed in Damascus, coming from the Emirates, Iran, Russia and China reports Sowt Al-Asima.

A batch of Emirati medical aid arrived at Damascus International Airport yesterday, to help respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

The aid was provided by the Emirates Red Crescent and was received at Damascus Airport by the Syrian Red Crescent.

The batch included respirators, medication, disinfectants, and test kits, with the aim of supporting efforts to address the pandemic, according to SANA.

A batch of Iranian medical aid also arrived at Damascus Airport a few days ago. It included testing kits, thermo detectors, and pulse oximeters.

Last month, Russian ROSAR Association and the Russian International Organization sent a batch of medical aid to the Syrian Ministry of Health, which included protective suits for frontliners, medication, and thermo detectors.

Two batches of aid also arrived in Syria from China, one of which included protective equipment and clothing for medical personnel, sanitizers, and thermo detectors, while the other included coronavirus test kits.

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.
A 20 per cent cut from the Hamilton police budget would have a significant impact on front-line officers and reduce response times, Chief Eric Girt says.

That $34.3-million slash would equal 279 officers since salaries and benefits represent more than 90 per cent of the budget, Girt also writes in a two-page report to the police board.

These reductions would result in increased response times, decreased visibility in the community, a decrease in self-initiated policing and a decrease in service delivery.

Girts take springs from a board request in June to analyze how a 20 per cent cut would affect operations in response to persistent calls for police reform through the reallocation of funding to other services.

But the chiefs resulting response is flimsy and a signal that police arent serious about discussing alternatives, community activist Sarah Jama said Monday.

Their two-page report shows that their arguments against defunding the police are empty and meaningless.

Kojo Damptey, who leads the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, echoed Jama, saying if the document was a school project, it would be an F due to its lack of context and research.

Its not even a report. Its a letter, Damptey said.

Activist Sarah Jama called the Hamilton police cheif's two-page response to a defunding question "flimsy" and a signal that police aren't serious about discussing alternatives. Barry Gray/Hamilton Spectator file photo

In an email, police spokesperson Jackie Penman noted Girt and other police brass wouldnt comment until they present the report to the board Thursday.

Following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis in May, protests over police brutality and systemic racism have swept the globe.

Last week, police in Kenosha, WI., fired several shots into the back of Jacob Blake, also a Black man, sparking further outrage in the United States.

In Hamilton, advocates, citing cases of police-involved deaths and systemic racism in Canada as well, have staged rallies in downtown parks and streets.

In June, public school board trustees ended a long-standing police liaison program in response to student protests.

Young activists have organized a teach-in about why police should be defunded outside city hall on Thursday.

The session to reimagine community safety from 1 to 5 p.m. is to include discussions about alternatives to policing and lectures from academics, according to a post on Facebook from the organizing group, HWDSB Kids Need Help.

In the report to the board, Girt writes that the Police Services Act obliges adequate and effective police services, including at minimum, crime prevention, victim assistance, law enforcement, public order maintenance and emergency response services.

A 20 per cent cut would affect a range of functions including front-line patrol, traffic safety, mental-health crisis response, case preparation, victim services, bail compliance, as well as specialized investigators for such crimes as homicides, shootings, human trafficking and child exploitation, he says.

Jama, however, questions several areas of spending in the $171.5-million budget, including whether more than $3 million for the vice and drugs unit would be better spent on harm reduction, housing and other services that address the underlying causes of addiction.

There definitely are places that the budget should and can be reduced, but theyre not even willing to have a conversation about it.

Previously, Girt has said hes open to discussing how other sectors could take over certain police duties, such as responses to mental-health crises.

In this weeks report, he states a proper transition of services would require appropriate infrastructure and legislation.

***CORRECTION: This story has been updated with the correct figure that would represent 20 per cent of the Hamilton police budget: $34.3 million.
LONDON  As COVID-19 disruptions reshuffle economic output in China, a handful of cities are performing better than the rest and attracting mega high-end retail projects amid the strong rebound seen in recent months. Here, WWD lists six new luxury hot spots worth the attention of brands looking to expand their retail footprint beyond Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Chongqing

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One of the four municipalities under Beijings direct control, Chongqing is expected to surpass Guangzhou to become the fourth wealthiest city in China this year. The cities fashion retail landscape is fast catching up with its neighboring city Chengdu. Jiefangbei, Chaotianmen, Yangjiaping and Jiangbeizui are four major shopping areas that offer premium brands inside high-end malls such as Chongqing Times Square, Raffles City, The Mixc and Chongqing International Finance Square.

Chengdu

An affordable housing price and a laid-back lifestyle have made Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, a luxury hotspot since the opening of Chengdu IFS and Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li in 2015. The citys full-on street style has also made headlines lately as it went viral on TikTok. But its luxury retail landscape is about to change again, as Beijings SKP revealed this June that its opening a Chengdu mall at the CBD Jiaozi Park. The mall, which is due to be completed in 2023, will have 3.6 million square feet of retail space and host more than 1,000 brands.

Kunming

SKP is also entering Kunming, the center of Chinas southwest Yunnan province, which shares land borders with Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. Known as the city of flowers due to its yearlong mild climate, and a melting pot for Chinas minority groups, Kunmings Spring City 66, which is developed by Hang Lung Properties and opened last August, and the local player Gingko department stores offer a range of brands, while Junfa Chunzhiyan, the tallest building in town under construction and the upcoming SKP mall will further boost Kunmings fashion presence in the next few years.

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Sanya

Sanya has figured perennially over the last few decades as one of Chinas top holiday destinations, and now is the only duty-free shopping area where the luxury-loving Chinese consumer can go due to the pandemic. On June 1, the central government revealed its plan to further develop the Hainan economy. Among the extensive measures is to more than triple the per-person duty-free shopping allowance from 30,000 renminbi to 100,000 renminbi. The result was long queues in front of every shop inside the worlds largest duty-free mall, Sanya Haitang Bay, and sky-high hotel prices in the city.

Wuhan

Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, is the biggest city in central China. Despite being ground zero for COVID-19, a few premium malls are on the way to boost the citys fashion credentials. Wuhan International Plaza is the leader of luxury shopping at the moment, but Adrian Chengs K11 has just opened its doors there this June, and Hang Lung Properties Plaza 66 and China Resources Holdings The Mixc resumed construction as the pandemic subsided.

Changsha

A short train ride away from Wuhan is Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan and the birthplace of Chairman Mao. The arrival of IFS in 2018 has helped the city rejuvenate its Wuyi Square shopping district. Other premium malls include ID mall, Hisense Plaza and Pinghetang department stores. The city is also home to Chinas most influential entertainment powerhouse, Hunan Television. It means that the city is regularly frequented by top Chinese stars, who have a lot to spend.

Related

Shenzhen and Guangzhou: Chinas Must-Know Southern Powerhouses

How Hong Kong Can Redefine Its Next Chapter

SND, Chongqings Coolest Concept Store Goes National

Xiamen Aims to Be Chinas New Fashion Hub
BAMAKO, Mali - Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the Malian president ousted in a military coup last month, was hospitalized late Tuesday at a private clinic, intensifying fears about the 75-year-olds health after being detained for 10 days by the junta now in power.

Keitas condition was not immediately known, and it was unclear whether he would be evacuated abroad for medical treatment given the circumstances.

His hospitalization was confirmed to The Associated Press by two people at the clinic who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to journalists.

The former Malian president has appeared gaunt in recent photographs, and concerns only mounted during his time in military custody in the barracks at Kati outside the capital.

Keita, who was first elected in 2013, had three years left in his term when mutinous soldiers detained him at his residence after firing shots outside the house. Hours later, he appeared in a midnight broadcast on state television, telling Malians he would resign immediately so that no blood would be shed for him to stay in power.

Officials from the junta, called the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, had said Keita was only being held at the barracks for his own protection. A protest movement against Keitas presidency saw tens of thousands demonstrate in the streets in the months leading up to his overthrow.

The international community has decried the ouster, and the regional bloc ECOWAS already has placed sanctions on Mali, shutting borders, halting financial flows and threatening further sanctions.

A mediation delegation led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan met with Keita while he was in military custody, and they later told journalists that Keita did not want to try to return to power.

France, the United Nations and others called for his immediate release, and he ultimately was taken to his home Thursday where he remained under military surveillance. A relative told AP that Keita had been unable to see his personal doctor.

Even with his release, ECOWAS has continued to press for a return to civilian rule within one year. However, the junta has proposed waiting until 2023 to hold new elections, which the French defence minister said over the weekend was out of the question.

There is widespread fear Malis political upheaval could again allow Islamic extremists to extend their reach, upending more than several years of international support including a U.N peacekeeping mission that has been working to stabilize the country. After Malis last coup in 2012, extremists seized power in towns across the north only to be ousted the following year by a French-led military intervention.

More than seven years on, peacekeepers and soldiers still come under frequent attacks from the jihadists, and the instability undermined Keitas popularity as president.

___

Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report.

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Democrats Dennis Guilfoyle, Richard R. Staiti and Charles Ryan are competing for the Norfolk County Commission in the Massachusetts state primary on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Three commissioners are elected to staggered four-year terms. Two commissioner seats are on the ballot this year. Incumbent Quincy Democrat Joseph P. Shea is running for re-election and Chairman Francis OBrien who announced in January that he would not seek reelection.

The two candidates who emerge from the Sept. 1 primary with the most votes will go on to face independent Brookline Select Board member Heather Hamilton in the general election for the two positions.

Hamilton began her career in public service ensuring MassDOT complied with accessibility standards before transitioning to lead the largest fleet of publicly owned vehicles in New England. In this leadership role, Hamilton increased the fleets percentage of alternative fuel vehicles by almost 50%.

Shea was a former city clerk in Quincy and has served as a county commissioner since 2015. He wants to continue reforming Norfolk County government into a cost-effective, inclusive and transparent regional entity if reelected.

Attorney Richard R. Staiti currently serves as Canton town moderator. Previously, Staiti is the longest-serving member of the select board after serving nine years as a member and was elected chairman of the financial board three times. Staiti represents Canton on the Norfolk County Advisory Board which oversees the countys finances and spending.

A Braintree native, Ryan was a former selectman and has now been a town councilor for 13 years. He works as the director of water operations and maintenance at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in Chelsea and has experience as a water and sewer commissioner in Braintree.

He told the Patriot Ledger that he is running to become one of the commissioners because he has been on the county advisory board for 16 years and actively involved in county government and wants the county to create a five-year plan for building maintenance and see more regional purchasing collaboratives.

A nine-year veteran of the board of registers, Guilfoyle was then elected to the board of selectmen in Dedham where he worked for six years. Before that, he worked as a Suffolk County deputy sheriff for 21 years and as a legislative advisor to Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins.

Guilfoyle said on his website that the budget is the biggest problem in the county. He wants the agricultural high school to increase its enrollment and he wants the county to help bring services such as engineering work and road repair to some of the countys smaller communities.

The three commissioners currently control a $31.7 million budget drawn partially from local property assessments with the rest coming from state funds. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Hamilton said she seeks to return as much of this money as possible directly to the countys 28 cities and towns to relieve distressed municipal budgets.
Heating and plumbing contractor Joe Blewitt from Knockmore, Co Mayo has emblazoned his van with the slogan Joe Biden for the White House and Joe Blewitt for your house in support of his cousin's bid for the US presidency.

A photo of Mr Biden, who previously served as vice president of the United States and is now running against current President Donald Trump as the Democratic Party's nominee, is also featured on the back of Mr Blewitt's van.

Mr Blewitt, who is a father of three, told the Irish Examiner how the van art came about: I was doing a job in Ballina one day, and I couldnt find parking. So I went around to this man, who used to do sign-writing for me before."

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He said he spoke with the writer, Barry Williams, about getting some new work done on the van: He said, I have something for you, come into me now during the week. And it was him who came up with the signage idea."

Pictures of the plumber's van have been widely shared on social media, with Mr Blewitt saying the reaction had been "mad".

The Mayo local is close to his American cousin, telling the paper he had paid him a visit at the White House when former president Barack Obama awarded Mr Biden the Medal of Freedom.

Mr Biden has also travelled to Ireland: We met him previously when he was home in Ireland. He came to Ballina and joined us for a meal in a local restaurant. It was lovely. He came back then again, without all the security and that was nicer. We had a bit of time to sit and chat with him. He is a lovely fella, a down to earth man, a family man."

Mr Blewitt endorsed his cousin's presidential run: Hes a good politician, he knows what hes doing. Hes not just starting up like some of them if you get what I am saying."
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on Tuesday reported a 6.06 per cent decline in total sales at 52,609 units in August. The company had sold 56,005 units in the same month last year, HMIL said in a statement.

Domestic sales, however, were up 19.9 per cent to 45, 809 units as against 38,205 units in August 2019, the company added.

The company's exports last month stood at 6,800 units, down 61.79 per cent from 17,800 units in August 2019.

"The company continues humbly to contribute to the recovery of Indian automobile industry by registering domestic sales volume of 45,809 units in August with positive growth of 19.9 per cent on a comparative low base of last year," HMIL Director (Sales, Marketing and Service) Tarun Garg said.

Good response to new Creta, Verna, Tucson, NIOS and Aura has resulted in this performance, he added. "We would like to carry on with cautious optimism as uncertainty still surrounds the pandemic," Garg noted.
Telugu star Noel Sean has announced his divorce to actress Ester Noronha in a social media post. The rapper and film star revealed that he is finally breaking the silence after declaration for the final decision of the court. In his post, he also mentioned that some differences between the former lovebirds led to the decision and wished good luck to Ester.

In a rather lengthy post, he wrote, I am Officially Divorced! After a long hard silence, today I officially announce my divorce with Ester. We were waiting for the courts decision to make it public. We had our differences which led to this & finally we decided to end this only to save the grace of this beautiful relationship. God bless you Ester & may all your dreams come true, wishing you nothing but the best.

He also requested his fans to be supportive of the decision at the time and give them time to heal from it. Calling it a beautiful phase of his life, Noel added, I thank God for each & every day in it.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Noel (@mr.noelsean) on Aug 31, 2020 at 9:27pm PDT

Noel married Ester in a traditional Christian wedding ceremony in 2019 which took place in Mangalore, Karnataka. Before tying the knot, the couple were engaged for almost a year, which was revealed in December 2018.

Ester also shared a happy picture of the couple, with the divorce printed on it. She wrote, Finally Heres the answer to the most frequently asked question to me in the last 1 year YES. WE ARE OFFICIALLY DIVORCED.

She revealed that while they got married on January 3, 2019, several irreconcilable compatibility issues led them on separate ways, making them file for mutual divorce in June 2019. She added, Since then it has been a quiet, patient wait until yesterday when our plea got finally granted by the court.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ester Valerie Noronha (@esternoronhaofficial) on Aug 31, 2020 at 7:55pm PDT

Meanwhile, Noel Sean is expected to join the Bigg Boss Telugu 4 contestants.
Widespread mask use and data-driven social distancing measures in India may help prevent over 200,000 Covid-19-related deaths in India by December 1, according to a modelling study which shows the disease will continue to pose a major public health threat in the country.

The study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in the US suggests that there is an opportunity to further limit the toll of Covid-19 in India.

It highlights the critical need for people to comply with face mask use, social distancing, and other Covid-19 prevention guidelines as advised by the public health authorities.

Indias epidemic is far from over, as a large proportion of the population is still susceptible, IHME Director, Christopher Murray, said in a statement.

In fact, our modelling shows there is a wide range of potential outcomes, depending on the actions that governments and individuals take today, tomorrow, and into the near future. Mask-wearing and social distancing are crucial to mitigate the spread of the virus, Murray explained.

Reacting to the findings of the modelling study, Gautam Menon, Professor, Departments of Physics and Biology, Ashoka University in Haryana said it is certainly true that mask wearing and distancing measures will significantly slow the progress of the disease while protecting vulnerable populations.

My first view is that the IHME model predicts a peak in infections only by early to mid-December, peak numbers of close to 6 million new infections per day and total deaths of about 500,000 in the no intervention scenario, Menon told PTI.

However, he noted that these numbers appear inflated compared to other estimates and models which suggest a peak that should happen well before mid-December.

Given that, the estimate of lives saved (in the study) may be on the excessive side, Menon noted.

The researchers in the IHME study noted that Indias response to Covid-19 has produced some significant successes that highlight the opportunity to limit the pandemics toll in the country.

Giving the example of some urban areas, including Delhi, they explained that containment measures which include intensive contact tracing, widespread testing, mask-wearing, and social distancing mandates have helped reduce the spread of the virus.

Their modelling study found that, in the best-case scenario, India can expect approximately 291,145 total Covid-19 deaths by December 1, up from 60,000 in late August.

This scenario assumes that face mask usage increases to near-universal (95 per cent) levels and that six-week, state-level lockdowns are re-imposed if the daily death rate exceeds 8 per million in the states.

On the other hand, if lockdown restrictions continue to ease up and face mask usage remains at current levels, India can expect approximately 492,380 total deaths by December 1, according to the study.

In this scenario, the researchers said, 13 states would each have over 10,000 total Covid-19 deaths by that time, while currently only Maharashtra has crossed this threshold.

India is at a tipping point. If hospitals in those states are unable to accommodate everyone needing Covid-19 care, the result will be more deaths and greater long-term harm to state and local economies, Murray said.

The researchers said until there is a widely available vaccine against Covid-19, much of Indias population remains susceptible to the disease.

Monitoring trends state-by-state, encouraging mask use, continuing social distancing and hygiene precautions, and using state-level or district-level lockdowns if needed can help save lives and minimise the impact of the pandemic on Indias health and economy, the researchers said.

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We will continue to deal with Chinese PLA in firm, resolute manner: Army chief

Pranab Mukherjee's death huge loss for Sino-India friendship: China

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Beijing, Sep 01: China on Tuesday paid rich tributes to former president Pranab Mukherjee, saying he was a veteran statesman and his death is a huge loss for India-China friendship.

The 84-year-old veteran politician died after he suffered a septic shock on Sunday. He died of a cardiac arrest on Monday evening in a hospital in New Delhi following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments. "Former President Mukherjee was a veteran statesman of India.

An Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance report that alerted India about a China move in

In his 50 years in politics, he made positive contributions to China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here, replying to a question. Referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India in 2014 and his meeting with Mukherjee, she said after the meeting the two countries issued a joint statement on building closer development partnership.

"It is a heavy loss for China, India friendship and to India. We express deep condolences over his passing and extend sincere sympathies to the Indian government and his family," Hua said.
President Donald Trump toured damaged businesses and met with law enforcement in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday after claiming that the city would have been "burned to the ground by now" had he not intervened, echoing what he says repeatedly on the campaign trail.

During a roundtable with local officials, police and business representatives, the president did not once mention Jacob Blake, the Black man whose shooting -- seven times in the back by police last month -- set off a combination of peaceful demonstrations, property destruction and the killing of two protesters.

During his visit to Kenosha, Trump did not meet Blake's family, members of which held their own event in the city. Trump said he had refused to speak with the family after they insisted their lawyers be involved; a lawyer for the family said that was standard practice, considering the fact that there were investigations into what had occurred.

Earlier Tuesday, the president stopped at a Kenosha store that had burned down and promised to help the owners. A reporter traveling with the president noted the presence of "heavy security," including "armored personnel carriers and police in camouflage and carrying automatic rifles blocking the street.

"These gentlemen did a fantastic job," he said, pointing to nearby members of law enforcement.

"Well help you rebuild, Trump said. This is a great area, a great state." Wisconsin is a state potentially key to Trumps reelection.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump tours an area affected by civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

At the roundtable, a reporter asked what Trump's message to the Blake family would be.

I feel terribly for anybody that goes through that," Trump said, saying he had heard Blake's mother was "a fine woman" and noting the shooting was being investigated.

I hope they come up with the right answer, he said. Its a complicated subject, to be honest with you.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to officials during a roundtable discussion on community safety at Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisc., Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Blake's shooting punctuated continuing, nationwide protests over police brutality and racism against Black Americans, but Trump refused to engage on the matter Tuesday.

Story continues

When a reporter asked if he believed systemic racism was a problem in the United States, Trump replied: Well, you know, you just keep getting back to the opposite subject. We should talk about the kind of violence that we've seen in Portland and here and other places. It's tremendous violence. You always get to the other side."

"These are not acts of peaceful protest but really domestic terror," Trump said earlier in his remarks.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to officials during a roundtable discussion on community safety, at Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisc., Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

But in fact, there have been days of peaceful protests in Kenosha amid the acts of violence and property destruction. Trump claimed the "the town has burned down," which is not true.

Attorney General Bill Barr and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf accompanied the president on his trip to Kenosha. The president was greeted by a mix of supporters and protesters lining the route from the airport to the business and then onto a local high school hosting an emergency operations center, according to the pool.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump views property damage during a visit in the aftermath of recent protests against police brutality and racial injustice in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Sept. 1, 2020. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

He headed to Kenosha after drawing a comparison between police officers who shoot people in the back to golfers who choke and miss a three-foot putt.

They choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a three-foot putt, Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in an interview that aired Monday -- appearing to mitigate an officer's actions.

The presidents visit to Kenosha comes after the community has been rocked by protests and unrest after a White police officer shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, in the back seven times.

Without directly mentioning the incident involving Blake, the president offered a defense of police as being "under siege."

"They do 10,000 great acts, which is what they do, and one bad apple -- or a choker -- you know, a choker. They choke. Shooting the guy in the back many times. I mean, couldnt you have done something different? Couldnt you have wrestled him? You know, I mean, in the meantime, he might have been going for a weapon, and, you know, theres a whole big thing there, but they choke," Trump said.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs Washington on travel to Illinois and Wisconsin at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Sept. 1, 2020. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

The president also offered a defense for the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, who is accused of allegedly killing two people during protests in Kenosha. Investigators are looking at social media postings under his name in which the poster expressed support for Trump.

That was an interesting situation, the president said at a press conference Monday when asked about the case of Rittenhouse. You saw the same tape as I saw. And he was trying to get away from them, I guess; it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him. And it was something that were looking at right now and its under investigation. But I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been -- I -- he probably would have been killed."

MORE:White House claims Trump trip to Kenosha 'unifying,' says he will tour damaged businesses

Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden later issued a statement blasting the president for not condemning Rittenhouse.

Tonight, the President declined to rebuke violence. He wouldn't even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it, Biden said.

Trumps trip to Kenosha was in defiance of Wisconsins Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, and Kenoshas Democratic Mayor John Antaramian, who had both urged the president to reconsider visiting while the community continues to work to heal and law enforcement is already stretched thin without the added demands of a presidential visit.

MORE:Wisconsin governor asks Trump to call off trip to Kenosha

But President Trump rebuffed the notion that his visit could further escalate tensions in the community and contended that it could actually increase enthusiasm and it could increase love and respect for our country.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks as he departs Washington on travel to Illinois and Wisconsin at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Sept. 1, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Though Tuesdays visit is an official trip, Wisconsin is considered a battleground state in the election, now just about two months away. When asked whether the presidents visit had anything to do with politics, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president is showing up to see hurting Americans.

As Trump departed Washington for Wisconsin Tuesday, he said that "we are going to really say 'hello' to law enforcement and the National Guard."

"One of the reasons I'm making the trip today and going to Wisconsin is we've had such a big success in shutting down what would be, right now, a city -- that would have been Kenosha -- a city that would have been burned to the ground by now," Trump said of the trip's purpose.

The president has not spoken to Blakes family and said, when asked Tuesday, that it was still to be determined whether or not he will actually meet the family during his visit: "I don't know yet. We'll see. Well be making that determination. I don't know yet."

Trump previously signaled on Monday that he hadn't connected with the Blake family directly yet because they wanted lawyers to listen in on the conversation, which he thought would be inappropriate. The president did speak by phone to Blakes mothers pastor and said I think we had a great talk.

ABC News' Ben Gittleson contributed reporting.

Amid tensions in Kenosha, Trump tours damaged businesses, meets with law enforcement originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Ontario Superior Court of Justice has shot down an attempt by former Niagara Region chief administrative officer Carmen DAngelo to seal critical documents that implicate him in the 2016 scandal that landed him the lucrative government post.

The decision by Justice Elizabeth Sheard also orders Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to turn over digital files  emailed to DAngelo from within the office of then-regional chair Alan Caslin during the CAO hiring process  to the Region.

The municipality is seeking the documents as part of separate lawsuits against DAngelo and Caslin.

Sheards ruling, issued in writing on Aug. 28, also said DAngelo will have to pay as yet undetermined legal costs to the Region.

The documents, many of which were created by Caslins then-policy director Robert DAmboise and his communications chief Jason Tamming  are at the heart of the hiring process.

Before and during that process, DAngelo was sent confidential information on other CAO candidates, interviews questions and answers as confidential drafts of reports about the CAO position before regional council saw them.

Metadata buried in the documents showed who created and edited the files, as well as when DAngelo downloaded them.

Those documents  first uncovered and published by the St. Catharines Standard and later used as key evidence in an Ontario Ombudsman investigation  link DAngelo and Caslins office to the plot to secure the CAO position for DAngelo.

In February, months after the Ombudsman found the hiring was a job orchestrated from within Caslins office and involving other now-former regional councillors, the current regional council filed an $850,000 lawsuit against Caslin, and DAmboise and Tamming.

DAngelo left his post at the Region before the Ombudsman report was published, and filed a $1.15-million constructive dismissal suit against the Region last year. The municipality filed a countersuit against DAngelo, who has since asked the Region to settle the legal action for $500,000. The Region has rejected that request.

In 2016, DAngelo was NPCAs CAO and downloaded the documents onto his work computer. The Region seeks to use the documents to defend the DAngelo suit by showing his pre-employment wrongdoing gave the municipality ample reason to fire him, according to Sheards ruling.

In the case of the lawsuit filed against the Caslin trio, the Region is leaning on the documents to show the three men were involved in the scheme to give DAngelo the CAO job.

NPCA has been willing to turn the documents over to the Region, but had requested a court order be issued for them because the files contain personal information  including the names and bios of other CAO candidates.

Sheard rejected several arguments DAngelo used to try to block the order compelling NPCA to release the documents.

DAngelo argued the Region had not shown it needs the documents, and could just interview him during the pretrial discovery phase of the lawsuit.

The Region said it could not get the answers it needed from DAngelo and required the documents to prove its case.

DAngelo also argued that if the Region got the documents, it would be unfair to him, an idea Sheard also rejected.

In her ruling, Sheard said DAngelo acknowledges that during the Regions recruitment process, he received emails from Region personnel who had some knowledge of the recruitment process, but he denies that he relied on information in those emails.

This is in contrast to DAngelos past quasi-denials of having received the documents. In at least one closed-door regional council meeting and during interviews with Ontario Ombudsman investigators, DAngelo claimed he could not remember if he got the documents because his phone had been stolen. When presented with forensic evidence by the Ombudsman team, DAngelo said he likely got the documents from DAmboise. He also admitted Tamming helped him write a submission to the CAO hiring committee, which was chaired by Caslin.

Having dismissed DAngelos bid to block the release of the documents, Sheard ordered NPCA to give them to the Region within 30 days.

She also said the Region is entitled to legal costs related to the hearing, and urged the two sides to work out an agreement. If no deal between the Region and DAngelo is reached by Sept. 18, Sheard said the Region can petition the court to make a decision on costs.

The lawsuit against the Caslin trio is also proceeding, for which the Region will use the documents to supports its allegation that the men were engaged in an unlawful conspiracy to hire DAngelo and thus damaged the Regions reputation.

Caslin, Tamming and DAmboise have formed a joint defence and in court documents deny any knowledge of sending the documents to DAngelo.

The Regions claims have not been proven in court.
Bidding an emotional goodbye to his father and former president Pranab Mukherjee, Abhijit Mukherjee said on Tuesday his presence was a support to their family.

His presence was a support for our family, well miss him. I had plans to take him to West Bengal but due to current restrictions we couldnt do so, Abhijit Mukherjee was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The veteran Congress leader, who died at the age of 84 on Monday, was cremated with full state honours on Tuesday. Abhijit Mukherjee performed his last rites and the family and relatives paid their last respects clad in PPE kits.

Mukherjee died following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments. He was admitted to the hospital on August 10 and was operated the same day for removal of a clot in the brain. He had also tested positive for the coronavirus disease at the time of his admission. Mukherjee, Indias 13th president from 2012 to 2017, later developed a lung infection.
Three English nationals are being investigated over the death of a British woman who was killed when she was hit by a speedboat while swimming off a Corfu beach yesterday.

Claire Glatman, 60, the wife of multimillionaire property tycoon Mark Glatman, was killed when she was hit by a speedboat while swimming in the sea off Avlaki beach, Corfu.

Her body was discovered by another bather at around 10am.

Three English nationals aged between 20 and 30, two of whom have holiday homes on the island, are being investigated in relation to Mrs Glatman's death, local media reported.

The speedboat thought to have been involved in the incident was found abandoned at a nearby beach and has been moved to a local marina while port authorities carry out a forensic investigation.

Mrs Glatman was from Bedale in North Yorkshire and was on holiday with Mark, 63, and the eldest of her two daughters, who have been informed of her death. She also has two sons.

Pictured: Claire Glatman, 60, who tragically died yesterday when she was hit by a speedboat while swimming off a beach in Corfu, Greece, with her husband Mark

This boat is suspected of being the one involved in yesterday's tragic incident on Avlaki beach 60-year-old Mrs Glatman was fatally injured

Claire Glatman, 60, was the wife of multimillionaire property tycoon, Mark Glatman, 63, pictured above

Her body was pulled from the sea shortly before 10am and taken to Corfu General Hospital. The family's lawyer identified the body of the 60-year-old at noon yesterday.

Coroner Ioannis Aivatidis said Mrs Glatman suffered multiple injuries to her left wrist, arm, chest, pelvis and upper right leg, leading to internal and external haemorrhaging.

Aivatidis added that Mrs Glatman was hit hard by the speedboat, and died after just a few moments.

The wounds were so severe, he said, that no attempt to resuscitate her would have worked had someone managed to get her out of the water.

A British woman was killed after being hit by a boat propeller off Avlaki beach yesterday (file photo) off the coast of the Greek holiday island of Corfu

The 60-year-old British woman was swimming off the coast of Corfu when a speedboat captain allegedly failed to spot her in time

A locator map shows where Mrs Glatman sustained her fatal injuried (Avlaki Beach) and where the speedboat suspected to have hit into her was later found (Agios Stefanos Beach)

She was described as a resident of Corfu for most of the year who was 'very popular in the local community', according to public broadcaster ERT.

Mrs Glatman is said to have fallen in love with Mr Glatman on the island 30 years ago and the couple purchased a villa more recently, where they spend a portion of the year, the Telegraph reported.

A friend who chose to remain anonymous told the Telegraph that Mrs Glatman was an experienced swimmer.

Corfu Press reported, citing friends of the family, that Mrs Glatman swam at the spot every day while on the island.

Mr Glatman is chief executive of a British national commercial property group called Abstract.

A coastguard spokesman told the Telegraph: 'We received an emergency call by local swimmers who found the woman's body floating in the sea.

The speedboat thought to have been involved in the incident is pictured above

Port authorities discovered an abandoned speedboat at a nearby beach. Three young English nationals are being questioned in relation to the Mrs Glatman's death (Pictured: A Greek coastguard vessel)

'The coastguard recovered the body and transferred it to the local state hospital where an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of her death.'

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'We are in contact with the local authorities following reports that a British woman has died in Corfu.'

Villagers in the Mrs Glatman's home village of Well, in North Yorkshire, were shocked at the death of the 'beautiful soul'.

Claire and her husband Mark lived in the historic Well Hall, in the heart of the village.

The extensive walled property has a swimming pool and tennis courts. A neighbour of Claire said: 'It is dreadful news. She loved Corfu and they spent a lot of time there, but she was also a popular person around Well.

'I knew her as a beautiful soul, friendly and very young at heart.'

Another villager said: 'We have had a scarecrow festival this weekend gone and the whole village came together and we had a fantastic time, but this has really brought us back down to earth.

'What a horrible thing to happen. My thoughts are with Mark and the rest of the family.'

Friend Bibi Tyszkiewicz wrote on Facebook: She was an absolutely lovely woman. Very much loved on this island. Thoughts to the family. This is a huge tragedy.

Julie Evans added: Im so, so sorry, my thoughts are with her family, she was a very good and genuinely nice person. God bless, RIP.

The couple also owned a 3million townhouse in London's Knightsbridge and a villa in Corfu.

Born in 1960 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, Claire Glatman, nee Glover, was married to Mark Glatman, 63, a solicitor by training who became an influential commercial property developer.

In 2000, he set up the Abstract group of companies, focussing on property development and investment and venture capital projects. The net worth of his businesses is now more than 83million.

UK tourists have been returning to Greece in recent weeks after travel restrictions were lifted.

Greece is one of the 'travel corridor' countries where tourists can go without having to quarantine for two weeks when they return to Britain.

However, an increase in coronavirus cases in recent weeks has pushed it closer to the threshold of 20 cases per 100,000 in a week at which the UK is likely to re-impose quarantine rules.

The current figure is 14.1, after nearly 1,500 new cases were reported in the last seven days.

Greece needs tourism to revive an economy still grappling with the aftermath of a depression that wiped out a quarter of its economy.

New local restrictions have been imposed in tourist hotspots such as Mykonos to curb the spread of the virus, including a midnight curfew for bars, restaurants and cafes and a ban on large gatherings.
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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.

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BISMARCK, N.D. - The Army Corps of Engineers is recommending that the federal government negotiate a settlement with North Dakota for more than $38 million that the state spent policing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the Department of the Army is asking the Department of Justice to enter into settlement negotiations with the state to avoid protracted and costly litigation, particularly in light of the harm that occurred in this case.

The request comes following U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynors decision last month to deny the federal governments motion to dismiss North Dakotas lawsuit seeking to recover more than $38 million in damages the state claimed from the monthslong pipeline protests almost four years ago.

I request that you consider engaging in settlement discussions with North Dakota to determine whether a reasonable resolution is within reach Army Under Secretary James McPherson wrote in his letter to Acting Assistant Attorney General Ethan Davis.

North Dakota Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer called the recommendation very significant and the right thing to do for the federal government.

North Dakota assumed all costs including the cleanup of actions facilitated by the Corps of Engineers, Cramer said Tuesday. The state has one thing in mind and that is to make us whole. We dont go away on these things like everybody else.

The $3.8 billion pipeline has been moving oil from the Dakotas through Iowa to Illinois for more than three years. Thousands of opponents gathered in southern North Dakota in 2016 and early 2017, camping on federal land and often clashing with police. Hundreds were arrested over six months.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has long argued that the Corps allowed and sometimes encouraged protesters to illegally camp without a federal permit. The Corps has said protesters werent evicted due to free speech reasons.

Traynor, who is based in Bismarck, ruled last month the Corps failed to comply with its own mandatory permitting process.

As a result, there was no limitation on the gathering and no bond available to clean up the spoiled environment that was left, his ruling said.

Stenehjem said he had an appointment to speak with federal lawyers by telephone on Tuesday.

We have made our demands, Stenehjem said. I hope they are willing to negotiate in good faith. If not, we will prepare for trial.

Stenehjem said North Dakota has a strong case and holds the upper hand in negotiations now with the federal judges ruling last month.

I wouldnt trade legal positions with the Corps, Stenehjem said.
The accused stole the material and shifted to Patancheru, and took Rs 2.5 lakh from them for the iron material. (Representative Image)

Hyderabad: The Keesara police arrested five persons who stole material made of iron worth Rs 20 lakh being used at a research unit in Rampally on Monday.

On August 28, C Srinivas Bhaskar, a businessman from Ghatkesar lodged a complaint with the police alleging the flywheels, iron shafts, an air compressor, and other iron material that was installed at a shed in Rampally industrial area was stolen. Srinivas was doing research on Flywheel Power Manipulation at Rampally industrial area.

The police said that the probe revealed that accused V Sai Mohan, 50, who took up the work with Srinivas as a caretaker of the premises had hatched a plan to sell the iron material to the scrap businessmen at Patancheru.

With the help of Shaik Baba, 32, Syed Feroz Ali, 38, Md Mohammed Hameed Koheer, 33, and Md Rasheed, he stole the material and shifted to Patancheru, and took Rs 2.5 lakh from them for the iron material, the police added.
The visions of Presidential Candidates are collated and presented in a manifesto. It is a document that outlines the visions of a prospective President. In many civilized democracies, the manifesto and its items allure people to cast their votes for a particular party. The manifesto of the New Patriotic Party for the 2020 general elections have items that tackle issues affecting some key sectors of the economy.

Some aspects of the document will attract the interest of people within the middle class. These people have the penchant to cast their votes for the party with the best vision and policies. The other groups do not care much about the policies of the parties as they have the prejudice to voting for a party based on; the love for the Presidential Candidate, his or her eloquence, academic qualifications of the candidate and many other factors.

The manifesto is a composite document covering several sectors and sub-sectors. This article discusses some excerpts from it with keen interest in putting the selected items into an analytical periscope. The issues below as discussed are some examined excerpts from the manifesto:

Good governance: in 2016, the election of MMDCEs was a major promise but the government failed to deliver it. In the 2020 manifesto, the party and its Presidential Candidate rehashed the same item, promising to make such an election partisan. It will be particularly difficult to achieve such a goal. In fact, the election of MMDCEs is possible without it taking a partisan form. Making it partisan will be rejected by the populace.

The structure of governance at the grassroots needs to be transformed. This transformation does not need the participation of political parties at the grassroots. Amending Article 55(3) is not plausible. The election of MMDCEs can be done effortlessly by amending Article 243. A future attempt to seek the endorsement of an amendment of Article 55(3) from the populace will fail.

I suggested, in some of my articles, the amendment of Article 243 to allow for the election of MMDCEs without taking a partisan form. Such an amendment does not require a referendum. Parliament should be given the right backing to amend Article 243 alone to make the process less laborious.

Industrialisation failed in the past because it was state-led. From the manifesto, it is reported that some of the factories are state-led. The government should strive to achieve efficiency and reduce any possible opportunities for corruption. The challenges of principal-agent problems, poor investment decisions occasioned by poor feasibility studies, corruption and political motivation are the limitations for state-led enterprises. The policy should be evaluated to identify possible challenges that will affect its continuous pursuit.

The promise of producing at least half of the sugar, rice and chicken imports in the next term of the government needs aggressive policy interest to achieve such a goal. Komenda Sugar Factory is believed to have been privatized. How does the government plan to achieve the reduction in the sugar import of the country? The successful reduction in the imports of sugar, rice and chicken will help reduce the demand for foreign currencies, which will impact positively on the depreciation of the local currency.

The desire to produce half of the amount of imports of rice and chicken can be attained. There are numerous pieces of land in the country that can be converted into rice farms. Import lobbyists should be persuaded to invest heavily in the local production of rice. The use of import quotas and strict regulations by adhering to the rules guiding import will help in achieving such a feat. A similar policy can be rolled out in the production of chicken. The solution to attain such a goal is political will.

Education: the Free Senior High School programme needs to be maintained by reviewing some aspects of it. The policy should target the training of people with adequate skills to lead in the future and contribute meaningfully to the development of the economy. Students who do not perform well in the arts and sciences should be migrated to the skills training programmes to groom them for entrepreneurial ventures.

Accessing student loans without guarantors is great but the solution for solving the problems of poor people lies in timely payment of the loan funds. Many students who rely on student loans to pay their fees rather have them late. The sources of the funds to the Student Loan Trust Fund have been affected. How does the government intend to increase the funds allocated to the Trust Fund?

The government equally needs to have policies that are skewed towards the training of persons in the sciences. The students pursuing applied science programmes must be given special attention and support. The introduction of the STEM programme must be intensified and pursued vigorously.

Under agriculture, post-harvest losses and solving supply chain issues should be drawn and implemented. Total agricultural output and productivity should be substantially increased in a manner that will directly benefit the average small farmer and transform into high productivity commercial enterprise.

There is a need to increase agricultural productivity to meet the demands of an industrial economy. Everything about agriculture needs rethinking. Proper plans for developing commercial farms, reducing post-harvest losses and solving supply chain issues should be established.

Financial sector: this sector is key to the development of the economy. Its activities affect all the other sectors. The institutions in the financial sector should be policed vigilantly. Any failure in the sector in the coming years will put much burden on the economy and its people.

Currently, the government is paying huge sums as a bailout for the corporate fiascos in the sector. The development and running of Ponzi Schemes in the country, that are used as a means to accumulate wealth by some individuals, should be checked.

The state has the power to allow or plug such schemes in their budding stages. The havocs of those schemes are great, which render many jobless and cause them to experience extreme poverty in the end. The past experiences should be a warning to the investors and the state regulator.

Economy: macroeconomic stability has much impact on the other sectors of the economy. Activities that will stimulate the economy to spur growth should target the agricultural and industrial sectors. Manufacturing and other processing units must be supported to thrive and have deeper impacts. The industrialisation agenda must be pursued with care by evaluating properly, the impacts of the firms in that sector.

The manifesto items have promising outcomes if properly executed. In light of this, the party should involve stakeholders in the various sectors to nurture appropriate activities that will lead to the realization of the goals set in it. There are issues with regard to the election of MMDCEs. The party needs to search for a popular system in trying to modernize politics and democracy at the grassroots.

Emmanuel Kwabena Wucharey

Economics Tutor, A growing Activist, and Religion Enthusiast.
Swanky showbiz events have been far and few between since the UK went into lockdown on March 23rd, in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus.

And, after restrictions were eased, celebs stepped out to attend the press night for Sleepless: A Musical Romance at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in London, on Tuesday evening.

Kimberley Walsh, 38, and Jay McGuiness, 30, star in the new socially distanced West End show Sleepless: A Musical Romance.

Press night: Kimberley Walsh, 38, and Jay McGuiness, 30, star in the new socially distanced West End show Sleepless: A Musical Romance

They posed for snaps following the performance - the famous faces in the audience applauding them for the show.

Kimberley wore a primrose yellow summer dress with a plunging front, three-quarter sleeves and a wavy hem.

She rocked a bronzed complexion and teamed the look with nude heels, keeping make-up neutral.

She wore her honeyed locks in light waves around her features.

Co-stars: They posed for snaps following the performance - the famous faces in the audience applauding them for the show

Pretty: Kimberley wore a primrose yellow summer dress with a plunging front, three-quarter sleeves and a wavy hem

Pose: She rocked a bronzed complexion and teamed the look with nude heels, keeping make-up neutral. She wore her honeyed locks in light waves around her features

Jay wore a taupe suit and an open-collar white shirt as he posed next to his co-star.

The romantic comedy musical follows an architect who starts a new life in Washington city and meets and falls for an engaged newspaper reporter.

The stage production is based on the 1993 Nora Ephron film Sleepless in Seattle starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Michelle Collins, 59, looked chic in a floral maxi dress and a sleek black blazer, which she teamed open-toe stiletto boots.

Dynamic duo: Kimberley and Jay looked smart as they posed at the event

Red carpets return: Michelle Collins, 59, looked chic in a floral maxi dress as she led the stars on the red carpet at the Sleepless: A Musical Romance press night in London, on Tuesday

Happy lady: The soap star brought a sleek black blazer and teamed her frock with open-toe stiletto boots

The soap star drew attention to her slim waist with a large brown orb belt, while the splits at the side of her frock offered a glimpse of her toned pins.

Finishing off her ensemble, Michelle accessorised with a delicate necklace and wore sunglasses atop her head, while carrying her belongings in a grab bag.

The actress styled her blonde bob straight, and enhanced her natural beauty with heavy eyeliner and a pillar box red lipstick.

TV legend Matthew Kelly, 70, was in great spirits as he arrived at the press night clad in indigo jeans and a yellow shirt, with a blazer smartening up his look.

Legend: TV legend Matthew Kelly, 70, was in great spirits as he arrived at the press night clad in indigo jeans and a yellow shirt, with a blazer smartening up his look

Gaby Roslin, 56, looked effortlessly cool in distressed jeans and a cream jumper as she arrived at the premiere.

The presenter covered up with a white face mask, while adding colour to her ensemble with a pink and orange cross-body bag.

Gabby strolled around in white cowgirl boots and wrapped a camouflage jacket around her waist in anticipation of a temperature drop.

Effortlessly cool: Gaby Roslin, 56, looked effortlessly cool in distressed jeans and a cream jumper as she arrived at the premiere

Safety first: The presenter covered up with a white face mask, while adding colour to her ensemble with a pink and orange cross-body bag

Gok Wan, 45, kept things casual in jeans and a T-shirt, with a plaid jacket worn on top.

The fashion guru shielded his eyes with blackout sunglasses and styled his tresses into scrunched curls.

Standing with a hand in his pocket and the other flashing a peace sign, Gok posed happily for photographers.

Keeping it casual: Gok Wan, 45, kept things casual in jeans and a T-shirt, with a plaid jacket worn on top

Styled: The fashion guru shielded his eyes with blackout sunglasses and styled his tresses into scrunched curls

Smile! Christopher Biggins and his partner Neil Sinclair smiled as they stood for snaps

Cover up: Biggins wore a visor for the event

Couple: The pair put on a tactile display

Night out: The happy couple looked in good spirits as they posed on the red carpet

Glam: Victoria Valentine Brown slipped into a strapless less frock for the occasion

Whoops: Victoria almost dropped her jacket as she arrived at the event

Fabulous: The beauty whipped her hair back as she smiled for the cameras

Christopher Biggins and his partner Neil Sinclair smiled as they stood for snaps.

The actor wore a visor over his face to ensure COVID-19 protection and teamed a checked shirt with a blue blazer and mustard slacks.

Neil went a little more flamboyant with his shirt - featuring a sky and clouds design.

Sister support: Kimberley's sister Amy Walsh arrived at the event to support her sibling

Soap star: Emmerdale star Amy looked pretty in a lemon floral dress, a denim jacket and tan wedges

So sweet: The siblings later posed together at the bash

Look who it is: Former Coronation Street star Wendi Peters walked the red carpet

Precautions: Wendi had her temperature checked as she arrived at the event

Fabulous: Michelle and Harriet Scott struck a pose outside

Great snap: Gok flashed a peace sign outside

Glam: Michelle looked effortlessly glamorous in her ensemble
A father from Oklahoma is accused of brutally beating and murdering his 5-year-old daughter because he believed that the child was under the control of witchcraft.

Child abuse and murder

According to KTUL-TV, the federal prosecutors have charged the 29-year-old Adam Raymond Mason of Bristow, Oklahoma, with first-degree murder in connection with the death of his daughter.

The investigators stated that Mason punched, drowned, burned, and murdered the child. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the child's body was found on August 26 after her mother asked for a welfare check.

The mother got concerned when Mason refused to let her in the house and speak to her daughter. The deputies discovered the girl's burned remains in a creek bed near Mason's residence in Bristow, a small community between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, according to Tulsa World reports.

Also Read: Pedophile Shoots Teen to Death Multiple Times While Raping Him in Broad Daylight

Mason confessed to the crime and told the authorities that he believed his daughter was controlled by witchcraft, the U.S Attorney's Office said in a press release.

As police were searching for Mason after discovering the girl's body, nearby schools and a childcare program were immediately put on temporary lockdown.

U.S Attorney Trent Shores called the case heartbreaking. Shores said that the alleged victim was set to start kindergarten next week. He added that it is time for the criminal justice system to go to work.

Federal authorities are handling the case because Mason and his daughter are members of the Muscogee Nation, a Native American reservation, and that is where the murder happened. That means that the state of Oklahoma does not have jurisdiction.

In 2011, Mason was convicted of second-degree rape, according to Tulsa World. He was then later incarcerated in 2014 after failing to register as a sex offender.

Similar case

In June 2019, Travis Stackhouse was charged for killing his 5-year-old son over a cheesecake. The boy had bruises on both of his eyes, a cut on his lip and sternum. An autopsy revealed that he suffered blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

According to the boy's caretakers, he fell down the stairs, but the police did not believe the injuries were consistent with the story, as reported by ABC 7.

Stackhouse admitted to punching his son in the stomach and hitting him in the face because the child ate his Father's Day cake, he only had one piece, and he was upset others were eating it. Stackhouse has four other children.

Lori Ann Kuehn, Stackhouse's Defense Attorney said that whether he is responsible or not for this son's death, he is still a grieving father.

According to WISN reports, Stackhouse allegedly requested that his $100,00 bail be lowered so that he can attend the funeral of his son.

Stackhouse initially said that the child fell down the stairs, but another sibling told the police that he did not see his brother fall; instead, he said he observed his father punch his brother and hit his brother across the face with a closed fist.

The commissioner ultimately kept the defendant's bond at $100,000.

Related Article: Jacob Blake Allegedly Charged With Child Sexual Assault, Mirroring George Floyd Accusations Following Police Brutality

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Newser)  The French satirical paper whose staff was decimated in a violent attack by Islamic extremists in 2015 is reprinting caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed cited by the killers, declaring "history cannot be rewritten nor erased." The announcement on Tuesday came on the eve of the first trial for the January 2015 attacks against Charlie Hebdo and, two days later, a kosher supermarket, per the AP. Seventeen people died12 of them at the editorial officesalong with all three attackers. Thirteen men and a woman accused of providing the attackers with weapons and logistics go on trial Wednesday. In an editorial, the paper said that although it had declined to publish caricatures of Mohammed since the attacks, doing so for the opening of the trial was necessary. "The only reasons not to stem from political or journalistic cowardice," the editorial said.

story continues below

The caricatures were first printed in 2006 by the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten. As Charlie Hebdo attackers, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, walked away from the carnage, they cried out "We have avenged the Prophet." Claiming the attacks in the name of al-Qaeda, they then killed a wounded policeman point-blank and drove away. Two days later, a jailhouse acquaintance of theirs stormed a kosher supermarket on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, killing four hostages and claiming allegiance to the Islamic State group. Amedy Coulibaly also killed a young policewoman. The Kouachi brothers had by then holed up in a printing office with another hostage. All three attackers died in near-simultaneous police raids. Three of the accused will not be at the trial because they are abroad and it's not known if they're alive or dead. Among those is Coulibaly's wife, Hayat Boumedienne. (Read more Charlie Hebdo stories.)
Navein Darshan By

Express News Service

SP Jhananathan is known for making films that talk about lesser-explored international politics and its impact on our nation. Excluding his directorial debut, Iyarkai, which was a romance, all his works have had very strong political themes. Though the issues he has addressed so far  with films like Peranmai, E and Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai  have been varied, he has never missed an opportunity to raise his voice against the exploitation of corporate entities and their malicious marketing techniques. With his new film, Laabam, starring Vijay Sethupathi, Shruti Haasan and Jagapathi Babu, the filmmaker aims to enlighten the people about why India remains a developing country despite being a leader in agriculture and who exactly is stealing our profit. India is a giant in terms of agricultural yield. We have never lagged in production.

Despite this, we fail only because of the supply chain. The middlemen and the ones governing them loot the profit which should ideally reach the farmers, says Jhananathan, illustrating his point with an example. A sugar factory not only produces sugar. It also generates electricity, which is then sold to the government. And it produces molasses which, in turn, is fermented to get alcoholic beverages. Sugarcane is the base product for all this, but the farmer who cultivates it doesnt even get a fraction of the profit. Ive tried to unmask this crime through Laabam.

Even with the monstrous growth of social media in the past decade, Jhananathan strongly feels cinema is still the most-effective medium to reach the masses and convey a message. And it is always going to be cinema that has the widest reach. Bhooloham, for which I wrote the dialogues, has been watched by 20 million people online. Though the craze for the medium might have subsided a bit over the years, films continue to reach the masses effectively. The filmmaker says collaborating with young talents helps him ensure that his films are relevant to the current generation. I am aware that I am middle-aged and I need inputs from younger minds to reach todays audience. That said, internationally, most acclaimed filmmakers have made their best works during their late 50s.

I believe a creator takes that much time to completely understand his audience and craft. However, Jhananathan believes a message can effectively reach the audience only when the strategy is innovative. Every creator must accept the fact they need to reinvent themselves over the years to make heads turn. Periyar used to carry a lantern to busy junctions during the evenings and start speaking all alone. People noticed this because it was weird and started gathering around him. Once the count exceeded five people, he would start talking about his revolutionary ideas. Anna, meanwhile, used humour as a medium to convey hard-hitting political and social ideas. Likewise, I whenever necessary, to deliver social messages.

Even though his work has these commercial elements in the form of songs and comic relief, every film of his has broken the one golden rule to get a repeat audience: a happy ending. Jhananathan is aware that he is losing out a significant section of the audience when he pens a tragic climax. I understand that nobody wants to pay to experience something that saddens them. It is not my intention to write sad endings to disappoint people. It is just that my films call for them. For example, in Purampokku, as an audience member, I would want Aryas character to jailbreak successfully and escape his death penalty. But, I would have failed as a creator if Id done so. The film wouldnt have been about capital punishment if it had a happy climax. I sincerely believe the film will reach a wider, international audience someday.

Jhananathans filmography has one thing in common: his films dont have individuals as antagonists; it has always been the evils in society. For the first time ever, Laabam has a prime antagonist, played by Jagapathi Babu. What drove him to give a face for evil in this film? I guess it was an unintentional decision. But I can assure you that Jagapathis character is nothing like your cliched villain. All his social message films have been a mix of two genres. E was a blend of a rural drama and a medical thriller, Peranmai was an action thriller cum students drama, and Purampokku was a blend of a political drama and a jailbreak film. Asked if this is an intentional choice, Jhananathan says, I just pen down whatever hits my mind. It hasnt been a conscious decision.

I wouldnt call myself an ace filmmaker. But I know the vision of my film and what it tries to convey to the audience. I dont make films just to entice the viewers; I make films to educate them. I guess I have a lot to say to the audience and I use my films as the medium to package this. The director says he prioritises his social messages over the arcs of his characters. Shyam is just a jailor in Purambokku, but speaks progressive politics which is irrelevant to his character definition. I always have the urge to use the footage as much as possible to convey something to the audience, even with the smallest of characters. Jhananathan understands that some find this off-putting but he has absolutely no regrets. I understand why a certain section find this approach of mine to be odd and I wholeheartedly accept their criticism, but I have never had second thoughts about it.
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 09/01/2020



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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 Paul Staehle has returned to Instagram after a three-week hiatus to reveal he's in Brazil while Karine Martins is in Indiana, and he's apparently afraid he's never going to see his wife and son Pierre again.Last month, Paul warned his Instagram followers he'd be deactivating his social-media accounts soon because his addiction to the platforms had caused him nothing but pain and relationship heartbreak regarding his failed marriage to Karine."Focus on your loved ones," Paul wrote at the time. "Do not allow social media to destroy your relationships and family... I regret oversharing private matters on social media."But Paul's break from posting things about his personal life apparently didn't last long.Paul took to his Instagram Stories on Sunday night to provide fans with an update on his whereabouts and current relationship status with Karine, who had left him and filed a protective order against him about a month ago."For everyone thinking I am chasing karine in Brazil. Karine is in Indiana, USA. I came here alone to clean and organize our brazil home. It needs to be sanitary and baby safe," Paul wrote."I have been keeping busy since she left. I finished cleaning and organizing USA house so now I am doing the same thing in Brazil. All my work is on the internet so as long as I have internet I can be anywhere. Even court is on the internet these days."Paul then switched topics from his current location to the fact he's been missing his family."My life revolved around them. I have not seen my son since July. Next court date is now in December. I will not see my sons for a very long time," Paul continued, confirming Karine is pregnant with another boy."So I am keeping busy and constructive. Karine is not in Brazil. I knew that when I traveled here. Now my mother is having a mental breakdown because she is also forbidden to see Pierre. I have lost my sons."Paul went on to suggest he's doing everything possible to keep his mind off being alone."I just want to stay busy and be productive. I have to accept the fact I will probably never see my wife and son again. Or see the birth or ever see my unborn child," Paul wrote.Karine announced she's pregnant with the couple's second child in May, so she is due to give birth to a baby boy before the end of the year."That being said, I think I am mentally doing what is best -- staying constructive and busy," Paul concluded.Paul has seemingly shared all of the lows in his relationship with Karine on social media, dating back months and months.Paul has always involved fans in his fights with Karine and kept them up to date on the many times Karine allegedly threatened to file for divorce, return to Brazil, and take their son away from Paul.In fact, a huge argument on July 30 sparked the end of Paul and Karine's relationship, and Paul documented most of it on Instagram, including police involvement.Paul posted a lengthy Instagram Live video revealing Karine had made assault allegations against him and called the police. Paul told his followers he planned to file for full custody of his son after Karine allegedly cheated on him and violated a Child Protective Services case against her."We were doing a call, I look over, I see her talking to a Brazilian lawyer about child support and divorce. I asked her what's going on with this," Paul was shown telling police in the video when they arrived to the scene.Paul recorded himself yelling at Karine that she could not take his son out of the country, and he subsequently filmed himself claiming he had tested positive for an STD at the hospital as a result of an alleged affair Karine had with another man.Paul then revealed July 31 on Instagram that Karine had filed a "full restraining order" against him."I'm not allowed to be around her or my son, within 500 feet of them at all," Paul reportedly said on his account, sharing photos of the alleged order.Paul in turn made surprising claims about his estranged wife in his own protective order he had filed against Karine on July 30."I previously found glass in my food," Paul alleged in court documents obtained by Us Weekly. "I found similar glass shards from an item she broke."Paul also alleged that Karine's friends were calling him with death threats."[They are] threatening to come to my home and kill me. They requested I pay them $10,000 or I would never see my son again," Paul reportedly claimed, adding that Karine allowed Pierre to "run in the street [and] get into the chemical cabinets.""I fear for my wife's safety and mental well-being. I fear for my son's safety," Paul concluded.A judge therefore reportedly ordered Karine to stop all communication with Paul and stay 500 feet away from him at all times.Karine confirmed in early August that she had left Paul and obtained an emergency protective order against him.Karine said she needed to be "rescued from an environment" that was no longer healthy for her and her child, adding on Instagram, "Relationships are hard and sometimes it just can't be fixed anymore."Karine's protective order included an array of shocking allegations -- including that Paul had physically assaulted her, sexually assaulted her, and prevented her doctor from prescribing contraception to her.In the emergency protection order application Paul had shared on social media, Karine claimed Paul "forcefully rapes me," "hold[s] my Green Card and all my documents," monitors her phone, uses cameras to monitor her on his phone when he is not home, has forced her to drink beer while pregnant, and has forbidden Karine's doctor from prescribing birth control to her."On multiples occasions in the past 3 weeks the respondent pushed me, grab my breast squ[ee]zing and twisting, hurting me, pushing me to the floor, covering my mouth. He force his penis into my mouth and forcefully rapes me. If I refuse he throws things, he yells, or he threat[ens] to call police," Karine wrote in the handwritten two-page application.Karine added that Paul threatened to take their son Pierre away if she ever tried to leave him and forced her to "drink alcohol by threat[ing] me."Karine also mentioned Paul's obsessive use of social media, writing in the application, "He is constantly on social media making videos of me against my will saying I am crazy, saying I have mental illness. Recently he called [Child Protective Services] and told [them] I was always drunk, aggressive, and abusive to him.""He post on social media [that] I have [cheated with] several [men] even knowing that he [has] cameras around the house and I can't leave," she continued. "I have no access to money for my son or myself."In addition to allegedly denying Karine access to birth control, Karine said she wouldn't feel safe even if she returned to her native country of Brazil."When I ask to go back to me family he threat[ens] [to] take my son away," she wrote."I am terrified he will hurt me or hurt my son because I runned away from him and I am even afraid to go back to Brazil now because He Can go to Brazil and hurt us... I have my family in Brazil but I don't feel that law enforcement will protect me from him there. I am afraid of him and his mother."Paul, however, denied the allegations Karine had made against him on August 10."It truley [sic] breaks my heart it has come to this. I have bent over backwards. I found work. Got a new home. A new car. Let her buy anything she wanted. I did the cooking, cleaning, laundry and took care of Pierre," Paul wrote in his Instagram Stories."I have never in my life physically or sexually assaulted anyone."Paul has claimed for quite some time that Karine has mental health issues, and so he addressed his beliefs in the message to his followers."I have made motions to the court for Karine to get mental help. I have had to double up on my therapy to cope with this madness," Paul wrote."Her motion against me with false allegations is for a 3 year restraining order against me and both my children. Alimony and child support. But I can not see her or my children at all."Paul and Karine currently star on the fifth season of : Happily Ever After?, which airs Sunday nights at 8PM ET/PT on TLC.The latest episode of : Happily Ever After? featured Karine meeting with an immigration attorney to figure out her rights in traveling back to Brazil alone with her son. Karine seemed miserable, lonely and homesick in the United States while Paul struggled to secure a job.Want more spoilers or couples updates? Click here to visit our homepage!
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 14:56:53|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam Tuesday urged the public to actively join the Universal Community Testing Program launched by the HKSAR government to help break down the chain of transmission.

As of Tuesday morning, about 10,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 under the testing program launched today, Lam said at a press briefing ahead of an Executive Council meeting.

Lam described the process as simple, safe and fast after she has got tested, adding that the testing program will help fight the epidemic and restore economic and social life.

She said that the number of newly confirmed cases on Monday in Hong Kong fell to the single digit for the second time since the third wave of epidemic. The society, however, has paid a huge price including restriction and closure of commercial premises.

Lam noted that nearly a quarter of the confirmed cases in Hong Kong involved asymptomatic patients, hoping the public could view the testing program objectively and give it the greatest support. Enditem
Waller County Sheriff Joe Hester never aspired to be sheriff, but when his dear friend Sheriff Glenn Smith died unexpectedly, Hester stepped in to fill the role. Since becoming sheriff in early August, Hester has helped the county reopen during a pandemic and now faces another hurricane season.

Hester shared his experience of unexpectedly stepping into the position of sheriff during an unprecedented time and how his law enforcement background has helped him prepare for his unanticipated position.

Can you tell us about your experience in law enforcement prior to becoming sheriff?

I started in law enforcement in 1971 as a dispatcher in my hometown, and I became a certified peace officer in 1973. Ive been in law enforcement holding different positions since then. I served approximately 17 years as the chief of police prior to coming to the sheriffs office. I spent seven-and-a-half years in Denver City, Texas, as chief. I spent six years in Hempstead as chief. Sheriff Smith replaced me when I left to go to Navasota as chief. A lot of people dont know that, but he replaced me as chief when I left Hempstead.

I have a little over 44 years experience as a peace officer and jailer.

You were retired at one point but actually came out of retirement to become chief deputy. What made you decide to leave retirement?

Sheriff Smith was a dear friend of mine. The other chief deputy left and retired, and Sheriff and I were talking about it one day, and I decided to come back. I have a daughter thats still in school. I had retired to help take care of my in-laws, and my father-in-law passed away, and then my mother-in-law moved off to Missouri to be with her kids.

I came back to work to help Sheriff Smith out.

You became sheriff after the passing of Sheriff Glenn Smith, a man you worked with for many years and knew very well. What was that like?

He was a good friend and dear friend- more like a brother to me. Thats one reason I came back to work for him. Its been difficult with his sudden passing. I ran the agency for almost two weeks before I was appointed.

To be truthful, it was an honor to be able to be appointed sheriff to finish out his term. Ive been pretty much with him ever since he was elected, except for the year I left and then came back.

It is an honor and a privilege for me to take the sheriffs position so I can finish out his term. We have our new buildings were going to be getting into, and I wanted to finish out his term so we can hand over the new buildings and everything to a new sheriff in January.

Its an honor and a privilege just to be able to serve the citizens of this county as their sheriff.

This is a challenging time to become sheriff. In addition to the pandemic, were now in hurricane season. What are some of the things your office is doing to address these issues, and what can you tell us about your experiences in dealing with them?

We work really closely with our office of emergency management and with the judges office and other agencies. Were making sure that everybody has a mask and is social distancing at the office. Our guys and gals wear a mask if theyre on call or if theyre doing traffic stops or anything like that.

We have the spray that we can spray the cars with for the deputies. We sanitize the office. We sanitize the jail a couple of times to keep everybody safe and hopefully stay that way.

Its the same with the hurricanes. We deal with the office of emergency management here in Waller County. Ive been dealing with hurricanes ever since I moved to Hempstead in 1996.

In fact, my daughter was born a week before Hurricane Rita in 2005, and I ended up dealing with Hurricane Rita in Navasota.

Ive been through a couple of hurricanes since Ive been here. I learned from Sheriff Smith on how we deal with this stuff. Our deputies have been great about if we need extra help, theyll come out.

We always have a lot of help, and we have other agencies in the county that help us out during hurricanes. We all work together when it comes to hurricanes and any other major incident weve had in the past.

Tell us about Waller County. It abuts Harris and Fort Bend counties, but its smaller in population. What makes it unique from other places?

We still have the same problems that Fort Bend has and that Houston has, just on a smaller scale. Our population is around 53,000. But we have the same problems they do as far as domestic violence, DWIs and everything like that.

The one thing thats unique is that you still have that small town feel. Everybody waves, and everybody is there for law enforcement. You still have people in the rural areas, and you feel like youre still in the country.

Im not that far from Hempstead, but I still have my place, and Im able to go out and look at the trees and look at the cows and have my own place just like everybody else does. Youre able to get out of town, and youre not stuck in Houston where you got houses right next to you.

I think thats the one thing that makes us unique and gives us that good hometown feeling.

Your term ends Dec. 31 of this year, and youve stated you wont be running for election for a second term. What made you decide not to seek another term?

I never wanted to run anyway. I never was on the first ballot. I have not ever even considered running, but I came to work for Sheriff Smith when he was running. I was here to help him, and when Ive filled his term for him, Ill let someone else get elected.

claire.goodman@chron.com
Shilpa Shinde Explains Why She Wont Work With Sunil Grover; Says She Was Used As A Prop On Gangs Of Filmistan
The Czech foreign ministry said Monday it had summoned the Chinese envoy to Prague after Beijing threatened an opposition politician currently on a visit to Taiwan.

A delegation led by Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil arrived in Taipei on Sunday, angering China which is trying to keep the island isolated from the rest of the world.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China would make Vystrcil "pay a high price for his short-sighted behaviour and political speculation", calling the journey a "provocation".

The Czech foreign ministry then said on its website that deputy minister Martin Tlapa had summoned the ambassador, expressing "fundamental disapproval" of the statement.

Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said earlier on Monday he expected China to explain Yi's words.

"Of course the journey has an impact on our relationships with China, but I think this has gone too far," he told journalists.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has labelled the statement "impertinent and inappropriate".

Beijing said later on Monday that Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang had recently summoned Czech ambassador to China, Vladimir Tomsik, and "lodged solemn representations".

Qin said Vystrcil's visit was a "serious violation of China's sovereignty" and vowed Beijing would "make the necessary response to protect its own legitimate interests," according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

- One China policy -

The Czech government accepts the One China policy under which Beijing considers Taiwan a part of its territory, with reunification by force an option, and does not send official delegations to the island.

But Vystrcil is a member of the right-wing opposition Civic Democrats and is not bound by the protocol.

His 90-member group, including politicians, entrepreneurs, scientists and journalists, will stay in Taiwan until Friday.

He will give a speech in Taiwan's parliament on Tuesday and will meet President Tsai Ing-wen, whose re-election earlier this year upset China as she views the island as a sovereign nation.

Story continues

Vystrcil said his trip would fulfil the legacy of the late Czech president Vaclav Havel, a human rights fighter and dissident leader of the 1989 Velvet Revolution which toppled communism in the former Czechoslovakia.

Vystrcil is following in the footsteps of his predecessor Jaroslav Kubera, who died of a heart attack in January while planning the Taiwan visit.

After Kubera's death, Czech media published a letter stamped by the Chinese embassy in Prague and which threatened both Kubera and Czech companies intending to accompany him on the trip.

Ties between Prague and China suffered a blow last October when Prague city hall, run by a mayor from the anti-establishment Pirate Party, pulled out of a twinning deal with Beijing over its insistence on the One-China policy.

Prague mayor Zdenek Hrib, who is on Vystrcil's delegation, then signed a partnership agreement with Taipei in January, triggering outrage in Beijing.

frj/spm/gle
SPRINGFIELD  The former director of facility maintenance at American International College pleaded guilty to a bribery scheme, admitting he skimmed nearly $1 million from contractors in exchange for hiring them for different jobs at the city campus as well as at three other colleges where he worked.

Floyd Young, 50, of Shelton, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and three counts of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds on Monday in federal court in Springfield.

U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni has scheduled sentencing for Feb. 1, 2021. As part of the plea, Young agreed to pay $919,066 in restitution, the amount he admitted to receiving in bribes, according to a statement from U.S. District Attorney Andrew Lelling.

A federal investigation into the bribes found Young conducted the scheme while working as the director of facilities management at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and later continued it when he worked as vice president for campus services for American International College between 2013 and 2016, the director of facilities management at Cornell Tech, Cornell University in New York between 2016 and 2018 and finally the director of facilities management at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, court records showed.

Young steered contracts for construction, repair, maintenance, and other work for the collegiate institutions to favored contractors who paid him bribes, typically in the amount of 15% of the contract. The contractors inflated the amount of the invoices submitted to the collegiate institutions in order to be repaid the cost of the bribe payment made to Young, the statement said. On occasion, Young and the contractors arranged for no-work invoices to be submitted to the collegiate institutions and then split the payment, the statement said.

The federal investigation discovered Young received about $242,297 in kickbacks from an unnamed contractor while working at American International College. The contractor received more than $1.4 million in payments for work done on the campus and paid Young a 15% kickback, in cash, on $1.37 million of the money he received. In addition, the contractor identified fraudulent invoices he submitted, court records showed.

(The contractor) also identified a number of fraudulent invoices for which no work was completed, federal court records show.

The plea comes at a time when the college is struggling financially because of the coronavirus pandemic and has laid off three tenured faculty, five other faculty, eliminated five degree programs and made other cuts.

Federal agents started investigating suspicions of the kickbacks and approached the contractor around 2018. The contractor agreed to cooperate with investigators and wore an audio and video wire while passing $4,000 in kickbacks at two different occasions to Young, court records.

That person told agents he first met Young while being working with another contract around 2007 when Young was working at Sacred Heart University. At the time, he told the contractor that he could secure work there as long as he paid the kickback fee of 15%, records said.

The pay to play arrangement resumed when Young was hired at American International College after spending three years at a university in Iowa. The contractor told agents he was contacted by Young, who told him he had moved back to New England and suggested he bid on jobs at the campus.

Young specifically reminded (the contractor) that he continued to require the 15% fee for each job, records said.

When Young moved onto to Cooper Union he again encouraged the business owner to bid on jobs there, court records said.

Federal agents also interviewed two other contractors who worked with Young and they confirmed jobs would be steered to them, typically for a 15% kickback.

One of the contractors who worked at Cooper Union told investigators he would ask Young how much he had left in his budget for a job and would inflate a work invoice for the remaining amount and give Young a third of that amount as a kickback, court records said.

Young was charged by criminal complaint and arrested in March, records show.

He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines of up to $250,000, Lelling said.

Related content:

American International College officials say $17 million budget deficit will force layoffs

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Man injured in Springfield daytime shooting in Six Corners neighborhood
TORONTO - Barrick Gold Corp. says it has suffered further setbacks in its fight with the national government over control of its Porgera Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea.

The operating company that represents the Toronto-based miner and its partners says it lost a court challenge in the country over rights to the gold mine and intends to appeal to the countrys supreme court.

It adds it has confirmation from the prime minister that the government has granted a special mining lease for Porgera to Kumul Mineral Holdings Ltd., the national mining company.

Barrick Niugini Ltd., the joint venture mine operator that is owned 47.5 per cent each by Barrick and Zijin Mining Group of China, with the rest held by local landowners and the Enga provincial government, suspended production in April and placed the mine on care and maintenance status.

It laid off 2,650 local mine workers in July, making permanent temporary layoffs enacted when the government said it would not extend its special mining lease.

In May, Barrick Gold removed Porgera output from its overall 2020 production guidance, dropping it by about 200,000 ounces to between 4.6 and 5.0 million ounces, just as gold prices began to soar to record heights.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ABX)
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En espanol | Over the past year, there's been an astounding 5,680 percent growth in telemedicine claims to private insurers, according to FAIR Health, a national, independent nonprofit group. The FAIR Health National Private Insurance Claims database, the nation's largest repository of private health insurance claims, shows that in March and April, private national spending on telemedicine services was nearly $4 billion, compared to less than $60 million for those two months in 2019.



"This is the wave of the future, says Christopher Regal, director of clinical innovation at America's Health Insurance Plans, who notes that while the current spikes in usage may come down, telehealth is likely to be incorporated more broadly going forward and that telemedicine is reducing no-show rates at appointments due to convenience."
CARLSBAD, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Carlsbad, California based NEUROHACKER COLLECTIVE achieves # 412 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of "Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America." This recognition comes as the supplement company reports three-year revenue growth of 1119.9% percent.

Neurohacker Collective was founded in 2015 with the mission of advancing human quality of life by creating best in class well-being products using a unique research and development methodology premised on complex systems science. This innovative scientific approach focuses on supporting the body's ability to self-regulate. The company began with a focus on optimizing human cognition with its Qualia Mind nootropic products. They've since launched a rapidly expanding and successful product lineup across categories in the trillion-dollar wellness marketplace, supporting health needs such as longevity, energy, and sleep.

The Inc. 5000 ranks the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Intuit, Patagonia, Zappos and many other Fortune 1000 giants gained early national exposure by achieving inclusion in the annual Inc. rankings. The 2020 rankings show Neurohacker Collective among the top-5 fastest-growing companies in America specializing in supplemental nutrition products.

Not only have the 2020 Inc. 5000 companies performed well within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth. Those included have achieved a blistering three-year average growth rate of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000's aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs in the past three years.

2020's Inc. 5000 features company profiles and an interactive database that sorts ranked companies by industry, region, and other criteria. It can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. Neurohacker Collective will be featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12th, along with the other members of 2020's Inc. 5000.

"Ranking 412 in the 2020 Inc. 5000 list is a great achievement for all our team's hard work. We are truly thankful for our community and investors who are as passionate as we are about our Qualia products." -James Schmachtenberger, CEO

In the near future, Neurohacker Collective will develop solutions for mood, pain, skin health, immune function, fitness performance, hormone balancing, and cardiovascular health.

About Neurohacker

Neurohacker Collective was founded in 2015 with the mission to advance human quality life by creating best in class well-being products. Neurohacker Collective's products are radically different because they employ a unique methodology to research and development based on complex systems science. This scientific approach focuses on supporting the body's ability to self-regulate. The company began focusing on cognitive products with the launch of Qualia Mind and has released products to support longevity, energy, and sleep in the last year. Learn more about their scientific approach here .

About Inc. Media

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc.

SOURCE Neurohacker Collective

Related Links

http://www.neurohacker.com


Kansas Supreme Court Reverses Criminal Threat Conviction By ANDY TSUBASA FIELD, Associated Press/Report for America TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Supreme Court has reversed a Topeka real estate developer's conviction for threatening another man, saying a law used to convict him criminalizes free speech.

An important update on fighting words and the American discourse that still won't stop your drunk uncle from getting cancelled and losing his job as an entry level stocker at an auto parts chain because of his views on flat Earth.Read more:
The European Investment Bank (EIB) said it will invest 650 million euros into the construction of Kanpur's first metro line, enabling about three million people in the city to benefit from green, fast and affordable public transport.

The EIB, in a statement, said the new metro rail system will reduce commuting hours and unlock new employment and education opportunities in Kanpur, the industrial capital of Uttar Pradesh.

The EIB is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its member states. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.

This is the second metro rail project supported by the EIB in Uttar Pradesh, following the 450 million euros investment in the development of a metro rail system in the city of Lucknow.

The second biggest EIB operation outside the EU to date will finance the construction of a 32.4 km urban rail line, with 18 elevated and 12 underground stations, the statement said.

Once completed, Kanpur metro rail will create 1,100 new jobs and enable around 116 million more affordable commutes each year, it said.

This is the fifth EIB investment in green infrastructure and connectivity in India. The EU bank has invested in metro rail systems in Bhopal, Pune, Bangalore and Lucknow.

With the Kanpur investment, the total amount of the EIB's approved support for metro rail systems in India has reached 2.65 billion euros, more than half of the entire EIB investment portfolio in India, the statement said.

In addition to creating an affordable and accessible public transport network and a reliable alternative to heavily congested streets, the new metro will reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality across the city, it said.

Andrew McDowell, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, said: "Kanpur is the fifth metro rail project to receive EIB funds in India and the biggest investment made by the Bank outside the EU."

"The metro will have a positive impact on quality of life and doing business in the city through access to affordable transport, creating new employment and education opportunities. It will be a safe, green and affordable transport alternative for Kanpur and its visitors," McDowell said.

"We are also glad to see this project is contributing to global climate action while strengthening EU-India relations," he said.

EU Ambassador to India Ugo Astuto said at the last EU-India summit on July 15, the EU and India discussed how to put climate action and the green transition at the heart of our economic recovery post COVID.

Sustainable mobility is a key component of this strategy, towards modern, clean and healthy economies, he said.

"The Kanpur project is an important investment in making public transport efficient, safe and sustainable. I am happy to see the European Investment Bank fully engaged in this transformational process," he said.

Kumar Keshav, Managing Director of Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation, said, "UPMRC is extremely thankful to European Investment Bank for their continued support for the development of metro rail projects in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Comfortable, fast, safe, energy efficient and affordable public transport systems like metros are needed for cities to become the engines of growth in our country."
The red and yellow food truck parked on Franklin Avenue in Gentilly has giant crawfish painted across its flanks, though lately the seafood boil smells drifting around it have been replaced by the aroma of barbecue. These are smoke signals of much more to come.

Chris Shaggy Davis, founder of the catering company NOLA Crawfish King, is building a new market and takeout shop at 5321 Franklin Ave. Slated to open in October, it will be called NOLA Crawfish King Seafood & Barbeque. Seasonal boiled seafood and year-round smoked meats will be the main acts.

Until the shop is open, Davis is slinging barbecue plates, sandwiches and snacks from the food truck, where through the spring he was selling crawfish.

For Davis, the shop represents a big change of plans, and a bid to keep his company alive as his main business has been sidelined by the pandemic.

The whole entire game changed overnight, said Davis. I had to look at something different.

Davis got his start with backyard boils, but soon went pro. He once had an eatery in Mid-City called Shaggys, a forerunner to the dressed-up hot dog trend. But event catering quickly became his focus. NOLA Crawfish King provides boils at events and festivals around the country, including a long-running summer gig cooking backstage for musicians and crew at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Tennessee.

Back home, he started a spinoff catering brand, NOLA Cochon King, to field barbecue requests, and he created the NOLA Crawfish Festival a few years back as a music and food event between Jazz Fest weekends.

With giant trailer-mounted boilers, hes equipped to feed hundreds or more at once.

Now, hes banking on a smaller scale neighborhood business, in a neighborhood that has long been hungry for more food options.

This Franklin Avenue storefront had been a seafood market called Cousins Seafood, though its been vacant for years. Now, its front and flank have been transformed with murals by local artist Zac Maras, who also painted the food truck (his work also covers the exterior of Toups' Meatery in Mid-City).

The new shop will have takeout meals but wont be a dine-in restaurant. Inside, youll find a counter for seafood and cases for specialty meats (like cracklin and hogs headcheese) and grab-and-go prepared foods for home. For the holidays hell have smoked and fried turkeys too.

Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

NOLA Crawfish King Seafood & Barbeque will join a small cluster of businesses on Franklin Avenue by Fillmore Avenue, between the Original Fiorellas Cafe, Pepperoni Rays at Cafe Gentilly and the Happy Discount gas station and market.

Davis set up his food truck here over the spring to sell crawfish and was impressed by the response. The colorful truck drew neighborhoods, people working in the area and others stopping to fill up at the gas station. As crawfish season trailed off, he switched to barbecue and has been smoking meats on a portable trailer.

He plans to keep the food truck serving while construction continues next door. Look for ribs, smoked wings and platters or sandwiches of brisket and pulled pork, plus traditional sides and a pair of BBQ eggrolls, one filled with brisket boudin, the other with pork and mac and cheese.

Even though Davis knows as well as any that times are hard across the hospitality business, the new project has him fired up.

The passion is running high, Davis said.

Davis is also putting some of his big event cooking experience back into action, as part of Hurricane Laura relief. He's bringing more of his mobile kitchen equipment to the Lake Charles area to cook with the local group Gulf Coast Disaster Relief starting next weekend (the food truck will remain operational in Gentilly following its normal hours).

NOLA Crawfish King Seafood & Barbeque

5321 Franklin Ave. 504-259-0828

Shop projected to open in October

Food truck open Wed.-Sat., from 11 a.m. (hours vary with supply)

+24 To reopen Dooky Chases Restaurant, next generation digs into New Orleans legends history Restaurants everywhere are rapidly adopting new technology and trying out different business models as they struggle to stay open through the 

+14 The story of Pirogues, Mid-City Yacht Club, others: How New Orleans bars reopen as restaurants The three New Orleans bartenders who opened Pirogues Whiskey Bayou in Arabi back in 2016 could draw on decades of combined experience to star

+9 For new outdoor Mid-City restaurant Trep's, Sidney Torres taps two pros of patio dining Two valuable things for restaurants right now are space for outdoor seating, where coronavirus restrictions are looser, and a local clientele,
Belarus Detains Member Of Coordination Council, Searches Her Home

By RFE/RL's Belarus Service August 31, 2020

Belarusian law enforcement have detained a top member of a council set up to coordinate a transition of power as authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka seeks to extend his rule.

Police from the financial crimes unit detained Lilia Vlasova, one of seven members of the Coordination Council Presidium, on August 31 after searching her home earlier in the day, her colleague Paval Latushka said in a Telegram post.

Vlasova, 67, is at least the third member of the presidium to have been detained since it was set up earlier this month following nationwide protests in the wake of the disputed August 9 presidential election.

Two members of the presidium were jailed for 10 days while at least six of the seven have been questioned.

Lukashanka, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, was declared the winner in the election, which was widely viewed as rigged in his favor.

Citizens have taken to the streets over the past three weeks to protest the results and demand he step aside. As many as 200,000 people took part in the August 24 protest in the capital, Minsk.

Lukashenka has shown no sign of giving in to the protesters. In a demonstration of his defiance, he was photographed again on August 30 carrying an automatic weapon.

His prosecutor-general has opened an investigation into the council, claiming it is attempting to "seize" power illegally and of having an "anti-Russian" agenda.

As many as 600 people have been involved with the Coordination Council with about 70 forming its "backbone," opposition lawyer Maksim Znak said August 24.

Vlasova founded one of the first private law practices in Belarus in 1990 and helped develop the process of resolving cases through mediation for which she was recognized by the Union of Belarus Lawyers.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus- detains-member-of-coordination-council- searches-her-home/30813609.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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The Election Commission of India (ECI) is considering rolling out a stringent timeline for advertising criminal record by candidates, officials told HT.

The first public declaration might be slotted between the candidates being selected by the party to the date of the nomination being filed, they said. The second declaration might come after the returning officer accepts the nomination and the last date could be advanced to four days before campaigning ends and model code of conduct (MCC) applies, they added.

As per existing ECI guidelines, the candidates have to publish this information thrice -- once in a national and twice in a regional newspaper and thrice on TV channels.

According to the poll panels notification of October 2018, the declarations are done after the last date of withdrawal of nomination and two days before the end of campaigning. Only the candidates, who contest elections, needed to publish the detailed records.

The decision, said EC officials, is aimed at bringing greater transparency in the electoral process. The issues are being discussed, but havent been finalised yet, said an EC official familiar with the matter.

According to a second official, the decision will make information more readily available to the voters. Earlier, the ECI had directed to declare the information thrice. It was noticed that candidates try to defer the publication of their criminal records to the last possible day. The changes are being considered to favour greater awareness for the voters, he added.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Logically, the old system should remain because there is no reason for candidates to publicise antecedents if they are going to withdraw their candidature, said Singhvi. However, in totality of things and the need for disclosure and transparency, the declaration does not deserve any major objection, he added.

According to a BJP functionary, who did not wish to be named, the new rules, if implemented, could be a bit of a stretch. This will make everything more complicated, he said.

Former chief election commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi said the changes would be in compliance with the SC order. Its a good idea, said Quraishi. The number of candidates with criminal cases rising is a matter of grave concern. The voters can make a more informed choice if the candidates declare their antecedents earlier, he added.
With no power in most of Port Arthur, scores of cars lined up on on Gilham Circle around Barbara Jacket Park on Monday afternoon to get water, ice, and cartons of individual ready to eat meals from the National Guard, assisted by Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston.
New York  Getting an Amazon package delivered from the sky is closer to becoming a reality.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it had granted Amazon approval to deliver packages by drones.

Amazon said that the approval is an important step, but added that it is still testing and flying the drones. It did not say when it expected drones to make deliveries to shoppers.

The online shopping giant has been working on drone delivery for years, but it has been slowed by regulatory hurdles. Back in December 2013, Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos said in a TV interview that drones would be flying to customers homes within five years.

Last year, Amazon unveiled self-piloting drones that are fully electric, can carry 5 pounds of goods and are designed to deliver items in 30 minutes by dropping them in a backyard. At the time, an Amazon executive said deliveries to shoppers would be happening within months, but more than 14 months have passed since then.

Seattle-based Amazon is the third drone delivery service to win flight approval, the FAA said. Delivery company UPS and a company owned by search giant Google won approval last year.
19:15- Amit Khare, Secretary of Higher Education, to ANI

JEE Exam was conducted smoothly all over the country. I would like to thank all the state governments and officials of the National Testing Agency for the smooth conduct of the examination.

15:14 - West Bengal: Heavy rain, lack of transport hassle JEE Main candidates

Candidates appearing for JEE (Main) examination in West Bengal had a difficult time reaching their test centres on Tuesday morning owing to heavy rain and lack of transport. The government had asked all state transport utilities to commence bus services from 5 am in view of the exam, but several candidates in North 24 Parganas, Berhampur, Malda and Siliguri claimed that they had to wait for hours, braving downpour, to get a bus to reach their test centres.

15:10 - In Bihar, trains, special buses arranged For Students

Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi tweeted "I have talked to @PiyushGoyal for starting local trains so students appearing for JEE Main exam dont have any difficulty in going to exam centres.He has instructed accordingly.Bihar govt has also arranged buses for students.#JEEMains2020

14:35 - Second shift begins







14:24 - Social distancing norms followed properly at Delhi centre, says a candidate

A resident of Haryanas Revari, had travelled to Delhi on a Roadways bus on Monday to appear in JEE (Main). He had chosen Delhi as the centre. I was really scared about the safety measures at the centres but when I reached here in Vivek Vihar I found everything in place. Social distancing norms were properly followed at the examination centre. We were asked to dispose of the face masks we were wearing and were given new masks. There were guards at the entry and exit points with sanitiser spray. Everyone was wearing masks inside the centre, he said.

12:44 - The first session of first day of JEE Main got over at 12 noon. Like the entry candidates made staggered exit to maintain social distancing.

The preparations to ensure necessary COVID-19 protection protocols for conducting Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2020 from September 1 to 6 have been made in Karnataka, said Dr K Sudhakar, State Medical Education Minister

11:48 - Uttarakhand govt running special buses for students in all 13 districts

Uttarakhand government is running special buses for exam aspirants in every district from the district headquarters to the exam centres. At present, two buses each will ply in the 13 districts, but the service can be increased if needed. Uttarakhand has over 13,000 aspirants appearing for the JEE this year.

The test will be held in two shifts, of three hours each, every day till September 6. The first shift exam is being conducted and will conclude at 12.30 pm. The second shift will start at 3 pm instead of 2 pm as sanitization drive will be held in the meantime at exam halls, as per the NTA. At the entry of the registration room their body temperature is recorded through the thermal gun. After due verification, invigilator checks seat allocation chart and direct them to their examination room as per roll number.

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to postpone JEE Main examination for students residing in flood-affected areas in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. However, it said that students residing in flood-hit areas can approach the National Testing Agency (NTA), if they were unable to reach the exam centre or reached late. The court asked NTA to check the veracity of the claims and decide their representation within 15 days.

JEE and NEET aspirants will be allowed to travel by special suburban services in Mumbai. The Admit Card of candidates will be considered as the authority to enter suburban stations with companions including parents or guardians. They, however, will have to purchase travel tickets.

10:45 - Bombay HC allows JEE Mains, says flood-hit students may apply to NTA

Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court allows the conducting of the JEE examination. The Court issues direction that those who are affected by flood and can't reach the exam centres may apply to the appropriate authority - National Testing Agency (NTA).  ANI.

10:32 - Documents needed at exam centre

- Admit Card along with self-declaration(undertaking) downloaded from the NTA website and printed on A4 size paper and duly filled in.- A simple transparent Ball Point Pen- Additional photograph, to be pasted on attendance sheet- Personal hand sanitizer (50 ml)

- Personal transparent water bottle

09:56 - Well prepared to hold JEE, NEET exams: Gujarat Govt

A total of 38,167 students are expected to appear for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission in engineering and pharmacy courses. The test will be conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) at 32 centres in 13 districts between September 1 and 6, state Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said in a statement. "The state administration is ready to host JEE and NEET in a hassle-free manner amid coronavirus pandemic scare. All collectors concerned have been asked to follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) laid down by the Centre about conducting such exams," he told PTI

09:55 - JEE Main slot 1 exam begins with unprecedented precautions

Slot 1 of the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) for admission to top engineering colleges in the country begins at various centres across the nation with unprecedented preparations.

09:53 - JEE Main begins across India with COVID-19 precautions

Despite protests and hunger strike by students and opposition parties, the Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) Main for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) has begun with precautions amid COVID-19 on Tuesday.

09:48 - Candidates arrive centres for the JEE Main exam in Jammu & Kashmir

Candidates arrive at Chenab College of Education in Kaluchak that has been designated as an exam centre for JEE Main. A candidate says, "Today we have the exam of B. Architecture, therefore there are fewer students. It's good that the exam is being conducted."  ANI reports.

Step 1: Candidates report in batches from 11 am onwards

Step 2: At the entry of the registration room their body temperature is recorded through the thermal gun.

Step 3: If the temperature (< 37.4C/99.4F), they move for frisking

Step 4: If the temperature is (> 37.4C/99.4F), they will be taken to the isolation room. All processes of frisking and document verification will be done after a period of 15-20 minutes. In this time their temperature may become even normal, if not they will be allowed to take the examination alone in a separate room.

Step 5: Candidates display admit card, valid government ID proof, PwD certificate(if PwD candidate), scribe undertaking (if applicable in proforma given in the information bulletin) to the invigilator on duty across the table.

Step 6: After due verification, invigilator checks seat allocation chart and direct them to their examination room as per roll number

Step 7: Invigilator on duty outside the registration room ensures that students enter the registration room in batches of 10 (first) and then the next five students. When the first five leave. After leaving he/she directs Candidates to their examination room.

09:34 - Bombay HC allows conduct of JEE Main 2020 examinations

Nagpur bench of Bombau HC has allowed for the JEE Main 2020 examination to be conducted as per schedule. As for the students facing problems due to flood situation in parts of the state, the bench has asked the students to individually approach NTA for resolution of their concerns. Students can also contact NTA on the given helpline numbers.

09:23 - Candidates arrive at SJM Infotech Private Limited in Bengaluru, which has been designated as an exam centre for the test. The temperature of candidates being checked as they arrive.  reports ANI.

09:20 - Candidates start arriving at TCS ION Digital zone in Ahmedabad, designated as an examination centre for the exam. The COVID 19 measures, guidelines are being followed and the temperature of candidates being checked at the centre. (ANI reports). 09:04 - Students permitted to enter the exam centre after temperature checks. Here are pictures.

With the examination set to begin, the students have started to arrive at the various centres as per the time slots allotted to them. Pictures of temperature checks, spcial distancing from exam centres in Delhi, Nagpur, Kolkata are available now.

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main will commence from September 1 after having been postponed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic. Amid COVID-19 guidelines, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is all prepared to conduct the exam.

Exams to be conducted from September 1 to September 6 with about 9.58 lakh students have registered for the exam across 660 centres. For needy students, a group of IIT alumni have launched a website for free transport facility to exam centres. States governments have also assured free transportation.

Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' has appealed to the chief ministers of various states to support the students appearing for the exam.

The JEE (Main) was originally scheduled to be held from April 7-11, but was postponed to July 18-23. It was postponed again till September. Based on the results of the JEE (Mains), the top 2.5lakh candidates will be eligible to appear for the JEE (Advanced) for admission into the 23 premier Indian Institutes of Technology.

JEE Main 2020 will be computer-based and there will be a gap of at least one computer between every student. The number of students per room has been brought down to 12 from 24. The shifts of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2020 will be held in two shifts per day that makes a total of 12 shifts in six days. The first shift will be between 9 am to 12 noon and the second will be from 3 pm to 6 pm.

There has been demand for further postponing of the JEE (main) and medical entrance exam NEET-UG amid rising COVID-19 cases. As per the SOP in place, before the start of each shift and after the last shift ends, all seats, including the workstation and keyboards will be disinfected. The complete centre, its walls, toilets and doors will also be thoroughly sanitised. Hand sanitisers will be available at the entrance of the examination centre and inside the exam hall. Each candidate will be offered a three-ply mask at the time of entry and is expected to wear the same during the examination.

JEE Main 2020: What is allowed inside the exam centre

- Admit Card  Duly filled all pages of the admit card

- Government ID has to be carried by the candidates as instructed on the admit card. PAN card/Driving License/Voter ID/12th Class Board Admit or Registration card/ Passport/ Aadhaar Card (With photograph)/ E-Aadhaar/ Ration Card./ Aadhaar Enrolment No. with Photo. All other ID/Photocopies of IDs even if attested/scanned photo of IDs in mobile phone will NOT be considered as valid ID Proof.

- PwD certificate issued by competent authority (for those claiming relxation under PwD category). The scribe must also carry the self declaration regarding the educational qualification, passport size photograph, valid government identity as well as COVID19 self declration.

- Candidate must also bring his/her own scribe.

- Simple transparent ball point pen  please note, earlier NTA used to provide the pens at the exam centre. However, this year, due to pandemic, NTA has permitted students to carry their own ball point pen to the examination centre. It should, however, be transparent body simple pen.

- For Part III B. Arch Paper, candidates are required to bring their own Geometry Box set, pencils, erasers, colour pencils or crayons. (Water Colours are not allowed).

- Additional photograph to be passed on the attendance sheet  the invigilator would provide students sanitizer before the attendance sheet is handed over to the student to paste the picture. Also, the picture that was uploaded to the examination form should be the one that the student should carry. In case it is different, please ensure that it matches the uploaded image as far as possible.

- 50 ml bottle of Personal hand sanitizer. Students would be allowed to carry the same inside the venue as well. Also, sanitizers would be provided at the venue for students at multiple points.

- Transparent water bottle would also be allowed inside. Students must ensure that the water bottle is clear and does not have any labels on it.

JEE Main 2020: What is Not allowed

- Students would not be allowed to carry their mobile phones inside the examination centre. Even though candidates have been asked to download Aarogya Setu app, the phones would have to be left outside the examination centre.

- Rough Sheets would be provided at the examination centres and students are not allowed to carry them. Rough sheets would be placed at the computer by invigilators wearing gloves to ensure hygiene.

- Calculators, any electronic gadget like smart watches, Bluetooth devices, ear phones, etc. are not allowed inside the examination.

- Shoes/footwear with thick soles and garments with large buttons are NOT permitted.
Everywhere you look, responsible adults are wearing masks in public. This is great news and sure to help contain the deadly contagion COVID-19 from spreading and keep more of our friends, neighbours and community members safe.

Evidence is mounting on the effectiveness of masks with the World Health Organization recommending masks for the general public. Several Canadian cities and provinces have all mandated the use of masks in indoor public spaces and on public transit.

While N95 masks should be de rigeur among health professionals on the front lines of the epidemic, for the public, even homemade cotton masks are helpful to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

But theres one group that needs a different kind of mask: caregivers of young children. Caregivers of very young children should avoid wearing standard masks for long hours because it eliminates the childs ability to read and respond to caregiver facial cues.

Children under three years of age present a special case because their brains are still rapidly developing. According to the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, in the first few years of life, more than one million new neural connections form every second.

These early years are the most active period for establishing neural connections that can last a lifetime. After this period of rapid proliferation, connections are reduced through a process called pruning, which allows brain circuits to become more efficient.

For children under three years of age, their brain development is exquisitely sensitive to social cues  from their caregivers  and most of those cues are in the face. You may have heard of the importance of serve and return with young children, the back and forth interactions deemed essential to promote healthy brain development. In infants as young as nine weeks, mothers mirroring infant facial expressions and mothers marking special moments with smiles was found to underpin infant cognitive and social-emotional development.

In the famous still-face paradigm in which mothers are asked to keep their faces still for an extended period, infants and young children become very upset, initially trying to engage their mothers, and when that fails to elicit any response, the children typically dissolve into tears and hopeless withdrawal. For toddlers, evidence shows that they monitor their mothers smiles to judge whether to try novel activities that are essential to promote brain development and optimal mental health.

Standard masks would eliminate these visible cues for infants and young children and mimic aspects of the still-face.

The younger children are, and the longer they are exposed to blank, expressionless (save the eyes) faces, the more risk to the childs healthy brain development and mental health over the lifespan. While for older children, more subtle cues such as smiling eyes and auditory cues that signal intent may help fill the vacuum, for younger children, exquisitely sensitive to stimuli, brain development is more likely to be negatively impacted.

So, what can be done?

The solution is simple. Members of the deaf community have already offered it  clear masks. Where masks are to be worn in child care settings, caregivers should wear clear masks. Homespun versions have sprung up, however, some are even FDA approved.

Across the country, health authorities have scrambled to develop or adapt policies on mask wearing in childcare settings, but recommendations range widely.

In Quebec, daycare workers in direct contact with children should wear masks when unable to practice physical distancing, impossible with infants and young children. In Alberta, it appears that masks should be worn for prolonged close interactions, and mandatory if groups are larger than 10 or if a child develops symptoms. Toronto Public Health advocates for mask wearing when necessary, for example, when providing direct care or consoling a child.

To our knowledge, health authorities have not offered clear guidelines to differentiate the needs of older from younger children. They need to. Quality clear masks need to be demanded, produced, available and prioritized for use by all institutional caregivers of young children.

Without clear masks, childcare settings need funding to ensure that staff are working in environments that follow all public health guidelines to otherwise minimize the use of standard masks with younger children.

These are challenging times that require innovative solutions. But lets not forget to address and prevent collateral damage to our littlest citizens. One-size solutions dont fit all.
Fire officials on Tuesday cautioned crews battling the three major blazes in the Bay Area to remain vigilant and avoid complacency  even with full containment of the regional fires in sight.

The warning came the day after one firefighter was killed and another injured battling the August Lightning Complex blazes in Mendocino County. Media outlets in Texas identified the fallen first responder as Diana Jones, a firefighter and paramedic with the Cresson Volunteer Fire Department near Fort Worth. Jones worked with a company that contracted with the federal government to deploy firefighters to California.

The August Complex  comprising 37 fires in and around the Mendocino National Forest  was 20% contained after burning more than 242,000 acres, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group reported Tuesday.

Forest Service officials said the firefighter was killed in a vehicle accident that injured the second firefighter while working on the Tatham Fire. A third firefighter was not injured.

This was a tragic incident and our hearts go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of the fallen firefighter, said Acting Forest Supervisor Sandra Moore. Right now we are committed to providing support to those involved, while safely continuing firefighting operations.

Crews battling the CZU Complex fires in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties observed a moment of silence for the fallen firefighter on Tuesday morning.

Right now is the time not to be complacent, Cal Fire Division Chief Damon Godden told crews during their daily operational update. Stay engaged, keep your head on a swivel and keep your folks safe.

Godden asked crews to remember the 2008 death of Andy Palmer, an 18-year-old National Park Service firefighter hit by a falling tree while battling a blaze in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Palmer died at an airport more than three hours after he was struck, waiting to be taken to the hospital. The NPS called Palmers death a jarring wake-up call for many in the wildland firefighting community, and the incident led to firefighting groups developing more robust medical-emergency protocols.

When you go into your assignment, think about this: What are you going to do if someone gets hurt? Godden said. How will you get them out of there, and how long will it take to get them to the hospital?

Fire officials said they expect the CZU Lightning Complex fires  which have burned more than 85,000 acres  to be fully contained next week.

Crews continued encountering problems with fires at higher elevations in the Santa Cruz Mountains  where added moisture and humidity cant reach, and potential fuel remains dry and susceptible to burning.

Firefighters focus remained on the northern section of the fire zone, in Butano State Park in San Mateo County, where active fire continues to burn.

Repopulation efforts took place Monday and Tuesday along the southern section of the blaze, near Davenport (Santa Cruz County). With more evacuees returning, firefighters have fielded more calls for service from residents as pockets of smoke and fire continue to pop up, Cal Fire Chief Mark Brunton said.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

Areas around and north of Boulder Creek have not been repopulated because of concerns about non-fire hazards, Brunton said.

Its more the hazard trees that have continued to fall and the hot ash pits that we want to render safe before we allow people back in, because we dont want anybody to get injured or killed from any of those hazards that exist, Brunton said.

The LNU Lightning Complex fires, burning in several North Bay counties, including Napa and Sonoma, as well as Lake County, jumped to 74% containment Tuesday after having burned more than 375,000 acres, fire officials said.

Good news continued to come from crews battling the SCU Complex fires. Evacuation orders in San Joaquin, Santa Clara and Alameda counties were lifted Monday.

The SCU Complex fires are 72% contained after having burned more than 391,000 acres.

Michael Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: michael.williams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michaeldamianw
Houston, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - ScribeRule Inc., the developers of InfinityVault, today announced that John Stenbit has joined ScribeRule as an independent member of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Stenbit's career spans over 30 years of public and private sector service in the telecommunications and command and control fields. He served as the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence and its successor organization, Networks and Information Integration, and the former Department of Defense (DoD) Chief Information Officer. He previously held positions as chair of the R&D Advisory Board to the FAA Administrator and chair of the Technical Advisory Board to the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He also serves on the Advisory Board of the National Security Agency.

Mr. Stenbit holds a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. In 1999, Mr. Stenbit was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. He has received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding and Exceptional Public Service.

Additionally, Mr. Stenbit's experiences include:

Science Advisory Group to the directors of Naval Intelligence

Defense Communications Agency

Consultant and member of the Defense Science Board

STRATCOM Advisory Board

National Reconnaissance Office Advisory Group.

"The addition of Mr. Stenbit, with his exceptional technical background overseeing highly sensitive and confidential information, further validates the importance and innovation of our cyber security technology, InfinityVault," stated Alan Harvey, CEO at ScribeRule. John joins a strong and experienced Board that includes former director of both the CIA and NSA Michael Hayden, 4-star Air Force General (retired) and Bobby Inman, 4-star Admiral (retired) who served as the Director of the NSA, Deputy Director of the CIA and Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. I expect the board will continue to grow as we find the right expertise to bring to ScribeRule." Mr. Harvey concluded "We are currently reviewing options to access capital in the near future to accelerate growth and build the value of ScribeRule for our stakeholders. We are considering multiple avenues and hope to bring needed capital to allow the company to enter into a new phase in the second half of 2020."

"I am excited about joining ScribeRule. Their technology (InfinityVault) is a game changer in how information will be protected in both the public and private sectors." Mr. Stenbit stated. "The opportunity in front of us is massive and today's environment, where people are working remotely and data security is critical, will open up many more doors than to just government agencies. The technology and level of security offered by InfinityVault is unparalleled and I'm honored to be joining Messrs. Hayden, Inman and Harvey on this high-powered board."

About ScribeRule: ScribeRule provides cyber security as a service through its InfinityVault technology. By protecting information (data) rather than the network environment, InfinityVault provides the last layer of defense against bad actors, while securely storing data through novel encryption technology tested at the highest levels. Highly valuable sensitive information must be protected from outside attacks, inside attacks (internal data thieves) as well as accidental loss through employee error. ScribeRule's InfinityVault, with its proprietary technology and ongoing AI development and detection, is the only product capable of multifaceted protection while improving authorized users' overall productivity.

Alan Harvey

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

(281) 536-3072

Chris Melson

President and Chief Operating Officer

(713) 447-4276

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63012
South Africas biggest IP convergence conference is back.

Undaunted by lockdown, this free MiRO hosted conference is bigger and better than before and for the first time, it will be 100% online and powered by Grandstream IPVideoTalk.

This online conference will be taking place from 9-11 September and has been structured to make participation as easy and convenient as possible.

Now you can discover the latest in IP-based technologies from the comfort of your home or office, wherever in the world you may be.

MiROs online IP Convergence conference (IP-CON) is the ideal information and networking opportunity for ICT decision-makers, ISPs, resellers, and technology integrators.

The 3-day conference will feature local and international experts and leaders who will discuss their first-hand knowledge of the industry and give you a glimpse of what the future holds.

From the latest Wi-Fi 6 and 5G solutions to software-defined networking, security, and IoT: IP-CON 2020 is not to be missed!

Day one opens with a welcome and keynote addresses from MiROs Managing Director, Marco de Ru and Sales Director, Jonathan Newton.

Thereafter there will be concurrent sessions led by international representatives for internationally renowned brands such as Cambium Networks, MikroTik, Uniview, Ubiquiti, Grandstream and so much more!

You can join the breakaway sessions that are relevant to your interests and industry. Topics include the latest technology developments in broadband wireless, Wi-Fi, networking, VoIP, SD-WAN, IoT, security, and IP video solutions.

Day three of the conference is set aside for technical training sessions, with trainings from UNV, Edgecore Networks, Cambium Networks, and Siklu.

Training includes best practice mmWave installations, open networking, and the technical configuration of surveillance solutions.

IP-CON 2020 is jam-packed with information to enrich businesses and enhance technical skills, and this online event will allow delegates to rub virtual shoulders with industry experts with invaluable knowledge to share.

Book your space here TODAY!
OTTAWA - Canadians will need to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated in large numbers to finally corral COVID-19 before life can return to a semblance of its pre-pandemic state, Canada's top public health officers said Tuesday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam and Dr. Howard Njoo, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, hold a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Canadians will need to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated in large numbers to finally corral COVID-19 before life can return to a semblance of its pre-pandemic state, Canada's top public health officers said Tuesday.

"Widespread vaccine uptake is the best shot Canadians have in regaining some of what we've lost and returning to things that we cherish  things like holding family and friends closely, having community events and living our lives without the fear of contracting the disease," said Dr. Theresa Tam, the country's chief medical officer.

Tam and her deputy, Dr. Howard Njoo, offered that assessment one day after the Trudeau government announced the latest instalment in its plan to pre-buy tens of millions of doses of potential vaccines, signing deals with two American firms.

The newest deals will allow Canada to buy as many as 76 million doses of a vaccine candidate from Maryland-based biotech company Novavax, and up to 38 million doses of the vaccine being developed by Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical company Janssen Inc.

Last month, the government signed similar deals with U.S. companies Pfizer and Moderna that would give Canada access to up to 76 million more doses.

Njoo said it is not clear what percentage of Canadians will need to get vaccinated to achieve broad immunity but "the more Canadians that take advantage, the better."

Both physicians evoked the dark days of forced quarantines, school closures and bans on public gatherings during the measles and polio outbreaks of the 1930s, '40s and '50s.

"Most of us are lucky. We have not had to live through these types of measures because of safe and effective vaccines for these diseases," said Tam.

"What Canada and the world needs to have for the best shot at normalcy is safe and effective vaccines."

Tam suggested that the threshold for effective immunization is a moving target because understanding the science around COVID-19 is itself a work in progress.

For regulatory purposes, she said, that level has to be continuously evaluated.

"The international consensus is that we should at least look at around the 50 per cent vaccine efficacy mark," said Tam, adding that there simply isn't a "yes or no" answer.

More will be known when the data from ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials become available, she said.

"It's a matter of remaining open to the evidence and being flexible."

Right now, there appears to be low immunity to the disease around the world, "so getting a high enough vaccine uptake is going to be quite important," said Tam.

Njoo said a vaccine could be available sometime in 2021, perhaps as early as the spring.

"We're very optimistic here in Canada and because there are number of vaccine candidates being evaluated," said Njoo.

"There could be an effective and safe vaccine, perhaps in 2021. We don't know exactly when. Perhaps in the spring, maybe a little bit later. But it's a very good thing to stay optimistic."

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.

As for whether such a vaccine should be mandatory, Njoo said it is better for people to educated about the benefits of immunization rather than have it forced upon them because that's the best way to increase the number of vaccinations.

"I think it is more important to maybe change people's attitudes who may be more reticent about getting vaccinated rather than having regulations to make vaccination mandatory," Njoo said.

While vaccines have never been made compulsory in Canada, the practice in hospitals and long-term care facilities that have had outbreaks of respiratory illnesses has been for health-care workers to be vaccinated before being allowed to return to work, he noted.

As for testing for COVID-19, Njoo said the gold standard remains the so-called PCR test, or polymerase chain reaction testing which relies on a sample collected from a person's nose or throat.

Asked about the possibility of a home test for the disease, Njoo said: "It's quite complicated but the bottom line is: we're open to examining all types of testing technologies because the more tools we have in the toolbox in terms of different types of tests available to use in different types of contexts, the better."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020.
The Delhi high courts (HC) five benches on Tuesday started physical hearing on a rotational and experimental basis with a limited entry for advocates and litigants were barred following the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

One fourth of the seven district courts in the national capital also started functioning in a restricted way with limited participation amid the easing of restrictions, despite a spike in viral infection cases in the past 10 days.

While five benches in the Delhi HC will hear cases physically, the rest of the judges will still follow their pandemic schedule of video-conference that had started in May.

The HC put out an elaborate standard operating procedure (SOP) to curtail overcrowding at court premises and start physical hearing on an experimental basis following repeated demands from various bar associations.

The SOP has stated that the entry to court blocks to attend physical hearings will be restricted to an advocate per litigant, whose case is listed on that day.

No other legal aide will be allowed to enter the premises to help the advocate. A litigant will only be allowed entry at the specific direction of the court.

The HC cause list will have two separate sections for physical and virtual hearings.

The physical hearing of cases will be restricted to a maximum 25 a day and all social distancing norms will to be maintained in the court premises.

Entry time to any court block shall be regulated as per the time slots mentioned in the cause list for different batches of cases. Each batch shall consist of 10 cases. No person shall be permitted entry inside the court blocks before the designated time slot, as per the cause list, stated an order issued by the HC.

In order to ensure strict adherence to the social distancing norms, seats in each courtroom have been limited to a bare minimum and an entry in the courtroom shall be permitted to those advocates, whose matter is called out for hearing and also for the lawyers, whose item is the immediate next, subject to availability of space, it added.

Air-conditioners have been replaced with fans following several pleas from the various bar associations.
(Natural News) The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a piece that was republished by USA Today has decided to openly vilify 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse for defending himself against Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa terrorists who initiated riots and looting after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The article, written by someone named Gina Barton, describes Rittenhouse has having opened fire in Kenosha alongside other [w]hite guys with big guns. Barton paints Rittenhouse as the aggressor in the situation, suggesting that he terrorized other black lives by raising an assault rifle and pointing it at them.

The gist of the piece is that evil whitey has once again terrorized innocent black lives by brandishing firearms in public and using scare tactics to intimidate innocent protesters seeking what they see as justice for Blake.

Because two people died after being shot by Rittenhouse, who was merely protecting himself in self-defense, he is now being charged with five felonies and a misdemeanor, which Barton seems to be gleeful about because it cuts into a local militia group, as she describes it, that is made up of [h]undreds of white men with guns, which is automatically bad.

Just like with previous rioting incidents following George Floyd and other black deaths, hordes of angry BLM and Antifa terrorists have swarmed the streets to destroy property, violently assault innocent bystanders and steal merchandise in solidarity with anti-racism. And the minute anyone fights back against it, he or she is branded as a villain, especially if white.

BLM can do no wrong, and anyone who fights back against it is evil

Bartons lengthy piece, in a nutshell, glorifies the protesters who were actually out in the streets of Kenosha destroying private property and violently assaulting the elderly (WARNING: graphic content and vulgarity) in order to end racism. Meanwhile, she vilifies Rittenhouse and others who were there to protect the city from the violent mobs looking for blood.

This has pretty much become the M.O. of the mainstream media in the age of elevating black voices. No matter what the BLM and Antifa mobs do, whether it involves destruction or violence, it is justified as demonstration of protest. And no matter what those being targeted do to try to defend themselves, it is dubbed as aggression and racism.

The media, in other words, is complicit in the violent destruction of America at the hands of BLM and Antifa, glorifying its members as heroes while decrying patriots as part of the problem. Pay close attention to how the narratives are written and see for yourself the way that self-defense is quickly becoming an act of terrorism in the eyes of the far-left corporate media.

No matter what Barton or anyone else writes about Rittenhouse, the fact of the matter is that he was defending himself. Even Barton herself admits that area police were thankful that Rittenhouse and others were there to aid in protecting Kenosha against the sustained violence and chaos coming from BLM and Antifa in response to the Blake incident.

Keep in mind that Rittenhouse was accosted, verbally threatened, and chased down the street by armed rioters while trying to protect a local mechanic shop from being destroyed and shot up by a group of aggressors. He also had an attacker lunge towards him while reaching for his rifle, prompting him to respond.

But rather than pay this any mind, Barton and the rest of the mainstream media is making Rittenhouse out to be the villain, just like it did to the McCloskeys of St. Louis when they were forced to defend their property against a violent BLM and Antifa mob.

For more related news about mainstream media propaganda and the deep-seated effort to vilify law-abiding Americans who engage in self-defense, be sure to check out Propaganda.news.

Sources for this article include:

USAToday.com

YouTu.be

NaturalNews.com
County of Los Angeles, Calif. (1,000,000 or more population category): The County of Los Angeles successfully aligned leadership and IT programs. All department IT budget requests are aligned to the county's five IT strategic goals which are aligned to overall county goals. The county also established key performance indicators (KPIs) via collaboration with 12 departments in the Justice Metrics Framework. The KPIs combined with advanced analytics provide insights into which programs and services reduce involvement of vulnerable populations in the justice system.

The County of Los Angeles successfully aligned leadership and IT programs. All department IT budget requests are aligned to the county's five IT strategic goals which are aligned to overall county goals. The county also established key performance indicators (KPIs) via collaboration with 12 departments in the Justice Metrics Framework. The KPIs combined with advanced analytics provide insights into which programs and services reduce involvement of vulnerable populations in the justice system. County of Ventura, Calif. (500,000  999,999 population category): The county made network upgrades to support its COVID-19 response on short notice. In addition, the county created partnerships to provide telemedicine to citizens, and the county's Lean Six Sigma program and STEM for young women program have become county best practices.

The county made network upgrades to support its COVID-19 response on short notice. In addition, the county created partnerships to provide telemedicine to citizens, and the county's Lean Six Sigma program and STEM for young women program have become county best practices. Chesterfield County, Va. (250,000 - 499,999 population category): The county handled sudden work-from-home orders well in part due to its 10-year technology modernization plan and enterprise approach to data-driven government. For example, the county created the "StratIS" (Strategic Information Sharing) data program. In addition, the county's chatbot, "ChesterBot," helped the county manage a sudden surge in phone call volume during the pandemic's initial stages.

The county handled sudden work-from-home orders well in part due to its 10-year technology modernization plan and enterprise approach to data-driven government. For example, the county created the "StratIS" (Strategic Information Sharing) data program. In addition, the county's chatbot, "ChesterBot," helped the county manage a sudden surge in phone call volume during the pandemic's initial stages. Arlington County, Va. (150,000-249,999 population category): The countys digital equity program is a national model. The county provides digital connections for the most disadvantaged populations, and offers education, training, and programs to enable residents to take full advantage of available resources. For example, libraries and other county facilities offer outdoor, drive-up digital hot spots.

The countys digital equity program is a national model. The county provides digital connections for the most disadvantaged populations, and offers education, training, and programs to enable residents to take full advantage of available resources. For example, libraries and other county facilities offer outdoor, drive-up digital hot spots. County of Mono, Calif. (up to 150,000 population category): County IT leads a task force for GIS, web, network, and other technology resources. The county created a COVID-19 response app to effectively communicate with the public during the pandemic. Response to dozens of cybersecurity threats each week is also excellent - the county has had no significant security issues in the last two years. In addition, the county has achieved off-site redundancy in data centers that are 60 miles apart.

The Center for Digital Government (CDG) and the National Association of Counties (NACo) announced the winners of the 18th annual Digital Counties Survey. The survey, conducted by CDG in partnership with NACo, identifies the best technology practices among U.S. counties, including initiatives that streamline delivery of government services, encourage open data, collaboration and shared services, enhance cybersecurity and contribute to disaster response and recovery efforts.Innovative counties are using technology and data to better serve their citizens, respond quickly to citizen needs around COVID-19, and support digital experience initiatives, said Phil Bertolini, co-director, CDG. The Center for Digital Government congratulates this years winners for their hard work and their efforts to use technology to make government better.We applaud this year's Digital Counties Survey winners for maximizing the benefits of technology in serving our residents, especially during a time when technology has become even more instrumental in connecting people and places, said NACo Executive Director Matthew Chase. The Digital Counties Survey demonstrates how we embrace cutting-edge approaches to strengthening our communities, and achieving healthy, safe and vibrant counties across America .This years first-place winners include:The Center for Digital Government thanks the underwriters for this years survey: Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Crown Castle, EasyVote Solutions, Google Cloud, Laserfiche, Medallia Inc., Oracle, SHI, Spectrum Enterprise, TeamDynamix and Tyler Technologies.The Future Ready Award, sponsored by Google Cloud, is presented to jurisdictions that are laying the foundation for the disruptive and converging forces that are shaping an uncertain future - through technology or process changes; innovation; engagement with partners; and by harnessing emerging technologies to solve problems.CDG presented the Future Ready award to the County of Los Angeles, Calif. The county's future-ready accomplishments include: establishment of a $10 million Information Technology Fund for innovative technology or multi-department solutions; development of an Enterprise IT Strategic Plan with over 200 business and IT professionals from 37 county departments; establishment of a $20 million Legacy Modernization Fund to modernize mission critical systems; and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict homelessness among adults receiving county services.1st County of Los Angeles, Calif.2nd Wake County, N.C.3rd Orange County, Fla.4th Hennepin County, Minn.5th County of Alameda, Calif.6th King County, Wash.7th Oakland County, Mich.7th San Diego County, Calif.8th Miami-Dade County, Fla.9th Cook County, Ill.10th Fairfax County, Va.10th County of San Bernardino, Calif.1st County of Ventura, Calif.2nd Prince George's County, Md.3rd Snohomish County, Wash.3rd Westchester County, N.Y.4th DeKalb County, Ga.5th Gwinnett County, Ga.6th Baltimore County, Md.7th San Joaquin County, Calif.8th New Castle County, Del.9th County of San Mateo, Calif.10th County of Chester, Pa1st Chesterfield County, Va.2nd Dutchess County, N.Y.3rd Durham County, N.C.4th County of Placer, Calif.5th Leon County, Fla.6th Sarasota County, Fla.7th Douglas County, Colo.8th Loudoun County, Va.9th Hamilton County, Ind.10th County of Berks, Pa.1st Arlington County, Va.2nd Washington County, Ark.3rd Cabarrus County, N.C.4th Columbia County, Ga.5th Onslow County, N.C.6th County of Davidson, N.C.7th Pitt County, N.C.8th Union County, N.C.9th Berkeley County, S.C.10th Charlotte County, Fla.1st County of Mono, Calif.2nd Albemarle County, Va.3rd County of Nevada, Calif.4th Montgomery County, Va.5th Coconino County, Ariz.6th Dodge County, Wis.7th County of York, Va.8th Carver County, Minn.9th Franklin County, Va.10th Vilas County, Wis.SELECTED SURVEY FINDINGS:2020 Top Ten technologies and initiatives which are likely to have an increased focus in the next year:1. Cybersecurity (#1 for seven years consecutively)2. Budget & Cost Control (moved up from # 9)3. Citizen Engagement/ Experience (was # 2)4. Disaster Recovery/ Continuity of Operations (was # 5)5. Business Intelligence/ Analytics (was # 4)6. Business Process/ Automation7. Cloud Computing (moved up from # 8)8. Hire/Retain/Nurture Competent IT Personnel (was # 3)9. Infrastructure Modernization (was # 7)10. Increased Departmental IT Collaboration (was # 9)78% of counties see an increasing need for cybersecurity staff.88% of counties gather and use citizen feedback on channels.What were the most pressing challenges in responding to COVID-19:80% - access to supplies, such as IT hardware/equipment for remote work69% - impact on revenues65% - remote workforce managment54% - cultural changes80% of counties felt their most pressing policy needs in responding to COVID-19 were the telecommuting and work-from-home policies.Theis a national research and advisory institute focused on technology policy and best practices in state and local government. CDG is a division of, the nations only media and research company focused exclusively on state and local government and education.The National Association of Counties (NACo) strengthens Americas counties, including nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees. Founded in 1935, NACo unites county officials to advocate for county government priorities in federal policymaking; promote exemplary county policies and practices; nurture leadership skills and expand knowledge networks; optimize county and taxpayer resources and cost savings; and enrich the publics understanding of county government.Contact: Janet Grenslitt, Director of Surveys and Awards jgrenslitt@centerdigitalgov.com
Trump v. Murphy argues the U.S. Constitution entrusts state legislatures to set the time, place and manner of congressional elections and to determine how the state chooses electors for the presidency.

It says Murphy usurped the Legislatures authority by purporting to rewrite the election code for the November 2020 election, calling it a brazen power grab.

On Friday, Murphy signed into law three bills that regulate how the vote-by-mail election will be conducted. It remains to be seen how the Legislatures actions may affect the lawsuit, since they do involve the Legislature in making decisions about the election.

The suit was filed in August in U.S. District Court in New Jersey by the Trump campaign, joined by the Republican National Committee and the New Jersey Republican State Committee. Similar suits have been filed in other states, with critics claiming the vote-by-mail effort will lead to more voter fraud.

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The Atlantic County Democratic Committee filed the first motion to intervene in support of Murphy, said Chairman Michael Suleiman. He said the judge is allowing the group to file an amicus brief, and is so far the only county party in the state to get involved.
Press Release

1st September 2020

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced that it is launching the first in a series of professional level certifications to train and certify industry professionals on end-to-end 5G networks, from network access to application management.

The Nokia Bell Labs End-to-End 5G Networking Certification program is vendor-agnostic and provides a deeper knowledge of 5G networking with a focus on Access, Core and Transport domains. It is designed for business and technology professionals as a follow-up to Nokia's popular foundation-level 5G Associate Certification that was introduced in February.

By gaining a greater understanding of the concepts and frameworks of end-to-end 5G networking, companies will benefit from faster realization of 5G strategies and the competitive advantage of providing high-value 5G services.

Marcus Weldon, Nokia CTO and President of Nokia Bell Labs, said: "The future of work is about workers in every industry being augmented with the knowledge that is most relevant to them for every task, at every point in time. A key enabler of that future is 5G networking technologies that will form the digital fabric of this future. Gaining knowledge of how end-to-end 5G networks will impact every possible aspect of our connected world is essential to select the right strategy for your business. So, whether you work in a communications service provider or an enterprise or an industry vertical that is on the leading edge of digitization, I encourage you to take advantage of the 5G Networking Course and the new Professional level Program that is being made available now."

Sergio Fasce, Vice President of NokiaEDU, the learning and development branch of Nokia, said: "NokiaEDU and Nokia Bell Labs are working together to offer the next phase of our innovative end-to-end 5G certification program. The 5G Networking course is equally suitable for business leaders, technology professionals and University students providing detailed information to enable strategic decisions, while retaining the engaging format and practical use cases of the Foundation course."

The End-to-End 5G Networking course is now available from the Nokia website, along with the associate-level Foundational Certification. Additional professional level certifications and courses will follow later in 2020. Each course has approximately an 8-hour run time which can be completed at the learner's own pace.

Nokia is uniquely positioned to present this end-to-end perspective as it is the only vendor with a product and services portfolio that covers all 5G network elements, including radio, core, cloud and transport as well as management, automation and security. This offers operators and enterprises across all vertical industries (manufacturing, public safety, transportation, energy, etc.) a simple and efficient step-wise upgrade to existing radio access, core and transport domains, helping customers identify a faster path to 5G. Approximately 60% of Nokia's 5G customers have selected more than just New Radio from its end-to-end portfolio.

Nokia's momentum in 5G is underpinned by the company's continued leadership in cellular technology R&D and standardization. In March 2020, Nokia announced it had declared more than 3,000 5G patent families as essential for 5G, less than six months after declaring its previous milestone at 2,000 patent declarations Driven by world-class innovations from across the organization, including the renowned Nokia Bell Labs, it has played a leading role in contributing technologies to 5G, working with 3GPP to establish 5G standards and enabling the rollout of 5G networks. Nokia is now contributing towards the next set of standards, Release 16 and Release 17.

Resources:

Website: Nokia Bell Labs End-to-End 5G Certification Program website (https://www.nokia.com/networks/training/5g/bell-labs/)

(https://www.nokia.com/networks/training/5g/bell-labs/) Video: Marcus Weldon introduces the certification program (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez5bg70UwGI)

About Nokia

We create the technology to connect the world. Only Nokia offers a comprehensive portfolio of network equipment, software, services and licensing opportunities across the globe. With our commitment to innovation, driven by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, we are a leader in the development and deployment of 5G networks.

Our communications service provider customers support more than 6.4 billion subscriptions with our radio networks, and our enterprise customers have deployed over 1,300 industrial networks worldwide. Adhering to the highest ethical standards, we transform how people live, work and communicate. For our latest updates, please visit us online www.nokia.com and follow us on Twitter @nokia.
Avaroa Cable and Vodafone Cook Islands have signed a multi-year partnership for use of the Manatua Cable.

The deal will see Vodafone place Manatua cable connectivity at the heart of their ambitious plans to transform connectivity in the Cook Islands.

The companies announced that Aitutaki would be the first to benefit with services already transferred to the cable. The development makes Vodafone, Avaroa and the Cook Islands the first to make use of the 3600km Manatua One Polynesia cable, which was completed only last month.

The companies ensured that users were transferred seamlessly onto the new infrastructure. Fibre connectivity put in place between the two companys facilities earlier in the year for testing meant the transition was both quick and efficient.

The cable replaces satellite connectivity that had previously connected the island and makes Aitutaki, with a population of just 1700, one of the smallest fibre connected islands in the world.

The announcement coincides with Avaroa Cable becoming the first company to be awarded a telecommunications operating license under the new Cook Islands Competition and Regulatory Authority Act 2019.

The new connection will be followed by new international connectivity for the Cook Islands over the Manatua cable into Rarotonga, from which Aitutaki will also benefit. This was expected to come into place in a matter of weeks and would be the subject of a separate announcement.

The Cook Islands involvement in the Manatua Cable Project has been supported by a grant from the New Zealand Aid Programme and a development loan from the Asian Development Bank.

Mark Brown, Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, said: The Manatua cable is a crucial investment for the Cook Islands and is all the more timely at this very challenging time. Our future prosperity as a nation will depend a great deal on technology and how we use it. This important piece of technology infrastructure will provide our people with better opportunities to climb the technology ladder and fast track the growth of our knowledge economy.

Phill Henderson, Chief Executive Officer Vodafone Cook Islands, said: The Manatua cable positions us well as we continue our push in taking the Cook Islands into a new digital society. Vodafone is pleased to be the anchor customer and the first to use the Manatua service commercially. We can now leverage the improved performance of the Cable system to provide a better customer experience and will be advising customers of the benefits that the additional Manatua capacity will provide.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- When Joe Biden won the presidential nomination from the Democratic Party in August, he became the first leading candidate from either party to graduate from Syracuse University.

The connection between the candidate and college will likely be referenced frequently as November approaches, including an accusation of plagiarism that occurred when he was a first-year law student in 1965.

One such Syracuse-Biden reference came recently when The Daily Show created a spoof campaign ad for Biden, narrated by actor Steve Buscemi, with the campaign slogan Acceptable Under the Circumstances.

The advertisement focused on Bidens middle-of-the-road approach to politics throughout his career, a contrast to the more progressive Democratic candidates that he beat out, as well as the approach of President Donald Trump, who the faux advertisement says is threatening to tear America apart at its seams.

In the narrative verbally crafted by Buscemi, both the University of Delaware and Syracuse University fit neatly into Bidens middle-of-the-road story. The Syracuse references occur around the 1-minute mark.

Buscemi narrated: After a childhood doing whatever you do in Delaware, Joe went on to attend the University of Delaware and the Syracuse University School of Law, two schools that are near the top of their states -- geographically. No, they werent Harvard, but they were fine. I mean, hes going to be able to read an intelligence briefing.

And armed with this perfectly adequate education, Joe Biden was elected to the United States Senate in 1972, where he spent the next 36 years building a perfectly adequate record. Some good stuff. Some bad stuff. Overall, a solid B-minus.

Biden graduated from Syracuse law school in 1968. His first home with his late first wife, Neilia Hunter, was on Stinard Avenue in Syracuse.

While the accusations of plagiarism and lying about his academic accomplishments at SU contributed to the end of Bidens presidential campaign in 1987, he has expressed appreciation to the school for supporting him.

He explained the accusations of plagiarism as a mistake, saying he didnt have bad intentions but that he forgot to include a footnote. Syracuse allowed him to remain in school and he went on to graduate from the law school. Hes given five commencement addresses at Syracuse and welcomed the SU lacrosse team to the White House in 2009.

The reason why I love that school so much is because Ive never, ever been part of an institution that has been as loyal to me as they have, Biden said at the time.

Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1639
As the University of Kansas tracks COVID-19 cases through testing, the city of Lawrence is also monitoring the spread of the virus in a different way. KMBC 9 found out how wastewater holds valuable clues when it comes to tracking COVID-19. "Wastewater doesn't lie.
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In July, Spain received 2.5 million foreign tourists, 75% fewer than in July 2019. The National Statistics Institute's Frontur survey of foreign tourist movement shows that France, with 597,244 tourists, was the main market. This number represented a 58% decrease in French tourism. The UK, which is normally the largest market, contributed 377,886 tourists (down 82.5%) and was third behind Germany (432,302, a fall of 65%).

Fernando Valdes, the secretary of state for tourism, says that the data show that Covid-19 is negatively affecting tourism because of restrictions on international mobility and a lack of confidence in international travel. He did feel it was significant, however, that the average length of stay went up by 0.6 days to 8.1 days. "This demonstrates that for those who decide to travel to Spain, Covid-19 has not altered their plans in terms of the duration of the stay. This is indicative of the perception of Spain as a safe destination."

The Balearics had the greatest percentage of foreign tourists in July - 23.9% of the total, i.e. 588,431 tourists. The decrease compared with July 2019 was 75%. German tourism accounted for 42%, the UK 16%. Behind the Balearics were Catalonia (17.7% of the total) and Valencia 15.5%.

The Egatur survey of tourist spending indicates a 79.5% decrease compared with last July - a total of 2,450 million euros for the country as a whole. German spending was 18.7% of the total, followed by French (15.3%) and British (15.2%). Spending in the Balearics was 26% of the national total, the highest percentage in the country.

Over the first seven months of the year, there was a 72.4% decrease in the number of foreign tourists for the whole of Spain. The total was just over 13.2 million. The UK provided the most - 2.4 million, a fall of 77%. Total tourist spending fell by 72.6% to 14,291 million euros.

For the seven months, the Canary Islands attracted the most foreign tourists - just over 2.9 million, a decrease of 61.4%.
The Pakistan army on Monday violated ceasefire by resorting to heavy firing and mortar shelling in forward areas along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, officials said. The Indian Army retaliated befittingly, they said.

"At 2115 hours today, Pak army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms & intense shelling with mortars along LoC in Nowshera sector", defence spokesman said.

Pakistani rangers also resorted to firing along the International Border (IB) in Jammu frontier, the officials said.
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California freelancers in a variety of fields may be getting some relief from the state's strict new employment law, AB 5, which went into effect at the start of 2020.

Under a bill (AB 2257) that passed the state legislature Monday night, freelance writers, photographers, translators and musicians would be among those getting exemptions from AB 5 to continue working as independent contractors, rather than employees.

The bill now goes to Governor Newsom's desk.

The move comes after strong pushback from California freelancers who said the law, spearheaded by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego), drove their clients to cut ties with them and instead hire out-of-state freelancers who weren't as much of a legal liability.

The new bill would create many new provisions for specific industries, including:

It would strike the 35-submission cap for freelance writers and photographers. Under current rules, any California-based freelancer who contributes more than 35 submissions to an outlet per year must be reclassified as an employee.

It would add translators, appraisers and registered foresters to the "professional services" exemption. This exemption currently covers graphic designers, travel agents and marketers, among others.

It would allow workers in much of the music industry to continue working as freelancers. The list of exemptions includes recording artists, songwriters, producers, promoters and many others.

The state has used AB 5 to sue the ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft, pressuring them to reclassify their drivers as employees eligible for protections such as a minimum wage, overtime pay, unemployment insurance and health benefits. Gonzalez said the new exemptions for certain freelancers would have no effect on other industries.

"We cannot change and will not change [the] law to accommodate work relationships that have and will always be employer-employee," she tweeted last week. "Misclassification costs us all, and we see that clearly during this pandemic."

Musicians were among those who felt the law was unworkable because it created a tangled web of employment relationships in an industry built around frequent collaboration and one-off gigs.

For instance, AB 5 requires an artist playing a show at an L.A. club to be on the venue's payroll. And if that artist wants to hire someone to play bass in their band, the artist has to treat that bassist as an employee for that night. Instead of simply cutting the bassist a check, they need to make the bassist eligible for workers' compensation, sick leave, unemployment insurance and other benefits.

Ari Herstand, an L.A. musician and author who helped organize musicians pushing for changes to AB 5, said they didn't get everything they wanted in AB 2257. For instance, AB 5's employment rules would still apply to musicians who play at big festivals and to headliners at venues with 1,500 attendees or more (such as the Wiltern).

But Herstand said if Newsom signs the bill, the vast majority of working musicians in California will be able to go back to business as usual.

"There was a lot of panic in the California music industry at the start of the year," he said. "This law could have single handedly crashed the California music economy."

The new bill was passed with an urgency clause, meaning it would go into effect as soon as Newsom signs it into law.
Poland has reversed its decision to ban flights to and from Croatia as of tomorrow. As a result, LOT Polish Airlines and Wizz Air will be able to continue operating to the country. Poland will lift its ban on flights to Serbia as of tomorrow as well. These decisions will be reviewed on September 15. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo remain on the list of 44 countries to which commercial flights are banned to and from Polish airports.
Early reports of insurance claims shows the Texas impact from Hurricane Laura could have been less than expected by the states policy writers, but homeowners could still have a long and strange road ahead as they juggle storm damage and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, which is the windstorm policy writer of last resort for 14 of the states coastal counties, reported Friday that it had received only 300 claims so far.

Most of those claims came from eastern Jefferson County, which was on the western edge of Lauras concentrated hurricane force winds as it headed north through Louisiana.

On the private insurance market,which now writes 59% of the policies on the Texas coast, total losses also came in under original predictions.

Camille Garcia, a spokesperson with the Insurance Council of Texas, said initial industry estimates of total losses came in at less than 9,000 losses Friday.

We were expecting so many more, especially with some of the storm surge predictions, so were grateful for those estimates right now, she said.

More Information TWIA's suggested ways to make the fastest claim for Hurricane Laura-related damages: Visit http://www.twia.org/laura for fastest service. Policyholders will need to register if using Claims Center for the first time. Call TWIA's 24-hour claims care center at (800) 788-8247 Contact their insurance agent See More Collapse

Reported auto losses were also fewer than expected at around 2,700.

The storms turn east several hours before it made its final approach to land could have helped spare parts of Texas, but preparation and residents heeding warnings days before have also been credited for some of the reduced impact.

ICT doesnt have a monetary estimate of insured losses yet, as assessments are still underway and some evacuees havent returned home, but independent firms have already released a broad picture of the damage.

CoreLogic, a real estate analytics firm, released an early estimate Friday placing total insured losses from Laura at somewhere between $8 billion and $12 billion. About $500 million of those losses were attributed to the storm surge that left parts of Louisiana and Texas flooded into the weekend.

The company also advised that the storm may cause additional fallout for homeowners in a pandemic economy marked with high unemployment and potential instability. It reported the mortgage delinquency rates for the Beaumont and Lake Charles metropolitan statistical areas were 9.3% and 9.5% respectively, above the national average of 7.3%.

Regardless of the extent of damage, Garcia said policyholders making claims could experience delays and some new ways of filing claims as adjusters adapt to hurricane season during a pandemic.

In person adjustment will still happen, but insurance companies want to have a faceless process if possible, she said. They might have drones to observe property damage, FaceTime with the policyholders or even ask them to upload their own photos.

She said documentation will be key, which means taking as many photos and videos as possible before cleaning out closets and ripping up drywall. Policyholders are advised to hold on to those contaminated clothes and damaged items, at least in a garbage sack outside, so they can make sure they are reimbursed.

Homeowners shouldnt be afraid to start the mitigation process as soon as possible, though.

With the new restrictions of COVID-19 and the sheer amount of possible claims across the several states impacted by Laura, Garcia said there could be some delays.

With potentially thousands and thousands of claims coming out, were looking at collectively 80,000 claims from this event, she said. You might not see someone from your company immediately.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
New Delhi: Two days after the Chinese PLA's attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh was repulsed by Indian Army, the situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is now very tense. India has said that China again engaged in "provocative action" even as their military talks were underway and termed the PLA bid a reflection of "complete disregard" to bilateral understandings.

The situation in Ladakh is now very tense as the armies of both countries are face to face. The soldiers of both the nation are in each other's firing range. The situation appears to be under control, but anything can happen, explains the DNA report.

The question, however, arises what options are left for China as the armies of the two Asian neighbours are standing face to face. In such a situation, what will be the next step of China, which is understood to have left with three options?

The first is that Chinese PLA should return; the second is that China should remain ready for war; while the third option is is that both the armies should maintain the status quo.

Irked over its strategic debacle, which option China will choose is difficult to assess. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is currently on European tour stated that the borders between India and China are not been fixed, therefore, such problems will persist.

Even as India has surprised China by repulsing PLA's bid to infiltrate along LAC, the situation has become very tense and this may lead to opening up several fronts in the border areas. Sources, however, told Zee News that the Indian Army is fully prepared to face any situation.

Notably, China is perplexed over the Indian Army's response to PLA's attempt to transgress into eastern Ladakh. China had planned to occupy the southern shore of Pangong Lake in Ladakh, but the trespass bid was foiled on the night of August 29 and 30.

Now, India is at a higher and stronger position in comparison to the Chinese army in this area. This has given such a blow to the PLA that China has made 5 different statements in the last 24 hours. It has repeatedly stated that India has entered into its territory and should call back its troops.

In one of these statements, China said that it never wanted to occupy even an inch of the land of another country. China currently has border disputes with 18 countries, including India. This simply shows that India's action has compelled China to talk about respecting the borders of other countries.

With the largest army in the world, China has never made an appeal to any country to settle the dispute with peace. The emergence of New India has made China understand that the real strength does lie not in numbers but in the spirit of the army. Indian soldiers are now sitting at a height of 15,000 feet in the Chushul sector of Ladakh, while Chinese soldiers are positioned in lower areas.

Despite its presence in Galwan, China has to deploy 10 times more soldiers to take on Indian men. India has already stepped up its vigil of this area with the help of radar and night vision cameras. The high altitude area that India has occupied is known as Black Top and is a strategically significant location. It can monitor large areas around the Chushul sector.

Large vehicles, cannons and big weapons can be easily transported to Chushul area in Ladakh. Apart from this, India has also deployed a large number of troops on important fronts like Rezang La and Rekin La.

Disappointed with its defeat, China is now accusing India of violating the border. China has claimed it has "not occupied an inch" of other country's territory nor "provoked" war in its 70-odd year history and its border troops never crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India.

On Tuesday, there were 8 hours of dialogue between the Brigadier-level officers of the Indian and Chinese military but the negotiations failed to yield any result.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava today said that the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo due to the timely "defensive action", and asked China to "discipline and control" their frontline troops from undertaking such "provocative" actions.

He said the Chinese side violated previously agreed on understanding and engaged in provocative military manoeuvres in the late night of August 29 and on August 30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area. The attempt seen as China's bid to open a new front in the prolonged border standoff in a fresh confrontation was thwarted by the Indian troops.

As tension mounted in eastern Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the situation in the region at a two-hour meeting which was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and Army Chief Gen MM Naravane among others.

Government sources have reportedly stated that India will maintain its aggressive posturing in all sensitive areas along the LAC to effectively deal with any Chinese "misadventure".
VIDEO: Ford Island Control Tower's Panoramic View of Pearl Harbor

"It is difficult to overstate the global importance of the opening of the Ford Island Control Tower at Pearl Harbor," stated Elissa Lines, executive director of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

"Without a working elevator, visitors  especially veterans  have been unable to see the full view of Pearl Harbor and the historic battlefield that unfolds from this height. The elevator and accompanying interpretive exhibit will help visitors visualize the horror of Dec. 7, 1941, while experiencing the inspiring resilience that followed  the legacy of our Greatest Generation."

The virtual unveiling coincides with the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, commonly known as V-J Day. V-J Day will be observed tomorrow from the deck of the USS Missouri, where the Instrument of Surrender was signed Sept. 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay. Pearl Harbor commemoration events will feature a flyover of 16 WWII aircraft.

The Museum plans to livestream tomorrow's events to the WWII veterans unable to attend due to safety restrictions and Hawaii quarantine requirements. Donations are being accepted to offset the cost of the high-quality livestream to every veteran wishing to participate in this experience. People willing to help can do so through the GoFundMe page set up by Pacific Historic Parks, or contribute to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

The Ford Island Control Tower is now home to a working elevator thanks to a donation from U-Haul CEO Joe Shoen, whose parents founded the DIY moving and self-storage operation in 1945. Many of the first U-Haul Team Members, neighborhood dealers and customers were veterans coming home from WWII, seeking to move their families to a better life.

U-Haul is marking its 75th anniversary by honoring the veterans who helped shape and grow the company into an industry leader. A series of press releases honoring U-Haul WWII veterans can be found in the History & Culture section of myuhaulstory.com. U-Haul Pacific Theater veterans have been memorialized in the tower lobby with an elegant display, available for public viewing.

"Our company is one of many that was born out of the prosperity that came from peace," Shoen said. "On behalf of my family and all of us at U-Haul, I'm delighted to share our contribution to the renovation of Ford Island Control Tower at Pearl Harbor. This will enable the public, for the first time in history, to view America's first aviation battlefield of WWII from above."

Pearl Harbor is the No. 1 tourist destination in Hawaii, attracting 2 million visitors each year.

By the end this year, visitors will have the opportunity (for a small upcharge to their ticket) to gain access to the Ford Island Control Tower elevator and observation deck. The Shoen family's gift addresses the final step of the renovations, providing a 360-degree view of the naval station that was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941, launching America into WWII. Repairs on the tower began in 2010.

U-Haul, whose co-founder L.S. "Sam" Shoen was a WWII-era Navy veteran, has been recognized repeatedly as a top veteran employer and was recently named to the "Best for Vets: Employers 2020" list by The Military Times. U-Haul was also was the Presenting Veterans Sponsor at the Pearl Harbor Day 75th anniversary opening gala in 2016.

Among Pearl Harbor's memorials is the famed USS Arizona, which holds special significance to Phoenix-headquartered U-Haul. More than 3,500 of the Company's 30,000-plus Team Members reside in Arizona.

About Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum is located on Historic Ford Island, where bombs first fell during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Walk the Pearl Harbor battlefield where the attack began, enter the bullet-scarred hangars, and see the Ford Island Control Tower and aircraft of the battle, including a Japanese Zero and B-17 Swamp Ghost. Hear the stories of World War II heroes and their response to the attack that changed our nation and world. Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum's mission is to steward American's first aviation battlefield of World War II. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that depends on membership, volunteers and donations for support. To join, volunteer or support, visit www.PearlHarborAviationMuseum.org.

About U-Haul of Hawaii, Inc.

U-Haul of Hawaii, Inc. has been in operation since 1984, when its first Honolulu store opened. Today, U-Haul serves the Aloha State with company-owned facilities on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island, as well as more than 20 U-Haul neighborhood dealers. U-Haul offers moving solutions, including U-Box portable storage containers, for families relocating between the islands or the mainland. Reach U-Haul of Hawaii president Kaleo Alau at 808-836-0970.

About U-HAUL

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 127,000 trailers and 41,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 774,000 rentable storage units and 66.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Jeff Lockridge

Sebastien Reyes

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 602-263-6981

Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE U-Haul

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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...
New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine is shedding light on the development of the brain's immune defenses - and how those defenses respond to strokes that strike one in 4,000 babies in the first month of life.

The brain's frontline defenders are immune cells known as microglia. These cells make up 10%-15% of all cells found in the brain. But their origins have been hotly debated. UVA's Chia-Yi "Alex" Kuan, MD, PhD, has discovered that many were previously white blood cells known as monocytes. During brain development - and in response to infant strokes - the monocytes undergo an amazing conversion into troops to defend the brain.

Most people believe that blood monocytes only come into the brain after injury to provoke damage, and then they either die or leave the brain. Some even say monocytes and microglia live in parallel universes. But our results showed that many microglial cells actually come from the blood monocytes, both in normal development and after newborn brain injury." Chia-Yi "Alex" Kuan, UVA's Department of Neuroscience and Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG)

The brain's immune defenders

The finding is the latest from UVA's Department of Neuroscience and BIG center, which have in recent years revolutionized our understanding of the brain's relationship with the immune system. To explore the origins of the brain's immune defenses, Kuan and his colleagues developed an innovative new lab model that should greatly benefit future research. That model allowed his team to trace the origins of microglia in the brains of lab mice.

The researchers found that many monocytes transform into microglia over the course of brain development. This was a surprise - prior to UVA's discovery, scientists widely believed that microglia do not come from the blood monocytes. But Kuan's team used a process called "fate mapping" to reveal the microglia's secret origins.

In addition, Kuan's team found that monocytes rush to the rescue during neonatal stroke. Neonatal strokes are interruptions of blood flow to the baby's brain in the first 28 days after birth. Such strokes have a wide variety of causes, from blood clots to developmental abnormalities. Common symptoms include seizures and extreme sleepiness, though in some cases there are no symptoms until much later in life, when children can develop speech difficulties and balance problems.

In such strokes, Kuan found, there is an initial rush of monocytes, which then gradually become more like microglia. This lasts at least 62 days after the brain injury. Some of these monocytes are ultimately reprogrammed to join the brain's defense forces, the UVA researchers determined.

"But do monocyte-descended microglia continue to impair brain development in infants that suffered from newborn stroke, leading to neurological deficits? Can we target these disguised monocytes to improve the outcomes of newborn brain injury?" said researcher Hong-Ru Chen, PhD, the first author of the new study. "These are fascinating questions that beg for more research."

Findings published

The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal Science Advances. The research team consisted of Chen, Yu-Yo Sun, Ching-Wen Chen, Yi-Min Kuo, Irena S. Kuan, Zheng-Rong Tiger Li, Jonah C. Short-Miller, Marchelle R. Smucker and Kuan.
Even after all this time, they still dont understand us. The European Union clearly expects Britain, once again, to surrender its fishing grounds and betray its coastal communities for the sake of a wider, post-Brexit free trade agreement with Brussels.

Why else would the EUs lead negotiator, Michel Barnier, display such intransigence as a no-deal scenario looms closer?

Rather than banking the uncontroversial parts of a UK-EU free trade deal, Barnier, who arrived in London yesterday for last-ditch talks, insists that a UK cave-in on fisheries is a pre-condition for agreement on, well, anything else.

After all, as Eurocrats keep assuring one another, fishing accounts for barely 0.1 per cent of the UK economy.

Ruinous

Is it really conceivable, they ask, that Boris Johnson will jeopardise the interests of Britains banking, insurance and investment industries for the sake of what has become almost a heritage industry?

They choose to ignore the reality that no British government could contemplate surrendering the principle that, as a sovereign country, we control our own territorial waters.

Daniel Hannan is a former MEP and the president of the Initiative for Free Trade

There is plenty of room within that principle for generosity. After half a century in the ruinous Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), we dont have the capacity to land all our own stocks. It makes sense to reach agreements with neighbouring states. This can be negotiated.

What cannot be negotiated is the basic premise that Britain is entitled, under maritime law, to dispose of stocks within its own sovereign waters, out to 200 nautical miles (or the median line between us and closer countries)  just as Norway and Iceland do.

The vast majority of fish stocks in the North Sea are in British waters. But the EUs quota system reserves more than two-thirds of those stocks for vessels from the other states. Even this figure underestimates the problem, because many British skippers, unable to make ends meet under the CFP, had to sell their licences to Continental fishing companies. Thus, much of what on paper is the British quota is in fact landed abroad.

Indeed, a fifth of the entire quota for England is caught by one 370 ft Dutch mega-trawler.

So how did we end up in this disastrous position? How did we come to surrender an entire industry, so that there is now not one major fishing port between Plymouth and Peterhead?

It goes back to a cynical betrayal by Edward Heath. Although previous British leaders had wanted to join the European Economic Community (EEC), as it then was, none of them was as desperate to do so as the grumpy Broadstairs bachelor.

Conservative Party politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Edward Heath (1916-2005) pictured making a speech in 1971. In 1973 heath led the United Kingdom into the European Communities (which would later become the European Union) as a member state

Heath was prepared to pay any price for admission  betrayal of the Commonwealth, acceptance of the Common Agricultural Policy, an external tariff that hammered our overseas trade.

It so happened that, just as Britain was joining, maritime law was changing so that countries gained fishing rights over a much larger area around their coasts. The issue that was to lead, in 1975, to the cod war and the exclusion of British vessels from all waters within 200 miles of Iceland.

The loss of our historic fishing rights off Iceland should have been more than offset by our stocks in the North Sea and the Channel. But Brussels, sensing Heaths desperation, forestalled that move by imposing the CFP with its shrivelled British share.

This established the principle that stocks in the waters of any state constituted a common resource to which all members had equal access. In practice, it was a one-way street. French and Dutch and, later, Spanish and Portuguese vessels fished extensively in British waters, but the reverse was rare.

After all, the stocks were overwhelmingly concentrated within what should have been our exclusive zone.

For coastal communities around the UK, the fishing industry is their economic lifeblood, bringing in close to 1 Billion GBP to the UK economy annually. Pictured: A fisherman works to catch fish in the English Channel on a Hastings fishing boat

Euro-enthusiasts sometimes try to defend the CFP on the grounds that fish dont recognise national borders. This statement (offered as if it were an original insight) is true all over the world. Other nations make sensible agreements. If fish spawn in the waters of country A, but reach maturity in the waters of country B, both countries have an incentive to limit their total catch.

Sadly, the common resource principle undermined such incentives. The result was ecological catastrophe as North Sea stocks collapsed.

Deal or no deal, the UK has an alternative system ready to operate from January 1, 2021.

The Fisheries Bill, now completing its passage through Parliament, provides for a sustainable fisheries regime, with protection for dolphins and unintended bycatches (fish or other marine species caught unintentionally when targeting other species or specific sizes of stock), and the continuous monitoring of stocks.

Exclude

The waters around our archipelago can once again become a great renewable resource.

The question is whether the EU will exclude its vessels from those waters  the ineluctable consequence of no deal.

At present, around 90 per cent of cod fished in the English Channel is caught by European boats  84 per cent by French boats. Their livelihood is now seriously endangered.

A fifth of the entire fishing quota for England is caught by one 370 ft Dutch mega-trawler. Pictured: The Lithuanian FV Margiris, the world's second largest fishing boat at 447 feet, similar to those used to fish in British waters

Not that Barnier seems to care much about the interests of European citizens. At the start of talks, he reportedly told EU heads that his job was to make the exit terms so bad that the British would rather not leave. I have always assumed that, if he had to choose, he would rather see both sides suffer than watch a post-EU Britain prosper.

Do the 27 national leaders feel the same way? Unlike Barnier, they need to be re-elected. None of them wants a breakdown in relations with their biggest customer during what is already the worst recession in history.

But, despite the careful leaks we keep reading about how ready they are for no deal, few of them see it as likely.

Friction

They still expect Boris, Heath-like, to abandon our remaining fishing communities rather than face no deal.

This is a fundamental miscalculation. Boris Johnsons mission is to align his party with such communities, cementing its dominance in former Labour seats.

Nor, at a time when the SNP is ahead in the polls, can any UK leader look as if he is sacrificing a Scottish interest to a London one.

In any case, the pandemic has fundamentally altered the costs and benefits. Our entire economy is going to look different coming out of this recession.

Rather than banking the uncontroversial parts of a UK-EU free trade deal, Barnier, who arrived in London yesterday for last-ditch talks, insists that a UK cave-in on fisheries is a pre-condition for agreement on, well, anything else, writes former MEP DANIEL HANNAN

The impact of no deal is not symmetrical. Yes, Britain would face more friction on its European trade but, from day one, it could reform its tariffs and regulations to boost recovery. The EU would face more friction on its British trade but without any compensating advantages.

Still, a breakdown should be avoided if possible. Hence Britains offer to agree the least difficult parts of a deal  including controlled access to British waters for EU vessels.

That Brussels refuses to discuss such a proposal suggests that a mutually beneficial outcome was never high on its list in the first place.

Daniel Hannan is a former MEP and the president of the Initiative for Free Trade.
The Texas attorney general on Monday sued Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins in an attempt to halt his plan to send mail ballot applications to all of the countys 2.4 million registered voters.

Attorney General Ken Paxton accused Hollins of exceeding his authority by sending the applications, an action the attorney general said would confuse voters and open the door to fraud.

Election officials have a duty to reject mail-in ballot applications from voters who are not eligible to vote by mail, Paxton said in a statement. Unfortunately, instead of protecting the integrity of our democratic process, the Harris County clerk decided to knowingly violate election laws by preparing to send over two million ballot applications to many Texans who do not qualify and have not requested to vote by mail.

The suit came on the same day the Texas Democratic Party argued before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the state unlawfully is discriminating against the majority of the voting-age population by requiring only those under the age of 65 to have an excuse to receive a mail-in ballot. Texas is one of seven states in which all voters are not eligible for mail ballots.

Both cases could have a significant impact on how many Texans vote by mail in this falls presidential election in a state with historically low turnout. With just six weeks before early voting begins, they illustrate what has become an increasingly partisan dispute over mail voting.

The Texas Democratic Party and local Democratic leaders have pushed to expand mail voting here, while statewide Republican leaders have opposed it.

A Politico/Morning Consult poll released Aug. 5 found 81 percent of Democrats but just a third of Republicans supported universal mail voting.

Hollins and the Harris County Attorneys Office said there is no law that prevents the county from sending the applications. The clerk, who took office in June and is running his first major election, said the mailer will include a document explaining which voters qualify for mail ballots.

If the secretary of state would take the time to meet with us instead of jumping into court, they would see that the information we plan to share with voters provides clarity about voters' rights and eligibility to vote by mail, Hollins said in a statement.

Texans who are younger than 65 can apply for mail ballots if they will be out of their home county or incarcerated during the voting period, or are disabled.

The disability clause has been the focus of debate during the pandemic. The state Supreme Court ruled in May that a lack of immunity to COVID-19 could alone does not meet the disability standard; however, it could be one of several factors a voter uses to qualify for a mail ballot.

Since elections administrators have no responsibility to vet applications, that essentially leaves voters to determine their own eligibility, Hollins said.

Lawsuit expected

Paxtons intervention was foreseeable last week when the Texas Secretary of States Elections Director Keith Ingram said in a letter to Hollins he would seek the attorney generals help if Harris County did not abandon its mail ballot application plan by noon on Monday. Hollins refused.

Hours after the deadline, Paxton announced his suit. It argues that the Texas Election Code permits county clerks and election administrators to send mail ballot applications to any voter who requests one, but does not provide explicit permission to send applications to those who made no such request.

Most voters are ineligible for mail ballots, the attorney general asserts, therefore Hollinss plan to send applications to millions of voters is irresponsible. These unnecessary applications will be unused at best, the suit states, or will become ripe material for voter fraud. He also warned the clerks office could be overwhelmed by the volume of returned applications and be unable to process them before the voting period begins.

Election law experts disagree.

Myrna Perez, director of the voting rights and elections program at the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University Law School, said last week that nothing in the Texas Election Code prohibits Harris County from mailing applications to whomever the clerk chooses. Harris County Assistant County Attorney Douglas Ray said the same.

Paxtons lawsuit suit offers no evidence to bolster the assertion that sending mail ballot applications facilitates fraud, said Rick Hasen, a professor specializing in election law at the UC Irvine School of Law.

Given that these are only applications, not ballots, there is ample opportunity for the county to protect against sending any fraudulent submissions, Hasen said. If that were a means of fraud, then people could send in fraudulent applications even if the county never asked them to do so.

He added that states that use mail ballots for most or all of their voting, including Republican-controlled Utah, report very low rates of fraud.

Age discrimination

Texas Democrats on Monday made what could be their final push before the election to bring about statewide mail-in voting. The party argued before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the state unlawfully is discriminating against the majority of the voting-age population by requiring only those under the age of 65 to have an excuse to receive a mail-in ballot.

In the face of the pandemic, some states have expanded mail-in voting to all residents for the general election. Texas has not.

Democrats say the refusal of top GOP officials in Texas to expand mail-in voting, or to allow counties to do so, is tantamount to voter suppression because of widespread health concerns during the pandemic.

Paxton contends that those concerns about election safety are unfounded because of precautions such as expanded early voting  Abbott has added an extra week to the early voting calendar  and the use of masks, hand sanitizer and gloves.

The Texas Democrats case before a three-justice panel of the federal appeals court on Monday, as well as a nearly identical one filed in state court, have had little success so far.

Early on, two trial judges ruled that lack of immunity to COVID-19 was enough for any voter to request a mail-in ballot, but those rulings were overturned by higher courts.

The Texas Supreme Court in late May ruled that a voter under 65 may only consider lack of COVID immunity in conjunction with his or her overall health history to decide whether he or she qualifies as having a disability under state law, and thus eligible for an absentee ballot.

The Democrats federal case is expected to make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the clock is ticking. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot in Texas is October 23, leaving just seven weeks for the appellate court and high court to rule on it.

At Mondays hearing, Chad Dunn, representing the Texas Democratic Party, told the court that the Texas mail-in voting law violates the 26th Amendment, which says the right to vote cant be denied or abridged on account of age.

The state, represented by Texas Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins, argued that Supreme Court precedent exists to show that the Texas law does not violate the 26th Amendment.

It does not deny or abridge the right to vote to make voting more available to some groups as opposed to others, Hawkins said.

zach.despart@chron.com

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
Burd Sisler was born during the First World War, survived the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic and endured the Great Depression.

He made it safely through the Second World War, has been retired for 41 years and so far has managed to stay safe during yet another deadly pandemic.

You might say somebody was looking after me, quips Sisler.

At 105 years of age  a fit, independent 105  the Fort Erie man is one of about 33,200 Canadian Second World War veterans still standing as of March 2019, the last time Veterans Affairs Canada did a head count.

Sisler is also one of Canadas oldest veterans and a longtime legion member.

The 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which ran Sept. 1, 1939 to Sept. 2, 1945  six years and a day  is this week.

In Niagara, practically every industry joined the war effort in some way.

Nearly 10 per cent of the entire population of old Welland county  1,134 of about 10,000 residents  served, and 96 died, according to Bob Cummings, former president at Wellands Royal Canadian Legion Branch 4.

From St. Catharines, 215 residents died during the war, roughly one every week. Niagara Falls lost 217 of its citizens, and the former Willoughby township lost five. No place was spared.

In 1943, Sisler was 28, married and a little older than the rest of the guys he worked with at the Goodyear tire company just outside Toronto.

He tried to join the Air Force and passed all the exams, but his eyesight held him back: They were worried about losing the aircraft when I would come in for a landing, he says with a laugh.

Well, what was I supposed to do?  Canada was in dire straits, in the sense that all the young men had disappeared into the service, he recalls.

All the buddies I worked with had joined the Army  and I said its about time I did something about this.

He talked it over with his wife, Mae.

She said she wanted something to keep my memory  so thats what happened, he says.

The baby was born in August 1943; he joined the Army in November.

Sisler was posted with the artillerys electrical-mechanical engineers in eastern Canada, handling radar as a telecommunications mechanic.

In 1945, it looked like he might be moved closer to the action  we were all set to head overseas to fill in spaces for stations that were going to set up in England  until the Nazis surrendered, in May.

Then it appeared his team might be shipped out to aid in the fight against Japan. Members got their shots, their training guides  then Japan surrendered, after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It seemed that every time I wanted (to go overseas) something else would happen that would stop that.

The Allies nuclear attack was a dastardly thing to do, says Sisler, looking back three-quarters of a century. But it saved my life and probably thousands of others on this continent.

His younger brother, Louis, was in the tank corps in Europe. He went walking with another soldier, who stepped on a landmine.

It killed his buddy and it tore my brothers leg quite badly, it had to be amputated, Sisler says. So that was the end of his war.

He knows he was fortunate to come home safely to Mae, and have five children with her. To run a radio and TV repair business in Fort Erie with a friend from the Army, then work at the Peace Bridge until retirement.

Somebody, as he says, must have been looking after him.

I never had to shoot anybody, I dont know what I would have done if somebody was attacking me  whether I would have asked him for his name and address before I shot him, he says, again laughing.

But I would hate to think I had killed someone, to tell you the truth. Im not a belligerent person  as a matter of fact, my brother did all my fighting for me, and he was a year and a half younger than I was.
JEFFERSON CITY  Less than a month after Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said the state was not paying a Virginia-based consulting company working on the states response to the pandemic, his administration inked a no-bid contract with the firm that has paid out more than a half-million dollars.

State payroll records show the McChrystal Group has received $522,000 in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funding from the state in an unorthodox working relationship that began in April.

In early May, after the Kansas City Star first reported on the consultant, Parson told reporters that the Missouri Foundation for Health would cover up to $600,000 in expenses for work by the company, which was founded by retired four-star Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

The governor made no mention that the state was poised to take over the payments on May 31, using the emergency federal aid as a funding source.

Unlike other spending of coronavirus aid money for goods and services, such as the purchase of medical supplies, the purpose of the contract is less clear.

Parson administration spokesman Chris Moreland said the firm was hired to provide a management system and structure to facilitate problem-solving between various state agencies and the governors Cabinet.

A unified, whole of government response is needed in coordination with the Missouri health care system, Moreland told the Post-Dispatch. The specialized capabilities McChrystal Group provides to our response are critical to continued success.

Kelli Jones, a spokeswoman for the Republican governor, said the company is in line to continue being paid nearly $250,000 a month for its work.

As we continue to face COVID-19 challenges, Missouri must sustain a coordinated, unified response to ensure Missourians are safe, Jones said.

McChrystal served as the chief commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan until he was ousted in 2010.

Among the reasons for his departure were derisive remarks by him and his aides about former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president.

The company did not respond to an email inquiry from the Post-Dispatch.

Most of the McChrystal Groups clients are private companies. As part of its approach to the pandemic, the company says it can help organizations get the most out of your teams during these trying and uncertain times.

Bob Hughes, president of the Missouri Foundation for Health, also did not respond to a request for comment about the funding switch.

Moreland said all state agencies participate in forums coordinated by the company to hear new information, analysis and updates on ongoing actions.

The McChrystal Group makes no policies  only provides the structure and management to allow decision-makers to determine policies. The McChrystal Group does not generate data  the group helps pull together Missouri-based data and information to share with analysts and policy-makers, Moreland said.

Parsons opponent in the November election, Democratic Auditor Nicole Galloway, slammed the spending.

Today, all we have to show for it is rising infections, delayed school reopenings, a positivity rate over 10% and a spot on the White House Coronavirus Task Forces Red Zone, Galloway said.

Missouri has spent over $1.5 billion of the more than $2 billion it has received as part of the federal aid to battle COVID-19.

While much of the money has gone to counties to help local governments combat the pandemic, the state has doled out the aid for everything from meals and lodging for emergency workers to hand sanitizer and masks.

Among the more recent purchases was a $418,000 lease for a warehouse in Jefferson City to store 11,000 pallets of personal protective equipment. The lease will run for a year.

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Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday that he does not "recall" being told to be on standby to assume the powers of the presidency if President Trump was put under anesthesia during his sudden visit to Walter Reed Medical Center last November.

Why it matters: The White House has never fully explained Trump's visit to Walter Reed amid the impeachment fight, describing it only as a "routine, planned interim checkup." New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt reports in his new book that "word went out in the West Wing for the vice president to be on standby," but that Pence never assumed office.

Driving the news: On Tuesday, Trump tweeted: "It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate - FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!"

Schmidt's report does not mention anything about a stroke, but a few commentators on Twitter suggested, without evidence, that it was a possibility.

The White House physician later issued a statement at the request of Trump saying the president "has not experienced nor been evaluated for" a stroke or mini-stroke.

The exchange:

BRET BAIER: "[Schmidt] says in the book that you were put on alert to take control, to take office, essentially, if he went under for anesthesia. Is that true?"

PENCE: "President Donald Trump is in excellent health. And Bret, I'm always informed of the president's movements, whether it was on that day or any other day, I'm informed. But there was nothing out of the ordinary about that moment or that day. I just refer any other questions to the White House physician."

BAIER: "But as far as being on standby?"

PENCE: "I don't recall being told to be on standby. I was informed that the president had a doctors appointment, and --

BAIER: "I don't want to speculate on it, I just want to clear that up."

PENCE: "I've got to tell you, part of this job is you are always on standby if you're vice president of the United States. But the American people can be confident that this president is in remarkable good health, and every single day I see that energy."
In major relief for Dr Kafeel Khan, the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday ordered his immediate release and the dropping of stringent National Security Act (NSA) charges against him which was invoked earlier this year over an alleged inflammatory speech by him against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Khan was arrested in January for delivering the speech at Aligarh Muslim University on December 10, 2019. The NSA charges were invoked against him on February 13, 2020, on the orders of the Aligarh District Magistrate. On August 16, his detention under NSA was extended for the second time by three months.

The division bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal also declared the extension of his detention as illegal. The order was passed on the basis of a petition filed by the pediatricians mother, Nuzhat Parveen.

Under the NSA, people can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if authorities are satisfied that they are threat to the national security or law and order.

Khan was booked under IPC section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion).

The FIR registered against him states that his speech threatened to disrupt the harmony between the communities and was also likely to create a law and order situation.

Later, sections 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code were added to the FIR.

The doctor, who is currently lodged in Mathura jail, had first hit the headlines in August 2017 when several children died at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, where he worked as a paediatrician.

Though he was later given a clean chit in a departmental probe, the government did not reinstate him.

Priyanka Gandhi hails verdict

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hailed the Allahabad High Court directive quashing Khans detention and hoped the state government will immediately release him without any malice".

The Allahabad High Court today ordered the removal of NSA and immediate release of Dr Kafeel Khan," she said in a tweet. It is expected that the UP government will release Dr. Kafeel Khan without any malice."

The Congress leader said she also congratulated all the justice loving people" and party workers in the state who had been making efforts for Khans release.
Protesters in Beirut attempted to storm the Parliament of Lebanon on Tuesday, the same day the country celebrated the passage of 100 years since the declaration of Greater Lebanon by the French mandate authorities.

Some protesters attempted to smash down walls around the building while others managed to break through one gate before they were forced back by police with tear gas.

Activists have blamed the countrys entrenched political class for the August 4 explosion of a stockpile of ammonium nitrate that had languished in the port for years.

Violent clashes erupted, with protesters throwing tear gas canisters back at officers. Activists condemned police actions, saying protesters were beaten.

A military vehicle was also called in to deal with the crowds.

Protesters called for a new Lebanon without its reviled leaders, urging visiting French President Emmanuel Macron not to cooperate with them.

In the capitals Martyrs Square, not far from the port, demonstrators one by one took to a stage to make their demands: a secular state, civil marriage, a productive economy.

Waving Lebanese flags and denouncing corrupt politicians, others nearby demanded the birth of a new secular state and the end of what they view as a broken political power-sharing system.

The first century has been nothing but wars, foreign occupation, poverty, corruption, emigration, sectarian divisions, and now this explosion that killed and wounded thousands, said 21-year-old port worker Omar.

We urgently need to revamp this system, he said, referring to a political arrangement that seeks to share power between Lebanons myriad religious communities but instead often leads to an endless deadlock.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc has bought a 5% stake in each of Japans five biggest trading houses, together worth over $6 billion, marking a departure for Chairman Warren Buffett as he looks beyond the United States to diversify his conglomerate.

The long-term investment in Itochu Corp, Marubeni Corp, Mitsubishi Corp, Mitsui & Co Ltd and Sumitomo Corp could see the stakes rise to 9.9%, Berkshire said on Sunday, Buffetts 90th birthday.

The five major trading companies have many joint ventures throughout the world and are likely to have more, Buffett said in a statement. I hope that in the future there may be opportunities of mutual benefit.

The investment will help reduce Berkshires dependence on the U.S. economy, which in the last quarter contracted the most in at least 73 years as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Many of its businesses have struggled, including aircraft parts maker Precision Castparts from which it bore a $9.8 billion writedown.

Buffetts choice in Japan, however, surprised market players as trading houses have long been far from investor favorites. As well as significant exposure to the energy sector and resource price volatility, tangled business models involving commodities as varied as noodles and rockets have long been a turn-off.

Their cheap valuation may have been an attraction, said Norihiro Fujito, chief investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities in Tokyo. But it is un-Buffett-like to buy into all five companies rather than selecting a few.

Below Book

Berkshire bought the little-over 5% stakes in about a year through insurance business National Indemnity Co. Together, five 5% stakes were worth 700 billion yen ($6.63 billion), Reuters calculations showed based on Refinitiv data.

Firms shares often rise when Buffett discloses investment, reflecting what investors view as his imprimatur. On Monday, Marubeni and Sumitomo ended up over 9%, followed by Mitsubishi and Mitsui at over 7%. Itochu rose 4.2% to a record high.

Berkshire shares were flat in premarket trade.

Even so, Marubeni, Mitsubishi and Sumitomo are still 10% down on the year, versus a 6% fall in the Topix index. Itochu, which has shifted towards consumer-related businesses, is the only one whose share price is higher than last year.

Indeed, Itochu is the only one whose stock trades above its book value. That means, for the other four, their market capitalization is less than the value of their assets, making them attractive to a value investor like Buffett.

Several have large amounts of cash on hand, raising their appeal. Mitsubishi, for instance, has seen steady growth in free cash flow per share for four years, Refinitiv data showed.

Trading houses are also deeply involved in the real economy in areas such as steel, shipping, commodities, putting them on the radar of an investor such as Buffett who famously avoids investing in businesses he claims not to understand.

Asked about the investment, Mitsui told Reuters it aims to improve returns for all shareholders. Marubeni and Mitsubishi said they will continue efforts to improve corporate value. Sumitomo said it will communicate with Berkshire as with all other shareholders.

Itochu Chairman Masahiro Okafuji in an emailed statement welcomed Buffetts interest in Japanese trading house stocks, which he said have lagged global financial markets, adding the investment will be a catalyst for revitalizing the industry.

U.S. Dependence

Berkshire owns more than 90 businesses outright including the BNSF railroad and Geico car insurer outright.

It also invests in dozens of companies including American Express Co, Bank of America Corp and Coca-Cola Co. It has a roughly $125 billion stake in Apple Inc based on its holdings as of June 30.

Buffetts portfolio is becoming heavily skewed to Apple, so maybe he was looking for something the complete opposite of Apple, said Monex chief strategist Hiroki Takashi in Tokyo.

Most of Berkshires operating businesses are American, though it has acquired a handful of foreign companies including Israels IMC International Metalworking and German motorcycle apparel retailer Detlev Louis.

Additional investments in Japan could also help reduce Berkshires cash pile, which ended June at a record $146.6 billion. ($1 = 105.6500 yen) (Additional reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru and David Dolan and Aaron Sheldrick in Tokyo.)
By Richard Lough

PARIS (Reuters) - Tens of millions of pupils returned to school in France, Poland and Russia on Tuesday, their rucksacks loaded with exercise books, geometry sets and, for many, face masks to protect them from a resurgent coronavirus pandemic.

Hand cleansing stations, social distancing and staggered play time will become the new normal as countries across Europe seek ways to get children back into the classroom safely and their economies functioning once again.

But they do so at a time when infections rates are spiralling upwards across the continent and there are widespread concerns that the return to schools and offices, the autumn flu season and excess mortality in winter could drive a second wave.

In France, Spain and elsewhere, some parents and teachers' unions have voiced concern at plans for reopening classrooms as the spread of the virus gathers renewed pace.

"I prefer her to be going to school," Laure Gevaert said as she dropped off her daughter Emma at her junior high school in Saint-Leu-d'Esserent, north of Paris. "It's not easy home-schooling, and I have to work too."

Even so, the threat of a second wave was alarming, she said.

"If there are cases at the school, that will worry me. I won't send her in."

Countries are taking different approaches to minimise contagion in schools. Spain's 17 regions are responsible for their own back-to-school plan, though they must follow national regulations such as mandatory masks for children over six.

At the Immaculate and St. Joseph of the Mountain centre, a Catholic school in Ronda, southern Spain, staff were spacing out desks and preparing hand sanitizer posts.

"We're doing everything we can," said the school's director, Mother Marta, dressed in a starched white habit and white mask.

In Russia, pupils returned as the country's coronavirus case tally exceeded 1 million.

"I'm not afraid of COVID of course, but I follow the restrictions," Daniil Ivanenko, a 9th-grade student, told Reuters in western Moscow.

Story continues

PLAN B?

The French government said the crisis must not put citizens' lives on hold, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was crucial schools in England re-open this week. Schools in Scotland reopened earlier this month, with face masks mandatory for secondary school students except in classroooms.

Johnson is under pressure to show he can oversee a full-time return to school after his Conservative government made a hash of how school-leavers would be graded for exams that were cancelled during the lockdown.

But unions have complained of chaos caused by last minute changes and stressed the importance of a 'Plan B' should a second wave hit.

"You dont need a crystal ball to see that local restrictions will be a feature of the autumn and winter," said Paul Whiteman, general secretary of head teachers' union NAHT.

At the height of coronavirus lockdowns globally in April, some 1.5 billion children were affected by school closures, according to UNESCO. School closures widened the inequality gap, experts have said.

The risk of coronavirus transmission within schools depends on what is happening in the local community as well as the safety measures put in place, according to epidemiologists.

Global data on the spread of the coronavirus pandemic shows that children and young people make up only 1-2% of cases of COVID-19 worldwide. Most reported infections in children are mild or asymptomatic, with few recorded deaths.

"Schools operate in communities, they don't operate in isolation. So the big thing that we look for is what does transmission look like in the community where those schools operate," World Health Organization epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said Geneva.

Germany and Sweden may offer some reassurance.

In Germany, where schools have been reopening since early August, the proportion of coronavirus cases among Under 20s has remained stable. In Sweden, keeping schools open through the pandemic did not lead to higher infection rates among students compared with neighbouring Finland, where schools temporarily closed.

"We want to see children returning to school and people returning to the workplace, but we want to see it done safely. At the same time, no country can just pretend the pandemic is over," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

(Reporting by Richard Lough and Reuters bureaus in Europe; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
The Queensland government will keep state borders closed for least a month, citing concerns about community transmission of COVID-19 in southern states.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the borders will stay shut on Tuesday, as a Victorian man who had coronavirus was caught trying to the enter the state and two more local cases were reported.

'We said we would review at the end of the each month and there has been no advice from the chief health officer to change what we are doing,' she said.

The premier said Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young wanted to see southern states, and NSW in particular, go through two COVID-19 incubation cycles without any cases of community transmission.

This is despite widespread fears the border shutdowns will cripple the economy, with Queensland's closure alone costing $17million a day.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) says the borders will stay shut on Tuesday as a Victorian man who had coronavirus was caught trying to the enter the state

She said her border closures had been vindicated by the arrest of a Victorian man with COVID-19 arriving at Brisbane Airport on Monday (pictured, the border on August 7)

'I'll tell you what we're looking for: to keep Queenslanders safe, that's what we're looking for,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'Dr Young, our chief health officer, has made it very clear that she doesn't want to see community transmission and there is community transmission at the moment in the southern states.'

She said her border closures had been vindicated by the arrest of a Victorian man with COVID-19 who allegedly arrived at Brisbane Airport on Monday.

Victorian authorities had been trying to find the man after he tested positive for the virus a few weeks ago.

He was intercepted by police at the airport after arriving on his 9.19am flight and could be charged after further investigation.

'This is great work from the police that have been able to apprehend this man, who was trying to get into Queensland illegally,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'This goes to show how strong our border measures and the fact that they are working.'

The premier said contact tracing would be conducted on passengers on the flight and some may need to self-quarantine.

Melbourne has been the worst impacted state by COVID-19, with the city under Stage Four lockdown (pictured, a couple walking along the Yarra Banks on September 1)

Queensland recorded another two COVID-19 cases in 24 hours to 9am, with the total number of active cases reaching 28.

One case was an 18-year-old student at Staines Memorial College at Redbank Plains.

The school has closed indefinitely after another student tested positive on Sunday night. All 600 students are being screened.

The second case was a 37-year-old male nurse who worked at Ipswich Hospital.

The man felt abdominal pain and decided to get tested as a precaution.

Health Minister Steven Miles thanked the nurse for his exemplary actions.

'It underlines how we can all do the right thing by monitoring our health and if we have any symptoms at all that are of any cause for concern we can go and get tests,' he said.

Queensland recorded another two COVID-19 cases in 24 hours to 9am, one was a 37-year-old male nurse who worked at Ipswich Hospital (pictured)

The health minister said 7,489 had been conducted in 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday, UPfrom more than 6,865 in the previous 24 hours.

Health restrictions remain in place preventing more than 10 people gathering in Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, the Gold Coast, South Burnett and Goondiwindi without a COVID-19 safety plan.

Mr Miles conceded on Monday restrictions could remain for up to four weeks.
It is a sad day for humanity and Indians who are fighting against COVID-19. S. Padmavati, Indias first female cardiologist, has passed away at the age of 103 due to the novel coronavirus, after battling with it for nearly 11 days.

S. Padmavati via HealthPost

This was revealed in a statement by O.P. Yadava, CEO of Delhis National Heart Institute (reported first by IANS), "Our very own Madam Padmavati has left us all, after her centurial terrestrial journey. She fought corona bravely but chose to move on at 11.09 p.m. on August 29. Let us keep her in our prayers forever and long."



A statement by the institute revealed that she was admitted with COVID-19 while suffering from severe breathing issues and fever, "She developed pneumonia in both lungs and needed ventilator support. However, she sustained a cardiac arrest and passed away."

Early Career

S Padmavati was born in Myanmar on June 20, 1917, where she also completed her MBBS degree from Rangoon Medical College, Rangoon. She came to India after World War II broke out.

After the World War ended, she then moved to London in 1949, where she received an FRCP (Fellow of Royal College of Physicians) from Royal College of Physicians, followed by FRCPE (Fellow of Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh) from Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. While in the United Kingdom, she worked at the National Heart Hospital, National Chest Hospital, and the National Hospital, Queen Square, London.

She also pursued a fellowship at John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore in the US where she went on to study with noted cardiologist Dr Helen Taussig. In 1952, she joined Harvard Medical School (Harvard University), where she studied under the legendary Dr Paul Dudley White, who is regarded as a pioneer in modern cardiology.

S. Padmavati via HealthPost

Career in India

When she came back to India, she taught medicine at the Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi, where she was eventually regarded as the head of the department. She further went on to become Director Principal at Maulana Azad Medical College as well as a Consultant in Cardiology and Director at the Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital.

She has taught medicine to students and doctoral fellows for over 45 years. Moreover, shes written several research papers in journals, with her work on rheumatic heart disease, cor pulmonale, hypertension and coronary artery disease with references to epidemiology and prevention.

After she retired, she was the one who set up the National Heart Institute (NHI) under AIHF, in South Delhi, in the year 1981, which has now diversified to offer tertiary patient care, research and population outreach. She continued to work here post her retirement. She was also an Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Cardiology of the University of Delhi. At the age of 90, Dr. Padmavati became a fellow of the European Society of Cardiology, in 2007. She was the most senior fellow of the ESC.

S. Padmavati via HealthPost

Awards and recognition

For her contributions to the nation, she has not only been awarded Padma Bhushan (in the year 1967) but also Padma Vibhushan (in the year 1992). She is also the recipient of Harvard Medical International Award in 2003, Kamala Menon Research Award in 1975 and others.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 18:36 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4202037 1 City COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-korona-indonesia,virus-corona,Depok,West-Java,curfew,Satpol-PP,sanction Free

Depok municipality in West Java will impose a curfew to restrict peoples movements in the city after health authorities confirmed a significant surge in the number of COVID-19 cases recently.

Mayor Mohammad Idris said public places such as restaurants, supermarkets and malls could only operate until 6 p.m., while courier services were allowed to operate until 9 p.m.

Moreover, residents are restricted from engaging in out-of-home activities after 8 p.m., as reported by kompas.com.

Depok COVID-19 task force spokesperson, Dadang Wihana, said the administration had finished a draft of a mayoral regulation stipulating the curfew policy, which is described as restrictions on residents activities, as well as sanctions for violators.

The draft was finished yesterday [Monday]. We can start enforcing legal sanctions on [Thursday], he said on Thursday.

While refusing to provide further details on the regulation, Dadang added that the curfew would also apply to street vendors and food stalls.

Read also: Chaotic: Epidemiologists concerned about healthcare crisis after recent surge in COVID-19 cases

The administration will deploy a total of 88 public order agency (Satpol PP) personnel, who will be assisted by military and police personnel, to educate local residents on the curfew until Wednesday.

Depok Satpol PP head, Lienda Ratna Nurdiany, said authorities would start imposing sanctions for violators once the regulation was issued.

Dadang further said that the curfew would not be applicable for residents whose working hours were after 8 p.m. They, however, would be required to show their identity card, assignment letter and other supporting documents.

As of Monday, health authorities had confirmed a total of 2,210 COVID-19 cases, reportedly the highest among other cities across West Java. The administration also reported 77 deaths from the disease.

Depok will become the second city in West Java as well as Greater Jakarta to impose a curfew, with Bogor starting to enforce the policy on Saturday amid an increasing trend in COVID-19 cases across the city. (trn)
A notorious on-the-run con woman, who is the daughter of a wealthy property tycoon and who is wanted in the UK for fleeing a trial, has told her High Court bail hearing that she is not a flight risk.

Farah Damji (54), with an address at Bachelors Walk, Dublin 1, appeared before Mr Justice Tony Hunt today and is applying for bail in Ireland while she awaits the hearing of extradition proceedings brought against her by the UK.

Ms Damji fled to Ireland in February this year during her trial in which she was convicted in her absence by Southwark Crown Court, London, of twice breaching a restraining order in April and June 2018.

Ms Damji is the daughter of a South African-born property tycoon and has a criminal record for fraud and theft stretching back to the 1990s.

Opposing the bail application, barrister Emily Farrell BL, for the State, told Mr Justice Hunt that Ms Damji was a flight risk and that she had arrived in Ireland after obtaining false documents.

Detective Garda Eoin Kane said that Ms Damji was facing 27 months in prison in the UK for the restraining order breaches and that when she was arrested by gardai in Dublin last month, she gave the false Icelandic name 'Anna Margaret Vignisdottir'.

Counsel said that when gardai challenged Ms Damji about her true identity she replied, "no comment" and only admitted her real name when in Garda custody.

Det Gda Kane said that Ms Damji used a false name when opening her bank account and did the same when entering into a rental agreement at Bachelor's Walk.

The witness said that Ms Damji was "living under the radar" and that she gave the address of a neighbouring apartment when shipping her personal belongings from the UK before meeting and directing the delivery man to her own apartment.

Det Gda Kane said that Ms Damji's father was a multi-millionaire who passed away 10 years ago and that Ms Damji claimed to gardai that his fortune had been put into a trust for his grandchildren. He added that Ms Damji was a flight-risk with no ties to Ireland and had entered only a short-term rental lease.

Ms Damji has six convictions for 28 offences, said Det Gda Kane, which included multiple theft and fraud offences dating back to 1995 and is currently under investigation for alleged offences under the Theft and Fraud Act.

Ms Farrell put it to Det Gda Farrell that Ms Damji claimed she was of limited means. "I wouldn't accept that," said Det Gda Kane, who added that Ms Damji was in possession of a Rolex and Viking watch.

A UK psychiatrist report said that Ms Damji had contacted politicians and high-profile persons about her UK case, claiming unlawful detention, and had documents to say so but he noted her "history of forgery".

"It doesn't fill me with confidence," said Det Gda Kane.

Ms Farrell also referenced a newspaper article describing Ms Damji's father as a "property tycoon".

However, Mr Justice Hunt said he "wouldn't believe everything in the Daily Telegraph", and described it as a "Conservative rag".

Speaking from the body of the court, Ms Damji said: "He's dead. This is ridiculous."

Barrister for Ms Damji, Mr Leo Mulrooney BL, said that a diagnosis of PTSD had been offered by a psychiatrist's report on his client and he told the court that there was a risk of her condition deteriorating in prison.

Another factor in favour of granting bail, said Mr Mulrooney, was the prison environment during Covid-19.

Mr Justice Hunt said that the prison environment in Ireland "was one of the safest in the world".

Mr Mulrooney told Mr Justice Hunt that Ms Damji was restricted to a single phone call and only 15 minutes from a visitor per day while she was trying to review a civil legal matter in the UK.

Counsel said that a "strong factor" in the application for bail was her record of her adherence to bail, in that Ms Damji had only one previous case of failing to appear against her.

"What I have is evidence that she disappeared in the middle of a trial," said Mr Justice Hunt.

Mr Mulrooney put it to Det Gda Kane that video calls would be an effective way to monitor Ms Damji's whereabouts, which Det Gda rejected as "unworkable".

Mr Justice Hunt asked counsel about Ms Damji's status and was told that she was born in Uganda but had only ever held a UK passport, which had been seized by UK authorities.

Counsel said Ms Damji was not in possession of any of her father's assets and that although she had been working for a magazine in the UK on a salary of 2,500 a month, 5,000 was being offered in her own bond.

Mr Mulrooney said that since March Ms Damji had been trying to regularise her position in regards of the European Arrest Warrant with solicitors.

In her direct evidence to the court, Ms Damji said that she had been in contact with several solicitors and with the Irish Refugee Council about her case and had emails and voice notes to prove so.

Ms Damji said that she had asked solicitors to write to the Department of Justice to notify authorities that she was in Ireland but that had not happened.

Regarding ties to Ireland, Ms Damji said that the father of her daughter was in Ireland as was a cousin who was a GP

Ms Damji said that she had a breakdown during her trial in the UK and that she was told by her doctor not to attend court. She added that it was difficult for her solicitors to take instructions "from a six-minute phone call" while in custody.

Ms Damji said that she was surviving on cash she brought from the UK and, as a painter, that she had sold some artwork in Ireland.

She said there were "no hidden trust funds, it's just not true", adding that she also volunteered handing out meals to the homeless at the GPO on O'Connell Street in Dublin.

Ms Damji said that she had been unwell due to Covid-19 and that she had not gotten out much but that she had been commissioned by a florist and a shop for paintings.

Mr Justice Hunt asked Ms Damji if she would not return to the UK to handle outstanding matters.

Ms Damji said she had outstanding cases regarding civil rights and property but that her GP's letter said "you should not go to court, you should stay home".

"I was just completely triggered. The UK government was supposed to be protecting me, not persecuting me. I've an unlawful detention case for 15 months' detention," said Ms Damji.

She added that she did not use a false name on a rental agreement as she didn't have one and that she was unsure if her landlord was a real landlord at all.

"He might have an issue about whether or not who is a real tenant - kettle and the pot, is it not?" said the judge.

Ms Farrell told the court that Ms Damji had no ties to Ireland, there was no detail supplied about her GP cousin and that Ms Damji's mother and children were in the UK.

Counsel said that Ms Damji accepts that she travelled on a false document and that the concern was that she had access to money, had an ability to move countries and that no conditions would satisfy objections to bail.

Mr Justice Hunt said to Mr Mulrooney: "If you stopped the average person walking down Parkgate Street and said to them that there was a person in that building there applying for bail and that she is not a risk of flight and yet six short months ago she departed from a trial in the middle of London, what would the average person, or the average judge, say to that?"

Mr Mulrooney said that if restrictions and conditions were applied that it would be a more "finely balanced matter".

Mr Justice Hunt asked what funds were left with Ms Damji and was told by Mr Mulrooney that she had 5,000 in her flat and another 4,000 with her friend, which were available as bail money.

Mr Justice Hunt adjourned the matter to Thursday, September 3, for his decision on the bail application.
Mayank Singh and Pushkar Banakar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A fresh confrontation is brewing in Eastern Ladakh with the Indian Army thwarting Chinas attempted ingress at a new point to change status quo on the intervening night of August 29 and 30.

Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand revealed the Chinese Army carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.

PLA troops violated previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing stand-off in Eastern Ladakh, he added.

A senior Army officer added, We were alert to such a step by the Chinese Army as even after a huge mobilsation of troops and equipment they have not been able to make much shift in the Line of Actual Control. With winter approaching things will become even more difficult for them.

Sources said nearly 200 PLA troops accompanied with the armoured vehicles were part of the attempted ingress on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake.

Indian troops pre-empted and thwarted Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the situation on the ground.

However, there was no clear word on whether or not there was any contact or clash between the two sides.

We expect retaliatory action. We are ready, said another officer.

ALSO READ | Important for India and China to reach some kind of equilibrium: Jaishankar

The Indian side called for a Brigade Commander level flag meeting at Chushul to resolve the issue.

For its part, China blamed India for the tension. Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesperson of the Western Theater Command at Chengdu, said, The Hunan coast and the nearby Reqin mountain pass once again illegally crossed the line and took control, blatantly provoking and causing tension on the border... China strongly opposes this. (sic)

The two sides were engaged in a confrontation on the northern bank of Pangong Tso lake but it was for the first time such an incident occured on the southern bank.

It is the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

China also suffered casualties but it is yet to make the details public but according to an American intelligence report it was 35.

In a statement, Col Anand said the Indian Army thwarted the Chinese intentions to "unilaterally" change facts on ground and undertook measures to strengthen Indian positions in the area.

"On the night of 29/30 August 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," he added.

"Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground," the Army spokesperson said.

Government sources said the top strategic and military brass including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs were briefed about the Chinese attempt in detail.

ALSO READ | India rebuffs Russias invite to partake in multilateral military exercise amid standoff with China

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian claimed its border troops always strictly abide by the Line of Actual Control(LAC) and never cross the line.

"Chinese border troops always strictly abide by the Line of Actual Control (LAC). They never cross the line. Border troops on the two sides have been in close communication regarding the issues on the ground," the spokesperson said at a media briefing in Beijing in response to a question by a Japanese journalist about the fresh incident at Pangong Tso lake.

Aked if there was any meeting underway to resolve the issue, he said: "What I said is that the two sides through diplomatic and military channels maintain close communication. As to specific meetings and talks, if there is anything we will release it in a timely manner."

In Delhi, people familiar with the developments said India has taken the Chinese attempt "seriously" and the Army has further increased its deployment of troops and weaponry in and around southern and northern banks of the Pangong Tso lake following the Chinese attempt.

They said the attempt reinforced the assessment by the Army that China has not been serious in disengaging its troops from the friction points as it was still trying to change the status of the LAC in the new area.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.

The two sides began a process of disengagement on July 6, a day after a telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in eastern Ladakh.

However, the process has not moved forward since mid-July.

The PLA has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas.

At the five rounds of Corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.

The face-off began on May 5 following violent clashes between the two armies in the Pangong lake area.

The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC that stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to Sikkim.

Prior to the clashes, both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.

Even as both sides were engaged in diplomatic and military talks, the Indian Army stepped up its strength in all key areas along the LAC to deal with any eventualities.

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane has already conveyed to all the senior commanders of the Army, overseeing the operation of the frontline formations along the LAC, to keep up a significantly high state of alertness and maintain the aggressive posturing to deal with any Chinese "misadventure", sources said.

The tension between the two sides escalated manifold after the Galwan Valley clashes.

Following the incident, the government gave the armed forces "full freedom" to give a "befitting" response to any Chinese misadventure along the LAC.

The Army sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border following the deadly clashes.

The IAF has also moved air defence systems as well as a sizable number of its frontline combat jets and attack helicopters to several key air bases.

(With PTI Inputs)
Historians have been hard on MacArthur. The list of indictments against him is damning. He took a huge secret payment from the Philippine government and then championed liberating the Philippines before attacking the Japanese homeland. While serving overseas, he pulled political strings at home, allowing right-wing supporters to run him as a dark-horse candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1944. MacArthurs views on global strategy were unwavering: He should receive more troops and weaponry regardless of what was happening elsewhere in the world  and he would subvert authority to try to get his way. That outlook continued into the Korean War, finally prompting President Harry S. Truman to send him into retirement.
White House Sees Progress on Pandemic Relief Talks, Wont Accept Pelosi Proposal

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Tuesday said that there has been progress on COVID-19 relief talks but said that a broader proposal from Democratic members of Congress is unworkable.

As weve had discussions with Democrats on Capitol Hill, as weve continued our discussion with Republican senators, were making real progress, Meadows said in an interview. I will say as we look at the number of things we actually agree to and the amounts of money allocated to those areas, probably the biggest stumbling block that remains is the amount of money that would go to state and local help.

Over the weekend, Meadows and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) both accused one another of further stalling talks, with Pelosi saying that a bill worth less than $2.2 trillion wont pass the House or Senate.

Meadows, in the interview, dismissed Democrats $1 trillion in aid for state and local governments that have suffered budget shortfalls in the midst of the pandemic.

Its not based on facts and its not based on reality, Meadows said of their proposal.

In terms of dollar amounts, the chief of staff said that the Republicans proposal could start off at $500 billion. He didnt elaborate on what it would entail.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) addresses the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, 2020. (DNCC via Getty Images)

If we can add from that and use that as a foundation, or at least pass that knowing that we will largely agree on that targeted proposal coming from Senate Republicans, lets go ahead and get what we agree to off the table, passed, signed into law and continue to negotiate on those things that perhaps might separate the two parties, he said.

On Aug. 28, Pelosi accused the GOP of not being unified.

The Democrats are unified, but the Republicans are in disarray, she said, while claiming Senate Republicans have come down to $500 billion in his proposal and that Mark Meadows is saying that the White House might go to $1.3 trillion. She added, Neither of these proposals would meet the needs of American workers and families.

Both the House and the Senate are expected to reconvene in September. Should a pandemic relief bill be passed, it would likely be in late September or early October before stimulus payments, expanded unemployment payments, and small-business loans are sent out.

The bill is intended to curb potential economic losses incurred during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.
EDMONTONAlbertas top doctor apologized Monday for anxiety and confusion a back-to-school public-health order caused over the weekend.

The order issued Saturday spells out that schools do not have to ensure two metres of spacing when students, staff or visitors are seated at desks or tables.

Chief medical health officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw said its not a departure from the guidance she announced in early August and that the order was meant to provide clarity for school administrators.

I am very sorry that unfortunately the opposite has happened and that this tool, which was meant to clarify, has caused more confusion. That was not the intention, she told reporters.

The order codifies Albertas policy requiring masks in schools. Staff and students in Grades 4 to 12 must cover their faces when theyre in common and shared indoor areas where physical distancing cannot be maintained, like hallways and buses.

However, the rules are eased for classrooms so that masks dont get in the way of learning and communication.

Where two metres of spacing cant be achieved, Hinshaw said students should be seated in rows so that they are less likely to cough or sneeze directly into the face of classmates.

We were trying to balance the benefits and harms of masking and figure out how we could best achieve the most appropriate COVID prevention, while at the same time not impeding some of the important functions of school.

Alberta reported 426 new COVID-19 cases over the past three days. Of the provinces 1,370 active cases, most  590  are in the Calgary zone.

Forty-four people are in hospital, including eight in intensive care. Two additional deaths were reported over the weekend, bringing Albertas fatality total to 239.

Fifty-seven cases have been linked to an outbreak at church in Calgary.

Hinshaw said anyone who attended the Kidanemhret Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the past two weeks should get tested for COVID-19 and stay home if they have symptoms.

She also said children who were at the church in the past two weeks should not go to school this week as a precaution.

Health officials are still tracing contacts and trying to understand the full scope of the outbreak and Hinshaw said its too early to know what may have sparked it.

It is critical, as always, that members of this church be supported and not targeted or stigmatized, she said.

An outbreak can occur anywhere and those involved need our compassion in this difficult time.

Read more about:
Do you almost always have a mini anxiety attack when you're putting in your card details to buy something online, or do you just do it without a care in the world?



With the scope of fraud in online shopping having increased so much, the hesitation is quite natural and sometimes even spot on, and the story of Manjunath N is a perfect example of that fear.

Basically, he got duped out of Rs 5,000 while trying to buy a phone on OLX and well, being wronged like that can make people switch over to the dark side, sometimes.

So, naturally, he decided to use the same trick to defraud other people and ended up bringing in lakhs of rupees that way.

 UTV Motion Pictures

After being a victim and the perpetrator of online fraud, it does feel like he got his own villain origin story.



Working as a flower seller in Bengaluru, he lost his job and source of income due to the pandemic. And, that's why he turned to online scams to earn money. You can almost feel some sympathy for him, almost.

But of course, his actions were illegal, and well, he was been caught by the police after one of his victims filed a complaint.

 UTV Motion Pictures

The victim, named Dhanush D of Chikkallasandra, thought he was buying a second hand Hyundai Verna car after seeing the ad on OLX, but after he bought it for Rs 4.5 lakh, our guy Manjunath here just ghosted him.



Reportedly, he robbed people in Tilaknagar, KR Puram, Nelamangala, Nayandahalli, and Mysuru.

After he was caught, cops seized valuables worth Rs 9 lakh, including gold, a car, two-wheelers, a watch, and cash, from him.
Election 2020 Myanmar Archbishop Urges Citizens to Go Vote

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo in Yangon in 2018. / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  The Archbishop of Yangon, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, has urged people to vote in Novembers general election, saying participation is vital for Myanmars common good and welfare.

His appeal on Tuesday came one week before the election campaign begins officially ahead of the Nov. 8 poll.

Voting is a sacred duty and part of our long pilgrimage to democracy, Bo said:

I urge everyone to ensure that your name is on the voter list and you visit the voting booth on election day.

His call to vote follows the No Vote campaign by the All Burma Federation of Student Unions last month. The group blamed the National League for Democracys failure to amend the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, saying there will never be a genuine, democratic government after an election held under the controversial charter.

Bo said voting would empower the voiceless through democracy and boost the peace process.

Armed responses have painfully killed thousands and created thousands of refugees and IDPs [internally displaced people]. This dark era needs to end. Nobody has won a war in this country. Peace is possible, peace is the only way, the archbishop said.

For the real participation of the poor in politics, elections are vital. Let not poverty deter us from election participation, he added.

The cardinal advised people to avoid voting for looters and cronies who had ravaged Myanmars resources and made the people poor. Thieves cannot represent us, Bo added.

He urged voters to avoid unethical cronies who exploited the countrys wealth by working with irresponsible international investors, whom he called foreign mafias.

The Christian leader labeled crony politicians as unpatriotic, saying some are competing in the election. He urged voters to identify them as they are not part of any democracy.

Bo said voters should choose candidates with a clear plan for human development, stressing that Myanmar needed more leaders with intelligence, animated by a sense of service, honesty, integrity, accountability and transparency.

He urged citizens to vote for a true political and economic federalism, saying General Aung San, father of State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, lived and died for a dream of political and economic federalism.

Vote for those who support Gen. Aung Sans dream. Let there be a new dawn of peace and prosperity, Bo said.

You may also like these stories:

Myanmars Military Chief Urges Personnel to Vote for Correct Candidates

Myanmars Ruling NLD Rejects Calls to Ditch Muslim Candidate

Election 2020: The Week in Review
Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche announced Tuesday that it will launch its new rapid coronavirus test in Europe at the end of the month.

The antigen test will be used in point-of-care settings for both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients, the company said. It added that the test typically yields results in about 15 minutes.

The company said the test accurately diagnoses an infected Covid-19 patient more than 96% of the time and accurately shows a negative result more than 99% of the time, based on a combined sample size of 426 samples from two separate testing centers.

"This can help healthcare professionals identify a SARS-CoV-2 infection in people suspected to carry the virus with results typically ready in 15 minutes," Roche said in a release. "In addition, it serves as a valuable initial screening test for individuals that have been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 infected patients or a high risk environment."

Roche called the test "affordable," but did not disclose pricing details. It does not depend on technical lab equipment, the company said, which means it can be used in settings where rapid and large-scale testing may be needed.

Roche said the company intends to apply for an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At the end of September, the test will be available in countries that recognize the CE regulatory marking, which are the member states of the European Union, it said.
A Carlsbad man will serve six years in prison after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the Feb. 16, 2020, death of Estevan Daniel Castillo.

Rodney Drew Amos Jr., 21, was sentenced Aug. 25 by 5th Judicial District Judge Lisa Riley, per court records.

Amos will serve more than five years in the New Mexico Department of Corrections system and will be on parole for two years once the sentence is complete, court records indicated.

Castillo was found unconscious and not breathing by Carlsbad Police Department officers at an apartment complex in the 600 block of Orchard Street, according to the criminal complaint filed against Amos.

Castillo was transported to Carlsbad Medical Center and later air lifted to El Paso for advanced treatment, and died during the flight, the criminal complaint read.

According to the criminal complaint, Castillo was injured in an altercation with Amos who punched him in the left side of the head, causing Castillo to fall to the ground. Amos told an officer he didnt mean to hit Castillo that hard, per the criminal complaint.

In addition to being sentenced for voluntary manslaughter, Riley sentenced Amos to nearly two years in prison Aug. 26 after he pleaded no contest to unrelated charges of shooting at or from a motor vehicle and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to court records.

Amos will be on parole for two years once his prison term ends, per court records.

Amos also pleaded no contest to a charge of trafficking controlled substances. He was sentenced to nine years in prison, three years of which were suspended, and he was given credit for 193 days pre-sentence confinement, for a total of five years in prison, per court records.
NEW DELHI: The Chinese embassy in India on Tuesday (September 1, 2020) issued a fresh statement on the latest skirmish with the Indian troops and blamed the latter for violating the consensus and crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India Ji Rong said, India has grossly violated China's territorial sovereignty by crossing the LAC.

The Chinese Embassy further stated that Beijing has made representations to the Indian side regarding the same.

The Chinese military had on Monday demanded India to withdraw its troops from the China-India border in order to avoid escalation of tension.

Chinas People`s Liberation Armys (PLA) Western Command said Indian troops violated the consensus reached "multi-level talks" between the two countries.

"Indian troops have violated the consensus reached at the multi-level talks between India and China and again crossed the line of actual control at the border on Monday and purposely launched provocations," PLA`s Western Command was quoted as saying by China`s state-run Global Times.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said that the India-China boundary is yet to be demarcated due to which there will always be problems and the two countries should implement the consensuses between their leadership to not let differences from escalating into conflicts.

He also said that China is ready to manage all issues through dialogue with India. Wang, who is currently on a tour of Europe, made the remarks during an interaction at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris on Monday.

In response to a question on China's relations with India and Japan, the minister did not directly refer to the latest provocative move by the Chinese military in eastern Ladakh.

His remarks came hours after the Indian Army said it has thwarted a provocative Chinese army movement in eastern Ladakh to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake.

It is also the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

Meanwhile, the Indian and Chinese militaries began the third round of talks at Chushul on Tuesday to resolve the fresh skirmishes at Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh.

"A Brigade Commander-level talk started at 10 a.m. in Chushul on the Indian side," said a source.

The agenda of the deliberation was the fresh development at three contentious points on the southern banks of the Pangong Lake. India has also raised concerns about Chinese deployment in areas near the Black Top and Helmet Top.

Indian troops have also occupied hilltops and the Chinese want them to step back. Talks between the two sides took place for five long hours on Monday also.

The Indian Army also stated that they are committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity through dialogue but are also equally determined to protect India`s territorial integrity.

China on Monday maintained its troops never crossed the Line of Actual Control.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 17:05:44|Editor: huaxia

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HOHHOT, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Hai Quan, a herdsman in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is making more money with less livestock than before thanks to a subsidy policy.

China implemented the supportive policy in 2011, providing subsidies for herdsmen who stop using deteriorated grasslands.

The country has invested 45.5 billion yuan (about 6.64 billion U.S. dollars) of subsidies in the region, benefiting more than 4.9 million farmers and herdsmen every year.

"The quality of grasslands and livestock has improved although the number of livestock dropped after the policy was launched. We are making more money than before," Hai said. "The wildlife that had disappeared from the grasslands for years came back with the improvement of the ecological environment."

Yurelt, another herdsman in the region's Xilingol League, can earn more than 200,000 yuan each year with 340 hectares of grasslands on lease and over 60 cows. "Such a good life was unbelievable 10 years ago," he said.

Yurelt and his family raised over 900 sheep before the policy was implemented. However, overgrazing led to the desertification of grassland, and he failed to make ends meet due to the purchase of additional pastures.

Receiving over 10,000 yuan thanks to the policy, Yurelt started to raise cows. "The price of a cow is equivalent to more than 10 sheep, and raising cows has much less impact on the grasslands than raising sheep," he said.

"My work was also easier since there is less livestock," he added. Yurelt can earn about 70,000 yuan diagnosing and treating the livestock of other herdsmen with his veterinary skills.

A total of 28 million hectares of desertified and degraded grasslands in the region are being restored since the policy was implemented, according to the region's agriculture and animal husbandry department. The monitoring data showed that the region's average coverage of grassland vegetation reached 44 percent in 2019, an increase of 7 percentage points over 2010.

"The policy has aroused the enthusiasm of local farmers and herdsmen in protecting the grasslands and played an important role in the scientific utilization of grassland resources and the income increase of the farmers and herdsmen," said Luo Huzai, Party secretary of Xilingol League. Enditem
Pictures of three turtles found in the New River, Florida have gone viral after being shared on Facebook. A post shared on the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute details how biologists caught three Suwannee alligator snapping turtles for research purposes.

This week our biologists were out checking traps set for the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle, Macrochelys suwanniensis, explains the post. FWC is collaborating with other researchers in Florida and Georgia to document the distribution and relative abundance of this state threatened species, it says further.

The post mentions further that traps were set to capture the turtles.

Six 4-foot diameter hoop net traps were set in the New River, north of Gainesville. In one trap, they caught a 100-pound male and a 46-pound female, another trap had a 64-pound male.

Take a look at the photos:

Shared on August 21, the post has garnered over 1,300 reactions along with tons of comments from netizens. While some were shocked at the huge size of the turtles, others compared the creature to those shown in the popular Jurassic Park movies. Many even had questions regarding the unusual turtle specie.

Did you release them safely elsewhere, FWC? asked a netizen. To which they replied with, After collecting data and photo voucher, they were released where they were trapped in the New River.

I might have missed it in the description, but can you tell how old they are? inquired another. The research facility replied that the creatures were almost 40-80 years old.

Heres how others reacted:

Wow! Snapping turtles both scare me and amaze me. I would never be brave enough to pick one up like the guy in the pic! wrote a Facebook user. Imagine one of those mutated in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Awesome! expressed another. Welcome! To Jurassic Park, said a third.

What are your thoughts on these rare turtles?
Vienna: Austria will file charges against a person who has confessed to spying for Turkey's secret service, and authorities are investigating more suspected espionage activities, its interior minister said, warning Turkey this would not be tolerated.

"This is about an exertion of influence by a foreign power in Austria and this will in no way be accepted," Karl Nehammer told a news conference on Tuesday.

Vienna, Austria was a hotspot for spies during the Cold War.

Turkey rejected the espionage accusations as "baseless."

There were clear indications of Turkish influence in Austria, said the director general for public safety, Franz Ruf. The new findings came following extensive investigations by Austrian police after violent clashes between Turkish and Kurdish groups in Vienna in June.
Tule elk roam inside the Point Reyes National Seashore. As fires rage at the seashore amid a drought, the elk herd may be running out of water. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

As darkness fell and a thick Pacific fog crept in over the Point Reyes peninsula on Sunday, a small band of animal activists waited for a National Park Service official to leave his check-post along Pierce Point Road.

He was there to prevent people from going deep into the National Seashore, where forests are aflame, and a skeleton crew of park service employees are otherwise tending to a 3,000-acre conflagration burning at the park's southern end.

At 6 p.m., as his shift came to a close and he drove away, the small bucket-brigade crept in. They were transporting roughly 150 gallons of water to the park's tule elk, who they say are dying from dehydration  and unable to reach other water sources because of a fence around their preserve  as drought conditions worsen in the region.

"If the park service refuses to care for the animals that they are mandated by law to preserve, then others have to step in," said Fleur Dawes, the communications director for the San Rafael-based organization In Defense of Animals.

Until this week, Dawes' organization and other local activists were the main ones focused on the plight of this year's elk herd. But on Monday, a group with a track record of aggressive environmental litigation, the Center for Biological Diversity, urged the park service to provide water to the elk and remove an 8-foot-high wire fence that runs across the peninsula, preventing the free movement of the elk.

Fleur Dawes, an activist from In Defense of Animals, wants an 8-foot-high fence to be removed so Tule elk can roam freely in Point Reyes National Seashore. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Unlike the privately owned cattle that have unrestrained access to water sources in this area, the elk are protected by federal law that requires the Park Service to conserve them for the public and future generations, Katherine Meyer, director of Harvard Law Schools Animal Law & Policy Clinic, said in a statement for the organization. They should not be denied access to the water they need to survive.

The conflicting needs of the elk preserve and neighboring dairy ranches have long been a flash point in Point Reyes, one of California's most beloved seashores. The latest confrontation comes at a time when the park service is considering a final decision on a management plan for the elk  a plan that has pitted the 24 family dairy and beef operators, who lease land in the national park, against animal and environmental activists, who say their operations don't belong there.

Story continues

Tule elk are known to be relatively resilient to drought conditions, which is one reason national park biologists and others are reluctant to intervene this year.

"While the stock ponds left from the prior ranching days are frequented by elk ... these ponds actually go dry in most years," Carey Feierabend, acting superintendent for Point Reyes National Seashore, said in a statement, noting that there "are a number of seeps and springs in the area that are frequented by the elk."

Cattle graze in Point Reyes National Seashore. Heat, drought and fires engulf areas within and around the Point Reyes National Seashore, the iconic tule elk is running out of water. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

The Tomales Point herd consists of 450 elk, fenced into a 2,000-acre reserve that, perched on the northern end of the peninsula, offers sweeping views of the Pacific, Bodega Bay and Tomales Bay.

During a previous drought that ended in 2014, the herd lost about half of its population, said National Park Service wildlife ecologist Dave Press, who lives in the area and watches over the elk pack.

Since Aug. 23, Dawes said her group's scouts have observed at least a half-dozen dead elk in the park.

Press said he understood the activists' concerns, and has been checking on the herd every week. He said that while he observed the elk had enough water, the National Park Service has plans to put in troughs filled by water trucks if necessary.

He was disheartened to hear that activists had brought in water and entered the closed park without permission.

"Thats a total violation of working within the realm of the national parks," he said. "This is public land, and we would have to issue a permit for anything like that. Just speaking hypothetically, what if they put that trough on one of our endangered plant species? How would they even know that?"

Tule elk roams in its reserve in Point Reyes National Seashore. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

One of the ponds the elk regularly drink from was observed dry last Friday afternoon. Hoof prints pocked the surface of the now-muddy pond. A small herd of elk and a solitary deer rested on the dry, grassy hill above.

But the situation is complicated by the nearby Woodward fire, the result of a lightning strike on Aug. 18. Though it still remains about nine miles away from where the elk roam at Tomales, it is closer to one of the free-range herds and has led to heavy smoke in the area, along with evacuation orders and warnings.

More than 400 firefighters, many from the park service, are battling that blaze, trying to set containment lines in terrain that, in some places, has no recorded history of burning, leaving it heavy on fuel. Other places are steep and wild, making access difficult.

Over the past few days, it has been difficult to discriminate smoke from fog, as both cloud the area, making aerial water drops nearly impossible.

Before the Point Reyes National Seashore was officially established in 1972, the land was privately owned by ranch families. For nearly a decade after Congress authorized the park in the 1960s, the government worked to buy those parcels with agreements to allow the ranchers to continue operations for decades, sometimes up to 30 years.

The Tule Elk Reserve is fenced around to keep elk from grazing on ranch land, carved out from park land and leased to ranchers. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Many of those farms, founded by Irish, Swiss and Portuguese immigrants, were part of a dairy industry that sprang up as the Gold Rush increased milk demand in nearby San Francisco, said author Dewey Livingston, who has written about the area's agriculture and is a former historian for the park.

Though elk herds had long roamed the area, they were wiped out as hunting decimated their numbers and grazing herds of cattle took over.

In 1978, conservationists moved some of the last tule elk in the state back to the northern tip of the park at Tomales Point in an attempt to save them from extinction. They were successful, and the "elk population grew and grew and grew," Livingston said.

But elk began pushing onto the better grazing lands of the farms, where appetizing pastures beckoned despite fences and other deterrents, causing "conflict with the dairy families," Livingston said.

An 8-foot-high woven-wire fence now runs across the peninsula, preventing the Tomales herd from moving onto neighboring ranches.

Amid debates over extending their leases, ranchers would like to see the number of elk reduced. The proposed Park Service plan calls for culling some herds to keep them at a size that can coexist with the farms.

Kristin Denryter, coordinator of the Elk and Pronghorn Program at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said that the elk have no natural predators in Point Reyes, and the state agrees they may need to be culled as the herds continue to grow.

"We think the science is sound," she said. "The landscape basically can't support them."

As the NPS prepares to release its final plan for managing the area and its wildlife, some see the bucket brigades as a public relations stunt to draw attention to the ranch agreements.

"The portrayal of these folks as greedy, industrial ranchers benefiting on the federal government dime is I think a big exaggeration," said Livingston, pointing out that the majority of the farms have been run by generations of the same family.

Isabel French, spokeswoman for the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, which represents family farms, though not those in the park, said the county's agricultural economy depends on the Point Reyes ranches. They help support auxiliary services such as veterinarians and transportation services, she said.

The activists, however, see the fence and the proposed culling as an abnegation of the park service's duty to protect the iconic species, which once numbered in the hundreds of thousands across Central California.

Fleur Dawes, an activist from In Defense of Animals, walks on a dried pond in Tule Elk Reserve in Point Reyes National Seashore. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

And they see the park service's refusal to provide water as evidence that officials are more concerned with the needs of ranchers than elk.

"This is a ridiculous situation," said Dawes, as she guided a team from The Times along an animal trail, pocked with hoof prints and paw marks, toward one of the dried ponds. "There are more cows in this park than there are tule elk in the entire world."

On Thursday, two days after The Times published this report online, Press visited the preserve in fog so thick the moisture drenched his clothes.

By 10:30 a.m., he had checked two streams and found water flowing in both, with signs of elk trails crossing them, he said.

"There is honestly water everywhere I have looked," said Press, adding that he saw five elk nearby. "You just have to know where to look."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A 19-year-old woman was seriously injured in a crash involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 290 in Shrewsbury on Tuesday, authorities said.

The woman, who was driving a 2006 Nissan Murano, lost control of her car around 4:30 a.m. and was struck by the tractor-trailer in the westbound lane of I-290, Massachusetts State Police told MassLive.

She was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center with serious injuries. Authorities did not have information on any other injured parties, state police said.

All three lanes on the highway near exit 22 were impacted, according to officials.

Traffic on I-290 westbound was detoured off the highway at exit 22. Drivers have been urged by state police to go on an alternative route.

#MAtraffic Crash, ALL traffic on I-290 WB are detoured off I-290 at x.22 in #Shrewsbury. Seek alternate route. More info to come when available.  Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) September 1, 2020

Related Content: Serious injuries reported after tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 290 in Shrewsbury
Bail has been revoked for Shaniqua Leonard, a Whitman woman who is facing charges in connection with the death of her daughter, after Leonard threatened to slaughter her neighbors during a confrontation, officials said Tuesday.

Leonard, 29, is charged with manslaughter and reckless endangerment of a child in the 2019 death of her 2-year-old daughter, Lyric Farrell.

The office of Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said that Leonard violated a condition of her release over the weekend. On Aug. 29, Leonard threatened to slaughter her neighbors during an unprovoked confrontation that was captured with audio and video from a home security system, Cruzs office said in a statement.

Authorities obtained a probation warrant charing Leonard with violating a condition of her release. On Monday, Massachusetts State Police went to arrest Leonard on the warrant in Roxbury, where her GPS monitoring bracelet indicated she was located, the statement said.

However, Leonard allegedly cut off the GPS monitor before police arrived, the district attorneys office said.

State police, Whitman police and Boston police worked to locate Leonard. Tuesday morning, Leonard turned herself in to the probation department in Brockton Superior Court, the statement said.

At a hearing Tuesday, Brockton Superior Court Judge Maynard Kirpalani allowed the states motion to revoke Leonards bail. Leonard will be held without bail for 90 days, Cruzs office said.

Last month, Leonard was arraigned on the charges in connection with her daughters death. Her bail, which was set at $25,000 at the arraignment, was posted by the National Council For Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, the district attorneys office said. Leonard was released on conditions that she wear the GPS monitoring bracelet, have no contact with her other children, abstain from drug and alcohol use, undergo mental health screenings and not carry a firearm.

It is becoming crystal clear that these bail funds serve no purpose other than to free criminals to commit more crimes, with no regard for public safety, and absolutely no compassion for the victims, Cruz said.

Whitman police responded to a 911 call from Leonard shortly after midnight on Dec. 28, 2019, reporting that her daughter was unresponsive at 863 Washington St.

Lyric was taken to a local hospital and then flown to a Boston hospital. A hematoma was found on her brain. She was taken off life support on Dec. 31, 2019, around 3 p.m., the district attorneys office said.

Authorities allege that Lyric had been demonstrating signs of medical distress and was in need of immediate medical attention. Leonard did not seek medical attention, Cruzs office said.

An autopsy found that Lyric died of complications from blunt force trauma head injuries. Leonard said that her daughter banged her head, but doctors indicated the toddlers injuries could not have been caused that way, the district attorneys office said.

Leonard will be summonsed to Brockton District Court at a later date to face the new charges, the district attorneys office said, and is also slated to return to Plymouth Superior Court on Sept. 22.

Related Content:
A Conservative MP has branded former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott a "misogynist" and said it would be "awful" for him to represent Britain on the world stage.

Mr Abbott has been tipped as a member of UKs Board of Trade to advise ministers and help secure post-Brexit trade deals.

However, Caroline Nokes, the Tory chairwoman of the women and equalities select committee, told BBC Politics Live that "I just dont think this is a man who should be anywhere near our Board of Trade".

Describing the decision as "awful", she added: Is he the sort of man I want to be representing us globally? No.

Stefan Rousseau/PA Archive

Mr Abbott has questioned the existence of climate change and repeatedly been accused of misogyny.

His appointment has been condemned by Labour international trade spokesman Emily Thornberry, who called him an offensive, aggressive, leering, gaffe-prone misogynist.

It is understood Trade Secretary Liz Truss will be president of the board and Mr Abbott will be appointed to an advisory role.

Ms Nokes added: Look at Liz Truss, one of the few women to hold a big job in this Government.

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott / Getty Images

"She is being president of the Board of Trade and shes being told shes got to job share with a bloke from Australia.

"Emily Thornberry and I seldom agree on anything but shes right.

Hes a misogynist, hes got very poor views on LGBTQ rights and I just dont think this is a man who should be anywhere near our Board of Trade.

In a clip defending himself, Mr Abbott said: Inevitably if you have convictions, youll draw criticism. But if you want to get things done you need people with convictions.

Mr Abbott only served as leader in Australia for two years before he was ousted by rivals inside Australia's right-wing Liberal party.

Ms Truss was quizzed over Mr Abbotts attitudes towards women and LGBTQ people during a recent interview.

The Secretary of State praised Mr Abbott as a "principled politician" and said concerns over his views and record on social issues are "irrelevant" to his possible role on the UK's board of trade.

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The Standard has contacted the Department for International Trade for comment.
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.
According to a release from the company, Ambrose resigned from her board role to accept a full-time employment position.

Ronas experience and perspective have been of great value to the board during her tenure, said Manulife chairman of the board John Cassaday. We appreciate her advice and counsel over the past three years and wish her only the best in the future.

Manulifes release does not disclose any details about Ambroses new job, nor does it mention the company she will be joining.

Ambrose is the former leader of Canadas official opposition in the House of Commons. She had also served as an MP for Sturgeon River  Parkland; a role she held for 13 years.

She continues to serve as the co-chair of the Max Bell School of Public Policy, as a member on the advisory council on NAFTA, as an advisory council member for the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and a member of the board of directors at TransAlta.
Bir Lehlu (Liberated Territories),Sept 01, 2020 (SPS) - The Sahrawi Government reiterated today its firm rejection of the continued existence of the illegal Guergarat crossing, which is an flagrant violation of the terms of ceasefire and military agreement No. 1.

The Saharawi government, in a statement issued by the Ministry of Information, voiced its totally rejected to the persistent existence of the illegal breach in the Moroccan wall of humiliation in the Guerguerat area, as it is contrary to the provisions of the military agreement no 1 and the peace plan.

In this sense, the SADR Government has called on the Security Council to force Morocco to close this illegal passage, which continues to be a permanent source of tension in the region and a real obstacle to international efforts in the search for a solution.

On the other hand, the Sahrawi government has expressed its solidarity with the Sahrawi citizens stationed since yesterday in the framework of an act of peaceful popular protest in front of the illegal crossing in the Guerguerat, considering this spontaneous and natural act as another popular demonstration of the Saharawi people resistance against the illegal Moroccan occupation of parts of the soil of the Saharawi Republic.

The Sahrawi government holds the MINURSO mission, and the United Nations, responsible for the full security and protection of the Sahrawi citizens in Guerguerat who have full rights to free expression and peaceful protest to defend the inalienable rights of its people, against any acts of intimidation by the Moroccan occupation forces or their thugs.

It is totally unacceptable, says the Government Communique, that the MINURSO mission continues to turn a blind eye to the continued existence of this illegal crossing and the daily passage of goods, including huge tons of drugs, without assuming its responsibility to comply the mandate that has been entrusted to it by the Security Council, which is the organization of a self-determination referendum to put an end to the decolonization chapter of Western Sahara. SPS

125/090/TRA
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A PIN code is usually required at the checkout when paying large sums by credit card. ETH researchers have now discovered a flaw in the security system of some credit cards.

Credit cards that enable contactless payments are extremely popular. Small amounts can be charged quickly and easily at the till, and the cards are considered safe because a security code is required to debit large sums.

Most of these transactions are based on the EMV standard, which applies to over nine billion cards worldwide. The standard was developed in the 1990s by the three large companies Europay, Mastercard and Visa (hence the abbreviation EMV). Although it has been revised several times since then, the complex set of rules has several vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

The systematic search for weak spots

With other security specialists already finding errors in the standard, scientists at ETH Zurich have now reported an additional, serious security loophole. The ETH researchers will present their findings, which are currently available as a preprint, at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy in 2021.

As a first step, Professor of Information Security David Basin joined with Ralf Sasse, a senior scientist in the Department of Computer Science, and Jorge Toro Pozo, a postdoc in Basin's group, to design a purpose-built model so they could take a closer look at the central elements of the EMV standard. They discovered a critical gap in a protocol used by credit card company Visa.

This vulnerability enables fraudsters to obtain funds from cards that have been lost or stolen, although the amounts are supposed to be validated by entering a PIN code. Toro puts it in a nutshell: "To all intents and purposes, the PIN code is ineffective here." Other companies, such as Mastercard, American Express and JCB, don't use the same protocol as Visa, so these cards are not affected by the security loophole. However, the flaw may also apply to the cards issued by Discover and UnionPay, which use a protocol similar to Visa's.

This video shows how PIN code protection can be handled in practice. Credit: ETH Zurich

Simulated authorisation

The researchers were able to demonstrate that it is possible to exploit the vulnerability in practice, although it is a fairly complex process. They first developed an Android app and installed it on two NFC-enabled mobile phones. This allowed the two devices to read data from the credit card chip and exchange information with payment terminals. Incidentally, the researchers did not have to bypass any special security features in the Android operating system to install the app.

To obtain unauthorized funds from a third-party credit card, the first mobile phone is used to scan the necessary data from the credit card and transfer it to the second phone. The second phone is then used to simultaneously debit the amount at the checkout, as many cardholders do nowadays. As the app declares that the customer is the authorized user of the credit card, the vendor does not realize that the transaction is fraudulent. The crucial factor is that the app outsmarts the card's security system. Although the amount is over the limit and requires PIN verification, no code is requested.

Successfully put to the test

Using their own credit cards at various points of sale, the researchers were able to show that the fraud scheme works. "The scam works with debit and credit cards issued in different countries in a range of currencies," Toro says. The researchers have already alerted Visa to the vulnerability, at the same time proposing a specific solution. "Three changes should be made to the protocol, which could then be installed in the payment terminals with the next software update," Toro explains. "It could be done with minimum effort. There is no need to replace the cards and all changes comply with the EMV standard."

Explore further Visa joins other major credit cards in getting rid of signature requirement

More information: Basin et al. The EMV Standard: Break, Fix, Verify. arXiv:2006.08249 [cs.CR] Basin et al. The EMV Standard: Break, Fix, Verify. arXiv:2006.08249 [cs.CR] arxiv.org/abs/2006.08249
But he defended another of his supporters, Kyle H. Rittenhouse, 17, who showed up at a protest in Kenosha armed with a military-style rifle and has been charged with homicide after two demonstrators were shot and killed, suggesting the teenager acted in self-defense. I guess he was in very big trouble, Mr. Trump said. He probably would have been killed.

The strategy is consistent with the presidents lifetime of provocation. From his time as a celebrity real estate developer, Mr. Trump has never been a conciliator, and he has long gravitated toward conflict and sought to escalate it. As president, he often plays to and amplifies racial divisions in the country.

He blurred the distinction between white supremacists and their opponents in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, and a year later, he issued dire warnings about caravans of immigrants invading the United States just before the 2018 midterm election.

Mr. Trump and his advisers have grown especially energized in recent days as they have pressed the law-and-order issue and claimed credit when Mr. Biden and the Democrats have addressed the matter more vocally. A smattering of public polls have shown the race tightening since the Republican National Convention last week, when Mr. Trump presented a highly dramatic and exaggerated portrait of a country in chaos because of mob rule. Still, Mr. Biden retains a six-point lead in two national surveys.

Trump campaign officials insisted their internal polling shows a tighter race than the public data does, including in Minnesota, a swing state where the presidents aides have long maintained that the unrest after the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, while in police custody, would accrue to their benefit. The campaign has added questions about the disorder to the surveys they have been conducting and hopes to counter inroads that Mr. Biden has made with white voters in recent months.

Democrats have grown increasingly nervous in recent days, fearing that Mr. Trump was successfully gaining traction with the issue, motivating his own base to turn out and appealing to independents turned off by television images of burning cars and looting.

Theres a lot of hand-wringing going on with Democrats, acknowledged Terry McAuliffe, the former governor of Virginia and Democratic National Committee chairman. We love to do that.
Guwahati, Sep 1 : Five persons were arrested in Uttar Pradesh for fraudulently withdrawing money from the Assam Chief Minister's relief fund, officials said on Tuesday.

An official of the Assam Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell said that nearly Rs 4 lakh was fraudulently withdrawn through fake cheques in Uttar Pradesh by forging the signature of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

"With the help of Uttar Pradesh police, a seven member team of Chief Minister's Special Vigilance Cell apprehended five accused from different places in Gorakhpur and Basti districts of Uttar Pradesh on August 27. During interrogation they admitted that they committed the crime and also confessed that they had committed similar offences in other states too," the official said.

The detainees were identified as Ravindra Kumar, Sri Lalji, Mohammad Arif, Mohammad Asif and Sarvesh Rao.

The official said: "On August 10, officials of Assam Chief Minister's Secretariat noticed some unusual transactions in CM's Relief Fund. Some fraudulent withdrawals were found. On the Chief Minister's instructions a case was registered on August 12 before the probe was launched." The detainees were produced in a local court in Basti district and brought to Guwahati on transit remand on Monday.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A team of researchers from Brazil has sequenced the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of Frieseomelitta varia, a stingless bee that has, as a peculiarity, a completely sterile worker caste.

Frieseomelitta varia, a species of bee in the tribe Meliponini (stingless bees), was chosen for this genome project because of its peculiar reproductive biology.

Different from most other stingless bee species, Frieseomelitta varia workers are completely sterile and, thus represent an extreme end in the queen-worker and worker-worker conflict of interest over male production in a bee colony.

We chose a species to test our ability to sequence a whole genome in a pilot project, said Professor Klaus Hartmann Hartfelder, a researcher in the Ribeirao Preto Medical School at the University of Sao Paulo.

Frieseomelitta varia is an emblematic species because its workers are completely sterile. This trait distinguishes it from the vast majority of species in the tribe Meliponini.

Professor Hartfelder and colleagues found that the total size of the Frieseomelitta varia genome is similar to the sequenced genomes of other bees.

They also identified a large number of repetitive genome components and long non-coding RNAs, which could provide the molecular basis for gene regulatory plasticity, including worker reproduction.

In humans, for example, these RNAs are associated with processes that regulate development of the central nervous system, among others, they noted.

In Frieseomelitta varia, these sequences may be linked to the lack of ovaries that makes the workers sterile. The queen is highly fertile, of course.

As in the vast majority of social insects, the eggs are all the same. Any egg can develop into a worker or queen, Professor Hartfelder added.

During the larval stage, however, some molecular signaling pathways diverge so that the bees differentiate into two types of individuals, one fertile queen and many infertile workers.

In the European honeybee (Apis mellifera), this is engineered by giving the queen different food in the larval stage, but in stingless bees, it seems to be more a matter of the amount of food.

The researchers also found a high degree of conservation (synteny) in a block of genes previously described in the European honeybee and related to pollen hoarding by colonies.

The finding surprised us, given that European honeybees and stingless bees diverged into different lineages more than 70 million years ago. Thats a long time for a species to conserve a trait as it evolves, Professor Hartfelder said.

We want to see if the same is true of other bees and if it happened by chance or afforded an evolutionary advantage.

In contrast to the examples of conservation in the nuclear genome, the mitochondrial genome of Frieseomelitta varia revealed major changes in gene order in comparison to the European honeybee and also to the other two stingless bee mitochondrial genomes sequenced so far.

For Frieseomelitta varia we found evidence for major reshuffling events in gene order that should be of interest for the analysis of other stingless bee mitogenomes, as this group may represent a hotspot in mitogenome structural evolution, the scientists said.

A paper on the findings was published in the journal BMC Genomics.

_____

F.C. de Paula Freitas et al. 2020. The nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of Frieseomelitta varia  a highly eusocial stingless bee (Meliponini) with a permanently sterile worker caste. BMC Genomics 21, 386; doi: 10.1186/s12864-020-06784-8
A Chinese state-controlled newspaper has warned Australia will become the 'poor white trash of Asia'.

The Global Times, regarded as a mouthpiece for the communist government, said in an editorial that Australia could become impoverished unless it welcomes Chinese investment.

The provocative article was a response to Prime Minster Scott Morrison's plan to stop states signing deals with foreign powers that go against Australia's foreign policy.

A Chinese state-controlled newspaper has warned Australia will become the 'poor white trash of Asia'. Pictured: Chinese troops in Beijing last year

Under a proposed new law, Victoria's Belt and Road Initiative deal with China could be torn up by the foreign minister if it is deemed a threat to national security.

But the Global Times warned that rejecting Chinese investment will make Australia poor.

'As Australia suffers soaring unemployment, an old and worn-out railway system, a network speed far slower than other Asian countries' and halted development plans, the Australian people may start to recall former Prime Minister John Howard's encouragement of Western leaders to "welcome rise of China",' the article said.

'Indeed, further decoupling with China will not send China back to poverty, but will only make former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's famous statement more likely to come true: that if Australia doesn't open up its economy and reduce unemployment, it risks becoming the "poor white trash of Asia".'

Lee made his comment in 1980 in a bid to urge Australia to open its economy to foreign investment.

Prime Minister Bob Hawke heeded his words and focused on economic reform when he rose to power in 1983.

Under a proposed new law, Victoria's Belt and Road Initiative deal with China could be torn up by the foreign minister if it is deemed a threat. Pictured: President Xi Jinping on August 24

The article, written by Yu Lei, a research fellow at Liaocheng University, said Australia should 'abandon the Cold War mentality, and conform to the spirit of world peace, co-development, and win-win.'

Investors from the United States and the United Kingdom put the most money into Australia, with China in ninth place.

Victoria made a deal with China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative, a scheme that sees the communist superpower invest in huge infrastructure projects around the world, in October 2018.

Premier Andrews said he made the agreement to increase Chinese participation in Victorian building projects, manufacturing and trade in order to boost jobs.

Several federal politicians, fearing the expansion of Chinese power and influence, have urged the Victorian government to scrap the deal but it has refused.

Under the proposed new law, the foreign minister will be able to terminate the deal and any private contracts that are part of it.

Once the law is in place, governments and universities will have six months to reveal their foreign deals to the foreign minister, who will then decide which ones must be stopped.

Beijing and Canberra have been at loggerheads after Australia led global calls for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19.

Soon afterwards, China slapped an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley, suspended beef imports and told students and tourists not to travel Down Under in an apparent attempt to damage the Australian economy.

On Tuesday Treasurer Josh Frydenberg blocked a $600million bid by Chinese company Mengniu Dairy to buy Aussie drinks company Lion, citing national security concerns.

Minister Wang Xining (pictured) poses for a photo at the National Press Club in Canberra

On August 26 Wang Xining, deputy head of mission at the Chinese embassy in Canberra, said Chinese people felt deeply betrayed by Mr Morrison's call for independent scientists to enter China and investigate coronavirus.

'All of a sudden, there was this shocking proposal from Australia, supposed to be a good friend of China,' he said.

'It is approximately identical to Julius Caesar on his final day when he saw Brutus approaching him and said et tu, Brute?'

Minister Wang admitted the virus was 'first identified' in China but said 'we should leave the work to scientists' to find out where patient zero came from.


By John J. Metzler





Nearly six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States remains in the nebulous haze of the "invisible enemy," suffering greatly both physically and emotionally. We have been battered and bruised economically and most of all psychologically.



And all this in the midst of a contentious presidential election campaign which in itself has distorted the dangers and depths of the pandemic and somehow suggested that COVID-19's wrath was uniquely focused on our shores.



Let's be clear, COVID-19 remains a deadly and ongoing threat to the U.S. and the world. The fatality rates have been stunning and the U.S. has borne the pandemic's brunt which started in China, spread into Europe, and only then reached our shores.



The timeline illustrating a telling trial of deception, misperception, underestimation and then, full blown panic has been a sordid narrative since February.



If this were a political thriller, most would argue the plot was too far-fetched. A deadly coronavirus starts in late autumn in Wuhan, China. The Chinese communist authorities go into classic cover-up mode but COVID-19 proves more viral than the CCP's lies. The World Health Organization (WHO) learns of the threat and wants to act, but is spoonfed disinformation about the extent and danger. Lunar New Year festivities serve as a transmission belt.



In late January, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros while visiting Beijing is still assured that the virus is not a danger to transmit to humans.



On Feb. 24, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells tourists to enjoy Chinese New Year in San Francisco! In New York in early March the hapless Mayor Di Blasio tells people to go out and enjoy restaurants, Broadway shows and life in the Metropolis.



The week of March 9, the tide of false optimism suddenly turns ugly; schools are shutting down "probably for a few weeks" and on Wednesday, March 11, the WHO declares a global health pandemic. Within the week the USA is largely locked down, the powerful American economy is put into an induced coma; fear, recriminations and fatalities became a feature of our life.



The death toll stands now at 187,000.



President Trump stated, "When the China virus hit, we launched the largest national mobilization since World War II. Invoking the Defense Production Act, we produced the world's largest supply of ventilators."



But the pandemic remains a global health emergency. West European countries such as Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and France had very high fatality rates  comparatively as a percentage of their populations, higher than the U.S. France has 40,000 deaths from a population of 65 million. The United Kingdom has lost 41,000 from 68 million people.



France again is seeing an exponential rise in cases. COVID-19 may be mutating into a more spreadable but less deadly virus.



Its spread has hit countries as diverse as Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa.



While the U.S. appears to have now controlled the scourge of COVID-19, the histrionics of the mainstream media still play the narrative that somehow the Trump administration did not know, care or was incapable of handling this once-in-a-century pandemic. Clearly mistakes were made but many of those in timing came from fuzzy early reports from the WHO and the CDC.



Health assessments were soothed by leading virus expert Dr. Anthony Fauci who stated on Feb. 29 that visiting malls, movies and gyms "were okay."



The perpetual political blame game, put on steroids of social media and fanned by woke denizens,

sets the tone for an election sounding like a simple schoolyard blame game.



New York State has 33,000 fatalities, the highest in the nation. New York City has borne the brunt of the deaths and the economic downturn. A once-vibrant and pulsating city is now only hesitatingly emerging from the lockdown to slowdown. Many businesses remain closed, some victims of the widespread but largely underreported June looting. Restaurants, the lifeblood of small business, remain severely restricted and still are not allowed to offer indoor seating. Commerce everywhere is hampered by blunt one size fits all regulations.



Distressingly many of the talismans of Manhattan's Upper East Side are either closed or on the verge of closure. Largely unreported are the large numbers of moving trucks found on Park Avenue and other upscale places. The writing is on the wall; high taxes, the return of lawlessness, and feel of the 1970s have returned to the Big Apple. COVID-19 was the tipping point.



So as we evolve from quarantine and masks to vaccines, the mendacious mainstream media will continue its political blame game.





John J. Metzler (jjmcolumn@earthlink.net) is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism: The Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China."


Ridiculous, unacceptable and weak. Those are just three of the words the main farming organisations used to describe the Department of Agriculture's new TB herd history reports.

The reports will provide farmers with an individualised TB herd risk category and advice on how to reduce the risk of TB in their herd.

In the document, the Department ranks farmers herds based on their risk of a future TB breakdown. Much of this risk is based on how long it is since a herd last had a breakdown, how severe that breakdown was, at-risk animals in the herd and the herd's purchasing history.

Herds that are clear of TB less than three years and dealer herds are deemed to be higher risk; herds that are clear for 4-6 years are a medium risk; and herds that are clear for seven years are lower risk.

The Department has said that farmers do not have to take any action based on the report. However it advises farmers to consider very carefully the TB risk of herds that you purchase cattle from  particularly breeding stock, including stock bulls.

It further advised farmers that the longer a herd they buy from has been free of TB, the less likely it is that their herd will go down with TB from this source.

The Department has confirmed that farmers herd history risk will not be shared with other farmers, but said farmers may wish to seek that information themselves. However, it also said farmers are not obliged to disclose the information.

ICSA animal health and welfare chair Hugh Farrell said it is clear that for the vast majority of farmers who buy in stock from a limited number of sources, it will be easy enough to identify the risk category of the sellers.

"The Department may well have to answer serious questions around GDPR. Moreover, the move will inevitably lead to the devaluation of herds, he said.

The Department has essentially taken it upon itself to bring in herd categorisation by the back door. This is unacceptable, not only from a GDPR perspective, but because the Department is increasingly showing no regard for the TB Forum negotiations, which unequivocally did not agree to this under any circumstances.

The Department has also confirmed that farmers herd history will not be compulsorily displayed on mart boards, but it does note that animals returned home from a mart unsold are considered to be a higher risk.

It says this is because while at the mart they will have come into contact with other animals from different herds of different risk categories.

"If there are such animals in your herd they will be listed on your report and you should consider slaughtering these animals as soon as practical," it advised.

Frustration

ICMSA deputy president Lorcan McCabe said the reports will do nothing to deal with the root causes of TB, which is what farmers want to see actions on.

Over the last six months its been impossible not to notice the growing number of farmers dealing with TB restrictions and other related matters, he said.

And the very clear message thats coming back to us is that farmers firstly want to see the root causes of TB in their area dealt with and, secondly, want to be treated fairly and reasonably in terms of their ability to farm with real financial losses recognised and compensated.

"Farmer frustrations on this are growing and the Department need to recognise this and work with farmers constructively."

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Weak

IFA animal health chairman Pat Farrell slammed the herd TB risk letters to farmers as a ridiculous and weak response to the dramatic deterioration in TB levels.

The levels of TB in this country have risen to unacceptable levels when we should be seeing annual reductions, he said.

"The Department of Agriculture flaps around the edges with soft-touch advice and guidance while failing to address the real drivers of the problem which are beyond the control of farmers and within the responsibility of the Department.

Mr Farrell said the deterioration in the levels of TB is directly attributable to the ineffective implementation of the wildlife control programme and the premature commencement of badger vaccination.

There must be a comprehensive survey carried out to ensure all setts are identified and this must be followed by a fully resourced capture programme to reduce the densities of badgers to levels where they are no longer a TB threat. The programme must also incorporate deer where associated with breakdowns, he said.

Herd history risk reports Q&A

What is the herd history risk statement and report about?

This document provides a simple individualised TB herd risk category and advice to farmers on how to reduce the risk of TB in their herd.

What is it based on?

 how long it is since your herd last had a breakdown;

 how severe that breakdown was;

 at risk animals in your herd;

 your purchasing history

Do I have to take any action on this statement and report?

No  but DAFM advises you should consider very carefully the TB risk of herds you purchase cattle from  particularly breeding stock.

Will my herd history risk be shared with other farmers?

No.

Will my herd history risk be compulsorily displayed on mart boards?

No.

How can I know the herd history risk of cattle I am buying?

The Department says you can ask the seller.

Does another farmer have to disclose the TB risk of their herd to me?

No.

Why are animals returned home from a mart unsold considered to be a higher risk?

Because while at the mart they will have come into contact with other animals from different herds of different risk categories.

How often is my herds TB herd history risk updated?

On the anniversary of the end of the last breakdown in your herd or when your herd enters or exits a new breakdown.


The government has spent more than 120m in taxpayers money fighting disability benefit claims in the last two years  despite losing three-quarters of tribunal appeals, The Independent can reveal.

Data shows the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) shelled out 61m on staff costs for the appeal process of the two main disability benefits in 2018-19, up from 44m two years before.

Over the same period, the number of claims for the benefits  known as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA)  increased by 13 per cent, indicating that rise in costs is far greater than the increase in applications.

Claimants go through an initial, internal appeal with the DWP called mandatory reconsideration, before being able to take their case to tribunal, where the government can challenge their case. But the latest figures show 76 per cent of PIP and 75 per cent of ESA appeals cleared at tribunal hearing are overturned in favour of the claimant.

Labour MP Stephen Timms, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, told The Independent the DWPs continuing failure to make correct decisions on PIP and ESA claims was having a devastating impact on disabled people at a staggering cost to the public purse.

Rather than fighting these cases at tribunal, knowing it is likely to lose, the department could save itself a great deal of money and effort by simply paying disabled people the benefits theyre entitled to in the first place, he added.

Campaigners said it was alarming that this amount of money was being spent on appeals for a process riddled with routine inaccuracies, and warned that the current system was leaving many disabled people facing agonising delays to get vital support.

It comes amid mounting concern that hundreds of thousands of sickness and disability benefit claimants have been waiting months to begin the appeal process as DWP staff were diverted to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

The assessment process for PIP  a benefit that replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in 2013  has been strongly criticised by charities who say it forces claimants to fight for the support they are entitled to.

The data, obtained through a freedom of information request, shows the DWP spent 121m between 2017-18 and 2018-19, with 58m spent on mandatory reconsiderations and 63m spent on tribunal appeals.

When broken down annually over three years, it shows that the amount spent on mandatory reconsiderations increased by 19 per cent between 2016-17 and 2018-19, and the cost of tribunals surged by 64 per cent.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A killer whale (orca in the fjord of Skjervoy, northern Norway AFP/Getty

Ceri Smith, head of policy and campaigns at disability equality charity Scope, said the figures demonstrated that benefit assessments for disabled people were not fit for purpose, adding: There is also a human cost to this, as such a high number of appeals means many disabled people are facing agonising delays to get vital support.

Matthew Harrison, parliamentary co-chair of the Disability Benefits Consortium, called for fundamental changes to prevent the suffering of many disabled people, warning that it was forcing many into situations where they cannot pay their bills or heat their homes.

A DWP spokesperson said: ESA and PIP complaints have dropped by a quarter in the last two years, indicating increased satisfaction with our services. The data on expenditure has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standards and should be treated with appropriate caution.

We are committed to helping people get the support they are entitled to. Decisions are made based on all the evidence we receive at the time, but if someone disagrees they can appeal and provide further evidence through a mandatory reconsideration.
Convalescent plasma has been used to treat hundreds of patients infected with COVID-19, but a challenge remains, according to a UTHealth professor.

Doctors do not know whether administering plasma from recovered patients to sick ones actually works, said Dr. Henry Wang, professor and vice chair for research in the department of emergency medicine at McGovern Medical School. The plasma contains antibodies from recovered patients.

Wang is part of a team of UTHealth researchers who received an $8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the effectiveness of convalescent plasma with a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

Convalescent plasma is one of the exciting and most promising interventions for COVID-19. Its an intervention tried for years with other pandemics, like MERS, SARS, Ebola and the flu, Wang said. There has been success with its use during this pandemic through special expanded access protocol, but it hasnt been put to the test.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Want to volunteer for a COVID vaccine trial? Heres what you need to know.

Plasma treatment has not been used in a widespread double-blind clinical trial, in which neither the patient nor the doctor knows whether the patient is receiving the treatment or a placebo.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the blind-trial approach has been shown to provide a more complete understanding of a drugs effectiveness, benefits and the range of possible adverse reactions without the bias of the placebo effect.

So far, convalescent plasma has been used in combination with other medications to treat the coronavirus, but the Food and Drug Administration expanded who can obtain access to the treatment during the public health emergency.

On Aug. 23, the FDA issued guidance to health providers on the study of investigational convalescent plasma collected from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. The plasma has not been approved for use by the FDA, but it is regulated as an investigational product.

Plasma can now be obtained more easily by health care providers and acute care facilities from FDA-registered blood establishments.

History is full of important examples of how the medical community can arrive at wrong conclusions in the absence of proper clinical trials, Wang said. Despite the publics sentiment and the FDAs expanded access, Wang urges caution.

We are emphasizing the need for a randomized trial to support convalescent plasma, he said. We have to be careful as a society in our desperation for cures from a terrible disease. We can be tempted to reach for any glimmer of hope, but we have to be very careful.

The research team, which includes Dr. Bindu Akkanti, associate professor of medicine, and Dr. Bela Patel, director of critical care with UTHealth and Memorial Hermann, is working to understand the exact effect convalescent plasma has on COVID-19 patients.

The Contain trial is an effort between Houston, Miami and New York. The 1,000-patient trial is a head-to-head test between convalescent plasma and a placebo.

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Wang called it one of the most important critical trials on COVID-19 currently in progress.

We dont have complete information to guide this (effort) right now, Wang said. As a scientific community, we need to continue to support formal structural scientific efforts to find out how plasma works; information we discover will show benefits, whether it has return-on-investment that we expect, then it will be a wonderful opportunity to broaden its use.

One of Patels patients, Heba Hajjar, a 23-year-old Houstonian, was part of the teams trial. Hajjar was sick with turbo-charged flu-like symptoms for more than a week before she was admitted to the hospital. Her oxygen levels had dropped to the low 70s, which is considered hypoxemia.

Once she was admitted, Hajjar was hooked to an oximeter and heart-rate monitor. Her heart rate ran high, like she was running, even though she was lying down.

After a talk with Akkanti, Hajjar and her family decided it was in her best interest to be put on plasma in conjunction with Leronlimab, a medication that has been proven to treat HIV. The Leronlimab treatment was randomized, meaning neither patient nor doctor knows if she received it or a placebo.

Hajjar was released July 7, only a week after being admitted.

One thing I do know is she is better and completed an entire clinical trial, which is seven weeks, Akkanti said.

There are many antibody trials at the Texas Medical Center, she said, but its important to conduct the trials in a randomized, controlled way. Once the doctor knows if a patient is receiving a certain treatment, theres a possibility of the doctors own bias interfering with the study.

Convalescent plasma has been given to 1,300 patients across the Memorial Hermann Health System through the FDAs expanded access program, Wang said. Hes proud to provide the intervention for patients who have shown improvement after receiving it.

In the back of his mind, he wonders if the success can be attributed to the plasma or other care the patient is receiving. He remembers plasma treatment with Ebola and SARS, but those were shorter-lived pandemics and research stalled.

We as a scientific and health community internationally were challenged by how quickly the coronavirus surged and overwhelmed communities around the world, Wang said. Theres a big gap of knowledge that couldnt be filled using existing practices.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston health institutions enrolling COVID patients in rigorous plasma studies

A properly performed clinical trial can last three years outside of a public health emergency, he said. The Contain trial team is pushing for six months to get the best results. What its learning in the study will move the medical community forward in the next several years in combating the virus, he added.

The Texas Medical Center needs plasma donations from recovered COVID-19 patients. It can take as many as 15-20 people to yield 1 liter of usable convalescent plasma, Wang said.

If you have recovered from the virus and would like to donate plasma, visit giveblood.org and click on Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center to make an appointment.

julie.garcia@chron.com

twitter.com/reporterjulie
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia does not know why Chinese authorities have detained Australian citizen and television anchor Cheng Lei, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said on Tuesday, adding to the mystery why the journalist has been taken into custody.

The Australian government confirmed on Monday evening that Cheng, a high-profile business anchor on Chinese state television, was detained two weeks ago.

"Cheng Lei is an Australian, a journalist who has been working in China for some period of time," Birmingham told ABC radio, adding authorities in Canberra did not know why she was detained.

"I feel for her family very much at this point in time, and it's why we will do what we can to assist her, as we would and have any Australian in these sorts of circumstances," he added.

Cheng hosted a business show on the English channel of China's largest state media broadcaster, CCTV, and was a high-profile anchor on its English-language channel CGTN. But videos of her have been removed from Chinese state media websites, Reuters found.

Friends of Cheng told Reuters they noticed the videos were taken down two weeks ago, about the time of her detention, and they became concerned when they were unable to contact her. They also said they did not know why she was detained.

Cheng regularly hosted Australian business forums and events in Beijing. She was well known in the Australian business community in China.

Authorities in China have not released information on her detention. China's foreign ministry declined to comment on the specifics of Cheng's case at a regular briefing on Tuesday, but said China will act in accordance with law.

"We value China-Australia relations, but at the same time, the development of bilateral relations requires the joint efforts of both sides," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying in response to a question about whether the case was linked to Cheng's nationality and recent issues in the Sino-Australian relationship.

Story continues

'DEGREE OF SCEPTICISM'

The Australian embassy was given consular access to Cheng via video link on Aug. 27, Birmingham said. Cheng has two children, both in Australia.

Australia's former ambassador to China, Geoff Raby, a business consultant, said Cheng was a longtime friend and experienced journalist who had interviewed him many times for her business programme.

Business reporting is not usually seen as politically sensitive in China, he said, adding that he was astonished she had been detained.

"She held a degree of scepticism towards some Chinese media, but she was equally strong in arguing China's case if foreign reporting mischaracterized China or was not based on facts," Raby told Reuters.

A statement released by Cheng's family on Monday night said they are in close contact with Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on her case and "look forward to a satisfactory and timely conclusion to the matter."

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne told local radio on Tuesday afternoon the Australian government has sought information on why Cheng was detained.

"The process within the Chinese system does not require the laying of charges at this point, but we'll continue to seek information about that," Payne said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement that Chinese authorities should disclose their reasons for holding Cheng or release her.

Steven Butler, CPJ's Asia programme coordinator, said, "China  the world's number one jailer of journalists  must make clear whether her detention has anything to do with her media work."

Tensions between Australia and China have been high this year, after Australia in April called for an international investigation into the source of the coronavirus pandemic.

Beijing has said it was angered by the move, and has since blocked Australian beef imports, placed dumping tariffs on Australian barley, and launched an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wine.

Birmingham told television network Nine that many of the trade measures lacked substance.

"I've been very concerned at the number of different trade issues that have come our way this year, that I think changes the risk profile for Australian businesses in engaging with China," he said.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham; Additional reporting by Gabriel Crossley and Cate Cadell in Beijing; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
For a few hours every Saturday morning, Los Angeless Skid Rowhome to one of the nations largest concentrations of homeless peopletransforms into an outdoor beauty salon.

There, where tents line entire city blocks, homeless people gather to get free makeovers from Shirley Raines, or a member on her team of volunteers made up of licensed hairstylists, barbers, and makeup artists.

Shirley Raines (right) with Cherish Benham. (Courtesy of Shirley Raines)

The service began three years ago when Raines started her nonprofit Beauty 2 The Streetz, an organization dedicated to making those who are homeless look good and feel even better.

Just because they live on the streets doesnt mean that there arent things we can do to help them not appear as they live on the streets, Raines told CNN. Its their right to be beautiful.

She said she came up with the idea after volunteering at a soup kitchen, where she realized that while food, water, and shelter may be what homeless people need to survive, a haircut, new hair color, and some makeup are what help them thrive.

These are people who are homeless with a husband, with a wife, the 52-year-old said. Were talking about people who go to work five days a week, but still remain homeless. They want to get beautiful for their spouse. They want to get cleaned up and beautiful to go to work. The little kids who are still going to school need a fresh haircut.

The CCP virus pandemic has put the organizations beauty services on pausebut the nonprofit is still helping in any way it can. It has since shifted its focus to providing resources to help protect homeless people from the coronavirus.

And now that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has allowed hair salons and barbershops to perform services outside, Raines said she hopes to restart haircuts and makeovers soon.

A Purpose That Stemmed From Her Pain

For many on Skid Row, Raines has become much more than a stylist. With each interaction, she said people in the homeless community share their life stories with her.

Caring for people experiencing homelessness has also helped Raines heal a traumatic pain of her own. About 30 years ago, she lost her 3-year-old son in an accident.

That just broke me, she said. I came down with panic and anxiety disorder I wasnt a good mom to my living children. I was just a really bitter person and my loss made me that way.

With her twin sisters advice to find a purpose for the pain, and a friends recommendation to volunteer at a soup kitchen, Raines set foot for the first time in LAs homeless community, helping give out food.

I saw so much brokenness, so much heartbreak, she recalled. I just recognized that because I felt like I was one of them. Im broken too from the pain and so I really liked it and I continued to go out.

As she gave out food, she quickly realized that homeless women were more interested in her hair, makeup, and fashion.

She asked them if they wanted some hair and makeup products and they said yes, so she headed to a makeup store and bought dozens of mascaras, eyelashes, and other simple makeup items.

Then she went home to pick up bottles of hair color that she hadnt used and headed to Skid Row. As she handed out makeup products and dyed peoples hair, she realized that she had found her purpose and decided to launch her own operation.

Shirley Rainess nonprofit Beauty 2 The Streetz is dedicated to making those who are homeless look good and feel even better. (Courtesy of Shirley Raines)

Initially, Beauty 2 The Streetz was smallwith just her five children helping to hand out food, drinks, hygiene kits, and beauty products. Raines alone would dye peoples hair and do their makeup.

However, when she started live-streaming the events and posting pictures to Instagram, Beauty 2 The Streetz soon became more well known.

Licensed hairstylists, barbers, makeup artists, and even big makeup companies reached out to Raines saying that they wanted to help.

By 2019, Raines had registered Beauty 2 The Streetz as an official nonprofit with about two-dozen volunteers generously offering their time and efforts to help Skid Rows residents feel beautiful.

Additionally, Raines also left her job as a medical biller last year and started running the organization full time.

Boosting the Confidence of Her Clients

Cherish Benham, 30, and her husband were homeless on and off for around four years, an experience she described as traumatic.

I saw a man get shot and drop dead just 15 feet away from our tent, Benham told CNN. To see that, it gave me fuel to get me out of that situation.

Benham already had a reason to get her life back on trackbut she just needed the confidence and the right opportunity.

Cherish Benham after her makeover with Beauty 2 The Streetz. (Courtesy of Shirley Raines)

Thats when Beauty 2 The Streetz came inwith Raines giving Benham a makeover that let her natural beauty shine.

I felt like a brand new woman, Benham said. It gave me the confidence to lift my head up higher. To not worry about the situation Im presently in, but move forward for what I can be in the future.

In the year that theyve known each other, Benham said Raines was always there to provide her with anything she needed, whether it was some money for a work uniform, job connections, or just someone to talk to.

Now, Benham is working for the Census Bureau and has been living in permanent housing with her husband for three months. In addition to her own hard work, she credits Raines for turning her life around.

Ms. Shirley is one of the most caring, loving souls ever, Benham said. No matter what situation youre in, no matter what you look like, shes [sic] always treats you with the utmost respect. Especially in Skid Row, you dont get that much welcoming respect, but with her and her team, they make me feel like a normal human being.

Pushing Through the Pandemic

When California ordered all its residents to stay at home in late March owing to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, pandemic, Raines and her volunteers complied and did not go to Skid Row. However, their presence was greatly missed.

That Monday, I opened up my DM on my Instagram and several homeless community members sent me messages saying, Where are you? Were hungry. Were alone. Nobodys out here feeding us, Raines recalled.

I realized that we didnt have the luxury of self isolating because we built this relationship with the community so we need to still go out there and help them, she added.

Because homeless people live in close quarters and have limited access to handwashing resources, Raines knows that they are extremely vulnerable to contracting Covid-19. So instead of hair and makeup, she shifted her operations to focus on food, hygiene, and protection.

The nonprofit has been handing out supplies every weekend since March 28, making sure theyre adhering to social distancing guidelines and wearing masks themselves while on Skid Row.

Volunteers Coco and Happiness handing out makeup to Skid Rows residents earlier this August. (Courtesy of Shirley Raines)

Raines and her volunteers distribute hundreds of McDonalds burgers, as well as kits packed with hand sanitizer, bottled water, socks, masks, and vitamin C-rich fruits to boost the immune system.

Still, the desire for hair products and makeup is there, Raines said, so Beauty 2 The Streetz has also been slowly bringing out wigs, makeup, combs, and brushes so homeless people can style themselves.

Raines said if theres anything to learn from the CCP virus pandemic, its that any one of us could be them (homeless) at any given time.

An analysis published in May by Brendan O Flaherty, a Columbia University economics professor, predicted that homelessness will increase 4045 percent by the end of the year if the CCP virus pandemic continues to drive unemployment levels as high as predicted.

That would mean 250,000 more Americans would become homeless compared to last year, bringing the total number of those experiencing homelessness to above 800,000.

Were already looking at places where landlords are putting tenants out and weve got moms and children sleeping in the car. They just had a job. Everything was fine with them, Raines said.

One pandemic came in and changed everyones finances. I want people to understand that they are no different than us and the narrative of what homelessness is has to change, she further added.

The CNN Wire and Epoch Times staff contributed to this report.
Gulf Related, a leading real estate developer, has announced the official launch of Antara, a landmark SR1 billion ($266 million) residential community development located in the prestigious Diriyah area in North Western Riyadh.

Gulf Related is a joint venture between UAE-based Gulf Capital, one of the largest investment firms in the GCC, and Related Companies, the most prominent privately-owned real estate firm in the US.

Comprising 520 units, Antara offers a wide range of carefully crafted villas, contemporary townhouses, and modern apartments that can satisfy the preferences of individuals, couples and families with children, said the developer.

Gulf Related pointed out that it has designed Antara in a manner that blends harmoniously with its historic surrounding environment.

The overall vision for this cultural landmark location was safeguarded and successfully implemented in the design of the completed development, it added.

Dr Karim El Solh, co-Managing Partner of Gulf Related and Gulf Capital CEO, said: "Antara is a high-end, sophisticated, and family-friendly residential resort in the heart of historic Riyadh. We are privileged to be part of the Diriyah community of developers who are contributing to and revitalising an area of high cultural and historic significance."

"Gulf Relateds SR1 billion investment in Antara highlights our belief in the promising residential real estate sector in Riyadh and the long-term growth prospects of the kingdom," remarked El Solh.

"This development is Gulf Capitals sixth major investment in Saudi Arabia and represents our commitment to supporting the Kingdoms 2030 vision of achieving far-reaching economic prosperity and supporting the growth of the real estate sector as a key pillar of the economy," he added.

Diriyah Gate Development Authority CEO Jerry Inzerillo said: "We are very pleased that a global real estate developer of the stature of Gulf Related has decided to invest in the Diriyah area, and to launch a high-end residential project within our 190 sq km catchment zone."

"We wish them every success with their residential compound development and hope it will attract the international standing and future acclaim that it deserves," he added.

Kenneth Himmel, co-Managing Partner of Gulf Related and CEO of Related Urban, said: "Antara was designed at the highest international standards to create a unique and sophisticated residential experience catering to both long-term and short-term stays."

"Antara is strategically located in the prestigious Diriyah area, and we were keen to ensure that the unique and historic settings were incorporated into its urban planning, design, and architecture," noted Himmel.

"Antara has already attracted considerable interest ahead of its official inauguration, with immediate leasing commitment of over 100 units. Despite challenging times for global and regional economies, the completion and opening of Antara comes at a time of renewed investments in landmark real estate projects in Saudi Arabia," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi, Sep 1 : In a bid to better help Search users find images that can be used for their personal or professional work or not, Google has made it easier to find licensable images on its platform.

For results where the publisher or image creator provided licensing information, Google will now display a "licensable" badge over the image.

"When you select a badged image to view, we will show a link to the license details of the image, and if provided by the publisher, you'll also find a link to where you can purchase or license the image," the company said in a statement on Monday.

After collaborating closely with image creators, stock image providers and digital content associations, the company has launched new features on Google Images.

The Google Images users can now filter results to only return those images that include licensing information.

"You can now select either images that have Creative Commons licenses, or those that have commercial or other licenses, in the Usage Rights dropdown menu on Google Images," the company said.

For any of the license types, the users can learn how to acquire a license for the image by clicking on the license details link provided.

In addition to licensing information, people can also see information related to image credit, copyright and creator when they select an image to view on Google Images.

Google Photos has over 1 billion users.
LONDON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Commonwealth of Dominica has introduced major changes to its world-leading Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme . These concern a significant expansion of family members that can qualify for second citizenship from Dominica as part of the same application or even long after the receipt of citizenship. In a webinar with Gulf News on Monday, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit described the new policy as "groundbreaking".

PM Skerrit explained that the government decided to make the new changes upon consultation with prospective applicants, economic citizens, authorised marketing promoter CS Global Partners , real estate developers and promoters. As a result, Dominica's Citizenship by Investment Unit (CBIU) identified that family reunification through CBI became especially important in light of the ongoing uncertainty caused by the global pandemic. Moreover, the PM said that Dominica reduced the qualifying fund contribution for a family of four from US$200,000 to US$175,000, comprising the main applicant, their spouse and two dependants other than a sibling.

Premier Skerrit described five major changes to the CBI Programme:

"1. Any dependant can be related to either the main applicant or the main applicant's spouse;

2. We impose no age limitations on parents and grandparents;

3. For all adult dependants, other than a spouse, there need only be a showing of substantial support on the part of the main applicant or the spouse of the main applicant, where, previously, we required full support [];

4. We allow siblings up to the age of 25, but we are also cautious that, for any sibling who is a minor - that is under the age of 18 - consent must be granted by the parents;

5. And we are the only country, really, that allows spouses of qualifying parents and grandparents to also be included in the CBI application, so long as there is a showing that they are substantially supported by the main applicant or the main applicant's spouse."

For this reason, the Prime Minister argues that "this is, we could say, a ground-breaking policy that the government [] has introduced because we understand the importance of family, we understand the importance of keeping families together, we understand the need for family members to continue looking out for each other."

PM Skerrit notes that Dominica has remained the number one country for citizenship by investment for three consecutive years in the most prestigious industry ranking - the CBI Index , published yearly by the Financial Times' Professional Wealth Management magazine. He believes Dominica is also well-suited for family relocation because the government can offer key essentials: security and safety for one's family and business, coupled with high-quality education and healthcare. He elaborated that, "in respect to security and safety, we have minimal crime in Dominica [] We are a safe place for you to raise your families, and Dominica is, no doubt, a very safe place."

Ambassador Emmanuel Nanthan, the Head of the CBIU, joined the webinar with Gulf News and added that Dominica's Programme is favoured by investors due to its 27-year experience, three-month processing, straightforward requirements and, above all, strong due diligence. All applicants must first pass a series of security checks before being 'approved in principle', after which they make a qualifying investment. This can either be in the form of a contribution of at least US$100,000 to a government fund or an investment of US$200,000 or more in pre-approved hotels and resorts .

"If efficiency, if experience, if longevity is the lifeblood, the main aspect of our Programme is actually the due diligence - that is the heart," commented Ambassador Nanthan. "We have contracted the best due diligence firms in the world," he continued, "who do due diligence for the largest financial agencies. We chose firms from the UK and from the US mainly, and they must do for us an enhanced due diligence. They must do a 'boots-on-the-ground' due diligence."

His Excellency argued that, besides ensuring the country's own security and the Programme's impeccable reputation, having strong due diligence checks was also important to maintain the country's strong diplomatic ties. "The global community has to ensure that they have solid due diligence. And because of that, we are able to expand the number of visa-free access globally. So three, four years ago we had access to 120 countries - today, we have up to 140 countries and we are counting. We have added places like Russia, we have signed with China, we have added Brazil, we are working on a number of countries in Africa, in Europe, etc. And that's because our applicants and our process ensures that due diligence is important."

To find out how to apply for Dominica's Citizenship by Investment Programme, please visit the CBIU website .

[email protected]

www.csglobalpartners.com

SOURCE CS Global Partners
Health Minister Nelu Tataru told a news briefing on Tuesday that a school will close if there are three cases of COVID-19 infection in different classrooms.

"When there are three cases in three different classrooms, that school closes and its children and teachers go into isolation for two weeks; epidemiological investigations will find those who were direct contacts, who will subject to an epidemiological investigation if they test positive," said Tataru.He added that sick children should be kept at home and parents contact the family physician and notify the school."The parent who has a sick child at home will keep him or her at home, contact the family physician, notifying the school that the child is ill and taking action accordingly together with the family physician, who will say whether it is a treatment that can be followed at home or if it is part of a case definition that requires additional assessments are needed, as well as to an epidemiological investigation," Tataru explained.
Former Nairobi Speaker Beatrice Elachi has revealed previously unknown details about her strained working relationship with Governor Mike Sonko.

Speaking on The Hot Seat, Elachi described the Nairobi governor as an extremely difficult person. In addition to a hostile working environment, Elachi said she also had to contend with a paranoid Sonko who feared that she could poison him.

Elachi recounted an incident at State House when Sonko demanded a different microphone after Elachi had spoken.

One time we had just arrived at State House and we were called to speak. When I was done and gave back Sonko the mic, he declined and asked for another microphone, I thought to myself, this are State House mics.

Other times we would meet and he would insist I taste the water before he could drink it. He kept on complaining this woman will kill me, Elachi said.

The former Speaker also disclosed that her children are afraid of Sonk0.

She also narrated how her 12-year old daughter wondered why City Hall employees always showed up to work drunk.

I remember my daughter who is 12 asking me Why is it that you people go to work while drunk? What is all this fight for? From that time, I started thinking about how to leave this job.

My kids are extremely terrified of the Governor. At one point, where the official residence of the governor was, we are just near, When they (kids) realised he (Sonko) is coming there, they were terrified and they told me mom, we are moving, said the former Speaker.

Elachi, however, noted that there was no bad blood between her and Sonko.

She also lauded Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) boss Mohammed Badi for carrying out his mandate without much fanfare as opposed to Sonko.

Badi doesnt need to come on TV to say what he has done. People will be asking him, we have seen Michuki Park, We have seen the roads. We have seen the sideways and he will explain. The actions speak louder, she said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 15:50:32|Editor: huaxia

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NUR-SULTAN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The new academic year in Kazakhstan began on Tuesday with the majority of schoolchildren and university students studying remotely, while grade 1-4 pupils are going to primary schools for offline classes.

The Ministry of Education and Science said pupils and teachers should observe strict sanitary measures at schools, with each class accommodating no more than 15 students.

Also on Tuesday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the government to develop a procedure for returning to full-time education in schools and universities.

"The pandemic has a negative impact on the beginning of the school year. But this is a temporary phenomenon. The government has been instructed to develop a procedure for returning to full-time education in compliance with sanitary standards in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19 among children and young people," Tokayev tweeted.

The president also congratulated schoolchildren and students on the Day of Knowledge, which falls on Sept. 1.

A total of 3.3 million schoolchildren will attend school in Kazakhstan this year, among whom 2.6 million will take online courses. Over 466,000 and 600,000 students will attend colleges and universities, respectively. Enditem
A Tauranga runner is on a mission to raise the profile of pancreatic cancer in New Zealand.

Andy Kirk will compete in the 2020 Auckland Marathon in November  paying tribute to his mum, dad and brother who have all died of pancreatic cancer in the past eight years.

Hes also working to raise more than $2000 for the Gut Cancer Foundation.

In preparation for the marathon, Andy is training six days a week and running about 70km.

Andy says hasnt always been a big runner, and was inspired to do it for the cause that is close to his heart.

It was on Christmas Day last year that he decided he would run a marathon to help support the work of the Gut Cancer Foundation  about a year after his older brother died of pancreatic cancer.

I am in the final stages of training, and it is all going well so far. This will be my first ever marathon.

At Christmas time last year, one of my friends decided to go running and persuaded me to go along. I quite enjoyed it, and I started getting fitter.

I used to do quite a bit of running up until my mum died, then I couldnt be bothered after that. I found my mojo again after my brother died.

Andys mum June, who lived in the United Kingdom, died of pancreatic cancer about eight years ago.

In 2016, Andys dad Geoff was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Andy flew over to the UK for his funeral in March 2017.

In mid-2018, he received a phone call from his brother Rob delivering more bad news.

It was all good for about a year and a half then I got a phone call from my eldest brother  who told me he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

I went back to the UK in August of that year. He was having an operation, and they thought they may have caught the cancer in time.

But we found out it had wrapped itself around a major artery, and they couldnt do anything for him.

Three months later, I had to go back to the UK for his funeral.

Andy reckons its quite rare to lose three family members to the same illness.

This doesnt normally happen. But one surgeon told me to get checked regularly because pancreatic cancer can be genetically passed on.

It obviously did affect me when my mum and my dad died  but it really affected me when my brother did. I was so close to him.

He says leaning on family and friends has helped him through each death.

When my mum died  my dad and my two brothers helped me through. When my dad died  my two brothers helped me through. And when my brother died  it was just my other brother helping me through.

Running regularly has also played a large part in his healing, he says.

I love it. Theres no one around, I put my music in and I can just zone out.

Andy is stoked he can keep fit and healthy, raise money for charity whilst also pay tribute to his mum, dad and brother.

The link to Andys fundraising page can be found here.
We are pleased to recognize Dr. Lee Congleton as a UroLift Center of Excellence for his commitment to providing consistent care to BPH patients using the UroLift System treatment, said Dave Amerson

NeoTract, a wholly owned subsidiary of Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX) focused on addressing unmet needs in the field of urology, today announced that Lee Congleton, M.D., Tennessee Urology in Powell, TN, has been designated as a UroLift Center of Excellence. The designation recognizes that Dr. Congleton has achieved a high level of training and experience with the UroLift System and demonstrated a commitment to exemplary care for men suffering from symptoms associated with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), also known as enlarged prostate.

Recommended for the treatment of BPH in both the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology clinical guidelines, the FDA-cleared Prostatic Urethral Lift procedure using the UroLift System is a proven, minimally invasive technology for treating lower urinary tract symptoms due to BPH. The UroLift permanent implants, delivered during a transurethral outpatient procedure, relieve prostate obstruction and open the urethra directly without cutting, heating, or removing prostate tissue.

The UroLift Center of Excellence program is designed to highlight urologists who are committed to educating their patients on BPH and the UroLift System as a treatment option and consistently seek to deliver excellent patient outcomes and experiences.

We are pleased to recognize Dr. Lee Congleton as a UroLift Center of Excellence for his commitment to providing consistent care to BPH patients using the UroLift System treatment, said Dave Amerson, president of the Teleflex Interventional Urology business unit. This achievement has helped many patients experience durable, long- term relief from the burdensome symptoms of BPH while preserving sexual function*1,2.

Over 40 million men in the United States are affected by BPH, a condition that occurs when the prostate gland that surrounds the male urethra becomes enlarged with advancing age and begins to obstruct the urinary system. Symptoms of BPH often include interrupted sleep and urinary problems and can cause loss of productivity, depression and decreased quality of life.

Medication is often the first-line therapy for enlarged prostate, but relief can be inadequate and temporary. Side effects of medication treatment can include sexual dysfunction, dizziness and headaches, prompting many patients to quit using the drugs. For these patients, the classic alternative is surgery that cuts, heats or removes prostate tissue to open the blocked urethra. While current surgical options can be very effective in relieving symptoms, they can also leave patients with permanent side effects such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, and retrograde ejaculation.

About the UroLift System

The FDA-cleared UroLift System is a proven, minimally invasive technology for treating lower urinary tract symptoms due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The UroLift permanent implants, delivered during a minimally invasive transurethral outpatient procedure, relieve prostate obstruction and open the urethra directly without cutting, heating, or removing prostate tissue. Clinical data from a pivotal 206-patient randomized controlled study showed that patients with enlarged prostate receiving UroLift implants reported rapid and durable symptomatic and urinary flow rate improvement without compromising sexual function*1,2. Patients also experienced a significant improvement in quality of life. Over 100,000 men have been treated with the UroLift System in the U.S. Most common adverse events reported include hematuria, dysuria, micturition urgency, pelvic pain, and urge incontinence. Most symptoms were mild to moderate in severity and resolved within two to four weeks after the procedure. The Prostatic Urethral Lift procedure using the UroLift System is recommended for the treatment of BPH in both the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology clinical guidelines. The UroLift System is available in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Canada, Mexico and South Korea. Learn more at http://www.UroLift.com.

About NeoTract | Teleflex Interventional Urology

A wholly owned subsidiary of Teleflex Incorporated, the Interventional Urology Business Unit is dedicated to developing innovative, minimally invasive and clinically effective devices that address unmet needs in the field of urology. Our initial focus is on improving the standard of care for patients with BPH using the UroLift System, a minimally invasive permanent implant system that treats symptoms while preserving normal sexual function*1,2. Learn more at http://www.NeoTract.com.

About Teleflex Incorporated

Teleflex is a global provider of medical technologies designed to improve the health and quality of peoples lives. We apply purpose driven innovation  a relentless pursuit of identifying unmet clinical needs  to benefit patients and healthcare providers. Our portfolio is diverse, with solutions in the fields of vascular and interventional access, surgical, anesthesia, cardiac care, urology, emergency medicine and respiratory care. Teleflex employees worldwide are united in the understanding that what we do every day makes a difference. For more information, please visit http://www.teleflex.com.

Teleflex is the home of Arrow, Deknatel, Hudson RCI, LMA, Pilling, Rusch, UroLift and Weck  trusted brands united by a common sense of purpose

# # #

For Teleflex Incorporated: Jake Elguicze, 610.948.2836

Treasurer and Vice President, Investor Relations

Media:

Nicole Osmer, 650.454.0504

nicole@healthandcommerce.com

*No instances of new, sustained erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction

1. Roehrborn, J Urology 2013 LIFT Study

2. McVary, J Sex Med 2016

MAC00968-01 Rev A
Abuja  The Ministry of Finance, led by Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, has reacted to claims by 5,000 contractors who embarked on an indefinite hunger strike over the delay of payment for projects executed for the Federal Government.

The Ministry said it had discovered many fictitious names inserted into its payee list for contractors by unknown criminal elements. Hence, multiple verification exercises.

The Ministry's Permanent Secretary (Special Duties), Aliyu Ahmed, assured the contractors that the government has money to pay them.

Vanguard earlier reported that at least 5,000 contractors, who executed validly awarded contracts in Federal Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies have begun an indefinite hunger strike demanding payment for projects they completed as far back as 2008.

Briefing journalists during their demonstration at the Federal Ministry of Finance, in Abuja on Monday, Publicity Secretary of the contractors' association, Mr Dandy Rowland, said: "The Minister of Finance through her media aide told us President Buhari has approved the release of N18bn for our payment."

Ahmed said the funds were no longer up to the N18bn earlier announced by the Ministry while attributing the delay in payments to the measures put in place to ensure the Ministry disbursed available funds judiciously.

He, therefore, urged the contractors to end their protest and give the Finance Ministry 21 days to sort the issues and pay them.

"She also announced on July 8, 2020, that the Ministry would pay local contractors between 7 to 14 days from the date of the announcement.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"This empty and unfulfilled promise heightened the pressure from our creditors after the expiration of the stipulated period.

"Nigerians should know that the fund spent on the repetitive verification exercise almost equals the amount owed us put together.

"Local contractors borrowed money from banks with interest and executed these projects.

"Federal Government did not waste time to commission the projects we executed with borrowed money as her achievements. But now, it is taking government decades to do verification for our payment.

"So, the government must pay us now, because if the reverse had been the case, if we had collected government money without executing the projects, government have arrested and jailed us. This is corruption and it is unacceptable."

Vanguard News Nigeria.
In response to the Tittabawassee River dam failures that occurred in May, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has spearheaded many of the response efforts to move forward after Owner Boyce Hydro Power has failed to do so.

Theyve not hit one deadline or met one milestone that weve asked and so in the meantime, state government has been stepping up to take the action on, said EGLE Director Liesl Clark.

The next step for EGLE is to issue Boyce an emergency order to allow for construction and repairs to the Tobacco side of the Edenville Dam to address immediate safety concerns.

On Monday, Aug. 31, EGLE gave an updated status report to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and then held a conference with media on Tuesday. During the webinar, Clark said they will be working to address immediate concerns on the Edenville Dam, which creates Wixom Lake.

Edenville Dam was one of four in the river system and the first of two to fail in May. It consists of two components  one on the east side on the Tittabawassee River and one on the west on the Tobacco River.

EGLE had directed Boyce to hire engineers to analyze the safety of the remaining components of the dam; however, the reports Boyce came back with in June and July were insufficient and incomplete, according to EGLE. So, EGLE completed the work in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation and its engineering consultant, AECOM.

AECOM came back with its safety evaluation and four potential alternatives for moving forward, all of which would restore either full or partial flow to the Tobacco River and restore the Tittabawassee River to its pre-failure channel. Based on factors such as safety, construction schedules, resource impacts, risks, input from the public and more, the preferred alternative chosen was a partial breach and lowering of the spillway on the Tobacco side.

This project will restore flow to the downstream Tobacco River, alleviate strain on the collapsed M-30 bridges, minimize upstream impacts, and address dam safety concerns.

EGLE Dam Safety Engineer Luke Trumble explained this project is a temporary solution within repairing the overall four-dam system. The long-term solution of the dams is four to six years out, he said.

Anything thats done right now is anticipated to be temporary in nature, he said. So, this would be to be address the immediate concerns with, as we move into the spring, we could definitely get a better chance of high flows again, that the dam is stable and secure and that another failure event doesnt happen in the meantime.

The next steps in the process is for AECOM to complete the designing and permitting process, with construction to follow this fall. The work is expected to be complete in early spring 2021.

Trumble said there will be some lowering of the water level to stabilize the dam; however, how much will be based on the design thats created.

Thats still to-be-determined, but I think we can confidently say it would involve some degree of lowering on the Tobacco side of Wixom Lake, he said.

In order to get the job done, EGLE will issue an emergency order to Boyce. If they dont respond, EGLE will step in to complete the work. If the state carries out the job, EGLE Director Teresa Seidel said Boyce will be expected to reimburse the state for the work.

Seidel said its extremely unusual and rare for the state to have to step in and take over work for a dam owner.

Other key updates from EGLEs report include:

 The investigation as to why the dams failed is still underway, although it was delayed after Boyce failed to complete the contracts with the investigative team. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in consultation with EGLE, stepped in to keep the process moving forward. The team expects that the investigation will take about 12-18 months.

 EGLE has begun to take a deeper look into its Dam Safety Program with the help of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials Peer Review Committee, a national nonprofit organization. The committee will analyze the states program for staffing levels, budget, organizational structure and strength of existing laws and procedures. Their final report and recommendations for improvement are expected in September.

 Based on evaluations with Dow, the State Emergency Operations Center and the Environmental Protection Agency, the Midland Dow Plant did not appear to have had a material impact on contamination in the overall river system due to the dam failures.

 EGLE created a Michigan Dam Safety Task Force, which includes representatives from local government, private stakeholders, tribal leaders, academic experts and state officials, who will be announced later this week. They are expected to meet monthly, beginning this month, and create a final report for early 2021.

To learn more about EGLE's work in response to the Edenville Dam failure, click here.
HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / According to Columbia University Medical Center, the Black community, in particular, is at significantly increased risk of developing a mental health issue due to historical, economic, social, political influences that systemically expose the Black community to factors known to be damaging to psychological and physical health. Add to that, the COVID-19 pandemic and the current climate of protests across the nation taking a stand against police brutality. Hundreds, even thousands, of Black lives have been traumatized.

How does one get their life going again and back to normal when everything seems to come to a complete stop? Juanita Rasmus, Co-Pastor of St. John's Church in downtown Houston, found that she had to learn to be - with herself and with God - all over again.

In her new book, Learning To Be: Finding Your Center After the Bottom Falls Out, Juanita Rasmus provides both practical and spiritual insights. She shares a wise, frank, and witty account of her own story of exhaustion and depression, acting as a trustworthy companion through dark days.

"It felt as though every nerve in my body was popping. Imagine large strong hands slowly applying pressure while breaking a family-size package of uncooked, dry spaghetti. I was the spaghetti. Breaking down one piece at a time," said Rasmus.

Learning To Be is a contemplative book about the journey of depression. In it, Rasmus, shares these key messages:

Depression and suffering are not death sentences. There is hope, and there are spiritual practices that can serve as means of support as you seek the probable causes and pursue the invitation for the transformation of the heart (i.e., mind, emotions, and spirit) out of the darkness.

Depression is an invitation into a new way of living by setting boundaries, learning to say no, and letting go of beliefs that no longer serve us, etc.

Our illnesses, midlife crisis, and other challenges just may be a space for learning what it means to ground ourselves in the central being of who God is, and in so doing to find our own being.

For many individuals, depression is an invitation to create want-to's, those personal desires that arouse passion, pleasure, and joy for living life authentically.

Learning to Be: Finding Your Center After the Bottom Falls Out by Juanita Rasmus

InterVarsity Press | September 15, 2020 | $22, 176 pages, hardcover | 978-0-8308-4587-3 | www.JuanitaRasmus.com

Contact:

Pam Perry, Publicist pam@pamperrypr.com / 248-690-6810

SOURCE: Pam Perry PR

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604290/When-Your-World-Stops-Turning--Author-Recovers-from-Personal-Crash-That-Reset-Her-Life-By-Learning-How-to-Be
Ben Wallace issued a grovelling apology today after he stopped to shake hands on the way into the first Cabinet meeting after the summer break.

The Defence Secretary admitted he had 'slipped up' by warmly greeting a colleague on the way into the Foreign Office - where the session was being held so ministers had more space to socially distance.

Mr Wallace said he recognised the 'importance' of obeying the rules and would be 'extra careful' in future.

The error came as Boris Johnson gathered his senior team to spell out his desire to get the country back towards 'normality' despite the coronavirus crisis.

Maverick No10 chief Dominic Cummings was among those at the meeting this morning, having taken time off for an operation recently. He had ditched his typical scruffy look for a smart suit.

The government is facing a barrage of problems, with children returning to school for the first time since lockdown this week.

Ben Wallace blundered today by stopping to shake hands on the way into the first Cabinet meeting after the summer break

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson managed to keep their distance as they walked over to the Foreign Office from Downing Street

Meanwhile, there is mounting Tory unrest about the handling of the pandemic and the struggle to get workers back in offices, to avert the collapse of town and city centres.

The public finances have been left in tatters by the huge bailouts, but there is fury at briefings suggesting Chancellor Rishi Sunak could raise taxes in the Budget this Autumn.

Experts have warned that efforts to raise revenue now - with one options said to be increasing fuel duty by 5p - could derail any hopes of recovery.

Instead, they suggest the deficit should be allowed to rack up and the books only start being balance in a couple of years.

Other ministers managed to keep their distance as they arrived at Cabinet this morning

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg seemed in good spirits as the new term got under way

Maverick No10 chief Dominic Cummings (pictured with fellow aide Cleo Watson) had ditched his typical scruffy look for a smart suit

A Government source said the Prime Minister will set out his 'priorities for the autumn' during the meeting with ministers this morning as the first lessons of the new school year take place.

'He wants to gradually get back to more normality, and the return of schools plays a big part in that,' the source said.

'As children go back more parents will be freed up to return to work. At the same time, [Mr Johnson] wants to get further down the track to recovery on Covid  getting the test-and-trace regime improved and getting the local lockdown process beefed up, so that we never have to have a return to national lockdown.

'And you will see a doubling down on the agenda from the election  levelling up opportunity across the country.'

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith called on bosses to 'show some backbone' and 'start getting their people back to work' now that children are returning to school, adding: 'If we don't get this right, the economy will suffer, people will lose their jobs and more people will die.' Fellow Conservative MP Steve Baker added: 'The return of schools holds out the hope that parents will start to return to the office. With that, our town centres can be rescued from ruin. The future is bleak indeed if parents stay at home.'
The chairman of the US Postal Service governing board continues to direct Mitch McConnell's multi-million dollar super PAC, following accusations that Donald Trump's administration aided by congressional Republicans have threatened to suppress mail-in voting efforts as Democrats accuse agency leadership of conflicts of interest.

Robert "Mike" Duncan is among three principals listed with the Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate Majority Leader's $127m political action group, according to recent filings with state regulators in Virginia. The filings were first reported by Jesse Lehrich from the advocacy group Accountable Tech.

Mr Duncan was listed as the super PAC's chair in 2018 and 2019 disclosures during his confirmation to the USPS Board of Governors.

The recent filing follows intense scrutiny over the fate of the beleaguered agency and its postmaster general Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by the president earlier this summer, as House Democrats accuse the administration of sabotaging vote-by-mail efforts during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure his re-election in November.

Democrats in the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to support the Delivering For America Act, which would inject $25bn into the agency and reverse sweeping cuts and operational changes, including the removal of mail-sorting machines and public mailboxes, and halt any changes that have slowed deliveries and ensure that all election-related mail be prioritised.

Lawmakers fear that recent cuts have also jeopardised the deliveries of prescription drugs, social security checks, rental and credit card payments and other bills and critically needed mail.

Senator McConnell has refused to bring up a standalone funding bill for the USPS to his Republican-controlled Senate. The president has also threatened to veto the measure.

Five of the six members of the USPS Board of Governors  who selected the president's appointee, a prominent donor to the Trump campaign  have financial, legal and campaign ties to the president and Republicans.

Mr Duncan, from Senator McConnell's Kentucky, previously served as general counsel and chair of the Republican National Committee from 2002 to 2009, during which the GOP and related state organisations steered mass voter suppression efforts that also aimed at mail-in voting disenfranchisement. He also was listed as a director of American Crossroads, a super PAC that has spent nearly $2m supporting the president's re-election bid this year.

In June, he confirmed Mr DeJoy  who has donated to the president's campaign  as the new postmaster general.

The House Oversight Committee could subpoena Mr DeJoy for internal USPS documents following Democrats' suggestion that conflicts of interest within USPS leadership have also contributed to nationwide chaos at post offices.

Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed that vote-by-mail efforts are vulnerable to mass fraud, an assertion that his campaign has not backed with any evidence, according to court documents related to the campaign's federal lawsuit to block drop-off ballot boxes.

He has nearly explicitly admitted his administration will block funds to the USPS to prevent mail-in voting.

"They want $25bn for the post office," he told Fox News this month. "They need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots. Now, in the meantime, they aren't getting there. But if they don't get those two items, that means you can't have universal mail-in voting because they're not equipped to have it."

Mr Trump participates in mail-in voting; he submitted his absentee ballot for Florida's primary elections through a third party, a practice that many Republicans, including the president, said should be illegal.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee revealed that internal documents from the USPS showed a significant drop in service since the beginning of July, including first-class mail deliveries.

Roughly 180 million voters are eligible to vote by mail through absentee ballots, rather than potentially risk coronavirus infection or transmission by entering a voting precinct on election day this autumn. Millions of Americans already participated in elections using mail-in ballots.

Several House Republicans criticised the Delivering For America Act as a "smokescreen" to prevent legislation on the GOP's agenda and a "manufactured crisis" to "score points" following prime-time messaging during the 2020 Democratic National Convention that warned against voter suppression and criticised the president, whom Republicans cast as a victim of another "election hoax" not unlike his impeachment.
WILTON  Children in blue and white uniforms, many wearing shorts and knee socks, spilled out of cars Monday morning as Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Academy opened its doors to children in kindergarten through eighth grade. They were returning to school for the first time since mid-March to begin the new year.

The student drop-off this morning went without a hitch and the kids were so excited to come to school, said Susan Miller, a parent who helps out at school.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused worldwide fear, uncertainty and restriction of movement. The physical distancing, socio-economic consequences of quarantine measures, and the loss of social support are a grave threat to public mental health. One way to help counter and resolve some of these issues is the spread of digital mental health. A study published today by the research group of Professor Claudi Bockting (Center for Urban Mental Health, University of Amsterdam) shows that digital psychological interventions can effectively diminish the symptoms of mental disorders including depression and substance use, even in low and middle income countries.

With large proportions of worldwide populations living with the consequences of quarantine measures, mental health fallout from the pandemic has been mounting. Digital psychological interventions can be a useful tool to reach those affected by mental health problem who otherwise have limited human contact. Professor Bockting: "Our study can help to further encourage digital psychological help for those experiencing mental health problems, during and after the COVID pandemic."

Digital technology has, of course, reshaped our life globally, including in the field of psychotherapy. Digital mental health is widely applied in the care settings in Western countries. But nearly 80% of the worldwide population lives in low and middle-income countries, where they face a drastic shortage of mental health professionals. Psychotherapy adapted into a digital format is emerging as a promising compliment to standard in-person care. And this applies more than ever during a global health emergency such as COVID-19.

For the first time, researchers have been able to demonstrate the potential of digital mental healthcare in low and middle-income countries. On aggregate, based on 22 randomized controlled trials globally, digital psychological interventions effectively diminished the symptoms of mental disorders, including depression and addiction. The meta-analysis has been published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

One of the researchers, Zhongfang Fu, explains: "Our meta-analysis demonstrated that internet interventions as delivered by, for instance, a website or a smartphone app have robust effects in treating mental health conditions in low and middle income countries. Thanks to these interventions, in addition to growing internet coverage and expansion of smartphone use, more people suffering from mental health problems can be reached. In particular young people who are familiar with digital technology can easily be reached."

Explore further New digital tool supports mental health assessment of people with intellectual disability

More information: Zhongfang Fu et al. Effectiveness of digital psychological interventions for mental health problems in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis, The Lancet Psychiatry (2020). Journal information: The Lancet Psychiatry Zhongfang Fu et al. Effectiveness of digital psychological interventions for mental health problems in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30256-X
Traverse City 3D printing company DreamLab Industries is under investigation from the Michigan Attorney General after the AGs office, the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation received complaints from customers.

DreamLab had been 3D printing machine fixtures for small-scale manufactures, but decided to start making masks in March due to the surge in mask demand from the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the company couldnt keep up with the amount of orders coming in, the company owner said.

The Attorney General alleges DreamLab is violating the Michigan Consumer Protection Act by misrepresenting its product for having approval it doesnt actually have, false advertising, making false or misleading statements about price reductions, price gouging and failing to provide goods to customers in a timely fashion.

The state is subpoenaing records to shed light on the business practices. FBI agents interviewed CEO Brandon Williams  a Jackson native  in May after receiving complaints.

Williams chalks up the issues to trying to scale up too fast.

We were just late on shipping products, Williams told MLive. Theres no fraud at all. We struggled to keep up with demand and we couldnt get the materials in time.

DreamLab was struggling to keep up with orders from the start. In late March  just weeks after coronavirus hit Michigan  it had produced 4,000 masks but had orders in for 20,000.

The first formal complaint came in early May from a customer who was told the masks would ship in seven to 10 days, but they didnt arrive for two months.

(DreamLab employee Autum Richmond) admitted that she had only been working for DreamLab for three weeks, was told to provide various excuses to customers as to why they had not yet received their masks, did not actually know what was going on, and herself had not yet been paid, the circuit court filing says.

When the customer finally received his order, the masks were split down the middle and unusable.

Williams admits there were issues with the first masks, saying everything took off so quick, there wasnt a lot of time for research and development. The companys second model was light years ahead of the first, Williams said. The first model was rushed out, he said.

Other complaints told of similar issues  with two-month delivery times for unusable masks.

DreamLab eventually stopped taking new orders, but Williams admits he waited too long to do so. The company is now taking small orders again, but Williams is on his own making them after having to lay off his staff.

With a full staff, Williams said DreamLab can 3D print 100 masks per day. On his own, he said he can make 25.

The company started with six 3D printers but now has 140 of them to try to keep up with demand, Williams said.

Richmond told investigators Williams promised the Veterans Administration he could make 500 to 1,000 masks per week.

Williams printed shipping labels and told Richmond to send people the tracking number to make it appear as if (their) order had shipped, per the court filing. Rolls of shipping labels could be found at DreamLab that had been printed but not affixed to packages, Richmond told investigators.

The Attorney General also accuses DreamLab of price gouging, adding the website advertised masks for $15 as a reduced price from $20, when the masks had always been only $15.

DreamLab is also accused of having a link on its website where people could donate to health care workers. Williams admitted to investigators that money was not given to health care workers, but was used to subsidize the cost of mask materials.

Williams said he refunded everybody who donated, saying there was a miscommunication with his web person.

DreamLabs website claimed government agencies were seeking orders with the company. Williams told investigators that the contact with government agencies was actually to see if DreamLab had emergency authorization to create masks  which it did not.

DreamLab barely pulled a profit, Williams said. The company was just trying to fulfill a need and provide masks when the pandemic started. Now, hes scavenging for funds to hire an attorney.

Im still driving the same car. Everybodys laid off. We didnt make a killing. We were really out there to try to do the right thing, Williams said. There was no ill intent whatsoever. Nobodys driving a Lamborghini.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued executive orders requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while in public indoor and crowded outdoor spaces. See an explanation of what that means here.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

For more data on COVID-19 in Michigan, visit https://www.mlive.com/coronavirus/data/.

RELATED STORIES

Tuesday, Sept. 1: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan

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The chair of the Kenosha Republican Party said that 80 percent of people support Kyle Rittenhouse - the 17-year-old who shot dead two protesters last weekend with an AR-15 rifle - and that the other 20 percent are people who 'can't stand the president'.

Erin Decker was being interviewed on Fox and Friends on Tuesday morning ahead of Trump's visit to the Wisconsin city when she made the remarks.

She said the majority of the town's residents supported Rittenhouse, who opened fire while sitting in the street after he'd been smacked over the head with a skateboard.

Rittenhouse was among a group of self-styled militia men who had gone to Kenosha to try to protect the city from looters amid uproar over the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man who was shot seven times in front of his kids.

Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber were killed and Gaige Grosskreutz was shot in the arm in a series of encounters that were captured on cellphone videos.

Witness accounts and cellphone video show that the shootings took place in two stages: Rittenhouse first shot Rosenbaum, then jogged away, stumbled and fell in the street, and opened fire again on Huber and Grosskreutz as members of the crowd closed in him.

He was not arrested until the following day and has now been charged with murder.

His attorneys have received a ground-swell of support for him from predominantly conservative Americans who say he was defending a city that the police had let slip into complete unrest.

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Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, (above) has been charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide following the shootings on the third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake

Kenosha GOP Chair Erin Decker appeared on Fox and Friends on Tuesday morning ahead of Trump's visit to the city

Decker echoed that sentiment in her interview.

'It looks like it was self-defense, and, talking to people around the area, I would say about 80 percent of the people support what Kyle did,' she said, adding the remaining 20 percent of people 'are probably the people that can't stand Donald Trump and can't stand anything conservative or Republican, so they're just going to attack anything that resembles that.'

Rittenhouse remains in custody in Illinois, his home state. He is next due before a judge for an extradition hearing on September 25.

Decker said that the majority of residents were relieved when Trump sent in the National Guard to deal with the unrest last week.

'I believe the same people that support Donald Trump are happy that he came into the cityor sent troops into the cityand that includes Republicans, independents and Democrats.

'I believe they're the same people that support Kyle Rittenhouse.'

Last night, the president defended Rittenhouse during a White House briefing and said he'd been 'very violently attacked' before he opened fire.

'He was trying to get away from them I guess, it looks like, and he fell on then they very violently attacked him,' Trump said.

Joseph Rosenbaum (left) and Anthony Huber (right) were killed and Gaige Grosskreutz was shot in the arm in a series of encounters that were captured on cellphone videos

Rittenhouse's lawyer John Pierce praised the teenager for his actions in an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson and argued that he was only defending himself against a mob trying to disarm and hurt him

'It was something that we are looking at right now and it's under investigation, but I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would've been killed. It's under investigation,' he added.

Rittenhouse's attorney, John Pierce, appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Monday night to defend him too.

Carlson was last week admonished by viewers for asking if it was a surprise that the the shootings had happened.

Pierce, appearing on his show, said: 'This is 100 percent self defense.

'The only individuals Kyle shot were the three individuals attacking him and putting him at risk.

'This is a 17-year-old kid, this is amazing what he did.'

Pierce said the incident escalated when a shot was fired as Rittenhouse tried to retreat from a group of protesters who, he claims, became enraged that the teen was trying to put out fires.

'They began screaming that Kyle needed to be killed and they were going to kill him. They started relentlessly hunting him as prey as he ran down the street attempting to retreat,' Pierce said.

'Mr Rosenbaum, who was leading the attack on him, set upon him immediately... began to assault him from behind, attempted to take his weapon, take his firearm, and Kyle, when he turned, he instantaneously had no choice but to defend himself by firing because he was in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death.'

Pierce denied that Rittenhouse brought the AR-15 across state lines from Illinois to Wisconsin.

'That firearm never crossed state lines. It is a legal firearm in Wisconsin,' Pierce said, adding they would be arguing it is within his second amendment rights.
A young Italian police officer was recently attacked in a horrifying bear attack where the animal brutally mauled him while patrolling the area in South Tyrol last week. The 24-year-old officer suffered injuries and was nearly dragged away by the bear during the encounter.

Brutal bear attack

The first reports from local authorities portrayed the nightmarish incident. The police officer was walking along during his shift when he was suddenly ambushed by a sizeable 121-pound bear who proceeded to throw him down to the ground, maul him, and attempt to take him away.

According to the Pledge Times, the carabinieri's friend was with him during the stroll, and both of whom were surprised by the animal.

The victim, Diego Balasso, recounts the encounter where he and his friend heard a branch cracking in the nearby water and immediately seeing a bear's shadow. When the two first saw the bear, it was about 25 meters away, but it left them frozen in fear as the animal got up on its hind legs and sniffed Balasso.

When the police officer attempted to move away, the bear, codenamed M57, quickly attacked and bit Balasso's left leg, causing him to fall to the ground. The wild beast then continued to maul the officer, attacking wildly and indiscriminately.

Fortunately for the victim, the brother of his friend and some other passerby chased the bear away with loud noises as Balasso continued to protect himself, curling up into a ball on the ground and covering his face. He said he was lucky and thankful for those who saved his life.

Also Read: Father Drowned, Burned 5-Year-Old Daughter Thinking She Was Controlled by Witchcraft

The police officer suffered several injuries and lesions on his arms, legs, abdomen, head, and back. Fortunately, however, Balasso did not sustain any grave or fatal wounds, as reported by The Guardian.

Later, authorities managed to track down the animal and used a tranquilizer dart to subdue and capture the two-and-a-half-year-old bear, as stated by the Provincia Autonoma di Trento.

Dwindling population

Authorities conducted a reintroduction project of Alpine brown bears after their population declined sharply to just four known individuals present in the area in 2000. The recent attack has shed light on the dangers of the animals in the region, whose current numbers total about 90.

A representative of the International Organization for Animal Protect of Trento, Ornella Dorigatti, said that while most people are afraid of bears and claim they are aggressive, the truth is that they are very docile creatures and only attack if threatened or trying to protect their cubs.

The official said that the lack of knowledge in preventing these incidents in the area has caused another bear to be locked up in captivity for living its life in the wild. She said that authorities had removed the funding that supported the bears' reintroduction, noting that the animals should be helped and not repressed.

The expert advised people that should they encounter a bear, they should remain calm, slowly walk away, and not provoke the animal. She noted that the officer should not have yelled at the bear or let it get that close to him.

Related Article: Father Murders Two Daughters in Brutal 'Honor Killing' For Dating Non-Muslims

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Officials say Dijon Kizzee was shot after he scuffled with sheriffs deputies, dropping a bundle of clothes and a gun.

Two Los Angeles sheriffs deputies shot and killed a Black man who scuffled with them after he was stopped for riding his bicycle in violation of vehicle code, authorities have said.

Family members identified the dead man as Dijon Kizzee, 29, CBS-Los Angeles reported on Monday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Protesters gathered at the site of the shooting and more than 100 people marched to a sheriffs station, demanding justice. Some chanted say his name and no justice, no peace, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Sheriffs Lieutenant Brandon Dean said the deputies from the South Los Angeles station had spotted a man riding a bicycle in violation of vehicle codes and attempted to stop the man.

He fled on foot, and when officers caught up with him he punched one deputy in the face, dropping some items of clothing he was carrying, he said.

The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semi-automatic handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred, Dean told reporters.

It was not immediately clear if the man was reaching for the gun when he was shot. Dean said officials had yet to interview the deputies involved.

He was in possession of a firearm and did assault a deputy, Dean said.

Balloons, candles and flowers are left as a memorial for Dijon Kizzee where he was fatally shot by Los Angeles sheriffs deputies [Stefanie Dazio/AP Photo]

Neighbourhood resident Arlander Givens, 68, questioned why deputies fired at a man who, according to the sheriffs official, was not holding a weapon.

If he reached down to grab it, thats different, Givens told the Los Angeles Times. But if its on the ground, why shoot? That means he was unarmed.

Dean said investigators had not yet interviewed witnesses or reviewed any surveillance or mobile phone video footage.

Give us time to conduct our investigation, he said. We will get all of the facts of this case and eventually present them.

The Sheriffs Department said multiple independent investigations began at the scene.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was set to vote on Tuesday to fund a body-worn camera programme for the sheriffs department. Sheriff Alex Villanueva has feuded with the supervisors in recent months and repeatedly called on them to approve the money for the body cameras.

Anti-racism protests

The latest killing came as US President Donald Trump was headed for Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday, where police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back on August 23, leaving him paralysed from the waist down.

Blakes shooting by a white officer ignited fresh protests three months after the killing of George Floyd, who suffocated beneath the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis in May, sparking the most widespread civil unrest in the US since the 1960s.

The demonstrations in Kenosha have deteriorated repeatedly into violence as armed white vigilantes face-off against protesters, culminating in the killing of two people. A white 17-year-old Trump supporter has been arrested and charged with the murders.

Wisconsins governor Tony Evers said Trump was not welcome in Kenosha amid fears the president is fanning the violence as he shifts national debate from his handling of the coronavirus pandemic to law and order ahead of the November 3 election.
The move has long been scheduled and is unrelated to the ongoing unrest in the neighboring country.

From September 1, border crossing rules for Ukrainian citizens heading to Belarus have changed.

From now on, Ukrainians who intend to leave for a neighboring country will be able to cross out with a foreign travel passport, of which the State Border Guard Service has earlier warns citizens with the reference to the corresponding government decree.

The document provides for the partial suspension of the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Belarus on visa-free travel.

Previously, Ukrainians were allowed to travel to Belarus holding a regular passport for internal use.

Read alsoBaltic States declare Belarus' Lukashenko persona non grataThe State Border Guard Service says the new exit procedure is aimed at ensuring better safety for Ukrainian citizens. Also, border guards predict a significant reduction in border-crossing routine time, since the information from foreign travel passports is scanned by automatic readers.

Ukrainian national returning to Ukraine from Belarus from September 1 without a foreign travel passport on them shall be allowed entry with no restrictions.

The new rules do not apply to residents of areas in the immediate proximity to the Belarus border who are further allowed to cross through local checkpoints with regular passports or birth certificates (for minors) in accordance with an inter-government agreement of December 12, 1998.

Belarus unrest: MFA Ukraine's travel notice

The Ukrainian foreign ministry has earlier recommended that Ukraine nationals refrain from trips to Belarus amid the complicated social and political situation in the neighboring state.

"Citizens who are already on the territory of Belarus should remain aware of their surroundings, avoid crowded locations, not take part in demonstrations and protest rallies, follow the news and recommendations of local authorities," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Fargo, North Dakota for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 5 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more.

According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Fargo, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Fargo with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs.

The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Fargo. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Fargo, North Dakota please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-fargo-nd/

2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Fargo, North Dakota (in alphabetical order)

Centre Inc

123 15th Street

North Fargo, ND  58102

701-237-9340

Heartview Foundation

101 East Broadway

Bismarck, ND 58501

701-222-0386

Prairie St. Johns

510 4th Street South

Fargo, ND 58103

701-476-7200

ShareHouse

4227 9th Ave South

Fargo, ND 58103

701-282-6561

Substance Abuse Treatment  Fargo  Veterans Affairs Medical Ctr

2101 Elm Street

Fargo, ND 58102

701-239-3700

ABOUT HELP.ORG

Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/.
The FBI has warned Chicago police about a plot by street gangs to shoot any cop on-sight with their weapon drawn and film it.

The federal intelligence alert from FBI officials was sent to Chicago area law enforcement on August 26, warning that 36 notorious gangs have made a pact to gun down cops 'in order to garner national media attention', reported ABC 7.

The threat comes as two cops were gunned down in the street while carrying out a traffic stop Sunday during yet another bloody weekend in the Windy City that left 10 dead and 44 injured in shootings.

Chicago has been rocked by a dramatic spike in violent crime in recent months, with a staggering 505 people murdered so far this year.

Meanwhile, tensions are building nationwide between law enforcement and the public following a spate of incidents where black men and women have been killed or seriously injured at the hands of cops across America.

The FBI has warned Chicago police about a plot by street gangs to 'shoot on-sight any cop that has a weapon drawn on any subject in public' and film it. CPD Superintendent David Brown (pictured) said 'people are seeking to do harm to cops'

The 'situational information report' sent by the FBI Wednesday states that: 'members of these gang factions have been actively searching for, and filming, police officers in performance of their official duties.

'The purpose of which is to catch on film an officer drawing his/her weapon on any subject and the subsequent "shoot on-sight" of said officer, in order to garner national media attention.'

The alert, called 'Pact Made by People Nation Gang Factions to 'Shoot On-Site' Any Police Officer with a Weapon Drawn', names nearly three dozen street gangs involved in the pact including the notorious Latin Kings, Vice Lords, El Rukns and Black P Stones, ABC 7 reported.

The outlet said the intelligence came from 'a contact whose reporting is limited and whose reliability cannot be determined', such as a police street source, a cooperating witness, or from undercover recordings.

The Chicago Police Department confirmed to DailyMail.com they had been made aware of the threat against its officers and are taking steps to protect them.

'We have been made aware of this threat by a law enforcement partner,' a CPD spokesperson said Tuesday.

'The Chicago Police Department takes all threats against officer safety seriously and we will take all necessary measures to safeguard our officers.'

One person was killed and four others injured in a drive-by shooting in broad daylight outside a pancake house Sunday afternoon

Lumes Pancake House pictured after Sunday's shooting. The windy city has been rocked by violent crime in recent months, with a staggering 505 people murdered so far this year

CHICAGO CRIME SO FAR IN 2020 COMPARED TO THE SAME TIME IN 2019 Shooting incidents +52%

Murders +52%

Burglary +0%

Aggravated battery +4%

Motor vehicle theft +1%

Criminal sexual assault -20%

Robbery -3%

Theft -27% Advertisement

Violent crime has surged in many US cities in recent months, with Chicago ravaged by a surge in shootings and murders so far in 2020.

Local officials and federal law enforcement have clashed over their handling of the crime wave with Donald Trump hitting out at Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot on several occasions and threatening to send in federal troops.

Stark CPD data reveals murders have rocketed 52 percent from 333 between January 1 and August 30 2019 to 505 for the same period this year.

A staggering 2,152 shootings have taken place so far in 2020 - 739 more than the 1,413 that had taken place by this time last year.

The city recorded a bloody weekend this week, with 54 shot including 10 fatally.

One person was killed and four others injured in a drive-by shooting in broad daylight outside a pancake house Sunday afternoon.

Hours earlier, two Chicago police officers were shot during a traffic stop around 2:30 am Sunday morning.

One of the cops is in a serious but stable condition and had to undergo surgery for lung and abdominal injuries.

The other was shot in the shoulder and has been released from hospital.

A suspect, who was shot by a third cop on the scene, was injured and taken into custody over the shooting.

It is not clear if the attack on the cops is in any way connected to the street gang plot foiled by the federal agents.

CPD Superintendent David Brown said 'people are seeking to do harm to cops' and the risk to officers is increasing in the streets.

'I think it's bigger than a suggestion,' Brown said Monday, according to ABC 7.

'I think 51 officers being shot at or shot in one year, I think that quadruples any previous year in Chicago's history.

'So I think it's more than a suggestion that people are seeking to do harm to cops.'

Calls have been mounting for police forces nationwide to face budget cuts or be altogether defunded as Black Lives Matter protesters demand an end to police brutality and systemic racism in the wake of the 'murders' of black people in police custody in recent months

Anti-racism and 'defund the police' protests ramped up three months ago after a white cop 'murdered' unarmed black man George Floyd on Memorial Day

Shocking footage has also been circulating on social media of cops violently attacking protesters gathered to demand an end to police brutality. Pictured police use pepper spray on Chicago protesters in August

Calls have been mounting for police forces nationwide to face budget cuts or be altogether defunded as Black Lives Matter protesters demand an end to police brutality and systemic racism in the wake of the 'murders' of black people in police custody in recent months.

Anti-racism and 'defund the police' protests ramped up three months ago after a white cop 'murdered' unarmed black man George Floyd on Memorial Day by kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes.

Just weeks after Floyd's death, Rayshard Brooks was shot dead outside a Wendy's drive-thru in Atlanta while he was running away from cops.

On August 23, unarmed black man Jacob Blake as shot in the back eight times and left paralyzed by Wisconsin police while his three young sons watched on.

Shocking footage has also been circulating on social media of cops violently attacking protesters gathered to demand an end to police brutality.
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Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi in a meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna on Monday night discussed a range of issue, including the preservation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Trend reports citing IRNA.

During the meeting in the Austrian capital, the Austrian foreign minister called on the JCPOA members to live up to their commitments within the framework of JCPOA, and said, Austria will continue its contribution to help reconstruct trust in the region.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Vienna on Monday to attend the JCPOA Joint Commission meeting which will be held on Tuesday.

Araghchi is slated to meet and hold talks with some of the heads of the delegations attending this meeting.

The JCPOA Joint Commission meeting will be held in Vienna on Tuesday.
A BLM protester who was arrested in Washington DC on Saturday night has also been at riots in Portland and Kenosha, police said on Monday, as they revealed they were looking into whether groups were being funded to travel to protest hot-spots.

Jeremy Vajko, 27, was arrested on Saturday night during violent clashes between police and protesters in the nation's capital.

He had been working as a senior engineer at Microsoft until May, but left the company and has been on the road, supporting the BLM movement, since then.

The Metropolitan Police Department incident report into his arrest claims he was driving recklessly near the Hay Adams hotel and drove 'into a crowd of over one hundred individuals'.

He spent the night in jail and was released on Sunday. Prosecutors are not pursuing the case.

On Monday, police chief Peter Newsham referred to the van and said it had also been spotted in Portland and Kenosha.

Jeremy Vajko has been arrested at least three times in protests in Portland and Washington DC since May. He is shown in mughots from Portland in June and July (above)

On Saturday night in Washington DC, Vajko was arrested in his 'snack van'. Police said he drove it into a crowd of 100 people- which he denies. Charges against him were dropped by prosecutors

He did not mention Vajko by name, but he and Mayor Muriel Bowsers both said the city was investigating whether or not funded groups traveled to the city to create havoc over the weekend.

'There was a reckless driving arrest that received a lot of attention.

'There was a van that was driving recklessly, potentially could have hit pedestrians and officers in the area. The driver was taken into custody.

'That vehicle was van, it was registered on the west coast in Washington state. We have intelligence to suggest that van was also at some of the violence we saw in Portland, Oregon and some of the violent activity we saw in Kenosha...

'One of the things that we're certainly going to do it if it is an organized, funded attempt to create violence in our city, we're going to do everything we can to get to the bottom of it,' he said.

Vajko has done multiple interviews since the riots began. He insists he is peaceful and is being unfairly targeted by police

'I think there's a potential that it could be the case... it could be domestic terrorism,' he said, talking more generally about the protests and unrest.

Mayor Bowser said that there was evidence that many had come from other cities and states.

'We've had experience all summer with protest and we're seeing a shift with who's involved and the type of tactics being used.

'I don't think anything that we have found can connect any outside protester to a single group or funded or organization. Though I don't think it would be a big leap to say that the type of organization and resources that they're bringing to bear are organized and funded. I don't think that would be a big leap.

'Our intelligence, I know the chief will tap into our federal resources as well, to find out any intelligence we can,' she said.

Vajko is from Seattle and, according to his LinkedIn page, works for Microsoft. On Twitter, he says he worked 'in tech'.

After being released from custody, he said he had just been handing out water.

'I was out there at the protest. I was handing out water, snacks, food and medical supplies. I had an EMT in my car... we were actively helping people and making s**t out there safe.

'As they were walking towards me, I tried to move out of the way. At which point, an officer violently smashed my window and grabbed me out of my vehicle and forced me onto the ground.

'They tried charging me with reckless driving however the District of Columbia asked them to release me and cancel the bond.

On Tuesday, after being released from custody without charge, Vajko complained online that police had 'ransacked' his vehicle

Videos show his van in the middle of the riot in DC on Saturday night. He claims he had a medic there to give out aid to anyone who was hurt

'I ended up for two days in jail in bad conditions, freezing conditions. They refused to give me a toothbrush... as it stands, I did not do anything criminal or wrong,' he said.

In June, Vajko was arrested in Portland for interfering with a police officer.

He was let go without bond. In July, he was arrested again in Portland on the same charge and with an additional charge of disorderly conduct. He was let go again.

DC Police Chief Peter Newsham on Monday said 'outside agitators' had caused most of the violence from the weekend's protests

In Kenosha, he claims he was stopped by police and had the van searched. It is unclear if he was arrested.

A Kenosha Police Department press release on August 27 refers to a group of vehicles that were stopped in a parking lot for acting suspiciously. The release did not give any of the group's names, but said they had helmets, protective vests and illegal fireworks in their vehicles.

Vajko claimed on social media at the time that he was pulled over for having an out-of-state plate. He said he was threatened by six cops, including one who had an 'AR'.

He insists that he is peaceful and has been acting alone since the start of the unrest in May.

He started in the autonomous zone in Seattle - that was known as CHAZ or CHOP - then started traveling around the country in his van to give out snacks because he 'noticed there were problems with nutrition'.

Videos he has posted online show right-wing group Proud Boys smashing the windows of his van in Portland.

He also claims he has been followed by under cover police units.

Right-wing commentators online call him a 'professional agitator' - a label he resists.

He did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's inquiries on Tuesday but has said on Twitter that he is acting alone and is not part of any larger group or organization.

After being released from custody on Monday, he was filmed by
Demonstrators gathered in Martyrs Square in Beirut on September 1, to mark the centennial of the founding of the State of Greater Lebanon in 1920.

Some attendees were protesting the appointment of the countrys new prime minister, diplomat Mustapha Adib, reports said.

Nearby, security forces fired tear gas as protesters attempted to climb over a barricade outside the Lebanese Parliament building on Tuesday, videos show.

Ongoing protests over the countrys leadership and economic hardship heightened following the deadly port explosion that rocked Beirut on August 4. Credit: @hasanraad4 via Storyful
In the midst of the pandemic we are bombarded with unemployment issues. However, another story that is being overlooked is workmen compensation complaints.

My daughter, who is 19 years old, worked for a daycare named Wonderland Kidz. It was one of her first jobs in the real world. She noticed several concerns regarding the safety of the children as well as employees at the small daycare center but was not educated enough or old enough to realize many illegal issues happening at the site.

To make a long story short due to a faulty door which did not have proper child-proof locks or proper ventilation, neither which were up to code, she was locked in a small bathroom and could not get air. There were chemical fumes sprayed in the bathroom as well before closing the door. The door had to be busted down, the ambulance were called because my daughter passed out, and my daughter suffered chemical burns in her throat as well as trauma, and anxiety.

The employer did not have mandatory insurance through Pennsylvania. That means not only were employees not covered if injured on the job but none of the children were covered either if they were to be injured. This lady was operating an illegal daycare putting lives in danger. We filed through Pennsylvania Uninsured Guaranty Fund created for just this kind of incident because the daycare did not have insurance.

This incident happened in March right before the pandemic. Here we are months later and we are still being avoided in litigation, suddenly our claim has been withdrawn without our consent. It seems we are getting a legal run around. And we cant afford a lawyer.

I dont understand how my daughter can be a victim of an illegal business and be treated as if she is the bad guy for seeking compensation only for medical bills. This case has nothing to do with the pandemic. But I wonder in the midst of the pandemic how many people will be injured or harmed through working in hazardous conditions.

Do citizens know about mandatory workman comp insurance? Do we know to ask those questions? Do we know what to look for concerning labor compliance? I dont think the average person knows their rights.

Lydia Thomas, York County, Pa.
Hundreds of thousands of people have again taken to the streets in Belarus on Sunday to protest against President Alexander Lukashenko, who declared himself the winner of the August 9 elections. According to Russian and Belarusian press reports, last weekends demonstration in Minsk was the largest to date, with more protesters in attendance than two weeks ago, when between 100,000 and 200,000 people participated. Tens of thousands also took part in protests in other cities across the country.

Soldiers behind barbed wire at the protest in Minsk on August 30

The demonstrations were fueled by opposition to an increasingly violent crack-down by the Lukashenko regime. Over the past days hundreds of protesters have been arrested. Among them were striking workers and dozens of journalists, including many reporters for international outlets. Correspondents from Reuters, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Associated Press and other international agencies and media had their accreditations revoked. Lukashenko threatened to call out the army against demonstrators.

In anticipation of Sundays protests, the Lukashenko regime mobilized a large number of OMON and military troops and paramilitary formations of the interior ministry. Prisoner transport vehicles were parked in the city center. The residence of the president in Minsk was surrounded by heavily armed security and military personnel, as well as tanks. Like the Sunday before, Lukashenko was reportedly seen with an assault rifle.

At least 140 people were arrested, including a journalist for the Russian TASS press agency. The internet was shut down in Minsk for the entire duration of the protest. The German government summoned the Belarusian ambassador to discuss the revocation of accreditation for German journalists in Belarus.

The renewed mass protests followed days of growing tensions between Russia and the imperialist powers over the crisis in Belarus. On Thursday, Russian president Vladimir Putin for the first time since the beginning of the mass strikes and protests openly declared support for Alexander Lukashenko.

He also publicly stated that he and Lukashenko discussed the formation of special security forces to help bring the situation in Belarus under control, if need be. However, so far, there is no need for such a force, Putin stated. This weekend, the Kremlin declared that Russia would recognize the August 9 elections as legitimate. On Sunday, Putin invited Lukashenko to Moscow in another phone call.

Russia and Belarus agreed on a $1 billion loan for the Belarusian economy, which has been brought to the brink of collapse by the ongoing strike movement.

The shift in the Kremlins attitude toward the Lukashenko regime, which thus far has been cautious, comes as the imperialist powers have stepped up their intervention in the Belarus crisis.

Putins statements on Thursday came on the heels of a tour by US Deputy Secretary of State Steve Biegun, who initiated official discussions with opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Lithuania the previous weekend. Biegun spoke to both the Lithuanian and the Ukrainian government before travelling to Moscow to talk with the Kremlin. Details of these discussions have not been published.

On Friday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky declared that Ukraine would cut all diplomatic ties with Belarus.

Poland and Lithuania, which have been at the forefront of the NATO military build-up against Russia, have also stepped up their intervention in support of the opposition in Belarus. Two weeks ago, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki from the far-right Law and Justice party (PiS) announced an 11 million euro program in support of the opposition in Belarus. Lithuania declared this weekend that it would spend 150,000 euros to support civil society and independent media in Belarus.

Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has been in Lithuania since the presidential elections. She was invited to address the UN Security Council on Friday. On Monday, the Baltic states introduced sanctions against Lukashenko and 29 other officials of his regime.

These interventions by the imperialist powers and their allies in Eastern Europe are carried out under the fraudulent pretense of the defense of democracy and human rights. This rhetoric is a sham. The US government has been violently cracking down on protesters regularly within its own borders, and US president Donald Trump is openly inciting fascist violence against immigrants and peaceful demonstrators.

In Germany, the far-right Alternative fur Deutschland and neo-Nazi terrorist networks enjoy the support of substantial sections of the political establishment and state apparatus. In Poland, free speech on Polish anti-Semitism and the Holocaust has been banned, and Ukraine and Lithuania are the two countries with the arguably most blatant state-sanctioned glorification of Nazi collaborators and the Waffen-SS in all of Europe.

What these governments are concerned about are not the democratic rights of the population in Belarus. Rather, they seek to exploit the crisis in the country to advance their geopolitical agenda against Russia. A comment in the newspaper Vzglyad, which is close to the Kremlin, noted that the imperialist powers have avoided intervening too aggressively in Belarus for fear of only strengthening the ties between Minsk and Moscow.

However, an escalation of the imperialist intervention in Belarus is actively being discussed in leading circles. A particularly aggressive comment by the German Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, a think tank with close ties to the German government, stated: There should be clear communication with Moscow about both potential solutions but also the costs of an intervention [by Russia]. There is no reason to fear conflict: The EU is already long engaged in a conflict with Russia.

The growing influence of China, which has established close relations with the Belarusian government, and is one of the largest investors in the country, is also a thorn in the side of the US and EU. A comment in the Russian Nezavisimaya Gazeta on Steven Bieguns visit to Moscow stressed that the US was concerned, above all, with the influence of China in Belarus and Europe more broadly.

At the same time, the imperialist powers are deeply concerned about the ongoing, three-week-long strike movement in Belarus, and fear that Lukashenkos violent crackdown will only further ignite the anger of substantial sections of the working class. These concerns are shared by the Russian oligarchy, which has suffered substantial economic losses because of the strikes and fears that they might spread to Russia.

While concrete numbers are not being reported, strikes at many key factories, including Belaruskali, the producer of 20 percent of the worlds potash, also seem to be ongoing. Last week, a section of teachers also walked-out. According to a report in the German Handelsblatt last week, the strikes at state-owned enterprises have cost the economy billions of dollars, sending the Belarusian ruble into free fall. The countrys GDP was less than $60 billion in 2019.

Anders Aslund, a long-time operative of US imperialism in the region, noted on the website of the Atlantic Council think tank on Friday that Belaruskali, the fertilizer plant Grodno Azot, and the petrol refineries of Naftan and Mozyr, accounted for 68 percent of Belaruss exports to the West in 2019. Belaruskali, Grodno Azot and Naftan have been centers of the strike movement. Aslund warned, A prolonged strike at any of these four state-owned companies would collapse Belarusian export revenues and the Belarusian ruble, bringing Lukashenko to his knees. Nevertheless, the scale of the looming economic threat facing the country is not yet widely understood or appreciated. If the currency collapses, the real strife will start.

The great danger is that workers who have now entered into struggle remain tied to one or another faction of the ruling class and become pawns in the machinations of imperialism. A genuine fight in defense of democratic rights must be tied to a struggle for social equality and against capitalism. Workers in Belarus can only carry this forward through a complete political break with all factions of the ruling class, and in close alliance with their class brothers and sisters throughout Europe and internationally.
President Akufo-Addo has asked residents in Amedzofe in the Volta Region to shun persons who promote ethnocentrism and division.

He made the call when he commissioned the Five Piped Water Supply System in Amedzofe for 69,000 residents of three districts in the Volta Region.

No one who is committed to the Ghana Project, as I am, can have an ethnic agenda. Rather, we should shun all those who would promote ethnic sentiments and divisions amongst us for selfish, partisan, political ends.

There are people from this region, some of whom are well known to you here in Amedzofe, who serve in sensitive parts of my government and influence decisions on a daily basis. I may have my own failings, like we all do, but being a tribalist is not one of them.

Recounting again the circumstances that have led to the deployment of soldiers along the country's borders, President Akufo-Addo stressed again that the Volta Region was not and has not been singled out for any special military operation.

The deployment of the military personnel along our borders is an ongoing nationwide exercise, and has been done across all our borders, and not in the Volta Region alone. One thousand (1,000) soldiers are the subject of this deployment, of which one hundred and sixty-three (163) are based along the borders of Volta, he said.

The President noted that, their presence is to guard against potential terrorist attacks on our shores and to prevent the importation of the virus into our country. 

To residents of the Volta Region, President Akufo-Addo reiterated his determination to keep knocking on the door until the door is opened to me, until the Volta Region and the NPP are married.
What have been largely peaceful protests across the nation  between 13 million and 26 million people have taken part in a social justice protest following the police killing of George Floyd  are starting to include ugly clashes, thanks in large part to Trump and the way he fuels the chaos. He is threatening to send troops to more American cities, and he ordains the gun show vigilantes as his personal army each time he praises their actions and demeans protesters.
In view of the ongoing restrictions due to COVID-19, the mortal remains of Mukherjee arrived at the crematorium in a hearse van instead of the gun carriage

Former president Pranab Mukherjee was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi Road electric crematorium in Delhi on Tuesday afternoon. His son, Abhijit Mukherjee, performed the veteran Congress leader's last rites.

Mukherjee's family and relatives paid their last respects clad in PPE kits while adhering to COVID-19 safeguards.

An Army contingent gave a guard of honour and a gun salute to the former president.

#WATCH Delhi: Former President #PranabMukherjee laid to rest with full military honours. His last rites were performed at Lodhi crematorium today, under restrictions for #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/VbwzZG1xX9  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

In view of the ongoing restrictions due to coronavirus, the mortal remains of Mukherjee arrived at the crematorium in a hearse van instead of the gun carriage, defence ministry officials told ANI.

The 84-year-old had died on Monday evening at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi cantonment following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments.

President, Vice-President, Prime Minister pay last respects to Mukherjee

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chiefs of the three defence services and politicians cutting across party lines paid their last respects to Mukherjee at his residence on Tuesday.

Narendra Modi took to Twitter to note that that the former president would be remembered by generations for his efforts towards India's progress as he paid his last respects to him.

Paid tributes to respected Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He would be remembered by generations for his efforts towards India's progress. pic.twitter.com/bThLb5GW9N  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 1, 2020

The mortal remains of India's 13th president, who died on Monday after a three-week battle with multiple ailments, were taken to his residence from the Army's Research and Referral hospital in a flower-bedecked white vehicle.

As the nation observed seven-day mourning in honour of the former president, a long-time Congress politician and one of India's most respected people in public life, a host of leaders and others visited his 10 Rajaji Marg residence.

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday condoled his demise and observed silence for 2 minutes in his memory, according to ANI.

Joined the Union Cabinet meeting via video conferencing in presence of Prime Minister Shri @NarendraModi ji today to express profound sorrow on the sad demise of former President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee ji. pic.twitter.com/IyNeOi5GPC  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 1, 2020

Politicos maintain distance, wear masks while paying tribute



Following COVID-19 protocols such as maintaining social distancing and wearing masks, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, BJP chief JP Nadda, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and several Union ministers such as Nirmala Sitharaman and Harsh Vardhan were among those who paid homage to him.

Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pays last respects to former President #PranabMukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg. pic.twitter.com/v504A5vuqo  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Leaders paid floral tributes to a photo of Mukherjee, while his remains were kept in another room.

Besides the senior leaders, workers of various parties and the general public stood in long queues maintaining social distancing, wearing masks and carrying bouquets as they waited patiently to catch a glimpse of Mukherjee for one last time.

All those who arrived to catch a glimpse of Mukherjee for one last time and to pay their tribute wore masks, while some also had face shields on. The security staff managing the crowd wore face shields, reports PTI.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General MM Naravane, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh visited the late president's home to condole his death.

Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays last respects to former President #PranabMukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg. pic.twitter.com/le8bPPUlcH  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, CPI general secretary D Raja and BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia were also there to pay their respect to a man who had spent more than five decades in public life and was admired as a "consensus builder".

Delhi: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and CPI leader D Raja pay last respects to former President #PranabMukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg. pic.twitter.com/rVLI3sYxoP  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

"Whether people agreed with him or not, he was very forthright in articulating his views keeping in view the interests of the country," Raja told reporters.

Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel said Mukherjee never differentiated between leaders of the ruling party and the Opposition.

"He was an excellent politician, orator... For the Congress, he was the helmsman. He won the hearts of everyone. Our prime minister respected him so much, one can imagine, how important he was for the country. He was a true Bharat Ratna," Goel told reporters.

Bangladesh declares one-day national mourning

As former President Pranab Mukherjee passed away on Monday, the Bangladesh government declared one-day national mourning on Wednesday  2 September. The Bangladesh national flag will be flown half-mast that day. There are plans for high-level participation from Bangladesh as well, especially since Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina had a personal rapport with Mukherjee.

Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed sorrow over the demise of former president Pranab Mukherjee, describing him as a "true friend" and recalling his "outstanding and unforgettable" contributions to the country's 1971 Liberation War. "His demise has caused an irreparable loss to the political arena of the sub-continent," Hamid said.

Mukherjee, 84, leaves behind his daughter and two sons.

"I am planning to build a museum cum library in his memory on one floor, first or the ground, at our house in Jangipur in West Bengal," his son Abhijeet Mukherjee said, an acknowledgement of his father's enduring connect with his home state.

Mukherjee was admitted to the Research and Referral Hospital on August 10 and was operated for removal of a clot in the brain the same day. He also tested positive for COVID-19 during his admission and was being treated for a lung infection.

The statesman and scholar, known for his encyclopaedic memory and sharp intellect, served as the country's first citizen from 2012 to 2017.

In 1982, he became India's youngest finance minister when he was just 47. In the years that followed, he served as India's Minister for External Affairs, Defence, Finance and Commerce and was the first Indian president to have done so.

Mukherjee had the distinction of serving three prime ministers as a minister  Indira Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh - and was the party's trusted Man Friday as it evolved over the decades.

The seven-time parliamentarian was also India's only non-prime minister who was a leader of the Lok Sabha for eight years. He was also the leader of the Rajya Sabha from 1980-85.

Mukherjee's tenure as president will stand out for the tough stance he took on mercy petitions. Of the 34 mercy petitions presented to him, he rejected 30.

With inputs from PTI
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed killing four people has revealed his 'world ended' after the devastating accident.

Martin Miglans described the scene after the Super Puma chopper plunged into the sea as 'hell on earth' and his 'nightmare to this day'.

Mr Miglans, his co-pilot and 12 other passengers survived the crash when the aircraft ditched on its approach to Sumburgh Airport, Shetland, in 2013.

But oil workers Sarah Darnley, 45, from Elgin, Moray; Gary McCrossan, 59, from Inverness; Duncan Munro, 46, from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, and George Allison, 57, from Winchester, Hampshire, died in the incident.

The helicopter was returning from the Borgsten Dolphin platform in the North Sea to Aberdeen, via Shetland for refuelling.

Mr Miglans' harrowing testimony was revealed to a Fatal Accident Inquiry yesterday held virtually in Scotland.

He said he struggled to remember immediately prior to the crash until the 'horror and shock of seeing the sea'.

Mr Miglans added in the written statement: 'It has destroyed my head. My world ended with that crash.'

'The cockpit filling with water catches me everyday.

'I just remember coming out of the cloud and there being water and that is it.

Sarah Darnley, 45, and Gary McCrossan, 59, were among those killed in the crash

'It is wrong and I am pulling as hard as I can - it is all lost by then.'

He continued: 'That is my nightmare to this day. I didn't understand how it could have happened.'

Mr Miglans said he cannot remember check-height alerts prior to the crash, only the 'horror and shock of seeing the sea'.

The pilot said he sustained a fractured spine, now walks on crutches and will never fly again.

He also wrote that he has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder but does not want treatment or sympathy, and all he has in his life is the crash and the inquiry, which has been 'hanging over' him for seven years.

The inquiry was later shown a police video interview of Mr Miglans in an Aberdeen care home in September 2013.

Duncan Munro, 46, and George Allison, 57, perished when the super puma hit the sea

He told detectives he was on morphine for his injuries and became emotional as he recounted what he remembered of the crash.

'I don't remember any snags on the controls  I'm in shock now, it has taken over,' he said.

'It hits the water. The water comes up over our heads and I feel the aircraft turning left. This all happened, in my memory, it was all fast. We were good and now we're in the water. We're turning over. Shock.'

He said his training to get out kicked in, adding: 'I can't see  it's all water in front, submerged, I think, 'We're going to die'.'

Mr Miglans said he used his last breath to pull a handle to escape from the helicopter, thinking he was 'going to drown and realising I've not said goodbye to people'.

The wreckage of the Super Puma helicopter was recovered and brought to land after the crash

He added: 'I'm just about to breathe in water, I thought, 'Will it be cold, will it be quick?' I thought, 'I'm going to die  my mum, my dad, my sister  I'm going to die'.'

He said he then pushed the handle the opposite way as the helicopter was upside down and reached the surface.

The pilot said the scene was 'hell on earth', adding: 'I'm thinking, 'The passengers, did they get out? Where is everybody?''

He believes the co-pilot pulled him on to a life raft as he was struggling to move.

Mr Miglands said he held a flare to alert the rescue helicopter and wanted to be last off the raft, adding: 'I don't even want to go, I don't want to be saved.'

After being winched last from the raft he was taken to hospital and later his sister told him he'd 'saved 14 lives' so he realised four people had died.

He said: 'It was an accident. I couldn't stop it. I don't know what happened. I've done it many times, done it for more than 16 years.

'I don't know what happened  all I know is we've had a terrible fatal accident and I've got to try and live like this.'

The inquiry also heard from Philip Sleight, deputy chief inspector of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

He read parts of an AAIB report, published in 2016, which found the pilots failed to properly monitor the flight instruments and failed to notice their airspeed was decreasing until it was too late to avoid the Super Puma plunging into the sea.

A statement of agreed evidence confirmed no mechanical fault was discovered with the helicopter, which was returning from the Borgsten Dolphin support vessel to Sumburgh Airport when it ditched at 6.17pm on August 23, 2013.

The inquiry, before Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle, continues.
PowerBand to Offer Best-in-Class Personal Lines Automotive Insurance Solutions from HUB International for Luxury Car Owners

VANCOUVER, BC and CHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / PowerBand Solutions Inc. (TSXV:PBX) (OTCQB:PWWBF) (Frankfurt:1ZVA) ("PowerBand", "PBX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that HUB International Ltd. ("HUB"), the world's fifth largest insurance broker, will offer its personal lines automotive insurance solutions, on PowerBand's virtual transaction platform to drivers across the United States, and soon after Canada, through PowerBand's strategic partner, Texas-based D&P Holdings, Inc. ("D&P").

PowerBand users can buy, lease, sell, trade and finance a vehicle from any location using a smart phone or digital device and now will have instant access to a wide assortment of insurance products for their vehicles through HUB International.

"PowerBand is delighted to partner with HUB, one of the most respected brands in personal insurance," said CEO Kelly Jennings. "Our goal at PowerBand is to take unnecessary middlemen out of all aspects of the automotive retail business, to make acquiring a car and insurance as easy as buying a product from Amazon on your smart phone. This partnership with HUB is another important step in that direction by PowerBand."

HUB is the largest privately-held personal insurance brokerage in the country. HUB personal insurance is a specialized practice dedicated to exclusively serve the insurance and risk management needs of individuals and mass affluent/high net worth.

"HUB is a leader in the multi-billion-dollar automotive insurance business," said D&P CEO John Armstrong. "With HUB, and our other insurance and warranty providers, PowerBand will become a one-stop virtual platform to buy, sell, lease, trade, finance - and get the insurance you need from multiple carriers, with multiple solutions."

"HUB is very excited to work with PowerBand. Their clientele of luxury car buyers aligns with our key strength to provide comprehensive personal insurance that protects personal and professional assets for our mass affluent customer base," said Beverly Campbell, Senior Vice President, Personal Lines Strategy and Business Development at HUB. "This new partnership will give PowerBand's clients the ability to access our competitive automotive insurance products. Additionally, we estimate that the new relationship will deliver up to 5,000 new automotive insurance clients per year for HUB as the program grows."

D&P is one of the United States' largest administrators of automotive warranty and insurance products, directly working with more than 850 dealerships in all 50 states. It is the managing general agency for The Hanover Insurance Group, which has a $3.8-billlion market valuation. D&P recently converted more than USD $6 million into a minority ownership share in PowerBand's U.S. and Canadian operations. D&P will receive a commission from HUB for each new client that results from the partnership.

PowerBand's vehicle protection offerings have also been augmented by CARco, the general insurance agency that works with six national insurance companies and more than 1,000 agents, with reach into thousands of auto dealerships nationwide. It joined D&P to offer CARco's vehicle protection products on PowerBand. CARco administers more than 100,000 new protection products every month across the United States.

PowerBand's first lease originations have begun on its leasing platform operated by MUSA Holdings, LLC ("MUSA"), which PowerBand acquired a 60 per cent share of in July 2019. Founded in 2016, MUSA's innovative transaction platform provides dealers and consumers with the most advanced leasing options in the industry. MUSA takes applications, calculates leases, auto-decisions applications, provides approvals back to dealer partners and prefills lease contracts accurately. Approvals can occur in seconds. As a result of its proprietary technology, MUSA was awarded a contract by Tesla Motors to become a national leasing partner in 2018.

About PowerBand Solutions Inc.

PowerBand Solutions Inc., listed on the TSX Venture Exchange and the OTCQB markets, is a fintech provider disrupting the automotive industry. PowerBand's integrated, cloud-based transaction platform facilitates transactions amongst consumers, dealers, funders and manufacturers (OEMs). It enables them to buy, sell, trade, finance, and lease new and used, electric- and non-electric vehicles, on smart phones or any other online digital devices, from any location. PowerBand's transaction platform - being trademarked under DRIVRZ - is being made available across North American and global markets.

About HUB International

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, HUB International Limited is a leading full-service global insurance broker providing property and casualty, life and health, employee benefits, investment and risk management products and services. With more than 12,000 employees in offices located throughout North America, HUB's vast network of specialists provides peace of mind on what matters most by protecting clients through unrelenting advocacy and tailored insurance solutions. For more information, please visit www.hubinternational.com.

For further information, please contact:

Richard Goldman, VP Corporate Development, PowerBand Solutions

P: 1-866-768-7653

rgoldman@powerbandsolutions.com

Marni Gordon, VP Corporate Communications, HUB International

P: 312-279-4601

Marni.gordon@hubinternational.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize, and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as at the date of this news release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by Canadian securities law.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, unless an exemption from such registration is available.

SOURCE: PowerBand Solutions Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604246/HUB-International-Insurance-Solutions-To-Be-Offered-On-PowerBands-Virtual-Transaction-Platform-Throughout-The-United-States
One of the accused in the Pulwama terror attack case, Waiz-Ul-Islam, has filed an application for bail to appear for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), news agency ANI reported on Tuesday.

His bail has been listed for September 3. We are opposing this application, National Investigation Agency counsel Vipin Kalra was quoted as saying by ANI.

The next hearing in the case to take place on September 15.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had filed a charge sheet on August 25 in the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack case in which it named 19 people who it said carried out the bombing at Pakistans behest. The 13,500-page charge sheet was filed before a special NIA court in Jammu.

Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brothers Abdul Rauf Asghar and Ammar Alvi, and nephew Umar Farooq are among those named in the charge sheet by the agency. Farooq was the son of IC-814 hijacking accused Ibrahim Athar who was in India to execute the Pulwama conspiracy and was killed in March 2019 in an encounter by security forces.

Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in the attack that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.
Facebook said Monday that it will block users in Australia from sharing news on Facebook and Instagram if a controversial law forcing tech giants like Facebook and rival Google to pay publishers to distribute portions of their content passes this fall.

Why it matters: This is Facebook's last-ditch effort to stop the law's enactment, which it says will harm publishers more than itself. The tech giant contends that the Australian law's broad payment terms are likely to end up requiring Facebook to overpay for a relatively modest amount of content, and the social network is also wary of setting a broad precedent.

Catch up quick: Regulators in Australia released a draft code of conduct on July 31 for a one-month consultation period that ended last Friday. The final legislation is expected to be introduced to Parliament "shortly after conclusion of this consultation process," the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission says.

The consultation process has been ugly, and has featured a lot of testy statements back and forth from Google, Facebook and Australian lawmakers.

In an interview with Axios, Facebook's VP of global news partnerships Campbell Brown says that the company's product and engineering teams will spend the next few months building systems that will allow them to comply with the law by restricting news content from being shared on its platforms.

"We are looking at a number of things," Brown said. "A lot of this is in the [law's] code. We're trying to abide by how it's written."

"In some cases, it addresses publishers specifically. So we're looking at how we can look at publishers referenced in the code, what content of theirs is shared and go from there."

Driving the news: In a blog post Monday, Will Eason, Facebook's managing director for Australia & New Zealand, writes that the legislation "misunderstands the dynamics of the internet and will do damage to the very news organizations the government is trying to protect."

Easton argues that regulators' solution to helping publishers build sustainable businesses online "is counterproductive" because Australian competition regulators wrongly presume that Facebook benefits most in its relationship with publishers, when, he argues, "in fact the reverse is true."

"News represents a fraction of what people see in their News Feed and is not a significant source of revenue for us," he writes. He argues news being available on Facebook helps publishers expand their ad reach and sell more subscriptions.

"Over the first five months of 2020 we sent 2.3 billion clicks from Facebooks News Feed back to Australian news websites at no charge  additional traffic worth an estimated $200 million to Australian publishers."

Between the lines: A source confirmed to Axios last week that the company likely won't be launching its new Facebook News Tab in Australia for the foreseeable future because of the battle Facebook is fighting with Australian regulators.

The News Tab, which Facebook is expanding globally, is a venue for Facebook to pay select publishers for their work. Payout contracts vary depending on the size and scope of the publisher, and nothing stops Facebook from changing the payout structure over time.

The big picture: If Australia adopts the law and it becomes a model for others around the world, publishers hope the approach would provide a significant boost to the news industry, especially local news, as it faces financial decline.

Yes, but: History shows that tech giants don't take well to this type of law, and would rather pull out of a country altogether than be forced to pay publishers on terms set by lawmakers.

Spain passed a similar measure in 2014 that ultimately caused Google News to leave the country.

passed a similar measure in 2014 that ultimately caused Google News to leave the country. France is considering a related law, one that would require Google to pay publishers for featuring "snippets," or small previews of their content, in search. Like Australia, France has ordered tech firms to negotiate with publishers or face being regulated.

is considering a related law, one that would require Google to pay publishers for featuring "snippets," or small previews of their content, in search. Like Australia, France has ordered tech firms to negotiate with publishers or face being regulated. The EU passed a sweeping copyright law in 2019 that would require its member countries to adopt rules that would force tech giants to pay publishers. Google has threatened to pull Google News from the EU if member states comply.

What's next: The law is part of a larger global effort to tilt the scales in favor of content creators and away from tech companies as the pandemic continues to eat at the advertising market, putting thousands of local and national media companies out of business.

But Brown says she doesn't see this type of action extending elsewhere.

"Australia is an outlier," she says. "This doesn't in any way impact how we think about news or our commitment to news."

Go deeper: Australia orders tech to pay media firms for access to content
Kamala Harris, AKA "Mike Nifong in a Dress," wants to be vice president of the United States. Given Joe Biden's age and apparent health, she could easily become president if he wins. Voters need to know about Harris's dog whistles in support of the violence that is ravaging cities around the country. Let's begin with Harris's verified tweet of June 1.

If you're able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota.

The link goes to "Kamala Harris for the People," which says, "Make a donation to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. Your support will help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota."

Kamala, you're a lawyer, so you know full well that protesters do not need bail because protest is not a crime for which one can be legally arrested. It is, in contrast, a federal crime to arrest somebody for the lawful exercise of his First Amendment right to protest. Looters, rioters, vandals, arsonists, illegal road-blockers, disturbers of the peace, assailants, harassers, and carjackers need bail because they have committed crimes.

In this Late Show interview, Harris elaborates further.

YouTube screen grab

"Everyone beware[.] ... They are not going to stop before Election Day in November, and they are not going to stop after Election Day. ... They're not going to let up, and they should not."

I must stipulate that the interviewer said protests and not riots, so Harris did not openly advocate riots. Given the unlawful nature of many of the "protests" in question, however, in combination with Harris's promotion of a bail fund for "protesters," she comes across as giving at least tacit dog whistle support to the civil disorder that is ruining people's homes, livelihoods, and neighborhoods in primarily Democratic-majority urban areas.

Harris's dog whistle to rioters and looters is not an isolated incident. The rest of the Democratic Party is "trying to find the right balance between their support for the racial justice protests and their opposition to the destructive elements of the demonstrations[.]" If Democrats think there is some kind of acceptable "balance" between lawful and peaceful freedom of expression, and arson, vandalism, looting, aggravated assault, murder, carjacking, and rioting, there is a real problem. The former is an absolute constitutional right, and the latter are criminal activities. There is no gray area between them in which one can find a "balance."

Only much later (August 30) did Joe Biden and Kamala Harris condemn the violence, while Biden challenged Trump to do the same. I guess they haven't been paying attention because President Trump condemned violence three months ago, and he condemned racism and white supremacy last year.

Civis Americanus is the pen name of a contributor who remembers the lessons of history and wants to ensure that our country never needs to learn those lessons again the hard way. The author is remaining anonymous due to the likely prospect of being subjected to "cancel culture" for exposing the Big Lie behind Black Lives Matter.
Australian Federal Police have confirmed that they obtained eyewitness accounts implicating Ben Roberts-Smith in war crimes while he was an Australian soldier serving in Afghanistan, the Federal Court has heard.

Extensive media reporting has linked Mr Roberts-Smith to allegations he was directly involved in the death of farmer Ali Jan, an Afghan man who was allegedly kicked off a cliff while handcuffed and then shot dead in the village of Darwan in September 2012.

Ben Roberts-Smith. Credit:Darrian Traynor

But barrister Sandy Dawson, SC, representing the news outlets being sued for defamation by Mr Roberts-Smith, on Tuesday revealed for the first time that the AFP had independently obtained witness statements from past and current Australian Defence Force members who contradicted the Victoria Cross recipient's position that Mr Jan's death was a legitimate act in war.

The AFP wrote to Mr Roberts-Smith through his lawyers last December telling him that it had obtained "contemporaneous" reporting from the ADF and had also conducted its own inquiries. The police investigation began in mid-2018 following a referral from the then chief of defence force Mark Binskin, Mr Dawson said.
Several power loom weavers in Uttar Pradesh have gone on indefinite strike in protest against the new power tariff imposed on them. On Tuesday, not one loom in Varanasi functioned and weavers were seen protesting at several places, demanding that the old tariff system be restored.

According to them, the new tariff will increase the cost of production and force them to lose business to their counterparts in Surat and Bhiwandi. At present power loom weavers outnumber handlooms four-to-one in UP. As per estimates about two million weavers are associated with some 272,000 power looms in ...
Federal prosecutors are preparing to charge former top Donald Trump fundraiser Eliot Broidy with an alleged illegal lobbying campaign.

Broidy, a former finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, is under investigation for his possible role in efforts to use his influence and contacts inside the White House to extradite Chinese dissident back to his home country.

People close to the matter told the Washington Post authorities were preparing to charge Broidy, who in 2017 hired longtime Donald Trump attorney Michael Cohen to negotiate a non-disclosure agreement and an agreement to pay $1.6 million for a former Playboy Playmate who had a sexual relationship with Broidy and then had an abortion, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Major Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy, pictured with wife Robin, is expected to be charged with pushing the government to end the probe of a Malaysian state investment fund

The news comes a day after Broidy associate Nickie Mali Lum Davis pleaded guilty days after being charged with aiding the effort to send home Chinese dissident Guo Wengui. She also was accused of helping steal $4.5 billion from a a Malaysian state investment fund and laundering funds through a series of high-end purchases including fine art and even Hollywood movies.

The charging document last week identified 'Person A' and 'Person B' as taking part in the scheme, who the post identified as original Fugees rapper Pras Michel and Broidy.

Just days ago former Trump chief White House strategist Steve Bannon was arrested and aboard the billionaire Guo's mega-yacht before Bannon was charged with allegedly ripping off donors to the 'We Build the Wall' project.

Broidy reportedly will be charged with pushing the government to extradite Chinese Billionaire Guo Wengui, who resides in New York and who is a fierce critic of the regime in Beijing

Fugees rapper Pras Michel (pictured with Wyclef Jean) has also been charged

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon (R) greets fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui before introducing him at a news conference on November 20, 2018. Bannon was arrested last month aboard Guo's mega-yacht

Guo is wanted by authorities in Beijing, who has become a vocal critic of Chinese authorities, who have accused him of corruption.

Broidy has been under the microscope 'for his alleged role in a campaign to persuade high-level Trump administration officials to drop an investigation of Malaysian government corruption,' according to the Post, as well as the extradition effort.

Broidy could reach a plea deal amid negotiations with prosecutors, according to the paper.

Shera Bechard, the Canadian-born former girlfriend of Playboy Enterprises founder Hugh Hefner, is seen in this handout photo taken in October, 2011. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2018 that Broidy used Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to help negotiate an NDA with Bechard, who had a sexual relationship with Broidy

Broidy was a top fundraiser for Trump, and served as finance chair of the Republican National Committee

Broidy's payoff of former Playboy playmate Shera Bechard came to light as authorities came down on Cohen, who also helped arrange 'hush' payments by Trump to porn star Stormy Daniels and payments by third parties to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Broidy's case stems from the 1MDB probe. At a 2017 meeting that included Malaysian financier Jho Low, who has also been charged, Broidy spoke about going to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to Davis' charging document.

The Post cited documents and people familiar with the case as alleging Broidy made entreaties to other top figures in the administration: former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus  who was with Trump today in Wisconsin  former deputy campaign chair Rick Gates, who cooperated with the Mueller probe, and Trump himself.

Broidy told the Times in 2018: 'This whole narrative is a fabrication driven by hackers who want to undermine me' and his team has said he never did work for or got paid by any foreign government for lobbying the U.S. government.
A decision will be taken 'very soon' on whether to delay GCSE and A-Level exams next year, ministers said today.

Calls have been growing for the move amid warnings that many pupils - and particularly the most disadvantaged - are months behind due to coronavirus chaos.

Gavin Williamson said England's exams regulator, Ofqual, was consulting on whether there should be a 'short delay' to the exam timetable in 2021.

And schools minister Nick Gibb insisted people will not have long to wait to find out the government's plans.

The time needed for exam marking and the university admissions process are among the factors being considered.

'There are a whole range of factors that the exam boards, Ofqual and the Department (for Education) are looking at, but we will form a decision very soon,' Mr Gibb said in a round of interviews.

Downing Street said it is awaiting the regulator's recommendation.

Ministers are determined to avoid a repeat of the shambles over this year's GCSEs and A-Levels, where exams had to be scrapped, and then the 'standardisation' system was humiliatingly abandoned after a swathe of pupils were marked down.

A poll of nearly 3,000 school leaders and teachers has laid bare the devastating impact the shutdown has had on Britain's children, with the poorest and boys worst affected.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said next year's school exams could be delayed

A decision will be taken 'very soon' on whether to delay GCSE and A-Level exams next year, ministers said today. Pictured, a socially distanced class in Hyde in July

Some 21 per cent of teachers from across 2,200 primary and secondary schools told the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) survey that they believed boys had fallen further behind than girls.

Richer pupils are 46 per cent further ahead with their studies than the poorest after lockdown, according to the data.

In total, 98 per cent of those surveyed felt students were not as far along with their learning as would normally be expected at the end of the 2019/20 school year.

However, more than half (53 per cent) of those teaching in the poorest schools in England reported their students were 'four months or more' behind in their learning, compared to 15 per cent of teachers in wealthier settings.

The survey also found that the learning gap between disadvantaged pupils and their better-off peers had increased by 46 per cent, adding that the figure was likely to be an 'under-estimate'.

Mr Williamson told the Daily Telegraph: 'I know there's some concern about next year's exams, and that's why we've been working with Ofqual on changes we can make to help pupils when they take GCSEs and A-levels next year.

'Ofqual will continue to work with the education sector and other stakeholders on whether there should be a short delay to the GCSE, A and AS-level exam timetable in 2021, with the aim of creating more teaching time.'

Exam season usually begins in May, but there is speculation that could be pushed back to June and July.

Shadow education secretary Kate Green said pupils entering Year 11 and 13 who have lost up to six months of teaching time face 'a mountain to climb' unless the timetable is changed.

She said: 'Ministers had warning after warning about problems with this year's exam results, but allowed it to descend into a fiasco.

'This is too important for Boris Johnson to leave until the last minute. Pupils heading back to school need clarity and certainty about the year ahead.'

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'Labour's suggestion of a delay to help with 'catch-up' is worthy of serious consideration.

'A delay is not without its problems, a consequential delay to the publication of results will put pressure on higher education providers such as universities and colleges as well as employers. All this will need to be dealt with.'
As the Middle Easts worst-hit coronavirus victim, Iran has lost over 21,000 of its citizens since the pandemic began to ravage the country in late February. But the immense health crisis aside, the economic cost has proven devastating for the cash-strapped government. And among the sectors almost brought to its knees is tourism.

Priding itself on the glorious ancient Persian civilization, Iran is home to 24 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which have survived foreign invasions and natural disasters over centuries and continue to maintain their appeal to visitors.

But as is the case with many of the worlds pandemic-hit nations, Irans tourist attractions appear to have a long way to go before revisiting their once vibrant days, when tourists from across the world swarmed them. A series of official figures released by Ali-Asghar Mounesan, minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts, are more than telling of the grim situation.

The first three months of the Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 20), the period when the virus was making its way from one province to another, Iran received only 74 foreign tourists, according to Mounesan. In the same period last year, the country hosted some 2.6 million tourists. Due to the pandemic, the minister said, Irans tourism has collapsed to near-zero levels."

By late July, a loss in tourism revenues was estimated at over half a billion dollars due to the pandemic. To help the sector get back on its feet, the government of President Hassan Rouhani from the very beginning promised to bail it out. However, according to Mounesan, so far not more than $7.7 million has been offered in the form of loans rather than aid packages to the affected private companies. The bailout served merely as a fleeting painkiller, the minister said.

An increasing number of people will have to bid farewell to their sources of income in the tourism industry due to the coronavirus crisis. One of those without a job now is Zhaleh, a 38-year-old guide who used to work for two travel agents in central Tehran. First we were asked to do some remote work. But as time went on my bosses had to get rid of me and several other colleagues, she told Al-Monitor. Only two months into the virus outbreak, the owners of the two companies found their business no longer viable. One of the agencies I worked for is now entirely shut down. The other is working with only three out 17 staff members, she added.

For years, Iranian tourism has been grappling with tremendous challenges, from Western sanctions to regional tensions. But the negative role played by mismanagement, most evidently in the form of financial neglect, has largely explained why the sector is crumbling.

Persepolis is Irans best-known monument, an astounding epitome of the glory of the Persian Empire. Despite its significant cultural and historical value, and the large number of tourists it attracts, the site of the ancient ruins in a vast area outside the southern city of Shiraz has been allocated the tiny amount of $217 from the latest annual state budget to run its maintenance and all other affairs for a period of one year. The disappointing share was lamented by the minister, who also noted that monument preservation projects rely for the most part on small public donations.

Prior to the pandemic, the tourism sector had exhibited signs that it was entering a period of prosperity. In 2019, it posted $11.7 billion in annual revenues, making up 2.8% of Irans gross domestic product.

Another charm of the Iranian culture and civilization  handmade carpets  does not seem to be in good shape either. Carpet weaving skills have been passed on from generation to generation, and it has provided Iran with one of few sources of non-oil income, hitting the $73 million mark in 2019 and claiming nearly 10% of the worlds total handmade carpet exports. Nevertheless, the pandemic has introduced a period of lackluster business, prompting workshop closures with the finished carpets piling up in warehouses.

At Tehrans central traditional bazaar, Hamid and Hashem, both in their 50s, have been selling carpets since they were teenage apprentices in a family business inherited from their ancestors. Not a single tourist these days! Hamid said in an interview with Al-Monitor. You have no idea how tragic it is to see the art and business of handmade carpets gradually die right before your eyes.

Before the pandemic, the northwestern city of Mahabad delivered an annual 6,000 square meters of Kurdish carpets, internationally known for their diverse colors and stunning patterns. The carpet business is badly hit as the exports have almost entirely stopped. Due to the virus-triggered recession, the same is happening in other carpet-producing areas, including Esfahan in central Iran and Kerman in the southeast.

Mina, a single mother from the western city of Sanandaj, who has lived on her carpet weaving income for nearly a decade, can now hardly make ends meet. But what concerns her most, she told Al-Monitor, is not the income she has lost, but rather the existential threat posed by the pandemic to carpet weaving art as a whole. I desperately hope that the end of the pandemic is announced before Iran's carpet weaving art vanishes into thin air, she said.
Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G foldable smartphone, which seeks address most of the shortcomings of the original Fold. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 will only be available in a Snapdragon 865+ version and comes with an improved CAM hinge, larger Cover Screen display, better usage and photography flexibility, and improved multitasking. One thing that is unchanged from the Fold, however, is the premium pricing that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 commands.

Working For Notebookcheck Are you a techie who knows how to write? Then join our Team! English native speakers welcome! News Writer (AUS/NZL based) - Details here

The original Galaxy Fold was a innovative concept but suffered from several shortcomings, which led to the device receiving a lukewarm response from both the press and general buyers alike. Samsung now hopes to rectify that with the new Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G. The device is now thinner but slightly heavier than its predecessor with less rounded corners. It still commands a premium pricing, though.

The new Galaxy Z Fold 2 now offers a 6.2-inch 2260x816 Super AMOLED 25:9 Infinity-O Cover Screen display, which is an upgrade from the small 4.6-inch display of the original Fold. This prevents the need to frequently unfold the device for most common tasks such as checking mails or texts.

Unfolding the Cover display reveals the 7.6-inch 2208x1768 22.5:18 Main Screen display with extremely slim bezels. The display offers a 120 Hz adaptable refresh rate. Samsung said that the device would fall back to FHD resolution when operating at 120 Hz. Those used to recent offerings from OnePlus, Asus, or Oppo will be slightly disappointed that the display refresh rate and resolution cannot be independently set. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 also incorporates the Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) material that debuted with the Galaxy Z Flip.

Samsung has also improved the hinge mechanism in the Galaxy Z Flip 2. This time, we get the CAM hinge that offers a consistent feel at every turn while also helping keep dust at bay. The hinge enables the phone to stand when opened at angles between 75 to 115 degrees. There is no water resistance certification, though. The color of the hinge can now be customized during online ordering  you can choose between Metallic Silver, Metallic Gold, Metallic Red, and Metallic Blue color options.

The rear camera module resembles that of a Note 20 Ultra and all the cameras here, including the ultra wide (123 deg), wide-angle (83 deg), and telephoto (45 deg) cameras, are 12 MP sensors. The wide-angle (f/1.8) and telephoto (f/2.4, 2x optical zoom) cameras offer OIS. The front camera (80 deg) is a 10 MP f/2.2 sensor with a pixel size of 1.22 microns.

Samsung is offering some neat software features such as Pro Video, Single Take, Bright Night, and Night Mode to help the user make the most of both the front and rear cameras. Both these cameras can be used together so both the photographer and the subject can be framed in the same shot. There's also an Auto Framing feature that helps keep the subject in focus even in motion.

Samsung is offering the Snapdragon 865+ SoC across all regions. This is accompanied with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB or 512 GB (only in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) of UFS 3.1 internal storage that is not expandable. A 4,500 mAh battery that spans across both sides of the hinge is available, and it supports both wired and wireless fast charge. Speaking of wireless, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 also comes with Samsung DeX wireless similar to the Note 20.

While having a foldable display does enhance multitasking, not all Android apps can actually take advantage of it. Samsung said that it has worked closely with Google and Microsoft to enable seamless multitasking via Multi-Active Window across popular apps such as Gmail, Office, YouTube, and even Spotify.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 will be available in Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze in about 40 countries starting September 18 with pre-orders starting from today in the United States and Europe. The device is priced at US$1,999 or 1,949.

A special Thom Browne Edition that offers a fabric-like texture will be available from September 25. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 Thom Browne Edition comes in a package that is additionally comprised of the Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Buds Live along with an array of Thom Browne accessories. The Thom Browne Edition will retail for US$3,299 or 2,999.

Sale off - Buy Samsung Galaxy Z Flip now on Amazon
Gerry Krzic teaches at Daechang Middle School in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1977. / Courtesy of Gerry Krzic



By Gerry Krzic



Anyone who has spent time in Korea has probably heard of "jeong," a concept characterized as a collective emotion of caring, love, attachment  an unspoken bond difficult to define but evident when seen in action. Jeong is usually described in different forms such as jeong between friends (woojeong) and between mother and child (mojeong).



I would like to offer another form of jeong  Peace Corps jeong  permeating in a subset of American society. That is, Peace Corps Volunteers who served in Korea from 1966 to 1981.



I returned in 2013 for a one-week Revisit Korea Program sponsored by the Korea Foundation for former Peace Corps Volunteers.



At first I thought it might be like a high school reunion  a nostalgic trip to days long gone. But what I experienced was different.



I attended presentations on modern Korean society, participated in cultural events, reunited with my former Korean coworkers, networked with fellow volunteers and revisited Daechang Middle School in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, where I was a volunteer teacher in the late 1970s. It had been 35 years since my last time there.





Gerry Krzic visits a bookstore in 1977, above, which was replaced by a Lotteria in 2013. / Courtesy of Gerry Krzic



I was amazed at the affection that the volunteers still had for Korea and the impact the experience had on their lives. I've returned for later revisits, and each time I saw the same phenomenon  the enduring bond we have with Korea.



This led to me to wonder why the Peace Corps Volunteers have such a special relationship with Korea, even more so than my Peace Corps friends who had served in other countries.



I concluded it has to be Peace Corps jeong! But, where did it come from and what are its characteristics?





Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, has grown considerably from 1977, above, to 2013, below. / Courtesy of Gerry Krzic



We served during a period when Korea was emerging from a dependency on foreign aid and becoming a self-sustaining country. Every day we saw construction as the country was laying the foundation to become the advanced country it is today. Similarly, the volunteers, mostly in our 20s, were in an emerging state of selfhood, laying the foundation for our futures.





It was a transformational experience. On a professional level the impact was very visible for some  academics who developed Korean studies programs in North American universities or diplomats in the U.S. Department of State. But for all, it had a personal transformation characterized in the comment: "It was an amazing experience. There's me before the Peace Corps and me after the Peace Corps."



Revisiting this chapter in our lives was a deeply emotional experience. Emotions, dormant for years, awoke as we reconnected with our former language teachers and staff and returned to our former worksites.





Gerry Krzic teaches in a classroom at Daechang Middle School in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1977, above, and returns in 2013, below. / Courtesy of Gerry Krzic

Soon after arriving in Yecheon, I meandered the streets looking for familiar landmarks. Sadly, my favorite tea house and old boarding house had been replaced by new buildings. At Daechang Middle School, I met the current principal who told me that many former colleagues had passed away.



But an unexpected delight was meeting former students  who were now teachers at the school. Tears welled up in my eyes as I recognized them. Together we browsed an old scrapbook I had brought. Each page brought a new story and new tears. I think the principal might have thought that was too much Peace Corps jeong on display!





Gerry Krzic with Daechang Middle School students in 1977, above, and 2013, below. / Courtesy of Gerry Krzic



Together we spent the rest of the day touring Yecheon, meeting my old boarding house ajumoni who still lived in town, and taking new pictures that would match the same location as the old pictures in my scrapbook. I was enveloped in feelings of warmth and gratitude to the people of Yecheon who had taught me so much so long ago.





Gerry Krzic poses in front of the boarding house in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, where he used to stay in 1977, left, and during a return to the same site in 2013. / Courtesy of Gerry Krzic





Gerry Krzic reconnects in 2013 with his former boarding house host in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1977. / Courtesy of Gerry Krzic



It showed the bond we formed with Korea has endured over our lifetime.



As one volunteer stated, "There is not a day that goes by when I am not reminded of something that happened then or about my experience."



In fact, we are not described as "former" volunteers, but as "returned" volunteers, implying the experience never leaves us.





A street scene in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, in 1977, above, and 2013, below. / Courtesy of Gerry Krzic
People crowded on the streets during the first regulated day of sports practice and walks due to the contagion of Covid-19. (Photo by Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Europe has recorded a sharp rise in the number of new Covid-19 infections in recent weeks, reflecting an alarming trend as the World Health Organization warns "no country can just pretend the pandemic is over."

The number of new coronavirus cases reported across the region increased by 5.6% to a total of just over 4 million cases in the week ending August 23, according to data compiled by the WHO.

Those new cases marked a 6% jump compared to the previous week and an increase of 72% compared to the week ending June 7, when the lowest number of cases per week were reported.

More than half of the new cases reported through the week ending August 23 stemmed from four countries: Spain (21%), Russia (16%), France (10%), and Ukraine (6%). Spain has recorded nearly 463,000 coronavirus cases to date, while Russia's total number of infections surpassed 1 million on Tuesday.

The resurgence in the number of new cases comes as many countries seek to reopen their economies and get people back to work while also achieving public health goals.

However, the WHO has previously warned a relaxation of public health measures, in addition to people "dropping their guard," could help to explain the resurgence of the virus across the region.

"WHO fully supports efforts to re-open economies and societies. We want to see children returning to school and people returning to the workplace  but we want to see it done safely," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing on Monday.

"At the same time, no country can just pretend the pandemic is over. The reality is that this coronavirus spreads easily, it can be fatal to people of all ages, and most people remain susceptible," he added.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha speaks during a meeting at the ministry in Seoul, July 28. Korea Times file



By Do Je-hae



South Korea is facing increasing pressure to take a side in the escalating rivalry between the United States and China.



Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha underlined that the rising conflict among the two superpowers was the most daunting diplomatic challenge facing the country.



"The biggest concern among foreign policymakers is the heightened tension between the superpowers," Kang said during a forum at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, Monday.



"The competition began with trade disputes but has now expanded to a wider range of issues, including the economy, technology, military, security, politics and public health sectors. This worsening situation in superpower relations has destabilized multilateral institutions that are essential to the global system."



The remarks came after Washington underlined its need for new strategies, including the establishment of strong multilateral structures in the Indo-Pacific region to counterbalance the rise of Beijing.



During a recent forum, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun hinted that the U.S. would be open to expanding the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or so-called Quad  U.S., Australia, Japan and India  to other countries that share similar values and enjoy "all-weather cooperation."






Ganesh Chaturthi, celebrated annually marks the birth of Lord Ganesha who is the God of new beginnings. The festivities are spread over ten days and this year they began on August 22. September 1 marks the end of the ten-day celebrations when the visarjan or immersion in a water body takes place, as a way of bidding adieu to the God.

Lord Ganesha is touted as the symbol of fresh starts, wisdom, writing, travel and good fortune. Some of his other names are Ganpati, Gajanana, Gajadant, that are among his 108 names.

The excitement for Ganesh Chaturthi festivities begins weeks before the actual festival when several people start making clay idols of Lord Ganesha and painting them.

During Ganesh Chaturthi, devotees throng to temples and special Ganesh Chaturthi pandals to pay respects to the Lord.

SEE PHOTOS: Ganesh Visarjan 2020: Devotees bid farewell to Lord Ganesha on Day 10 of Ganesh Chaturthi

Several families also bring Ganpati home ahead of the festival, host him for the 10-day festivities and see him off at the end of the festival.

On the day of Ganpati Visarjan, devotees chant Ganapati Bappa Morya while seeing the Lord off, taking our strife and worries with and leaving His blessings behind.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic this year, the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had introduced a one-ward-one-Ganpati concept to ensure social distancing measures in Mumbai. Ganeshotsav celebrations were barred from being held publicly in New Delhi this year.

For Ganpati Visarjan, more than 35,000 police personnel were deployed across Mumbai and the BMC also made arrangements for incident-free immersion of idols on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi.

Till Tuesday noon, a total of 492 Ganesh idols, including 16 from public pandals and 476 installed by residents at home, were immersed at various visarjan points here, an official said.

Out of these, 10 idols of the public mandals and 199 idols installed by people at their homes were immersed in artificial lakes set up for the purpose, he said, adding there was no any untoward incident so far during the immersion.

Various wings of the police department are manning the streets and the security personnel are also keeping a close warch on the immersion with the help of about 5,000 CCTV cameras, the official added.

In a bid to avoid crowding, police have appealed to people to not perform aarti at the visarjan spots before immersion of idols.

Instead, people were asked to perform the ritual at their residences before stepping out, an official said on Monday.

-- with PTI inputs

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Sydney, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on Algeria outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets.

Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Algeria-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses

Algeria has a steadily developing telecom infrastructure with growth encouraged by sympathetic regulatory measures and by government policies aimed at delivering serviceable internet connections across the country.

Government-funded efforts, including the Universal Service Telecommunications (UTS) program, are continuing to ensure that fixed-line infrastructure is extended to underserved areas and thus the slow growth in the number of fixed-telephony connections should be maintained during the next few years.

Mobile penetration is growing steadily despite the tardiness of the regulator to licence 3G and LTE services. Licence obligations have ensured that LTE services have been extended rapidly, with Mobilis providing coverage to all provinces as of February 2020.

Intensifying price competition between the three MNOs  Mobilis, Djezzy and Ooredoo Algeria  together with increases in taxes on voice and data services, have had a negative effect on operator revenue. A new roaming agreement with Tunisia will place further pressure on revenue. The MNOs have responded by investing in upgrades to LTE infrastructure, while Mobilis has also trialled 5G and is expected to launch commercial services later in 2020.

For many years the development of Algerias fixed-line broadband market was hampered by the limited reach of the fixed-line network. This created an environment which encouraged alternative operators to invest in fixed-wireless accesses. In common with other markets in the region, mobile connections account for the vast majority of internet accesses.

This report contains an overview of Algerias fixed-line telephony market, including a review of national and international network infrastructure. The report also covers the fixed and fixed-wireless broadband market, providing key statistics, profiles of the major players, and subscriber forecasts to 2025. In addition, the report reviews the mobile market, providing analyses on operator strategies and their operating and financial performance, as well as an assessment of recent spectrum licensing.

BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020 is having a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.

On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

Key developments :



Regulator provides MNOs with additional spectrum to address poor services;



Mobiliss LTE infrastructure reaches all 48 provinces;



Government initiates national infrastructure project to replace copper network with fibre;



Mobilis expecting to launch 5G services by end-2020;



VEON increases stake in GTH to 98.2%;



Djezzy Telecom trials smart agriculture concept;



Report update includes the regulators market data update for 2019, telcos financial and operating data to Q1 2020, Telecom Maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of COVID-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market data developments.



Companies mentioned in this report:

Algerie Telecom (Mobilis), Optimum Telecom Algerie (Djezzy), Wataniya Telecom (Nedjema, Ooredoo), Djaweb, EEPAD, Swan Informatique, IcosNet, Smart link Communication

Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Algeria-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said that India is ready to sign an initial limited trade package with the United States.

Addressing the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) through a virtual conference Goyal said India is ready to sign an initial limited trade package, and it is upto the US to move ahead.

He invited US business and industry to work with their Indian counterparts to take the bilateral trade to "greater heights".

He said that the two democracies share a deep commitment to each other, at the government, business and people to people levels.

Besides, he said, that going beyond trade in this interconnected world the two nations can be the resilient trusted partners in the global value chain.

Goyal outlined to the members of USISPF the steps being undertaken in the country to facilitate industry and investments.

He said that a GIS-enabled land bank has been launched on a pilot basis, with six states on board, which will help the investors in identifying the land and location.

The Minister also mentioned about the single-window system for clearances, which is being developed in cooperation with various approving authorities and agencies at the Central, State and Municipal levels.

He said that the road ahead has challenges but also a number of opportunities.

Goyal said that economic activity in the country had suffered due to the pandemic but there have been indications of sharp revivals.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Willam M. McSwain, speaks at a 2019 news conference in Chester. On Tuesday, his office charged two inmates at the Chester County Prison and two alleged accomplices with bilking the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program out of tens of thousands of dollars. Read more

With pandemic-related closures battering the U.S. economy and unemployment money flowing, Zachary Gathercole, an inmate at the Chester County Prison, stumbled across what he believed to be a foolproof scheme, federal prosecutors say.

Working with his brothers fiancee on the outside, he allegedly recruited a network of fellow inmates to file for emergency unemployment assistance, claiming theyd lost their jobs due to COVID-19 shutdowns when they had actually been incarcerated since before the coronavirus arrived in the Philadelphia region.

I feel like if [the government is] stupid enough to give it to you, thats on them, the brothers fiancee, Jennifer DHulster, told Gathercole when he allegedly pitched the idea during a phone call from behind bars in July.

Neither of them considered that their frequent conversations about the hustle were being recorded by the prison phone system.

Citing those calls as evidence, federal authorities in Philadelphia charged Gathercole, 30, of Sadsburyville, and DHulster, 37, of Coatesville, on Tuesday with bilking the states unemployment system out of tens of thousands of dollars between May and August.

Two others  Gathercoles girlfriend, Ashley Harrington, 30, of West Chester, and inmate Anthony Schweitzer, 20, of Coatesville  have also been accused of involvement in the scheme.

Sadly, fraudsters consider a national public health crisis as an opportunity to cash in, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain said in a statement. That callous attitude rips off honest taxpayers who fund relief programs, and also makes it much more difficult to provide funds to those who deserve and need them.

Since March, millions of Pennsylvania residents have lost work due to coronavirus shutdown orders, overwhelming the states unemployment system and forcing many to rely upon the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program to supplement their benefits with an additional $600 a week.

The case against Gathercole, DHulster, and their codefendants comes a week after Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Scott Brady, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, announced charges against 33 people involved in similar schemes at state prisons in Greene, Fayette, and Forest Counties, and local jails in Allegheny, Butler, Lawrence, Somerset, and Westmoreland Counties.

Speaking at an Aug. 25 news conference in Pittsburgh, they said they had found the names of an additional 10,000 state prison inmates on Pennsylvanias unemployment rolls. But they said they were still investigating whether those people were aware that jobless claims had been filed on their behalf.

In announcing the case against Gathercole, DHulster, and their codefendants Tuesday, federal prosecutors in Philadelphia did not say whether the other inmates involved were active participants, or had merely lent their identifying information to Gathercole.

Department of Labor investigators found an address book in Gathercoles cell at the Chester County Prison containing the dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and names of seven other inmates they say he recruited for the scheme, including his brother, an inmate at the state prison in Phoenixville.

While Gathercole allegedly guided DHulster on how to use that information to file the paperwork online for the others, Harrington, Gathercoles girlfriend, filed his claims, netting about $12,330 in benefits over three months, prosecutors said.

Investigators believe Gathercole instructed DHulster on how to use that information to file claims on behalf of others, suggested she open a post office box under a fake name to receive the benefit cards, and told her that she could take a cut of the proceeds for herself.

In one call cited in court filings, he called the scheme almost foolproof, later adding, The government [expletive] us enough, so why shouldnt we get one over on the government?

Gathercole has been incarcerated at the Chester County Prison since last year for a string of offenses including robberies, retail thefts, and criminal mischief. He pleaded guilty in January and is awaiting sentencing.

Schweitzer, the other inmate charged Tuesday, is also incarcerated there on charges including theft, assault, harassment, and contempt of court.

DHulster was arrested Tuesday morning for alleged her role in the scheme, prosecutors said. Harrington was arrested on a series of retail theft charges after having submitted the false unemployment application on Gathercoles behalf. She was also incarcerated in the Chester County Prison when she and the others were indicted on federal fraud and conspiracy charges Tuesday.

If convicted, they face up to 30 years in prison on the most serious count.

It was not immediately clear from court records whether any of them had retained attorneys.
The former premier of Western Australia has slammed Daniel Andrews for signing up to China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Colin Barnett, who governed from 2008 to 2017, told Q&A that he would not have signed the deal.

The 70-year-old was asked about Scott Morrison's new law to stop states making deals with foreign powers that go against Australia's foreign policy.

Victoria's Belt and Road deal will be examined and possibly scrapped under new federal laws. Pictured: Premier Daniel Andrews and Chinese ambassador Jingye Cheng

Mr Morrison says the law is not just aimed at China, but former state Liberal leader Mr Barnett said: 'Well it is about China.'

He added: 'I would not have signed the Belt and Road Initiative that Victoria has signed and Mark McGowan, WA's premier, also said he won't sign it.'

The BRI is a Chinese plan to establish maritime trade routes and invest in infrastructure projects around the world, with 125 countries signed up.

Mr Barnett said: 'I think it does go close to endorsing the foreign policy of another country and defense and foreign policy are clearly the responsibility of the Commonwealth government.'

Victoria signed the deal in 2018 as Mr Andrews hoped to increase Chinese participation in building projects, manufacturing and trade.

Last week Mr Andrews demanded to know what alternatives Victoria would have if it was banned from making deals with China that he believes create local jobs.

Sydney's partnership with the Chinese city of Guangzhou will also come under scrutiny. Pictured: Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomes Guangzhou Vice Mayor Mr Wang Dong

Daniel Andrews (pictured in China's Tiananmen Square) signed a deal with China under the country's controversial Belt and Road Initiative in October 2018

'Given the announcements the Prime Minister has made he will no doubt be able to list the full range of other free trade agreements and other markets that we'll be sending Victorian products to. I'll look forward to that,' Mr Andrews said.

'Presumably this approach will include quite soon a very detailed list of alternative trading arrangements, alternative free trade agreements, alternative markets.

'I'll leave that to the PM to announce, but presumably that's coming and coming pretty quickly.'

Asked if his deal with China threatens national security, Mr Andrews said: 'No, I would never concede that point.'

Mr Morrison's extraordinary new laws will give the foreign minister sweeping powers to tear up agreements made by state and local governments as well as universities if they pose a threat.

Several federal politicians, fearing the expansion of Chinese power and influence, have urged the Victorian government to scrap the deal but it has refused.

Under the proposed law, the foreign minister will be able to terminate the deal and any private contracts that are part of it.

Once the law is in place, governments and universities will have six months to reveal their foreign deals to the foreign minister, who will then decide which ones must be stopped.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a Chinese plan to establish maritime trade routes and invest in infrastructure projects around the world, set up by President Xi Xinping (pictured) in 2013

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (pictured) is an example of a project being financed by China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative

The law will cover dozens of deals with China and other nations including India and Israel in areas such as culture, education, health, science, tourism, infrastructure and even sister-city arrangements.

It will also require states get approval from the federal government to start negotiating a foreign deal and seek approval again when the negotiations are done.

Under current laws, states can make a deal and not even tell the foreign minister for three months.

Daniel Andrews caused outrage by only telling the Morrison government about his Belt and Road agreement on the day it was signed.
US e-commerce company Zebit is looking to raise $US30 million ($42 million) from investors in a initial public offering on the ASX, as it looks to cash in on the buy now, pay later (BNPL) craze in the local market.

Zebit founder and chief executive Marc Schneider said while the company, which he described as the "Amazon of the under-served", had no plans to offer its products in Australia the ASX was a solid place to raise growth capital.

"Australia is very forward in terms of disrupter models and how they've been built before, especially in financial services," he said. "I think Afterpay has done an amazing job of socialising BNPL in the Australian market and even across the world."

Led by the market darling Afterpay, the growing cohort of BNPL outfits on the ASX have all been buoyed by the accelerated consumer shift to online shopping and alternative payment methods.

However, Zebit's BNPL offering is different to that of its peers, as it focuses on the "credit challenged" demographic in the United States, targeting consumers who would normally struggle to get affordable credit.
Supplier News

1 September 2020

NEW YORK - When The Gale South Beach, a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel, reopens in October, Volara will be there supporting travelers with a contactless guest engagement and touchless room controls solution on the Google Nest Hub in its guestrooms. Rather than picking up the phone to call room service or request a forgotten amenity at the front desk, guests can speak simply commands in their guestroom to enable private, automated and live and automated conversational interactions with staff.

Volara's integration into the hotel's operations platform from ALICE drives additional efficiencies, as all item and service requests are seamlessly routed to the appropriate department for fulfillment of each command. Whether guests request an item ("Hey Google, bring a bottle of champagne"), schedule a service ("Hey Google, bring my car around front"), seek recommendations ("Hey Google, where I can get a good steak?") or just need to know how to access a hotel amenity ("Hey Google, how do I connect to the WiFi?"), the highly-secure privacy-centric voice technology will streamline all guest communication and give visitors a way to connect virtually to those who will make their stays exceptional.

"When guests return, everyone who walks through our doors will have an extraordinary stay," said Gale South Beach General Manager Kevin Waldstein. "Being closed since March, we've used the downtime to invest in tools and technologies that will ensure a clean, sanitary, and contactless environment; adding that the solution from Google and Volara was the first step in our contactless initiative, and guests will be blown away by the convenience. With people quarantined at home for so many months, they've become familiar and comfortable with smart speakers. It's exciting that we have that same type of voice-on-command experience at The Gale  and soon at our sister hotel the Shelborne South Beach will add Volara to ensure consistency across the Menin Hospitality portfolio. We can't wait to see people engaging with Volara. It will surely drive them to connect with our staff and benefit from our services while remaining safe and socially distant."

Volara provides platform agnostic voice-based conversation-management software and a secure integrations hub for existing hospitality technologies. Its software turns the major natural language processing platforms into a business tool that drives more efficient customer service, influences guests' behavior, improves net promoter scores and helps hospitality providers understand travelers better. Volara's software is enabling the hotel to manage conversations with its guests in real-time. Its secure integrations hub, which now includes 40+ hotel technologies, is enabling guests' requests to prompt specific actions - whether routing a task to hotel staff, turning off the lights, or putting on the air conditioning. Volara's software also enables additional layers of security to ensure that guests' privacy is protected, and proprietary hotel data is secure. Volara is the only provider of voice-based solutions to the hospitality industry that has the Alexa for Business Service Delivery Designation from Amazon, is a launch partner of Alexa for Hospitality, and is an authorized solution provider for the Google Assistant Interpreter Mode and Google's Hotel Solutions.

"Even before COVID-19, hotels were embracing voice technology as a means of engaging guests," said David Berger, Volara CEO. "Today, with contactless service becoming the norm, people are getting more accustomed to having their needs met with little to no personal interaction. Guests who are constantly asking Siri or Google or Alexa questions while at home, can now expect to have an even better more tailored on-command experience while in their hotel rooms."

"As a technology-forward hotel company, Menin Hospitality is anticipating its guests' needs and doing everything possible today to elevate the touchless travel experience of tomorrow, starting with voice," he added. "The Gale and Shelborne are ready, willing, and able to greet guests and keep them engaged in a way that only Volara can. We are delighted to add Menin Hospitality to our client portfolio, and we look forward to working with them on even more deployments soon."

About Menin Hospitality

Headquartered in Miami, Florida since 2005, Menin Hospitality's eclectic portfolio spans throughout South Florida and Chicago including upscale lodging, lifestyle restaurants and nightlife venues as well as a division dedicated to independent projects focusing on art, culture and design. In addition to its hotel portfolio, Menin Hospitality operates popular South Beach food and beverage venues including Bodega Taqueria y Tequila and Pizza Bar South Beach. The hospitality group has plans to further expand within the U.S. and internationally in the future. For more information on Menin Hospitality, visit www.meninhospitality.com.
ICE Arrests 2,000 Illegal Immigrants in Operation Targeting Domestic Violence

WASHINGTONA targeted operation to go after domestic violence abusers from July 13 to Aug. 20 has netted more than 2,000 arrests of illegal immigrants.

The vast majority, 85 percent, either had criminal convictions or pending criminal charges, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data. The remaining 15 percent were fugitives who were in the country illegally.

The operation began solely focused on aliens with domestic violence convictions and charges, said Henry Lucero, executive associate director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Because we know a lot more people are spending time at home to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we wanted to do anything we could to prevent people from getting hurt, especially in their own homes, Lucero said during a media call on Sept. 1.

But, he said, the scope widened to include aliens who have been previously convicted or charged with any crimes involving victims.

Were talking crimes like murder, sexual assault, domestic violence, hit-and-run, kidnapping, identity theft, Lucero said. Behind nearly every arrest is a victim whose life has been harmed as a result of criminal activity.

In the Bronx borough of New York, ICE agents apprehended a 43-year-old Mexican national who had been arrested on April 17 by the New York Police Department for assault with intent to cause physical harm, strangulation with criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, and aggravated harassment causing physical injury to a family member, according to ICE.

In Virginia, ICE agents picked up Edwin Nahun Mendoza-Santos, a 38-year-old citizen of Honduras, who was convicted in Brunswick, Virginia, in September 2019 of assault and battery on a family member. In May, he was charged with aggravated sexual battery of a minor less than 13 years of age.

Lucero said many of the arrested individuals had more than one criminal conviction or pending charge.

A Mexican national who also is a registered sex offender was arrested in Pomona, California. Juan Jose Martinez, 45, was convicted in 2004 of battery on a spouse/ex-spouse and convicted again in 2011 of seven counts of lewd acts upon a child, for which he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The 2,000-plus individuals have racked up convictions and charges including 291 convictions and 216 pending charges for domestic violence; 83 convictions and 64 pending charges for sexual offenses (including rape, sexual assault, indecent exposure, and failure to register as a sex offender); 136 convictions and 63 pending charges for family offenses (including neglect and cruelty toward a spouse or child); 71 convictions and 40 pending charges for sexual offenses involving a minor; and 14 convictions and 12 pending charges for homicide.

If the victims or witnesses of crimes are in the country illegally, they arent put into deportation proceedings, absent themselves being a dangerous criminal, Lucero said. In some cases, victims can be eligible for a visa.

We think that the results of this operation have made many victims feel more safe now that these perpetrators are not going back to their communities, to potentially re-victimize and re-offend, he said.

In general, ICE has made fewer arrests than usual in the past few months, due to the pandemic, but the focus has been to target criminal aliens, Lucero said.

In fiscal 2019, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations arrested individuals with more than 1,900 convictions and charges for homicide, 1,800 for kidnapping, 12,000 sex offenses, 5,000 sexual assaults, 45,000 assaults, 67,000 crimes involving drugs, 10,000 weapons offenses, and 74,000 DUIs.
New international study finds inadequate tools, lack of guidance and the proliferation of communication channels emerge as major challenges for productivity and employee wellbeing in a remote-first workplace

A new study by digital transformation leaders, Adaptavist, highlights the threats to long-term productivity and employee well-being posed by improvised solutions during the transition to remote work. Overall, 82% of people report they are equally (47%) if not more productive (35%) working from home, and company-wide communications have improved during the pandemic. However, the lack of a shared understanding of which tool to use and how to communicate with it, combined with the 'always on' nature of working from home, brings added stress and motivational challenges for workers.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200831005027/en/

Greatest personal challenges in working from home Adaptavist study (Graphic: Business Wire)

The Adaptavist Digital Etiquette Study, which includes survey responses from 2,800 knowledge workers across the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, shows remote working offers major benefits for businesses, but new digital communication and productivity challenges have also emerged.

The study found significant benefits to 100% remote working approach

'Levelling the playing field between in-office and remote workers' and 'working in a more agile fashion with faster decision-making' were seen as key benefits from the transition. Other notable benefits include:

'Learning we can be more flexible in how we work' ranked as the top benefit.

52% agreed that company-wide communication had improved (39% neutral and 9% disagreed).

48% agreed that collaboration had improved (41% neutral and 11% disagreed).

The reduction in office politics thanks to the removal of the office was also seen as a key benefit

46% agreed that meeting effectiveness had improved. (42% neutral and 12% disagreed).

Simon Haighton-Williams, CEO of Adaptavist explains: "In many organisations surveyed their culture and use of tools meant that those who were not in the same physical location as the people they were working with, were less able to fully input and collaborate. There was an imbalance or divide in the way they communicated. The 'accidental' benefit of everyone being remote is that communication, collaboration and decision making can be the same experience for everyone. This effect is something organisations should cherish and preserve if, and when, they return to the office."

'Always on' threatens motivation and increases burnout risk

The absence of boundaries between our work and personal lives was the highest ranked threat to motivation for employees, with 21% citing this as having the most significant negative impact on motivation.

The 'always-on nature' of digital communications (42%) and the 'number of channels I have to check' (31%) were seen as the greatest sources of stress and frustration in work-related communications.

20% of respondents were distracted from work by domestic affairs.

For 26% switching off from work was the greatest challenge. Temptations to keep working (cited by 15%) seem to be a bigger problem than pressure from others (11%).

60% of respondents don't switch off notifications after work.

Parents fared better than non-parents in switching off, with only 24% struggling to switch off vs. 29% of non-parents. External pressures to continue working were equal, but parents were less tempted to keep working.

with only 24% struggling to switch off vs. 29% of non-parents. External pressures to continue working were equal, but parents were less tempted to keep working. 43% had always used the same platforms for work and personal communications, but an additional 31% have started due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One in three workers (33%) is now using WhatsApp for work.

Inefficient use of digital channels means businesses lose almost half a work day each week per employee

The top 5 greatest challenges in running remote teams were: technical issues; managing workloads; tracking what people were working on and the status of work; keeping teams motivated; and knowing how people are feeling.

Even with the availability of new communication tools, the vast majority are still using email (71%) and spreadsheets (62%) to track work.

On average, workers spent 45 minutes a day searching for information between different technology platforms. This increased to 50 minutes a day almost half a day each week for those using four platforms or more (42%)

for those using four platforms or more (42%) Less than half of workers had been given any training to ensure they are using these channels efficiently.

"High-performing teams embody mastery, autonomy and purpose, so it's natural that people adopt the tools that have proven to work well in their personal lives when faced with new challenges in their professional lives. However, organising the chaos and confusion between these channels is key to maximising the benefits they bring," saysSimon Haighton-Williams, CEO of Adaptavist.

Lack of consensus on digital etiquette increases anxiety

Without clear guidelines or set expectations, workers struggle to come to consensus on what and how to communicate with their colleagues:

38% of survey respondents admitted to worrying at least once a day about how they communicate on digital platforms for work and for 1 in 10 this is a constant worry.

Younger workers are particularly afflicted by digital communication angst and more likely to have misinterpreted the tone of digital communications.

are particularly afflicted by digital communication angst and more likely to have misinterpreted the tone of digital communications. Workers over the age of 45 are actually more confident in their use of digital channels with only 5% worrying constantly and only 22% worrying daily (vs 46% of under 35s).

"An overnight transition has been forced upon the business world and companies have had to rise to the challenge by doing whatever seems to work immediately. Now, it's time to reflect and analyse this, to see what positive patterns have arisen that we need to reinforce and what negative patterns we see, that need to be changed. Those that get this right will innovate faster, be more operationally efficient and attract top talent. Those that don't will likely struggle to survive," notes Simon Haighton-Williams.

For further insights and to download the report visit https://adaptavist.com/remotework

ENDS

Notes to editors

Additional data

43% of respondents had always used the same platforms for work and personal communications, but an additional 31% have started to do so due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An equal proportion of parents and non-parents found they were less productive working from home (18%), but a greater share of parents felt more productive (38% vs. 31% of non parents). The remainder (52% of non parents and 44% of parents) felt equally productive.

The proportion of workers using four or more platforms for work was also higher amongst those under 45 at 47%, whereas just 32% of over 45s use four or more platforms. Just 22% of over 45s are using WhatsApp for work vs. 38% of under 45s.

The study highlights a distinct lack of consensus in what is acceptable conduct on digital platforms with an equal share believing it is always acceptable for children to appear on a video conference as those who feel this is never acceptable.

19% felt it is never acceptable for children to appear, but only 16% felt pets should be kept out of video conferences.

40% of under 35-year-old respondents had misinterpreted the tone of communication on a digital platform vs. just 23% of the over 45-year-olds.

About the Adaptavist Digital Etiquette study

Over 2,800 workers from a mix of office-based industry sectors and departments across the USA (c. 1000), UK (c. 1000), Canada (c. 400) and Australia (c. 400) were surveyed for Adaptavist's Digital Etiquette study. The research was conducted in May 2020 by Propeller Insights. The age breakdown was: 13% of respondents were 18-24 years old; 27% 25-34; 26% between 35-44; 20%, 45-54; 11% 55-64; and 3% over 65 years old.

About Adaptavist

Adaptavist is a global technology and innovative solutions provider, enabling organizations to boost agility and overcome the challenges of transformational change. Founded in 2005, its team spans over 300 employees globally, with a 13,000+ customer base representing more than half of the Fortune 500.

Adaptavist is a Platinum Atlassian Solutions Partner in EMEA and North America, a Platinum Marketplace Partner, and a trusted Slack partner. It offers expert consultancy including SPC-certified SAFe implementation, enterprise apps, training, managed services, and licensing solutions. Adaptavist has also been the recipient of the Queen's Awards for Enterprise, Deloitte's Technology Fast 50, and The Sunday Times Tech Track Award 2019.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200831005027/en/

Contacts:

Stephanie Forrest

Adaptavist press office at T/F/D

stephanie@wearetfd.com

+44 (0)7917695755
DJ Erick Morillo has been found dead in Florida at the age of 49, police have said.

The world-renowned musician, known for his 1993 hit I Like To Move It, was discovered at a property in Miami Beach on Tuesday morning, according to police.

Officer Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department told the PA news agency that a 911 call was received on Tuesday at 10:42am.

Detectives are currently on scene and in the preliminary stages of the investigation, Rodriguez told The Independent.

The veteran DJs death comes almost a month after he was arrested and charged with sexual battery on a woman.

The alleged incident is said to have happened at Morillos home in Miami Beach in December 2019.

According to the arrest report reviewed by The Independent, a sexual battery kit came back in July, having tested positively for Morillos DNA. Morillo turned himself in on 5 August with his attorney, the document states.

Morillo was born in New York and spent part of his childhood in Colombia before returning to the US, where he began his career.

I Like To Move It, which he released under the pseudonym Reel 2 Real, was an international hit. It notably appeared in the Madagascar film franchise.

Morillo was a three-time winner of the best house DJ prize at the DJ Awards and also won best international DJ in 2002, 2006 and 2009.

PA contributed to this report
Democrat John DeBerry speaks out against violent riots: 'What kind of people have we become?' 'Peaceful protests end peacefully. Anarchy ends in chaos.'

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A speech given by a black Democratic representative in the Tennessee state Legislature has gone viral, with many hailing its civil rights-era moral clarity.



In remarks given on the floor of the Tennessee House on Aug. 1, Rep. John DeBerry, a Memphis-area Democrat who was forced off his party's ballot earlier this year, excoriated the tactics of those who are rioting, looting, and burning down businesses in major U.S. cities that has led to more than 30 deaths. DeBerry called upon his fellow legislators to remember the manner in which civil rights activists of decades past conducted themselves.

"What the world could see in them was the lie that was being told about them," he said of their efforts for justice.

This is like fresh water for a nation dying of thirst... Please share! https://t.co/S65DK5SuR3  Sam Harris (@SamHarrisOrg) August 27, 2020

The politician continued that he is one such man who walked into public places through back doors, sat in the back of the bus, drank out of the "colored" water fountain, and attended a racially segregated school because the law forced him to. The civil rights campaigners changed the world, he stressed, because they had courage and integrity, did not beg for citizenship but demanded it.

"How did they do it? They did it by standing like men and women of integrity and class, and common sense and values. When the riots started and folks started burning stuff down, that's when my father took my arm and we left. We left because that was not what we were there for. That was not what Dr. King was there for. That is not what others who were famous in the civil rights days were there for," he said.

DeBerry recounted that his family raised money to send his father to Washington, D.C., where Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech wherein he said he longed for the day when his children would be judged not by their skin color but the content of their character.

"All we do in America right now is talk about color," he said, exasperated.

"Every issue is about race, it's about color, instead of sitting down at the table like men and women of common sense and common justice and understanding that our enemies are looking with a greedy vigilance upon us as we tear ourselves apart internally. They have been watching us for 50 years preparing step by step by step for us to kill ourselves."

Deberry, 69, was "blindsided" earlier this year when state party officials removed him from the House District 90 primary ballot because of his voting record. DeBerry frequently sides with Republicans on issues such as school choice and abortion.

"The people in my district did not take me off the ballot," DeBerry said at the time.

"A tribunal took me off the ballot that has absolutely nothing to do with my district."

"My views have always been conservative. The people in my district know this. And even though I've had opponents who have hammered me over and over about my stance on abortion, about my stance on the family, and my stance on education, [voters] have overwhelmingly elected me 13 times."

DeBerry's speech was circulated on social media, with many thought leaders whose views span the political spectrum praising it for its tone and content.

The Memphis representative noted during his remarks that he might not be serving in the state legislature next year but he nevertheless stands for his father's legacy.

"If we don't start standing for something, don't you know that the people who are looking at what's happening in Washington and Detroit and Portland and Seattle, they're getting emboldened because we act like a bunch of punks, too frightened to stand up and protect our own stuff," he said.

"What kind of a people have we become?" he said, incredulous that it was being said that people have a right to destroy taxpayer-funded property.

He emphasized: "Peaceful protest ends peacefully. Anarchy ends in chaos. And what we see happening right now, any of us with common sense, any common sense whatsoever, know that what we see is not peaceful. So we can continue to fool ourselves and mix with words and use rhetoric and public relations in order to frost this stuff over and put a nice picture on what we see that is frightening."

DeBerry's nephew is a policeman who recently told him about how he was attacked by rioters.

"You're telling me that somebody has the right to throw feces and urine in the face of those that we, as taxpayers, pay to protect us? That's OK? What has happened to us?" Deberry said, incredulous.

"If we don't get this right, right now, I've got grandchildren. I don't want to see the country we're going to have five, 10, 15, 20 years from now," he concluded, receiving loud applause.
Foreign students who are already in Russia can start studying in universities without any restrictions, head of the Russian consumer watchdog Anna Popova said.



"I am sure that there are no restrictions [placed] on foreign students who are already in Russia. Meanwhile, those who are yet to arrive in Russia will be able to come here when it will be allowed from various countries in accordance with the specific rules," she noted.



Moreover, she recalled, all students are required to wear face masks in universities. "Today we have to take these measures because students are the most active part of our society in terms of communication," Popova underlined.



The watchdog chief conceded, however, that the requirement to wear masks in universities could be lifted in the future, but it is a necessity for now.



Schools may be switched to online mode in case the coronavirus situation worsens, Anna Popova said.



"Yes, it may be done, like in case of outbreaks of flue or other respiratory infections," she said in an interview with the Vesti news program on the Rossiya-1 television channel.



According to Popova, such an algorithm has been used during flu and other acute respiratory infections for several years.



If a student catches the coronavirus infection at school, he or she will be isolated until the diagnosis is established, she said. "Further steps will be decided by a watchdog specialist. If a person catches the infection, he or she will have to stay at home for several days. I hope it will be enough. An algorithm will be chosen in each particular case, for each particular class, each particular group, etc.," she explained.



The coronavirus situation in Russia is generally stable, although a number of outbreaks are reported, Anna Popova said.



"Today, the situation in Russia is stable. The morbidity rate continues to go down, but we see a number of group foci, outbreaks, and we are working with that," TASS cited her as saying.



Popova said earlier that the epidemic process in the country "is absolutely controlled" and the situation was seen as "stabilizing."
Sam Newman has backtracked on his extraordinary call to fellow Melburnians to protest the city's Stage Four lockdown measures after Victoria Police threatened to arrest him.

The polarising 300-game AFL champion and former Footy Show host sparked controversy on Sunday night when he called on Victorians to take to the streets in 'hopefully a state day of coordination'.

'Of all the protests that we have put up with, how about a quarter million of us gather in the CBD to take the City/State back, before EVERY previous march will have been pointless,' Newman tweeted.

The tweet landed Newman in hot water with Victoria Police, who threatened to arrest him for 'inciting a mass protest' against the measures introduced by Premier Daniel Andrews.

Newman set the record straight on Tuesday.

Sam Newman has denied accusations he tried to incite a mass protest against stage four lockdown measures. Pictured are anti-lockdown protesters in Melbourne's north on Sunday night

'I didn't encourage a quarter of a million people to march through the street,' he told Sunrise.

'I said wouldn't it be great to have 250,000 people wandering through the city - I don't encourage people to do that but it was just a sign that this government should cautiously reopen business enterprises in the city before it rusts over.'

He reiterated calls for the Victorian government to reopen Melbourne as the city enters its fifth week of strict lockdown, which may be extended beyond September 13.

It comes as Victoria recorded 70 new cases and five deaths on Tuesday.

'Everyone's business is essential to someone. How about, instead of announcing the covert figures every other minute of what is happening, someone comes out and says that it would a good idea if we got act to reopening, rebooting the city,' Newman said.

'It is nonsense to think we have to close down the whole of the central business district because we cannot be asked or cannot be given free chance to cautiously reopen enterprise here in Melbourne.'

Sam Newman (right) backtracked on Sunday night's tweet when he was grilled by Sunrise host David Koch (left) on Tuesday morning

Newman fired up after he was grilled by Sunrise host David Koch, who tried to defend the lockdown measures.

'It is alright for you Kochie, you are lolling about up in the beach up there telling us what we should or should not do. But we're down here locked up in what is virtually a prison,' he hit back.

'I said wouldn't it be great to think that people would be that annoyed about what is going on in this city, looking it down completely without cautiously reopening it.

'I am not asking people to come from all over Victoria to protest. I'm not trying to get the police involved in this.'

'If they want to arrest me and put me in jail for this, that is fine. But I am not suggesting it. I never did in the first place.'

Newman later addressed his tweet on his weekly You Cannot Be Serious podcast, where he came under fire from co-hosts who labelled him 'irresponsible'.

Sam Newman has called on the Victorian government to reopen and reboot Melbourne as the city enters is fifth week of stage four lockdown. Pictured is a jogger on his daily run on Tuesday

'All I was trying to do was get enough people to get attention  I'm not advocating for people to come from all over Victoria to march up the city,' Newman explained on the podcast.

'I'm not advocating a rally as such. I just said wouldn't it be great that 250,000 people would march in the city. That is hyperbole, that is designed to get the attention of the government cautiously reopening business.

'I couldn't give a stuff if they open the city or not because I don't have a business but people are actually about to lose their livelihoods through the inaction and the tringent requirements that this government is putting on people.

'All they do is tell you how many people have died and how many have contracted this virus. There's got to be other things they can speak about.'

Newman fired off his extraordinary tweet after anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in a dramatic stand-off in Broadmeadows in the city's north on Sunday night.

AFL champion and former Footy Show host Sam Newman is known for his polarising views and Victoria Police has now threatened to arrest him for inciting protesters to gather in their hundreds of thousands to protest against Melbourne's Stage Four restrictions

A Victoria Police spokesman said the force had its sights set on those they claim are 'coordinating and encouraging protest activity' on Saturday.

MMA Fighter Vik Grujic responded to Newman's tweet by urging him to attend the Freedom Day mass gathering planned for that day in Melbourne's CBD - to which the footy great replied 'OK'.

'Victoria Police expects to make further arrests over coming days in respect to individuals suspected of inciting illegal activity,' a spokesman said.

'Organising and participating in this protest would be a serious and blatant breach of the Chief Health Officer's directions and jeopardises the health of the entire community.

'Those still thinking of attending the CBD to protest can expect a swift and firm response from police.'

The state's police force added its officers would not hesitate in issuing $1,652 fines or making arrests if breaches of Victoria's public health orders occur.

Victorian Police take a man's details in Dandenong in Melbourne's south-east on Thursday. The force said it already has its sights set on those they claim are 'coordinating and encouraging protest activity' on Saturday

In a video post shared by Channel Seven on Monday, Newman said he intended to gather with protesters in the streets of Melbourne on Saturday if COVID-19 restrictions in the city were not eased.

'They probably shouldn't [gather] but if the government act responsibly then we will act responsibly and not go there,' he said.

'Just give us a bit of easing of restrictions. I might use my hour's freedom and wear a mask and go into the city as part of my recreation and exercise and be part of the gathering.'

After one Melburnian suggested Newman had 'incited a riot' with his comments on Twitter, the footy great added: 'There'll be no rioting. No looting. No arson. No violence. Just an expression of desperation for our sanity.'

'Very irresponsible from Sam Newman,' she said.

'That's someone who was running for Melbourne mayor. If you want to be in lockdown for another six months then sure - join the protest.'

Defending his position on the restrictions, Newman said it was the state government who were being irresponsible by enforcing economically-crippling social distancing restrictions.

'If the Victorian government stop being irresponsible through this blanket lockdown, then we'll stop being irresponsible by urging mass rallies,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.

'Give the hospitality, leisure, education, business and public service enterprises in this state a paradigm for a responsible return to civilization, rather than the hysteria being disseminated, while the country and world pushes on, carefully.'

Sam Newman was flooded with responses following his plea to Melburnians on Sunday night

Melburnians were out and about enjoying the weather on Saturday, despite stage 4 lockdown

Fellow Melburnians desperate to regain their freedom joined the bandwagon on Sunday night in response to Newman's tweet.

'Just tell me when and where never protested before but this is the most important thing we have faced in my lifetime. We ordinary Victorians must take our state back,' one man wrote.

Another added: 'A protest at some point needs to happen so our political class can get a sense of the real opposition to the unbalanced measures put in place.'

Another fan commended Newman on his wording.

'You didn't even mention what march, and even mentioned a State Day of coordination. Could be a march for Prostate Cancer. Or even a Pro Dan Andrews march. Could be a march of social distancing examples. Very cleverly worded,' one man posted.

But not everyone supported Newman.

'I have read your tweet three times and it's still incomprehensible. But good luck with whatever self-indulgent, poorly-conceived action you're proposing,' one woman posted.

Another added: 'Of all the things you have said, this is highly irresponsible, you know your position... it's with these people's lives that you earned your living.'

WHAT MELBOURNE'S STAGE FOUR LOCKDOWN MEANS FOR YOU State of disaster: Increased police powers to enforce the lockdown. Cautions will no longer be issued, only $1,652 fines or court summons Curfew: No one allowed outside 8pm to 5am except for work, medical, caregiving - no shopping or exercising Distance limit: Shopping and exercise can only be done 5km from home Exercise: All recreational activity is banned and you can only exercise, with one other person, for one hour a day Partners: You can visit a boyfriend or girlfriend who doesn't live with you, even if they live more than 5km away Shopping: Only one person can go shopping per household per day Cafes and restaurants stay open for takeaway, as do supermarkets, etc Schools: All students learning from home unless they are vulnerable or parents are essential workers. Kindy and childcare closed Funerals: No change to funeral limits, but only 10 mourners can leave Melbourne to regional Victoria for one Weddings: Completely banned Public transport: Slashed after 8pm and cancelled late at night Community sport : All community sport across Victoria is now banned. Only exercise is allowed within the permitted public gathering limits of two people. : All community sport across Victoria is now banned. Only exercise is allowed within the permitted public gathering limits of two people. Advertisement

Newman's tweet sparked a divisive reaction from the public (comments pictured)

Metropolitan Melbourne is subject to stage four restrictions including an evening curfew and a ban on travelling beyond a five-kilometre radius of home until at least September 13 amid reports strict lockdown measures will be extended.

Regional Victoria is under stage three restrictions which allows residents to leave home for essential purposes.

Melburnians (pictured on Saturday) remain in Stage 4 lockdown until at least September 13

On Sunday night, confronting footage taken in Broadmeadows, in Melbourne's north, showed dozens of men dressed down in tracksuits and masks making their way through the streets as traffic was brought to a standstill.

The protesters claimed, when asked, that they were simply getting their daily exercise, which they are permitted to do within a five kilometre radius on their homes.

At least six people were arrested during the protests and police have not ruled out issuing further infringement notices.

Victoria's stage four restrictions are due to end in two weeks, but the Premier has indicated they will likely be extended. Pictured are anti-lockdown protesters clashing with police in Melbourne's north on Sunday night

The protesters claimed, when asked, that they were simply getting their daily exercise, which is one of just four legal reasons to leave home in Melbourne

Confronting footage taken in Broadmeadows, in Melbourne 's north, showed dozens of men dressed down in tracksuits and masks making their way through the streets as traffic was brought to a standstill

The latest protest comes anti-lockdown walkers were doused with pepper spray and struggled with police in Dandenong in Melbourne's south-east last Wednesday as community frustration with draconian Stage 4 restrictions reached boiling point.

Police issued $15,000 in fines and arrested four men.

Tensions in Dandenong had been flaring for days after a large group of residents decided to start walking at the same time and place.
KENOSHA, Wis. - The Latest on the Aug. 23 police shooting of Jacob Blake (all times local):

6:45 p.m.

Demonstrators marched through Kenosha after President Donald Trump wrapped up his visit to the area.

More than 100 people followed a man with a megaphone, shouting, Arrest the police and other chants, before the protest Tuesday afternoon petered out.

The city saw protests and some violence after the Aug. 23 police shooting of Jacob Blake. The 29-year-old Black man was shot seven times in the back. His family says he is paralyzed.

At one point Tuesday, protesters surrounded a man who they said was a member of a white nationalist group. Police officers moved in quickly and pulled him away. One officer pepper sprayed a woman.

Later, a man wearing a Trump hat and carrying a Trump banner was surrounded by protesters. He walked back in retreat then struck out at a protester. The two fell to the ground, struggling, then the man got up and walked away, heckled by protesters.

Earlier, a few hundred supporters and detractors of Trump gathered at an intersection, engaging each other in shouting matches. There were no reports of violence.

___

HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHATS HAPPENING IN KENOSHA:

Kenosha has seen protests since Aug. 23, when police shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back. On Monday, President Donald Trump defended a 17-year-old supporter accused of fatally shooting two demonstrators in Kenosha on Aug. 25.

Trump is offering himself as the law and order candidate and leader best positioned to keep Americans safe. Biden accused Trump Monday of causing divisions that have ignited violence and distanced himself from radical forces involved in altercations.

Read more:

 An AP Fact Check finds misrepresentation at the core of Trumps statements about the National Guard

 Absent details, police shooting narratives seek to distract

 Two moments of bloodshed a microcosm of U.S. strife

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

3:45 p.m.

A few hundred supporters and detractors of President Donald Trump gathered at a city centre intersection in Kenosha, engaging each other in shouting matches at times, but there were no reports of violence.

Some Kenosha residents had feared Trumps visit Tuesday would prompt violence. Kenosha has seen days of protests and some violence since the Aug. 23 police shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake was shot seven times in the back. His family says the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed.

Tensions temporarily rose as Trumps motorcade rolled by, with his supporters clapping and others booing and cursing. But crowd sizes were modest and passions were mostly tempered.

At least two people were carrying pistols in holsters, telling those around them they were Trump supporters and had open-carry permits.

By mid-afternoon much of the crowd dispersed. A few motorcyclists remained, with flags supporting Trump, and a booth nearby sold T-shirts supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

___

3:25 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he doesnt believe that theres a problem with systemic racism in policing as he wraps up a tour in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Trump on Tuesday toured damage caused amid unrest that followed the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, who is Black.

Trump says police are sometimes under tremendous pressure and dont handle it well.

Trump is trying to reinforce his support for police leading up to the Nov. 3 elections. He focused his attention Tuesday on the critical swing state of Wisconsin.

When a reporter noted that many of the protests are peaceful, Trump objected. He said by and large, this is not peaceful protests.

Protests in Kenosha began the night of Blakes shooting and were concentrated in the blocks around the county courthouse downtown. The first three nights, more than 30 fires were set and numerous businesses were vandalized.

___

3 p.m.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice says it has reviewed 28 videos related to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha.

Only two cellphone videos that captured the Aug. 23 shooting have been widely distributed over social media. The state Justice Department did not describe what was seen on any of the videos. Kenosha police do not have body cameras.

A police officer shot Blake seven times in the back. Blakes family says the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed.

The Justice Department said Tuesday that it also issued four search warrants and collected more than 100 piece of evidence, but did not give any further details.

The update from the agency came as President Donald Trump visited Kenosha to view damage from unrest that followed the shooting.

___

2:50 p.m.

President Donald Trump says hes committed to helping Kenosha, Wisconsin, and is promising more federal resources for police and small businesses.

Trump is visiting the city over the objections of some state and local leaders, fearful that he will increase tensions. The city saw unrest after a police officer shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back on Aug. 23. Blakes family says the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed.

Some places in Kenosha were burned in the unrest. People also broke into businesses and carried away with whatever merchandise they could take. A 17-year-old is accused of killing two demonstrators on Aug. 25.

Trump says the federal government will provide $1 million to local law enforcement, $4 million for small businesses and $42 million to support public safety statewide. Its unclear how much of that money was on top of funds already appropriated by Congress to the state.

___

2:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump is meeting with law enforcement officers at a local high school as part of his visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The city saw unrest after a police officer shot Jacob Blake on Aug. 23. A 17-year-old has been charged with killing two demonstrators on Aug. 25. Trump has suggested he was acting in self-defence.

Trump is trying to portray himself as a friend of police and to place Democrats on the defensive. He says he came to thank law enforcement and decried property destruction during last weeks protests, saying, You dont have a democracy when then happens.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has accused Trump of causing divisions that have ignited violence.

Before meeting with law enforcement, Trump stopped at a burned-out store where the smell of smoke still hung in the air. He remarked that the store had been there for 109 years and that were going to help them a lot.

___

1:25 p.m.

An event held at the site where Jacob Blake was shot by a Kenosha police officer has a community block party feel to it, as those attending spoke about showing support for Blake and his family.

Tables were set up Tuesday where attendees could register to vote, get a haircut, get food, or even get tested for the coronavirus. One table was labeled as a craft table, where people could write messages to put in Blakes hospital room. One table offered reiki healing treatments. A DJ played music nearby.

Blake was shot in the back seven times on Aug. 23 while police responded to a call about a domestic dispute. The shooting sparked protests that turned violent. A 17-year-old is accused of killing two demonstrators on Aug. 25.

Blakes family hosted the community event Tuesday about 2 miles from where President Donald Trump was visiting to tour destruction caused by the unrest.

___

1 p.m.

President Donald Trump has arrived in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as he prepares to tour damage from protests and violence that followed the Aug. 23 police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Trumps visit comes despite pleas from Wisconsins Democratic governor to stay away for fears of sparking further tumult. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson greeted the president when Air Force One touched down in nearby Waukegan, Illinois.

Blakes family says hes paralyzed after police shot the 29-year-old Black man seven times in the back. Demonstrators have called for the officer who shot Blake to be fired and face attempted murder charges.

The president has brought along Attorney General William Barr and acting secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf.

Along the motorcade route, a mix of people waved Black Lives Matter signs and many Trump supporters waved Trump 2020 signs.

___

12:50 p.m.

An uncle of Jacob Blake says a community event designed to help the city of Kenosha heal is focused on getting justice for Little Jake, not on a nearby visit by President Donald Trump.

Justin Blake spoke Tuesday at the site where police shot his nephew in the back seven times on Aug. 23, leaving him paralyzed. Trump is visiting Kenosha to tour destruction caused during unrest that followed the shooting.

Justin Blake says Trumps comments over the last four years have given police officers an incentive to brutalize Black men like his nephew. He says he doesnt care about Trumps motivation for visiting Kenosha. Instead, hes focused on getting justice and healing the city.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said recent remarks by the president have emboldened and inspired militia members and justified the fatal shootings of two protesters in Kenosha on Aug. 25. He called the presidents comments polarizing.

___

12:25 p.m.

Several dozen supporters of President Donald Trump have gathered at a Kenosha intersection near damage caused during unrest that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

David Wilson stood in the street in a Trump hat and clutching a Trump campaign banner ahead of a visit from the president Tuesday. The 34-year-old Kenosha resident says he believes outsiders have driven much of the protests and violence that followed the Aug. 23 shooting of Blake.

He says his hometown should not be proving ground for the rest of the country to do battle in.

Police shot Blake seven times in the back while responding to a call about a domestic dispute. Family members say the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed.

A 17-year-old from a nearby Illinois community is charged with fatally shooting two demonstrators on Aug. 25.

Blakes family is holding a community event about 2 miles away, near where he was shot.

___

12:15 p.m.

An uncle of Jacob Blake says the justice system needs to be changed so that Black children can play outside without worrying about being shot by police.

Justin Blake is calling for authorities to charge the officer who shot his nephew on Aug. 23. Police shot Black seven times in the back while responding to a call about a domestic dispute. Family members say the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed.

The family is hosting a community event Tuesday to call for justice and support rebuilding Kenosha, after unrest last week left parts of the city damaged. The event is being held near where Blake was shot as President Donald Trump is headed to the city to tour destruction thats about 2 miles away.

Justin Blake says its time for Kenosha to heal. He says the family is asking protesters to stand with the Blake family, but remain nonviolent.

___

11 a.m.

President Donald Trump says hes heading to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to thank law enforcement and the National Guard for a job well done.

The city has seen protests since police shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back on Aug. 23. Blakes family says the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed from the waist down. A 17-year-old is accused of fatally shooting two demonstrators on Aug. 25.

Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers deployed the National Guard to quell demonstrations. But Trump is taking credit for the deployment, even though his demand that Guard troops be used came a day after Evers had activated them. Trump asserts that Kenosha would have been burnt to the ground by now if it werent for the National Guard.
Alvaro Uribe is under investigation for alleged witness tampering and is currently under house arrest.

Colombias Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will transfer its case against former President Alvaro Uribe to the attorney generals office, making this announcement shortly after he resigned from the Senate.

Uribe, who stepped down from his Senate post two weeks ago, is under investigation for alleged witness tampering and is currently under house arrest.

His defense team requested his case be moved in August, saying the court does not have jurisdiction as he is no longer a lawmaker and because the case is not related to his political activities.

A supporter of Alvaro Uribe holds a flag that reads We are with Uribe in Bogota, Colombia [File: Nathalia Angarita/Reuters]

The court agreed with Uribes team, saying it is transferring the case to the attorney general because it relates to an investigation which is unrelated to his role as a congressman in a statement posted to its Twitter account.

The decision was unanimous, the statement added.

Uribe is being held under house arrest at his country home in Colombias north. The court ordered his detention in August, citing a risk of obstruction of justice.

Uribe, perhaps the South American countrys most polarising politician, has questioned the independence of the court and said it violated due process.

The former president has repeatedly declared his innocence amid accusations his allies manipulated witnesses in an attempt to discredit his alleged ties to paramilitaries.

Opponents of Alvaro Uribe, former president and legislator of Colombia, protest in favour of the house arrest measure ordered by the Supreme Court of Justice, in Bogota, Colombia [File: Nathalia Angarita/Reuters]

Uribes critics say his resignation from the Senate was a ploy to move the case to a potentially less rigorous legal body.

Uribes house arrest is the first time the Supreme Court has ordered the detention of a former president. His allies, including current President Ivan Duque, have called for Uribe to be released.

Uribes exit cost his Democratic Center party its main figurehead in Congress, just as Duque is trying to pass major justice and tax reforms.
Villagers in Tibetan city of Shigatse increase their spending on shopping as their livelihoods have been improving in recent years. [For China Daily/Palden Nyima]

Editor's note: With China set to meet its goal this year of eliminating extreme poverty before next year's 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, this series looks at the efforts of different areas of the country to erase poverty and improve livelihoods.

Major Investments in Infrastructure, Industry Help Lift Tibetan Communities

Fresh water supply used to be a major concern for Tibetan villager Migmar.

She had to travel once every two days on a tractor for a 40-minute round trip on rough terrain to haul the precious resource home. Taking showers and doing laundry were a luxury for the community leader and her fellow villagers in Saga County in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

Fast forward three years, Layak village, which is 180 kilometers away from Saga County in the southwestern part of Tibet, now have taps that readily provide potable water at the "top of the world".

"Our village had no proper roads or safe drinking water before 2016. But now, all the families have access to tap water and the village is connected by paved roads," said Migmar, 49, director of the village.

The roads and pipelines have helped lay the groundwork to improve the villagers' lives significantly, with their village, one of the latest places to benefit from the country's drive to alleviate poverty in recent years.

Measures to boost the income of villagers by helping their transition from traditional herding and farming have also reaped encouraging rewards, Migmar said.

"To make the shift, village officials organized a great deal of training for the residents to help them learn different skills such as cooking, welding and driving excavators and loaders. That has also helped villagers change their views on work and income."

Tibet has been one of China's main battlefields against poverty ever since the central government launched a nationwide effort in 2016 to improve the lives of the poor.

A herdsman receives his salary from the village animal husbandry collective in Bangbug, Tibet Autonomous Region, in July. [Xinhua/Zhan Yan]

Major Milestone

Last year marked a major milestone in the region's poverty alleviation push, with its Party committees and governments at all levels marking progress in the key priority.

Pu Zhengxue, head of the Policy and Regulations Department of Tibet's Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation, said that the region's 628,000 impoverished people from its 74 counties and districts have since been lifted out of poverty.

"To date, the region's 150,000 impoverished people in 19 areas had completed all the necessary work for poverty alleviation," Pu said.

Dadron Lhazom, an e-commerce entrepreneur in the region's Namling County, one of the last 19 areas to rid its poverty label in 2019, said she has been receiving various forms of support from the government. Her business also helps needy residents of her county work toward a better life.

Established in 2018, Dadron's company sells Tibetan ethnic handicrafts and local specialties such as Tibetan carpets, cushions, blankets, honey, leather bags, and incense.

The entrepreneur has a production line based in her home village in the county's Dana Township. The workshop has 12 local employees, including five from impoverished families, and two college graduates.

Her company sells products all over the country via the Taobao e-commerce platform. It also operates a business account on social media platform Douyin.

In 2019, Dadron's company reaped more than 420,000 yuan ($59,254) in accumulated income.

Dadron Lhazom, e-commerce entrepreneur in the region's Namling County . [For China Daily/Palden Nyima]

Role Model

The local county government has held up her business as a model for the county's poverty alleviation efforts. Last year, with help from the government, a store selling her locally made products was set up at the county seat and the rent waived.

"Without the support of the government, my family and my friends, I could not have gone as far as I have. I feel grateful to all of them, especially the county government," Dadron said.

She plans to expand her business to benefit more fellow villagers. "I hope to encourage more villagers to learn skills to make carpets, tapestries and blankets. I hope more college graduates get involved in entrepreneurship and e-commerce," she said.

The regional authorities have also focused on moving communities to better homes to improve their lives.

A total investment of 18.92 billion yuan has been allocated to the effort, with more than 260,000 people moving into new homes in the past three years, accounting for more than 98 percent of the targeted population.

Samdrub Tsering, a villager of Kyilung in Namling County, said the new homes have allowed his community to benefit from modern amenities and technology.

Before moving in 2016, his fellow villagers faced a harsh environment, with the average altitude above 4,100 meters. Medical treatment, transportation and schools were inadequate, he said.

"Before 2016, I did not know that a mother could get subsidies and support when giving birth in a hospital. I did not know it could be safer for both mother and child," Samdrub Tsering said.

The township center also used to be inaccessible for many villagers, with the nearest household about 10 km away. Some families were 200 km from town, with no telecommunication networks available. Road conditions were terrible, he said.

Thanks to the government's poverty alleviation measures, livelihoods have since improved tremendously over the years, Samdrub Tsering said.

"Before 2016, I did not plan to send my children to school because it was too far. I worried about their journey there," he said, adding that everyone now wanted to send their children to receive education "as early as possible".

In the past, villagers also had to ride horses and yaks to go to hospital or get supplies, but now "we can drive or take a bus, it takes only a few minutes", Samdrub Tsering said.

Similarly, information about the latest policies and job opportunities to help residents move ahead are readily available in their new neighborhoods, a far cry from the remote, mountainous areas of the past, he said.

Students learn cooking skills at a vocational skills training school in Gyalze, a county in the Tibet Autonomous Region. [For China Daily/Palden Nyima]

Free Vocational Training

"Local government of Shigatse City provides free vocational training programs to us as a poverty alleviation project. We can learn different, useful skills; those that will help us get jobs, from cooking, tailoring, to construction."

According to Samdrub Tsering, three of his villagers who took two 60-day cooking courses, opened restaurants in the Namling County in 2018.

"Over the years, their annual family income is between 20,000 yuan and 40,000 yuan," said the 35-year-old.

Samdrub Tsering is learning to drive a truck at a driving school, and he has passed the first two levels' exams of the 4-level course.

"My plan is to get the truck driver's license as soon as possible, so that I can find a truck driver's job on a construction site. This way, I can get a better salary," Samdrub Tsering said.

(Source: China Daily)
The Indian and Russian navies will hold a mega military exercise in the Bay of Bengal on September 4 and 5 to further bolster their operational interoperability in dealing with emerging security challenges, official sources said on September 1.

As part of the Indra Navy exercise, a plethora of maritime drills such as gun firing on surface and aerial targets, tracking exercises and replenishment at sea approaches are planned, they said.

The exercise is taking place at a time when India is engaged in a bitter border row with China in eastern Ladakh. The Indian Navy has significantly expanded its presence in the Indian Ocean Region, deploying a plethora of warships and submarines following the border row to send across a message to Beijing as the maritime space around the Malacca Strait is very critical for China's supply chain through sea routes.

In July, the Indian Navy carried out a military exercise with a US Navy carrier strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz off the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The USS Nimitz is the world's largest warship. The Indra exercise was earlier planned in Vladivostok in Russia but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Russian Navy ships Admiral Vinogradov, Admiral Tributs and Boris Butoma along with a fleet of helicopters will be part of the exercise, the sources said. The Indian Navy will deploy Ranvijay (destroyer), Sahyadri (frigate) and Kiltan (corvette) and Shakti (tanker) with integrated helicopters, they said.

The sources said the exercise will be non-contact and at sea only passage exercise. "The exercise will once again showcase the level of friendship, trust and interoperability between Indian Navy and the Russian Navy," said a source.

The Russian naval fleet is visiting the port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 3. India-Russia Indra exercises among the armies, navies and air forces of the two countries have been taking place since 2005.

In the exercise with the US Navy in July, four frontline warships of the Indian Navy participated. The US carrier strike group was transiting through the Indian Ocean Region on its way from the South China Sea.

The US Navy carrier strike group comprises USS Nimitz, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett and USS Ralph Johnson.

The Indian Navy carried out similar exercises with the Japanese navy in June.
NEW HAVEN  A city man is in custody on a driving under the influence charge after a deadly crash involving a pedestrian Monday night, police officials said.

New Haven police and fire units responded to the intersection of Ella Grasso Boulevard and Orange Avenue for a reported pedestrian hit by a vehicle around 8:30 p.m. Monday, according to Capt. Anthony Duff.

First responders found a severely injured adult male pedestrian in the roadway and a motor vehicle crashed into a utility pole, he said.

Eric Joseph Pechalonis was pronounced dead at the scene after police said he was struck while crossing from Orange Avenue to Columbus Avenue, police said.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as 39-year-old New Haven resident Edward Lugo, was arrested at the scene and charged with driving under the influence, Duff said.

Duff said another driver had slowed at the intersection to allow Pechalonis to cross the street. When Lugo passed that car, he struck Pechalonis in the roadway, Duff said.

Lugos car then struck a utility pole, which caused an electrical fire in a transformer at the top of the pole, Duff said. The fire eventually burned out.

With the investigation still ongoing, additional charges are pending.

Duff said Lugo was transferred to court for his arraignment hearing Tuesday morning and was held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

As crews investigated, the intersection remained closed overnight, reopening to traffic around 5 a.m. Tuesday, Duff said.

Any witnesses who have not already spoken with police can call the department at 203-946-6316.
The last restrictions on commerce between the European Union and Algeria are set to expire Sept. 1. The Association Agreement, signed 15 years ago, provides a glimpse into the lucrative future then-President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his immediate circle saw for themselves and the country they governed. In 2020, the position, unfortunately, is quite different.

For years, Algeria has relied upon the export of hydrocarbons to Europe and the world, while suffocating vast swathes of the private sector under a blanket of bureaucracy and corruption. Now, battered by the coronavirus pandemic, social unrest, graft and the drop in the value of hydrocarbons that began as far back as 2014, Algeria is scrambling to renegotiate the terms of the agreement while bemoaning the absence of significant European investment within the Algerian economy.

According to figures provided to The North African Journal by the president of Algerias national association of exporters, Ali Bey Nasri, between 2005 and 2017, Algeria imported $283 billion in goods from EU countries, while exports, principally of petroleum-based products, only reached $12 billion. The agreement as it stands, Nasri said, would be a disaster for the national economy."

Its one Algiers seems to be acutely aware of, with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune instructing the countrys trade minister to reassess the deal Aug. 9  just weeks before the final provisions of the agreement kick in.

Despite the 11th hour, the terms of the agreement are unlikely to be a surprise. The initial 12-year transition period of the agreement was extended in 2017, with only products such as steel, textiles, electronics and vehicles subject to tariffs. Nevertheless, given the dismal state of the Algerian economy and, like all countries, the precarious state of the health care sector, many fear that the full impact of the agreement might decimate the Algerian economy.

However, like many agreements between the economic powerhouse of the European Union and smaller states, the Association Agreement was always weighted in the EUs favor. While acknowledging Algerian mismanagement, the absence of a clear industrial policy and the rentier nature of its economy, observers such as Chatham Houses Tin Hinane El Kadi point to structural deficiencies within the agreement itself. The 2005 free trade agreement has reproduced standard unequal division of labor between Algeria and European countries, whereby it has consolidated the position of the EU in North Africa as an exporter of high-value-added goods while leaving Algeria and other North African signatories in a position of a mere primary goods exporter and preventing it from significant tax revenues from EU products, El Kadi wrote in emailed comments.

Moreover, according to El Kadi, the agreement has also allowed major European companies free access into Algerian markets, destroying local enterprises while diminishing government revenue streams that could have been invested elsewhere through the absence of tariffs.

Between 2007 and 2018, it is estimated that Algeria lost around 6 billion euros in tariffs revenue, El Kadi said. In early 2018, Algeria froze the import of nearly 1,000 products from the EU before softening a few months later this measure. But the government introduced a new tax, called the "provisional additional safeguard duty on EU goods, providing the government with an income of anywhere between 30 and 200% on imported EU goods.

All the same, few would argue that the Algerian economy has lived up to 2005 expectations. Despite the limits on revenue placed upon government revenue by the Free Trade Agreement, much of the countrys private enterprises remain stillborn, unable to establish itself as an economic power independent of government control.

Theyre stuck between a rock and a hard place, Anthony Skinner, of Verisk Maplecroft, told Al-Monitor. The ruling elite need to control the business environment to preserve their place in the political sphere. In a bid to encourage foreign investment, the government has reversed restrictions that reserved majority equity stakes for Algerian companies in joint ventures  a change that does not apply to strategic sectors. But I cant really see this lessening the difficulty of doing business in Algeria, he said.

Further to bureaucratic hurdles, with the Algerian state even making long-term residence for foreigners within the country close to an insurmountable obstacle, is the graft that cuts throughout Algerian enterprise.

Theres nothing to suggest that graft has diminished as a result of the corruption probes brought about by pressure from the hirak (mass social protest movement) or from the political elites drive to consolidate power, Skinner continued. Probes usually target political liabilities and potential or real challengers to the pouvoir," he said, using the Algerian term for the immediate circle of political and military apparatchiks around the presidency.

President Tebboune is widely regarded as the choice of the military. There was very low turnout at the election that saw him voted in, and most Algerians doubt that Tebboune will follow through on his pledge to separate money from politics, he said.

Looming over all is the near-certain return of the hirak once health conditions allow. The reality is actually quite grim, said El Kadi, who was present throughout much of the protest movement. We are seeing a real backlash as the regime is as authoritarian as ever. I think that popular anger has increased over the past months as socio-economic concerns have added an extra layer to existing demands for political freedoms. The hirak will surely resume toward October or so, she said.

Discussions on possibly delaying the full implementation of the Association Agreement are already reported to be underway. For leaders in Brussels, faced with choosing between delay and potentially destroying an already embattled economy, the choices are stark. For the Algerian government, a postponement might provide useful breathing space as it wrestles with a global pandemic. Meanwhile, waiting at home, the protesters of the hirak bide their time.
A stolen car hit a street sign before smashing through the front of a sneaker store in Los Angeles overnight.

Shocking video footage posted on social media shows a black vehicle being driven up the curb and knocking a street sign over.

The car then drives straight through the glass front of the CoolKicks sneaker store on Melrose Avenue.

A car, which police say was stolen, is driven onto the curb on Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, before knocking a street sign over and shattering the glass front of a CoolKicks store, which had previously been raided during protests in May following the death of George Floyd

After breaking through the store front, the vehicle then reversed back out onto the street and then drove off.

Police have said that the vehicle used to smash into the sneaker store had been carjacked on Sunday night in the Venice area, according to ABC7.

The vehicle was then found after the crash abandoned only a few blocks away.

One suspect has been arrested by police and remains in custody while a witness claims another ran off into the neighbourhood after the crash.

In May, the same CoolKicks sneaker store was targeted and emptied out by looters following the death of George Floyd.

It is believed that no merchandise was taken from the store last night after being broken into.
Macron in Beirut, Lebanese aid conference in France in Oct French president visits for second time in a month

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, SEPTEMBER 1 - French President Emmanuel Macron, visiting Beirut on Tuesday, said France "is ready to host an aid conference for Lebanon in October". "We have to continue to mobilise the entire international community.



I'm ready to reorganise, probably around the middle of October, an international aid conference with the United Nations," Macron said during a meeting with UN representatives and local NGOs at the port of Beirut.(ANSAmed). (ANSA).




Longtime Wall Street trader makes a biblical case for capitalism: The best is yet to come

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As polling data shows that a large number of young Americans are embracing socialism, a former top Wall Street trader is making the biblical case for capitalism.

Charles Mizrahi, who was once crowned the No. 1 trader in the nation by Barrons, explained his perspective on capitalism during an interview with The Christian Post.

As a speaker at the Democrat National Convention this month called for the destruction of capitalism, Mizrahi argues that the pretense that capitalism is the cause of all of the problems that were having in the United States is misguided.

I couldnt disagree with that stronger, said the Orthodox Jew, who left his career on Wall Street behind. Capitalism has put the United States as the envy of nations throughout the world  and the greatest nation that ever existed on this planet.

Mizrahi, who now produces the newsletter Alpha Investor to show average Americans how to invest and has authored investing books, noted that capitalism can trace its roots back to the Old Testament.

For example, in Deuteronomy 15:11, God told the Israelites: There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded towards your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.

Mizrahi contends that Deuteronomy 15 highlights how the Bible  was very practical and understood the nature of people: that there will always be economic inequality.

There was never going to be a period of time where everyone was going to be equal, he asserted.

The Bible also advises a person who was blessed with wealth to provide for others and act as a social safety net, he stressed.

Multiple polls have demonstrated that many Americans, especially young Americans, do not share Mizrahis enthusiasm for capitalism.

In 2018, a poll conducted by YouGov and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation found that 50% of millennials and 51% of Generation Z Americans have an unfavorable view of capitalism.

A 2019 poll from Harris Insights & Analytics found that 49.6% of millennials and members of Generation Z would prefer to live in a socialist country.

Mizrahi asked the critics of capitalism: Why is it that people are getting on ramps and rowboats and standing in line and trying to cross walls in order to come into this country? Why arent they doing that to North Korea or China or Russia?

He said that the U.S. will continue to be a great country, because of our system of government, because of our capitalist system, and because the American people are the most generous, giving people on the face of the Earth.

Mizrahi expressed disappointment that many Americans do not appreciate what an amazing country we have with the opportunity that we have.

Mizrahi predicted that the U.S. will bounce back from the difficult economic situation it finds itself in as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The best is yet to come, he asserted.

The Wall Street veteran made similar arguments in a recent Real Clear Religion op-ed titled Prosperity and Generosity: The Biblical Roots of Capitalism.

They have failed to understand that capitalism, as practiced in America, is based on Judeo-Christian values, Mizrahi argued.

In the op-ed, Mizrahi pointed to Deuteronomy 8:18, which states: Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case.

But that wealth was not meant to be hoarded or to be used only for self-gratification and advancement, Mizrahi explained. There was an expectation from God concerning wealth and divinely ordained responsibility to be generous.

Government welfare interferes with mans responsibility to his God and his direct interaction with his community, Mizrahi continued. Is it any wonder that the atheistic leaders that dominated the communist and socialist worldviews were always quick to establish government as the source of benevolence and charity?

Mizrahis op-ed offers some advice on how to respond to the coronavirus.

We should not look for a global reset, attempt to undo the tenets of capitalism, or wait to see what the next round of government bailouts gives us, he proclaimed.

We should instead be taking hold of the opportunities that American capitalism, based on thousands of years of Judeo-Christian principles, provides to each and every one of us: to work hard, invest, thrive  and follow Gods commands to help our neighbors prosper.

Recent survey data from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that 98% of American respondents who said they prefer socialism over capitalism reject the biblical worldview.
Medicare for All is now officially part of the Michigan Democratic Party platform.

The Democratic National Committee recently rejected an attempt to include universal single-payer health care in its platform, which outlines the partys policy priorities. Michigan Democrats voted Saturday to support the immediate implementation of single-payer health care, adopting a resolution supported by 98% of delegates.

Catherine Manigold is a delegate to the DNC from Michigans 2nd Congressional District and a primary author of the resolution. She was among 1,000 delegates who voted against the DNC platform because Medicare for All was excluded.

Manigold said millions of Americans losing their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic illustrates the need to replace employer-provided health insurance. Public support rose throughout the pandemic, with 87% of Democrats, 69% of independents and 43% of Republicans saying they were in favor of Medicare for All in one national poll.

The Michigan Democratic Partys adoption of the policy represents a major leap forward, she said, though the idea still lacks support from presidential nominee Joe Biden and a few Michigan Democrats in Congress.

Were going to get slammed with this economic downturn and to not have health care available is a sin, Manigold said. There are a lot of people out there that are already suffering and there are people that dont even know that theyre going to be suffering.

The Michigan platform urges all Democrats, including candidates, incumbents and Biden to support a universal, government-run health care system. It also calls on Michigans nine Democrats in Congress vote for the Medicare for All Act.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, is the lead sponsor of the Medicare for All Act. The bill, which has not received a vote in the House, expands Medicare coverage to every person living in the U.S., without insurance premiums, deductibles, copays or other out-of-pocket costs.

Dingell said the state partys platform probably wont have much influence on elected officials, but it shows a growing number of people realize Americas health care system is inadequate.

If you look at when this country got Social Security, it came after the devastating depression, Dingell said. COVID has shined a light on the fractures in our society, on how broken the system is, and I believe that this is the moment.

Dingells late husband John Dingell played a role in the creation of Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act during his long career in Congress. He had an annual tradition of reintroducing the first universal health care legislation proposed by his father in the 1940s.

Dingell said she promised her husband before his death last year that she would take it over the finish line.

The DNCs exclusion of single-payer health care from its platform shows theres still work to be done. Dingell also acknowledged that moderate Democrats worry Medicare for All might be a political liability in swing districts.

People who supported Medicare were accused of being communists and socialists; both my father-in-law and my husband were called that just because they had a vision, she said. People play the fear factor. What we need is the truth factor.

Disagreement over the merits of Medicare for All were a major aspect of the Democratic presidential primary. Several progressive candidates, including vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, supported visions for a government-run health care system that would minimize or eliminate private health insurance.

Biden and Harris clashed over single-payer health care in Detroit last year during a Democratic primary debate. She later changed her plan to allow private insurers to offer Medicare plans. Biden has repeatedly called for expanding Obamacare instead of passing Medicare for All, pointing to the high price tag.

The plan, no matter how you cut it, costs $3 trillion, Biden said last year in Detroit. Secondly, it will require middle-class taxes to go up, not down. Thirdly, it will eliminate employer-based insurance.

Bidens plan gives consumers the option of buying into a premium-free public health insurance program similar to Medicare.

Still, Dingell expressed hope that her bill could find support in a Biden administration.

Weve got to get a Democrat elected first, and then we will all come to the table and have intense discussions, Dingell said. I can be very persuasive, and there isnt a person in the Democratic Party who doesnt know where I stand or where the Dingells stood, and what Im going to be fighting for.

U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, D-Bloomfield Township, also said the pandemic has played a large role in making voters more receptive to single-payer health care.

These changes really happen less because of individuals like a candidate or even a president than because of large scale social forces and social movements, Levin said. I think youre seeing the coming together of a really broad and enthusiastic movement in society, to say we want Medicare for All, and a massive unexpected tragedy of public health that is laying bare the need for universal single-payer health care.

Most of the Democrats representing Michigan in the U.S. House are co-sponsors on Dingells Medicare for All Act, including U.S. Reps. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield; Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, Dan Kildee, D-Flint, and Levin.

U.S. Reps. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, and Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills, have opposed single-payer health care proposals that would eliminate private health insurance. Both flipped traditionally Republican congressional districts in 2018.

U.S. Sens. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, and Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, havent signed on the Senate Medicare for All bill. A spokesperson for Peters reelection campaign said he supports a public option, but believes people should keep their private health insurance.

The Michigan Democratic Party defines the policy as a system where the U.S. or state governments pay for health care expenses for all Americans. It does not include the phrase Medicare for All, but the partys state platform affirms that health care is a human right of all people that Congress has failed to provide.

Manigold said some Democrats were hesitant to describe single-payer health care as Medicare for All in the resolution.

I think that the phrase Medicare for All is scaring them, Manigold said. I think that that kind of painted Democratic establishment into a corner when they are saying, thats a progressive talking point.

Levin said even if all Democrats arent on board with Medicare for All, the party has a strong contrast to the Republican Party. President Donald Trump supported a lawsuit seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

I feel like the clear winning message for all of us, and what we really want, is: Expand coverage, dont rip it away, Levin said.

The resolution also calls on elected officials to consider whether accepting campaign contributions from the medical, pharmaceutical, or health care insurance industries serves the interests of their constituents.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Gary Peters starts motorcycle campaign road trip to tout achievements in U.S. Senate

Michigan Democrats target Pences vote against auto bailout before visit, tout Biden as job savior

We have a broken system. Amid pandemic, Ann Arbor calls for Medicare for All
The diplomat initially wanted to extend his mandate for a further year due to family-related reasons, but was denied the request.

It is tradition that around this time a year, the rotation of ambassadors and affiliated employees is launched, meaning that people receive new functions and positions around the world.

One of the diplomats who will not be affected by this circulation is Jean-Claude Knebeler, who was the ambassador to Russia for the past four years. Since his request for an extension of his posting was denied, Georges Faber will take over as the new ambassador on 1 September.

During a meeting with his superiors earlier this year, Knebeler was offered the leading position in the "nation branding" department of the ministry of the economy, a post which he refused.

According to Reporter, Knebeler now applied for unpaid leave to stay in Moscow and participate in a "think tank". He emphasised that he tried to avoid any potential conflict of interest and cause a similar controversy as former ministers Krecke and Schneider did.

Meanwhile, the "nation branding" department, which was left without a leader after the departure of LSAP politician Francine Closener, will be headed by Beryl Koltz in the future, a director and screen-play writer formerly responsible for communications at the "Oeuvre Grande-Duchesse Charlotte".
100 Years Ago  1920: Mayor William T. Ramsey resumed his official duties today upon his return from Europe, where he spent more than two months investigating compulsory laws of insurance for the State. The chief executives arrival was unheralded and was a complete surprise to the city hall officials and others about the building. With his sleeves rolled up, the Mayor started immediately to clean up a batch of accumulated work. Meanwhile the news of his return spread and he was soon showered with greetings from his numerous friends. A large bouquet was sent by the Chester Kiwanis Club and raced the Mayors desk. Im delighted to get back to dear old Chester. This was the only message the Mayor was ready to give. He will shortly have his report ready for the State.

75 Years Ago  1945: The post-war business boom is underway in Chester, and an extensive face-lifting program is in the offing for the downtown business section. The vicinity of Seventh Street and Edgmont, will see the greatest transition, as stores in the YMCA building must vacate by the first of the year, when Adams Clothes, new owner of the corner, starts its vast expansion program.

50 Years Ago  1970: The Chester School District sent an envoy today to the State Department of Education in Harrisburg. This time, however, in addition to dwelling on the projected cost of the estimated $18-million-plus venture, the district planned to point up the prospect of $250,000 in annual savings. Telling Harrisburg the financial pluses is the latest move in the three-year effort to get the four-year comprehensive high school underway.

25 Years Ago  1995: A demolition crew began tearing down the 18th century Enge House fronting on Lansdowne Avenue and Cedar Lane yesterday afternoon, and plan on razing it and the remaining buildings on the one-acre Upper Darby site today. Yesterdays demolition to make way for a Thrift Drug store was initiated even as an appeal to preserve the site is pending in court. But that appeal apparently addresses only construction on the property, not the demolition of the home, parts of which date back to the 1740s.

10 Years Ago  2010: A $2.1 million renovation project at Parkside Elementary School will be nearly complete by the time school starts next week, Penn-Delco School District officials said. The project encompassed upgrades to the schools heating and air conditioning systems; the installation of new ceilings in all of the schools classrooms, administration offices, dining areas, and Media Center; and the installation of heat recovery units on the schools rooftops.

 COLIN AINSWORTH
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2019 file photo, Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, leaves the federal court following a status conference in Washington.

A federal appeals court in Washington declined Monday to order the dismissal of the Michael Flynn prosecution, permitting a judge to scrutinize the Justice Department's request to dismiss its case against President Donald Trump's former national security adviser.

The decision keeps the case at least temporarily alive and rebuffs efforts by both Flynn's lawyers and the Justice Department to force the prosecution to be dropped without further inquiry from the judge, who has for months declined to dismiss it. The ruling is the latest development in a criminal case that has taken unusual twists and turns over the last year and prompted a separation of powers tussle involving a veteran federal judge and the Trump administration.

In a separate ruling Monday, a three-judge panel of the same appeals court again threw out a lawsuit by House Democrats to compel former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before a congressional committee.

The Flynn conflict arose in May when the Justice Department moved to dismiss the prosecution despite Flynn's own guilty plea to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition period.

But U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, who had upbraided Flynn for his behaviour at a 2018 court appearance, signalled his skepticism at the government's unusual motion. He refused to dismiss the case and instead scheduled a hearing and appointed a retired federal judge to argue against the Justice Department's position. That former judge, John Gleeson, challenged the motives behind the department's dismissal request and called it a gross abuse of prosecutorial power.

Flynn's lawyers sought to bypass Sullivan and obtain an appeals court order that would have required the case's immediate dismissal. They argued that Sullivan had overstepped his bounds by scrutinizing a dismissal request that both sides, the defence and the Justice Department, were in agreement about and that the case was effectively moot once prosecutors decided to abandon it.

At issue before the court was whether Sullivan could be forced to grant the Justice Department's dismissal request without even holding a hearing into the basis for the motion.

We have no trouble answering that question in the negative, the court wrote in an unsigned opinion for the eight judges in the majority.

The judges also rejected defence efforts to have the case reassigned to a different judge.

In a concurring opinion, U.S. District Judge Thomas Griffith wrote that the court's opinion did not concern the merits of the Justice Department's prosecution of Flynn or even its decision to abandon the case. Rather, he said the question before the judges was a much more simple one.

Today we reach the unexceptional yet important conclusion that a court of appeals should stay its hand and allow the district court to finish its work rather than hear a challenge to a decision not yet made, Griffith said. That is a policy the federal courts have followed since the beginning of the Republic.

He said it was very possible that Sullivan could wind up granting the Justice Department's dismissal request and that it would in fact be highly unusual if it did not, given the Executives constitutional prerogative to direct and control prosecutions and the district courts limited discretion in cases prosecutors want dropped.

Two judges, Neomi Rao and Karen LeCraft Henderson, each wrote dissenting opinions arguing that Sullivan had usurped his authority by keeping alive a case the Justice Department sought to have dismissed. Both judges were part of a 2-1 ruling in June that ordered Sullivan to dismiss the case.

In Flynns case, the prosecution no longer has a prosecutor, Rao wrote. "Yet the case continues with district court proceedings aimed at uncovering the internal deliberations of the Department. The majority gestures at the potential harms of such a judicial intrusion into the Executive Branch, but takes a wait-and-see approach, hoping and hinting that the district judge will not take the actions he clearly states he will take.

Flynn was questioned by the FBI just days after Trumps inauguration about his conversations with the then-Russian ambassador to the U.S. pertaining to sanctions that had just been imposed by the Obama administration for Russian election interference.

The private conversation alarmed law enforcement and intelligence officials who were already investigating whether the Trump campaign had co-ordinated with Russia to sway the presidential election in Trumps favour. Officials were also concerned by the White Houses public insistence that Flynn and the diplomat had not discussed sanctions.

Flynn's guilty plea to lying to the FBI became a signature prosecution in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. He also agreed to co-operate with the authorities in hopes of receiving a lighter sentence.

But as Flynn awaited sentencing, Attorney General William Barr appointed a U.S. attorney from St. Louis to investigate the handling of the Flynn case and later endorsed that prosecutor's recommendation that the case be dismissed.

In May, the Justice Department said it had concluded that the FBI had an insufficient basis to question Flynn about his conversations with the diplomat, which Barr has said were appropriate for an incoming national security adviser to have had, and that statements made during the interview were not material to the FBI's underlying counterintelligence investigation into the Trump campaign.

Law enforcement officials who were involved in the investigation vehemently disagreed with that conclusion.
Vitality Extracts, a company that sells elixirs and trinkets, promises to lift your mood and relieve tension. Its Stress & Anxiety Bundle includes a tiny bottle labeled Stress Away, which contains a pure essential oil blend, and a pair of calming and anxiety bracelets. At $50, the bundle is sold out.

Procter & Gamble says it can turn the stressed life into your best life in recent ads for StressBalls gumdrops, whose ingredients include ashwagandha extract and valerian root extract. Natures Bounty, a wellness company, promises a way for its customers to find peace in new ads for Stress Comfort gummies, which include ingredients such as gamma-aminobutyric acid, melatonin and lavender extract.

Roman, a New York company that offers treatments for conditions such as erectile dysfunction and hair loss, is advertising stress relief capsules that it says are backed by science. An unnamed user of Roman products featured in its marketing materials claims: This company has changed my life. But Roman acknowledges that some ingredients of its products, like rhodiola rosea, have yet to be extensively studied in the U.S.A.

Stephanie Van Stee, an associate professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who specializes in health communication, advises consumers not to allow stress to overwhelm their skepticism. You need to be looking at these advertisements critically and do your research to make sure you know what youre getting into with some of these things, she said.
Joe Biden on Monday reminded us what it felt like to have a real president in the White House, giving a speech in Pittsburgh that offered fresh hope of national unity after four years of Donalds Trumps vandalism.

Biden was unsparing in his condemnation of the looters and rioters who seem determined to discredit the cause of racial justice, to surrender the moral high ground, and to torment the families of victims like George Floyd and Jacob Blake who say they are heartbroken by the violence and want it to stop.

These looters are not courageous when they throw fireworks at cops, or torch local businesses. They are reckless and dangerous, nothing more. It repels most Americans for good reason. The rioters, most of them young and many of them white, may be deluded enough to see themselves as the self-appointed vanguard in the fight against racism. But the truth is they are undisciplined fools who are throwing a rescue line to Donald Trump as the election approaches.

Rage is reasonable, even useful. Violence is not.

Rioting is not protesting, Biden said Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protecting. None of those things is protesting. Its lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecutedViolence will not bring change; it will only bring destruction. Its wrong in every way.

Unlike Trump, though, Biden expressed determination to deal with the epidemic of police brutality against Black people that has cursed this nation for too long. He had the decency to call the families of Floyd and Blake and tell them that.

Most Americans are watching this moment in our history and reacting like Biden, according to every poll. They are appalled at the brutality and support the peaceful protests, but they oppose the looting and rioting. Thats the common ground that Biden promises to cultivate as president.

Trump is offering nothing of the sort. He is inflaming tensions as best he can.

He ordered heavily armed federal officers to attack peaceful protesters outside the White House. He has encouraged his followers, some of them heavily armed, to confront protesters, calling those who do Great Americans. What could go wrong?

He even retweeted a video showing his supporters in Portland firing paintball guns and unleashing pepper spray on protesters, both criminal acts of violence. And now he says hell send federal forces to Kenosha over the objections of the mayor and governor, even though he never called the Blake family to express his sympathy.

Lets face it: Donald Trump has no space in his heart for anyone but Donald Trump. He knows that this violence could save his neck by bolstering his support among non-college educated voters in swing states. Kellyanne Conway, a senior advisor from the start, acknowledged Thursday, saying the violence improves Trumps chances in November.

Biden put it this way: I look at this violence and see lives and communities and dreams of small businesses being destroyed, and opportunities for real progress on issues of race and police reform and justice being put to the test. Donald Trump looks at this violence and sees a political lifeline.

Biden went beyond race in his Pittsburgh speech, starting with the negligence Trump has shown during the Covid-19 crisis. We are a nation with 4 percent of the worlds population, and 22 percent of the deaths, a concrete measure of failure that has left many of our allies shocked and unnerved.

The Irish columnist Fintan OToole perhaps put it best: Over more than two centuries, the United States has stirred a very wide range of feelings in the rest of the world: love and hatred, fear and hope, envy and contempt, awe and anger. But there is one emotion that has never been directed towards the US until now: pity.

We can do better. It starts with a president who tries to find common ground. Joe Biden just gave us a preview. Watch the speech, and you might remember what it feels like.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Five-time Grammy winner Mariah Carey announced she was 'so excited' to executive produce and star in Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special, which will air this holiday season on Apple TV+.

'If you know me, you know I refuse to talk about Christmas before it's even fall,' the 50-year-old R&B diva - who boasts 60.8M social media followers - tweeted.

'But I am so excited for this @AppleTV special that I'll make an exception today only!'

Airing this holiday season on Apple TV+! Five-time Grammy winner Mariah Carey announced she was 'so excited' to executive produce and star in Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special

Roman Coppola and Hamish Hamilton will co-direct the innovative special featuring surprise guests, music, dancing, and animation 'driven by a universally heartwarming story that brings the world together.'

2020 marks the 26th anniversary of Mariah's 1994 classic carol, All I Want for Christmas Is You, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019 and has amassed over $60M in royalties.

Last December, Carey enlisted her nine-year-old fraternal twins Monroe and Moroccan (with ex-husband #2 Nick Cannon) to make merry cameos in the Make My Wish Come True Edition music video.

The native New Yorker also embarked on a 55-date All I Want for Christmas Is You: A Night of Joy and Festivity tour last year.

The 50-year-old R&B diva tweeted: 'If you know me, you know I refuse to talk about Christmas before it's even fall, but I am so excited for this @AppleTV special that I'll make an exception today only!'

Amassed over $60M in royalties! 2020 marks the 26th anniversary of Mariah's 1994 classic carol, All I Want for Christmas Is You, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019

Family affair: Last December, Carey enlisted her nine-year-old fraternal twins Monroe and Moroccan (with ex-husband #2 Nick Cannon) to make merry cameos in the Make My Wish Come True Edition music video

Last Wednesday, Mariah recorded the audio version of her 368-page memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, which hits shelves on September 29.

'If somebody or something didn't pertain to the actual meaning of Mariah Carey, as is the title, then they aren't in the book' Carey told Vulture on Monday.

'I cried writing a lot of parts of this book. Maybe it's because I have such vivid recollections. You know what? I'm sure I'm going to have to deal with a lot of people being upset with me. I hope not...There's so much more dragging that could have been done. I really didn't say everything.'

On the mic: Last Wednesday, the native New Yorker recorded the audio version of her 368-page memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey, which hits shelves on September 29

Mariah told Vulture on Monday: 'If somebody or something didn't pertain to the actual meaning of Mariah Carey, as is the title, then they aren't in the book'

And on October 2, the Elusive Chanteuse will drop her eighth compilation album The Rarities featuring previously unreleased material, including the 2011 song Save the Day with eight-time Grammy winner Lauryn Hill.

'This one is for you, my fans,' Mariah gushed on August 18.

'It's to celebrate us, and to thank you for years of pure love and support.'
This summer has been anything but typical thanks to COVID-19. While we still have three weeks left of summer here in the West, I am already wondering how the next season will go as we navigate the challenges of farm life and back to school from home.

This next season always seems to bring mixed emotions for farm families. We are losing our best farm helpers, but were also excited to see them return to school. However, this year in Oregon, our kids wont be returning to their classrooms.

I am not going to lie; I am struggling with how we will continue to juggle farm life and learning from home. We definitely had a rough go of it this spring when classes closed. Im trying to be optimistic as we wait for the final plan of what our remote learning days will look like.

Many of you in the Midwest and East are already back to school. Are your kids in the classroom or learning from home this year? How has the transition gone and how are you balancing it with farm life?

This is definitely a unique situation that no one has had to work through before. Dairy farming adds a whole different dynamic to how we can support learning from home. If anything makes it easier, its sharing our successes and struggles with each other.

I am trying to give myself and our family grace as we figure out what will work best for everyone while keeping the perspective that this is a global pandemic. Although our dairy farming schedule keeps our plates full, I am trying to find the blessing that at least we can have a little bit of flexibility in our day. Were planning to take advantage of the fact that the farm makes an amazing learning opportunity where so much can be taught outside of the classroom.

The author is a third-generation dairy farmer from Oregon where she farms in partnership with her husband and parents. As a mother of two young boys who round out the family-run operation as micro managers, Darleen blogs about the three generations of her family working together at Guernsey Dairy Mama. Abiqua Acres Mann's Guernsey Dairy is currently home to 90 registered Guernseys and transitioned to a robotic milking system in 2017.
These two most recent incidents involved willful lying to your superiors and willful insubordination, which, in light of the past history of performance deficiencies, failure to perform assigned duties, and insubordination, have led me to conclude that you no longer wish to perform any work for this School District, the former superintendent wrote. Thus, I have no choice but to recommend your termination to the Board of Education.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bird Enjoyment & Advantage Koalition (BEAK), a concentrated effort to educate on and grow responsible bird ownership, is excited to announce the 2nd annual National Pet Bird Day, which will take place Thursday, September 17, 2020.

Pet bird owners are encouraged to share stories, photos and videos of their birds using the hashtag #NationalPetBirdDay, while others can learn more about the joys and benefits of bird ownership.

"Birds are amazing companion animals and are actually very connected to their owners," said Brent Weinmann, BEAK Chairman. "National Pet Bird Day serves as a day to celebrate all the amazing ways pet birds enrich our lives, educate on responsible bird ownership and encourage others to consider adding a feathered family member to their flock."

What is it exactly that bird owners love most about their beloved companions? According to the American Pet Products Association, bird owners say the top benefits are that birds are fun to watch/have in the household, they provide love, companionship, company and affection, and even relieve stress. But there's more, studies show birds can also increase social interaction, which is very important to mental health and wellbeing, and pets can be instrumental in teaching children empathy and responsibility. Currently, Millennials represent the largest demographic of bird owners with 36 percent of bird owners being Millennial.

For those interested in adding a bird to their home, BEAK offers an interactive quiz at www.myrightbird.com where a series of questions help match users with the right bird for their lifestyle. Quiz questions range from time and financial commitments, living arrangements and noise tolerance, to birds' level of affection and expected lifespan; all key factors for potential bird owners to consider.

"We understand that birds like any pet can be a big commitment and through our resources like the quiz, bird locator, species information and avian vet locator we hope to provide new bird owners the information they need to enjoy the happiness and beauty they bring to a home," said BEAK president, Dean Reyes.

Follow @MyRightBird on social media leading up to National Pet Bird Day for live educational demonstrations, giveaways, photo contests and more! To learn more about National Pet Bird Day visit www.nationalpetbirdday.com for a downloadable toolkit and other ways to participate.

About BEAK

Founded in 2016, the Bird Enjoyment and Advantage Koalition (BEAK) consists of bird product manufacturers, associations and caregivers with shared interests to address the need for increased, responsible bird ownership. BEAK's mission is to conduct research, identify existing resources, opportunities and challenges, and educate and drive awareness of the benefits of bird ownership through strategic communications, marketing, collaborations and initiatives. www.MyRightBird.com

Media Contact: Jamie Baxter

The Impetus Agency

[email protected]

775-322-4022

SOURCE Bird Enjoyment & Advantage Koalition
The arrest of acting supreme guide Mahmoud Ezzat will further undermine the Muslim Brotherhood

On 28 August the Interior Ministry made a surprise announcement: it had arrested Mahmoud Ezzat, the acting supreme guide of terrorist-designated Muslim Brotherhood group.

Ezzat, who was arrested in a flat in New Cairo, had been on the run since the downfall of the Muslim Brotherhood regime and arrest of most of its leaders in the summer of 2013. It was widely believed that like thousands of other Muslim Brotherhood members Ezzat had fled Egypt and travelled to either Qatar or Turkey via Sudan.

The Interior Ministry described Ezzat as the Brotherhoods most wanted man, the groups black box and mastermind.

The Interior Ministrys statement said that the search of the flat where Ezzat was living produced a cache of computers and mobile phones with encrypted software necessary to secure his communications with leaders and members of the groups International Organisation inside and outside the country as well as papers containing plans to target the state.

Following the arrest of the Brotherhoods supreme guide Mohamed Badie, Ezzat, 76, was named the groups acting leader in August 2013. He was also the head of the Brotherhoods London-based international organisation.

It would have been difficult to locate Ezzat without the security forces being given information from Brotherhood members who were in contact with him and knew his whereabouts, says security expert Khaled Okasha.

Ezzats strategy had been to change his hideouts regularly, and spread rumours that he had fled Egypt. But security officials knew he was still here and that he was trying to mislead them. What helped him escape arrest for so long was probably the fact he depended on a very limited number of aides.

Former deputy interior minister Mohamed Noureddin said in a TV interview that the laptops and mobile phones which security forces found in Ezzats flat will provide a treasure trove of information about the terrorist group.

Maher Farghali, an expert on Islamist movements, said the fact that Ezzat was temperamentally an isolationist had allowed him to escape the security radar for years. Even during the massive Muslim Brotherhood sit-ins organised in public squares in Cairo and Giza in the summer of 2013, Ezzat, unlike other leaders, chose not to appear in public, even though he was the one orchestrating the sit-ins.

The arrest of Ezzat will, for a while at least, disrupt links between Muslim Brotherhood elements inside Egypt and branches of the international organisation abroad.

According to the Interior Ministry, Ezzat was in charge of forming the Brotherhoods armed wings and oversaw major terrorist operations.

Operations masterminded by Ezzat included the assassination of former prosecutor-general Hisham Barakat in 2015, policeman Wael Tahoun in 2015, army officer Adel Ragei in 2016, and the attempted assassination of the prosecutor-generals former aide Zakaria Abdel-Azim in 2016. The Interior Ministry statement further accused Ezzat of planning a deadly car blast outside Cairos main cancer hospital in August 2019 which killed 20 people, overseeing the Brotherhoods cyber militias which spread fake news to stir up confusion and provoke public opinion in Egypt, and managing the movement of the groups funds to sponsor terrorist activities.

Security expert Magdi Al-Bassiouni, a former deputy interior minister, believes that during his years in hiding Ezzat also orchestrated terrorist activities carried out by the Brotherhoods armed wings, Hasm and Gond Masr (the Soldiers of Egypt).

The fact that this old man was able to use modern technology and orchestrate operations from his hideout individually, or depending on a limited circle of assistants, made it a challenge for security forces to arrest him, says Bassiouni.

Farghali argues the arrest of Ezzat is a debilitating blow to the Brotherhood both organisationally and in psychological terms.

The Brotherhood will now resort to its usual narrative of victimhood as it tries to mobilise international human rights organisations against the regime in Egypt.

That process has already begun. On 28 August a Muslim Brotherhood statement said Ezzat was suffering chronic health problems.

Okasha thinks the Brotherhood may now name a younger leader to replace Ezzat as acting supreme guide, and break with the convention the acting guide be present in Egypt. He suggests Mahmoud Hussein as a likely replacement.

Ezzat, born in 1944, joined the Brotherhood in 1962, when he was just 18. In 1964 he was arrested, alongside Badie, and convicted of leading a conspiracy against the regime of Gamal Abdel-Nasser.

Ezzat was released from prison in 1974 under pardon from late president Anwar Al-Sadat. In 1981 he was named a member of the Brotherhoods Guidance Bureau, and put in charge of its economic activities. In 1995 he was arrested once again and sentenced to five years in jail.

In 2009, Ezzat was one of the group of hawks who took over the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood. He was named the groups acting leader in August 2013, following the arrest of supreme guide Badie.

He has received several sentences in absentia, including a death penalty, during mass trials of the Brotherhoods leading members.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Chinese students on Tuesday began a full return to regular classes following two weeks without new cases of local transmission in the country.

About 75% of students had already returned to school and the remainder will return beginning from Tuesday.

Reports said students had their temperatures checked on arrival but rules on social distancing and mask wearing varied depending on the region.

Chinas National Health Commission reported 10 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, all of them brought from outside the country. China has reported a total of 4,634 deaths from Covid-19 among 85,058 cases since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
Mumbai, Sep 1 : Actress Kangana Ranaut openly claimed on Tuesday that filmmaker Karan Johar is the main culprit of the Bollywood movie mafia.

Kangana, who has been vocal for a while about the alleged Bollywood mafia that promotes star kids over outsiders, posted her accusations against Johar on her verified Twitter account, tagging the office of the Prime Minister of India.

"Karan Johar the main culprit of movie mafia! @PMOIndia even after ruining so many lives and careers he is roaming free no action taken against him, is there any hope for us? After all is settled he and his gang of hyenas will come for me," Kangana tweeted.

Kangana's tweet came in response to a user who tweeted: "Sushant's GYM Partner is Exposing how Bollywood m@fia Karan Johar made Drive Movie just to Trap & block Sushant Singh Rajput from doing further projects in Bollywood." Ever since Sushant Singh Rajput's demise, Kangana has reopened the conversation about nepotism and favouritism in Bollywood that is said to promote star kids over outsiders.

In a series of tweets posted last week, Kangana had also alleged that drugs are a commonplace occurrence in B-Town parties.

"If narcotics Control Bureau enters Bullywood, many A listers will be behind bars, if blood tests are conducted many shocking revelations will happen. Hope @PMOIndia under swatchh Bharat mission cleanses the gutter called Bullywood," she had tweeted.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
12.32 GWac global portfolio exceeds total capacity installed by entire U.S. solar industry in 2019

EDITOR'S SYNOPSIS Mercom Capital ranks the Adani Group as the #1 global solar power generation asset owner

Adani's portfolio is 12.32 GWac which exceeds total installed capacity of U.S. in 2019

Adani's renewable energy generation capacity will displace 1.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide

Adani Green Energy established its first solar project in just 2015 and has a combined wind & solar portfolio of 14.62 GWac.

Mercom Capital further gives top position to AGEL for being awarded the largest solar offtake contract in the world of 8 GW by the Solar Corporation of India (SECI)

AGEL is also building the largest solar-wind hybrid park in the world of 1.69 GWac

DALLAS, Sept. 01, 2020of global solar companies by Mercom Capital ranks the Adani Group as the #1 global solar power generation asset owner in terms of operating and off-taker contracted solar projects. Adani's renewable energy portfolio exceeds the total capacity installed by the entire United States solar industry in 2019 and will displace over 1.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide over the life of its assets. The group is one of the most fully integrated solar players in the world, manufacturing solar cells and modules, undertaking project development, construction, financial structuring and owning and operating its assets through its robust internal asset management platform. According to the ranking, Adani is roughly 70 percent larger than the next-largest global solar power generation company.

Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) established its first solar project in 2015 and even as recently as 2017 the Company had completed just two solar projects. The Company went public (NSE: ADANIGREEN) in 2018 and has accelerated its presence to reach the current milestone of being the largest solar player in the world in a short span of just five years, and has a stated target of reaching 25 GWac of renewable power by 2025.



In response to this ranking, Mr. Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group said: "Achieving this ranking is a direct result of our commitment to creating the infrastructure needed for a clean-powered future. While we are pleased to be ranked the largest solar player in the world, we recognize that there is a lot more that remains for us to do as the world transitions into an increasingly decarbonized energy landscape. We anticipate that over the next decade several existing business models will be impacted as a result of the disruption caused by the intersection of plummeting cost of renewable energy and the ability of technology to rescale industries.

We expect our renewable energy platform will create new possibilities for our core business and we will be able to address some of the most intractable problems that humankind has faced, including affordable decentralized energy, availability of distributed clean water, green hydrogen as an alternate fuel, and micro agriculture, among others. Building partnerships with major industrials, data center providers, and global integrated energy players that seek to reduce their carbon footprints will also continue to further accelerate our growth. AGEL was launched just five years ago, our story is only beginning."

AGEL also achieved a top spot in the global ranking with the largest solar offtake award ever of 8 GWac by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). In addition, AGEL is building the largest solar-wind hybrid park in the world of 1.69 GWac - making it the definitive leader in mega-scale renewable energy project deployments. As India pushes to invite more global business partners to invest domestically, it sees its growing renewable footprint as helping companies simultaneously fulfill two essential goals: tapping into one of the fastest growing consumer markets and achieving their sustainability targets. The Adani Group has positioned itself at this intersection to help its partners attain both these objectives.

About the Adani Group

The Adani Group is an integrated industrial conglomerate operating globally with six publicly traded companies with total revenues of $15 billion and a market capitalization of ~$30 billion. It has created world class transport and utility infrastructure portfolios with a pan-India presence. Adani Group is headquartered in Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, India. Over the years, Adani Group has positioned itself to be the market leader in its transport logistics and energy utility portfolio businesses focusing on large scale infrastructure development in India with O & M practices benchmarked to global standards. With four IG rated businesses it is the only Infrastructure Investment Grade issuer in India. Adani owes its success and leadership position to its core philosophy of 'Nation Building' driven by 'Growth with Goodness' - a guiding principle for sustainable growth. Adani is committed to increase its ESG footprint by realigning its businesses with emphasis on climate protection and increasing community outreach through its CSR program based on the principles of sustainability, diversity and shared values. For more information, visit: www.adani.com

About Adani Green Energy Limited

Adani Green Energy Limited

For further information on this release, please contact

United States Australia & Singapore India Daniel Dus



Mobile: +1 (917) 808-6377



daniel.dus@adani.com Kate Campbell



Tel: +61 438 031 780



ausmedia@adani.com.au



Roy Paul



Tel: +91 7925556628



roy.paul@adani.com



media@adani.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72bb31dc-0c1b-4797-88a3-e43909b838c8


Massachusetts voters head to the polls Tuesday to pick whether another member of the Kennedy clan goes to the Senate or the incumbent aligned with the top members of the progressive movement gets to keep his seat.

On the Democratic primary ballot is Rep. Joe Kennedy III versus incumbent Sen. Ed Markey.

Kennedy, the 39-year-old grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, is running on promising a new generation of leadership, in comparison to the 74-year-old Markey, who has been in the Senate since 2013.

On Tuesday, Democratic voters in Massachusetts will choose to keep incumbent Sen. Ed Markey (left) in his Senate seat or give it back to a Kennedy, Rep. Joe Kennedy III (right)

Rep. Joe Kennedy III (center) greets supporter Thanh Nguyen, of Milton, Massachusetts (left) during a campaign stop Tuesday in Boston, as Democratic voters head to the polls

Sen. Ed Markey (left) greets a supporter during a campaign stop on Tuesday in Boston. Markey, 73, is running in the primary against Rep. Joe Kennedy for a second full term in the Senate

Rep. Joe Kennedy speaks to the press as supporters are seen holding signs behind him on Democatic primary day in Massachusetts Tuesday

Sen. Ed Markey is flanked by his own supporters during a campaign stop Tuesday in Boston. Recent polls give Markey an edge to win the primary race

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez partnered with Sen. Ed Markey on the Green New Deal and endorsed him in his Democratic primary race against Rep. Joe Kennedy III

While the two agree on many policies, each has tried to paint the other as out of touch on key issues.

Kennedy has gone after Markey on the issue of racial inequity, criticizing his initial opposition to school desegregation efforts in Boston in the 1970s and noting criticism of Markey by the father of Danroy 'DJ' Henry, a young Black man from Massachusetts killed by police 10 years ago.

Kennedy has also highlighted his family's political legacy, in part in response to Markey, who during one debate told Kennedy he should tell his father - former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy II - not to help fund a political action committee that was going after Markey.

Kennedy also objected to supporters of Markey who he said attacked him on social media, including tweeting 'that Lee Harvey got the wrong Kennedy' - a reference to JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

Markey called the tweet unacceptable.

Markey has portrayed Kennedy as a 'progressive in name only,' in one debate faulting him for deciding early in his career to work as a prosecutor for Michael O'Keefe, a Republican district attorney.

Markey has tried to tout his progressive chops by pointing to his introduction of the Green New Deal climate change initiative.

He's also referenced his own family story growing up in working-class Malden, where his father drove a truck for the Hood Milk Co.

'I could see my mother and father trying to figure out how to pay the bills at the kitchen table,' Markey recalled.

The race has not been cheap, with both candidates raising and spending millions. Early on, Markey and Kennedy were also forced to grapple with the coronavirus, which limited their campaigning.

Recent polls have given Markey an edge.

The race is also a proxy battle of sorts between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Pelosi has endorsed Kennedy while Ocasio-Cortez backed Markey.

AOC and Markey joined forces at the beginning of her Congressional career in 2019 to launch matching Green New Deal resolutions in the House and Senate.

In mid-August Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the other senator from Massachusetts and another top progressive, also backed Markey.

A Kennedy has never lost a race for Congress in Massachusetts.

President John F. Kennedy was elected three times to the U.S. House and twice to the U.S. Senate before being elected president.

Edward Kennedy was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962 and re-elected every six years until he died in 2009.

Joe Kennedy ll ran for JFK's old House seat in 1986, won, and was reelected every election until he opted not to run in 1998.

While Tuesday is primary day, many Massachusetts voters have already cast their ballots at early voting locations, mailing them or depositing them in drop boxes due to fears of spreading the virus.

Some Democrats worried early on that the race would siphon attention and dollars away from their top goals - defeating President Donald Trump and regaining control of the Senate.

Whoever wins will head into a general election contest in a district that has historically favored Democrats.

The candidate will face the winner of a low-key GOP Senate primary pitting Kevin O'Connor, a lawyer, against fellow Republican Shiva Ayyadurai, who ran a failed campaign for Senate in 2018.
The Morrison government is piling pressure on the states to accept a new regime to define coronavirus hotspots as a way to ease border controls and open the economy by Christmas.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison ramped up his warning against the barriers to trade and travel, saying Australians should not resign themselves to living in a "dislocated nation" during the pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australians should not resign themselves to living in a "dislocated nation". Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The federal government appears likely to go it alone on its new definition of virus "hotspots" if it cannot get a consensus with the states and territories on ways to free up parts of the country with low infection rates.

"We should aim for Australians to be able to go to work, to be able to be with their family at Christmas, and to return to visit their friends," Mr Morrison told Parliament on Tuesday.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : A 23-year-old man murdered two of his roommates following an argument over rent in west Delhi's Raghuvir Nagar, police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, Shakir murdered Azam (45) and Amir Hasan (46) with a sharp knife and a dagger while they were asleep. The duo were pressuring him to pay the rent of the room they had rented and were residing in since 1994.

Irked over the alleged foul language used by the deceased, he nurtured a grudge against both of them and on Monday night sneaked into the room and attacked them. He fled to his hometown after the double murder. Both the victims were vegetable vendors.

"During the investigation, it was revealed that Shakir had returned to his village early this year and after about four months had come back recently. His roommates, the deceased, were pressuring him for the rent for the months he spent in the village.

"Shakir argued that as he was not residing there during that time, he would not pay the rent. During the arguments, the deceased used foul language against the accused. On the intervening night of August 30 and 31 when the deceased were sleeping, the accused Shakir murdered them brutally with a knife and dagger," said DCP West Deepak Purohit.

Shakir then fled to his hometown in Amroha. A police team from Khayala was sent there, and he was subsequently nabbed.

"The weapons of offence have also been seized," said the officer.

Delhi has seen 285 murders till July 31 this year. This is 13 short of what the figure was last year during the same period. In 2019, Delhi witnessed 521 murders in the whole year.
Two areas of Greater Manchester set to be controversially released from the northern lockdown this week have seen a surge in coronavirus cases, according to new data.

Trafford and Bolton have been at the centre of a political storm since Friday when the government announced they would be among a host of places where restrictions, which have banned different households from mixing at home, would be eased from Wednesday.

In Trafford, Labour council leader Andrew Western  who had asked for the temporary rules to be extended  suggested the government was putting public health at risk to placate local Tory MPs.

In both patches, local officials are said to fear they have not brought infection numbers down enough to avoid a new spike.

Now, data released on Monday appears to show those concerns are well-founded.

Infection rates have spiked by more than 150 per cent in Bolton in the four days up to 28 August and almost doubled in Trafford in the same period.

Bolton has gone from having 17.4 cases per 100,000 to 44.9 cases. Trafford has risen from 21.1 to 35.8. Crucially, officials say there has been a significant surge among over-65s, the age group most vulnerable to coronavirus.

It means, if the government presses ahead with current plans, both areas will have their restrictions eased while in a so-called amber zone  the point of contagion at which Public Health England says intervention is necessary.

We made it clear on Friday we felt this was a reckless decision by the government, and I take no pleasure in saying that view has been vindicated, Coun Western told The Independent on Tuesday morning. The only option now is to reverse this and keep [restrictions] in place  although my concern would be how effective that can be given Fridays announcement. It has been handled appallingly.

His views were echoed by fellow councillor Jane Slater, cabinet member for health. Our public director of health has been clear we should not [be coming out of lockdown]. That should have been taken on board, she said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Bolton Council leader David Greenhalgh, a Conservative, also officially asked the government for the restrictions to be kept in place in light of the new data.

Despite both calling for restrictions to now remain in place, it seems unlikely the government  even one increasingly known for U-turns  will change its mind.

Sir Graham Brady, one of Traffords three MPs and the chair of the influential 1922 committee of Conservative backbenchers, has said he remains unpersuaded by the councils request for an extension.

The northern lockdown, which placed restrictions on 4 million people in Greater Manchester, parts of East Lancashire and large chunks of West Yorkshire, was initially announced on 30 July. It stopped different households mixing at home and prevented some close contact certain businesses from opening.

On Friday, a million of those people  including in Stockport; much of Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees in West Yorkshire; and Burnley  were told they would be released from the measures from Wednesday.

The announcement itself was delayed by six hours amid the ongoing disputes between government and local leaders.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.
HARDOI: A couple and their son were killed by unidentified persons in an ashram in the Tadiyawa area here, police said on Tuesday (September 1).

Hira Das (55), his wife Meera (48) and son Netram (20), who were living in the ashram built on their land, were brutally hit with stones, they said, adding the incident took place Monday night.

Senior officials, including Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar, inspected the spot and formed teams to crack the case, police said. BSP supremo Mayawati said incidents like these were a matter of concern.

"Such rising criminal incidents were a matter of concern. There is an atmosphere of fear in the area due to the incident. It would be better if the government pays attention to it," she tweeted.
Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways (GSNYPENN) held the official grand opening of their new state-of-the-art solar STEM lab/classroom at the councils Amahami Adventure Center in Deposit late last week.

Joining GSNYPENN CEO Julie Dale on Thursday, August 27, were GSNYPENN Board of Directors Chair Karen Hegeman, project contractor Randy Hay of Randy Hay Construction Inc., project architect Elizabeth Davidson, and representatives from the Community Foundation of South Central New York/Womens Fund, United Way of Broome County, ETM Solar Works, Friends of Amahami, District Rotary 7170 in addition to GSNYPENN staff and members.

The green facility supports girls as leaders in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math) and serves as a resource for communities in greater Binghamton and the Southern Tier. According to research, STEM occupations are growing at double the rate of other professions in the U.S. Women hold less than 28 percent of these jobs yet make up more than 47 percent of the workforce. Over the next 10 years, 1 million new STEM professionals will be needed.

We know that to be effective, STEM engagement needs to start early on. The STEM lab helps us continue our mission of building tomorrows female leaders by preparing girls for careers in STEM through their Girl Scout experience. We hope the lab is not only a place to be creative and learn but a space that feels alive thanks to unique features showcasing how its green elements work. Were very grateful to the donors and community organizations that stepped up to make this a reality for our girls and the region, says GSNYPENN CEO Julie Dale.

Girl Scouts explore progressive, girl-led STEM activities at every level. The new lab/classroom allows GSNYPENN to deliver even more programming to its members. Features of the one-story building include a solar equipment viewing area with solar energy gauged in real-time and displayed on TV monitors; two truth panels that provide a behind-the-scenes look into the floor heating application, insulation, and wiring; and a (non-COVID) capacity of 45 people. The building is self-sustaining for its electrical needs. Maximized solar roof panels installed on a standing seam metal roof are predicted to contribute substantially to the energy needs of the entire camp property at a projected savings of $9,000 annually.

Funding for the $300,000-plus project included gifts from four generous Girl Scout alums/families who wish to remain anonymous. The project was also supported by community grants from Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, United Way of Broome County, Community Foundation for South Central New York, Guthrie, IBM (in recognition of GSNYPENN Board Member Michael Sabos volunteer service and retirement from the company), P&G Fund of the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Rotary District 7170, Friends of Amahami and many individual donors. In-kind support was provided by SUNY Broome Community College, with students under the direction of Associate Professor and Chair of Visual Communications Patricia Evans providing interior design concepts.

Girl Scouts has the reach and proven programming to motivate a new generation of girls to explore STEM and become confident leaders. The organization has committed to filling the STEM workforce pipeline and in 2019 launched the Girl Scout STEM Pledge, a multi-year initiative to put 2.5 million girls through its hands-on STEM programming by 2025.

The STEM lab will be available for use by GSNYPENN members, local organizations and the public. Contact info@gsnypenn.org or call 1.855.213.8555 for further information regarding the rental process.

Girl Scouts serves girls in grades K-12. Annual membership is $25. Financial assistance is available. To register a girl online, visit gsnypenn.org/join. To become an adult volunteer, learn more at gsnypenn.org/volunteer.
Hacker Noon Emoji Reactions in Collaboration With Mozilla "Hacker Noon raises the voices & ideas of all kinds of builders working to keep it real on the internet, - Mozilla's Bijan Marashi. "It's amazing to be a part of their work around engagement, monetization, & research in making community driven platforms a viable and sustainable model for everyone.

Hacker Noon released inline emoji reactions for all stories on its technology publishing platform. This work was done in collaboration with Mozillas Fix the Internet incubator.

We are always exploring ways to help facilitate the exchange of value from writers to readers and readers to writers, wrote CEO David Smooke on Hacker Noon. With just a click, the reader can convey a library of emotions to the writer. These reactions will also help drive curation and distribution on Hacker Noon and the Internet.

Wikipedia, Wordpress, DuckDuckGo, Kickstarter, GitHub, Node.js, and Ethereum are some of our favorite examples of the internet at its best, reads the Mozilla Fix the Internet mission statement. Weve done it before. We're going to build 1000 more.

The program started in July, and today Hacker Noon shipped the first version of the functionality across all stories on HackerNoon.com.

Readers now have a low-friction tool to give writers specific feedback on their words, wrote CPO Dane Lyons on Hacker Noon. This creates a feedback loop that writers can learn from and improve their content over time.

"Hacker Noon raises the voices and ideas of all kinds of builders working to keep it real on the internet, says Bijan Marashi, one of Mozilla Builders founders and leads. "It's amazing to be a part of their work around engagement, monetization, and research in making community driven platforms a viable and sustainable model for everyone.

The pixelated emojis were commissioned by Hacker Noon, designed by Aleksandar Savic - with contributions from the Hacker Noon team - and have been open sourced here: pixelated social media icons, pixelated site icons, and pixelated emoji reactions.

About Mozilla

Mozilla has been a pioneer and advocate for the Web for more than a decade. We create and promote open standards that enable innovation and advance the Web as a platform for all. Today, hundreds of millions of people worldwide use Mozilla Firefox to discover, experience and connect to the Web on computers, tablets and mobile phones. For more information please visit https://www.mozilla.com/press

About Hacker Noon

How hackers start their afternoons. Hacker Noon is built for technologists to read, write, and publish. We are an open and international community of 12,000+ contributing writers publishing stories and expertise for 4,000,000+ curious and insightful monthly readers. Founded in 2016, Hacker Noon is an independent technology publishing platform run by David Smooke and Linh Dao Smooke. Get your technology story published today.


Ford Motor Co. is ceasing production of ventilators and returning the Michigan factory where they were built to full-time auto parts output after completing delivery of 50,000 breathing machines to the U.S. government. The automaker, which had been producing the devices in conjunction with General Electric, shipped its final unit Friday to help with the response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Rachel McCleery, a company spokeswoman. Fords Rawsonville plant already resumed auto parts production in May as part of an industry-wide restart following a shutdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.



Netflix is offering 10 of its movies and shows free, including hits such as Stranger Things and Bird Box, stepping up its marketing. The streaming service posted a list of titles on its website that nonsubscribers can see without logging in or signing up for a trial. Viewers can watch movies in their entirety, but only the first episode of a show such as Stranger Things is free.
The third prosecution witness in the Takoradi girls kidnapping and murder case, Francis Bentum, has told a Sekondi High Court that the suspected Nigerian kidnapper, Samuel Udoetuk Wills, demanded GH5,000 as ransom from him before releasing his daughter.

The kidnapper asked me to pay GH5,000 before releasing my daughter, Priscilla Blessing Bentum, whom he claimed was in his captivity, he said.

He told the court that he was able to pay GH4,500 to the suspect in instalments, but his daughter was not released.

He disclosed that his daughter was 21 years old and a third-year student of the University of Education, Winneba, and lived with her at Diabene, near Takoradi.

He added that the daughter was kidnapped on August 17, 2018 at Kansaworodo, a surburb of Takoradi.

He narrated that on that fateful day, his daughter left home for work at Ghana Cement (GHACEM) in Takoradi but did not return, saying the following day, I reported to the police about my missing daughter.

He said later a certain man called and told him that he had kidnapped his daughter and needed an amount of GH5,000. He gave a Tigo number I should pay the money to via mobile money, he added.

He revealed that he spoke with the alleged kidnapper more than once.

I gave him GH4,500 but the man who spoke broken Twi with a foreign accent failed to honour his promise of releasing my daughter, he said.

He stated that initially it was his son Isaac Ackon who was following up on investigations and coordinating with the police.

He said later he heard the police had discovered some skeletal remains around Samuel Wills' residence. I went to the scene and upon reaching there, I saw a bamboo stick with a nail attached to one end and also I saw a pickup vehicle, he added.

I looked into a Celtic tank and did not see anything. A man who identified himself as a police officer told me he was guarding the place to prevent people from entering the area so I left for my house, he told the court.

He said later the police asked him to make himself available for his sample to be taken for a DNA test. Samples were taken from me, my wife Gladys and my son. The samples were taken by using a long cotton bud to take saliva from our mouths, he recounted.

He said after sometime, the police returned with the news through a priest that the DNA tests showed his daughter was dead, adding I did not accept it because the agreement we had with the police was that the parents of the victims should be involved in the process.

While the visitors were there, a call came through and I was told President Nana Akufo-Addo wanted to speak with me. The President expressed his condolences and said that was not the result he anticipated but, unfortunately, that was what had happened, he recalled.

Mr. Bentum added that later the then Director of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Maame Tiwaa Danquah, called and told him to come to Accra to meet with the new Inspector General of Police (IGP).

I told her I will not go because the victims were four so why should she call only me to come, but she told me it was on individual basis, he explained.

According to him, he went with some family members to meet with the police including COP Kofi Boakye, adding later I was allowed to see one of the skeletal remains which some claimed were that of my daughter but I didn't accept that, and we came back to Takoradi.

He told the court that he was no more interested in conducting an independent test because when they made a request for it they were not given the opportunity.

Cross-Examination

During cross-examination, the Counsel for the suspect, Mark Bosia, from the Legal Aid Board, asked Mr. Bentum how much he paid at each instalment, and he said the first was GH2,000 followed by GH1,000 and another GH1,000 and then GH500.

He explained it was the wife who kept on insisting that they should pay the money thinking the kidnapper would fulfill the promise to release their daughter.

When asked whether he still believes that her daughter was not dead, he said that was the case because he was of the opinion that there was no transparency in the whole DNA processes.

Sitting continues on Wednesday, September 2.

---Daily Guide
A pregnant Canadian woman is urging the federal government to rethink its pandemic travel rules, to allow her to return to the country to access medical care without leaving her soon-to-be adopted Haitian children behind.

The situation is urgent  in just two weeks, Sarah Wallace will be too far along in her pregnancy for major airlines to allow her to fly.

Wallace, a midwife, is originally from Devon, a town west of Edmonton in central Alberta, but has lived in Haiti for the better part of 12 years.

Wallace founded a non-profit in the country, Olive Tree Projects, which aims to support maternal and infant health by providing care, nutrition and education.

She had hoped to return to Canada earlier in her pregnancy. First, paperwork delays in Haiti slowed the process, and then she was told by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that her Haitian children can't return to Canada with her because their adoptions aren't finalized.

While that normally wouldn't prevent them from travelling to the country, under Canada's COVID-19 travel restrictions, the children don't qualify as immediate family members.

Wallace's case has attracted the interest of Conservative MP Dane Lloyd (Sturgeon River-Parkland), who has contacted Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino's office asking that an exception be made so Wallace can obtain the visas she needs for her kids so they can fly back to Canada with her.

"In every moral sense, they are the dependent children of the Wallace family," Lloyd said. "They've been caring for them since they were infants, they're orphans, so the idea that this legal definition of dependent children is getting in the way of these children coming to Canada  is ludicrous."

Adoption process started in 2017

Wallace and her husband, Jean Pierre Valteau, never planned on adopting a child in Haiti, because she knows it can be a long and difficult process.

That changed when an infant who was abandoned, malnourished and HIV-positive showed up at a local hospital. It became clear to Wallace that there was no plan for the child's care.

Story continues

"I suggested to [the hospital administrator] that I take the baby for a while, just get him healthy a little bit, and then that gives social services time to find a permanent home for him," she said.

After months of caring for the infant, Jean-Moise, she realized she couldn't part ways with him, and began the adoption process in 2017. "I just couldn't bring myself to place him in an orphanage."

CBC

The same year, she gave birth to a biological son, and their family seemed complete. Then, in 2018, social service workers dropped off a newborn girl who had been left in a cement bag at a construction site at Wallace's non-profit.

Soon, she was beginning the adoption process for that little girl, too  Eva-Maria.

Process ongoing for 2 years

Wallace and Valteau are legal guardians of the two Haitian children, now aged two and four, and have been working steadily to formalize their adoptions for the last two years.

Over that time, Wallace says conditions have worsened in Haiti, from decreased access to medical care and electricity to increased violence and kidnappings in the region.

Last year, she began applying for passports for the children so the family could return to Canada.

"Of course, trying to get any document in Haiti takes a long time. And then especially during a pandemic, with offices being closed. One specific office closed for two weeks because they had had an outbreak  and one of the guys that had been helping with getting our documents had passed away. And so we are kind of back to zero," she said.

Wallace has obtained passports for the children but their adoptions aren't finalized.

She is now also seven months pregnant, and due to medical concerns hopes to give birth in Canada.

I was feeling very hopeful about getting our visas approved, not even considering we weren't eligible. - Sarah Wallace

"The [Haitian] hospital that I ended up having an emergency C-section at in 2017 was closed overnight because there was no diesel available  we didn't get city power for weeks. And so I thought, well, what's going to happen if I do have an emergency again, and even all the private hospitals are closed overnight?" she said.

Wallace applied for visas for her children, and was feeling hopeful about returning before she'll be too far along in her pregnancy to fly. The last day she can fly is Sept. 15.

"I was feeling very hopeful about getting our visas approved, not even considering that we weren't eligible based on [COVID-19 travel restrictions], because when I look at the current exemptions, it says immediate family, and that includes dependents. I just assumed that we were eligible," she said.

But when she received the response from IRCC, her heart sank.

It stated that because her children are not yet fully adopted, "your family relationship does not qualify as per the definition of immediate family members."

IRCC says adoption must be final

CBC News has reached out to the immigration minister's office, and has yet to receive a response.

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for IRCC said, "We understand that cases like these are complex and challenging for the families and individuals involved."

"In this case, the officer reviewing [the] request for exemption from the COVID-19 travel restrictions was not satisfied that the definition of a family member was met."

The IRCC said that for international adoptions, the process must be complete in the child's home country before the immigration process to Canada can proceed.

Another factor is that Canada is a signatory to the Hague Adoption Convention, which binds participating countries to established international adoptions standards to prevent child trafficking.

But under non-pandemic circumstances, Wallace would be able to obtain visas for the children as their legal guardian.

Patricia Bailey, Wallace's mother, said she's made a full-time job of writing emails to advocate for her daughter and grandchildren. She's also started a petition that has garnered more than 10,000 signatures.

"[The letter of denial] was shocking and just so disheartening ... we're fighting now not just for them to get their visas but actually for the government to change what an immediate family member under COVID-19 rules [is]," Bailey said.

Exemptions available for others

Bailey was especially frustrated to learn that under the current restrictions, exemptions are available for guardians of foreign nationals residing in Canada  but not for foreign wards of Canadian citizens.

Bailey has been corresponding with Lloyd, the MP. She was finally able to meet with him last week, which brought some relief. Lloyd said the meeting with Wallace's mom was emotional.

"As someone who just had my first daughter three months ago, I can empathize with her concerns," he said.

"I want to assure the family that my staff and I are doing everything we can to get them back to Canada and if it was up to me, they'd have their visas today."

Lloyd said as the pandemic continues, it's time to re-evaluate these rules, which were implemented in haste earlier this year, to ensure best practices are in place in the future.

"There's other families going through this as well  as long as COVID-19 is continuing to exist, and as long as these restrictions are continuing to exist, we're seeing so many families in so many different situations negatively impacted," Lloyd said.

"We're not just saying, 'Let's open the borders and pretend COVID-19 isn't there'  Let's be flexible with the rules to ensure people can be reunited with their families."
A roundup of campaign news items of interest:

BIDEN, BUTTIGIEG TO ADDRESS CORN FEED: Ashley Biden, daughter of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, and Pete Buttigieg, a top finisher in the 2020 Iowa caucuses, are among the top speakers scheduled for Progress Iowas annual Corn Feed fundraiser, which will be held virtually this year amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

The sixth annual Corn Feed is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and will be viewable for free on Progress Iowas Facebook page.

Joining Ashley Biden and Buttigieg is Katie Porter, an Iowa native and California congresswoman.

Im looking forward to speaking at this year's Progress Iowa Corn Feed" Ashley Biden said in a statement published by Progress Iowa. "Grassroots activism will make the difference this fall, and it's so important that every one of us steps up to do all we can these last few months of the campaign.

Also scheduled to speak are U.S. Reps. Abby Finkenauer, Dave Loebsack and Cindy Axne; congressional candidates Rita Hart and J.D. Scholten; and U.S. Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield. A voting-rights panel also is scheduled.

While the event is free, for a $25 donation to Progress Iowa, individuals will receive a voter tool kit featuring a tote bag, stickers, postcards to contact elected officials and voters, and a popcorn treat.

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ENDORSE MILLER-MEEKS: A coalition of 30 law enforcement officials endorsed Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the Republican candidate in eastern Iowas open-seat 2nd Congressional District race.

Miller-Meeks faces Democrat Rita Hart for the seat being vacated by Democratic U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, who is retiring at the end of his seventh two-year term.

I consider myself apolitical. I am a registered independent. Whats important to me when I go to vote is knowing that a candidate supports police officers and law enforcement agencies everywhere, Knoxville Police Chief Aaron Fuller said in a news release from the Miller-Meeks campaign. Now more than ever police officers need a champion in Congress, and I believe that Mariannette will be that champion.

FINKENAUER PROMOTES PRESCRIPTION DRUG WORK: The latest campaign ad for Abby Finkenauer, the Democratic candidate in eastern Iowas 1st Congressional District race, highlights her legislative work on prescription drug prices.

In the ad, Finkenauer says she voted to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies on prescription drug prices. The ad cites a bill that in December passed the Democrat-controlled U.S. House largely along party lines with Democrats supporting and Republicans opposing.

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To create a sustainable future of shared value with all stakeholders, AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine has implemented, among other things, an Aquaculture project to address unemployment within its host communities.



Mr. Stephen Adjei, Senior Manager, Sustainability at the Iduapriem Mine, briefed the Executive Director of Ghanas Fisheries Commission, Mr. Michael Arthur Dadzie, and his entourage on the work done on the 14-acre $400,000 aquaculture project. He added that the job done on the project was progressing smoothly with the construction of ponds, tanks, and water treatment facility near completion.



Mr. Stephen Adjei also confirmed that the Iduapriem mine had procured 25,000 fingerlings to stock the ponds and tanks.



The project would provide employment for community members both as permanent workers on the farm and in the value chain. He reiterated the mines commitment to making the communities in which it operates better for the mine being there. In this regard, revenue realized from the sale of the fish would be reinvested in other community development projects.



Mr. Michael Arthur Dadzie, the Executive Director of the Fisheries Commission, lauded Iduapriem Mine for finding innovative ways to improve and sustain the incomes of community members through its Aquaculture project.



During a working visit to the mines Aquaculture site at Teberebie in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, Mr. Michael Arthur Dadzie obtained firsthand information on the project and sought way for further collaboration with the mine. Mr Dadzie was accompanied by the Director, Aquaculture, Mr. Matthew Cofie Oyih, and other officials of the Fisheries Commission from the regional and national offices.



Mr Dadzie pledged the support of his outfit and urged the mine to make good use of the experts available at both the regional and national levels to ensure the successful implementation of the project.





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The head of the World Health Organization is warning that opening up societies too quickly amid the coronavirus pandemic is a recipe for disaster.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus advises that the more control countries have over the virus, the more they can open up, and insists that countries that are serious about opening up must also be serious about suppressing transmission. This may seem like an impossible balance, but it's not, he told reporters in Geneva.

Tedros cited four key points that countries, communities and individuals should focus on: preventing amplifying events - as the virus thrives on clusters; protecting vulnerable groups; people taking steps individually to protect themselves; and finding, isolating, testing and caring for cases, while tracing and quarantining their contacts.
My nearly four years of serving the people of Oak Park has been rewarding and productive, Andrews said in a statement. I am as excited and interested in this work as I was at the beginning of my term in 2017. I hope Oak Parkers will choose me again to continue my work toward greater government transparency, racial equity, affordable housing, environmental and financial sustainability, as well as new issues we face as a community including COVID-19 recovery, policing and public safety and the continued need to keep tax growth to a sustainable amount.
(Newser)  Another White House tell-all is out, but this time first lady Melania Trump is the subject. The book is by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former associate of Melania's until a falling out two years ago. Wolkoff, who says the two were friends for 15 years, helped coordinate President Trump's inauguration, and is now cooperating with authorities who are investigating spending related to the event. Some of the items getting attention in Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady:

Ivanka: A big theme is the "reportedly icy relationship" between Melania and Ivanka Trump, reports Politico. One example: The first lady went out of her way to try to block the face of Ivanka from showing up in the president's swearing-in photos. They called it Operation Block Ivanka, and it was "mostly successful," per Politico. Melania refers to Ivanka as the "princess," according to the book.

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Bathrooms: Wolkoff writes that Melania refused to move into the White House for months until the shower and toilet used by Michelle Obama were replaced, reports the BBC.

Wolkoff writes that Melania refused to move into the White House for months until the shower and toilet used by Michelle Obama were replaced, reports the BBC. Unfazed: The first lady is utterly unconcerned by public criticism, writes Wolkoff. "It's my life, it's nobody's business," she would say in her "impenetrable, unflappable, inexplicably calm" way, per USA Today. "The secret to her happiness is to be authentically and unapologetically skin-deep," Wolkoff writes. "Her behavior hasn't changed from her pre-first lady days; she's just more visible now."

The first lady is utterly unconcerned by public criticism, writes Wolkoff. "It's my life, it's nobody's business," she would say in her "impenetrable, unflappable, inexplicably calm" way, per USA Today. "The secret to her happiness is to be authentically and unapologetically skin-deep," Wolkoff writes. "Her behavior hasn't changed from her pre-first lady days; she's just more visible now." Marriage: Pragmatism appears to be key, per Vogue. "Melania told me the secret of her long marriage to him is that she is completely different than his other wives, Wolkoff writes. Unlike Marla Maples, Melania didn't pressure him emotionally. Unlike Ivana, his first wife, who ran one of his Atlantic City casinos  Melania didn't pressure him for things to do."

Pragmatism appears to be key, per Vogue. "Melania told me the secret of her long marriage to him is that she is completely different than his other wives, Wolkoff writes. Unlike Marla Maples, Melania didn't pressure him emotionally. Unlike Ivana, his first wife, who ran one of his Atlantic City casinos  Melania didn't pressure him for things to do." Response: This book is not only wildly self-aggrandizing, its just not truthful, says Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's chief of staff. "It is an exercise in bizarre twisting of the truth and misguided blame for the sake of self-pity. Its unfortunate and concerning that shes overstated their friendship and her very brief role in the White House to this degree.

(Read more Melania Trump stories.)
Medical experts say the risk of opening schools depends on how widespread COVID-19 infections are in the community and what safety measures are taken. Evidence suggests young children dont spread the disease very easily, while kids aged 10 and up may transmit as much as adults. WHO says children 6-to-11 should wear masks when they cannot social distance, and those 12 and older should wear masks as often as adults.
The government on Tuesday



said it has spent more than Rs 730 crore for various expenses related to management of COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

Out of the total Rs 730.72 crore spent, Rs 579.9 crore was released by the state health and family welfare department and National Health Mission (NHM), while the remaining Rs 150.81 crore was spent by the revenue and disaster management department, Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

In a written reply to a query by Congress MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, Sarma said "COVID-19 pandemic is still continuing in the state. Audited statements from different districts are yet to be received. As such it is not possible to provide the actual expenditure."



Giving details of the expenditure of Rs 579.9 crore, the minister clarified that this figure reflects partial spending which has been compiled as of now.

"So far, the Government of and NHM has released Rs 579,90,31,071.30 for various expenses related to COVID-19. However, actual expenses and expenses to be incurred in the coming months ... can be finalised only after final audited statement is available," he added.

Sarma informed the House that the government has spent Rs 199.72 crore on infrastructure, Rs 3.86 crore WAS GIVEN to medical colleges, Rs 52.95 crore for testing, Rs 75.82 crore for medicines, Rs 37.69 crore for medical equipment, Rs 42.89 crore on transportation and Rs 3.41 crore on awareness campaigns.

Besides, the health and family welfare department and the National Health Mission also released Rs 1.07 crore for additional manpower, Rs 1.6 crore for administrative expenses and Rs 160.88 crore for financial assistance to those stranded outside the state, he added.

Along with these amounts, the revenue and disaster management department has released Rs 150.81 crore so far as immediate assistance for repairing the quarantine centres, Sarma said in a written reply to a separate query by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed.

About assistance from the Centre, the Minister said the state's health and family welfare department and the National Health Mission have received a total of Rs 196.82 crore from the union government under three different heads.

"In addition, Rs 50,00,000 as insurance support has been released under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package to the family of one deceased COVID warrior already and four more are under active consideration," he added.

Sarma also informed tha House that a total of Rs 116.1 crore has been received as contributions from 53,534 people in the account of the Asom Arogya Nidhi till August 15 to support the government's efforts in handling the pandemic.

"Not a single penny of this amount has been used so far. We formed an advisory committee to better utilise this money received from the public. It has suggested we spend the money on COVID-19 vaccine and for medical research. We are considering the proposals," he added.

Sarma also said that donations were received by the Chief Minister's Relief Fund also, but as the amounts for different calamities are not recorded separately it is not possible to tell the exact amount of contributions for COVID- 19.

On August 29, Sarma had announced that the state will withdraw a host of freebies given to COVID-19 patients as it is facing financial stress due to huge expenditures in handling the pandemic.

The state's COVID-19 caseload was 1,09,040 on Monday with 306 deaths.

(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.)
South Koreas special prosecutors first indicted Lee in early 2017 on charges of bribery and corruption, alleging that Samsung provided horses and other payments to a confidante of the former president to win support to help ease his succession. The case inflamed public opinion against the countrys powerful conglomerates, or chaebol, and triggered the impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye. Lee was initially convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, but the sentence was suspended in 2018 and he was released from jail. Still, the case wasnt over. The Supreme Court in August 2019 overturned the lower courts decision to suspend the moguls sentence and ordered a retrial of the whole case. Those hearings have been delayed because prosecutors have argued that one judge involved is biased and inclined to go lightly on Lee. The Supreme Court now needs to decide whether to keep the judge involved or replace him, which could mean the trial would drag into next year.
Siemens has revealed more details of the spin-off its energy business later this month, as it aims to create a firm which CEO Joe Kaeser has previously described as encompassing "the entire scope of the energy market like no other company."



At its capital market day Tuesday, Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch outlined plans for the spin-off, which will see Siemens shareholders hold 55% of the company. Siemens will retain a 35.1% stake and Siemens Pension-Trust will own a 9.9% share. It is due to list on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at the end of September.

Speaking to CNBC's Squawk Box Europe, Bruch explained why the company felt the spin-off was required.

"It's about focus  it's about really focusing on driving an energy technology company forward," he replied.

Asked whether this meant job cuts amid speculation about layoffs and shuttered plants, Bruch replied: "When I talk about focus I first of all mean really helping our customers in the transition to a more sustainable energy world."

"And we will look on all ends, obviously, also, on how to improve our operational performance  that is no question," he added. "I am not satisfied with the operational performance currently, we all are not satisfied at the company and we are working on this."

At the end of March 2020, Siemens Energy employed around 91,000 people globally, with operations focused on areas including gas turbines, generators and steam turbines. It also has a 67% share in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, a major player in the wind turbine sector.

Bruch emphasized the importance of "driving innovation, which really serves future energy markets: from green hydrogen, to transmission, to grid stability, finding  highly efficient gas turbine technologies  these are the things we are working on and what we want to drive."
By PTI

SIVASOMBOON: Thailand's government has decided to delay the purchase of two submarines from China, withdrawing its request to parliament to include the sum for an initial payment in the fiscal year 2021 national budget.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri announced on Monday that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who concurrently serves as defence minister, had told the navy to delay the 22.5 billion baht (USD 723 million) purchase until fiscal year 2022.

The government had sought to have 3.375 billion baht (USD 108 million ) included in the 2021 budget to cover the first of seven annual installment payments.

Funding the submarines had become a hot political issue, with critics saying the purchases could not be justified while the country carried a huge economic burden from the coronavirus crisis.

It also threatened to create fissures in Prayuth's ruling coalition government, as a major partner threatened to oppose its inclusion in the budget.

Anucha said the government's decision showed that the prime minister understood the worries of the Thai people, so the money will instead be used for other purposes, such as a relief program for those who are affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Thailand will soon start negotiations with China on the details of delaying the purchase, he said.

A report on the website of the Bangkok Post newspaper said Beijing has already agreed to the delay.

Thailand expects to receive its first modern submarine in 2023 as part of the same deal with China.

Its purchase was funded in the 2017 budget.

The purchase delay may serve to ease pressure on Prayuth's government, which has been facing a well-organized student-led protest movement seeking to oust it from power.

The protesters, who say their goal is greater democracy, want new elections, amendments to the constitution and an end to intimidation of critics of the government.

They charged that the request to fund the submarine purchases was an example of how the government neglected the public good in favour of expensive military projects with debatable benefits.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan addressed a congratulatory message on the Knowledge and Schooling Day, the PMs Office told Armenpress.

Dear pupils and students,

Dear teachers and parents,

I congratulate you on the occasion of the Knowledge and Schooling Day.

The situation in the Republic caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic doesnt enable to visit school on this memorable day. Unfortunately, the first graders as well have to spend their September 1st without entering to an educational facility.

Nevertheless, after analyzing the development course of the pandemic, we decided to open the schools after several days and ensure the study process with the maintenance of the anti-coronavirus rules.

At the same time, I am happy that universities are partially starting their activity from September 1st, and the freshmen are entering into a new stage of life to fill and enrich the concrete professional knowledge.

At the same time I want to thank all teachers for conducting the remote learning at the highest level.

Dear pupils and students,

As I said above, during this academic year we should strictly follow the anti-coronavirus rules aimed at preventing the possibility of schools becoming a center for the spread of the virus, in order to be able to conduct the study process in a normal way. I am sure that we will jointly overcome also this difficulty with consistent steps, the Armenian PM said, urging the students and pupils to confidently move on the new way of life for their benefit and for the benefit of their parents, the people and the state.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Phoenix, Arizona - September 1, 2020 (Investorideas.com Newswire) SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING) subsidiary Direct Solar of America continues to expand its leading national residential and commercial solar brokerage network to now include thirty-eight (38) states. The Company rapidly grew it's solar brokerage network, aggressively adding states during the pandemic. Direct Solar of America's leading solar brokerage solution is able to initiate and close solar transactions utilizing remote and virtual solar sales professionals. Shifting to a virtual sales force has been a primary focus of management since the acquisition of the company by SinglePoint in May 2019 and was accelerated by the pandemic. The ability to book sales without an in-home visit is a differentiator and competitive advantage in the industry where door-to-door sales of residential solar had been the common practice.

"During the end of Q1 and throughout Q2 we took decisive actions to strengthen and expand our national footprint as evidenced by our current coverage reaching 38 states. We implemented a virtual sales platform and nearly doubled the amount of states that we are set up to do business in" stated Pablo Diaz, CEO Direct Solar of America. "We will continue to systematically add states until we reach our goal of national coverage representing all 50 states which is a true competitive advantage."

Direct Solar of America has created a true win-win scenario for solar contractors and clients seeking solar solutions. We help solar contractors acquire new business without having to build costly sales teams and we guide homeowners and commercial clients through the solar purchasing process enabling them to make the best choice when deciding to implement solar energy and battery storage solutions. The Company leverages its expertise to assess the best options available for our clients and delivers a fully documented, ready to install project to licensed sub-contractors in each market we serve.

"Our team has been phenomenal in pushing through these unprecedented times and have recovered nicely to getting sales back on pace to nearly pre-pandemic levels", states Pablo Diaz CEO Direct Solar America. "We will continue to actively expand through partnerships and acquisitions and recently announced our first LOI to acquire a solar installer that operates within certain states within our leading footprint. We intend to build the definitive national solar network providing a full spectrum of services for residential and commercial clients looking for solar energy and storage solutions."

On July 23, 2020 The Company unveiled a residential and small commercial solar centric roll up strategy designed to increase market share, revenues and most importantly build a future business focused on profitability by targeting specific installer or developer based solar related acquisitions that operate within our national footprint.

On July 29, 2020 SinglePoint Subsidiary Direct Solar of America Entered into a Letter of Intent ("LOI") to Acquire Standard Eco Solar a developer and installer of grid tied solar electric systems in Texas, Illinois, and Arizona with Unaudited Historical Annual Revenue of $11,345,061 (2019).

On August 18, 2020 The Company Reported Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results -- $1.47 Million Compared to $1.1 Million in Six Months Ended June 20, 2019, Approximately a 34% Improvement Over the Same Period Prior Year. A majority of the gross revenues year to date ($1.47 Million) have been driven by the Company's majority owned subsidiary Direct Solar America.

Excerpts from a recently published report (Morningstar Analyst Sees Potential for US Energy Independence with 100% Renewable Sources) by Travis Miller states that the country as a whole has a chance to make energy independence based on renewable sources: ... Solar already is at the top of the investment list for nearly all investors, from utilities to corporates, who want to expand their renewable energy profiles. Most of the market agrees that solar is the accepted choice for incremental renewable energy. It will only grow over the next decade as utilities and energy companies try to meet the demands from policymakers and corporates."

About SinglePoint, Inc.

SinglePoint Inc. (OTC PINK: SING) is a fully reporting company with core holdings in Solar Energy Services and Industrial Hemp based Consumer Products. Acquired in May 2019, Direct Solar of America, a majority owned subsidiary, now operates its leading national solar sales brokerage model in 38 states. In the past year Direct Solar of America has virtualized its sales platform and has added and expanded its corporate offerings to include Direct Solar Capital (Financial) and Direct Solar Commercial with a focus on financing, designing or developing small to mid-size commercial opportunities and projects. 1606 Original Hemp, has been designed and created to be the premier category leader in manufacturing and marketing high quality smokable industrial hemp consumer products for sale through traditional retail channels and online. Since its debut in late 2019, 1606 Original Hemp has been placed into hundreds of retail locations across the country and has amassed a large social media following that continues to grow. The Company has a portfolio of non-core focused businesses that are searching for strategic partnerships or other alternative solutions. SinglePoint is committed to positioning the Company to be able to up list to the highest exchange possible which we feel is a benefit to our stakeholders and shareholders.

Connect on social media at:

https://www.facebook.com/SinglePointMobile

https://twitter.com/_Singlepoint_

https://www.linkedin.com/company/singlepoint

https://www.youtube.com/user/SinglePointMobile

For more information visit: www.SinglePoint.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Technical complications, which may arise, could prevent the prompt implementation of any strategically significant plan(s) outlined above. The Company undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Corporate Communication

SinglePoint

888-OTC-SING

investors@singlepoint.com

www.singlepoint.com

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. For Disclosure purposes SinglePoint Inc (OTCQB: SING) is a paid annual news and social media company on Investorideas.com. More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp and https://www.investorideas.com/About/News/Clientspecifics.asp . Learn more about our prices for publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com

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Chinese authorities have detained an Australian TV journalist working for a Beijing state-run broadcaster in a move that could further strain increasingly fraught relations between the countries.

"The Australian government has been informed that an Australian citizen, Ms Cheng Lei, has been detained in China," Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.

Ms Cheng is a high-profile reporter and presenter covering business and politics for CGTN, China's English- language state broadcaster, which is owned by China Central Television.

She is well known among Australian expatriates in Beijing, and has personal and professional ties to the Australian business community.

Ms Payne said Australian officials were notified of Ms Cheng's detention on August 14, and were able to speak with her by video call last Thursday.

Ms Cheng is being held in Beijing and has not been charged with any crime, reported Australia's ABC.

Under Chinese law, suspects can be questioned for months without facing formal charges.

Australian diplomats have not said Ms Cheng's detention was born of international strain. But it comes in the context of mounting tension between the two counties.

Australia has condemned a sweeping security law Beijing recently imposed on Hong Kong. The government has also criticised Chinese military activities in the South China Sea and human rights violations targeting the mostly Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang province.

Earlier this year, Australia demanded an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. A senior Chinese diplomat in Australia called the push for an inquiry a betrayal.

China has targeted Australian exports of beef, wine and other goods with investigations or tariffs. This summer Australia warned its citizens they could be at risk of arbitrary detention if they travel to China. ( Washington Post)
"As we increase allowances for people to interact with others, if there are mystery chains of transmission, just like mystery cases, they will accelerate and potentially explode." However, he said he was confident Victoria had passed the peak of intensive care admissions, as well as the peak of infections in healthcare workers. There are now 421 people with COVID-19 in Victorian hospitals, 32 fewer than yesterday, including 20 in intensive care, one fewer than yesterday. Tuesday's death toll is the state's lowest since August 15 when four deaths were reported.

Of the five deaths reported, two occurred prior to Monday, but have only recently been reported by aged care facilities to the state's Health Department. Two women in their 70s, two women in their 80s and one woman in her 90s were among those who died, taking the state's death toll to 570. On Monday, 73 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, the lowest daily figure since early July. Also on Monday, 41 cases were added to the Victorian death toll, a number inflated by delayed aged-care reporting. 30 cases likely per day by September 13

Leading epidemiologist Tony Blakely has predicted there will be about 30 cases per day when Victoria is set to move out of stage four restrictions on Sunday, September 13. The University of Melbourne professor told Nine's Today show it was too early for Victorians to see single-digit case growth by this weekend, despite some optimistic predictions. Case numbers will likely decrease by about 10 per cent each day on average, he said, meaning single-digit daily case numbers would not occur until after September 13. Professor Blakely acknowledged that Victorians, including himself, were fed up with stay-at-home orders but said reopening, even with as few as 30 new cases per day, was risky. "You [can] resurge again and you get the cases coming back. So it's really important to strike the balance here. I am sick of lockdown, we are all sick of lockdown, but we need to come out where we don't have a wave coming in that will have us back in lockdown by Christmas."

Professor Blakely said it was possible the state could open up and suppress cases effectively if testing rates remained high, businesses operated safely and people continued to wear face masks. "There's a lot of things that need to be done well. Contact tracing needs to be done much better by the Victorian government than previously has been the case," he said. Different 'road map' for regional Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said he would unveil two "reopening road maps" for the state  one for metropolitan Melbourne and one for regional Victoria  this Sunday.

"There'll be a series of rules, a series of phases, that will be different because the virus is different in regional Victoria," he said. "I made the point yesterday and I make it again  we had a very different Mother's Day. We'll have a very different Father's Day. We have to stay the course on this so we'll have as close to normal a Christmas Day as possible. All the sacrifice, the hard work that we have done, that has to count for something." Mr Andrews revealed on Monday that a traffic-light system of restrictions would be introduced with the aim of guiding the state out of its devastating second surge of coronavirus infections, in a substantial departure from the current staged method of restrictions. Virus risk was extremely low at the end of Victoria's first lockdown: Sutton

Professor Sutton said the transmission potential in Victoria was one of the lowest in the country when the state started to ease restrictions at the end of its first lockdown. "The effective reproduction number in Victoria, at that time, was one of the lowest in the country," he said. "That doesn't stop the potential for really significant outbreaks to occur and the lesson of this wave is exactly that. That a cautious approach then that doesn't cover absolutely every space can still lead to transmission occurring. "So lining up absolutely every element, both in terms of the response that I've spoken to but also every cohort within the community, every geographical area, every industry and workplace is what's required." The state's second wave was triggered by breaches at two quarantine hotels in Melbourne, where staff and security guards contracted the virus from returned travellers and spread it throughout the community. Ninety-nine per cent of Victoria's second wave cases can be traced back to quarantine hotels.

Victorian man infected with COVID-19 on Jetstar flight to Brisbane Meanwhile, border closures are in the spotlight, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison seeking an exit strategy on restrictions from Premiers at Friday's national cabinet meeting. But a Victorian man infected with COVID-19 has been intercepted at Brisbane Airport "trying to get into Queensland illegally" and placed into quarantine, according to Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Victorian health officials were aware the man was COVID-positive and were trying to track him down when he was stopped by police officers at Brisbane Airport.
Recently, Preprints with The Lancet has published a preliminary study report on Turkeys using Favipiravir produced by Hisun to treat COVID-19. The report says after Favipiravir was used in hospitals across Turkey for five days, the overall ICU patient admission rate in the country was reduced by half and that for patients under 60 years old dropped from nearly 20% to 6.6%, with a significant decline in the intubation rate .

The Turkish Government has taken a series of preventive measures since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early January. Later on March 25, it incorporated Favipiravir into the COVID-19 treatment scheme and sent one million Favipiravir tablets purchased from Hisun to hospitals all over the country for the free treatment of COVID-19 patients. Turkeys Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, with the early use of Favipiravir in Turkey, the pneumonia rate sees a gradual decline and that in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, has dropped from 12.1% to 5.61% (https://anadoludabugun.com.tr/turkiye/saglik-bakani-koca-evde-tedavide-yeni-bir-uygulamaya-geciyoruz-122238h).

Now the pandemic continues to worsen worldwide, a number of asymptomatic patients pose the greatest challenge for the battle against the disease in the world. For about 10-15% mild or moderate cases, the infection will spread to the lungs. When that happens, the disease can snowball from moderate to severe very, very quickly, said Bruce Aylward, an assistant director-general with the World Health Organization (https://www.michigansthumb.com/science/article/How-a-mild-case-of-COVID-19-can-turn-deadly-15123209.php). Therefore, the early diagnosis and treatment of asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms is extremely important.

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Turkish police have arrested Islamic State's top figure in Turkey and they suspect the militant group planned to carry out attacks, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Tuesday.

He said the operation to capture the suspect was launched after security forces recently detected an increase in activity by the jihadist militants, based in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

"He had been constantly receiving orders from both Iraq and Syria to carry out an attack in Turkey," Soylu told reporters, naming the suspect as Mahmut Ozden and adding that suspects linked to him were currently under interrogation.

Intelligence and counter-terror police caught Ozden in an operation in the southern city of Adana and he was brought to Istanbul where he was formally arrested, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

That raid took place following the arrest of an Islamic State suspect in Istanbul last week believed to have been carrying out reconnaissance for a potential attack, Anadolu said.

It said a Kalashnikov rifle was found in a search of that suspect's hotel room and it was determined that he received orders from Ozden, leading to the latest operation.

Soylu said that seized digital materials also revealed that there were plans to kidnap political and state figures and take them to Syria.

Turkish police sporadically carry out raids targeting Islamic State. On July 19 they detained 27 people in Istanbul linked to the group who were suspected of preparing an attack.

Islamic State has conducted numerous attacks across Turkey, including on a nightclub in Istanbul on Jan. 1, 2017 in which 39 people were killed, and a bombing in the city's historic heart that killed 12 in 2016.

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Linkedin Sausan Atika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020

Two months into Jakartas plastic bag ban, the policy has yet to yield optimal results, environmentalists have said, urging the administration to step up monitoring of its implementation.

Regi Risman, 28, hesitantly accepted a plastic bag from a fruit seller at the Mencos traditional market in South Jakarta this month.

I asked the seller why she was still using single-use plastic bags. She simply said it was okay to use them, Regi told The Jakarta Post on Monday. She probably didnt know about the ban, or no one has warned her to comply with the new policy.

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Holistic Chamber of Commerce Celebration and Retreat Event "These days, it is clear that our health and personal finances are connected. Marketing increases awareness and education, and this is where we help our members reach out to their communities. Camille Leon, Founder of the HCC,

With a vision of healthy people on a healthy planet, the Holistic Chamber of Commerce (HCC) is weaving together an international movement promoting holistic, natural and sustainable products, services and solutions. To that end, the HCC is pleased to announce details for their upcoming 10th Anniversary Celebration and Retreat.

This special event will be held online on Friday and Saturday, October 16th -17th , with an in-person option for fifty (50) who would like a spacious retreat at Hilton Lake Las Vegas. Topics will cover a range of interests focused on helping attendees reach more customers, clients and patients, and handle the changes that come up when you are in the middle of a business boom.

Its time for holistically-minded professionals, practitioners and business owners to come together and show the standard of integrity and professionalism we bring to the work we do. Our international organization is a natural partnership for our vibrant and growing holistic business community, as well as a much-needed bridge for consumers looking for natural and authentic products, services and solutions. These days, it is clear that our health and personal finances are connected. Thats why we talk about health in all elements: Mind, body, spirit, business, budget, and planet. Marketing increases awareness and education, and this is where we help our members reach out to their communities. Camille Leon, Founder of the HCC, brings a clear vision of her own to for leading this network of members and local chapters.

The HCC is designed to make it easier for consumers to find holistic and natural health and wellness options. Visit our events page for ticket information.

"We are so excited to be part of this hybrid event and grateful for the opportunity to present within a like-minded community. The Holistic Chamber of Commerce provides a valuable platform for both businesses and wellness professionals." says Charn Pennewaert, CEO of Media Stream, LLC.

Thanks to sponsors and partners including QBQueen.com, Nicoll Insurance, BridgeIT Movement, Media Stream Marketing, Maryland University of Integrative Healths Department of Professional and Continuing Education, LinktoEXPERT, and others, the HCC is poised for exponential expansion in 2020 and excited to celebrate their tenth anniversary at Hilton Lake Las Vegas in October.

About the Holistic Chamber of Commerce

The Holistic Chamber of Commerce is the only organization for holistically-minded professionals and business owners offering an online directory and event listing, a network of community-based chapters and business-related discounts. By checking references on all members, the HCC Member Directory guarantees a higher-level of quality when making referrals.
Millions of students across India take tests after govt refused to postpone exams despite fears of coronavirus spread.

Millions of masked students filed into exam centres across India on Tuesday to take tests for admission to medical and engineering schools despite fears of a coronavirus spread.

At least 2 million students in the country will participate in the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for engineering colleges and the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) exams for medical colleges. While the JEE is being held between September 1 and 6, the NEET will be held on September 13.

Authorities have made face masks mandatory for students and physical distancing is being enforced to prevent the spread of the virus.

In various places, candidates had their temperature taken before entry to the exam venue.

The federal government had declined to defer the tests  already postponed twice this year  despite growing pressure from some students and opposition parties who feared rising infections as well as difficulty travelling to exam centres due to virus-linked curbs on transport.

If (the exam) is delayed, then our whole year will be wasted  we dont have any option, a student appearing for the tests in the eastern city of Kolkata told the India Today news channel.

So whatever maximum precautions we can take, which we are all following, I think its fine, she said.





In an effort to avert more serious economic damage, India recently relaxed more restrictions and has announced that urban metro trains can resume services from September 7.

Indias economy shrank by nearly a quarter in April-June, data showed on Monday, much more than forecast and pointing to longer-than-expected time for recovery.

India, the worlds third-most affected country by the pandemic after the United States and Brazil, reported 69,921 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, its lowest number in six days.

It took the overall number of cases to 3.69 million, while the death toll from COVID-19 rose by 819 to 65,288. On Sunday, India reported 78,761 new cases, the worlds biggest, single-day tally.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Igor Matovic on Slovakias national holiday, the PMs Office told Armenpress.

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia and on my own behalf, I warmly congratulate you and the friendly people of Slovakia on your countrys national holiday - Constitution Day. I wish you progress and prosperity on this occasion.

Armenia highly values the furtherance of cooperation with friendly Slovakia in all areas of mutual interest. I am hopeful that through joint efforts we will supplement the bilateral agenda with multifaceted programs and will boast ever new achievements to the benefit of our peoples, the congratulatory message reads.


DALLAS  Dallas police officers found the bodies of three people in an apartment Monday after a man called an alarm company and said he had killed his wife and two children, police said.

Deputy Chief Reuben Ramirez says James Webb, 57, was taken into custody by officers who arrived at the scene. He was booked into the Dallas County jail on a capital murder charge without bond pending an appearance before a magistrate. Public records list no attorney for him.

Police said the three people who were killed had been shot.

This is a horrible scene, Ramirez said.

No further information was immediately available.
Google has celebrated the pioneering UK civil rights hero Dr Harold Moody with a Doodle published on the 116th anniversary of his arrival from Jamaica.

On this day, a young Dr Moody arrived in Britain to study medicine at Kings College London, where he would graduate in 1910 at the age of 28, top of his class.

After facing rampant racial prejudice during a fruitless three-year search for employment, Dr Moody established his own GP practice at his home on Kings Road (now King's Grove) in Peckham.

At a time before the advent of the NHS when health care was costly and many were forced to go without, he treated poor children in the area free of charge and opened his home to black travellers denied lodgings elsewhere, cementing his local reputation for philanthropy.

But as Dr Moody married a white nurse, fathered six children and moved into a larger home and surgery on the nearby Queens Road, racial tensions in the UK continued to rise, exacerbated by the wave of mass unemployment following the First World War.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A killer whale (orca in the fjord of Skjervoy, northern Norway AFP/Getty

It was against this backdrop in 1931 that Dr Moody founded the The League of Coloured Peoples (LCP)  often dubbed the UKs first civil rights group.

In his role as president, Dr Moody became a tireless lobbyist, writing to politicians, trade unions and civil service in an attempt to improve race relations.

Fighting for the lifting of the colour bar in the British Armed Forces, fair wages for Trinidadian oil workers and employment rights for black seamen, Dr Moody was eventually appointed to a government advisory committee on the welfare of non-Europeans in 1943.

Although he died in 1947, shortly after which the LCP was dissolved, Dr Moodys campaigning is credited as having been key to the passing of the landmark Race Relations Act in 1965, which prohibited discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, ethnicity or nationality, and created the offence of incitement to racial hatred.

Noting that Dr Moody was also once the first doctor on the scene during a major bombing episode in south London during the Second World War, historian Stephen Bourne has said that he ought to be thought of as Britains Martin Luther King.

I hope that the way Ive portrayed Dr Moody will inspire people to learn more about him and other important black people in the UK  especially in Peckham, which often carries a negative stigma, said Dublin-based guest artist Charlot Kristensen, who created the Google Doodle.
Listen to Outbreak Alabama: Stories from a Pandemic, above.

Today, we hear from AL.com investigative reporter Connor Sheets.

Connor recently interviewed students at the University of Alabama about their concerns over whether or not the administration is doing enough to protect them from the COVID-19 virus.

To slow the spread, UA has consolidated student housing to clear room to quarantine students, announcing that all students living on one side of Burke Hall would have to move out to free up rooms to isolate and quarantine students who test positive for the virus or come in contact with someone who has. The university reported last week that more than 36 percent of its isolation space in Tuscaloosa was occupied.

Some students consider UAs effort too little, too late, according to Connors story, and that students and faculty have been disappointed by the unwillingness of a significant portion of the student body to take common-sense steps to avoid spreading the coronavirus.

I spoke to Connor about what he heard directly from concerned University of Alabama students, what steps UA is taking to protect the student body from COVID-19, the national headlines the UA system is making for better or worse and what he thinks it will take for the states colleges to switch to remote learning.

Follow Connor Sheets on Twitter. If you are a college student in Alabama who is quarantined on campus and want to share your story, contact Connor at csheets@al.com.

Outbreak Alabama will release two or three episodes per week, chronicling the experiences of those directly impacted by COVID-19s spread, including health care professionals, business owners, city leaders, artists, AL.com reporters and many others.

If you or anyone you know is affected by coronavirus and want to share your story, please email bflanagan@al.com. For all of our coverage on the outbreak and how it continues to impact Alabama, visit AL.com/coronavirus.

Listen and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts. If you like the show, please rate it and write us a review. Thank you for listening.

More from Outbreak Alabama:

Sidewalk at the drive-in

The situation at Auburn

A cluster at UA

Finally, some good news

How are our schools doing so far?

Going back to college

Why do we suck at this?

Close one restaurant, open another

Being black with COVID-19

Are bars really the problem?

Historic theaters in grave situation

Will the college football season really happen?
Scaled-down Venice film festival hopes to shake off virus gloom Venice gears up for International FIlm Festival with COVID-19 protocols in place

By Hanna Rantala

VENICE, Italy (Reuters) - Fewer Hollywood stars will grace the red carpet and there will be no fans clamouring for autographs.

But for all the COVID-19 restrictions, director Alberto Barbera says the very fact that the Venice film festival is going ahead in front of live audiences this week sends a positive message.

"We think that it's time to restart for cinema," Barbera told Reuters on the eve of the festival, which runs from Sept. 2-12 and is now in its 77th year.

"We need to reopen the theatres. We need to distribute new films. We need to start shooting new films again and I hope that the festival will be a sign of solidarity and encouragement for everybody involved with the film industry."

The world's oldest film festival, regarded as a showcase for Oscar contenders as awards season approaches, is the first such international event to take place since the movie world ground to a halt due to the pandemic.

The world's biggest - Cannes film festival - was cancelled.

With coronavirus cases rising again in Italy and elsewhere, a strict safety protocol has been put in place.

Anyone attending from outside Europe's Schengen area will have to test for COVID-19 before departure and once on the Lido, the long, narrow island in the Venetian Lagoon where the annual festival is held.

Temperatures will be checked and every second seat in the cinemas will be left empty. Seats will have to be reserved online, audiences will be required to wear a face mask and fans will not be allowed near the red carpet.

The restrictions are similar to those being imposed in cinemas around the world, including Italy, where only big venues have re-opened and viewers are seated apart and encouraged to wear masks at least in the foyer area.

Among the stars expected to make the trip are Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who will lead the jury, U.S. actor Matt Dillon and Spanish director Pedro Almodovar. British actress Tilda Swinton is also expected to attend to receive a life achievement award.

Story continues

The main competition lineup for the Golden Lion award for best film includes 18 titles, compared to 21 last year. Just two are U.S. studio productions: "Nomadland", a road drama by U.S.-based Chinese director Chloe Zhao starring Frances McDormand, and "The World To Come", with Casey Affleck.

They will compete against works by Israel's Amos Gitai and Russia's Andrei Konchalovsky, and four Italian films, including Gianfranco Rosi's "Notturno", about the Syrian conflict.

Titles screening out of competition include "The Duke", a crime comedy from "Notting Hill" director Roger Michell starring Helen Mirren, and "Greta", a documentary portrait of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

More than 50 countries are participating - at least four titles were added at the last minute to the out of competition line-up, some of them filmed and edited in record time after the easing of lockdowns.

(writing by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
A Queensland police officer has had his suspended sentence and convictions set aside after leaking the address of a domestic violence survivor to her former partner.

Senior Constable Neil Punchard was initially sentenced to two months in prison, wholly suspended with a conviction recorded, after pleading guilty to nine counts of computer hacking in relation to the matter last year.

In a statement, a Queensland police spokesperson said the service would now consider the outcome of the appeal. Credit:Queensland Police Service

After Mr Punchard, 54, appealed the harshness of the penalties, Queensland District Court Judge Craig Chowdhury set them aside and instead ordered the suspended officer complete 140 hours of community service.

"There is no question that the nature of the offences are serious," Judge Chowdhury wrote.
When authorities arrested Graham Ivan Clark, who they said was the mastermind of the recent Twitter hack that ensnared Kanye West, Bill Gates and others, one detail that stood out was his age: He was only 17.

Now authorities have homed in on another person who appears to have played an equal, if not more significant, role in the July 15 attack, according to four people involved in the investigation who declined to be identified because the inquiry was ongoing. They said the person was at least partly responsible for planning the breach and carrying out some of its most sensitive and complicated elements.

His age? Just 16, public records show.

On Tuesday, federal agents served the teenager with a search warrant and scoured the Massachusetts home where he lives with his parents, said one of the people involved in the operation. A spokesman for the F.B.I. confirmed a search warrant had been executed at the address.

The search warrant and other documents in the case are under seal, and federal agents may decide not to charge the youth with a crime. If he is ultimately arrested, the case is likely to be handed over to Massachusetts authorities, who have more leverage than federal prosecutors in charging minors as adults. (The New York Times is not naming the teenager at this point because of his age and because he has not been charged.)
Clark Peters said he had no idea that Boseman was ill while on set with him filming Da 5 Bloods



Veteran actor Clarke Peters shared memories of his time with the late actor Chadwick Boseman on Good Morning Britain. The two worked together for the first time on the Spike Lee movie Da 5 Bloods which premiered on Netflix earlier this year.

Peters, who also starred on all five seasons of the classic HBO show The Wire as Det. Lester Freamon, met Boseman on the set of the film and tells the GMB hosts that he regrets not being more altruistic in his view of the actor.

Read More: Michael B. Jordan honors Chadwick Boseman: I wish we had more time

Hindsight teaches us a lot of things, Peters told co-hosts Ranvir Singh and Sean Fletcher on Monday. I was really excited to work with him. But when my wife asked what Chadwick was like, I said I thought he was a little bit precious.

Chadwick Boseman in Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

She said why and I said because hes surrounded by people who were fawning over him.

Peters got choked up because he said he now realizes that the people Boseman had on set with him were caring for the actor in the wake of the colon cancer diagnosis his family says he received in 2016.

He had a Chinese practitioner who was massaging his back when he walked off set, he had a make-up lady massaging his feet, his girlfriend was there holding his hand, Peters said.

Chadwick Boseman and Spike Lee attend the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Denzel Washington at Dolby Theatre on June 06, 2019, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for WarnerMedia)

Peters wondered if Boseman had become a spoiled Hollywood star.

I was thinking that maybe the Black Panther thing went to his head, he said.

But now I regret even having those thoughts because they were really looking after him.

Peters said he had no idea that Boseman was ill on set in Thailand, particularly considering the conditions during Da 5 Bloods shoot.

Read More: Netflix delays preview of Chadwick Bosemans last film, Ma Raineys Black Bottom

The beauties of filming. Always wanted to be Wired with this guy.@clarkepeters #da5bloods pic.twitter.com/zc3a7KWBFI  Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) June 27, 2020

Listen, we were in 104-degree weather, running with equipment up to 40 pounds on our backs, going through these scenes. That young man did all of that while ill. Im sorry, he said.

Story continues

Peters was overcome with emotion and started crying, apologizing to the hosts.

Lee spoke to the crowd at his annual Michael Jackson birthday celebration in Brooklyn on Saturday, the day after the world found out that Boseman had passed.

We filmed Da 5 Bloods in Thailand, and it was hot, jungles, mountains, and Chadwick was there with us all the way. I never, ever suspected that anything was wrong. No one knew he was going through treatment, chemotherapy, Lee told the crowd after dedicating Jacksons Gone Too Soon, to Boseman.

A trouper. He never complained. He was there every single minute, in the moment, and his performance is testament to what he put into that role and all his roles.

Read More: Marvel Studios remember Chadwick Boseman with heartfelt tribute video

Bosemans wife and family announced through his official social media channels that the actor had passed last Friday. They revealed his colon cancer diagnosis for the first time. Boseman made 7 movies while undergoing countless surgeries and chemotherapy, the post said.

Peters further reflected: Im not sure that weve lost. I think that he served his purpose. But we lost a very sweet soul, we lost a fine actor, we lost a man of integrity. But what weve gained is that he put a lot of younger people of color on track. If everyone has a purpose in life he certainly played the role of hero in many, many ways.



Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Wire actor Clarke Peters breaks down over Chadwick Boseman appeared first on TheGrio.


HANOVER (dpa-AFX) - Continental AG (CTTAY.PK) said it will expand its restructuring program launched in 2019 that could affect about 30,000 jobs worldwide, including about 13,000 in Germany. It now aims to achieve annual savings of more than 1 billion euros from 2023 onwards, increasing from previous savings target of about 500 million euros annually.



Talking about the number of jobs getting impacted, the company said, 'These will be modified, relocated, or made redundant.'



The restructuring is due to low global vehicle production as well as the deepening economic crisis as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.



'The entire automotive industry is currently faced with enormous challenges. It has not experienced a larger, more severe crisis in the past 70 years,' said Continental CEO Elmar Degenhart.



The German automotive supplier and tire manufacturer said it does not expect the vehicle production to return to the pre-crisis levels of 2017 before 2025.



The company had originally announced measures in September 2019 that would have affected up to 20,000 jobs worldwide, including about 7,000 in Germany. It has already completed a portion of the transformation program, affecting about 3,000 jobs worldwide since the end of September 2019, the company said.



Ariane Reinhart, Continental's Executive Board member for Human Relations, said that the company had held the exploratory talks in Germany and now entering a decisive phase. The company will announce the results of the talks once they have been completed.



Reinhart pointed out the willingness of the company to discuss new methods such as reduced working hours and simultaneous further training.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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After getting approval from the Supreme Court, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. As a part of the probe, the agency summoned Rhea Chakraborty's parents, Indrajit and Sandhya Chakraborty, today for interrogation in connection with the case.

As per a Zee News report, Rhea's questioning was deferred today after a four-day rigorous grilling session. Sources told IANS that the actress was questioned about her break-up with Sushant, when did she come to know about the death of the actor and how she managed to enter the mortuary of Cooper Hospital. She was also probed about the WhatsApp chats where she was talking about drugs and relations with filmmaker Sandeep Ssingh and Sushant's former manager Shruti Modi.

Besides Rhea, the CBI has been questioning the actress's brother Showik Chakraborty, Sushant's flatmate Siddharth Pithani, manager Samual Miranda, Shruti Modi, cook Neeraj Singh, domestic-help Keshav and accountant Rajat Mewati.

Meanwhile, Goa-based hotelier Gaurav Arya is being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today for the second time, after his name sprung up in the chats with Rhea Chakraborty that allegedly spoke about drugs.

On Monday, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) filed a criminal case against Rhea Chakraborty and others. The actress was earlier booked under sections 20, 22, 27, and 29 of the NDPS Act.

For the unversed, Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Bandra apartment in Mumbai on June 14, 2020. The late actor's father KK Singh has accused Rhea Chakraborty of forcing his son to end his life and siphoning his funds.

ALSO READ: Suchitra Krishnamoorthi Questions Why Mahesh Bhatt Was Adamant About Rhea Leaving Sushant On June 8

ALSO READ: Sushant Singh Rajput's Niece Mallika Singh Takes A Sharp Dig At Rhea Chakraborty's Supporters
(This story has been updated with additional information from the city of Flint.)

FLINT, MI -- Mayor Sheldon Neeley says hes created a task force to advise the Flint Police Department, but at least one councilman says all nine members need to be vetted and approved by the City Council before they do business.

Neeley announced the creation of the Community Advisory Task Force in a news release Monday, Aug. 31, naming the Rev. Jeffery Hawkins of Prince of Peace Church as chairman.

The mayor had previously said he would appoint such a group after the death of George Floyd and said the task force would provide a seat at the table that residents had been seeking.

Others named to the group are Co-Chair Debra Furr-Holden, an epidemiologist who serves as dean of public health at Michigan State University; Ralph Arellano, former member of Flint City Council; Mario DeSean Booker, a minister and volunteer; Brandon Ray Jamison, a host on radio station Club 93.7 FM; Adrienne Nilesans, a former after-school site coordinator; Holly Underwood, a neighborhood block club activist; and Estephanie Ward, a graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint and Mott Community College.

The announcement of the formation of the task force came the day before new Police Chief Terence Green started his first day on the job Tuesday, Sept. 1.

First Ward city Councilman Eric Mays said Tuesday that the announcement is at odds with the city charter, but City Attorney Angela Wheeler later said thats not the case.

The charter requires council approval of members of multiple member bodies, which are defined as any board, commission, ad hoc committee, advisory committee and any group however designated, composed of more than one person, and acting or purporting to act, in exercise of official duties.

They got no business out there before members are approved by council, Mays said. You got an administration gone wild by announcing the group and its member before that time, he said.

Wheeler said through a Flint spokeswoman that the task force does not meet the definition of a multi-member body as described in the charter because the group does not exercise any official duties on behalf of the city.

Mayor Neeley asked Pastor Jeffery Hawkins to lead the effort to open up the lines of communication and transparency to residents, the citys statement says. Pastor Hawkins then named the task force members.
Nairobi  The redundancy plans at East African Portland Cement PLC have entered the final phase with 270 employees to be affected, the cement maker has said in a statement.

The firm says the move will involve conversion of all permanent staff to contract terms as the company deals with the economic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking during a consultative meeting with the permanent staff, the acting Managing director Stephen Nthei said the strategic objective is to reduce administrative costs as outlined in the turnaround strategy adopted by the board and to comply with regulations outlined by the State Corporations Advisory Committee.

"The Board has taken a position that we must comply with the regulatory position to operate under a 30-70 model. This means the company should run on 30 percent administrative staff and 70 percent production staff."

"As we all know, the company has also been running in the past against the directive by SCAC (State Corporations Advisory Committee) on wage bill. To this end, the Board developed a new salary structure which is to be filed with the State Corporations Advisory Committee to ensure compliance.

The impact of COVID-19 has also not spared the construction industry. The industry has seen lower demand for its products, leading to overcapacity.

"As a company, we are not in isolation from the consequences of Covid-19 which has affected the consumer purchasing power leading to a decline in demand for cement"

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"The revenues coming out of our cement sales are not able to fully cover all the required costs and some of them are fixed costs in nature."

Speaking to staff, The Ag.MD said Portland "is doing everything possible to ensure a fair program which will result in a win -win situation for the company and the employees"

"Ideally, we should have run the redundancy program but the company was not able to raise enough cash flow. The first phase was to resolve the top heavy cost of labor from grade 2 to grade 5. The second step was to resolve the administrative element because the administrative cost was almost 60 percent, the production part was 40 percent, we had to achieve the reverse, and this has been resolved through streamlining support services. "

The last leg of the redundancy program will involve 270 staff ensuring that the entire workforce is on contract terms of employment.

"Every staff will be accorded one month salary for every year worked, there's also the issue of the notice period which is 3 months, among other benefits articulated in the redundancy notice. The company does not have funds to pay the entire amount however, the board has started a program to raise cash flow. The cash arising from this will be utilized to settling the staff obligations."

East African Portland Cement PLC has been anchoring its potential bounce back on the sale of its massive land holdings in Athi River tabulated at 14,000 acres.

EAPC PLC valued its land parcels at Sh27.2 billion in its published 2018 Annual Report.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

A critical situation is observed in the occupied Azerbaijani territories in connection with coronavirus, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Hikmat Hajiyev said in an interview with Ictimai Television (ITV), Trend reports on Sept.1.

The Armenian leadership is trying to hide the real situation. The Azerbaijani side is concerned about the situation in connection with the health conditions of Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev during the pandemic, Hajiyev said.

"The health conditions of our compatriots illegally detained in prisons and penitentiary institutions in Armenia and the occupied territories is an important topic for discussion. The reason is that there may be a deplorable situation in connection with coronavirus in these penitentiary institutions and prisons in Armenia," assistant to the president added.

Hajiyev stressed that the Azerbaijani side constantly pays attention to the issue related to the compatriots.

"Presently, we receive data about the health conditions of Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). However, whenever possible, we constantly raise the issue of their release before the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group," assistant to the president said.
The Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC), a representative body of assets and loan financing NBFCs, on Tuesday raised concerns on the recent norms on opening of current accounts by banks, and requested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to provide exemption for the sector.

The on August 6 revised norms for opening of current accounts by banks, in order to strengthen credit discipline. The central bank said no bank shall open current accounts for customers who have availed credit facilities in the form of cash credit (CC)/ overdraft (OD) from the banking system and all transactions shall be routed through the CC/OD account.

The central bank said banks should not route drawal from term loans through current accounts. Since term loans are meant for specific purposes, the funds should be remitted directly to the supplier of goods and services, the said.

In a letter written to Governor Shaktikanta Das, FIDC said non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and housing finance companies (HFCs) have various current accounts with banks based on the bank of the customer for which they have National Automated Clearing House (NACH)/ Electronic Clearing Services (ECS) mandates. Such banks may or may not have CC/OD facility extended to such NBFCs and

Following the August 6 circular, these current accounts will need to be closed, it said.

The requirement to route all transactions through CC/OD account would mean that all amounts collected from its borrowers and all loan amounts disbursed have to be routed through the CC/OD account, the industry body said.

"This change will make tracking of business-wise collections and disbursals difficult for financial institutions," the letter read.

FIDC said NBFC and HFC borrowers may have provided NACH and ECS mandates from their current accounts with a particular bank. Such borrowers may not have availed CC/OD facility from the same bank.

"In view of this, if these current accounts are required to be closed or made non-operational in terms of the circular, the loan repayments will suffer as it may not be possible to procure fresh NACH / ECS mandates," it stated.

In the case of NBFCs or that avail term loans for on-lending, the requirement that the lending bank will remit funds directly to the supplier of goods and services will not be feasible, the industry body said.

FIDC said if all transactions are only to be routed through a particular bank, there would be no flexibility or back-up available in case of any unforeseen issues or freeze on transactions with that bank.

"This would automatically result in a freeze of all the transactions of that particular entity with that bank," it said.

Also, the bank in which the transactions of an entity need to be routed would be able to utilise the credits to set off its debits to the prejudice of other banks and other entities like investors having an exposure to the entity, it added.

"We, therefore, request you to review the circular in view of the above challenges and also please exempt NBFCs from this regulation on restriction of opening of current accounts and on the stipulation of remitting term loans to 'suppliers'," FIDC 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.)
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters following a meeting with members of the U.N. Security Council in New York City on Aug. 20, 2020. (Mike Segar/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Texas University Expels China-Funded Visiting Scholars Amid US-China Tensions

Amid talks of further U.S. action to restrict Chinese students coming to the United States, a Texas university has expelled visiting scholars who were funded by a Chinese government scholarship program.

During an interview with the WMALs Mornings on The Mall Radio Show on Aug. 31, U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo said the president was evaluating measures to prevent intellectual property theft by Chinese nationals and students, which could be rolled out over the coming weeks and months.

He said that while not every Chinese student in America is spying for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it is absolutely the case that Chinese students are being subject to regular surveillance by Beijing to make sure theyre engaged in behavior thats consistent with what the Chinese Communist Party wants them to do.

The Trump administrations recent scrutiny of researchers with foreign tiesparticularly those recruited by Beijing-backed talent programs, some of whom have been prosecuted for stealing trade secretsled to the National Institutes of Health to probe whether scientists had failed to disclose their foreign affiliations for projects it funded.

A copy of a letter from the University of North Texas to visiting scholars who are part of a Chinese-funded scholarship program. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

Texas Campus

Amid the fraught tensions, the University of North Texas (UNT) recently told visiting scholars who received funding from the Chinese Scholarship Councila scholarship fund established by Chinas education ministry for Chinese students to study abroadthat it terminated its relationship with them.

In an Aug. 26 letter, a copy of which The Epoch Times has obtained, the school told the scholars to make travel arrangements to return home as soon as possible.

The scholars were on J-1 visas, for individuals approved to participate in work- and study-based exchange visitor programs.

This decision is limited to 15 visiting researchers funded by this particular organization, and does not impact any student enrolled and studying at the university, UNT Vice President Jim Berscheidt told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement on Monday. UNT continues to welcome visiting scholars from around the world, including China.

Berscheidt did not say why the school made the decision.

A student walks on campus at Linfield Christian School in Temecula, California on March 23, 2016. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

Graduate Students

Students at a British-affiliated university in China also recently drew scrutiny for their ties to the Party.

On June 30, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), a cooperation campus between the University of Nottingham and the Zhejiang Wanli Education Group, announced that 18 students who were also CCP members had earned admission into graduate programs at top universities in the United States and the UK.

The UNNC has about 8,000 students. It also has a very active CCP committee, with multiple subunits. Party units are embedded in many Chinese businesses and organizations to ensure staff toe the Party line.

On Chinese social media, the committee maintains an official account that frequently posts about their activities.

In a June 30 post, the committee listed 18 of its members, including their photos, positions at the committee, and the admission decisions they received.

For example, the post listed Cui Haoting as a member of the first division of the UNNC CCP Committee. He was accepted into Columbia University in New York City. According to the post, Cui said: I feel very lucky to be a CCP member. I hope I will contribute to our Party and country in the future.

Ella Kietlinska and Eva Fu contributed to this report.
The nation bid farewell to 'Citizen Mukherjee', who was given a ceremonial send-off in accordance with COVID-19 protocol.

IMAGE: Abhijit Mukherjee and Sharmistha Mukherjee, son and daughter respectively of late Pranab Mukherjee, hold the tricolour presented to them during the funeral of the former president, at Lodhi Road cremation ground in New Delhi. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

Bugles sounded the last post, soldiers clicked their heels and fired in the air and the small gathering, many in PPE suits, raised their hands in salute as India's 13th president Pranab Mukherjee was cremated on Tuesday in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

The nation bid farewell to 'Citizen Mukherjee', who was given a ceremonial send-off in accordance with COVID-19 protocol, with visors, face shields, masks and the number of people at the Lodhi Road crematorium strictly restricted.

The tributes continued to pour in for the statesman, scholar and master political strategist, who stayed in public life for more than five decades as a long-time Congress leader and then as president, but only close family and friends were present at the funeral conducted with full state honours.

IMAGE: Army jawans carry the mortal remains of former president Pranab Mukherjee during his funeral ceremony, at Lodhi Road cremation ground in New Delhi. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

Mukherjee, 84, died on Monday at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments. He tested positive for COVID-19 when he was admitted to the hospital on August 10 and was operated the same day for removal of a brain clot.

His son, former MP Abhijit Mukherjee, performed the last rites with family and friends paying their last respects clad in personal protective gear.

A hush fell over the crematorium as the coffin wrapped in tricolour made its way inside the complex. The air was solemn and fragrant with flowers.

IMAGE: Army jawans carry the mortal remains of former president Pranab Mukherjee during his funeral ceremony, at Lodhi Road cremation ground . Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

Earlier in the morning, Mukherjee's mortal remains were taken in a flower bedecked white hearse van from the hospital to his home in 10 Rajaji Marg.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chiefs of the three defence services and politicians cutting across party lines paid their last respects to the man, widely regarded as one of India's most respected politicians across ideological divides.

As the nation observed seven-day mourning in honour of its "Bharat Ratna", former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, BJP chief J P Nadda, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and several Union ministers such as Nirmala Sitharaman and Harsh Vardhan were among those who paid homage to him at his home.

IMAGE: Army jawans pay respects to the mortal remains of former president Pranab Mukherjee. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

Maintaining social distancing and wearing masks, they paid floral tributes to a photo of Mukherjee while his remains were kept in another room.



Besides the 'VIPs', workers of various parties and the general public stood in long queues maintaining social distancing, wearing masks and carrying bouquets as they waited patiently to catch a glimpse of Mukherjee for one last time.



In the afternoon, the cortege wound its way from his home in Lutyens Delhi to Lodhi Road a few kilometres away.

IMAGE: Family members of late Pranab Mukherjee perform rituals during the funeral of the former president, at Lodhi Road cremation ground. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

In another time, the funeral procession would have been a public event with crowds lining the roads. Today, a closed van, decorated with marigold flowers and his photograph on it, replaced a gun carriage, as It normally is for dignitaries.

The prime minister said the former president would be remembered by generations for his efforts towards India's progress.

The Union Cabinet in a meeting also passed a resolution to condole the demise of Mukherjee. Headed by Modi, the Cabinet observed a two-minute silence in the memory of the departed leader.

"The Cabinet expresses profound sorrow at the sad demise of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, former president of India. In his passing away, the country has lost a distinguished leader and an outstanding parliamentarian," the Cabinet said.

IMAGE: Army personnel pay salute as mortal remains of former president Pranab Mukherjee being taken to Lodhi Road crematorium from his residence for the final rites, in New Delhi,. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

"The Cabinet records its deep appreciation of the services of Shri Pranab Mukherjee to the nation and extends its heartfelt condolences to the members of his bereaved family on behalf of the Government and the entire nation," the resolution read.

It said Mukherjee, a seven-time parliamentarian, was a man of unparalleled experience in governance who served as the country's foreign, defence, commerce and finance minister.

"Whether people agreed with him or not, he was very forthright in articulating his views keeping in view the interests of the country," CPI leader D Raja, who visited Mukherjee's residence to pay his condolences, told reporters.

Mukherjee leaves behind his two sons and daughter. And a legion of admirers and in his home state West Bengal.

Abhijit Mukherjee said he is planning to build a museum-cum-library in his father's memory at their home in Jangipur in West Bengal, an acknowledgment of the former president's enduring connect with his home state.

IMAGE: The mortal remains of former President Pranab Mukherjee being taken to the Lodhi Road crematorium for his last rites, in New Delhi. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo

Jangipur, the constituency that twice elected Mukherjee to the Lok Sabha after two failed attempts to enter the lower house, is where the scholar-statesman shed the tag of a "rootless wanderer".

In his village Mirati, scores of people lined up to offer floral tributes and light candles in memory of their beloved 'Poltu da' at the ancestral temple.

Grief-stricken neighbours and family members, who had been holding yagnas for Mukherjee's recovery over the past three weeks, milled around his residence 'Kamada Kinkar Bhavan', most recounting how the statesman touched their lives in one way or the other.

"The village has lost its guardian," said Bipattaran Mukhopadhyay, the family priest.

Several elders in the village said Durga Puja will no longer be the same without him.

A world away from Mirati, the Chinese Foreign Office remembered Mukherjee as a 'veteran statesman of India'.

"In his 50 years in politics, he made positive contributions to China-India relations," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing in Beijing.



"It is a heavy loss for China-India friendship and to India. We express deep condolences over his passing and extend sincere sympathies to the Indian government and his family," Hua said.

IMAGE: Indian national flag flies at half-mast at Rashtrapati Bhavan during the seven-day state mourning on demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

In the US, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Mukherjee believed deeply in the importance of India and the US tackling global challenges together.



Several other prominent US leaders and organisations also condoled Mukherjee's death, saying he will go down in history among India's most distinguished statesmen and scholars.

Mukherjee, known for his encyclopedic memory and sharp intellect, was president from 2012 to 2017.

The college teacher went on to become became India's youngest finance minister at 47 in 1982. Mukherjee served as minister for external affairs, defence, finance and commerce and was the first Indian president to do so.

He had the distinction of serving in the cabinets of three prime ministers -- late Indira Gandhi, late P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh and was the party's trusted Man Friday as it evolved over the decades.

Mukherjee's tenure as president will stand out for the tough stance he took on mercy petitions.

Of the 34 mercy petitions presented to him, he rejected 30.
The United States and Taiwan will establish a new economic dialogue focused on semiconductors, health care, energy and other technology sectors in a sign of stronger ties, a senior US diplomat said on Monday.

A slew of recent visits, agreements, US diplomatic support and military sales to Taipei don't reflect a change in US policy but rather an "adjustment" in response to increased Chinese aggression, the official said.

"We must act to restore the balance," David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, said in remarks to the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. "Looking to Hong Kong, it is clear that Beijing is willing to disregard international obligations to extend its authoritarian system."

Beijing's actions include stepped-up military exercises near Taiwan, efforts to deprive the self-governing island of diplomatic allies and a bid to push it out of international organisations, Stilwell added.

US and Taiwanese officials said that Friday's announcement of reduced restrictions on American beef and pork imports, a long-standing irritant, paves the way for negotiations on a formal bilateral trade agreement.

Ties between Washington and Taipei have warmed significantly in recent months, in part a mirror image of deteriorating US-China relations. Earlier this month, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar led a delegation to Taipei that was promoted as the highest-level visit by a US cabinet official since 1979.

On other fronts, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) announced in May that it would build a US$12 billion chip manufacturing plant in Arizona. Taiwan last week expressed strong support for US-backed efforts to limit China's role in global 5G telecommunications networks. And in 2018, Congress passed the Taiwan Travel Act, paving the way for more high-level official visits.

Although Taiwan enjoys bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and strong support in this administration, the relationship is not without problems. Some industry analysts question the economic logic of TSM's Arizona investment, chalking it up in part to politics. And the beef and pork deal took 13 years of wrangling, suggesting that a broader trade deal could be elusive.

Story continues

It's hardly reassuring that the State Department is promoting the bilateral trade agreement rather than the US Trade Representative's Office, which would negotiate it, noted a Taiwan analyst in Washington who declined to be identified given political sensitivities. "Doesn't that seem really odd?" the analyst said.

Stilwell did not provide further details on the new economic dialogue, even as Taiwan's huge trade deficit with the United States remains a major irritant.

"I understand that we need to have a more balanced trade relationship," said Mei-Hua Wang, Taiwan's minister of economic affairs, speaking by video from Taipei. "We have noticed this problem and we are adopting measures to address it," she added, citing efforts to buy more US farm products, natural gas and crude oil.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks at the National Taiwan University in Taipei on August 11. Photo: AFP alt=US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks at the National Taiwan University in Taipei on August 11. Photo: AFP

Taiwan is America's ninth largest trading partner overall and a major buyer of US farm products. US President Donald Trump has been keen to promote agriculture exports, hoping to bolster support in an election year from farmers hit by his tariff war with China.

But the US trade goods deficit was US$23 billion in 2019, up from US$15.3 billion in 2018, and is on target to exceed 2019 figures this year, according to US Census Bureau data.

Wang attributed the mounting trade gap in part to the shifting of supply chains to Taiwan from China, resulting in more direct exports to the US, but said closer economic ties would benefit US geopolitical objectives.

"A more regionally integrated Taiwan further enhances the economic and security of the Indo-Pacific region," Wang said.

In his remarks, Stilwell sought to walk a fine line, arguing that Washington was only tweaking long-established - and potentially explosive - policies governing US-China-Taiwan issues, including the one-China principle. Adjustments have been made necessary by Beijing's increasingly brazen actions, he argued.

In recent years, Chinese soldiers have clashed with Indian counterparts on their shared border, detained up to 1 million Uygurs in "employment retraining" camps in Xinjiang, stepped up island building in the disputed South China Sea and tightened its grip over Hong Kong and civic groups on the mainland.

"It's not just the US versus China. It's a global position on what we're seeing out of Beijing," Stilwell said.

When asked for comment, a Chinese embassy representative in Washington said: "The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue between China and the US. We urge the US side to ... prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues."

The Chinese government has mischaracterised US support for Taiwan, Stilwell said. As outlined in two recently declassified cables, Washington will "never" pressure Taiwan to negotiate with Beijing over sovereignty issues, recognises no expiration on US arms sales to Taipei and has not agreed to renegotiate the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act governing US-Taiwan relations, he said.

"It is important to review history like this because Beijing has a history of distorting," Stilwell added.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
A new platform for greater data collation and reporting Credit: Bill Oxford on unsplash

The Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited ('ALS') is collaborating with Rapido Social at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to improve its Custody Notification Service (CNS), following project funding from the National Indigenous Advancement Agency (NIAA).

The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody recommended that police notify the Aboriginal Legal Service whenever an Aboriginal person is taken into custody, so it can provide assistance, legal support and help safeguard their well-being.

The ALS has been operating its CNS for 20 years as a 24-hour legal advice and support hotline for any Aboriginal person taken into custody. However the service is currently reliant on an aging phone and paper based system.

ALS's Principal Legal Officer, Nadine Miles describes the current system as inefficient with double-handling.

"Outdated technology and reliance on paper based systems means that our staff are spending significant amounts of time recording and inputting data, but then being unable to effectively analyze and interpret trends in that datawhich is crucial to improving the rights and wellbeing of Aboriginal people in custody," she said.

ALS is now working with UTS Rapido, an advanced technology development unit which supports organizations to deliver hardware and software products and solutions, working with organizations across all sectors, including not-for-profits through its social innovation unit, Rapido Social.

Rapido Social Impact Manager Sophie Ritchie says the ALS project is a digital transformation process that will create a user-friendly system that makes the data it already collates more accessible for wider insights and understanding.

"Rapido Social will collaborate with ALS staff to develop a user-friendly digital platform that will optimize data collation, and draw on cutting-edge data analytics and reporting capabilities to make information more readily available for analysis by ALS, in NSW/ACT and nationally, for advocacy on behalf of individuals and communities," she explained.

Nadine Miles says the project has the potential to strengthen the ALS's advocacy, policy and law reform work.

"An improved data base will both inform and enhance ALS functions and also help meet the needs of Aboriginal people who are in custodywithout a good data set, it is not possible to both demonstrate our impact and determine what and where needs are."

UTS Law Faculty Professor, Thalia Anthony, says efficient notification systems and data are vital to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody.

"The CNS has proven to save Aboriginal lives and this project will enhance its capacity. It will generate data to improve responses to the needs of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system and enable longer-term planning for support and wraparound services, she said.

Rapido and ALS say this project has the potential to lead the roll out of digital technology to support effective CNS systems nationally.

Explore further COVID-19 puts extra strain on wellbeing of Indigenous Australians
El-Sisi said new universities will help provide education according to international standards and urged the public to commit to preventive measures to avoid a second wave of the coronavirus

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated on Saturday a number of projects in Alexandria, including the 21km El-Mahmoudiya Canal Road Axis, which is set to reduce traffic congestion and reduce slums in the Mediterranean governorate.

Construction on El-Mahmoudiya axis, dubbed the Artery of Hope, began in February 2018. The axis comprises seven flyovers, 20 pedestrian bridges, and three under-construction tunnels.

El-Mahmoudiya Canal is a waterway stemming from the Rosetta branch of the River Nile. In the past years, the canal was neglected as a source of irrigation. Water levels dropped in parts of the canal, which turned into a stagnant lake and a source for diseases, according to a presidential statement.

The new project has converted El-Mahmoudiya Canal from a swampland to a major traffic axis.

During the inaugural ceremony El-Sisi said the axis will extend to Beheira, south of Alexandria. The state will re-build illegally constructed mosques and buildings that were demolished to make way for the axis, he added.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the two-year project cost EGP 5.5 billion.

El-Sisi also opened new extensions at the Alexandria National Refining and Petrochemicals Company (ANRPC) and a grain silos complex with a capacity of 90,000 tons.

Petroleum minister Tarek El-Mulla said the ANRPC extensions will add 700,000 tons of gasoline per year. Another project at the Egyptian Refining Company in Cairo adds 500,000 tons of gasoline annually.

El-Mulla added that a planned project at Upper Egypts Assiut will add, through the Assiut Oil Refining Company, 800,000 tons of gasoline per year, and extensions to Midor Company in Alexandria will annually provide 500,000 tons of gasoline.

Alexandria, which comprises six refineries and three petrochemical complexes, houses 45 percent of Egypts oil refining capacity, El-Mulla said during the inauguration ceremony, adding that it is responsible for 35 percent of the demand on national gasoline and diesel.

Egypt seeks to achieve fuel self-sufficiency by 2023, El-Mulla noted.

The new petroleum projects are meant to increase the production capacity of gasoline from 800,000 tons to 1.5 million tons annually, according to a documentary by the Armed Forces Morale Affairs Department.

The second phase of the Bashayer El-Kheir housing project was also inaugurated on Saturday. The project, comprising 992 housing units and a commercial area, is constructed over 14,400 square metres, the documentary added.

In Borg El-Arab, an industrial city in the Mediterranean governorate, a wastewater treatment plant was also opened. The plant has a daily capacity of 115,000 cubic metres, the documentary stated.

Investing in higher education

At the inaugural ceremony in Alexandria, Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said Egypt will have a total of 28 governmental universities, 35 private universities and 18 private non-profit universities within the next two years.

Investments in the higher education sector have reached EGP 90 billion, Abdel-Ghaffar said, adding that 35 new faculties have been added to governmental universities.

Abdel-Ghaffars remarks come two weeks after Madbouly said the country will establish four new private non-profit universities, as per a presidential order, in South Sinai, Alamein city, Suez and New Mansoura.

El-Sisi said at the ceremony the state has established the new universities with modern specialties to qualify students for job opportunities.

The president added the new universities will help provide education according to international standards to encourage students against seeking costly education abroad.

Some 20,000 Egyptian students are studying abroad, spending a total of EGP 20 billion on education, Abdel-Ghaffar said.

Prevention against coronavirus

El-Sisi urged the public to continue to commit to the preventive measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, particularly because the academic year is about to start.

Last month, the education ministry said Egypt's 2020/2021 school year will start on Saturday 17 October instead of September due to the pandemic. No decision has yet been made as to whether students will attend classes full-time.

The ministry is still considering the system schools will adopt, it added.

On Wednesday, Minister of Education Tarek Shawky posted on Facebook the plan for the new academic year "will be explained in detail by the first week of September."

Egypt has witnessed a slight increase in the daily tally of coronavirus cases since Monday, reversing a low of 89 infections two days earlier, the lowest daily infection toll since early April.

Though Egypt detected 103 cases on Sunday, the numbers of the daily toll have been gradually increasing, reaching 223 new cases on Friday.

Egypt has recorded a total of 98,285 coronavirus cases since the outbreak began in mid-February.

The surge comes as the government is repeatedly urging caution to avoid a second wave of the pandemic, particularly with the advent of autumn.

Madbouly called on people on Wednesday to exercise caution to prevent a second wave of the pandemic, adding that Egypt will maintain the existing preventive measures against the disease.

"The noticeable increase in the number of infections recently prompts us to [exercise] caution, and to maintain the strict precautionary measures and penalties for violators to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus and to avoid an increase in the curve of infections and deaths as has happened in some countries," he added.

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Germany called out China over its security law imposed on Hong Kong and the treatment of minority Uighurs on Tuesday during a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that was marked by protests outside the foreign ministry.

At a news conference after talks with Wang, German Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, also warned China against making threats against the Czech Republic over Taiwan.

The Hong Kong law imposed in June radically increased Beijings control over the city and has led to a brutal crackdown on dissent and protests.

You know that our concerns about the effects of the security law have not been allayed, Maas said. We want the One Country, Two Systems principle to be applied as fully as possible.

Hong Kong was guaranteed autonomy under the One Country, Two Systems deal agreed before its 1997 handover from the United Kingdom.

But critics say the security law, imposed following months of large and often violent protests calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability, spells the end of the agreement.

The law prompted the United States to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and countries, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany, have suspended extradition agreements with Hong Kong.

The European Union agreed in July to limit exports of equipment to Hong Kong that could be used for surveillance and repression.

Wang defended Chinas policies and said both the Hong Kong law and its approach to the Uighurs were internal affairs that did not merit foreign interference.

We need action

Leading a protest by several hundred demonstrators outside the foreign ministry in Berlin on Tuesday, Hong Kong activist Nathan Law called for more support from Berlin over the security law.

What we need is action  This should be accomplished by the EU together and Germany should take the lead, said Law, 27, who fled to the UK after the security law came in.

Berlin is very quiet when the topic is China. Berlin is very quiet when the topic is Hong Kong.

Law was joined by supporters waving the blue and white flag of the Uighurs, a minority that suffers from repression and persecution in Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang, according to rights groups and experts.

Activists say about one million Uighurs and other Turkic people have been imprisoned in brainwashing camps.

China describes the camps as vocational training centres and says it is seeking to provide education to reduce the allure of Islamic radicalism.

China threats denounced

Maas said he and Wang had discussed the camps. I reiterated that we would very much welcome it if China would  grant access to the camps to a UN observer mission, he said.

The German foreign minister also denounced Chinas threats against a senior Czech politician who led a delegation to Taiwan.

Wang said on Monday China would make Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil pay a high price for his short-sighted behaviour and political speculation.

But Maas warned that the EU treats its foreign partners with respect and expects the same in return.

Threats do not fit in with this, he said.

Wangs visit to Berlin is the final stop on a tour of five European countries as he seeks to shore up economic and diplomatic relations in light of tensions with the US.

This trip, his first out of China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, also took in the Netherlands, France, Norway and Italy, where he signed two trade agreements, including one on the supply of gas.
Telematics Wire is organising the fifth edition of the biggest Connected Vehicle show on 3rd, 4th & 5th March 2020, at Radisson Blu. The international conference and exhibition will have participation of more than 1200 registered delegates, 80 exhibitors, and 60 speakers. Vehicle displays and the exhibition will be open to visitors. There will be 10 sessions discussing the pressing issues and the future of the automotive industry, i.e., connected, autonomous, smart, shared & electric mobility.India is a fast-emerging market for connected vehicle business along with vehicle telematics which is developing quite promisingly in the country. Telematics-enabled mobility is the key to the implementation of Intelligent Transportation System, which is expected to drive the future of connected transportation. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has taken laudable initiatives regarding road safety to reduce road accidents. Government policies encouraging and mandating the provision of a certified vehicle location tracking device and one or more emergency buttons in public transport vehicles is likely to enhance safety and security. As the ministry is also planning to make ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) a mandatory feature in the upcoming vehicles by early 2022, the time has come for the industry to step up and support the government to incorporate these technologies in the ITS infrastructure.Over the next few years, we will see many applications and services based on Connected Vehicle. Also, the automotive & transportation industry will see huge investment in cyber security, blockchain, data analytics and AI/ML. All this call for continued deliberations amongst the subject matter experts and interest groups on Connected Vehicle platform, said Maneesh Prasad, CEO, Telematics Wire.His Excellency, Brendan Ward, the Ambassador of Ireland to India said, The technology sector in Ireland is leading the mobility revolution, be it disruptive technologies, hardware and/or data services that support autonomous, connected, electric and shared technologies. Through our participation in the CV2020 conference, we aim to reach out to the Auto industry to showcase the Irish technology ecosystem and

share all the latest developments in the sector, while welcoming Indian companies to visit Ireland to witness the ecosystem themselves.



Topics such as Intelligent Connectivity, ADAS Adoption & Exploring Vehicle Autonomy, Simulation & Testing, Emerging Technologies like AI, ML, Blockchain, Speech & Voice Recognition, Intelligent Cloud & Data Management, M2M & IoT Solutions in Smart City Mobility, Connected Vehicle Cyber Security and Automotive Telematics are just a few among many of the hot topics that will give the audience an insight into the future of vehicles. Utmost care has been taken in choosing the topics that are relevant to the present times and will help in coming out with the solutions to make the future more connected and sustainable.



With an aim to create a highly interactive, knowledge-sharing and networking platform for the connected and autonomous vehicle ecosystem, Connected Vehicle 2020 will drive new business opportunities and foster innovation, further added by Maneesh Prasad.



Industry experts from Maruti Suzuki, Daimler, Groupe PSA, Tata Motors, Ford Motor Company, Mahindra Electric, Volvo Group, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, Piaggio Vehicles, Mercedes-Benz, VE Commercial Vehicles, TVS Motor Company, Hero MotoCorp, Mahindra and Mahindra, Renault-Nissan, Eicher Motors, Hyundai and Royal Enfield, among others are some of the leading automobile manufacturers participating in the three-day conference and exhibition.



Thomas Fricke, Managing Director, Daimler Buses India said, As a global market leader, Daimler Buses drives innovative solutions for its customers. India provides a perfect framework for connected mobility solutions. Thus, here in India, we have now with BS VI, the chance to bring an intelligent Passenger-Transport-Ecosystem to the customers, which enables Fleet Operators and Customers to ride with our Buses unconditionally. Our BusConnect app for passengers enables them to live track their bus and get alerts as it reaches their boarding location. Our BusConnect portal helps fleet owners to manage their fleet more efficiently and reap better profits. We are happy to have the chance to explain this cutting-edge technology at Connected Vehicle 2020.



I would like to thank Telematics Wire for organizing Connected Vehicle 2020 which brings the connected vehicles industry closer to the stakeholders and gives an opportunity to showcase emerging technologies in the connected vehicle space. At Piaggio, we believe in providing path-breaking solutions in the last mile transportation segment with best in class technology offerings to our customers. Taking forward the same philosophy, we have recently launched Ape Electrik brand, under which, we are developing both Swappable & Fixed Battery technology solutions to serve the varied needs of the customer, said Diego Graffi, MD & CEO, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt Ltd.



Connected Vehicle 2020 has already confirmed the attendance of sponsors such as SecureThings, MSC Software Corporation (Part of Hexagon), Elektrobit, Tata Communications, Aptiv, Wind River, MathWorks, Western Digital, Intel, Zilogic Systems, IDA Ireland, SBD Automotive, ESCRYPT, Infineon Technologies, LitePoint, Umlaut, Continental, Trak N Tell and Omnicomm. In order to bring together all the major stakeholders, domain experts, thought leaders, government officials, and industry professionals, Connected Vehicle 2020 has opened registration for Visitors. Those interested automotive enthusiasts can visit the conference website at www.CV2020.in and register online to book their seats.
A new study found that the Lystrosaurus species that roamed with dinosaurs went into state of hibernation and survived Earths largest mass extinction that wiped out 70 per cent of species on Earth. According to a study published in the journal Nature, scientists at the University of Washington found that Lystrosaurus somehow survived for another 5 million years into subsequent Triassic Period on the continent, Pangea, present day Antarctica. The four-legged foragers helped scientists understand the phenomenon and history of hibernation of species in polar regions that get through tough conditions like food scarcity, temperatures fall, and dark environment and still survive.

Scientists at University of Washington and its Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture found the evidence that hibernation-like state in an animal is key to survival in most unfavourable conditions, as it had helped species in Antarctica during the Early Triassic, some 250 million years ago. In the study, scientists mentioned the research findings that said, adaptation to hibernation-like state without sunlight in tough winters has a long primitive history.

Watch fossil prep on a Lystrosaurus recently brought back from Antarctica.   This same species' fossilized remains have also been found in South Africa! https://t.co/Z5VgrSJGgk #FossilFriday pic.twitter.com/8VQxxPpbcY  Field Museum (@FieldMuseum) July 13, 2018

Lystrosaurus in the present day Antarctic Circle, millions of years ago went into state of torpor  term for hibernation. This lowered their metabolic rate that eventually helped them survive tough conditions. A postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University who also conducted this study as a UW doctoral student in biology, author Megan Whitney said, "Animals in the polar regions have always had to cope with the more extreme environments. She added, These preliminary findings indicate that entering into a hibernation-like state is not a relatively new type of adaptation. It is an ancient one.

Cold-blooded animals often shut down their metabolism entirely during a tough season, compared to many endothermic or warm-blooded animals, Whitney said in the study. Lystrosaurus tusks indicated metabolic reactivation events like warm-blooded hibernators today, she added, which indicates species is a distant cousin of Antarctic hibernating mammals.

Read: Scientists Find Similar Visionary Perception In Flies And Humans With Optical Illusion

Read: Scientists Calculate Earths Ice Age Temperature By Studying Glacial Cooling: Research

[Ancient vertebrate Lystrosaurus at high latitudes used torpor, including hibernation. Credit: Twitter/@PrimordialProse]

[Oldest instance of torpor yet reported in the fossil record of Lystrosaurus. Credit: Twitter/@paleowire]

Key to understand 'survival and adaptation'

Lystrosaurus had survived the end-Permian mass extinction and entered the early Triassic. The species is the key to understanding the survival and adaptation in group of animals in Antarctica today, co-author Christian Sidor, a UW professor of biology and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum said in the study. According to the research, the fossils of Lystrosaurus have been found in India, China, Russia, parts of Africa and Antarctica. Mostly pig-sized, some 6 to 8 feet long with a pair of tusks these species survived on ground vegetation and dig for roots and tubers.

Along with Temnospondyls, many Early Triassic assemblages also preserve dicynodont remains. Several Lystrosaurus species, some of which were extremely abundant, are quite prevalent in many Induan and Olenekian formations #paleoart #sciart #scicomm pic.twitter.com/9wcqWs6d4F  Gabriel N. U. (@SerpenIllus) February 22, 2019

Scientists compared cross-sections of tusks from six Antarctic Lystrosaurus to cross-sections of four Lystrosaurus from South Africa in the research. The site in Antarctica where fossil was collected was 66.3 degrees south. In South Africa 550 miles north, fossils from Triassic period were found. Comparing the tusks, scientists found closely-spaced, thick rings, which indicated periods of less deposition due to the form of torpor. The tusks indicated the long reduction in metabolism, body temperature and activity in Lystrosaurus suggesting hibernation-like adaptation that helped species survive mass extinction.

Read: Scientists Develope Microrobots That Can Enter Human Veins 'someday'

Read: Scientists Discover Inter-vertebral Discs In Dinosaur That Will Help Medicine
Patrik Mathews defence lawyer filed a rash of motions in U.S. federal court Monday petitioning a judge to dismiss criminal charges against the neo-Nazi and disgraced ex-Canadian military reservist.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Patrik Mathews defence lawyer filed a rash of motions in U.S. federal court Monday petitioning a judge to dismiss criminal charges against the neo-Nazi and disgraced ex-Canadian military reservist.

Former Winnipeg Army Reservist Patrik Mathews.

If the four felony charges Mathews is facing in Maryland  two counts each of two firearm offences, which carry a maximum penalty of up to 40 years in federal prison  are not dropped, his lawyer, Joseph Balter, wants his trial split off from his two co-accused.

Balter claims the "vast majority of discovery" so far presented by the U.S. Attorneys Office does not relate to his client's alleged crimes. Mathews has been in federal custody in Maryland since his high-profile arrest in January.

A joint trial could prejudice a jury against Mathews, Balter said.

Balter also wants to suppress evidence obtained through multiple search warrants  including audio and video surveillance, and a "sneak and peek" by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents  that he claims violated Mathews rights against unreasonable search and seizure.

He claims there was a "stunning" invasion of Mathews privacy by the agents who were investigating him. In addition, Balter wants to suppress any "statements, admissions, or confessions" Mathews made during at least one post-arrest interrogation with investigators.

WILLIAM J. HENNESSY JR. Court sketches of Patrik Mathews, centre, along with his two co-accused, Brian Mark Lemley Jr., left and William Garfield Bilbrough IV as they appeared in court January, 16, 2020.

While Balter concedes his client was affiliated with the neo-Nazi organization the Base, and expressed a worldview that was violent, racist and anti-Semitic, he claims Mathews speech was protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

At no point did Mathews speech cross into the incitement of "imminent lawless action," Balter said.

The Winnipeg Free Press exposed Mathews as a neo-Nazi recruiter and active combat engineer in the Canadian Armed Forces in August 2019, following a month-long undercover investigation.

Hours after being outed by the Free Press, the RCMP raided Mathews home in Beausejour and seized several firearms. After being briefly taken into custody, he was released without charge.

Homegrown hate: Coverage of a neo-Nazi recruiter in Winnipeg Click to Expand Posted: 11:56 AM Sep. 13, 2019 Read Ryan Thorpe's story on infiltrating a neo-Nazi paramilitary group, and the Free Press' follow-up coverage. Read Full Story

Soon after, Mathews vanished, abandoning his truck near the U.S.-Canada border. Hes alleged to have linked up with neo-Nazi comrades in the U.S. and begun planning murders and terror attacks while stockpiling guns and ammunition.

Over the course of several months, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tracked Mathews and other alleged members of the Base, deploying a variety of counterterrorism investigative techniques.

Mathews is one of eight members of the Base who were arrested by U.S. authorities during a nationwide crackdown on the group in January 2020. His alleged co-conspirators in the case are Brian Lemley Jr. and William Bilbrough IV.

All three men have pleaded not guilty. The case has been moving slowly through the courts due to the "voluminous" evidence that needs to be disclosed to defence attorneys, and complications that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evidence in the case includes a months worth of closed-circuit video recordings, testimony from an undercover FBI agent, telephone wiretaps and material seized during the execution of four search warrants. In addition, there is material from email accounts, messaging apps, financial and phone records and jail call recordings.

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Prosecuting attorney Timothy J. Sullivan said Mathews recorded a video of himself where he advocated that white supremacists kill people, poison water supplies and derail trains in order to incite a race war.

Mathews and Lemley are also accused of planning to drive to a gun-rights rally in Virginia in January to open fire on the crowd.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a complementary "infodemic," a term coined by the World Health Organization to describe the wave of false information on the pandemic. Promotion of false information can hinder mitigation efforts against COVID-19 and lead to the adoption of health policies that are based on misleading data. Recently, a team of international researchers published a study, proposing a new "Infodemic Response Checklist," to help fight off infodemics.

"Social media allows information to travel wide and fast, which emphasizes the need for accurate data to be corroborated swiftly," said senior author of the study Jawad Fares, MD, Northwestern University. "Misinformation and rumors on the pandemic interfere with efforts of quelling it."

The study emphasizes how the style of communication on social media can influence readers. "Empathy in communication is critical for managing public anxiety and promoting behavioral compliance with public health guidelines," Fares added. Online users generally have low engagement with posts relevant to COVID-19 from government agencies. Posts that attract more engagement are more personal.

The paper appeared in late August in the Journal of Public Health Policy.

A surfeit of information about the COVID-19 pandemic spread widely. Unverified sources posting on platforms played central roles in reporting incorrect numbers of cases and inaccurate guidelines, and advertising unapproved treatments and remedies as antiviral cures. This led to public anxiety, chaos, fraudulent schemes, financial abuse, hoarding of equipment, and fear.

"During dire times, the public searches for information and guidance to help them understand and react in a manner that limits viral transmission," said lead author Nour Mheidly, Lebanese University. "Media, in its various forms, becomes the primary source of information."

Although misinformation has been known to spread across history, social media and technological advances in communication amplify its impact. To help fight off misinformation on social media, the researchers propose a new health communication strategy. "The 12-item Infodemic Response Checklist is a comprehensive tool that helps public health officials overcome challenges posed by infodemics," Mheidly added.

The Checklist highlights the need to:

Provide more exposure and airtime for medical professionals, scientists, and public health personnel to provide authentic, useful, and transparent information for the public. Promote websites of public health organizations via search engines. Verify the accounts of public health personnel on popular social media platforms. Promote the posts of public health and medical professionals. Monitor engagement on social media platforms to control the messages being delivered. Establish programs that help people cope with stress and address their mental health concerns. Adopt an empathic style of communication to grab public attention and address health concerns. Promote dialog to understand people's perceptions and the motives behind their practices. Share personal experiences on social media to combat misinformation. Direct health communication strategies towards minority populations and people of different classes, races, and ethnicities. Develop educational material and speed the share of evidence-based science to address existing wrong perceptions, correct behaviors, and promote healthy practices. Increase investment in the research and development of health communication to explore and understand strategic ways of targeting different populations.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: Nour Mheidly et al. Leveraging media and health communication strategies to overcome the COVID-19 infodemic, Journal of Public Health Policy (2020). Nour Mheidly et al. Leveraging media and health communication strategies to overcome the COVID-19 infodemic,(2020). DOI: 10.1057/s41271-020-00247-w
The United Farm Workers (UFW) of America received 75,000 face masks from the Port of LA, Logistics Victory Los Angeles and CMA CGM Group on Monday.

Port of LA and the other shipping companies hope the donation can help the farmworkers working outdoors amid the pandemic, wildfire smoke, and extreme heat, said a CBS Los Angeles report.

The products given are FFP2 respiratory masks, the European version of the N-95 masks, said Port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka in an NBC Los Angeles report.

Seroka noted that farmworkers are working in challenging conditions as the U.S. faces a pandemic. He said they play an essential role in ensuring the reliability and dependability of the food supply chain.

Seroka also noted that these workers are helping feed not just Americans but the world.

He said 55,000 masks were shipped off to workers in Salinas last week, and 20,000 more were sent to be handed over by Monday. The masks will be driven from Los Angeles in a union pickup truck.

Los Angeles Mayor Recognized Threat to Farm Workers

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also recognized the threats that farmworkers face on a daily basis. He said these workers "never take a day off," even when their health and safety are at stake.

"Their determination means there's never a shortage of food on our shelves, our pantries, and on our tables," said Garcetti.

Los Angeles Daily News noted that the donation was a rather life-saving one. It was held true by many representatives of the labor sector.

Ron Herrera, president of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, was one of those people. "This will truly save lives," he said.

Herrera works in representing more than 800,000 working men and women in all sectors throughout the county.

The Port announced the donation during a news conference next to the Banning's Landing Community in Wilmington.

Farm Workers' Lives in the Fields

Teresa Romero, president of the UFW, said conditions in the fields are quite extreme and can be hard for those who work in it. This had gone worse, considering severe fires and the pandemic that California had to witness lately.

Romero also noted that farmworkers often have to work, live and commute in cramped, overcrowded, and unsanitary conditions. All of these things happen to farmworkers daily.

She said these groups have to work as they are seen as essential workers.

In a statement posted by Port of LA, Herrera also said he found it "unconscionable" that farmworkers do not have basic protections like masks during a global pandemic.

He pointed out how ironic it is that the very workers who pick people's food are the ones putting their own lives at risk.

The Port of Los Angeles is focused on bringing more agricultural exports to markets overseas. For the past few years, some of its top exports are soybeans and grains.

The Port also exports fruits and vegetables from California's Central Valley and alfalfa from Imperial Valley to various other markets.

Check these out!

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A massive underground methane explosion in Siberia has left behind gigantic 165-foot crater.

The hole, called a funnel, was spotted from the air by chance by a Russian TV crew flying over Yamal on an unrelated assignment in July.

Scientists suggest it was formed by a buildup of methane gas erupting beneath a pingo, or ice-covered mound, when the permafrost cover begins to melt.

Siberia has faced record temperatures this year, with the thermometer hitting 78 degrees Fahrenheit in May - nearly 40 degrees above average.

This is the 17th such crater uncovered in Yamal since the phenomenon was first reported in 2014, and it's thought to be the largest.

Scroll down for videos

A 165-foot crater was discovered in Siberia, one of at least 17 known in the region. There's debate about how they're formed but the prevailing theory is that But scientists believe they're collapsed pingos, mounds of earth-covered ice found in Arctic regions. As methane gas builds up under the permafrost, the pingo swells and ejects chunks of dirt and ice

Conspiracy theorists have attributed them to everything from meteorites to secret weapons tests and even alien visitors.

But scientists believe these jaw-dropping holes are formed by the collapse of pingos or hydrolaccoliths, mounds of earth-covered ice found in Arctic regions.

As gas builds up under the permafrost, the pingo swells and ejects chunks of dirt and ice.

Ice and soil were found hundreds of feet from the center of 'Number 17,' according to scientists who visited the site.

Vasily Bogoyavlensky, a scientist with the Russian Oil and Gas Research Institute has previously claimed these holes may be forming as a result of human activities, including climate change and drilling for gas in the Yamal peninsula, Russia's largest natural gas field.

An intact pingo, a mound of earth-covered ice found in Arctic regions. If one collapses near a gas pipeline or populated area, scientists say the results could be devastating.

A crew with Vesti Yamal TV stumbled across the sinkhole randomly while flying back from an unrelated assignment

If a pingo collapses near populated areas or pipelines it could be devastating.

'In a number of areas, pingos - as we see both from satellite data and with our own eyes during helicopter inspections - literally prop up gas pipes,' he told The Siberian Times in 2017.

Bogoyavlensky said the new chasm carries a great deal of scientific information, but he's not ready to share it yet.'

'This is a subject for scientific publications,' he told Vesti Yamal TV. 'We have to analyze all this, and build three-dimensional models.'

Yamal, a large peninsula jutting into Arctic waters, is the main production area for Russian gas supplied to Europe.

Three mystery craters were first uncovered there in 2014.

Another sinkhole discovered in the Yamal peninsula. Researchers say human activities, including drilling for gas, may contribute to their formation

The first, which measured 98 feet deep, was located near the Bovanenkovo gas field.

While most sinkholes suck collapsed material inside, geophysicist Vladimir Romanovsky told LiveScience, 'this one actually erupted outside.'

At that point scientists weren't clear why they were forming but Romanovsky theorized pressure from underground gas deposits had burst through the surface, leaving a massive crater in its wake.

Helicopter footage around the hole showed a mound of loose dirt.

Two similar craters were discovered shortly thereafter, one in the same region and a another much smaller one the Taymyr Peninsula to the east.

Both were spotted by reindeer herders who almost fell in.

Compared to those earlier funnels, the new one is 'striking in its size and grandeur,' Evgeny Chuvilin, a researcher at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, told Vesti Yamal TV.

'These are the colossal forces of nature that create such objects.'
Abuja  President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday noted with regret that despite the dominance of the All Progressives Congress, APC, at all levels of government, the party was embroiled in bitter and unnecessary squabbles.

President Buhari stated this while Inaugurating the APC's Executive-Legislative Consultative Committee at the Council Chamber, presidential villa, Abuja.

The President, who said that rancour in the governing party had cost it governorship and legislative seats during elections, warned that it should not be allowed to happen again.

He said the meeting was therefore called to avert the occurrences in the future.

According to him, "We must now ensure regular consultations between the party and the governments.

"Our party commands a clear majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Vice President, the Distinguished Senate President, the Right Honourable Speaker and I, all belong to APC, and working relationships between the Executive and the Legislature has been excellent so far.

"Our joint responsibility is to keep things that way and see where we can improve our communication and coordination.

"But we must admit to ourselves that our party has been too often embroiled in bitter, and on occasions, totally unnecessary squabbles, costing us seats in the legislative and gubernatorial elections.

"This never should have happened. We are here to make sure such occurrences never happen again.

We must now ensure regular consultations between the party and government.

"I am a firm believer in the doctrine of Separation of Powers, which is fundamental to our constitutional democracy, but our practice should be harmonious checks and balances, devoid of bitterness and petty rivalry.

"As one government, we must further align ourselves and be alive to our electoral promises. We need to nurture our party, which is the platform that will take us and our country forward."

President Buhari said he was placing great faith in the consultative committee to help improve governance and APC's achievements to the people of Nigeria, saying that he expects regular feedback on the committee's activities and "I am as always ready to lead and find solutions."

He added: "Your success will directly enhance the success of this administration and greatly improve the conditions of our people."

Briefing State House correspondents after the inauguration, Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan explained that the essence of the consultative forum was for the branches of government to cooperate to enhance governance and will not compromise the legislature.

He said, "The legislature, the executive arm of government and of course the party in power, have seen the need to bring everybody on board so that we are able to consult widely before major issues are tabled before the citizens of this country.

"Specifically, what we intend to achieve is to improve the quality of governance and service delivery to Nigerians. We have promised Nigerians and Nigerians voted for the All Progressives Congress at all the levels.

"So, it is incumbent upon us at all levels and as a party to ensure we meet the expectations and aspirations of Nigerians.

"Just like Mr. President expressed, we believe that the constitution rightly provides for the separation of powers and we believe in that. The legislature will always on its own ensure we oversight and we check possible excesses of the executive arm of government.

"But we also believe that separation of powers also means there should be cooperation, consultation, coordination, and partnership for the benefits of the people of this country. This is not in any way to compromise the different functions that we are tasked with and scheduled to discharge.

"The party is our platform, it has a sense, direction, manifesto, programmes, and projects and we elected on both sides of government, executive and legislature will always ensure we stick to what the party provides for us to do.

"But I want to ensure that this is not in any way to compromise the legislature. If anything, it is to strengthen the legislature. Because, with first hand, the legislature is to advise on any bill coming from the executive arm of the government.

"We will ensure we receive bills that will meet the expectations of Nigerians. We will always have different perspectives because we are legislature by design and orientation and the executive may bring a bill which it thinks in its judgment will enhance governance. But when the legislature brings its perspective and we advise, I think it will enrich it.

"And when it comes to the National Assembly, it is not an APC National Assembly, it has a representation of other political parties and we have so far enjoyed support and cooperation and partnership of our colleagues from other political parties, particularly the PDP and we commend them for that, we are grateful for that, we have done that for them before, and we expect that for this, the cooperation and the partnership in the National Assembly with different political parties will continue because, we are going to serve Nigerians with different political parties persuasion."

Also speaking, the Chairman, APC National Caretaker Committee, and Governor of Yobe state, Mai Bala Buni said a tripartite arrangement like the one just inaugurated was necessary for the administration to deliver the much-needed change.

He warned that going forward, party members' deviant behavior will no longer be tolerated

He said, "As a party, we are very happy with this development, this tripartite arrangement. It is something that we have been looking for because the party is in control of both chambers Senate and House of Reps in the National Assembly and the party under the leadership of his Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, is determined to deliver the dividend and work with our manifesto.

"We need an arrangement like this to synergize and work together to deliver on our promises because when the two arms of government, the executive and the legislature are working together, alongside the leadership of the party, we are sure that our manifestos will work accordingly and our promises will be delivered because our party is the vehicle that will be used to deliver both the executive and legislature because the President of the Senate is an APC member and also the Speaker.

"So, we want the president and leader of the party and two presiding officers working together alongside the party. So, this is a very positive development for APC in Nigeria.

"There is time for everything. Going forward, there are certain things we will not condone because we are not running a neutral government and we campaigned based on some manifesto and we will work on that and like I said, there is time for everything and this is the time for this tripartite arrangement and it is in this best interest of Nigerians and the party."

The SGF, on his part, said the committee inauguration is another solid foundation in Buhari's administration effort to advance the cause of democracy and governance in the country.

He said: "The essence essentially is to create a synergy between the party which is the platform on which we were elected and the mandate of the party which we are exercising.

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"It is expected that at the end of the tenure of this administration, we will account to the people of Nigeria as to the mandate that they willingly and overwhelmingly entrusted in our hands in securing victory at the presidency, senatorial and the legislative elections.

"So, I believe today is another milestone that we will evolve the act of governance in a collaborative manner. We always appear before the National Assembly to be oversight and also to present the Appropriation Bill that will eventually become an Act.

"We can't achieve much if there is no synergy, good, and harmonious relationship. So, it was on this note that this tripartite consultative forum has been set up to ensure that at any given time, we will relate with each other in the context of our assignment, respecting the principle of the separation of powers.

"And also being reminded by the party that the power that we exercise whether in the legislature or the executive, was first given to us by the party because of the platform it created.

"To ensure we work for the good of the people of Nigeria going forward, in the next couple of months, we will see a lot of harmonized activities from this particular forum."

Vice President Osinbajo is the chairman of the committee.

The inauguration was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan; Speaker, House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila; Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege; the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha; Chairman, APC National Caretaker Committee and Governor of Yobe state, Mai Bala Buni; and Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Idris Waze, among others.

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Norwalk, Connecticut is seeking a marketing firm that can develop a new tourism brand for the city.
New CDs from the Albany Symphony Orchestra seem to be arriving at a steady and reliable pace lately. The repertoire, of course, is always contemporary and yet the discs are starting to feel like mementos of special concerts attended during better times. Lets hope that misty aura of nostalgia isnt permanent. Audio recordings, like streaming concerts, are no substitute for live performances.



BERLIN AND SPIRIDOPOULOS GO ON RECORD

Two anchors of the ASOs brass section have teamed up to produce Along the Continuum (MSR Classics), a lively collection of duos for trumpet and trombone. Principal trumpet Eric Berlin and principal trombone Greg Spiridopoulos are both longtime ASO members as well as professors at UMass Amherst, where the recording was made in 2017.

Id considered using the word duets to describe the six works on this recording. Yet that terms suggests a certain intimacy and theres nothing intimate about this recording. Also, theres a third musician involved. Pianist Ludmila Krasin plays piano reductions of the accompaniments originally scored for orchestra or wind ensemble. Unfortunately, she can hardly be heard, partly due to the engineering mix, which also gives the piano a tinny sound. Really though, how could she not get lost with Berlin and Spiridopoulos playing full out and with gusto. Throughout a raft of music, the gentleman maintain a trademark clean and radiant sound. Its quite a ride.

Their program consists of six works presented in reverse chronological order. The newest is Jeffrey Holmes Continuum (2012), a fast and enjoyable journey through a range of styles or what the composer describes as world seasonings. The piece was written specifically for Berlin and Spiridopoulos. The final and oldest piece on the disc is Cousins (1904) by Herbert L. Clarke, a cornetist, bandmaster and associate of John Philip Sousa. According to Berlins notes, Clarkes influence on brass pedagogy continues to this day. Cousins speaks of its time, snappy but dignified, quaint and nostalgic and played with obvious affection.

The disc also features substantial concertos by Eric Ewazen, Anthony Plog and Jacques Casterede, plus a cute Fandango by Joseph Turrin. Its a meaty program that reflects the seriousness of the artists and their encyclopedic knowledge of the literature. For most of us though, its too many fanfares and too much velocity for one sitting.



ELLEN WEST RETURNS ON DISC

I probably didnt make any friends last summer when I described the opera Ellen West as surreal and disturbing. The one-act with music by Ricky Ian Gordon and poetry by Frank Bidart received its world premiere at Opera Saratoga. The scenario is dark and bitter: Ellen is morbidly anorexic and we hear her streams of consciousness framed by clinical reports from her physician. For good measure, director Emma Griffin added some sickening pantomimes of binging during a musical interlude.

Learning of a forthcoming recording, I thought it might be good to encounter Ellen again without any visuals and be alert for any possible rays of light in Gordons score. After a thorough listening, I can report that its still a grim opera from start to finish. The music, while well crafted, is laced with melancholy and a slight nausea.

The recording, issued by a label called Bright Shiny Things, is of a live performance during January of this year at the Prototype Festival under the aegis of Beth Morrison Projects, which co-commissioned the piece with Opera Saratoga. Soprano Jennifer Zetlan returns in the title role, singing with a detached urgency while baritone Nathan Gunn brings a heavy authority as the doctor. The cast and an ensemble of piano and five strings is conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya.

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THEOFANIDIS ABUNDANCE
WESTPORT  The states 19th annual 9/11 memorial ceremony will be held Sept. 10 at Sherwood Island State Park, officials announced Tuesday.

The ceremony, held yearly to honor and celebrate the lives lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Westport state park.

Family members of those killed in the attacks will participate in the ceremony, and the names of the 162 victims with Connecticut ties will be read aloud.

Anyone who attends is asked to wear a face covering and keep at least a 6-foot distance from others because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Sherwood Island State Park is home to the site of Connecticuts official memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks. The memorial features a granite memorial stone in a grassy area, facing toward the Manhattan skyline.

Before the attacks in 2001, the twin towers of the World Trade Center could be seen from Sherwood Island on a clear day. On Sept. 11, 2001, and for days following, visitors to the state park saw smoke where the towers once stood.

The state holds a memorial ceremony each year on the day before the actual anniversary of the attacks, since many family members and friends of the victims also attend the annual service held on Sept. 11 in New York City.
WASHINGTON  Relying on a public health law intended to prevent the spread of an illness, the Trump administration said Tuesday it is implementing a national four-month moratorium on residential evictions.

The moratorium, announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was the latest measure by the administration to get a handle on the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic absent an agreement with Congress on a more far reaching package that would have the force of law.

To stop evictions, health officials are relying on the 1944 Public Health Service Act, which gives the administration broad quarantine powers. The moratorium, which will run through Dec. 31, applies to individuals earning less than $99,000 a year and who are unable to make rent or housing payments.

President Trump is committed to helping hard-working Americans stay in their homes and combating the spread of the coronavirus, White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern told reporters Tuesday.

More: Trump goes maskless in Kenosha, and urges others to do same

More: Federal prisons resume visits in October, 7 months after COVID-19 suspension

The move drew a mixed reaction from housing experts: praise that it would potentially keep tens of millions of Americans in their homes but concern that it only moves back a deadline, potentially setting people up for evictions next year because they would continue to accrue back payments during the pause in evictions.

Its also not clear how the move affects landlords, who must continue to make their own payments.

The very least the federal government ought to do is assure each of us that we wont lose our homes in the middle of a global pandemic, said National Low Income Housing Coalition president and CEO Diane Yentel. But while an eviction moratorium is an essential step, it is a half-measure that extends a financial cliff for renters to fall off of when the moratorium expires and back rent is owed.

Story continues

Doug Bibby, president of the National Multifamily Housing Council, said his organization is disappointed that the administration enacted an eviction moratorium without funding for rental and unemployment assistance. The group advocates for the apartment industry.

An eviction moratorium will ultimately harm the very people it aims to help by making it impossible for housing providers, particularly small owners, to meet their financial obligations and continue to provide shelter to their residents, Bibby said.

And Bob Pinnegar, president and CEO of the National Apartment Association, said his organization and its members were "deeply concerned" by the moratorium. He said the lack of money for rental assistance risked creating a "cascade" when apartment owners did not receive rental payments and then fell behind on maintaining their properties or paying property taxes or mortgages.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told lawmakers on Capitol Hill earlier Tuesday that the announcement on evictions would likely leave them pleased, but he acknowledged it was not a substitute for congressional action. The White House and congressional Democrats have stalled in talks to approve another stimulus, allowing many relief programs to expire.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news briefing at the White House, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"Our first choice is to have bipartisan legislation that allocates specific rental assistance to the people hardest hit," he said.

Asked about an Aspen Institute estimate of that 30 to 40 million Americans were at risk of eviction, Mnuchin said the estimate was "absurdly high," arguing the executive orders on enhanced unemployment benefits could help Americans pay rent.

"I think this is nothing close" to what was seen during the 2007 mortgage and housing crisis, he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump imposes eviction moratorium because of COVID-19 pandemic
Talis Capital, a London, UK-based venture capital firm, announced three promotions within the investment team.

Tom Williams has been promoted to Partner, with Beatrice Aliprandi and Kirill Tasilov both taking the role of Principal.

The promotions come at an integral time where Talis looks on to 2021 to raise its next fund.

Beatrice Aliprandi has been promoted to Principal, having started at Talis in 2018 as Senior Analyst following on from three years at Jefferies Investment Bank. In her time at Talis, she has sourced and led deals in construction marketplace Construyo, digital hospital Medbelle and hair brand Bleach London.

Kirill Tasilov has also been promoted to Principal, having joined Talis as Analyst in 2018 after graduating from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Tasilov has focused on consumer internet and enterprise software at Talis, leading deals in real estate investment platform IMMO, publishing marketplace Reedsy, and Zyper, a software company that allows brands to connect with its real fans.

Tom Williams has been promoted to Partner. Having joined Talis in November 2013 as Analyst, Williams has been critical to the growth of the company and the development of our investment thesis, overseeing deals including Darktrace and Onfido, and working closely with companies including iwoca, Premfina and Learning People.

Talis Capital is a venture capital firm that backs early-stage technology companies with global potential. The firm has made over $600 million worth of transactions since 2009 and the portfolio includes Darktrace, Onfido, iwoca, Pirate Studios, Luminance, Threads, Ynsect and Oh My Green.

FinSMEs

01/09/2020
WESTLAKE, OHIO -- The Westlake Police Department, the City of Westlake and Westlake Kiwanis Club are joining forces to lend a helping hand to victims of Hurricane Laura.

The storm, one of the most deadly to hit Louisiana, dominated the headlines when it made landfall early Aug. 27 at Cameron, La., -- near the Texas border -- as a category 4 hurricane. It caused widespread damage across much of southern Louisiana and killed at least 24 people in the United States, including some who died of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by unsafe generators.

Roofs were torn off buildings, trees and utility towers were toppled, some areas flooded and many roads were impassable because of debris. News reports said it could be weeks before power and water are restored to some of the hardest-hit areas. The storm caused an estimated $8.7 billion in insured damage in southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico.

And all this comes on top of the coronavirus pandemic that has been impacting much of the world.

The city, police and Kiwanis -- whose mission is to improve life for families and children -- decided to roll up their sleeves and do what they could to assist the victims by filling an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer truck with supplies.

Throughout September, they are accepting donations of bottled water, non-perishable food items, gently used or new clothing, pet supplies and food, toiletries and household items.

Donations should be dropped off at the Westlake police garage, 27700 Hilliard Blvd.

For more information, contact Rick Grane of the Kiwanis Club at 440-829-0974 or rickgrane@aol.com .

Festival canceled: And theres yet another event cancellation blamed on the coronavirus pandemic.

Terri Jones of the Rocky River Fall Arts Festival tells me the festival will not take place this year. It had been scheduled for Sept.12 in the Old River Shopping Area of Rocky River. Fifty-four artists were planning to participate.

The festival began in 2009, when Rocky River Mayor Pam Bobst was looking for a way to celebrate the talents of River residents and to highlight the merchants in the Old Detroit Shopping Area.

The annual event is hosted by the nonprofit Rocky River Parks and Recreation Foundation. Financial support is primarily from sponsorships, donations from local merchants and entry fees paid by participating artists. Proceeds are returned to the community to help fund projects such as playground equipment and park improvements.

Jones said next years festival is scheduled for Sept. 11.

The deadline is drawing near to complete the 2020 Census. (Carol Kovach, special to cleveland.com)

Be sure to be counted: Area residents are reminded that time is running out to complete the 2020 Census form before the Sept. 30 deadline.

Data collected in the census is used to determine how much funding communities will receive for infrastructure repairs, school funding, safety programs and other projects. Cuyahoga County continues to lag, with only about a 64 percent response rate.

Those who have not yet completed the form or who misplaced it can complete the 2020 Census online by visiting my2020census.gov.

Postponed: Rocky River Senior Centers Junk in The Trunk event that had been scheduled for Aug. 29 was postponed due to the forecast of rain.

The rescheduled event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 12 in the Senior Center parking lot, 21014 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River.

Those attending should wear a face mask and observe social distancing.

Food Truck Friday: Get a head start on the Labor Day holiday weekend at Bay Villages next Food Truck Friday event, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 4 in the parking lot at City Hall, 350 Dover Center Road. In case of inclement weather the trucks will move to the area near Dwyer Senior Center, 300 Bryson Lane, Bay Village.

This weeks trucks will be Hatfields Goode Grub and Signature Slush & Cream. Reminder: Attendees must wear face masks/coverings and observe social distancing.

Its easy to request and obtain an application to vote by mail this fall. However, election officials suggest that voters not delay in requesting or returning their ballot requests and ballots in order to ensure their vote will count. (Carol Kovach, special to cleveland.com)

Get ready to vote: Now that the presidential political conventions are history, the focus is shifting to the election. And while every election is important, presidential contests tend to draw higher numbers of voters.

Although Election Day -- Nov. 3  is still two months away, its not too early to start planning to cast your ballot -- especially since the ongoing coronavirus pandemic will impact the election.

Its also wise to double-check your voter registration status to ensure that the information is accurate, especially if youve moved or had a name change. Oct. 5 is the deadline to register to vote or to update voter information for the Nov. 3 election.

If you are new to Ohio or are just turning old enough to vote -- 18 by Nov. 3 -- details on how to register are available from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, boe.cuyahogacounty.gov. Voters also can also go online to obtain detailed election information, including their polling place and what will appear on their ballot.

Election officials are anticipating a higher than normal number of requests for vote-by-mail ballots because of the pandemic, so they encourage voters to get their requests in as soon as possible. They said because of the pandemic, voting by mail is the safest option.

A ballot application can be obtained by calling 216-443-8683, by making an online request or by printing a ballot application form. The completed form must be returned in person to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, 2925 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, placed in the secure drop box -- which is accessible 24/7 in the parking lot behind the board office -- or mailed to the elections board, P.O. Box 89448, Cleveland, Ohio 44101-6448.

Completed ballot applications must be received by noon on Oct. 31, the last Saturday before Election Day. Election officials recommend delivering ballot applications in person or using the drop box as the deadline approaches in order to ensure that a ballot will be received in time to vote.

Once a voters status has been checked and approved, a ballot will be mailed -- beginning on Oct. 6. The voter must return the ballot by mail, in person or via the drop box so that it is received or postmarked by Nov. 2.

Ballots returned by U.S. mail require two postage stamps.

Voters can check the elections board website to track their ballot.

There is a need for poll workers on Election Day, also. Interested people can sign up online. Election officials said they are committed to ensuring the safety of those who vote in person on Election Day, as well as poll workers. They said protective equipment such as face masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing markings will be provided at polling locations.

Those who sign up to work at a polling place will be required to attend a two-hour organizational meeting on Nov. 2 and to work the full day on Election Day. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and poll workers can earn up to $275 for the day.

New trustee: Westlake resident William Perry has been appointed to the Westlake Porter Public Library Board of Trustees. He replaces Audrey Forrest, who stepped down earlier this year. Perry will complete her term, which expires in December 2025.

An attorney, Perry owns and operates an independent law practice in Westlake. Prior to receiving his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, he was a public relations/communications specialist at Progressive Insurance. Perry also earned a bachelors degree from Cleveland State University.

A fan of libraries in general, and WPPL in particular, Perry said that serving as a trustee is his way of giving back to the library that has given so much to him and his family.

Cancer support: Individuals and families coping with cancer are invited to take advantage of programs offered by The Gathering Place. Because of the pandemic, The Gathering Place is closed for onsite programming and all programs will be virtual. All programs require advance registration unless specified. Call 216-595-9546 for details.

September programs include:

 Meditation for individuals and families coping with cancer will be offered from 1:30 to 3:15 p.m. Sept. 21 with presenter Eileen Coan, MS, MLS/GoToMeeting.

 A virtual support group for young adults surviving cancer (ages 18-40) will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 24 via Zoom. Contact Casey Durkin to register at 216-455- 1523 or durkin@touchedbycancer.org

 Support for a child or teen with cancer, including siblings and parents, will be offered from 10 to 11 a.m. Sept. 5 via GoToMeeting. Contact Casey Durkin to register at 215-455-1523 or durkin@touchedbycancer.org.

 Exercise classes for those coping with cancer will be offered from 7 to 7:30 a.m. Mondays and 6:30 to 7 p.m. Thursdays with instructor Michael Ciccarello via GoToMeeting, and from 12:30 to 1 p.m. Tuesdays with instructor Stephen Cerne via Zoom. Advance registration is required by calling 216-595-9546.

Information, please: Readers are invited to share information about themselves, their families and friends, organizations, church events, etc. from Bay Village, Rocky River and Westlake for the West Shore Chatter column, which I write on a freelance basis. Awards, honors, milestone birthdays or anniversaries and other items are welcome. Submit information at least 10 days before the requested publication date to carolkovach@hotmail.com.

Read more from the West Shore Sun.
China demands India to withdraw troops that illegally trespassing LAC and avoid escalation on border

PLA Daily

Source: China Military Online

Editor: Chen Zhuo

2020-08-31 23:10:49

CHENGDU, Aug. 31 -- India troops on Monday illegally trespassed the Line of Control (LOC) again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Mountain and conducted flagrant provocations, said Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesperson for the Western Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, urging that the Indian side should immediately withdraw its troops and avoid any escalation in the situation.

Spokesperson Zhang made the remarks in a written statement responding to the recent China-India border situation on Monday night. He said that the Indian military's move has violated the consensus reached in previous multi-level engagements and negotiations between China and India and stirred tension on the border.

Spokesperson Zhang further pointed out that India's move has grossly violated China's territorial sovereignty, and severely damaged peace and stability in the China-India border area, and China is strongly opposed to the Indian side's faithless act of repudiating past promises.

"We solemnly demand the Indian side to immediately withdraw its troops that illegally trespassing the border line, strictly control and restrain its frontline troops and earnestly honor its commitments, so as to avoid further escalation in the situation," he stressed.

Spokesperson Zhang also said in the statement that the Chinese military is taking necessary countermeasures and will closely follow the developments to resolutely safeguard China's territorial sovereignty, as well as peace and stability in the border region.

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Germanys unemployment rate edged up to 6.4% last month but, as in July, the coronavirus pandemic played no significant role in the increase, the national labor agency said Tuesday. Jobless figures in Europes biggest economy have been kept down by extensive use of a short-term salary support program.

The unadjusted jobless rate, the headline rate in Germany, was up from 6.3% in July, the Federal Labor Agency said. That rate stood at 5% in March, the last month before the impact of the pandemic was reflected in unemployment figures.

The number of people registered as unemployed was 2.955 million, an increase of 45,000 compared with the previous month, and 636,000 compared with a year earlier.

In seasonally adjusted terms, the unemployment rate was static at 6.4%.

Rises in unemployment in Germany and elsewhere in Europe have been moderate by international standards because employers are making heavy use of salary support programs, often referred to as furlough schemes, that allow them to keep employees on the payroll while they await better times.

In Germany, Europes largest economy, the labor agency pays at least 60% of the salary of employees who are on reduced or zero hours.

The labor agency said Tuesday it paid out for 5.36 million people in June, the most recent month for which it has figures. That is down from a peak of 5.98 million in April, but far above the pre-crisis level in February of just 134,000. Germany has 83 million inhabitants.

Germany wont be scaling back that program soon. The governing coalition has agreed to allow employees to remain in it for up to 24 months rather than the regular 12.

Germany started easing coronavirus restrictions in late April, but some restrictions still remain and a recent increase in new infections has caused concern.
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Body and Mind Inc. (CSE: BAMM) (OTCQB: BMMJ) (the "Company" or "BaM"), a debt free multi-state operator focused on limited license markets, is pleased to report that its wholly-owned subsidiary, NMG Long Beach, LLC, has now received all approvals and final license transfer for the ShowGrow Long Beach dispensary.

"We have been operating the Long Beach dispensary for over a year and have utilized our data driven operational and marketing expertise to steadily increase sales throughout 2019 and 2020," stated Michael Mills, CEO of Body and Mind. "With the license transfer complete, we look forward to consolidating the Long Beach operations and adding meaningful top line revenue and EBITDA. I would like to thank our team for their tireless effort as we have moved though the license transfer process and expanded operations. Our team continues our ongoing community initiatives including participation in the recent Inspiredbycannabis Coastal Cleanup of Long Beach."

The ShowGrow Long Beach dispensary opened as a medical dispensary in 2018 and added adult-use sales in early 2019 with steadily increasing traffic and sales. ShowGrow Long Beach has won the Orange County Weekly Readers Choice "Best Long Beach Dispensary" award in 2018 and 2019 and offers patients and customers experienced support, a range of ordering options and consistently high Google reviews. The dispensary operates within Center for Disease Control recommended COVID, PPE, cleaning and distancing protocols to ensure the health of our customer and team. ShowGrow Long Beach offers customers a live online menu and pre-ordering options for express pickup and limited contact. The dispensary is centrally located at 3411 E Anaheim St., Long Beach, and serves Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange County, Alamitos, Downtown, Belmont Shore, North Long Beach, Bixby Knolls, Lakewood and Seal Beach.

ShowGrow Long Beach offers a wide variety of popular brands including Body and Mind branded pre-rolls, distillate and live-resin cartridges, G-Pen cartridges and concentrates including live resin, shatter and wax.

The Long Beach live menu, pre-order and express pickup options can be viewed at https://bamcannabis.com/california/longbeachdispensary/ and can also be accessed through Weedmaps.

View the Long Beach Video at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vOFWp7lh8w&list=PLpvtfnO6zJVIINtW_tLr3aeIuOpYqJmUR

About Body and Mind Inc.

BaM is a debt free publicly traded company investing in high quality medical and recreational cannabis cultivation, production and retail. Our wholly owned Nevada subsidiary was awarded one of the first medical marijuana cultivation licenses and holds cultivation and production licenses. BaM products include dried flower, edibles, oils and extracts as well as GPEN Gio cartridges. BaM cannabis strains have won numerous awards including the 2019 Las Vegas Weekly Bud Bracket, Las Vegas Hempfest Cup 2016, High Times Top Ten, the NorCal Secret Cup and the Emerald Cup.

BaM continues to expand operations in Nevada, California, Arkansas and Ohio and is dedicated to increasing shareholder value by focusing resources on improving operational efficiencies, facility expansions, state licensing opportunities as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Please visit www.bamcannabis.com for more information.

Instagram: @bodyandmindBaM

Twitter: @bodyandmindBaM

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation of activities, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release.

Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

SOURCE Body and Mind Inc.

Related Links

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In a spirited speech delivered before army officers and soldiers, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudans Transitional Military Council, has brought up once again a disputed border region with Egypt, which has long been a source of contention between the two neighboring countries.

In a speech delivered Aug. 24 in the Wadi Seidna military zone in Khartoum on the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the army, Burhan said the army would not abandon an inch of Sudans territories. We shall not abandon or forget our right until the flag of Sudan is raised in Halayeb, Shalateen and every contentious area along the Sudanese borders, he said.

Burhan said his countrys unity and borders are widely targeted in what revived a long-standing and recurrent conflict between the two countries over the border area controlled by Egypt, known as the Halayeb Triangle, which includes the Halayeb, Shalateen and Abu Ramad areas. It is a conflict that dates back to the British colonial era in 1899.

Ever since the 1950s, Sudan has claimed the Halayeb Triangle that overlooks the Red Sea coast on the Egyptian-Sudanese border, with an area of about 20,580 square kilometers (nearly 5 million acres). Sudan argues that it falls within its sovereignty.

Despite the conflict between the two countries over the mineral-rich region since Sudan gained independence from Anglo-Egyptian rule in 1956, the region has been open for trade and personnel movement from the two countries without restrictions from any party, until 1995 when the Egyptian army took control of it.

Cairo says the Halayeb Triangle is Egyptian, and in 2016 it refused to start negotiations or resort to international arbitration to determine the right to sovereignty over the region.

In March 2019, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry summoned the Egyptian ambassador to Khartoum, against the background of the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum's announcement whereby an international bid would be opened to explore and exploit oil and gas in the disputed area.

Sudan reiterates every year its complaint before the UN Security Council regarding the disputed area, calling for international arbitration.

Ibrahim Ahmed, former head of the international law department at Ain Shams University, told Al-Monitor that Egypt exercises sovereignty over the Halayeb Triangle and Burhans statements are an unreal claim that violates international law.

Ahmed ruled out that Egypt would resort to international arbitration, which requires the approval of the two countries. Egypt considers that this issue is not a subject of dispute. The situation is stable and the region falls within Egyptian sovereignty, so there is no justification for there to be an issue, he said.

In this regard, Ayman Shabana, professor of political science at the Institute of African Studies and Research affiliated with Cairo University, played down Burhans statements. He told Al-Monitor, Burhans speech was just a statement made before his forces at a military ceremony, and he just wanted to preserve the stature of the army before the public opinion. Sudan will not take subsequent measures in this regard. Cairo has been used to such statements ever since Omar al-Bashir was president.

Shabana said Burhans statements are not serious, and this is evidenced by the fact that Cairo did not take any diplomatic step to respond thereto. They did not summon the Sudanese ambassador to Cairo to ask him to clarify the statements, and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry did not issue a statement to respond thereto, he added.

He also said that Egypt would not take the matter seriously unless Sudan took military steps toward the disputed area, and he considered that this matter is a fictitious assumption that will not materialize.

Shabana said the political leadership in Egypt puts these statements into perspective and believes that relations with Sudan and the issues they share, such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam file, trade cooperation and Red Sea security, are more important at the present time.

Shabana ruled out that Burhans statements would lead to a political crisis between the two countries. He said the Sudanese leadership has domestic priorities related to the economic situation, bringing about peace and implementing the transitional process obligations.

However, Amani al-Taweel, director of the African program at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor that Burhans statements cannot be interpreted separately from the visit of Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly to Sudan Aug. 15, during which he met with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, which reflects Egyptian support for the transitional government and its reform program.

Taweel said Burhans statements wanted to convey a message to the Egyptian administration whereby the military is in control and has the upper hand in Sudan. It seems that Burhan has concluded that Madboulys visit was in the interest of civilians at the expense of the military component, Taweel added.

Power in Sudan is shared by the military and civilians under the umbrella of the Sovereignty Council that was formed in August 2019 for a period of three years until democratic elections are held.

The council includes five members of the military council headed by Burhan  which has ruled the country in April 2019 when the army ousted Bashir  in addition to six other members of the civilian opposition coalition that led demonstrations against Bashirs rule in December 2018.

Members of the opposition have concerns over the possibility that the military would be motivated by greed to rule again in a country that has been for decades dominated by the military with the support of Islamists.

Taweel indicated that Burhans statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of all members of the Transitional Council, especially considering that the military and civilian components accuse each other of failing to tackle the growing popular discontent about the lack of solutions to the stifling economic crisis plaguing the country.

Hamdok accused the army of controlling most of the countrys economic resources. He said in an interview with the state radio, Radio Omdurman, Aug. 21 that only 18% of the countrys economic resources are under government control.

The Sudanese army has economic institutions operating in the field of war production, meat export, agriculture and mining.

However, Burhan rejected these statements and said in a speech to the army chiefs Aug. 23 that the army companies had not monopolized the countrys resources. There are losers who want to find something to attribute [their] failure to, he added.

Burhan said such statements aim at stirring the pot between the army and the people, all the while attributing economic failures to the armys investments and companies.

Taweel said the domestic instability and controversy between the internal parties has inevitably had regional repercussions on Egypt.

The Halayeb Triangle issue is not a current priority for the two countries.  Unresolved issues can be discussed within joint high committees that will convene to develop a vision for resolving these types of issues, she added.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Public health experts and doctors, including those from AIIMS and ICMR's National Task Force on COVID-19 have said it must be assumed that an effective vaccine against coronavirus "would not be available in the near future" and any false sense of hope that this panacea is just around the corner must be avoided.

In a a joint statement submitted to the prime minister, experts of Indian Public Health Association (IPHA), Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM) and Indian Association of Epidemiologists (IAE) have said while being optimistic, the prevention and control strategy should also prepare for the worst.

"Vaccines have no role in current ongoing pandemic control. However, whenever available, the vaccine may play a role in providing personal protection to high-risk individuals like Healthcare workers (HCWs) and elderly with comorbidities," the experts said.

"It must be assumed that an effective vaccine would not be available in near future. We must avoid false sense of hope that this panacea is just around the corner," they said.

Vaccines with proven efficacy and safety, as and when available, should be administered according to the WHO's "strategic allocation" approach or a multi-tiered risk-based approach.

Vaccines may theoretically be a useful intervention in future, if and when made available for public health use, the experts said, highlighting many countries, including Russia and China, are fast-tracking the vaccine development which might have concerns of efficacy and safety.

Highlighting that the ongoing pandemic is a public health problem that is fast worsening the existing health inequities, and not a law and order problem, the experts stressed that it should be dealt with empathy and meaningful community engagement.

The way forward needs to take into account contextual constraints and community interests and design optimal interventions that require technical competence blended with good judgment, clarity and trust, they said.

State and district level epidemiologists would have been an excellent resource to interpret the data locally, and suggest context specific response, the experts said.

"However, these posts are mostly lying vacant due to poor salary structure. There is an urgent need to declare their posts as specialist post requiring MD degree in Community Medicine or Preventive and Social Medicine and recruit qualified persons," they said.

Experts also recommended said that state and national level serosurveillance surveys need to be undertaken to monitor the pandemic and modify the control strategies accordingly.

In future use of already existing sero-surveillance platform could be a cost-effective way to do the sero surveillance.

All the sero surveillance must be supervised by trained public health specialists (MD Community Medicine) from local medical colleges, and public health institutions, they said.

Experts also recommended that role of front-line community health workers in COVID-19 control activities needs to be acknowledged and due recognition given to these front line COVID-19 warriors.

"This will not only boost the efforts of prevention and control of epidemic in the field but also community at a large will realize the importance of preventive measures and join hands in efforts for with government in prevention and control," they said.

The 20-member joint COVID Task Force includes Dr Shashi Kant, past president IAPSM, and Head of the Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr Sanjay K Rai, national president, IPHA and Professor, CCM, AIIMS, Dr Kapil Yadav, additional professor, CCM, AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director of National Centre for Disease Control NCDC), Dr D C S Reddy, former professor and head, Community Medicine, IMS, BHU, Varanasi and Dr. Rajesh Kumar, former Professor and Head, DCM &SPH, PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Dr Singh and Dr Kant are members of ICMR National Task Force on COVID-19 while Dr Reddy chairs the ICMR research group on epidemiology and surveillance for COVID-19.
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that as COVID-19 remains a pandemic and vaccines play a key role in humankind's victory over it, China stands ready to promote cooperation with Morocco on COVID-19 vaccine development and production.

Xi made the remarks in a telephone conversation in the night with Moroccan King Mohammed VI.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, Xi extended sincere sympathies and firm support to the Moroccan government and people over their fight against the coronavirus disease.

Calling COVID-19 a daunting challenge for the whole world, Xi noted that the two countries have been standing together against the pandemic, and that he and the king have exchanged letters multiple times.

Xi recalled that in the early days of China's COVID-19 battle, Morocco offered China invaluable support and solidarity, and took care of Chinese citizens stranded in Morocco. Likewise, after COVID-19 broke out in Morocco, China has actively assisted the country with anti-epidemic supplies, he added.

The Chinese president said he has repeatedly made it clear that once a COVID-19 vaccine is developed and put into use in China, it will be made a global public good, and developing countries, especially African countries, will be among the first to benefit.

Meanwhile, he suggested that China and Morocco work with other countries to uphold multilateralism, support the World Health Organization in playing a leading role, and jointly safeguard the life and health of all people across the world.

China and Morocco, Xi stressed, enjoy a profound traditional friendship with consistent mutual understanding and trust, and have firmly supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns.

China, he added, encourages competent Chinese companies to invest and do business in Morocco, and stands ready to work with Morocco to steadily bolster cooperation in various fields within such frameworks as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, draw a new blueprint for people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in the post-pandemic era, and push for new achievements in the China-Morocco strategic partnership.

Recalling that he and Xi jointly announced the establishment of the Morocco-China strategic partnership during his visit to China in 2016, King Mohammed VI said Morocco is very glad to have such a strategic partner as China.

Thanks to its strategic cooperation with China, he added, Morocco has achieved sound development in recent years.

The Moroccan side regards China as its top priority for cooperation, and hopes that the two sides will strengthen cooperation in various fields such as economy, trade, science and technology, and make their bilateral relations more dynamic, the king said.

The Moroccan side, he said, firmly supports China's legitimate stance in safeguarding its core interests such as sovereignty and security.

King Mohammed VI also expressed his gratitude for China's valuable support to Morocco in the fight against the pandemic, expressing hope that bilateral cooperation in vaccine research and development, procurement and production will be strengthened.
HNTB's Kurt Krauss Kurt is highly regarded by clients and peers for his extensive oversight, program and financial management expertise, said Jim Ray, HNTB corporate president and Advisory practice leader.

Kurt Krauss, PE, joined HNTB Corporation as vice president, national strategic initiatives, in the firms new national Advisory practice. He specializes in national initiatives centered on program management, rapid mobilization and expert delivery. He is based in HNTBs Arlington office and serves clients nationwide.

With 25 years of infrastructure strategic, commercial and financial consulting experience, Krauss has led complex, interdisciplinary groups to deliver $12 billion in major transportation infrastructure programs, $2.5 billion in successful infrastructure acquisitions, $5 billion in potential infrastructure investment assessments and multiple major infrastructure innovation initiatives.

Krauss has served as trusted advisor to executives internal to the corporate environment as well as chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief engineers, agency boards and major institutional investors. He has developed successful strategic assessments, efficiency/improvement plans, capital/financial plans, and management tools for complex infrastructure and enterprise-wide programs that align diverse groups relative to technical, financial, operational and cultural needs.

Kurt is highly regarded by clients and peers for his extensive oversight, program and financial management expertise, said Jim Ray, HNTB corporate president and Advisory practice leader. He translates complex organizational objectives into daily practice by developing practical, collaborative and outcome-oriented solutions.

Before joining HNTB, Krauss served another consulting firm as senior vice president and chief projects officer for its Advisory Services practice. He led corporate and practice strategic initiatives involving multiple business units in the development and delivery of innovative cross-disciplinary solutions.

In the delivery of major capital programs, Krauss served as advisory team director responsible for supporting the delivery of a $5+ billion capital program for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. He also served as financial manager on major highway and toll infrastructure projects including the $2.4 billion Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project and the $2.4 billion Intercounty Connector Project.

Additionally, he was project manager responsible for the comprehensive and accelerated evaluation of a portfolio of target port assets in the U.S. and Canada for the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan acquisition of four port facilities.

Krauss holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. He also holds a bachelors and masters in civil engineering from Bucknell University. He is a registered Professional Engineer and member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

HNTBs new Advisory practice provides a holistic, strategic perspective to help clients develop and deliver their most complex programs. As the lead commercial advisor on large, complex projects and programs, the firm works directly with clients executive-level management to provide strategic and commercial advice, drawing on legal, technical, management and policy expertise. The practice brings in-depth knowledge of innovative delivery models along with substantial transactional experience and understanding of public and private sector perspectives to drive innovation and facilitate informed decision-making across disciplines.

About HNTB

HNTB Corporation is an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving public and private owners and contractors. With 106 years of service in the United States, HNTB understands the life cycle of infrastructure and addresses clients most complex technical, financial and operational challenges. Professionals nationwide deliver a full range of infrastructure-related services, including award-winning planning, design, and program and construction management. For more information, visit http://www.hntb.com, or follow HNTB on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.




By Kim Bo-eun



The likelihood of regulatory changes is a complicated matter for Samsung, as this would force the conglomerate to overhaul its governance structure.



According to the Insurance Business Act, stocks held by an insurer of an affiliate company should be limited to 3 percent of the insurer's total assets.



The proposed revisions state that the stake an insurance business holds in an affiliate company should be calculated according to market value rather than book value.



Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lawmakers Park Yong-jin and Lee Yong-woo proposed these revisions to the insurance business act in June.



The lawmakers contend that if a company holds an excessive portion of another firm's stocks, this exposes it to risks if the stock price tumbles. Because Samsung Life is an insurer, this exposes policyholders to risks.



This is not the first time such revisions have been proposed, but this time they are likely to be passed, considering the DPK now holds the majority of National Assembly seats. The bill will be discussed at the Assembly later this month.



The passage of the revisions will require Samsung Life to sell a huge amount of Samsung Electronics stocks it holds. Samsung Life's total assets came to 317.82 trillion won in its report for the first half of this year, posted last month. Three percent of its total assets totals 9.5 trillion won.



This means Samsung Life cannot hold more than 9.5 trillion won of Samsung Electronics stocks.



By book value, Samsung's life insurer holds 544.4 billion won in Samsung Electronics shares, but by market value this amounts to 29 trillion won.



Samsung Life, therefore, would be required to sell 20 trillion won in Samsung Electronics shares. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance also holds close to 5 trillion won in Samsung Electronics shares. Under the new regulations, it would have to sell about 3 trillion won of Samsung Electronics shares.



The stocks need to be sold to another Samsung affiliate, and Samsung C&T, the group's arm in construction and trading, is seen as the most likely entity to take over the shares.



Samsung C&T is seen as being able to purchase the stocks worth 20 trillion won, by selling Samsung Biologics shares it owns.



Samsung Biologics' market capitalization has grown to 52 trillion won, from 9.5 trillion won as of the end of 2016, when the manufacturer of bio-healthcare products was listed.



Samsung C&T holds 43.44 percent of Samsung Biologics shares, which amounts to 23 trillion won. Samsung Electronics is likely to take over Samsung Biologics' stocks from Samsung C&T. Samsung Electronics already holds 31.49 percent in Samsung Biologics stocks. Samsung Electronics is the only company within the group that is capable of buying 23 trillion won worth of stocks.



Under the current system, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is exercising management rights at Samsung Electronics with 5.01 percent of the electronics unit's shares held by Samsung C&T and 8.51 percent of shares held by Samsung Life.



Lee holds 17.33 percent of Samsung C&T stocks. Samsung C&T holds 19.34 percent of shares in Samsung Life, and Samsung Life holds 8.51 percent of shares of Samsung Electronics.



If Samsung C&T takes over Samsung Electronics stocks from Samsung's insurance units, this simplifies the ownership structure for Lee, who would hold Samsung Electronics shares via Samsung C&T.



The transfer of Samsung Electronics stocks from Samsung's life and non-life insurance units to Samsung C&T is estimated, however, to give rise to up to 5 trillion won in corporate tax.



Samsung is also set to come under greater regulation, with the expected enactment of a law governing the financial health of non-holding financial groups.



Uncertainties have grown, with the indictment of the Samsung heir, Tuesday, over the merger of the group's two business units in 2015. Lee was charged with offenses including stock manipulation and breach of trust in the process of merging Samsung CT and Cheil Industries.


Its likely to be another smoke-filled week in the Bay Area.

Conditions will be far less windy than they have been in the past, said Brayden Murdock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Thats good news for firefighters trying to control the three major wildfires raging across the region, but bad news for air quality.

More stagnant air means wildfire smoke will have a chance to settle in.

Its a give-and-take situation, Murdock said. Theres less winds, less chances for dry lightning. Its not going to help firefighters, but it wont hurt them, either.

Smoke already began choking the Bay Area on Monday, with areas around San Mateo and Redwood City registering as unhealthy for everyone, especially those in sensitive groups. East Bay areas from Oakland to Hayward also registered unhealthy air.

Temperatures are forecast to warm across the region, especially later in the week. Inland areas are expected to reach the mid-90s, with places like Gilroy and Concord potentially creeping into 100-degree territory this weekend, Murdock said. Even coastal areas may see temperatures 10 degrees higher than they are currently.

One of the fires, the SCU Lightning Complex burning in parts of seven East Bay counties, is expected to be fully contained by the end of this week, Cal Fire officials said. The massive complex, the second-largest wildfire in California history, has burned 383,157 acres and grew to 65% containment. Five injuries have been blamed on the blaze.

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

The third-largest fire in California history, the LNU Lightning Complex, stood at 375,209 acres Monday, with containment growing to 66%. Crews battling the Walbridge Fire, the western portion of the complex burning in Sonoma County, began the process of opening roads in the interior of the fire zone, said Cal Fire Operations Chief Mark Brunton.

The eastern edge of the LNU Lightning Complexs Hennessey Fire, burning in Napa and Lake counties, is nearly extinguished between the Capay Valley and Winters, fire officials said, with repopulation efforts taking place from Winters down to Vacaville.

The northern edge of the blaze continued to challenge firefighters, with flames raging on both sides of Highway 16 near Cache Creek.

But crews have gotten a handle on last weeks priority: the area between Middletown and Calistoga.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

You should stop seeing smoke in that area here shortly, Brunton said. This was a significant part of the fire operation, and one of the key elements we had to get contained. Things are looking really good in that area now.

The CZU Lightning Complex burning in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties grew slightly to 85,060 acres. Containment of the fire, which has been burning for two weeks, stood at 41%.

CZU crews focused Monday on the northern part of the fire, where several fingers of wildfire have sprouted in Butano State Park. Crews were being assisted by 240 members of the California National Guard, deployed to fire lines in a dozen 20-member teams.

The three major Bay Area fires and complexes have collectively burned more than 840,000 acres.

Michael Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Michael.Williams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @michaeldamianw
GRAND FORKS, N.D.  Here in Grand Forks, we have a very serious situation now, says city Coun. Bret Weber.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GRAND FORKS, N.D.  "Here in Grand Forks, we have a very serious situation now," says city Coun. Bret Weber.

On Monday night, local leaders gathered to debate a potential city-wide face mask mandate, amid a surge in the COVID-19 case count they are blaming on students returning to the University of North Dakota.

Grand Forks County has the highest number of active novel coronavirus cases in the state at 536  nearly 100 more than No. 2 Burleigh County, and more than double Cass County.

Mayor Brandon Bochenski said 87 per cent of current positive cases are found among people between the ages of 15 and 29 years old.

"There was a small number of people who were infectious when they came here, and the spread has been happening here," Michael Dulitz of the Grand Forks Public Health Department told council.

While many on the council appeared to oppose a face mask mandate, they did agree the city should have a better plan about the tipping point.

"We want to keep kids safe and we want to keep them in school. We dont want something to happen where they cant go to school," said Coun. Ken Vein.

Other councillors pointed out neighbouring Minnesota had its largest spike in cases over the weekend, and has had a statewide mask mandate since the beginning of August.

"Im not completely convinced it will work in the city of Grand Forks," said Coun. Danny Weigel.

Bochenski used more evocative language, while agreeing more education is needed: "This isnt Nazi Germany, where we can bust into houses and force people to wear masks."

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Nearly a dozen members of the public also attended the meeting to speak out against the idea.

"The question isnt if COVID-19 is a real virus. The question is: is our response to COVID-19 appropriate for the level of risk it brings to us?" asked David Waterman.

The discussion comes at a critical time  city council is days away from a vote that could require all non-essential businesses to close again, as they did in March during the initial days of the pandemic response.

"You cant continue locking us down. With the whole mask mandate, it scares the hell out of people," said Scott Reinhart with Integrity Fundraisers fund management company.

"One of the best things we can do to keep our businesses open is the simple act of putting a cloth over our face," Weber countered.

 Grand Forks Herald
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.1

By Tamilla Mammadova  Trend:

Over the past six years, the import of carpets from Azerbaijan to Georgia has been critically reduced, Trend reports citing the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).

As reported, this year, Azerbaijan exported to Georgia the minimum amount of carpets for the specified period (commodity code 57), amounting to less $1,000.

In the first seven months of 2020, carpets from Azerbaijan to Georgia were imported only in March.

As for the statistics of imports of this product over the past six years, the largest volume of imports of carpets from Azerbaijan to Georgia was carried out in 2015 in the amount of $6,400.

In 2016, this indicator decreased to $1,200, and in 2017 it increased to $5,700. In 2018, carpets worth $4,400 were imported from Azerbaijan to Georgia.

Since 2019, imports of carpets in monetary terms again began to decline sharply and fell to $1,100.

The external merchandise trade (excluding non-declared trade) of Georgia amounted to $6.03 billion from January through July 2020, 17.6 percent lower compared to the same period of 2019. The exports equaled $1.75 billion (16.8 percent lower), while the imports stood at $4.27 billion (17.9 percent lower).

From January through July 2020, the share of the top ten trading partners by exports in the total exports of Georgia amounted to 77.2 percent. The top-3 partners were China ($248.3 million), Azerbaijan ($230.7 million), and Russia ($229.1 million).

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356
A perfectly-timed photo shows the split-second moment a male kingfisher tried to assist his mate with her fish food delivery for their chicks.

The blink-of-an-eye exchange was caught on camera by amateur wildlife photographer Diana Knight.

Pensioner Diana had been waiting in a hide by a pond all night trying to get shots of a group of otters near Bourne, Lincolnshire.

With dawn breaking the otters hadn't made an appearance and a tired Diana started packing away her camera tripod and kit.

Photographer Diana Knight captured the moment a male kingfisher tried to assist his mate with her fish food delivery for their chicks while trying to get shots of otters near Bourne, Lincolnshire (pictured)

Suddenly, a blue flash caught her eye and instinctively Diana pressed her camera shutter capturing a very rare image of two kingfishers interacting on the wing.

Kingfishers are notoriously difficult to photograph in flight as they dart at high speed to catch their fishy prey.

But in the photo taken in July, Diana managed to capture not only a successful catch but also a parental handover of the shopping for the kids.

Diana, who lives with husband Cliff, said she was pleased when she saw the result of the decision to take the shot.

She said: 'As so often happens with wildlife photography, you make a plan and go out with one thing in mind, and Mother Nature changes all that in a blink.

Pensioner Diana (pictured) had been waiting in a hide by a pond all night trying to get shots of a group of otters near Bourne, Lincolnshire

'However, I was very pleased with this picture as an unusual action shot and so asked my husband to post it on a local group's social media page.

'I don't have a Facebook account and am a bit of a technophobe, happier with a tablet of stone and a chisel than a computer.

'Nevertheless, I was astounded when It received nearly 500 likes and was delighted with how many people seemed genuinely amazed to see this unusual behaviour too.'

Where are kingfishers found and how rare are they? Kingfishers, known for their striking bright blue and orange feathers, are found across Britain but particularly in central and southern England. The bird, which has a conservation status of amber, is found by still or slow flowing water such as lakes, canals and rivers in lowland areas. They hunt fish from riverside perches, sometimes hovering above the water's surface before diving down rapidly to make a catch. There is an estimated population of 3,800-6,400 pairs in the UK, according to the RSPB. Advertisement

Diana used a Canon 1dx ii with a 300mm f2.8lens to get this great shot and said the unusual nature of the image made up for a lack of otters.

She said despite waiting for hours for otters the moment she got the picture of the kingfishers happened in an instant

She said: 'As I was starting to dismantle my tripod, right in front of me there was a sudden flash of blue, followed by a splash as the kingfisher dived into the water.

'It was not planned but I think I must have been on autopilot and instinctively pressed the shutter button to record the event.

'When I saw the female kingfisher emerge I was amazed to see the male kingfisher challenge her and try to aggressively wrestle the fish from her, the female bird has an orange bill, whilst the male's is black.

'Why he would do this? I have no idea since both had been happily fishing together and taking the food back to their nest since first light.

'The chicks would have been fed no matter which parent had delivered it, but for some reason, the male bird obviously fancied himself as the better provider and felt the need to take this little fish too.

'They disappeared away in a flash of blue, and shortly after were both fishing again as I departed, so I never got to see if this behaviour was repeated.'

Diana said Covid-19 had meant she wasn't able to travel as far as usual to follow her passion for wildlife.

She said: 'Due to the Covid restrictions, options for wildlife photography have been limited and I haven't been able to go far or join photographic trips so instead I visited a pond hide alone and where I intended to stay overnight as otters are known to visit and I thought they would make some great shots.

'This mated pair of kingfishers were actively fishing early in the evening and taking the fish off to their nesting chicks which were somewhere along a nearby riverbank I believe.

'I hardly took any pictures of them as they are so frequently photographed that it is very difficult to get something 'different' with kingfishers and that has never been seen before and so I thought they would provide very little of interest.

'But Mother Nature proved again she always surprises you.'
Dublin, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Multiple Myeloma - Market Insights, Epidemiology and Market Forecast - 2030" drug pipelines has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report delivers an in-depth understanding of the MM, historical and forecasted epidemiology as well as the MM market trends in the United States, EU5 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and United Kingdom), Japan and China.



The MM market report provides current treatment practices, emerging drugs, MM market share of the individual therapies, current and forecasted MM market size from 2017 to 2030 segmented by seven major markets.



The report also covers current MM treatment practice/algorithm, market drivers, market barriers and unmet medical needs to curate best of the opportunities and assesses underlying potential of the market.



Epidemiology



The MM epidemiology division provides insights about historical and current MM patient pool and forecasted trend for each seven major countries. It helps to recognize the causes of current and forecasted trends by exploring numerous studies and views of key opinion leaders. This part of the report also provides the diagnosed patient pool and their trends along with assumptions undertaken.



Key Findings



The MM epidemiology division provides insights about historical and current patient pool and forecasted trends for each seven major countries. The MM epidemiology data are studied through MM possible division to give a better understanding of the Disease scenario in the 8MM.



The disease epidemiology covered in the report provides historical as well as forecasted MM epidemiology [segmented as Total Incidence of Multiple Myeloma, Total Symptomatic Cases of MM, Total Incident Cases of MM Segmented by Gender, Total Incident Cases of MM Segmented by Age, Total Cases of MM by Line of Treatment] scenario of MM in the 8MM covering the United States, EU5 countries (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), Japan, and China from 2017 to 2030.



Country-wise Epidemiology

Story continues

In the year 2017, the total incident case of Multiple Myeloma was 85,971 cases in the 8MM. The United States, in 2017, accounted for 30,271 cases (the highest number), which will probably rise by the year 2030.

Among the EU-5 countries, the highest number of incident cases of Multiple Myeloma was in Germany 7,337, in the year 2017. In the year 2017, the total incident cases of Multiple Myeloma were 7,504 in Japan.

In the year 2017, the total incident cases of Multiple Myeloma was 19,536 in China, which might increase cases by 2030.

Drug Chapters



Drug chapter segment of the Multiple Myeloma report encloses the detailed analysis of Multiple Myeloma marketed drugs and late stage (Phase-III and Phase-II) pipeline drugs. It also helps to understand the Multiple Myeloma clinical trial details, expressive pharmacological action, agreements and collaborations, approval and patent details, advantages and disadvantages of each included drug and the latest news and press releases.



Marketed Drugs



Sarclisa (Isatuximab): Sanofi



Sarclisa - a product of Sanofi is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the CD38 receptor on multiple myeloma cells. It is basically manufactured and designed to initiate programmed tumor cell death (apoptosis) and immunomodulatory activity.



Xpovio (Selinexor): Karyopharm



Karyopharm' potential candidate Selinexor is an oral, first-in-class, selective inhibitor of nuclear export also known as SINE, compound., till date it has only been approved by the USFDA, in fact has been given accelerated approval on the response rate for one specific indication. It has only been approved by the US FDA in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least four prior therapies and whose disease is refractory to at least two proteasome inhibitors, at least two immunomodulatory agents, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.



Darzalex (Daratumumab): Janssen Biotech



Darzalex (daratumumab) is a prescription medicine used to treat a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. Darzalex is not chemotherapy. It is a human IgG1k monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to the CD38 molecule, which is highly expressed on the surface of multiple myeloma cells. In November 2015, Darzalex first received the US FDA approval as a monotherapy for patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor (PI) and an immunomodulatory agent, or who are double refractory to a PI and an immunomodulatory agent. Recently, in April 2020, the US FDA approved Darzalex Faspro (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj), a new subcutaneous formulation of daratumumab. Darzalex Faspro is approved in four regimens across five indications in multiple myeloma patients, including newly diagnosed, transplant-ineligible patients as well as relapsed or refractory patients.



Emerging Drugs



Belantamab Mafodotin (GSK2857916): GlaxoSmithKline



GlaxoSmithKline's lead candidate, Belantamab Mafodotin (GSK2857916) is a first-in-class, anti-BCMA immunoconjugate with an afucosylated, humanized IgG1 anti-BCMA monoclonal antibody conjugated by a protease-resistant maleimidocaproyl linker to a microtubule-disrupting agent, monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF). The drug linker technology is licensed from Seattle Genetics; monoclonal antibody is produced using POTELLIGENT Technology licensed from BioWa. This candidate has received orphan drug designation from the EMA and the US FDA for multiple myeloma. Apart from this, the EMA and the US FDA have also granted PRIME designation and Breakthrough Therapy designation, respectively.



Idecabtagene vicleucel (bb2121/ ide-cel): Bristol-Myers Squibb/bluebird bio



Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) is a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed genetically modified autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy co-developed, and co-promoted by Bristol Myers Squibb and Bluebird bio for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior therapies. The ide-cel CAR is comprised of a murine extracellular single-chain variable fragment (scFv) specific for recognizing BCMA, attached to a human CD8 hinge and transmembrane domain fused to the T cell cytoplasmic signaling domains of CD137 4-1BB and CD3- chain, in tandem.



Venetoclax (ABT-199): AbbVie and Roche



Venetoclax (Venclexta, Venclyxto) is an oral B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) inhibitor developed by AbbVie and Genentech. It is used for the treatment of adult patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) or Small Lymphocytic Leukemia (SLL) and in combination with azacitidine or decitabine or low-dose cytarabine for the treatment of newly-diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults who are age 75 years or older, or who have comorbidities that preclude the use of intensive induction chemotherapy. Venetoclax helps restore the process of apoptosis by binding directly to the BCL-2 protein, displacing proapoptotic proteins like BIM, triggering mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, and the activation of caspases. In nonclinical studies, venetoclax has demonstrated cytotoxic activity in tumor cells that overexpress BCL-2. In March 2019, the US FDA placed a partial clinical hold on Venetoclax's multiple myeloma trials after new safety concerns were raised during a review of the BELLINI Phase III trial (NCT02755597). In July 2019, the US FDA removed the partial clinical hold based upon agreement on revisions to the CANOVA study protocol (Myeloma Positive for the t(11;14) Genetic Abnormality), including new risk mitigation measures, protocol-specified guidelines and updated futility criteria (AbbVie News Center, 2019).



JNJ-68284528 (LCAR-B38M/JNJ-4528): Janssen Biotech/Nanjing Legend Biotech



JNJ-68284528 (LCAR-B38M/JNJ-4528) is currently being investigated for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least three prior regimens, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory drug, and an anti-CD38 antibody, and have documented disease progression within 12 months of starting the most recent therapy, or are double refractory to an immunomodulatory drug and proteasome inhibitor. This product is being evaluated under licensing and collaboration agreement between Janssen and Legend Biotech.



Melflufen (melphalan flufenamide): Oncopeptides AB



Melflufen is a first-in-class anti-cancer peptide-drug conjugate that rapidly produces an alkylating payload into tumor cells. The phase III clinical study (OCEAN, OP-103) is currently enrolling and has been approved under the US FDA's Special Protocol Assessment. In the OCEAN study, melflufen is compared directly against the current standard of care in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.



REGN5458: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals



REGN5458 is a BCMAxCD3 bispecific antibody, in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) multiple myeloma. BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen) is a protein that is typically over-expressed on multiple myeloma cells. In December 2019, the company presented the results at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.



JCARH125 (Orvacabtagene autoleucel; Orva-cel): Juno Therapeutics (a Bristol-Myers Squibb company)

JCARH125 is a BCMA-targeting CAR T cell product candidate that is being developed by Juno Therapeutics. It incorporates several important elements that are believed to be important for maximizing patient benefit, including a next-generation manufacturing process, a fully-human binding domain, and a 4-1BB costimulatory domain. JCARH125 has received orphan drug designation from the FDA for multiple myeloma.



Market Outlook



Key Findings



According to the report, Multiple Myeloma market in the 8MM is expected to change in the study period 2017-2030. The therapeutic market of Multiple Myeloma in seven major markets was found to be USD 14,111 million in 2017 which is expected to increase during the study period (2017-2030).



The United States Market Outlook



In 2017, the total market size of MM therapies was found to be USD 9,467 million in the United States which is expected to increase in the study period (2017-2030).



EU-5 Countries: Market Outlook



In 2017, the total market size of MM therapies was found to be USD 3,139 million in the EU-5 countries which is expected to increase in the study period (2017-2030).



Japan Market Outlook



The total market size of MM therapies in Japan was found to be USD 1,019 million in 2017.



Pipeline Development Activities



The drugs which are in pipeline includes:

Belantamab Mafodotin (GSK2857916): GlaxoSmithKline Idecabtagene vicleucel (bb2121/ ide-cel): Bristol-Myers Squibb/Bluebird bio Venetoclax (ABT-199): AbbVie and Roche JNJ-68284528 (LCAR-B38M/JNJ-4528): Janssen Biotech/Nanjing Legend Biotech Melflufen (melphalan flufenamide): Oncopeptides AB Keytruda (Pembrolizumab): Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. Cetrelimab (JNJ-63723283): Janssen Research & Development REGN5458: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Felzartamab (MOR202): MorphoSys AG/I-Mab Biopharma Chidamide (Epidaza): Chipscreen Biosciences Iberdomide (CC-220): Bristol-Myers Squibb/Celgene Rapamycin-Resistant Th1/Tc1 (RAPA-201) Cell Therapy: RAPA Therapeutics Encorafenib in combination with Binimetinib: Pfizer (Array Biopharma) CLR 131 (131-CLR1404): Cellectar Biosciences NY-ESO-1C259T Cells: Adaptimmune Therapeutics /GlaxoSmithKline /Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp BL-8040: BioLineRx GVAX (GM-CSF) Vaccine: Celgene/Aduro Biotech ECT-001: ExCellThera TAK-079: Takeda GBR 1342 (ISB 1342): Glenmark (Ichnos Sciences SA) P-BCMA-101 CAR-T cells: Poseida Therapeutics Opdivo (Nivolumab): Bristol-Myers Squibb AMG 420 (BI 836909): Amgen PBCAR269A: Precision BioSciences JCARH125 (Orvacabtagene autoleucel; Orva-cel): Juno Therapeutics (a Bristol-Myers Squibb company) MP0250: Molecular Partners AG Teclistamab (JNJ-7957; JNJ-64007957): Janssen Pharmaceutical Descartes-11: Cartesian Therapeutics Imfinzi (Durvalumab): AstraZeneca Imbruvica (Ibrutinib): Abbvie (Pharmacyclics) and Johnson & Johnson

Key Points



1. In June 2020, the Company submits NDA application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for accelerated approval of melflufen (INN melphalan flufenamide) in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma whose disease is refractory to at least one proteasome inhibitor, one immunomodulatory agent and one anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (i.e., triple-class refractory multiple myeloma patients).



2. In May 2020, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that European Medicines Agency (EMA) has validated its Marketing Authorization Applications (MAA) for idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel, bb2121). Validation of each application confirms the respective submission is complete and begins the EMA's centralized review process.



3. In May 2020, Bristol Myers Squibb and bluebird bio announced that the companies received a Refusal to File letter from the US FDA regarding the Biologics License Application (BLA) for idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel; bb2121) for patients with heavily pre-treated relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma, which was submitted in March 2020.



4. In February 2020, GlaxoSmithKline announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) validated the marketing authorization application (MAA) for Belantamab Mafodotin for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma whose prior therapy included an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor and an anti-CD38 antibody. Belantamab Mafodotin was accepted for accelerated assessment by the EMA's Committee for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP)



5. In December 2019, Janssen announced receipt of a Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for JNJ-4528, which is granted to expedite the development and regulatory review of an investigational medicine that is intended to treat a serious or life-threatening condition.



Drugs Uptake



Among the IMid's agent lenalidomide (Revlimid, Celgene) dominates the Multiple Myeloma market in the 8MM, where it is included in all lines of Multiple Myeloma therapy either as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs. According to a settlement deal between Celgene and Natco Pharma, a limited generic entry will begin in March 2022 for this candidate, after that generic entry will be permitted. In the European Union, the patent is set to expire in 2024, which will lead to the penetration of generics in the European Market. In 2017, Lenalidomide generated a revenue of USD 7,140 million in the 8MM. Despite the loss of patent exclusivity among the major markets and approval of other potential pipeline candidates, lenalidomide as a molecule will likely maintain a strong presence during the forecast period.



Among emerging therapies, Bristol Myers Squibb and Bluebird Bio's anti-BCMA CAR T Cell Therapy Idecabtagene Vicleucel (Ide-cel, bb2121) expected to generate the maximum revenue owing to promising results, one-time dosing.



Access and Reimbursement Scenario in MM Therapies



In March 2019, the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson has announced that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Darzalex (daratumumab) plus Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (DVd) for use within the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), as an option for treating relapsed multiple myeloma in people who have had one previous treatment. Patients at second line will now have access to a treatment combination, which NICE accepts had a clinically important and statistically significant effect on progression-free survival.



KOL Views



To keep up with current market trends, the publisher takes KOLs and SME's opinion working in Multiple Myeloma domain through primary research to fill the data gaps and validate the secondary research. Their opinion helps to understand and validate current and emerging therapies treatment patterns or Multiple Myeloma market trend. This will support the clients in potential upcoming novel treatment by identifying the overall scenario of the market and the unmet needs.



Competitive Intelligence Analysis



The study performs Competitive and Market Intelligence analysis of the Multiple Myeloma Market by using various Competitive Intelligence tools that includes - SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Porter's five forces, BCG Matrix, Market entry strategies etc. The inclusion of the analysis entirely depends upon the data availability.



Scope of the Report

The report covers the descriptive overview of Multiple Myeloma, explaining its causes, signs and symptoms, pathophysiology and currently available therapies.

Comprehensive insight has been provided into the Multiple Myeloma epidemiology and treatment in the 8MM.

Additionally, an all-inclusive account of both the current and emerging therapies for Multiple Myeloma are provided, along with the assessment of new therapies, which will have an impact on the current treatment landscape.

A detailed review of Multiple Myeloma market; historical and forecasted is included in the report, covering drug outreach in the 8MM.

The report provides an edge while developing business strategies, by understanding trends shaping and driving the global Multiple Myeloma market.

Report Highlights

In the coming years, Multiple Myeloma market is set to change due to the rising awareness of the disease, and incremental healthcare spending across the world; which would expand the size of the market to enable the drug manufacturers to penetrate more into the market.

The companies and academics are working to assess challenges and seek opportunities that could influence Multiple Myeloma R&D. The therapies under development are focused on novel approaches to treat/improve the disease condition.

Major players are involved in developing therapies for Multiple Myeloma. Launch of emerging therapies will significantly impact the Multiple Myeloma market.

A better understanding of disease pathogenesis will also contribute to the development of novel therapeutics for Multiple Myeloma.

the in-depth analysis of the pipeline assets across different stages of development (Phase III and Phase II), different emerging trends and comparative analysis of pipeline products with detailed clinical profiles, key cross-competition, launch date along with product development activities will support the clients in the decision-making process regarding their therapeutic portfolio by identifying the overall scenario of the research and development activities.

Companies Mentioned

Abbvie (Pharmacyclics)

Adaptimmune Therapeutics /GlaxoSmithKline /Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

Amgen

AstraZeneca

BioLineRx

bluebird bio

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Cartesian Therapeutics

Celgene/Aduro Biotech

Cellectar Biosciences

Chipscreen Biosciences

ExCellThera

GlaxoSmithKline

Glenmark (Ichnos Sciences SA)

Janssen Biotech/Nanjing Legend Biotech

Janssen Pharmaceutical

Johnson & Johnson

Juno Therapeutics (a Bristol-Myers Squibb company)

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

Molecular Partners AG

MorphoSys AG/I-Mab Biopharma

Oncopeptides AB

Pfizer (Array Biopharma)

Poseida Therapeutics

Precision BioSciences

RAPA Therapeutics

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Roche

Takeda

For more information about this drug pipelines report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7rkpi1

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Facebook removed a network of fake accounts and pages created by Russian operatives who had recruited U.S. journalists to write articles critical of Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, an apparent bid to undermine their support among liberal voters.

Facebook said it caught the network of 13 fake accounts and two pages early, before it had a chance to build a large audience - an action that the company said was evidence of its growing effectiveness at targeting foreign disinformation operations ahead of the 2020 election. The takedown emerged as a result of a tip from the FBI and was one of a dozen operations tied to the Russian Internet Research Agency or individuals affiliated with it that Facebook has disrupted since the last presidential election, when IRA-backed pages amassed millions of views on the platform. The pages had about 14,000 followers.

"They've gotten better at hiding who they are, but their impact has gotten smaller and smaller," Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of security policy, said of the foreign operations.

Facebook said Tuesday it separately took down a disinformation network associated with a Washington-based public relations firm that Facebook said had spent millions of dollars to target users in Latin America. Content included posts supporting the political opposition in Venezuela and Bolivia's interim government, as well as criticism of a Mexican political party, Facebook said.

In the case of the Russian disinformation network, Facebook said the operatives created fictitious personas on Facebook to direct people to a new site called Peace Data, which billed itself as a "global news organization" whose goal was "to shed light on the global issues and raise awareness about corruption, environmental crisis, abuse of power, armed conflicts, activism, and human rights."

One article posted on Facebook about the far-right militia movement known as the "boogaloo" movement featured a headline that read, "USA Far Right is Growing Thanks to President Trump," according to a report provided by Facebook.

A report Tuesday by Graphika, a network analysis firm based in New York that received the Facebook data in advance, found that the Russian effort was small but echoed past efforts to undermine support for Democratic Party candidates by appealing to left-wing U.S. voters. Among the targets were Biden and Harris, D-Calif., who were criticized by the phony network as immoral tools of political conservatives. Some posts also criticized Donald Trump, but the target audience in the United States was democratic socialists, environmentalists and disaffected Democrats, the report found.

Some of the fake content focused on racial justice and unrest in the United States since the killing of George Floyd in May. "The English-language content on Biden and Harris was noteworthy for its hostile tone," according to the Graphika report. "One article by a guest writer accused the pair of 'submission to right-wing populism [. . .] as much about preserving careers as it is winning votes.'"

"The operation seemed designed to divide Democratic supporters and to depress support for Biden and Harris," said Camille Francois, chief innovation officer for Graphika.

In 2016, Russian operatives from the Internet Research Agency ran widespread disinformation campaigns on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, garnering huge audiences with content that attempted to sow division among U.S. voters and bolster Trump's campaign for president. The technology platforms faced significant blowback from Congress and the public for failing to prevent foreign interference and since then have invested resources in countering such activity.

As the 2020 election draws near, experts say technology companies have become more skillful at getting ahead of foreign interference, even as the threat has broadened beyond Russia to countries such as China and Iran. But social media platforms are still rife with misinformation and abuse, often emerging from domestic actors that have caused false stories about current events to go viral.

Facebook said it plans to inform 200 or so journalists who were recruitedby the Russian operatives.

One of the journalists who wrote columns for Peace Data, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his career, said that an editor reached out to him through a direct message on Twitter in July offering $200 per article.

He pursued the opportunity in part because he had lost his job in the pandemic. He wrote articles about the conspiracy movement QAnon, covid, and on U.S. militarism driving climate change.

The co-option of unwitting locals is part of a growing strategy used by foreign disinformation operatives.

"Hiring people who are fluent in the language and culture avoids the kind of tells that can expose an operation," said Renee DiResta, technical research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, which has tracked the strategy.

Most of the content for Peace Data was in English, with 500 articles overall. About 5 percent were explicitly aimed at the U.S. election and candidates. There were also 200 articles in Arabic, Graphika found.

Disinformation researchers do not consider the Internet Research Agency, the St. Petersburg-based operation indicted by U.S. officials for interfering in the 2016 presidential election, as still functioning in the same way it did years ago. Researchers instead see numerous operations by Russian people and groups that appear to have some previous affiliation with the IRA, using an updated playbook that typically involves more targeted - but less viral - efforts to affect political debates and elections.

Avoiding detection is a key goal of these operations, experts say. Facebook and Twitter, for example, took action against a Russian-linked operation in March that worked with a nonprofit group in Ghana and sought to influence Black voters in the United States with targeted messages. The IRA in 2016, by contrast, pushed viral messaging on social media platforms designed to reach large numbers of voters based on political interests and affiliations. The Russian operations in 2016 paid for ads aimed at U.S. voters using rubles, the Russian currency, signaling a lack of concern regarding detection.

The public relations firm involved in the other takedown was CLS Strategies, Facebook said. Headquartered a few blocks from the White House, CLS previously advised foreign clients that used Facebook, according to news reports and its own website.

A CLS Strategies partner, Juan Cortinas, said in a statement, "CLS has a long tradition of doing international work, including on social media, to promote free and open elections and to oppose oppressive regimes, and we take seriously our commitment to adhering to the fast-evolving policies of Facebook and other social media platforms."

Cortinas declined to address additional questions about the nature of the firm's involvement.

Facebook's Gleicher said the effort involved 55 Facebook accounts, 42 Facebook pages and 36 accounts on photo-sharing subsidiary Instagram, targeting audiences in Venezuela, Mexico and Bolivia. Together these online information operations reached more than 550,000 users on the two social media sites and also involved $3.6 million in advertising.
DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Until now, it was impossible to track, save, and prioritize the world of Facebook page interactions by any one individual lead.

This leaves Facebook marketers blind to the vast majority of lead engagements from some of the most active and valuable leads that are ready to buy.

Top social media marketing influencers, digital marketing agencies, and social entrepreneurs alike all agree that the #1 MISSED LEAD OPPORTUNITY on Facebook is overlooked lead comments (never received a reply) across their Facebook page's posts and ads.

Facebook marketers cannot effectively keep up with all their comments as it simply takes too long to search through notifications, pages, posts, and ads. The end result is a tremendous amount of missed comments and lost sales opportunities.

LeadKlozer, a social media marketing startup, announces the end of the missed Facebook page comment dilemma.

LeadKlozer has perfected a comment tracking system inside one dashboard for all posts and ads across any number of Facebook pages. The number of comments (not responded to) is represented as a clickable object listed inline with the relevant post or ad which can be opened and responded to without ever leaving LeadKlozer.

"The process of responding to comments is one of the most important, yet complicated lead follow-up tasks as Facebook just doesn't make tracking or seeing these comments very easy," said LeadKlozer Founder and CEO, Steven MacDonald. "Through LeadKlozer, our customers will never need to worry about missing any type of an individual lead's Facebook interaction again. Combine that with the power of LeadKlozer's lead prioritization, and our customers will be effortlessly closing leads they didn't even know they had."

"LeadKlozer will not only save Facebook marketers hours a day, but it will also make it so much easier for digital agencies to add more client revenue from social media management services," says Joel Comm, social media influencer and NY Times best-selling author. LeadKlozer is a must-have tool for anyone marketing a business on Facebook."

For more information and trial memberships, go to LeadKlozer.com.

About Us

LeadKlozer, a social media marketing startup with support of top industry influencers, announces the first-ever Facebook engagement monitoring service (CRM) for individual leads. There was previously no way for businesses or digital marketing agencies to track and prioritize the world of Facebook interactions with their brands by any one individual lead. How could any Facebook marketer possibly tell who was engaging with them most often? Digital agencies, consultants, and businesses are missing substantial lead opportunities that are both well recognized and those that have never been seen or tracked before. Sales are falling through Facebook Marketer's fingers every day.

Contacts

Steven MacDonald

Founder & CEO

support@leadklozer.com

300 E. Miller Court, #282 Castle Rock, Colorado 80104 United States

Work: 480-258-4650

www.leadklozer.com

Links

https://leadklozer.com/testimonials/



SOURCE: LeadKlozer

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603580/LeadKlozer-Announces-the-End-of-the-Missed-Lead-Dilemma-for-Facebook-Marketers
Before moving with his family to Ohio in 2016, Tony practiced law in New Jersey for several years. He has represented a variety of clients in the state trial and appellate courts along with the United States District and Bankruptcy Courts. He counseled business owners in breach of contract litigation and obtained judgments in corporate litigation.

Tony serves industry professionals in several areas including construction litigation, defending clients in actions brought pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act, negotiating settlements on behalf of clients in asbestos litigation and defending industrial professionals in environmental contamination litigation.

In addition, his experience also includes arguing motions, attending meetings of creditors, preparing complaints for adversarial proceedings, preparing proofs of claims on behalf of creditors in the United States Bankruptcy Court and preparing witnesses for trial and conducting direct examination of witnesses in successful trials resulting in clients obtaining judgments in actions on unpaid student loans.

Tony received his undergraduate degree in history from Johns Hopkins University and his Juris Doctorate from Temple University School of Law.

Tony is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Columbus Bar Association. While practicing in New Jersey, he was a member of the local attorney ethics committee along with the state and county bar associations.

About CPM

Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP has been providing legal excellence to businesses, families and individuals for over 50 years. CPM is a trusted partner through complex business and personal circumstances. The attorneys at CPM provide skilled guidance in the areas of Banking & Finance, Business Services & Transactions, Employment, Family Wealth & Estate Planning, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Municipal, Non-Profit Services, Probate, Real Estate, Securities and Taxation.

SOURCE Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP

Related Links

http://cpmlaw.com


By Laman Ismayilova

With its fusions of tastes, Azerbaijani cuisine is endlessly rich and delicious. Books on Azerbaijani cuisine will be exhibited at the Nobel Prize Museum in Sweden.

The museum aims at spreading knowledge and create interest and discussion around the natural sciences and culture through creative learning, exhibition techniques and modern technology.

The books were donated to the Nobel Prize Museum with the assistance of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and the World Culinary Books Award, Trend Life reported.

The books "Dolma in Azerbaijani Cuisine. 381 Views", "Azerbaijani Cooking", "Legends about Azerbaijani Cuisine" and "Regional Cuisine of the Irevan Khanate" will be showcased at the museum.

Speaking about the exposition, head of the Center for National Culinary Arts, Honored Worker of Culture Tahir Amiraslanov stressed that that the country's customs and culture are widely reflected in its cuisine.

"The traditions of Azerbaijani cuisine have been passed down by our ancestors from generation to generation for millennia. Through the national cuisine we can promote our culture, national heritage, traditions and customs. One of our main tasks is to promote national cuisine outside the country. And we have been successfully coping with this task for more than ten years. The exposition of these books in the world famous Nobel Prize Museum is important for presenting samples of national cuisine to a wider public," Amiraslanov said.

National cuisine offers a wide range of spices, meat dishes and vegetables. Fresh herbs, including mint, coriander, dill, basil, parsley, tarragon, leek, chive, thyme, marjoram, green onion, and watercress are very popular and often accompany the main dish.

Dolma, bozbash, bozartma, Shish kebab, piti, pilaf, and govurma are unique dishes of the national cuisine.

Shah Pilaf is the signature dish of the national cuisine. The name of this dish is derived from its shape which resembles the crown of a Medieval Eastern ruler. It is traditionally presented as the main dish at wedding ceremonies in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan attracts all those who have a sweet tooth. There are more than 30 varieties of Azerbaijani pastries that use unique ingredients such as poppy seeds, walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, ginger, and cardamom, which make the treats spicy and especially tasty.

Pakhlava, shekerbura, and badambura, symbols of the Novruz holiday, are among the most famous Azerbaijani sweets.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The parents of Harry Dunn have dropped plans to sue the US government over his death in a crash allegedly involving the wife of an American intelligence official.

Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn said they had made the decision in the hope the Trump administration would allow suspect Anne Sacoolas to face the UK justice system.

It comes after ministers indicated the UK attorney general, Suella Braverman QC, was considering a virtual trial or a trial in Ms Sacoolas absence while she remains in the US.

The US State Department, which refused an extradition request from the Home Office, said it was looking for a reasonable resolution of the case.

Speaking after the decision to withdraw the claim, Mrs Charles said: All we ever wanted was what anyone else in our shoes would have wanted, that the person responsible for taking Harrys life be held to account.

We are going through a living nightmare and we need closure. We will only get that when Mrs Sacoolas faces our justice system.

We can now see that the US government are working towards that end and we would like to meet with them as parents to explain why that is important and to help the discussions.

I am proud of my family. Im grateful that we now appear to be in the home straight of the worst period of our lives and look forward hopefully to building bridges.

I think back to the early days before our campaign started when our advisers were working so hard behind the scenes to avoid any dispute and to avoid any publicity.

That was all thrown back in our faces at the time. I hope they accept our offer of a meeting this time and will look forward to bringing this awful situation to an end.

The Dunn family said they will continue to pursue a civil claim against Anne Sacoolas in the US.

Ms Sacoolas claimed diplomatic immunity and left the UK after the crash involving Mr Dunn, 19, outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year.

She was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December but US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected the extradition request from the Home Office.

Explaining the decision to no longer pursue the lawsuit, family spokesman Radd Seiger said: Harry Dunns parents were relieved to see the signal from the State Department in Washington that they are now working with their counterparts in London to find a resolution to the impasse following Anne Sacoolass departure to the US after Harry died.

They have accordingly equally now signalled to the US government that they do not intend to sue them in respect of their decision to recall Mrs Sacoolas and have written to officials in the US Embassy in London to make a comprehensive offer an amicable meeting to help the parties find the resolution that is now desperately needed on all sides.

That resolution will only involve Mrs Sacoolas going through the English justice system and if our offer of a meeting is accepted, the parents intend to speak directly to the US government to tell them why it is so important that justice is done here.

Additional reporting by Press Association
Authorities ran into similar evidentiary problems after the riot in January 2017 at the presidential inauguration. Officers arrested more than 230 people, many of them linked by police to a group called DisruptJ20, which authorities alleged was intent on vandalizing the city. In the end, 21 people pleaded guilty, five were acquitted at a trial and prosecutors dropped charges against the others, saying they were unable to link defendants to specific crimes.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - As eight Navy midshipmen file into their economics class, instructor Kurtis Swope points to the antibacterial wipes on the desk. Did you grab wipes? he asks, then tells each one to take two, wipe down the desk when they arrive and again when they leave. That should be your process.

As chairman of U.S. Naval Academys economics department, Swope broke his class into two sections, so every student could attend in person. Down the hall another instructor, flanked by chemistry equipment, stands in front of two computers teaching in an empty classroom. And another instructor sits in her office, talking to a grid of camo-clad students on her laptop.

Under the siege of the coronavirus pandemic, classes have begun at the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. But unlike at many colleges around the country, most students are on campus and many will attend classes in person.

This is largely due to advantages the military schools have. Theyre small, each with about 4,500 students who know that joining the military means theyre subject to more control and expected to follow orders. Their military leaders, meanwhile, are treating the virus like an enemy that must be detected, deterred and defeated. They view the students as the next generation of commanders who must learn to lead troops through any crisis, including this one.

If you look at COVID as a threat, it helps you frame it in a way that I think you can then conduct action against it, said Brig. Gen. Curtis Buzzard, West Points commandant. The cadets, he said, are getting lessons in leading through uncertainty and adversity. Ive had to do that throughout my career in the Army, particularly in combat, and theyre getting a little dose of it.

The virus outbreak sent most academy students home to finish spring semester online. Air Force seniors stayed and graduated early.

Now students have returned, and 1% to 2% tested COVID-19 positive on arrival and went into isolation. Since then, officials say theyve seen few new cases. The Navy and Air Force will randomly test 15% of students weekly; West Point will test 15% to 20% monthly.

Because they need dozens of on-campus rooms to potentially isolate COVID students or quarantine those who come in contact with infected persons, the Navy and Air Force academies are renting space off-site for healthy students. The Navy, in Annapolis, Maryland, is putting 375 students at St. Johns College and the Air Force, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will put 400 in three local hotels.

We know that with this population that about 90% of this age group is asymptomatic, said Brig. Gen. Linell A. Letendre, Air Force Academy dean. Thats whats really scary about this disease. How do we find those individuals who have it when they dont even know they have it.

To limit any spread, the academies made physical and academic changes. At the Navys Michelson Hall, blue tape marks seats that must remain empty, red tape forms large arrows on the floor showing students which way to go, and stairways are designated up or down. Signs remind students about social distancing. Library books borrowed online sit in paper bags for pick-up.

The Navy has the smallest campus, but two large tents were wedged next to the dorm for dining. The Air Force and Army, however, have been able to create large outdoor classrooms and meeting areas.

I wanted outdoor classrooms for a long time and were finally getting them, said Letendre. I never waste a good crisis.

At West Point, instructors tested their classroom air quality. They added time between classes for cleaning. And faculty walk the halls to ensure students follow health procedures.

The Army and Navy academies will limit students movements off campus. That may be difficult, since the tourist-filled restaurants and bars of Annapolis waterfront are nearby. Air Force leaders said theyll let students go to stores or take-out restaurants initially, but will clamp down if there are COVID cases.

I dont know that anyone else can demand the same things we do with respect to self-discipline. Thats just part of being in an academy, said Col. Matthew Dabkowski, director of West Points systems engineering program. Theres a level of control with respect to the staff and faculty and the cadets that, I think, is helpful.

Academy officials said roughly 50% of their classes will be in-person, the rest will be online or a mix. Some students will attend in person more often if they have lab work.

Students attending academies also need hands-on military experience. The virus made some of that impossible this year, and some students missed critical time in military units or on ships.

You can do academic course work online. We can teach online, said Andrew Phillips, Naval Academy provost. But the professional experiences they missed this summer are very hard to make up.

Phillips said most juniors who must pick their service specialty now didnt get out to active-duty units but will, he hopes, choose wisely. Navy students heading to the Marine Corps, however, got a shortened summer experience because Marine leaders felt strongly about seeing them in person.

You want an individual who is a good fit for the Marine Corps, whose attitude is right, Phillips said. And you really only can judge that face to face.

Technology is also a challenge, with thousands online for classes. Many instructors want students to have their cameras on, which requires more bandwidth.

Swope, for example, has one computer set up showing his online students; his iPhone camera faces the class, so they are visible online, and his iPad displays his lessons.

Instructors have to be ready to provide online classes to students in isolation, and also be prepared to teach from home if theyre quarantined. Celeste Luning started her junior leadership class at the Naval Academy seeking volunteers to set up the computers if shes not there.

Have you had in-person classes yet? Luning asks. Amid the chorus of no, she turns to her computer to address those online: Can you see your classmates?

One voice from the computer sums it up. Its pretty weird, he said.
I miss having drinks with the girls.

Sure, Ive been to my share of virtual happy hours, but six months into the pandemic they are pretty boring. Part of the fun of sitting at the bar with the girls is dishing over heavy pours. In the age of the coronavirus, weve got nothing to dish about.

Maybe I should use this time with friends  and oenophiles  to educate myself about wine, rather than gossip over it. Im ready to elevate my palate. Perhaps I should host my own virtual wine tasting?

This is not a novel idea. Wineries have been hosting virtual tastings since the onset of the pandemic to drive business, according to Wine Enthusiast Magazine. But based on anecdotal evidence, most of us are having wine tastings for strictly social reasons. And that was a good enough reason for me to seek an expert to help me plan my own virtual wine tasting.

Heres how it went, and how you can plan your own.

The expert

I connected with Mary Ewing-Mulligan, president of the International Wine Center in New York. Ewing-Mulligan, raised in Bucks County and a Penn graduate, is also the first American woman to earn the prestigious title of Master of Wine. A master of wine understands the science behind the wine. She studies wine the same way a psychologist studies the brain and behavior. Ewing-Mulligan, who has coauthored several books in the Wine For Dummies series with her husband, Ed McCarthy.

 READ MORE: She began doing at-home wine tastings when COVID-19 cut short her fellowship at a South American vineyard | We The People

The swirl. The sniff. The taste.

Ewing-Mulligan suggested a red, white, and rose. The white was a Louis Jadot 2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay, produced in Burgundy. Ewing-Mulligans eyes twinkled when she told us the chardonnay was from Burgundy, one of the premiere regions of wine production in France. A chardonnay is a good, solid, reliable wine that people can find anywhere, Ewing-Mulligan said. The rose was courtesy of Marques de Caceres Rose from Rioja, Spain. Roses are having a moment, so that makes them an excellent choice. And finally, the red: a blend of merlot and cabernet franc from Chateau Lassegue, a vintage blend.

I invited my mom and sister to the tasting. Ewing-Mulligan instructed us to start with light to heavy. (But you can also drink in order from dry to sweet or least expensive to more expensive, depending on the theme.)

We each poured four ounces of wine into the glass. Swirled it. When you swirl the wine, the scent is released, Ewing-Mulligan said. And then we took a sniff. Discussion ensued. We agreed the chardonnay smelled like green apples, and we enjoyed its silky texture and full body. It featured a citrusy finish that lingered in the back of our throats. The chardonnay was my mothers favorite, surprising because she doesnt really like wine (she prefers beer) and when she does drink wine, its prosecco in mimosas. (You learn something new every day.)

 READ MORE: Wine Picks: Chardonnay blend pairs well with sushi for about $10

The swirl. The sniff. The taste. We repeated with each wine. The rose was surprisingly dry despite its deep pink hue. And though my sister is a white wine fan, she settled on the rose. The red blend would have been perfect with a steak. That doesnt mean it needs a steak, Ewing-Mulligan clarified. When people say that this wine needs a food, it suggests the wine is not adequate in the moment. This wine is adequate in the moment.

Although, a little pricey for my wine budget  it was $30  Id definitely invest in the red. Most importantly, I had a great time. And no one had to drive home.

Heres how to host your own virtual wine tasting:

Choose a theme

Consider how youd like to set up your wine tasting. Do you love red wine? Maybe the theme of your tasting should be pinot noirs under $20. Or, perhaps you want to lead a tasting of cabernet sauvignons from Pennsylvania wineries such as Chaddsford Winery or Blue Mountain Vineyards. There is really no limit to the kinds of wines you can choose, Ewing-Mulligan said. Do you consider yourself a wine nerd? Choose a selection of pinot grigios made by the same producer from three different years.

Tasting tip: You may have a few guests who dont love wine, but are itching to participate for the camaraderie. There is definitely a vino to suit their palate. For example if whiskey is their spirit of choice, make sure you have an oaky chardonnay in the mix, or a bourbon-infused cabernet, like Big Six Bourbon Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon.

Choose the wines

Youll want to choose the right wines for both your palate and your pocketbook. For the tasting, youll need to pick no fewer than three, no more than five bottles.

Think about wines before that youve truly enjoyed. If you remember a restaurant, but cant remember the actual wine, look up the menu online to jog your memory. Consult with the experts at your local spirits store, who will know the wines best for tasting.

Consider your budget. Remember that all your participants will have to buy each bottle. Maybe keep your prices at less than $20 per bottle.

Do your research. Once youve chosen your wines, learn more about them. Where are the wines produced? Whats special about the vineyard? What kind of grapes make up the blends? Familiarize yourself with the notes or the flavor. Is the producers top wine or is it its run-of-the-mill variety? What foods pair well? (Most of this information can be found on the wine producers website.)

Tasting tip: Create index cards with bullet points. You will want to have them handy when you introduce the wines to your guests.

Wine-tasting details
But there was resistance in some corners of the government and a belief that the United States has enough coronavirus vaccine candidates in advanced clinical trials that it can go it alone, according to the official and a former senior administration official who learned about it in private discussions.
The Chief of Abossey-Okai, Nii Abossey III, and his queenmother Manye Naa Korkor II, together with three others, have been picked up by the police following a shooting incident over the weekend, which led to the death of two persons.

Those picked up alongside the chief and the queenmother are Godfred Marmah Nelson (Nii Okyeame), Jacob Laryea (Okyeame II) and John Awuley Lartey.

According to the police, the shooting was carried out when the chief and people of Abossey-Okai were celebrating this years Ga Mashie annual Homowo.

According to the police, the festival was organized without the organizers notifying them.

The police said while some customary rites were being performed as part of the celebration, gunshots were heard outside and in the process the three persons were hit by bullets.

The chief, the queenmother and the others, according to the police, were picked up on Sunday to assist in investigation into the matter.

When contacted, the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Efia Tenge, said the five arrested leaders had given out their statements and had been cautioned and granted police enquiry bail to report themselves to the police later.

She named the deceased persons as Mohammed Issaka, 27, and Paul Adamu, 20, and said the victim who sustained gunshot wounds had been identified as Jacob Abbey, 27.

DSP Efia Tenge said around 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, the Kaneshie police received information that the chief and people of Abossey-Okai were organizing their Ga Homowo festival without their notice.

She said their report indicated that in the course of the celebration, while some customary rites were being performed, gunshots were fired.

The report indicated that the victims had been rushed to the hospital and so the police proceeded to the scene and after confirming the incident went to Sukura Community Hospital and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where the victims were admitted, she disclosed.

She revealed that at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the authorities confirmed that three persons were rushed in with gunshot wounds, but two persons passed on while receiving treatment and the third victim sustained injury on his right arm and was treated and discharged the same day.

---Daily Guide
FMCA RV Club is the world's largest nonprofit RV owners organization and offers its members benefits and services designed to enhance the RV lifestyle. Through a special, discounted membership rate, new and existing owners of Keystone RV units will have the opportunity to join thousands of other RV enthusiasts whose travel experiences have been enhanced by FMCA.

FMCA, the worlds largest nonprofit association for RV owners, has announced that it has entered into a partnership with Keystone RV to help enhance the RV lifestyle for Keystone owners. Keystone RV emphasizes customer service and quality, which are important to FMCA also.

The RV industry is booming, said FMCA CEO Chris Smith. And Keystone RV is an enormous part of that. They are doing some really exciting things, so we are thrilled to have them as a partner. The relationship makes sense

Through a special, discounted membership rate, new and existing owners of Keystone RV units will have the opportunity to join thousands of other RV enthusiasts whose travel experiences have been enhanced by FMCA.

Those who take advantage of this offer to join FMCA will have be able to enjoy camaraderie and friendships among RVers who share the common interest of travel, while receiving a wealth of benefits and services designed to meet the needs of RV owners. FMCA members have exclusive access to RV discount club savings, RV lifestyle resources, the monthly Family RVing magazine, RV rallies, education, and so much more.

Organizations like FMCA are a great way for all RV owners, but especially new RV owners, to tap into the resources and community they need to camp successfully. Were excited to be able to offer this new benefit to the Keystone Nation, said Christy Spencer, Keystone director of marketing and communications.

Im eager to show Keystone owners all the different benefits, educational opportunities, and social connections available to them when they become a member of the best RV club in North America, FMCA national president Jon Walker said.

For more information about everything FMCA has to offer, visit FMCA.com.

ABOUT FMCA: ENHANCING THE RV LIFESTYLE

FMCA is the worlds largest nonprofit association for recreation vehicle (RV) owners. The organization maintains its national headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently has nearly 150,000 active members. FMCA offers its members a number of benefits, including a subscription to its monthly magazine, Family RVing; a medical emergency and travel assistance program valued at $200-plus per family; a tire purchasing program; group rates on a roadside assistance program, RV and auto insurance, and RV tours and caravans; and discounts on mobile internet access plans from Verizon and Sprint. Perhaps the most important benefit of FMCA membership is the camaraderie and friendships that develop among people enjoying the common interest of RV travel. For more information, visit FMCA.com or call (513) 474-3622 or (800) 543-3622.

ABOUT KEYSTONE RV COMPANY

A division of Thor Industries, Keystone RV Company is the #1 manufacturer of towable RVs in North America. Focused on delivering The Ultimate Ownership Experience, Keystone offers a wide range of RVs, including single-axle minis, ultra-lightweight travel trailers, luxury travel trailers, fifth wheels, and toy haulers. Keystone brands include Montana, Montana High Country, Alpine, Avalanche, Cougar, Cougar Half-ton, Laredo, Outback, Sprinter, Passport, Bullet, Premiere, Springdale, Hideout, Fuzion, Impact, Raptor and Carbon. Headquartered in Goshen, Indiana, Keystone has manufacturing facilities in Goshen and Pendleton, Oregon, as well as more than 1,000 dealer locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information on Keystone RV, visit keystonerv.com
Owen O'Neill, of Rathdrum Street, pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal damage (stock photo)

A man who smashed a car windscreen and restaurant fronts in south Belfast "lost sight of himself" following a family bereavement, a court was told on Tuesday.

Owen O'Neill, 39, was seen throwing a chair at eateries along the Lisburn Road during the outburst on July 8 last year.

A judge handed him a four-month suspended jail term after acknowledging it had been a one-off incident.

O'Neill, of nearby Rathdrum Street, pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal damage.

He targeted a car, a window at Deane and Decano Bistro, an emergency exit sign on Cafe Mauds, and a window at Miel et Moi restaurant.

Belfast Magistrates' Court was told a manager at another outlet on the Lisburn Road reported seeing a man swinging a chair against one of the windows.

When police arrived O'Neill walked out onto the road in front of their vehicle and identified himself.

A prosecution lawyer said: "He was asked how many windows (he had thrown something against) and he said it may have been two or three."

Defence solicitor Feargal MacElhatton told the court O'Neill had resorted to alcohol after his mother died.

"He lost sight of himself on this occasion, accepted causing the damage for which he had no explanation but expressed his remorse," Mr MacElhatton added.

Sentencing O'Neill to four months imprisonment, suspended for a year, District Judge Fiona Bagnall noted his previous clear record.

She said: "I accept an event has triggered the behaviour which has occurred."
Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Escondido, California for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 11 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more.

According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Escondido, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Escondido with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs.

The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Escondido. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Escondido, California please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-escondido-ca/

2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Escondido, California (in alphabetical order)

A Step Up

420 East Cotati Avenue

Cotati, CA 94931

707-575-0979

Beacon House

468 Pine Avenue

Pacific Grove, CA 93950

866-422-3597

Capalina Comprehensive Treatment Center

1560 Capalina Road

San Marcos, CA 92069

760-389-4283

Exodus Recovery

9808 Venice Boulevard, Suite 700

Culver City, CA 90232

310-945-3350

Harmony Grove Recovery

21734 Amble Drive

Escondido, CA 92029

760-621-7903

Lake Hughes Recovery

48745 3 Points Road

Lake Hughes, CA 93532

866-402-8801

Mental Health Systems

9465 Farnham Street

San Diego, CA 92123

858-573-2600

Pemarro Substance Abuse Treatment

1482 Kings Villa Road

Ramona, CA 92065

760-789-8070

Sheridan Gardens

2021 Sheridan Road

Encinitas, CA 92024

760-691-2656

The Fellowship Center

737 East Grand Avenue

Escondido, CA 92025

888-533-9555

ABOUT HELP.ORG

Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/.
For the foreseeable future, the Government has made masks on public transport across the country mandatory.

This Government mandate includes the BOPs humble Bayhopper service with both drivers and passengers sporting masks as they travelled around the region this week.

In addition, only 20 passengers at a time will be allowed on the Bayhopper service.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council legal and commercial manager Jessica Easton says at this stage, the obligation to wear a face covering is on individual passengers, and bus operators and drivers are not expected to assume the role of enforcement officer.

The Government has said enforcement of the rules will be a light touch, starting with engagement, encouragement and education.

Well continue to remind people to follow instructions regarding face coverings and physical distancing.

For those who havent yet managed to purchase a mask or make a covering, the Government is supplying all bus operators with disposable face coverings to give to passengers.

Jessica says this is a one-off limited provision to help smooth the transition to mandatory face covering on public transport.

It's compulsory for everyone aged 12 and over to wear a face covering on buses under Alert Level 2 and above with exemptions for health, disability and practicality reasons.

Jessica says face coverings dont need to be worn on some school buses and advised parents and caregivers to check with their school or the Baybus website to see if this applied to their childrens bus.

The Government is expected to review New Zealands alert levels again on Friday.
As students return to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, one popular restaurant wont be there.

The Friendly Toast, located in Kendall Square, announced on Monday that its doors will remain closed permanently.

We have a long and happy history there full of great memories and this is a tough moment for us, the restaurant said in a Facebook post.

We are saddened to announce we will not be reopening our Kendall Square- Cambridge, MA location. We cannot thank you all enough for the overwhelmingly positive support over the years #TheFriendlyToast Posted by The Friendly Toast on Monday, August 31, 2020

The departure from Cambridge may not last forever. In the post, The Friendly Toast said it looks forward to being a neighbor in Cambridge neighborhood again.

The Friendly Toast now has five locations across three states, including in Burlington and Back Bay.

The five other locations will remain open.

The announcement comes after a host of iconic restaurants closed across the state in August. Cheers in Faneuil Hall closed Sunday. The Fours announced that its Canal Street location in Boston is closing after 44 years. The Quincy and Norwell locations are remaining open.

In Cape Cod, The Lobster Claw, after more than 50 years, announced it would close its doors for good in September.

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2020 Best of Naples

The Aesthetic Surgery Center recently achieved the distinction of winning the Naples award for Best Cosmetic Surgeon for the fourth year in a row. The Best of Naples Awards are given to local businesses for their excellence and best practices. A tradition in the making, the Best of Naples Awards reflect the appreciation the local community has for its top businesses in a range of fields. With an 18 year history, the program works with business owners, professional associations, and other local stakeholders to recognize the exemplary contribution and extraordinary achievement.

From web designers to tourist destinations and from real estate to health and fitness, Best of Naples captures the pulse of Southwest Florida. The organization is an authority on recognizing quality and thousands of consumers trust the awards.

The Aesthetic Surgery Center, headed by Dr. Anurag Agarwal, Dr. Richard Maloney, and Dr. William Ross, provides innovative, high-level plastic surgery to its clients. It also specializes in non-surgical treatments that focus on anti-aging and rejuvenation. The practice also houses skin spa services and access to innovative skincare products.

The selection by Naples Daily News as the best cosmetic surgeon for four consecutive years comes as a continuation of the practice's tradition of excellence. The Aesthetic Surgery Center is an AAAASF-accredited operating facility.

The AAAASF, which is short for the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities is an organization that examines thousands of facilities around the world. Receiving accreditation requires adhering to the highest of medical standards as set forth by the AAAASF, an organization established in 1980.

Between them, the practice's surgeons have conducted thousands of procedures in facelift surgery, rhinoplasty, lip enhancement, blepharoplasty, liposuction, breast enhancement, and body contouring aesthetic surgery. Their website has a 5-star average from dozens of reviews and many patients share their testimonials. Dr. Anurag Agarwal, Dr. Richard Maloney, and Dr. William Ross have extensive academic backgrounds. Their focus is on the safety and comfort of their patients while all team members are active in their communities.

The Aesthetic Surgery Center is a practice that specializes in enhancing the face and body of its clients. Based in Naples, FL, the practice collectively possesses over 60 years of experience in the field of plastic surgery.

If you live in Naples, Fort Myers, or the Marco Island areas and need help with your cosmetic goals, please fill out the contact form on the Aesthetic Surgery Center's website. Those that prefer to speak on the phone can call (239) 594-9100. The staff is very prompt in answering online requests and is more than happy to speak on the phone with those interested in boosting their self-confidence.
Surgeons at Massachusetts Eye and Ear have replaced the ocular surface of four patients who each experienced chemical burns to one eye by using their own stem cells taken from the other healthy eye, in a technique known as "cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell transplantation" (CALEC). These four cases, all part of an ongoing clinical trial supported by the National Eye Institute of the NIH, represent the first procedures of their kind to occur in the United States.

The CALEC technique was developed by researchers at Mass Eye and Ear, Boston Children's Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Led by principal investigator Ula V. Jurkunas, MD, a cornea and refractive surgeon at Mass Eye and Ear, the team performed its first CALEC procedure as part of an ongoing clinical trial in April 2018. A small biopsy containing stem cells from the patient's healthy eye that had been taken two weeks earlier was transported to the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, under the direction of Jerome Ritz, MD, where cornea (limbal) stem cells were expanded and grown on a membrane substrate. Once the cells had grown to cover the membrane and the graft was ready for transplant, Dr. Jurkunas performed extensive scar tissue removal and transplanted the CALEC onto the cornea.

Since then, three more patients received the CALEC treatment. Two patients received a transplant after the first biopsy. One patient did not grow enough cells on their first biopsy attempt, but underwent a second biopsy, which was successful in growing enough cells for a transplant. Cells from one additional patient enrolled in this phase of the study did not grow well enough to undergo the grafting procedure. Altogether, a total of four out of the five patients enrolled in this phase of the study received a CALEC transplant. The four patients who received the CALEC treatment no longer experienced pain from their initial chemical injuries shortly after the CALEC grafting procedures. These patients will continue to be followed over the longer term to monitor their progress.

Now that feasibility of the technique has been established with no immediate safety concerns, the researchers have begun to recruit more patients with corneal damage into a second phase of the trial, which will continue through 2021. In addition to safety and feasibility, the outcomes of the new CALEC technique will be investigated by evauating whether CALEC leads to improved vision either by itself or by enabling cornea transplantation.

"Using the patient's own stem cells is a big step for regenerative medicine," said Dr. Jurkunas, who is Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, and an affiliate faculty member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. "With this clinical trial, we hope to pave the way for better care for patients with corneal blindness, who have long needed better solutions for their condition."

The process for isolating, growing and preparing limbal stem cells for transplantation was developed in collaboration with Dr. Myriam Armant at Boston Children's Hospital. "We worked closely with Dr. Jurkunas and Dr. Armant to implement the manufacturing process in our new Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility at Dana-Farber. The manufacturing process is carried out in a 'cleanroom' environment under strict quality-controlled conditions to maintain product sterility. The entire process takes approximately 3 weeks before the limbal stem cell graft is ready to be sent to the operating room at Mass Eye and Ear where Dr. Jurkunas performs the transplant procedure," said Dr. Ritz.

The cornea is the clear, outermost layer of the eye responsible for maintaining a smooth surface for normal vision. In the CALEC procedure, the surgeon takes stem cells from the limbus, the outer border of the cornea, where a high volume of stem cells reside in healthy eyes. Limbal stem cells help to maintain the barrier between the cornea and the conjunctiva, the white areas on the sides of the eye.

In patients with chemical burns to the eye, the limbal area is often impaired to the point that new cells can no longer be created on their own. Limbal stem cell deficiency can also be caused by infections, complications from contact lenses and various other conditions.

Beyond vision loss, patients with chemical eye burns often experience pain and discomfort in the affected eye. Current treatment strategies include transplantation of an artificial cornea, which carries risk of infection and the development of glaucoma, or the conjunctival limbal autograft (CLAU) technique, which compared to CALEC, involves taking a larger portion of cells from the healthy eye and transplanting them directly on the eye.

The goal of limbal stem cell transplantation such as CALEC and CLAU is to rebuild a healthy surface for the damaged eye using cells from the other eye, avoiding use of donor tissue; therefore, it can only help patients with limbal stem cell deficiency in one eye. Once a healthy surface has been restored, these patients are able to receive conventional corneal transplants -- an outcome that would not have been possible before stem cell transplantation, because limbal stem cells are needed to support the transplanted corneal tissue. Researchers hope that some patients may not need corneal transplants and may experience sight and ocular surface restoration with CALEC alone.

The technique does not carry the risk of rejection like some other procedures because the cells are taken from the patient's own body. Accordingly, patients who receive CALEC and CLAU do not need to take long-term steroids or immunosuppressive medications. Moreover, CALEC may be advantegeous over CLAU, as only one small biopsy from the donor eye is required, potentially decreasing the risk to the healthy eye.

This research originated in 2006, when Dr. Jurkunas as a junior clinician scientist received an NIH Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies (PACT) grant to examine ways to regenerate limbal stem cells. Since then, her team of clinician scientists from Mass Eye and Ear has made new discoveries related to corneal injury and received funding to develop stem cell regeneration techniques that would meet federal regulatory standards.

"Our team has put a tremendous amount of effort into developing the procedures for growing the grafts. So many conditions have to be just right so that the cells grow and the patient is safe. If we continue to be successful we will be able to give these patients with this condition a healthy surface of the eye -- and possibly even restore vision to some," said Dr. Jurkunas. "We are proud to have developed this novel treatment from the lab bench to the bedside in an academic medical setting, without industry support," she adds.

"These early cases show great promise for a safe treatment option for people who have lost vision from chemical burns and corneal infections," said Joan W. Miller, MD, Chief of Ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Chair of Ophthalmology and David Glendenning Cogan Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. "This novel and innovative technique to harvest stem cells from the healthy eye in an effort to heal the affected one was borne out of Dr. Jurkunas' lab more than a decade ago."

The clinical trial represents the first human study of a stem cell therapy to be funded by the National Eye Institute, a part of the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers: UG1EY026508 [Massachusetts Eye and Ear], UG1EY027726 [Cell Manipulation Core Facility at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute], UG1EY027725 [Coordinating Center at the Jaeb Center for Health Research]. Pre-trial work (Boston Children's Hospital) was also funded by PACT, an initiative of the of the NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute .

###

For more information on the clinical trial, please visit https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02592330 or reach out to Lynette_johns@meei.harvard.edu.

In addition to Drs. Jurkunas and Ritz, additional investigators include Jia Yin, MD, PhD, Reza Dana, MD, and Lynette Johns, OD, of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Helene Negre, PharmD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Myram Armant, PhD, of Boston Children's Hospital, and Allison Ayala, MS, of Jaeb Center for Health Research.

About Massachusetts Eye and Ear

Massachusetts Eye and Ear, founded in 1824, is an international center for treatment and research and a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. A member of Partners HealthCare, Mass Eye and Ear specializes in ophthalmology (eye care) and otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (ear, nose and throat care). Mass Eye and Ear clinicians provide care ranging from the routine to the very complex. Also home to the world's largest community of hearing and vision researchers, Mass Eye and Ear scientists are driven by a mission to discover the basic biology underlying conditions affecting the eyes, ears, nose, throat, head and neck and to develop new treatments and cures. In the 2018-2019 "Best Hospitals Survey," U.S. News & World Report ranked Mass Eye and Ear #4 in the nation for eye care and #6 for ear, nose and throat care. For more information about life-changing care and research at Mass Eye and Ear, please visit our blog, Focus, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

About Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology

The Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology is one of the leading and largest academic departments of ophthalmology in the nation. Composed of nine affiliates (Massachusetts Eye and Ear, which is home to Schepens Eye Research Institute; Massachusetts General Hospital; Brigham and Women's Hospital; Boston Children's Hospital; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Joslin Diabetes Center/Beetham Eye Institute; Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System; Veterans Affairs Maine Healthcare System; and Cambridge Health Alliance) and several international partners, the department draws upon the resources of a global team to pursue a singular goal--eradicate blinding diseases so that all children born today will see throughout their lifetimes. Formally established in 1871, the department is committed to its three-fold mission of providing premier clinical care, conducting transformational research, and providing world-class training for tomorrow's leaders in ophthalmology.

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is one of the world's leading centers of cancer research and treatment. Dana-Farber's mission is to reduce the burden of cancer through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. We provide the latest treatments in cancer for adults through Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center and for children through Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Dana-Farber is the only hospital nationwide with a top 10 U.S. News & World Report Best Cancer Hospital ranking in both adult and pediatric care.

As a global leader in oncology, Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique and equal balance between cancer research and care, translating the results of discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world, offering more than 1,100 clinical trials.
JobKeeper handouts have been officially extended for an extra six months with a new two-tiered approach, with all eligible workers losing at least $300.

Wage subsidies were introduced by the federal government to tide over workers until businesses reopened after lockdowns ended.

The scheme was supposed to end in September but on Tuesday it was extended until March 28, 2021.

A new split system will replace flat $1,500 subsidies paid each fortnight.

Wage subsidies were introduced by the federal government to tide over workers until businesses reopened (pictured, a bar worker in Bunbury during the pandemic)

People who worked less than 20 hours a week before the crisis struck will be paid $750 a fortnight from the end of September, while all others will receive $1,200.

The maximum payment will then come down to $1,000 from December to March 2021.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the wage subsidy scheme as the most significant economic intervention in Australia's history.

'We are now extending and transitioning,' Mr Morrison told coalition party room colleagues on Tuesday.

The maximum payment will come down to $1000 from December to March. Pictured: People wearing face masks in coronavirus-riddled Melbourne

'Transitioning and looking to a day when Australian communities don't need JobKeeper and when Australians can then run their businesses and hold their jobs sustained by a vibrant and growing economy instead.'

The second tranche of JobKeeper payments is expected to cost more than $30 billion.

Labor waved through the extension after failing to introduce a wage floor for workers who are no longer eligible for the scheme.

Independent senator Rex Patrick also could not secure enough support for an amendment to force businesses that have paid dividends or executive bonuses to repay the wage subsidies.
KABC-TVBy MARC NATHANSON, ABC News



(LOS ANGELES) -- Protesters gathered in South Los Angeles Monday night after Los Angeles sheriff's deputies shot and killed a Black man who they say had a handgun and was fighting with them.



The shooting occurred Monday afternoon after two deputies pulled over a man who was riding a bicycle in violation of vehicle laws, according to Sheriff's Department Lt. Brandon Dean.



The man got off the bike and ran off, Dean said, and the deputies ran him down.



"Our suspect was holding some items of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face, and then dropped the items in his hands," Dean said. "The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items he dropped was a black semiautomatic handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred."



The suspect was struck several times, with both officers firing their weapons, Dean said.



Deputies recovered the handgun that the man had been carrying, he said. The investigation is ongoing.



Members of Black Lives Matter LA called on demonstrators to protest the shooting at the site of the incident. Video of the demonstration overnight, which was posted on social media, shows tense scenes between protesters and police near the scene of the shooting in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Westmont.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 15:08 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41f71c3 1 Business alam-sutera,Foreign-exchange,loss,global-bonds-issuance,refinancing Free

Publicly listed property developer PT Alam Sutera Realty has vowed to reduce its foreign exchange exposure toward the US dollar in the long run despite the companys plan to issue a maximum US$485 million in global bonds.

Alam Sutera president director Joseph Sanusi Tjong said on Aug. 28 that the company would hedge its liquidity after issuing the global bonds to prevent additional loss from foreign exchange. The global bonds are part of the company's refinancing effort for its maturing bonds.

Alam Sutera posted Rp 271.5 billion (US$18.5 million) in foreign exchange loss during the first half of 2020, a turnaround from the Rp 122.2 billion profit it posted in the same period last year, the company's financial report showed.

The foreign exchange loss also largely contributed to the companys total loss of Rp 512.5 billion from January-June, compared to the Rp 158.7 billion profit it posted in the same period in 2019.

We are taking into account the foreign exchange factor during our refinancing efforts. After that, we will hedge our position so we will receive compensation if the rupiah weakens, Joseph said during a press briefing held by the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX).

The global bonds are expected to carry maximum annual coupons of 13 percent.

Alam Sutera has two maturing global bonds, with the first bond amounting to $115 million with 11.5 percent interest due in April next year and $370 million bonds with 6.6 percent interest due in April 2022.

Ratings agency Fitch recently downgraded Alam Suteras long-term issuer default rating, as well as its two maturing bonds to CCC- from B-, amid the heightened liquidity risk due to the companys limited progress in securing the maturing bonds refinancing.

Alam Sutera has appointed PT UBS Sekuritas Indonesia and PT JP Morgan Sekuritas Indonesia as underwriters for the upcoming global bonds and is continuing preparations for the bonds issuance, according to Joseph.

Joseph added that the company was committed to reducing dollar-denominated debts into a more balanced level and aims to convert part of the debts into the rupiah to reduce the exposure.

The company remains committed to slowly reducing dollar debt exposure. We are also hoping to convert a portion of these debts into the rupiah, he said.

The companys cash assets stood at Rp 888 billion as of June this year, a 26.7 percent dive from Rp 1.2 trillion by the end of 2019.

Joseph also stated that he expected lower gross sales and net income this year due to the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regarding this years top line and bottom line [growth], we believe it will be lower compared to last years number. We have conditioned our company with the current property industrys cycle by selling our products at a lower price, he said.

Alam Sutera posted Rp 919.5 billion in revenue in the first half of the year, down 28.9 percent from Rp 1.28 trillion in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the property developer posted a slight increase in marketing sales during the first half of 2020 at Rp 1.36 trillion, from Rp1.34 trillion during the same period last year. The company aims to book Rp 2.5 trillion in marketing sales this year.

Alam Sutera investor relations officer Tasha Remisha said the company would also reduce its capital expenditure as it had acquired sufficient land banks for development.

We will not aggressively acquire land anymore because our land bank has reached a sustainable level for the next 30 years, she said.

The companys capital expenditure for land banks has dropped from Rp 1.08 trillion in 2017 to Rp 423 billion in 2019, according to Alam Suteras presentation.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Monday that around 33,000 children of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are in college will receive a one-time 30,000 cash assistance.

Those qualified to receive the one-time grant are college-level kids of displaced, non-returning, repatriated, or deceased OFWs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The qualified grantee must be enrolled or intending to enroll in a state university or college or in private higher education institutions recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

The project will be allotted with the amount of 1 billion which will benefit about 33,000 students from OFW families, Duterte said of the project, organized under CHEDs Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education or UniFAST.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana reported to the President on Monday that around 174,000 OFWs have been repatriated since April. He added there is a daily average of 1,500 OFWs who return home to the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last August 17, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Filipinos abroad sent home $2.737 billion in June  a 7.6 percent growth from personal remittances recorded in the same month last year.

The figures broke the three-month decline in remittances seen from March to May, which came amid a global economic slump and the displacement of thousands of OFWs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article is an adapted excerpt from The Smart Wife: Why Siri, Alexa, and Other Smart Home Devices Need a Feminist Reboot by Yolande Strengers and Jenny Kennedy  2020 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

We are witnessing the slow death of the wife in contemporary societyat least the wife weve known as the longtime backbone of patriarchal society. But shes having an enthusiastic comeback, with a few critical upgrades. Its not wives themselves who are being asked to come back into the kitchen, but rather feminized artificial intelligence built into robots, digital voice assistants (also known as smart speakers, conversational agents, virtual helpers, and chatbots), and other smart devices.

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The smart wife comes in many forms. In fact, chances are youre already living with her. Most obvious are assistants such as Amazons Alexa, Apples Siri, or Google Home, which have default female voices in most markets. Other smart wives are anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, or automated (such as home appliances or domestic robots)most of which carry out domestic responsibilities that have traditionally fallen to wives. Smart wives can also be found in the bodies of overtly feminized and sometimes pornified sex robots or gynoids.

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So who wants a smart wife? Potentially everyone. In 2016, the research firm Gartner predicted people would soon be having more conversations with bots than their spouses. More than a quarter of the adult population in the United States now owns at least one smart speaker like Alexa; thats more than 66 million people.

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When Siri made her debut in 2011 as a sassy young woman who deflected insults and liked to flirt and serve users with playful obedience, as a UNESCO report on closing gender divides in digital skills put it, her coming-out party reached nearly 150 million iPhones in her first year. This single technologydeveloped behind closed doors by one company in one corner of the world with little input from womenshaped global expectations for smart wives and A.I. assistants more broadly in a little over 12 months.

In terms of gendered interest and uptake, industry sales figures show that consumers of smart home devices are more likely to be male, and smart home obsessives are invariably men. Men are also more often the instigators for bringing smart home technologies into the home and managing their operation. However, women (and the significant percentage of the worlds population that is not heterosexual men) need (smart) wives too. Millennial women in the United States, ages 18 to 35, are particularly excited about smart home technology, and the occasional report finds that women are actually more interested in some devices than men are, such as voice assistants and some smart appliances.

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Narrowing down to specific markets reveals other gender differences in interest, uptake, and benefits. The vast majority of people currently interested in or buying sex robots (and dolls) are men. Women are understandably less enthusiastic about the penetration-oriented characteristics of most current offerings. By contrast, in the present social robot market, women stand to benefit most given that they live longer than men and therefore are more likely to suffer from debilitating conditions like dementiawhich is one of the emerging applications for care robots.

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When it comes to the creation of smart wives, men are clearly in the lead. Men vastly outnumber women in computer programming jobs, making up over 75 percent of the total pool of programmers in the United States in 2017. In the field of robotics and A.I., men outnumber women as well. Men make up between 77 and 83 percent of the technical positions at Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, and General Electric, and just over 63 percent at Amazon. Men make up 85 percent of the A.I. research staff at Facebook and 90 percent at Google. Likewise, in academic environments, more than 80 percent of A.I. professors are men, and only 12 percent of leading A.I. researchers are women.

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Indeed, computer science has gone backward on gender diversity in the past 30 to 40 years, with female participation in computer science degrees in the U.S. dropping from 37 percent in the early 1980s to 18 percent in 2016, despite a number of active campaigns and initiatives to try to turn this around. As a UNESCO report on closing gender divides in digital skills depressingly puts it, The digital space is becoming more male-dominated, not less so.

So potent is the gendered imbalance in computing that the journalist, producer, and author Emily Chang labeled the coding culture of Silicon Valley a Brotopia. In addition, the A.I. industry has been called out by leading academics and commentators like Kate Crawford and Jack Clark for having a white guy problem in an industry characterized by a sea of dudes. Indeed, the A.I. Now Institute has identified a diversity crisis perpetuated by harassment, discrimination, unfair compensation, and lack of promotion for women and ethnic minorities. The institute recommends that the A.I. industry needs to make significant structural changes to address systemic racism, misogyny, and lack of diversity.

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This gender and racial imbalance filters down to the ways in which technologies are imagined and created. Scholars such as Safiya Umoja Noble have written about the algorithms of oppression that characterize search engines like Google, which reinforce racism and sexism. There has also been considerable criticism leveled at digital voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Home, and other types of smart wives, for their sexist overtones, diminishing of women in traditional feminized roles, and inability to assertively rebuke sexual advances.

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For example, Microsofts Cortana and Mycroft assistants take their names as well as identities from gamer and sci-fi culture, respectively, both of which have been widely critiqued as highly sexist domains. Likewise, assistants like Microsofts Ms. Dewey and Facebooks Moneypenny (both now retired from service) were sexually suggestive and flirtatious by reputation (Moneypenny is named for the coy secretary and romantic interest in the James Bond novels and films) or through their coded behavior. This gendering of smart tech all makes a particular set of (mostly) mens ideas about home, wives, domestic responsibilities, and sexual desires deeply relevant. And it potentially excludes a lot of other people for whom these ideas dont resonateincluding, we should note, many men.

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An eerie example of the feminization of smart technologies is found in the Japanese digital voice assistant named Azuma Hikari developed by the company Vinclu as part of its Gatebox technology and entering mass production in 2019. This cutesy smart wife is targeted toward the countrys single residents, now the largest segment of the population. Described by her creators as a bride character, Hikari is a virtual anime hologram, with blue hair and matching outfits, who lives in a glass tube about 30 centimeters high and 10 centimeters wide. She is depicted as a 20-year-old woman, with a schoolgirl-ish and upbeat personality. Hikari wears a short skirt and over-the-knee socks and has a high-pitched voice supplemented with coquettish giggles. In several promotional videos, she takes care of a lonely, hardworking young Japanese man. Her key role is to greet her master with excitement when he comes home, and check on him during the day by sending helpful messages such as come home early. She also provides timekeeping services and weather advice, turns off the lights when her master leaves the house, adjusts the homes heating and cooling, and remembers their anniversary.

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Hikari is an ideal smart wife (or girlfriend), doting on her mans needs. She is also useful and efficient, helping men keep their schedules on track. But if she does too good a job, the singles population of Japan may not need to look for a human companionpotentially exacerbating the falling birth rates in that country. On this point, the Japanese government has bigger plans for smart wives (as do other nations, like China). Professor of anthropology Jennifer Robertson suggests that there is a push to position social and care robots like Pepper as an opportunity to redirect Japanese womens time back to the task of having children. Smart wives are thus entangled in social and political agendas about the role of women, wives, and heteronormative relationships in contemporary societies.

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Sex robots and virtual pornography take these ideas in other tantalizing and potentially troubling directions. U.S. company RealDolls Harmony sexbot has 18 customizable feminized personality traits (including jealous, shy, moody, thrilled, and insecure), 42 different nipple options, and different voice selections (including a saucy Scottish accent), and she remembers her users favorite food (like any good smart wife should). But her true stroke of genius is this: Harmonys removable and self-lubricating vagina is dishwasher safe. She is smart (with controllable parts and efficient cleaning!) and wifely (devoted to her mans intimate needs). She is a woman with all the sexy bits, without all the mess or fuss. Harmony is customizable yet uniform, deeply feminine but with masculine efficiency, and there to be enjoyed, consumed, and penetrated. To be clear, this isnt creepy because were talking about a robot (were not here to vilify anyones kinks) but rather because it embodies a pornographic idea of female sexiness thatin some casescelebrates nonconsensual sex.

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This gets to the heart of the strange paradox that characterizes the smart wife: She is simultaneously a dutiful, feminine wife and sexual muse while adeptly solving household problems with technological tools. She is docile and efficient. Compliant and in control. Seductive yet shrewd. Intimate yet distant. She is ready to be played, ready to serve, and able to optimize her domain.

On the one hand, the smart wife represents an ingenious solution to the ongoing domestic disputes over the division of labor that plague contemporary households in gender-progressive societies. On the other hand, there is something downright worrying about the smart home and robotic industries subtle characterizations of their products as a nostalgic, sometimes porn-inspired wifely figure. This is particularly so because we are trying to move on from these representations of women in most contemporary societies.

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Whats the problem exactly? For a start, these depictions affect how we treat our devices, robots, and A.I., which in turn are reflected back in how we treat people in generaland women in particular. Friendly and helpful feminized devices often take a great deal of abuse when their owners swear or yell at them. They are also commonly glitchy, leading to their characterization as ditzy feminized devices by owners and technology commentatorstraits that reinforce outdated (and unfounded) gendered stereotypes about essentialized female inferior intellectual ability.

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Relatedly, a smart wife gone wrong is the central plotline of many sci-fi movies featuring feminized A.I., such as Joanna in The Stepford Wives, Vanessa in Austin Powers, and Ava in Ex Machina. These women are typically sexualized, demure, and slightly dysfunctional, yet ready to retaliate against their male makers, owners, and enslavers. The plotlines of these highly entertaining films consistently reinforce the cliche that the perfect woman is an artificial oneas long as she doesnt have too much control or power, as then she will rebel, kill, or enslave her makers. Ironically, its often the lonely techies in these films and stories who fall for these femme fatales and suffer the effects. Yet despite their problems (or perhaps because of them), these on-screen and imperfect smart wives are often identified as the design inspiration and source code for those now entering our homes.

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We know from research carried out in the fields of robotics, human-computer interaction, and psychology that humans assign emotional as well as personal traits to computers. A smart wife precedent for this was set in 1966, when founding computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum created the first chatbot, named ELIZA. This fembot, which performed natural language processing, was cast in the role of psychiatrist and worked by posing questions based on Rogerian psychotherapy back to her clients (such as And how does that make you feel?). Weizenbaum was surprised and later dismayed to discover how intimately his colleagues related to ELIZA, and the emotional connections they quickly formed with this artificial therapist.

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Indeed, according to the late Clifford Nass and his collaborator Corina Yen, experts in the fields of human-computer interaction and user experience design, the success and failure of interactive computer systems depends on whether we like them, and how well they treat us.

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This is partly because people have a tendency to humanize devices and assign them with genders, even when they dont have one. Sherry Turkle, a professor of the social studies of science and technology, has pioneered research on peoples relationships with technologyespecially mobile technology, social networking, and sociable robotics. She has found that the boundary between humans and machines is weakening, affecting how we understand and relate to one another, and leading to some troubling outcomes, such as reducing our communication with other people and making us feel lonelier than ever.

Other examples demonstrate how our connections and interactions with inanimate and animate devices are gendered. Consider satellite navigation systems. Most of us prefer the female voice because we consider it to be warmer and more pleasant than a male one (the same holds true for smart wives). But we also distrust a female-voiced sat-nav (because women are notoriously bad at giving directions, or so the stereotype goes) and are quick to dub her helpfulness as badgering. When a new female voice command system was introduced into jet planes in 2012, U.S. fighter pilots referred to her as Bitchin Betty for getting louder and sterner when they ignored the systems commands. These kinds of humanlike assistants provide us with an opportunity to perform and reinforce exaggerated gender stereotypes.

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Likewise, on the homefront we prefer female voice assistants when their purpose is to discuss love and relationships, or help us with the housework (by adding groceries to the shopping list, for example, or, better still, restocking our fridges and pantries). In other words, we like our assistants to conform to gendered stereotypes. But designing gendered devices can also reinscribe those same stereotypes. When those devices start behaving erratically, or we perceive them to be annoying or acting dumb, we associate those characteristics with common gender typecasts.

In short, smart wives hark back to nostalgic stereotypes that people are now being told (through smart tech marketing) that they deserve and should desire. Sure, overtly gendered smart wives are familiar, cute, sexy, friendly, and easy to usebut at what cost to society?

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Left as they are, by and large smart wives serve a patriarchal capitalist system, which positions women as useful and efficient commodities, upholds (and promotes) gendered and sexual stereotypes, and paints men as boys who enjoy playing with toys. Of course, we dont think that every man who is interested in designing or using smart technology is a misogynist or misogamist. We mean that the smart wife works with a narrow range of stereotypes that are potentially damaging for all genders. We arent man or tech haters, nor are we anti-technosexuals (defined as those who include the mechanical within their boundaries of sexuality). But we are killjoys of the smart wife as she is currently programmed, and our agenda is simple. Were here to give her a reboot.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
There were no supporters or a live microphone waiting to bathe Donald Trump in cheers and praise when Air Force One touched down outside violence-torn Kenosha, Wisconsin.

But, on his latest trip to a swing state just over two months from Election Day, the president found a way to send a few campaign-like messages to his conservative base.

He used most of a roundtable event with local and state officials in Kenosha on Tuesday after touring damage to the city caused by protests of racial inequality that sometimes turned violent to defend police officers, hammer Democrats and describe nearly all protesters as violent actors determined to bring destruction and mayhem to streets in major cities and suburbs.

Of police officers, he said: "We can't be threatening them that their jobs or pensions are "going to be taken away ... if they utter one wrong word."

Mr Trump  always strategically vague  did not specifically state what one word he had in mind. Yet, in the country's latest era of racial tensions and division, one comes to mind.

Over the weekend, Sergeant Chad Walker, a police officer in Columbia, South Carolina, was captured on video twice using the n-word. He claims a black protester first referred to him using the racial epitaph.

Before being led away by another officer, Mr Walker asked the crowd: "He can say it to me, but I can't say it to him?" After video of the incident went viral on social media, the Columbia police department suspended Mr Walker without pay.

The president was sure to let television cameras hear him pledge millions in federal aid to help Kenosha business owners rebuild.

"We'll help you rebuild," he said. "This is a great area, a great state."

Translation: A great swing state.

One the president won in 2016, but by less than one percentage point. One in which he trails Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden by statistically significant margins in every widely regarded poll.

The former vice president leads there by 6 percentage points in a CBS/YouGov poll. Mr Biden is up by 5 points in a recent CNBC/Change Research survey. And a Marquette University poll gives him a 4-point lead.

In signal after signal to his conservative base, the president used the otherwise sombre visit to add, however small, pieces of kindling to fire under which he and his team hope the protests and violence the rear ends of his supporters. Fired-up voters typically cast ballots, political operatives of both sides agree.

He warned of violent "anarchists" hurling "bricks and "rocks," noting both "can be deadly." Translation: They might throw them at you, voter.

Mr Trump said protesters in Portland, Oregon on Monday night tried setting the Democratic mayor's house on fire. Translation: They might do the same to yours, voter.

He made the questionable claim that Democratic officials want to "release rioters, looters and criminals" while stripping funding from local law enforcement agencies. He provided the translation on this one, saying of a possible second term: "We're not going to be cutting police funding."

The president let his supporters know he is willing, no ready, to deploy military forces into the streets of American cities to put down protests. "Tremendous violence. We will put it out ... when we get the chance." Translation: See below.

'It's all Democrat'

The president said most of the top 25 most-violent US cities have Democratic mayors.

"All Democrat. It's all Democrat. ... All these problems are Democrat," he said, ignoring the fact he has been president for over three years and has fanned the flames of racial tensions since before being sworn in, according to his critics and some former Republican officials. Translation: I am the only one left in the race tough enough to keep your cul-de-sac safe.

When he took questions from reporters after the roundtable, the re-election minded president was in no mood to criticise law enforcement. He sidestepped questions about systemic racism within police departments and society in general, opting to talk instead about protesters.

He also used one of his final answers to subtly let his base know he would, if he had the authority, turn local police forces loose.

"They want police to be police. ... You don't see them marching and you don't see them on the streets, but what they want is they want great police force, they want people that are going to keep them safe, where their houses aren't broken into, where they're not raped and murdered," he said. "They're protesters, too, but they don't walk down the street, up and down the street. So, you know, it's just the way it is."

Translation: By refusing to even try expanding his base, the president is left with only one option. That is to sell fear and plant seeds of doubts in just enough suburban voters' minds that Mr Biden just isn't tough enough.
Home Search ICH Whoever replaces Shinzo Abe, Japans slow rot & subservience to US will likely continue By Andre Vltchek August 31, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Do not judge Shinzo Abes Japan by those shiny new structures of the Tokyo Osaka maglev project that will be soon connecting the industrial heartland of Nagoya with the capital city. Japan's longest-serving prime minister is stepping down, and the nation appears to be in shock. But people are stunned simply because the protocol was broken (even if unwell, ill, a Japanese leader is not supposed to abandon his post, abruptly), not because they are fearing or expecting great political, economic, or social upheavals. Japan is a country of continuity, and, during the last decades, of gradual and very slow decline. Here, no one is expecting a revolution or collapse of the system to take place. Japan is the most stable and most predictable country on earth. It is a staunch Western ally, without its own foreign policy and very little of its own opinion about the world. Several decades ago, the country used to rebel  against capitalism and the Western rule  but the administrations of Koizumi and Abe broke the spine of rebellions, gently, by wrapping up the nation into a comfortable duvet, guaranteeing a mildly sclerotic but still cozy existence for the majority. Shinzo Abe understands Japan. It is his country, and he is its native son. He also understands the establishment and how to deal with the United States. He is more pro-market than Trump, he despises North Korea more than the West does, and he is politely but determinately antagonizing China. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter China has been his huge psychological problem. It is because, in the past, Japan's collaboration with Washington used to pay off, at least in terms of the quality of life. Japan used to be the second-largest economy in the world, and its standard of living used to be much higher than in most Western countries. Then the Chinese economy bypassed that of Japan. And soon after, Japanese travelers to the Peoples Republic of China began returning with frightening tales: Chinese cities and the countryside were blooming. Chinese trains were suddenly running faster than shinkansen, Chinese museums and opera houses were more lavish than those in Japan, and the public spaces and social projects were dwarfing those in the increasingly capitalist Japan. Poverty levels in China are rapidly declining, while in Japan they are on a slow rise. This was not supposed to be like that, Japanese people were exclaiming! Anti-Chinese sentiments erupted, and Shinzo Abe did nothing to stop them. On the contrary. Instead of reforming and investing in the people, the two mightiest capitalist countries on earth  the United States under Trump and Japan under Abe  turned against China with unimaginable force and spite. But under Abe, Japan began falling behind its other ancient rival, South Korea, too. And its arch-enemy, the country which Japan helped to destroy after WWII, North Korea (DPRK), is still there, undefeated and strong. Instead of reimagining Japan, Shinzo Abe began censoring the past of the country, as well as its already submissive media. My good friend, David McNeill, an Irish professor at the prestigious Sofia University in Tokyo, who also worked for the NHK, Japans national broadcaster, once explained to me: There is so much self-censorship in Japanese media, now. And the government is issuing guidelines, so called Orange Book, for instance: how to treat anything that is contagious... or anything related to history. There are instructions to writers and translators. For instance: never use words like Nanking Massacre, except when you quote foreign experts. Or Yasukuni Shrine  never use the word controversial in connection to it. We cannot write about sexual slaves from WWII. It is a well-known fact that Japanese mass media outlets do not take a position on any major world events related to Russia, China or Iran, until Western publications or networks such as the BBC or CNN provide guidance. I used to work for one of the major Japanese newspapers, when covering sensitive international topics we had to seek permission to publish from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Taira Takemoto, a civil engineer based in Osaka wrote for this report: Frankly speaking, Abe has spent lots of effort selling Japan to the US, with President Obama or President Trump. There are many pending issues that need to be sorted out from the 1960 US-Japan Security Treaty to the issue of numerous US bases to trade to an increasing hostility of Japan and the US toward China, as much as DPRK. In the international arena, I do think he has subjugated Japan to the hands of the West, in particular the US. Yet, forget about Tokyo for a while. To understand todays Japan, visit its central part, urban and rural, and you will understand how deep the rot under Abe was. Outside cities like Suzuka or Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture, rice fields and bamboo forests are dotted with rotting carcasses of cars. Many houses are in disrepair. The bus lines are abandoned. Main roads are lined up with unhealthy fast food joints, not unlike those in the US suburbia. Many public playgrounds for children are unmaintained or gone. A once glorious cultural life has been decaying, even before the Covid-19 pandemic. Huge cultural centers, once the pride of the country, are mostly empty, with tall grass growing between the buildings. Blue tents of homeless people are pitched in almost all public parks of Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and other major cities. Optimism is hard to come by. Ms. Mikiko Aoki, a social worker, living in Nagoya, has mixed feelings about Shinzo Abe: The news of [the] PMs resignation surprised us all as we did not see it coming. I guess we had gotten used to him. I think he has presided over some important domestic works from the recovery of the big earthquake in 2011 to the preparation of the hosting of the postponed Tokyo Olympics. But the social situations in Japan are no better than before. In fact, I think they are worse, with the aging population and less investment of the state on public services and support to families in need. I don't think there will be any different with a new prime minister. After all, he will come from the same party! Nothing changes. Geoffrey Gunn, a leading Australian historian and Professor Emeritus at Nagasaki University, is concerned about Japan's increasingly aggressive role in the region: All changed when the Abe government nationalized the Senkaku/Diaoyu [Islands]. The status quo changed because now Japan declares that there is actually no dispute over these so-called disputed islands. Therefore, the Tokyo government has angered China. China is indignant with this change of the status quo. What is next should be much more important now than who comes next. Unfortunately, in Japan, there is no expectation or hope for the essential political changes. Political clans divided the territory, surprises are very unlikely. Japans Communist Party has many members, but it is always weak when it comes to elections. Japan will continue to decline, but extremely slowly, one could even say elegantly. The standard of living is still extremely high. The aging population will continue enjoying generous pensions and benefits but younger generations have been tightening their belts. The era of lifetime employment is over. Part-time jobs with no security are the only future for millions of young graduates. Confrontations with China, the Koreas, and to some extent Russia will continue for years to come, or at least for as long as the United States will be igniting them. Yoshihide Suga, 71 years old and often described as a lieutenant of Mr. Abe, is expected to join the race for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) nomination. Were he to win, not much would change, except that he may be less cautious regarding Covid-19. Japan's hermetically closed borders could open, and foreign tourists and business travelers could be welcomed, a scenario not unlike that in some European countries. Little more would change. During our conversation, David McNeill passed an unflattering verdict on Abes era: Abe will probably be seen as a political caretaker rather than the conservative radical he set out to be. The fact that he failed to rewrite the hated constitution means he will probably see the last seven and a half years as a failure. And Suga? David replied without hesitation: On this, I agree with Koichi Nakano who wrote for the New York Times: Suga will attempt to continue Abe politics without Abe, like John Major after Thatcher. As for me, being locked out of Japan, one of my homes, for the entire six months, is a tragedy. Prime ministers come and go. Occupation armies will, one day, disappear as well. Rotting car carcasses will fully decompose. But the depth of Japan, as well as its beauty, will never vanish. Frustrated Japanophiles are bitching about the country, but stay. 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 . - " 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 The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
Reader Alert: This week, I, Toni King received a letter from the Social Security office regarding my special needs sisters benefits and an amazing scam alert was on the back of the envelope that her Social Security letter was in. I felt it was my duty to America and the Toni Says newspaper article readers to let you know what Social Security is saying.

Here is what is written on the back of the Social Security envelope which I received !!!SCAM ALERT!!! Scammers are pretending to be government employees. They may threaten you and may demand immediate payment to avoid arrest or other legal actions. Do not be fooled! If you receive a suspicious call: 1. Hang up! 2. Do not give them money or personal information! 3. Report the scam at oig.ssa.gov.

On March 27, 2020, Inspector General Gail Ennis of Social Security released a news release from the Social Security Administration warning about new Social Security benefit suspension scams that America needs to be aware of. She said: Today, I am warning the public about fraudulent letters threatening suspension of Social Security benefits due to COVID-19 or coronavirus-related office closures. Social Security will not suspend or discontinue benefits because Social Security offices are closed.

The Social Security Office of the Inspector General has received reports that Social Security beneficiaries have received letters through the U.S. mail stating their payments will be suspended or discontinued unless they call a phone number referenced in the letter. Scammers may then mislead beneficiaries into providing personal information or payment via retail gift cards, wire transfers, internet currency, or by mailing cash, to maintain regular benefit payments during this period of COVID-19 office closures.

As of Tuesday, March 17, 2020, local Social Security offices are closed to the public due to COVID-19 concerns. However, Social Security employees continue to work. Social Security will not suspend or decrease Social Security benefit payments or Supplemental Security Income payments due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Any communication you receive that says Social Security will do so is a scam, whether you receive it by letter, text, email, or phone call.

Toni Says article readers, please be aware that phone numbers referenced in these fraudulent letters are not the Social Security office and please do not call these numbers and give any personal information!

Also, in the press release it stated that Social Security will never:

1. Threaten you with benefit suspension, arrest, or other legal action unless you pay a fine or fee.

2. Promise a benefit increase or other assistance in exchange for payment.

3. Require payment by retail gift card, cash, wire transfer, internet currency, or prepaid debit card.

4. Demand secrecy from you in handling a Social Security-related problem.

5. Send official letters or reports containing personally identifiable information via email.

The Inspector Generals news release also stated that if you receive a letter, text, call or email that you believe to be suspicious, about an alleged problem with your Social Security number, account, or payments, hang up or do not respond. Social Security is asking Americans to please share this information with your friends and family to help spread awareness about Social Security scams.

Please fill out scam report of a Social Security scam by using the dedicated online form at http://oig.ssa.gov. It states on the Office of the Inspector General website that by educating yourself and learning how to identify and report various schemes, then you can stay several steps ahead of scam artists!

Toni King, author of the Medicare Survival Guide is giving a $5 discount on the Medicare Survival Guide Advanced book packages for the Toni Says newspaper article readers at www.tonisays.com. Have a question regarding Medicare email info@tonisays.com.
PERTH (SCOTLAND) (dpa-AFX) - SSE plc (SSE.L) said it has agreed to sell the Group's 25.1% non-operating stake in Walney Offshore Wind Farm to Greencoat UK Wind Plc. The stake equates to 92MW of capacity and the total consideration is 350 million pounds. Following the disposal, SSE's renewable generation capacity will be around 3.9GW. Walney is a 367MW offshore wind farm located off the west coast of the United Kingdom. SSE plc said the sale of Walney marks the first stage of the Group's disposal plans. SSE will update on further disposals in due course. 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.
Oliver Samwer, CEO and founder Rocket Internet, on the floor of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in October 2014.

German tech investment firm Rocket Internet is set to delist, the company announced Tuesday, around six years after it went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

The Berlin-based firm  which is often referred to as a start-up factory  said in a statement that it was offering investors 18.57 euros ($22.23) for each of their shares, lower than Monday's closing price of 18.95 euros. Rocket Internet shares initially rose on the news Tuesday morning, before falling around 1.3%.

Founded in 2007, Rocket Internet became controversial for building start-ups that cloned the business models of U.S. internet giants such as Amazon, Uber and Airbnb. For its part, Rocket Internet says it merely adapts proven models for untapped local markets. Some of its most notable bets include German e-commerce firm Zalando, food delivery service Delivery Hero and meal-kit provider HelloFresh.

Rocket Internet has seen its share price steadily decline in the years since it went public, falling from a market value of 6.7 billion euros ($8 billion) on the day of its IPO to just 2.6 billion euros as of Tuesday. The stock is down almost 15% year-to-date.

Explaining the reason behind its decision to delist, Rocket Internet said it was "better positioned as a company not listed on a stock exchange" as this would allow it to focus on long-term bets.
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Linkedin  Tue, September 1, 2020 13:22 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41e4ef2 2 Entertainment documentary,Donald-Trump,narcissism,Unfit-The-Psychology-of-Donald-Trump Free

As battle lines are drawn ahead of Donald Trump's bid for re-election, a new documentary based on the testimony of mental health professionals has labeled the US president a "malignant narcissist."

"Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump" -- released on streaming platforms Tuesday -- claims not to be politically motivated.

The film interviews several psychologists who argue they have a medical duty to warn the US public about Trump's alleged mental state.

According to psychologist John Gartner, Trump clearly exhibits four key symptoms of malignant narcissism -- the "most destructive" personality type -- including paranoia, narcissism, antisocial personality disorder and sadism.

"This type of leader pops up all throughout history, and they're always extraordinarily disruptive," Gartner told AFP, noting that the same label has been applied to Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.

"What is so strange is that we're not used to seeing this type of leader in America."

But the film's central premise of professionally diagnosing a public figure from afar is contentious.

Republican candidate Barry Goldwater successfully sued a magazine after it published a damning survey of psychiatrists speculating about his mental health during his failed 1964 run.

The psychiatric community later ruled that offering a professional opinion without an in-person examination is unethical.

Read also: New York probing whether Donald Trump and the Trump Organization manipulated asset values

However, Gartner argues the rise of observation-based diagnosis over traditional Freudian psychoanalysis -- and the wealth of public data about Trump's behavior -- makes that rule outdated.

And the film highlights another rule that compels mental health professionals to speak out when a patient's disorder imperils others -- in this case, the US public.

"It's not that he's as bad as Hitler, or that he's the equivalent of Hitler," Gartner says. "But he has the same diagnosis as Hitler."

Diagnosing Trump has long been a popular tactic for his opponents.

Trump's psychologist niece Mary Trump recently published an unflattering tome on her uncle, while the president's own "Art of the Deal" co-author has said their book should be re-titled "The Sociopath."

The US president memorably hit back at allegations of mental health problems by declaring himself a "very stable genius."

As well as psychologists, the movie interviews lawyers, historians, academics, former intelligence officers and -- most prominently -- noted Trump critics.

These include short-lived White House communications boss Anthony Scaramucci, and George Conway -- whose wife, Kellyanne, recently announced she was stepping down as the president's long-standing advisor.

According to director Dan Partland, "plenty" of politicians "have psychological diagnoses that are not dangerous."

The film suggests Abraham Lincoln struggled with depression, which was an asset during the suffering of the Civil War, and Bill Clinton has hypomania, a key to his charisma.

"It's the particular constellation of diagnoses that Donald Trump has that makes him so dangerous," Partland told AFP.
The University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, the U.S. Photo: University of North Texas

The University of North Texas has terminated its exchange program consisting of 15 visiting researchers from China who were working at the university on Chinese government funding, according to local media reports on Monday.

The termination, which appears to be the first of its kind of an American university cutting ties with a Chinese national scholarship fund, effectively ended those researchers ability to remain in the country.

The researchers were notified of the termination on Wednesday in a letter signed by Jennifer Cowley, the university provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Mark McLellan, vice president for research and innovation, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported.

The university has come to a decision to end its relationship with visiting scholars who receive funding from the Chinese Scholarship Council (also known as the Chinese Scholarship Fund), the letter said. As a result of this change, access to UNT email, servers and other materials has been terminated.

It was not immediately clear why those Chinese researchers were expelled from the university. UNT did not elaborate.

The Trump administration has accused the Chinese government of sending scholars to American academic institutions to steal U.S. intellectual property and advanced technology  accusations that Beijing has denied.

Read More

U.S. Designates Chinas Confucius Institute a Foreign Mission

Five Things to Know About Trumps Policies Toward International Students

Blog: A Chinese Students Take on Being Targeted by Trump

Jim Berscheidt, a spokesman for the university, was quoted by local media as saying: The decision is limited to 15 visiting researchers funded by this particular organization, and does not impact any student enrolled and studying at the university.

Liang Yuheng, who said she is an alumna of UNT living in Denton and is familiar with the situation, initiated an online petition calling on the university to overturn the decison. It had received more than 4,300 signatories as of Tuesday.

UNT didnt explain why it abrubtly ended its relationship with the Chinese scholars, forcing them to leave the U.S. within one month, Liang said in the petition. Now UNT, as far as we know, is the only school in the U.S. (that) terminated their J-1 (scholar visa) program (that was) financed by (the) Chinese Scholarship Council, Liang said.

The China Scholarship Council is the Chinese Ministry of Educations nonprofit organization that provides support for international academic exchange with China and is the primary vehicle through which the Chinese government awards scholarships.

According to its website, the CSC has partnered with more than 20 universities in the U.S., including Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in government funding of scholarships.

Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.
Hollywood is littered with messy celebrity breakups. However, that list doesnt include Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Theyre one of the celebrity couples still together. And time and time again, the actors prove theyre couple goals.

Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar started out as friends

Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar at the premiere of Summer Catch | Ron Galella, Ltd. / Contributor

RELATED: How Many Kids Do Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. Have?

Before getting married in 2002, Prinze and Gellar were co-stars and friends. They met while filming 1997s I Know What You Did Last Summer. After the movie wrapped, the two stayed in touch.

But it wasnt until years after theyd known each other did they start dating. Getting to know each other as friends is what Prinze says makes their relationship work.

We just became friends. Thats one of the reasons I think our relationship has always been so good, he told E! in 2017. We were friends for a good two years before we ever went on a date.

In early 2001, they were engaged and in September 2002 the couple tied the knot in Mexico. Gellar and Prinze have been going strong ever since.

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. laugh together

Laughter is a big part of Gellar and Prinzes relationship. As Prinze told the Evening Standard, they try to make each other laugh. Its also clear from their social media, humor plays a major role in their relationship.

In January 2020, Gellar watched the Golden Globe Awards in pajamas with Prinzes face on them.

And when it comes to teaching their kids during the coronavirus pandemic, Gellar and Prinze take a moment for some laughs.

They made silly faces in a selfie Gellar posted to her Instagram on May 13, 2020.

And joked around when Gellar was supposed to be working weeks earlier on April 20, 2020.

Its clear the couple doesnt take themselves too seriously and as Prinze said, they make each other laugh. Is that not couple goals?

Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar make time for each other

Prinze and Gellar are close to celebrating two decades of marriage. September 1, 2020, will mark 18 years of married life for the actors. A big feat for any couple, and an even bigger one in Hollywood.

Whats their secret to a long-lasting marriage? Put in the work.

I think the truth of any relationship is that, whether youre a couple, whether youre friends, whether youre business partners, is you have to put the work into a relationship, Gellar told UsWeekly in 2019.

Judging by her and Prinzes Instagram shots together, they do work on their relationship.

They have date nights as evidenced by adorable Instagram photos. Sometimes a date night means attending an engagement party.

And other times it means taking selfies over drinks.

Plus, Gellar and Prinze do sweet things together even it means being a little cheesy. Clearly, they know what it takes to make their relationship work.

RELATED: Who Makes More Money: Freddie Prinze Jr. or Sarah Michelle Gellar?
Tens of thousands of people in Ireland are currently living with dementia. Stock picture

Basics such as signage on where to find the toilet are still missing in a significant number of acute hospital wards treating patients with dementia, a new audit has revealed.

The HSEs National Audit of Dementia Care in Acute Hospitals shows overall improvement in the care of patients with dementia.

There are advances in the management of pressure ulcers and nutrition assessments since the original audit in 2014.

There were also advances in staff training in dementia care.

However, just 17pc of wards have space outside of a standard ward corridor for active people living with dementia to walk in.

Less than half of wards provide handrails along the corridors.

It was noted that handrails were often obstructed by equipment and trollies.

The audit took place in 33 acute hospitals. Two large orthopaedic hospitals were also included in this round, recognising the overlap between hip fracture and dementia.

As of 2019, just 6pc of hospitals have a dementia in-patient care pathway in place.

Only 22pc of hospitals have a dementia recognition system in place across some or all areas of the hospital, to ensure that all staff are aware of the persons dementia and how it affects them.

There was some improvement in helping patients find their way and orientation aids.

Approximately one third of hospitals now have dementia-specific staff employed, and the same proportion have a dementia quality improvement team or working group, reflecting a desire to work together within the hospital to improve dementia care.

The audit identified that improvements are needed in the gathering and recording of information to support person-centred care and in screening for delirium on admission to hospital.

The report said it is well established that admission to acute hospital can be distressing and disorientating for a person living with dementia. Research has shown however that agitation and distress for the person living with dementia can be reduced, and staff morale can be increased, through comparatively simple, cost-effective changes to the care environment interaction.

Dr Suzanne Timmons, Clinical Lead for the National Dementia Office said that "this audit is extremely important in helping us to improve the care of people living with dementia in acute hospitals. Approximately 1 in 3 patients aged 70 and older admitted to Irish hospitals have dementia and this figure will increase annually as the population ages. This audit shows promising improvements in the presence of dementia quality improvement teams and staff with a specific dementia role in many hospitals. There was also evidence of physical environment changes that would enhance the experience and safety of a person living with dementia. There are other areas like recording the type and severity of dementia, and gathering information to support person-centred care that need further work at national and local level to support improved practice.

Kevin Quaid, Acting Chair of the Irish Dementia Working Group added: As a person living with Lewy body Dementia, any admission to an acute hospital leaves me vulnerable to a worsening of my dementia and quality of life. I have experienced first-hand the difference a Dementia Nurse Specialist makes to the care of a patient with dementia in hospital. I urge the government to implement the National Clinical Guideline on Psychotropic Medications in all settings, including in acute hospitals, and the HSE to facilitate training for hospital staff so that they can keep a person living with dementia as independent and safe as possible during their hospital stay.
Hyderabad: The case of rape, harassment, blackmail, and threats investigated by the Central Crime State police took a turn as the victim stated that the man, who prompted her to approach the police, had also blackmailed and exploited her sexually.

The victim also said that the names of several innocent persons, including the film actors, were put in the list of the accused at the behest of the man, who she identified as Raj Sreekar. She said that Sreekar runs an NGO and alleged that he encouraged her to lodge the police complaint.

On August 20, the 25-year-old woman lodged a complaint with the Punjagutta police alleging rape, harassment, threatening, and blackmailing in which she named 139 persons and four others. The police registered a case and transferred it to the Central Crime Station of Hyderabad, where a case was re-registered for a probe by a woman officer of Deputy Superintendent of Police rank.

As the probe is underway to extract the facts, the woman along with the leaders of the MRPS (Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti) party held a press conference on Tuesday in the city.

Speaking to media, the victim said, I was under threat of accused Raj Sreekar, who threatened to kill my parents and blackmailed me to lodge a complaint naming several persons including the film actors. The film actors do not have any role in the atrocities that happened to me.

She also alleged, He (Sreekar) had raped me on multiple occasions and he exploited me. I was against naming innocent people, but he threatened me and beaten me. If anybody has my private videos and photos, please delete them."

When contacted to find if the victim lodged a complaint against the perpetrator, CCS ACP K Sreedevi, promised further action after recording the statements of the victim.
Asia Beijing, Prague Exchange Protests Over Czech Senate Leaders Taiwan Trip

Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil speaks at National Taiwan University on Monday. / Central News Agency / Kyodo

BEIJING/TAIPEIChina and the Czech Republic exchanged diplomatic protests on Monday as bilateral relations nosedived over Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcils trip to Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province.

Commenting on Vystrcils visit to the island while visiting Germany, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi described it as an unendurable provocation for which there will be retribution.

Read more.

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01.09.2020 LISTEN

Two persons who allegedly attacked and robbed a boutique at Dansoman in Accra have been remanded into prison custody by an Accra Circuit Court.

Shamsu Alhassan and Mumuni Iddirsu, charged with conspiracy to commit crime and robbery, pleaded not guilty.

The Court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh, adjourned the matter to September 14.

Attempts by defense counsel, Mr Yaw Dankwah to secure bail was turned down by the court.

Prosecuting Chief Inspector Simon Terkpetey narrated that the complainant was a sales personnel at House of Kings Boutique at Dansoman.

Alhassan was a trader and Iddrisu, an Okada Rider. On July 30, this year, at about 2:30 pm, the accused persons met at a drinking spot at Zamarama Line and agreed to go on robbery spree after a successful robbery of a motor bike at New Achimota few days ago.

Prosecution said on the same day at about 1725 hours, the accused persons on board an unregistered Royal Motor Bike went to the House of Kings Boutique at Dansoman.

Prosecution said Alhassan entered the boutique while Idrrisu sat on the motor bike monitoring the situation.

According to prosecution, Alhassan on entering, threatened the complainant that he would shoot him if he made any noise.

Alhassan, prosecution said, marched the complainant to the counter and demanded for the day's sales.

Prosecution said Alhassan pulled the drawers but found no money and he then took a laptop valued at GH1,800 and Infinix smart phone valued at GH680.00 which was on the counter.

Alhassan then put same in a black polythene bag and bolted with Iddrisu on a motor bike.

The actions of the accused persons were however captured on a CCTV camera. On August 2, this year, Alhassan was arrested in a robbery at Demens Pharmacy, Dansoman.

Prosecution said during investigation, Alhassan mentioned his accomplice as Iddrisu whom he had engaged in several robberies within the Accra Metropolis.

Iddrisu was arrested at his hideout and during interrogation, he confessed having gone on robbery expedition with Alhassan on only one occasion at new Achimota, a robbery which was successful. Prosecution said investigation was ongoing.

---GNA
You have to find someone to help you complete that ballot, and you have to trust that theyll adequately complete that ballot as you wish, Soforenko said. People have really strong opinions about voting. Your neighbor might not necessarily agree with who you want to vote for. I wouldnt know that they completed my ballot accurately. Thats not fair. Thats not right. Thats not the private, independent ballot that we are guaranteed.
John Oliver called on Mayor Mark Boughton on Sunday to follow through with his joke to rename a city sewage plant after the comedian.

In Sunday's episode of "Last Week Tonight," Oliver said he would donate $55,000 to charities in the Danbury area, including $25,000 to the Connecticut Food Bank, $25,000 to a Donors Choose fund for Danbury teachers and $5,000 to ALS Connecticut, if Boughton followed through with renaming the sewage plant after him.
Whenever Helotes native Chris Ryan chats with people outside of South Texas about Bexar, the country duo he co-founded, he often has to explain how to pronounce the name.

To him, thats one of its selling points.

Its kind of cool, because when people mispronounce it, it sticks with em, Ryan said.

The name will soon be tripping, or stumbling, off the tongues of country music fans. Bexar  Ryan and bandmate Logan Turner  recently signed with Warner Music Nashville, which released the new single, Again.

Turner, a Kentucky native, was among those who needed a pronunciation tutorial.

I thought it was Beckser, he said. Which is still cooler than Warren, the county Im from.

The name is a nod to Ryans childhood, when he spent a fair amount of time sitting in a garage listening to all kinds of music.

Its where I got a lot of my musical roots, he said.

On ExpressNews.com: SA-area actor a standout in first professional musical staged in COVID-19 era

Ryan and Turner have been playing together for a few years. They put out a self-titled EP in 2018, before signing with Warner Music Nashville. Again, a propulsive, infectious reflection on a lost love, will be followed by a four-song EP this fall; an album is slated for the spring.

Bexar also is planning to tour as soon as its possible to do that safely.

Its a little frustrating not be able to play for live audiences right now  It kind of sucks, to be honest, Ryan said  but theyre trying to be patient, spending their time working on new songs and keeping their chops sharp.

Obviously, we dont want to be the ones putting people at risk, Turner said. Were willing to wait.

Ryan and Turners creative partnership is still pretty new. The two Nashville transplants met in a songwriters room during a CMA Fest, the Country Music Associations annual festival, a few years ago.

I like to say its one of the only blind dates thats gone good for me, Ryan said.

They clicked right away.

We started working on songs, not with the intent of being a band, Turner said. Three months later, he asked if I wanted to start a band with him. I had to clear it with my wife, and she was sweet and supportive.

On ExpressNews.com: SA artist Buster Graybill takes new public art piece for a road trip

Turner had not envisioned life as a performer when he moved to Nashville five years ago, he said.

I didnt have any intention of being in a band or being an artist. I wanted to be behind the scenes and write songs and produce, he said. But once we fell into the groove, it felt so natural, and I couldnt say no. It just speaks to the organic-ness of it  it wasnt forced. It wasnt like we were put together by an outside force.

Unlike Turner, Ryan moved to Nashville to take his performing to the next level. Growing up in Texas, he had played in bands, mostly in Austin, and found the capitals music scene so alluring that, when it was time for him to go to college, he knew the University of Texas at Austin was probably not a good idea.

I would never have finished school, he said. I would have gotten sucked into the Sixth Street thing.

Instead, he went to Texas A&M University, studying political science.

I was going to go to law school, he said, adding that it was important to his mother that he get a degree so he could have a Plan B if music didnt pan out. Thank the lord I didnt do that.

Instead, after spending about a year and a half in sales, he went to Nashville to devote himself to music.

He had been doing solo stuff before he and Turner started writing together. They complemented each other, they said. Ryan praised Turners singing Hes got an insane voice, far better than mine  and Turner said he admires Ryans writing.

Hes a great storyteller and really digs in on lyrics and things like that, he said.

They both knew pretty quickly that they would bring out the best in each other.

Meeting Logan really changed the course of my whole career, Ryan said. It gave us something special, and things have moved really quickly for us. Were very grateful to be able to be in this position.

The two are particularly grateful for the deal with the label

It means everything, Turner said. It definitely offers us validation for what were doing. So many people move here and have this dream, and even the ones that have the dream that arent lucky enough to move here, for us to get here and experience any semblance of success, the odds are astronomical  to get here, get a publishing deal, get a record deal, it means everything for sure.

Deborah Martin is an arts writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Deborah, become a subscriber. dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
November elections for the Lone Star College Board of Trustees will include two contested races, but three races overall.

Districts three, four and nine are up for election this year. Incumbent candidate for district four, Art Murillo, is uncontested this year, but fellow board members Alton Smith of district three, and Ken Lloyd of district nine will both face challengers.

Early voting starts on Oct. 13 and will end Oct. 30. Election Day is Nov. 3.

District three

Incumbent candidate Alton Smith was elected to his seat in 2014. Smith, 74, currently serves as the board chair.

My dreams are to spend the remainder of my life advocating that education/training are the easiest passport to the future as tomorrow belong to those who prepare for it today, Smith said as to why he was running again. Another six years will give me the avenue and opportunity to continue my passion assisting others with reaching their full potential at Lone Star College and the world of work. Education has served me well and I want to use my experiences to empower others.

Iesheia Ayers Wilson, 40, also is running for district three. Ayers Wilson said she was running for the board seat to bring more attention to what LSC provides.

People in District 3 have no idea of the things that Lone Star offers to the community or who their representative is, she said. That spoke volumes to me. As a representative of an area people should know who you are and that you are putting their best interest first and not the interest of others. It also made me think about the lack of leadership we have been getting. This is a new day and its time for CHANGE! I am running to help the community get the proper funding for our area to help build and education our community no matter what age you are, background you have or education level you have. Our students are our future and we have to be able to connect with them on ALL levels.

District four

Incumbent Art Murillo, 55, was elected to the board in 2014. He is running unopposed this year. Currently, his son is a student at Lone Star College-University Park.

As the first individual elected to represent District 4, a newly created single-member position on the Lone Star College Board of Trustees, I was able to learn first-hand about the challenges and concerns experienced by residents in this working-class community, Murillo said. I was also able to witness the incredible work Lone Star College faculty and staff carry-out each day to help meet these important needs. The dramatic growth experienced by Lone Star College over the last decade will continue to present us with challenges, as well as many new opportunities to improve the economic and social conditions of the greater Houston region.

District nine

Incumbent Ken Lloyd, 71, was elected to the board in 2014.

In 2017, the U.S. industry including Harris County commenced Outsourcing 6 Million High Tech Jobs Annually, Lloyd said of why he is running for re-election. The US is no longer No. 1 Globally in Educational Development for Industry Needs and New Economic Generators. Community Colleges are the quick fix solution for this problem. My diverse Industrial background and experience will help catapult the LSCS from one of the best to one of the exceptional Community Colleges to help meet the demand for these High Tech Jobs. An Education providing a Gainfully Employed Job Immediately with little or no debt is the new currency for the 21st Century.

Challenging Lloyd for his seat is Jim Cain, 73, former superintendent of Klein ISD until he retired in 2016.

I want to give back to the Lone Star College System for the great work they did and continue to do with thousands of Klein ISD students in dual credit courses, their two year programs, and now their degree programs, Cain said. I would like to bring my skills and experience in public education to the Board for continuous improvement in excellence, equity, and achievement.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday ordered the release of Dr Kafeel Khan, detained in December last year for his speech at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The court said that Khans speech did not promote any kind of hatred or violence.

After his detention, the Uttar Pradesh government had invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against Khan. However, the court said that imposing the stringent act was illegal based on the grounds submitted by the authorities.

The doctor has been in jail since January 29 for allegedly delivering a provocative speech at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 10, 2019, during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests.

The high court bench comprising chief justice Govind Marhur and justice Saumitra Dayal Singh allowed the habeas corpus writ petition filed by the doctors mother Nuzhat Perween seeking his release and stated that Khans speech did not promote any kind of hatred or violence.

A complete reading of the speech also no where threatens peace and tranquility of the city of Aligarh. The address gives a call for national integrity and unity among the citizens. The speech also deprecates any kind of violence. It appears that the District Magistrate had selective reading and selective mention for few phrases from the speech ignoring its true intent, the judgement read.

Also, according to the habeas corpus petition, the doctor was granted bail by a competent court and was supposed to be released on bail. However, he was not released for four days and later the NSA was imposed on him. Hence, his detention was illegal as it was passed to nullify the effect of the bail granted by a competent court.

Khan had earlier hit the headlines after the 2017 tragedy at Gorakhpurs Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, in which several children died due to lack of oxygen cylinders.
Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum

The Cape Cod Pilgrim Memorial Association (CCPMA), doing business as the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum (PMPM), today announced the appointment of Steven Ridini, Ed.D., president and CEO of Health Resource in Action, to its board of trustees. Ridinis extensive experience in nonprofit management, strategic planning and organizational development will support CCPMAs strategic vision for future growth.

Ridini has more than 25 years of experience working in public health within the U.S. and internationally. He also has a proven track record in nonprofit administration, with a professional background including research and evaluation, planning, development, grant making and coalition building. Ridini has bachelors degrees in biology and political science from Boston College and a Master of Public Health and Doctor of Education from Harvard University.

The CCPMA is making tremendous progress in their mission of education and inclusion, said Ridini. I am looking forward to helping PMPM grow and reach its goal of ensuring that everyone can learn about and appreciate Provincetowns rich history, including the regions original inhabitants, the Wampanoag Nation, as well as the arrival of the Mayflower.

In addition to the appointment of Ridini, CCPMA trustee Brian Johnson has been elected treasurer. Johnson has more than 40 years of experience in finance, working for corporations, national civil rights organizations as well as serving on the boards of nonprofit organizations. Johnson will be taking over the treasurers role from CCPMA trustee Michael Glasfeld, president and owner of Bay State Cruise Company, who will remain on the board.

Dr. Ridinis deep expertise in working with nonprofit organizations and driving development will help the CCPMA reach its long-term goals, faster, said Courtney Hurst, president of the CCPMA board of trustees. We are also thrilled to have Brian Johnson as our new treasurer. His extensive nonprofit and finance experience, coupled with his keen insights and skillsets, make him an obvious choice to succeed Treasurer Mike Glasfeld. That said, thank you does not begin to express our appreciation for Mikes leadership and time as treasurer. He has been integral in changing the culture and communication of our board, and we are grateful for his continued service.

These appointments continue CCPMAs mission of advancing truth, inclusion and education, as well as having a board that mirrors the diversity of the community that PMPM represents and supports. In further pursuit of its mission, PMPM has also launched two major initiatives this year:



Debuted the worlds first and only permanent exhibit to present the Mayflowers arrival from the perspective of the Wampanoag Nation: Our Story: The Complicated Relationship of the Indigenous Wampanoag and the Mayflower Pilgrims.

Began construction of the Bradford Access Project, which is developing an inclined elevator to improve accessibility and create an economic link between PMPM and downtown Provincetown.

To learn about and support PMPMs mission, please visit https://www.pilgrim-monument.org

About the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum

Founded in 1892, the Cape Cod Pilgrim Memorial Association, doing business as the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum (PMPM), is Cape Cods oldest 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Its dedication to cultivating truth, education and inclusion fuels its mission to preserve the rich heritage of Provincetown and its original inhabitants, the Wampanoag Nation. This includes focus on such historic events as the first landing of the Pilgrims in 1620 in Provincetown Harbor and the signing of the Mayflower Compact. PMPM is located on High Pole Hill Road in Provincetown, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit https://www.pilgrim-monument.org/.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 20:05:38|Editor: huaxia

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Members of Palestinian Civil Defense sterilize a truck as it arrives from the Kerem Shalom Crossing in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Sept. 1, 2020. Israel on Tuesday eased some restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip three weeks ago, following a Qatar-brokered cease-fire reached between the Hamas movement and Israel, Palestinian sources said. (Photo by Khaled Omar/Xinhua)



GAZA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Tuesday eased some restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip three weeks ago, following a Qatar-brokered cease-fire reached between the Hamas movement and Israel, Palestinian sources said.

In Gaza, Palestinian security sources said that Israel reopened the commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom on the borders between southeast Gaza Strip and Israel to allow shipment of fuel and other essential goods into the enclave.

The sources said that Israel allowed scores of trucks loaded with goods and fuel tankers to enter through the crossing and ship their loads into Gaza after closing the crossing for 20 days.

Following a wave of tension between Hamas and Israel, the latter tightened its measures on the Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas to stop launching incendiary balloons and homemade projectiles into southern Israel.

Israel banned fishers to fish off the Gaza Strip coast and prohibited the shipment of fuel, construction materials, and other kinds of goods and products, except for food and medicine.

The sources told Xinhua that after allowing the fuel shipment into Gaza, the sole power station would operate regularly after it stopped generating electricity to more than 2 million people in the enclave on Aug. 16.

Meanwhile, Israel radio reported that after reaching a clam understanding with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel will expand the fishing zone off the Gaza Strip coast to 15 nautical miles (27.8 km).

Hamas announced on Monday night that Qatar had brokered a truce in the Gaza Strip, ending more than three weeks of tension between itself and Israel. Enditem
Montgomery County Commissioner Joseph Gale was sued in federal court in June by a handful of residents who said he had blocked them on social media. Read more

In recent months, Montgomery County Commissioner Joseph C. Gale has been the subject of protests, scorn, and even formal censure from his colleagues over incendiary comments about the Black Lives Matter movement.

Now, the sole Republican on the countys governing board can no longer filter that criticism on his personal and campaign social media accounts, under a settlement reached in a federal lawsuit.

Gale is barred from blocking anyone from viewing his Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts, and has 10 days to reimburse the nearly $600 spent by a group of county residents to file the suit, according to a court order filed Friday and made publicly available late Monday.

The suit was brought in late June by eight of Gales constituents, including Abby Deardorff, a nurse from Royersford. Deardorff told The Inquirer in July that she was blocked after calling Gale racist for labeling Black Lives Matter a hate group.

 READ MORE: Courts said President Trump cant block constituents on Twitter. What about Montgomery County Commissioner Gale?

He definitely has his right to say what he wants, Deardorff said, but he cant suppress me as a constituent.

The suit contended that Gale violated the groups First Amendment right to criticize a public official by engaging in viewpoint discrimination.

Gale, in a statement Tuesday, said he still believes he has every right to ban, block and delete users on social media.

However, after watching President Trump get screwed by federal courts on this very same issue, I had no doubt I too would be the victim of a bad ruling, he added. Gale referred to a decision last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which ruled that the president could not block critics from viewing his Twitter account, saying it constituted a public forum.

The 31-year-old had previously called the local lawsuit frivolous and a political stunt, and said the lead attorney on the case, former county Judge Joseph P. Walsh, was trying to appease Democrats.

 READ MORE: A Montco Republican commissioner called Black Lives Matter a hate group. Now hes more isolated than ever.

But, to be honest, if I allow leftist agitators to troll and dog pile my social media accounts, they will trigger the Facebook and Twitter algorithms that determine what posts get shown to more people, he said. By unbanning and unblocking the Marxist mob, they will actually help me spread my message to more supporters and grow my base.

One of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, Philip David Press, said Tuesday that the settlement and subsequent order was vindicating.

Everyone here, the common thread, is that the plaintiffs dont necessarily know one another, he said. Theyre all county residents, and theyre all incensed that someone whos an elected official for 800,000 people could silence their voices without a second thought.
With no agreement over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in sight, should Egypt and Sudan look for other options

The latest round of negotiations on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has failed. The talks, which started on 18 August and ended earlier this week, were attended by representatives from the African Union (AU), which sponsored the talks, the European Union (EU), and the United States (US).

The failure to reach a consensual preliminary formula is a clear indication of the lack of political will in Addis Ababa to reach an agreement and resolve differences over the dam, says Mohamed Hegazi, a former deputy to Egypts foreign minister.

Hegazi thinks it is high time alternative options were considered, including the US presidents suggestion that a four-way summit be convened in Washington, attended by the heads of state of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and the US.

Egypt said the latest round of talks had ended in failure after the three countries could not reach a consensual unified agreement on the filling and operation of GERD. Instead of presenting a unified agreement to the AU each state sent an individual letter to the South African president outlining its vision of the next stage of negotiations, a clear sign that contentious technical and legal points remain unresolved, said a diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation blamed the failure to reach an agreement on the absence of political will, and said the negotiations had ended without a date being set for the resumption of talks. Despite this, the Ethiopian ministry of water, irrigation and energy announced that the next round of negotiations is expected to convene on 14 September, though the date has been confirmed by neither Cairo nor Khartoum.

That Addis Ababa clearly considers setting dates for one round of talks after another is a positive step despite never coming close to an agreement may compel Egypt and Sudan to refer the problem to the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the grounds that Ethiopias intransigence and its insistence on storing water in the absence of an agreement violates international law and threatens regional and international peace and security, said the anonymous diplomat.

The next step should be to either hold another mini-summit like the one held in July, or refer the whole issue to the UNSC, says Abbas Sharaki, a professor of political science at Cairo University.

Hegazi argues that other options are possible, including that observers from the AU or South Africa submit a detailed report that will show which party is impeding the negotiations. In the light of the report, the AU can try to put more pressure on the parties to make the necessary concessions.

Foreign Policy magazine reported last week that Washington had decided to freeze $130 million worth of aid to Addis Ababa due to the GERD crisis.

The move, says Hegazi, may not lead to any concessions from Addis Ababa, but it does show which party is impeding the negotiations.

The diplomat is hopeful Washingtons decision to freeze aid will pressure Ethiopia into showing some flexibility in the negotiations, but in Ethiopia the move was derided on social media as proof that the US is biased towards Egypt.

Mehemed Tekuya, an Ethiopian human rights lawyer, tweeted that Ethiopians around the world should raise the amount the US is planning to cut. Our ancestors fought colonialism, and this is how we should fight neocolonial powers now, @AbeyAhmedAli resist.

Several visits have been exchanged between heads of state during the last month in which the parties vowed to exert more efforts to resolve the dam deadlock. Last week Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed paid a one-day visit to Khartoum and met with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. Both officials agreed they would make every effort to reach a deal on GERD.

Ahmeds visit to Sudan coincided with that of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, though the two officials did not meet.

Pompeo urged Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt to continue talks on the dam as the only way out of the impasse.

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli paid a visit to Khartoum two weeks ago following which Egypt and Sudan reiterated their determination to secure a comprehensive and binding agreement setting rules for the filling and operation of GERD.

The latest round of talks fell into a hiatus between 27 July and 3 August after Ethiopia announced it had completed the first phase of filling the reservoir, followed by another halt last month when Sudan called for a suspension of meetings to allow for consultations after Addis Ababa proposed a package of non-binding guidelines for the filling.

Last month, Addis Ababa declared the partial filling of 4.9 billion cubic metres of water complete. The announcement was widely seen as an attempt to placate Ethiopian public opinion after Addis Ababas repeated promises that the initial filling would start in July.

Addis Ababas declaration angered Egypt and Sudan, who saw it as a violation of the Declaration of Principles (DoP) signed in Sudan in March 2015, which state the three countries must first agree guidelines and rules on the operating process of GERD before filling the reservoir.

Both states sent letters to South Africa, the current chair of the AU, rejecting Ethiopias unilateral actions.

Nonetheless, Ahmed declared last month that the second phase of filling the GERD reservoir, which will involve 18.4 billion cubic metres of water, would begin during the rainy season in August 2021.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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New Delhi: As the CBI is investigating Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, mystery related to his demise continues to haunt his fans, family and friends. The recent drug conspiracy has opened a can of worms with new developments unravelling shocking details every day.

It has been learnt that a person identified as Khatri supplied drugs to Sushant and Rhea. He is reportedly a top-notch supplier in Mumbai. According to claims made by staff members Sohail and Ashok, the Nagpur and Nashik police is also involved in facilitating the drug supply.

Sushant's three sisters Nitu, Meetu and Priyanka Singh were at the Waterstone resort from November 25 to 26, 2019. The three of them had come to take Sushant with them to Chandigarh forever.

Reportedly, Rhea Chakraborty was also present at the resort on those dates but none of the sisters let Sushant meet his girlfriend. However, despite all of this, Rhea and Sushant managed to meet in the lobby of the resort while the sisters were in a special suit, booked for the late actor.

One of the staff members of Sushant overheard the sisters talking that 'once Bhai moves to Chandigarh all of his property will come to us sisters'. The staff member allegedly told all of this to Sushant, who then refused to go to Chandigarh and the sisters left the hotel, possibly angry.

Sushant reportedly then went back to Rhea's Juhu apartment and didn't speak with of his three sisters for a month.

Manager Shruti Modi's lawyer Ashok Sarogi meanwhile, has named Khatri for the alleged drug conspiracy. Khatri is the son of a Mumbai builder who is high and mighty in political circles.

He reportedly attends Bollywood parties and is often seen with all the big celebrities. Sarogi alleged Khatri has relations with powerful people. He not only has connections in Bollywood but also has good relations with political parties. Khatri is a top supplier of drugs.
The newly re-elected president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has praised Nigerias president, Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Adesina expressed his appreciation to Mr Buhari on Tuesday during his swearing-in ceremony at the AfDB headquarters in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire.

The former Nigerian minister of agriculture was re-elected into office last Thursday.

He won his re-election during the annual meetings of the AfDB.

At the ceremony on Tuesday, Mr Adesina thanked God and the people who supported him. He specifically eulogized the Nigerian president for the support shown to him.

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I would definitely not be here without the extraordinary support of my country, Nigeria, and my President H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Adesina said.

Mr. President, you nominated me, you stood by me, you supported me. Thank you very much sir.

I am grateful to the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the entire government and people of Nigeria who supported me.

Controversial probe

Earlier in the year, Mr Adesina was in the eye of the storm over multiple allegations of misconduct.

In a petition by the group of whistleblowers, the AfDB boss was accused of 20 breaches of the banks code of conduct but the bank, after a review by an independent panel, found the allegations to be frivolous.

He was thereafter cleared of the allegations.

On Tuesday, the AfDB president said that he remains grateful for the opportunity offered to him to serve Africa passionately, noting that he would be president to all stakeholders of the bank.

You, our, shareholders have showcased the African Development Banks exceptionally high standards and its commitment to transparency and good corporate governance. I am deeply grateful for your collective trust, confidence and support. Above all, I am greatly honored  and humbled.

Your Excellencies, today, a rainbow stretches from the 81 member countries of the African Development Bank across the deep blue skies of Africa, with one message  the rain is gone. Gone are the dark clouds that held us down.

I stand today, with all humility, as the President elected by all. I will be the President for all.

Impact

Mr Adesina noted that in every country, the banks impact is being felt.

We expanded our presence to 44 countries, including across fragile states. Our staff risk their lives to deliver, he said.

And we are delivering more for women with the implementation of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women, to leverage $3 billion for women and women businesses.

We have launched a Gender Equality Trust Fund, the first ever in the Bank, and are advancing on gender markers for all projects of the Bank. We must continue to strongly support women. When women win, Africa wins!

On his vision in his new term, Mr Adesina said the bank is committed to building a stronger institution, strengthening human capacity, enhancing effectiveness, deepening quality and impact, and maintaining financial sustainability.

He said: When you first elected me five years ago, I had a vision. Five years later, I have yet a vision to build on our collective achievements over the next five years. A vision to build a much stronger and resilient African Development Bank Group with the leadership and capacity to deliver greater quality impacts for the people of Africa, while remaining financially strong and sustainable.

So, our focus will be on Institution, People, Delivery, and Sustainability. Each of these are encapsulated in the following five areas which combine with the programmatic High 5s to transform the development landscape of Africa.
Shi Yong (pseudonym), a 38-year-old delivery man, died from cerebral hemorrhage on Aug. 23, 2020. Stricken with grief, his family still gave permission for his organs to be donated, and the life-saving organs ended up saving six people.

With two children in school and sick parents, Shi had worked two jobs to provide for his family. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, he continued working as a food delivery man for China's leading food delivery platform, Ele.me, in Fuyang city of eastern China's Anhui province.

On Aug. 20, Shi Yong suddenly fell into a coma and was diagnosed with intracerebral hemorrhage caused by hypertension. Though the medical staff tried their best, just two days later he was declared brain-dead.

Shi Yong's family was overwhelmed when they heard the news. After consideration, the grief-stricken family made a decision: they would donate Shi's organs.

"He was always willing to help others. Shi Yong's parents and I both agreed to donate his organs to save more people. I believe this was also Shi Yong's last wish," his wife said. "I hope all recipients can live well."

On Aug. 23, after a 10-hour-long surgery conducted by more than 100 medical staff members of the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), six transplant operations were successfully performed, including liver, heart, kidney and cornea transplants. Currently, all the transplanted organs are working well and the recipients are recovering.

Organ transplantation is a vital therapy for terminal and irreversible organ failure. At present, all transplanted organs in China come from voluntary donations by citizens.

According to the China Organ Donation Administrative Center, as of Aug. 31, the number of registered volunteers for organ donation topped 2.29 million, and 30,389 people have donated 88,810 organs as of Aug. 18.

"Organ donation represents the humanity of the donor at its very best. Donated organs allow the continuation of life by saving others," said Liu Zhe, a staff member at the the First Affiliated Hospital of the USTC.
By Sarah Taddeo | Observer-Dispatch, Utica

It was his name that gave him away.

Hey, are you the 75-year-old guy who was hit in Buffalo? a post office worker asked.

Martin Gugino, 75, of Amherst, wasnt expecting to be recognized in public, especially wearing a face mask.

But the videos that captured the moment when Buffalo Police officers shoved Gugino backward in front of Buffalos City Hall in June during a protest over the death of George Floyd, causing him to fall and crack his skull on the pavement, had been seen around the world.

Gugino, speaking to the USA TODAY Networks New York State Team last week in his first extended interview, was reluctant to go into detail about the incident, which sent him to the hospital for a month to recover from a brain injury and a fractured skull.

Thats because he doesnt remember the moment he was shoved, and he has flashes of memory in the minutes before or after. Video recordings helped him fill in the blank spots of what happened that evening.

He is seemingly uninterested in becoming a symbol of a trend or a movement, or drawing attention to himself.

When asked about the context surrounding his fall and injuries, he noted that a lot of people are injured, and a lot of people are killed, and often, nothing is done about those incidents, especially if there was no record of it on video.

Still, he called the incident a turning point for him.

He will continue to participate in grassroots activism around the First Amendment, as he has done for decades. Hell continue to write about climate change and injustices at Guantanamo Bay on his blog and on Twitter.

My life is headed in a new direction, Gugino said. How is it different? Im not really sure yet.

Why are they carrying batons?

Gugino showed up at a Black Lives Matter rally in downtown Buffalo on June 4 at around 7:45 p.m., 15 minutes before the city-imposed curfew went into effect.

The night prior, a number of Buffalo police officers took a knee with community members in solidarity with the protests around the murder of Floyd by police in Minneapolis on May 25.

Just minutes before police began moving toward the crowd, Gugino noticed they were outfitted with helmets, vests and batons: I thought, Why are they carrying batons?

Earlier in the evening, he had approached several police officers to ask whether they thought the Mayor Byron Browns curfew order could legitimately make an assembly illegal.

They didnt respond, other than to offer to read the mayors statements to him.

Gugino also had a conversation with several bystanders, which was caught on video and appeared to show at least one person expressing anger toward him.

Gugino said one individual thought he was an undercover cop, which Gugino denies.

At around 8:10 p.m., as seen in several videos of the incident, a group of officers began walking toward a few dozen rally attendees who were still in the downtown area after curfew.

Video footage shows a tall, white-haired Gugino approaching the officers head on.

Gugino said he remembers alarmed thoughts flashing through his head when he saw officers moving toward the demonstrators, but has no idea what he said to police in that moment.

I thought, Oh my God... and thats all I can remember, he said.

In the seconds following, two officers in the advancing group shoved Gugino away from them and he stumbled and fell backward, his head audibly cracking against the pavement.

Emergency personnel arrived soon after, and Gugino was whisked to the Erie County Medical Center.

The two officers involved, Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski, were suspended without pay and later charged with second-degree assault.

They pleaded not guilty, and are currently suspended with pay, as officers cannot be suspended without pay for more than 30 days, according to a city spokesperson.

The City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Police Department declined to comment further on the incident.

Take your best shot

What followed for Gugino were an avalanche of tests, scans and physical therapy for the hospital. After weeks in bed, standing or walking became a challenge, and he had vivid nightmares.

Every time youd sit up, you would get dizzy, he said. It was like you were on a boat all the time.

His pain was manageable with Tylenol, which he said he rarely used for minor aches and pains, even at 75.

He was monitored by medical staff day and night, and couldnt get out of bed or go to the bathroom without their help.

On the positive side, hed be offered cookies in the middle of the night. His flavor of choice? Coconut.

Meanwhile, cards, letters and other well wishes poured in. He slept for hours in the days after the incident, disconnected from the whirlwind of global internet commentary around his actions and the police response.

He has since seen and heard snippets of strangers accusations that he was a leftist provocateur, that his fall was a hoax or that he was wearing a pack of fake blood under his mask.

President Donald Trump publicly considered the validity of such theories about Gugino on Twitter the following week, saying that Gugino could be an antifa provocateur and that he was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment.

Guginos lawyers got angry emails questioning why theyd defend a faker, he said. But Gugino is unfazed by the accusations.

I was like, Go ahead, take your best shot, he said.

The incident didnt cloud his view of police; he still regards them as regular citizens who work within a system he believes is broken.

I come from the suburbs, and theres no problem with police in a white neighborhood, he said. Im not scared of the policemen, but the system is screwed up.

After about a month, Gugino was released from the hospital and was able to walk out using a cane.

Hes living with family outside of New York and plans to close on a new home in Buffalo in September.

When it comes to justice, Gugino is interested in so many causes that hell start talking about a new one before hes finished discussing the first.

He retired in 2003 after decades of working at FirstEnergy Corp. in Cleveland, Ohio, and a stint living in California. He eventually moved back to Buffalo to care for his ailing mother, who died six years ago. He has no spouse or children.

Even after a brain injury, he has split-second recall for specific details about years-old court cases, such as the Benny Warr case in Rochester, in which a black man in a wheelchair alleged that he was unlawfully arrested and beaten by police.

Guginos values rest solidly on the rights enshrined in the Constitutions First Amendment, which reads that Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech...or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

But he believes these values are often lost on modern government and law enforcement officials.

He used the example of a 2010 Veterans for Peace rally in front of the White House, which protested the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and other conflicts. More than 130 attendees were arrested.

Youre going to the White House and youre saying, Stop the war. That means the United States should come out and say, Thank you so much, and were writing down all your complaints, Gugino said.

Given the countrys foundation, those involved in more recent protests and rallies should be treated with personal and ideological respect, and law enforcement officials should know whether the laws they protect are themselves legal, he said.

Still, he has hope, because of his countrys democratic roots.

He pointed to Mao Zedongs Hundred Flowers campaign in Communist China in the 1950s, where Zedongs solicitation of feedback on his government from the intellectual community quickly turned into a crackdown on ideological critics.

In America, we decided to let a hundred flowers bloom, Gugino said.

And you know what that means? People are going to get together and start complaining, and realizing how theyre being treated. Are you going to invite them in? Are you going to understand what theyre up to? Thats what democracy does. Thats the difference between Mao Zedong and George Washington.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 19:37:03|Editor: huaxia

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KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The year 2020 has been difficult for stock markets and companies in financial and real estate sectors for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kuwait Financial Centre Markaz reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, titled "Pandemic Resistant GCC Stocks," companies in GCC countries that were impacted by the COVID-19 are mostly concentrated in sectors like financials, real estate, energy, industrials, and basic materials.

In addition, banks, non-banking financial institutions (NBFCs), investment companies, and real estate investment firms all have been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, Markaz said.

Reduced transportation as countries shut down borders affected the oil demand from the transportation sector and exacerbated the existing demand-supply mismatch, resulting in an oil price crash, it noted.

Lockdowns have affected the business of logistics, infrastructure, aviation, and manufacturing companies, it added.

Meanwhile, a minority of companies in GCC countries have not been affected by the pandemic, and they tend to be in sectors considered as essentials such as consumer non-cyclical, utilities, healthcare and telecom, it said.

Many of the companies in these sectors have seen their revenues and net income increase in the first quarter of this year over the same period last year, it said, noting that all of these sectors are driven by consumption needs that are resilient and are not dependent on the vagaries of the business cycle.

In addition, businesses, such as food and retail as well as companies in the utilities and telecom sector, also benefited due to their essential nature, it said.

The lockdowns imposed in the GCC countries have not affected them but instead resulted in increased revenues for these companies, and as a result, investors flocked to stocks in these sectors, it explained.

Established in 1974, Markaz is an investment management and research company in Kuwait. Enditem
Ever wonder what it's like living right next to Facebook founder and billionaire Mark Zuckerberg? A post on Quora explains a somewhat peculiar experience pertaining to being the Facebook Founder's neighbor.

According to a certain homeowner that is located just about six doors or 311 feet from the popular Zuckerberg mansion, the founder may be known as the king of social media, but this is really far from his physical, social life and the way he socializes inside his very own neighborhood.

Why did Mark Zuckerberg fire a restraining order?

Back in July of 2015, according to the writer of the post on Quora, one of the tenants named Gordon Kinzer, a CPA, was previously arrested for chastising the Facebook founder's security guards for parking right in front and blocking the neighborhood's only fire hydrant.

Although he was then released the next day as the charges dropped, Gordon Kinzer then continued to reprimand Mark Zuckerberg's security detail for still continuing to park blocking the fire hydrant.

At that point, the founder then decided to press the issue all the way forward by filing a 1,500ft restraining order towards Gordon Kinzer. According to the writer on Quora, it is not legal to displace anyone out of their very own living quarters with the use of a restraining order, but somehow, the Facebook founder found a way to convince the court that the particular Gordon Kinder was just a drifter from Texas using the address to stalk both the founder and his wife, Priscilla.

Who is Gordon Kinzer?

The landlord claims that this is not the truth and that Gordon Kinzer is his own CPA who he has known for a total of 21 years. Subsequently, Gordon Kinzer was still re-arrested 14 times just for violating this somewhat contrived unfair restraining order.

Just recently, the court stated that the number of violations against a particular restraining order constituent a certain pattern that is then automatically a major felony known as FELONY STALKING.

Read Also: How Mark Zuckerberg's Monochromatic Wardrobe Helps His Success

The report of William S. Kennedy, 74, landlord

According to Kennedy, Gordon Kinzer is inside jail facing a total of 15 years in prison just for Felony Stalking, which in reality is not true. It was also noted that the CPA only yelled at the security guards just for blocking the neighborhood fire hydrant.

William Kenedy reportedly begged with Mark Zuckerberg through his own attorney, Andrew Kline, in order to release his tenant from jail but his response was a firm NO.

The post ended by describing Mark Zuckerberg as a "billionaire bully" as Kinzer is still in jail. William S. Kennedy also wrote to read between the lines when searching up anything related to the tragic Zuckerberg Kinzer story.

Read Also: Mark Zuckerberg Conquers Hawaii with a Ton of Sunscreen and $12,000 Worth Surfboard

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian B.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Petoskey officials at odds over best process for housing reforms

While discussing a possible change to the zoning ordinance, some council members said it doesn't do enough to encourage more housing.
Exploitative and degrading is how one Iraqi newspaper described the current draft Memorandum of Understanding between the Iraqi government and the Museum of the Bible along with the family-owned chain store that funds it. The Daily Beast has consulted with experts in Iraqi archaeology, international law, and art crime about this document. Here are some of the problems they identified with it.  The Daily Beast
01.09.2020 LISTEN

Deputy National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Godwin Ako Gunn has described the Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Lawyer Yaw Buaben Asamoah as the worst ever communications officer of the party.

His comment follows claims by Buaben Asamoah that the NDC postponement of its 2020 Manifesto is to buy time to steal ideas from the NPP's recently launched Manifesto at Cape Coast.

Mr Buaben Asamoah, who was addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday afternoon, August 31, 2020, said the deliberate decision by the NDC to postpone its manifesto launch was a clear indication that the party did not have anything better to offer the Ghanaian people.

Responding to this on Opemsuo radio's morning show in the Ashanti region, Mr Godwin Ako Gunn said he did not expect Mr Buaben Asamoah to say this because there was not even a single good thing in the NPP's manifesto.

He added that barely two days after the NPP launched its Manifesto, no radio, television or a single Ghanaian is talking about it.

Mr Ako Gunn said, if he was part of the NPP, he would have advised them not to come out with another manifesto because they have fulfilled just 14% promises of the 2016 manifesto.

He stressed that the NPP in 2016 postponed its manifesto launch three times and twice this year.
Kenton County Judge Dawn Gentry (pictured) was removed from the bench Monday after the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission found her guilty of 10 charges of misconduct

An embattled Kentucky judge accused of having sex in her courthouse and letting staff drink alcohol at the office has been removed from the bench.

The Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission (KJCC) on Monday voted unanimously to remove Kenton County Family Court Judge Dawn Gentry after she was found guilty of 10 out of 12 misconduct charges brought against her in January.

A wild four-day misconduct hearing saw witnesses testify about how Gentry allegedly engaged in a threesome with two underlings in her chambers, allowed her staff to store and consume alcohol in court offices and hired people because she was involved in relationships with them.

The judge was also accused of giving preferential treatment to attorneys if they appeased her sexual demands and threatening to rule against those who rejected her advances.

Gentry's attorney, Jeff Lawson, called the decision to remove his client from the bench 'anti-democratic' and vowed to appeal.

'What we're looking at now is an appeal where the Supreme Court of Kentucky will determine what the circumstances are for a judge to receive what is, in essence, the judicial death penalty,' Lawson told WCPO.

A wild four day misconduct hearing saw witnesses testify about how Gentry (pictured) engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior, allowed her staff to store and consume alcohol in court offices and hired people because she was involved in relationships with them

One of the most explosive allegations presented at the misconduct hearing was that Gentry had a threesome with her case specialist Stephen Penrose and secretary Laura Aubrey.

The KJCC found that Gentry hired Penrose because she was in a personal relationship with him, and that she created the opening for him by forcing another staffer, Meredith Smith, to resign.

Gentry engaged in 'simulated sexual activity' with Penrose in a courthouse office during work hours, court documents stated.

The documents detailed how Penrose sent Gentry photos of his genitals, crude jokes and at least one romantic message.

The misconduct includes allegations that Gentry engaged in sexual activity with case specialist Stephen Penrose (left) inside the Kenton County Courthouse

Gentry, who became a judge in 2016 when former Gov Matt Bevin picked her to fill a vacancy, was also found guilty of engaging in misconduct related to her 2018 campaign for the bench seat.

The commission determined that she had her staff work on the campaign during work hours and and coerced members of her Guardian Ad Litem panel to donate to the campaign.

In November 2018, she retaliated against attorney Mike Hummel when he failed to make the maximum monetary donation to her campaign, the court documents state.

Gentry's misconduct continued after the KJCC began investigating her, as she was found guilty of two counts for lying to the commission and one count for retaliating against someone who cooperated with the investigation.

The only two counts Gentry was found not guilty on were for holding improper conferences that were not on the record and for failing to disclose a personal relationship on the record.

The commission said there was not enough clear and convincing evidence to prove that Gentry consumed alcohol in the office.

The commission said there was not enough clear and convincing evidence to prove that Gentry consumed alcohol in the offices at the Kenton County Justice Center (pictured)

The order to remove her from the bench notes that none of the charges against Gentry affected her rulings or impacted people involved in cases she presided over.

For that reason, Gentry's attorney said that her removal should require impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors - and that the voters should be allowed to decide whether she stays or goes.

Gentry would not have been up for re-election until 2022 after she won a four-year term in 2018.

'We entrust the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky by the votes that they cast at every election to make decisions on whether or not judges have performed effectively in office or have done things with which they disagree or have done things which they disagree with morally or any other way. And that's the appropriate process in this case,' Lawson, Gentry's attorney, said.

KJCC Chair Jimmy Shaffer declined to speak on camera when approached by WCPO but said that the removal order speaks for itself, the outlet reported.

'This case does not involve one or two isolated occurrences, but instead involves a pattern of misconduct and repeated exercise of extremely poor judgment  on and off the Bench  by the Respondent that continued for over a year, including after Respondent was informed that a complaint was filed with the Commission against her,' the commission wrote in its decision.

Gentry has 10 days to appeal the decision. In the meantime, a retired judge will handle her case docket.

Gentry was suspended in January after a complaint against her was filed with the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission. She is pictured during her four-day misconduct hearing

Gentry's attorney, Jeff Lawson (pictured in court on August 10), called the decision to remove his client from the bench 'anti-democratic' and vowed to appeal

Gentry, who made $136,900 a year, was suspended with pay back in January after a complaint alleged that she fired an employee to create a case specialist job for Penrose, with whom was in a sexual relationship.

The complaint stated that Gentry and Penrose engaged in sexual activity in the courthouse with the judge's secretary, Aubrey, and asked an attorney, Katherine Schulz, to have a threesome with them.

THE CHARGES AGAINST DAWN GENTRY Coercion to donate to her judicial campaign - Guilty

Retaliation for not supporting campaign - Guilty

Approved inaccurate timesheets - Guilty

Retaliation against school liaison officers - Guilty

Engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior - Guilty

Hired Penrose based on their relationship - Guilty

Appointed friends to 'Permanent Custody Roster'; did not hire based on merit - Guilty

Failed to be honest with the commission - Guilty

Second charge of failure to be honest with commission - Guilty

Retaliation against someone who cooperated in her investigation - Guilty

Held improper conferences that were not on the record - Not guilty

Did not disclose a personal relationship on the record - Not guilty Advertisement

Aubrey served as a key witness during the misconduct hearing, testifying that her alleged menage a trois with Gentry and Penrose was 'just a prank' to give their colleagues 'something to talk about'.

The secretary wept on the stand as she attempted to put the alleged rumors to bed on the third day of the hearing on August 13.

She painted a contrasting picture of what life was like in Gentry's office, insisting she didn't see any drinking of beer, liquor, or the rife sexual misconduct that had been described so liberally by other witnesses in the two days prior.

Aubrey said, however, she had become aware in early 2019 of rumors circulating among courthouse workers of a tryst between her, Gentry and Penrose.

'I will tell you there were two occasions when the rumors got so ridiculous that, yes, we may have been laughing and kidding around and basically said: "They're going to talk. Let's give them something to talk about,"' Aubrey recounted.

The rumored lovers then convened in Penrose's office and began moving furniture around loudly, with Penrose 'breathing heavily' to fool her co-workers into thinking the trio were sexually engaged, the secretary claimed.

Multiple witnesses described hearing moaning, grunting and 'strange music' coming from Penrose's locked office on April 12.

Aubrey told the court that nobody moaned during their purported prank - a claim which led to an awkward exchange with KJCC chairman Michael Sullivan and Aubrey, who attempted to clarify whether Penrose was breathing to attempt to sound like a woman, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

'When a man breathes heavily, it ought to sound like a man breathing heavily,' Sullivan said, according to the outlet.

Aubrey clarified that Penrose breathed in a 'high-pitched' way.

When quizzed whether staging such a prank in response to the rumors was professional, Aubrey insisted 'it was not.'

'It has haunted me,' a tearful Aubrey said on the stand. '[But] It seemed to me laughter was the only thing that could get us through it.'

Courthouse custodians, deputy clerks and numerous other employees testified to observing alcohol containers in Gentrys chambers, singing and guitar playing, and moaning and grunting coming from the offices

On the first two days of testimony, courthouse custodians, deputy clerks and numerous other employees testified to observing alcohol containers in Gentry's chambers, singing and guitar playing, and moaning and grunting coming from the offices.

Schulz, the attorney who claimed she was propositioned by Gentry and Penrose, spent three hours on the stand describing the tumultuous few last months she spent working for the judge on a panel that aims to give free help to children who're subject to abuse.

Before resigning in May 2019, Schulz claims Gentry propositioned her for a threesome, kissed her in a bathroom and threatened to rule against her in court cases.

'The courtroom and these cases I love so much, I feel it's a weapon that was used against me,' Schulz said. 'I felt I was not very effective. I felt continued fear.'

Katherine Schulz claimed that Gentry had kissed her in a bathroom and propositioned her for a threesome, which she refused

Gentry denied making any sexual advances, testifying Monday that Schulz made the allegations up.

'I admit that I engaged and interacted with Ms. Schulz in an inappropriate manner when she initiated personal contact with me while she was under the influence,' Gentry said in a legal filing. 'I also admit that I did not handle the situation appropriately afterwards.'

Schulz claimed that Gentry told her to download Snapchat, through which the judge regularly contacted her.

The attorney says she received a Snapchat message in early 2019, asking her to go to a conference in Louisville and to 'have sex with Steve [Penrose] and me'.

Schulz said she was wary of angering Gentry, so instead laughed the message off.

On another occasion not long afterwards, Schulz said she found herself in Penrose's basement with Gentry after a night out of drinking.

Schulz said she found the judge on the bathroom floor of the basement with a nosebleed. When she leaned down to help her, she say's Gentry lunged at her and began kissing her 'aggressively'.

'I kissed her back,' Schulz clarified, adding that Gentry kept telling her 'I'm going to rule against you in all of your cases.'

When asked why she thought Gentry would make that threat at that time, Schulz said she wasn't sure.

After that day, Schulz claims Gentry gave her unfavorable rulings in court cases, cases that involved child abuse and neglect.

Schulz said she believed it stemmed from her criticizing Penrose shortly after the kiss.

The incident reportedly caused Schulz a great deal of anxiety, before she was admitted to the emergency room on May 13, 2019, believing she was having a heart-attack. Two days later she resigned from the panel.

Penrose (right), a former pastor turned case specialist, is mentioned frequently in the claims of Gentrys misconduct. Despite being subpoenaed by the court Sunday, he has yet failed to appear at the hearing

Penrose, a former pastor turned case specialist, was mentioned frequently in the claims of Gentry's misconduct. He resigned shortly after the investigation was made public.

Despite being subpoenaed by the court, Penrose did not appear at the hearing.

Gentry and Penrose are in a band together, called South of Cinthy. According to Gentry's ex-husband, they were having an affair during her marriage. Penrose plays the guitar in the band and Gentry plays the bass.

Gentry admitted during the hearing that Penrose sent her nude photos she kept on her folder in her phone.

Yolonda Reis, who works at the Kenton County Clerk's Office and is in the band with Gentry and Penrose, served as a witness for the defense.

On the stand, Reis described Penrose as 'overbearing' and 'obnoxious', and said he had no sexual relationship with Gentry.

When asked if she was surprised Penrose had sent Gentry nude pictures, if they weren't in a sexual relationship, Reis insisted she wasn't.

'He was kind of obnoxious like that,' she said, according to the Enquirer. 'I think he thought an awful lot of himself.'

Gentry fiercely denied almost every aspect of the charges against her.
A couple have been arrested over their role in the fire which spread to the Laguna Village shopping and leisure complex in Estepona on Saturday afternoon.

Those arrested are a man and a woman, 43 and 51, respectively, of Spanish nationality. They are accused of arson as a result of serious negligence and electricity supply fraud.

This was announced on Monday by the National Police, whose investigators concluded that an electrical failure in a household appliance in a cabin in a rural area near the river Padron caused the fire which was spread rapidly by the wind.

This cabin was supplied by an illegal hookup to the main grid around 100 metres away, with power cables running across the land. This fraudulent connection was allegedly made by the couple under investigation, according to the investigations.

Burned 'to the ground'

The fire, which took more than 24 hours to extinguish, spread rapidly from this cabin north of the A-7 to the Laguna Village complex where the buildings' roofs were made of wood.

Witnesses said that the flames jumped from roof to roof, burning the popular beachside area "to the ground", in the words of the town's mayor, Jose Maria Garcia Urbano.

Chiringuitos, swimming pool areas, restaurant kitchens and all types of furniture were completely destroyed.

The flames affected some 42 hectares of land, and forced the evacuation of 30 homes and guests of the Kempinski Hotel Bahia, which suffered comparably minor damage. Once the situation was under control, guests were able to return to their rooms.

The smoke from the fire was visible from as far away as Marbella but no one seriously injured except a firefighter who required medical attention for minor injuries.
Travel restrictions dividing Melbourne from the regions could lift within weeks, with Premier Daniel Andrews pursuing separate "road maps" to ease lockdown rules in metropolitan and country areas.

But the Premier confirmed regional Victoria would continue to enjoy more freedom than Melbourne in the early stages of the reopening process to be announced on Sunday, as regional mayors wary of COVID-19 spreading to their towns called for caution in lifting travel bans.

The state government was also poised on Tuesday night to win a six-month extension of its powers to declare COVID-19 states of emergency after a surprise intervention from the Victorian Greens.

Mr Andrews told his daily media briefing that it was too early to discuss how restrictions would differ between the city and the rest of the state when the long-awaited road map was made public, but said regional Victorians would be able to do things that wont yet be allowed in metro Melbourne.
Vodafone has introduced a new policy that enables all its employees to have more time with their families while welcoming new children. Per the new Parenting Policy, every employee whose partner is having a baby, adopts a child or becomes a parent through surrogacy will enjoy 4 months of paid leave.



This policy extends the companys 4-month maternity policy to its male employees and other employees who become parents through adoption or surrogacy.



The policy affirms Vodafones position as a top employer, passionate about driving a diverse and inclusive work environment. The parenting leave is a significant improvement for male employees who previously enjoyed only 2 weeks paternity leave.



Commenting on the policy Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, Director of Human Resources at Vodafone Ghana said:

We are excited about the new policy that offers more flexibility to our employees who will now enjoy 4 months paid leave as they welcome new additions to their families. Our business success is underpinned by the well-being of our employees, who are our most valuable asset.



This is why we stretch our limits to offer them exceptional working conditions and policies that empower them to give their best. We pride ourselves on a number of industry firsts when it comes to the employee experience and we truly know this will be life changing for all our employees. Employees can access this leave within the first 18 months after their child is born or adopted.



This new Parental Leave Policy is a global policy that will benefit all Vodafone employees. It further underlines the Telcos strong commitment to diversity and gender equality.

In March 2015, Vodafone pioneered a global maternity policy, offering women across Vodafones markets and operations a minimum of 4 months fully paid maternity leave and a 30-hour week at full pay for the first six months after their return to work.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A Florida state appellate court on Monday issued an opinion suggesting it was likely to rule in favor of Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administrations order that schools reopen and offer in-person instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But the intense legal battle over the DeSantis administrations emergency order that required most school districts in the state to open their campuses five days a week by Aug. 31 or face a significant loss in state aid may be turning into an increasingly irrelevant sideshow.

As the Aug. 31 deadline arrived, 18 more Florida districts opened brick-and-mortar schools on Monday, joining a majority of the rest of the states 67 county school systems that had opened sometime earlier. (Three school systemsMiami-Dade, Broward County, and Palm Beach Countyhave been permitted by the state to offer only remote learning past Aug. 31 because of high rates of COVID-19 infection in their areas.)

Today is the first day we can literally say we are fully open, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said Monday at an education forum with DeSantis. About 60 percent of studentssome 1.6 millionare attending school in person, while 40 percent are continuing remote learning, he said.

DeSantis said at the forum that our view on the schools was, every parent in Florida should have an option about whether they have their kid [attending] in-person instruction or whether they should remain in distance learning. ... This is an important part of making sure were empowering parents.

The unanimous opinion by a three-judge panel of the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee was meant to explain a rather technical developmentthe reinstatement a few days earlier of a stay of a state trial courts Aug. 24 preliminary injunction that blocked the emergency order.

But the opinion in DeSantis v. Florida Education Association largely tipped the hand of the state appellate court.

The state has shown a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal, the appeals court said. We find merit in the states argument that [challengers of the emergency order] failed to meet their burden to show that a temporary injunction is necessary to prevent irreparable harm. ... [T]he emergency order does not compel any student to return to a school for in-person instruction. Nor does it require any teacher to return to a brick-and-mortar school for in-person instruction.

Corcoran said the state appellate court opinion reinstating a stay of Leon County Circuit Judge Charles W. Dodsons Aug. 24 injunction was an absolute rebuke of the trial court trying to take that right away from parents and students.

The appellate court certainly took a drastically different view of the case brought by the Florida Education Association and other plaintiffs than Dodson did.

On one level, the appeals courts action might be described as routine. Once the state appealed Dodsons decision, the injunction was automatically stayed because the appeal was filed by a state officer. But at the request of the plaintiffs, Dodson had lifted the stay last week, saying potential irreparable injury will be suffered by hundreds of thousands of school children, many teachers, and the community at large if his injunction were blocked during an extended appeal.

Teachers are resigning or retiring due to the risk of exposure to COVID-19, Dodson wrote. Young students are being exposed to the virus while there is uncertainty as to the long-term effects of the virus and whether children can transmit the disease to adults.

The appeals court panel disagreed, saying that nothing in the emergency order requires any teacher or any student to return for in-person instruction at a brick-and-mortar school.

As to teachers, whether a school district assigns them to in-person instruction or virtual instruction is a matter between those teachers and their employing school districts, said the appeals court opinion by Judge Lori S. Rowe. Governor DeSantis, Commissioner Corcoran, and the other appellants have no say in the matter. And the school districts that do have a say are notably absent from this lawsuit.

And while many students and their families have chosen virtual instruction, Rowe said, parents of over 1.6 million students have decided that the benefits of students returning to school for in-person instruction outweigh any risks posed by COVID-19.

The appeals court said the stay will remain in effect pending the outcome of the appeal over the injunction.

The FEA, the lead plaintiff in the challenge to the emergency order, said it was disappointed with the reinstatement of the stay.

The reopening order is still unconstitutional, and local districts still should be allowed to make the best and safest decisions for everyone in their schools. We will press ahead in the appellate court, FEA Vice President Andrew Spar said in a statement. But were also looking to our districts. Schools already are struggling with Covid-19, and families need transparent information about whats going on. The governor talks about choice, but real choice requires complete information. Educators and parents want solutions for dealing with the coronavirus outbreaks that already are occurring.

But school districts never joined the legal fight (as the state and the appellate court repeatedly have pointed out). And even districts that had sought to delay the opening of brick-and-mortar schools beyond Aug. 31, such as Hillsborough County, were proceeding with plans to have face-to-face instruction resume today as the legal skirmishing continued.

At the Aug. 25 school board meeting of the 219,000 district covering the Tampa area, board members briefly heard updates about Dodsons injunction. But they spent nearly three hours discussing and voting on a wide range of other matters related to the pandemic and the reopening of schools.

This virus is a new way of life, said Melissa Snively, the chair of the Hillsborough County school board. It is probably never going away. We are going to have to continue to think about how education is going to change for our students after the first four weeks, after the first nine weeks. Were going to be having conversations five years from now abut COVID-19.
Story Highlights 27% of U.S. workers worry about being laid off, up from 15% in 2019

27% worry about having their work hours cut, up from 15% last year

Non-White workers are substantially more worried than White workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As the U.S. continues to reel from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with unprecedented closure of businesses and public health restrictions to stem the spread of the disease, American workers' worries about setbacks to their employment have spiked. More than a quarter, 27% of U.S. workers now say they are worried they will be laid off from their jobs, up from 15% a year ago.

Twenty-seven percent of U.S. workers now fear their hours will be cut back, up from 15% in 2019, while 28% fear their wages will be reduced, up from 16% last year. Workers' worries their benefits will be reduced are also up, though less so than other worries, with 30% worried this will occur, up from 23% in 2019. Nearly half of U.S. workers, 46%, are worried about one or more of the four setbacks at their jobs.

U.S. Workers' Worries About Negative Events Related to Their Jobs Next, please indicate whether you are worried or not worried about each of the following happening to you, personally, in the near future. How about... - % Worried* 2019 2020 Change % % pct. pts. That you will be laid off 15 27 12 That your hours at work will be cut back 15 27 12 That your wages will be reduced 16 28 12 That your benefits will be reduced 23 30 7 Gallup * Among Americans employed full or part time.

These data come from Gallup's annual Work and Education survey, conducted July 30-Aug. 12. The survey was conducted following a drop in the U.S. employment rate in July, to 10.2% While this is still more than twice as high as the 3.7% unemployment rate for July 2019, it is down from the 14.7% rate recorded in April of this year, as the initial lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19 threw the U.S. economy into a tailspin.

Worker Worries at Highest Points in Years

Not surprisingly, given the disruption to the economy, U.S. workers' worries about negative events at their jobs are the highest they have been in years. The 27% of American workers who are worried about being laid off from their current jobs is the highest level since the 29% seen in August 2013, at the tail end of the Great Recession and ensuing periods of high unemployment.

Line graph. American workers fears of being laid off from their jobs. 27% of American workers now fear being laid off up from 15% in 2019.

Worries about wages being cut have followed a similar pattern, with the current 28% of workers worried about this being the highest level since 31% recorded in August 2013. Worker concern about having their hours cut is at its highest point since 2011, when 30% were worried.

Only workers' worries of having their benefits cuts have displayed a different pattern, with worry about this registering 30% or above for most of Gallup's trend since 1997. The only year workers' worry about benefit cuts was significantly below 30% was 2019 (23%).

Non-White Workers Substantially More Worried Than White Workers

Worry about the four potential setbacks is up among all subgroups. However, White workers remain less worried about these setbacks than non-White workers. The largest gap, 23 percentage points, is on worry that wages will be reduced, 20% for White workers, vs. 43% for non-White workers. This is followed closely by a 21-point gap on worry they will be laid off -- 20% for White workers, 41% for non-White workers. Additionally, there is a 19-point gap in worry about benefits being cut and a 14-point gap on worry about having work hours cut back.

American Workers' Worries About Negative Events at Their Jobs, by Key Demographic Group Next, please indicate whether you are worried or not worried about each of the following happening to you, personally, in the near future. How about... - % Worried* That you will be laid off That your hours

at work will be cut back That your wages will

be reduced That your benefits

will be reduced % % % % All U.S. Workers 27 27 28 30 Male 27 26 28 32 Female 27 29 29 27 White workers 20 23 20 23 Non-white workers 41 37 43 42 18-34 20 26 24 23 35-54 34 30 33 33 55+ 24 25 24 31 College graduate 22 20 30 32 College nongraduate 30 32 27 28 *Among Americans employed full or part time. Gallup

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, non-White workers were substantially more likely to worry about being laid off, and having their hours or wages cut, than White workers. The likelihood of worry about being laid off has increased at roughly similar levels for both non-White and White workers since the pandemic began, 13 points vs. 10 points. However, compared with 2019, White workers are now 17 points more likely to be worried about having their hours cut, while non-White workers are seven points more likely. Additionally, White workers are now 14 points more likely to be worried about having their wages reduced than they were in 2019, compared with a 9-point increase in worry about among non-White workers.

American Workers' Worries They Will Have Their Benefits Cut at Work Next, please indicate whether you are worried or not worried about each of the following happening to you, personally, in the near future. How about..-% Worried* That your benefits will be reduced % % 2019 2020 All U.S. Workers 23 30 Male 23 32 Female 23 27 White 14 23 Non-white 39 42 College Grad 19 32 Non-College grad 25 28 *Among Americans employed full or part time. Gallup

Finally, when it comes to fear of having benefits cut, White workers are nine points more likely to worry about this now than in 2019, compared with a three-point increase among non-white workers. There have been substantial gaps in worry between White workers and non-White workers for all four work setbacks for most of Gallup's trend, with non-White workers typically more worried than their White counterparts.

Bottom Line

The COVID-19 epidemic and associated public health measures to control the spread of the disease has had a devastating impact on the U.S. economy. The resulting spike in American workers' worries about negative events at their work is not surprising, but the magnitude of the change is partly because worker worries were at the low end of Gallup's trend in 2019.

Worry about being laid off and having hours, wages or benefits cut was substantially more likely among non-White workers than White workers even prior to the pandemic. And, while the likelihood of worry on several issues has had risen by higher amounts among White workers, non-White workers remain the group substantially more likely to be worried.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
An archive photo of a Chinese coast guard ship being blocked by three Vietnamese coast guard vessels near a Chinese oil drilling rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea, taken May 15, 2014.

Vietnam has issued a new decree against illegal energy exploration in its territory on land and sea, threatening violators with a fines and potentially seizing their property, state media reported Monday.

The law applies to both Vietnamese entities and foreign nationals, and is not explicitly aimed at any particular companies or countries. But Vietnam has long-standing differences with China over their competing claims to the South China Sea and the rights to resources there.

Decree No. 99/2020/ND-CP, or Regulations on Penalties for Administrative Violations in Oil and Gas, was adopted on Aug. 26 and reported by Hanoi Moi (New Hanoi) newspaper Monday. The law concerns virtually any unlicensed activity concerning oil and gas exploration or work on oil rigs in Vietnamese territory, and establishes numerous penalties.

The highest fine possible is between 1.8 billion Vietnamese dong (roughly $78,000) and 2 billion dong (roughly $86,500), for acts infringing upon the land areas, islands, internal waters, territorial waters, exclusive economic zones and continental shelf of the host Socialist Republic of Vietnam, to research, search and explore oil and gas. Other fines for yet more violations can be added on.

Other potential punishments include the confiscation of property and equipment used to explore for energy reserves, expulsion of foreign nationals involved from Vietnams territory, and forcing violators to pay back illegal benefits from their operations.

Numerous agencies, including provincial officials, the Vietnamese Border Guard, and the Vietnam Coast Guard, are empowered under the new law to assess and punish potential violators.

Vietnam has a documented history of tension with neighboring China over oil exploration in the South China Sea. China claims virtually the entirety of the South China Sea on the basis of historic rights, a position unsupported by international law, including parts of Vietnams exclusive economic zone. The exclusive economic zone encompasses the 200 nautical mile limit off Vietnams coast.

This tension has sometimes sparked dangerous standoffs between the two countries. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) dropped an oil rig in waters claimed by Vietnam in 2014, kicking off nationalist protests in both countries and sparking clashes between Vietnamese and Chinese fishing vessels and coastguard ships around the site of the oil rig.

Additionally, China Coast Guard (CCG) ships and survey vessels owned by the Chinese government have shown up near Vietnamese oil fields, pressuring international oil companies into pulling out of drilling and exploration deals with the Vietnamese government. The Noble Clyde Boudreaux, an oil rig employed by Vietnam to drill at the edge of its waters, had its contract cancelled in mid-July after never leaving port.

Under the terms of Vietnams new decree, Chinese survey vessels searching for energy reserves within Vietnams territory without proper licenses would be subject to seizure and fines  although how Vietnam would enforce those provisions is unclear. These survey vessels have appeared with greater frequency in Vietnamese waters in recent months. Ship-tracking data shows the Hai Yang Di Zhi 8, which has previously been caught surveying into Vietnamese waters flanked by CCG ships, was within 145 nautical miles of Da Nang on Sunday.

Spanish company Repsol and United Arab Emirates-owned Mubadala sold their shares in a Vietnamese oil field to Vietnams state oil company, PetroVietnam, on June 12, after political pressure from China rendered them unable to drill. Vietnam ended up paying some $1 billion to compensate the companies for their loss, The Diplomat reported.

Most recently, China has sent coastguard ships to Vanguard Bank, a submerged feature at the western tip of the South China Sea, off Vietnams southernmost coast. It sits on Vietnams continental shelf, but China claims it under its expansive nine-dash line boundary.

A CCG ship numbered 5204 has been patrolling around Vanguard Bank, near oil rigs operated by Russias Rosneft, since Aug. 17. Prior to that, Chinas CCG 5402 was in the same area, meaning China has maintained a constant coast guard presence since early July.

Rosneft is one of the few remaining international oil companies that works with Vietnam. Exxon Mobil is another one, and in June Vietnam announced a plan for Exxon Mobil to invest in liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in the country. Exxon Mobil currently holds the right to an oil field just outside of Chinas nine-dash line.

China maintains that any oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea must be done with Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) or companies as joint partners. Six other Asian governments have territorial claims or maritime boundaries that overlap with Chinas in those waters.

Since July, the United States intensified its criticism of Chinas stance, declaring its claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea as completely unlawful and accusing China of bullying its Southeast Asian nations in an attempt to control those resources.
A PUB had to close for 24 hours after two customers tested positive for covid-19.

The Crown in Playhatch was given a deep clean, three members of staff were sent for tests and other customers were contacted.

Landlord Ted Docherty acted after a customer who visited the pub on Tuesday evening last week contacted him to say both he and his daughter had tested positive for the virus even though they had no symptoms.

The man believed his daughter may have contracted the disease from one of her friends who had been on holiday on the Greek island of Zante and tested positive.

The Brakspear pub was closed throughout Thursday while a team from a specialist company carried out a bio-clean.

Mr Docherty also contacted every customer who had been in the pub that evening and left their contact details as well as notifying the NHS track and trace system.

He said: Most people were a big distance away from the table but we thought they had the right to know.

We contacted everyone that we could but the people who just come in for a pint dont always use our track and trace system.

The father and daughter were symptom-free and had no knowledge that they were infected. One of her friends had tested positive and said she had been away in Greece.

They went for testing and got the results on Thursday. They contacted us straight away and I think that was very responsible of them.

The deep clean covered all hard surfaces and upholstery and lasts for 28 days. The pub has received a certificate to prove the clean was carried out.

Mr Docherty, who also runs the White Hart pub in Nettlebed, said: There are clearly some people that are unknowingly carrying this virus and we were just very fortunate that they went for testing.

The father only had one because he was there with his daughter at the same time. He said he couldnt believe they tested positive. He said he felt 100 per cent normal.

Mr Docherty said he didnt want to have to close the pub but it was the right thing to do. I doubt it will be the last time it happens and we wont be the only pub that has to deal with it, he said. I have spoken to people at Brakspear and my own staff and said what could we have done better? because I have tried to think critically about this and I dont think there is anything else we could have done.

We always want to do the right thing for our customers, while still being able to carry on trading and keeping our staff safe at the same time. Maybe we need to be a bit more forceful with the track and trace system. Ive not got to the point where I have turned someone away if they refuse to use it but it is for their own benefit.

The results of the three staff who were tested came back negative.

 At least 16 people on two flights to Britain from Zante last week tested positive for covid-19.
Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos has a proposal to spice up what many observers are calling increasingly 'boring' races in Formula 1.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner think the problem at Spa-Francorchamps was that drivers were able to get through the race with just a single pitstop.

"Someone has to tell Pirelli that they have to bring the soft tyres, because even though they will have problems, you're forcing them to do two stops," Doornbos told Ziggo Sport.

The Dutchman denies that another solution could be for the FIA to mandate two-stop strategies by forcing drivers to use all three tyre compounds per race.

"That is a very serious regulation change," he said.

"Pirelli can do it much more subtly by just taking the soft tyres with them, because then they won't make it to the finish with one stop anyway."

(GMM)
Acerta Analytics, the industry leader in Automotive Intelligence, today announced it has raised USD $7 million (CAD $9 million) in Series A funding led by OMERS Ventures, with additional participation from M12  Microsofts venture fund, StandUp Ventures, Radical Ventures, EDC, and Techstars. The funding will enable Acerta to launch into new markets, expand its team, and extend the capabilities of its platform to generate insights into automotive production and vehicle data.

Today, automotive manufacturers face increasing complexity as vehicles become more connected and instrumented, generating massive amounts of data. In fact, Acerta estimates that connected vehicles generated approximately 94 petabytes (PB) of data in 2019, while automotive manufacturing generated nearly ten times that amount. As this immense volume of vehicle data increases, automotive engineers require new tools to manage and extract information from it. Acertas platform uses artificial intelligence to help automakers leverage their data for insights into vehicle assembly or on-road performance.

Every automotive engineer has dealt with issues during assembly or testing, but few have the ability to use their production data to predict when and where those issues will occur and prevent them, said Greta Cutulenco, CEO and Co-Founder of Acerta. Thats why weve focused on providing predictive analytics to our customers to help them ensure vehicle quality, safety, and reliability.

These improvements are now even more important in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Closures of assembly plants and disruptions in the supply chain have placed new pressures on automakers to digitize their processes, find new ways to reduce costs, and increase production efficiency. As a result, Acerta has experienced an increase in demand for its solutions.

Beyond digitization, the global pandemic has also forced vehicle manufacturers to focus on cost containment, Cutulenco continued. By identifying the earliest indicators of future product failures, our platforms are helping automakers reduce their scrap and rework rates and increase first time yield.

Artificial intelligence has already played a huge role in stimulating innovation in the automotive industry, and it will continue to do so for many years to come, said Brian Kobus, Partner, OMERS Ventures. Weve entered a new phase in the world of transportation, and Acerta is in a unique position to empower automakers around the world by enabling them to harness the power of their data to deliver valuable insights, drive ROI, and ultimately make better decisions for their business and customers.

Acerta currently operates in Canada and the United States in North America, as well as Europe and Japan, with plans to expand further into the European and Japanese markets within the next year. This new funding round will also help Acerta ramp up sales and marketing operations while also scaling the business with the goal of getting the companys platform into the hands of automakers everywhere.

To learn more about Acerta Analytics and its mission, visit the companys website.

About Acerta

Acerta is transforming automotive quality by leveraging assembly and vehicle data to detect the earliest indicators of future product failures. Our platforms accelerate root cause analysis, enhance end of line testing, and augment vehicle maintenance with artificial intelligence purpose-built for the auto industry. We give automotive engineers the tools to optimize quality, safety, and reliability throughout the entire product life cycle, from the assembly line to the finish line.

For more information, visit us at Acerta.ca or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

About OMERS and OMERS Ventures

Founded in 1962, OMERS is one of Canadas largest defined benefit pension plans, with CAD$109 billion in net assets as at December 31, 2019. OMERS is a jointly-sponsored pension plan, with 1,000 participating employers ranging from large cities to local agencies, and over half a million active, deferred and retired members. OMERS members include union and non-union employees of municipalities, school boards, local boards, transit systems, electrical utilities, emergency services and childrens aid societies across Ontario. Contributions to the Plan are funded equally by members and employers. OMERS teams work in Toronto, London, New York, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Singapore, Sydney and other major cities across North America and Europe  serving members and employers and originating and managing a diversified portfolio of high-quality investments in public markets, private equity, infrastructure and real estate.

OMERS Ventures currently manages CAD$2 billion and has made more than 50 investments in disruptive technology companies across North America and Europe. http://www.omersventures.com.
FC Barcelona scarves for sale, some depicting the image of Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi, are pictured outside the the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on August 26, 2020, in Barcelona. Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi told Barcelona he wants to leave -- on a free transfer -- in a "bombshell" fax yesterday that is expected to spark a legal battle over a buy-out clause worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Signalling the end of an era at Barcelona, where Messi is the record scorer and has won four Champions League titles, the disgruntled Argentine wants to terminate his contract "unilaterally" by triggering a release clause, a source told AFP.(photo: Pau BARRENA / AFP)

Barca and Madrid will then face each other at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 11, with Zinedine Zidane's side looking to defend the Spanish league title they won in July.

Whether Lionel Messi features in either match remains to be seen, with the Argentinian currently on strike and refusing to train as he tries to force his way out of the club this summer.

Barcelona are scheduled to start at home to Elche and Madrid at home to Getafe but both games will be rearranged to allow more rest for teams involved in last season's European competitions, which only ended in August.

Atletico Madrid's opener at home to Sevilla will therefore also be postponed.

Instead, Real Madrid are likely to begin at Real Sociedad on the weekend of September 20 before Barcelona are expected to start at home to Villarreal a week later.

All matches will continue to be staged behind closed doors and according to strict medical regulations aimed at reducing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first games of the new season will be played on the weekend of September 12, eight weeks after the 2019/20 campaign ended on July 19.
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Monday issued a notification for the Monsoon Session of Parliament to commence from September 14.

The statement issued by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said President Ram Nath Kovind has called the lower house to meet on Monday, September 14 at 9 AM. "The President has summoned the Rajya Sabha to meet on Monday, September 14, 2020, at New Delhi. Subject to exigencies of business, the Session is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, October 1, 2020," the Gazette of India read.

The Rajya Sabha will be meeting at different times following the COVID-19 guidelines. The Parliament session is likely to continue for four weeks in total 18 consecutive sittings with no holiday or weekend break, according to officials. Meanwhile, sanitisation of the hall will be done in between to in order to maintain safety.

The election for the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha is expected to be on the agenda of the House on the first day, sources said.

As per sources, Janata Dal (U) MP Harivansh is likely to be re-elected for the post of Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha on September 14, the first day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.
All summer, as information about how the coronavirus affects children has trickled in, Ive been updating a balance sheet in my head. Every study I read, every expert I talked to, was filling in columns on this sheet: reasons for and against sending my children back to school come September.

Into the con column went a study from Chicago that found children carry large amounts of virus in their noses and throats, maybe even more than adults do. Also in the con column: two South Korean studies, flawed as they were, which suggested children can spread the virus to others  and made me wonder whether my sixth-grader, at least, should stay home.

Reports from Europe hinting that it was possible to reopen schools safely dribbled onto the pro side of my ledger. But could we match those countries careful precautions, or their low community levels of virus?

I live in Brooklyn, where schools open after Labor Day (if they open this year at all), so my husband and I have had more time than most parents in the nation to make up our minds. Were also privileged enough to have computers and reliable Wi-Fi for my children to learn remotely.
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At the launch of former President Pranab Mukherjees book, The Coalition Years, in New Delhi in October 2017, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said Mukherjee had an elephant-like memory, a remark that prompted Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who was sitting in the audience, to quip he had the memory of "two elephants". The gathering was in splits.

The secret of his elephantine memory was not just the daily diary he maintained in his 50-years in public life. Mukherjee diligently wrote a couple of pages to record developments, incidents and meetings. What is not as well-known is that the former president, who passed away on August 31 at the age of 84, had a method.

While this was his daily ritual  along with his morning walk of 30 rounds of the lawn in his bungalow and the hour-long morning puja, the highlight of which was the chandi-path, which he could recite by heart  Mukherjee never recorded a days events that day itself.

He would mull over the events for two days before recording it for posterity. He believed this helped in giving a certain detachment to his analysis, provided it depth as well as imprinting it in his memory. These diaries are sure to become a treasure trove for scholars to study contemporary Indian political history.

To his journalist friends, he would regale them with stories in addas; when he was the principal crisis manager of the UPA1 and UPA2 governments, these addas could last until one in the night. Mukherjee could also be short tempered with them when he believed they have asked a question without doing their homework, or were stepping out of line.

At the height of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack crisis, Mukherjee would daily brief the press as he stepped out of his office at the Ministry of External Affairs in South Block late in the evening, at times after 20-hour-long workdays. Once, when a young journalist, barely in her mid-twenties, repeatedly beseeched him with a Pranab da to reply to her questions, Mukherjee shot back, How can I be your dada (elder brother), suggesting that he was more her grandfathers age. Nevertheless, he proceeded to answer all her questions.

Even after Mukherjee demitted the Presidents office in mid-2017, industrialists, journalists and, of course, politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, would often seek audience with him at his 10, Rajaji Marg bungalow to seek his guidance and blessings. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called frequently from Dhaka.

Mukherjee was moved enough to mark a tilak on the forehead of Rahul Gandhi when he came visiting for the first time at 10, Rajaji Marg, giving him his blessings for the forthcoming poll campaigns. The former President later told his aides that he liked his discussion on Hindu philosophy with the younger leader, who is a devotee of Lord Shiva.

Some of the more interesting meetings, which turned out be controversial later, were with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. The RSS chief had called on Mukherjee twice at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. However, the two more crucial meetings, where Mukherjee was convinced to visit the RSS headquarters at Nagpur and address the gathering in 2018, took place at 10, Rajaji Marg.

These meetings helped Mukherjee and Bhagwat develop mutual respect for each other. Bhagwat came to admire Mukherjees knowledge of Indian history and his understanding of the Hindu social reform that began in Bengal in the 19th Century.

Once in Parliament, during Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance years, Mukherjee found himself embroiled in a discussion on the drinking habits of Hindu gods and goddesses. As the MPs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protested, Mukherjee recited from shlokas in Sanskrit, with their English translation, underlining his point and leaving the MPs struggling to match his erudition.

Mukherjee had an equally close friendship with BJPs LK Advani. The two families would frequently meet for lunches. When Mukherjee moved to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the two drew closer as they had shared interests in books and often enjoyed the music recitals at the Presidents House.

A Brahmin, Mukherjee, however, was not a traditionalist Hindu, and had flirted with Marxism as well, particularly during his years in the Bangla Congress, which was part of the United Front government in West Bengal in 1969. This is where he had struck lifelong friendship with former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, who treated him like his son.

It was this proximity with Left leaders that helped Mukherjee steer the ship of the first United Progressive Alliance (UPA1) government. The Left parties gave outside support to the Manmohan Singh government. A steering committee was constituted to discuss policies and programmes of the government, and to the chagrin of several non-Bengali members of the committee, Mukherjee and Left leaders, most of them from Bengal, would go on sharing jokes and anecdotes in the language.

Mukherjee was not only the last of the stalwarts of the Indira Gandhi era, but also a rare politician in a party of public school educated leaders, who had studied in a village school, and his English pronunciation was made fun of endlessly. When former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi once asked him to hire an English tutor, Mukherjee told her there is no point trying to square a zero, and that he will have to carry the baggage of his background wherever he goes.

Mukherjee had friends across party lines, and he was a firm believer in dialogue. When some in the Congress objected to his visiting the RSS headquarters, he told them that the Congress, at least since Mahatma Gandhi, does not believe in politics of untouchability and that acceptance is not endorsement.

While many in the Congress have now taken to blame him for the partys loss in 2014, as he did not handle the Anna Hazare-led campaign with an iron hand, Mukherjee was of the firm view that the downfall of that government was caused as much by the partys inflexibility after he had moved to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mukherjee would point out that he shifted to the Rashtrapati Bhavan in July 2012, and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee quit the government in October, as the Congress thought its 200 seats were equal to 280 seats.
Patna, Sep 2 : Following the demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee, the Janata Dal United (JDU) cancelled the launch of its app, JDUlive.com, which was scheduled for September 2, Building Construction Minister Ashok Chaudhary said.

"We have cancelled the program due to the sudden demise of our former President. The virtual rally of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also been postponed and now he will address the rally of September 7," Chaudhary said.

He said an expert team of JDU IT cell is working hard on the app and the trial run of the app is currently underway. Everything is being supervised by Water Resource Minister Sanjay Jha.

"We have asked our workers to install this app before September 7 in a bid to reach out to maximum people in the state. We are expecting more than 10 lakh people to witness this virtual rally of CM," the minister said.

"Besides this app, JDU will also use other digital platforms like Facebook Live, WhatsApp, YouTube etc. to with around 31 lakh voters across the state," Chaudhary said.

The party workers have been asked to connect with 20,000 digital users in each of 69 constituencies of JDU along with 10,000 users in each seat in the remaining 172 constituencies belonging to sitting MLAs of other parties.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
OTTAWACOVID-19 scammers are changing tactics as the pandemic stretches on, offering their Canadian targets help with previous pandemic data breaches.

Scott Jones, the head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, said criminals are using far more effective lures to convince Canadians to hand over personal and sensitive information, like banking credentials.

Jones told the Star that while early in the pandemic scammers were targeting Canadians with offers of supplies like masks and hand sanitizer, theyre now capitalizing on some high-profile data breaches and suggesting to their marks their information has already been compromised.

Jones points to the common telephone scheme of an automated voice identifying itself as the legal department of social development Canada.

They know that people have gotten enough of that scam. Now theyre talking about we want to talk to you about the data breach. So now theyre using a cyber security incident to lure you to give more (personal) information, Jones said in an interview Monday.

Were seeing the threat actors really pivoting quickly based on whats happening in the news media.

On Aug. 15, the Canadian government announced that 5,500 Canada Revenue Agency accounts were compromised in what is known as a credential stuffing attack  where hackers took user names and passwords from previous data breaches to gain access to CRA accounts.

The best defence against that kind of attack, Jones said, is to ensure using strong passwords or passphrases  and not reusing passwords across multiple accounts, like your email and banking services.

This is one of those rare times in a cyber security incident where you can do something that will immediately protect you, Jones said.

Go on, take this action, change your password to something unique, and it will immediately make it harder (to compromise the account).

On Tuesday, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), Canadas electronic spying and cyber defence agency, confirmed it has contributed to the removal of approximately 3,000 websites and fraudulent email addresses impersonating federal government departments involved in the COVID-19 response, like the CRA and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The Canadian Center for Cyber Security is a new division of the CSE. The centre sends out information on vulnerabilities and cyber attacks to the public and private sector.

The cyber threats facing Canadians  individuals, businesses, and public institutions  have changed, like everything else, during the pandemic. The Cyber Centre has put a special emphasis on basic digital hygiene and individual actions people can take without the benefit of an IT department to make sure systems are more secure.

Jones acknowledges that its been an uphill battle to bring industry and the public onside. For much of the past 70 years, CSE has operated as a highly secretive agency within the Canadian security community. Outside of that community, few Canadians know what CSE does.

But Jones said that when the CSE took the extraordinary step of publicly naming Russia for backing cyber attacks against Canadian COVID-19 research, the health research industrys ears perked up.

The change that I can talk about (after the statement) is the industry is really collaborating with us on proactively addressing any threats and any vulnerabilities, Jones said.

If that attribution statement did only one thing, and I think it did a few, but the most important for me was it helped us show that this was serious activity targeting the entire industry rather than a few victims.

Neil Desai, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and an executive with digital investigations firm Magnet Forensics, said CSE has made some promising first steps in pushing out unclassified threat warnings and information about vulnerabilities.

But Desai, a former civil servant at Global Affairs Canada and the Prime Ministers Office, said hed like to see the agency be even more proactive  and strategic  in partnering with industry to counter cyber security threats.

We have to start having a better interchange in that declassified space on a regular basis on what can be shared, Desai said in an interview.

But its a two-way street. I think they have to get closer to industry, but I think industry also has to put its hand up to say Im willing to do this and Im willing to show up quarterly to talk about these issues.

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Whirlpool EMEA has selected WPP as its strategic communications partner across 29 EMEA countries, effective from January 2021. WPP will support Whirlpool MDA business objectives with an international, integrated team based in Milan, drawing on talent from across the EMEA region, including Wunderman Thompson, VMLY&R, m/Six, BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe), Geometry, Hogarth and AKQA.

The integrated team will help Whirlpool strengthen its comprehensive portfolio of world-leading home appliance brands and products. Whirlpools decision to consolidate its creative, ATL, BTL, PR, shopper and digital marketing for all its EMEA brands  KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Hotpoint, Bauknecht, Indesit and Privileg  follows a highly competitive nine-month pitch process among six global networks.

The aim of the pitch was to identify a partner that could effectively leverage synergies across its international network to elevate Whirlpools brands and create leading consumer experiences across all touchpoints of the consumer journey.

Gilles Morel, President EMEA and Executive VP Whirlpool Corporation, said: As we continue to evolve Whirlpools consumer-oriented marketing and communications approach in EMEA, we sought a strong partnership that is based on a deep understanding of our business and passion for our brands. We were impressed by WPPs commitment to develop the right team for a long-term partnership and are confident their creativity and determination will strengthen our brands through a fully-integrated strategy for growth.

Laurent Ezekiel, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer for WPP, said: Whirlpools challenge was to develop a best-in-class integrated team that could transform their business through creativity. Creative transformation is at the heart of our model and WPPs strength lies in our ability to bring the very best talent together to help clients engage consumers. We are delighted to have the opportunity to build on our current relationship with Whirlpool to deliver on its vision for long-term growth as its strategic communications partner in EMEA.
PHOTO: Attorney General William Barr listens during an event in Washington, Aug. 4, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images, FILE)

Current and former national security officials are raising concerns over Attorney General William Barr's recent decision to remove the head of a Justice Department office that helps ensure federal counterterrorism and counterintelligence activities are legal  and replace him with a political appointee with relatively limited experience.

"It's very alarming," said Katrina Mulligan, who worked for the Obama administration in several national security roles and then, after President Donald Trump's inauguration, joined the Office of Law and Policy in the Justice Department's National Security Division.

For much of the past decade, that little-known office has been led by Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brad Wiegmann, a 23-year career public servant, not a political appointee. But two weeks ago, Wiegmann, 54, was told he is being reassigned and replaced with a political appointee, according to a Justice Department spokesman and sources familiar with the matter.

MORE: Citing concern over leaks, intel community will cease in-person election security briefings to Congress

Mulligan and other sources told ABC News that the new head of the office is 36-year-old Kellen Dwyer, a cyber-crimes prosecutor who joined the federal government six years ago and made international headlines in November 2018 when he accidentally revealed that federal charges had been secretly filed against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Mulligan said that given Dwyer's limited time and experience handling national security matters, he is "a very odd" choice to replace Wiegmann, whom she described as "exceptional" at managing government bureaucracy and resolving "highly contentious matters across the government."

The timing of the personnel change  coming just two months before the U.S. presidential election, and in the midst of a battle against domestic terrorism and foreign interference in the election  has worried current and former members of the national security community.

Story continues

Past chiefs of the office have served as political appointees, while others  like Wiegmann  served as career officials, so, "It would not have been that unusual early in an administration to place a political [appointee] in that policy role, but to do that now is very unusual," one current U.S. official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Related: Attorney General William Barr clashes with lawmakers

Matt Olsen, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center under the Obama administration, agreed, saying "in and of itself, it's unremarkable" for Wiegmann's position to be filled with a political appointee, but "the concern here is that you have someone who by all accounts has been doing a great job in a very sensitive role  [and] now within really just weeks of the election is replaced with somebody who is viewed more as a partisan."

ABC News pressed the Justice Department spokesman to explain why the personnel change happened at this time, but he declined to answer.

The concern from current and former officials stems from the Office of Law and Policy's role in national security: The office shapes government efforts by ensuring that new policies and executive actions don't violate federal law.

"I understand that is what you want to do, but that is illegal," Mulligan recalled telling other government officials when she was in the office, working on matters such as immigration, counterterrorism, and Russia's interference in U.S. elections.

She would then "try to offer them alternatives that weren't illegal," according to Mulligan.

Now the office is being steered by a political appointee with power to potentially influence decisions over national security policy, especially debates over "what we will and won't do overseas and at home," including in terms of secret surveillance, and when "it is and isn't appropriate" for the Justice Department to tell the public about election interference, Mulligan said.

Though a relatively small unit of fewer than two dozen attorneys, the Office of Law and Policy participates in almost every National Security Council meeting, works with congressional staff to draft new legislation, and conducts oversight of the FBI's intelligence-gathering activities.

"[It] has been sort of the center of gravity for the Department of Justice on national security policy, and it's a central role," said Olsen, who at one point ran the department's National Security Division and later advised Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

Wiegmann has led the office since the Obama administration and for almost all of the Trump administration.

"Brad doesn't have a political bone in his body" and "has been such an uncontroversial person in that role for such a long time," said Mulligan, who is now with the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress.

At least during her time at the office, Wiegmann "was trying to advance the policies that this administration wanted to advance," she said.

PHOTO: Justice Department official Brad Wiegmann testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee in a hearing titled, 'Confronting the Rise of Domestic Terrorism,' May 8, 2019. (YouTube/House.gov)

Last year alone, Wiegmann represented the Justice Department in three public congressional hearings, testifying about U.S. capabilities to fight the rise of domestic terrorism and the importance of conducting secret surveillance inside the United States and abroad.

At one of the hearings, a House Democrat tried to push Wiegmann into offering even indirect criticism of Trump's racially-charged rhetoric, but Wiegmann insisted: "It's just not my place as a career government official to comment on what either members of Congress or the president choose to say."

Further explaining his concern over a political appointee replacing Wiegmann at this time, Olsen said recent controversies surrounding the Barr-led Justice Department mean leaders there "don't get the presumption of the doubt when it comes to making personnel decisions like this."

Democrats have accused Barr of bending to Trump's will, most recently with his claims that left-wing radicals were hijacking civil rights protests and driving bursts of violence across the country, and his suggestion that just weeks before the election he might release the findings of a department review scrutinizing the FBI's investigation of ties between Russia and Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.

MORE: Nursing home residents isolated by coronavirus now face looming challenge: Voting

Asked about the concerns expressed by current and former officials, the Justice Department spokesman emphasized that the Office of Law and Policy has been led by "political appointees and career staff since its inception."

The office was created at the end of the George W. Bush administration, part of a Justice Department reorganization in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Weigmann "continues to serve a vital role in the front office of the National Security Division," the spokesman added.

As for Dwyer, the new head of the Office of Law and Policy, he was described to ABC News as a competent and "nice guy," with solid conservative credentials.

From 2018 to 2019, he served as a fellow at the conservative-leaning Leonine Forum, a non-profit organization that says its alumni are "committed to the cause of reintroducing the tenets of [the Catholic church] into the political, policy, legal, business, and cultural activities of society."

Before joining the Office of Law and Policy this month, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Wiegmann did not respond to an email seeking comment for this article. Dwyer also did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Barrs removal of career national security official, weeks before election, raises concerns originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
All of them are imported cases, including two in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, one in Hanoi and one in Phu Tho province.

The new cases in Ba Ria-Vung Tau are two oil experts from India, aged 32 and 33. They arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City on flight EK392 on August 29 and were quarantined upon arrival. They are being treated at the Ba Ria Hospital.

The 1,043rd patient is a 29-year-old woman from Vinh Phuc provinces Vinh Yen town, while the 1,044th patient is a 62-year-old man from India.

Both arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on August 28 on flight 6E8779. They were quarantined upon arrival and are receiving treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases branch in Dong Anh district.

Earlier on the same day, Vietnam reported two more COVID-19-related deaths, including a 55-year-old man from Da Nangs Hoa Vang District and a 69-year-old man from Hai Chau District, bringing the total fatalities in the country to 34. Both patients had a number of underlying health conditions.

Meanwhile, another 12 people were given the all-clear today, raising the total recoveries in Vietnam to 707, reported the committees Treatment Sub-Committee.

Among the active patients, 29 tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 72 negative twice and 36 negative the third time.

Currently, 57,097 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or came from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine nationwide, including 1,111 quarantined at hospitals, 16,006 people at concentrated quarantine establishments and 39,980 at home.
Four men have been arrested on suspicion of raping a 19-year-old woman in an alleyway last Saturday evening.

The men, aged 37 years, 31 years, 25 years and 20 years, were detained by detectives investigating the stranger rape in Southsea, Hampshire.

Three of the suspects have since been released pending further inquiries while the 31-year-old remained in police cells today.

A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said that the young woman told officers she had been raped in an alleyway at about 10pm on Saturday evening.

The woman told officers she had been raped in an alleyway at about 10pm on Saturday evening in Southsea, Hampshire (stock)

'At this time detectives are not linking this report to any other ongoing investigations,' said the spokesman.

Detective Inspector Emma Crute said: 'We are continuing to carry out inquiries and I am still keen to hear from any residents who may have heard or seen something that could assist our investigation.

'This incident took place on a busy Saturday night at the start of a bank holiday weekend and we believe there would have been a lot of people out and about in the area at the time.'

The police spokesman said that anyone with information was asked to call 101.
C U Soon is a remarkably pacy entertainer and a perfect antidote to the immobility that the pandemic has imposed on us.

Okay, so now I know what a dating app looks like. (*inserts laughing emoji)

Thats the platform on which UAE resident Anumol Sebastian (Darshana Rajendran) meets silly Jimmy Kurian one fine day. By his own admission, Jimmy (Roshan Mathew) has a boring job  he works for a banking corporation in the Middle Eastern desert state. We soon learn that he is flighty enough to seek a permanent relationship within days of encountering this young woman he barely knows. (*inserts eye roll)

His mother (Maala Parvathi), with the benefit of maturity that life has not yet bestowed on him, ropes in his older cousin Kevin Thomas (Fahadh Faasil) to snoop on this stranger her son says he loves. Kevin is a tech wiz who is not above hacking. These four people  seen entirely on their computer and smartphone screens in Mahesh Narayanans C U Soon  set the ball rolling for what turns out to be a clever, astonishingly gripping entertainer.

The text on screen at the start of the film states that C U Soon was shot adhering to all the COVID-related safety protocols in force in Kerala during the lockdown. It was inevitable that smart filmmakers across the world would find ways to shoot full-fledged features while the Coronavirus pandemic keeps humankind confined mostly to our homes. That in India this filmmaker has emerged from Mollywood is expected, since the past decade has marked a return to a golden era of experimentation in Malayalam cinema.

Narayanan had a track record of excellence in editing before he debuted as a director with 2017s brilliant Take Off starring Parvathy. It is unsurprising that for a film as cutting-edge as this one  with the story rolling out wholly through the characters text exchanges, video conversations and voice messages  he found a partner in Fahadh. The star, who had a solid supporting role in Take Off, has been at the forefront of thematic innovation in Malayalam cinema, and is just the right fit for the technological frontier Indian cinema crosses with C U Soon. As it happens, this film is produced by his company, Fahadh Faasil and Friends.

Despite the restrictive format, Narayanans astute writing, sure-footed direction and brisk editing combined with his casts comfort before the camera make C U Soon a remarkably pacy thriller and a perfect antidote to the immobility that the pandemic has imposed on us.

The desktop genre a.ka. the computer screen genre has been explored by select filmmakers for a while since the advent of the Internet era  C U Soon is special because it is born of the compulsions of the ongoing real-life health emergency. It takes exceptional minds to match a subject to a format that is in sync with the limitations on actor movement at this time. For this alone, Team C U Soon deserves to take a bow. The film is much more than an inventive idea though  it is, to put it simply, great storytelling.

The characters are written with multiple shades that you would not guess were possible in a film constrained by space with a crisp running time of 98 minutes and twists unfolding at such an accelerated speed. Yet, after a few minutes, what feels like a constraint becomes an asset, the edge that forces the viewer to stare hard at the screen for fear of missing out even the tiniest hint of what is to come  can a thriller maker ask for anything more?

Since C U Soon takes the progression of its character graphs seriously, it would have meant something if it had shown Kevin either suffering consequences or expressing contrition for briefly roughing up a woman in the film. True, such men in reality rarely come to justice, but because intimate-partner violence has long been normalised by Malayalam cinema (Aadya Rathri and Ayyappanum Koshiyum being shocking recent examples), it would have been a change to see a point being made about this sort of behaviour.

Fahadhs finessed performance as the seemingly-detached-but-not-quite-so Kevin is an extension of a body of work that has earned him recognition as one of Indias finest actors. He is so good here, that I am forgiving him for his inexplicable long-distance use of eye drops  you will know what I mean when you see the film. (*inserts wink emoji here)

Darshana is lovely as C U Soons enigmatic Anumol. Her filmography is dominated by well-done supporting parts (Mayaanadhi, Virus), but C U Soon is an ad for her ability to carry off a lead role with strength and conviction. Roshans prowess and charm come through in the way he makes Jimmy impossible to dislike even when he is irritatingly superficial or needy. Maala Parvathi as Jimmys Mum and Saiju Kurup as a friend are memorable in smaller roles.

Their performances are bolstered by Kunal Rajans precise sound design, Gopi Sundars atmospheric background score and some nifty camerawork (Sabin Uralikandy is credited for cinematography and Narayanan for virtual cinematography).

Be warned though: C U Soon is not to be watched lazily. There are multiple windows open on screen throughout and the activity is constant. For instance, a character might be on a video call with one person while typing messages to another and folders lie scattered in the background  this means the viewers senses must be on red alert every moment. I confess I got briefly confused at a couple of points, but hey, thats how life is on the worldwide web where attention spans are short and multi-tasking is the norm. As I write this, I have six windows open on my laptop and I am switching between three, so the film is nothing if not realistic. Besides, the plotline is so arresting and the storytelling so smooth, that the attention being demanded is not hard to give at all. (*inserts grinning face with sweat emoji)

C U Soon is not just a film, its an exciting cinematic adventure. (*inserts dancing emoji)

CU Soon is streaming on Amazon Prime Video India.

Rating: ***1/2
A female construction worker in China has cheated certain death after a 31-inch steel rod speared into her body from her backside during a horrifying accident.

The woman, known by her surname Xiang, had the metal bar protruding from her right shoulder after falling onto it from a 10ft-high platform at a construction site in China's southern province Guangdong.

She miraculously survived the incident after doctors performed a three-hour operation to remove the pole that avoided her vital organs and main blood vessels.

The woman, known by her surname Xiang, had the metal bar protruding from her right shoulder after falling onto it from a 10ft-high platform at a construction site in China

The female builder from Chinese southern province Guangdong survived the horrifying incident after the doctors performed a three-hour operation to remove the long pole

Ms Xiang was working on a construction site on Thursday when she accidentally fell from the height, according to a report from Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

She landed on an 80-centimetre (31-inch) steel rod that skewered her entire upper body from her buttock.

The worker later told reporters that her blood 'was gushing out like a fountain before I had even realised what was happening'.

The woman was rushed to the Guangdong hospital after her colleagues cut the metal bar to transport her from the building site.

After examining the patient, doctors found the majority of the pole had speared through the womans body but missed her vital organs and main blood vessels.

An X-ray shows the long rod protruding from the builders shoulder while lodged across her entire torso.

Ms Xiang (pictured) was working on Thursday when she accidentally fell from the height, according to a report from Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. She is pictured being interviewed by local media after she underwent the removal operation

An X-ray shows the long rod protruding from the builders shoulder while lodged across her entire torso. is said to be in stable condition while recovering at the Guangdong hospital

After conducting a three-hour emergency surgery, a team of surgeons successfully removed the steel bar from Ms Xiang. A medic is seen holding the 31-inch metal bar after the surgery

After conducting a three-hour emergency surgery, a team of surgeons successfully removed the steel bar from Ms Xiang.

Dr Li Jia, a chief medic at the hospital, told Guangdong Southern Television: 'The operation went smoothly. She was fortunate that it had avoided the large blood vessels in the lungs and chest.

'Although there was some bleeding, we quickly repaired it after pulling out the pole.'

Ms Xiang is said to be in stable condition while recovering at the Guangdong hospital.

In July, another Chinese builder survived from being impaled by two steel rods on his neck and chest after falling onto the bars.

One of the metal bars rammed through his neck while the other speared through his chest after he had fallen onto them in eastern China's Jiangsu province.

The man survived after both poles had missed his vital organs and main blood vessels, according to rescuers.
The United States is adjusting its Taiwan policy and declassifying cables on Taiwan arms sales as China ramps up pressures on Taipei.

A senior State Department official said Monday the latest U.S. moves were not a policy shift, but part of a set of "significant adjustments" within Washington's longstanding one-China policy.

"The U.S. has long had a one-China policy. This is distinct from Beijing's 'One China Principle' under which the Chinese Communist Party asserts sovereignty over Taiwan. The U.S. takes no position on sovereignty over Taiwan," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell in his virtual remarks Monday to the Heritage Foundation.

Taiwan said it would continue to strengthen its defense capabilities, thanking the U.S. for its firm commitment to Taiwan's security. In Beijing, Chinese officials urged the U.S. to stop elevating relations with Taiwan.

The U.S. and Taiwan are starting a new bilateral economic dialogue after Taiwan announced last week plans to remove restrictions on American pork and beef imports.

The U.S. also declassified two sets of diplomatic communications called cables from 1982 on Taiwan arms sales, and on Washington's Six Assurances to Taiwan, which was seen as a loosely-kept secret. China strongly objects to the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan.

"It is important to review history like this because Beijing has a habit of distorting it," said Stilwell.

The directive of one of the cables indicates that the chief concern of the United States was maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, the cable said the quantity and quality of arms provided to Taiwan would be conditioned entirely on the threat posed by China. The memo ends by offering "this final assurance: U.S. arms sales to Taiwan will continue," said American Institute in Taiwan.

Under the Six Assurances offered by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan's administration, the U.S. did not agree to prior consultation with Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan, nor did it agree to take any position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan. The U.S. also promised it will never pressure Taiwan to negotiate with Beijing.

Experts said that even though the United States is not setting new precedents in its relationship with Taiwan, the reassurances communicated by declassifying the 1982 cables seem new.

"They rarely mentioned the Six Assurances publicly," said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "So this is an effort to elevate their importance."

Glaser told VOA on Tuesday that "declassifying the Six Assurances provides an opportunity for the U.S. to highlight its commitment to Taiwan and show it is a reliable partner."

South China Sea

Monday, a U.S. destroyer transited through the sensitive Taiwan Strait after Beijing fired missiles into the disputed waters of the South China Sea last week.

China Launches 4 Missiles into South China Sea U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper calls out China's 'rule-breaking,' and vows to protect Pacific norms

Taiwan's Defense Ministry confirmed the operation by the U.S. Navy warship.

While the U.S. navy warship was said to be on an "ordinary mission" and the situation was "normal", the transit  the second such operation in two weeks  is seen as sending messages amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China.

Taiwan, with its 23 million people, is currently the ninth largest trade partner of the U.S. In 2019, Taiwan was the seventh largest U.S. agriculture export market by value. It ranks as a top-10 market for U.S. soybeans, corn, beef, wheat, fruit, poultry, and processed foods.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that Taiwan will fulfill its responsibilities as a regional member, and continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and security partnership with the U.S. to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Message from China

Tuesday in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said nobody should underestimate China's resolve to defend its sovereignty.

"What the U.S. should abide by is the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, instead of the Taiwan Relations Act or the Six Assurances," said Hua Chunying at a news briefing.

The U.S. sees Taiwan as part of a network of Asian democracies, calling Taiwan "a democratic success story and a force for good in the world." Informal Taiwan-U.S. ties have improved under U.S. President Donald Trump.

The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, but U.S. presidents are bound by law to supply it with arms and come to its defense.


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ISTANBUL  A senior Islamic State figure was detained Monday during a police raid in Turkeys southern province of Adana Monday, according to a statement by Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. Soylu identified the suspect as Mahmut Ozden and alleged he had received orders to carry out an attack in Turkey.

Daeshs so-called emir of Turkey was captured and remanded in custody with important plans, Soylu tweeted Monday, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

Eleven additional suspects were detained during Monday's raids, in which police seized Ozdens computer and other digital evidence that reportedly indicate the group was receiving orders from Iraq and Syria to conduct attacks within Turkey as well as kidnap Turkish politicians and take them to Syria.

The news comes after a suspected IS member was detained in Istanbul last week while allegedly plotting a sensational attack on the city, highlighting the lingering threat posed by the terror group within the country and ongoing counterterrorism operations to prevent future incidents.

Soylu said the operation to arrest Ozden came after security forces detected increased activity by IS militants. Between 2014 and 2017, the group orchestrated a string of terror attacks in Turkey, killing about 300 people.

A Kalashnikov rifle was found during a search of the Istanbul suspects hotel room last week and security forces determined the unnamed individual was planning an attack on orders from Ozden.

Incrementally, Turkey has been cracking down on the IS cells here and has made it operationally harder to function, Nigar Goksel, Turkey project director for the International Crisis Group (ICG), told Al-Monitor. There has been effective infiltration into IS and monitoring, in particular since 2017.

Goksel added, however, that the arrest of a top member was unlikely to change the dynamics within IS and its networks in the region. As reported in a recent ICG study, suspected IS collaborators in Turkey are monitored closely and many are currently in prison or have served time behind bars. Among the many challenges posed by the group, Goksel noted the rehabilitation of IS members is a significant problem for the Turkish government, which she said cannot be addressed through counterterrorism programs alone.

[Ozden] seems to have been [repeatedly] detained and released and charged ever since 2017 and some of this time he was in prison, Goksel told Al-Monitor. But was there anything beyond intelligence or police work to evaluate the risk he might pose? I doubt it.

An August report by the inspector general of the US European Command stated that Turkey continues to act as a regional transit hub for IS members despite international efforts to reduce the groups operational capabilities through extensive military operations in Iraq and Syria.

An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 IS fighters comprise the groups existing networks in the region and maintain substantial control of Syrias Deir ez-Zor province, according to Fabrice Balanche, an associate professor of geopolitics at the University of Lyon 2.

Daesh is still very present in [Deir ez-Zor], Balanche told Al-Monitor. The night is under the control of Daesh. They are taking taxes from people. Its not possible for NGOs to work in the area.

He added, Its very difficult for the [Syrian Defense Forces] to control the area [since] Daesh kills people that work for local administration.

Noting that Turkey indeed remains a vital transit hub for the organization, Balanche said allegations that IS was planning to kidnap Turkish officials were hard to believe, as the group has sought to avoid direct confrontations with Ankara in recent years to maintain regional networks.

Balanche said IS members may be seeking revenge against the Turkish government for collaborating in anti-IS operations with US security forces but maintained that a lack of information at the moment makes it difficult to pinpoint a cause for the reportedly increased activity by IS militants in Turkey.

Probably [Ozden] crossed a red line and thats why they arrested him, Balanche said.

Meanwhile, the pending repatriation of hundreds of foreign IS fighters who are currently being held in Turkish custody remains a major challenge for Ankara. On Monday, the United States vetoed a United Nations resolution on the issue due to disagreements over protocols for IS militants and their family members.

Turkey has many IS returnees or alleged IS members that it has to tend to here, not only of Turkish nationality but also from all over the region. Goksel told Al-Monitor. Law enforcement is overstretched and certainly for the Turkish public, it feeds into the perception that the West sees Turkey as a depot for problematic people.
Donald Trump previewed his RNC acceptance address before the influential Council for National Policy. The membership list of this Christian Right cabal was a carefully guarded secret  until now.

President Donald Trumps appearance in Arlington, Virginia on August 21 before the Council for National Policy (CNP), a hyper-secretive Christian Right powerhouse that helps set the movements agenda, offered an hour-long preview of the stem-winding speech he would deliver several nights later on a balcony in front of the White House to the Republican National Convention.

Joined by his acting and still-unconfirmed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, the longtime corporate lobbyist who guided federal troops against anti-racism protesters, the president proclaimed, China very much wants Joe Biden to win.

Next, Trump inspired gales of applause by boasting, I could run in Israel, and I think they set up probably a 98 percent approval rating in Israel And you know who appreciates it the most are the evangelical Christians.

The president earned more cheers when he previewed a line he deployed a few nights later at the RNC: Nobody has done more for the black community or the Hispanic community than we have. Nobody. Nobody. I guess, maybe Lincoln. Questionable.

Trumps recent event with the CNP was his second appearance before the group. The first encounter came during an October 2015 CNP forum, as candidate Trump was surging ahead of his Republican primary rivals and emerging as the Christian Rights foul-mouthed Chosen One.

Several CNP members went on to serve in Trumps White House, including Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon. But this appearance was different.

This time, in contrast to other Republican presidential hopefuls who had addressed the CNP, the White House videotaped Trumps speech and proudly disseminated it online. Conspicuously missing from the footage, however, were any clear images of the audibly enthused crowd.

That is because the CNPs membership is a carefully guarded secret; its meetings are private  off limits to the public and the press  and even the location of the gatherings is carefully protected.

Literature distributed to members at the entrance of meetings instructed attendees not to disclose the names of fellow members and forbade them from distributing the membership list to outsiders in order to maintain the quality of membership communications.

The Grayzone obtained the Council for National Policys October 2018 membership list and has published it in full at the end of this article. Pages 1-72 show the names and bios of members; 72-87 contain CNP literature, including official policies and guidelines, as well as details about future meetings.

The release of the CNPs membership list represents the first time in the Trump era that the Christian Right powerhouse has been exposed, and the most recent disclosure since a copy of its 2014 member roll was published.

The CNPs personnel comprise a blend of conservative movement leaders, industry moneymen, foreign policy hardliners, and culture war activists enforcing right-wing unity at the base of a Republican Party that has cohered around the doctrine of ultra-nationalist Trumpism.

As I documented in my 2009 book, Republican Gomorrah, the Council for National Policy was founded in 1981 with seed money from T. Cullen Davis, a Texas oil billionaire who found his way to Jesus and the Christian Right after a high-priced lawyer secured his acquittal on charges that he hired a hit man to kill his ex-wife and her family, then attempted the job himself, murdering his step-daughter and his ex-wifes boyfriend while paralyzing an innocent bystander and wounding his ex-wife in the process, according to prosecutors.

When the CNP was first established, one of its founding fathers, the Louisiana ultra-conservative politician Woody Jenkins, vowed to a Newsweek reporter, One day before the end of this century, the Council will be so influential that no president, regardless of party or philosophy, will be able to ignore us or our concerns or shut us out of the highest levels of government.

Under the watch of his protege, Tony Perkins, who also directs the Christian Right policy factory known as the Family Research Council, Jenkins pledge was fulfilled. The CNP secured promises from both George W. Bush and Trump to appoint exclusively anti-abortion judges to high courts, and recently helped Trump allies coordinate their response to the Covid-19 pandemic while astroturfing a series of anti-lockdown protests.

The secrecy maintained by the Council for National Policy throughout its decades-long history has been strictly enforced by Perkins, who demanded my ejection from an October 4-6, 2018 conference after learning I was in attendance. I had secured an invitation to the gathering from an anti-war member who no longer belongs to the Council, enabling me to report on a speech that former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley gave to the group, in a feature for Harpers Magazine.

Perkins recognized me because I had published an article in 2005 reporting his signing of a check for $82,500 to David Duke  the former Ku Klux Klan leader and failed Republican gubernatorial candidate  to purchase Dukes mailing list on behalf of the senate campaign of his mentor, Woody Jenkins. I had also noted Perkins 2001 speech before the Council of Conservative Citizens, a white nationalist and neo-Confederate organization that racist mass murderer Dylan Roof partially credited with his radicalization.

Infuriated by my presence in the inner sanctum of Christian Right networking, Perkins and his lieutenants ordered me to immediately exit the Charlotte, North Carolina hotel where the conference took place.

On my way out, I passed by Herman Cain, the former Godfather Pizza CEO and Republican presidential candidate, holding court in the hotel lobby. Cain died this July 30 after contracting Covid-19 at a Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Within hours, I was on a flight out of Charlotte with a thick CNP members list and a pile of official Council literature in hand  materials that were forbidden for outsiders to view and off-limits to the public until now.

A few notable Council for National Policy members are described below. The full membership list follows.

Shawn Akers  Akers is the vice provost of Liberty University, which is currently reeling from the exposure of the bizarre sexual peccadilloes of its chancellor, Jerry Falwell Jr., and his wife, Becky. Akers colleague at the CNP, journalist Warren Cole Smith, recently hammered the board of Liberty University, where his daughter is enrolled, for its failure to hold Falwell accountable over the years. The trustees failed the schools students, faculty, administration, and parents, Smith wrote. They failed donors and alumni. They failed to hold the one member of the Liberty staff that reports to them to the Biblical standards of leadership, or even to the standards that every member of the Liberty community must live up to.

Jerry Boykin  Boykin is best known as the US Delta Force general who led the disastrous peacekeeping mission to Somalia depicted in the book and blockbuster film Black Hawk Down. During the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, he declared that his god was bigger than that of the Muslim warlords he battled in Somalia, and that Muslims hated America because they worshiped Satan. Boykin current serves as executive vice president for Tony Perkins Family Research Council in Washington.

Elsa Prince Broekhuizen  The Michigan-based mother of Blackwater mercenary corporation founder and Trump Inc. consigliere Erik Prince and his sister, Trump secretary of education and school privatization advocate Betsy Devos. Prince Broekhuizen has plowed her familys auto parts fortune into various anti-gay initiatives over the years.

Stuart Epperson  The co-founder and president of the right-wing evangelical broadcaster Salem Media, which is tied with CBS News as the fifth-largest radio broadcaster in the US. Eppersons stations play host to right-wing personalities like Michele Malkin, Sebastian Gorka, Hugh Hewitt, and Dennis Prager.

Mike Farris  A lawyer and homeschooling advocate, Farris founded Patrick Henry College as a training ground for Christian Right cadres seeking jobs in Washingtons halls of power. Vice President Mike Pence addressed Farriss Alliance Defending Freedom in 2019, praising the group for guiding the Trump administrations agenda.

Tom Fitton  The president of the right-wing legal advocacy group Judicial Watch, which has battled Covid-19 lockdown policies, sued climate scientists, and helped guide Trumps messaging against the Democrats Russiagate onslaught.

Frank Gaffney  The Center for Security Policy founder is a foreign policy militarist who emerged from neoconservative circles to become a leading voice of anti-Muslim conspiracism while clamoring for US military action against Iran and Syria. Gaffney has claimed that Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin was a Muslim Brotherhood agent, warned that that American Muslims were engaged in a stealth jihad to place the country under the control of Sharia, and helped influence Trumps so-called Muslim ban.

Donna Rice-Hughes  Famous for bringing down former Democratic Senator Gary Harts presidential campaign after a possible set-up, when tabloids published photographs of her perched on the candidates lap while carousing on his yacht, Rice-Hughes (formerly known only by her birth name, Rice) came to Jesus and founded the anti-pornography group, Enough is Enough! Today, she markets herself as a progressive leader and expert on preventing the exploitation of children online.

Jon Lenczowski  Founder of the Institute for World Politics, a Washington-based training institute for hardline interventionists, Lenczowski takes a leading role in setting the CNPs foreign policy agenda. In recent months, he has been particularly focused on reinforcing the Trump administrations new cold war narrative against China.

Herman Pirchner  The founding President of the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), Pichner served on Trumps foreign policy transition team in 2016. The Grayzone reported Pirchners role in hosting Andriy Parubiy, a Ukrainian ultra-nationalist politician who co-founded the far-right Social National Party, for a series of Capitol Hill meetings. Researcher Moss Robeson has documented Pirchners activity as a key liaison between the Washington foreign policy establishment and Ukrainian ultra-nationalists.

Virginia Ginni Thomas  The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Ginni Thomas was part of the Groundswell network that compiled lists of disloyal Trump administration officials to be fired. Her involvement with the CNP is an extension of a long history of ethical entanglements that prompted 74 House Democrats to issue a letter demanding Clarence Thomas recuse himself from ruling on the national healthcare overhaul, which she lobbied against.

Council for National Policy by Max Blumenthal
The night before his visit to Wisconsin, United States President Donald Trump expressed his support for 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who was recorded to have fired at two protesters in Kenosha, resulting in their deaths. The Republican leader shared the notion of the suspect's attorney that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense.

Act of self-defense?

Authorities have charged the teenager with five felonies and a misdemeanor after he shot three people on Tuesday, two of which suffered fatal wounds. News media outlets reported that Rittenhouse brandished his gun, acting as self-appointed security to control protests and viewed himself as a member of the militia.

According to USA Today, President Trump said that Rittenhouse appeared to have been in serious trouble when he watched the video footage of the incident. The US leader added that the suspect would have been killed had he not used his gun to defend himself but citing that everything was still under investigation.

The point that Trump was referring to, however, was a time in the video where Rittenhouse has already shot and killed one other protester as written in charging documents and separate footage.

The president's statements come the night before he was set to travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, the location of the latest surge of protests after police officers in the region shot Jacob Blake on August 23.

Trump has continuously used the unrest rampant across the nation to attack his presidential rival, former Vice-President Joe Biden. The Republican accuses Democrats of not doing their part in trying to quell the violent demonstrations in the area.

Democrats, including Biden, on the other hand, argued that Trump is the one who has been fanning the flames of racism and is responsible for the surge of incidents ravaging the country which he is the president of.

Also Read: President Trump Scheduled to Visit Kenosha, Where Jacob Blake Was Shot, AMid Unrest

Fighting against protests

Rittenhouse came to Kenosha from a nearby Illinois town due to the surge of violent protests in the area. The suspect is known to have been a supporter of the Republican president as his social media page is filled with positive posts about Trump, as reported by Yahoo News.

Presidential candidate Biden has also expressed his criticisms of Trump who he alleged is stoking the violence surging across the country. The former vice president said that the Republican leader sees the violence and is using it as a political lifeline.

During a follow-up interview on Monday, Biden said Trump would not even deny any of his supporters who may be charged with killing an individual because of his continuous attacks on political rivals.

Trump's comments on Monday supported that of Rittenhouse's lawyer who branded his client as a hero of the country who, at the time, had no choice but to use his gun to defend himself from attackers. The attorney, John Pierce, told reporters that the case going against the suspect is the most apparent political prosecution in American history.

Pierce stated that Rittenhouse came to Kenosha to respond to a call for help from one of the area's business owners who were afraid that his establishment would come under fire from protesters. While the attorney revealed he did not know who filed the initial request, he said that his client and several other associates traveled to Kenosha in response to the call.

Related Article: Trump Promises to Visit Louisiana as Hurricane Laura Leaves 6 Casualties in Its Wake

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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his administration would help U.S. airlines facing sharp downturns in passenger traffic as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but gave no details.

Well be helping the airlines. You have to help the airlines," Trump told reporters before departing on a visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin. Airlines are a tough business in good times."

Airline shares jumped on Trumps comments but then gave up some gains. American Airlines was up 1.5%, while United Airlines was up 0.5% in early afternoon trading.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows last week said Trump was weighing executive action to avoid massive layoffs at airlines if Congress fails to agree on a fresh economic stimulus package.

U.S. passenger airlines are still collectively losing more than $5 billion a month as 30% of airplanes remain parked. Passenger travel demand remains down about 70% and, on average, planes are half-full.

Last week, American Airlines said its workforce would shrink by 40,000, including 19,000 involuntary cuts, in October unless the government extends aid for airline employee payrolls.

United said Thursday it will need to cut 2,850 pilot jobs between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30 if the government does not extend assistance.

Airlines received $25 billion in U.S. government stimulus funds in March meant to cover payrolls and protect jobs through September. Congress also approved another $25 billion in loans for airlines.

As bailout money runs out without a travel recovery in sight, airlines and unions have lobbied Washington for another $25 billion. However, talks have stalled as Congress has struggled to reach agreement on a broader coronavirus assistance package.

American said last month it would suspend flights to 15 small U.S. cities in October without more federal aid.

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 Malian soldiers who forced President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign in a coup said on Wednesday that "social and political tension has undermined the proper functioning of the country for quite a while".

In a statement carried overnight on state broadcaster ORTM, the mutinous soldiers behind Tuesday's military coup identified themselves as the National Committee for the Salvation of the People led by Colonel-Major Ismael Wague.

Wague added: "Real democracy doesn't go with complacency, nor weakness of the state authority which must guarantee freedom and security of the people."

The news of Keitas departure was met with jubilation by anti-government demonstrators and alarm by former colonial ruler France, and other allies and foreign nations.

The UN Security Council scheduled a closed meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the unfolding situation in Mali, where the UN has a 15,600-strong peacekeeping mission.

Keita, who was democratically elected in a 2013 landslide and re-elected five years later, still had three years left in his term. But his popularity had plummeted, and demonstrators began taking to the streets calling for his ouster in June.
New Delhi/Washington, Sep 1 : Since it occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), the Shia-dominated region of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has altered its demography, resulting in the massive reduction of the Shia population from 80 to 39 per cent.

In a recent study conducted by the Law and Society Alliance, a New Delhi-based think tank headed by N.C. Bipindra, the population of G-B is now approximately 1.5 million, with around 39 per cent Shia, 27 per cent Sunni, 18 per cent Ismaili and 16 per cent Nurbakhshi.

Earlier, the region was dominantly inhabited by Shia Muslims with a share of 80 per cent.

As per the last census held in 1998, the population of G-B was around 870,000.

Once, one of the most multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-linguist regions of the world, G-B in the last seven decades has however faced severe persecution from the Pakistani Army.

The report, titled 'Human Lives Matter: A Comparative Study and Analysis of Human Development and Human Rights in J&K and PoJK/G-B', said that the most severe damage to the culture and ethnicity of the region occurred in 1988, when militants supported by the Pakistani military and Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, launched attacks in the region and killed hundreds of people.

Known as 'The Gilgit Massacre', it lasted for 16 days with continuous bloodshed, burning of more than 14 villages and molestation of local women.

"People were burnt alive in their homes - not for their fault, but for their faith," the report said, adding that till 2013, around 3,000 Shias were massacred by the state-sponsored Sunni extremists in G-B.

A report of the International Human Rights Observer's (IHRO) G-B chapter, released in 2013, stated that around 3,000 people have been killed in sectarian violence since 1988.

On the loss of lives and its impact, it stated that about 900 women have been widowed and nearly 2,500 children orphaned.

The report mentioned "the loss to property is inestimable".

On August 16, 2012, in an act of 'targeted genocide' of Shia Muslims in G-B, over a dozen gunmen forced 19 passengers, mostly Shias, off four buses and shot them at point-blank range.

It was the third such incident in six months, only to be followed by many more similar occurances.

In one incident, 18 Shia pilgrims were openly killed on the Karakoram Highway in Kohistan district while returning from Iran on February 28, 2012.

Another brutal attack claimed the lives of 20 people at Chilas on April 3 that year.

The Shias, in general, have been the subjects of attack across Pakistan.

Shias of the G-B region are targeted and killed across the country. In the aftermath of violence that occurred in Gilgit and Chilas, two Shias from G-B were shot dead in Quetta on April 3 and Ahmer Abbas, a Shia student from G-B, was shot dead in Karachi on April 6, 2012.

In a protest against the targeted killings, Majlis-i-Wahadatul Muslimeen (MWM) Deputy General Secretary Allama Asghar Askari said, "The entire Shia community has been deeply shocked by the unending spate of targeted killings.

"The government seems to be concerned over peacocks dying in Sindh but gives no importance to people mercilessly killed by extremists." Besides numerous violent attempts of ethnic cleansing in these regions, the Pakistan government and military, under the leadership of Zia-ul-Haq, made several continuous attempts to alter the ethnic demography of the region, the report said.

Post 1980s, Sunni Muslims from hegemonic Pakistani provinces like Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa started to make an influx through business routes and started to gradually settle in the region.

Researcher and activist Samuel Baid points out that "the influx of outsiders has created two problems, depletion of employment opportunities for the locals and brutalisation of sectarian tension. The outsiders grab land and government jobs. It is not only the jobs that the outsiders grab, but they also plunder upon forest and natural resources in the region. The funds allocated for the development of G-B are spent on the Army deployed there".

Terror camps that were being run in G-B openly with the active support of the Pakistani Army have bred hundreds of Sunni Jihadis of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), who are now operating all across the region, killing Shia Muslims.

Rebutting the Pakistani government's claims that foreign forces are involved in the G-B riots, Inspector General of G-B, Hussain Asghar went on record to say: "I don't think there is any foreign hand involved in sectarian riots." It is not only that the Shia, Ismaili and Nurabakhshi communities have been the targets of sectarian violence and ethnic cleansing in Pakistan, rather, the liberal Sunni Muslims have also been victims of attempts of Pakistani government and Army to cleanse the region and populate it with staunch Sunni Muslims, the study said.

Inhabitants of G-B for several years, have been voicing their concern that their region is under Taliban attack from the Waziristan region and being used as safe havens for jihadis, supported by the Salafi elements in the Pakistan Army.

At the 13th session of the UNHuman Rights Council, Abdul Hamid Khan of the Balwaristan National Front said: "Human rights abuses are widespread and common in G-B for many decades but the absence of local media and independent judiciary have helped Islamabad to hide its illicit practices." The abolishment of the State Subject Rule in G-B in 1974 and introduction of the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance Order in 2009 snatched land rights from G-B locals and opened the door for Pakistani settlements in the region.

The Pakistani elites, including several Corporate, Army Generals and politicians have acquired land and built sprawling residences in G-B.

The list includes Prime Minister Imran Khan, former President Parvez Musharraf, Senator Talha Mahmood and Hamid Gul, as well as many others.

Many Chinese citizens, who initially came to work on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), have now settled all across G-B.

A 2010 Stratfor report estimated the figures and claimed that 7,000 to 11,000 PLA soldiers guard CPEC projects. The number is expected to multiply manifold in a decade.

Several radical Pakistani musclemen, including former Army officers, are being roped-in to work on projects of CPEC. These Wahhabi Sunni workers permanently settle in G-B, further radicalising the region and wiping out the Shia majority.

The Federal government of Pakistan has also been working to alter the demography of PoJK, since as early as 1971.

In an article written in 1971, titled 'Azad Kashmir: A Colony of Islamic Republic of Pakistan', Convenor of United Kashmir Liberation Front, the UK-based M. Bashir Asef presented details on the attempts made by Pakistan to colonise PoJK.

It highlighted that through institutional; and non-institutional moves, the Pakistani government was easily facilitating the settlement of non-Kashmiris in PoJK since before.

The Pakistan government prefers to award contracts of projects in PoJK to Army of the local work force and later settle in the region. The labourers are deprived of labour rights, as they are barred from making labour unions. The obvious reason behind facilitating settlement of Army personnel in PoJK is to ensure a dominating position along the Line of Control (LoC) in case of confrontation with India.

Besides targeted attacks on Shias of the G-B, Pakistan government has also been making continuous efforts to ensure ethnic cleansing of Shia Muslims in PoJK.

According to a database compiled and maintained by media organisation LUBP, there have been around half-a-dozen organised attacks on the Shia community in PoJK, leading to innumerable casualties.

The attacks were precisely targeted at Shia areas and in a couple of incidents, on Shia processions and most of them were carried out collectively by large groups of Sunni Muslims, the study said.
The article said India and Vietnam recently held the 17th meeting of their bilateral Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation which was co-chaired by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh via a video conference.

Both sides were pleased with the outcomes of the meeting and the pace of bilateral relationship. Jaishankar was particularly appreciative of Vietnams positive leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, especially at a time when the region is battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the meeting, the two sides took stock of the state of the India-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership and agreed to step up their defence and economic partnership.
Australias highest-paid vice-chancellor has taken a 20 per cent pay cut as his university became the latest tertiary institution to shed jobs in response to a huge hit to its international student revenue.

In an email to staff on Tuesday, Sydney University vice-chancellor Michael Spence stopped short of saying how many jobs would go and did not put a figure on how much revenue he expected to lose as COVID-19 restrictions continued to prevent students flying in from overseas.

Vice-chancellor Michael Spence at the University of Sydney. Credit:James Brickwood

But Dr Spence said the university expected to achieve only two-thirds of its expected revenue from new international students next year.

This will have an impact on our budget for the next three to four years, he said. Our previous projections for semester one, 2021, were based on a return to our usual enrolment levels, on the expectation that the COVID-19 pandemic was a one-off event.
Days after Chief of Defence staff General Bipin Rawat told a section of the media that a military option against China can be exercised if diplomatic and military talks fail to yield results, Chinese PLA troops attempted another transgression on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, the site of violent clashes in mid-June.

The fact that the latest Chinese attempt to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control comes after these statements can only mean that Beijing is least fearful of such words. The attempted transgression also comes after the Indian government has taken several measures recently to hurt China economically. Given the expansionist and aggressive designs of China not only against India but also in the South China Sea, New Delhi is left with no option but to strengthen itself militarily and economically. This has to be the central theme that determines any policy towards China as Beijing only respects strength.

Going forward, India needs to urgently change its military thinking. From arms purchases, deployment and preparedness, everything is geared towards Pakistan. The Indian Army has three strike corps, its offensive arm, and all of them are deployed along the western border. This is rather strange as the military brass is well aware that Pakistan, with a weak economy, can ill afford a protracted confrontation with India. It is stranger still because the commanders have been aware of Chinas designs against India. Its time the military took a relook at this.

The Army should consider redeploying at least one of the strike corps along the LAC. It is also time to fast-track the raising of the mountain corps, which has been in the works for years now but is yet to see the light of the day. The government also needs to speed up construction of dedicated military corridors to facilitate faster movement of troops. Economically, the government needs to vigorously work towards self-reliance so that India is not critically dependent on only one country for raw material. On Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on the nation to be vocal about local. It is now up to the citizens to play their part.
All Australian workers are now legally entitled to have toilet and water breaks thanks to a landmark case against a McDonald's franchisee in the Federal Court.

The groundbreaking decision was made after former McDonald's worker Chiara Staines won a case against Brisbane franchisee Tantex Holdings on Monday.

Since there were no previous Australian cases about work breaks, Justice John Logan cited a case brought in a US court in Ohio to make his final decision.

'The right to access the toilet or a drink of water was, in my view, a workplace right,' Justice Logan concluded.

Chiara Staines (pictured) said it is 'just amazing' that her successful case against Tantex Holdings resulted in all workers across the country being entitled to drink and toilet breaks

The Queen Street Mall restaurant is owned by franchisee Tantex Holdings, which runs five more locations in Brisbane

Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Staines said it was 'just amazing' that her case would benefit other fast food workers across the country.

'It's what we were hoping for, it's incredibly common for McDonald's and other fast food workers to not allow for breaks. So hopefully this will put an end to that,' she said.

It comes after Tantex Holdings, which runs six McDonald's restaurants in Brisbane, was ordered to pay $1,000 to Ms Staines as compensation for denying toilet and drink breaks on Monday.

Ms Staines said she was 'glad' her legal battle, which began almost two years ago, had finally come to an end.

'It was such a relief, it really was. This whole thing has been going on since the end of 2018 and the beginning of court proceedings were early this year,' she said.

Ms Staines said she was 'glad' her legal battle, which began almost two years ago, had finally come to an end. She has since quit her job at McDonald's and is now studying child care

Reflecting on her time at McDonald's, the former worker said her bosses would often deny going to the toilet or make her wait.

'If you were desperate, you could go (to the toilet) but usually they would make you wait until there were fewer customers,' she said.

She has since quit her job at McDonald's and is now studying child care.

Retail and Fast Food Workers Union secretary Josh Cullinan said 'McDonald's workers have long been exploited'.

'When the major McDonald's franchisee, Tantex, stole rest breaks from workers, they broke the law.'

'Our actions finally returned their penalty rates in February but the theft of rest breaks are common across the McDonald's network. Until now, those employers have not been held to account.

'This is the first time that a Union, and workers, have successfully sued McDonald's in Australia but it will not be the last.'

Retail and Fast Food Workers Union secretary Josh Cullinan (pictured) said 'McDonald's workers have long been exploited'

With the backing of the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU), Ms Staines brought a case against the franchisee Tantex Holdings earlier this year.

In its published reasons for the decisions, the court found Ms Staines had been denied a 10-minute paid drink break on all but three occasions while working at a Queen St Mall restaurant in Brisbane from May 8, 2017 to June 15, 2019.

McDonald's staff have been entitled to paid 10-minute drink breaks under McDonald's Australia Enterprise Agreement 2013, which was approved by the Fair Work Commission on July 24, 2013.

According to the enterprise agreement, all employees are entitled to a 10-minute drink break when they work a shift between four to nine hours.

If they work more than nine hours, staff are entitled to two 10-minute breaks.

This is in addition to a meal break if working longer than five hours.

Tantex's general manager Christopher Crenicean responded to a union campaign with a lengthy rant (pictured) in Facebook group for their fast food employees in January

Earlier this year, RAFFWU launched a campaign against Tantex, accusing the company of breaking the enterprise agreement by denying toilet breaks.

Tantex's general manager Christopher Crenicean responded with a lengthy rant in Facebook group for their fast food employees in January.

'On your shift, this 10-minute break would be the only time you would ever be permitted to have a drink or go to the toilet. So I hope to God you don't get thirsty on your next shift because we just wouldn't be able to allow a drink. Fair is fair right?' Mr Crenicean wrote.

'But as we go above and beyond for our people and we like to treat you guys much better than this, we allow ALL our employees regardless of shift length to have a drink of water as you require and go to the bathroom as you require.'

'Are we really such bad guys? It actually works better in our favour to follow this legislation and keep you all working non-stop,' he said to finish off the message.

Brisbane businesswoman Tanya Manteit-Mulcah (pictured) is the sole director of Tantex Holdings, which conceded it had not provided Ms Staines with the allowed breaks

A Queensland McDonald's franchisee has been ordered to pay a worker $1000 in compensation after a worker was routinely denied drinks and toilet breaks (stock image)

Ms Staines later told the court her work was fast-paced, hot with a constant smell of food and the environment was stressful and demanding, physically and mentally.

'Ms Staines was denied a short respite from, what was by its nature, a mentally and physically demanding job,' Justice John Logan said.

Brisbane businesswoman Tanya Manteit-Mulcah is the sole director of Tantex Holdings, which conceded it had not provided Ms Staines with the allowed breaks.

'The drink break for which clause 29 of the Agreement provided was a workplace right,' Justice Logan found.

'So, too, for reasons explained above, was a right, within the bounds of reasonableness, to pause for a drink of water or to go to the toilet during a shift a workplace right.'
NEW DELHI: As Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China are engaged in the third round of talks in Chushul to diffuse the tension in the region following fresh skirmishes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), fresh reports have surfaced that the Chinese PLA wanted to capture an important peak 'black top' so as to monitor the Indian posts and their activities near the dormant height.

The black top is in the southern part of Pangong Lake

Reports stated that the Indian Army thwarted the Chinese PLA's attempt to capture the important peak after an intense face-off on the night of August 28-29 there and occupied the dormant height within its territory. The Army also removed the cameras and surveillance system of the PLA after taking the point into its control. The Chinese Army has installed such equipment all along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and use them effectively to monitor Indian activities and respond quickly whenever they find Indian patrols on the areas claimed by them.

China has been claiming that the height belongs to them and wanted to capture it to get into an advantageous position all along the southern bank of Pangong lake area and the nearby Spangur Gap, an open territory where Chinese armoured regiments were deployed.

Following the Chinese attempt, the Indian Army has significantly strengthened its presence on a number of 'strategic heights' around the Pangong lake besides further bolstering its presence in the area. A battalion of the Special Frontier Force was also deployed in the area. It is learnt that Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane reviewed the overall situation in eastern Ladakh at a high-level meeting in the Army headquarters.

The sources said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also been told to enhance its surveillance on increasing Chinese air activities along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

According to reports, the Indian Army has also deployed T-72 and T-90 tanks in Ladakh and Demchok areas.

There have been reports that China has deployed J-20 long-range fighter jets and several other key assets in strategically located Hotan airbase which is around 310 kms from eastern Ladakh.

Sources said the Indian side has prepared very well for responding to the Chinese reaction in view of the action by own troops including a Special Operations unit and Sikh Light Infantry troops there. One of the Indian Army jawans also lost his life in an anti-personnel mine explosion while patrolling in the area.

In the last three 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 Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC.

Meanwhile, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has chaired a high-level meeting at his residence which is also attended by S Jaishankar, Bipin Rawat, MM Narawane among others and reviews the situation in Ladakh.

On Monday, the Indian Army said the Chinese military carried out 'provocative military movements' to 'unilaterally' change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.

The Chinese and Indian troops are engaged in a standoff for over three months after the PLA troops marched into Indian areas in Finger area and other parts of the Ladakh sector.
South Africa: National Parks Week moved to November

Due to COVID-19 regulations, the 15th annual SA National Parks Week will be held in November 2020.

In a statement on Tuesday, the South African National Parks (SANParks) Chief Executive Officer, Fundisile Mketeni, said the National Parks Week has been moved from September to November.

SANParks has postponed the free access week, which is traditionally held in September, to November due to the COVID-19 alert level 2 regulations, which restrict the number of persons allowed within public spaces.

SANParks, together with Total South Africa and FNB, will host the 15th annual SA National Parks Week from 16 to 20 November 2020.

Additionally, we have implemented extra visitor management procedures in the parks to manage visitor volumes, in line with regulations to further mitigate the risk of the spread of Coronavirus at this time, said Mketeni.

The SA National Parks Week is an annual campaign that gives all South African citizens the opportunity to enter most of the parks managed by SANParks for free, with the exclusion of Namaqua National Park and Boulders section at Table Mountain National Park.

The free access to parks does not include free access to accommodation facilities and other tourist activities.

Every year, SANParks aims to increase the number of citizens that are granted free access to national parks during this time.

Since we started the programme in 2006, some 551 393 South Africans have been afforded the opportunity to enter national parks, and we want to see these numbers grow.

The week, in partnership with Total South Africa and FNB, is meant to cultivate a sense of pride in South Africas natural, cultural and historical heritage, and a deeper appreciation of biodiversity. It is important for South Africans to visit and know the importance of national parks, Mketeni said.

Mketeni also highlighted the growing need for national parks to be relevant, particularly to young people and communities living adjacent to parks.

Through our socio-economic transformation programmes, and our Expanded Public Works Programme, we work closely with communities living adjacent to national parks. [This is] in order to be more inclusive so we can tackle issues of wildlife crime with their help, afford them more access to parks for cultural use, inform young people about the different career options that parks have to offer and create job opportunities.

SANParks hopes to strengthen and enable these communities to reap the benefits of the national parks, Mketeni said.

Members of the public can visit the SANParks website for more information: www.sanparks.org/about/events/parks_week. - SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The all-fields exclusive license, granted to the company by Harvard's Office of Technology Development (OTD), will allow Metalmark to expand the platform technology's reach by incorporating different types of catalysts for multiple functions and applications.

"Existing air purification systems can typically filter out particles down to about one micron in size. Recent research has shown that smaller particles like volatile organic compounds [VOCs], ultrafine particulate matter, and airborne viruses can slip through and contaminate indoor air," said Sissi Liu, CEO and co-founder of Metalmark. "Our approach to air purification is completely different: rather than filtering substances out, our system uses catalysts to actually break down toxic pollutants and inactivate viruses. We are using this technology to solve the problem of dirty air both inside and outside, to make all environments safer for humans and animals."

The technology was developed by a team of researchers in the lab of Joanna Aizenberg , Ph.D., a Wyss Associate Faculty member and the Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Material Sciences at SEAS. Aizenberg is a co-founder of Metalmark along with former Wyss and SEAS Postdoctoral Fellows Tanya Shirman, Ph.D. and Elijah Shirman, Ph.D., and Wyss Advanced Technology Team member Michael Aizenberg, Ph.D. SEAS Postdoctoral Fellows Mathias Kolle, Ph.D. and Nicolas Vogel, Ph.D. are co-inventors of the technology.

Aizenberg's lab is interested in unraveling the mysteries of how Nature controls the chemistry and morphology of its biological building blocks. Inspired by the honeycomb-like structure of butterfly wings, the team built a porous, nanoscale architecture into which catalytic nanoparticles can be precisely embedded to maximize their exposure to polluted air. The result is a highly efficient catalytic system that needs minimal materials to clean air.

Based on fundamental research conducted at SEAS, the technology was refined, optimized, and shepherded by the Wyss Institute through a de-risking and validation process in preparation for commercialization. The technology is covered by several pending patent applications and an issued patent, and is described in papers recently published in Advanced Functional Materials and Catalysis Today.

"Catalytic converters have been used for decades to remove pollutants from factory smokestacks and cars, but they have never been used for indoor air purification because they are expensive, require high temperatures and controlled operating conditions to work well, and are vulnerable to loss of activity over time," said Tanya Shirman, now VP of Material Design at Metalmark. "Now that smaller indoor air particles have been linked to heart attacks, pulmonary diseases, neurological disorders, and even cancer, it is clear that the problem of air purification needs to be addressed. Metalmark aims to provide a unique solution that overcomes the challenges of indoor air purification and avoids the shortcomings of traditional catalysts."

The company has completed a pre-seed round of funding and is currently raising its seed round. It was also awarded research grants from the NSF and NIH, and has signed contracts with major multinational corporate customers. Its current prototype has been designed to integrate with the equipment currently used for air handling in buildings, and Metalmark plans to deploy it in real-world environments in the near future.

"Removing specific pollutants from smokestack or car exhaust is pretty straightforward and our technology offers significant advantages for those applications. Indoor air is much more complex, but our lab tests have been excellent and we now intend to prove that our system works similarly well in uncontrolled environments," said Elijah Shirman, who is now VP of Technology at Metalmark.

Following validation that its system can successfully remove VOCs, aerosols, and live viruses from indoor air, Metalmark's long-term plan includes expanding its scope to produce multifunctional coatings and other catalytic materials to not only reduce emissions from factories and vehicles, but also perform chemical transformations, such as converting the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into usable materials.

"This powerful platform is a rare example of a technology that is highly customizable, can reduce cost, save rare metals, operate at benign conditions, save energy, improve the environment and human health, and provide a sorely needed service that was previously impossible, all at the same time," said Joanna Aizenberg.

"Watching this project evolve over the last few years from its original biological inspiration into a product that is poised for commercialization has been enormously exciting for all of us at the Wyss Institute, and we look forward to seeing how this technology can help in the global battle for sustainability," said the Wyss Institute's Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., who is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, and Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS.

PRESS CONTACT

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University

Lindsay Brownell, [email protected], +1 617-432-8266

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University (http://wyss.harvard.edu) uses Nature's design principles to develop bioinspired materials and devices that will transform medicine and create a more sustainable world. Wyss researchers are developing innovative new engineering solutions for healthcare, energy, architecture, robotics, and manufacturing that are translated into commercial products and therapies through collaborations with clinical investigators, corporate alliances, and formation of new startups. The Wyss Institute creates transformative technological breakthroughs by engaging in high risk research, and crosses disciplinary and institutional barriers, working as an alliance that includes Harvard's Schools of Medicine, Engineering, Arts & Sciences, Design, and Education, and in partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, DanaFarber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston University, Tufts University, Charite  Universitatsmedizin Berlin, University of Zurich and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (http://seas.harvard.edu) serves as the connector and integrator of Harvard's teaching and research efforts in engineering, applied sciences, and technology. Through collaboration with researchers from all parts of Harvard, other universities, and corporate and foundational partners, we bring discovery and innovation directly to bear on improving human life and society.

SOURCE Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University

Related Links

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New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday informed that mortal remains of Bollywood producer Abis Rizvi and Gujarati girl Khushi ShahA will be flown back to India by Tuesday night.A



The two were amongst the 39 people who were killed in the brutal attack on a nightclub in Istanbul on New Yearas eve.A



The External Affairs Minister tweeted: aI have just spoken to Mr.Akhtar Hassan Rizvi and Akshay Shah in Turkey. Indian Ambassador Rahul Kulshreshth has made all arrangements for them. They r returning with mortal remains by Turkish airlines flight leaving Istanbul tommw night and reach Mumbai next morning.a

I have just spoken to Mr.Akhtar Hassan Rizvi and Akshay Shah in Turkey. Indian Ambassador Rahul Kulshreshth has made all arrangements /1 a Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 2, 2017

A

for them. They r returning with mortal remains by Turkish airlines flight leaving Istanbul tommw night and reach Mumbai next morning./2 a Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) January 2, 2017

Earlier External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Indian envoy in Turkey Rahul Kulshreshth was doing everything possible to send back the mortal remains at the earliest.



aThe Ambassador is doing everything to facilitate repatriation of the bodies. We are also facilitating the visas of the family members who want to go there to personally collect the bodies,a he told reporters.



He said Rizvi and Shah had gone to Istanbul as tourists and they ahappened to be at the wrong place at the wrong timea.



Swarup said the government was waiting for a report from the Indian Ambassador.Rizvi, a prominent builder and Bollywood producer, is son of former Rajya Sabha MP Akhtar Hasan Rizvi.



Rizvi and Shah were among 15 foreigners who were killed when a gunman went on a rampage at the waterside Reina nightclub where revellers were celebrating the New Year.



External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday spoke to families of both Rizvi and Shah and conveyed her condolences.



Replying to a question on Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted nearly nine months ago from war-torn Yemen, Swarup said India has been in regular touch with Yemeni authorities and Saudi Arabia to ensure his safe release.



aWe are in touch with authorities in Saudi Arabia as well as local authorities in Yemen and all efforts continue to be made to secure his early release,a he said.

(With Inputs from PTI)

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Boeing could attempt a second flight of its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in December, NASA announced.

This launch, which would not have people onboard, would be one year after its first uncrewed attempt where a software issue prevented the vehicle from docking with the International Space Station. Multiple issues, including another major software error and a communications-related hardware issue, were discovered during the test flight.

More: Report finds greater scrutiny needed for Boeing spacecraft

Boeing is one of two companies selected by NASA to develop systems that could ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX launched astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on May 30 and brought them home Aug. 2. SpaceX, in the final stages of receiving NASA certification, is planning its first non-test flight to send astronauts to the space station.

Boeing, however, decided it needed to redo its uncrewed test before launching people. NASA on Friday said the company has implemented almost three quarters of the 80 actions proposed by the joint NASA-Boeing Independent Review Team that scrutinized the first test flight.

In Houston, the software team is almost done modifying and reverifying the flight code.

Following its uncrewed flight, Boeing could launch its test flight with Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson and NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann no earlier than June 2021.

Then its first non-test flight with people (after the vehicle receives NASA certification) could be in December 2021. NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Josh Cassada and Jeanette Epps are crew members of the Starliner-1 mission. Cassada and Williams were selected for the mission in August 2018, and NASA announced Epps assignment Aug. 25.

Epps would be NASA's first black female astronaut to complete a long-duration mission onboard the International Space Station.

Also last week, Boeing announced that it donated $10.6 million to racial equity and social justice nonprofits and programs. This included $175,000 for Space Center Houstons Girls STEM Academy.
Astrazeneca has struck a deal to mass-produce a potential Covid-19 vaccine, as it begins large-scale human trials in the US.

The FTSE 100 drugs firm will pay gene therapy group Oxford Biomedica 15million up front to scale up manufacturing capacity of the vaccine, as it hopes to win fast-track approval in the US, and plans to enrol up to 30,000 test candidates.

Astrazeneca's shot, developed in collaboration with researchers at Oxford University, is one of the most promising vaccinations under way.

Vaccine deal: Astrazeneca will pay gene therapy group Oxford Biomedica 15m up front to scale up manufacturing capacity of the vaccine

Experts hope it will halt the spread of coronavirus, which has already killed more than 850,000 people.

A final-stage trial is in progress in the UK, and reports have emerged that the US may be aiming for approval before the November presidential election.

Astrazeneca's chief executive Pascal Soriot said: 'We are moving quickly but without cutting corners, and regulators have clear and stringent efficacy and safety standards for the approval of any new medicine, and that includes this potential Covid-19 vaccine.'

Oxford Biomedica said it expected to receive more than 35million more if the vaccine was successful, as it manufactures large batches of the vaccine until the end of 2021.

Already the UK has bought 100m doses of the vaccines, while the European Union has bought 300m. Astrazeneca shares fell 1.7 per cent, or 143p, to 8197p.
Ombudsman Moskalkova to turn to U.S. authorities urging respect of Russian nationals rights

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

12:12 01/09/2020

MOSCOW, September 1 (RAPSI)  The Russian Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova said she was ready to turn to U.S. authorities in order to protect rights of detained Russian national Yegor Kryuchkov when giving a lecture to students of the Russian State University of Justice.

Moskalkova is to seek that confinement conditions and applied procedures answered international regulations and standards.

The Russian national was arrested in Los Angeles on charges of conspiracy aimed at committing a cybercrime.
ALL workers would have a right to six weeks paid sick leave under proposals put forward by Labour Party due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Party leader Alan Kelly appealed to the Government to adopt the plan that he argued would protect workers and society from "this deadly virus".

The proposed legislation also gives parents the right to paid leave if their child is forced to stay home from school due to Covid-19.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has previously recommended that measures should be put in place to ensure workers are not deterred from taking sick days if they suspect they have Covid-19 due to fears that they would lose out financially.

Expand Close Labour leader Alan Kelly (Brian Lawless/PA) / Facebook

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Mr Kelly said Labour's Bill deals with such concerns.

Under the legislation workers would be entitled to six weeks sick pay at the same rate as annual leave.

After six weeks they would move on to illness benefit.

Employers would have to pay the first six days of sick pay in its entirety for the workers but after that the employer would be able to claim any illness benefit that would be due to the worker.

Labour Employment Affairs spokesperson, Senator Marie Sherlock said six weeks would still be less than other European countries like France and the Netherlands where workers are entitled to sick pay for 250 days and the UK where it's just under 200 days.

Mr Kelly said there have been clusters of Covid-19 cases among low-paid workers and pointed to the meat processing sector.

He added: "Workers should not feel that they need to go into a work environment if they have a symptom of the virus."

He said he was asking the Government to support the Bill and sponsor it.

Mr Kelly said it would be difficult to estimate the cost of the measures as it "depends on take up".

He said the proposal would be a "social contract" between the State and employers adding: "We all have to pull together here".

He referred to Ms Sherlock's remarks and said: "We're actually way behind from a European perspective in relation to this."

Labour hope to introduce the Bill in the Dail before the end of the month.
'Dead' coral rubble can support more animals than live coral, according to University of Queensland researchers trialling a high-tech sampling method.

UQ's Dr Kenny Wolfe said that reef rubble habitat was often overlooked as desolate, unattractive and 'dead', however reef rubble was very much alive.

"When people think of coral reefs they often think of larger invertebrates that are easily found, such as sea cucumbers, starfish and giant clams," Dr Wolfe said.

"But interestingly, dead coral rubble supports more of what we call 'cryptic' animals than live coral.

"Cryptic animals are simply hidden creatures, that include tiny crabs, fishes, snails and worms - all of which hide in the nooks and crannies of the reef to avoid predation.

"And just like on land with small insects and bugs, biodiversity in the sea can be dominated by these tiny invertebrates."

As these creatures try to remain hidden, finding and surveying them requires particular care and attention.

Dr Wolfe teamed up with UQ Innovate to design 3D-printed coral stacks called RUBS (RUbble Biodiversity Samplers), to survey cryptic animals on coral reefs.

The 3D-printed 'coral' mimics the surrounding reef rubble, seamlessly inviting hidden reef organisms to be unknowingly monitored.

"Every piece of coral or rubble is different," Dr Wolfe said.

"RUBS provide a uniform method to survey the hidden majority on coral reefs.

"By sampling the RUBS' structures over time, the team were able to identify changes in the cryptic population, adding pieces to the puzzle and filling in the unknowns of coral reef food webs.

"This data fills important knowledge gaps, such as how small cryptic animals support coral reefs from the bottom of the food chain, all the way up to bigger predators."

Dr Wolfe believes that the new technique is another step in better understanding our precious reefs - whether considered 'alive' or 'dead'.

"We're really pulling back the curtain on just how alive these 'degraded' reefs are," he said.

"These are important habitats, which support coral reef biodiversity and important food webs.

"This new technology is a new opportunity for reef management, particularly for reef education and awareness.

"We're excited to learn about and celebrate the diversity of life in this misunderstood habitat."

###

The research has been published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution (DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13462).

It was a collaboration between UQ's School of Biological Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.
Details added (first version posted on 11:46)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

Trend:

The speeches of Armenian foreign minister about creating conditions for peace are a paradox, Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said.

Abdullayeva made the remark commenting interview of Armenian FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan to Interfax News Agency, in which he stressed importance of political will for Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports on September 1.

According to the spokesperson, the paradox is that the speeches were made by the foreign minister of a country which in violation of the fundamental principles of international law, has kept the internationally recognized territories of a neighboring country under military occupation for about 30 years and directly impedes the resolution of the conflict through negotiations, and moreover, by its actions and statements serves to aggravate tensions in the region.

Abdullayeva noted that the steps of the leadership of Armenia, nullifying the essence of the negotiations, are the main obstacle to the creation of the "peace conditions", which the foreign minister of this country speaks about.

"A glance at the actions of Armenia in the last month is enough to clearly see the aggressive and provocative essence of this countrys policy, the spokesperson said. On July 12-16 of this year, Armenia, having carried out a new military provocation in the direction of the Tovuz district on the border of the two states, tried to carry out a planned attack on the Azerbaijani positions. The Azerbaijani army resolutely suppressed this act of Armenian aggression."

After the terrible explosion in Beirut, to use this tragedy for its dirty purposes, Armenia announced about a plan for the illegal settlement of the occupied Azerbaijani territories by ethnic Armenians from Lebanon, Abdullayeva added.

By this statement, Armenia confirmed its intention to consolidate the results of the ethnic cleansing carried out in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and adjacent districts, the spokesperson added. After the Armenian military-political leadership failed in the military adventure in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district, it began to resort to other provocations to compensate for this failure.

On August 23, on the line of contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in the direction of Azerbaijans Goranboy district, an attempt of a reconnaissance and sabotage group of the Armenian armed forces to make a provocation was suppressed and the leader of this group was detained, Abdullayeva said.

And finally, the trip of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the occupied Azerbaijani city of Khankendi on August 29, his meeting with the "representatives" of the puppet regime, the presence of the Armenian military formations in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, once again clearly demonstrated that Armenia is an aggressor country conducting the policy of annexation of the Azerbaijani territories, the spokesperson said.

Taking into account all the abovementioned aspects, what kind of peace, what proposals of reducing the tension in the region does Mnatsakanyan talk about?" Abdullayeva said.

Everyone is well aware of the reasons for the criminal acts of the country, which supports terrorism at the state level, enlightens the young generation on the basis of the racial ideology of Garegin Nzhde and fascist values, whose representatives demonstrate aggression and hostility towards Azerbaijanis in various countries, the spokesperson said.

Therefore, the opinion of the Armenian minister, who links the suppression of ethnic confrontation with the demonstration of political will in resolving the conflict, is absurd as Armenia has been unable to demonstrate this political will for so many years, Abdullayeva said.

To ensure sustainable peace in the region, the Armenian occupying forces must be withdrawn from the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan and the rights of the indigenous population of these lands, who have become refugees and internally displaced people, must be restored, the spokesperson said. Armenia must finally demonstrate its political will and take concrete steps in this direction.

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.
By PTI

BENGALURU: Noted Kannada film star Sudeep on Tuesday said he was not aware of the industry being in the grip of drug menace and appealed against its portrayal in negative light based on isolated incidents.

"I can only say what I know. I am from the film industry. I really don't know anything about it," he told reporters days after the Narcotics Control Bureau busted a drug trafficking racket here with the arrest of three people.

It had said some "prominent musicians and actors" in Karnataka were under its scanner.

The actor, who delivered several hits, said he hardly stepped out of his house once the shooting work was over.

"I don't have a large friends circle, so I don't know anything about it," Sudeep, popularly known as Kichcha Sudeep said after his visit to the Siddaganga Math in Tumakuru.

ALSO READ | Substance abuse in Sandalwood: Indrajit Lankesh grilled, says he revealed 10-15 names

The 46-year-old actor appealed to the people not to portray the entire film industry in negative light based on some isolated incidents as it was a vast field, which has been nurtured by legendary people.

Meanwhile, film actor and BJP leader Thara Anuradha submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa highlighting the drug menace taking students and youth of the state into its grip.

She insisted that stringent laws such as capital punishment alone can check the problem.

Filmmaker Indrajit Lankesh had appeared before the Central Crime Branch police on Monday in response to the summons and was questioned for almost five hours, days after he claimed that many in the industry were into drugs.

He also claimed that at least 15 people in the film industry were involved in peddling and consumption of drugs.

While many rebutted his claim, a few of them said they have seen people using drugs.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy listens to a question during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Aug. 24, 2020. (Tom Williams/AFP via Getty Images)

House to Subpoena Postmaster General Over Mail Delays

WASHINGTONThe House Oversight Committee intends to subpoena Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for documents on disruptions in mail delivery operations that are now central to questions over the agencys ability to handle the onslaught of mail-in ballots expected for the November election.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) the committee chair, sent a memo Monday saying DeJoy blew past last weeks deadline to fully respond to the committees request for more information. He has not provided any new materials, she said.

It is clear that a subpoena has become necessary to further the Committees investigation and help inform potential legislative actions, she said.

Democrats are aggressively pursuing oversight of postal operations and are leading an unprecedented push to have voters cast their ballots by mail is underway across the nation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have warned about the negative effects of the push, pointing to the botched Democratic primary election in New York City.

Pam Fleming and fellow workers stuff ballots and instructions into mail-in envelopes at the Lancaster County Election Committee offices in Lincoln, Neb., on April 14, 2020. (Nati Harnik/AP Photo)

DeJoy, who was tapped to lead the agency in June, said the organizational changes hes made are aimed at making the independent, executive branch agency more efficient.

Communities across the nation complained about widespread disruptions in postal operations this summer as blue mailboxes and sorting equipment were removed and employees said changes in trucking operations and overtime hours left mail on the loading docks, undelivered.

The committee produced internal postal service data showing widespread summer service disruptions.

Postal Service spokeswoman Kimberly Frum previously told The Epoch Times that, for decades, the installation and removal of mail boxes has been based on mail volume received in the boxes.

It is a fluid process and figures can vary from day-to-day. Historically, mail boxes have been removed for lack of use and installed in growth areas, she said, adding later: When a collection box consistently receives very small amounts of mail for months on end, it costs the Postal Service money in fuel and workhours for letter carriers to drive to the mailbox and collect the mail. Removing the box is simply good business sense in that respect.

The service has in recent years placed a greater emphasis on relocating boxes that arent used much to high-traffic areas such as shopping centers and grocery stores.

A United States Postal Service (USPS) mailbox stands in the Manhattan, N.Y., on Aug. 5, 2020. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

DeJoy, who testified before the panel earlier this month, reiterated in a letter on Aug. 28 that the changes he was initiating are now being suspended until after the election is concluded.

The committee is seeking documents about the changes, including the removal of sorting equipment and changes to overtime rules, which could be impeding mail delivery. The panel also wants information about how DeJoy, a successful businessman and the first postmaster general who was not a career USPS employee, was selected for the job, as well as any previously undisclosed communication between Mr. DeJoy and the Trump campaign. DeJoy is a supporter of the president.

DeJoy in his Friday letter to the panel said the postal leadership team has expanded an Election Mail task force to work with local election officials in support of the November election to ensure ballots are delivered securely and on time.

DeJoy also said his staff was working with the committee to provide the materials being requested.

Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-Va.), chairman of the panels Government Operations Subcommittee, said Mr. DeJoys testimony before our committee has left us with more questions than answers.

Connolly added, Congress must assert itself. The public demands it. Todays action is a necessary step in our efforts to hold the Trump administration accountable for its deliberate sabotage of the Postal Service, and to restore confidence in this revered American institution.

By Lisa Mascaro

Zachary Stieber and Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report
Extinction Rebellion are set to march on the Houses of Parliament as they begin ten days of climate protests across central London.

The group is going ahead with a series of events from 1 to 10 September despite being warned by police they face arrest if they breach strict conditions placed on the demonstrations.

Planned stunts include a carnival of corruption outside the Treasury, a walk of shame near the Bank of England and a silent protest outside Buckingham Palace.

On Tuesday morning demonstrators will converge on Parliament Square from four separate locations to demand MPs support a new Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill.

Rebels will choose to sit in the streets  overnight if necessary  to maintain a constant presence and pressure until our voices are truly heard, the group vowed on Facebook. We will sit outside until they act to back the bill.

However, the Metropolitan Police said that gatherings can only take place off the main roads at Parliament Square Gardens between 8am and 7pm.

They have also told Extinction Rebellion not to use boats, vehicles, trailers or other structures as part of their procession.

Met Commander Jane Connors warned that anyone taking part who knowingly fails to comply with the conditions may be liable to arrest.

She said: Ahead of a number of planned environmental protests due to take place in central London tomorrow, we have decided to impose conditions under Section 12 and Section 14 of the Public Order Act (1986) on protesters looking to assemble, and those looking to go on a procession.

The reason we have implemented these conditions is that we know these protests may result in serious disruption to local businesses, commuters and our communities and residents, which I will not tolerate.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London. PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty

Police have attempted to crack down on protests and illegal raves over the Bank Holiday weekend by issuing a series of 10,000 fines.

Piers Corbyn, the brother of ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, received one of the fixed penalty notices after holding an anti-lockdown demonstration in Trafalgar Square on Saturday but said he would refuse to pay.

Extinction Rebellion protesters have already staged several demonstrations across England over the weekend, including at a number of airports against proposed expansion plans. On Monday a group of wailing banshees performed a protest in Woolwich against the new Silvertown road tunnel under the Thames.

Three women were also arrested following a protest in Brighton on Saturday, with specialist officers called to escort down demonstrators who had scaled the West Beach cafe on the seafront.

Police made more than 1,700 arrests during last years Extinction Rebellion protests after activists managed to blockade bridges and major roads in central London over several days.

Additional reporting by Press Association
Iran may now have won the war with Iraq it lost on the battlefield four decades ago, but it is unlikely to be able to keep the victory for long

When thousands of Iraqi demonstrators poured into the streets of cities across the country last year, they were largely protesting against unbridled corruption, government inefficiency, unemployment and the lack of basic services.

But soon the protests across Baghdad and Shia-populated southern Iraq turned into a popular uprising aimed at overthrowing sectarianism and stirring up patriotism in the beleaguered nation.

The protesters were calling for the toppling of Iraqs power-sharing confessional system and the curtailing of Irans political influence in the country, which many Iraqis see as a main culprit in the rise of sectarianism in their country.

The anti-government protests, which commenced on 1 October in pursuit of demands for reform and change, soon shifted into a mesmerising symbol and tool of resistance to Irans growing presence in Iraq.

Today, many Iraqis believe Iran is poised to take over Iraq, a goal it failed to achieve during the eight-year Iraq-Iran War in the 1980s, which the Iraqis fought ferociously to stop this happening at a heavy cost.

This naturally raises the intriguing and provocative question of whether Iran has actually won the war 40 years later, after all the spilled blood, all the destruction and all the sectarian animosity and regional chaos it caused.

The outbreak of the war on 22 September 1980 was one of the turning points in Iraqs modern history. It ushered the country into a prolonged and turbulent era and has dominated Middle Eastern geopolitics since.

One of the wars main consequences was its contribution to two other major wars that have shaped contemporary Iraq. Even before the war with Iran was fading from memory, Iraq entered a new war with a US-led coalition over Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

This was the context within which the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 also took place in an attempt to contain Iraq and solve the problem of Saddams excessive power, accumulated in the process of the war with Iran.

Irans influence in Iraq has grown steadily since the US-led invasion, which overthrew the Saddam regime. The chaos unleashed by the subsequent US occupation allowed Iran to gain the kind of tremendous influence in Iraq that was unthinkable before.

From day one, Iran saw the chance to make its former enemy, still considered to be a threat, into a client state and to dominate it so thoroughly that it could serve as a jumping-off point to spread Iranian influence across the region.

It is generally believed that a complex mix of causes were behind the war, including building tensions and resentments after Irans Islamic Revolution in 1979, growing accusations of mutual meddling in each others internal affairs and territorial disputes.

Saddam also gave as a reason for the invasion a territorial dispute over the Shatt Al-Arab, the strategic waterway which forms the southern boundary between the two countries.

Yet, Saddams decision to invade Iran was also the product of his illusions and miscalculations. After the Islamic Revolution, he had become convinced that he could bring about the fall of the revolutionary regime of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, his arch-enemy in Iran.

Saddams illusion that the Iranian state was already tottering and that it would fall under the hammer blows of his army was probably the major reason behind the eruption of hostilities.

Yet, in the course of the war and as Iraqi forces reeled before Irans steadfast Islamic Revolutionary Guards, the Iranian leadership began openly talking about a strategy to topple the Saddam regime in Iraq.

Although a stalemate was achieved on the battlefield, and the war swept back and forth on the border between the two countries, the Iranian leadership never gave up offensive operations and attempts to capture Iraqi cities in a bid to remove Saddam from power.

The Iranian goal of invading Iraq and installing a friendly regime led by Shia opposition groups in Iraq remained out of reach. But the dream of the leaders of the Islamic Republic was still waiting to come true.

Seventeen years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam, the Islamic Republic has now emerged as the dominant force in its neighbour, meaning that Iraq can never again endanger it militarily and it can use the country as a springboard to extend its regional power.

Since the US-led invasion in 2003, Iran has aggressively sought to consolidate its interests in Iraq by employing a wide range of tactics to pave the way to turning Iraq into part of its sphere of influence.

Through a range of anti-Saddam opposition groups it has hosted and a network of allied Shia militias and the various infiltration tactics it has employed, Iran has emerged as the dominant force in post-US invasion Iraq.

Over the years, Iran has expanded its influence in Iraq, and its role has become multi-layered. Beyond the political and security efforts, perhaps the most visible consequences of Irans influence lie in its commercial, business and investment ties to Iraq.

Iran now tops Iraqs trade partners after China and Turkey, with exports that amount to $12 billion and plans to boost bilateral trade to $20 billion in future.

Iraq relies heavily on Iranian gas imports to feed its power grid, and the two countries have signed transportation agreements for the construction of a railway linking Iran and Iraq with Syria.

Irans influence in Iraq peaked after the rapid advance across the country by militants from the Islamic State (IS) group threw it into chaos and led Baghdad to seek Tehrans help to kick the group out of Iraqi cities.

Incorporating its military help with the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Force (PMF), an umbrella group of Shia paramilitary forces, Iran looked to maintain and increase its hard power presence in Iraq.

The fact that a bloc linked to the PMF came second in Iraqs parliamentary elections in May 2018 offered Tehran the leverage it needed to install Iraqi politicians loyal to it in the countrys parliament and government.

In addition to geopolitical, military, security and economic relations, Iran has also used religious and cultural ties as important soft power tools to intervene in Iraq.

Iran has gone a long way towards consolidating its influence in Iraq since the US-led invasion, due largely to flawed policies exercised by the US in the post-occupation era.

By any standards, Iran has made a dramatic turnaround since the US-led invasion, and its war with Iraq has certainly looked more like victory than it did in the 1980s in the depths of savage battles.

In recent years, Iran has been marking the anniversary of the eight-year war with Iraq with bombastic military parades in Tehran and other major cities and displays of military power and advanced weapons systems.

While Irans leaders remain eager to keep the war as a defining period in national consciousness, in Iraq it has been tucked away in the deepest recesses, almost like a repressed memory.

Unlike in Iran, the anniversary of the war does not receive much consideration from Iraqs current Shia leaders, who are mostly friendly to Iran and support its narrative that the war was imposed on Iran by Saddam.

Whatever the immediate origins of the tragic Iraq-Iran War, its consequences have been far-reaching, and with the Islamic Republic now pushing its roots deeper into Iraq, the eventual victory of Iran in the war has become the mainspring of its leaders attitudes.

At the cost of the destruction of Iraqs army, the fall of its state, and the tearing up of its national fabric, Iran has won its war with Iraq decades later. Irans domination of Iraq today goes back to the titanic shift represented by the US-led invasion of Iraq.

While the scarring legacy of the 1980-1988 war has driven Irans ambitions in Iraq, its domination of the country has influenced its leaders to pursue a hegemonic role in the region through an ambitious nuclear and missile programme and a strategic path through Iraq to Syria protected by proxies.

Yet, while many Iraqis recognise that Irans meddling in their country will likely increase its influence, they still believe that Iran will eventually fail to fulfil its ambitions in Iraq and turn their country into an Iranian client.

Much like winning a hollow victory, Irans dominance in Iraq is likely to generate a further Iraqi pushback, and its influence will continue to be self-limiting and ultimately result in a larger defeat.

In the context of the two nations long and troubled history, Irans currently assertive presence in Iraq is just part of another cycle of conflict.

It will eventually diminish, but unfortunately like all historical cycles before it, it will only do so after leaving a lot of chaos, misery and bitterness behind it.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 31

By Elnur Baghishov  Trend:

A total of 5.2 million tons of cargo was loaded and unloaded at the Shahid Rajaee port of the Khuzestan Province (southwestern Iran) in the 5-th month of the current Iranian year (July 22-August 21, 2020), Trend reports citing Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran (PMO).

According to the report, 3.19 million tons of goods were loaded and 2.01 million tons were unloaded at the port in the 5th month.

More than 2.53 million tons of goods were exported and 483,000 tons were imported through the port during this month, the report said.

During the 5th month, 105,000 tons of goods were loaded and 211,000 tons were unloaded for transit through the Shahid Rajaee port, the report added.

In addition, 504,000 tons of goods were loaded for cabotage, and 1.24 million tons were unloaded during the reporting period, the report noted.

According to the report, 14,500 tons of goods were loaded for transshipment and 30,900 tons were unloaded in the 5th month.

Over the fifth month, 31,400 tons were loaded and 37,300 tons were unloaded for other purposes.

About 127,000 tons of essential products, 479,000 tons of metal products, 667,000 tons of construction materials and mining materials, 4,700 tons of equipment, vehicles and spare parts, 126,000 tons of chemicals were loaded and unloaded via the port in the 5th month, the report said.

According to the report, 5,020 tons of leather, clothing, fiber, wood and other similar products, 5,200 tons of other goods, 1.02 million tons of container products and 2.77 million tons of oil products were loaded and unloaded.

In total, 5.93 million tons of goods were loaded and 4.08 million tons were unloaded through Iranian ports in the 5-th month.
Clean Sweep

"It's so bananas," says Linh Song. "I didn't expect it."

by James Leonard

From the September, 2020 issue

"I didn't think I was going to win," admits Lisa Disch, who, like Song, beat an incumbent city councilmember in the August Democratic primary. Song toppled veteran Jane Lumm in east-side Ward Two 60-40 percent, while Disch beat Anne Bannister in northeast-side Ward One by an even more decisive 68-32.



Both women were backed by mayor Christopher Taylor--but going into the election, it wasn't clear how much weight his endorsement would carry: Though the mayor easily won reelection in 2018, four of the five council candidates he backed then lost.



That reduced the council faction Taylor leads--we call it the Activist Coalition--to a 4-7 minority. An acrimonious two years followed, as the alliance we call the Back-to-Basics Caucus passed initiatives like nonpartisan voting and budget changes, only to be thwarted by mayoral vetoes.



This year, twice as many people voted--and all five candidates Taylor backed won. Since Republicans don't even bother to run anymore, all will be unopposed in November.



Jen Eyer also flipped a seat, defeating Jack Eaton in Ward Four. With Travis Radina and Erica Briggs winning the contests to succeed retiring Activists in wards Three and Five, Taylor's forces will hold a 7-4 advantage.



Brad O'Connor managed the campaigns of Song and Bridges and was Disch's treasurer. He says he saw it coming, because many early absentee ballots were from first-time voters who he knew were more likely to vote for young, progressive candidates. But didn't tell the candidates.



"He kept that a big secret," Disch says. "He was telling me up to the very day before the election, 'You could lose by fifty votes, so we want you to get out there and do one last trip.'"



Eli Savit, who campaigned hard on criminal justice reform, won the three-way county prosecutor primary. "That race definitely activated voters, and people were really looking for reform-minded candidates," says Briggs, who faced two competitors but still got two-thirds of the vote.



Progressive donors

...continued below...

were activated, too. The prosecutor candidates alone raised more than $416,000--about $268,000 for Savit and $144,000 for runner-up Arianne Slay. (Hugo Mack's $4,700 left him a very distant third.)Council candidates collectively raised just over $228,000. The Activists had half again as many donors as their Basics opponents and raised twice as much money: about $137,000 by the end of July vs. $70,000. (Democratic Socialists Evan Redmond and Dan Michniewicz and Palestinian rights activist Mozhgan Savabieasfahani raised about $21,000 between them.)They spent the money on websites, Facebook and Instagram ads, phone and text banking, and a lot more mailers than their opponents. Song says her website alone ran about $5,000.Because of the pandemic, "we couldn't start knocking on doors until mid-June," says Radina, who took 51 percent of the vote in Ward Three against Redmond and Basics-favored Tony Brown. Once they could, they all hit likely voters' doors--some once, most three times--and, despite the pandemic, nobody got sick. "We all observed a lot of safety precautions," says Disch. "None of us were going out to restaurants or bars or playing beer pong!"Song says a lot of the people she met in her east-side ward "just moved to Ann Arbor in the past couple of years, young families." The winning candidates say their voters' biggest concerns were affordable housing and dissatisfaction with the Basics majority--particularly their abrupt firing of city administrator Howard Lazarus last winter.Eighteen voters who responded to an invitation on a2view, the Observer's weekly email newsletter, cited the same issues. Activist voters also generally liked the city's recent growth, while Basics voters deplored what one called "the number, density and height of the newer buildings in the downtown landscape."In addition to flipping control of council, this year's primary voters will also usher in a generational shift: Lumm and Eaton are both sixty-six years old. Song is forty-three and Eyer forty-six.[Originally published in September, 2020.]
New Delhi :

Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday released some videos purportedly showing e-wallet company Paytm being promoted at a slum cluster by Delhi BJP leaders. However, the leaders maintained that they were simply explaining the functionings of government app BHIM.

AAP spokesperson Richa Pandey Mishra accused BJP of playing the role of a sales team for the e-wallet company that has a Chinese company as its biggest investor.

Paytm is sponsoring BJP rallies and BJP leaders are in turn promoting the company. Has BJP turned into a sales team of Paytm? BJP must be aware that a Chinese company is the biggest investor in that company, Mishra told a press conference.

Referring to an event organised by the BJP in Rajinder Nagar constituency's Inder Puri slum cluster, she said the event was also attended by the party's Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari.

Our leaders were sharing the nitty-gritty of BHIM (Bharat Interface for Moneyapp) launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There is nothing wrong if Paytm had a presence as well as the company is well-recognised by the government. But it was not promoted by us, Delhi BJP media in-charge Praveen Kapoor said.

With PTI Inputs
The United States is considering imposing sanctions on seven Belarusians it believes were involved in falsifying the results of the Aug. 9 election and in violence against peaceful protesters, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday.

Weve got a group of seven people that we are working with Treasury for the evidentiary package to impose sanctions, the official told Reuters, saying that the United States was likely to discuss the punitive measures publicly in the coming days.

It is a minimal effort to ... not just name and shame but to show that when people both steal elections and commit violence against peaceful protesters exercising fundamental freedoms of assembly and speech that there needs to be some accountability, added the official.
New Delhi: The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main begins today (September 1) after being postponed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is all prepared to conduct the exam amid COVID-19 guidelines.

The NTA has taken several measures to keep in mind and has also increased the number of examination centres from 570 to 660. Around 8.58 lakh students have registered for the JEE main exams this year.

Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhiyal 'Nishank' has appealed to the chief ministers of various states to support the students appearing for the exam.

The exam this year will be computer-based and there will be a gap of atleast one computer between every student. The shifts of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2020 will be held in two shifts per day that makes a total of 12 shifts in six days. The first shift will be between 9 am to 12 noon and the second will be from 3 pm to 6 pm.

The students were seen availing public transport services to reach the examination centre on Tuesday morning.

The Madhya Pradesh government will arrange free transport for candidates appearing for JEE and NEET examinations, announced Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday.

The Odisha government has also decided to provide free transportation and accommodation to the applicants of Joint Entrance Exams (JEE) and the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) in the state, said Asit Tripathy, State Chief Secretary.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has also given instructions to all District Collectors to make arrangements for transportation of candidates for JEE and NEET exams to their examination centres and bringing them back.

The JEE Main 2020 is being conducted by NTA for admission to Undergraduate Programs in NITs, IIITs and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs), etc. for the next academic year (2020-2021) in two phases.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  The Philippine National Police's second top official is the designated officer-in-charge pending the announcement of the successor of retiring PNP Chief Police General Archie Gamboa.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte has made his decision on the next PNP Chief, but he was ordered to put the announcement on hold.

READ: Cascolan is next PNP Chief

He said PNP Deputy Chief for Administration Police Lieutenant General Camilo Cascolan will temporarily lead the law enforcement agency  with limited powers  after Gamboa retires on Wednesday. He was previously named OIC when Gamboa figured in a helicopter crash in March.

Gamboa, who formally served for less than a year, will step down on his 56th birthday as part of the compulsory retirement for uniformed personnel.

He said he is ready to leave his post. He also refused to comment on rumors he will be appointed as the next National Bureau of Investigation Director.

"I would like to thank the President for giving me the opportunity to serve the Filipino people as chief of the PNP... I am packed and ready to go," he said in a media briefing.
OTTAWA - Most Canadians know very little about new Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole but a new poll suggests his personal qualities and policy positions could eventually give his party a boost.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole holds his first news conference as leader on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Aug. 25, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Most Canadians know very little about new Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole but a new poll suggests his personal qualities and policy positions could eventually give his party a boost.

Fifty-two per cent of respondents said they didn't know enough about O'Toole to say whether they have a positive or negative impression of the new leader, who took the helm of the Official Opposition one week ago.

But 21 per cent had a favourable impression while 18 per cent had an unfavourable impression.

Moreover, the poll, conducted Aug. 28 to 30 by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, found there was no bump in support for the Conservatives following O'Toole's leadership victory.

Support among decided voters for the Conservatives actually dropped one point to 29 per cent versus the previous week. Liberal support also dropped, by three points, to 35 per cent, with the NDP moving up three points to 21 per cent and the Greens down one point to five per cent.

The online survey of 1,521 Canadians cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered random samples, but all those changes are small.

In Quebec, the poll found the Bloc Quebecois ahead with 34 per cent support to the Liberals' 30 per cent, the NDP's 18, the Conservatives' 14 and the Greens' two per cent.

"There's no O'Toole effect on Conservative voting for now because, for the most part, we're still at the Erin Who? stage," said Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque.

Still, the poll asked respondents if they'd be more or less likely to consider voting Conservative based on various O'Toole attributes and policy positions. And those results suggest he could eventually become more of an asset to his party as he becomes better known, although he could face some regional challenges particularly with regard to his energy policies.

Forty-four per cent said they'd be more likely to consider voting Conservative once informed that O'Toole is personally in favour of a woman's right to choose to have an abortion and supports same-sex marriage. Twelve per cent said they'd be less likely.

Respondents were not asked about O'Toole's vow to allow socially conservative MPs to express their views, put forward private members' bills and vote freely on matters of conscience.

A plurality (29 per cent nationally and 44 per cent in Quebec) were more likely to consider supporting the Conservatives when told that O'Toole was born in Montreal and is bilingual, although the fluency of his French has been questioned.

A plurality also were more likely to consider voting Conservative when told that O'Toole is a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces, advocates a harder line against China, supports building new pipelines and is opposed to a carbon tax.

However, a regional divide was apparent over his energy policies. His stance sat particularly well with respondents in Alberta and Manitoba/Saskatchewan but a strong plurality of respondents in Quebec said his support for pipelines made them less likely to consider voting Conservative while Quebecers were almost evenly split over his opposition to a tax on carbon (23 per cent more likely to vote Conservative versus 21 per cent less likely).

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The fact that Alberta Premier Jason Kenney endorsed O'Toole in the leadership contest was the only overall negative, with 20 per cent nationally saying it made them less likely to vote Conservative and 15 per cent saying they'd be more likely. Even in Alberta, 34 per cent said Kenney's support made them less likely to consider O'Toole's party federally, to 26 per cent who said they'd be more likely.

Bourque said the results suggest an openness towards O'Toole but he said the new leader's ultimate success will depend on his ability to distance himself personally from the socially conservative wing of the Conservative party (whose support was a decisive factor in his leadership victory), and on his ability to sell his energy policies in vote-rich central Canada.

All told, Bourque said the poll suggests O'Toole needs time to make himself known to Canadians and would be wise not to try to defeat Justin Trudeau's minority Liberal government this fall.

"He's clearly not ready yet."

Should there be an election this fall in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 78 per cent of respondents said all Canadians should have the option of voting by mail.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020.
She's the Irish rose who was left heartbroken after being rejected by Matt Agnew on The Bachelor in 2019.

But Emma Roche has certainly undergone a dramatic physical transformation since her failed stint on the dating show.

On Tuesday, the reality star, 33, surprised her Instagram followers by showing off her very plump pout and taut visage in a series of photos.

Who's that girl? Former Bachelor star Emma Roche looked unrecognisable as she showed off her plump pout and taut visage on Tuesday

Unrecognisable: Emma surprised her Instagram followers by showing off her very plump pout and taut visage in a series of photos

The beauty wore a full face of makeup, including dewy foundation, blush, and a smokey eye as she posed for a selfie.

Emma kept warm in a grey jumper and leopard-print headband while she styled her brunette locks out.

In another photo, the 33-year-old reality star flaunted her plump lips while wearing a black and white jumper.

It's unclear what Emma has done to enhance her looks, but last year she admitted to getting some 'subtle filler' to create the perfect jawline.

'A pleasure welcoming The Bachelor's Emma Roche back to the clinic recently!'wrote the Cosmos Clinic.

'A subtle treatment of dermal filler to the chin enhanced her profile, created a more defined jawline, and achieved a more balanced overall appearance. Looking forward to seeing you again soon, Emma!'

Changes: It's unclear what the reality star has done to enhance her looks, but last year she admitted to getting some 'subtle filler' to create the perfect jawline

Emma also usually tags the Cosmos Clinic in her Instagram selfies, along with her cosmetic nurse Benoite Boucoiran.

Meanwhile, Emma made it to the top four before she was eliminated on last year's season of The Bachelor.

She was known as a 'stage-five clinger' after becoming the first contestant to drop the L-bomb.
Under fire over the Progressive Conservatives plans to return children to classrooms in two weeks, Premier Doug Ford has quietly toured a Toronto school.

Ford visited Kensington Community School downtown to examine what measures are in place as students resume classes for the first time since he closed schools March 13 as the COVID-19 pandemic heated up.

While the tour was left off the premiers official itinerary and not open to all media, he was accompanied by pool cameras from CityNews and The Canadian Press.

I went through the whole school as if we were walking in as a students, he told reporters hours later at his daily Queens Park teleconference, noting he was impressed by the preparations, such as hand-sanitizing stations at entrances.

Asked if there were anything that gave him pause at the school, which is underenrolled thus has more space per pupil than many other schools, Ford praised principal Daniel Fisher.

Mr. Fisher, this guys a champion, Im telling you. He had everything, just bang-bang-bang-bang. And its the we can do it attitude that I just loved, the premier said.

Carlene Jackson, the director (of the Toronto District School Board has) ... such a positive, positive attitude. Theyve thought of absolutely everything, said Ford.

So, we lined up like we were the students and ... socially distanced, walked in, and we got the hand sanitizer and went through a whole process, and looked at the classrooms, he said.

As I told Mr. Fisher ... we have to and we have given everyone the tools, and the resources, and the financial resources to run the ship. At the end of the day, these principals are in charge of their own schools. Theyre the commanders in chiefs. Theyre in charge.

The premier was accompanied by Education Minister Stephen Lecce, Dr. David Williams, the provinces chief medical officer of health, and Dr. Dirk Huyer, Ontarios provincial outbreak response co-ordinator.

Our schools have really taken a compassionate lens to making sure that our students feel supported from their mental health when they come back, said Lecce.

There is clear signage all over the spaces, including floor markings, stairs that go up one way, another set of stairs that go down, really trying to make sure the flow of movement, he said, adding he was impressed by the use of outdoor space.

(They are) creatively, looking to utilize all of their parking facilities and their recreation spaces, so that learning could happen outside in September and October, weather permitting.

The carefully choreographed visit comes as Ontarios four teacher unions, who represent 190,000 workers, are challenging Fords back-to-school plans, arguing his government has failed to adequately respond to their concerns and is violating the workplace health and safety act.

In an appeal to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens, the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation argue the government has not taken every reasonable precaution to protect workers as required under the law.

Their move is unlikely to have any immediate impact on students returning to classrooms beginning Sept. 15.

But teachers  and many parents and students  remain worried about returning to classrooms for the first time in six months.

Under the governments $900 million plan, all Ontario children Grade 4 and older must wear masks, though all Toronto students from junior kindergarten up will require them. High schoolers in large, urban boards will only attend class in person between 25 to 50 per cent of the time with the rest of their learning online.

Read more about:
Every school district across New York has submitted a reopening plan. But one key element is missing from every plan: resources.

As districts plan to reopen in person, remotely or using a hybrid approach, they are expected to take on this unprecedented challenge with no additional funding. In order for districts to meet the growing educational, emotional and social needs of students, our schools need more resources. Any plan without resources is a plan designed to fail. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state leaders have tasked districts with drafting plans that reduce class sizes, use state of the art technology and provide personal protective equipment to educators and students. Yet they were given zero dollars to execute these plans. Denying schools additional funding, while requiring them to practice social distancing and institute remote learning, is an unrealistic goal. For the high need districts that have been underfunded for more than a decade, it is a challenge that could prove nearly impossible.
The TV series The Durrells  starring Keeley Hawes as Louisa Durrell  was one of ITVs biggest hits in recent years, telling the story of the writer Gerald Durrells family and their four years in Greece.

One of the biggest stars of the show is the island of Corfu. With its sparkling cobalt-blue sea and beautiful mountainous interior, it is easy to see why the famous naturalist and author instantly fell in love with the sun-drenched Greek isle when his family moved there in 1935.

Now you can put yourselves in the shoes of the author  and the shows cast  on our exclusive Corfu trip with the naturalist, author and broadcaster Lee Durrell.

Durrells delights: Corfu Town on the delightful island of Corfu, with its sparkling cobalt-blue sea and beautiful mountainous interior

During this magical holiday, you will visit memorable filming locations from the TV series and many of the places that Lees late husband Gerald immortalised in his wonderful memoir My Family And Other Animals.

Enjoy expertly guided excursions to some of the young Gerrys haunts  including Mouse Island and the Lake of Lilies  and visit the charming home of his literary elder brother, Lawrence.

Youll enjoy a lunch at the renowned Taverna Foros (which has been featured by TV chef Rick Stein), plus you will take a boat trip to Corfus intriguing neighbour Albania.

Pontikonisi  or Mouse Island - which is one of the Durrells favourite places

MEET OUR EXPERT Lee Durrell, the naturalist, broadcaster and writer Naturalist, broadcaster and writer Lee Durrell is the honorary director of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which aims to save endangered species from extinction. The author of three books, including A Practical Guide For The Amateur Naturalist, Lee co-presented several TV series with Gerald and advised on The Durrells  an adaptation of her husbands trilogy of books about his childhood, including My Family And Other Animals. Advertisement

Your special guest will be Lee Durrell, who will share family stories as she introduces you to the Durrells favourite spots. Lee says: The magic of Gerald Durrells childhood can still be experienced.

'It will be a privilege to watch as the sun, sea and flower-filled olive groves that so beguiled the young Gerry once again weave their spell.

REASONS TO BOOK

Meet Lee Durrell: The naturalist will give her personal insights into the life of her late husband and their work together. As well as retracing the young Gerrys footsteps, Lee will give two exclusive talks reflecting on his lifelong love of Corfu and his legacy.

Visit the Durrells favourite places: Anyone who enjoyed reading My Family And Other Animals as a child will have dreamt of spending an afternoon on Pontikonisi, or Mouse Island. Gerald and his sister Margo  played by Milo Parker and Daisy Waterstone in the ITV drama  spent many happy hours on this tiny islet, which is a short scenic boat ride from Corfu Town.

Another highlight will be a trip to Kalami Bay accompanied by Lee. Poet and author Lawrence Durrell lived here with his wife Nancy in the White House, an elegant villa on a beach where the couple loved to swim.

You will also see the location of the original Strawberry Pink Villa where Gerald Durrells family lived and their picnicking spot, Lake Antiniotissa, called the Lake of Lilies by Gerald after the dainty sand lilies there.

Your four-star hotel: You will be staying at the stylish Divani Corfu Palace, with superb sea views, sitting on a peninsula overlooking a lagoon. Your guided walking tour of Corfu Towns cobbled streets will take in elegant Spianada Square and the iconic 16th Century St Spyridon Church.

Another must is the Achilleion Palace and museum, a 100-year-old villa filled with statues and other mementoes of its former royal owners: Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany.

A taste of Albania: Only a sliver of sea separates Corfu from the Albanian coast, where you will enjoy a private guided tour of archaeological site Butrint  the atmospheric ruins of an ancient Greek and Roman city.
WhiteSierra BHPian



Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Hyd / SJC Posts: 394 Thanked: 1,968 Times

View My Garage





Quote: GTO Originally Posted by

What exactly is Bangalore's used car mafia? What is the modus operandi? How are customers disadvantaged? How exactly do they "control" the market?



Thanks!



OT: This might not be related to car mafia but a SCAM alert - a friend of mine was on a lookout for a used car and he zeroed on a 2015 very well maintained Swift VDI on OLX for 2 lakh rupees. We thought it was a steal and called the seller on OLX. The seller was very responsive and he told that he is an Army man, he had to relocate so he was planning to get rid of the car, he was in a hurry to sell it and that explains the less price. He sent few more pictures of the car which weren't on OLX including number plate. No one will get a doubt. So we asked him if we can see the car in person and verify so we can go ahead with purchase process. We live about 15 kms from seller. He asked my friend to first deposit 10 K and then he will send the address to see the car. Strange demand. My friend got a doubt and asked me to call seller as a new buyer. I called him and mentioned that I'm interested in the vehicle, and asked him that the same year and model vehicles are selling for 3.5 lakhs minimum and why he is selling it off for 2 lakhs, he told me that he's originally from Punjab, and he is moving back, since this car bears TS plates he is planning to sell this here and buy a new vehicle there. When I asked if I can see the vehicle , he told me to send 10 K online and then he would ping me his location. I too got a doubt and asked him to send more pictures of car which are not posted on OLX, he sent same pictures which he sent to my friend. Also when he spoke, he clearly spoke Hyderabadi hindi (with some accent), nowhere close to Hindi from North.



My friend felt dejected, atleast he saved himself from getting conned. We blocked his number and proceeded to our nearest second hand car dealer, it is called 'The Car Store' in Balamrai, Secunderabad (just beside Mazda motors). We went there and there were many cars of different models. Owner of the dealer wasn't there but a worker was there, he was quite enthusiastic about cars. He told me the business model how this works. park and sale, RTO works, trade in, various methods of purchase and sale. The prices of used Swifts are around 4.5 lakhs. When I asked him regarding the OLX ad and very low cost (about 2lakhs) and why the prices at his dealership are double, without mentioning ARMY etc, the worker at car dealership himself told that there are many SCAMS going on online, he mentioned that they call themselves ARMY people they demand an 'advance' to show the car and they never show up. Me and my friend were shocked, as he said the exact same thing what that guy from OLX said. The worker at shop told that these guys usually take pictures of cars from basements of malls, tip valet parking people to capture pictures of interiors etc, but after you transfer the money, they will block you or change their numbers. So please do not get tempted on seeing low prices of cars, everything you see is not true on OLX and Quickr. Without seeing cars in flesh or without any written commitment, never pay anyone any advance. This happened last year, wanted to share it via contact us page back then, but somehow on seeing the opening post, decided to type in the whole thing now. My friend finally bought a 2012 i20 magna diesel for 3.6 lakhs, run only 38k kms from an individual seller on Quickr which I consider as a good deal.



P.S : It is always better to sell or buy a car through Team-BHP classifieds as the car will be sold / bought by a fellow enthusiast and you wouldn't have to worry about quality of cars. Rather than pre-owned, these are pre-worshipped vehicles. I drool over used Civics on Team BHP classifieds, although I don't need one. I keep checking out used Thars, Civics , Mercs all the time. Instead of private or individual sellers, I guess most of the cars are sold by dealers / brokers. I've seen such people in Hyderabad and Delhi too. Most of the cars would be posted as individual sellers but if you try contacting them, it is some dealer. These cars aren't even registered in dealers names they like to use terms like 'park and sell', etc where they charge commission from both parties. You never know what you walked into, if it was an accident vehicle or a properly maintained vehicle as mostly these cars are cleaned and polished including tyres. If you take a test drive you'd understand how badly maintained those vehicles are. For a new car you don't have to take a test drive, but for a used car you should definitely take a test drive or even an extended test drive to make sure if the car is mechanically strong!OT: This might not be related to car mafia but a SCAM alert - a friend of mine was on a lookout for a used car and he zeroed on a 2015 very well maintained Swift VDI on OLX for 2 lakh rupees. We thought it was a steal and called the seller on OLX. The seller was very responsive and he told that he is an Army man, he had to relocate so he was planning to get rid of the car, he was in a hurry to sell it and that explains the less price. He sent few more pictures of the car which weren't on OLX including number plate. No one will get a doubt. So we asked him if we can see the car in person and verify so we can go ahead with purchase process. We live about 15 kms from seller. He asked my friend to first deposit 10 K and then he will send the address to see the car. Strange demand. My friend got a doubt and asked me to call seller as a new buyer. I called him and mentioned that I'm interested in the vehicle, and asked him that the same year and model vehicles are selling for 3.5 lakhs minimum and why he is selling it off for 2 lakhs, he told me that he's originally from Punjab, and he is moving back, since this car bears TS plates he is planning to sell this here and buy a new vehicle there. When I asked if I can see the vehicle , he told me to send 10 K online and then he would ping me his location. I too got a doubt and asked him to send more pictures of car which are not posted on OLX, he sent same pictures which he sent to my friend. Also when he spoke, he clearly spoke Hyderabadi hindi (with some accent), nowhere close to Hindi from North.My friend felt dejected, atleast he saved himself from getting conned. We blocked his number and proceeded to our nearest second hand car dealer, it is called 'The Car Store' in Balamrai, Secunderabad (just beside Mazda motors). We went there and there were many cars of different models. Owner of the dealer wasn't there but a worker was there, he was quite enthusiastic about cars. He told me the business model how this works. park and sale, RTO works, trade in, various methods of purchase and sale. The prices of used Swifts are around 4.5 lakhs. When I asked him regarding the OLX ad and very low cost (about 2lakhs) and why the prices at his dealership are double, without mentioning ARMY etc, the worker at car dealership himself told that there are many SCAMS going on online, he mentioned that they call themselves ARMY people they demand an 'advance' to show the car and they never show up. Me and my friend were shocked, as he said the exact same thing what that guy from OLX said. The worker at shop told that these guys usually take pictures of cars from basements of malls, tip valet parking people to capture pictures of interiors etc, but after you transfer the money, they will block you or change their numbers. So please do not get tempted on seeing low prices of cars, everything you see is not true on OLX and Quickr. Without seeing cars in flesh or without any written commitment, never pay anyone any advance. This happened last year, wanted to share it via contact us page back then, but somehow on seeing the opening post, decided to type in the whole thing now. My friend finally bought a 2012 i20 magna diesel for 3.6 lakhs, run only 38k kms from an individual seller on Quickr which I consider as a good deal.P.S : It is always better to sell or buy a car through Team-BHP classifieds as the car will be sold / bought by a fellow enthusiast and you wouldn't have to worry about quality of cars. Rather than pre-owned, these are pre-worshipped vehicles. I drool over used Civics on Team BHP classifieds, although I don't need one. I keep checking out used Thars, Civics , Mercs all the time. Last edited by WhiteSierra : 31st August 2020 at 08:55 . Reason: Reduced quoted text
Taliban carry out complex attack in Gardez, killing at least three soldiers and wounding five others, official says.

At least three members of Afghan government forces have been killed after Taliban fighters launched a complex attack on a military base in the eastern city of Gardez, an official told Associated Press.

Abdul Rahman Mangal, spokesman for Paktia provincial authorities, said at least five other officers were wounded in the attack, adding that security forces killed both attackers in a gun battle in the provincial capital.

Mangal added that a suicide car bomber targeted the entrance gate of the base in Gardez, then two gunmen started shooting at the public protection forces  a paramilitary-style force funded by the government.

The area is now under control, the spokesman said.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, announced the groups claim of responsibility for the attack.

The attack comes after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani appointed a 46-member council for national reconciliation, which will have the final say on whether the government will sign a peace deal with the Taliban after what are expected to be protracted and uncertain negotiations with the armed group.

The negotiations to be held between the Kabul leadership and the Taliban were envisaged under a US-Taliban peace agreement signed in February.

The Taliban has been engaged in an armed rebellion since 2001 when it was removed from power in a US-led invasion.

But the so-called intra-Afghan talks aimed at reaching lasting peace have been delayed over a prisoner swap set out in the February deal which envisaged the Afghan government releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners in return for 1,000 security force prisoners held by the armed group.

The Afghan government  which had been excluded from the February deal  has reversed a decision to release the last 320 Taliban prisoners it is holding until the armed group free more captured soldiers.

The agreement signed in the Qatari capital Doha also called for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees by the Taliban.
Philadelphia lawyer Gaetan Alfano represents court-appointed receiver Ryan K. Stumphauzer in overseeing Par Funding and A Better Financial Plan as their owners defend against SEC civil fraud charges Read more

Montgomery County financial adviser Dean Vagnozzi says a federal lawsuit criticizing lender Par Funding and Vagnozzis ties to the firm could end up hurting investors in his unrelated funds, but the court-appointed receiver in the case says Vagnozzis recent actions make him hard to trust.

On Friday, Vagnozzi warned that a federal judges freeze on his bank accounts  ordered in response to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions lawsuit  threatens to halt the payment of premiums for life-settlement policies packaged as investments for hundreds of his customers.

He asked U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz to unfreeze money to pay those premiums so the policies bought by investors dont expire starting as soon as Wednesday.

Brian P. Miller, a lawyer for Vagnozzi, expressed impatience with the SECs criticism in a court filing Friday.

Mr. Vagnozzi is sick and tired of being falsely accused of being uncooperative, Miller wrote. And this has zero to do with whether life insurance premiums should be paid.

But in his court response Monday, Gaetan Alfano, the lawyer for the court-appointed receiver who has taken control of Par and Vagnozzis businesses, questioned whether it was clear which were the right funds to pay the premiums.

Alfano also sharply criticized Vagnozzis $550,000 payment to a disgruntled investor in August  a payment made after his money was supposedly frozen in response to the SEC lawsuit. According to Alfano, Vagnozzi:

Chose not to disclose the payment to receiver Ryan K. Stumphauzer, let alone ask permission. The money went to a Chester County investor in Par Funding who wanted his cash back.

Paid the money in August, but relied on a backdated document to later argue that he had actually made the payment in July before the freeze.

Made a false claim that he had told receiver Stumphauzer about the payout. But Alfano said the receiver learned of the payment only when the investor, David Jancarski of Blue Bell, disclosed in a public filing in a separate case in a county court that he had settled a suit with Vagnozzi.

Alfano has called on Jancarski to return the money. Jancarski and the lawyer, Gerald Berkowitz, did not respond to requests for comment.

In its sweeping complaint against Par Funding, Vagnozzi, and others, the SEC says the defendants raised almost $600 million from 1,200 investors by falsely claiming that Pars business was insured against investors losses.

They also say that the investors werent told about the criminal past of a Par founder, a twice-convicted scammer now in prison awaiting trial on a firearms charge.

The defendants have argued that investors knew what they were getting into, and they blame the coronavirus shutdown of businesses for Pars struggle to keep up payments to investors.

Vagnozzi has argued that the receivership has been unnecessary  and that, if Par Funding has done anything wrong, he, too, is a victim. While not disputing a need for the SEC to probe Par, Vagnozzi says he doesnt want investors in his other funds to suffer.

The receiver and the SEC cited the Jancarski payout in challenging Vagnozzis motion, filed last week, that premiums be paid for life insurance policies. Those policies are backing his Pillar Life Settlement and ABFP Multi-Strategy investment funds, which have raised more than $50 million from investors. The second funds name uses the initials of Vagnozzis King of Prussia company, A Better Financial Plan.

The Pillar and Multi-Strategy funds are each at least partly funded by life insurance policies bought at a discount from elderly sellers who wanted cash upfront instead of letting their heirs collect when they died. Such investments are also called viaticals.

Besides life settlements, the Multi-Strategy funds also invested in Par Funding. And at least one of the Pillar funds was partly invested in non-insurance assets, records show. Par Funding raised money from investors that it then lent at high interest to merchants short of cash.

The receiver says he wants to make sure Vagnozzi hasnt improperly co-mingled investor money in his various funds. He wants to be sure any money paid for premiums doesnt come from an incorrect source, and thus harm investors in other funds.

Miller, Vagnozzis lawyer, told the court that his client has completed his accounting to the government.

Not so, said Alfano. In his Monday response, the lawyer wrote that the receiver does not believe that any of Vagnozzis funds have submitted any accounting to the SEC.

In an order late Monday, Judge Ruiz called on Vagnozzi to detail any financial and legal connections between the Pillar and Multi-Strategy funds and other companies by 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Sorting out the Pillar and Multi-Strategy funds isnt the only challenge facing the receiver.

Stumphauzer has also pushed Par Fundings longtime law firm, Fox Rothschild LLP of Philadelphia, to produce extensive legal records, including documents that lay out the firms lending process, and paperwork from the 2,500 default lawsuits that Par Funding has brought against its borrowers.

Fox Rothschild complained Monday to the judge that it had provided many records, but should not be expected to produce the tens of thousands of documents sought by Stumphauzer unless Fox receives a detailed subpoena and the receiver pays costs.
The boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, the Louisville woman killed in a "hail of police gunfire" during a late night raid earlier this year, filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday against the city and department.

Kenneth Walker "has already sustained life-long trauma, still fears harm from those who consider him a danger and seek to take away his freedom again," according to a complaint filed by his lawyer, Steve Romines, in Jefferson County District Court.

Breonna Taylor with boyfriend Kenneth Walker. (via Ju'Niyah Palmer)

Louisville police Sgt. Lamont Washington told NBC News they do not comment on pending litigation.

The county attorney, who represents the city in civil litigation, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for Mayor Greg Fischer declined to specifically address claims in the civil complaint.

"Weve not seen the lawsuit and cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation," Fischer's Director of Communications Jean Porter said in a statement.

"But as the mayor has said, Breonna Taylor's death was a tragedy, and justice, peace and healing are what is needed for her, for her loved ones and for our community."

Taylor and Walker, a former EMT, were in her apartment just before 1 a.m. on March 13, when three plainclothes officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department arrived to execute a search warrant in a drug case.

"They refused to answer when we yelled, 'Who is it?'" Walker told reporters Tuesday on the courthouse steps. "Fifteen minutes later, Breonna was dead from a hail of police gunfire and I was in police custody."

Romines said the defendants have to be held liable for the botched raid.

"They said there's drugs there. There's no drugs there. They said there's money there. There's no money there," Romines said.

"Everything that they said about this was false. And yet they (said) 'Well no harm, no foul.' No. There has to be consequences."

Story continues

The two believed the apartment was being broken into when police busted through the door, according to Walker and a previous lawsuit by Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer.

Walker grabbed a gun and fired, shooting an officer in the leg. He had a license to carry and kept firearms in the home, and Taylor was unarmed, according to the lawsuit brought by Taylors family.

"Thats when Kenny heard the police yell at him  and thats when Kenny realized the police were the perpetrators," according to Tuesday's civil complaint. "Although Breonnas life tragically ended that morning, Kennys nightmare had just begun."

Walker was initially charged with attempted murder, but that count was dropped.

"The charges brought against me were meant to silence me and cover up Breonna's murder," Walker said. "For her and those that I love, I can no longer remain silent."

One Louisville police officer involved in the shooting, Brett Hankison, was fired. Two other officers involved were reassigned while an investigation is ongoing.

Even though charges were dropped against Walker, his lawyers fear that authorities could still go after him.

"His entire life has been changed," said Frederick Moore, another one of Walker's lawyers.

"Not only is the love of his life gone ... but let's also talk about the potential psychological effects of being shot at, that many times in the dark and the trust or lack thereof now for the criminal justice system and how they treated him."

Taylor's slaying and the death of Georgie Floyd, while in custody of Minneapolis officers, has sparked a summer-long series of protests across America, calling for police reform and other actions against systemic racism.
T hree "young" Britons are being questioned by police after a mother-of-four from Yorkshire died in Corfu when she was struck by a speedboat while swimming in the sea.

The 60-year-old woman, who has been named online as Claire Glatman, is understood to have suffered severe leg injuries after being struck by the vessel's propeller.

She was discovered by bathers close to Avlaki Beach on the north-east of the island on Monday morning, according to local news website EPT.

Greek press reports suggested the speed boat was pulling water skiers when it collided with Mrs Glatman.

The boat, apparently driven by one of the Britons held by port police, was later found abandoned at a marina on the other side of the island.

The three Brits, who have been described by Greek media as being "young" are currently being held by police.

Mrs Glatman, who lived in Bedale to the west of the town of Northallerton, was said to be enjoying her regular morning swim in the sea off Avlaki Beach when she was struck by the boat.

A post-mortem examination is due to be held on Tuesday, with the Greek coast guard saying her body bore obvious signs of being hit by a boat propeller.

Local media said Mrs Glatman was popular on the island, and was described by a friend as a very good and genuinely nice person.

Another wrote on Facebook: She was an absolutely lovely woman. Very much loved on this island. Thoughts to the family.

A friend told the Telegraph Ms Glatman was an experienced swimmer and had a twin sister.

She regularly spent several months of the year at a family-owned villa, reports the newspaper.

A Foreign Office statement added: We are supporting the family of a British woman following her death in Corfu and our staff are in contact with the Greek police.

Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.

Additional reporting by PA Media.
Groups dedicated to rallying young voters have worries that go beyond registrations. With campuses closing, college students are especially transient, causing confusion about whether they should register at their home or school address. The shift to mail voting raises other unexpected hurdles for young voters, including a lack of familiarity with the U.S. Postal Service and even improper cursive penmanship that can lead to rejected votes.

Younger voters are behind the eight ball to begin with, and COVID is just going to make it worse, said Daniel Smith, a professor and chair of political science at the University of Florida, who has studied mail-in balloting.

All these worries are a bigger headache for Democrats, who are more dependent on the support of college voters and, in a traditional campaign, their volunteerism. Voters under 30 made up 13% of the electorate in 2016, according to an analysis by Pew Research Center.

This year, polls show that age group favors Biden by a wide margin. And if they vote, they could also play an important role in Senate, House and down-ballot contests.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday declared the final result of the Combined Defence Services (II) 2019. A total of 196 candidates have been selected on the basis of the exam held on September 2019 and the interviews held by the Services Selection Boards (SSB) of Ministry of Defence. Candidates can check their results online at, upsc.gov.in.

The number of vacancies, as intimated by the Centre is 100 for Indian Military Academy (including 13 vacancies reserved for NCC C certificates (Army Wing) holders), 45 for Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala Executive (General Service)/Hydro (including 06 vacancies reserved for NCC C Certificate holders of Naval Wing) and 32 for Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (03 vacancies are reserved for NCC C Certificate of Air Wing holders through NCC Spl. Entry.

The Commission had recommended 2699, 1592 and 0611 as qualified in the written test for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy, respectively. The number of candidates finally qualified are those after the SSB test conducted by Army Head Quarters.

How to check the results:

1. Visit the official website

2. On the home page, click on the link that reads, Final results: Combined Defence Services Examination (I), 2019, appearing under Whats new section

3. On the webpage, click on the link available to check the results

4. UPSC CDS final result in the pdf format will appear on the display screen

5. Scroll down and look for your result

6. Download the result and take its print out for future reference.

The results of Medical examination have not been taken into account in preparing these lists. Verification of date of birth and educational qualifications of these candidates is still under process by the Army Headquarters. The candidature of all these candidates is, therefore, Provisional on this score. Candidates are requested to forward their certificates, in original, in support of Date of Birth/Educational qualification etc. claimed by them, along with Photostat attested copies thereof to Army Headquarters /Naval Headquarters /Air Headquarters, as per their first choice.

In case, there is any change of address, the candidates are advised to promptly intimate directly to the Army Headquarters /Naval Headquarters /Air Headquarters. These results will also be available on the UPSC website at http://www.upsc.gov.in. However, marks of the candidates will be available on the website after declaration of the final result of Officers Training Academy (OTA) for Combined Defence Services Examination (II), 2019.
Using radiocarbon dating and CT scanning to study ancient bones, researchers have uncovered for the first time a Bronze Age tradition of retaining and curating human remains as relics over several generations.

While the findings, led by the University of Bristol and published in the journal Antiquity, may seem eerie or even gruesome by today's convention, they indicate a tangible way of honouring and remembering known individuals between close communities and generations some 4,500 years ago.

"Even in modern secular societies, human remains are seen as particularly powerful objects, and this seems to hold true for people of the Bronze Age. However, they treated and interacted with the dead in ways which are inconceivably macabre to us today," said lead author, Dr Thomas Booth, who carried out the radiocarbon dating work at the university's School of Chemistry.

"After radiocarbon dating Bronze Age human remains alongside other materials buried with them, we found many of the partial remains had been buried a significant time after the person had died, suggesting a tradition of retaining and curating human remains."

"People seem to have curated the remains of people who had lived within living or cultural memory, and who likely played an important role in their life or their communities, or with whom they had a well-defined relationship, whether that was direct family, a tradesperson, a friend or even an enemy, so they had a relic to remember and perhaps tell stories about them," said Dr Booth.

In one extraordinary case from Wiltshire, a human thigh bone had been crafted to make a musical instrument and included as a grave good with the burial of a man found close to Stonehenge. The carefully carved and polished artefact, found with other items, including stone and bronze axes, a bone plate, a tusk, and a unique ceremonial pronged object, are displayed in the Wiltshire Museum. Radiocarbon dating of this musical instrument suggests it belonged to someone this person knew during their lifetime.

"Although fragments of human bone were included as grave goods with the dead, they were also kept in the homes of the living, buried under house floors and even placed on display", said Professor Joanna Bruck, principal investigator on the project, and Visiting Professor at the University of Bristol's Department of Anthropology and Archaeology.

"This suggests that Bronze Age people did not view human remains with the sense of horror or disgust that we might feel today."

The team also used microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) at the Natural History Museum to look at microscopic changes to the bone produced by bacteria, to get an indication of how the body was treated while it was decomposing.

"The micro-CT scanning suggested these bones had come from bodies that had been treated in similar ways to what we see for Bronze Age human remains more generally. Some had been cremated before being split up, some bones were exhumed after burial, and some had been de-fleshed by being left to decompose on the ground," Dr Booth said.

"This suggests that there was no established protocol for the treatment of bodies whose remains were destined to be curated, and the decisions and rites leading to the curation of their remains took place afterwards."

There is already evidence people living in Britain during the Bronze Age practiced a range of funerary rites, including primary burial, excarnation, cremation and mummification. However, this research reveals the dead were encountered not just in a funerary context, but that human remains were regularly kept and circulated amongst the living.

These findings may tell us something about how Bronze Age communities in Britain drew upon memory and the past to create their own social identities. Unlike our regard for saintly relics today, they do not seem to have focused on very old human remains and the distant past of ancestors, rather they were concerned with the remains of those within living memory.

"This study really highlights the strangeness and perhaps the unknowable nature of the distant past from a present-day perspective. It seems the power of these human remains lay in the way they referenced tangible relationships between people in these communities and not as a way of connecting people with a distant mythical past," said Dr Booth.

###

Paper:

'Radiocarbon and histo-taphonomic evidence for the curation and excarnation of human remains in Bronze Age Britain' by Thomas Booth and Joanna Bruck in Antiquity

Notes to editors

To arrange an interview with the lead author Dr Thomas Booth, please email thomas.booth@crick.ac.uk or call: 07932806059.

A selection of photographs, including caption and credit details, are available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xe4EWdFiHwH9XMiMSpNUM3Hi-Bfx6zkh?usp=sharing

More information on the burial site overlooking Stonehenge, the contents of which are on display at the Wiltshire Museum, in Devizes can be found here: https://www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk/?artwork=musical-instrument-made-from-human-tibia
Police say Alex Blake and a woman are travelling in a stolen car and believed to have a gun

A man wanted in Queensland is on the run in South Australia after evading a border checkpoint.

Police say Alex Blake and a woman are travelling in a stolen car and believed to have a gun.

They crossed into SA on Monday afternoon in a white Toyota HiLux ute that was stolen from a Queensland address on Sunday.

Police allege the ute was involved in a petrol drive-off at Innamincka on Monday and also drove at speed towards a man in the town.

The pair were later spotted at Hawker, in SA's mid-north and then at Port Augusta.

Anyone spotting the car or Blake and his companion should not approach them, but call police.
NEW DELHI: After yet another attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the two sides resumed brigade commander-level talk to resolve all contentious issues on Tuesday (September 1, 2020). According to the sources, the talks began around 10 AM in Chushul on the Indian side of the border.

The two countries will hold a discussion over a host of issues like China's demand asking Indian troops to leave some places that it alleges have been occupied by the Indian Army. A brigade commander-level flag meeting was also held on Monday at Chushul to resolve the issues after Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a fresh skirmish at the southern bank of Pangong lake.

Meanwhile, India also has raised concerns about Chinese deployment in areas like Black Top and Helmet Top.

Army Spokesperson Col Aman Anand said the Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect India's territorial integrity.

On Monday, China accused the Indian Army of crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and purposely violating the consensus reached "multi-level talks" between the two nations.

China's official newspaper Global Times wrote that the border dispute will definitely go ahead, predicting a Sino-India war. It also wrote that China will have to take a tough stand against India or else the difficulties will increase for China.

PLA's infiltration bid in Pangong Lake took place on the night of August 29/30 when Chinese troops tried to make incursions near Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh. This area is in India's possession, therefore, China is striving hard to have control over it to gain strategic advantage. The Indian Army, however, was already alert and took strong action against the Chinese PLA the moment an alert was sounded.

Indian soldiers reached a higher position and forced the Chinese army to retreat without firing a single shot.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.
An internal investigation into the arrest of Worcester Police Officer Michael Escobar resulted in Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent recommending the officer be fired, but months later the officer remains a member of the department.

A Worcester police spokesman confirmed Monday that the officer remains on paid administrative leave months after his arrest on charges of driving while under the influence of alcohol, using a motor vehicle without authority and riding, walking or driving on railroad property.

Worcester District Court records show Escobars criminal case is still ongoing in court.

When the 30-year-old officer from Charlton was arrested on Jan. 20, Sargent was notified of the arrest. Deputy Police Chief Paul Saucier then notified Capt. Kenneth Davenport from the Bureau of Professional Standards.

The internal investigation is detailed in a 12-page report obtained by MassLive through a public records request.

As stated in the criminal case filed in court and in the internal records obtained by MassLive, Escobar was never asked to perform field sobriety tests at the time of his arrest. A police lieutenant noted the parking lot was icy at the time of the arrest.

Officers responded around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 20 to the MBTA railroad tracks behind Pats Service Station and Union Station in Worcester.

A white, four-door Subaru was stuck on the tracks, according to the BOPS report by Sgt. Kevin Pageau.

Escobar, identified by police as the driver of the Subaru, got out and then jumped into a white pickup truck owned by CSX, police said.

He then drove it around the CSX property, got it stuck on the tracks causing significant damage before officers arrived and placed him in custody, Pageau wrote. Escobar was then charged and booked.

The officer, who is from Charlton, was investigated internally for conduct unbecoming an officer and four acts of criminal conduct associated with his arrest, according to the records obtained by MassLive.

Sargent reviewed the internal investigation on Feb. 28 and sustained the conduct unbecoming of an officer charge and the four criminal conduct charges. The chief then wrote in the comments, Termination Recommended.

MassLive asked a Worcester police spokesman if the process to fire Escobar was ever initiated, but the department did not respond to the question.

In 911 dispatch calls reviewed by police, a man can be heard calling to report someone on the railroad tracks. The man called from Boston on behalf of Keolis/MBTA stating the CSX yardmaster reported someone drove on the tracks and got a vehicle stuck on them.

The CSX yardmaster also called stating he had a drunk guy just drive his car on the tracks under the (Interstate) 290 bridge, the internal report said.

He took one of the trucks trying to find his friend, the caller stated. He is obviously intoxicated.

Escobars friend, according to the BOPS report, was inside the Subaru when it got stuck. The friend refused to speak to Pageau after the investigator located him. The friend was drunk inside the Subaru when police arrived, according to police. The man was taken to an area hospital due to his high level of intoxication.

Investigators also checked Escobars booking video which lasted 23 minutes. Escobar refused a Breathalyzer test and he was placed in a cell at police headquarters. His license was suspended for failing to take the Breathalyzer test, Pageau said in his report.

Video obtained from CSX showed the Subaru on the railroad tracks. The video showed a man walk around a Ford F-150 and then get inside. The man then begins to drive through the CSX rail yard. The man driving is Escobar, according to police. The truck was leased by CSX.

An employee of a company subcontracted by CSX approached Escobar and noted that the off-duty officer was out of it, internal reports said.

Escobar told the man he fell asleep in his car and did not know how it ended up on the tracks, the BOPS report states.

Escobar pulled away in the Ford and then drove onto the tracks, according to the video. The truck then got stuck.

The truck had nearly $8,000 worth of damage, according to investigators who obtained the estimate from the Westborough dealership where the Ford was taken.

Escobar, according to witness statements, also climbed onto a parked CSX train before getting into the Ford.

The video clip showing the incident was nearly 50 minutes long. At the end of the video, police arrived.

Investigators noted that on Jan. 31, there were barriers placed to block vehicles from accessing the tracks.

When police arrived at the rail yard, officers found Escobar in the drivers seat of the Ford. Escobar was placed in a police cruiser. Lt. Matthew Early asked Escobar if he was injured.

The off-duty officer responded, no.

Early noted he could smell alcohol on Escobars breath and observed his eyes were glassy, reports said.

I asked Escobar what happened, he told me he did not know how his vehicle got up on to the tracks and that he then tried to use the CSX pickup truck to attempt to move his vehicle off the tracks, the lieutenant told Pageau.

Early, according to the BOPS report, stated that because the weather was windy and bitterly cold and the parking lot was covered in ice, he did not have Officer Escobar perform any field sobriety tests.

Early drove Escobar back to the station in his cruiser.

Escobar remains out on personal recognizance as his case continues in court.

MassLive reporter Melissa Hanson contributed to this report
An Australian television anchor for the Chinese English state news channel, CGTN, is currently being detained by authorities in Beijing. In a statement released on August 31 by Australias foreign minister, Marise Payne, the Australian government said it was notified of Cheng Leis detention on August 14. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) seeks immediate clarification on the justification for Cheng Leis detention and calls for her release.

The Australian journalist has worked as an anchor and reporter for CGTN for the past eight years, primarily as a business reporter. Cheng was born in Yueyang, Hunan province, in 1975 and emigrated to Melbourne with her parents at the age of 10. She first worked in China in 2001 as a business analyst and joined CGTN's predecessor, CCTV News, in 2002. She also worked as a journalist for financial channel CNBC Asia in China and Singapore.

Cheng has not been charged but is being held under "residential surveillance at a designated location", which enables authorities to hold suspects for up to six months and prevent them from seeing lawyers. According to the ABC, Cheng's friends became concerned after she stopped responding to messages in recent weeks.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs statement said: Australian officials had an initial consular visit with Ms Cheng at a detention facility via video link on 27 August and will continue to provide assistance and support to her and her family.

Cheng's two children are in Melbourne with family members. In a statement the family has called for caution and said they in close consultation with the Australian government.

As a family we are aware of the current situation with regard to Cheng Lei's status as advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the family said in a statement released this week. In China, due process will be observed and we look forward to a satisfactory and timely conclusion to the matter. We ask that you respect that process and understand there will be no further comment at this time."

Cheng is the second high-profile Australian citizen to be detained in Beijing after writer Yang Hengjun was arrested in January 2019 on suspicion of espionage.

The IFJ said: The detention of Cheng Lei without cause or reason is deeply concerning, particularly if it means she has no access to legal support or communication with her family in Australia. We urge for immediate clarification on the circumstances surrounding her detention and call for every effort to resolve the matter promptly to secure her release.
I dont think anybody wants to appear in any way, shape or form boastful about this because we recognize that things can turn on the drop of a dime, Pelkie said. We recognize there are going to be cancellations, there are always cancellations, and if the pandemic worsens we could be in a different situation.
Scott Morrison wants overseas travel bubbles in place before the end of the year even if some states do not take part, Daily Mail Australia understands.

The federal government began travel-bubble talks with New Zealand in May but the plan was put on hold when coronavirus cases in Melbourne spiked.

Now that case numbers are coming down after strict lockdowns, international travel is back on the agenda.

Scott Morrison would like to see overseas travel bubbles in place before the end of the year. Pictured: Tahiti in French Polynesia

Japan, which has low case number of coronavirus, wants to be part of a travel bubble with Australia. Pictured: Tokyo

Japan, Singapore and Pacific islands such as Fiji, which have low case numbers or zero community transmission, have said they would like travel bubbles with Australia.

The prime minister is keen for arrangements to be in place by Christmas, but only if the health experts say it is safe.

'The aim is later this year but it's dependent on the health advice,' a federal source told Daily Mail Australia.

A travel bubble deal with another country would allow Aussies to fly there without having to quarantine when they get home.

It would also allow tourists from that country to enter Australia without quarantine, boosting the economy and providing jobs.

Japan, Singapore and Pacific islands such as Fiji (pictured), which have zero community transmission, have said they would like travel bubbles with Australia

The federal government began travel bubble talks with New Zealand in May but the plan was put on hold when coronavirus cases in Melbourne spiked. Pictured: Fiordland National Park

Where could be open for Aussies to travel? New Zealand Japan Singapore Pacific islands such as Fiji Advertisement

Unlike domestic borders, which are controlled by state governments, international flights are overseen by the federal government.

However, the prime minister is likely to respect a request from a premier who does not want international flights to and from their state.

This means that people living in Sydney could be allowed abroad but people in Perth, where Premier Mark McGowan is reluctant to open up, may be trapped at home.

Tourism operators in states that request to limit flights or keep quarantine measures in place will continue to be starved of international customers.

If some states encourage international travel and benefit from it then this could put pressure on other states to follow suit.

In normal times almost a million jobs in Australia are directly or indirectly linked to tourism.

On Friday Mr Morrison said he is 'trying to get the New Zealand travel bubble back in place.'

He added: 'I'd like to see that also if we can among the Pacific nations... Japan is keen to do it, Singapore is keen to do this and there are a number of nations that are happy to do this with us.'

State premiers are facing growing calls to ease border restrictions. Pictured: The NSW-Victoria border at Albury

Poll Should states open their borders? Yes No Undecided Should states open their borders? Yes 1263 votes

No 469 votes

Undecided 91 votes Now share your opinion





In May Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said travel bubbles will operate in some states even if others opt out.

'If New Zealand and some Australian states are ready and willing to progress, then the reluctance of other states to open up their domestic borders shouldn't become an obstacle to progress,' he said.

In the meantime, Mr Morrison's priority is to re-open domestic borders.

Western Australia and Tasmania are closed to all states and Queensland is not letting anyone from NSW or the ACT cross the border, even if they are from areas with no cases.

The prime minister on Friday said he feared state premiers were forgetting the federation and 'retreating into provincialism.'

Mr Morrison has ordered health experts to come up with a definition of a hotspot to guide states on which areas they should shut their borders to.

'We need to get borders open, taking into account health advice that is conveyed transparently,' he said.

Senator Birmingham on Tuesday said: 'I urge Australia's state and territory leaders to engage constructively in an evidence-based process around the definitions of hot spots and the opening up of borders ahead of national cabinet this Friday.

'We are seeing many, many jobs being lost across the country and they will continue to be lost in our travel and tourism sector and many lives disrupted, especially in cross-border communities if we don't get a common approach.'

National Cabinet will discuss domestic borders on Friday.

Victoria recorded 70 new cases overnight, down from a peak of more than 700 cases in July.

Current caps on overseas arrivals Sydney  limit of 350 passenger arrivals per day; Perth  limit of 525 passenger arrivals per week; Brisbane  limit of 500 passenger arrivals per week; Adelaide  limit of 500 passenger arrivals per week; Canberra, Darwin  passenger limits on each flight to be discussed with jurisdictions on a case-by-case basis; Hobart  no international flights Melbourne - International flights suspended Advertisement
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chiefs of three defence services were among the dignitaries who paid their last respects to former president Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday morning.

Mukherjee's mortal remains were brought to his residence, 10, Rajaji Marg, earlier today from the army hospital where he breathed his last on Monday.

Cremation is scheduled in the afternoon. The union government had on Monday announced a seven-day state mourning as a mark of respect for the former president. Mukherjee, one of India's most respected politicians, died following a 21-day battle with with multiple ailments. He was 84.

#WATCH Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays last respects to former President #PranabMukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg. pic.twitter.com/m5nTXr4oOU ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020
MIAMI - An ombudswoman for the Organization of American States is facing criticism that she assisted Secretary General Luis Almagro in a widely condemned effort to remove the regions top human rights official, The Associated Press has learned.

Neida Perez is required to operate independently from the Washington-based organizations leadership to act as a sounding board for its employees and act as an impartial arbiter to resolve workplace disputes.

But in recent days, she stepped into the middle of a bitter feud between Almagro and the leadership of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, or IACHR, the regions top rights watchdog.

Almagro on Aug. 15 informed the IACHR that he would block its unanimous decision taken seven months earlier to extend Brazilian rights activist Paulo Abraos mandate as head of the autonomously run commission. The decision came on the same day Abraos four-year contract was set to expire.

Human rights defenders and the United Nations immediately condemned the move as a threat to the IACHRs independence. But Almagro dug in, saying he was defending mistreated employees who filed 61 complaints against Abrao and the commission alleging favouritism, conflicts of interest and impunity for employees accused of sexual harassment.

Perez on Aug. 26 -- two days before Almagro issued a scathing attack on Abrao  sent a text message to several current and former OAS employees requesting permission to share anonymously with the Secretary General some of the complaints and concerns she says she fielded last year while looking into the workplace environment. She added that Almagro was readying a press conference or statement to put something of transparency and relevancy to the employees complaints.

Would you be willing? wrote Perez. If so, in a few lines, whats the most relevant that you feel you can share without being identified about the way the irregularities and inconsistencies in the IACHR affected you?

The text message was shared with the AP by someone who said they felt pressured by Perezs outreach and considered it inappropriate. The person declined to be named for fear of retaliation.

According to the OAS own General Standards adopted last year, the Ombudsperson must be a confidential, informal, and neutral professional who must never advocate on behalf of any individual.

Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director of Human Rights Watch, said that allegations of misconduct against the commission, including its executive secretary, should be rigorously investigated. But he said Perezs involvement in the dispute over Abrao raises legitimate doubts about her offices independence.

This intervention is suggestive of an unprecedented political manoeuvr by the OAS secretary general, he said.

Perez, a citizen of Colombia and the U.S., told the AP she is barred from taking sides or participating in public disputes between Almagro and the commission. She says she was contacted by employees who felt mistreated under Abraos management with the hopes of sharing their experiences publicly and anonymously.

I was asked by employees and agreed to give a voice to employees who felt invisible and then shared their testimonies with both Secretary Almagro and the commission, Perez said.

She says she learned about Almagros plans to issue a statement from other OAS employees  not the Secretary General himself. A summary of her findings, based on interviews that took place mostly last year, was delivered Aug. 10 to the commission and Almagro, who in turn recommended the Inspector Generals office open a formal probe, which it has. Until now, there has been no formal investigation or even administrative proceedings taken against Abrao.

Two regional diplomats told the AP that conservative U.S. allies Colombia and Brazil viewed Abrao, who previously worked in the Workers Party government in Brazil, as too cozy with human rights activists and quick to interfere in domestic affairs. The diplomats spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they arent authorized to speak to the press.

Almagros statement criticizing Abrao doesnt refer to any specific complaints against him. Almagros office said it learned about Perezs outreach to the commissions accusers from the president of the IACHR and has sought the opinion of the OAS legal department to see if she violated any internal norms.

Almagro was elected as head of the OAS in 2015 with near unanimous support after having served as foreign minister in Uruguays leftist government.

Once installed in Washington, he made common cause with the U.S. in opposing Cuba and Venezuelas socialist governments, once even mimicking President Donald J. Trumps line that he wouldnt rule out using military force to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. His remarks were later condemned by a group of 11 conservative Latin American nations opposed to Maduro.

Almagro, who was re-elected in March with the support of 23 of the OAS 34 member states, has insisted he has no interest in selecting the IACHRs next executive secretary or impinging on its autonomy. But he said he wont stand by as the rights of civil servants are being trampled on.

It is extremely serious to ignore these rights, to ignore the complaints, he said in his Aug. 28 statement. That is no longer passive complicity; it is an active coverup.

A former co-worker of Abrao characterized him as a domineering boss who would marginalize and publicly humiliate those who didnt share his views. The person is still employed by the OAS but said they were under no pressure from their employer to speak out and saw nothing inappropriate in Perezs outreach. They spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from Abrao.

Abrao, in an interview with the AP, disputed Almagros claims of mismanagement and said he personally recommended to several employees that they take their workplace concerns to the Ombudspersons office. While he wouldnt speculate on why Almagro wants him gone, he said his attempts to reform the commission so it would be more responsive to the regions victims was met with stiff resistance by some employees set in their ways.

These are natural internal tensions, he said. I have always been willing to listen and I am open to any serious and impartial investigation with all rights preserved. But what I cant accept is a summary trial in the media.



Torrens reported from New York. AP Writer Ricardo Della Coletta contributed to this report from Brasilia, Brazil.

Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman
Appeals court rules against Republican bid to overturn 'Clean Missouri' redistricting plan JEFFERSON CITY - A Republican-led effort to alter the state's map-making system for legislative districts is "likely" headed to the Missouri Supreme Court after an appeals court said a question on the Nov. 3 ballot was flawed.

Progress on the court battle, here's the latest on this "ethics" (lulz) fight that isn't yet decided . . . Read more:
Elmore and Pinky by Holly Hobbie. Elmore the porcupine has lots of friends, but he longs for a best friend. How is he supposed to find a best friend? His uncle tells him, It just happens, but Elmore is not so sure. A best friend would definitely need to be nocturnal like him. And not be afraid of his prickly quills. A best friend would need to like the same activities and also be content to just be together. As Elmore thinks about it, he realizes he already has a best friend and just didnt realize it.

Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival. Ruby loves swinging, playing outside and exploring. She is perfectly happy until one day, while exploring, she finds a Worry. It is very smallso small she hardly notices it at first. But it follows her everywhere and the more it hangs around, the bigger it gets. Even though it gets huge, no one else can see it, so Ruby tries to pretend its not there. But it gets so big that she cant ignore it and she starts to feel like it will never go away. Then one day, she notices a boy who also has a big Worry hanging around him. As they talk about their Worries, Ruby notices that her Worry gets smaller and smaller, and realizes it is much better to talk about Worries than try to ignore them.
The Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) is convening a high-level session on Agricultural Technologies for Feeding the Cities at this years African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF).

The session will hold on the 8th of September 2020 via the AGRFs virtual platform.

Organised by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the AGRF is the worlds premier forum for advancing Africas agricultural agenda. At its 10th anniversary, the summit is expected to use its full weight, resources, and partnerships to energise political will and drive the actions required to overcome the major challenges affecting African agriculture.

With the theme Feed the Cities, Grow the Continent: Leveraging Urban Food Markets to Achieve Sustainable Food Systems in Africa, the virtual summit, which is being co-hosted by the Government of Rwanda under the leadership of President Kagame and the AGRF Partners Group, aspires to rally action on rethinking African food systems to deliver resilient, better nourished, and more prosperous outcomes for all.

In line with the theme, TAATs session seeks to provide insight on how African agriculture is being transformed through the African Development Banks (AfDB) Feed Africa Strategy with particular emphasis on proven technologies and innovative partnerships as vehicles of delivery.

The session will also bring to fore, the strategic linkage between research and delivery as well as TAATs success stories in feeding African cities through its Wheat Revolution, Intensification of Cassava Production and Commercialisation, and Building the Capacity of African Farmers through Technology Outreach.

Meeting Objectives

The virtual session is expected to advance the cause of African agricultural transformation via the lens of the Feed Africa strategy  put in place by the African Development Bank.

It will address innovative options for accelerating African agricultural transformation in a post-COVID-19 era through the deployment of proven agricultural technologies and partnerships capable of bringing food security to African cities and rural communities. Workable strategies for mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on food security for Africa will also be proffered.

Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) is a programme sponsored by the African Development Bank (AfDB) as an integral part of its Feed Africa Strategy of 20162025.

TAATs overall objective is to harness high-impact, proven agricultural technologies to raise agricultural productivity in Africa; mitigate risks and promote diversification and processing in 18 agricultural value chains within eight priority intervention areas.

Within two years of implementation, TAAT has recorded successes in deploying proven technologies to African farmers at scale  enabling them to increase yields and improve their livelihoods in a sustainable manner. The programme has achieved a considerable increase in agricultural productivity across the continent through the deployment of proven and high-performance agricultural technologies along selected commodity value chains: Maize, Rice, Wheat, High Iron Bean, Cassava, Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato, Sorghum/Millet, Livestock and Aquaculture.

With the support of Enablers, TAAT continues with its accelerated momentum to significantly address the issues of low yields by tackling more transversal issues in African agriculture such as improving soil fertility, discovering the untapped potential for improved water management, coordinating and advocating agricultural research initiatives, providing the necessary policy support, attracting African youth in agribusiness and helping farmers respond to transboundary plant pests and diseases such as Fall Armyworm.
WASHINGTON - District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday defended police using force to quell unrest in the city the past several nights and blamed the more recent clashes on "outside agitators" who she said came "armed for battle" and "looking for police to confront."

Officials said that more than two-thirds of the 29 people arrested since last week in connection with protests are not from D.C. and that some have ties to other areas experiencing unrest, including Portland, Ore., Minneapolis and Kenosha, Wis.

Bowser, a Democrat, said "we're seeing a shift of those involved" in demonstrations "and a shift in the types of tactics used."

The mayor drew distinctions between the tens of thousands of people who on Friday peacefully marched and spoke for racial justice in policing and those she holds responsible for the near nightly clashes that began Thursday.

Bowser told reporters that she is worried about "this country descending into a race war" and the "continued incitement of violence from leadership," an apparent reference to President Donald Trump. While unrest in the District has involved relatively few people and minor incidents, some other cities are contending with mass protests that have turned deadly. A White teenager is charged with fatally shooting two people protesting police violence in Kenosha, Wis., and a White man linked to a right-wing group was killed over the weekend in Portland.

Bowser also responded to a tweet from Trump, who on Sunday urged her to "clean up D.C.," or "the Federal Government will do it for you. Enough!!!"

Bowser responded by rebuking Trump's federal prosecutor assigned to the District for what she said was a failure in recent months to pursue dozens of cases of people facing charges including rioting and assaulting officers. She said prosecutors are pursuing only a handful of cases involving protest-related arrests made since August.

The mayor said that police have identified more people they want to arrest on felonies related to the unrest but that prosecutors have declined or have yet to take action on most of those cases.

"We call on the federal government to assist us the best way that they can, by supporting our officers," Bowser said at a news conference. "When we make an arrest for violent protests, we need those violent agitators prosecuted. . . . There hasn't been a willingness from the U.S. attorney's office to prosecute them."

Bowser's chief of staff, John Falcicchio, also took a swipe at the president after the press event, saying, "You can tweet fast but can't actually make your prosecutors prosecute fast."

The U.S. attorney's office, now headed by acting U.S. attorney Michael Sherwin, pushed back in a statement, saying it has "aggressively charged 121 criminal cases" related to protests between late May and August. The statement also noted five cases filed over the weekend that it was pursuing, including of people charged with assaulting police.

"Since the protests began, this Office has never turned down a single case for prosecution in which there was sufficient evidence to support probable cause," the statement said.

Later Monday, Trump said Bowser "did a very poor job," as he referenced an incident that occurred Thursday night when Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was confronted by protesters as he left the White House following Trump's Republican National Convention acceptance speech.

The sharp remarks between the president and the mayor come after several days of violent clashes between demonstrators and police in standoffs centered on Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, which also have extended to the U Street corridor and Adams Morgan.

Police said officers have been injured by bricks, fireworks and lasers pointed in their eyes. Police have responded with more than two dozen arrests and by using less-than-lethal munitions and chemical irritants to disperse crowds they say were causing riots and setting fire to newspaper boxes and trash cans.

Demonstrations, some violent, have been a fixture in the District and in many other cities since the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in May. New demonstrations in the District began on the final day of the Republican convention and after a police officer in Kenosha shot a Black man in the back.

D.C. Council member Charles Allen, D-Ward 6, said he found the images of police using gas and tackling protesters "disturbing" but would withhold judgment on whether police acted appropriately until he sees after-action reports and body-camera footage.

"We also need to be thinking about what does a response look like and is it proportional," said Allen, who chairs the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, with oversight of police.

The council passed emergency legislation in June to curb certain practices by police, including prohibiting the use of chemical irritants during First Amendment assemblies. Police say that once they declare a riot, the gathering ceases to be a lawful assembly and chemical irritants can be used.

Bowser's support of police drew a sharp rebuke from Black Lives Matter DC, which said on Twitter on Monday that the mayor "gives the most pro-Police pro-repression of dissent speech of her life. Muriel Bowser has tried to crush DC's BLM movement for years. She is asking Trump's assistance in creating political prisoners."

Early Monday, as police made arrests, Dominique Haralson, 31, questioned the level of force used. She described demonstrators as largely peaceful and said that police seemed to indiscriminately target anyone on Black Lives Matter Plaza.

She said the tactics police deployed are why demonstrators are protesting. "They create their own narrative. Everybody is a suspect," she said. "During the day, Black Lives Matter Plaza is a photo op, and at night, it's a war zone."

But Bowser and Police Chief Peter Newsham said many people gathered at the plaza at night are far different from those demonstrating for justice and equal rights. They said they are trying to determine whether those people are part of an organized and funded group.

Newsham said a van stopped on the plaza has been identified through social media and law enforcement sources as being used in other violent demonstrations in Portland and Kenosha. The operator was arrested, Newsham said, and charged with reckless driving. He said the van was registered in Washington state.

An NBC4 reporter who interviewed the man said on Twitter that prosecutors had dropped the charge.

The latest skirmish occurred early Monday, when police moved in on dozens of demonstrators to clear Black Lives Matter Plaza. Police deployed a chemical irritant and tackled some people near 16th and H streets NW.

Officers were seen using their bikes to corral people and slamming others into parked vehicles. That followed a mostly peaceful demonstration outside St. John's Episcopal Church, with protesters taunting and yelling at officers.

Newsham described demonstrators as getting "increasingly aggressive" and said one person tried to strike an officer on a motorcycle. He added that thrown objects included balloons filed with urine.

Those arrested, Newsham said, "appear to be people coming into our peaceful city with the intent of destroying property and hurting folks."

- - -

The Washington Post's Marissa J. Lang, Emily Davies, Keith L. Alexander, Devlin Barrett and Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report.
ALPHARETTA, Ga.

Aug. 31, 2020

Robert Vale

Alpharetta, Georgia

/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- ClearStar, a provider of Human Capital Integrity? technology-based services specializing in background and medical screening, announces the relaunch of its testing service aimed at supporting employers with their COVID-19 return-to-work planning and keeping their workforce safe. The revamped service has received official U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") Emergency Use Authorization ("EUA") and is provided by ClearStar's Medical Information Services ("MIS") business through Clinical Reference Laboratory, Inc. ("CRL"), one of the largest privately held clinical testing laboratories in the U.S.Employees receive the CRL Rapid Response kit, which is a saliva-based molecular diagnostic test to determine if the virus is active. Employees then register the test online and complete a questionnaire. Samples are self-collected by the employee and sent back to the CRL lab for testing. Those testing positive, meaning they are currently infected with COVID-19, will automatically be contacted by a licensed doctor to discuss the results and next steps. Any employee displaying symptoms also receives instructions on self-isolation.The company's customers are able to order the tests through its MIS division. Test collection kits are shipped either in bulk to the employer or direct to the employees (or job applicants). The results of the tests are reported via the ClearStar platform within 24-48 hours, on average, of the samples being received by the lab and are provided in the same format, based on employer preference, as the customer receives their other drug or background screening reports from the company., CEO of ClearStar, said: "With employers across the globe still struggling to get people into work quicker while maintaining public safety, we are proud to be able to offer an updated, FDA-EUA COVID-19 testing service. And by re-partnering with Clinical Reference Laboratory, whose tests are easy to self-administer, we can continue to offer a reliable and quick turnaround. This new servicealongside our existing suite of mobile screening solutionswill help employers make more confident hiring and return-to-work decisions."To place an order, companies may contact the ClearStar Medical Information Services office at 321.821.3383 or info@medicalreviewoffice.com.About ClearStar ClearStar, Inc. is a leading provider of Human Capital Integrity? technology-based services specializing in background and medical screening. It provides employment intelligence direct to employers and via channel partners/consumer reporting agencies ("CRAs") to support better recruitment and other decisions affecting employees by increasing the quality, reliability, and visibility of information.A seven-time Inc. 5000 honoree and founding member of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners, ClearStar has provided innovative technology solutions to businesses in the human capital management industry from its corporate offices insince 1995. For more information about ClearStar, please visit: http://www.clearstar.net.SOURCE ClearStar, Inc.
Afghan President Faces Pushback After Naming Members To Reconciliation Council

By RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan August 31, 2020

KABUL -- Abdullah Abdullah, the former chief executive officer of Afghanistan's unity government, said President Ashraf Ghani doesn't have the authority to appoint people to the body tasked with leading peace talks with the Taliban, raising questions about how quickly those negotiations can progress.

Abdullah said in a statement on August 31 that based on an agreement he reached with Ghani earlier in the year, the president cannot issue decrees naming people to the High Council for National Reconciliation.

"Consultations about the formation of the council continue with political and civil-society leaders and it will conclude soon," Abdullah said in the statement.

Ghani on August 29 published the names of people he appointed to the High Council for National Reconciliation, which Abdullah chairs.

Ghani named more than 40 individuals, including current and former officials, leaders of political parties, and renowned religious leaders to the council.

Former mujahedin leaders Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, as well as civil-society activist Safia Sediqqi and eight other women were among those chosen.

Former President Hamid Karzai was also named, but he rejected the appointment in a statement on August 30, saying he did not want to be part of any government structure.

The High Council for National Reconciliation is to oversee a 21-member negotiating team appointed by Ghani in March to conduct face-to-face talks with the Taliban.

The talks are part of an agreement reached between the militants and the United States in February in an effort to end nearly 19 years of war in Afghanistan.

On August 26, the Taliban announced it had formed a new 20-member department responsible for Taliban representation at both the intra-Afghan talks and further negotiations with the United States.

The beginning of the planned peace talks has faced some serious challenges, including the issue of the release of prisoners.

The internationally recognized government in Kabul has recently reversed a decision to release the last 320 Taliban prisoners it is holding until the insurgents free more captured soldiers.

"The Taliban will have to release our commandos held by them before the government resumes the release of the remaining 320 Taliban prisoners," Javid Faisal, spokesman for the Afghan National Security Council, tweeted on August 29.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-president- faces-pushback-after-naming-members to-reconciliation-council/30813514.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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LATHAM, N.Y.- St. Peters Health Partners and WellNow Urgent Care have opened the doors to their newest center in the Capital Region.

Located at 800 New Loudon Rd. in Latham, the new facility offers treatment for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses, with no appointment needed, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The center also offers molecular (PCR) and blood antibody serology COVID-19 testing without the need for a referral or prescription.

Together with St. Peters Health Partners, were proud to open this new center. Communities in Latham, Colonie, Troy, and beyond have a new option for urgent care services and can count on us for immediate medical treatment, WellNow Urgent Care President John Radford said in a news release.

We look forward to further assisting the Capital Region and serving as a dedicated COVID-19 testing resource, Radford added.

St. Peters Health Partners is excited to be opening this new facility in Latham along with our partner, WellNow, James K. Reed, M.D., president and CEO of St. Peters Health Partners remarked.

Our commitment during the pandemic has been to provide residents of the Capital Region with the right care, in the right place, at the right time. This joint effort reinforces our commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate care to area residents today, tomorrow, and well into the future, Reed explained.

The new center provides timely service for ailments such as sprains, burns, colds, and allergies, while also providing on-site X-rays, lab testing, and physicals. Patients are treated on a walk-in basis but may also visit WellNow.com to check-in online or view up-to-date wait times.

Both WellNow and St. Peters Health Partners allow individuals to connect with a provider 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through their individual company telehealth platforms (WellNow, SPHP). WellNow accepts most insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid, Fidelis, and Veterans Affairs TriWest. A full list of services can be found online at WellNow.com/services.

WellNow Urgent Care also offers Capital Region employers a wide range of occupational medicine services. From DOT/19A physicals and Workers Compensation assistance to respirator fit exams and audiometry, businesses can partner with WellNow to develop a custom occupation medicine program that works for their industry.

Additionally, schools  from elementary all the way up to higher education  can work with WellNow to establish a COVID-19 testing protocol as part of their reopening process. Those interested can reach out to WellNow directly at Occmed@WellNow.com to learn more.

With more than 40 facilities currently operating across New York and Illinois, WellNows Latham center joins a growing list of locations in the Capital Region, including Albany, Niskayuna, Hudson, and Clifton Park, as well as a new location expected to open in Saratoga later this year.

A full list of WellNow centers can be found online at WellNow.com/locations.
Facebook recently released a threat in response to the recently proposed law that would force both Facebook and Google to pay the Australian media organizations for putting up their content.

The company's managing director of both Australia and New Zealand, Will Easton, gave a statement saying that if the draft code, later on, becomes a law, they will then completely stop allowing both people in Australia and publishers from sharing either local or international news on both Instagram and Facebook.

The managing director also noted that the course of the decision was not their first choice but rather their last. It was also noted that they are doing that to allegedly protect everyone against an outcome that actually defies logic and in turn will hurt, and not help, the astoundingly long vibrancy of Australia's media and news sector.





Since much of what I share on ThisSince much of what I share on #Facebook is @GuardianAus @wef and @nytimes articles. My usage will definitely drop. They're definitely shooting themselves in the foot with this. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out and pleased to see Australia taking a stand. https://t.co/DbHxOTV2Sr September 1, 2020

Read Also: Facebook Plans to Launch "GlobalCoin" Cryptocurrency in 2020

Facebook versus who?

Mr Will Easton then took aim at nonother than the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission otherwise known as the ACCC, which were the ones who drafted the code, accusing it of actually ignoring the whole role of social media towards promoting journalism.

It was also argued that in just the first five months of this year, users had already clicked on the Australian news items that were shared on the platform for over 2.3 billion times. The company then said that this generated a powerful $200 million profit for the Australian media organizations.

It was also noted by Mr Eaton that when the new legislation was crafted, the commission that was overseeing the whole process simply ignored the facts. In addition to this, it was also stated that they also ignored the relationship between both social media and the news media, in which they both benefit from each other.

Australia's response

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg responded to the statement by accusing Facebook of actually making "heavy-handed threats" in its attempt to step away. Mr Flydenberg then said that Australia creates laws for the good of national interest and that they do not respond to any form of coercion or even heavy-handed threats.

They also stated that their reforms to the digital platforms are somewhat world-leading and also follow a new groundbreaking 18-month inquiry made by the ACCC. It was also stated that the reforms will in turn help to create an even more sustainable media landscape and push payment in exchange for original content.

ACCC chair Rod Sims, however, labeled Facebook's recent intervention somewhat "misconceived" arguing that there are many Australians that rely on Facebook in order to deliver news for them.

Sims stated that according to the known University of Canberra's recent Digital News Report this year, 39% of Australians actually use Facebook to access general news while 49% use Facebook for updates about the COVID-19.

Google and other tech giants have also started to speak out. Google even launched an opposition campaign towards these laws, pushing a sort of open letter towards its users.

The fate of Australia's news industry has yet to be decided.

Read Also: FACEBOOK UPDATE: Social Media Network to Start Labeling Politicians Violating FB's Policies; Other 2020 US Elections' Challenges to be Addressed

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Here's what you need to know about masks like N95s, where to get them and how to use them safely.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn visited the West Texas Food Bank in Midland on Monday for a tour and to pack senior boxes with volunteers from Parkhill, Smith and Cooper.

Cornyn had a press conference with WTFB executive director Libby Campbell, Midland Memorial Hospital President and CEO Russell Meyers and Spencer Robnett, at-large city council member, about how the CARES Act, which was passed in March, has helped Midland. The area will receive $61 million in funding, some of which has already been dedicated.

According to a press release from Cornyns office:

--The city of Midland was allocated $7,953,000 to provide assistance to local food banks, offer rent relief, give grants to small businesses and fund staffing and supplies for the citys response to COVID-19.

--West Texas Food Bank is to receive 139,000 pounds of food and 2,000 USDA Farmers to Families boxes weekly.

--Local health care facilities are to receive $24,682,049. Midland Health is to receive $17,046,188, which has been used for 6,448 COVID-19 tests, 147,320 N95 masks, 571,190 isolation masks, 184,080 isolation gowns and 5,343,000 pairs of exam gloves.

--Midland International Airport has received $22,935,854.

--Midland Public Transportation has received $5,561,592.

Cornyn said he hopes to be able to move onto the next version of the CARES Act but is unsure because it is so close to the election and Congress showing the fraying around the edges of bipartisanship.

Campbell said the food bank distributed 1.2 million pounds of food in July to the 19 counties the organization serves. The food bank had to change how food is distributed and turned to drive-thru pantries. She said the pandemic has created a disaster that is different from any others the food bank has encountered.

This disaster is different, she said. Its not a hurricane, there is no handbook on how to do this.

Campbell thanked Cornyn for his work to help pass the USDA Farmers to Families. The WTFB has secured 2,000 boxes a week with 139,000 pounds of fresh food.

Robnett said the focus of the city is health and public safety. He said that because of the CARES Act, the city council didnt have to make difficult decisions in relation to salaries of first responders.

All the police officers and firefighters will receive pay progressions and raises in the next upcoming budget year, which is a big thing right now because theres a lot of controversy with police departments across the nation ..., he said. We will use some of those funds to directly offset the 30 percent rise in sales tax revenue year over year because of the pandemic.

Cornyn said he is hopeful that more monetary assistance can be given to people who are still out of work, including those in the oil and gas industry.

The senator said the government was able to pass in March a one-time payment that gave families of four $3,400, and individuals received $1,200.

We hope to do that again, if we can get off the dime and come together with Democrats and Republicans, he said.

He said the first round of additional unemployment assistance missed the mark by giving some people more than they were making while working. Cornyn said Democrats and Republicans are negotiating the terms on additional unemployment assistance.
Theaters in New Jersey will be allowed to reopen on Friday, but only at 25% capacity, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday.

The limit Murphy implemented applies to each movie screen and corresponds to either 25% of the seating, or 150 people, whichever is less.

Groups that purchase tickets together may sit together. All other moviegoers must remain at least 6 feet apart, Murphy said.

Local movie theater operators and several national movie theater chains had been calling for the reopening of their venues for some time.

Christopher Nolans science-fiction action film Tenet is the first big-budget movie to open in theaters since the pandemic began. Its scheduled to open this Friday.

In June, local theater owners Brett Denafo and Clint Bunting implemented safety protocols, including hand sanitizers, Plexiglass and temperature checks for staff, in their theaters so they would be ready to reopen once they got the green light.

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Denafo and Bunting co-own Harbor Square Theatre in Stone Harbor, Tilton Square Theatre in Northfield and the soon-to-be open Ventnor Square Theatre in Ventnor.
LONDON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "VNA Market and PACS Market by Procurement (Departmental and Enterprise), Delivery (On Premise, Hybrid, Cloud Based), Vendor (PACS, Independent Software, Infrastructure), and End User (Hospitals, Diagnostic Imaging Centers)  Global Forecast to 2027", published by Meticulous Research, the VNA & PACS market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2020 to reach $4.89 billion by 2027.

Download Free Sample Report Now @ https://www.meticulousresearch.com/download-sample-report/cp_id=4440

In recent years, medical imaging technology is developing at a rapid pace. Although medical images are of the highest quality and resolution these days, there are still some concerns when it comes to archiving and storage of these images. To ensure proper image archiving, electronic systems have been developed not only to store imaging data, but also to retrieve, share, and disseminate medical images. This has led to the growing adoption of PACS and VNA. PACS allows both storage and access of medical images, including CT and MRI scans, ultrasounds, and standard digital X-rays. VNA stores medical images in a standard format with a standard interface. Therefore, images stored in VNA can be accessed through any workstation, irrespective of the vendor. While PACS is focused on improving the workflow with an emphasis on storage and retrieval, VNA is mostly concentrated on providing back-up and archiving images even if the vendors change.

Impact of COVID-19 on the VNA Market and PACS Market  Rising Demand for CT during COVID-19 Drives the Market

Computed tomography (CT) is playing a crucial role in the diagnosis and evaluation of COVID-19. As a result, there is a high demand for portable CT devices in hospitals with COVID-19 wards. Portable CT devices facilitate image processing and upload onto PACS for immediate reporting and analysis. The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic forced key industry players to take immediate action towards controlling the spread of the infection.

Siemens Healthineers was one of the first players to transport a batch of mobile CT devices to Huanggang City (China). Alibaba (China) also developed a patient ward-based COVID-19 diagnosis tool that can analyze CT images and complete disease diagnosis within 20 seconds, with more than 96% accuracy. Another example is that of Valencian Region Medical Image Bank (BIMCV). Their dataset contains chest X-ray images CXR (CR, DX) & CT imaging of COVID-19 patients along with their radiological findings and locations, pathologies, radiological reports (Spanish), DICOM metadata, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) & Immunoglobulin M (IgM) diagnostic antibody tests.

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Also, devices like Vscan Extend handheld ultrasound can be used to help assess and monitor the progression of acute respiratory diseases like COVID-19. Patients suffering from acute respiratory and cardiovascular diseases can be tracked with deep and shallow scanning for lungs and cardiovascular conditions with a single probe. Its portability, ease of use, and PACS/cloud storage solutions make it an ideal tool.

Hence, the need for CT during COVID-19 and higher adoption of telehealth is driving the growth of the PACS & VNA market.

The VNA & PACS market study presents historical market data in terms of value (2018 and 2019), estimated current data (2020), and forecasts for 2027 by product and end user. The study also evaluates industry competitors and analyzes the market at the regional and country level.

Based on procurement model, the departmental PACS segment is estimated to command the largest share of the overall PACS market in 2020. The large share of this segment is attributed to the increasing imaging data in various departments, such as radiology, cardiology, ophthalmology, oncology, endoscopy, teleradiology, dermatology, pathology, neurology, and dentistry. However, the enterprise PACS segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to better accessibility of medical images.

Based on delivery model, the on-premise PACS segment is estimated to command the largest share of the overall PACS market in 2020. Advantages such as high security, control over images, and comparatively lower latency than web/cloud-based PACS are driving the adoption of this delivery model. However, the web/cloud-based PACS segment is offering new revenue pockets for players due to the flexibility of working from remote areas and easy scalability.

Based on VNA vendor type, the PACS vendors segment is estimated to command the largest share of the overall VNA market in 2020. The large share is attributed to the various traditional PACS companies, usually medical imaging modalities and medical IT companies, which are offering VNA as an extension to their imaging portfolio. However, the independent software vendors segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to the increase in VNA-only companies that are primarily focused on providing VNA solutions and advanced enterprise VNA.

Based on delivery model, the on-premise VNA segment is estimated to command the largest share of the overall VNA market in 2020. The factors such as greater security, control over images, and lower latency than cloud storage are driving the growth of this segment. However, the hybrid VNA models segment is rapidly gaining traction as it keeps the most urgent images on-premise and stores backups in leased cloud space.

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Based on end user, the hospitals segment is estimated to command the largest share of the overall VNA and PACS market in 2020. There is a higher demand for the adoption of PACS and VNA in hospitals to manage the growing imaging data.

Geographically, North America is estimated to command the largest share of the global VNA & PACS market in 2020, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. Factors such as higher acceptance of advanced technologies, easy accessibility to medical image management solutions, and the presence of many leading medical players are driving the growth of the North American market. However, Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Factors driving the growth of the APAC region include rising investment in the healthcare sector, growing number of healthcare facilities, rising installation of imaging modalities, and government programs aiming to increase the utilization of EMR & telehealth services.

The report also includes an extensive assessment of the product portfolio, geographic analysis, and key strategic developments adopted by leading market participants in the industry over the past four years (20172020). The VNA & PACS market witnessed a number of new product launches, partnerships, agreements & collaborations, expansions, and acquisitions. For instance, in July 2020, Sectra AB (Sweden) partnered with CHRISTUS Health (U.S.) to install modules for radiology, cardiology, and mammography as well as VNA to store all departmental imaging. Also, in August 2019, Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands) acquired Carestream Health's Healthcare Information Systems business to expand its current enterprise diagnostic informatics solutions portfolio.

Some of the key players operating in the VNA and PACS market are Agfa-Gevaert (Belgium), FUJIFILM Medical Systems U.S.A. (U.S.), GE Company (U.S.), Hyland Software, Inc. (U.S.), Merge Healthcare Inc. (U.S.), Mach7 Technologies (Australia), Change Healthcare Inc. (U.S.), Novarad Corporation (U.S.), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), Siemens Healthineers AG (Germany), Sectra AB (Sweden), ASPYRA, LLC (U.S.), INFINITT Healthcare Co., Ltd (South Korea), Hitachi, Ltd. (Japan), NTT DATA Corporation (Japan), and Cerner Corporation (U.S.).

To gain more insights into the market with a detailed table of content and figures, click here: https://www.meticulousresearch.com/product/vna-market-pacs-market-forecast/

Scope of the Report:

PACS Market, by Procurement Model

Departmental PACS

Radiology PACS



Cardiology PACS



Others Departmental PACS

Enterprise PACS

PACS Market, by Delivery Model

On-premise PACS

Web-based PACS

VNA Market, by Procurement Model

Enterprise VNA

Multi-departmental VNA



Multi-site VNA

Departmental VNA

VNA Market, by Delivery Model

On-premise VNA

Hybrid VNA

Web/Cloud-based VNA

VNA Market, by Vendor Type

PACS Vendors

Independent Software Vendors

Infrastructure Vendors

VNA & PACS Market, by End User

Hospitals

Diagnostic Imaging Centers

Other End Users

VNA & PACS Market, by Geography

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



France



U.K.



Italy



Spain



Rest of Europe (RoE)

(RoE) Asia-Pacific (APAC)

(APAC) Japan



China



India



Rest of APAC (RoAPAC)

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

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Amidst this crisis, Meticulous Research is continuously assessing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on various sub-markets and enables global organizations to strategize for the post-COVID-19 world and sustain their growth. Let us know if you would like to assess the impact of COVID-19 on any industry here- https://www.meticulousresearch.com/custom-research.php

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Medical Image Management Market by Product {PACS [Departmental (Radiology, Mammography, Cardiology), Enterprise], VNA [(On-premise, Hybrid), [Vendor (PACS, Independent Software, Infrastructure)], AICA, Universal Viewer} and End User  Global Forecast to 2027

https://www.meticulousresearch.com/product/medical-image-management-market/

About Meticulous Research

Meticulous Research was founded in 2010 and incorporated as Meticulous Market Research Pvt. Ltd. in 2013 as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 1956. Since its incorporation, the company has become the leading provider of premium market intelligence in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

The name of our company defines our services, strengths, and values. Since the inception, we have only thrived to research, analyze and present the critical market data with great attention to details. With the meticulous primary and secondary research techniques, we have built strong capabilities in data collection, interpretation, and analysis of data including qualitative and quantitative research with the finest team of analysts. We design our meticulously analyzed intelligent and value-driven syndicate market research reports, custom studies, quick turnaround research, and consulting solutions to address business challenges of sustainable growth.

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THE ISSUE:

Albany reaches a dubious milestone of 100 shootings this year.

THE STAKES:

Will the gun lobby's friends in Congress ever offer more than thoughts and prayers?

Besides shooters and victims, there is one thing the 100 shootings in Albany so far this year have in common: guns. To ignore that is to deny the obvious.

The 7-year-old child who was wounded Sunday could just as easily be dead today but for sheer luck. As it is, the boy, hit in the knee in what police described as a drive-by shooting, may be scarred for life, emotionally if not physically. His family, too. Imagine being his mom or dad.

Sunday's shooting brings to at least three the number of kids under 10 shot in the city this year. How many young sacrifices of innocence, if not lives, do the shills of the gun industry in Congress need before they'll be moved to do something about it?

And before those who oppose gun control say that we just need to enforce the laws we already have: Get serious. That's clearly not so. There is a lot of enforcement out there, but too many guns, and too few laws on the books to control their proliferation and misuse.

That's not just our opinion; it's the long-standing view of a majority of Americans, save one demographic: Only 31 percent of Republicans see a need for more gun control; 49 percent say what we have now is fine, and 20 percent want even less regulation, according to the Pew Research Center.

Of course, it's hard to know what people really mean when they say there's enough "gun control." The perspective is bound to be different in New York, which has some of the nation's toughest gun laws, than in the 15 states that don't require a special permit to carry a gun in public, openly or concealed, or the 32 states that don't require a background check for private gun sales.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

And that's a big part of the problem. The nation is a mishmash of strict and lax state gun laws, as Congress settles for the bare minimum short of a free-for-all: background checks for most commercial gun purchases, using a database that some states are lax about reporting to, and a restriction on the sale of automatic weapons. That still leaves unregulated sales of assault-style semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, and private transactions, a loophole that people who are usually prohibited from acquiring guns can slip through.

Gun control certainly isn't a panacea. We need emotion control, too, through better funding of programs like 518SNUG, which sends trained outreach workers to try to defuse potentially violent situations. And, ultimately, we need anti-poverty programs that give people hope of getting somewhere in life without resorting to crime.

But we still need strong gun control, and there is only so much individual states can do, especially when guns are easily obtained in places with lax laws and brought by criminals to states like New York. Anti-violence programs can't take the place of things like universal background checks and an assault weapons ban. Those will take a Congress that doesn't consider a 7-year-old an acceptable sacrifice for the gun lobby's transactional blessing.
Solo Oil PLC - AIM-listed oil investment company - Annual pretax loss widens in 2019 to GBP2.6 million from GBP974,000. Operating expenses rose to GBP2.6 million from GBP2.0 million. Noted GBP1.8 million gain from Horse Hill development in 2018 not repeated in 2019.

Chief Executive Tom Reynolds said: "During an unprecedented time for the industry, we are committed to working hard to deliver our strategy. We continue to explore options for the Tanzanian assets, and will ensure any decision is based on the best outcome for our shareholders.

"In the meantime, we are focused on identifying potential opportunities to grow the company and are encouraged by the pipeline we are seeing, with the current challenges in the industry creating a broader range of opportunities in the European energy market. We look forward to updating our shareholders as things develop in the coming months."

Current share price: 1.14 pence

Year-to-date change: down 53%

By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
The shortest Beijing Intentional Film Festival (BJIFF) ended on Saturday with over 300 Chinese and foreign films screened and total deals worth 33.09 billion yuan signed, which could still be considered a triumph after the COVID-19 pandemic turmoil was brought under control.

Filmmakers and actors cheer for the Chinese film industry on stage in a special program broadcast at the beginning of the 10th Beijing Intentional Film Festival. [Photo courtesy of BJIFF]

The 10th BJIFF sounded a clarion call for the rejuvenation of Chinese films before the end of the global pandemic, to present a spectacular film feast. As the eight-day event came to an end, the organizers expressed their hopes for a brighter future.

"From this day, people will look forward to being together again next year, honoring the promise of being there over the next decade and working more miracles on the way ahead," a statement from the organizers declared.

The festival featured an innovative model of online-offline integration, presents 10 theme forums, four workshop and masterclasses, 16 classes and the project pitches online for the first time, and broke through the barrier for offline audience access, becoming a widely-acclaimed everlasting film and television feast.

On Aug. 28, the 10th BJIFF Beijing Film Market Contract Signing Ceremony took place at Beijing Radio & Television Station. Agreements on a total of 21 key projects were signed with 46 companies on the site, and 110 projects were signed and announced at the Beijing Film Market, with a total contract amount of 33.09 billion yuan, an approximate 7% year-on-year increase to a new high.

Du Feijin, member of the Standing Committee and director of the Publicity Department of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and executive vice chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 10th Beijing International Film Festival, affirmed the role of the Beijing Film Market as a "magnet" during his concluding remarks.

The contract signing ceremony has promoted negotiations and signings of 302 key projects over the past decade, with a total transaction volume of 165.03 billion yuan, providing a great validation in regard to acceptance and recognition of the platform in the industry.

This year, the Beijing Film Market featured various functions, such as online exhibitor displays, online screenings, video meetings and online trading. With the participation of 441 film institutions around the globe, the exhibition this year went online as the first to use a 3D+VR exhibition system among domestic film festivals, offering global film institutions free booths, and bringing exhibitors and guests a digital, intelligent and efficient exchange and cooperation experience.

The Beijing Film Panorama has become one of the most anticipated sections at the BJIFF. Xu Tao, deputy chief editor of Beijing Radio & Television Station and executive deputy secretary general of the Organizing Committee of the 10th BJIFF, said, "Everyone can watch the best films from around the world in Beijing. That is an everlasting love letter, promise and appointment of the BJIFF for movie fans worldwide."

Rapid ticket-grabbing in presales has become a marvelous episode for the BJIFF, on a par with the Spring Festival travel rush. Within just 10 minutes after presales began, 72% of the tickets had been sold.

The Beijing Film Panorama this year provided Online Screenings. iQiyi, the exclusive online screening platform of the BJIFF, set a special section for about 250 films to be screened online, including a record of some 50 Chinese and foreign new films at one go. As of 10 a.m. on Aug. 29, the Online BJIFF had registered 1.002 million clicks, 6.415 million views and 110 million promotions for the whole website.

For TV Screenings, 20 outstanding Chinese and foreign films were screened repeatedly on Beijing Satellite TV, BTV Movie & TV Channel and BTV Youth Channel.

This year's festival lacked a red carpet and long line-up of celebrities. The "10th BJIFF Special Program-Together Again" was broadcast online and on TV, and this program aroused Chinese filmmakers' aspiration to fulfill dreams, recorded the breakthrough of the 10th BJIFF and looked into the prosperous future of Chinese films.
Hippo, an insurtech managing general agent focused on home insurance, has completed its acquisition of Spinnaker Insurance Co., with an expansion into additional states next on its plate.

The deal, first announced in June, follows a multi-year partnership between the companies.

Spinnaker is a New Jersey-based national property/casualty insurer, with a license to do business in all 50 states. Hippo noted at the time of its acquisition announcement that Spinnaker has been its largest carrier platform partner since 2017. With Spinnaker and its other carrier partners, Hippo provides home insurance policies in more than 31 states.

Plans call for Spinnaker to join the Hippo family of companies. They include Sheltr, a San Francisco-based technology-enabled services startup designed to provide home wellness checkups. Hippo will continue as a managing independent agent. Spinnaker will operate independently under the Hippo umbrella while still serving third-party administrators and driving the growth of its program platform.

After two acquisitions, Hippo is eying an initial public offering. The company closed a $150 million financing round in July. CEO Assaf Wand said the company will be ready to go public in 2021.

Source: Hippo

Topics Mergers Insurance Wholesale Homeowners
1665 Highway A1a Highway, Satellite Beach, Fla. My client lives in NYC, and has no family locally, so I was humbled by his trust in me and the Engel & Volkers brand to get the home prepared and on the market. He chose Engel & Volkers for its international reach, and its focus on luxury real estate.

Engel & Volkers Florida today announced Ryan Fischer, License Partner of Engel & Volkers Melbourne Downtown has obtained a listing in Satellite Beach which is the only oceanfront, single-family home available for sale for 17 miles from South Cocoa Beach to Indialantic. Listed at $2,499,000, 1665 Highway A1a Highway is situated on a .51 acre lot and offers 130 feet direct oceanfront views.

It's been an honor to represent the seller of this awe-inspiring oceanfront estate, said Fischer. My client lives in NYC, and has no family locally, so I was humbled by his trust in me and the Engel & Volkers brand to get the home prepared and on the market. He chose Engel & Volkers for its international reach, and its focus on luxury real estate.

The Mediterranean-style home greets guests with soaring ceilings, a sophisticated foyer, and grand spiral staircase. It boasts six bedrooms and five full bathrooms across 4,232 square-feet of covered living space. The second floor offers sweeping ocean views shared by a large chefs kitchen, master bedroom with sitting room and great room which leads out to an expansive balcony. The estate also presents two studio suites with full kitchens and private entries for out of town guests and family.

Initial interest has already been amazing out of the gate, said Fischer. Potential buyers from South Florida, New York, and Chicago, as well as locally have expressed interest. A family from the Tampa area drove seven hours to preview the home during its first day on the market. Several of my colleagues from the Engel & Volkers network have also reached out regarding the home. I am looking forward to bringing buyer and seller together on this one, and finishing the year off strong!

Should the property sell at the current listing price of $2,499,000, it would break the record for the most expensive oceanfront, residential home sale in Satellite Beach. The previous record is held by the 2016 sale of 905 Highway A1a by Kevin Hill of Remax Alternative for $2,452,500.

Satellite Beach is a picturesque, seaside community situated on a barrier island, located in Floridas Space Coast. It was recently ranked the #1 Safest City in Florida. Satellite Beach is neighbored by Indian Harbour Beach to the north, Cocoa Beach to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Indian River Lagoon to the west. Home values have gone up over two-percent over the last year in Satellite Beach. The median price of homes currently listed in Satellite Beach is $330,414 while the median price of homes that sold is $370,300.

###

Press contact:

Linzee Werkmeister, Director, Public Relations & Franchise Support

Email: Linzee.Werkmeister(at)evrealestate.com

Tel: (239) 348-9000

About Engel & Volkers:

Engel & Volkers is a global luxury real estate brand. Founded in Hamburg, Germany in 1977, Engel & Volkers draws on its rich European history to deliver a fresh approach to luxury real estate in the Americas with a focus on creating a bespoke, white-glove concierge client experience at every stage of the home buying or selling process for todays savvy homeowner. Engel & Volkers currently operates approximately 175 shop locations with more than 4,000 real estate advisors in the Americas, contributing to the brands global network of over 12,000 real estate professionals in more than 30 countries, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services, including real estate, yachting and aviation. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Volkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing programs and platforms; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data. Each brokerage is independently owned and operated. For more information, visit evrealestate.com.

About Engel & Volkers Florida:

Engel & Volkers Florida is the Master License Partner of the global luxury real estate brand Engel & Volkers in the state of Florida. Recognized for uniquely recruiting, training and equipping some of the top professionals in the real estate industry, Engel & Volkers Floridas exclusive franchise model positions its license partners at the top of the premium market to gain market share and support their bottom line. The company represents franchise locations in: 30A Beaches, Belleair, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs-Estero, Cape Coral, Clermont, Delray Beach, Destin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers Downtown, Gainesville, Islamorada, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Jupiter, Leesburg, Madeira Beach, Marco Island, Melbourne Beachside, Melbourne Central, Melbourne Downtown, Miami Coconut Grove, Olde Naples, Orlando Downtown, Orlando-Winter Park, Palm Beach, Palm Coast, St. Augustine, St. Pete, Stuart, Wellington, and Windermere.

Engel & Volkers Florida is continuing to strategically strengthen and expand its presence in premium real estate markets across the state of Florida. If you would like to know more about the Engel & Volkers brand or how to join its global network, which is known for demonstrating competence, exclusivity and passion, feel free to call our corporate office, located at 633 Tamiami Trl N, Suite 201, Naples, FL 34102 USA. Tel: +1 239-348-9000.

For more information about Engel & Volkers Florida, please visit florida.evrealestate.com
Italy "Youll need to renovate or even rebuild your 1 home but your dollars actually stretch further buying a fully renovated home on the regular resale market."

1 homes are a good deal. But, not the best deal, says Ronan McMahon of Real Estate Trend Alert, a publication of International Living. When you dig down, there are better options. Youll need to renovate or even rebuild your 1 home but your dollars actually stretch further buying a fully renovated home on the regular resale market.

Sure, theres something irresistible about a free giveaway. So its not very surprising to see the popularity of Italys free (or 1) home giveaway explode.

Indeed, when I first heard news that the town of Gangi in Sicily was giving away homes less than the price of an espresso, I hopped on a plane right away to check it out in person.

The thing is, there are much better deals in Italy than 1 homes. By the time you are done with restoring them, theyre more like 30,000 homesa good deal, but you can get more bang-for-your-buck if you skip the step of taking on all the renovations yourself.

The reportlinked hereexplores a number of areas in Italy where McMahon believes better deals can be had.

Gangi was the first Italian town to host one of these giveaways. To this day, it remains the most successful. Since then, there have been almost 30 morenot just in Italys less- affluent south, but in the north too. These towns have turned to such measures because their populations are dwindling. These are often beautiful, historic towns in stunning places, but theres no work for the young. Their old town centers are crumbling, and in the interest of rivitalizing them, theyre selling off buildings on the cheap, with the caveat that they must be renovated. (and in some cases lived in).

Cinquefrondi, in the southern region of Calabria, is the latest to join the trend. Its right at the toe of Italys boot. Located in the hills, its surrounded by the Aspromonte National Park and set between the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts with dreamy Italian beaches on both coasts, around a 15-minute drive in either direction.

However, all of Cinquefrondis 1 homes will require extensive renovation, says McMahon. The towns mayor estimated between 10,000 and 20,000, but thats coming from a connected local with an agenda. Id estimate higher. Id put the number at more like 25,000.

Instead, look for resales of bigger, more spacious and high-end historic homes in those same towns. In Gangi, for example, I found three tiers of homes: low, mid, and high. The high-tier homes had bigger windows, high and ornate ceilings, and views to the valley. The low-tier were cramped and had doors I had to bend down to get throughthe 1 homes typically fall into the low category. But I found great renovated mid-level homes for 30,000and super high-end homes for around 100,000.

My point is, those 1 homes are a good deal, but there are better deals.

Provincial Italy is a treasure trove of bargain properties. From rural villas to medieval homes in hilltop towns. For less than 100,000, sometimes even less than 50,000, there are stunning turnkey properties. And theres no better time to start looking than now, according to McMahon.

Italys economy has been fragile and debt-laden since the 2008 crisis, he says. But now, the toll of the COVID-19 crisis has exasperated any hope of a recovery. Already high, unemployment has skyrocketed. Emigration and household consolidation (kids moving back in with parents and vice versa) will increase. This puts downward pressure on real estate prices, particularly in marginal areas of the country.

For instance, not far from Cinquefrondiwhere we have the latest 1 home offerI found a restored, three-story home on the market for just 35,000 ($39,412).

Situated in Santa Domenica Talaos old town, the two-bedroom house comes turnkey, with a cellar and a balcony with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Stromboli, an active volcano 75 miles south.

The village is small and traditionalfamed for its medieval window and door archesand its spectacular view of the Tyrrhenian coast from the main piazza. Stroll the ancient streets and youll meet friendly locals selling hand-woven baskets, olive oil, and local wine. And youre just five miles from the beachside town of Scalea.

Up your budget, but still staying under $100,000, and you can get something very special, notes McMahon.

In the center of the historic town of Lizzanello in Italys southeast, a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, 1,055-square-foot historic home is on the market for $94,530. Set around a typical Salento courtyard, the rooms have magnificent vaulted ceilings, beautifully restored, a perfect canvas to create your ideal bolthole.

Lizzanello is located less than four miles from the nearest beach and about 30 miles from Brindisi airport, which connects with 24 major European hubs.

To be clear: I havent visited these particular properties in person, nor done any due diligence on them. And, to be clear, I dont recommend these as properties you can make money from. These are simply little pieces of paradise that you can own for a song.

The full report from Ronan McMahon can be found, here: 1 for a Home in Italy? I Know a Better Deal

Ronan McMahon is at the helm of Real Estate Trend Alert, a publication of International Living. He is also the author of the book, Ronan McMahons Profit Principle: An Insiders Guide to Doubling Your Money in Real Estate Overseas. He produces a regular, free e-letter for people interested in owning good-value property abroad, called Roving Real Estate Investor

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About International Living

Since 1979, InternationalLiving.com has been the leading authority for anyone looking for global retirement or relocation opportunities. Through its monthly magazine and related e-letters, extensive website, podcasts, online bookstore, and events held around the world, InternationalLiving.com provides information and services to help its readers live better, travel farther, have more fun, save more money, and find better business opportunities when they expand their world beyond their own shores. InternationalLiving.com has contributors traveling the globe, investigating the best opportunities for travel, retirement, real estate, and investment.


KENOSHA  President Donald Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday afternoon in the aftermath of the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha police officer, and ensuing unrest and protests in which two people were shot to death last week and many properties were destroyed.

While some were pleased with his visit to Kenosha, where he toured an area of buildings that had been destroyed, met with business owners and conducted a round table on community safety, others said his visit only served to stoke tension in the community.

U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., whose 1st Congressional District includes all of Kenosha and Racine counties, joined Trump in Kenosha to discuss the need to heal and rebuild the community, he said in a news release. Trump met with workers, families and law enforcement there. Trump chose not to meet with Blakes family, and family members later said they did not wish to meet with the president.

President Trump answered my call when help was needed in Kenosha, Steil said before Trump arrived in Kenosha. Now he wants to thank the men and women who helped restore public safety in our community of Kenosha. Its positive he is coming to thank them and to help begin the process of healing and rebuilding our community.

In contrast with Steils statements, Wisconsin Democrats tweeted that The community in Kenosha is still tense, but Trump is here today to further fan the flames.

The tweet also mentioned Trumps refusal to condemn 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two people during protests in Kenosha last Tuesday. Rittenhouse has since been charged with two counts of first degree homicide.

Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, in a tweet, thanked the president for his visit.

Thank you @USNationalGuard and for supporting employers whos businesses were burned down or boarded up because of the riots, Walker tweeted.

State Rep. Samantha Kerkman, R-Salem Lakes, whose district includes part of Somers, praised Trump as he literally showed up for Kenosha on Tuesday in addition to committing financial support to its recovery.

Im thankful that President Trump chose to come visit Kenosha to personally witness the destruction inflicted by rioters and to speak with local law enforcement about the very real needs that arise abruptly during times of hurt and civil unrest, Kerkman said in a statement.

State Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, took to Twitter on Tuesday to thank the president for his promise of $1 million in federal funds to Kenosha Police, $4 million to rebuild Kenosha businesses and $42 to the state of Wisconsin for public safety and prosecution.

Baldwin seeks action on legislation

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., used the occasion of Trumps visit to call on the president to take action by ending his opposition to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

This president has not provided leadership that unites people and he has a bad habit of being divisive, which is not what the Kenosha community and Wisconsin wants or needs, Baldwin said in a statement. I want President Trump to do what Jacob Blakes mother, Julia Jackson, has asked every American to do  examine your heart.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act passed the House of Representatives more than two months ago, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has not allowed a vote it.

Guard clarification

Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian had asked the president to delay his visit as not to stress a community attempting to recover, but seven members of the Kenosha County Board said they were pleased that Trump was visiting Kenosha.

Ahead of his arrival in Kenosha, Trump tweeted that the The violence stopped six days ago, the moment the (National) Guard entered the picture.

Antaramian released a statement Tuesday, refuting some of Trumps claims.

Thank you to those who have reached out to express their concern, Antaramian said. I want to dispel the presidents statement that angry mobs were trying to get into my house last night. Nothing of the sort happened. The statement in the presidents video is completely false. The City of Kenosha remains peaceful and focused on healing our community.

Kenosha officials contacted Gov. Tony Evers shortly after civil unrest began to escalate on Aug. 23, asking for help from the National Guard. Evers activated the National Guard in the pre-dawn hours of Monday, Aug. 24.
By Trend





Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 32 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Each year, Center of the American Experiment holds an Annual Dinner that typically draws around 1,000 people. Such luminaries as Margaret Thatcher, Mikhail Gorbachev and the first President Bush have headlined the event; more recently, Tucker Carlson, Tom Cotton and Candace Owens. This year, we planned the dinner/fundraiser for April, rescheduled it for June on account of COVID, and then again to September 19. I refused to cancel the event, thinking that surely Minnesotas state of emergency would be lifted by then. In the end, when I finally threw in the towel, we were the last event on the schedule of the Minneapolis Convention Center for 2020.

So, like everyone else, we have gone virtual. But our 2020 Virtual Gala wont be like everyone elses, because I turned the event over to the youngest people in our office and told them to re-imagine the event from top to bottom, and have fun with it. They are coming through in a major way.

Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders will be the featured speaker, with live Q and A. In addition, we will present a Courage In Government award to Governor Kristi Noem, which she will accept from her South Dakota office. The program will be streamed with TV-quality video. Some portions, like the National Anthem, will be pre-recorded.

Possibly the most fun element is that people are having viewing parties, where groups will get together to watch the gala. If you register a viewing party, we will send you a box of supplies, and periodically through the evening we will cut away, live, to viewing parties around the country. So far, 32 parties have been registered. Most are in Minnesota, but California, Missouri, Texas, Massachusetts and New Jersey are also represented. One guy in Massachusetts says he will assemble a group of 50 or 60.

The Virtual Gala is free. All you have to do is go to AmericanExperimentGala.com to register. You might wonder, how can it be a fundraiser if there is no charge to attend? The answer is that every single one of our donors who had signed up to be a table sponsor for a real dinner in April has stayed with useven though there is no dinner, and no table. People care more about the conservative movement than about steak and seafood. In addition we will, of course, solicit donations.

It should be a fun event, if you are interested I encourage you to follow the link and register. And consider hosting a party!
First Deputy Chair of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Raluca Turcan believes that it is possible that the submission of the censure motion by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) was based on "reasons related to the internal elections in the Social Democratic Party (PSD)".

Turcan told a show on Digi 24 TV private broadcaster that at the moment, "there is no majority to overthrow this Government.""A censure motion has several stages and it seems normal to me that a political party like the ruling PNL should use all the constitutional instruments, because that is why they were provided for. Even checking the quorum before voting on a motion is a constitutional lever to check whether a motion has been tabled in the real way to bring down the government. (...) Maybe there were reasons related to the internal elections in PSD. The reality is that the motion was tabled at the time of Mr. Ciolacu's election. It gave him some strength in the internal elections, and now he did not have a quorum, so there is no majority to overthrow this Government at the moment. Which is a good thing, because we can continue to do our job. We will see what happens along the way. I hear all sorts of speculations that they are going to file another motion (...) but the ones who lose the most are the people, because they expect efficiency, effectiveness in the Government, ordinances, government decisions, efficiency in Parliament, what the Government sends to Parliament to be debated very quickly, and not to tease each other and present to the public this face that certainly is not liked by anyone in Romanian politics," said Turcan.The Deputy Prime Minister also specified that the members of the Government negotiated with each parliamentarian in order to reject the censure motion filed by the Social Democrats.The Liberal leader also said that the Government has "some important challenges from now on," pointing out that the beginning of the school year, the organization of elections, the management of the health crisis and the rebuilding of Romania with economic recovery measures are the short-term priorities of the Executive.
The announcement on 13 August that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will normalise relations, around the same as Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was suspending plans to annex more areas of the West Bank that it seized during the 1967 Six Dar War, has naturally raised the adjunct question about what this deal means for the two powerhouses of the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Iran? As with so many queries relating to the Middle East, the answer is not as straightforward as many might imagine, but it is outlined below. To begin with, the Israel-UAE deal is a lot more multi-layered than the simple announcement implies, which means that the response of Saudi and Iran to it is equally multi-faceted. More than any other outcomes from this deal, the UAE wanted to put itself firmly in the U.S.s most-favoured allies for receiving future business and financing deals, as it suffered a big hit from the Saudi-led oil price war that just ended, and to be included in the U.S.-Israel intelligence and security network to protect itself from Iran, a senior source who works closely with the European Union (EU) on energy security told OilPrice.com last week. This formal deal, though, just officially clarifies what has been happening for some time between Israel and the UAE in the field of intelligence co-operation to counteract Irans growing power in the region that has become more militaristic, given the increasing dominance of the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps] in Tehran, he said.

A key part of this joint intelligence initiative between the UAE and Israel (and, by extension, the U.S.) has been the dramatic increase in the past two years of the purchase of commercial and adjunct residential properties in Irans southern Khuzestan province  a key sector for its oil and gas reserves  by UAE-registered businesses, particularly those based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, said the source. Around 500,000 Iranians left Iran around the time of the [1979 Islamic] Revolution and settled in Dubai, in the first instance, and then Abu Dhabi, and they have never been in favour of the IRGC having the key role in Iran, so some of them have been used to front businesses or commercial property developments in Khuzestan that are being funded from business registered in those two states of the UAE, he added.

Related: The U.S. Energy Storage Boom Is About To Begin



However, these apparently Abu Dhabi and Dubai businesses are actually being funded from a major Israeli property company that in turn is funded from a Israel-U.S. operation specifically set up for this project, with a budget of US$2.19 billion, he told OilPrice.com. These businesses, and the additional property acquisitions for the individuals working for these business in Khuzestan, mean that not only is the native Iranian population being diluted by non-Iranian Arabs [although broadly Persian in demographic terms, indigenous Arabs make up around two per cent of Irans population] but also the opportunity for on-the-ground intelligence gathering has been dramatically enhanced, he underlined. Basically, Israel is doing through the UAE presence in southern Iran exactly what Iran has been doing to Israel through its presence in Lebanon and Syria. Given the obvious opportunities for increased intelligence-gathering and economic and political disruption within Irans borders stemming from the new Israel-UAE deal, Iran has been unsurprisingly hostile to it. Iranian Parliament Speakers Special Aide for International Affairs, Amir-Abdollahian, made a very public show shortly after the announcement, of meeting with Palestines Ambassador to Tehran, Salah Zavavi, and stated that: The UAEs act to normalise relations with the Zionist regime is a strategic mistake, and the UAE government must accept responsibility for all its consequences. He added that Iran remains firmly behind the Palestinian people. Palestines Zavavi asked the speakers of all parliaments of Islamic countries to condemn the action of the UAE and to support the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.

More indicative of future actions over and above just words was the subsequent high-level meeting of Irans Defence Minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoygu. Even publically, Hatami alluded to the new military deals reached with China and Russia  revealed exclusively by OilPrice.com  referring to the joint strategic, regional and international goals and interests between Tehran and Moscow, underlining the developing mutual defence co-operation between the two sides. Hatami then castigated the U.S.s recent attempts to invoke a snapback of full international sanctions against Iran through the United Nations Security Council: In recent years, Iran and Russia have launched a joint and purposeful effort to counter the unilateralism and bullying policies of the U.S. and the Trump administration in the region, he noted. The realistic response of the UN Security Council [UNSC] and the rejection of the recent U.S. anti-Iran resolution on extension of arms embargoes against Iran, once again, brought a major defeat for the U.S. and its regional allies and proved the global opposition to unilateralism, he underlined.

Related: India Stops Oil Purchases From China



The guarantee of China and Russias support as two of just five Permanent Members on the UNSC was one of the absolutely key reasons why Iran agreed to the military elements of the 25-year deal it had made earlier with China, said the EU source. Indeed, with this new Israel-UAE deal now formally announced, the IRGC (with the rubber-stamped blessing of Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei) is fully set to allow the presence of Chinese and Russia naval assets in and around Irans key ports at Chabahar, Bandar-e-Bushehr, and Bandar Abbas, in line with the military element of the agreement, as from 9 November, a senior source who works closely with Irans Petroleum Ministry told OilPrice.com last week.

These deployments will be accompanied by the roll-out of Chinese and Russian electronic warfare (EW) capabilities that will encompass each of the three key EW areas - electronic support (including early warning of enemy weapons use) plus electronic attack (including jamming systems) plus electronic protection (including of enemy jamming). Based originally around neutralising NATOs C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) systems, part of the new roll-out of software and hardware from China and Russia in Iran will be the Russian S-400 anti-missile air defence system (to counter U.S. and/or Israeli attacks) and the Krasukha-2 and -4 systems (as they proved their effectiveness in Syria in countering the radars of attack, reconnaissance and unmanned aircraft).

So, what will Saudi Arabias position be in the wake of the Israel-UAE deal? Saudi Arabia, in particular, may be quietly supportive but is unlikely to normalise relations, Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington told OilPrice.com last week. The clerical establishment has had a privileged role in the Kingdom since the eighteenth century, the king is the custodian of the two holy mosques, and Saudi Arabia is the founder of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, he added. Quietly is the operative word here as, according to the Iran source, currently 62 per cent of the aforementioned US$2.19 billion Israel-UAE property fund for new settlements of UAE citizens into Irans Khuzestan comes from Saudi Arabian-connected organisations.

This fits in with the widely held view among dedicated-Saudi analysts that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) is far more sympathetic to the agreement  and to the ultimate strategic aim of the U.S. and Israel of undermining the IRGCs grip on the country  than his father, King Salman. King Salman told the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation just last year that the Palestinian cause remained a core issue and that the kingdom refuses any measures that touch the historical and legal position of East Jerusalem. On the other hand, he is 84 years old and in poor health and even Saudis Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, cautiously welcomed the Israel-UAE agreement, saying: It could be viewed as positive. It is also apposite to note that back in 2002  not that long ago in global geopolitical terms - it was the Saudis who launched the Crown Prince Abdullah Peace Plan at the Beirut Arab summit, offering Israel full recognition in exchange for a return to its pre-1967 borders.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Kenosha Riots Cause $2 Million in Damage to City Property

A Kenosha city official said that the destruction to city-owned property caused by rioters last week following the police shooting of Jacob Blake has caused nearly $2 million in damage.

The estimate is based on what it would cost to replace damaged items, including smashed lights and garbage trucks set ablaze, but does not include personnel costs, according to Kenosha public works director, Shelly Billingsley, The Associated Press reports.

Right now, were estimating between lost equipment, lost street lights, lost traffic signals, and miscellaneous sign damagewere estimating a cost of approximately $1.9 million, Billingsley said in an update reported to the citys Public Works Committee, according to Kenosha News.

Billingsley added that her staff continues to tally the numbers in the wake of the destruction, which erupted after Blake was shot on Aug. 23 while resisting arrest in a confrontation with police, suffering serious injuries. The shooting sparked a wave of protests, some turning violent, with rioters torching half a dozen buildings, including a number of small businesses. On the third night of unrest, there was a shooting that resulted in one injury and two deaths. Authorities imposed a curfew in a bid to quell the unrest and minimize the threat to people and property.

Authorities initially refused offers of federal assistance to help cope with the rioting, but after a shooting involving an Illinois teenager, the National Guard was sent in.

President Donald Trump, whos planning to visit Kenosha to survey the damage and meet with business owners and law enforcement, told reporters on Monday night that the unrest there was subdued thanks to the deployment of federal forces.

Tomorrow, Im going to a place where we moved very quicklyyou know thatin Wisconsin. And we moved very, very quickly. And as soon as we moved, that was the end of that. It was very well behaved, Trump said.

It should be very interesting. But were proud of it because, in six days, its been like a different world. And it took place immediately. As soon as we surged, as soon as we went in, it took place immediately, he added later.

Kenosha city alderman Bill Siel said at the committee meeting that some of the costs to taxpayers can be recovered through insurance.

I know that some of our old garbage trucks are no more, they were burned, he said, according to Kenosha News. But as much as it is a loss, the burning hulks did provide some additional security. So, I guess they went down with a fight.
This story has been updated with information regarding action taken at the Aug. 26 meeting of the Strongsville Board of Zoning Appeals.

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- A freestanding Chipotle Mexican Grill with a drive-thru window has been proposed for the parking lot of Ledgewood Plaza on Ohio 82 across from SouthPark Mall.

Thats even though two Chipotle restaurants -- including one in the mall -- are already operating in Strongsville. The other Chipotle is on Pearl Road south of Ohio 82, just north of Shurmer Road and directly across from Lunn Road.

When asked why Chipotle wants to build a third restaurant in Strongsville, when construction would start and whether one of the existing Chipotles would shut down, Chipotle spokesperson Erin Wolford said in an email, At this time, we do not have information that we can share on a Strongsville location.

Wolford advised cleveland.com to check back in the coming months regarding Chipotles activities in Strongsville.

The status of the proposed new Chipotle is uncertain. On Aug. 26, a request for four variances that would be needed for the restaurant was withdrawn from the citys Board of Zoning Appeals agenda.

According to plans and blueprints submitted to the city, the new Chipotle would stand close to Ohio 82, just east of the new Starbucks. It would measure about 2,300 square feet.

The plan, according to city officials, requires zoning variances for:

 Front building setback. City code requires that the restaurant stand at least 200 feet from the center of the street. The proposed Chipotle would be 80 feet from Ohio 82.

 Front parking setback. Code requires that all parking spaces lie at least 40 feet from the Ohio 82 right-of-way. The proposed front parking setback for Chipotle is 25 feet.

 Side parking setback. Code requires that all parking spaces lie at least 10 feet from the sides of the lot. For Chipotle, the proposed parking setback on one side is 0.

 Rear parking setback. Code requires that all parking spaces lie at least 10 feet from the rear of the lot. The proposed rear parking setback for Chipotle is 0.

In a July memo, City Planner George Smerigan said that sanitary sewer and storm sewer easements, both 20 feet wide, in the front parking lot of the Ledgewood Plaza retail center limit the options for locating a freestanding building in front of the existing center.

Read more from the Sun Star Courier.
WASHINGTON  The New York Department of Labor will not say when the agency will begin to pay out a new $300 per week federal unemployment benefit that the state was approved to distribute Aug. 23.

Deanna Cohen, a spokeswoman for the labor department, said the state "has acted faster and more aggressively than any other major state to support unemployed New Yorkers." She added: "We continue to work as quickly as possible to get New Yorkers their benefits.

Update: New York will start paying new $300 unemployment benefit next week

The new federal benefit will be paid in addition to regular state unemployment benefits. It is being provided under an executive order President Donald Trump signed in early August after the previous federal unemployment benefit of $600 per week expired on July 31.

The new benefit is expected to offer the unemployed five weeks of relief before the money dries up, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

So far, 41 states have been approved for grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the supplemental unemployment benefit. South Dakota has said it will not apply.

Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee have started administering the payments to their residents. Connecticut said it would make the payments starting in mid-September. Nine other states have said they will start paying the benefit in the next three weeks.

It's unclear why New York officials won't provide information on when they will begin doling out the payments.

"As we said, we continue to work as quickly as possible to get New Yorkers this benefit," Cohen said. "Like most states that have been approved for this program, we do not have an estimate at this time. ... In reality 63 percent of states, the vast majority, either have no timeline or their timeline is more than 3 weeks."

New York has 2.8 million unemployment claimants, more than Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee combined. The unemployment rate in New York was 16 percent in July, compared to 10.5 percent in the U.S. as a whole, according to the state Department of Labor. Unemployment in the Albany metro area was at 11.5 percent. In New York City, the rate was 20 percent.

"Administering the Lost Wages Assistance program is made even more complex by the federal administration's inability to work with Congress and the president's attempt to cover for this failure with a haphazard executive order," Cohen said.

States initially resisted applying for the benefit money because they would be required to cover a quarter of the cost of the benefit. But the Trump administration waived that requirement, prompting most states to apply for the short-term aid.

The $44 billion for unemployment comes from FEMA money usually spent on disaster relief.
China and US not in war for power; US on wrong side of history: Chinese FM during Europe visit

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 14:41:43

The fundamental disagreements between China and the US are not about power, international status or social systems, but about whether to support multilateralism or unilateralism, and advocate win-win cooperation or a zero-sum game. It is clear to the world that the US is now on the wrong side of history, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI) conference in Paris on Sunday (French time) during his week-long visit to Europe.

"China never wants to fight a 'new cold war' with anyone, and there cannot be a 'cold war' in the era of globalization, as it is impossible to divide the world into two or three camps when all countries have become an interconnected community of shared interests," he said.

Wang's statement was made in response to a question that Thierry de Montbrial, Chairman of the IFRI, raised about how China will avoid a "new cold war" with the US, since China supports multilateralism while the US might continue to refuse to risk losing its world dominance, regardless of the outcome of its presidential elections.

"China's view is clear - all countries are equal members of the international community and have the right to their own development. We congratulate the US on its development. But at the same time, China, along with other emerging economies and developing countries, also has the right to develop and create happy lives for its people," Wang said.

He noted that China always advocates and believes that the world is moving toward multi-polarity in international relations, as a healthy and stable world should not be ruled by just one or two countries.

On current China-US relations, Wang pointed out that the US is on the wrong side of history.

"US diplomacy seems to be reduced to only unilateral sanctions and smear campaigns, to which China must make the necessary response by making the facts clear to dismiss the country's groundless accusations," Wang said, noting that China has the right to do so as a sovereign country to not only safeguard its national interests and dignity, but also to uphold basic norms in international relations.

"China's door to a dialogue with the US is wide open. We are ready to have candid and in-depth exchange of views with the US side on issues of converging interests," he said.

China also welcomes the constructive role that European countries, including France, can play in easing the current tensions between China and the US and expect to see that Europe's adherence to a strategic independence will provide stability to a world with plenty of uncertainties.

Wang on Friday (French time) met with French President Emmanuel Macron during his ongoing European tour. His Europe visit started on Tuesday and has already brought him to Italy, the Netherlands and Norway.

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To attend this fair, you should be actively looking for jobs or internships that are available fall 2020 or spring 2021.

Students will need to pre-register for the fair and upload their resume in Career Launch to be eligible to participate. Students should watch their email and the events page on Career Launch for more details.

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As countries first line of defense against a crisis, health systems need to be strengthened

Millions of infections, hundreds of thousands of deaths, and widespread lockdowns. In just six months, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world dramatically. As we adapt, we are learning about the virusespecially the possibility that transient immunity could expose people to waves of the virusand about long-term effects on the lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain among those who recover.

Despite these unknowns, COVID-19 has exposed several well-known and deeply persisting inequalities. People with comorbidities such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease and diabetes are at a higher risk of complications from COVID-19, and these risk factors disproportionately affect those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Women bear the brunt of caring for the sick and children, are at high risk of domestic violence during quarantines and lockdowns, and are affected by disruptions in access to sexual and reproductive health services, as well as by job losses in the informal sector.

To make matters worse, another pandemic can strike at any time, even as we struggle with the current crisis.

This pandemic has also laid bare inequality between rich and poor countries. For the most part, rich countries have better-funded health systems and can afford to temporarily freeze their economies and inject billions of dollars into economic stimulus packages. Yet most poor countries have underfunded and inadequately staffed health systems, weak water and sanitation systems, large populations, mounting debt, colossal unemployment, and limited fiscal capacity for economic relief.

To make matters worse, another pandemic can strike at any time, even as we struggle with the current crisis. Apart from looming global pandemics, there is also the threat of extreme weather events and natural disasters, as well as recurring economic crises, all of which have devastating effects on communities and health systems.

During all of these natural and human-caused crises, it is a countrys health system that is the first line of defense, and if the system is not resilient, it will be overwhelmed and collapse, exacerbating the health impact and adding to inequality. Countries such as Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan Province of China, and Vietnamall of which have managed to control COVID-19 better than othershave demonstrated resilience in their health systems.

Resilient health systems

Harvard public health professor Margaret Kruk defines health system resilience as the capacity of health actors, institutions, and populations to prepare for and effectively respond to crises; maintain core functions when a crisis hits; and, informed by lessons learned during the crisis, reorganize if conditions require it (Kruk and others 2015). In the face of a crisis, a resilient health system can cope with the shock, continue to provide services, and return to normal functioning once the crisis settles, thereby delivering positive health outcomes in both good and bad times.

However, a health system does not function in a silo; it operates within a socioeconomic and political context, clearly reflected by the direct and indirect health effects of pandemics and other shocks on vulnerable populations. A resilient postCOVID-19 health system must also address these vulnerabilities and inequalities and sustainably respond to a range of crises in the future.

Based on the growing literature and country experiences of Ebola and COVID-19, we can outline five broad features of a resilient national health system.

First, it must be vigilant. Countries must strengthen their existing disease surveillance systems to routinely collect and analyze information across public and private health care in order to prevent or quell outbreaks. Several simple and effective disease surveillance systems have been developed and adapted in low-resource settings. For instance, in the early 1980s, virologist T. Jacob John established a novel system in south India using a standardized set of symptoms (which would today be called syndromic surveillance) to detect and limit disease outbreaks (John and others 1998). This national surveillance system must also incrementally build its capacity to routinely monitor such events in neighboring countries and regions and worldwide, which requires capacity building as well as diplomacy.

Second, it must be responsive. Early response is a defining feature of the health systems of Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan Province of China, as well as in states such as Kerala in Indiaall of which have managed to control COVID-19 effectively. Responsiveness calls for preparedness, which can take years of planning and investment, long before a pandemic hits. Singapore and Taiwan Province of China responded to the deadly 2003 SARS outbreak with elaborate response plans and annual drills in hospitals, while in South Korea, following the 2015 MERS outbreak, the government invested heavily in standard operating protocols and incentivized its biomedical companies to research and develop rapid diagnostic tools. Countries may have emergency preparedness plans and protocols, but these need to be aligned with dedicated individuals and teams with decision-making autonomy to respond swiftly, as well as with investment to strengthen the health infrastructure and a workforce and procedures for emergency procurement and replenishment in the event of shortages.

Third, it must be flexible and adaptable. Hospital staff in several countries have been redeployed to COVID-19 wards. In January and February, nearly 3,000 health workers in Cambodia were trained and deployed to implement rapid detection and contact tracing. In China, Fangcang shelter hospitals were rapidly set up in February 2020large-scale venues such as stadiums and exhibition centers were converted to temporary hospitals to isolate and care for people with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and reduce the burden on hospitals. Across the world, hospitals have shifted some of their health services to virtual forums such as telephone and video consultations. Such practices show the potential of flexible use of existing resourceswhether the workforce or health care facilitiesand adaptation to a rapidly changing situation.

Fourth, it is only as resilient as the communities it serves. District public health teams must engage and involve local leaders and community volunteers in structured roles during emergencies; extension of roles during normal times could enhance participatory governance. In Thailand, more than 1 million village health volunteers have monitored communities for COVID-19. In Kerala more the 300,000 youth volunteers were trained and deployed by the government to deliver social services to local communities during the lockdown and support quarantined households (WHO 2020). Local leaders and volunteers are trusted in their communities, and when district health teams partner with such stakeholders it can ensure two-way communication and persuade communities to adopt recommended behavior.

Fifth, and most important, resilient health systems must be equitable. People in both rich and poor countries without effective health coverage have struggled to get tested and seek timely treatment for COVID-19 and other health emergencies. Universal health coverage, regardless of socioeconomic status, geographic location, gender, age, or preexisting conditions, is needed now more than ever (WHO 2010). Countries must invest in universal health coverage, particularly by expanding health insurance coverage and strengthening primary health care services, to ensure early detection and response to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. This will prevent secondary and tertiary health facilities from being overburdened and disrupting the delivery of other essential health services. Most important, universal health coverage will keep families from falling into poverty during such public health emergencies.

Governance holds the key to an effective response for resilient health systems in the face of COVID- 19 and future public health emergencies.

Govenments will also have to strengthen three cross-cutting areas to ensure health system resilience. First, a multisectoral government approach is urgently needed, whereby mechanisms are built and activated for health policymakers to work closely with their counterparts in other relevant public sectors, including education, social welfare, finance and trade, and the environment.

Partnership with the private health sector is the second cross-cutting task. In several low- and middle-income countries, private facilities are the first health care contact point and deliver the bulk of services. This sector cannot be ignored and must be sustainably engaged under public stewardship.

Third, clear, consistent, transparent, and timely communication is needed through various channels, including credible voices for both internal (public sector departments) and external (public) audiences. These communication channels must include and incorporate feedback. Good communication will build public trust in government and encourage adherence to the behavior needed to disrupt transmission and control outbreaks.

Making it happen

Financing is critical to achieving the above features in cross-cutting areas of health system resilience. Governments must increase domestic financial resources for the public health system through mechanisms such as budget reallocation, tax reform and management, and luxury and sin taxes as well as collaboration with the private and philanthropic sectors. In 2013, within one year of introducing sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco, the Philippines generated $1.2 billion, which made it possible to enroll an additional 45 million citizens in universal health coverage.

Governments can also make a substantial difference by reducing inefficiencies in their health spending. This can be achieved through strategies such as reforming incentive and payment structures to address overuse of services, controlling excessive markups on medicines and promoting generics, pooled medicine purchases, and addressing corruption.

Poorer countries suffering from economic shocks will have a hard time raising money for domestic health financing, which is why we urgently need a coordinated global response. Richer countries, donors, and multilateral agencies must step up development assistance. Institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF have taken initial steps with increased emergency financing, debt relief, and support for debt service suspension. Future support beyond unconditional emergency financing should support broad health system strengthening and resilience and protect social spending and safety nets for the most vulnerable.

Governance holds the key to an effective response for resilient health systems in the face of COVID-19 and future public health emergencies. Effective governance calls for committed leadership across political parties and structures that reflect accountability and transparency, as well as mechanisms for decision-making autonomy and incentives for public health officials across all levels of government.

Worldwide commitment to cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines and therapies starts with collective support for the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite its shortcomings, no other international agency has the technical, normative, and convening capacity to bring countries together at the same table for ensuring equitable access to global public goods for public health emergencies. With the recent US announcement to withdraw from the WHO and threats to overall funding, international cooperation, as demonstrated at the World Health Assembly in May 2020, is more relevant than ever (Sridhar and King 2020).

As former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said, Coronavirus anywhere is a threat to people everywhere. No government can completely resolve the COVID-19 crisis alone; it takes global cooperation and solidarity.

References: John, T. J., R. Samuel, V. Balraj, and R. John. 1998. Disease Surveillance at District Level: A Model for Developing Countries. Lancet 352 (9121): 5861. Kruk, M. E., M. Myers, S. T. Varpilah, and B. T. Dahn. 2015. What Is a Resilient Health System? Lessons from Ebola. Lancet 385 (9980): 191012. Sridhar, D., and L. King. 2020. US Decision to Pull out of World Health Organization. BMJ 370:m2943. World Health Organization (WHO). 2010. Health Systems Financing: The Path to Universal Coverage. Geneva. . 2020. Responding to COVID-19Learnings from Kerala. Geneva.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA Silver Spring, MD, USA) could bypass the normal approval process to authorize a COVID-19 vaccine before the completion of Phase 3 clinical trials if the benefits outweighed the risks.In an interview with the Financial Times, Dr. Stephen Hahn, head of the US FDA, said the decision to approve a COVID-19 vaccine would probably be one of the most important and sensitive ones in US public health history. China and Russia have been criticized by public health officials for approving COVID-19 vaccines ahead of their completion of Phase 3 trials. However, according to Dr. Hahn, a safer way to make a COVID-19 vaccine available before the end of Phase 3 trials would be to issue an emergency authorization for use by certain groups instead of a blanket approval.It is up to the sponsor [vaccine developer] to apply for authorization or approval, and we make an adjudication of their application, Dr. Hahn told the Financial Times. If they do that before the end of Phase 3, we may find that appropriate. We may find that inappropriate, we will make a determination.Our emergency use authorization is not the same as a full approval, added Dr. Hahn. The legal, medical and scientific standard for that is that the benefit outweighs the risk in a public health emergency.However, several physicians and experts are demanding an independent commission to review data from COVID-19 vaccine trials before allowing it on the market. Given the negative steps taken by government agencies during the pandemic and growing public distrust of vaccines, physicians and experts feel the need for a layer of review independent from the government in order to instill confidence among the public about the vaccines safety and effectiveness. They believe that the findings of an FDA committee would be met with skepticism by the public due to the impression that the research is being hurried and could result in an unsafe COVID-19 vaccine. Experts are advocating an apolitical and independent group that could add an extra layer of review to the entire COVID-19 vaccine approval system to reassure the public and increase trust in the vaccine.Bioethicist Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at NYU Langone Health, told CNN, "We're used to this world where if the FDA or the CDC or the NAS says something is safe and effective, that's enough, but I don't think this time that's sufficient to overturn public skepticism," referring to the US Centers for Disease Control and the National Academy of Sciences. "I think we desperately need an independent national commission."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

Trend:

Azerbaijan has already provided humanitarian assistance to more than 30 countries, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev said during the inauguration in a video format of another modular hospital of the Health Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the treatment of coronavirus patients, Trend reports.

We have been in close contact with the World Health Organization since the early days. These contacts continue to this day. As you know, the World Health Organization has praised the work done in Azerbaijan in this area and described Azerbaijan as an exemplary country. This is indeed the case. In other words, the work is done, the state funds allocated to this area, the mobilization work, the construction of hospitals, the laboratories, the implementation of social programs  all this, I am sure, has played a key role in our struggle. Therefore, these contacts continue to this day, and I am confident that through the joint effort we will keep the COVID issue under control. I should also note that Azerbaijan, as a responsible country that enjoys great authority in the international arena, has provided humanitarian assistance to other countries. Azerbaijan has already provided humanitarian assistance to more than 30 countries, which is our great contribution to the common struggle, the head of state said.
An advisory panel from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says there is not enough evidence that shows plasma therapy is effective at treating coronavirus patients.

On August 23, the experimental therapy was granted emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

President Donald Trump said it was a 'very big day' and 'truly historic' just one day after suggesting, baselessly, that the FDA is waiting to approve treatments and vaccines until after the presidential election in November.

The NIH experts say analysis of a study showed 'no difference in seven-day survival overall' between patients who received antibody-rich plasma and those given plasma with low levels of antibodies, and that they can neither recommend nor discourage the use of convalescent plasma for treating COVID-19.

It is transferred into a sick patient in hopes they will develop the antibodies needed to fight off the infection. Pictured: Collected plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 in Bogota, Colombia, August 20

An NIH panel says there is not enough data that shows plasma therapy is effective at improving survival rates. Pictured: Phlebotomist Samatha Gallegos talks with Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Tim Gatz as he donates convalescent plasma at the Oklahoma Blood Institute in Oklahoma City, August 12

'There are currently no data from well-controlled, adequately powered randomized clinical trials that demonstrate the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19,' the NIH group said in a statement. 'There are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19.'

To approve the treatment, scientists noted a Mayo Clinic study in which there was 35 percent decrease in mortality among patients younger than age 80 who received plasma.

Among 35,000 coronavirus patients, the team said there were fewer deaths among people given plasma within three days of diagnosis and also among those given plasma with the highest levels of antibodies compared to less-rich plasma.

But it was not a formal study because patients were treated in different ways in hospitals around the country.

This means the Mayo Clinic cannot prove the plasma - as well as the other care they received - was the real reason for improvement.

What's more, experts say the '35 percent mortality reduction' is a misleading figure.

The findings show 8.7 percent of patients treated with plasma within three days of diagnosis died after seven days, compared to 11.9 percent who were treated four days or more.

That's an absolute difference of 3.2 percent, not 35 percent, and not compared to a control group.

'There are currently no data from well-controlled, adequately powered randomized clinical trials that demonstrate the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19,' the NIH group said in a statement.

'There are insufficient data to recommend either for or against the use of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19.'

The NIH panel said plasma should not be considered the standard of care due to lack of clinical trial data.

On Sunday, the FDA approved convalescent plasma therapy for emergency use authorization in coronavirus patients, with President Trump hailing the decision as 'truly historic.' Pictured: Trump announces the FDA's decision on Sunday in the Press Briefing Room of the White House

Convalescent plasma therapy is an experimental treatment in which plasma from a recovered COVID-19 patient is used on an infected patient in critical condition.

The hope is that the antibodies and immunity in the blood of a healthy person will be transferred to a sick person.

From this, the infected person will then develop the antibodies needed to fight off the coronavirus.

The treatment was first used during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, a situation not far removed from the coronavirus pandemic.

People can donate plasma more than once, but have to wait several weeks after donating.

In April, the FDA allowed use of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 patients, but said it must be on a case-by-case basis, and patients who receive it must be experiencing conditions such as respiratory failure or multiple organ failure.
DIAMOND BAR, CA  SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, announced it is offering an online marketplace to allow manufacturers and resellers in the specialty automotive segment to connect and conduct business. Taking place Nov. 2-6, SEMA360 was created after industry members expressed a need for a viable marketplace solution in the absence of the 2020 SEMA Show.

Creating a platform where the industry can gather and discover new products and trends has always been a SEMA priority, said Chris Kersting, SEMA president and CEO. SEMA360 is the ideal solution to bring the industry together, at a time when weve all been kept apart. The platform allows qualified buyers to interact with manufacturers, see innovative new products, check out top SEMA Show builds, and take in industry-leading educational offerings.

Show organizers gathered input from industry members who registered concerns with typical virtual trade show solutions. The result is SEMA360, a simplified platform where SEMA will help manufacturers create a straightforward brand presence that will reach quality domestic and international buyers. With a focus on helping the industry grow their businesses, participating resellers will have access to product offerings and demonstrations, and manufacturer personnel.

The industry made it clear there is a void to fill, said Tom Gattuso, SEMA vice president of events. SEMA360 addresses that need by leveraging SEMAs exclusive buyer database to connect manufacturers with resellers.

Key features of SEMA360 include:

 A simplified platform for manufacturers to showcase their new products and innovations

 Efficient interaction between manufacturers and resellers for quality business exchange

 SEMA vehicle reveals from world-class builders

 Industry-leading education focused on professional development and new strategies

 SEMAs unrivaled media contacts amplifying news, products, and innovations to a world-wide audience

Manufacturer applications for SEMA360 will open Sept. 3, 2020, at a SEMA-member rate of $495, and a nonmember rate of $1,495. Attendee registration, which opens mid-September, will be free to qualifying buyers who are SEMA members, and $25 to nonmembers. Qualifying media will be able to register at no cost. To learn more about the SEMA360 or to register, visit www.sema360.com.

About SEMA: SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association founded in 1963, represents the $46.2 billion specialty automotive industry. The industry provides appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and technology products for passenger and recreational vehicles. Association resources include market research, legislative advocacy, training and product development support, as well as leading trade shows such as the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV, and the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in Indianapolis, IN. For more information, visit www.sema.org, www.semashow.com, or www.performanceracing.com.

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By Akbar Mammadov

The President of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Mohammad-Bande, has thanked Azerbaijan for the initiative to hold a special UN session on the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

During the special meeting of UN dedicated to the organization of the session held on August 31, Mohammad-Bande said that the proposal to hold a special session of the General Assembly on the issue of pandemics is a reliable basis for mobilizing international efforts to combat this threat.

We are grateful to Azerbaijan for initiating this important special session as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement, Mohammad-Bande added.

The president of the UN General Assembly also said that the organizers of the session have already submitted a draft document to be adopted based on the results of the event.

We believe that the special session will allow world leaders to pay more attention to the consequences of their actions in response to the pandemic.

He emphasized that this session will further strengthen the role of the General Assembly as a global platform to respond to the spread of coronavirus infection, as well as its impact on people's lives."

It should be noted that the special session of the UN General Assembly on the fight against the pandemic officially began on July 10, but it took some time for countries to agree on the aspects of holding this session online.

On August 31, President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan has provided humanitarian assistance to more than 30 countries over COVID-19

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Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
KALAMAZOO, MI  William Paul Jones, accused of murdering a young father and shooting three law enforcement officers in December, has been ordered to undergo a second psychiatric evaluation.

The evaluation, ordered by Kalamazoo County Circuit Judge Pamela Lightvoet on Aug. 31, will determine the mental state and capacity of Jones on the night the Battle Creek man is alleged to have killed 22-year-old Christopher Neal.

Jones, 36, faces 19 felony charges stemming from the incident, which occurred Dec. 1, 2019 at Neals Comstock Township home. Jones is said to have broken into Neals home and taken he and his young family hostage at around 10 p.m. that night.

Related: Police release body-cam footage of hostage situation that led to killing of young father

Among the charges are one count of open murder, one count of breaking and entering resulting in murder and three counts of assault with intent to murder a police officer. All five of those charges carry a penalty of up to life in prison, if Jones is convicted.

After a lengthy preliminary hearing, Jones case was bound over to Kalamazoo County Circuit Court on Aug. 10 on all 19 counts.

The defendant is also being charged with one count of unlawful imprisonment, one felon in possession of a firearm charge, one felon in possession of ammunition charge, one count of assaulting a police officer, one count of breaking and entering and nine felony firearms charges.

At his pretrial hearing Monday morning, Jones counsel requested a stay in the case so that his client could undergo a criminal responsibility psych evaluation, Kalamazoo County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Scott Brower told MLive.

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The request was granted by Lightvoet, meaning Jones will now be evaluated by the state Center for Forensic Psychiatry to determine his mental state and capacity at the time of the incident, Brower confirmed.

At the conclusion of the evaluation, the center will render its opinion to the court.

If the center finds the defendant did not meet the test for legal insanity, his counsel could seek a different independent evaluation or the case would proceed to trial, Brower said.

If the center finds the defendant did meet the test for legal insanity, the prosecutors office could stipulate to a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity or, if the court allows the case to proceed to trial at that time, leave it to a jury to determine whether the defendant was guilty, not guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity.

If a defendant is found not guilty by reason of insanity, it is highly likely that a petition would be filed claiming that the defendant was a person requiring treatment and hospitalization would be the likely result, Brower said. That would basically be the end of the criminal case and it would then become a civil mental health matter.

Jones has already been seen by the state Center for Forensic Psychiatry once after he underwent a competency evaluation prior to his preliminary hearing in Kalamazoo County District Court.

Jones, who was ordered to undergo the evaluation on Dec. 11, was found competent to stand trial on March 4.

The purpose of a competency evaluation is to determine whether a defendant has the capacity to understand the charges levied against them, as well as the process of the court proceedings so they can assist their attorney in a meaningful way.

Jones, who has a long criminal history including prior assaults on police officers and a prior home invasion, had been released from the Calhoun County Jail five days prior to the Dec. 1 incident.

He is said to have no relationship whatsoever to Neal or Neals family.

Related: Christopher is dead: Chilling 911 calls detail final moments of fatal hostage situation

In the five days leading up to the incident, after he was released from the Calhoun County Jail, Jones was involved in multiple incidents  among them, the defendant placed a 911 call on Nov. 29 in Port Huron, falsely stating the house he was in was on fire and the family of a woman he was involved with was holding him hostage.

According to police reports, moments before he placed the call, he urged the woman to get into a closet and asked her if she could hear the people climbing in through the window. 911 records show that, upon arrival, responders found Jones to be in a partially manic state.

Two days later, on the day of the incident, witnesses who were with Jones earlier in the evening, stated he had been smoking methamphetamine, had gone nuts and eventually shot up a vehicle that he had been a passenger in.

The driver of the vehicle, Brandon Thorp, told police Jones had held them at gunpoint for about two hours that night and eventually exited his vehicle near the Neal residence after demanding that Thorp stop driving.

Two days later, at his arraignment on Dec. 3, Jones, told Kalamazoo County District Judge Christopher Haenicke he did not understand the charges against them.

He also asked the judge, If I plead guilty to all these (charges) right now, can I get sentenced today so I can hurry up and go to prison for life like everybody wants?

Also on MLive:

Young father killed by gunman sacrificed himself for wife and child, family says

City review of police response to Kalamazoo Proud Boys rally finds areas for improvement

Michigan investigating a skyrocketing number of coronavirus-related workplace safety complaints
A hundred and thirty-eight years ago, almost to the day, Thomas Alva Edison switched on his coal-fired power plant at his Pearl Street station in lower Manhattan and provided commercial electricity for the first time in history to 59 homes within a square-mile area of his power plant. Many see this event as the birth of the modern era, as it marks the origin of our dependence on electricity to the extent that it is integral to almost everything we take for granted today.

But the kind of power generation that Edison pioneered on that September day in 1882 put us on a trajectory that has had unfortunate outcomes. He kicked into overdrive our reliance on fossil fuels for energy, allowing it to permeate all aspects of our livesfrom the electricity we need to power our homes, offices and factories, to the petroleum we need to run our cars, ships and planes. This forced us down a path of high-energy consumption that has resulted in the rapid depletion of naturally occurring carbon-based fuel sources and inflicted near-irreversible damage on our planet.

Edisons choice of coal as the fuel source for his power plant should not be taken as indicative of his support for fossil fuels as a source of energy. At least in the context of transportation, he believed that automobiles should run on electricitynot petroland even built a vehicle powered by alkaline batteries of his own invention.

But despite the fact that the battery technology he had developed went on to power electric trucks, railroad signals and even a submarine, it took so long for him to perfect the design of his electric car that it went on sale a full year after his good friend Henry Ford introduced the world to his low-priced, high-mileage Model T car. As a result, it is the internal combustion engine that powers the world today, and, instead of using renewable energy for our needs, we are stuck with our gas-guzzling lifestyles.

I cannot help but think how different things might have been had Edison beaten Ford to the market.

We find ourselves at a similar crossroads with artificial intelligence (AI) today. The dominant techniques that have delivered advances as miraculous as facial recognition, voice recognition and natural language processing, are voracious in their use of data. They depend on massive training datasets that comprise millions of individual elements of structured data to identify patterns not immediately evident to human senses.

As a result, leadership in artificial intelligence today is widely associated with an access to large volumes of structured information of the kind that is presently under the control of only the largest technology companies in the US and China. This has resulted in an arms race for the control of data, with countries around the world exerting their authority over the data of their citizens, regardless of where or under whose control it might be. The European Court recently tightened the grip of Europes data protection regulations over data that is transferred off its shores, while India has insisted that all sensitive personal data be localized and established a committee to look into how non-personal data might be harnessed to allow a better accrual of its value to the nation.

But the fact that these dominant machine learning models are incapable of accuracy unless they have sampled large volumes of data is a sign of their basic inefficiency. Even a child can identify objects seen just once before. We do not need to have trawled through vast libraries of bird pictures to know one when it flies by. Whats more, because our minds are capable of synthesizing and learning new object classes based on our existing information of different, previously-learned classes, we can identify an object as a bird even if we have never seen that particular avian species before.

What we need today are machine learning techniques that can achieve a higher level of sample efficiency and transferability than was previously possible. If we can do that, we will be able to shake ourselves free of our dependence on the data-guzzling models of artificial intelligence that we are currently wedded to.

Few-shot learning describes the exciting new techniques that allow models to be trained on small datasets. At present, it is largely being applied in the sub-fields of image classification, retrieval and segmentation, but is likely to have broader application in the areas of natural language processing, drug discovery and other such. While still in its infancy, it is clear that this is the direction in which artificial intelligence is headed.

That being the case, is there an argument to be made for us to completely rethink our current approach to data? If it is no longer necessary for us to amass vast stores of structured data to assume leadership in artificial intelligence, would we not be better-off focusing our energies on encouraging the use of these new and more efficient methods of computer learning?

Edison knew that electric transportation was the way to go and gave us a prototype electric vehicle well before internal combustion engines were even a thing. Had we chosen the electric option for cars, we could possibly have avoided the gas-guzzling century that followed.

We have to make a similar choice today: between the ravenous, data-guzzling models that are behind the AI models we know, and the few-shot learning models that are just about coming into their own. This time, I hope we will choose wisely.

Rahul Matthan is a partner at Trilegal and also has a podcast by the name Ex Machina. His Twitter handle is @matthan

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Tested by a US-based ISO 17025 certified laboratory, a single layer of Thermaissance fabric have been proven to kill >93% coronavirus in less than 5 mins

How about a reusable mask that kills coronavirus, kills various bacteria, is breathable, keeps you cool, is environment friendly and is affordable?

Mumbai based startup brand Thermaissances masks exactly offer these features and much more. It strives to protect the wearer as well as our environment at a very affordable price. These fabrics are based on nanotechnology and are anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.

Tested by a US-based ISO 17025 certified laboratory, a single layer of Thermaissance fabric have been proven to kill >93% coronavirus (human coronavirus) in less than 5 mins, and kill >99.99% in less than an hour. The testing was performed as per the actual ISO approved standard for testing anti-viral activity (ISO 18184).

Since the masks are made of 2-layer fabrics, the actual Covid-19 kill rate of masks in 5 mins is estimated to be much higher than 93%. The fabrics are also anti-bacterial and have been proven to kill over 99% of various bacteria including Staphylococcus and Klebsiella Pneumoniae. The anti-bacterial effectiveness has already been proven to last for 60+ Industrial Washes (equivalent to 100+ machine washes/ 150+ gentle washes) as per NABL Accredited Labs in India.

The MRP of the mask is between Rs. 300 to Rs. 500, making it really affordable. Additionally, being fabric-based, Thermaissance masks do not use any plastic like melt blown, poly propylene or spunbond, and hence are very environmental friendly.
As forces loyal to Yemens legitimate government and Southern Transitional Council continue to battle it out and Houthis advance on the south of the country, the misery of the Yemeni people is deepening

Yemen has been mired in war for more than five years. In a country where there appears to be no peace at the end of the tunnel, the Yemeni people are also suffering, with the majority of the population now depending on aid.

This August marks the first anniversary of the takeover by the secessionist Southern Transitional Council of Yemens temporary capital after it ousted the republican guard of internationally recognised Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Observers anticipated that the Arab Coalition that has been intervening in Yemen and is largely made up of forces from Saudi Arabia and the UAE would be divided, with Abu Dhabi supporting the Transitional Council and Riyadh backing the legitimate government.

However, the coalition has not split ranks, and by supporting the Transitional Council, the UAE has kept the Al-Islah Party, the political front of the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen, away from decision-making positions in the countrys legitimate government.

Secession is becoming harder for the Transitional Council as Abu Dhabi doesnt want to see an independent South Yemen, commented Naguib Seddik, a Yemeni journalist based in Aden.

Meanwhile, the power of Hadis government, mainly comprised of southern Yemenis to whom Hadi belongs and the Al-Islah Party is waning. Conflict between the elements supporting Hadi has been weakening his government, evident in the battles at Marib won by rebel Houthi forces.

Supporters of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh are calling for the uniting of the republican front against Houthi sectarianism. However, Salehs bloc and his General Peoples Congress Party are divided between those that support the Houthis, those who want to unite and a minority favouring the legitimate government, Seddik said.

The Houthis control most of the north of the country, where most of the countrys population is located, while the legitimate government is based in the south.

Meanwhile, some 80 per cent of the Yemeni population, or 24 million people, now depend on humanitarian aid. The north is under siege and has been deprived of food and aid for years, putting its people on the verge of famine.

The UN has repeatedly warned that the famine in Yemen could turn into the worlds worst catastrophe, particularly because there are some million cases of cholera among the Yemenis, and hundreds of people have died from the epidemic.

There are no accurate data on the number of Covid-19 infections and deaths in Yemen, which is also suffering from epidemics of malaria and dengue fever. Two million Yemeni children are severely malnourished, and the countrys healthcare system had collapsed even before the present conflict started.

Three weeks ago, heavy rains flooded the capital Sanaa, battering areas listed as world heritage by the UN cultural agency UNESCO. The Marib Dam was put under pressure by the most dangerous rains since it was built 34 years ago. The damage wreaked havoc on the Old City of Sanaa, whose gingerbread-coloured housing decorated with white symmetrical patterns is famous worldwide.

The Safer oil tanker, an ageing floating storage and offloading vessel moored off Yemens west coast 60 km north of the port of Hudayda, is another environmental threat.

It has received almost no maintenance and is carrying 1.2 million barrels of crude oil. The ships structure is deteriorating, leaving it at risk of leaking, exploding, or catching fire, especially after water leaked into the engine rooms.

The environmental hazards posed by the Safer are bigger than those of the Gulf of Mexico disaster in 1989 because the Safers cargo is four times that of the US tanker responsible.

Experts say that if the Safer explodes, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan will all suffer the consequences, which will spell disaster for the Red Seas rich marine life.

A UN team of experts has inspected the tanker but has not set a date for salvage work to begin. The Houthis are demanding that the oil tanker contains be sold to pay the salaries of employees in the municipalities they control, while the legitimate government is claiming the right to the oil to prevent outlawed Houthis militias from gaining valuable resources.

The legitimate government has been engaged in battles against forces of the Transitional Council since May, making it difficult for the two parties to resume negotiations, however.

Many observers expect the continuation of the conflict in which Al-Islah forces have advanced from Marib and Jawf in the north towards Aden to oust the Transitional Council. Whatever its final outcome, the conflict will result in the legitimate government losing a crucial part of its forces.

If the Transitional Council wins, Al-Islah will collapse, and Hadi will not have authority on the ground. If the result is the other way around, the southerners will oppose Al-Islah, which will have to rule by force, Seddik said.

However, Al-Islah is not expected to emerge victorious.

Unifying the ranks of what remains of former president Salehs regime may be useful in confronting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. But no matter how much support it receives, the Southern Transitional Council will not be able to defeat the majority Zaidi Muslim population in the north, who lean towards the Houthis, if Hadis government loses further ground.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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San Antonio was recently ranked among the 10th most financially stressed city in the country during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report from SmartAsset.

The personal finance technology company analyzed data on 99 of the largest U.S. cities for its report, which was released last week. In the ranking, San Antonio landed at No. 9. In the top 10, four other Texas cities were listed in the study: El Paso (No. 4), Corpus Christi (No. 7), Houston (No. 8) and Laredo (No. 10).
The pardons were at least partly the product of government negotiations with senior opposition leaders who have been critical of Guaidos leadership, according to two people with direct knowledge of the talks. They include Henrique Capriles, who ran for president against Maduro and his late mentor Hugo Chavez, and who maintains a significant base of support on his own. He has argued privately that the opposition should participate in legislative elections under certain conditions.
I originally campaigned for predicted grades and I'm not normally a person who'd stand up like that but I just thought it was wrong that Leaving Cert students had so much stress this year during a pandemic.

The long wait for the Leaving Cert results has been very tough but I feel relieved it's now only a matter of days before they will be out.

However, after seeing the fallout with school results in the UK, I am concerned about the algorithm system.

I really hope we don't have a similar experience.

But we haven't been told how the standardisation process works and I know everyone has done their best, but it is a concern.

We're still in the dark over it but we have to trust the process and hope for the best.

This is our future and it will dictate the next four years of our lives, so it absolutely has to be perfect or there will be an uproar.

I gained 530 points in my mocks and that means I will hopefully comfortably qualify for the 500 points I need to study PE and Irish at the University of Limerick.

However, I am still worried about the algorithm system and how it could potentially affect grades unfairly.

And I don't feel it's fair that, for those who needed to sit the Leaving Cert, only evenings and weekend periods are available.

It's very hard to expect someone to do their Leaving Cert in the evening and at the weekend. Maybe it will make some people not want to do it as it's such an awkward time.

Those resitting should be facilitated as a normal Leaving Cert student and I understand schools have problems right now.

Another worry is there will be little time between results being released and students arranging accommodation at universities - a matter further complicated by students only attending class for a minimal period.

I feel like we have been the Leaving Cert year that's had it the hardest ever and I know some really found lockdown very stressful and worrying about exams.

But I also think that because we have had it tough, it will also mean we are going to be such a resilient, strong year.

We will be able to overcome things and not let little things bother us.
JEE Mains 2020: The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2020 commenced on Tuesday, September 1 at 489 Centres across the country for B.Arch. and B.Planning aspirants. The B.Tech./B.E Joint Entrance Examination JEE(Main) will be conducted from September 2 to 6 at 605 Centres across India.

Students across different states of the country including Bihar, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, and Odisha appeared for the JEE main exams. Preparations have been made to ensure the safety of students amid pandemic for conducting the exam.

Read More: What students said after the JEE Mains exam on Day-2

National Testing Agency (NTA), which is conducting the exam, has assured all possible measures to ensure the safety of the candidates appearing in the exams. The agency has increased the number of exam centres to reduce the number of students per centre.

Here is what students across the country said after the exams:

UP

Candidates who appeared in the JEE Main in Uttar Pradesh found the mathematics section a little tricky. Utkarsh Sahu of Rae Bareli said, Paper went off well except a few mathematics question were tricky. He also complained that authorities should have made adequate arrangements for the transportation of students.

Shashwat Singh of Lucknow Public School felt paper was not complicated and he had enough time to complete the paper. Aditi from Lucknow was also satisfied with her paper. She was happy that finally the examination was held and shes free now. Aditi was happy with the social distancing protocol that was followed at the exam centre.

Manas Mani of Lucknows Rani Laxmibai Senior Secondary School and his friend Divyansh Singh said the examination could have been delayed further as the safety of the students is paramount.

UP has the second-highest number of candidates appearing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). The JEE exam will be conducted at 66 centers in the state starting Tuesday. 100706 students are expected to appear in the JEE exam in UP this year. The exam will be held online over six days in shifts.

Delhi

Puneet Kaushal, 18, a resident of Haryanas Revari, had travelled to Delhi on a Roadways bus on Monday to appear in JEE (Main). He had chosen Delhi as the center. I was really scared about the safety measures at the centers but when I reached here in Vivek Vihar I found everything in place. Social distancing norms were properly followed at the examination center. We were asked to dispose of the face masks we were wearing and were given new masks. There were guards at the entry and exit points with sanitiser spray. Everyone was wearing masks inside the center, he said.

Shruti Mehra, 17, a resident of Naraina took a cab to reach her examination center in Vivek Vihar. I got to know that there was an uber ola strike in the morning but I managed to book a cab. I am really satisfied with all the safety measures taken at the exam center. There was anxiety about taking the exam amid the pandemic but Im happy that exam is over now, she said.

Sanyam Gupta, 18, used his personal vehicle to travel to the examination center from his home in Shahdra. I was apprehensive before coming here. But the safety measures were in place here and everything was good. However, its a little uncomfortable to appear in exams wearing masks and spectacles both, he said.

Suhani, a student, said, Even if we were not given clear instructions about when the exam will be conducted, we had fully prepared. Screening and social distancing were followed and I am happy that the exam was conducted because our studies were badly affected due to Covid-19.

Many students have got their admissions in private colleges as the JEE was postponed. But many students, who wish to join IIT, had to appear for this exam. I am one of them. The exam was easy and precautions were taken. We were given masks and water bottles, inside the exam centre, said another student, Aditya.

Ranchi

Puja Kumari, an examinee from Jharkhands Gumla district who appeared for the examination at Ranchis Tupudana based centre, I was initially scared due to the spread of the Coronavirus. But then thought, we have to appear for the examination either this month or next month. There is no confirmation that Covid cases fall down after a month or two. So, we are happy with the government decided to hold the examination.

She said the papers were as per her expectation. The paper of mathematics was a little tough, she said.

Another examinee, Aditya Kumar from Ranchis Bariatu locality, said,  I have my personal vehicle. So, I didnt face any trouble. But, the examinees who have no personal vehicle might have faced problems in Covid period as there is less number of vehicles on road.

Career is more important than Covid. There was a fear in the back of the mind due to the spread of the virus. But, when we entered the centre, they forgot the fear, as preparations were good, he said.

Madhya Pradesh

Amid Covid 19, students appeared in JEE Main exam on Tuesday with sanitiser bottle in hands and masks on their faces in Bhopal.

A candidate from Bhopal Vipul Kumar said, I was under pressure before appearing in the exam due to Covid 19, but I got a bit relaxed after seeing the question paper as it was an overall easy paper.

The candidate expressed satisfaction over safety measures undertaken at the examination centre.

Another candidate from Bhopal Smriti Sharma said, I found the maths portion a bit hard but overall paper was easy to solve.

A candidate from Gwalior Akash Singh said, Like my several friends I was worried too regarding my safety against Covid 19. Even slight sneeze in the examination hall by someone alarmed us. Frankly speaking, I was not able to concentrate properly during the exam due to fear in the mind. However, the question paper was quite easy especially the drawing portion in it. 

Bihar

Students in Bihar, after taking first sitting exam, commonly shared that exam was easy and exam centres were following social distancing norm and arrangement was good at exam centre.

Satish Prakash, a candidate from Sasaram who took exam at Patna Centre , said, I appeared for BArch. Paper was not difficult for those who studied well. Few questions were repeated from same topic in aptitude section.

He said, Preparation at exam centre was good. Circles were marked on ground for students to stand in queue at entrance gate. After thermal screening, our hands were sanitised before entrance and fresh three-ply mask was provided. Seating arrangement inside exam hall followed 50 % occupancy.

Another candidate Sumit Kumar, said, I was very anxious before exam but questions were easy. I found maths a bit lengthy. Aptitude and drawing sections were easy.

He said, Rough sheets were kept at our seats before our entrance. There was no gathering during pre-exam process. Invigilator was also wearing mask. We had to sign in attendance sheet, that was the only common surface we touched. I was wearing gloves.

Another candidate, Astha Thakur who appeared for BArch in Madhubani said, Paper was not difficult. Aptitude section was easy but Maths section was time-taking. Overall exam was good. I hope to fetch good marks.

Talking about arrangements at exam centre, she said, Social distancing was maintained at exam centre. Minimum contact was required during registration process. We were asked to drop admit card and rough paper in boxes placed inside exam hall for eliminating contact with invigilator. Alternate seating arrangement was followed. I am feeling quite relaxed after taking exam.

A parent of JEE aspirant, Sushil Kumar, who had come to Patna from Vaishali, said, Arrangement at exam centres were satisfactory. Social distancing was strictly maintained. Security personnel were wearing face shield and mask while leading students.

Ludhiana:

Candidates appearing for JEE Mains exam in morning shift reached the examination centre TCS ION Digital zone, Sherpur chowk according to their slot timing mentioned on the admit card on Tuesday. The morning shift three-hour exam started at 9 am.

Following the social distancing norms due to Covid-19 pandemic, at the entry gate students were asked to stand at 2 feet distance from each other. Staff was deployed at the gate to check the admit card of the students and then three-layered new mask was given to students. Candidates were seen undergoing thermal screening at the entry gate and at several points hand sanitizers were kept.

Despite so many arrangements made by the centre authorities at Ludhiana, only 42% candidates turned up in the morning shift and 48% appeared in the second shift today.

Many students who appeared in the B.Arch paper today in the morning shift found the mathematics portion tough in comparison with physics and chemistry part. There were 25 questions in each portion and the paper was of total 400 marks.

The students also stated that proper arrangements have been made by the authorities keeping in mind the health and safety of the students.

Anjali Yadav, a student, said, I found the mathematics portion tough and took a lot of time to answer the questions. The other sections were easy and it was a balanced exam. The arrangements at the centre were satisfactory and I sanitized my hands 10 to 15 times when I was inside the centre. The staff handed over new mask to all students at entry gate and hand sanitizers were kept at every hook and corner of the centre.

The centre authorities took all safety measures for the candidates and social distancing norms were followed by everyone. I feel safe at the centre while appearing for the exam today, said, Rahul Kumar, a candidate and resident of Kitchlu Nagar. He said, Out of three sections, I found the mathematics portion tricky and time consuming, otherwise it was a balanced paper. Somehow, I was able to complete the paper in given three hours but I got every tired after the exam as I get up at 6 am to reach the exam centre 7.45 am.

The second shift three-hour exam started at 3 pm and students will be allowed to move out of examination hall after 6 pm.

(With inputs from Fareeha Iftikhar in Delhi, Sanjoy Dey in Ranchi, Rajeev Mullick in Lucknow, Megha in Patna, Deepa Sharma Sood in Ludhiana, and Shruti Tomar in Bhopal.)
Amid historic normalisation talks between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, American officials spent a morning at an Abu Dhabi air base housing U.S. stealth jets which the Gulf state hopes to buy despite Israeli objections.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner met Emirati military officials at the UAE's Al Dhafra air base, where the U.S. keeps some of its F-35 advanced stealth warplanes, highlighting the UAE's years-long drive to obtain the aircraft.

Israel, which has the F-35, has balked at any other Middle East powers obtaining the plane, citing U.S. laws that it should maintain a military advantage in the region.

Kushner, son-in-law to U.S. President Donald Trump, arrived in the Gulf Arab state on Monday on a two-day trip with an Israeli delegation for talks with UAE officials following their U.S.-brokered Aug. 13 accord to normalise relations.

The Gulf state, one of Washington's closest Middle East allies, has long expressed interest in acquiring the fighter jet made by Lockheed Martin Corp , which Israel has used in combat.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash has said normalisation should remove "any hurdle" for the United States to sell the F-35 to the UAE.

A UAE official said the visit to the Emirati air base, which the U.S. also uses, near the UAE capital Abu Dhabi was not related to the F-35 issue, while another praised three decades of U.S.-UAE military cooperation.

"Our relationship has been built on trust and mutual support," Major General Falah al-Qahtani told reporters. "We have stood together to fight extremism in all of its forms."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday F-35 plane sales were not part of the deal with the UAE, underscoring Israel's concern not to dilute its access to advanced American weapons systems in the region.

"The Americans acknowledged that. Our position hasn't changed," Netanyahu said.

He said that White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien made clear to him during a visit to Israel this week that the United States is committed to preserving Israel's military edge in the volatile region.

The United States has sold the F-35 to allies including Turkey, South Korea, Japan and Israel.

"The F-35 issue is a long-standing request of the UAE and it's not by any means a driver of reaching this accord," Jamal Al-Musharakh, chief of policy planning and international cooperation at the UAE foreign ministry, told reporters.

Kushner, who travelled on to Bahrain from the UAE on Tuesday, said he hoped another Arab country would normalise ties with Israel within months.

No other Arab state has said so far it is considering following the UAE. Several have ruled out normalisation under current conditions. Only two other Arab states have forged full relations with Israel - Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 11:07:40|Editor: huaxia

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BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- For Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over, but there are challenges ahead, the city's top health official said on Monday.

"The worst is already over ... but we still have many cases per day," Buenos Aires Health Minister Fernan Quiros told the press. "We need to really maintain the people's focus on compliance with regulations, and the focus on tracking, testing and isolation strategy."

The country's early lockdown, which begun on March 20, is "necessary and timely" and has "avoided a health catastrophe," said Quiros.

Argentina registered its first COVID-19 case on March 3. On March 7, the country confirmed its first COVID-19 death, also the first COVID-19 death in Latin America.

As of Monday, the country has reported 408,426 COVID-19 cases with 8,498 deaths. Of those, 94,331 cases and 2,290 deaths were recorded in Buenos Aires. Enditem
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of the Republic of Artsakh Day, a public holiday of the country celebrated annually on September 2, President Arayik Harutyunyan bestowed state awards to war veterans, distinguished military servicemen, government officials, doctors and scientists, representatives of the education field, law enforcement and police.

Honorary Titles of the Republic of Artsakh were awarded to a group of people for significant contributions in science, education and healthcare.

Defense Army servicemen Karen Shakaryan, Karen Arstamyan and Samvel Poghosyan, as well as National Security Service First Deputy Chief Arayik Grigoryan were promoted to the rank of major-general.

Deputy Prosecutor Generals Erik Verdiyan and Sasun Gabrielyan were given the Class III State Advisor of Justice degree.

President Harutyunyan congratulated the recipients of the awards and noted that September 2 is a historic day, a day of pan-national pride, a day symbolizing the restoration of the once violated rights of the Armenians of Artsakh, the dignified present and future.

Today, more than ever before, we must build the homeland of our dreams through our national collective power.

The President emphasized that the country has the most important prerequisite  the human resource  for defending, continuously strengthening and developing its statehood.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
2007: Surprise, Spyker Cars Bids on Saab - EXCLUSIVE VIDEO







SEE ALSO: Spyker Cars News Archive

By Henny Hemmes

Senior European Editor

LOS ANGELES - December 9, 2009: Just before General Motors shocked the media by its surprise "divorce" of CEO Fritz Henderson on Tuesday afternoon, there was another remarkable event that could be mighty important for the survival of the Saab brand.

Last week, the Koenigsegg Group AG quit its negotiations with GM to take over the Swedish brand, resulting in a very gloomy future for Saab. But on December 1, Joran Hagglund, state secretary of the Swedish Industry Ministry, went to Detroit with four other bids, to talk about the future of the company and its 3,400 employees. In his brief case were four bids, one of them - according to sources within GM - for the Chinese state owned BAIC.

Later that day, Victor Muller, owner and CEO of Spyker Cars, got a phone call from GM, telling him the General wanted to proceed with the bid submitted by his Dutch based exotic car company (Spyker is a joint venture with the Russian Convers Group, which owns nearly 30 percent and is led by Vladimir Antonov).

At the LA Auto Show, I spoke with Victor Muller about his ideas and feelings about the possible upcoming deal.

Click PLAY to watch Henny's interview with Victor Muller

Muller said that he was pleasantly surprised to get the GM call and honored that GM choose Spyker to try and make a deal to save Saab. "But the time span is very short," says Muller, "We will have to come to terms, before the end of this month."







Muller is an admirer of the Swedish brand and personally would be really sad, if it would not survice. "It is a good company, with good and honest people, and most important the new 9-5 is a gorgeous car."

He says he has no information on any new model, except for what was published in the media. Upon an earlier question of a TV-host, if he would have been interested if the car manufacturer was an Italian or French company, his answer was a quick: "Most probably not. We are northern Europeans and we have the same characters, life styles and feelings. There definitely is a match between the Dutch and Scandinavian people."

Upon my question if he is talking to the Swedish government, he said that would be eminent. But the Swedes have already announced that they will not bail out Saab with tax payer money. "That is something we do not need," Muller says, "But of course there are issues that we will have to address together."

Let's wait see if a Flying Dutchman will be given a chance by the General to succeed in saving a Viking

CLICK HERE to watch the complete Spyker Press Conference at the 2009 LA Auto Show.
Syniverse Becomes First Vendor to Offer New Industry Standard Commercially to a Major Mobile Network Operator

Syniverse, the world's most connected company, today announced it has enabled Swisscom, the leading telecommunications provider in Switzerland, to monetize wholesale roaming traffic using the GSMA's new Billing and Charging Evolution (BCE) industry standard.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005148/en/

Anna Gussmann, Senior Director, Customer Products Industry Relations, Syniverse (Photo: Business Wire)

The agreement enables Swisscom and its extensive network of other mobile operator partners around the world to better prepare for scalable growth, especially as emerging technologies, including 5G and narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), continue to add more connectivity and complexity to the clearing and settlement process.

Designed with the future in mind, BCE introduces a new level of flexibility to both charging and settlement models, while reducing the need to send detailed traffic records daily. BCE permits reports between mobile operators to be exchanged upon previously agreed bilateral agreements for use in support of wholesale invoicing and settlement. In cases where more detailed information is required, for example in dispute cases, BCE makes it possible to also send Detailed Data Records (DDRs) to mitigate potential inaccuracies in non-aggregated billing records.

By implementing these new methods for monetizing wholesale roaming, Syniverse allows for network usage between operators to be reconciled more quickly and accurately. This enables Swisscom and its partners to exchange wholesale roaming invoicing and perform settlement more accurately and efficiently.

Aided by its long-standing customer relationship with Swisscom, Syniverse has cemented its leadership position in data clearing and financial clearing and settlement by being the first clearing house agent to support the BCE standard as a modular and holistic solution. Utilizing the highest level of automation, Swisscom and its mobile network operator partners are now able to access and transfer data securely from any format irrespective of original source or end-destination formats through a GSMA-compliant platform that makes the entire monetization process frictionless.

Addressing various business challenges including ambiguity in commercial framework, disconnected workflows, billing disputes, and the exchange of heterogeneous data formats Syniverse adds value by offering its customers streamlined workflow management tools that underpin the support of new wholesale roaming use cases efficiently and profitably to augment customers' business growth.

CLICK TO TWEETSyniverse (@Syniverse), the world's most connected company, enables @Swisscom to adopt the @GSMA's billing charging evolution industry standard for enhanced financial clearing settlement. syniverse swisscom GSMA BCE https://bit.ly/2WzS6SZ

Supporting Quotes

Anna Gussmann, Senior Director, Customer Products Industry Relations, Syniverse

"As increased complexities with new technologies such as 5G and varying iterations of IoT continue to emerge, the mobile industry at this current time is certainly ripe for a revolutionary clearing and settlement standard that introduces a new level of flexibility in support of existing and new use cases. Syniverse provides mobile network operators and their partners a platform that is both flexible and modular to exchange data, reconcile billing and settle transactions seamlessly. As industry experts in this space, Syniverse is proud to lead this effort in conjunction with the GSMA and Swisscom, ultimately to solve key challenges while creating greater efficiencies and market growth."

Jerome Wingeier, Head of Roaming, Swisscom (Switzerland) Ltd.

"For Swisscom and the whole industry, the development of the new industry standard is an important building block to fulfill future requirements in our international business. With emerging technologies such as IoT and 5G, we will need much more connectivity across networks and must cope with increased complexity. Syniverse has been a very professional and innovative partner, bringing all of us forward. We are glad to have taken the next step in future billing and supporting GSMA members to develop our common business successfully."

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Read about GSMA.

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For more information about Syniverse's news and activities, follow the company on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Syniverse

Syniverse is the world's most connected company, revolutionizing how businesses connect, engage, and exchange with their customers. For decades, we have delivered the innovative software and services that transform mobile experiences and power the planet. Our secure global network reaches almost every person and device on Earth. Our communications platform is industry-recognized as the best of its kind. And each year, we process over $35 billion in transactions, revolutionizing how goods and services are exchanged. Which is why the most recognizable brands-nearly every mobile communications provider, the largest global banks, the world's biggest tech companies, and thousands more-rely on us to shape their future.

About Swisscom

Swisscom, Switzerland's leading telecoms company and one of its leading IT companies, is headquartered in Ittigen, close to the capital city Berne. Outside Switzerland, Swisscom has a presence on the Italian market in the guise of Fastweb. In the first half of 2020 about 19,000 employees generated sales of CHF 5,443 million. Swisscom is one of Switzerland's most sustainable and innovative companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005148/en/

Contacts:

Kevin Petschow

kevin.petschow@syniverse.com

+1.813.637.5084

Makenna Imholte

makenna.imholte@syniverse.com

+1.813.460.8112
KYODO NEWS - Sep 1, 2020 - 14:19 | All, Japan

This year's dolphin-hunting season kicked off Tuesday in the western Japan whaling town of Taiji, using a traditional "drive-hunting" method that animal-rights groups at home and abroad have labeled as cruel.

The controversial hunting technique, in which fishermen herd dolphins and small whales into a cove where they can be killed or captured, was depicted in the 2009 documentary film "The Cove," which won an Academy Award.

A fleet of fishing boats spotted a school of cetaceans some 12 kilometers off the coast at around 8:50 a.m. and captured three bottlenose dolphins and a Risso's dolphin after driving them into a cove.

They were each around 3 meters long and will be sold to aquariums, according to participants in the hunt.

Cetaceans caught in the hunt are either sold to aquariums or consumed as food.

"We got off to a wonderful start as we caught dolphins from day one," said Yoshifumi Kai, a senior member of the town's fishing cooperative.

Japan's whaling has drawn fresh attention from anti-whaling countries after the country withdrew from the International Whaling Commission and restarted commercial whaling last year.

As an IWC member, Japan had halted commercial whaling in 1988 but hunted whales for what it claims were research purposes, a practice criticized internationally as a cover for commercial whaling.

But the traditional hunting technique conducted in waters near the Wakayama Prefecture town is not subject to controls by the IWC and has been conducted for years.

During the drive-hunting period through next spring, police and the Japan Coast Guard will boost security to prevent activists from obstructing hunting, maintaining a 24-hour presence at stations temporarily set up in the town.

Related coverage:

Hybrid baby whale makes debut at western Japan whale museum

Commercial whaling resumes in northeastern Japan after 32-yr hiatus
A man is on the run after causing a head-on collision with a mother and her infant son before stealing a car from a Good Samaritan who stopped to help.

Police believe the man crossed the centre line as he turned a corner before crashing head-on with another car on State Highway 11 near Kawakawa in New Zealand at 8.20am on Monday.

A 32-year-old mother was driving the other vehicle while her 12-month-old son was sitting in the back seat when the crash occurred.

After the crash, a couple driving by stopped to help but the unknown man stole their car and fled the scene, leaving them to look after the injured mother and son.

The unknown man seemingly crossed the centre line as he turned a corner before crashing head-on with another car on State Highway 11 (pictured) near Kawakawa in New Zealand at 8:20am on Monday

The local fire brigade notified people of the crash on Twitter

The couple who stopped at the crash scene initially discovered the man had moderate injuries and told him to sit down and wait for the ambulance.

They then checked on the mother and son, which is when the man got into their silver Nissan Pulsar station wagon and drove off.

He was last seen driving towards the nearby town of Paihia.

'At this stage the vehicle, a silver Nissan Pulsar with the registration DPK966, has yet to be located,' Mid North Police Senior Sergeant Phil Le Comte said.

A Good Samaritan couple pulled over their Nissan Pulsar station wagon to help, but the injured man stole their vehicle and drove off. Pictured: A similar Nissan Pulsar

The mother and son were treated at the scene by St John Ambulance medics and but did not require further treatment.

'Fortunately no serious injuries were reported from the scene,' Sergeant Le Comte said.

'Police enquiries to locate the driver and vehicle remain ongoing.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact NZ Police on 105. Alternatively, NZ Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Setting aside the detention of Dr Kafeel Khan under the National Security Act (NSA), the Allahabad high court on Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to immediately release him.

The court also termed the detention order of February 13, 2020, against Khan by the Aligarh district magistrate as bad. The bench comprising chief justice Govind Mathur and justice Saumitra Dayal Singh passed the order on a petition filed by Dr Khans mother Nuzhat Parveen seeking his release.

In the petition, it was alleged that earlier in February, Dr Khan was granted bail by a competent court. However, he was not released and three days later, the NSA was invoked against him, said the petition, adding that his detention was illegal.

The plea challenged the detention of Dr Khan for three days before NSA was imposed on him even after he secured bail in all the cases registered against him.

Also read: UP Police will kill me, says Dr Kafeel Khan after arrest over anti-CAA remarks

Khan has been behind bars since January 29 after he allegedly delivered a speech during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests at Aligarh Muslim University in December last year.

His detention under the NSA was extended by three months on May 12 and then again on August 4 for three more months.

The speech given by Khan was not provocative. It was not intended to provoke religious sentiments among AMU students. argued his lawyer.

The counsel for the state government defended the detention order on the ground that under the NSA, a detention order can be passed on subjective satisfaction of district authority and Dr Khans inflammatory speech disturbed public order and later, the protest turned violent.

The speaker was certainly opposing the policies of the government and while doing so, certain illustrations are given by him, but that nowhere reflects the eventualities demanding detention. A complete reading of the speech prima facie does not disclose any effort to promote hatred or violence. It also nowhere threatens peace and tranquillity of the city of Aligarh. The address gives a call for national integrity and unity among the citizens. The speech also deprecates any kind of violence. It appears that the District Magistrate had selective reading and selective mention for few phrases from the speech ignoring its true intent. The entire speech being a subject matter of a criminal case pending against Dr Kafeel Khan, therefore, it would not be appropriate for us to make much comments on that., observed the bench on the speech made by Dr Khan on AMU campus.

An important aspect of the matter is that the detenue addressed the gathering on December 12, 2019. At that time, the district administration, Aligarh, did not find the speech of Dr Kafeel Khan sufficient for preventive detention. Nothing has been said in the order of detention or the grounds for detention that district administration had any information within the period from December 12 , 2019 to February 13, 2020 about any effort made by the detenue to cause even a simple scar to the peace or tranquillity or the public order of the city of Aligarh. It is only after passing of the bail order by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Aligarh, the police officials and the District Magistrate, Aligarh initiated the process for detaining Dr Kafeel Khan under the National Security Act, 1980 . the detenue was roaming free and he had ample time to make all the efforts to damage public order in the city of Aligarh, if he was intending to do so, observed the bench.

Dr Kafeel Khan, a paediatrician, hit the headlines after the 2017 tragedy at Gorakhpurs Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, in which about 60 children died allegedly due to lack of oxygen cylinders.
The number of people in Alabama hospitalized with COVID-19 fell below 1,000 over the weekend, the lowest level since early July, but increases in cases on college campuses have some hospital officials worried about the fall.

The number of people in Alabama hospitalized for COVID-19 held steady between 1,400 and 1,600 for about four weeks in mid-July to mid-August but has been falling ever since. Hospitals in Huntsville, Montgomery, Birmingham, Opelika and Tuscaloosa have all reported declines in coronavirus-positive patients since the summer surge.

On Sunday, hospitals reported 969 coronavirus-positive patients. Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, said the decline in hospitalizations followed a decline in positive cases starting in August.

Its really fairly simple, positive cases start falling and then you see the hospitalization rate fall, Williamson said.

Williamson credits the statewide mask order for decreasing case numbers. So does John Atkinson, spokesman for East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika. That hospital experienced two large spikes  one in the spring and another during the summer.

Ours has been more of a slow decline since we peaked five weeks ago, Atkinson said.

As hospitalization numbers fell below 1,000, Alabama saw a spike of new cases. More than 1,000 University of Alabama students tested positive for coronavirus in the first week of classes. Yet the number of people hospitalized at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa has continued to drop.

Right now, we are on a decline, which is a little counterintuitive, said Andy North, spokesman for DCH Medical Center. But we think it is because most of the people testing positive right now are fairly young.

The number of positive cases in Lee County also increased after students returned to Auburn University. Its unclear how those cases could affect hospitals. Williamson said hospitalizations tend to increase about 10 to 14 days after cases rise.

People between the ages of 18 and 25 rarely require hospital care for coronavirus, Williamson said. If the cases spread from students to older and more vulnerable citizens, it could increase the number who become critically ill.

If that happens, Williamson said he expects the numbers to start rising a week or two after Labor Day.

I think right now youve got the students spreading it among themselves, but the extent to which they spread it back to staff or to other people in the community is not clear at this point, Williamson said.

Williamson said state and university officials should keep a close eye on the hospitalization numbers. Testing can be discretionary, he said. For example, tens of thousands of otherwise healthy students have been tested for coronavirus since universities reopened, which could skew the number of cases. But hospitalizations accurately reflect how the virus is moving through the community, Williamson said.

Atkinson said advances in testing could help keep outbreaks under control. Many medical centers in Auburn have begun using antigen tests that provide results in less than 24 hours, much faster than the three to five days required for other types of tests. That means young people with mild or no symptoms know their status more quickly and can quarantine to prevent spread.

I am hopeful we will see just rising cases, but hopefully they wont transmit it in the grocery store or restaurants as we saw before, Atkinson said.

North said the university has created quarantine housing to separate coronavirus-positive students from others. But he said hospital officials are concerned about the wave of positive cases.

Very few people 18 to 25 have needed inpatient care, North said. But each one of these college students has family members who might need to be hospitalized if they are infected.

Medical personnel at DCH and East Alabama Medical Center have learned a lot about how to handle coronavirus in the last six months. East Alabama has an entire floor of ICU beds that can be converted to use for coronavirus patients. At DCH, they added windows and air ventilation systems to help isolate more ICU rooms during the pandemic.

Were capable of handling another surge, but wed certainly rather not, Atkinson said.

When hospitalizations peaked over the summer, East Alabama Medical Center had to turn away some ambulances, including one that travelled all the way across Alabama from Mississippi, Atkinson said. Still, they never cancelled elective surgeries and were able to provide needed emergency services.

At DCH, the staff stands ready for another influx, North said. Since March, the staff has improved its ability to handle large volumes of coronavirus patients. Like Atkinson at East Alabama Medical Center, he said he hopes the cases in the hospital continue to fall.

Back in March, at the beginning of this, the staff was really afraid, North said. We have moved from fear to a little bit overwhelmed to competent and ready.
Damian Lamar Daniels needed mental health assistance, but instead lost his life in a confrontation with Bexar County deputies.

Mathias Ometu went out for a jog, but ended up in jail after San Antonio police officers stopped, questioned and detained him in response to a domestic violence assault he did not commit.

Both unfortunate cases from last week underscore the need for police reform in San Antonio and Bexar County  and highlight many of the reforms we have called for long before this George Floyd moment. These include the deployment of social workers to many police calls, enhanced mental health training for officers, a much different court-appointed attorney system and cash bail reform.

While we await more information in both cases, certain conclusions can still be drawn. In the case of Daniels, who is Black, we have yet another tragic and prime example of why communities across this nation cant turn to law enforcement to resolve personal crises. Yes, we value law enforcement. But its not always the right response.

In the span of about 24 hours, either Daniels or his family placed four emergency calls about his mental health. He was having suicidal thoughts. He was hearing things and feeling paranoid. It was during the fourth call that deputies deemed Daniels, who was armed, was a danger to himself and others, and tried to detain him for mental health treatment. A struggle ensued, and Daniels was shot twice.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar has defended his deputies actions, saying he does not believe a mental health worker would have changed the outcome. But this stretches credulity. Mental health workers wouldnt be armed. They wouldnt have tried to confront or detain Daniels, who was armed. And they would have been equipped to assess and monitor Daniels mental health in a meaningful way. Its hard to believe in the span of 24 hours, over the course of four calls, a social worker couldnt have knocked on Daniels door. Its also hard to believe Daniels would have received meaningful mental health treatment if deputies had detained him.

Besides, what crime had Daniels committed? He was at his home. Its legal to own a gun. He had no criminal history.

The case of Ometu, a Black man who was stopped by San Antonio police officers while jogging last week, also raises questions. Officers said they stopped Ometu because he may have fit the description of a suspect in a domestic violence assault. They repeatedly asked Ometu his name, which he refused to provide.

Ometu should have provided his name, although he was not legally required to do so. Police have a responsibility to de-escalate situations, but so do citizens. Still, he had done nothing wrong, and as such, it stands to reason he would be resistant to officers stopping him and being detained. A struggle ensued, and officers allege Ometu kicked them while they forced him into a police SUV.

Eventually, the victim arrived at the scene and told the officers they had the wrong man. But Ometu was jailed on two counts of assaulting a police officer. And he remained in jail for several days on a $20,000 bond.

He should never have been arrested  and Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales has dismissed all charges.

We also see a glaring example of the inadequacy of cash bail. Ometu is an insurance adjuster with no criminal history  and had no connection to the original complaint  yet he remained in jail for lack of cash. Money bail is a system that forces many people to plead guilty simply to get out of jail.

We also believe Ometu would have been better served through a managed-assigned counsel system, which monitors the performance and caseloads of attorneys. It is far superior to the current system and would have ensured a prompt visit from his court-appointed attorney.

Both cases underscore the urgent need for criminal justice reform, but all too often in recent years, local judges and elected officials have been resistant to true change. Quit defending the indefensible. We must do better than this.
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New Delhi:

The tussle within Samajwadi Party escalated to new levels on Sunday when Ramgopal Yadav declared Akhilesh Yadav as party president at the national convention in Lucknow.

The meet which was attended by thousands of SP workers, also unanimously expelled Amar Singh and removed Shivpal Singh Yadav from the post of state unit president. Both Amar Singh and Shivpal Yadav are close to Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Now, the Samajwadi Party faction led by Akhilesh Yadav is likely to contest for election commission recognition. With this, election commission now holds much importance as the battle for supremacy within the party as it is likely to decide the fortunes of both the factions.

It is now very important to understand the Representation of the Peoples Act as it will come to the fore while deciding the fate of both the factions of Samajwadi Party.

Registration of political parties:

Registration of political parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.Party seeking registration under this Act requires to submit certain documents as per guidelines of the election commission of India. Generally party seeking registration requires to submits various resolutions, Pan card copy of office bearer along with their ITR returns of last three years, party's constitution, individual affidavits, Affidavit of Asset and liabilities and criminal antecedents affidavit and lastly affidavit of the president. Commission also asked for publication of the notice in newspapers and after the same they conduct the hearing for registration. Finally after the hearing and satisfaction of the commission your party gets registered.

Conditions for recognition as a national party:

A political party shall be treated as a recognised National party, if, and only if, - either (A)(i) the candidates set up by it, in any four or more States, at the last general election to the House of the People, or to the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned, have secured not less than six percent of the total valid votes polled in their respective States at that general election; and (ii) in addition, it has returned at least four members to the House of the People at the aforesaid last general election from any State or States; or (B)(i) its candidates have been elected to the House of the People, at the last general election to that House, from at least two percent of the total number of parliamentary constituencies in India, any fraction exceeding one-half being counted as one; and (ii) the said candidates have been elected to that House from not less than three States.

Conditions for recognition as a state party:

A political party, other than a National party, shall be treated as a recognised State party in a State or States, if, and only if, - either (A)(i) the candidates set up by it, at the last general election to the House of the People, or to the Legislative Assembly of the State concerned, have secured not less than six percent of the total valid votes polled in that State at that general election; and (ii) in addition, it has returned at least two members to the Legislative Assembly of the State at the last general election to that Assembly; or (B) it wins at least three percent of the total number of seats in the Legislative Assembly of the State, (any fraction exceeding one-half being counted as one), or at least three seats in the Assembly, whichever is more, at the aforesaid general election.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 22:54:57|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Egypt reopened on Tuesday museums and archaeological sites for visitors after five months of closure over COVID-19 concerns.

In a statement, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities outlined several measures to resume the tourist activities including a 50 percent capacity rate that must be in place for tourist buses.

"Egyptians and foreigners are allowed to travel between tourist cities, monuments and museums across the country," the statement added.

But a tourist group should not exceed 25 people within all archaeological sites and museums and the tour guide must put on a face mask and use air pieces to speak with the tourists, it added.

"A total of 29 museums were reopened today," said Moamen Othman, head of the museums' sector at the ministry.

He explained that signs have been placed inside the museums and the archeological sites to maintain social-distancing.

The maximum number of visitors in any museum or archaeological site shouldn't exceed 100 visitors, except for the Egyptian Museum, the country's largest museum in Tahrir that will host 200 persons per hour.

As for the Pyramids, a maximum of 10 to 15 visitors can enter any pyramid or ancient cemetery, Othman added.

Karnak Temple, dates from around 2055 BC to around 100 AD, on the east bank of the Nile River in the city of Luxor has received several groups of Ukrainian and French tourists coming from the Red Sea resort city of Hurghada, the ministry added in its statement.

Also, the hotels have been reopened in the Upper province of Aswan that houses significant archaeological sites like the Philae temple complex.

Egypt has suspended flights and tourism in March to stem the spread of the pandemic.

Aviation traffic has been resumed since July 1, amid the country's plan for coexistence to revive the tourism and economic sectors.

All local and foreign passengers must provide a PCR test document proving negative for coronavirus within 72 hours of arriving in Egypt.

Egypt received more 126,000 tourists since it has reopened its seaside resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Matrouh to international flights and foreign tourists at the beginning of July, with only one suspected coronavirus case, according to the official statistics.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled al-Anany said in another statement "the virus hit the world when Egypt's tourism has made a record in terms of the number of arriving tourists," adding restoring the same pace will take some time due to the tourists' reluctance to travel to anywhere.

Egypt's tourism revenues, the main source of Egypt's foreign currency, accounting for over 10 percent of GDP, hit a record high of 13 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, after it was sharply impacted by the two uprisings of 2011 and 2013 that toppled Egypt's two presidents and shook the country's economy. Enditem
One would think, in these days of COVID-19, that Americas doctors and patients are as reliant on our hospitals as theyve ever been, and that theyre going to stay that way.

Guess again.

Today, even as the health care system and the economy face strains from the coronavirus and its complications, scores of doctors and patients are avoiding large bureaucratic hospitals and instead flocking toward leaner and meaner models of health care.

Professional providers of all types -- from surgeons to drugstore owners -- are focusing on innovation. Even better, theyre now treating patients as consumers who value quality care at reasonable prices they can know in advance.

Walgreens and VillageMD, for instance, have partnered to open primary-care centers in 500 to 700 drugstores over a five-year period. These centers will provide annual check-ups, walk-in appointments, and many other services. Physician-led teams of four people will treat up to 120 patients per day at these mostly 3,300-square-foot locations.

This model is the latest iteration of a trend called decentralized care, in which patients obtain treatment through telehealth services and outpatient surgery centers and clinics -- rather than by visiting hospitals. For two decades, the late Harvard Business professor Clayton Christensen predicted that decentralization in health care would follow other industries on this path, such as travel, retail, and financial services. It was only a matter of time, said Christensen, before health care innovators improved access to services and reduced costs.

Two key factors are driving this emerging trend, as a recent Healthline.com article pointed out: 1) urgent-care clinics and expanded pharmacy services are improving the efficiency of health care delivery; and 2) more people, especially older adults, are receiving care at home. Americans who support this free-market health trend share some of the top reasons for its popularity, including convenience and price transparency. The media has been reporting on the trend, too. Yahoo Finance , for example, ran a piece this summer about the expected growth of urgent-care centers over the next five years.

Dr. Christopher Vaughn, owner of the free-market medical facility Freedom Orthopedic in Toccoa, Georgia, says his decentralized, direct-pay model allows him to give patients the attention they need -- and crave.

Medically, we are better able to care for patients by being more flexible, Vaughn said in an interview. When there is a big medical or financial decision, we can discuss it and see if that is what they want to do. I can use the decision-making skills that I was trained to use after discussing options with the patient. This is without waiting for a third-party, non-medical person inserting himself or herself into our physician-patient relationship. All of this adds up to better health care for patients.

For the past decade, innovative doctors such as Vaughn have been experimenting with ways to keep patient satisfaction at the core of their practice models -- starting with price transparency. For example, the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, founded and operated by Dr. Keith Smith and partners, performs 600 to 700 surgeries per month at prices it posts on its website.

Freedom Orthopedic also posts transparent prices online -- and in many cases offers high-quality care for less than 50 percent of the cost, as compared to other facilities.

Freedom Orthopedic has been able to help patients financially in multiple ways, first by offering pricing that is visible online, Vaughn said. The cost to get in the door is usually far less than that of half of most orthopedic offices. If somebody needs a cast or injection, that service is included in that visit.

Today, as more than 1.2 million Americans -- including Vaughn himself -- have moved to health care sharing, they pay their health care bills directly. So, it behooves them to find out the actual cost of care before they purchase it. Think about it: Would todays consumers purchase anything else without knowing the price of it beforehand?

If patients want to check our costs against those that other orthopedic surgeons are offering, they can go to our website, Vaughn said. If it helps them negotiate better with the orthopedic surgeons they might be used to seeing, I am happy for them.

Our surgical pricing helps them know what their total costs are going to be, Vaughn continued. This is often very difficult for most patients to determine, as the cost will include surgery, facility, and anesthesia.

Too often, patients obtain health care services without asking or knowing the costs ahead of time. Then, weeks or months later, theyre surprised -- and potentially crushed -- when they finally see the bill. Patients should know upfront from their health care providers -- and have absolute clarity about -- the cost of a health service before obtaining care.

This is not only a reasonable request for a patient to make. Its absolutely necessary.

The decentralization of health care comes with spiritual benefits as well. The separation from a hospital system allows physicians such as Vaughn the flexibility to share the Gospel.

I have the freedom to address a persons spiritual needs as well as his or her medical needs -- and thus I can care for the whole patient, Vaughn said.

Anthony Hopp is Vice President for External Relations for Samaritan Ministries International, a health care sharing ministry.

Image: Pxfuel
Panaji, Sep 1 : With Goa opening up its borders, the state is likely to witness a sizeable tourist inflow by this year-end, said Goa Hotel Owners Association president Gaurish Dhond on Tuesday.

Dhond said that the decision of the state government to implement the Centre's guidelines for Unlock 4.0 and open bars in the state with proper safe distancing norms, would also help boost the liquor industry in the state as well as add an incentive for tourists visiting Goa.

"When borders are opened more and more people come in. By November and December we hope to have sizeable tourism business. Coronavirus is here to stay. We cannot get rid of it immediately," Dhond said on a day when the state government opened road borders, doing away with the practice of carrying travel permits for inter-state transit of travellers.

Goa Airport too on Tuesday announced that in sync with the MHA guidelines for Unlock 4.0, passengers flying into Goa would not need to carry Covid-19 negative certificates and the practice of conducting Covid-19 tests at the airport was being done away with.

Dhond said that the opening up of bars in Goa was a good sign for the hospitality industry business.

"It's a good decision by the government of Goa to open bars. Most of us in Goa have a drink before we eat dinner. We in the business are happy that bars are opened," Dhond said, adding that restaurants in the state were already allowed to open with the observance of social distancing norms and following other guidelines issued by the MHA.

Goa is regarded as one of the top beach and nightlife tourism destinations in the country. Last year more than seven million tourists visited the state, but the Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted the flow of tourists into the state this year.
A study of more than 200,000 UK men, being presented at this year's European and International Conference on Obesity (ECOICO), held online this year from September 1-4, reveals that there is a link between central adiposity (concentration of body fat around the belly and waist) and the risk of death from prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-specific death among men in the UK. The disease affects one in six men during their lifetime, causing more than a quarter of all new male cancer cases, and almost 12,000 deaths every year in the UK. There is some evidence that suggests a relationship between adiposity (amount of body fat) and likelihood of dying from prostate cancer, but more research was needed to confirm this association and determine whether it is not just the amount, but also the distribution of fat within the body that has an impact on risk.

The study, conducted by Dr Aurora Perez-Cornago and colleagues at the Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, UK and funded by Cancer Research UK, aimed to understand how both total adiposity and the distribution of fat in the body relate to fatal prostate cancer.

The team selected 218,225 men who were voluntary participants in the UK Biobank study (500,000 volunteers age 40-69 years recruited between 2006 and 2010) who were free from cancer at the baseline date. Their health was followed for 10.8 years using data from health administrative databases, and details of body mass index (BMI), total body fat percentage (measured using bioimpedance), waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio were collected when each volunteer was recruited. Complex statistical analyses that accounted for medical history, and socioeconomic and lifestyle factors were used to estimate links between the risk of dying from prostate cancer and these measures of adiposity.

During the follow-up period 571 men died from prostate cancer. The researchers discovered that while there was no clear association of BMI or total fat percentage with risk, there was a positive link between measures of central adiposity and risk of prostate cancer death. Those in the top 25% for waist circumference were 35% more likely to die of prostate cancer than men in the bottom 25%, while those in the top 25% for waist-to-hip ratio were 34% more likely to die than men in the bottom 25%.

Dr Perez-Cornago concludes: "We found a significant association between concentration of body fat around the belly and waist and the risk of prostate cancer death, but no clear association between total body fat and risk of prostate cancer death. However, a larger number of cases in this study together with studies in other populations are needed to confirm these findings."

She adds: "A high BMI increases the risk of other diseases, including other types of cancer, so people should consider the implications of excess body fat wherever it is found in the body."

"Future work will examine associations between adiposity and aggressive types of prostate cancer, including advanced stage and high-grade disease."

###
When will international flight operations to India be fully normal? Heres what govt says

International flights to remain suspended until September 30

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 01: The suspension of international flights has been extended by the government till September 30 2020.

Schedule flights under the travel bubbles India has started creating with several countries like US, UK France and Germany will however be allowed and people eligible as per government norms can fly to and from India on them.

The DGCA in a statement said, the competent authority has decided to extend (suspension of scheduled international passenger flights to/from India) till 11.59 pm of September 30, 2020. This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Unlock 4.0: Maharashtra allows inter-district travel; fully 'unlocks' hotels

However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case to case basis, the DGCA also said.

India has so far created air bubbles with USA, UK, France, Germany, Qatar, UAE and Maldives. India is also in talks with other countries like New Zealand, Japan, Nigeria, Israel, Russia, Kenya, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan to create air bubbles.

It may be recalled India had suspended scheduled International passenger flights on March 22 in the wake of the pandemic. The aviation ministry has said that the resumption of scheduled international flights will be considered once domestic flights reach the 50 per cent mark of the originally approved summer schedule.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 8:18 [IST]
An established leader in corporate finance, Hare joins Equifax from Moody's, where he served as SVP of Investor Relations, providing and coordinating dialogue with Moody's investment community. He also brings deep experience in Financial Planning and Analysis, previously having led U.S. and Americas revenue and markets analysis for Moody's Investors Service.

"As a leading data, analytics and technology company, Equifax's cloud transformation is at the center of our strategy for the future, and how we share that with analysts and investors is critical to our ongoing success," said Mark W. Begor, Chief Executive Officer of Equifax. "Dorian has the experience and expertise to help us communicate our progress with our investors and we are energized to have him joining our senior leadership team."

Prior to Moody's, Hare held positions relating to corporate financial planning and corporate development at MasterCard and Carestream Health. He began his career in investment and corporate banking, with tenures of increasing responsibility at various institutions including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America.

Hare holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, and an M.B.A. in Finance and Strategic Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

After more than two years leading IR, Trevor Burns will move into the Senior Finance Officer (SFO) position for the Global Consumer Solutions (GCS) business unit. In this leadership role, Burns will help lead the consumer-facing business, creating and supporting opportunities to drive revenue across its platforms.

"Trevor has done an outstanding job leading Investor Relations over the last two plus years as we executed the Equifax 2020 Security, Data and Technology transformation." added Gamble. "I am confident he will be a great member of the Global Consumer Solutions leadership team, supporting Beverly Anderson as she executes the transformation of GCS."

Both roles are effective September 8. Dorian Hare will relocate to Atlanta in the near future.

ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.

At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employees, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 11,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 25 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com

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July Home Prices Increase 5.5%, Breaking a Two-Year Record

Home prices grew in July by the fastest rate in nearly two years, a 5.5 percent annual gain. According to CoreLogic's Home Price Index (HPI), the month-over-month change was 1.2 percent. The company said it was "The one-two punch of strong purchase demand - bolstered by falling mortgage rates, which dipped below 3 percent for the first time ever in July - and further constriction of for-sale inventory" that has driven upward pressure on home price appreciation.

"On an aggregated level, the housing economy remains rock solid despite the shock and awe of the pandemic. A long period of record-low mortgage rates has opened the flood gates for a refinancing boom that is likely to last for several years," said Frank Martell, president and CEO of CoreLogic. "In addition, after a momentary COVID-19-induced blip, purchase demand has picked up, driven by low rates and enthusiastic millennial and investor buyers. Spurred on by strong demand and record-low mortgage rates, we expect to see more home building in 2021 and beyond, which should help support a healthy housing market for years to come."

There is, as always, different rates of increase by locality. CoreLogic notes that homebuying activity is rising in "traditionally affordable suburban and rural areas that allow for more space as schools and work remain online." It points to two Long Island counties where home prices were up 4.3 percent on an annual basis in July. Nassau and Suffolk have become destinations for residents moving from metro New York-Jersey City-White Plains where prices, in contrast, rose only 0.4 percent.

The company, however, does not expect July's renewed acceleration to continue. Its national HPI Forecast shows annual home price growth slowing through July 2021, reflecting the anticipated elevated unemployment rates during the next year. Job losses could lead to an increase of distressed-sale inventory as well. Financial pressures will cause some homeowners to default on their mortgage payments, especially as forbearance periods end.

The HPI Forecast also expects localized disparity in price increases. Markets that depend on tourism are forecast to see substantial price declines, 7.8 percent by next July in the case of Las Vegas for example. San Diego, where inventory is tight, could see a 5.8 percent gain over the next year.

The CoreLogic Market Risk Indicator (MRI), which looks at the overall health of various housing markets, predicts that metro areas with an elevated resurgence of COVID-19 cases - like Prescott, Arizona and Miami - are at the greatest risk (above 70%) of a decline in home prices over the next 12 months. Other metro areas with a high risk of price declines include Lake Charles, Louisiana, Huntington, West Virgini; and Las Vegas.
Prime Minister of Ukraine (2016-2019) Volodymyr Groysman appealed to the current government with a demand to restore decree No. 822 adopted in July 2019 on the increase of teachers' salaries by 20-70%.

"Last July, our government adopted decree No. 822, which provides for an increase in teachers' salaries from 20 to 70%. The next government of Oleksiy Honcharuk canceled it. I appeal to the current government: the budget process is underway. It is important and it is necessary to return to our decision and raise salaries for teachers in 2021. That would be right," Groysman said during the opening of the communal institution Gymnasium No. 24 in Vinnytsia.

He also said that today it is wrong and irresponsible to throw off all responsibility for the educational process on the local authorities and individual educational institutions.

"There should be a state standard for the protection of a child and a teacher. The second issue is financing the work of teachers, technical personnel who must disinfect, clean the premises, and issues of protection measures, disinfection algorithms, social distance, security systems in each institution. Who will finance this? This is from UAH 4 billion to UAH 5 billion by the end of the year. This is people's money. Now it is the responsibility of local authorities," Groysman said.
European and Americas Corporates Prioritise Regions Close Home for Growth in a Time of Uncertainty but Expansion into New Markets Remain Key with Asia Pacific Ranked Top

New research1 published today by Standard Chartered Bank reveals that while corporations in Europe and the Americas are prioritising their home regions of Europe (84%) and North America (74%) as a source of growth, Asia Pacific (55%) remains a target for their international expansion strategies. Other regions of interest include South America (38%), Middle East (32%) and Africa (17%)*.

The survey explored how international expansion remains a key priority for corporations of all sizes and industries to diversify and grow their business. It also delved into CFOs' and treasurers' ambitions, concerns and goals as they help their organisations pursue new geographical areas of growth.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped many organisations operating and strategic priorities in the Americas. This is reflected in how close to half (49%)* Americas respondents indicated that managing the sustained impact of COVID-19 as one of their top three challenges.

When looking at liquidity issues, 23% of Americas businesses indicated lower than anticipated revenue as a management challenge overseas when asked. This was followed closely by supply chain failure and disruption (21%)

Over the next six to twelve months, Americas companies highlighted the need to diversify their suppliers outside of their home region (37%) as the top priority. This reflects how many companies recognize the need to increase resilience and flexibility in their supply chains in response to the challenges experienced from the pandemic.

Beyond COVID-19, Americas respondents ranked the ability to understand and comply with local regulations on growth outside the home region as the top challenge of international expansion (32%). This unfamiliarity may suggest why only 13%* of Americas businesses listed Africa as a top three potential growth market especially when considering the growth potential of the region.

When it comes down to financing international growth, Equity capital markets (76%), bank borrowing (63%) and venture capital (63%)* are the top three preferred choices of Americas respondents.

Counter to expectations, only 3%of the respondents in the Americas ranked environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and sustainability issues as their top supply chain priority. This could be down to the responsibilities for ESG elsewhere in the organisation, or a view that ESG and sustainability objectives are inherent in the business culture.

"Around the world, companies' experience of the COVID-19 crisis has inevitably reshaped their priorities and the way they address challenges," said Torry Berntsen, Chief Executive Officer, Americas and Regional Head, Corporate and Institutional Banking at Standard Chartered Bank. "As businesses explore expansion opportunities, the growth potential of emerging markets such as Africa should not be ignored. Some of the most commonly perceived challenges can be readily overcome with a trusted partner."

Notes to Editors

About the report

The research was conducted between 25th May 5th June 2020. Three hundred respondents participated, equally split between Europe (UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Turkey, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway) and the Americas (US, Canada, Brazil). Responses were restricted to:

CFOs and finance directors (30%) and regional/ global treasurers (70%)

$500m turnover upwards, of which 28% had a turnover above $1bn

Non-financial corporations. Manufacturing (19%) and healthcare (14%) and technology (10%) were the biggest industry participants.

About Standard Chartered

We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 60 of the world's most dynamic markets and serving clients in a further 85. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good.

Our history in the US dates back to 1902, and we are currently present in eight locations throughout the Americas. Our Americas franchise focuses on financial institutions and select corporates and plays a key role in facilitating trade and investment flows between the Americas and Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.

For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

1 Borderless Business: Grow in the fastest growing markets. See Notes to Editor for further detail.

* Ranked when prompted to pick top three

Ranked when asked to pick one

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005247/en/

Contacts:

For further information please contact:

Chris Teo

Chris.Teo@sc.com

+1 212 667 0446

Sammi He

Sammi.He@sc.com

+1 862 448 8488
LAKE FOREST, IL  For Denise Majeski, Lake Forest Hospital's chief nursing officer, April 14 was an emotional day. It was her 40th anniversary working at the hospital. A few weeks into the stay-at-home order issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic, it was also the day when Lake County public safety workers arranged a parade of dozens of cars to show support for hospital workers.

"I was very touched," Mejeski told Patch. "All the first responders came in their cars and fire trucks, and all their vehicles paraded in front of the hospital in support of our front-line caregivers. So I remember going out that day and feeling great pride."

In her four-decade career at the hospital, Majeski became the hospital's first endowed chief nurse executive, created its first patient advisory council and led its nurses through a series of challenges  both medical and practical.

"You get to see it, experience it, and then re-experience  and then this time lead it," she said.

Majeski, 65, of Gurnee, started her nursing career in the oncology department and later became a charge nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, which shared a medical director with then-independent Lake Forest Hospital at the time.

When she first applied to work in Lake Forest, Majeski remembers being told, at age 25, that she was too young. But after the head nurse left unexpectedly, Majeski found herself in the position after just a few months on staff at the 118-bed hospital.

"They couldn't find anybody so they said 'tag you're it,' and Lake Forest Hospital has afforded me great opportunities for moving around," Majeski said. She later worked in critical care areas, as nursing supervisor and director of case management, among other roles.



Denise Majeski started working at Lake Forest Hospital's oncology department in 1980. (Provided by Lake Forest Hospital)

"In 40 years, it's kind of like what goes around comes around. It just keeps coming back. When I worked in oncology we had surge volumes of cancer patients from the community," Majeski said, attributing the mostly younger group of patients to the effects of the Zion nuclear power plant.

Story continues

"We were constantly at surge, we had to use our sunroom for capacity management. We placed beds in there. We had our hallways lined with chairs for outpatient infusion services," she said. "So I've seen that."

Lake Forest Hospital opened a new hospital building in 2018 after joining Northwestern Medicine in 2010.

"Now when I look back and we've built our new facility  we were thinking: 'Oh, this is great we've got 114 beds," she said. "We have been at 103 to 110 percent capacity ever since we moved in here. So this is the same scenario, except on a larger scale. You have to learn how to manage through and make sure you have strong nursing leaders. You have to be able to adapt to the call from the community."

The new Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital at 1000 N. Westmoreland Road openedin March 2018.(Northwestern Medicine)

A year before the new facility opened, Majeski faced another challenge: the hospital's first-ever evacuation during the July 2017 flooding in Lake County. While the hospital was unreachable by ambulances from the north and west for a time, Majeski said ambulances from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago were able to reach the hospital and help transport patients out. Majeski said previous experiences with electrical shutdowns and mechanical problems in the building that prompted internal evacuations from one part of the hospital to the other also helped prepare her for the moment.

"To me that was just one more day," Majeski said. "OK, we now have to evacuate the hospital."

Majeski said the nursing team was ready again when the emergence of COVID-19 forced major changes to hospital operations. With operations put on hold, a pre- and post-operative care center was used to expand the capacity of the hospital's intensive care unit, which expanded from 12 beds to care for up to 36 patients at a time.

"We have what's called a team model of nursing here, but we had to actually get a little more creative during COVID. So that's just another crisis. We had to deal with it with AIDS, we had to deal with it with anthrax, after anthrax it was Ebola, and then after Ebola now it's COVID. So we we've seen these kinds of pandemics that come up that require our physicians to be even more clinically skilled as well as our nurses to be able to manage the unknown," she said.

"We didn't know about HIV. We didn't know how bad Ebola would get. We didn't know how bad anthrax was going to get  who was going to get envelopes of the powder  and then how to manage that, and the same thing with COVID."

Nursing staff members were reassigned, resulting in better patient-to-staff ratios than before the pandemic, Majeski said. Some received refresher training to be more confident at the bedside; others served as liaisons to families as they dealt with new visitor restrictions imposed during the pandemic.

In an effort to minimize time spent in rooms with COVID-19 patients, IV pumps were moved to the hallway. Majeski said only two nurses on the staff contracted the virus from potential exposure at work. Both have recovered.

And while 42 percent of the over 21,000 nurses who responded to a recent American Nurses Association survey reported that they were experiencing intermittent or widespread shortages of personal protective equipment, with nearly 60 percent having to re-use N95 masks for five or more days, Majeski said nurses at Lake Forest Hospital reported high levels of satisfaction with supplies during the pandemic during the hospital's recent "Magnet" re-designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

It was Lake Forest Hospital's third Magnet designation, which is considered the "gold standard" of nursing since it was established in 2010 and must be re-certified every five years. Majeski oversaw the hospital's two re-designations after becoming chief nursing executive in 2013. Only 523 hospitals  9 percent nationwide  have achieved Magnet status.

Lake County elected officials and public safety personnel visited Lake Forest Hospital on April 14, 2020, in a car parade to honor hospital staff. That day was Denise Majeski's 40th anniversary as a nurse at the hospital. (via Lake County Sheriff's Office video)

Thomas McAfee, president of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, praised Majeski's dedication to her work and service to the institution in a statement.



There is no one more committed to the nursing profession than Denise Majeski, McAfee said. Her passion for providing the highest level of compassionate patient care has never wavered in the more than 40 years she has served our hospital, and she continues to lead our nursing team to deliver the highest level of patient care possible. Her leadership has driven significant positive changes in our overall patient care team approach, which benefits our patients every day.

After four decades at Lake Forest Hospital, is Majeski ready to retire?

"I mentioned it," she said. "But the president said, 'Let's talk about that later,' so I guess I've got another year."

This article originally appeared on the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Patch
A destroyed structure following unrest after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Aisha I. Jefferson

Several Kenosha, Wisconsin, residents told Insider they were disappointed in law enforcement's response following the police shooting of Jacob Blake last week.

During nights of civil unrest, parts of the city burned as armed citizens attempted to protect their properties from being destroyed.

A Kenosha County Sheriff's Department spokesman told Insider its deputies were "severely outnumbered."

One armed vigilante who said he was there to protect a boarded-up business has been charged with killing two protesters.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

With President Donald Trump set to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, some residents wonder if more could've been done sooner to prevent the destruction and violence in their city after a white police officer shot a Black man in the back last week.

Since the Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey shot Jacob Blake on August 23, parts of the small city have transformed into a dystopian nightmare where several structures, including a used-car lot, were set ablaze. Many residences and businesses remain boarded up after several nights of unrest.

To deter vandals, some homes have messages spray-painted on their exterior indicating that children, elderly adults, or disabled people live there.

Aisha I. Jefferson

Rick Parker, 62, a longtime Kenosha resident, has spent the past week watching live video feeds of the demonstrations streamed on Facebook.

He believes a lot of the damage could've been avoided had law enforcement been better prepared.

"When all of the unrest was going on, I didn't see them doing anything," Parker told Insider. "They just let the fires burn."

A spokesman said the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department found itself 'severely outnumbered'

Burned vehicles at a used-car lot in Kenosha following unrest after Blake's shooting. Aisha I. Jefferson

The civil unrest began the same day Blake was shot, with a few hundred demonstrators converging on a park across the street from the Kenosha County Courthouse.

The next night, August 24, more than a thousand demonstrators descended there again to face off with officers, according to Sgt. David Wright, a Kenosha County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

Story continues

Though protests remained peaceful during the day, things took a turn at night despite a mandatory nightly curfew that has been in effect since the first night of protests.

Even with the 50 to 75 Wisconsin National Guard troops who came to assist that Monday, Wright said the local law enforcement found itself "severely outnumbered" by demonstrators protesting near the county courthouse and vandals who tore up the city.

A destroyed structure in Kenosha. Aisha I. Jefferson

There are roughly 150 sheriff's deputies and about 200 police officers for the city of 100,000.

"We certainly did not have enough personnel to deal with that," Wright told Insider.

Critics who spoke with Insider said they believed Kenosha officials should've anticipated the chaos once video of Blake's shooting went viral, considering the current climate around racism and police brutality.

Law enforcement responding to protests against police brutality in Kenosha. Aisha I. Jefferson

"The call for help should've went out within hours of that happening, especially when they knew there was a live video on Facebook going around. They made no call for help, and if they did, it didn't come fast enough," Parker said, adding that he didn't want to put them down for "being in over their heads."

Additional Wisconsin National Guard troops have been deployed to Kenosha, and Gov. Tony Evers has said troops from Michigan, Arizona, and Alabama will join them.

Agents from the US Marshals Service, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are among the "tremendous amount of resources" in Kenosha with guardsmen, Wright said.

Civilians were protecting their own properties with guns

Ray Bethke, a Kenosha native, said he "just wants peace" and "loves everybody" and was carrying guns to discourage vandals from damaging his rental properties. Aisha I. Jefferson

Kenosha law enforcement was also criticized for interactions with armed civilians  many believed to be militia members  after video footage showed sheriff's deputies thanking them and offering them water.

During the first three nights of unrest before police reinforcement arrived, groups of armed civilians were patrolling the streets and protecting private businesses.

People in the open-carry state wielded handguns and long guns to protect their private properties.

Wright said he didn't know what the recorded conversations between deputies and the armed groups entailed but insisted that "deputies are friendly with everybody that they come in contact with" and would greet or "offer a bottle of water" to anybody needing it.

Some residents are frustrated Kyle Rittenhouse wasn't arrested the night of the protest shootings

Law enforcement responding to protests against police brutality in Kenosha. Aisha I. Jefferson

Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old Illinois resident who was charged in the fatal shooting of two men Tuesday night, was among a group of armed civilians who sheriff's deputies were seen giving water to in a video.

Rittenhouse told The Daily Caller in a video interview that he was in Kenosha to protect a boarded-up business.

A gunman in a green shirt, identified as Rittenhouse, is seen in several videos The New York Times analyzed carrying a semiautomatic rifle and firing at demonstrators before approaching the police with his hands raised as people yelled that he shot people. Rittenhouse wasn't arrested and charged until the next morning.

Rittenhouse faces two counts of homicide and one count of attempted homicide in connection to the shooting of three men  two of whom have died. His extradition hearing, which was first scheduled for Friday, has been postponed until September 25. He is being held in the Lake County Judicial System in Illinois and is expected to plead not guilty.

Justin Webber  a Kenosha resident  and his family. Aisha I. Jefferson

"I mean it's painful to see the armored trucks that he walks past and the police on the loudspeakers telling him to step aside. And this kid has an AR-15 strapped on his chest and everyone around him is just saying this kid just killed two people," Justin Webber, 38, who's lived in Kenosha for seven years, told Insider.

Parker said it's "crazy" that Rittenhouse wasn't taken into custody immediately after the shooting.

Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said during a press conference Wednesday that he was unsure but speculated that the chaotic situation that night with people "screaming, hollering, and chanting" might have caused law officers to have "tunnel vision" and not focus on Rittenhouse.

Parker called Beth's explanation "a bunch of crap," adding that it's law enforcement's job to "know their surroundings and what's going on."

Rick Parker, a Kenosha resident. Aisha I. Jefferson

Wright disagreed with the notion that deputies would have reacted the way they did if they suspected Rittenhouse of involvement in shootings.

"I certainly don't believe that if they knew he was involved, that they would have let him walked past," he said.

Kenosha's mayor says 'the city does not want armed individuals in the city, period'

Beth, the county sheriff, said he had refused requests by armed citizens that he deputize them.

"The city does not want armed individuals in the city, period," Mayor John Antaramian told Insider. "They should not be armed. They should not be here. We don't need militias."

A gas station boarded up and spray-painted following unrest in Kenosha. Aisha I. Jefferson

The Kenosha police arrested 175 people between August 24 and Sunday afternoon, with 102 of them listing addresses outside Kenosha, according to a press release from the Kenosha Police Department. Sixty-nine people were arrested on curfew violations, and police officers seized more than 20 firearms.

Blake, 29, has a severed spinal cord and is paralyzed from the waist down. The Wisconsin Department of Justice identified Vincent Arenas and Brittany Meronek as two other officers who were present when Sheskey shot Blake. They've been put on administrative leave along with Sheskey.

None of the officers have been charged.

The Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation is handling the Blake shooting and will give its findings to the Kenosha County district attorney, who will determine whether Sheskey was justified in shooting Blake.

Wright acknowledged that people would most likely be angry whether Sheskey were charged or not and said his office would be prepared for any future unrest.

Read the original article on Insider
Sheridan Smith attends The Olivier Awards 2017 at Royal Albert Hall on April 9, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage)

Sheridan Smith has opened up on how her mental health suffered when she temporarily came off her medication while pregnant as she feared it would harm her unborn baby.

The new mum appeared on This Morning on Tuesday to discuss her upcoming documentary on motherhood where she spoke on the anxieties she experienced.

During the making of the documentary, she found out from a doctor that stopping her medication wasn't the right course of action to take as some drugs can often be taken safely by expectant mothers.

Read more: Celebrity babies born in lockdown

I went and spoke to a psychiatrist in the documentary called Dr. Alan Gregoire and he told me that there is actually a lot of medications that you can take during pregnancy, but a lot of women wont admit to their doctors that theyre on medication, and will try and just stop. And he said thats not the right thing to do and you can actually be pregnant on some of these medications. I didnt know that either" she shared.

Sheridan Smith on This Morning. (ITV)

Ive been on medication since my mental health issues in the past and I stupidly thought Ill stop them, because itll harm the baby and then I started having panic attacks again, and my mental health started declining.

There are a lot of people who are against taking medication for mental health issues but for me its important that Im on them, she went on.

Reflecting on her much-publicised struggles, Smith said her father's 2016 death caused her to experience a "big explosion mentally" and that it had been "a long time coming".

She's recently opened up on how her personal battles lead to Graham Norton joking at her expense at the 2016 Baftas, which triggered her quitting her anxiety medication.

The mother-of-one said she suffered five seizures as a result and was rushed to the hospital.

Read more: Sheridan Smith shares rare photo of baby son

Story continues

In her This Morning appearance, Smith described the Baftas experience as "the straw that broke the camel's back" but emphasised "it was no one's fault".

Smith welcomed son Billy back in May with fiance Jamie Horn. She said of Horn: "He just knows how to calm me down and talk me off the ledge a bit, just keeps me calm, so its just amazing that Ive got such support in him."

Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum airs tonight at 9pm on ITV.
UPPER THUMB  In August the Michigan Supreme Court determined the state allowed treasurers to break the law by allowing them to keep surplus cash from the sale of tax-foreclosed properties.

Because the Supreme Court determined that practice is illegal according to the Michigan Constitution, it could lead to a flood of money owed to those whose property was foreclosed on and sold to cover taxes.

Under the color of law, the state allowed county treasurers to keep the extra money from the sales of foreclosed properties that were left after the tax lien was met.

County treasurers have done that for decades under direction from the state.

Because the court ruling just happened, the fallout from it is still being determined.

I dont know much of the details yet," said Tuscola County Treasurer Pat Gray, who noted her department was among those who kept the extra money in the past. "The Supreme Court has ruled that if a piece of property is sold for more than the taxes owed, the property owner is supposed to get the difference back. (Treasurers) were following state guidelines."

We dont know if it will be excess proceeds or if it will be the fair market value of the property, and we dont know how many years this will have to go back, Gray said.

When property taxes go unpaid, a property is foreclosed on, and it is put up for auction with a minimum bid of the amount to cover the back taxes. But there are times when the foreclosed property sells for a lot more than just the back taxes owed.

The challenge to that practice is what the court ruled on.

The decisions that could come from that ruling could have far reaching financial repercussions.

Currently, Tuscola has about $1.5 million in the bank from surplus funds after the delinquent tax bills were settled.

We are going to take a hit on this, but until we know exactly how many years back this could go and the details, it is hard to say how much, Gray said. I hope this change doesnt completely deplete that fund. We need that money to cover the taxes on property that isnt sold for what is owed. Everything is up in the air right now.

The foreclosure process

After a piece of property is foreclosed on, it goes to an auction sale. The minimum bid is the amount of the taxes owed.

If the property doesnt sell for that, there is a second auction later. The minimum bid for the second auction is $100  even if hundreds or thousands of dollars in taxes are owed.

Even at that price, there isnt always a buyer, so the treasurer could accept a lower price just to get it out of the countys name and back on the tax roll.

When we lose money, we have to charge back everyone  the schools, the townships, all of the county special voted millages," Gray said. "It could have an impact on everybody.

Commissioner Dan Grimshaw said he thinks the courts decision calls into question several other property taxing issues, such as municipalities tacking on delinquent utility bills as well as other unpaid bills, such as lawn mowing.

He explained the courts ruling said the only thing property can be foreclosed on is for back taxes.

There is nothing that says for other fees a municipality wants to attach to a property tax bill, Grimshaw said. We might be biting the bullet on a whole bunch of stuff we didnt have the right to collect for.

The courts decision was that no one should lose the equity in their home for falling behind on property taxes.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the Pro Star Aviation hangar in Londonderry, New Hampshire, on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020.

The conspiracy theory that President Donald Trump pushed on Monday that a plane "almost completely loaded with thugs" was set to disrupt the Republican National Convention was almost identical to a rumor that went viral on Facebook three months ago.

In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump claimed that "we had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend, and in the plane it was almost completely loaded with thugs, wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms, with gear and this and that."

He then claimed the matter was "under investigation right now."

There is no evidence of any such flight. When Ingraham asked for more information about the flight, the president said, "I'll tell you sometime." He then alleged the people were heading to Washington to disrupt the RNC.

Before mentioning the dark uniformed men who allegedly boarded a plane, Trump claimed that there are "people that are in the dark shadows" and "people that you haven't heard of" controlling Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Ingraham pressed the president for more details and said it sounded like he was alleging a conspiracy.

"They're people that are on the streets. They're people that are controlling the streets," Trump said.

The claim about a flight matches a viral Facebook post from June 1 that falsely claimed, "At least a dozen males got off the plane in Boise from Seattle, dressed head to toe in black." The post, by an Emmett, Idaho man, warned residents to "Be ready for attacks downtown and residential areas," and claimed one passenger had "a tattoo that said Antifa America on his arm."

That post was shared over 3,000 times on Facebook, and other pages from Idaho quickly added their own spin to it, like the Idaho branch of the far-right militia group 3 Percenters.

One post claimed that "Antifa has sent a plane load of their people" and that the Payette County Sheriff's Office confirmed it. Within days, that version of the rumor picked up enough steam in Idaho Facebook groups that the Payette County Sheriff's Office had to release a statement insisting that the viral rumor was "false information."

Rumors of marauding bands of Antifa supporters have plagued local Facebook groups, chain emails and forwarded text messages since mid-May. One of the most viral rumors on an Antifa invasion into the suburbs was taken down after Twitter said it was created by a troll account with ties to white nationalists.

Some armed Americans took to town squares in several towns to fight off fictitious busloads of Antifa in June, spurred by false rumors on Facebook pages. Seven days after the original Idaho rumor went viral on Facebook, armed men stood guard over protests in Missoula, Montana, worried about the planeloads of Antifa supporters.
Theres a new little library in the north end of Peterborough.

The library, which looks like a British phone booth, is located at the intersection of Voyageur Street and Settlers Ridge.

Its stocked with books and games and is COVID-19-safe.

Resident Andrew Swift installed the British telephone box library and ensured it was COVID safe.

The community has done the rest, he wrote in an email to The Examiner. They provided books and games. Place a book and take a book. Place a game and take a game. Lots of neighbours are enjoying the photo opportunities as well.
As a team thats well accustomed to working and collaborating remotely, were well positioned to take on the new challenges 2020 has brought.

Today Just Drive Media, a full service, virtual marketing communications agency, announced the acquisition of Table Public Relations in San Francisco.

The partnership continues to build Just Drive Medias strong bench of public relations and social media experts, while adding clientele in the finance and enterprise software sectors to an existing roster of long-term clients, which range from global, household name brands to early stage startups.

Part of what makes this partnership so exciting is our shared values, including a passion for client service and a commitment to driving results, said Ali Winkle, Co-Founder and CEO of Just Drive Media. Both teams work tirelessly to help our clients shine, and were looking forward to what we can achieve together.

The acquisition comes on the heels of a recent PR team expansion at Just Drive Media that added expertise in broadcast, enterprise security and crisis communications.

Weve been fully virtual since we launched more than a decade ago, which has helped our team adapt seamlessly to todays remote work environment and find new avenues for growth, Winkle said. As a team thats well accustomed to working and collaborating remotely, were well positioned to take on the new challenges 2020 has brought.

Just Drive Media built its reputation on its unique approach to PR and social media, rooted in data and underpinned by the belief that insightful analysis provides a powerful foundation for creativity. Supported by a team of public relations, social media and analytics experts, Just Drive Media is able to address the entire spectrum of marketing communications needs.

About Just Drive Media

Just Drive Media is an entirely virtual marketing and communications firm that has been delivering outstanding, data-backed results since 2007. Early to recognize the synergies between digital and social media and PR, Just Drive Media helped some of the worlds most recognized brands develop their first forays into true integrated communications, and today remains a trusted partner to many of those same teams. Grounded by data and expertise, Just Drive Media provides its clients with clear insights and guidance to ensure their stories resonate with the audiences that matter most.
Business leaders are invited to register for this groundbreaking event that starts on Nov. 11, 2020

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BNI (Business Network International), the world's leading referral networking organization, plans to welcome over 25,000 business leaders Nov. 11-14, 2020 for BNI's 2020 Global Convention. This year, the Convention will be held online for the first time using world-class technology. For three days, BNI will provide 24-hour content streaming with live translations in 16 languages, bringing the event to the homes and offices of thousands around the world. Seth Godin will be one of several world-class keynote speakers making this the most anticipated business learning and development event of the year.

"Wow - I'm personally very excited to see Seth speak at BNI's 2020 Global Convention. He's an incredible thought leader. We are really honored to have him address BNI Members and visitors from around the world at this groundbreaking business event," said Graham Weihmiller, CEO of BNI.

As a captivating speaker and marketing provocateur, Seth Godin will present at the BNI Global Convention on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 9:00 a.m. ET. In conjunction with the worldwide release of his latest book "The Practice", Godin will lead a discussion on how each of us has a chance to build a practice - a way of committing to the process - to create work that matters, followed by a Q&A session with a global audience of business leaders and entrepreneurs.

The theme for the BNI's 2020 Global Convention is Powered by BNI, recognizing the tenacity of the organizations' Members to thrive in any business environment despite global interruptions. Because of BNI's proven approach to creating new client referrals, BNI Members around the world have already generated over $9 billion in business in 2020 using BNI Online. Business leaders worldwide are invited to register for BNI's 2020 Global Convention to experience the valuable business connections and business learning that stimulates revenue growth, presents new opportunities, and creates a positive ripple effect for businesses around the world.

About the Seth Godin

For more than 30 years, Seth Godin has been inspiring people and teaching them how to level up! He is the founder of Akimbo, Squidoo and Yoyodyne (acquired by Yahoo). By focusing on everything from effective marketing and leadership, to the spread of ideas and changing everything, Seth has been able to motivate and inspire countless people around the world. He's an author of nineteen bestselling books, including "This Is Marketing" and "Your Turn." The long-awaited release of "The Practice" is now available for pre-order.

About BNI

BNI, the world's largest and most successful business networking organization, is transforming the global landscape of business through its philosophy of Givers Gain. Today, BNI has nearly 270,000 member-businesses participating in over 9,500 BNI Chapters Meetings each week in 70 countries around the globe. BNI's proven business networking platform provides BNI Members with proven structure, technology, training, and support to help them build strong businesses in any environment. BNI Online is its newest product, an advanced online platform that helps BNI Members share valuable client referrals with other Members. In 2020, BNI Members have generated over $9 billion in revenue to help power BNI member-businesses forward. To see BNI's new look and learn more, go to www.bni.com.

To learn more about the 2020 BNI Global Convention, visit www.BNIGlobalEvents.com. Early bird registration for the event ends on Sept. 26.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1177046/BNI_Logo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1246924/seth_godin_portrait_2019.jpg

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"Moana" actress Auli'i Cravalho arrives at the 2020 premiere of "Mulan." (Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press)

"Moana" star Auli'i Cravalho is a girl who loves her island.

Cravalho had a message Monday for hundreds of "Reopen Hawaii" protesters opposing Honolulu's stay-at-home and work-from-home order amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The actress sounded off on the public health emergency after KITV reporter Eddie Dowd tweeted a video of demonstrators waving American and pro-Trump flags over the weekend.

"Not a single Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) to be seen," Cravalho tweeted, adding, "My thoughts havent left the multi generational households. The young and able need to protect the old. Protect our kupuna!!!"

"Kupuna" means "elders" in Hawaiian.

My thoughts havent left the multi generational households. The young and able need to protect the old. Protect our kupuna!!!  Auli'i Cravalho (@auliicravalho) September 1, 2020

Last month, Hawaii Gov. David Ige approved Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwells emergency order requiring individuals in Oahu to shelter in place for two weeks because of a "resurgence of COVID-19 within the city" of Honolulu. The order also requires individuals to wear face coverings and practice social distancing in public.

Cravalho has been vocal about the COVID-19 crisis in recent months, encouraging her followers on social media to wear face masks and participating in virtual events such as "The Disney Family Singalong" benefiting Feeding America's pandemic relief efforts. She has also teamed up with the House of Mouse for its #DisneyMagicMoments series, in which stars film themselves reading books to entertain quarantined families.

On Friday, Cravalho made her Netflix debut in writer-director Brett Haley's "All Together Now," based on "Silver Linings Playbook" author Matthew Quick's novel "Sorta Like a Rockstar." The film stars Cravalho in her first live-action, big-screen role as a theater-loving teen pursuing her dreams of stardom while managing various personal crises.

"All Together Now," which also features Justina Machado, Carol Burnett, Fred Armisen, Judy Reyes and Rhenzy Feliz, is now streaming on Netflix.
Occupied Aaiun (Saharawi Republic)- Sahrawi human rights defender, Ms. Aminatou Haidar, expressed her solidarity with Sahrawi citizens demonstrating in front of the Guerguerats illegal breach, in three Twits on her Twitter page Today, calling on the United Nations to shut this illegal passage that threatens peace in Western Sahara.

The Sahrawi activist indicated her "absolute support for citizens who are engaged in a legitimate peaceful protest against the illegal breach in the Guerguerat region in the Western Sahara," wondering "what is the role of the UN Mission MINURSO- that is unable to fulfil its mission for which it was established, which is to organize a referendum for self-determination?"

The human rights defender added, "What is worse is MINURSO's inability to protect the Sahrawis from Moroccan violations while it comes to the rescue of the interests of the occupier, an act that encourages Morocco to continue its illegal occupation and plunder."

Mrs. Haidar also considered that the United Nations is under the obligation to close this illegal breach which remains a major passage for Moroccan drugs and cross-border crimes. In addition, it constitutes a serious threat to peace in the region.

The Sahrawi activist concluded her Twits calling on the United Nations to "close the illegal breach in Guerguerat." (SPS)

090/500/60 (SPS)
WASHINGTON - Pressed by Democrats to quickly negotiate a new coronavirus relief package, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday the administration remains willing to work on a bipartisan agreement to help small businesses, the unemployed, children and schools. Democratic leaders in Congress are holding it up with hardened positions, he said.

Lets move forward on a bipartisan basis on points we can agree upon, Mnuchin urged at a hearing by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. The president and I want to move forward.

Mnuchin made the case that the economys recovery has strengthened in recent weeks, citing improved consumer spending, growth in manufacturing and a rebounding housing market. Its the failure of some states to reopen activity that is holding back the economy, he said.

But Democrats insisted that dire economic conditions persist for many. Millions of Americans are now facing eviction, debt and hunger, said the panels chairman, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. As the pandemic drags on, states, cities and businesses are warning that more layoffs may be coming.

The subcommittees Democratic staff, meanwhile, said it has identified lapses pointing to possible fraud and abuse in a signature piece of the administrations relief effort, the $660 billion-plus small business loan program  including more than $1 billion awarded to businesses that received multiple loans.

The staff investigators said in a report that a lack of government oversight and accountability for the program may have led to billions of dollars being diverted to fraud, waste and abuse, rather than reaching small businesses truly in need.

With bipartisan agreement, Congress enacted an unprecedented $2.3 trillion pandemic rescue package in March. Now the Trump administration and top congressional Democrats have been in a months-long stalemate over new relief legislation, with the two sides trillions of dollars apart. Lawmakers left Washington for the August recess without an agreement.

The impasse left millions of jobless people without a $600-per-week pandemic bonus unemployment benefit that had helped families stay afloat, left state and local governments seeking fiscal relief high and dry, and held back a more than $100 billion school aid package.

An estimated 27 million people are receiving some form of unemployment benefits, according to the Labor Department, though the figure may be inflated by double-counting by states.

Mnuchin identified additional spending on aid to small businesses as the area where Democrats and Republicans are most likely to agree. In sometimes sharp exchanges, he and Democrats on the panel disagreed over the state of the economy and traded blame for the impasse over new rescue legislation.

Mnuchin pinned the blame on a refusal to compromise by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. While touting the economys partial recovery, he acknowledged that we have more work to do.

Still, Mnuchin showed some openness to negotiating and even agreed, under prodding from Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., to phone Pelosi right after the hearing.

He said he doesnt support the Democrats position for $2.2 trillion in spending in the next package, which contrasts with Republicans stance of $1 trillion. He added, however: Whats more important is ... getting money to American workers, American families, kids. There are tremendous areas of agreement, and thats what we should be doing right away.

I would publicly say I am willing to sit down at the negotiating table with the speaker with no conditions whatsoever any time, Mnuchin said.

After talking with Mnuchin Tuesday evening, though, Pelosi released a statement saying, Sadly, this phone call made clear that Democrats and the White House continue to have serious differences understanding the gravity of the situation that Americas working families are facing.

Under questioning from Democrats on the panel, Mnuchin again denied any involvement in the hiring of new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

Democrats are looking into how DeJoy was hired as they scrutinize a series of operational changes at the Postal Service that have resulted in widespread mail delays and fears that the agency will not be able to handle an expected surge in mail-in ballots this fall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Democrats also want to learn more about Mnuchins role. The Treasury chief met with members of the Postal Service Board of Governors while the selection of the new postmaster general was underway.

Mnuchin said he knew DeJoy, a former supply chain CEO and a top Republican donor, from the 2016 Trump campaign. But he said he had not seen or spoken to DeJoy before he was hired to lead the Postal Service this spring.

I had no specific conversations with him about that job until the (search) committee updated me that he was one of the finalists, Mnuchin said. I was quite surprised when I found out that he was a candidate. Again I had no involvement in that process whatsoever.

The Small Business Administrations Paycheck Protection Program was a key piece of the governments economic aid program responding to the pandemic. The nations small businesses received a gut punch in the spring as huge swaths of the economy were shut down, millions lost jobs and consumers curtailed spending.

Economists generally credit the small business program with helping prevent the job market meltdown from becoming worse. The loans are forgivable if businesses use the money to keep employees on the payroll or rehire workers who have been laid off.

The program ran from April through early August, awarding about 5 million loans totalling some $520 billion.

The program is supporting an estimated 51 million jobs, representing 80% of small business payroll in all 50 states and six territories, the Treasury Department and SBA said in statements when asked for comment on the congressional report. We worked around the clock and launched the program in record time, under one week, because Americans needed immediate economic relief. Any program of this scope and size will encounter issues, and we have moved quickly to respond as they arise.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
New Delhi:

ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), has qualified to bid for oil and gas development projects in Iran.

OVL is among the 29 international oil companies from more than a dozen countries that Iran has pre-qualified to bid in the upcoming tender for oil and gas projects, according to the list put out by National Iranian Oil Co (NIOC).

Others on the list include Royal Dutch Shell Plc, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), Total SA of France, Russia's Gazprom and Eni of Italy.

Iran, the holder of world's fourth-largest oil reserves and OPEC's third-largest oil producer, is hoping to attract as much as USD 150 billion in foreign investment in its oil, gas and petrochemicals sectors over the next few years.

The list of pre-qualified firms also included Malaysia's Petronas, Russia's Lukoil, China's CNOOC and Sinopec, Inpex of Japan, KOGAS of Korea. Most of these companies have been involved in Iran's oil industry projects before the US-tailored sanctions were imposed against the country in 2011.

Newcomers include Wintershall from Germany, Maersk from Finland, DNO from Norway and CEPSA from Spain, according to the NIOC list.

US oil services provider Schlumberger Ltd was also among those identified, according to the NIOC website.

OVL is already present in Iran. In 2008, it had discovered the Farzad-B gas field in the Farsi block in Persian Gulf. The discovery has an in-place gas reserve of 21.7 trillion cubic feet, of which 12.5 tcf are recoverable.

"We are in negotiations with Iran for development rights of Farzad-B field," a senior company official said.

"Discussions on continuing a development plan that we submitted to Iranian authorities. We are hoping negotiations will continue soon."

Gas produced from the field can either be converted into LNG by freezing at sub-zero temperature and shipping in cryogenic ships to India or transported through a pipeline -- via overland passing through Pakistan or sub-sea.

The official said the OVL will definitely look at participating in the bid round that Iran will hold using a new, less restrictive Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC) model.

The IPC model ends a buy-back system dating back more than 20 years under which Iran did not allow foreign firms to book reserves or take equity stakes in Iranian companies.

Under a buyback deal, the host government agreed to pay the contractor an agreed price for all volumes of hydrocarbons the contractor produces.

But now, NIOC will set up joint ventures for crude oil and gas production with international companies which will be paid with a share of the output.

Also, different stages of exploration, development and production will be offered to contractors as an integrated package, with the emphasis laid on enhanced and improved recovery.

The new IPC is said to be more flexible terms that take into account oil price fluctuations and investment risks.
The first day of school in Miami-Dade County, Florida, was brought to you by the numbers 4, 0, and 4.

On Monday morning, 275,000 students and 19,200 teachers settled in for the start of remote learning for the semester, only to encounter widespread crashes on the school systems education platform. Many students couldnt join virtual classrooms; teachers were locked out of attendance portals and grading systems. All morning, parents and students sent tweets like these:

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Day 1 of #distancelearning #taketwo on this #backtoschool day. Currently on a group chat with several parents - for all of us on the chat the districts student portal is currently not loading. pic.twitter.com/asJvJw3e9I  Christina Vazquez (@CBoomerVazquez) August 31, 2020

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Miami dade should be ashame my kids couldnt start school today I literally sat with him all day. Frustration for him because he was excited and it was taken away. Note to self this software issue you blaming on. @MiamiSup Plan b have zoom ready for the kids to communicate  jose torres (@JTmoney2013) August 31, 2020

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Happy first day of Miami-Dade virtual school y'all!

Seems like my kids aren't the only ones giving up. Neighbors kids are skateboarding. My daughter started baking cookies. Boys are playing with their toys. Clusterfuck level 10 pic.twitter.com/OxbfSdNiE3  Paola Batic (@LetEmEatTweets) August 31, 2020

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Miami Dade public schools server is down I guess your late to your first day pic.twitter.com/aOOF032P3Q  M423 (@M423) August 31, 2020

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School still happenedbut lots of teachers had to scramble to relocate the mornings lessons to Zoom. In a news conference, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho attributed the debacle to a slowdown of access related to an external connectivity to the internet between our data center and the internet provider. So  too many students logging on at once? Not so, said Carvalho, who attributed the failure to a third-party switch provided by Cisco that connects Miami-Dades system to the internet, and that it was probably not a capacity issue. We know what the problem is, but we do not have as of yet  a solution, he said. School officials and IT personnel were still looking into how to resolve the issues as of Monday evening. Unless the problem gets resolved overnight, students in Miami-Dade should once again expect to again rely on Zoom on Tuesday.

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Teachers had been raising concerns about Miami-Dades remote learning plan in the weeks leading up to the first day of classes. In July, the district finalized plans to spend $15 million of funds from the CARES Act on a no-bid contract for My School Online, a platform thats supposed to allow teachers to virtually administer lessons. When the pandemic forced Miami-Dade to shut down schools at the tail end of the last academic year, the district gave teachers the choice over which online platforms to use for at-home learning. That quickly became too unwieldly for students to navigate between all of them, so school officials decided to invest in a single platform for the fall. While Florida is requiring most schools to offer in-person instruction, it carved out an exception for Miami-Dade because of the severity of the pandemic in the county, which has 156,910 cases. The district plans to reassess the possibility of reopening facilities on Sept. 30, so the earliest Miami-Dade students could return to school buildings is Oct. 5.

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Until then, its remote learning. But teachers reportedly didnt have much time to get acquainted with My School Online. The district didnt integrate its data with the platform until August 17. It then set up a weeklong orientation period starting on August 24 to allow instructors to learn how to use the tools, which didnt go smoothly: The system crashed on the first day of orientation and teachers continued to have problems accessing the platform and uploading learning materials. Teachers also criticized the training for focusing more on pedagogy than hands-on practice with the new online tools.

While Miami-Dade start to the school year seems to have been worse than most, the district is far from the only one to experience tech glitches as classes come back into session. Students in neighboring Broward Countys public schools were also met with slow connection speeds, crashing dashboards, and log-in issues on their first day of school last week due to capacity limits. Similar tech snafus have been reported in districts in Maryland, North Carolina, Indiana, and California.

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Education officials have spent the last few months agonizing over how to weigh the risks of holding in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic against the degradation in quality of education that tends to come with remote learning. Teachers have struggled to keep students engaged, interact with them on a personal level, and issue grades fairly. In addition, increased reliance on virtual teaching tools threatens to exacerbate pre-existing educational disparities that result from unequal access to internet and digital devices. But you cant even begin to fret over those problemsor get in a lesson or twoif you cant get the tech to work.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Nigerian government has been urged to domesticate all international and regional legal frameworks that promote Women's Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (WSRH&R).

This was one of the outcomes of a three-day workshop for journalists on the Global Gag Rule (GGR) and its implications on women's health.

In a communique issued Friday at the end of the workshop organised by Ipas, participants noted that though the Nigerian government had signed and ratified many international and regional legal instruments that protect the WSRH&R, yet many of these frameworks had not been domesticated.

Participants at the three-day workshop held at the Best Western Plus Hotel, Ibadan, Oyo State, also observed that the 1861 Abortion Law of Nigeria did not take into consideration current realities and the issues arising thereof.

They called for the review of the 1861 Abortion Law to take into consideration the plights of women and girls who are victims of unwanted pregnancies as a result of sexual violence in line with the Maputo Protocol.

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, also known as Maputo Protocol, is a legal instrument providing a comprehensive set of human rights for African women. The Maputo Protocol, which came into effect in 2005, details wide-ranging and substantive human rights for women covering the entire spectrum of civil and political, economic, social and cultural as well as environmental rights.

The participants also observed that in spite of the high incidences of gender based violence in Nigeria, not all states had domesticated the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP).

While noting that the prevalence of sexual violence, including rape and incest, is on the increase with such acts resulting in unwanted pregnancies among women and girls in Nigeria, they lamented that the Nigerian government, religious/ cultural leaders, and some individuals still hold a restricted mindset and belief on the issue of reviewing the abortion law despite all the benefits it has in reducing maternal mortality from unsafe abortion.

They resolved that, "it is the right of patients to be accorded highest standard of competence, professionalism, respect, confidentiality, privacy and non-discrimination in the course of health service delivery and such should be demanded where it is lacking. "

The participants however noted that less priority was given to the health sector in the Nigerian budget thereby revealing that issues of WSRH&R is still far-fetched.

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They therefore called on government at all levels to take the health of women as priority and increase funding for WSRH&R.

"That the government should provide free medical care and support for women and girls who are victims of sexual violence to preserve, promote and protect their sexual and reproductive health," the communique stated.

The workshop participants also called on the media to step up support to NGOs working on WSRH&R.

They recommended that "focus should not only be centred on the Executive arm of government but on the Legislatures as well, to ensure they make legislations that promote and protect WSRH&R."

In the communique, participants also recommended that religious leaders, traditional rulers, wives of political office holders as well as political parties should be continuously engaged on WSRH&R.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Congressman Earl Blumenauer from Oregon will introduce the RESTAURANTS Act of 2020 in Washington, D.C.. The legislation, if passed, will create a $120 billion grant relief program focused on the nations food service community. Will this help New York City restaurants, whose dining rooms continue to be closed?

According to the proposal, it will.
Published on 2020/08/31 | Source

Character stills of "The School Nurse Files" are out.

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Netflix unveiled the character steal of Ahn Eun-young, a health teacher, on Aug. 31st. The released still shows Ahn Eun-young, a newly appointed health teacher at Mokryeon High School. The cabinet behind Eun-young sitting alone in the dark health room is tightly closed during the day when students visit the nurse's room, but when the door is open, it is full of various religious items from around the world, from amulets to crosses that Eun-young uses to charge energy. She doesn't seem to be happy about her special abilities, but in fact, she can feel her cold-warmth in fighting jelly more than anyone else to protect schools and students. The stills also show Jung Yu-mi who is wearing a nurse's gown with a strong expression.

In the eyes of ordinary people who can't see jelly, it seems to be just the humming of a weirdo wielding a rainbow knife and a BB gun, but it also shows Eun-young's aspect as a warrior fighting the jelly with all her might. "The School Nurse Files" will happily show the story of Eun-young, who is reborn as a true hero by holding In-pyo's hand to protect the school and students, as the seals in the school's long-closed basement are loosened due to the curiosity of Hong In-pyo, a Chinese character teacher.

Jung Yu-mi, who plays Ahn Eun-young, is known to have been unanimously recommended to Ahn Eun-young by readers who read the novel even before the news of the casting was made public. Jung Yu-mi said, "I usually chose the character to comfort the viewers, but Ahn Eun-young strangely comforted me a lot. I want the viewers to feel those emotions throughout my acting", she said, further raising curiosity about the character by expressing her feelings as Ahn Eun-young. She added, "She's a clumsy but strong, blunt-looking woman, but in fact she's a friendly person. Although she made it obvious that she doesn't like it, she quietly accepts her fate and is very attractive in terms of defeating the jelly", she said, adding to viewers' expectations by expressing her passion for his role.

"The School Nurse Files" can be seen worldwide on Netflix from the 25th of September.
Two weeks after a group of Malian soldiers ousted former President Ibrahim Boubabar Keita, the country's new ruling military junta still has not made public its plans for a transitional government.

Currently, everything is going very well, there's no problem, work is ongoing for a successful charter, said Malick Diaw, vice president of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), referring to a document outlining the transition.

Following a meeting between the CNSP and political parties, Diaw told journalists on Monday that they were working on a good document for the transition, with good architecture, to put in place a good transition.

A key sticking point is the junta's desire for a long transition led by a soldier, while mediation efforts led by West African regional bloc Ecowas tries to convince the military of the need for a short transition led by a civilian.

A group of mutinous soldiers from the Kati military base arrested President Keita, commonly known as IBK, on 18 August, broadly aligning themselves with an ongoing opposition protest movement that had held months of mass demonstrations calling for IBK's resignation.

From one coup leader to another

Members of the ruling military junta met with traditional Malian leaders on Sunday afternoon, and the country's former military leader Moussa Traore.

CNSP leader Colonel Assimi Goita was depicted side-by-side with ex-President Traore, who seized power in a coup in 1968 and was himself overthrown in 1991.

The meeting, broadcast on state-run ORTM, was described as an opportunity for the CNSP to receive advice and blessings.

Traore said he told the young soldiers about his experiences as Mali's leader, including errors committed, as well as what to avoid, according to an ORTM report. He described the CNSP as patriots who are setting Mali straight.

Mali's last coup led by Captain Amadou Sanogo was in 2012, ousting Amadou Toumani Toure, who was eventually replaced by Keita in elections the following year.

Junta meets with 'natural partner'

The CNSP had met with leaders of Mali's opposition on Saturday  the M5-RFP group, 5 June Movement  Rally of Patriotic Forces, a coalition of civil society and opposition groups, who had led protests against IBK.

In an interview with RFI, Imam Mahmoud Dicko, one of the M5 leaders, said there was no point in dragging out a transition following the ousting of President Keita by a group of soldiers.

He added that three years is too much, pointing to previous suggestions that the junta wanted a three-year transition led by soldiers.

Protests led by the M5 group had channelled much of the public discontent surrounding IBK's government, allegations of corruption, botched legislative elections and growing insecurity, before the soldiers decided to arrest the president.

How long is transition?

We still have to find a way out of this situation quickly, said Dicko, suggesting that 18 months or less was reasonable.

Members of the M5 group urged the junta to appoint a civilian to run any transition, reported RFI's David Bache, who spoke to those attending talks at the Kati military base, just outside of Bamako.

The anti-IBK group was more open to the idea of having a soldier occupy the position of prime minister.

On the length of such a transition, the M5 leaders offered a compromise of 18 months  somewhere between the two to three years wanted by the CNSP and one year demanded by regional bloc Ecowas, according to Bache.

The opposition reminded the military junta that they had more legitimacy than any other actor and could in effect be a natural partner to the CNSP.

Ecowas playing hardball

West African heads of state reiterated their demands to the junta on Friday following a video conference meeting chaired by Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou, acting president of Ecowas.

The regional bloc urged the CNSP to immediately put in place a civilian transition, in consultation with the constitutional court, political parties and civil society organisations.

Ecowas wants a 12-month transition, leading to elections, otherwise further sanctions would be progressively implemented.

A potential candidate for transitional president would be a personality known for their professional qualities, as well as moral and intellectual integrity, Ecowas said in a five-page declaration. This president would not be allowed to stand in subsequent elections. A prime minister would, likewise, be a civilian.

Cold, hard cash

Ecowas countries already slapped financial sanctions on Mali, with the country frozen out of international financial transactions through the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO).

Banking operations, notably within the West African CFA franc zone, remain blocked, hindering refinancing of the economy and monetary creation.

Ecowas has also threatened to stop business and economic flows between neighbouring countries and Mali, except for essential goods, and called for sanctions against the coup plotters and their associates, the 15-country bloc said in a 20 August declaration.

Despite international condemnation of the coup and objections from Ecowas, Malians have generally been supportive of the CNSP and ousting of IBK, with more than 80 percent of people in Bamako disagreeing with the stance taken by Ecowas, according to a recent survey.
Facebook has threatened to stop Australians from sharing news to their social media pages if the tech giant is forced to pay media organisations for their content.

In a world first, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a draft code in July directing social media giants to negotiate fair payment deals.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher claim Facebook had 'an imbalance in bargaining power' and it needed to be fixed.

The competition regulator is proposing laws that would allow commercial news media companies to negotiate 'an appropriate payment for news content'.

But now Facebook Australia, which was paid $674million by local advertisers in 2019, has retaliated by saying it will 'reluctantly' stop all publishers from sharing local and international news should the new code be legislated.

There are fears the move will lead to a proliferation of fake news and conspiracy content on the site.

Facebook is threatening to stop Australian users from sharing news if the social media giant is forced to compensate media companies for publishing their stories (Pictured: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg)

Facebook Australia has retaliated by saying it will 'reluctantly' stop all publishers from sharing local and international news should the new code be legislated (Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg pictured with wife Priscilla Chan)

Australia and New Zealand managing director for Facebook Will Easton said the draft code of conduct ignored the relationship between social media and news organisations, which he claimed would suffer the most.

'Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram,' Mr Easton said in a statement on Tuesday.

'This is not our first choice - it is our last.

'But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australia's news and media sector.'

Under the proposed new arrangement, Facebook would be forced to negotiate with media companies for fair payment of their news content.

Should agreement not be reached, an independent umpire would brought into to decide appropriate payment within 45 days, taking into account the value of news content to the platform and the cost of producing the content.

But Mr Easton says the new regulation misunderstands the dynamics of the internet and will do great damage to news organisations.

Similar concerns have been expressed by Google, which has launched an aggressive public campaign warning its services will be put at risk and calling for the proposed laws to be overhauled.

Mr Frydenberg said the Government would not be intimidated by Facebook's threat to blacklist Australia.

'Australia makes laws that advance our national interest. We don't respond to coercion or heavy handed threats wherever they come from,' he said.

'Our reforms are world leading and following a groundbreaking 18-month inquiry by the ACCC. These reforms will help to create a more sustainable media landscape and see payment for original content.'

Under the proposed new arrangement, Facebook would be forced into third-party arbitration with media companies if it failed to reach an agreement with them (stock image)

Facebook Australia has retaliated by saying it will 'reluctantly' stop all publishers from sharing local and international news should the new code be legislated. Pictured: A notification from Facebook about its updated terms of service

ACCC boss Rod Sims said Facebook's threats to ban news services on its platform in Australia were 'ill-timed and misconceived'.

'We note that according to the University of Canberra's 2020 Digital News Report, 39 per cent of Australians use Facebook for general news, and 49 per cent use Facebook for news about COVID-19,' he said.

'As the ACCC and the Government work to finalise the draft legislation, we hope all parties will engage in constructive discussions.'

Mr Easton said the proposed law was unprecedented in its reach and unfairly sought to 'regulate every aspect of how tech companies do business with news publishers'.

'When crafting this new legislation, the commission overseeing the process ignored important facts, most critically the relationship between the news media and social media and which one benefits most from the other,' he said.

'Most perplexing, it would force Facebook to pay news organisations for content that the publishers voluntarily place on our platforms and at a price that ignores the financial value we bring publishers.'

Mr Easton adds that Facebook was hoping to introduce Facebook News - a dedicated news section where it paid news publishers for their content.

Australia and New Zealand managing director for Facebook Will Easton said the draft code of conduct ignored the relationship between social media and news organisations, which he claimed would suffer the most (stock image)

'We already invest millions of dollars in Australian news businesses and, during discussions over this legislation, we offered to invest millions more,' Mr Easton said.

'Since Facebook News launched last year in the US, publishers we partner with have seen the benefit of additional traffic and new audiences.

'But these proposals were overlooked.

'Instead, we are left with a choice of either removing news entirely or accepting a system that lets publishers charge us for as much content as they want at a price with no clear limits. Unfortunately, no business can operate that way.'

The ACCC's final report was published on July 31, three months after the government directed it to develop a mandatory code of conduct.

The new rules would give more power to news media businesses that earned at least $150,000 a year in revenue and served an Australian audience.

The government-owned ABC and SBS, and trade publications would not be covered.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A 55-year-old woman was shot to death early Tuesday in the citys Central neighborhood, police said.

Kim Shurn of Cleveland died in the shooting, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner. No arrests have been made in the case.

The shooting happened about 12:45 a.m. on East 49th Street, north of Woodland Avenue near the Outhwaite public housing apartment complex.

Officers found Shurn dead from a gunshot wound to her chest on a sidewalk, according to police.

Investigators searched for witnesses of the shooting, but found none, according to police.

Read more from cleveland.com:

After shrinking Cuyahoga County Jail population to all-time low, spike in inmates raises alarms

Appeals court orders judge to re-assess errors in jury instructions, excluded evidence in Jimmy Dimora corruption case

Shaker Heights father suffered from depression, sent alarming email before suspected murder-suicide
Outspoken Freelancer founder Matt Barrie and other tech industry figures have hit out at new government regulations designed to force Facebook and Google to pay news publishers, arguing the rules could set a dangerous precedent for the digital economy.

Facebook on Monday threatened to stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram in response to the regulatory code proposed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Matt Barrie said the proposed code created a "shocking" precedent. Credit:James Brickwood

Mr Barrie, who was a vocal opponent of lockout laws in Sydney, said the regulatory code was a "shocking precedent" towards arbitrary regulation of technology companies.

"This is just a shakedown, it applies only to Facebook and Google and not to anyone else," he said.
Fresh off of adapting a book series that did pretty well as a TV show, Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are bringing another trilogy of novels to the small screen. Along with Alexander Woo (The Terror: Infamy and True Blood), theyll write and executive produce a Netflix show based on Liu Cixins sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem and its two sequels.

The Three-Body Problem, the story of humanitys first contact with an alien civilization inspired by @cixinlius renowned novel, will be adapted as a Netflix series from David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo. pic.twitter.com/Dily05j2Vw  NX (@NXOnNetflix) September 1, 2020

Netflix picked up the rights for an English-language adaptation of the Hugo Award-winning trilogy, which tells the story of humanitys first contact with an alien civilization. Woo described it as one of the great masterpieces of Chinese science-fiction.

Beyond Benioff, Weiss and Woo, there are some other big names involved with the project. Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out director Rian Johnson and his producing partner Ram Bergman are on board as executive producers, as are Brad Pitt and Rosamund Pike. Cixin and Ken Liu, who translated two of the novels into English, will act as consulting producers.

Liu Cixins trilogy is the most ambitious science-fiction series weve read, taking readers on a journey from the 1960s until the end of time, from life on our pale blue dot to the distant fringes of the universe, Benioff and Weiss said in a statement. We look forward to spending the next years of our lives bringing this to life for audiences around the world.

It is a great honor as an author to see this unique sci-fi concept travel and gain fandom across the globe and I am excited for new and existing fans all over the world to discover the story on Netflix. https://t.co/BkWO0iVBb1  Liu Cixin (@CixinLiu) September 1, 2020

Netflix snapped up Benioff and Weiss last year on a lucrative deal to work on TV and film projects. Its the first project theyre writing for Netflix, though it was previously announced that theyre producing a dramedy starring Sandra Oh for the streaming service.

The Three-Body Problem might be a bit more Weiss and Benioffs tempo for a project theyre more deeply involved with. Its not the first sci-fi project theyve been attached to, as Disney previously tapped them to write a Star Wars trilogy before they backed out. In any case, heres hoping they stick the landing this time around.
Budgeting lunacy will not help debt situation

It is significant that while the business lobby and some conservative backbenchers are demanding tax cuts, the British government has indicated that it will impose tax hikes, especially for better-off Britons. On a domestic level, tax cuts in this dangerous economic period would be equivalent to my dealing with an impossible credit card debt by asking my employer to cut my wages so that I can pay down the debt.

Michael R. Nolan, Capel Sound Incentives for businesses that keep workers

Tax cuts should only apply to businesses who guarantee they wont downsize their workforce.

Phil Alexander, Eltham THE FORUM Heritage destroyed

The Rio Tinto chief executive, Jean-Sebastien Jacques, will need not only to make a face to face apology meeting with the traditional owners of the Juukan Gorge caves (Rio Tinto chief to apologise to land owners, 1/9) but should be making an apology to the Australian people and the world as a whole for this catastrophic destruction of world and human heritage. We have lost so much, worldwide of human heritage sites through ignorant destruction in recent years. We cannot fathom what else has been lost in Australia. We could, however, understand that Monsieur Jacques would not contemplate the destruction of the ancient Lascaux Cave in France. Of course not. Loucille McGinley, Brighton East

Workers need the rise

I agree wholeheartedly with the statements made by our former PMs Keating and Rudd. Workers have already endured a six-year delay in rises to superannuation brought on by the Coalition to encourage wage rises. How has that worked out for them? Lowest wage growth in their time at the helm. Their rhetoric has proven to be false and to continue down the same path will not change the result. Workers have learnt their lesson.

Alan Inchley, Frankston Rudds miserly increase

The joining of former prime minister Kevin Rudd, in the chorus of concern over the federal government considering cancelling proposed future increases in superannuation contributions, is disingenuous to say the least (Keating, Rudd warn over super changes, 1/9). Between 1996-2007 the Howard government froze the Superannuation Guarantee Contribution at 9 per cent. For more than a decade, the required incremental increases to keep superannuation accounts at a level that would substantially ease pressure on the national pension obligation, were not met. During Labors tenure in government (2007-13) he had the chance to redress this shortfall. However his government allowed only a miserly 0.25 per cent increase for the entire six-year period. Both sides of politics have over the years not honoured this worthwhile, universal superannuation initiative for working people.

Brian Boyd, Carlton Fantasyland prevails

Bruce Wolpes excellent analysis of the present state of US politics (Its now midnight in America, 1/9) shows, in my view the risible rhetoric American voters hear from Trump and Biden. The President wants to save the American Dream and Joe Biden goes further with the call of there being one nation, under God, united in our love for America. I would expect if the Democrats had chosen the other septuagenarian, Bernie Sanders, to be their presidential candidate voters would have heard policy facts and figures, not fairytales being projected about the US. Rather than it being midnight in America the clock has stopped on reality and fantasyland seems to prevail.

Des Files, Brunswick Protect Australian citizens

We need to be doing more to protect Australian citizens  the detaining of Cheng Lei (Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei detained in China, 1/9) and the Julian Assange case. For far too long, our governments have put foreign interests, whether they be the US, UK or now China ahead of the safety of our own citizens. We need to bring Lei and Assange home and if they have committed any crimes, prosecute them in Australia where we know they can be protected and treated humanely. Chenny Chen, Werribee

Move no real surprise

It came as no real surprise to read about Australian TV anchor Cheng Lei being detained in China, considering fellow Chinese-Australian, Yang Henguin, a pro-democracy activist, has spent 18 months in jail after being arrested by the Beijing State Security Bureau on suspicion of endangering Chinese national security. That is the modus operandi of the totalitarian state: arbitrary arrest and secrecy. Is it any wonder the Hong Kong protesters are so concerned about the ramifications of the national security law Beijing has imposed on the people of Hong Kong?

Rajend Naidu, Glenfield, NSW A search for certainty

Perhaps we could make an exception on international travel restrictions so the federal Treasurer can take a trip to Sweden to check how a near absence of restrictions has helped the Swedish economy. He would find that far from boosting the economy and providing the certainty that he and numerous business groups crave, the Swedish economy contracted in the April-June quarter. The evidence is that with the virus raging, people impose restrictions on themselves and that spending fell by nearly as much in Sweden as in Denmark. Denmarks impositions and its low death rate is similar to Australia. Of course, we would all like certainty. But most people would continue to focus primarily on keeping casualties down. They will stay at home regardless of the needs of business. Josh Frydenbergs latest harangue will only enforce the various premiers determination to act according to health officers advice.

Geoff Payne, Mornington Time to mend fences

It was refreshing to read Shaun Carneys piece on China (China veto is clothed in doubt, 31/8), compared to the numerous China hawks relentlessly promoting the same old biased views. It appears that China-bashing is a popular pastime of federal politicians and local pundits. China has contributed much to Australias economic growth in the past 20-30 years. We need to accept China for what it is, rather than trying to change it. History shows these tactics do not work. Unless we mend our fences, our post-COVID economic recovery will be bleak. By blindly following the US, our leverage as a middle power will also be compromised.

Whats needed now is to use diplomacy rather than bellicose China-bashing. We desperately need to send a respected emissary across to start a meaningful dialogue.

Siraj Perera, Camberwell Staffing ratios the key

All the talk about the need to reform aged care is still cleverly ignoring the main issues. This is because there is a financial cost to effective aged care and the government is not prepared to back its rhetoric with a realistically funded model. No one is talking about one of the key aspects of aged care, i.e. staffing ratios. We have ratios in other sectors  childcare, schools and hospitals, but not in aged care. All levels of staffing need regular, compulsory training. Aged care bodies that investigate complaints need to be proactive and have strong regulations that have immediate effect when facilities transgress. Facilities need a star rating, similar to hotels and other businesses. Then when families are choosing a facility for a loved one, they would have a better idea of what they are getting. And everyone moving into an aged care facility needs an advocate. Until the federal government mandates the return of staffing levels tied to funding and monitors food and care standards, we cannot believe the rhetoric.

Ruth Hargrave, Mont Albert Bring back nurses

The adequacy of aged care needs to be looked at through a different template (Billions needed to make aged care adequate, 31/8.) I am a registered nurse and former aged care facility manager. The one critical decision which would change aged care for the better is to put nurses back into aged care. This would mean infection control principles integral to good nursing practice would be in place, and the coronavirus death toll in aged care would never occur again.

Staff patient ratios would ensure that understaffing would not occur and if Division 2 qualifications were offered to employees who then sign up for three years this would mean better pay and no need to work across facilities.

Mary Keating, Flemington Reimagining urban life

When developing Melbournes strategy to reopen hospitality venues this summer, we must look to exemplars based on health safety, economic viability and reimagining urban streetscapes. In Paris, mayor Anne Hidalgo extended outdoor dining areas and patron capacity limits on pavement terraces, within social-distancing guidelines. This strategic council decision supported health advice and resulted in a burgeoning of the celebrated Parisian terrace culture. How can urban life be reimagined in Melbourne?

Emilia Fabris, Fitzroy North Foolproof birth control

I feel for all those new communities faced with inaccurate translations of important instructions during these difficult times. When I arrived in Australia from Italy in 1970 there were no interpreting facilities. This job was often left to volunteers such as myself. However, I could not help the southern Italians. The Australians found it difficult to understand that being from the same country did not mean understanding or speaking the same language/dialect. Often in those days a worker from the factory floor was asked to translate in his native language the written instructions of a product. I still giggle when I think of the Directions for Use in Italian included in a packet of Ansell condoms, concluding with Carefully remove and bin the penis. Birth control at its best.

Laura Mecca, Windsor Frydenberg vindicated

Your article (High-risk Victorians denied hotel quarantine, 1/9) about 37 vulnerable people who tested positive for COVID-19 being turned away from quarantine vindicates Josh Frydenbergs comments that What has transpired in Victoria is like a slow motion car crash. Here we are in stage four lockdown and you have this diabolical situation where people who should be isolating cant. You better get on to this one Dan before your credibility gets shot to pieces further.

Ian Anderson, Surrey Hills

AND ANOTHER THING ... Credit: Coronavirus

Case numbers in Victoria still in double figures and the state on the precipice, and were subjected to shrill screams from the federal government to open up. Deja vu?

Eben Rojter, Coburg I must have missed the announcement, but when did Josh Frydenberg gain his medical qualification?

Tony Colson, Mentone The Liberals clearly cant decide which is the greater enemy  COVID-19 or Daniel Andrews popularity.

Steve Melzer, Hughesdale

Instead of crushing the economy with closures, the government should let industries develop COVID-safe work practices that can keep them operating, as the AFL did.

Merryn Boan, Brighton We must show patience to avoid becoming patients.

Nicholas Melaluka, Fairfield Politics

Playing Poke the Panda is starting to get really dangerous. Scott Morrison please stop before anyone else gets hurt.

Barbara Lynch, South Yarra Can we please have some real policy on branch stacking, aged care, climate change and the plastics deluge? Much better than silly buzzwords like roadmaps.

Mark Freeman, Macleod It is telling that when Frydenberg referred to Mondays devastating numbers, he wasnt referring to the 41 COVID-19 deaths in his home state but to Treasury figures.

Denny Meadows, Hawthorn
India, the worlds second most populated nation, sees more than 20% of the global flood-related fatalities each year as overrun riverbanks sweep tens of thousands of homes with them. Two years ago, Google volunteered to help.

In 2018, the company began its flood forecasting pilot initiative in Patna -- the capital of the Indian state of Bihar, which has historically been the most flood-prone region in the nation, with more than 100 fatalities each year -- to provide accurate real-time flood forecasting information to people in the region.

The company's AI model analyzes historical flood data gleaned from several river basins in different parts of the world to make accurate prediction for any river basin.

For this project, Google has not worked in isolation. Instead, it has collaborated with Indias Central Water Commission, Israel Institute of Technology and Bar-Ilan University. It also works with the Indian government to improve how New Delhi collects data on water levels. They have installed new, electronic sensors that automatically transmit data to water authorities.

Thrilled by the initial results, two years later, Googles Flood Forecasting Initiative now covers all of India, Google announced on Tuesday.

The company also said it has partnered with the Water Development Board of Bangladesh, which sees more floods than any other country in the world, to expand its initiative to parts of India's neighboring nation. This is the first time Google is bringing Flood Forecasting Initiative outside of India.

Alerts for flood forecasting (Image Credits: Google)

Part of the job is to deliver this potentially life-changing information to people. In India, the company said it has sent out more than 30 million notifications to date in flood-affected areas. It says its initiative can help better protect more than 200 million people across more than 250,000 square kilometers (96,525 square miles). In Bangladesh, Google's model is able to cover more than 40 million people and the company is working to extend this to the whole nation.

Story continues

"Were providing people with information about flood depth: when and how much flood waters are likely to rise. And in areas where we can produce depth maps throughout the floodplain, were sharing information about depth in the users village or area, wrote Yossi Matias, VP of Engineering and Crisis Response Lead at Google.

Along the way, the company said it worked with Yale and found that there was room for more improvement.

This year, Google said it overhauled the way its alerts look and function to make it more accessible to people. It also added support for Hindi, Bengali and seven other local languages, and further customized the messaging in the alerts. It has also rolled out a new forecasting model that doubles the warning time of many of its alerts.

Moving forward, the company said its charitable arm Google.org has started a collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to build local networks and deliver alerts to people who otherwise wouldnt receive smartphone alerts directly.

Theres much more work ahead to strengthen the systems that so many vulnerable people rely onand expand them to reach more people in flood-affected areas. Along with our partners around the world, we will continue developing, maintaining and improving technologies and digital tools to help protect communities and save lives, wrote Matias.
3 | NHS England in talks on rollout of potential COVID vaccine from December, says report: The National Health Service (NHS) is in talks with the British Medical Association (BMA) and others around mobilising the rollout of a potential COVID-19 vaccine from December, Pulse website for health professionals reported. >There is optimism around the first cohorts being given a vaccine in December but there is a 50/50 chance of the vaccine being available by that time, Pulse reported, citing a person close to the discussions.

A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle  looking for the needed proof that they really work as a US advisory panel suggested September 1 a way to ration the first limited doses once a vaccine wins approval.

AstraZeneca announced Monday its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the US The Cambridge, England-based company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups.

Two other vaccine candidates began final testing this summer in tens of thousands of people in the US One was created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc., and the other developed by Pfizer Inc. and Germanys BioNTech.

To have just one vaccine enter the final stage of trials eight months after discovering a virus would be a remarkable achievement; to have three at that point with more on the way is extraordinary, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.

NIH Director Francis Collins tweeted that his agency "is supporting several vaccine trials since more than one may be needed. We have all hands on deck."

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

AstraZeneca said development of the vaccine, known as AZD1222, is moving ahead globally with late-stage trials in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa. Further trials are planned in Japan and Russia. The potential vaccine was invented by the University of Oxford and an associated company, Vaccitech.

Meanwhile, a US advisory panel released a draft plan Tuesday for how to ration the first doses of vaccine. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine proposed giving the first vaccine doses  initial supplies are expected to be limited to up to 15 million people  to high-risk health care workers and first responders.

Next, older residents of nursing homes and other crowded facilities and people of all ages with health conditions that put them at significant danger would be given priority. In following waves of vaccination, teachers, other school staff, workers in essential industries, and people living in homeless shelters, group homes, prisons and other facilities would get the shots.

Healthy children, young adults and everyone else would not get the first vaccinations, but would be able to get them once supplies increase.

The National Academies will solicit public comments on the plan through Friday.

Theres a good reason so many COVID-19 vaccines are in development.

The first vaccines that come out are probably not going to be the best vaccines, Dr. Nicole Lurie, who helped lead pandemic planning under the Obama administration, said at a University of Minnesota vaccine symposium.

Theres no guarantee that any of the leading candidates will pan out  and the bar is higher than for COVID-19 treatments, because these vaccines will be given to healthy people. Final testing, experts stress, must be in large numbers of people to know if theyre safe enough for mass vaccinations.

Theyre made in a wide variety of ways, each with pros and cons. One problem: Most of the leading candidates are being tested with two doses, which lengthens the time required to get an answer  and, if one works, to fully vaccinate people.

Another: Theyre all shots. Vaccine experts are closely watching development of some nasal-spray alternatives that just might begin the first step of human testing later this year  late to the race, but possibly advantageous against a virus that sneaks into the airways.

For now, heres a scorecard of vaccines that already have begun or are getting close to final-stage tests:

GENETIC CODE VACCINES

The Moderna and Pfizer candidates began Phase 3 testing in late July.

Neither uses the actual coronavirus. Instead, theyre made with the genetic code for the aptly named spike protein that coats the surface of the coronavirus. Inject the vaccine containing that code, called mRNA, and the bodys cells will make some harmless spike protein  just enough for the immune system to respond, priming it to react if it later encounters the real virus.

These mRNA vaccines are easier and faster to make than traditional vaccines, but its a new and unproven technology.

TROJAN HORSE VACCINES

Britains Oxford University and AstraZeneca are making what scientists call a viral vector vaccine but a good analogy is the Trojan horse. The shots are made with a harmless virus  a cold virus that normally infects chimpanzees  that carries the spike proteins genetic material into the body. Once again, the body produces some spike protein and primes the immune system, but it, too, is a fairly new technology.

Two possible competitors are made with different human cold viruses.

Shots made by Johnson & Johnson began initial human studies in late July. The company plans to begin Phase 3 testing in September in as many as 60,000 people in the US and elsewhere.

Chinas government authorized emergency use of CanSino Biologics adenovirus shots in the military ahead of any final testing.

KILLED VACCINES

Making vaccines by growing a disease-causing virus and then killing it is a tried-and-true approach  its the way Jonas Salks famed polio shots were made. China has three so-called inactivated vaccine candidates against COVID-19 made this way.

Sinovac has final studies of its candidate underway in Brazil and Indonesia. Competitor SinoPharm has announced plans for final testing in some other countries.

Safely brewing and then killing the virus takes longer than newer technologies. But inactivated vaccines give the body a sneak peek at the germ itself rather than just that single spike protein.

PROTEIN VACCINES

Novavax makes protein subunit vaccines, growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and packaging them into virus-sized nanoparticles.

There are protein-based vaccines against other diseases, so its not as novel a technology as some of its competitors. But it only recently finished its first-step study; the US governments Operation Warp Speed aims for advanced testing later in the fall.
Vietjet aircrafts at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City. The aviation firm's shares rose 2.4 per cent on Monday. - Photo vietjetair.com

The benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange gained 0.30 per cent to end the first day of the week at 881.65 points after rising as much as 1.07 per cent.

The VN-Index gained total 2.83 per cent last week. It has increased by total 0.93 per cent in the last three trading days since last Thursday.

The market traded in the positive territory during the day but stronger profit taking in the later half of the afternoon sent some stocks down.

The large-cap tracker VN30-Index narrowed its growth to 0.24 per cent from as much as 1.20 per cent.

Sixteen of the 30 largest stocks by market capitalisation and trading liquidity in the VN30 basket declined while 14 increased.

The best gainers in the large-cap group included brewer Sabeco (SAB), Vietinbank (CTG), aviation firm Vietjet (VJC), dairy producer Vinamilk (VNM), property firm Novaland (NVL) and steel producer Hoa Phat (HPG).

Sabeco shares jumped 5.2 per cent apiece while other stocks gained between 1.0 per cent and 2.4 per cent.

On the opposite side, Hoang Huy Investment and Financial Services (TCH), sugar firm Thanh Thanh Cong-Bien Hoa (SBT), Techcombank (TCB), SSI Securities (SSI) and retailer Phu Nhuan Jewellery JSC (PNJ).

These five stocks lost between 1.3 per cent and 2.6 per cent.

Profit taking also tackled mid-cap and small-cap groups, sending the two sector indices down 0.83 per cent and 1.11 per cent, respectively.

By sector, insurers, consumer firms and material producers remained positive with the three industry indices rising 0.7 per cent and 2.4 per cent, according to vietstock.vn.

Insurer Bao Viet Holdings (BVH) jumped 3.9 per cent to boost the insurance industry. The stock soared 4.6 per cent in the morning session.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index fell 0.78 per cent to end Monday at 124.85 points.

The northern market index had gained total 7.53 per cent in the previous eight straight days.

More than 421.2 million shares were traded on the two exchanges, worth VND7.34 trillion (US$317 million).

According to Thanh Cong Securities Co (TCSC), trading liquidity remained high on Monday to prove there is still room for the VN-Index to gain and test the peak of 895-905 points.

The market will struggle on its way as investors have begun locking in profits, especially after local stocks have gained substantially, the company said in its daily report.
The mysterious deaths of 11 elephants in Zimbabwe may have been the result of bacterial infection, officials say.

Authorities had already ruled out two possibilities after the carcasses were discovered on Friday in Pandamasue Forest, between Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls, in the west of the country.

The dead elephants were found with the tusks still on their bodies, meaning they were not killed by poachers, and cyanide poisoning has also been ruled out as a cause of the deaths.

An elephant walks near zebras in Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe (file photo)

Today, Columbus Chaitezvi, principal veterinary officer at the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) said that, following preliminary tests, the agency suspected the elephants could have contracted a deadly bacterial infection while searching for food.

As the country enters the hot summer season, food becomes scarce and younger elephants tend to eat grass and burrow into the soil, exposing themselves to bacteria, he said.

'So far the laboratory indication is that it's a bacteria infection but we don't know what kind of bacteria it is,' Chaitezvi told Reuters.

Zimparks spokesman Tinashe Farawo said the dead were aged between five and six years and less than 18 months.

'You can see that those young ones can't reach for tree tops, so they end up eating anything, which in some cases can be poisonous,' said Farawo.

In recent years hunters in Zimbabwe have poisoned dozens of elephants and taken their ivory tusks to flog to illegal traders.

Blood samples have since been taken to a laboratory to determine the cause of their deaths.

Tinashe Farawo, spokesman of the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, said yesterday: 'We can only ascertain the cause of death after the tests but we have ruled out cyanide poisoning.

'Only elephants were affected, no vultures or any other animals were affected. Initial tests show that it is not cyanide.

'We are also ruling out poachers because the tusks were intact.'

Africa was home to 1.3 million elephants in the 1970s but today only around 500,000 remain (file photo)

The mysterious deaths of the elephants in Zimbabwe appears similar to the deaths last month of more than 275 elephants in neighboring Botswana.

Scientists are still investigating the deaths of the elephants in the Okavango Delta area with poaching, poisoning and anthrax all ruled out.

Botswana has the world's largest elephant population, estimated at 156,000 and Zimbabwe has the second largest, estimated at 85,000.

Last year about 200 elephants in Zimbabwe died of starvation as a result of the country's drought.

Africa was home to 1.3 million elephants in the 1970s but today only around 500,000 remain.

Gangs hunted and killed elephants and rhinos to feed an Asian demand for ivory and horns for use in folk medicines.
Carla Bruni has revealed she slept with Nicolas Sarkozy on their second date, while Harry and Meghan did it on the third, hint the authors of their biography, Finding Freedom.

So how long did you wait?

And does the length of time ever indicate whether the relationship will be a success  or doomed?

Seven Femail writers recall their very different first experiences.

Carla Bruni has revealed she slept with Nicolas Sarkozy on their second date, how do our Femail writers compare?

Before the first date... Why waste time?

Julie Burchill

I may be a settled-down sexagenarian these days, but Ive never, ever been on a date with someone I havent slept with first.

Whats the point? They might be a total wash-out in bed  and then youll have wasted an evening making small talk.

Its not that Ive been promiscuous, sadly; Ive married a high proportion of the men Ive had sex with, getting with my first husband as a teenager and then marrying the next two as soon as the ink on the decree absolute on the last one was dry.

Ive never been romantic, which dates seem to be all about; soft lights and sweet music and haggling over the bill.

'Why waste time?' asks Femail writer Julie Burchill, who says she's never been on a date with someone she hasnt slept with first

And when I hear some fool banging on about The One, I think of what the late Peter Ustinov said about friends: They are not necessarily the people you like best  they are merely the people who get there first.

The same goes for lovers; in my experience, its less about The One than The Queue.

Over the years, you work your way through the line of people youre attracted to, finally ending up with the one you dont have the energy to leave.

Some might see a life containing three marriages as a failure  but with each consecutive one lasting five years, ten years and now 25 years, I do seem to have got better at choosing along the way.

Would it have been different if Id waited and dated? No.

When the poet John Betjeman was asked on his death bed whether he had any regrets, he answered: Yes  I wish Id had more sex. I dont believe that anyone ever wished theyd had more awkward, cliched, humdrum dates.

30 dates... Though he proposed on the second

Jeannette Kupfermann

Like Carla Bruni and Nicolas Sarkozy, it was love at first sight with my late artist husband Jacques when we met on a blind date in New York in 1963.

Jeannette Kupfermann says she was in love at first sight with her partner, but they still waited 30 dates

I was 22, he was 38. I just knew as he drove me round a snow-covered Central Park in his blue VW Microbus that he was The One.

So perhaps it was surprising that we didnt jump into bed together immediately, or even after he had proposed on our second date and Id said yes.

In fact, it took a long time  about a month of daily dates  before we did the deed.

We almost take it for granted now that, even if theres no coup de foudre, people will have instant sex, almost in lieu of a goodnight kiss, as if its a litmus test to find out if the relationship is worth pursuing.

Rather than the other way round, which means discovering the essence of the person and then deciding whether it will lead to that final consummation.

We both wanted it to be just right and neither of our Manhattan flats was exactly love nest material.

His was a paint-spattered West-Side apartment.

Mine was largely furniture-less, as all my earnings went on rent, and I shared it with a Danish anthropologist who was always home studying.

When it finally happened on a break to a beautiful mountain retreat, after those whirlwind weeks of heart-toheart talking, dancing, meeting friends, telling parents, making plans, it was absolutely right and Im glad we waited.

Today, when many women (and men, too) more or less feel that sex is obligatory after one dinner date (or even a drink), many people either marvel at the romance of my experience or tell me I must have been crazy to accept a proposal without even knowing if we were physically compatible. (We were and stayed married for 25 years.)

They also wonder how we managed to hold off. Neither of us was immune to the power of lust.

But this was not today.

The Pill, sex as liberation, a womans right, hadnt happened yet. In spite of the 1960s myths, it wasnt all sex, drugs and rockn roll.

I still had my mothers words a man will never respect you if you do in my head. . . and you dont shake that off so easily.

It meant we all rather took for granted lots of male attention, pampering and dinner invitations, all for nothing more than a goodnight kiss.

First date... With my boss, then she snubbed me

Brian Viner

Are we meant to be shocked that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle slept together on their third date, Carla and Nicolas on only their second?

Things didn't get off to the best start for Brian Viner after having sex with his boss on their first date

What on earth took them all so long?

In February 1990, having found the brass neck to ask my boss out for dinner, we ended up at my little flat and, in truth fuelled as much by alcohol as passion, spent the night together.

Jane wasnt exactly my boss, but she was several links further up the chain of command.

I was a fledgling reporter on a local newspaper; she was the deputy news editor.

On Monday mornings, I had to sit at her desk where she handed out the weeks assignments.

By about my fifth week, as she told me to cover the councils next housing committee meeting, words that wouldnt have sounded sexy even from the mouth of Marilyn Monroe, I realised with a jolt that I fancied her.

Several months of housing committee meetings passed, very slowly.

If she fancied me back, why was she making me spend almost unendurable Tuesday evenings in Camden Town Hall?

On the other hand, I felt some electricity between us, only about enough to power a dim light-bulb, but it was definitely there.

So I asked her out and she said yes.

We had dinner, far too much wine, and that was that.

Except it wasnt. She had some holiday owing, and took it the next day.

When she came back, it was if Id dreamt it all.

It was business as usual in front of her desk.

I had to follow her to the post office one lunchtime to ask what was, or wasnt, going on between us.

She said it was complicated, that she didnt want an office romance, could we just be friends for the time being?

To both of us, for different reasons, sex on our first date felt like a mistake.

But then she left the newspaper to join the BBC and, duly emboldened, I asked her out again.

We didnt sleep together that night, which in a sense made it feel more like a bona fide date, though we caved in again a few nights later.

Weve now been happily married for almost 28 years, and have three children, not one of them named after anyone on the 1990 Camden Council housing committee.

40 dates for my husband... three for the love of my life

Liz Hodgkinson

It took a long time for my first serious boyfriend and me to go to bed together, partly because we were students sharing rooms and didnt have any private beds to jump into.

Liz Hodgkinson waited more than a year with her husband

Also we were young  only 19  and inexperienced and I was terrified of becoming pregnant.

So we managed it after maybe 40 dates, which was probably a year or more. In those days, the early 1960s, it was common to wait until at least an engagement to go to bed together.

I cant now remember when the great event eventually happened and no, he had not at that time proposed.

But, once we had gone to bed together, it was an unsaid expectation that we would marry.

Although the marriage eventually ended, we had many good years together before we divorced when I was in my 40s.

With my second long-term relationship, though, it was a very different story.

Divorced, I was definitely not looking for another love affair. And then, four years into my single life, I met the writer John Sandilands at a party.

He was in his late 50s, witty, entertaining and highly perceptive.

I had long admired his work but was hardly prepared for the overwhelming impact the man himself would have on me.

We got talking, oblivious to the other guests at the party, and a few days later my phone rang.

It was John, who asked me out to dinner. As we drove to the restaurant a strange feeling began to take over.

I thought: Oh no, Im falling in love with this man. We didnt go to bed together that night, or on the next date, but on the third encounter, yes, it happened.

It could not be put off any longer. We knew we were meant for each other.

We had clicked instantly, body, soul and mind, and sleeping together was so thrilling that our partnership lasted for 12 years, ending only with his sudden death.

Otherwise I am sure we would still be together.

First date... but it was one year after we met

Candida Crewe

I met the man who was to become my husband when I went to stay with some friends in Belfast and slept with him on our first date.

But our first date was a year after we had actually met. He was seven years younger than me so, for many months, I didnt think of him in that way.

Whenever I went back to Belfast to stay with our mutual friends, I saw him.

Or talked to him on the telephone when he rang my friends from the far flung places he travelled to for his work as a photographer.

Candida Crewe met her husband when she went to stay with some friends in Belfast and slept with him on their first date

We met in London when he returned from a long stint in Russia, emaciated.

He arrived at Waterstones in Charing Cross Road to hear our Belfast friend reading from his new novel, and sat next to me.

Afterwards a gang of us went to the pub and something clicked. We hugged each other tightly in tacit acknowledgment.

A few days later, the two of us went to a low-key hamburger place, our first official date and he came back to my flat  and never left.

We were together for nearly 20 years and have three children.

Although we divorced in 2010, we are the best of friends.

My mother always counselled against sleeping with a man on the first date but I disagree. Sometimes its the right thing to do; sometimes not.

Contrary to old wives tales, how soon or late one ends up in bed with a new lover doesnt have any bearing on the long-term outcome.

I think that is all down to luck and happenstance and rarely, if ever, down to whether the deed was done on Date One or 21.

First date... I think chemistry is everything

Katie Glass

Just do it! Thats my motto. If you meet someone you fancy, why not jump straight into bed?

I dont care for Victorian prudishness or manipulative Rules about making men wait a certain number of dates.

I cant think of anything worse than committing to someone only to find out much later that you dont click in bed.

Ive never batted an eyelid at the idea of sleeping with someone on the first date  and certainly its never affected the longevity of my relationships.

'If you meet someone you fancy, why not jump straight into bed,' argues London-based writer Katie Glass

I fell into bed with the first love of my life.

Five years later he still hadnt left.

I had a one-night-stand with the man who would go on to become my fiance.

I think its important to go into a relationship knowing that the chemistry between you is there between the sheets.

You wouldnt buy a house without going on a viewing, or join a company without finding out what they do.

How can you commit to a relationship with someone without knowing if the sex will be any good? Or if you like the same things?

Imagine getting six months down the line only then to discover their weird fetishes!

The era when women used sex as a prize was tied up to their economic vulnerability, now we dont have to wait.

I dont think theres shame with jumping into bed with someone Im thinking of dating because my worth isnt measured by how pure I am.

Im happy to sleep with someone on a first date because its important to me to have chemistry with my mate.

It gives relationships glue.

In those moments youre screaming about the washing up, it helps if you look over and think hes cute.

15 dates... How could he cope with me in mid-menopause?

Linda Kelsey

At the age of 56, after 24 years of fidelity to one man, I was, frankly, terrified.

Despite being in reasonable shape for my age, the thought of stripping off in front of anyone felt so almighty a challenge that I was considering celibacy.

There was also the unfortunate timing of my menopause which was only just kicking in, resulting in bedsheets being kicked off, not to mention the occasional 3am shower and change of nightclothes in an attempt to cool things off.

Linda Kelsey has explained how the menopause made her nervous to sleep with another man after her husband

How would any new man deal with that?

Then, during my first year of separation, and after a few desultory dates, I met Ron.

He was funny and selfdeprecating, sensitive and smart. Like me, he loved to walk everywhere.

So we walked and talked for hours. We went to the movies, out to eat, I cooked him supper.

But after almost three months wed done nothing more intimate than have an end-of-evening hug.

I liked the scent of him, but always quickly pulled back.

The most daring thing I did during that period was buy some gorgeous new underwear on a just-in-case basis. I was both waiting for him to make the first move and hoping he wouldnt.

By now it was July. I went off on a family holiday to Spain with my sister and her husband. I felt braver (at a distance) and wrote Ron faintly suggestive emails.

I confided in my sister that the first thing I was going to do when I got home again was have sex with this lovely man.

Or at least try to initiate it. That first weekend back in England we went for a long walk in the countryside.

We held hands, kissed properly for the first time.

That evening he came back to my place to eat and after a couple of glasses of wine I took his hand and led him to the bedroom.

It was all so easy. It turns out Ron had sensed my fear and didnt want to rush me.

Wise move. Since that first evening 12 years have gone by, and weve hardly spent a night apart.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexicos entire congressional delegation has joined 35 other lawmakers in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, questioning why the agency directed federal money away from a program aimed at helping military veterans and people of color in agriculture.

The Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program, or the 2501 program, was created in 1990.

But the USDA redirected about $4 million from the programs Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations to a new initiative, a decision the lawmakers said was made without consulting stakeholders and the communities of color and veterans that they serve.

For many producers, the impacts of this current crisis are compounded by years of depressed prices, volatile markets, and historic levels of farm debt, the lawmakers wrote. We are increasingly concerned about the sustainability of our nations most underserved farmers who often have the fewest resources to draw on and who most need our support in these challenging times.

Don Peters, executive director of Not Forgotten Outreach, said he was surprised to see program funds reduced. The organization received about $200,000 from the 2501 program last year to teach military veterans about agriculture on a 28-acre farm in Taos. The maximum amount per year an organization can receive from the grant is now $150,000, down from $250,000 last year.

Its one of the best grants Ive worked with, Peters said. We dont have to spend money and then get reimbursed like with some other grants, and for a small organization like ours, that makes a difference.

The grant pays stipends for 20 VetCorps members each year, along with supplies, said program director Matt Cogorno.

Our veterans and military family members really build community here, Cogorno said. We work with animals and teach about things like row crops, hydroponics and soil. Its dirt therapy, getting your hands dirty and seeing things grow. We also have behavioral therapy skill sessions to help our veterans learn techniques to handle stress and adapt to their changing environment.

The veteran farmers have donated produce to Taos schools and food banks during the pandemic.

USDA redirected some of the 2501 money to a new program under the Centers of Community Prosperity initiative. In the letter, lawmakers question why USDA created a separate program.

Past 2501 grants have benefited groups like the New Mexico Acequia Association and the Desert Forge Foundation.
MediaTek just announced Helio G95, the companys latest mid-range Gaming-centric processor, which is the successor of the Helio G90T, which powers several smartphones. It has the same dual ARM Cortex-A76 CPUs operating up to 2.05GHz along with six Cortex-A55 power-efficient CPUs, but this has ARM Mali-G76 MC4 with up to 900 MHz offering 8% better GPU score in Manhattan 3.0 Benchmark and 5% increase in AnTuTu CPU benchmark score.

The MediaTek HyperEngine game technology features networking, rapid response, picture quality, and resource management engines for seamless gameplay and highly responsive user experience. When the Wi-Fi signal is weak, the technology intelligently triggers Wi-Fi & LTE concurrency, ensuring a smooth and lag-free connection during gaming. It also enables the option to defer calls while in-game without a drop in connection and ensures intelligent and dynamic management of the CPU, GPU, and memory.

MediaTeks new chip offers an AI Super Resolution display for superior video calling and video streaming on various platforms like Netflix, Hotstar & Amazon Prime. It can support video qualities ranging from 360p to 720p HD resolution in real-time, reducing the network bandwidth by up to 75% without any perceptible difference in quality. It features FHD+ 90fps displays.

MediaTek Helio G95 vs G90T specifications

Helio G95 Helio G90T Process TSMC 12nm CPU 2x Cortex-A76 @ 2.05GHz

6x Cortex-A55 @ 2GHz Memory 2X LPDDR4x Up to 2133MHz up to 10GB, eMMC 5.1 / UFS 2.1 Camera 24MP+16MP, 64MP / Quad camera, 3X ISP; AI Face Detection; HW depth engine; AINR; Single-Cam/Dual-Cam Bokeh; Hardware Warping Engine (EIS); Rolling Shutter Compensation (RSC) engine; MEMA 3DNR; Multi-Frame Noise reduction; Display 2520 x 1080 (Full HD+) at 21:9 90Hz Video Decode / Video Encode 2160p (2160 x 1080), h.264, h.265 / HEVC 4K 30fps, FHD 120fps, HD 240fps Graphics ARM Mali G76 3EEMC4 @ 900MHz ARM Mali G76 3EEMC4 @ 800MHz Modem Cat-12 DL / Cat-13 UL, 4X4 MIMO, 3XCA, 256QAM, TAS 2.0, HPUE, IMS (VoLTE\ViLTE\WoWi-Fi), eMBMS, Dual 4G VoLTE (DSDS), Band 71 Connectivity Integrated Dual-Band Wi-Fi 5 (a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 5.0,

GPS + Glonass + Beidou + Galileo, FM radio Others Intelligent Dual Mic Wake-up/ Dual Wake-up word

MediaTek said that the Helio G95 will power major smartphone brands that will hit global markets in September. realme is also teasing the realme 7 series with worlds first processor with over 3 lakh AnTuTu scores, slightly better than Helio G90T that powers the realme 6, so the realme 7 launching on September 3rd should be the first to be powered by this processor.
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Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 17:44 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41fe683 1 National broadcasting-media,OTT,social-media,Constitutional-Court,MK,hearing,RCTI,iNews-TV,controversy Free

Private television stations RCTI and iNews TV have recently come under fire for submitting a petition to the Constitutional Court calling for a judicial review of the Broadcasting Law to establish a level playing field for both broadcasting media and over-the-top (OTT) digital content and service providers.

The petition was promptly met with resistance from the public and government officials alike amid concerns over a media monopoly that could potentially result in severely limited access to digital content and services.

The petition argued that Article 1 of the Broadcasting Law  which defines broadcasting as information transmission via radio frequency through the air, cable and other media  suggested there was discrimination against broadcasting media as OTT companies that distribute digital content and services through the internet remain relatively unregulated.

According to the petition, a redefinition of broadcast media is required so that digital content and service providers may become subject to the same law that binds traditional media.

The Communications and Information Ministrys informatics director general, Ahmad M. Ramli, rebutted the claim, saying that OTT companies belonged to a different legal domain under the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, the Pornography Law and a number of other regulations concerning digitally transmitted content.

Furthermore, he said the petition implied a host of legal consequences that could jeopardize free speech in the country.

Read also: Digital killed the analog star: Minister calls for TV transformation

If the petition is granted an added definition [] it will cause legal uncertainty for broadcasting and the public, Ahmad said during a hearing at the Constitutional Court last Wednesday.

Expanding the definition of broadcast to include activities such as Instagram TV, Instagram Live, Facebook Live, YouTube Live and the distribution of audio-visual content on social media platforms [] means requiring [the companies] to register as broadcasting firms, which, in turn, requires the formation of entirely new broadcasting bodies that are not accommodated by the Broadcasting Law.

He said that OTT companies  the majority of which are foreign firms  that lacked a broadcast permit could face legal sanctions as their transmission was viewed as illegal under the petition.

In regard to OTT companies and content creators based outside of Indonesias territorial jurisdiction, they cannot possibly be subject to Indonesian law, Ahmad said, adding that the petition could also harm the flow of international trade with other nations.

The petition has drawn the ire of social media users who responded with a stream of criticism against the stations run by media conglomerate PT Media Nusantara Citra (MNC).

Comedian Bintang Emon, for instance, posted a short skit on Instagram in which he portrays a livestreamer who is arrested by the police for merely broadcasting live footage of himself eating a couple of fried dumplings.

Please, sir, I only pressed the live button, not a missile launch button, he says in the video clip.

Former coordinating maritime affairs minister Rizal Ramli also voiced his concern regarding the petition, saying that it was merely an effort to acquire business and legal protection from the government.

RCTI milik HT yg kuasai banyak channel TV menggugat UU No 32 2002 ttg Penyiaran ke MK, minta media digital ditertibkan supaya tidak menyaingi TV. Oligopolist kok minta proteksi ?



Ini oligarchy media penjilat kekuasaan demi bisnis & proteksi hukum. Hari ini minta2 tlg MK   Dr. Rizal Ramli (@RamliRizal) August 29, 2020

Media oligarchy is pandering to power for the sake of business and legal protection, he tweeted.

RCTI programming and production director Dini Putri, during an episode of Deddy Corbuziers Close the Door podcast on Sunday, brushed off any concerns, arguing that the petition instead would indirectly benefit content creators as their content would be attributable to the OTT companies that hosted it.

Therefore, according to the petition, the government would instead go after the companies instead of individual content creators should there be any problem regarding any digital product, she said.

She also fended off criticism that the TV station only submitted the petition to regain a foothold in the media industry amid purported competition with rising OTT firms in recent years.

For us, digital [content] complements the free-to-air content. So were not competing, Dini said.
Less than 24 hours later, Mr. Landry, two other rescuers and nearly 900 pounds of disentanglement equipment were on a flight from Cape Cod to New York.

The rescue got off to a slow start. The calfs tail was weighed down about 20 feet below the waters surface, so crews could barely see the fishing gear that they were trying to handle. Their knives couldnt cut through some of the material.

The rescuers are not allowed to submerge themselves because the risk of becoming entangled is too great. Instead, they work from small, inflatable boats that let them get within feet of a whale.

We have never once given up on a whale, but there were a few moments during the first and second days that we were starting to feel like we had no tools at our disposal to get this particular entanglement done, Mr. Landry said. People were using some colorful language.

No one knows exactly why whales are becoming more abundant in the waters off New York, but researchers like Melinda Rekdahl, a marine conservation scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society, cite more hospitable waters and increased regulation of the Atlantic Oceans menhaden fisheries.

Menhaden are small, oily fish packed with omega-3 fatty acids that the whales feed on. Over the past decade, the state has worked to protect them from overfishing and to reduce pollution in their habitat. That has helped attract not only whales, but also striped bass, dolphins, sharks, seals, seabirds and other marine life.
A sprawling castle estate where a millionaire 'sugar daddy' strangled his 25-year-old escort girlfriend is up for auction for just under 1million.

Peter Morgan strangled former burlesque dancer Georgina Symonds at her rent-free bungalow in the grounds of Pencoed Castle in Llanmartin, south Wales, in a 'premeditated and carefully planned' murder.

Now, the Grade II-listed castle - including the bungalow on its grounds - is up for auction with a guide price exceeding 950,000.

A sprawling castle estate (pictured) where a millionaire 'sugar daddy' strangled his 25-year-old escort girlfriend is up for auction for just under 1million

Father-of-two Morgan paid Miss Symonds up to 10,000 per month to be his 'exclusive' escort and allowed her to live rent-free in the bungalow where she was killed in 2016.

But the pair's arrangement fell apart as Morgan - who was worth 20million - became 'increasingly controlling and obsessive' and used listening devices to spy on his mistress.

Morgan, who's father is the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Gwent David Morgan, believed Miss Symonds was planning to blackmail and 'fleece' him.

Peter Morgan (left) strangled former burlesque dancer Georgina Symonds (right) at her rent-free bungalow in the grounds of Pencoed Castle in Llanmartin, south Wales, in a 'premeditated and carefully planned' murder

Killer's grisly 'shopping list' Peter Morgan wrote a chilling shopping list of items he needed to carefully dispose of his escort lover's body, his murder trial heard. The millionaire businessman typed the list into his iPhone at 3.20am  five hours after he tapped Georgina Symonds's phone and learned of her plot to fleece him. Written in the early hours after he became 'enraged' by her plans, the macabre list, entitled 'String', read: 'O2, poly, glove, snip, handle, tape, Special K, starter, rag, adapter.' Hours earlier Morgan had overheard Miss Symonds tell her new love interest Thomas Ballinger that she intended to leave the millionaire and go back to escorting in London, where she would continue to 'fleece' him. Prosecutors said that on January 12 2016  a day after he wrote the list  Morgan took tape, twine, a metal pole and plastic sheeting to Miss Symonds's rural bungalow in Llanmartin, near Newport. He had also bought a mobile phone SIM card a day earlier, the jury heard, and told police officers that it was to call a taxi after dumping Miss Symonds's body. After strangling the mother of one with the twine, Morgan wrapped her body in sheeting and bound it with rope and tape. He had meticulously positioned her body so it would neatly fit inside the boot of his 52,000 Porsche Cayenne, the court heard. CCTV footage taken two hours later showed Morgan driving to an outbuilding at the farmhouse he had previously shared with his wife, before taking Miss Symonds's body  wrapped in sheeting and attached to a bar  out of the car. Advertisement

He dumped her body in an outbuilding of his large, rural home near his former family home in Usk, Gwent but later attended a police station and confessed.

Morgan, who was 54 at the time of the killing, was ordered to serve at least 25 years behind bars for the killing. It is not known if he still owns the property.

Planning permission to restore the castle - dating back to 16th century - comes with the sale, the auction house told The Sun.

At his sentencing judge Mr Justice Neil Garnham QC said: 'This killing was premeditated and carefully planned. In my judgment you must have caused Georgina Symonds significant physical and mental suffering as you strangled her, pausing to speak to her, strangling her again, pausing for her reaction and tightening it again for a final time.

'She would have realised that you were intending on slowly snuffing the life out of her.'

Newport Crown Court had heard Miss Symonds had a series of intimate pictures of Morgan which she threatened to show to his wife and daughters.

She had pictures of Morgan engaging in threesomes at his family home, Beech Hill Farm, as well as images of her wearing his wife's dressing gown there.

After over-hearing her plans to leave him, the father-of-two made a murder kit shopping list reading: 'String, 02, poly, glove, snip, handle, tape, Special K, starter, rag, adapter'.

Morgan confronted Miss Symonds - who had a five-year-old daughter - at her home in January 2016, wrapping bailing twine around her neck and strangling her to death.

The mother-of-one, described by family and friends as stubborn and strong-willed, remained defiant until the end with her final words directed at Morgan: 'You're going pay for this.'

Morgan then taped Georgina's legs behind her and wrapped her in a plastic sheet attached it to a metal pole so he could carry her into the boot of his 52,000 Porsche Cayenne.

He then drove to an outhouse at his home and hid her body behind an industrial saw.

Her murder only came to light when she failed to pick her daughter up from school and her mother was contacted.

Morgan admitted killing Miss Symonds but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility and loss of control. The jury rejected his defence.

Morgan was filmed by a police 'bodycam' telling officers he had no idea where Georgina Symonds was on the day he had murdered her. He was today jailed for life for her murder
A significant danger that is only now being appreciated by more sectors of society is the indelible impact that humans have made on the planet. Climate change, according to Columbia University, will affect every one of us, regardless of color, class, creed, or religion. However, while we look at the gloom-and-doom aspect of climate change, many lawyers see a shift in their practices. More and more legal professionals are incorporating climate change into their training. Even universities have started offering courses that are focused on how climate change impacts the legal profession. But how is climate change actually beneficial to environmental law?

A Formerly Niche Field

All About Law mentions that, in the recent past, environmental law was seen as a specialized, yet low-demand field. However, we are seeing all around us how ecological impacts are affecting the lives of ordinary human beings. From the bushfires in Australia and California to the lack of ice covering on Greenland, all of these things have shifted focus to addressing the looming climate change problem. World leaders and activists both have opinions (usually in the opposite direction) of dealing with this issue. At the heart of it is a legal system that should seek the best interests of humanity while considering the environment's importance.

Massive Legal Work Coming for Environmental Lawyers

As the world starts to face the pending challenge head-on, environmental law will become even more critical. Not to say that there won't be a place for malpractice law firms like seattlemalpracticelawyers.com, but the cases they handle may have more of a focus on environmental issues as time goes on. Public pressure will see more of these lawyers specialized in the environment enter the public eye. For them and their firms, the goal is to ensure fairness throughout the climate change crisis and facilitate a balance between government intervention and market forces. Without both of these stakeholders involved, any attempt at solving this crisis will cause more chaos.

Seeing The Big Picture

Climate change knowledge is essential, but it's not the only thing that these lawyers need to arm themselves with. They need to display quick, yet flexible thinking to face the unique challenges that this field presents. Environmental lawyers will tend to focus on advisory work and corporate oversight. They may also be necessary to help governments draft and finalize legislation to help deal with the threat of climate change. Because of their positions in government and multinational corporations, these lawyers are in a unique spot to effect real social, economic, and legal reform to benefit us all.

A Rising Profession

Environmental law is still on the fringes of the legal practice, but for how much longer that remains true is anyone's guess. With each day, the world moves a step closer to irreversible damage to the climate. We can do what we can as individuals to slow the process, but without a full and clear legislative push by governments, those small changes may not be cumulative enough to bring about genuine change. It may be up to environmental lawyers to save us from ourselves through the smart implementation of legislation.
The federal government will begin offering low-interest loans to homeowners and small business owners who were impacted by North Carolinas earthquake.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the U.S. Small Business Administration will begin offering the loans on Monday.

More than 500 structures were reported to be damaged by the 5.1-magnitude earthquake on Aug. 9 near the town of Sparta in the northwestern part of North Carolina.

The loans will be available in Alleghany, Ashe, Surry and Wilkes counties as well as Grayson County in Virginia.

An SBA damage assessment survey has confirmed that 38 homes and five businesses experienced heavy damage of more than 40% of the buildings value.

The SBA loans were requested by Gov. Roy Cooper as part of a disaster declaration. Loans can be made up to $200,000 to homeowners and up to $2 million to businesses that suffered damage.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Homeowners North Carolina Earthquake
National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, has described the Agyapa Royalties deal entered into by government as an opaque transaction, which will lead to loss of revenue to the country for 15 years.



He, therefore, advised the government to engage in transparent deals that would inure to the benefit of Ghanaians.



He was speaking in an interview monitored by Ghanaian Times on United Television (UTV) in Accra, last Saturday.



According to Mr Adongo, the company which would be registered in Jersey, United Kingdom (UK), was a ploy by government to undertake tax avoidance schemes and engage in fraudulent deals.



Jersey is tax haven for which reason the government wants to undertake such fraudulent deals which would be hidden from Ghanaians. If government is transacting such deals then our hearts must be bleeding, he added.



Mr Adongo pointed out that it would have been better for government to create an account where funds from mineral royalties would be accumulated for development.



He noted that if the government was interested in undertaking transactions that would catapult Ghana to a sophisticated state, it should transact the business in the country, adding that the NDC would not agree to the arrangement.



Addressing the issue of the banking sector financial problems, Mr Adongo indicated that if the government, through the Bank of Ghana (BoG), had followed the reform agenda started by the former NDC government, several financial institutions would not have gone down the radar.



He said that the NDCs reform agenda was built around carefully crafted interrelated pillars to produce solid, well capitalised and globally compliant competitive banking sector.



The MP mentioned that the roadmap included conduct of an independent asset quality review by the Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) in 2015, reform of legal framework for banking sector regulation.



Mr Adongo said BoG under the announced comprehensive recapitalisation and clean-up programme based on two pillars, would have been rolled out at a minimum capital requirement of GH230 million and a guideline for cleaning up balance sheet of banks through risk-based model.



He said the banking sector reform strategy would have been seamless, less disruptive, increase confidence [in the banking sector] and produce strong banks that are compliant with international standards and best practice.



Mr Adongo argued there was no reason behind using GH?23 billion to collapse the banks when fraction could have been used to save the banks and its accompanying jobs.





Source: The Ghanaian Times









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Monzo said the new fees are unlikely to affect customers relying on the challenger bank for their core banking needs. Photo: Dado Ruvic/Reuters

Challenger bank Monzo said on Tuesday that it will introduce new fees for replacement debit cards and cash withdrawals of more than 250 ($336) in a 30-day period.

The fees, which will come into effect from 31 October, will see some customers pay a 3% levy on withdrawals in the UK and Europe. The bank will also charge 5 for replacement debit cards.

In a statement announcing the move, Monzo said that, based on how people used their bank accounts in the last year, 79% of customers will not be affected by the changes.

Monzo said the new fees are unlikely to affect customers if they are relying on the challenger bank for their core banking needs, or if they pay for Monzo Plus, its recently launched premium subscription plan.

The average Monzo customer only withdraws 36 a month, according to internal data. Some 90% of people have never ordered a replacement card, and 99% have never ordered more than two, Monzo said.

READ MORE: Monzo re-launches 5-a-month 'Plus' account

While most customers have never ordered a replacement card, 1% of Monzo customers make up 35% of the challenger banks total card replacement costs.

Customers that pay in at least 500 to their Monzo account every 35 days and have at least one active direct debit on the account will be exempt from the charges, as will those who frequently receive certain benefits payments.

Having your student loan paid into a Monzo account every eight months or sharing a Monzo joint account with someone who uses the bank for their core banking needs will also exempt a customer from the charges.

Its really important that you dont have any restrictions on your access to cash if youre using Monzo more as a bank than as a spending account, because youre likely to be relying on us for more of your core banking needs, Monzo said on Tuesday.

READ MORE: Monzo faces steep valuation drop as pandemic bites

The introduction of the fees comes at a critical time for Monzo, which has been forced to lay off and furlough staff in recent months in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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In July, it relaunched Monzo Plus, which offers an enhanced savings rate and extra features for customers who pay 5 a month.

The loss-making business said last September that a paid subscription offering represented one of its biggest opportunities to become a sustainable business.

Monzo was founded in 2015 as one of the UKs first app-only banks and has raised over 350m ($470.6m) in funding to date.

The startup was valued at over 2bn in 2019 but saw its value drop to 1.25bn this year due to the impact of the pandemic.
The hooded warbler, my favorite member of the migratory New World warblers, migrates back to Mexico and Central America for the winter months after nesting during the spring and summer in a range concentrated in the southeastern United States. The males, after going quiet in late summer, have started singing on occasion from the shaded woods around my house. I think this has more to do with restlessness as they prepare for to depart on a migration flight that will take them to the balmy Caribbean, Mexico and Central America while we shiver through the months between October and April. Its not a migration of an incredible distance, but its still quite an accomplishment for a bird only five inches long and weighing less than half an ounce.
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" " After the death of al-Qaida's leader Osama bin Laden, in May 2011, the terrorist organization underwent a rapid transition to what you could call al-Qaida 3.0. Mark Wilson/ Getty Images

Al-Qaida always meant to have a long-armed reach. When Osama bin Laden founded the group in response to the Soviet-Afghan war, he wanted to create a terror network that didn't just fight or create a regional government.

Instead, the goals of al-Qaida were essentially to carry out terror attacks and destroy the Western influences (which included the United States and Europe, primarily) that he saw as a corrupting force to Islamic society and rule.

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Despite its enormous global presence, the organization isn't exactly a monolith with a corporate office. Even with al-Qaida's widespread infamy, the distinction between groups like the Taliban, al-Shabab and even what is now known as al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) requires some subtlety.

Most of the nuances have developed post-bin Laden. Al-Qaida has gone through several distinct iterations, from anti-Soviet faction in the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980s to the vast global terror network that attacked the United States on 9/11, to the spidery, connected cells that appeared during the unrest of the Arab spring.

In the next few pages, we'll delve into not only the birth and adolescence of al-Qaida, but how also bin Laden's death in 2011 pushed the terrorist organization into a kind of third act.

While we'll see how their goals have undergone a functional shift to include regional activity, it does remain: al-Qaida's organizational objective is to destroy the threat that the West presents to the Muslim world, at any cost. Killing and fighting enemies, then, becomes a necessary evil to achieve that goal. Al-Qaida has an extremely tight Sunni interpretation of Islam, and anyone who falls out of that definition -- Shiites, less strict Sunnis and, of course, non-Muslims -- are branded heretics and enemies, as well [source: MI5].

So how did one of the most feared terror networks in the world develop?
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scottie Resources Corp. (Scottie or the Company) (TSXV: SCOT), is pleased to announce that it has received $2,542,464.54 from the exercise of 11,556,657 previously issued warrants associated with a financing in the autumn of 2019. On behalf of the Company, the board and management are grateful for the continued support of its shareholders as we continue to advance our Golden Triangle projects, notably the Scottie Gold Project.

President and CEO, Bradley Rourke commented With an exercise rate of 98% our shareholders have resoundingly endorsed our vision for Scottie and its inherent capacity for continued success. Fall 2020 aims to be an exciting time for the Company as we receive and release assays from our active drill program. As of today, we have completed 23 holes out of a planned 45 holes.

On July 6, 2020 Scotties share price closed at $0.385, after being at or above $0.29 during the previous 10 consecutive trading days. Based on the terms of the Warrants, this triggered the Companys option to accelerate the expiry of the 11,351,265 Warrants held by shareholders who participated in the Financing, as well as the 325,392 broker Warrants issued in the Financing (see the Companys news releases dated September 25, 2019 and October 18, 2019). Scottie provided formal notice of the Warrant acceleration allowing the holder to purchase one common share of the Company for each Warrant held at a price of at $0.22 per Warrant.

Funds will be used to add 2,000 m of diamond drilling to the ongoing 2020 drill program (as previously announced on August 13th, 2020), support the follow-up 2021 drill program, and support corporate activities.

ABOUT SCOTTIE RESOURCES CORP.

Scottie owns a 100% interest in the high-grade, past-producing Scottie Gold Mine and Bow properties and has the option to purchase a 100% interest in Summit Lake claims which are contiguous with the Scottie Gold Mine property. Scottie also owns 100% interest in the Cambria Project properties and the Sulu property. Scottie Resources holds 24,589 ha of mineral claims in the Golden Triangle.

Story continues

All of the Companys properties are located in the area known as the Golden Triangle of British Columbia which is among the worlds most prolific mineralized districts.

Further information on Scottie can be found on the Companys website at http://www.scottieresources.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting Bradley Rourke, President and CEO at (250) 877-9902 or Rahim Lakha, Corporate Development at (416) 414-9954.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release may contain forwardlooking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, projects, potential and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could or should occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forwardlooking 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. Forwardlooking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Companys management on the date such statements were made. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forwardlooking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release.




Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has issued a surprise decree pardoning more than 100 of his opponents as a concession ahead of upcoming congressional elections.

Former National Assembly vice-president Freddy Guevara and Roberto Marrero, opposition leader Juan Guaido's chief of staff, are among more than two dozen lawmakers pardoned in Monday's decree (Tuesday AEST). Dozens of political activists and labour union leaders were also pardoned, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said.

Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro. Credit:AP

Guevara is currently a refugee at the Chilean embassy in Caracas, after the government accused him of promoting violent anti-government protests that left more than 100 dead and he lost his parliamentary immunity.

The decree sought to promote a "peaceful coexistence through electoral channels," Rodriguez said on state TV. "It's important that all sectors can feel that they have someone to vote for."


An internet imagery

NEW DELHI (PTI): The Indian Army has significantly strengthened its presence on a number of "strategic heights" and enhanced deployment of troops and weapons at key points around the Pangong lake in Eastern Ladakh following an unsuccessful attempt by the Chinese PLA to unilaterally change the status quo in the area, authoritative sources have said.

The Army has also further bolstered overall surveillance mechanisms in all areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh after foiling China's fresh attempt to occupy an area on the southern bank of Pangong lake, they said on Monday.



Earlier in the day, Army Spokesperson Col Aman Anand said the Chinese military carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.



Top military and security brass has already reviewed the entire situation in Eastern Ladakh. Separately, Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane held a meeting with top military officials over the fresh confrontation, the sources said.



"The Army has occupied strategic heights and strengthened deployment of troops and weapons in all key points on the southern bank of the Pangong lake area," said a source, adding the fresh deployment will provide India greater advantage in the region.



India has also deployed troops from special operations battalions in the area, it said.



The sources said a sizeable number of Chinese troops were moving towards the southern bank of Pangong lake in an attempt to occupy the area but the Indian Army quickly made a significant deployment to foil the attempt.



They said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also been told to enhance its surveillance on increasing Chinese air activities along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh.



There have been reports that China has deployed J-20 long-range fighter jets and several other key assets in strategically located Hotan airbase which is around 310 kms from Eastern Ladakh.



In the last three 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 Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC.



The IAF carried out night time combat air patrols over the eastern Ladakh 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.



The fresh attempt by China to change the status quo in the Pangong lake area is the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.



China also suffered casualties but is yet to make the details public. According to an American intelligence report, it was 35.



India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in Eastern Ladakh.



The two sides began a process of disengagement on July 6, a day after a telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in Eastern Ladakh. However, the process has not moved forward since mid-July.



The PLA has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas.



At the five rounds of Corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.



The face-off began on May 5 following violent clashes between the two armies in the Pangong lake area. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in North Sikkim on May 9.



The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control).



Prior to the clashes, both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.


NCIS fans cant seem to get enough of Michael Weatherly. He left the show back in 2016, but hes still a favorite among viewers. Heres one strange request a fan made, and the surprising way Weatherly responded.

Michael Weatherly has funny interactions with fans

Michael Weatherly | VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images

Michael Weatherly often talks about some of the interactions he has with NCIS fans. During an interview with Kelly Ripa and Jussie Smollett, Weatherly mentions a funny conversation he had with a fan about how he looks so much older in person. Ripa asks Weatherly if he can travel without being recognized. Weatherly says he is often recognized when he travels. He told a funny story about an interaction he had with a fan in Serbia:

I actually was in Serbia last summer traveling with the family. And there was this kid following me for a couple of blocks. Finally, I stopped, and I said hello, and he says, Is it true, you are Michael Weatherly? And he said, I am [a] very big fan of [the] show, but you are so old in person. And I said, Well, you know, I guess its makeup and everything. And then I realized theyre watching the 2003 [episodes]. I dont look the way I did in 2003. I look like I ate that guy. Michael Weatherly, Live! With Kelly

Michael Weatherly granted a strange fan request

During an interview with former Extra host Maria Menounos, Weatherly was asked about the strangest or funniest thing a fan has ever done to him. The actor says a fan once asked him for a foot massage. Weatherly responded in a surprising wayhe agreed to massage the fans foot. He says he just wants to make sure the fans stay happy.

That would be when a fan requested that I give them a foot massage, said Weatherly. And I complied. I dont want to leave anyone disappointed.

Michael Weatherlys decision to leave NCIS

Weatherly mentions two reasons he decided to leave NCIS. One reason he gives is that he was beginning to experience burnout. I was burnt out by NCIS and I was ready for a new challenge, said Weatherly at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sometimes change is as good as a rest.

The NCIS star also says he was ready to play a different character. Heres what Weatherly told Ripa and Smollett about his decision back in 2016:

When we were doing soaps, after three years, I thought, Well I dont want to play one character forever. And then I did 13 years of NCIS. So, I started thinking, maybe there are opportunities and other things I should start exploring, and it took forever to reach that conclusion because I have so much fun with the group at NCIS. The writing was kind of on the wall for me, and I realized there were other things I should probably pursue.

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The potato, as Rebecca Earle, the author of Feeding the People, this detailed, scholarly survey, puts it, is a fantastically successful global food stuff. It was all but unknown before the 16th century outside its native Andean region, where it had been appreciated for some 10,000 years. Healthful, tasty and economical, it has been tied to government food policies in Europe, the United States and elsewhere, notably for nourishing workers. Issues of class, colonialism, commercial agriculture, peasant farming and government regulation versus freedom of choice are clearly (and densely) laid out and documented. A handful of recipes includes one from The New York Times in 1943 for a layered, jellied meat and potato loaf.

Feeding the People: The Politics of the Potato (Cambridge University Press, $24.95).

Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
As a member of the ACLUM's board of directors, Nair will support the important work of the private, non-partisan organization to defend and preserve  in court, in the legislature and in communities  the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights as well as the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Nair has been involved with ACLUM for several years, including serving on the organization's Amicus Committee.

At Goulston & Storrs, Nair provides sophisticated estate and tax planning advice to high net worth individuals and families. She counsels clients regarding charitable giving , and family and tax matters involving business/wealth succession. She also represents beneficiaries and trustees, providing administration, best practices assistance, and advocacy. She also serves on the firm's Executive Committee.

In addition to her work with ACLUM, Nair is a trustee of The Boston Bar Foundation and also recently served on the organization's Professional Advisors Committee, is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and is a member of the steering committee for the Cambridge Forum on Private Wealth Law. She has served in leadership roles within the Boston Bar Association and as a volunteer lawyer for the Legal Advocacy & Resource Center. Nair is also involved in On The Rise, a program advocating for homeless women in greater Boston, and previously served on the organization's board.

She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 2000, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2005.

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To learn more about our attorneys and clients, please visit our website or sign up to receive real-time news here.

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External Affairs Minister on Monday said that a United States visa policy that supports Indian talent is mutually beneficial and a "win-win" for both the countries.

Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum's annual leadership summit, Jaishankar said, "India offers trusted talent to the world and immigration is a win-win for both the countries. People recognize the role Indian talent has played in US, global and Indian economy. This is an area where the US should recognise what is in American interest and that will be in the interest of India also."

While interacting with Timothy Roemer, former US envoy to India, he added that people recognize the role Indian talent has played in US, global and Indian economy.

Jaishankar's remark comes in the backdrop US President Donald Trump's decision to restrict several categories of work visas, blocking the flow of skilled Indian workers into the United States.

The US government in June had suspended the entry of several non-immigrant visa categories till December due to COVID-19 pandemic. However, this decision was soon rescinded in the month of August.

Jaishanker also responded to a question about the actions of an aggressive China in the world, in the South China Sea and how it impacted India's relationship with Pakistan.

"Obviously like every other country in the world we are very cognizant of the rise of China. We are an immediate neighbour of China, so obviously, you are very directly impacted by the rise of what is potential global power," he said.

He said that in the last 30 years India's rise has also been a major global story. "If you look at two countries with a billion people each... It's very important that they reach some kind of understanding or equilibrium between them and this is a practical world."

"This modus vivendi between India and China is extremely consequential for both countries and actually for the rest of the world," he said

"China's relationship with Pakistan goes back to the early 1960s and aspects of it have been of concern to us before and it is not new and obviously, that is something which we factor in our relationship with both countries," Jaishankar said.

He further said "India's growth has to be a lifting tide for the entire region. We need to invest in the neighbourhood, we need to build more connectivity projects."

The external affairs minister said that India is making a lot of regional investment for a better integrated and connected region.

About India's policy for Africa he said "When I speak of a larger Indian global footprint, I don't mean only a diplomatic footprint, an economic footprint and a technological footprint. In some ways, a security footprint," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
High frequency indicators suggest that August was the best month for the economy since the imposition of a nation-wide lockdown on March 25. However, these trends should be seen as a sequential improvement rather than a return to pre-pandemic levels of economic activity. The ongoing recovery continues to face at least two risks: growing infections across the country and rising stress in state finances.

Good news: Sequential recovery picks up

Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for manufacturing was recorded at 52 in the month of August. A PMI value above 50 signifies expansion of economic activity. PMI (manufacturing) was in contraction zone between April and July. Maruti Suzuki, Indias largest car maker sold 21.7% more cars in August 2020 than it did in the same month last year. To be sure, these numbers are dispatches to dealers and not retail sales. However, these numbers do suggest that consumer demand is picking up with easing of lockdown restrictions.

Bad news: Economy still far from pre-pandemic levels

The sequential recovery should not create an illusion that the economy has recovered from Covid-19s disruption. The Nomura India Business Resumption Index (NIBRI) was reported at 75.7 in the week ending August 30. This is better than what it was earlier; but the latest values are 24 percentage points less than pre-pandemic levels compared to a 31 percentage point deficit in July. The report notes that the recovery is uneven and the recurring weakness in the labour market highlights the fragility of household demand. It also attributes some of the recovery to post-lockdown pent-up demand.

Ugly part: Growing squeeze on state finances

There is growing consensus that a fiscal stimulus is indispensable for an economic recovery. Gross Value Added (GVA) numbers released on Monday show a contraction in the public administration, defence and other services sub-sector. Central Government Account (CGA) numbers from the ministry of finance show that the centre has spent more on both revenue and capital expenditure heads between April and July than it did last year. This means that the fall in spending must have come from the states. Things could become worse, given the growing crisis in state finances. The states will face a shortfall of Rs 2.35 lakh crore in GST compensation cess payments. They will also suffer because of a shortfall in other central taxes. The centre has mostly kept the windfall tax gains from lower crude prices to itself. A resource crunch for the states will lead to a double whammy -- a pro-cyclical reduction in government spending and a lowering of guard in fighting the pandemic. India cant afford either.

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London: Lockdowns and travel bans to combat the spread of the coronavirus should be ended, Tony Abbott has said, as he called on governments to give individuals more choice over their personal decisions.

The former prime minister, speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank in central London on Tuesday, also accused Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews of conducting a "health dictatorship" by putting 5 million Melburnians under "house arrest".

Tony Abbott speaking at the Policy Exchange think tank in central London.

Abbott said it was not clear that draconian measures were effective in health terms and were destroying the economy and people's wellbeing under one-size-fits-all orders from "unaccountable experts".

He said the most alarmist opinions had guided calls for lockdowns, even though jurisdictions such as NSW, which had effective track-and-trace and quarantining systems, had shown those measures were the superior response.
An employee leaves Samsung Electronics' office in Seoul, Tuesday. Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients, the tech company's IT and Mobile Communications Division and Consumer Electronics Division allowed employees to work from home starting Tuesday. / Yonhap



By Baek Byung-yeul, Nam Hyun-woo



What core lessons have Korean conglomerates learned from the global pandemic? It's fair to say almost all businesses here have shifted toward "emergency mode," placing plants and workspaces under shutdown  more frequently than the first half of this year when the pandemic first hit the country.



The pandemic requires company leaders to reconsider their top priorities. By taking proactive measures now, top executives at Samsung, Hyundai and SK could put their businesses in a more secure position to stay strong and recover faster once the pandemic-driven crisis soothes.



As widely expected, such big-name business groups are vigorously implementing a number of prevention measures and cost-saving efforts to cushion the virus' impact on their businesses. But they said they won't cut their budgets in scheduled and planned investments, in the belief that they can stay afloat in the rapidly changing business environment by investing in new growth drivers.



A survey conducted recently by job portal Incruit showed 23.1 percent of 181 domestic companies responded they are carrying out "crisis management" plans as the COVID-19 pandemic resurges here. Including 63.3 percent of firms which said they are considering crisis management plans, 86.4 percent of those surveyed said they are seriously watching the recent rise in the coronavirus caseload here.



Regarding their crisis management plans, 41.8 percent of the respondents said they offered working from home, followed by 25.5 percent with shorter working hours and 10.7 percent with temporary shutdown and unpaid leave.



The respondents said the first step of their crisis management was taking necessary and required prevention measures.



In a rare move, Samsung Electronics offered a work-from-home program, allowing eligible employees at its consumer electronics, IT and mobile communications divisions to stay home. Hyundai Motor Group also raised the ratio of office employees working from home to 50 percent. SK has been operating a telecommuting program for its main affiliates including SK Telecom and SK Innovation since Aug. 18, with employees taking turns working from home.



Hanwha Group also started a strict social distancing campaign for its staff, having most employees work from home. For those who need to be at the office, the group has also allowed flexibility in work shifts.





A restaurant in downtown Seoul is seen empty of people at lunchtime, Tuesday, as companies are increasingly adopting work-from-home policies due to the rising COVID-19 cases. / Yonhap
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.
Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, speaks to the press as he arrives at the 2019 annual shareholders meeting in Omaha, Neb., on May 4, 2019. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

Buffett Looks to Japan With $6 Billion Bet on Five Biggest Trading Firms

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has bought a 5 percent stake in each of Japans five biggest trading houses, together worth over $6 billion, marking a departure for Chairman Warren Buffett as he looks beyond the United States to diversify his conglomerate.

The long-term investment in Itochu Corp., Marubeni Corp., Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui & Co Ltd., and Sumitomo Corp. could see the stakes rise to 9.9 percent, Berkshire said on Aug. 30, Buffetts 90th birthday.

The five major trading companies have many joint ventures throughout the world and are likely to have more, Buffett said in a statement. I hope that in the future there may be opportunities for mutual benefit.

The investment will help reduce Berkshires dependence on the U.S. economy, which in the last quarter contracted the most in at least 73 years as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. Many of its businesses have struggled, including aircraft parts maker Precision Castparts, from which it bore a $9.8 billion writedown.

Buffetts choice in Japan, however, surprised market players as trading houses have long been far from investor favorites. As well as significant exposure to the energy sector and resource price volatility, tangled business models involving commodities as varied as noodles and rockets have long been a turn-off.

Their cheap valuation may have been an attraction, said Norihiro Fujito, chief investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities in Tokyo. But it is un-Buffett-like to buy into all five companies rather than selecting a few.

Below Book

Berkshire bought the little-over 5 percent stakes in about a year through insurance business National Indemnity Co. Together, the five 5 percent stakes were worth 700 billion yen ($6.63 billion), Reuters calculations showed based on Refinitiv data.

Firms shares often rise when Buffett discloses investment, reflecting what investors view as his imprimatur. On Aug. 31, Marubeni and Sumitomo ended up over 9 percent, followed by Mitsubishi and Mitsui at over 7 percent. Itochu rose 4.2 percent to a record high.

Berkshire shares were flat in premarket trade.

Even so, Marubeni, Mitsubishi, and Sumitomo are still 10 percent down on the year, versus a 6 percent fall in the Topix index. Itochu, which has shifted toward consumer-related businesses, is the only one whose share price is higher than in 2019.

Indeed, Itochu is the only one whose stock trades above its book value. That means, for the other four, their market capitalization is less than the value of their assets, making them attractive to a value investor like Buffett.

Several have large amounts of cash on hand, raising their appeal. Mitsubishi, for instance, has seen steady growth in free cash flow per share for four years, Refinitiv data showed.

Trading houses are also deeply involved in the real economy in areas such as steel, shipping, and commodities, putting them on the radar of an investor such as Buffett who famously avoids investing in businesses he claims not to understand.

Asked about the investment, Mitsui told Reuters it aims to improve returns for all shareholders. Marubeni and Mitsubishi said they will continue efforts to improve corporate value. Sumitomo said it will communicate with Berkshire as with all other shareholders.

Itochu Chairman Masahiro Okafuji in an emailed statement welcomed Buffetts interest in Japanese trading house stocks, which he said have lagged global financial markets, adding that the investment will be a catalyst for revitalizing the industry.

US Dependence

Berkshire owns more than 90 businesses outright including the BNSF railroad and Geico car insurer.

It also invests in dozens of companies including American Express Co., Bank of America Corp., and Coca-Cola Co. It has a roughly $125 billion stake in Apple Inc. based on its holdings as of June 30.

Buffetts portfolio is becoming heavily skewed to Apple, so maybe he was looking for something the complete opposite of Apple, said Monex chief strategist Hiroki Takashi in Tokyo.

Most of Berkshires operating businesses are American, though it has acquired a handful of foreign companies including Israels IMC International Metalworking and German motorcycle apparel retailer Detlev Louis.

Additional investments in Japan could also help reduce Berkshires cash pile, which ended June at a record of $146.6 billion.

By Jonathan Stempel
Elon Musk has become the third richest person in the world after his wealth more than quadrupled to $115 billion (85bn) since the start of the year.

The SpaceX and Tesla boss overtook Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg on Monday, according to the Bloomberg Blillionaires Index, after seeing $11.7bn added to his personal fortune.

Only Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft founder Bill Gates rank above Musk on the index, with the combined wealth of the top four wealthiest men totalling more than half a trillion dollars.

All four of the US tech tycoons have seen their fortunes surge during the coronavirus pandemic, as share prices in the companies have bucked market trends to rise considerably.

Counting Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, US technology billionaires now make up seven of the top 10 richest people

The combined wealth gains of the seven men since the start of 2020 now totals $267.1bn, taking their joint fortunes to $780.6bn.

This combined net worth now ranks in the top 20 countries globally in terms of GDP  ahead of Saudi Arabia and Switzerland  according to the International Monetary Fund.

The wealth gains of billionaires during the pandemic has been criticised by human rights organisations and politicians.

US Senators Bernie Sanders, Kristen Gillibrand and Ed Markey have called for a one-time pandemic wealth tax on billionaires's windfall gains.

Their Make Billionaires Pay Act would recover 60 per cent of all the money gained since March in order to provide health care for all.

"At a time of enormous economic pain and suffering, we have a fundamental choice to make," Senator Sanders said in August.

"We can continue to allow the very rich to get much richer while everyone else gets poorer and poorer. Or we can tax the winnings a handful of billionaires made during the pandemic to improve the health and well-being of tens of millions of Americans."
Can someone appear in upwards of four major horror movies, play a villain in a DC Comics movie, a superhero in another DC Comics movie and somehow not be famous-famous?

The idea has gained quite a bit of traction on social media, courtesy of a tweet from @Skoog (Das Skoogeth).

The mf really said im gonna be in a million movies but absolutely refuse to be famous, @Skoog tweeted Monday, sharing three photos of said movie star.

The actor in question?

None other than Patrick Wilson. The New Jersey resident is known for playing supernatural investigator Ed Warren in the Conjuring movies opposite fellow Jersey talent Vera Farmiga, as well as the villain Ocean Master in Aquaman (2018) and the (retired) superhero Nite Owl II in the 2009 film Watchmen.

Had Wilson somehow canceled his fame? On paper (IMDB), hes got he makings of a prominent actor.

Wilson, who lives in Montclair, has also appeared in the films Midway (2019), Prometheus (2012), Insidious (2010)  and Insidious: Chapter 2  Running with Scissors (2006), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), 10 episodes of the FX series Fargo and the 2003 HBO miniseries Angels in America, directed by Mike Nichols.

Dammit. My plan has been thwarted. https://t.co/rNTcGvEkTA  patrick wilson (@patrickwilson73) August 31, 2020

His part in the Conjuring franchise extends to The Nun (2018) and Annabelle Comes Home (2019), plus the forthcoming The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do it, out next year.

If that isnt enough for you, Wilson is set to reprise his role as King Orm/Ocean Master in Aquaman 2, due out in 2022.

OK, maybe not everyone in America knows Patrick Wilson by name, but many would surely know his face, right? Perhaps he is just so adept at character work that some people never actually notice the man behind the role. Or is it something about a lack of tabloid glare in his general direction?

Whatever the case, the sentiment about him somehow refusing to be famous resonated and was retweeted 19,000 times (and 26,000 more times, after Wilson responded).

To his credit, Wilson was ready with a gracious rejoinder to the tweet.

Dammit, he said. My plan has been thwarted.

Wilsons wife, Succession actress Dagmara Dominczyk, weighed in on her husbands newfound Twitter virality.

Dang it, she tweeted. Youve quietly worked so hard to be in a million movies and NOT be famous...and now the secret is out.

Oh well, she said. I guess you should try to get famous now. Its REALLY EASY. Good luck.

@patrickwilson73 dang it, youve quietly worked so hard to be in a million movies and NOT be famous...and now the secret is out. Oh well. I guess you should try to get famous now. Its REALLY EASY. Good luck.  Dagmara Dominczyk (@Dagword) August 31, 2020

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

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Send a coronavirus tip here.
A small memorial to the fatal shooting victim, 39-year old Aaron J. Danielson, is shown at the site where he was killed in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Gillian Flaccus/AP Photo)

Trump, Friends Mourn Conservative Activist Killed in Portland

A supporter of a conservative group who was shot dead on a Portland, Oregon, street was mourned by both friends and President Donald Trump as a victim of mob violence while an online fundraising effort raised tens of thousands of dollars in his memory.

Just hours before he was shot in the chest Saturday night, 39-year-old Aaron Jay Danielson and a friend were seen heading downtown to protect a flag-waving caravan of Trump supporters. They wore hats with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a conservative group that has clashed with Antifa and other left-wing protesters in Portland for years.

In cellphone video of the shooting, both Danielson and his assailant were seen on a darkened street. At least three shots rang out in a smoky haze, followed by images of Danielson crumpled on the ground as the friend, Chandler Pappas, slaps him in the face and rolls him over, yelling Jay! Jay!

He was a good man and he was just killed senselessly for no reason other than he believed something different than they do, Pappas told supporters during a rally Sunday. He was Christian. He was conservative.

Luke Carrillo (C) speaks about Aaron Danielson at a news conference in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Aron Ranen/AP Photo)

Added Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson on his Facebook page: We love Jay and he had such a huge heart. God bless him and the life he lived.

Ex-girlfriend Christine Banks said Monday Danielson didnt discuss politics much but of the weeks-long protests in Portland: He didnt think it was right.  He was there for peace.

Banks said Danielson was a good person who loved nature and animals.

If you ask anybody, the one thing theyll remember him by is his goofy, beautiful smile, she said. He cared about what you believed in and not the color of your skin.

A GoFundMe site late Monday said it had raised $33,000 from more than 900 donors for legal/lawyer fees, and towards fulfilling all other incurred costs in this time of need.

Danielson, a burly, bearded man, helped run a company in Portland called North West Specialty Moving that focused on transporting heavy items such as marble statues, hot tubs, and gun safes. The companys address, which is the same address listed for Danielson for two parking violations in 2019, is a modest blue bungalow in a residential neighborhood in southwest Portland.

A small memorial to the fatal shooting victim, 39-year old Aaron J. Danielson, is shown at the site where he was killed in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Gillian Flaccus/AP Photo)

Luke Carrillo, Danielsons long-time business partner, said theyd been friends for 20 years.

We have lived and worked together day in and day out, he told reporters. We are like brothers, brothers that chose one another.

Danielson is associated with another company, Oregon Pro Arms LLC, which according to state records is focused primarily on moving gun safes.

Just hours before the shooting on Saturday, Pappas stood in a mall parking lot in suburban Clackamas talking to a reporter from the Portland Tribune.

The man next to him who appeared to be Danielson didnt say much, except to make a reference to a journalist who had been attacked last year in Portland.

Were all about independent journalism, the man said.

Portland police have yet to make an arrest. On Monday, they asked for witnesses and those who had taken video of the scene to contact them.

A small memorial to Danielson took shape Monday on a sidewalk in front of the parking structure where he collapsed. It included four yellow daises tied to a tree, a small American flag flapping in the wind, and a sympathy card with a Bible verse and handwritten note.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The High Council of Justice (HCJ) decided to return to Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova the petition on the temporary suspension from the administration of justice of the judge, head of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv, Pavlo Vovk, in connection with criminal prosecution.

The members of the HCJ made such a decision on Tuesday, having considered the petition of the Prosecutor General, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported.
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[September 01, 2020] Mauritania again issues tender for LTE license auction Sydney, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on Mauritania outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets. Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Mauritania-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Mauritanias small population and low economic output has limited the countrys ability to develop sustained growth. There are also practical challenges relating to transparency and tax burdens which have hindered foreign investment. The telecom sector similarly faces a number of hurdles, though efforts continue to be made to address them with financial support from the government as well as the World Bank and European Investment Bank. These efforts have been focussed on implementing appropriate regulatory measures and promoting the further penetration of fixed-line broadband services by improving the national backbone network, ensuring connectivity to international telecom cables, and facilitating operator access to infrastructure. Much progress has been made to improve internet bandwidth capacity, including the completion of a cable link at the border with Algeria, while by early 2021 the country will also be connected to the EllaLink submarine cable. Mauritel maintains a virtual monopoly in the fixed-line sector, and there is little stimulus for new market entrants. Penetration of fixed telephony and broadband penetration is very low and is expected to remain so in coming years, though growth is anticipated following improvements to backbone infrastructure and the reduction in accesspricing. Most voice and data services are carried over the mobile networks maintained by Mauritel, Mattel and Chinguitel though all three have repeatedly fallen short in their quality of service, despite fines being imposed (twice in 2020 alone). This represents a significant challenge, given the importance of mobile networks for basic telecom services. Population penetration of 3G is relatively high, though developments in LTE have been stalled repeatedly following a succession of failed licence auctions. The regulator continues to pursue it plans, issuing a renewed tender in August 2020. In the meantime, mobile broadband access speeds are low, placing a brake on the potential for mobile commerce and related applications. BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020 is having a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries. On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth. Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report. The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions. Key Developments: Some 1,600km of new fibre backbone network laid as part of a WARCIP funded project;



Regulator concludes LTE auction with no acceptable bids made, issues another tender;



Mauritania improves international bandwidth through connection to the EllaLink submarine cable system;



MNOs fined twice in 2020 for poor QoS;



Chinguitel introduces improved billing system;



Digital High Council named to develop Digital Strategy for Mauritania;



Mauritania joins regional free roaming initiatives;



Mattel secures satellite backhaul connectivity for remote areas;



Report update includes ITU data for 2019, operator data for Q1 2020, assessment of the global impact of COVID-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.

Companies mentioned in this report:

Mauritel, Mattel, Chinguitel, Sudatel, Expresso Telecom, Tunisie Telecom. Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Mauritania-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses Nicolas Bombourg [email protected] Europe Office +44 207 097 1241 Oceania Office +61 280 767 665

[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\broadband-stimulus's Homepage ]
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insists that countries that are serious about opening up must also be serious about suppressing transmission

Geneva: The head of the World Health Organisation has warned that opening up societies too quickly amid the coronavirus pandemic is a "recipe for disaster".

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday insisted that countries that are serious about opening up must also be serious about suppressing transmission.

He said that is not an impossible balance".

Tedros cited four key points that countries, communities and individuals should focus on: preventing amplifying events as the virus thrives on clusters; protecting vulnerable groups; people taking steps individually to protect themselves; and finding, isolating, testing and caring for cases, while tracing and quarantining their contacts.

The WHO chief said 90 percent of countries that responded in a new survey reported fallout from COVID-19 on the provision of other health care services.

A total of 105 countries responded to the survey aimed at assessing the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on strained health systems, notably in low- and middle-income countries.

Tedros said the survey, covering five regions between March and June, exposed the need for better preparation for health emergencies like the current pandemic.

The survey found that routine immunization and outreach services were among the most affected, with 70 percent of countries reporting disruptions, followed closely by the diagnosis and treatment of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Nearly a quarter of countries that responded reported disruptions to emergency services.

WHO cautioned about some limitations about the study, including differences in the phases of the outbreak that countries were experiencing.
Panama Canal locks are periodically emptied to perform routine maintenance. Credit: Gustavo Castellanos, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

World maritime trade grows each year, aided by canal waterways that connect oceans and reduce shipping time, energy consumption and carbon emissions. Following recent expansions of the Panama and Suez canals, non-native fish species are invading new habitats according to a new report in Nature Ecology and Evolution by researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama and the Leibnitz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Germany.

"We're seeing a shift from predominantly freshwater fishes to marine fishes in the Panama Canal (Lake Gatun) in a short period of time," said Mark Torchin, STRI marine ecologist. "The concern is that if fish invasions continue there is a good chance of some of those fishes moving into the other ocean, with unknown environmental consequences."

Larger locks to allow transit of NeoPanamax vessels (NeoPanamax refers to ships too big to pass through the original 1914 locks) through the Panama Canal were finished in 2016. Expansion of the Suez Canal to include a new, 35-kilometer channel concluded in 2015.

"During the planning phases of both projects, researchers warned about the risks of expanding these two canals," said Gustavo Castellanos-Galindo, postdoctoral fellow at STRI and guest scientist at ZMT. "This report documents those changes in real time."

Only four years after the Panama Canal expansion, long-term monitoring recorded the presence of 11 new marine fish species in Lake Gatun, which has served as a freshwater barrier to movement of marine fauna between Pacific and Atlantic Oceans since the canal opened in 1914. This takes the total number of marine fish species known from in the lake from 18 to 29. Marine fishes such as jacks, snooks, mojarras and ladyfish have entirely replaced freshwater fishes in some parts of the lake.

Group from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute invited by the Panama Canal Authority to collect fish during the process of emptying and cleaning the Miraflores locks. After the locks were emptied, the team descends a scaffolding stairwell to the base of the chamber. They used nets to capture fish. Credit: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Salinity in the lake increased, although the cause has not yet been determined. Possibilities include increased ship traffic and lock usage and the new locks' design, which incorporates recirculation of some lockage water.

"These marine fish invasions are an early warning sign of what could happen if no corrective measures are taken," Castellanos-Galindo said. "Along both coasts of Panama there are hundreds of fish species that could tolerate the conditions of an even slightly brackish canal. We don't know what the ecological and socioeconomic consequences of these fishes crossing the canal to either the Pacific or the Atlantic would be."

"We can document the Panama Canal invasions because we have good, standardized and quantitative pre-expansion data," said D. Ross Robertson, STRI ichthyologist. "We need to get back out there to collect more data to find out exactly what is going on and to provide the science that will help policy makers mitigate the potential impact. This is a really good example of how the pandemic has interrupted field work with important implications for environmental decision making."

Whereas the barrier to fish crossing from ocean to ocean in Panama is a freshwater lake, in the Suez waterway, the Bitter Lakes were originally saltier than the Mediterranean and Red Sea, which also limited species movement. Nonetheless, throughout the history of the Suez Canal, more than 400 non-native animal species, including more than 100 species of marine fishes from the Red Sea, have entered the Mediterranean. With canal expansion, increased water flow diluted the lakes and eight new fish species entered the Mediterranean during the past five years.

Because fees for shipping through the canals account for roughly 10% of the gross domestic product in Panama and in Egypt, there is an economic incentive to continue to increase shipping traffic through the canals. The authors suggest creative, science-based solutions to limit environmental and socioeconomic damage. They propose that the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) may provide the ideal opportunity for ensuring that the canals are included in international maritime policy to limit the environmental and economic impacts of invasive species. In addition, because policy changes can take a long time to implement, they also suggest that the shipping industry could proactively address this issue.

The UN agency responsible for sustainable shipping, the International Maritime Organization, has implemented guidelines and obligations to reduce the spread of non-native species through ballast waterbut they do not apply specifically to the canals.

In the case of the Suez Canal, it may be possible to use the hypersaline effluent from desalinization plants to make the Bitter Lakes saltier again, with the caveat that this alternative should be studied carefully before implementing. In both cases, sophisticated monitoring toolsusing DNA in water samples to generate lists of the species detected and using sound to detect invaders, may help to catch invaders early before they establish large populations. Technology may also be put to work to directly address invasion by means of acoustic and/or electric barriers to deter invaders.

The authors hope that all of the stakeholders will recognize the importance of having the best scientific data in hand as they design new policy and mitigation measures.

Explore further Long-term consequences of river damming in the Panama Canal

More information: Gustavo A. Castellanos-Galindo et al, A new wave of marine fish invasions through the Panama and Suez canals, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2020). Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution Gustavo A. Castellanos-Galindo et al, A new wave of marine fish invasions through the Panama and Suez canals,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01301-2
Tourists stop to take pictures on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Two men face multiple charges in connection with an attack on a group of transgender women at the Walk of Fame last month. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles County prosecutors filed assault and robbery charges Tuesday against two of the men linked to a brutal attack on a group of transgender women in Hollywood last month that was caught on video and labeled a hate crime, authorities said.

Carlton Callaway, 29, and Davion Williams, 22, will face charges including robbery and assault in connection with the Aug. 17 attack in the 6500 block of Hollywood Boulevard, according to a news release issued by the L.A. County district attorney's office.

Eden the Doll, a transgender Instagram influencer with a massive online following, was on the Walk of Fame with Jaslene Whiterose and Joslyn Flawless around 2 a.m. when a man began to threaten them, according to a widely viewed video of the incident that was published to social media. In the video, a man can be seen threatening Flawless with a crowbar as he robbed her before striking Whiterose over the head. Onlookers can be heard heckling and taunting the women throughout the ordeal.

Callaway, a Compton resident, was charged with six criminal counts including robbery, assault and grand theft. Williams, also of Compton, was charged with assault and grand theft. Each man was charged under a hate crime enhancement after police alleged they made derogatory comments about the victims' gender identities during the alleged attack.

Callaway was arrested in mid-August by police in Bakersfield, but was released a few days later when prosecutors referred the case back for further investigation. Callaway's release from jail drew outrage among the LGBTQ community after Eden the Doll posted a recording of her conversation with an LAPD detective about the case to her 462,000 Instagram followers.

In the call, the detective was highly critical of prosecutors' handling of the case. The investigation is now being handled by LAPD's elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

Callaway and Williams were not in custody as of Tuesday afternoon, though officials were trying to arrange their surrender through their attorneys, according to Capt. Jonathan Tippet, who heads Robbery-Homicide Division. A court date has not been scheduled.

Story continues

Michael Curls, who is representing Callaway, questioned the validity of the hate-crime allegation. Curls pointed to footage of the attack and said the derogatory remarks about the victims' gender were being made by the crowd of onlookers instead.

Im disappointed that the district attorney went forward with a hate crime allegation," he said. "It seems to me that for the two weeks that they looked [at this case], that they believed there was some question this evolved to a hate crime given the evidence I know they had in their position when the decision was made."

Callaway and Williams did not know each other, Curls said. It was not clear if Williams had retained an attorney. A spokesman for the district attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

The district attorney's office rejected charges against a third suspect arrested in the case, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the situation.

Los Angeles police arrested Willie Walker, a 42-year-old homeless man, two days after the assault and accused him of trying to extort the women. The official, who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss an ongoing investigation, said Walker's actions failed to meet the threshold of a crime, as he did not try to use "force or fear" against the women, but offered only to recover their property in exchange for money.
A New Zealand community have rallied around the family of a three-year-old girl who was killed in a freak playground accident.

Amberlie Pennington-Foley died after being critically injured at Harcourt Park in Upper Hutt on Thursday.

Her death, which police described as a tragic accident, has been referred to the coroner.

Amberlie Pennington-Foley died after being critically injured at Harcourt Park in Upper Hutt on Thursday

Amberlie's mother Emma Pennington-Foley said the entire town has been rocked by her sudden death

Amberlie's mother Emma Pennington-Foley said the entire town has been rocked by her sudden death.

'Words alone will never be enough to convey our heartfelt thanks to everybody who has donated to the Givealittle page or delivered food and flowers to us,' she told Stuff.

'The whole Upper Hutt community is grieving the loss of our baby right here with us and it's clear to see that Amberlie has brought our already strong community closer together. She has really touched the lives of so many.'

The family, who moved from the UK to New Zealand in 2011, feared they wouldn't be able to afford to fly their relatives over amid coronavirus travel restrictions.

But a Give A Little fundraising page started by two of Ms Pennington-Foley's close friends has already amassed $35,000 in donations.

The money will go towards travel for Ms Pennington-Foley and her husband's parents, as well as hotel quarantine and 'holding a celebration of Amberlie's short but happy life'.

'Any excess funds will be used by Emma and Rob to ease the financial burden on the family,' the page read.

Ms Pennington-Foley said she is overwhelmed by the support her family has received.

Give A Little fundraising money will go towards 'holding a celebration of Amberlie's short but happy life'

Amberlie died after being critically injured at Harcourt Park (pictured) in Upper Hutt on Thursday

'The love and support of everybody around us  and indeed the world  has literally got us through the last few days. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,' Ms Pennington-Foley said.

Upper Hutt mayor Wayne Guppy said his thoughts and prayers are with the family.

'We are shocked and saddened to hear the news of a child who died following a tragic accident at Harcourt Park today,' he said.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. We will do everything we can to assist the appropriate authorities with their inquiries.'
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) enrollment continued its downward trend during online learning, with an unexpected drop of 6,000 in kindergarten enrollment.

The decline in kindergarten enrollment is about three times as large as in recent years for, said a Los Angeles Times report. But this drastic decline in LAUSD's kindergarten enrollment is most accurate in the school system's lowest-income neighborhoods.

Overall, enrollment in LAUSD went down by about 11,000 students. This is roughly the same number of losses in each of the past two years.

For the kindergarten level, roughly 6,000 fewer students were signed up to take online classes, according to a Los Angeles Daily News article. Before this year, it only went down by about 2,000 students per year, said the school district.

So far, this year has 36,914 enrolled kindergarteners.

Drivers in LAUSD Enrollment Drop

"Overall enrollment is down at about the same level as prior years," said L.A. schools Sept. Austin Beutner during a Monday morning broadcast. The main drivers of the decline are the lack of affordable housing in the communities served by their schools and the continued decline in birth rate, he said.

Beutner said enrollment at the kindergarten level has the most notable change. With this, the school district suspects that many households lack to ability to provide full-time support at home for an online school.

As many young students are absent from the great numbers the school district has now, it can reflect the hardships that families face during the pandemic. Health concerns and parents' inability to guide children through distance learning are just some of these challenges.

In a Spectrum News report, Beutner emphasized that the district is still working with families to make sure all students can take part. They plan to do so with loaned computers and internet access if needed.

Very young learners need the presence of parents for in online learning, noted Beutner.

In addition to a drop in kindergarten enrollment, some LAUSD principals are also reporting low attendance in live online transition. It is most evident in kindergarten through first-grade classes.

According to Juan Flecha, president of the union representing principals, there are about 12 to 15 students per grade level.

"I think parents are finding it extraordinarily difficult to manage their personal and professional lives while somehow keeping the tykes engaged on a device," Flecha said.

Attendance Also Declines for LAUSD

With virtual learning well underway for the district, Beutner said that average daily student attendance is 88.4%. Last year, it stood at 91.8%, said a Los Felix Ledger report.

He also said about 4% of all students and their families have not yet made any connection with their school community since remote learning began.

The school district noted "gaps" that can be seen among students who have "historically been hard to serve" such as low-income students.

According to state law, parents are not required to enroll their children in kindergarten. But they do need to put children to school starting in first grade. Parents are also allowed to homeschool their children, as per state law.

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Linkedin Edbert Gani Suryahudaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020

Freedom, as demagogues claim, cannot feed empty stomachs. Those who seek to attack democracy will exploit conditions of injustice to discredit the system. This cautionary message was conveyed in an article entitled The Democratic Invention (2000) by Mario Soares, a former Portuguese prime minister also known as the nations father of democracy.

Twenty years since Soares warning, his foresight has proven prescient. Global democracy is indeed currently experiencing an uneasy challenge. A number of countries worldwide have seen the rise of populist leaders who degrade the value of civil liberties from within. Freedom House, in a report entitled Freedom in the World 2020: A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy, notes that democratic decline is a trend that has been ongoing for the last 14 years, including in Indonesia.

According to the report, 64 countries experienced a decrease in the quality of civil liberties and political rights in 2019, compared to a mere 37 countries that enjoyed an increase.

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"When a society renounces politics," the historian Hugh Trevor-Roper wrote, "it can find other ways of expressing its identity." Despite the infinite variety of the human imagination, these ways are remarkably few. When a political or social cause  the Stuart claim to the crowns of England and Scotland, the Confederate States of America, the use of Cranmerian English in public worship  is effectively defeated, it lives on as the Order of the White Rose or the Daughters of the Confederacy or the Prayer Book Society. Such nostalgism (to whose charms I am not entirely immune) is wholly lacking in vitality and initiative. Meaningful political action is rejected by supporters of these and other lost causes as a base compromise. They have the political force of flies buzzing endlessly around organic material that is both dead and fast decaying.

To the reactionary mind, however, mere antiquarianism is intolerable. It reeks of acquiescence, of inaction. Worse still, it is entirely unconnected with power, which it in fact willingly renounces. The reactionary is thus forced to enlist the aid of those who, if they are not his allies, at least hold mutual enemies in common. In this desperate quest for succor  and, who knows, perhaps even the intoxicating hint of real power  he has always found a willing partner in the novel configurations of capital.

This is why the recent arrest of Steve Bannon, the former adviser to the president, on charges of conspiracy to engage in fraud, should come as no surprise. Bannon has promised his followers the destruction of the existing social order  not only our immigration system but welfare and the so-called "administrative state" as they have existed within the memories of every living American. He offers dark but unmistakable hints about the weakness of democracy, the superiority of authoritarian government; he mentions his reading of racialists and mystics  Charles Maurras and Rene Guenon, Julius Evola and Alexander Dugin  and of Sun Tzu and the Bhagavad Gita. He presents himself as the servant of strange and hideous forces, a true believer, perhaps even a mystic.

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These promises of atavistic violence, of a final confrontation which brings about the restoration of some mythic American or European or (goodness knows) "Aryan" past, should be very remote from the concerns of ordinary citizens. For down the arched hall of carved jade, behind the smoke-wreathed green face, with its booming voice, there is the portly charlatan working the controls, half-ashamed of his fraud. Bannon's real business is not counter-revolution but the harvesting of data from social media companies, the hoarding of virtual currency used by ogres in a video game, and most recently, it would appear, fleecing millions of dollars from right-wing rubes who dream of building, and even visiting, President Trump's fabled border wall.

What Bannon has been accused of in and of itself is less interesting than what it tells us about the actual political horizons of reactionary politics in this country, which do not extend meaningfully beyond the consensus of the very global financial elite whom Bannon and his allies insist are their mortal enemies.

This not-so-strange alliance between the tradition-dissolving power of financialization and the romantic prophets of counter-revolution, is of long standing. Its history is occasionally even amusing. Much of the so-called "Highland" revival in 19th-century Scotland was the work of two brothers, forgers who claimed to have translated a Latin document detailing the history of "clan tartans" that extended back into the misty days of warring Pictish chieftains in the third century A.D. That the book in question did not exist; that the brothers were not themselves descendants of the exiled Stuarts, as they claimed; that the original inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands were simply Irish immigrants with no native dress or other traditions of their own before the British Act of Union in 1707; that the kilt itself was the invention of an English Quaker industrialist in the preceding century  all of this mattered little. There were profits to be made from credulity.

In the mostly harmless story of the Allen brothers we see two elements at work again and again in the shotgun marriage of reaction and greed we have outlined. The first is that the "traditions" which are supposedly being revived are either of somewhat more recent date or else wholly literary creations, like the mythic past to which they are alleged to have belonged. Consider a more direct ancestor of Bannon's movement, the pathetic history of the second Ku Klux Klan, founded in 1915. Just as the Highland Revival issued forth from the fertile imaginations of the two "Stuart" merchants (and those of James Macpherson and Sir Walter Scott before them), the ghostly costumes and cross burnings supposedly revived by the second Klan were the wholesale inventions of Thomas Dixon and D.W. Griffith, having no antecedent in the decidedly unromantic vigilantism of that terrorist organization during Reconstruction. The latter had in fact been purloined by the author of The Clansman and the director of The Birth of a Nation from  of all things  an incident in Scott's own Lady of the Lake.

The second component is the sordid financial motive. Unlike the first Reconstruction-era Klan and its post-World War II successor, the second Klan was briefly but unfortunately popular, achieving at its height some five million members, including something like 30 percent of the eligible adult male population in the state of Indiana. Its rhetoric was a combination of anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic nativism, support for Prohibition, and lurid suggestions about the threat to the chastity of (white) womanhood that would have been largely inexplicable to members of the first Klan. But the Union was not on the verge of being overthrown by the sons and grandsons of the Northern men who had fought for her. The second Klan was not the revival of something ancient and evil, but an entirely new menace: the multi-level marketing scam.

Membership in the second Klan was never stable. No sooner had the costumes been purchased and the initiation ceremonies taken place than the new Klansmen realized that they had been duped by the progenitors of Amway, whose field organizers and well-remunerated publicists were committed to nothing save the pocketing of the former's dues. By the time D. C. Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of Indiana, revealed his state's entire membership to newspapers after being convicted of raping and murdering a young woman, the decline of the second Klan was inexorable. By 1930 it had all but vanished.

While the name of the Klan would be revived again on these shores, the paramilitary organization that troubled the American South during the Civil Rights movements bore little resemblance to the pyramid scheme that had gained its largest foothold in the industrial Midwest. For a true successor to that absurd racket, the forces of reaction would have to wait.

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The Rev. Jackson, who heads the venerable African American social justice organization Rainbow/PUSH, has already traveled to Kenosha once and is returning today to meet with activists, said My concern is that the president is fueling the tension. He said if the president was there in an act of reconciliation it would be different, but so far hes backed law enforcement without speaking about the man who was shot by police or the mans parents. And Jackson said the president has skirted questions about the killing of two protesters who were allegedly shot by a 17-year-old vigilante from Antioch, a Trump backer who was at a rally for the president earlier this summer.
Capt Amarinder and Partap Bajwa

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh rejected Partap Singh Bajwa's contention that there was no comparison between the alleged scholarship scam and the bitumen scam, in which the Congress MP's name had figured 15 years ago.

The chief minister asserted, "corruption is corruption, in any and every form".

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Capt Amarinder SinghRajya Sabha MP Bajwa had claimed that there was no comparison between the alleged multi-crore post-matric SC scholarship scam and the bitumen scam.

The bitumen scam allegations against Bajwa, then PWD minister in his cabinet in his previous term were as serious as those being levelled now in the scholarship scam, the chief minister said in a statement here.

Singh said had he chosen to behave as irresponsibly then as Bajwa was expecting him to do now, he would have sacked the then minister all those years ago on the basis of unsubstantiated charges without a fair probe.

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Bajwa had faced allegations as PWD (public works department) minister between 2002 and 2007, relating to irregularities in the purchase of bitumen worth crore of rupees.

Partap BajwaHe had also said that social justice minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot was charged by his department's own officer Additional Chief Secretary Kripa Shankar Saroj of being involved in the scam in an inquiry.

Singh said he had decided to assign a thorough investigation into the alleged scholarship scam to the chief secretary as there was clearly a dispute between the concerned minister and the Social Welfare Department's additional chief secretary, whose internal report had become the basis of the allegations against the minister.

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The chief minister also slammed Rajya Sabha MP Shamsher Singh Dullo for supporting the demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged scam without waiting for the findings of the CS inquiry.

This lack of faith shown by both the MPs in their own party government showed their "malafide intent", he said, lashing out at Bajwa and Dullo for their continued and persistent "anti-party" actions.

Capt Amarinder SinghA probe by Additional Chief Secretary Kripa Shankar Saroj into the post-matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Caste students has discovered Rs 55.71-crore scam.

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Saroj submitted a report to the chief secretary in which he indicted Punjab minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and some officials for allegedly causing a loss of Rs 55 crore to the state exchequer in the distribution of scholarship amounts.
In Malaysia, a stray dog was painted in orange and black color, this was done to make him look like a tiger. The image of the dog got circulated on social media, this came into notice of the animal rights group in the country and they asked people to come forward with information about the poor dogs. The picture of the dog was first shared by the Facebook page of the animal rights group, Persatuan Haiwan Malaysia. While sharing picture animal rights group wrote on Facebook "A mystery reward awaits those who come forward with complete information on the incident."

Read: Malaysia Extends Ban On Foreign Tourists

Read: Malaysia Calls Beijing's Claims In South China Sea 'baseless Under International Law'

Currently, the post has got more than six thousand reactions and the photo is shared by three thousand users and the comment box is garnered with comments. Many followers expressed their anger and wrote culprit should be arrested and put behind bars. One of the users wrote The dog has to take a bath and have its coat shaved to get rid of all the chemicals. Sorry dog, remember the thug who did this to you", It looks funny for those who make it, but if a person splashes paint on another person's body, only he knows how it feels, wrote another.

Read: Fifth Billionaire Emerges From Malaysia's Glove Manufacturing Industry Amid COVID

Farmer paints dog as Tiger

This is not the first time someone has painted a dog as tiger, last year a farmer from Karnatakas Shivamogga painted a dogs fur to make him look like a tiger, this was done by the farmer to save his crop from the monkeys. In another incident, a farmer from Bhatkal, Uttara Kannada district used a tiger-like doll to avert an attack by monkeys on his farm.

Shivamogga: A farmer painted his dog to make it look like a tiger at Nallur village,Thirthahalli. Farmer's daughter says,'It was my father's idea to scare monkeys away. Earlier, monkeys used to destroy all our crops. Everyone in our village is replicating his idea." #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/oBH1rUlEUZ  ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2019

Read: Malaysia: Mahathir Mohamad To Form New Party After Expulsion
EDENVILLE, MI -- The 500 year flood that devastated the Midland area came after just 7 inches of rain.

But it was enough rain to overtake the Edenville Dam causing a chain reaction that lead to the failure of the Sanford Dam and massive flooding. Lakes were left dry while homes were underwater.

More than 10,000 people had to evacuate. While no lives were lost, more than 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Roads, bridges and businesses that stood in the way of the floodwaters were also damaged.

The waters have subsided, and whats left are lawsuits and questions. The biggest one: Who is responsible?

Below is a list of key events preceding and following the dams failure:

1925: The 6,600-foot Edenville Dam is built.

June 2004: Wolverine Power Corporation transfers licenses for the Sanford, Edenville, Secord and Smallwood dams to Synex Michigan, LLC, later named Boyce Hydro. The Edenville and Sanford dams would later both fail during heavy rains in May 2020.

December 2005 - October 2015:

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) meets with Boyce Hydro multiple times to work out a plan for various repairs. It also issues Boyce Hydro numerous violations including:

December 13-16, 2005: FERC says its staff met with Boyce Hydro to work on increasing the spillway capacity to meet the probable maximum flood requirements.

May 22-23, 2007: FERC says its staff met with Boyce Hydro to work on increasing the spillway capacity to meet the probable maximum flood requirements.

July 9-11, 2007: FERC says its staff met with Boyce Hydro to work on increasing the spillway capacity to meet the probable maximum flood requirements.

March 19-20, 2008: FERC says its staff met with Boyce Hydro to work on increasing the spillway capacity to meet the probable maximum flood requirements.

February 4-5, 2009: FERC says its staff met with Boyce Hydro to work on increasing the spillway capacity to meet the probable maximum flood requirements.

February 9, 2009: FERC sends Boyce Hydro a letter accepting their proposal to make repairs and upgrades to the Edenville Dam spillway over the course of three years, starting in 2010. The FERC says Boyce Hydro did not perform the repairs and upgrades.

September 13, 2010: FREC sends Boyce Hydro, LLC a Violation Notice Request for Information about the construction of fishing piers, filling and dredging bottomlands, dredging, filling and draining wetlands, and grading in the floodplain.

January 13, 2011: FREC sends Boyce Hydro, LLC a Second Violation Notice Request for Information.

August 22, 2012: FREC issues violation notice to Boyce Hydro for failing to apply for Notice of Coverage. A Notice of Coverage is a type of Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control permit. Its needed before a property owner can move change the landscape to control sedimentation runoff or impacts to wetlands.

March 6, 2013: FREC sends another violation notice to Boyce Hydro for failing to apply for Notice of Coverage

September - November 2013: FREC sends Boyce Hydro a series of letters regarding issues with the Edenville Dam. Boyce Hydro then proposes to construct two auxiliary spillways, one in 2014 and one in 2015, but the work is never completed, according to FREC documents.

July 7, 2015: FREC sends Boyce Hydro LLC another violation notice, this time for unauthorized dredging and filling in the floodplain and on bottomlands; failure to implement adequate soil erosion measures resulting in unauthorized discharge; and dredging, filling and draining of wetlands. DEQ offers Boyce Hydro an Administrative Consent Agreement that would include restoration of the dam.

October 27, 2015: FREC issues Boyce Hydro a violation notice for failure to apply for Notice of Coverage.

January 2011: Boyce Hydro owner Lee Mueller publicly states that the company will not pay for an $83,000 repair project on the Sanford Lake Dam. He argued that it is the responsibility of the property owners and businesses that benefit from the dam to make the repairs.

June 15, 2017: The FERC issues Boyce Hydro a compliance order requiring them to fix the Edenville Dams insufficient spillway capacity. According to the order, The licensee has shown a pattern of delay and indifference to the potential consequences of this situation. A situation that mist be remedied in order to protect life, limb, and property.

November 20, 2017: FERC orders Boyce Hydro to cease operations for allegedly violating the Federal Power Act and the June 15 compliance order.

2018: The Michigan Infrastructure Report Card, assessed by the American Society of Civil Engineers, gives Michigans dams a C- grade. The report cites the need for more than $225 million to take care of the states 2,521 dams. 271 of those dams are over 100 years old. 12-percent of Michigan dams have a high or significant hazard potential rating. 67 percent of the states dams are past their 50-year design life.

September 10, 2018: FREC revokes the Edenville Dam license as a hydroelectric generating facility. Meaning it can no longer use the dam to generate power. Once it did this, jurisdiction over the dam now fell on EGLE. The FREC sites continued lack of compliance with repair requests and failing to meet safety standards.

September 2018: Boyce Hydro attempts to fight the FRECs revocation of its license in court. In an email to MLive, Boyce Hydro owner Lee Mueller said the problem behind the problem of noncompliance is because of the economic circumstances and that Boyce Hydro simply has not had the financial ability in the last eight years to pay for the required Probable Maximum Flood mitigation construction limitations with Consumers Energy under the State of Michigans energy policies and regulatory structure.

October 2018: DEQ accuses Boyce Hydro, LLC of conducting a major drawdown of Wixom Lake without getting the proper permits. Boyce Hydro says it opened the gates as a preemptive safety measure to ensure dam safety during winter conditions. But the state says the drawdown was intended by Boyce Hydro to avoid paying for winter ice build up maintenance, not as a measure of downstream safety concern.

October 2018: EGLEs inspection of the Edenville Dam rates it as fair, despite FREC revoking Boyce Hydros license as a hydroelectric generating facility a month earlier.

January 4, 2019: Boyce Hydro provides the state with a signed letter from their engineers stating that the dam did meet spillway capacity requirements.

Spring 2019: Boyce Hydro agrees to raise the water levels to its normal summer level. It said in a later press release that it did so following pressure from shoreline residents of Wixom Lake, EGLE and Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

April 24, 2019: Four Lakes Task Force (FLTF) and Boyce Trusts announce that theyve reached a tentative agreement for FLTF to buy Wixom, Sanford, Secord and Smallwood Dams and lake bottoms for $9.4 million. The agreement also calls for Boyce Trusts or FLTF to make repairs and upgrades on all the dams by the end of 2023.

June 2019: Edenville Dam inspection, done by the Spicer Group, begins on behalf of the Four Lakes Task Force.

September 25, 2019: Boyce Hydro applies for a permit from EGLE to lower the water levels of Wixom Lake by approximately 8 feet.

November 12, 2019: Boyce Hydro begins the drawdown without having received the permit it had applied for.

November 25, 2019: EGLEs Water Resources Division and the Michigan DNR deny Boyce Hydros permit. In a letter to Boyce Hydro owner, Lee Mueller, the state sites concerns about potential ecological effects.

February 12, 2020: EGLE issues a permit to Boyce Hydro for specific repairs: rehabilitate deteriorated concrete and steel reinforcement at the spillway piers and pier noses of the Tittabawassee and Tobacco spillways, put approximately 12 cubic yards of new concrete fill in approximately 372 square feet of repair areas, install new hoist connection plates at all six spillway gates. The permit does not authorize any drawdown or refilling of the Wixom Lake Impoundment. The permit makes note that EGLE had previously found Boyce Hydro in violation of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) for using the dam to lower the Wixom Lake Impoundment below its authorized winter level without a permit.

March 2020: The Four Lakes Task Force inspection is complete, but the report is not finished.

April 29, 2020: Boyce Hydro sues the state in Grand Rapids federal court arguing the state lacks scientific validation for its endangered species concerns and should allow drawdowns.

May 1, 2020: Attorney Generals Office files a lawsuit against Boyce Hydro in Ingham County Circuit Court. It accuses Boyce Hydro of dramatically lowering the water levels of Wixom Lake in 2018 and 2019, destroying thousands of freshwater mussels. It also claims the alleged drawdowns dewatered the wetlands that depend on Wixom Lake and damaged other natural resources.

May 15, 2020: Boyce Hydro says it began lowering the water levels in the impoundments behind the Secord, Smallwood, Edenville and Sanford dams in anticipation of incoming major storms.

May 17, 2020: Storms bring heavy rainfall across the lower peninsula. The heaviest rain fell in the northeast and north-central part of Lower Michigan. Gladwin, a city about 25 miles north of Edenville saw 4.13 inches of rainfall by May 19.

12:22 a.m. May 19, 2020: Midland County Central Dispatch issues an alert telling residents in Edenvile Township to leave their homes due to an imminent dam failure at the Edenville Dam. Those that live along Sanford Lake and Wixom Lake were told to vacate their homes and go to shelters.

5:00 a.m. May 19, 2020: The Tittabawasse River reaches 26.5 feet high. Anything above 24 feet is considered flooding.

6:50 a.m. May 19, 2020: Midland County Emergency Management determines the Edenville and Sanford dams are structurally sound but that the dams can not control or contain the water flowing through spill gates anymore.

Aprox 5:00 p.m. May 19, 2020: Flood alert goes out across Midland area.

Before dark May 19, 2020: Edenville Dam fails causing flash flood conditions. Emergency text goes out: MIDLAND CITY RESIDENTS WEST OF EASTMAN SOUTH OF US-10 NEED TO EVACUATE DUE TO DAM COLLAPSE. The initial dam breach causes the Sanford Dam to flow over and the Tittabawassee River to overflow its 24-foot flood stage.

Aprox. 8:00 p.m. May 19, 2020: The M-30 bridge in Wixom Lake collapses while residents begin arriving at Midland High School after being evacuated from their homes.

May 19, 2020: Governor Gretchen Whitmer declares a state of emergency for the city of Midland and Midland County due to severe flooding.

Aprox. 4:00 a.m. May 20, 2020: National Guard units from Bay City, Saginaw, Port Huron, and other areas comprising about 130 soldiers, arrive in affected areas and begin missions.

6:35 a.m. May 20, 2020: The Poseyville dike breaks and Midland County Central Dispatch sends out an alert urging residents on Ashby between Poseyville and Patterson roads to evacuate.

7:00 a.m. May 20, 2020: National Weather Service says the flood stage is over 34 feet and rising.

June 2, 2020: Lawsuits against Boyce Hydro begin to pile up. Two class action lawsuits against Boyce Hydro and owner Lee Mueller are filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District. The residents want punitive damages for personal an emotional injuries, as well as property and economic damage.

June 1, 2020: The Congressional Committee on Energy and Commerce opens an inquiry into what caused the Edenville Dam to fail by sending EGLE director Liesl Clark a letter requesting responses to questions about the states oversight of the dam.

June 9, 2020: State files lawsuit in Ingham County Circuit Court against Boyce Hydro seeking damages as a result of the dam failure. Boyce Hydro claims the state pressured it to keep elevated water levels on Wixom Lake despite concerns about the lakes ability to handle flooding.

June 10, 2020: EGLE announces during a joint state Senate committee hearing that it had begun the process of hiring a third-party investigator to look into the Edenville Dam failure.

June 11, 2020: State releases Edenville Dam inspection report done by the Spicer Group. The dam was inspected for the Four Lakes Task Force from June 2019 to March 2020. The report finds that the dam wasnt capable of meeting state capacity standards at the time of its collapse. It ranks the dam as fair to poor condition.

June 15, 2020: Governor Gretchen Whitmer sends letter to President Donald Trump asking him to declare mid-Michigan floods a major disaster. In a news release, Whitmer says the flooding has cost residents more than $190 million in losses and $55 million in response costs and public infrastructure damage.

June 16, 2020: A federal judge orders Boyce Hydro owner, Lee Mueller, to hire an engineer to perform an inspection of the site and immediately determine whether the risk posed by the Tobacco River side of the Edenville Dam is substantial enough that immediate actions should be taken to mitigate the risk to public safety, natural resources, and public transportation and what that action should be.

June 17, 2020: State and federal regulators agree on a six-person team of engineers to lead an investigation into the Edenville and Sanford dam failures.

June 23, 2020: State lawmakers hold a joint committee meeting with three officials from the FERC. State Senators criticized the federal regulating body for saying it didnt levy fines against Boyce Hydro for failure to make repairs because Boyce Hydro claimed to be unable to afford the repairs.

July 28, 2020: The state Senate Energy and Technology and Senate Environmental Quality committees meet with the president of the Four Lakes Task Force board and principal engineer with the Spicer Group. The pair estimated that it would take around $340 million to repair the dam infrastructure and surrounding areas.

July 30, 2020: State announces that it is hiring a third dam safety inspector as part of its mission to increase dam safety in the state. EGLE also announces there will be a review of the states dam safety operations, performed by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.

July 31, 2020: Amidst a sea of lawsuits, Boyce Hydro. LLC and Boyce Hydro Power, LLC file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Aug. 11, 2020: Residents and commercial property owners file a lawsuit in the Michigan Courts of Claims against EGLE, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for their failure to properly regulate and supervise the Edenville and Sanford dams, which ultimately led to the severe flood damage sustained by nearly 300 clients.

More From MLive:

State worried about safety at remaining Edenville Dam portion

Edenville Dam owner files for bankruptcy

Rural store tries to hang on after flood washes out bridges and flow of customers to Edenville

Six-person engineering team to probe Edenville, Sanford dam failures
TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan has marked its Independence Day without any public events amid concern over the spread of the coronavirus.



President Shavkat Mirziyoev had already announced on August 20 that Independence Day this year would be marked on September 1 without public celebrations and concerts due to the pandemic, which has infected nearly 42,000 people in Uzbekistan.



The holiday, which celebrates Uzbekistan's independence from the Soviet Union, is one of the country's most important and features performances by musicians and dancers.



A single official event devoted to the 29th anniversary of the Central Asian state's independence -- and held without any audience -- was broadcast by state television on August 31.



That same day, Mirziyoev attended a ceremony to commemorate Soviet-era repressions.

The president took part in a joint prayer to honor the thousands of Uzbeks killed or sent to prison by dictator Josef Stalin's government.



"Those people were real leaders, better representatives of intellectuals, prominent writers, culture experts. Had not they been persecuted, they could have enormously contributed to our nation, science, economy, and culture," Mirziyoev said.



According to Uzbekistan's official data, more than 100,000 people in the republic faced repressions between 1937 and 1953, including 13,000 who were executed.



In general, across the former Soviet Union, the number of people who faced repressions in that period of time is believed to be 3.8 million, of whom 800,000 were executed.
On the very same day Gov. Phil Murphy announced indoor dining may resume for the first later this week amid the coronavirus pandemic he also warned restaurants could be told to close their doors if the outbreak surges in New Jersey.

Would we consider reversing this if it looked like it was blowing up in our face? Murphy was asked Monday at his regular COVID-19 briefing in response to a question.

Sadly, I have to say yes, he said. I certainly hope not to.

What exactly would it take for Murphy to reverse course on the limited indoor dining that will be allowed ahead of the Labor Day weekend?

The governor said officials would respond to a sustained increase in the metrics they use to track the virus  things like the rate of transmission, new positive cases and new hospitalizations, for example  over a significant period of time.

Murphy didnt give specifics on how long it would take before an increase in numbers would trigger more restrictions. But he said spikes over one day or even a couple of days wouldnt prompt a reversal.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Restaurants can allow customers indoors beginning Friday, Murphy said. The move comes about two months after Murphy pumped the brakes on allowing indoor dining after he announced it would be permitted ahead of the July Fourth weekend.

The governor also announced movie theaters could also reopen beginning Friday.

Both businesses will be required to operate under limited capacity and follow other safety guidelines.

Indoor dining is capped at 25% occupancy and movie theaters must cap attendance at the lesser of either 25% capacity or 150 movie-goers, Murphy said.

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Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday dashed any hope of a last-minute reprieve for the thousands of Pennsylvanians who have fallen behind on rent during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

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Update: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it will halt evictions until the end of the year for renters who have been financially harmed by the coronavirus and make under $99,000 a year, among other criteria. The order could be the subject of a legal challenge.

HARRISBURG  First, he said he couldnt.

Then, he implied he wouldnt.

Then, he suggested he might.

But on Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf dashed any hope of a last-minute reprieve for the thousands of Pennsylvanians who have fallen behind on rent during the coronavirus pandemic by reiterating that he does not have the legal authority to extend the states temporary ban on evictions, which expired Tuesday.

More than ever, our homes have become our places of refuge during this pandemic, he said at a shelter in Harrisburg. As of 12:01 a.m. today, unfortunately, the protections I instated to keep Pennsylvanians in their homes expired.

Wolf urged the Republican-controlled legislature to extend the eviction ban immediately.

Thousands of Pennsylvania households will face eviction in the coming weeks unless the ban is renewed. Tenants who have fallen behind on rent have been protected from eviction since March under an order from the state Supreme Court that Wolf extended twice via executive order.

Housing advocates say the lifting of the ban will bring a surge of eviction filings, displacing thousands of families during an unprecedented public health crisis, with communities of color the worst affected. Almost one in five households did not pay rent last month, according to a Census Bureau survey.

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D., Allegheny) castigated Republican lawmakers for ignoring Democrats pleas to extend the eviction protections sooner. This issue should have been resolved months ago, he said.

But Republicans said the first time they heard that Wolf could not extend the eviction ban again was last week, when he wrote to lawmakers arguing that he did not have the legal authority to do so.

We had no clue the governor was not going to renew it again under whatever authorities he claimed to have used in the past until 6:50 p.m. on Aug. 24  seven days ago, said Jennifer Kocher, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre).

In the days following his letter to lawmakers, the governor seemed to hedge. Asked Monday whether he would issue a new ban, Wolf laughed, shrugged, and said: Youll have to wait and see. A spokesperson later clarified that, after a thorough legal review, the conclusion was that the governor could not extend the ban after all. This issue is in current litigation, she said Monday.

Meanwhile, the states main effort to help tenants  a $150 million rental assistance program  has been riddled with problems since it launched in July.

Many landlords, including the largest apartment owner in the state, are refusing to participate because of a $750 cap on the amount of assistance they can receive and a requirement that they waive their right to collect any remaining rent, a Spotlight PA review found. Even when landlords are willing to participate, onerous paperwork requirements have slowed the pace of approving applications in some counties.

Democratic lawmakers have introduced bills that would extend the eviction ban and make fixes to the rental assistance program, including scrapping the $750 cap in favor of a funding formula that would vary from region to region, removing a requirement that tenants be at least a month behind on rent to qualify, and allowing landlords and tenants to enter into yearlong payment plans for rent not covered by the aid payments.

Republican leaders have said they will consider both issues, but have not made any firm commitments. The state House of Representatives was back in session on Tuesday, but the Senate isnt set to reconvene until next week.

Potential help for renters arrived from the Trump administration late Tuesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it will halt evictions until the end of the year for renters who have been financially harmed by the coronavirus and make under $99,000 a year, among other criteria. The order could be the subject of a legal challenge.

Bunny-Mae Lowe, who lives with her 9-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son in a suburb of Pittsburgh, said she owes roughly $4,000 in back rent after losing her job as a home health aide in March. She said her landlord refused to participate in the states rental assistance program, and she expects he will begin the eviction process at once.

Lowe, 32, said she has been selling her possessions online  clothes, computer screens, literally anything I have thats not tied down  to try to come up with the money.

She said she couldnt understand why lawmakers would hesitate to extend the eviction ban. Why would you want to send a single mom and her two kids out on the streets for something that is beyond everyones control? she said. This isnt something that people should have to worry about.

Correction: This article originally provided incorrect ages for Bunny-Mae Lowes children.

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Tensions flare across the vast grassland region bordering Mongolia and Russia after the policy was announced last week.

Tens of thousands of people in an ethnic Mongolian region of northern China have joined rare protests and school boycotts against a new curriculum they fear will wipe out their minority culture, residents said.

The policy change in Inner Mongolia, revealed in June and enacted on Tuesday, means all ethnic minority schools in the remote region will now be required to teach core subjects  politics, history, and language and literature  in Mandarin rather than Mongolian, echoing similar moves in Tibet and Xinjiang to assimilate local minorities into the dominant Han Chinese population.

Almost every Mongolian in Inner Mongolia is opposed to the revised curriculum, a 32-year-old herder from the Xilingol League area surnamed Hu told AFP news agency on Tuesday, warning that Mongolian children were losing fluency in their mother tongue.

In a few decades, a minority language will be on the verge of extinction.

Tensions flared across the vast grassland region bordering Mongolia and Russia after the policy was announced by the Inner Mongolia Education Bureau last Wednesday.

Mass demonstrations involving parents, students and ordinary citizens have erupted across the region, according to video clips provided by residents to AFP, while thousands of students have boycotted classes.

In some clips, scores of uniformed students can be heard shouting in Mongolian: I swear to death that I will always learn my mother tongue.

China announced that from September 1, three key subjects taught in primary and middle schools in Inner Mongolia will be taught in Mandarin instead of Mongolian [Byambasuren Byamba-Ochir/AFP]

There are at least tens of thousands of people protesting across Inner Mongolia, said Baatar, a 27-year-old herder in the Hinggan League area who refused to give his name because of security concerns.

As of Tuesday, several bilingual boarding schools in Hinggan League and nearby Tongliao city were surrounded by hundreds of paramilitary police to prevent children who were already enrolled from leaving, Baatar added.

Several parents were beaten and arrested by police late Monday during a demonstration outside his sisters school in Horqin Right Front Banner, Baatar said.

AFPs calls to local bilingual schools went unanswered.

Locals said parents also faced widespread pressure from police to send their children to school, with pupils threatened with expulsion if they did not attend.

Civil disobedience resistance

Enghebatu Togochog, director of the New York-based NGO Southern Mongolian Human Rights Organization, called the protests a civil disobedience resistance movement that has spread throughout Inner Mongolia.

The area is home to more than four million ethnic Mongolians  around 16 percent of the regions population.

Parents are refusing to send their children to schools that use Chinese as the only language of instruction, he said.





WeChat messages and photos of petitions against the policy written in the traditional vertical Mongolian script have been mass-censored by authorities in recent days, he added.

The Inner Mongolia Education Bureau did not respond to faxed requests for comment.

It claimed in a Monday post that the number of Mongolian-language teaching hours remained unchanged.

This is the only region left in the world that uses the traditional Mongolian script, as neighbouring Mongolia adopted the Cyrillic alphabet under Soviet influence.

For decades, the regions bilingual curriculum for ethnic minority schools offered a full range of subjects taught in Mongolian, as well as Mandarin, English and Korean classes.

Herder Hu said he and many other ethnic Mongolians had become fluent in Mandarin while preserving their native language.

On Monday, dozens protested in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar against the Chinese policy, while thousands of Mongolians campaigned online in solidarity with their neighbours.
Researchers with the help of National Aeronautics and Space Administrations satellite data have monitored an alarming increase in the size of glacial lakes across the globe. The study was conducted along an adventure trail to trace some of the highest mountain tops for example- Mt Everest, alongside the third pole of the earth that is the Himalayan Range. However, the traces and the mountain trails are rapidly changing as reported in the study published in Nature climatic Change journal.

NASA's study on global warming

As per NASAs recent post, the study has been undertaken since the 1990s and until now, the volume of glacial lakes have increased by almost 50% of its original size. As per the study, this major change is the result of retreating glaciers caused by temperature change in the cryosphere. In the last 30 years, the researchers have monitored the range changes across the Himalayan ranges which showed glacier's melted water settle in the lakes, later transported to the ocean.

Also Read | UK Launches 3 Mn Innovation Challenge Fund In India To Tackle COVID-19, Climate Change

However, in transportation, the increased glacial water, moraine and the residue will only act as a life-threatening situation to the habitat and communities living downstream. The lakes are unstable and the potential hazards are highlighted in the global warming study. Despite the study focused on the Himalayas, the glacier change is a global phenomenon, as per the study.

NASA's tweet regarding the study-

As glaciers retreat, they can trap pools of water behind ice or piles of debris. These pools are called glacial lakes. As the planet warms, glacial lakes are growing  since 1990, the volume of these lakes has increased by about 50% globally. https://t.co/5ptHD06dUw pic.twitter.com/8i1TWb3tHR  NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) August 31, 2020

As per the official statements provided in the press release shared by NASA, dated August 31, the changes are quite rampant, the release further established that We have known that not all meltwater is making it into the oceans immediately, as per author Dan Shugar of the University of Calgary in Canada. But until now there were no data to estimate how much was being stored in lakes or groundwater. The study estimates current glacial lake volumes total about 37.4 cubic miles (156 cubic kilometres) of water, the equivalent of about one-third the volume of Lake Erie.

Also Read | Bill Gates' Nuclear Venture Reveals Plans Of Reactor To Help Fight Climate Change

Shugar and his collaborators from governments and universities in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, working under a grant from NASAs High Mountain Asia Program, initially planned to use satellite imaging and other remote-sensing data to study two dozen glacial lakes in High Mountain Asia, the geographic region that includes the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountain ranges, including the Himalaya. We wrote scripts in Google Earth Engine, an online platform for very large analyses of geospatial data, to look only at High Mountain Asia, and then decided to look at all glacial lakes in the world, Shugar said. From there, we were able to build a scaling relationship to estimate the volume of the worlds glacial lakes based on the area of this large population of lakes.

Climate change analysed with glaciers melting as the key focus

The team ultimately analyzed more than 250,000 scenes from the Landsat satellite missions, a joint NASA/U.S. Geological Survey program. A decade ago, it would not have been possible to process and analyze this volume of data. The team looked at the data in five time-steps beginning with 1990 to examine all the glaciated regions of the world except Antarctica and analyze how glacial lakes changed over that period.

Shugar points out that while water from glaciers melting stored in glacial lakes is a relatively small contributor to overall sea-level rise, it can have a major impact on mountain communities downstream of these glacial lakes.This is an issue for many parts of the world where people live downstream from these hazardous lakes, mostly in the Andes and in places like Bhutan and Nepal, where these floods can be devastating, Shugar said. Fortunately, organizations like the United Nations are facilitating a lot of monitoring and some mitigation work where theyre lowering the lakes to try and decrease the risks.

Also Read | Greenland's Ice Sheet Would Continue To Melt Even If Global Warming Stops: Research

Also Read | Earth Has Lost 28 Trillion Tonnes Of Ice Due To Global Warming Since 1994: Study
- Victoria Rubadiri is the sixth winner of the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award since it was launched in 2015

- The beauty becomes the second Kenyan journalist to win the award after her colleague Waihiga Mwaura who won it in 2018

- Rubadiri, a news anchor at Citizen TV, will soon start her three-months training at the BBC Academy before joining the news team

Journalist Victoria Rubadiri has been announced as the winner of the 2020 BBC World News Komla Dumor Award.

Rubadiri who doubles as news anchor at Citizen TV is the sixth winner of the award which was created in honour Komla Dumor who worked for BBC World News as a presenter.

READ ALSO: Emmy Kosgei, 62-year-old hubby celebrate 7 years of marriage in lovely post

Victoria Rubadiri is the sixth winner of the BBC World News Komla Dumor Awards. Photo: Victoria Rubadiri.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kai Havertz: Leverkusen boss confirms star will not return to club amid Chelsea links

Rubadiri is the second Kenyan journalist to win the award after her colleague Waihiga Mwaura who won it in 2018.

According to a report by BBC News, the journalist will begin her three-month placement at the international media by attending a training course with the BBC Academy before joining the news team.

READ ALSO: Wazee waliodumu miaka 79 katika ndoa watuzwa na kitabu cha Guiness World Records

Speaking to BBC, the mother of one said she was excited that she will be able to learn new skills and connect with wider audiences locally, regionally and internationally.

Rubadiri is said to have impressed judges with her eloquence and passion for telling stories on all platforms.

READ ALSO: Strong and beautiful: Ruth Matete makes comeback on social media months after losing hubby

Making the announcement, Director of BBC World Service Group, Jamie Angus, said they were proud to have Rubadiri on board.

"We are delighted to have Victoria on board to bring her insights and passion to the BBC. Komla had the incredible ability to give stories from the continent global resonance, and also deliver it with familiarity and understanding. We are looking forward to seeing Victoria embody that by bringing her perspectives to life," said Jamie.

READ ALSO: Funeral service turns chaotic after sister of deceased accuses widow of having an affair

In other news, Rubadiri brought the internet to a standstill after sharing a throwback photo posing with her parents.

The mother of one captioned the photo with a sweet message: "My blood".

She was clad in a flowery dress as she held her dad's hand with her tiny one.

Her mom was dressed in a long kitenge dress while her dad rocked a simple official outfit.

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.

My children are not a curse - Judy Kemuma | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - In less than 24 hours on the ground, Israels first-of-its-kind delegation to the United Arab Emirates received a royal welcome that would have been nearly unthinkable just a few weeks ago.

Dozens of Israeli officials and their accompanying travelling press corps got a dizzying taste of Abu Dhabis glamorous hotels, historic landmarks and scorching climate. The Emirati charm offensive was on full display as the hosts literally pulled out the red carpet at the airport as they sought to convey a new spirit of friendship following the historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two countries.

Emirati diplomats in their traditional white garb warmly greeted their Israeli counterparts, some wearing Jewish skullcaps, as they hammered out the initial details of agreements on a range of issues, including diplomacy, trade, science, technology and co-operation in countering the coronavirus pandemic.

It is a message of coexistence. It is a message of togetherness and tolerance in the region, said Jamal Al Musharakh, a senior Emirati Foreign Ministry official, in a briefing with the visiting reporters Tuesday. There are too many conflicts in the region and its high time to look forward to sustainable ways forward and hope for the future.

The overnight visit, after the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight between Israel and the UAE, marked the apex of an accelerating warming relationship that had been mostly clandestine before the surprise Aug. 13 White House announcement establishing Israeli-Emirati ties. Since then, telephone lines were quickly connected between the countries, the UAEs ruler issued a decree formally ending the countrys decades-long boycott of Israel and several Israeli companies signed business deals with Emirati counterparts.

For the travelling journalists from Israel in tow, the visit offered a crash course in Emirati culture and hospitality and a brief window into a nation that had long been mysterious and inaccessible to Israeli citizens. The hosts arranged a private tour of the sparkling Louvre Abu Dhabi museum, with a guide highlighting its Jewish-themed artifacts. Official photographers captured images of the Israeli visitors that were later shared online.

A model was put on display of the future Abrahamic Family House, a massive multi-faith complex under construction set to open by 2022. It aims to house a mosque, a church and a synagogue, and is being touted as the most expensive Jewish house of worship ever built.

A lavish, multi-course dinner with an assortment of local dishes followed, with senior Emirati government officials sharing insight and anecdotes about their country, government and personal lives. Kosher food was provided to the observant Jews, as well as a ritual hand-washing station.

On Tuesday, representatives of the international media visited the Al Dhafra air base, where 5,000 American troops are stationed, to highlight the close Emirati-American military alliance. The Israeli journalists were taken to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and to a cultural centre, with a nod toward potential future Israeli tourists. Cheery government minders handed out souvenirs and UAE-themed trinkets.

Even so, it was a tightly controlled visit, with the Emiratis insisting almost all exchanges be kept off-record.

Only before departure, with an Israeli flag flapping on the Abu Dhabi Airport tarmac below, did Al Musharakh, the senior Foreign Ministry official, express himself publicly. He said the UAE remained committed to solidarity with the Palestinians yet felt compelled to move ahead nonetheless with Israel.

While the Palestinians say they feel betrayed, the UAE has touted the deal as a tool to force Israel into halting its contentious plan to annex parts of the West Bank sought by the Palestinians for a future state. It is also expected to help them acquire advanced U.S. weapons systems that have been previously unattainable, such as the F-35 fighter jet. Israel currently is the only country in the region to fly the stealth warplane.

Israels archrival Iran has also come down hard on the UAE. On Tuesday, Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called the recognition of Israel treason that will not last for long.

But the Emirati diplomat said such thinking was a thing of the past. He said relations with Israel culminate a national narrative of forward-looking thinking that renounces extremism and violence. He described the local atmosphere in two words: historic and hopeful.

The path to peace and prosperity is not paved in incitement and hate speech, he said, referring to Iran. It is through partnership and co-operation.

____

Follow Aron Heller on Twitter at www.twitter.com/aronhellerap
OSLO: The Norwegian parliament suffered a cyber attack during the past week and the e-mail accounts of several elected members as well as employees were hacked, the national assembly and a counter-intelligence agency said on Tuesday.

This has been a significant attack," said Marianne Andreassen, the parliaments non-elected chief administrator.

A limited number" of lawmakers and employees were impacted, and have been informed, Andreassen told a news conference, although she declined to say how many.

It was not known who was behind the attack or exactly what data had been extracted, she added.

Several members and staff of Norways main opposition Labour Party were affected, a party spokesman told public broadcaster NRK.

The Norwegian National Security Authority (NSA) assisted in countering the attack. We have been involved for a few days," NSA spokesman Trond Oevstedal said. We are assisting parliament with analysis and technical assistance."

Efforts to halt the attack had an immediate effect", said Andreassen.
President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the Ministry of Health to publish details of all procurements related to Covid-19 particularly those undertaken by the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA).

The President said the publication of procurement information including winners of tenders is an act of transparency and an anti-corruption measure that should be adopted by all public entities.

I also hereby direct that the Ministry of Health, within the next 30 days, must come up with a transparent, open method and mechanism through which all tenders and procurement done by KEMSA are available online, the President ordered.

This level of transparency and through the use of technology, will go a very along way in ensuring that we have the confidence of our people that those placed in institutions are able to manage the resources of the Kenyan taxpayer plus our development partners in an open and transparent manner, he added.

The President spoke Monday afternoon at State House, Nairobi during the closing session of the virtual Covid-19 conference on building pandemic response resilience by county governments organised by the Council of Governors.

The Head of State further directed the Ministry of Health to prioritise mental health services saying it was becoming a serious challenge facing a growing number of Kenyans especially the youth.

I do hereby direct the Ministry of Health to begin working on an action plan (on mental health) that they can present to us when we have a national conference on Covid-19, the President directed Health CS Mutahi Kagwe.

He said a national conference will be held to review Kenyas response to the health crisis and develop the countrys post-Covid-19 action plan.

The Head of State attributed the decline in cases of waterborne diseases in the country in recent months to hygiene protocols instituted to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

He said the Covid-19 containment protocols such as regular handwashing should be the new normal in Kenya.

Governors you will agree with me that as a result of some of the measures that we have taken during this particular Covid pandemic, we have seen a massive decline in waterborne diseases, the President said.

Once again, the President emphasized on the need to prioritize preventive healthcare as the country rolls out Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Deputy President Dr William Ruto who also addressed the closing session reiterated the Presidents message on preventive healthcare saying Covid-19 had made the case for having prevention at the core of the countys UHC.

Dr Ruto said Covid-19 had brought to the fore Kenyas manufacturing potential as seen through the PPEs produced by local entities and thanked the President for consolidating national efforts in the fight against the killer virus.

By Pscu
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:07:27|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Tuesday detained at least 11 suspected members of the Islamic State (IS) in simultaneous operations in several provinces across the country, local media reported.

The operations came after Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced that a senior member of the extremist group was arrested in the southern province of Adana, according to the Ihlas news agency.

The suspects were believed to have links to the senior member, who was later identified as Mahmut Ozden, Ihlas said.

"Daesh's so-called Turkey emir was captured and remanded in custody with important plans," Soylu had tweeted earlier in the day, using the Arabic acronym for the IS.

Speaking to reporters later, Soylu said Ozden received continuous orders from Syria and Iraq and was also asked to organize some protests in Turkey by creating groups of 10 to 12 people.

The minister said operations are continuing to catch other suspects.

Counter-terrorism units have recently intensified their raids against IS members in Turkey, and last week they arrested one suspect in Istanbul who was planning to carry out a sensational terror attack in the city.

The IS was blamed for a spate of deadly attacks over the years in Turkey, in which more than 300 people were killed. Enditem
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary, Candidate for Ablekuma South Constituency Mr Bernard Nii Anyaa Brown has assured that victory awaits him in the upcoming 2020 elections slated for 7th December with the call on the electorates to vote massively for him and the ruling NPP flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to finish its flagship programmes and projects across the country.

According to him, the constituency will witness tremendous growth and developments when NPP captures the seat from NDC saying the constituents have observed the phase lift given to old market, the construction of ultra-modern Astroturf for sporting activities and other social events and the construction of a bridge on the Chemuu Lagoon by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Coastal Development Authority, Jerry Armed Shaibu.

Mr Bernard Nii Anyaa Brown gave the assurance during the inauguration of campaign committee geared towards winning the Ablekuma seat under the theme, Victory 2020, Repositioning to Recapture at Neighbourhood Centre in Mamprobi an Accra suburb.

NPP has been bridging the gap of results very closely and this time around we will overtake the NDC with a huge margin of votes to show the NDC candidate of the constituency of his incompetent level, he said.

He however commended the hardworking CEO of the Coastal Development Authority Mr Jerry Armed for his vision in bringing development to the people which have been the hallmark of the ruling NPP government.

Inaugurating the campaign committee, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Korle Klottey charged committee members to embark on house to house campaign and spread the message of the vision of the ruling government.

The General Secretary of the NPP Mr John Boadu advised the NPP Presidential candidate to forge closer working with Nii Bii Ayi Bonte, former Member of Parliament for Odododioodo Constituency to strategize and capture the seat from the NDC and as part of the resources to enhance the activities of the campaign, the office of the General Secretary donated a 4 pickup vehicle to the candidate to facilitate his works in the constituency.

He advised the NPP parliamentary candidate to focus on the working relations with the electoral areas campaign team as well and fervently to put in place comprehensive measures to win the hearts of the electorates in their house to house campaign saying that the gesture will lead them to victory.

Director of Operations at the Office of the President, Mr Lord Commey urged the campaign team to design a roadmap for the 2020 election and said he will personally get himself in the campaign drive for the candidate to capture the seat from the NDC.

According to him, world leaders have commended the good works of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo of his prudent initiatives in transforming the country through the massive socio-economic infrastructure and especially the free Senior High School programme.

He urged all party faithfuls to deeply get involved in the campaign to retain the NPP in power and vote massively for Nii Bernard Anyaa Brown as the MP for Ablekuma South.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Coastal Development Authority, Mr Jerry Armed called on party members to work as a united force and be transparent in the message to the electorates devoid of insults and spread the slogan 4 more 4 Nana.

Former Member of Parliament for Odododioodo, Nii Bii Ayi Bonte called on the party members to spread the message of the ruling NPP government to continue with its infrastructure developments across the country and urged them to vote massively for the energetic and dynamic Bernard Nii Anyaa Brown for Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday granted 10 years to telecom firms such as Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices for paying the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR)-related dues to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).

However the payment of the dues over the extended time comes with certain conditions.

What is Adjusted Gross Revenue?

Telecom operators are required to pay licence fee and spectrum charges in the form of revenue share to the Centre. The revenue amount used to calculate this share is termed as Adjusted Gross Revenue.

What is the calculation point of the AGR?

As per the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the AGR calculations should incorporate all revenues earned by a telecom company. This also includes revenues earned from non-telecom sources such as deposit interests and sale of assets. However, the telecom companies have challenged this and said that it should include only revenue earned through telecom services.

Here are 10 points to understand the issue

The bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra delivered its verdict on the issues, including the time line for staggered payment of AGR-related dues amounting to about Rs 1.6 lakh crore.

The apex court asked telcos to pay 10 per cent of the AGR-related dues by March 31, 2021.

The bench held that the demand made by the DoT and the verdict delivered by the top court in the matter are final.

The bench asked the Managing Directors (MDs) or Chief Executive Officer (CEOs) of the telcos concerned to furnish undertaking or personal guarantee within four weeks for payment of dues.

Failure to pay the instalments of the dues would incur penalty, interest and contempt of court, the bench cautioned the telecom firms.

While pronouncing the verdict, the bench said that till the last instalment is paid by the telcos, their bank guarantees furnished to the DoT would be kept alive.

Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel had previously asked the court for 15 years to settle their fees.

The SC ruling means that the telecom companies will have until 2031 to clear their dues, after they have now missed the original January deadline. The telecom operators will have to pay the DoT nearly 3-5% of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) in usage charges for airwaves and 8% of AGR as licence fees.

Telcos have long disputed the definition of AGR but last year the Supreme Court upheld the DoT`s view the AGR should include all revenue.

The Supreme Court decision may come as a big respite for heavily indebted Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, whose business have lately been hit by fierce competition.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:15:21|Editor: huaxia

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MADRID, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Spain registered a 75-percent year-on-year (YoY) drop in the number of foreign tourist arrivals in July, the country's Statistical Office (INE) said on Tuesday.

The INE's monthly report highlights the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on one of the key sectors of the Spanish economy.

Some 2.5 million foreign tourists visited Spain this July (compared to 9,873,000 in July 2019). While they spent slightly more time in Spain (8.1 days on average) than a year ago, their average spending fell. According to the INE report, Spain's tourism revenues declined by 79.48 percent compared to July 2019.

In the first seven months of 2020, tourists spent a total of 14.291 million euros (17.09 million U.S. dollars) in Spain, 72.6 percent less than in the same period in 2019, and the total number of visitors fell from almost 48 million in 2019 to 13.34 million this year.

Tourism contributes 12 percent to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and this sector is responsible for 11 percent of employment.

The largest number of foreign tourists (597,244) visiting Spain in July came from France. This figure was 58.4 percent lower than that registered in the same month of 2019. There were also 432,302 Germans (65.2 percent down on last year) and 377,886 tourists from Britain.

Britain is normally the biggest source market for Spain, but the decision by the British government to impose a 14-day quarantine on citizens returning from Spain after July 26 has resulted in many cancellations or early returns. Hardly any British tourists traveled to Spain in August, the INE said. Enditem
An American flag flies in front of a department of corrections building after it was set ablaze during a second night of rioting in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 24, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The Year Zero

Commentary

Herbert Marcuse and Frantz Fanon are not exactly household names. In fact, most of us have never heard of them. However, theyre names familiar to the more sophisticated of the Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM) organizers now orchestrating the riots in cities like Portland, Oregon and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Now that he has finally denounced street violence, presidential candidate Joe Biden wonders why the organized violence on the streets of Democrat run cities doesnt suddenly stop. But to the radical Antifa and BLM organizers, the violence makes perfect sense. In fact, in their minds the mere existence of police is proof of fascism. They truly believeinspired by the words of the likes of Marcuse and Fanonthat its their duty to deconstruct the institution of the police, as its their duty to deconstruct capitalism, and all Enlightenment institutions, including the nuclear family.

This is the critical social justice theory thats helping to drive the violence on the streets today. The true believers within that committed group fervently believe that assaulting police, setting fire to vehicles and buildings, and verbally assaulting innocent passers-by makes sense. They believe theyre a force for good, and that anyone who opposes them is a reactionary who must be overcome. These people are not influenced by anything Joe Biden says to them, or doesnt say to them. Theyre on a mission. The truth is that the political contest between the Democrats and Republicans is quite irrelevant to them. Theyre after revolution.

And they truly believe that theyre the good guys. In their intersectional worldwhere theres a clear line between oppressors and oppressedtheyre on the side of good, as they pillage and burn. When they yell in the ears of elderly people, as they did recently to those people leaving the Republican National Convention, or as they demand that people put their fists in the air in solidarity with BLM, theyre convinced that theyre fighting the good fight against fascism, colonialism, and all the isms they dont like. Only their ism counts.

Their critical social justice mindset tells them that other people are responsible for all the bad things in the world, and that theyre the good guys who are justified in forcing other people to accept their plans to make everything right. The system isnt fair, and its their job to make it fairby force, if necessary. Thats what they have been taughtand thats what they believe.

So the violence continues, and will do so until someone forces these people to stop. This is not to say that most of the people protesting in the streets are radical anarchists. In fact, the vast majority of the people are normal, well-meaning people who would not agree with most of what the Antifa or BLM radicals fervently believe in. But its clear how much damage a small but determined group of loosely organized zealots can do when theyre allowed to blend in with the peaceful majority. And the truly bizarre coincidence that masksnormally forbiddenare mandatory during these COVID-19 times, makes it that much easier for these true believers to cause mayhem.

So, where does this radical philosophy come from? How could such dangerous nonsense seep into the minds of young people? Does it come from Russia? China? Iran? Actually, no. You can find it taught by true believer professors and instructors at almost every institution of learning in the United States. Universities have been basically overrun by studies courses, such as gender, race, fat, queer, LGBQXYZ, and on and on. These studies become so extreme that ideas such as decolonizing grammar or 2+2 only equals 4 to some people are taken seriously.

They all have in common the idea that all Western Enlightenment thought is racist and misogynistic. In every case, the student is the good guy who must right all the wrongs of a systemically racist and truly awful society. In short, these studies courses are largely based on nonsense. The universitiesat least the social science facultieshave basically been taken over by this dangerous stuff. And now its playing out on the streets.

Using the Protests

The death of George Floyd unleashed powerful forces that are now exploding on the streets of America. The pandemic lockdown probably made things a lot worse than they otherwise would have been. The true believers within Antifa and BLM were waiting for just such an opportunity.

Antifa is a committed anarchist group. Although loosely organized, every Antifa member is committed to what he or she would call anti-fascism, but what ordinary citizens would call anarchy. BLM differs in that most of the people supporting BLM are not anarchists by any means. In fact, the great majority of BLM supporters are good people who simply want equal respect and protection for black people.

However, the most radical elements within BLM are simpatico with Antifa aims. A look at the BLM website shows that the organizers are trained Marxists, committed to deconstructing capitalism, the nuclear family, and all existing Enlightenment institutionswhich means everything. They are true radicals, and violent revolution is their aim.

But the Democrats thought they could benefit from these radical forces to win the November election. How they used the street violence in their battle with Donald Trump turned a bad situation into something truly dangerous. It must be remembered now that for months Democrat politicians refused to denounce Antifa violence by name. And now they seem powerless to stop it. Portland is the worst example, but many other Democrat-controlled cities are suffering as well. Murder rates are spiking in cities like Chicago, New York, Baltimore, and Los Angeles that are seeing the madness of defunding the police at a time when police protection has never been so important.

The insane defund the police and similar radical policies called for by the Antifa and BLM zealots are resulting in havoc on a huge scale. The victims in almost every case are the same poor, black people who are supposedly the people BLM represents.

So Joe Biden stares uncomprehendingly into the camera, wondering why his late-stage, tepid denunciation of violence isnt having any effect.

Clearly, the overwhelming majority of Democrats do not accept the extreme critical social justice and race theories that are driving this violence. However, they have allowed the extremists to take control of the agenda.

Divisive notions such as systemic racism and completely bogus documents, such as the 1619 Project, are meekly accepted without discussion. Completely non-scientific claims like a man becomes a woman by saying he is a woman are allowed to become dogma, in spite of the fact that theyre nonsense. Claims that America is a horrid place, and all of its institutions must be burned to the ground, are listened to with no argument.

Year Zero

The year zero was what Pol Pot, the truly crazy Cambodian radical who killed half his country, called what he was after during their revolution justice. It was his version of social justice critical theory. All vestiges of the past would be destroyed, and only then would the wonderful world he had in mind for the Cambodian people be in evidence. One can visit the small mountain of skulls that are all thats left of his imagined Cambodian paradise.

Other such revolutions ended the same way, with a mountain of skulls. Maos Cultural Revolution and the French Revolution are the two best known examples. Cultural warriors knew what was right for everyoneor else.

Antifa and BLM violence are building their own pile of skulls. The true believers in their midst are determined to use the current violence and unrest to reshape the world to their liking.

The tragedy is that this madness could easily have been nipped in the bud. After the George Floyd incident the Democrats could have denounced the very obvious Antifa and BLM radicalism that immediately became evident in the streets. Instead, they tried to ride the whirlwind for their own electoral advantage. They insisted against all the evidence that what was occurring were mainly peaceful protests. The Antifa and BLM radicals knew better. What they were after was revolution.

And now the Democrats weak attempt to blame the violence on Donald Trumps America is seen by the American people for the lie that it is. The fact that the violence is occurring in Democrat-run cities is not an accident, its by design. Its a Democrat plan that has gone terribly wrong.

Its the Democrats year zero.

Brian Giesbrecht is a retired judge and a senior fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Seoul, Sep 1 : Samsung has announced that the second production line at its Pyeongtaek plant in South Korea has commenced the mass production of the industrys first 16Gb LPDDR5 DRAM for mobile devices, using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology.

"The 1z-based 16GB LPDDR5 elevates the industry to a new threshold, overcoming a major developmental hurdle in DRAM scaling at advanced nodes. We will continue to expand our premium DRAM lineup and exceed customer demands, as we lead in growing the overall memory market," Jung-bae Lee, executive vice president of DRAM Product and Technology, Samsung Electronics, said in a statement.

The company claims that its new LPDDR5 DRAM chips boast the highest mobile memory capacity and performance.

Samsung's 16Gb LPDDR5 DRAM chips are 16 per cent faster than 12Gb chips, thanks to their data transfer rates of 6,400MB per second.

The 16GB packages made using 16Gb LPDDR5 chips can transfer 51.2GB of data in one second.

The LPDDR5 package is 30 per cent thinner than its predecessor.

The company will try to strengthen its presence in 2021 flagship phones with its new manufacturing process.

Samsung is also planning to bring LPDDR5 DRAM chips for automotive applications, offering extended temperature range and reliability standards for tough environments.
New Delhi: The last rites of former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee will be conducted on Tuesday (September 1) and his body will be laid in state at his official residence 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi where people will be allowed to pay their last homage following the COVID-19 guidelines.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence, the wreath-laying has been scheduled in three phases that is the official dignitaries can pay homage from 9:15 am to 10:15 am, other dignitaries can visit after 10:15 am to 11 am and an hour`s time is kept for the general public from 11 am to 12 noon.

Also Read: Pranab Mukherjee: A statesman who was loved by all

The MoD note also mentioned that owing to the COVID-19 related protocols, the mortal remains of the late President will proceed in hearse van instead of the normal gun carriage.

All protocols/guidelines in regard to COVID-19 preventive measures will be followed, according to the Ministry.

Mukherjee passed away on Monday at the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) Hospital where he was admitted earlier this month and had undergone surgery for the removal of a clot in his brain. He was 84. He was admitted to the Army Hospital in Delhi on August 10 and had also tested positive for COVID-19.

The Centre declared a seven-day state mourning period that is from August 31 to September 6 as a tribute to former President Pranab Mukherjee.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that the 2020-2021 school year will be delayed until Monday, Sept. 21 for remote and blended learners, with three days of an instructional orientation beginning remotely on Sept. 16.

Students were initially expected to return to school buildings for in-person blended learning on Thursday, Sept. 10, which will now be delayed to allow time for educators to get ready for the new school year.

From Sept. 16-18, there will be three days of a remote instructional orientation period for all students. It will allow students to reconnect to their school community, learn the health and safety procedures, check technical connectivity, and have wellness checks with their teachers and guidance staff.

The school year will begin on Monday, Sept. 21, for all blended learning and full-time remote learners. School buildings will open on Sept. 21 for students who chose blended learning -- allowing for limited in-person instruction in classrooms.

Teachers will be able to return to buildings on Sept. 8, with professional development and any additional training running through Sept. 15. Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza said teachers who usually get two days of professional development will now get nine days.

It will also allow the city Department of Education (DOE) to make sure students are ready to return to school, depending on the learning model they chose.

Students who havent been inside a school building for half a calendar year will have a chance to reconnect with their school, meet their teaches and classmates and make sure they have the tools they need to be successful for this school year, Carranza said. Theres a lot of groundwork to lay the work for this school year.

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

The mayor explained that the delay was made following concerns from labor unions like the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and the Council of Supervisors and Administrators (CSA) that teachers and principals did not have enough time to prepare for the health, safety and instructional challenges for the unprecedented school year.

What weve agreed to is to make sure that the health measures are in place, to make sure there is time for the appropriate preparation for our educators, to make sure that we can have the smoothest beginning of the school year even under extraordinarily challenging conditions, de Blasio said.

The city will not reopen schools if the citywide infection rate exceeds 3% under a seven-day rolling average. If new coronavirus cases surpass the 3% threshold using a seven-day rolling average, all schools in New York City will need to close.

RANDOM COVID-19 TESTING

There will also be a monthly medical monitoring program in place beginning Oct. 1, which involves mandatory monthly random testing of the coronavirus for students and staff, the mayor said.

Every school is doing this testing monthly, de Blasio said. It is random. I want to be clear about that so its a mix of members of the school community will be tested every month. Every union is going to work out their specific approach to it.

Dr. Jay Varma, the mayors senior advisor for public health, explained that diagnostic testing will be performed in the schools with results received immediately for the school to act on. The size of the sample -- - between 10% and 20% -- will depend on the population of schools, Varma said.

It will be a self-swab test, not the long Q-tip that is inserted far into the nasal cavity, de Blasio said.

Random testing will also require parental consent. If parental consent isnt obtained for a student who has been selected randomly for testing, the student will be moved to the remote learning cohort, according to the UFT. Any staff who elect not to participate in random testing will placed on unpaid leave, the UFT stated.

Michael Mulgrew, UFT president, explained that there is still much work to be done to prepare students and staff to return to school buildings.

We now can say New York Citys public school system has the most aggressive policies and greatest safeguards of any school system in the United States of America, he said.

The medical monitoring program is going a step further to make sure students and staff are in a healthy environment.

...That were in there as quick as possible in stopping it very quickly because thats what we owe in each and all of our school communities, Mulgrew said.

Mulgrew, and CSA President Mark Cannizzaro CSA president said any schools that need additional help will get the support they need.

With so much to care for, theres always a need for more time in order to plan things effectively and appropriately and although the task before us remains monumental and time will not be a luxury right now, at least there is the time to start to think about things and reflect and make sure that were able to provide the program for our students that we need and were able to do it in a safe and conducive environment, Cannizzaro said.

FINALIZING BUS CONTRACTS

When it comes to school bus transportation, de Blasio said hes working with bus companies to get ready and make adjustments to get bus routes right. Dean Fuleihan, first deputy mayor, said the city is finalizing contracts with bus companies.

Bus routes for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are being prioritized, Carranza added.

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Zendaya turned 24 years old on Monday.

And, Timothee Chalamet, 24, took to Twitter to send her a sweet birthday message calling the actress 'one of the most inspiring people' he's ever met.

Chalamet and Zendaya are set to star together in the upcoming remake of the science fiction epic Dune.

Birthday girl: Zendaya turned 24 years old on Monday and, Timothee Chalamet took to Twitter to send her a sweet birthday message calling the actress 'one of the most inspiring people' he's ever met

'Happy birthday to one of the most inspiring people I've met on my short journey,' Timothee penned.

The Call Me By Your Name actor continued: 'Someone with the strongest ethical character, and a moral compass that is in harmony with a totally fearless creative abandon. happy birthday @Zendaya, hope your day is beautiful, friend.'

Within hours of posting his affectionate birthday message, the tweet had been shared nearly 20 thousand times and liked nearly 200 thousand times and counting.

This winter, the young Hollywood actors are set to star in a remake of the 1984 David Lynch directed sci-fi film Dune.

Loving it! Fans were here for the love-fest between friends and within hours of posting his affectionate birthday message, the tweet had been shared nearly 20 thousand times and liked nearly 200 thousand times and counting

Wishes from Bey: Beyonce posted a baby photo of the actress writing 'Happy Birthday Zendaya'

The film features an all-star ensemble cast in addition to Zendaya and Timothee including, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem.

Both the 1984 and 2020 films were based on a novel of the same name written by Frank Herbert in 1965. The book also spawned a mini series in 2000.

Dune follows Chalamet's Atreides and his family as they embark on a trip to desert mining planet Arrakis to oversee the extraction of melange, the most valuable substance in the universe.

A royal decree awards Arrakis to Duke Leto Atreides and ousts his bitter enemies, the Harkonnens.

Iconic: Zendaya and Timothee are part of an all-star ensemble cast for the remake of Dune alongside Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem

Plot: Dune follows Chalamet's Atreides and his family as they embark on a trip to desert mining planet Arrakis to oversee the extraction of melange, the most valuable substance in the universe

However, when the Harkonnens violently seize back their fiefdom, it is up to Paul, Leto's son, to lead the Fremen, the natives of Arrakis, in a battle for control of the planet and its spice.

The official trailer of the much-hyped film is set for an early September release and the motion picture will hit theaters on December 18.

Zendaya, meanwhile, has been working on season two of her dark HBO teen drama Euphoria. Production on season two was scuppered due to the coronavirus.

The birthday girl did give anxious fans a glimmer of hope for new episodes back in August when she told told Jimmy Kimmel Live guest host Ben Platt that a possible 'bridge episode' is in the pipeline.

Highly anticipated: The official trailer of the much-hyped film is set for an early September release and the motion picture will hit theaters on December 18

'We're trying to figure out how to eventually be able to create a season two that we're all really proud of and get all the best out of it that we want but also still being very safe,' she explained.

'So, we might end up doing a little bridge episode. I don't really know how to describe it, but an episode that we can do with a limited amount of people in a safer environment that can, I don't know, give people something.'

She went on to say that season two of the series had been shut down because of the pandemic just two days before they had been scheduled to begin shooting.

The critically acclaimed series earned Zendaya her first Emmy nod for her starring role as teenage drug addict, Rue.
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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 18:21 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c420165e 1 National mk-law,constitutional-court-law-amendment,house-of-representatives,Gerindra-Party Free

The House of Representatives passed a revision of the Constitutional Court Law on Tuesday amid criticism from activists and experts over a potential conflict of interest that is feared will undermine the courts impartiality.

All political party factions at the House agreed during a plenary session to pass the bill, initially proposed by the Gerindra Party, into law.

Do you agree to pass the revision to Law No. 24/2003 on the Constitutional Court into law?" House deputy speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad of the Gerindra Party said.

The lawmakers responded with agreement without any objections.

The new revised law raises the minimum age for justices from 47 to 55 and increases the maximum term to 15 years from five years previously. It also allows justices to hold their position until the age of 70 years, 10 years longer than the previous regulation.

The Center for Indonesian Law and Policy Studies (PSHK) criticized the revision, arguing it would only benefit current constitutional justices.

PSHK researcher Agil Oktaryal alleged the revision was a gift to the current judges.

"This is a gift for them and it could result in a conflict of interest because the House and the government did [the revision] it for them," Agil said on Tuesday.

He added that the 15-year term was too long, especially in Indonesia where public trust in judicial institutions was low.

Agil noted that the extension of the term in office would present problems if there was not a proper monitoring system for the judges, citing concerns over corruption.

This will be dangerous. The extended term has not been followed by a better design for supervision of the Constitutional Court. The longer [someone holds] power, the greater the possibility of corruption, he added.

Besides the PSHK, other civil groups have voiced suspicion the revision was a "political swap", as many controversial pieces of legislation were currently being challenged at the court, such as the State Spending and Financial Relief Law, the Mining Law, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law and the omnibus bill on job creation.
The flatness of the southern bank of Pangong Tso, compared to the north, makes it all the more militarily important to both India and China

Xi Jinping's smile is a conundrum: It could express the calmness of a situation or indicate an impending storm. A few hours after the Chinese president  with his usual calm smiling countenance  delivered a stern message at the two-day seventh Central Symposium on Tibet Work, in Beijing, on Saturday by emphasising "it is necessary to extensively mobilise the masses [Tibetans] to participate in the struggle against separatism and form an impregnable wall for maintaining stability", the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) intruded into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) south of Pangong Lake.

In a statement issued on Monday, the army confirmed the PLA intrusion: "On the night of 29/30 August, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing stand-off in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo." Although army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand said that the army thwarted "Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground", conflicting reports have been emanating regarding the nature of the incident.

The army neither elaborated the exact areas of intrusion by the PLAGF nor the way it repelled the Chinese troops. However, it appears from a closer reading of the situation that the PLA has occupied a mountain called Helmet Top and a nearby feature called 'Black Top'.

The Indian response was undoubtedly quick and swift, but the latest PLA aggression is a natural corollary to the intelligence failure regarding Chinese intentions following the aggressive posturing along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in April-end; the government's denial about PLA incursions in the following months with prime minister asserting not an inch of India's land had been occupied; and the disengagement talks with Beijing, which resulted in India losing further territory with the creation of buffer zones at the points of ingress.

China's main objective is to shift the LAC westwards and the Saturday night incursion is another attempt to achieve it after the May-June transgressions. The PLA has been continuously nibbling away at Indian territory along the LAC for years. The more China shifts the LAC to the west, the easier it becomes to target Leh.

Occupying the southern bank of Pangong Lake has a very strategic and military significance for China. The area provides access to Ladakh and the important mountain pass on the south-eastern approach to Chushul Valley, called Rezang La. The mountain pass, with an average height of 16,000 feet, was the site of the famous battle between 120 daredevils of Charlie Company of 13 Kumaon, led by Major Shaitan Singh, PVC, and thousands of PLA troops on 18 November, 1962.

The flatness of the southern bank of Pangong Tso, compared to the north, makes it all the more militarily important to both India and China. Beijing had already deployed more troops on the southern bank. Any further capture of land and deployment of PLA troops would prove to be extremely dangerous for India with China being able to target the strategically significant DarbukShyokDaulat Beg Oldi Road, and Chushul, which was the flashpoint of Chinese offensive in 1962.

The occupation of Fingers 4-8  mountains jutting into the lake  in the northern bank by the PLA and the further occupation of Indian territory in the southern bank would give a tactical military advantage to Beijing, in case, of any large-scale confrontation with New Delhi.

Another Chinese objective in occupying Indian territory in the southern bank of the lake is a gap west of Spangur Lake, which is to the west of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Like the Fingers, there are broken mountains that jut to the south of this lake with a nearly two-kilometre-wide gap knows as Spangur Gap, which joins the Chushul plateau. The PLA had established a camp in Spangur area in 1959 and overcame four Indian posts in November 1962, according to the book India's Quest for Security: Defence Policies, 1947-1965, written by Lorne J Kavic.

Currently, the government has no option to reclaim the territory lost to China in May and June; it has suffered a serious setback in the perception war it waged through the media. The PLA had never agreed to withdraw from Pangong Tso and Depsang Plains despite repeated government claims of mutually agreeable points and consensus reached at the commander-level talks  the Saturday night Chinese intrusion into the southern bank of the lake clearly proves it.

The only option left for India is to occupy the strategic heights on its side of the LAC before China attempts further transgressions. Before the Ladakh crisis jolted the government, the Army had been merely patrolling the LAC for years. Now, New Delhi needs a comprehensive joint strategy between all the wings of the armed forces, in case, of a massive confrontation with China, and occupation of strategic areas from where the PLA could attempt incursions.

The Chinese Western Theatre Command, which oversees the Tibet Military Command, has been battle-ready for years with the sole aim of countering India. Around 200,000 PLA troops in TAR are completely acclimatised to the freezing temperatures and have sufficient food and water to last them during a war with India. The PLAGF and the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) have been conducting drills in synergy in TAR for the last several years. According to Chinese military experts, the drills show how the PLA has synergised the PLAGF and the PLAAF and can rush in troops from other Commands during war.

Another challenge for India are the PLA Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) and PLA Rocket Force (PLARF). The PLASSF, the cyber, space and electromagnetic warfare branch, was established by Xi during the first wave of military reforms in 2015. India lacks such an integrated force than can paralyse our banks, government institutes, power and communication grids, military command-and-control centres and destroy Indian satellites.

The PLARF is considered the most lethal missile force in the world. According to United States Indo-Pacific Commands former Commander Admiral Harry Harris, China has the largest and the most diverse arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles.

Any large-scale military confrontation with China will be India's mistake, home as it is to the third-largest number of COVID-19 cases and the largest daily spike in new infections in the world, and a ravaged economy. India's only option for the moment is to hold onto its areas along the LAC.

As Xi once said, "We do not want to introduce trouble, but we are not afraid to get involved in trouble." India should aim to not let China introduce trouble because it cannot afford to get involved in trouble.

Views expressed are personal
Gov. Gavin Newsoms new color-coded plan for reopening California is stubborn, stringent and slow, by his own account. Its an improvement on his attempt in the spring, which allowed counties to rapidly resume commerce and brought about an entirely predictable surge of infections that has only recently begun to abate. Newsoms renewed emphasis on caution is also in contrast with the White House, which appears to be drifting toward a so-called herd immunity strategy that amounts to letting the virus run amok.

And yet the state and federal responses to the pandemic still share a key weakness in testing. Soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed guidelines to discourage testing of asymptomatic individuals, who are thought to be crucial to the coronavirus spread, Newsoms revised reopening downplayed testing and tracing benchmarks. And while the governor announced a deal to dramatically improve the states testing rates, some activities will resume before the added capacity is in place.

Californias new system allows nonessential indoor commerce to resume once counties reduce cases as a share of population and tests administered. It imposes a minimum three-week stay at each tier, which should prevent officials from easing restrictions further before they have had time to evaluate the effects of earlier loosening, as happened in May and June.

Because most of the Bay Area is classified as experiencing widespread transmission, the highest tier, the new system will have limited effects in the short-term for most of the region. San Francisco and Napa County, however, are classified as areas of substantial spread, the second-highest, allowing more indoor business at limited capacity, as well as school instruction, though city officials are exercising appropriate caution about proceeding. With little explanation, the governor also cleared the way for salons and barbershops to reopen subject to restrictions statewide.

Even at a deliberate pace, reopening indoor activities at current levels of transmission, which are generally higher than they were for the first reopening, is likely to lead to more outbreaks. Containing those infections will require testing, tracing and isolation, none of which are explicitly considered under the states new regime.

California is still struggling with insufficient testing and excessive delays in returning results. While the new testing contract is expected to address that, it isnt expected to begin making a difference until November or to be fully implemented until March.

The federal retreat from testing comes amid signs of renewed interest within the Trump administration in the goal of herd immunity, the level of infection necessary to protect the entire population. Even using the most optimistic estimates of the necessary spread and fatality rate, that would mean hundreds of thousands more deaths; at the middle ranges, it would mean 2 million.

Such figures reinforce the point that without a vaccine, ready and rapid detection of the virus remains essential to any resumption of normalcy.

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.
New laws giving the Home Affairs Minister the power to strip Australian terrorists of their citizenship could be passed before the end of the week under a deal between Labor and the Morrison government.

The powerful Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security handed down its report into the proposed laws on Tuesday afternoon, making one recommendation that the government will accept, paving the way for the bill to pass parliament before the end of the week.

Australians who fought for terrorist groups like Islamic State can be stripped of their citizenship.

Laws passed in 2015 mean that any dual citizen automatically loses their citizenship if they engage in terrorism-related conduct while overseas. They can also lose their citizenship if they have been convicted of a terrorism-related crime and receive a jail sentence of at least six years.

Under the changes, the automatic citizenship loss will be removed. Instead the Home Affairs Minister will be given the power strip citizenship if they are "satisfied" the person would not be made stateless. The threshold that they be jailed for at least six years would also be lowered to three years.
Mariah Carey has addressed an "uncomfortable" moment during a 2008 interview with Ellen DeGeneres when she felt pressured by the talk show host to reveal her pregnancy.

After claims of a toxic environment behind the scenes on the show and a formal investigation - which prompted DeGeneres to release a statement last month - a clip from a 2008 interview resurfaced on social media showing an encounter between Carey and the talk show host back in 2008.

In the clip, DeGeneres can be seen challenging Carey to drink a glass of champagne, apparently in a bid to confirm speculation over her pregnancy. Carey had suffered a miscarriage before the pregnancy and would go on to miscarry that pregnancy shortly after.

In an interview with Vulture published on Monday, Carey said she did not want to "throw" anyone under the bus, but admitted she found the interview "extremely uncomfortable."

Getty Images for iHeartMedia

I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say. And I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath. I wasnt ready to tell anyone because I had had a miscarriage. I dont want to throw anyone thats already being thrown under any proverbial bus, but I didnt enjoy that moment she said.

"[There] is empathy that can be applied to those moments that I would have liked to have been implemented. But what am I supposed to do?" she added, "Its like, [sings] What are you going to do? 

In 2010, Carey discussed pregnancy loss in an interview with Access Hollywood, when she was still married to ex-husband Nick Cannon. "It kind of shook us both and took us into a place that was really dark and difficult," she said, "When that happened I wasn't able to even talk to anybody about it. That was not easy."

They would go on to have twins, Moroccan and Monroe, in 2011.

Instagram

The controversy over alleged poor behaviour on the Ellen DeGeneres show has divided opinion. While high profile friends of DeGeneres, including Katy Perry and Ashton Kutcher, have defended her, others claim to have witnessed the 'toxic' set in action. Radio host Neil Breen was among those to speak out, calling his experience on Ellen bizarre and claiming he was told he wasnt allowed to talk to her or even look at her during her 2013 appearance on Australias Today show.

In a July note to staff released by Variety, DeGeneres addressed the controversy: 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. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case.

Three producers of The Ellen DeGeneres Show have exited amid allegations of a dysfunctional workplace / Getty Images

I could not have the success Ive had without all of your contributions. My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. Alongside Warner Bros., we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues.

It was also announced that the show would remove three of its producers.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show's executive producer Andy Lassner recently took to his Instagram account to address a "rough couple of months" on the show.

Im back. Ive been away for a little bit, dealing with  you know, some stuff. You may have read about it.

But its when we go through these things, I guess, that we learn the most about ourselves, and maybe even [experience] some growth. But to tell you it hasnt been rough would be a lie, and Ive always been honest with you. So, its been rough. But Im back.

Charity Tommy's supports those who have experienced pregnancy loss. You can talk to a Tommys midwife for free, Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm on 0800 0147 800 or email midwife@tommys.org
Delivery Hero SE, the worlds leading local delivery platform, has partnered with Mastercard to fully digitise its payment chain within its ecosystem across all the brands in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena).

By enabling secure digital payments, this will lead to superior consumer experience and financial security for consumers, riders and restaurants, spearheading growth of digital inclusion across the region and additionally drive operational efficiencies across Delivery Heros platforms.

Operating in the region with brands including talabat, Hungerstation and Zomato, the global food network will leverage Mastercards expertise as a preferred technology provider to drive digital transformation for consumers, delivery riders and restaurant partners. The initiative spans the UAE, Saudi Arabia (KSA), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt through brands including talabat, HungerStation, Zomato.

For over 20 million consumers who order food online through Delivery Heros apps, the partnership means being able to pay on delivery with a contactless solution in addition to having the option of paying through a digital wallet for their food orders.

The wallet solution will enable consumers to make secure digital payments for orders and bring in a range of additional exciting rewards and offers. The outbreak of Covid-19 has increased the importance of digital payments significantly. Within the first half year of 2020, the share of orders paid online grew by over 40% in MEA.

The partnership will see the launch of a virtual card solution, through which over 650,000 delivery riders in the region will be able to receive instant access to their earnings, through their mobile devices, providing near real-time earnings disbursements for the first time.

The riders will be able to make everyday purchases in store and online, as well as enjoy additional unprecedented access to financial services and lifestyle discounts.

Additionally, over 100,000 restaurant partners in the Mena region will be able to quickly and securely settle payments of orders through Delivery Heros regional brands. The restaurants will also be able to make supplier purchases, pay employee salaries and transfer payments.

The solution will displace the need for cash and deliver a faster and secure way to pay within their value chain. The transformation towards digital financial services also plays a crucial role in supporting local businesses and accelerating their recovery from Covid-19.

Our strategic partnership with Delivery Hero is a remarkable milestone, as we collaborate to transform numerous pillars of their ecosystem into digital. For Mastercard, this means consumers and business owners being able to pay safely and securely, delivery riders receiving access to financial services for the first time, thus driving greater financial inclusion and innovation across the region. As a trusted payments technology provider, we are committed to enabling our partners in their digital transformation journey and boosting the digital economy, said Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice-President for Market Development, MEA, Mastercard.

Orkhan Abdullayev, Vice President Fintech, Delivery Hero, said: At Delivery Hero, innovation is part of our DNA. Our Fintech team is constantly pushing industry standards to drive our ambition to deliver amazing experiences to our customers, restaurants and riders. Working alongside a strong and reliable partner like Mastercard in our Mena region ensures that we can shape the future of Fintech together. -- Tradearabia News Service
Working under the direction of the Health Ministry, his task force acts largely as a coordinator and support body for civilian authorities in four key areas: expanding the number of tests; working with labs to speed up the results; interviewing those who are infected to identify who has been in contact with them; and quickly placing those at risk into quarantine.
AMHERST  The town of Amherst is set to begin programs to monitor resident compliance on the heels of its recent order requiring people wear face coverings in the downtown area.

The town has also created a new hotline number that residents concerned about COVID-19 can dial; and a cohort of 10 college students will walk the downtown streets to monitor face mask wearing and social distancing compliance.

The phone hotline allows residents to anonymously contact town staff  instead of police  to report people including their neighbors that may not be social distancing, wearing masks, and, especially, to report groups of students having parties in back yards, he said.

During Mondays Amherst Town Council meeting, Town Manager Paul Bockelman said that built into

the roll out of the new monitoring program is an understanding it will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, especially the coming several weeks.

The idea is for the monitors  officially called Ambassadors  is to educate folks while avoiding confrontations with residents.

There are currently 16 individuals in town with COVID-19 disease. The individuals are actively monitored by the municipal health department, Bockelman told the Council Monday night.

He said that since March a total of 137 cases had been confirmed, but only 16 currently are novel coronavirus carriers.

Bockelman said the telephone hotline has received 15 complaints. The calls are answered by municipal employees.

He said once a town employee receive a call that should be referred to police, they do so, or to another town department, as appropriate.

We will learn a lot after the next week of the program, Bockelman told the Council during the Aug. 31 meeting.

Councilors voiced support for the initiative.

I really love the ambassadors program, Councilor Shalini Bahle-Milne said.

In a related matter, Bockelman said it appears the COVID-19 matter will be here for another year.

I anticipate we will be in same situation a year from now. . . even if there is a vaccine. . . we are looking at this at least for the next year, Bockelman said.

Also, in response to questions from councilor, the manager said efforts are underway to locate a day shelter for homeless, by the time cold weather arrives.

Related:
Kyle Rittenhouse, left, with backwards cap, walks along Sheridan Road in Kenosha, Wis., with another armed civilian, on Aug. 25, 2020. (Adam Rogan/The Journal Times via AP)

Trump Says Kenosha Suspect Shooter Kyle Rittenhouse Was Very Violently Attacked

President Donald Trump at a press conference late Monday weighed in when asked about Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen suspect who was arrested over the fatal shooting of two people amid riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Are you going to condemn the actions of vigilantes like Kyle Rittenhouse? Trump was asked.

Were looking at all of it, that was an interesting situation, you saw the same tape as I saw, Trump said. And he was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like [it], and he fell. And then they very violently attacked him, and it is something that were looking at right now and its under investigation.

I guess he was in very big trouble, he probably wouldve been killed, the president added. Its under investigation.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Illinois, was arrested on Aug. 26 after the deadly Wisconsin shooting that resulted in two deaths late Aug. 25.

Prosecutors in Kenosha County have charged the teen as an adult with six counts, including one count of first-degree reckless homicide and one count of first-degree homicide.

Rittenhouses lawyer has said that his client acted within his rights in self-defense. The teens extradition hearing has been delayed until Sept. 25.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Aug. 26 received support from almost 1,000 National Guard and over 200 federal law enforcement agents, including FBI and U.S. Marshals, deployed to Kenosha to help bring the violence under control. The White House told Evers that up to 2,000 National Guard troops from across the nation would be made available if he needed to request further support.

Trump will on Sept. 1 visit Kenosha, where the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake on Aug. 23 had triggered a fresh wave of protests.

A viral video appeared to show Blake being shot at close range.

Blake, who was the subject of a warrant for sexual assault, resisted arrest by Kenosha police officers before walking away from officers. He then walked to his car and was reaching inside before he was shot seven times in the back by a police officer.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice announced on Aug. 26 that Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession, and that a knife was recovered from the drivers side floorboard of his vehicle.

The arresting officers had been responding to a domestic incident involving Blake. A female caller had told the police that her boyfriend was present and wasnt supposed to be on the premises. Blake is suffering paralysis from the shooting and is recovering in a Milwaukee hospital.

I didnt like the sight of it, Trump told reporters on Aug. 29 regarding the police shooting of Blake.

Read More DOJ Opens Civil Rights Probe Into Jacob Blake Shooting

The police officer who shot Blake, Rusten Sheskey, has since been placed on administrative leave and is under investigation by the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation under the states Department of Justice.

Late on Aug. 31, Trump criticized former Vice President Joe Biden for failing to condemn far-left agitators and Antifa extremists as the Democratic presidential candidate condemned violent protests across the country.

Janita Kan and Isabel van Brugen contributed to this report.
CALABAR zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has said that Universities clamouring for the re-opening of Nigeria Universities are those serving as cash cows to some governments.

The Coordinator of the zone, Dr Aniekan Brown of the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Uyo (UNIUYO) who made the assertion while briefing newsmen Monday in Uyo, stressed the need for members of the public to know that it was unreasonable to contemplate re-opening universities because the facilities to ensure the safety and lives of students, lecturers are not in place.

Brown maintained that the COVID-19 pandemic actually exposed the vulnerability and frailties of the country in the different sectors of the economy especially the Education sector as Nigeria Governments have ingloriously exhibited gross inability to meet the standards set by COVID-19 advisories in the country's public schools.

He explained that Nigeria universities would have recorded the expected development in infrastructure, promotion of researches and that this pandemic would not have taken the country unawares this much if the Government had kept its own side of the 2013 agreement it had with ASUU.

His words, "But government has reneged on that agreement as we speak. Let's be fair, if you know the total number of students that take certain courses and then you take that side by side with the available spaces, you will know that Government has set protocols, but the reality on our campuses suggest that Government is not ready.

"Therefore, it will be illogical to contemplate re-opening the universities when the facilities to take care of people are not there. Remember it is the lives of people that we are talking about, lives of students, and lecturers.

When you consider these things, then you feel you are duty-bound to let the Government know that it should be responsible. So we owe Nigerians the duty of compelling Government to do the needful.

"Some universities serving as a Cash cow to some governments are clamouring for the re-opening of our universities. The very impetus for this is to continually exploit Nigerians via fees. Regrettably, there is no evidence that the COVID-19 protocols and advisories will be enforced. What facilities do we have to ensure the protocols would be kept?

"One thing is obvious: they don't care about the safety and lives of Nigerians; all they care for is how to exploit the system for their personal benefits. Just because of capitalist disposition, some people would want universities to resume so as to make money.

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They are capitalists. They are given to cupidity. With this, we have blown the whistle"

Brown regretted that the governing structures in many universities across the country including the Visitor(s), Governing Councils, and management have left much to be desired lately

He said it was shocking to note that in the face of the ongoing industrial action by the Union, COVID-19 pandemic, the lockdown and closure of Schools, particularly universities, some Vice-Chancellors were rigging the processes of appointments and promotions and in some cases with active connivance of staff of the IPPIS.

"Our Union will expose such and stop at nothing in invalidating products of any rigged process. No doubt the recent event regarding the governance structure in the University of Lagos has brought to the fore the peremptory that goes on in our universities. We salute the gallantry of our members in UNILAG and align ourselves with their position.

"Thus we encourage our members and other stakeholders in the University system across the country to adopt the UNILAG model in our common resolve to resist impunity for the good of our university system.

"In addition, on August 17, 2020, the Union presented its credible alternative to the managers of education and tertiary education in Nigeria. We make bold to state that while the fraud-infested IPPIS merely but understandably totally focused on the payroll but nothing on the personnel aspect, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) has provided for both.

"The ball is now on the court of the government to subject UTAS to requisite integrity test as objectively as possible, which our Union has already done, to satisfy itself; we so challenge. We believe that history will vindicate us"

Vanguard News Nigeria
<! Nonso Egemba a.k.a Aproko Doctor >

By Muhaimin Olowoporoku

Nonso Bobby Egemba, popularly known as Aproko Doctor has set the internet on a frenzy after he dropped a comedy skit against abortion.

In the video skit, the popular online doctor appeared as a herbalist consulting the gods and approached by a lady, Cecilia.

Cecilia explains to the herbalist she is probably pregnant and said she has not seen her period. After being quizzed by the herbalist if she used a condom or contraceptive after sex she answered no.

Afterwards, the herbalist gave Cecilia some pills to use which she believed was going to wash the baby away in her words.

However, the herbalist answered in refusal advising Cecilia to go and register for antenatal and take the drug he gave her to enhance her unborn baby development.

Cecilia no dey hear word ??? pic.twitter.com/TflWyFZMWD  Aproko Doctor (@aproko_doctor) September 1, 2020

Abortion continues to remain a scourge in Nigeria with many practising the unsafe operation amidst deadly repercussion. Guttmacher institutes reveal that one out of every four pregnancies in Nigeria are unintended with 56 percent of these unintended pregnancies ending in induced abortion as of 2012.

In the same light, around 20,000 of abortions carried out yearly are said to be unsafe. This is as revealed by the Society of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of Nigeria and Nigerias Ministry of Health after a joint study.

According to Wikipedia, in Nigeria, only 40 percent of abortions performed by physicians with proper health facilities as others are performed by Non- physicians.

However, before the law, the practice is only legal in cases when the pregnancy poses a threat to the life of the carrier. Otherwise, Abortion remains an illegal operation in Nigeria.
Students gear up for JEE Exams 2020 from today: All you need to know

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 01: The National Testing Agency (NTA) is all set to conduct the engineering entrance exam JEE Mains 2020 from Tuesday amid elaborate arrangements to maintain social distancing at centres in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The exams, crucial for lakhs of IIT and medical aspirants have already been postponed twice. The exams will be held in two shifts. The morning shift will be from 9 Am to 12 noon and the afternoon shift will be from 3 Pm to 6 PM. In between, the classrooms will be thoroughly sanitised.

The Supreme Court had rejected the plea to postpone the entrance examinations. Six Ministers of opposition-ruled states approached the Supreme Court on Friday against its order of allowing NEET and JEE Main 2020 exams despite the increasing Covid-19 cases in the country.

The authorities have arranged for 10 lakh pairs of masks, 1,300 infrared thermometer guns, 6,600 litres of sanitiser, 6,600 sponges, 3,300 spray bottles and 3,300 cleaning staff.

NTA will conduct the JEE (Main) at 660 test centres and is spending an additional Rs 13 crore to adhere to COVID-19 protocols.

More invigilators have been roped in than previously planned as the number of test centres has gone up. The number of examination Centers has also been increased from 570 to 660.

The number of shifts has been increased from the earlier 8 to 12, and the number of candidates per shift has been reduced from earlier 1.32 lakh to 85,000 now.

NTA along with CMs of Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha among others have taken their foot forward to ensure safety and security of candidates.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi alumni have launched a portal for free transportation and accommodation for needy NEET and JEE Main students.

A total of 7.78 lakh students had downloaded the JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) admit cards. According to the NTA the total number of students registered for NEET is nearly 16 lakh. Around 8.58 lakh have registered for JEE.

Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, among other governments, have assured students of transportation.
Activism as a concept should be restored to its glorious status and it can happen only , if all and sundry do not call themselves as activists and indulge in spreading negativism.





by N.S.Venkataraman





Activism is a glorious concept , which means that activists are defenders of what they perceive to be truth , courageous persons who stand up to the cause dear to their heart at any cost and honest crusaders who would dispassionately analyse the happenings and events and take a firm stand. Obviously, activism, unprejudiced analysis and strict neutrality should go together.









Activism need not mean that it should always be against any event or policy decision of the government or any particular activity . It can also be proactive with regard to developments and happenings.





Unfortunately, all over the world , the concept of activism has been considerably diluted in recent time, with several activists being suspected of having preconceived notions and prejudiced views , which inevitably distort the glorious and progressive concept of activism.





There are environmental activists or social activists who are often seen to be more involved in opposing and defying rather than supporting or encouraging any development. Further, it is seen that most of the activist groups are opposed to the government of the day and believe that sustained criticism and opposition is the hallmark of activism. This is a very unfortunate development in recent times , which has spoiled the image of activists all over the world and inevitably branding them as negative forces.





Further, it is often seen that activists are big shouters and use extremely harsh language and mostly talk in general terms without studying the details and implications at micro level from various alternate view points. Most of the activists do not appear to be good listeners, as seen these days.





Particularly, what causes concern is that many activists identify themselves with sectarian or political groups and most of the activist groups are identified with one such group or the other. One can always guess what a particular activist group would say on a particular development , even before hearing the person, if one would know the background of the activist group. The activists are often described as leftists or rightists, whatever these terms may really mean and reflect,They are never described as neutralists.





The role of the activists in the ongoing Presidential election in the USA is too glaring to be ignored. Many of them who term themselves as activist groups and reformers criticise President Trump bitterly , as if he has done nothing good at all in his four years of governance. It is very obvious that their criticisms are not balanced and prejudiced views are being advanced under the cloak of activism. It would be in order, if the opposing political parties would make such criticism but certainly it is not in order for activists to advance such prejudiced criticism , which sometimes give an impression that they are motivated and suffer from blind hatred for President Trump.





Similar is the case of environmental activists ,who seem to be opposing most of the industrial and commercial projects terming them as in violation of laws and regulations and against the larger interest of society. They do not seem to conduct the cost benefit analysis before coming to the conclusion. The anti nuclear group , anti coal mine group and the so called green activists around the world have, by their conduct , paved the way for creating an image of themselves as hate groups and keeping on advancing their arguments without considering the view of the other side.





In India too, the situation is not much different. There are a number of activists , who describe themselves as thinkers,lawyers, writers or professors and who have firm political views and they seem to hate those , who do not agree with their views under one pretext or the other. Of course, every government takes many decisions , some of which could be controversial and deserve a debate, when the recommendations should be arrived at based on majority views. In short, the activists should be willing to drastically change their views , if they would be convinced about the basic flaw in their approach and they should be willing to be convinced on the basis of listening to alternate views, instead of taking a stoic and uncompromising stand on any matter.





There are several activist groups in different countries including India ,who are accused of indulging in some activities which could destabilize the society. They do so under the excuse of defending liberty and freedom to say anything or do anything as per their wish and desire. Extreme liberty at the cost of larger national good cannot be accepted as a fair approach by any government or any discerning observer.





When activist groups involved in political or religious or social spheres think it to be proper to take fund support or moral or other forms of support from overseas countries for supporting a cause which in their view is right , it can be legitimately viewed as anti national activity.





The activists often abuse the judges, government in power or some religious groups without established facts and term their abuses as legitimate pronouncements in a democratic society. This approach is totally wrong and unacceptable.





Activism as a concept should be restored to its glorious status and it can happen only , if all and sundry do not call themselves as activists and indulge in spreading negativism.





The qualification for one to be hailed and respected as a genuine activist is that the person should abhor violence in letter and spirit, be neutral in outlook and vision and should not be under the pre conceived notion that the other side is always wrong. Capability and willingness to listen to the alternate viewpoints and honesty in approach to reverse the views if there would be stronger arguments from the other side , is the hallmark of a progressive activist.





Activism should be a positive force conducted in a healthy and civilized manner and need not cause rupture in the fabric of the society. For an activist, means should justify the ends , as advocated by Mahatma Gandhi.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  President Rodrigo Duterte assured the government will provide COVID-19 frontliners residence and food to respond to discrimination concerns directed at them.

Duterte added pandemic frontliners, especially health workers, are summarily dismissed from their leased or rented residence because of the tenants fear of contracting COVID-19 from them.

He emphasized the government intends to place the displaced frontliners in houses, hotels, and motels.

If this happens, you can call directly the office of Secretary (Carlito) Galvez and we will provide you with the necessary billeting and food too. We will choose a place nearest to where you are working, Duterte said in his weekly address on Monday.

The President added he will publicly call the attention of tenants who are forcibly removing pandemic frontliners from their residence.

If they get sick, they should not be accepted in hospitals, Duterte jokingly warned the tenants.

In a statement published on Monday morning in time for the National Heroes Day celebration, the National Task Force against COVID-19 led by Galvez lauded the frontliners efforts and sacrifices despite the many challenges and risks they face, saying they are all considered heroes amid these trying times.

The selflessness, dedication and bravery you have shown during this health crisis put you in the same league as our national heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in order to free our nation from foreign oppressors You are all heroes in the truest sense of the word, the National Task Force said in a statement.

Last June, the House of Representatives passed on third reading House Bill No. 6817 or the COVID-19 Related Anti-Discrimination Bill which penalizes those who commit discriminatory practices against confirmed, suspect, probable and recovered COVID-19 patients, repatriated land-based or sea-based Filipinos, healthcare workers, responders, service workers, and families and household members of the persons mentioned.

The Senate version of HB 6817 is still pending at the committee level, where it needs to be passed also on third reading. Both chambers need to approve the bill before being signed by the President as a law.
When Delaware Chief Information Officer James Collins moves on from his post in the middle of this month, he will leave behind a formidable legacy. A press release announced today that Collins has taken a job with Microsoft Consulting.Collins qualifications for his new role are many. He spearheaded a comprehensive cybersecurity modernization effort in Delaware. He oversaw the unveiling of the states open data portal. He provided leadership for the Rural Wireless Broadband Initiative, which will wrap up the construction of 15 towers for connectivity ahead of schedule this year.Collins is also a former National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) president and was one ofTop 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers in 2018 When asked about his proudest accomplishment in the role, Collins had difficulty pinning down a single thing. He loved creating a cybersecurity coalition, which stretched across areas as diverse as finance, health care and utilities. Hes also happy to know that kids who didnt have Internet connections at home can now be connected as part of Delawares wireless broadband project.Perhaps more than anything, he said that he helped Delaware change its approach to technology.I think historically, and correctly, we kind of started with the infrastructure and the network and made sure we have resilience and disaster recovery and security, and all of those are important, Collins said. But we have tried to change our focus by starting with the end user. What do we need to do to meet the citizens where they are? What do we need to do for our workers who are remote?Collins advocacy for IT is particularly noteworthy in light of COVID-19. He is not just proud of how his team helped government continue to provide services in an unprecedented context. He wants to see IT workers included on the list of essential workers.I certainly agree with the billboards and the signs thanking essential workers, Collins remarked. When we dial 911, we need people to show up  [and] I love going to the mailbox every day to see that theres a new surprise for me. But I think that we need to pay attention and make sure IT people get pretty high on that [essential workers] list.The imprint of Collins in government IT goes beyond his tenure as Delawares CIO. He has roughly 20 years of service in Delaware. His exposure to tech really kicked off when he was a deputy administrator for Fleet Services in the state.My first job was to find a system to manage the fleet and get it implemented, which scared the heck out of me because I didnt have a lot of technology background, Collins recalled.Later in his career, Collins served as director of the Delaware Division of Professional Regulation for a decade. He likes to say that he took that division from the manila folder age to the information age, as he overhauled the agencys practices through process standardization, automation and improved communications.During his time in Professional Regulation, Collins played a significant role in fixing a system that failed to prevent the sexual abuse of child patients. In 2010, pediatrician Earl Bradley was indicted for molesting 103 children between 1998 and 2009. Collins personally worked on legislation that said if a child must be disrobed for examination, a parent or guardian must be present.We were really able to work closely with the AGs office and the Legislatures office to figure out the gaps that allowed that predator to persist and victimize children, Collins said.Collins showed a commitment to human dignity throughout his time in Delaware. As deputy secretary of state, he worked to improve the operations of the states Veterans Home. In his words, one of his most important duties was making sure the facilities were the very best for my comrades. Collins served in the U.S. Air Force for more than eight years.As for his new role with Microsoft, he said the management job will allow him to do a lot of things he did for Delaware on a national level.As [Liam Neeson] said in the movie Taken, Collins stated with a laugh, I have a very particular set of skills to bring to Microsoft to help make them a stronger partner for state and local government and higher education.For his new journey, Collins will remember everything he did with technology in Delaware. He will also never forget the individuals he collaborated with.I have deep relationships with a lot of people who are so committed to life in Delaware continuing to improve, Collins said. It makes today a tough day.
Is The U.S. A Failed State? By Noam Chomsky



Professor Noam Chomsky gives his thoughts on the future of the left and weighs in on the current state of the media landscape. Posted August 31, 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWhbSKlN3fE&list=WL&index=3&t=545s ==== Prof. Richard Wolff: The System Is Failing ==== The left has created a monster that they have lost complete control of...



I never thought I'd see people chanting "death to America" in the streets of America.pic.twitter.com/YUDdb1unzb  Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) August 31, 2020 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 plan to connect Los Angeles and Hong Kong via an underwater data cable has been scrapped due to concerns from the US government that the Chinese government could siphon information from it.

The Pacific Light Cable Network (PLCN), which was partly owned by Facebook and Google, will now only operate between the United States, Taiwan and the Philippines, according to documents submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Nearly 13,000 kilometres of the underwater cable had already been laid since the plans were announced in 2016, but it required permission from the FCC to operate.

Three firms share ownership of the cable network. Google owns one fiber pair with a branch to Taiwan, and Facebook owns another pair with branches to the Philippines.

Hong Kong company Pacific Light Data Co (PLDC) owns all of the remaining pairs and acts as the landing party in Hong Kong, and is a subsidiary of Dr Peng Group.

It was expected to handle 120 terabytes of data per second between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, which Google claimed was enough for 80 million high-definition conference calls.

"We can confirm that the original application for the PLCN cable system has been withdrawn, and a revised application for the US-Taiwan and US-Philippines portions of the system has been submitted, a spokesperson for Google told the BBC.

We continue to work through established channels to obtain cable landing licenses for our undersea cables.

The decision is not unexpected. A US government committee recommended to the FCC in June that the cable should not connect to Hong Kong, citing concerns about the involvement of Chinese company Dr. Peng Telecom.

The committees claimed that the Chinese government would seek to acquire the personal data of millions of US citizens through digital infrastructure, as well as arguing that Dr. Peng Telecom would be obligated to work with the Chinese government under its intelligence and cybersecurity laws.

The committee also said that allowing the data cable to connect to Hong Kong would further the Chinese governments aim that Hong Kong be the dominant hub in the Asia Pacific region for global information and communications technology and services infrastructure.

The Committees recommendation specified that it was not in U.S. national security or law enforcement interests to approve subsea cables landing in PRC [Peoples Republic of China] territory when the PRC government has previously demonstrated the intent to acquire US persons data, it concluded.

The Independent has reached out to Dr Peng Group for comment.

FCC commissioner Geoffrey Starks tweeted at the end of August that the cables are critical to our interconnected future and must be protected and that the FCC must ensure that our telecom traffic is safe & secure.
President Donald Trump insisted that he did not have a "series of mini-strokes," though news reports had never made such a claim. Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Donald Trump on Tuesday elevated a fringe theory that he had a "series of mini-strokes" last year.

"It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes," Trump tweeted. "Never happened to THIS candidate."

The president later had his physician release a statement saying that he "has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies."

No news outlets had published such a claim, though some critics of Trump had promoted it online.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday elevated a fringe theory that he had a "series of mini-strokes" that prompted his unannounced visit to the Walter Reed medical center last November.

"It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes," the president tweeted. "Never happened to THIS candidate - FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!"

Later Tuesday, Trump's physician released a statement saying that the president hadn't had a stroke or a mini-stroke and that he hadn't experienced "any acute cardiovascular emergencies."

"I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies," Sean Conley wrote, noting that the president had asked him to release the statement.

It was unclear who the president was blaming for spreading the unsubstantiated claim about his health  no news outlets had reported such a claim.

Story continues

NBC News' Peter Alexander tweeted on Tuesday that a White House aide said Trump was referring to a tweet from Joe Lockhart, a press secretary under President Bill Clinton, suggesting that the president had had a stroke.

Neither the president nor his staff has ever said exactly why Trump visited Walter Reed for an unannounced physical exam last fall.

The New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt reported in his recent book, "Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President," that Vice President Mike Pence was told that Trump might have to be anesthetized during his visit to Walter Reed. Pence was on standby to temporarily assume the powers of the presidency if necessary.

"Book says nothing about mini-strokes," Schmidt tweeted on Tuesday.

Last month, Don Winslow, a novelist and outspoken critic of Trump, tweeted that he'd heard from unnamed sources that Trump had had a "series" of "mini-strokes" while in office.

On Tuesday, Winslow tweeted, "More than a dozen Secret Service agents are aware of Donald Trump's medical condition and mini-strokes."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 09:15:53|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- With more than 21,000 cases of gender-based violence reported over the past four months, South African Police Minister Bheki Cele said Monday that the police should focus on preventing violence against women rather than reacting to it.

He said while the police has made some progress on the issue, it needs to proactively tackle the violence.

"The Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit has trained specialist detectives to investigate gender-based violence crimes," Cele said.

He said he is pleased that some perpetrators were given lengthy sentences.

"The first six months of this year saw 217 life sentences handed down," Cele said. "From the start of April 2020 to date, 21,203 cases of domestic violence were reported, with 14,799 suspects charged."

He said specialized units within the police have been provided with resources such as fund and workforce to respond to the issue.

The minister also said it is important that the police respond to reports of gender-based violence with compassion.

Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, minister for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, said that economic empowerment for women was also crucial in combating femicide and violence against them.

"We need to ensure women are empowered economically so that they can fend for themselves and that they're not in relationships which are toxic because they potentially depend on men," she said. "We then have to have strong support and care systems in place to continue to give support when needed." Enditem
The Center For Agricultural Research and Integration Ghana (CARIG) says the sterling performance in the agriculture under the current administration of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) could be a magic wand for the re-election of His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.



The group says its research across the country has proven that not only has the agriculture sector witnessed massive revival over the past three and half years, but also many more Ghanaians, particularly farmers, have benefitted tremendously from the various flagship policies implemented by the Government.



In a yet to release survey snippets of which have been made available to this news portal, the group rated Planting for Food and Jobs, Planting for Export and Rural Development, Rearing for Food and Jobs, as well as the Greenhouse Villages programme, as major interventions that have had direct immediate impacts on the lives of over 1.5m farmers and farming families in the country.



"Whilst the research appreciates the fact that policies like Free SHS, One District, One Factory amongst others are very important to the long term economic transformation, policies like Planting for Food and Jobs has incredibly changed the economic dynamics of many households in the country " the report emphasised.



The CARIG further pointed out "perhaps for the first time in our history as a country, Agriculture will likely determine the political fortunes of the two major parties.



It said the three months research uncovered that the PFJ initiative has increased the ability of many Ghanaians "to create and store wealth".



The group explained that with the increase in production yields per acre, farmers are now able to produce enough to feed their households, sell some for their upkeep and also store for future business.



Background



Government in April 2017, launched its flagship Agricultural Policy, Planting for Food and Jobs at Goaso in the Ahafo Region.



The programme, according to the Ministry, involves the provision of highly subsidized inputs (seeds and fertilizers), technical services (extension services) as well as access to market for beneficiary farmers.



It began with a pilot of 200, 000 farmers across and currently about 1.5m farmers are enjoying from the initiative.



The programme has five inbuilt modules; Planting for Food and Jobs- which focuses on major food crops such as maize, rice, soybean, sorghum, cassava and a selection of vegetables.



There is also Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD)- this module deals with six major cash/tree crops including Oil Palm, Coconut, Coffee, Rubber, Cashew and Shea.



The objective for the implementation of the PERD, according to the Ministry, is to diversify Ghana's agricultural export commodities, which is currently limited to cocoa, to other tree crops whose economic values, are similar to cocoa.



The Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto is on record to have said that "the PERD programme could in the next seven years rake in as much as $16 Billion Dollars every year upon its successful implementation"



Already, Government, by Legislative Instrument, set up the Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), similar to COCOBOD, to regulate the production, sales and marketing of the various crops under the PERD programme.



The President, in a recent public address, hinted that the "Board of the TCDA would in the next days, be inaugurated to commence work. It is expected to be headquartered in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.



The other modules under the PFJ programme are Rearing for Food and Jobs(RFJ), Greenhouse Villages and Agriculture Mechanization.



The RFJ programme is currently being piloted in the selected district across the country with the focus on sheep, goat, piggery and poultry.



The aim is to boost local production of particularly poultry in order to reduce the huge importation and to also meet the nutritional needs of Ghanaians.



Currently, three Greenhouse Villages are in operation; Dawhenya in the Greater Accra Region, Bawjiase in the Central Region and Akomadan in the Ashanti Region.



The facilities are fitted with state-of-the-art training centres with hundreds of students being trained in modern vegetable production.



On Mechanization, Government, through agreements with Brazil, India and Czech Republic, has taken delivery of ultra-modern farm equipment such as tractors, rice millers, planters amongst others, to support farmers in the country.

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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Dozens of eminent Russian scholars in the field of medicine have called on China in an open letter to free a well-known Uyghur professor from prison, where he has been confined on suspicion of separatist activities, RFA has learned.



Halmurat Ghopur, president of the Xinjiang Food and Drug Administrations Department of Inspection and Supervision in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), was taken into custody in November 2017, sources told RFA in an earlier report.



He is now being held under a sentence of death, suspended for two years, in an unknown location, according to Uyghur sources in the region and in exile.



In an open letter sent on July 29, but reported only recently by a Russian-language news service of Israels Channel 9, dozens of Russian academics called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to free Halmurat Ghopur from prison, calling him a valued colleague and friend.



For more than 30 years, Professor Halmurat Ghopur has had scientific, medical, and scholarly ties to Russia, said the letter signed by dozens of distinguished Russian specialists including Medical Sciences Professor D.A. Dubrovin and Doctor of Medical Sciences V.B. Vasiliev, among others.



Our contact with him has been cut off since 2017, though, and the scientific and medical research we conducted with Professor Halmurat Ghopur for many years has ceased, the letters signers said, voicing deep concern over the Uyghur scholars fate.



We ask that you personally pardon Professor Halmurat Ghopur, the writers said, directly addressing Xi Jinping. We hope for his quick release.



Differences with a Han Chinese colleague at the Xinjiang Medical University may have led Chinese authorities to target Halmurat. He had successfully developed a treatment for respiratory illnesses that combined Western and traditional Uyghur medicine but had also supported the right of students to wear Islamic clothing on campus amid a gathering crackdown on Uyghur culture.



He was later accused in an article published in 2017 by China University of Political Science and Law professor Wu Danhong of being a two-faced official who had failed to follow Communist Party guidelines by recruiting students who were not fit to fill their positions at the university hospital.



Two-faced" is a term applied by the government to Uyghur cadres who pay lip service to Communist Party rule in the XUAR but secretly chafe against state policies repressing members of their ethnic group.



'Never involved in politics'



[The authorities] have made him into a political person. He was never involved in any sort of politics, Denis Dubrovin, a doctor of medical sciences and former professor at the Xinjiang Medical University, told RFAs Uyghur Service.



The two years that his death sentence was deferred have already passed, Dubrovin said, adding that he and the letters other signers have heard that the sentence may be carried out soon.



We have mobilized several times in an attempt to save him over the last two years. Weve made formal requests to scholars, the foreign ministry, Chinese consulates, and the embassy in Moscow, and still weve had no response.



We are working to publish our open letter in as many Russian and international news outlets as possible, he said.



Also speaking to RFA, Marat Asimovan ethnic Uyghur doctor of medical sciences and professor at the Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University in Almaty, Kazakhstansaid he had been moved by news of the Russian academics letter in support of Halmurat Ghopur, whom he had known since 1994 or 1995.



Most of the Uyghurs issues are being made out [in press coverage] to have something to do with Islam, Asimov said.



But the real problem here has to do with [Chinas] massacre of the Uyghurs, with the colonization of their land, and with the extraction of natural resources from that land. China wants to eliminate them as an ethnic group from their very roots, he said.



Authorities in the XUAR are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a vast network of internment camps since April 2017.



Beijing describes its three-year-old network of camps as voluntary vocational centers, but 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.



The administration of U.S. President Trump has recently hit out at Beijings treatment of the Uyghurs, sanctioning Chinese officials and state-owned business entities deemed responsible for the camps and for programs of forced labor and population control measures including forced sterilizations and abortions.



Reported by Oyghan for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Elise Anderson. Written in English by Richard Finney.
TOKYO - When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the first thing Hidekazu Tamura, a Japanese American living in California, thought was, Ill be killed at the hands of my fellow Americans. It wouldnt be the last time he felt that way.

At 99, amid commemorations of Wednesdays 75th anniversary of the formal Sept. 2, 1945, surrender ceremony that ended World War II, Tamura has vivid memories of his time locked up with thousands of other Japanese Americans in U.S. internment camps. Torn between two warring nationalities, the experience led him to refuse a loyalty pledge to the United States, renounce his American citizenship and return to Japan.

I have too many stories to tell, he chuckles in an interview with The Associated Press.

Born in Los Angeles to Japanese farmers, his parents earned enough money to return to Japan in just a few years, buying a farm near Osaka.

Against his familys wishes, Tamura moved back to the United States alone in 1938 when he was 17, after his dream of becoming an aircraft pilot was crushed when he failed an eye exam. The United States, he hoped, would provide him the same opportunities his parents received.

But Tamura arrived in California amid rising discrimination against Asians, and Japanese in particular. His uncle, who ran a grocery store, once drove him to a fancy hilltop restaurant in San Francisco and showed him a sign outside that read, Orientals Not Allowed.

You wont ever go in there until you die, his uncle told him. Thats the sort of country this is, (it) discriminates against Japanese.

I saw that and thought, Bloody hell! And that awakened me as a Japanese, he said.

When the war began, Tamura was finishing his college studies in aircraft engineering. But in February 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an order that led to the incarceration of an estimated 120,000 people with Japanese ancestry, including those, like Tamura, with U.S. citizenship.

The following year, the government asked those in the camps whether they would serve in combat for the U.S. military, and whether they would swear unqualified allegiance to the United States, renouncing loyalty to the Japanese emperor.

The questions divided the Japanese community between those seen as loyal to the United States and those loyal to Japan. The split caused fights and even killings in the camps.

Many men answered yes to both questions, enlisting to fight in the U.S. military abroad even as their families were stripped of their property and locked in the camps.

Tamura said he answered no to both questions. He was sent to Tule Lake, a segregation centre for those deemed disloyal, where he joined a group called Hokoku Seinen Dan, which means, Young Mens Association to Serve the Fatherland.

The group was initially meant to educate and prepare U.S.-born, second-generation Japanese Americans, many of whom had never been to Japan, for an uncertain future, including possible deportation, according to Sachiko Takita-Ishii, professor of Sociology at the Yokohama City University. As war raged, some members began to feel betrayed by the United States and took to demonstrations, the professor said.

For a time, Tamura said he served as spokesman for the group, whose activities were eventually seen as subversive by the U.S. government.

Hundreds of its members would march around the outer perimeter of the camps at dawn, with white headbands and shaved heads, a symbol of devotion to Japan.

As they marched, Tamura could see U.S. military guards aiming their machine-guns at them. They were itching to shoot at us, he said.

At a meeting with U.S. officials, Tamura said he was told that the American guards had just returned from war and hated the Japanese, and that the safety of group members couldnt be guaranteed if they continued to march.

Looking back, Tamura admits the marches were dangerous, but patriotism had inspired the young members of the group, which Tamura said numbered around 500 during the time he was there.

Its war with Japan, so we thought wed be killed eventually anyway, he said, by way of explanation of his risky activities in the camps. Secretly, Tamura hoped the Japanese military would rescue him from the camps.

U.S. administrators at the time called the group subversive and traitors.

Barbara Takei, a board member of the Tule Lake Committee, a non-profit group dedicated to preserving the history of the camp, and an independent researcher and activist, said in an email that such groups were demonized by the white administrators as disloyal, even subversive, helping to validate the lie of military necessity (that) justified the wartime incarceration.

If that incarceration had been a little more humane, there probably wouldnt have been a large number of protests, said Hiroshi Shimizu, president of the Tule Lake Committee, but there were few other outlets for dissenters.

While at Tule Lake, Tamura and a group of others were branded as troublemakers and transferred to the higher security Santa Fe Internment Camp. It was his fourth and last camp.

Government records show that Tamura was at Tule Lake starting Oct. 8, 1943, and was sent to Santa Fe Internment Camp on Dec. 27, 1944. Records provided by the Tule Lake Committee show Tamura was a member of the Hokoku Seinen Dans leadership.

At Santa Fe, he heard the Japanese emperors mid-August surrender broadcast while listening to a handmade radio. But Tamura wasnt convinced the war was over and thought the address was propaganda.

He still didnt believe the war had ended when he was released from Santa Fe and boarded a ship in Seattle in November 1945 for the two-week trip back to Japan.

On his 25th birthday, in December 1945, he arrived at the Japanese port of Uraga and asked a woman cooking over a clay stove on the street, Did Japan win?

The woman angrily gestured at the surrounding area, which was still ashes and rubble. Of course we lost. Look around you, she said.

Tamura now marvels at his youthful blind belief that Japan would win.

Despite the turmoil of internment, he now remembers with bittersweet nostalgia the camaraderie and friendships he made during those days.

Even though he resisted in the camps, he said he has always liked Americans. Theres no feeling (of being an) enemy or anything like that, he said.

Seventy-five years after returning to Japan, Tamura still follows U.S. news, including incidents of racial injustice and the upcoming presidential election.

Almost 70, 80 years since I knew America then, the same thing, discrimination, (is happening) now against minorities, he said. It never improves, this problem.

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White House advisor Jared Kushner visited a UAE air base Tuesday where the US operates F-35 fighter jets coveted by Abu Dhabi -- the thorniest issue in the Emirates' newly established ties with Israel.

Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, is in Abu Dhabi as part of a US-Israeli delegation that arrived on a historic direct flight from Tel Aviv Monday, to mark an accord struck last month to normalise relations between the Jewish state and the UAE.

Israel has denied reports that the deal hinges on the sale of US F-35 stealth fighter jets to the UAE, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he opposes a move that could reduce its strategic edge in the region.

Kushner said Monday that the US could maintain that edge "while also advancing our military relationship with the United Arab Emirates" and that the issue would be discussed further in coming weeks.

US Presidential Adviser Jared Kushner (R) speaks to Emirati military personnel during a visit to the Al-Dhafra base, south of Abu Dhabi /  AFP

He signed a guest book at Al Dhafra with the message: "May the relationship with America continue to grow and together, through strength, ... benefit as we bring more peace and prosperity to the Middle East and beyond!"

Gulf Arab nations have had increasingly public ties with Israel in recent years, seeking to link their powerful economies but also to join forces in their shared rivalry with Iran.

Major General Falah Al Qahtani, assistant undersecretary at the defence ministry, cast the UAE as a reliable partner in a dangerous region, as he welcomed Kushner and US national security adviser Robert O'Brien to the Al Dhafra air base.

"Our relationship is based on a common view on the threat to our common interests. We are friends. We are strategic partners. We are alike," he said.

"Both our nations seek peace, security and stability that will bring prosperity to this region, a region that it is, as you know, complex and unstable and beset by... regional powers seeking dominance."

A 2018 file photo of an Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II /  AFP/File

Qahtani, speaking at the air base which the US uses for joint training purposes, said the countries had "stood together to fight extremism in all its forms in the region" for the past three decades.

He listed its arsenal of military hardware, including Apache helicopters and the F-16 fighter jet, but unmentioned was the F-35, long coveted by Gulf powers including the UAE.

The US military deployed the F-35 at Al Dhafra in 2019, in the first Middle East basing for the jet.

- Israeli edge -

Israeli has already received a first consignment of the jets and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear his opposition to the UAE being next in line /  POOL/AFP/File

Ever since the 1960s, the United States has guaranteed to maintain Israel's "qualitative military edge" in the region.

The policy was enhanced two years ago with a law that Washington must ensure, when selling weapons to another country in the Middle East, that Israel retains the ability to defend itself if the arms were to fall into the wrong hands.

A wrangle over the jet, which could upset the balance of power in the region, could be the first hiccup in the Israel-UAE accord.

Israel has already received a first consignment of the jets and Netanyahu has made clear his opposition to the UAE being next in line.

"This deal did not include Israel's acceptance of any arms deal," he said last week.

The UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, has noted that Abu Dhabi first indicated it wanted the planes six years ago, "so this is something on the table".

Kushner (C), US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien (R) and Head of Israel's National Security Council Meir Ben-Shabbat (L) were aboard the first commercial flight from Israel to the UAE /  POOL/AFP/File

"Now the whole idea of, you know, a state of belligerency or war with Israel will no longer exist. So I think it should be... easier," he told the US think tank the Atlantic Council.

Yoel Guzansky, a senior analyst at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, said the issue is central to the historic rapprochement which is being billed as a key achievement of Trump's administration.

"I absolutely think that without the F-35, the possibility of buying it, they (the Emiratis) wouldn't sign the agreement" on a normalisation of ties, he told AFP.
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Linkedin Stevie Emilia (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 12:11 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41df3bb 1 Health #health,#health-conference,#SexualReproductive,#FamilyPlanning,#SRHR,#Asia-Pacific,#women,#womenshealth,#SDG Free

The Asia-Pacific is at the forefront of experiencing the impacts of climate change, as it is vulnerable to floods, cyclones, earthquakes, droughts, storms and tsunamis.

Forty-five percent of the worlds natural disasters have taken place in the region in the last three decades, according to Biplabi Shreshtha, program director at the Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women.

During this period, the disasters affected more than 200 million people and killed 70,000, which represent 65 percent of the global total annually.

The impacts of climate change-related events are not gender-neutral; women and girls are more vulnerable and disproportionately impacted due to preexisting gender inequalities, said Shreshtha, whose nonprofit organization works with over 80 groups in 17 countries.

She said gendered impacts, especially on sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR), included added burdens within households and girls dropping out of school to help produce energy and gather food and water for their families.

Early age marriage, she said, had been used as a coping strategy in many poor communities, while other impacts included the increase of gender-based violence within families; food insecurity and malnutrition among girls and women; and lack of access to healthcare services, especially for sexual reproductive health.

Business as usual is inadequate to meet the challenges of today and their consequences, Shreshtha said in her presentation at the fifth session of the 10th Asia-Pacific Conference on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (APCRASRH10) virtual conference on Aug. 17.

The conference, taking the theme Climate change and SRHR in Asia and the Pacific, is part of a series organized by the steering committee of APCRSHR10, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Citizen News Service (CNS).

Cofounder and political advisor for Diverse Voices and Action for Equality (DIVA) in Fiji, Noelene Namboolivo, said there was an important link between SRHR and climate change, as well as between disaster risk and response and the elimination of violence against women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights, including LGBT-related communities.

But the link, she added, was still not understood fully by many.

In the midst of the pandemic and all natural calamities, there is a need to convince people that SRHR is central to any development response because it is the body where the damage and human rights violations are felt most, she said.

She said women in the Pacific, for instance, had some of the highest unmet needs of contraception and there were high levels of violence against women.

We have to highlight these issues and devise strategies and tactics that will help us create systems of safety for everyone, including women, girls and marginalized people, Namboolivo said.

Call to action: The Sustainable Development Goals consist of a set of 17 goals designed to bring the world to several life-changing zeros, including to take urgent action to combat climate change and achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. (Courtesy of United Nations/-)

GLOBAL GOALS

Five years ago, 193 countries, including Indonesia, unanimously adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  a set of 17 goals designed to bring the world to several life-changing zeros.

The goals include taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages and achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

With just 10 years left to achieve these goals, the pandemic struck, putting many programs centered on reaching these goals in jeopardy.

Population expert Adrian Hayes said one might think SRHR on the one hand and climate change and sustainable development on the other have little to do with one another.

The fact is, he said, they are interrelated in a number of ways, such as the causal links between health and climate change.

If many of the environmental changes brought about by climate change affect population health [usually negatively], then 'health' here will include sexual and reproductive health too. Furthermore, the causality can work in the other direction too, he told The Jakarta Post through email interview.

Coping well with climate change and environmental degradation requires a healthy population and resilient communities. Investing in human capital [which includes health] is an important element of building long-term sustainable development.

Earlier, Hayes, honorary associate professor at the School of Demography at Australian National University, gave a plenary presentation at the conference.

We cannot achieve the SDGs without resolving the looming crisis of climate change, said Hayes in his presentation.

Improving SRHR in the Asia-Pacific region will contribute to achieving the SDG goals and resolving anthropogenic climate change.

SDG progress in the Asia and the Pacific. (Courtesy of ESCAP/-)

He said two indicators of SRHR in countries of this region were the unmet need for family planning and the maternal mortality ratio (MMR).

These two indicators give an objective measure of the general status of SRHR across cultures in the region and give the scale of challenge in each country, Hayes said.

The global target is to achieve universal access to family planning services  that is, for the unmet need for family planning to decline to zero by 2030.

But perhaps it might be more realistic to achieve the goal of reducing it to 10 percent instead of zero by 2030, Hayes said.

He said estimates had shown this target had been reached by some nations of the region, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

But other countries still have a way to go, Hayes said.

In Southeast Asia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand have already reached the 10 percent threshold, while there has been a dramatic decline in Cambodia during the current century.

Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar appear likely to just miss the 10 percent target by 2030, but like India, they are within striking distance, Hayes said.

Indonesia has benefited from a successful national family planning program in the past three decades but Hayes said the recent challenges had been to broaden the range and accessibility of sexual reproductive health services, improve their quality and advance a shared understanding of them, together with an adequate means of redress for those whose rights have been abused.

According to UN Population Division publication Estimates and Projections of Family Planning Indicators 2020, although unmet needs are still on the decline in Indonesia, the rate is not fast enough to drop below 10 percent by 2030.

To be absolutely certain of a positive outcome here, the family planning program in Indonesia would appear to need a dose of revitalization, he said.

The second indicator, he said, was MMR and the goal was to reduce the global MMR to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. In Indonesia, however, MMR remains high at 305 per 100,000 live births as of 2018-2019.

Hayes said there was a need for new policies, new programs, new interventions, more service providers, development of new outreach programs and improved service delivery. These, in turn, require improvements in many other non-SRHR sectors, from reducing poverty to improving education for all, especially girls.

Improving SRHR in isolation from all of these other developments cannot be an option, Hayes said. SRHR may appear to play a merely modest role in the SDGs, but improving SRHR is essential to realizing the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The vision for the future contained in the SDGs includes universal human rights, and SRHR are an integral part of this vision.

In other words, those working to improve SRHR need to think about the SDGs, and those working to implement the SDGs need to think about SRHR. We all need a holistic approach; none of us can hope to reach our specific sectoral goals if we all work in silos, Hayes said.

While the pandemic is an emergency, he said this did not mean forgetting medium- and long-term goals, even if it meant putting some longer term activities on hold temporarily.

The sky will not fall down if we don't reach the SDG targets by 2030. Nevertheless, the evidence is pretty overwhelming by now that some crucial environmental thresholds have been, or are being, reached, which once passed make it very difficult to maintain the life-supporting services normally provided by the biosphere, Hayes said.

If SRHR are not improved by 2030 then not only are these two SDGs not going to be reached but the whole set will be weaker because they are all causally interconnected to some extent. The entire vision is compromised, since it depends on universal access to human rights and human rights are inalienable and indivisible.
September 01, 2020





Medical researcher and physician scientist Constantine Stratakis has been working in the field since 1994. He earned his medical degree and doctorate in endocrinology from Kapodistrian University of Athens. He is the Senior Investigator at The National Institutes of Health, co-editor-in-chief of Hormone & Metabolic Research (HMR) and Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology (MCE), and former president of the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR, 2018-2019). Despite the increase in administrative responsibilities, he still makes time in his schedule to work as a family physician because he values the personal connection that comes with helping patients on an individual basis.







His work in the laboratory and research settings includes examining endocrine cell growth, genes, and tumors. The lab that Dr. Stratakis runs is responsible for discovering a number of genes, including his personal discovery of PRKAR1A  the gene responsible for Carney complex. This has led to a number of awards, including the 2009 Ernst Oppenheimer Award from the Endocrine Society and the 1999 Pharmacia-Endocrine Society Award for Excellence.

To further the future of medical research, he is deeply dedicated to training and teaching academic scholars with an interest in the field. He personally trains medical students and travels to present as a visiting professor at campuses all over the world, including Harvard University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His lab has worked with over 150 students from various countries to create a growing family that focuses on scientific research. His work in educating youth led to his receipt of the 2015 NICHD Mentor Award.

What makes you get up in the morning?

The biggest joy of doing my type of work is analysing the mysterious, being excited by the discoveries, and coming up with the next questions. Yes, answers are important, but it is the questions and curiosity that excite me more than the answers themselves.

I love Einsteins quote: The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead  his eyes are closed.

To this day, I have at my office hanging over my desk the poster that Dr. J. Aidan Carney gave me when we started working together back in 1994, with Albert Szent-Gyorgyis saying: Discovery consists of seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.



What does your typical day look like, and how do you make it productive?

I start with exercise and a very light breakfast, during which I update myself on the local, national, and international news. This is also the time when I catch up on important medical and other research discoveries by scanning journals such as Nature and Cell. Then, I go to NIH, where I usually stay until late in the evening, sometimes well into the night.

My daily reading of research and medical literature is one of my greatest secrets. Most scientists find it hard to keep updated on their fields, but for me, it has been part of my daily routine ever since I started my career.

During the day, keeping an eye on what is important is perhaps the most significant advice that I can give to anybody who wants to be productive; prioritization requires that you identify what is important. Often, the days are chaotic, with too many demands arriving at all times. Identifying what is important, what can not wait versus what can wait, is the secret behind daily productivity, I think.

What advice would you give your younger self?

When I entered early, at a rather young age, the field of academia, there was a certain anxiety regarding whether academic success would come. It turns out that success and recognition come naturally as a result of hard work and commitment to ones goals and to others.

Tell us something that almost nobody agrees with you on.

As an immigrant myself from Greece, a culture and civilization that early on recognized the need to experience new things, see new places, and experience new feelings, as well as the freedom to be wherever you wanted to be, I am a great advocate of the idea of a world without borders  the ability to travel, go, and live anywhere at any time, without any restrictions. This is something that is becoming increasingly more difficult, and unfortunately, most people with whom I have discussed this do not think that a world without borders is possible; they consider this idea of mine a utopia.

As a doctor, what is the one thing that you recommend everyone do?

I am always amazed at the simplest thing that patients can do to improve their health that they do not do and that most doctors ignore: get a good nights sleep! Its absolutely important and so simple! I would argue that more than a third of the modern worlds illness can be curtailed by simply getting better sleep.

Most people would agree that good sleep improves mood, fights fatigue, and prevents accidents. However, most people, including doctors, do not know that good sleep is also essential for a well-functioning immune system (which, in turn, protects one from cancer and infections), for normal memory and executive function, and to prevent cognitive decline. I would argue that good sleep is more important for health and well-being than exercise and physical activity because of its wide-ranging effects; yet most doctors discuss physical activity with their patients but not sleep hygiene.
Children don't spread the virus like teachers do

A Public Health England analysis found 70 children out of 1.6million who had returned to school in June tested positive for Covid-19.

Another 128 members of staff tested positive. And only 30 outbreaks were confirmed at 23,400 reopened schools (0.01 per cent).

The analysis, published on August 23, said the majority of cases linked to outbreaks were in staff, but they were not more likely to get the coronavirus than the general population.

PHE said: .Where children did contract the infection, they were most likely to catch COVID-19 at home, usually from a parent. Half the outbreaks did not involve any students at all and transmission between students was very rare.

'The probable source in 20 of the 30 outbreaks was staff-to-staff or staff-to-student transmission. Student-to-staff transmission was the likely source in 6 cases, and student-to-student in 2. The transmission source could not be established in two outbreaks.'

It warned that school staff needed to be 'more vigilant for exposure outside the school setting to protect themselves, their families and the educational setting'.

Dr Shamez Ladhani, paediatric infectious diseases specialist at PHE, who headed the monitoring of England's schools, told The Times: 'We need to educate the educators.

'There's a clear need for a duty of care outside the school setting so staff need to protect themselves, and in turn other staff and pupils.'

He added: 'Staff are very good at social distancing and infection control in the classroom, but upon leaving the school environment these measures are more likely to be broken, potentially putting themselves and their colleagues at risk.'

Schools are 'minor players' in the overall transmission of coronavirus

Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said schools are 'minor players' in the transmission of coronavirus, and 'we owe it to our children' to re-open schools.

He said parents should be 'reassured' by growing evidence from countries including Germany, Singapore and the Netherlands, which shows 'little significant transmission in schools'.

Professor Viner, who also sits on the Government's Scientific Advisory Group, said returning to school was likely to 'add little' to the reproduction rate of infection, but that reopening schools is one of the 'least risky things we can do'.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on August 10: 'There's always dangers with evidence but I think the evidence from around the world is starting to become convincing that for younger children, particularly primary school children, that they appear to be less likely to catch this virus, and they don't play a big role in transmitting it.'

Professor Viner highlighted the 'higher rates of some concerning conditions', observed in children's absence from school, including obesity.

Schoolchildren 'do not spread the virus as much as staff do'

Research in Australia  one of the only countries to keep its schools open during the pandemic  found that children do not transit the coronavirus to other people as much as staff do, suggesting adults are more capable of spreading the disease.

The team led by Professor Kristine Macartney identified all staff and children who attended a school or nursery in the Australian state of New South Wales while they had Covid-19.

Overall, 12 children and 15 adults were found to have attended schools or nurseries while infectious between 25 January to 10 April, when term ended.

All adults or the parents of children were interviewed at diagnosis to track who the cases had been in contact with during the time that they were infectious.

The team showed that, of the 633 close contacts who were tested following symptoms, 18 were found to have Covid-19.

Further analysis of a subset of schools showed the transmission rate between staff (4.4 per cent) was much higher than between children (0.3 per cent), suggesting children do not spread the virus as much as adults.

The attack rate from child to staff was one per cent for child-to-staff, compared to 1.5 per cent the other way around, according to the findings published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health on August 3.

The researchers, led by Professor Kristine Macartney also said the transmission rates may have been higher in areas where contact tracing systems and testing were not as rigorous.

An Australian study found the transmission rate between staff (4.4 per cent) was much higher than between children (0.3 per cent), suggesting children do not spread the virus as much as adults

Teenagers 'spread the coronavirus as much as adults do'

A South Korean study found children under 10 transmitted less often to adults while those between the ages of 10 and 19 spread the virus as well as adults do.

The researchers at Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at 5,706 infected people and studies their 59,073 contacts for around nine days to see who was later diagnosed.

They detected Covid-19 in 11.8 per cent of household contacts, and rates were higher for contacts of children than adults.

Households with the older children had the highest rate of spread to other members18.6 per cent of any age group.

Only those in their 70s had an attack rate as high (18 per cent), followed by those in their 50s (17 per cent) and their 40s (11.8 per cent).

Households with younger children had the least spread, just 5.3 per cent, according to the findings which will be published in the autumn edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Outside of the home, teenagers didn't pose as much threat, with 0.9 per cent of their contacts testing positive compared with 4.8 per cent in the 70 to 79 age bracket.

The authors wrote: 'Young children may show higher attack rates when the school closure ends, contributing to community transmission of Covid-19.'

A study in South Korea found those aged 10-19 passed the coronavirus on to 18.6 per cent of their household contacts, and 0.9 per cent of their contact outside the home

Children without symptoms 'may spread the disease more'

Independent SAGE  a group of experts set up with of providing 'robust, independent advice' to the UK Government during Covid-19  has previously warned that children could spread coronavirus simply because they are not detected as a case.

Children may be just as likely to catch the coronavirus as adults but don't seem to be diagnosed often.

This is for two reasons  children to do not show the typical symptoms that adults to, if at all, and testing was only expanded to children in May.

A report from Independent SAGE published in May, which discussed whether schools should re-open on June 1, said: 'Studies have shown that between one per cent and five per cent of diagnosed Covid-19 cases are in children, but many children may be undiagnosed because up to a third of infected children never develop any symptoms (Ludvigsson, 2020).

'Current UK data suggest that they are as likely as adults to become infected and carry the virus but they may be less likely than adults to transmit the virus because, for instance, adults are contagious for longer than children.

'However, the impact of placing many children in one place could lead schools to become 'institutional amplifiers' if asymptomatic children go unnoticed until an adult becomes symptomatic.'

Children's viral loads are up to 100 times higher than adults', making them more infectious

Children under five years old can transmit the novel coronavirus just as easily as older kids can, a study in July claimed.

Researchers from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago collected nasopharyngeal swabs from children at a paediatric tertiary medical center in Chicago.

They looked at 145 patients who developed to moderate illness within one week of experiencing symptoms, according to the findings published in JAMA Pediatric.

Three groups were compared: children younger than age five, children between ages five and 17 years and adults from ages 18 to 65.

The findings shows that although children kindergarten-age or younger only have mild illness, they had viral loads between 10-fold and 100-fold greater amount in their upper respiratory tract.

'We found that children under five with Covid-19 have a higher viral load than older children and adults, which may suggest greater transmission, as we see with respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV,' said lead author Dr Taylor Heald-Sargent, a paediatric infectious diseases specialist at Lurie Children's.

'Our study was not designed to prove that younger children spread Covid-19 as much as adults, but it is a possibility.'

This implies that young children can spread the virus just as easily as teenagers, despite only developing a mild illness

The findings were backed by another study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics on August 20, which found youngsters carried large amounts of the coronavirus in their nose, which scientists say may suggest they have an increased ability to transmit the virus to others.

Infected children with mild symptoms even had bigger viral loads than adults who had been hospitalised by the life-threatening disease.

Having a high viral load  the number of particles of the virus someone is infected with  may make people more contagious, evidence suggests. It can also give the bug a 'jump start'.

Yet children carrying the virus often show show none of the tell-tale signs, meaning they don't get tested and unknowingly pose a risk to family members, including their vulnerable grandparents.

The findings came from comparing nose, throat and blood samples of 49 Covid-19 cases under the age of 22 against ones from adults hospitalised by the disease.

But experts said the results from Massachusetts General Hospital were 'unfounded' and 'misleading' because the children still had symptoms and would not be walking around schools in real-life.

Children have a lower viral load than adults, therefore cannot spread the virus as much

Eminent statistician Sir David Spiegelhalter claimed in May that children carry just a fraction of the viral load compared to adults, which significantly reduces their ability to fall ill or infect others.

Professor Spiegelhalter condemned a German pre-published study that suggested children carry the same viral load of Covid-19 as adults.

Because youngsters get much more mild symptoms, the results raised fears children could become super-spreaders.

However the statistician said the data clearly had been misinterpreted because it actually showed children have just a quarter of the viral load of adults.

He told the BBC: 'One of the big problems with this epidemic is that claims are being rushed out. Peer -review [when other scientists scrutinise research] has just disappeared from scientific analyses and yet they get a lot of media coverage.

'It is widely claimed that children have got the same viral load as adults, from a German study.

'If you look at that study it shows that is clearly not the case, children have about a quarter of the viral load according to the study. It's a very poor statistical analysis.'

Eminent statistician Sir David Spiegelhalter claimed in May that children carry just a fraction of the viral load compared to adults, which significantly reduces their ability to infect others

Children under 15 'rarely transmit the virus'

Professor Mark Woolhouse, an epidemiologist from the University of Edinburgh, said that children of school age up to 15 are 'minimally involved in the epidemiology of this virus'.

The professor, who sits on a sub-group of SAGE, told The Times on July 21 it is 'extremely difficult' to find any instances of children spreading the virus to adults in schools, with no certain cases.

He said: 'There is increasing evidence that they rarely transmit.

'For example, it is extremely difficult to find any instance anywhere in the world as a single example of a child transmitting to a teacher in school. There may have been one in Australia but it is incredibly rare.

'There are certain environments where this virus transmits very well and children are not present in these environments.'

He suggests closing schools was 'never essential' and said it was unlikely that governments would repeat the drastic step.

Evidence now suggests children are 'minimally involved' in the spread of Covid-19, which politicians should bear in mind in the future, he added.

Children are unlikely to spread the disease because they don't catch it in the first place

One study by University College London claimed children are unlikely to be involved with transmission of the virus because they so rarely get it.

The team analysed 18 studies looking into the link between the viral disease and children. Their findings, revealed on May 23, are yet to be published or peer-reviewed.

The risk of catching Covid-19 in children and teenagers was 56 per cent lower compared to adults over 20.

Researchers did not have sufficient data to examine whether children under 12 differed to teenagers in susceptibility.

Under-18s also appear to account for just one in 10 family clusters of the viral disease, although this was based on just one study so the evidence is weak.

Lead author Professor Russell Viner told a press conference: 'Susceptibility is a key part of the chain of infection, and this supports the view that children are likely to play a smaller role in transmitting the virus and proliferating the pandemic, although considerable uncertainty remains.'

Co-author Dr Rosalind Eggo, an infectious disease modeller at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: 'It [the study] suggests that children and young people are at lower risk of infection than adults and may therefore play a smaller role in the epidemic as a whole.

Evidence on how children spread the disease is 'inconclusive'

The government's SAGE experts suggested in May that children are at low danger from coronavirus but evidence on how they transmit the virus is 'inconclusive'.

Although they admit there is no certainty, a raft of papers suggest that children are less likely to be infected and infectious than adults, and teachers do not seem at heightened risk.

The documents, prepared in the weeks up to May 1, float the idea of splitting classes in half and having children attend schools alternate weeks, saying that could slash the effect on the coronavirus 'R' number.

'Evidence remains inconclusive on both the susceptibility and infectivity of children, but the balance of evidence suggests that both may be lower than in adults,' one paper said.

The government's SAGE experts suggested in May that children are at low danger from coronavirus but evidence on how they transmit the virus is 'inconclusive'. Pictured: Pupils at Greenacres Primary Academy in Oldham, northern England on June 18

What does the evidence say about severity of illness?

Children are unlikely to fall seriously ill and the risk of death is 'very low'

A study found that the risks of coronavirus to children are very low, adding weight to previous research on the topic.

Researchers from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London looked at more than 582 children aged three and above who were diagnosed with Covid-19 across Europe during the height of the crisis in April.

The study found that, out of 363 children who went to hospital for treatment, fewer than one in 10 (8 per cent) needed intensive care.

The study  published in the journal Lancet Child & Adolescent Health on June 25  also showed only 25 children needed mechanical ventilation (four per cent), but when they did need it, that support was typically required for a prolonged period, often for a week or more.

Four patients (0.68 per cent) died during the research  but academics cautioned the study only included patients who sought help and were tested for Covid-19.

This means milder cases would not have been included. For this reason they advise against extrapolating the numbers observed in their study to the wider population.

They say if milder cases were taken into consideration, the risk of being hospitalised or dying from Covid-19 for children would be drastically reduced.

Lead researcher Dr Marc Tebruegge, from the University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in London, said the findings were 'reassuring'.

Under-20s are half as likely to become sick with Covid-19 as over-70s

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine academics analysed data from 32 locations in six different countries  China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Canada and South Korea.

They found across all regions, under-20s are about half as susceptible to infection as people who are older, and only 21 per cent of infected 10 to 19-year-olds get symptoms.

In comparison, the rate among over-70s  considered to be the most vulnerable to the disease  was three times higher (69 per cent), according to the study that was published in the journal Nature Medicine on June 16.

Professor Mark Woolhouse, an epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, was not involved with the study but said: '[They] were not able to determine whether young people are also less infectious, though this could be the case if infectiousness is linked to the severity of symptoms.'

Reasons for children's apparent resilience to the disease are still unclear, despite a wave of trials devoted to unraveling the truth on the contentious topic.

But top researchers say their immune system may be faster to react or their bodies are better able to cope with viral infections because they are younger.

Donald Trump insists children are immune to the coronavirus

The US president Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that children are immune from catching the coronavirus. Pictured, Mr Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House in Washington yesterday

The US president Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that children are immune from catching the coronavirus.

Asked on August 10 whether infections among young people gives him any pause, he said: 'No. There may be a case, a tiny, a tiny fraction of death, tiny fraction, and they get better very quickly.'

Last week, social media platforms forced Mr Trump and his campaign to remove videos from their accounts in which the president claimed children are 'virtually immune' to the virus, which is false.

Asked if he still believes that, the president said: 'For the most part, yeah, I think they do very well. They don't catch it very easily ... They don't transport it or transfer it to other people, or certainly not very easily.'

However, the number of new Covid-19 cases among children in the US rose 40 per cent in the last two weeks of July, according to a report released just weeks before tens of millions of American students are scheduled to begin the new school year.

The new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association found that more than 338,000 children have tested positive for Covid-19 since the onset of the US epidemic, with 97,078 new cases reported in the July 16-30 period.

It did not give a reason for the recent spike. Testing for the novel coronavirus overall has risen in the US.
A former Pacific Gas and Electric Co. employee admitted to accepting kickbacks of more than $1.4 million dollars in a scheme to divert business to his cousins company over the course of eight years, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott said Monday.

Ronald S. Schoenfeld, 65, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud and admitted to receiving kickback payments from the Stockton transportation company owned by his cousin, according to the U.S. attorneys office. Neither the cousin nor his company have been named publicly.

PG&E condemned Schoenfelds actions and said it has opened an investigation into why the fraud was not detected sooner.

We consider this unacceptable behavior, and it does not live up to the high ethical standards that we aspire to as individuals and as a company, PG&E spokesman Matt Nauman said Monday.

PG&E paid at least $82.1 million to the transportation business operated by Schoenfelds cousin for services carried out during an eight-year period between March 2007 and February 2015. The company paid Schoenfeld over $1.47 million in kickbacks during that time, federal officials said.

Schoenfeld directed contracts to his cousins transportation company in exchange for kickbacks worth about 2.5% of the value of the contracts over the eight years, the U.S. attorneys office said.

The charges stem from Schoenfelds failure to disclose the personal connection to his cousin, who has been named as a co-conspirator.

Schoenfeld concealed from PG&E his familial relationship with his co-conspirator from PG&E, provided confidential information to his co-conspirator, and, at times, directly intervened in the consideration of contracts between PG&E and his co-conspirators business, all contrary to PG&Es policies, the U.S. attorneys office said in a statement.

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.

Schoenfelds business dealings with his cousins company roused the attention of other PG&E employees, who reported his suspicious activity to the companys compliance hotline, Nauman said.

PG&Es internal investigation led to Schoenfelds dismissal, and the energy company cooperated with the U.S. attorneys office investigation, he said.

Schoenfeld is scheduled to be sentenced in November. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Nora Mishanec is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @nmishanec
North Dakota is creating a pool of marketing communications firms to support various media campaigns for state, local and tribal governments.
Riga City, Latvia -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/01/2020 -- The current crypto market is based of speculation and has a difficult time taking over fiat and becoming the new standard in payments.



This is where CENTRIC plans to take the lead with a new type of stable utility token and a duel crypto eco-system that takes away speculation and allows a seamless experience utilizing Centric Rise as a means of payment.



A massive issue is looming over the industry



To tackle the issue of stability many projects have tried and the most well known is everyones "favourite" TETHER. Which has been continuously scrutinised for being a money printing business and a pile of s with a 10,281,372,504 circulating supply.



This is a huge problem because TETHER is able to print more and more USDT and really not serve any utility except as a means to trade back one's position.



How is this fixed?



Centric has build a unique duel crypto eco-system



1. CENTRIC CASH (CNS)



This is the speculative token, traded on exchanges and used to "cash-out"



Elastic supply



2. CENTRIC RISE (CNR)



The utility token, the token which will have real-world use and also RISE in price each hour block



The finite supply of the only 1billion and only 9% is owned by the team!



The quickest way to get CNR is to exchange CNS for it (that's the beauty of it and it is the fundamental thing that makes this work for utilisers and investors while not interrupting the other side.



So how does it work?



CENTRIC RISE has a continuously rising price which is predetermined 1 year in advance and locked into the Blockchain, thus it cannot be changed. This makes it the perfect crypto for payments worldwide.



Any merchant or service provider will be able to know the price of RISE now and anytime during the next year, allowing them to set prices accordingly and automatically! This literally eliminates the need for speculation and removes the volatility problem of cryptocurrencies.



Let's be honest, currently, almost all Blockchain projects treat their crypto as stocks, which they sell off to the market for gains and development. It is time for a true utility cryptocurrency that has no speculation and gives a transparent ecosystem to users and supporters.



How to get in early and make profit



As this article is written it is still early doors and the DUEL currency system allows user to get in early as an early investor.



Break down



The most efficient way to get RISE (CNR) is to get CASH (CNS) and exchange it for it. On centric swap.



CNS is already available on Bithumb global, Probit, and just recently Bittrex! Huge exchange listings and the first of many great ones.



BUY NOW



After one purchase CNS he can exchange it to CNR on: https://www.centricswap.com/



As mentioned CNR goes up in price each block this making it a perfect investment token.



The token metrics are super unique and there are a number of videos which explain it, here is a great one which we suggest to check out.



IMPORTANT:



The project started centralised and accumulated over 16,000 users/token holders before going decentralised and has left a very small supply of tokens for the team.



This is one of the biggest steps and probably one that most companies are too scared to take but it is surely one which will pay of as it is those 16k holders which are the building blocks of the market and the project.



No need to worry about the team members dumping on the market, no need to worry about fluctuating prices, no need to worry about the whole token metrics and CENTRIC will do all the hard work.



Centric has one final objective and that is to become a global cryptocurrency which is utilised for payments, THE FIAT KILLER?



How to maximize gains from centric as an early adopter



We all know that getting in early allows one to get the best returns and sometimes hit those 10x, 30 or even 100x project.



So here is a breakdown from an experienced investor on how to get in early and profit.



CNS is just a gateway to getting CNR, the goal is to hold as much CNR as possible as the exchange rate of CNS will be 10x of CNR



So if one gets 10 CNR now and hold it until CNS reaches $1 then he can swap each CNR for $10



BUT! And this is a big but, while the user holds CNR the price of it goes up each block, as mentioned!



Watch the video provided previously, it will really explain it in detail.



Conclusion



This system is so unique and literally takes out speculation from the price and allows RISE to become a true currency, which can be used globally.



Connect with the project:



Telegram https://t.me/centric



Twitter> JoinCentricApp
An excessive heat watch has been issued for a vast area over the Labor Day weekend. (Paul Duginski / Los Angeles Times)

Mother Nature will crank up the temperature across Southern California over the Labor Day holiday weekend, the National Weather Service said.

A dangerous heat wave is likely as upper-level high pressure over the Southwest strengthens and expands across the Western third of the country. Temperatures could reach record levels, especially Saturday and Sunday, the weather service warned.

This weather will be "just as hot, or maybe a little hotter, and potentially more dangerous" than the last heat wave, although it isn't expected to be as sticky and humid, according to Joe Sirard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

"This is at the high end of heat waves for our area, with highs of 115 possible in the San Fernando Valley," he said.

Sirard urged caution, noting that "bad things can happen with this kind of heat." He urged people to curtail outdoor activity because heat stroke is a real possibility.

Very warm overnight lows will provide little relief, and officials urged people to check on loved ones, especially older people. He also "highly recommended" that people curtail hiking in the mountains, including the Santa Monicas.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for the valley and interior areas for Friday morning through Monday evening, and beginning Saturday morning in the coastal areas.

Gusty northerly winds and dry conditions will promote elevated to near-critical fire weather as firefighters continue to battle historic blazes across the state.

The San Fernando Valley may see highs of 108 to 115 degrees, while the San Gabriel Valley could reach 103 to 112. Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley could see temperatures as high as 112 degrees, and downtown Los Angeles will probably be in the low 100s, Sirard said.

High pressure will suppress the marine layer, and the beaches will reach temperatures in the mid-80s to 90 degrees.

Although there will be a little monsoonal moisture, and cumulus clouds may form over the mountains, but no thunderstorms are anticipated, forecasters said.

Story continues

Sirard described conditions as "moderately dry" with some offshore flow  not as humid as the last hot spell, but not as dry as Santa Ana conditions.

"This high-pressure ridge is the first North Pacific system we've seen this season," climatologist Bill Patzert said. "This is Santa Ana-ish. This is a three-day, triple-digit, dangerous event.

"Extreme heat waves are killers, especially for those who don't have or can't afford air conditioning," he said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Of all the riots that have gone unchecked in the country this summer, the one in Kenosha, Wis., might matter most with regard to the November presidential election.

The vivid imagery in the days following the police shooting of Jacob Blake shows a town in devastation. Rioters blocked traffic. And they stole gasoline from a nearby gas station to start fires that took out numerous small businesses, car lots, an apartment building and a Family Dollar store.

Other businesses that were not burned down nonetheless were looted and had their windows and doors smashed.

It is a war zone, and no one wants to live in a war zone. No one wants their children and grandchildren to live in a war zone. No one wants to own and run a business in a war zone.

Consequently, no candidate running for president should be silent about it. In moments like this, people want safety, security and to know elected officials have their back.

The potential electoral consequences are not just due to the fact that riots, destruction and lawlessness are happening in a swing state. It is because Kenosha is the Everyman of Americas midsized cities.
Korean-Uzbek Business Association Chairman Kim Young-gu poses after receiving the prestigious "Dostlik Order" from the Uzbek government in recognition of his dedication to the development of bilateral relations, during a ceremony at the former Uzbek Embassy in Seoul in 2011. / Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan



By Kim Young-gu



It is a great honor for me today to deliver my warmest congratulations to the Uzbek people through The Korea Times with regards to the celebration of the 29th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the 28th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea.

Uzbekistan and Korea are special strategic partners that are linked by ancient history, cultural ties, trade, economic relations and investment partnerships. Over the past three years, colossal changes have taken place in Uzbekistan. The country under the leadership of His Excellency President Shavkat Mirziyoyev began to open up to the whole world. International organizations highly appreciated the reforms that have been carried out in Uzbekistan.

The reforms were not limited to economic liberalization. On the initiative of the distinguished President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Five-Area Development Strategy for 2017-2021 was adopted. This strategy covers all spheres of life of the population of Uzbekistan. As a result of the continuing purposeful work of the President and the Government of Uzbekistan, the country's image on the world stage began to strengthen rapidly. Uzbekistan is becoming a regional power gradually and confidently.

Currently, Uzbekistan has created all the conditions for the implementation of investment projects. Nowhere in the world can you find a country where such great opportunities are provided to foreign investors. Exemption from all types of taxes within the framework of free economic zones, the provision of territory and facilities at a "zero" cost subject to attracting investment, relatively cheap infrastructure for organizing production (energy, water, labor, etc.) and highly qualified specialists can dramatically increase the profitability of any investment project.

As the largest market in Central Asia with a population of 34 million, Uzbekistan is an industrial hub for organizing production and entering the 300 million markets of the CIS countries and Afghanistan. Taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the Government of Uzbekistan, Korean companies will be able to confidently create production facilities to make a profit and enter the market of the CIS countries and successfully implement the New Northern Policy initiated by the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in.

As you know, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has repeatedly expressed full support for this initiative of President Moon Jae-in. This circumstance gives all of us, Korean companies, confidence in creating new production facilities in Uzbekistan with the attraction of direct investments and modern technologies.





Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov, left, poses with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki before their talks at the Seoul Government Complex in Seoul, July 6. / Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan

Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov, left, poses with Korean-Uzbek Business Association Deputy Chairman Edward Kim during a visit to the association in Songdo, Incheon, July 8. Kim represented the association on behalf of its chairman Kim Young-gu. / Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan



In order to implement the ideas and intentions of leading Korean companies in relation to Uzbekistan, we have established the Korean-Uzbek Business Association that is accredited by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy of the Republic of Korea. This organization, in our opinion, will become a pivot in bilateral investment and trade relations between Uzbekistan and Korea.

Despite the pandemic, a high-ranking delegation of the Republic of Uzbekistan headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov visited Korea on July 6-8 of this year. We highly appreciate the attention of the respected Sardor Umurzakov and his desire to visit the Korean-Uzbek Business Center in Incheon, where we were able to exchange views on strengthening and developing trade cooperation by attracting reliable and leading Korean companies to Uzbekistan.





Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov, front row center, poses with Korean-Uzbek Business Association members in Songdo, Incheon, July 6. / Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan



We also agreed to establish branches of the Korean-Uzbek Business Association in the cities of Tashkent and Fergana, which will start operating in September 2020. This will make it possible to closely interact not only with the central government of Uzbekistan but also with the regions and territories of the country.

On this important day for Uzbekistan, as the Chairman of the Korean-Uzbek Business Association, I want to wish all the people and the leadership of the Republic of Uzbekistan prosperity and well-being.

At the same time, I want to emphasize that all members of the Korean-Uzbek Business Association are ready to make every effort to successfully implement the tasks set to strengthen the "special strategic partnership" and thereby make a significant contribution to the economic development of Uzbekistan.





Kim Young-gu is the chairman of the Korean-Uzbek Business Association.
SACRAMENTO  California has a new partial eviction moratorium, the result of a last-minute push by state legislators to prevent struggling renters from being kicked out of their homes when courts reopen this week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the moratorium into law late Monday, within hours of legislators passing it and just three days after the details were formally announced. AB3088 by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, grants tenants who are unable to pay their rent because of the coronavirus pandemic a reprieve and gives them five more months before they must start paying again in full.

The relief does not cover every California renter, however, or every eviction. Here are answers to questions about how the law works.

Am I protected from eviction? If you are experiencing a financial hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic that is preventing you from making rent, then this law covers you. That could be because of a loss of income  perhaps you were laid off or you had to stop working to care for a sick family member  or because of increased costs related to the pandemic, such as medical bills or child care that allows you to keep doing a job that has been deemed essential.

This law converts any rent you missed from March through August into civil debt, meaning you could not be evicted over the nonpayment, but your landlord could sue to recover the money in small claims court starting in March 2021.

From now through January, youll need to pay at least a quarter of your total rent. If you can meet the 25% threshold by Jan. 31, the rest of it will become civil debt. If you cant, then your landlord could file to evict you in February.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2020

How do I make sure my landlord knows I cant be evicted? Your landlord is supposed to give you 15 days to affirm under penalty of perjury that you cant pay your rent because of a coronavirus-related hardship. But if the landlord has proof you typically make more than $100,000 per year, and that is more than 130% of the median income in your area, you can be asked to document your loss of income.

If you dont make this formal declaration, your landlord can seek to evict you for nonpayment starting Oct. 5. If you do and your landlord tries to evict you anyway, your landlord could be fined between $1,000 and $2,500.

Other eviction cases, such as those for violating a lease agreement, can resume immediately in most of the state. Thats not true in several Bay Area communities, however  San Francisco and Contra Costa County have frozen all evictions until the end of September, and Alameda County has extended its moratorium until the end of the year.

Many tenant advocates believe the state law does not go far enough and that evicting anyone in a pandemic is dangerous and cruel. They have unsuccessfully called on Newsom to stop all evictions through the end of the year and accused him of turning his back on renters with this law.

Is there is any relief for landlords? Not much. With the state facing a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall, several proposals to provide direct financial relief to landlords for missed rent were shelved in the Legislature because of their cost. A separate effort to require mortgage forbearance for homeowners withered after banks and landlord groups raised concerns that it was unconstitutional.

The law does temporarily extend some additional foreclosure protections to landlords who own no more than three rental properties, each containing four or fewer units. If this is you, and any of your tenants is unable to pay rent because of the pandemic, then you are now covered under a state law that requires your mortgage servicer to contact you at least 30 days before foreclosure to explore alternatives. This right expires in 2023.

Landlord groups have noted that many rental property owners are struggling themselves right now, unable to meet their mortgage bills and other financial obligations because of missed rent payments from their tenants. They have criticized the eviction deal for balancing the crisis on their shoulders.

It doesnt sound like anyone is satisfied with the law. Why the rush to pass it? Theyre not. Even Chiu called it imperfect and said he was disappointed that it did not include stronger protections for tenants. But after weeks of intense negotiations involving Newsom, legislative leaders, tenants-rights advocates and landlord groups, those involved said this was the best deal they could get.

A statewide moratorium on eviction proceedings imposed by the court system is set to expire on Wednesday. Everyone at the Capitol felt intense pressure to do something to help millions of struggling Californians who might otherwise lose their homes.

So what happens at the end of January? Thats the million-dollar question. The state could find itself back in the exact same position five months from now, fighting again over how to avoid a wave of evictions.

Lawmakers are hoping for a miracle  either that Congress, which has been at odds for months over whether to pass additional coronavirus relief legislation, will get its act together and provide aid to renters and landlords, or that Joe Biden will win the presidency and reset the debate in Washington.

But a federal bailout is no guarantee. That makes it tricky for legislators as they continue discussions this fall about a more permanent solution to the eviction crisis.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 19:26:05|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. attempts to re-impose sanctions on Iran are doomed to fail, while Moscow stands ready to mediate between Washington and Tehran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

The United States has lost all its rights with Iran by abandoning its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, Lavrov said when addressing students of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

"The United States wants now to use a rather complex, sophisticated legal instrument, which was laid down in the JCPOA and approved by the United Nations Security Council, to restore the collective sanctions," he said.

"But this mechanism was prepared exclusively for a situation when Iran does not fulfill its obligations, which is not the case," he said.

The top Russian diplomat recalled that the United States did not just say that they were renewing unilateral sanctions, but they aimed to ban all other countries from trading with Iran.

Lavrov said that Russia supports direct dialogue between the United States and Iran, and is ready to help create conditions for that, if both sides are interested.

"It is always better to directly state one's claims and hear a direct answer," he said. Enditem
Conservative main opposition should revamp in earnest



The conservative main opposition United Future Party (UFP) will likely adopt the new name "People's Power," set to be finalized on Wednesday. Political parties in Korea have adopted new names on the occasion of monumental moments  in party mergers or when in need of revamp. For the UFP to have to change its name three times over the past three years after former President Park Geun-hye was impeached tells the tale of a once-major conservative party grappling to reconnect with and regain voters.



The opposition had been making efforts by adopting a new party platform under interim leader Kim Chong-in that entailed legislating basic income  an agenda usually reserved for liberals  and the spirit of the May 18 democracy movement in Gwangju in 1980. Kim made a surprise move when he visited the May 18 National Cemetery in Gwangju last month and knelt in apology to ask for forgiveness from the city's citizens.



Coupled with its reform efforts, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's real estate policies have enabled some voters to defect to hike up the UFP's popularity for the first time in three years. A small window of opportunity has opened to them to put the post-impeachment disarray behind them and start racing toward the April 2021 by-elections and the March 2022 presidential election.



A new name should embody a new core for the party. The UFP should go beyond post-impeachment redemption, and aim to lead the national agenda by embracing voters in their 20s and 30s, who unlike generations before them face one of the bleakest futures. The fact that it adopted the name "people" reflects the party is willing to broaden the width of its spectrum. It demonstrates that it knows the people want fair and sustainable policies.



Any attempt that falls shorts of a genuine revamp will be seen as superficial and push voters further away. A non-functioning opposition does not serve anyone  the National Assembly, the parties and most importantly the voters.


Indias former president Pranab Mukherjee has died aged 84 after testing positive for coronavirus.

The senior leader of Indias Congress Party was admitted to hospital on 10 August after suffering a fall and had emergency surgery for a blood clot on his brain.

New Delhis Army Research and Referral Hospital said a test the same day confirmed he had Covid-19. He remained in a coma until his death on Monday of a lung infection and septic shock.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who leads the rival Bharatiya Janata Party, tweeted that Mr Mukherjee left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of India.

His wise counsel on key policy matters will never be forgotten by me, he added.

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

During a career stretching five decades, Mr Mukherjee served as minister of finance, defence and foreign affairs for three separate prime ministers and helped manage their fractious governing coalitions.

He was a college teacher in West Bengal state before first running for public office in 1969. He became a protege of Indira Gandhi and was loyal to her during the internal emergency she had proclaimed from 1975 to 1977, when elections were suspended and civil liberties were curbed. Many of her opponents were imprisoned.

After Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984 and her son Rajiv Gandhi became prime minister, Mr Mukherjee lost his position as finance minister and formed his own party.

However he later reconciled with Rajiv Gandhi and returned to the Congress Party in 1989. Following Rajiv Gandhis assassination in 1991, Mr Mukherjee joined the cabinets of his successors, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.

In 2012, he resigned from parliament to take the largely ceremonial role as head of state, becoming Indias 13th president.

Recommended Coronavirus may have brought caste discrimination back to India

A corruption scandal two years into his presidency led to a defeat in general elections for the Congress Party, which has ruled India for most of its independent history, and Mr Mukherjee had to swear-in Hindu nationalist leader Mr Modi as prime minister.

My passion has been the service of the people of India, Mr Mukherjee said in a speech summing up 50 years in public life when he left the role in 2017.

He was awarded Indias highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2019, and is survived by two sons and a daughter.

Additional reporting by agencies
A Delhi court has dismissed the bail application of Jamia Millia Islamia student Gulfisha Fatima, arrested under the stringent anti-terror law  Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, in a case related to communal violence in north east Delhi in February. Fatima had challenged a sessions court's June 29 order extending the period of investigation in the case, and sought statutory bail on the ground that the charge sheet has not been filed in the case within the time period of 90 days as provided by the law.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat rejected the bail application on the ground that it was without any merit. "When the period to investigate has been extended till August 29 and applicant (Fatima) remanded to judicial custody under the provisions of UAPA by the sessions judge, there arises no reason for the applicant to state that the charge sheet has not been filed on August 10. The applicant seeks to challenge the order on June 29 for extension of period of investigation by sessions judge stating that it was not competent to pass any order. However, such an assertion cannot be made before this court.

"The order on June 29 was passed and as per the said order, the period of investigation has been extended till August 29 (later, it was also extended). Hence, there arises no occasion for consideration of the question of statutory bail on the ground that the final report has not been filed on August 10. Present application is without merits and is dismissed," the court said in its order passed on August 31. The court had on June 29 extended time till August 29 and on August 13 extended the time till September 17 for completion of the probe in the case.

Fatima's bail plea claimed that the sessions court was not competent to entertain and allow the application filed by the police under section 43D (2) (b) of the UAPA, seeking extension of time to complete the investigation. Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.
A new SAP Concur study provides important insights on trends that are shaping a new normal for business travel. The data suggests that travel will continue to play an irreplaceable role in meeting critical business needs. However, travellers health and safety, and a new era of trip preparation and policies, will be front and centre as travel resumes.

The SAP Concur Business Traveller Survey 2020 captures the new normal of business travel by determining what measures are being considered as necessary by business travellers, both from themselves as well as from their employers.

Mankiran Chowhan, Managing Director  Indian Subcontinent, SAP Concur, said, Emerging expectations around health and safety due to the current pandemic requires the travel industry to adapt, innovate, and transform to usher in a new normal. Companies need to define and maintain a balance between essential travel, government regulation guidelines, as well as the travel appetite of their employees. Companies should also pay attention to what the employees need and invest in measures that include effective training and new-age intelligent tools. We believe that such support can complement employees feeling of excitement to resume travel, build up their confidence, and help them deliver on work commitments as they did prior to COVID-19.

COVID-19 has supercharged health and safety concerns, creating added stress over business travel

Thirty-eight percent of Indian business travellers now say they experience the most stress during the trip, rather than before (30%) or after the trip (32%). When the same study was conducted in August last year, 36 percent of Indian travellers cited the trip itself as the most stressful stage of travel.

With the pandemic dominating news headlines, more than 1 in 3 say their health and safety is their top priority while travelling for business (37%). This is more than three times the number of respondents who regard business needs (12%) as their top priority. The concern for personal health and safety is even more pronounced in China (57%), Malaysia (55%), and Taiwan (53%), where more than half the respondents ranked health and safety as their top priority this year.

Given such stress levels, it stands to reason that 88 percent of Indian business travellers feel concerned about resuming travel. They are especially worried getting sick themselves (57%) or infecting their family (46%). Additionally, the trip itself is likely to be anxiety-inducing: among those with concerns, 59 percent are concerned about staying in a hotel, 48 percent about being on a plane, and 32 percent about using public transportation.

Organisations in India must prepare to meet emerging traveller expectations

When business travel resumes, all (100%) Indian business travellers will consider some measures from their company critical for safely returning to the road. These include mandatory personal health screenings for travelling employees (48%), real-time updates and alerts on potential travel risks (40%), and easier access to personal protective equipment (37%).

Employees will increasingly require guidance from organisations on how to stay safe when they travel. Almost all (99%) of Indian business travellers say company trainings would be beneficial, especially trainings on how to protect their health and safety while travelling (67%, compared to 54% globally) and how to maintain healthy habits while travelling (44%).

Organisations that are not proactively protecting employee well-being on business trips could risk consequences  44 percent of Indian business travellers say they would ask to limit travel if their company does not implement the measures they want, 19 percent would look for a position that does not require travel, and 9 percent would consider a position at a different company.

Travellers in India believe in the need to resume in-person meetings

Although 29 percent of Indian business travellers say they are worried about resuming travel once restrictions are lifted, even more travellers feel excited. This sentiment is particularly strong in India, where half of business travellers (50%) say they are excited about their next trip.

This excitement to return to the road is likely because most Indian business travellers (64%, compared to 44% globally) anticipate limited representation of their company at industry events while 61 percent expect a reduced number of deals or contracts signed without face-to-face meetings. More than half (53%) of Indian business travellers expect declines in new business due to a lack of in-person meetings.

When a trip does need to take place, companies should have a way to ensure that employees only use approved and safe airlines and hotels; that they can receive information on changing ground situations that impact their health and safety; and that the company can reach out to them and render assistance 24/7.
The United States on Monday surpassed 6 million confirmed coronavirus cases to go along with the world-leading 183,000 deaths the country has recorded, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Four Midwestern states recently reported record one-day increases in new cases: Iowa (about 785), North Dakota (about 375), South Dakota (about 425) and Minnesota (about 1,000), all according to Johns Hopkins.

Meanwhile, Montana and Idaho say their numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are also setting records. While the Midwest is the newest coronavirus hot spot, the nation as a whole is seeing declines in deaths, hospitalizations, positivity rates and new cases.

The spike of new cases can be traced to large gatherings. In Iowa, the counties that are home to the University of Iowa and Iowa State University are reporting many of the new cases. Both schools are holding some in-person classes. Other infections have been traced to an annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, including 88 cases in South Dakota alone.

While the United States has the most recorded infections in the world, it ranks 10th based on cases per capita, with Brazil, Peru and Chile having higher rates of infection, according to a Reuters tally. The United States also has the most deaths in the world at just over 183,000, but it ranks 11th for deaths per capita, exceeded by Sweden, Brazil, Italy, Chile, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Peru, according to Reuters.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 03:47:39|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A pro-government Yemeni militia on Monday announced killing of four fighters of the Houthi rebel group in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The four Houthi fighters were killed "in a botched attack against Tuhyata area of Hodeidah," said a brief press statement released by the Giants Brigades militia.

The attack also resulted in injuring eight Houthi fighters, the statement added.

The statement accused the Houthis of continuing breaching the cease-fire by attempting this fresh attack in Tuhyata.

No information, however, was given about casualties among the government soldiers during the exchange of fire with the Houthis.

Hodeidah has seen a shaky cease-fire between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels since the two sides reached a UN-sponsored truce in Stockholm in December 2018.

Part of Hodeidah Province, including the namesake port city on the Red Sea, is under the control of the Houthi rebels, while the government forces have advanced to the southern and eastern districts.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. Enditem
Mobile apps may not be the only medium for storing and transacting Chinas digital yuan, according to the Terms and Services agreement from a major Chinese bank. The roll-out of Chinas central bank digital currency may include hardware wallets as well.

Over the weekend, China Construction Bank (CCB), one of the countrys big-four state-owned commercial banks, opened up a wallet service to public users within its mobile app for testing Chinas central bank digital currency (CBDC), also known as DC/EP.

While various nations are discussing the potential of CBDC to increase financial inclusion, China, the worlds second-largest economy, is poised to become the first country to digitize a sovereign currency.

Related: South Koreas Central Bank Starts Technical Phase for Digital Currency Ahead of 2021 Pilot

Despite on-going tests in several Chinese cities, CCB did not seem prepared for the high level of attention to the wallet service on its mobile app service, which was activated widely before being disabled.

Read more: Chinese Bank Disables Digital Yuan Wallet After Soft Launch Draws Wide Attention

Before the service was taken down, CoinDesk kept a copy of and analyzed the Terms and Services that users were required to agree to follow when signing up.

The Definition part of the Terms, which has since disappeared along with the service, showed that apart from DC/EP wallets within CCBs mobile app that was offered, separate hardware wallets for DC/EP may also be in the works.

Related: Huobi and OKEx Battle for Supremacy in China

One of the advantages of a national digital currency is that users can hold their own currencies digitally, rather than keep them in a bank. With the addition of a hardware wallet, users could keep custody of larger sums of their digital yuan off-line without relying on a third-party mobile app. Then they could make smaller transactions by using their DC/EP mobile app.

Story continues

According to CCBs Terms, a DC/EP hardware wallet is a physical medium that is activated upon users request at a banks counter or a digital channel for carrying DC/EP.

The idea would be similar to an actual wallet that stores physical cash. There is one key difference, however. The DC/EP hardware wallets can be traceable and would strip off the anonymity feature of paper cash as users would need personal information such as IDs and phone numbers to activate the wallet in the first place.

Basic functions will include making payments, depositing to or withdrawing from bank accounts and initiating transactions between wallets, the Terms added.

However, the Terms indicated Chinas DC/EP wallets could be offered in the future in a four-tier system, which would potentially put a cap on how much users can spend their digital yuan.

Under the Terms, for instance, a user could only maintain a balance of up to 10,000 ($1,500) yuan in a tier-2 DC/EP wallet. The cap for a single transaction would be less than 5,000 yuan daily and annual accumulated spendings could not exceed 10,000 yuan (around $1,500) and 300,000 yuan (or $42,000), respectively.

Similarly, tier-3 and tier-4 DC/EP wallets would have tighter caps on wallet balances as well as daily and annual spendings but the Terms did not indicate if there will be any limit on tier-1 wallets.

After CCB disabled the DC/EP wallet registration, users who had made deposits to digital yuan over the weekend found their wallets dissolved, with balances credited to their respective bank accounts, according to Chinese state media.

CoinDesk reported last year that in addition to major Chinese commercial banks, payments giants Ant Financial and WeChat Pay have been involved in the development and implementation for Chinas DC/EP initiative.

In fact, Ant Financial disclosed in its initial public offering prospectus in China last month that it has been participating in the development and internal test for the last two years.

In accordance with the arrangements by the Peoples Bank of China, the Company is preparing for DC/EPs internal test in Shenzhen, Suzhou, XiongAn, Chengdu and the upcoming 2020 Beijing Winter Olympics, Ant Financial said in the document.

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Louisiana pastor, 68, killed in sleep after tree struck his home during Hurricane Laura

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Pastor James Cart Jr., leader of First Baptist Church in Iota, Louisiana, was among 18 people killed in the wake of Hurricane Laura last Thursday when a tree fell on his home as he slept through the storm. He was 68.

Bert Langley, director of missions with the Acadia Baptist Association, confirmed with the Baptist Press that the Southern Baptist Convention pastor died after a tree fell on his house in Acadia Parish around 2 a.m. Thursday. His wife had been tending to one of their grandchildren in the living room of their home when tragedy struck.

Carter, according to the Baptist Message, had been serving as a bivocational pastor of his small church of about 45 weekly worshipers since September 2011.

We are heartbroken to learn of Pastor Carts death, Louisiana Baptists Executive Director Steve Horn told the publication. We urge all Louisiana Baptists to pray for his family and his church family.

Langley said Cart loved to tell others about the love of Christ.

He came back to pastor in the town he grew up in, Langley said. He loved his wife and family. He loved people. He loved his church. He will be missed by all who knew him.

An obituary from Ardoins Funeral Homes said Cart, whose memorial service was held on Tuesday, moved back to Iota with his wife of 48 years, Elizabeth, after he retired.

James was a wonderful provider and nurturer, an excellent husband and his family was everything to him. He will be missed by many, but none more than his wife of 48 years, Elizabeth Dianne Jackson Cart, the obituary said of the late father of three.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said on Monday that with 324,000 power outages across the state and 600,000 people either without water or under boil water advisories, residents were in for a long recovery. The Associated Press also noted that stifling heat and humidity were adding to the trouble of clearing out debris, patching roofs and starting rebuilding work.

Hurricane Laura made landfall Thursday just south of Lake Charles near Cameron, Louisiana, as a powerful Category 4 storm with 150-mph winds and a storm surge as high as 15 feet.

Edwards' office told the AP that in the wake of the storm, 67,000 people have already registered for assistance from FEMA.

Collin Arnold, New Orleans emergency preparedness director, told the news agency that about 9,200 evacuees were housed across 33 hotels and the coronavirus has made managing them a lot more complicated.

Its extremely complicated, Arnold said. Youre dealing with 33 different properties and the amount of personnel required to have people at every property is pretty staggering  We would be congregate sheltering in any other hurricane season without COVID-19 hanging over our heads. We would be in large stadiums, arenas.

James Townley, a survivor of the storm in Lake Charles who decided to stay in his battered home, said he ran out of out of medication for his heart and kidneys and had requested aid from FEMA but was still waiting for help.

Im just going to sit here and do what I can do, said the 56-year-old. Maybe Ill make it, maybe I wont.
She has recently scooped a role on Geordie Shore, a show centred around boozing, bedding and brawling.

Yet Amelia Lily was swapping The Toon for London's swanky Mayfair as she headed to Scott's Restaurant with her influencer pal Kyle John Craggs on Monday.

The star, 25, who shot to fame during the eighth series of X Factor in 2011, looked stunning in a pretty nude dress for the meak with Kyle, who revealed they had utilised the Eat Out To Help Out scheme.

Elegant: Amelia Lily was swapping The Toon for London's swanky Mayfair as she headed to Scott's Restaurant with her influencer pal Kyle John Craggs on Monday

Amelia was putting on an elegant display in the chic dress, which was worlds away from the beloved bodycon dresses of the Geordie Shore girls.

She boosted her height with a pair of black heels while adding a chic touch with a coordinating leather handbag from Yves Saint Laurent.

Insistent on giving her look a kooky touch, her pink hair added an edgy feel to the otherwise extremely muted yet stunning style.

Her pal Kyle was looking sleek in a pink blazer with a black shirt.

Cheers! The star, 25, who shot to fame during the eighth series of X Factor in 2011, looked stunning in a pretty nude dress with black polka dots

Stunner: Amelia was putting on an elegant display in the chic dress, which was worlds away from the beloved bodycon dresses of the Geordie Shore girls

Happy days: Taking to Instagram after their meal, he proudly showed off their 227.79 meal and shared the fact they used the Eat Out To Help Out scheme

Taking to Instagram after their meal, he proudly showed off their 227.79 meal and shared the fact they used the Eat Out To Help Out scheme.

The duo then went on to Freedom Bar in Soho.

Amelia found fame when she was just 16 and has, since The X Factor, released music, after being signed to Sony.

Lady in pink: Insistent on giving her look a kooky touch, her pink hair added an edgy feel to the otherwise extremely muted yet stunning style

Star studded: Amelia found fame when she was just 16 and has, since The X Factor, released music, after being signed to Sony

Despite relative chart success with tracks You Bring Me Joy and Shut Up And Give Me Whatever You've Got, she turned her hand to musical theatre when she appeared in Green Day's musical American Idiot.

She appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017, later signing on to Geordie Shore.

Of the show, she said, 'I am finally ready to let loose my inner wild child,' and admits that during her time on the series the bond she made with the rest of the girls' more than made up' for her tendency to be 'unlucky in love'.

Happy days! She appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017, later signing on to Geordie Shore
Australia's Trade Minister Simon Birmingham addresses media outside the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on, Oct. 16, 2019. (Rod McGuirk/AP Photo)

Calls for National Approach to Reopen Australias Internal Borders by Christmas

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wants to see most internal state borders open by Christmas.

To achieve this, Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham is urging state and territory leaders to use a common national approach to define COVID-19 hotspots in a way that allows people to move around the country again.

We are seeing many, many jobs being lost across the country and they will continue to be lost in our travel and tourism sector, and many lives disrupted, especially in cross-border communities  Birmingham told reporters on Sept. 1.

His comments come as Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk announced the same day that Queenslands borders would remain closed for another month.

Read More Queensland State to Keep Borders Shut for Another Month

The premier said Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young wants to see southern states like New South Wales, in particular, go through two COVID-19 incubation cycles without any cases of community transmission.

Dr. Young, our chief health officer, has made it very clear that she doesnt want to see community transmission and there is community transmission at the moment in the southern states, said Palaszczuk.

However, Birmingham told ABC Radios Fran Kelly that Commonwealth health officials have been looking at how hotspots can be used as a means to facilitate greater movement of people across Australia without jeopardising health outcomes.

He urged state and territory leaders to not be close-minded but instead engage in evidence-based approaches.

I find it incredibly disappointing that a premier like Annastacia Palaszczuk would be so closed-minded to even looking at the evidence and rule it out before she has seen it, he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has signalled the federal government will go it alone on the new definition if the states dont sign up.

He has floated the Danish traffic light hotspot system, which uses yellow to highlight open borders with cases fewer than 20 for every 100,000 residents in an area.

The orange alert level signals quarantine is needed when case rates exceed 30 per 100,000 people, while a red light bans travel when infection spikes occur.

Opposition Labor leader Anthony Albanese accused the prime minister of criticising the Queensland Labor governments border closures, while going easy on Liberal-controlled Tasmania and South Australia.

Its not national, and it is not a cabinet, the Labor leader told 4BC radio.

Scott Morrison chairs these meetings and the premiers tell each other what theyre going to do. Then he goes out and has a press conference and announces it.
MINSK -- Belarusian opposition member Paval Sevyarynets, who has been in custody since early June, has been charged with taking part in mass disorder.

The politician's wife, Volha Sevyarynets, wrote on Facebook late on August 31 that a court in Minsk also extended her husband's pretrial detention by two months.

"I admire the courage, wisdom, and endurance of the Belarusian people. I thank the Lord that the church came out to defend truth and justice. I believe that Belarus will be free," Volha Sevyarynets wrote.

Sevyarynets, a co-chairman of the non-registered opposition Belarusian Christian Democratic Party, is one of dozens of activists and politicians who were detained in Minsk and several other cities across Belarus during the June 8 rallies at which hundreds of demonstrators were collecting signatures necessary to register presidential candidates other than the authoritarian incumbent, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, for an August 9 election.

His jail term has been prolonged several times since his initial arrest.

If convicted, Sevyarynets may face up to eight years in prison.

Lukashenka, who has ruled the country since 1994, was declared the winner in the election, which was widely viewed as rigged in his favor.

Thousands of citizens have taken to the streets over the past three weeks to protest the results, saying Lukashenka's challenger, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, actually won the election.

Lukashenka has shown no sign of giving in to the protesters, who are demanding his resignation, the release of all political prisoners, and free and fair elections.
It will come as no surprise to anyone who listened to the oral argument (or, ahem, read the coverage of it here at National Review) that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has denied Michael Flynns petition for a writ of mandamus against District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan. General Flynn, President Trumps original national-security adviser, was seeking to persuade the appellate court to order Judge Sullivan to dismiss the case against him on the Justice Departments motion.

The ruling by the en banc court (i.e., consideration by all ten active Circuit judges who were not recused from the case) was 82. As predicted here, a strong majority of the court  whose Democratic appointees easily outnumber their Republican counterparts  lined up against two dissenting Republican appointees. In May, those dissenters, Judges Neomi Rao and Karen L. Henderson, had formed the majority of a three-judge Circuit panel that initially ruled in Flynns favor. The panel ruling was vacated when the full Circuit decided to hear the case.

Flynn pled guilty in 2017 to a false-statements charge brought by the Mueller investigation. He subsequently hired new counsel and moved for dismissal of the case based on alleged misconduct by the FBI in the investigation, and by the prosecutors in the court proceedings. Attorney General Bill Barr appointed a Justice Department prosecutor (St. Louis U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen) to review the case, and the review turned up several investigative improprieties. The Justice Department determined that there had been no underlying basis to investigate Flynn (i.e., there was insufficient predicate to investigate him as a criminal suspect or as a clandestine agent of Russia). From this premise, DOJ reasoned that none of the allegedly false statements Flynn made to FBI agents were material to a matter under investigation  an essential element of a false-statements offense. Prosecutors thus moved to dismiss the case, under Rule 48(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Story continues

In our constitutional system, a decision whether to commence or persist in a prosecution lies solely in the executives discretion. Rule 48(a), however, purports to require leave of court before a case is dismissed. This provision has been construed as protection for a defendant from prosecutorial gamesmanship in dismissing charges. But when, as in Flynns case, the defendant consents to the prosecutors motion, there is no constitutional basis for judicial inquiry into the executive decision to dismiss. Nevertheless, Judge Sullivan invited the filing of amicus briefs in opposition to the dismissal; appointed an obviously biased amicus to argue for Flynns continued prosecution (former federal judge John Gleeson, who had co-authored an op-ed contending that the dismissal of the case could be corrupt); and absurdly threatened to have Flynn prosecuted for criminal contempt on the theory that, if he was now claiming innocence, he must have committed perjury when he pled guilty.

Flynn thus sought mandamus, an extraordinary writ available only when a lower-court judges action is manifestly lawless and will cause irreparable harm, there being no adequate alternative means for the aggrieved party to attain relief.

Todays ruling is not a surprise because, at oral argument, the judges focused on the fact that Sullivan had not actually done anything of consequence yet. He has threatened to do several peculiar things, but he has not even held a hearing yet, much less ruled against the Justice Departments motion to dismiss. In its opinion, the majority reasoned that if Sullivan grants the dismissal motion, Flynn would gain the relief he seeks; and even if the judge does not grant it, Flynn could appeal in the normal course. Consequently, in the Circuits view, Flynn could not establish irreparable harm or the lack of alternative means (other than mandamus) to seek adequate redress.

To the extent Flynn and the prosecution have complained to the Circuit about Sullivans bizarre response to the dismissal motion, including the appointment of amicus Gleeson, the Circuit found that neither Flynn nor the Justice Department had raised these objections in the lower-court proceedings. Mandamus, the Circuit stressed, is not a substitute for the normal process of lodging objections and pursuing appeal at the conclusion of the lower-court proceedings.

The Circuit was similarly unpersuaded that the Justice Department would suffer any irreparable harm. As I explained in the aforementioned column, the Justice Department never filed a mandamus petition of its own; it was content to support Flynns petition. If a litigant is going to urge a federal appellate court to take the grave step of issuing a mandamus writ because of some egregious harm claimed to have been done to the litigant, the court would naturally expect that litigant to file a formal petition complaining about the harm  not rely on a third party. The Justice Departments decision not to file a petition clearly irked some of the Circuit judges; so did the prosecutors failure to object in the lower court to the appointment of amicus Gleeson, given that this appointment loomed large in Justices argument support for mandamus. The Circuit concluded it was too speculative for the DOJ to theorize that Sullivan would inevitably violate separation-of-powers principles by inquiring into executive-branch decision-making. In effect, the judges said: You can come back to us if and when that happens.

One disappointing result is that the Circuit turned a deaf ear to the parties complaints about Sullivans appointment of amici. Over the years, Sullivan himself has repeatedly rejected applications of amici to intervene in prosecutions, including in the Flynn case, because there is no provision for this in criminal cases. The Circuits opinion today endorses such appointments. That means future defendants could face the prospect of being confronted not only by the governments prosecutorial resources but to fighting off intervening non-parties. The Justice Department, moreover, can expect intervenors who will challenge exercises of prosecutorial discretion. The Circuit suggested that any potential abuses could be dealt with by objections in the lower court. Yet the majority opinion will only encourage such mischief.

Perhaps the least compelling part of the majority opinion is its peremptory pooh-poohing of complaints about Sullivans bias against Flynn. The Circuit acknowledges a number of the judges unhinged, unfounded remarks about the defendant  e.g., Arguably, you sold your country out; and Im not hiding my disgust, my disdain for this criminal offense, which Sullivan imagined might be akin to treason. (An absurd statement: This is a one-count false-statements case.) The Circuit makes the commonsense observation that it does not constitute disqualifying bias for a judge to form an opinion about evidence introduced in the case. But Flynn was neither charged with doing nor shown to have done the heinous things Sullivan railed about. And it is odd for the court to wave away any concerns by noting that Sullivan was not simply holding forth on his opinions but rather making statements . . . in the course of formal judicial proceedings over which he presided. Yeah, thats the problem!

The Circuit also held that Sullivan should not be disqualified on the theory that, by filing his own motion for the appellate court to reconsider the mandamus petition en banc (i.e., to reject the panel decision), he had become a party to the litigation. As Ive recounted, it was the Circuit itself that raised this possibility in an order a few days before oral argument. But in its opinion today, the Circuit explained that the en banc review was ordered based on a request by a judge of the Circuit, not on Sullivans suggestion. The court further reasoned that, in any event, a judge does not subject himself to recusal by participating in a mandamus proceeding  particularly when the Circuit itself invited his participation.

In covering the oral argument, I observed that the judges plainly took comfort in assurances made by Judge Sullivans lawyer, Beth Wilkinson, that if Flynn and the prosecutors simply argued their points to the lower court, there was no reason to believe Judge Sullivan would do lawless things. She stressed that if the law truly called for the granting of dismissal motion, Judge Sullivan would follow the law; and she mocked the parade of horrors predicted by the Justice Department, noting that  regardless of what signals had previously been sent  former judge Gleeson was not seeking to reopen fact-finding and call new witnesses to probe internal Justice Department deliberations.

In todays opinion, the Circuit does not tell Judge Sullivan how to decide the dismissal motion. As the Circuit points out, an appellate court is a court of review, not of first view; its job is to evaluate lower-court rulings after they have been made, based on a concrete record, not to dictate how the rulings should be made before a record is fully developed.

That said, the Circuit is sending a clear signal to Judge Sullivan about its expectations for the future course of the proceedings. Repeatedly, its 18-page opinion notes Wilkinsons representations on Sullivans behalf  no discovery from DOJ is sought, no evidentiary hearing is contemplated, the judge may decide after reviewing the parties briefs that he has no questions, the judge may reject amicuss arguments and dismiss the case, and so on. Without prejudging the issue, the Circuit further held out the possibility that, if Judge Sullivan denies the dismissal motion, the Circuit might entertain review immediately. And even if Flynn were to be sentenced and then appeal, the Circuit would be open to all claims of error  including that Sullivan should not have appointed an amicus.

The Circuit also made clear that it expects Sullivan to get on with it. It concludes the opinion with the following: We trust and expect the District Court to proceed with appropriate dispatch.

At the end of my column forecasting that Flynn would lose the mandamus case before the full court, I observed that Judge Sullivan would be much less likely to turn the eventual hearing into a circus, to drag the matter out at Flynns expense, and to try to put the Justice Department on trial, if the Circuit gently but prudently admonished him that it would not look kindly on such behavior. To repeat what Ive said before, the only proper action Judge Sullivan can take at this point is to dismiss the case. Now, lets see if, as his lawyer committed he would do, the judge follows the law, regardless of what personal feelings he may have about the case.

More from National Review
Jagran Public School, Noida, conducts webinar on skill development

Jagran Public School, Noida, organised its first-ever webinar on skill development for its students and interested parents. The webinar was organised for the benefits of students, parents and teachers so that they can augment their knowledge as well as cognitive and creative thinking skills. During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this sort of activity is a great way to unwind oneself. Before a child learns to read, developing motor skills by playing various games like odd man out is an important activity. Visualisation games and fun activities lead to developing quick and better reading skills among children and also make writing easier. The webinar was conducted free of cost by an emerging artist, Shweta Singh, who has organised many such events for the welfare of women. Singh balances her time between creating art and her family. The event was a big success as it evoked an overwhelming response from all age groups. Principal DK Sinha appreciated the efforts put in by the vice principal Hema Priyadarshini, school coordinator Sangita Bishnoi and the webinar team comprising Anupama Bajpai, Tripti Mehrotra, Padmaja Behera and Lily.

JKPS, Shalimar Bagh, organises investiture ceremony virtually

After the investiture ceremony, the students also paid tributes to countrys freedom fighters (HT Photo)

Jaspal Kaur Public School (JKPS), Shalimar Bagh, held its investiture ceremony on a virtual platform. The event began by invoking the blessings of the Almighty with a Shabad. Principal Asha Saran Srivastava welcomed the esteemed guests comprising parents of students and other dignitaries including school chairman Sardar Surjit Singh and vice chairperson Rasna Singh. Thereafter, Saran addressed the gathering and administered the oath to the newly-elected student council. On behalf of the new council, head boy Mohnish Soni and head girl Trissha Lakhotia expressed their gratitude to the school for reposing faith in them and promised to uphold the values and legacy of the school. Addressing the students, the esteemed guest, L S Bahl, shared his experiences and encouraged them to always walk on the correct path. Guest of honour Col. Amit Gupta, an alumnus of the school, expressed his gratitude to his alma mater for his success as an officer in the Indian Army and motivated the council members to shoulder their responsibilities with utmost sincerity and dedication. The Jaspalians then enthralled the audience with a foot-tapping dance as a tribute to the freedom fighters of our country to mark the occasion of the Independence Day. At the end, headmistress Shikha Dhameja proposed the vote of thanks.

GGSS, Mayur Vihar Phase 3, celebrates Van Mahotsav

Staff members of GGSS planted 50 saplings during the event. (HT Photo)

Government Girls Secondary School (GSSS), Mayur Vihar Phase 3, recently celebrated Van Mahotsav wherein all the students take part in a plantation drive. They planted saplings around their vicinity and posted their pictures on the Whatsapp group. The Kondli constituency MLA was the chief guest while other dignitaries who participated in the Green Delhi Campaign were HP Meena and Uma Khurana from Science Centre, HOS Sandhya Singh and Eco Club incharge also contributed in that noble cause. GGSS staff members planted 50 saplings.

Ramakrishna Senior Sec School, Vikaspuri, conducts activities galore in online classes

Ishita Mittal of Class 11 delivered a speech on drug abuse and trafficking (HT Photo)

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, Ramakrishna Sr Sec School, Vikaspuri, is organising various activities in virtual classes to hone the skills of its students. During an online class, Ishita Mittal, a student of Class 11, was provided with an opportunity to deliver a speech on the topic International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit trafficking. Ishita highlighted the impact of various kinds of drugs on human body. Then she explained the ways of consuming drugs. Some impacts of drugs include health consequences that are permanent. The daily dosage of drugs can weaken the immune system. She concluded her speech by urging that this evil practice must be stopped and this can be possible only by the combined efforts and support of the people. Parents should explain to their children about the bad impacts of drugs . In addition, stricter laws should be made to handle this issue. The school is committed to the holistic growth of its students. Even amid the chaos due to Covid-19, teachers are going the extra mile for the overall growth of students.

Mindfulness activities organised at Mater Dei School, Tilak Lane, on digital platform

Mater Dei School students participated in the activities enthusiastically (HT Photo)

Mater Dei School, Tilak Lane, conducted a series of mindfulness activities on a digital platform. On that occasion, school principal Sr. Stella Joseph gave an opportunity to all the students to explore and translate the concepts of self reliance, sustainable development, communal harmony and express gratitude towards the Covid warriors. For the students of Classes 6-10, the theme was Atamnirbhar Bharat, which envisions the emergence of a robust and strong India committed to the welfare of all. The students of Classes 11 and 12 worked on the topic Salute to the Covid Warriors and paid tribute to the people who are working tirelessly to fight the pandemic. The students participated in activities with all enthusiasm and exhibited their creativity in the form of poetry writing, article writing and poster making. Thereafter, the students were led into the oath-taking ceremony by the teachers in each online class and they pledged to work towards maintaining communal harmony in India. The principal wished them well and said there is a constant endeavour on part of the school to encourage students to spread, promote and practise peace, love and goodwill among one and all.

Inter-school event held at DAVPS, Pushpanjali Enclave

Keeping in mind development of skills, youth and respect for intercultural diversity as a major target, DAV Public School (DAVPS), Pushpanjali Enclave (Cambridge Wing), organised an online inter-school portal named Emergence for students. Many schools from different states of India took part in the activities during the event. There was a wide range of contests for different age groups and classes. The host school shared all the honours with the school next in rank. The winners were announced on the school website and there were certificates and prizes for the winners.
He would start with flattery, then pressure the women and girls to share intimate photos that he later used to blackmail them with to have sex with him, according to these accusations. If they did not, he would threaten to send the pictures to their family.
By Online Desk

The Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on Tuesday released its official statement on the Pangong Tso situation at LAC, saying that the Indian Army 'illegally' entered into the Chinese area on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 to change the status quo.

"Indian troops illegally trespassed LAC again at southern bank of Pangong Tso. China made solemn representations to India, urged them to control and restrain frontline troops," the statement read.

"The move has grossly violated China's territorial sovereignty, seriously violated agreements, protocols and consensus reached between the two countries, and severely damaged peace and tranquility along the China-India border areas. What India has done runs counter to the efforts made by both sides for a period of time to ease and cool down the situation on the ground, and China is resolutely opposed to this," the embassy said further.

The latest development comes amid the ongoing meeting of brigade commander of the Indian Army with his Chinese counterpart in Chushul/Moldo to discuss issues related to the situation on the southern bank of Pangong lake.

In a fresh confrontation in eastern Ladakh, the Chinese army carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake but the attempt was thwarted by Indian troops, the Army said here on Monday.

.@ChinaSpox_India on fresh LAC tension: Indian troops on Aug 31 violated consensus, illegally trespassed #LAC at the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Pass, & conducted flagrant provocations, which again stirred tension in the border areas. @NewIndianXpress  Pushkar Banakar (@PushkarBanakar) September 1, 2020

Army Spokesperson Col Aman Anand said troops from Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) "violated" the consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements on the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh, and carried out provocative military movements on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 to change the status quo.

Government sources said a sizeable number of Chinese troops had moved towards the southern bank of Pangong lake in an attempt to occupy the area but the Indian Army quickly made significant deployment to foil the bid.

The sources said there was no physical clash between the troops of the two sides during China's attempt to open a new front in the prolonged border standoff.

ALSO READ | Border standoff: After Galwan Valley, now Pangong Tso Lake becomes latest flashpoint between India, China

The two sides were earlier engaged in a confrontation on the northern bank of Pangong lake but it was for the first time such an incident occurred on its southern bank, they said.

It is also the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

China also suffered casualties but it is yet to make the details public.

However, according to an American intelligence report there were 35 casualties on the Chinese side.

In a statement, Col Anand said the Indian Army thwarted the Chinese intentions to "unilaterally" change facts on ground and undertook measures to strengthen Indian positions in the area.

"On the night of 29/30 August 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," he added.

"Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground," the Army spokesperson said.

A Brigade Commander-level meeting was held at Chushul to resolve the issues, he said.

The spokesperson further said the Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect India's territorial integrity.

Government sources said the top strategic and military brass including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs were briefed in detail about China's unsuccessful attempt.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian claimed its border troops always strictly abide by the Line of Actual Control(LAC) and never cross the line.

"Chinese border troops always strictly abide by the Line of Actual Control (LAC). They never cross the line. Border troops on the two sides have been in close communication regarding the issues on the ground," the spokesperson said at a media briefing in Beijing in response to a question by a Japanese journalist about the fresh incident at Pangong lake.

ALSO READ | NSA Ajit Doval reviews situation at India-China border

Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesperson of the Western Theatre Command of the PLA, alleged that on August 31 the Indian army broke the consensus reached at the previous multi-level talks between the two sides and illegally crossed the line again near the south bank of Pangong lake and the Reqin Pass, making a "blatant provocation" and causing tension along the border.

The Chinese military is taking necessary countermeasures and will closely follow the developments to resolutely safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and peace and stability in the border areas, Zhang said in a statement released by Xinhua, the country's official news agency.

In Delhi, people familiar with the developments said India has taken the Chinese attempt "seriously" and the Army has further increased its deployment of troops and weaponry in and around the southern and northern banks of the Pangong lake.

They said the attempt reinforced the assessment by the Army that China has not been serious in disengaging its troops from the friction points as it was still trying to change the status of the LAC in the new area.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.

The two sides began a process of disengagement on July 6, a day after a telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in eastern Ladakh.

However, the process has not moved forward since mid-July.

The PLA has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas.

At the five rounds of Corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.

The face-off began on May 5 following violent clashes between the two armies in the Pangong lake area.

The incident in Pangong lake was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.

The India-China border dispute relates to the 3,488-km-long LAC that stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to Sikkim.

Prior to the clashes, both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.

Even as both sides were engaged in diplomatic and military talks, the Indian Army stepped up its strength in all key areas along the LAC to deal with any eventualities.

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane has already conveyed to all the senior commanders of the Army, overseeing the operation of the frontline formations along the LAC, to keep up a significantly high state of alertness and maintain the aggressive posturing to deal with any Chinese "misadventure", according to sources.

The tension between the two sides escalated manifold after the Galwan Valley clashes.

Following the incident, the government gave the armed forces "full freedom" to give a "befitting" response to any Chinese misadventure along the LAC.

The Army has sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border following the deadly clashes.

The IAF also moved air defence systems as well as a sizeable number of its frontline combat jets and attack helicopters to several key air bases.

(With Agencies Inputs)
Official results from Sunday's parliamentary vote in the Balkan nation of Montenegro suggest that the pro-Western party of President Milo Djukanovic may struggle to form a government. Despite its narrow victory, pro-Russian and pro-Serbian parties seem in a better position to get enough mandates to form a ruling coalition.

By Stefan J. Bos

Supporters of several parties celebrated in the streets of Montenegro's capital Podgorica.

Official results indicated that Montenegro could experience its first-ever transfer of power through the ballot box. So far, this small mountainous nation near the Adriatic Sea had been ruled by the pro-Western Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS.

The DPS still received roughly 35 percent of the ballots. But it was closely followed by its main pro-Serb and pro-Russia rivals, For the future of Montenegro, with nearly 33 percent. And analysts suggest they may be better positioned to find allies and have a workable majority to form the next government.

Opposition leader Zdravko Krivokapic already declared victory when meeting supporters. "People of Montenegro, freedom has happened after some thirty-one years," he said.

It comes after long-time Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic faced accusations of corruption, autocracy, and criminal links.

On Sunday, the election was also marked by a dispute over a religious rights law that is staunchly opposed by the influential Serbian Orthodox Church.



It fears the government wants to seize its properties in favor of an independent Montenegrin church, charges the government denies.

President Djukanociv admitted that his DPS party would face a tough battle to form the next government.

Djukanovic made clear late Sunday that his party is ready to respect and acknowledge any election outcome. But he expressed hope that the future government would keep Montenegro on track to join the European Union.

He already defied Russia in 2017 to lead his country into the NATO-military alliance, after gaining independence from much-larger Serbia in 2006.

However, the issues over corruption and religion have fueled divisions in this nation of 620,000 people.

The country remains split over relations with the West and traditional Slavic allies Serbia and Russia.
A medic at the Covid-19 field hospital in Cu Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City, February 2020. The sign reads "quarantine area." Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

A Chinese man who had entered Vietnam illegally has been confirmed Covid-19 free and will be handed to police on completing his period of isolation.

The patient was confirmed recovered from the disease caused by the new coronavirus Tuesday morning, following two weeks of treatment at the Covid-19 field hospital in Ho Chi Minh Citys Cu Chi District.

"He will be isolated for 14 more days, as per protocol to avoid relapse, before transferral to the police," said hospital director Nguyen Thanh Dung.

On July 27, he had entered Vietnam with seven other Chinese nationals via the northern border. The group then traveled by car to HCMC on July 27-29. He was found on July 30 and sent for quarantine.

The man was eventually confirmed as "patient 912" on August 14.

HCMCs Center for Disease Control stressed that had he not been found, the man would have spread the virus among the community, creating Covid-19 hotspots with no clear source of transmission.

This would have created an unprecedented problem for the densely populated economic hub.

Aside from the Chinese, Cu Chi Field Hospital on Tuesday also released a 58-year-old woman who had experienced a Covid-19 relapse on returning from the U.S.

The woman, a HCMC resident, was quarantined upon arrival on July 16 and treated for Covid-19 in the northern Hai Duong Province. She was discharged on August 3 and returned home, but relapsed three days later.

Vietnam discharged a total of 22 Covid-19 patients on Tuesday. Three of them were in Hanoi, three in the nearby Hai Duong Province, two in the central province of Quang Tri, five in the epicenter Da Nang and seven in its neighbor Quang Nam Province, including a nine-year-old girl.

Vietnam has recorded 1,044 cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic hit. Of these, 34 have died.
Ransomware Criminals Arrested In Ukraine

Ukrainian law enforcement has announced the arrest of a cybercrime gang that has allegedly earned more than $42 million from sophisticated ransomware to encrypt its victims data and demand payment for decryption codes, threatening to leak the sensitive information if the ransom is not paid.

The arrests were a part of a larger Ukrainian campaign named Bulletproof Exchanger that aims to identify hubs of malicious activity and track down threat actors.

According to Ukrainian officials, the group has advertised its services on underground criminal forums, where they offered to convert cryptocurrency from criminal activities into a real-world currency for other groups, helping criminals launder their ill-gotten profits. The arrests took place in June, but now details have been released in press statement by the cryptocurrency exchange, Binance and Ukraine Cyber Police.

Binance, who collaborated in the investigation, said the group worked with other ransomware gangs as well as spreading ransomware themselves.

These arrest also marks the first fruits of "Bulletproof Exchanger," an internal Binance project that the company started earlier this year. The project's goal is to identify hubs of malicious activity in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, track down the operators, and work with authorities to arrest and shut them down. Binance said it began building a database of various signals and data sets earlier this year, such as user data, DNS records, open-source intelligence feeds, law enforcement requests, and blockchain analytics.

Once Binance had a full database at its disposal, the company partnered with TRM Labs, a blockchain analysis firm specialised in detecting financial fraud. Binance said TRM Labs came in and combed through "a massive amount of blockchain transaction data to analyse and correlate with suspicious activity" and eventually identify a first bulletproof exchanger and one of its clients, a ransomware gang.

Binance says that its Bulletproof Exchanger Project will continue to operate going forward and that it hopes to track down similar criminal cash-out points and cybercrime groups in the near future.

If convicted, the indicted gang members face a a penalty time of up to 8 years in prison.

Other Criminal Arrests

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, along with Cyber police of Great Britain and Romania, has subsequently arrested one of the the Ukrainain gang's affiliates who was also distributing malware.

The suspect registered on the dark web underground forum to apply as a distributor for the malware. Once he acquired access to the web panel, he adjusted several settings of the ransomware, which allowed him to deliver a customised version of GandCrab via malicious spam email attachments to as many as 1,000 victims in more than 100 countries.

He is said to demand around $1,200 per victim, most of which were located in the US, United Kingdom, Germany, France, India, Russia, and Italy. The 31-year old, who was not publicly named, is claimed to have no criminal record in the past, although was previously involved in the distribution of crypto-miners.

Binance: Oodaloop: HackRead: ZDNet: 2-Spyware: Image: PXFuel

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Identity Theft - A Very Personal Hacking Attack:
Jacob Blake captured the attention of civil rights advocates around the world last week as cellphone video circulated of the 29-year-old man being shot seven times in the back by Wisconsin police in front of his children.

Blake's family said the shooting left him paralyzed from the waist down and doctors fear he may never walk again, adding to public outrage that had already caused days of civil unrest within his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Several competing narratives have emerged in the wake of the shooting, including official accounts of the incident issued by Kenosha police and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the agency charged with investigating the shooting.

The Kenosha Professional Police Association claims Blake was armed with a knife and "forcefully fought" with the officers who tried to subdue him.

But those closest to Blake, including his parents, say Blake is a loving and devoted father who did not deserve what happened to him.

Three of his children -- ages 8, 5 and 3 -- witnessed the incident and were "absolutely devastated" in the wake of the shooting, Blake's attorney, Ben Crump, said. The oldest boy was celebrating his birthday when his father was shot, Crump said.

What investigators say occurred

The shooting occurred just after 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, when Kenosha police officers responded to a reported domestic incident after a woman called saying, "Her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises," according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, which is investigating the shooting. The woman has not been identified.

MORE: ACLU calls for Kenosha police chief and sheriff to resign in wake of Jacob Blake shooting

Once on the scene, officers said they tried to arrest Blake and deployed a Taser in an unsuccessful attempt to detain him, the department said. Investigators said Blake walked to his vehicle, "opened the driver's side door, and leaned forward," before Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey fired seven shots into Blake's back, according to the agency.

Story continues

PHOTO: In this September 2019 selfie photo taken in Evanston, Ill., Adria-Joi Watkins poses with her second cousin Jacob Blake. (Adria-joi Watkins via AP)

No other officer fired their weapon. Investigators have not explained why officers moved to arrest Blake or why Sheskey fired so many times.

The agency said Blake told authorities that he had a knife in his possession. Investigators later recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of Blake's vehicle. The Wisconsin DOJ has not said whether Blake was holding that knife during his interaction with police.

All of the officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave.

A 20-second video of Blake's shooting, filmed by a bystander, has been viewed millions of times on social media. The video appeared to show three officers with their weapons drawn following Blake as he walked from the back of a vehicle to the driver's side. As Blake entered the driver's side of the car, Sheskey, who was hanging onto Blake's shirt, opened fire.

Fiance offers different account of shooting

Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN spoke to Blake's fiance, Laquisha Booker, who said two of their kids were sitting in the back of the car when Blake was shot by police. She claimed the officers threatened to shoot her as well.

MORE: Extradition hearing for alleged Kenosha gunman, Kyle Rittenhouse, set for Sept. 25

"They didn't even know the kids were in the car, and I'm telling the woman cop, 'Can you please?' She said, 'Get back before I shoot you,' I'm like, 'Shoot me? My kids are in the car,'" Brooks said.

Referring to Blake's being shot, Brooks added, "It wasn't just one shot -- 'Let me just put you down for a little bit.' That man just literally grabbed him by his shirt and looked the other [expletive] way and was just shooting him with the kids in the back screaming. Screaming! While I'm trying to fight this woman cop, saying, 'Let me get my kids out the car.' Her telling me no, they're handling it."

Booker told WISN she never called police and wasn't sure why they were there. She said her fiance wasn't armed and didn't own any guns or weapons.

"It doesn't make sense to treat someone like that," Booker told WISN.

PHOTO: Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha Police Department in Wisconsin has been identified as the officer who shot Jacob Blake on Aug. 23, 2020. (Wisconsin Department of Justice)

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who often takes on prominent cases and is representing the family, said Blake was helping to de-escalate a domestic incident when police drew their weapons and Tasered him. As Blake was walking away to check on his kids, the officers fired their weapons several times into his back at point blank range, according to Crump.

"We all watched the horrific video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back several times by Kenosha police. Even worse, his three sons witnessed their father collapse after being riddled with bullets," Crump said in a statement immediately after the shooting. "Their irresponsible, reckless, and inhumane actions nearly cost the life of a man who was simply trying to do the right thing by intervening in a domestic incident. It's a miracle he's still alive."

Crump said he believes Blake was racially profiled and nearly killed because he is Black.

"We will seek justice for Jacob Blake and for his family as we demand answers from the Kenosha Police Department," he added. "How many more of these tragic 'while Black' tragedies will it take until the racial profiling and undervaluing of Black lives by the police finally stops?"

A 'fun-loving' family man who adores his boys

Blake's uncle, Justin Blake, described his nephew as a "fighter" who was "fun-loving" and deeply in love with his young boys. He said his nephew had been comforting family members, telling them things were going to be okay, even as he fought for his life.

"Little Jake's been through a lot. He's in a lot of pain," Justin Blake told "Good Morning America." "His children are surrounded by family, we give them love showering them with love, and just trying to help them through this experience that was just brutal."

He said his nephew recently underwent surgery and was doing better, but he isn't "out of the woods yet."

His children have not been allowed to visit him yet, according to the family.

"You can only imagine the psychological problems that these babies are going to have for the rest of their lives," Crump said in an interview with "Good Morning America" on Tuesday. "They'll go through life and they'll think of this horrific scene that plays over and over in their mind."

"And this was the 8-year-old son's birthday. It will be very difficult for him to not remember this tragedy every time his birthday comes around," he added.

Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, said she raised her children and grandchildren to love and respect police officers, but now she fears they might grow to resent them.

"I can pray for my grandchildren as well as my children, but it puts a stumbling block in the process of trying to make sure they grow up without that hatred and that image," Jackson said in an interview with "GMA."

About two weeks before the shooting, she said she introduced her 14-year-old grandson to a high-ranking police officer she admired in an effort to show him that some police officers are good people.

"We talked for a few minutes and my grandson was very impressed, we had a conversation. You need to know that not all police officers are bad. There's some good ones out there. Then a week or two later this happens to us all - what do I say to him now?" Jackson said.

Teary-eyed, Jackson also revealed that she had gone to visit her son at the Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, just west of Milwaukee. When she arrived, the first thing he did was cry and tell her, "I'm sorry about all this."

"I asked him, 'Jacob, did you shoot yourself in the back?' He looked at me and he said, 'No.' I said, 'Then why are you sorry?' He says, 'Because I don't want to be a burden on anybody. I want to be with my children and I don't think I'm going to walk again, Mom.'"

But even through his tears, he maintained his loving and compassionate demeanor, she said. When it came time for them to pray, she said her son stopped her and asked if the police officer in the room could join them.

"The three of us prayed together," she said.

Police union claims Blake 'forcefully fought' officers

The Kenosha Professional Police Association released a statement Friday, disputing some of the statements by the Wisconsin DOJ. It claimed Blake was armed with a knife and "forcefully fought" with the officers who tried to subdue him.

In this statement, attorney Brendan Matthews, representing the police union, says that officers were dispatched to the location by a complaint that Blake was attempting to steal the caller's keys and vehicle.

Wisconsin DOJ has previously said that officers were dispatched due to a call from a woman saying her boyfriend was not supposed to be on the premises.

There is an open warrant for Blake's arrest on sexual charges, although it has not been made public against whom. Matthews said officers were aware of the warrant before they arrived at the location. They said Blake was not breaking up a fight between two females as neighbors and family have said.

Matthews contends the silver SUV seen in the video is not Blake's car and that Blake was actually holding the knife in the video where he rounds the front of the car. He said Blake put one of the officers in a headlock at one point during an altercation.

"The purely fictional depiction of events coming from those without direct knowledge of what actually occurred is incredibly harmful, and provides no benefit to anyone whatsoever, other than to perpetuate a misleading narrative," Matthews said. "The lawyers for Mr. Blake, among others, have continued to provide false and misleading 'facts' to the public, in what can only be considered a ploy for attention and sympathy."

"Unfortunately, even the incident update from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation ("DCI") -- the agency charged with investigating the incident independently -- is riddled with incomplete information, and omits important details that would help to paint a more complete picture of the incident," he added.

Family, activists call for justice

A large crowd of protesters flocked to the scene immediately after the shooting, prompting local authorities to impose the citywide curfew. Officers were seen using tear gas on protesters who had gathered outside the Kenosha Police Department.

Police said they have received "numerous" calls in the wake of protests about armed robberies and shots fired in the city.

A day after the shooting, authorities announced the Kenosha County Courthouse and administration building will be closed for a day due to damage sustained during the previous night's civil unrest.

Kenosha city officials held a press conference Monday evening to update residents on the investigation, but its location had to be changed multiple times as protesters shouted in the background. The press conference was originally scheduled to be outside, but it was moved inside. Banging and shouting from protesters could still be heard, so it was then moved a third time, into an interior room.

At Tuesday's protest, two people were killed and a third was seriously wounded in a shooting when a counter-protester, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse from Antioch, Illinois, allegedly opened fire, police said. He was charged with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, two counts of recklessly endangering safety and one count of possession of a dangerous weapon.

Lin Wood, one of Rittenhouse's attorneys, said his client was acting in self-defense. "From my standpoint, it's important that the message be clear to other Americans who are attacked that there will be legal resources available in the event false charges are brought against them," he said. Rittenhouse's extradition hearing is set for Sept. 25.

The American Civil Liberties Union called for the immediate resignation of Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis and Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth in the wake of the civil unrest.

The ACLU claimed that Beth's deputies had "fraternized with white supremacist counter-protesters" and "allowed the shooter to leave as people yelled that he was the shooter." The ACLU further alleges that Miskinis "blamed the unidentified victims in Tuesday night's shooting for their own deaths."

"The ACLU strongly condemns Sheriff Beth and Police Chief Miskinis' response to both the attempted murder of Jacob Blake and the protests demanding justice for him," said Chris Ott, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. "Their actions uphold and defend white supremacy, while demonizing people who were murdered for exercising their First Amendment rights and speaking out against police violence."

Separately, Blake's family has also called for charges against the officers involved.

"We believe based on the evidence, based on that video, probable cause exists to arrest and charge the officers with attempt at murder," Crump told "GMA" earlier this week. "It should be no different than what happened at George Floyd's case - when you see such a lack of humanity and respect for the people that you're in charge of to protect and serve, why shouldn't you be held accountable? You shouldn't be above the law. That's the reason I think now we continue to have so many tragedies happening over and over again, as quick as we can keep up where there's another hashtag."

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson, Sabina Ghebremedhin and Erin Schumaker contributed to this report.

Family, investigators and police offer starkly different views of Jacob Blake in wake of police shooting originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Were honored to be recognized alongside such an impressive collection of companies, said Aaron King, CEO and founder of Snapdocs.

CB Insights today named Snapdocs (http://www.snapdocs.com) to the third annual Fintech 250, a prestigious list of emerging private companies working on groundbreaking financial technology.

We're proud to, once again, recognize the 250 best private fintech companies globally. This year's Fintech 250 represents 25 countries and spans 19 categories -- reimagining everything from retail banking and crypto, to insurance and asset management, said CB Insights CEO Anand Sanwal. The previous Fintech 250 class raised more than $22 billion in investor financing and saw more than 20 exits after being recognized, and we expect this year's class will have similar success as they continue to transform how people and businesses spend, save, borrow, and invest their money.

Were honored to be recognized alongside such an impressive collection of companies, said Aaron King, CEO and founder of Snapdocs. We provide remarkable efficiencies for the companies that make homeownership possible and a beautiful experience for the borrowers celebrating this milestone achievement in life. Without a true partnership from our customers, recognition like this wouldnt be possible. Id like to thank each of our customers for innovating with us; theyre the ones who truly made this list.

Through an evidence-based approach, the CB Insights Intelligence Unit selected the Fintech 250 from a pool of 16,000 companies, including applicants and nominees, based on several factors. These factors include patent activity, investor quality, news sentiment analysis, proprietary Mosaic scores, market potential, partnerships, competitive landscape, team strength, and tech novelty. The Mosaic Score, based on CB Insights algorithm, measures the overall health and growth potential of private companies to help predict a companys momentum.

Powering millions of mortgage closings a year, Snapdocs empowers mortgage lenders and their settlement partners to modernize, streamline and improve the mortgage closing process for every participant. By coordinating each party on a single platform, leveraging AI to automate manual tasks, and delivering a modern digital borrower experience, mortgage lenders are finally able to close more loans, at lower costs, while delivering the referral-worthy experience borrowers expect.

2020 Fintech 250 Highlights:

Unicorns: 32 of the 250 companies are valued at or above $1B as of their latest funding round

Funding trends: YTD, these 250 private companies have raised $10.3B in equity funding across 120 deals (as of 8/26/20)

Mega-rounds: Since 2019, there have been 87 mega-round ($100M+) equity investments to this years Fintech 250, with 35 of them in 2020 YTD (as of 8/25/20)

Global representation: 46% of the 2020 Fintech 250 are based outside the US. After the US, the UK is home to the most Fintech 250 companies (38), followed by India (20)

The Fintech 250 Companies (in alphabetical order):

10x Future Technologies

Addepar

Affirm

Airwallex

Alan

Alkami Technology

Alloy

AlphaSense

Amartha

Anyfin

At-Bay

Atom Bank

AvidXchange

Behavox

Bestow

Better.com

Betterment

BharatPe

Binance

BioCatch

Blend

Blockchain

BlockFi

BlueVine

Bolt Financial

Bought By Many

Bread

Brex

Bright Health

C2FO

Cambridge Mobile Telematics

Canoe Intelligence

Capitolis

Checkout.com

Chime

CLARA analytics

Clearbanc

ClearTax

Cloud9 Technologies

CloudMargin

Coalition

Coinbase

ComplyAdvantage

Concirrus

CRED

Credit Sesame

Creditas

Cross River Bank

CrossBorder Solutions

CurrencyCloud

Curve

CyberCube

Dave

Deserve

Digit

Digit Insurance

Divvy

Dreams Nordic

Drip Capital

dv01

EBANX

Eigen Technologies

Embroker

Empower

Ethos Technologies

eToro

Even

Expensify

FairMarkIT

Featurespace

Figure Technologies

Finix Payments

Flagstone

Flutterwave

Flyhomes

Flywire

Forge Global

Forter

Future Finance

Fyle

Glia

GoCardless

Gorila Invest

Grab

Greenlight Financial Technology

Groundspeed Analytics

Groww

Guideline

Gusto

HealthJoy

HighRadius

Hippo

HomeLight

Hometap

Human Interest

HyperScience

HYPR

iCapital Network

Immuta

INDwealth

Instanda

INSTANT Financial

Invoice2go

Juniper Square

Juspay

Kantox

Khatabook

Kissht

Klarna

Konfio

Ladder

League

LeaseAccelerator

Ledger

Lemon Way

LendInvest

Lendio

Linklogis

LTSE

Mambu

MANTL

Marqeta

Mollie

MoMo

Money Dashboard

MoneyTap

MoneyView

Monzo

MX Technologies

N26

NerdWallet

Newfront Insurance

Next Insurance

NIUM

NiYO Solutions

NorthOne

Nova Credit

Nubank

Numerated

Ocrolus

Ondot Systems

Onfido

Opay

Open Invest

OpenFin

OpenGamma

Oscar Health

Ovo

Own Up

Paidy

PalmPay

Papaya Global

PayFit

Payoneer

Paystack

Paytm Payments Bank

Payveris

PeerStreet

Perfios

Petal

Pie Insurance

Pilot

Pine Labs

PingPong

Point Digital Finance

PolicyBazaar

PolicyGenius

Q4

Qonto

Qualia

QuintoAndar

Railsbank

Raisin

Rapyd

Razorpay

Recurly

Reonomy

Revolut

Riskalyze

RiskGenius

Riskified

Robinhood

Root Insurance

Rupeek

Salary Finance

Satispay

Scalable Capital

Scratch

Self

SFOX

Shift Technology

Silverfin

SimpleNexus

SirionLabs

Skyline AI

Snapdocs

Socotra

Socure

Spendesk

Splash Financial

Spruce Holdings

Starling Bank

StashAway

States Title

Stripe

Superscript

Sure

Swile

Symbiont

Symphony

Tally Technologies

Taxfix

TaxJar

Tessian

The Zebra

Thought Machine

Tide

Tink

Tipalti

Toast

Total Expert

TouchBistro

Tractable

Trade Republic

TransferWise

TrueLayer

Truework

Trulioo

Trumid

Trussle

Trust & Will

Uala

Unqork

Upgrade

Varo Money

Very Good Security

Viva Wallet

Volt Bank

Vouch Insurance

Wealthfront

wefox Group

WorldRemit

Xerpa

XForcePlus

Yapily

YieldStreet

Yoco

Zanbato

Zego

ZestMoney

About CB Insights

At CB Insights, we believe the most complex strategic business questions are best answered with facts. We are a machine intelligence company that synthesizes, analyzes and visualizes millions of documents to give our clients fast, fact-based insights. Serving the majority of the Fortune 100, we give companies the power to make better decisions, take control of their own future, and capitalize on change.

About Snapdocs

Founded in 2013, Snapdocs is the mortgage industrys leading digital closing platform. With its patented AI technology and connected platform, Snapdocs is on a mission to perfect mortgage closings for all. Powering millions of closings a year, Snapdocs is leading the charge to modernize, streamline, and improve the mortgage process for lenders, borrowers, and settlement. Snapdocs is the only solution with a proven track record of creating a single, scalable process for every closing. Every day, over 90,000 mortgage professionals rely on Snapdocs to automate manual work and digitize paper processes that plague the industry. Snapdocs is a rapidly growing San Francisco based real estate technology company backed by Silicon Valley venture capital funds, like Sequoia, F-Prime Capital, Y Combinator, Founders Fund, and SV Angel. To learn more, please visit snapdocs.com.
Belarusian authorities have barred Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz from entering the country, a day after the head of the Catholic Church in Belarus warned the nations political crisis could lead to civil war.



Border guards blocked the 74-year-old archbishop of Minsk and Mohilev from entering from neighboring Poland on August 31, despite him being a citizen of Belarus.



Border guards of the Republic of Belarus denied the head of the Belarusian Catholic episcopate entry to the country without explanation, Bishop Yuri Kasabutsky, an auxiliary bishop in the Minsk and Mohilev archdiocese, was quoted by the Catholic News Agency as saying.



The president of the Belarusian bishops conference has been a vocal critic of the brutal crackdown on protesters in the wake of the countrys contested August 9 vote.



President Alyaksandr Lukashanka, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years, was declared the winner of the election, which was widely viewed as rigged. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets over the past three weeks to protest the results and demand he step down despite a crackdown that has left hundreds injured and at least six dead.



In an address read at Catholic churches on August 30, Kondrusiewicz wrote that the country faced an unprecedented sociopolitical crisis and the prospect of civil war.



In a peace-loving and tolerant Belarus -- as our country is known in the world -- brother raised his hand against his brother, as a result of which blood was shed and many people were injured, the metropolitan said.



The difficult economic situation is also very alarming today. We are threatened by international isolation. More and more often you can hear the opinion that the threat of a civil war is becoming real, which none of us could have even thought of a few months ago, he continued.



From the very beginning of the sociopolitical crisis, the Catholic Church has encouraged prayer and called problems to be solved through dialogue, remembering Christs words that without him we could do nothing, Kondrusiewicz said.



Earlier this week, Kondrusiewicz condemned security forces after they blocked the entrance to the Church of Saints Symon and Alena in Minsk, a structure also known as the Red Church.

He has also condemned police beatings and detentions of protesters.



The beating of peaceful demonstrators who want to know the truth, their cruel treatment and inhumane detention, is a grave sin on the conscience of those who give criminal orders and commit violence, he wrote in a message to Belarusian state officials on August 14.



According to official numbers, about 6 percent of Belaruss 9.5 million people are Roman Catholic, while 53 percent belong to the Belarusian Orthodox Church. The remainder of the population identifies as atheist, uncertain, or belonging to minority religions.

With reporting by the Catholic News Agency
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Linkedin Kang Jin-kyu (Agence France-Presse) Seoul, South Korea  Tue, September 1, 2020 14:45 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41f4028 2 World Samsung-heir,Merger,South-Korea,stock,chaebol,Jay-Y-Lee Free

South Korean prosecutors indicted the heir to the Samsung empire Tuesday over a controversial merger of two business units seen as a key step towards his succession, in the latest legal blow to the sprawling conglomerate.

Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, committed stock manipulation, breach of trust and other offences when two other subsidiaries, Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries, merged in 2015, the prosecutors said.

Ten other current and former top Samsung executives were also charged.

Lee and his subordinates had carried out "a systemic scheme to take control of the Samsung Group with the least cost", said the prosecution, by deploying "various unfair transactions" that damaged other shareholders' interests.

Lee is already separately being re-tried on charges of bribery, embezzlement and other offences in connection with the corruption scandal that brought down former South Korean president Park Geun-hye.

The businessman was not detained, but the charges are likely to prove a distraction as his firm seeks to navigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Samsung Electronics is the flagship subsidiary of the group, which was founded by Lee's grandfather and has grown to become by far the biggest of the family-controlled conglomerates, or chaebols, that dominate business in the world's 12th-largest economy.

Its overall turnover is equivalent to a fifth of South Korea's gross domestic product and is crucial to the country's economic health.

The firm saw profits rise in April-July with data centers moving to stockpile its DRAM chips to meet surging demand for online activities as a result of global lockdowns.

But the South's economy shrank 3.2 percent year-on-year in the same period, according to a revised estimate by the central Bank of Korea on Tuesday.

Samsung Electronics declined to comment on Tuesday's charges, referring inquiries to Lee's legal team, who did not immediately issue a statement.

'Cloud of uncertainty'

Chaebol families often have only a small ownership stake in their empires, but maintain control through complex webs of cross-shareholdings between units.

Lee was the largest shareholder in Cheil Industries, and critics say Samsung sought to artificially lower the price of C&T to give him a bigger stake in the merged entity -- a key part of the Samsung structure -- consolidating his grip on the conglomerate.

Lee's latest legal troubles add a layer of "uncertainty" to the company and could "burden the South's economy as a whole", said Kim Dae-jong, a business professor at Sejong University in Seoul.

"The fact that he will have to stand another trial creates a cloud of uncertainty and probably affects Samsung's long-term investment plans," he told AFP.

With the country feeling the economic pain from the outbreak, "the timing isn't good", he added.

Some chaebol leaders who have been convicted in the past have subsequently received presidential pardons in recognition of their economic roles.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in campaigned in part on a promise of reforming the chaebols and the prosecution's move came despite a civilian review panel recommending Lee should not be indicted, citing a lack of evidence.

Lee was jailed for five years in 2017 after being found guilty of bribery and other offences linked to former president Park, before being cleared of the most serious charges on appeal and released a year later. That case is currently being retried.

Lee apologized in May over the issues, pledging to ensure "there will be no more controversy over the succession" and that he would not allow his children to take over from him at the firm.

"Our technology and products are being hailed as first-class but the public gaze towards Samsung still remains harsh," he said, bowing to the cameras. "This is my fault. I apologize."
A dozen women at an immigrant detention center in Conroe have complained staff mishandled a fire evacuation in July and ignored or dismissed health complications they say they suffered in the days that followed.

On July 15, a small fire broke out at the privately operated Joe Corley Detention Facility at 500 Hilbig Rd. The women who have come forward are being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with three identifying themselves as asylum seekers.

In this place we are not safe, we are asking for help because we fear for our lives; here we run danger, read one letter that is typical of the others.

Managed by the Florida-based private corrections and rehabilitative company the GEO Group, Joe Corley also houses detainees apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service.

ICE and U.S. Marshals officials on July 16 and 17, respectively, confirmed the fire broke out where the U.S. Marshals detainees were being held. A Conroe Fire Department official on Thursday said investigators determined the cause of the fire was arson.

Similar accounts

The office of California-based immigration attorney Bashir Ghazialam, who has clients held at the facility, emailed scanned copies of handwritten letters it received from 12 female ICE detainees.

Most of the letters include the authors full names and half list their detainee numbers. Their names are being withheld for safety purposes.

Dated between July 17-20, the dozen letters detail similar accounts about the fire and the actions of Joe Corley staffers during the incident and later. The authors describe a harrowing experience.

They accuse staffers of putting the women at risk by delaying their evacuation and then returning them to their dormitories before it was safe to do so. The authors of the letters also allege they did not receive proper medical care for fire smoke-related issues and other health concerns reported to staffers.

I believe that the officers here at Joe Corley are not well prepared for fire drills, read a letter.

We are going to die

Around the evening on July 15, smoke crept into female ICE detainees rooms through the vents, seven of the letters state. Their dorm doors, nine of them wrote, would not open. Most wrote they began choking from the smoke, with some of them coughing and vomiting.

We thought we could no longer resist and that we would die locked up, read one womans letter.

They banged their dorm windows and pushed an intercom button to be freed, but the doors would not open, several of the letters state.

Many of us knelled to pray to God to protect us, one woman wrote about the ordeal.

Some of the women wrote Joe Corley staffers reacted with indifference to their pleas.

What? one staffer said as she shrugged her shoulders, a detainee wrote.

A July 16 statement from GEO said staff immediately responded to the incident and the fire was quickly extinguished. On Friday, GEO referred questions about the detainees allegations to ICE officials.

Following Joe Corleys evacuation plan, all ICE detainees were swiftly and safely escorted from the building, said ICE spokesman Tim Oberle on Friday.

After being escorted to grounds outside the facilitys residential structure, staffers shortly thereafter returned the detainees to their rooms, some of the women wrote.

We told them, We cannot be here. We are going to die. And they, the officials, told us everything was fine and it was not true, one woman wrote, noting as others did, that smoke remained in the rooms.

The women were then removed from their dorms again, nine of the letters state.

Oberle dismissed as false the allegations made about a second July 15 evacuation, saying detainees were only returned inside the facility once the fire department deemed it safe.

Medical care

Each woman attested to witnessing fainting, either among roommates or detainees in other dorms. None of the letters authors wrote that they themselves fainted.

Sore throat and headaches were each listed by nine women as afflictions arising from the smoke inhalation, while four pointed to chest pain. Injuries to their ankles were mentioned by two women.

Many of the women wrote about not receiving medical checkups for these symptoms. Some said staffers handed them sleeping pills, allergy pills, the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen or the pain relief drug acetaminophen.

Oberle on Friday reaffirmed a statement from the day after the fire about one detainee being treated on site for anxiety. No other injuries to ICE detainees were reported to medical personnel, he added.

Oberle did say three detainees the day after the fire complained about their breathing. There was no wheezing or difficulty breathing found when the detainees were evaluated and their lungs were clear, according to Oberle.

However, all ICE detainees have access to comprehensive medical care upon request, including access to daily sick call and 24-hour emergency care, he said.

No injuries observed

Aside from what these 12 women contend in their letters, fellow Joe Corley detainee Xochitl Antunez told the Chronicle the night of the fire that she fainted. Antunez hurt her knee and had to be carried out when black smoke filled her dorm, she said.

The day after the fire, Conroe Fire Department Deputy Chief Steve Cottar confirmed the facilitys staff evaluated detainees for injuries. Last week, he added firefighters would have included reports on smoke inhalation or fainting if observed.

But firefighters, Cottar said, were informed there were no injuries among detainees and staff. GEO told the Houston Chronicle the same in their statement the day after the fire.

If we had (seen injuries among detainees or staff), we would have treated them, Cottar said as he pointed out it was unknown if Joe Corley staffers used the same judgment as firefighters. We would have assumed care of them.

Investigators have determined the fire was started with the use of linens by occupants in the area where the fire broke out, according to Cottar. Charges have not been brought forward and paperwork on the investigation is still being completed, he said.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:25:59|Editor: huaxia

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-- While scientists work to "spread sunshine," some Australian media reports are "casting shadow," said Wang Xining, minister of the Chinese Embassy to Australia.

-- A large amount of Australian newspapers are owned by News Corp Australia, one of Australia's largest media conglomerates, which is part of the U.S.-based News Corp.

-- The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) was taking nearly 450,000 Australian dollars (about 311,000 U.S. dollars) from the U.S. State Department to track Chinese research collaborations with Australian universities.

-- In the gloating to U.S. President Donald Trump on the 5G decision, in the call for an independent pandemic inquiry, and by invoking the 1930s analogy, Australia has looked at once brazen and inauthentic.





BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Several Chinese academics are cutting off communications with their Australian counterparts and canceling plans to travel to Australia amid a rise in China-bashing rhetoric in the country.

According to a report published Tuesday by the Australian Financial Review (AFR) titled "China think tanks sever academic ties as hostilities rise," some Chinese academics have said it is becoming "almost impossible to collaborate with Australian universities because of the rise in anti-China rhetoric."

The move followed a biased investigative report by The Australian about China's Thousand Talents Plan. Citing U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray, the newspaper intended to portray the foreign talent recruitment program as "economic espionage and a national security threat."

Photo taken on May 27, 2020 shows a worker outside the closed Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

MEDIA REPORTS "CASTING SHADOW"

The Australian Academy of Science said it would be "such a great shame if that (global research effort) was jeopardized because of vilification that has no grounds," while Universities Australia declared that most of the country's important research took place across international borders and "with Chinese researchers in some really important instances."

Wang Xining, minister of the Chinese Embassy to Australia, said that science and technology were an integral part of the China-Australia cooperation. "It has brought and will bring enormous good to our business, to our society and to our people."

"Everything goes between us along the bilateral agreement is in compliance with both Chinese and Australian law," he said, comparing the Thousand Talents Plan with Australia's Global Talent Independent Program, which had an office in Shanghai recruiting Chinese scholars for research in Australia.

While scientists work to "spread sunshine," some media reports are "casting shadow," said Wang, adding that the embassy was always asked questions based on "hearsay and gossips," which were "whimsical and absurd."

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out at the beginning of this year, the Herald Sun labeled it as the "Chinese virus."

After the arrest of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, an instigator of the Hong Kong riots and founder of the Apple Daily newspaper, some Australian reports portrayed him as a "hero," without interviewing those in Hong Kong who are against his stance.

Robert Ovadia, an Australian reporter, said on Twitter that "Lai's Apple Daily destroyed Hong Kong's peace and stability with deliberate falsehoods to warp perceptions."

"It is self-serving propaganda, no more, and certainly no champion of honest journalism or freedom," he tweeted.

A man surnamed Chen from China who has lived in Australia for nearly four decades told Xinhua that in recent years most reports he read about his motherland were "negative, with some even misleading."

"I have some Australian friends who had never been to China," he said, adding that "sometimes when they talked about their negative views about China, I asked curiously where were the views from. They were from local media reports."

Photo taken on June 23, 2020 shows the office building in which the Australian Strategic Policy Institute is located, in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)

U.S. INFLUENCE BEHIND THE SCENE

Just as the accusation against the Thousand Talents Plan came from the FBI, American influence has been found behind much China-bashing rhetoric in Australia.

A large amount of Australian newspapers, including the Herald Sun and The Australian, are owned by News Corp Australia, one of Australia's largest media conglomerates, which is part of the U.S.-based News Corp.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) "was taking nearly 450,000 Australian dollars (about 311,000 U.S. dollars) from the U.S. State Department to track Chinese research collaborations with Australian universities," according to an article by Myriam Robin carried by the AFR.

Defense contractors like Lockheed Martin are also among the ASPI's sponsors.

The ASPI has fabricated reports on policies in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which the Chinese government has repeatedly refuted.

A member of the ASPI was a bylined contributor to the coverage of Wang Liqiang, who was reported by Australian media to have defected to Australia and confessed that he had worked as a secret agent in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but later proved to be a convicted fraud with a fake ID.

"I see it as very much the architect of the China threat theory in Australia," said former ambassador to China Geoff Raby.

While some Australian politicians have voiced their worries about the so-called "Chinese influence," some experts believe they are, in effect, under American influence.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks at a press conference in Canberra, Australia, May 29, 2020. (Photo by Chu Chen/Xinhua)

In an opinion piece published by the AFR in May, Hugh White, professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, noted that the Australian government framed its call for an independent inquiry into the origin of COVID-19 as "an investigation of Beijing's culpability for the outbreak," which was a mistake.

"The most likely explanation is that he (Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison) did it to please Washington," said the professor. "The Trump administration is plainly determined to talk up China's responsibility for the pandemic, both to deflect domestic criticism of its own woeful and at times farcical mismanagement of the crisis, and to score points against Beijing in their escalating geopolitical contest for influence in Asia and globally."

A similar viewpoint was expressed by James Curran, a non-resident senior fellow at the United States Studies Center and professor at the University of Sydney, in an article published on Tuesday by the AFR.

"In the gloating to U.S. President Donald Trump on the 5G decision, in the call for an independent pandemic inquiry, and by invoking the 1930s analogy, Australia has looked at once brazen and inauthentic. For all the existing differences between the U.S. and Australian positions on China, the perception amongst some Southeast Asian nations is that Australia remains too willing to do Washington's bidding," he said.

"Washington would not be concerned in the least about how this might affect Australia's standing in the region," he added. 
Ms von der Leyen had requested that the Government put forward the names of one man and one woman for the role, following the resignation of Phil Hogan from the position after his breaching of Covid-19 public health regulations.

The Commissions comments comes as the Government was said to be increasingly likely to nominate just one name for the position, current Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, according to the Irish Times.

The matter of gender balance is very important to President von der Leyen, we have been saying this and she has been saying this very clearly and very loudly.

Commission spokesperson Dana Spinant said Ms von der Leyen had made her position clear: The matter of gender balance is very important to President von der Leyen, we have been saying this and she has been saying this very clearly and very loudly since she took office, and actually before taking office, and that continues being a matter that she pursues with determination.

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Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said choosing a successor to Phil Hogan as Commissioner is still a "work in progress" as he has consulted with Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan on the issue.

However, it was reported by RTE earlier today that these three leaders of the Governments coalition parties had agreed to submit two nominees for the commissioner role, in line with Ms von der Leyens request.

The list of supposed candidates includes MEPs Mairead McGuinness and Frances Fitzgerald.

Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness had previously confirmed she would be interested in the role and suggested it would be unwise for the Government to disregard Ms von der Leyens request.

I think we need to listen very carefully to what the president of the commission Ursula von der Leyen has actually said. She wants the Government to act swiftly, and she wants two names. She wants a woman and a man, she told the This Week programme on RTE Radio One.
K anye West has denied claims the Republican Party is paying him to run for president as a distraction in a bid to support Donald Trump's re-election.

The rap superstar announced he was running for the White House in July, though doubts remain over how seriously to take his campaign.

West, who is running as an independent candidate, missed the cut-off to be included on November's ballot in many states.

This led to rumours his bid was a distraction and an attempt to lure voters from Mr Trump's rival, Joe Biden.

Kanye West, left, meets with President Trump in the Oval Office / Getty Images

But during an appearance on Nick Cannon's podcast, teased on Instagram, footwear mogul West dismissed the rumours and said the Republican Party cannot afford to pay him.

West said: "People keep on saying, 'I think that y'all -you and Republicans - are in cahoots'.

"Bro, can't nobody pay me. I've got more money than Trump,"

Cannon replied: "But people are saying that you're a distraction, and because they don't want four more years of Trump, maybe you might.

"You want an alternative of four years of Ye. Is that realistic right now in 2020?"

"I'm not running for president - I'm walking," West replied. West is said by Forbes magazine to be a billionaire, largely thanks to his Yeezy line of trainers.

His presidential bid has been hobbled by a failure to make the ballot in several states.

Kanye West - In pictures 1 /93 Kanye West - In pictures AP Getty Images Getty Images March 31, 2004



Kanye West appears on stage during MTV's Total Request Live in New York, NY, USA Getty Images November 14, 2004



Kanye West performs on stage during the 32nd Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images December 8, 2004



Kanye West accepts the award for Male New Artist of the Year during the 2004 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, NV, USA Getty Images February 10, 2005



Kanye West and mascot Dropout Bear at the Kanye West and Creative Artist Agency Foundation launch of the Kanye West Foundation in Beverly Hills, CA, USA Getty Images February 13, 2005



Kanye West performs Jesus Walks on stage during the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images February 13, 2005



Kanye West poses backstage with his awards for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best R&B Song during the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images June 5, 2005



Jay-Z and Kanye West perform at the Hot 97 Summer Jam 2005 Concert in East Rutherford, NJ, USA Getty Images July 2, 2005



Kanye West performs on stage at Live 8 Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Museum in Philadelphia, PA, USA Getty Images August 28, 2005



Kanye West performs Gold Digger on stage during the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards in Miami, FL, USA Getty Images September 1, 2005



Kanye West signs autographs during an appearance as the surprise teacher at Chicago State University for MTVu Stand In in Chicago, IL, USA Getty Images February 15, 2006



Kanye West poses in the Awards Room with the award for International Male Solo Artist at The Brit Awards 2006 in London, England Getty Images August 4, 2006



Kanye joins Pharrell onstage at CBS's The Early Show in New York, NY, USA Getty Images September 15, 2006



Kanye West sits with Alexis Phifer for the Jeremy Scott Spring 2007 Fashion show during Olympus Fashion Week in New York, NY, USA Getty Images November 2, 2006



Kanye West accepts the award for Best Hip Hop acton stage at the 13th annual MTV Europe Music Awards in Copenhagen, Denmark Getty Images for MTV November 30, 2006



Kanye West takes a picture of himself at the Fendi party celebrating their new line of bags B.MIX in Tokyo, Japan Getty Images May 9, 2007



Kanye West and his mom, Donda, attend signing of Donda's book Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images June 18, 2007



Kanye West and Adam Levine of Maroon 5 perform onstage during MTV's 45 At Night at the MTV Times Square Studios in New York, NY, USA Getty Images July 1, 2007



anye West performs on stage at the Concert for Diana in London, England Getty Images August 22, 2007



Kanye joins 50 Cent, P. Diddy, and Jay Z onstage to perform during Screamfest '07 in New York, NY, USA Getty Images September 9, 2007



Kanye and 50 Cent present the Most Earth-Shattering Collaboration award on stage during the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas, NV, USA Getty Images September 16, 2007



Kanye presents an award during the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images February 10, 2008



Kanye West performs onstage during the 50th annual Grammy awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images April 23, 2008



Kayne West attends the Los Angeles Lakers playoff game with the Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images June 24, 2008



Kanye West accepts the Best Male Hip-Hop Artist award onstage during the 2008 BET Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images September 21, 2008



Kanye and Stephen Colbert pose for a photo at the Comedy Central Emmy Awards party in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images November 6, 2008



Kanye West and Estelle perform together onstage during the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards Getty Images November 23, 2008



Kanye West accepts the award for Hip-Hop Album during the 2008 American Music Awards Getty Images May 4, 2009



Amber Rose and musician Kanye West attend The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion Met Gala in New York, NY, USA Getty Images September 13, 2009



Kanye jumps onstage after Taylor Swift wins Best Female Video to give his iconic Imma let you finish speech in New York, NY, USA Getty Images November 25, 2010



Kanye West on the New York Daily News Big Apple float rides down Broadway in Times Square as he joins the giant balloon lineup for the 84th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, NY, USA AFP/Getty Images February 20, 2011



Rihanna and Kayne West perform in the half time show at the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles, CA, USA AFP/Getty Images March 19, 2011



Kanye West performs during VEVO Presents: G.O.O.D. Music in Austin, TX, USA Getty Images June 6, 2011



Kanye West speaks on stage during the 2011 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York, NY, USA Getty Images July 29, 2011



Kanye West performs on stage on day one of the Splendour in the Grass music festival in Woodford, Australia Getty Images October 1, 2011



Kanye West walks the runway after the Dw by Kanye West Ready to Wear Spring / Summer 2012 show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France Getty Images November 9, 2011



Kanye West performs while model Izabel Goulart walks the runway during the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York, NY, USA Getty Images June 1, 2012



Kanye West and Jay-Z perform during a concert as part of their tour Watch the Throne in Paris, France AFP/Getty Images July 1, 2012



Kanye West and Jay-Z accept the award for Video of the Year onstage during the 2012 BET Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images September 12, 2012



Kanye and Kim sit with Tyra Banks, Sarah Hyland, Stacy Kiebler, and Olivia Palermo for the Marchesa spring 2013 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, NY, USA Getty Images October 24, 2012



Kayne West performs during the Samsung Galaxy Notes II launch in New York, NY, USA Getty Images for Samsung May 6, 2013



Kanye poses with Kim at the PUNK: Chaos to Couture Met Gala in New York, NY, USA Getty Images May 23, 2014,



Kim Kardashian and Kanye west leave their residence ahead of their wedding in Paris, France AFP/Getty Images July 4, 2014



Kanye West performs on stage at Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park in London, England Getty Images September 28, 2014



Kanye West attends the Celine show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring/Summer 2015 in Paris, France Getty Images January 31, 2015



Kanye West performs onstage during DirecTV Super Saturday Night hosted by Mark Cuban's AXS TV and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan in Glendale, AZ, USA Getty Images for DirecTV February 8, 2015



Kanye joins Paul McCartney and rihanna onstage for a performance at the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images for NARAS February 14, 2015



Kanye sits with his family, Kim and North, as they attend the lexander Wang Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, NY, USA Getty Images February 25, 2015



Kanye West performs on stage during the BRIT Awards 2015 in London, England Getty Images May 10, 2015



Kanye West performs a song during a break in the action between the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs in Chicago, IL, USA Getty Images May 17, 2015



Kanye West performs onstage during the 2015 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, NV, USA Getty Images June 1, 2015



Kanye West presents the Fashion Icon Award to Pharrell Williams onstage at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York, NY, USA Getty Images July 26, 2015



Kanye West performs at the closing ceremony for ther 2015 Pan American Games at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada AFP/Getty Images August 30, 2015



Vanguard Award winner Kanye West speaks onstage during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, CA, USA Getty Images September 11, 2015



Kim and Kanye pose for a photograph at the Givenchy fashion show during Spring 2016 New York Fashion Week in New York, NY, USA Getty Images September 16, 2015



Kanye West poses in front of his models during the finale of Yeezy Season 2 during New York Fashion Week in New York, NY, USA Getty Images October 3, 2015



Kanye poses for a photo with Jared Leto and Terry Richardson at the Vogue 95th Anniversary Party in Paris, France Getty Images February 11, 2016



Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 in New York, NY, USA Getty Images May 2, 2016



Kim Kardashian and Kanye West arrive for the Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology Met Gala in New York, NY, USA June 28, 2016



Kanye announces his partnership with Adidas in Hollywood, CA, USA August 26, 2016



Kim Kardashian attends Famous by Kanye West a private exhibition event at Blum And Poe in Los Angeles, Ca, USA August 28, 2016



Kanye West performs on stage during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, NY, USA AFP/Getty Images October 25, 2016



Kanye West performs at the Forum in Inglewood, CA, USA Getty Images October 30, 2018



Donald Trump meets with rapper Kanye West in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA AFP/Getty Images December 2, 2018



Kanye West and Donatella Versace pose for pictures at the Versace Pre-Fall 2019 Runway Show in New York, NY, USA AFP/Getty Images December 2, 2018



Kanye West and Young Thug attend the the Versace fall 2019 fashion show in New York, NY, USA Getty Images December 19, 2018



Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West attend the Travis Scott Astroworld Tour in Inglewood, CA, USA Getty Images

West has sued Ohio's election chief in an effort to be placed on the ballot after the Secretary of State deemed him unqualified as an independent candidate.

He has also failed to make the ballot in his home state of Illinois, Wisconsin and Montana, among others.
German auto-parts maker Continental said Tuesday that it would expand its vast restructuring programme to affect 30,000 jobs, as the coronavirus pandemic ravages global vehicle production.

Continental aims to save more than 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) annually from 2023, doubling a previously announced savings target, it said in a statement.

More than 30,000 jobs worldwidearound 13 percent of its workforcewill be "modified, relocated or made redundant," the company said, with about 13,000 of those in Germany.

The Hanover-based company blamed "persistently low global vehicle production as well as the deepening economic crisis as a result of the coronavirus pandemic."

Continental does not expect vehicle production to return to the pre-crisis levels of 2017 before 2025.

In August, it said net profit plunged 41 percent to 485 million euros in the second quarter.

"The entire automotive industry is currently faced with enormous challenges. It has not experienced a larger, more severe crisis in the past 70 years," Continental chief executive Elmar Degenhart said.

The company had originally announced measures in September 2019 that would have affected up to 20,000 jobs worldwide, including some 7,000 in Germany.

But Continental said the numbers don't take into account any jobs created by new ventures in digital technology, automated driving or from electric cars.

Continental trailed Germany's blue-chip DAX index Tuesday, shedding 2.4 percent versus a rise of 0.1 percent for the DAX as a whole.

Explore further Continental launches job cuts, savings drive

 2020 AFP
To Judge Evans, Judge Toomin, Mr. Webb: Figure this out. Get the full report into the public domain. The county prosecutors handling of this case, including their contradictory statements to reporters about why they mysteriously dropped it, has been an embossed invitation for citizens to mistrust the justice system in Cook County. Dont amplify that mistrust with more official secrecy. And be aware that if you stall this release, the public surely will suspect that, once again, somebody is trying to do an inside favor for someone.
New Delhi:

Fali S Nariman who was appointed by the Supreme Court as Amicus Curiae to find out who would be the BCCI officials to oversee the board matters has withdrawn from the case. Anil B. Divan has been appointed as amicus curiae to oversee the matter in the board.

BCCI matter: Fali S Nariman withdrew from the case. Anil B. Divan appointed as amicus curiae to oversee the matter in the board. a ANI (@ANI_news) January 3, 2017

The Supreme Court on Monday removed Anurag Thakur from the post of BCCI chief for not complying with top court's orders. The SC also removed Ajay Shirke as BCCI secretary.A

According to the reports, the top court also issued show cause notices to Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke asking why contempt and perjury proceedings are not initiated against both of them.A

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
It is the hope of parents and teachers that schools would soon reopen to bring life back to normal as government eases the restrictions on the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.



However inadequate infrastructure is creating a dilemma for parents, teachers and school authorities in basic public schools in their bid to adjust to the new normal, especially those located in the rural areas.



For this reason, as the country prepares for the possible reopening of schools, following assurances by the Government that the country was gradually making progress with the COVID-19 fight, which indicate the return to normal life, stakeholders are worried about what to do if and when the green light is finally given.



On March 12, 2020, Ghana recorded its first two cases from Norway and Turkey. This was followed by the indefinite closure of both public and private schools, on March 16, 2020.



Currently Ghana has a cumulative case count of 44,205, recoveries of 42,777, 276 deaths and active case count of 1,152.



Fortunately, these restrictions are gradually being eased by the Government to usher the public into the new normal, which requires living with the virus by masking up, practicing hygiene etiquette, and ensuring social distancing. Some categories of students comprising final year university, senior high school, and basic schools have been allowed to return to school to complete their final examinations. The next inline will be the continuing students.



As parents await the total reopening of the schools, Madam She-Vera Anzagira, the Greater Accra and Volta Regional Programme Manager of Action Aid Ghana, has told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that successive governments considered education as important in national development and had the magic power to break the ring of poverty but have not done a good job in investing in infrastructure development in that sector.



The educational sector, she said has seen a number of transformations, since 1960, in curriculum upgrade and other indices, however, such changes did not reflect in infrastructure.



The situation is dire in rural areas both far and near. It is not only happening in far places like Garu or Bawku in the Upper East Region, Nadowli, or Jirapa in the Upper West Region but there are cases as close as Amasaman in the Ga West and Ga East districts of the Greater Accra Region where infrastructure is a bid challenge, Madam Anzagira said.



She was of the view that the issues of inadequate infrastructure, which results in congestion in the classroom aside its potential of increasing the rate of infections of COVID-19, violate the right of children to education.



She recalls that the country has passed local laws and signed up to international conventions including the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) Policy, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Convention of the Rights of the Child.



Mr John Narteh Ghartey, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Chair of Ga West Municipal, wonders how schools, including Mmaampehia M/A Basic School with a class capacity of between 60 to 80 pupils, will observe the one-meter physical distancing.



It is a big problem for us now because many of the schools have large classes. Even if the final year students complete and we get an additional empty classroom it will not be adequate. COVID-19 has exposed this huge infrastructure deficit in our sector, he said.



Painting a picture of a typical public basic school classroom, Mr Ghartey explains to the Ghana News Agency that aside the class congestion most of the schools do not have adequate desks and that compels pupils to sit on the floor to learn, while others share chairs and tables with their friends during contact hours.



He said one other avenue through which schools develop infrastructures was through the PTA levies but its potential of denying some children access to basic education has necessitated its ban by the Ghana Education Service.



At one of the primary schools we started a classroom project, which has been roofed with proceeds from PTA levies but it is currently at a standstill because funds have stopped. The government has asked all heads to stop charging PTA fees, he said.



Mr Ghartey says most of the schools do not have reliable running water that children will use to wash their hands as prescribed by the Ghana Health Service.



Obviously situations like co-sharing and unreliable source of running water cannot be allowed in these schools if schools resume. Things must change before school reopens, he said.



These frustrations expressed by Mr Ghartey and Madam Anzagira were captured by a recent study titled; Financing Education in Ghana, conducted by Action Aid Ghana.



The study revealed that although governments budget towards the education sector is commendable, there was a huge funding gap in basic education, resulting in deplorable conditions in those schools.



The study recommends that if the Government curbs tax incentives and tax evasion, there will be enough funding to provide public education completely free and of good quality for all children in Ghana.



Professor Kwesi Yankah, the Minister of State In-Charge of Tertiary Education, has reiterated governments commitment towards infrastructure development in the educational sector, this must reflect in the conditions under which basic schools in Ga West and South operate.



Although classrooms have been built, for instance in the Ga South, East and West, the number needed to address the urgent challenge is more.



Mr Ghartey suggests that government must assist, through the COVID-19 Fund, to complete stalled educational structures to create more space for the pupils.

Source: GNA









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Nairobi  Migori Governor Okoth Obado was Monday freed on a Sh8.5 million cash bail and barred from accessing his county office pending the conclusion of a Sh73 million corruption case.

His four children who were also charged in the graft case were granted cash bails ranging between Sh3 million and Sh2.5 million.

Six other accused persons were granted cash bails ranging between Sh6 million and Sh8 million with an alternative bond of Sh10 million.

All the accused persons, including Obado, were also ordered to deposit their passports in court. The court ordered accused persons against interfering with prosecution witnesses.

The Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji approved Obado's arrest and prosecution alongside his children Achola Dan Okoth, Susan Scarlet Okoth Jerry Zachary Okoth and Adhiambo Evelyn Okoth following an investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

The governor's three children received Sh38 million, which is said to have been spent on paying their school fees in Australia and United Kingdom and purchased two Toyota Landcruiser V8's.

"The audit trail further disclosed that Sh34, 525,000 was used to purchase a house in Loresho Ridge whose beneficial owner is Everlyne Adhiambo Zachary, the Governor's daughter," the DPP stated.

The suspects have been in custody since Wednesday.
KYIV. Sept 1 (Interfax-Ukraine)  Turkey-based Mesa-Dorbud has asked the Ukrainian authorities to monitor the case of returning the company's assets to its legal property.

"If these were ordinary fraudsters, our law enforcement agencies could easily finish this case. But there are moments associated with the courts that hear the case and make decisions that contradict [common sense]. The court that abolished the freeze [of equipment] in motivational section of its award recognized that the construction of roads is more important than the preservation of the legal entity's ownership to this equipment. We are trying to appeal against this decision," Deputy Director of Mesa-DorBud LLC Vitaliy Troshyn said at a briefing at the press center of Interfax-Ukraine on Monday.

He said that the owners of the Turkish company have never made a decision to sell equipment and they have not signed the fake decision of the founders.

According to lawyers, since the opening of criminal proceedings in January 2020, the Turkish company has been attempting to preserve its property and prohibit its use as material evidence, but the courts have repeatedly refused to make such decisions.

Mesa-Dorbud estimates the investment in the equipment lost during the illegal seizure at EUR 6 million.

"In July 2019, due to the lack of work, it was decided by the owners to lease the equipment to Kommuntrans. When drawing up the lease agreement, Kommuntrans offered to sign a contract with its contractor, Farmer, which did not know about the existence of this agreement. The next day after the transfer of the equipment, powers of attorney were issued authoring to sell equipment on behalf of our director, who at that time was in Turkey. Under counterfeit powers of attorney, the equipment was sold to a shell company, and then it was registered to Komuntrans, which also tried to resell this equipment," Troshyn said.

He also said that as soon as they managed to secure the freeze of the equipment, MP Vitaliy Bort (Opposition Platform - For Life), who announced that Kommuntrans was his company, offered Mesa-Dorbud a peaceful out-of-court solution to the problem, which Kommuntrans quitted as soon as the freeze on the equipment was lifted.

According to the company, all 30 units of Mesa-Dorbud's equipment are currently performing construction work under the contract of Kommuntrans in the territory of Kurakhove district of Donetsk region.

A representative of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Ukraine expressed hope for an early resolution of the current situation, stressing that solving the problems of investors is the best guarantee of new investments in the country.

In turn, Troshyn said that the parent company Ersa, despite the current situation, is still ready to continue investing in Ukraine.

"One of the owners of the company is also the owner of the Turkish company Ersa, which is ready to invest about $1.5 billion in significant infrastructure projects through the Mesa-Dorbud company under the auspices of the President of Ukraine, about which there are letters of guarantee," he said during the briefing.

As reported, in June 2020, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov created a working group and discussed with the Turkish Ambassador to Ukraine the issue of the illegal seizure of construction company Mesa-Dorbud LLC with Turkish investments.
The newly-appointed Rajasthan Congress in-charge was scheduled to meet party leaders in Jaipur and Ajmer to take feedback on various issues

Jaipur: The meetings of AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Ajay Maken with the Congress leaders of Jaipur and Ajmer divisions were postponed due to the demise of former president Pranab Mukherjee.

Maken, who arrived in Jaipur on Sunday, was scheduled to meet the party leaders in Jaipur on Tuesday and Ajmer on Wednesday to take feedback on various issues but the meetings were postponed following which he returned to Delhi.

Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara tweeted that the programmes have been postponed.

"Divisional wise feedback program has been postponed due to the seven-day state mourning announced on the death of former President Mukherjee. Now, Jaipur and Ajmer division meeting will be held on September 8 and 9 respectively," Dotasra tweeted.

Party sources informed that Maken would come back next week and hold the meetings. Before leaving for Delhi, the senior Congress leader met Dotasra, women and child development minister Mamta Bhupesh, MLA Rafiq Khan and others.

Since political appointments in the Congress-ruled state are pending, some of the leaders also gave Maken their bio-data.

Similarly, those aspiring for posts in the party organisation also gave their bio-data to the new AICC general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan, the source said.

The Rajasthan BJP also postponed the proposed protest against the Congress government of the state till 8 September.

Meanwhile, Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV said that Mukherjee's demise was the biggest loss for the country.

"Not only Congress, but the whole county is in grief. He worked for people and this is the biggest loss for this country," he said.

Mukherjee died on Monday after a three-week battle with multiple ailments.
The makeshift testing site is seen at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. Hong Kong began a voluntary mass-testing program for coronavirus Tuesday as part of a strategy to break the chain of transmission in the city's third outbreak of the disease. (Anthony Kwan /Pool Photo via AP)

Hong Kong tested more than 120,000 people for the coronavirus Tuesday at the start of a mass-testing effort that's become another political flash point in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Volunteers stood in lines at some of the more than 100 testing centers, though many residents are distrustful of the resources and staff being provided by China's central government and some have expressed fear DNA could be collected.

The Hong Kong government has dismissed such concerns, and leader Carrie Lam urged the public to see the program in a fair and objective light and appealed to critics to stop discouraging people from being tested since participation is crucial to the program's success.

Priscilla Pun, a sales manager, got tested to give herself peace of mind. "I don't see any reason not to do it, and this way I can let my family in Canada know that I am safe," said Pun, who was tested at a center in the eastern Quarry Bay neighborhood.

Others, like Giselle Ming, said she decided to take part to support the Hong Kong government's initiative even though she was not worried that she might be a carrier of the coronavirus. "In this bad situation of the coronavirus, I hope I can do something to help the society," she said.

Medical professionals collect samples from a man at a makeshift Covid-19 testing site at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong Tuesday, Sept.1, 2020. Hong Kong began a voluntary mass-testing program for coronavirus Tuesday as part of a strategy to break the chain of transmission in the city's third outbreak of the disease. (Anthony Kwan /Pool Photo via AP)

"This large-scale universal community testing program is beneficial to fighting the epidemic and beneficial to our society. It will also help Hong Kong come out of the pandemic unscathed and is conducive to the resumption of daily activities," Lam said at her weekly news conference.

More than 650,000 people in the city of 7.5 million signed up in advance for the program, which will last at least a week. It is aimed at identifying silent carriers of the virusthose without symptomswho could be spreading the disease.

On Tuesday, 126,000 people were tested, according to government officials. Only 10% of people who registered for tests did not turn up.

The government expects 5 million people will take part in the program, which could be extended to two weeks depending on demand.

Hong Kong's worst outbreak in early July was blamed in part on an exemption from quarantine requirements for airline staff, truck drivers from mainland China and sailors on cargo ships.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam adjusts the face mask during a press conference on the state of the coronavirus in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. Hong Kong kicked off a voluntary mass-testing program for coronavirus Tuesday as part of a strategy to break the chain of transmission in the city's third outbreak of the disease. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

At its peak, Hong Kong recorded more than 100 locally transmitted cases a day, after going weeks without any in June.

The outbreak has slowed, with the city reporting just nine cases on Monday, the first time in two weeks that daily infections had fallen to single digits. However, the government and some experts say that community testing can help detect asymptomatic carriers to further stop the spread of the virus.

Respiratory medicine expert professor David Hui said that even though infections have dwindled, the proportion of cases with untraceable sources of infection remain between 30% and 40%.

"That means there must be some silent transmission going on, so community testing has some role in picking up these silent transmitters," said Hui, a public health adviser to the city's government. "Hopefully if we can identify these people and isolate them for a period of time that may help to break the transmission chain in the community."

People wearing face masks queue for the coronavirus test outside a testing center in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. Hong Kong began a voluntary mass-testing program for coronavirus Tuesday as part of a strategy to break the chain of transmission in the city's third outbreak of the disease. The virus-testing program has become a flash point of political debate in Hong Kong, with many distrustful over resources and staff being provided by the China's central government and fears that the residents' DNA could be collected during the exercise (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The program is more effective if most of the population takes part, Hui said.

"If only 1 or 2 million people take part, then we may not be able to achieve that objective," he said.

Other experts, such as Dr. Leung Chi-chiu, a respiratory specialist and a member of the Medical Council of Hong Kong, said the testing program plays only a supplementary role in controlling the pandemic in the city, due to the long and variable incubation period of the coronavirus.

Leung said mass testing may not be the most cost-effective method, as it is not easy to pick up the disease in its early development, especially if a person is not having symptoms or has not had recent exposure to an infected patient.

Even if mass testing could identify infected patients, they may already be past the infectious stage, he said.

People wearing face masks queue for the coronavirus test outside a testing center in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. Hong Kong began a voluntary mass-testing program for coronavirus Tuesday as part of a strategy to break the chain of transmission in the city's third outbreak of the disease. The virus-testing program has become a flash point of political debate in Hong Kong, with many distrustful over resources and staff being provided by the China's central government and fears that the residents' DNA could be collected during the exercise.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Nasal swab sample is collected from a man by a medical worker at a makeshift testing site in the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. Hong Kong began a voluntary mass-testing program for coronavirus Tuesday as part of a strategy to break the chain of transmission in the city's third outbreak of the disease. (Anthony Kwan /Pool Photo via AP)

Leung said large-scale testing cannot replace traditional methods of social distancing and contact tracing, and should only be used as a complementary measure.

Some pro-democracy activists, such as Joshua Wong, have publicly opposed the program. Wong called for a boycott, citing Swedish media reports that some test kits being used had high rates of false-positive results.

Lam said that while false-positives can happen, the tests used in the program have passed quality assurance procedures.

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.
The solution, as we see it, is not in traditional party politics, which asks us to hold our nose when we cast a ballot or to dilute policy solutions like Medicare for All. Parties want our votes while promising little and delivering less. That is because the electoral system was designed as binary; the entry points are two doors expected to fit the voices and policy needs of hundreds of millions of multiracial constituents.

Opinion Debate Will the Democrats face a midterm wipeout? Mark Penn and Andrew Stein write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond.

write that "only a broader course correction to the center will give Democrats a fighting chance in 2022" and beyond. Matthew Continetti writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party.

writes that time and again, the biggest obstacle to a red wave hasnt been the Democratic Party. Its been the Republican Party. Ezra Klein speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging.

speaks to David Shor, who discusses his fear that Democrats face electoral catastrophe unless they shift their messaging. Michelle Cottle examines two primary contests that will shake the parties well beyond the states in play.

Instead, for a new generation of Black activists, success lies in the process of making change  in politics, policies and social practices. On the campaign trail, we hire managers and organizers who have experiences in common with their communities. We design field plans with an eye to year-round engagement rather than a monthlong, extractive Get Out the Vote program. When we write campaign plans, we think about mutual aid and long-term governance. We want communications staff members who want to inspire and educate voters, not engage in the politics of fear. The ultimate goal of the ballot is to build and sustain coalitions of community members who can have a say in governance. We work to avoid what the political scientist Paul Frymer calls electoral capture  the Democratic Partys habitual disregard for Black peoples political interests despite the fact that they are the partys most loyal constituency and have no other reasonable alternative for representation.

You can see the results in the elections of activists like Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, as well as the primary victories this year of progressives like Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York. You can also see its results in the closure of the Workhouse jail in St. Louis by a coalition of grass roots organizations, the approval of reparations by the Asheville City Council in North Carolina for historical harms and the organizing around Senate Bill 2123 in Mississippi that would have accelerated the parole process for incarcerated elders. (Although the Mississippi governor vetoed that bill, its passage in the Senate was a major victory for organizers.)

The call to defund the police is not separate from this organizing. It also helps to shift political terrain at the ballot box. Defunding was absent from mainstream political discourse even three months ago. By August, at least 11 cities had taken steps toward divesting from policing and reinvesting in Black and poor communities. Some, like Minneapolis, moved to dismantle their police departments. Black activists worked to organize people to reimagine public safety and transform how communities provide it.

The ultimate goal of a new Black politics is co-governance where elected leaders are not the destination but the vehicle to full civic participation. Co-governance requires more than representational politics; it requires elected leaders who are responsive to their constituents voices by creating transparency and real engagement. This way of doing politics is essential for reinvigorating democracy, given the decreasing levels of trust in government and our elected leaders inability to solve the most critical problems affecting ordinary peoples lives. Its also about bringing peoples lives to a place of full participation and equal treatment.
Australia says Cheng Lei has been held since mid-August and China has not explained why.

Australia has not been informed why Chinese authorities have detained Australian citizen Cheng Lei, a high-profile television anchor at state television channel CGTN in Beijing.

Cheng was picked up last month and Australia was informed on August 14, Australias Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement on Monday night.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham told ABC radio on Monday that the government did not know why she was being held.

Cheng Lei is an Australian, a journalist who has been working in China for some period of time, he said. Ive actually met her and been interviewed by her while overseas myself. I feel for her family very much at this point in time, and its why we will do what we can to assist her as we would and have any Australian in these sorts of circumstances.

Tensions between Beijing and Canberra have been running high since the Australian government called for an international inquiry into the origins of the novel coronavirus. Beijing has since imposed trade tariffs and anti-dumping probes on multiple Australian products.





Chinas foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

No access to family, lawyer

Cheng Lei works as a business anchor for CGTN, the international channel of Chinese state television, but the broadcaster appears to have removed her profile from its website.

Cheng is being held under what China calls residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL)  a form of detention that entails Chinese authorities holding people for as long as six months without access to family members or a lawyer and that has been criticised by the United Nations.

Elaine Pearson. Australia director of Human Rights Watch, said Chengs detention was very concerning and that the Chinese government should clarify why she was being held.

RSDL is NOT house arrest, Pearson wrote on Twitter. Its a form of secret detention without access to lawyers that can last up to six months before a suspect is formally arrested or charged. Detainees are at risk of ill-treatment and even torture.

A statement issued by Chengs family in Australia said it hoped for a satisfactory and timely conclusion and was in close consultation with Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

#Shakeshack's first #Beijing store set to open in 12 hours' timethe staff are psyched! Loving the Beijing touches in food and decor. Opening ceremony will feature pedicabs and pesky Beijing uncles! Make shakes, not war pic.twitter.com/kkMZVZxw9r  Cheng Lei (@ChengLeiCGTN) August 11, 2020

Australian officials spoke to Cheng at a detention facility via video link on August 27, Payne said, adding that consular officials would continue to provide support to her and her family.

Chengs last Tweet  about the opening of Shake Shack in Beijing  was on August 11. The link to her profile on CGTN returns an error message.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Even as the country's economic growth contracted by 23.9 per cent in Q1FY21, preliminary estimates indicate the fiscal will exhibit a negative double digit growth in real GDP, says a SBI Ecowrap report.

The report, released a day after official NSO figures showed the massive fall in GDP growth, said: "After a decline of 23.9 per cent real GDP growth in Q1, now the question arises how much growth will decline in subsequent quarters." "It is now clearly visible that Q2 decline will also be in double digits. Our preliminary estimate indicates that all the four quarters of FY21 will exhibit negative real GDP growth and decline of full year growth will likely be in double digits (around 10.9 per cent)." The report estimates that Q2 real GDP decline will be in the range of (-) 12 to (-) 15 per cent, Q3: (-) 5 to (-) 10 per cent and Q4: (-) 2 to (-) 5 per cent.

"It seems that momentum of economic pick-up has slowed down in Q2 FY21 and our 'Business Disruption Index' is nearly at the same level as on August 24 as it was at end June," the report said.

"We now believe sectors such as construction, trade and hotels, aviation need to be revived. Restoring transportation services and giving push to infrastructure by issuing special bonds to RBI like perpetual bonds must also be explored apart from supporting states through fiscal measures in their endeavours." "India's GDP growth plunged to 23.9 per cent in Q1 FY21 due to the nation-wide lockdown imposed on March 25, 2020 in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic and is much worse than market and our estimates.

"This is India's worst growth performance since the country started reporting quarterly GDP data in 1996," the report said.

"In the 2004-05 base, India's lowest quarterly GDP growth was 1.66 per cent in Q3FY03. Till now GDP growth data of 60 countries has been released. Apart from China and Vietnam, all economies exhibited decline in growth." As per the report, the average decline of 60 economies in April-June 2020 is 12.2 per cent as compared to 1.4 per cent decline in January-March 2020.
SEOUL (Reuters) - Two South Korean military intelligence officers have been indicted on charges of raping a North Korean defector, the South's defense ministry said on Tuesday.

According to Yonhap news agency, the victim filed a criminal complaint last year, and her lawyer said at the time that she became pregnant twice and was pressured to have abortions.

A Defence Intelligence Command lieutenant colonel and master sergeant were indicted by military prosecutors on various charges of sexually assaulting and raping the woman between May 2018 and February 2019, a Ministry of National Defense (MND) statement said .

At the time, the woman was under their protection and supervision for espionage operations, the statement added.

The two suspects have not been named.

(Reporting by Josh Smith and Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Photograph: Morry Gash/AP

The father of Jacob Blake, the man shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, said on Monday that the family had received threats and that he refused to play politics with my sons life amid tensions over Donald Trumps planned visit to the city on Tuesday.

Jacob Blake Sr is the father of Jacob Blake Jr, a 29-year-old Black man and father, who is in hospital in Kenosha, paralyzed from the waist down, after a white police officer fired seven shots at his back last Sunday.

Blake Sr said he had to take his other son, 20, to hospital because he was depressed.

Blake Sr told CNN: I received some threats and it affected my son.

He declined to give further details. He said: Its sad to me how people dont understand the kind of pressure this family is under.

And he talked of his son, Jacob Jr, as being an individual who, a few weeks ago was running around laughing, and now that individual cannot move his legs.

Related: A tale of two videos: Jacob Blake, Kyle Rittenhouse and two types of policing

Local officials have urged the president not to visit Kenosha or at least to postpone his trip. Trump has talked about violent protests in a way that implies ongoing chaos in Kenosha. In fact, daily and nightly marches and demonstrations have been entirely peaceful there since Wednesday.

That followed a bout of unrest straight after the police shooting, where some businesses and public property were badly damaged and many stores are now boarded up, then a spiral into chaos last Tuesday night when armed, white agitators turned up on the streets, were given water and encouragement by police in an armored vehicle despite being out after curfew, and then ended up confronting protesters.

A 17-year-old, Kyle Rittenhouse, from Antioch, Illinois, had an assault rifle and shot dead a man, then walked away as others tried to give first aid, then was chased and shot dead another man and badly wounded a third.

He then walked through police lines without being apprehended and was arrested the next day in his home town in Illinois.

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Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer acting for the Blake family, condemned two justice systems in America: one for white, one for Black.

Both the police shooting of Jacob Blake Jr and parts of the incidents with Rittenhouse were caught on tape, including Rittenhouse walking through police lines after the killings, which his lawyer has argued were in self defense.

Blake Sr told CNN the fact Rittenhouse was able to return home clearly illustrated the disparity.

That man went home to his house in Antioch, Illinois  he went to another state, he said. [While] My son is in a state of being paralyzed.

The two justice systems were [there] in stark contrast, right there in front of your eyes, on video.

At a White House press briefing on Monday evening, Trump defended his supporters who fired paintballs and pepper spray at protesters in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday. He also defended police shootings when asked about Blake, by saying that police choke sometimes and make a mistake.

Asked about Kyle Rittenhouse, Trump said: That was an interesting situation.

He characterized Rittenhouses being chased by men after the fatal shooting as trying to get away from them, adding they very violently attacked him.

He also said that Rittenhouse, who has been charged with intentional homicide and other felonies probably wouldve been killed if he had not been armed.

Wisconsins governor, Tony Evers, wrote to Trump on Sunday asking him to reconsider his visit, as the city continues to grapple with the aftermath of those events.

Jacob Blakes uncle, Justin Blake, told CNN that, President Trump is a racist who stokes racial tensions. He has been stirring racial tensions since he got in the White House. Why, as Jacobs uncle, would I want to talk to him? Our focus is on Jacob and healing the community.

He said Jacob Blakes father has told him he has no interest in speaking with President Trump and instead is focused on his sons health and getting justice.

The Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, and his vice-presidential pick, Kamala Harris, have both spoken extensively to the Blake family by telephone.

Biden is reportedly considering visiting Wisconsin.

On Monday evening, he issued a statement that said, in part: Tonight, the president declined to rebuke violence. He wouldnt even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it.
Boris Johnsons delay in getting promised funding to a national support service for victims of terrorism  at risk of closing within weeks  has been described by Labour as insulting.

The prime minister told parliament in March that his government would do everything we can to ensure the service, which provides counselling and welfare support to terror victims across Britain, remains in place.

Labour has demanded Mr Johnson fulfil the pledge, attacking the months-long delay getting funding to the charity running the vital service.

The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation said it would have to stop helping victims and their families at the end of September without further financial support.

Nick Taylor, its chief executive, told The Independent: Weve told the government they need to sort out funding immediately. Its been radio silence for the past few months.

He added: Terrorism is a crime that requires specialist, niche support. Our service is unique  theres nothing quite like it in Great Britain.

Mr Taylor said the foundation was told the Ministry of Justice would stop providing its annual 150,000 grant in March on the basis the Home Office would take over [the funding] after a hiatus.

The charitys chief executive added: Our board has decided that well have to announce the closure of the service from the end of September unless we can find funding.

The foundation, based in Warrington, was set up following the deaths of 12-year-old Tim Parry and three-year-old Johnathan Ball in the IRA bombing of Warrington town centre in 1993.

It has been running the free national support service for victims of terrorism  including those affected by the Manchester Arena attack in 2017  for the past two decades.

Tuesday marks what would have been Parry's 40th birthday.

Labour MP Louise Haigh, the shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland, said: In the week that would have been Tims 40th birthday, it is a real insult that the support service established in his memory is under threat because the prime minister simply will not keep his promises.

Support worker Terry O'Hara, Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols, shadow secretary of state Louise Haigh and chief executive of the foundation Nick Taylor (PA)

She added: In this week of all weeks, the prime minister must act and secure the future of the support service and the vital work it does.

Ms Haigh, who visited the foundations peace centre earlier this month, added that the work being done to support victims of terror has made an extraordinary difference to thousands of people.

Andy Carter, the Conservative MP for Warrington South, raised the issue in the Commons during prime ministers questions on 11 March. He asked: Will the prime minister join with me in commending their work and in agreeing to ensure their funding continues?

In his response, Mr Johnson pledged: We will do everything we can to ensure the funding continues.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: We are committed to ensuring victims of domestic and overseas terrorism get the comprehensive support they need as swiftly as possible.

That is why we will review the support available to victims, including families and loved ones, and intend to invest up to 500,000 to increase the help provided by the Victims of Terrorism Unit.
From today, couples will be able to register to marry in a religious setting, and religious bodies can choose to opt in to provide same-sex weddings.

With a statutory 28-day waiting period, the earliest date for a same-sex religious wedding will be September 29th.

Today is a milestone for equality as same-sex religious weddings become a reality in NI. 

Thank you to everyone for your support for the campaign. Now its time for @NIOgov to finish the job with civil partnership conversion.  pic.twitter.com/MA0DEkyIMk  Love Equality NI (@Love_EqualityNI) September 1, 2020

Amnesty International has welcomed the move, which came after a long-term campaign, but urged the Northern Irish government to finish the job by allowing same-sex couples with an existing civil partnership to be able to convert their partnership into a marriage.

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There are 1,200 same-sex couples in Northern Ireland who currently have civil partnerships.

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty Internationals Northern Ireland Director and part of the Love Equality coalition, described Tuesday as a milestone for equality in Northern Ireland.

After years of campaigning, same-sex couples of faith can finally register to marry in a church or other religious setting, he said.

In line with our campaign, we are pleased that the law will protect religious freedom, and that churches will neither be compelled nor prevented from offering wedding ceremonies to same-sex couples.

This is an important issue for many couples in Northern Ireland, who have previously been prevented by law from marrying in their own church.

We now urge the Government to finish the job of marriage equality in Northern Ireland, by allowing couples in civil partnerships to convert to married status if they so wish.

Same-sex civil marriage became legal in Northern Ireland on January 13 this year.

Today the North took another welcome step towards full marriage equality and I want to congratulate all those couples who are now planning their big day.



All remaining barriers to equality should now be removed.  Michelle ONeill (@moneillsf) September 1, 2020

The first wedding took place on February 11, when Sharni Edwards and Robyn Peoples married in Carrickfergus.

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill tweeted: Today the North took another welcome step towards full marriage equality and I want to congratulate all those couples who are now planning their big day.

All remaining barriers to equality should now be removed.
India has joined hands with Brazil, Germany and Japan to call for expediting the process for reforming the UN Security Council, with the four countries saying that inter-governmental negotiations on the issue have dragged on for more than a decade without substantial progress.

The four countries, also known as G4, outlined their position in a common letter submitted to the President of the UN General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, on Monday. They demanded action for transforming the UN Security Council in line with Common African Position, and said negotiations shouldnt be held hostage, procedurally and substantially, by those who do not wish to bring about reform.

Indias letter, submitted by the deputy permanent representative to the UN, K Nagaraj Naidu, referred to the draft decision regarding roll-over of the inter-governmental negotiations on equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council, and said this process must capture clearly the tangible progress made in two meetings held earlier this year.

The letter said clear progress was made in the negotiations this year with member states backing the Common African Position as laid down in the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, and the urgent need for transparency and application of the General Assemblys rules of procedure to the inter-governmental negotiations.

The Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, containing the common African position on reform of the UN Security Council, were developed by a committee on UN reform established by the African Union Summit in 2005.

The growing support for the Common African Position has, in fact, been reinforced not in one but multiple forums, and from multiple groups, the letter said. The concept was also backed by the Non-Aligned Movement, comprising 120 states, in October 2019 and by G4 in a foreign ministers joint statement in September 2019.

Consequently, it is only correct and fair that the growing support expressed for the Common African Position in the two meetings of the [inter-governmental negotiations] earlier this year are captured in the body of the roll-over decision. Otherwise, we will be in the danger of endorsing an incorrect perspective of this years work and give an impression that nothing has transpired, the letter said.

The letter also emphasised the need to redress the historical injustice against Africa and to ensure better African representation in a reformed Security Council in line with the Common African Position.

India and the three other countries also expressed their concerns about the inter-governmental negotiations since 2009, saying there has been practically no progress in the discussions.

Even the discussions are dubbed as informal and the UNGA rules of procedure do not apply. In eleven years, the situation has not changed. There has been no attempt to capture the discussions in a single consolidated text for negotiations, the letter said.

In fact, the [inter-governmental negotiations] process has become a convenient smokescreen to hide behind for those who do not wish to see any reform in the Security Council. Consequently, there is a need to ensure that the...process is not held hostage, procedurally and substantially, by those who do not wish to bring about reform in the Security Council, it further said.

If this happens, and there are indications that this is already happening, those who demand reform will be forced to look for other ways to achieve the same end outside the [inter-governmental negotiations] process, it added.

The letter also noted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres call on July 18 for reform of the Security Council. It quoted him as saying, The nations that came out on top more than seven decades ago have refused to contemplate the reforms needed to change power relations in international institutions...Inequality starts at the top: in global institutions.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rezaul H Laskar Rezaul H Laskar is the Foreign Affairs Editor at Hindustan Times. His interests include movies and music. ...view detail
Rebel Wilson appeared on Monday night's episode of American series Celebrity IOU and treated her best friend to a backyard makeover.

On the show, which sees A-listers reward their friends with home renovations, the 40-year-old decided to treat her best pal, stylist, Nicole Leal.

The actress explained that Nicole was her 'first American friend' who was 'really chill' and not like the 'crazies' she normally meets in Hollywood.

Emotional! Rebel Wilson (pictured) appeared on Monday night's episode of American series Celebrity IOU and treated her best friend to a backyard makeover, the result leaving both women sobbing

Describing their friendship, Nicole said that Rebel is as down to earth today as she was when she first arrived in Hollywood several years ago.

'I thought she was going to be mean to me. I was so frightened to meet her. But she was the kindest person.

'Even with as much stardom that she's gone through over the years, she's still the same person,' she said.

Close: On the show, which sees A-listers reward their friends with home renovations, the 40-year-old decided to treat her best pal, stylist, Nicole Leal (right) who needed a new yard at her Burbank, California home

So moved! Nicole was left sobbing when she saw the amazing work that had been done on the once barren yard. 'I am so grateful and appreciative, I can't even find the words, it means a lot', Nicole said, breaking down

Tears all round: Rebel was moved by Nicole's emotion, swiping away her own tears by the end of the segment

Nicole said she now feels that the Australian actress, 'is more family than a friend' to her.

The friends met when Nicole was Rebel's hairdresser and have since worked together on the star's blockbusters like Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids.

To show her gratitude for Nicole's years of friendship, Rebel enlisted celebrity renovators Drew and Jonathon Scott to create a new backyard for Nicole's new home in Burbank, California.

Wasteland: 'She saved up all her money to buy this house and has nothing left for the outside. To give back to her in this way is just incredible,' Rebel explained. Pictured: The yard before

What an update! Rebel enlisted celebrity renovators Drew and Jonathon Scott to create a new backyard now featuring an outdoor kitchen complete with a grill and fridge outside

What a cool space! There was even a fireplace and outdoor lounge room with a TV

Rebel even helped out, manning heavy equipment including a jackhammer to break up concrete.

'She saved up all her money to buy this house and has nothing left for the outside. To give back to her in this way is just incredible,' she said.

Nicole was left sobbing when she saw the amazing work that had been done on the once barren yard, now featuring an outdoor kitchen complete with a grill and fridge outside, as well as a fireplace and outdoor lounge room with a TV.

Buddies: The friends met when Nicole was Rebel's hairdresser and have since worked together on Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids. The actress explained that Nicole was her 'first American friend' who was 'really chill' and not like the 'crazies' in Hollywood

Normal: Describing their friendship, Nicole said that Rebel is as down to earth today as she was when she first arrived in Hollywood several years ago. Nicole said she now feels that the Australian actress, 'is more family than a friend' to her

'It's better than I could've even imagined,' Nicole said, sobbing, adding that the space will 'do so much for my family'.

'I am so grateful and appreciative, I can't even find the words, it means a lot', Nicole added, breaking down.

Rebel was so moved by Nicole's emotion, swiping away her own tears by the end of the segment.
California could become the first state to develop its own line of generic drugs if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill approved by the legislature Monday. (KHN illustration/Getty Images)

California is poised to become the first state to develop its own line of generic drugs, targeting soaring drug prices and stepping into a fiercely competitive drug market dominated by deep-pocketed pharmaceutical companies.

The Democratic-controlled Legislature overwhelmingly approved a measure Monday that would direct the states top health agency to partner with one or more drug companies by January to make or distribute a broad range of generic or biosimilar drugs  including the diabetes medicine insulin  that are cheaper than brand-name products.

The bill, SB-852, also opens the door for California to make its own generic drugs in the future.

Gov. Gavin Newsom will have until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the measure.

People need these drugs, but prices are through the roof, so were saying theres a role for the state to bring prices down, said the bills author, state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento).

The measure is more important than ever, he said, because COVID-19 has exposed glaring gaps in the ability of public and private entities  including major hospitals and government drug purchasers  to maintain adequate supplies of medicines, equipment and devices.

Newsom, a Democrat, floated his own generic drug proposal in January as part of his broader drug agenda to reduce pharmaceutical costs, but was forced to abandon his plan in May as he and lawmakers sought to address a pandemic-induced $54-billion budget deficit.

Though it could take years to bring a new California generic product to the market, the move would put the nations most populous state in direct competition with major generic and brand-name drug makers. It could also help the state use its massive purchasing power to drive down drug prices.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents brand-name drug makers, has taken a neutral position on the bill and declined to comment.

But Brett Michelin, lead lobbyist for the Washington, D.C.-based Assn. for Accessible Medicines, which represents generic-drug makers, said his companies arent threatened by the possibility of California entering the market  and even welcome it.

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Generic manufacturers are more than open to doing this kind of partnership, Michelin said. I think having a fair and open process to sell drugs and compete for customers is what the generic industry is very used to and comfortable with.

Under the measure, state-developed generics would be widely available to public and private purchasers within California. Taxpayers would pick up the costs  roughly $1 million to $2 million in startup funding, plus ongoing staff costs estimated in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, according to a state fiscal analysis.

Its unclear which drugs the state would make or procure, though it would target drugs that could produce the biggest cost savings for the state and consumers. But the bill specifically calls for the production of at least one form of insulin, provided that a viable pathway for manufacturing a more affordable form of insulin exists at a price that results in savings.

Insulin is a biologic drug, made with living cells. Once a biologic hits the market, rival copycat products that follow are called biosimilars.

Three major drug companies  Eli Lilly and Co., Sanofi and Novo Nordisk  have long controlled the lucrative insulin market in the U.S. California would be the first entity to produce a biosimilar version of one of the newer, fast- and long-acting insulins on a not-for-profit basis, said Jane Horvath, a health policy consultant in Washington, D.C.

Although it would be costly and could take years, the Utah-based nonprofit drug company Civica Rx, is discussing partnering with California to produce generic or biosimilar drugs. The company, which consulted with Pan on his bill, has already hammered out deals with major health systems running short on critical drugs, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, and is producing lower-cost generics for Blue Shield of California and other insurers.

Theres no doubt insulin would be a more complex and expensive drug to develop, but its certainly possible, said Allan Coukell, the companys senior vice president of public policy.

Patients who need insulin have faced huge cost spikes. A 2019 report by the Health Care Cost Institute concluded that average prices for insulin doubled from 2012 to 2016. And California health insurance regulators found last year that diabetes medications accounted for nine of the 25 costliest brand-name drugs sold in the state.

Its a big deal  diabetes affects a lot of people who rely on insulin for their very lives, said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. And insulin has probably been the poster child for unreasonable drug pricing.

Laura Marston, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer with diabetes who advocates for lower insulin prices, said shes excited about Californias idea.

Marston has been on the same insulin, Humalog, since 1996. At that time, the price was $21 a vial, but has since ballooned to more than $275 a vial, she said.

If there was a lower-cost option and the price wasnt going to be raised, I would absolutely switch from Humalog, she said. I feel held totally hostage to these pharmaceutical companies.

Marston said shed like the federal government to do the same thing, so it could apply to all patients.

Congressional efforts to tackle rising prices for insulin and other drugs fizzled last year in the face of opposition from the influential pharmaceutical lobby. So states have increasingly sought ways to regulate a for-profit industry in which brand-name manufacturers hold near-monopoly power.

Colorado last year became the first state to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 for a 30-day supply. It was followed by at least nine other states, from New Mexico to New York, whose cost-sharing caps vary.

California had already capped out-of-pocket drug costs at $250 to $500 for a 30-day supply, but a measure that would have lowered the cap for insulin to $100 a month stalled this year  a casualty of a pandemic-shortened legislative calendar.

Newsoms office declined to comment on the generic drug legislation. But recent changes to the proposal reflect direct negotiations with the administration, Pans office said.

Newsom spokesperson Jesse Melgar said in a statement that the governors goal of a sustainable system of universal coverage has not changed and making prescription drugs affordable is one more step toward that goal.

Should Newsom sign the bill into law, the state Health and Human Services Agency would have 18 months to identify a list of drugs the state could manufacture, with a report due to the legislature by July 2022. By July the following year, the state would be required to assess whether it can manufacture its own generics and biosimilars.

The bill calls for state health officials to prioritize development of generics for chronic and high-cost health conditions, and urges production of those that can be delivered through mail order.

California could emerge as a leader in the national drug debate, Levitt said.

If California can pull it off, it would be a model for other states and federally, he said. For it to pull this off means it can be done at scale.
Kenosha still shows the scars from the battles of the past week. Most downtown buildings are boarded up. Graffiti covers the pavements and walls. Dozens of burnt-out cars sit in a parking lot not far from the courthouse, which is now watched over by National Guard troops.

But a burst of anger following the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake has given way in recent days to an uneasy calm in this small city on the shores of Lake Michigan. A curfew largely quieted the streets at night. It was a fragile peace that was disturbed by the arrival of Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Its going to cause more of a problem, says Adam Gadzala, a 26-year-old Black Lives Matter supporter, fresh from a shouting match with a group of Trump supporters across the street. He just wants to claim credit for something that he really didnt help solve.

What we have now is somebody who is orchestrating division and playing on fears of white people. He knows his audience and he knows how to play them well, he added.

Kenosha has been transformed in the week since the shooting and the protests that followed the 23 August incident. Businesses and buildings were burnt and destroyed by demonstrators. In those same disturbances, a 17-year-old Trump supporter from Illinois is accused of shooting two protesters dead and wounding another an event that has raised fears of civil strife in Americas cities. He has been charged with six criminal counts, including first-degree intentional homicide.

The shooting and the chaos that followed has placed this city at the centre of that nationwide debate over police violence and the response to it. Mr Trump, it appears, hopes to keep it there.

Protesters stand in front of Trump supporters during the presidents visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin (Richard Hall / The Independent ) (Richard Hall / The Independent)

Months away from an election and trailing decisively in the polls behind his opponent Joe Biden, the president has in recent weeks made law and order the focus of his campaign. He has sought to keep the countrys attention on scenes of violence that have occurred during protests for racial justice across the country. On Tuesday, Kenosha became just the latest backdrop.

These are not acts of peaceful protest but, really, domestic terror, Mr Trump said after touring areas damaged by riots, where he was joined by attorney general Bill Barr and acting secretary of homeland security Chad Wolf.

To stop the political violence, we must also confront the radical ideology. We have to condemn the dangerous anti-police rhetoric, he added.

The president met with police and business owners affected by the rioting. He also announced that the federal government would make $1 million available to Kenosha law enforcement, and $4 million for small businesses.

Mr Trump was accompanied by crowds of his supporters who came to Kenosha in a show of support  at times engaging in back-and-forth arguments with racial justice protesters in the main square.

Dan Cox, a 56-year-old plumber, who came from nearby Libertyville, said he was angered by the scenes of destruction he was seeing on television.

I think he can bring attention to what is going on, he said, standing in front of his car with the words Trump 2020 spray painted on the side.

Currently there seems to be a lot of downplaying of whats happening in places like Kenosha. What Im seeing here is not protesting. It is violence, it is mayhem. It is burning and looting, he added.

The president in Kenosha on Tuesday (AFP via Getty Images)

But there were plenty who didnt want the president to come. Wisconsins governor, Tony Evers, was among a host of local leaders who asked Mr Trump to reconsider. In a letter, he said a visit at this time will only hinder our healing and delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.

As crowds of Trump supporters and protesters faced each other in the citys main square throughout the day, it appeared that healing had indeed been disrupted.

If he was coming to Kenosha to really talk about the situation, and he really felt bad about the situation, why didnt he tell his supporters to stay behind? Dont come. This aint about yall, said Jamarcus Blaze, a 34-year-old Kenosha resident.

This is not about politics right now. This is about people who want change, he added.

The White House said ahead of the visit that they had reached out to Mr Blakes family to arrange a meeting, which they had declined. During his visit, Mr Trump said he felt terribly for his family.

But they were keen to stay away from the political fray, and instead held what was billed as a community rebuilding event at the intersection where Mr Blake was shot seven times in the back.

Were no longer going to tolerate this. As a community, were gonna work together. Were gonna put to the side our differences. Were gonna agree to disagree, and were gonna rebuild our community, said his uncle, Justin Blake, at the event.

Dan Cox, a Trump supporter from nearby Libertyville, came to show his support for the president (Richard Hall / The Independent ) (Richard Hall / The Independent)

To Mr Trumps critics, the visit was indicative of a strategy to provoke divisions and raise the spectre of chaos in American cities in order to secure re-election.

Mr Biden, speaking one day ahead of the presidents visit to Kenosha, called his opponent an incumbent president who makes things worse, not better. An incumbent president who sows chaos rather than providing order.

Those claims come amid a number of events of the past week that have stoked fears of civil unrest and violence across the country in the run-up to the election.

That was followed in quick succession by an incident in Portland, in which a man associated with a far-right group was fatally shot on Saturday amid clashes between pro-Trump groups and left-wing protesters.

As the crowds began to grow ahead of Mr Trumps arrival, 16-year-old Angelez Perez, who herself had taken part in the protests over the last few days, feared yet more violence.

I dont care what he has to say. Its not necessary, she says. Its going to make everything worse. Tonight is going to be bad ... There goes the other half of Kenosha.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 20:34 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4204911 1 National djoko-tjandra,bribery,money-laundering,AGO,Supreme-Court,pinangki-malasari Free

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has named prosecutor Pinangki Sirna Malasari a suspect of money laundering and bribery after she allegedly received money from graft convict Djoko Soegiarto Tjandra to help him secure a Supreme Court acquittal.

Investigation director for the AGO's junior attorney for special crimes, Febrie Adriansyah, said his team was currently tracing where the US$500,000 allegedly given to Pinangki had gone.

"We have searched two of her apartments," Febrie said on Tuesday.

The AGO also seized documents and Pinangki's luxury car during the search, he added.

According to the AGO, Djoko allegedly conspired with Pinangki to get the Supreme Court to acquit him and overturn the court's own decision from 2009 declaring him guilty for his involvement in the high-profile Bank Bali corruption case.

"We are still investigating to find out more about their relationship," AGO spokesman Hari Setiyono said last week.

Read also: House plans to revise AGO law

In June 2009, the Supreme Court sentenced Djoko to two years in prison and ordered him to pay Rp 546 billion ($37.26 million) in restitution, but he fled the country a day before his conviction and remained at large for more than a decade before finally being arrested in Malaysia and deported to Indonesia in late July this year.

Speaking separately on Friday, Supreme Court spokesperson Andi Samsan Nganro denied receiving a request for Djoko's acquittal from Pinangki.

"We have checked, but no request was made for an acquittal in relation to Djoko Tjandra's case," Andi said as quoted by kompas.com.

He further explained that prevailing regulations only allowed the Supreme Court to grant acquittals to institutions, not individuals.

Pinangki was arrested at her residence on Aug. 12. The AGO declared her guilty of an ethics violation for going on nine international trips to Singapore and Malaysia in 2019, reportedly to meet with Djoko, while he was still at large.

Both Djoko and Pinangki were charged under Article 5 of the Corruption Law, which carries a maximum punishment of five years imprisonment and a fine of Rp 250 million. (vny)
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty

President Donald Trump jumped to the defense Monday of the Midwestern teenager who has been charged with the murder of two protesters following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Were looking at all of it, Trump said during a press conference Monday when asked by a reporter if he would condemn the actions of vigilantes like Kyle Rittenhouse.

That was an interesting situation, Trump said. You saw the same tape as I saw and he was trying to get away from them, I guess, looks like. And he fell and then they very violently attacked him and it was something that were looking at right now, and its under investigation.

Trump went on to say, I guess he was in very big trouble, adding that he probably would have been killed but its under investigation.

The 17-year-old Rittenhouse has been charged with murder for allegedly killing two protesters, as The Daily Beast previously reported.

The incident last Tuesday came after protests broke out in Kenosha following the police shooting of Blake, a 29-year-old Black man. Widely circulated video showed Blake being shot repeatedly in the back by a law enforcement official after he walked away from police and went to enter a vehicle.

Trumps comments came just hours after Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden gave a stinging speech focusing on Trumps role in the unrest that has developed during his presidency.

This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country, Biden said. He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it.

In a statement following Trumps press conference, Biden kept up the attack.

Tonight, the President declined to rebuke violence, Biden said in the statement. He wouldnt even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it.

The back and forth between the two presidential contenders came after both political parties held their respective conventions. Democrats were clear about the threat they feel Trump poses to the nations Democratic principles, while Republicans painted a dystopian picture of what they tried to convince voters the country would look like if Trump loses.

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Trump also used Mondays news conference to defend a group of pro-Trump demonstrators who drove a caravan into downtown Portland over the weekend to counter anti-racism protesters there. Members of the caravan were caught on video spraying crowds with paintballs and pepper spray. One individual, who was identified by fellow members of the pro-Trump crowd as a friend of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, was fatally shot.

Asked about the alleged provocations the pro-Trump caravan had caused, Trump was equally dismissive.

That was a peaceful protest, he said. Paint is not bullets.

Growing tensions and the threat of political violence only became more apparent after Trump gave his renomination speech last Thursday at the White House. After the speech, a Trump ally allegedly punched a critic of the presidents in the head, The Daily Beast reported earlier Monday, while a video showing Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) being taunted by protesters as he left the White House circulated on social media. Another video showed New Hampshires national GOP committeeman being screamed at by a protester.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Kenosha Tuesday. When a reporter asked about the Wisconsin governor and Kenosha mayor preferring that the president not visit and the worry that it could further escalate the situation, Trump downplayed the concern.

Well, it could also increase enthusiasm, Trump said. And it could increase love and respect for our country.

With additional reporting from Sam Stein, Hanna Trudo, and Will Sommer

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Seoul, Sep 1 : Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong was indicted on Tuesday for his role in a controversial merger and alleged accounting frauds.

Prosecutors charged Lee, the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, with unfair trading, stock manipulation, breach of trust in relation to the 2015 merger between two Samsung affiliates seen as a key step toward his succession, and alleged accounting fraud at the pharmaceutical unit of Samsung Biologics, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Ten other former and incumbent Samsung executives were also indicted on similar charges.

The investigation team led by senior prosecutor Lee Bok-hyun said in a statement that they reached a conclusion that judicial judgment is necessary in the case, given "the clear-cut facts supported by evidence, the gravity of the case and the need to resolve the public's suspicions surrounding the case".

Prosecutors suspect that Lee was involved in a company-wide scheme to plan the merger of Cheil Industries Inc. and Samsung C&T and fraud in a way to take over control of the country's biggest conglomerate from his ailing father, Lee Kun-hee, who suffered a heart attack in 2014.

He is also suspected of being part of the alleged plan to inflate the value of Samsung Bioepis, a joint venture between Samsung Biologics, a subsidiary of Cheil Industries, and the US-based Biogen Inc.

Lee has consistently denied the allegations since the investigation started in November 2018.
The Management of the number one food joint in the Greater Accra Region, Papaye Fast Food Company Limited has inaugurated the Board of Directors of its ultramodern recreational village at Konkonuru at Aburi in the Eastern Region.

The edifice comprises of state of the art facilities such as playing ground, zoo, restrooms, pools, landscaping, outdoor auditorium, castle-like fence and gates, trees within their natural habitat, parking space, green serene environment, museum among others.

Members of the board are Dr Samir Kalmoni  Entrepreneur, Nana Otubuor Gyan Kwasi II  Eminent Chief, Mr Frank Appiah  Finance Expert, Mr Divine Asiedu  Administrator, Mr Kwabena Attafuah Ankomah Esq. - Lawyer, Mr Ransford Tetteh  Communications Expert, Alhaji Abubakari Tafayi  Business Luminary, Mr Kofi Osei  Land Economist and Ms Elizabeth Safoa-King  Human Resource Expert.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the Executive Chairman of Papaye Fast Foods Company Limited, Mr Samir Kalmoni said the facility is one of the ecotourism hubs that the company have constructed to enhance the tourism industry in the country and pointed out that the site and the environment will attract tourists in and around the world due to its natural beautification.

According to him, the company have plans of rolling out other projects to support the socio-economic development of the country and was quick to add that the private sector is the engine of growth of every country around the world.

In an address, the Managing Director of Papye Fast Food Company Limited, Mr Divine Kwadwo Asiedu said the facility is the finest tourism hub with an eco-friendly touch to suit visitors and tourists and in their bid to have a fill of realization in a serene environment.

The Managing Director describes the recreational village as the countrys newest tourism site with cutting edge facilities to match other tourism destination around the world saying it will create job for the youth in the community and the country at large.

I thank all the supporters of the facility especially the Ghana Tourism Authority for their immense support towards the establishment of the tourism site which constitutes one of the flagship projects of Papaye, he said.

For his part, the Chairman for the Occasion, Mr Frederick Adjei Rudolf urged board members to come up with innovative ideas and policies to enhance and sustain the facility in connection to global best practices and further added that the setting up of the board is a step in the right direction.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Akuapim South, Mr Frank Adu said the tourism site will be of great value to the community and will create jobs for the unemployed and congratulated the board members as well as charged them to bring to the table their knowledge and skills to add value to the facility.

The Eastern Regional Minister in a speech read on his behalf by Madam Juliet Asabea Obeng said government have put in place comprehensive measures to boost the tourism sector and commended Papaye for the project which is private sector driven.

He advises management and staff to observe the COVID-19 protocols in all their working endeavours saying it is part of the effort to fight the pandemic.

The Paramount Chief of Aburi Traditional Area, Nana Otubuor Gyan Kwasi II said the recreational facility will receive the cooperation of the Chiefs and people of Aburi and thank Papaye for the set up of the recreational village in the community.
Symbio Names Mika Muukkonen Managing Director "Symbio continues to deliver impressive year-over-year growth, even in 2020 with the Covid-related challenges, said Muukkonen. We are agile, globally distributed and fully committed to our client success.

Symbio, the award-winning software development subsidiary of VXI Global Solutions, today promotes Mika Muukkonen to the newly created role of Managing Director for Symbios U.S. and Europe business units.

Mika Muukkonen will oversee the business and development operations for Symbios U.S. and European business units as the company continues to expand its offerings in CX and customer-centric software development, quality assurance, edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT).

Symbio powers much of VXIs customer-care technology. It additionally delivers custom software solutions to the worlds leading brands. Globally, the company employees 2,100 developers with staff in North America, Europe and China. Founded more than two decades ago, it was acquired by VXI in 2015.

Symbio positions VXI Global Solutions as customer-care leader while it delivers exceptional solutions to enterprise companies around the world, said VXI Co-CEO David Zhou. Mika is an inspiring technology evangelist, astute business manager and strong team leader. He has a long track record of success at Symbio and he will drive growth and innovation.

"Symbio continues to deliver impressive year-over-year growth, even in 2020 with the Covid-related challenges, said Muukkonen. We are agile, globally distributed and fully committed to our client success.

Prior, Mika Muukkonen led Symbios Global/U.S. Business Unit from Symbios offices in Chengdu, China. As managing director, he will return to his native Finland to oversee operations from Symbios European headquarters in Helsinki. Prior to joining Symbio in 2012, Muukkonen was general manager of Cybercom Group running China operations. He possesses a deep technical background in systems architecture, embedded systems and software development.

About VXI Global Solutions:

VXI is a customer experience company, passionate about designing solutions that augment its clients' business processes to deliver higher revenue, greater profitability and happier customers. Founded in 1998, the company has 34,000 employees across 42 locations in North and Latin America, Caribbean, Europe and Asia Pacific. VXI offers omni-channel customer care and growth services using technology and tools, including purpose-built productivity-enhancing applications that drive higher sales conversion, CSAT, and related key metrics for its clients. Known for its transformation mindset, the company's IT arm, Symbio, offers digital and business transformation solutions that are seeded in its innovation philosophy of co-creation and seamless augmentation. http://www.vxi.com

About Symbio

Symbio is an international co-creation technology partner that helps its customers create high quality products and future innovations. By combining cutting-edge technological know-how, advanced global delivery networks and customized solutions, Symbio enables high-quality software product development quickly, cost-effectively and innovatively. Symbios customers include Alibaba, BNP Paribas, MGM, HSBC, ABB, Sony and Volvo. Symbio has eight development centers and offices across the U.S., Europe and Asia. http://www.symbio.com


The 624-page book David Copperfield, published in the 1850s and lauded by many as Charles Dickenss finest masterpiece, is now being retold through a comic, contemporary, and colorblind lens by the genius writer and director of Veep, Scottish filmmaker and director Armando Iannucci, in the new film The Personal History of David Copperfield.

The movie takes viewers on a journey from the main characters loving childhood to his life with an abusive stepfather, his time working in a bottle factory, and his eventually becoming a famous writer in Victorian England. Starring Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire fame (who, after receiving a call from his agent, thought it was about the namesake magician), the film is not your typical period piece.

For production designer Cristina Casali, the biggest challenge in creating the backdrop was selecting the various English locations, from the Dover seaside and the Canterbury countryside to Londons period streetscapes. Keeping in mind the filmmakers desire for fresh looks that reflect the multicultural times of the present, Casali notes, We knew right from the start we wanted it to be a truer picture of the 1850s, which was slightly early in the Victorian era. As a result, the designer looked to the lighter, more colorful interiors of the Georgian period that preceded it, which was a perfect antidote to the often subdued and somber looks of Victorian England. Casali referenced the vast research files at Londons Victoria and Albert Museum for inspiration and research. Looking at interior books of that time, it was terrific how they were putting colors together. It was almost psychedelic!

hoto: Dean Rogers / 2020 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

The film opens with Copperfield as an accomplished writer, reading his book to an audience at the Theatre Royal in Suffolks Bury St. Edmunds. The scene was filmed at the actual location, notable as one of the last remaining Regency-style theaters in Britain. Casali used her background in theater, and says, We looked for the most up-to-date techniques at the time of its writing. We experimented with this technique called Peppers Ghost, which was new in Victorian theater and enables you to see a hologram. To achieve this illusion, the image is reflected off a sheet of plexiglass. Patel would start writing and imagine his characters talking to him, and we would film that for real. It is almost like smoke and mirrors, she says. Built in 1819 by architect William Wilkins, Theatre Royal was one of Dickenss old haunts, though it has since been updated with modern seating, which was replaced with benches for the shoot. The filmmakers also featured the ivy-covered exterior of the Angel Hotel in Bury St. Edmunds, where Dickens first stayed in 1835 and which became popular thanks to his first novel, The Pickwick Papers.

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Photos: Dean Rogers / 2020 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

The beach home of Copperfields beloved nanny and housekeeper, Peggotty (Daisy May Cooper), takes whimsy to a new level. As one of the films more unusual sets, a capsized upside-down wooden boat hull doubles as a cozy, welcoming house, complete with a giant hand in the ceiling that crashes through the roof to mix things up. We made the interior at Londons Ealing Studios and shipped the exterior to a beach in Norfolk, Casali says. I loved it; dressing it felt like being in a dolls house. A dank, dark, and depressing bottling factory in London where Copperfield worked as a young adult provides a stark contrast and was shot at a hydraulic power station.

Photo: Dean Rogers / 2020 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

The filmmakers found a number of period-perfect locations in the city of Kingston-upon-Hull, from the cobblestone Bowlalley Lane to the narrow street known as the Land of Green Ginger in Old Town, to the Maister House, which viewers might recognize from the PBS series Victoria.

Photo: Dean Rogers / 2020 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

Working on a tight budget, set decorator Charlotte Dirickx shopped antique stores and prop houses for the varied sets. She caught a break with the home of Copperfields love interest Dora Spenlow (Morfydd Clark), as the striking Regency-style townhouse belonged to an antiques dealer and his partner, who collected ancient instruments. With its blue-and-white palette, black-and-white silhouettes, and fruitwood antiques, it was instantly ready for its close-up.

Photo: Dean Rogers / 2020 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

One of the more idyllic sets is the country estate of his wealthy Aunt Betsey Trotwood (played by Tilda Swinton) and her eccentric lodger Mr. Dick (Hugh Laurie) where David finds sanctuary and the occasional donkey trespassing on the grounds. Located in Dover, the set was decorated at the private home of Bedmond House. The wallpaper was a beautiful absinthe color that was hand blocked from an original Georgian patent and came from New York, notes Casali. I also collaborated with costume designer Suzy Harman. Once she saw the wallpaper, she said it was beautiful with Tildas facial color and that pushed me into choosing a lot more color.

Designing the world of these characters was about much more than just lavish period sets. The more I read about the characters, says the designer, I realize they are quite complex and have massive backstories to tell in an hour-and-20-minute film. Its fast moving, and in trying to encompass each character, I found the design draws out a lot of their personality instead of just setting a scene.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
(Natural News) Though the fact-checkers are already decrying it as fake news, evidence continues to pour in showing that vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris, who is not actually black, is directly descended from one of the most notorious slave owners in Jamaican history.

Hamilton Brown, a relative of Kamala, owned so many slaves in Jamaica that there is actually a town there known as Brown Town that was named directly after him. Snopes says this is false, of course, but the proof is there for those who care about facts over politics.

Brown is on record as having recruited large numbers of Irish migrants to come to Jamaica to work on his massive sugar plantations after the British empire abolished slavery. And Kamalas own father, Donald J. Harris, admitted in a piece for Jamaica Global Online entitled, Reflections of a Jamaican Father, that his family was very involved in the Jamaican slave trade.

My roots go back, within my lifetime, to my paternal grandmother Miss Chrishy (nee Christina Brown, descendant of Hamilton Brown who is on record as plantation and slave owner and founder of Browns Town) and to my maternal grandmother Miss Iris (nee Iris Finegan, farmer and educator, from Aenon Town and Inverness, ancestry unknown to me), Harris wrote.

In other words, Kamala Harris and her family directly benefited from the labor wrought to them by slaves, meaning Kamala herself is a product of systemic racism. This directly counters the myth being spread by the mainstream media that Kamala is somehow a victim of the slave trade simply because her skin is kind of brown.

Kamala Harris is directly descended from one of the largest slaveowners in Jamaica, Hamilton Brown  there is even a town named after him, Brown Town, tweeted conservative commentator and fellow Indian-American Dinesh DSouza. So doesnt it follow shes a beneficiary, not a victim, of slavery?

Hamilton Brown publicly swore that he owned slaves in Jamaica

Harris, further revealing his familys history, explains that as he grew up and got to know Miss Iris, he discovered that the entire sugar industry was built upon free wage-labour, representing a system of global production and commerce, based on slave labour, with Jamaica as a key component of that system from its very start.

Between the years of 1817 and 1845, Brown owned several large sugar plantations that were worked by more than 100 slaves, none of whom were compensated for their labor. One register shows 124 slaves in total, with another 86 slaves not assigned to any specific estate. All in all, there were likely several hundred slaves who worked on Browns plantations throughout their existence.

It is also important to note that Brown himself admitted to owning slaves  though were he alive today to make this admission in person, Big Tech and Snopes would more than likely accuse him of spreading misinformation and false facts about himself.

I Hamilton Brown do swear that the above list and return consisting of two sheets is a true perfect and complete list and return, to the best of my knowledge and belief in every particular therein mentioned of all and every slaves possessed by me as owner, considered as most permanently settled, worked and employed in the Parish of Saint Ann on the twenty Eight day of June One thousand Eight Hundred and Seventeen without fraud, deceit or evasion So help me God, Brown wrote.

Hamilton Brown was also an attorney just like Kamala Harris

Londons Global University, formerly known as University College London, also holds records showing that Hamilton Brown was instrumental in the importing of several hundred labourers and their families from Ireland to Jamaica between 1835 and 1840.

These official records further indicate that Brown was a major attorney, just like Kamala, and resident slave-owner in Jamaica. These facts, it turns out, are not refuted by Snopes, which has categorized them as true.

In other words, Kamalas ancestors went to Jamaica specifically to set up large sugar plantations, which they then ran using unpaid slave labor. And in the process, Kamalas ancestors, and later Kamala herself, acquired gobs of wealth on the backs of these slaves, proving that she is a beneficiary of systemic racism.

Since the trend among todays leftists, many of whom are planning to pull the lever for Kamala this November, is to tear down all statues and relics of historical figures who owned slaves or even just existed during a time when slavery was accepted as normal, one wonders how this news about Kamala will impact the lefts opinions of Kamala.

[This] matters because people who support Kamala and her party are the very same people tearing down historical places over slavery and demanding reparations, wrote one Great Game India commenter.

Kamala Harris personal record on punishing black criminals is very tough. She literally is accused of keeping black people in prison longer than necessary to provide labor for the state.

For more related news about the deception of Kamala Harris, be sure to check out Deception.news.

Sources for this article include:

GreatGameIndia.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Primitive continents as old as Earth may be lurking beneath the surface. Formed just shortly after the Big Bang, these continents stood the test of time and survived cataclysmic impacts such as the collision that created the Moon billions of years ago.

Researchers from the University of California at Davis and the University of California at Berkeley examined volcanic rocks samples that cooled on the surface following an eruption.

They found primitive signatures that trace these rocks to two solid continent-sized regions of rocks located in the boundary between Earths mantle and outer core. Analysis showed that these rocky regions are about 4.5 billion years old  around the currently accepted estimated age of Earth.

The findings of the study are published in the journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems.

Underground continents as old as Earth

Scientists have known about these underground blobs of hot, compressed rock for decades. Past imaging studies showed that they exist near the core-mantle boundary. One of the solid rocky bodies is under Africa while the other is under the Pacific Ocean.

Seismic waves move differently through these gigantic masses of rock. When an earthquake hits, seismic waves travel through the rest of the mantle uniformly but hit major speed bumps upon rumbling through the two rocky bodies. This allowed scientists to discover the two structures and know that they have distinct physical properties.

However, its still unclear whether seismic waves moved differently through the core-mantle boundary because of differences in temperature, mineral composition or density, or some combination of these properties. But by determining how these structures emerged, scientists could glean more details about their composition and characteristics.

To do this, the researchers looked at an existing database of rock samples with higher concentrations of primitive material and traced those samples back to their origins. These rock samples came from Hawaii, Iceland, the Balleny Islands in Antarctica and other regions where magma from Earths core bubbles up all the way to the surface. They break through the crust as lava and cool into igneous rocks.

The team looked for ancient isotopes, or versions of atoms, such as helium-3. These isotopes are said to have formed during the Big Bang, forged as oxygen stripped chemicals from rocks located near the crust.

Using these data, they were able to build a model that could account for unique variations in how rocks rise to the surface of Earth. Past models assumed that plumes rise vertically from deep within the mantle to Earths surface. But plumes can also move off-course, deflected from a vertical path. The studys model accounted for this plume deflection and allowed the researchers to trace the samples back to the two giant masses.

Its a more robust framework to try and answer these questions in terms of not making these assumptions of vertically rising material but rather to take into account how much deflection these plumes have seen, said co-author Curtis Williams.

According to the researchers, some of the rock samples had more helium-3 than usual. Further analysis showed that the two distinct regions may have formed from an ancient magma ocean that solidified during the beginning of Earths formation. Previous research theorized that they came from oceanic plates that moved beneath denser tectonic plates.

Furthermore, these primitive rocky bodies are found to be about 4.5 billion years old. This suggested that they survived the meteorite impact that created the Moon. (Related: How old is life on Earth? Fossilized fungi could offer clues, say researchers.)

These findings could help geologists determine the composition of giant rock masses near the core-mantle boundary. In turn, findings from future research could paint a better picture of the processes that shaped the modern-day mantle.

Learn more about ancient Earth at Artifacts.news.

Sources include:

LiveScience.com

Blogs.AGU.org
A Yoruba actor, Olusegun Akinremi aka Chief Kanran, has sought financial assistance to enable him secure accommodation after he lost his former abode to a fire incident in 2017.

The actor, who celebrated his 50th year in acting in 2015, revealed this in an interview with a popular radio talk show host, Kola Olootu of Lagelu FM 96.7, over the weekend.

In the interview, which was conducted in Yoruba language, the talented actor narrated how his fortunes changed after his house and film equipment were razed in a fire incident. He also narrated how he lost his wife to cancer and other issues.

He said, "Seven years ago, things became bad for me but not as a result of an illness. My house got burnt three years ago and my wife and children deserted me.

The studio which I owned also got razed by fire and I have been sleeping in church for over one year. I have no money to rent an apartment and feeding has been difficult. All of my four cars went with the disaster, some were sold, one got knocked, another got burnt".

He also shared his account number during the interview which was broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube.

Background

Kanran, who is famous for playing a wealthy man in movies, also explained how his colleague, Iya Rainbow's late husband, Ayanfemi Phillips, was his pathway to fame in the movie industry

He said he started theatre from childhood at a time when dramas were staged during Easter and Christmas. He enrolled at the Centre for Cultural Studies (now Creative Arts Department), University of Lagos, in (1974/75.) before he proceeded to the Obafemi Awo OAU, where he bagged a diploma in directing, acting and film production.

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After that, he hosted a television programme on MTV in Lagos, then ventured into film making full time.

During the interview, the actor who said he is a staunch member of Cherubim and Seraphim, revealed that he wears his own outfits in his movies.

He said he does not accept clothes and costumes because they were mostly borrowed from dry cleaners back in the day.

A cross-over actor, he starred in the now rested TV soap, 'Megafortune', playing the role of General Philips in 13 episodes.

Before then, he appeared in some episodes of 'Mirror In the Sun' and it marked the beginning of his transition from stage to the screen.

Check out the full interview below
OMAHA, NE / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Approaching its fifth anniversary, North End Teleservices, LLC, an omnichannel global provider of outsourced contact center services to government and commercial sectors, has recently been named to Inc. 5000's list of fastest-growing, privately held U.S. companies.

The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment - independent, small businesses. Comprised of the country's top 5,000 private companies, the ranked list boasts businesses with the most proven track records. North End Teleservices is the third highest-ranking Nebraskan company featured on this year's list.

"North End Teleservices exists to create jobs and change lives. Making the Inc. 5000 list is proof that our mission is not only working but producing significant gains in our market and industry," said Carmen Tapio, CEO. "We believe that positively impacting the economy and our community can co-exist with service excellence and compete on that basis. We have created a new standard in contact center business process outsourcing and partner with clients to enhance customer experience while enabling our team members to thrive at work and home."

"Nebraska Book Company is proud to be one of the first partners of North End Teleservices. For the past five years, they have gone above and beyond, providing service excellence to our customers," said Jennifer Goetsch, Vice President of Customer Success and Marketing at Nebraska Book Company. "We continue to support their mission as well as the work they do in the community to provide job opportunities and a path for team members to succeed."

All companies ranked on this year's list have achieved significant three-year average revenue growth rates of more than 500%, despite operating within an environment of economic loss and navigating the challenges of a global pandemic. North End Teleservices reported a three-year growth rate of 694%. The aggregate revenue reported by the companies listed totaled $209 billion in 2019, accounting for more than 1 million jobs throughout the past three years.

"I am in awe of what our team has accomplished in these past five years," said Chris Phillips, Sr. Director, Business Operations. "Supporting our client's unique needs, navigating the current environment, complying with the regulations and nuances required to fulfill each of our state and federal agency contracts, in addition to maintaining growth has been no small feat. This recognition allows us to celebrate and reflect on the incredible work we've accomplished as we look towards the next three years."

"North End Teleservices has a sense of what is right, and Carmen Tapio leads her team with integrity, constantly striving for excellence. We are proud of North End's well-deserved addition to the Inc. 5000 and look forward to their continued positive impact in our region, and our world. It is with deep gratitude and admiration we say, 'Congratulations, North End,'" said David G. Brown, president and CEO, Greater Omaha Chamber.

From its inception, the company has trained and promoted hundreds of employees, received numerous awards for business and culture, and won noteworthy contracts with state, federal government entities, Fortune 150 companies, hospital systems, financial institutions, school districts and beyond.



Company CEO Carmen Tapio (center), alongside Omaha and Nebraska leaders, cut the ribbon to officially open North End Teleservices in 2015.

"North End is all about people," said Keisha Thomas, Human Resources Project Manager and the first employee hired at North End alongside Chris Phillips in 2015. "By providing pathways to a career and allowing people to work where they live, North End has been able to positively impact our community to the tune of $261,709 of economic impact per job. Everything we do is to support every member of the NET family."

About North End Teleservices

North End Teleservices, LLC is an omnichannel global provider of outsourced contact center services to government and commercial sectors. The company is committed to creating jobs and changing lives. North End is a certified woman-owned, minority-owned, HubZone business that serves as an extension of its clients' brands and service delivery model. Working with small and large B2B, B2C, and government agencies, North End customizes contact center operations to meet every client's specific needs.

###

CONTACT:

Ashley Rae Turner, Marketing and Communications Specialist

North End Teleservices / 1500 N 24th St, Omaha, Nebraska 68110

(402) 502-5680

aturner@northendteleservices.com

SOURCE: North End Teleservices, LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604268/North-End-Teleservices-Makes-Inc-5000-List-of-Fastest-Growing-Private-US-Companies
New Zealand's Opposition Leader Judith Collins has slapped down calls for the Christchurch mosque terrorist to be sent back to Australia, warning a flood of criminals in Australian jails could be sent the other way.

In an interview with The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on New Zealand's foreign policy, the looming October 17 election and the global coronavirus pandemic, Collins also defended her country's close economic and trade relationship with China.

National Party leader Judith Collins. Credit:Getty Images

The newly-minted Opposition Leader, who started in the job on July 14 and faces a tough fight to beat the popular Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, said she "doubted very much" that an Australia-New Zealand travel bubble would be able to start in 2020.

And she criticised Ardern for seeking to publicly embarrass Scott Morrison on home soil when she took him to task for Australia deporting convicted criminals back to New Zealand during a joint press conference back in February.
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is getting heat over a solo hair salon visit in San Francisco at a time when California businesses are limited by concern over coronavirus.

But Pelosis spokesman said she was complying with the rules as presented to her by eSalon.

This business offered for the Speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business, said spokesman Drew Hammill in a statement. The Speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment.

Footage aired by Fox News Channel shows Pelosi, her mask around her neck rather than on her face, walking through the establishment. A stylist follows her, wearing a mask.

The salon owner said she rents chairs to stylists, one of whom let her know in advance that Pelosi wanted a wash and a blow dry. California guidelines on salons vary by county, but San Francisco officials have not yet permitted indoor salons to open. The owner said she considered the service a slap in the face to business owners who have been forced to close.

Conservatives pounced, casting Pelosi as a hypocrite.

Speaker Pelosi has pushed policies that would keep our economy closed and our small businesses shut down. But for herself? Senate Republicans tweeted. A salon visit whenever she pleases.

Pelosi says Republicans could help create the conditions to safely reopen if they would only listen to the scientists.

Republicans are rejecting the funding needed for testing and tracing to crush the virus and safely reopen schools and the economy, she wrote in a letter Friday to her Democratic colleagues.

___

This story was first published on September 1, 2020. It was updated on September 2, 2020 to correct that California guidelines on salons vary by county and San Francisco officials have not yet permitted indoor salons to reopen.
Dear Mr. Mark Zuckerberg,

Greetings from India

At a time when we are all collectively battling a global pandemic, let me share my best wishes for you and your family members well-being.

I am writing this letter to raise serious concerns, some of which we have also raised in the past with senior officials of Facebook.

I have often heard you and your senior management talk about the general benefits of connectivity, and more specifically in the context of your products to the global community. Facebooks stated mission is to give people the power to build communities and bring the world closer. The global scale achieved by the products of the Facebook group make it one of the prime movers in this goal of achieving connected communities across the world.

However, what we have seen in the last few months goes contrary to achieving the stated goals of Facebook.

I have been informed that in the run up to 2019 General Elections in India, there was a concerted effort by Facebook India management to not just delete pages or sub stantally reduce their reach but also offer no recourse or right of appeal to affected people who are supportive of the right-of-centre ideology. I am also aware that dozens of emails written to Facebook management received no response. The above documented cases of bias and inaction are seemingly a direct outcome of the dominant political beliefs of individuals in your Facebook India team.

As a transnational digital platform, Facebook must not only be fair and neutral, but also visibly seen to be so, to users of diverse beliefs and ideologies Individuals working in any organisation may have their individual likes or dislikes, but that must not have any bearing on the public policies and performance of the organisation. It seems from credible media reports that Facebook India team, right from the India Managing Director to other senior officials, is dominated by people who belong to a particular political belief. People from this political predisposition have been overwhelmingly defeated by the people of in successive free and fair elections. After having lost all democratic legitimacy, they are trying to discredit Indias democratic process by dominating the decision-making apparatus of important social media platforms. Facebook is the latest tool in their arsenal to stroke internal divisions and social disturbances.

It is problematic when Facebook employees are on record abusing the Prime Minister and senior Cabinet Ministers of India while still working in Facebook India and managing important positions. It is doubly problematic when the bias of individuals becomes an inherent bias of the platform. And it is unacceptable when political biases of individuals impinge on the freedom of speech of millions of people.

However, looking at recent media reports, it seems that these deeply entrenched vested interests arent satisfied with the shrinking space for one side of the spectrum in India and want to throttle it completely. The spate of recent anonymous, source-based re ports is nothing but an internal power struggle within your company for an ideological hegemony.

No other logic can explain how facts are being spun by the selective leaks from within your company to try to portray an alternate reality. This interference in Indias political process through gossip, whispers and innuendo is condemnable. This collusion of a group of Facebook employees with international media is giving a free run to malevolent vested interests to cast aspersions on the democratic process of our great democracy.

I would like to point out that there have also been multiple instances recently where Facebook has been used by anarchic & radical elements whose sole aim is to destroy social order, to recruit people and to assemble them for violence. However, we are yet to see any meaningful action against such elements. Is this action also held back by the same vested interest groups who have incentive in stoking political violence and instability in India?

A major issue with Facebook is the outsourcing of fact-checking to third party fact- checkers. How can Facebook absolve itself of its responsibility to protect users from misin. formation and instead out-source this to shady organizations with no credibility. We have seen in india that right from the assessors for on-boarding fact-checkers to the fact checkers themselves, harbour publicly expressed political biases Regularly vigilant volun teers on social media have to fact-check the fact-checkers! Even after on-boarding so many fact-checkers, lot of misinformation related to COVID-19 and its aftermath went un checked. How can an organisation like Facebook be oblivious to these realities?

A transnational digital platform with a wide user base cannot remain immune to local sensitivities either. A certain act which may be acceptable as per social norms in a par secular country but many not be conducive to the social norms of another country. Face book Community Guidelines must acknowledge this aspect of diversity and respect it To respect the social, religious, cultural and linguistic diversity of India, Facebook should put in place country specific Community Guidelines.

Facebook has been a novel experiment in democratizing the expression of people and giving a platform to millions of ordinary citizens to freely express their views, connect, build communities, associate and communicate. I hope that you are cognizant that this experiment should not be allowed to be hijacked by a vested lobby that abhors free speech and tries to enforce one world view and rejects diversity.

I wish you and your family the best of health

hearer wish

Yours truly

Ravi Shankar Prasad
PHILIPSBURG:--- Following last weeks media reports that the Point Blanche Prison Inmates Association expressed its concerns about the health conditions at the institution, United St. Maarten Party (USP) Members of Parliament (MPs) Akeem Arrindell and Claudius Toontje Buncamper sent a letter to Justice Minister Anna Richardson on Monday, requesting clarification on the concerns brought forward by the Inmates Association.

The association, represented by Sjamara Roseburg sounded, what is being referred to as an even louder alarm urging the powers-that-be to get serious about restructuring the prison system or risk facing a situation they will not be able to control.

The MPs questioned the minister on the concerns expressed by the association, in regards to the prisons present capacity, which currently stands at two persons short of the limit, which does not allow for proper quarantining, should the need arise. The guards abilities to properly and effectively execute their duties in the current environment was another concern vented by the inmates through their association. The rehabilitation program which has been stopped after Hurricane Irma in September 2017 and the lack of proper dental, medical and mental care, public telephones, recreational and educational activities, regular pest controls, a proper gymnasium and recreational area, was cited among the worries of the inmates.

If the concerns raised by the representative of the inmates of the prison are legitimate, we are heading down a slippery slope which requires immediate attention MP Buncamper noted in his letter to the justice minister. While the MP conveyed his understanding of the critical financial situation of the country, he reminded the minister of the humanitarian aspect which cannot be lost out of sight as these people are in the care of the state and thus need to be properly protected.

Seeing the spike in positive COVID-19 cases being experienced on the island and the fact that there have been prison guards and personnel possibly infected and some tested positive for the virus, the MPs questioned the minister on the current measures in place to avert the Corona Virus reaching into the prison and spreading among the inmates. They also questioned if there are any plans to start testing the inmates at the prison, and enquired what procedures are in place should an inmate be tested positive with the virus.

Inmates must be assured that their basic human rights are not being trampled upon, and in this regard, the MPs queried the validity of the inmates statements regarding the lack of proper dental, medical and mental care, and what is being done to rectify the situation. The MPs requested an overview of the plans in place, or to be put in place, to ensure that the rights of the inmates, which include visitations or phone calls, having the recreational and educational program in place, a clean and safe environment, and the provision of rehabilitation programs, are not being violated.
Meat Industry Ireland (MII) has warned that putting sensitive market information in the public arena could undermine farmer prices

Meat Industry Ireland (MII) and SIPTU have agreed on the importance of 24 hour turnaround testing as part of efforts to protect factory workers.

In a statement, MII said it met with SIPTU this afternoon to discuss a proposed a detailed Code of Practice to protect workers as part of a follow up to a meeting held earlier this month.

The group says the proposal adds to the existing health protocols and Covid-19 preventative measures that have helped reduce the number of clusters in meat plants from twenty-two in May to four currently.

MII Senior Director Cormac Healy said: MII and SIPTU are in agreement on the importance of ensuring measures are in place to protect workers from Covid-19 and continuity of business which also protects workers livelihoods.

"The national screening programme has now commenced and it is essential that turnaround of test results are delivered within 24 hours.

"We discussed a Code of Practice for the primary meat processing sector in the context of addressing the ongoing challenge of this global pandemic. We will progress this Code of Practice further with an aim to finalising it at our next meeting.

It comes after Mr Healy told the Special Oireachatas Committee on Covid-19 earlier this month that a delay in results impacts production and that could in turn impact meat prices.

He said there are proposals to do serial testing in meat plants and that was public health guidance. "We will work to that," he said, but that it should be underpinned by fast results.
COVID-19 has brought death to a fifth long-term care facility in the Fredericksburg region.

Two residents at Woodmont Healthcare Center in Stafford County have died from the virus, according to Dr. Richard Feifer, chief medical officer.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by COVID-19 during this difficult time, especially the families of the two residents that passed away, he wrote in an email.

As of Tuesday evening, 13 residents and seven staff members at Woodmont had tested positive. The virus outbreak was reported to the Virginia Department of Health on Aug. 22, but didnt show up on the state website until four days later. Likewise, Tuesdays tally did not include either death or an updated case count; it showed only seven people at Woodmont with the virus.

During the pandemic, Woodmont has followed guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servicesand in many cases, have gotten out in front of public health guidelines, adopting even more stringent infection precautions than were recommended at the time, Feifer said.
Ghost town Britain HAS to get back to work.

So said Carolyn Fairbairn, the director general of the CBI, writing in the Daily Mail.

The boss of Britains leading business group urged the government to build the right environment to get people back into offices and workplaces. This, she said, was every bit as important as getting children back to school, something ministers are gingerly going to be doing over the next week or two.
OTTAWAThe federal Liberal government is facing increasingly frustrated and worried calls to help people leave Hong Kong for Canada as China continues to crack down on pro-democracy activists in the former British colony.

The exasperation follows Ottawas suspension of an extradition treaty with Hong Kong in early July after Beijing passed a national security law for the territory.

Critics say the law is being used to crack down on democracy in Hong Kong and put it more firmly under the communist regimes heel, and violates Beijings promise to maintain a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong after China took it over from Britain in 1997.

In early July, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself announced the treaty suspension along with a ban on the export of military goods before asserting that the federal government was looking at a variety of additional responses, including on immigration.

The hope for activists, human-rights groups and others at the time was that the measures were the first in a series of actions aimed at supporting the people of Hong Kong, particularly those trying to fight Chinas increasing control of the territory.

They suspended the extradition agreement between Hong Kong and Canada, which was a great step and I thought signalled a really positive direction for where we were going to be moving forward, said Ai-Men Lau of Alliance Canada Hong Kong.

Almost two months later, however, neither Trudeau nor his government has made any new pronouncements on Hong Kong despite Chinese authorities having conducted several waves of arrests as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy activists and media.

That stands in contrast to Britain and Australia, both of which have announced some measures to make it easier for people to leave Hong Kong and make new lives in those two countries.

As the prime minister said, we will continue to support the many connections between Canada and Hong Kong while also standing up for its people, said Mathieu Genest, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino.

Canada is exploring measures beyond those announced  including exploring immigration options  and we will have more to say in due course.

Lau and others say they have been hearing the same message from the government for weeks even as Beijing has treated pro-democracy activists and others who have criticized the Chinese governments actions in Hong Kong increasingly harshly.

That includes the arrests of 12 people over the weekend after the boat they were travelling on from Hong Kong to Taiwan was intercepted by the Chinese coast guard and the arrest of media tycoon and free-speech advocate Jimmy Lai earlier this month.

It is getting really dire in Hong Kong, Lau said. This government needs to act now, and weve been saying that for months. I just dont understand why theres such a delay on it.

The concern is that as the federal government hesitates, Chinese authorities will make the already difficult task of leaving Hong Kong even harder, particularly for those who have spoken out against Beijing.

The biggest challenge that refugees from Hong Kong are increasingly going to face is: how do you get out? said Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International Canada, which is among those asking Ottawa to do more.

The prospect of fleeing across the border is not an option. Obviously fleeing across the border is fleeing into the mouth of the dragon. That is not an option here.

Among the recommendations that have been made to the government is making it easier for Canadians to bring family members here from Hong Kong, measures to attract students and skilled workers who want to leave, and opening the doors to asylum-seekers.

Every single immigration stream that we have, we could do something, said NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan, whose family immigrated from Hong Kong when she was nine years old.

And Ive been saying to the government: Do anything. But so far they have done nothing, and that is such a shame. Its just so astounding that the Trudeau government has chosen not to provide that lifeboat to the people of Hong Kong.

Read more about:
P rince Williams former private secretary today said he was honoured after being confirmed as the UKs top civil servant.

Simon Case was appointed Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service as part of a shake-up by Boris Johnson and his most senior adviser Dominic Cummings.

He served as the Duke of Cambridges right-hand man for nearly two years before temporarily moving to Number 10 earlier this year to help with the coronavirus response.

The Prime Minister said: Simon will make a fantastic Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service. His years of experience at the heart of government and working for The Royal Household make him ideally suited for this crucial role.

Mr Case, who was made permanent secretary at 10 Downing Street earlier this year, said: It is an honour to be appointed. Over these few months of working on the Covid response, I have seen how much hard work is being done by the Civil Service to support the government and our country through unprecedented times.

"It is a privilege to come into this role to lead a service that is working day in, day out to deliver for people right across the country.

His appointment comes after Sir Mark Sedwill announced he would step down from the post amid reports of tension with members of the Prime Ministers team.

Former cabinet secretary Lord Gus ODonnell said Mr Case needed to "restore trust" in Government.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: It is a surprise to have someone so young but I congratulate him and he has a lot of experience inside Number 10, hes had lots of different jobs so Im sure he will grow into the role and I think the challenge for him is to restore trust in Government and restore the Civil Services trust - thats what hes got to get.

Mr Case will take up his new post on September 9.
The Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Stephen Asamoah Boateng, says he would not hesitate to terminate the Teshie Desalination Project contract if he had his way.

The plant, which was shut down about a year ago over some technical and operational challenges, resumed operation on March 18, 2020.

According to Mr Asamoah Boateng, it does not make sense that with the abundance of fresh water bodies in the country, the best way to provide potable water was to desalinate seawater.

Speaking on the topic Making State Enterprises Profitable and Resilient on GTV, Mr Asamoah Boateng said had it not been for contractual obligations, he would have terminated it altogether.

Why would you want to desalinate seawater when you have clean water bodies like the Volta that has been dammed at Akosombo, and you can even supply to Togo if you are serious. It is terrible, if I had my way, I'll cancel it, he said.

Further justifying why he thought the deal was a bad one, the SIGA boss said, The deal was set up in a way to milk the system. Why would you want to change seawater and it's not like we are in a desert. I can understand Libya or Israel will go in for such a deal, but we have a lot of water bodies in Ghana so you cannot develop that? And to make it worse, the deal was backed by Government Sovereign Guarantee.

Mr. Asamoah Boateng went ahead to highlight some other deals undertaken by the previous administration, which he said ought to be terminated.

He said such deals bequeathed state entities with legacy debts as the government did not consult the managers of the institutions before they secured funds to undertake those projects.

Why would you, for instance, contract a loan of $275 million to develop Terminal 3 when it could have even built a brand new airport? So you go and contract and commit the state entity without talking to them, and then you give them legacy debt, then you tell them to turn things around.

The policy direction must be correct and this why President Akufo-Addo has said you cannot go and do anything without talking to the central body that oversees the institution's activities.

The SIGA head questioned whether the Mahama government understood good corporate governance practices.

He, however, commended some Chief Executive Officers of the various state-owned businesses for how they have handled state institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I want to commend the CEOs because they have realized, especially in the COVID-19 era that you have to cut down on the wastage to prune down your expenditure. Background

In October 2017, checks by Citi News revealed that Ghana Water Company Limited was losing GHS 6 million monthly by operating the Teshie-Nungua Water Desalination Plant.

The checks at the time indicated that GWCL made payments of GHS 8 million a month to the financiers of the project, although it was making only GHS 2 million by supplying treated water from the plant.

The plant has the capacity to desalinate 13 million gallons of seawater a day.

More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture.

In this case, however, saltwater is desalinated to produce water suitable for human consumption. One by-product of desalination is salt.

In April 2015, the Plant was commissioned by former President John Mahama to process seawater into potable water for consumers in Teshie Nungua and surrounding areas.

It is estimated that it serves 500,000 people with an estimated 13 million gallons or 60,000 cubic meters of water.

The Teshie Desalination Plant Agreement was specifically signed between the GWCL and Befessa on a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis in February 2011.

GWCL asks Teshie Desalination plant to operate at full capacity

In March this year, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) asked the operators of the plant to as a matter of urgency, operate at full capacity. Currently, the plant produces an average of 40,000 cubic metres of water daily instead of the overall capacity of 60,000 cubic metres a day.

According to the Ghana Water, contrary to the assertion that it shut down the plant because the facility was making losses; it was rather the operators of the facility that requested a shutdown to allow them to carry out maintenance works on the plant.

---citinewsroom
The article said India and Vietnam recently held the 17th meeting of their bilateral Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation which was co-chaired by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh via a video conference.

At the 17th meeting of Vietnam - India Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (Photo: VNA)



Both sides were pleased with the outcomes of the meeting and the pace of bilateral relationship. Jaishankar was particularly appreciative of Vietnams positive leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, especially at a time when the region is battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the meeting, the two sides took stock of the state of the India-Vietnam comprehensive strategic partnership and agreed to step up their defence and economic partnership. They put special emphasis on areas such as civil nuclear energy, space, marine sciences, and emerging technologies. India and Vietnam also agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership in line with Indias Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the ASEANs Outlook on Indo-Pacific to achieve shared security, prosperity and growth for all in the region.

The IPOI is an initiative launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the East Asia Summit in Thailand in November 2019. The initiative is centred around seven pillars, including maritime security; maritime ecology; maritime resources; capacity building and resources sharing; disaster risk reduction and management; science, technology, and academic cooperation; and trade connectivity and maritime transport. India has called on Vietnam to partner on one of the seven pillars of the IPOI.

At the recent Joint Commission meeting, India also reiterated its development and capacity assistance for Vietnam through quick impact projects (QIP), Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) and e-ITEC initiatives, Ph.D. fellowships and proposals in the area of water resources management in Vietnams Mekong Delta region, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and digital connectivity.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in its press release also said India has already approved 12 QIPs for implementation in Vietnam, including seven in water resources management in the Mekong Delta region and five linked to construction of educational infrastructure.

Research and training are also important in the bilateral agenda and this has translated to a couple of memoranda of understanding between the Indias Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, and between the National Maritime Foundation of India and the Vietnam Institute of Seas and Islands.

Keeping in mind the strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, India and Vietnam have decided to work in close coordination at multilateral institutions such as the United Nations Security Council. They also decided to continue the momentum in regional strategic platforms such as those under ASEAN./.
Houston ISD students attending schools benefiting from the districts Achieve 180 campus turnaround plan continued to make modest academic gains in the programs second year, but they still missed classes, received suspensions and learned from lower-rated teachers at the same rates as before, recently released data shows.

A comprehensive district-produced report details consistent successes and stumbles at the 50-plus schools covered by Achieve 180, an initiative targeting HISDs lowest-performing campuses. The district spent $42.5 million in the programs first two years, largely on teacher stipends, increased staffing and employee benefits designed to increase the quality of instruction on Achieve 180 campuses.

While the initiative is about to enter its fourth year, HISD officials this summer unveiled extensive results from 2018-19, the programs second year. In an interview this month, district administrators touted some incredible gains at several of HISDs longest-struggling schools, such as Kashmere and Worthing high schools, while acknowledging the lack of progress in other areas.

Were feeling pretty positive about it, said Yolanda Rodriguez, HISDs interim chief academic officer. We know its a large amount of money, but it did fill in a lot of the need as it relates to specific supports for campuses.

Initially launched in 2017-18 under former superintendent Richard Carranza, the Achieve 180 program directed millions of dollars into 44 schools with a history of failing to meet state academic requirements. Many of the campuses struggled with high staff turnover, student behavior challenges and below-average student attendance rates. All served large percentages of students of color from low-income families.

In their first year under Achieve 180, many schools produced notable  if not quite spectacular  improvements on state standardized tests. The gains were enough to cut the number of Achieve 180 schools falling short of state standards from 27 to 11.

Still, the initiative produced virtually no improvements in other key areas. Attendance rates did not move. Students continued to receive out-of-school suspensions at a similar clip, roughly three times higher than non-Achieve 180 schools. The share of highly-rated teachers employed at the 44 campuses did not budge despite a $5,000 bonus offered to educators at those schools.

Headed into 2018-19, the district added another nine schools and $10 million to Achieve 180  and saw largely the same results.

On HoustonChronicle.com: HISD leaders were pretty satisfied with first-year Achieve 180 results

Elementary and middle school students at Achieve 180 schools showed fractionally better standardized test gains than their peers, while high schoolers made significant progress in math and continued to struggle with English. The number of F-rated Achieve 180 schools also dropped to 10, down one from the prior year even after the addition of campuses.

I saw great work with that money being put into those schools, giving them what they needed, said HISD Trustee Wanda Adams, whose board district includes six campuses that met state standards under Achieve 180 after previously falling short.

Yet, challenges with attendance, discipline and teacher staffing remained unchanged. For example, the percentage of students at Achieve 180 schools who were chronically absent  defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days  increased from 14.4 percent in the year before the initiative to 14.9 percent in 2018-19.

It just seems to be something we havent really been able to make great gains on with attendance, Rodriguez said. However, this experience with remote learning is really going to be a game-changer.  Now, we have a valid, reliable, systematic way to keep our kids engaged when they cannot come to school.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Despite the negative headlines, HISD scores on par with national peers

HISD administrators and school board members have not pushed for major changes to Achieve 180, which had a projected budget of about $37 million in 2019-2020 and this upcoming school year.

However, the districts research and accountability department issued several recommendations in its 373-page report. In particular, the district staff suggested it may be prudent to ensure that only teachers of the highest quality are hired, retained and paid extra money.

The researchers also recommended the district consider intensive efforts to reduce suspensions and other so-called exclusionary discipline practices.

Robert Sheffield, director of the Center for School Turnaround and Improvement at WestEd, a national education nonprofit, said long-struggling schools often benefit from strong principals who change the culture and quality of instruction on a campus. The challenge, Sheffield said, is finding enough strong principals to fill those roles and stay in them long term.

For the most part, the examples we see nationwide are a school transformed by a great superhero leader, Sheffield said. Because that leader is successful, oftentimes that leader leaves and the DNA of the school reverts back to the lower levels of performance.

On HoustonChronicle.com: HISDs longest-struggling schools suffer from revolving door of staff

Some principals reporting the most improvement in Achieve 180 schools, such as Kashmeres Reginald Bush and Blackshear Elementary Schools Alicia Lewis, remain at their campuses headed into the 2020-21 school year. Others, however, have received promotions or moved to new schools in the past year, including the now-former principals of Mading Elementary School, Lawson Middle School, Worthing High School and Woodson PK-5.

Roxana Cabrera, the mother of two second-graders at Pugh Elementary School, said she worries that principal turnover will cause the Denver Harbor campus to slip. Cabrera lauded the teachers and the dual-language program at the Achieve 180 school, but lamented that Pugh will start the year with its third principal in three years.

It kind of makes me sad and concerned, Cabrera said. I have seen more changing for the best for kids of the school, and I just hope with this new principal that its going to be the same.

The 2018-19 results from Achieve 180 likely will be the most comprehensive data available for at least a few years. Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, students did not take state standardized exams this past school year and only partial data will be available for non-test-based metrics.

The disparate impact of the coronavirus on lower-income children, who are believed to be more likely to fall behind, likely will skew future performance.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com
Were all excited about the upcoming release of iOS 14, but Apple isnt quite done with iOS 13 just yet. The company just release iOS 13.7, which brings one major new feature: Exposure Notifications Express.

To update your iPhone, open the Settings app and tap on General then Software Update.

The Exposure Notifications API developed by Apple and Google was first released this spring in iOS 13.5. It allowed applications developed and maintained by official state health agencies to develop apps that can warn users if they have been near someone that tested positive for COVID-19 without compromising privacy or recording personally identifiable information.

That was only phase one. To really make contact tracing work well, its important to make it as broadly available as possible, and that means making it easy to use without users downloading separate apps nor making government agencies responsible for building and maintaining them.

With iOS 13.7, we get phase two: Exposure Notification Express. If you live in an area that has agreed to use it, your local public health agency can work with Apple to directly provide contact tracing features without building their own app. Users will still have to opt in to use the feature, of course.

In developing the system, Apple consulted with the CDC, the Association of Public Health Laboratories, the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the Task Force for Global Health.

The new system is fully cross-compatible with existing systems that may have rolled out already. Here in the U.S., the first locations to support the new Exposure Notifications Express feature should be Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Nevada.

To opt in, open Settings, then Exposure Notifications, and tap Turn on Exposure Notifications. Youll choose your country and region/state, and your iPhone will tell you if Exposure Notifications are available in your area or not.
Investment will be used to advance its novel vapor-based ablation system to treat precancerous conditions and metabolic disease such as type 2 diabetes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

SANTA ANA, California, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aqua Medical's innovative platform technology provides endoscopic non-surgical, outpatient ablation treatment of multiple sites throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract with its new Radio Frequency Vapor Ablation (RFVA) system.

The platform is currently being developed to treat multiple, unmet clinical needs with large market potential:

Treatment of Barrett's esophagus to prevent cancer with the goal of shorter treatment times and fewer procedures.

Management of type 2 diabetes through duodenal mucosal ablation to treat insulin-resistant tissue; and

Non-surgical treatment of precancerous pancreatic cysts with its novel ultrasound-guided needle catheter.

Aqua Medical closed its Series A-3 equity financing totaling $8.2 million, which completes the company's $15.5 million Series A funding. The final Series A tranche was led by ShangBay Capital LLC, with ShangBay's founding managing partner William Dai joining Aqua Medical's Board of Directors. The financing was joined by the company's existing investors, including Ithaka Partners LLC and ForMED Ventures.

The RFVA system was awarded 510(k) clearance from the FDA and completed a successful first-in-man study for Barrett's esophagus. The company will use this round of funding to accelerate development, clinical investigation and regulatory clearances for additional catheter configurations and indications.

"Aqua Medical RF Vapor Ablation is a very promising through-the-endoscope ablation technology that offers great potential for ablation of precancerous Barrett's epithelium and possibly duodenal ablation for metabolic diseases," said Jacques Bergman, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Endoscopy, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam.

"We're very excited to be part of bringing this powerful, new technology platform to the physicians and patients managing these difficult diseases," said William Dai.

"Aqua Medical is an exciting and disruptive technology platform designed to restore abnormal or precancerous tissue growth to healthy epithelium. While we are first launching our vapor-based system for ablations throughout the GI tract, we will also be expanding to ablation of pulmonary tissue through bronchoscopy," said Aqua Medical founder and Chief Medical Officer Virender K. Sharma, MD.

"On behalf of all the shareholders of Aqua, I welcome ShangBay Capital and new board member William Dai, who brings with him deep experience in the medical device space," said Lloyd Mencinger, President and CEO. "In addition, we appreciate the steadfast support of our existing investors in this Series A-3 round, including Pete Nicholas of Ithaka Partners LLC, ex-Chairman and original founder of Boston Scientific Corporation.

About Aqua Medical

Aqua Medical is the developer of a disruptive, vapor-based, endoscopic ablation technology designed to treat gastrointestinal disease and prevent GI cancers. The company's through-the-scope technology is efficient and easy to use. The platform uses high-temperature water vapor created by a radiofrequency generator and delivered endoscopically through proprietary catheters to the GI tract.

About ShangBay Capital

ShangBay Capital is a Silicon Valley-based venture capital company that brings investors access to best-in-class investments in U.S. medical device technologies, biotechnology and mobile healthcare sectors through early-stage venture equity participation.

Media Contact:

Lisa Owens

(210) 601-6647

lisa.owens@bichselgroup.com

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A WA charity has blasted suggestions increased coronavirus payments have led to young people on welfare sparking alcohol-fuelled violence in Northbridge, calling the idea a misinformed cheap shot.

Police Minister Michelle Roberts said she believed some young people were treating every weekend like New Years Eve after social gathering restrictions were eased in late June, allowing nightclubs to reopen.

There are some people that are doing it very tough that have lost their jobs, she said.

There are others though that have had their benefits increased that may be leading to an increased purchase of alcohol and more disposable income for a small number of people.
Police have shut down an illegal rave attended by 3,000 people in a forest in Wales that lasted for 30 hours.

The event, which flouted coronavirus restrictions, started at about 3am on Sunday in Banwen, near the Brecon Beacons.

It was the largest of a number of illegal raves and parties across the Bank Holiday weekend.

Officers were still removing ravers from the site in Wales on Monday morning.

South Wales Police said eight people have been fined up to 10,000, while there were further arrests for public order offences and driving under the influence of drugs.

Thousands attended the illegal rave in Banwen. (Wales News Service)

The rave at Banwen near the Brecon Beacons in Wales lasted more than 24 hours. (Wales News Service)

The rave started in the early hours of Sunday in the forest at Neath Port Talbot, near the village of Banwen. (Wales News Service)

The force said it had identified 22 people it suspected of planning the rave. It is using drone footage to identify the organisers.

There were still about 400 people at the site on Monday morning.

Police confiscated several sound systems from the 4,000-acre site.

#UPDATE | We have now reported 22 people we believe to have been involved in organising an illegal rave in #Banwen for summons.



More information 



^jc https://t.co/AyuwQoOiqp  South Wales Police (@swpolice) August 31, 2020

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Thorne said: We responded as soon as we became aware of the event and we have had a police presence on site day and night and I would like to reassure local communities we acted as robustly as we can and we will continue to do so.

It is extremely disappointing and disrespectful to our communities that we have had to deal with an event like this, not only on a busy weekend for the emergency services, but also during the coronavirus pandemic where legislation has been put in place to keep everyone safe.

Those gathering know that their actions are irresponsible and many travelled hundreds of miles to attend the event.

Story continues

Under newly introduced legislation to enforce social distancing in England and Wales, those convicted or organising an unlicensed music event of more than 30 people can be fined up to 10,000.

South Wales Police were assisted by officers from Dyfed Powys Police and the British Transport Police, as well as a police helicopter.

Police seized sound equipment and issued 10,000 fines to organisers. (Wales News Service)

The illegal rave at Banwen was attended by about 3,000 revellers. (Wales News Service)

An aerial view of the rave near the village of Banwen. (PA)

Police clamped down on a number of illegal parties across the UK at the weekend.

Officers in Norfolk broke up a rave attended by 500 people at Thetford Forest, while the Metropolitan Police said it had shut down 21 unlicensed music events in London.

West Yorkshire Police said eight people were fined 10,000 after several parties across Headingley and Burley on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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Observers on the left note wryly that President Trump is effectively trying to run against events of his own administration. Hes an outsider insider? Incumbent insurgent? Some terrible things have happened on his watch, and he warns us that in order to stop the madness we need to return him to office.

The element of paradox is present, but it isnt particularly difficult to see the logic in some voters minds: Vote Trump to oppose the rioting. To put things in terms the Left tends to use, some voters see Trump as taking the morally correct position in a fraught moment. His messaging  that Democrats are burning down businesses in Democratic cities while Democratic mayors and governors cringe and shuffle and study their feet  was amplified by Portland mayor Ted Wheeler, who after three solid months of bedlam pointedly and loudly rejected Trumps offer of federal law-enforcement assistance. Trump can fairly argue that he isnt stopping the disturbances because Democrats wont let him, and blame Trump as a reflexive response to anything that goes wrong doesnt work so well when Trump is trying to quell unrest and Democrats insist on watching things burn.

There is little doubt where Trump is in relation to the rioters: Hes strongly against them. Joe Biden is . . . weakly against them. As Kenosha erupted in flames, he initially responded by denouncing systemic racism then took several days to issue a tepid suggestion that the riots were not a good idea, via a Twitter video from his basement: Burning down communities is not protest; its needless violence. Violence that endangers lives. Violence that guts businesses, and shutters businesses, that serve the community. Thats wrong. Oh.

Anecdotal evidence suggests Wisconsin voters might be inclined to punish Biden, a man who has held no office for four years, rather than the president for the rampage in Kenosha. Bidens party, perhaps encouraged by the medias presentation of the matter, has allowed itself partially to internalize the notion that, among things that matter, you have to choose between black lives and buildings. A Philadelphia newspaper editor lost his job for running the headline, Buildings Matter, Too. Kamala Harriss initial response to the chaotic events in Minneapolis was to help bail out people arrested in them.

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The Democratic agenda to me right now is America is systematically racist and evil and the only people who can fix it are Democrats, an Obama-supporting ex-Marine named John Geraghty told the New York Times. Thats the vibe I get. Geraghty added, As of now Im really not happy about how Democrats are handling any of this. James Wigderson, a conservative journalist who runs the Right Wisconsin website but has criticized Trump, told the paper, Whether its fair or not, they see this all as one monolith: from Biden on down to the guy throwing the brick at the cop. As a result, they are more motivated not to let those people win.

To put it another way Democrats might understand: Trump had nothing to do with the white-nationalist murder in Charlottesville in 2017, but there was a widespread impulse to punish him for the perception that he was at all with the wrong side that day. Voters are not especially rational , but they can and do vote out of a sense of rewarding whats right and punishing whats wrong. A YouGov poll released Saturday that questioned the same voters it had polled a month earlier found Bidens margin over Trump cut from nine points to six, as the perception of Trump as strong ticked up from 33 to 38 percent. While Biden has been playing prevent defense, polls from the right-leaning Trafalgar group have suggested Trump leads in Michigan (two points), Wisconsin (one point) and is in a virtual tie in Minnesota. A win in even one of these states would likely mean Trump gets reelected. Bidens lead in battleground states has eroded from 6.3 points on July 24 to 2.7 on August 29. No wonder even Biden fans are starting to sound nervous. The betting market thinks Trump is in his strongest position since early June and gives him a 49 percent chance of victory.

Additionally, Biden could find himself on the wrong side of another pressing issue. His argument that Trump has bungled the response to the coronavirus will become less and less salient if the virus continues to wither. The United States is an intrinsically forward-looking, optimistic country and the BidenHarris tickets bet that its stance of extreme caution will maintain appeal will look less and less attractive if the second wave of infections fades out. Biden has suggested calling for a second lockdown while his running mate speculates about a nationwide mask mandate. These positions are likely to be far more popular in the blue states that were hit hardest than in the swing states. Maybe theyll help Biden run up his 38-point lead in Massachusetts. But I doubt Bidens Fearful Forever platform is going to play too well in the South and Midwest unless the virus kicks up again.

More from National Review
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.1

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Kazakhstan has exported 673,067 tons of crude petroleum oil and oil obtained from bituminous minerals worth 187.1 million euros to France in June 2020, Eurostat official told Trend.

In turn, Kazakhstans exported 18.4 million tons of petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals worth 59.03 million euros to France in 1H2020.

Thus, the June volume of petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals from Kazakhstan to France is 99.2 percent more than in volume compared to May 2020 (337,882 tons) and is 3.4 times more than in Jan. 2020 (197,514 tons).

Junes export value is also 5.1 times more than in May 2020 (36.5 million euros) and is 1.9 times more than in Jan. 2020 (96.5 million euros).

The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and France amounted to $1.3 billion over 1H2020, compared to $2.2 billion during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export to France amounted to $1.03 billion over the period from January through June 2020, compared to $1.9 billion during the same period of 2019.

In turn, Kazakhstans imports from France amounted to nearly $346.8 million over the reporting period, compared to $272.1 million during the same period of 2019.

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
A former pupil of a top school attended by Boris Johnson has claimed teachers would force them to stand naked in their dormitories and balance slippers on their erect penises as part of 'extensive' abuse that saw some boys raped.

The man, now in his fifties, made the shocking confession in an enlightening new Channel 4 documentary, Me & My Penis, which aired at 10pm last night.

The programme, which showed an erect penis in what is believed to be a UK broadcasting first, explored the taboo which surrounds the male sex organ and aimed to start a conversation about masculinity.

Men filmed for the documentary, who weren't fully identified, were photographed by London-based British artist and fine art photographer Ajamu, whose radical portraits of the male body have pushed boundaries and provoked cultural debate.

Channel 4's Me & My Penis, which showed an erect phallus in what is believed to be a broadcasting first in the UK, explored the taboo which surrounds the male sex organ and aims to start a conversation about masculinity

While he shot their intimate photographs, the subjects discussed their varied experiences  from the pleasures of sex to stories of infertility and sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, homophobia and mental health.

One man, from the north east, admitted he often feels 'wrong' during sex because his first experience of intercourse was being raped at the age of 10.

He said he resorted to violence to feel masculine, but spending time in prison after punching a doorman helped him face up to his demons.

Another subject, a gay man who grew up in a conservative Muslim family where sex 'did not exist', revealed he would physically stop himself from 'sinful' ejaculating while masturbating as a teenager - and is now left with permanent damage.

And a man in his forties, called Jason, broke down in tears while discussing losing 18 months of his life to depression after he was told he is infertile.

Men filmed for the documentary were photographed by London-based British artist and fine art photographer Ajamu, whose radical portraits of the male body have pushed boundaries and provoked cultural debate

One of the most harrowing tales came from a man, born in the Sixties, who went to school with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

He recalled: 'I was sent to a really beautiful little school in the middle of the country, I was seven years old, Boris was there, the whole Johnson family was there.

'It was seen as being the top school and everyone ended up at Oxford or Cambridge and a lot of them are in politics.

'Everybody thinks we're privileged, I tell you what you're lucky if you didn't go, you got away with it because it was s***. The longer I was there the more I discovered and realised what really was going on.'

He claimed a male teacher would come into their dormitory and make them stand 'completely naked'. 'I would have to get an erection and balance our slippers on the end of it,' he went on.

'Basically, who could get the hardest erection. He would wander round sort of watching, he was... he had really scary thick glasses and a wrinkly face like paper. That's what I remember of him.

One of the most harrowing tales came from a man, born in the Sixties, pictured, who went to school with Prime Minister Boris Johnson

While the man does not name the school, last year the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse scrutinised Ashdown House in Forest Row, East Sussex, pictured, a feeder school for top public schools such as Eton. Mr Johnson attended in 1975, six years after the first sexual abuse allegations were made

'If he punished me, for example, he'd take me to his room and he would bend me over his bed and I could just hear him breathing over me, but he wouldn't touch me, and yeah, it was creepy, you know? For somebody that age, for someone who's seven years old, it's super creepy.'

The man admitted he didn't realise at the time how 'extensive' the abuse was, adding that some of his friends were 'essentially raped' by teachers because 'there's zero consent at that age'.

'We were all seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12. We were young,' he said. 'We were kids so there was no way I could have done anything at the time, but if we'd all known more about the way of the world and we'd been a bit older, we might have been able to do something.'

He admitted he and his classmates didn't talk about it for years, until the Jimmy Savile scandal - when he said it became apparent how 'damaging' the experience had been to some people's lives.

'We bought a criminal case against some of the teachers. We've already been successful, we've had one locked up, and it meant justice for his victims,' he said.

While he did not name the school, last year the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse scrutinised Ashdown House in Forest Row, East Sussex, a feeder school for top public schools such as Eton. Mr Johnson attended in 1975, six years after the first sexual abuse allegations were made.

The man in the documentary claimed the abuse happened at a 'beautiful little school in the middle of the country' when he was seven years old and attending at the same time as PM Boris Johnson (pictured last week)

Lead counsel Fiona Scolding QC told the inquiry the school had an environment where 'sexual touching was seen as acceptable,' during almost 25 years of abuse from 1969.

She said allegations of sexual abuse had been made against at least seven Ashdown House staff, involving 15 complainants. Two of those staff have since died, and one cannot be found, she said. Another, Martin Haigh, who taught at the school between 1973 and 1975, is the only person to have been convicted.

Elsewhere in the documentary a man who was raped at the age of 10 said the resulting 'confusion' and trauma from the ordeal saw him jailed for 21 months after assaulting a doorman on a night out.

'During sex, I often feel wrong. Because my first experience of having sex was rape, I was 10, it's hard for me to separate the two,' he explained.

'The 10-year-old me dealt with it silently. I wore a mask, I were lost, I felt as though I couldn't talk to anyone about this. And then as I got a bit older I started questioning myself, am I gay, does this mean I'm gay because I've been with a boy?

Elsewhere in the documentary a man who was raped at the age of 10 (pictured) said the resulting 'confusion' and trauma from the ordeal saw him jailed for 21 months after assaulting a doorman on a night out

'And it confused the life out of me, then the shame would set in, the guilt would set in, it affected my confidence in a way that it were like reverse psychology, I had to then prove, I felt so shallow and so small inside, that I'd so anything to prove to anyone I am a big man, I am a man.'

He added that he used jail as 'one big long look in the mirror', where he was forced to face who he really was and 'could no longer run away' from what had happened to him.

The programme also touched on infertility. Jason, from Scotland, spoke of the 'indescribable' pain of being told he can't conceive his own child.

'It broke me to be honest, completely. And still does,' he said. 'I can't imagine what it's like to lose a child, but I know what it's like to lose a child you've never had. I lost probably 18 months of my life to depression.'

To move forward, he and his wife went down the sperm donor route, which threw up all kinds of emotions for Jason, who felt anxious that he wouldn't be able to bond with the child.

The programme also touched on infertility. Jason, from Scotland, pictured, spoke of the 'indescribable' pain of being told he can't conceive his own child

The couple got pregnant on their first try, and an emotional Jason said the birth of their son was 'absolutely everything'.

'I love him so much,' he said through tears. 'Nothing will compare to having a child.'

The documentary also discussed masturbation, with many men sharing their first experiences of it.

One man, who grew up in conservative Muslim family in Bradford, told how he faced a moral dilemma as a teenager which ultimately scarred him for life, both physically and mentally.

'Within my family sex just did not exist,' he explained. 'The closest thing I had was a small handbook I got given by my mum, and it was a young Muslim's guide to puberty, and in there there was something about masturbation, going to Hell, so obviously when I was 13, 14, 15, and super randy, that became an issue.

One man, who grew up in conservative Muslim family in Bradford, pictured, told how he faced a moral dilemma as a teenager which ultimately scarred him for life, both physically and mentally

While posing nude for Ajamu (pictured), many of the men in the film said they felt empowered and able to put their demons to rest

'To stop myself from ejaculating, which in my mind would complete the w*** and make it a full blown sin, I'd grip my penis really hard or physically try to stop myself from ejaculating, which led to physical scarring, physical damage.

'I have a lot of negative associations with it now, so it's a tricky thing, which should just be pleasurable, which should just be so simple, and sometimes there's still that guilt.'

Having realised he was gay at primary school, this threw up more internal conflict which he admitted 'completely ripped him apart'.

With suicide prohibited in his faith, he said he felt 'trapped' and took out his angst on his body.

While posing nude for Ajamu, the man admitted he felt empowered. 'It feels powerful to be stood here nude, naked, talking about things I've talked about, and I'm owning it,' he said

'It was too much, it was crushing and I took it out on my body, it was hacking at my body, it was punishing my body because I hated this vessel that I was attached to. I just wanted to rip my body apart, and I did physically start to rip it apart,' he recalled.

While posing nude for Ajamu, he admitted he felt empowered. 'It feels powerful to be stood here nude, naked, talking about things I've talked about, and I'm owning it,' he said.

'This whole experience has been kind of airing out the dirty laundry and seeing that actually when I talk about it, it's not as powerful any more, it doesn't have as much of a hold on me, and it's kind of drawn a line under it.'
When selecting a retirement destination, year-round sunny weather and beautiful vistas are often priorities for retirees. And cities in states such as Arizona, California and Florida are popular choices for such a lifestyle.

Youll have to be selective about where you live if you want to adhere to a budget, however. Although you can still find some cities in these states that can provide an affordable retirement, others are getting too expensive.

To help you avoid making the mistake of moving to a place that will take a much larger bite out of your hard-earned nest egg than necessary, GOBankingRates did the research.

By looking at factors such as the percentage of the population over 65, median home list price, annual cost-of-living expenses and whether there are taxes on Social Security or retirement income, GOBankingRates found 30 cities you might want to avoid if stretching your nest egg is a priority.

Last updated: Sept. 1, 2020

30. Sun City, Arizona

Although Sun City, Arizona, ranks No. 30 among cities that are getting too expensive for retirees, that doesnt mean the costs of living here arent noticeably on the rise. The year-over-year percentage change in the median list price has risen by 10.11%, which ranks the seventh-highest on the list. Still, this city has the highest percentage of seniors 65 and older of the cities studied at 75.64%.

29. Huntley, Illinois

Huntley, Illinois, is one of the locations on the list that has no retirement or Social Security taxes. But home prices are on the rise. The city has a five-year median list price increase of 21.06%.

28. Palm City, Florida

In Palm City, Florida, seniors can save money because there are no retirement or Social Security taxes. The median list price for a home, however, has risen 21.18% over the past five years and is now $408,692.27.

27. Ormond Beach, Florida

In Ormond Beach, Florida, the median home list price has risen 26.62% in the past five years. Plus, the total annual cost-of-living expenses arent exactly cheap at $54,192.24.

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26. Hot Springs Village, Arkansas

The majority of the population in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas  61.52%  is 65 or older, but that might change because of rising home prices. Over the past five years, theres been a 31.25% increase in the average median list price.

25. Rancho Mirage, California

While there are no taxes on Social Security in Rancho Mirage, California, there are taxes on retirement income. Plus, the average median list price  $620,099.88  and the total average annual expenses are some of the highest on this list. Even so, more than half of the residents here are 65 or older.

24. Niles, Illinois

Seniors can enjoy not having to pay retirement taxes or Social Security taxes in Niles, Illinois. However, the annual cost of living expenses are considerable at $62,471.61.

23. Bella Vista, Arkansas

In Bella Vista, Arkansas, seniors are required to pay taxes on retirement income. In addition, home prices are creeping up. The city has seen a 24.18% median home list price increase over the past five years.

22. Oro Valley, Arizona

Living in Oro Valley, Arizona, isnt cheap. For example, the total annual cost-of-living expenses are $60,364.13, and the current average median home list price in the city is $349,903.69.

Read: Avoid These States in Retirement If You Want To Keep Your Money

21. Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota, Florida, might sound like an enticing retirement destination, but the annual cost-of-living expenses  $54,593.66  might dampen your enthusiasm. Plus, home prices are creeping higher and higher. Over the past five years, the median home list price has jumped 25.07%.

20. Sebastian, Florida

Retirees who decide on Sebastian, Florida, as their golden years destination wont have to budget for taxes on their retirement income or Social Security benefits. But they will have to worry about paying a higher price for a home. The percentage increase for the median home list price over the past five years is 31.91%.

19. Palm Desert, California

In Palm Desert, California, the total annual cost-of-living expenses are the seventh-highest on the list at $67,489.41. In addition, retirees must pay taxes on their retirement income.

18. Prescott, Arizona

Prescott, Arizona, ranks in the top 10 for total cost-of-living expenditures at $63,726.06. And the average median list price for a home isnt cheap either at $445,276.15.

17. Palm Harbor, Florida

Although taxes on retirement income and Social Security benefits arent a concern for retirees in Palm Harbor, Florida, the rising cost of homes might be. The median home list price percentage change over the past five years equals 28.10%. Plus, the total annual cost-of-living expenditures add up to $58,708.26.

16. Fountain Hills, Arizona

The median list price for a home in Fountain Hills, Arizona, is currently $490,776.92  a figure thats the result of a five-year median list price percentage change of 26.80%.

15. Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Seniors 65 and older who are thinking about Lake Havasu City, Arizona, as a retirement destination might want to think again. In the past five years, the median home list price has increased by 32.13%. As food for thought, the most current average median list price is $328,625.96.

14. Palm Coast, Florida

Those contemplating Palm Coast, Florida, for retirement wont have to worry about paying taxes on their Social Security benefits or retirement income. What they will have to worry about, however, is how much a home is going to cost. The five-year median list price percentage change for a home in this city is 34.01%.

13. Port Charlotte, Florida

In Port Charlotte, Florida, retirees dont have to worry about paying taxes on retirement or Social Security income. But home prices are on the rise. Over the past five years, the city has experienced a 39.06% increase in its median home list price.

Check Out: 31 Surprising Facts About Retiring You Probably Didnt Know

12. Banning, California

In Banning, California, retirees have to pay taxes on their retirement income but not on their Social Security benefits. The total annual cost-of-living expenses could negate those savings, however. Its in the top 12 on the list at $60,665.20.

11. Dunedin, Florida

Among the cities on the list, Dunedin, Florida, ranks No. 2 for the highest median home list price increase at 43.33%. Maybe thats why only 30.55% of the population here is age 65 or older.

10. Largo, Florida

Largo, Florida, had the third-highest median home list price increase in the previous five years at 41.22%. Thankfully, retirees might get a slight break because there are no taxes on retirement income or Social Security benefits here.

9. Apache Junction, Arizona

Apache Junction, Arizona, ranks in the top 10 for median home list price increase. Over the past five years, home prices have jumped by 31.82%. Plus, senior residents in this city are subject to taxes on their retirement income.

8. Palm Springs, California

The median home list prices in Palm Springs, California, are on the higher side at $478,334.15. Plus, the total annual cost-of-living expenses are also within the top five most expensive on the list at $72,607.57.

7. Pahrump, Nevada

In Pahrump, Nevada, there are no taxes on retirement or Social Security income, but median home prices have increased 27.05% over the past five years. Plus, the city has the largest year-over-year median list price change on the list.

6. Bullhead City, Arizona

Even though the median home list price in Bullhead City, Arizona, isnt astronomical at $252,807.42, home prices have been increasing. Over the past five years, the median list price of a home has increased 23.46%. In fact, the city has the second-highest year-over-year median list price change.

5. Englewood, Florida

Seniors in Englewood, Florida, have seen a 46% increase over the past five years in median home list price. The current average median list price in the city is $428,249.04. Plus, total annual cost-of-living expenditures are $53,188.68.

4. Tamarac, Florida

Tamarac, Florida, is the fourth-most expensive city on the list for retirees. While there are no taxes on Social Security or retirement income, the median list price for a home has jumped by 40% over the past five years.

3. Lincoln, California

In Lincoln, California, the current median home list price is one of the five highest on the list at $487,501.54. The total annual cost-of-living expenses are in the top five most expensive, too, at $75,417.53.

2. Walnut Creek, California

Costs must be high in Walnut Creek, California, for it to take second place on the list. To give you some perspective, total annual cost-of-living expenditures here are the second-highest on the list at $113,151.39. And the average median home list price is $756,307.69  also good for No. 2.

1. Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Rancho Palos Verdes, California, topped the list of cities that are getting too expensive for retirees  and for good reason. Total annual cost-of-living expenditures are $150,584.18, which are the highest on the list. Plus, retirement income is taxed, and the median list price for a home is also the highest on the list at a whopping $1,367,961.50.

More From GOBankingRates

Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed 50 cities with large senior populations (i.e., 25% or more of the population aged 65 or older), according to the 2017 American Community Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find 30 cities that are becoming too expensive for retirees. GOBankingRates used the following criteria: (1) percent of population aged 65 or older, sourced from the 2017 American Community Survey; (2) July 2018-July 2019 median home list price, sourced from Zillow; (3) year-over-year change (%) in median home list price, sourced from Zillow; (4) 5-year change (%) in median home list price, sourced from Zillow; (5) annual total cost of living expenditures for a person aged 65 and older, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2017-2018 Consumer Expenditure Survey and local cost of living indices sourced from Sperlings Best Places; (6) whether there are taxes imposed on Social Security benefits, sourced from AARP; and (7) whether there is a tax imposed on retirement income, sourced from individual state websites. All these factors were then scored, with the lower score being best, and combined to give a final score. In the combining of factors, three and four were weighted 1.5 times. All data was collected and is up to date as of Sept. 4, 2019.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 30 Cities That Are Getting Too Expensive for Retirees
Phil Wild became the CEO of James Cropper PLC (LON:CRPR) in 2012, and we think it's a good time to look at the executive's compensation against the backdrop of overall company performance. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for James Cropper.

See our latest analysis for James Cropper

How Does Total Compensation For Phil Wild Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?

According to our data, James Cropper PLC has a market capitalization of UK91m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth UK299k over the year to March 2020. Notably, that's an increase of 21% over the year before. We note that the salary portion, which stands at UK204.0k constitutes the majority of total compensation received by the CEO.

For comparison, other companies in the industry with market capitalizations below UK150m, reported a median total CEO compensation of UK300k. This suggests that James Cropper remunerates its CEO largely in line with the industry average. What's more, Phil Wild holds UK244k worth of shares in the company in their own name.

Component 2020 2019 Proportion (2020) Salary UK204k UK198k 68% Other UK95k UK49k 32% Total Compensation UK299k UK247k 100%

On an industry level, roughly 52% of total compensation represents salary and 48% is other remuneration. According to our research, James Cropper 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.

James Cropper PLC's Growth

Earnings per share at James Cropper PLC are much the same as they were three years ago, albeit with slightly higher. Its revenue is up 3.4% over the last year.

We would argue that the improvement in revenue is good, but isn't particularly impressive, but we're happy with the modest EPS growth. So there are some positives here, but not enough to earn high praise. Although we don't have analyst forecasts, you might want to assess this data-rich visualization of earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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Has James Cropper PLC Been A Good Investment?

Since shareholders would have lost about 48% over three years, some James Cropper PLC investors would surely be feeling negative emotions. Therefore, it might be upsetting for shareholders if the CEO were paid generously.

To Conclude...

As we touched on above, James Cropper 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. But with negative shareholder returns and unimpressive EPS growth, shareholders will surely be disturbed. CEO pay isn't exceptionally high, but considering poor performance, shareholders will likely hold off support for a raise until results improve.

While CEO pay is an important factor to be aware of, there are other areas that investors should be mindful of as well. That's why we did some digging and identified 1 warning sign for James Cropper that you should be aware of before investing.

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.
Cars line up at a COVID-19 test site at Dodger Stadium on Aug. 12 in Los Angeles. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

A month after a state public health computer database failure caused the distortion of COVID-19 test results across California and disrupted the states response to the pandemic, the Newsom administration on Tuesday announced that a new reporting system will be online in October.

The state signed a contract with software company OptumInsight Inc. for a database that will handle all COVID-19 testing results, replacing the troubled California Reportable Disease Information Exchange, or CalREDIE.

Because of a glitch in that system in late July, up to 300,000 test results had not been uploaded to the database, raising doubts about the effectiveness of the state's actions taken to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, Californias health and human services director, said the new data repository will be robust enough to ensure that the state has the testing information necessary to adequately respond to the pandemic.

Hopefully we close some of the information gaps that we have on demographic information, Ghaly said in a Tuesday news conference. Really enhancing the state's ability to not just see where transmission is happening, but to understand some of the more detailed, nuanced pieces.

The state Department of Public Health signed a six-month $15.3-million contract with OptumInsight to create the data system. The state used federal grant funds to pay for the contract.

Ghaly said the CalREDIE system was never designed to handle the tens of thousands of test results coming into the state every day. That database also receives all data on other reportable diseases filed by local public health officials.

Without an accurate picture of confirmed cases, many local officials who rely on the CalREDIE system had to conduct their own tallies to understand how the virus spread in their communities.

The caseload of COVID-19 testing results is expected to nearly double in the months ahead. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a $1.6-billion contract with an East Coast medical diagnostics company to double the number of coronavirus tests that can be processed in the state, eventually expanding capacity to roughly a quarter-million tests per day.
The actions and behavior of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the LAC has been in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols, it said in a statement, referring to the Line of Actual Control, the disputed and undemarcated 3,500-kilometer (2,175-mile) border between India and China that stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim.
Celebrity fashion designer Christian Siriano is no stranger to Connecticut. The New York-based designer has had a country home in Danbury for the past eight years, but recently relocated to Westport and gave Architectural Digest a glimpse inside  and it's much different.

Whereas his Danbury home (which he talked about in a 2016 interview with Hearst Connecticut Media Group) was full of color, floral patterns and homey touches, his new house is sleek and contemporary. "His move from an antique Colonial house to a modernist dwelling with 11-foot-high windows is a rather dramatic one," the magazine writes.
AUSTIN, TX  Worker burnout is real, and heightened amid the scourge of COVID-19. Those working in Austin aren't immune, with the city cracking the top 11 among cities experiencing work weariness, according to a new study

Researchers at SmartAsset sought to find the cities where worker burnout is most likely, analyzing data from among the 100 most-populous U.S. cities. The upshot: Austin cracks the top 11.

The capital city tied Charlotte, North Carolina, for the No. 10 spot. Researchers found Austin has the ninth-highest average number of weeks worked per year, at 38.4, and the eighth-highest percentage of the population working more than 1,700 hours per year, at 58.8 percent.

It's tough out there for all workers in these times, with the days of the strict 40-hour workweek, with weekends and evenings spent relaxing, a distant memory for many. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2019, more than 10 million Americans work at least 60 hours per week. And for those lucky enough to have a job amid the COVID-19 pandemic, SmartAsset researchers noted, shelter-in-place rules have kept many working from home, a fact that has reduced the separation between the office and home-life.

Working from home ain't what it's cracked up to be, either. Recent data from NordVPN show Americans are working three hours more per day during coronavirus lockdowns than before in more traditional settings and schedules. Then there's the interminable Zoom meetings. And then there's the worry over savings amid an uncertain economy.

In short, it's hard out there. Dallas anxiety is higher than that in Austin, with the Big D snatching the eighth spot on the list. Other Texas cities among the two dozen with the most anxiety include Arlington (13) and Irving (17) along with Houston and Plano, both tied for 24th.

Graphic courtesy of SmartAsset.

For more details, read the full "Cities Where Worker Burnout Is Most Likely  2020 Edition" report.

This article originally appeared on the Austin Patch
Dont you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry. So just look at them and sigh. And know they love you, the song reminds us. And you, of tender years, cant know the fears that your elders grew by. And so please help them with your youth, they seek the truth before they can die.
With over $1.2 billion assets under management, Owl Ventures is the largest venture capital firm in the world focused on the education technology sector

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Owl Ventures, the largest venture capital fund in education technology, announced today that it closed $585 million across two new funds. The Silicon Valley and San Francisco based firm closed $415 million for its fourth fund and $170 million for its first Opportunity Fund. The new funds will help fuel its strategy of making early, growth and later stage investments in the world's leading education technology companies across the education spectrum including PreK-12, higher education and future of work (career mobility/professional learning).

Since its founding in 2014, the firm has been a major investor in many of the fastest growing companies in the global EdTech market including U.S. companies Accelerate Learning (acquired by Carlyle Group), Degreed, DreamBox Learning (acquired by TPG Rise), Hazel Health, MasterClass, Newsela, Noodle Partners, Quizlet, Remind and international companies such as BYJU's, Labster, Lele Ketang, Sanjieke and WhiteHat Jr. (acquired by BYJU's).

"Since we began the firm, we have seen the digital revolution rapidly unfold in education and workforce development," said Tory Patterson, Managing Director at Owl Ventures. "Due to the shift to remote learning and work, we find ourselves in a watershed moment for the over $6 trillion education and training market as the rising digital penetration in the sector that had already been taking place has surged."

"We are finding that our portfolio companies based in the U.S., China, Europe and India are mission-critical elements to continued learning," said Ian Chiu, Managing Director at Owl Ventures. "Inbound inquiries, user growth/engagement, and customer pipelines have dramatically spiked across our portfolio with our platforms being leveraged globally."

The success of Owl Ventures global investment strategy was recently highlighted by two of its portfolio companies in India when BYJU's, the most valuable privately held EdTech company in the world, acquired 18 month old start-up WhiteHat Jr for $300 million. Owl Ventures was the only fund that was an investor in both companies.

"The meteoric growth of both Whitehat Jr and BYJU's is illustrative of the rapidly growing and maturing EdTech market in India and throughout the world," said Amit Patel, Managing Director at Owl Ventures. "We seek to partner with visionary entrepreneurs who are tackling large problems in education as well as training and help them build transformative category leading companies."

Owl Ventures is the lead investor in the vast majority of its deals and typically joins the board of each of its companies. This hands-on approach helps companies across numerous functions including distribution, partnerships, talent, fundraising and outcomes measurement. The firm has also helped foster a robust community within the portfolio companies through CEO Summits and industry specific events that allow fellow EdTech entrepreneurs to share best practices, insights and explore partnership opportunities. As an education sector specialist, the fund has successfully partnered with leading diversified venture capital and private equity funds to help accelerate the growth of its portfolio companies.

Owl Ventures is backed by top global Limited Partners consisting of prestigious college & university endowments, foundations, strategic education institutions, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices from across the U.S., Asia, Europe, Middle East, and South America.

"Our global LP base and network of education institutions and leaders is a major competitive advantage as we have valuable partners throughout the world that can uniquely help change the trajectory of our portfolio companies," said Tom Costin, Managing Director at Owl Ventures.

About Owl Ventures

Owl Ventures is the largest venture capital fund in the world focused on the education technology market with over $1.2 billion in assets under management. The Silicon Valley based firm invests in the world's leading education technology companies across the education spectrum encompassing PreK-12, higher education and future of work (career mobility/professional learning). Owl Ventures has deep domain expertise and leverages a global network of Limited Partners, investors, and strategic partners to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses into transformative category leading companies. Learn more at www.OwlVC.com

Contact: Tom Costin, tom@owlvc.com

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(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said hes told people involved in the sale of the U.S. assets of ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok that the deal must be struck by Sept. 15 and the federal government must be well compensated, or the service will be shut down.

I told them they have until Sept. 15 to make a deal -- after that we close it up in this country, Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One for a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin. I said the United States has to be compensated, well compensated.

It remains unclear how the U.S. would collect compensation from the sale of TikTok. The president said last month that the popular video streaming apps U.S. operation had to be sold because its Chinese ownership makes it a national security threat.

TikTok has become a flashpoint for U.S. tensions with China. Trump has stepped up his attacks on the video app as his administration increases pressure on China ahead of the November presidential election. Then China on Friday imposed restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence technologies like speech and text recognition, throwing the potential sale into jeopardy. The restrictions will likely make it harder for ByteDance to get government approval for any deal.

Its difficult to tell now whether a deal will happen, said Doug Barry, senior director of communications at the US-China Business Council. Both countries want to dominate the key technologies of the future.

Trump believes that the U.S. deserves compensation for resolving the national security threat posed by TikTok and the administration is looking at ways to extract a payment from any deal thats struck, according to a person familiar with the matter. Another person said its unclear what Trump means when he refers to compensation in any deal, and that it would be the Treasury Departments job to figure out how to make it work. Both people asked not to be named discussing non-public deliberations.

Microsoft Corp. has teamed up with Walmart Inc. to bid for TikToks U.S. assets and theyre vying against a competing offer from Oracle Corp.

Story continues

White House staff have looked at collecting the money from compliance costs, according to one person familiar with the matter.

The U.S. assesses fees associated with deals under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, which investigates overseas acquisitions of U.S. businesses. But those charges -- set on a sliding scale and no higher than $300,000 -- appear to fall short of what Trump has demanded.

Microsoft declined to comment. The White House, TikTok and Oracle didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Microsoft committed in a blog post to providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury. But that language referred to ordinary tax revenue and job creation, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Now ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming is reconsidering his options and weighing the implications of Beijings involvement, according to people familiar with the matter. The companys regulatory team and deal negotiators are huddling to discuss whether its still possible to craft a sale that can win approval from both governments, an acquirer, venture investors and ByteDance itself.

Trump has the authority under U.S. law to block foreign acquisitions of American businesses on national security grounds. The administrations order requiring the TikTok sale stems from ByteDances 2017 acquisition of Musical.ly, which operated in the U.S. and was merged with TikTok.

Trump on Aug. 14 ordered ByteDance to sell TikTok in the U.S. within 90 days, citing risks to American national security. That followed an Aug. 6 order effectively banning the app in the U.S. within 45 days. TikTok has sued the administration to block the ban, arguing the move is unconstitutional and was driven by politics.

The order on the ban cited Chinas access to data collected from the app, including location and browsing data. TikTok, a platform for creating and sharing short videos, has grown rapidly in the U.S. from about 11 million monthly active users in January 2018 to 100 million today, according to the company. Global usage has risen to almost 2 billion from 55 million in January 2018, it 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, the Aug. 6 order said.

(Updates with comment from US-China council in fifth paragraph)

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WASHINGTON  Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday issued new guidelines and restrictions on the FBI's ability to conduct surveillance of elected officials, candidates, and their staff members and advisers, saying such investigations must be "justified and non-partisan."

The new rules, which involved requiring the FBI to consider briefing an official, candidate or adviser that they might be compromised by foreign governments before applying for a surveillance warrant, were part of department-wide changes to address problems in the early stages of the Russia investigation.

Barr and President Donald Trump's Republican allies have been critical of the Russia investigation and on the FBI's surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser during the early stages of the probe.

An inspector general's report found several errors, omissions and misstatements in the FBI's warrant applications to wiretap Carter Page in 2016 and 2017. A former FBI lawyer has pleaded guilty to falsifying an email that investigators used to justify continued surveillance of Page.

The report, however, found that the broader Russia probe was justified.

"When ... activities involve federal election officials, federal political candidates, or their respective staff members, the Department must be especially vigilant," Barr said in one of two memos outlining the new rules. "Such intelligence activities must be subject to rigorous review to ensure that they are justified and non-partisan, are based on full and complete information, take into account the significant First Amendment interests at stake, and do not undermine the political process."

Both memos outline several layers of requirements, approval and oversight on the FBI's surveillance activities. For example, warrant applications targeting elected officials must first be approved by the Justice Department and FBI leadership before they're submitted to surveillance court judges. Investigators are required to justify the surveillance by explaining that other less intrusive tactics have failed.

Story continues

Barr on Durham review: 'Troubling' evidence in review of Russia investigation could lead to charges

Ex-FBI lawyer charged: Kevin Clinesmith pleads guilty to falsifying email in Russia probe

The FBI will also create a new office that will routinely examine the bureau's surveillance activities.

"The American people must have confidence that the United States Government will exercise its surveillance authorities in a manner that protects the civil liberties of Americans, avoids interference in the political process, and complies with the Constitution and laws of the United States. What happened to the Trump presidential campaign and his subsequent Administration after the President was duly elected by the American people must never happen again," Barr said.

Barr told lawmakers last year that he believes "spying did occur" on the Trump campaign. Barr has tapped an outside federal prosecutor to review the Russia investigation and has told Fox News there would be "significant developments" from the review before the November election.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said he has ordered more than 40 actions since the inspector general's findings on the Page surveillance were released last year. The FBI is also seeking outside consultant to advise on how to improve its surveillance process.

'Counterintelligence threat': Paul Manafort was 'a grave counterintelligence threat,' Republican-led Senate panel finds

The FBI said in July that its review of more than two-dozen wiretap applications on U.S. citizens contained only minor errors that did not undermine the legal justification for the warrants. The FBI and the Justice Department reviewed 29 applications in response to the inspector general's findings and found errors that were mostly typographical, such as misspellings and wrong dates.

Last month, a wide-ranging report released by a GOP-led Senate panel gave a comprehensive account of contacts between Russian actors and Trump associates, including former Trump campaign Paul Manafort. The bipartisan report confirmed the findings of former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that Russia sought to sway the 2016 race in Trump's favor, although the probe did not find evidence of a conspiracy with the Kremlin.

The Mueller investigation led to the indictments of half a dozen former Trump campaign aides and associates, including Manafort and longtime ally Roger Stone, whose sentence the president commuted.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AG William Barr tightens rules on FBI surveillance of politicians
A line in the musical Oklahoma! posed the thorny question: could the farmer and the cow-man ever get along? One man likes to push a plough, the other likes to chase a cow, but thats no reason why they cant be friends.

These days, you could ask the same question about farmers and environmentalists. Behind the constant sniping, I believe we all want the same thing: a thriving, sustainable agri sector, where farmers get a fair price for healthy, low-carbon produce and where nature also wins.

Can we also agree its not OK for billionaire agri food and meat conglomerates to destroy the living planet for so-called cheap food?

As a farmers son, it was drilled into me from an early age that its us farmers against the world. That was then. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, nobody imagined the climate system itself could one day fail, and that Irish farmers might be helping drive this disaster.

While I truly wish it werent the case, climate breakdown and biodiversity collapse are now almost upon us. On current emissions trajectory, up to three billion humans may be forced to abandon their homelands due to extreme heat by 2070. Where will all these people go?

This is the terrifying near-future our kids and grandkids will inherit. Like it or not, how we farm in Ireland is a part of the problem.

Our oversized beef and dairy sectors produce as much emissions as 20 million Africans. As for Origin Green, thats pure marketing guff: there is nothing magically efficient or clean about Irish agriculture.

Nor is it just greenhouse gases. Huge increases in fertiliser usage in the last decade have seen emissions rise, and Irish water and air quality plummet. And, rather than feeding the world, Ireland is a major net importer of food calories, according to the UN FAO.

We import huge amounts of foods essential foods people actually eat, such as potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbages, tomatoes and apples. We also import millions of tonnes of animal feeds and chemical fertilisers, and much of the grain we do grow is then fed to animals, for exported meat and dairy.

As in our past, what will matter most in the future is having enough food to fill our bellies. After all, the ultimate purpose of agriculture was always to feed people, not farm animals.

As the insects and birds disappear, rivers die, icecaps melt and our seas are choked in plastic, so the ecological crisis deepens every day. By dint of the land they occupy, farmers have a massive influence on the natural world, for good or for ill.

So, can the farmer and the environmentalist be friends? Id like to think so, but it must starts with mutual understanding  and respect. Environmentalists need to better grasp the challenges farmers face. Farmers too can be strong champions for diverse, sustainable, locally produced, organic food.

And crucially, farmers increasingly recognise that the last decades strategy of agri-intensification benefits big businesses but magnifies threats at a terrible price to nature and climate, and to many farm livelihoods. We can and we must do better in mind. Lets do it together.

John Gibbons is volunteer PRO for An Taisces Climate Committee and writes here in a personal capacity
After the lacklustre Democratic and Republican Party conventions, how will the debates play out in the run up to Novembers US presidential elections

The least one can say is that the Democratic and Republican Party conventions, which are held every four years prior to the US presidential elections, went practically unnoticed this year.

The reasons for this are many, the most important being the holding of the two conventions online amid concerns surrounding the use of digitisation as one of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of thousands of delegates from the 50 US states and dependent territories such as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands attending the conventions as usual, this number dwindled to between 250 and 300 delegates as a maximum. Many in the US, and indeed in the world as a whole, will be left wondering about the implications of these two conventions, which this year were both colourless and odourless.

It is true that the two parties nominated their candidates for president and vice-president at their conventions, but the latter missed the massive publicity and lavish decor that ordinarily go with these events and usually cost millions of dollars.

The Democratic Party convention took place from 17 to 20 August in Wisconsin for a few hours over three consecutive days, with most speeches being delivered remotely from across the US. The contender, Joe Biden, and the nominee for vice-president, Kamala Harris, accepted their candidacies remotely for the first time in more than 75 years. Former president Franklin D Roosevelt did so in 1944 when he was standing for a fourth term in office as he was on board a military ship in the Pacific at the time during World War II.

The Republican Party conference happened a few days later from 24 to 27 August. It was not much different, except for US President Donald Trump hosting a number of meetings in the White House with ordinary Americans who have attributed their liberation from prisons in Iran, Venezuela and India to Trumps direct intervention. Other meetings featured ordinary Americans testifying that the president had positively affected their lives and that they believe he has made America great again.

They had come to pay tribute to the president and express their gratitude to him in person. Because of such scenes the Republican Party convention looked less colourless when compared to its Democratic Party predecessor.

Preliminary dates have been set for three debates between the candidates in the presidential elections on 29 September, 15 October and 22 October, while a debate between the candidates for vice-president, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, will take place on 7 October. The question, however, is whether the two parties will have to observe social-distancing, meaning that these debates lose all the excitement and passion of the face-to-face challenges we experienced in the past. It is still not known what the audience will look like in these debates (if there is one), or whether the candidates will appear in person on stage or appear via video.

While the Trump campaign has requested that both candidates appear on stage together, this has not yet been decided as the relevant committee continues to follow the health and security developments of the coronavirus pandemic and has not yet decided whether a direct or a remote debate will be allowed.

As for the topics that may arise in the debates, the two candidates stand in sharp contrast to one another. On the coronavirus epidemic and the current presidents belittling of it, Biden has said he will go as far as to put the country in lockdown again should the situation call for it. There are major difference between the candidates on foreign policy and regarding the US relationship with China, North Korea, Iran, and on the Palestinian issue and other crucial areas.

On the economy, Trump is expected to boast about the record job growth and prosperity that his administration has achieved. Biden will focus on the administrations difficulties in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to these issues, there are also different viewpoints on healthcare, immigration, the environment and climate change.

The intriguing part will be how each candidate will defend each subject from his point of view and who will be the more attractive and persuasive. There is no doubt that the task will not be easy. This is particularly true for the current president, who remains behind his rival Biden by more than ten per cent in opinion polls conducted at state level, though he still insists on his capacity to attract undecided voters. Trump and his supporters have never doubted that he will stay in the White House for a second term. His campaign has already begun to launch attacks on the Democrats, and there has been a bid to rig the elections and produce Trump as the undisputed winner.

Biden is not in a better position, as he has been forced to strike a delicate balance between leftists and centrists within his own Democratic Party, and they will watch him closely and hold him accountable for every word. Although Harris is a moderate, Biden cannot overlook or denounce the leftist ideology in the party, as he fears to lose the votes of left-wingers. These have become louder and louder and have been influential among the young, the intellectuals, and more surprisingly also Hollywood.

Will Biden divide the campaign between himself and Harris, so that he maintains a centrist position and the vice-presidential candidate swings between the left and the centre-right? Will he venture to give her a role other than the traditional one prevailing in the White House, in other words the complete marginalisation of vice-presidents and the ending of their duties once the election results are out?

If Biden and Harris win in November, they will introduce important policy initiatives. Their primary concern may be the healthcare system in the US, which accounts for much domestic controversy, but they will also attempt to deal with climate change and bring the US back into the international fold. In all of this, Biden will be open to the radical reform programmes advocated by senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both of whom represented the left wing of the Democratic Party in the battle for the presidential nomination.

Trump is known to be someone who likes to take the offensive, unlike Biden, although Bidens best course during the debates will be to initiate attacks as well. The past four years have given Biden fertile ground to attack the failures of the present US administration, particularly its failures in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. These will pull the rug out from under the presidents feet and any successes he may be proud of in terms of economic growth rates, overcoming unemployment and other achievements that are now in the past.

Finally, it should be remembered, though the Egyptian people are quick to forget, that the Democratic Party administration of former US president Barack Obama favoured the Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt on the pretext that it was a democratic government that had come to power through a popular vote. Let us pray that the Democratic Party has turned this page forever. Should Biden win in the November elections, he will need to be more thoughtful about and more familiar with Egypt and the region and more appreciative of its people.

The Democratic Party must understand that democracy is not a one-size-fits-all matter, but that every country has a different size when it comes to democracy. Globalisation also does not mean the fusion of all the worlds countries into one mold, but requires, especially in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, the preservation of and respect for the specificities of different countries.

The writer is former assistant foreign minister for international economic affairs.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Grain growers are in a race against time to get as much of the harvest completed before more heavy rains hit the country this week.

Fine weather over the weekend has helped progress but lodging of crops and stickier ground conditions have slowed matters in many areas and around 30-35pc of the harvest has still to be completed nationally.

Combines have been rolling from early morning till dark over the last few days as growers have sacrificed moisture levels for harvest progress.

Farmers are continuing to cut until the combines growl, said Teagascs Michael Hennessy.

Growers are increasingly chopping straw on headlands and on heavier ground as they seek to minimise the harvest workload and avoid delays.

However, the recent storms and wet weather have taken a heavy toll on crops, with James Hegarty of Cork IFA claiming that winter wheat yields are back 0.5-0.75t/ac as a result of the poor conditions.

Heavier losses have been reported in winter wheat crops in some parts of the midlands. Growers claimed that yields dropped from a high of 4.5t/ac to as low as 3t/ac as a result of Storm Francis and Storm Ellen.

Crops of winter and spring oats have also taken a hammering in the recent storms, with lodging creating serious harvesting problems.

Winter oats yields range from 2.5t/ac to 3.75t/ac, while spring oats vary from 2.5t/ac to 3.0t/ac.

Recovery mode

Severe difficulties with lodging and head loss have also been reported in some spring barley crops. However, yields of 3.2-3.5t/ac are being recorded, where growers can get under the crop.

Despite the ongoing difficulties Teagascs Michael Hennessy said the harvest had not slipped into the salvage category just yet. I would say the harvest is generally in recovery mode rather than salvage, Mr Hennessy said.

However, he said crops and ground conditions cannot take much more rain.

However, he said crops and ground conditions cannot take much more rain.

Mr Hennessy likened this year to the perfect storm, with low prices, low grain and straw yields, poor sowing conditions, drought, and atrocious harvest weather.

With many tillage farmers facing significant losses this year, IFA grain chairman Mark Browne warned that growers will not stand idly by and continue to allow grain prices to be undermined by the mass importation of environmentally unsustainable product.

Growers are under huge pressure, Mr Browne claimed.

He said the growing anger and frustration among tillage farmers was demonstrated at the recent grower protest in Waterford.

Buyers of all grains must pay prices which support local sustainable production. Despite being too late for many growers, purchasers of premium crops in particular, must immediately introduce whatever derogations are necessary to maximise the intake of these crops, Mr Browne said.

The Irish Grain Growers (IGG) group said there was a growing sense of frustration and despair amongst tillage farmers.

Current information available to us suggests that world grain prices could harden. Its in the best interests of co-ops, merchants and mills to better reward Irish growers, IGG said.

Questions over the maize yield in the US and France, and harvest difficulties in Russia, Argentina and Britain, have combined to put upward pressure on grain prices.

Generally, green barley prices are on 138-139/t, with wheat on 145-150/t.
The Akatsi South Constituency Office of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Volta Region has inaugurated an 18 -member campaign team for the Crucial December 7th general election yesterday in a short ceremony.

Mr. George Loh, the Volta Regional Vice Chairman of the Opposition NDC, who inaugurated the team, advised members to take the upcoming elections seriously and be vigilant in order not to fall into the trap of detractors who would sway them from their main objective.

Your main objective is to ensure former President John Mahama wins the presidential polls and nothing should detract you from that, he emphasized.

He also tasked them to be more united to carry out vigorous campaigns to ensure that Lawyer Bernard Ahiafor, the incumbent Member of Parliament, retained the seat for the Party in the December 7th election.

The lawmaker for Akatsi South Constituency, Mr. Bernard Ahiafor, in his welcoming address, pleaded with the team to show total commitment to their mandate and promised to work with them to ensure that they achieved the ultimate goal of returning the NDC into power in 2021.

Speaking to the Media, Mr. Anthony Owusu the Constituency Chairman in the Akatsi South Constituency, said the campaign team was composed with the aim of presenting a united front and delivering Victory for the NDC in all the 97 polling stations across the Akatsi South Constituency.

We have one NDC and I advise we all bury all our differences and carry out the duty of bringing Mahama and the NDC back to power.

We can not win this election accidentally but with endurance, commitment, and determination, he added.

The party's scribe in the Akatsi South Constituency, Mr. Daniel Dagba implored the colleague members of the campaign team to discharge their mandate diligently in spearheading the partys campaign in the Constituency in order to vindicate the confidence that had been reposed in them by the leadership of the opposition NDC.

Mr. Daniel Dagba, The administrator of the Akatsi South NDC who spoke on behalf of the team, assured the party that the team would work relentlessly to secure unquestionable victory for former President John Dramani Mahama and the Parliamentary Candidate (PC) of the NDC in the Akatsi South Constituency.

He again seized the opportunity to call on the supporters and sympathizers of the NDC to be more United towards the rescue mission agenda.

The Communications officer of the party, Hon. John Kobby Agbanavor who issued a statement regarding the formation of the "VICTORY CAMPAIGN TEAM" also appealed to the members of the party and the Ghanaian people, in general, to continue to repose their confidence in the NDC, which, according to him, is the only party in Ghana that is able to deliver prosperity, Peace, and development to the Ghanaian people.

Members of the team include

1. Anthony Kojo Owusu

2. Daniel Dagba

3. Anthony Solo Adotevi

4. Sullemana Seidu

5. Agbolosu Cecilia

6. Selasie Ackuaku

7. Agbanavor John

8. Bubey Omaru Zongo Caucus Coopted

9. John Hude Cadres Rep

10. Samuel Kwadzo Wuadi Former DCEs Rep

11. Justice Goka Former Exec Rep

12. Isaac Attivor Former Exec Rep

13. Rt Hon. Doe Adjaho Former MP Honourale MPs Appointment

14 Salomey Adama

15. Famous Matsi

Other members are as follows

16.Mr. Emmanuel Apetorgbor

17. Mr. Adeleke and the Parliamentary Candidate Hon. Bernard Ahiafor.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee will be cremated with full state honours on Tuesday. The funeral will be held at 2 pm.

His mortal remains have been kept at his residence in Delhi for people to pay their last respects. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, chiefs of three defence services and other dignitaries reached his 10 Rajaji Marg home to pay homage to him.

Also Read: Former President Pranab Mukherjee passes away at the age of 84

Others who also paid their last respects to Mukherjee were Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh.

Meanwhile, the Centre and several other states have announced seven-day official mourning, from August 31 to September 6 as a mark of respect for the former president.

Mukherjee breathed his last on Monday at Army's Research and Referral Hospital, hours after his health deteriorated from suffering a septic shock due to lung infection.

He was admitted to the hospital on August 10 and was also tested COVID-19 positive on the same day.

Also Read: Infographic: Pranab Mukherjee's economic legacy

Mukherjee, one of India's most respected politicians, died following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments. He was 84.

A seven-time parliamentarian and recipient of Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, he was one of the most admired and respected political figures.

Also Read: Remembering Pranab Mukherjee and his economic legacy
The pharma secondary packaging market is highly competitive and crucial. Constant innovation and attempts to create more consumer-friendly and efficient packaging designs is one of the biggest contributors. Therefore, pharma secondary packaging market players need to innovate continually and stay ahead of their competitors' initiatives. Infiniti's competitive intelligence solutions enable companies to analyze the market, understand consumers' needs, and stay ahead of competitors' strategic and design initiatives. In Infiniti's recent client engagement, a pharma secondary packaging market client reduced operational costs and realized savings of over $1.2 million within six months of leveraging our competitive intelligence solutions.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005764/en/

Competitive Intelligence Solutions for a Pharma Secondary Packaging Market Client (Graphic: Business Wire)

To gain an unparalleled competitive edge, stay ahead of industry trends, and dominate the pharma secondary packaging market, request a free proposal

"Pharma secondary packaging is becoming widely adopted and essential as they offer critical functionalities, such as for physical and barrier protection, secondary containment, adherence to regulations, and consumer safety. It also creates a buffer and protects primary packages from each other during transportation," says a pharma secondary packaging expert at Infiniti Research.

Business Challenge:

The client, a prominent pharmaceutical company based out of the United States, sought to understand the design and technology innovations and industry best practices adopted by leading players in the pharma secondary packaging market. Within the eight weeks of Infiniti's competitive intelligence engagement, experts at Infiniti were also tasked with helping the client understand the competitive landscape in the European and US pharma secondary packaging market, new features and developments of pharma secondary packaging, and competitor strategies to promote adherence. Additionally, the pharma secondary packaging market client wanted to support their future packaging developments, track industry trends over time, and understand product portfolio descriptions.

Our Approach:

Infiniti's competitive intelligence experts developed a comprehensive approach to assist the pharma secondary packaging market client. The approach included the following:

Primary and secondary research comprising of in-depth interviews and compiling information from reliable secondary resources

Identifying top designs used in the pharma secondary packaging market, including medication adherence packaging, and increasing use of sustainable materials

Identifying key competitors in the US and Europe, their packaging initiatives, and initiatives undertaken to promote adherence

Recommending the adoption of robotics and process automation that improves production output, lowers operating cost, and enhances worker safety

Business Outcome:

By leveraging Infiniti's competitive intelligence solutions, the pharma secondary packaging market client was able to identify and track their top competitors' strategic initiatives and major packaging trends. The client was also able to increase investment in their packaging lines by adopting technologies that result in faster turn-around time, fewer errors, and higher adaptability. Further, the solutions helped the CPO formulate innovative packaging designs, expedite early market entry for biologics and personalized medicine, and focus on cost-effective packaging designs.

Infiniti's competitive intelligence solutions also helped the pharma secondary packaging client achieve the following:

Reduce operational costs by 30% within the first quarter. Read the complete article to find out how.

Invested into technologies that offer faster turn-around time, fewer errors, and higher adaptability to incorporate and reproduce design changes

Focus on packaging designs that are cost-effective and have shorter production turnaround times

Save the company over $1.2 million within six months by minimizing packaging errors and preventing product recalls

Speak to our experts to gain a comprehensive understanding of the benefits of competitive intelligence solutions in the pharma secondary packaging market.

About Infiniti Research

Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005764/en/

Contacts:

Infiniti Research

Anirban Choudhury

Marketing Manager

US: +1 844 778 0600

UK: +44 203 893 3400

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'The use of military power to settle disputes is not always preferred and is the last preferred option, but it certainly remains an option.'

IMAGE: The Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh. Photograph: Kind courtesy Atishayphotography/Wikimedia Commons

"The army has the capacity to defend its entire territory. Our troops are very hardy, well-trained and completely acclimatised for high-altitude warfare in winters," Lieutenant General P J S Pannu (retd) explains to Rediff.com's Archana Masih. The first of a multi-part interview:

China has once again carried out provocative military action in the Pangong Tso lake area. Do you feel the PLA is going to continue transgressions along the Line of Actual Control?

The PLA has taken the initiative to break the status quo to their favour. The Indian and Chinese military commanders have met several times to achieve status quo ante to return to the pre-April positions.

In certain areas such as Galwan, some readjustment has happened to separate the positions of the two militaries, but the Chinese have not gone back in Pangong Tso, Ghogra, Hot Spring and are quite close to Depsang.

All these incidents have happened north of Pangong Tso.

Yesterday's (August 30) incursion took place in a new area -- which is south of Pangong Tso.

The earlier activities took place in the north and fall under a different command of the China division. To my understanding, there are two Chinese commanders in that area -- in charge of the north and south respectively.

The border post meetings between India and China take place in Chushul which is in our area and Maldo which is theirs. The two posts are very close to each other.

This is not an area where any active hostilities or proximity was reported.

In South Pangong Tso, the Chinese troops are located on one side of the heights and Indian troops are on heights on the other side. There is a bowl in between the two locations next to the lake.

While I do not exactly know where the incursion has happened, but the Chinese have tried to intrude into the bowl even earlier many times and have been stopped by the Indian Army. We have had face-offs in that area resulting in pushing-pulling etc.

I think in the north of Pangong Tso, the troops have almost achieved eyeball-to-eyeball or shoulder-to-shoulder deployments. Therefore, there is very little chance of manoeuvre to open any fresh areas in the north of Pangong Tso.

Maybe the Indian Army has also undertaken certain activities to readjust their positions in a manner where they have an advantage over the Chinese which made the Chinese feel the need to open up a new area.

To do this, the Chinese will look for a place where Indian troops are not physically present like the bowl which is next to the water dominated by heights from both sides.

If the Chinese have come in that side, they can't remain there because Indian troops positioned on the dominating heights will quickly react as is being reported and would have stabilised the ground situation.

Seeing the Chinese belligerence, do you think we are likely to see more of these incursions along the LAC?

The idea behind making the first movement is to get into certain locations where they are in a position of disadvantage.

Whenever a scuffle happens, the forces do tend to take this opportunity to improve their defensive posture or go into certain areas where they have a better visibility or better domination.

Sometimes even junior commanders start taking liberties into these areas to improve their own position which otherwise is very tightly controlled.

Such advantages are taken from both sides and I don't deny that our troops would have taken those advantages too.

IMAGE: An Indian soldier near the Line of Actual Control, India's border with China. Photograph: PTI Photo

How do you see this increased tension affecting the already heightened situation on the ground?

As far as yesterday's action is concerned, I don't think it would give them an advantage tactically or operationally, but it will reinforce the belief that the Chinese are known to break trust.

They have disregarded all the past protocols between the two sides to not to alter the status quo unilaterally.

The side that breaks those protocols would also be branded as untrustworthy. The PLA must be under pressure from their own political authorities to push around in these areas and show more achievement.

I also would not put it past against the Chinese divisional commander in the south having taken the action because he felt left out in front of a proactive counterpart. Such an action could also be a result of competition between the two commanders.

This will now result in the Indian side reinforcing their positions.

Like you said, we are already shoulder to shoulder in the north, so will there be a similar build-up now in the south as well?

I would not put it past our own troops to have already gone into certain areas to provide an advantage to our side and to ensure that no such leeway is permitted to the other side.

This could result in more deployment in this area to make it more rigid.

The LAC was always flexible in areas where patrols would move around and there were no fixed positions, but this could get more fixated now which is not very conducive for the overall peace, security and tranquility of the area.

IMAGE: Indian Army trucks moves towards Ladakh, August 26, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo

How strategic is that area around Pangong Tso lake? If the Chinese continue to intrude, is there a possibility that they can cut off Chushul valley to our troops?

That assumption is not entirely wrong, but is also not entirely correct.

The Chinese would want to go into the heights from where they can dominate areas which would make the approaches to the Chushul area visible to them.

But to actually go into those positions, they have to move a lot forces which would mean that the Indian military would also harden its positions.

What is the strategic importance of the Pangong Lake?

Two-thirds of this lake is under Chinese control and one third is in India's. This lake separates the north and south divisions of the Chinese forces.

It makes the switching of forces between the north and the south more difficult because the lake causes an impediment to the movement of troops.

Moreover, both sides have military boats in the water which act as a water highway for quick movement up and down.

How is the Indian Army prepared to deal with any further escalation especially in the coming winter months?

The Indian Army is fully prepared. Four months would have given the Indian Army enough time for a larger action.

The army is not only capable, but has the capacity to defend its entire territory. Our troops are very hardy, well-trained and completely acclimatised for high-altitude warfare in winters.

It is not going to be a cakewalk for the Chinese. I understand the capacity of the Indian Army and I also understand the area, I know we will not be at any disadvantage.

What is the possibility of the situation escalating further? Some say that a limited war is not unlikely?

The military is an extension of the political resolve. If the two countries cannot solve the problem politically and diplomatically through negotiated peaceful settlement, then the military is there to play its role if the political hierarchy feels it is necessary.

The use of military power to settle disputes is not always preferred and is the last preferred option, but it certainly remains an option.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
After hearing objections from neighbors at a city meeting Monday night, Catholic Charities withdrew its application to rezone a commercial building on Fifth Avenue that it had hoped to use as a community resource center.

I think theres quite a bit of confusion, and theres a lot of misrepresentation and misunderstanding of what the property is going to be used for, said Roberto Partarrieu with the charity.

The group bought the building at 508 S. Fifth Ave., formerly owned by Mayo Clinic Health Systems, with the hopes of expanding some of its services to the community.

The facility would offer a place for individuals and families to rest during the day, and do things like laundry, take showers, use the food pantry, get clothing and receive financial education and assistance, and counseling.

But neighbors expressed their concern that the plan was impeding on plans to revitalize the neighborhood, many of them reporting being fearful and witnessing disturbances near their homes.

We committed ourselves to the revitalization of this neighborhood, said Courtney Lokken, who said she never thought shed find herself arguing against a facility such as this. And I have to say that the climate in the last year, year-and-a-half have been really hard on my family.

We dont always feel as comfy here in small-town La Crosse, Lokken added, noting her family moved to the area from Chicago.

It is not a debate about what Catholic Charities offers, its about the fit, another neighbor said, echoing a similar sentiment behind supporting services for those in-need, but not housing it in the Washburn Neighborhood.

Nearly 30 residents submitted formal objections to the city against the project, and the neighborhoods alderman, Phil Ostrem  who said he only heard from one resident in support  and the Washburn Neighborhood Association also oppose the project.

I know how much stress the Washburn Neighborhood is under, Ostrem said. We need to find a solution for the homelessness, but we need to find a different one.

The community resource center would not have served as a permanent, overnight shelter, the charity said, but noted that due to its limited capacity during COVID-19 and with winter approaching, it would have planned to use it as a last resort for any overflow in need.

The charity noted that because of COVID-19, between Nov. 1-April 31, it would only have the capacity to house 15 individuals overnight at its downtown warming center  four blocks from the Fifth Avenue site  which usually can support up to 40 individuals.

One La Crosse resident spoke to the officials Monday night about the help she received from Catholic Charities when she found herself homeless.

Until I became one of them, I honestly had no idea how large that group was, Mary Richmond said.

Catholic Charities helped Richmond find an apartment and find the essentials she needed to succeed in the new home.

Without it, someone who is homeless, like I was, might not be able to get the help they need to get out of homelessness, she said.

We would basically be going back to 10 years ago, said Karen Becker with the charity. There is simply no more room at the inn due to COVID. So how many Marys do we have to turn away?

In a show of solidarity to the neighbors who expressed their opposition, the City Plan Commission voted to formally deny the request for rezoning, despite the withdrawal from the group.

The charity said it would go back to the drawing board and iron more details out and reach out to more neighbors to find out whats next for the building.

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Contributed Photo / Windsor Locks Police Department

WINDSOR LOCKS  A town man has been charged with murder after police say he stabbed his mother to death in their John Street home Monday afternoon and then called 911 to report the incident.

Around 1 p.m. Monday, police received a 911 call from a person who said he had just killed his mother at his home on John Street, according to police.
Malis President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita who was recently arrested in a military coup is now facing deportation to Senegal by the new military junta that is currently in control of the nation as per reports citing military sources. The coup that began on August 18 saw the military arrest President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and his Prime Minister. President Keita was then forced to announce his resignation on state television and appealed for calm and stated that no blood should be spilled in his name.

President faces deportation

The leaders of the coup have established a National Committee for the Salvation of the People as Mali's new governing body, with Col. Assimi Goita in charge of the West African Country now. The Economic Community of West African States that has already suspended Mails membership has stated that the bloc plans on sending a high-ranking delegation to Mali in order to give power back to civilians and wants to see Keita reinstated as the Malian president.

In addition to the Economic Community of West African States, many world leaders and the United Nations have also called for the release of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse. Mails former colonial master France has also condemned the arrest of the countrys 75-year-old leader and have asked the military junta to return power to the civilian government immediately. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita first came to power in 2013 in a landslide election wherein he got more than 77 per cent of the votes; five years later Keita won re-election but his political fortunes have soured since his then.

Read: UN Chief Following Developments In Mali Very Closely And With Deep Concern: Spokesperson

Read: Mali Coup Leaders Vow Elections Amid Widespread Condemnation

On August 19 the United Nation released a statement wherein they condemned the actions of the military junta that had taken over Mali and called for "for an immediate restoration of constitutional order and rule of law" in Mail. The members of the Junta have asked the people to return to business as usual and have stated that they will hand power to a transitional civilian government but no clear timeline has been provided.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a brief statement stated that there must be a negotiated solution and peaceful resolution" to the crisis in Mali.

(Input Credit ANI)

Read: Merkel: European Leaders Condemn Mali Coup

Read: Mali Soldiers Promise To Organise Fresh Elections Soon Amid Political Crisis
A meeting of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was held today in Mumbai through video conference. Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India, chaired the meeting. The meeting was attended by the members of the Sub-Committee.

The Sub-Committee reviewed the major developments in global and domestic economy and financial markets that impinge on the financial stability. It discussed issues relating to inter-Regulatory coordination and reviewed the initiatives and activities of National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE), activities of various technical groups under FSDC-SC and functioning of State Level Coordination Committees (SLCCs) in various states/UTs. The regulators reaffirmed their commitment to continue co-coordinating on various initiatives and measures to strengthen the financial sector in these extraordinarily challenging times.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 20:14:34|Editor: huaxia

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KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait on Tuesday reported 702 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 85,811 and the death toll to 534, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

Currently, 7,620 patients are receiving treatment, including 90 in ICU, according to the statement.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 433 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 77,657.

On Aug. 30, the Kuwaiti government lifted a nationwide partial curfew, while activities, including celebrations, parties, weddings, gatherings, banquets and funerals, will remain restricted to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

On Aug. 18, Kuwait moved into the fourth phase of its five-phase plan to return to normal life, during which, salons, gyms, barbershops, tailor's, and spas reopened and restaurants can offer more services.

Kuwait and China have been supporting each other and cooperating closely in combating the COVID-19.

Kuwait donated medical supplies worth 3 million U.S. dollars to China at the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak, while China has been facilitating the procurement of medical supplies by Kuwait.

On April 27, a team of Chinese medical experts visited Kuwait to assist the Gulf country's anti-coronavirus fight, through sharing with Kuwaiti counterparts their experience and expertise in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Enditem
Thailand and Indonesia continued to be Vietnams major car exporters, making up over 76 percent of combined imported cars, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

The trend began in June, when cars from Thailand and Indonesia accounted for over 67 percent of Vietnams total imports of 3,552 units worth US$97.9 million.

A total of 1,743 cars were imported from Thailand for $24.64 million and 638 cars worth $6.6 million were shipped from Indonesia in June.

In July, Vietnam imported 4,761 cars at a cost of nearly $108 million, up 34 percent month-over-month in volume and over ten percent in value.

Of the total, 2,324 cars, or 48.8 percent, came from Thailand, totalling $37.9 million.

Meanwhile, 1,302 cars were imported from Indonesia, or 27.3 percent of the total, for $14.1 million.

On average, cars from Thailand cost $16,308 apiece, while each car imported from Indonesia fetched less than $10,900 in July.

Notably, Vietnam spent more than $96 million importing 4,078 cars in the first half of August alone.

Vietnamese customs also reported that the country spent $347 million importing auto components and spare parts  mostly from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and China  in July, up 24.4 percent from June.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
SEATTLE, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.-based, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) has established a new facility in Salt Lake City to support the development of the company's proprietary Fully Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM) fuel. Materials developed at the new facility will be used in Ultra Safe Nuclear's Micro-Modular Reactors (MMR) and other nuclear reactors, including gas-cooled reactors, light water reactors, CANDU reactors, and molten salt cooled reactors.

Salt Lake City was selected as the Ultra Safe Nuclear fuel-development site because of the region's well-established infrastructure, knowledgeable workforce, and status as a technology growth hub. The region is home to significant ceramics and materials expertise, central to the manufacturing of FCM fuel. The Salt Lake City Lab augments Ultra Safe's materials development efforts at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and collaborations with the Chalk River Laboratories.

FCM is a next-generation TRISO particle fuel design, replacing the 50-year-old graphite matrix of traditional TRISO fuel with Silicon Carbide (SiC), a material used in tank armor that is extremely resistant to radiation and thermal damage. The result is a safer nuclear fuel that can withstand higher temperatures and more radiation. The SiC matrix in FCM fuel provides a dense, gas-tight barrier preventing the escape of fission products even if a TRISO particle should rupture during operation. The new matrix improves the structural and containment characteristics of TRISO particles, trapping and sealing radioactive fission products permanently, preventing contamination of the environment.

The higher-thermal conductivity of FCM fuel allows the fuel pellet to have a flatter temperature profile, lowering peak temperatures in nuclear reactors. Unlike conventional nuclear fuels, FCM fuel achieves full-fission product containment across a wide range of temperatures that include operating and accident conditions. The higher-thermal conductivity of FCM fuel makes it extremely rugged and stable, allowing the fuel pellet to have a flatter temperature profile, lowering peak temperatures inside the reactor.

"Our accident-tolerant FCM fuel design will deliver built-in safety, especially when combined with the inherently safe design of our MMR Reactor," said Francesco Venneri, CEO of Ultra Safe Nuclear. "Establishing the new advanced materials facility in Salt Lake City will help expedite development and adoption of FCM fuel."

FCM fuel will be first used in Ultra Safe Nuclear's Micro Modular Reactor, a 15 MW reactor currently in advanced licensing stage at the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's Chalk River Laboratories campus in Ontario, Canada, in collaboration with Ontario Power Generation (OPG) through the jointly owned Global First Power Limited Partnership. Ultra Safe Nuclear plans to use FCM fuel in its future deployments.

About Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation

USNC is a vertical integrator of nuclear power technologies, committed to bringing safe, commercially competitive, reliable nuclear energy to markets throughout the world. The company strictly adheres to inherent and intrinsic safety principles through technological innovation in fuels, materials, and design practices. Twitter: @UltraSafeNuke

USNC

1-206-290-4431

[email protected]

SOURCE Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation
Andium, an INC. 200-Ranked IIoT Company Were very proud to be recognized by Inc. for our vision of using IIoT to empower forward-thinking leaders to address a wide range of industrial challenges, says Andium CEO Jory Schwach.

Andium, an expert resource for proven IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) remote-field monitoring and communications technologies, has been announced by Inc. Magazine as No. 200 on the Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies.

Were very proud to be recognized by Inc. for our vision of using IIoT to empower forward-thinking leaders to address a wide range of industrial challenges, says Andium CEO Jory Schwach. Our next-gen remote monitoring and AI solutions are allowing industrial players to bring even their most antiquated systems into the Industry 4.0 revolution.

Using IIoT to Build A Smarter World

Andiums products are empowering its clients, including some of the worlds top 10 energy companies, to operate more cost-effectively, safely and sustainably. From flare tracking to thermal tank telemetry, Andium is saving oil and gas clients millions of dollars annually, while helping them reduce their carbon footprint and increase the safety of their personnel on a daily basis.

For context, the cost of methane leaks is an estimated $2 billion per year and 13 million metric tons  enough natural gas to fuel 10 million homes. Energy Security Council, a Houston-based security group, has estimated a 1 to 3 percent loss rate of crude oil due to theft, at a cost of about $2.1 billion per year.

To help energy companies avoid methane leaks and other costly losses, Andiums technology is able to bring connectivity and visibility to even the most remote field sites without the need for an infrastructure overhaul.

In about 60 days, our ability to communicate with field techs at wells sites shifted from 40 percent of its wells to 90 percent, reported one of Andiums global energy clients. And that connectivityfrom a remote, unconnected field tech to one who can communicate instantly with experts in the officehas spawned a sea change in the companys ability to get expertise to the wellhead.

Empowering Leaders to Create Meaningful Change

Schwach founded Andium on the premise that with the right team, he could provide industrial leaders with the tools they needed to bring about meaningful change without overhauling their entire operations. Rather than requiring companies to invest in complicated and cost-prohibitive infrastructure to enhance their operations and drive data to the cloud, Schwach devised a way to bring cost-effective digital intelligence directly to the field.

We understand that one of the fundamental keys to empowering leaders in any industry is unwavering end-to-end support, says COO Ari Nielsen. The client is the ultimate expert in their field. They shouldnt also need to be an expert in IIoT.

Inc. 5000 Companies Showed Staggering Growth

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available now.

ABOUT ANDIUM

Andium is an Industrial Internet of Things company using technology to build a smarter world and empower leaders to create meaningful change. Founded by CEO Jory Schwach, Andium is led by a global team of engineers, innovators, business leaders and designers. With the worlds first true end-to-end IIoT platform, Andium offers an ecosystem of products and services that provide the next generation of remote monitoring capabilities, without the need for heavy infrastructure or IT. https://www.andium.com.

ABOUT INC. AND THE INC. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

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New Delhi: Japan's donor agency JICA on Monday signed an agreement with the Indian government under which it will provide about Rs 3,500 crore in loan to boost the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

This loan will be disbursed to the Government of India for supporting anticipated financing requirement for the implementation of "Prime Minister Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana (PM-ASBY)" governed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as the Atmanirbhar Bharat Package for the health sector.

The objective of the project is to strengthen public healthcare system, by extending budget support to the Indian government in implementing emergency response programmes for the health sector as countermeasures against the COVID-19, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said in a statement.

This will contribute to promoting the social and economic stabilization and development efforts of India, it said.

JICA signed with the Indian government to provide an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of 50 billion Japanese Yen (approximately INR 3,500 Crore) as the "COVID-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan".

The ODA loan agreement was signed between C S Mohapatra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Katsuo Matsumoto, Chief Representative, JICA India.

Speaking on the occasion, Matsumoto said, "With the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), we commend Government of India's swift response to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and support their vision to build a robust healthcare system under PM-ASBY".

"Our policy-based lending will be utilized for strengthening the public healthcare system and JICA will closely monitor the critical activities such as implementation of medical teleconsultation services, strengthening national health information reporting platform, and development of infectious disease hospitals," he said.

He said JICA expects that PM-ASBY will improve accessibility, affordability, availability, awareness and quality of healthcare services in the whole nation.

This is the first large scale Japanese ODA to support the Indian government's fight against COVID-19 and we will continue supporting it with all possible measures we can provide, Matsumoto said.

"Based on a national COVID-19 containment strategy, the government of India's response has been pre-emptive, proactive and characterized by a 'whole government' approach with the highest level of political commitment," the statement said.

Through PM-ASBY, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will implement measures to strengthen the public healthcare system, expand and strengthen surveillance capacities, research and national digital health mission, it said.

Along with the financial support, JICA is considering the provision of technical assistance for monitoring the activities under the PM-ASBY and share Japanese knowledge for better implementation, the statement said.

In India, JICA has cumulatively extended ODA loans of 42.5 billion Japanese Yen (approximately Rs 2,833 crore) for the health-care sector, since 1995/96. JICA has health projects in Tamil Nadu and Odisha amongst other states in India.

JICA aims to contribute to the promotion of international cooperation, as a sole Japanese governmental agency in charge of ODA implementation.
Gov. Roy Cooper has signed an executive order to extend the 11 p.m. curfew on alcohol sales in North Carolina through Oct. 2.

The order is an effort "to continue slowing the spread of COVID-19," according to a press release from the governor's office.

North Carolina has made good progress stabilizing our COVID-19 numbers, and this order will help us continue it, Cooper said in the release. Now is the time to continue staying cautious and vigilant as we work to beat this pandemic.

If local governments have orders that halt alcohol sales earlier than 11 p.m., those remain in effect, the release said.
Nurse Winnie Kibirige sets up the ECGF-IS gravity-feed infusion set to provide IV therapy as part of an adult clinical trial at Kiruddu Hospital in Kampala. Credit: Uganda Industrial Research Institute

Many diseases require intravenous (IV) infusion therapy. But uncontrolled infusion rates and incorrect dosing can lead to severe complications or even death. The ECGF-IS project aims to improve the safety of IV therapies in developing countries. Its goal is to develop a low-cost, electronically controlled gravity-feed infusion system to reduce the mortality associated with over-infusion and under-infusion, especially in children. Fraunhofer researchers are developing the device in collaboration with the Uganda Industrial Research Institute. They have received the 2020 German-African Innovation Incentive Award (GAIIA) for their work on the project so far.

Precise intravenous therapies can significantly improve outcomes for patients suffering from a range of different illnesses. IV infusion is often used in intensive care medicine, cases of severe blood loss, and the treatment of dehydration and severe gastrointestinal symptoms. IV therapy is also used to treat COVID-19 patients. Gravity-feed infusion is the most common form of IV therapy. It works by delivering fluid containing minerals, nutrients and medications from an elevated IV bag to the patient through an infusion system (ECGF-IS). This method can be problematic in developing countries such as Uganda, however, where hospitals routinely use gravity-feed infusion systems in situations where a patient in an industrialized country would be treated using an infusion pump. Infusion pumps allow for much more accurate dosing of the therapeutic agent because they continuously regulate the infusion flow rate. This is not possible with gravity-feed infusion sets, which require the flow rate to be adjusted manually using a roller clamp on the tube below the IV bag. Manual adjustment is a time-consuming process that is often neglected due to insufficient staff. This lack of staff is an issue in Ugandan hospitals, too. In the worst case scenario, incorrect dosing can be fatal for the patient. Children are affected more frequently than adults because they are particularly susceptible to dosing errors.

Automated, controlled dosing

The researchers working on the project "Electronically Controlled Gravity-Feed Infusion Set"known as ECGF-IS for shortare aiming to develop a device that regulates dosing automatically and improves the safety of the infusion process. The purpose of the new electronically controlled gravity-feed infusion system is to close the gap between uncontrolled gravity-feed IV infusion and the highly precise but extremely expensive infusion pumps used by physicians in industrialized countries. Infusion pumps are complex to operate and costly to maintain. With spare parts often hard to obtain, they are of limited use for clinical settings in Uganda, which can sometimes be very far from ideal. They are also poorly equipped to deal with varying power outages and cannot be used in areas that have no access to electricity.

The project was initiated by Philippa Ngaju Makobore, a researcher at the Uganda Industrial Research Institute in Kampala. She is supported by a team of researchers from the Project Group for Automation in Medicine and Biotechnology PAMB in Mannheim, which is part of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA. The project partners have already been rewarded for their sustainable, innovative solution with the 2020 German-African Innovation Incentive Award (GAIIA) presented by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Their newly developed medical device will help African countries tackle some of the social challenges they face.

"The new system includes a drip sensor that automatically counts the number of drops of IV fluid. The roller clamp normally found in IV sets has been replaced by an actuator that blocks the infusion tube so that the device only administers the number of drops that are actually required to treat the patient," says Tobias Behr, an engineer at Fraunhofer PAMB, describing how the gravity-feed infusion system works. The device also ensures the drip rate remains constant while allowing it to be readjusted where necessary. A major advantage is the fact that hospitals can simply attach the new drip sensor system to their existing IV bags and tubes and continue using them. The physician can adjust all the settings via the display screen. The device is battery-powered and the team of researchers is currently developing a solar-powered charging station for use in rural areas.

Electrical engineer Ronald Kyeyune from the UIRI tests a circuit used to supply power to the ECGF-IS gravity-feed infusion set. Credit: Uganda Industrial Research Institute

Strengthening local structures in Uganda

Most of the components of the system are available in Uganda, so only few of the parts have to be purchased or imported abroad. This was a key goal right from the start: "Our goal is to strengthen local structures, so that means building the solution in Uganda and not having to import expensive components from Germany. We're supporting the partners with technical issues and helping them prepare their application for approval, but essentially we're just acting as sparring partners," says Johannes Horsch, a team leader and colleague of Tobias Behr at Fraunhofer PAMB.

The safety and effectiveness of the current version of the infusion set have already been evaluated and validated in two clinical studies involving 12 adult patients and 160 children. The new system demonstrated a significantly more accurate flow rate than the conventional set used to treat a control group. "The results of the two studies were so promising that we're already working on an optimization of the prototype," says Behr.

The German and Ugandan researchers envisage a long-term partnership that will enable them to develop more low-cost medical devices as well as tackling other projects. Distribution of the new infusion set will initially focus on East Africa but will eventually extend worldwide if successful. Other plans include setting up an academic exchange program and offering courses for students. As well as expanding both partners' networks, the project will also produce results that can be used as a basis for teaching classes in both Uganda and Germany on medical technology in developing countries.

Explore further Improving glycemic control may also aid COVID-19 outcomes

More information: Project group for automation in medicine and biotechnology: Project group for automation in medicine and biotechnology: pamb.ipa.fraunhofer.de/en.html
The Magic Valley Symphony held its first rehearsal inside the CSI auditorium on Aug. 25. Maestro Ted Hadley said it was not without a few challenges.


Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing to him to consider more legally viable options for providing Goods and Services Tax (GST) dues to the states to help them tide over the financial crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the letter, Kejriwal mentioned that two options that are given by the Union Finance Ministry which require the states to borrow loans and then meet the repayment liabilities, will put an onerous burden on the states. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor wrote the letter following deliberations on the options given by the central government to the states at the 41st GST Council meet on August 27. Appealing to the Prime Minister, Kejriwal said that the GST Council should consider authorising the Centre to borrow on its behalf and extend the period of collection of cess beyond 2022. The GST Council had on August 27 offered states with two options to tide over their GST revenue shortfall as the GST cess collected from items such as cars and tobacco was not adequate to compensate them this financial year. The Centre specified that the state governments could borrow either via a special window it will facilitate through the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or raise debt from the market. Terming the GST reform as a landmark reform in the indirect tax structure of India, the Delhi Chief Minister in the letter stated that the assurance of the GST compensation to states to meet the shortfall in GST collections is one of the pillars on which the entire GST edifice rests. Kejriwal also said that all the states will overcome the unprecedented situation that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought before the country by working collectively. He said that the GST Act, 2017, very clearly provides for compensation to the states for the loss of revenue arising on account of the implementation of the GST in pursuance of the provision of the Constitution (101st Amendment Act, 2016). "To create an artificial distinction between loss occurring due to the implementation of the GST and those occurring due to COVID-19 pandemic goes against the very spirit of the Compensation Act and will lead to a creation of a trust deficit between the Centre and the states, wherein in future, the states will be hesitant in coming together to achieve more such larger common national goals, as was done through the implementation of GST," Kejriwal said. The Delhi Chief Minister said that the options proposed by the Centre will lead to a cumbersome process of borrowing by the states, crediting the debt amount to the GST compensation fund, "to which legally all the compensation funds have to be credited in terms of the Section 10 of the GST (Compensation Act, 2017) and thereafter release of such funds as may be due to the states from the Compensation Fund." Requesting the Prime Minister for a more sustainable and viable option, Kejriwal said, "Considering the above situation, it is my humble submission that the Government of India may like to consider a much more simpler and legally sustainable option of borrowing by the Government of India to the full extent of the requirement of compensation in the year 2021 and 2022, to be serviced and repaid by the future collection of cess with effect from 2022." For this purpose the GST Council may consider authorising the central government of India to borrow on its behalf and extend the period of collection of cess beyond the year 2022, Kejriwal said. He further stated that if this option is exercised, it will be acceptable to all the states who will be obliged to the Centre for supporting them in such a situation. Five states -- Punjab, Delhi, Kerala, Telangana and West Bengal -- that are not ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday rejected the proposal mooted by the central government at the GST Council meeting.




By PTI

NEW DELHI: A group of public health experts has recommended that schools and other educational institutions should be reopened in a graded manner while highlighting that the lockdown should be discontinued as a strategy for control of the spread of coronavirus.

The nationwide lockdown induced by COVID-19 in March prompted schools and colleges to move to the virtual world for teaching and learning activities.

The recommendations were made in a report compiled by experts from the Indian Public Health Association (IPHA), Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM) and the Indian Association of Epidemiologists (IAE).

Recommending that the opening of schools and other educational institutions could be started in a graded manner, the experts said it is time now to move towards normalcy.

"There should be a pragmatic approach, especially in areas where sufficient population is already infected with SARS CoV-2 (As assessed by expert committee). Even in low infection areas, schools may be opened with due safety measures (social distancing, alternate work days, etc.), and with adequate surveillance for any outbreaks acceleration due to schools," they said.

The experts said closure of educational institutions, especially schools for children (5-18 years) has had a significant impact on the teaching-learning system as well as mental health of the children.

"The impact has been disproportionately higher on the children of lower socio-economic strata who do not have social capital for alternatives like digital platforms. Sufficient evidence is available that infected, young children are at an extremely low risk of developing morbidity," they said.

The risk of young children transmitting corona infection to older family members would be the same as adult family members who are permitted to carry out activities outside of home environment, they said.

They also said the lockdown as a strategy for control of the contagion should be discontinued.

"Geographically limited restrictions for short periods may be imposed in epidemiologically defined clusters. Cluster restrictions should be considered only in areas with no community transmission," they said.

The primary purpose of the lockdown was to slow down the pandemic and gain time for preparedness to fight it, and this purpose has already been achieved, the report said.

There is no evidence that any useful purpose would be served by weekend, intermittent or night time lockdown, banning of domestic flights and large sized containment zones, the experts noted.

"In large cities where already there has been substantial spread (can be assessed by the expert committee) there is no advantage of creating containment zones and aggressive testing," they said.

The group also recommended that primary, secondary and tertiary health care services including outpatient and inpatient services including routine and emergency surgeries should resume as early as feasible, at least in those areas that are progressing towards higher levels of immunity and in towns and districts with no cases.

Recommending quarantine and isolation policies, the experts said they should be community friendly.

"The present policies, where houses of all persons who test positive are stamped, isolated by barricades, is creating a fear in society. This practice should be abandoned immediately," they said.

"When the majority of states and districts are affected, there is no rationale for quarantine of inter-state travellers who are required to be in mandatory facility (Hotel or health facility) quarantine (for 14 days). This should be stopped immediately," they said.

The experts said citizen friendly measures like following home quarantine, which has been an effective strategy in many cities and states, should be followed.

The experts recommended increasing healthcare expenditure to 5 percent of GDP.

"Public health care should be significantly strengthened and enhanced with overall public expenditure to be increased to at least 5 per cent of the GDP. The focus of increased health expenditure should be on primary health care and human resource and infrastructure strengthening rather than opening/strengthening tertiary care centres," they said.

The 20-member joint COVID Task Force includes Dr Shashi Kant, Past President IAPSM, and Head of the Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr Sanjay K Rai, National President, IPHA and Professor, CCM, AIIMS, Dr Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director of National Centre for Disease Control NCDC), Dr D C S Reddy, former Professor and Head, Community Medicine, IMS, BHU, Varanasi and Dr.

Rajesh Kumar, former Professor & Head, DCM and SPH, PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Dr Singh and Dr Kant are members of the ICMR National Task Force on COVID-19 while Dr Reddy chairs the ICMR research group on epidemiology and surveillance for COVID-19.
Undergraduates receiving financial aid wont be paying less, though. NU cant change family contribution levels because of its participation in federal aid programs, though students can submit new information about their financial situations and get new rates. Those who need extra financial support to cover the costs of travel or technology needs can apply for funding through the schools financial aid office.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 11:01:43|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Parliament's Human Rights Commission Chairwoman Zohreh Elahian on Monday regretted that European countries shelter anti-Iranian "terrorists" and urged the countries to put these "terrorists" on trial, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

"Over 17,000 oppressed Iranian citizens have been victimized by terrorist acts and clear and systematic violations of the basic human rights, including the rights to life, security, and health," Elahian said in a letter to Maria Arena, the head of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights.

Members of the exiled Iranian Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) were responsible for many of these terrorist acts, Elahian said.

"Most of the terrorists have sought asylum in European countries and keep on plotting against the people of Iran," she added.

The Iranian lawmaker reminded the European governments' commitments to cooperate "in matters such as the identification and prosecution of offenders, their extradition and the seizure of their assets in order to compensate victims."

Elahian asked the European Parliament to take action, and hoped that European governments will "support the victims of terror and their family members, deliver justice to victims, and put the terrorists who live in these countries on trial to end impunity." Enditem
On Monday, Motorola is announcing a new midrange 5G smartphone. The Motorola One 5G is essentially a rebranded Moto G 5G Plus headed to the US market with a unique ring flash. The company doesnt yet have an exact price point, but it promises the phone will cost under $500.

The Moto One 5G comes with the same specs as the G 5G Plus. It has a total of six cameras: four on the back and two in the front. One of the selfie cameras is a 16MP f/2.0 camera and the other is an 8MP ultra wide shooter for wide selfies. Around back, the main camera is a 48MP shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide, a 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth camera.

The main difference between the Moto G 5G Plus and the Motorola One 5G is that the latter has a new ring flash around the main camera module. This is in addition to the main dual LED flash thats next to the camera setup. The chipset wasn't explicitly mentioned, but we expect it to use the Snapdragon 730G.

The phone has a 6.7-inch CinemaVision LCD screen with FullHD+ resolution and 21:9 aspect ratio, along with a 90Hz refresh rate. Theres also a huge 5,000 mAh battery joined by support for 20W fast charging. In our review of the Moto G 5G Plus, the phone scored an excellent 114h of overall endurance.

The Motorola One 5G will come be available from AT&T and Verizon. The Verizon variant will come with support for the carriers mmWave 5G network and will likely cost a bit more than other variants. The Moto G 5G Plus had a 350 price point, so we wonder if it will be roughly the same in the US. T-Mobile just announced the T-Mobile Revvl 5G, which has a price point of $399. We wonder if the carriers will try to undercut the Revvl 5Gs price point  which is currently the lowest for a 5G smartphone in the US market.
Workers at Nana Atelier, a small Los Angeles clothing maker whose owners supported SB 1399, a bill that would have toughened regulations in the apparel industry to combat wage theft. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

A bill intended to prevent wage theft in Los Angeles' apparel industry died in the chaotic final hours of this year's legislative session when it failed to come up for a vote before the midnight deadline.

SB 1399, by state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), would have required apparel factories to pay garment workers an hourly wage and allow paying by the piece only as an incentive bonus. It also would have made fashion brands and retailers that contract to have clothing manufactured for them liable for any wage theft, even if workers were shortchanged by third-party subcontractors.

The bill needed to clear the lower house and then return to the Senate because of a number of amendments made by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, but it failed to come up for a vote on the Assembly floor before time ran out on the session, which had been upended in the spring by the coronavirus outbreak.

Durazo has not yet decided whether to introduce the bill again next year or try to achieve its aims administratively, according to a spokesperson for the senator.

Im disheartened that SB1399 did not prevail in the final hours of the legislative session. 2020 has not been the best year. As we regroup to plan for the upcoming legislative session, our commitment to garment workers will continue to be a priority, because every day wage theft continues to cheat workers out of their pay and while workers continue to be paid by the piece, they continue to earn on average five dollars an hour," Durazo said in a statement.

The legislation prompted strong opposition by leading trade associations, who said it would harm Los Angeles' already-diminished fashion industry.

SB 1399 was an attempt to update reforms passed in 1999, four years after 72 Thai immigrants here illegally were found virtually enslaved in an El Monte sweatshop. That legislation made garment manufacturers liable for wage violations by the contractors that produce their garments, but labor advocates say in the ensuing decades the use of subcontractors has made it harder to enforce the law.

Story continues

The new bill would have created a category of companies called brand guarantors that would have been jointly and severally liable for any wage theft in the production of clothing. Guarantors were defined not only to include traditional fashion brands but also retailers that contract to have clothing made for them, such as for private labels.

The bill was amended in the Appropriations Committee to clarify record-retention requirements for brand guarantors in response to industry concerns they were too burdensome. Other amendments included a penalty to enforce piece-rate regulations and a clarification that retailers and brands would be responsible for wages, damages, penalties and other compensation owed to workers as opposed to just the loss of minimum wage and overtime pay.

One exception in the legislation would have allowed workers to be paid a piece rate if it was settled on in a collective bargaining agreement.

Paying workers for every hem or cuff they sew is traditional in the apparel industry, but labor advocates say it facilitates wage theft by unscrupulous factory owners. They said that making stores and brands responsible for wage theft should encourage them to pay more to have their clothing manufactured and better monitor the factories where their clothing is produced.

The law was drafted by Bet Tzedek, a nonprofit that offers free legal service to low-income workers, and was co-sponsored by the downtown L.A. Garment Worker Center and other labor advocates.

Opponents, including the California Fashion Assn., the California Retailers Assn. and the California Chamber of Commerce, contended the new regulations would have driven business out of the state and further damaged the Los Angeles industry. Employment has shrunk by about two-thirds over several decades to an estimated 45,000 because of competition from low-cost production in Asia, Mexico and Central America. Opponents called for better enforcement of existing regulations.

Ilse Metchek, president of the California fashion industry trade group, said Tuesday that the bill's demise showed that "cooler heads prevailed."

"Somebody is taking a breath and pausing," she said.

However, industry opposition was not uniform. Durazo's office on Monday released a growing list of more than four dozen apparel companies that supported the bill. Among the highest-profile backers was Fashion Nova, a largely online fast-fashion retailer that has grown rapidly because of its popularity with a legion of Instagram influencers.

Fashion Nova had been held up by the bill's proponents as a glaring example of why the reforms were needed, alleging the retailer's low-cost fashions were being made at the expense of the industry's many workers in the country illegally yet it was not being held accountable. The Vernon company announced a host of reforms of its contracting practices and surprised the industry this summer with its declared support of the bill.

Dana Hadl, a directing attorney at Bet Tzedek, said the group and the bill's other sponsors will be discussing with workers how to move forward next year with the reforms.

"As advocates, we are so very disappointed that we weren't able to convince the Legislature to prioritize this urgent, critical bill," she said. "We have been fighting for change in this industry for 20 years, and we are not giving up the fight."
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in Sri Lanka has decided to conclude the defence campaign it conducted over the past two months to demand the military end its harassment of the partys Northern District candidates in the August 5 general elections. The SEP Political Committee thanks all those, nationally and internationally, who supported this important campaign.

On June 30, the SEP issued the following statement, Hands off the Sri Lankan Trotskyists: SEP demands military stops harassing its election candidates in Jaffna and appealed for urgent support to expose and thwart the militarys actions.

In response readers and supporters of the World Socialist Web Site(WSWS)workers, youth, intellectuals, artistssent dozens of letters to the defence secretary, retired Major General, Kamal Gunaratne demanding the military stop its harassment SEP members. About 250 people from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Norway and Canada signed an SEP online petition. In Sri Lanka, port, railway and irrigation workers, as well as fishermen, farmers, students and youth, also signed petitions.

An SEP press conference opposing the military harassment

The campaign was launched after military intelligence officers visited SEP candidates Rasenthiram Sutharsan in Kayts, Paramu Thirugnanasambanthar at Karainagar and Rajaratnam Rajavel in Jaffna, on May 28, June 16 and 23, respectively. Claiming that they had been sent by their superiors, the officers demanded the personal information of the SEP candidates. They even attempted to photograph Rajavel.

On July 1, police intelligence officers visited the home of another SEP candidate, Rajaratnam Thirugnanavel in Kiranchi, Poonakary, to gather information. A few days later, police ordered Rajaratnam Balagowri to visit their police station.

On June 20, SEP General Secretary Wije Dias wrote to defence secretary Kamal Gunaratne condemning these anti-democratic actions and demanding answers to the following questions: who instigated and authorised the questioning of SEP members, and what is the purpose of the military collecting these personal details. Defence Secretary Gunaratne maintained a stony silence, indicating the governments support for the political witch hunt.

In response to the SEPs campaign, but without naming the party, the Sri Lankan Army commander Shavendra Silva told the press in early July that Tamil politicians and candidates have been making false allegations against the soldiers without any evidence.

Silva made this unsubstantiated claim, ignoring the detailed information that had been provided by SEP General Secretary Dias and in the party statement. At the same time, Silva issued a veiled threat against all election candidates in the North, declaring, Tamil politicians must act responsibly.

In response to Diass letter, which was copied to the chairman of the Election Commission, two officers from its Jaffna bureau visited SEP candidates Thirugnanasambanthar, Rajavel and Sutharsan and recorded their statements. There has been no indication, however, that the election office took up the matter with the military.

On the surface, it appears that military intelligence has not continued its actions. But the SEP is well aware of how the military acts to suppress the democratic rights of the masses and their organisations. The working class must be on guard.

The SEP was singled out for this state harassment because of its ongoing campaign for the withdrawal of the military from the North and East and the partys determined struggle to unite Sinhala-Tamil-Muslim workers for a Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Eelam as a part of the broader struggle for socialism in South Asia and internationally.

The SEP, and its forerunner the Revolutionary Communist League, were alone in consistently opposing the separatist program of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), while unswervingly opposing Colombos brutal communalist war. The war against the LTTE ended in May 2009 with the killing of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians and other war crimes.

The SEP defence campaign against the military harassment of our candidates was part of its broader struggle to defend the democratic rights of all working people. Our intervention via the WSWS was to make workers, youth and all those who cherish democratic rights aware of the dangerous political situation developing in Sri Lanka and internationally.

Fearful of the growing resistance of the working class to the escalating government attacks on social and democratic rights, now being accelerated amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the ruling classes everywhere are turning towards dictatorial and fascistic forms of rule.

After consolidating its rule with a large parliamentary majority in the August 5 general elections, President Gotabhaya Rajapakses government is pushing for constitutional amendments to increase his executive powers and is militarising his administration. The opposition partiesthe United National Party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Samagi Jana Balavegaya and the Tamil National Alliancehave not opposed these moves.

Against this backdrop, workers and youth must seriously study the SEPs August 25 statement in which we said:

The Socialist Equality Party warns workers and youth that they face real dangers as the Rajapakse government prepares an all-out offensive against the social and democratic rights of working people. It will not hesitate to use brute force and police-state measures to crush any opposition. The working class must prepare to fight against this danger with its own independent class strategy.
LOS ANGELES  A Black man was shot and killed by Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies after he was stopped for a traffic violation while riding a bike, then ran from police, punched one officer and then made a motion toward a gun on the ground, authorities said.

The Monday afternoon shooting death of Dijon Kizzee in South Los Angeles prompted a peaceful protest hours later. Black Lives Matter marched Tuesday evening from the scene to a sheriffs precinct station.

The killing came on the heels of the police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that left Jacob Blake, who is also Black, paralyzed and spurred days of protests, reinvigorating the national debate on racial injustice and policing.

Also Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to ask the coroner to conduct an inquest into the fatal deputy shooting of 18-year-old Andres Guardado on June 18. Guardado was shot five times in the back after deputies said they saw him with a gun and he ran. Guardados family filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Monday against the county, the Sheriffs Department and deputies involved in the shooting.

Kizzees family and friends created a small memorial for him at the shooting scene in the Westmont neighborhood  leaving flowers, balloons and candles just feet away from first responders discarded blue medical gloves and rolled bandages.

The Sheriffs Department has not released Kizzees name, but two relatives confirmed his identity. In interviews with The Associated Press, they remembered the 29-year-old Kizzee as an energetic man with many friends and expressed anger at the shooting.

You guys take care of dogs. You dont take care of us, said Kizzees aunt, Fletcher Fair, addressing the Sheriffs Department. He was a sweet and loving young man. He had his whole life ahead of him, and it was cut short by rogue sheriffs.

Kizzees uncle, Anthony Johnson, 33, said they grew up together and were as close as brothers. Johnson said he often warned his nephew that, as a Black man, he had to be especially careful.

 You have a target on your back, just by being you,  Johnson remembered telling Kizzee as recently as a few weeks ago. He was like, Yeah, all right, uncle, like he always says.

A Sheriffs Department statement released Tuesday evening said deputies had tried to stop Kizzee for riding his bicycle in violation of vehicle codes, but he dropped his bike and ran. It didnt provide any more details about the alleged violation.

The deputies momentarily lost sight of him. But when they caught up, he immediately punched one deputy in the face and dropped a jacket, causing a black semiautomatic handgun to fall to the ground, according to the statement.

The shooting occurred when the man made a motion toward the gun, the statement said.

Latiera Irby, 29, told the Los Angeles Times that she had stopped by her mothers house to get her hair done when Kizzee came up to her car and told her: Theyre coming to get me; theyre coming to get me.

Kizzee offered her money to drive him away.

I didnt know who he was running from, so I told him no, she said.

Irby said a short time later, she saw Kizzee scuffle with a deputy, who backed away and then shot him.

The same deputy and another fired at Kizzee after he fell to the ground, she said, adding: He had nothing in his hands.

Police said the handgun was recovered, and no deputies were injured. TV news helicopters showed a gun near the body.

Dean said investigators had not yet interviewed witnesses or reviewed any surveillance or cellphone video.

Give us time to conduct our investigation, he said. We will get all of the facts of this case and eventually present them.

The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the largest in the nation, does not have body cameras for deputies, though that soon will change. The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved funding, and the first round of deputies will be equipped with cameras next month.

Ed Obayashi, a use-of-force consultant to law enforcement agencies and a deputy sheriff in Plumas County, said the Los Angeles County deputies will need to explain how they felt Kizzee presented an immediate threat even though his weapon was on the ground.

For the officers to justify their shooting of Mr. Kizzee, they are going to have to articulate that they reasonably feared for their safety, Obayashi said.

It will be important for the deputies to be specific, he said.

What made you believe that he was an ongoing, immediate threat to the public? Obayashi said. Did you believe he was still armed? Why? And if he was armed and running away, what was your reason for feeling that he constituted a threat to yourselves or the public?

Fair described her nephew as a mothers child, saying Kizzee took care of his mother after a car crash until her death in 2011 from a heart attack. After that, he took care of his younger brother, Sean Jones, who is 18 and a recent high school graduate.

Fair lives near where Kizzee was killed and couldnt believe the circumstances surrounding her nephews death.

How do you get a violation on a bicycle? she asked. I stayed here until they picked his body up. I didnt want to leave.

___

This story has been updated to correct that the dead mans reported surname is Kizzee, not Kizee.
KEY FACTS 11:38 a.m.: Ontario trustees say some classes will have to combine

11:11 a.m.: Ontario reports 112 new cases, one more death

4:15 a.m.: Hong Kong tests thousands of people for coronavirus

Read The Stars live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here. This story is no longer updating.

9:30 p.m.: Health Canada has reversed course on home test kits for COVID-19, saying it will now review applications for such devices.

In June, the department indicated it would not review such applications.

But Cole Davidson, a spokesperson for Health Minister Patty Hajdu, says that was meant to apply to test kits for diagnosing cases of COVID-19.

Due to the evolution of the pandemic since then, he says Health Canada is now considering applications for at-home testing devices for screening purposes.

Davidson says Health Canada, which regulates the safety of all medical devices sold in the country, is open to reviewing all testing solutions.

In a statement Tuesday, Hajdu says a Health Canada official misspoke in confirming earlier this week that applications for home testing kits would not be reviewed.

Early diagnosis is critical to slowing and reducing the spread of COVID-19 in Canada, she said.

Read more here: Health Canada reverses course, will review applications for COVID-19 home tests

3 p.m.: The Manitoba government is expanding its mask rules on school buses as students prepare to return to class next week.

The government says all students, drivers and any other passengers on school buses will be required to wear masks.

Originally, the province was planning to require mask use on school buses only for grades 4 and up.

Health officials are reporting 18 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total 1,232.

Two of the new cases are residents of a long-term care section at the Brandon Regional Health Centre, where another resident and two workers had earlier tested positive.

With more people recovering, the number of active cases across Manitoba has dropped slightly to 459.

Health officials are also warning of two potential public exposures in Brandon  at an East Side Marios restaurant on Aug. 23, and at the Warlock Tattoo parlour over several days in late August.

2:20 p.m.: Sherway Gardens mall in Etobicoke says there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the Keg Steakhouse and the Joey Restaurants locations.

A spokesperson for Joey Restaurants said an employee who was positive with the virus last worked there on Aug. 24.

Both restaurants have since re-opened.

Cadillac Fairview will continue our extra cleaning of all elevator banks, food court tables, common area seating, doors and stair railings, and all other high-touch points in the complex, a spokesperson for the mall said in a statement.

At this point in time Public Health has advised that no further action is required and the building can remain open for business.

A statement from The Keg said, An employee at The Keg Sherway recently tested positive for Covid-19. The individuals last shift was on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 and they have not returned to the restaurant since that time. Upon learning of the positive case, The Keg immediately contacted public health and chose to voluntarily close the restaurant to assess the situation and allow for a deep sanitation of the property. Following a 48-hour closure, the restaurant was reopened.

2:15 p.m.: McMaster University says a graduate student on campus has tested positive for COVID-19.

In a statement on its website on Monday, the university said all spaces where the student spent time had already been thoroughly cleaned and reopened.

McMaster does not say when or where the student was on campus or when they tested positive.

2 p.m.: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that he will lift the states ban on visiting nursing homes that has cut off vulnerable seniors from family since mid-March over fears of spreading the new coronavirus.

DeSantis said he would lift the ban in an executive order later Tuesday, following recommendations from a nursing home task force that has met in recent weeks.

The task force recommends that homes allow family members to visit their loved ones no more than two at a time, and that they wear protective gear including masks. Facilities would need to go 14 days without any new cases of COVID-19 among staff or residents to allow the visits.

More than half of Florida facilities  62 per cent have not had a new onset case since Aug. 11, said Mary Mayhew, head of the states Agency for Health Care Administration, who led the task force.

1:30 p.m.: Ten thousand Quebec unionized home daycare workers began the first of a series of rotating strikes Tuesday, after negotiations with the province failed to produce a deal.

The group representing workers, Federation des intervenantes en petite enfance, said rotating strikes began in the Quebec City area and will end Sept. 18, in the Laurentians and Monteregie regions, north and south of Montreal.

Daycare workers in Montreal are expected to strike Sept. 11. The union says it plans to launch a general strike on Sept. 21 if no deal is reached before then. It estimates some 60,000 families will be affected by the pressure tactics.

Representatives for the workers and for the Quebec government met Monday afternoon and said talks would continue on an unspecified date later this week.

The union represents people who run daycare workers out of their home. They are seeking better wages, among other demands.

The daycare educators are not paid by the hour. Rather, they receive a subsidy from the government to provide the service at home. Their union estimates that based on hours worked and expenses, workers bring home the equivalent of $12.42 per hour. Workers are demanding the equivalent of $16.75 per hour.

12:45 p.m.: Canadas top public health officers say widespread vaccination of Canadians is the only way to corral COVID-19 and allow life to return to a semblance of its pre-pandemic state.

Dr. Theresa Tam and her deputy, Dr. Howard Njoo, are offering that assessment one day after the Trudeau government announced the latest instalment in its plan to pre-buy tens of millions of doses of potential vaccines, signing deals with two American firms.

Tam and Njoo say the time has come for Canadians to roll up their sleeves and get immunized.

Njoo says it is not clear how what percentage of Canadians need to get a vaccine to achieve broad immunity but he says it is important for as many as possible to get vaccinated.

Njoo says a vaccine could be available sometime in 2021, perhaps as early as the spring.

Widespread vaccine uptake is the best shot Canadians have of regaining some of what weve lost, said Tam.

12:30 p.m.: Under fire over the Progressive Conservatives plans to return children to classrooms in two weeks, Premier Doug Ford has quietly toured a Toronto school.

Ford visited Kensington Community School downtown to examine what measures are in place as students resume classes for the first time since he closed schools March 13 as the COVID-19 pandemic heated up.

While the tour was left off the premiers official itinerary and not open to all media, he was accompanied by pool cameras from CityNews and The Canadian Press

11:38 a.m.: The head of Ontarios trustees association says school boards will have no choice but to combine and collapse some classrooms as school starts this fall.

Cathy Abraham, who is president of the Ontario Public School Boards Association, says the decisions will vary at different boards, and possibly happen on a school-to-school basis.

She says combined classes will occur despite there being fewer children in schools as some parents opt to keep their children at home for online learning because of COVID-19.

Abraham says boards must adhere to funding agreements struck with the Ontario government which means class sizes will remain the same despite the student opt outs.

That may mean classes are collapsed, or split classes created, to reach the right government-approved levels in schools.

Premier Doug Ford said Monday that he was not aware of boards collapsing classes, but acknowledged it could be occurring.

11:35 a.m.: Quebec is reporting 122 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.

Health authorities said today both deaths occurred between Aug. 25-30.

Quebec has now reported a total of 62,617 COVID-19 cases and 5,762 deaths linked to the virus, since the pandemic began.

Hospitalizations declined by two to 110, but the number of people in intensive care went up by two to 20.

Premier Francois Legault warned Quebecers Monday to be vigilant given the recent uptick in COVID-19 infections, saying he didnt want to close recently reopened schools.

The province completed 10,510 COVID-19 tests on Aug. 30, the last day for which testing data is available.

11:20 a.m.: Positive COVID-19 tests at two Calgary-area schools have derailed the start of the year for some, while in northern Alberta an entire school division has chosen to delay return to classes.

Meadows Ridge School in Okotoks, south of Calgary, did not open as planned today after a staff member was diagnosed with COVID-19.

In a note to parents sent on Monday night, the school says it is working closely with public health officials, and anyone who had close contact with the staff member would be notified.

Canyon Meadows School in Calgary was to open as planned today, but the principal, assistant principal and administrative secretary were forced into a 14-day quarantine after someone at the school tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, the Peace River School Division, northwest of Edmonton, posted a notice on its website saying it was delaying the start of its school year until after Labour Day.

Students across much of Alberta are heading back to class this week, but COVID-19 prevention measures have made for a rough start to the school year.

On Monday, Albertas top doctor apologized for anxiety and confusion caused by a back-to-school public-health order on the weekend.

The order issued Saturday spells out that schools do not have to ensure two metres of spacing when students, staff or visitors are seated at desks or tables.

The president of the Alberta Teachers Association called it a stunning reversal of physical-distancing rules in classrooms.

11:11 a.m. (updated): Ontario is reporting 112 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death related to the coronavirus.

There were also 92 cases newly marked as resolved in todays report.

The total number of cases now stands at 42,421, which includes 2,812 deaths and 38,369 cases marked as resolved.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says 27 of the provinces 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer new cases.

She says 18 health units are reporting no new cases today.

The province was able to complete 23,545 tests over the previous day.

11 a.m.: Public tours of the White House, halted nearly six months ago due to the coronavirus outbreak, are set to resume later this month with new health and safety policies in place.

Tours will resume Sept. 12, for two days a week instead of five, and for just a few hours a day, the first ladys office announced Tuesday. The number of visitors will also be capped.

In order to ensure the safety and health of all visitors, there have been new policies implemented that align with the guidance issued by Federal, State, and local officials, the White House said.

All guests over age 2 will be required to wear a face covering and practice social distancing.

10:18 a.m.: Ontario is reporting 112 new COVID-19 cases, as the province processed over 23,500 tests, Health Minister Christine Elliott tweeted. Locally, 27 of Ontarios 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 18 of them reporting no new cases. (more details to come)

10 a.m.: Mayor Patrick Brown says he is encouraged by the level of compliance with Bramptons mandatory mask bylaw after the most recent COVID-19 bylaw infraction statistics released by the city.

The citys bylaw officers issued 15 fines for mask violations in the week leading up to Aug. 26.

We only received 84 COVID-19 complaints in the last week, Brown told reporters during the citys most recent weekly COVID-19 update. By and large there is wide compliance. I just want to say how encouraging that is when I go to a transit stop (or) any indoor settings.

Were seeing broad compliance in our city, which highlights that everyone is taking the advice of public health seriously and its probably why were making such progress in pushing back COVID-19, he added.

9:45 a.m.: Two employees at a busy Mississauga gym facility have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Tracy Matthews, vice president of operations at GoodLife Fitness.

Matthews said, the Mississauga Heartland Town Centre Club was notified of the first employees test results on Friday. The employee hasnt visited the facility since Wed. Aug. 26.

The employee is in quarantine at home and all members and staff were informed, Matthews confirmed.

Three days later, on Monday, GoodLife became aware of second employee who tested positive. That employee has not been on location since Saturday.

The employee is also in quarantine and members and employees were once again made aware of the case.

Matthews confirmed that neither employees came into prolonged close contact with anyone else in the Club, in an email.

9:21 a.m.: General Motors says it has finished making 30,000 medical breathing machines for the U.S. government to help treat coronavirus patients.

The Department of Health and Human Services contracted with GM to build the ventilators at a converted auto electronics plant in Kokomo, Indiana, at a cost of $489.4 million (U.S.)

The machines were designed by Ventec Life Systems of the Seattle area, and GM ramped up production in about a month when it appeared the U.S. and other countries would run short of ventilators. The ventilators were to be finished by Monday.

GM says Tuesday it has turned over control of the Kokomo operation to Ventec, which will continue to make ventilators there and in Bothell, Washington.

8:41 a.m. Tugging on their masks or dashing to hug long-unseen friends, millions of children returned to school across Europe and beyond Tuesday in a mass experiment aimed at bridging inequalities and resuscitating economies  despite the persistent pandemic.

The virus threat lurked in the shadows as children kissed their parents goodbye in France, shyly greeted their teachers in Israel, settled into spaced-out desks in England, and raised their hands in Russia.

While acknowledging a bit of fear, Jerome Continent brought his first-grader Baptiste to school Tuesday anyway in the Paris suburb of Roissy-en-Brie, where the buzz of first-day excitement was even more intense than usual after the coronavirus upended the previous school year.

I know we are being careful, he said. The children also have to live.

With France reporting thousands of new infections daily  more than any of its neighbours  all French schoolchildren 11 and over must wear masks all day, recess and music class included. Similar rules are in place in Balkan countries, while other countries are more lax about masks. Some classrooms look starkly different from previous years, with plastic shields around desks and virus warning signs plastered everywhere.

While many U.S. school districts started class online only and others introduced a mix of online and face-to-face learning, in-person class is the norm as Europe goes back to school. Governments are trying to show that life goes on despite a virus that has infected at least 25 million people worldwide and killed more than 800,000.

8:30 a.m.: A range of people are suffering from loneliness, anxiety and depression because of the coronavirus pandemic, but more so people with financial hardship, minorities and young adults, according to Johns Hopkins University experts in mental health.

The experts highlighted their findings during a news conference Thursday to call attention to the mental health challenges created by the pandemic.

Their conclusions are supported by national surveys and others recent research, but might seem obvious to the public because so many people are experiencing symptoms firsthand  some for the first time.

The pandemic is impacting our lives in so many ways social, financial and our health, said Elizabeth A. Stuart, a professor of mental health, biostatistics, and health policy and management in Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The scope of COVID-19 has been fairly unprecedented, and the financial impacts are more wide reaching than other natural disasters weve studied, she said. It remains to be seen the long-term consequences.

8:11 a.m.: Eskasoni First Nations band council election has been postponed until spring 2021, with hopes a new leadership team will be formed by April.

The election was scheduled for this fall but was pushed back because Chief Leroy Denny says a second wave of COVID-19 is looming.

Currently Nova Scotia is managing the pandemic, but with schools starting and the flu season upon us, we cannot be certain of what is to come, Denny said in a statement.

He said his team is still tasked with ensuring the health and safety of the Mikmaq community and an election during that time could get complicated.

If a second wave hits, schools could easily be shut down, Denny said, but having to suspend an election cycle that typically takes 45 days would leave the community in an awkward position, with no mandated leader to advocate on its behalf.

Denny also said the usual electoral officer is on medical leave and the emergency management office is already tasked with ensuring the safety of the community and the election would only add on to its stress. But there are plans to hold an election in the spring.

7:35 a.m.: When Kevin Lee heard rumours the NHL was bringing its playoff bubble to Toronto and that some teams would be staying at Hotel X, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The 32-year-old assistant restaurant manager assumed it meant hed be going back to work at the hotel on the CNE grounds with his company, By Peter & Pauls, after sitting idle since the hotel was shut down March 23 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

I started hearing from a few other friends in the industry that the NHL was coming to Hotel X. I got excited. I thought it was a good score, said Lee.

Instead, along with more than 200 colleagues, Lee is now looking for work after Hotel X terminated the lease of By Peter & Pauls, the catering and entertainment company that had run food and drink services since the hotels launch in 2018.

Read the full story from the Stars Josh Rubin

7:30 a.m.: Fitness gyms, barber shops and internet cafes were allowed to reopen partly in the Philippine capital Tuesday as the government further eased quarantine restrictions despite the country having the most coronavirus infections in Southeast Asia.

President Rodrigo Duterte, however, placed the southern city of Iligan under a mild lockdown after a rise in community infections, underscoring how COVID-19 cases have spread away from metropolitan Manila, the epicenter of the countrys outbreak.

Nighttime curfews have been shortened in most cities in the capital area and outlying provinces under the new arrangements, which will last for a month.

Duterte also said medical personnel would get free food and lodging if they would otherwise be ejected by landlords and dormitory owners fearing they were virus carriers. If the landlords get sick dont let them into hospitals too, maybe thats better, tit-for-tat, the tough-talking president said, but later added he was joking.

More than 220,000 COVID-19 cases, including about 3,500 deaths, have been reported in the Philippines, which has struggled to balance public restrictions and economic concerns.

7:20 a.m.: By now, the halls at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay are usually filled with the excitement and nerves of anxious students starting a new school year. In 2020, however, the First Nations school is largely empty as it starts its program later and online.

Unable to secure enough funding to address pandemic risks, Dennis Franklin Cromarty (DFC), a school for students from 24 First Nations in Ontarios remote North, decided to offer virtual learning for the first seven weeks. For now, most of its anticipated 150 students will stay in their communities instead of moving to Thunder Bay, as teachers deliver curriculum in virtual classrooms.

Stress levels are high, anxiety levels are high, just because we dont know, we dont know what the options are, what the answers are, teacher Aaron Guthrie said. Were trying to prepare for multiple different angles, trying to make sure that we do the best we can.

7:17 a.m.: Whats in your fridge? Chances are more food than youre actually going to eat, according to a new study showing Canadians are throwing out more food since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

A survey conducted by research firm Caddle for Dalhousie Universitys Agri-Food Analytics Lab found that Canadian households may be tossing an average of 13.5 per cent more food than they were before the pandemic. That adds up to 2.3 kilograms or just over five pounds of food per week.

Overbuying will produce 20 to 24 million kilograms of additional organic waste per month, according to the study, which surveyed 8,272 Canadians between August 21 to August 23, resulting in an annual cost of around $2,000 per household.

Read the full story from the Stars Rosa Saba

7:14 a.m. A Zimbabwean journalist in jail for more than a month is seriously ill and exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID-19, one of his lawyers said, but prison authorities claim the journalist is well.

Journalist Hopewell Chinono looked visibly ill, according to Doug Coltart, a lawyer who visited the reporter in jail Monday.

A private doctor who later assessed the scribe noted that Chinono was suffering from a headache, fever and distorted taste. Its consistent with COVID-19, said Coltart.

Tests were done and we are waiting for the results. Fears of COVID-19 are real because people have been testing positive for the virus in jail. It is overcrowded and the personal protective equipment is not enough, Coltart said Tuesday.

Chinono has been in detention for more than a month after he was arrested together with opposition politician, Jacob Ngarivhume, and accused of inciting violence for publishing on social media his support for an anti-government protest. That protest was foiled by the military and police on July 31.

5 a.m.: Ten thousand Quebec daycare workers are launching a rotating strike today, as negotiations between their union and the province have failed to produce a deal.

The group representing the workers, the Federation des intervenantes en petite enfance, says the strike will start today in the Quebec City and Chaudiere-Appalaches areas and end Sept. 18 in the Laurentians and Monteregie regions, north and south of Montreal.

Representatives for the workers and the Quebec government met Monday afternoon and said talks would continue on an unspecified date later this week.

Home daycare workers in Quebec want better wages, among other demands.

Quebec Families Minister, Mathieu Lacombe, said last week he hoped to come to an agreement to avoid a strike.

The workers federation says it plans to launch a general strike on Sept. 21 if no deal is reached before then.

4:45 a.m.: Russias tally of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 1 million on Tuesday as authorities reported 4,729 new cases.

With a total of 1,000,048 reported cases, Russia has the fourth largest caseload in the world after the U.S., Brazil and India. Over 815,000 people have so far recovered, authorities said, and more than 17,000 have died.

Experts say the true toll of the pandemic is much higher than all reported figures, due to limited testing, missed mild cases and concealment of cases by some governments, among other factors.

As of Tuesday, Russia has lifted most lockdown restrictions in the majority of the countrys regions.

4:15 a.m.: Hong Kong tested thousands of people for coronavirus Tuesday at the start of a mass-testing effort thats become another political flash point in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Volunteers stood in lines at some of the more than 100 testing centres, though many residents are distrustful over the resources and staff being provided by Chinas central government and some have expressed fear DNA could be collected.

The Hong Kong government has dismissed such concerns, and leader Carrie Lam urged the public to see the program in a fair and objective light and appealed to critics to stop discouraging people from being tested since participation was crucial to the programs success.

Lam said at her weekly news conference that over 10,000 people, including most of Hong Kongs government ministers, had been tested by Tuesday morning.

This large-scale universal community testing program is beneficial to fighting the epidemic and beneficial to our society. It will also help Hong Kong come out of the pandemic unscathed and is conducive to the resumption of daily activities, Lam said.

More than 500,000 people in the city of 7.5 million signed up in advance for the program, which will last at least a week. It is aimed at identifying silent carriers of the virus  those without symptoms  who could be spreading the disease.

4 a.m.: The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4 p.m. EDT on Sept. 1, 2020:

There are 128,948 confirmed cases in Canada.

_ Quebec: 62,492 confirmed (including 5,760 deaths, 55,353 resolved)

_ Ontario: 42,309 confirmed (including 2,811 deaths, 38,277 resolved)

_ Alberta: 13,902 confirmed (including 239 deaths, 12,293 resolved)

_ British Columbia: 5,790 confirmed (including 208 deaths, 4,406 resolved)

_ Saskatchewan: 1,619 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,561 resolved)

_ Manitoba: 1,214 confirmed (including 14 deaths, 731 resolved)

_ Nova Scotia: 1,085 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,013 resolved)

_ Newfoundland and Labrador: 269 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 265 resolved)

_ New Brunswick: 191 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 185 resolved)

_ Prince Edward Island: 44 confirmed (including 41 resolved)

_ Yukon: 15 confirmed (including 15 resolved)

_ Repatriated Canadians: 13 confirmed (including 13 resolved)

_ Northwest Territories: 5 confirmed (including 5 resolved)

_ Nunavut: No confirmed cases

_ Total: 128,948 (0 presumptive, 128,948 confirmed including 9,126 deaths, 114,158 resolved)

Monday: There will be a resurgence of COVID-19 in the fall, health and municipal officials in Toronto warned on Monday, including the possibility of a wave bigger than the one that peaked in April.

We know that most of us are not immune to COVID-19 and the virus is still very much circulating out there, said Dr. Eileen de Villa, Torontos medical officer of health, speaking at a press conference from city hall.

Were getting ready for a resurgence in the weeks and months ahead.

Read more here: Toronto officials outline plan for expected resurgence of COVID-19

-

Mondays rolling file of coronavirus news.
Calling 911 to harass somebody because of their race in New Jersey can now put you in prison for years.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill (A1906) into law late Monday making it a crime to call 911 solely to intimidate someone because of their ethnicity, religion or gender, among other categories. Violators face up to five years in prison and fines up to $15,000.

Calling police as an intimidation tactic against people of color is an unacceptable, abhorrent form of discrimination, Murphy said in a statement. He added that it places victims in a potentially dangerous situation while eroding trust between cops and communities.

The law took effect immediately.

Murphys signature came a little more than three months after a white woman was filmed in Central Park calling police on a Black bird watcher who asked her to put her dog on a leash. She originally claimed he was threatening her, but she later apologized for her false assumptions and was charged with filing a false police report.

New Jerseys law also makes filing a false police report a form of bias intimidation, which generally carries the threat of a year-and-a-half behind bars and up to a $10,000 fine.

State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement a false call interferes with 911 emergency operators trying to save lives. Lawmakers lauded the proposal, saying it was another response to recent protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

In a fiscal note, legislative researchers said fines from violators could lessen the costs of new prosecutions, but concluded exact numbers were impossible to estimate.

Earlier in the summer, New York lawmakers also approved a bill making it easier under civil rights law to sue someone who calls the police without reason because of somebodys race.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN.

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Kenosha braced for President Trumps visit on Tuesday, with streets closed, commuter trains to Chicago halted, helicopters buzzing overhead and a heavy presence of armored vehicles in the city throughout the morning.

Activists promised that demonstrations and marches would meet Mr. Trump when he arrived Tuesday afternoon. The family of Jacob Blake, the man shot by a police officer more than a week ago, organized a community gathering in the place he was shot.

Representative Mark Pocan, a Democrat and Kenosha native, stood outside a downtown library on Tuesday and said he hoped that when Mr. Trump touched down in Kenosha, he would bring with him a message of unity.

It would be great to find his inner spirit, hopefully, Mr. Pocan said. Donald Trump takes care of Donald Trump all too often. It would be nice if Donald Trump took care of Kenosha for a change.
For the first time an Australian court has ruled workers have a legal right to go to the toilet and drink water while at work.

The Federal Court was forced to decide the issue after the general manager of a McDonald's franchise made a Facebook post to a group of its crew members telling them the company had no obligation to let them go to the bathroom outside scheduled breaks.

A McDonald's franchisee denied workers breaks they were owed. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Justice John Logan said he had been unable to find any other Australian cases on the point and looked to a decision from a court in Ohio for guidance. The judge said it would be absurd for state workplace health and safety laws to require employers to provide bathrooms and drinking facilities but not to let staff use them when they needed to, within limits.

"For an employee just to dash off for a drink leaving hamburger patties or fries to burn might not be reasonable," Justice Logan said. Leaving a parched employee sweating in the kitchen with broken air conditioning would be a different question.
Recent damage to statues of prominent people by means of paint, toppling and beheading by a few protesters calls for a solution. I think it is time for these statues to be placed in Museums where they can be protected from the "elements." The original platforms can be used to showcase Canada's and the provinces' animals and wildlife.

Gary West, Penticton
For $17,000, an imported 1995 Japanese Toyota Hilux fire truck can be yours.

"This particular unit features ladder and hose racking, a slide-out pump tray in the bed, cargo basket, and two spot lights on the driver's side," reads an ad, one of many on Craigslist right now, hawking private fire trucks in California.

The devastating 2020 wildfires, sparked by an unforgiving dry lightning storm in August amid a soaring heat wave, left over one million acres of California torched, and the state's fire services dangerously depleted of firefighters, trucks and other resources.

It should probably come as no surprise that worried residents would start to look into DIY fire protection, but the market for fire trucks on Craigslist right now is unprecedented.

NPR reports that a Sacramento company called Vans From Japan is cashing in on the demand by buying up trucks from Japan and making money selling them in on California, and they're using Craigslist to offload the vehicles.

Beyond the imported trucks, other offerings on the site right now include a 2013 Peterbilt water truck that can carry 2,500 gallons of water to a blaze and "meets all Cal Fire specs." That seller in Pacifica is looking for $69,000.

At a more reasonable price, a "Type 6 Fire Truck" in Napa is on offer for $17,500, fitted with a Hale pump and 200 feet of hard line hose with a nozzle. The seller reveals, "I purchased two of these trucks that were maintained as reserve units for cal fire ... but only really need one."

One seller is hoping to get $15,000 for a 53-year-old Ford 150 fire truck. He confesses that he "was told the pump needed some seals," but suggests that "with these lightning complex fires going on, maybe you could use it."

Over the last few years, as wildfires have become more common, there has also been a rise in a small but growing number of wealthy residents hiring private firefighting crews to watch over their acres.

Cal Fire has discouraged attempts to defend one's own property during an evacuation order. People dont understand the ferocity of these fires that weve been dealing with the last five or so years, Cal Fire Fire Captain Scott McLean told SFGATE. Theyre very unpredictable and you cant project what the fires going to do.

As wildfires become a recurring crisis in California through warming temperatures, housing developments in the wildland-urban interface and the effects of climate change, residents deciding to have their own fire-fighting vehicle at the ready in their driveway may become a more common sight.

Andrew Chamings is an editor at SFGATE. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings
Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) has confirmed its arrangements for students and staff during the upcoming academic year.

In May, LIT, which has campuses in Limerick, Tipperary and Clare, announced a roadmap for reopening its campuses to students, all of whom had been learning remotely since the beginning of the Covid-19 restrictions in March.

President of LIT Professor Vincent Cunnane has, this Tuesday, outlined further details of how LIT will welcome students back onto campus later this month

We believe it is important that students have a strong connection with the institution. Being on campus regularly not only gives them the best possible experience but also optimises their learning potential. For this reason, all students will be timetabled to spend time on campus every week, as tutorials and practicals take place predominantly on campus, while lectures are delivered remotely, he said.

LIT students will begin this blended model of learning from September 14 with all students to begin on September 28.

The safety of our staff and students is of paramount importance so we have adapted our teaching and on-campus experiences to facilitate the delivery of education in a safe environment. We will also be asking students and staff to exercise personal responsibility as we all work together to keep our community as safe as possible, added Prof Cunnane.

All students will be requested to adhere to the new LIT Covid-19 Charter for Students and the LIT Covid-19 Guidelines and Responsibilities. Together these outline a set of principles adhering to the advice from the CMO, NPHET, the HSE, the Department of Further and Higher Education and the HSA.

This includes the wearing of face coverings, hand-washing, hand-sanitisation, social distancing, use of the states Covid-19 Tracker app and other measures to keep our community safe, explained Professor Cunnane.

Although students will be on campus at least once a week, the numbers of students on campus at any one time will be greatly reduced and timetabled in pods for any on campus work.

It is expected that LIT timetables will be published by the end of this week and will be available online at lit.ie.

Despite the extraordinary times, LIT timetables for first year students will also be available in advance of receiving CAO offers on September 14.

All up-to-date information on LITs plans to reopen its campuses and details for the new academic year will continue to be available here.
Dark3, Inc. (Dark Cubed), a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, today announced it has closed its Series A financing led by Option3Ventures, a leading cybersecurity investment specialist firm. Dark Cubed was founded in 2014 by CEO Vince Crisler a former US Air Force White House Presidential Communications Officer, who also served as the CISO at the White House. Dark Cubed will use the capital to fund the companys rapid expansion. Option3Venture Partners Lisa Donnan and Merrick Andlinger will join Dark Cubeds Board of Directors.

Dark Cubed utilizes publicly available and proprietary threat information to provide affordable cybersecurity protection to small and medium business. In addition to providing rapid value to customers, Dark Cubeds patented data analytics approach provides access to anonymized real-time data on customer networks to enable advanced analytics and threat hunting capabilities.

We believe Dark Cubeds mission of making cybersecurity accessible to companies of all sizes addresses a critical gap in the market today. It is a highly complementary addition to our new O3V Cyber Special Situations portfolio, and also very much aligned with our national security heritage. We look forward to working with Vince and the management team to grow the company in the years ahead said Manish Thakur, Managing Partner of Option3Ventures.

Mr. Crisler expressed his confidence that this partnership will prove to be successful, commenting I have been in the cyber industry for over 25 years now. The combination of Option3Ventures expertise along with Dark Cubeds pioneering approach is bound to move mountains. The cybersecurity market is overwhelmed with solutions targeting large enterprises, yet it is small and midsize businesses (SMB) that take the bulk of cyberattacks. Dark Cubed seeks to address this. We have seen significant growth in our partnerships with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) who are often the front line of defense for SMBs cybersecurity providing rapid streamlined platform security protection, said Crisler.

To learn more about Dark Cubed, visit: https://darkcubed.com

To learn more about Option3Ventures, visit: https://option3ventures.com

About Option3Ventures

Option3Ventures is a leading cybersecurity investment specialist made up of professionals drawn from both the national security community and the investment industry. It focuses on those companies at the very frontiers the of the cybersecurity sector, offering solutions to problems that existing technologies cannot address. Over the past five years, O3V has built a track record of venture investing in a select group of categories leaders and is now raising its first dedicated cyber venture capital fund, Option 3 Cyber Investments. O3V is based in New York and the Washington DC area, and its Board of Advisors range from former Chief Information Officers at such organizations as the Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Defense to the former CIO of Merrill Lynch and former CEO of Lehman Brothers.

About Dark Cubed

Dark Cubed was founded to bring simplicity, automation, and ease of use to cybersecurity, created by Vince Crisler, former CISO of the White House. It is a powerful cyber security software as a service (SaaS) platform that deploys instantly and delivers enterprise-grade threat identification and protection at a fraction of the cost. It allows users to instantly get visibility into the threats targeting networks and quickly acts in protecting clients.
The Chattanooga Area Food Bank joins Feeding America food banks nationwide this September to take part in Hunger Action Month and "inspire people to take action and bring attention to the reality of food insecurity in America."

"This years campaign comes at a critical time when the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt millions of people living paycheck to paycheck," officials said. "Due to staggering unemployment rates, Feeding America estimates an additional 17 million people could be food insecure in 2020 as a result of this crisis, bringing the total up to 54 million people.

" Hunger impacts people in every corner of the country. In the Food Banks 20-county service area in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia, it is projected that one in five people overall could face hunger due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That number increases to one in four children in the same area."



While we make special plans for Hunger Action Month every year, the continued impact of the pandemic means urgent action is still needed, said Mark Hilling, interim president & chief executive officer of the Food Bank. Every act against hunger counts. Donating, volunteering or sharing our posts on social media can help feed a family.



During Hunger Action Month, the Food Bank encourages people who can help to take action to fight hunger through acts of donating, signing up to volunteer or sharing social media posts.



 Everyone is encouraged to wear orange on Hunger Action Day on Sept. 10 to show their support for people facing hunger.



 Several Chattanooga Buildings will light up orange during Hunger Action Month or Hunger Action Day including The Westin, The Baker Donelson Building, The Block and others.



 In Whitfield County, local ambassadors and area businesses are teaming together to launch an educational awareness campaign focused on the increased need for hunger relief and the Northwest Georgia Branch of the Food Banks response.



 Businesses are encouraged to post the Hunger Action Month flyer available at ChattFoodBank.org.



 More ways to get involved will be shared on the Food Banks social media platforms @ChattFoodBank.



We need your help now more than ever, said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. Hunger in this country existed long before COVID-19, but the pandemic has thrust more and more of our neighbors into food insecurity, and food banks are responding to a sustained, increased demand. With support of the community, together we can end hunger one helping at a time.



September marks the 13th year the Feeding America network has organized this annual call to action. To learn more about the food bank and other ways to get involved in Hunger Action Month, visit ChattFoodBank.org or HungerActionMonth.org. Supporters can also join the conversation by posting photos or stories to social media by tagging @ChattFoodBank, #HungerActionMonth and @FeedingAmerica.



Anyone in need of food can visit chattfoodbank.org/hungry to find help close to where they live. Hamilton County residents may dial 211 or text their zip code to 898-211 to be connected with a voucher for an emergency food box.
A man clears away leaves outside buildings on The Apple campus in Cork, southern Ireland.

DUBLIN  When a top EU court ruled in favor of Apple in its tax dispute with the European Commission, there was a collective sigh of relief among much of Ireland's business community.

In July, the court backed Apple and Ireland in their appeal against a 2016 verdict that the iPhone maker must pay 13 billion euros ($15.5 billion) in back taxes. Another appeal is still possible, but a decision in the other direction could have had severe consequences for Ireland's ability to attract multinational firms.

Foreign direct investment, or FDI, has been a major cog of Ireland's industrial development strategy for decades, influenced heavily by the low corporate tax rate of 12.5%.

"Obviously it was a huge relief to the Irish government and definitely there was a sense of victory and triumph in terms of taking on what was regarded as an overreach by the EU commission," Lucinda Creighton, a former Irish minister of state for European Affairs, told CNBC.

FDI directly accounts for more than 245,000 jobs in the country with nearly 175,000 of those at American companies.

Apple operates a large base in Cork while in Dublin, Facebook, Google and Twitter are a stone's throw away from each other and recently, Amazon announced plans to grow its Irish operations to 5,000 staff.

There are still many challenges ahead for this strategy. A report in May from the OECD forecast that the rate of FDI internationally will fall between 30% and 40% as companies re-evaluate their strategies post-pandemic.

Coupled with the economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus, a differing court ruling could have damaged Ireland's ability to keep the doors open to foreign investment when it needs it the most.

Peter Vale, head of international tax at Grant Thornton in Dublin, said taxation changes wouldn't happen immediately but would have hurt future planning.

"Had it gone the other way it would have been really bad. None of this happens overnight even though things can move quickly. It would have given people cause for concern," he told CNBC.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday he wanted a public discussion on a proposal to establish a revolutionary government in the country.

Duterte made the remark as he directed newly appointed Philippine Health Insurance Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Dante Gierran to end corruption in the beleaguered state health insurance agency.

As I said, the revolutionary government should not be discussed in sub rosa (in secrecy). It should be discussed publicly, said Duterte during his weekly address.

The President also said discussions on the proposed revolutionary government in the country should include the military.

If they want to propose changes, then let us hear them out, he said.

Last August 25, Duterte denied ties to the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Committee, a group pushing for a shift to a revolutionary government.

The group pointed out a revolutionary government is the way to go to heal all the ills of our society without amending the 1987 Constitution.

Vice President Leni Robredo called the move illegal and nonsense as a subject of attention amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque assured Duterte will step down as president at the end of his term in 2022.

In 2017, the President threatened to declare a revolutionary government to fix the country's problems. He also previously campaigned on a promise to shift to a federal form of government to spur development in the provinces, but has not actively hinted on his next steps to push federalism in the past years.
The head of Australias cyber spy agency thinks it is okay to spy on Australian citizens because some Australians are terrorists.

In a speech on Tuesday, Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), Rachel Noble, will defend upcoming legislation that seeks to give the agency enhanced power to spy on Australians.

For more than 20 years ASDs role in relation to intelligence collection against Australians has been laid bare on the face of legislation, a draft of Nobles speech says.

It is hardly a modern revelation that ASD has this role.

Transparency is not a new feature of our story  some people may have just forgotten what has already been said over many years.

And Im sorry if this is news to you but not all Australians are the good guys.

Nobles speech sets out the history of the ASD from its code-breaking origins in the wake of World War II to its present-day role as cyber detectors and disruptors.

According to Noble, the idea that the ASD only spies on external threats was false, citing legislation from the early 2000s that allowed the agency to collect information on Australian citizens under ministerial authorisation.

These written authorisations must be in place for such collection or other activities to occur and cannot exceed six months duration unless renewed by the minister, Noble will say.

These activities must be connected to ASDs legislated function.

That function will likely soon change as Home Affairs Minister, Peter Dutton, said he planned to introduce legislation that would allow the ASD share its cyber capabilities with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to investigate Australian citizens.

News about this legislation was broken in 2019 by News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst whose reporting won her the undesirable prize of a Federal Police raid on her home.

But Noble stresses that the ASD doesnt just get to spy on Australians en masse.

Our allies have similar powers. And as I have described, there are many careful controls which also protect Australians from ASD and its capabilities, Noble will say in her speech.

I want to underscore this point when it comes to intelligence collection and cyber offensive operations: ASD is a foreign intelligence agency.

It is a matter for [the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation] ASIO to concern itself with Australians who may pose a threat to our way of life.

ASD cannot, under law, conduct mass surveillance on Australians.

It is rare for the ASD head to make a public speech  let alone one that was dropped to major news publications in advance of its delivery.

Nobles public appearance comes nearly two weeks after the head of internal spy agency ASIO gave ABC reporters an inside look at its Canberra base of operations.

Last year, the agency also gave ABC journalists insights into an operation targeting the media network of terrorist organisation ISIS.

Public transparency and accountability must be finely balanced with secrecy, believes Noble.

If our adversaries know for certain how we are going about it, they will almost certainly take steps to prevent us from doing so. Just like we would do, she will say.

The Government has made nearly 75 years of investment in ASD and its cyber security, intelligence gathering and offensive capabilities.

Some of our capabilities are unique in the world. They are expensive and precious. They give us insight into the threats posed to our great country and that of our close allies.

The ASD is set to receive an extra $469 million in funding as part of the governments 2020 Cyber Security Strategy.
Over the years, the United States has become a melting pot of different cultures. People have immigrated from all over the world just to settle in America. Today, approximately twenty million Asians call the United States home. While many are born in the country itself, most can trace their familial roots back to dozens of places throughout Asia. This article explores the history of Asian immigration and examines the top US cities with the highest Asian-orign populations.

A Brief History Of Immigration From Asia

Chinese emigration to America: sketch on board the steam-ship Alaska, bound for San Francisco.

The history of Asian immigration to the United States can be broken down into different waves. The first people to arrive in large numbers were the Chinese in the 1850s. Incentivized by a poor economy back home, most settled on the West Coast during the California Gold Rush. Within thirty years, roughly 322,000 Chinese people had moved to the United States.

Thousands of immigrants also worked in the railroad industry to help construct the Central Pacific, the western portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. They were instrumental in its success, but their efforts were largely ignored. This lack of credit is indicative of how they were treated by Americans. They endured discriminationand oftentimes violenceon a daily basis. Once the railroad was complete, many were even forced out of their hometowns.

Chinese workers in the snow constructing the first transcontinental railroad.

According to American law, Chinese immigrants were not considered citizens. Regardless, individuals and families gathered in Chinatowns where they lived more or less independently of the urban cities around them. These pocket communities allowed them to maintain their own cultural identities. They were peaceful and actively avoided trouble, particularly with the non-Asian population.

In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act which prohibited immigration of Chinese laborers for the next 61 years. Within that time, the number of Chinese people in America dropped drastically, creating opportunities for other Asian peoples to arrive seeking employment.

Urban Areas Heavily Populated By Asian-Americans

Urban Honolulu, Topping The List

According to Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data, 61.6 percent of Honolulus population identified as Asian in 2018. This is more than a twenty percent jump from the US city with the second-highest Asian population, which is largely due to the first wave of Japanese immigrants.

"Japanese Laborers on Spreckelsville Plantation," oil on canvas painting by Joseph Dwight Strong, 1885, private collection.

Japan remained relatively isolated from the rest of the world up until the mid-1800s when many laborers left their country to avoid paying heavy taxes and to find work elsewhere. At first, many Isseifirst generation immigrantssettled in the independent kingdom of Hawaii to work on sugar plantations, which at the time was a burgeoning industry. Throughout the following decades, their numbers only continued to grow. By 1924, more than 200,000 Japanese had immigrated as plantation laborers. By this time, Hawaii had been made a territory of the United States.

Japanese immigrants experienced a certain level of discrimination, but nothing compared to the Chinese. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, however, distrust skyrocketed. Roughly 120,000 people of Japanese descent across the United States were forced into detention camps by the government. Perhaps surprisingly, those living in Hawaii were branded as disloyal, but were largely spared from this widespread persecution, even with the Honouliuli Internment Camp located in their very backyard.

In August 1959, Hawaii officially became the fiftieth US state. Since then, Honolulu has not only remained its largest city, but is the US city with the highest share of Asian-Americans in its population. Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Filipinos live in the city in large numbers.

California

People of Los Angeles celebrating a festival of India, Holi or the Festival of Colors. Image credit: Betto Rodrigues/Shutterstock.com

Approximately 3.7 million Asians currently call California home; that is one-third of the entire countrys Asian-American population. This data is reflected in the same report from Statista as mentioned above. With the exception of Washington, the second to seventh metropolitan areas with the highest percentage of Asians are all located in the Golden State. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara region has the highest out of all five, with Asians making up 39.4 percent of its total population. Other places with high percentages include San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim.

As discussed earlier, a significant number of Asians came to the United States in the mid-1800s as a result of the California Gold Rush. Others came to work on the Central Pacific Railroad. While some merchants sailed to the East Coast, the vast majority of Asians established communities in the west. Because of these roots, future immigrants tended to follow in their footsteps. Throughout the years, generations of California-born Asians continued to increase their population size. Today, the West Coast remains a desirable destination for immigrants due to its proximity to Asia.

Other Metropolises

The Seattle Metropolitan Area in the state of Washington lands in fifth place on the Statista report, with 17.5 percent of its population being of Asian descent. The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area comes in at number ten with 12.2 percent. Interestingly, the only region in the top ten that is not located in the west is the New York-Newark-Jersey City area, proving that Asian immigrants still prefer to settle in western states.

Future Of Asian Immigration

Image credit: Gregory James Van Raalte/Shutterstock.com

As of 2015, Asians made up six percent of the entire American population. This may seem insignificant, but in fact, this number had grown by 72 percent since 2000.

The Pew Research Center predicts that Asians will make up fourteen percent of the American population by 2065, more than double what it is now. If this projection becomes reality, Asians will become the largest foreign-born population in the United States, superseding Hispanics; however, the latter will continue to outnumber Asians in terms of total population.

These changes could have major ramifications on national politics. Americans share mixed views on immigration, but tend to favor Asians over any other group. Part of this is because they usually come having received a better education in their country of origin than other immigrants. Nonetheless, this has the potential to shift the debate on immigration more toward the positive quite significantly. Only time will tell if the Pew Research Centers prediction is accurate and if attitudes toward immigration in general will improve.
A Black jogger who was stopped by two San Antonio police officers and wrestled into a patrol vehicle against his will no longer is facing criminal charges, a resolution two top law enforcement officials in Bexar County hope will improve public trust in the criminal justice system.

Police Chief William McManus said Tuesday he welcomed the dismissal of charges against 33-year-old Mathias Ometu, who was accused of assaulting the officers. McManus said both officers agreed with the decision to drop the charges.

San Antonio police

They had detained Ometu, who they thought matched the description of a suspect in a nearby domestic violence assault, but Ometu would not identify himself. A struggle ensued when he was forced into a patrol vehicle.

Still, McManus said the officers acted appropriately in taking Ometu into custody to be identified  even after the family violence victim arrived at the scene and told officers that Ometu was not the man who had assaulted her.

They acted within their legal authority, and in a professional manner during the interaction with Mr. Ometu, McManus wrote in a memo released Tuesday.

Unfortunately, the situation could have been resolved within minutes with any degree of information sharing with the police officers that would have helped them determine Mr. Ometu was not the suspect they were looking for in a domestic violence call.

Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said the incident illustrates two opposing but understandable viewpoints  that of the officers, who were trying to investigate a serious allegation of family violence, and that of Ometu, who was wary of police and refused to provide officers his name, as was his legal right.

Gonzales said he personally reviewed body-worn camera footage from the two officers. After reviewing the evidence, Gonzales asked a judge to dismiss the two felony assault charges, and Bexar County Judge Judge Kevin OConnell agreed.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio police wrestled a Black man into a squad car and took him to jail. He wasnt the suspect they were searching for.

I think its in the interest of justice to reject these cases, Gonzales said. Its an effort to bring some healing to the community. When you hear so much going on across the country, here are two officers who are willing to do the right thing and let this go, even though they could proceed to push for prosecution.

McManus and Gonzales said they both understood why Ometu, at University of Texas at San Antonio graduate and an insurance adjuster at USAA, was reluctant to speak with police.

Courtesy

Both said they reached out to Ometu through his lawyer and others to invite him to take part in a dialogue on policing in San Antonio. Both indicated Ometu had declined.

We understand the sensitivity that exists and why this happened, McManus said. By meeting with Mr. Ometu, we were hoping to close that gap between the two sides. Im sorry that wont happen, but I understand why Mr. Ometu was reluctant.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg said he was pleased a judge dropped the charges against Ometu, and that police officials had released the officers body-camera footage  an unusual move that Nirenberg pushed for.

Police officials dont typically release body-camera footage so soon after an incident, and at times deny such requests if an investigation is ongoing.

While portions of the video were inaudible  and the camera did not capture clear video when Ometu was being wrestled into the back of the police vehicle after the camera apparently fell to the ground  McManus said he doesnt intend to release any additional information.

Its a good resolution to a situation that illustrates the systemic racial justice challenges that we are facing in our society involving public trust and police community relations, Nirenberg said.

What the recording of the incident demonstrated to me was the complex and difficult environment that the Black community and police have to navigate on a daily basis, along with the amount of work we, as a society, have to do to change it.

What they are saying Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales: "This case is one of competing interests. It is the officer's duty to investigate and detain a person of interest that may be a suspect in a crime versus a citizen's right not to disclose their identification where no arrest has been made. In this case, the officers did have a description that led them to believe that Mr. Ometu may have been the suspect they were seeking. However, Mr. Ometu was not that person and did not have an obligation to identify himself or make a statement. Ultimately, the officers agree that dismissal is in the interest of justice." San Antonio Police Chief William McManus "Although the police officers were assaulted, they were not injured. As such, they have asked that the charges against Mr. Ometu be dismissed. They also do not want Mr. Ometu to suffer any adverse consequences from the incident. Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales has agreed to drop the charges. Both officers felt it important to use this incident as an opportunity for unity and understanding at a time when it is most needed. "It is clear that pursuing charges against Mr. Ometu would not bring us closer to our goals of building trust and creating partnerships with our community. We have invited Mr. Ometu to start a dialogue on policing in San Antonio, and that invitation will remain open." See More Collapse

Body camera video

Police were first called to the area near the Gunn Acura car dealership on the Interstate 10 access road around 1:45 p.m. Aug. 25 after a woman reported that her ex-husband had choked and assaulted her.

Officer Richard Serna later told supervisors that as he drove to the scene, he observed Ometu running from the apartment complex. Not knowing Ometu matched the description of the suspect, Serna got out of his car and spoke to the woman.

The woman told Serna that her ex-husband had just fled on foot, and that he was wearing a green T-shirt and athletic shorts, police officials said. She said he was Black and had a scruffy beard.

Serna remembered seeing Ometu just a few moments earlier. He was wearing a neon green T-shirt and athletic shorts. Serna relayed the description over the police radio.

Another officer driving to the scene saw Ometu, now walking along Woodstone Drive, and stopped him, a report states. Serna finished his conversation with the woman and rushed to the scene.

Hey, whats your name, brother? Serna asked Ometu, as the officer arrived on scene and got out of his vehicle. You kinda match the description of a suspect Im looking for.

Are you serious? Ometu asked, moments later. Im working out. Im doing a run.

For several minutes, the footage shows, the two men went back and forth. Throughout the ordeal, Ometu appears frustrated with the officers, at points throwing his hands in the air.

God damn, dude, Ometu said at one point.

I just want to be, he said later.

Serna also appeared to grow increasingly frustrated.

Youre going in the back of the car if youre going to be acting like this, Serna said, at one point. All I need to know is your name.

Moments later, Serna hopped into his patrol car and called the domestic violence victim. For several minutes, he asked her questions  though its not clear what her response was.

What was he wearing right now? Did he have a hat on? Serna said. What about facial hair? A full-grown beard?

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio mayor calls for release of body camera video as questions mount in arrest of Black jogger

As Serna spoke, he typed on his city-issued laptop, which was blurred out in the body-camera footage. (McManus said that officers can access a persons drivers license photo in their patrol vehicle, but that it often can be outdated.)

Serna finished his conversation with the woman. He then got on the radio and asked dispatchers to send another officer to the area to pick her up and bring her to the scene.

But soon, the officer called Serna to report that the woman couldnt leave her home. The two officers debated what to do.

In the background, the third officer can be heard asking the woman for additional details. The suspect, he tells Serna, had just a little scruff on his chin. He was wearing black basketball shorts and a green shirt, the color of grass.

Does anything match him? the officer asked.

Everything matches except for the basketball shorts, Serna responded. Theyre white with a black stripe. And he has a pretty good sized beard.

Situation escalates

The encounter escalated after Serna told Ometu he planned to take him to the womans apartment to see if he matched the description of the suspect.

Several times, Ometu refused. Serna insisted, placing his hands on Ometus stomach and arm and leading him toward the police SUV. His body stiffened and he appeared to push back, ever so slightly.

Get in the car, Serna began yelling. Get in the car! Quit making this difficult.

As the struggle ensued, Sernas body-worn camera went black. It appearsit was knocked off his body and fell into the grass face-down. The audio is still clear.

At one point, Ometu can be heard repeatedly screaming,Youre choking me. Each time, the officers responded that they werent.

Afterward, the officers wrote that Ometu had kicked both of them  including one blow to the face.

Shortly after Ometu was placed in the back of the car, the victim of the family violence incident arrived at the scene, a police report states. She told police Ometu was not the man who assaulted her.

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
Brenda McKeon and Paul Cunningham were in a rush when they arrived at their designated polling place in South Boston for early voting last month.

When they received their ballots, the couple spotted Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III on the ballot for U.S. Senate but recognized few other names. McKeon was also surprised not to see Nick Collins, but she figured the Democratic state senator might not have a challenger in the primary and would appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.

McKeon realized she was wrong when she and her family returned from a trip out of town to find a flier promoting Collins re-election in the primary. A phone call to Collins re-election committee confirmed she filled out the wrong ballot  a problem the South Boston couple had never encountered before.

We just voted thinking we hadnt read up and that their names would be on the November ballot, McKeon said, adding she wished she spoke up sooner. You should speak up right away, but again if your car is full with kids and youre headed out of town, youre scratching your head thinking that didnt seem right.

Its not impossible for people to receive the wrong ballot in the mail or in person, especially when some polling places serve multiple precincts in different state and congressional districts. The snafu is much less common in person, though, and complicated what was supposed to be a convenient voting option for McKeon and Cunningham.

More than 180,000 people voted in person last week during the early voting period  a first for a Massachusetts primary. Another 588,000 and counting have voted by mail, another first in the commonwealth. These options remain in place for the general election to allow voters a chance to cast their ballot without risking getting COVID-19.

Those landmark voting changes have not been perfect. Kristina Mensik, assistant director at Common Cause, said the organization has received complaints of voters receiving the wrong ballots in the mail. Others received mail-in ballots but no envelopes.

Those who were mailed the wrong ballots reported their problems to election officials, Mensik said. Local election worked with those voters to get the correct ballots to them, so they could submit the proper votes.

The South Boston complaint was the first she heard of people receiving the wrong ballots while voting in person.

For McKeon and Cunningham, the error happened at James F. Condon School, their polling place, when they showed up to vote in person.

Cunningham didnt realize the error at first because he was focused on the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate race.

Part of me feels I should have caught it, obviously, but the thing is they handed me a ballot and what I was particularly thinking about was right there, Cunningham said, referring to the U.S. Senate race candidates.

In an Aug. 30 letter, he and McKeon asked local election officials for advice on how to correct their votes. They also sent the letter to the Secretary of States Election Division.

We were handed a ballot that had Congresswoman Ayanna Pressleys name on it and had candidates that we did not recognize on the rest of the ballot. At the time we did not question the ballot, McKeon and Cunningham wrote in a letter to the Boston Elections Department. Weve come to realize that she does not represent our district and we should not have handed that particular ballot. We now believe that a mistake was made.

Commissioner Eneida Tavares told them they could have their first ballots canceled if they filled out the correct ballot in person Tuesday at Boston City Hall, McKeon and Cunningham said.

The city did not respond to an email about the Aug. 30 letter.

Debra OMalley, spokeswoman for the Secretary of States office, said the office has not yet received the letter but has discussed the situation with the Boston Elections Department. OMalley said the local election officials planned to reject the early ballots so the corrected, in-person votes would be counted instead.

If a voter complains that they received the wrong ballot, we notify their local election official if they are not already aware and we have them send a replacement ballot if there is time to do so, OMalley said. Voters can also vote in person if there is not sufficient time to receive a new ballot.

Cunningham and McKeon voted early because they planned to be out of town Tuesday. Their plans changed. Cunningham still left town for a work trip, but McKeon planned her Tuesday around a trip to city hall.

I wonder how many other people may have got the wrong one, if any, she said. I want their vote to count too.

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Three victims have been rushed to hospital after a 'stabbing' just yards from a high school in Stockport.

Emergency services arrived at the scene near Castle Hill High School in Offerton this afternoon following reports of an attack.

Three people, whose ages are unknown, were taken to hospital for treatment. The extent of their injuries are unclear.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed no arrests have been made.

Three victims have been rushed to hospital after a stabbing just yards from a high school in Stockport. Pictured: Police at the scene today

A spokesman added: 'Police were called to reports of a stabbing off The Fairway in Offerton, Stockport on Tuesday, September 1.

'Emergency services attended and three people have been taken to hospital with injuries.

'No arrests have been made and enquiries remain ongoing.'

Officers remained at the scene near Castle Hill High School until around 7pm.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Victorian government has won a six-month extension of its powers to declare the coronavirus pandemic an ongoing state of emergency, following a marathon debate overnight.

Shortly after 9pm, when the first vote on the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment Bill took place, 21 MPs voted in favour and 18 against.

The final vote, following a debate about the legislation's technical details, took place just before 2am on Wednesday, with 20 MPs voting in favour and 19 against.

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos, who was heckled repeatedly throughout her speech, told the Parliament those who voted against the bill were in effect voting for a "third wave".
The smallest of the Great Lakes by surface area, Lake Ontario, straddling the international border between the United States and Canada, is facing a cascade of threats. Some, like high water levels, have become common refrains throughout the Great Lakes. But Lake Ontario, which holds nearly four times the volume as Lake Erie because it is much deeper  is unique among its sister lakes. It serves as the gateway to the St. Lawrence River  and the Atlantic Ocean beyond  and its coast is home to Canadas largest city, Toronto. The lake also is affected by human regulation more intensely and directly than the other lakes to the west.
The problem of hate news is built into the genes of big digital monopolies like Facebook. We need to break up these monopolies and regulate them as the new public utilities of the digital age.





by Prabir Purkayastha





A recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article, Facebooks Hate-Speech Rules Collide With Indian Politics, has blown the lid off Facebooks unholy alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the right-wing ruling party in India.









In the August 14 article, WSJ reporters Newley Purnell and Jeff Horwitz detail how Ankhi Das, Facebooks high-flying public policy director for India and South and Central Asia, blocked action against the ruling BJP party leaders. Facebook had tagged these leaders internally as promoting hate speech and dangerous and with the potential to cause, as Purnell and Horwitz write, real-world violence. The reason Das reportedly gave for letting these violations of Facebooks policy go unpunished was that such action would harm Facebooks business in India.





Facebook also has recently invested $5.7 billion in leading Indian telecom company Reliance Jio for 9.99 percent of its sharesone of the largest investments ever by any tech company for a minority stake. The largest number of Facebook and WhatsApp users in the world are from India, with Facebook having more than 300 million and WhatsApp in excess of 400 million users. Facebook bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014 and has business offerings on this platform, whose rules of engagement are completely opaque. Even more than Facebook, WhatsApp has been the major social media platform for the BJP and its troll army to spread disinformation, as it was for President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.





On August 21, Horwitz and Purnell wrote that Facebook has subsequently come under attack internally for its failure to address violations of its hate speech policy in India: Facebook employees are pressing the companys leadership to review its handling of hate speech in India, saying [in a letter addressed to FB Leadership that] the company has tolerated toxic content by prominent political figures.





This is not the first time Facebooks sheltering of hate speech and divisive right-wing figures has been exposed. In a 2017 article for Bloomberg, Lauren Etter, Vernon Silver, and Sarah Frier wrote that Facebook actively works with political parties and leaders including those who use the platform to stifle oppositionsometimes with the aid of troll armies that spread misinformation and extremist ideologies. They also wrote that a little-known Facebook global government and politics team led from Washington by Katie Harbath, a former Republican digital strategist who worked on former New York Mayor Rudy Giulianis 2008 presidential campaign, has helped specific political parties from India and Brazil to Germany and the U.K.the units employees have become de facto campaign workers. In 2018, a five-article series for Newsclick by Cyril Sam and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta ahead of Indias 2019 general elections investigated the close ties between Facebook executives and the BJP, particularly Prime Minister Narendra Modis team, and found that the ties went far beyond Facebooks relationships with other political parties in India.





The August 14 WSJ article identified three prominent BJP figures whose Facebook posts included hate speech: T. Raja Singh, a state legislator from Telangana, had threatened to kill Muslims who ate cows and to shoot Rohingyas, Muslim refugees fleeing Myanmar; Anantkumar Hegde, a member of Parliament from Karnataka, posted cartoons and essays on Muslims spreading Corona Jihad. (The WSJ reported that after it asked Facebook about some of Singhs and Hegdes posts, Facebook deleted some of them and said Mr. Singh no longer is permitted to have an official, verified account, designated with a blue check mark badge. Similarly, Facebook took no action until the Journal sought comment from the company about [Hegdes] Corona Jihad posts.) Kapil Mishra, a former Delhi legislator, played an active role in inciting violent riots earlier this year in New Delhi, for which he has been widely condemned by opposition parties, independent groups, the press, and even (though not by name) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. These three were among BJP figures flagged internally by Facebooks team implementing its policy on Dangerous Individuals and Organizations as worthy of a permanent ban, as was done in other countries including the United States.





The WSJ coverage may make us believe that the problem in Facebook is an individuals fault, that of Ankhi Das, its policy head for India. The real issue goes far deeper. The power of digital monopoliesGoogle, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoftis not merely determined by their wealth. The social media platformsGoogle and Facebookhave taken over the media space, not only in terms of advertising revenue, the lifeblood of the media under capitalism, but also in terms of influence. The greater the engagement that you can generate, the greater the likelihood of gaining a significant viewership and following. Purnell and Horwitz reported that within two months of the video of the speech by Kapil Mishrain which he incited physical violence in clearing protestersbeing posted, the engagement for Mr. Mishras Facebook page grew from a couple hundred thousand interactions a month to more than 2.5 million.





Earlier, it was widely accepted that the presswhat Thomas Carlyle had called the Fourth Estate in a democracyhas a social role and therefore needs to be regulated for public good. The Press Council of India, however weak it might be in actual practice, has a code that the press is expected to follow. In the U.S., cross-holdings between different kinds of media are regulated.





There are two issues we need to recognize. The first is that the media is not just any other business but is important for democracy. And the second is that monopoly by itself is also a danger to democracy. U.S. Supreme Court Judge Louis Brandeis is widely quoted to have said, We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we cant have both.





More than 75 years after Brandeis lived, his words on monopoly were cited in the congressional hearing in July with the CEOs of Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple. The combined market value of the four companies is nearly $5 trillion. If we compare this to the GDPs of entire countries, they come out above Germany, and behind only the U.S., China and Japan. It is this market power that gives them the ability to bend, or in the case of weaker economies, twist out of shape, their legal and regulatory structures.





Unfortunately, the interests of tech companies with this much capital are less and less often aligning with the interests of society. This is becoming clearest with the case of Facebook, as 98.5 percent of its income is from advertisements. Advertisements depend on the number of views, and the virality of posts and engagement are the main drivers of Facebooks revenue model. Facebook has discovered, as MIT researchers did, that hate and fake news posts drive virality, and therefore it has no incentive to curb such posts. While it has professed lip service for community standards and healthy discourse, the driving force of its business empire comes from its need to have more eyeballs, and therefore it feeds off hate and fake news. An internal study had found that 64 percent of members who had joined extremist groups did so thanks to Facebooks recommendation tools.





This pathology of social media is not limited to Facebook. Googles search engine has shown similar problems, as has its image recognition algorithms. But undoubtedly, Facebook has been the leader in spreading hate politics and fake news in the world.





What Trump, Bolsonaro and Modi have in common, apart from their right-wing politics, is their reliance on Facebook and WhatsApp in their campaigns. Though we have seen the phenomena of troll TVFox News in the U.S. and Republic TV in Indiapenetrating the traditional media space, WhatsApp and Facebook have been the primary playground of trolls, aided by Facebooks algorithms. While it may seem that the right understands digital platforms better than others, and that is why it has had so much success with them, there is increasing evidence that the support that Facebook provides to various right-wing figures and hate speech is not an accident but a part of its strategy.





In the language of new tech, hate speech is not a bug in the systems of social media but a basic feature. The problem of hate speech cannot be solved by politely petitioning the Zuckerbergs of digital monopoly platforms to behave more responsibly. It needs, at the very least, breaking up their monopolies and regulating them as public utilities.





This article was produced in partnership by Newsclick and Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.





Prabir Purkayastha is the founding editor of Newsclick.in, a digital media platform. He is an activist for science and the free software movement.
Exactly seventy-five years after the end of World War II, we still do not know the full extent of Adolf Hitlers plans. Some believe that as the tide of war turned against the Third Reich, many top-secret projects were hidden in subterranean tunnels across Europe. The location and true purpose of these projects remained a mystery until a newly discovered map revealed fresh clues. Now a team of experts is determined to find answers to longstanding questions. On History TV18s latest 2-hour exclusive premiere, Hitlers Secret Tunnels, modern-day explorers Mike Scott and Luke Mahoney set out to search for tunnel complexes that may still be protecting Hitlers most diabolical secrets. The documentary premieres on Wednesday, 2nd September, at 11 AM, and repeats at 6 PM the same evening.

Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party and rose to power as Germanys dictator in 1933. His invasion of Poland in September 1939 ignited World War II. The devastating conflict raged for six years, engulfing almost the entire world. After the end of the Second World War and the victory of the Allied Powers, it was believed that Hitler had bigger plans that were never uncovered. Hitler's Secret Tunnels' investigates the classified Nazi nuclear weapons program, and other secret projects, including occult practices and shocking human experiments.

With the Allied bombing of the headquarters of the German rocket program, the Fuhrer wouldve realised the necessity of moving secret projects to secure locations. So, the Nazis built a vast network of underground tunnels crisscrossing Germany, Austria, Poland, France, and Czechoslovakia. Most of these tunnel systems had been sealed or booby-trapped, but others were waiting to be explored. In Central Germany, Tunnel System B has been long-believed to have been home to the Nazi weapons program. An old map, discovered among the personal possessions of a member of Hitlers favoured inner circle, SS Commander Hans Kammler, provides vital clues. An official memo, found with the map, revealed a newer, heavily-reinforced Nazi bunker called Tunnel System B3c. This is believed to have been the site for Hitlers top-secret, highest priority weapons.

On the investigative documentary, explorer Mike Scott and his partner, Luke Mahoney, use the secret Nazi document to unearth a sealed and unseen Nazi underworld. Armed with their trusty metal detectors, the duo has been involved in significant finds, including over 200 gold coins, thousands of kilograms of buried silver and hidden weapons caches. The two-hour special feature has them meeting Nazi treasure hunters, historians and local experts, to reveal Hitlers final secrets.

Hitlers Secret Tunnels, premieres on 2nd September at 11 AM and 6 PM on History TV18, marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of the war.
Opposition is mounting across British Columbia to the New Democratic Party provincial governments dangerous plan to reopen schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic, putting the lives of teachers, students, and parents at risk. A petition criticizing the governments back-to-school policy signed by tens of thousands and protests organized by a group of concerned parents in Vancouver have forced the government to make a few cosmetic changes in the hopes of dissipating popular anger.

Some 40,000 people have signed a change.org petition demanding that the return to school be conducted on a voluntary basis, while two fathers have filed cases with the B.C. Supreme Court to block schools from opening.

Opposition is being fuelled by the recent uptick of COVID-19 cases in the province. More people are actively fighting infections in B.C. than at any time since May 9th, with 978 active cases as of August 28, including a single-day record number of new cases, 124, that day. Nearly 3,000 further people are under surveillance by the provincial Public Health Association due to exposure to known cases.

Protester at Safe September BC rally

Earlier this month, Safe September B.C., a group established by concerned parents, organized a rally to protest the back-to-school drive at Vancouvers Joyce-Collingwood Sky Train station. The location was chosen due to its proximity to the constituency office of B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix.

We were pleased with the rally and the opportunity to share some parents concerns with B.C.s school restart plan, organizer Stacey Wakelin told the World Socialist Web Site. There was media present and that allowed us to speak to other parents and encourage them to communicate with the Ministry of Education and their school districts.

Safe September BC is demanding: a delayed start to the school year to allow for on-site planning; mandatory masks and physical distancing in all schools and classrooms; the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to all schools; and fair options for anyone who needs to stay out of school until the pandemic ends.

The NDP governments original plan, released in mid-July, provoked widespread anger due to its lack of detail and dismissal of health and safety concerns. It proposed the creation of large cohorts or social bubbles of 60 elementary and middle school students and 120 high school students, within which social distancing would not be necessary. Even these cohorts or bubbles would not be maintained in most common areas, including cafeterias, the reception desk, or on school buses.

The plan also proposed that all K-12 students return to the classroom on a full-time basis from September.

The disastrous restart plans flimsy guidelines are not supported by government action to address safety and hygiene concerns, placing the onus largely on individual staff and students. Teachers are asking how they are supposed to follow a guide that simply says, use visual cues to maintain physical distance, wash hands frequently and dont share supplies.

Even these basic measures will prove impossible to implement in many schools due to the severe defunding of public education in B.C. for two generations, regardless of which party NDP, Liberals, or Social Credithas been in power.

A major component of the governments narrative to justify the reopening of schools is that it is necessary to protect the mental health of students.

The B.C. Ministry of Education has shown how disingenuous such feigned concern is by providing schools with just 1 counsellor per 960 elementary students, 1 counsellor per 380 secondary students, and 1 psychologist per 3,400 students. Moreover, only $45.6 million has been added to the B.C. COVID-19 action plan to support school districts and independent schools. Even if the entirety of that funding was to be utilized solely for sanitation and hygiene equipment for limiting the spread of the virus, it works out to just $2 per student per week of the academic year.

Facing strong public backlash, Minister of Education Rob Fleming announced on August 10 a measly postponement of just two days to the beginning of the school year, which the government preposterously claimed would give teachers adequate time to prepare school buildings for the restart.

The indifference of the provincial government has provoked the emergence of numerous groups on social media, where discussions on the dangerous back-to-school drive are taking place. The cake is half-baked and they just put it back in the oven for two minutes lamented one Surrey teacher online, in response to the paltry two-day delay.

Within a few days of the Safe September BC rally, the Ministry of Education announced further minor changes to the school reopening plan. These include modifying it to include a mask mandate for middle and high school students in halls, on buses and when interacting with people outside of their learning groups.

There have been many advocates pushing hard on this issue and I certainly believe it is the work of many that will see any changes, Wakelin told the WSWS. In all honesty, this change is a small one and we hope to see more meaningful movement in the near future.

The reality is that the trade union-backed, Green Party-supported NDP government has no intention of taking serious measures to protect the lives of students, teachers, and their loved ones. Instead, the government is doing all it can to drum up support for its reckless back-to-school policy, which is dictated by big business drive to reopen the economy and thereby intensify the extraction of profit from the working class.

One example of this was the production last week of a lying propaganda ad featuring Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. The Ministry of Education claimed that the 30-second ad was designed to build families confidence about the so-called strict health and safety measures that are in place to protect students and staff.

To accomplish this, the government had to fabricate an imaginary classroom situation that will never exist in reality. The ad shows 6 students in the classroom in total, their desks spaced apart at a distance that will be impossible to actually achieve and situated comfortably nearby a sink.

Ive had a lot of respect for Dr. Henry, but this is out of touch, said one Twitter user in response to the ad. No classroom looks like this. Try it again with 30 kids and thats why students, parents, teachers and support staff are concerned.

The Ministry of Education responded to the critique with a statement that is unintentionally heavily-laden with irony: In order to videotape the ad, it read, the number of students in the room was limited for health and safety reasons and the children were placed at safe distances from each other. This, less than two weeks before students are sent back to school with no such safety measures.

Patti Bacchus, a former chair of the Vancouver School Board with ties to the NDP establishment and the current education columnist of the Georgia Straight has been critical of the restart plan since its release. In an interview with the WSWS, she criticized the governments failure to support families and for failing to listen to what educators are saying about the school reopening plan. Theres a lack of confidence in the Ministry of Educations plan. The government needs to listen to educators, Bacchus said. Families need to be given options. Parents need options for remote or partial remote learning but to still be connected to their local schools.

The government is receiving critical support in its reckless back-to-school drive from the B.C. Teachers Federation (BCTF), which, while mouthing oppositional sounding phrases, is helping organize the return to class. BCTF President Teri Mooring revealingly remarked that the union is playing an active role in government committees to plan the reopening of schools. This little noted fact thoroughly exposes the unions empty criticisms of the governments plan, which have included calls for the hiring of more teachers and reduced class sizes. The union has deliberately avoided even issuing a threat to strike, underscoring that its criticisms of the government are nothing more than window dressing to help the NDP force through its homicidal plan in the face of widespread public opposition.
The 2020 presidential election is drawing ever nearer, and businesses are taking action to make sure their employees can get to the polls, by granting them time off to vote. In the case of Old Navy, they want to be sure there will be adequate workers at the polls, so theyre doing their part to help the national poll worker shortage.

In a press release, Old Navy announced today - National Poll Worker Recruitment Day - that it will pay its store employees who serve as poll workers on election day.

The company is encouraging its vast service-minded associate base of 50,000 field employees in more than 1,000 of its stores in the U.S., to apply to serve in their communities, and is providing them the means to do so, the release said.

How many poll workers are needed?

Old Navy is working in partnership with the Civic Alliance and Power the Polls, in a national movement to recruit 250,000 new poll workers, the release said. In an election year that has the potential for a historic turnout, an adequate number of poll workers are needed to ensure polling sites stay open and operate efficiently across the country on Nov. 3, the release said.

How will poll-working employees be compensated?

According the news release, store associates who serve as poll workers will be compensated by Old Navy with eight hours of pay. Additionally, those employees who serve will also be eligible for compensation from their local jurisdiction, the release said.

We are constantly inspired by our store teams, with their passion for community work and fostering a sense of belonging both in and outside of our store walls. Every voice in this country matters and deserves to be heard at the polls, and if we at Old Navy can be even a small part of making that process more accessible to the communities we call home, we are on board, said Nancy Green, head of Old Navy.

Eligible consumers are invited to participate.

The news release said that the initiative will also extend beyond Old Navys store employee base. Eligible consumers will be invited by the brand to participate at the polls as well. Old Navy customers who wish to serve at a polling station in their local area can sign-up to apply here.

READ MORE:

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In order to justify the effort of selecting individual stocks, it's worth striving to beat the returns from a market index fund. But in any portfolio, there are likely to be some stocks that fall short of that benchmark. Unfortunately, that's been the case for longer term Pzena Investment Management, Inc (NYSE:PZN) shareholders, since the share price is down 47% in the last three years, falling well short of the market return of around 50%. And over the last year the share price fell 38%, so we doubt many shareholders are delighted. Unhappily, the share price slid 1.4% in the last week.

View our latest analysis for Pzena Investment Management

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

Pzena Investment Management saw its EPS decline at a compound rate of 40% per year, over the last three years. This fall in the EPS is worse than the 19% compound annual share price fall. So, despite the prior disappointment, shareholders must have some confidence the situation will improve, longer term.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

This free interactive report on Pzena Investment Management's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Pzena Investment Management, it has a TSR of -36% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

Story continues

A Different Perspective

Investors in Pzena Investment Management had a tough year, with a total loss of 34% (including dividends), against a market gain of about 25%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 5.1% per year over five years. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Pzena Investment Management (1 can't be ignored) that you should be aware of.

Of course Pzena Investment Management may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

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.
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Soon after the Galwan Valley clash on June 15 in Eastern Ladakh with Chinese PLA troops, India acted swiftly and the Indian Navy sailed out its frontline warship for deployment in the South China Sea. The move irked Beijing after which it raised objections over it during the diplomatic talks between the two sides, as per sources.

Navy has deployed its MiG-29K fighter aircraft

China, which has been trying to dominate the region by expanding its presence through artificial islands and military presence has been objecting to the Indian presence there. "Soon after the Galwan clash broke out in which 20 of our soldiers were martyred, the Indian Navy deployed one of its frontline warships to the South China Sea where the People's Liberation Army's Navy objects to the presence of any other force claiming the majority of the waters as part of its territory," ANI quoted government sources as saying.

During the deployment in the South China Sea where the American Navy had also deployed its destroyers and frigates, the Indian warship was continuously maintaining contact with their American counterparts over secure communication systems, the sources informed.

As part of the routine drills, the Indian warship was being constantly updated about the status of the movement of military vessels of other countries there, sources said adding that the entire mission was carried out in a very hush-hush manner to avoid any public glare on Navy's activities. The Navy has also deployed its MiG-29K fighter aircraft at an important Air Force base where they are practising missions for conflict over land and mountainous terrain, the sources said.

India to procure 6 submarines

Meanwhile, India is all set to launch the bidding process by next month for a Rs 55,000-crore mega project to build six conventional submarines for the Indian Navy to narrow the gap with China's growing naval prowess, PTI quoting government sources reported on Sunday.

READ | Indian Navy Commanders to hold 3-day conclave beginning Wednesday

READ | Independence Day: Indian Navy shares powerful video, says Har Kaam Desh Ke Naam

The submarines will be built in India under the much-talked-about strategic partnership model that allows domestic companies to join hands with leading foreign defence majors to produce high-end military platforms in the country and reduce import dependence. The Indian Navy is also in the process of procuring 57 carrier-borne fighter jets, 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) and 123 multi-role helicopters under the strategic partnership model.

READ | Rajnath Singh hails Indian Navy for effectively carrying out Mission Based deployment

READ | Indian Navy inks deal with UPEIDA for setting up centre of excellence in UP defence corridor

(With agency inputs)
Were proud of the modern, flexible and scalable e-commerce and marketplace solutions we bring to VTEX customers, so for us, it is thrilling to be recognized by Gartner as a Visionary in our space, said Amit Shah, Chief Strategy Officer and U.S. General Manager at VTEX.

VTEX, the world's first and only fully-integrated commerce-marketplace-OMS solution, announced today it has been named a Visionary in Gartners August 2020 Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce, an annual report that helps B2B and B2C sellers evaluate and select digital commerce platforms.

The COVID-19 pandemic has propelled the digital commerce market to new heights by forcing organizations into adoption and vendors into new approaches and pricing models, according to the new report. The report also predicts by 2023, organizations that have operated enterprise marketplaces for more than one year will see at least a 10% increase in digital revenue.

Were proud of the modern, flexible and scalable e-commerce and marketplace solutions we bring to VTEX customers, so for us, it is thrilling to be recognized by Gartner as a Visionary in our space, said Amit Shah, Chief Strategy Officer and U.S. General Manager at VTEX. Collaborative commerce is at the center of our vision and as VTEX expands its presence around the world, that value will continue to drive how we help B2B and B2C sellers grow.

In the last year, VTEX has garnered significant customers, further enhanced its offerings, and secured $140 million to fund an expansion into North America, Europe and Asia based on three key strengths.

Commerce functionality and marketplace

VTEXs marketplace platform technology is integrated with its OMS and commerce platform. This represents a clear differentiator as the launch of a marketplace often requires a separate technology integration, at substantial additional cost.

Breadth of functionality

VTEXs platform contains many features for the end-to-end management of a digital commerce business, including order management and fulfillment. This makes the platform well suited to meet the needs of a growing number of complex enterprise organizations.

Extensibility and modularity

With a modular microservice-based architecture that is API-first, cloud native, and headless, VTEX gives customers the flexibility they need to help their business thrive under any conditions. Additionally, earlier this year, VTEX launched VTEX IO, a low-code development platform that enables users to customize and extend VTEXs capabilities, increasing agility and accelerating innovation.

Partnering with VTEX has simplified our online ordering process and expanded our contactless pick-up and delivery, giving us the agility and flexibility to not only keep customers at the heart of everything we do, but also do it safely and effectively in unprecedented times, said France Roy, Global Head of Engineering at AB InBev.

For a complimentary copy of the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce report, visit: https://vtex.com/us-en/gartner/, or for more information about VTEX, its commerce and marketplace capabilities, and its work with some of the worlds largest brands, please visit http://www.vtex.com.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartners research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About VTEX

VTEX is the first and only global, fully-integrated, end-to-end commerce solution with native marketplace and OMS capabilities. We help companies in retail, manufacturing, wholesale, grocery, consumer packaged goods and other verticals to sell more, operate more efficiently, scale seamlessly and deliver remarkable customer experience. Our modern microservices-based architecture and our powerful business and developer tools allow VTEX to future-proof our customers' businesses and free them from software updates. Major brands including Sony, Walmart, Whirlpool, Coca-Cola, Stanley Black & Decker, Pizza Hut and Nestle, plus 3,000+ active customers in 40 countries, trust VTEX to accelerate and transform their commerce. Visit http://www.vtex.com to learn more.
TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mountain biking in Florida?

At first glance, this is a perfectly reasonable question for the uninitiated to ponder. Florida is a relatively flat state after all.

Alafia River State Park Wood Berm Loyce E. Harpe Park Mountain Bike Trails

But when you begin to dig a little deeper, you'll quickly discover that the Sunshine State  from the Everglades to the Ocala National Forest  has one of the most diverse ecosystems in the country, with elevations running the gamut from 0 to approximately 320 feet above sea level. Dig further and you'll be surprised to learn that Florida is home to some of the most unique and exciting single-track mountain bike trails in the U.S.; in fact, a couple have been recognized as some of the best trails in the nation. A few of these trails were designed by trail architects on reclaimed phosphate mines, creating some noteworthy features and thrilling runs.

Wherever your mountain biking research may lead you, your first visit should be to StokedMTB.com (Stoked MTB), a new website that showcases Florida as a world-class mountain biking destination. Designed to be a comprehensive resource for mountain biking experts and beginners alike, the site includes links to the best trail locations in Florida, downloadable maps, riding tips and more  all anchored by thoughtful design principles.

This focus on strong design makes sense, considering Stoked MTB is the passion project of mountain biking enthusiast Frank Rodriguez, owner and creative director of Mighty Fine Design Co., an Ybor City-based creative ad agency that's operated in Tampa for the past decade. A Florida native and lifelong resident, Rodriguez first got into mountain biking a couple of decades ago, though he initially noticed that not all trails are created equal. His perception of Florida mountain biking completely changed, however, when he first rode the Alafia River State Park trail.

"It was the first time I realized Florida had expertly carved trails that were designed to challenge riders of all skill levels  'they're the most fun you'll have on a bike!'" he shared.

"Mountain biking is the closest thing to meditation I can achieve, especially in this world filled with distractions. It enables incredibly clear, relaxed thinking because you just have to watch the line that's in front of you at all times while clearing obstacles."

On StokedMTB.com, Rodriguez has included a carefully curated list of top trails Florida has to offer, utilizing criteria that includes well-maintained parks and trails, good single tracks, bike club associations, professional trail design and, perhaps most importantly, an enjoyable ride experience.

The highly accessible community website also includes a selection of redesigned trail maps, which were inspired by Italian designer Massimo Vignelli's iconic 1970s NYC subway line diagrams. Rodriguez hopes the site delivers an excellent user experience through its intuitive navigation and astute design.

"Our goal with Stoked MTB is to reach all audiences and give back to the MTB community  from expert-level riders to individuals and families who've never tried mountain biking before but can still enjoy this activity on the weekends while strengthening bonds and building lasting memories," Rodriguez explained.

If you're considering getting into mountain biking (a great social-distancing activity), Rodriguez offered some parting insight:

"This is always my advice: just have fun. If you truly enjoy it, you'll be at the expert level in no time. Work your way up to trying the harder stuff and take some chances along the way, while knowing your limits. The reward is plentiful."

Stoked MTB is owned by Mighty Fine Design Co.  a creative advertising agency. For more information, visit StokedMTB.com or call (813) 343-3770.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Frank Rodriguez 813.343.3770

[email protected]

SOURCE Mighty Fine Design Co.

Related Links

https://stokedmtb.com/


Washington, Sep 1 : US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden have been accusing one another over violence that has erupted at protests in Portland, Oregon.

A man linked to a right-wing group was killed on Saturday, as elsewhere in the city a pro-Trump rally clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters.

Trump called participants of the rally "great patriots" and blamed the city's Democratic mayor for the unrest. Biden in turn accused Trump of "rooting for chaos and violence", the BBC reported.

In a campaign speech in the city of Pittsburgh on Monday, the Democratic candidate said: "Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames. But we must not burn. We have to build." Portland has become a flashpoint for demonstrations against police brutality and racism since the police killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 triggered a wave of national and international outrage.

Media reports say a man who calls himself an anti-fascist is being investigated over Saturday's deadly shooting, while the founder of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer identified the victim as a supporter.

Trump on Sunday re-tweeted what appeared to be the dead man's name along with the message "Rest in Peace".

Police have not publicly named the suspect or the victim, or specified whether the shooting was directly linked to the clashes.

The President is set to visit the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday amid anger there over the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake.

Trump has blamed Portland's Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler for the unrest.

"Portland will never recover with a fool for a mayor," he wrote on Twitter on Sunday as he suggested sending federal forces to the city.

He also accused Biden of being "unwilling to lead".

Trump continued on Monday, describing Portland as "a mess" and repeating calls for "LAW & ORDER".

"If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them," he wrote.

In another tweet he said "Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their 'Movement'." "It wasn't supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and don't listen anymore - even forced Slow Joe out of basement," he added in reference to his Democratic rival.

On Sunday, Biden said the president "may believe tweeting about law and order makes him strong - but his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A Whitehorse woman has been ordered to self-isolate at home for 14 days after a solo excursion to her favourite berry-picking spot near the Canada-U.S. border.

Laura Sutherst  who says she's famous for her pies  didn't realize she had crossed a line.

"I have some secret spots that I've scouted out. So I just went through Canadian customs as usual," she said.

It's about 12 kilometres from Canadian customs in Fraser, B.C., to the U.S. border. The area in between is at high elevation and experiences harsh winters and heavy snowfall.

It is one of the farthest distances between any Canadian and American border stations. Some locals refer to the area in between as "no-man's land."

Sutherst said she thought she might be stopped on her way at the Canadian border station, or that there would be signage.

"I had heard we were allowed to go there. And I didn't see anything posted. So I just went about my business and went to my berry patches," she said.

Picked by herself

Sutherst said she took for granted that she could pick blueberries even a little past the "Welcome to Alaska" sign along the highway, where she knew she would get into prime berry-picking terrain.

She was by herself and saw no one as she picked, she said. Then she jumped back into her VW Westfalia camper van and started heading home with the prized ingredient for her pies.

She thought crossing back into Canada would be the same as in other years.

"You know, when you went through customs, you just showed them your blue hands from berry picking and half the time they didn't even ask you for ID," she said.

I told them my story and ... they were confused. They were like, 'I've never heard this one. - Laura Sutherst

This time was different, though. She said she was stopped and questioned by a Canada Border Services agent.

Sutherst said she told the agent she had been picking berries about a kilometre past the "Welcome to Alaska" sign.

Story continues

Mark Evans/CBC

"I told them my story and ... they were confused. They were like, 'I've never heard this one,'" she recalled.

Sutherst said the agent made phone calls, searched her van and kept her there for around two hours.

"In the end, he gave me a stern warning, which was actually sort of serious because if I'm caught doing that again, I'm banned from going to the States for five years," she said.

"I've been red-flagged."

Told to self-isolate

The border agent told her it was up to him to decide whether she would have to self-isolate, but he informed her that she wouldn't have to.

Three days later, Sutherst said she got a phone call from the Canadian government, telling her otherwise.

She's now a few days into her self-isolation, and taking it in stride. She said it's given her time to bake blueberry pies.

In an email to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency declined an interview about Sutherst's case, and said the agency could not speak about specific cases because of privacy concerns.

Yukon MP Larry Bagnell said in an email to Radio-Canada that the rules about entering Canada can be found on the government's website.

"People coming into Canada have to follow Canada's rules to get into the country, no matter where they enter," Bagnell wrote.

"The rules are the same everywhere on getting into Canada. There are no exceptions."
Authorities in Hong Kong are continuing their crackdown on opposition figures following the passage of a new national security law on June 30.

On Wednesday, two lawmakers from the Democratic Party were arrested for their alleged involvement in protests last year against a controversial extradition bill. The Democrats are the largest party in the pan-democrat bloc, which acts as the official opposition in the citys political establishment.

Ted Hui and Lam Cheuk-ting, the two arrested legislators, face charges of conspiracy to damage property and obstruction of justice in Tuen Mun on July 6 of last year.

Turning reality on its head, Lam was also charged with rioting on July 21 last year in Yuen Long in connection with an attack in a subway station by pro-Beijing thugs and triad gangsters on protesters returning home from a rally. Lam was a victim in the assault and received injuries as a result.

Wu Chi-wai, the chairman of the Democratic Party, condemned the detentions, stating: We can easily draw the conclusion that the arrests are revenge against them. He added an appeal, saying: The Democrats reiterate that the abuse of power [of the authorities] will not help solve Hong Kongs difficulties, and call on those in power to change their ways.

The police and pro-Beijing politicians have been accused of colluding with the gangsters, who used metal and wooden poles to carry out their attacks.

After last years assaults, Julius Ho, a prominent pro-Beijing politician, was recorded shaking hands with some assailants, giving them thumbs-ups and later referring to them as his friends. Ho had the audacity to say after Wednesdays arrests: Justice may be late but never absent.

Despite video evidence to the contrary, police superintendent Chan Tin-chu claimed Wednesday there was a vigorous fight that day in Yuen Long between two supposedly equal sides, and denounced the victims as rioters. He claimed that the video footage of the attack was biased.

Witnesses stated shortly after the July 21 attack that the gangsters attacked people indiscriminately, including people simply returning home from work and even children.

Its groundless to say barehanded people were fighting with assaulters armed with metal rods, Yuen Long district councillor Tommy Cheung said in response to the new charges. The government is trying to distort the history but I believe people in Hong Kong can remember the truth.

Currently, it is unclear if the two arrested lawmakers will also be charged under the national security law, which includes four types of criminal offences: subversion, secession, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces.

Since the laws passage, four students connected to a minor pro-Hong Kong independence group were the first to be arrested on July 29 this year.

On 10 August, 10 people were arrested in a more high-profile police action whose targets included Jimmy Lai, the billionaire owner of the New Digital media company, and activists Andy Li and Agnes Chow. Li was arrested again last Sunday with 10 others on a ship off the coast of Hong Kong, allegedly attempting to flee to Taiwan.

Hong Kong authorities have disbarred 12 prominent opposition politicians from running in the Legislative Council elections, which were originally slated for this month, but have been postponed one year, ostensibly in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

The continuing attack on basic democratic rights in Hong Kong is a serious warning to the working class and youth. On one hand, Beijing is sending a message to the population that renewed protests will result in more arrests, with an average youth undoubtedly facing much harsher conditions than a billionaire like Jimmy Lai and others with influential connections.

On the other hand, the pan-democrat bloc is demonstrating that it has no intention of waging a genuine fight for democracy. Democratic Party leader Wu offered little more than a moral appeal for the authorities to change their ways after the recent arrests. Nothing in his statement suggested the pan-democrats will lead a renewed protest movement, let alone call for a struggle of workers in defence of their social rights.

In fact, the pan-democrat bloc has always served the interests of big business in Hong Kong, advocating accommodation to Beijing to one degree or another, while giving voice to sections of the citys bourgeoisie that feels the central government is encroaching too far on their business interests. They, along with many of the student activists given prominence by the media, look to Washington and London in the hopes of pressuring Beijing, while being hostile to the genuine democratic aspirations of the working class and youth.

Furthermore, figures like Lai, whom the bourgeois media is hailing as a tireless defender for democracy, does in fact have close ties to the US government. His longtime assistant Mark Simon is a former US naval intelligence officer with connections to the CIA. Simon has aided Lai in securing meetings over the past several years with top officials in Washington including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence and former National Security Advisor John Bolton.

These representatives of US imperialism do not support democratic rights in Hong Kong or anywhere else. Their only interest is in exploiting the Hong Kong unrest to further the US drive to prevent China from challenging the post-World War II hegemony of Washington across the Asia-Pacific region and globally.

Beijing is chiefly concerned that any apparent opposition could, however inadvertently, trigger a new wave of protests that not only brings Hong Kongs working class into open struggle, but also unites it with the rest of the Chinese working class on the mainland against the increasingly socially-polarised capitalist state presided over by the Stalinist bureaucracy.

The issues that motivated last years protests and brought millions on to Hong Kongs streets have not been resolved. These include widespread inequality, low and stagnant wages, and a lack of safe and affordable housing.

According to official numbers, one in five Hong Kongers lives below the poverty line. On the mainland, an estimated 80 million workers were without employment in May, while another 600 million were making only $140 a month.

A genuine defence of democratic, social and economic rights in Hong Kong requires the citys working class and progressive youth to turn to their class brothers and sisters throughout China, Asia and internationally in a united struggle for genuine socialism. This is what Beijing fears the most.
If there's one scientist who can get people talking, it's Bill Nye the Science Guy.

"We got a lot going on out there," were the only words he said to former NASA astronaut Leland Melvin, making him flashback to a time before space, where he was victimized by a white Lynchburg, Virginia, police officer.

In A Conversation: Leland Melvin and Bill Nye, which published in June, Leland said he's grateful that night didn't turn out the way the officer wanted.

"I was in a car with my girlfriend after graduation, and a police officer walks up on us," he recalled of the 1982 incident. "[The officer] grabs her out of the car and puts her in his car, and he tries to convince her that I was raping her, because he wanted me to go to jail."

And the crazy thing is, Melvin added, "you and I wouldn't be having this conversation right now because I would've been in the prison system. And once you get in the system, it's very hard to get out of that system."

BLACK GIRL MAGIC: NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps makes history as first Black woman to join International Space Station

Melvin brought up the personal experience again Monday as a panelist during a virtual celebration for Black lives in the space industry, where he also discussed the Black Lives Matter Movement, Third Ward's George Floyd and the protests sparked by his death, according to CNN.
Four men who chased and shot another man in the torso and legs in Sydney's west on Monday night remain on the run, as the number of shootings across the city in the past week increases.

Emergency services were called to Garrong Road, Lakemba, just after 8.15pm following reports Mark Shammo had been injured.

Mark Shammo, 29, was shot in the torso and leg on Monday night and was taken to hospital in a serious condition. Credit:Facebook

They found the 29-year-old suffering gunshot wounds to the torso and leg. He was taken to hospital in a serious condition and underwent surgery. Mr Shammo's injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Commander of Campsie police area command, acting Superintendent Dennis ODonohue, said the shooting was believed to have been targeted.
Melbourne Water has apologised for a "rare event" that led to more than 270,000 Victorians being told to boil their drinking water for up to two days last week.

On Friday, Yarra Valley Water and South East Water were left scrambling to secure treated water supplies for 99 suburbs, after storms on Thursday night sparked power outages that allowed untreated water from Silvan Dam to enter the water supply.

Untreated water from Silvan Reservoir was accidentally released on Thursday night, leading to boil-water notices being issued for 99 suburbs. Credit:Joe Armao

Yarra Valley Water issued a warning to its customers on social media, directing customers to its website for more information about whether their suburb was affected.

Both providers' websites crashed, amid widespread complaints from customers they weren't told about the issue until after they'd drunk potentially contaminated water.
The state health department reported 875 new cases in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits on Monday, taking the progressive count for Pune city to 1,01,111.

The death toll in the city stands at 2,539 after seven new deaths were reported on Monday.

Pimpri-Chinchwad reported 592 new cases on Monday, taking the progressive count to 47,809, with the death toll at 801.

No Covid-related deaths were reported in PCMC on Monday.

The state health department reported 1,931 fresh Covid-19 positives for the district on Monday, taking the district progressive positive count to 1,75,105 - the highest in the state.

Maharashtra reported 7,92,541 Covid-19 progressive positives as of Monday.

Of the 1.75 lakh progressive positives in the district, 1,18,324 have been discharged after they were declared recovered, taking the recovery rate for the district to 67.57%.

Also, 4,069 deaths have been reported till date in Pune district, putting the case fatality rate at 2.32%.

Currently, there are 52,712 active cases in the district as per the state health department.

Within the district, Pune rural which has now become a Covid hotspot, reported 464 new positives on Monday, taking the progressive positive count to 26,185. Pune rural reported two Covid-related deaths on Monday putting the rural toll at 729.

The state reported 5,73,559 (72.36%) recovered patients of its 7.92 lakh progressive positives, with 24,926 deaths (3.14%) and 1,94,056 active cases currently undergoing treatment.
The Minority Leader has stated no future government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will honour the terms and conditions of the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal.



According to Haruna Iddrisu, the deal presents a major offshore transaction without full disclosure of the value of assets of the company and its fiscal measures to Parliament.



Addressing Journalists at a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, September 1, the Minority Leader said the assets of the transaction are grossly undervalued without explicit provision for the transaction made in the just read 2020 supplementary budget.



"The Minister of Finance in presenting this deal is in breach and a clear violation of the law and is required to have reported this deal with full disclosure in his 2020 Supplementary budget to Parliament. Our position is that no future NDC government will honor the terms of this Agyapa Royalties Transaction."



Meanwhile, the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has asserted there are no hidden beneficiaries in the just-approved Agyapa Royalties transaction by Parliament as suggested by the Minority and some Civil Society groups.



According to him, the Agyapa Royalties transaction was 100 percent owned by Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), an entity that is also solely owned by the government of Ghana prior to its approval in Parliament.



The Government of Ghana through the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) set up the Agyapa Royalties Limited in a bid to monetize Ghanas gold royalties.



In exchange for that, the company intends to raise between US$500 million and US$750 million for the Government on the Ghana and London Stock exchanges to invest in developmental projects.

Source: Ghanaweb.com









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Epidemiologists and vaccine experts are alarmed by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahns recent assertion that he will consider approving a coronavirus vaccine before the completion of late-stage clinical trials.

The FDA commissioner can issue a so-called emergency use authorization (EUA) on his own if he determines that the benefits of rushing the vaccine into production outweigh the risks, but several vaccine experts told Yahoo News they are deeply concerned by the idea. No vaccine has ever been approved on an EUA basis, said Dr. Peter Hotez, a top vaccine expert, except once to overcome unusual technicalities on a military anthrax vaccine.

We dont do EUAs for vaccines, Hotez said. Its a lesser review, its a lower-quality review, and when youre talking about vaccinating a large chunk of the American population, thats not acceptable.

On Aug. 23, President Trump called a press conference to announce an EUA for convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19, which was controversial in its own right, but the people who might receive it are already sick; vaccines by definition are given to healthy people. In that light, it is vital that clinical trials be allowed to run their course, especially given the novel approaches some labs are employing in their coronavirus vaccine efforts, said Hotez, a professor of pediatrics and the dean of the School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

Hotez said he is troubled by the mixed messages coming from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has led the coronavirus response. The presidents Operation Warp Speed effort to find a vaccine by the end of the year has further confused the public, Hotez said, since there has been little to no communication about what is happening behind the scenes.

President Trump listens as Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the FDA, speaks during a news briefing at the White House on Aug. 23. (Alex Brandon/AP)

This has created a vacuum thats allowed the anti-vaccine lobby to fill, and we have a very aggressive anti-vaccine lobby in the United States, Hotez said. He said that since the anti-vaccine forces have criticized vaccines as unsafe and as the byproducts of a rushed and conspiratorial process, it is risky to even consider  much less publicly discuss  cutting corners in the race to approval.

Story continues

In an interview with the Financial Times over the weekend, Hahn insisted that if he determines a vaccine is safe enough for an EUA, it will be a science, medicine, data decision. This is not going to be a political decision.

Administration officials first signaled they were willing to consider authorization for a coronavirus vaccine without completing trials over the summer. The Financial Times reported in late July that in a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows suggested emergency use authorization for a vaccine without completing trials.

Dr. Paul Offit, the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine and a pediatrician at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said he worries that Hahn is being pressured by the administration, particularly in the wake of the FDA approval of hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma as treatments for coronavirus infection without adequate evidence that they work and are safe.

There was never a controlled study [of convalescent plasma], so thats the second example of something that has not been shown to work that has now been approved by the FDA under EUA, and you have the president standing up there saying, This is a breakthrough therapy, which its not, Offit said. I think people can reasonably worry [about political pressure] now.  You see the FDA making decisions that you dont think it would normally make, so why is that?

Convalescent plasma from a recovered COVID-19 patient. (Lindsey Wasson/Reuters)

You do get the sense [Hahns] being pressured, Offit added. You do get the sense that he serves at the behest of the president instead of at the behest of the American public. You do get that feeling. I hope Im wrong.

Offit recalled that just a couple of days before a vital meeting to discuss an EUA for convalescent plasma, Trump publicly criticized the FDA for being staffed by the deep state. Shortly after that, Offit said, Hahn flew back to Washington from Colorado to meet with the president to make sure Trump was OK with whats going on.

Offit said that because all the vaccines now being tested are being developed with novel strategies that have never been used commercially before, it is that much more critical to collect data in large-scale trials before a vaccine is put out there to a group that is going to [initially] consist of mostly healthy [essential workers] who are unlikely to die from this virus even if they did contract it.

All the vaccine experts Yahoo News spoke with also worried that the public will be wary of a vaccine that is perceived as having been rushed into production for political reasons.

I think there are physicians in practice and public health authorities who would express a lot of skepticism about the decision [to approve a vaccine on an EUA], which would imperil the whole concept of distributing the vaccine, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. If the vaccine is widely distributed, you can actually reduce the transmission of the virus  and if many people withhold themselves from the vaccine and dont get it because theyre nervous about this whole process ... we will not be able to substantially diminish the transmission of this virus in our communities.

Dr. George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, said there have been devastating side effects to vaccines in the past that have not surfaced until after clinical trials have finished.

A nurse prepares a shot on July 27 as a study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., gets underway. (Hans Pennink/AP)

For example, one of the early rotavirus vaccines was found to cause a rare but serious side effect called intussusception, which leads to a telescoping of the intestines, Rutherford said. A surgical emergency in children, intussusception occurred in about 1 in 100,000 patients. Rutherford said this side effect wasnt seen until after trials were completed, so thats something thats racking around in everybodys minds about rare side effects.

Sometimes the side effects are so rare that they dont show up until 100,000 people have gotten it, Rutherford said. I think thats the sort of stuff that we really have to be careful about.

News reports have suggested that Trump is hoping to pull off an October surprise with an early vaccine release. Rutherford said the prospect of that terrifies him.

This whole October surprise thing is just chilling  to think that somebody would try and game this like that, he said.

Cover thumbnail photo: Pete Marovich/Getty Images

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Read more from Yahoo News:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 15:11:45|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The number of foreign holiday makers visiting Indonesia tumbled in July as the novel coronavirus pandemic still halted travelers from having journeys.

The National Central Agency of Statistics announced on Tuesday that the number of the Indonesian foreign tourist arrivals dropped by 89.12 percent on an annual basis to 159,760 people.

On the monthly basis, the number of holiday makers coming into Indonesia ticked up 0.95 percent in July, the agency's head Kecuk Suhariyanto noted.

The number of foreign tourists coming into Indonesia is still very low due to lockdowns imposed to rein the novel coronavirus pandemic and many countries still apply restrictions on having journeys, he said.

Indonesia has gradually reopened tourist destinations with tight health protocols since June. Its Bali resort island has already welcomed domestic tourists, but rescheduled reopening for foreign travelers to next year from the previous schedule of Sept. 11. Enditem
DENVER, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CO Covid-19 Drive-Up (CCDU) announced its second testing site has launched in the parking lot of the former K-Mart at Monaco and Evans. The company's first site, located in Thornton, has seen steady traffic as patients seek a more comprehensive testing experience that returns dramatically faster results.

CCDU is able to get patients their test results twice as fast as most free testing sites where test results are taking four to five days to arrive. CCDU delivers test results within 48 hours, often returning results 24 hours after sample collection. Most patients with insurance pay nothing out-of-pocket for the CCDU tests.

Unlike free testing sites that only offer the nasal swab test, CCDU offers both the nasal swab (PCR) test - which indicates whether a patient has Covid-19 - and antibody testing - which reveals whether the patient previously had the virus and now has protective antibodies. "The antibody testing is an important addition because patients who test negative want to discover if they previously had the virus and are likely protected from a new Covid infection," said Stephen Volin, MD, founder of CCDU.

All patients who test positive for the virus get a free follow-up call from Dr. Volin so that he can counsel them on their options. "Getting a positive result on the swab test can be stressful and it can be confusing to know what to do if you get that result," Dr. Volin said. "I make sure that anyone who tests positive has the opportunity to talk with a doctor about the best path for them, their family and their colleagues."

CCDU is able to provide reliable testing results more quickly because it utilizes a local laboratory that has been in operation for more than 40 years. "We chose UniPath for our testing because UniPath is a truly local lab that does its work right here in Colorado," Dr. Volin said. "Because its lab is here, located literally blocks from our new Evans and Monaco location, the results can be returned much more quickly."

In addition to its two drive-up testing locations, CCDU offers onsite, workplace testing options to Colorado employers. "We are able to offer employers and schools the same benefits available via our drive-up locations  quicker test results, both Covid testing options and follow-up consultations with a physician for patients who test positive," Dr. Volin said. "We are honored to help Colorado employers and their employees return to working onsite in a safe, predictable and efficient manner."

Drive-up testing appointments are recommended but are not required. To learn more about CO Covid-19 Drive-Up go to cocoviddriveup.com or call 720.647.5858. Drive-up testing sites are located at 9195 Grant St. in Thornton (Women's Health Group parking lot) and 2150 S. Monaco Parkway in Denver (former K-Mart parking lot).

About CO Covid-19 Drive-Up

CO Covid-19 Drive-Up (CCDU) is providing Coloradoans vital access to Covid-19 infection and antibody testing to help keep our state healthy during this global pandemic. CCDU was founded by Stephen Volin, MD, founder of the Women's Health Group in Thornton. In addition to its two testing locations, CCDU offers swab (PCR) and antibody testing to workplaces in the Denver metro area. For more information visit cocoviddriveup.com or call 720.647.5858.

Contact:

Erich Kirshner

Evolution Communications

303.921.6733

[email protected]

SOURCE CO Covid-19 Drive-Up
Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday announced that Maryland is ready to reopen movie theaters, begin holding concerts and expand the size of religious gatherings as he granted permission for a modified third phase of coronavirus recovery to begin at 5 p.m. Friday.

Citing improving infection rates, the declining use of intensive care beds and expanded testing availability, Hogan said it is safe to lift more of the social restrictions that have been in place since March.

"We have crushed the curve and saved lives," Hogan, a Republican, said at a news conference, adding that not all activities have permission to resume. "We're just slowly entering Phase 3, and we're going to see how that goes."

Hogan reiterated that local governments have the power to decide how much to reopen and can move at a slower pace than the state. It was not immediately clear which jurisdictions would proceed with the loosened restrictions.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, a Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday evening that Hogan's announcement "has again taken us by surprise." Elrich said the county will review Hogan's order "to determine the best way to move forward for our residents and businesses while protecting the public health."

Montgomery, which has the state's second-highest number of cases after Prince George's County, typically has lagged the state in lifting pandemic restrictions. Representatives for Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening.

Hogan previously had said the state would only enter Phase 3 when a vaccine for the novel coronavirus was available. He said that his plan has evolved since it was released in April and that the state's improving metrics suggest Maryland can move forward from the second phase, where it has stayed for more than two months.

Under Hogan's plan, movie theaters and concert venues may open at 50% capacity, or with 100 people indoors, whichever is less. Outdoor events are capped at 50% capacity or 250 people. Retail establishments and houses of worship can operate at 75% capacity, up from 50%.

Maryland's test positivity rate has stayed below 5% for 68 consecutive days, Hogan said, down from 26% at the peak of the pandemic in April. Hospitalizations, deaths and the case count have also consistently declined.

As the state battles the virus, Hogan said, "it is also important that we continue to fight to protect and fight for the health of our economy, the health of our small-business community and our struggling Maryland families by continuing to push to safely reopen our economy."

Hogan also criticized eight Maryland counties, including Montgomery and Prince George's, for submitting reopening plans that did not include options for any students to return to school in person this fall.

While Hogan announced the lifting of restrictions, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, said earlier in the day that he will leave tighter social and economic restrictions in place in eastern Virginia through Monday, Labor Day. He said loosened restrictions ahead of holiday activities could worsen the spread of the virus.

"I know a lot of folks want to get things back open on Labor Day," Northam said during a news conference. But he noted that the Memorial Day and Independence Day holidays both led to case increases, particularly in the beach communities of Hampton Roads.

"We don't want to repeat that as the summer draws to a close," Northam said.

If infection rates hold steady through the weekend, Northam said he will consider lifting some of the tighter restrictions in that part of the state.

While the rest of Virginia is in a third phase of coronavirus restrictions, Northam tightened policies in Hampton Roads at the end of July because of a spike in infections. He reduced indoor dining in restaurants to 50% of capacity, imposed a 10 p.m. cutoff for alcohol and banned gatherings of more than 50%.

The percentage of positive test results in that region has declined, but, at nearly 9%, is still higher than the statewide average of about 7%.

Northam said he is concerned about a rise in cases in rural southwestern Virginia, where the average of 220 new cases a day rivals numbers in far more populous northern Virginia.

"This is especially concerning for a region where there are fewer hospitals," he said.

He also noted recent reports of outbreaks on college and university campuses in the state as students return for the fall.

"We're watching this very closely," he said, noting that he speaks with college and university presidents almost daily. As long as institutions follow their approved reopening plans and work with local health departments, he said, they can move ahead with plans to resume classes.

Northam criticized President Donald Trump for reclassifying teachers as critical workers who must stay on the job even if they have been exposed to covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.

"That's the wrong thing to do," he said. "If you are a teacher and there's a high chance you've been exposed to covid-19, you should be tested and stay home until you get the results."

Northam said the virus is likely to be active through the fall and winter. He emphasized that residents should not let down their guard.

The state's infection rates are "at a more acceptable range, but we're still not close to where we need to be to ease these restrictions," he said.

The greater Washington region reported 1,692 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, as well as 38 additional fatalities. The District of Columbia reported 57 cases and no deaths; Maryland had 614 cases and six deaths; Virginia had 1,021 cases and 32 deaths.

The daily death toll was the region's highest number of fatalities in a single day since Aug. 6. The number of deaths in Virginia was the highest since Aug. 1.

The rolling seven-day average of new infections in D.C., Maryland and Virginia was 1,595 on Tuesday, a number that has mostly held steady for more than a week.
MONTGOMERY  Governor Kay Ivey on Monday awarded $10 million of the Coronavirus Relief Fund for a state-wide program to assist Alabama timber owners impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The forestry industry has an economic impact of over $23 billion in the state of Alabama and provides over 40,000 jobs in some of the most rural parts of our state, Governor Ivey said.

CARES Act funds are intended to stabilize our economic losses and help our state recover from COVID-19. This program is designed to reduce the burden of Alabamas 23 million acres of timberland and the subsequent jobs that depend on a healthy timber industry.

This grant program will be administered through the Alabama Forestry Commission and will include grants of up to $10,000 on a first-come, first-serve basis to qualifying timber owners who harvested timber in Alabama during the months of March through July.

The Alabama Forestry Commission understands that forest landowners in the state have been negatively impacted by the coronavirus. These assistance payments will not make landowners whole, but they will help, State Forester Rick Oates said.
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You are here: World

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Two Syrian soldiers were killed and seven others wounded on Monday by an Israeli missile attack that targeted military sites south of the Syrian capital Damascus, state news agency SANA reported.

Citing a military statement, the report said the attack was carried out from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It added that the Syrian air defenses intercepted most of the missiles before reaching their targets.

The attack left damage to the targeted sites.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said powerful explosions were heard in the countryside of Sweida and Daraa provinces in southern Syria as a result of the Israeli attack.

The attack targeted military sites south of Damascus and the towns of al-Sheikh Maskin and Izraa in the countryside of Daraa province, according to the Britain-based watchdog group.

It said the Syrian air defenses were triggered by the attack.

Throughout the Syrian crisis, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, as well as convoys transporting weapons to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia allegedly backed by Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron called Monday for the swift formation of a crisis government in Lebanon following the designation of a new prime minister.

Speaking upon his arrival at Beirut airport, Macron said a new line-up should be agreed upon "as soon as possible" to rescue the country, which is reeling from the deadly August 4 port explosion and the effects of an economic collapse.

It is Macron's second such visit to hammer home the need for an overhaul of Lebanon's complex sectarian political system, since the monster blast that killed 188, injured thousands and laid waste to large parts of Beirut.

He landed at the airport just hours after under-fire leaders on Monday designated a new prime minister, diplomat Mustapha Adib, to tackle the country's deep political and economic crisis.

Immediately after his nomination, Adib, 48, gave a televised speech acknowledging the "need to form a government in record time and to begin implementing reforms immediately".

He vowed to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund for assistance as Lebanon faces its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war and has been left traumatised by the August 4 explosion.

"I want your trust," an AFP correspondent heard Adib tell a resident of the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, badly hit by the port blast.

Macron, who toured the same area on August 6, arrived in Lebanon Monday to check on progress as he returned for Lebanon's centenary, expected to be a glum commemoration.

- Legion of Honour -

French mandate authorities on September 1, 1920, proclaimed the creation of Greater Lebanon.

On the eve of the centenary, many citizens were planning to leave the country and asked whether Lebanon would live to be 101.

The French president kicked off his two-day trip by calling on 85-year-old Fairuz, the Arab world's last living singing legend and a rare symbol of national unity in the crisis-hit country.

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During what he told Lebanese television was a "very moving" moment, he awarded the singer with France's Legion of Honour and she gave him a painting, the National News Agency said.

He then met former prime minister Saad Hariri at the Ottoman-era residence of the French ambassador, from whose porch 100 years ago Greater Lebanon was proclaimed.

President Michel Aoun and his political ally, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on Sunday both expressed willingness to change the way Lebanon is governed.

The 85-year-old Aoun, a hate figure to Lebanon's large protest camp which regards him as deaf to calls for change, even urged the proclamation of a secular state.

Under Lebanon's political system, the premier must be a Sunni, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian and the post of parliamentary speaker goes to a Shiite.

Suspicion was rife that Lebanon's long-serving political heavyweights were only paying lip service to reform ahead of Macron's visit.

"When the political class talks about the introduction of the civil state, it reminds me of the devil talking about virtue, it doesn't make sense," said Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut.

Adib's designation "will not usher in a new period in Lebanese history and I don't think it will put Lebanon on the road of genuine political development," he said.

- 'Man of the system' -

Adib emerged as a consensus option Sunday and was named premier the next day in a presidency statement.

The close aide to former prime minister Najib Mikati received backing from the country's top political parties.

Lebanon's last government, headed by Hassan Diab, resigned after the massive explosion, which revived calls at home and abroad for a radical revamp of the state.

Caused by a vast stockpile of ammonium nitrate that had languished at Beirut's port for years, the blast was widely blamed on government incompetence and greed.

The blast caused up to $4.6 billion worth of physical damage and a blow to economic activity of up to $3.5 billion, according to a World Bank assessment.

The IMF Monday voiced "hope that a new government will be formed shortly with a mandate to implement the policies and reforms that Lebanon needs to address the current crisis."

Those who have taken to the streets in mass protests since last October against the entire political class had already rejected any name that might emerge on Monday.

Despite promises of change, the process for forming a new government follows the same blueprint that has chronically mired Lebanon in political deadlock.

Social media users questioned whether a government set up by Adib would be any more effective than Diab's, formed in January but unable to lift the country out of crisis.

Analyst Nadim Houry said Adib was "part of the professional advisors class that orbit around Lebanon's oligarchs."

"He is a man of the system," he said.

bur-ah/lc
Limerick City and County Council has retained environmental consultants FH Wetland Systems, in collaboration with JBA Consulting, to draw up a management plan for the Westfields Wetland on the northside of Limerick city.

The Westfields Wetland covers around 25 hectares and is part of the Lower River Shannon Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

It is bounded to the south by the embankment of the River Shannon and the Condell Road and, to the north, by private housing.

Westfields is widely used as a local amenity and is host to a variety of wildlife, including migrating wildfowl that visit the area. The area is a regular feature in the annual Tidy Towns competition under the wildlife and natural amenities category and is an invaluable amenity resource for the city residents and a refuge for wildlife.

We have engaged environmental experts to draw up a management plan for Westfields Wetland



We appreciate your views and experiences of Westfields Wetlands and have an online survey where you can submit your views on priorities & long term managementhttps://t.co/B2TYmweYPf pic.twitter.com/7DnbPdojJM  Limerick Council (@LimerickCouncil) August 31, 2020

There are some challenges for the area, from an amenity and biodiversity perspective, which are to be addressed in the new management plan.

Over the years bulrush growth has encroached around the viewing platform at Westfields Lake, making it more difficult to view duck, swans and other wildfowl. This was a popular place for young children to visit with adults and to see birds close up. The lake water quality shows signs of enrichment, which reduces the wildlife value and the beauty of the lake, said a spokesperson for the local authority.

There are also invasive alien species in a number of areas around the site, which require careful consideration and management.

There are also many opportunities for protecting and enhancing biodiversity; for strengthening local community input and involvement; and for building on this valuable natural amenity for the people of Limerick to visit and enjoy, added the spokesperson who appeared to members of the public to give their input.

A survey has been launched on My Point, the Councils Public Consultation portal, where members of the public can submit their views on priorities and long term management.

For more, email westfieldsplan@limerick.ie or click here
When Japan's emperor abdicated in April of last year, a name for the new era the country was entering was unveiled. The name chosen  Reiwa, or "pursuing harmony"  was the first in the monarchy's long history to be selected from Japanese literature rather than Chinese, highlighting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's call for a more self-confident nation. Shinzo Abe announces his resignation. Credit:AP He returned to this theme in January, calling the Olympic Games, then scheduled for July and August of this year, the "Recovery Olympics". Our country is no longer the Japan it used to be, he told Japan's parliament. We were able to completely smash the wall of resignation'." Barely two months later, Mr Abe was forced to postpone the Games until 2021. Last Friday's announcement of his resignation due to ill health has cast a further shadow over the country's future as it tries to keep a handle on its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an assertive China and its increasingly self-absorbed major ally in Washington. These are all problems that have confronted Australia's leaders, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison has often described Mr Abe as a mentor. Mr Morrison will no doubt be hoping that, as his Japanese counterpart did, he can end a revolving-door period for the prime minister's office and enjoy a tenure stretching over multiple terms.

Loading At a time when our country's relationship with Beijing has taken a decided turn for the worse, that kind of stability and predictability in Tokyo becomes even more important. In attempting to counterbalance Chinese power in our region, and particularly its territorial claims in the South China Sea, Canberra has set increasing store by the idea of a "quadrilateral" alliance with Japan, India and the United States. While none of the candidates lining up to lead Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is likely to upend that approach, former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, who had challenged Mr Abe for the top job before, has criticised his country's over-reliance on the US in defining the national interest and talked up the possibility of Japan building its own nuclear arsenal. The remarkable truth about Mr Abe's legacy is that after eight years it is not clear what it will amount to beyond his own political longevity. Despite his association with "Abenomics", a policy which sought to revive confidence and growth through state spending, Japan's debt and the problems associated with an ageing and declining population remain entrenched. Mr Abe did not achieve his aim of revising Japan's constitution so that its military could venture out into the world "normally". Women's participation in the workforce, another area where he promised progress, is still fragile and has been further threatened by the pandemic. Even Tokyo's comparative success in handling outbreaks of the virus has been described by leading Japanese scientists as "a mystery". The country's next leader will confront these problems, as well as calls for Japan to increase its role in its own region and further afield, without having Mr Abe's global standing.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that choice, except that, in displacing paid French workers, it doesnt gel with the countrys values. Mackenzie herself knows this: In the U.K. its completely accepted and normal that you can involve unpaid community members in the arts, she told The Guardian. In France, you have to protect the paid professionals. Its the sort of argument youd hear in the U.K. 30 years ago.

There are reasons her stance was resisted: The relative protection enjoyed by professional artists in the country is hard-won. Mackenzie frames this as a backward cultural quirk that she was going to fix. Its no wonder many felt a sense of disconnect.

Whoever was advising Mackenzie on the subtleties of French workplace culture also did a dismal job. Le Figaros report said Mackenzie spoke incomprehensible Franglais, hired Anglo-Saxon freelancers instead of relying on her in-house team and didnt spend enough time in Paris. In a country where proper etiquette and hierarchy remain key in most working environments, an incoming foreign director should have been better supported.

Still, her instant firing is extraordinary by French standards. An underperforming artistic director in the United States might not be surprised if they were asked to vacate their office immediately, but job security is almost a sacred right in France. Even in cases of harassment or discrimination within publicly funded institutions, national and local authorities have been very reluctant to suspend or remove artists and administrators. Just think of the case of Yorgos Loukos, the former director of the Lyon Opera Ballet: It took six years and two court trials for pregnancy discrimination before he was fired earlier this year.

Did Mackenzies status as a foreigner play a part in the decision by the Chatelets board to sack her, with the support of city officials? Its worth asking whether an established French director, with political clout and roots in the local theater scene, would have suffered the same fate. Major arts appointments are heavily influenced by elected officials in France: The new director of the Paris Opera, Alexander Neef, had to interview with President Emmanuel Macron for that job. Having spent her career abroad, perhaps Mackenzie didnt have the connections that might have protected her; her co-director, Thomas Lauriot dit Prevost, a long-serving French employee of the Chatelet, remains in his position.

As with Benjamin Millepied, who directed the Paris Opera Ballet from 2014 to 2016 and was also criticized for being too Anglo-Saxon in his approach, Mackenzies outspoken stance on diversity proved a lightning rod. She increased the number of Black artists in the Chatelets programming and invested in outreach initiatives including a Robin Hood scheme, asking theatergoers to buy extra tickets that were then offered to underprivileged groups.
How far off is BAE Systems plc (LON:BA.) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for BAE Systems

Is BAE Systems fairly valued?

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK1.16b UK1.46b UK1.65b UK1.63b UK1.62b UK1.61b UK1.62b UK1.63b UK1.64b UK1.65b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x12 Analyst x10 Analyst x5 Analyst x2 Est @ -0.72% Est @ -0.14% Est @ 0.27% Est @ 0.55% Est @ 0.75% Est @ 0.89% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 8.1% UK1.1k UK1.2k UK1.3k UK1.2k UK1.1k UK1.0k UK936 UK870 UK811 UK757

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK10b

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The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 8.1%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK1.7b (1 + 1.2%)  (8.1% 1.2%) = UK24b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK24b ( 1 + 8.1%)10= UK11b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is UK21b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK5.2, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 22% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

The assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at BAE Systems 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 8.1%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.998. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Next Steps:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For BAE Systems, we've put together three fundamental aspects you should further examine:

Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for BAE Systems you should know about. Future Earnings: How does BA.'s growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every British 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.
Liberated Teritories, 30 August 2020 (SPS) - The ministerial delegation, which is visiting the liberated territories of the Sahrawi Republic as part of the policy of accelerating their development and reconstruction, has arrived at the headquarters of the Special Units on Combating Smuggling and Organized Crime.



This visit comes to discuss means to accelerate the reconstruction of the liberated territories in accordance with the resolutions and recommendations of the 15th Congress of the Polisario Front.



As part of its tour, the delegation inspected the efforts of the units in combating smuggling, devices that were confiscated by the battalion fighters during their patrols, and their achievements on monitoring, follow-up and study that would contribute in the future to reconstruction efforts.



The government delegation is led by Minister of Construction and Reconstruction of the Liberated Territories, Mr. Salem Lebasir, and includes Minister of Transport and Energy, Mr. Salek Baba Hasena, as well as secretaries-general of vital sectors and representatives of ministries and institutions concerned with the policies of the Polisario Front and the Sahrawi state for the reconstruction of the liberated territories. (SPS)



062/SPS/T
New World launches grab-and-go lunches

New World Bistro Bar in Albany, which has been reopen for dinner for three weeks, has launched a menu for grab-and-go lunches that are available in its market from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. They may be purchased for takeout or consumed at a patio table. Quarter and half bottles of wine are available, as are premade cocktails.

New World, at 300 Delaware Ave., serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. The market opens at noon. Call 518-694-0520.

New chef for Tala in Latham

Tala  An American Bistro in Latham has a new head chef: Scott Carlton, who previously was at Sperrys in Saratoga and a few years ago opened and closed the Schenectady Italian restaurant E.K.s Cibo, has been at Tala since mid-July. A fall menu is being developed for launch in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, its Carlton-tweaked current menu is available for limited indoor, patio and under-tent dining (pictured) as well as for takeout. Hours are 4:30 to 9 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 4:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, Saturday lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Sunday. Call 518-486-8252 or reserve online. Tala is at 626 New Loudon Road/Route 9.

Sam's in Albany reopens

Sams Italian American Restaurant in Albany, which offered takeout for the first month of the pandemic shutdown but closed in mid-April, reopened a few weeks ago for limited indoor dining and takeout. Owner Carmela Daubney, whose family is approaching its 50th anniversary of running Sams, tells me the restaurant has been extensively renovated. The takeout special of two dinners for $27 has been expanded to Tuesday through Saturday nights.

Hours are 4:30 to 9 p.m. (takeout orders until 8 p.m.) Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Call 518-463-3433. The restaurant is at 125 Southern Blvd.

Troy Restaurant Week returns Friday

Restaurants and other businesses in downtown Troy are collaborating on this years combination of a fall Restaurant Week and the annual Troy Pig Out, which for obvious reasons cannot be the big bash it normally is. The dates are Friday this week through Sunday, Sept. 13.

A variety of dining spots are offering Restaurant Week specials: eight are participating for breakfast, priced at $5 to $13.50; 12 for lunch, $5 to $15; and five for dinner, $10 to $25.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Pig Out-related promotions will included eating contests, online fun and more.

Restaurants, deals, menus, special events and more may be viewed at downtowntroy.org.

Mazzone hosting company's first wine dinner since shutdown

Angelo Mazzone, founder of Clifton Park-based Mazzone Hospitality, will mark the beginning of fall with a socially distanced, current-safety-measures-observed wine dinner at Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia starting at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18. The six-course meal, priced at $95 per person, plus tax and tip, will be paired with offerings from Jackson Family Wines in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Reservations are required; call 518-688-2122 or email gabrielac@mazzonehospitality.com. Glens Sanders is at 1 Glen Ave.

Compiled by Steve Barnes. Items to be submitted for publication should be emailed to sbarnes@timesunion.com. Visit his blog, blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping.
The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations, Prof Frimpong Boateng has denied allegations levelled against him by the NDC that, he and his Son Jojo Frimpong-Boateng illegally caused the arrest and detention of one Michael Kwadwo Peprah, President of concern small scale Miners,Ghana.

According to him, Michael Kwadwo Peprah made false allegations against him over some spoilt parked excavator which has been abandon since 2010 and claims it was one of the ceased machines by the Galamsey task force team.

Speaking to Kingdom News, Aide to Jojo Frimpong-Boateng noted that, Prof. Frimpong Boateng personally lodged a complaint with the Police concerning the allegations made against him by Michael Peprah which in turn the court ordered for the arrest of Kwadwo Peprah who is a leader of the Concerned Small Scale Miners Association because he failed to honour invitation from the Police.

The NDC Communications Officer in a press statement accused the Honorable Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations and his son Jojo Frimpong-Boateng for causing the arrest of Mr Kwadwo Peprah who had a planned press conference to expose the government and the Minister over the excavator.

Michael Kwadwo Peprah was arrested in Ashanti Region by the police and was transported to the Greater Accra and has since been granted bail pending investigations and court proceedings.

But Prof Frimpong Boateng expressed worry and disappointment over claims from the NDC as he says he followed the due process of reporting a case to the police and the court ordered for the arrest of Mr Kwadwo Peprah due to his unavailability.

Son of Prof Frimpong Boateng, Jojo Frimpong- Boateng has also been accused of ordering for the continuous detention of Kwadwo Peprah.

The Aide to Jojo Frimpong- Boateng denied the claims made against him indicating that, Kwadwo Peprah is a very good friend of his, it was quite difficult to believe that Micheal Peprah was behind the said video. He said he decided to visit the police station just to be sure he is the same person claimed to have been arrested for peddling falsehood against his father but did not speak to the police about the continuous detention of Kwadwo Peprah.

What will be the motivation to influence continuous detention of Micheal Peprah? he quizzes.

He therefore dismisses claims and allegations against his father and himself saying it is mere propaganda targeted at himself and his father just to score cheap political points.

---kingdomfmonline.com
College professor Alan Viarengo, 55, was taken into custody last week, before being charged with felony counts of stalking and harassing a public official. Investigators believe he is a member of the far-right 'Boogaloo' movement

An alleged member of the far-right anti-government 'Boogaloo' movement has been arrested on suspicion of sending threatening letters to a California health official.

College professor Alan Viarengo, 55, was taken into custody last week, before being charged with felony counts of stalking and harassing a public official.

Viarengo is accused of penning 24 menacing letters to Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody over a four-month period, specifically targeting her for her response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The letters allegedly contained 'misogynistic language, threats, pornography, and anti-government views,' according to a police report obtained by NBC Bay Area.

They also featured 'telltale Boogaloo slogans and imagery', prompting officials to believe Viarengo is tied to the far-right movement.

The 'Boogaloo' movement hopes to exploit social unrest to start a second civil US war. Members are usually heavily armed, and two alleged 'Boogaloo Boys' have been charged with the shooting murder of a police officer and a federal security officer.

According to a police report obtained by NBC Bay Area, officers found more than 100 firearms in Viarengo's home at the time of his arrest. They also uncovered explosives, thousands of rounds of ammunition and confederate flags.

The publication reports that he works as a part-time math professor at Gavilan College in Gilroy.

Police allege Viarengo penned 24 menacing letters to Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody (pictured) between April and July

Back in March, Dr. Cody hit headlines after she became the first county health officer in the nation to order her community into lockdown.

The demand made the top doctor a divisive figure, and she received considerable backlash. But the threatening letters - allegedly penned by Viarengo - caused serious concern.

NBC Bay Area reports that Dr. Cody received the first letter back on April 8, which stated: 'We are stronger than you pigs in every way. We are out to defeat you.'

Over the next four months, 23 letters - all believed to have been written by the same person - arrived at Dr. Cody's office.

In one, the writer claimed they had doxxed the doctor by publishing her personal address on the internet.

'I'm glad you are getting threats. I posted your residence everywhere I could; I hope someone follows through,' they wrote.

'You're doneit's oversay goodbye,' another letter read.

A separate message read: 'Maybe this is the spark we need for a bloody revolution!'

The 'Boogaloo' movement hopes to exploit social unrest to start a second civil US war. Members are usually heavily armed, and two alleged 'Boogaloo Boys' have been charged with the shooting murder of a police officer and a federal security officer

One message that turned up in June featured a drawing of an igloo on the envelope, accompanied by the words: 'Let's Boogie'.

Investigators believe they are specific references to the Boogaloo movement.

Viarengo reportedly has a history of penning intimidating letters and soon became a person of interest in the investigation.

Detectives began surveillance of Viarengo and reportedly saw him drop a letter inside a mailbox on July 29 that was addressed to Dr. Sara Cody and 'mocked her for her handling of the pandemic'.

In this May 2 photo, people, including those with the Boogaloo movement, demonstrate against business closures due to concern about COVID-19, at the State House in Concord, New Hampshire

Deputy District Attorney Alexander Adams said this week that he believes the letters link the accused to the Boogaloo movement.

'That connection was made based on the investigation linking both the language and symbols used in the multiple letters that he sent.'

Viarengo has been remanded in custody, but has not yet entered a plea.

Attorney Cody Salfen says his client Viarengo is innocent.

'He is a dedicated father, husband, community activist, respected professor, and volunteer,' Salfen said.

'Each year, he devotes over 400 hours of his time, guiding and teaching youth and other members of the Bay Area communities he serves. He works two jobs to support his family.'

Salfen also questioned the credibility of the Santa Clara County Police Department after a Sheriff's Captain was charged with bribery.

'Law enforcement officers directly involved ... have serious credibility issues,' he stated.

A member of the Gavilan Joint Community College District, where Viarengo works part-time, said the school was shocked, but the charges are not related to the accused's work there.

'As members of the college community, however, we are shocked and saddened by what took place, and will cooperate with law enforcement fully if it is required,' said Kathleen A. Rose in a message provided to The Associated Press.
TDT | Manama

The Bahrain Journalists Association (BJA) and the UAE Journalists Association (UAEJA) announced yesterday the signing of a cooperation agreement related to journalism and the media. The agreement was signed in Dubai by BJA president Ahdeya Ahmed and UAEJA chairman Mohammed Al Hammadi, in the presence of UAEJA board members.

The agreement stipulates the organisation of mutual visits by journalists and training programmes and workshops, as well as the holding of sessions, conferences and seminars to support the profession, in light of the use of modern technologies. Ahdeya stressed the agreements importance for various reasons.

We must keep pace with the global development in journalism and the media in order for usas journalists and media professionalsto deliver our message. There is a strong need to assist meaningful media discourse at a time when we face many challenges in unifying our messages.
Unlock 4 in Karnataka: Pubs, bars to reopen, serve liquor from today

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Bengaluru, Sep 01: The Karnataka government has allowed bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants in the state to serve liquor from Tuesday with 50 per cent of their seating capacity.

There were restrictions on serving liquor since March, when the lockdown was enforced first, and until now only takeaways were allowed at these establishments. They have been instructed to strictly follow the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Covid-19.

The order by the Excise Commissioner said such relaxations were already in place in states like Assam, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. It also cites government's revenue as one among the reasons for the decision. The Karnataka government had in May had allowed sale of liquor through MRP outlets.

This was followed by permission for bars, microbreweries, pubs and others to clear out their stocks, but in-house service was not allowed. Though many of these establishments have welcomed the government's decision, they also have expressed apprehensions that it may take a while for the business to pick up with the pandemic situation still around.

Manager of one such bar said it will take a few days to restart the service and we are preparing for it with required stocks, we have also asked our staff, who were out without work to get back, we need to train them with safety protocols that need to be followed.

Also, the city's main markets, K R Market and Kalasipalya market that had remained shut for some time now following a spike in coronavirus cases in the city, have been allowed to start their operations from Tuesday. Officials have said they have taken necessary precautionary measures and marshals have been deployed to check violation of norms and protocols to contain COVID-19 spread.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 13:16 [IST]
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kent S. Greenawalt, founder and chairman of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), is proud to announce that Sherry McAllister, DC, M.S. (Ed) CCSP has assumed the position of President of the F4CP as of August 27, 2020. Dr. McAllister has been a critical member of the management team involved with all areas of the F4CP especially membership recruitment, governance and provider collaboration. Under her leadership, F4CP membership grew from 8,000 to nearly 29,000 and counting.

To download Dr. McAllister's headshot, click here.

Dr. McAllister joined F4CP in 2015 as Executive Vice President. She earned her Master's Degree in Education from the University of California East Bay and is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic West, where she taught as an associate professor. She works tirelessly as an ambassador for the profession, educating prospective and current students about the benefits of pursuing a career in chiropractic and encouraging others to share their passion for chiropractic.

Dr. McAllister has served as a qualified medical examiner, expert chiropractic witness for the State of California and has been in private practice in San Jose since 2002. She contributes articles regularly to the Forbes Nonprofit Council and Thrive Global and is a frequent speaker in support of drug-free pain management and chiropractic awareness, both in the U.S. and abroad.

In addition to Forbes, Dr. McAllister has been featured or quoted in U.S. News & World Report, NBC News, Becker's Spine Review, BOSS Magazine, Journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association, Livestrong.com, Martha Stewart Living and many industry outlets.

She travels extensively to collaborate with multidisciplinary providers, doctors of chiropractic and health plan executives to determine opportunities to work together for the benefit of the patient.

Under Dr. McAllister's leadership, F4CP became an award-winning organization, garnering five awards since 2019. Last year, Dr. McAllister was named to PR News' inaugural list of the Top Women in Healthcare. The prestigious award recognizes the most innovative women leaders in the healthcare sector from agencies, corporations and nonprofits.

"I look forward to working with Dr. McAllister in her new capacity as President," said Greenawalt. "She has the drive, charisma and relationships that will accelerate F4CP to new heights and I am very pleased she has accepted this new challenge."

About the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress

A not-for-profit organization, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) informs and educates the general public about the value of chiropractic care and its role in drug-free pain management. Visit www.f4cp.org; call 866-901-F4CP (3427).

Media contact: Marcia Rhodes, Amendola Communications for F4CP

[email protected]

480.664.8412 ext. 15

SOURCE Foundation for Chiropractic Progress

Related Links

https://www.f4cp.org


NASHVILLE, Ga.  A south Georgia mayor has been arrested after a contractor alleged the mayor used an excavator without permission and damaged it.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Friday that it had arrested Nashville Mayor Taylor Scarbrough on theft by conversion and theft of services charges.

Scarbrough turned himself in at the Berrien County jail and was released.

GBI says that Scarbrough used James Hobbs excavator without permission on Aug. 17 and caused significant damage to the machine. Video shows some parts of the excavator are heavily dented. Hobbs values the damage at $12,000.

WALB-TV reports that Hobbs was working for Scarbrough and left his excavator on the mayors land overnight. An incident report says a worker noted the next day that the equipment had been damaged. Hobbs said Scarbrough didnt have permission to use the equipment.

Im just glad the mayor is hopefully getting what he deserves and maybe he is punished and can pay back and fix the problems he has caused, Hobbs told WALB-TV. It has slowed me down with work and everything else.

Scarbrough wrote in an Aug. 18 Facebook post that he did have permission. He says he damaged the machine, but said Hobbs is being unreasonable by not giving Scarbrough more time to file a claim asking for his homeowners insurer to pay for the damage.

Unfortunately, Mr. Hobbs refused to give me 24 hours to hear from my insurance adjuster and demanded that I give him $9,500 cash or he would make me look bad on social media, Scarbrough wrote.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
3 1 of 3 Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Show More Show Less 3 of 3





As students head back to school in person or remotely, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending its summer free meal program through the end of the year.

The program allows families to pick up free meals from any convenient school, even if the child is not enrolled there. The USDA launched the program in March when the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading widely in the U.S.
Serving some of the worlds largest companies, and with nearly 20 years of experience providing the Ministry of Defense, UKFast is the largest privately-owned hosting company in the United Kingdom. Serving thousands of enterprises with a significant focus on the cloud, the companys expansive portfolio of services touches nearly every facet of IT.

Following a massive upgrade to its network last year, including the expansion of its international infrastructure, UKFast is poised for even greater growth. Simultaneously, the Manchester-based company marked another milestone  being named one of the top Tech Great Places to Work in 2019.

We recently spoke with Christopher Folkerd, Director of Enterprise Technologies, to learn more about UKFasts cloud services, its long relationship with VMware, what sets the company apart, and the cloud use cases that excite him today.

When someone asks what the secret to our success is, I think it comes down to two key aspects of our DNA, says Folkerd. One is our absolute commitment to make the cloud simple for our customers even if they want to use it to do very complex things. The other is our focus on customer satisfaction and customer service, and the unique way we engage and treat our customers.

As Folkerd notes, both differentiators are related, something that becomes readily apparent when one considers that UKFasts customer base spans national government agencies and single-proprietor shops  all of which contribute to a Net Promoter Score that is one of the highest in Europe.

Our customers recommend us because of our technology acumen and the approach weve taken to scale the business, says Folkerd. We run on something called the pod system, which means we maintain a small business feel for our customers no matter how big we get. Our engineers work with a small subset of customers, so that every time a customer phones, they always deal with the same engineers. That means they build a relationship, and it also means that our technical experts get a much deeper view of the customers solution, which is bespoke to address their needs.

Its a philosophy thats codified into UKFasts guarantee that customers will not only enjoy 100% network uptime, but that if they need assistance, their call will be answered in three rings or less. And its a philosophy that also aligns with UKFasts longstanding and close relationship with VMware.

VMwares technology helps us make the cloud simple, and a large portion of our infrastructure is based on it, Folkerd says. Our customers trust VMware, and all of our data centers and cloud services are VMware Cloud Verified, which is really important for us because it shows our commitment to technology and engineering excellence  and that we have industry-leading architecture behind our clouds. Were also involved extensively in a large number of beta projects with VMware and sit on many of their advisory boards, feeding back into products and services at an early stage. The key to our relationship is that we are working together to give our customers a great experience.

Transformative Use Cases

Folkerd sees customers enabling a number of new, transformative use cases. One is a large project transitioning to a DevOps, containerized platform and way of working.

One of the big powers of the cloud is that all of this can be done in one location very simply that will lead them to a much more agile business process, he says. Containerization is really allowing people to do a lot more things with their applications than they were able to do before. And the speed that you can get products to market by bringing out microservices is just amazing.

Folkerd is also seeing a lot of innovation in artificial intelligence. UKFast has been working on AI for years, but he believes its use is still very nascent in the marketplace.

Lots of people are using it for very basic functionality, but its becoming a lot more prevalent and theres a realization that the power is now there to handle it, he says. Thats one of the reasons we have launched both a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and a graphics processor unit (GPU)-as-a-service offering.

Were enabling our customers to quickly write very, very flexible code, adds Folkerd. Its a fantastic enablement for the cloud, because the equipment itself is very expensive and were able to bring it to customers for pennies on the pound. Its a huge cost savings for them that also enables them to exploit the data rather than having to worry about hardware.

Learn more about UKFast and its partnership with VMware here.
BOSTON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OneUnited Bank, the largest Black-owned bank in the U.S., is proud to announce the winners of its 10th annual "I Got Bank! Youth Essay & Art Contest." For the first time, there were 5 winners who submitted art, matching 5 winners who submitted essays on financial literacy. Each of the ten (10) youth winners are awarded a $1,000 savings account.

The winners are Amina Anyabwele, 9, Miramar, FL; William Cum Jr., 8, Pompano Beach, FL; Morgan Hardwick, 12, Washington, DC; Loren Herrell-Guy, 11, Chicago, IL; Olivia Hur, 12, La Crescenta-Montrose, CA; Mariah Mack, 12, Grovetown, GA; Javonte Patton, 12, Palm Coast, FL; Alizah Perez, 12, Pembroke Pines, FL; Sophia Prakash, 9, Glendora, CA; Aarionna Totty, 9, Holly, MI. Each winner expressed how they would use what they learned from their financial literacy reading in very creative ways, including starting a business, adding to their existing savings account and creating a vision board. The panel of judges included Teri Williams, the bank's President & Chief Operating Officer.

Williams, who wrote the book I Got Bank! What My Grandad Taught Me About Money (Beckham) after she discovered the lack of books geared toward educating urban youth about financial literacy, stated, "This year we were excited to see the quality of the art submissions in addition to the essays. Congratulations to our winners and their families for appreciating the importance of financial literacy."

The "I Got Bank!" youth essay & art contest is part of a larger OneUnited Bank initiative to make financial literacy a core value of the Black community. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, OneUnited Bank offered a free copy of the I Got Bank book on their website to assist parents who are homeschooling their children. To learn more about past I Got Bank winners, please visit the OneUnited Bank Financial Literacy Blog.

OneUnited Bank has also launched its Financial Education Center with online playlists on Financial Basics, Major Life Decisions, Starting a Career, Small Business and Preventing Elder Fraud. OneUnited Bank hopes its efforts will improve the financial skills of children and adults throughout the country.

Media Inquiries: Suzan McDowell, Circle of One Marketing, [email protected], or by phone at 305-576-3790.

OneUnited Bank

OneUnited Bank (www.oneunited.com) is the largest Black-owned bank in America, the first Black internet bank, a Minority Depository Institution and a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).

SOURCE OneUnited Bank

Related Links

http://www.oneunited.com/


China on Monday said that it is in close communication through diplomatic and military channels with India and that its troops have been "strictly observing the Line of Actual Control (LAC)" and "never crossed the line."

The in a statement on Monday had said it thwarted an attempt by Chinese armed forces to transgress into Indian areas near the southern banks of the Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Responding to a question on the statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in his press briefing that: "The Chinese border troops have been strictly observing the Line of Actual Control and never crossed the line. The Chinese and Indian border troops are in contact with each other regarding the issue on the ground."

Asked about any ongoing meetings to resolve this new development, Zhao said: "China and India are in close communication through diplomatic and military channels. As for the specific meetings and talks, information will be released in due course once we have an update."

spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand in a statement on Monday said: "On the night of August 29/30, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo."

The took measures to strengthen its position "and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground".

It said that A Brigade Commander level flag meeting is in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues on the ground.

Army sources said the Chinese Army had tried to transgress into Indian areas using a sizeable number of troops but the Indian Army came to know about their intentions and preempted the Chinese attempt and foiled their move.

India and China are engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including the Finger area, Galwan Valley, Hot Springs and Kongrung Nala. The talks between the two sides have been going on for the last three months including five Lieutenant general-level talks but have failed to yield any results, so far.

The Chinese Army has refused to withdraw or disengage completely from the Finger area and seems to be buying time to delay its disengagement from there.

While efforts are underway to resolve the ongoing border dispute, India has rejected the Chinese suggestion to disengage equidistantly from the Finger area in Eastern Ladakh.

(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.)
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos state governor, has ordered the reopening of tertiary institutions in the state effective Monday, September 14.

The governor announced this during a regular briefing on the states COVID-19 status on Saturday, August 29.

During his address, the governor announced that primary and secondary schools are also tentatively scheduled to re-open from September 21.

He explained that the decision to re-open schools in the state was based on indications that the pandemic has peaked in the state as the number of new cases continues to steadily decline.

This decision is not cast in stone and is subject to review of our ongoing modelling and what procedure comes out from the Ministry of Health, he said.

He further reiterated that restaurants are now permitted to open for in-dining services in the state, although they must continue to ensure spaces are only filled up to 50 percent capacity at all times.

The governor said a review will be done in September to decide whether to allow a re-opening of event centers, bars, night clubs, beaches, cinemas, and other public spaces.
(Newser)  Samsung has again unveiled a folding phone with a price tag of almost $2,000and it says the $1,999 Galaxy Z Fold 2 won't suffer from the issues that plagued the original Galaxy Fold last year. Samsung says the phone, its third folding phone and one that opens up into a tablet with a 7.6-inch screen, has a redesigned hinge similar to that on the Galaxy Flip, its second attempt at a folding phone, CNBC reports. TechRadar describes the new phone as "better in almost every way, except, perhaps for its name." It will be released on Sept. 18, eight days after Microsoft launches its "Surface Duo" folding phone. The AP notes that Samsung acknowledges that the price tag makes the new phone "definitely a luxury device." It includes a VIP package that CNBC reports will include perks like a prepared meal from a Michelin star restaurant. (Read more Samsung stories.)
Leader: Tim Cullinan took the helm of the IFA in January

There is considerable farmer disquiet over the Bord Bia proposed Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) scheme, according to the IFA.

And the associations president Tim Cullinan has urged farmers to read the full document rather than the recent spin from Bord Bia, which he says is a direct result of their failure to discuss the document with farmers before it was published.

And Tipperary beef farmer Padraig Moran, who has featured earlier this year in an overseas Bord Bia campaign for Irish beef, says all progeny from the suckler herd should be included in any PGI scheme.

Padraig and his son Eoin are finishing 40 young bull calves, which will not qualify for the proposed PGI scheme.

All we want is that the suckler finisher gets a fair reward for the work thats involved in producing a top quality animal. We can see from the profits made by the processors and retailers we are a very small cog in the wheel.

Responding to the criticisms, Bord Bia said the PGI proposal for beef is not about spin, but is a real, tangible effort to potentially deliver a unique premium position for Irish grass-fed beef.
Nigerian Man Recounts How He Started Off 2020 In Kidnappers Den

A Nigeria man took to social media to narrate how he started off 2020 in kidnappers den while reacting to a Twitter users disclosure of starting off the year with an empty bank account.

@TheVyrus who shared graphic photos of the injuries he sustained, revealed that he was kidnapped on December 31st night. He added that he entered the new year in captivity and a well roughed up body.

He Tweeted;

You are lucky! I was kidnapped on 31st night. While everyone was in church praying. I was negotiating with Kidnappers. Entered the new year in captivity and a well roughed up body. Bled into the new year and still bleeding till date.

Residues of the trauma
10:32

The Narcotics Control Bureau on Tuesday detained an alleged contraband dealer who has "links" with its probe in the drugs trafficking case pertaining to the death case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, officials said.

The man, who has not been identified, apprehended by the federal anti-narcotics agency is understood to be involved in the supply of narcotics in the high-end party circles of Mumbai.

He is expected to be arrested by the NCB on Wednesday after his questioning gave the agency sleuths some "vital leads" into the narcotics case registered against Rajput's live-partner Rhea Chakraborty and others, they said.

The agency last week arrested two men for alleged drug trafficking in the western metropolis and it is understood that the leads against the detained man came after questioning them.

A special NCB team from Delhi, headed by deputy director (operations) K P S Malhotra, is camping in Mumbai to take forward this probe. The team also includes agency officers from Mumbai and has been constituted by NCB Director General Rakesh Asthana.

The agency filed a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act after the Enforcement Directorate, also probing the death case of the 34-year-old actor, shared with it a report after it cloned two mobile phones of Rhea.

As per officials, the mobile phone chats and messages indicated procurement and consumption of drugs and these leads were shared by the ED with the NCB and the CBI.

The NCB, as part of a linked operation, also seized about 3.5 kgs of bud or curated marijuana from foreign post offices in Delhi and Mumbai.

Officials said the operation in Mumbai led them to a Goa-based man identified as F Ahmed who works as a driver at a prominent resort in the coastal state.

"Ahmed was supplying bud to some prominent receiver at Bangalore who has linkages with page 3 celebrities," an NCB officer said.

An intensive operation has been conducted against the illegal import of curated marijuana (bud), which is primarily sourced from USA and Canada, and has huge market demand in Mumbai, he said.

While the seizure made in Delhi was destined for Mumbai, the one made in Mumbai was sourced from Canada and destined for Goa, the officer said.

"The widespread use and demand of bud in Mumbai region has jacked up the prices in the grey market and it has huge pecuniary gains in the trafficking. The sourcing of the bud is primarily through the darknet and cryptocurrency which provides layers of anonymity to buyers and sellers," the NCB officer said.

In the Delhi seizure, he said, the source of the bud was found to be the US.

"The consignee of the contraband was based in Delhi but was misguided by his contact at Mumbai that some legal stuff was being procured from the US and it was to be collected by Mumbai-based persons, whose search is underway," the officer said. -- PTI
An employee at your local grocery store tests positive for COVID-19.

Will you ever know? It depends.

Hamilton public health publicly discloses COVID cases in long-term care homes, retirement homes, shelters and even hospices, but they have yet to make public any cases in grocery stores, restaurants or other business without being asked about it. And even when businesses make their own employee cases public, the health unit typically stays silent.

According to public health, the decision to publicly disclose  or not disclose  COVID cases has to do with the definition of an outbreak, the feasibility of contact tracing and if the business is open to the broader public.

Some experts argue we should know more about workplace cases; others say that when risk of transmission is low, disclosure causes unnecessary stress.

How public health handles workplace COVID disclosure

Public health generally defines an outbreak as multiple cases of COVID in a setting or if there is evidence of transmission in the setting, said public health spokesperson Jacqueline Durlov.

Effectively, we are looking for scenarios where the transmission of the virus most likely occurred in the workplace, Durlov said.

Whether the health unit would disclose workplace outbreaks depends upon the setting and whether there is a broader risk to the public, she said.

For example, an outbreak in a private office setting could be managed without broader risk to the public and contact tracing can be conducted by working directly with the workplace, Durlov said.

Technically, Hamilton hasnt had any outbreaks at workplaces outside health care or congregate living settings, she noted.

Durlov said if an outbreak occurred and public health wasnt able to track down close contacts  people at higher risk of exposure  it would consider broader notification.

Those at higher risk include anyone who have had prolonged face-to-face contact spaced less than two metres apart from the person with COVID, usually without wearing masks or other personal protective equipment (PPE). If someone ran into a store to buy something, walked by a table at a restaurant or passed by someone in a mall, thats not considered close contact, Durlov said.

In cases where grocery store workers test positive, public health asks store managers to ask employees to monitor their symptoms. They arent told to make the cases public, though some do anyways.

Disclosure risk versus reward

One local expert worries publicly disclosing low-risk cases could do more harm than good.

Its ... a risk to peoples general anxiety level and mental health, said Matthew Miller, a McMaster University infectious diseases specialist. The disproportionate worry that can come from specifically identifying cases often outweighs the real risk to individuals visiting those places.

Miller says in most cases, someone shopping at a grocery store where an employee tested positive for COVID is at very low risk of contracting COVID.

He notes someone dining indoors at a restaurant without a mask would be at monumentally higher risk. In those cases, the restaurant should be logging client contact information, allowing public health to track down those at risk, Miller said.

However, public health deemed a case in July involving a COVID-positive customer at a busy Stoney Creek restaurant patio low risk and didnt make the case public, even though the restaurant was not tracking customer contact information. Most customers would only have been informed when the restaurant, Cause and Effect, took to social media about the case.

Still, Miller says making cases public could also unnecessarily scare customers, harming a business bottom line.

This isnt to say we should cover everything up, of course, Miller said. This is all about balancing openness and desire for transparency with considerations about not disproportionately worrying people when the risk doesnt warrant it.

But Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, argues we need more, not less, transparency.

There is no reason why you can publish the name of a long-term care home with an outbreak but not a farm or a food production facility, Mehra said.

This is about protecting business interests and that should not supersede the public interest, so the reporting in the non-health-care industry needs to catch up with the openness of the reporting in the health care industries.

How businesses handle COVID cases

Even though businesses are not required to go public with staff COVID cases, some still do.

Both Metro, which owns Metro grocery stores and Food Basics, and Loblaw, which owns Fortinos, No Frills and Shoppers Drug Mart, post employee COVID cases on their websites. They list the location the employee works at and the last day they worked.

Whenever we have a positive case, we arrange for additional cleaning, and we work closely with the local public health unit to determine the appropriate next steps, including identifying and notifying close contacts, said Loblaw in a statement.

Loblaw said it makes cases public in the interest of transparency even when public health confirms there is little to no risk to the public.

With files from Fallon Hewitt and Joanna Frketich

COVID cases at Hamilton businesses

Retail and grocery stores

On Aug. 25 and 27, Loblaws announced that employees at a Fortinos store in Ancaster and a No Frills store on Rymal Road East had tested positive for COVID-19.

On Aug. 17, Metro announced that an employee at its Metro grocery store on Fennell Avenue East had tested positive for the virus.

In early June, an employee at the Lowes on Barton Street East tested positive for the virus. A staff member at a McDonalds in Ancaster was also confirmed to have the virus.

An employee at the FreshCo on Upper Gage Avenue tested positive for the virus in late May. Around that time, a staff member at a Husky gas station on Upper Ottawa also tested positive for the virus.

Factories

In early May, four employees at the Mondelez Canada candy factory tested positive for the virus. As a result of the cases, the Ewen Road factory was shut down temporarily for cleaning, putting approximately 350 people out of work.

Throughout the pandemic, nine employees at ArcelorMittal Dofasco have tested positive for the virus. Seven of the cases were company employees and two were third-party contractors. None of the cases were connected to each other, according to a spokesperson.

In one Dofasco case, a 60-year-old worker in the material handling and logistics unit died. He tested positive for COVID-19 after an autopsy examination May 10.
As beds continued to fill up in Malagas hospitals this weekend, residents were still cramming into bars along certain beach fronts until well past midnight. In some bars, the tables were tightly packed together

Malaga, Spain: At midday on Sunday, there were 31 patients inside the main coronavirus treatment centre in Malaga, the city with the fastest-rising infection rate in southern Spain. At 12.15 pm, the 32nd arrived in an ambulance. Half an hour later came No 33.

The garbage can by the door overflowed with masks and blue surgical gloves. Relatives hovered in silence outside  one of them in tears, another feeling a pang of deja vu.

My brother-in-law had the virus in the spring, said Julia Bautista, a 58-year-old retired office administrator waiting for news Sunday of her 91-year-old father.

Here we go again, she added.

If Italy was the harbinger of the first wave of Europes coronavirus pandemic in February, Spain is the portent of its second.

France is also surging, as are parts of Eastern Europe, and cases are ticking up in Germany, Greece, Italy and Belgium, too, but in the past week, Spain has recorded the most new cases on the continent by far  more than 53,000. With 114 new infections per 100,000 people in that time, the virus is spreading faster in Spain than in the United States, more than twice as fast as in France, about eight times the rate in Italy and Britain, and 10 times the pace in Germany.

Spain was already one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, and now has about 440,000 cases and more than 29,000 deaths. But after one of the worlds most stringent lockdowns, which did check the virus spread, it enjoyed one of the most rapid reopenings. The return of nightlife and group activities  far faster than most of its European neighbours  has contributed to the epidemics resurgence.

Now, as other Europeans mull how to restart their economies while still protecting human life, the Spanish have become an early bellwether for how a second wave might happen, how hard it might hit, and how it could be contained.

Perhaps Spain is the canary in the coal mine, said Professor Antoni Trilla, an epidemiologist at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, a research group. Many countries may follow us  but hopefully not at the same speed or with the same number of cases that we are facing.

To be sure, doctors and politicians are not as terrified by Spains second wave as they were by its first. The mortality rate is roughly half the rate from the height of the crisis  falling to 6.6 percent from the 12 percent peak in May.

The median age of sufferers has dropped to around 37 from 60. Asymptomatic cases account for more than 50 percent of positive results, which is partly due to a fourfold rise in testing. And the health institutions feel much better prepared.

We have experience now, said Dr Maria del Mar Vazquez, the medical director of the hospital in Malaga where Bautistas father was being treated.

We have a much bigger stock of equipment, we have protocols in place, we are more prepared, Vazquez said. The hospitals will be full  but we are ready.

Yet part of the hospital is still a building site  contractors have yet to finish a renovation of the wing of the hospital that deals with coronavirus patients. No one expected the second wave for at least another month.

And epidemiologists arent certain why it arrived so soon.

Explanations include a rise in large family gatherings; the return of tourism in cities like Malaga; the decision to return responsibility for combating the virus to local authorities at the end of the nationwide lockdown, and a lack of adequate housing and health care for migrants.

The surge has also been blamed on the revival of nightlife, which was reinstated earlier and with looser restrictions than in many other parts of Europe.

We have this cultural factor related to our rich social life, said Ildefenso Hernandez, a former director-general of public health for the Spanish government. People are close. They like to get to know each other.

For several weeks in places like Malaga, nightclubs and discos were allowed to open until as late as 5 am, as regional politicians attempted to revive an economy dependent on tourists and partygoers. Revellers were allowed only to dance around a table with friends, rather than mixing with strangers  but the rules were not always observed.

In one notorious incident in early August, a performer was filmed spitting at dancers on a crowded dance floor at a beach club outside Malaga.

The venue was quickly closed, all nightclubs were ordered to shut two weeks later, and bars must now shut by 1 am. But critics fear the restrictions are still far too lax.

As beds continued to fill up in Malagas hospitals this weekend, residents were still cramming into bars along certain beach fronts until well past midnight. In some bars, the tables were tightly packed together  far closer than the current rules of two metres, or about six feet, allow.

At closing time, drinkers spilled out onto the beaches and pontoons, mostly without wearing masks. There they congregated in groups of more than 20  a normal sight during any other Spanish summer, but far larger than the gatherings of 10 or fewer now allowed by law.

Some were teenagers who said they had recently recovered from a mild form of the virus, and who now therefore considered themselves immune. Others felt the pandemic restrictions were an overreaction.

I dont think COVID is real, said Victor Bermudez, a 23-year-old shop assistant at an early morning gathering on a pontoon jutting into the Mediterranean. Well, yes, its real  but its not as serious as they say. Its all a plan to kill the poor and boost the rich.

During the lockdown, the Central government set a clear agenda from Madrid. But with the lifting of the state of emergency at the end of June, certain powers were returned to each of Spains 17 regional governments, leading to a disjointed and confused approach.

When regions attempted to enforce restrictions on local life, some of their decisions were struck down by local judges, who argued that only the central Parliament had the power to introduce such measures.

We dont have the legal tools that guarantee us the ability to take decisions, said Juan Manuel Moreno, the president of the regional government in Andalusia, the region in which Malaga lies.

The debate has also become the latest proxy for a bitter conflict over the Spanish Constitution that has been brewing for more than four decades. For federalists and Catalan separatists, for example, the debacle highlights how power was never properly devolved after the death in 1975 of the dictator Francisco Franco. For Spanish nationalists, it instead shows how the process of decentralisation has already gone too far.

There is a kind of war going on to show what kind of political system is better, said Nacho Calle, the editor of Maldita, a prominent fact-checking service. The decentralised approach has led to a piecemeal system of tracking and tracing potential coronavirus victims. Some regions employ several thousand trackers to trace people who might have come into contact with infected people, while other regions hired only a few dozen  slowing the rate at which potential patients are told to enter quarantine.

And even in regions with large numbers of trackers, like Andalusia, health workers on the ground report that the process is still too slow and understaffed in certain locations.

Francisca Morente, a nurse in a clinic west of Malaga, was one of hundreds of local nurses seconded this summer to work as a tracker because of staff shortages at her districts official tracing unit.

But even now, Morente is one of just five trackers working at her clinic  not enough to make the hundreds of daily calls that a proper tracing service requires. And even once she manages to track down potential coronavirus patients, those patients still currently need to wait a week until their tests are processed, because of bottlenecks at local laboratories.

We need more trackers and more resources, she said. We need a designated tracker unit in every clinic, instead of this temporary system that we have at the moment.

A lack of institutional support for undocumented migrants has also contributed to the second wave, according to some experts. Some recent outbreaks began among foreign farmhands living in cramped communal accommodations.

Barred from seeking unemployment benefits and lacking formal labor contracts, undocumented migrants cannot easily take time off work if they are sick. Nor can they afford the kinds of homes that would allow them to easily self-isolate.

If I have to quarantine, then I cannot work, said Maria Perea, a 50-year-old Colombian cleaner waiting on Monday for the results of a coronavirus test. And if I cannot work, then I have no money.

But in general, doctors say that Spain is in a far stronger position to fight the virus than it was in March.

National coordination is improving  the central government last week agreed to a deal to deploy 2,000 soldiers as contact tracers. Testing speeds are accelerating  in Malaga, the biggest hospital can process tests within a single morning, thanks to the recent purchase of a series of robots. Across the road, a makeshift hospital built in a rush in April stands empty, ready for a rise in cases.

Its not like the first wave, said Carmen Cerezo, 38, a train attendant waiting outside the Malaga hospital while her father was tested for coronavirus inside.

Were calmer now, she said.

Patrick Kingsley and Jose Bautista c.2020 The New York Times Company
Plastic Bag Levy to Double and Extend to All UK Retailers From April 2021

From April 2021, the charge for a single-use carrier bag will be increased to 10 pence (13 cents), doubling the current rate, and it will be mandatory for all retailers, the UK government announced on Tuesday.

This latest policy seeking to further reduce the use and disposal of single-use plastic is part of what the government calls a war on plastic waste. Eliminating avoidable plastic waste is one of the targets of the governments 25-year environmental plan.

The government adopted the policy after considering the 583 responses to a public consultation on the issue in early 2019. Members of the public made up the majority of responses (437), followed by public bodies (43), NGOs (25), and others.

Laura Foster, head of Clean Seas at the Marine Conservation Society, said the news is encouraging.

Since the introduction of the 5p carrier bag charge weve seen a more than 60 percent drop in the number of plastic bags on the UKs beaches, Foster said in a statement.

Its so important we reduce our reliance on single use items and we move to a culture of reuse. This increased charge, and extending to all retailers, will help remind people of everyday, simple changes they can make to help the marine environment.

The current 5 pence single-use carrier bag charge was introduced in the UK in 2o15. Data shows that plastic carrier bag sales have dropped since then by more than 95 percent in Englands main supermarkets, the government said in a statement in July.

The average person in England now buys just four bags a year from the main supermarket retailers, compared with 10 last year and 140 in 2014, the government said.

Last year, the major supermarkets in the UK sold a combined total of 226 million plastic bags, 59 percent (322 million) fewer than the previous year.

According to the consultation document (pdf), small businesses accounted for 27 percent of retail turnover in England, supplying an estimated 3.4 billion single use carrier bags free of charge in 2015.

By the end of 2018, when the consultation proposal was published, the retail turnover of small businesses was estimated to occupy 33 percent of the entire retail sector, and the number of bags they supplied was estimated to be up to 3.6 billion.

Businesses are encouraged to donate the proceedings from single-use carrier bag sales to charitable causes. According to a government statement, 178 million pounds ($239 million) has been donated since 2015.
(Newser)  Authorities in Belarus detained scores of university students who took to the streets Tuesday to demand that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko resign after an election the opposition has denounced as rigged. Hundreds of students gathered outside universities across the Belarusian capital, Minsk, and then marched across the city center to the Education Ministry, continuing a fourth straight week of mass post-election protests. The demonstrators chanted for Lukashenko to "Go away!" and held banners demanding freedom for political prisoners, the AP reports. Police cordons forced the demonstrators to change their route, and they detained dozens of them, according to the Viasna human rights center. Viasnas Valiantsin Stefanovich said that some of the detainees were beaten by police.

story continues below

"Students and universities in general are a highly explosive group," Stefanovich says. "The authorities are really scared of strikes starting in universities and are carrying out demonstrative intimidation acts." Viasna said at least 62 people were detained, including eight journalists. One protester, Tatyana Ivanova, says students from the Minsk State Linguistics University ran into a campus building to avoid being detained, but police tracked them down there. "It only fuels protest sentiments," she says. "The more they beat and detain people, the more people understand that Lukashenko has lost." Lukashenko, who has run the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for 26 years, has dismissed protesters as Western puppets.

(Read more Belarus stories.)
Minister for Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda has described as a relief to the Aviation sector the reopening of the Kotoka International Airport.



According to him, even though the Aviation sector and Ghanaians will begin to see brisk business activity in the airport, the sector is also mindful of its civic duty to protect the lives of passengers and all Ghanaians as well as those who live in the country.



Speaking at the reopening of the Kotoka Airport, Joseph Kofi Adda said that the general economy has been severely hit in many aspects, especially the Aviation sector since the President directed the closure of land, air, and sea borders about five months ago.



He added that the closure of the land, air, and sea borders also affected the hospitality industry directly; thus, the impact on aspects of the economy, particularly jobs, and business revenues, and many other associated activities have also been adversely affected.



Kofi Adda however said that the Aviation Ministry is privy to the various support mechanisms and relief programs introduced including the stimulus package by the President to alleviate the sufferings of Ghanaians, both citizens, and businesses.



We are all also privy to the various support mechanisms and relief programs introduced, including the stimulus package by the President to alleviate the sufferings of Ghanaians, both citizens, and businesses, and we are grateful for that. I am sure many Ghanaians see in these measures the marks of a caring government and a sensitive government, he appreciated.



He indicated that the Aviation sector in its effort to support the government in the wake of the COVID-19 has waived rent, reduced royalties as well as landing charges for aircraft coming into the country.



He again mentioned that the Aviation sector managed to keep its staff in their jobs partly due to its own efforts as well as the package put together to support the sector by the Ministry of Finance as directed by His Excellency the President, Nana Akufo-Addo.



Within the period also, we have been able to support emergency and evacuation flights to convey both Ghanaians as well as foreign citizens to their respective countries of origin. These, we have undertaken with some constraints, also as our contribution towards fighting this menace to keep families together, he stressed.



He, however, said that some of the workers of the Aviation sector, unfortunately, got infected with the virus in their line duty but indicated that they've recovered and are very healthy now.



In this regard, may I make reference to our experience in the special evacuation flights as well as the limited domestic operations, and state here again, that we have been very rigorous in our adherence to these well-known protocols, including disinfection of the airports and aircraft, he said.





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
N adiya Hussain says she is scared to call out racism in her industry as she fears her work will dry up.

The Great British Bake Off winner said she has experienced more racism in the last five years than in her entire life, and worries about confronting racist behaviours for fear of being seen to be complaining about anything.

Hussain, 35, who is back on screen with BBC show Nadiya Bakes, told Radio Times magazine she had encountered racism throughout my life."

I now work in an industry thats very much middle-aged, Caucasian, male, and there I am  a five foot one Muslim brown girl, and its not my world.

Getty Images

We have to question why there arent more people of colour working in television, publishing, the hospitality industry.

When I did this show I looked around and I thought, Wow, theres literally just me and the home economist, whos Korean.

Speaking out is hard because if I ever feel like Im complaining about anything, I have this god-awful fear that nobody will want to work with me ever again. So Im really scared, she said.

The times that I have called it out, Ive met with some serious negativity.

She called for more diversity in TV and publishing but said the situation had improved, adding that now people say to me, My daughter wants to do exactly what youre doing, and that is a lovely thing to hear.

Hussain recounted the time she posted a Cornish pasty recipe on social media, replacing traditional swede with apple.

I got so much abuse What I constantly read was, What gives you the right to make a Cornish pasty? And that really affected me, she said.

Ive definitely experienced more racism in the last five years than I have in my whole life.

People get away with being racist and if you say, Well, that was racist, then its Take it on the chin or Oh, shes got a chip on her shoulder.

Theres definitely a sense that I should be grateful for what I do. Ive had to learn to have a thicker skin over the last few years, but Ive also learnt that its really important to voice things and not just hold back.

(BBC) / Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Hussain says her mum still works six days a week, doing 12-hour shifts in a factory where she cleans hospital linen.

Im proud of what she does and the fact that she is one of the people keeping this country going, the cookbook author and presenter said.

And the mother-of-three has not moved to a bigger house since finding fame because I cant see the value in constantly upgrading everything.

Hussain recently told how she found lockdown difficult and had struggled to get out of bed.

She told the magazine that lockdown caused a massive decline in my mental health but she also has really good days

We know lots of people who have been diagnosed with Covid. We also know people who are not following the rules, so theres this constant anxiety, which has been really tough, she said.



I have really big down days where it dawns on me that we could get to the end of the year and still not have seen our families. Weve got two boys with asthma so were being really careful.



The full interview is in Radio Times magazine, out now.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
The U.S. Labor Department is reminding employers that they must make a reasonable effort to keep track of all hours worked by non-exempt employees  even those working varied hours from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The departments Wage and Hour Division on Monday issued a bulletin offering guidance regarding employers obligations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Bureau said it is hoping to clear up any confusion because of the large number of workers who are now telecommuting.

The Labor Department said it last issued interpretive rules on remote work arrangements in 1961.

Todays guidance reaffirms that an employer is required to pay its employees for all hours worked, including work not requested but allowed and work performed at home, the bureau said. If the employer knows or has reason to believe that an employee is performing work, the time must be counted as hours worked.

In a blog post, attorney Susan Milner Parrott with the Smith Anderson law firm explained that employers can be responsible for work hours that they become aware of either through actual knowledge or constructive knowledge.

Employers have actual knowledge when hours are reported on time sheets. Constructive knowledge is trickier. Employers are required to exercise reasonable diligence, meaning they may be held responsible for hours that they should have known were worked by their employees.

An employer would be exercising reasonable diligence if the employer established a process by which employees could report unscheduled work time, but the employer should be careful not to discourage, either implicitly or explicitly, the use of such a process, Parrott wrote.

The guidance also clarifies that employers will not be held responsible for hours worked just because they could have known, by checking access to the employers computer network or phone calls to supervisors, for example, wrote Taylor Haran of the Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath law firm.

One important point: Employers must pay for all hours worked, even if they had a rule against performing the work in the first place, Haran wrote.

That principle of law was reaffirmed in 2008 by a 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals decision, titled Chao v. Gotham Registry.

Gotham Registry Inc. dispatched nurses to hospitals in need of extra help. After being cited sanctioned by the U.S. Labor Department for failing to pay overtime to registry nurses, the company adopted a policy that prohibited nurses from working more than 40 hours without prior notice. Nurses who did not comply would not be paid for the extra hours worked.

The 2nd Circuit ruled that even if Gotham was not aware of the overtime hours until after the fact, it was still required to pay for the hours worked.

If Gotham were serious about preventing unauthorized overtime, it could discipline nurses who violate the rule, the 2nd Circuit Court said. It could also entirely disavow overtime hours, announcing a policy that it does not, under any circumstances, employ a nurse for more than 40 hours in a week.

On the other hand, employers arent required to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure their employees arent failing to report overtime hours. That precedent was affirmed by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in a decision titled Allen v. City of Chicago.

Members of the Chicago Police Departments Bureau of Organized Crime filed suit alleging that they the city did not compensate them for work they did off duty using BlackBerry devices. The officers alleged that the Bureau had an unwritten policy that discouraged them from reporting time that was spent working on the mobile devices, although they had not been specifically ordered not to add that time to the time slips they submitted to their supervisors.

However, some of the plaintiffs testified that they did add hours spent doing work to their time slips and were never denied compensation. The time slips did not indicate how the work was done. No one had been reprimanded or disciplined for submitting time slips that included BlackBerry time.

A U.S. District Court judge ruled that the city had done the due diligence required of it and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed. The court said while the Bureau could have learned that its employees were not being compensated for all hours worked by comparing the time slips to call and email records generated by the BlackBerrys, that level of effort is not required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The reasonable diligence standard asks what the employer should have known, not what it could have known,' the 7th Circuit said, citing a previous ruling.

In its guidance, the Labor Department said the employer bears the burden of preventing work when it is not desired; adopting a rule prohibiting extra work hours is not enough.

Parrott, of Smith Anderson, said employers can exercise reasonable diligence by ensuring there is a process that employees can use to report unscheduled work time, but the employer should be careful not to discourage, either implicitly or explicitly, the use of such a process.

Topics USA Commercial Lines Business Insurance
A woman who died of COVID-19 in a case linked to an outbreak from a Maine wedding has been identified as an 83-year-old 'vivacious' mother who loved quilting and making handmade Christmas tree skirts.

Theresa Dentremont died in Maine's Millinocket Regional Hospital on August 21 after becoming infected with coronavirus.

While the 83-year-old did not attend the wedding, the hospital believes she may have been infected by one of the guests.

Her 97-year-old husband Frank Dentremont, who is a WWII veteran and the oldest resident of resident of East Millinocket, was hospitalized at the same facility a few days later with COVID-19.

His son, Frank Dentremont Jr, revealed in a Facebook post that his father had since miraculously recovered and was due to be discharged from the hospital on Wednesday.

Theresa Dentremont, 83, died in Maine's Millinocket Regional Hospital on August 21 after becoming infected with coronavirus. Her 97-year-old husband Frank Dentremont was hospitalized at the same facility a few days later with COVID-19 but has since recovered

Dentremont Jr told the Washington Post that he recalled hearing about the wedding, which has now been linked to 123 of the state's coronavirus cases, but believed his father and stepmother would have been safe.

The couple had been self-isolating at their home for much of the pandemic given they fell into the high-risk COVID-19 category.

'I had heard the stories about the wedding thing,' he said.

'I thought, "My dad and stepmom weren't there. They've been quarantining themselves; they'll be fine". Who could have known?'

Dentremont Jr has said he doesn't want to speculate on who could have given his stepmother and father the virus.

He has also said he isn't angry at those who went ahead with the wedding. The bride and groom have not been publicly identified.

A pastor who said he officiated the ceremony has defended holding the wedding in social media posts.

'Nobody did this consciously,' Dentremont Jr said. 'If they knew they were the ones at fault, I'm sure they'd feel terrible.'

He has described his stepmother as a 'vivacious woman and wonderful mom' who loved quilting and handing out handmade tree skirts as Christmas gifts.

In a Facebook post, he said the 'horrible time of grief' for him and his step-siblings over Theresa's death had been 'mediated in part by the miraculous recovery of my dad'.

Theresa's stepson and Frank's son, Frank Dentremont Jr (above with the couple), recalled hearing about the wedding, which has now been linked to 123 of the state's coronavirus cases, but believed the couple would have been safe

The couple had been self-isolating at their home for much of the pandemic given they fell into the high-risk COVID-19 category

The wedding, which was held August 7, has made national headlines ever since health officials first revealed guests had started testing positive for COVID-19 just days later.

The ceremony was held at the Tri Town Baptist Church before an indoor reception took place at the Big Moose Inn.

The reception venue has since admitted that they misunderstood local capacity rules for COVID-19 restrictions and overbooked the event.

Sixty-five guests attended the wedding despite the state having a 50-person limit for indoor gatherings, health officials say.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention says 123 COVID-19 cases have now been linked to the wedding.

Cases believed to be tied to the wedding have since been detected in two nearby towns, the East Millinocket school system, a nursing home and a county jail 200 miles away after a jail employee attended the nuptials.

Around 13 per cent of those who have become infected are asymptomatic. Almost half of the cases thought to have come from the wedding are people who did not attend the celebration.

The outbreak has sparked dire warnings from health officials about the seriousness of the virus.

Dora Anne Mills, the chief health improvement officer at MaineHealth, told the Post that COVID-19 had the ability to tear small communities apart.

The ceremony was held at the Tri Town Baptist Church before an indoor reception took place at the Big Moose Inn. Sixty-five guests attended the wedding despite the state having a 50-person limit for indoor gatherings, health officials say

As of Tuesday, Maine had reported 4,526 cases and 132 deaths from COVID-19. So far more than 120 cases have been linked to the wedding outbreak

'It's a silent guest at the wedding,' she said.

'It spreads silently, so that by the time you realize that you yourself have spread it, you've already done the damage.'

The Big Moose Inn was issued with an imminent health hazard citation and its health license was suspended in the aftermath, according to Maine CDC Director Dr Nirav Shah.

Owner Laurie Cormier issued a statement claiming her establishment had misinterpreted local health guidelines and the overcrowded wedding was a misunderstanding.

'It is important to note that because Big Moose Inn has separate rooms for dining as well as outdoor seating, the facility's approved capacity during this time is 80 persons,' Cormier said.

'We understood that there could be no more than 50 persons in our largest room. We did make an error in the interpretation of that rule.

'Our interpretation was that we could take a wedding party of more than 50 persons, and split them between two rooms as long as it didn't exceed our total capacity or a specific room's capacity.

'The State - perhaps, rightfully so - assumes that individuals from a larger group would ignore the room restrictions and take the opportunity to co-mingle.

'Our interpretation of the rule put the Big Moose Inn in violation of the gathering of people over the maximum number allowed by Maine DECD guidelines.'

While the United States has amassed the largest number of coronavirus cases in the world, Maine's cases and deaths have remained relatively low compared to other states.

As of Tuesday, Maine had reported 4,526 cases and 132 deaths from COVID-19.
Hakim Hussein Kheirandish is a famous preacher of a traditional Islamic medicine in Iran. On Aug. 6, he appeared on Tehran TV5 with advice on how to prevent a coronavirus infection.

Kheirandish removed a mask he was wearing during an interview, took a pill vial out of his pocket and said it contained salt  something he always carries. He claimed that salt protects against viruses and bacteria, is recommended by Islamic scholars, and that he takes it several times a day.

Kheirandish imitated pouring a handful and swallowing it.

Eating salt frequently protects from corona infection better than wearing a mask, Kheirandish said, asserting that it cleanses the nose, mouth, eyes and ears and the entire body.

The claim is false and misrepresents both the purpose of wearing masks and the medicinal value of salt.

Masks are recommended not to protect the wearer, but to stop the virus from being transmitted from individuals who are infected and who may or may not be showing symptoms.

Salt and salt solutions (saline) have been used for centuries for wounds disinfection, body hydration via intravenous injections, eye and respiratory tract cleansing. But while researchers are studying salt as a COVID-19 treatment, nothing is yet conclusive.

That didnt stop Kheirandishs purported remedy from spreading on social media. Iran has reported 376,894 cases of COVID-19 and 21,672 deaths, numbers that are considered undercounts. As of Tuesday (Sept. 1), the country ranked 12th overall in total reported cases.

TV5 posted Kheirandishs video on its Instagram page, where it has received over 7,000 likes and has been widely shared.

On his own Instagram page, where Kheirandish has 268,000 followers, the video has been viewed nearly 175,000 times. Kheirandish also runs a website that is reportedly one of the most popular places in Iran for those interested in Iranian Islamic medicine.

Traditional medicine practitioners like Kheirandish have been called out before for offering questionable, nonscientific advice.

In a recent study, Science and Pseudoscience in Traditional Iranian Medicine, Kiarash Aramesh, a scholar at the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, examined two contemporary streams: the quackery traditional Iranian medicine (QTIM) and the academic traditional Iranian medicine (ATIM).

Aramesh describes the QTIM as encompassing a wide range of practitioners with various backgrounds who work outside the academic arena and mostly address the public.

These practitioners, he wrote, have no solid bases or limited boundaries for their claims. Instead, they rely on making misleading references to the Holy Islamic Scriptures, inducing false hope, claiming miraculous results, appealing to the conspiracy theories, and taking advantage of the public resentment toward some groups of unprofessional healthcare providers.

Hossein Kheirandish, is one of the most-famous practitioners of QTIM, according to Aramesh.

While the Iranian health ministry takes disciplinary measures against QTIM practitioners, among its advocates and proponents are high-ranking Iranian government officials, Aramesh wrote.

The Iranian fact-checking website FactNameh looked into several claims made by Kheirandish and gave his salt advice a false verdict based on World Health Organization guidance.

Studies and Myths

The Johns Hopkins University school of public health has listed [d]rinking a lot of water and gargling with warm water and salt or vinegar eliminates the virus, among the debunked COVID-19 treatments.

Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said that while COVID-19 may cause a sore throat, gargling with warm salted water may make it feel better, [but] has no direct effect on the virus.

Still, some researchers are looking into salt.

In June, scientists at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland launched a new trial to determine whether salt solution can help reduce symptoms of COVID-19.

The trial is a next step after a pilot study with results published in the Journal of Global Health in March. Titled, Hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling should be considered as a treatment option for COVID-19, the pilot study involved 66 adult volunteers infected with two different strains of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

It showed that treatment with salt-water solution, known as saline, reduced the duration of coronavirus infection by average of two-and-a-half days. The severity of symptoms was also milder in a group that used the salt solution.

A similar study, conducted in Italy, concluded that Saline Nasal Irrigations can reduce the viral load in the nasal cavities. Oral rinse with antimicrobial agents is efficacious in reducing the viral load in oral fluids. Its authors recommended that public health authorities add saline to the measures to prevent and control the transmission of COVID-19.

Hyo-Jick Choi, a biomedical engineer and professor at the University of Alberta in Canada, has patented a salt-coated mask that purportedly traps the virus and kills it within five minutes.

None of these studies involves actually eating salt in its crystal or powder form, as suggested by Hakim Kheirandish.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Garland Technology , a leading provider of network test access point (TAP), packet broker and cloud visibility solutions, today announced the release of the new EdgeSafe Bypass Network TAP. Developed to manage the availability of inline security tools, the EdgeSafe brings bypass reliability to 10G inline security tools.

EdgeSafe Bypass Network TAP

"As the Edge of the network expands, managing the inline security tools tasked with protecting the network, like Intrusion Protection systems (IPS) and Web Application Firewalls (WAF), have become critical to cybersecurity," states Jerry Dillard, Chief Technical Officer, Garland Technology. "Mitigating network downtime is the bottom line. Garland solves this with the EdgeSafe Bypass TAP, which manages the availability and inline lifecycle of the device in a portable, cost-effective, easy to use form factor."

SUMMARY AND HIGHLIGHTS OF PRODUCT

EdgeSafeNetwork Bypass TAP  is a 1/10G bypass network TAP, purpose-built to provide the ultimate failsafe inline management device to future proof your network. The EdgeSafe is a portable 4 port appliance, that can rack mount four TAPs in a 1U, designed to bring added functionality to remote locations.

The EdgeSafe provides Garland Technology's full heartbeat bypass and failsafe technology , as well as additional features like advanced filtering, aggregation, tap 'breakout,' regeneration, and packet injection, which brings added flexibility to solve a multitude of challenges.

The EdgeSafe allows you to eliminate single points of failure, reduce network downtime, and cut deployment time, without compromising the network. Complete lifecycle management of inline tools like Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW), IPS and WAF, allows you to sandbox new tool deployments, easily take tools out-of-band for updates, install patches, perform maintenance or troubleshoot to optimize and validate before pushing back inline. A Bypass TAP has quickly become the essential complement to any inline tool.

The continuous release of new products reflects the ongoing momentum Garland Technology is delivering to their customers worldwide. Garland Technology now delivers enterprise data center level functionality for the edge, with the first integrated bypass TAP family that can handle your entire security stack - from remote sites, data center and enterprise, and from 1G to 100G.

EdgeSafe Resources

EdgeLens product information:

https://www.garlandtechnology.com/products/edgesafe-bypass-network-tap

Additional inline bypass resources:

https://www.garlandtechnology.com/bypass-and-failsafe-solutions

ABOUT GARLAND TECHNOLOGY:

Garland Technology is an industry leader delivering network products and solutions for enterprise, service providers, and government agencies worldwide. Since 2011, Garland Technology has developed the industry's most reliable test access points (TAPs) and network packet brokers (NPB), and Cloud visibility solutions enabling data centers to address IT challenges and gain complete network visibility. For help identifying the right NPB solution for projects large and small, or to learn more about the inventor of the first bypass technology, visit GarlandTechnology.com or @GarlandTech .

Media Contact:

Mark Lennon

Garland Technology

716.242.8500

[email protected]

SOURCE Garland Technology

Related Links

http://GarlandTechnology.com


The catalogue for the annual Lexington Selected Yearling Sale is now available on the sales companys website (lexingtonselected.com) and on the Equineline Sales catalog app.

Those not already on the mailing list but who would like a print catalogue should fill out the order form on the website. Print catalogues should be received in the mail soon after the Labour Day holiday.

The lexingtonselected.com website also provides links to both yearling action videos and walking videos as provided by consignors. The videos are uploaded as they are received, so buyers should check back often.

The five-session selected sale will begin on Monday, October 5 and will run through Friday, October 9 at Fasig-Tiptons beautiful Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Kentucky. Each session will get underway at 7 p.m. The companys mixed sale will follow on Saturday evening, October 10.

The company reminds buyers who plan to attend in-person that COVID-19 safety precautions will be adhered to.

Were fortunate to have such a well-maintained and spacious facility for our use, said co-manager Randy Manges. With outdoor barns and inspection areas and large front and back indoor pavilions, all the recommended safety measures are easy to follow.

The sale will also offer online bidding through a proven 'live bidding' platform in Proxibid. Expanded phone bidding will also be available. Details on buyer registration for both will be announced soon.

Billed as 'The Sale of Champions,' Lexington Selected grads are enjoying one of their best years on the racetrack, with a '1-2' finish in the $1-million Hambletonian by Ramona Hill and Ready For Moni and victories in the $1-million North America Cup and Meadowlands Pace by Tall Dark Stranger.

(Lexington Selected Yearling Sales Co.)
BLOOMINGTON  More than 60 people gathered on the Illinois Wesleyan University Quad on Monday to lament the crisis in the humanities on the same day one-year terminal contracts were given to three faculty members whose programs or majors are being eliminated.

Terminal contracts were originally planned to be issued Aug. 1, but the university delayed them for a month to see whether more alternatives would come to light after classes began Aug. 17.

Originally, nine faculty members potentially were impacted by the boards decision to discontinue programs in French, Italian, religious studies and anthropology.

President Georgia Nugent said through many discussions, they were able to work out mutually acceptable resolutions, with some faculty members moving to tenured positions in other departments and others retiring or taking a phased retirement.

She said the university will continue working with the three affected faculty members to make every effort to reach a satisfactory resolution.

Referring to a crisis in the humanities reflected in program cuts nationwide, English professor Michael Theune, said, It turns out that the crisis, which already has affected our university to a significant degree  including, recently, the closure of Greek and Roman studies  has now fully arrived.

Theune, adviser for the first-year humanities fellows, called it a dark and dismal day, but added, We are keeping watch.

Among those keeping watch is the American Association of University Professors, which questioned IWUs actions in a letter to Nugent and board of trustees chair Tim Szerlong.

The letter from Gregory Scholtz, director of AAUPs department of academic freedom, tenure and governance, said, unless there is an appropriate resolution or other information, the evident serious departures from association-recommended principles and standards could result in a recommendation for a formal AAUP investigation.

Nugent said the university will be providing a formal response to the AAUP with additional information about IWUs actions. The AAUP letter was based only on information from faculty sources.

Students speaking at the Heeding the Humanities event expressed concern about what they think will be lost by the elimination of the programs.

Senior Taylor Plantan of Rolling Meadows, an English literature major, said, For the past six months of this tumultuous year, I have been fortunate to lean on the knowledge I have gained throughout my humanities coursework during my time at Illinois Wesleyan.

She said, With the closure of these programs, our Breakthrough moments simply and suddenly become Eh. Good enough moments, adding good enough is not acceptable.

Samira Kassem, a senior in political science from Mahomet, said, with threats from COVID-19, racism, fascism and environmental concerns, Kassem said, we need the humanities now more than ever.

She expressed fear that, without the humanities, IWU would become "a stale, over-priced trade school training corporate zombies."

But Nugent said, I do not agree that there is a turn away from the humanities here.

Although the programs have been eliminated, we intend to continue offering those kinds of courses at the introductory level, she said.

Nugent said if trustees had accepted the original recommendation of the program evaluation task force, the school of music and school of art would have been eliminated. Instead, were committed to developing and improving and enhancing both schools.

See photos: IWU faculty, students, alumni rally for liberal arts

Contact Lenore Sobota at (309) 820-3240. Follow her on Twitter: @Pg_Sobota

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Following President Muhammadu Buharis appointment of executive members of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), ActionAid Nigeria has called for the domestication of the Disability Commission Act.

The non-governmental organisation in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Nihinlola Ayanda, on Tuesday, said while it applauded the federal government for making efforts to end years of exclusion of the disabled, it hopes the commission will defend the rights of PWDs as contained in the law.

ActionAid said, as enshrined in the law establishing the commission, at least five per cent of all public appointments at all levels should go to people with disabilities to enable them proffer solutions to the challenges that they face.

We call governments at all levels to honor this provision of the law, it said.

The group also asked the government to invest in infrastructure and public services that account for the needs of the disabled.

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More tax, well spent, can help make this happen, but aggressive reduction of corporate tax bills undermines the efforts of governments to secure resources to fund public services. Governments should ensure that PWDs participate equally and meaningfully in all processes around designing, legislating and budgeting for city planning and public transport.

We call on state governments to expedite action in domesticating the Disability Commission as further delay will amount to great injustice especially at a time when the world is battling COVID-19, one of the most lethal pandemics in the history of mankind, the group said.

PREMIUM TIMES last week Monday reported the appointment of executive members of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (PLWDs) in line with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2019.

This newspaper had also on several occasions reported the travails of PLWDs in Nigeria.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden is expected to report a record-smashing $350 million-plus fundraising haul for the month of August.

The New York Times first reported the campaign and the Democratic National Committee had topped $300 million, which already beat President Barack Obama's best haul of $193 million in September 2008.

Later Tuesday, Bloomberg reported the number was closer to $350 million and going up.

Vice President Joe Biden and the Democrats raised more than $350 million to go toward the November election, according to reporting from Bloomberg

Joe Biden's fundraising haul comes the same week that many of President Donald Trump's television ads were taken off the airwaves, as his campaign is in a brief money-saving mode

August marked Biden's announcement of running mate, Kamala Harris, a California senator who had run her own bid for president before dropping out in December.

With the pick of Harris, Biden made history by adding the first woman of color to a presidential ticket.

Later in the month, Democrats had their four-night Democratic National Convention, which was held virtually from studios around the country, as the coronavirus pandemic prevented delegates, party leaders and journalists from gathering in person in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The campaign previously announced it had raised $48 million in the two days following the vice presidential announcement.

It also said it raised $70 million after the convention.

The Times also reported that ActBlue, Democrats' main donation platform, reported raising $35 million alone on Monday, the final day of the month.

Earlier Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump had pulled most of his advertising from TV airwaves, as Biden recently outspent the incumbent by ten-fold.

The Trump campaign has been burning through money almost as soon as donations come in.

Biden, on the other hand, has a leaner campaign, allowing him to catch up to the long-held Republican and Trump financial advantage.

The Trump TV ads were pulled, according to the AP, because the Trump campaign was trying to conserve money.

At the beginning of the month, Biden and the Democrats had $294 million, while Trump and the Republicans started the month with $300 million.

In July, Biden and the Democrats had raised $140 million, while Trump and the Republicans earned $165 million.

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Convention's August numbers have yet to be released.
Among voters in rural areas  President Trump's stronghold  his support has slipped about 10 points among women, a USC poll finds. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

President Trump's support has eroded among key groups of voters who backed him in 2016  a major reason why he continues to trail former Vice President Joe Biden and a prime motivator for the president's reelection strategy of emphasizing violent disorder in the nation's cities.

Trump's decline among parts of his 2016 base is a chief finding so far from the USC Dornsife Daybreak Poll, which tracked voter preferences daily four years ago and is doing so again this year. Overall, Trump has lost support from about 9% of voters who backed him in 2016, the poll finds.

The poll shows no major shift in the race during the last two weeks, belying much speculation that the back-to-back national political conventions and violence in Portland, Ore., and Kenosha, Wis., might have changed what has been an unusually stable contest.

During the Democratic convention, Biden gained 2 percentage points and Trump lost 2 points; Trump then regained some of that ground during his convention, a week-by-week comparison of the poll's tracking shows.

The net result is a Biden lead of 11 points, 52% to 41%, in the poll's latest results as of Monday, after the Republican convention. A rolling average of results over the last week has been virtually the same, 53% to 41%.

"Independents who lean toward the Republican Party seem to have been temporarily swayed by Biden's message" during the Democratic convention, said Jill Darling, the survey director for the USC Dornsife poll. That widened Biden's lead for a bit. But "Trumps dark view of the Democrats agenda seems to have swept them back into the fold, so the overall result is pretty much a wash."

Biden's lead is almost double the 6-point lead that the poll showed for Hillary Clinton at this point four years ago. Clinton was then on a downward track, declining from the large boost she had received from her convention.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden leads President Trump by roughly 11 percentage points, according to a USC poll. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

That comparison to four years ago is based on an adjusted version of the 2016 USC Dornsife survey. The poll significantly overstated Trump's support. It showed him leading by October when, in fact, he lost the nationwide vote to Clinton by more than 2 percentage points.

Story continues

An analysis after the election showed that the poll, which tracks the views of a panel of more than 8,000 eligible voters, had over-represented rural Americans, a group who ended up leaning heavily toward Trump. The 6-point lead for Clinton represents her margin at this point four years ago once the poll was re-weighted to fix that mistake.

Another big difference from four years ago: Third-party candidates get only 2% support now, much less than in 2016, when smaller parties took 5% of the vote.

While a record number of Americans  perhaps as many as 150 million  are expected to vote in this fall's elections, the vast majority already have made up their minds. Over the next two months, the two sides will pour huge amounts of time and money into maximizing turnout among their supporters. At the same time, they'll battle over the small slice of the electorate that remains up for grabs.

The poll's findings help pinpoint who those wavering voters are  mostly independents, who are closely divided between Biden and Trump, and less partisan Republicans who may have supported Trump in the past, but have soured on him since.

Democrats and independents who lean Democratic have largely consolidated behind Biden, the poll finds.

Democrats and their allies have tried to win over swing voters by stressing Trump's failure to control COVID-19 and the personality traits  belligerence, lack of empathy and flouting of traditional norms for presidential behavior  that many of those voters dislike.

Trump has countered with dire warnings about violence in American cities and thinly veiled appeals to racial prejudice, especially tied to white fears of Black families moving into predominantly white suburbs. He has depicted Biden as a "puppet" of "radical Democrats."

Analysis of which voters Trump has lost since 2016 provides insight into the problem his reelection campaign faces. Because the USC Dornsife panel includes many people who responded to the poll in 2016, its findings provide direct evidence of which voters have changed their minds.

Although Trump has lost about 9% of his 2016 voters, about 4% of those who voted for Clinton now say they will vote for Trump.

That gives Trump a net loss of 5 percentage points, which may not seem a big number, but sets up a high hurdle for an incumbent who barely eked out victory four years ago, winning by less than 1 point in each of the three states that put him over the top.

"You can't lose 9% or 10% of the people who voted for you last time" and still win, said Bob Shrum, the director of USC Center for the Political Future, which co-sponsors the poll, and a veteran Democratic strategist. "If that holds, it would be catastrophic for him."

The Trump campaign hopes to make up its losses by spurring turnout among conservative white voters who did not cast ballots in the last election. That's possible  states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan have large numbers of such voters. So far, however, it isn't happening, the poll indicates: Among people who did not vote in 2016, because they either chose not to or weren't old enough, Biden leads 52% to 34%.

Several groups have moved away from Trump:

Among people of color who cast ballots for Trump in 2016, nearly 1-in-5 now say they back Biden, the poll found. Among Latinos, about 1 in 4 say they will vote for Trump this year, down from more than 3 in 10 last time.

Among voters who live in rural areas  Trump's stronghold  his vote among men has remained stable but has slipped by around 10 points among women.

Trump still has a large advantage among white voters without college degrees  his core group of supporters  but his lead has shrunk. In 2016, the poll found Trump leading among that group by roughly 40 percentage points. Now it's about 25 points.

Among whites with college degrees, meanwhile, Biden has established a significant lead. In 2016, the poll found Trump and Clinton virtually even among whites with college degrees. This year, Biden leads, 54% to 41%.

Many of those college-educated voters live in suburban areas, where voters turned heavily against the Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections. The poll shows that happening again.

In 2016, Trump and Clinton battled roughly to a draw in the suburbs. He had a large edge among white suburban men, which offset her lead among suburban voters of color; white women were closely divided.

This time around, white suburban men are more closely divided, Biden has kept the large Democratic lead among suburban voters of color, and he also leads among white, suburban women, the poll finds.

The result: a significant Biden lead among suburban voters: 53% to 40%.

Trump has sought to turn around that suburban deficit by stressing a "law and order" message. He has depicted the Democrats as an enemy to police and incapable of keeping Americans safe.

Biden has rebutted that by stressing the dangers Trump has caused, both in mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and in stirring up sometimes violent disorder. In a speech Monday in Pittsburgh, he said Trump "sows chaos rather than providing order."

The USC Dornsife poll, a joint project of the university's Center for Economic and Social Research and the Center for the Political Future, surveys each panel member every 14 days. The current results are based on responses from 5,106 panel members.

The poll asks respondents to use a 0-to-100 scale to give the likelihood that they would support Trump or Biden. It also asks them on a separate 0-to-100 scale to give the likelihood that they will vote. Using those numbers, the poll calculates the probability of each person voting for the candidate.

In theory, because that approach uses information from all voters surveyed, it should provide a more complete look at the electorate than other polls that give people a choice between candidates but then count only the group of respondents who are deemed likely to vote.

Separately, the poll also asks respondents how they believe friends, neighbors and other people in their social circles will vote. That question shows a smaller Biden lead, 50% to 45%.

The closer result on the question about friends and neighbors could be evidence of a hidden Trump vote  people who won't say on a poll that they're voting for Trump, but will tell their friends. But other explanations are also possible, including that some Democrats, still stung by the upset result in 2016, simply overestimate the number of people who will vote for Trump.

As with other polls, the results are weighted so that the respondents accurately reflect Census figures for demographic characteristics including gender, race and education. The estimated error range for the poll's full sample is roughly 1 percentage point in either direction. A complete description of the poll's methodology, along with the text of the questions asked and the full data tables, is available on the USC Dornsife website.
Mrs. Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North Constituency in the Ahafo Region on Monday said, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos government has done a lot to deserve the votes of the electorate in the Constituency.



She emphasised that the government had not neglected the Tano North Municipality in the distribution of the national cake, saying within the three and half-year term, development witnessed in the area was unparalleled.



In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Duayaw-Nkwanta, Mrs. Prempeh who is the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, called on her constituents to appreciate the President by voting to renew his mandate in the Election 2020.



She said the level of development in the Constituency was obvious for everybody to see, indicating that the electorate in the area would be ungrateful to the President if they failed to re-elect him on December 7.



Mrs. Prempeh said education, health, agriculture, road network and electricity had been improved, saying more than 60 boreholes had also been constructed in the deprived communities, while about 30 communities had been hooked on to the national electricity grid.



She said the Bomaa-Onye-Nkwantabisa, Adrobaa-Krofrom-Susuaho, Bomaa-Anwenase-Atonsu and Duayaw-Nkwanta-Bomaa roads would be put into good shape by the close of the year, while the 12.7 kilometre Techire-Adrobaa road was almost completed.



Works on the reshaping of the Subonpang-Kwasoagya, Tanokrom-Dwumakwai, Bomaa-Onwe, Bomaa- Nkwantabisa, as well as Duayaw-Nkwanta-Campso stretch of road had all been completed, she said.



The MP added that works on the Tepa-Bomaa, Duayaw-Nkwanta-Bredi, Duayaw-Nkwanta-Adagyamamu, as well as Bourkrukruwa and Yamfo town roads were progressing and they would be completed very soon.



Mrs. Prempeh said the Yamfo town roads, Bomaa-Duayaw-Nkwanta stretch and the Bomaa-Dwenase-Atonsu under the Cocoa Roads Rehabilitation Project had all been awarded on contracts and work on them commenced.



On behalf of the people, the MP thanked President Akufo-Addo for the excellent work towards improving particularly road and health infrastructure in the area.









Source: GNA









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Jubilation As 100 Kidnap Victims Are Rescued From Hideout Around Kogi-Nasarawa Boundary

About 100 people said to be victims of kidnappers who terrorised communities around Kogi-Nasarawa boundary and travellers who passed through that area for over eight years, have been rescued by troops.

The kidnap victims who are mostly women and children were rescued from Darusalam by troops of the 177 battalions and the army records, Lokoja.

According to Mohammed Onogwu, the chief press secretary to Governor Yahaya Bello, the camp located at Ittu is home to about 2,000 kidnappers and some Boko Haram members.



The Statement Read;

Between last Saturday and Wednesday, about 100 persons, mostly women and children, were rescued and taken to Lafia, while yesterday at Achara in Tawari Ward of Kogi LGA, about 180 family members of Darusalam were captured.

One of the suspects was shot dead while attempting to escape during the military clearing operations.

The logistics support of the Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, to the Nigerian Army helped in no small measure in the success recorded by men of the Nigerian Army in this latest operation.

Recall that the governor of Kogi state and chairman, security committee, Northern Governors Forum, during Eid-kabir celebrations told journalists in Okene that in days ahead, he will lead security operatives into the forest to unleash terror on criminals operating within the state.


Climbing three steps up from 8th place in 2019, Yili joins the ranks of the prestigious global top 5 dairy brands in the world and continues to strengthen its #1 position among Asian dairy producers.

Commenting on the achievement, Pan Gang, Chairman of Yili, said, "This achievement will undoubtedly boost our confidence and resolve in pursuing excellence and seeking continuous improvement. Our growth is only possible with the collective effort of every member of the Yili family, and more importantly from the trust and support given by our global consumers, investors and partners. Despite the challenging business landscape ahead, we will strive to uphold 'Yili means the best quality' and always maintain our customer-centric mantra to deliver greater health and nutrition to our consumers."

Published annually, the Rabobank Global Top 20 Dairy report is a survey of the world's largest dairy companies and highlights the giants of one of the world's most valuable food sectors. In the 2020 rendition, Rabobank reported on Yili as one of the Asian companies making major moves on the list, with Yili moving into the top 5 spot on the back of a year-on-year growth of nearly 20%.

Over the years, Yili has invested continuous efforts in promoting a "Global Health Ecosystem" and increasing its global brand value by focusing on providing its customers with high-quality products. By collating the world's best resource, coupled with progressive improvements to its quality control procedures, Yili has provided its customers with the highest level of quality assurance.

Having established a mature consumer insight system, Yili has also accelerated the implementation of its "Internet Plus" initiative by introducing the utilisation of technologies such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT) to gather more accurate insights on its consumers' needs. With the insights on hand, Yili has also been able to conduct more in-depth research on the consumers' needs, and develop more personalized products to cater to the different needs of its consumers.

Yili remains fully committed on its dream of "World Integrally Sharing Health" and the achievement marks a significant milestone on Yili's journey to continue delivering health to its global consumers, highlighting the responsibility of global food producers and strive to achieve greater quality assurance.

Securing the top 5 spot among global dairy producers reflects on the trust Yili received from its consumers and continues to lead the Chinese fast-moving consumer goods market. The latest success follows Yili's record number of nominations in eight categories in both the World Food Innovation Awards 2020 in February 2020, as well as the World Dairy Innovations Awards 2020 hosted in June 2020, which recognizes excellence and innovation across the global food and dairy industry.

SOURCE Yili Group
Actor Jim Caviezel laments apathy toward Christian persecution

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Actor Jim Caviezel, who burst on the Hollywood scene in 2004 with his iconic role as Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, is an outspoken Catholic who openly discusses his faith and devotion to God.

The way God sees us is who we really are, Caviezel recently told the Edifi With Billy Hallowell podcast, going on to speak about a range of issues, including his new movie, Infidel.

READ ALSO: CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION & THE EFFECT ON NORTH KOREA

The feature film, which releases in theaters on Sept. 18, is described as a contemporary Middle East thriller surrounding an American kidnapped while attending a conference in Cairo, who ends up in prison in Iran on spying charges.

Listen to Caviezel share his Christian faith, his views on abortion and more on "Edifi With Billy Hallowell," the best Christian podcast for faith news:

Caviezel said the plot line of "Infidel" explores the persecution of Christians in the Middle East  a pervasive issue that is tragically still raging in various countries across the globe.

Barbaric Christian persecution is something that still goes on today, the actor said, proceeding to reveal the movies intent. The goal would be to create a sense of urgency and relevance to Christians and non-Christians who should be engaged in this issue.

Caviezel said its essential for Christians to pay attention to these troubling acts of persecution, and to take action.

READ ALSO: CHRISTIANS ARE BEING CAPTURED, KILLED ACROSS GLOBE: INSIDE THE CRISIS

When I read the gospels, Ive never seen a Jesus who would sit there and say, Too bad for him, he said of the apathy that can sometimes creep in on this issue. And that is not the gospel I know.

Caviezel also went on to discuss his experience playing Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, and his views on an array of issues, including abortion.

Ive looked at the barbarism of abortion. Ive seen one of them ... there is no hiding anymore, he said. Even if I dont really know who Jesus is  something in me, my own conscience hits me  Thats immoral. Thats wrong. Why are we doing this?

STREAM NOW: WATCH THOUSANDS OF FAITH AND FAMILY-FRIENDLY MOVIES ON PURE FLIX WITH A FREE TRIAL

The actor also addressed how he came to faith, noting that he didnt become a Christian by random chance, but by looking at the evidence and the history of the Middle East and all that unfolded there.

Listen to Caviezel share his journey on Edifi With Billy Hallowell.

This article was originally published on Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free trial here.

Billy Hallowell, author of "The Armageddon Code," has contributed to TheBlaze, the Washington Post, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Mediaite, and the Huffington Post, among other news sites. Through journalism, media, public speaking appearances, and the blogosphere, Hallowell has worked as a journalist and commentator for more than a decade.
Chadwick Boseman's hometown of Anderson, South Carolina will honor the late actor.

Reps with Mayor Terence Roberts' office told TMZ Monday that the late actor, who died Friday at 43 from colon cancer, will be honored with a memorial ceremony at an outdoor amphitheater and screening of his film Black Panther this week.

Mayor Roberts will speak at the ceremony, as will a local pastor and someone who attended high school with the actor.

In memory: Chadwick Boseman's hometown of Anderson, South Carolina will honor the late actor. The Mayor's office said that the late actor, who died Friday at 43 from colon cancer, will be honored with a memorial ceremony at an outdoor amphitheater and screening of his film Black Panther this week

To take proper precautions with a public gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic, the amphitheater's capacity of 10,000 attendees will be reduced to 50 percent capacity in an effort to create social distancing space.

In addition, an enshrinement of the talented actor will be built in the town, officials told the outlet.

The memorial will also feature an array of local art produced of the famed actor, who also played Jackie Robinson in 42, TMZ reported.

The news comes as a petition on Change.org amassed more than 16,431 signatures urging local officials to erect a statue of the late actor in place of a Confederate statue that remains on display in the city's downtown area.

Beloved: A memorial was made of the actor at Howard University on Monday in Washington D.C., where he was an alum

Classic: A screening of Boseman's most prominent film, Black Panther, will be held in his hometown

Organizers noted Boseman's steadfast loyalty to the community after his breakout into super-stardom.

'Upon the release of his film Black Panther, Mr. Boseman took it upon himself to rent out a theatre in his home town of Anderson South Carolina to show the film for free,' organizers said. 'So that young boys and girls could be inspired by the film without the financial barrier.

'Mr. Boseman is without question an American treasure.'

Nationwide: People held a vigil for the late Hollywood star at a Los Angeles park Saturday

The memorial will also feature an array of local art produced of the famed actor, who also played Jackie Robinson in 42

The actor, also known for his work in movies like Marshall, Get on Up and Draft Day, was diagnosed with stage three cancer in 2016, and underwent 'countless surgeries and chemotherapy' in his battle with the disease.

'A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,' his family said in a statement. 'It was the honor of his career to bring King TChalla to life in Black Panther.'
The Confederate soldier station that fans want to be replaced is located in front of a courthouse in Chadwick Boseman's hometown.

Fans of the late Chadwick Boseman are signing a petition asking for a monument of the actor to replace a Confederate statue in his hometown in South Carolina.

While there have been several petitions launched in the wake of his death urging for the statue in Anderson, one of them boasts of 11,000 signatures and counting, reported People.

The most-signed petition reads, "Mr. Boseman is without question an American treasure and his accolades go on and on," adding that it is only fitting that his work is honoured in the same place where he was born.

A report in IndieWire reveals that currently the Confederate soldier station that fans want to be replaced is located in front of a courthouse in Boseman's hometown. However, the report mentions that the Confederate statue has been surrounded by controversy ever since the murder of George Floyd in May and was vandalised in June to protest against police brutality and racism.

Actor Chadwick Boseman died at his home in Los Angeles with his wife and family by his side after a four-year struggle with colon cancer. The actor who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown gained worldwide attention with his portrayal of Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor was 43.

Following his demise a number of celebrities paid tribute to the actor, including Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, who said that Boseman was a man of faith and dignity, and someone who lived a beautiful life while making great art.

More recently, Boseman's co-star from Black Panther, Michael B Jordan too penned a heartfelt note to remember the late actor recalled one of the final conversations he had with Boseman before he died of colon cancer.
Nairobi  Japan government has offered to give Kenya more than Sh3 billion grant to support energy projects and Universal Health coverage.

This was revealed through the Council of Governors COVID-19 virtual conference where Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Horie Ryoichi pleaded with President Uhuru Kenyatta to see that the ministries involved conclude on the agreement by end of this week.

"Mr. President, I have one request please instruct the secretaries and the Attorney General to do it on Friday," Ryoichi said while addressing President Uhuru Kenyatta who officially opened the virtual conference.

According to Ryoichi the funding will be used to facilitate the provision of medical equipment in more than 10 counties in Kenya and boost electricity in Nakuru and Mombasa counties.

"This support to Kenya will see the facilitation of medical equipment in over 10 counties and for the improvement of power distribution in Nakuru and Mombasa," Ryoichi added

Under the agreement, Japan also reveals that it will give Kenya 10 ambulances to enhance the capacity of county level preparedness of the health care system.

The offer comes barely a week after the donor gave Kenya Sh8 billion loan to support Universal health coverage.

The funding was the second phase of a project that was started in 2015 with an initial Sh4 billion loan to support the cause.

While exchanging the notes with Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani, Japanese Ambassador to Kenya Horie Ryoichi said the funding that was signed on August 27 was also meant to help Kenya fight against COVID-19.
Additional staff have been brought on board at the Service Ontario location in St. Catharines, after offices throughout Niagara and across Ontario have experienced long lineups since reopening following the COVID-19 shutdown.

Ministry of Government and Consumer Services spokesman Nicko Vavassis said the publicly-operated St. Catharines Service Ontario office at 301 St. Paul St. has recruited three more employees to expedite services and support service delivery.

He said the pandemic put unprecedented pressures on our front-line workers across the province, including those dedicated Service Ontario staff who serve communities across the province every single day.

Our government is grateful for the incredible contribution they are making to overcome the challenges created by COVID-19, Vavassis added.

Although opposition MPPs recently cited a $4.9-million funding cut from last years provincial budget as an underlying cause of the lineups at the facilities, Vavassis said the problems were entirely the result of service interruptions associated with the pandemic  not funding.

The savings that our government has been able to make are a result of modernization efforts on Service Ontarios back-end and have had no impact on funding for front-line services, he said.

This is a government that actually respects the taxpayers dollar and believes in making service delivery more efficient. We are focused on making smart investments that result in better services for Ontarians.

He said the cuts in the 2019-20 budget were made to offset savings realized through the implementation of technical enhancements and digitization to Service Ontarios back office operations.

Meanwhile, he said, funding available to support service delivery was increased by about $16 million this year to assist government service providers during the pandemic.

Our government has not decommissioned any publicly operated locations; and if a private service provider makes the decision to exit the business, we take all reasonable steps to find a new local service provider, Vavassis said.

RELATED STORIES Niagara Region Long lines continue at Service Ontario locations

Users of Service Ontarios website have reported problems, including Niagara-Centre MPP Jeff Burch.

Vavassis, however, said the sites also provide real time information about the status of Service Ontario offices across the province.

During COVID-19, in busy offices, customers can obtain an assigned time ticket and return to the office at a later time on the same day without having to line up a second time, he said. Customers should check our website prior to visiting a Service Ontario to confirm that the office has not reached capacity and is still open on that day.

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NOVATO, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Private Money, Inc . (PPM), an institutional-grade private money lender specializing in real estate-backed loans for West Coast borrowers, announced it has closed a $100 million dollar securitization with Saluda Grade Asset Management ("SGAM"). The transaction closed on July 30th and is composed of residential and commercial bridge loans originated and serviced by the San Francisco Bay Area private lender.

Pacific Private Money Inc. Closes First Securitization Backed by Residential and Commercial Bridge Loans

Saluda Grade, as the asset manager for the transaction, will utilize the two-year revolving period in the deal to reinvest loan payoffs into new loans.

"In delivering institutional capital to fuel loan production, injecting equity capital to accelerate growth, and finally purchasing and securitizing PPM's originations, we've delivered on our mission to provide a vertically integrated advisory and asset management leader to the alternative lending sector," said Saluda Grade Founder, Ryan Craft.

The securitization, a first for PPM, follows an impressive growth cycle. Through its partnership with Saluda Grade Advisory, PPM grew loan originations by over 40 percent and brought on institutional capital partners. "Our partnership with Saluda Grade has provided the capital and liquidity we have long sought to enable us to realize our vision and mission to become a proven leader in the alternative real estate finance space," said Pacific Private Money founder and CEO Mark Hanf.

Saluda Grade Alternative Lending & Fintech Growth Fund I LP is a minority owner in Pacific Private Money.

About Pacific Private Money

Founded in the wake of the Great Financial Crisis in 2008, Pacific Private Money (PPM), is one of the most respected and fastest growing companies in the private capital market space and has established itself as the market leader for private consumer and real estate investor loans throughout California. PPM offers transitional bridge loans, ground-up construction, commercial and non-owner occupied acquisition and rehab loans. Since formation, PPM has written over 1,700 loans and deployed more than $750 million in capital.

About Saluda Grade

Founded in 2019, Saluda Grade is a boutique real estate advisory and asset management firm focused on the alternative "non-bank" lending sector. Saluda Grade Asset Management manages debt funds investing in transitional mortgage loans and distressed securitized product assets. Saluda Grade Advisory advises small to mid-sized lenders seeking institutional capital markets expertise and delivering institutional capital to private lenders. Saluda Grade Ventures, the firm's equity investment arm, currently manages two private funds.

With offices in New York and San Francisco, the company is driven by a core mission to identify alternative lending sectors needing institutional capital to fuel growth. Its management team has more than 85 years of combined experience in the mortgage and securitized credit space. The firm has deep relationships with both private lenders and capital providers that allow Saluda Grade to bring attractive assets to institutional investors.

For more media information, contact:

Kimberly Rutherford

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 415-878-1212

SOURCE Pacific Private Money Inc.

Related Links

http://www.pacificprivatemoney.com


The Indian Army in a statement on Monday had said it thwarted an attempt by Chinese armed forces to transgress into Indian areas near the southern banks of the Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

New Delhi : China said that it is in close communication through diplomatic and military channels with India and that its troops have been "strictly observing the Line of Actual Control" and "never crossed the line."

Responding to a question on the statement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, "The Chinese border troops have been strictly observing the Line of Actual Control and never crossed the line. The Chinese and Indian border troops are in contact with each other regarding the issue on the ground."

Asked about any ongoing meetings to resolve this new development, Zhao said, "China and India are in close communication through diplomatic and military channels. As for the specific meetings and talks, information will be released in due course once we have an update."

Indian army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand in a statement on Monday said, "On the night of August 29/30, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo."

The Indian Army took measures to strengthen its position "and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground".

It said that A Brigade Commander level flag meeting is in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues on the ground.
B oris Johnson was drawn into a row today as he claimed people are returning to the office across the country in huge numbers but then failed to back up the claim.

No 10 were unable to provide any evidence to back up the Prime Ministers confident assertion which he made in an address to Cabinet colleagues.

Mr Johnsons official spokesman said: It is too soon for us to be able to share figures with you on people returning to work today.

The message from the PM is he recognises the importance that returning to work has in stimulating the economy.

But former Transport Minister John Spellar accused the PM of making it up to cover up Government indecisiveness on its back to work policy.

He added: If No 10 have any evidence to support the Prime Ministers claims they should publish it immediately. If they are serious about encouraging people back to work, then transparency and credibility is absolutely vital.

Despite Mr Johnsons words, many trains, platforms and Underground services were empty after the morning peak today, offering little sign of any major surge of people going back to offices in central London.

Mr Johnson spoke out at the first Cabinet since MPs returned from their summer break.

Boris Johnson holds Cabinet meeting on return to Westminster

He told the gathering, which took place at the Foreign Office to allow social distancing: "As everybody knows this is the first day back for all of us, but across the country hundreds and thousands, mil-lions of pupils are going back to school thanks to the huge efforts of their teachers, their parents have made over the last few days and weeks.

People are going back to the office in huge numbers across our country, and quite right too.

The PM went on: Bit by bit this incredible country is getting back on its feet and recovering from this crisis. We in this Government are committed, as you all know, to trying to do everything in our power to help.

In colourful language, Mr Johnson addressed criticism of the Government for carrying out a string of U-turns on face masks, exam grading and other topics, and he blamed the pandemic.

In the last few months weve been sailing into the teeth of a gale, no question, he said. I am no great nautical expert but sometimes it is necessary to tack here and there in response to the facts as they change, in response to the winds change.

He forecast more turbulence ahead but said calmer days, brighter days and calmer seas would follow.

Labour MP Mr Spellar said the inability of No 10 to find facts to corroborate Mr Johnsons claims that people were going back to work was evidence of the Governments drift.

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He is covering up for rampant incompetence and indecisiveness running right the way through this government, he said.
Trot Insider has been informed that Standardbred horseman Miroslaw Czupa passed away suddenly on Thursday, August 20, 2020 at the age of 55.

Although born and raised in Poland, Miroslaw was proud of his Ukrainian heritage. He will always be remembered as the 'go to guy' whenever you needed a helping hand or needed something repaired.

Miroslaw not only loved his animals, but he genuinely loved life and he lived it the way he loved it. Especially, he was the epitome of a true and loyal friend.

He will be greatly missed by Kevin and Shirley McMaster, Zeljko Krcmar and Gail Lunan, and many, many friends.

Miroslaw is survived by his daughter Emma, brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces, both in Canada and Poland.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Miroslaw Czupa.
Korea could suffer greater shock from COVIC-19



The country's industrial output edged up slightly by 0.1 percent in July from a month earlier, according to Statistics Korea. The figure appears to be not that bad, given the crippling impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. But looking at domestic consumption, we cannot help but be pessimistic about the overall economic outlook.



Retail sales nosedived 6 percent, raising concerns that Asia's fourth-largest economy could plunge into a vicious cycle of falling consumption leading to lower production and hence a deeper recession. If such a cycle becomes reality, Korea cannot avoid a more painful predicament than the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.



The plunge came after the government provided relief funds totaling 14.3 trillion won ($12 billion) to all households in May to help minimize the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Consumers used up the emergency aid in May and June, making its consumption-boosting effect disappear in July.



More seriously, the resurgence of the pandemic will aggravate the economic situation even further. The country raised social distancing rules by one notch to Level 2 under the three-tier system Aug. 16 to cope with a spike in coronavirus cases. On Aug. 30, health authorities further strengthened the rules because new daily infections have remained in triple-digit figures for more than two weeks.



It is urgent to make every effort to contain the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The country cannot turn the economy around without bringing the pandemic under control. At the same time, the Moon Jae-in administration must come up with another economic stimulus package, after the previous ones totaling 270 trillion won. The government also needs to offer a second round of relief funds to households and draw up an additional extra budget.



Such measures will require an astronomical amount of taxpayers' money. Some critics are against those measures, fearing that they will ramp up the national debt, cause a snowballing budget deficit and damage fiscal soundness. However, fiscal expansion is badly needed to prevent a potential economic meltdown amid the relentless pandemic.



The country has already begun to experience a pandemic-driven recession. The export-reliant economy contracted 3.2 percent in the second quarter of the year after shrinking 1.3 percent in the first quarter. Exports fell 9.9 percent last month, continuing a six-month downward march.



Last Thursday, the Bank of Korea revised down its 2020 economic outlook to a 1.3 percent contraction from its May projection of a 0.2 percent shrinkage. The central bank even warned that the economy could contract by 2.2 percent if the public health crisis rages through the winter.



The liberal government should work out a contingency plan to prepare for a worst-case scenario. It must mobilize all possible means to defeat COVID-19 and put the economy back on track. It is imperative to strengthen the social safety net to deal with mass layoffs down the road. More relief money should be extended to protect the most vulnerable, including small businesses, the self-employed and the poor.


The New Zealand government has designated the Australian man convicted of the Christchurch mosques shootings as a terrorist entity.

The move freezes the assets of Brenton Tarrant, who was given life imprisonment without the possibility of parole at an emotional High Court sentencing last week.

It will also make it a criminal offence to support his activities.

Brenton Tarrant has been designated as a terrorist entity in New Zealand

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was the first time New Zealand had added an individual to the list.

'Designating the offender is an important demonstration of New Zealand's condemnation of terrorism and violent extremism in all forms,' she said.

'This designation ensures the offender cannot be involved in the financing of terrorism in the future.

'We have an obligation to New Zealand and to the wider international community to prevent the financing of terrorist acts.'

Tarrant joins 19 other entries - including Islamic State, Al-Shabaab and other terrorist movements - on the designated list.

Ms Ardern said her government was open to designating further right-wing extemists of Tarrant's ilk.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said it was the first time New Zealand had added an individual to the list

The Labour leader has also confirmed her decision to meet with Tarrant's surviving victims to discover their views on whether she should seek the 29-year-old's repatriation across the Tasman to serve his punishment in an Australian jail.

Australian PM Scott Morrison has left the door open for this move.

'We both understand that there is currently no basis at law for it,' she said.

'I would like to talk to the families before taking a particular stance on the issue.'
A file photograph of the Philadelphia Detention Center, which is mostly empty, as prisoners are reshuffled to more modern facilities. Read more

Five months into the coronavirus pandemic, Philadelphia prisoners are still frequently locked in cells 24 hours a day without sufficient access to masks, soap, or cleaning supplies, a group of them allege in their latest filing in a federal lawsuit.

The citys jails, which currently house 3,650 people, have been subject to a monitoring agreement since June, as part of a settlement between the city and 10 prisoners represented by a team of civil rights lawyers. Although the city reports only one current coronavirus case within its jails, lawyers say conditions remain grim. They also have raised alarms about the relocation of female prisoners from the longtime womens jail to a former work-release unit that both prisoners and correctional officers complain is dilapidated and possibly hazardous.

We thought 45 minutes out-of-cell time, when we agreed to it on June 3, was a good first step  but we get reports even that is not happening, said Su Ming Yeh, executive director of the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, which filed the lawsuit with the ACLU of Pennsylvania and others. Its vital to people to be able to take showers, to stay in touch with their families, and its much better for peoples mental health.

City officials, in a response included in the joint filing, said prisoners are given four masks apiece upon arrival, soap is provided but at times wasted by inmates, and twice-weekly cleaning is conducted and sufficient. A spokesperson said the relocations allowed the city to ensure all prisoners are in safe, humane, and air-conditioned facilities.

Additionally, lawyers for the city said, prison officials continue to make every effort to ensure that inmates get at least 45 minutes of out-of-cell time, and a substantial number of housing units meet or exceed this goal.

The movement of the women to the units known as Alternative and Special Detention and Mod 3 allowed the city to move 500 men into the former womens jail, Riverside Correctional Facility, while nearly emptying the citys oldest working prison, the Detention Center, a 1963 structure that lacked air-conditioning.

Closing the Detention Center would be a milestone for the city, which has reduced its jail population by more than half in the last five years, allowing it to close an even older mens prison, the 91-year-old House of Correction.

However, the civil rights lawyers argue that should not be accomplished by placing women into facilities plagued by black mold, mildew, chipping paint, dirty mattresses, spiderwebs, spider eggs, roaches or water bugs, no air-conditioning, lack of ventilation, holes in the wall, and exposed wires.

Activists have decried the climate in those facilities, publishing statements from women who described substandard conditions. Were locked in 24/7, one said. This is not a way of living.

Weve been flooded with calls about the situation, said Claire Shubik-Richards, executive director of the Pennsylvania Prison Society.

The top concerns, she said, were that social distancing is impossible in those facilities, that keeping clean in Mod 3 is very difficult.

The union representing correctional officers, AFSCME District Council 33, Local 159, has been fighting against the use of Mod 3 and is now asking for an indoor air-quality study, business agent Eric Hill said.

He said that during a previous period of disuse, the roof had been allowed to deteriorate, leading to extensive water damage. Our position was, the building was antiquated and could not be used ... due to the dereliction of the building, the corrosion of the building and the odor within the building, he said.

Dozens of prisoners have written to The Inquirer since the pandemic brought widespread lockdowns to the prisons, complaining they have no access to cleaning supplies and rarely get to leave their cells to shower.

Its impossible to practice social distancing when youre sharing an estimated 8-by-10-foot cell with a total stranger, wrote Richard Hack, who is awaiting trial on robbery charges. We are living in inhumane conditions.
Delhi Chief Minister on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing to him to consider more legally viable options for providing Goods and Services Tax (GST) dues to the states to help them tide over the financial crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the letter, Kejriwal mentioned that two options that are given by the Union Finance Ministry which require the states to borrow loans and then meet the repayment liabilities, will put an onerous burden on the states. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor wrote the letter following deliberations on the options given by the central government to the states at the 41st GST Council meet on August 27.

Appealing to the Prime Minister, Kejriwal said that the GST Council should consider authorising the Centre to borrow on its behalf and extend the period of collection of cess beyond 2022. The GST Council had on August 27 offered states with two options to tide over their GST revenue shortfall as the GST cess collected from items such as cars and tobacco was not adequate to compensate them this financial year.

The Centre specified that the state governments could borrow either via a special window it will facilitate through the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or raise debt from the market. Terming the GST reform as a landmark reform in the indirect tax structure of India, the Delhi Chief Minister in the letter stated that the assurance of the GST compensation to states to meet the shortfall in is one of the pillars on which the entire GST edifice rests.

Kejriwal also said that all the states will overcome the unprecedented situation that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought before the country by working collectively. He said that the GST Act, 2017, very clearly provides for compensation to the states for the loss of revenue arising on account of the implementation of the GST in pursuance of the provision of the Constitution (101st Amendment Act, 2016).

"To create an artificial distinction between loss occurring due to the implementation of the GST and those occurring due to COVID-19 pandemic goes against the very spirit of the Compensation Act and will lead to a creation of a trust deficit between the Centre and the states, wherein in future, the states will be hesitant in coming together to achieve more such larger common national goals, as was done through the implementation of GST," Kejriwal said.

The Delhi Chief Minister said that the options proposed by the Centre will lead to a cumbersome process of borrowing by the states, crediting the debt amount to the GST compensation fund, "to which legally all the compensation funds have to be credited in terms of the Section 10 of the GST (Compensation Act, 2017) and thereafter release of such funds as may be due to the states from the Compensation Fund."

Requesting the Prime Minister for a more sustainable and viable option, Kejriwal said, "Considering the above situation, it is my humble submission that the Government of India may like to consider a much more simpler and legally sustainable option of borrowing by the Government of India to the full extent of the requirement of compensation in the year 2021 and 2022, to be serviced and repaid by the future collection of cess with effect from 2022."

For this purpose the GST Council may consider authorising the central government of India to borrow on its behalf and extend the period of collection of cess beyond the year 2022, Kejriwal said. He further stated that if this option is exercised, it will be acceptable to all the states who will be obliged to the Centre for supporting them in such a situation.

Five states -- Punjab, Delhi, Kerala, Telangana and West Bengal -- that are not ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday rejected the proposal mooted by the central government at the GST Council meeting.

--IANS

rak/kr

(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.)
Wattle blooms are seen on the first day of spring, September 1, 2009 in Canberra, Australia. In the Southern Hemisphere, Spring runs from September to November. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Australian Golden Wattle Set for Blast-Off Into Orbit

One small step for man, one giant leap for Australian golden wattle.

Seeds of the national floral emblem will be blasted into orbit ahead of a visit to the International Space Station.

Australia has handed the precious cargo to the Japans space agency, which will send the seeds to the United States.

A Space X flight scheduled for October will launch the seeds towards the space station, where they will spend six months before beginning the long journey home.

Back on home soil, Australian school children will plant the golden wattle after the seeds pass biosecurity checks.

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said acacias could stabilise soils, prevent erosion, provide fodder for sheep and fix nitrogen levels.

It might be one small step for these seeds travelling to Japan then America for lift off to the International Space Station before coming back to Australia, he said on Sept 1.

But our biosecurity measures will take giant steps to ensure the seeds dont pose a risk to our farmers and environment.

Australias science agency CSIRO collected the seeds from a wild population in Victoria before holding them in the national research collection that houses millions of specimens.

Matt Coughlan in Canberra
No fewer than 418 health workers have tested positive for COVID-19 in Ondo State since its outbreak in Nigeria.

This was made known during the weekly update by the State Inter-Ministerial Committee on COVID-19 in Akure, the state capital, on Monday.

Ondo State has recorded 1539 confirmed cases of the virus within the same period.

The state has also recorded 30 death cases so far.

Health workers in the state have been engaged in agitations to force the state government to offer a better working condition for them, given their exposure to the virus as frontliners in the fight against the pandemic.

The chairman of the COVID-19 committee, Segun Fatusi, said all the affected doctors had, however, been treated and given a clean bill of health.

He noted that the state has recorded a decline in the cases of COVID-19 in the state.

He also expressed satisfaction with compliance of churches with COVID-19 protocols..

He said to ensure that health workers in the state work in a safe environment, a new set of personal protective equipment will be distributed to them on Thursday.

However, with the October 10 governorship election in the state fast approaching, Mr Fatusi urged politicians to adhere strictly to the safety measures put in place to combat the virus.

There are concerns, however, that political parties and their supporters will continue to run foul of the Covid-19 protocols as the election draws nearer as already observed in some political meetings.

While churches have had an appreciable level of compliance since the reopening of worship centers so far, this is often undermined when parties engage their supporters.

On the reopening of schools, he said although no specific date has been fixed, schools will reopen soon as the resumption procedures are reviewed.

He said the committee was aware that some states had released a timetable regarding the resumption of schools, but would rather do a comprehensive review across all sectors in the course of the week.

READ ALSO:

As we are watching what other states are doing, we are also watching the state of the epidemic in Ondo State, he said.

One of the fastest ways to learn is through other peoples experiences.

It will also help us in our modelling of what is likely to happen, so you can be sure we are reviewing the guidelines regarding our education sector.

But we cant tell you more than this because the committee is headed by the governor.
TORRINGTON  COVID-19 testing is conducted daily across the nation to track and treat the virus and prevent it from spreading. In Connecticut, health centers like the Community Health & Wellness Center of Greater Torrington has offered free weekly testing at outdoor sites including Coe Memorial Park and East End Park in Winsted, as well as the health center.

The center, located on Migeon Avenue, recently secured an FDA-authorized Sofia by Quidel rapid testing system, which can deliver results in 15 minutes. Its a step forward from the now-commonly used swab test, with results available in two to three days and is handled by Quest, which has a lab at the health center and sends the tests out. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D- Conn., wants to learn as much as he can about testing and treatment for COVID-19, he said.

Blumenthal visited the center Tuesday to learn about the new system and understand how it works. He was instructed by the centers head nurse, Michelle Brady, and CEO Joanne Borduas. COO Gina Burrows and Dr. Rocco Russo also attended the demonstration.

Blumenthal asked why the new machine is so important in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rapid test machine has been on the market for quite a while and became available to us recently, Borduas said. We were concerned about prioritizing tests for our elderly patients  people who are more vulnerable. We were able to secure one machine, and as soon as its calibrated, we will begin providing tests. Well still do the other testing method, as well, but this one is faster.

If we have a person whos symptomatic, or showing symptoms of the virus, we can now test them much more quickly, she said. We can now test them for the flu as well as COVID-19 (with the new machine).

Borduas noted that the fall flu season could be difficult.

With the regular flu and COVID-19 at the same time this fall, it allows us to more quickly test people who have symptoms that might be COVID-19 or the flu, she said. Symptoms of COVID-19, along with a cough, aches and a fever, also include loss of taste or smell and fatigue. Those are the people who are the best people to be tested. Well also do our usual screening, asking people questions like whether theyve traveled outside of the state or the country, or if theyve been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

The Sofia testing machine requires only a small nasal swab that doesnt have to be inserted as far into the nasal cavity as the regular test requires. It can also be done by the patient themselves, according to Brady.

The swab, she said, is wiped on a cartridge, which is inserted into the machine to obtain the results, which are available in about 15 minutes. The test results are sent directly to the Department of Public Health. It has the technology to do that step, Brady said.

This could be a game-changer in the flu season, Blumenthal said, then asked whether the test was as accurate as the regular swab test.

Salaiva tests (and swab tests) are still being done, and they are sent out for the results, Russo said. With this smaller swab, theres less risk of the person sneezing or coughing. ... If theyre presenting symptoms, its safer. But its still a nasal test.

Its much more comfortable than the other swab test, Borduas said.

Blumenthal also asked how available the Sofia machine is in Connecticut. Theres a shortage of them right now, because there are only two vendors making them, Borduas said. Theyre prioritized for use, primarily for nursing homes. We feel very lucky that we got one. The vendors are trying to meet the demand.

This is amazing, Blumenthal said. This will be a game-changer.

Im grateful to be at one of our 17 quality health centers in Connecticut who provide such great care, he said. This machine is a gigantic step forward in our fight against COVID-19. Were entering a time of high risk with flu season, and determining the difference between the flu and the virus is so important. It opens new avenues for the whole state. ... Every clinic should have one of these machines.

For information on the health center, visit www.chwctorr.org or call 860-489-0931. CHWC is located at 489 Migeon Ave.

For information on COVID-19 testing, symptoms and treatment, visit the state of Connecticuts website at https://rb.gy/av3f1e.

Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect that Quest has a lab at the health center site and that the test swabs are wiped onto a cartridge.
Advertisement

New coronavirus cases across the United States now appear to be plateauing after a rapid decline last month as some Midwestern states start to experience rising infections.

The country, which has now surpassed 6 million infections, has been averaging about 41,000 new COVID-19 cases per day for the past week.

It comes after infections started rapidly declining in late July when daily cases peaked at an average of more than 66,600 after surging in states across the Sunbelt.

Cases experienced another steep decline in mid-August before showing signs of a plateau last week.

Still, new infections are the lowest they have been since late June and have been declining nationally for six straight weeks now.

Deaths have slowly been declining and are currently averaging at 914 fatalities per day. More than 183,500 Americans have now died from COVID-19.

The US has been averaging about 41,000 new COVID-19 cases per day for the past week. It comes after infections started rapidly declining in late July when daily cases peaked at an average of more than 66,600 after surging in states across the Sunbelt

New infections are the lowest they have been since late June and have been declining nationally for six straight weeks now. In the last week, several Midwestern states including South Dakota and Iowa have seen an uptick in cases

Deaths, which had been plateauing nationally for about three weeks before dropping, are a lagging indicator and can potentially rise several weeks after new cases start to decline.

While still high, the current daily death rate in the US remains below levels seen in April when an average of 2,000 people were dying per day from COVID-19.

In the last week, several Midwestern states have seen an uptick in cases - some of which have been linked to the reopening of colleges and others stemming from South Dakota's annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, according to a weekly Reuters analysis of COVID-19 data.

Iowa leads the nation with cases rising by more than 8,000, or 116 percent, in the week ending August 30.

At the same time, positive test rates in Iowa shot up to 24 percent from 13 percent the prior week.

Many of the new cases in Iowa are in the counties that are home to the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, which are holding some in-person classes.

Colleges and universities around the country have seen outbreaks after students returned to campus, which has forced some of them to switch to online-only learning.

Iowa reported a record single day spike of more than 1,500 cases last Thursday.

In South Dakota, cases increased by 2,000, or 104 percent, in the last week. The state drew more than 365,000 to the annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis from August 7 to 16.

The South Dakota health department has said 105 cases have been traced to the event so far.

Deaths have slowly been declining and are currently averaging at 914 fatalities per day. More than 183,500 Americans have now died from COVID-19

New infections are the lowest they have been since late June and have been declining nationally for six straight weeks now

While still high, the current daily death rate in the US remains below levels seen in April when an average of 2,000 people were dying per day from COVID-19

The steep decline in national cases that had been seen over the last month was due mainly to the significant drop off in the hotspot states of California, Arizona, Florida and Texas after infections peaked there in mid-July.

The hotspot states, as well as others with high infections rates across the country, all implemented mitigation measures around July in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.

Of the hotspot states driving down the national infection rate, California and Texas implemented statewide mask mandates when out in public.

In the absence of statewide orders, some Florida and Arizona counties have required residents to wear masks.

All four hotspot states shut down bars and all but Florida also forced gyms to close.

More than eight months into the pandemic, the number of people being tested for COVID-19 has fallen in recent weeks.

Many health officials and at least 33 states have rejected the new COVID-19 testing guidance issued by the Trump administration last week that said those exposed to the virus and without symptoms may not need testing.

Public health officials believe the United States needs to test more frequently to find asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers to slow the spread of the disease.

While the US has the most recorded infections in the world, it ranks tenth based on cases per capita, with Brazil, Peru and Chile having higher rates of infection.

The US also has the most deaths in the world at nearly 183,000 and ranks 11th for deaths per capita, exceeded by Sweden, Brazil, Italy, Chile, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Peru.

IOWA: Iowa leads the nation with cases rising by more than 8,000, or 116 percent, in the week ending August 30. Iowa reported a record single day spike of more than 1,500 cases last Thursday

Many of the new cases in Iowa are in the counties that are home to the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, which are holding some in-person classes

SOUTH DAKOTA: In South Dakota, cases increased by 2,000, or 104 percent, in the last week. The South Dakota health department has said 105 cases have been traced to the annual motorcycle rally so far
During the 1968 Olympics, most Americans were shocked to see two of the United States finest athletes raise their fists in loyalty to the Black Panthers, a radical group advocating violence as a means to change society. The controversy engendered by Smith-Carlos still has not died out.

YouTube screen grab

Fast forward from the 1968 Olympics to a contemporary scene in the nations capital of Washington, DC. There, diners were harassed by Black Lives Matter protestors, who demanded each person give a clenched fist salute indicating solidarity with BLM.

YouTube screen grab

What happened between 1968 to 2020? How did the United States get from the scene at the Olympics, which was largely repudiated as unpatriotic and excessive, to the scene at the DC restaurant? How did Americans get to the point the equivalent of a Nazi salute is demanded of them by roving gangs?

The nation got here from there because a radical segment of the civil rights movement moved away from the nonviolent protests of Martin Luther King to embrace the violence advocated by organizations such as the Black Panthers. We also got from there to here because of a class of elites that have supported and assisted the ideology embraced by radical groups like the Black Panthers and Black Lives Matter, who share almost identical goals.

Tom Wolfe noted in his brilliant and prescient essay, Radical Chic: That Party at Lennys, that Leonard Bernstein was intrigued with the Black Panthers. Bernstein, who sprang to fame as the composer of West Side Story and the conductor of the New York Philharmonic, invited the cognoscenti of 1970s New York to a party at his home to support the Black Panthers.

Wolfes acid pen spared no one; including the fashionistas who wondered just what one should wear to a party comprised of revolutionaries demanding the extinction of their sort of people. Certainly, the usual ostentatious display of wealth would not do. Maybe a chic little black dress? Ah, sighed Wolfe, the delicious little agonies of Radical Chic.

But more serious issues than revolutionary chic surfaced at Lennys party. Attending were supporters of ideas that later produced actual, rather than theoretical violence. The guests who celebrated the radicals advocating the overthrow of the structures that supported the literati and aficionados of the arts turned out to be celebrating their own downfall -- while toasting the wooden horse they had welcomed into their Troy.

The ideas that grabbed the attention and monies of New Yorks well-to-do later trickled down and bore the rotten fruit that may have damaged New York beyond repair.

Lennys party has been taken outside into the streets of New York, where the partiers have been freed from any restraint and allowed to riot as they please. Its noteworthy that the street gangs have not invited the elite, who have been fleeing the city, taking their wealth with them.

Meanwhile, encouraged by Mayor de Blasio, the violent celebrators are busily attempting to exchange the current police force for authority figures who will remain amenable to the fundamental transformation of the city according to the tenets of Black Lives Matter, a contemporary iteration of the Black Panthers. Now most New Yorkers also are seeing the results of ideas Lenny, who was sincerely and deeply troubled about societal injustices, could not or would not see.

But Wolfe foresaw it all fifty years ago. He wrote:

The emotional momentum was building rapidly when Ray Masai Hewitt, the Panthers Minister of Education and member of the Central Committee, rose to speak. Hewitt was an intense, powerful young man and in no mood to play the diplomacy game. Some of you here, he said, may have some feelings left for the establishment, but we dont. We want to see it die. Were Maoist revolutionaries, and we have no choice but to fight to the finish. For about 30 minutes Masai Hewitt laid it on the line. He referred now and again to that M ----- F ----- Nixon and to how the struggle would not be easy, and that if buildings were burned and other violence ensued, that was only part of the struggle that the power structure had forced the oppressed minorities into.... But more than one Park Avenue matron was thrown into a Radical Chic confusion. The most memorable quote was: Hes a magnificent man, but suppose some simple-minded schmucks take all that business about burning down buildings seriously?

A good question.

The answer?

A good many simple-minded schmucks have taken the idea of burning down buildings seriously. But as Wolfe noted, if you are giving fundraising parties for revolutionaries, should you be surprised if they use those funds to achieve the agenda they espouse, including immolating the houses and businesses of the hosts -- and maybe even the hosts themselves?

What is the agenda?

Donald Cox, a leader of the Black Panthers and an invitee to the party, did not hesitate to let the resplendent representatives of capitalist greed just what was wanted:

The Black Panther Party stands for a 10-point program that was handed down in October, 1966, by our Minister of Defense, Huey P. Newton We want an educational system that expresses the true nature of this decadent society We want all black men exempt from military service. We want all black men who are in jail to be set free. And most important of all we want peace, but there can be no peace as long as a society is racist and one part of society engages in systematic oppression of another. We want a plebiscite by the United Nations to be held in black communities, so that we can control our own destiny.

Included in Coxs address was scorn toward pigs; known to others as police.

We call them pigs, and rightly so, says Don Cox, because they have the way of making the victim look like the criminal, and the criminal look like the victim. We recognize that this country is the most oppressive country in the world, maybe in the history of the world. The pigs have the weapons. They are ready to commit genocide against those who stand up against them, and we recognize this as being very bad.

Fifty years later, gone are the worries about what to wear to the party in the streets. Jeans and masks are the great equalizers, providing anonymity to the partiers who are helping themselves to the goods of greedy capitalist pig oppressors. Gone now, too, is the sentimental nostalgia of radical chic as the reality of the trashing of Fifth Avenue sinks in.

But also gone now are Coxs worries the Black Panther party and its radically chic supporters would never be mainstreamed or part of the system.

Wolfe noted Richard Feigen, a wealthy art dealer who attended the Bernstein soiree, asked a question: Are the Black Panthers interested in getting any political leverage within the System?

Cox initially was ambivalent about the usefulness of the traditional political system, stating, We have no power within the system, and we will never have any power within the system. The only power we have is the power to destroy, the power to disrupt. But remaining true to his redistributionist ideology, he added that he thought cooperation with the system was not possible, and that the means of production should be taken from the businessman and placed in the community, with the people.

After Coxs speech, Barbara Walters, also a guest, expressed tentative concerns about advocacy of violence:

Last year we interviewed Mrs. Eldridge Cleaver, Kathleen Cleaver. I asked her, I said, I have a child, and you have a child, and I said, Do you see any possibility that our children will be able to grow up and live side by side in peace and harmony? and she said, not with the conditions that prevail in this society today, not without the overthrow of the system. So I asked her, How do you feel, as a mother, about the prospect of your child being in that kind of confrontation, a nation in flames? and she said, Let it burn! And I said, What about your own child? and she said, May he light the first match! (Italics mine.)

Walters wondered if there was any chance at all for a peaceful solution to these problems, some way out without violence?

Its clear the answer to Ms. Walters question is No. The children are now grown and lighting matches. So, no, the rioters do not see a peaceful solution.

Further, as to the leveraging the current political system, the revolutionaries now have control of the machinery of the Democrat party, which in turn has control of many of Americas cities. The insurgents have clearly announced they wish to put the essentially communist agenda of the Black Panthers, Antifa and Black Lives Matter into effect -- not just within the cities, but throughout the entire nation. They are attempting a coup. They want to replace current authorities with their own people, who will then complete the transformation of the cities into socialist/communist utopias.

In an interview given by him only three weeks before his death, another Leonard; namely, Leonard Cohen, spoke about the deep roots of his music.

Cohen, whose unique musical genius is celebrated, is best known composing the song Hallelujah. But he also wrote a piece entitled First We take Manhattan. As usual with his lyrics, there is an ambiguity.

However, Cohen himself was in no doubt as to the interpretation of his lyrics. When asked, he said, I think it means exactly what it says. It is a terrorist song. I think it's a response to terrorism. There's something about terrorism that I've always admired.

Cohen, like Bernstein, saw that many, if not most violent protestors were persuaded by a vision of immediate justice -- what he called a signal from the heavens. Though Cohen himself was not an advocate of violence, he admired the ideas and cause of the deeply injured who sought justice.

Asked if he were a religious man, Cohen spoke of the landscape of the Bible and the universals that guided him. He noted that guidance was not shared by many in his circles.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was also committed to the universals articulated by the Bible, but rejected violence. He often quoted the prophets Micah and Amos: He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

The loss of the transcendent universals concerning humanity and the God who created each person once guided, informed and restrained the nation. Desertion of those principles in favor of the anger and violence of radical identity politics has led to todays chaos.

But in the admonitions of Micah, Amos and other prophets are found the principles for genuine reform for America.

If a return to those foundational principles is not realized, Americas cities will continue to burn.

--Fay Voshell holds a M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, which awarded her the prize for excellence in systematic theology. Her thoughts have appeared in many online magazines, including American Thinker, where her essays have been published since 2011. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com.
Addressing the hand-over ceremony in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Ngoc highlighted the fine development of Vietnam-Maldives relations over recent times, as well as the significance of the sincere assistance offered by the Vietnamese Government and people to the Government and people of the Maldives.

For his part, Maldivian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Omar Addul Razak expressed his deep thanks for Vietnams significant aid.

The gift is not only material support but also a great source of spiritual encouragement to the Maldives in this difficult pandemic period, he emphasised.
We are in uncertain times. No one can plan ahead as we have in the past, like organising an overseas holiday.

The good part is that you can spend those dollars in New Zealand and help the local economy. It is important that we think and spend locally, to keep our Kiwi businesses viable. Its more than just trying to keep a business open; its about jobs for our people and income for families.

Auckland Councils Emergency Budget has been passed and we now have some idea how the Local Board budget stacks up. Unfortunately, many things that were proposed will not happen or will take longer to achieve. Many things that were not already contracted will be put on hold (HM August 5).

While we certainly have had cuts, we are still able to continue with some of the things that our community feels is important.

Our Local Board Grants programme will continue, but with two changes. While there will still be two Local Grant rounds, applicants can only have one successful grant application each year. The larger Facilities Grant of up to $50k will not be offered in 2020/21.

The Local Board Transport Capital fund has been significantly cut; in fact, we are not certain at this stage as to how much we will be allocated. This is an important fund that gives us the ability to fund capital works  things like footpaths that are not likely to be achieved by Auckland Transport because it is too far down their priority list.

Auckland Council has a great Report a Problem section of its website if youve spotted a maintenance issue in the community that needs action. You select the exact location of the issue and answer a few quick questions, and youre then given a case number if you need to follow it up  aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/report-problem/

The Local Board had a recent update from Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency on Penlink and we expressed our position of wanting a four lane road rather than the proposed two lanes. Waka Kotahi have a special team set up just for Penlink who will be consulting with groups in the community. You should have all received their first mailout. I would encourage you to sign up to their newsletter via penlink@nzta.govt.nz so you can keep up to date with progress and ask questions. This is exciting news for the area to finally have the project fully funded by central Government  it will be a good source of job creation.

Construction will start end of 2021.
Georgia officials must count mailed ballots that arrive as late as three days after the Nov. 3 presidential election, a federal judge ruled, in a victory for a voting rights group that's registering people of color in the state.

U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross in Atlanta agreed that the current deadline for accepting ballots, 7 p.m. on Election Day, would unfairly restrict voting amid an expected surge in mailed ballots because of the coronavirus pandemic. Votes must be postmarked by Election Day. The plaintiffs had requested a seven-day extension.

"In crafting this remedy, the court by no means discounts the challenges absentee voters face amid the Covid-19 pandemic," Ross, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said in her ruling on Monday. "However, the court must balance these difficulties with the need to honor the state's legitimate interest in certifying the election."

Ross denied a request to give the state a deadline for alerting voters when election officials cannot identify them based on information on their ballot applications. Georgia law requires only that applicants be alerted "promptly," but the judge ruled that there is no evidence that the ambiguity harms voters.

The risk is "at most, minimal," she said. "Additionally, the statute does not prohibit or preclude a voter from correcting the deficiency, utilizing early voting, or voting in person."

Ross also denied a request to make Georgia pay for postage on absentee ballots, saying the plaintiffs were not likely to succeed on that argument at trial. The suit alleged that making voters buy stamps during the pandemic amounted to a poll tax.

The lead plaintiff, the New Georgia Project, which has registered nearly half a million voters in the state, is represented in the case by Marc Elias, one of the top election lawyers for Democrats. In an email, he said his client won "on the most important issue" in the suit.

The office of Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican who oversees elections in the state, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the ruling. An after-hours phone call was not answered.

Georgia had argued that intervention by the court would amount to "experimentation" with an election.

"An independent assessment determined that Georgia is one of the most prepared states in the country to address challenges of conducting elections during a pandemic," the state said in an Aug. 12 filing.
Chennai:

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Tuesday said that the state was staring at a drought due to failure of the North East monsoon and assured farmers that they would be given appropriate relief.



He said all the Collectors, barring Chennai, have been directed to submit reports to the government on the status of crops and drought in their respective districts by conducting field inspections.



High-level committees comprising top bureaucrats and Ministers would be immediately set up to supervise inspections in the districts, Panneerselvam said, adding the panels would tour districts and submit their reports on January 10.



Based on field reports of the panels and Collectors, an announcement will be made on the drought situation and all necessary relief will be given, he said in an official release.



Apart from financial relief for affected crops (by the State), farmers who had insured crops will also be able to get compensation from insurance companies, he said.



Against the backdrop of recent deaths of farmers in parts of Tamil Nadu, some of which were suicides due to agrarian distress, the Chief Minister said they need not be apprehensive about the present drought condition as they would be provided appropriate relief.



It is the duty of the Tamil Nadu government, which follows Amma (as late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was called by party cadres) to protect farmers in these despairing circumstances, he said, adding government would fulfil its duty.



Stating that 86 per cent crops were insured in Cauvery Delta areas, the Chief Minister said it would be possible for paddy farmers to get up to Rs 25,000 as compensation per acre based on the extent of losses.



He said between October 1 and December 1 period of the North East monsoon, Tamil Nadu expected to get an average 440 mm precipitation. However, it got only 168.3 mm of rain and 21 of 32 districts witnessed over 60 per cent deficit rainfall.



In the rest of the 11 districts, the deficit is from 35 to 59 per cent, he said.



Of the total inflow of 66.60 tmc ft of Cauvery water, 30.10 tmc ft was due to the directives of the Supreme Court based on the States plea, he said, adding, however, the water was insufficient.



He said a Rs 64.30 crore special scheme for cultivation of samba crop as announced by Jayalalithaa in August last year was implemented.



Panneerselvam said that according to the Centres new guidelines, drought could be declared in districts only after a field inspection on crop status in at least 10 per cent of villages in every district.

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COLUMBUS, OhioOhio House Republican and Democratic leaders on Tuesday accused each other of not working in good faith over how to repeal House Bill 6, the states controversial nuclear bailout law.

The debate over how  and if  to repeal HB6, the center of an alleged $60 million bribery scandal led by ex-House Speaker Larry Householder, has further soured already-tense relations between the two House caucuses to a degree not seen in many years. And its raised fears that the partisan divide will result in deadlock not only on the issue of HB6, but other legislative priorities as well.

While new House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Lima Republican, has created a committee to study how to repeal  and possibly replace  HB6, Democrats have vocally called for the immediate repeal of the legislation, which offers a ratepayer bailout of $1.3 billion to two nuclear power plants starting next January.

House GOP leaders intended to hold votes during Tuesdays session on more than a dozen bills. But when word got out that House Democrats intended to offer amendments on four of those bills to immediately repeal HB6, Cupp hastily adjourned session for the day.

Speaking with reporters afterward, the usually soft-spoken Cupp criticized Democrats nonsense and said their proposed amendments were going to take us in a reckless and hasty direction.

Cupp added later: Its silly season. And that was on full display here today.

House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat, shot back: I dont think its nonsense when we are acting on behalf of our constituents.

Sykes said its up to House Republicans to heal themselves so they can work better with Democrats.

Quite frankly, at this point, they have left us no ability to trust them any longer, she said. We have tried to work with them. And it doesnt look like we can move forward until they figure out and get their house in order.

Cupp didnt offer a timeline for repealing House Bill 6, though he said the House will move expeditiously on the matter.

Republicans have controlled the Ohio House for a decade. During much of that time, House Democrats have generally tried to work constructively with the GOP  especially while state Rep. Fred Strahorn, a Dayton Democrat, was minority leader.

But since Sykes was elected minority leader, House Democrats have taken a more energetic approach  first by providing the votes Householder needed to be elected speaker, then by becoming vocally critical of a number of House Republican policies ranging from guns to the states coronavirus response.

The division is so deep. Its deeper than any time Ive been here, said state Rep. Scott Lipps, a Warren County Republican who has served in the House since 2016. Lipps said a general political polarization around the nation has contributed as well.

Lipps, who favors repealing and replacing HB6, said hes worried not only that the divide will result in lawmakers not passing an HB6 repeal before this years session ends in December, but that the ongoing debate will prevent the Ohio General Assembly from passing other unrelated but important bills.

Theres so many important issues now sitting (because of the HB6 debate), Lipps said. Im afraid that if it doesnt get done now, its going to start all the way over in the new GA. And thatll delay good legislation for Ohioans.
The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Tuesday appealed to Prime Minister not to corporatise the over two centuries old Indian ordnance factories.

In a letter to Modi as well as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, urged them to reconsider the move.

" has urged upon the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister to reconsider the whole matter and to withdraw its decision to corporatize the Ordnance Factories in the interest of national security and defence preparedness of our country," it said in a statement.

It has extended full support to the 80,000-strong workforce of the ordnance factories protesting against the move, the statement said.

fully supports the decision jointly taken by the defence employees federations to go on an indefinite strike from October 12, it said.

The government has arbitrarily taken a decision during the COVID-19 pandemic which goes against the 219-years-old ordnance factories, it said.

The whole intention is to hand over the national assets to crony capitalists and private corporates, it alleged, adding that the ordnance factories have assets worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore and 62,000 acres of land.

These factories, like the army, navy and air force, should be directly under the control of the government since they are for the defence preparedness of the country and not for any commercial purpose, it stressed.

In its letter to Modi and Singh, AITUC has highlighted irregularities in the tender floated by the Department of Defence Production for appointment of a consultant for implementing the corporatisation process of ordnance factories.

(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.)
Immigration Nation, the six-part documentary now on Netflix, is a powerful exposure of the conditions facing immigrants, fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries, at the hands of the detention and deportation machine run by the US Department of Homeland Security.

Filmmakers Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau secured official permission to accompany agents of both ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Patrol), responsible for immigration enforcement in the interior of the US and on the border, respectively. The Trump administration, stepping up its hunt for undocumented immigrants fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries, perhaps thought a documentary would help promote xenophobia.

However, the final result was not what the administration officials who first signed off on the deal were expecting. Even though the filmmakers had a signed contract, when they submitted the work for review they were suddenly confronted, according to a report last month in the New York Times, with angry demands that scenes be deleted or that the film be delayed until after the November election.

Immigration Nation (2020)

One of the most important elements of the multi-part film is the way it interviews detainees and follows their cases as they languish inside ICE detention centers for many months. The authorities were particularly upset with the way in which the documentary allows the migrants to speak for themselves. In the end, officials may have realized that even if they were successful in holding up the film, it would only be a Pyrrhic victory. In any case, the dispute was resolved and Immigration Nation was released in early August.

The documentary, including footage of agents at work in New York and in offices processing immigrants for deportation in El Paso, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina, took three years to complete. In its first few minutes, it shows agents in New York City forcing their way into apartments, claiming they have warrants that are never shown, nabbing family breadwinners who have been targeted because they have been caught through traffic tickets or minor misdemeanors. Once inside the apartments, the agents round up so-called collaterals, others who are not on the list of targets but are also subject to deportation because they lack legal status. In one case, a raid on a crowded dormitory-style apartment nets two collaterals in addition to the target. In other cases, the lives of workers who have raised their families inside the US for 15 or 20 years are turned upside down.

Among those interviewed is Berta, a 63-year-old grandmother from Guatemala, who fled with her granddaughter rather than give in to the demands of drug gangs to make the 12-year-old a child bride. Berta, already worn down by a life of poverty, sits in detention for 17 months. Her deportation would mean certain death. Her prolonged detention is meant to send a brutal message to others who hope to escape the miserable conditions for which American imperialism is primarily responsible.

Bernardo Arevalo, another Guatemalan, came with his son Emilio, who is sent to live with an aunt whom he does not know, while his father is detained for months. If I had known, I never would have come, Bernardo tearfully explains. Even the best man cries at being separatedbecause we have a heart, we love our families. Bernardo has made the difficult journey because his elderly mother-in-law back in Guatemala urgently needs eye surgery the family cannot afford. He speaks on the phone with his wife Rebecca, who is unable to send two of their children to school for lack of money. The family is separated into three parts for eight months, and Bernardo must make the decision on whether to ask for deportation and whether to ask Emilio, now living in Virginia and desperately lonely for his family, to go back with him.

These are only two of the cases presented in Immigration Nation. There is also Deborah Jane, who fled for her life from Uganda after she was gravely disfigured in an acid attack by her former husband. Deborah waits for five years before she is finally reunited with her five children, who have suffered serious psychological harm in the interim.

The fate of the detainees is decided by immigration judges. These judges are part of the executive branch, however, not the judiciary. As employees of the Justice Department, they lack even nominal independence. A former judge explains that there are de facto deportation quotas judges must meet, and that many judges are frightened of the repercussions if they do not meet these targets.

ICE at work in Immigration Nation

Another positive element of the documentary is the way it lets the ICE and Border Patrol agents speak for themselves. Identified by their first names, the agents include some who are a bit defensive or uncomfortable with their role. Some confess to uneasiness when, in the words of one, I would do the same thing if I were in their [the immigrants] circumstances.

There are also many who are almost gleeful as they rack up the numbers and quotas of arrests. Bob, assistant manager of the ICE office in Charlotte, wears a We Build the Wall T-shirt and derives an almost sadistic pleasure from his daily activities. He is typical of the ultra-right elements whom Donald Trump has mobilized behind anti-immigrant xenophobia.

The US deportation juggernaut is without parallel anywhere in the world. In the past 25 years, since the adoption of the Strategic Plan, Prevention Through Deterrence, under the Clinton Administration, the apparatus has grown to an astounding extent. In 1990 there were 3,800 border patrol agents. Their number had grown to 20,000 by 2015. Over the same period the budget of the agency swelled even more, from $260 million to $4.5 billion.

ICE now runs 220 facilities in 47 states. The 3 million undocumented immigrants on ICE records represent an inexhaustible pool of targets who live in fear of the knock on the door or the raid on their workplace. At least another 8 million undocumented also have reason to look over their shoulders. The detention facilities are privatized, like so much of the US prison system. The cost of telephone calls is prohibitive for many detainees. Those who work are paid $1 a day. As one observer comments, the client of the companies who run the detention centers is ICE, and the detainees are the product.

One of the episodes in Immigration Nation focuses on a political campaign in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, whose largest city is Charlotte. A police detective runs for county sheriff on the promise to cease cooperation with ICE through the so-called 287g program, in which immigrants facing criminal charges, even misdemeanors, are turned over to ICE. Between 2008 and 2018, 1.3 million undocumented immigrants around the US were transferred in this way, representing about three-quarters of ICE arrests during this period. The candidate, Garry McFadden, is successful, but ICE simply responds by stepping up its own raids throughout the area, spreading fear within the immigrant community, which now constitutes about one-sixth of Charlottes overall population.

Yet another example of the exploitation and victimization of the immigrants is wage theft. The series turns its attention to Panama City, in the Florida Panhandle, where more than 100 workers who have come to the area for construction work in the wake of recent hurricane destruction find themselves waiting for pay months after the work has been done. These are among the many thousands of immigrants who travel from place to place to fill demands for difficult and temporary jobs after natural disasters. In this case, they were employed by the Winterfell Construction Company, owned by Tommy Hamm, who is also a County Commissioner. Hamm claims that subcontractors are responsible. When the workers and their supporters come to a County Commission meeting to plead their case, they are angrily ruled out of order and the meeting is adjourned, while Commissioner Hamm looks on, totally unconcerned.

Victims of the anti-immigrant witch-hunt in Immigration Nation

Immigration Nations last episode focuses on another and more gruesome side of the anti-immigrant campaign. Migrants are funneled into the Arizona desert, where thousands have died from the heat or after losing their way. The series follows as some human remains are found, a daily occurrence at present. Later, DNA testing is used to try to bring a grieving family news on the fate of their loved one.

Jason De Leon, a professor of anthropology at UCLA, explains that one of the metrics used by the authorities to measure deterrence is a rise in migrant deaths. The claim originally was that word would get out and the immigrants would stop coming, but as economic misery deepened this proved not to be the case. In the 1990s the number of annual deaths discovered in the Arizona desert rarely climbed out of the single digits. The number reached 75 in 2000 and 150 the following year. It has steadily climbed, to a total of 3,069 in 2018. As De Leon explains, the brutal claim by the authorities is that people put themselves in harms way, they did it to themselves. The latest total is undoubtedly not complete, since some remains are never found.

At various points in the documentary, Democratic Party politicians can be seen posing as friends of undocumented immigrants. Former congressman and presidential candidate Beto ORourke is shown briefly. The explosion of cruelty under the Trump administration is highlighted, with the hint that a fundamental difference exists between the two parties on this issue.

In this light, Professor De Leons interview in the final 10 or 15 minutes of the program is all the more vital. Things are bad under the Trump administration, but things have been bad for a long time, he observes. The screen then fills with a video of President Bill Clinton delivering his 1995 State of the Union address. His words deserve to be quoted in full:

Americans are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country, he declares, as Vice President Al Gore and House Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich look on approvingly behind him. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public services they use impose burden on our taxpayers. Thats why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before.

Immigration Nation

The Clinton administrations war on migrants was part of its overall right-wing law-and-order program, which saw the enactment of draconian anti-crime legislation and the continued growth of mass incarceration. The administration bragged about the end of the Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) programall while Wall Street soared to new heights and inequality grew. The austerity, prison-building and police brutality continued through the next quarter of a century, under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the deporter-in-chief. Joe Biden played a prominent role in the Senate.

Trump has taken the assaults on immigrants to new levels, and also sent federal forces into city streets to nab peaceful protesters, part of his attempts to build up a mass fascist movement. There could be no clearer proof that the attack on immigrants is an attack on the working class as a whole. However, the weapons wielded by Trump have been put into his hands by the bipartisan criminalization of immigrants and refugees. Both Republican and Democratic presidents have the blood of thousands who have died in the Arizona desert on their hands.
WATERLOO REGION  Environmental groups are joining together to challenge the provinces recent enactment of Bill 197.

The Canadian Environmental Law Association, Ontario Nature, Earthroots, a 16-year-old environmental activist, Cooper Price, and Michel Koostachin of Attawapiskat are filing an application for judicial review to the Divisional Court, which oversees statutory disputes. They are challenging the provinces enactment of omnibus Bill 197: the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act.

The notice of the application was filed last month, and will be followed up with the main body of the application in the coming days.

The group says Bill 197 was passed illegally because the government of Ontario did not follow the public notice requirements of Ontarios Environmental Bill of Rights.

Under the Environmental Bill of Rights, the province is required to post any legislative changes that could have an impact on the environment on the Environmental Registry of Ontario for at least 30 days. This gives the public a chance to participate, but the province removed this requirement temporarily in April as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Gord Miller is the chair of Earthroots, one of the organizations filing the application, and environmental commissioner of Ontario from 2000 to 2015.

The legislative work that was done in the 1970s was world changing. These policies have been mimicked and modelled by administrations all over the world. Theyve served us fairly well for many decades, he says.

When we see attacks on these pieces of legislation, we have to stand up again. We cant sit back and let them be gutted, ruined or taken apart.

The activists also say the environmental aspects of Bill 197 go against international law conventions, specifically changes to the Environmental Assessment Act.

The provinces new legislation divides public projects into those needing an environmental assessment, and those needing a lighter, streamlined environmental assessment. The criteria for deciding which projects fall under which category are yet to be determined.

The group also argues Bill 197 changes the Planning Act to expand the governments power to administer ministerial zoning orders to push through land planning decisions without public consultation.

The applicants are seeking a declaration by the court that the government of Ontario violated provincial and international law, and an order to the government of Ontario to conduct meaningful public consultation on the environmental aspects of Bill 197 before it comes in to force.

There is at least one other filing for judicial review of Bill 197 led by Ecojustice, along with much criticism from Northern First Nations leaders.
CHENNAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said that it has attached six immovable properties worth Rs 20.65 crores of S Galeel Rahman located in different places of Tamil Nadu under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) in a bank fraud case.

The attached immovable assets are in the form of a factory building along with land measuring 2.92 acres at Konamedu Industrial Estate, Vaniyambadi, a residential flat in Chennai and plots in Vellore, the central agency said.

ED initiated investigations under the provisions of PMLA based on FIR registered by CBI, ACB, Chennai against accused Tomy G Poovattil, S Galeel Rahman and others for defrauding Indian Bank, Guindy Branch, Chennai under section 120 B r/w 420 of Indian Penal Code and section 13(2) r/w 13(1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Investigation under PMLA has revealed that during the period from 2012 to 2014, Tomy G Poovattil, the then AGM/BM of the Guindy Branch of Indian Bank had conspired with accused S Galeel Rahman, Sirajuddin and others to cheat the Indian Bank by fraudulently sanctioning overdraft and credit facilities to various entities.

Accused S. Galeel Rahman managed to avail loan on the basis of fabricated documents in the name of his firms namely M/s. Nafisa Overseas and M/s. Safa Leathers. He had forged the documents to inflate the properties which were placed as collateral security. Over a period, these credit facilities became NPA including accrued interest totalling to the tune of Rs. 23.46 crore as on date of filing of the FIR.

Investigation under PMLA revealed that these loan proceeds were laundered among a number of bank accounts maintained by the accused, his family members and associates. The investigation also revealed that the accused has made a maze of transactions to project the fraudulent transactions as proceeds of genuine trade-based transactions for availing further loans from the Bank. The sanctioned amounts were diverted and siphoned off. Provisional Attachment Order has now been issued attaching these immovable six assets worth Rs. 20.65 crores.

Further investigation is under progress, the ED release said.
Favipiravir is the only oral anti-viral treatment approved in India for the potential treatment of patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 disease.

Mumbai based Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited recently announced that it has launched FluGuard (Favipiravir 200 mg) at an economical price of Rs. 35 per tablet, for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of Covid-19 in India.

Favipiravir is the only oral anti-viral treatment approved in India for the potential treatment of patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 disease.

Kirti Ganorkar, CEO of India Business, Sun Pharma commented, With over 50,000 Covid-19 cases being reported daily in India, there is an urgent need to provide more treatment options to healthcare professionals. We are launching FluGuard at an economical price to make the drug accessible to more and more patients thereby reducing their financial burden. This is in line with our continuous efforts to support Indias pandemic response.

The company will work closely with the government and medical community to ensure the availability of FluGuard to patients across the country. The stocks of FluGuard will be available in the market from this week.
Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei unleashed a barrage of sharp criticism against the Emirati government over its normalizing relations with Israel, saying, The UAE committed treason against the Islamic world, the regional nations and Palestine. Khamenei expressed confidence that the agreement itself will not last long but will stay forever as a mark of disgrace for Emirati authorities.

The stinging rebuke was the Iranian supreme leaders first public reaction to the agreement, which calls on Tel Aviv to halt its controversial annexation of large swaths of territory in the West Bank, allowing for Emirati-Israeli cooperation in multiple economic and security arenas. The American-brokered deal made the UAE the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, to enter formal relations with the Jewish state. The Emirati governments decision has already drawn the ire of several Palestinian groups and Muslim states, including Turkey, which criticized it as unforgivable and hypocritical.

Khameneis speech, which was delivered as a virtual address to Education Ministry managers, appeared also as a warning to other Arab nations not to follow suit. He noted that the deal will pave the way for Israeli influence in the region and is meant to throw into oblivion the Palestinian question, which is about a country being usurped by Israel.

But thats not where the criticism ended. The Islamic Republics leader took aim at the United States for facilitating the agreement. He made a pejorative reference to Jared Kushner  the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump  known for his close ties with Israeli officials. According to Khamenei, the UAE decided to cooperate with Israel and dirty elements in the United States, including the Jew in the Trump family  who all act against the interests of the Islamic world. Khamenei, however, expressed hope that Emirati officials will soon wake up and make up for what they have done.

The UAE-Israeli deal has by and large shattered growing hopes in Tehran for de-escalation with Abu Dhabi. Over the years, ties between the two countries have been significantly downgraded by the war in Yemen, where the UAE was an ally of Saudi Arabia fighting Tehran-backed Shiite Houthi fighters. The tensions only exacerbated last year after alleged Iranian involvement in explosions targeting Emirati boats in the Persian Gulf. However, coronavirus-related shared concerns and particularly the UAEs delivery of medical assistance to help Tehran fight the pandemic had revived expectations about a gradual easing of tensions on the horizon.

Nonetheless, from the Islamic Republics perspective, Abu Dhabis rapprochement with Tel Aviv is translated into a serious questioning of the key Iranian foreign policy tenet of refusal to recognize Israel. Iran has repeatedly claimed that what it seeks for Palestine is an independent state whose future should be decided through a referendum. To this end, destruction of Israel has also been raised every now and then as an ultimate goal. But Iranian officials, including Khamenei himself, have scrambled to deflect allegations of anti-Semitism, saying, Tehran is not after the annihilation of the Jews.

Yet back in 2005, hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be wiped off the map, an inflammatory comment that drew unprecedented backlash and placed other Iranian officials in an awkward position, where they continue to dissect, correct or sugarcoat it.
By Adam F. Hutton

San Jose Spotlight

South Bay attorneys are bracing for a wave of new bankruptcies from individuals and small businesses that have exhausted their unemployment benefits and federal stimulus money.

The number of cases filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court's San Jose division has declined precipitously over the past five years -- plummeting more than 35 percent to 2,718 last year as compared to 4,238 cases in 2015. That downward trend extended into 2020 with 1,391 cases filed in the first eight months of the year compared to 1,845 cases over the same time period in 2019.

"Right now it is quiet," Los Gatos bankruptcy attorney Julie Cliff told San Jos Spotlight. "But be prepared for the wave."

Being prepared means knowing bankruptcy isn't cheap -- basic court fees can amount to thousands of dollars and the standard attorney's retainer for individuals and small businesses who hope to reorganize and emerge from bankruptcy debt-free is $20,000, Cliff said. But it is also possible to avoid filing bankruptcy if debtors react soon enough.

"Bankruptcy consultations are completely free," Cliff said. "It doesn't cost a dime to go and see a couple of bankruptcy attorneys and get some financial advice."

As funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Response and Economic Security (CARES) Act dries up, Silicon Valley residents who are already struggling to pay their bills will need that advice to protect their homes and other assets from creditors who demand payment, Cliff said.

Unemployment statewide in California surged above 16 percent in April and May and has only declined slightly since -- down to 13.3 percent last month. A recent study by Joint Venture Silicon Valley found the unemployment rate in the region has been lower than statewide, with the South Bay peaking at 11.6 percent in April and dropping to 9.3 percent in July.

But the state's unemployment insurance benefits typically only last 26 weeks, with a possible 13-week extension through the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. For displaced workers who lost their jobs in March when coronavirus started to wreak havoc on the economy and as many businesses were forced to close, time is running out.

Sam Taherian, a partner at the Fuller Law Firm in San Jose, said he's already noticed an uptick in calls from laid-off workers who had been relying on an extra $600 a week in unemployment insurance from the CARES Act that expired July 31.

Some small businesses and individuals may be able to reorganize under Chapter 11 or 13 of the bankruptcy code, he said, if they can negotiate a plan to settle their debts with creditors that reduces the amount owed or extends the timeline for repayment.

But, as bills pile up and with no more government assistance to keep them afloat, Taherian says most laid-off employees who can't go back to work and small businesses that can't reopen will simply go under.

"For a typical small brick and mortar business, the biggest fixed expense item is their lease," Taherian told San Jos Spotlight. "If they can't profitably pay that lease, then reorganization is not a possibility and they have to walk away from their business."

In those cases, Taherian said small businesses and individuals file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which means a court-appointed trustee liquidates non-exempt assets including bank accounts and stock portfolios to distribute to creditors. Some assets, including homes and retirement accounts, can be protected under Chapter 7. Filing for bankruptcy also temporarily stops creditors from garnishing a debtor's wages and other collection activities, such as repossessions and placing liens on property.

Tracy Tran says she's worried that could happen to the business she owns with her husband, La Orquidea Salon and Spa in Los Gatos. With the exception of two days in July, Tran said the nail salon has been closed by the state's public health orders since March. To stay in business, they had to lay off more than 20 employees.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new set of rules for businesses to reopen last week. Hair salons and barber shops that follow those guidelines could reopen in Santa Clara County for indoor service Monday. Nail salons cannot.

"We want to reopen," Tran told San Jose Spotlight. "But if it doesn't happen soon, I don't know if we will."

The state's public health orders have been unfair to nail salons from the beginning, said Linda Do, owner of Blossom Nail Spa. Do has locations in San Jose and Campbell -- and though she's spent $30,000 renovating her space in San Jose to make it compliant with the state's COVID-19 regulations, it still hasn't reopened.

Do says she laid off more than 50 workers and owes nearly $150,000 in past due rent. It will take years for her to pay it all back, Do said. Nevertheless, she hopes to avoid bankruptcy.

"I worry that I may never get out of this if we can't reopen," Do told San Jose Spotlight. "The whole industry could be wiped out."

Cliff said people who are considering bankruptcy as an option should know putting it off for too long can be disastrous.

"Don't wait until you run out of money," the Los Gatos bankruptcy attorney said. "If you're down to your last dollar, you've got a second problem because you can't even afford to file for bankruptcy."

Contact Adam F. Hutton at afhutton.sjspotlight@gmail.com or follow @adamfhutton on Twitter.

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.
She was very encouraging to everybody and friendly and sort of zen, in a way, Sharpe said, noting Dedinskys wide grin that she flashed in every photo. She was very hands-on and showed people what to do and would correct them if they didnt quite get it right. ... She was just very bubbly and kind and very thoughtful, and she just had an inner peace.
With the central and state governments pushing to scale up testing for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), diagnostic chiefs of approved laboratories called for the requirement of a prescription to be scrapped, arguing that a growing number of people are getting tests due to non-clinical reasons, such as for travel to other states.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research  which lays guidelines for the countrys testing strategy  RT-PCR (reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests should be conducted among nine categories such as symptomatic people with a history of travel, hospitalised patients who develop influenza-like symptoms, and asymptomatic high-risk contacts of a confirmed Covid-19 patient. Labs need a doctors prescription to perform an RT-PCR test, considered the gold standard to check for Covid-19.

In contrast, a rapid antigen test can be performed outside laboratories and is recommended for residents of containment zones and in hospitals. Anybody can get the test, which does not need a prescription to be performed.

Citing ICMR guidelines, the Delhi government has scaled up rapid antigen tests in the city, performing about 70% of the total tests done in the city by this method. On average, Delhi has tested over 17,500 samples a day in August.

Experts say the antigen test is less sensitive than the RT-PCR method, and is likely to throw up false positives.

Currently, a high proportion of the RT-PCR tests are also being availed by those who need it for non-clinical reasons such as travel or before a surgery.

Almost 50% of the tests we are performing are for persons in need of the test for non-clinical reasons. Why do they need a prescription? And an additional step discourages more people from the more accurate RT-PCR test. It is easier to avail rapid antigen test, and the government is doing a large proportion of it for free, said Dr Vidur Mahajan, associate director of Mahajan Imaging.

When we are reporting 70,000 and 80,000 cases of Covid-19 each day, and the country is in the process of unlocking, anybody who wants to get tested should be allowed to get tested. What is the need for a prescription? Also, now there is no shortage of kits or qualified labs to perform the test, said Dr Arvind Lal, chairman and managing director of Lal Pathlabs, one of the largest chain of laboratories in the country.

Not only does it act as a hurdle, a need for prescription means people spending more for a doctors consultation.

For a person who needs to get the test done because they are travelling to states like Karnataka, Uttarakhand, or Jammu and Kashmir that insist on an RT-PCR test done 72 hours prior to travel, it makes no sense to go to a doctor. They do not have symptoms that need to be examined; they do not need medical attention. However, they are forced to pay for a doctors consultation either online or in person, said Dr Deepak Sadhwani, head of Prognosis laboratories.

Dr Nutan Mundeja, chief of the directorate general of health services, Delhi government, told the Delhi hight court on Monday that the city-state would re-strategise the policy/plan for Covid-19 testing.

The Delhi government has said it will scale up testing further, but there is a need to increase the proportion of RT-PCR tests as well. If you see, antigen tests were approved for containment zones and healthcare settings but are being utilised everywhere, said Dr Lalit Kant, former head of epidemiology and infectious diseases at ICMR.

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Over 92,000 people have been affected by the flooding in Nagpur, Bhandara, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts in the last few day, officials said

More than 53,000 people have been evacuated from 175 villages of Nagpur, Bhandara, Chandrapur, and Gadchiroli districts in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, where flooding occurred after heavy rains and the release of water from dams, officials said on Tuesday.

Over 92,000 people have been affected by the flooding and heavy showers in these four districts in the last few days, a report released by the Nagpur divisional commissionerate said.

Eleven rescue and relief teams, including of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Army, are engaged mostly in Chandrapur and Bhandara districts, it said.

Following incessant rains during the weekend in East Vidarbha region and Madhya Pradesh, water was released from various dams of Maharashtra and the neighbouring state, causing flooding in several various villages of East Vidarbha.

Till 1 pm on Tuesday, 53,224 people from 175 affected villages of the Nagpur division have been shifted to safer places, the report said.

Out of these, 27,091 people have been evacuated from Nagpur, 18,192 from Bhandara, 5,667 from Chandrapur and 2,274 from Gadchiroli district, it said.

As many as 76 villages have been affected in Bhandara, district, 61 in Nagpur, 22 in Chandrapur and 16 in Gadchiroli, the report said.

Two teams of the Army were deployed in Pombhurna tehsil and Ladaj village of Brahmapuri tehsil of Chandrapur for relief and rescue works, district disaster management officer Jitesh Survade said, adding that water has started receding in these places.

Discharge of water from the Gosikhurd dam has also been reduced, he said. While a few places are still inundated, connectivity is gradually being restored, he added.
Qianhai has reported an annual growth of 89.2 percent in the added value of the enterprises registered in the free trade area over the past decade. The free trade area was ranked first in the country last year in terms of GDP per square kilometer, at 15.26 billion yuan (US$2.2 billion). Qianhai's actual used foreign investment reached US$4.1 billion yuan in 2019, ranking No. 2 among the country's free trade zones and areas, after Shanghai free trade zone. The amount accounted for 53.3 percent of Shenzhen's total, 20.5 percent of Guangdong and 3 percent of the national total.

According to Tian Fu, member of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPC and director of the Authority of China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone Qianhai and Shekou Area, Qianhai has made breakthroughs in six major areas: Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation, institutional innovation, modern service industry development, regional collaborative innovation and opening up, urban construction and Party construction.

As of June, Qianhai had about 11,700 Hong Kong-funded enterprises, with a total registered capital of 1.31 trillion yuan. Qianhai has used US$20.3 billion of Hong Kong funds, accounting for 89.9 of the total foreign capital used by the free trade area.

Official statistics show that more than 200 Hong Kong-funded startups have been incubated at the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub (E-hub) over the years. Seven of the country's 11 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao joint law firms are based in Qianhai, where Hong Kong laws are applicable in commercial disputes involving businesspeople from the special administrative region at the Qianhai court.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a congratulatory video to the Qianhai celebration that she hoped Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation will be strengthened while embracing the opportunities brought by the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Over the past 10 years, Qianhai has made 573 institutional innovations in a variety of fields such as among trade and investment facilitation, the opening up of the financial market and fintech innovation, as well as the construction of a rule-of-law environment. Currently, 58 of the institutional innovations have been promoted nationwide, 69 in Guangdong Province and 165 have been duplicated for use in Shenzhen.

A high-end modern service industry system that integrates finance, high technology and real economy has also been built in Qianhai. The free trade area now has a number of new-type financial institutions such as WeBank, the country's first Internet-only private bank, and 11 other unicorn enterprises such as YH Global.

In terms of regional collaborative innovation and opening up, Qianhai initiated the National Free Trade Area Innovation Alliance last year to share achievements in institutional innovation and strengthen communications among the country's 47 free trade zones and areas. Qianhai enterprises also invested in 58,700 subsidiaries on the mainland. The Taizi Bay International Cruise Homeport now has cruise trips to 169 international destinations, ranking No.1 in the free trade zones nationwide.

Qianhai has also seen tremendous changes in its infrastructure over the past decade. It now has 179 office buildings in use and construction on 27 other skyscrapers has completed. A total of 59 roads have opened to traffic.

Wang Jinxia, vice director of Qianhai authority, said at the press conference that Qianhai will continue to strengthen Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation and explore more innovative measures to boost the economic development.

Author: Chang Zhipeng

SOURCE Shenzhen Daily
Police inspector killed in Bamenda Sept. 1, 2020 Facebook

One police officer was killed on Tuesday when rebels ambushed a patrol team in Bamenda, a city in Cameroons North West Region.

The police patrol team in Bamenda II Subdivision was taken by surprise by an unknown number of unidentified gunmen who had been hiding in a building near the scene of the incident, a local police source told The Observer.

It reports that the murdered police inspector, popularly known as Petit Bikolo, was on a regular patrol of the area with his colleagues. The assailants are said to have attacked from a building at Small Mankon and disappeared through the back door.

The officers were at a control post at Small Mankon, not far from City Chemist Roundabout, when unidentified gunmen emerged from a nearby house onboard motorbikes and opened fire before speeding away, a voice note attributed to a security source said.

The 28-year-old Petit Bikolo was rushed to the police hospital in Bamenda where he was clinically confirmed dead.

In response to the attack, security and defense forces are said to have flooded the area in a bid to track down the assailants. The deafening gunshots that rented the air in Bamenda grounded activities in the ancient city.

From the Commercial Avenue to Food Market, Small Mankon, and Sonac Street, everything is at a standstill. Those who were in shops in the commercial center of Bamenda had to prostrate for long hours as the gun battle intensified. Even doctors, nurses, and patients struggled to take cover, a local said.

Recorded audios of the shootings in Bamenda have since been shared on social media platforms. Some of the audios suggest that at least one civilian was wounded in the gunfire.

Amateur videos show some motorbikes going up in flames as others are towed away.

Another video shows police officers destroying makeshift businesses along major streets in Bamenda. Food and other items were emptied into gutters by the gun-wielding men in police uniform.

State forces have been battling to dislodge armed separatists who pitched their tents in the North West and South West Regions since the current crisis transformed into an armed conflict in 2017.

Corporate demands by Common Law Lawyers and Anglophone Teachers led to protests in November 2016. The street demonstrations later morphed into ongoing running gun battles between state forces and armed separatist fighters in the predominantly English-speaking regions, leading to untold destruction of human lives, their habitats, and livelihoods.
- Kulundu attended Kakamega School (19651968) and later joined Kenyatta University College between 1969 and 1971.

- He joined Loma Linda University in Southern California where he specialised in public health and later graduated with a master degree

- The medic joined politics in 1997 and served as MP for Lurambi constituency up to 2007

- Kulundu also served as minister for environment, natural resources and wildlife before taking over the labour docket

- He is remembered for lecturing US and UK diplomats over violation of human rights

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He was one of the boldest Kenyan politicians who never shied away from speaking his mind whenever he felt pissed off.

Newton Kulundu served as a member of parliament for Lurambi constituency and minister for environment, natural resources and wildlife before taking over the labour docket.

READ ALSO: Narok police rescue elderly man who was locked up in house for 6 years

Former Labour minister and Lurambi MP Newton Kulundu. Photo: Citizen TV.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Rais Uhuru Kenyatta aagiza Wizara ya Afya kuchapisha zabuni za Covid-19

One of his memorable moments of courage and boldness was demonstrated during a verbal exchange with the then US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger whom he accused of representing and championing for the interests of nations that violate human rights.

Joined ministry of health as a senior medical officer of health

Kulundu attended Kakamega School (19651968) and later joined Kenyatta University College between 1969 and 1971.

He joined Loma Linda University in Southern California where he specialised in public health and later graduated with a master degree.

The medic would later join the ministry of health as a senior medical officer of health and served in several districts among them Kisumu, Lamu, Kwale and Kisii.

READ ALSO: Lionel Messi leaves young Barcelona fan heartbroken after failing to show up for training

Newton Kulundu giving a public address in a past function. Photo: Daily Nation.

Source: UGC

He was involved in the training of technical staff in the ministrys expanded immunisation program activities across the country.

Kulundu was appointed by Brooke Bond Company in 1984 to head medical services and held the position up to 1997.

He is credited for designing and implementing an award-winning reproduction health program.

Chaired the parliamentary Committee on Health

Kulundu joined politics in 1997 where he was elected MP for Lurambi constituency.

As a lawmaker, he chaired the parliamentary Committee on Health, Housing, Labour and Social Welfare.

He played a key role in sensitising the public on health issues particularly after the late former president Daniel Moi declared HIV/Aids a national disaster.

In 2002, he was re-elected to parliament and was appointed the minister for environment, natural resources and wildlife, before being transferred to the ministry of labour where he stayed until December 2007.

READ ALSO: Fred Matiang'i hints at running for countrys top political seat

Confrontation with Renneberger

On October, 24, 207, during the launch of a report entitled Trafficking in Persons from a Labour Perspective, the Kenyan experience,"Kulundu confronted the US ambassador for representing the interests of a country that was leading in violating of human rights.

In a stinging speech delivered in front of visibly disturbed US diplomat, Kulundu tore into America and the UK for being "the greatest violators of human rights hence have no moral authority to lecture us on human rights".

"The greatest violators of human rights are not found in Africa, we don't have them here. The greatest violators are the UK and the US and other European countries, this must be said loud and clearly.

These two governments (the US and theUK) have perfected the art of doublespeak by asking Kenya and other countries to uphold these tenets to me, they are preaching water but drinking wine, he said.

The verbal rants saw Renneberger downplay Kulundu's handshake after delivering his speech.

The fiery minister lost his seat in the 2007 General Election and embarked on running private businesses and practising farming.

Died of colon cancer

Kulundu died at a Nairobi on March 7, 2010, after ailing for about two months.

The former MPs son, Edgar Kulundu, said his father died of colon cancer.

In his condolence message, President Mwai Kibaki described Kulundu as "a man of courage and patriotic, development-conscious leader who served the country with dedication in various capacities,".

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Rudi Rodriguez usually starts the month of September facing a handful of events that celebrate Tejano Heritage Month, a state observation that overlaps by half with national Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

Over the years, Rodriguezs San Antonio educational firm TexasTejano.com has produced books, curriculum, poster contests and re-enactments along with exhibits and film screenings.

The coronavirus pandemic removed any chance of reviving any of those projects. In lieu of celebrations and commemorations this year, Rodriguez instead is writing several entries for the Handbook of Texas Online.

Hes writing about his multiple-great uncle Jose Policarpio Polly Rodriguez, though its not his first project on the subject.

In 2007, Rodriguez published a book on Polly Rodriguez  born in 1829 in Mexican Texas  titled A Tejano Son of Texas. The 88-page autobiography was pulled from a hand-written memoir about his boyhood and his life as an Army scout, itinerant preacher and early Texas Ranger.

Rudi Rodriguez also hopes to contribute to the Handbook of Texas Online by amplifying on other Tejano entries. Thats ongoing work for a lot of historians statewide, too.

In 2016, the Texas State Historical Association published a spin-off archive called the Handbook of Tejano History that added more than 300 entries about Tejanos and Mexican Americans to the 1,200 already in the go-to Texas reference, according to Brett Derbes, managing editor of the Handbook of Texas Online.

He also pointed to its eBook Tejanos through Time, which can be downloaded for free.

Derbes, who said hell work with Rodriguez on Polly-related entries, said the state reference book will expand Tejano and Mexican American entries in both directions, referring to the historical and the history-making.

Rodriguezs TexasTejano website has focused on the former in its mission to educate, elevate and celebrate Tejanos, especially those closest to home.

For this Tejano Heritage Month, I asked Rodriguez to tell me about the area known as La Medina, a ranching community just south of downtown San Antonio.

In the early 19th century, Rodriguez said it was the site of Tejano ranches operated by some of the most prominent Tejano families of the time, including the Navarros, the Losoyas, the Ruizes and the Herreras.

Other La Medina settlers included the surnames of Farias, Tejeda and Villagran, whose descendants went on to follow political careers.

These Tejanos claimed, were granted or purchased lands in the area, Rodriguez said.

Claimed, of course, refers to the fact that Native Americans living in what became Texas were its first inhabitants going back at least 10,000 years. Some were friendly, others were not. Strength and guns settled scores. Tejanos were defensive, aggressive and organized against attacks.

Tejanos established corrales to hold livestock and added structures as life expanded in La Medina. Some ranches built capillas, where visiting priests performed baptisms and marriages. The latter were largely arranged by madrinas and compadres, he said.

The Tejano vaqueros horsemanship was unmatched and shouldnt be compared to a cowboy, Rodriguez said, emphasizing the boy in the word.

Tejanos organized themselves politically, choosing representatives to speak on their behalf in San Antonio, he said.

He mentioned a specific rancher, Ignacio Perez, who in the late 1700s received the earliest land grant in La Medina. It was huge, Rodriguez said, and included land on which the Toyota Texas plant sits.

They were the founding families of San Antonio, he said, self-reliant and fully aware of the dangers before them. They became important figures in Texas history.

On this Tejano Heritage Month, in our moments of silence and self-isolation, looking back at those early San Antonians tells us something about ourselves.

Im re-reading A Tejano Son of Texas, in which Polly Rodriguez writes of tracking and killing bear and panther near San Antonio; becoming a Protestant; and declining a commission in the Confederate Army, because, My heart was really with the United States.

He said he wrote his memoirs at the insistence of friends and hoped theyre not entirely valueless.

I was most moved by one sentence that talks about his death.

I have lived in Texas when it was part of Mexico, when it was an independent republic, while it was one of the Confederate States and hope to lay my body to rest in its soil in sight of Pollys Peak when my journey is ended.

He was Tejano through and through.

Elaine Ayala is a columnist covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Elaine, become a subscriber. eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyala
WASHINGTON  A group of veteran reporters for the Voice of America wrote a letter of protest on Monday against the new CEO of the parent agency that oversees the broadcaster, Michael Pack, accusing him of putting the lives of journalists at risk.

The letter marks the first time reporters at VOA have issued an on-the-record complaint over Pack's management since he took over as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media in June. Pack's tenure has sparked anger in Congress on both sides of the aisle and prompted accusations that he is trying to turn U.S.-funded news media into a mouthpiece for President Donald Trump.

The letter, addressed to VOA's acting director Elez Biberaj, was signed by 14 reporters, including journalists who cover the White House, national security and who work as bureau chiefs overseas.

The journalists expressed "profound disappointment" at Pack's actions and comments that "endanger the personal security of VOA reporters at home and abroad, as well as threatening to harm U.S. national security objectives."

The letter singled out Pack's decision not to renew visas for some foreign nationals employed in the VOA newsroom, saying it would force some of them to return to repressive countries.

"He has ordered the firing of contract journalists, with no valid reason, by cancelling their visas, forcing them back to home countries where the lives of some of them may be in jeopardy," the letter said.

The reporters also cited Pack's remarks on a recent podcast posted on the conservative website The Federalist, in which he joked about shutting off air conditioning and prohibiting masks in VOA's building in Washington amid a global pandemic.

"Just as concerning are Mr. Pack's public comments, including bantering with a podcast host about turning off the air conditioning and banning masks inside VOA's headquarters, as part of his effort to 'drain the swamp.'"

Story continues

Pack also said on the podcast that he was working to ensure staff at the agency were properly vetted, arguing that previous leadership had mismanaged security clearances.

"It's a great place to put a foreign spy," Pack said. He didnt cite any examples of suspected spies.

U.S. Agency for Global Media chief executive Michael Pack. (U.S. Agency for Global Media)

The CEO, who has worked on documentary projects with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, told the podcast that VOA and other U.S.-funded media have failed to live up to their mission to produce balanced, objective coverage. He didnt cite examples of bias, but had previously referred to problems with the Urdu language service.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media did not respond to requests for comment.

After taking the helm in June, Pack has fired all the heads of the four news outlets under his agency as well as the members of the bipartisan boards that governed them. Pack replaced the boards mostly with political appointees of the Trump administration, and named himself as chairman. He reassigned an editor for standards at VOA and sacked the executive editor of Radio Free Asia.

Earlier this month, Pack suspended seven senior executives.

"We have watched in dismay as USAGM executives have been dismissed for, in their words, attempting to educate the new CEO on avoiding legal violations, as well as guiding him on the firewall that protects VOA's legally mandated editorial independence," the letter said.
Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in New York on Aug. 21, 2020. (Brendon Fallon/The Epoch Times)

Year of Vindication, Part 5: Carter Page

Commentary

The year 2020 has been one of vindication for many of the people who were targets of the massive and ever-expanding Russiagate hoax. Ive been cataloging this in an ongoing series here at The Epoch Times:

Part 1: President Donald Trump; Part 2: Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Michael Flynn; Part 3: historian Svetlana Lokhova; and Part 4: Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.)

In this, the fifth installment, we arrive at Carter W. Page, the former Trump campaign adviser who was accused by some of the most powerful people in the world of being a traitor to his country.

Page has an important story to tell, and you can read it in his new book released on Aug. 25, Abuse and Power: How an Innocent American Was Framed in an Attempted Coup Against the President.

After then-candidate Trump mentioned Pages name to Washington Post reporters asking pointed questions about the real estate billionaires lack of foreign policy experience, the former naval officer and Annapolis graduate found himself drawing a lot of sudden attention from multiple news media outlets.

Most of these early media stories were purposefully written to establish a narrative that Page was a corrupt figure who needed to be thoroughly investigated by the proper authorities.

As Page himself puts it in his book:

I was targeted by Donald Trumps political foes within the FBI, the Justice Department, and elsewhere, who decided to make me Exhibit A in an imagined TrumpRussia conspiracy storyline.

A key strategy used to present Page as Exhibit A in the TrumpRussia conspiracy theory involved these powerful people making use of their extensive corporate media contacts to seed the election news cycle with numerous stories about this mysterious and shady Page fellow and just how cozy he supposedly was with the Russian government.

Many of these news articles strongly hinted that someone, perhaps the FBI, really needed to investigate this suspicious character.

Upon realizing he was fast becoming a conduit for a coordinated smear attack on the entire Trump presidential campaign by top federal government officials, as well as powerful media and political figures, Page resigned as an adviser on Sept. 26, 2016.

It changed nothing. The FBI still submitted a surveillance warrant targeting Page to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court the following month.

As Page writes in his books fourth chapter:

I realized that the FBI, armed with the ability to retroactively look at my communications and contacts within the campaign, had found me a convenient platform from which to mount a political investigation and smear job of Donald Trump in the last weeks before the election.

Role of the Steele Dossier in Targeting Page

As I discussed in a previous column, the FBIs use of former MI6 agent Christopher Steeles fake dossier as a predicate to open investigations of Page and fellow Trump campaign associates Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn was only possible if no one took a critical look at the allegations and the sourcing.

Upon the dossiers publication by BuzzFeed in January 2017, the initial media hype about Steeles impeccable intelligence credentials managed to obscure and delay the realization of the full absurdity of what had really happened.

The myth of Steele being an intrepid intelligence agent, whose highly connected sources in the Kremlin had revealed to him a serious national security threat involving a presidential campaign filled with secret Putin puppets, only slowly and inexorably gave way to the brutal truth as the years passed:

Steele was actually just a highly paid political fantasist working for the Hillary Clinton campaign, who took speculative information from a low-level research assistant at the Brookings Institution in Washington and was passing it off to the FBI and news reporters as intelligence from highly placed Kremlin sources.

The claims in the dossier about Page were always manifestly absurd on their face.

The Bribe Offer That Never Was

The dossier alleges that former Trump campaign chairman Manafort was using Page as a go-between with Vladimir Putins government during visits to Russia. During one of these visits, the dossier claims Page met with Igor Sechin, a man considered by many to be second in power only to Putin himself and who is also the chairman of the massive oil corporation Rosneft.

Steele claimed his source told him Sechin made a stunning bribe offer to Page: Should Trump win the election and lift Russian sanctions, Sechin was prepared to transfer 19 percent of Rosneft stockan amount that would be worth many billions of dollarsto Trump and his associates control.

The problems with this allegation are many, not the least of which is that Page maintains to this day that hes never met Trump, has never met Manafort, and he most certainly has never met Sechin. And no evidence appears to contradict Pages claim.

That a candidate and a campaign manager would send a low-level unpaid campaign volunteer who neither had even met on such a sensitive mission defies belief. It also defies common sense that during his first meeting with someone who wasnt even in Trumps inner circle, Sechin would make such an astounding bribe offer.

Ill also point out that its also a matter of public record that when the FBI finally made time to interview Steeles supposed source for this incredible bribe allegation, the source completely disavowed it.

And yet, this ridiculous bribe account in a fake dossier started an unprecedented spying probe into a presidential campaign, because federal agents insist they took it seriously.

Its become increasingly clear that Steeles fake dossier transformed Page into someone he never was, and corrupt law enforcement and intelligence agents used this distorted image of Page to help launch a massive hoax on the entire country.

Page has tirelessly insisted from the very earliest stages of this hoax that hes innocent; the facts that have emerged in the subsequent five years support his contention.

To make Page look like a traitor to his country, federal officials allegedly broke all their oaths, violated the Constitution, and committed multiple federal crimes.

U.S. Attorney John Durham is reportedly wrapping up his criminal investigation of exactly how the Russiagate hoax happened. Its expected that hell be bringing accountability to those responsible, having already returned one indictment against former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith, who pleaded guilty. There will likely be many more.

In the end, I believe Page will be completely vindicated, and those who broke the law and violated his rights so they could get at Trump will go to prison.

Brian Cates is a writer based in South Texas and the author of Nobody Asked For My Opinion  But Here It Is Anyway! He can be reached on Twitter @drawandstrike.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Morgan County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Levi C. Beddingfield, 23, of 210 N. Branch St., Bluffs, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 4:55 a.m. Monday on a charge of driving under the influence.

 Brittany J. White, 40, of 1885 Old Airport Road was booked into the Morgan County jail at 10:14 p.m. Friday on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.

Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Rhonda L. Tracy, 33, of 821 S. Main St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 5 a.m. Saturday on a charge of aggravated domestic battery.

 James R. Marez, 31, of 750 E. Chambers St., Apt. 2, was cited on a charge of driving while license is suspended after a traffic stop at 6:45 p.m. Sunday in the 100 block of Bissell Street.

VANDALISM

 An air conditioner was pushed through the window of a residence in the 300 block of East Independence Avenue at 9:20 p.m. Sunday.

 An air conditioner was pushed through the window of a residence in the 800 block of North East Street at 9:41 p.m. Sunday.

 A brick was thrown at a car at 8:25 p.m. Sunday while the car was being driven on Walnut Court.

THEFTS, BURGLARIES

 A bicycle was stolen during the weekend from the 800 block of West State Street, according to a report filed at 3:45 p.m. Monday.

 Multiple items belonging to someone who had died were taken from a storage unit in the 900 block of East Morton Avenue, according to a report filed at 9:33 a.m. Saturday.

OTHER REPORTS

 A drunk man walked into a house in the 800 block of West Walnut Street about 10:12 p.m. Sunday and asked the person inside where he could buy alcohol, according to a police report.

The resident helped the man leave and police found the inebriated visitor, who was taken to Passavant Area Hospital for evaluation.

Meredosia Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Carrie L. Medina, 39, of 205 Shafer Road was booked into the Morgan County jail at 6:09 p.m. Sunday on charges of possession of a controlled substance, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, unlawful use of an electronic communication device, display of unauthorized registration sticker and improper left turn.



Cass County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Jeffrey R. Miller, 57, of 120 S. Hall St., Virginia, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 12:24 a.m. Saturday on charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with the intent to deliver, delivery of methamphetamine, possession of a narcotic instrument and possession of drug paraphernalia.



Pike County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Dorothy D. Mangieri, 27, of Galesburg was arrested at 5:57 p.m. Friday on charges of speeding, manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

 Anthony M. Westemeyer, 32, of Nebo was arrested at 1:09 p.m. Wednesday on four counts of violating an order of protection.

 Anthony M. Westemeyer, 32, of Nebo was arrested at 4:10 p.m. Aug. 25 on a violation of an order of protection and on a warrant accusing him of failing to appear in court.

Compiled by David C.L. Bauer
USA Today Bestseller

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the young lady everyone assumes is mousy has uncharted depths particularly when theres a scientific sister, an aphrodisiac, and the stepbrother of a duke around. Creative, unique, and racy this story is not unlike the very elixir around which it is based.Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light

Continuing her bestselling Rogue Files series, Sophie Jordan brews up a scintillating romance about a timid wallflower who discovers a love potion and ends up falling for a dashing rogue.



A love potion

Charlotte Langley has always been the prudent middle sister, so her family is not surprised when she makes the safe choice and agrees to wed her childhood sweetheart. But when she finds herself under the weather and drinks a healing tonic, the potion provokes the most maddening desirefor someone other than her betrothed.

With the power

Kingstons rakehell ways are going to destroy him and hes vowed to change. His stepbrothers remote estate is just the place for a reformed rogue to hide. The last thing he wants is to be surrounded by society, but when he gets stuck alone with a wallflower who is already betrothed and she astonishes him with a fiery kiss, he forgets all about hiding.

To alter two destinies.

Although Charlotte appears meek, Kingston soon discovers theres a vixen inside, yearning to break free. Unable to forget their illicit moment of passion, Kingston vows to relive the encounter, but Charlotte has sworn it will never happen againno matter how earth-shattering it was. But will a devilish rogue tempt her to risk everything for a chance at true love?

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The Civil War has turned neighbor against neighborbut for one scientist spy and her philosopher soldier, war could bind them together . . .

For all of the War Between the States, Marlie Lynch has helped the cause in peace: with coded letters about anti-Rebel uprisings in her Carolina woods, tisanes and poultices for Union prisoners, and silent aid to fleeing slave and Freeman alike. Her formerly enslaved mothers traditions and the name of a white father she never knew have protected heruntil the vicious Confederate Home Guard claims Marlies home for their new base of operations in the guerilla war against Southern resistors of the Rebel cause.

Unbeknowst to those under her roof, escaped prisoner Ewan McCall is sheltering in her laboratory. Seemingly a quiet philosopher, Ewan has his own history with the cruel captain of the Home Guard, and a thoughtful but unbending strength Marlie finds irresistible.

When the revelation of a stunning family secret places Marlies freedom on the line, she and Ewan have to run for their lives into the hostile Carolina night. Following the path of the Underground Railroad, they find themselves caught up in a vicious battle that could dash their hopes of loveand freedombefore they ever cross state lines.

Praise for An Extraordinary Union

Brimming with vivid characterization, heartfelt dialogue, and sensual sweetness.

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An exceptional story that both educates and entertains and beautifully launches a unique series.

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A Hope Divided (The Loyal League Book 2 by Alyssa Cole Kindle Daily Deal at $1.99.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witchesnow a hit TV series on AMC and BBC America, and streaming on Sundance Now and Shuddercomes the fourth novel in the All Souls Series.



What does it truly take to become a vampire?

On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcuss deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

Fast-forward to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylorthe young employee at Sothebys whom Marcus has fallen foris about to embark on her own journey to immortality. Though the modernized version of the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable than they were in the eighteenth century. The shadows that Marcus believed hed escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them bothforever.

A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution, Times Convert, the fourth books in the All Souls Series channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that made the previous books instant bestsellers to illuminate a new and vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries.

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A glorious fantasy.Neil Gaiman

Three-time Hugo Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author N.K. Jemisin crafts her most incredible novel yet, a story of culture, identity, magic, and myths in contemporary New York City.

In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesnt remember who he is, where hes from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power.

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In Brooklyn, a politician and mother finds she can hear the songs of her city, pulsing to the beat of her Louboutin heels.

And theyre not the only ones.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 14:01:29|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- As the new school year starts, college students are returning to campus in Beijing under tight epidemic prevention and control measures.

Universities with preventive measures are allowed to reopen in a staggered schedule from Aug. 15 in Beijing, according to the Beijing Municipal Education Commission.

Since mid-August, over 170,000 college and university students have headed back to campus in Beijing, with around 10,000 returning to the city every day. By Monday, over 50 universities have opened for the new semester in Beijing, said the commission.

In Peking University, a variety of COVID-19 prevention and control measures are implemented to ensure safety. Students are required to take nucleic acid tests before returning to the campus and present a certificate based on their health conditions and whereabouts when registering.

The number of students returning to Beijing will hit 50,000 on Sept. 6, the highest single-day total. Enditem
Chinese President Xi Jinpings call for bolstering border defences in Tibet and sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism are misguided and unrealistic, the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile has said.

Lobsang Sangay, the sikyong or president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, also expressed concern at Chinas military build-up on the Tibetan plateau, and questioned Beijings military expansionism and its intentions on the five fingers as well as on the border regions of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Uttarakhand.

Xi had given a call to promote the sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism and to build an impregnable fortress to maintain stability in Tibet while addressing Chinas top leadership on Saturday at a forum on future governance in Tibet.

Also Read: Sinicise Tibetan Buddhism, build fortress around Tibet, says Xi Jinping

Xi was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency as saying that the government and military leaders should solidify border defences and ensure frontier security as well as ensure national security and enduring peace and stability in Tibet, which shares a long border with India.

Responding to Xis remarks about building an impregnable fortress in Tibet, Sangay said: China has been quietly militarising the Tibetan plateau for over 60 years under the pretext of development and modernisation. For Tibet, this has only led to an influx of soldiers, Han (Chinese) settlers, and weapons.

For its neighbours, this militarisation of the Tibetan plateau has led to a military build-up on its borders, jeopardising the already contentious border regions as evidenced by the recent Galwan incident.

Sangay said that to foster stability in Tibet, China must first address the genuine grievances of the Tibetan people and not to forget the 154 Tibetans who have set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese policies in Tibet.

He added that the increasing militarisation of Tibet is a serious source of concern for the Tibetans as well as India and Asias security at large. Restoring the status of Tibet as a zone of peace with its historical demilitarised border with India is the only way of enduring peace in Asia.

Sangay, who heads the Central Tibetan Administration based in Dharamshala, HP, said: The root cause of instability in Tibet is not the Tibetan peoples faith, but the repressive and failed policies of the Chinese government. The continuation of these hard-line policies and repression is only going to make matters worse. Thats why genuine autonomy based on the middle way approach is the only viable solution.

He also refuted Xis call for sinicising. Chinas policy of sinicising Tibetan Buddhism is a misguided attempt at controlling the Tibetan peoples religious belief and the reincarnation system. China must draw on its past experiences and allow the Tibetan people to maintain its distinct faith and religious traditions, he said.

The remarks were a reference to increased efforts by Beijing to choose the next Dalai Lama. Chinese authorities have said they would reject any successor to the current Dalai Lama chosen outside China, and experts have contended that any Indian involvement in the issue could potentially affect bilateral relations.

The Chinese presidents assertions and Sangays response came against the backdrop of the dragging India-China border standoff.

Tensions flared again on Monday, when the Indian Army said it had thwarted Chinas provocative military movements to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake.

Some experts have suggested that the Indian government should play up the Tibet card as part of efforts to pressure the Chinese to complete the stalled disengagement and de-escalation process on the LAC.

Sangay said Buddhism is more important than communism for Tibetans.

To force them to treat communism as more important than their faith is not only a violation of international religious freedom, but is also deeply misguided. Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism is never going to work. The last 60 years of Chinese rule in Tibet is a testament to that fact, he added.

The demolition of Larung Gar and Yarchen Gar, two of the largest Buddhist institutes in the world, by Chinese authorities was a tragic example of Chinese atrocities on Tibetan Buddhism, he said.

Despite their suffering, the people in Tibet are still strong and remain faithfully devoted to the Dalai Lama, Sangay said.

He also emphasised that, as envisioned by the Dalai Lama, Tibetans seek genuine autonomy within the framework of the Chinese constitution. He added, Resumption of dialogue with...the Dalai Lama or his envoys remains the only foreseeable solution to resolve the Tibet issue.

The Central Symposium on Tibet Works was the Chinese Communist Partys most important forum for Tibet policies.

The two-day meeting was the first such gathering since 2015.

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Clean energy projects will receive a Victorian government funding boost in the hope of driving the state's battered economy out of the coronavirus downturn and avoiding a slump in wind and solar investment.

Victorian Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio is preparing to brief 300 investors on Wednesday about the launch of a formal process to test interest in building 600 megawatts of renewable energy capacity statewide, which she said would drive down prices and create new jobs at a critical time.

A wind farm at Codrington in south-west Victoria. Credit:Joe Armao

It comes amid calls around the world for "green recoveries"  economic rescue packages targeting investments in clean energy that would tackle global warming as well as stimulate growth. Under the Victorian program, the government would award contracts to buy power from project developers at a fixed price, giving them the revenue certainty to secure debt and proceed with projects in a volatile market.

"It's a shot in the arm for the industry," said Kane Thornton of the Clean Energy Council, a group representing renewable energy firms.
Martin Payne became the CEO of Polypipe Group plc (LON:PLP) in 2017, and we think it's a good time to look at the executive's compensation against the backdrop of overall company performance. This analysis will also assess whether Polypipe Group pays its CEO appropriately, considering recent earnings growth and total shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Polypipe Group

Comparing Polypipe Group plc's CEO Compensation With the industry

According to our data, Polypipe Group plc has a market capitalization of UK989m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth UK930k over the year to December 2019. That's a notable decrease of 8.3% on last year. While we always look at total compensation first, our analysis shows that the salary component is less, at UK458k.

On comparing similar companies from the same industry with market caps ranging from UK748m to UK2.4b, we found that the median CEO total compensation was UK1.0m. So it looks like Polypipe Group compensates Martin Payne in line with the median for the industry. Moreover, Martin Payne also holds UK833k worth of Polypipe Group stock directly under their own name.

Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary UK458k UK439k 49% Other UK472k UK575k 51% Total Compensation UK930k UK1.0m 100%

Speaking on an industry level, nearly 64% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 36% is other remuneration. It's interesting to note that Polypipe Group allocates a smaller portion of compensation to salary in comparison to the broader industry. If non-salary compensation dominates total pay, it's an indicator that the executive's salary is tied to company performance.

A Look at Polypipe Group plc's Growth Numbers

Polypipe Group plc has seen its earnings per share (EPS) increase by 4.5% a year over the past three years. In the last year, its revenue is up 3.3%.

We'd prefer higher revenue growth, but it is good to see modest EPS growth. It's clear the performance has been quite decent, but it it falls short of outstanding,based on this information. Looking ahead, you might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for the company's future earnings..

Story continues

Has Polypipe Group plc Been A Good Investment?

With a total shareholder return of 14% over three years, Polypipe Group plc shareholders would, in general, be reasonably content. But they probably wouldn't be so happy as to think the CEO should be paid more than is normal, for companies around this size.

To Conclude...

As we touched on above, Polypipe Group 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. However, EPS and total shareholder return are solid yet uninspiring. We'd say that Martin is remunerated reasonably, but shareholders might be looking for better returns before they agree Martin deserves a raise.

While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. That's why we did some digging and identified 2 warning signs for Polypipe Group that investors should think about before committing capital to this stock.

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.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday dropped the NSA charges against Dr. Kafeel Khan who was detained for his speech during anti-CAA protests on Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus on December 12 last year.

The court said that the prosecution could not produce corroborative evidence to show that Khans speech promoted any kind of hatred or violence in Aligarh.

After his arrest from Mumbai airport by UP STF on January 29, 2020, the Aligarh district administration had invoked the NSA (National Security Act) against the paediatrician. However, the court said that imposing the stringent act and the period of his dentition were illegal based on the grounds submitted by the authorities.

ALSO READ | SC asks Allahabad HC to expeditiously decide on plea to release Dr Kafeel Khan

The division bench, comprising Chief Justice Govind Marhur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh allowed the habeas corpus writ petition filed by the doctors mother Nuzhat Perween seeking his release claiming that Khans speech did not intend to promote any kind of hatred or violence. A writ in the nature of habeas corpus is hereby issued to release Dr. Kafeel Khan, the detenue from state custody, read the order.

A complete reading of the speech also nowhere threatens peace and tranquility of the city of Aligarh. The address gives a call for national integrity and unity among the citizens.

Also, according to the habeas corpus petition, the doctor was granted bail by a competent court after his arrest by UP STF on January 29, 2020, and he was supposed to be released on bail. However, he was not released for four days, and later the NSA was imposed on him in the month of February. Hence, his

detention was illegal as it was passed to nullify the effect of the bail granted by a competent court.

The bench observed: The state authorities have failed to discharge their bounden burden to establish that the lecture delivered by Khan on December 12, 2019, has such a deleterious effect on the public order in Aligarh as had continued to exist up to February 13, 2020, necessitating preventive detention of the detenue on that later date.

The bench also observed that the appellant was denied the opportunity to seek courts intervention against his detention under NSA as  the orders of the extension of detention were never served upon the detenue. Only radiograms relating to the decision of the state government for the extension of the term of detention were supplied to him.

ALSO READ | Dr Kafeel's wife writes to HC seeking protection for husband lodged in Mathura jail

The judges said in the order: We are having no hesitation in concluding that neither the detention of Dr. Kafeel Khan under National Security Act, 1980 nor extension of the detention are sustainable in the eye of law.

Khan had earlier got embroiled in the case related to the death of around 70 kids allegedly due to the shortage of oxygen supply at Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College in Gorakhpur on August 10-11, 2017.

While initiating disciplinary action against those who were at the helm in the medical college for dereliction of duty, Dr. Kafeel Khan along with BRD Medical College principal Dr. RK MIshra and a few other personnel of the medical college was suspended on August 22, 2017.

The suspension was followed by the registration of a criminal case against nine persons including Dr. Kafeel Khan, Dr. RS Mishra and his wife and all were arrested. The proceedings are still going on in the case.
Nairobi  Education Cabinet Prof George Magoha says the ministry would require Sh1 billion to supply free washable face masks to schools nationwide.

Prof Magoha made the remarks during a virtual Council of Governors conference on COVID-19 where he reiterated his stand that the schools will only be reopened once the safety of the learners is guaranteed.

"Between 50 per cent and 60 per cent may not be able to buy the masks. and I would like us to approach this together because If one expects the national government to buy the masks we shall require a billion shillings," he said.

Prof Magoha said the decision to re-open schools in January is not cast in stone, emphasizing that a final decision will be made depending on the COVID-19 numbers.

He said that the government would be forced to buy reusable face masks for children at a cost of Sh35 per pair which they can use for six months.

The government is under pressure to ensure the country has adequate capacity to implement the Competency Based Curriculum, and hiccups in teacher training could have adverse effects on the CBC programme that is still in its roll out stages.

The health ministry suggested that the country's COVID-19 graph could be flattening, further heightening expectations that the government could shift its hard-line position regarding resumption of learning.
(Newser)  Walmart is launching a new membership service for shoppers this month that it hopes can compete with Amazon Prime, the AP reports. Called Walmart+, it will cost $98 a year, or $12.95 a month, and give members same-day delivery on 160,000 items, a fuel discount at certain gas stations, and a chance to use an app allowing them to scan items as they shop at Walmart stores, then check out and pay without having to wait at a register. Members will still have to spend at least $35 online to qualify for free shipping. But delivery could be as quick as same day for groceries, toys, and household items, such as toilet paper and soap. Members will get a discount of up to 5 cents a gallon at Murphy gas stations or at the 2,000 Walmart locations that have gas pumps. The company said its working to add more gas-station chains to its list.

story continues below

The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company said Walmart+ will launch Sept. 15. Walmart has a long way to go to catch up with Amazon Prime. Launched in 2005, Prime has more than 150 million members who pay $119 a year, or $12.99 a month, for faster shipping and other perks, such as discounts at Amazon's Whole Foods supermarkets and access to its video streaming site. Walmart's online sales are growing rapidly, especially during the pandemic, when more people have turned to the company to order groceries online and pick them up at a store. But the world's biggest retailer is still a distant second online to Amazon. Walmart is expected to take 6% of all online sales in the US this year, compared to Amazons 38%, according to market research firm eMarketer. (Last week, Walmart emerged as a possible suitor for the US business of TikTok.)
Lokomotiv qualified for the Europa League by winning the Bulgarian Cup for the second year running. Tottenham qualified by coming sixth in the Premier League.

France: Tottenham Hotspur will face a trip to Bulgaria in the Europa League second qualifying round in September after being paired with Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Monday's draw.

The tie will be played on Thursday, 17 September, five days after Jose Mourinho's side kick off their Premier League campaign at home to Everton. They are due to play away at Southampton on Sunday, 20 September.

Lokomotiv qualified for the Europa League by winning the Bulgarian Cup for the second year running. Spurs qualified by coming sixth in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers have been handed a glamour tie at home to seven-time former European champions AC Milan in Dublin.

Steven Gerrard's Rangers have been drawn away at Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar, the minnows who beat Celtic 1-0 at home in a Champions League qualifier in 2016 before losing the return in Glasgow.

After being knocked out of this season's Champions League at home by Ferencvaros in the second qualifying round last week, Celtic will enter the Europa League in the third qualifying round, the draw for which takes place on Tuesday.

Complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic mean that all qualifying ties are being played as one-off matches at the home of the first team drawn from the hat, rather than over two legs.

All European ties are going ahead behind closed doors.

The delayed 2019/20 Europa League was only completed on 21 August, with Sevilla beating Inter Milan in the final behind closed doors in Cologne to win the trophy for the sixth time in 15 years.
A successful businesswoman whose company was scammed out of millions when hackers held its files to ransom has revealed her top tips for keeping businesses safe.

Gillian Franklin, founder and managing director of The Heat Group, lost $2million when her cosmetic wholesale company was targeted by cyber criminals from Russia last year.

She was attending a conference in London when she realised the system had been hacked, and she faced losing everything she spent 20 years building.

The cyber criminals encrypted all of the company's files and demanded $40,000 in bitcoin as ransom.

Gillian Franklin (pictured), founder and managing director of The Heat Group, lost $2million when her cosmetic wholesale company was targeted by cyber criminals from Russia last year

The Melbourne company turns over about $130million per year marketing some of the world's largest brands across beauty, health and confectionery including Remington, OZK.O, Billie Goat, Chuckies, Darrell Lea and Hot Date.

Ms Franklin revealed the stressful experience felt as if somebody 'robbed your house with everything in it'.

'It's the same thing except it's your intellectual property. So about half the folders were removed and about the other half we could see were encrypted, so we couldn't [open them],' she told Business Insider.

She recalled trying to ask for 'proof of recovery' and negotiate with the hacker, who 'sold access to our system on the dark web for US$3,500 a pop.'

'For the next three or four days the IT team worked 20 hours a day non-stop just to try and get us up and trading because we literally had no business,' she told Business Insider.

'We couldn't do anything  we couldn't receive orders, process orders, pay bills.'

The IT team's movements were part of a two-step 'technology and communication' plan, Ms Franklin said.

The Melbourne company turns over about $130 million per year - marketing some of the world's largest brands s across beauty, health and confectionery including Remington, OZK.O, Billie Goat, Chuckies, Darrell Lea and Hot Date. Pictured: Company advertisement

'The problem is you've got 7,000 customers, hundreds of suppliers, all our staff and have to tell everybody what's going on. That was a huge amount of work,' she told 3AW on Tuesday.

'We assumed we wouldn't get it back so we started from the premise of recovery from as fast as you can and just put that plan into motion.'

To recover The Heat Group's files and ensure the company was safe from further damage, the IT team shut down servers, set up a new firewall, updated staff passwords and restored business operations through backups.

Ms Franklin said these were just a few steps to ensure businesses were safe from online hackers.

Others included not being naive to the possibility a business could be hacked as 'if it can happen to the government it can happen to you.'

'Educate your team - send them fishing emails yourself to test it because that's the most common way to get in - and don't call the administrator the administrator,' she told 3AW.

Ms Franklin - who confirmed the hacking happened a month after a staff member clicked on a phishing email - advised businesses to back up all company files onto an outside server to have a hard copy on hand just in case. Pictured: Cyber security breach generic

Ms Franklin - who confirmed the hacking happened a month after a staff member clicked on a phishing email - advised businesses to back up all company files onto an outside server to have a hard copy on hand just in case.

This will include staff phone numbers to ensure employers could reach employees if hacking occurs, she said.

'You need to have a plan on the assumption that you can be hacked,' she told news.com.au.

'They can get in if they want to. You need to have a plan ready to go.

'When it happened to us we didn't even know where to start. We didn't know what to do. So now we have a list of things ready.'

Ms Franklin added companies should ensure they have cyber insurance - which she said was not normally included in disruption insurance.

She will appear on SBS's 'Insight' on Tuesday on the 'Being Hacked' episode.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave telecom firms 10 years to clear Adjusted Gross Revenue-related dues, which run into about Rs 1.6 lakh crore. The court said 10 per cent of the outstanding amount is to be paid by March 31, 2021, giving the extended timeframe in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A three-judge bench led by Justice Arun Mishra said the instalments will have to be paid by February 7 of every succeeding year and any default will accrue interest. Non-payment will also invite contempt of court proceedings, the bench said, and once again clarified that no revaluation of AGR dues would be entertained.

The news of the verdict tanked Vodafone Idea shares by nearly 15 per cent, while shares of Bharti Airtel were up nearly 6 per cent after the order.

Reacting to the verdict, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who had represented Bharti Airtel, told CNBC-TV18: Government was willing to give 20 years but SC said 10. Each company will decide if they want to file a review petition.

The department of telecommunications (DoT) had in March appealed to the top court seeking 20 years for payment of AGR dues, including spectrum usage charge, license fee, interest, penalty and interest on penalty. However, the SC had reservations about granting 20 years to telcos, expressing doubt over recovery of dues, especially from Vodafone Idea that is reeling under liquidity stress.

The top court had in October 2019 delivered the verdict on the AGR issue for calculating government dues of telecom companies, such as Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Tata Teleservices, as licence fee and spectrum usage charges.

During the hearings, the telecom companies had proposed different timelines for clearing of dues. Vodafone Idea and rival Bharti Airtel had sought 15 years for payment of dues, while Tata Teleservices Ltd requested a window of 7-10 years. The DoT, however, had stuck to the Union Cabinets proposal of payment within 20 years.

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, which launched in September 2016, paid its relatively minuscule dues of 195.18 crore in January.

The bench, which also comprised justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, had reserved the verdict on July 20 on the aspect of granting timeline to telcos for staggered payment of AGR- related dues by saying that it will not hear even for a second" the arguments on reassessment or re-calculation of the AGR.

Prior to this, it had asked the telecom companies to file their books of accounts for last 10 years and give a reasonable time-frame for paying the AGR dues and later got miffed when some senior lawyers started disputing the dues being calculated by the DoT.

It had said that the period of 15-20 years sought by some of the telecom companies was not reasonable and had asked the Centre as to how it would secure the payment of dues by them. Later, the top court on August 24 was informed by the DoT that all liabilities including AGR-related dues should be cleared by telecom firms prior to spectrum trading as per the guidelines.
Futurama just got a little closer to being the future.

A startup called SkyDrive released a video of a pilot flying a car over the Toyota Test Field in Toyota, Japan. Toyota finances the company, and the project has been years in the making. The ultimate goal: Create a flying taxi by 2023.

Kind of gives new meaning to the concept of Lyft.

Of the worlds more than 100 flying car projects, only a handful has succeeded with a person on board, company CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa told The Associated Press. I hope many people will want to ride it and feel safe.

Related: Toyota Invests $349 Million in Flying Taxi Startup

Traffic buster

The single-seat car is powered by a battery and four pairs of propellers. In the video, it lifts to six feet above the ground and hovers for roughly five minutes. Can't a drone do that? Maybe, but a human pilot manned this car, which makes this test flight particularly significantand impressive.

To date, the SD-03 can fly for only five to ten minutes at a low speed. But the next phase is to pump it up to 40 mph at a flight duration of 30 minutes. The car is 13-feet long and six-feet high, enabling it to fit into two average parking spaces in a congested city. In developed countries, flying cars are expected to be used as a means of transportation to ease traffic jams and respond in times of disaster, while in developing countries they are likely to be used as a form of transportation that requires far less infrastructure, the company said in a press release.

Related:

Covid Sucks. Here's What This Entrepreneur Is Doing to Make Schools Safe.

A Toyota-Backed Company Just Test Drove a Flying Car

Elon Musk Is Creating Cyber Pigs



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
A cancer sufferer has been overwhelmed with offers from kind neighbours after losing his last $50.

Sam had been attending a treatment clinic in Balmain, in Sydney's inner west, on Monday when he lost his cash and Medicare card.

He made a desperate plea to the Balmain Living group on Facebook and offered 'whatever favour' in return for the money.

Recent cancer sufferer Sam (pictured) made a heartbreaking plea to a Facebook group after losing his last $50 note while attending a treatment clinic in Sydney's inner west

Sam said he dropped his money and Medicare card somewhere near Woolworths in Balmain (pictured above). He later found the card but his cash had gone missing

'I had been getting blood tests due to my recent battle with cancer in Balmain today,

'And dropped my money clip with my Medicare card and my last $50 near Woolworths or Taste Baguette,' Sam's post read.

'After 30 minutes of searching I found my card in the gutter on Beatie Street but not the clip and the money.'

The cancer sufferer also provided the heartbreaking explanation behind why he needed the cash.

'If anyone found it, or knows who did, can you please let me know as I need medication with that money.

'I will do you whatever favour you want if you can return. And you will get really good karma,' he wrote.

There was an outpouring of support from residents who offered to donate money for the medication.

'Sorry to hear this. If you don't find it, happy to pitch in $10. Take care.

Generous community members quickly offered to donate the $50 back to Sam and he said he was overwhelmed (pictured above) and couldn't stop crying from the generous act

'Let us know how you go and if no lucky by tonight, send me your account details,' one thoughtful commenter wrote.

Several other users added they would be 'happy to chip in'.

Sam quickly confirmed the money in his account had already reached $50 thanks to the generous donations.

'Thanks so much for the offers but I can't take money off anyone else now, it wouldn't be right.

'But thank you so much, it's been amazing, the generosity has overwhelmed me in the best way.

'I can't stop crying. Thank you all. What an amazing community,' he wrote.

Other users also commended their 'wonderful community' and wished Sam 'all the best for a full recovery'.

'Thank you, I'm overwhelmed and crying from everyone's generosity,' he said.
Urgent solution needed to address fuel woes in war-torn Yemen

31 August 2020 - The UN Special Envoy for Yemen has called on all parties to urgently work together with his Office, in order to find a solution that ensures people in the country can access basic fuel supplies, amid major shortages in areas controlled by the Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah.

Martin Griffiths, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, outlined the devastating and widespread humanitarian consequences of the shortages.

"Life in Yemen is unforgiving enough without forcing Yemenis to struggle even harder for their everyday needs that are connected to fuel such as clean water, electricity and transportation", he said.

"The flow of essential commercial imports, including of food, fuel and medical supplies, and their distribution to the civilian population across the country must be ensured," he added.

According to the UN humanitarian affairs office (OCHA), the shortage has led to skyrocketing fuel costs in the informal market, long queues at petrol stations, and inflated costs for water, transport and other goods. The situation has also impacted the humanitarian response, causing a reduction and suspension of some aid programmes.

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains one of the worst in the world, driven by conflict, disease, economic collapse, and the breakdown of public institutions and services. After six years of conflict, millions of people are hungry, ill, destitute and acutely vulnerable, and a staggering 80 per cent of the country's population requires some form of humanitarian assistance and protection.

Engage constructively, in good faith

Mr. Griffiths said that detailed discussions were held with both parties to reach a solution that ensures Yemenis' ability to receive the fuel and oil derivatives they need through the port of Hudaydah, and the use of associated revenues to pay the salaries of public sector employees.

"I urge the parties to engage constructively, urgently, in good faith and with no preconditions with the efforts of my Office in that regard," Mr. Griffiths said.

The Office of the Special Envoy has consistently worked to support the parties to agree on continued and regular flow of commercial fuel imports into Yemen through Hudaydah port  a major commercial and humanitarian lifeline into the country  and to put associated revenues toward paying civil servant salaries, based on the 2014 database.

In December 2018, the Special Envoy facilitated the talks between the parties, in Stockholm, to reach the Hudaydah Agreement. He also facilitated an agreement on temporary arrangements that allowed for the entry of some 72 ships carrying over 1.3 million tons of commercial fuel imports into Hudaydah port from November 2019 until April 2020.

Since the suspension of the temporary arrangements, Mr. Griffiths has been engaging with the parties to find an urgent solution for the import of fuel and use of associated revenues for payment of salaries, making several attempts to convene the parties to discuss the terms of a disbursement mechanism.

"However, to the Office's regret, this meeting has not yet materialized. The Office renews its invitation to the Parties to convene this meeting as soon as possible."

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To mark this week's historic trial of the 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical weekly on Tuesday said it was republishing the divisive cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed that made it a target by Islamist gunmen.

All this, for that, the front cover reads in bold print above and below the reprinted cartoons, which were first published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in 2005.

We will never go to bed. We'll never give up," Charlie Hebdo's managing editor Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau says in the latest issue, which is already available to buy online but will not be sold in newsstands until noon on Wednesday.

Riss lost the use of his right arm in the 7 January attack, but survived by pretending to be dead.

"The hatred that struck us is still there and, since 2015, it has taken the time to mutate, to change its appearance to go unnoticed and quietly continue its ruthless crusade, he says.

The cartoons, which mock the Prophet Mohamed and are viewed as a provocation by many Muslims, prompted jihadist brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi to invade Charlie Hebdo's newsroom in Paris's 11th arrondissement, and massacre 12 people.

Several of France's most celebrated cartoonists were killed during the rampage, which set off the Je Suis Charlie slogan and logo that went viral, prompting millions take to the streets in defence of freedom of speech.

Although the perpetrators were killed in the wake of the shooting, 14 alleged accomplices of the attack  along with a subsequent attack on a Jewish supermarket  will go on trial on Wednesday.

We have often been asked to publish new Mohamed cartoons, but we have always refused. Not because it is forbidden, but because we needed a good reason, a reason that adds something to the debate, Charlie Hebdo's editors write in their latest edition.

The start of the trial, therefore, seems to us to be a good reason.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : For the first time since the India-China skirmishes began at Ladakh earlier this year, the Indian Army is dominating strategic locations on the south bank of Pangong Lake, even as China enhanced deployment of troops close to the Thakung base in Indian territory and tried to change the status quo.

In a crucial gain, India has thwarted incursion attempts by the People's Liberation Army and thereafter got hold of mountain tops -- which are advantageous positions -- so that Chinese troops could not come further inside Indian territory.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) had made incursions in an attempt to change the status quo after increasing deployment in areas close to 'Black Top' and 'Helmet' areas at Line of Actual Control (LAC). Thereafter, China mobilised troops close to the Indian base at Thakung, which is in Indian territory.

Thwarting the Chinese designs, India got hold of Rechin La, which is about 2.5 kilometres to 3 kilometres from Rezang La on the LAC on the Indian side.

India has expressed concerns about Chinese mobilisation close to the Indian base at Thakung.

On Tuesday, China accused India of crossing the Line of Actual Control. However, India has denied these claims.

To resolve the issue, militaries of both the countries are now engaged in a dialogue. "Brigade commanders of both the countries have been meeting for three continuous days," said a senior government officer.

The Chinese embassy in India said Indian troops trespassed the LAC near the southern bank of the lake in an area called Rechin La.

India has said Rechin La is about 2.5 kilometres to 3 kilometres from Rezang La on LAC, on the Indian side and not on Chinese side.

A Chinese embassy spokesperson said, "On August 31st, Indian troops violated the consensus reached in previous multi-level engagements and negotiations between China and India, illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector of China-India border, and conducted flagrant provocations, which again stirred tension in the border areas." Countering the claim, a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said, "...on 31st August, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo." At Pangong Tso, China had already strengthened their positions between Finger-5 and 8. The PLA had refused to pull back eastwards from the 8-km stretch it occupied from Finger-4 to Finger-8 by building scores of new fortifications there since early May.

India has asked China to completely withdraw troops from Pangong Tso. But China refuses to budge.

The mountain spurs jutting into the lake are referred to as Fingers in military parlance.

Both the countries have been engaged in a four-month-long standoff at the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh. Despite several levels of dialogue, there hasn't been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues.
DOJ Fines Woman Over $3 Million for Attempts to Lobby Trump Admin Into Dropping 1MDB Probe

A Hawaiian woman will forfeit $3 million after she pleaded guilty on Aug. 31 to violating U.S. lobbying laws as part of an attempt by a foreign national effort to get the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Trump administration to drop an investigation into the elaborate One Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) money-laundering scandal, and to arrange on behalf of a Chinese government minister for the return of a Chinese dissident living in the United States.

Nickie Mali Lum Davis, 45, a consultant living in Honolulu, Hawaii, did not disclose to the federal government that the lobbying effort was done on behalf of fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low, who has been charged by the United States in a financial scandal that allegedly left $4.5 billion missing from Malaysias 1MDB state investment fund.

Under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, individuals who are enlisted by foreign entities to lobby the federal government are required to register that work with the DOJ. Davis on Monday pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting violation of the act, saying that she knew the government contacts she made would require registration but she willfully failed to register.

Davis admitted that in exchange for millions of dollars, she agreed to lobby the President of the United States and other high-level officials in the DOJ and Trump administration between March 2017 and January 2018 to drop civil forfeiture proceedings and the criminal probe into the matter.

The DOJ revealed that Daviss lobbying actions included efforts to arrange meetings for the Chinese minister with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and other high-level Trump administration officials during the ministers visit to the United States in May 2017.

The lobbying attempts have failed.

In 2018, former DOJ employee George Higginbotham also pleaded guilty for his role in assisting the foreign national to deceive U.S. banks about the source and purpose of millions of dollars sent from overseas to finance the lobbying campaign.

The Malaysian wealth fund was established more than a decade ago to accelerate the countrys economic development but prosecutors say that it was actually treated as a piggy bank by associates of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. Najib was sentenced July 28 in Malaysia to 12 years in prison for abuse of power and another 60 years on six counts of money laundering and breach of trust.

The Justice Department in 2018 charged Jho Low, who remains at large, in connection with the alleged money laundering and last year reached a civil settlement to recover more than $700 million in assets that officials say are traceable to the looted funds. Low denies any wrongdoing and did not admit any guilt or liability as part of the settlement.

Equanimity, the US$250 million luxury yacht that fugitive Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho allegedly bought with funds embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) on Aug. 8, 2018, in Selangor, Malaysia. (Ore Huiying/Getty Images)

Jynwel Capital Limited CEO Jho Low attends the 2014 Social Good Summit at 92Y on Sept. 21, 2014, in New York City. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

In exchange for millions of dollars, Nickie Davis and others covertly sought to do the bidding of a foreign government and a foreign principal by attempting to influence senior U.S. government officials regarding a pending Department of Justice investigation and the extradition of a foreign national, Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Departments Criminal Division said in a statement.

Though Ms. Daviss efforts were unsuccessful, this case demonstrates how foreign governments seek to advance their agendas in the United States by hiding behind politically influential proxies. Such conduct poses a serious threat to our national security and undermines the integrity of our democracy, Rabbitt continued.

The failure to disclose these relationships harms both the American people and government officials by preventing them from accounting for and evaluating the true source of and motivation for foreign lobbying efforts.

Daviss admission of guilt is part of a plea deal with the DOJ. She faces a prison sentence of up to five years and another $10,000 fine when she is sentenced in January.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Senator Micheal Carrigy is calling on students from across Longford to submit their entries for the 2021 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE), as the deadline for entries on Tuesday 22nd September nears. 7 schools entered last years competition in Longford.

For the first time in its long history, the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition will be delivered across a virtual platform from January 6th  8th. All 550 projects will be showcased online and the 1,100 participating students and members of the public will be able to enjoy the BTYSTE special acts, and Primary Science Fair from the comfort of their homes and schools this year.

The subjects of science and technology have never been more important and the BTYSTE is renowned for giving future innovators, leaders and change-makers a platform upon which to shine on a national and now an international level. The Exhibition offers students the chance to take home one of the most coveted awards for participants, the BTYSTE perpetual trophy and a substantial prize fund of 7,500. There are also 200 prizes to be won for individuals, groups, and teachers.

The competition is open to second level students in Ireland who are aged between 12 and 19 years on 31st October 2020. Submitting a project entry into the BTYSTE is now free.

To enter, an individual or group must submit a one-page proposal outlining their project idea. Entries can be made in any one of four categories: technology; social and behavioural science; biological and ecological science and chemical, physical and mathematical science.

Speaking in the run up to the deadline, Senator Micheal Carrigy commented: The BTYSTE helps foster a greater appreciation for scientific and technological innovation. The contest allows young people to not only showcase their projects on a national stage but also get the opportunity to learn more about their topic and make some new friends along the way. Events like the BTYSTE offer fantastic opportunities for students who enter  so I am encouraging students from Longford to look at the world around them and think of ideas to address a problem they find. Even if you think you cant enter, keep reminding yourself that you absolutely can.

Ireland is home to some of the brightest young minds across Europe and is a fantastic hub for innovation. It is events such as the BTYSTE that celebrate creativity, innovation and imagination and give students from across Ireland the exciting opportunity to share their talents in areas of science and technology to thousands of members of the public.

For more information on the BTYSTE and for details on how to enter, log onto www.btyoungscientist.com or follow BTYSTE on Twitter and Facebook.
NEW YORK: The United States on Monday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution on foreign militants fighting with groups like Islamic State because it did not address repatriation, an issue that has long pitted Washington against its European allies.

The other 14 council members voted in favor of the resolution drafted by Indonesia, isolating the United States.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, said the draft text aiming to reinforce international action on counterterrorism was worse than no resolution at all."

It fails to even include reference to the crucial first step  repatriation to countries of origin or nationality," she said. The United States will not participate in such a cynical and willfully oblivious farce."

The U.S. veto comes after Indonesia, council president for August, last week dismissed Washingtons attempt to trigger a return of all U.N. sanctions on Iran because 13 members had expressed their opposition to the move.

The United States wants foreign militants sent home and either prosecuted or rehabilitated there. European states, however, have been reluctant to try their nationals at home, citing difficulty in collecting evidence, concerns about a public backlash and the risk of fresh attacks on European soil.

Thousands of foreign militants from dozens of countries are being held by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria. The Kurdish-led forces also hold tens of thousands of Syrian and foreign women and children - family members of suspected militants - in squalid camps.

The draft resolution encouraged states to facilitate the return of the children to their countries of origin, as appropriate and on a case by case basis."

A spokesperson for Britains Foreign Office said: We regret the resolution was not adopted. We are working closely with international partners to reduce the risk posed to us collectively by foreign fighters."

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
BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Walker & Dunlop, Inc. announced today that it structured the financing for the McCall Warehouse Portfolio, a 143,060 square foot, multi-tenant industrial/flex warehouse portfolio located in Austin, Texas.

Walker & Dunlop's team, led by Senior Director Harvey Pava, leveraged its broad network of capital providers to secure a loan with LaSalle Investment Management on behalf of the property owner, PlaceMKR. The five tenants occupying the space are all local or regional businesses and have extended their leases for the next five years.

Mr. Pava commented, "Despite considerable volatility in the markets, we were able to secure the best debt terms available thanks to our long-term relationship with LaSalle. We were honored to facilitate this assignment for PlaceMKR in the face of significant logistical challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis." Mr. Pava continued, "The property sits in a high-demand location, and with Austin's strong job growth over the past year, industrial demand is expected to weather the current crisis."

"Walker & Dunlop did a superb job in delivering a high-quality institutional lender at the peak of the pandemic, that will allow us to crystallize the maturation of this path of progress portfolio investment," said Christopher Cortese, Principal at PlaceMKR.

The warehouse is comprised of seven units located on 14.7 acres in southeast Austin. The property is in close proximity to the recently announced 2,100-acre Tesla Cybertruck Gigafactory campus, which lies east of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Walker & Dunlop has one of the strongest industrial finance networks in the industry, with over 100 dedicated experts in the sector. In 2019, Walker & Dunlop completed 85 industrial property transactions, totaling over $914 million.

For information about Walker & Dunlop's view on the apartment market, including expert perspectives on markets, leadership, and the road ahead, visit our new Driven by Insight information center.

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the largest commercial real estate finance companies in the United States. The company provides a comprehensive range of capital solutions for all commercial real estate asset classes, as well as investment sales brokerage services to owners of multifamily properties. Walker & Dunlop is included on the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and was ranked as one of FORTUNE Magazine's Fastest Growing Companies in 2014, 2017, and 2018. Walker & Dunlop's 900+ professionals in 40 offices across the nation have an unyielding commitment to client satisfaction.

SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.walkerdunlop.com


I am not a writer of John Lennons notoriety, and I am not possessed of his voracity for sensationalism. However, I think it prudent to paint the picture of a man who wishes to cheat the system, evade justice and pull the wool over the eyes of his audience. He tried to get away with murder. In fact, he has never stopped trying to get away with it. Lennon went to trial, got a hung jury and lost his trial. He maintained his innocence for as long as the law would allow. Ultimately a jury of his peers found him guilty. He even considered appealing. I do not wish to be a moral judge. I do not wish to cast the proverbial first stone. I only wish to pose the question: Is John Lennon capable of remorse?
In the last four days, Rhea Chakraborty has been questioned for around 35 hours by the CBI

The CBI on Monday questioned actress Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik for more than eight hours in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, a police official said.

This was the fourth straight day of questioning of Rhea Chakraborty (28), accused of abetting the suicide of Rajput (34), who was found hanging in his flat in suburban Bandra on 14 June.

The actress and her brother were questioned at the DRDO guest house in suburban Kalina where the probe team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is stationed.

According to the official, from the DRDO guest house, she left for her residence in suburban Santacruz in the evening but could not enter the premises due to the presence of a large number of media persons outside the building.

She did not step out of the car and directly reached the Santacruz police station to lodge a complaint, he said.

It was the second complaint lodged by Rhea Chakraborty against media persons.

Around half-a-dozen police officials then reached her building and facilitated her entry, he said.

Earlier, the actress along with her brother Showik Chakraborty reached the guest house around 11 am and left from there at about 7.30 pm.

Her brother is being questioned by the CBI since last Thursday.

In the last four days, Rhea Chakraborty has been questioned for around 35 hours.

Rajput friend Samuel Miranda and domestic help Keshav were also seen reaching the guest house in the morning.

The late actor's former manager Shruti Modi was also called by the CBI and she reached along with her lawyer.

Four women constables from the Vakola Police Station were present during the interrogation of Rhea Chakraborty, the official said.

Rajput was found hanging in his apartment following which the Mumbai Police had registered a case of accidental death.

The late filmstar's father subsequently filed a police complaint in Patna, accusing Rhea Chakraborty and her family of abetting Rajputs suicide and misappropriating his money.

The Supreme Court last week upheld the transfer of the FIR, lodged by Rajput's father in Patna against the actress and others, to the CBI.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to issue an order temporarily halting residential evictions until Dec. 31 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the White House announced on Tuesday.

Why it matters: One estimate last month found that 23 million Americans are at risk of eviction. The CDC's order marks another example of the administration circumventing Congress, where coronavirus stimulus talks have stalled, to deal with the economic impact of the pandemic.

How it works: In order to get assistance, renters earning less than $99,000 per year must report they are unable to pay their rent or are likely to become homeless if evicted, White House officials said.

They must also show that they tried to obtain all government assistance currently available for rent or housing and that they are unable to make payments due to loss of household income, a layoff or extraordinary out-of-pocket medical expenses.

Between the lines: It's unclear how effective the moratorium will be without any extra funding behind the plan.

Experts say that failing to compensate landlords who are no longer receiving rent payments could cause a "massive destabilizing effect" in housing markets, according to CNBC.

The action may face legal challenges from landlords who have seen rental income decrease from the pandemic, according to Bloomberg.

What they're saying: President Trump is committed to helping hardworking Americans stay in their homes and combating the spread of the coronavirus, White House spokesperson Brian Morgenstern said.
The FIA is investigating the way in which George Russell's car struck a flying wheel at high speed during the Belgian GP.

In a highlight of the race at Spa, Russell struck the bouncing wheel of Antonio Giovinazzi's Alfa Romeo after the Italian driver crashed.

"It was bad luck that I hit it, but it could easily have hit a marshal or someone in the crowd, if there had been a crowd," Williams' Russell told RTL.

"You learn from every accident and we clearly have to make improvements here."

However, strict regulations already exist that tie the wheels to the chassis with Kevlar tethers in the event of heavy crashes.

F1 race director Michael Masi admits the way Giovinazzi's came loose is a "concern".

"I can't say with 100 percent certainty what went wrong. It's too early to draw conclusions so soon after an incident like that," he said.

"We will look at all the data very carefully," Masi added.

(GMM)
At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Phil Murphy was asked by Tucker Carlson of Fox News about whether the powers he had awarded himself under a state of emergency might conflict with the Bill of Rights.

Thats above my pay grade, Murphy famously replied.

Well, its not above Steve Sweeneys pay grade.

Recently I asked the Senate President about Murphys penchant for continually renewing that state of emergency after it expires every 30 days.

We have to have conversations about that, Sweeney replied. You cant just continue to govern by state of emergency.

At the moment Murphy can. Last week he extended the state of emergency by another 30 days.

When will it end? Murphys critics on this issue werent comforted by a statement he made on the topic last week.

Even though the numbers of lives lost continues, thank God, to decline, we are still losing lives to this virus, Murphy said. We cannot give up until that number hits zero and stays there.

One of Murphys Republican critics said that statement should trouble Murphys fellow Democrats. Steve Lonegan, the former Bogota mayor who gave Chris Christie a good run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2009, said that Murphy has strayed from his original goal of flattening the curve in new cases.

By saying his goal is zero cases, hes saying he can keep the state of emergency forever, said Lonegan.

Technically he can, at least though his re-election effort next year. The current statute permits a governor to declare a state of emergency with no input from the Legislature.

Lonegan, who now runs a restaurant in Hackensack, said the current state of affairs has left business owners at the mercy of the governors whims.

We saw one such whim on Monday. That was when Murphy finally declared that he would permit restaurants to open for indoor dining at 25 percent capacity beginning this Labor Day weekend.

But he had originally stated that he was going to make that change prior to the July 4 weekend. Lonegan said he and other restaurant owners took a big loss because they had stocked up on foods, many of them perishable.

The governors current concession is too little, too late, Lonegan said. Over the summer a restaurant could have made up for reduced indoor dining capacity with outdoor dining.

But as the weather gets bad, my business will fall off, he said.

His restaurant has seating for 72 outdoors but only 40 indoors under the 25 percent limit.

If you told any company their sales are gonna drop to 25 percent theyd close their doors, he said.

At his press briefing yesterday, Murphy said the limit on indoor dining might be raised at some point in the future. Yesterday he also ordered that theaters can reopen at 25 percent capacity.

So thats progress. But he gave no timeline for when he might decide to lift those limits.

Thats the reason that the Legislature has to rein in the governors powers, said another Republican critic, state Sen. Declan OScanlon.

Theres no consultation or input, the Monmouth County Republican said of the governor. We would much rather work collaboratively, but he and his brain trust have decided they didnt want to see collaborative input.

The remedy would be for the Legislature to pass a bill requiring the governor to seek legislative approval prior to extending a state of emergency, he said. That would restore the Legislatures role as a co-equal branch of government.

The state Legislature could easily pass it if the Democrats had the guts to step up and do their jobs, OScanlon said.

If Murphy were to veto such a bill, the Republicans would provide the votes to override the governor, he said.

Such a fight would be great fun to watch. But theres a bigger fight at the moment. By the end of this month the state must adopt a budget for the upcoming 2021 fiscal year.

Much as he might like to, Murphy cant pass a budget by executive order. The actual budget legislation has to be passed by both houses of the Legislature before its sent to him for his signature.

Sweeney and his fellow Democrats have a habit of taking Murphys budget proposal as little more than a starting point. They take delight in deleting some of the governors pet proposals before sending him a bill for his signature.

Their pay grade might be a bit lower than Murphys.

But I suspect that in the coming weeks they will show him whos boss.

ADD - MURPHYS LEADERSHIP? HE LED US TO THE HIGHEST DEATH RATE IN AMERICA

As someone who has followed this story from its bungled beginning, let me say I am appalled to see the governor constantly pat himself on the back for the great job hes doing.

Under his leadership, New Jersey has the highest death toll per capita in the nation. Internationally we have nearly three times the death toll of Sweden, which had no lockdown but relied on voluntary compliance.

The reason is that Murphy, along with New York Cov. Andrew Cuomo, ignored the pleas from the experts in the nursing home industry to keep Covid-positive patients out of nursing homes. Heres a column of mine in which I link to the expert evidence on the spread of Covid-19 among the elderly that Murphy ignored:

Not surprisingly, the hottest of the hot spots are in New Jersey and New York.

When I discussed this with the executive director of the Society, Christopher Laxton, he said that the governors of the two states made the common mistake of confusing long-term-care facilities with hospitals.

Compared to a hospital, its a very, very different picture, Laxton said. Nursing homes are not staffed the way hospitals are. There are about 15 residents to one nurse. Its one to one in an intensive care unit.

It was to free up hospital space that COVID-19-positive patients were sent to long-term care facilities. But the two states never even took advantage of the hospital space available on that ship the Comfort, which was a floating ICU, Laxton said.

That hospital ship was rushed up there, but they didnt even really need the ship, he said. After sitting idle, it sailed away.
The Central Crime Branch, which has questioned filmmaker and journalist Indrajit Lankesh over the allegations he made in connection with drug abuse in the Kannada film industry, said on Tuesday no material or evidence was given to corroborate the claims. Lankesh had deposed before the police and was questioned for about five hours in connection with the alleged drug activities in the Kannada film industry, popularly known as Sandalwood.

"Yesterday Indrajit Lankesh was called to CCB and his statement was taken, wherein he mentioned about some past incidents and also took few names.No material or evidence was given to corroborate what he said. We are inquiring into it," Bengaluru Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil said in a statement.

Patil added that the CCB will call Lankesh again and give him an opportunity to give any evidence or material if he has to support his statement. At the same time, the CCB would also do its own inquiry to collect evidence.

A day after deposing before the CCB and giving his statement, Lankesh on Tuesday claimed that at least 15 people in the Kannada film industry were involved in the drug business. "I have given (names of) around 15 people whom I know are into drug business.I shared those names with the police," Lankesh said.

Lankesh was questioned for nearly five hours by the Central Crime Branch on Monday for his statement that there were many people in the film industry who were into the drug business either as consumers or sellers. The filmmaker made the statement in the wake of the Narcotics Control Bureau busting a drug trafficking racket here and claimed some "prominent musicians and actors" in Karnataka were under its scanner.

Meanwhile, noted Kannada film star Sudeep told reporters he was not aware of the industry being in the grip of drug menace and appealed against its portrayal in a negative light based on isolated incidents. The actor, who delivered several hits, said he hardly stepped out of his house once film shooting was over.

"I don't have a large circle of friends, so I don't know anything about it," Sudeep, popularly known as Kichcha Sudeep, said after his visit to the Siddaganga Math in Tumakuru. The 46-year-old actor appealed to the people not to portray the entire film industry in negative light based on some isolated incidents as it was a vast field, which has been nurtured by legendary people.

Meanwhile, film actor and BJP leader Thara Anuradha submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa highlighting the drug menace taking students and the youth of the state into its grip. She claimed that stringent laws such as capital punishment alone can check the problem.
CHESTERBROOK, Pa., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Boomi, a Dell Technologies business and leading provider of cloud-based integration-as-a-service (iPaaS), and Solace, a leading provider of event streaming and management capabilities, today announced PubSub+ Connector for Boomi. Today's announcement further expands the partnership creating deeper integrations thereby creating a better, more seamless user experience for customers.

Digital transformation involves modernizing legacy applications and integrating hybrid architectures so organizations can operate in real-time and have the agility necessary to rapidly create new services and capabilities. Efforts are hampered by a lack of tools capable of enabling event-driven integration  the real-time movement of information triggered by events that can happen across a distributed enterprise and among application and IoT ecosystems that traverse various data centers and public clouds.

The connector will give customers of Boomi's AtomSphere Platform access to Solace's industry-leading event streaming technologies and to PubSub+ Event Portal , the market's first event management toolset to design, create, discover, catalog, share, visualize, secure and manage all enterprise events.

"Boomi and Solace have a long-standing common goal of ensuring the customer's user experience is first and foremost," said Ed Macosky, senior vice president of Product, Boomi. "With the new PubSub+ Connector for Boomi, Solace makes it easier for our iPaaS customers to apply their applications and information sources to innovative new use cases by linking them in an event-driven manner. Solace has a proven track record of helping enterprises of all shapes and sizes reap the rewards of event-driven architecture and we look forward to seeing how our joint customers will benefit."

The connector, available in the Boomi AtomSphere palette, will give users complete real-time visibility into their environments and make it easy for customers to create data streaming connections between applications integrated with Boomi and other cloud, on-premises, and IoT environments.

"Event-driven integration is becoming increasingly important to enterprises that want to enable real-time functionality while also simplifying their architecture, but no single vendor can support this pattern out-of-the-box," said David Menninger, senior vice president and research director, Ventana Research. "That's why it's so encouraging to see Boomi and Solace deepening the integration of their technologies."

To date, integration between AtomSphere and PubSub+ has been achievable with JMS connectors that do not support all use cases and haven't given customers access to the full capabilities and performance of PubSub+. As part of Solace and Boomi's strategic partnership, Solace PubSub+ Platform is now a preferred event streaming platform for enterprise deployments in the Boomi ecosystem.

Customers are already taking advantage of this partnership.

One of the world's largest consumer packaged goods companies used Boomi and Solace to upgrade their master data management system to enable faster, smarter execution of marketing strategies, better lifecycle management of products, and a more efficient supply chain. Solace PubSub+ event brokers consume master data changes, route them to relevant Boomi Atom(s) which process/transform them as needed, and then stream information from those Atoms to whatever applications need it, wherever they are running  in any cloud or on-premises environment.

"The new PubSub+ Connector for Boomi makes it easier for Boomi customers to get even more value out of their existing assets by enabling real-time event-driven communications across diverse cloud, on-premises, and IoT environments," said Edward Funnekotter, vice president of engineering, Solace. "By making Solace's publish/subscribe capabilities accessible within the Boomi user interface, the connector tightly integrates Solace's platform with Boomi's iPaaS."

"With the seamless integration between Solace and Boomi enabled by the new connector, enterprises are now able to leverage the full range of Solace PubSub+ capabilities to implement any event-driven use case with maximum flexibility and minimum development time. This partnership is poised to deliver significant value to customers, and it's just getting started," said Derek Weber, Slalom Consulting.

About Boomi

Boomi, a Dell Technologies business, instantly connects everyone to everything with our cloud-native, unified, open, and intelligent platform. Boomi's integration platform as a service (iPaaS) is trusted by more than 12,000 customers globally for its speed, ease-of-use, and lower total cost of ownership. As the pioneer at fueling intelligent use of data, Boomi's vision is to make it quick and easy for customers and partners to discover, manage, and orchestrate data, while you connect applications, processes, and people for better, faster outcomes.

For more information, visit http://www.boomi.com .

 2020 Boomi Inc. Dell, Dell Technologies, Boomi, the 'B' logo, Atom, AtomSphere, Molecule, and Dell Boomi are trademarks of Dell Inc., or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Other names or marks may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

About Solace

Solace helps large enterprises become modern and real-time by giving them everything they need to make their business operations and customer interactions event-driven. With PubSub+, the market's first and only event management platform, the company provides a comprehensive way to create, document, discover and stream events from where they are produced to where they need to be consumed  securely, reliably, quickly, and guaranteed. Behind Solace technology is the world's leading group of data movement experts, with nearly 20 years of experience helping global enterprises solve some of the most demanding challenges in a variety of industries  from capital markets, retail, and gaming to space, aviation, and automotive. Established enterprises such as SAP, Barclays and the Royal Bank of Canada, multinational automobile manufacturers such as Groupe Renault and Groupe PSA, and industry disruptors such as Jio use Solace's advanced event broker technologies to modernize legacy applications, deploy modern microservices, and build an event mesh to support their hybrid cloud, multi-cloud and IoT architectures. Learn more at solace.com.

Press Contacts for Solace:

Americas and EMEA

Dresden Leitner

[email protected]

APAC

Neil Mirano

[email protected]

+65 3157 5685

Boomi Contact:

Emma McCulloch

Boomi

415-420-7194

[email protected]

Special note:

Statements in this material that relate to future results, future hiring, and future events or investment are forward-looking statements and are based on Boomi's current expectations. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "confidence," "may," "plan," "potential," "should," "will" and "would," or similar expressions. Actual results, hiring, customer trends, and events in future periods may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements because of a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the challenge of finding and onboarding new personnel, marketplace trends, ongoing management attention to the market, the uncertainties associated with technology changes and the development and release of new technology. Boomi and Dell Technologies assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Boomi

Related Links

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The Michigan House of Representatives on Tuesday approved Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Stamas legislation to provide critical flood relief funding and implement President Trumps federal unemployment support.

This funding will help Michigan workers who remain unemployed due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting shutdowns and provide vital relief to struggling communities recovering from unimaginable flooding, said Stamas, R-Midland. I want to thank Rep. Annette Glenn for her leadership and hard work on this much-needed financial support to help our communities recover and rebuild following devastating flood damage in May.

I also want to thank the many people, organizations and businesses who have stepped up, and continue to step up, to help affected residents during this tough time.

Senate Bill 745 would provide $6 million to communities in the Gladwin and Midland areas for flood response efforts. It would provide matching funds for available cleanup grants, debris removal and emergency protective measures such as sheltering, evacuation and chemical contamination cleanup efforts.

It was overwhelming to see the tears of hardworking business owners who had dedicated their lives to serving families in our communities and of the many families whose homes were severely damaged or completely destroyed, said Glenn, R-Midland. Im incredibly humbled and honored to work with Sen. Stamas to represent and fight for the people most impacted by the flood. Were all in this together, and together, well recover and rebuild, stronger than before.

SB 745 would also appropriate $2.9 billion in federal funding for the federal Lost Wages Assistance Program, which was created by President Trump through an executive order last month and provides eligible claimants a $300 per week additional unemployment benefit.

Michigans application to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to participate in the LWA program was approved Aug. 21. According to the state Unemployment Insurance Agency, about 910,000 Michiganders will be eligible to receive the additional benefit.

Our economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown orders, Stamas said. As a result, thousands of Michigan residents remain out of work. Thanks to the presidents actions, we can use this vital federal funding to help families make ends meet during this crisis.

Additional funding in the bill includes $3 million for Detroit flood response and mitigation and $8 million for Michigans contribution to an Asian carp barrier at Brandon Road Lock in Illinois. The Asian carp funding was originally appropriated in Public Act 618 of 2018 and has awaited an agreement with Illinois.

SB 745 now heads to the Senate for final approval and to be sent to the governor.

 Processed by Ashley Schafer, Ashley.Schafer@hearstnp.com
The number of calvings in February on Irish dairy farms increased by almost 90pc in a decade, from 270,000 in 2010 to 510,000 in 2020.

That's according to Teagasc's George Ramsbottom, who in a recent paper in the Irish Veterinary Journal detailed how the rate of genetic improvement in dairy cow fertility is accelerating in the expanding national dairy herd.

He added that the combination of these two trends would change the nature of veterinary interventions required on Irish dairy farms in the coming years.

Ramsbottom noted that two significant factors contributed to the increased February calvings: firstly, a 50pc increase in the size of the national dairy herd and secondly, increased compactness of calving, from approximately 25pc of all calves born on Irish dairy farms in 2010 to an estimated 33pc in 2020.

"Undoubtedly, the improvement observed nationally in genetic merit for fertility is contributing substantially to the increased compactness of calving observed in the national dairy herd," he wrote.

He says the trend is creating workload challenges for farmers and vets, with periods of intense calving occurring in early spring.

"This is then being followed by a similarly intense period of calf rearing. Diseases such as coccidiosis or pneumonia can be especially challenging in such situations if they occur."

He also said problems associated with older cows such as lameness and incidence of milk fever may increase in the years ahead as cows remain in the herd for longer.

Ramsbottom also noted that cows with higher fertility tend to calve earlier in the calving season and this facilitates a longer interval between calving and breeding.

A further impact of increased fertility, according to Ramsbottom, is that the need for veterinary intervention to induce cyclicity will be reduced.




Indian scientists have observed a higher association between asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and viral load, or the amount of virus in an infected person's bodily fluid, in a study of over 200 patients with SARS-CoV-2 virus in Telangana, a 'surprise' finding that may better inform the policymakers about the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.

IMAGE: People wait in a queue at a pharmacy set up inside the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara to provide medicines to the needy at cheap rates, in New Delhi, on Monday. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

The researchers, including those from the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) in Hyderabad, advise testing asymptomatic primary and secondary contacts followed by surveillance.

"It is important to consider the possibility of infection from asymptomatic patients -- presumably harbouring good immunity -- spreading into individuals possessing not so robust immunity leading to increased morbidity and mortality," Murali Dharan Bashyam, from CDFD's Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, told PTI.

Reacting to the findings of the study, immunologist Satyajit Rath said he is quite surprised by the finding of higher viral loads in asymptomatic individuals.

"Other studies, as the authors note, report an association the other way round, if at all," Rath, from the National Institute of Immunology (NII) in New Delhi, told PTI.

The main goal of the yet-to-be peer reviewed study, published in the medRxiv pre-print repository, was to identify dominant viral lineages circulating among the population of Telangana, especially in Hyderabad.

The researchers noted that Telangana has seen an unusually high rate of infection with a sharp spike observed in the number of cases beginning from the second half of April, with 2,734 new cases and nine fatalities reported just on Tuesday, taking the caseload in the state to 1.27 lakh.

The study analysed whole genome sequence data of virus samples from 210 patients in and around Hyderabad, and determined the highly frequent mutations in the viral genome.

"We observed that a majority of the population under study (over 95 per cent) was infected with the 20B clade (or strain), while a few samples belonged to other clades and subclades," Bashyam told PTI.

"More importantly, 100 per cent of the virus from period May to July belongs to the 20B clade," he said.

The scientist noted that while initial entry of the virus in the state came from 2-3 different viral clades, 20B was able to establish itself as the majority strain starting from May.

"We also observed a very high predominance of D614G spike protein mutation, which now has been shown to be associated with higher infection rates of the virus," Bashyam noted.

The researchers were also able to identify a few unique mutations not identified from other studies in India, in a functionally critical region of the non-structural protein 3 (nsp3) of the virus, which is responsible for replication of the viral genome.

According to the scientists, the samples collected from late May till July represented a higher proportion of asymptomatic cases when compared to samples collected earlier.

A majority of the samples belonged to the age group between 15-62 years, with males (61 per cent) dominating the profile distribution over females (39 per cent), they said.

The scientists compared the distribution of cases with respect to cycle threshold (Ct) values, which is a proxy for viral load.

Symptomatic cases appeared to be associated with higher Ct values, thus lower viral load, compared to asymptomatic ones, which was unexpected, the study found.

In a real time PCR test, a positive reaction is detected by accumulation of a fluorescent signal, and the Ct value is the number of cycles required for the fluorescent signal to cross the threshold or exceed the background level.

There was a reduction in the Ct values in samples analysed near the end of June, implying that more recent samples seemed to carry a higher viral load than earlier samples, according to the scientists.

"We have observed a relatively higher association between asymptomatic cases and viral load. However, this association is greatly dependent on multiple factors including the sample demography as well as overall immune health of the patient during sample collection," Bashyam said.

He noted that the data pertains to samples collected up to July first week, adding that it will be interesting to check whether the trend continued in August-September.

"Viral transmission is based on several factors but based on our results, it is now important to initiate studies on possible transmission of virus from asymptomatic patients," Bashyam noted.

He said another interesting finding of the study was that most samples belonged to the age group of 20-50 years, and one would expect this age group to have robust immunity.

Bashyam noted scientists and clinicians all over the world are learning continuously and advising respective governments based on which they can take informed public health decisions.

"In this context, it is important to continue work similar to the one we have performed so that the state government can be better informed about the spread of the infection," said Bashyam.

"We will definitely advise testing asymptomatic primary and secondary contacts followed by surveillance," he said.

Given the wide range of genetic heterogeneity in the Indian population, the scientists said it is difficult to extrapolate the findings to other Indian states.

"All it tells us for public policy regarding COVID-19, I think, is what we already should know, namely, that all infections have some potential for transmission," Rath added.
"In these uncertain times, we can't forget about the kids in our community who are facing difficult diagnoses and need our support now more than ever," said Jennifer Soderholm, chief development officer and president of the Children's Minnesota Foundation. "Children's Minnesota cares for more kids with cancer and blood disorders than any other program in the region. We are committed to providing the best treatment plans for our kids along with so many other services that are essential to supporting families during their cancer journeys. This wouldn't be possible without our generous business partners and individual supporters."

By shopping at one of more than 30 participating businesses or donating directly to Children's Minnesota, the public is invited to support local kids fighting cancer. Funds go to the Cancer Kids Fund, which allows patient families to access wrap around services that make a difference. This includes ensuring specialists like nutritionists, psychologists and care coordinators are part of each child's medical team. Donations also help alleviate some financial burden off of families by covering expenses like meals and parking as well as providing overnight accommodations to families traveling from out of town.

The Shine Bright for Cancer Kids campaign includes generous contributions from Alliant Engineering, Inc., Conifer Health Solutions, MN Brands for Good, Thrifty White Pharmacy, Apple Pick'n Days and many more generous partners. For more information about the campaign, to make an online donation or to join as a partnering business, please visit: childrensmn.org/shinebrightforkids.

About Children's Minnesota

Children's Minnesota is the seventh largest pediatric health system in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children's Minnesota serves kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, 12 primary and specialty care clinics and six rehabilitation sites. Children's Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children's hospital.

Find us on Facebook @childrensminnesota or on Twitter and Instagram @childrensmn. Please visit childrensMN.org.

SOURCE Children's Minnesota

Related Links

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(Newser)  They may live near Silicon Valley, but two children were forced to sit outside a Taco Bell in order to log on to their school's distance learning, so they could use the restaurant's free WiFiand now more than $118,000 has been raised for them. "A lot of us dont have to worry about having a proper WiFi connection or a quiet place to work from home," writes the person who posted an image of the girls on Instagram. "Every student from preschool through college should have free access to reliable WiFi especially now." It went viral, and a GoFundMe campaign was set up. The poster also updated later to say the school district had identified the girls and given them internet hotspots.

story continues below

"This is California, home to Silicon Valley...but where the digital divide is as deep as ever," the president pro tempore of the California Senate tweeted. "Where 40% of all Latinos don't have internet access. This generation deserves better." "Juana is a single mom to three smart and outgoing little girls," explains the GoFundMe organizer, who tracked the family down after seeing the photo. "She is an essential worker that works in the fields picking berries. She is a dedicated mother that works hard to provide for them. On her days off from work she sells flowers on the side of the road. When field work is off-season she walks around Salinas selling ice-cream, snacks and candy. She doesnt take a day off because that is a day she could be making a few dollars to provide for her girls." The family was about to be evicted from the single room they all shared when the campaign started. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
Earths water may have come from materials that were present in the inner solar system at the time the planet formed -- instead of far-reaching comets or asteroids delivering such water, according to a study.

Researchers, including those from the Universite de Lorraine in France, determined that a type of meteorite called enstatite chondrite contains sufficient hydrogen to deliver at least three times the amount of water contained in the Earths oceans.

The scientists noted that enstatite chondrites are entirely composed of material from the inner solar system -- essentially the same stuff that made up the Earth originally.

Our discovery shows that the Earths building blocks might have significantly contributed to the Earths water, said Laurette Piani, lead author of the study published in the journal Science.

Hydrogen-bearing material was present in the inner solar system at the time of the rocky planet formation, even though the temperatures were too high for water to condense, Piani said.

The findings are surprising because the Earths building blocks are often presumed to be dry, the researchers said.

These blocks come from inner zones of the solar system where temperatures would have been too high for water to condense and come together with other solids during planet formation, they said.

The meteorites provide a clue that water didnt have to come from far away, according to the researchers.

The most interesting part of the discovery for me is that enstatite chondrites, which were believed to be almost dry, contain an unexpectedly high abundance of water, said Lionel Vacher, a postdoctoral researcher at Washington University in the US.

Vacher prepared some of the enstatite chondrites in this study for water analysis while he was completing his PhD at Universite de Lorraine.

Enstatite chondrites are rare, making up only about 2 per cent of known meteorites in collections, the researchers said.

However, their isotopic similarity to Earth make them particularly compelling, they said.

According to the researchers, enstatite chondrites have similar oxygen, titanium and calcium isotopes as Earth, and their study showed that their hydrogen and nitrogen isotopes are similar to Earths, too.

(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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China-U.S. divergences not about power contest: Chinese FM

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 14:44, August 31, 2020

PARIS, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The divergences between China and the United States are not about power, status or social system, but about the choices of multilateralism or unilateralism, win-win cooperation or a zero-sum game, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Sunday.

Wang made the remarks when responding to a question by Thierry de Montbrial, president of French Institute of International Relations, about how to avoid the so-called "new Cold War" between China and the United States.

China's position is very clear, which is that all countries are equal members of the international community and enjoy the right to their own development, Wang said.

"We congratulate the United States on its pioneered development. But China also has the right to development and the Chinese people have the right to live a happy life. Our brothers and sisters in other emerging economies and developing countries, including Africa, feel the same way. It is a very legitimate claim and very reasonable one," Wang said.

The top Chinese diplomat noted that China has always believed and maintained that the world is moving towards multi-polarity and that international relations also need democratization.

A healthy and stable world should not be dictated by just one or two countries. The sovereign equality of states is a fundamental principle of the Charter of the United Nations. As a world power, the United States should adopt an inclusive attitude towards the development of other countries and realize that the people of other countries have the same right to a better life as the American people, he said.

"If all the seven billion people in the world can move towards modernization, it will be a huge step forward for the human society as a whole," he noted.

Wang added that the United States may be reluctant to give up its global dominance, but the tide of history is inexorable. "We firmly believe that the day of common development of mankind will come. China never wants a 'new Cold War' with anyone, and in the era of globalization, there is no room for a 'Cold War' as it is impossible to divide the world into two or three factions."

Countries have become so interconnected as a community of shared interests that the future should see the world working together to build a community of shared future for mankind, as has been proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On China-U.S. relations, Wang shared three basic ideas. First of all, the divergences or competition between the two countries are over the choices of multilateralism or unilateralism, win-win cooperation or a zero-sum game. "That's the nature of the current problems facing China-U.S. relations. It's clear to the world that the United States is on the wrong side of history," he said.

Second, it seems that today's U.S. diplomacy has been reduced to unilateral sanctions and smear attacks. In the face of the groundless accusations against China by the U.S. side, China must make the facts clear with necessary responses. As a sovereign nation, China has the right to do so, said Wang.

"We are not only safeguarding China's national interests and dignity, but also upholding the basic norms governing international relations," he pointed out.

Third, the door for China-U.S. dialogue is wide open. China is ready for candid and in-depth exchange of views with the U.S. side on issues of common concern, said the minister.

"We believe that there are still people in the United States who are willing to be reasonable and that the two sides can reach consensus," Wang said, adding that China also welcomes the constructive role that European countries, including France, can play in soothing China-U.S. relations, and is glad to see Europe adhere to strategic independence and provide stability for this uncertain world.

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When the coronavirus hit the United States, Patricia Edwards' resolve to help patients became stronger than ever.

An intensive care unit nurse for three decades, she had worked the overnight shift her entire career, taking care of the sickest patients in the hospital during the most trying hours of the night. The Greenville, South Carolina, resident knew she was needed in the fight against the pandemic.

But what Edwards, 62, did not know was that the coronavirus would eventually infect her own household, killing her and her mother in the span of a week.

Rosa Lee Hellams, 96, left, died of COVID-19 one week after her daughter, Patricia Edwards, 62, an ICU nurse, did. (Courtesy Edwards family)

Edwards is one of more than 670 front-line health care workers who have died from the coronavirus, and her Aug. 19 death has devastated her community, Sherie Gamble, 45, her oldest daughter, said. Since Edwards died, her son and her four daughters have been overwhelmed with calls and online tributes from colleagues, neighbors, friends and relatives of former patients whose lives she touched  inspiring Gamble to create a scholarship in her mother's name.

"My mom was everything to everybody," Gamble said. "We knew how much she was loved, but we didnt know to this magnitude."

The Patricia "Nurse Pat" Edwards Nursing Scholarship will go to college juniors and seniors pursuing a nursing degree. Its goal is to bring more nurses into the field who embody Edwards' caring nature, Gamble said.

"Nobody was a nurse like Mama," Gamble said. "She was an old-school nurse, as you would say. She still gave sponge baths to her patients. She cared like no other nurse would care."

Her patients and their families appreciated her tenderness: Over the years, Edwards received many cakes and other goodies as thank you gifts, Gamble said. And Edwards made sure each patient felt they were in good hands. Gamble still remembers the deep connection Edwards formed with an older patient a couple of decades ago who had been visiting from out of town when he fell gravely ill; because he had no family in the area, Edwards took on the role of surrogate relative in addition to nurse for the couple of weeks that he spent in her intensive care unit.

Story continues

"She took care of him in a way a daughter would."

"She took care of him in a way a daughter would," Gamble said. The man recovered and his family was so appreciative to Edwards that they kept in touch with her. Edwards later had them all over for a barbecue at her house with her children.

Despite years of working the third shift  7 p.m. to 7 a.m.  Edwards always made time for her family. When another daughter, Emily Holloway, was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2018, Edwards regularly made the 100-mile drive to Charlotte, North Carolina, to go with her to every chemotherapy treatment. She would stay through the weekend, cooking enough meals for Holloway and her children to have during the week.

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"She was there every step of the way," Holloway, 43, who has been in remission for just over a year, said.

Patricia Edwards, second from left, celebrates her daughter Emily Holloway's final chemotherapy treatment with family, including another daughter, Sherie Gamble, far right. (Courtesy Edwards family)

Edwards' mother, Rosa Lee Finch Hellams, a sprightly and sharp 96-year-old, died of the coronavirus in a different hospital Aug. 26, a day after the family buried Edwards. Hellams lived with Edwards, Gamble and Gamble's son, and greeted everyone who came in the door from her favorite seat in the living room, Holloway said.

"I think its unfortunate that they both passed together at the same time, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason, because my mom, just as she cared for the community, she cared for her mom," Holloway, a strategic account specialist working in telecommunications, said.

Edwards' family is not sure where she caught the coronavirus. She was diagnosed with it Aug. 7 and was rushed to the hospital two days later with a high fever and plummeting oxygen levels.

It was at Edwards' intensive care unit at Bon Secours St. Francis - Greenville, where she had worked for the past 14 years, that she died. The staff members who tended to her in her final days were her colleagues.

"They were grieving with us," Gamble said. "They were extraordinary with her because it was one of their own, and they knew the nurse that she was."

Born in Chicago on April 4, 1958, Patricia Lucille Hellams Edwards received her nursing degree from Greenville Technical College while raising her children. She spent 25 years at the Greenville Memorial Hospital System and two years as a traveling nurse before she started working for Bon Secours St. Francis - Greenville. In addition to her children, she is survived by 13 grandchildren and a set of triplets who are her godchildren.

In a statement to NBC News, Bon Secours St. Francis - Greenville extended its sympathy to Edwards' family and friends.

"We pray that they feel surrounded by love and support at this time and always," the hospital said.

"I want this scholarship to help those who are going to go above and beyond with patient care."

Gamble plans to hold an outdoor candlelight vigil for her mother. In the meantime, she is ironing out the details of the scholarship she created Aug. 27 in her mother's name  something she believes she was called to do, especially as she has struggled to find a new profession after getting laid off from a software company a couple of years ago. The scholarship had only raised about $700 as of early Tuesday afternoon, but donors have pledged to give more.

"I've been trying to find my purpose, and I may have found it," Gamble said. "Carrying on my moms legacy."

"She was a go-beyond nurse," she added. "I want this scholarship to help those who are going to go above and beyond with patient care."
One company, however, has been able to get their own flying vehicle off the ground, complete with a pilot on board manning the controls.

While there have been working prototypes of flying cars before, most have been remote-controlled examples, meaning no one was sitting at the driver's seat (or cockpit?) to maneuver the flying vehicle. Just last year, Japanese tech company NEC was able to successfully test a flying vehicle , albeit remote controlled.

That company is SkyDrive, Inc., a Japanese developer of urban air mobility solutions. Last August 25, SkyDrive held the first public demonstration of their SD-03 single-seat flying car in Japan. The maiden flight took place at the 10,000 square meter Toyota Test Field where the company is based.

The SD-30 flew for a good 4 minutes on its first-ever flight. While there was a pilot behind the controls, the company did make sure that a computer-assisted control system helped ensure the flying car remained stable mid-flight. Also, the technical staff was present as well in order to monitor flight conditions at all times.

We are extremely excited to have achieved Japans first-ever manned flight of a flying car in the two years since we founded SkyDrive in 2018 with the goal of commercializing such aircraft. We aim to take our social experiment to the next level in 2023 and to that end we will be accelerating our technological development and our business development, said Tomohiro Fukuzawa, CEO of SkyDrive Inc.

The SD-03 was designed to be the smallest electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) model as a new means of transportation for the near future. It measures four meters long, four meters wide, and two meters tall. By its size alone, SkyDrive claims it will take up parking space as two cars. This will allow the SD-03 to park almost anywhere much like a typical road-going vehicle. The eVTOL also has white lights at the front, and red-light running around the bottom of the body  much like a car's headlight and taillight design.

As to what powers this flying vehicle, the SD-03 comes with four electric motors that drive a set of rotors. Each one houses counter-rotating propellers, each driven by its own motor. In total, the flying vehicle has eight rotors which SkyDrive says means that it will ensure vehicle safety in emergency situations during flight, and address compliance standards for future regulatory concerns.

We want to realize a society where flying cars are an accessible and convenient means of transportation in the skies and people are able to experience a safe, secure, and comfortable new way of life, added Fukuzawa.

With SkyDrive successfully demonstrating the flying cars are a possible means of future transportation, could this mean we'll be seeing more cars take to the skies? Well, other companies are also busy developing (or delving) into the flying car market.

Aside from NEC and SkyDrive Inc., Hyundai and Porsche are already busy trying to get their own flying car projects off the ground soon. Just last year, Hyundai hired a former Bell helicopter executive to help them with their project while Porsche partnered with Boeing. Clearly, it looks like the urban air mobility market will become a big thing in the not so distant future.

The only question now is, would you also need a pilot's license to drive (or fly) one of these things soon, especially with SkyDrive looking to have their flying vehicles ready for customers by 2023.

Doc Brown, eat your heart out.
Anti-coronavirus lockdowns slammed activity and dragged Latin Americas largest economy back to the size it was in 2009.

Brazils economy has shrunk in the second quarter by the most on record as anti-coronavirus lockdown measures slammed activity in almost every sector, dragging Latin Americas largest economy back to the size it was in 2009.

The pandemic triggered a 9.7 percent fall in gross domestic product (GDP) from the prior quarter, government statistics agency IBGE said on Tuesday, and an 11.4 percent decline compared with the same period last year.

The magnitude of the slump in activity across the economy in the second quarter was huge: Industry fell 12.3 percent, services 9.7 percent, fixed investment 15.4 percent, household consumption 12.5 percent and government spending 8.8 percent.

Household consumption, which accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity in Brazil, was a particularly heavy drag, IBGE said.

Only agriculture expanded in the quarter, by 0.4 percent.

Brazils economy is now 15 percent smaller than it was at its peak in 2014.

Carlos Kawall, director at ASA Bank and a former treasury secretary, said Brazils economy is unlikely to grow back to where it was last year until 2023.

Its a horrible period for the economy. From the standpoint of the economy, social implications, and unemployment, it has been a disaster, he said, adding that he is revising down his 2021 growth forecast to 2.1 percent from 2.7 percent due to uncertainty about the labour market and consumption outlook.

It's a horrible period for the economy. Carlos Kawall, director at ASA Bank and a former treasury secretary

The economy ministry was more upbeat, noting that many of Brazils emerging market peers posted larger GDP contractions in the second quarter and that the outlook for this year has been brightening in recent weeks.

High-frequency indicators show that activity continues to recover. However, for the rebound to be consistent, it is important to continue the structural reform and fiscal consolidation agenda, it said in a statement.

Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said the Q2 figures were a distant sound, the sound of the pandemics impact back then, and that the economy has begun a V-shaped recovery.

But economists at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup cut their 2020 GDP forecasts to -5.4 percent from -5 percent and to -6.5 percent from -6 percent respectively.

The governments current forecast is for a 4.7 percent contraction in GDP this year, which would still be the largest annual fall since records began in 1900. The average forecast in a weekly central bank survey of economists is for a 5.3 percent decline.

The downturn in the April to June period was steeper than economists had expected. The median estimates in a Reuters poll of economists were for a 9.4 percent fall on the quarter and an annual decline of 10.7 percent.

The value of Brazils GDP at current prices was 1.65 trillion reais ($306bn) in the second quarter, IBGE said.

IBGE also revised the January to March figures to a 2.5 percent fall in GDP from the initial estimate of a 1.5 percent decline.
SHOTLIST KARACHI, SINDH, PAKISTANAUGUST 31, 2020SOURCE: AFPTV 1. Wide shot rain and sewage water logged into the streets of the upscale Defence housing area Karachi2. Mid shot people walk through floodwaters3. Mid shot car traveling through floodwaters4. Mid shot protester chanting slogan5. Mid shot car traveling through floodwaters6. Mid shot shop pumping out rainwater using pumping machine7. Mid shot People distributing drinking water8. Mid shot rain and sewage water front of shops 9. SOUNDBITE 1 - Lubna Salman, protester (female, Urdu, 23 sec): "In our home the water gushed in to the level of 11 feet, meaning that it touched our ceilings. We were scared, it was like a scene from the Titanic movie. It should not be like this, for God sake, it is not the will of Allah. If He wanted to destroy us He could have finished us all off quickly. This is all because of errant planning. The country can only progress with effective planning." 10. Wide shot rain and sewage water logged into the streets of the upscale Defence housing area11. Mid shot Rain and sewage water logged into the streets of the upscale Defence housing area12. Mid shot family walking through floodwaters13. Wide shot people walk through floodwaters ///-----------------------------------------------------------AFP TEXT STORY: Angry residents begin clean up in Karachi as rains lash South Asia =(Picture)= Karachi, Aug 31, 2020 (AFP) - Karachi residents began cleaning ruined homes and businesses Monday after catastrophic flooding sent rivers of filthy water cascading through Pakistan's largest city, while deadly monsoon weather continued to lash communities across South Asia.Successive days of storms have exposed the longstanding failures of Karachi's neglected and overwhelmed drainage system, and residents used a welcome break in the rain to vent their fury at what they see as gross mismanagement of municipal resources."Everything got ruined in my basement, with about three metres of water inside. The water is a mix of rain and sewage water. It is the fifth day and we are suffering horribly," housewife Lubna Salman, who lives in an upscale Karachi neighbourhood managed by the military, told AFP.Salman and other angry residents gathered outside local authority buildings to blast officials for failing to fix drainage problems in the city of 20 million people.Municipal and military managers were "grossly incompetent" for neglecting the city's sewerage system, Salman said.Authorities did not immediately comment.Karachi last week saw a record 230mm (nine inches) of rain, compared to the average of 130mm for the time of year, according to the city's meteorological service.Videos and images on social media regularly show builders dumping rubble into drainage canals, while shoddy new buildings are erected with scant regard for their effect on maxed-out sewer lines.With a population of only 500,000 in 1947, Karachi has seen its population mushroom "without investing in invisible infrastructure (pipes and sewerage) for more than 30 years," Karachi-based urban planning professor Nauman Ahmed said.During a single day last week, 18 Karachi residents died from flood-related incidents. The water was so deep in places that children were seen swimming in the streets.More than 100 Pakistanis died in August because of the monsoon, which has also destroyed more than 1,000 homes. Rains and flooding have also swept India in recent days, killing scores of people. In the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, at least 10 people died in rain-related incidents over the weekend, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.The Indian air force helped evacuate stranded villagers Sunday, with images showing families being winched up in the badly affected Chindwara district.Rescue workers and the army have evacuated more than 10,000 people in the state so far.The monsoon, which usually lasts from June to September, is essential for irrigating crops and replenishing water supplies across the Indian subcontinent, home to one-fifth of the world's population.bur-wat/ds/tom -------------------------------------------------------------
Representative image

The Indian Army has significantly strengthened its presence on a number of "strategic heights" and enhanced deployment of troops and weapons at key points around the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh following an unsuccessful attempt by the Chinese PLA to unilaterally change the status quo in the area, authoritative sources said on August 31. The Army has also further bolstered overall surveillance mechanisms in all areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh after foiling China's fresh attempt to occupy an area on the southern bank of Pangong lake, they said.

Earlier in the day, Army Spokesperson Col Aman Anand said the Chinese military carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.

Top military and security brass has already reviewed the entire situation in eastern Ladakh. Separately, Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane held a meeting with top military officials over the fresh confrontation, the sources said.

"The Army has occupied strategic heights and strengthened deployment of troops and weapons in all key points on the southern bank of the Pangong lake area," said a source, adding the fresh deployment will provide India greater advantage in the region.

India has also deployed troops from special operations battalions in the area, it said.

The sources said a sizeable number of Chinese troops were moving towards the southern bank of Pangong lake in an attempt to occupy the area but the Indian Army quickly made a significant deployment to foil the attempt.

They said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also been told to enhance its surveillance on increasing Chinese air activities along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

There have been reports that China has deployed J-20 long-range fighter jets and several other key assets in strategically located Hotan airbase which is around 310 kms from eastern Ladakh.

In the last three 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 Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC.

The IAF carried out night time combat air patrols over the eastern Ladakh 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.

The fresh attempt by China to change the status quo in the Pangong lake area is the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

China also suffered casualties but is yet to make the details public. According to an American intelligence report, it was 35.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.

The two sides began a process of disengagement on July 6, a day after a telephonic conversation between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in eastern Ladakh. However, the process has not moved forward since mid-July.

The PLA has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas.

At the five rounds of Corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April.

The face-off began on May 5 following violent clashes between the two armies in the Pangong lake area. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in North Sikkim on May 9.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control).

Prior to the clashes, both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas.
OTTAWACanada is well-placed to get priority access to the first COVID vaccines because it has enough money and wants to help poorer countries get the treatments, says the federal procurement minister.

Much like the earlier global scramble for medical equipment to fight COVID-19, Canada is now locked in a contest with other countries to get to the front of the line when a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine is ready to go, Liberal minister and Oakville MP Anita Anand told the Star in an interview Tuesday.

And while Canada is up against larger rivals like the United States and the European Union, Anand insisted Canada has the heft it needs in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies and other entities from around the world that are engaged in the global race for a vaccine.

Dont underestimate the strength of Canada, and the fiscal firepower of Canada, and the reputation of Canada in the contracting process, Anand said.

And the proof is in the pudding, she added. We have four agreements in place, with more to be announced in the short term.

The federal government announced Monday that it had inked two new deals with American companies Novavax and Johnson & Johnson to acquire 114 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines theyre working on. The government has also negotiated orders with U.S. pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna for another 76 million doses of their vaccines.

All are part of a multibillion dollar American program called Operation Warp Speed, which U.S. President Donald Trump has said could lead to a COVID vaccine before the end of 2020.

But Anand said Canada isnt only negotiating with companies seeking profits for their vaccines; some developers also want to ensure people around the world have fair access. For example, AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish company with which Anand said Canada is having discussions, has called for broad and equitable access to the vaccine that the British-Swedish company is developing with researchers at Oxford University.

This gives Canada another advantage in procurement negotiations, because the country has committed to helping poorer countries access vaccines when they are available, Anand said. Canada, for instance, is part of the World Health Organizations COVAX initiative designed to recruit wealthier states to finance vaccines for poorer countries.

There are suppliers and developers that are very forward looking and globally oriented, and they are some of the parties with whom we are dealing. And so the negotiating position that Canada has is built on its  and our  willingness to think about developing countries, she said.

Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases physician and scientist with the University Health Network in Toronto, said Canada has done well securing four deals with different companies so far, given that the country doesnt have the buying power of places like the U.S. with its more-than 320 million people.

Were covering our bases, he said, explaining how there are no guarantees any single developer will succeed with the vaccine theyre working on.

That diversity of companies that Canada has arrangements with is extraordinarily helpful, he said.

In the early weeks of the pandemic, countries around the world were scrambling to acquire scarce personal protective equipment and medical gear like masks and mechanical ventilators. Anand led Canadas push to buy up as much equipment as possible on the international market, much of it from China, while the government retooled its industrial policies to encourage Canadian companies to start making needed gear here.

Anand said Tuesday that a similar strategy is being taken with vaccines: Canada is trying to lock in as many contracts as possible while it ramps up domestic capacity to produce doses when treatments are ready. Ottawa has already earmarked $600 million for COVID-related vaccine and therapy development in Canada.

We realize how important it is for Canadians to be able to return to their lives prior to the pandemic, she said. This puzzle of ensuring that Canadians can do so may largely be solved with the development of a vaccine or vaccines. And that motivates our team every day.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Top three passenger vehicle makers - Maruti, Hyundai and Tata - led the upturn with 21.3%, 19.7%, and 154% growth, respectively

Industry volumes are estimated to have crossed 2.3 lakh units during the month, a 20% growth over last August

Growth is on the low base of last year when sales had declined by 31.6% over August 2018

It also indicates aggressive inventory build up at dealerships in anticipation of higher retail sales during the upcoming festive season in October and November

Barely 24 hours after India reported its worst economic performance in a quarter, the domestic automobile sector showed signs of a strong revival with a 20 per cent growth in dispatches of passenger vehicles in August over the year-ago period.

The numbers are on a low base of last year when industry volumes had declined by a massive 31.6 per cent, which was then a record fall for a month. Yet, it builds on a rebound that has been visible in the months of June and July as well.

Market leader Maruti Suzuki reported a 21.3 per cent growth in sales and breached the psychological 100,000 unit mark for the first time since February, which was also the last non-COVID month. In percentage terms, this was Maruti's best month since June 2018.

ALSO READ: Maruti sees 21.3% growth in August, wholesale dispatches cross 1 lakh for first time since February

Arch rival Hyundai matched the Japanese car major's performance with a 20 per cent increase in dispatches at 45,809 units in August 2020 against 38,205 units in August 2019. In relative terms, Hyundai's performance was even better as it was its highest tally in a month since October 2019, which was a festive month and when it had sold 50,000 units. The showstopper was Tata Motors which buoyed by new launches like the Harrier SUV and Altroz premium hatchback, witnessed a 154 per cent jump in sales at 18,853 units.

The improved performance signals a stabilisation of production which was disrupted due to the lockdown in April as also build up of inventory in the run up to the festive season that starts next month. Outside of the top three manufacturers however, the going is still not silky smooth.

While new entrants Kia Motors and MG grew in high double digits on their relatively smaller base and Renault continued to reap benefits of a revamped product line-up, the likes of Honda, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagen and Skoda were still in the red. Homegrown Mahindra and Mahindra also could only match the tally of last year.

"At Mahindra, we continue to see good recovery in demand both for SUVs and pick-ups in the Small Commercial Vehicles segment. For the month of August, we have registered growth in both SUVs and pick-ups," said Veejay Nakra, Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd. "We have been able to meet the uplift in demand by managing the supply chain challenges and going forward will continue to keep our focus on it."

Despite launching the next generation version of its bestselling sedan City, Honda saw a 9.4 per cent decline in sales though it took heart from a month on month (sequential) increase.

ALSO READ: Mahindra & Mahindra auto sales decline 16% YoY in August, tractor sales up 65%

"A quarter into the unlock phase, we are progressing as per our plan, both in terms of supply and demand registering a sequential growth of 39 per cent over July'20. As we ramp up our daily production to 100 per cent pre-COVID level this month, we are optimistic about the upcoming festive period and expect demand to improve further," said Rajesh Goel, Senior Vice President and Director, Marketing and Sales, Honda Cars India Ltd. "However, considering that COVID-19 cases are constantly on the rise, we need to continuously monitor overall buying sentiment and its impact on auto sales going forward."

The stop-start nature of the lockdown impacted the fortunes of Toyota, which saw a steep 48 per cent drop in sales. In its defence, the company said it has done better in retails - though it did not reveal those numbers, and its wholesale was due to lower production at its factories.

"August had also witnessed a steady rise in retails (sales from dealer to customers) and thanks to 'Toyota pull system' of operations, we are happy that we could squeeze the system inventory to sell much higher to customers despite the production constraints. Thereby helping us clock 25 per cent higher retails when compared to the wholesales (sale from TKM to dealers) this month and also resulting in better inventory management at dealerships," said Naveen Soni, Senior Vice President, Sales and Service, Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

While the overall improved performance of the industry is a cause for cheer, nobody is popping the champagne bottle yet. With coronavirus cases still rising and the state of the economy highly uncertain, that would be premature.

"We would like to carry on with cautious optimism as uncertainty still surrounds the pandemic," said Tarun Garg, director (sales, marketing and service), Hyundai Motor India Ltd.

ALSO READ: Hyundai records 20% growth in domestic sales in August; exports decline


September 1, 2020



New level of integration across imaging, physiology, hemodynamic and informatics applications

SmartCT guides acquisition of 3D CT-like images and provides visualization and measurement tools

Increased efficiency and flexibility with tableside access to more modalities and intuitive control of the gantry



Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Royal Philips image-guided therapy platform, marking an important step forward in optimizing clinical and operational lab performance and expanding the role of image-guided interventions in the treatment of patients. Intuitive, integrated and efficient, the next-generation Azurion advances the capabilities of the platform to further improve the quality and efficiency of interventional procedures. The Azurion platform has already achieved rapid global adoption and has been used in well over two million procedures [1] worldwide since its introduction three years ago.

In the past few decades, clinical practices around the world have evolved to successfully treat more patients and perform more complex procedures in interventional labs. However, with more staff and technologies involved during these procedures, interventional lab environments can become crowded and cluttered. In order to enhance clinician focus and control during procedures, Philips has integrated all the essential lab systems and tools into this new version of the Azurion platform, making it an important step forward in lab integration.

An industry-first, the Philips Azurion image-guided therapy platform now integrates control of imaging, physiology, hemodynamic and informatics applications, as well as intuitive control of the gantry, at the tableside, allowing clinicians to control all compatible applications from a single touch screen while performing procedures. This can eliminate the need for clinicians to leave the sterile field and step into an adjacent control room, as well as supporting faster and better informed decision making.

Simplifying 3D imaging during interventional procedures

With this next-generation Azurion platform, Philips is also introducing a new 3D imaging solution called SmartCT [2]. With SmartCT, users are guided through the image acquisition and can review and interact with the acquired CT-like 3D images on the tableside touch screen module using 3D visualization and measurement tools. These tools have been designed to support procedures in a range of clinical domains, including neurology, oncology, and cardiovascular procedures. The use of 3D imaging such as 3D RA or Cone Beam CT during interventional procedures has been shown to improve outcomes [3] and reduce radiation dose for both staff and patients [4].

"Our aim as an innovation company and global market leader in image-guided therapy is to push the boundaries and set new industry standards for delivering an outstanding experience for clinicians, helping them to deliver superior care to every patient," said Ronald Tabaksblat , General Manager Image Guided Therapy Systems at Philips. "This next-generation Azurion makes routine cardiovascular procedures more efficient and supports the development of new minimally-invasive techniques to treat complex diseases such as stroke, lung cancer and spine disorders."

"The integrated platform enables us to efficiently carry out complex interventions at any time using a wide range of functions such as IVUS and iFR co-registration," said Dr. med. Alexander Becker, head of the cardiac catheter laboratory at the Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, and one of the first hospitals to experience the new platform. "The use of the control panel by the examiner is intuitive, combining different sources of information to make patient evaluation much easier and faster."

Seamless control and workflow during procedures

With the new Azurion platform, clinicians can easily switch between imaging, physiology, hemodynamic and informatics applications, including SmartCT and IntraSight - a comprehensive suite of clinically proven iFR, FFR, IVUS and co-registration modalities. Fully automatic position control enables clinicians to intuitively control the position of the gantry and table, as well as choosing from a wide range of stored parameters. The new Azurion also includes advanced cybersecurity features, new high-definition image display capabilities, and advanced remote and proactive services. The platform is available in three versions: complementing the Azurion 3 and 7 variants, Philips now also offers the Azurion 5 to facilitate even more tailored solutions to address specific customer needs. For more information visit www.philips.com/azurion .

[1] Based on Philips' internal case and procedure data.

[2] SmartCT is 510(k) pending and not available for sale in the USA.

[3] Miyayama et al., 'Comparison of local control in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma =6 cm with or without intraprocedural monitoring of the embolized area using cone beam computed tomography', CVIR 2014.

[4] Schott et al., 'Radiation dose in prostatic artery embolization using Cone Beam CT and 3D roadmap software, JVIR 2019.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Groves

Philips Global Press Office

Tel: +31 631 639 916

Email: mark.groves@philips.com



Twitter: mark_groves



Fabienne van der Feer

Philips Image Guided Therapy

Tel: +31 622 698 001

Email: fabienne.van.der.feer@philips.com



Twitter: FC_Feer



About Royal Philips

Royal Philips.

Attachments
Dozens of migrants arrived in Britain this morning after crossing the English Channel in small dinghies following a change in weather conditions.

The group are the first migrants to arrive in the UK from France since last Thursday after windy weather prevented the treacherous 21 mile journey across the Straits of Dover in small boats.

But at least three dinghies made it to British waters today, as well as three men on an inflatable kayak.

It is understood around 30 people, including women and children were detained by Border Force officers on cutters in the English Channel and brought into the Port of Dover, although this has not been confirmed by Home Office officials.

They were then handed over to immigration officers for their asylum claims to be processed.

Around 30 migrants were brought into the UK this morning after crossing the Channel overnight

The group are the first migrants to arrive in the UK from France since last Thursday after windy weather prevented the journey

Women and children are among the group brought ashore, having travelled in three dinghies

Last Thursday a total of 26 Sudanese males were picked up in three boats - taking the year's total to 5,025.

Former Royal Marine Dan O'Mahoney, the Home Office's new Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said last week: 'These crossings are illegally facilitated by criminals willing to risk people's lives for money.

'France is a safe country with a fully functioning asylum system - those seeking refuge can and should claim asylum there.

'I am working with my counterparts in France daily to make this route totally unviable and through our joint intelligence work we have prevented many more migrants from leaving the French coastline today.

'We continue to return those who do not have a legitimate asylum claim despite barriers to removals under the Dublin Regulations and legal challenges.'

It comes after it was revealed yesterday that an Army drone previously used in Afghanistan is to fly over the English Channel to monitor migrant boats as the crisis continues.

The Watchkeeper drone will be used to help tackle the dangerous crossings, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

It is the first time the eye-in-the-sky war technology, which has been used by the Army in Afghanistan, will fly in the UK operationally.

Migrants in a dinghy sail in the Channel toward the south coast of England after crossing from France

They were detained by Border Force officers on cutters in the English Channel and brought into the Port of Dover

Women and children were among the group of migrants, the first to land in the UK since last week

Migrants arriving this morning. Last Thursday a total of 26 Sudanese males were picked up in three boats - taking the year's total to 5,025

It comes as migrants continue to risk the dangerous seas in the Dover Strait, though bad weather has limited crossings recently.

Other armed forces aircraft, including Atlas A-400M, Shadow R1 and P-8 Poseidon have also been authorised to help monitor Channel crossings.

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy is considering deploying small patrol boats to the Channel to assist the Border Force.

Home Secretary Priti Patel previously insisted she is working to make the Calais to Dover migrant route 'completely unviable'.

She earlier warned France the UK will not cough up millions of pounds for anti-migrant patrols unless it agrees to take back more refugees as she prepares sweeping changes to the 'broken' immigration system.

The Home Secretary told Tory MPs that she was preparing legal changes that would 'send the left into meltdown'.

In a Zoom call with hardline backbenchers she suggested that the system was being 'exploited by leftie Labour-supporting lawyers' who were doing everything they could to stop the Government removing people.

And she said that France's demand for 30million to fund Channel patrols and surveillance would be dependent on it taking in more of those seeking to get to the UK.
Schools that rely on remote learning during the pandemic are trying to ensure that all kids have the devices and internet bandwidth they need. While important, it takes more than everyone having comparable equipment and working WiFi for all children to get an equal shot.

In my new book based on the sociological research I conducted at three middle schools before the COVID-19 pandemic, I explain how even if all students could get the same hardware and software, it would fail to even the academic playing field.

I saw many technologies used in unequal ways. And I observed teachers responding differently to students digital skills depending on the race or ethnicity and economic status of most of their students.

Learning from digital play

Previous research by a team of University of California researchers found that young people gain basic digital skills just from playing with friends online. This includes the ability to do things like communicate online and create and share media.

Consider Minecraft, the popular video game that lets players build cities and towns.

Minecraft players have to learn how to create and assemble the building blocks  like digital Legos. Players can learn creative skills, too. For example, they can design how characters look by creating custom skins.

These activities require the same basic digital skills educators are increasingly asked to teach school children.

3 middle schools

I studied three Southern California middle schools over the course of the 2013-14 academic year to observe what happened when students had acquired these digital skills on their own.

All three schools had plenty of technology available for students to use. The students told me they used social media and played video games at home.

Many students had also mastered the basics of many digital tools, like knowing how to communicate online and to could create and share digital media. Most told me that they were the tech experts of their families. Further, their teachers and administrators explained that teaching digital skills was an essential part of their class curricula.

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For all three schools, it seemed, students were ready to use what they already learned to succeed in class.

The main differences were demographic.

One of the schools had mostly wealthy, white students  none of whom got free or reduced-priced meals.

At another, most students were middle class and Asian American, with about 10% qualifying for free or reduced-price meals.

The students at the third were mostly working class and Latino, with 87% eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

There were few Black students at any of the schools, and I believe that more research is needed to assess how teachers interact with Black children.

I observed that their teachers responded to these different kinds of student communities in different ways. They appeared to see the value of the skills theyd acquired differently depending on characteristics of the schools student body.

At the school with mostly wealthy, white students, teachers considered digital play as essential to learning.

I always use the example of Steve Jobs going to his garage and tinkering around, explained the schools technology manager, who Ill call Mr. Crouse. Why cant the garage be at school?

Teachers at this affluent school tended to see pupils as future innovators.

Some teachers at the more well-off school would even let students submit their online creations, like Minecraft levels, stories they wrote online or digital art, in place of some classroom assignments.

An Asian American girl points at a computer screen with African American female teacher.

Very different responses

But teachers at the schools where students were less affluent and predominately came from communities of color, saw these same digital activities in different lights.

At the school with mostly middle-class, Asian American students, teachers treated the most tech-savvy kids as potential troublemakers.

While teachers at this school saw students as upwardly mobile, racial stereotypes about the overall student body drove perceptions of digital play as threatening rather than an opportunity for learning.

Weve had a bunch of suspensions this year because these Asian kids are so good at using technology that they hack our online system, explained a teacher Ill call Ms. Finnerty, an eighth-grade science teacher at the school.

Over time, I observed that when these teachers caught students playing video games in class they would snatch their phones, give them detention and shame them for it.

At the mostly working-class, Latino school, teachers had stereotypes about their students as hard-working immigrants who were destined for working class jobs. The teachers I observed didnt punish them for playing online. But they indicated that they didnt think the digital skills acquired from gaming or social media use mattered at all for achievement.

These kids arent naturally gifted at technology, so those skills playing video games dont translate to school, explained a teacher Ill call Ms. Duffey, a seventh-grade science teacher at the school. The kids we teach, if we are being realistic, they need skills for hands-on jobs, like how to fix a (car). If they learn technology its for that purpose.

UCLA education professor Patricia McDonough has previously demonstrated that teachers assumptions about working-class students futures can shape the kinds of lessons they get in class. However, I saw that this also extends to assumptions about students socioeconomic status and technology use.

When technology came up, the teachers at the mostly Latino school focused instead on teaching students how to type quickly or other noncreative tech activities that they thought would help those middle school students some day in a low-ranking job requiring only the most basic digital abilities.

The role of stereotypes

Even though students at each of these schools gained some of the same basic skills while having fun online  such as becoming adept at online communication and digital production  their teachers responded differently when they encountered these activities in the classroom.

I believe that this happened due to stereotypes that colored what the teachers believed about their students.

These beliefs regarding race and class shaped whether they saw students digital skills as valuable or not. That is, not even the best equipment and fastest WiFi can end the inequities that emerge through digital technology use - often called the digital divide.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

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Matt Rafalow works for Google, where he leads social science research for a product team.
Memorial for two brothers, ages 7 and 9, who were killed in a hit-and-run crash early Sunday in the city's Juniata Park section. Read more

A man was charged with two counts of third-degree murder and related offenses for the fatal hit-and-run crash that killed two brothers, ages 7 and 9, early Sunday in the citys Juniata Park section, police said.

Alimamy Sesay, 26, of Philadelphia, was apprehended near the scene of the crash that occurred at the intersection of Hunting Park and Kensington Avenues just after 12:40 a.m.

Sesay was driving a vehicle with a male passenger north on Kensington when he struck the brothers family vehicle traveling east on Hunting Park, police said.

Sesay kept driving for about 300 feet until his vehicle was mechanically unable to continue, police said. Sesay and the passenger allegedly then fled on foot but were stopped a few minutes later by police at Frankford Avenue and Unity Street. Sesay was taken into custody.

The boys were transported to St. Christophers Hospital for Children and were pronounced dead a short time later. Their 28-year-old mother was taken by medics to Einstein Medical Center with a spinal fracture and lacerations to her face. The 34-year-old father, who was driving, also had cuts to his face but refused treatment to be with his sons at St. Christophers.

Besides third-degree murder, Sesay was charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and related offenses. One of the charges indicates that he was driving without a license.

For the injuries to the mother, Sesay was charged with aggravated assault and related offenses. For the injuries to the father, he was charged with simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Court records show that Sesay pleaded guilty in Chester County Court to driving without a valid license, driving 30 mph in excess of the speed limit, and possession of drug paraphernalia in a 2018 case. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and probation.

Court records also show that he has an active bench warrant from a 2018 case in Lehigh County in which he was convicted of driving without a valid license, driving approximately 34 mph in excess of the speed limit, and driving without a seat belt. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail in that case.
Rochester Legislator Sabrina LaMar alleges Congressman Joe Morelle used his power to attempt to have her fired from her university job

Sabrina LaMar, a freshman Legislator based in Rochester, NY, is speaking out after she says Congressman Joe Morelle attempted to use his power to have her fired from her university job.

Read More: New York state legislators bill seeks to outlaw hymen exams

LaMar filed an official complaint against Morelle after he allegedly contacted a colleague and demanded her firing, in response to her non-political work at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Rep. Morelle admits to contacting RIT but denies trying to get LaMar fired.

We no longer have to lay down and just take this. We have the same rights as our male white counterparts and will no longer stand by idly and say and do nothing. Those days are over, LaMar tells theGrio.

Congressman Joe Morelle not only threatened me, but he threatened RIT and revealed to several people that he called RIT in an attempt to have me terminated from employment, LaMar writes in her ethics claim, issued July 27th.

It is widely known that RIT receives several federal grants and depends upon the federal government to conduct business. A call from a congressman in this manner is a threat to a private entity and is not befitting of a congressman, he needs to resign from office, she says.

At RIT, LaMar works as the legislature project coordinator for community engagement to reduce victimization. Her position includes working with the community to curb gun violence in the Rochester area. In this capacity, LaMar was invited to an online show, hosted by Robin Wilt, a congressional candidate for the 25th congressional district and current town board member in Brighton, NY.

Robin Wilt was Rep. Morelles opponent in Junes Democratic primary and LaMar serves as a Democratic county legislator. After LaMar appeared on Wilts show in April, Morelle questioned whether the appearance was acceptable.

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Text messages obtained by theGrio show Congressman Morelle contacted Deborah Stendardi, RIT vice president for government and community relations, asking for LaMars digital appearance be called into question, describing the legislator as an annoyance.

Courtesy of Sabrina LaMar

Stendardi responded, assuring the congressman she would inquire through the proper channels. The communication, initiated by Rep. Morelle on April 28, was wrapped up in the same text thread by the VP by April 29.

Stendardi confirmed that LaMar was addressed about agreeing to do Wilts show. A department head informed Stendardi that although the appearance was not required, there was no problem prior to approval, and the legislator did not violate university policy.

However, LaMar was furloughed from her job shortly after that, and remained furloughed until August.

When all of this was unfolding, I let it go, LaMar tells theGrio. I didnt get fired. There was no harm, no foul.

But then I started getting calls from people like the mayor, the deputy mayor, and people in the county executive office saying that they sat in the meeting with Joe. He was openly bragging about him trying to get me fired, LaMar continued.

LaMar declares the congressmans actions were in violation of the Official Code of Ethics for the 116th, which states:

A member may not with the intent to influence an employment decision or employment practice of any private entity. The member cannot take or withhold, or offer or threaten to take or withhold, an official act. The member can not influence, or offer or threaten to influence the official act of another.

In the official complaint, LaMar describes an uneasiness after the incident:

Since the call was made I have been afraid to adequately represent my positions for fear of retributions. But today, I refuse to continue to live in fear, which is why I am filing this complaint and asking for this committee to hold Congressman Morelle accountable for his abuse of power, the legislator writes.

Read More: Maryland congressional candidate Kim Klacik slams Biden at RNC

LaMar is supported by Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, who says Morelle told her himself that he called RIT.

The fact is, Congressman Morelle told me this personally, and he told others personally, that he made that call, Mayor Warren tells theGrio.

The purpose of that call was very clear. To threaten and to silence Ms. LaMar  a county legislator, a single mother, a strong Black woman, by putting her employment, and her ability to provide for her family at risk, she continued.

The purpose of that call was very clear. To threaten and to silence Ms. LaMar  a county legislator, a single mother, a strong black woman, by putting her employment, and her ability to provide for her family at risk. Mayor Lovely Warren

Mayor Warren echoed the passionate words from her press conference in conversation with theGrio about the importance of standing with the legislator.

Given a day and age where Black women and Black people, in general, have suffered so many egregious actions, to have a person of the stature in our community basically admit to making a phone call and retaliation against a Black woman, who a single mom, who is taking care of her mother, is absolutely wrong to me, Mayor Warren tells theGrio.

When she was ready to come forward and tell her truth. I wanted to make sure that I was there to support her because I also knew the truth, Mayor Warren says.

The Mayor recalls a conversation with Congressman Morelle, after her former boss and mentor passed, where she claims Morelle admits to abusing his power in retaliation against LaMar after he alleges she called his son racist in a Facebook post.

He basically, in so many words, and emphatically said to me. You know, Im a very powerful man. Sabrina, she had no business calling my son a racist. It was just that flat, Mayor Warren tells theGrio.

I think that he was saying that to me as a warning for me to get in line, because if I wanted to continue in my position or continue to not have a problem with him, that I needed to recognize that my boss was gone now and that he was the person that was in charge, she says.

According to LaMar, Rep. Morelles son, Joseph Morelle Jr., a legislator in District 17 and 9, and other legislators drafted a letter to the administration without consulting the entire caucus. The letter, viewed by theGrio, discussed the appointment of a democratic election commissioner since the previous person in the role resigned.

There are five people of color on the legislator and eight white legislators, but eight white legislators submitted a letter to the county attorney totally circumventing our our leader and the rest of the black people on the caucus. And we took issue with that, LaMar says to theGrio.

She responded to the exclusion of not only herself, but all other minority and POC legislators left out. She shared a Facebook post, viewed in screenshots by theGrio, expressing her feelings surrounding the ordeal.

Courtesy Sabrina LaMar

Her post was made April 28 around 7:00 a.m. By the afternoon, Morelle sent the initial texts to LaMars supervisor. Although Morelle denies making a call to get the legislator fired, the 63-year-old congressman offered an apology for the text messages.

What is clear is that Ms. Lamar felt threatened, and was pained by that. And I want to apologize to her for that, Morelle said during an interview with Spectrum News. I certainly did not intend to do that, but sometimes my actions fall short of the standards I try to set for myself, and for that, Im very sorry.

I make mistakes; I have to make judgments every day, he continued. My parents taught me at an early age when you make a mistake, you should own up to it, you should apologize for it, you should learn from it. And thats what Im doing.

Speaking on camera for the first time since an ethics complaint was filed against him, @RepJoeMorelle apologizes to Monroe Co. Legislator Sabrina LaMar. She claims he called her employer RIT to get her fired, which he denies. But he is still sorry for his actions: @SPECNewsROC pic.twitter.com/KJxn7TmQJq  Andrew Freeman (@AFreemanNews) July 30, 2020

As for LaMar, she is diligent in her efforts. She tells theGrio that she hopes real change comes from her actions, not just apologies.

I would like to see Joe [Morelle] resign and also for him to be reprimanded by whomever is the overseer of the ethics committee as it relates to the House of Representatives or the Office of Congressional Ethics, LaMar tells theGrio.

LaMar says since going public with her grievances, local Democrats have only become more divided, resulting in white-only meetings and a Black/Asian caucus forming.

[Morelle]s actions toward me and others demonstrate that he is not befitting to represent this city or this country in Congress, LaMar tells theGrio. I also want a real apology. Not that B.S. he said, Im sorry if I hurt your feelings a real apology. I want to see him work towards healing our fractured party and really taking responsibility for his actions and come up with some ways to correct it.

At the time of publication, Rep. Morelles office did not yet reply to theGrios request for comment.

This story will be updated to reflect new developments.

Additional reporting for this story was conducted by Natasha S. Alford.

Have you subscribed to theGrios new podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Black legislator says Congressman tried to get her fired for calling out racism appeared first on TheGrio.
Real Housewives Of New Jersey veteran Teresa Giudice has had a stressful few months between losing her beloved father and adjusting to homeschooling her kids during the pandemic.

On Monday the 48-year-old mother of four got some leisure time as she was seen with her eldest daughter Gia at the Jersey Shore.

The reality TV star and her 19-year-old mini me posed on a dock as both placed their hands on their hips for the snap. Teresa captioned the image, 'Forever my baby girl.'

Mini me: Teresa Giudice, 48, and her eldest daughter Gia, 19, pose with their hands on their hips in a sweet mommy-daughter snap in Jersey City. Gia recently spent time in Los Angeles with her boyfriend while Teresa has resumed shooting RHNJ Season 11

Teresa looked the picture of shore glam, showing off her toned body in a plunging fitted white dress and a pair of studded wedges.

She accessorized her outfit with a turquoise head scarf, her classic sunglasses and a oversized hoop earrings as the Bravo veteran looked ready for a tropical vacation.

Gia, who has been back from Rutgers college since the spring, showed off her equally sun-kissed skin next to her mother, rocking a baby blue snakeskin bikini and her blonde locks down. The teen put her flat stomach on display as she smiled and lightly popped her foot for the camera.

When it comes to posing, the two clearly take their cues from each other. In another post earlier this summer, the mother-daughter duo stand in virtually the same fashion as they smile for the beachside snap.

Twinning: Gia and Teresa pose in an identical fashion as the two wear matching Gucci sun hats for a day at the beach this summer

Four girls: Teresa is the mother to four daughters Gia, 19, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Adriana, 11. Their father Joe Giudice was deported back to Italy after 36 months in prison after pleading guilty to mail, wire and bankruptcy fraud

Though the world is still shutdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic both Gia and Teresa have been trying to slowly ease back into normal life.

Despite the fact that college classes will be offered remotely with the exception of several academic disciplines for the majority of US universities, Gia seems to be enjoying her time at home with her mom and sisters, Gabriella, 16, Milania, 15, and Adriana, 11.

Recently the teen was candid on social media about having her nose done, posting that she had 'never been happier' in her own skin. A few weeks later she was seen spending time in Los Angeles with friends and her boyfriend despite the ongoing pandemic.

OG Housewife: Teresa recently resumed shooting the Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 11 with her fellow castmates as TV production has started to gear up with restrictions

Teresa has had a rough year after cameras followed her battle with estranged husband, Joe Giudice, who was deported to Italy after 36 months in prison.

Season 11 of the show began filming on July 20 after stopping in March meaning that the infamous Jersey pot stirrer is back to work.

Teresa recently revealed that she will allow the show to film her dating around now that the drama with her ex-husband has subsided.

Prior to the pandemic she had been seen hanging with a handful of young men on casual outings despite never publicly confirming any romances.
Nurses, CEOs and software engineers wanting work in Australia will be given exemptions to bypass tough border restrictions as part of a new skilled migration plan to offset slowing population growth, create jobs and help the economy recover from the coronavirus recession.

The federal government has given a swathe of health, construction and technology workers top priority status for migration due to a local skills shortage at a time when the effective unemployment rate is tipped to reach 13 per cent by the end of the year.

Alan Tudge says migration has helped our participation rate and productivity rate. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Most of the 17 jobs on the new list of workers that businesses will be able to sponsor from overseas relate to the medical industry, including registered nurses, general practitioners, psychiatrists and midwives, but chief executives, construction project managers, mechanical engineers and software engineers also make the list.

Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge, who is also acting Immigration Minister, said the list was an immediate priority for Australia's recovery.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday announced that after the implementation of Unlock 4.0, the markets will be opened from 9 am to 9 pm. At a routine meeting to review the COVID-19 situation in the state, the CM said that weekly closure of all markets in the state will be on Sundays only. "All markets should open from 9 am to 9 pm and weekly closure of markets should be fixed on Sundays," he said.

After the new order, the lockdown will apply from 12 am on Saturday to 12 am on Sunday instead of Friday, in a move to remove the lockdown on Saturday. The lockdown was in force from 10 pm Friday to 5 am Monday until August. The sanitisation work will take place only on Sundays

Along with this, the CM instructed to increase COVID-19 test capacity and facilities in the state soon, adding that there should be 1.5 lakh tests daily. The CM said that until an effective drug or vaccine is developed, maximum testing is the biggest weapon against it. Therefore, efforts should be continued to increase testing work.

CM Yogi was reviewing the unlock system at a high-level meeting in Lucknow on Tuesday. He said that a team of specialist doctors should be set up in Lucknow district, who will provide advice to overcome the health-related problems of the public on the digital platform. He has also given instructions to conduct contact detection, monitoring and house to house survey at a rapid pace.

The Chief Minister said that all the District Magistrates and Chief Medical Officers should meet regularly in the COVID-19 hospitals in the morning and in the Integrated Command and Control Center in the evening and review the works and plan ahead. He instructed the police to increase patrolling.

The Uttar Pradesh CM directed officials to speed up development projects. The chief minister asked divisional commissioners to review developmental projects of over Rs 50 crore, according to news agency PTI.

"Development projects in the state should be given pace. Agriculture production commissioner, infrastructure and Industrial development commissioner, Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretaries should inspect offices," Adityanath said. The chief minister directed officials to conduct "microanalysis" of COVID-19 situation in Lucknow and Kanpur districts, make "effective plan" and implement it there.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 22:23:04|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member sprays disinfectant at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Sept. 2, 2020. The international air service in Nepal has resumed after more than five months of shut-down. (Photo by Sulav Shrestha/Xinhua)

KATHMANDU, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The international air service in Nepal has resumed after more than five months of shut-down.

According to the Tribhuvan International Airport, a total of 264 passengers arrived here from Qatar on Tuesday alone. "Two Nepal-based international airlines brought those passengers in two different charter flights," a TIA official told Xinhua.

The country has allowed 800 passengers per day to enter Nepal via air transport. Enditem


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Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of market for the forecast period to be 7.5%, leading to higher valuation of about USD 11.5 billion by 2030

Growing demand for dental treatment and increasing disposable income are set to be notable factors of growth in the global and Asia Pacific restorative materials market

ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Increasing awareness regarding dental health is being noted worldwide. Some of the reasons are increasing cases of issues such as discoloration and misalignment and so on. This is set to drive the global and Asia Pacificrestorative materials market on an upward facing curve over the forecast period of 2020 to 2030.

As per Transparency Market Research, "Asia Pacific will grow at a notable pace over this period owing to growing dental tourism. India, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore are preferred destination, contributing significantly to growth in the region."

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Key findings of Global and Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market Study:

Hospital segment under the applications category has been a leading segment over the past few years and the trend is set to continue into the forecast period of this report

Increasing availability of high value equipment and increasing number of multispecialty hospitals are leading factors of growth in the aforementioned segment

Dental institutes and research centers will witness growth over the forecast period owing to increase in demand for technologically advanced products

On the basis of type, the segment for composite resins is anticipated to chart notable growth owing to high demand expected over the forecast period

Growing adoption of biomaterials in dental procedures is set to be a significant growth factor in the segment

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Key Drivers of Growth in Global and Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market:

Growing awareness regarding dental health, accompanied by increase in disposable income is a notable factor of growth in the market

Increasing dental tourism, particularly towards developing nations is set to drive the global restorative materials market over the forecast period

Government initiatives directed towards improvement in healthcare infrastructure and improvement in medical outcomes are paving way for a higher trajectory

View Detailed Table of Contents at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/78540

Regional Analysis of Global and Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market:

The Asia Pacific (APAC) region held a notable share by volume of the restorative materials market and is set to witness notable growth over the forecast period

(APAC) region held a notable share by volume of the restorative materials market and is set to witness notable growth over the forecast period Increasing demand in hospitals and dental clinics of the region owing to improving standard of living, healthcare infrastructure, and per capita income is a notable factor

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Competitive Analysis of Global and Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market:

The market for restorative materials is a dynamic landscape marked by proactive measures taken by various players for gaining competitive edge. These are shaping the competitors landscape in a major way. These strategies, along with financials and other product information are provided by Transparency Market Research in the report it has prepared.

Some of the players that are renowned and quite active in the market are 3M Company, Dentsply Sirona, COLTENE Group, Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Voco GmbH, Kulzer GmbH, GC Corporation, Ultradent Products Inc., Septodont Healthcare India Pvt. Ltd., Medicinos linija, UAB, Prime Dental Products Pvt Ltd, IDENTA Dental Material GmbH, KaVo Kerr, and Shofu Dental Manufacturing Co., Ltd., among others.

Expansion in production capacity is a key focus of players as demand for the materials is steadily increases, leading to gaps in supply. Product improvement is also a key driver of growth for individual players.

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Global & Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market: Segmentation

Restorative Materials Market, by Type

Amalgam

Composite Resin

Glass Ionomer

Restorative Materials Market, by Application

Hospitals

Dental Clinics

Dental Institutes & Research Centers

Others (including Ambulatory Surgery Centers)

Restorative Materials Market, by Region

Asia Pacific

China



Japan



India



Vietnam



Thailand



Rest of ASEAN



Rest of Asia Pacific

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Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Chemicals and Materials Industry,

Glass Ionomer Cement Market - In terms of value, the global & Asia Pacific glass ionomer cement market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of ~8% from 2020 to 2030. The increase in the number of people opting for esthetic dental treatment is driving the development of advanced technologies. The cosmetics dentistry market has been expanding due to rise in disposable income, increase in focus on dental esthetics, and growth in awareness about cosmetic dentistry. Major cosmetic dental treatments include change in dental appearance, teeth whitening, and change in dental structure.

Crusher Backing Materials Market - In terms of value, the global crusher backing materials market is expected to reach US$ 33 Mn by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of ~4% during the forecast period. The increase in demand for crusher backing materials in crusher machines is a key factor driving the global crusher backing materials market. Additionally, growth in the mining industry across the globe is anticipated to fuel the global market during the forecast period.

Inorganic Color Pigments Market - The production of plastics has been rising significantly across the globe, owing to the increase in demand for plastics in packaging, automotive, and building & construction industries. Unique and advantageous properties of plastics have enabled the material to be used as a substitute for wood, paper, and rubber. Inorganic color pigments are widely employed in the production of polymers that are used in manufacture of plastic products. Increase in plastic production is likely to drive the inorganic color pigments market during the forecast period.

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French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday Lebanese political leaders had agreed to form a government of experts in the next two weeks and that he expected the government to start delivering on a roadmap of reforms within six to eight weeks.

"There is no blank cheque," Macron told a news conference in the Lebanese capital. If reforms, including an audit of the central bank, were not being passed within that deadline, international aid would be withheld, he added.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:36:27|Editor: huaxia

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WARSAW, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Education and remembrance of the Holocaust and the horrors of World War II (WWII) are universally considered indispensable to prevent new genocides and tragedies, Andrzej Kacorzyk, deputy director of the Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau, told Xinhua recently.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, which also meant the end to the worst genocide in human history. Images, documents, witness reports and trials of war criminals have been bit by bit uncovering the scale of the Holocaust, a process that is continuing to this day.

Auschwitz-Birkenau was Nazi Germany's largest concentration and extermination camp. The site, near the town of Oswiecim in southern Poland, now houses a museum and an education center.

"Our mission is to teach about the Holocaust, the tragedy the victims went through, and to facilitate reflection," Kacorzyk, who also works as the director of the International Center for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust, said.

"We document the accounts from victims and survivors, as well as material resources that remain, such as 150 original buildings and 300 ruins, including those of gas chambers and crematoria, and places where the deported passed through..."

Kacorzyk explained educational activities have been expanded over the years to include more recent acts of genocide and mass murder.

"Last year, we invited not only Holocaust researchers and survivors, who are still among us, to our international bi-annual education conference, but also survivors of other genocides... Unfortunately, the mechanisms of genocide have been the same."

The resources available to Kacorzyk's educational activities are enormous and include tens of thousands of reports, ranging from eyewitness accounts to perpetrator accounts in SS (Schutzstaffel, the German Nazi Party's major paramilitary organization) archives.

But while Kacorzyk remains extremely positive about the museum and its educational mission, recent years have brought new challenges for the researchers to overcome. One important resource is becoming increasingly rare: survivors.

"The only survivors still alive are the children," Kacorzyk said, adding that it is a challenge as the survivor stories did not end with the Soviets entering Auschwitz in the last days of January 1945.

Kacorzyk said he has been "privileged to have personally known Kazimierz Piechowski," who escaped from the camp in 1942, and passed away in 2017.

"The main insight I got from talking to him was that he kept escaping for the rest of his life. He remained wary of authority and dreamt every night about the horrors at the camp. One night he even broke his leg after falling out of his bed during one of those nightmares. The survivors show us what the consequences of such events are. For the individual, but also for the community and society as a whole."

The waning number of direct witnesses also makes it harder for educators to face another challenge.

"Next to the two million visitors we had last year -- the highest figure ever -- we have also been able to attract over a million active followers on social media," Kacorzyk said. "However, it is extremely hard to counteract populism, conspiracy theories and outright Holocaust denialism online. It makes education more crucial than it has been at any point in time before."

The COVID-19 pandemic has also hit the activities of Kacorzyk and his team hard, forcing the museum to temporarily close its doors from March through June. Now reopened, Kacorzyk said that efforts will be made to increase the number of visitors from Asia, including by offering virtual tours of the museum.

"The tragedy is universal," Karcorzyk said. "That's why we also pay attention to the Jewish refugees who were taken in by the city of Shanghai and thanks to that they survived the war. We have organized expositions in Shanghai and Beijing to promote education in China as well."

"The understanding of World War II can never be complete without understanding the Holocaust," Karcorzyk concluded. Enditem
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Millions of students in Wuhan have begun returning to the classroom today after all schools and kindergartens in the former coronavirus epicentre have reopened.

As many as 2,842 educational institutions across the city are welcoming almost 1.4 million pupils back to the campus as the autumn semester starts.

It comes as the Chinese education authorities have hailed the countrys anti-virus efforts a decisive victory while giving a go-ahead for most schools in the country to open again.

Millions of students in Wuhan have begun returning to the classroom today after all schools and kindergartens in the former coronavirus epicentre have reopened. Elementary school students are pictured attending a class in Wuhan on Tuesday

Millions of Wuhan school pupils return to the classroom in the former COVID-19 epicentre. Students are seen before the opening ceremony of a new semester at Wuhan High School in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province today

Students attend the 100th anniversary of the founding of Wuhan High School on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on September 1. Around 280 million students across China are returning to the campus

Around 280 million students across China are estimated to be returning to schools and universities this month, according to The Ministry of Education.

Xinjiang in north-west China is the only region that has ordered its students to start the school year online after seeing a surge of coronavirus cases in recent months.

Wang Dengfeng, an official leading the anti-virus efforts at the Ministry of Education, said China had achieved a decisive victory against the virus after successfully cutting large-scale transmission and resuming the countrys economy.

As many as 2,842 educational institutions across the city are welcoming almost 1.4 million pupils back to the campus as the autumn semester starts. Students attend the 100th anniversary of the founding of Wuhan High School on Tuesday

Nearly 3,000 schools and kindergartens in Wuhan are reopening to almost 1.4 million pupils from Tuesday. Elementary school students arrive at school on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on September 1

State media broadcast images of thousands of students hoisting the Chinese flag - a daily routine at all public schools - despite warnings to avoid mass gatherings. Students attend the 100th anniversary of the founding of Wuhan High School on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on Tuesday, September 1

Students are seen attending a class at Wuhan High School on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan

Wuhan, Ground Zero for the COVID-19 pandemic and the Chinese city hardest hit by the coronavirus, will reopen all its schools and kindergartens on Tuesday, local authorities said.

State media broadcast images of thousands of students hoisting the Chinese flag - a daily routine at all public schools - despite warnings to avoid mass gatherings.

The city said it has drawn up emergency plans to switch back to online teaching should risk levels change. It advised students to wear masks to and from school and avoid public transportation if possible.

Schools have been ordered to stock up on disease control equipment and to carry out drills and training sessions to help prepare for new outbreaks. They must also restrict unnecessary mass gatherings, and submit daily reports to health authorities.

Students attend the 100th anniversary of the founding of Wuhan High School on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on September 1. Around 280 million students across China are returning to the campus

A teacher is pictured speaking in a class at a primary school in Wuhan city, central China's Hubei province, on Tuesday

Millions of students in Wuhan have begun returning to the classroom today after all schools and kindergartens in the former coronavirus epicentre have reopened. Students are pictured walking into a primary school in Wuhan on Tuesday

Foreign students and teachers who have not received notice from their school will not be allowed to return, it said.

Shanghai re-opened schools in May, and the capital city Beijing, which recently suffered from a local outbreak of the virus, said it will resume all schools including kindergartens in September.

Beijing authorities require teachers and students to wear face masks on campus.

Students are seen gathering before the opening ceremony of a new semester at Wuhan High School in Wuhan Tuesday

Students enter the campus of Wuhan High School in Wuhan on September 1. A total of 2,842 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools opened their doors Tuesday to welcome about 1.4 million students in the city of Wuhan, Hubei

Primary school students arrive on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on Tuesday

Wuhan has been steadily returning to normal since April when the lockdown was lifted, and it has not reported any new local transmissions of the coronavirus since May 18.

Official figures show Wuhan accounted for 80 percent of China's more than 4,600 coronavirus-related deaths and was under a strict lockdown for more than two months from late January.

The city also conducted a mass testing campaign targeting ll million residents in May.

By Monday, China had not reported zero native cases for 15 days.
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This launch includes the introduction of the worlds smallest, most powerful rechargeable BTE*, a first-of-its-kind speech enhancement feature, and industry-first technology that allows hearing aid wearers to use their hearing devices to find their smartphones. The culmination of technological innovation arriving on the market today will not only help patients hear better, but help hearing healthcare professionals operate more effectively and efficiently across the board.

"With Livio Edge AI, Starkey delivers next-generation sound processing capability by harnessing the most advanced artificial intelligence technology possible in a modern hearing aid, said Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering Achin Bhowmik, Ph.D. These new features push our industry-leading platform even further. In an increasingly on-demand culture, patients are now able to attain instantaneous fine-tuning that serves as the next best thing to having their hearing provider with them at all times."

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REM Target Match: Automatically communicates with Real Ear Measurement systems for efficient fittings.

Multiflex Tinnitus Pro: A new shaping algorithm and custom fit tool to help provide more personalized maskers for each patients unique needs.

Live Sessions: Synchronous remote programming feature that leverages live video chat to enable and improve remote care between professionals and patients.

Find My Phone: Using their hearing aids and the Thrive Assistant, wearers can now locate their lost or misplaced smartphones.

In-App Purchases: Allows users of lower tier technologies to purchase the Reminders feature within the Thrive app .

Thrive Hearing Control app enhancements: New set-up screens and connectivity developments make it more robust and easier to use than ever.

Fall Alert now available in Basic Mode in the Thrive Hearing Control app: Allows even more patients to maintain their independence and caregivers peace of mind.

Story continues

We redefined the hearing aid with the incorporation of body and brain tracking, fall detection and alerts, translate and transcribe features, and intuitive tap control. Starkey offers patients a novel gateway to health monitoring, personalization and control, said President and CEO Brandon Sawalich. As we tear down the stigma associated with hearing loss and hearing aids, we are confident these new features will continue to make hearing aids want-to-have wearable technology that will help people hear better, so they can live better.

Livio Edge AI is available in the United States, Canada and more than 20 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.starkey.com.

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The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and the local Tourism Association have announced a series of tourism promotions for the coming National Day holiday.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Vietnams National Day, which falls on Wednesday, September 2.

As big celebrations and long-distance travels are affected by the ongoing novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, municipal authorities have shifted the focus of this years holiday promotions to services that are aimed at families and groups of friends looking for short trips within the city or to neighboring provinces.

All of the products and services that are offered in the promotion program are required to meet the guidelines on COVID-19 prevention and control set by health authorities.

Among the options, Anh Viet Hop On - Hop Off Vietnam Ltd., which operates sightseeing tours on open-top double-decker buses, will offer round-the-city tickets on Wednesday for only VND99,000 (US$4.3) for children and VND149,000 ($6.42) for adults.

For tourists who prefer to travel by boat, Saigon Boat Tour operates tours on rowing boats along the citys iconic Nhieu Loc  Thi Nghe Canal, with the options for sunset viewing tours from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm and romantic Saigon by night tours to view the city all lit up.

Participants will be treated to performances of don ca tai tu shows, a genre of instrumental and vocal traditional music from southern Vietnam recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage, or take part in flower garlands and colored lanterns rituals.

Other travel agencies such as Fiditour and TST Tourist offer city tours in Ho Chi Minh City and those connecting to the nearby destinations located in the southern province of Tay Ninh and the Mekong Delta.

Apart from tours, many travel agencies also run 5-star hospitality services in Ho Chi Minh City at super cheap prices.

Among them is a 50-percent discount on room rates at Vinpearl Luxury Landmark 81 Hotel, including benefits like free mooncake baking classes, free-of-charge late checkout, and massage vouchers.

The four-star Odys Boutique Hotel in District 1 is offering a nightly rate of VND800,000 ($35) before tax for its Superior double room with other benefits included in the price.

Some other tourist attractions have also announced lucrative promotions with discounts of up to 50 percent on their services.

Fees for entrance to the observation deck at Bitexco, Ho Chi Minh Citys second-highest skyscraper, for example, will be halved on Wednesday to only VND100,000 ($4.3) for adults and VND65,000 ($2.8) for senior citizens over 65 and children between four and 12 years old.

According to the head of a travel agency in Ho Chi Minh City, the local tourism industry might face the imbalance of tourist numbers at attractions during the National Day and for the remainder of the year.

Some places are forecast to become overcrowded by guests while others will suffer from little foot traffic, the insider asserted.

Many families chose to take short vacations on the weekend, mostly to destinations within Ho Chi Minh City or in surrounding areas.

They mostly travel in private vehicles with small groups of family or friends.

Some popular beach cities such as Vung Tau and Phan Thiet  85 kilometers and 200 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, respectively  reported a substantial number of tourists on the weekend, leading to inflated room rates.

During the new normal period, tourists are required to comply with regulations on safety and hygiene, including having to wear a face mask at restaurants, buffet areas, and swimming pools.

More information on tourism promotions in Ho Chi Minh City can be found on the official website kichcaudulichtphcm.vn.

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Australian TV will have its only female news boss with the appointment of Mandi Wicks as its next Director of News and Current Affairs.

Currently SBSs Director of Audio and Language Content, she will replace outgoing Director of News and Current Affairs, Jim Carroll, who announced his retirement in March and departs later this year.

With a 30-year career in the media industry, Wicks has extensive experience working in news, editorial and management roles, including a decade at SBS. For the last nine years, she has been leading SBSs Audio and Language Content division, responsible for delivering trusted and award-winning news and information, along with music channels, to Australias diverse communities in 68 languages, across digital platforms, as well as radio and digital television.

Wicks began her career as a journalist before moving into news management roles, working at the Macquarie Radio Network and Southern Cross Austereo. Prior to joining SBS, Mandi was General Manager of DMG Radio Australia in Sydney, where she assisted in launching the Nova Network.

A recent survey on diversity noted Australian had no female news directors at any network, with Wicks to now become the only existing.

SBS Managing Director James Taylor said: Mandi is an exceptional leader and innovator, with an unimpeachable commitment to news, broadcasting and to serving Australian communities. Mandi demonstrates an unrelenting dedication to SBSs purpose in everything she does. Mandis leadership of a diverse and complex team of over 300 staff  and their unrivalled connections with communities  is critical to SBSs unique offering in the Australian media landscape. Her pursuit of excellence, trusted leadership and digital expertise will continue to be invaluable to SBS as we continue to strengthen our commitment to communities.

Mandi Wicks said: It is a great privilege to lead the SBS News and Current Affairs team  a talented and dedicated team that delivers world-class and award-winning journalism, comprehensive and trusted coverage of local and international news and events, and distinctive stories that are inclusive of contemporary Australia. There is no other news provider that understands and reflects Australia like SBS, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to ensure we continue to play a crucial role in providing diverse perspectives from Australia and around the globe, in service of the SBS Charter.

SBS Managing Director James Taylor added: Id like to once again thank Jim Carroll for his role in cementing SBS as one of Australias most trusted media organisations during his time as Director of News and Current Affairs over the last seven years. This position has been amplified in recent months as Australians have turned to SBS for reliable and comprehensive coverage of COVID-19 news and developments, and Im grateful for Jims commitment, staying on with us longer than planned to steer the team through this unprecedented period.

Wicks will take on the new role from late September with SBS to commence a recruitment process for the position of Director, Audio and Language Content immediately.
A disagreement over ABC redundancy entitlements  which could disadvantage women employees the most, according to staff and unions  has prompted the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance to lodge a dispute with the Fair Work Commission.

A three-year funding freeze, which took effect in the 2019-20 financial period and stripped $84 million from the organisation's budget, has forced management to cut more than 200 jobs since June, including at least 80 in ABC's news division. Total job losses may be closer to 250 once the redundancy process is complete.

A disagreement over ABC redundancy entitlements has prompted MEAA to lodge a dispute with Fair Work. Credit:Steven Siewert

More than a dozen ABC employees, who are not authorised to speak publicly, claim the dispute concerns an attempt by management to limit severance payouts for staff who have previously worked part-time.

The ABC's current enterprise agreement states that retrenched workers are entitled to the equivalent of four weeks' salary for each of their first five years of completed service, then three weeks' salary for each subsequent year  capped at a maximum of 24 years.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Former President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit, a parliamentarian, Tuesday said he plans to convert one floor of their house in West Bengal's Jangipur into a museum-cum-library in the memory of the departed leader.

Abhijit also said he would like the government to issue a postage stamp in honour of his father.

Mukherjee, who had tested positive for coronavirus and had been in coma after a brain surgery earlier this month, passed away on Monday evening at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi.

He was 84.

A postal stamp I request If the government agrees, I will be very happy, he said.

And on a personal side, I am planning to convert the first floor or the ground floor of the house my father constructed at Jangipur into a museum-cum-library, Abhijit said.

I will gather his personal belongings, particularly the vast number of books, gift items like plaques and put them into that museum, he said.

Abhijit, however, rued his father could never stay in that house for longer durations.

By the time the house was constructed, he had gone to a bigger house, the President's House, he said, as the elder statesman left on his final journey.

Abhijit remembered he had brought a jackfruit for his father from their farm in Jangipur on August 4.

Jackfruit is available in Delhi, too, but I took all the pain because that's from our field. I travelled by a train and brought him one, the former Jangipur MP said.

My father ate it. Fortunately, his blood sugar level remained in control. I am happy I could at least fulfil this wish of my father, he said.

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Abhijit said his father had told him that in politics and otherwise, one should avoid being revengeful.

His message was clear and I will always remember it. Abhijit also thanked the doctors for trying their best while treating his father.

They tried everything but it seems he had completed his role in the world. He passed away at the right age.

He got everything whatever a common man wants to have, Abhijit added.

Family members, relatives, friends, politicians, members of the general public and Congress workers paid their homage to the departed leader at his 10, Rajaji Marg residence.

People stood in long queues in the lawns, wearing masks and maintaining a distance of two feet among each other, which typified the new normal in times of COVID-19.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks fell sharply on Tuesday, with financials and consumer discretionary stocks falling amid concerns over the deflationary effects of the coronavirus. Investors ignored survey data showing that British factory output rose in August at its fastest pace in more than six years, albeit from a low level. The benchmark FTSE 100 fell 65 points, or 1.1 percent, to 5,898 as traders returned to their desks after a long holiday weekend. Asia-focused lender HSBC Holdings and Barclays both fell over 3 percent. Oxford Biomedica, a gene and cell therapy group, rose over 1 percent. The company has signed a supply agreement with AstraZeneca to expand manufacturing support of Covid-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222. AstraZeneca shares were little changed. Miner Anglo American advanced 1.6 percent, Antofagasta gained 1.4 percent and Glencore added 2.6 percent, thanks to strong readings on China's manufacturing sector. Dunelm Group jumped 2.7 percent. The home furnishings retailer said sales have been strong in the last two months. FirstGroup slumped 5.6 percent. The transport service provider said that the U.K.'s Department for Transport has exercised its option to extend the Emergency Measures Agreement for Great Western Railway until at least 26 June 2021. 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 United States and Taiwan will establish a new economic dialogue focused on semiconductors, health care, energy and other technology sectors in a sign of stronger ties, a senior US diplomat said on Monday.

A slew of recent visits, agreements, US diplomatic support and military sales to Taipei dont reflect a change in US policy but rather an adjustment in response to increased Chinese aggression, the official said.

We must act to restore the balance, David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, said in remarks to the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. Looking to Hong Kong, it is clear that Beijing is willing to disregard international obligations to extend its authoritarian system.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

Beijings actions include stepped-up military exercises near Taiwan, efforts to deprive the self-governing island of diplomatic allies and a bid to push it out of international organisations, Stilwell added.

US and Taiwanese officials said that Fridays announcement of reduced restrictions on American beef and pork imports, a long-standing irritant, paves the way for negotiations on a formal bilateral trade agreement.

Ties between Washington and Taipei have warmed significantly in recent months, in part a mirror image of deteriorating US-China relations. Earlier this month, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar led a delegation to Taipei that was promoted as the highest-level visit by a US cabinet official since 1979.

On other fronts, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) announced in May that it would build a US$12 billion chip manufacturing plant in Arizona. Taiwan last week expressed strong support for US-backed efforts to limit Chinas role in global 5G telecommunications networks. And in 2018, Congress passed the Taiwan Travel Act, paving the way for more high-level official visits.

Story continues

Although Taiwan enjoys bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and strong support in the Trump administration, the relationship is not without problems. Some industry analysts question the economic logic of TSMs Arizona investment, chalking it up in part to politics. And the beef and pork deal took 13 years of wrangling, suggesting that a broader trade deal could be elusive.

Its hardly reassuring that the State Department is promoting the bilateral trade agreement rather than the US Trade Representatives Office, which would negotiate it, noted a Taiwan analyst in Washington who declined to be identified given political sensitivities. Doesnt that seem really odd? the analyst said.

Stilwell did not provide further details on the new economic dialogue, even as Taiwans huge trade deficit with the United States remains a major irritant.

I understand that we need to have a more balanced trade relationship, said Wang Mei-hua, Taiwans minister of economic affairs, speaking by video from Taipei. We have noticed this problem, and we are adopting measures to address it, she added, citing efforts to buy more US farm products, natural gas and crude oil.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks at the National Taiwan University in Taipei on August 11. Photo: AFP

Taiwan is Americas ninth largest trading partner overall and a major buyer of US farm products. US President Donald Trump has been keen to promote agriculture exports, hoping to bolster support in an election year from farmers hit by his tariff war with China.

But the US trade goods deficit was US$23 billion in 2019, up from US$15.3 billion in 2018, and is on target to exceed 2019 figures this year, according to US Census Bureau data.

Wang attributed the mounting trade gap in part to the shifting of supply chains to Taiwan from China, resulting in more direct exports to the US, but said closer economic ties would benefit US geopolitical objectives.

A more regionally integrated Taiwan further enhances the economic and security of the Indo-Pacific region, Wang said.

In his remarks, Stilwell sought to walk a fine line, arguing that Washington was only tweaking long-established  and potentially explosive  policies governing US-China-Taiwan issues, including the one-China principle. Adjustments have been made necessary by Beijings increasingly brazen actions, he argued.

In recent years, Chinese soldiers have clashed with Indian counterparts on their shared border, detained up to 1 million Uygurs in employment retraining camps in Xinjiang, stepped up island building in the disputed South China Sea and tightened its grip over Hong Kong and civic groups on the mainland.

Its not just the US versus China. Its a global position on what were seeing out of Beijing, Stilwell said.

When asked for comment, a Chinese embassy representative in Washington said: The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue between China and the US. We urge the US side to  prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues.

The Chinese government has mischaracterised US support for Taiwan, Stilwell said. As outlined in two recently declassified cables, Washington will never pressure Taiwan to negotiate with Beijing over sovereignty issues, recognises no expiration on US arms sales to Taipei and has not agreed to renegotiate the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act governing US-Taiwan relations, he said.

It is important to review history like this because Beijing has a history of distorting, Stilwell added.

More from South China Morning Post:

This article US moves bolstering Taiwan are meant to restore balance, US diplomat David Stilwell says first appeared on South China Morning Post

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Sudans trial of ousted president Omar al-Bashir over the 1989 coup that brought him to power was adjourned Tuesday to September 15, the presiding judge said.

The session, which was broadcast on Sudan TV, was held amid tight security as Bashir, 76, and other co-accused regime figures stood behind bars in the courtroom.

After procedural questions and debate about coronavirus precautions in the courtroom, the presiding judge declared the hearing was adjourned to September 15.

Bashir came to power in 1989 on the back of an Islamist-backed coup that toppled the elected government of prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi.

He stayed in power for 30 years before being overthrown on April 11, 2019 after several months of unprecedented, youth-led street demonstrations amid dire economic hardship.

If convicted, Bashir and others could face the death penalty.

The trial comes as Sudans joint civilian-military transitional government is pushing a wave of political and social reforms and on Monday agreed a peace deal with most rebel groups.

The new authorities in February also agreed that Bashir should stand trial before the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

Bashir was indicted by the ICC over the Darfur conflict that erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms, accusing Khartoum of political and economic marginalisation of their region.

The United Nations estimates 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced in the conflict.
"Terry and John both bring broad experience and keen understanding of the issues distressed companies face. Understanding clients' legal and business needs is essential to providing great client service. Our new partners add depth and breadth to our team at a very busy time. We are delighted to have them," said John Sieger, chair of Katten's Insolvency and Restructuring practice.

Banich, who was co-chair of the Bankruptcy Litigation practice group at his previous firm, concentrates his practice on commercial and bankruptcy litigation. He has more than 20 years of experience representing nearly every type of constituent in Chapter 7 and 11 cases, including Chapter 7 trustees, Chapter 11 trustees, debtors, creditors, trustees and other interested parties in a range of insolvency-related proceedings. Additionally, he represents owners, contractors and subcontractors in mechanics liens, surety bond and contract disputes.

Banich also has represented several federal equity receivers appointed in civil enforcement actions commenced by government agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, as well as civil actions filed by private plaintiffs.

Mitchell focuses on all facets of commercial restructuring and reorganization and has significant experience with complex bankruptcies, out-of-court workouts and sales, voluntary liquidations, asset sales, and general insolvency-related litigation. He represents lenders, creditors and debtors across the United States.

Mitchell, who served as a lieutenant in the US Army during Operation Desert Storm, routinely advises clients in the energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, retail and restaurant, commercial finance, and transportation industries.

Banich and Mitchell were formerly at Fox Rothschild LLP and Akerman LLP respectively.

Katten's Insolvency and Restructuring practice was much more in demand during the first half of 2020 than during the same period in 2019 as the practice continues to take on key roles in some of the most noted bankruptcy cases. The practice generally represents debtors, independent directors, key creditor constituencies and stakeholders in major Chapter 11 and Chapter 15 cases throughout the country.

Katten is a full-service law firm with nearly 700 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm's core areas of practice include commercial finance, corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, and trusts and estates. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. For more information, visit katten.com.

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Khan has been in jail since January after a speech he delivered at the Aligarh Muslim University during the anti-CAA protests

Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday quashed the detention of Dr Kafeel Khan under the National Security Act and ordered his immediate release.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh, passed the order on a petition filed by Khan's mother Nuzhat Parveen.

The petition alleged that Khan was granted bail in February by a competent court and he was supposed to be released on bail. However, he was not released for four days and the NSA was subsequently invoked against him. Hence, his detention was illegal, the petition argued.

Khan has been in jail since January after a speech he delivered at the Aligarh Muslim University during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests in December.
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration on Tuesday announced a four-month halt on eviction proceedings against cash-strapped renters, invoking federal public-health laws out of a concern that a national homelessness crisis could worsen the country's coronavirus outbreak.

The new moratorium seeks to cover families experiencing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic, aiming to help as many as 40 million Americans who are already struggling to pay their monthly housing costs in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who referenced that an action was imminent earlier in the day.

The policy comes roughly a month after President Trump signed an executive order tasking the U.S. government, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to explore ways to protect renters amid the pandemic, as talks broke down on Capitol Hill over a new round of coronavirus relief. Brian Morgenstern, a spokesman for the White House, said the goal has been to ensure families "struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus will not have to worry about being evicted and risk the further spreading of, or exposure to, the disease."

But the moratorium, which was issued under the banner of the CDC on Tuesday, still stops short of what some Democratic lawmakers and housing experts said is necessary. For one thing, the Trump administration did not set aside any new federal dollars for renters, who eventually will owe their past-due balances, and landlords, who might face financial struggles of their own.

Diane Yentel, the president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, described the new eviction policy as "long overdue and badly needed." But, she added: "This action delays but does not prevent evictions. Congress and the White House must get back to work on negotiations to enact a COVID-19 relief bill with at least $100 billion in emergency rental assistance."

Lawmakers included a 120-day federal eviction moratorium as part of the $2 trillion Cares Act they passed in March. The protections offered an early reprieve for a more limited category of renters in federally financed buildings as well as some homeowners as the pandemic upended the job market, leaving millions of Americans unexpectedly out of work.

But the protections did not go as far as what some housing advocates sought by failing to provide more assistance to help with missed payments. The eviction moratorium expired at the end of July, along with other programs including the government's expanded unemployment payments -- creating the conditions for what some experts described as a massive housing crisis.

Many states had in place their own policies protecting homeowners and renters from eviction even as federal rules expires -- but those safeguards similarly began to sunset into the summer. By Sept. 1, only 17 states and the District of Columbia still have any such eviction protections for renters place, according to Emily Benfer, a professor at Wake Forest Law who chairs the American Bar Association's work on evictions. Evictions in the meantime skyrocketed in states including Alabama and cities such as Tuscon, she said, though the Trump administration later reauthorized aid for some homeowners with federally backed mortgages.

"The eviction crisis is far from over, and in fact, it's picking up speed," she said, pointing to low-income families that are draining their savings and other resources to ensure they don't lose their homes. "They are paying with their futures. They are using credit cards and taking on financial risk. . . . They know without it they cannot keep their families safe."

The Trump administration's new policy applies to Americans who make under $99,000 each year, or couples who earn $198,000, including those who previously had received economic stimulus payments under the Cares Act. Under the directive, these families must prove they tried to pay their rent -- and sought to take advantage of existing federal housing support aid -- in order to be eligible for the eviction moratorium, according to senior administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

But the directive does not waive any debts that families may rack up over that period, and it explicitly leaves open the door for landlords to charge "fees, penalties or interest as a result of the failure to pay rent or other housing payment on a timely basis," according to a draft document posted Tuesday. Landlords still expressed serious reservations about the Trump administration's actions, fearing they could be left facing financial peril as a result.

"Not only does an eviction moratorium not address renters' real financial needs, a protracted eviction moratorium does nothing to address the financial pressures and obligations of rental property owners," said Doug Bibby, the president of the National Multifamily Housing Coalition, adding in a statement it meant the "stability of the entire rental housing sector is thrown into question."
By Heekyong Yang and Shu Zhang

SEOUL/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - South Korean refiners have bought nearly 2 million barrels of Omani crude from Chinese storage tanks in the past two months, seldom seen trades created by low prices and high inventories, according to trade sources and shipping data on Refinitiv Eikon.

The cargoes were among the first to be lifted from bonded storage tanks operated by Shanghai's International Energy Exchange (INE) for delivery to South Korea, the sources said.

Strong buying from Chinese investors betting on a rebound in oil prices earlier this year pushed Shanghai crude futures to a premium over global benchmark Brent.

The trend reversed from July, though, prompting refiners to buy crude from the exchange at prices lower than spot supplies, the sources said.

Shanghai crude futures vs Brent https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/nmopaqywzpa/Pasted%20image%201598937475765.png

One source with direct knowledge of the matter said SK Trading International in July bought 700,000 barrels of Omani crude from Litasco, trading arm of Russian oil producer Lukoil.

Another source said GS Caltex bought two Omani crude cargoes in July and August via traders from the exchange.

Three tankers delivered oil from ports in Shandong and Hainan provinces to Yeosu and Ulsan in the past two months, Refinitiv data showed.

Chinese refiner Hengli Petrochemical <600346.SS> also made its first purchase from the INE in August, lifting a 500,000-barrel Upper Zakum crude cargo from Dalian storage, a source familiar with the matter said.

Middle East crude sold via the exchange are "a couple of dollars" cheaper than spot supplies, but procedures such as customs clearance are complicated, he said.

The sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. SK Innovation <096770.KS> - owner of SK Energy - and GS Caltex and Hengli declined to comment.

Shanghai Futures Exchange, which owns INE, and Litasco did not respond to requests for comment.

INE's storage peaked at more than 45 million barrels at end-July to early August, according to data on its website.

Story continues

Six-month contango for Shanghai crude futures vs Brent https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/yzdpxxaqepx/Pasted%20image%201598937600914.png

Buyers of INE crude have to be flexible as the cargoes typically ship within weeks and the crude grade and loading port are decided by the exchange, the sources said.

Asian refiners normally buy crude two months ahead.

(Reporting by Heekyong Yang in Seoul, Emily Chow in Shanghai, Shu Zhang and Florence Tan in Singapore; Writing by Florence Tan; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have developed a prototype of a rapid COVID-19 test using a simple-to-use portable instrument for reading the results with a smartphone in 30 minutes, an innovation that may enable point-of-care diagnosis without needing to send samples to a lab. According to the study, published in the journal PNAS, the new technology may help overcome bottlenecks in supplies and laboratory personnel which have led to long waiting times for COVID-19 test results in several parts of the world amidst the ongoing pandemic.

"If such a device and test were available, we could test for COVID-19 at public events, auditoriums, large gatherings and potentially even at home for self-testing. The results could be sent back to the appropriate public health system for coordination," said Rashid Bashir, a professor of bioengineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in the US. In one of the common methods to test for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, healthcare workers take a sample from patients with a long nasopharyngeal swab, which is put into a substance called viral transport media, and send to a lab for extracting, isolating, and multiplying the viral genetic material, the scientists said.

Also read: COVID-19 in US: 33 states reject Trump administration's new coronavirus testing guidance

This viral RNA multiplication process, called RT-PCR, requires several temperature fluctuation cycles, specialised equipment, and trained personnel, said Brain Cunningham, another co-author of the study. In the current research, the scientists used a simpler process to analyse the viral transport media, called LAMP, which bypasses the RNA extraction and purification steps. "LAMP only needs one temperature - 65 C - so it is much easier to control," said Anurup Ganguli, the first author of the study. "Also, LAMP works more robustly than PCR, especially when there are contaminants in the test sample. We can just briefly heat the sample, break open the virus, and detect the genetic sequence that specifically identifies SARS-CoV-2," Ganguli said.

When the researchers compared the LAMP assay with PCR, they found the results were in agreement, following which they documented the sensitivity and specificity of the LAMP test. The scientists then incorporated the assay onto a small 3D-printed cartridge that has two input slots for syringes - one for the sample-containing viral transport media, one for the LAMP chemicals. Once the two syringe components are injected, they the react within the cartridge, the study noted.

Also read: US conducted 40 million more COVID tests than India: Donald Trump

"We use modern, high speed additive manufacturing to make these cartridges. The entire thing can be quickly scaled up to hundreds of thousands of tests," said Bill King, another co-author of the study from the University of Illinois. "Production scale-up is typically the biggest obstacle for commercial applications of microfluidic cartridges, and we can overcome that obstacle using this new approach. Modern additive manufacturing is elastic and scalable, and it can be ramped up very quickly compared with legacy manufacturing technologies," King said.

According to the researchers, the cartridge can be inserted into a hand-held portable instrument with a heating chamber, which heats the cartridge to 65 degrees Celsius for the duration of the reaction, and a smartphone cradle is in place for reading the results. In approximately 30 minutes, a positive result will emit fluorescent light, they said. "The reader illuminates the liquid compartments with light from blue LEDs, while the phone's rear-facing camera records a movie of the green fluorescent light being generated," Cunningham explained. The scientists noted that they are currently assessing whether the assay would work with saliva samples to eliminate the need for nasopharyngeal swabs.

Also read: COVID-19 pandemic: Five more volunteers join Oxford vaccine trials in Pune

Also read: Some exposed to coronavirus don't require testing: US CDC
NEW YORK (AP)  Sale talks for TikToks U.S. operations have been complicated by the key question of whether the apps core algorithms can be included as part of a deal, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal that cited unidentified people familiar with the matter.

Those algorithms decide what videos users see without first requiring them to follow other users or specify their preferences. The Journal report stated the algorithms were considered part of the deal negotiations up until Friday.

That's when the Chinese government introduced export restrictions on artificial intelligence technology that appear to cover content-recommendation algorithms such as the one powering TikTok. The move followed President Donald Trump's effort to force a sale of TikTok's U.S. operations by Sept. 20.

Those export restrictions mean that TikToks Chinese owner, ByteDance Ltd., would have to obtain a license to export any restricted technologies to a foreign company. The question is whether its algorithms would need Chinese government approval for transfer, and if so, whether Beijing would sign off.

The Journal report said both the prospective buyers and the seller, ByteDance, are trying to figure that out. Prospective buyers for U.S. TikTok assets include a Microsoft-Walmart team-up and, reportedly, Oracle.

Representatives for TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Microsoft, Oracle and Walmart declined to comment.
A fundraising appeal has been launched to save a community hall which has served the Eglinton community for 25 years.

From humble beginnings the centre has grown to support generations and it is now asking for help in its own time of need.

Young and older people in the local community have made many happy memories at the centre.

It survived the devastating flooding in 2017 but the current pandemic has taken its toll.

Voluntary Community Secretary at Eglinton Community Centre, Saoirse Fanning, said they are exploring many avenues to build resilience and make its services sustainable again.

Those running it have applied to the Aviva Community Fund with a crowdfunding idea.

Ms Fanning added: We would so appreciate the support of the community in Eglinton to reach the target of 20,000, this will allow Eglinton Community Hall to continue to provide our valuable services in our rural village during and after Covid-19.

Your support for this project through a donation would be most welcome.

We have always been well supported in the local community and have endeavoured to provide a wide range of recreational classes, support and advice for the last 25 years.

During lockdown the centre worked in partnership with Eglinton Churches Together to deliver help to shielded and vulnerable people.

They wish to keep support, advice, physical activity, children's activities and older people's activities available in the heart of Eglinton.

HISTORY

In 1995 the site at 40 Main Street Eglinton was donated to the local community by two local businessmen Patrick and John McGinnis.

There was a small bungalow (above) on the site and Mary McGuiggan took on the task of running activities for women and young people in the bungalow.

Ms McGuiggan formed Eglinton Women's Group and ran the Eglin-teen project during the early years when a portacabin was erected beside the bungalow to expand services for young people.

There was a wide range of classes and courses - art, furniture upholstery, circus and juggling workshops, support, advice, personal development and music lessons.

Eglinton was a growing village and eventually a funding application was submitted to build a small hall at the front of the site.

All this was happening while activities were still being run for women, older people and Eglinton Youth Club.

For a short period during construction of the small hall, services moved over to a house on Coolafinney Road which was given for the purpose by Longs Supermarket.

The new hall opened in March 2001.

Over the next 12 years the local community used the hall for family gatherings, dance, drama, aerobics, music and youth club.

Eglinton Village continued to expand from a population of 2,300 in 2001 Census to a population of 4,300 in 2011 Census.

They applied for funding to build the new extension (below), which was completed in May 2013.

The current hall is now able to accommodate many more fitness, art, social, recreational classes.

Eglinton Community Hall has always been able to sustain itself over the last 20 years and helped the local community during the flooding in 2017.

Since the Covid-19 emergency began in March they have worked closely with Eglinton Churches Together to support vulnerable, isolated people with shopping and medication.

A village Disney Parade was held to cheer up the children during lockdown, supplemented by online classes.

Ms Fanning said: This period has left us in great difficulties in trying to open up again as we have had no rental income for almost six months now.

We would so appreciate the support of the local community to help us fundraise, bring staff back and help support services for the future.

Thank you for your support.

Eglinton Community Hall Crowdfunding page went live at midnight on August 26 and will remain open until October14.

You can donate at: https://avivacommunityfund.co.uk/eglinton-community
LOS ANGELES -- Dijon Kizzee, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Monday during a foot chase, according to the Associated Press. Deputies with the department told superiors they tried to stop Kizzee while he was riding his bike because he was in violation of vehicle codes.

However, Kizzee fled the scene on foot as officers tried to stop him and a chase ensued. Once deputies caught up to him, Kizzee punched one of the deputies and ran away again. During that chase, Kizzee dropped several items that included a handgun in a bundle of clothes he was carrying. When officers saw the gun in the bundle, they opened fire, according to the AP.

Sheriffs Lt. Brandon Dean said the responding deputies had not been interviewed by investigators, but shared their account of events with the media.

He was in possession of a firearm and did assault a deputy, Dean said.

Family members have identified Kizzee, but the LACSD has not confirmed his identity.

At a press conference Monday afternoon, Dean said investigators had yet to interview witnesses or review any videos of the shooting.

Give us time to conduct our investigation, Dean said. We will get all of the facts of this case and eventually present them.

Protesters gathered outside the sheriffs department Monday evening with some chanting Say his name and No justice, no peace. Approximately 100 people were outside the office for the protests. Arlander Givens, 68, a resident in the area, wondered why the deputies would shoot Kizzee after he dropped the weapon.

If he reached down to grab it, thats different, Givens told the Los Angeles Times. But if its on the ground, why shoot? That means he was unarmed.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is set to vote Tuesday to fund a body-worn cameras program for the sheriffs office. Sheriff Alex Villanueva has repeatedly asked the board to approve the money for the body cameras.

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Select Board members listen to Arlene Kirsch on Monday. Residents expressed their concerns over allegations of racism and sexual harassment within the Police Department, raised by a lawsuit brought by a current officer.

Williamstown Residents Renew Call for Investigation of Police Department

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Nearly 20 residents on Monday made often impassioned pleas for the town to take action regarding allegations of sexual harassment and racism in the town's Police Department.

The Select Board spent nearly two hours listening to some of the 70 people who dialed in to participate in the remote meeting, with many of those speaking calling for Police Chief Kyle Johnson and Town Manager Jason Hoch to be placed on administrative leave and an independent investigation to be launched.

"I'm asking you to get off your hands and make a statement and do something that's going to bring back the confidence and the security of the women in this town, primarily, and Black lives here in this town," said Bilal Ansari of the town's Diversity, Inclusion, Race and Equity Committee, which has been advocating for an investigation since shortly after the allegations became known. "That's what I want to see. That's what I want to hear, not a bunch of excuses. ... Do something. It's time for action."

The town was rocked in mid-August by a federal lawsuit filed by police Sgt. Scott McGowan , who alleged incidents of sexual harassment and racism and claimed that he had been retaliated against for filing complaints with the town and last year with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.

The filing caught the Select Board off-guard as they had not been privy to the MCAD filing or any complaints against the Police Department.

"If I could, if I could shout this from the rooftops, I would be absolutely, unequivocally crystal clear the Select board was not aware of the MCAD filing and did not participate in preparation of the response to that administrative complaint," said Chair Jane Patton. "Whether we should have known earlier is an ongoing discussion we're having with the town manager."

Patton described the board's discussions with Hoch as 26 hours in at this point. The town manager was not in attendance and Patton said he was on a previously scheduled vacation that the board had agreed he should take.

"There's so much work going on outside of public view that we hope we can share with you in time. And I fully understand that there are going to be those that say, yes, that's not good enough," said Patton. "We have committed to having independent reviews of the town's employment practices and policies, as well as the Police Department's policies and procedures, and we state unequivocably that the Select Board does not condone racism or sexual harassment or abuse in our workplaces, or in the Police Department's interactions with the public, we don't condone it period. End of story."

Select Board members said they understood that it was hard for residents to be patient in letting the matter work its way through the courts. The board has more information that it cannot divulge because of the court case, several said.

"I am beholden to act based on the truth, the information I'm receiving. And I do," said Select Board member Anne O'Connor, who acted as moderator during the hearing. "It's painful to say this to people who have come with such pain. ... I think we're doing the best we can do, where we stand with, with the information that we feel comfortable sharing."

She acknowledged that some residents felt that the court case was taking precedent over immediate concerns regarding the Police Department, a sentiment her colleagues also iterated.

"What I'm saying to my, my friends, my neighbors, fellow townspeople. I support the board's action plan today," said board member Hugh Daley. "We are on the right path. It is not moving at the pace we would like. But we have to take the steps."

McGowan's allegations, some of which were not specifically disputed, included a dispatcher using the N-word when a Black college student was at the station, harassment of a Black officer (who later left), and sexual harassment of a local woman by another officer. The dispatcher and officer are still employed. There was also a picture of Hitler in one of the police lockers, which the chief says he was not aware of until the complaint was filed.

"Because you can't possibly understand this, I'm gonna tell you how it feels to see a photo of a police officer's locker in my town with a picture of Hitler. The man who ordered the murder of my grandparents," said resident Arlene Kirsch. "I can't sleep. I have nightmares. This, like no other experience in my 71 years, has left me feeling beyond furious and beyond terrified and shockingly, that police officer still works here.

"I help pay his salary. Give me a break."

A number of the speakers on Monday expressed their own fears of how the local police would interact with them based on what they'd read in the complaint, and in light of ongoing protests after several high-profile deaths of Black individuals at the hands of police.

"We're not any different right now from Kenosha (Wisc.) and Minneapolis, or any other racially charged town or city in this country that is spewing and roiling in pain and suffering and most people cannot sleep at night," said Jessica Dils, calling for the immediate suspension of Johnson and Hoch. "And you are crazy to think that we are not vulnerable right now to violence in our town in this beautiful Village Beautiful, knowing that there has been no accountability, or discipline to officers with a picture of Hitler in their locker. With racist rhetoric spewing from their mouths when they see a person of color."

Dils and other members of the DIRE Committee accused the board of using the committee as shield and expressed their disappointment that it was DIRE that had to call for action.

"I just wanted to say, I truly don't understand why it's so difficult to do an independent investigation, and generally I don't understand why there's so much inaction, it feels to me that it's because we don't want to hurt people's feelings," said Twink Williams Burns. "Being so worried about shaking up the status quo and investigate tells me that you are OK with my current status quo as a black woman. And that is when I'm pulled over, should I be more afraid of being sexually assaulted or should I be more afraid of having someone act overtly racist towards me?

"The fact that sexual assault and hurling the N-word went essentially unpunished is proof to me that those were not shocking events. And if they were not shocking, it's likely because they were commonplace."

One caller, Stephanie Lenhart, said they needed better policies to protect people but also defended Hoch as a good person to work with, saying maybe he had a reason for not informing the board. And others took issue with her for a comment about not understanding how people would feel unsafe.

"We've now had ... two white women who have come on and said, 'I don't really understand how other people may not feel safe and I understand it's important that they do feel safe but I've never had a problem,'" said Aruna D'Souza. "It starts to sound to me like the same old thing that happens whenever harassment complaints are made. Well, he never harassed me or the police have never treated me badly, or I haven't had that experience, if someone has a Hitler poster in their locker, it doesn't affect me.

"We have to start realizing that our individual experiences aren't everyone's experience, and that right now the experiences of people who don't have a problem with the way policing is conducted in this town are perhaps less crucial than the experiences of people who have had real problems with the way policing is experienced in this town."
NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, under growing pressure at home and abroad for his government's failure to carry out economic and democratic reforms, has called for a "reset" of the state structures managing the oil-rich Central Asian nation.

Addressing the nation during a joint session of both parliamentary chambers, the Mazhilis and the Senate, Toqaev said on September 1 that a new state body called the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms would soon begin carrying out its function to boost "necessary reforms," while a second state agency will be created to support economic competition. Both will report directly to the president.

The changes, Toqaev said, include direct elections for governors in villages starting next year, as well as hiving off the Agency for Emergency Situations from the Interior Ministry to allow it to have a freer hand in responding to the coronavirus pandemic in the face of protests by citizens demanding compensation for losses caused by the outbreak.

Opposition groups in Kazakhstan have been calling for direct elections of all governors across the country for years, a move that has been rejected by the government.

Kazakhstan's economy has stalled in recent months, hit hard by the double whammy of a drop in oil prices and the virus, which has choked off growth and forced many businesses to be shuttered.

Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged the Kazakh government to extend and bolster economic relief for those negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent hundreds of thousands of people from facing poverty.

Despite Kazakhstan's vast natural resources, a high portion of its population was at risk of poverty even before the pandemic.

One study from October 2018 found that one-quarter of Kazakhstan's population of more than 18 million is chronically poor, and more are at risk of falling into poverty. The situation has deteriorated as oil revenues dwindled due to the pandemic.

In March, Toqaev announced that the government was allocating about $10 billion toward improving access to health care, cash transfers for people who lost income, and protecting businesses from the economic fallout.

The aid package totaled almost 7 percent of Kazakhstans gross domestic product, but the relief was still lower than the monthly living wage needed to cover basic expenses in higher-cost cities such as Almaty or Nur-Sultan.

Compounding the problem, some measures such as loan deferrals have since expired.

"There could be dire consequences unless the government urgently extends and expands financial assistance during the quarantine and beyond," said Lena Simet, senior poverty and inequality researcher at HRW in an August 18 report.

Of his almost 90 minute address, Toqaev devoted just two minutes to the issue of human rights in Kazakhstan, though he still called the issue "a priority."

According to Toqaev, his government must bring national legislation in line with the International Convention Against Torture, implement measures to prevent cyberbullying, and join the protocol of the Convention on the Rights of Children. He also called on the Interior Ministry to thoroughly investigate human trafficking cases.

International right defenders have criticized Kazakh authorities for years for limiting the civil and political rights of the countrys citizens, cracking down on dissent, allowing politically motivated persecutions, torture in jails and prisons, and other rights violations.

They have also urged Kazakhstan to release political prisoners, but the authorities in Kazakhstan have insisted that there are no political prisoners in the country.

"Due to what became routine in the past, law enforcement structures continue to stick mainly to an accusation style of work. Very often citizens are being criminally charged without any grounds," Toqaev said in his address, adding that police must be "free from other duties" to allow them more time to investigate crimes and collect evidence.

It was Toqaev's second address to the nation after he took over the former Soviet republic following the sudden resignation in March 2019 of President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who had ruled the tightly controlled country since before the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Nazarbaev remains a key political figure as the leader of the ruling Nur-Otan party, and lifetime chief of the powerful Security Council. He also enjoys full immunity guaranteed for him by his title of elbasy - the leader of the nation.
Rogers 5G network, powered by Ericsson, will expand to over 60 Canadian markets by year-end



Expansion will support additional 5G devices launching this fall on Rogers Infinite plans and unlimited business wireless plans; over two million Canadians now on Rogers Infinite plans

Next generation 5G network technology will drive productivity, fuel innovation and power Canadas economy to compete globally

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rogers Communications today announced it has launched 5G on Canadas most trusted and reliable network in 26 new cities and towns across British Columbia1. Including these markets, Rogers 5G network, powered by Ericsson, has launched in over 50 new cities and towns in Canada today and will reach a total of more than 60 markets by year-end.

Building on the companys January roll out of 5G in downtown Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, Rogers 5G network is now the largest in Canada and available in the following cities and towns in British Columbia, bringing consumers and businesses the very best in wireless technology to their own neighbourhoods and business parks2:

Abbotsford-Mission

Maple Ridge

Port Moody

Burnaby Nanaimo Richmond Chilliwack New Westminster Salmon Arm Coquitlam North Vancouver Surrey Courtenay Oliver Vancouver Delta Osoyoos Vernon Kamloops Penticton Victoria Kelowna Pitt Meadows West Vancouver Langley Port Coquitlam White Rock

5G represents a massive technological transformation that will change the way British Columbians live and work, said Rick Sellers, President of B.C. Region, Rogers Communications. We are proud that 5G is now available in 27 cities and towns in British Columbia. Strong digital infrastructure and this next generation technology are critical to fuel productivity and innovation as we power out of the pandemic, and in the future as we reset the competitive landscape in B.C. and for Canada, globally.

Expected to be the most transformative technology since wireless services were introduced in 1985, 5G will make real-time connectivity a reality, accelerating the transition to a truly digitally connected world. Rogers 5G is currently accessible to customers on Rogers Infinite plans and unlimited business wireless plans with select 5G-ready devices. More than two million Canadians are now on Rogers Infinite unlimited data plans, representing the most customers of any wireless provider in Canada with no overage fees. Customers can purchase new devices at $0 and 0% interest with device financing.

Story continues

In British Columbia, Rogers continues to invest in wireless enhancements and technology throughout the province, including launching Canadas first 5G smart city pilot earlier this year with the City of Kelowna and the University of British Columbia. In 2018, Rogers announced a multi-million dollar partnership with UBC to fund academic research in 5G applications and applied sciences including the launch of the countrys first 5G-powered smart campus. The company also launched network sites this year in West Kelowna and Osoyoos, a partnership with Nisgaa Nation that connects communities in Northwestern B.C., and a collaboration with the B.C. Government that brings wireless coverage to residents and businesses of Witsuwiten Village (Witset First Nation).

The expansion of Rogers 5G network will further revolutionize the way we live, work, learn, play and interact with each other, said Anne Kang, Minister of Citizens Services. Giving people access to 5G technology will help them take full advantage of the digital economy and allow our economy, businesses and communities to grow and thrive.

Over time, 5G will introduce new capabilities that are significantly more advanced than previous generations of wireless technology. With ultra-low latency, the lag between sending a request and the network responding will theoretically drop to one millisecond, 400 times faster than the blink of an eye. This will allow for a massive increase in the number of connected devices and a range of capabilities and applications that require quick responsiveness. From network slicing to give first responders a dedicated network, to wireless sensors that monitor farmers soil conditions saving them time and money, to using virtual reality that enhances the retail customer experience, to multi-player, lag-free gaming on the go  5G will deliver a world of possibilities.

Wireless industry investments in 5G networks are expected to contribute an estimated $40 billion to the countrys economy and 250,000 permanent new jobs by 2026. In Vancouver alone, the industry has the potential to increase GDP by $270 million in productivity due to reduced traffic congestion3.



Rogers has invested over $30 billion over the past 35 years to build Canadas most trusted and reliable wireless network. In 2020, the company was awarded the best wireless network in Canada for the second year in a row by umlaut, the global leader in mobile network testing and benchmarking. Rogers was also ranked number one in the West and Ontario Regions in the J.D. Power 2020 Canada Wireless Network Quality Study.

A PwC study commissioned by the company indicates that last year Rogers investments and operations resulted in a total economic footprint in British Columbia of $1.7 billion of output including over 5,500 full-time jobs generated and supported. Earlier this year, Rogers announced that it will bring 350 new jobs into the local economy by 2021 through its B.C. customer solution centre in Kelowna.

About Rogers

Rogers is a proud Canadian company dedicated to making more possible for Canadians each and every day. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. We have grown to become a leading technology and media company that strives to provide the very best in wireless, residential, sports, and media to Canadians and Canadian businesses. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). If you want to find out more about us, visit about.rogers.com.

For more information

media@rci.rogers.com

1-844-226-1338

1 Most Reliable based on umlaut performance benchmark audit of Canadian mobile networks, June 2020; Most Trusted based on total wireless subscribers

2 Largest based on total square kilometers of Rogers 5G coverage compared to published coverage of other national networks

3 https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/PDF-112/Accenture-Accelerating-5G-in-Canada-PoV-2019.pdf#zoom=50




The company's logo is seen on top of the entrance of French oil industry tubing maker Vallourec at Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - French steel pipe maker Vallourec <VLLP.PA> said on Tuesday it aimed to hold broader talks on its financial restructuring with all its banks, shareholders and bondholders.

The company said it sought to achieve a restructuring that would allow it to address upcoming debt maturities and to rebalance its financial structure. Vallourec has previously held talks only with banks and its main shareholders, it added.

(Reporting by Matthieu Protard; Editing by Pravin Char)
Update:

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office identified the deputies involved in the incident that left Damian Daniels dead.

Daniels, 30, was killed in a struggle with deputies at his home in the 11000 block of Liberty Field on Aug. 25.

BCSO on Wednesday identified the deputies involved in the incident: John A. Rodriguez, 52, who has been with the department for 14 years; Enrique A. Cepeda, 49, a 23-year BCSO veteran; and Deputy Michelle Garriffa, 40, a 16-year BCSO veteran.

READ MORE: Neighbors, family remember man killed by deputies during struggle over weapon

Rodriguez was the deputy who fired two shots at Daniels, hitting him once, according to previous reports.

Although Garriffa has been with the department for some time, she had only been on the patrol side of the force for 4 days.

At a memorial Wednesday evening, Brendan Daniels said his brother "could walk into the room and everybody would be gloom, but he turns around and he smiles at you and you look away from the face of doom."

Original story:

A lawyer representing the family of Damien Daniels, a Black man shot and killed by a Bexar County deputy, called Tuesday for the release of body-camera footage and the name of the deputy.

Lee Merritt, a national civil rights attorney, and the Daniels family met with District Attorney Joe Gonzales.

After the meeting, Gonzales said he plans to present the case to a grand jury once the District Attorneys Office completes its review. The Sheriff's Office has yet to present its investigation of the shooting to the office.

RELATED: S.A. employee allegedly spits in cop's order, yells 'ACAB'

Losing a loved one is traumatic, said Annette Watkins, Damians mother, in a statement. To see a loved one who is in clear crisis, be senselessly murdered, after serving his country, is unbearable. We pleaded for help. They gave us death.

Daniels, a 30-year-old military veteran, was experiencing mental distress last week, prompting four phone calls to the sheriffs office in a span of 25 hours.

Deputies spent 30 minutes talking to Daniels on his front porch until they deemed he was a danger to himself and others, Sheriff Javier Salazar said, and tried to detain him for mental health treatment.

What complicated the situation here is he was armed and did not intend to come along easily by the looks of what Ive seen on the (body camera) video, Salazar said. And so they attempted to disarm him.

In the ensuing struggle, one of the deputies  a 52-year-old, 14-year veteran of the sheriffs office  fired two shots, killing Daniels, Salazar said.

Merritt acknowledged the family does not know all of the details leading to the deadly use-of-force, but they do know that Daniels was at home, legally armed, and had committed no crime. He noted the deputies could have left when Daniels refused to comply.

The failure to comply to a lawful police officer command when they are there for a wellness check should not be a death sentence, Merritt said.

Daniels chose to stay in San Antonio following his discharge from the Army. He bought a house in the Military City and obtained a liberal arts degree, Merritt said.

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Staff Sgt. Keith Patterson, a soldier based at Fort Riley, Kan., recalled serving with Daniels in Afghanistan from May 2012 to February 2013. They went out on 100 or so supply missions to forward operating bases along narrow one-lane roads, sometimes unpaved, under constant risk of roadside bombs or enemy ambushes.

The bombs, called improvised explosive devices  or IEDs  were a big issue.

It was one of our briefs we got every time we rode outside the wire, said Patterson, 29 of Little Rock. Ark. Potential IED threats, locations where they might potentially be. One mission we actually had to sit and wait for route clearance because of IED.

Soldiers didnt sleep well before a mission, but Patterson remembered Daniels, an 88Mike motor transportation specialist, as kind and jovial, often armed with a goofy smile.

He was the most gentle soul youll ever meet, even in theater, he recalled. He was sweet and humble, always had a smile on his face. Even when we ran missions, and many of those missions were late at night, he was always smiling. Everybody else was groggy, tired, and hes smiling and laughing.

Daniels was paranoid and experiencing his first mental health crisis when deputies arrived last week, Merritt said, emphasizing that he was not suicidal.

The lawyer, who spoke with Daniels mother and brothers Alvin and Brennan behind him, refused the Sheriffs Office request to meet with the family.

You dont meet with a family after you say your officers did a great job executing a family member, Merritt said.

Dominique Alexander, an organizer with the Dallas-based Next Generation Action Network, said activists will continue to organize the whole state of Texas to descend on Bexar County to ensure the Daniels family receives justice.

Local activists with Defund Coalition SA gathered outside the Paul Elizondo Tower downtown Tuesday, chanting Stop killing us.
Joseph Mensah Amartey, unemployed, who bit off the ear of an Information Technology Engineer over a woman has been sentenced to six months imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.



Amartey, 44, was also ordered by the court to pay compensation of GH2,000 to the complainant, Mr Japhet Tetteh Josiah.



The accused, who was charged with causing harm, pleaded guilty and prayed for leniency.



The court presided over by Mrs. Priscilla Dapaah Mireku convicted Amartey on his own.



The court in handing down the sentence said it took into consideration the fact that the accused person was a first offender and he did not waste the courts time.



According to the court, the accused had also shown remorse.



Prosecuting Chief Inspector John Gohoho told the court that the complainant Japhet Tetteh Josiah is an IT Engineer.



Chief Inspector Gohoho said the complainant and the accused person reside at Teshie in Accra.



The prosecution said on August 13, this year at about 9:30 pm while the complainant and his girlfriend Emelia Laryea who is a witness in the case were on their way home, the accused person emerged and followed them about 500m away.



Chief Inspector Gohoho said Amartey walked up to them and held Emelias hand and asked her to follow him home, but Emelia turned Amarteys request down.



Prosecution said a misunderstanding ensued between the complainant and the accused person and in the process the accused person bit off the complainants ear.



The complainant, the prosecution said, reported the matter to the police and was issued with a medical form to attend hospital.



Afterward, the complainant led the police to arrest the accused person from his hideout.



Prosecution said during investigations, it was revealed that Emelia was dating the complainant and accused person and so when he (the accused) saw Emelia in the company of the complainant he became violent and attacked the complainant.



Amartey in his caution statement admitted the offence, Prosecution said.

Source: GNA









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Federal money allotted for $300-per-week in additional unemployment payments to Michigans jobless could last less than a month.

FEMA confirmed in an email to MLive on Monday that it awarded Michigan about $935 million to dole out as part of President Donald Trumps Lost Wages Assistance program. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) previously said it expected nearly 910,000 residents to qualify for the supplemental payments.

Considering the program allows states to keep up to 5% for administrative costs -- about $46 million in Michigans case -- it works out to about three and a quarter weeks of $300 payments.

The UIA said the payments will be retroactive to Aug. 1, the first week after the prior round of $600-per-week supplemental unemployment payments from the federal government expired. Those payments were supported by the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Economist Paul Isely, associate dean in the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University, said the length of time the money will last is not surprising, calling it a temporary measure to bridge the gap between the CARES Act and whatever Congress was going to come up with next. He said theres a strong potential the money will be delivered to Michigans jobless as a lump sum.

Isely said the use of $44 billion diverted from FEMA for unemployment assistance is something thats never been done before. Economists originally projected the supplemental payments to last between one and two months.

Michigans unemployment agency has revealed little about when the money will appear in bank accounts or how long it will last.

The White House has estimated that it would take at least three weeks to implement the new program, UIA spokesman Jason Moon said on Aug. 28. Based on our interaction with other states, many states expect that implementation will take longer than this. We are evaluating ongoing guidance from (the U.S. Department of Labor) and FEMA and will soon provide an implementation timeline ...

The federal government has yet to provided details on how long the funding will last.

Based on the initial award and the estimated number of eligible recipients, state officials should be able to project how may weeks of payments the program can afford.

FEMA would not provide a copy of Michigans grant application to MLive or reveal how much Michigan requested. Representatives referred comment back to the state UIA.

The UIA has not responded to followup questions from MLive. Michigan officials received notice the state would receive Lost Wages Assistance program funding on Aug. 21.

California last week said it plans to begin processing unemployment claims for the additional $300 on Sept. 7. Its Employment Development Department, the agency that processes unemployment payments, said based on the grants funding it has received, recipients would receive the additional $300 for a minimum of three weeks. Its unclear if California is expected to receive more Lost Wages Assistance funds when they initial grant funding expires.

Mike McWilliams, an economic forecasting specialist with Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics at the University of Michigan, said initial projections that the federal unemployment stimulus would last into September were based on a more optimistic total grant amount.

Many politicians, including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, called the supplemental unemployment program a short-term Band-Aid.

We need the president, Mitch McConnell, and Congress to put partisanship aside and pass a bipartisan recovery package that will help us save lives and get people back on their feet, Whitmer said when the Lost Wages Assistance funds were announced Aug. 21. Michigan families, frontline workers, and small business owners are counting on the federal government to do the right thing and work together on their behalf.

McWilliams expects there will eventually be a congressional deal that offers more to out-of-work Americans.

But based on the timing and the administrative difficulty, it could be a while before workers see those benefits, he said. As a result, we may see consumer spending dip in the interim, especially if the extra $300 only covers a few weeks.

From a broader economic perspective, Isely said the real problem with the roll-out of the additional unemployment money, as well as any potential future stimulus package, is the uncertainty behind it.

If I dont know whether Im going to get money or not get money, then Im going to save as much as possible and Im not going to spend it, he said. If I dont spend it, then it doesnt support the economy and create jobs for people.

Whats happening is that its helping to support families but its not really adding any juice to the economy.

Michigans unemployment rate is declining and at 9.9% remained about .4 percentage points above the national average, as of Aug. 8.

President Donald Trump on Aug. 8 designated $44 billion from FEMAs Disaster Relief Fund to supplement state unemployment pay. The maximum weekly unemployment payment in Michigan is $362, meaning the maximum weekly payment with the supplemental money will be $662.

Unemployed workers must already qualify for at least $100-per-week in unemployment benefits in order to receive the additional $300. This means there are some Michigan residents on unemployment insurance who will not qualify. Michigan weekly unemployment insurance payments begin at $81, according to the state website.

Claimants do not have to take any action to receive the additional benefit amount provided by the program, Whitmers office said. The additional benefits will be added automatically for all claimants who are eligible to receive at least $100 in weekly unemployment benefit payments.

This includes claimants receiving any type of regular unemployment insurance benefits as well as those receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits.

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:

Michigan businesses on brink of disaster

Movie theaters make plea to reopen

Liquor sales a bright spot amid coronavirus

Thriving amid the pandemic

Theres no place like home during a pandemic

Michiganders spending more in the great outdoors

Michigans top state parks

Pool sales surge

Bowling alleys want to be able to reopen  and for you to stop calling them bowling alleys
Shane Jeeves was a sporty and healthy person when he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2013.

Even when his kidney function dropped to 25 per cent in 2016 when he was aged 44, he was told to keep an eye on it.

Shane Jeeves needs to be on dialysis three to four times a week for seven-hour stints. Credit:Simon Schluter

But three years later, it came as a shock to learn he had just 6 per cent kidney function and had to go on dialysis to stay alive.

"I ended up getting severely sick," Mr Jeeves, 48, said. "It just went really, really fast downhill."
Global investors may eventually hold as much as one fifth, or even up to a quarter, of China's stock market value over time, and Hong Kong will be the vital link for that access, said the architect of the cross-border investment channel known as the Stock Connect.

The daily amount of international capital investing in the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets via Hong Kong - known as northbound capital in Connect parlance - jumped 69 per cent in the first half to a record 74.3 billion yuan (US$10.83 billion) year on year, fuelling a rally that drove the Shanghai Composite Index's gain this year to 11.6 per cent as the world's second biggest winner. First-half southbound capital by Chinese investors tapping Hong Kong-listed shares rose 86 per cent to HK$20.7 billion every day.

"The Stock Connect has become extraordinarily important, [where] we're smashing records every quarter," said Charles Li Xiaojia, chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), the operator of the city's bourse, during a webinar by South China Morning Post. "I think there is still room to grow for Connect to live up to its potential."

The potential growth, from the current status where global capital via Hong Kong makes up low single digits percentage of China's stock market under the scheme, could translate to further upside for the operator of Asia's third-largest stock market. HKEX, whose shares are traded on the Hong Kong exchange, last week reported a record first-half and second-quarter profit, boosted by rising market turnover - due in no small part to the Connect - and a flood of Chinese technology start-ups seeking to raise capital.

Charles Li Xiaojia, chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) speaking after officiating several IPO listings on the exchange on 16 July 2019. As many as 24 companies raised money in Hong Kong in July alone. Photo: Nora Tam alt=Charles Li Xiaojia, chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) speaking after officiating several IPO listings on the exchange on 16 July 2019. As many as 24 companies raised money in Hong Kong in July alone. Photo: Nora Tam

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The Connect scheme involved the collaboration between Hong Kong, with the exchange operators in Shanghai and Shenzhen to allow investors to access each other's stocks, while keeping China's capital controls intact.

Since the Shanghai-Hong Kong Connect was launched in November 2014, followed by the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Connect in 2016, a total of 30.64 trillion yuan of global capital had flowed into China's A-share market, which would otherwise be off limits to overseas investors. Mainland Chinese retail and institutional investors had poured HK$12.2 trillion of money into such Hong Kong-listed shares as HSBC and Tencent Holdings, according to exchange data.

International investors owned 1.95 trillion yuan of A-shares in Shanghai and Shenzhen via Stock Connect, or 2.8 per cent of the capitalisation of the two mainland markets, while mainland investors owned HK$1.54 trillion of Hong Kong-listed shares at the end of July, or 3.8 per cent of the total, according to HKEX data.

Transborder investments will only grow, as more and more US-listed Chinese technology companies like Alibaba Group Holding, NetEase and JD.com beat a path back closer to their home ground amid deteriorating US-China relations. Alibaba is owner of the Post.

Bafang Electric (Suzhou), a component maker for electric bicycles, is one such company. Global investors owned 27.9 per cent of Bafang's Shanghai-listed A-shares, giving it the highest ratio of foreign ownership out of all companies in the scheme, according to HKEX data.

Another example is Centre Testing International Group, a Shenzhen-listed clinical laboratory, where 20 per cent of its shares are foreign-owned, via the northbound capital from Hong Kong. On the reverse side of the fence, Chinese investors have snapped up 56.6 per cent of the Hong Kong-listed metallurgy company Ganfeng Lithium, a record in the southbound leg of the Connect.

Cross-border turnover will grow to around 20 to 25 per cent of the total, compared with about 5 to 10 per cent nowadays, Li said in the webinar, the second in a six-part series of conversations around the China internet Report 2020 Pro Edition by SCMP Research.

The exchange head maintains a positive outlook despite the fact that Hong Kong's economy is mired in its worst recession on record. The Chinese legislature's enactment of a national security law for Hong Kong has not slowed the pace of companies seeking to list on the city's bourse, even if it threw a pall over sentiments.

Hong Kong's currency strengthened to the higher end of its trading band against the US dollar on Friday, bolstered by an inflow of capital as investors position themselves ahead of a slew of blockbuster stock offerings on the city's exchange. The city's de facto central bank had to intervene more than three dozen times this year, selling more than HK$119.06 billion of the local dollar to weaken the currency as of Friday.

Any concern about the national security law has all been "priced in," Li said. "The market knows that's something that has to be done, and it just moves on."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dianne Johnson is a native of Zimbabwe who immigrated to the United States in her mid-twenties and now resides in Southern California, where she has worked as a nanny and enjoys playing the piano, singing, cooking, reading, and writing. She has published her new book Some Geese They Went A-Walking: a beautifully illustrated rhyming tale for preschool and elementary-aged readers.

Dianne writes, Mother Goose and Father Goose have decided to take a walk through their neighborhood. Its a beautiful day outside, and they want to see their friends Able and Mable, and Pete and Jane.

So come on, boys and girls, put on your rain boots, or your galoshes, and your raincoat, if you have one. Grab your umbrellathat really big oneand bring your mom and dad with you and Grandma and Grandpa. We are about to go a-walking. Who knows, we might even see some of our neighbors!

Published by Page Publishing, Dianne Johnsons colorful book is a delightful addition to any childrens library.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Some Geese They Went A-Walking at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 22:40:23|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's value of exports rose in July to hit 52 billion shillings (about 480 million U.S. dollars) compared with 443 million dollars in June, government data released on Tuesday shows.

According to the monthly leading economic indicators published by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), food and beverages was the main export category in July accounting for 46.06 percent of exports, while non-food industrial supplies accounted for 22.29 percent of the total exports.

The monthly report by the KNBS highlighted changes in selected indicators of international trade, agriculture, energy, manufacturing, building and construction, tourism and transport.

The statistics office also noted that the quantity of cut-flower exports in July was 10,449 tons while its value was about 62.7 million dollars.

The government agency added that the quantity of coffee exported decreased from 5,414 tons in June to 3,546 tons in July and its value dropped from 27.3 million dollars to 16.6 million dollars over the same period.

KNBS observed that the quantity of tea exported increased from 46,399 tons in June to 46,850 tons in July but the value of exported tea dropped from 95 million dollars to 92.3 million dollars over the same period.

The report showed that Uganda, Britain, Pakistan and Tanzania were among the leading export destinations in July. Enditem
(Natural News) Antifa and Black Lives Matter protesters in Oakland, California, marched through the streets on Saturday, Aug. 29. The combined BLM and Antifa mob chanted death to America while destroying businesses and attacking law enforcement officers. Looting and violence are now becoming more and more common at these riots mainstream media outlets call peaceful protests. Video footage shared on Twitter showed masked protesters walking down the streets of Oakland while the sound of glass being smashed fills the air.

The Oakland Police Department posted a video on their Twitter account detailing Black Lives Matter protests in the city. The department said protesters used rocks, bottles, lasers and shields against law enforcement officers  resulting in one officer injured. Police used tear gas and smoke bombs to disperse rioters in turn, arresting six and confiscating improvised shields the protesters used. In another tweet,

Black Lives Matter and Antifa rioters are now using Death to America as their battle cry at similar protests elsewhere. Townhall.com senior writer Julio Rosas posted videos of the Aug. 26 protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Among the videos he captured was the burning of an American flag outside the Kenosha County Courthouse. Protesters cheered while the flag was being burned, while a female screamed Death to America! in the background and kicked the courthouses fence afterward.

Incidentally, the chant Death to America is widely used by Islamic elements that oppose the United States  most notably Iran.

Antifa and BLM burn, loot and murder to bring America closer to its death

Callous disregard for human life is a common attitude shared between BLM and Antifa protesters, as seen when a counter-protester was shot and killed during the Aug. 29 rallies in Portland. The victim, identified as Aaron Danielson, was part of a caravan supporting President Donald Trump that arrived in the city. Another American flag was burned to chants of black lives matter! as seen in this footage posted by journalist Andy Ngo.

Another video by Ngo showed BLM protesters celebrating Danielsons death, with a female protester claiming that the victim was a fing Nazi and the community held out its own and took out the trash.

Black Lives Matter and Antifa have been involved in a number of violent incidents ever since protests intensified this year after the May 25 death of George Floyd.

In downtown Portland, Marquise Love was filmed beating Adam Haner after Haner stepped in to stop an attack on another individual. Haner has since been discharged from the hospital after being treated for serious injuries. Meanwhile, Love is now in police custody.

In Kenosha, where Rosas captured the video of protesters burning an American flag, rioters assaulted Kyle Rittenhouse while he was protecting businesses in the area  prompting him to shoot his attackers in self-defense. Rittenhouse shot and killed two rioters and injured one. He is now facing multiple charges.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and his wife were almost attacked by a mob of protesters in Washington, D.C., if not for the timely intervention of police officers.

In a Fox & Friends interview the morning after what happened to him and his wife, Sen. Paul claimed that the protesters were part of an organized interstate racket and were paid to protest in Washington, D.C. He cited the need for the FBI to be involved in the matter, believing that somethings going on here and its much bigger than people think. The senator further added that any protesters arrested should be questioned to find out who is paying them to incite riots.

More news about the rioting and violence caused by Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters who wish death to America can be found at AntifaWatch.news.

Sources include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

Twitter.com 1

Twitter.com 2

Twitter.com 3

TheGuardian.com

Twitter.com 4

Twitter.com 5

RMX.news

KATU.com

FoxNews.com
It's no secret that the Married At First Sight experts have had little success matching couples during their time on the show.

And it appears producers have decided to shake things up by introducing a new face on the expert panel.

Dr Trisha Stratford will be replaced by a 'sex therapist', Daily Mail Australia can reveal.

Changes: Married At First Sight shakeup as it's revealed Dr Trisha Stratford (pictured) 'will be replaced by a sex therapist' during the 2021 season of the Channel Nine dating show

A production insider has revealed the neuropsychotherapist has decided to part ways with the experiment after five years of service.

According to the source, the New Zealand based therapist was notably missing during the second and third stages of castings last week.

Instead, participants were introduced to an 'American female sex therapist' who asked each of the stars what they were hoping to find in a match.

End of an era! A production insider has revealed the neuropsychotherapist has decided to part ways with the experiment after five years of service. Pictured alongside experts Mel Schilling (left) and John Aitken (right)

For the first time, the show's relationship experts will be forced to meet the loved-up hopefuls via Zoom due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this year angry fans expressed outrage over the role, or lack thereof, Trisha, and fellow experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling played in the 2020 season.

Many were perplexed by the shortage of advice the trio gave to the struggling couples and 'dud' pairings.

Screen time: Earlier this year angry fans expressed outrage over the role, or lack thereof, Trisha, and fellow experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling played in the 2020 season. Pictured: John Aiken

Trisha doesn't fare much better when it comes to interviewing the participants in previous seasons.

In the past she has often asked one or two questions, usually about sex, before letting John and Mel take over the conversation.

Earlier this month, it was revealed producers have decided not to cast any Victorians this season after the state recorded a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for comment.

What happened? In recent seasons, John and Mel have dominated discussions at the dinner parties and commitment ceremonies while Trisha would sit in relative silence
Infosys commits to 12,000 new American jobs in the next two years

NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in consulting, technology, and next-generation services, today announced that it plans to hire 12,000 American workers over the next two years, bringing its hiring commitment in the country to 25,000 over five years.

In 2017, Infosys committed to hiring 10,000 American workers over two years and has exceeded that goal by creating 13,000 jobs in the U.S. to date. Through this expanded commitment, Infosys will hire an additional 12,000 workers by 2022 across a variety of roles. The company will target experienced technology professionals as well as recent graduates from major universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges to create the best workforce for the future. Utilizing the training and reskilling programs it has built with partners, including the recently launched Reskill and Restart initiative, Infosys will prepare workers for 21st-century careers.

"Infosys has been intensely focused on creating jobs in the U.S. for the past three years, and I am proud that this new commitment to hire 12,000 American workers by 2022 expands on that previous initiative," said Salil Parekh, CEO, Infosys. "We are excited to grow our presence in the U.S. as the digital transformation journeys of our clients accelerate."

"Our commitment to creating 12,000 new American jobs comes at a critical moment as the COVID-19 pandemic has created economic turmoil," said Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys. While we continue to leverage our established university partnerships to strengthen our talent pool, our recently launched Reskill and Restart platform will play a crucial role in our growth as we meet this commitment. We will bring a specific focus on building pathways for those who have been impacted by the economic downturn and look forward to bringing on board individuals without traditional four-year degrees. Workers who have been left out of the digital economy will now have the opportunity to gain the skills needed for 21st-century careers."

In the past three years, Infosys has launched six Technology and Innovation Centers in the U.S. across Indiana, North Carolina, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Texas, and Arizona. These Centers are at the forefront of building leading-edge digital capabilities and training the next generation IT talent to support American businesses in an increasingly digital future. Infosys' training and education infrastructure has allowed the company to cultivate top tech talent outside of the traditional tech hub geographies and provide American workers with new pathways to transition from conventional jobs across various industries and workstreams to digital and operations jobs of the future.

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With nearly four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys
The article titled Vietnam: A Bright Star in Asia, published by Jerusalem Post, highly appreciated Vietnams pursuit of a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, openess, diversification and multilateralisation of external relations, and active international integration. This policy has helped Vietnam establish a network of 30 strategic and comprehensive partners and join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTTP). The first new generation FTA in the world has helped Vietnams export turnover to members such as Japan, Canada and Mexico increase significantly compared to 2018, it said.

The article also recalled that Vietnam signed the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and completed negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2019. On June 8, the National Assembly of Vietnam approved the EVFTA and EVIPA. The EVFTA has been dubbed the most ambitious FTA the EU has ever reached with a developing country, according to the European Commission.

Jerusalem Post emphasised that Vietnam and the US managed to overcome their past animosity to normalise relations in 1995. The two countries are now comprehensive partners, with bilateral trade having increased from US$450 million in 1994 to US$77 billion last year. The US has been Vietnams largest export market for many years, while the Southeast Asian nation has become one of the USs quickest growing export markets.

In economic terms, the article quoted forecasts by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) as saying that Vietnams economy will grow positively in 2020, at 2.7% and 4.9%, respectively, despite the global outbreak of COVID-19. The Vietnamese government has set a growth target of over 5%. The article assessed that, if this goal is achieved, Vietnam will be able to defend its status as Southeast Asia fastest-growing economy, just as the country becomes the first in the region to emerge from the COVID-19.

According to Jerusalem Post, the solid economic foundations will allow Vietnams economy to resume growth momentum in 2021. Vietnam is well positioned to attract global supply chains. Giant corporations such as Samsung, LG, and Intel have already set up manufacturing factories in Vietnam.

On the same day, the Israeli version of Forbes also published an article reviewing bright spots of Vietnams economy in the first eight months of 2020. It held that the Vietnamese Government has been seeking to increase public and private investment since January to help the economy overcome the pandemic.

The article expressed impression with Vietnams FDI attraction efforts, with the country aiming to draw US$35-36 billion this year. By the end of July, there were 32,391 FDI projects in effect in Vietnam with a total registered capital of US$380.6 billion, of which US$221.8 billion was disbursed. In the first seven months of 2020, Vietnams FDI inflows totalled US$18.82 billion, equivalent to 93.1% of the figure for the same period last year.

Forbes also hailed Vietnam as a bright spot for attracting large manufacturing companies when citing the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), announcing that 15 out of 30 Japanese companies have selected Vietnam as a destination in the production expansion policy under the Japanese governments programme to support the countrys businesses in diversifying their value chains overseas.

According to Forbes, the EVFTA, effective from August 1, 2020, has paved the way for increased trade between the EU and Vietnam. The deal will create new steps in Vietnams international economic integration, while contributing to promoting comprehensive partnership cooperation and tightening cohesion between the two regions.

Finally, the Israeli version of Forbes emphasised that Vietnam is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the August Revolution and its National Day. September 2, 1945, was a landmark milestone for Vietnam, marking the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam). Meanwhile, the great August 1945 Revolution was a shining milestone in Vietnams history, bringing independence and freedom to the Vietnamese people and marking the beginning of a new era of freedom and national independence, it held.
Mumbai has never seen a Ganesh immersion like this!

Ganesh Visarjan, which has always been an extravagant event in Mumbai with the police and administration doing their best to ensure the city's biggest religious event goes off without a hitch, has been affected by the lockdown this year.

Tuesday saw the city bid farewell to its favourite deity sans the usual fanfare. In different parts of the city the municipal corporation has facilitated immersion of the idols in portable tanks filled with water placed on trucks and also temporarily installed water pits where officials helped families the perform the immersion.

IMAGE: Devotees shower flower petals on an idol of Lord Ganesha before its immersion in the Arabian Sea on the last day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, in Mumbai. Photograph: Kunal Patil/PTI Photo

IMAGE: Devotees pray to Lord Ganesha before immersion at an artificial pond in Andheri, north-west Mumbai.

IMAGE: Lord Ganesha being immersed in an artificial pond in Andheri, north-west Mumbai.

IMAGE: Devotees pray to Lord Ganesha before immersion at an artificial pond in Andheri, north-west Mumbai.

IMAGE: One of the portable immersion trucks organised by the BMC in Borivali, north Mumbai.

IMAGE: A volunteer carries an idol of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha for immersion in the Arabian Sea on the last day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, in Mumbai. Photograph: Kunal Patil/PTI Photo

IMAGE: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation staff carry an idol of Lord Ganesh for immersion at Girgaon Chowpatty, during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, in Mumbai. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo

IMAGE: A man with a covered face prays to an idol of Lord Ganesh before it is immersed in a pond during the last day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

Concept and photographs: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com.

Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
By Peter Szekely and Barbara Goldberg (Reuters) - New Jersey and California on Monday took incremental steps toward resumption of their pre-pandemic economies by allowing restaurants to begin limited indoor dining, as new coronavirus cases abated nationwide despite some new hotspots. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the state's restaurants could open their indoor dining areas on Friday for the first time since the coronavirus prompted a shutdown in March

By Peter Szekely and Barbara Goldberg

(Reuters) - New Jersey and California on Monday took incremental steps toward resumption of their pre-pandemic economies by allowing restaurants to begin limited indoor dining, as new coronavirus cases abated nationwide despite some new hotspots.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said the state's restaurants could open their indoor dining areas on Friday for the first time since the coronavirus prompted a shutdown in March. But they must limit the number of indoor diners to 25% of their capacity and tables must be spaced in accordance with social-distancing rules, Murphy said on Twitter.

In California, indoor dining will be allowed in San Diego and San Francisco starting on Monday, and some other restrictions will be lifted in nine counties. Gyms, houses of worship and movie theaters will also be allowed to reopen indoors with limited capacity.

Full restrictions continue in the remaining counties - where 80% of the population lives - including the state's largest, Los Angeles County. But hair salons were allowed to reopen on Monday with modifications in all counties under a system unveiled on Friday by Governor Gavin Newsom.

New Jersey and California are among the few states that have continued to ban indoor dining, according to the National Governors Association.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio nixed the idea of a resumption of indoor dining anytime soon for the city's thousands of restaurants.

"It would take a huge step forward to get to that point," de Blasio told a briefing.

Indoor dining with restrictions is permitted in the rest of New York State.

New Jersey and New York were the country's two hardest-hit states when the virus began spreading in the United States in the spring, but have since brought their infection rates down to among the nation's lowest.

California, however, reported more new cases of COVID-19 in August than any other state, with nearly 200,000 new infections. The level is down from July, when California reported over 262,000 new cases, according to a Reuters tally.

Nationally, the number of new cases fell 2% last week, the sixth consecutive week of declines. But the number of new infections still averages more than 41,000 a day, and on Sunday the country reached 6 million total cases, nearly a quarter of the world's total.

The United States also has the most coronavirus-related deaths in the world at over 183,000, and ranks 11th for deaths per capita. Brazil, Peru, Sweden, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom are among the nations with higher per capita deaths.

Coronavirus cases rose in 10 states, up from eight states a week ago, according to a Reuters analysis of the past two weeks compared with the prior two. Deaths rose in 12 states, compared with 13 states a week ago.

(Reporting by Maria Caspani and Peter Szekely in New York, Barbara Goldberg in Maplewood, New Jersey, and Lisa Shumaker in Chicago; Editing by Peter Cooney and Bill Berkrot)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Boris Johnson has admitted the UK is currently heading for a no-deal Brexit, with an agreement now very difficult as the two sides dig in and refuse to compromise.

In a new gloomy summary of the state of the talks, No 10 described a deal as only still possible  with a strong attack on the EUs failure to give ground.

An agreement is still possible and this is still our goal, but it is clear it will not be easy to achieve, the prime ministers spokesperson said.

He confirmed Brussels was refusing to discuss British proposals on future fishing quotas until it had received a state aid plan  something London has so far refused to set out.

The stance made it very difficult to make progress, with just weeks to find a solution to avoid a crash-out Brexit on 1 January and massive disruption, he warned.

Recommended Johnson appoints close ally as new Cabinet Secretary

Although government sources are playing down the idea of the UK walking away without a breakthrough, they agree a deal must be struck by the European Council summit in mid-October.

David Frost, Britains chief negotiator, and Michel Barnier, his EU counterpart, were holding informal talks in London on Tuesday, but with little apparent hope of reviving the negotiations.

Brussels has also ruled out detailed talks on fish without UK concessions on quota sharing, to enable EU boats to continue to catch in British waters.

The Downing Street spokesperson pointed to the EUs insistence on continuity in state aid as the key stumbling block  but said the UKs proposals would only be published in due course.

Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Show all 66 1 /66 Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A message projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover Sky News/AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Big Ben, shows the hands at eleven o'clock at night AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Nigel Farage speaks to pro-Brexit supporters PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-Brexit demonstrators celebrate on Parliament Square REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU The Union flag is taken down outside the European Parliament in Brussels PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU campaigners outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-Brexit supporter jumps on an EU flag in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU EU Council staff removed the Union Jack-British flag from the European Council in Brussels, Belgium EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to 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Saemann, left, and her seven-year old sister Katie hold a placard during a rally by anti-Brexit protesters outside the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Europe supporters gather on Brexit day near the British embassy in Berlin, Germany EPA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit protester hugs a man while holding a placard REUTERS Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A decorated, old fashioned fire pump in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit Elvis impersonator performs at Parliament Square Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU An anti-Brexiteers stands with his dog in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Paddy from Bournemouth wears Union colours as he sits next to an EU flag decorated bag in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A pro-EU activist plays a guitar decorated with the EU flag during a protest organised by civil rights 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Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro Brexit supporters Getty Images Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A Brexit supports holds a sign in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man carries an EU themed wreath Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Ann Widdecombe reacts with other members of the Brexit party as they leave en masse from the European Parliament PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro EU supporters let off flares from Westminster Bridge Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British MEPs Jonathan Bullock, holding the Union Jack flag and Jake Pugh leave the European Parliament, in Brussels on the Brexit day AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Newspapers and other souvenirs at a store, near Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Brexit supporters hold signs in Parliament Square AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU French newspapers PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald with a Border Communities Against Brexit poster before its unveiling in Carrickcarnon on the Irish border PA Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU National growers organisation British Apples & Pears has renamed a British apple to EOS, the Greek goddess of dawn, to commemorate Brexit day AP Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Pro-EU protesters hold placards in Parliament Square AFP via Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law on January 29, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers. After half a century of membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (23.00 GMT) on January 31 Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man poses with paintings on Parliament Square Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU People sporting Union Flags gather in Parliament Square Getty Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A man walks with a St. George's flag at Westminster bridge on Brexit day Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU A British bulldog toy and other souvenirs at a souvenir store Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU British pro-brexit Members of the European Parliament leave the EU Parliament for the last time Reuters Brexit day: UK says goodbye to EU Jonathan Bullock waves the Union Jack as he leaves the European Parliament EPA

The EU continues to insist that we must agree on difficult areas in the negotiations, such as state aid, before any work can be done in any other areas, the spokesperson said.

With just weeks to the council summit, he admitted: Time is short for both sides.

He played down a dramatic intervention by the prime minister, saying: The negotiations are being conducted by David Frost and Michel Barnier.

And, asked if there was any possibility of an extension to the transition period  to avoid the damage of a no deal  he replied: No.

Ed Davey, the new Liberal Democrat leader, accused the prime minister of continuing his posturing on Brexit.

It wasnt long ago that Boris Johnson asserted that he wanted a Brexit deal by the end of July. Now even he must realise the pigs breakfast he has made of these talks, Sir Ed said.

Paul Blomfield, shadow Brexit minister, said: The prime minister promised an oven-ready deal that protects workers rights, the environment and provide barrier-free, tariff-free trade.

Its his duty to deliver on his promise, and not let down the British people yet again with incompetence and bluster. Businesses, jobs and livelihoods are on the line.

Nicola Sturgeon also took aim at Brexit, as she announced legislation setting out the timings and terms for a second independence referendum with her Programme for Government.

The first minister described the situation as an act of self-sabotage which we do not understand.

And Naomi Smith, of the Best for Britain group, said Mr Johnson was paying the price for the artificial 31 December deadline imposed by Britain.

We have the opportunity to strike the historic, comprehensive trade deal promised to voters in the Conservative 2019 manifesto, that would set the scene for a future in which Britain and the EU work as allies, not competitors, and yet the signals from our own side are deeply disturbing, she said.

Many on both sides of the Channel hold increasingly pessimistic views that the talks will end in failure, with attitudes hardening.

Negotiations are not advancing due to the intransigent and frankly unrealistic attitude of the UK, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, said on Monday.

On Brexit, we always showed unity and proved wrong those who saw signs of an overall implosion of Europe. It is in staying united that we can stick to our line on an overall agreement.

The comment reflected a belief that Mr Johnson will still blink, to avoid piling even worse border, trading and security chaos on top of the economic crisis triggered by Covid.

That could include clashes between EU fishermen and the royal navy, with patrols already being stepped up.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 00:40:22|Editor: huaxia

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A cleaner wipes the floor at a high school in the central Israeli city of Modiin on Aug. 31, 2020. Over 2 million Israeli students will return to schools on Tuesday under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. The education ministry has come up with stringent guidelines on how the school year should be conducted. (Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua)



by Keren Setton

JERUSALEM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Over 2 million Israeli students will return to schools on Tuesday under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The education ministry has come up with stringent guidelines on how the school year should be conducted. While younger children have been divided into smaller groups and will attend school between five to dix days a week, the older students will conduct most of their studies at home.

Through a campaign called "studying safely," the ministry has explained the guidelines to parents and students through varying media. Children of the fourth grade and above will be obligated to wear a mask at all times.

Hours before the school gates are to open, there is still a discussion in the government on whether to open schools in areas with a high infection rate.

Israel has one of the highest proportion of young students in the world, but expenditure on education is not high, which leads to crowded classrooms. Coupled with a significant shortage in teachers, the problem is intensified when COVID-19 requires social distancing and other measures that are difficult to implement.

When the Israeli government imposed strict lockdown measures in March, schools were shut down. As measures were lifted, children returned to schools in mid-May. In the beginning, only the younger students returned and studied in small groups. As virus levels plummeted and public pressure mounted, all the children went back to school with virtually no restrictions.

It was only a few weeks before the pandemic resurgence appeared in the country.

The virus has led to the deaths of over 900 Israelis, with more than 110,000 others infected with the disease.

While the number of students who contracted the virus is relatively low, there is still concern that with confirmed cases increasing, opening schools will only further worsen the situation.

The pressure to resume the system remains the same as what happened in May. With a deteriorating economy, parents need their kids back to school so that they can return to work.

"We all just want to get back to our routines," said Efrat Leon, a science teacher from the southern Israeli town of Ashkelon. "I hope that the new regulations will guarantee that there will be no major outbreak of the virus because of the opening of the school year."

She said it's almost impossible to make children maintain social distancing, "we are definitely taking a risk here."

But also, many experts say schools must remain open for the general health of children who suffer greatly when schools are shut down.

"Opening schools is very important socially and critical to children's development, despite it being a major challenge," said Nadav Davidovitch, director of the School of Public Health at Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

"I am concerned that they already have gaps in their studies and socially, they will also have problems after being apart from their friends for so long," said Revital Amitai Hazan, a mother of two from Jerusalem.

For children in kindergartens and of the first grade, their first day at school will be challenging under restrictions.

"When other gatherings are allowed, when malls and markets are open, we are not allowed to accompany our kids," said Sharon Dagon Calderon, a mother of three from a Jerusalem suburb.

The government has been facing criticism for inconsistent policies which have been changed frequently. For weeks, the education ministry has been working on a framework for schools and still, just days before the first bell rings, there are matters which have not been resolved.

"There is a serious problem of last-minute decision making and lack of structure," said Leon.

Moreover, unbalanced funds and teaching resources in different areas will further increase the gaps that already exist in the country. Related organizations have threatened to strike due to the inequalities. Enditem
PARIS  Tens of millions of pupils returned to school in France, Poland and Russia on Tuesday, their rucksacks loaded with exercise books, geometry sets and, for many, face masks to protect them from a resurgent coronavirus pandemic.

Hand cleansing stations, social distancing and staggered play time will become the new normal as countries across Europe seek ways to get children back into the classroom safely and their economies functioning once again.

But they do so at a time when infections rates are spiralling upwards across the continent and there are widespread concerns that the return to schools and offices, the autumn flu season and excess mortality in winter could drive a second wave.

In France, Spain and elsewhere, some parents and teachers unions have voiced concern at plans for reopening classrooms as the spread of the virus gathers renewed pace.

Its good theyre starting back, getting back to a normal routine, said one parent, Stephanie, dropping off her daughter at her junior high school in Saint-Leu-dEsserent, north of Paris.

Asked if she was worried about the virus spreading in schools, she said: Not any more than at the market. You cant stop living, you just have to follow the rules.

Countries are taking different approaches to minimise contagion in schools.

Spains 17 regions are responsible for their own back-to-school plan, though they must follow national regulations such as mandatory masks for children over six.

At the Immaculate and St. Joseph of the Mountain centre, a Catholic school in Ronda, southern Spain, staff were spacing out desks and setting up a one-way system through corridors ahead of reopening on Sept. 10.

Weve put in gel, we can take their temperature, weve got spacing in all the classrooms, explained the schools director, Mother Marta, dressed in a starched white habit and matching white mask.

Were doing everything we can.

Plan B?

The French government said the crisis must not put citizens lives on hold, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was crucial schools in England re-open this week.

Schools in Scotland reopened earlier this month, with face masks mandatory for secondary school students except in classroooms.

Johnson is under pressure to show he can oversee a full-time return to school after his Conservative government made a hash of how school-leavers would be graded for exams that were cancelled during the lockdown.

But unions have complained of chaos caused by last minute changes and stressed the importance of a Plan B should a second wave hit.

You dont need a crystal ball to see that local restrictions will be a feature of the autumn and winter, said Paul Whiteman, general secretary of head teachers union NAHT.

At the height of coronavirus lockdowns globally in April, some 1.5 billion children were affected by school closures, according to UNESCO.

School closures widened the inequality gap, experts have said.

The risk of coronavirus transmission within schools depends on what is happening in the local community as well as the safety measures put in place, according to epidemiologists.

Global data on the spread of the coronavirus pandemic shows that children and young people make up only 1-2% of cases of COVID-19 worldwide.

Most reported infections in children are mild or asymptomatic, with few recorded deaths.

Schools operate in communities, they dont operate in isolation. So the big thing that we look for is what does transmission look like in the community where those schools operate, World Health Organization epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said Geneva.

Germany and Sweden may offer some reassurance.

In Germany, where schools have been reopening since early August, the proportion of coronavirus cases among Under 20s has remained stable.

In Sweden, keeping schools open through the pandemic did not lead to higher infection rates among students compared with neighbouring Finland, where schools temporarily closed.

We want to see children returning to school and people returning to the workplace, but we want to see it done safely. At the same time, no country can just pretend the pandemic is over, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Following a government decision to make everyone entering Syria exchange 100 dollars, it has been announced that in one month, over a million dollars was exchanged reports Syria Scope.

The Ministry of Interior in the Syrian government has revealed the total amount that was spent as a result of every person exchanging 100 dollars to enter Syria.

The government requires every entering citizen to exchange the aforementioned amount into Syrian pounds, according to the official exchange rate of the Central Bank.

Chief of Passport and Immigration Department, Gen. Naji al-Numair, said in a statement to Syrian newspaper Al-Watan that 14,210 Syrians have spent 100 dollars upon entering Syria this month, which amounts to 1.43 million dollars.

The Syrian government issued the decision and began implementing it in early August, requiring every Syrian who enters the country to spend 100 dollars, or its equivalent in foreign currencies, and exchange it into the Syrian pound, at the exchange rate of the Central Bank of Syria.

According to the latest bulletin published by the Central Bank, the exchange rate of the US dollar is 1,250 Syrian Pounds.

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.
Richa Sharma By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: As the union finance minister in the summer of 2012, the late Pranab Mukherjee revealed his love for long walks in the morning. I love to walk in the morning, all by myself and my thoughts, he said in an interview.

The Presidents House, Rashtrapati Bhavan, has large lawns, he added rather cryptically. His predecessor, Pratibha Patils, term was coming to an end in July and Mukherjees comments set tongues wagging in the power corridors of New Delhi.

Was he eying the Presidents post? If he were to become the First Citizen of the country, how would his party, the Congress, tide over political and other crises given his reputation as an ace troubleshooter, a go-to man?

The questions swirled but sure enough, he was nominated as the partys Presidential candidate and with it ended his more than four decades-old political career.

ALSO READ | Pranabda defended decisions, even those with which he didnt agree

The politicians politician was an indispensable part of both the Congress and the government but never became Number One. Documenting his disappointment in his book, The Coalition Years (1996-2012), he wrote: I returned with a vague impression that she (Sonia Gandhi) might wish to consider Manmohan Singh as the UPA presidential nominee. I thought that if she selected Singh for the presidential office, she may choose me as the prime minister. I had heard a rumour that she had given this formulation a serious thought while on a holiday in the Kaushambi Hills.

Former PM Manmohan Singh, who along with Sonia Gandhi was present at the book release in October 2017, had said: Pranabji had reasons to feel the grievance, he was better qualified. Well, Pranabji knew I had no choice in the matter or any part in the decision. All three had a laugh at Singhs candid confession.

Mukjherjee had everything in his bio to hold the top office. Many cite his trust deficit with the Gandhis, after he fell out with Rajiv for reportedly revealing his ambitions for the highest office post-Indira Gandhis assassination. This could have led Sonia to choose Manmohan Singh over him in 2004 as the Prime Minister.

He played a key role in guiding Sonia after she entered active politics in 1998 and over the years both shared a comfortable relationship of mutual respect and appreciation.Mukherjee was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the countrys highest civilian award, in 2019 by the Modi government, fuelling speculation. But he had been a Congressman all his life.

In 2018, he left the Congress red-faced after accepting an RSS invitation to address swayamsevaks in Nagpur. He enjoyed a good relationship with the Modi government during his tenure as the President.

Known as man of all seasons, his former party colleagues remember him as an avid reader with vast knowledge of national and international affairs, a photographic memory, mastery of parliamentary procedures, extraordinary drafting skills with knowledge of history.

ALSO READ | RIP Pranab Mukherjee: The PM india never had

He was respected across party lines for being a skilful administrator, able negotiator and possessed a quality to build consensus among disparate political groups in Parliament. For the party, he was the go-to man during the UPA regime before he took over as President in July 2012.

Many senior Congress leaders have publicly said the party might have averted the 2014 drubbing had Mukherjee become the PM in 2004.He was elected to the Rajya Sabha five times from 1969 and twice to the Lok Sabha from 2004. He was a member of the Congress Working Committee, the top decision-making body of the party for 23 years.

Born in a small village of Mirati in Birbhum District of West Bengal, Mukherjees father was a Congress leader who took part in Indias struggle for independence. Before joining politics in 1969, he worked as a clerk, assistant professor and journalist in Kolkata.

Under the mentoring of Indira Gandhi, Mukherjees rise was rapid as he went on to become her most trusted lieutenant. But after her death in 1984, he was sidelined by Rajiv and was not inducted in the cabinet. He was sent back to West Bengal as the state party chief, which saw him forming his own political outfit, the Rashtriya Samajbadi Congress. He merged his party into the Congress in 1989 after a truce with Rajiv.

After Rajivs assassination in 1991, he was not inducted into the PV Narasimha Rao cabinet though both were very good friends.
The Indian market bounced back on September 1 after falling more than 2 percent in the previous session, supported by a rally in telecom, healthcare, and metals.

The S&P BSE Sensex rose 272 points to 38,900 while the Nifty50 reclaimed the crucial 11,400 level to end the day 82 points higher at 11,470.

The market bounced back despite India reporting weaker-than-expected GDP data for the June quarter but the factory activity showed an uptick in August, the first time in five months. Auto sales in the month gone by also triggered recovery hopes.

Global cues, too, helped the bulls to reclaim momentum.

"Indian markets exhibited heightened volatility today following the publishing of GDP data and SC ruling in the AGR case for telecom companies. Global cues were positive following Chinese factory data, which indicated demand increasing," Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services told Moneycontrol.

Liquidity, driven by high FII inflows in August, provided good support to markets, in spite of general concern regarding high valuations in some sectors and stocks, he said.

The market is expecting a slow uptick in economic activity which has resulted in stock-specific moves, where there is earnings visibility. Investors need to be prepared to handle volatility in the near term," he said.

Sectorally, action was seen in telecom, metals, power, healthcare, and capital goods space while profit-taking was visible in IT, and the oil & gas space.

The broader markets also ended in the green. The S&P BSE midcap index rose 1.1 percent while the smallcap index gained 0.5 percent.

Top Nifty gainers included Hindalco, JSW Steel and Bharti Airtel.

Top Nifty losers included Axis Bank, ONGC and Bharti Infratel.

Stocks & Sectors

Sectorally, the S&P BSE Telecom index gained 3.8 percent followed by the metal index that was up 3.3 percent and the power index closed with gains of 2.5 percent.

Profit-taking was seen in the S&P BSE IT index that was down 0.9 percent and the oil & gas index closed with losses of 0.4 percent.

A volume spike of more than 100% was seen in stocks like Bharti Infratel, Escorts and Bank of Baroda.

Long buildup was seen in stocks like Ashok Leyland, Jindal Steel and PVR.

Short buildup was seen in stocks like MGL, ITC, Voltas.

Nearly 100 stocks, including IndiaMART InterMESH, L&T Infotech and Adani Green, on the BSE hit a fresh 52-week high.

Stocks in news

Telecom stocks ended mixed on September 1 after the Supreme Court gave mobile service providers 10 years to pay the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the government. Bharti Airtel rallied almost 7 percent and Reliance Communications gained 4, whereas Vodafone Idea plunged 13 percent.

Adani Power stock jumped 4 percent after the Supreme Court allowed the company to recover compensatory tariff from Rajasthan discoms.

Escorts share price gained almost 3 percent after the company reported strong auto sales in August. It reported an 80 percent growth in tractor sales during the month compared to July.

Biocon stock price jumped over 7 percent after the company announced the launch of a diabetes drug in the US market.

NTPC share gained over 3 percent after the company said it would seek shareholders' nod to raise up to Rs 15,000 crore through issuance of bonds. The company's annual general meeting is to be held in October.

Technical View

The Nifty formed a Long Legged Doji pattern on the daily charts.

It is critical that the Nifty sustains above 11,325 levels for the next couple of sessions to retain bullish bias as bounces in the near term may remain vulnerable for a sell-off, experts say.

If 11,325 is breached on a closing basis, then it will signal the resumption of the downswing with initial targets placed around 11,100 levels.

Any pullback attempt into the zone of 1155011, 600 shall be encountered with selling pressure. Hence, traders are advised to make use of rallies to short this market with a stop above 11,700 on a closing basis, Mazhar Mohammad of Chartviewindia.in told Moneycontrol.

: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
As hundreds of thousands in Louisiana attempt to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Laura, one man's generosity, spirit and dedication to service is emblematic of the resilience of even the hardest-hit communities.

PHOTO: Owner of the Lower 9th Ward Market, Burnell Cotlon takes down an order for an elderly customer who he delivers groceries to in New Orleans, Aug. 18, 2015. (Marta Iwanek/Toronto Star via Getty Images, FILE)

Since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, the city's Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood has become a food desert. But Burnell Cotlon has identified needs in his community to create resources to help, even amidst a global pandemic.

"I did this because I live here. This is my community, this is my backyard, this is my home," Cotlon told ABC News of why he opened the Lower Ninth Ward Market in 2014, which is the only fresh grocery store in the area and saves residents from three bus rides to the nearest store.

Cotlon's life has been rooted in putting others before himself, and the military veteran said he's committed to helping oversee his neighborhood's rebirth.

"This is the only store. This is it. There's nothing else around and that's why it's so important for me not to quit," he said Monday on "Good Morning America." "I still can see Katrina. What used to be houses is overgrown weeds and trash and debris."

PHOTO: The devastated Lower Ninth Ward is seen in front of the Industrial Canal with the city skyline in the background, Aug. 25, 2006 in New Orleans, nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina. (Mario Tama/Getty Images, FILE)

Cotlon offers locals who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 free credits to purchase groceries at his shop, which also provides laundry and haircut services.

"When you get your money, come back and pay me," he said of his business model. "This is a no brainer for me that I'll continue to fight and keep doing what I'm doing."

"I was very fortunate to find out what my purpose is -- it's simple, it's service. That's why I was able to go from serving my country to now my community," he explained. "I'm supposed to help you, you're supposed to help me and if everyone looked at life like that it would be a lot easier."

Story continues

The Lower Ninth Ward, which has been desperate for help for over a decade, now faces another crisis that Cotlon is attempting to tackle.

PHOTO: Burnell Cotlon, owner of Burnell's Lower Ninth Ward Market works behind the register in New Orleans on April 14, 2020. (Claire Bangser/AFP via Getty Images)

"Now, because of this COVID thing, people need houses. So I started a nonprofit, it's called Building with Burnell," he said, adding that the purpose is "to start building affordable houses to help my community."

He continued, "It's extremely hard, but the COVID hit and it hurt everybody mentally and also financially."

PHOTO: Overgrown lots where homes once stood on Flood Street in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Aug. 29, 2017. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images, FILE)

Cotlon said he has spent his "entire life savings" on his market and the housing nonprofit.

"But I'm not complaining," he added. "I would do this again in a heartbeat because it feels good knowing that my hard work and my efforts can effect so many lives. I have no regrets."

PHOTO: A customer enters Burnell's Lower Ninth Ward Market in New Orleans, April 14, 2020. (Claire Bangser/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

Cotlon explained that the current total of personal cost in credits for people to receive groceries at Lower Ninth Ward Market has reached nearly $3,000, so he was stunned when "GMA" surprised him with a check for $5,000.

PHOTO: Burnell Cotlon receives a donation live on 'Good Morning America' for his grocery store to help residents amid the COVID-19 pandemic pay for groceries. (ABC News)

"You have no idea how much this means to me. This is going to help out so many people," he said with a huge smile, while fighting back tears of joy. "I will continue to do anything I can to help my community."

Veteran again helps New Orleans' hard-hit Lower 9th Ward amid hurricanes, pandemic originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Warren Buffett is buying into Japan.

On his 90th birthday on Sunday, the billionaire chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway said his company had taken 5% stakes in Japan's five leading trading companies: Mitsubishi Corp., Itochu Corp., Marubeni Corp., Mitsui & Co. and Sumitomo Corp.

Berkshire's plan is to keep the stakes  which equate to a roughly $6 billion bet on Japan's energy, food, metal and textile industries  as long-term plays with the possibility of increasing each one to as much as 9.9%.

While investors may miss the boat on those five stocks, there are still ways to play Buffett's bet on Japan using ETFs, market analysts said.

"It's a nice tell that the Japanese market has been undervalued," Todd Rosenbluth, senior director of ETF and mutual fund research at CFRA Research, told CNBC's "ETF Edge" on Monday.

The iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ), the largest Japan-focused ETF on the market by assets, has seen about $3 billion of outflows in the past year, Rosenbluth said, citing CFRA. The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (DXJ) lost about $1 billion in the same time frame, he said.

"Some of this money collectively is going into the BetaBuilders ETF, BBJP, which is a cheaper version of those two products," he added, referring to JPMorgan's BetaBuilders Japan ETF. "But we do think that there's an undervalued opportunity in some of these Japanese ETFs and ... you get the benefits of diversification."

Jay Jacobs, senior vice president and head of research and strategy at Global X ETFs, said there's much more to Japan's market than meets the eye.

"A lot of people look at Japan and think of this kind of large, but stagnant economy that hasn't done a lot in the last 10 or 20 years and that's actually very far from the truth," Jacobs said in the same "ETF Edge" interview. "There are pockets of opportunity within Japan where they've been very much at the cutting edge."

Global X has seized on two of those pockets with its Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ), 42% of which is invested in Japanese stocks.

"These are leading companies at developing robots that are building automobiles, that are building cellphones, that are manufacturing semiconductors, that are building the robots that are going to be delivering towels at our hotels soon," Jacobs said. "So, they are at the forefront of one of the most powerful themes that we see in the market today."

Disclaimer
Voltamp Power, a subsidiary of Voltamp Energy, Oman, has signed an agreement with Oman National Engineering and Investment Company (ONEIC) to book its first order for a pair of 500 MVA 220/132/33 kV power transformers.

The equipment will be manufactured at Voltamps modern plant in Suhar Industrial City. The order stems from a contract secured by ONEIC to construct a new 400/132/33 grid station at Al Jifnain with associated overhead lines (OHLs) as well as the installation of two 500 MVA 220 kV class power transformers at Misfah Grid Station.

Sayyid Aymen bin Hamad al Busaidy, Chairman, Voltamp Power, said: We are proud as an Omani company to have joined the elite club of 220 kV class power transformer manufacturers, says a report in the Oman Observer.

"We are grateful to Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) and Oman National Engineering and Investment Company (ONEIC) for putting their trust in us and we are confident to design, manufacture, test and supply them for their important projects. We continue to keep raising the bar in providing quality products and service to our valued customers.

Eng Abdullah al Badri, CEO of Voltamp Energy, said: We are proud to have established our brand as a reliable manufacturer of 132 kV class transformers in last 10 years and are happy to take the next step to 220 kV class transformers. At Voltamp, we are confident to reduce Omans and GCC dependence on global manufacturers and make GCC self-reliant in transformers of these capacities.

Voltamps technology partner for 220 kV class as well as 400 kV class power transformers is Tatung of Taiwan, who are also equity partners in Voltamp Power with a seat on the companys board. The Suhar factory was launched in October 2011 at a project cost of $30 million. -- Tradearabia News Service
A teacher gives a lecture in a classroom in the new campus of the central school in Huagang school district in Feixi County of Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, on Aug. 31, 2020. The school opened its new campus as students returned to school for the new semester. The new campus, which is scheduled to set up 48 classes and accept an addition of over 1,000 students, will greatly improve the overall conditions of the school. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Students play in the new campus of the central school in Huagang school district in Feixi County of Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, on Aug. 31, 2020. The school opened its new campus as students returned to school for the new semester. The new campus, which is scheduled to set up 48 classes and accept an addition of over 1,000 students, will greatly improve the overall conditions of the school. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Students read books in a classroom in the new campus of the central school in Huagang school district in Feixi County of Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, on Aug. 31, 2020. The school opened its new campus as students returned to school for the new semester. The new campus, which is scheduled to set up 48 classes and accept an addition of over 1,000 students, will greatly improve the overall conditions of the school. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 31, 2020 shows students running on the playground in the new campus of the central school in Huagang school district in Feixi County of Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. The school opened its new campus as students returned to school for the new semester. The new campus, which is scheduled to set up 48 classes and accept an addition of over 1,000 students, will greatly improve the overall conditions of the school. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 31, 2020 shows the new campus of the central school in Huagang school district in Feixi County of Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. The school opened its new campus as students returned to school for the new semester. The new campus, which is scheduled to set up 48 classes and accept an addition of over 1,000 students, will greatly improve the overall conditions of the school. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Students run on the playground in the new campus of the central school in Huagang school district in Feixi County of Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, on Aug. 31, 2020. The school opened its new campus as students returned to school for the new semester. The new campus, which is scheduled to set up 48 classes and accept an addition of over 1,000 students, will greatly improve the overall conditions of the school. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 31, 2020 shows the new campus of the central school in Huagang school district in Feixi County of Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. The school opened its new campus as students returned to school for the new semester. The new campus, which is scheduled to set up 48 classes and accept an addition of over 1,000 students, will greatly improve the overall conditions of the school. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)


SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday indicted Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, an heir apparent of Samsung Group, without physical detention for charges linked to his management succession.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office accused the heir of Samsung Group, the country's biggest family-run conglomerate, of unfair stock trading, manipulation and breach of trust under a capital market act and accounting fraud under an act on external audit of corporation.

Ten more current and former Samsung executives were indicted on similar charges.

The indictment came after the country's financial regulator ruled in November 2018 that the biopharmaceutical unit of Samsung Group violated accounting rules and referred the case to the prosecution office for criminal investigation.

Samsung BioLogics, the biopharmaceutical unit, has been suspected of committing a fraudulent accounting to help Lee inherit a management control over the entire group from his ailing father Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

Samsung BioLogics altered the method to evaluate its affiliate, Samsung Bioepis, into the mark-to-market valuation in 2015, leading to a net profit of 1.9 trillion won (1.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the year after years of losses.

The biopharmaceutical unit, set up in 2011, launched a joint venture, Bioepis, with a U.S.-based Biogen in 2012.

In 2015, Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T merged into Samsung C&T, the currently de-facto holding company of Samsung Group. Cheil Industries, controlled by Lee at the time, inflated its valuation by overvaluing Samsung BioLogics.

Lee was believed to have controlled the merged Samsung C&T, one of major shareholders of Samsung Electronics, and the Samsung family was believed to have controlled Samsung Group with a fraction of shares through cross-shareholding.

The financial regulator estimated the fraudulent accounting at about 4.5 trillion won (3.7 billion U.S. dollars).
El Al flight 791 made history on Aug. 31 when it flew directly from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi. However, it could have taken off four years ago. This week's historic event could have happened in 2016, when regional peace was taking shape in a series of clandestine contacts among various parties. The cast included former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli opposition leader Knesset member Isaac Herzog, US Secretary of State John Kerry and a series of Arab leaders including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates.

For Herzog, the former Zionist Camp party leader, current chair of the Jewish Agency and presidential hopeful, the missed opportunity was surely bitter. He could have been an honored guest on the flight. Throughout 2016, he conducted secret negotiations with Netanyahu on joining his government. The idea was that Herzog and his party would join Netanyahus radical-right coalition government to shore up its slim margin of Knesset support (61 of 120 seats), and together the two would launch a regional peace initiative. They intended to upend the Middle Eastern paradigm that set Israeli peace with the Palestinians as a precondition for official ties with the Arab world, abandon the Palestinian issue and start instead from the outside and work their way inward.

The UAE was first on the list of peace partners followed by other Arab states, among them Saudi Arabia. Herzog visited various Arab states and found that an impressive number of their leaders were willing to go along with the move. His intensive negotiations with Netanyahu were conducted in two stages, the first around March of 2016 and the second in September of that year. The two political rivals came to an agreement but when it came time to sign, they both got cold feet. Netanyahu feared the wrath of right-wing lawmakers and ministers and Herzog faced strong opposition by some of his party members, chief among them Shelly Yachimovich. All contacts were suspended. Regional peace was postponed, only to break out this week, without Herzog in attendance.

Blair was the key sponsor of the idea. Herzog recounted this week to Al-Monitor that Blair was a close personal friend of bin Zayed, himself a close and influential friend of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Blair was also a close friend of Sisi. Blair spent a lot of quality time with bin Zayed and told Herzog fascinating stories, for example about an Emirati F-16 squadron with all-female pilots.

Netanyahus move was prompted largely by concern over Hillary Clintons presidential run. No one seriously believed that Donald Trump would beat her that year and the Israeli leader was terrified of having to face yet another member of the Clinton family, following his disastrous experience with her husband. He therefore wanted to form a stable centrist coalition before Clinton entered the Oval Office. The politically moderate Herzog was supposed to smooth Netanyahus way in Washington. If the byproduct were a diplomatic regional peace initiative and the start of reconciliation with the Sunni axis, all the better.

Progress on the initiative was serious, deep and exciting. Herzog shuttled between various capitals to gather support. He met with then-French President Francois Hollande in Paris, with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeyer, with UK Prime Minister David Cameron in London and even popped over to Ramallah for several sit-downs with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. It was hoped that the Palestinians would join the initiative and convince Abbas to renew negotiations with Israel suspended in 2014. However, Abbas dug in and refused to go along, rejecting overtures by numerous envoys from the Gulf, Egypt and other states. He wanted nothing to do with Netanyahu.

Herzog, Blair and the others did not give up. Netanyahus goal was also to appease President Barack Obama in the final months of his term in light of reports that the American leader was planning to retaliate for Netanyahu going behind his back to address a joint session of Congress on the Iran deal in March 2015. Herzogs entry into his government and renewed negotiations with the Palestinians were supposed to provide Netanyahu with protection. The coalition deal was sewn up. The contacts between Netanyahu and Herzog could be grist for a book or even a hit television series. On the eve of Yom Kippur 2016, both bailed out  Herzog freaked out at the uprising within his party and Netanyahu was already under siege by hawkish Likud ministers Yariv Levin and Zeev Elkin and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of Habayit Hayehudi.

The grand plan on which so many had worked for so long was buried. It was supposed to have been launched at a festive regional peace conference in Cairo under Sisis auspices and followed by talks with the Gulf states on normalization of ties with Israel. Under his deal with Netanyahu, Herzog would have taken the post of foreign minister. Netanyahu also promised him that he would try to tempt Abbas back to the negotiating table. The wheels of Israeli politics ground all these plans into dust. At the last moment, under pressure from his Likud ministers and Shaked, Netanyahu opted to bring Yisrael Beitenu into his coalition instead of Labor and to appoint its chair Avigdor Liberman as defense minister instead of the Likuds own Moshe Yaalon.

Herzog was crushed. What happened did not make political sense. Netanyahu could have sealed Herzogs entry into the government, cemented a Knesset majority and then derailed the regional peace deal. He has vast experience in reneging on political deals. On the other hand, the peace move could also have gelled. Either way, four years on, Liberman is Netanyahus greatest nemesis, the Zionist Camp and Labor are defunct, the prime minister is entangled in a criminal trial and the political arena is in chaos. Nonetheless, amid the turbulence, the idea of regional peace and deconstruction of the paradigm that had guided Mideast policy for decades has ripened. Trump, unlike his predecessor, never took to the Palestinians and decided they should be made to pay for what he views as their rejectionist attitudes to peace.

Tony Blair said it all to Herzog at the time, after the move tanked: The train has left the station. It will happen eventually, he predicted. Blair was right.
ODESSA -- Broadband internet has become the center of discussion as children are going back to school during the pandemic.



Ector County ISD reported in August that 1 in 5 students dont have reliable internet access. ECISD superintendent Scott Muri said Monday that the pandemic has created a financial predicament, especially in Ector County, which has the states highest unemployment rate at 12.6 percent.

He said the pandemic has hit us in a variety of ways that affects our moms and dads and families, who have lost broadband access that is required for children to be educated at home.

Muri said the school districts expenses have been extensive.

Weve had to purchase a significant amount of technology devices for our students to make sure that they were able to access our teachers, he said.



Weve had to provide broadband access to our students. Weve had to procure additional cleaning equipment to make sure that our schools are safe. Our teachers and students wear PPE every day.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has worked to secure $8.8 million in funding for public schools in the Midland-Odessa area, according to a press release from his office.

Ector County ISD received more than $5.4 million, which has been used to purchase technology for students and teachers, including 5,820 iPads for pre-K through second-grade students and 6,000 Chromebooks for third- through 12th-grade students. In addition, $1.1 million was spent to outfit classrooms with mics to project clear sound to remote learners through teachers masks.

Cornyn toured New Tech Odessa, which has been holding classes since Aug. 12. He was able to witness the hybrid Google classrooms and how teachers and students are adjusting.

In the meantime, we need to learn how to adapt and learn how to live with this virus, he said. I want to congratulate the folks here at New Tech Odessa for taking that to heart.

He said there is probably nothing more important -- other than getting people safely back to work -- then getting students safely back to school.

He said the internet has become a critical tool during this time.

Access to the internet is no longer a luxury or convenience; it is a necessity, Cornyn said. A lot of it is going to take infrastructure, which needs to be built.

He said expanding broadband access will help with expanding school as well as telehealth services for both physical and mental health care. Congress has appropriated billions of dollars for broadband expansion, Cornyn said.

I expect that if were able to pass another bill to follow the CARES Act here in the next few weeks, youll see an additional financial commitment to broadband, he said.

Cornyn said he is more optimistic now that another relief act will be passed as early as next week.

It is particularly obvious when I come here to New Tech Odessa that this (broadband internet) is an essential part of continuing the education of our students; it is critical to their development, he said. We hope this is a temporary measure, but we know access to broadband can provide people with low-cost education.
In an interview with Fox Newss Laura Ingraham, Donald Trump said he generally doesnt agree with his top coronavirus adviser Dr Anthony Fauci, and gave credence to the idea of relying on mass infection to create herd immunity.

Broadcast on Monday, the interview  which also saw the president claim Joe Biden is a puppet of people youve never heard of lurking in the dark shadows  included an exchange on efforts to end the coronavirus outbreak in the US, which focused in part on Mr Trumps relationship with Dr Fauci.

If you had to do it all again, asked host Laura Ingraham, I know its kind of a hard question  would you put Fauci front and centre, every day, in charge of the coronavirus task force?

Mr Trump appeared unenthusiastic at the idea. I get along with him very well, I disagree with a lot of what he says. He said keep it open for China, that was a big mistake and he admits it.

Dr Fauci in fact is on record as recommending travel restrictions on China, as well as continental Europe and the UK, since the earliest days of the US outbreak.

Recommended Fauci warns against premature approval of Covid vaccine

I just  I get along with him, Mr Trump continued, but just once in a while hell come up with one that I say where did that come from?

I inherited him. He was here, he was a part of this huge piece of machinery. I didnt put anyone in charge, he was here ... you inherit a lot of people as part of the machinery, and you have some you love, some you dont.

I like him. I dont agree with him that often. But I like him.

Since the pandemic began, Dr Fauci has routinely had the responsibility of issuing evidence-based and less optimistic prognoses about the viruss spread that temper Mr Trumps sometimes blithe opinions and positive false claims, which include the idea that the virus will at some point disappear.

In part because of these public correctives, Dr Fauci has long been less than popular among many of Mr Trumps allies, many of whom have criticised him for supposedly over-egging the risk from the virus and differing with the president on important points  among them the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug long promoted as a potential Covid-19 cure by Ms Ingraham herself.

Ms Ingraham asked Mr Trump if the pace of vaccine development might worry some parents cautious of a hastily developed vaccine, especially those who object to the idea of the government making vaccinations mandatory.

In his answer, Mr Trump acknowledged anti-vaccination concerns while also nodding to the herd immunity approach that would involve allowing the virus to spread unchecked, potentially killing hundreds of thousands of people, to a point where enough of the general population became immune to prevent future outbreaks.

Once you get to a certain number, said Mr Trump, we use the word herd, right? Once you get to a certain number its going to go away, so you know it doesnt have to be. But yeah, a lot of people are not going to want to do it, a lot of people dont want to do the flu vaccine. You know I never had the flu, but I never had a shot!

The idea of herd immunity has lately been promoted not just by conservative commentators including Ms Ingraham, but by figures within the Trump administration. Chief among them is Scott Atlas, newly recruited as a coronavirus adviser in August, who does not have a background in infectious disease control.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has staked substantial political capital on its accelerated vaccine development programme, Operation Warp Speed, which is aiming to produce a viable inoculation by the end of this year.

Some in the medical community are worried that the administrations real priority may simply be to have a viable vaccine ready to announce before election day on 3 November  meaning a vaccine may be rushed into use before its efficacy and safety have been established.

Elsewhere, anti-vaccination sentiments have been growing louder as the pandemic wears on, and have become one of the most visible conspiracy theories among those who question whether the coronavirus is real or who believe it to be a man-made pathogen designed to control populations.

To complicate matters still further, among those who most defiantly reject mainstream expert opinion on the pandemic and the virus are many Trump supporters.
- Surge in cross industry collaborations and partnerships to boost the drug discovery drives the growth of the AI for drug discovery and development market. North America contributed the highest share in 2019, and will maintain its dominance.

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled," Artificial Intelligence For Drug Development and Discovery Market by Type (Target Identification, Molecule Screening, De Novo Drug Design & Drug Optimization, and Preclinical & Clinical Testing), Indication, (Oncology, Neurology, Infectious Disease and Others), and End User (Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies, and Contract Research Organization): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2027." According to the report published by Allied Market Research,the global artificial intelligence for drug discovery and developmentmarket generated $520.00million in 2019, and is estimated to reach $4.81billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 31.6% from 2020 to 2027.The report offers anextensive analysis of changing market dynamics, key winning strategies, business performance, major segments, and competitive scenarios.

Surge in cross industry collaborations and partnershipsto boost the drug discoverydrivesthe growth of the global artificial intelligence for drug discovery and development market.However,lack of skilled professionalsrestrainsthe market growth. Furthermore,growing awareness related to artificial intelligenceis expected to provide new opportunitiesfor market playersin near future.

Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5239

Covid-19 scenario:

Due to Covid-19 outbreak, artificial intelligence for drug discovery and development market have grown significantly. This is due to surge in adoption of AI with rise in number of partnership between AI providers and pharma and biotech companies to develop drug for treatment of patients affected from coronavirus.

The demand for AI for drug discovery and development has been surged as it helps to understand the protein structure of the virus and plays an integral role in drug design and accelerating vaccine technologies.

The report offers a detailed segmentation of the global artificial intelligence for drug discovery and development market based ontype, indication, end-user,and region.

Based on type, the preclinical and clinical testing segmentsegmentcontributed to the largest share in 2019, accounting formore thanone-third of the total share, and is estimated to maintain its dominant position during the forecast period. However, theDe Novo drug design and drug optimization segmentis estimated to portray the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on indication, the oncology segmentis expected to register the fastest CAGR of 32.6% from 2020 to 2027.By end user, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies segment accounted for more than four-fifths of total share of the artificial intelligence for drug discovery and development market in 2019, and will maintain its dominance by 2027.

Based on region,North Americacontributed the highest sharein 2019, accounting for more than half of the global market, and will maintain its dominant positionthroughout the forecast period.However,Asia-pacificisexpected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2020 to 2027.

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Leading market players-

Atomwise, Inc.

Alphabet Inc.

Cloud Pharmaceutical

Benevolent AI

Exscientia, Deep Genomics

Insilico Medicine Inc.

IBM Corporation

Nvidia Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

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Cohn Health Institute Celebrates 30th Anniversary In times of great chaos, what the world craves is clarity, especially when it comes to our health, says, Dr. Howard Cohn, DC., Founder of the Cohn Health Institute

As fall and winter swiftly approach and many businesses cut costs to play on the safe side, the Cohn Health Institute has taken this time to expand and grow into a full-fledged natural health clinic over the past three decades. In celebration of its 30th Anniversary, the Cohn Health Institute will be relaunching its brand new website, expanding its services menu and has recruited top-tier healthcare providers such as Dr. Casey Pride, DC., Dr. Blair Milo, DC. and Dr. Calvin Ng, DC. With a revamped team and improved online visibility, the future of the Cohn Health Institute and its many patients is looking bright.

In times of great chaos, what the world craves is clarity, especially when it comes to our health, says Dr. Howard Cohn, DC., Founder of the Cohn Health Institute. Now, more than ever, our community needs a strong foundation in proactive health habits. This is why weve expanded our services and recruited expert practitioners from around the world.

"Over the past few months, our design team has worked very closely with Dr. Howard Cohn and his amazing practitioners to craft an authentic story about their advanced wellness center. We are so proud and excited about the website relaunch and social media rebranding to correlate with their 30th Anniversary celebration. There's definitely a wealth of unique holistic services all under one roof at the Cohn Health Institute (CHI)." says Charn Pennewaert, CEO of Media Stream Marketing

During these difficult times, the Cohn Health Institute is committed to serving the many patients and families that rely on the broad array of natural healthcare services it provides to the community. In addition to its commitment to serving, the Cohn Health Institute is investing heavily in community outreach and education with Natural Healthcare Workshops, Wellness Blogs and social media communications.

About The Cohn Health Institute

Founded by Dr. Howard Cohn, D.C. in 1990, in Costa Mesa, California, The Cohn Health Institute (CHI), is a diverse health clinic focused on providing the most natural, effective and therapeutic treatments for the human body. With a myriad of services such as chiropractic care, applied kinesiology, acupuncture and many more, its practitioners bring out the best of both Eastern and Western medicine for the benefit of their patients.

The Cohn Health Institute has grown exponentially over the years in services offered and number and types of practitioners, steadily establishing itself as one of the premier health centers worldwide. Dr. Howard Cohn and his team have created what is known as the Ultimate Health Experience through their weekly Health Workshop, which is regularly hosted in Costa Mesa, CA and has been taught over 1,500 times to over 50,000 people. Visit the Cohn Health Institute to learn more about services, practitioners and appointment information.


98% of Americans who prefer socialism over capitalism reject 'biblical worldview': survey

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A full 98% of Americans who hold socialist beliefs reject a biblical worldview while a strong majority of those who subscribe to biblical beliefs support conservative policies, according to data released by a research group headed by noted evangelical pollster George Barna.

The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University released new findings from their American Worldview Inventory 2020 on Aug. 19.

Data for the report drew from an annual survey of 2,000 U.S. adults performed in January, with an approximate margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Among the findings, the inventory noted that 98% of respondents who said they prefer socialism over capitalism did not subscribe to a biblical worldview.

By contrast, 83% of those who hold a biblical worldview responded that they preferred capitalism over socialism.

Meanwhile, respondents who said they hold a biblical worldview are more likely to be consistently conservative, with 91% supporting socially conservative policies and 89% opposing abortion based on clear biblical teaching.

Also, 83% of those who hold a biblical worldview say they support a limited view of the size and scope of government.

Conversely, only 5% of those with a biblical worldview are likely to adopt liberal views on fiscal, social and governance issues, a CRC analysis of the data explains.

The data suggests that those without a biblical worldview are more likely to support liberal fiscal (26%) and social (40%) policies.

About 38% of respondents who do not hold a biblical worldview dont believe the Bible is unambiguous in its views on abortion. At 26%, they are also more likely to favor a more liberal, expansive view of governance.

The 2020 election is not about personalities, parties, or even politics. It is an election to determine the dominant worldview in America, Barna, the survey author who founded the influential evangelical polling organization The Barna Group, said in a statement.

Come November 3 we will know which worldview has won the hearts of Americans and will then determine the foundation for the nations values, lifestyles, and public policy for the near future.

Multiple surveys in recent years have shown a growing level of support for socialist ideas among American adults, especially those in the Millennial and Generation Z demographics.

For example, a Gallup poll from May 2019 found that 43% of Americans believed socialism would be a "good thing" for the United States, well above the 25% reported in 1942.

Matt Slick of the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry believes that socialism is inherently at odds with Christianity.

Slick told The Christian Post in an interview in June that he believed Christians who lean socialist are "biblically uninformed."

"Christians who have studied this issue in light of Scripture, which is rare, soon discover that socialistic principles are not biblical. Therefore, the Christian ought not to affirm the basic tenets of socialism," said Slick.

However, pastor and theologian Timothy Keller recounted in his book The Prodigal Prophet an anecdote from a friend who knew a conservative Christian Republican from Mississippi.

Keller explained the Mississippi Republican visited a Presbyterian community in Scotland for a month and found them to be conservative on social issues and theology.

"However, one day he got into a discussion with several of his admired Scottish Christians and discovered, to his shock, that they were all (in his view) socialists, wrote Keller. That is, their understanding of tax structure and government economic policy was very left-wing."

"He realized that thoughtful Christians, all trying to obey God's call, can reasonably appear at a number of different places on the political spectrum, with loyalties to different political parties," he continued.
Heavily armed robbers attacked commuters along Benin-Asaba highway, Benin City in Edo State, on Tuesday.

The bandits operation, which started around 4 p.m., lasted for more than 20 minutes, was witnessed by PREMIUM TIMES.

Many drivers drove their cars off the road while passengers ran for their safety into a nearby village, Ugoneki.

Moments after the sporadic shooting began, operatives of the Nigerian Army and the anti-robbery squad of the police arrived at the scene.

While it was not clear whether the robbers made away with any items or valuables, it was confirmed that two persons including the driver of a black SUV were shot.

As at the time of filing this report, no attempt has been made to save the lives of the victims. Movement has, however, resumed on the highway.

PREMIUM TIMES had previously reported on the worsening security situation in Nigeria with growing cases of kidnapping, terrorism and banditry.

Recall that no fewer than 415 Nigerians were killed in various violent attacks across Nigeria in July, according to a report by a non-governmental organisation, Nigeria Mourn.

In its recent report, titled, Violence Incidents Report: July 2020, Nigeria Mourn, which tracks incidents of violent killings across the country, said the cases were recorded in 21 states. The group sourced the data from newspaper reports.
As the eviction moratorium is about to expire, a new study finds that many Los Angeles County renters are facing financial ruin. Credit: Tierra Mallorca, Unsplash

Twenty-two percent of Los Angeles County tenants paid rent late at least once from April to July and about 7% did not pay any rent at least once between May and July, according to a joint UCLA-USC report released Monday as a statewide eviction moratorium is set to expire.

The report documents hardships like unpaid rent that tenants are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic and traces those hardships overwhelmingly to lost work and wages as a result of the economic shutdown.

Among households in the county that did not pay rent, either in full or partially, about 98,000 tenants have been threatened with eviction while an additional 40,000 report that their landlord has already begun eviction proceedings against them. California's moratorium on evictions is scheduled to end Tuesday, but lawmakers are considering a bill that would extend certain protections through Jan. 31.

Researchers at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate analyzed data from the U.S. Census, as well as from an original survey of 1,000 Los Angeles County renter households conducted in July . The survey, in particular, gave researchers new insights into the circumstances facing L.A. renters. The study was authored by Michael Manville, Paavo Monkkonen and Michael Lens of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center.

"I think everyone understood, early on, that renters might be in trouble as a result of COVID-19 and its economic fallout, but conventional sources of data don't give us a good window into whether renters are paying or not, and into how they are paying if they do pay," said lead author Manville, an associate professor of urban planning.

"We were able, by using data from a special census survey and especially our own original survey of renters, to get a direct sense of these questions."

The researchers first analyzed the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey, a weekly survey that asked if renters have paid rent on time and if they think they will be able to pay the next month's rent on time. This data was augmented by the UCLA-USC survey, which asked not only if renters paid on time but if they paid in full and if they were threatened with an eviction or had eviction proceedings initiated against them.

The study found that tenants have been facing unprecedented hardships during the COVID-19 crisis, substantially more so than homeowners. Overall, the study also found that most tenants are still paying their rent during the pandemic but are often doing so by relying on unconventional funding sources. The majority who pay late or not at all have either lost their work, gotten sick with COVID-19 or both.

New study highlights tenants' financial peril as evictions loom

Among the findings:

About 16% of tenants report paying rent late each month from April through July.

About 10% did not pay rent in full for at least one month between May and July.

About 2% of renters are three full months behind on rent. This translates to almost 40,000 households in a deep financial hole.

Late payment and nonpayment are strongly associated with very low incomes (households earning less than $25,000 annually) and being Black or Hispanic.

Nonpayment is more common among tenants who rent from friends and family.

This crisis is particularly acute in the Los Angeles region and other high-cost cities, where an existing affordable housing crisis and an economic slowdown resulting from mitigation efforts to curb the pandemic intersect to threaten the stability of many households.

"Even before the pandemic, L.A. renters, especially low-income renters, were struggling," said Lens, associate faculty director of the UCLA Lewis Center. And while most renters who miss rent have entered into some type of repayment plan, they're not out of the woods yet.

"Nonpayment occurs disproportionately among the lowest-income renter households, so repaying back rent could be a tremendous burden for them," he added.

The study also found that renters were suffering disproportionately from anxiety, depression and food scarcity, and they are relying much more than in the past on credit cards, family and friends, and payday loans to cover their expenses. One-third of households with problems paying rent relied on credit card debt and about 40% used emergency payday loans.

The prevalence of these nonconventional forms of payment, along with the incidence of job loss among tenants, suggests the importance of direct income assistance to renter households.

Tenants collecting unemployment insurance were 39% less likely to miss rent payments. Just 5% of households that hadn't lost a job or fallen sick reported not paying rent.

Government assistance can help tenants pay rentand moreamid pandemic

Green noted that, although data show that most renters have been paying their rent, government policies can help strengthen the ability to do so.

"One of the main concerns among landlords at the beginning of the pandemic was that tenants weren't going to pay their rent if they knew they weren't going to be evicted," he said. "Not only have we not seen any evidence of this, but getting money in renters' hands through unemployment insurance or rental assistance helps a lot."

Monkkonen, an associate professor of urban planning and public policy, agreed. Helping renters now will not only stave off looming evictions next month but "also prevent cumulative money problems that are no less serious, such as renters struggling to pay back credit card debt, struggling to manage a repayment plan or emerging from the pandemic with little savings left," he said.

Across the state, most evictions were halted in April by the California Judicial Council, the state's court policymaking body.

The eviction moratorium was set to expire in June, but that was postponed to Sept. 1 to allow local and state lawmakers more time to develop further protections, including the bill currently under consideration. Given the unconventional means renters reported using to pay rent, the new study says that policies providing funds to renters could help mitigate a swath of evictions and homelessness that had been predicted by previous reports by researchers at UCLA and elsewhere.

Explore further Black, Latino renters far more likely to be facing housing displacement during pandemic

More information: COVID-19 and Renter Distress: Examples from Los Angeles: COVID-19 and Renter Distress: Examples from Los Angeles: www.lewis.ucla.edu/research/co  and-renter-distress/
PERTH, Western Australia, Aug. 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Perseus Mining Limited (Perseus or the Company) (TSX & ASX: PRU) wishes to advise that Ms Elissa Brown has resigned from her role as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Perseus with effect from October 31, 2020.



Elissa is one of Perseuss longest serving employees having joined the Company in 2010 as Financial Controller before being promoted to the role of CFO in February 2013. During her time with Perseus, Elissa has been a key member of our senior management team that has worked tirelessly to successfully transition Perseus from a junior explorer into a multi-mine multi-jurisdictional gold company.

Going forward, Ms Lee-Anne de Bruin has agreed to join Perseus as CFO, replacing Elissa. Lee-Anne has an impressive history in senior finance roles in the resources sector, both in Australia and Africa and is well equipped for her new role. Most recently, Lee-Anne served as the CFO of fellow West African focussed gold miner, Resolute Mining Limited, and prior to that had roles with Newmont and BHP. After a brief period of overlap with Elissa, Lee-Anne will formally assume the CFO role by November 1, 2020.

Perseuss Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jeff Quartermaine said:

It was with genuine regret that we accepted Elissas resignation as an important member of our senior executive team, however, we share her excitement about the next phase of her life as she and her partner are preparing to welcome a new member of their growing family. Elissas contribution to Perseus over the last 10 years has been immense and we sincerely thank her for the dedication to her role and her friendship.

Lee-Annes arrival at Perseus is an exciting step forward for both her and for Perseus. The Company is poised to become a 500,000 ounce gold producer from its three West Africa mines and with Lee-Annes financial acumen to assist, we aim to continue along our growth path and establish Perseus as a reliable mid-tier gold producer. The experience that Lee-Anne brings to the senior executive team will be invaluable and we are looking forward to working with her as we continue our journey.



For further information, please contact:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A lawyer for Breonna Taylors family said prosecutors offered a plea deal to an accused drug trafficker that would have forced him to implicate Taylor in criminal activity after her killing by police had pushed her name to the forefront of a national reckoning on race.

Louisvilles top prosecutor said the document was not an attempt to smear Taylor but was part of preliminary plea negotiations with a man charged with illegal drug trafficking.

Taylor family attorney Sam Aguiar posted a photo on social media Monday that he said was a plea offer to Jamarcus Glover from prosecutors. The photo of the document appeared to show Taylor listed as a co-defendant in illegal activities leading up to April 22, weeks after her death.

Why would they put her name on there? Aguiar said in a statement sent to news media. Its outrageous.

Jefferson County Commonwealths Attorney Tom Wine said that document was a draft that was part of pre-indictment plea negotiations.

Taylor was fatally shot March 13 in her home by police serving a narcotics search warrant as part of a wide-ranging police operation targeting Glover, Taylors former boyfriend. Glover and others were arrested on drug trafficking charges the night Taylor was shot.

The shooting has sparked months of protests in Louisville by activists who along with celebrities and athletes have called for the officers to be charged in her death. The plea deal revelations came as protesters planned to demonstrate this weekend outside the Kentucky Derby, which will be run without fans because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Wine recused himself in May from an investigation into the police actions on the night Taylor was killed. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Camerons office is now handling that investigation, which Cameron has indicated is nearing a conclusion.

Wine issued a statement Monday saying Taylor was never a co-defendant in the case against Glover.

Those drafts (posted by Aguiar) were never part of the court record and are not court documents, Wine said. Wine said when he was advised of the plea discussions, out of respect for Ms. Taylor, I directed that Ms. Breonna Taylors name be removed.

Wine provided a copy of what he said was the final plea deal offered to Glover, which did not include her name but did list her address as a place where Glover picked up mail packages.

Aguiar said Tuesday that he had received the photo of the plea deal with Taylors name on it from Glovers family. Wine said his final plea offer was sent to Glover on July 21. That offer said Glover would have to accept the deal for a 10-year sentence on a dozen drug charges by July 21. Glover turned down the deal.

Wine said Glover implicated Taylor in his criminal activity in jail phone calls to Taylor. Jail phone calls reported by news media show Glover called Taylor 26 times in early January, including some calls to ask her to help him gather bond money.

The plea document furnished by Wine also said Glover kept some of his money at Taylors address.

Also Tuesday, Taylors boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, filed a lawsuit seeking an unspecified amount in damages from the city and police for assault, battery, false arrest and malicious prosecution. Walker was with Taylor in her apartment and fired a single shot at officers, who he said he thought were intruders breaking into the apartment. Walker has said he and Taylor did not hear the police identify themselves as officers before coming through her door.

Walker was initially charged with attempted murder of a police officer but Wine dismissed that charge in May. Walker is seeking immunity from prosecution under the states stand your ground law.
Lagos  The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arraigned a businessman before a Federal High Court, Lagos, for allegedly importing a container loaded with Tramadol tablets weighing 2,346.9 kilogrammes.

The businessman, Uchenna Oraeto Igboaka, was arraigned on Monday before Justice Nicholas Oweibo on a two-count charge of unlawful importation of the said banned drug.

The prosecutor, Mr Fingere O. Dinneys, told Justice Oweibo that Igboaka committed the offence in July and August this year.

Dinneys told the court that in July, the defendant imported 40 cartons of the Tramadol tablet weighing 225.6 kilogrammes.

The prosecutor added that Igboaka also imported 255 cartons of the same tablet weighing 2,121.3 kilogrammes in August.

He alleged that the defendant unlawfully brought in the banned tablet in two 40-foot containers marked SEGU 6326800 and TCNU 4653816 from Pakistan.

Dinneys told the court that the offences Igboaka allegedly committed contravened Sections 11(a) and 11(3) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap N30, Laws, punishable under the same Act.

Igboaka, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Justice Oweibo, after listening to arguments on bail application for him, held that the prosecution's argument against the application was not strong enough.

Consequently, the judge admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N10 million, with two sureties in like sum, and ordered that he should be remanded in NDLEA's custody pending the fulfilment of the bail terms.

The matter has been adjourned till October 27, 2020 for trial.
"I couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Kenneth to the Matillion team," said Matthew Scullion, CEO of Matillion. "Kenneth's experience leading a financial function in a high-growth, global business within the data management industry, while maintaining a focus on customers, brings great value. I look forward to his outlook helping us to continue our momentum as we meet the diverse data integration and transformation needs of global enterprises."

"It's an exciting time to join Matillion," said Paqvalen. "Matthew and his leadership team are disrupting the data transformation space and I look forward to applying my experience with high-growth companies and contributing to this award-winning management team."

In this role, Paqvalen will head Matillion's financial operations, oversee corporate development, work closely with the Matillion board and its investors, and position and guide the team to continue the company's rapid growth.

As the CFO of MariaDB, Paqvalen was responsible for the company's finance, HR and Web/IT teams, legal and M&A, and served as the secretary of the board of directors. While there, he managed the merger between SkySQL Corporation, MariaDB Services and Monty Program to form what is now MariaDB Corporation.

Prior to MariaDB, Paqvalen held various positions of increasing responsibility in management and finance for more than a decade at Nokia. His accomplishments included optimizing Nokia's annual research and development investments, heading the finance and control function of Nokia Siemens Networks' business development unit, and serving in a key role in the acquisition of Motorola Networks.

To learn more about how Matillion supports data democratization within the enterprise, visit: https://www.matillion.com/resources/case-studies/ . For further data transformation industry updates and perspectives, follow Matillion on Twitter @Matillion and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/matillion-limited/ .

About Matillion

Matillion is data transformation for cloud data warehouses. Only Matillion is purpose-built for Amazon Redshift, Google BigQuery, Microsoft Azure Synapse, and Snowflake, enabling businesses to achieve new levels of simplicity, speed, scale, and savings. Trusted by companies of all sizes to meet their data integration and transformation needs, Matillion products are highly rated across the AWS, GCP and Microsoft Azure Marketplaces. Dual-headquartered in Manchester, UK and Denver, Colorado, with a presence in New York City and Seattle. Learn more about how you can unlock the potential of your data with Matillion's cloud-based approach to data transformation. Visit us at www.matillion.com.

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FILE PHOTO: Huawei sign is seen outside its store at a shopping complex in Beijing

By Lisa Pauline Mattackal

(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's restrictions on China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] have sparked widespread stockpiling of unsold product across the chip industry, and Washington's proposed aid to bolster the sector falls far short of what is needed to fill the gap, an analyst told Reuters.

"Under the surface, there's been lots of inventory build-up," Dan Hutcheson, chief executive officer of VLSI Research, told the Reuters Global Markets Forum on Monday.

"We're seeing integrated circuit inventory levels that are more typical in front of a downturn."

The Trump administration tightened restrictions on Huawei earlier in August, banning suppliers from selling chips made using U.S. technology to the Chinese telecom giant without a special license.

Amid this rivalry with China, efforts to bolster U.S. semiconductor companies and shift the center of manufacturing away from Asia are underway.

Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate would provide more than $22.8 billion to domestic semiconductor manufacturers, but Hutcheson said it is less than half the amount required.

"[It] really lacks the funding levels needed ... $50 billion is more likely to have the desired result," Hutcheson said.

U.S. chip suppliers could see a boost in demand if the Trump administration's restrictions tighten Chinese supply, Hutcheson added.

"The bigger issue is if they get locked out of China's market, while the door remains open for other countries," he said.

Despite geopolitical setbacks, VLSI forecasts 7% global growth for the semiconductor industry in 2020, as coronavirus-prompted shifts to a "work at home" economy drive demand for electronics.

"The pandemic has restructured the economy to a level not seen since WWII," Hutcheson added.

"We see it (the chip industry) adding 4% to 6% additional annual growth for several years."

(This interview was conducted in the Reuters Global Markets Forum, a chat room hosted on the Refinitiv Messenger platform. Sign up here to join GMF: https://refini.tv/33uoFoQ)

(Reporting by Lisa Pauline Mattackal and Aaron Saldanha in Bengaluru, Divya Chowdhury in Mumbai; Editing by Maju Samuel)
WILLIAMSPORT  A Berwick man can pursue his claim of excessive force by police despite admitting when he was shot he had a knife he intended to use to injure someone else.

The U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann cited a case that did not totally apply when he dismissed the complaint of Edwin Anthony Ramos-Ramirez.

That case disallows a claim for excessive force if it implies a conviction was invalid.

Ramos-Ramirez raised two issues in appealing the dismissal of his suit  he was not chasing Alfredo Melendez with a knife and he was too far away to stab him.

The appeals court panel concurred with Branns dismissal of the non-chase argument because it would negate an element of conviction.

However, it ruled the claim he was too far away to stab Melendez should stand because it does not imply the invalidity of his conviction.

The panel remanded the case to Brann for future proceedings.

Ramos-Ramirez had pleaded guilty in Columbia County court in January 2017 to a charge of simple assault with a weapon asserting he attempted to injure Melendez by chasing him with a knife.

Berwick Officer Reagan Rafferty shot Ramos-Ramirez when he and other officers responded to a domestic dispute the night of Aug. 15, 2015. Court records provide this account of what happened:

During an argument between Ramos-Ramirez and his girlfriend, she called Melendez, an ex-boyfriend, to come over and kick him out of the house.

Melendez did not succeed in entering the house but he managed to hit Ramos-Ramirez through a window with a large stick.

Ramos-Ramirez then grabbed a knife from the kitchen and tried to stab Melendez through the open window.

Rafferty, the first officer to arrive on the scene, said he saw Melendez on the porch of the residence holding a stick and then Ramos-Ramirez came out holding a knife. He ordered both to drop their weapons and Melendez complied.

His deposition testimony was he shot Ramos-Ramirez as he was chasing Melendez with a knife and had gotten within a few feet of him. He said he believed Melendez was going to be stabbed.

Chief Kenneth Strish said as he was pulling up, he witnessed Ramos-Ramirez chasing Melendez with the knife raised above his head.

Ramos-Ramirez contended he heard someone yelling to drop the knife and was almost immediately shot. He claims he was not making any threatening gestures toward Melendez who backed away.

The girlfriend the night of the incident stated Ramos-Ramirez was chasing Melendez. But in a deposition related to the suit she claimed there was no chase.

Both Ramos-Ramirez and his girlfriend claimed police did not identify themselves until he was shot. Rafferty admitted turning off his lights and siren a block away.

The Columbia County district attorney and the state police investigated the shooting and found it justified.

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.
A medical worker takes a swab sample from a man to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus next to a street in Wuhan, in Chinas central Hubei province on May 16, 2020. HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images

A woman from Wuhan is suing the Chinese government for what she said was covering up facts about the coronavirus and allowing it to spread.

Zhao Lei told Sky News that "people carried on living like before" and didn't use protection: "It meant my father got infected and died."

Sky News reported that the police have visited her mother, "warning that she should drop the case and not talk publicly."

Her case was thrown out of the city's court, but she is taking it to a higher court.



Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A woman from Wuhan, China, says she is suing the Chinese government, saying it covered up facts about COVID-19, which killed her father.

Zhao Lei, 39, in an interview with Sky News accused authorities of hiding the reality of the virus when it began to spread about January 2020.

She said that meant people didn't limit their movements earlier in the year, before the virus outbreak turned into a pandemic.

"I think the government covered up some facts," she said. "Because of this, Wuhan people carried on living like before, they celebrated Chinese New Year normally, without taking any protection. It meant my father got infected and died."

She says she is suing the government, looking for compensation and an apology.

Wuhan's city-level court system has already rejected her case, Sky News reported. The outlet said she has been intimidated by authorities who want her to abandon her efforts.

Sky News reported "the police have visited her mother, warning that she should drop the case and not talk publicly."

But she is taking her case to the supreme court of Hubei, the province of which Wuhan is the capital.

She told Sky News: "I think my lawsuit is good for our country. It can warn people that if we have a disaster next time, we could do something to prevent bad outcomes. We can save more people."

Story continues

Zhao said she was motivated to take action against the government by the death of her father from COVID-19 in late January.

Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital, where the patients with pneumonia caused by the new strain of coronavirus are being treated, in Wuhan. Stringer CHINA OUT/REUTERS

Sky News reported that he could not go to the hospital in an ambulance because health services were so overwhelmed.

Instead, his family began the six-mile journey on foot in the cold, the report said, before they were picked up by someone passing in a tuk tuk.

He then died of respiratory failure while waiting in the emergency waiting room.

Zhao told Sky News, "My father was honest. He was not good at talking. He was very kind. In Wuhan, he was a very ordinary person. He obeyed all the rules.

"After Wuhan locked down, he got ill so suddenly. I can't accept it. Someone just suddenly died. I cannot accept the fact. At that time, I was stunned. Afterwards, my heart was broken, and I was very angry too.

"I think the government covered up the fact that coronavirus could spread from people to people. I hold the government accountable and ask them to pay the due price."

China is accused of covering up the disease

Wuhan was the first place to record cases of the novel coronavirus, and was the first city in the world to be put under lockdown in an attempt to stop its spread.

China has been repeatedly accused of covering up details about the virus and the threat it could pose.

The New York Times reported in August that US intelligence found that local officials in Wuhan took weeks to report the treat of the virus to Beijing, which slowed efforts to fight the virus and stop its spread.

Police officers prepare a drone to find residents who fail to comply with the stay-at-home order implemented due to the coronavirus pandemic in Szolnok, Hungary, Monday, April 13, 2020. The government has extended the national lockdown and is taking measures to enforce the public isolation policy. The COVID-19 coronavirus causes less serious symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause severe illness and even death. Janos Meszaros/MTI via AP

US officials said Wuhan officials likely feared retribution from China's leadership.

Chinese authorities also silenced doctors who tried to speak out about the virus before its existence was made public. They forced one, Li Wenliang, to sign a document denouncing his earlier warnings as "illegal behavior."

Wuhan was put under an unprecedented 76-day lockdown that ended April 7.

Life in Wuhan has largely returned to normal, with a music festival at a water park with thousands of attendees last month highlighting how far the city has progressed in controlling the virus compared to many cities and countries around the world.

But people who shared information about the virus or who shared what life was like during Wuhan's lockdown have been detained or have gone missing.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Alliance News) - Holidaymakers are scrambling to return from Portugal amid growing speculation the UK government could reimpose quarantine measures for arrivals from the country.

easyJet PLC has sold out all its flights from Faro a which serves the Algarve a to airports in Britain on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

International Consolidated Airlines SA's British Airways is selling seats on a flight from Faro to Heathrow on Thursday for GBP554, while the same journey can be made seven days later for just GBP139.

Thousands of people have travelled from the UK to Portugal since the country was added to the government's quarantine exemption list on August 22, with airlines increasing capacity to meet high demand.

But the 14-day self-isolation rule for arrivals from the country could return this week due to a rise in Covid-19 cases.

There were 22.3 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Portugal in the seven days to August 31, up from 14.5 a week earlier.

A seven-day rate of 20 is the threshold above which the UK Government considers triggering quarantine conditions.

Chris Sainty, the British Ambassador to Portugal, said it has been "great to see people reunited with their families and enjoying the summer" but warned that "things can change quickly".

He urged travellers to "factor in the risks of travelling abroad in this fast-moving situation", adding: "Only travel if you are content to unexpectedly quarantine if required."

Another country currently on the exemption list, Italy, is recording a seven-day rate of 14.8 cases per 100,000, up from 10.0 a week ago.

In recent weeks the Department for Transport has announced changes to its quarantine exemption list every Thursday night, with the new rules being imposed every Saturday at 4am.

This has led to passengers rushing to return from destinations such as France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

The boss of British Airways' parent company has warned that reimposing the quarantine requirement for people returning to or visiting the UK from Portugal would cause further "chaos and hardship" for travellers.

Writing in The Times, Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, claimed the "ever-shifting list" means "the UK has officially hung up the 'Closed' sign".

He went on: "The government is using arbitrary statistics to effectively ban 160 countries and in the process destroying the economy.

"The government needs to introduce a testing regime to restore confidence."

In Ireland, the seven-day rate is 14.2, while in the UK it is 13.9.

Figures have been calculated by the PA news agency based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

By Neil Lancefield, Catherine Wylie and Ian Jones, PA

source: PA

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An excerpt from Ballad of a Sober Man: An ER Doctors Journey of Recovery.

As if I needed more reminders of my imperfections, I had Maggie and the Kidney Stone Lady, forever. Little Maggie, the cute five-year-old from early in my career who came in with her croupy cough and low-grade fever. She responded so well to racemic epinephrine, Tylenol, and humidified oxygen. The sweet girl with the big eyes whom we all watched gleefully sashay out of the emergency department, smiling and happy, waving goodbye to me and the rest of the nursing staff  and who, just twenty-four hours later, died of overwhelming sepsis. How I sobbed for nights in my bed, racking my brain as to what else I could have done, what subtlety in her presentation I could have picked up on, wondering if I had discharged her too quickly instead of keeping her around for observation. Years later I was still trying to drown the vision of her ghost in cheap vodka.

But Maggie kept appearing, following mesometimes alone, sometimes alongside the woman with the kidney stone.

The stone had shown up on the CT scan. She was a diabetic woman with flank pain whom I had seen a few years back. She had a normal urinalysis and bloodwork, but her culture grew out E. coli, reported to me after she too died a septic death. That tiny pebble, stuck in her ureter, blocked the flow of urine in its normal journey from kidney to bladder. This caused the retained fluid, teeming with bacteria, to fester. They multiplied exponentially, and the resulting soup of piss and pus backtracked up to the kidney, creating a bloated, infected organ, invaded her bloodstream, overwhelmed her defenses, and led to cardiovascular collapse.

I spoke with her husband after the funeral. She did everything we told her to do, and the day she died he had been trying to cool her off all day at home in the bathtub.

Now, in her afterlife, she occasionally accompanied Maggie on excursions into my head, usually at night. Make that a double vodka.

I thought I had finally learned in sobriety how to put them in the past, encased in a box, and keep them there. Still, sometimes they found a way out to visit me. The program taught me how to at least limit their appearances.

I worked hard over the months, showing up for shifts with an energy I had not seen in myself for decades, a newfound enthusiasm I had not felt since my residency days back in Baltimore.

Put your recovery first, and everything will fall back into line, was the advice I heard over and over, and it was coming trueat least in my working life. Gods time, not mine, was an additional caveat, one that took me longer to absorb. Every so often, I opened the story box voluntarily to visit Maggie and the Kidney Stone Lady to say hello and pay respects, and to remind myself that everything happens according to a plan well beyond my comprehension. I possessed other story boxes in my mind too, happy oneslike the utility worker who fell from the telephone pole and fractured his spleen, arriving in traumatic shock, whom we stabilized for emergency surgery and who survived; like the baby that nurse Jessica and I delivered together.

The good with the bad, it was a lifetime of spicy brain stew spent in this godforsaken, amazing specialty, and I was ready for more. And more I was about to get, or more accurately, be clobbered with.

Eight months to the day after my return to the Rock, I pulled into the hospitals Lot C just as the first light of dawn appeared over the Blue Ridge. Two freshly assembled white biohazard tents, each the size of a tour bus and erected in the adjacent parking lot to screen the less severe cases, obscured my regular view of the ERs rescue squad entrance. I sat in the drivers seat for an extra minute, listening to the finale of the Foo Fighters Hey, Johnny Park!, reflecting on how rapidly the change had happened. Fortunately, we saw it coming.

Only two weeks earlier, my shifts were business as usual: coffee in hand, I would put on my white coat and stethoscope, take sign-out from the night shift doc, and begin what I had done four thousand previous times in my lifesee and treat a shifts worth of acutely ill patients until my relief arrived in turn.

Today was day one of the new way. COVID-19 was everywhere now, especially in the news and on social media, and our local community was in lockdown. The new hospital infection control measures were all in place. At no time in my career had I seen such extreme precautionsavian flu, SARS, H1N1none of those came close. This novel virus, creating an outbreak of panic the modern world had never seen, had spread to every corner of the planet, and the health care community was desperately trying to contain it. We all knew it could not be stopped, only slowed.

Our objectives as nurses, doctors, administrators, and community leaders were far more modestto control the viruss spread and limit the loss of life without exhausting all medical resources, all the while maintaining some semblance of a functional health system for everyone. I had no idea if we could accomplish our goals and maintain our own health in the process. I had only a vague notion of what awaited me that morning once I walked into the department. It didnt matter; I was heading in. I had been given a second chance in my specialty; fear be damned.

What I knew for sure, with absolute clarity, was that never before in my adult life was I as mentally and spiritually prepared to play my small part in this global fight as I was that day. Ready for battle, I donned my respirator mask, grabbed my work bag, and exited my car.

I walked across the parking lot and through the emergency room squad doors. No, I was never more ready.

J. D. Remy is an emergency physician and author of Ballad of a Sober Man: An ER Doctors Journey of Recovery.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
As the start of the school year looms closer, Manitobas health officials are looking for additional services to help with contact tracing, but remain hesitant to jump on board with the federal COVID Alert app.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (507 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As the start of the school year looms closer, Manitobas health officials are looking for additional services to help with contact tracing, but remain hesitant to jump on board with the federal COVID Alert app.

On Monday, Manitoba Health announced a request for proposal in search of further tools for pandemic contact tracing in the province.

Established in April, the Public Health COVID-19 Contact Centre supports public health officials responsible for making daily contact with isolated individuals who have been identified as close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases, but the province is looking to build additional capacity, the release said.

Meanwhile, Manitobans have been quick to ask whether the province has plans to sign onto COVID Alert  a federally endorsed app that lets users know if they have potentially been exposed to the novel coronavirus.

Asked about the app, which rolled out in Ontario in July, Manitobas public health officials said Monday local teams were still looking into its efficacy.

"That apps going to require a significant percentage of the population to use it, because its not going to be mandatory and its not going to replace what we do with contact tracing," chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said at a media conference.

"Its not the big answer that were all looking for."

COVID Alert works using Bluetooth technology; smartphones with the app downloaded exchange information if the devices are within close proximity for an extended period of time. Users who test positive for COVID-19 can input a code into the app, which would then communicate an exposure alert to other devices that have been in close proximity with the positive case.

Roussin said the provinces e-health team are investigating ways to adapt the app for Manitobans, as well as ensuring it would not pose privacy concerns for users.

"I think its been discussed at all the levels of government as well. Its out there, and so I cant speak to what the specific concern is," Roussin said. "Certainly, theres privacy discussions. From my opinion of it, I dont think it should be a big issue but certainly its an issue to some to look at it."

Holly Witteman, a Canada Research Chair in Human-Centred Digital Health, based in Quebec City, said she downloaded COVID Alert while last in Ontario, and believes the security functions have been "rigorously tested."

"It does not share your identity, the amount of information that it shares is very minimal," she said.

One major concern public officials have with the app is its need for a broad application. Speaking at the media conference Monday, Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen said hes heard as much as 50 to 60 per cent of the population would need to download the app for it to be helpful.

"I think it would be challenging for any population in Canada to get to 50 or 60 per cent of the population wanting to download and use that tool," Friesen said. "Will it be some utility if we cant get there? I think so."

According to data from Statistics Canada, 92 per cent of internet users aged 15 and up in the Prairie provinces have access to a personal smartphone, but those numbers do not account for Manitobans living in remote areas or without internet access.

Ultimately, said Witteman, a network-based app will be more successful with more users, but the app would provide a free, accessible tool to help keep track of exposures to the virus regardless of how many users it garners.

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.

"This app is ready to go, its safe, it has been evaluated by people who specialize in privacy and security," said Witteman.

"I worry that provinces are making the perfect the enemy of the good  it doesnt have to be perfect to be helpful."

At the end of the day, Manitobas delay to get on board with COVID Alert comes down to its operability, said Friesen.

"It is technical, the work to make such an app on this broad scale work with our systems because it only works well if its able to return that information to us in a usable form," the health minister said.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers
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Palmer Correctional Center was closed in 2016 during statewide budget cuts.



ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  The Alaska Department of Corrections plans to reopen a shuttered prison next year as part of efforts to deal with an expected surge in the state's inmate population.

The state plans to reopen the Palmer Correctional Center, which was closed in 2016 during statewide budget cuts, The Anchorage Daily News reported Wednesday.





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LONDON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Commonwealth of Dominica has introduced major changes to its world-leading Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme . These concern a significant expansion of family members that can qualify for second citizenship from Dominica as part of the same application or even long after the receipt of citizenship. In a webinar with Gulf News on Monday, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit described the new policy as "groundbreaking".

PM Skerrit explained that the government decided to make the new changes upon consultation with prospective applicants, economic citizens, authorised marketing promoter CS Global Partners , real estate developers and promoters. As a result, Dominica's Citizenship by Investment Unit (CBIU) identified that family reunification through CBI became especially important in light of the ongoing uncertainty caused by the global pandemic. Moreover, the PM said that Dominica reduced the qualifying fund contribution for a family of four from US$200,000 to US$175,000, comprising the main applicant, their spouse and two dependants other than a sibling.

Premier Skerrit described five major changes to the CBI Programme:

"1. Any dependant can be related to either the main applicant or the main applicant's spouse;

2. We impose no age limitations on parents and grandparents;

3. For all adult dependants, other than a spouse, there need only be a showing of substantial support on the part of the main applicant or the spouse of the main applicant, where, previously, we required full support [];

4. We allow siblings up to the age of 25, but we are also cautious that, for any sibling who is a minor - that is under the age of 18 - consent must be granted by the parents;

5. And we are the only country, really, that allows spouses of qualifying parents and grandparents to also be included in the CBI application, so long as there is a showing that they are substantially supported by the main applicant or the main applicant's spouse."

For this reason, the Prime Minister argues that "this is, we could say, a ground-breaking policy that the government [] has introduced because we understand the importance of family, we understand the importance of keeping families together, we understand the need for family members to continue looking out for each other."

PM Skerrit notes that Dominica has remained the number one country for citizenship by investment for three consecutive years in the most prestigious industry ranking - the CBI Index , published yearly by the Financial Times' Professional Wealth Management magazine. He believes Dominica is also well-suited for family relocation because the government can offer key essentials: security and safety for one's family and business, coupled with high-quality education and healthcare. He elaborated that, "in respect to security and safety, we have minimal crime in Dominica [] We are a safe place for you to raise your families, and Dominica is, no doubt, a very safe place."

Ambassador Emmanuel Nanthan, the Head of the CBIU, joined the webinar with Gulf News and added that Dominica's Programme is favoured by investors due to its 27-year experience, three-month processing, straightforward requirements and, above all, strong due diligence. All applicants must first pass a series of security checks before being 'approved in principle', after which they make a qualifying investment. This can either be in the form of a contribution of at least US$100,000 to a government fund or an investment of US$200,000 or more in pre-approved hotels and resorts .

"If efficiency, if experience, if longevity is the lifeblood, the main aspect of our Programme is actually the due diligence - that is the heart," commented Ambassador Nanthan. "We have contracted the best due diligence firms in the world," he continued, "who do due diligence for the largest financial agencies. We chose firms from the UK and from the US mainly, and they must do for us an enhanced due diligence. They must do a 'boots-on-the-ground' due diligence."

His Excellency argued that, besides ensuring the country's own security and the Programme's impeccable reputation, having strong due diligence checks was also important to maintain the country's strong diplomatic ties. "The global community has to ensure that they have solid due diligence. And because of that, we are able to expand the number of visa-free access globally. So three, four years ago we had access to 120 countries - today, we have up to 140 countries and we are counting. We have added places like Russia, we have signed with China, we have added Brazil, we are working on a number of countries in Africa, in Europe, etc. And that's because our applicants and our process ensures that due diligence is important."

To find out how to apply for Dominica's Citizenship by Investment Programme, please visit the CBIU website .

pr@csglobalpartners.com

www.csglobalpartners.com
ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) is pleased to announce it is returning to trade show ownership with the acquisition of the Specialty & Custom Chemicals Show, a trade show founded in 2019 and produced by Chemicals America.

"As a galvanizing force for the specialty and custom chemical community, it is SOCMA's role and responsibility to connect the supply chain," said SOCMA President and CEO Jennifer Abril. "When we sold InformEx in 2005, it left a void. Our industry thrives on face-to-face, intimate interactions to solidify business partnerships and fulfill supply chain needs, and without InformEx that unique space for connecting was severed for SOCMA. Returning to the trade show space underpins our strategic focus to offer commercial growth opportunities for our members and the industry, alongside our year-round trove of tools and resources."

Purchasing the Specialty & Custom Chemicals Show has been a long time in the making, according to Abril. "This is something we have considered since partnering with Tom Leahy to launch the Fort Worth Show, and conditions were right between both parties to effectuate the sale. Tom has built an event that is strategically important to the industry, and it has indeed been a pleasure working with the Chemicals America team these past two years to carry out our mutual vision to see the industry succeed."

Tom Leahy echoed those sentiments. "I'm excited for SOCMA to take over ownership of the Specialty & Custom Chemicals America show," Leahy said. "SOCMA is a trusted association voice for the specialty chemical industry, and SOCMA member companies already represent a significant percentage of the Fort Worth event. We have been partnering together since 2018 to produce the first two Texas shows, and I believe the timing is right to hand over the baton to their organization."

SOCMA is taking a cautious and thoughtful approach in planning the 2021 event, with the health and safety of exhibitors and attendees of primary concern. The show will follow its traditional format this year, with limited adjustments based on social distancing and other safety protocols associated with the pandemic.

"This is also a historic and remarkable way to kick off SOCMA's 100th anniversary in 2021," Abril said. "Our Board of Governors and SOCMA team are energized about returning to the trade show space with an opportunity to build upon our long history of delivering value to the supply chain."

Registration for the 2021 Specialty & Custom Chemicals, set for February 9-11 at the Omni in Fort Worth, TX, is now open. For questions about exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities, contact Jenny Gaines at [email protected].

About SOCMA

Solely dedicated to the specialty and fine chemical industry, SOCMA focuses on building commercial connections, supporting manufacturing and operations and advocating for regulatory and legislative policies that advance the specialty chemical supply chain. Learn more at www.socma.org.

SOURCE Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates

Related Links

www.socma.org


Technavio has been monitoring the global plastic additives market size and it is poised to grow by USD 14.72 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 6% 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/20200831005340/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Plastic Additives Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request the Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

Frequently Asked Questions-

At what CAGR is the market projected to grow during the forecast period 2020-2024?

Growing at a CAGR of almost 6%, the market growth will accelerate in the forecast period of 2020-2024.

Growing at a CAGR of almost 6%, the market growth will accelerate in the forecast period of 2020-2024. What is the key factor driving the market?

Increasing demand for recycled plastics from packaging industry has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Increasing demand for recycled plastics from packaging industry has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. Who are the top players in the market?

Akzo Nobel NV, BASF SE, Clariant International Ltd., Evonik Industries AG, Exxon Mobil Corp., Kaneka Corp., LANXESS AG, Mitsui Chemicals Inc., PolyOne Corp., and Dow Inc. are some of the major market participants.

Akzo Nobel NV, BASF SE, Clariant International Ltd., Evonik Industries AG, Exxon Mobil Corp., Kaneka Corp., LANXESS AG, Mitsui Chemicals Inc., PolyOne Corp., and Dow Inc. are some of the major market participants. Which region is expected to hold the highest market share?

APAC region

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Akzo Nobel NV, BASF SE, Clariant International Ltd., Evonik Industries AG, Exxon Mobil Corp., Kaneka Corp., LANXESS AG, Mitsui Chemicals Inc., PolyOne Corp., and Dow Inc. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Increasing demand for recycled plastics from packaging industry has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the harmful effects of plasticizers on the environment might hamper market growth.

Plastic Additives Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Plastic Additives Market is segmented as below:

Type Modifier Stabilizers Extenders Processing Aids

Geographic Landscape APAC North America Europe 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=IRTNTR43551

Plastic Additives 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 plastic additives market report covers the following areas:

Plastic Additives Market size

Plastic Additives Market trends

Plastic Additives Market industry analysis

This study identifies the increased demand for plastics from developing countries as one of the prime reasons driving the plastic additives market growth during the next few years.

Plastic Additives Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the plastic additives market, including some of the vendors such as Akzo Nobel NV, BASF SE, Clariant International Ltd., Evonik Industries AG, Exxon Mobil Corp., Kaneka Corp., LANXESS AG, Mitsui Chemicals Inc., PolyOne Corp., and Dow Inc. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the plastic additives 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

Plastic Additives Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist plastic additives market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the plastic additives market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the plastic additives market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of plastic additives 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 Type

Market segments

Comparison by Type

Modifier Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Stabilizers Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Extenders Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Processing aids Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Type

Customer Landscape

Overview

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA 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

Akzo Nobel NV

BASF SE

Clariant International Ltd.

Dow Inc.

Evonik Industries AG

Exxon Mobil Corp.

Kaneka Corp.

LANXESS AG

Mitsui Chemicals Inc.

PolyOne Corp.

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/20200831005340/en/

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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/
DENVER, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- bestmarijuanaguide.com, the premier online directory for cannabis products, suppliers, and dispensaries has named CBD Oil by Pure Organics the best CBD Oil supplier for the month of September 2020. CBD Oil by Pure Organics was chosen based on their effective performance in an in-depth analysis of the products they offer. While there are thousands of agencies offering a variety of CBD Products, the rankings consist of the best showcased based on the results of the in-depth evaluation process.



bestmarijuanaguide.com works with vendors within the cannabis space to ensure their resources offer web users a glimpse into the options out there for them whether it's a product, a dependable cannabis dispensary, or a supplier that supports vendors within the industry. The website serves as an online resource for those looking for exceptional brands in the cannabis space and other helpful resources.



Buyers have the opportunity to recount their experiences and offer insight into each of the brands featured in the rankings on bestmarijuanaguide.com. Through its proprietary SmartRank algorithm, services, products, and suppliers are selected using buyer feedback and criteria factors found to result in a better overall experience for the buyer. Additionally, the website, similar to Google Adwords, offers sponsored opportunities for those that want to have prominent positioning on the page.



Vendors within the cannabis space that manufacture products, distribute products through their dispensary, or assist the cannabis industry with specialized services are invited to join bestmarijuanaguide.com to prove their merits to a growing online audience of selective buyers.



To view the complete rankings of the best CBD Oil companies, visit: https://www.bestmarijuanaguide.com/best-cbd-oil-and-tinctures



Brands working within the cannabis industry interested in proving their merit can register directly from the homepage: https://www.bestmarijuanaguide.com/#rp



bestmarijuanaguide.com is the premier provider of reviews and resources within the cannabis industry. Based on a transparent algorithm, bestmarijuanaguide.com connects buyers with reputable products, dispensaries, and vendors operating within the industry. As new markets emerge from new developments within the industry, bestmarijuanaguide.com is dedicated to working with industry experts to spread knowledge and understand on the benefits of cannabis medically.





SOURCE bestmarijuanaguide.com
Oximeters & infrared thermometers have been known to flatten the COVID-19 curve in India

Delhi based Tushti International Pvt. Ltd. has recently announced the launch of finger-tip pulse oximeters and infrared/Non-contact thermometers in India, after recognizing the indispensable need for the products amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pulse oximeter & IR thermometers are based on all-digital technology and are intended for non-invasive measurement of functional oxygen saturation and body temperature respectively. Both products, now extremely useful for early detection and management of coronavirus, are cost-efficient and easy to use. Tushti has also roped in actor Sonu Sood as its brand ambassador.



Tushtis offerings boast of high quality and accuracy and hold certifications from international bodies such as FDA, WHO-GMP, CE, & QAA. The brand which is completely made-in-India, oximeters, and infrared thermometers are priced at INR 1,999/- and INR 2,999/- respectively, and come with a one-year warranty. The brand aims to educate people across the country about the correct use of the products, and how they are vital in gauging and keeping a close check on ones health, especially as we remain uncertain of how the pandemic unfolds.

Commenting on the launch of the products, Shobhit Agarwal, chairman-cum-managing director, Tushti International Pvt. Ltd. said, We, at Tushti, noticed that many unbranded, or even fake products with zero credibility have been flying off the shelves, whether at pharmacies or online marketplaces. With bringing 100% made-in-India oximeters and IR thermometers into the market, we aim to remedy this problem of unreliable products and serve consumers with nothing short of the best.
Nader Salameh, left, and his son, Gavyn, 9, center, from Lawndale, get their hair cut by barbers Anthony Ho, left and Christian Mikhail, center, in the parking lot of Press Box Barber Shop in Lawndale. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles County officials are weighing whether to allow the reopening of indoor shopping centers, retail shops and hair salons in accordance with the state's new guidelines, which permit counties  no matter their COVID-19 status  to reopen such businesses under certain conditions.

If county officials decide to lift the restrictions ahead of Labor Day weekend, the businesses would be allowed to operate at 25% capacity, as well as indoor modified operations at hair salons and barbershops.

Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer and the Board of Supervisors met Tuesday to discuss the new guidance, but no decision was made. Any change to the county's guidelines will be announced Wednesday afternoon, according to the county's Department of Public Health.

In a statement, Ferrer suggested that current conditions still don't allow for an immediate reopening.

"There is a lot at stake. Increased numbers of people being around one another can result in more transmission of COVID-19, at a time where we need to be doubling down on our efforts to slow the spread," she said. "Our past weekend inspections demonstrated that 20% of restaurants and 17% of markets are still not in compliance with the Health Officer Orders. This does not help us get our numbers down."

The county announced 45 new deaths related to COVID-19 on Tuesday and 840 new infections.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the new guidelines Friday, and counties across the state have taken different directions, with some, like San Francisco, adopting a cautious approach that doesn't allow barbershops and nail salons to open indoor operations until late September.

In Los Angeles, where the unemployment rate hit 20% over the last few months, county supervisors have been deluged with calls from concerned business owners who have been unable to work for months.

The timing of the reopening, coming ahead of a major holiday weekend, Labor Day, recalls the last major reopening strategy, which took place shortly before and after Memorial Day weekend.

Story continues

What followed after Memorial Day was a surge in cases and hospitalizations that have only subsided in recent weeks. It's unclear how the upcoming Labor Day weekend may be affecting county officials' decision to allow for indoor operations at shuttered businesses.

The state has placed L.A. County, along with 37 other counties, on Tier 1 of its reopening plan for having widespread risk of the virus. The county has recorded more than 242,000 cases and over 5,800 deaths. In recent weeks, those numbers have declined and stabilized, but August stands as the county's deadliest month since the pandemic hit.

Most nonessential businesses in Tier 1 counties, such as L.A., are closed. As a county moves through the tiers, more businesses are allowed to reopen. State Health and Human Services Director Dr. Mark Ghaly said Tuesday that the updates, particularly a focus on a seven-day average instead of a 14-day one, are more in keeping with the data analysis of other states and countries around the world. The tiers are:

Tier 1, widespread transmission: Counties have more than seven daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and a test positivity rate of more than 8%.

Tier 2, substantial transmission: Counties have four to seven daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 and a test positivity rate of 5% to 8%.

Tier 3, moderate transmission: Counties have 1-3.9 daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and a test positivity rate of 2% to 4.9%.

Tier 4, minimal transmission: Counties have less than one daily COVID case per 100,000 and a test positivity rate of less than 2%.

San Francisco County is on Tier 2 of the state's reopening plans. Under the guidelines, the county could reopen restaurants for in-person dining with restrictions and immediately allow hairdressers and barbers to work inside.

But in the city of San Francisco, plans announced Tuesday by Mayor London Breed and Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax reflect a more cautious approach in the decision to lift certain restrictions.

The city reopened outdoor pools, indoor malls, outdoor hair salons and barbershops and outdoor personal services with some restrictions on Monday. But indoor operations at barbershops and hair salons may not reopen until late September. Nail salons may reopen for indoor services, with modifications, at that point as well as indoor church services, with 25% of capacity for a maximum of 25 people.

Currently, Alpine and Modoc counties are the only two in the state that are on Tier 4. Most businesses are allowed to reopen in this tier, albeit with some limitations. Concert venues, convention centers, live theaters, nightclubs and theme parks remain closed statewide.

Los Angeles County currently has a 5.1% seven-day average for positive infections and a seven-day average of 12.4 cases per every 100,000 people. By comparison, the states average positivity rate during the same time frame is currently 5.9% and its average case rate per 100,000 people is 10.2.

A county must show progress in its positivity rate and case count over a three-week period before moving to a new tier. If a county has a case count and positivity rate that fall on two different tiers, the more stringent rules would apply. Such updates will take place on Tuesdays following the states review of a countys metric.

Times staff writer Maura Dolan contributed to this report.
Coronavirus denier Pete Evans has seemingly contradicted himself by providing a 'COVID Safe' disclaimer on the website of his 'healing clinic' in Byron Bay.

The disclaimer states that the clinic is committed to high standards of hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic - which Evans supposedly believes is fake.

The 47-year-old's Facebook account and his Evolve with Pete Evans podcast also feature similar disclaimers, which state that Evans is not a health professional and that people should consult qualified medical experts instead.

Interestingly, the disclaimer on his podcast states that Evans 'does not endorse' the 'opinions and conclusions' of the guests he openly praises and agrees with.

Evans' harmful views have ranged from blaming coronavirus on 5G cell towers to actively encouraging his followers to not wear masks in Melbourne, which is currently in stage-four lockdown.

Contradictory: Coronavirus denier Pete Evans (pictured) has seemingly contradicted himself by providing a 'COVID Safe' disclaimer on the website of his 'healing clinic' in Byron Bay

Evans' false and unscientific views about the coronavirus pandemic cost him his $800,000-a-year job at Channel Seven earlier this year.

He and his wife, New Zealand glamour model Nicola Robinson, are now preparing to open their Evolve Health Labs clinic in Australia's hippie capital.

Despite believing the pandemic is a hoax, the former TV star is still complying with the New South Wales government by registering his business as COVID-safe.

According to the company's Instagram account, the clinic will offer 'transformational practices' such as 'cold and conscious breath-work' and 'cryotherapy'.

Complying: Despite believing the pandemic is a hoax, the former TV star is still complying with the New South Wales government by registering his business as COVID-safe

Fine print: Interestingly, the 47-year-old's Facebook account and his Evolve with Pete Evans podcast also feature similar disclaimers, which state that Evans is not a health professional and that people should consult qualified medical experts instead

New business: Evans and his wife, New Zealand glamour model Nicola Robinson, are now preparing to open their Evolve Health Labs clinic in Australia's hippie capital

Meanwhile, the disclaimer on Pete's Facebook states: 'The information on this page is general information and should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease.

'Do not use the information found on this page as a substitute for professional health care advice.

'Pete Evans does not make any representation or warranty (express or implied) as to the accuracy or completeness of the information set out on this page, and shall not have any liability for any misrepresentation (express or implied) contained in, or for any omissions from, the information on this page.

'This disclaimer of liability applies to any damages or injury whether based upon consumer law, negligence or any other cause of action.'

Misleading: Evans' harmful views have ranged from blaming coronavirus on 5G cell towers to actively encouraging his followers to not wear masks in Melbourne

Axed: His conspiracy theories on the coronavirus pandemic cost him his $800,000-a-year job at Channel Seven early this year

A similar message at the end of his podcast states: 'Nothing in this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

'Neither Pete Evans nor any sponsor endorse any views, opinions and conclusions expressed or shared in this podcast.'

Despite this, Evans has recently interviewed a string of conspiracy theorists and anti-vaccination activists, whom he offers uncritical and unwavering support.

In June, Evans was invited on Channel Nine's 60 Minutes to share his bizarre conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and the 5G network.

The program faced criticism for choosing to interview Evans, thereby giving airtime to his dangerous anti-vaccination and coronavirus conspiracy theories.
New Delhi: Information technology (IT) major Infosys Ltd said it will hire 12,000 American workers over the next two years, creating a 25,000 strong workforce in the U.S over five years, the company said on Tuesday. This is part of its strategy to increase local hiring in the country.

In 2017, Infosys committed to hiring 10,000 American workers over two years and has exceeded that goal by creating 13,000 jobs in the US to date. Through this expanded commitment, Infosys will hire an additional 12,000 workers by 2022 across a variety of roles.

Our commitment to creating 12,000 new American jobs comes at a critical moment as the covid-19 pandemic has created economic turmoil," said Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys.

The company will target experienced technology professionals as well as recent graduates from major universities and colleges to create a strong workforce.

Infosys has been intensely focused on creating jobs in the US for the past three years, and I am proud that this new commitment to hire 12,000 American workers by 2022 expands on that previous initiative," said Salil Parekh, CEO, Infosys. We are excited to grow our presence in the U.S. as the digital transformation journeys of our clients accelerate," he added.

This move gains significance given the current restrictions on the H1B1 visa. Indian IT services companies have been trying to increase their local hiring to reduce their dependencies on the H-1B visa which allows companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations in the US.

Infosys will prepare workers for 21st-century careers by leveraging the training and reskilling programmes it has built with partners. Its recently launched Reskill and Restart platform will play a crucial role in hiring local talent. We will bring a specific focus on building pathways for those who have been impacted by the economic downturn and look forward to bringing on board individuals without traditional four-year degrees," added Kumar.

As part of Infosys localisation efforts, 78% of its senior management staff was hired locally in FY20, the company said in its 13th Annual Sustainability Report 2020. Infosys had said across the world, it is committed to going local" to strengthen its profile as an employer of choice and be part of the local ecosystem.

In the past three years, Infosys has launched six technology and innovation centers in U.S. across Indiana, North Carolina, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Texas, and Arizona.

Infosys training and education infrastructure has allowed the company to cultivate top tech talent outside of the traditional tech hub geographies and provide American workers with new pathways to transition from conventional jobs across various industries and workstreams to digital and operations jobs of the future, the company said on Tuesday.

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Gov. Charlie Bakers administration announced an end to the Massachusetts National Guard activation order on Monday amid questions over why he issued the order to begin with.

On Friday, Baker signed an order activating up to 1,000 members of the Massachusetts National Guard in the event that municipal leaders require their assistance. The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security issued a statement Monday evening, noting that the activation has ended.

Today, Governor Baker authorized the Massachusetts National Guard to end the Governors Aug. 28 activation order, said Jake Wark, a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

Three days after issuing the order, the Baker administration still hasnt said anything about the activation, nor what the Guardsmen have done since then. Bakers office did not immediately respond to questions about the order on Monday.

Baker in March activated about 2,000 guard members to perform COVID-19 testing, deliver food and secure medical facilities during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Guard members assisted Springfield police in late March while members of the department were out sick with the virus.

Related Content:
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government will fight for its just compensation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the ensuing Parliament session and also take legal recourse over the issue. Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Monday declared that the State government opposes the Central governments plans to reduce GST compensation to States.

After discussing the issue with Finance Ministers of other non-BJP ruled States, including Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Kerala and West Bengal, over a video conference, Harish Rao told the media that the TRS MPs would fight in Parliament over the GST compensation issue.

It is the responsibility of the Central government to pay GST compensation as per the Act when the States GST collections are below 14 per cent, Harish Rao said. Later in the day, the same message was conveyed by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a letter.

Referring to the two options given by the Centre, Harish Rao said: In the first option, the Centre had decided to reduce the GST compensation amount to States from Rs3 lakh crore to Rs1.65 lakh core. It means the States will have to forego Rs1.35 lakh crore compensation.

In the second option, the GST Council proposed that the States take loans. The second option too is not helpful to Telangana, he added.

Central govts options not acceptable to us: Harish Rao

Harish Rao wondered who gave powers to the Centre to give options which were not mentioned in the GST Act. There is no mention in the GST Act about Covid-19 or any other national calamity. When the GST cess or IGST amounts are surplus, the Centre is depositing the same in the Consolidated Fund. When there is a shortfall in the amount, the Centre wants the States to raise the loans. This is not acceptable to us. The Centre should pay the GST compensation to the States, Harish Rao demanded. The Centre is also talking about Act of God, which is not correct, he added. Harish Rao said that the State joined the GST tax regime in the larger interests of the country.

Before the implementation of GST, Telanganas growth rate was 22 per cent. If the GST was not implemented, Telangana would have got Rs25,000 crore additional revenue in the last three years, he said. The loss of revenue to the State was Rs8,000 crore in the last four months due to Covid-19, he pointed out.

The Centre should play the role of a big brother and provide succour to the States liberally, Harish Rao said, while suggesting that the Centre should borrow the required money and pay full GST compensation to the States.
Donald Trump sidestepped a question on Tuesday about whether systemic racism exists in the United States and is driving a spate of black deaths at the hands of law enforcement after he toured damage in Kenosha, Wisconsin, inflicted when protests there turned violent after Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a police officer.

You keep getting back to the opposite subject, the president told reporters following a roundtable event with federal and local officials. You should talk about the violence were seeing in Portland and here and other places.

Mr Trump has yet to join other senior Republican officials, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who is trying to keep control of that chamber in Novembers elections, in clearly stating that systemic racism is a problem and at play in some police-related violence. Like always, he appears fearful of upsetting his conservative voting base as he tries to catch his general election foe, former vice president Joe Biden, in national and key battleground states  like Wisconsin.

I keep hearing about peaceful protests, but then I come here, Mr Trump said of Kenosha, and the town is burned down.

The president continued on Tuesday to push his contention, backed up by attorney general William Barr, that among otherwise non-violent protesters are an element intent on rioting and causing damage.

You may have protesters but you have some really bad people too, the president said after the AG said federal officials saw the same tactics used, prior to a law enforcement crackdown, on the streets of Kenosha following Mr Blakes shooting.

Mr Trump also contended there is another movement inside Kenosha, presumably composed of his supporters. This faction, he claimed, wants police to be police.

Continuing his 2020 election message that even US suburbs are not safe  and somehow blaming Mr Biden even though he has been president for over three years  the president suggested the pro-police group is fearful of being the victims of violent crimes on their own streets.

You dont see them marching and you dont see them on the streets, but what they want is they want great police force, they want people that are going to keep them safe, where their houses arent broken into, where theyre not raped and murdered, he said.

One of his own supporters, a 17-year-old male, is accused of shooting three protesters after arming himself with an AR-15 assault rifle while in Kenosha. He has been charged as an adult with two counts of first degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide.

Theyre protesters, too, but they dont walk down the street, up and down the street, he said. So, you know, its just the way it is.

Mr Trump went to the Wisconsin city despite the protests of state and local leaders who worried his presence would be too divisive. He appeared to claim that his words and actions  including his pushing of state leaders to use National Forces, which they deployed on Monday, to help keep the peace  had quelled violence there.

I really came today to thank law enforcement. Its been incredible, he said of their collective response in recent days, dubbing it inspiring.

But only around 30 per cent of Wisconsin voters approve of his handling of nationwide protests throughout the summer in response to police violence against blacks and other examples cited by black activists of social inequality.

Still, Mr Trump continued his hardline election-year message, threatening again to send National Guard forces into protest- and violence-stricken Portland, Oregon.

Were tried of watching it, he said of violence in Portland, adding of local and state leaders resistance to federal and Guard help: I dont know if [it is] political. Its certainly not common sense ... At some point, were going to have to do it.
My family has operated Gold Star Chili since its inception in 1965, said Roger David, president and CEO of GSR Brands. We appreciate that 919 is also a family run business. They understand the pride, the passion, and the dedication it takes to build a powerhouse brand family."

GSR Brands, the parent company overseeing the Gold Star Chili and Tom & Chee restaurant brands, struck a new partnership with 919 Marketing, an award-winning national franchise marketing and public relations agency.

919 Marketing will lead national franchise development initiatives for both of the companys brands in the United States.

My family has operated Gold Star Chili since its inception in 1965, and Tom & Chee has been a great addition to our brand family, said Roger David, president and CEO of GSR Brands. We appreciate that 919 is also a family run business. They understand the pride, the passion, and the dedication it takes to build a powerhouse brand family.

Moreover, they can deliver the marketing analytics solution we require to ensure our franchise development marketing investment is based on facts, not assumptions. With 919 Insights we are able to identify, reach and engage the right kind of candidates to accelerate our national sales footprint.

As CEO of Gold Star Chili, David created GSR Brands in 2019 to encompass both Gold Star Chili and Tom & Chee, which the brand acquired in 2017. GSR Brands stands for Gold Star Restaurants.

Gold Star Chili, founded over 50 years ago, has developed an enormous following in the Cincinnati, Ohio, metropolitan area, serving comfort food with family-style hospitality. The brand is poised to break out of its Cincinnati stronghold and expand across the Midwest with its new streamlined menu, updated restaurant design, and a proven business model that allows their franchisees to thrive for decades.

Tom & Chee, also started in Cincinnati, has expanded to more than 12 locations across seven states. According to David, Tom & Chee is dedicated to continuing its trajectory of growth and creating a new category in the sandwich space. Consumers are drawn to nostalgic favorites such as grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, in a unique menu comprising food made in-house. Franchisees enjoy a simplified business model, state-of-the-art training and technology, a new menu and restaurant design, and great leadership from GSR Brands 50-plus years in the franchise industry.

Were very excited about the opportunity to work with Roger and the GSR team to tell their brand story to the world, said David Chapman, 919 Marketings Founder and CEO. We share a passion for growing franchise brands and using behavioral data to reach and convert the right kind of prospects into candidates.

To learn more about Gold Star Chili, visit http://www.goldstarchili.com.

For more information about Gold Star Chili franchising, visit http://www.goldstarchilifranchise.com.

To learn more about Tom & Chee, visit http://www.tomandchee.com.

For more information about Tom & Chee franchising, visit http://www.tomandcheefranchise.com.

For more information about 919 Marketing, please visit https://919marketing.com/.

About 919 Marketing:

Serving the franchising industry for more than a decade, 919 is ranked by INC. as the fastest-growing franchise content marketing and PR agency in the country. 919 Insights, the franchise industrys exclusive AI-powered data analytics platform, uncovers and tracks actual buyer engagement and conversion on your brand website and social media platforms, and the platforms of your major competitors.

The resulting buyer intelligence powers 919s in-house franchise content marketing services; brand strategy and messaging, LINK strategic planning and research, CEO branding, crisis communications, national and local market PR, social media marketing, organic and paid search, creative services, and full-scale video production.

919 Marketing is a proven, go-to source for national companies of all sizes that want to grow their businesses. For more information, please contact David Chapman, CEO, at 919-557-7890 or email dchapman@919marketing.com.


(Reuters) - Canadian oil producer Whitecap Resources Inc <WCP.TO> said on Monday it would buy NAL Resources Ltd, owned by Manulife Financial Corp <MFC.TO>, for C$155 million ($118.59 million) as it looks to boost its core Alberta and Saskatchewan assets.

Whitecap said it would issue 58.3 million of its shares to Manulife in exchange for all the issued and outstanding shares of NAL, which operates in Canada's Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Insurance and financial services provider Manulife will own about 12.5% of the combined company.

The deal marks growing interest in mergers among smaller Canadian oil producers to bolster their portfolios, as uncertainty about future oil demand persists.

The COVID-19 pandemic destroyed fuel demand and left dozens of energy companies without the prospect of drilling their way out of debt or bankrupt, making consolidations a viable solution for many smaller players.

Separately on Monday, Calgary, Alberta based oil and gas company Obsidian Energy Ltd <OBE.TO> offered two shares for every share of Bonterra Energy Corp <BNE.TO>.

That would value Bonterra at about C$35 million, or C$1.06 per share, a 29.3% discount to its Friday close. Bonterra shareholders would own about 48% in the combined company, Obsidian said.

Last month, top independent U.S. oil producer ConocoPhillips <COP.N> said it would buy land from Kelt Exploration Ltd in Canada's Montney shale oil play in a $375 million deal.

($1 = 1.3070 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
A US military cargo plane arrived in Baghdad on Monday carrying more than 6 million pages of Iraqi government records dating from the Saddam Hussein era and prior.

The papers, including intelligence files and administrative records, were discovered in a basement under the Baath Party headquarters in the Iraqi capital in 2003 before being transferred to the United States for safekeeping in 2005.

The Wall Street Journal first revealed that the documents had quietly been returned on Monday, fulfilling a long-held hope of successive Iraqi governments since the United States overthrew the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.

Why it matters: The trove is an invaluable and minutely detailed record of Iraqs painful history under the Baathist regime. Its return is a sign of the US governments trust in Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimis government.

Back in 2003, Kadhimi, then a human rights advocate who had fled Hussein's regime nearly two decades prior, along with Iraqi scholar Kanan Makiya helped to preserve documents after they were discovered in a Baghdad cellar.

Makiya, another exiled dissident, returned to Iraq upon the US invasion and founded the Iraq Memory Foundation dedicated to chronicling Iraqis experiences of living under Baathist rule. Kadhimi served as the foundations director in Baghdad.

The documents were first shipped to Virginia in 2005 before being archived by Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution in California.

Whats next: Iraqi officials hope to one day make the documents available to the public but say that will take time.

Some of the information is highly sensitive, containing names of informants for the Baathists' violently repressive regime and raising concerns that the documents could be used for revenge.

The archives are being held at an undisclosed and secure location in the Iraqi capital, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Military allocates budget to buy tactical UAVs, boost radar capability

ROC Central News Agency

08/31/2020 09:18 PM

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) Taiwan's military has allocated budgets to buy Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (TUAVs), underwater vehicles, and to improve its radar surveillance and camouflage capabilities in response to the increasing military threat from China, according to a defense budget proposal it submitted to lawmakers for review on Monday.

The 2021 defense budget proposal the military sent to the Legislative Yuan pending approval shows that the Army is seeking to spend NT$779 million (US$26 million) to buy 50 TUAVs to boost its newly formed combined arms battalions' early warning and response capability from fiscal year 2021 to 2023.

The Navy wants to spend another NT$213 million from 2021 to 2022 to purchase 12 underwater vehicles to boost its amphibious forces' mobility.

Between 2021 to 2030, the Navy is also planning to spend a total of NT$5.05 billion to overhaul its existing radar stations that monitor the waters surrounding the country.

The stations have been in service for more than two decades and are in desperate need of upgrading their surveillance capability, according to the budget proposal.

Another military branch, the Military Police Command, which is responsible for guarding the president, is expected to spend NT$60 million to buy 65 new motorcycles from 2021 to 2022 to replace the aging Yamaha Royal Star motorcycles it currently uses, according to the budget proposal.

A military source told CNA that the low-floor 1,300cc motorcycles are too heavy and less mobile during wartime, so the military wants to replace them with smaller bikes to improve mobility. The command, however, has yet to decide which model it plans to buy, the source added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) hopes to spend NT$1.1 billion between 2021 and 2023 to replace the camouflage nets it currently uses in all of its military branches to improve the concealment capability in response to the Chinese military's significant improvement of its surveillance technologies over the years.

The MND's Armament Bureau has allocated NT$560 million from 2021 to 2024 to build four prototypes of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV).

For fiscal 2021, the central government has allocated a total of NT$453.4 billion, or 2.4 percent of this year's projected GDP, on defense budget, which is a 4.4 percent increase compared with the budget of a year ago.

NT$29 billion of the budget is to be used to buy 66 F-16V jet fighters from the United States.

(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/J

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Top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi will visit Greece and Spain this week, as part of an unusual arrangement of back-to-back European visits by two high-level Chinese foreign policy officials.

Analysts say this signals Beijing's urgency to prevent further European strategic rebalancing in favour of the US, but neither European country would favour Beijing at the expense of Brussels or Washington. Both Spain and Greece are facing increasing pressure to take sides between their security alliance with the US and vast business interest with China.

President Xi Jinping made state visits to both countries in the last two years, with Yang present on both occasions. This time, however, Yang will be visiting a Europe which has turned much more wary of Beijing after the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday announced Yang's trip, which also includes a stop in Myanmar, confirming a report by the South China Morning Post.

French President Emmanuel Macron (at right) meets with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, last week. Photo: Xinhua alt=French President Emmanuel Macron (at right) meets with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, last week. Photo: Xinhua

Yang, a member of the Politburo, is widely considered the highest-ranking diplomat within the Chinese Communist Party.

His main portfolio involves handling Sino-US relations, a theme that is expected to reverberate on his European trip, which will closely follow Foreign Minister Wang Yi's trip to five other European countries.

Wang during his current trip criticised Czech politicians for visiting Taiwan and warned the Nobel Peace Prize committee not to award Hong Kong protesters - neither gesture considered conducive to alleviating EU officials' worries over Beijing's "wolf warrior diplomacy".

"China is trying to regain ground, amidst the massive pushback it is facing and visibly deteriorating relations with Europeans across the board," said Plamen Tonchev, a China expert at the Athens-based Institute of International Economic Relations.

Story continues

"Greece matters, as it used to be one of China's staunchest supporters in Europe until recently, and hosts one of the most successful and visible Belt and Road Initiative projects," Tonchev added, referring to the port of Piraeus in which China's state-owned COSCO Shipping owns a 51 per cent stake.

During Xi's visit to Athens, China and Greece agreed to push ahead with a 600 million ($717 million) investment by COSCO, including mandatory investments of 300 million ($359 million) by 2022 which once concluded will allow it to acquire an additional 16 per cent stake in the port.

Under former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, Greece was considered by Beijing to be one of the most reliable partners in the EU, as its poor economic outlook attracted massive Chinese investment.

Amid diplomatic criticism, Greece helped torpedo an EU statement on Chinese human rights violations in 2017.

But the US has stepped up efforts to build closer ties since the electoral victory last year of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a Harvard graduate.

The US is reportedly interested in the upcoming privatisation of the Alexandroupolis port in northern Greece, near the land border with Turkey, Tonchev noted.

Meanwhile, COSCO's plan for an increased share in the Piraeus port also comes at a time when the EU has turned more hawkish to the expansion of China's takeovers of Europe's strategic assets, especially under the coronavirus pandemic where the EU fears Chinese capital would be snapping up critical infrastructure at a time of market volatility.

The European Commission in June proposed in a white paper scrutiny over mergers and acquisitions funded by "state aid" from foreign governments - which would pose an impact on Chinese state-owned enterprises.

In Spain, Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said on Monday that Europe "has to redefine how it wants to face the geostrategic situation" exacerbated by the US-China tension.

"The pandemic has accelerated trends that were already there: The polarisation of international relations between China and the United States, technological advancement and digitisation, and an erosion of the multilateral system of checks and balances," she told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

"It has accelerated weapons such as disinformation or interference through cybersecurity," Gonzalez added. "We have to promote greater European strategic autonomy, beyond pure defence."

Her predecessor, current European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, recently referred to China as a "new empire" and called on the 27 member states to correct the economic imbalances with Beijing before it is "too late".

Spain's Telefonica, Europe's fourth-largest telecoms group, was planning to drastically reduce the amount of equipment it buys from Huawei for the core of its 5G networks in Europe, the company said in December last year.

Mario Esteban, senior analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute, said he was pessimistic that Yang's visit to Madrid would yield much success.

"Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will align with Brussels, instead of Beijing," Esteban said. "If forced, Spain would side with the US because of economic and strategic interests, not China."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
One of the Trump campaign's tweets has been flagged as 'manipulated' by Twitter after they posted a clip of election rival Joe Biden out of context.

In the clip, Biden is heard saying the words: 'You wont be safe in Joe Bidens America.'

However, the tweet by the Trump War Room account did not make clear that Biden had said the words during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, the New York Post reports.

Twitter has flagged a tweet from President Trump's campaign account as 'manipuated media' after it posted a video clip of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden out of context. The campaign account then tweeted to say the initial post had been meant as a 'joke'

The democratic presidential candidate was attempting to rebut the claim made in that very quote.

Biden made the comment yesterday in Pittsburgh while arguing he would re-introduce social stability after months of protests following the killing of George Floyd.

The full quote by Biden reads as: 'Since they have no agenda or vision for a second term, Trump and Pence are running on this, and I find it fascinating: You wont be safe in Joe Bidens America. And whats their proof? The violence were seeing in Donald Trumps America.

He also said that President Trump 'adds fuel to every fire'.

Biden made the comment yesterday in Pittsburgh as a rebuttal of that exact claim while arguing he would re-introduce social stability after months of protests following the killing of George Floyd

A blue exclamation mark and the words 'manipulated media' appeared on the original tweet and Twitter created a list of tweets which fact-checked the claim made in the 'manipulated' tweet.

This included a description of the full context surrounding the comment made by Joe Biden as well as tweets which reported the full quote rather than the the selected section.

After Twitter flagged the Trump campaign's account posted a clarification on their initial tweet.

They said: 'To all the triggered journalists who can't take a joke about their candidate, it's not our fault Joe Biden was dumb enough to say this on camera.'

A blue exclamation mark and the words 'manipulated media' appeared on the original tweet and Twitter created a list of tweets which fact-checked the claim made in the out of context tweet

This is not the first time that Twitter has flagged tweets by the president, with the social media company deeming a tweet back in June as 'abusive'.

Tweeting on June 23, the President said: 'There will never be an 'Autonomous Zone' in Washington, D.C., as long as I'm your President. If they try they will be met with serious force!'

Twitter flagged Trump's tweet before giving users the option to unveil the text of the post.
Today, Pranab Mukherjee may more popularly be known as the former President of India, but the life of the late Congress leader extraordinaire is one that merits a tribute from every Indian patriot and lover of democracy.

A gentle giant in the truest sense of the word, Pranab-da knew the ropes of Indian politics even as it came into dominance with the rise of Indira Gandhi, who in turn trusted him to be her right-hand man in leading the Indian National Congress to its times of glory.

 Facebook/POI13

The rise of Pranab Mukherjee from his humble beginnings to becoming the head of the Indian state isnt a journey which can be easily blurred out of public memory. Such has been the journey of Pranab-da in his five decade-long political career, that to not know of his achievements is like missing out on the countrys history.



The Backstory

Born into a humble family in the village of Mirati in West Bengal, Pranab Mukherjee had grown up in a politically charged environment, where his father played an active role in the Indian independence movement and served as an Indian National Congress representative for over a decade post independence.

 Facebook/POI13

A scholar of Arts, Pranab Mukherjee had an MA in Political Science and History, that he topped up with a degree in Law from University of Calcutta. Upon graduating, he started out as an Upper-Division Clerk at the Office of Deputy Accountant-General in Kolkata. Soon, he jumped guns and became an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Vidyasagar College, following it up by working as a journalist with Desher Dak before finally making the career and life-changing move of joining politics.



The Political Initiation

Pranab Mukherjees political career started as the founding member of the Bangla Congress. After successfully managing the Midnapore by-election campaign of independent candidate VK Krishna Menon, he went on to become a Rajya Sabha MP in 1969. Then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi took note of Pranab-das resourcefulness and recruited him to the Indian National Congress.

 Facebook/POI13

By 1973, Pranab Mukherjee had quickly risen up the political ladder and proved his mettle to make his way into the Indira cabinet as deputy minister and Minister of State (Finance). In 1982, at 47 years old, Pranab-da became Indias youngest Finance Minister. It didnt take long for Indira Gandhi to make him his second-in-command, a leader she could trust with politics as well as her partys future.



Despite a short hiccup following Indiras assasination, Pranab Mukherjee went on to work closely with three Indian Prime Ministers - Indira Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.

The Statesman That He Was

 Facebook/POI13

As a Congress stalwart, Pranab Mukherjee was held in high regard by his party members who not only respected the man for his strong association with Indian politics, but also because of his great understanding of government matters, complex policies and a knack for numbers. Admired for his razor-sharp memory, Pranab-das love affair with facts and figures amazed many over the years.



That is not all, his strong mental prowess made it possible for him to hold major portfolios throughout his career, right from foreign and defence ministries to commerce and finance. Throughout his long political career, Pranab Mukherjee served as a Rajya Sabha MP five times, and twice as a member of the Lok Sabha. He also served as a member of the Congress Working Committee for 23 long years.

 Facebook/POI13

After more than a five decade-long political career, Pranab Mukherjee went on to become the 13th President of India amid great popularity and with a 70 percent margin against his opponent. His journey as an active and powerful politician came to an end with his retirement after completing the presidential tenure in 2017.



Pranab Mukherjee was rightfully awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019, because that is what the man had been to the country, a gem.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee died at the age of 84 on Monday, August 31. Many have since taken to social media to pay tributes to the beloved leader. Among them is dairy company Amul that shared a special post to commemorate the veteran leader.

Amul posted an image on its official Instagram and Twitter accounts on September 1. Tribute to a great politician, President and a statesman, reads the text shared alongside the picture.

The graphic shows three different sketches of Mukherjee. Farewell to one of Bharats brightest Ratnas reads the text placed right above the illustrations. At the bottom of the snapshot, Pranab Mukherjee 1935-2020, is written.

Take a look at the post:

Since being shared, the post has received a whole lot of love from netizens. It currently has over 7,700 likes and nearly 900 retweets on Twitter. Additionally, the doodle has amassed more than 7,500 likes and many appreciative comments on Instagram.

Many have left folded hand emojis in the comments section of the post on Instagram. May his soul rest in peace, reads a comment.

One of the countrys most admired political leaders, Mukherjee had worked as a teacher and journalist before taking his first steps in politics. He died of multiple organ failure after he was admitted to New Delhis Army Hospital Research and Referral three weeks ago.
A fitness trainer diagnosed with 'unexplained infertility' before giving birth to quadruplets has opened up on her battle to conceive - and being told to terminate one or all of the unborn babies.

Western Australian couple Natalie, 31, and Kahn, 34, conceived their quadruplets late last year, with their family more than doubling for three to seven on July 21.

Maioha Kahn (2.3kg), Frankee Gene (1.92kg), Marley Rose (2.2kg) and Maddison Grace (2.1kg) made their entrance to the world on at 34 weeks.

The premature newborns were ready to go home within four weeks to join their big sister Kiana (aka Kiki), 2.

Six weeks on, their parents are besotted with their bundles of joy, despite the countless sleepless nights and endless dirty nappies.

Natalie gave birth to her miracle quadruplets- a boy and three girls via C-section in July

'It's pretty amazing seeing them all out now, and it's made it feel pretty real,' Natalie told A Current Affair

Her husband added: 'It's about as hard as I was thinking it would be.

'It's just poo. I've got a two-year-old daughter so it's the fact of being a parent. Sometimes you get a bit of poo under your fingernail. But you just wash your hands and move onto the next one!'

On average just two sets of quadruplets are born in Australia each year.

Natalie was diagnosed with an 'unexplained infertility' called anovulation and spent three years trying to conceive by injecting hormones to stimulate regular ovulation.

Natalie and Kahn welcomed their first child Kiana (pictured together) in 2018

Natalie's growing baby bump took a toll on the fitness trainer's frame (pictured at 26 weeks)

The couple finally welcomed their first child Kiana in 2018, but got more than they bargained for when they began the process again a year later.

She shared her pregnancy journey on a dedicated Instagram page Kiki and the Quads, which has grown to 22,000 followers.

Natalie found out she was pregnant on New Years Eve and earlier this year, recalled the moment she learned there were four babies growing inside her.

'I was certain I was having twins,' she posted on Instagram.

'One, I was feeling really sick very early and two, twins run in my family!

'We went from crying to laughing and laughing to crying.

'Kahn and I drove home in utter shock! We were overwhelmed, scared, excited, confused, nervous and speechless!'

The couple say their family is now complete with arrival of Maioha (right), Frankee (left), Maddison and Marley (centre)

Natalie initially thought she was pregnant with twins after she found out she was pregnant on New Years Eve. Pictured is an ultrasound of her four babies

She described the heartache of being advised by medical professionals to terminate one or all of the babies to reduce to risk of complications.

She admitted she considered the option multifetal pregnancy reduction of terminating at least one of the four.

'But my heart was telling me different,' she wrote.

'What happens if we keep all four and they end up with a health problem or a disability - will I blame myself?

'What happens if we choose to reduce to two babies to give them the best chance of a healthy start to life and the procedure causes me to miscarry all of them?

'What happens if we end up losing all of them because we chose to go ahead with quadruplets, but maybe if we had of reduced we would have two healthy babies?

'SO many questions, SO many scenarios, SO many emotions going through my head.

'It was beyond emotional and all I remember saying to Kahn was that I want someone to just make a decisions for me!'

The couple decided to give their daughter a sibling but got more they bargained for

Kahn and Natalie at 29 weeks, five weeks before they welcomed the birth of their babies

Natalie eventually decided to continue with the pregnancy as planned and pray for the best outcome.

The fitness trainer continued working out until she was 24 weeks as her growing baby bump took a heavy strain on her tiny frame.

Natalie was eventually confined to a wheelchair on family outings.

'I haven't sugar coated the fact this pregnancy hasn't been super enjoyable,' she posted at 30 weeks.

'Yes I am blessed to be pregnant...four times blessed! But it's also felt four times harder!

'I have however enjoyed the many journeys this pregnancy has taken me through both physically and emotionally!

'There has been many highs and lows and this is just the beginning. The beginning of a lifetime of highs and lows!

'What I do know is, I already love these four babies so much and we have an amazing support network around us that will love them too!'

Natalie (pictured with her husband) shared her pregnancy journey rollercoaster on Instagram page Kiki and the Quads

Kahn was banned from accompanying his wife on ultrasound appointments in the second half of the pregnancy due to COVID-19.

Originally from the Pilbara region, they moved to Perth in May due to the risk of third trimester complications and have since relocated to Bunbury.

'I felt a bit sorry for Kahn because he wasn't allowed into any of my scans throughout the bulk of the pregnancy so that was a little bit of a shame for him and made him feel a little bit disconnected,' Natalie told the program.

Quadruplets are usually delivered at 30 weeks but Natalie's doctor believe they could cope with an extra month inside.

'We got to the 32-week mark, and he was like, 'I think you can probably make it to 34,' and I cried that I had to go longer,' Natalie said.

'I was so devastated because I was so uncomfortable.'

'But looking at them now, I'm so glad he pushed me that little bit further, when I was emotional, and didn't give in because they're amazing.'

The couple's family grew from three to seven overnight with the arrival of quadruplets

The couple took three years to conceive their first child after Natalie was diagnosed with 'unexplained infertility'

The couple said their family is now complete and are unfazed about the challenging road ahead of them.

'When they're Kiana's age and they're two and they get strong personalities and they might not want to get dressed or eat what you feed them or get in the car to go somewhere, I think that is going to be tough because we've got five on the move trying to go places,' Natalie said.

'I look at our daughter and if these four give us the love she gives us it's going be amazing.'
Accommodation & food and travel services were the hardest hit, falling by 14.7% and 61.8%, respectively, compared with July.

After more than three months without any domestic transmission of Covid-19, a new outbreak in late July has dealt a strong blow to the already weakened tourism industry, which was only just beginning to recover.

Overall, retail sales and consumer services in the first eight months fell by a slight 0.02% over the same period of 2019.

A breakdown shows retail sales rose by 4% from last year, primarily driven by revenue from food, but accommodation and food services shrank by 16.4%, mostly in Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Travel suffered the biggest drop at 54.4% as tours and cultural events were cancelled and many tourist sites were closed due to the coronavirus.

The largest contraction in travel revenues was recorded in Khanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Quang Nam.
The Birmingham Business Alliance has launched an online talent recruiting and retention tool.

Organizers say OnBoard Birmingham is geared to out-of-market talent, talent managers, recruiters, human resources leaders, and colleges and universities across the state. It aims to not only attract and retain talent, but also promote the benefits of living and working in Birmingham.

In working with human resources executives and recruiters across the region, we hear all the time that companies need a tool to sell the benefits of living in Birmingham, Karla Khodanian, the BBAs manager of talent and higher education partnerships, said. OnBoard Birmingham is that tool. This will provide a consistent message about Birmingham and the opportunities here, while highlighting our greatest asset  our people.

Shipt and Regions Bank offered support for OnBoard Birmingham and will be its first Featured Employers, with company profiles and an opportunity for enhanced job listings. That feature is also open to other interested companies.

It became clear that human resources professionals in Birmingham needed help meeting their hiring goals, and the BBA knew it could help in that effort, BBA CEO Kenny Coleman said. Also, we found that many perceptions of Birmingham appear to be driven by a general lack of knowledge. Through OnBoard Birmingham, we hope to show those who dont live here why it is a great place to live, and those who do live here why it is a great place to stay.

Call up OnBoard Birmingham and you can browse through more than 28,000 jobs in the area or keyword search through them. Theres a cost of living calculator, allowing users to compare prices with other metro areas to see how much farther your dollar with go in the Magic City. You can also get a picture of the regions culture and amenities in neighborhoods. In the future, the site will feature a dynamic recruiting toolkit and profiles of local ambassadors who have built a career here.

The BBA says it will use OnBoard Birmingham as its main workforce development platform to partner with colleges and universities across the state to host virtual events showcasing quality of life in Birmingham and employment opportunities for entry-level graduates.

The BBA took feedback from local HR executives and recruiters to develop the site, as well as the results from an external perception survey that showed roughly half the respondents knew nothing or very little about Birmingham and the opportunities here. A survey of HR leaders indicated that 60 percent said their biggest concern was attracting and retaining talent in Birmingham.

Any companies interested in being featured on the OnBoard Birmingham website or interested in other information about the site can contact Khodanian here.
- Xian Lim revealed that his grandmother is still in the hospital after undergoing surgery to remove cancer from her chest

- Fortunately, the actors lola is slowly and surely recovering and is doing a lot better now

- He also narrated how his mother has been taking care and spending quality time with his lola in the hospital

- Parents are responsible for caring for their children but the roles will be reversed once the parents get old and start to weaken, according to Xian

PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed

Xian Lim (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Source: UGC

Xian Lim touched a lot of hearts on social media with his recent Instagram post about his ailing grandmother.

KAMI learned that Xians grandmother is still in the hospital after undergoing surgery to remove cancer from her chest.

Fortunately, the actors lola is slowly and surely recovering and is doing a lot better now.

The Kapamilya star also narrated how his mother has been taking care and spending quality time with his lola in the hospital.

According to Xian, parents are responsible for caring for their children but the roles will be reversed once the parents get old and start to weaken.

PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback

Thank you to everyone that expressed their concern and included my grandmother in their prayers. She's doing a lot better now. Also, she really doesn't like staying in one spot. She likes moving around, turning up her radio in full blast and doing crossword puzzles.

I saw this earlier and it melted my heart. Your parents will take care of you until you are able to be on your own until one day, it will be your turn to return the favor. This is a simple gesture of saying thank you for bringing me in this world. This is what we are accustomed to.

@mommymaryanne in the picture is making sure lola is okay and telling her to keep still while showing her funny videos on her phone. I witnessed her routine today. She is really a super mom.

When we have each other, we have everything. Good night everyone! Stay safe and stay healthy, Xian posted on Instagram.

PAY ATTENTION: Enjoyed reading our story? Download KAMI's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Filipino news!

Xian Lim is a popular film and television actor in the Philippines. He recently starred in the well-acclaimed movie entitled Untrue with Cristine Reyes. The actor is in a romantic relationship with famous actress Kim Chiu.

On July 12, his 31st birthday, Kim took to social media to pen a heartfelt birthday greeting for the actor. Netizens got touched by Kim's love and sweetness towards her boyfriend.

Xian Lim is also among the celebrities who aired comments upon watching Kim Chius Bawal Lumabas live performance on the popular radio show called Wish 107.5 Bus.

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
Pre-emptive move by Indian Army to secure another LAC position signals its intent to dig in for the winter

An Indian Air Force fighter jet carries out a sortie over Ladakh where India and China have been engaged in a standoff for four months. India claimed on Monday that it pre-empted a move by the Chinese army to occupy Indian territory at a new point in the region. (AP file photo)

New Delhi: The Indian army said on Monday that it "pre-empted" an attempt by Chinese troops to transgress and grab land on the southern banks of Pangong Tso on the intervening night of 29-30 August 2020.

This was an attempt by the Chinese to open a new front in the Ladakh sector. India and China were until now in a standoff in the "Finger area" on the northern banks of the Pangong Tso. But now they are also looking to infiltrate in the Chushul sector.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Indian Army said PLA troops carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo on the night of 29-30 August 2020. Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground, it said.

The statement added that the Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect India's territorial integrity.

A brigade commander level flag meeting was held at Chushul to resolve the issue.

As per initial reports, the Army had received information that the Chinese started building up forces to occupy Indian territory on the southern banks of Pangong Tso. The Indian Army physically occupied the area as soon as the PLA tried its transgression. There was no physical clash between the troops.

The Indian Army's pre-emptive move comes days after chief of defence staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat warned that India has "military options" to deal with Chinese transgression in Ladakh if talks between the countries at the military and diplomatic level don't yield any result.

The Chinese armys Western Theater Command accused India of crossing the Line of Actual Control and deliberately launching provocations. China strongly opposes the acts and urges India to immediately withdraw the troops that have illegally crossed the LAC, it said.

It said that Chinese troops are taking necessary measures in response to Indian troops provocations and will closely follow the situation and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, peace and stability at the border area.

The military standoff between India and China in Ladakh will complete four months this week. The two armies are involved in a standoff in Pangong Tso, Hot Springs area and Despang-DBO sector in Ladakh.

A series of military and diplomatic talks between India and China have failed to persuade China to disengage. Instead China has used this time of negotiations with India to bring in more forces at the LAC, position heavy weaponry, construct helipads, build air defence systems, and deploy missiles at new positions.

It has even deployed its most advanced fighter jets J-20 at Hotan airbase which is 200 miles from Ladakh and they are carrying out sorties directly threatening India. China is also reportedly laying down optic fibre at LAC to further consolidate its transgressions.

In the Northern Bank of Pangong Tso, China has illegally occupied 8 km of Indian territory between finger 4 and 8. Despite a series of diplomatic and military dialogues China has refused to vacate the area between finger 5 and 8 which it had illegally occupied in May 2020. China has built up bunkers, gun positions and brought heavy artillery in the finger area.

The Chinese attempt to occupy new areas comes despite a series of engagements at the diplomatic and military level to disengage and deescalate the situation in the Ladakh sector. The latest confrontation means that the situation is unlikely to deescalate any time soon and will continue in the winter too. India has already started preparations for winter and is stocking up supplies required for thousands of new troops deployed in the area.

Special Frontier Force personnel were used by Indian Army to occupy these strategic peaks in the Southern banks of Pangong Tso. This took the Chinese army by surprise. The occupation of these heights has shown Indian resolve to take the fight to the Chinese side.
New Delhi:

Markets watchdog Sebi on Monday said the proceeds from the sale of written-off securities held by non-operating foreign portfolio investors would need to be credited to Investors Protection and Education Fund of the regulator within seven days from the date of receipt.

Besides, the regulator said corporate benefits received in form of cash or dividend would also be credited to the Investors Protection and Education Fund not later than seven days from the date of receipt of the same.

Corporate benefits received in the form of cash viz dividend shall be credited to the Investors Protection and Education Fund of Sebi not later than seven days from the date of receipt of the same, Sebi said in a circular.

So far, these proceeds are needed to be credited to the IPEF of the concerned stock exchange.

In case, a custodian is unable to deliver the securities or ascertain the claimant for the securities that are received subsequent to write off due to any unforeseen circumstances... the sale of these securities through stock exchange and proceeds thereof net of expenses shall be credited to the IPEF not later than seven days from the date of receipt thereof, the circular said.

With regard to corporate benefits, the regulator said, in case of receipt of corporate benefits in the form of securities arising out of shares written off, the same shall be reported to Sebi in the normal manner.

As per the norms, written-off securities are sold through the stock exchange in case custodian is unable to deliver securities or ascertain the claimant for securities.
Questions are swirling about the future of The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Channel Nine, after the network replaced the program with Desperate Housewives last week.

And on Tuesday, one of Nine's biggest stars, Sylvia Jeffreys, took a public swipe at Ellen - accusing the talk show host, 62, of 'bullying' Mariah Carey in her resurfaced interview with the pop star from 2008.

The infamous segment made headlines earlier this week, after Mariah, 50, confessed that she'd felt 'extremely uncomfortable' when Ellen tried to force her to reveal she was pregnant.

'The ugliest thing I've seen': Channel Nine reporter Sylvia Jeffreys (right) has blasted Ellen DeGeneres for 'bullying' Mariah Carey with pregnancy questions during their resurfaced 2008 interview. Pictured with Today Extra co-host David Campbell (left) on Tuesday

In light of the revelations, Sylvia and her co-host David Campbell reviewed the footage from the interview on Today Extra.

'Oh it's awful, it's ugly, ugly behaviour,' Sylvia said, after watching the clip of Ellen coaxing Mariah into proving she wasn't pregnant with then-husband Nick Cannon by making her drink champagne.

'And if [Mariah] was not in on the joke, which she says she is not, then Ellen really has some explaining to do on that one,' she added.

'Oh it's awful, it's ugly, ugly behaviour': Sylvia was left unimpressed after watching the clip of Ellen (right) coaxing Mariah (left) into proving she wasn't pregnant with then-husband Nick Cannon by making her drink champagne in an interview 12 years ago

Sylvia, who is mother herself, continued: 'You cannot put a woman in that position.'

'That's maybe the ugliest thing I've seen in this whole saga so far... that's a clear case of bullying.'

On Monday, Mariah told Vulture that she was in fact pregnant at the time, but wasn't ready to announce the news.

Not a fan: Sylvia, who is mother herself, said: 'You cannot put a woman in that position'

'I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say, and I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath,' she said.

Sylvia's brutal comments raise questions about the future of The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Nine.

Just last week, Channel Nine chose to stop airing the U.S. talk show pending an internal investigation by WarnerMedia into accusations of racism, bullying and sexual harassment behind the scenes.

'I was extremely uncomfortable': On Monday, Mariah (pictured) told Vulture that she was, in fact, pregnant at the time but wasn't ready to announce the news

The network is instead airing reruns of Desperate Housewives - which previously screened on Seven - during Ellen's usual time slot between 12pm and 1pm.

'We are resting Ellen repeats on Nine and have replaced with Desperate Housewives,' a Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia last Monday.

While The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been pulled from Nine's schedule for the foreseeable future, repeats will continue to air on multichannel 9Gem.

Cancelled: Channel Nine chose to stop airing the U.S. talk show last week pending an internal investigation by WarnerMedia into accusations of racism, bullying and sexual harassment behind the scenes

Discussions between Nine and Warner Bros. regarding broadcast rights for the upcoming season are said to be 'ongoing'.

However, former Nine executive and TV Blackbox editor Rob McKnight told Daily Mail Australia last week that Nine was 'willing to walk away' from a deal with Ellen.

'Nine are in negotiations and to bring the price down they're showing Warner Bros. that they're willing to walk away,' said McKnight.

'With the advertising market shrinking [due to the coronavirus recession], the focus is on prime time. I'm sure they'd like to keep Ellen, but this whole controversy has come up at the perfect time for them during a negotiation period.

'They'll be taking a look at the ratings of Desperate Housewives in the Ellen slot and seeing whether it adversely affects them before they walk away from the deal.'

Re-runs: The network has dropped Ellen for now and is instead airing reruns of Desperate Housewives weekdays from 12pm to 1pm. Pictured: Desperate Housewives stars (L-R) Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman

Warner Bros. Television announced last month that three senior producers had been fired from Ellen's show: Ed Glavin, one of the executive producers; Jonathan Norman, a co-executive producer; and Kevin Leman, the show's head writer.

They were sacked as a result of the internal investigation into multiple allegations of a 'toxic' work culture behind the scenes of the popular daytime talk show.

Employees described a working environment rife with 'racism, fear and intimidation'.

As well as 9Gem, the show will continue to screen locally on FOX Arena.

Channel Nine declined to comment.
Postal employees wave to cars honking in support during a rally in front of the Beverly Boulevard Bicentennial Station Post Office in Los Angeles on Aug. 25. (Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: I worked at the U.S. Postal Service for almost 30 years. It's obvious to me that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy does not have with it takes to hold his job, or he is just taking orders. ("Holocaust reparations, prescriptions and rent checks: USPS delays put Americans in jeopardy," Aug. 29)

He can remove mail boxes or dismantle sorting machines, but the mail does not stop. If he tries to slow down service, the mail will just pile up and businesses will suffer. Mail movement is non-stop, and Postal Service workers are on the job 24 hours a day.

The only reason DeJoy is in charge seems to be to slow down the mail before Nov. 3. This is President Trump's scheme, and his lackey DeJoy is willing to take a hit for him. Just as COVID-19 will go away if we don't test, they act as if the mail will go away if we don't deliver it.

Trump and DeJoy are sacrificing the well-being of American people to stay in power.

Dean Blau, Van Nuys

..

To the editor: I am a senior, and recently my asthma medication took three weeks instead of the usual three days to get to me from San Diego County. Thanks to my doctor and my local pharmacy, I was able to get the medicine so I could breathe. Breathing is important.

Trust is important too. I no longer trust the Postal Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the Food and Drug Administration. I trust the hard-working employees, just not the department heads in this administration.

We are not as good or safe as we were before Jan. 20, 2017.

Barry Greenfield, North Hollywood

..

To the editor: Thank you very much for your reporting on the Postal Service. It is very important that the public understands how integral this agency is to many lives and businesses.

I think it's possible that the increase of digital tools has given some people and businesses a false impression of how widespread those tools are. There is a divide in our work that everyone needs to be reminded of.

Story continues

Susan Scrivner, Fullerton

..

To the editor: Recently I saw a man in plain clothes without insignia shadowing my regular uniformed postal carrier around the neighborhood. Thinking this was odd, I made sure to be outside when they got to my home.

I just asked the uniformed postal worker: "Is that guy all right? I notice he's following you around."

"He's trying to see if I can finish faster," replied the postal worker.

DeJoy seems willing to pay for efficiency experts to harass mail carriers and to dismantle sorting machines  anything but actually deliver the mail.

John Kluge, North Hollywood
LANSING, MI  A coalition of clean energy groups is pushing state regulators to conduct a cost-benefit study on the contribution rooftop solar arrays make to the electric grid while it decides how much Consumers Energy can hike the price it charges for energy in a pending utility rate case.

Led by Vote Solar and the Chicago-based Environmental Law & Policy Center, the coalition filed briefs last week in the pending case before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), which is considering Consumers request to increase rates by 14 percent and raise revenues by $244 million.

The groups argue that Consumers is undervaluing what small-scale solar panel installations contribute to the grid and trying to lowball customers with a compensation rate well below what the utility resells that energy for.

The proposed rate would essentially cripple small-scale solar investment in Michigan, they argue. Theyre asking the MPSC to determine a statewide rate for electricity generated by rooftop installations through a third-party valuation study.

The MPSC expected to issue its final rate case order before the years end. Commission spokesperson Matt Helms declined to say whether it would consider a study, citing the open case.

The time is now to really do a thorough analysis on what this means for customers, what impact customers are actually having and what benefit they are delivering to the system, said Will Kenworthy, Midwest regulatory director for Vote Solar.

Consumers dismissed the clean energy groups as solar project developers after a sweetheart deal that it said would raise the price of solar for other customers.

The utility said it plans to invest in more than 6,000 megawatts of new solar generation to serve customers in Michigan and its simply following regulatory direction.

The rate we filed was approved twice by the (MPSC) as the way to implement the requirements of the 2016 energy law and we are simply following past commission precedent, said Katie Carey, Consumers spokesperson. We will continue to fight to ensure our customers pay a fair price for solar instead of a sweetheart deal solar developers are demanding that would raise the price of solar more than five times higher than our competitively bid solar program.

Consumers filed for its latest rate hike in January. The request has drawn opposition from state Attorney General Dana Nessel, who calls the proposed hike excessive and unnecessary. She argues that Consumers should receive no more than a $20.7 million annual increase and that the cost should be more fairly distributed.

A 14 percent rate increase during a time when people are struggling with job loss and economic hardships is too much, Nessel said in July. I am fighting this exorbitant rate increase request and asking the MPSC to significantly reduce it.

As a required part of the rate case, Consumers is following DTE Energy in transitioning away from a rooftop solar rate structure called net metering; which is being replaced by an inflow/outflow tariff program.

The change follows 2016 Michigan energy reform legislation that required regulators to ditch net metering in favor of a new distributed energy generation program that reflects a more equitable cost of service.

Net metering is popular with solar advocates in Michigan because rooftop generators receive bill credits at the retail power rate, which amounts to a big incentive for homeowners and businesses to invest in renewable power. The utilities argue that rate isnt fair because it doesnt account for the costs of grid operation and maintenance. Utility-backed lobbies have extended that argument to claim net metering unfairly disadvantages low-income customers who cant afford solar panels and are subsidizing rooftop users.

The new tariff structure will require rooftop solar generators to buy electricity from the grid with a credit back for surplus generation. The catch is that rate is 46 percent below what Consumers sells that energy for to other customers, the solar energy coalition claims.

The coalition bases that number on an analysis by the Solar Energy Industry Association, which alongside Vote Solar and ELPC, was joined by the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association and the Ecology Center in filing the joint brief in the Consumers case on Aug. 27.

On a Zoom call with reporters organized by the coalition on Aug. 31, municipal officials in Grand Rapids said Consumers proposed solar tariff rate would jeopardize the economics of the citys effort to get 100 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2025.

Grand Rapids currently sits at 37 percent of that goal, part of which is driven by the citys effort to help reduce carbon emissions that drive global climate change, said Grand Rapids sustainability office manager Alison Waske Sutter.

The city has been working with Consumers over the past couple years to analyze eight city-owned properties for solar generation projects. Under the proposed solar rates, these projects do not make financial sense, Waske Sutter said.

Waske Sutter said the city has run three different models with the U.S. Dept. of Energys National Renewable Energy Laboratory due to incorrect information provided by Consumers during project analyses, and it took us nearly two years to understand Consumers Energys net metering program and we have frequent meetings and access to Consumers staff.

Grand Rapids is backing the proposed solar study and argued in its own rate case brief that Consumers should retain its existing net metering plan until it can develop a tariff structure thats understandable and accessible for customers.

Rob Rafson, founder of Muskegon-based Chart House Energy, a solar project developer, called Consumers proposed solar tariff rates an effort to quash behind-the-meter installs.

Other energy interests in Michigan have also oppose the proposed solar tariff rate. A trade association representing companies in Michigans advanced energy sector, the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, and the nonprofit Institute for Energy Innovation also filed opposition briefs last week.

Margrethe Kearney, an ELPC staff attorney in Grand Rapids, said a solar valuation study is necessary because utilities like Consumers are exaggerating the transmission and distribution costs associated with surplus rooftop solar power, which she said tends to be used by nearby customers rather than traveling long distances through the grid.

Its not like Consumers is taking this energy to a centralized place, Kearney said. The energy goes to the grid and flows where its needed. It usually doesnt go that far. It doesnt use that much of the distribution system.

Kearney said it shouldnt be the individual customers burden to prove to Consumers the value of their solar power.

We want a data-driven, non-political, objective process to sit down and figure out what the value of solar is, she said. That way, we can get the best policy for all customers.

Related stories:

Ann Arbor schools begin solar roof installations

Solar to save Norton Shores $354K in energy costs

Shiawassee farm beginning of Midwest solar boom

Muskegon Heights flips switch on big solar project
CAIRO - Italys chief diplomat paid an unannounced visit to Libya on Tuesday to press for an end to the bloody civil war following cease-fire initiatives by the U.N.-supported government and rival parliament.

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio met with Fayez Sarraj, head of the Government of National Accord based in the capital Tripoli, before heading to eastern Libya to meet with Aguila Saleh, speaker of the rival Tobruk-based House of Representatives, Libyan officials said.

Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled long time ruler Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival east- and west-based administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments.

Sarraj announced a cease-fire Aug. 21 and called for demilitarizing the key city of Sirte and the nearby area of Jufra, which would mean the withdrawal of forces of military commander Khalifa Hifter. Sirte is the gateway to Libyas major oil export terminals also controlled by Hifters forces

Saleh, a Hifter ally, said he supported the demilitarization of Sirte but did not mention Jurfa.

The cease-fire proposal, which came after international pressure, was seen as a breakthrough amid rising fears of a new escalation in the chaotic proxy war, as rival sides mobilize for a battle over the city.

Hifter refused Sarrajs proposal as deception and a move that could thwart international efforts to secure a lasting cease-fire.

Sarrajs office said in a statement that he discussed with Di Maio on Tuesday points of agreement with Saleh on implementing a permanent cease-fire and demilitarization of Sirte and Jufra.

Sarrajs office said in a statement that he discussed with Di Maio accelerating the return of Italys construction and engineering firms to Libya, where for decades they were heavily involved in building projects.

Italian state radio said earlier Tuesday that Di Maio was trying to revive former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconis plan of more than a decade ago to construct a highway across Libya, dubbed the highway of peace, and a new international airport for Tripoli.

Separately, the European Unions foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell also met with Sarraj in Tripoli.

They discussed the EUs naval operation, which tries to enforce a U.N. arms embargo on the conflict-torn country. Sarraj called for the operation to include arms transfer by air and land.

Previous efforts to secure lasting cease-fires have stalled. The two sides also agreed on the need of an effective international support to the political solution to Libyas conflict, the statement said.

Hifters forces launched an offensive in April 2019 trying to capture Tripoli. But his campaign collapsed in June when the Tripoli-allied militias, with heavy Turkish support, gained the upper hand, driving his forces from the outskirts of the city and other western towns.

____

Associated Press writer Frances DEmilio contributed from Rome.

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More than 1.5 million New Jerseyans have applied for unemployment benefits since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

For several months during the pandemic, workers got an expanded $600 weekly payment through the CARES Act, but that expired at the end of July.

Since then, Congress has been unable to come up with a new stimulus plan, which was expected to include more money for expanded unemployment benefits. Then earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order for a new $400 weekly unemployment benefit.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced last week that New Jersey was applying for the expanded benefit, which is called the FEMA Lost Wages Supplemental Assistance Program.

Heres what you need to know.

Why are people in N.J. getting $300 and not $400?

Trumps $400 payment included $300 from the federal government, requiring states to pay $100.

Initially, Murphy said he didnt know how New Jersey could afford its share, which could cost New Jersey $68 million a week if the states unemployment rate remains as it is.

But then, the federal government said any state could qualify for the $300 if it was already paying workers at least $100 per week, which N.J. was already doing.

Has New Jersey been approved for the benefit?

Not yet.

Murphy said at his briefing Monday that the state has submitted its application to FEMA, but it hadnt yet been approved.

Weve been going back and forth. Theyve just asked some clarifying questions but nothing that will ultimately delay the distribution of benefits, said Matt Platkin, Murphys chief counsel, at the briefing.

Murphy added: It wont affect timing of eventual payments or the amount that we receive.

FEMA said Monday that 40 states have been approved but it wouldnt comment on New Jersey specifically. The state doesnt yet appear on FEMAs list online.

When will I get paid?

Thats the big question.

Payments probably wont be made until October, Asaro-Angelo said last week.

Why will it take so long?

This funding cant be processed as part of the regular unemployment system.

States may not use their own unemployment trust funds to process the payments. Complicating things further, states cant use existing unemployment systems, infrastructure, staff or accounts, and creating a new system will not be easy or quick, Asaro-Angelo said.

Will I qualify?

Not everyone will.

Those receiving weekly benefits of less than $100 wont be eligible for the new benefit.

Neither will people whose unemployment does not relate to COVID, Asaro-Angelo said.

Is it retroactive?

Yes.

The program is effective starting the week of Aug. 1.

In its initial application, New Jersey is asking for funding for the weeks of Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15.

It will have to apply for continued funding every week thereafter.

If youre currently employed but you were receiving assistance for previous weeks, you would be eligible for the benefit for any weeks you were collecting unemployment.

Will I get it weekly or all at once?

States can decide how to distribute the funds.

Asaro-Angelo said last week that rather than send weekly payments to workers, the Labor Department will probably send out the payments in a lump sum.

I know thats not what someone wants to hear who wants their money now, Asaro-Angelo said.

How long will it last?

It depends.

Before last weeks storms, there was $44 billion in the Disaster Relief Fund, which is where the $300 benefit is coming from.

The new benefit program will run from Aug. 1 until Dec. 27 but the money is not expected to last nearly that long.

The program will end, according to FEMA, if the $44 billion is spent or if new legislation is passed to extend unemployment benefits.

Do I have to do anything to get paid?

We dont know yet.

The Labor Commissioner said last week that the state is waiting for guidance on what, if anything, workers will have to do to get the benefit.

What happens if Congress passes a new benefit?

The $300 payments will stop.

The supplemental lost wages assistance program must terminate immediately if legislation providing supplementary unemployment benefits (e.g., an extension to the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program) is enacted, FEMA said.

FEMA said it cant answer questions about whether funds would have to be paid back if a new stimulus package is passed, saying it would depend on the wording of the new legislation.

Is the benefit taxable?

Yes.

FEMA said its up to the state to give the option of withholding taxes.

Those in New Jersey havent had the option of having taxes withheld from the $600 payments, so its unlikely the state will offer withholding for this benefit.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

NJ Advance Media Statehouse Reporter Matt Arco contributed to this report.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.
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President Donald Trump toured the violence-ravaged Kenosha, Wisconsin Tuesday and called rioters 'domestic terrorists' while praising police, who he argued shouldn't be demonized for 'choking.'

Trump didn't mention Jacob Blake by name during his scripted remarks.

Blake, a black man, was shot seven times in the back by a white cop in front of his three young children a week ago Sunday afternoon, leaving the father-of-six paralyzed from the waist down. The incident sparked several nights of protests and then violence in the Wisconsin city.

Trump arrived Tuesday afternoon and walked through the rubble that had once been a camera store and an office furniture shop, before giving remarks at a roundtable on 'Wisconsin Community Safety.'

'These are not peaceful protests but domestic terror,' Trump said, seated alongside Attorney General Bill Barr, acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and local officials including Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth.

Beth has been scrutinized in the wake of police shooting Blake for statements he's made about black people in the past.

'The vast and overwhelming majority of police officers are honorable, courageous and devoted public servants,' Trump said. 'They're incredible, yet many politicians ignore their sacrifice and ignore the African-American, Hispanic-American victims,' the president continued, speaking of crime victims of color, not those who have been unarmed and shot by officers, which have inspired weeks of Black Lives Matter protests.

When asked specifically about Blake being shot Trump responded, 'I feel terrible for anybody who goes through that.' He added that it's a 'complicated subject.'

Vouching for police officers Trump explained, 'you have people who choke.'

'And if they make a wrong decision one way or the other, they're either dead or they're in big trouble,' Trump continued. 'And people have to understand that. They choke sometimes. And it's a very tough situation.'

President Donald Trump held a roundtable with law enforcement and business owners Tuesday during his visit to Keosha, Wisconsin

President Donald Trump (center) sits with Attorney General Bill Barr (center right) at the head of the table during a discussion with Kenosha law enforcement and business owners Tuesday in Wisconsin

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he surveys riot damage in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday

President Donald Trump tours some of the damage in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday, after state and city leaders asked him to stay away

President Donald Trump walks through burned out buildings Tuesday during his trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin

President Donald Trump (right), accompanied by Attorney General Bill Barr (left), speaks with officials at the Mary D. Bradford High School, which has been turned into an emergency operations center

President Trump surveys damage in Kenosha, Wisconsin Tuesday, in the aftermath of the Sunday police shooting of Jacob Blake

President Donald Trump's motorcade drives by wreckage in Kenosha, Wisconsin

National Guard soldiers are stationed outside Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a facility that has been turned into an emergency operations center, which will host President Donald Trump for a roundtable discussion with law enforcement

President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he touches down in Waukegan, Illinois, en route to Kenosha, Wisconsin to survey building wreckage and meet with law enforcement

People line up, including some with American flags and Trump signs, to see the president's motorcade as it arrives in Kenosha, Wisconsin

The president suggested that the police involved in the shootings and killings of unarmed black people amounted to some 'bad apples.'

Trump pooh-poohed a reporter's question about whether he believed systemic racism existed, which has been the main theme of the Black Lives Matter movement.

'You just keep getting back to the opposite subject,' Trump said. 'We should talk about the kind of violence we've seen in Portland and here and other places, it's tremendous violence.'

'This is what this is all about,' Trump said.

He laughed off the idea that most of the Black Lives Matter protests have been peaceable, pointing to the rubble he had just observed.

'I keep hearing about peaceful protests ... and then I come to an area like this and the town is burned down,' Trump said, sassing at reporters in the room for covering the protests like that. 'By and large this is not peaceful protesting,' he later added.

State and local officials had asked Trump not to come to Kenosha, in case his appearance sparked more confrontations - but Wisconsin is a key swing state in the November presidential election.

Since the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, Trump has made clear he stands with law enforcement and his Tuesday trip to Kenosha reinforced that.

'We must also confront the radical ideology that includes this violence, reckless far-left politicians continue to push the destructive message that our nation and our law enforcement are oppressive or racist,' Trump said at one point during the trip.

During the drive between the Illinois airport Air Force One touched down at and the Wisconsin city, Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter activists lined the road.

A large group of protesters had also staked out an area close to the property Trump was touring and greeted the president with middle fingers.

'There was love on the streets, I can tell you,' Trump later said. 'When we were coming in, it was love in the streets.'

Trump was shouted down by Black Lives protesters.

'Justice for Jacob Blake, not fascist police state!' they said. 'Trump-Pence out now!'

John S., 22-year-old packing a 9 millimeter handgun in his waistband, cheers 'four more years,' as Trump passed him by. He also came out to defend 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who was accused of fatally shooting two protesters and injuring a third.

'He had no choice but to defend himself,' John told DailyMail.com.

Dan Cox, 56, who drove in from Illinois to see Trump, called Rittenhouse a hero.

'The governor and mayor failed to protect citizens and it was left to a 17-year-old to come out and defend this community,' he said, standing in front of a used car dealership littered with dozens of cars that were torched in riots last week. 'In my opinion, hes the hero of Kenosha.'

Kendra, 18, waving a BLM sign stating , 'Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere,' said the president was not interested in healing the community.

'Trump is here for the wrong reasons,' she said. 'Hes not here because he cares. Hes here to fan the flames of hatred to rally his base.'

Trump notably avoided visiting the neighborhood a few miles away where Blake was shot by a police officer.

Blakes family and activists hosted a 'Justice for Jacob' rally at the site during Trumps visit, attended by a noticeably frail Rev. Jesse Jackson and including a community clean-up and voter registration booth.

'We dont need more pain and division from a president set on advancing his campaign at the expense of our city,' said Blakes uncle, Justin Blake. 'We need justice and relief for our community.'

The father of Blake said before the president's arrival that he would not meet with Trump because 'I don't want to play politics.'

Jacob Blake Sr spoke out after the president declined to meet with the Blake family if lawyers were involved, which Trump labeled 'inappropriate.'

Asked about Trump's response, Blake Sr said: 'I'm not getting into politics. It's all about my son, man. It has nothing to do with a photo-op.'

Jacob Blake Sr, the father of Jacob Blake who was shot dead in Kinosha a week ago, has insisted he doesn't want to 'play politics' after a meeting with Donald Trump fell through

Jacob Blake Jr was shot seven times in the back in Kenosha on August 23 by police as he tried to get into a car with three of his six children inside

Kenosha remains under a 7 p.m. curfew with more than 1,500 National Guard members on the scene.

But Blake's shooting and the demonstrations prompted self-styled militia men to take to the streets with their own weapons because they don't trust the police to keep the city safe.

Among those vigilantes on Tuesday night was 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a white teenager who'd come from his home in Antioch, Illinois, to patrol the streets with an AR-15. It is illegal for someone under 18 to openly carry a weapon in Wisconsin.

Rittenhouse was part of a group of armed civilians protecting a service station in Kenosha.

There was a scuffle between them and the protesters. Shots were fired and 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum falls to the ground with a gunshot wound to the head that would be fatal.

Video posted on social media shows a man whom police believe to be Rittenhouse make a call on a cellphone and say: 'I just shot someone.'

He flees and is pursued by many protesters, at least one of whom is armed with a handgun. Rittenhouse falls to the ground and the crowd rushes in to seize his weapon.

He was hit over the head by protester Anthony Huber, 26, who had a skateboard and wanted to disarm him.

Rittenhouse then starts firing into the group and ended up killing Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz.

He was not arrested until the following day, back in Illinois, despite approaching police with his hands in the air while other protesters yelled that he'd just shot multiple people.

He is in custody in Illinois. A judge will decide at a hearing on Sept. 25 whether Rittenhouse will be extradited to Wisconsin, where he would be tried as an adult. He faces six felony charges that include first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide, and a misdemeanor charge for possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor.

Rittenhouse's attorney Lin Wood said the 17-year-old vigilante was 'attacked' with 'lethal force' and 'had the right to defend himself.'

Another one of his attorneys, John Pierce, praised the teen in an appearance on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight, saying he was only defending himself against a mob trying to disarm and hurt him.

'This is 100 percent self defense,' Pierce said.

'The only individuals Kyle shot were the three individuals attacking him and putting him at risk. This is a 17-year-old kid, this is amazing what he did.'

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was patrolling the streets with an AR-15. He fell over, was hit with a skateboard by other protesters who tried to disarm him, and opened fire, wounding one person and killing two. He is now being held on murder charges

Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back in front of his three kids despite being unarmed

Kenosha Sheriff who met with Trump called for black shoplifters to be 'warehoused' for life President Trump toured parts of Kenosha with Sheriff David Beth  who has drawn controversy for his 2018 comments calling for a group of black shoplifters to be warehoused for life. Kenosha Sheriff David Beth Beth, who Trump invited to speak at a roundtable honoring law enforcement, was forced to apologize after making the stunning comment following the arrest of three men and two women, all black, for shoplifting outside a Tommy Helfiger store. They stole about $5,000 worth of merchandise before crashing into a teen driver. 'I'm to the point that I think society has to come to a threshold where there's some people that aren't worth saving,' he said at a news conference where he talked at length. 'We need to build warehouses, to put these people into it and lock them away for the rest of their lives,' he said. He said the warehouses were a place 'where we put these people who have been deemed to be no longer an asset. He said one day the warehouses would not longer be needed and that Amazon could buy them. 'We put them away for the rest of their lives so that the rest of us can be better,' Beth continued, KIRO reported. 'I have no issue with these five people completely disappearing,' Beth said. 'At [this] point, these people are no longer an asset to our community, and they just need to disappear,' he continued. He was forced to walk back the comments days later, saying: 'Even though my comments were not meant to offend people, I can see how they may have.' He said he had been thinking of his own daughter who recently got her driver's license. The ACLU called for Blake's resignation following the Blake shooting, citing both the 2018 comments and saying his deputies 'not only fraternized with white supremacist counter-protesters on Tuesday, but allowed the shooter to leave as people yelled that he was the shooter.' Comedian John Oliver of HBO's 'Last Week Tonight' tore into Sheriff Beth in an extended routine. Advertisement

Rittenhouse, who lives in a nearby Illinois town, had traveled to Kenosha to help protect businesses from being torched or looted amid the Blake protests, according to his lawyer.

In addition to his AR-15-style rifle, Rittenhouse's lawyer said the teenager also had had a first aid kit with him to help treat injured protesters.

Pierce said the incident escalated when a shot was fired as Rittenhouse tried to retreat from a group of protesters who, he claims, became enraged that the teen was trying to put out fires.

'They began screaming that Kyle needed to be killed and they were going to kill him. They started relentlessly hunting him as prey as he ran down the street attempting to retreat,' Pierce said.

'Mr Rosenbaum, who was leading the attack on him, set upon him immediately... began to assault him from behind, attempted to take his weapon, take his firearm, and Kyle, when he turned, he instantaneously had no choice but to defend himself by firing because he was in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death.'

Pierce denied that Rittenhouse brought the AR-15 across state lines from Illinois to Wisconsin.

'That firearm never crossed state lines. It is a legal firearm in Wisconsin,' Pierce said, adding they would be arguing it is within his second amendment rights.

On Monday, Trump defended the actions of Rittenhouse saying he 'probably would have been killed' by an angry mob if he hadn't fired at them with the illegal gun he was carrying.

'He was trying to get away from them I guess, it looks like, and he fell on then they very violently attacked him,' Trump said in response to a question from DailyMail.com on Monday.

'It was something that we are looking at right now and it's under investigation, but I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would've been killed. It's under investigation,' he added during his press briefing.

The president also refused to condemn vigilantes when pressed on the self-styled militia by DailyMail.com.

'I think everything should be taken care of with law enforcement but we have to give our cops back, our police back their dignity,' he said.

He defended the actions of police, saying sometimes they make a mistake - 'they choke' - and that decision gets played over and over again on the evening news.

'You have bad cops - we have to take care of them. In other cases, they choke,' he said. 'They have a quarter of a second to make a decision and sometimes they make the wrong decision. They make the wrong decision, you know if they make a wrong decision and the other direction, they're probably dead so they choke and that goes on the evening news for weeks.'

'They are very tough on bad cops but sometimes, a cop or a police person who was a good police person, right? Good. But they choke,' he added. 'They have a quarter of a second to make some of these decisions and they make the wrong decision that is very devastating but I will say this, I honor law enforcement. We wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for law enforcement.'

Meanwhile, outrage has built nationwide over the different treatment by cops of Rittenhouse, the white armed teen compared to their treatment of black unarmed Blake.

Trump said he was going to Kenosha on Tuesday despite pleas from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers of Wisconsin that he stay away. Evers warned it could heighten tensions and increase violence in the town of 100,000 which has seen its ranks swell with supporters of the Black Lives Matters movement and armed civilian vigilantes.

'It will also increase enthusiasm and it could increase love and respect for our country, and that's why I am going because they did a fantastic job,' Trump said at his press briefing on Monday.

Evers, a Democrat, said Sunday in a letter to President Trump that he is not welcome in Kenosha.

He urged him to reconsider his trip, writing: 'I, along with other community leaders who have reached out, are concerned about what your presence will mean for Kenosha and our state.'

Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, also a Democrat, also asked Trump not to come.

'While presidents are always welcome to come to this great city, this is not the best time for a visit,' Antaramian said in a statement Sunday. 'We are hurting today and we are focused on healing, coming together as a community and rebuilding. There is a lot of listening we need to do in Kenosha and I worry that a visit from the president will delay this important work.'

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers sent a letter Sunday to Trump claiming the president is not welcome in Kenosha after the White House announced plans Saturday for a visit to the city. 'I, along with other community leaders who have reached out, are concerned about what your presence will mean for Kenosha and our state,' he wrote in the letter

'There is a lot of listening we need to do in Kenosha and I worry that a visit from the president will delay this important work,' Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian said in a statement Sunday

Trump, meanwhile, has insisted his actions 'saved' the city of Kenosha.

'If I didn't INSIST on having the National Guard activate and go into Kenosha, Wisconsin, there would be no Kenosha right now. Also, there would have been great death and injury. I want to thank Law Enforcement and the National Guard. I will see you on Tuesday!,' he tweeted on Monday morning.

But he will not meet with the family of Jacob Blake, saying he refused to speak to them after they wanted their lawyer involved. The Blakes are represented by attorney Ben Crump, who also represented the family of George Floyd.

Trump did say he's spoken with the Blake family pastor.

'I thought it would be better not to do anything where there are lawyers involved,' he said Monday at his press briefing. 'In they wanted to have lawyers involved and I thought that was inappropriate so I didn't do that, but I did speak with the pastor.'

Jacob Blake's uncle, Justin Blake, told CNN that the family didn't want to meet with the president because he's a 'racist.'

'President Trump is a racist who stokes racial tensions. He has been stirring racial tensions since he got in the White House. Why, as Jacob's uncle, would I want to talk to him? Our focus is on Jacob and healing the community,' he said.

He said Jacob Blake's father has told him he 'has no interest in speaking with President Trump.' His only interest at the moment is his son's well-being and getting justice.

He said he did not talk to Jacob Blake's mother on the subject.

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he hoped to visit Wisconsin soon.

'I'm checking it out now. We hope to be able to do that,' he said during a stop in Pittsburgh on Monday.

In his speech earlier that day, Biden went after Trump calling him a 'toxic presence' and accused him of 'stoking violence in our cities' asking voters, 'Do you really feel safer under Trump?' Biden also condemned riots and looting and called on Americans to 'stand against violence - in every form it takes.'

Wisconsin is a crucial battleground state in November's election. Trump won it by less than 1 point in 2016 and both candidates want to see it in their column this fall.

Biden currently leads in state polling by 3.5 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Democrats were originally scheduled to hold their national political convention in Wisconsin this summer - with Biden giving his acceptance speech for the presidential nomination there - but they turned the convention into a virtual event because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Donald Trump supporter calls Kenosha police and asks to be escorted home after a scuffle with a Black Lives Matter demonstrator hours after the president's visit

By Shawn Cohen in Kenosha for DailyMail.com

A boisterous Trump supporter wearing a MAGA hat in downtown Kenosha called police to drive him home Tuesday after getting into a fight with a crowd of protesters who ordered him to 'get the f**k out of the park,' hours after the president left town.

The fight broke out at 5:30pm in Civic Center Park, across from the county courthouse.

A former U.S. Marine named David, who refused to give his last name because he fears he'll be targeted, was at the park earlier in the day leading chants among scores of Trump supporters who were facing off against Black Lives Matter protesters during the president's visit.

He described them as 'the true criminals' in America.

A Trump fan in a white MAGA cap shoved by a Black Lives Matter protester, then threw a punch

The two men brawled in front of the cameras on Tuesday evening after Trump's visit

David's side went home, but he stuck around and got into a heated argument with the remaining protesters in a spectacle that played out before news crews in town covering Trump.

David was shoved by a Black Lives Matter protester, then threw a punch.

He then got clocked in the face, thrown to the ground and pummeled by protesters who kicked him while he was down.

Some demonstrators intervened to stop the fight, then protected David as others chased him down the street while heckling him.

'Keep f**k'g walking, go home,' one shouted on a megaphone.

'Walk faster, go home. F**k you. F**k Donald Trump.'

David ended up with cuts and bruises after the encounter on Tuesday evening

David was escorted out of the park in central Kenosha after the scrap on Tuesday

Black Lives Matter supporters were out in force on Tuesday, ahead of Trump's visit

Police then drove David home following the scuffle in Kenosha

David, his hat off, eye swollen and neck bleeding, rounded a corner where he spoke with reporters.

'I was trying to have a conversation with them,' he said.

'You can obviously see from the way they're chanting and the things they say that they were just looking to beat up any white guy with a MAGA hat.

'These are Maoist terrorists,' he added.

'They are not Americans. They are not liberals. They are Maoists, and they will attack you, they will hurt you, they want to burn down this United States. Even if Joe Biden wins, they will not stop. Don't you understand me?'

A medic came to treat his eye, telling him to see a doctor. Then another Black Lives Matter protester approached.

David said he felt threatened and called Kenosha police to escort him home.
<! Hilda Dokubo >

Nigerian film actress and youth advocate Hilda Dokubo shared a message on social media, advising her followers to draw a plan for the months to come.

Captioning her write up, Dokubo said:

August exiting in a bit and then ready or not we will welcome the ember months. Have you drawn up that plan? If you havent you can do it now????

Hilda is the first of six children, born in Buguma, a town in Asari-Toru, Rivers State where she completed her primary and secondary school education at St Mary State School Aggrey Road and Government Girls Secondary School respectively.

The movie star also went to University of Port Harcourt where she earned her Bachelor and masters degrees in Theatre Arts.

Her screen debut was during her youth service in a 1992 film titled Evil Passion and has also featured and produced several Nigerian movies.

After starring in a supporting role in a 2015 film titled Stigma, Hilda won Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 11th Africa Movie Academy Awards.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Donald Trump will not comment on Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old Trump supporter from Illinois charged with killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin during demonstrations against the police killing of Jacob Blake.

"The president is not going to again weigh in on that," she said on Monday. "You can ask him this evening. He may weigh in further, but at the moment he's not weighing in to that."

Mr Rittenhouse has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, all with a deadly weapon after allegedly firing a long gun at three protesters, killing two and injuring another.

The president told reporters on Sunday that he would comment on the case "over the next 24, 48 hours."

He is scheduled to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday following nightly demonstrations against police violence after a police officer shot seven rounds into the back of Mr Blake, a black man who has been left paralysed by the shooting.

But the president raged on Twitter against Democrats and promoted right-wing conspiracies after a man linked to a far-right group that has encouraged violence at protests was shot and killed in Portland on Sunday.

His son Donald Trump Jr also shared a Twitter post that said "Kyle Rittenhouse is a good example of why I decided to vote for Trump." The president "liked" the post.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian have urged the president not to visit the state.

Governor Evers said said the president's visit would only "hinder our healing" as the family of Mr Blake has

"The White House has been humbled by the outreach of individuals from Kenosha who have welcomed the president's visit and are longing for leadership to support local law enforcement and businesses that have been vandalised," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. "President Trump looks forward to visiting on Tuesday and helping this great city heal and rebuild."

Mr Trump praised a caravan of his supporters arriving in Portland  filmed blasting demonstrators with pepper spray and paintballs  as "great patriots" and attacked mayor Ted Wheeler in threats to deploy the National Guard against Americans.

"The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing," he said on Twitter. "The people of Portland won't put up with no safety any longer. The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard!"
Smokers across Australia have yet another reason to quit from Tuesday.

A typical 20-pack of cigarettes rises to about $40 a packet September 1, as the federal Government's tobacco excise increases for the second time this year by 12.5 per cent.

That means those who smoke a pack a day will be shelling out about $12,500 a year for their habit - more than any other country in the world.

A 20-pack of cigarettes will rise to about $40 a packet September 1, as the federal government's tobacco excise increases for the second time this year by 12.5 per cent

NSW Nationals MP Michael Johnsen, who smoked for 40 years, told 2GB radio that more should be done to encourage vaping - an alternative he says is cheaper and safer.

An expensive habit: Some popular brands of cigarettes have now reached $40 for a pack of 20 in Sydney's CBD Roth: $34 Bond Street: $34 Windfield Gold: $40 Windfield Blue: $40 Peter Jackson: $40 Benson and Hedges: $42 Advertisement

'We hear the federal government want to ban it all together. I think rather than banning it, in NSW we should be taking the lead and the federal government should be coming along with us in terms of legalising, regulating and taxing it,' Mr Johnsen said.

'It should be used as a way for people that want to get off smoking, to transition out of smoking.'

A year's worth of vaping costs about $1000 in contrast, but at the moment laws around vaping are somewhat complex and all states and territories have their own legislation regarding the sale of e-cigarettes.

Under Australian poison regulations, the possession and use of nicotine for vaping is effectively banned.

But vaporisers and e-cigarettes can be sold without liquid nicotine by vendors.

A person can then legally obtain a prescription for liquid nicotine or get a permit from the the Therapeutic Goods Administration to import a personal supply, however most users obtain the highly addictive substance illegally.

Under Australian poison regulations, the possession and use of nicotine for vaping is effectively banned (stock image)

NSW Nationals MP Michael Johnsen who smoked for 40 years, told 3AW radio that more should be done to encourage vaping - an alternative he says is cheaper and safer

'If you look at it in practical terms, rather than spend $12,000 - if they spend $1,000 on vaping or $2,000 because you taxed it - they'd be happy with that and they'd be saving a lot of money and we would be regulating it, so it would be a safe method and a very safe product,' Mr Johnsen said.

'We'd actually be helping the community become a lot healthier.'

The Australian government rakes in about $17billion dollars a year in tobacco tax.

This has led to a surge in black market tobacco trade as organised crime syndicates flood the Australian market with cheap smokes.

The illegal tobacco trade is worth about 600million dollars annually, according to the Australian Border Force.

Pictured: Australian Border Force officers in 2018 bust a tobacco importation operation in Melbourne seizing over 10 tonnes of illicit tobacco which represents about $10 million in evaded duty

Although there is some scientific evidence to support the notion that vaping is safer than traditional tobacco products, other studies around the globe have concluded e-cigarettes can still cause serious harm.

With the world now in the grips of a once-in-a lifetime pandemic virus that attacks the lungs and respiratory system, health experts say there has never been a better time to quit.

'You are about twice as likely to have severe COVID disease if you are a current or past smoker compared to someone who has never smoked,' said Matthew Peters, head of respiratory medicine at Sydney's Concord Hospital told the ABC.

'Smoking is bad for your lungs and this is a particularly good time to not be a smoker and not have that damage going on.

'The sooner you can act, the better... You cut the risk of wound infections, chest infections and pneumonia, as well as heart attacks and strokes.'
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Medical technology company Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. (INSP) announced Tuesday that health insurer Humana Inc. (HUM) will provide coverage for the Company's Inspire therapy, effective August 27, 2020. Humana is a national healthcare company that provides health insurance coverage to approximately 16.7 million individuals in the U.S. The Humana coverage decision includes the expanded age range approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April 2020 to include patients 18 years and older. In addition to the 59 commercial coverage policies, Inspire therapy also has Medicare coverage across the entire U.S. 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.
While tonights weather forecast does hold out a lot of promise for viewing opportunities, the Full Corn Moon will peak at 1:22 a.m.

Heavy cloud cover is expected through midday Wednesday, so later this week probably will be the chance to catch Septembers full moon. It will appear full for the next three nights.

The full moon of September was known as the Corn Moon and the Barley Moon by some Native American cultures because it arrives at harvest time for those essential crops.

It often also is known as the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. That first day of fall is September 22, meaning the next full moon on October 1 will be the Harvest Moon.

Here are some lunar facts from Space.com:

With a diameter of about 2,159 miles, the Moon is a bit more than a quarter the size of Earth.

Various theories have been put forward concerning the origin of the Moon, but recent evidence indicates it formed when something large collided with the Earth and tore off a huge chunk.

The Moon is rocky and pockmarked with craters formed by asteroid impacts millions of years ago. Because there is no weather, the craters have not eroded.

The average composition of the lunar surface by weight is roughly 43 percent oxygen, 20 percent silicon, 19 percent magnesium, 10 percent iron, 3 percent calcium, 3 percent aluminum, 0.42 percent chromium, 0.18 percent titanium and 0.12 percent manganese.

Ongoing observations from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have shown that there is water on the Moon, although scientists caution that the quantity is comparable to an extremely dry desert.

The Moon has a very thin atmosphere, so a layer of dust  or a footprint  can sit undisturbed for centuries.

And, without much of an atmosphere, heat is not held near the surface, so temperatures vary wildly. Daytime temperatures on the sunny side of the Moon reach 273 degrees Fahrenheit, while on the dark side it gets as cold as minus 243 Fahrenheit.

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Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
After the torrential rain and high winds of Hurricane Laura pummeled Lake Charles last week, storm evacuees searching for a place to land may not be getting emergency shelter in the city of Lafayette anytime soon.

Although Lafayette is about 75 miles down the road from Lake Charles, many evacuees are now heading to Alexandria, which is about 98 miles away.

Lafayette missed the punishing blow from Hurricane Laura, but the city's leaders are wary of something deemed a "serious local security threat": protesters, according to a report from The Acadiana Advocate citing emails from Lafayette city leaders.

BUILD THE IKE DIKE: Texas leaders renew the call to build the Ike Dike after the threat from Laura

"This is a serious threat and we must handle this issue before we can care for our neighbors," Lafayette Parish Chief Administrative Officer Cydra Wingerter wrote in a Saturday email. "It goes against what we believe and how we usually respond after a disaster but it would be irresponsible to potentially put others in harm's way."

An email from Wingerter asked those involved in disaster response in the parish to "take a pause on any action to establish shelters at the time," according to the Advocate.

The recent protests in Lafayette stemmed from the deadly police shooting of Trayford Pellerin. Pellerin, 31, was shot by police officers on August 21 after a report of a man wielding a knife causing a disturbance at a convenience store, according to the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. Police say that Pellerin was holding the knife and approaching the store when officers opened fire, shooting him 11 times.

Although the protests of Pellerin's shooting have been peaceful, Lafayette city leaders said they are concerned about the possibility of tensions mounting. Protesters against police brutality marched through the streets Saturday near the General Alfred Mouton Confederate monument in downtown Lafayette, according to the Advertiser.

"We are not in a position to safeguard people displaced by Laura with this serious, local security threat," Wingerter wrote in an email, according to the Advocate. "We know that bad actors will take our hospitality and use it against us."

A spokesperson for the Lafayette Consolidated Government, Jamie Angelle, added that the situation in Lafayette wouldn't prevent giving evacuees shelter.

"I don't think this will prevent anyone from getting shelter," Angelle told the Advocate. "Will they have to go a little farther? Unfortunately, that's probably the case."

Angelle said the protests in Lafayette had been peaceful so far.

"In no way are we saying that (Saturday's) protest was dangerous or violent," Angelle told the Advocate. "It was a lawful and peaceful protest, and we certainly hope it remains that way. Just given everything that's circulating  if you look at last weekend and the event that happened on the north side  our fear is that something will happen."

alison.medley@chron.com
Featuring a true stationary flatbed table structure, this series is built around the entirely new Arizona FLOW technology, a unique vacuum technique that supports a zone-less, multi-origin table layout. FLOW technology offers up to 20 percent more productivity, as it requires less masking and taping, and is supported by easy-to-use, three-sided pneumatic registration pins to better secure the substrate in place on the table. The pneumatic registration pins allow customers to print from edge to edge on the substrate, to align substrates to either the left or the right edge of the table, or both. Users can also easily and accurately print double-sided, as well as confidently print on odd-shaped, heavy, smooth or pre-cut media without the use of a jig.

For added convenience, no operator time is required for taping the media down, resulting in faster changeover between jobs, shorter set-up times, and hassle-free job switching. Through its FLOW technology, printing on unusual and more challenging media, including canvas, wood and glass, or even printing large images tiled over multiple large boards, can be accomplished far easier than ever before. As a result of these features, customers can expect to reduce waste, improve turnaround time and reduce labor.

Additionally, this series also provides customers with the ability to print up to 1,001 ft2/hr., helping to streamline and improve productivity. The automated maintenance system offers hands-free printhead maintenance and reduces downtime by restoring nozzle function in as little as 24 secondsincluding white ink, which can be difficult to maintain. Furthermore, its high-resolution camera alignment system enables easy, quick and precise printhead alignment and flatbed table mapping.

With Arizona Xpert, the Arizona 2300 Series offers self-learning capabilities so users can designand then repeatcomplex, multi-layered projects. This software is equipped with machine learning capabilities to help customers when they want to print a similar application, saving them set-up time and automating the production process.

Sustainable by Design

The Arizona 2300 offers UV-LED curing for 40 percent less energy consumption than our traditional curing systems and has been safety certified for the North American market by TUV and DGUV.

The Arizona 2300 is very economical to operate and uses less than 0.74 ml per square foot on average, including maintenance. The right ink droplet size is used across each print for low ink consumption, and the series' UV inks have been UL GREENGUARD Gold certified, making prints safe for use in schools and hospitals. An air filtration option is also available to maintain a healthy working environment for customers with less than ideal surroundings.

A New Dimension of Possibilities

Customers can achieve advanced print quality, print after print, across a broad media range, at fast production speeds as a result of the series' high-key print mode, pixel placement compensation, enhanced screening and the award-winning VariaDot printhead technology. This technology offers bright white inks and a clear, glossy varnish, which can help customers optimize configurations for high-value, high-margin applications.

The roll media option also allows customers to explore a vast range of roll media, including thin, heat-sensitive media, such as vinyl, up to 86.6 inches wide. This feature allows customers to easily switch between rigid and flexible media jobs with no machine preparation. Businesses can meet any customer demand for printing on hard plastic materials, such as acrylic, polycarbonate and styrene. To support this, a static suppression upgrade kit, providing active suppression of static electricity, can be added at any time.

The Arizona 2300 Series can also be equipped with Canon's textured printing software, Touchstone, enabling the addition of texture effects to applications such as point-of-purchase displays and interior decor products, including wallpaper, fine art reproductions and much more.

"We are committed to the research and development of our flatbed series with a focus on smart productivity, application versatility and sustainability. With our customers in mind, the Arizona 2300 Series will make the production process smarter and more automated, enabling our customers to have the time to focus on what matters the most: growing their business," said Shinichi Yoshida, executive vice president and general manager, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "With the addition of the new Arizona 2300 series to our portfolio, we have a range of large format solutions to suit any and every print need of our customers. We are confident the new flatbed printers will enable them to boost profits, expand their application possibilities and open up new market opportunities, while achieving operational excellence."

The new Arizona 2300 Series is commercially available starting September 1, 2020.

For more information on the Arizona 2300 Series, please visit csa.canon.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $33 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2019 and was named one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2020. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA.

 Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. Website:

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For sales info/customer support:

1-844-443-INFO (4636)

Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. All other referenced product names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged.

SOURCE Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The increasing use of AI (artificial intelligence) in the development of new medical technologies demands greater attention to ethical aspects. An interdisciplinary team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) advocates the integration of ethics from the very beginning of the development process of new technologies. Alena Buyx, professor of ethics in medicine and health technologies, explains the embedded ethics approach.

The discussions surrounding a greater emphasis on ethics in AI research have greatly intensified in recent years, to the point that one might speak of "ethics hype," and many committees in Germany and around the world such as the German Ethics Council or the EU Commission High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence have responded. They are all in agreement: More ethics are required in the development of AI-based health technologies.

But how do things look in practice for engineers and designers? Concrete solutions are still few and far between. In a joint pilot project with two Integrative Research Centers at TUM, the Munich School of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MSRM) with its director, Prof. Sami Haddadin, and the Munich Center for Technology in Society (MCTS), with Prof. Ruth Muller, researchers want to try out the embedded ethics approach, and published their proposal in Nature Machine Intelligence at the end of July.

What exactly is meant by the embedded ethics approach?

The idea is to make ethics an integral part of the research process by integrating ethicists into the AI development team from day one. For example, they attend team meetings on a regular basis and create a sort of "ethical awareness" for certain issues. They also raise and analyze specific ethical and social issues.

Alena Buyx, Professor of Ethics in Medicine and Health Technologies, advocates the "embedded ethics approach" in the development process of new AI health technologies. Credit: Juli Eberle/TUM

Is there an example of this concept in practice?

The Geriatronics Research Center, a flagship project of the MSRM in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is developing robot assistants to enable people to live independently in old age. The center's initiatives will include the construction of model apartments designed to try out residential concepts where seniors share their living space with robots. At a joint meeting with the participating engineers, it was noted that the idea of using an open concept layout everywhere in the unitswith few doors or individual roomswould give the robots considerable range of motion. With the seniors, however, this living concept could prove upsetting because they are used to having private spaces. At the outset, the engineers had not given explicit consideration to this aspect.

The approach sounds promising. But how can we avoid embedded ethics from turning into an ethics washing exercise, offering companies a comforting sense of being on the safe side when developing new AI technologies?

That's not something we can be certain of avoiding. The key is mutual openness and a willingness to listen, with the goal of finding a common languageand subsequently being prepared to effectively implement the ethical aspects. At TUM we are ideally positioned to achieve this. Prof. Sami Haddadin, the director of the MSRM, is also a member of the EU High-Level Group of Artificial Intelligence. In his research, he is guided by the concept of human centered engineering. Consequently, he has supported the idea of embedded ethics from the very beginning. But one thing is certain: Embedded ethics alone will not suddenly make AI "turn ethical." Ultimately, that will require laws, codes of conduct and possibly state incentives.

Explore further Code of ethics doesn't influence decisions of software developers

More information: Stuart McLennan et al. An embedded ethics approach for AI development, Nature Machine Intelligence (2020). Journal information: Nature Machine Intelligence Stuart McLennan et al. An embedded ethics approach for AI development,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s42256-020-0214-1

Provided by Technical University of Munich
One of China's spies has been caught red-handed at the airport with stolen bio-inspired computer codes that have military applications. China has been actively sending spies who are non-military to U.S. universities to purloin technology.

If the codes were to have reached the Chinese, they would have applied it to underwater robotics and aircraft engines. Chinese engineers will benefit from such code because they will not take years to develop it. Chinese would rather steal information than develop the technology themselves, reported Washington Examiner.

The spy is identified as Hu Haizhou, is a researcher from the University of Virginia, whose field is mechanical and aerospace engineering. He has connections to a Chinese military-linked university. His flight to Qingdao, China from the Chicago's O'Hare International Airport was canceled last Tuesday as U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested him on U.S. soil, according to an FBI special agent.

Agent Matthew Rader, CBP investigators, grilled the Chinese spy and checked his gadgets that contained UVA-research-related files in the laptop in his possession. Also found was bio-inspired research simulation software code files that were not his but from Professor 1. This code is for the study of birds and fish as they move in nature, the final use would be in Chinese military equipment if it got out, cited Behind the Black.

Hu was not granted any access to the files and he admitted it in interrogation.He said that the author of the code never knew he stole it for the Chinese government, or him purloining it either. The professor is responsible for multiuniversity Flow Simulations Group, which has been working on the code for 17-years now.

Also read: Attorney General Barr Says That China Is a Dangerous Country and Wants America Out

Several government entities have funded the code research for the military, and one reason why China wants it. FBI indicated that the researcher will be charged for stealing the code and trade secrets. The paper confirmed that Hu was arrested by authorities.

Furthermore, the professor verified that Hu was his assistant from March to August 2019. He added that Hu was not expected to leave early and abruptly. The professor's assistant researcher added that he works at the Chinese Key Laboratory for Fluid Dynamics at China's Beihang University that gets communist funding. He remembered a lecture on the professor's specialty in 2017. He later asked if he can be part of his studies, noted Rader. The Chinese progress in nature mimics is not as an advance in American universities noted Vietnam Times.

One of the instructions given by his handler is to load reports onto an online website to the Chinese Scholarship about UVA research each 6-month interval. Hu attempted to steal his research and escape to China.

Much interest lies in the code connected to bio-inspired learning, research, and modeling on the Chinese stool pigeon's laptop. According to the lead of the UVA program, codes were needed in simulations that were part of the National Science Foundation funds.

All code development was his and Hu stole the entire code developed last 17-years. This is vital to the U.S. in developing a host of tech, which something that China would want at the expense of America.

The government has warned of such threats about China stealing data. Chinese scholars may be wolves in sheep's clothing. Hu was never given access, but still, he got the code.

A mandate of the Justice Department like the China Initiative is to curb its illicit stealing of bio-inspired computer codes that America will weaponize against China.

Related article: Former MI6 Chief Hints Chinese Military Might Use Huawei for Espionage

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More than 200 people on Monday night marched to the Pearl District condominium tower where Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler lives to demand his resignation.

The demonstration quickly turned destructive as some in the crowd lit a fire in the street, then placed a picnic table from a nearby business on top of the fire to feed the blaze. People shattered windows and broke into a ground-floor dental office, taking items including a chair, also added to the fire, and office supplies.

Shortly after 11 p.m., a bundle of newspapers was set ablaze and thrown into a ground-floor storefront in the residential building.

Around the same time, police arrived and warned over a loudspeaker that the gathering had been declared an unlawful assembly, then a riot. Officers ordered people to leave to the west.

The 16-story building contains 114 residences. The fire didnt appear to spread and was quickly extinguished. Police used crowd-control munitions and released smoke into the air as they pushed the crowd west.

They ultimately arrested nearly 20 people. Police later said arson investigators were looking for the person who started the fire.

The demonstration came during the 96th consecutive night of protests since the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police, and it was days after a man associated with a conservative group was shot dead in downtown Portland during a car caravan in support of President Donald Trump.

PROTESTERS TARGET WHEELER: The nights event started with a sardonically festive scene. Monday was Wheelers birthday, and some in the crowd wore party hats. Before the march began, a contingent sang Happy tear gas to you to the tune of the birthday song in a reference to his police bureaus use of irritant gases to disperse protesters.

Left-wing activists have long expressed dissatisfaction over a perceived lack of action from Wheeler in enacting police reforms, as well as for his role as police commissioner in overseeing forceful responses to anti-police protests.

A group of leaders representing various progressive organizations from across the Portland area called for his resignation on Sunday, along with that of Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell. They said police failed to intervene early in Saturdays demonstration prior to the shooting, even as officers have responded in large numbers most nights over the weeks of anti-police protests. (Wheeler, who is running for reelection in November, said later Sunday he has no plans to resign.)

Protesters have swarmed Wheelers building before. On Friday, a dozen people occupied the lobby for several hours. In June, protesters set up a short-lived autonomous zone outside, modeled on a similar occupation of a city street in Seattle. Police cleared the barricaded roadway the next morning.

ARRESTS: Police arrested 19 people during the demonstration  10 fewer than the night before but still a high concentration of the over 200 people in attendance.

Eight of those arrested face an identical set of accusations: disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer. Some are accused of rioting, among other charges.

Two are accused of carrying concealed weapons, and one of those people is also accused of trying to assault an officer. Another two face first-degree criminal mischief allegations.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt has said his office wont pursue demonstrators accused of interfering with police and disorderly conduct, among other charges, if the allegations dont involve deliberate' property damage, theft or force against another person, or threats of force.

The office also wont prosecute people on a riot accusation alone. Prosecutors will proceed with a riot case only if it includes an accompanying allegation of specific property damage or use of force, Schmidt said last month.

Police said some who were arrested in Mondays demonstration had weapons including knives and at least one expandable baton.

POLICE ACTIONS: An OPB News reporter captured video of a police officer throwing a person to the ground then striking the person repeatedly before other officers caught up and took the person into custody.

Police detained several people who failed to disperse and couldnt show they were members of the press. One person who regularly streams video from protests was arrested while filming.

Minutes later, the Portland Police Bureau tweeted a warning to journalists and legal observers not to interfere with police conduct.

Legal Observers and Members of the Press shall not interfere with officers as they perform their lawful duties and must follow lawful orders.

Interfering with officers may subject you to arrest or citation.  Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) September 1, 2020

SHOOTING INVESTIGATION CONTINUES: Sources familiar with the case but not authorized to speak told The Oregonian/OregonLive police are investigating Michael Forest Reinoehl in connection with the death of Aaron Jay Danielson, a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer. Danielson was shot in the chest and died soon after most cars in a caravan of backers of President Donald Trump drove through downtown and left. Police have not made an arrest.

Reinoehl attended Fridays protest the night before outside the mayors home, photos by an Oregonian/OregonLive photographer show.

GOVERNORS REQUEST REBUFFED: Several local law enforcement agencies said they will deny Gov Kate Browns request to have outside agencies staff Portland protests, citing hostility and lack of public support for law enforcement.

The sheriffs of Clackamas and Washington counties released written statements on Monday afternoon saying they would not be sending deputies to Portland. A Gresham police spokesperson told The Oregonian/OregonLive via text message, We are in agreement with the other agencies.

FEDERAL RESPONSE: In two separate appearances Monday, President Donald Trump condemned political violence in Portland while refusing to denounce his supporters who have committed some of those violent acts.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf also responded Monday to a letter Wheeler previously penned to Trump, writing that the mayors inaction has fostered an environment that has fueled senseless violence and destruction night after night.

Wolf urged Wheeler to prioritize public safety and request federal assistance to restore law and order in Portland.

We are standing by to support Portland, Wolf wrote. At the same time, President Trump has made it abundantly clear that there will come a point when state and local officials fail to protect its citizens from violence, the federal government will have no choice but to protect our American citizens.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive
Saddleback Church food pantry No. 1 resource for OC residents in need during COVID-19 shutdowns Church volunteers distribute over 2.4 million pounds of food

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In Southern Californias Orange County, where nearly half a million people are at risk of going hungry each month during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pastor Rick Warrens Saddleback Church is the largest food resource as the congregation seeks to follow the example of Jesus.

Since the pandemic began in March, the megachurchs volunteers have distributed more than 2.4 million pounds of food at more than 300 grocery distribution events throughout Orange County, according to The Epoch Times.

Saddleback has been feeding our community for over 10 years, Saddlebacks communications minister, Ashley Eure, was quoted as saying. When COVID hit, we scaled up our distribution to meet the rapidly increasing need. Every Southern California Saddleback campus has contributed to putting on food distributions and caring for the physical and spiritual needs families are facing right now.

Pastor Rick has said that, as Christians, we are called to step into the places of pain. In a time when the world is scared and hurting, instead of running away from that, were going to run towards the pain and meet people where they are.

Second Harvest Food Bank, Saddlebacks partner in the distribution, says that one in six children in Orange County is at risk of hunger. Those at risk also include seniors with fixed incomes, people with disabilities and the homeless, and the number could be more than 450,000.

The O.C. Food Bank is also a partner of the Saddleback Church in the initiative.

According to the churchs website, the food distribution will carry on in September in Anaheim, Corona, Irvine South, Lake Forest, Laguna Woods, Rancho Capistrano and San Clemente areas.

The church is inviting more volunteers to provide help to the community. Saddleback says it welcomes all, including those 8 years and older (those age 8 to 12 must come with a parent). One hour served in the grocery distribution feeds a family for a week!

Just in July, weve had over 1 million pounds of food donations, Adam Ermisch, who leads the Saddleback Church Food Pantry in Lake Forest, told the Times. It takes about 100 volunteers to run the ministry on site. We even have church staff members furloughed that are here volunteering. Many other volunteers who have been laid off or facing challenges from other places are using their time to serve here as well.

Earlier, Rana Muncy, Saddlebacks director of mission for the churchs regional campuses, told Los Angeles Times, Weve been giving away food in Orange County for 11 years, and so when COVID-19 hit and about 158 food pantries closed almost immediately in Orange County, we said, You know what, as a church, weve got to really scale up.

The church has also served in Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

Muncy added, We are doing about seven times the amount of volume that we would normally do, so we went from serving 2,500 families a month to serving about 5,000 families a week. Just since March 9, we have given away 3 million pounds of groceries to people in need, and we help anybody who says they have a need. They have given it away from L.A. to San Diego.

Churches across the country have stepped up their charity efforts. In Texas, Lakewood Church, led by Pastor Joel Osteen, partnered with World Vision, Houston-area churches and local nonprofits to distribute over 12,000 boxes of fresh food, provided by farmers facing financial hardship during the pandemic, to the hungry.

The partnership, part of the Fresh Food Box Program, also began soon after the COVID lockdown began. The program had fed over 860,000 Americans through 70 hub locations by July-end. Fresh Food Box gives recipients fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products supplied by farmers who otherwise could not sell their goods due to the economic impact of COVID-19.
His visit to Kenosha is purely a campaign tactic and photo op, not a genuine gesture to help that city heal from a wrongful police shooting, two gunfire killings by an alleged teenage vigilante, passionate protests, violent rioting and dangerous tensions. Its been 10 days since the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake in that city, yet millions of Black Americans feel as if they were the one shot in the back seven times.
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at 2:54PM

Telus has announced that it's donating proceeds from video-on-demand rentals from films like Black Panther, Hidden Figures, Moonlight, and over 60 other movies by Black creators to Canada's Black Health Alliance. The initiative kicked off earlier in August and will last until Friday, September 4, topping out at $20,000. The Black Lives Matter Movement collection also includes a select number of Canadian films, including Secret Alberta: The Former Life of Amber Valley and Soul on Ice: Past, Present & Future. The collection is available to Telus Optik customers in British Columbia, Alberta, and parts of Quebec.

According to Telus spokeswoman Liz Sauve, this rollout is part of a broader effort from the Vancouver telecommunications giant to join others in "speaking out against racial injustice and the ignorance, negativity, and hate that underpins any form of discrimination against the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of colour) community."

Source: The Canadian Press
Peter Finn

Finn Partners has signed a deal to acquire Nashville's Corporate Communications Inc., an IR specialist.

CEO Peter Finn told O'Dwyer's the deal strengthens the No. 4 independent firm's IR capabilities and market position in the southeast. He also praised CCI's "deeply skilled and experienced team."

Finn Partners acquired New York IR shop Lazar Partners, which is now part of its global health practice, in 2019.

CCI has worked with more than 500 clients in a broad range of industries, handling financial news releases, earnings/conference calls, shareholder meetings, annual reports and investor presentations.

The firm will move into the Nashville office of Finn's DVL Seigenthaler unit and be led by its core management team of Dru Anderson, Gil Fuqua and Tim Kovick.

The addition of CCI will bolster Finn Partner's Nashville operation to more than 80 staffers active in the corporate, consumer, healthcare, transportation and government areas, according to Beth Courtney, managing partner, Finn Southeast.

Anderson said the deal would enable CCI to expand from its IR focus and tap into Finn Partners' capabilities in the crisis PR, media relations and environmental/social/governance categories. She added that CCI and Finn Partners share a strong entrepreneurial spirit.

Finn Partners expects to close the CCI deal during the second quarter of 2021.

It registered $119.3M in 2019 fees, which was up 35 percent from the previous year.
Domain Therapeutics enters into a new collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc. to profile signaling pathways of GPCRs across multiple diseases

Details Category: More News Published on Tuesday, 01 September 2020 11:23 Hits: 2365

French biotech company will use its bioSens-All TM proprietary technology to correlate impact of GPCR mutations on signaling pathways

proprietary technology to correlate impact of GPCR mutations on signaling pathways Results may constitute guidance for future drug discovery programs

STRASBOURG, France I September 1, 2020 I Domain Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of new drugs targeting G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) in immuno-oncology, neurology and rare diseases, announces today the signing of a collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer;NYSE:PFE). The collaboration aims to profile downstream signaling pathways of a set of GPCRs potentially involved across multiple therapeutic areas, using Domains bioSens-All technology consisting of BRET based cellular assays, enabling them to investigate the native form of GPCRs.



Domain Therapeutics is eligible to receive from Pfizer an upfront payment and research support, as well as potential discovery and clinical milestone payments for future Pfizer programs related to any drug targets that may be identified through this collaboration. Additional financial details were not disclosed.



The profiling may enable Domain Therapeutics and Pfizer to potentially better understand the impact of GPCR point mutations on subsequent signaling events across multiple pathways, and link to disease pathophysiology.



This collaboration builds upon a 2017 collaboration between Domain Therapeutics and Pfizer Inc.



We are pleased to continue to build upon our previous collaboration with Domain Therapeutics. We believe that Domains GPCR technology has the potential to help us identify drug targets across multiple therapeutic areas, including internal medicine, which could, in turn, serve as the basis of potential future breakthrough research projects, said Morris Birnbaum, Chief Scientific Officer, Internal Medicine, Pfizer Inc



We are proud to work alongside Pfizer in this unique approach to deciphering the underlying pathological molecular mechanisms caused by GPCR mutations, said Pascal Neuville, Chief Executive Officer at Domain Therapeutics. For Domain, this project is further confirmation of our role as a key player in the field of GPCR target identification.



About G Protein-Coupled Receptors

GPCRs belong to the family of membrane receptors and constitute one of the main classes of therapeutic targets for many indications. The binding of a hormone or a specific ligand to a receptors binding site activates one or several pathways for intracellular signaling. This enables the cell to provide an adapted response to the change in its environment. The drugs that target GPCRs represent about 30% of all treatments on the market, but only address 28% of the GPCRs. Thus, GPCRs remain largely underexploited to date. Domain Therapeutics proposes novel drug candidates for the remaining 70%, thanks to its unique drug discovery engine using technologies such as bioSens-AllTM.



About Domain Therapeutics

Domain Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of new drug candidates targeting G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), one of the most important classes of drug targets. With teams at work in France and Canada, Domain operates multiple technologies aimed at validating targets and discovering first-in-class therapies (small molecules or antibodies). It creates a pipeline of high-value programs in immuno-oncology, neurology and rare diseases which are developed as proprietary programs up to early clinical phases or in collaboration with pharma partners.

www.domaintherapeutics.com

SOURCE: Domain Therapeutics
The boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, the Louisville woman killed in a "hail of police gunfire" during a late night raid earlier this year, filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday against the city and department.

Kenneth Walker "has already sustained life-long trauma, still fears harm from those who consider him a danger and seek to take away his freedom again," according to a complaint filed by his lawyer, Steve Romines, in Jefferson County District Court.

Breonna Taylor with boyfriend Kenneth Walker. (via Ju'Niyah Palmer)

Louisville police Sgt. Lamont Washington told NBC News they do not comment on pending litigation.

The county attorney, who represents the city in civil litigation, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for Mayor Greg Fischer declined to specifically address claims in the civil complaint.

"Weve not seen the lawsuit and cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation," Fischer's Director of Communications Jean Porter said in a statement.

"But as the mayor has said, Breonna Taylor's death was a tragedy, and justice, peace and healing are what is needed for her, for her loved ones and for our community."

Taylor and Walker, a former EMT, were in her apartment just before 1 a.m. on March 13, when three plainclothes officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department arrived to execute a search warrant in a drug case.

"They refused to answer when we yelled, 'Who is it?'" Walker told reporters Tuesday on the courthouse steps. "Fifteen minutes later, Breonna was dead from a hail of police gunfire and I was in police custody."

Romines said the defendants have to be held liable for the botched raid.

"They said there's drugs there. There's no drugs there. They said there's money there. There's no money there," Romines said.

"Everything that they said about this was false. And yet they (said) 'Well no harm, no foul.' No. There has to be consequences."

The two believed the apartment was being broken into when police busted through the door, according to Walker and a previous lawsuit by Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer.

Story continues

Walker grabbed a gun and fired, shooting an officer in the leg. He had a license to carry and kept firearms in the home, and Taylor was unarmed, according to the lawsuit brought by Taylors family.

"Thats when Kenny heard the police yell at him  and thats when Kenny realized the police were the perpetrators," according to Tuesday's civil complaint. "Although Breonnas life tragically ended that morning, Kennys nightmare had just begun."

Walker was initially charged with attempted murder, but that count was dropped.

"The charges brought against me were meant to silence me and cover up Breonna's murder," Walker said. "For her and those that I love, I can no longer remain silent."

One Louisville police officer involved in the shooting, Brett Hankison, was fired. Two other officers involved were reassigned while an investigation is ongoing.

Even though charges were dropped against Walker, his lawyers fear that authorities could still go after him.

"His entire life has been changed," said Frederick Moore, another one of Walker's lawyers.

"Not only is the love of his life gone ... but let's also talk about the potential psychological effects of being shot at, that many times in the dark and the trust or lack thereof now for the criminal justice system and how they treated him."

Taylor's slaying and the death of Georgie Floyd, while in custody of Minneapolis officers, has sparked a summer-long series of protests across America, calling for police reform and other actions against systemic racism.
(Source: Getty, AAP)

A finance expert has taken aim at the Federal Government for its approach to economic recovery that favours shovel-ready construction projects over building digital skills for young people.

Macquarie University applied finance senior lecturer Dr Lurion De Mello criticised the Governments investment in infrastructure projects as imbalanced and said Australia was missing out on the digital economy.

Were still under this cloud of construct and build ourselves out of the recession, he told Yahoo Finance.

We are still kind of living in the era of the tradie-type, hard yakka-type career, rather than moving on with the times and ensuring that the future workforce is digitally capable.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has so far committed at least $8 billion to funding infrastructure projects at the state and federal level including major rail projects and the Western Sydney Airport.

Morrisons fourth stimulus package, the $688 HomeBuilder scheme that offers $25,000 grants to Aussies building or renovating their home if they meet certain criteria, has reportedly received less than 250 applications around the country.

And while Australians needed infrastructure, road projects, world class facilities and more housing, these projects will end at some point  and Australia could even be left with an oversupply of housing, De Mello said.

That might just take care of the physical infrastructure type economy. But we need to also look at the digital side of things, he said.

Do we have enough school students coming up with skills that will be beneficial for the future?

De Mello acknowledged that the Government has committed $1 billion to the JobTrainer package  but also pointed out that this only goes to school leavers and to the vocational education training (VET) sector.

We need to be careful that we ensure universities are funded, because anything very specialised [such as high end manufacturing, healthcare or engineering] requires expertise from universities, he said.

Story continues

Digital skills require education overhaul

Under Australias current education system, school curriculums vary state by state. But De Mello believes building these digital skills would have to start as early as primary school, and would require a streamlined national curriculum.

Students should be provided free online training and learn about designing apps, he said.

This stuff should be made free and provided rather than companies charging a lot of money to send their kids to coding schools.

Ultimately, Australia would need workers with specialised technical skills that have learnt how to solve problems.

[We are] trying to get students to think around business cases around digital capability.

Students of the future would have to become familiar with artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, learn about the ways devices communicate with each other, and learn how to build apps.

Everything will be on your phone or on some device. So I think getting young kids acquainted with tech and getting them to think with a technolog[ical] mind is going to be important.

In turn, teachers would need to be specifically trained to teach digital skills and have access to resources where students can learn about programming and computers, he added.

If teachers are equipped with the right tools you can bring the best out in them.

Make your money work with Yahoo Finances daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, economy, property and work news.

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Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), a humanitarian organisation that supports official authorities, launched initiatives to support Lebanon after the Beirut explosion.



Etihad organised aid to support residents who had been injured or displaced from their homes in Beirut and gathered donations including medical equipment, clothes, and amenity bags, masks, shoes and blankets. In addition, Etihad and ERC supplied tents to provide shelter for those who had lost their homes and five medical tents to act as an on-field clinic for anyone requiring emergency medical assistance.



Dr Nadia Bastaki, Vice President Medical Services, Etihad Aviation Group, said: Our main focus of this campaign is to alleviate suffering for the people in Beirut. I am extremely proud that as part of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, over 50 of our own executives, pilots, cabin crew and ground staff volunteered to pack and organise the aid that has been collected in the UAE.



Etihads CSR programme also launched the initiative To Beirut that includes a new drive to collect dried food items such as rice, sugar, tea, instant coffee, flour, pasta and dried milk.



Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme by Etihad Airways, is also encouraging its members to donate their miles to support the victims of the Beirut explosion. The miles will be used to purchase protective equipment including masks and gloves, medical supplies and medicines, dry food items and support home renovation. Etihad Guest will also contribute towards the donations.  TradeArabia News Service
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Due to coronavirus closures Adobe Blues was forced to skip its big Cinco de Mayo anniversary bash in 2020. Now it will miss an anticipated first day back as Jim Stayoch, the proprietor, announced hell push reopening the restaurant to this weekend.

The decades-old eatery was slated for parking lot dining on Tuesday starting at 2 p.m. Stayoch said hes not ready to launch and needs a few more days to sew up details.

Last week Stayoch announced a reduced menu with Chilies Rellenos, Pecos Chicken and ribs omitted from the offerings. He also talked about modified hours: now, the saloon will go forward six days a week. It will be closed Mondays and open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on other days.

Stayoch told the Advance he was concerned about the logistics of reopening after a five-month closure. But with the rainy Tuesday forecast, the delay might be for the best.

Stayoch shut Adobe in mid-March after a few days without sit-down dining and a bar trade, as New York City dining rooms were shut. The saloonkeeper predicted at that time that the iconic New Brighton restaurant, known for its beer selection and Southwestern theme, would reopen in a few weeks.

By July, Stayoch decided Adobe Blues would remain closed until the law allowed at least 50 percent capacity indoors. With no end in sight to the dining room restrictions in New York City, New Jersey has relaxed its ban in the meantime.

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.

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Two people in Morgan County died from COVID-19 during the weekend, bringing the total pandemic-related deaths in the county to 20.

A 92-year-old woman died Saturday at Jacksonville Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and an 89-year-old woman died Sunday at the facility, according to the Morgan County Coroners Office, the Morgan County Office of Emergency Management and the Morgan County Department of Public Health.

The start of the week did, however, bring encouraging news in the countys fight against coronavirus disease. No new infections were reported Saturday, Sunday or Monday. It was the first time since July 12-14 that Morgan County has gone three consecutive days without any new cases reported, according to a newspaper database of daily statistics.

Morgan Countys total case count is at 500, with 405 people released from restrictions.

In Cass County, total cases rose to 304 with the confirmation of five new cases during the weekend and on Monday. Those involved are a woman in her 20s, two men in their 50s, a woman in her 50s and a man in his 70s.

Of the total count, 269 people have recovered, according to Cass County Health Department. There have been 11 deaths from coronavirus in the county.

Health officials continued to urge people to take precautions against exposure.

Cass County has now entered the fifth consecutive week where our numbers are cause for concern with (the state). Our continued presence on the list of counties that are identified as having increased COVID-19 risk should be concerning to all, the agency said in a statement. This status means that Cass County residents should remain careful when choosing to host or attend social gatherings or events that could potentially expose them to COVID. In the past week, we saw another region of the state forced into more strict guidance to reduce transmission. This region suffered with similar rates to ones Cass County is currently experiencing. Help yourselves and your neighbors  by wearing a mask, washing your hands and avoiding unnecessary exposure by staying home whenever possible.

Morgan, Pike, Sangamon and Jersey counties were added to the states warning list Friday. Greene County was added three weeks ago.

Pike County reported four new diagnoses Monday, involving a man in his 20s, a woman in her 40s, a man in his 40s and a man in his 50s.

The countys total is now 82, with 58 people recovered.

Total cases in other west-central Illinois counties as of Monday were: 20 in Brown County; 107 in Greene County; 280 in Jersey County; 383 in Macoupin County; 1,822 in Sangamon County; 45 in Scott County; and 20 in Schuyler County, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Statewide, 1,668 new cases of coronavirus disease and seven deaths were reported Monday, according to the state health department.

There have been 235,023 cases in Illinois and 8,026 deaths.
Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag

Young children in San Francisco could possibly find their way back into the classroom before the end of the month, should a push by San Francisco Mayor London Breed be successful.

The city has provided more than 50 schools with applications they can submit to move forward with teaching students in person in a limited capacity, Breed announced this week. The city will first work to reopen classrooms for younger children, who are entering transitional kindergarten classes through sixth grade, and move up to older age groups thereafter. Submitted applications, which must include a health and safety plan, will be reviewed by the city and will be approved or denied within two to four weeks.
A moment in time

Wits postgraduate students in Medical Anthropology share the effects of living under lockdown amidst the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The students co-authored How a pandemic shapes the city: Ethnographic voices from South Africa, which was published on the website Medical Anthropology at University College London on 11 March 2020.

Anthropology is the study of people, culture, and societies and how these manifest, erupt and collide within socio-economic and political contexts. These vignettes reflect these collisions.

Ethnographic voices from South Africa

Like others globally, we have experienced sudden and severe changes to our world. South Africans found themselves thrust into rigorous, unprecedented social changes within a week of the first reported cases of Covid-19 in the country. Notorious for its inequality, South Africa provides a unique picture of this reshaping. We present eight perspectives of Covid-19 collaboratively but remotely from isolation.

2 April, Tamia

1 462 Covid-19 infections in SA / 1 011 490 globally

DA calls for military ombudsman to investigate abuse by SANDF members during lockdown. The unfamiliar silence I have been waking up to each morning is drowned out by laughter and cheers of township residents filming the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers forcing black men to do squats and push-ups in the street as punishment, for crimes unclear. What I see are videos of police and army violence in townships and city centres that are very reminiscent of apartheid. However, what concerns me is that the rationalisation of violence that we see now, under exceptional circumstances, is not new  the government did not need a state of disaster to deploy law enforcement during Marikana, for example. Does the modern state need exceptional circumstances to introduce rationalised yet irrational violence upon certain portions of the population?

3 April, Lesedi

1 505 Covid-19 infections in SA / 1 100 000 globally

On Black Twitter, I came across discussions around being black and how living in a black body at a time like this leaves you vulnerable to state power. What is the value of a black body? I began to think how the experience of blackness always comes attached with some type of inequality or injustice. Blackness feels like you are constantly faced with the after-effects of structural violence or an oppressive regime. The health and security systems in South Africa come with a history that has undeniably stained black lived experience. The deployment of the defence force and increased visibility of police on the streets hit a nerve with Black Twitter. What does this really mean for protection services and vulnerable bodies? Is the black narrative and experience of law enforcement ever going to change?

16 March, Elinor

202 Covid-19 infections in SA / 272 000 globally

When President Ramaphosa announced the State of Disaster it was part of a worldwide wave of closures. The next day, we learned that the semester break at Wits was being brought forward and residences would be emptied. The reality of the epidemic had been lurking for weeks, but as an international student living on campus, I felt suddenly and forcibly exposed. For the next few days, as local transmissions of Covid-19 increased, I ran around campus with other international students trying to secure emergency housing. Somehow Wits had taken a deadly pandemic with European hotspots just hours from my family abroad and made it more stressful. Wits made it hell by piling housing insecurity and hostile communications from people in positions of power on top of fears for my family and concern of my own risk of infection. People in power need to understand that the actions they take to enforce physical protections may trigger emotional responses and jeopardise mental wellbeing

3 April, Lucy

1 505 Covid-19 infections in SA / 1 100 000 globally

On 5 March 2020, the first Covid-19 case was announced in South Africa. Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp were flooded with funnies. The #CoronaVirus Challenge encouraged us to craft ad-hoc protection gear out of underwear and tissues. Discussions, debates disputing developments, conspiracy theories, and rumours went viral. Yet reactions were mixed  extreme, irrational panic alongside minimising the virus in jokes and memes. Both preyed on fake news. These reactions suggest a lack of knowledge about this virus, as people tried to make sense of the information from various sources and social media. The Department of Health advised people to pay attention only to figures released by the Minister of Health. These responses raise questions both about the impact of an infodemic and the danger of a single story  and who the storyteller is.

28 March, Edna

1 187 Covid-19 infections in SA / 660 700 globally

The lockdown is necessary to fundamentally disrupt the chain of transmission. So said President Ramaphosa as he declared a 21-day lockdown in South Africa. Key messages accompanying the decree were stay home, self-quarantine, and self-isolate, as was already happing worldwide. The question that rang in my mind was whether social distancing, self-isolation or quarantine were applicable in a South African context where the majority of people live together in overcrowded neighbourhoods. Historically, apartheid segregated people along racial lines and the majority of black South Africans still live in racially segregated, low-income, densely populated and transient townships. On average, seven people cohabitate, including the vulnerable elderly. The government should act fast to create more physical spaces  unused hotels, schools, churches  for use during the pandemic.

21 March, Erma

240 Covid-19 infections in SA / 304 400 globally

As hospital procedures altered to accommodate the pandemic, novel protocols emerged in the emergency unit of a Pretoria hospital. My partner and I found ourselves in a state of diagnostic limbo when our young daughters unknown Covid-19 status  due to delayed test results  complicated other medical interventions. This unexpected predicament prompted hospital staff, after much deliberation, to conduct the consultation reluctantly in our car in the hospital parking lot. That stormy night, two doctors swathed head-to-toe in protective gear performed their duty in the back seat of our car. Breathing sighs of relief, they confirmed our daughters ailment was nothing more than an ear infection. We see here how Covid-19 has contaminated and disrupted every aspect of social life, forcing us into moments of medical absurdity where the rules are unknown.

3 April, Georgia

1 505 Covid-19 infections in SA / 1 100 000 globally

Silence. I keep reading this word when surroundings are described during the global lockdown. The only sound you can hear are government money printers going Brrrr, according to American anthropologist, Lincoln Keiser. But our surroundings remain silent. When I scroll social media, I observe how people are thirsty for socialising. I wonder if the TikTok videos, posts and challenges are a coping mechanism for society and peoples new lives during Covid-19? Diary entries for the social media cloud? Hearing cars is history as I sit at my window. A pigeon pierces the silence as I cling to my laptop, hoping to return to normal, whatever normal was. But keeping my eyes and ears shut wont change the financial markets and the social world. Now I remain fascinated by pigeon sounds when all else is silent. SILENCE, please.

3 April, Dezz

1 505 Covid-19 infections in SA / 1 100 000 globally

Renowned as noisy and busy, Sunnyside Residence looks and feels different since the implementation of the 21-day lockdown. The different noises are reduced since news broke of Covid-19 cases in South Africa. Theres hardly any movement and the streets are ever so empty. Surprisingly, people seem unified by Covid-19. A lot of obedience and respect is being shown and this is pleasantly strange in Sunnyside. Theres many positive responses and collaboration in the fight against Covid-19. Differences in race, age, gender, and even nationality have been put aside and everyone seems to be complying and cooperating with the rules and regulations. This is an unexpected but reassuring response from Sunnyside! We are living through an incredible moment globally. The situation is volatile. Questions from the present are deflected to the future. What will our society look like post-pandemic? We are in constant dialogue with the spaces we find ourselves in and the pandemic with which we live.

Master of Arts student-authors studying Medical Anthropology with Distinguished Professor of Medical Anthropology and Public Health, Lenore Manderson:

Tamia Botes explores narratives of voedvroue (midwives) in coloured communities in Joburg.

Lesedi M.S Chocho investigates sustainable production and consumption of high-end fashion in South Africa.

Elinor Bronnvik Engelking explores repatriation of African material objects from German museums.

Lucy Khofi researches womens experiences of menstruation in an informal settlement.

Georgia Kellow focuses on urban agriculture and environmental anthropology.

Desiree Malope is exploring Kasi (township) perceptions and narratives of mental health.

PhD candidate-authors:

Edna Bosire, in the SA Medical Research Council/Wits Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, investigates concurrent interventions for diabetes and poverty at policy and clinic levels.

Erma Cossa, in Anthropology, researches medical anthropology and migration studies.
A pre-election survey conducted by Yiaga Africa and NOIPolls shows that voters and election officers are concerned about contracting COVID-19 in the coming Edo State governorship election.

The report also shows that voters are worried about electoral violence, intimidation and the credibility of the poll.

Details including observations, findings and recommendations from the survey, were contained in a report sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

Preparations are underway for the election which is scheduled to hold on September 19 and political parties have since commenced campaigns.

According to the report, about 68 per cent of respondents support INECs decision to hold Nigerias first off-cycle governorship election during the COVID-19 pandemic, while 42 per cent were concerned that voters and election officials could contract the virus on election-day.

Respondents also expressed major concerns about violence by political parties and security officials during the elections. And with less than three weeks to the poll, approximately one-in-ten respondents said they had directly experienced violence and intimidation related to the elections, while over one-third had heard political candidates using hate speech on the campaign trail.

The report lists potential hot spots of violence where the electoral battles are expected to be fierce.

They include Etsako West, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan West and Akoko-Edo in Edo North Senatorial district. And in Edo South, Oredo, Orhionmwon, Egor, Ovia North East, and Ikpoba-Okha LGAs.

While in Edo Central Senatorial district, Esan Central, Esan North East and Esan West are potential hot spots.

More concerns

The report also showed voters attitudes towards the electoral umpire, INEC, in the state.

Forty-six per cent of respondents, it said, lack confidence in INECs ability to promote credible elections, 50 per cent question the electoral umpires independence and 44 per cent doubt the institutions preparedness for the election.

However, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing political crisis, an overwhelming majority of registered voters (85 per cent) report being likely to vote in the election.

While it commended INEC for successfully implementing activities in the timetable and schedule for the election, which was done within the limits imposed by the Covid-19 protocols, the report reveals low public sensitisation on INEC Policy on Voting Amidst COVID-19 especially the Voter Code of Conduct.

It said INEC, political parties and other stakeholders are failing in their responsibility to effectively communicate the new guidelines on voting amidst COVID-19 to voters.

Another concern raised by Yiaga Africa is that the two dominant parties in the governorship race are guilty of violent rhetoric, hate speech, vandalism and violence.

This, it said, is largely attributable to an entrenched subculture of violence that is built around well-known strongmen, thugs, touts, gangsters and cultists on the one hand, and the widespread belief that elections cannot be won  or smooth governance guaranteed  without strong-arm tactics and the support of thugs.

The report also reveals exclusion and under-representation of women.

For the 2020 governorship election only one of the governorship candidates and three deputy governorship candidates are females. Ironically, 48% of registered voters in Edo are women.

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Campaign rallies and party mobilization teams also have high percentages of female members and supporters but issues of gender are yet to gain prominence in the election. Perhaps this can be explained by the strong traditional values of patriarchy and male domination among Nigerians, part of the report reads.

Recommendations

Based on the findings, Yiaga Africa recommended that INEC addresses the perceptions of its lack of independence, impartiality and professionalism. This, it said, will include proactive disclose of election-related information, consistency in the application of electoral guidelines and transparency in the results collation process.

There is also the need for more proactive and preemptive interventions like peace meetings, peace accords, curtailment of proliferation and use of firearms and other weapons, appropriate sanctions for those implicated in thuggery and violence.

The federal and state government to desist from partisan use of the police and security forces to manipulate the electoral process.

INEC, Presidential Task Force and State Task Force should ensure strict compliance with COVID-19 guidance enunciated in INEC policy on voting amidst Covid-19 and other health safety protocols. Polling officials should be required to undergo COVID-19 testing before and after election. Public engagement on new health protocols and Voters Code of Conduct should be intensified across LGAs and communities.

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To promote issue-based campaigns, political parties and candidates should subject themselves to public scrutiny on their campaigns manifestoes through debates, townhalls and direct public engagement. And voters should exhibit a high sense of responsibility by complying with health safety guidelines before, during and after the election. This will reduce the prevalence rate of COVID-19 infections in the state.

The report further shows that besides the COVID-19 pandemic, one major issue that has overshadowed the pre-election and campaign period is the conflict between incumbent Governor Obaseki and former governor (and former chairperson of the APC) Adams Oshiomhole that has been brewing since Obasekis election in 2016.

The division between Obaseki and Oshiomhole has spilled over into the Edo State Assembly. Since the 2019 State Assembly elections, legislators loyal to each faction have engaged in actions to frustrate or sabotage all forms of legislative activities or the normal running of the State Assembly.

The pre-election survey was conducted between July 28 and August 3, 2020 and the sample consisted of 657 phone-owing adult Nigerians (18 years and above) residing in Edo State. The interviews were mainly conducted in English and Pidgin languages.

With this sample size, and the selection method, the results obtained represents the opinions of Edo residents based on +/- 4% margin of error (with 95% confidence level).
Second-degree murder is a lesser charge of first-degree murder. Illinois law defines first-degree murder, in part, as intending to kill or do great bodily harm to another person  knowing that act would cause death  without lawful justification. Second-degree murder is defined as a person committing the act of a first-degree murder but that, at the time of the killing, the person is acting under sudden and intense passion wrongly believing the action to be in self defense.
Two others missing after tugboat assisting oil spill clean-up off the Indian Ocean island collides with a barge.

Two crew members from a tugboat involved in cleaning up an oil spill off Mauritius were killed late on Monday when their vessel collided with a barge in bad weather, the island nations prime minister said.

It is tragic that we lost two of the tugboat crew, while two others are still missing, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said on Tuesday.

Four other members of the crew were rescued by helicopter and two were still missing, Mahend Gungapersad, a member of parliament for the opposition Labour Party, told Reuters news agency.

We are doing everything we can to locate them, with all our means and with the help of fishermen in the area, the prime minister said as he extended his sympathies to the family of the slain sailors.

The MV Wakashio, a Japanese bulk carrier, struck a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island nations coast in July, spilling thousands of tonnes of crude oil into the sea and choking marine life in a pristine lagoon.

Residents gather near the scene while a search was under way for the missing crew [Reuben Pillay/Reuters]

According to Gungapersad, the tugboat and barge sent out distress signals between 7:30 and 8pm on Monday.

The tugboat capsized after the collision. Both ships were moving parts salvaged from the site of the oil spill into the port.

Jugnauth said the tug was transporting some fuel at the time but there is no risk of a leak. He promised an investigation into the accident.

The prime minister faces growing anger over his administrations handling of the oil spill, which has caused untold ecological damage to a protected coastline that sustains the islands economy.

This incident is going to add to the prevailing anger, Gungapersad said, referring to weekend protests over the handling of the operation to contain the oil spill and the deaths of dozens of dolphins in the area.

We had the oil spill, then we had the deaths of the dolphins and now two people who have been killed.

Apart from dolphin deaths, the spill has threatened decades of work to conserve local sea birds and plant species in a nearby protected reserve.

An estimated 75,000 people marched during the weekend in the capital Port Louis, many dressed in black and demanding answers from the government in the biggest public demonstration in 40 years.
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:31:08|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Facing the next 75 years of the United Nations (UN), the international community should act together to firmly defend multilateralism and safeguard the right direction of human development and progress, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday.

Wang made the remarks in a video speech at an international seminar on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations.

"In the 75 years since the founding of the UN, it has become the consensus of the vast majority of countries to resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation and to settle disputes through mediation," Wang said.

Wang put forward five proposals: to uphold the core role of the UN, to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, to pursue peaceful development, to be firm in win-win cooperation and to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

The COVID-19 pandemic will change the world, but the theme of peace and development will not change, the trend of win-win cooperation will not be reversed, and historical progress is unstoppable, Wang said, adding that China is ready to work with all parties to uphold and promote multilateralism and push the UN to embark on a new journey toward the great goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The seminar was jointly organized by the United Nations Association of China and the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, with the theme "strengthening multilateralism for a better future." Enditem
01.09.2020 LISTEN

Three members of the Coalition of Aggrieved Customers of the collapsed 53 Fund Management Companies have been arrested for leading a protest at the premises of the Finance Ministry in Accra.

Members of the group besieged the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, to protest over the exclusion of members of Blackshield Capital Limited from the government's proposed bailout packages for customers of the defunct fund management companies.

In an interview with Citi News, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Accra Regional Police Command, DSP Efia Tenge, explained that the leaders were arrested for staging an unlawful protest.

This morning [September 1, 2020] we heard a group of aggrieved people have besieged the premises of the Ministry of Finance and we saw that they had blocked the entrance of the Ministry preventing access and therefore it behoves on the police to come and ensure that they are dispersed and that is what we have done.

We keep on saying that if you want to embark on any form of protest or any form of demonstration, go through what the law requires for all of us under the Public Order Act 1994, Act 491 so if you do not go through this basic requirement then it means that the police will have no other option than to come and disperse the crowd and that is what the police have done.

The group took the action on the back of claims that some affected customers wont be part of the governments bailout package for the sector.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which made the announcement in a statement said customers of Blackshield and three other firms will not be part of the bailout package because owners of such companies had challenged the revocation of their licenses in court.

Reconsider exclusion of BlackShield from bailout package  Aggrieved customers

The Coalition of Aggrieved Customers had earlier called on SEC to rethink the decision to exclude clients of BlackShield Capital Limited from the government's bailout package.

Addressing the press on Monday, August 31, 2020, spokespersons for the Coalition, Charles Nyame described the exclusion of BlackShield's clients as mischievous and a plot to divert the public's attention from the poor handling of the financial sector clean-up.

We consider the reasons given by the SEC as misleading and deceptive. The government also issued a bailout to other customers of companies that are also in court to contest their revocation. It is therefore questionable how the government and SEC decided to apply the rules differently. The actions by the government and SEC are mischievous and dishonest, especially when the government is aware that the court is on legal vacation. We hereby call on the government to rethink and include all BlackShield customers in the bailout package since advancing the bailout package does not amount to any interference in the court process, he noted.

--citinewsroom
North Macedonia's Parliament OKs New Government, Ending Leadership Void

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service August 31, 2020

SKOPJE -- North Macedonia's parliament has approved a new coalition led by Social Democrats, ending a months-long leadership void amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The vote on August 30 just ahead of a midnight deadline returns Zoran Zaev to the post of prime minister after his party narrowly won a victory over right-wing rivals in July.

His governing coalition of the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) and the largest party representing the ethnic Albanian minority was approved by 62 votes in the 120-seat assembly following two days of heated debate.

The SDSM won the most votes in July 15 parliamentary elections but did not secure enough seats for a majority. Zaev and Ali Ahmet, the head of the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), announced on August 18 that their parties had reached a power-sharing deal.

The new government will have a two-seat majority with the SDSM's 46 seats, DUI's 15 parliament members, and a single lawmaker from a smaller ethnic Albanian party.

"A period of order, justice, and discipline is coming. It is time for the vetting of the judiciary and unselective rule of law," Zaev told the assembly.

Other priorities for the new government are the economy, education, and the environment. Zaev also promised to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and to fight crime and corruption.

He said he considers it important for the new government to complete its new four-year term "in order to provide a favorable environment for the realization of the economic program, as well as for our European integration."

According to the power-sharing deal with the DUI, Zaev will hand the prime minister's office over to an ethnic Albanian politician proposed by the junior partner 100 days before the end of the government's term ends in 2024. Ethnic Albanians make up about one-quarter of North Macedonia's 2.1 million people.

It would be the first time a representative of the largest minority ethnic community held that position since North Macedonia split from the former Yugoslav federation in 1991.

After the vote on the new government, opposition deputies left the parliament and did not attend the swearing-in ceremony. They said the government's program did not have clear goals for the country's development and they believe it will not make the necessary reforms, especially in education.

"The weakest point in the country is education," said conservative VMRO-DPMNE deputy Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, citing low funding for science.

The vote ends a period of eight months in which North Macedonia was run by a weak government that was only supposed to be in power until snap elections in April. The vote was delayed until July because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The virus has infected about 14,000 people and killed nearly 600 in the country.

Zaev pledged to tackle the pandemic and its economic consequences and make progress on European Union accession talks. The country officially became a candidate for membership earlier this year.

During the parliamentary debate, the right-wing opposition accused the Social Democrats of corruption and mismanaging the pandemic and the economy.

They also accused the party of sacrificing the country's national identity in a historic agreement with Greece. Macedonia added North to its name last year in exchange for Greece's promise to stop blocking its path to EU membership.

Athens claimed exclusive rights to the name Macedonia for its own province. The accord on the name change ushered the country into NATO and helped secure its status as an EU candidate country.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/30812293.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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HI Boston will be one of HI USA's first hostels to reopen "We are excited to begin welcoming guests again to several of our hostels," said Russ Hedge, CEO of HI USA.

Hostelling International USA (HI USA), the nations largest hostel network, has announced the reopening of ten of its hostels beginning September 2, 2020. In April, it closed most of its U.S. hostels as a result of the pandemic and in accordance with state and local mandates. Hostels have since reconfigured their guest rooms and public spaces to allow for more distancing, and HI USA has created new health and safety proceduresits Lets Stay Safe, Together programin order to welcome guests back to its hostels.

The first hostels to reopen are:



HI San Diego Downtown Hostel on September 2

HI San Diego Point Loma Hostel on September 3

HI Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel on September 3

HI Boston Hostel on September 10

HI LA Santa Monica Hostel on September 10

HI Chicago Hostel on September 18

HI Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel on September 18

HI New York City Hostel on September 25

HI San Francisco Downtown Hostel and HI Point Reyes Hostel are also reopening, but will remain closed until local conditions & regulations allow them to host guests

Guests at the larger gateway hostels can enjoy great savings and flexibility with a reopening Lets Go special, which offers 15% off the Best Flexible Rate, plus no pre-payment and free cancellation up to 24 hours prior to stay, through January 4, 2021.

In a first for HI USA, the coastal HI Point Montara Lighthouse, HI Pigeon Point Lighthouse and HI Point Reyes hostels will reopen as vacation rentals, so a group or family can rent private units on the properties, two of which are in restored lighthouses. Groups may also rent the entire hostel facilities including their kitchens and indoor and outdoor public areas, for a completely private and expansive stay.

Lets Stay Safe, Together

To give guests and staff added comfort upon reopening, HI USA has introduced its Lets Stay Safe, Together program, which includes safe distancing guidelines, mask requirements for all staff and guests, temperature checks at check-in and for all staff daily, enhanced cleaning, and contact tracing. Initially, hostel kitchens will have limited services, cafes will be closed, and kitchens, lounges and public areas will have reduced capacity. Hostels dorm rooms will be sold at very reduced occupancy, so individual guests and small travel parties will have exclusive use of their dorm rooms. Organized group social activities remain suspended until further notice.

We are excited to begin welcoming guests again to several of our hostels, said Russ Hedge, CEO of HI USA. While closed, weve been working to reconfigure spaces, create a comprehensive health and safety program and ensure that we can welcome guests in a safe way while still providing a fun experience that allows them to connectwhile at a safe distance and experience new people, places and cultures.

Hostel Closings

However, the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions have created serious financial challenges for the organization, similar to what many other lodging, restaurant and venue operators have experienced. Some smaller and seasonal hostels could not be readily adapted to the new rigorous health and safety program. After an extensive review, HI USA determined that several were no longer feasible to continue operating and made the difficult decision to close select properties including HI Austin Hostel (in TX); HI Eastham Hostel (in Cape Cod, MA); HI Houston Hostel (in TX); HI LA South Bay Hostel (in CA); HI Madison Hostel (in WI); HI Monterey Hostel (in CA); HI Nantucket Hostel (in MA); and HI Portland Hawthorne Hostel (in OR).

The decision to close any of our hostels is not one we take lightly, said Hedge. With most of our hostels closed for the past several months and the continued uncertainty surrounding the economy and coronavirus pandemic, it was not financially viable to reopen these hostels. HI USA is committed to our mission of fostering understanding and cultural exchange through hostelling, and we will emerge stronger, albeit as a smaller network, from this crisis period.

For more information about HI USA or to make a reservation at one of its hostels that are reopening, stay updated on the openings of additional hostels or learn about their new vacation rental units, visit http://www.hiusa.org or @hiusa.

About HI USA

Hostelling International USA (HI USA) is a nonprofit, member organization founded on an enduring belief in the power of travel to foster a deeper understanding of people, places, and the world. HI USA promotes a dynamic community of global citizens who have the wisdom and humanity to actively make the world a better place. As the nations leading hostel brand, HI USA hosted more than 1 million overnight stays in 2019, with guests from more than 100 countries. For over 80 years, HI USA has provided a network of affordable hostels in converted mansions, reinvented lighthouses, and historic urban buildings across the country. Visit http://www.hiusa.org for more information. HI USA is part of Hostelling International (HI), a collection of hostels in nearly 90 countries, whose roots stretch back to the beginning of the hostelling movement more than 100 years ago. The HI brand is a seal of approval recognized around the world.

###

Media contact: Gabby McNamara, GMAC Communications, (908) 461-5260, gabbymac.gmac@gmail.com
BEIJING, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- China Online Education Group ("51Talk", or the "Company") (NYSE: COE), a leading online education platform in China, with core expertise in English education, today announced that it will report its second quarter 2020 unaudited financial results on Tuesday, September 8, 2020, before the open of U.S. markets.

The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time on September 8, 2020 (8:00 p.m. Beijing/Hong Kong time on September 8, 2020).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States Toll: +1-866-264-5888 International: +1-412-317-5226 Mainland China Toll: 400-120-1203 Hong Kong Toll: 800-905-945 Hong Kong-Local Toll: +852-3018-4992

Participants should dial-in at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time and ask to be connected to the call for "China Online Education Group."

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.51talk.com.

A replay of the conference call will be accessible approximately one hour after the conclusion of the live call until September 15, 2020, by dialing the following telephone numbers:

United States Toll: +1-877-344-7529 International Toll: +1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 10147343

About China Online Education Group

China Online Education Group (NYSE: COE) is a leading online education platform in China, with core expertise in English education. The Company's mission is to make quality education accessible and affordable. The Company's online and mobile education platforms enable students across China to take live interactive English lessons with overseas foreign teachers, on demand. The Company connects its students with a large pool of highly qualified foreign teachers that it assembled using a shared economy approach, and employs student and teacher feedback and data analytics to deliver a personalized learning experience to its students.

For more information, please visit http://ir.51talk.com.

SOURCE China Online Education Group
Netflix has launched a new Netflix for free page for viewers who do not have a subscription. The dedicated page lets non-subscribers stream select Netflix Originals for free.

Users do not need to sign up to watch movies and episodes on Netflix for free. Currently, horror movie Bird Box, Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston comedy Murder Mystery, and the Academy Award-nominated The Two Popes are available to watch for free on Netflix.

The video-streaming giant is also making the first episodes of popular shows like Stranger Things, Boss Baby: Back in Business, Our Planet, Love is Blind, Elite, Grace and Frankie to watch for free.

Also read: Netflix is testing a Rs 349 Mobile+ plan in India

It is currently unknown if these titles will be available to watch for free on Netflix permanently or will the company add/ switch fresh titles to get more subscribers on board.

Netflix currently offers a variety of subscription plans in India, ranging from Rs 199 to Rs 799.

The Rs 199 plan is limited to mobile/ tablet and offers Standard Definition (SD) streaming. The Rs 499 SD plan, on the other hand, lets users stream content either on their phone, tablet, PC, or a Smart TV. However, the account can be active only on a single device at a time. The Rs 649 and Rs 799 Netflix plans let users stream on multiple screens at a time.
Denver, Colorado, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 1, 2020, Denver, CO - Enterprise intelligence platform Turbine Labs has been recognized for its exceptional entrepreneurial leadership and sustainable competitive advantage in the Colorado Companies to Watch 2020 awards. It is an annual competition that has recognized Colorado companies for over the past 10 years. This years recipients will be honored and celebrated at the CCTW gala on September 18, 2020.

Turbine Labs, founded in 2014, is in the midst of its seventh consecutive year of double-digit growth. Turbine Labs AI-powered platform helps decision-makers efficiently synthesize information around complex topics and events so they can get smarter, make better decisions, and improve outcomes.

By focusing on second-stage companies across the state, the program offers distinct insight into Colorado's economic landscape and recognizes organizations often overlooked for the critical impact each company has in their respective industries and communities as well as the state as a whole.

Growing up in Colorado, Ive watched the state evolve into a world-class hub for technology and innovation. From access to incredible talent, support from government and lawmakers, as well as a very favorable cost structure, Turbine Labs would not be where it is without what this state has to offer, said Leigh Fatzinger, Founder, and CEO, Turbine Labs. "On behalf of our entire team, we are honored to be recognized alongside the other finalists fueling Colorados growing economy.

The awards, organized by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, aim to recognize the driving economic forces in the state by focusing not merely on growth, but on the true impact and influence of an organization. Judging criteria included Colorado-headquartered companies that employ six up to 99 full-time W-2 employees and have between $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital.

For additional information about Turbine Labs, please visit www.turbinelabs.com.

###



About Turbine Labs

Turbine Labs mission is to advance understanding and improve decision-making by efficiently harnessing, contextualizing, distributing, and displaying the worlds information. Unlike complex dashboards, lengthy presentations, and hard to learn and use software, Turbine Labs offers a friction-free, modern approach to obtaining the intelligence leaders need to mitigate risk and improve outcomes. For more information, visit turbinelabs.com.



About Colorado Companies to Watch

Colorado Companies to Watch is an awards program honoring 2nd-stage companies headquartered in the state of Colorado. The 450 companies that have been honored since the programs inception demonstrate high performance in the marketplace or exhibit innovative products or processes. The program is designed to seek businesses from a wide range of industries throughout the state, not just the major metropolitan areas. The 50 companies selected each year make an astounding impact on Colorado's economy by collectively providing thousands of jobs and contributing millions of dollars in revenue. The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) launched the program in 2009 in conjunction with the Edward Lowe Foundation and valuable community partners from across Colorado. For more information on Colorado Companies to Watch, visit ColoradoCompaniestoWatch.org, facebook.com/ColoradoCompaniestoWatch and Twitter @coloradoCTW.



MEDIA CONTACT:



Sarah Evans

Sevans Strategy

sarah@sevanspr.com

224-829-8820
It didn't take long for veteran storm chaser Jeff Piotrowski to step into gear, helping people out after Hurricane Laura ravaged communities in Louisiana. He captured all the intense moments from the beginning as Laura eyed the Gulf Coast to landfall, and now to rescue and recovery.

"THERE AIN'T NO WAY TO GET TO THEM": Storm victims who rode out Hurricane Laura asking for help

In Piotrowski's Thursday morning update, he tweeted about finding a man in the middle of storm surge water, after his house collapsed near I-10.

"He was trapped under walls," Piotrowski tweeted. "Have another local taking him to mother's house. Finding people in the water."

He also filmed the Capitol One building in Lake Charles as it was being "shredded" by high winds.

HURRICANE GUIDE: Ongoing coverage throughout hurricane season from Chron.com

"I can confirm we have some injuries in downtown Lake Charles," Piotrowski tweeted. "Flying glass from some of the skyscrapers fell on people...don't know the extent of the injuries.

When tornadoes threatened as the eye wall pushed into Lake Charles, Piotrowski warned residents about the possibility of tornadoes.

"Multiple waves of tornadoes developing. This is going to continue to ramp up, " Piotrowski tweeted.

Another storm chaser, Reed Timmer, captured footage of buildings ripped by the high winds in the powerful eye wall of Laura.

Timmer filmed the utter devastation and damage to Hackberry, Louisiana after the intense storm surge.

As the eye of the monster storm developed, storm chaser Josh Morgerman filmed the winds savagely lashing the trees in Sulphur Louisiana.

"We got lucky, because I got 9 lives," Morgerman tweeted. "Whoa!"

One of the most gut-wrenching moments came when this Weather Channel reporter Stephanie Abrams stood outside in the most powerful winds and rain. Things turned south when 150 mph winds sent glass shattering, and this reporter running for cover.

"You can see it's already starting to knock us off our feet," Weather Channel Stephanie Abrams said. "We're watching the water very closely as that will be rising."

alison.medley@chron.com
An unprovoked blistering attack launched by Isaac Adongo, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central in the Upper East Region on the persons of President Akufo-Addo and his Vice Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, appears to have been endorsed by former President John Dramani Mahama.

The former President, who is staging a comeback after his massive defeat in 2016, has been sharing Mr Adongo's foul language on the President and the Vice-President on his social media platform  Facebook.

More Attacks

Mr Mahama even added his own 'insults' when he was introducing Mr Adongo's vitriolic attack, calling the President and some people from his ethnic group 'Akyem Sakawa Boys.'

Mr Adongo attacked the first and second gentlemen of the land in the wake of the Agyapa Royalties deal, calling them all sorts of names including 'Akyem Mafia'.

No wicked man has ever ruled this country and destroyed Ghana's fiscal and debt framework the way Akufo-Addo and the empty-lying Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia have done, the MP threw caution to the wind.

Official'Endorsement'

Interestingly, Mr. Mahama, who said in the Volta Region recently that he was going to campaign on issues, was one of the first NDC gurus to give tacit support to Mr. Adongo's vilification.

He shared Mr. Adongo's write-up on his Facebook wall with the introduction: An interesting piece from Hon. Isaac Adongo on the Agyapa Deal. Agyapa Royalties fraud is the last straw: The Akyem Sakawa Boys and Grandpas must go (sic).

Original Write-Up

In the original write-up that Mr. Mahama shared, Mr. Adongo had claimed, Agyapa Royalties deal is a big fraud on Ghana by President Akufo-Addo and his Akyem Mafia.

You mortgaged GETFund proceeds in excess of GH25 billion for the next 10 years to borrow $1.5 billion and yet you could not expand educational infrastructure and build new schools to end double track; you mortgaged bauxite buried on the ground to Sinohydro to borrow $2 billion but has nothing to show after almost two years; you mortgaged ESLA proceeds for the next 10 years in excess of GH30 billion in 10 years to raise energy sector bonds of about $1.3 billion and yet energy sector debts remain unpaid and you have since accumulated over $2 billion additional energy sector debt with power producers threatening to shut their power plants, he added.

He also said, You have exhausted the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund in which your predecessor JM left you $270 million. You have frittered away the Ghana Exim funds, doling it out to your in-law to invest in a hotel.

Eurobond

In addition to borrowing $9 billion in three years in Eurobonds alone and illegally borrowing $500 million term bonds in February 2020, on the capital market, without Parliamentary approval in violation of Article 181 of the Constitution, all without anything to show. What magic can you perform with $500 million Agyapa theft money?

How can Akufo-Addo mortgage revenues of about GH75 billion of the state for his maladministration to steal without caring about how his children and grandchildren will manage the economy into the future?

Mr Adongo then said, No wicked man has ever ruled this country and destroyed Ghana's fiscal and debt framework the way Akufo-Addo and the empty-lying Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia have done.

It is estimated by industry players that only 11 major mining companies in Ghana will give Ghana an average of $250 million a year, $3 billion in 10 years and $4.250 billion in 15 years in royalty payments being planned to hand over to Agyapa Royalties for just $500 million. These estimates exclude new mining developments that will come onstream in the next 15 years such as the highly profitable Namdini Mining Development in the Upper East by Cardinal Resources. How did they value $4.250 billion in 15 years to arrive at $500 million as 49% of that value?

He ended by saying, You can't put Lions in charge of sheep and expect to come back and meet the sheep alive. They will end up selling us to borrow to satisfy their insatiable corrupt habits if they are allowed one more year in office.

---Daily Guide
A 55-year-old Gilroy man, allegedly a member of the far-right Boogaloo movement, has been arrested for sending threatening letters to Santa Clara Countys public health director, according to court documents and sheriffs office reports.

Santa Clara County Sheriffs detectives arrested Alan Joseph Viarengo last Thursday at his home for allegedly sending two dozen unsigned threatening or harassing letters to Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County public health director. Cody helped lead the pioneering Bay Area-wide shelter-in-place order in March.

Detectives found 138 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition and explosive materials in his house, a sheriffs spokesman said.

Viarengo faces two felony counts  stalking and threatening a public official  and did not enter a plea when he was arraigned in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Monday. He did not enter a plea as scheduled on Tuesday and is being held without bail at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas.

According to a sheriffs report, Viarengo sent a series of threatening, insulting and obscenity-laced letters to Cody from April 9 to July 29. He was arrested after deputies secretly watched him mail a threatening letter from a Watsonville post office.

Cody received many harassing letters after issuing the initial shelter-in-place order and subsequent mandates but most just sent a single letter. Viarengo, who allegedly sent his letters anonymously, was relentless, sending a steady flow of letters, sometimes several per week, and used her middle name as well as her husbands name in the letters, according to the report. Sheriffs deputies have been providing security for Cody and her family.

Viarengo used a picture of an igloo and the phrase Lets Boogaloo, references commonly used by members of the Boogaloo movement in an effort to further intimidate the public health officer, officials said.

The Boogaloo movement, whose members are often referred to as Boogaloo Bois, have been tied to the killings of a sheriffs deputy in Santa Cruz County and a federal security guard in Oakland. The loosely organized group is anti-government, anti-police and believes that patriots will rise up and spark a second civil war, which they refer to as a Boogaloo.

In one of the later letters sent to Cody, reportedly by Viarengo, he wrote that the Constitution is not suspended during times of crisis and your silly little orders are not enforceable by law. The orders do, in fact, carry the weight of law.

In a letter to the court, Cody Salfen, an attorney who appeared with Viarengo on Tuesday but does not represent him, said he is a dedicated father, husband, community activist, respected professor and volunteer, according to NBC Bay Area, which first reported the story. Viarengo is a part-time math teacher at Gavilan College in Gilroy, according to the college website. He also works at Nordic Naturals, a health supplement company in Watsonville, according to the sheriffs office.

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.

Jeff Rosen, Santa Clara Countys district attorney, said in a statement that while citizens have the right to disagree with public officials and their actions, there are limits to how that dissent can be expressed.

There is a major difference in expressing disagreement with a public officials decisions and making criminal threats, Rosen said. We will prosecute anyone who crosses that line and tries to terrorize people who are simply doing their jobs.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - Cuda Oil and Gas Inc. (TSXV: CUDA) ("Cuda" or the "Company") announces its financial and operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. Cuda's unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") as at and for the periods ended June 30, 2020 and June 2019, are available under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Selected financial and operating information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 appear below and should be read in conjunction with the related financial statements and MD&A.

Summary Financial and Operational Results (See "Non-GAAP Measures")





Three months ended

June 30



Six months ended

June 30





2020



2019



2020



2019

OPERATING























Production























Crude oil (bbls/d)

307



306



326



337

Natural gas (mcf/d)

1,908



97



1,557



1,642

Natural gas liquids ("NGLs")(bbls/d)

35



1



30



25

Total (boe/d)

660



324



615



635



















Netbacks ($/boe)















Average realized price (boe)

23.77



71.36



30.98



46.83

Royalties and production taxes

(6.36 )

(20.57 )

(8.44 )

(12.24 ) Operating and transportation

(10.03 )

(26.48 )

(10.76 )

(17.20 ) Operating netback

7.38



24.31



11.78



17.39



















FINANCIAL ($)















Revenue















Crude oil

960,462



2,086,016



2,633,085



4,263,187

Natural gas

394,658



10,354



664,164



866,438

NGLs

72,948



5,287



169,288



257,623

Total

1,428,068



2,101,657



3,466,537



5,387,248



















Adjusted funds flows from (used in) operations

269,724



(1,594,930 )

(674,199 )

(1,974,411 ) Net loss

(5,387,345 )

(24,860,766 )

(4,470,119 )

(28,070,444 ) Capital expenditures

883,762



1,170,017



8,275,806



4,683,157





















Story continues

Second Quarter Highlights

Production in Wyoming continues to respond positively to the gas flood project. Although restrictions on gas injection and oil production impacted the second quarter results, the Company realized meaningful oil production increases from May to June as restrictions were lifted. Ten (10) wells within the seven (7) gas flood patterns increased by over 50% in aggregate, increasing from 375 bbls/d to 568 bbls/d of gross daily average crude oil production.

Second quarter production averaged 660 boe/d, up 16% from 569 boe/d for the first quarter of 2020. The company increased natural gas production in Canada from 1,207 mcf/d in the first quarter, to 1,908 mcf/d in the second quarter of 2020, to maximize cash flow as gas prices improved. This was offset by crude oil restrictions in Wyoming due to oil price volatility where production decreased from 336 bbls/d in the first quarter to 307 bbls/d in the second quarter in 2020.

The Company realized 62% cost savings on operating and transportation expenses which were $10.03 per boe, for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $26.48 per boe, for the three months ended June 30, 2019. Wyoming contributed to most of the savings due to increased production from gas flood responding wells, reduced workover frequency and field electrification.

Cuda's average operating netback (see Non-GAAP measures) decreased to $7.38/boe for the second quarter, from $16.87/boe for the first quarter of 2020, largely due to the unpresented low crude oil prices during the second quarter. However, the improved cost efficiencies allowed Cuda to report adjusted funds flows from operations of $269,724 for the three months ended June 30, 2020 (2019 - ($674,199)).

Financial Position

At June 30, 2020, the Company has a working capital deficiency (including the credit facilities, the convertible debentures and the promissory note) of $59,053,802 and an accumulated deficit of $66,309,794. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company reported net losses of $5,387,345 and $4,470,119 respectively and cash flows from operating activities of $387,947 and $1,346,809, respectively.

The COVID-19 health pandemic resulted in a sudden decline in economic activity and an unprecedented decline in crude oil prices during the second quarter. The pandemic impacted the Company's performance in the quarter by reducing realized oil prices and production from both its Wyoming and Alberta assets. With ongoing uncertainty related to current economic circumstances, the operator and Company has elected to focus Capital Spending in Wyoming, at the "SSRU"- Shannon Secondary Recovery Unit through Increased Miscible Gas Injection for the remainder of 2020. The Company estimates net costs of approximately USD $1.2 million in 2020 to return the Shannon Reservoir to initial pressures maximizing production response and oil revenue.

At June 30, 2020, the Company had $46.7 million outstanding under the Credit Facilities which matured on July 30, 2020 and remain unpaid which constitutes an event of default under the loan agreement. No waiver has been obtained for the event of default, however, the Company is working with the lender to amend the loan agreement, including extend the maturity date and cure the event of default.

At June 30, 2020, the Company had $1.5 million outstanding under the convertible debentures which matured on July 21, 2020 and remain unpaid. The debenture holder provided the Company with a 20-day notice period to pay the amounts owing. The Company requested an extension to the 20-day notice period and received a 30-day extension to September 23, 2020 to avoid a situation of default.

On July 22, 2020 the Company received formal notification from the operator of the Wyoming asset that the Company was in default of its payment obligations under the Unit Operating Agreement in respect of outstanding joint interest billings. The Notice demanded that the Company pay the outstanding amounts in full within 30 days of notice. The Company has been unable to pay the outstanding amounts in the time period set out in the notice and requested that the operator extend the period of time to cure the default. On August 26, 2020, the Company received notification from the operator that it has granted the Company a 60-day extension to September 20, 2020 to cure the default.

Further rationalization of assets and/or funding through share issuances, private placements, restructuring of existing or new credit facilities, non-core property sales, increased production from core properties combined with improvements in realized oil and gas prices received and/or a combination of these alternatives will be required to continue as a going concern.

About Cuda Oil and Gas Inc.

Cuda Oil and Gas Inc. is engaged in the business of exploring for, developing and producing oil and natural gas, and acquiring oil and natural gas properties across North America. The Cuda management team has worked closely together for over 20 years in both private and public company environments and has an established track record of delivering strong shareholder returns. Cuda will continue to implement its proven strategy of exploring, acquiring, and exploiting with a long-term focus on large, light oil resource- based assets across North America including significant operational experience in the United States. The Cuda management team brings a full spectrum of geotechnical, engineering, negotiating and financial experience to its investment decisions.

For further information please contact:

Glenn Dawson - President and Chief Executive Officer

Cuda Oil and Gas Inc. (403) 454-0862

Non-GAAP Measures

This news release contains the terms "adjusted funds flow from (used in) operations", and "operating netback", which do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS and therefore may not be comparable with the calculation of similar measures presented by other issuers.

Adjusted funds flow from (used in) operations denotes cash flow from (used in) operating activities as it appears on the Company's consolidated statement of cash flows before decommissioning expenditures, if any, and changes in non-cash operating working capital.

Operating netback denotes total revenue less royalty and production tax expenses, and operating and transportation costs calculated on a per boe basis. Management uses operating netback on a per boe basis in operational and capital allocation decisions.

BOEs may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of six thousand cubic feet of natural gas to one barrel of oil equivalent (6 Mcf:1 bbl) is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. As the value ratio between natural gas and crude oil based on the current prices of natural gas and crude oil is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties and are based on forecasts of future operational or financial results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Risk factors that could prevent forward looking statements from being realized include the nature and scope of public health restrictions, the availability of key personnel, market conditions, third party and regulatory approvals, ongoing permitting requirements, the actual results of current exploration and development activities, operational risks, risks associated with drilling and completions, uncertainty of geological and technical data, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future oil and gas prices. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention and has no obligation or responsibility, except as required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62968
A meatpacking plant is one of the most dangerous places to work, the risk of injury is high and illness can spread quickly on the crowded killing floors.

Iowa counties with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection are home to large meatpacking plants. Already at risk for outbreaks at work, families here face sending their children back to classrooms where rates of transmission among students and teachers arent fully understood.

IowaWatch looked at school and health preparations in Waterloo, Eagle Grove and Fort Dodge.

There are no plans from health officials to address an outbreak at a school with ties to a meatpacking plant; the current direction is that counties work with the local department of health to determine appropriate steps, according to a review by IowaWatch. Iowa saw several outbreaks at plants in the spring.

The Iowa Department of Public Health did not respond to multiple requests for information.

A year unlike any otherRecent studies released by the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control show transmission and infection rates among kids is higher than originally anticipated. Serious illnesses that can result from a COVID-19 infection have impacted relatively few children in the United States, but studies are ongoing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everything. The economy strains under new realities, businesses struggle to stay afloat, hospitals are taxed to nearly breaking; nothing is normal.

For families of meatpacking employees the risks could be higher.

Kristy Nabhan-Warren, a University of Iowa researcher and author of Meat America: The Work of Faith in the Heartland, has spent the last eight years researching meatpacking in Iowa  observing the inner workings of plants around the state. The work? The rates of injury and illness on killing floors are higher than for all of private industry and all manufacturing.

The plants run on migrant and refugee power. African and Central American workers make up much of the workforce  an already at-risk population. Iowas immigrant population has jumped in the last decade relocating to communities near processing plants for work. Add COVID-19 and the prospect of sending their children back to school  the situation may become untenable for some of these families.

Plants a mixing pot

Dr. Megan Srinivas, infectious diseases specialist with a masters degree in public health, says meatpacking plants present a unique challenge to fighting any pandemic including COVID-19.

Plants represent a mixing pot, she said. COVID-19 doesnt recognize county lines, and carpooling across counties is commonplace for these workers.

Across the country packing plant workers are more likely to live in multigenerational households. It is the same for Iowa workers. This presents an even more precarious situation for these Iowa families  children at school where transmission levels are unknown, workers at plants that historically can be illness vectors then come home potentially bringing COVID-19 with them to their older, higher risk family members.

Nabhan-Warren said this was an even more difficult time for these families to speak out when they see potential missteps at a meatpacking plant for fear they could lose their jobs.

Prestage Foods

One example is relative newcomer Prestage Foods in Eagle Grove, which draws workers from several communities, including Black Hawk County.

North Carolina-based Prestage built a $300 million-dollar plant to rural Wright County and the small town of Eagle Grove in 2018. They brought in Chicago architects and consulted with Temple Grandin, an expert on livestock handling and barn design. The plant sits on 160 acres of Iowa farmland. With over five miles of conveyor belting, over 900 employees process over 10,000 head of hogs a day from the 100,000-square-foot kill floor to the 20,000 square feet freezer.

Families and workers declined to speak with IowaWatch about this story. Prestage declined to be interviewed when asked how they are protecting employees during the time of COVID-19 and as children of workers head back to school.

Deborah Johnson, communications director of Prestage wrote in an email, I appreciate your interest in involving us in this particular story youre working on, but we decline the opportunity for an interview at the present time.

In April, Prestage reported their first cases of COVID-19. According to the company 25 workers tested positive. Employees from across the region were infected. Wright County reported 1, Webster County  home to Fort Dodge  reported 1, but the highest number came from Black Hawk County with a reported 18 infections from the Prestage plant.

The other cases were from Humboldt and Hamilton counties.

Eagle Grove Schools

The Eagle Grove School District, 869 students, is a little over 20 miles from Fort Dodge with about 3,000 residents. The Prestage plant is on the outskirts of the rural town; about a 10-minute drive from Eagle Grove High School. While about 50% of the workforce comes from Fort Dodge, a large percentage come from Eagle Grove.

On Aug. 10, the Eagle Grove School Board held an informational meeting where each member wore a face shield or mask.

So far, there are 13 students who are opting to learn online. The high school is using previously unused spaces to expand lunchrooms, face masks are required and teachers are able to move from one learning option to another if there is an outbreak. Teachers are hyper-vigilant about cleaning between classes. Students, they said, are just as vigilant about cleaning their personal spaces.

Kids in the elementary school will spend time early on learning how to wear face masks properly and why they need them. Classes are small. But it will be as normal as possible. At recess, lunch and P.E. the kids will get to take off their masks and face shields and run around just like kids.

Fort Dodge Schools

Fort Dodge has a population of around 24,000 and is the seat of Webster County. The Fort Dodge school district, 3,838 students, is already facing scheduling and planning challenges and classes havent even begun. Webster County had one of the highest infection rates in the state since the coronavirus was first reported in Iowa  a glitch reported Aug. 20 in Iowas COVID-19 tracking system forced counties to re-evaluate positivity rates, the metric schools use to determine when and how to head back to class. As a result, the county went from a 24% infection rate to only 2.3% overnight.

Because the county exceeded the 15% rate of infection mark set by the state, which is already far higher than the CDCs recommendation, the board pushed the school year back until after Labor Day  then 48 hours later when the miscalculation was reported and the infection rate seemingly plummeted  the school went back to their original start date of Aug. 25.

Once students are back in the classroom, it is still unclear if masks will be required or not, how exactly an outbreak will be handled and when and if the school district reports a case to the public are still up in the air.

Jennifer Lane, director of communications for the district, tried to clear up the confusion. The district is encouraging rather than mandating mask use and told IowaWatch via email that the Fort Dodge School District is following all CDC guidelines. But CDC guidance which has been modified over the last month and released new information on Aug. 21. In the updated guidance the CDC provided a stratification of risk to help inform school decisions.

Online learning is the best way for schools to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among students and keep teachers and staff healthy. However, as schools move into hybrid learning models or full time face-to-face teaching the risk goes up significantly.

According to the CDC the minimal strategies being implemented by Fort Dodge schools is considered the higher to highest risk strata.

Children will not be allowed at school if they test positive for COVID-19 and Superintendent Jesse Ulrich said children were expected to complete the isolation and quarantine period before returning. Schools would do the best they could to inform families of a student positive to the degree possible and with guidance from the local Webster County Department of Health.

The same holds for teachers  they must comply with IDPH and local public health rules on isolation and quarantine before returning to work. However since teachers are deemed essential workers if they are exposed to COVID-19 they are expected to work as long as they remain asymptomatic.

During an informational meeting Superintendent Jesse Ulrich said, if you (teachers) feel uncomfortable with that, I suggest you consider becoming a substitute teacher or recruit a substitute teacher.

Ulrich did not respond to a request for an interview.

Webster County Supervisor, Niki Conrad fields calls from concerned parents and community members almost daily about COVID19, infection rates and where the state gets its numbers from.

Ive been tracking daily COVID-19 numbers for Webster County on the state website. When I noticed that we dropped from 893 to 684 confirmed cases between Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, that raised a flag, especially since Webster County Public Health confirmed 912 cumulative cases on the 19th. Conrad told IowaWatch,  Ive reached out to the IDPH, but so far, havent received a response as to why.

Waterloo Schools

Over 100 miles away from Prestage, a straight shot east on U.S. Highway 20, is Black Hawk County, home to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area and other Prestage workers.

It is also home to a Tyson Fresh Meats plant, which employs about 2,700 workers. In all, more than 1,000 workers from the plant tested positive for COVID-19 and five people died. Several families brought a subsequent lawsuit, filed in Black Hawk County Court, alleging Tyson failed to implement appropriate health care measures in light of the outbreak.

The Black Hawk County board of health held a special meeting on Aug. 21 where they voted unanimously to recommend a mask mandate throughout the county, despite Reynolds assertion that there isnt local control when it comes to mandating masks.

Waterloo Public Schools has one of the most diverse student bodies in Iowa. The district has already decided it will mandate masks in its hybrid learning plan; plans are available for download in English, Spanish and Bosnian. During the 1990s war and genocide in the former Yugoslavia, Bosnian refuges were resettled in Iowa, many in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area.

Unlike Fort Dodge, Waterloo  a city of nearly 68,000 with 11,000 students in the district  has students alternating days to allow for better social distancing, scheduled hand washing and enhanced screening of students and staff.

County-to-county spread

When one county or school district doesnt employ adequate COVID-19 mitigation strategies workers from a county with robust public health plans are at risk for contracting the disease from their workplace to their home and families an hours drive or more away. Situations like this are playing out across the country. Nationally, many schools have opened only to be closed the first week of classes.

In Iowa, there have been a few school closures so far. The Twin Cedars School district opened for two days then abruptly closed on Aug. 25 after several positive cases were reported. The district applied for a waiver to move to online learning due to the outbreak. The waiver was granted by the Iowa Department of Education. Online learning for Twin Cedars began on Aug. 27. The district plans to return to face-to-face learning on Sept. 8.

In Caroll, Sonia Walsh is both a parent and member of staff at Carroll Public High Schools as head drama instructor and speech coach. After seeing one daughter off to college she and her youngest, a highschooler, both headed back to school this week. Carroll is not far from Smithfield-Farmland Foods.

I think the school district is doing a lot, but I also think we are going to reach some bad numbers fairly quickly, she said.

The Carroll school board opted to recommend masks but not require them; however, Kuemper Catholic School in Carroll mandates masks and has implemented significant mitigation strategies.

Walsh has opted in on masks. My child wears a mask and when Im in the building Ill wear a mask, too, she said.

The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism-IowaWatch is a non-profit, online news website that collaborates with news organizations to produce explanatory and investigative reporting. Read more at www.IowaWatch.org.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Coffee is one of the most celebrated drinks in the world. From being a household staple to a part of socializing, coffee proves to be a vital component in today's society. For a century, MB Coffee Group has been producing world-class, 100% pure Brazilian specialty coffee and is among the world's leading coffee exporters. The company has provided its products for Starbucks, Nespresso, Nescafe, Walmart, Amazon, Sam's Club, Whole Foods, and many others.

MB Coffee Group, or MB Agropecuaria as it is called in Brazil, was founded in 1920. Generations of coffee growers have nurtured the company. As they celebrate their 100th anniversary, MB Coffee Group is continuing to strengthen their family heritage. It started with the patriarch Jose Martin de Barros, who passed the tradition to his children. Current CEO Paulo Fiod de Barros is carrying the lineage of coffee growers, along with his daughter Fernanda Maretto de Barros Gabbert.

MB Coffee Group harvests from two farms in Brazil called Farm Sao Paulo and Farm San Antonio, covering about 20,000 hectares of land. The company has over five million coffee plants and other products such as soy, sugar cane, cattle, and corn. As it has been a family-operated company, most of MB Coffee's employees have been with them for generations. "They are not workers. They are our friends and family," said Fernanda Maretto de Barros Gabbert.

The growers' aromatic and quality coffee is produced in the Alta Mogiana region in Brazil, a highly coveted area for coffee beans that boasts fantastic scenery. CEO Paulo Fiod de Barros vividly remembers how he grew up in coffee farms. "It's a lineage of amazing coffee growers. We have many other farms and businesses, but this one is the closest one to our heart," said Paulo. MB Coffee Group not only carries the legacy of a family but also captures the essence of Brazilian coffee at its finest.

Today, Paulo's daughter Fernanda Maretto de Barros Gabbert, and her husband Gunther Gabbert, are taking the reins for MB Coffee Group as the company plans to expand further into the international market. "I have a lot to learn from my father, as he has over 50 years of experience in this industry," Fernanda said. She earned her master's degree in law from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in Chicago. After working for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., for over ten years, Fernanda went back to Brazil to let her children experience what her family has been passionate about for a century.

MB Coffee Group values sustainable and ethical practices when producing their coffee. The company attests that Brazil is one of the most sustainable countries in the world. To uphold their standard, they also are using ecologically friendly practices. MB Coffee also supports directly trading their goods to retailers so that consumers can be guaranteed nothing but the best.

"We love other roasters and exporters, but we differentiate ourselves with quality. We strive to produce the best product at a reasonable price for people around the world to try exceptional Arabica coffee. Our goal is to constantly challenge ourselves to give the best to our customers," said Fernanda. MB Coffee Group has adapted with the times, using both traditional practices and modern methods. The company envisions further their distribution channels and reaches more coffee lovers globally with constant research on the latest technologies.

To learn more about MB Coffee Group and their premium Arabica coffee, visit their website.

CONTACT:

Company: MB Coffee Group

Email: contact@mbcoffeegroup.com

Phone number: (312)576-3553

Website: www.mbcoffeegroup.com

SOURCE: MB Coffee Group

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604244/MB-Coffee-Group-The-Premium-Arabica-Growers-Behind-Leading-Coffee-Retailers
Press Release

September 1, 2020 HONTIVEROS URGES ERC TO INTENSIFY MEASURES TO PREVENT FUTURE BILL SHOCKS "Isang systematic at smarter mechanism ang dapat iimplementa para masiguradong hindi na mauulit ang bill shock na nagpa-stress sa mga electric consumers." This was the statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros as she urged Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to put in place reforms to avoid the repeat of 'bill shock' of Meralco consumers in Metro Manila and prepare the power industry against future shocks. During the hearing of Senate Committee on Energy on the proposed extension of lifeline subsidy, Hontiveros noted that the fine imposed on Meralco due to its failure to clearly state estimated billings and failure to allow customers to pay in installments, is just a minor sanction, given the high profits from high power rates that continue to burden consumers. "Ano mang panahon, may pandemya o wala, dapat siguraduhing walang nananamantala. Bagama't welcome ang penalty na ito, ang P19-M na nawala sa bulsa ng Meralco ay katiting lang kumpara sa bilyun-bilyon nilang kinikita. I-moderate natin ang kasakimang ito para mas malaking ginhawa sa mga konsyumer." she said. The Senator explained that ERC can put in place smarter systems that can address billing problems during emergencies and the need for a shift to renewable energy. The development and transition to smart grid and micro-grid systems in which people can manage their own resources and their demands for energy. "Tiyak na maraming karanasan at pag-aaral tungkol sa operation ng smart grids, smart metering systems, at renewable energy. Pero ano pa mang sistema, alam naman natin na ang 'greed' ay hindi nababagong basta ng teknolohiya. Tungkulin ng regulatory body gaya ng ERC na siguraduhing walang industry players ang nanlalamang." concluded Hontiveros. Hontiveros stated that aside from the bill shock, Meralco and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) were hounded by a persistent issue of enjoying higher return on capital due to costly power rates, the same issue raised by the senator during the previous hearings on the Chinese control of NGCP. "NCGP enjoys a 15 % weighted average capital (WACC) which is almost twice the global average of 8%. Meralco, on the other hand, enjoys more than 15% under the performance-based rate (PBR) methodology approved by the ERC." she said. "Review of power rate increase applications should also be extra rigorous and carefully evaluated." "In this difficult and trying times everyone should stand side-by-side with our consumers. Dapat busisiin at tingnan kung sumusunod at nagko-comply ang major industry players sa obligasyon nito. Hindi dapat sinasamantala at pinagkakakitaan ng mga industriyang ito ang maliliit na konsyumer na ngayo'y dapang-dapa na dahil sa dagok ng pandemya," she concluded.
The school year is beginning in southern-central Connecticut. Yet classrooms are empty. The global pandemic, and the Trump administrations failed response, have forced students to start the year online. We all hope schools can reopen soon. But, in the U.S. House of Representatives, we are saying that hope alone will not keep our children and families safe. Our students, teachers and staff need action. They need the Heroes Act.

Education is a priority of mine. I chair the subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives that provides federal funding for public schools. I have hosted hearings and briefings with health and education experts. We know that for the well-being of our children, we need to defeat the virus: with robust testing, with contact tracing, and with quality and affordable treatment.

Because even children are not immune from COVID-19. Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged they can spread the virus. Sadly, a 6-year-old in Florida even died of COVID-19. Then there are the teachers and staff. As many 1.5 million teachers have a higher risk of serious illness due to a pre-existing health condition, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. That is one in four.

As we have been actively helping to defeat virus, the U.S. Congress must help schools safely reopen. Hoping is not enough.

One obstacle schools face is keeping their teachers employed and teaching. The coronavirus outbreak has upended the way schools are operating, and the pain could continue in the next school year when tax revenue losses will likely bring sharp cuts in education funding. The American Federation of Teachers estimated that 1.4 million jobs in our public schools could be lost, including nearly 6,000 in Connecticut.

Another is that schools need to take large and expensive steps for safety. The CDC has released very thoughtful guidelines that reopening schools in person for five days is the highest-risk scenario. So, schools need to buy personal protective equipment, soap and hand sanitizer, cleaning and sanitizing services. In fact, as many as one in five school districts need to replace their heating and cooling systems to be COVID-ready, according to a recent report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office.

Adding it all up, the average school district will need an additional $1.8 million to safely reopen, according to the Superintendents Association. But communities are hurting financially. Budget shortfalls nationwide are expected to reach $500 billion.

So, on May 15, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Heroes Act, with nearly $58 billion for K-12 public education. It is to help schools cover unexpected costs necessary to reopen safely: for purchasing PPE, for cleaning and sanitizing classrooms, for making special accommodations for high-risk students and educators, for buying educational technology such as hot-spot devices, for training and professional development, for maintaining school personnel employment, for special education, and for reducing achievement gaps. The Heroes Act also provides nearly $1 trillion in state and local funding to fill unprecedented budget shortfalls that could lead to teacher layoffs like those we saw after the Great Recession.

That was more than 100 days ago. In the months since, one school year has ended. Another school year has started. And still, the U.S. Senate, taking its cues from the White House, has not acted for our children, not to defeat the virus, not to help schools safely reopen. Instead, they introduced a bill to allow corporations to write off business lunches. It is unconscionable.

More for you CT schools COVID-19 case tracker

We cannot, as a country, fail to do all we can for our childrens future. We must act and act with everything in our grasp. On a bipartisan basis, the Congress has passed and enacted four relief bills to deal with the virus. Now, we must rescue our children and their education. We must pass the Heroes Act, and build on it, to help schools safely reopen, to keep teachers teaching, to keep students learning, and to make schools safe enough for in-person learning to resume.

Here in Connecticut, the classrooms are dark. To flip the switch, we are calling on the U.S. Senate to join us and to act. Let us pass the Heroes Act and keep childrens future bright.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat, represents Connecticuts Third District.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday lashed out at critics who have combed over his surprise visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last year as he forcefully denied having suffered a series of 'mini-strokes.'

Trump went after the 'FAKE NEWS' on Twitter after explosive revelations in a new book that Vice President Mike Pence was on standby during the unscheduled November 2019 trip, which the White House said at the time Trump took because he had a 'free weekend.'

'It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate - FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!' Trump wrote  making the suggested that rival Joe Biden had suffered a stroke without offering evidence.

As the book's author, New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt noted online, his book's dive into the Walter Reed trip included nothing about mini-strokes.

After setting off new rounds of speculation by bringing up the issue, Trump directed the White House physician to release a statement stating that he had never been treated for a 'cerebrovascular accident.'

President Donald J Trump has asked that I, Dr. Sean Conley, Physician to the President, address the recent public comments regarding his health,' said Dr. Sean P. Conley, physician to the president, in a statement released by the White House.

'I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media.'

He continued: 'The President remains healthy and I have no concerns about his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule ahead of him. As stated in my last report, I expect him to remain fit to execute the duties of the Presidency.'

On Monday, former Bill Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart floated the theory that the president was covering up a stroke.

President Donald Trump lashed out at claims he went to Walter Reed medical center last year for 'having suffered a series of mini-strokes.' He added in an attack and insinuation on his rival: 'Never happened to THIS candidate'

'Did @realDonaldTrump have a stroke which he is hiding from the American public?' Lockhart tweeted.

On August 1, crime author Don Winslow tweeted out a video clip of Trump repeatedly slurring his words during a December 2017 speech on Israel.

Winslow claimed to have heard from 'whistleblowers' inside the Trump administration about the president's health.

'I've received three communications saying that during his term Trump has suffered a 'series' of 'mini-strokes,' Winslow wrote.

Trump continues to attack Joe Biden's mental capacity even as he denied suffering a series of 'mini-strokes'

'Let us rethink old assumptions and open our hearts and minds to possible and possibilities,' Trump says in the clip, flubbing a prepared line. He even slurred his closing line when he said 'God Bless the United States.'

Then-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said at the time when questioned about Trump's performance: 'The presidents throat was dry, nothing more than that.'

Winslow tweeted Tuesday afternoon following Trump's denial: 'More than a dozen Secret Service agents are aware of Donald Trump's medical condition and mini-strokes.'

The attack by the 74-year-old Trump on the 77-year-old Biden came after revelations in a new book that the White House had Vice President Mike Pence on stand by in November last year when Trump made an unplanned visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

New York Times author Michael Schmidt noted his book, which examines the November 2019 Walter Reed trip, does not mention 'mini-strokes'

Former Bill Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart tweeted the unproven theory that Trump had suffered a stroke

Author Don Winslow tweeted Trump slurring his words and claimed to have whistleblower sources tell him Trump suffered 'mini-strokes'

WHAT ARE WARNING SIGNS OF A MINI STROKE? A transient ischemic attack (or, TIA) involves a temporary lack of blood flow to the brain, which causes momentary dizziness, confusion, tingling, and numbness in the arms. You should call 911 if you suspect you are suffering a TIA. Symptoms include: vision changes

dysphasia (trouble speaking)

confusion

balance issues

tingling

an altered level of consciousness

dizziness

passing out

an abnormal sense of taste

an abnormal sense of smell

weakness or numbness on just one side of the body or face, determined by the location of the blood clot in the brain Advertisement

Trump was seen on video during a July video of his trip to a laboratory in North Carolina dragging his right foot while touring the facility.

In January, Trump could be seen shuffling his feet as he moved to his right while clapping at the March for Live in Washington, D.C.

In June, Trump was seen carefully walking down a ramp during his visit to West Point while being aided by the military academy's superintendent.

In November 2019, the president made an unannounced trip to the hospital for 'quick exam and labs' as part of his annual physical exam out of anticipation of a 'very busy 2020,' the White House said at the time.

But the surprise nature of the trip lead to questions about the president's medical condition.

And in Michael Schmidt's 'Donald Trump v. the United States,' out on Tuesday, the author writes Pence was on standby if the president had to undergo a procedure that would have required anesthesia.

It is the job of the vice president to assume executive powers should the president be incapacitated in some way, according to the 25th amendment to the Constitution.

Schmidt writes, according to a New York Times review of his book: The White House wanted Mike Pence 'on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized.'

Pence obviously never had to step in.

The last time a vice president took such a step was Dick Cheney in July 2007 when George W. Bush underwent a colonoscopy and was under sedation.

In a statement at the time of Trump's hospital visit, then-White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said that Trump had undergone a 'quick exam and labs' and that he 'remains healthy and energetic without complaints.'

She also said that the president had taken advantage of a 'free weekend' in Washington to 'begin portions of his routine annual physical exam.'

The White House had Vice President Mike Pence on stand by in November last year when President Donald Trump made an unplanned visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

President Trump in route to Walter Reed on Saturday, November 16, 2019, for a visit the White House said was part of his routine physical

But Trump's trip raised so many questions about the then 73-year-old's health that the White House released a memo a few days later denying 'speculation' that he had been treated for a medical emergency.

Dr. Sean Conley, the president's personal physician, wrote that Trump's 'interim checkup' had been 'routine,' and was only kept secret because of 'scheduling uncertainties.'

Section Three of 25th Amendment Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President. Advertisement

'Despite some speculation, the President has not had any chest pain, nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues,' Conley wrote in the memo. 'Specifically, he did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurologic evaluations.'

The full results of the president's physical were released in June and he was reported to be 'healthy.'

Schmidt's book, meanwhile, 'tells the dramatic, high-stakes story of those who felt compelled to confront and try to contain the most powerful man in the world as he shredded norms and sought to expand his power,' according to its Amazon.com description.

It is the latest in a spat of books to come about the Trump administration, including Bob Woodward's upcoming book 'Rage' and Michael Cohen's upcoming 'Disloyalty.'

There are also recently published books from Mary Trump, about her uncle's upbringing, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton about his White House tenure. Even the first lady has not been immune. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's memoir about her work with Melania Trump, the two were long time friends, comes out Tuesday.
FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- What if the rules and standards governing higher education changed overnight and no one realized it? It happened two months ago, buried under COVID-19 fears and colleges scrambling to determine where and how classes would meet.

As of July 1, 2020, all accreditation for every higher education institution in the United States switched to new standards enacted in November 2019. And what these 519 pages of revisions alter is both sweeping and potentially troubling.

What will these sweeping changes mean for higher education and for students? AcademicInfluence.com explores the troubling ramifications

AcademicInfluence.com uncovers the changes to college and university accreditation and analyzes them here:

Major College Accreditation Overhaul

What's Changing and Why It Matters

Why does accreditation matter? Accreditation is meant to ensure high standards and strict accountability, both academically and financially. Regional accreditation has for decades been the gold standard, whereas national accreditation is where institutions go when they can't achieve regional accreditation.

Only institutions accredited by Department of Education-approved agencies can receive federal financial aid. Students who wish to receive federal student loans or need-based grants must attend a school recognized by an accreditor with Department of Education approval, whether that school is nonprofit or for-profit.

Historically, higher education in the United States has therefore been built on tough, exacting regional accreditation.

The new legislation, in overturning regional accreditation, makes some unsettling concessions:

Loss of authority by states to enforce state laws that exceed federal rules against fraudulent or under-performing schools, which now may allow some online schools to evade state oversight

Erosion of the stricter regional accreditation, which was superior to the less stringent national accreditation standards, by allowing schools to seek accreditation outside of their regional standard

Lowered threshold of recognition for new accreditors, which has already undercut national accreditation standards

Less stringent timetables for new course, discipline, and degree approvals

No additional accreditation needed for branches and campus extensions

These are just a few concerns over the new legislation.

AcademicInfluence.com sought input on these legislative changes from Congresswoman Lori Trahan (DMa.)who is also concerned and recently introduced the Accreditation Reform Act of 2020 . Rep. Trahan views this pattern as a long, sustained gift to profiteers in the higher education industry.

"On the House Education and Labor Committee, I always ask what value proposition we are offering to our students." says Rep. Trahan. "Unfortunately, our education system has been exploited by bad actors who fleece students with worthless degrees and a lifetime of crushing debt. Secretary DeVos has been at the forefront of this predatory behavior by rolling back regulations and instating proponents of for-profits in her department."

The Department of Education states the relaxed rules will "be less prescriptive and provide greater autonomy and flexibility to facilitate agility and responsiveness and promote innovation."

AcademicInfluence.com holds that high standards of scholarship in American colleges and universities have helped place them at the top of rankings worldwide. Will these accreditation changes threaten that leadership? Visit the article link above to understand what is at stake.

AcademicInfluence.com is the preeminent technology-driven rankings site dedicated to students, teachers, and researchers. Our resources connect learnersfrom high school through college and beyondto academic leaders. Innovators of the Influence Engine, Desirability Index, and Custom College Rankings tools, AcademicInfluence.com's team of experienced academics, data researchers, and lovers of learning answer inquirers with current, objective, focused information.

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SRINAGAR, India - Indian and Chinese military commanders held talks for a second day Tuesday following a new escalation in tensions along their contested border in the Ladakh region.

Both of the Asian giants have accused the other of fresh provocations, including allegations of soldiers crossing into each others territory, months after their deadliest standoff in decades.

Details of the talks which resumed Tuesday morning werent immediately disclosed. The two countries have amassed soldiers and equipment in the region in recent months.

On Monday, India said its soldiers had thwarted provocative movements by Chinas military on Saturday night. In turn, Chinas defence ministry accused Indian troops of crossing established lines of control and creating provocations along the disputed border on Monday.

Both India and China have provided little information, but media in the two countries have given extensive coverage to the escalating tensions.

Indian authorities on Monday cut cellphone service in the Changtang area, which includes most of the cold-desert border areas between India and China. No explanation was given for the move, but officials have often blocked communication links in the region citing security issues.

Authorities also were controlling civilian traffic into Ladakh, allowing only emergency services and supplies from Kashmir.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying accused India of fueling new tensions. She said such moves damaged border peace and undermined the countries recent efforts to ease the situation.

The Indian side may have a different statement from the Chinese side, but there can only be one fact or truth, Hua said at a regular daily briefing. Over the past 70 years ... China has never initiated any war or conflict, and we have never invaded an inch of land of other countries.

Indias Ministry of External Affairs said Chinese soldiers had entered the Indian side three times in the last three days but Indian soldiers did not allow them to unilaterally alter the status quo.

The actions and behaviour of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the LAC has been in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols, it said in a statement, referring to the Line of Actual Control, the disputed and undemarcated 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) border between India and China that stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim.

The standoff is over disputed portions of a pristine landscape high in the Karakoram mountains that boasts the worlds highest landing strip, a glacier that feeds one of the largest irrigation systems in the world, and is a critical link in Chinas massive Belt and Road infrastructure project.

India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory and separated it from disputed Kashmir in August 2019, ending its semi-autonomous status and straining the already prickly relationship between New Delhi and Beijing. China was among the countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the U.N. Security Council.

According to some Indian and Chinese strategic experts, Indias move exacerbated existing tensions with China, leading to the deadly June border clash.

The two nations fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh and ended in an uneasy truce. Since then, troops from opposing sides have guarded the undefined mountain border area, occasionally brawling. They have agreed not to attack each other with firearms.

Rival soldiers brawled bitterly in May, and in June fought with clubs, stones and their fists, leaving 20 Indian soldiers dead. China did not report any casualties, although unconfirmed reports based on photos of new burial grounds say Chinese losses may have topped three dozen.

Accusing each other of instigating the violence, both sides have pledged to safeguard their territory but also try to end the standoff, which has dramatically changed the India-China relationship.

Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks on ending the crisis have been unsuccessful.

___

Associated Press journalist Sam McNeil in Beijing contributed to this story.

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Welsh councils to receive extra 2.8m to replace lost council tax income

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2020

Local authorities across Wales are set to receive an extra 2.8 million to replace income lost from an increase in residents entitled to a reduction in their council tax.

A significant number of people have either had their pay cut or been made redundant as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

It has led to a rise in demand on the Welsh Governments Council Tax Reduction Scheme, (CTRS) which provides support to low income households.

The additional funding will support council by restoring the reduced income theyve experienced due to the increase in the number of households entitled to CTRS since lockdown began.

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans said: Whilst the coronavirus outbreak is affecting everyone, we know that it is having the most significant financial impact on some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

The funding I am announcing today will provide local authorities with the financial reassurances they need to continue to support those who need it most through our Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

I would encourage anyone who thinks they may be eligible for help with their council tax bills to contact their council for advice.

The Welsh Government said it would continues to work with the Welsh Local Government Association and councils to understand the long term effects of the increased demand on the scheme and to assess the extent of any decline in council tax collection rates.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-31 23:56:37|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Joseph Mundia, who runs a construction material store in Kitengela, south of Kenya's capital Nairobi, has been following COVID-19 updates from the Ministry of Health every day since the disease was first reported in the country in March.

His goal was to keep track of the cases as he knew the success of his business hinged on the trend the disease takes in the east African nation.

The COVID-19 cases have been on an upward trend since March to hit 34,201 on Monday, but for the last two weeks, the number of confirmed infections has been plummeting.

On Monday, 144 people tested positive for the disease, while on Sunday, the country recorded 263 new cases.

The low cases have shone a ray of hope across Kenya, with small business owners like Mundia noting that the declining infections point to better business prospects in coming months.

"The sales have been low and getting some of the imported goods has been equally difficult due to restrictions placed by countries but things are looking better as our cases rise and fall," he said on Sunday.

His sentiments are shared by thousands of other traders in various sectors across the east African nation, from food vendors to car dealers, school owners, bar owners, secondhand items sellers and shopkeepers, all who are hopeful that as the COVID-19 cases take the downward trend.

Joseph Kung'u, the proprietor of Roka Preparatory School in Kirinyaga, who converted the institution into a farm to survive COVI-19 effects, said he was hopeful that his business would rise again once the spread of the disease is contained.

Grace Mutuku, who runs a grocery shop on the east of Nairobi, said the decline in cases for her means good business since economic activities would fully resume.

"If business resumes fully, that means people would be able to engage normally in various economic activities as it was before the pandemic," she said, noting her sales were barely 1,500 shillings (13.8 U.S. dollars) daily.

Kenya on Aug. 17 lifted a ban on the importation of secondhand clothes and other items, which brightened prospects for thousands of families that rely on the trade.

The imports had been suspended as a precautionary measure to curb the spread of COVID-19 through imported textiles and shoes, among other items.

Charles Kabiru, chairperson of the traders association at Gikomba market, Kenya's largest secondhand items outlet, noted recently that the ban had affected hundreds of traders as over 100 wholesalers closed shops.

In a survey in July by global consulting firms Wylde International and Amethyst, 54 percent of small businesses in Kenya, said they faced a bleak future if the disease is not contained.

Ernest Manuyo, a lecturer at Pioneer Institute in Nairobi, said that the flattening of the curve means that the country resumes normal activities, which portend increased trade and business creating jobs and more income for people. Enditem
South Africa: Women's empowerment to become central in government policies

Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza says the issue of women's empowerment will be central in government policies, regulatory reform and programmatic intervention.

Addressing a virtual dialogue webinar with female farmers on Monday, Didiza acknowledged that South Africa has progressed in a number of areas to improve the position of women in society.

This includes political representation, education and health, where milestones have been made.

However, she said the country is struggling in areas of the economy.

As a country, we are one of those who have joined the Global Coalition whose aim is to champion economic justice for women. In this regard, the issue of women's empowerment will be central in our policies, regulatory reform and programmatic intervention.

We will also advocate for this using the opportunity of being the Chairperson of the African Union. The question is how then we make this campaign find expression in the land and agriculture sector, Didiza said.

Held under the theme Realising womens rights for an equal future, the dialogue featured female farmers who reflected on their journey in the sector.

When assuming office as the Head of State, President Ramaphosa highlighted the importance of agriculture and agribusiness sector.

The President also announced that, government would rapidly release agricultural state land as its contribution. This as the country still faces challenges of land inequity as a result of colonial and apartheid policies and laws.

In response to the Presidents commitments, and recommendations by the Advisory Panel on Land and Agriculture, Didiza highlighted that the department has developed a Land Beneficiary Selection Policy to guide land allocation, producer support model, Agriculture and Agribusiness Master plan, Poultry and Sugar Master Plan, and developing a plan for land release.

These are important milestones in terms of the work that has been done thus far, Didiza said.

Challenges in accessing land

However, the Minister said the issues of access to land and financial services, amongst others, have emerged during her engagements with women in the sector.

She said that women in the various sub-sectors of agriculture have raised challenges in accessing land either for leasing, acquisition or state land, and this relates to prices that make it impossible to access.

Applications take long on governments lease program [and] the allocation is perceived to favour male farmers. Government through it programmers has not strategically targeted land according to commodities for acquisition in order to be deliberate on improving participation of women in these sectors.

While women appreciate the support that government is giving through Ilima /Letsema and Comprehensive Agricultural Program, these do not take multiyear support that will enable financial viability. Specific support program taking into consideration challenges that are there in the sector such as marketing and trade requirements, the Minister said.

Issues of agriparks that government implemented which sought to deal with mechanisation and other implements, and lack of statistical data of how many women are in the sector remain a challenge.

Research and technology access remains a problem. Extension and advisory services are far and in- between, Didiza said.

In addressing some of the challenges, the department had released state land with 50% being women, training for beneficiaries, and effective land reform through supporting those who had received the land.

The department has also developed a targeted program for women farmers and entrepreneurs in the space, and 40% procurement for women businesses.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Netskope, the leading security private cloud , today announced the expansion of the Netskope NewEdge network with three new data centers in India. Serving millions of enterprise users around the world and capable of scaling to hundreds of millions, Netskope NewEdge is a carrier-grade security private cloud network that is reserved exclusively for Netskope customers.

India represents one of the largest markets in terms of users and the amount of traffic handled by NewEdge. The expansion of the India data centers enhances the NewEdge infrastructure, demonstrating an increased investment in the region in response to strong demand. This translates into improved performance for Netskope services, low single-digit millisecond latency, and improved uptake for both local, India-based companies as well as multinational firms with teams in India.

"Having multiple data centers in India is a key NewEdge differentiator," said Joe DePalo, Senior VP of Platform Engineering at Netskope. "Cloud security providers without diverse, in-region coverage will often require users to traverse thousands of miles, incurring a significant latency tax, to reach the next closest data center which can make services delivered outside of India unusable. With NewEdge, we eliminate that concern for our customers."

A wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fortune 200 SYNNEX Corporation, Concentrix has unique security challenges as a technology-enabled global business services company with its staff spread across 40 countries spanning six continents. "At Concentrix, we create exceptional customer engagement, accelerate digital transformation and deliver actionable CX insights to our valued clients and we do it all securely. Netskope has been an integral part in our journey of offering optimal performance with maximized security," says Rishi Rajpal, Vice President, Global Security at Concentrix. "Netskope's NewEdge infrastructure expansion into Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai strengthens its commitment to secure their customers' data and providing integral cybersecurity solutions with global consistency driven by local intimacy."

The decades-long efforts to digitally transform enterprises have pushed the capabilities of the public internet to its breaking point. Inherently unpredictable and unsecure, the public internet is strained by users who demand great web, cloud, and private application performance and enterprises that demand more security. Compounding this challenge, legacy security tools often introduce delays to accessing these critical services, which impacts user experience and ultimately productivity. As a result, industry analysts have scrutinized the reliance on the public internet for security of these services, giving rise to new architectural frameworks like Gartner's "secure access service edge" (SASE) that enterprise security leaders are moving to adopt.

Netskope NewEdge is built by industry veterans representing the largest and most high-performance networks ever built. Like no other network, NewEdge delivers inline security services through a carrier-grade, next-generation global infrastructure based on advanced application and network optimization technologies and processes. As a private cloud network, NewEdge optimizes connectivity with its resilient global architecture, which is directly peered with major providers, mitigating the challenge of the public internet. This enhances the overall user experience, resulting in a better web, cloud, and private application performance for most Netskope customers.

The Netskope Security Cloud, delivered on NewEdge, provides unrivaled visibility and real-time data and threat protection for cloud services, websites, and private apps accessed from anywhere, on any device. No other company in the market has addressed shifting demands by combining next-generation SWG capabilities, the world's leading CASB , cloud security posture management (CSPM), zero trust network access, and advanced machine learning to detect unauthorized data exfiltration and advanced threat protection. Only Netskope understands the cloud and takes a data-centric approach that empowers security teams with the right balance of protection and speed they need to secure their digital transformation journey.

To learn more about the Netskope Security Cloud, with its breadth and depth of offerings, please visit https://www.netskope.com/products .

Taking advantage of NewEdge

To accelerate deployment and simplify administration for network teams, Netskope supports the most flexible options of any vendor for steering traffic to the NewEdge network. This includes Netskope's lightweight client for managed devices or a traditional proxy auto-config (PAC) file-based approach. NewEdge also works seamlessly with a customer's existing router, firewall and proxy investments utilizing IPSec/GRE tunnels or proxy chaining, as well as plug-and-play integrations with SD-WAN solutions. To extend security and data protection to unmanaged users and devices, Netskope also supports an extensive set of clientless options to support any web-based, SaaS application. To learn more, visit http://www.netskope.com/newedge .

About Netskope

The Netskope security cloud provides unrivaled visibility and real-time data and threat protection when accessing cloud services, websites, and private apps from anywhere, on any device. Only Netskope understands the cloud and delivers data-centric security from one of the world's largest and fastest security networks, empowering the largest organizations in the world with the right balance of protection and speed they need to enable business velocity and secure their digital transformation journey. Reimagine your perimeter with Netskope.

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During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump refused to promise to accept the results of the election. Likewise, in 2020, his continued assault on the reliability and legitimacy of mail-in voting has laid the groundwork for challenging a loss on the basis of voter fraud. He has also refused to promise to observe the 2020 results.

This has led some to worry that a contested election would severely undermine faith in American democracy.

Yet the United States has a long history of such contested elections. With one exception, they have not badly damaged the American political system.

That contested 1860 election  which sparked the Civil War  happened in a unique context. As a political scientist who studies elections, I believe that, should President Trump  or less likely, Joe Biden  contest the results of the November election, American democracy will survive.

Legitimacy and peaceful transitions

Most contested presidential elections have not posed threats to the legitimacy of government.

Legitimacy, or the collective acknowledgment that government has a right to rule, is essential to a democracy. In a legitimate system, unpopular policies are largely accepted because citizens believe that government has the right to make them. For example, a citizen may despise taxes but still admit that they are lawful. Illegitimate systems, which are not supported by citizens, can collapse or descend into revolution.

In democracies, elections generate legitimacy because citizens contribute to the selection of leadership.

In the past, contested elections have not badly damaged the fabric of democracy because the rules for handling such disputes exist and have been followed. While politicians and citizens alike have howled about the unfairness of loss, they accepted these losses.

Contested elections and continuity

In 1800, both Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received the same number of votes in the Electoral College. Because no candidate won a clear majority of Electoral votes, the House of Representatives followed the Constitution and convened a special session to resolve the impasse by a vote. It took 36 ballots to give Jefferson the victory, which was widely accepted.

Story continues

In 1824, Andrew Jackson won a plurality of the popular and electoral vote against John Quincy Adams and two other candidates, but failed to win the necessary majority in the Electoral College. The House, again following the procedure set in the Constitution, selected Adams as the winner over Jackson.

The 1876 election between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden was contested because several Southern states failed to clearly certify a winner. This was resolved through inter-party negotiation conducted by an Electoral Commission established by Congress. While Hayes would become president, concessions were given to the South that effectively ended Reconstruction.

The contest between Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard Nixon in 1960 was rife with allegations of voter fraud, and Nixon supporters pressed for aggressive recounts in many states. In the end, Nixon begrudgingly accepted the decision rather than drag the country through civil discord during the intense U.S.-Soviet tensions of the Cold War.

Finally, in 2000, GOP candidate George W. Bush and Democratic candidate Al Gore tangled over disputed ballots in Florida. The Supreme Court terminated a recount effort and Gore publicly conceded, recognizing the legitimacy of Bushs victory by saying, While I strongly disagree with the Courts decision, I accept it.

In each case, the losing side was unhappy with the result of the election. But in each case, the loser accepted the legally derived result, and the American democratic political system persisted.

The system collapses

The election of 1860 was a different story.

After Abraham Lincoln defeated three other candidates, Southern states simply refused to accept the results. They viewed the selection of a president who would not protect slavery as illegitimate and ignored the elections results.

It was only through the profoundly bloody Civil War that the United States remained intact. The dispute over the legitimacy of this election, based in fundamental differences between the North and South, cost 600,000 American lives.

What is the difference between the political collapse of 1860 and the continuity of other contested elections? In all cases, citizens were politically divided and elections were hotly contested.

What makes 1860 stand out so clearly is that the country was divided over the moral question of slavery, and this division followed geographic lines that enabled a revolution to form. Further, the Confederacy was reasonably unified across class lines.

While the America of today is certainly divided, the distribution of political beliefs is far more dispersed and complex than the ideological cohesion of the Confederacy.

[Insight, in your inbox each day. You can get it with The Conversations email newsletter.]

Rule of law

History suggests, then, that even if Trump or Biden contest the election, the results would not be catastrophic.

The Constitution is clear on what would happen: First, the president cannot simply declare an election invalid. Second, voting irregularities could be investigated by the states, who are responsible for managing the integrity of their electoral processes. This seems unlikely to change any reported results, as voter fraud is extraordinarily rare.

The next step could be an appeal to the Supreme Court or suits against the states. To overturn any states initial selection, evidence of a miscount or voter fraud would have to be strongly established.

If these attempts to contest the election fail, on Inauguration Day, the elected president would lawfully assume the office. Any remaining ongoing contestation would be moot after this point, as the president would have full legal authority to exercise the powers of his office, and could not be removed short of impeachment.

While the result of the 2020 election is sure to make many citizens unhappy, I believe rule of law will endure. The powerful historical, social, and geographic forces that produced the total failure of 1860 simply are not present.

Correction: This story has been corrected to give the proper date for the contested election between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. It was in 1800.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

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Alexander Cohen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
After winning one million-dollar race earlier this month, trainer Tony Alagna is hoping a Canadian driver can give him a sweep of harness racing's million-dollar sophomore stakes with a win in Saturday's 2020 Pepsi North America Cup at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Alagna is no stranger to success in the Pepsi North America Cup, winning the 2013 edition with the great Captaintreacherous. In 2019, the first crop of Captaintreacherous turned three and his son Captain Crunch gave him his first sire credit as a North America Cup winner.

In the 2020 edition of the Pepsi North America Cup there are four sons of Captaintreacherous, leading the way on the sire side. Three of those sons of Captaintreacherous hail from the Alagna stable -- elimination winner Captain Kirk, second-place finisher Capt Midnight and last week's fastest closer Captain Barbossa.



Captain Kirk, Capt Midnight and Captain Barbossa Captain Kirk, Capt Midnight and Captain Barbossa

Trot Insider (SC) caught up with the three drivers of these standout sophomores in advance of Saturday's $1 million Pepsi North America Cup.

Jody Jamieson, driver of Captain Kirk (PP3, 3-1)

SC: A different outcome than you had envisioned driving Captain Kirk on Saturday, a horse you didn't qualify for the Final. What were your thoughts on how he raced last week?

JJ: I thought he raced huge. To be first up for the distance that was first up...he was allowed to go at his own pace but to be screaming through the line like he was after being first up all that time, I thought it was very, very telling of what kind of horse he is.

SC: Post three on Saturday; thoughts on the draw and how you are coming into the Final.

JJ: I think the horse is as good as he can be coming into it; I don't know for sure as I haven't talked to anybody but I'm sure it will be all systems go when we hit the track.

SC: Tall Dark Stranger will most likely be the post time favourite but there are those that feel he can be beat. Do you agree?

JJ: I hope he's beatable just from the fact that I'm in the race! I hope I can beat him...he got a pretty cheap half in his elimination. He was out a way to get there but, still, it was a pretty cheap half. Then he came his own back half huge and fought off some horses. I don't know why they think he's beatable but I'm going to hope that he is.

SC: As a two-time North America Cup winner, how would it feel to add a third Cup to your collection?

JJ: This one would be pretty cool; I've never picked up a horse in the North America Cup after the draw so it's a pretty nice feeling and I really think we've got a shot. If we get the job done it would be right up there with some of the best races I've ever won.

I think the way the race is going to set up, Bob (McClure, who picked off Captain Kirk for Tattoo Artist) made a really good decison -- and I imagine it was a real hard one too to book off an elim winner -- but, like I said, I'm just happy to be in the catbird seat.

SC: You've got Bet On Becky in a division of the Eternal Camnation on Saturday...who else are you most looking forward to driving on the North America Cup undercard?

JJ: I think Lady Lou's got a real good shot in the Fan Hanover. I've never won the Fan Hanover before, and I got to pick her up last week and I'm really excited about her. I'm excited about Sintra, he's just in an open race but I'm still excited to drive him.

James MacDonald, driver of Captain Barbossa (PP9, 15-1)

SC: The way your month started it seemed like there was a good chance we wouldn't be talking to you about North America Cup night.

JM: I'm very blessed to have not been hurt any worse than I was.

SC: How's everything feeling since returning last Saturday?

JM: Feels great, I've been very lucky. In the bike, I feel terrific and I haven't had any ill effects from the accident so it's all systems go.

SC: And all systems go right into the North America Cup card where you pick up a very live drive with Captain Barbossa. How did that come about?

JM: Donna [Lee, assistant trainer] messaged me about driving him. I talked to Louis [Philippe Roy] after the race and I know Louis was thrilled with how he raced in the elimination, he just didn't get any room. He had lots of pace though. I expect him to be very good, the nine hole hurts but if everything goes our way on Saturday night I wouldn't be shocked if he got a good chunk or all of it.

The horse is coming into the race in good form and last week didn't hurt him at all, that's for sure. I expect a good effort from him.

SC: First million-dollar drive for you this Saturday. How does it feel to be going for a million bucks, especially given the way August 2020 started for you?

JM: I was obviously pretty disappointed when I got hurt -- not just for the sole reason that I got hurt but the timing of it all. It's not just being back in time for the North America Cup it's being back in time so people know you're there to get the right horse. A lot of factors go into picking up a drive like that. When I got hurt I was down in the dumps but it was always my goal...I'd heard stories about people coming back from collarbones quick. I worked hard with the right people and I was able to come back as quick as possible.

I'm excited to be back and to be in the North America Cup is pretty special. I'm going to take it all in and hopefully come out in the winner's circle.

SC: You've got a number of stakes drives on Saturday. Which of those horses you most looking forward to driving on the North America Cup undercard?

JM: I'm always looking to sit behind [Roses Are Red contender] So Much More. She's just such a good story and a great little mare. She deserves everything she's got so far this year, a great group of people behind her so it's good to see people like that have success. I'm really hoping for some luck with her and give them what would likely be the biggest win of their career.

Doug McNair, driver of Capt Midnight (PP5, 9-2)

SC: Congrats on getting two horses qualified for the North America Cup Final. A tough decision to have to choose between the two, I'm sure.

DM: For sure. I think Capt Midnight's just a little more advanced speed-wise than the colt of my dad's. He's gone those fast miles so he's got the experience for sure.

SC: Before we discuss Capt Midnight, perhaps a quick comment on Mayhem Hanover and his effort.

DM: He's definitely a real nice horse. He kept getting better last year at the end of the year, won the Grassroots Final and then was top five in the Breeders Crown. He's a real nice colt.

Sometimes you just don't know what to expect, he'll do the odd thing you're just not ready for. He wouldn't go to the gate one day in the Gold and I thought it cost him a lot of money because I thought he'd be first or second. He ended up getting away fourth and coming first over [and finishing fourth].

It looks like the trip [on Saturday] could set up to get him a good piece of it. I wouldn't count him out.

SC: Of course you hope your trip works out better and you get a bigger piece.

DM: My horse will get a different trip than him, for sure.



Capt Midnight (outside) finishes second to Tall Dark Stranger (covered, bottom head) in his 2020 Pepsi North America Cup elim Capt Midnight (outside) finishes second to Tall Dark Stranger (covered, bottom head) in his 2020 Pepsi North America Cup elim

SC: Talk about Capt Midnight's effort on Saturday. Do you think if the stretch was a little longer you'd have picked off Tall Dark Stranger?

DM: I was getting to him halfway down the lane. That [Tall Dark Stranger] just knows how to win. He just kept sticking his head out...it seemed like if we went a little further I might have beat him but I might not have either. He knows how to win.

It's all going to come down to the trip. I don't think you'll see Yannick [Gingras, driver of Tall Dark Stranger] stroll his way to the lead like he did last week, or go around once and win the race. There's going to be a lot more action and it's going to be an exciting race.

SC: What would a North America Cup title mean to you?

DM: I've watched them all since I was young. It would be a good feather in my cap. I'm not saying there's nothing else you'd want to win for the rest of your life but it's definitely up there. We'll play it by ear and hopefully have some luck.

SC: You have a full dance card on Saturday night; is there a horse on the undercard you're really looking forward to driving?

DM: I've got the horse that's probably going to be 2-5 in the Fan Hanover, Party Girl Hill. I'm looking forward to driving her. She raced well...first time driving her, I'm used to her now and hopefully I can keep her undefeated streak alive.

SC: North America Cup night is a night that everyone looks forward to but there's going to be a different sort of ambiance without the normal crowd there.

DM: You're right there. We're going to miss the fans we usually get....it's usually a really fun night because there's always a big crowd. We're definitely going to miss that.

The 2020 Pepsi North America Cup headlines a stakes-filled card this Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park that also includes the $400,000 Fan Hanover, $290,000 Roses Are Red, $220,000 Armbro Flight, $234,058 Nassagaweya (two divisions) and $214,645 Eternal Camnation (three divisions) for what is surely the most star-studded card of harness racing on the Canadian calendar so far this season.

$1,000,000 Pepsi North America Cup

1. Mayhem Hanover (Randy Waples / Gregg McNair) 20-1

2. Moneyman Hill (Jonathan Drury / Carmen Auciello) 20-1

3. Captain Kirk (Jody Jamieson / Tony Alagna) 3-1

4. Tall Dark Stranger (Yannick Gingras / Nancy Takter) 7-5

5. Capt Midnight (Doug McNair / Tony Alagna) 9-2

6. Denali Seelster (Trevor Henry / Dr. Ian Moore) 20-1

7. Tattoo Artist (Bob McClure / Dr. Ian Moore) 8-1

8. Allywag Hanover (Louis-Philippe Roy / Brett Pelling) 4-1

9. Captain Barbossa (James MacDonald / Tony Alagna) 15-1

10. Odds On Osiris (Sylvain Filion / Melanie Wrenn) 10-1
Melbourne house values fell by 1.4 per cent in August, dragging down the national property market with warnings the winding back of key federal government support measures could hit prices in coming weeks.

CoreLogic's monthly measure of house values showed Melbourne suffered the biggest hit of any capital through August as the stage four lockdown was introduced.

House values across Melbourne dropped by 1.4 per cent in August as the stage four lockdown hit the property market. Credit:Fairfax Media

House values in Melbourne fell by 4 per cent through the past quarter and for the year so far are down by 2.5 per cent.

Unit values in the city dipped by 0.8 per cent to be 2.2 per cent down over the quarter and by 0.6 per cent since the start of the year.
Editors note: This article has been updated with new information released by the Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office on Tuesday morning.

A man and woman from Brooklyn, New York were arrested for narcotics and weapons offenses early Monday following a traffic stop in Clinton Township that ended with their car crashing into the back of a restaurant in Lebanon, authorities said.

Township police pulled over the vehicle at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Route 22 eastbound, where they made contact with Christian Joel Cordero and Genesis Bertefabian, the Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office said in a statement.

While searching the vehicle, officers located a loaded Glock magazine in the passenger compartment. When they confronted Cordero about it, he denied knowing about it and attempted to flee the scene, but was eventually taken into custody after resisting arrest, the prosecutors office said.

As Cordero was being arrested, Bertefabian jumped back into the vehicle and sped away. She later crashed the car into Chelseas Restaurant & Pub on Route 22 East in Lebanon, and was taken into custody by the New Jersey State Police, the prosecutors office said.

Officers found a loaded handgun located behind the restaurant, which they say Bertefabian put there in an attempt to hide it from police after the crash, the office said.

Both suspects were taken to the county jail to await court proceedings.

Cordero has been charged with second-degree illegal possession of a handgun, two counts of fourth-degree possession of high capacity magazines, third-degree resisting arrest, possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bertefabian has been charged with second-degree illegal possession of a handgun, two counts of fourth-degree possession of high capacity magazine, fourth-degree tampering with evidence, fourth-degree obstruction, fourth-degree resisting arrest, third-degree possession of CDS, possession of less than 50 grams marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com.
Seoul, Sep 1 : South Korea on Tuesday proposed a record-high government budget for 2021 to bolster economic recovery amid uncertainty over the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Proposal for the 2021 fiscal budget was set at 555.8 trillion won ($469 billion), 8.5 per cent higher than this year's budget, Xinhua news agency.

The record-high budget was unveiled to help reinvigorate the lackluster economy, caused by the pandemic.

In late August, the country's central bank expected the real gross domestic product (GDP) to contract 1.3 per cent this year.

It was down from the estimate of a 0.2-per cent fall announced in May.

The growth rate of the 2021 fiscal budget was lower than hikes of 9.5 per cent in 2019 and 9.1 per cent in 2020 each.

Because of the record-high budget, the ratio of national debt to GDP was estimated to rise to 46.7 per cent in 2021 from this year's 43.5 per cent.

The government will submit the 2021 budget proposal to the National Assembly on Thursday for approval.
Pakistan has blocked access to Tinder and several other dating apps in a bid to control immoral" and indecent" content, just days after regulators threatened to shut down YouTube for similar reasons.

Meanwhile, as always, netizens in Pakistan joked about it, asking, What will happen to the men?"

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said it had barred users from accessing Tinder, Grindr, SayHi, Tagged and Skout after the social networking apps failed to moderate content in accordance" with Pakistans laws.

The PTA said the ban addressed the negative effects of immoral/indecent content".

Shahzad Ahmad, director of digital rights group Bytes For All, slammed the PTAs moral policing".

If adults choose to be on an app, it is not for the state to dictate whether they should use it or not," Ahmad told AFP.

He described the ban as a completely ridiculous move" that people would find ways to circumvent.

The ban immediately took over Twitter with netizens jokingly raising their concern over the married men in the country.

What elite married men will do now without Tinder in Pakistan? khair elite hain they will find other ways to cheat on their wives. Nighat Dad (@nighatdad) September 1, 2020

No one is more upset about tinder being blocked in Pakistan than married men   (@theD_inDNA) August 30, 2020

Apparently #tinder has been banned in Pakistan. Its a sad day for the bald men of this country. Raza Ahmad (@razaahmad) August 31, 2020

sheesha cafes banned mixed gathering in schools/unis banned tinder banned totay banned jayein toh kidhr jayein? we have already sacrificed our own lives for Pakistan.  sugar kaka (@sugar_kaka) September 1, 2020

Cant believe they banned tinder in Pakistan. How am I going to go on dates with men who tell me they thought I was a lesbian because Im too confident to be straight now? nodairyplz (@nodairyplz) August 30, 2020

You took every thing form me. pic.twitter.com/wPBXETFBdr Hamad Zafar (@itshamadzafar) September 1, 2020

Oh no tinder banned in Pakistan, now what app married paki men would use to fool women? This is injustice with boht pyari chez mard".#tinder #tinderpakistan #tinderban Hafsa (@Hafsa51973753) August 30, 2020

Tinder did not immediately return a request for comment.

The PTA said the apps could request to have their blocks lifted if they show they are moderating the indecent/immoral content through meaningful engagement".

The regulator did not specify what it meant by that engagement.

Last week, the PTA asked YouTube to immediately block all videos they consider objectionable" from being accessed in the country.

The demand was criticised by rights campaigners who fear creeping censorship and control of Pakistans internet and printed media.

And in July, authorities issued a final warning to Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, ordering it to filter any obscene content.

The Muslim-majority country has several existing or proposed restrictions that target free speech, usually in the name of Islam or national security.

( with inputs from AFP )
Fortnite is about to get a whole lot prettier. As revealed during NVIDIAs event, Epic Games all-conquering battle royale will support ray-tracing and DLSS, NVIDIAs AI-powered antialiasing tech, sometime soon.

Unless you play on a next-gen console that can handle ray-tracing, youll need a GPU that can support all of that, so its probably no surprise the news dropped on the same day NVIDIA revealed new RTX cards. Still, if the Fortnite map ever floods again, reflections in those giant walls of water should look much richer.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

Trend:

On its official website, the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (AGF) has posted the congratulatory message dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the independent Trend news agency.

Trend news agency celebrates its 25th anniversary on September 1.

"We sincerely congratulate the agency, which is the official partner of the AGF for many years. We wish the agency new achievements in its activity, to be always in the forefront not only in Azerbaijan but also outside our country!" the message said.

"We express our deep gratitude to Trend news agency for cooperation, support during many years, as well as for promptly and accurately informing the public about the latest events in the world of gymnastics. Our cooperation is very valuable to us." the message said.
The Chairman of First Bank, Ibikun Awosika, has made her film debut in Kunle Afolayan's latest movie, 'Citation'.

Exploring the subject of social decadence in the educational sector, the yet-to-be-released movie is a college drama about a female postgraduate student who has to find a way of dealing with sexual harassment from a lecturer.

In the movie, Mrs Awosika plays herself, only this time around, Ibukun Awosika, a university faculty dean in the movie, heads the senate hearing panel of Moremi (Temi Otedola) and Lucien (Jimmy-Jean Louis),

Afolayan unveiled her as the surprise cast member in the film which already boasts an ensemble of A-list actors of diverse nationalities on Monday.

The filmmaker also revealed that the movie was privately screened at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) to align with his team's advocacy initiative. On the choice of OAU, he said, 'We showcased Citation first at Obafemi Awolowo University - the very location the production was shot; a university highly notable for their zero-tolerance to sexual harassment. This is evident in their Anti Sexual Harassment policy (ASH Policy)".

Cast

'Citation' cast include Ivorian theatre icon, Bienvenu Neba; veteran broadcaster and actor, Sadiq Daba; upcoming Nollywood actress, Bukunmi Oluwashina; French-Ivorian actor and screenwriter, Raymond Reboul; theatre educator, Toyin Bifarin and veteran Nigerian film director and actor, Wole Olowomojuore, aka 'Baba Gebu'.

Afolayan said: "it all began in 2018 with the pre-production of Citation, then the production in January 2020, and now the 30th of August, we officially had the first private screening of Citation at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). Why OAU? Well, not only was Citation shot at the University, but our surprise cast is an alumnus of the school".

Temi Otedola, one of the daughters of billionaire Femi Otedola, will be making her acting debut in the new movie which focuses on sexual harassment on university campuses alongside Afolayan's brother, Gabriel.

The film will be available for private screenings in September and October, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has changed perceptions about whose jobs really matter in times of crisis. This includes grocery store workers, delivery drivers and others who worked outside the home at essential businesses that the state allowed to continue operating during the pandemic. Despite the newfound appreciation for these workers, many are still waiting for city, state and federal governments to give them the help they need to get through the pandemic and all of the economic damage it caused.

As more people return to working outside home, they are joining the cause for new action on workplace safety and other issues. While it remains to be seen what will happen in the coming months  the ongoing pandemic and upcoming presidential election are two very big variables in all of this  there are some contentious fights ahead involving businesses, the people they employ and the unions that represent them. Here are five things to issues to watch.

Budget cuts

Public-sector unions are facing deep cuts to their ranks as the state and local governments grapple with the economic damage of the pandemic, including more than 22,000 possible layoffs in New York City alone. This will require everyone from teamsters to teachers to reconsider their collective bargaining agreements in order to help cities bridge budget gaps through pay freezes, early retirements and reduced health care benefits.

A new round of federal stimulus funding could in theory save them from making such concessions, but it is increasingly likely that thousands of jobs will depend on organized labor agreeing to live with less moving forward. However, some might try to carve out exemptions from cuts at the local or state levels. This could come through a variety of legislative avenues, from protecting agencies from budget cuts to pushing new legislation that would require higher staffing levels.

Hazard pay

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, state lawmakers and other elected leaders agree that frontline workers deserve more pay for all the work they continue to do during the pandemic while others stay home. This could be a 50% increase in overall pay during the ongoing public health emergency, as the governor proposed back in April. Pending legislation in the state Legislature would set up a hazard pay program that would also includes two additional weeks of vacation. It could be something else entirely to be determined.

There are two big hurdles to getting this over the finish line. The first is determining who qualifies as an essential worker. A future hazard pay program could cover anyone from frontline health care workers (doctors, nurses and hospital staff) to public employees (cops, firefighters and professional bureaucrats) to millions of people in other positions like grocery store clerks, building cleaning staff and home health aides. An even bigger limiting factor in getting hazard pay passed is finding a way to pay for it. Elected officials are still hoping the federal government will foot the bill, though some state lawmakers say increasing taxes on the wealthy offers a different path at the state level.

Excluded workers

While pandemic aid programs have helped millions, there are some categories of people (undocumented people, the incarcerated and gig workers) who have missed out on government aid despite their various needs. For example, many food delivery workers are undocumented immigrants who do not qualify for things like stimulus checks, enhanced unemployment benefits and food stamps. This situation is unlikely to change in the near future at the federal level despite passage of some aid for undocumented people in the stimulus bill passed by House Democrats in May.

Supporters of a proposal to establish a new state fund to help excluded workers argue that it helps the overall economy by stimulating billions in economic activity while helping as many as 120,000 people get through a time of record unemployment in New York, according to a recent report from The Fiscal Policy Institute, a liberal think tank. The $750-per-week benefit would be paid for by a new tax on stock transfers. With the governor and key state lawmakers not yet behind raising taxes broadly speaking, it remains to be seen how far the proposed legislation can advance in the state Capitol.

Workplace safety

State lawmakers are also pushing a bill that would require an employer to notify workers of outbreaks in workplaces like Amazons sprawling warehouses. Another effort aims to require workplaces to have pandemic preparedness plans and plenty of PPE available at job sites of all types. A bill introduced by state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris in August would mandate minimum workplace safety requirements in the new normal, based on many of the various labor-related executive orders that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has issued during the pandemic. The so-called New York HEROES Act would also include additional rules for testing, PPE and other health-focused workplace requirements.

Meanwhile, political forces on the other side of the political spectrum are hoping that the pandemic will finally help them win a decades-old fight to amend the Scaffold Law, a 19th century law that makes employers responsible for injuries on the job. Political pressure from the construction industry did not get the governor to use his emergency powers to suspend such requirements earlier this year, but it does signal that many of the same fights will continue over how much responsibility employers have for making sure their workers are safe.

Gig workers

Way before the advent of COVID-19, state lawmakers and the governor were negotiating how to update state labor laws for an era when digital startups like Uber, DoorDash and others have upended the relationship between worker and boss. While the pandemic has brought hardship to gig workers  like the unemployed drivers who had to fight the state to get their benefits  there is hope that they still might secure some significant advances (even the head of Uber says something has to be done) as the pandemic highlights their importance to the economy, whether they deliver food or provide transportation or other types of freelance services.

State lawmakers and the governor nearly struck a deal earlier in the year to change the way that gig workers are classified under state law. As things currently stand, many of them are independent contractors whose supposed self-employment contrasts with the various ways that app-based companies like Postmates control their hours and pay. The next state budget offers another opportunity for the sides to reach a deal that may make state labor laws better for gig workers moving forward.
The strictures of performing in the coronavirus era will prevent that from happening, but Catalano never has needed much help onstage. His sound is so huge and his spirit so robust that practically any room seems a little too small for him. So even though hell be leading a trio thats safely distanced onstage and playing behind plexiglass, its easy to imagine that listeners will be able to hear him out on Hubbard Street.
As I said last week, the new USBC bowling season officially began Aug. 1.

However, there are 50-plus counties in lower Michigan where the bowling centers are still waiting for approval to open their doors.

Regions 1 through 5 and Region 7, (as defined by the state of Michigan), have been getting ready to begin their bowling season as soon as that approval is given. (Bowling centers, Gyms and Movie Theaters are being considered for possible approval to open.)

The new plan to re-open Riverwood Lanes leagues is after Labor Day- Sept. 8, (sooner if approval received). Any league meetings will go on as planned for the rest of this week. (See schedule below.)

* Tuesday, 9/1/2020, 6:30pm  League meeting for the 989 Mens A(Thursday)

* Wednesday, 9/2/2020, 6:30pm  League meeting for the Womens Riverwood Rollers

* Wednesday, 9/2/2020, 6:30pm  League meeting for the Wed Mens Money

* Tuesday, 9/15/2020, 7:00pm  League meeting for AJs Tax Trio Draft

* Wednesday Alley Beakers league  Still deciding if any bowlers plan to bowl this season

* Thursday Womens High Rollers  Meeting already held. Planning to start whenever approval is given

* Friday Misfits Senior league  Still deciding when / if they plan to bowl or not

* Saturday Youth bowling  Planning to start on Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 am start-up

Youth sign-up information will be at Riverwood or you can contact Becky Pope or me. Local Youth membership costs remain $10, (includes $4 USBC dues / $6 local processing fee). Weekly league fees are still to be determined.

Remember, if interested in returning to or joining USBC-certified league bowling, LET SOMEONE KNOW! Call your team captain, your league secretary, your local bowling center, or me (Dave Lewis at 989/560-8009)!

MP USBC Annual Certification (sanction) fees also remain $22. Thats less than $1 a week for the various 28 to 32-week leagues. Last season, weekly bowling league fees varied from $12 to $20.

League meeting discussion topics: Officer elections, (if needed), starting date & time, season length, lineage costs. Riverwood Lanes would like to attend and contribute to your league meeting, so schedule your meeting thru Terri.

Help all local bowling centers successfully start off their 2020-2021 season!

If you cannot find bowling in your area, come to Riverwood Lanes in Mount Pleasant for bowling fun this season!

MP USBC(Adults/Youth)-(989)560-8009

Riverwood Lanes  (989)773-BOWL(2695)

Gateway Lanes, Clare  (989)386-2201

Pins, Ithaca  (989)875-4217

When calling your local bowling center, ask for time slots that fit your schedule. If none, talk with your local proprietor to see if theres enough interest to start your own league. New leagues are formed every season. Call any of the numbers above to discover whats available. Leagues for the upcoming bowling season will organize soon. Most leagues have room to expand. You may even want to get family, friends, and co-workers of all ages involved too.

Tuesdays at Riverwood has a unique league  (7:30pm-9:30pm  AJs Tax Trio Draft)

* Offering options for season length  10, 19, or 28 weeks(Weekly league fees: $20, which includes $3 for jackpots)

* Three separate 9-week sessions, plus Week 28 (CASH DAY), which would be the final week of bowling.

* Individual sign-up, open to all adults(men & women) and all averages, last season averages 92 to 235.

* The three separate 9-week sessions begin: Sept. 22, Nov. 24, and/or Feb. 2.

* Call/text/email: Dave Lewis(989/560-8009 or email david.paul.lewis@charter.net to sign up or for more info.

Check out the BOWL.COM website: for current news or visit the following links for:

* USBC Hall of Famer Dick Ritger dies at age 81

* USBC purchases Bowlers Journal International brand assets

* Five schools awarded Bowlers Ed kits

* USBC Hall of Famer Bill Lillard Sr. wins 2020 OC Bracket Challenge

* 2020 OC Bracket Challenge concludes with exciting final match

Mount Pleasant USBC  Serving all mid-Michigan communities. (Almost 60 different Michigan cities are represented within our active bowlers from 2019-2020.) Ill see you on the lanes. Now that weve had a season to remember, lets just get started.

Next column planned for Sept. 9, focusing on the various league start-ups & league openings.

I hope to see you on the lanes in September and throughout the entire 2020-2021 season.

WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! I hope you all stayed safe and healthy throughout the pandemic. Mid-Michigan can find all their bowling needs at Riverwood Lanes(MP), Gateway Lanes(Clare), & Pins(Ithaca)!
A 3D printed Google logo is placed on the Apple Macbook in this illustration

By Stephen Nellis and Paresh Dave

(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc on Tuesday announced a new system that will enable public health authorities to use smartphones to assist in contact tracing without having to build an app.

The new system - called Exposure Notifications Express - will allow public health officials to submit a small configuration file to Apple and Google. The two tech companies will then use the file to set up systems that phone owners can opt in to in order to determine whether they have been near someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

In the case of iPhones, a new version of the iOS operating system being released on Tuesday will alert users whether an exposure notification system is available from local health authorities and allow users to set it up without downloading any new apps. On Android devices, users will also get a prompt from the phone's operating system, but will still have to download an automatically generated app.

The two companies said Maryland, Nevada, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., will be the first U.S. places to use the new system. The new system also works alongside tools that the two companies released in May that enable public health officials to build apps that allow iPhones and Android devices to use Bluetooth signals to detect proximity to a person who has tested positive.

Six U.S. states and about two dozen countries have launched exposure notification apps based on the Apple-Google technology in recent weeks without major hitches.

The apps are increasingly compatible with each other, allowing for cross-border tracking. A few jurisdictions, such as Hawaii, are moving forward with separate tracking technology.

However, the effectiveness of exposure notification apps in helping slow coronavirus spread remains a major question. Most governments are not tracking detailed data on app usage in the interest of user privacy.

In Alabama, for example, more than 1,000 students caught the virus in an outbreak in August. But a university representative said it was too early to tell whether a two-week-old state app had made any difference.

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis and Paresh Dave in San Francisco and Douglas Busvine in Berlin; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Turkey extends Mediterranean gas exploration mission Turkey deployed the Oruc Reis research vessel and warships to the disputed waters on August 10 and prolonged the mission twice

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday played up Turkey's military might after extending a Mediterranean gas exploration mission that has pitted it against Greece and the rest of the EU.

Turkey's push into disputed waters has raised the stakes in the energy-rich but volatile region, reviving long-standing hostilities between the two neighbours.

Greece accuses Turkey of violating its sovereignty, while Ankara says its NATO ally is pursuing a "maximalist" approach that offers no room for talks.

The European Union is watching the conflict with growing concern, with Germany spearheading efforts to get the sides to temper the rhetoric and settle their differences through talks.

Turkey deployed the Oruc Reis research vessel and warships to the disputed waters on August 10 and prolonged the mission twice.

Greece responded by staging naval exercises with several EU allies and the United Arab Emirates not far from smaller ones Turkey conducted between Cyprus and Crete last week.

Turkey's most recent extension of the mission was until Tuesday, raising the possibility of a respite in a fast-escalating conflict that includes deals the two countries struck with war-torn Libya and Egypt.

But in a message on NAVTEX, the international maritime navigational telex system, Turkey said late Monday the seismic vessel's stay in the eastern Mediterranean would be extended until September 12.

The Turkish message said the Oruc Reis was being accompanied by Turkey's two other auxiliary vessels, the Cengiz Han and the Ataman.

Showing no sign of compromise, Erdogan said Turkey would not be intimidated by Greece's alliance with European military powers such as France.

"Even if hostile fronts unite, they cannot stop the rise of Turkey," Erdogan said.

"It's laughable now to use as bait a country (Greece) which could not even fight its way out of a paper bag against a regional and global power like Turkey," Erdogan said in a speech at his palace in Ankara.

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Erdogan said attempts to deny Turkey's right to the Mediterranean's "riches" were "an example of modern colonialism".

- 'Greece will lose' -

Ankara's relations with Athens have deteriorated sharply, with strains over issues including migration and Turkey's decision to convert Byzantine-era churches into mosques including the Istanbul landmark Hagia Sophia.

Images published in the media last week showing Greek soldiers arriving on the island of Kastellorizo, known as Meis in Turkish, appear to have opened another front in the dispute.

The island is only two kilometres (1.2 miles) from Turkey's ancient seaside town of Kas in the Antalya province.

The Oruc Reis mission is being conducted near that island, with the navy also scheduling a series of live fire exercises further to the east this month.

Turkey accused Greece of trying to "arm the island" despite a 1947 peace treaty that established its demilitarised status.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Greece appeared to be arming its security personnel on the islands beyond the limits established by international law.

"You can have police and gendarmerie officers for internal security... without heavy weaponry, but there is a limit," Cavusoglu told reporters.

"If there is a militarisation that goes beyond that, it will be Greece who loses."

But a Greek official said soldiers had already been stationed on the island and the photos were from a "routine troop rotation".

The EU has repeatedly urged Turkey to stop the exploration activities and threatened to slap sanctions on Ankara if it refused to solve the dispute through talks.

bur-raz/zak/wdb
Bhubaneswar: Rajanikant Satpathy is a poultry farm owner in Jajpur district of Odisha. A few months ago he invested nearly Rs 5 lakh on a poultry farm. All through the weeks the rest of the country was being ravaged by the coronavirus, Satpathy's farm grew well and the birds grew well. Last week, he decided to cash in. He expected to get about Rs 7 lakh, a cool profit and a handsome amount to reinvest.

This week, his hopes lie shattered. Floods in the Baitarani river have washed away his farm and my poultry unit. The birds were washed away, and farm is rubble.

Satpathy's bad luck story is common to thousands of rural entrepreneurs in Odisha this flood season. It's a bit ironic that farmers who endured the coronavirus pandemic should be devastated by a flood, an annual occurrence.

Especially first-time entrepreneurs and guest workers who returned to take up agriculture activities in coastal Odisha, investing the little money they brought back, have been left in ruins.

Akshya Rout, a guest worker of Dharmasala in Jajpur district returned from Surat in April. Back in village, he took a loan from a bank and sowed brinjal and other vegetables in his two hectares of land on the banks of the Brahmani river. The river burst its banks last week and left no trace of Rout's brinjals. "The Brahmani devoured them all," said Rout.

Several other guest workers I met this week, people who returned to open small businesses -- carpentry, pottery, furniture workshops, all had the same story to tell.

I used to work as a mechanic in a textile factory in Bangalore. After I returned, I opened a furniture fabrication unit with my savings of about Rs 2 lakh rupees. The factory was washed away bythe Mahandi, said Tapan Kumar Swain of Banki in Cuttack district.

All of Odisha's major rivers, including Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Birupa, Luna and Chitratopala, have been quick to flood this year, and were still flowing above their danger marks Monday evening.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik has assured compensation to the entrepreneurs after the flood damage assessment exercise is completed by the district authorities.
French anti-jihadist troops in Mali killed a civilian Tuesday and injured two others after a bus refused to slow down in a volatile area despite their orders, the French army command said.

The incident occurred about 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the city of Gao in Mali's troubled north.

The French soldiers fired warning shots in the ground but two bullets bounced off and hit the windscreen, wounding three people, including one fatally, the French army command said.

"The seriously wounded person was evacuated by helicopter to the hospital of the (French) Barkhane force in Gao, but died of his injuries," it said.

"All steps have been taken to ascertain the exact sequence of events," it said, expressing its "sincere condolences to the family of the deceased."

Mali is now under the control of a junta which seized power in a putsch two weeks ago.

Swathes of its territory are outside of the control of central authorities and years of fighting have failed to halt an Islamist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives since emerging in 2012.

France has deployed over 5,000 troops serving in its Barkhane anti-jihadist force in West Africa.

A key part of French strategy to combat terrorism in the turbulent region lies with the so-called G5 Sahel force -- a scheme to create a 5,000-man joint force gathering Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Mali and Niger.

But the force lacks equipment, training and funds.

(AFP)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Wirecard AG is pictured at its headquarters in Aschheim

By John O'Donnell and Christian Kraemer

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German lawmakers launched a parliamentary inquiry into the collapse of payments firm Wirecard on Tuesday in an effort to force the government to reveal more about a failure to avert the country's biggest post-war corporate fraud.

The investigation into the implosion of a company once seen as a German success story worth $28 billion will increase pressure on German chancellor Angela Merkel and her deputy Olaf Scholz ahead of national elections next year.

Wirecard's demise has embarrassed Germany's government, which prides itself on a reputation for rectitude and reliability, amid criticism that authorities ignored red flags.

"This was a fake company," said Fabio De Masi, a German lawmaker who played a key role in launching the inquiry that empowers parliamentarians to interrogate officials and demand information. "We are not getting the answers we need".

The German government has said Merkel brought up Wirecard's planned takeover of a company in China during a visit there in September 2019 and that a senior official in her office subsequently pledged further support to Wirecard.

In an official parliamentary response, it said that Merkel did not know at the time of the irregularities at Wirecard, which is being dismantled after its disclosure of a 1.9 billion euro hole in its accounts in June triggered its insolvency.

Scholz, who heads Germany's finance ministry, is responsible for regulator BaFin, which has been criticised for failing to take Wirecard to task, spending years probing critics instead.

A spokesman for the ministry said it would cooperate with the parliamentary enquiry and that it was working on stricter rules for auditors, supervision and accounting controls.

The government has also said that there had been more than 1,000 suspect transactions involving Wirecard since mid 2017, although most were not related to the scandal.

Money transfers are usually flagged to Germany's anti-money-laundering agency if, for example, they are suspiciously large.

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'STONE WALLING'

Wirecard's former CEO Markus Braun and other executives have been held on suspicion of running a criminal racket that defrauded creditors of 3.2 billion euros.

Those accused, including Braun, deny any wrongdoing. Former chief operating officer Jan Marsalek is on the run.

The company's collapse has highlighted Germany's lax oversight of financial firms, prompting authorities from regulator BaFin to local government to deflect responsibility for what one top official conceded was a "total disaster".

"Instead of explaining itself, the government is stone walling," said Lisa Paus, of the Green party, announcing the alliance with the Left party and pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) in launching the probe.

Wirecard started out handling payments for gambling and adult websites and had processed payments for companies including Visa and Mastercard.

Some of the world's biggest investors held its shares before it unravelled after a whistleblower said it owed its success to a web of sham transactions.

Although allegations of fraud at Wirecard had been doing the rounds for years, German prosecutors focused on investigating the investors and journalists who highlighted irregularities.

The episode is unfolding as Germany holds the rotating presidency for the European Union, chairing key diplomatic meetings on European policy such as anti-money laundering.

The Financial Action Task Force, a global watchdog that oversees anti-money laundering controls in various countries, is also due to carry out a routine review of Germany's record.

(Reporting by Christian Kraemer and John O'Donnell; Editing by Tom Sims, Alexander Smith and David Evans)
Former President Pranab Mukherjees death is a heavy loss to Sino-India friendship, China said on Tuesday, expressing deep condolences at the passing of the veteran Indian politician.

Former President Mukherjee was a veteran statesman of India. In his 50 years in politics, he made positive contributions to China-India relations, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at the regular ministry briefing on Tuesday responding to a question from the state-run media on Mukherjees death.

Referring to Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to India in 2014 and his meeting with Mukherjee, who was the 13th Indian President, she said after the meeting the two countries had issued a joint statement on building closer partnership.

It is a heavy loss for China-India friendship and for India. We express deep condolences over his passing and extend sincere sympathies to the Indian government and his family, she said.

Mukherjee had visited China in 2016 and in a series of meetings with the Chinese leadership and the business community had sought greater market access in the worlds most populous country for Indian businesses.

In a speech delivered in the southern trade and business hub of Guangzhou in Guangdong province, Mukherjee had said economic ties between the two countries had grown considerably from under $3 billion in 2000.

By 2015-16, the bilateral trade had crossed $70 billion, he had said.

India believes there is great potential for economic and commercial cooperation among our two nations ... the stability of our relationship in recent years provides an enabling basis for utilising these opportunities and coming together, Mukherjee had said in an indirect reference to the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two nations.

While alluding to Chinas repeated decision to block Indias inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a grouping of 48 nations, Mukherjee had said New Delhi had always supported Beijings inclusion in international organisations.

India, he had said, believed that Chinas presence must be there in multilateral organisations, as otherwise its huge population would be left unrepresented.

The basic cardinal principle of Indias foreign policy is to recognise divergences  we have never indulged in expanding the divergences but reducing the divergences and expanding the areas of agreement, Mukherjee had said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:

Korean-Uzbek Business Association will act as a bridge in the process of mutual exchanges and establishing various ties between the two countries, Trend reports with the reference to Dunyo information agency.

On April 2, 2020, we received a license to carry out activities from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and founded Korean-Uzbek Business Association, said Chairman of the Korean-Uzbek Business Association Kim Yong-Ku.

In Uzbekistan Korean culture is especially popular. In addition, Uzbekistan is one of the key countries in the implementation of the New Northern Economic Policy pursued by the government of the Republic of Korea, said Deputy Chairman Kim Chang-keon.

He also added that Uzbekistan actively promotes the attraction of foreign capital, and also provides various benefits to foreign investors, in particular South Korean investors.

The government of Uzbekistan is also actively supporting the provision of the required various infrastructure. In addition, not only the domestic market of Uzbekistan has a very high potential, the country also has very favorable geopolitical conditions, since Uzbekistan gives an opportunity to enter the markets of the neighboring countries of the Central Asian region, in South-West Asia and Europe.

On the part of Uzbekistan, in November 2018, a Trade Representation was created in the Republic of Korea in order to increase the volume and intensify trade between the two countries.

We do not have any special restrictions regarding the conditions for admission to the Association. If you are interested in Uzbekistan, if you like Uzbekistan, you can become a member of our Association, said Kim Chang-keon.

Currently, about 600 South Korean companies operate in Uzbekistan. However, at the moment, the industrial structure of Uzbekistan is still based on light industry, so this direction is promising for entrepreneurial activities.

Currently, work is underway to promote the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The volume of trade turnover between the two countries in 2019 amounted to $2.1 billion. Of this amount, Korea's surplus was approximately $2 billion, which shows a significant imbalance in this process.

The government of Uzbekistan proposed the conclusion of a free trade agreement in order to eliminate such inequality. On the part of the Korean government, which is currently promoting the New Northern Economic Policy, it is necessary to look for exits deep into the Eurasian continent.

At the moment, active working discussions are underway at the level of the ministries of the two countries. And if the visit of the president of Uzbekistan to Korea is carried out this year, as far as I know, during the visit it is planned to sign a document by the leaders of the two countries, said Kim Chang-keon.
TURTLE CREEK TOWNSHIP, Ohio  A police officer in southwest Ohio was wounded Monday when a murder suspect opened fire on police following a car chase, according to reports.

The suspect also was wounded when officers returned fire, WLWT Channel 5 reports. Both the officer and the suspect are expected to recover.

Denny Jordan, a 21-year veteran of the Middletown Police Department, was wounded in the hand, tricep and leg, WCPO Channel 9 reports. A K9 officer with Jordan, Koda, was not injured.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says officers from several agencies began chasing the vehicle with the suspect at about 4 p.m. Monday, WLWT reports. The male suspect is wanted in connection with a homicide in Hamilton, Ohio.

The chase covered two counties and ended with the suspects vehicle in the front yard of a residence, reports say. WCPO reports officers broke the window of the vehicle to try to get the suspect out. Thats when he opened fire, according to WCPO.

Jones says five officers returned fire and wounded the suspect. Police have not released information on the suspect.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the incident, reports say.
Homeschooling. It's a concept that many parents across the country got a taste of earlier this year. We heard a lot about frazzled working parents under intense pressure - and rightly so - but what of the parents who embraced the flexibility, the slower pace, the absence of packed lunches and school-runs. And what of those children, perhaps bullied or anxious at school, who thrived in a home environment?

As the new term starts, rising Covid-19 cases, a lack of information and vague safety guidelines are concerning parents. Leo Varadkar's remarks - that clusters in schools will be "almost inevitable" - did nothing to quell their fears. Those with extremely high-risk family members are deeply worried. For them, home education might be the only safe option for their family until a vaccine or treatment is found.

It's little wonder that there has been a surge in interest in homeschooling. The Home Education Network has seen inquiries increase by 200pc from parents interested in taking their children out of school.

Read More

I was one of those parents who didn't miss the school-run one bit. It wasn't all plain sailing - my husband and I had to juggle our workload, which was pretty intense - but I felt a pang of regret on the last day of "term". I miss the mornings with my three children at the kitchen table, books open, extremely large coffee in hand. I wasn't a particularly patient teacher, but I got an insight into the learning styles and interests of Willow (8), and Thea (6). I'm not crafty, either, but the girls and Leon (3), painted tree bark and tin cans, baked bread and made a bug hotel. We all learnt together. It was a little bubble of normality and routine in a world gone crazy.

This was also the case for Ruth Manning and Stephen Moloney, who live in Ballinspittle, Co Cork, with their four children, Vivienne (9), Donncha (7), Adele (5), and Fionn (18 months). "It's been really eye-opening," said Ruth. "All our children are much more content in themselves. I loved seeing their natural curiosity and interest in learning every day, which they've always had but I feel got drowned out in the constant running around."

Ruth was already considering homeschooling her eldest daughter, but her lockdown experience sealed the deal. "Vivienne attends a really lovely school and has made fantastic friends, but issues she was having regarding learning and anxiety were having a huge impact on both her emotional wellbeing and her school work. She was much happier in herself during school holidays, when there was less day-to-day stress, so we took the lockdown as an opportunity to see how homeschooling would work for us," she said.

From September, Vivienne will be homeschooled by her mum when Donncha and Adele return to the classroom. "My seven-year old and five-year-old want to go back and that's absolutely fine. They have completely different learning styles to my eldest daughter," she said.

There is no obligation for parents in Ireland to send their children to school. Bunreacht na hEireann supports the right of parents to educate their own children, however, parents must register their child and go through an assessment process. The latest Tusla figures show nearly 1,500 children on the register.

That figure is set to rise. Cora McCauley of the Home Education Network says that there has been a recent flurry of interest on the network's private Facebook group as well as a 200pc increase in email inquiries. She believes lockdown made many parents realise that educating at home is a viable option. "Families had it pushed on them who wouldn't have considered it before," said McCauley. "They didn't have time to do any research or think about it. But some realised, yes, it's something we can do."

For Marta Lopez Perez, lockdown came as a welcome relief. Her son, Aaron was not enjoying school one bit. "It was a fight every single morning to get Aaron to go to school," she said. "When the lockdown started it was a huge relief not to have that battle.'' What's more, Aaron thrived at home. "He got interested in reading again, he was delighted to learn based on his own interests. I saw him more relaxed, happy and content."

Marta, who lives with her husband, Antonio Torres Meral, and their three children, Aaron (6), Claudia (2), and Martina (five months), in Dunlavin, Co Wicklow, has a background in education. She completed a Masters in Spain in active pedagogy, a student-driven learning approach relatively unknown here. Marta plans to be in charge of homeschooling and looking after her children until 5pm, when her husband, who works for Amazon, finishes his job. He will then take over and she will work into the evening on her translation agency business.

Another important factor in their decision is of course Covid-19: the disruption, school safety protocols and that constant fear of sickness. "When I mentioned going back to school, Aaron completely refused," said Lopez Perez. "Together with the idea of face masks, the fear of normal winter coughs, so much indoor time, hand sanitiser every minute and social distancing - plus the possibility of being in and out of school and the potential of schools closing again - it didn't make sense for us."

Her only concern for is social interaction. "I've created two [local homeschool] groups so we have a few like-minded people to interact with," she said. "The Facebook groups are also a great support."

The couple are going to do a year and see how it goes. "For now it's a test to see how it works," said Marta. "Who knows, we might fall in love with it."

For others, such as Laura and Patrick Fox in Dublin, homeschooling is a serious consideration due to the very real threat of Covid-19 to their family. Meningitis has left their son Jack (14) in need of 24-hour care. He has severe global development delay, cerebral palsy, scoliosis, he is visionary impaired, peg-fed, has uncontrolled seizures and is a wheelchair user. The couple also have two other sons, Henry (4), and Failey (3).

"This epic Covid virus was a colossal reason for considering homeschool," said Laura. "We were already doing it due to lockdown, and with Jack's life threatened, it felt the logical thing to do. Jack's medical background usually has us on edge with flu season, but Covid is the next level."

The family decided early on that Jack would not return to his special needs school "until there's a vaccine or we are completely clear of the virus". But what about his brothers? "Through my eyes, schooling this September feels like a scary chain of teachers, plus children, plus other staff, plus all the people they have individually come into contact with," she said. "One tiny human sneeze or unwashed hand looks detrimental to us. Naturally the idea of keeping all three home was the answer to Jack's survival. It would put us all in a bubble."

The Fox family were all set, until their son Henry spoke up. "My lovely Hen innocently expressed to me that he would stay in and wait out corona," she said. "Being social is important for everyone. He should be playing with his school friends, engaging in awkward altercations, showing others kindness and growing emotionally with his peers."

The Fox family have decided to let their younger sons return to Dublin Steiner School. "It's a warm, emotionally secure place with lots of outdoor play," says Fox. "It's a very small school - if it was a national school I'd definitely keep them at home." However, if the Covid situation deteriorates, Laura says she'd take them out immediately. "I have the confidence and knowledge to pull them out. Having the homeschool route as an option has eased my mind. Jack needs to be in the bubble, not Henry and Failey. They need an escape from the isolation of a special needs family they've had every day since they were born."

Both Ruth Manning and Marta Lopez Perez are looking forward to the new term. "I'm a bit nervous, excited and eager to start," said Marta. Ruth adds: "I am feeling anxious, wondering whether I'm up to the task. But after seeing the improvement in my daughter's confidence over the past few months I'm also excited to go forward. It's been wonderful to see her progress. Once we make sure she can continue to meet up with her friends regularly I feel she will thrive."
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is expected to confirm on Wednesday the nation's first recession in 30 years, with Victoria and NSW showing the biggest downturns.

More people are out of work than at any other time this century, Victoria largely remains locked down and there is no vaccine in sight for COVID-19.

ASX optimism is widespread and relatively uniform across most market sectors. Credit: Tamara Voninski

However, the Australian Securities Exchange has hardly noticed, with shares up meaningfully so far this company earnings season.

Over the first three weeks of the fiscal second-half reporting period, the ASX benchmark All Ordinaries Index climbed more than 3 per cent, excluding dividends. And the gains are not restricted to just in a few isolated areas.
1. Yes. Too many kids are staying home. They need a virtual learning option to keep up.

2. Yes. Teachers are out sick and subs cant handle the load. Online learning is needed.

3. No. Its too late in the school year to make a wholesale switch in teaching platforms.

4.No. Many parents arent in a position to stay home while their kids learn virtually.

5. Unsure. It may seem like a good idea from a health standpoint, but it has shortcomings.

Vote

View Results
Social media behemoth Facebook is threatening to ban news from being shared on its main app and Instagram in Australia in a major attack on a new regulatory code that would force it and Google to pay publishers for content.

Facebook Australia managing director Will Easton said the proposed legislation, which was announced by the competition regulator in July, misunderstands "the dynamic of the internet" and will damage news organisations.

Managing director of Facebook Australia Will Easton has launched a scathing attack on the local competition regulator. Credit:Louise Kennerley

"Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram. This is not our first choice  it is our last," Mr Easton said.

"We already invest millions of dollars in Australian news businesses and, during discussions over this legislation, we offered to invest millions more. We had also hoped to bring Facebook News to Australia, a feature on our platform exclusively for news, where we pay publishers for their content.
Tiffany Trump on Monday told Joe Biden to 'stop lying' and said 'God knows the truth' after the Democrat accused the president of 'poisoning our very democracy'.

Taking to Twitter the youngest daughter of the president wrote: 'Please stop lying Joe. You may think we are too ignorant to see through the lies but God knows the truth.'

Biden on Monday had ridiculed Trump for some of the attacks he's made about the Democrat.

Biden made the case that he's the president who can bring people together, the opposite of Trump, who he said was 'poisoning our very democracy.'

Tiffany, who also made an appearance last Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention, hit back with a rare political tweet shortly after.

Her speech last week was much more mature than the one she delivered four years ago in Cleveland, as she gushed about the notes the now-president would write on her report cards.

In it she railed against the media, the tech giants and the education system suggesting they keep the American people 'mentally enslaved.'

Tiffany Trump on Monday told Joe Biden to 'stop lying' and said 'God knows the truth' after the Democrat accused the president of 'poisoning our very democracy'

Joe Biden on Monday had ridiculed Trump for some of the attacks he's made about the Democrat, while making the case he's the president who can bring people together, the opposite of Trump, who Biden said was 'poisoning our very democracy'

Tiffany, who also made an appearance last Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention, hit back with a rare tweet shortly after

Accusing the president of 'poisoning' the nation's values, Biden on Monday condemned violence at recent protests and blamed Trump as the battle over who's at fault and who can keep Americans safe emerged as the sharpest dividing line for the campaign's final weeks.

Biden, in his most direct attacks yet, accused Trump of causing the divisions that have ignited the violence, delivering an uncharacteristically blistering speech and distancing himself from radical forces involved in altercations.

He said of Trump: 'He doesn't want to shed light, he wants to generate heat, and he's stoking violence in our cities. He can't stop the violence because for years he's fomented it.'

Biden also tried to refocus the race on what has been its defining theme  Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that has left more than 180,000 Americans dead  after a multi-day onslaught by the president's team to make the campaign about the violence rattling American cities.

Biden himself has largely remained near his home in Delaware to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but he stepped out in a new phase of his campaign on Monday, in a speech in Pittsburgh and a brief stop at a local firehouse.

Trump and his campaign team believe that the more the national discourse is about anything other than the virus, the better it is for the president.

They have seized upon the recent unrest in Portland and Kenosha, Wisconsin, leaning hard into a defense of law and order while suggesting that Biden is powerless to stop extremists.

Biden rejected the charge, firmly decrying the clashes.

Tiffany's speech was much more mature than the one she delivered four years ago in Cleveland, as she gushed about the notes the now-president would write on her report cards. She is pictured with her father after he delivered his acceptance speech for the Republican Party nomination last week

U.S. President Donald Trump's children, left to right, Ivanka, Eric, Donald Jr. and Tiffany, sit on the stage as their father delivers his 70-minute acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination on the South Lawn of the White House on August 27

Trump reacted to Biden's speech by saying the Democratic nominee was 'blaming the police more than he's blaming the rioters, anarchists, agitators and looters.' Trump also said Biden couldn't condemn because the 'radical left' would stop supporting him

'Just watched what Biden had to say,' Trump tweeted soon after the former vice president concluded his remarks in Pittsburgh.

'To me, he's blaming the Police far more than he's blaming the Rioters, Anarchists, Agitators, and Looters, which he could never blame or he would lose the Radical Left Bernie supports!'

Trump also plans to visit Kenosha on Tuesday despite pleas from Wisconsin's Democratic governor to stay away for fears of sparking tumult in a city where tensions continue to simmer.

Biden has been pushed by worried Democrats  including some voices inside his own campaign  to deal with the violence head on and at greater length, though he had previously condemned it.

'It's lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted,' Biden said.

Biden, in his most direct attacks yet, accused Trump of causing the divisions that have ignited the violence, delivering an uncharacteristically blistering speech and distancing himself from radical forces involved in altercations

He also accused Trump of being too 'weak' to call on his own supporters to stop acting as 'armed militia.' And he leaned on his own 47-year career in politics to defend himself against Republican attacks.

'You know me. You know my heart. You know my story, my family's story. Ask yourself: Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?'

He declared that that even as Trump is 'trying to scare America,' what's really causing the nation's fear is Trump's own failures. He pointed to a rise in murders this past year, the 180,000 dead Americans from the coronavirus and the economic damage done by the pandemic.

'You want to talk about fear? They're afraid they're going to get COVID, they're afraid they're going to get sick and die,' Biden said.

In Kenosha, Wisconsin, the National Guard has been deployed to quell demonstrations in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, that have resulted in some looting, vandalism and the shooting deaths of two protesters.

And this weekend, one of Trump's supporters was shot at a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, prompting multiple tweets from Trump.
A light and early harvest is underway in the Napa Valley.

Our clusters are a bit on the small side this year, but the grapes are full of flavor, said Richard Lenney of Prager Port Works. We anticipate these smaller dense grapes to contribute intensity, beautiful dark colors, and rich flavors.

The Sauvignon Blanc harvest is well underway and in some cases done, and growers in the Stags Leap District are even bringing in some Cabernet Sauvignon this week.

Grape quality is looking excellent; however, crop levels are all over the board and range from half of last year to larger than normal, said Stuart Smith of Smith-Madrone Winery. Weve all got our fingers crossed the air will clear and the smoke will not be an issue.

Heres this weeks harvest report, organized by American Viticultural Area (AVA):

Calistoga  Matt Crafton, Chateau Montelena  The vineyards in Calistoga have been quiet thus far this week, with isolated picks of the few remaining white grapes trickling out to wineries. At Montelena, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc fully harvested, our attention has turned to the hillsides, to the low-yielding Cabernet vines planted in volcanic ash. The fruit here tends to ripen early. So, to paraphrase Patton, were diligently working to build and execute a good plan right now, amidst the continued uncertainty as the fruit continues to mature. The relief from heat this weekend was indeed welcome, buying us a measure of time to assess the lingering effects of smoke and thus the potential of the vintage.

Howell Mountain  Laura Barrett, Clif Family Winery  On Howell Mountain, residents and winery owners were happy to return to their homes and businesses this week, thankful that the fire did not enter our AVA. While harvest is well underway on the valley floor with many whites and Pinots, our Cabernet-focused mountain still remains in ripening mode with little to no grapes being picked. At Clif Family Winery, I have one early block of Zinfandel that is pretty sweet and I anticipate an earlier than normal harvest at this particular site. Overall, winemakers are collaborating about this strange year and season, and brainstorming together on how to navigate the challenges weve faced.

Diamond Mountain District  Dawnine Dyer, Dyer Vineyards  Like clockwork, Von Strasser officially kicked off harvest 2020 on Diamond Mountain when they picked their Gruener Veltliner on Aug 8. Then, just when we were getting our arms around COVID-19 protocols for harvest, we got the light show from hell followed by a frightening view of the LNU fire. Kevin Vecchiarelli, evacuated from his home, has moved into the Constant Winery where he is keeping an eye on the vineyards and anticipates picking Chardonnay next week. Rob Loyd at Vineyard 29 says the harvest is going to be light and early and no one is arguing with him!

Spring Mountain District  Stuart Smith, Smith-Madrone Winery  Its not been all quiet on the Mountain. Stony Hill has finished with their Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. School House also finished their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and Smith-Madrone is waiting until they can finish their Chardonnay. Cain Cellars has picked a small block each of Merlot and Malbec. Keenan, Schweiger and Spring Mountain Vineyard are looking to start later this week or very early next week. Grape quality is looking excellent; however, crop levels are all over the board and range from half of last year to larger than normal. Weve all got our fingers crossed the air will clear and the smoke will not be an issue.

St. Helena  Richard Lenney, Prager Port Works  First we would like to acknowledge the local firefighters, as well as those from all over California, and from around the world, who have been on the front lines for many days fighting to protect the homes and business of the Napa Valley. We are forever grateful.

The 2020 growing season started early and has been consistently warm. This combination of factors has brought our Paladini Vineyard Petite Sirah to ripeness earlier than average, and we expect to harvest this week. Our clusters are a bit on the small side this year, but the grapes are full of flavor. We anticipate these smaller dense grapes to contribute intensity, beautiful dark colors, and rich flavors. This Petite Sirah will be used in several of our Ports.

Rutherford  Kristin Belair, Honig Vineyard & Winery  As we enter the third week of harvest, we have rolled into a steady rhythm of grapes arriving at the winery, pressing, racking settled juice off heavy lees and getting new tanks fermenting. Tasting through the fermenting lots now takes well over an hour and thus far, the Sauvignon Blanc appears to have come though the previous weeks events unscathed. Much of the Rutherford appellation Sauvignon Blanc has been brought in and Sauvignon Blanc harvest in this part of the valley will likely be wrapped up by the end of the week. We might just get a little rest before we start in on the reds.

Oakville  Jennifer Rue, Oakville Ranch Vineyards  The return of the marine layer and cooler temperatures tapped the brakes on white grape harvest here in Oakville as vines recovered and relaxed after the extended heat storm. The week saw Brix stabilizing and acid holding allowing seed and flavor development to catch up which will ultimately result in more complex, flavorful wines. Some blocks scheduled to pick early this week have been postponed to later in the week or even early next week. More importantly, these same favorable conditions helped support a drastic improvement in fire containment, this combined with stories of the heroic efforts of fire crews leaves us hopeful the worst is behind us.

Stags Leap District  Elizabeth Vianna, Chimney Rock Winery  The past week was a harvest waiting game for most producers in Stags Leap District  welcoming more moderate temperatures. Michael Beaulac, winemaker at Pine Ridge, was bringing in some Cabernet Sauvignon off their Estate, the first in our AVA this week. Elias Fernandez, winemaker at Shafer Vineyards, had not yet started, but had plans to possibly bring in some young vine Syrah or Hillside Cabernet later in the week. Jon Emmerich, winemaker at Silverado Vineyards, was very busy bottling and roaring through harvest, having finished whites and possibly moving into some SLD Cabernet Sauvignon this Friday. At Chimney Rock, we wait as our Hillside Merlot is starting to get close. Labor Day could bring us the first red fruit to our crush pad.

Mount Veeder  Lorenzo Dalla Brea, Hess Collection  After the heat wave we experienced mid-August, the cooler temperatures this past week are helping our vines to recover. We are forecasting temperatures ideal for ripening our grapes and are monitoring sugar development in the field for most of the varieties.

Mount Veeder Chardonnay is moving along with sugar accumulation, but we are still two to three weeks away from harvest. Estate Albarino is at about the same sugar level as the Chardonnay, with clusters still pretty green, a typical trait of the variety.

Oak Knoll District  Jon Ruel, Trefethen Vineyards & Winery  Growers and wineries here are quite active, picking the early ripening varieties at earlier than usual dates. Gary Luchtel brought in some Chardonnay last week, with their Syrah for rose expected soon. He said the quality seems very high. At Trefethen, we have already wrapped up our Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling and we are more than half-way done with Chardonnay. The relatively dry winter and warm growing season have provided for smaller grapes with great flavors and balanced chemistry.

Coombsville  Tom Farella, Farella Vineyard  Things are getting to a slow start still here in Coombsville. We harvested half of our Sauvignon Blanc with the second half this week. The red grapes still are a ways off and concerns about smoke remain, though grape samples still coming out as negative for taint issues. The milder weather is quite welcome but more heat is on the way later in the week so there is momentum to get things rolling. Its easy to forget how nicely this vintage was setting up before the fires and now we are hoping to turn the corner and pick up where we left off.

Carneros  Christopher Hyde, Hyde Vineyards  Harvest for some growers in Carneros is wrapped up, and for others has just begun. Here at Hyde Vineyards, we are approaching the halfway point, with Pinot Noir harvest nearing completion and Sauvignon Blanc all picked. The warm weather accelerated ripening, and we are an entire three weeks earlier than last year. Though the crop is a bit smaller than it has been the past few years, so far this looks to be a vintage of exceptional quality and concentration.

Watch Now: Hennessey Fire as seen from Nichelini Family Winery in St. Helena

For real-time harvest photos and updates, visit the Napa Valley Vintners Harvest 2019 website at harvestnapa.com.

For real-time harvest photos and updates, visit the Napa Valley Vintners Harvest 2019 website at harvestnapa.com.

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The minister has also explained, why tight bans were introduced in Ukraine at the onset of epidemic, when the number of new COVID-19 cases amounted to just hundreds, while no tough restrictions are being introduced today when the daily count is over 2,000.

Ukraine will return to strict quarantine if the COVID-19 incidence rate grows rapidly in all regions and hospital load exceeds 75%, says Health Minister Maksym Stepanov.

"If we say that the whole country must return [to strict quarantine], this means that in all cities, regions, we are experiencing a rapid growth [in new active COVID-19 cases] and that more than 75% of hospital beds are occupied, or the number of newly diagnosed patients exceeds all permitted indicators. It seems to me that we can prevent such a situation," Stepanov told journalists, speaking at the Verkhovna Rada, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

Read alsoBack to school: Health minister explains new rules amid quarantine restrictionsThe adaptive quarantine that is currently in place across Ukraine is "a perfect balance where we introduce various restrictions depending on the epidemic situation in a particular city. This is absolutely objective, and this is the path followed by all civilized countries without exception."

The minister has also explained, why tight bans were introduced in Ukraine at the onset of epidemic, when the number of new COVID-19 cases amounted to just hundreds, while no tough restrictions are being introduced today when the daily count is over 2,000.

"If you remember late March and early April, our health care system wasn't completely prepared to respond to COVID-19. Doctors weren't aware of how to treat patients and what drugs to use, because it was a completely new disease. Hospitals were unprepared both from a professional point of view and in terms of equipment. It was very important to avoid the collapse of our health care system  the one we observed in Spain and Italy. It was necessary to prepare the health care system and prevent a sharp spike," Stepanov said.

The minister assured that thanks to the timely introduced quarantine measures, "we totally tackled the first coronavirus wave. That is, we didn't allow in the country those tragic developments we've observed in other countries, and this worked."

"If you look at how we are ready today, its impossible even to compare," the minister stressed.

According to Stepanov, in Ukraine, compared to the outbreak of the pandemic, the number of tests has increased almost 100 times - from 200 tests run daily to over 20,000.

Read alsoCOVID-19 in Ukraine: Gov't introduces new quarantine zones"We have increased the number of ventilators by almost a thousand in all facilities without exception. We have learned how to treat and provide medical care to patients with COVID-19, that is, our national protocols have been adopted, and our doctors know how to provide medical care in a qualified and prompt manner," Stepanov said.

Coronavirus in Ukraine: latest
Sydney's world-renowned New Year's Eve fireworks are likely to be cancelled in order to curb the spread of coronavirus.

A million excited spectators flock to the Sydney Harbour foreshore every year to watch the elaborate 12 minute display on December 31.

But New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro said on Wednesday the celebration was unlikely to go ahead because of the pandemic.

Sydney's world-famous New Year's Eve firework display (pictured above at Sydney Harbour) will likely be cancelled to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic

About one million people flock to the city's iconic foreshore ever year to watch the elaborate 12-minute display where fireworks detonate from Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge

Mr Barilaro said the cancellation of major events in regional areas, such as the Tamworth Country Music Festival, suggested large gatherings couldn't go ahead.

Poll Should the fireworks be cancelled? Yes No Should the fireworks be cancelled? Yes 94 votes

No 45 votes Now share your opinion





'If the regions have to lose big tourism events like this, then there is no option but to cancel the big drawcard events in Sydney and the most obvious is the New Year's Eve fireworks,' Mr Barilaro told The Sydney Morning Herald.

A source close to NSW Police Minister David Elliott said there were concerns about how to deal with thousands of people converging on the harbour to see the fireworks.

'How can you attract one million people to the Harbour shores and do it in a safe way?', Mr Barilaro said on Nine's Today program.

'Police and health experts are saying it is very difficult to police one million people on the (harbour) foreshores.

'This is the reality of the pandemic. We know it won't happen, the risk is far too high,' he said.

Mr Barilaro said it was better to flag the decision early before families made bookings for Christmas and new year holidays.

He also called for restrictions to be eased in regional NSW to allow larger weddings, school formals and unlimited numbers at venues.

Pressure is mounting on the City of Sydney council to make a decision about the iconic celebration.

New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the celebration (pictured) was unlikely to go ahead as major events and music festivals in regional parts of the state had been cancelled

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has admitted it 'may not be responsible' for the crowded celebrations to go ahead.

She claimed the decision ultimately rests with NSW Health to determine whether the event can be held safely.

'It would be incredibly sad if Sydney New Year's Eve cannot go ahead, but that is a real possibility we're facing,' she said.

Local mayors across the city have urged Ms Moore to make the call as they attempt to plan local celebrations.

City of Sydney Council is working with the NSW government to assess the impact of COVID-19 on New Year's Eve.

'Health and safety is paramount for our community, and it may not be responsible to encourage large crowds to our foreshore this year.

'These events are subject to the NSW Government's public health orders, which are continuously amended to address the local impact of the pandemic,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

It will the first time in 32 years if Sydney's famous fireworks display is cancelled (Revellers celebrating New Year's Eve in Sydney during the 2020 event pictured above)

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore admitted it 'may not be responsible' for the celebrations to go ahead (Sydney Opera House pictured on New Year's Eve 2019)

City of Sydney Council is working with the government to assess the impact of COVID-19 on all major events, including New Year's Eve (Sydney Harbour fireworks display pictured)

'Where events are deemed safe enough to occur, we will prepare and enact COVID safe plans and physical distancing guidelines to safeguard the health and safety of our community, staff and contractors.'

It will the first time in 32 years if Sydney's famous fireworks display is cancelled.

The Sydney Harbour fireworks are watched by millions around the world as one of the first major celebrations to welcome in the new year.

Last year's New Year's Eve celebrations in Sydney were marred by controversy after widespread last-ditch calls for the event to be cancelled due to the horror bushfire season.

More than 300,000 Australians signed a Change.org petition calling for the event to be cancelled and give the money to drought-stricken farmers and tireless firefighters as the bushfire crisis hits frightening levels across the east coast.

Dozens of homes and properties were destroyed on December 31 last year as horrific fire tore through coastal NSW and Victoria.

A number of councils in Sydney and across NSW cancelled their celebrations, including Parramatta, Wollongong, Campbelltown, Huskisson, Armidale, Maitland and Canberra.

Sydney's Bayside Council has already announced its celebrations have been scrapped for a second consecutive year.
The New York police departments chief chaplain was mugged during his daily walk on the Upper West Side Tuesday morning.

Rabbi Alvin Kass, 84, said he was walking at Riverside Drive and West 107th Street around 5.45am when an individual approached him and said 'Im hungry, I need food.'

The suspect began rifling through the rabbis pockets and grabbed some cash, but when they found Kass police shield, they dropped it and fled on foot, cops say.

The rabbi was not injured in the incident and no arrests have been made. Kass is the NYPDs longest-serving officer, working for more than 54 years.

Kass was also attacked in the same neighborhood back in 2016 while exercising. He suffered minor lacerations to the face when he was pushed to the ground by an assailant.

The New York police departments chief chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kass, 84, was mugged during his morning walk on the Upper West Side Tuesday morning

New York City has seen a startling uptick in crime this year, which police say is due in part to the pandemic, staggering unemployment, and protests decrying police brutality and racism.

The crime wave has forced police departments to increase weekend patrols citywide.

The incident comes a day after New York Judge Phyllis Chu, 56, was punched in the face by a stranger on a Citi Bike as she headed to a downtown courthouse from the Staten Island ferry around 9.30am on Monday.

She said the attack was random and she suffered a swollen lip in the incident and was treated at a hospital.

On Saturday New York City man Jose Reyes was arrested after he was caught on camera allegedly attempting to rape a 25-year-old woman on an Upper East Side subway platform.

Rabbi Alvin Kass, 84, said he was walking at Riverside Drive and West 107th Street around 5.45am when an individual approached him and said 'Im hungry, I need food'

The suspect found Kass' police shield and dropped it and fled on foot. Kass was uninjured in the incident and no arrests have been made. Kass is the NYPDs longest-serving officer working for more than 54 years

Hours after Chus incident, in the Bronx two men, aged 26 and 28, were shot by an unidentified suspect. The younger man was shot in the chest; the older victim in the leg and arm.

The motive of the shooting is unknown.

The incident comes a day after New York Judge Phyllis Chu, 56, was punched in the face by a stranger on a Citi Bike as she headed to a downtown courthouse from the Staten Island ferry on Monday

There was a 162 percent increase in the number of shooting victims and a 166 percent increase in the number of shooting incidents during the four-week period that ended on August 23 compared to the same period last year, police data shows.

During the four-week period ending on August 23, the city recorded 48 homicides - a 50 percent increase from the 32 homicides compared to that time frame last year.

From January 1 and August 23, the city recorded 280 homicides - a 35 percent increase from 208 homicides that were recorded during the same period of 2019.

In July, murders were up 58.8 percent when compared to the same month last year. Shootings were up a staggering 177 percent.

Officials say that despite the surge in violence, there's been an overall two percent drop in reports of all major crimes.

Rape reports are down 25 percent, and grand larceny has dropped 20 percent, according to the New York Times.

In Manhattan's Upper West Side residents have complained and threatened to sue the Mayor after homeless people were moved into three luxury hotels in the area to protect them from COVID-19.

In Manhattan's Upper West Side residents have complained and threatened to sue the Mayor after homeless people were moved into three luxury hotels in the area to protect them from COVID-19

Residents of the upscale neighborhood complain that the move-in of the vagrants has brought with it increased crime , random violence, drugs, public urination and open prostitution

Residents of the upscale neighborhood complain that the move-in of the vagrants has brought with it increased crime, random violence, drugs, public urination and open prostitution.

At the moment more than 13,000 homeless people are being housed in 139 hotels across the Big Apple, including three luxury hotels  The Belleclaire, The Lucerne and The Belnord  on the Upper West Side.
Qualcomm has announced that it 5G mmWave Range to over 2 miles. As reported by Venturebeat, Qualcomm has achieved the first extended-range data call over mmWave.

This is a welcome positive announcement from Qualcomm after having to defend itself in an antitrust case. In which they did manage to win the appeal but no doubt suffered some reputation damage in the process.

This announcement will hopefully solve some of the range issues with ultra-fast millimeter wave (mmWave) towers. By extending the transmission range the possibilities of this technology just greatly expanded.

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Qualcomm greatly expands 5G mmWave range

Qualcomm conducted the test in rural Australia in Victoria. It also occurred back in June but the company has waited until now to make the announcement. In this test, they were able to achieve the farthest-ever connection of 3.8 kilometers (km).

However, this announcement should be placed in perspective as it only applies to broadband modems rather than smartphones. The fact that the test occurred in rural Australia is also important. This is because there was likely little in the way of physical interference compared to a city, for example.

Qualcomm has announced the news as if it has fixed the range issues with 5G mmWave technology. However, this may not quite be the case owing to the caveats mentioned above.

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Long-distance connection shows significant progress

Having said this test does show significant progress has been made. Millimetre-wave 5G has the potential to be the fast cellular standard. This should enable multiple gigabit per second transfer speeds, thanks to huge blocks of available wireless spectrum.

In theory, this should enable both home broadband modems and handsets to reach 1-2Gbps speeds. This should also enable real-time mixed reality streaming to next-generation industrial applications. However, this is currently only really effective if they are close to 5G towers.

Currently, carriers have had to deploy large numbers of short-range small cells to achieve coverage. Doubling the range should reduce the amount of these small cells required significantly. This makes the deployment of this technology, firstly more practical but also much cheaper.

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The test itself relied on the Snapdragon X55 modem and QTM527 antenna to make the connection. Qualcomm has not provided the speeds achieved in this connection or any other details.

Qualcomm described the test as the first step in utilizing mmWave for an extended-range 5G data transfer. This suggests that there may have been compromises in terms of speed to achieve it.

This is clearly an important step forward in 5G mmWave technology and solving the range issues. However, it is far from the finished article and much more work is required to get to workable solutions in the real world. As such it is not the time to get excited but progress is definitely being made.
Back-to-school shopping lists and First Day of School photos look a bit unusual these days. Face masks and Chromebooks never made the list before, and never have I seen as many children starting their academic year in sweatpants.

I totally get it. As a mother of five (a rising high schooler, a rising middle schooler, and three rising kindergartners), I am in the throes of this alternative reality we never could have imagined. My third shift job has been preparing for the start of this school year and worrying about how to ensure my girls will have their academic needs met, connect with their classmates as they start in new school communities, and remain healthy. All parents are wrestling with these difficult questions in some form or another.

As complicated as my familys schedule and contingency plans look right now (believe me I have plans for my plans), I am privileged with a job that gives me a fair amount of flexibility over my schedule and a spouse who contributes to our parenting responsibilities. As worried and fatigued as I am, I know that most working moms are not as fortunate.

Too many do not have paid leave when they or their children are sick, do not have the option of working remotely, or cannot afford the childcare they need to actually go to work.

Just a few weeks ago, the organization I lead, the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls (CCFWG), hosted the virtual event Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in PA with our partner, Pathways PA. The event explored the Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania, a report that details the real cost of getting by. According to the Standard, a single parent with two children living in Chester County needs to make over $80,000 annually to be self-sufficient, a figure higher than any other county in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Additionally, according to CCFWGs latest Blueprint Report  which looks at how women and girls are faring at the local, state and national levels  child care costs in Pennsylvania exceed 40 percent of the median annual income of single mothers.

These startling figures were the reality faced by many women, particularly women of color, in Chester County prior to COVID-19. Now, in the midst of a global pandemic, when the family juggling act has intensified and the ability to provide the most basic needs is even more at risk, the crises faced by working mothers cannot be ignored.

As we see how a novel virus is infecting our lives and society, its clear that many of these issues being brought to the fore  like the cost of childcare, the tenuous juggling act of the working mom, gender-based violence, racial justice, and access to healthcare  are the same community needs that brought CCFWG and other non-profit organizations into existence. The truth is, there was already an infection. Its now just inflamed.

We are at a watershed moment, a chance to not only address the inflammation but to strive for healing and change of systems that have consistently put women at a disadvantage. How can we seize this moment? I challenge those with formal power and influence, such as our elected officials, employers, community leaders, and foundations, to reimagine what has been status quo. What are the policies and supports that you can enact to prevent us from ever returning to this condition? Now is the time to consider policies that have been sidelined for too long  paid leave, flexible work schedules, childcare funding, and increased minimum wage.

And, to my fellow mothers (including and especially those with the aforementioned formal power and influence) who are striving to do right by their kids, tell your story. You dont have to be the elusive Supermom who is doing it all in heels and with a smile on her face. Just like we tell our kids to speak up when something is not right, we need to do the same.

We must use our voice to demand a more equitable, sustainable balance. Talk honestly about the struggles you are facing with your boss and/or coworkers. Dont be afraid to seek support from those around you or local organizations that can help. Bring up the idea of balance and self-care with your partner, kids, and those in your circle. Connect with other moms or parents on social media. Make it a part of your everyday conversation. Together, we can find solutions and leverage our strengths to enact them in this time of crisis and beyond.

Michelle Legaspi Sanchez is executive director of Chester County Fund for Women and Girls.
Nairobi  The trial of former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu in a Sh588 million graft case which commended in July 2019 failed to start on Monday after a Nairobi court was told the politician is indisposed.

Magistrate Thomas Nzioki who handling the trial of the governor, his wife and eight others put off the matter until October 26.

Lawyer John Swaka for Waititu requested for an adjournment to enable Waititu seek medical attention and recuperate.

Magistrate Nzioki allowed the application upon perusal of medical documents adduced to support claims of his sickness.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions represented by lead prosecutors Nicholas Mutuku and Victor Mule did not object the application to adjourn.

The prosecution had lined up witnesses to testify during the trial.

Waititu was charged on July 29, 2019 with fraud, conflict of interest, dealing with suspect property, money laundering and abuse of office.

Saika Two Estate Developers Limited, a firm owned by Waititu and his wife Susan, was said to have received more than Sh25 million from Testimony Enterprises Limited Contractor -- a firm contracted by the county government to develop roads through an irregular tendering process.

The Kiambu County Assembly later impeached Waititu, a verdict that was upheld by the Senate in January 2020 despite allegations of flawed county assembly proceedings.

Senate voted 29-11 in support of the charge on Gross Violation of the Constitution; County Government Act and the Public Finance Management Act and Public Procurement and Disposal Act

Twenty-eight senators supported the charge on crimes under national law charge against 11 who opposed.
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Professor SM Akhtar, a Lucknow architect-cum-town planner and founder dean, faculty of architecture, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi will design the mosque that will come up in Dhannipur village in Ayodhya district, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) said Tuesday.

Other than the mosque, Akhtar will also design other public utility establishments, including a hospital, Indo-Islamic Research Centre, community kitchen and a museum on the allocated 5 acre mosque complex.

The land was allocated to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) in compliance with the Supreme Court order in the Ayodhya case verdict.

We have appointed prof SM Akhtar as consultant architect and hence he will design the entire masjid complex that would come up on the 5 acre land in Dhannipur, said Athar Hussian, spokesperson of IICF  the trust was formed by UPSCWB to carry out the construction of the mosque and other structures on the mosque complex.

Prof Akhtar, who was born and brought up in Lucknow, said the mosque would come up on around 15,000 square feet land and would be an amalgamation of Indo-Islamic architecture.

Akhtar, who has penned several books on architecture and environment, said the other establishments on the complex would also be constructed in the same architectural theme.

Besides the mosque, a major portion would be utilised for construction of a hospital. Other utility establishments will be built on the remaining land, the professor said.

He said that bridging the gap between the two communities through his architectural skills would be his sole aim while giving shape to the project.

Last month, the IICF had announced that the mosque would be named as Masjid Dhannipur. UPSCWBs decision to construct the mosque also drew strong reactions from the community, with some people saying that a mosque cannot be constructed on land given by the government.

Shaista Amber, a social activist and president All India Muslim Womens Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) and eminent Urdu poet Munawwar Rana had raised objection to construction of the mosque on the allocated land.

Rana, in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had suggested the construction of a grand hospital on the entire 5 acre land in Dhannipur, naming it after Lord Rams father King Dashratha. Besides, he had also offered a chunk of his ancestral land in Rae Bareli for construction of the mosque.

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US President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the city in Wisconsin, which has currently in unrest after a black man, Jacob Blake, was shot in the back and injured by a policeman.

According to the White House, President Trump will travel to Kenosha on September 1. The president will meet with law enforcement officers, and he will assess the damage done by the recent protests.

Citywide riots

The current protest in Kenosha happened after Jacob Blake, a black man who was unarmed and stopped the fight between two women, was shot seven times by a police officer. According to Blake's father, he is now paralyzed from the waist down, and it is not clear if he will walk again.

The shooting ignited violent demonstrations in Kenosha and other cities across the United States. The country had already witnessed widespread protests against racism and police brutality since May after George Floyd died at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

The president will meet with the local police and survey the damage from the recent riots, according to White House spokesman Judd Deere, as reported by CNN.

When asked if the president would meet the family of Blake, Deere said that the schedule had yet to be confirmed.

Also Read: Top Intelligence Office Tells Congress: No Security Briefings on US Elections

The US president has not fully addressed the shooting that happened in the city on August 16, when asked on August 21 if he thought that the officer who shot Blake should be charged, President Trump said that he is looking into it very strongly and he will be getting reports. He added that he "didn't like the sight of it."

Law and order

President Trump has made law and order a part of his bid for re-election this year. In his speech at the Republican National Convention last week, he condemned the rioting, looting, violence, and arson that happened in "Democrat-run cities," citing Kenosha and others.

On August 22, around 1,000 people took to the streets of Kenosha and chanted, "Black lives matter." The police were also present, and Trump supporters showed up with guns, as reported by LA Times.

Jacob Blake's father, Jacob Blake Sr., called for BLM protesters to remain calm and peaceful while calling for justice for his son. He told the crowd that good people of the city should understand that if they tear it up, they will have nothing. He also said to "stop it" and "show them for one night we don't have to tear up nothing."

More than 1,000 National Guard soldiers were in Kenosha, many from the neighboring states, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, the lawyers for a teenager that was charged with killing two people during the protest in Kenosha have said that he will fight charges against him on the grounds of self-defense.

The 17-year-old suspect, Kyle Rittenhouse, had told journalists that it was his "job" to guard buildings in Kenosha against protesters.

Videos on social media showed a man with a rifle being chased by a crowd before he fell to the ground and shot at them.

Rittenhouse's lawyer, John Pierce, tweeted that the teenager "stood up to protect his community and his country."

Related Article: Trump Visits States Battered by Hurricane Laura, Promises Aid from Federal Government

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SACRAMENTO  State legislators have passed a bill designed to make Californias juries look more like the people who live in the state by adding more people of color and low-income residents.

The Senate voted 30-5 on Monday night to give final legislative approval to SB592 by state Sen. Scott Wiener. It would expand Californias pool of potential jurors by drawing candidates from among everyone who files income tax returns.

Currently, California draws courtroom panels that decide criminal cases and lawsuits largely from residents who are registered to vote or have a drivers license or identification card from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Supporters of the bill say people of color and poorer residents are less likely to register to vote or drive a car, leaving the pool overstocked with white jurors who are better-off financially.

For example, 56% of eligible Latinos do not register to vote, compared with 22% of eligible white people, according to a March report by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

Similarly, 64% of people who earn less than $40,000 a year do not register to vote, compared with 18% for those who earn twice that amount, the institutes report said.

Under the bill, courts will still use voter registration rolls and DMV records in addition to state taxpayer data in calling potential jurors.

Our current jury pool is whiter and wealthier than our state is, Wiener, D-San Francisco, said in a statement. Right now, we are denying people the right to a true jury of their peers, because our juries are not demographically representative.

He said the states tax-filing database includes a broader universe of people, including those who claim the earned-income tax credit, an assistance program for low-income filers.

SB529 is one of several criminal-justice reform measures that legislators have passed since George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer in May, igniting national protests over racial inequality.

Advocates of criminal-justice reform say Californians, particularly African Americans, are often denied their constitutional right to a trial by a jury of peers because their cases are decided by unrepresentative juries.

The bill, which had no formal opposition, now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom. He has until Sept. 30 to decide whether to sign it.

Legislators also passed a separate measure intended to counter possible discrimination in jury selection, AB3070 by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego.

Webers would prohibit the removal of jurors over perceptions they are biased because of their race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin or religious affiliation.

Current state law allows prosecutors and defense attorneys to remove prospective jurors through peremptory challenges. Discrimination is already illegal, but proving that a removal is based on discrimination is difficult.

Webers bill would make it easier to challenge removals, allowing a judge to reverse a peremptory challenge if there was a substantial likelihood that the action was discriminatory. The current standard requires more evidence of discrimination.

Weber said lawyers are far more likely to try to strike Black and Latino candidates from juries.

Decades of jury selection under the existing procedure have been especially detrimental to African Americans, Latinos, and other people of color, Weber said in a statement.

The bill was opposed by prosecutors and law-enforcement groups. They said the measure was too sweeping and could damage decades of law used to shape the jury-selection process.

This bill represents nothing less than an upheaval of Californias jury selection process, and it is being advanced without the benefit of the extensive debate, said the California District Attorneys Association.

The bill received final legislative approval from the Assembly on a 47-14 vote. It also heads to Newsoms desk.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
The University of California, which has already stopped requiring applicants to take the SAT or ACT, must go further and prohibit campuses from allowing prospective students to submit their scores, a judge ruled Tuesday in a victory for students with disabilities.

The UC regents voted in May to drop the Scholastic Aptitude Test and American College Testing exam as admissions requirements, in response to complaints by low-income, minority and disabled students that the standardized tests were unfair to applicants who could not afford preparation classes and tutors, or whose first language was not English. The students sued in December.

But the regents allowed individual campuses to let students submit their SAT and ACT scores voluntarily in applications for 2021 and 2022, after which the university would no longer accept scores. So far, three campuses have declined  UC Berkeley, Santa Cruz and Irvine  but the other six have opted to allow voluntary submission of test scores.

Failing to submit scores would not penalize applicants, but good scores could help them, Regents Chair John Perez said in a public forum last week.

On Tuesday, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman said allowing some applicants to submit test scores tips the scales against disabled students, few of whom would have access to the tests during the COVID-19 pandemic because many testing sites have closed. He issued an injunction forbidding even voluntary use of the tests during current conditions.

Brittany Murphy / The Chronicle

Nondisabled, economically advantaged, and white test-takers have an inherent advantage in the testing process, Seligman said in his ruling. He said students with disabilities whose qualifications were otherwise the same as other applicants are denied a potential second chance at admission when test scores are taken into account.

The ruling followed the judges decision in May to allow students opposing the tests to move forward with their lawsuit under California discrimination laws. Seligman said allegations in the lawsuit, if proved, could show the university knew its testing mandate harmed disadvantaged and minority applicants. The regents repealed the mandate shortly afterward.

And in July, the students asked the court to enjoin UC from relying on the tests for any reason.

California State University has suspended use of the tests for admissions in the 2021-22 school year.

In Tuesdays ruling, Seligman cited the case of recent high school graduate Gary W., a plaintiff with learning disabilities who is eligible to apply to UC.

He has faced formidable barriers to taking the SAT and has been unable to do so, the judge wrote of Gary W., who needs accommodations  perhaps extra time  when taking tests.

But the pandemic, and a steep decline in colleges relying on the SAT and ACT in recent years, have led to fewer testing sites.

Because of that, Gary W. was unable to take the test with accommodations and is waiting another year before seeking admission. He told the court that if it werent for the testing requirement, he would apply this year.

Brittany Murphy/The Chronicle

In arguing against the injunction, UC said students with disabilities could not prove they would be harmed if the exams were made voluntary. But Seligman said they could show they would be denied equal access to the admission process.

In short, applicants with disabilities are denied meaningful access to the aid, benefit or service that test-takers have, he said. And cancellation of the tests will not harm the public, Seligman said, since UC does not seriously argue that (such a) test is a valid and effective means of determining admissions.

UC President Michael Drake and the regents are evaluating whether to take additional legal action, according to a joint statement issued Tuesday.

UC respectfully disagrees with the courts ruling, the statement said. An injunction may interfere with the universitys efforts to implement appropriate and comprehensive admissions policies, and its ability to attract and enroll students of diverse backgrounds and experiences.

The statement noted that for this fall  for which SAT and ACT tests were still required  UC admitted an historic increase in Latino students, the largest ethnic group among admitted freshmen, and increased the number of low-income and first-generation-to-college students.

Meanwhile, the students lawyers cheered the decision.

Brittany Murphy/The Chronicle

There is no place at the University of California for (a) policy that denies students with disabilities the opportunity to fairly compete for admissions, said Marci Lerner Miller, one of the attorneys. The courts decision today is a monumental step towards removing barriers long faced by students with disabilities in higher education.

Katherine Farkas, another lawyer for the students, said: More than 170,000 students will apply to enter the University of California in fall 2021. For the first time in decades, the countrys preeminent public university system will not award admissions based on an exam that systematically discriminates on the basis of race, wealth and disability.

In January, Marten Roorda, then the chief executive of the ACT, wrote a strong warning to the regents against dropping the tests. Roorda said doing so would harm students by depriving them of an objective measure of their skills, among other negative consequences.

The ACT announced Roordas departure in May amid cost-cutting moves and a significant decline in state and district testing programs.

The College Board, which administers the SAT, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Responding to allegations around the country that the admissions exams tilt the scales toward wealthier, white students, more than 1,500 colleges have gone test-optional, according to the anti-testing organization FairTest.

Bob Egelko and Nanette Asimov are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com and nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko and @NanetteAsimov
Astronomers using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) have detected plasma jets coming from a supermassive black hole in the central galaxy of the Phoenix cluster, a huge group of galaxies located 5.9 billion light-years away in the constellation of Phoenix.

Galaxy clusters contain thousands of galaxies of all ages, shapes and sizes. Typically, they have a mass of about one million billion times the mass of the Sun and form over billions of years as smaller groups of galaxies slowly come together.

At one point in time they were believed to be the largest structures in the Universe  until they were usurped in the 1980s by the discovery of superclusters, which typically contain dozens of galaxy clusters and groups and span hundreds of millions of light-years.

However, clusters do have one thing to cling on to; superclusters are not held together by gravity, so galaxy clusters still retain the title of the biggest structures in the Universe bound by gravity.

The space between galaxies is not entirely empty. There is very dilute gas throughout a cluster which can be detected by X-ray observations, said Dr. Takaya Akahori from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and colleagues.

If this intracluster gas cooled, it would condense under its own gravity to form stars at the center of the cluster.

However, cooled gas and stars are not usually observed in the hearts of nearby clusters, indicating that some mechanism must be heating the intracluster gas and preventing star formation.

One potential candidate for the heat source is jets of high-speed gas accelerated by a supermassive black hole in the central galaxy.

The Phoenix cluster is unusual in that it does show signs of dense cooled gas and massive star formation around the central galaxy, they added.

This raises the question: Does the central galaxy have black hole jets as well?

The astronomers used ATCA to search for black-hole jets in the central galaxy of the Phoenix cluster.

They detected diffuse bipolar and bar-shape structures extending from the galaxys center.

These structures correspond to cavities of less dense gas, indicating that they are a pair of bipolar jets emitted by a black hole in the galaxy, the scientists said.

Therefore, we discovered the first example, in which intracluster gas cooling and black hole jets co-exist, in the distant Universe.

The findings appear in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan.

_____

Takuya Akahori et al. 2020. Discovery of radio jets in the Phoenix galaxy cluster center. Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan 72 (4): 62; doi: 10.1093/pasj/psaa039
The Government has been accused of "giving in" to insurance industry lobbying by delaying some of the changes contained in radical new legislation.

The changes in insurance law coming into effect are set to give a massive boost to consumers and small firms.

The new legislation has been described as a "game-changer" by the Alliance for Insurance Reform.

Changes

But it criticised the fact that some of the provisions of the new Act, which was introduced by Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty, are being delayed.

The Alliance claimed: "It is clear that the Government gave in to the insurance lobby."

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said after discussions with the insurance industry he believes insurers need more time to get ready for some of the changes.

First introduced in the Dail in 2017, the provisions of the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act that are coming into force this week are still set to turn the tables on insurers.

They have been described as the most radical shake-up of insurance law in centuries.

"The new laws coming into force today are a radical shake-up of insurance law that will benefit consumers in the years ahead," Mr Doherty said.

He added that the new law will make it more difficult for insurers to refuse paying out on valid claims, and it will shift the balance of power away from insurers and towards consumers in their contracts.

But he criticised the fact some of the provisions of the act have been postponed to next year.

"Despite being signed into law eight months ago, the Government is refusing to commence a number of provisions of the legislation... delaying crucial insurance reform."

Changes that are coming in this week will make it more difficult for insurers to reject a claim. Consumers will have longer to withdraw from an insurance contract, even after accepting documents.

Those with insurance will have to be told if a settlement is being made.

This is a highly contentious issue, particularly when insurers settle spurious claims rather than going through the expense of fighting them in the courts.

This week's changes will put limits on the controversial so-called practice of 'retention', where insurers retain part of a settlement when there is a successful claim.

But put off until September next year is a provision that would stop insurers refusing a claim on the basis of an innocent mistake made by the consumer when applying for cover.

Also deferred is a measure requiring insurers to list premiums paid and claims paid over the past five years.

Lobbying

Peter Boland of the Alliance for Insurance Reform said: "On the specific sections that have been delayed, it is clear the Government gave into the insurance lobby."

He said insurers have known for years these changes were coming.

Asked if he had given in to Insurance Ireland lobbying, Minister Donohoe said insurers need more time to prepare for some of the changes, such as requiring them to list premiums and claims paid in the last five years.
Microsoft is working on a new feature for Windows 10 that will help you to save space on your computer, Softpedia News reports.

This feature will allow the operating system to archive apps that are installed but are not being used any more.

This reduces the amount of space taken up by dormant apps on your computer and allows this space to be used for other purposes.

When users try to launch an app that has been archived, Windows 10 will go online, redownload the application, and add your files and settings from the previous installation.

While this means it will take longer to reopen these apps, it also means that when the app does open, it should continue to operate as per usual.

One problem which has not been answered by Microsoft is what happens if an archived app is no longer available to download.

If Windows cannot access the files to download upon the launch of the archived app, this would presumably mean that the archived app would no longer be accessible.

It is worth noting that this feature is not yet live on the current iteration of Windows 10 and is still being tested by a limited number of users.

It is, therefore, possible that this feature will not be implemented into the live version of Windows 10.

Other storage features in testing

Microsoft is testing other ways to improve its storage system in Windows 10.

The company recently published Windows 10 Build 20197 and highlighted changes that are coming to disk management.

These changes make it much easier for users to manage their disks and partition volumes by enabling this functionality through the Settings App.

This includes tasks such as viewing disk information, creating and formatting volumes, and assigning drive letters, said Microsoft.

There were also references in the latest build to the Windows 10 Start Menu and Action Centre being allowed to use components from WinUI moving forward.

WinUI is an advanced user interface that can be used to build Windows apps, with the latest version expanding to become a fully-fledged standalone UI framework.

Now read: The most common ransomware and how to protect yourself from it
SAN FRANCISCO (dpa-AFX) - Gap, Inc.'s (GPS) Old Navy brand announced Tuesday on National Poll Worker Recruitment Day that it will pay its store employees who serve as poll workers on the 2020 Election Day. Old Navy will compensate store associates who serve as poll workers with eight hours of pay. In addition to pay provided by Old Navy, employees who serve will also be eligible for compensation from their local jurisdiction. The initiative will also expand beyond Old Navy's store employee base. The brand will be inviting eligible consumers to participate at the polls as well. The brand is tapping into its vast service-minded associate base, with 50,000 field employees in more than 1,000 store locations in the U.S., encouraging them to apply to serve in their communities, and giving them the means to do so. Old Navy is working in partnership with the Civic Alliance and Power the Polls in a national movement to recruit 250,000 new poll workers to ensure polling sites stay open and operate efficiently across the country on November 3. 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.
Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Hampton, Virginia for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 7 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more.

According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Hampton, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Hampton with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs.

The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Hampton. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Hampton, Virginia please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-hampton-va/

2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Hampton, Virginia (in alphabetical order)

Bacon Street Youth and Family Services

247 McLaws Circle

Williamsburg, VA 23185

757-253-0111

Farley Center

5477 Mooretown Rd

Williamsburg, VA 23188

757-243-1426

Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board (HNNCSB)

300 Medical Drive

Hampton, VA 23666

757-788-0300

Kempsville Center for Behavioral Health

860 Kempsville Rd.

Norfolk, VA 23502

757-461-4565

Norfolk Community Services Board  Substance Abuse Services

7460 Tidewater Drive

Norfolk, VA 23505

757-664-6670

Right Path Addiction Center

101 N. Lynnhaven Rd. Suite 100

Virginia Beach, VA. 23452

757-321-0795

Western Tidewater Community Services Board

135 S Saratoga St

Suffolk, VA 23434

757-942-1069

ABOUT HELP.ORG

Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/.
She welcomed her first child with fiance Artem Chigvinstev exactly a month ago.

And Nikki Bella celebrated her son Matteo's milestone by sharing an adorable wide-eyed snap of the newborn with her 9.5m Instagram followers.

'Our Matteo is a month old today,' she captioned the photo, tagging Artem, on Monday.

Growing: Nikki Bella celebrated her son Matteo's one-month milestone by sharing an adorable wide-eyed snap of the newborn with her 9.5m Instagram followers, on Monday

In the snap, Matteo looks at the camera with dark blue wide open eyes, and his tongue slightly sticking out of his lips.

He seems to have just finished a bath as as his hair was slicked up wet.

Nikki's plan had been to get induced exactly a week ahead of her August 6 due date as her blood pressure had the doctors concerned, but her water broke at the doctor's office on July 30.

'We barely had bags packed. I labored for 22 hours, and I pushed for two hours while wearing a mask because of COVID-19. It was 118 degrees in Phoenix, and our room wouldn't get colder than 76 degrees, so I was burning hot the whole time.'

Baby boy: 'Our Matteo is a month old today,' she captioned the photo, tagging Artem, on Monday

Early arrival: Nikki's plan had been to get induced exactly a week ahead of her August 6 due date as her blood pressure had the doctors concerned, but her water broke at the doctor's office on July 30

Her twin sister Brie delivered her son Buddy with her husband Daniel Bryan on August 1, less than 24 hours later, they are also parents to daughter Birdie, three.

Recently Nikki opened up about her post-pregnancy body and encouraged her fans to embrace themselves.

'Its so important as mamas to take care of ourselves after birth and feel proud of our bodies and its strengths,' she captioned the photo.

So sweet: The WWE champion sisters, covered the new issue of People cradling their new baby boys after giving birth within a day of each other

The WWE champion sisters, covered the new issue of People cradling their new baby boys after giving birth within a day of each other.

While Buddy is Brie's second child, Nikki the first-time mother told People: 'I've been up since 3 a.m., but this is what I've wanted my whole life. The fact that he's here - I'm just so in love and happy.'

Her twin sister chimed in: 'That's what happens when you're on an infant schedule. But like Nikki said, the love is just so overpowering that even though you're so tired, that bliss just takes over.'

Calling the newborns 'calm and patient' she dished: 'We're the wild ones and very feisty. Our little boys don't have our personalities yet. Birdie does. Birdie is our mini.'

Side by side: The two couples and Birdie went into lockdown together amid the coronavirus pandemic and the Bella twins got to experience pregnancy in tandem

Meanwhile Artem, who rose to fame as a pro hoofer on Dancing With The Stars, proposed to Nikki in France last November.

The two couples and Birdie went into lockdown together amid the coronavirus pandemic and the Bella twins got to experience pregnancy in tandem.

Brie announced her new baby's birth on Instagram a day after it occurred and shared: 'Its a BOY!!!' while not revealing his name or face.

Baby mine: Meanwhile Nikki waited to declare she had given birth until this Wednesday, the day that her joint People cover with Brie and the babies dropped
The actress and her family members have been mobbed by photographers, videographers and journalists forcing them to answer questions related to the matter every time they step out. A recent report suggests that Rhea has now had enough of it and has filed an official complaint against the media who have been gathering inside her residential building. She has requested the Mumbai Police to ask the media to not obstruct her and her family members whenever theyre out as this is well within their constitutional rights.

Rhea Chakraborty is currently being interrogated by the CBI regarding Sushant Singh Rajputs demise.

The investigation surrounding Sushant Singh Rajputs demise has become a victim of what is popularly being termed as the media trial. Despite the CBI investigating the case, social media and certain publications have been extremely harsh on the actress even before the verdict is given out.
Oil and petrochemical investment in Iran has reached US$10 billion since the beginning of the Iranian calendar year in March, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Tuesday, citing the countrys oil ministry.

By the end of the year, Irans government plans to officially launch 17 petrochemical projects, which are expected to produce 100 million tons annually and bring US$25 billion per year, IRNA reports.

Iran also plans to launch by the end of its current calendar year, March 21, 2021, an oil terminal designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for Iranian oil exports.

Iran says it has already started building an onshore oil pipeline worth US$1.8 billion to a terminal just outside the Strait of Hormuz, the most critical oil chokepoint in the world.

As much as US$700 million of the investment will go to develop the port terminal at Jask, which sits just east of the Strait of Hormuz, the most important oil shipping corridor in the world, which Iran has threatened to close since the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Irans oil exports.

Iran aims to complete by March 2021 the long crude oil pipeline from its northwest deep in the Persian Gulf to a southern terminal east of the Strait of Hormuz, in order to export oil by shipping it first onshore to the terminal to bypass the worlds most critical oil chokepoint. The pipeline, which will be 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) long, will be capable of carrying 1 million bpd of crude oil from the Goureh oil terminal in the northwest to the Jask region on the Sea of Oman, without the need to have tankers travel through the Strait of Hormuz.

Last month, Iran said it had signed a total of 13 oil contracts with 14 domestic firms, which will raise the Islamic Republics oil production capacity by 185,000 barrels per day.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Students at the 100th anniversary of the founding of Wuhan High School on the first day of the new semester in the city in China's central Hubei province

Students in face masks returned to class Tuesday in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged last year, as the city opened schools and kindergartens for the first time in seven months.

Nearly 1.4 million students resumed classes at some 2,800 kindergartens, primary and middle schools across the city, following the re-opening of high schools in May.

State media broadcast images of thousands of students hoisting the Chinese flag -- a daily routine at all public schools -- despite warnings to avoid mass gatherings.

Elementary school students attend a class on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan

Schools have drawn up plans to switch back to online teaching should new outbreaks emerge, city officials said last week.

Students were advised to wear masks to and from school and avoid public buses or trains if possible.

Schools were also ordered to conduct drills and training sessions to help prepare for new outbreaks.

Teachers gave pupils an honour guard as they arrived at school in Wuhan for the first time in seven months

Official figures show Wuhan accounted for 80 percent of China's more than 4,600 coronavirus-related deaths and was under a strict lockdown for more than two months from late January.

The city also conducted a mass testing campaign targeting ll million residents in May.

China has now largely controlled the spread of the virus, and schools across the country -- which were closed in late January -- have gradually re-opened.

Elementary school students arrive on the first day of the new semester in Wuhan

Shanghai re-opened schools in May, and the capital city Beijing, which recently suffered from a local outbreak of the virus, said it will resume all schools including kindergartens in September.

Beijing authorities require teachers and students to wear face masks on campus.

China has not reported any new local transmissions of the coronavirus in recent days.
File photo of a 3D printed Facebook logo and toy people figures in front of a keyboard in this illustration taken on April 12, 2020. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Facebook Threatens to Pull the Plug on News for Australian Users

Facebook is threatening to stop Australian users from sharing news content on its services, including Instagram, in response to laws that will compel the tech giant to pay media companies for content.

The companys public statement on the matter comes just two weeks after Google launched a public salvo against the mandatory code announced by Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

In the statement released on Sep. 1, Facebooks Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand, Will Easton, said the code misunderstands the dynamics of the internet and would damage news organisations.

Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram, he said.

This is not our first choiceit is our last. But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australias news and media sector, he added.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg gives the keynote address during the Facebook F8 Developer Conference in San Francisco, Calif., on March 25, 2015. (Eric Risberg/AP Photo)

Treasurer Frydenberg was quick to respond telling AAP on the same day, Australia makes laws that advance our national interest. We dont respond to coercion or heavy handed threats wherever they come from.

Our reforms to digital platforms are world leading and following a ground breaking 18 month inquiry by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC), he added.

On July 31, the treasurer announced a new code, or bargaining model, that would compel tech giants Facebook and Google to enter negotiations with media companies to pay for news content. If negotiations fail, an independent arbitrator would mandate a deal.

The code is seeking to address concerns over media companies not being properly compensated for creating content, which is being leveraged for free by Google and Facebook to generate web traffic on their own platforms, which they can then sell advertising for.

According to Frydenberg: For every $100 spent by advertisers in Australia on online advertising  $47 goes to Google, $24 to Facebook, and $29 to other participants.

Facebooks Easton however said it was perplexing for the social media company to have to pay media publishers when they voluntarily place content on the platform and benefit from the reach.

News organisations in Australia and elsewhere choose to post news on Facebook for this precise reason, and they encourage readers to share news across social platforms to increase readership of their stories, he stated.

The logos of mobile apps Facebook and Google on a tablet in Lille, France, on Oct. 1, 2019. (Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images)

Over the first five months of 2020 we sent 2.3 billion clicks from Facebooks News Feed back to Australian news websites at no chargeadditional traffic worth an estimated $200 million AUD to Australian publishers, he continued. Easton also said news content was not a major revenue generator for the company.

Rob Nicholls, associate professor at the University of New South Wales, disagrees.

He told The Epoch Times on Sep 1: Although Google and Facebook say that news content is not important, the absence of news will be stark.

It seems to me that Facebook has put its whole focus on the financial aspects of the draft code without considering the issues associated with non-discrimination, he said.

Non-discrimination would mean the tech giants cannot be seen to preference other news content from around the world, over Australian news providers.

If Facebook publishes any non-Australian news, then this runs the risk of being discriminatory and facing a penalty of 10 percent of Australian revenue, he said.

Both Google and Facebook have threatened to radically change their business models and withdraw their news services in response to the governments efforts.

Nicholls believes however that other players will enter the market and take their place.

It is likely that the news companies will offer a news search function as an alternative to Google. Apple News+ is a paid service, but the newly saved AAP (news wire service) could take on this function with philanthropic support, he said.
The formation of a stable "ideologically correct" perception of the Karabakh conflict in Armenia corresponds to two fundamental principles: first, "the war is won, it must be followed up by international recognition", and second, "any concessions are possible only if all the conditions of the Armenian side are met, ruling out the de-occupation of Azerbaijan's territory."

Any deviation from these principles is blocked, not brought up for general discussion. The recovery of lands issue is most often used as a manipulation of public opinion. The propagandists deliberately keep silent of the real agenda of the negotiation process, filling the republic's information space with information stuffing, as well as backstage relations of Armenian politicians.

The manipulation begins when the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions is declared as a fact that has happened and does not require any comprehension. They engraft an idea in the people's mind that the rejection, seizure and occupation of territory is not something unnatural in modern history, since the determining factor in international politics is still strength.

The National News Service, which meets the interests of Armenian politics, explicitly urges to ignore the position of the UN, which consolidates the internationally recognized borders of the South Caucasus republics. The average Armenian inhabitant (both within the republic and abroad) should not be interested in the legal aspects of the Karabakh occupation. It is enough for him to support its legitimization in the geopolitical game space. In order not to get lost in this space, an inhabitant should be guided by the opinion of the leaders and followers of Armenian separatism, since their "feat" is also sacralized and not subject to rethinking.

The glorification of the separatist leaders' policy is an important tool for forming a "correct" perception of the Karabakh tragedy. In modern Armenia it allows to gain political immortality. Former presidents of the republic Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sargsyan were rejected by the society for their corrupt, oligarchic policies. At the same time, they remain in Armenia's information space, since their names are inscribed in the history of "the triumph of Armenian military valor", but in essence the aggression in Karabakh.

This topic allows Defendant Kocharian to speak in the media on behalf of the Armenian people, and Sargsyan to break a two-year silence with strange statements. On August 19, the third president of Armenia based his speech on the thesis, according to which he defended the so-called Karabakh statehood until the very end, not allowing to discuss the issue of returning the occupied territories, even when Baku allegedly proposed new terms of an armistice.

Having created another point of instability on the international map, the Armenian separatists have formed a political platform for themselves, which now represents the main cultural and political paradigm. It is impossible to prohibit the glorification of separatism in Armenia; one can only try to cast a shadow on the "heroes". Therefore, the only reaction from Armenia's "revolutionary" information channels to Sargsyan's political rhetoric was that the third president is being cunning when he says that he did not discuss the return of territories. The reaction was so predictable that the public recalled similar "sensational" revelations of Sargsyan Tigran Barseghyan, a former general of the Armenian National Security Service, in an interview with "Zhoghovurd" last December. At the beginning of 2020, Nikol Pashinyan considered it necessary at a press conference in Kapan to announce that he has documents on Sargsyan's betrayal and his readiness to hand over seven occupied regions.

Unlike the "Karabakh presidents", Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan could not "boast" of participation in the war, his name is not equated with "military courage." Pashinyan is a revolutionary, but a hero of the revolution cannot be a real hero, because, according to Armenian ideological canons, real heroes in post-Soviet Armenia are participants in the Karabakh bloodshed. Therefore, unlike the comparatively laconic Sargsyan and the arrogant Kocharian, during the February conference in Munich this year, Pashinyan was forced to play along with an ideology he did not create, causing laughter from those present. Pashinyan cannot become a war hero and he doesn't even try. He can only try to tame the "heroism" of the Karabakh separatists leaders.

Now there is an active recruitment of contract soldiers in Armenia and on the territory of "NKR", mainly artillerymen and snipers. Thus, Yerevan demonstrates its readiness to dig even deeper in Karabakh, as well as shell the territory of Azerbaijan. Social benefits for family members of contractors should become an incentive to continue the indefinite occupation and, as a result, the preserve the unresolved conflict.
A man has died following a house fire near the Laois border in the early hours of this morning.

It is understood that the man was a retired teacher aged in his late sixties.

Gardai in Roscrea, Tipperary are investigating all of the circumstances surrounding the death of a man following a house fire at Clonracken, Roscrea in the early hours of this morning Monday, August 31.

At approximately 4am, Gardai and Fire Services were alerted to a house fire at Pintown, Cloncracken, Roscrea. The fire was brought under control by the fire service and one body was discovered inside the house. Death was pronounced at the scene early this morning.

Investigating Gardai have preserved the scene as they work towards establishing the cause of the fire. The body was removed to University Hospital Limerick where a post mortem examination will be conducted by the State Pathologist in due course.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to contact the incident room at Roscrea Garda Station. Anyone with information is asked to contact Roscrea Garda Station on 0505 21700, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
TREVOSE, Pa., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- International SOS Government Services, Inc., (International SOS) was awarded the TRICARE Overseas Program (TOP) 2021 contract by the Department of Defense (DOD), through the Defense Health Agency (DHA). TRICARE is the health care program for 9.5 million eligible members from the seven uniformed services.

Under the contract, International SOS will deliver end-to-end, patient-centered health care services to U.S. Military service members, family members, retirees and other TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries overseas (in nearly 200 countries and territories outside the United States and District of Columbia).

The TOP 2021 contract base period (transition-in) of performance is September 1, 2020, through August 31, 2021. There are seven one-year option periods continuing through August 31, 2028. Total estimated value of the contract, including the base and seven one-year option periods is $960,362,689.

Rafael De Jesus, CEO Military Health Services, International SOS, cited the following as key to the continued success of the program:

"International SOS remains uniquely positioned to support the needs of TRICARE beneficiaries overseas, having delivered exceptional service and innovative solutions to the DHA since 1998. Our deep understanding of the TOP, combined with our medically-led global footprint and clinically vetted overseas network will ensure continuity of service, an optimal patient experience, and the flexibility to respond quickly and efficiently to changing mission requirements in the overseas environment."

International SOS has practical experience delivering quality-assured, patient-centered care overseas. Strengthened by its established relationships with U.S. Military leadership worldwide, International SOS is committed to ensuring force health readiness with access to safe, high quality, reliable care and a positive patient experience. Leveraging a strong, established network, combined with on-the-ground resources who are familiar with the local culture and medical practices in-country, beneficiaries will have a sense of comfort and assuredness from the beginning to end of their medical encounters, regardless of where they are receiving care overseas.

In order to ready for the start of healthcare delivery in September 2021 under the new TOP contract, transition-in discussions with International SOS and DHA are underway.

About International SOS Government Services:

International SOS' (www.internationalsos.com) Government Services Division provides specialized, integrated, and innovative services ensuring quality health care outcomes, reducing medical risk for governments, military, and international organizations. Adaptable to any mission or program around the globe, our Government Services include: pre-deployment screening, expeditionary/deployed support, medical assistance, telehealth, medical informatics, patient-centered experience of care, technology-based services, aeromedical evacuation, medical staffing, outsourced medical supply chain management, and military healthcare program administration overseas. Leveraging our extensive infrastructure and working side-by-side with hundreds of government organizations (including government contractors), our globally integrated solutions and medically led footprint support and supplement a broad range of health care needs. Our 24/7 on-demand, comprehensive solutions, utilized by over 750,000 people working in support of governments (including civilians, deployed military, and other government personnel) worldwide, are backed by our global staff of 10,000 medical, security, and logistics experts working from 1,000 locations in 85 countries, offering a rapidly deployable, boots-on-the-ground physical presence with proven in-the-field expertise.

For more information about how International SOS provides health care services for governments around the world, visit https://www.internationalsos.com/sectors/understanding-government

About the International SOS Group of Companies:

The International SOS Group of Companies is in the business of saving lives, protecting your global workforce from health and security threats. Wherever you are, we deliver customised health, security risk management and wellbeing solutions to fuel your growth and productivity. In the event of extreme weather, an epidemic or a security incident, we provide an immediate response providing peace of mind. Our innovative technology and medical and security expertise focus on prevention, offering real-time, actionable insights and on-the-ground quality delivery. We help you meet compliance reporting needs for good governance. By partnering with us, organisations can fulfil their Duty of Care responsibilities, while empowering business resilience, continuity and sustainability.

Founded in 1985, the International SOS Group is trusted by 12,000 organisations, including the majority of the Fortune Global 500, multi-national corporate clients and mid-size enterprises, governments, educational institutions and NGOs. 10,000 multi-cultural medical, security and logistics experts stand with you to provide support & assistance from over 1,000 locations in 85 countries, 24/7, 365 days.

To protect your workforce, we are at your fingertips: www.internationalsos.com

SOURCE International SOS
NAPA VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Auction Link:

https://nvspa.betterworld.org/auctions/NVSPA2020Auction

WHAT:

On-Line Auction to Support Napa Valley State Parks launches today, September 1st at noon and ends on September 30th at 9pm. "Napa Only" items include special wines from world famous vintners, exclusive tasting adventures, dinners and barbeques, specialty cocktails, "Napa Only" products, unique Napa outdoor adventures and Fund-A-Need necessities for the Parks.

Donors include:

Chateau Montelena, Joseph Cellars Winery, Schramsberg Vineyards, Calistoga Inn, Napa Brewing Company, GRO Wines, Savage & Cooke, @drinksbyNiccole, Dyer Vineyard, Foley Family Wines, Cuvaison Winery, Karl Lawrence Cellars, Buster's Southern Barbeque, Miner Family Winery, Judd's Hill Winery, El Molino Winery, Mustards Grill, Andy Beckstoffer, Shafer Vineyards, Spottswoode Winery, Cameo Cinema, Corison Winery, Salvestrin Winery, Pestoni Family Estate Winery, Hayfork Wine Company, Buehler Vineyards, Behrens Family Winery, Ken Stanton, Health Spa Napa Valley, Blackbird Vineyards, Honig Vineyard & Winery, Ashes & Diamonds Winery, Vintner's Daughter, Planet Cheese, Stony Hill Vineyard, Long Meadow Ranch, Saddleback Cellars, Cal Mart, Sequoia Grove, Local Q707, Tedeschi Family Winery, Bale Grist Mill State Park, Bothe-Napa Valley State Park and Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.

WHY:

While the current pandemic has changed so much in our world, two things have remained constant: our Napa State Parks, Bale Grist Mill, Bothe-Napa Valley and Robert Louis Stevenson, have continued to serve as an escape for the public seeking fresh air, exercise, hiking, biking, climbing and a place to smile in the sun; and our Napa State Parks team has continued caring for these beautiful and historic State Parks, even as the fires have threatened us all.

These three State Parks, owned by the State of California but not funded by them since 2012, have been an indispensable asset for Napa Valley, the Bay Area and tourists from around the globe. These parks have been a free and welcoming destination where the public from every background and walk of life have been able to breath fresh air, spread out in nature and consider better days ahead.

WHO:

The Napa Valley State Parks Association's mission is to raise funding and recruit volunteers to support the three California State parks located in beautiful Napa Valley. Funding raised by the Association is used for trail maintenance, park resources, upkeep of the campsites, yurts and cabins, a spring-fed pool, picnic areas, a 180 year old working Grist Mill and access for all -therefore we rely on the generosity of our donors and those that enjoy the use of our parks. NVSPA is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization. Federal Tax ID 94-2459815. Donations are fully tax-deductible.

Visit our auction link https://nvspa.betterworld.org/auctions/NVSPA2020Auction

or website for more information: www.napavalleystateparks.org

CONTACT:

Anne Steinhauer (707) 287-6539, [email protected]

or Jessica Ardizzone (707) 815-5975, [email protected]

SOURCE Napa Valley State Parks Association

Related Links

http://www.napavalleystateparks.org


The apocalyptic scene that is Central Park. Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

Gaze upon New York City from the godlike vantage point of Greenwich, Scarsdale, or Water Mill and you behold an urban wasteland. Rats gambol in formerly gilded Zip Codes. Trash piles teeter and ooze. Gunshots pierce the enfolding silence. The streets are paved with hypodermics, and the only signs of life come from the movers packing up trucks headed for  Greenwich, Scarsdale, or Water Mill.

Amble around the city on a pleasant Sunday afternoon, though, and you might be fooled into swallowing the lie of New Yorks continuing allure. Children have returned to playgrounds, oblivious to the fact that this is no place for children. Former subway riders are reduced to biking and walking. Couples and friends huddle on blankets spread out in parks, gnawing on meager picnics and doling out contraband rose. Museums are reopening, ready to receive the relics of our fading era. Farmers markets, aglow with late-summer abundance, cruelly remind shoppers of the green pastures beyond the Bronx. Restaurants spill out into traffic-free avenues and side streets, where families enjoy last meals in the dining room of the damned.

No human should be required to live this way. Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

In every borough, the trappings of contentment cloak depths of urban misery. All the outdoor yoga classes, beach volleyball, impromptu dance parties, jazz trios, and socially distanced get-togethers cant obscure the terrible truth: that nobody could possibly want to live in this ravaged Aleppo-on-Hudson. The scenes of New Yorkers getting by are inspiring, in their grim way: The human spirit endures even amid the smoldering ruins of civilization. But those who populate the metropolis now are the sad cases, the addled, and the left-behind. That must be true, because by now anyone with any sense or resources, or a healthy sense of fear, has surely heeded the message that hisses ceaselessly through the dead citys streets: Go! Get out! Head for Greenwich, Scarsdale, or Water Mill!

Civilization, clearly ending. Photo: Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The main opposition challenger in Belarus' disputed presidential election, which has triggered mass protests, will address an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday.

Estonias U.N. ambassador, Sven Jurgenson, said Tuesday that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to Lithuania under pressure from Belarus authorities, will speak to the U.N.s most powerful body at a meeting focusing on attacks on human rights in the former Soviet nation.

Belarus opposition has called the Aug. 9 election that gave Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term as president rigged. The United States and European Union have criticized the vote it as neither free nor fair and urged Belarusian authorities to begin a dialogue with the opposition.

Lukashenko, who has run the nation of 9.5 million people with an iron fist for 26 years, has dismissed opposition protesters as Western puppets and is pursuing a tough response to demonstrators. Over the weekend, he cracked down on independent media and his government has been jailing activists.

Jurgenson, whose country is serving a two-year term on the Security Council, said the expulsion of independent foreign media and revocation of accreditation for independent journalists in Belarus confirms the importance of sharing information about what is happening in Belarus.

For Estonia, standing up for human rights is also a priority in foreign policy, which is why we consider it important to provide an arena for those whose voices are being suppressed, he said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Jurgenson said the Security Council has stated that severe human rights violations are an early warning of conflicts with international implications and that repression could amount to threats to international peace and security.

Prevention of violent conflict and mass atrocities is the councils key responsibility, thus early warning and awareness raising are necessary, he said.
TORONTO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Retained executive search firm Caldwell (TSX: CWL) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the firm's founding in 1970.

"Today we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Caldwell's first day of connecting clients with transformational talent," said John Wallace, chief executive officer. "50 years is an incredible milestone for any company, and we have achieved it through the hard work and dedication of our team and a culture of client service that permeates the entire organization."

Founded in 1970, Caldwell became a public company in 1989 (TSX: CWL). The firm established and continues to promote prestigious award programs, including Canada's Outstanding CEO of the Year and Canada's Top 40 Under 40.

Caldwell embarked upon an expansion strategy in 2009, expanding from a firm with three offices in Canada to a top-20 global search firm with offices and partners in 18 cities around the world.

Since its inception, Caldwell has been enabling its clients to thrive and succeed by helping them identify, recruit and retain the best people. The firm's reputation is built on transformative searches across industries and geographies at the very highest levels of management and operations.

In addition to its retained executive search services, Caldwell has evolved and expanded in recent years to include several other services: Caldwell Advance, a solution focused on emerging leaders and advancing professionals; Agile Talent, which leverages the team's skills and networks to provide flexible and on-demand advisory solutions for companies looking for support in strategy and operations; and Caldwell Analytics, a talent optimization solution that uses highly respected, results-driven assessments to align clients' talent and business strategies, driving better business results.

Wallace continued: "As we celebrate this milestone, we are proud of the achievements we've made. Our work has a real impact on our clients and candidates, and we look forward to 50 more years of making a difference."

About Caldwell

At Caldwell we believe Talent Transforms. As a leading provider of executive talent, we enable our clients to thrive and succeed by helping them identify, recruit and retain the best people. Our reputation50 years in the makinghas been built on transformative searches across functions and geographies at the very highest levels of management and operations. With offices and partners across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, we take pride in delivering an unmatched level of service and expertise to our clients.

Understanding that transformative talent is not limited to executive levels, our Caldwell Advance solution focuses on emerging leaders and advancing professionals who can also have a profound impact on a company's ability to turn potential into success. We also leverage our skills and networks to provide agile talent solutions in the form of flexible and on-demand advisory solutions for companies looking for support in strategy and operations. Caldwell Analytics is a talent optimization solution that uses highly respected, results-driven assessments to align our clients' talent and business strategies, driving better business results.

Caldwell's Common shares are listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CWL). Please visit our website at www.caldwellpartners.com for further information.

SOURCE The Caldwell Partners International Inc.

Related Links

http://www.caldwellpartners.com


The father of Jacob Blake says he won't meet with Donald Trump when he visits the city of Kenosha today because 'I don't want to play politics'.

Jacob Blake Sr spoke out after the president turned down a meeting with the Blake family because they wanted to have lawyers listen to the conversation, which he called 'inappropriate'.

Asked about Trump's response, Blake Sr said: 'I'm not getting into politics. It's all about my son, man. It has nothing to do with a photo-op.'

Jacob Blake Sr, the father of Jacob Blake who was shot dead in Kinosha a week ago, has insisted he doesn't want to 'play politics' after a meeting with Donald Trump fell through

Jacob Blake Jr was shot seven times in the back in Kenosha on August 23 by police as he tried to get into a car with three of his six children inside

Speaking to CNN's Jim Acosta, Blake Sr's lawyer confirmed that he wanted to listen to the call with Trump, because of the ongoing Justice Department investigation into the shooting.

'[I think] it would be most appropriate to have your counsel on the phone when you're talking to anybody involved in the government,' he added.

Trump is expected to arrive in Kenosha, Washington, around 1pm EST today to shake hands with police officers and visit riot-damaged areas while hammering home his 'law and order' campaign message.

The trip is going ahead despite the Wisconsin governor and Kenosha mayor urging him to reconsider, saying it will set back the city's efforts to heal.

Large parts of the uptown neighborhood - home to many black and Hispanic residents - were burned or damaged by rioters and looters over three nights of chaos following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, which was caught on video.

Donald Trump will visit Kenosha on Tuesday and was in talks with Blake's family about a meeting, but said he declined after the family wanted their lawyers to sit in

Blake Sr (pictured at a rally on August 28) confirmed that he wanted lawyers present because of an ongoing Justice Department investigation into his son's shooting

Blake was shot seven times in the back by officer Rusten Sheskey while trying to get into his car, where his three children were sat.

Police say Blake had attacked them and resisted two attempts to subdue him with a Taser before being shot.

Video shows Blake walking away from police with his arms by his side and opening his driver-side door before gunshots ring out.

He survived the shooting, but is now in hospital in a serious but stable condition. His family say he is likely to be paralyzed for life.

Giving an update on his son's condition, Blake Sr said he is 'holding on for dear life.'

'We are dealing with an individual that a couple of months, a couple of weeks ago was running around with the boys and talking to me on the phone and laughing to an individual that cannot move his leg,' he said.

Blake Sr urged activists to remain peaceful during a wave of demonstrations that followed, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Blake's shooting sparked protests in Kenosha which quickly turned into riots, with businesses torched and looted amid unrest that was blamed on outsiders

The interior of burned-out businesses in Kenosha are seen from the air after being targeted by rioters and looters in three nights of unrest that roiled the city last week

A hand-painted sign reading 'KenoshaStrong' is seen outside the remains of a business which was torched and subsequently collapsed amid rioting in the city, sparked by the shooting of an unarmed black man

A car dealership in Kenosha's uptown was one of the first businesses to be targeted, with the owners estimating that $1.5million in damage was caused by a fire that was ignited in their sales lot (pictured)

Over the course of three nights, an estimated $30million in damage was caused to businesses and buildings, with out-of-towers blamed for the disturbance.

The local sheriff's department has said that, of the 175 people arrested during the unrest, 102 of them have addresses outside the city.

Events came to a head on the night of August 25, when 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two people and wounded a third with a rifle he was illegally carrying.

Rittenhouse had traveled from Illinois to join what police described as 'vigilante' groups who said they were there to 'protect' businesses.

The teenager, who is now in jail charged with murder, claims self-defense.

Trump has since spoken out in defence of Rittenhouse, saying he 'probably would have been killed' by protesters if he hadn't opened fire.

'He was trying to get away from them I guess, it looks like, and he fell on then they very violently attacked him,' Trump said.

'It was something that we are looking at right now and it's under investigation, but I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would've been killed. It's under investigation,' he added.
Lionel Messi's father and agent, Jorge, was spotted getting onto a plane bound for Barcelona on Tuesday at 17:00 CEST.

He will land at dawn in Catalonia ahead of his meeting with the Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu to discuss his son's future.

The main topic of the meeting will be Messi's decision to depart the club and his certainty that he can do so for free.

Barcelona believe that the clause that would allow the Argentine to be released has expired and LaLiga have sided with the club through an official statement.

Meanwhile, Messi refused to turn up for the PCR testing that Barcelona players underwent ahead of their pre-season preparations.

The Catalan side's captain is adamant that he wants to leave the team this summer despite having one year left in his contract.
WASHINGTON - A committee reporting to District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has recommended renaming dozens of public schools, parks and government buildings in the nation's capital - including those named for seven U.S. presidents - after studying the historical namesakes' connections to slavery and oppression.

The report drew a torrent of criticism, especially for its suggestion of adding plaques or other context to some of the most famed federal locales in the city, including the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial. After a harsh rebuke from the White House, the Bowser administration removed the recommendations dealing with federal monuments on Tuesday evening.

A White House statement called Bowser, a Democrat, "the radically liberal mayor of Washington, D.C." and said she "ought to be ashamed for even suggesting" revisions to the marble monuments dedicated to presidents who were enslavers. "President Donald J. Trump believes these places should be preserved, not torn down; respected, not hated; and passed on for generations to come."

Amid equally outraged responses from Republicans in Congress - some of which misstated the report's intentions by claiming the city wanted to tear down federal monuments, rather than "contextualize" them - the 24-page report posted on the District government website shrank to 23 pages. The page listing eight federal sites that the committee identified as needing additional context was missing (though it was still viewable on an earlier PDF as of 10:30 p.m.).

"Mayor Bowser has asked the [committee] to clarify and refine their recommendations to focus on local DC," mayoral spokeswoman LaToya Foster said in an email, when asked why the page had been removed. She said Bowser wanted to avoid confusion over the working group's proposal for the federal monuments, which was "contextualizing, not removing."

The turmoil was the latest chapter in a national debate over how to understand America's history and pay homage to its founders while also acknowledging their contributions to racist practices and institutions. The committee termed 153 out of 1,330 individuals who have something named after them in the capital city "persons of concern" but did not recommend that all their names be removed. The report calls for the renaming of playgrounds, parks and 21 public schools.

Travis Timmerman, a Seton Hall University philosopher who has researched monument removals, said addressing the scores of places cited by the committee would put the District far beyond most U.S. cities, which have mostly focused on whether to remove public honorifics for Confederate icons.

"They're going after historical figures that by and large have gotten a pass previously for their moral transgressions," Timmerman said, noting that the appropriateness of a monument changes over time.

"Thomas Jefferson, for instance, was a vicious slaveholder," Timmerman said. "But most people think of him as the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.... If that's what people think of Jefferson, then it's not necessarily harmful to have a school named after him. If people become more aware of his moral shortcomings, and that's what they think of when they see Jefferson's statue or a school named after him, well, then it becomes harmful."

District Council members, who would have to vote in order for schools and other buildings to be renamed, reacted to the report with both praise and trepidation.

"I never really thought about Stoddert or Key Elementary as an issue. They were just schools, and that's their name," said Mary Cheh, a Democrat, referring to schools on the committee's list that are named for early Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert and for Francis Scott Key, the writer of the national anthem. "African American women, civil rights leaders - people ought to know about others. This gives us an opportunity to honor them."

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, a Democrat, said he felt the report had been rushed and did not provide enough historical context. "I totally get why someone like John Tyler, even though he's a former president, is someone we don't want a school named after. But I don't get why Benjamin Franklin is someone we don't want anything named after. I think we need to see the detail," he said.

The committee chairs - Bowser adviser Beverly Perry and public library director Richard Reyes-Gavilan - said a full report fully detailing the committee's rationale will be published online in the future.

Bowser, a Democrat, convened the committee after large-scale Black Lives Matter protests began in the District following the death of George Floyd in late May.

The committee said in its report that it considered whether the honorees owned enslaved people or supported the institution of slavery, whether they created laws and policies that disadvantaged women and minorities, whether they belonged to "any supremacist organization," and whether they discriminated against marginalized groups in a way that would violate District law.

The committee termed 153 out of 1,330 individuals who have something named after them in the capital city "persons of concern," but did not recommend that all their names should be removed.

Along with public housing complexes, parks and playgrounds, the committee recommends renaming 21 public schools - from Eliot-Hine Middle School, named for former Harvard University president and advocate of racist ideas Charles William Eliot; to Brookland Middle School, named for District landowner and Andrew Jackson administration official Jehiel Brooks.

Others whose names the committee would remove include presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson.

"With Alexander Graham Bell, there was talk about his involvement with eugenics as something that was very, very serious," Reyes-Gavilan said in an interview, explaining why the inventor was on the list.

Perry cited founding father Franklin's history as a slaveowner and a racist line from his writing in 1751: "Why increase the sons of Africa, by planting them in America, where we have so fair an opportunity, by excluding all blacks and tawnys, of increasing the lovely white and red?"

Council member Kenyan McDuffie, a Democrat, who proposed a renaming commission last year, said, "We can't simply accept the positive things, we've got to talk about and accept all their contributions, including some that were deeply offensive."

"Let's acknowledge Woodrow Wilson, the school I graduated from, was helpful in establishing the United Nations, but he also segregated the federal government and showed 'Birth of a Nation' on the White House lawn," McDuffie said. Changes are needed, he continued, "so young people of color can go to different parts of the city and see images that look like them. We don't have to simply be resigned to a city that has a statue of White male military heroes almost every couple of blocks."

Zachary Bray, a University of Kentucky law professor who has researched monument removal, said doing so was much more common before the past half-century. "I am very comfortable with and supportive of reconsidering monuments. That's in keeping with an old tradition in this country that we ought to get back to," he said.

The process of deciding which names to change would vary based on the type of government property. To rename a school, for example, the school system generally hosts a "public engagement process" and then makes a recommendation to the mayor, which the D.C. Council must approve. The council can act independently to rename a government building or a street.

The report recommends that Bowser ask the federal government to either remove or add historical context - likely in the form of a plaque - to eight U.S. monuments, including the fountain honoring Christopher Columbus outside Union Station and the Washington Monument, named for enslaver and first president George Washington.

Left unmentioned is the fact that the city of Washington, District of Columbia, is itself named for both of those men.
SINGAPORE, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Barrick Gold Corp has lost a court challenge in Papua New Guinea over rights to a highlands gold mine and intends to appeal to the country's Supreme Court, the miner said on Tuesday, prolonging a dispute that has halted output as gold prices soar.

Papua New Guinea refused to extend Barrick's lease over the remote Porgera mine in April, and this week the National Court dismissed Barrick's request for a review of that decision.

"The company disagrees with numerous grounds outlined in the ruling," the miner said on Tuesday in a statement issued by Barrick Niugini Ltd, which operated Porgera as a joint-venture between Barrick and China's Zijin Mining Group.

Barrick Niugini "intends to urgently appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court," the statement said. It was not clear whether any appeal had yet been filed.

The dispute over the lease has stopped production at Porgera, which last year turned out nearly 600,000 ounces of gold. It comes at a time when investor nerves over the COVID-19 crisis has sent the gold price to a record high.

Both sides appear to be settling in for a protracted fight.

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, James Marape, has said the lease was not extended owing to environmental and community concerns.

A new lease has been granted to Kumul Minerals Holding Ltd, a state-owned firm, he said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Barrick has said it will challenge that move, too, and it has launched a separate complaint with the World Bank's International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Telangana registered 2,734 new cases and nine fatalities due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) disease, which has pushed the states tally to 1.27 lakh and death toll to 836.

As many as 95,162 people have recovered from the infection so far while active cases are nearing 32,000 and 24,598 are under home or institutional quarantine.

Click here for complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

According to a government bulletin issued on Monday at 8pm, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had the highest number of cases (347) in the state, followed by districts such as Rangareddy (212), Nalgonda (191), Khammam (161) and Medchal Malkajgiri (121).

Telangana has so far tested 14.23 lakh samples for the infection out of which 58,264 samples were tested on Monday. The bulletin added that samples tested per million population in the state was 38,351.

The Covid-19 recovery rate of Telangana has climbed to 74.5 per cent, while it is over 76 per cent nationally.

On the other hand, the states fatality rate stood at 0.66 per cent while it climbed to 1.78 per cent nationally.

Earlier, the state government appealed to members of the public falling between the age group of 20-50 to not step outdoors unless necessary as there is a high incidence of infection in this age group.

Also read: India records nearly 70,000 new cases of Covid-19, tally close to 3.7 million

Meanwhile, India on Tuesday logged 69,921 new Covid-19 cases and 819 deaths which has taken the overall tally to nearly 3.7 million. The total cases include 785,996 active cases, over 2.83 million recoveries and 65,288 deaths.

(With inputs from PTI)
The LCRI officially launched today with a virtual roundtable attended by more than 800 participants representing universities; federal, state, and local entities; media; and industry stakeholder organizations. The event included remarks from industry executives including:

Paul Browning , President & CEO, Mitsubishi Power Americas

, President & CEO, Mitsubishi Power Americas Stan Connally , Executive Vice President, Operations, Southern Company

, Executive Vice President, Operations, Southern Company Donna L. DeCarolis , President, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation

, President, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation Doug Esamann , Executive Vice President, Energy Solutions, Duke Energy

, Executive Vice President, Energy Solutions, Duke Energy Kim Greene , President and CEO, Southern Company Gas

, President and CEO, Southern Company Gas Colette D. Honorable, Partner, Reed Smith LLP (FERC Commissioner 2014-2017)

Joseph Kessler , Chief Operating Officer, New York Power Authority

During this event, the LCRI announced a variety of new opportunities to engage broader audiences. Each of these engagements are designed to help inform the LCRI with diverse perspectives across the stakeholder community. This input will be utilized in the development of the LCRI Roadmap, targeted for publication in 2021, and the development and execution of projects and partnerships throughout the initiative.

LCRI Request for Information: The LCRI is specifically seeking information and input for three potential opportunities that span the technology development cycle from early-stage research to near-commercial demonstration.

LCRI Technical Collaboration Network: The Technical Collaboration Network is geared toward the global research communityincluding government agencies, research organizations, universities, and other interested subject matter expertsinvolved in low-carbon resources technology R&D. Organizations participating within the network will gain insight and provide input to the LCRI members.

A webinar will be hosted on September 15, 2020, to discuss the LCRI Request for Information and Technical Collaboration Network.

The LCRI R&D team also released information on a series of fall technical workshops that are now open for registration. The following topics will be covered:

October 22  Pathways to Decarbonization

 Pathways to Decarbonization October 29  Valuing Low-Carbon Resources

 Valuing Low-Carbon Resources November 5  Industrial Use of Low-Carbon Resources

 Industrial Use of Low-Carbon Resources November 12  Electrolytic Fuels

 Electrolytic Fuels November 19  Decarbonizing Carbon-derived Resources

 Decarbonizing Carbon-derived Resources December 3  Renewable Fuels

 Renewable Fuels December 10  Low Carbon Resource Delivery & Storage

More information on the overall initiative can be round in our just released brochure, Low-Carbon Resources Initiative: Enabling the Pathway to Economy-Wide Decarbonization.

GE Joins LCRI as 19th Anchor Sponsor

In addition to a successful virtual roundtable, the LCRI welcomed its 19th anchor sponsor, GE, to the initiative. "Welcoming GE to the LCRI represents the global collaboration and engagement that is at the center of this R&D initiative," said EPRI Director of R&D Neva Espinoza.

"Teamwork across a diverse set of supporters will be required to achieve the technology breakthroughs needed to make low-carbon resources an integral part of our energy future. GE's unique perspectives, experience, and knowledge will benefit all of the LCRI sponsors," adds Mike Rutkowski, GTI Senior Vice President, Research and Technology Development.

"We are excited to join with members of EPRI and GTI to advance the development and deployment of low-carbon energy technologies and continue enabling the delivery of more reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity for our customers and their customers," said Scott Strazik, President and CEO of GE's Gas Power business. "GE believes there will be multiple pathways to decarbonization utilizing both current and developing technologies in unique, complimentary roles to deliver a cleaner energy future. We look forward to working with our industry partners through this vital LCRI collaborative effort."

The 19 Anchor Sponsors include:

American Electric Power, Con Edison, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Exelon Corporation, GE, Lincoln Electric System, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, Missouri River Energy Services, Mitsubishi Power Americas, National Fuel, New York Power Authority, Portland General Electric, PPL Corporation, Salt River Project, SoCalGas, Southern California Edison, Southern Company, and the Tennessee Valley Authority

More information is available at www.LowCarbonLCRI.com.

About EPRI

The Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. (EPRI, www.epri.com) is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization that conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity for the benefit of the public, on a non-discriminatory basis. An independent organization, EPRI brings together its scientists and engineers as well as experts from academia and industry to help address challenges in electricity, including reliability, efficiency, health, safety and the environment. EPRI's members represent more than 90 percent of the electricity generated and delivered in the United States, and international participation extends to nearly 40 countries. EPRI's principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Lenox, Mass.

About GTI

GTI is a leading research, development, and training organization addressing global energy and environmental challenges to enable a secure, reliable, abundant, and clean energy future. For nearly 80 years as an independent not-for-profit, GTI has been developing technology-based solutions that benefit industry, government, and consumers.

GTI research initiatives solve important global energy challenges across the industry's value chainsupply, conversion, delivery, and end use. From concept to commercialization, GTI offers an integrated systems perspective to expand the supply of clean and affordable natural gas and renewable energy; ensure a safe and reliable infrastructure; deliver solutions for efficient and environmentally responsible use of energy; reduce and manage carbon emissions; and advance energy systems innovations that protect air, land, water and communities while enhancing economic growth. www.gti.energy

Contacts:

Aimee Mills

EPRI

[email protected]

704.519.7486

Diane Miller

GTI

[email protected]

847.768.0683

SOURCE Electric Power Research Institute
Sydney, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Just released, this edition of Paul Budde Communications focus report on the Philippines outlines the major developments and key aspects in the telecoms markets.

Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Philippines-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses

In coming years most investment in the telecom sector will be focussed on supporting fibre infrastructure in urban areas, and on 5G infrastructure. The incumbent telco PDLT is accelerating a network modernisation program which will see the company migrate from copper to fibre, while there has been considerable progress in 5G developments, with commercial service launches expected by the end of the year.

In addition, a continuing interest in new data centre builds is expected, as well as augmenting existing capacity.

Considerable cooperation is also evident among telcos, covering a range of sectors. Smart Communications has teamed up with Google to deploy additional Wi-Fi hubs across the country as part of a drive to provide free connections nationwide, while Smart, Dito Telecommunity and Globe Telecom have progressed with network sharing in a bid to reduce costs and expedite network rollouts.

Mobile subscriber growth is expected to be relatively low during the next five years, though will be driven by the continuing migration to LTE and the take-up of 5G services from 2021. Competition is expected to intensify from 2021, with the entry of Dito and a further push from NOW Telecom.

BuddeComm notes that the outbreak of the Coronavirus in 2020 is having a significant impact on production and supply chains globally. During the coming year the telecoms sector to various degrees is likely to experience a downturn in mobile device production, while it may also be difficult for network operators to manage workflows when maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructure. Overall progress towards 5G may be postponed or slowed down in some countries.

On the consumer side, spending on telecoms services and devices is under pressure from the financial effect of large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes. However, the crucial nature of telecom services, both for general communication as well as a tool for home-working, will offset such pressures. In many markets the net effect should be a steady though reduced increased in subscriber growth.

Although it is challenging to predict and interpret the long-term impacts of the crisis as it develops, these have been acknowledged in the industry forecasts contained in this report.

The report also covers the responses of the telecom operators as well as government agencies and regulators as they react to the crisis to ensure that citizens can continue to make optimum use of telecom services. This can be reflected in subsidy schemes and the promotion of tele-health and tele-education, among other solutions.

Key Developments



Regulator issues guidelines on sharing mobile tower infrastructure, commits to spending P46.6-billion of digital economy programs;



MNP not expected to become operational before mid-2021;



Regulator announces PHP7.7 billion plan to roll out 23,100 public Wi-Fi hotspots across the country;



Globe extends 5G to prepaid subscribers;



JUPITER subsea cable linking the Philippines with Japan and the US gains US government approval;



Ignite Telecommunications granted 25-year telecom franchise;



Dito Telecommunity delays service launch to March 2021;



Smart Communications teams up with Google to deploy additional Wi-Fi hubs;



MNOs prepped for 5G service launch later in 2020;



Report update includes the regulators market data, telco operational and financial data to Q1 2020, Telecom maturity Index charts and analyses, assessment of the global impact of COVID-19 on the telecoms sector, recent market developments.



Key companies mentioned in this report:

PLDT, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Liberty Telecom, Bayantel, Bell Telecom (BellTel), Digitel, Eastern Telecom (ETPI), Innove (Globe), PT&T, ABS-CBN Corp, Altimax, Bayantel, Broadband Philippines, Vega Telecom.

Read the full report: https://www.budde.com.au/Research/Philippines-Telecoms-Mobile-and-Broadband-Statistics-and-Analyses
Protests sparked in the country after the central election commission claimed a landslide win of an incumbent president at the latest election.

Belarusian students took to the streets in the capital city of Minsk on Knowledge Day, September 1, to demand that political prisoners be released from custody and fair elections be held in the country.

Students of the Minsk State Linguistic University (MSLU) are collecting signatures for a petition calling for fair elections, TUT.BY reported on September 1.

They proposed that Belarusian Minister for Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei who arrived at the university sign the document. But the latter, as well as the rector of the university, refused to sign it.

Young people are arranging in columns, moving along the central streets of the city. Meanwhile, security forces cordoned off the MSLU, according to TUT.by.

A local journalist reported on detentions of students in the area of Victory Square and the bridge across the Svislach River.

Read alsoBaltic States declare Belarus' Lukashenko persona non grataIncumbent President Alexander Lukashenko is currently on a working trip to the town of Baranavichy. He attended an assembly at a local community college and spoke with locals.

Belarus election and protests: background, reactions

Presidential elections were held in Belarus on August 9. The Central Election Commission said over 80% of voters supported incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, while his main rival, a political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, gained just over 10%.

Thousands of Belarusians who believe the vote count was rigged took to the streets to protest election results. Security officials violently slammed on protesters, detaining thousands, beating and injuring many in captivity.

On August 19, leaders of EU member states agreed to impose sanctions on Belarus in response to falsified vote count and the use of violence against protesters. They have not recognized the presidential election results.

Ukraine has joined the EU declaration on Belarus. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine in no way intends to interfere in Belarus' internal affairs, while remaining ready to assist in settlement efforts.
Dr Kafeel Khan finally walked out of jail in the wee hours of Wednesday after the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday quashed his detention under the National Security Act and ordered his immediate release.

Soon after the order, when Kafeels family reached Mathura jail for his release, the authorities refused to release him citing non-receipt of the order, following which the family had said they would file a contempt petition in the Allahabad High Court. In a tweet, his wife Dr Shabista alleged, Even after high court order they are not releasing drkafeel from mathura jail."

Earlier, the court declared that the extension of his detention as illegal and ordered the immediate release of detained Dr Kafeel Khan and the dropping of the stringent NSA charges against him. The relief comes after months of detention for Kafeel who had been in prison for making inflammatory speeches in December. Khan was in prison since January.

Who is Dr Kafeel Khan?

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Dr Kafeel Khan was a lecturer and the nodal officer of the encephalitis ward in the state-run BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur. Dr Khan was greatly lauded for his efforts to save lives during the 2017 tragedy in the hospital that caused the deaths of 63 children. The deaths reportedly occurred due to a cut in the oxygen supply, with medical negligence being blamed for the deaths. Khan was arrested in August 2017 after the UP government denied that the deaths had occurred due to cutting of oxygen supply. Khan was quitted of all charges in September 2019.

Why was Kafeel Khan in prison now?

Khan has been in jail since January 29 after a speech he delivered at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 10, 2019 during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests. Following the speech, the Uttar Pradesh government invoked NSA charges against him on February 13, 2020, by of the Aligarh District Magistrate. On August 16, his detention under NSA was extended for the second time by three months.

Why was Kafeel Khans extension illegal?

Under the NSA, people can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if authorities are satisfied that they are a threat to national security or law and order. Khans mother Nuzhat Parveen filed a plea in Allahabad HC seeking his release following which a bench comprising of justices Manoj Mishra and Deepak Verma passed the order asking the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government to file their replies in a case seeking the release of Khan. In Tuesdays hearing, the Allahabad HC observed that the Kafeel speech was not inflammatory and not sufficient for preventive detention.

What did the court say?

The division bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh observed that Khans speech does not disclose any effort to promote hatred or unrest, as per Live Law. The court held that the speech did not harm the peace and tranquility of Aligarh". It further added that the address gave a call for national integrity and unity among the citizens".

A complete reading of the speech of Dr #kafeelkhan prima facie does not disclose any effort to promote hatred or violence. It also no where threatens peace and tranquility of the city of Aligarh. The address gives a call for national integrity and unity among the citizens: HC pic.twitter.com/EzAvvV371N Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) September 1, 2020

Khan had popular support from civil society and several celebrities who have for months been running a campaign for his release. His family credited Dr Kafeels active social work after being released from jail in 2018 as the reason behind growing support for the doctor.
Donald Trump Jr., out Tuesday with "Liberal Privilege: Joe Biden and the Democrats' Defense of the Indefensible," told Axios he self-published because his massive social channels  5.5 million Twitter followers, 3.4 million Instagram followers  give him a distribution edge that allows him to keep full control and profits.

Why it matters: "You're not beholden to someone else," Trump said from New York after signing 100 copies at Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue. "I'm actually probably at an advantage."

He estimated that about 75% of his bestseller "Triggered" moved online.

As for Don Jr.'s presidential fortunes, Jason Zengerle reported in the New York Times Magazine two weekends ago that the son told comedian Jim Norton on a radio show in February:
The Executives of the UK Branch of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have assured to fully support the party's parliamentary candidates for the 20 selected orphan constituencies in Ghana as part of the Branch Campaign to grab more seats from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) come 2020 general elections.

The NPP UK Branch represented by Mr Kwame Boateng (Organiser), Mr Eric Amofa Deputy Branch Organiser and Miss Shirley Kyei (Branch Womens Organiser) gave the assurance when they donated printed T-shirts to Prof. Yankah and Hon Ernest Arthur on behalf of the UK Branch Chairman, Mr Kwaku Nkansah and the Election Committee.

The donation forms part of the NPP UK Branch "constituency adoption" project aimed at supporting the party structures and the candidates with material and financial resources to win more parliamentary and presidential votes for the party in the next general elections.

The NPP UK Branch members who played pivotal role in the recent Voters Registration Exercise in Ghana are still moving round to the adopted constituencies across Ghana to identify and address some of the challenges facing the party at the grassroots for massive victory.

Mr Kwame Boateng was confident that Prof Yankah (PC for Agona East) and Hon Ernest Arthur (PC for Cape Coast South) would slap the NDC with an embarrassing defeat come December.

He assured both Parliamentary Candidates on behalf of the NPP UK Branch Chairman, Mr Kwaku Nkansah that they will stand by the Constituency to ensure the agenda to win the Agona East and Cape Coast South seats was achieved with ease.

It is important to note that the UK NPP Branch has adopted 20 orphaned constituencies in Ghana including Agona East and Cape Coast South Constituency, with the intention of winning all for the party as part of their contributions to the NPP.

Receiving the T-shirts, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, who is also a Deputy Minister for Education commended the UK Branch Chairman and the entire team for the support and pledged to work assiduously to grab the seat from the incompetent NDC member of Parliament in the Agona East Constituency, Mrs Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr.

Mr Eric Amofa, Deputy Organiser of the NPP UK Branch also commended Professor Yankah for the extensive grounds work done so far and encouraged him to maintain the pace devoid of complacency.

He was optimistic that the excellent performance of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo especially in the Agona East Constituency would translate into massive votes for Prof. Yankah and the NPP come December.
Police in North Macedonia say they have seized a large quantity of weapons and arrested three men on suspicion of planning terror attacks after raids in four locations in the country's north.

The three suspects, identified only by their initials as V.A. (22) B.A. (25) and E.Lj. (25), are former Islamic State fighters and returnees, who were convicted and have previously served jail sentences for their involvement with the militant group, according to police.

According to Tuesday's statement, the men have been arrested for allegedly creating and joining a group with the intention of "carrying out a terrorist act" on targets in North Macedonia.

Police said that in early 2019 the group created a "criminal cell, based on the ideological matrix of the ISIS terrorist organization, with the intention of carrying out a terrorist act on targets in the territory of the Republic of Northern Macedonia."

The members of the group, the police statement said, have provided financial means and procured a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and military equipment, which they hid and stored near the local road in the northern village of Biljanovce.

Police there found five automatic rifles, a machine gun, 18 frames for an automatic rifle with 30 bullets each, eight grenade launchers with fuses, camouflage vests and an ISIS flag with Arabic inscription.

They also found two hand grenade launchers to activate the belts as well as a series of smaller items including radios, explosive fuses, knives, a laptop, mobile phones, five SIM cards, an electronic lens device, a camouflage suit and a car.

Police also said that in raids across four locations, three in the northern town of Kumanovo and one in the country's capital Skopje, they seized two handmade belts filled with explosives, metal balls (bearings) all mounted on a cardboard base.

Police said they have filed criminal charges for the three men for "terrorism" and "creating a terrorist organization."

If put on trial, they face up to 15 years in jail on both charges.

Authorities in the country in 2016 estimated that some 150 Macedonian nationals had travelled to fight alongside Islamic insurgents in Iraq and Syria.

Most of them came from the country's mainly Muslim ethnic-Albanian minority, which represents about one-quarter of the population of 2.1 million people.

(Image Credit Pixabay)
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - Blackrock Gold Corp. (TSXV: BRC) (the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its maiden drill program at the 100% controlled Tonopah West project located in the Walker Lane trend of Western Nevada.

HIGHLIGHTS:

TW20-006 at the Paymaster vein returned 1,577 g/t silver equivalent (AgEq) over 4.6 metres including 3.0 metres grading 2,215 g/t AgEq. TW20-006 also intersected a second vein yielding 1.5 metres of 1,670 g/t AgEq.;

The Denver vein assayed 1.5 metres grading 345 g/t AgEq in drillhole TW20-005, and TW20-004 yielded 1.5 metres grading 245 g/t AgEq;

Though TW20-007 experienced significant deviation from the targeted Bermuda vein, it still intersected 1.5 metres grading 387 g/t AgEq of a previously unknown vein. The Denver, Paymaster, and Bermuda ("DPB") veins, in addition to the new vein encountered, represent the Company's DPB Target;

Yielding 1.5 metres grading 329 g/t AgEq from the Merger vein, RC drillholes TW20-003 and TW20-002 experienced severe deviation to the east missing the main Victor target. A core drill rig has completed two of five planned additional drillholes at this target to delineate approximately 300 metres of strike along the Victor vein.;

The first drillhole at the New Discovery Target, TW20-008, returned 562 g/t AgEq over 1.5 metres from the steeply dipping Discovery Vein.; and

Drilling continues to ramp up with 10,000 metres of a planned 20,000 metre initial program now complete, with two drill rigs (core and RC) being utilized.

The Company is approaching 10,000 metres of drilling in 19 RC and 2 core drillholes across the Victor, DPB, and Discovery targets. This initial program, originally slated to consist of 7,000 metres of drilling, has been expanded to 20,000 metres following the successful targeting of drillholes TW20-001, TW20-003, TW20-005, TW20-006 and TW20-008.

Table 1: Assay results above 300 g/t AgEq cut off for drillholes TW20-001 to TW20-010

Drillhole Area From Metres To Metres Length Metres Gold g/t Silver g/t AgEq g/t* TW20-001 Victor Vein 554.74 557.78 3.0 2.435 221.27 464.77 TW20-001 Victor Vein 560.83 563.88 3.0 11.518 1,046.07 2,197.90 Including 560.83 562.36 1.5 18.667 1,736.73 3,603.40 TW20-001 Victor Vein 574.55 603.50 29.0 5.291 435.71 964.79 Including 582.17 592.84 10.7 7.941 623.10 1,417.20 TW20-001 Victor Vein 612.65 615.70 3.0 1.925 135.07 327.57 TW20-003 Victor Vein 702.56 704.09 1.5 1.890 140.00 329.00 TW20-005 Denver Vein 402.34 403.86 1.5 1.630 182.33 345.33 TW20-006 Paymaster Vein 275.84 277.37 1.5 8.680 802.60 1,670.60 TW20-006 Paymaster Vein 321.56 326.14 4.6 9.036 673.12 1,576.67 Including 323.09 326.14 3.0 12.633 951.99 2,215.33 TW20-006 Paymaster Vein 327.66 329.18 1.5 2.170 162.97 379.97 TW20-007 Bermuda Vein 484.63 486.16 1.5 2.060 180.80 386.80 TW20-008 New Discovery 242.32 243.84 1.5 3.430 218.64 561.64

*AgEq g/t = Ag g/t + (Au g/t X 100) True Thickness believed to be 70% of length

Andrew Pollard, President & CEO stated, "Our second set of assays from our maiden drill program at Tonopah West has delivered our second high-grade discovery. The silver and gold grades encountered at both our Victor and DPB targets offer prime examples of why this historic district long ago rose to prominence as the "Queen of the Silver Camps" and highlights the scale of the opportunity for us as the first group to target these historic workings. Though we experienced deviation in some drillholes that caused them to miss their targets, we've been able to recalibrate quickly as we ramp up our exploration efforts with the recent addition of a core drill rig. With many assays pending, and plenty of drilling to come, including at yet untested targets, we are excited to add a new chapter to this once storied district."





To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/676/62970_ac06f840c4405b41_002full.jpg

*DPB Target Zone

Drilling at the DPB target is ramping up to accommodate an in-fill drill program on the Paymaster and Denver veins. Drill pads on 100-metre centers have been completed, and drilling to explore the full potential of these two veins along strike is in progress.

Drilling at the Victor and Bermuda veins has been challenging because of severe and unpredictable drillhole deviation away from the planned target zones. TW20-002 and TW20-003 deviated to the east and away from the Victor mineralized zone. As a result, TW20-002 passed east and below the target zone while TW20-003 deviated so far east that it intersected the Merger vein at 702 metres. A technical review with the drill contractors has outlined some potential solutions to this problem which are being applied as drilling progresses at Victor and Bermuda.

At the Bermuda vein, drillholes deviated to the east and lost significant elevation and failed to reach the planned target. TW20-007 deviated almost 90 degrees to the east and became vertical, thus paralleling and missing the vertically-oriented Bermuda vein.

The core drill arrived on site on August 20th and is drilling core tails from a series of RC pre-collared holes. The first core tail, TW20-011C, is complete and is a step-out hole from TW20-001 within the Victor Vein. TW20-012C and TW20-013C are in progress and expect to be complete by mid-September, and two additional core holes are planned for early fall. The core tail program is designed to delineate approximately 300 metres of strike along the Victor vein target.

Upon completion of the first phase of the core tail program at the Victor vein target, the core drill will be moved to the DPB target to assist with in-fill drilling and target delineation while the Company awaits assay results from the Victor area.

Drillhole

ID Target NAD27

East NAD27

North Elevation metres Azimuth Dip Total Depth metres TW20-001 Victor 478723 4214121 1787 0 -90 623.3 TW20-002 Victor 478671 4214227 1796 150 -85 716.3 TW20-003 Victor 478644 4214326 1794 150 -85 748.3 TW20-004 DPB 478053 4214260 1765 180 -87 611.12 TW20-005 DPB 477900 4214220 1760 180 -85 605.03 TW20-006 DPB 478069 4213965 1774 0 -90 571.50 TW20-007 DPB 478058 4213708 1775 180 -85 605.03 TW20-008 New Discovery 477900 4213261 1774 175 -80 519.68 TW20-009 New Discovery 477887 4213096 1777 0 -90 312.42 TW20-010 New Discovery 477748 4213196 1769 110 -70 355.09

All sampling was conducted under the supervision of the Company's project geologists, and a strict chain of custody from the project to the sample preparation facility was implemented and monitored. The RC samples were hauled from the project site to a secure and fenced facility in Tonopah, Nevada, where they were loaded on to American Assay Laboratory's (AAL) flat-bed truck and delivered to AAL's facility in Sparks, Nevada. A sample submittal sheet was delivered to AAL personnel who organized and processed the sample intervals pursuant to the Company's instructions. Blackrock personnel inserted standards and blanks into the sample sequence.

The RC samples and QA/QC samples were crushed and pulverized, then the pulverized material was digested and analyzed for gold using fire assay fusion and an Induced Coupled Plasma (ICP) finish on a 30-gram assay split. Silver was determined using five-acid digestion and ICP analysis. Data verification of the assay and analytical results are completed to ensure accurate and verifiable results. A prep blank, lab blank or a certified standard was inserted approximately every 20th sample.

Blackrock's exploration activities at the Tonopah West Project are being conducted and supervised by Mr. William Howald, Executive Chairman of Blackrock Gold Corp. Mr. William Howald, AIPG Certified Professional Geologist #11041, is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.

About Blackrock Gold Corp.

Blackrock is a junior gold-focused exploration company that is on a quest to make an economic discovery. Anchored by a seasoned Board, the Company is focused on its Nevada portfolio of properties consisting of low-sulphidation epithermal gold & silver projects located along on the established Northern Nevada Rift in north-central Nevada, and the Walker Lane trend in western Nevada.

For further information, please contact:

Andrew Pollard, President & CEO

Blackrock Gold Corp.

Phone: 604 817-6044

Email: andrew@blackrockgoldcorp.com

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking statements concern the Company's strategic plans, timing and expectations for the Company's exploration and drilling programs, estimates of mineralization from drilling, geological information projected from sampling results and the potential quantities and grades of the target zones. Such forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: conditions in general economic and financial markets; accuracy of assay results; geological interpretations from drilling results, timing and amount of capital expenditures; performance of available laboratory and other related services; future operating costs; completion and exercise of the Tonopah option and the historical basis for current estimates of potential quantities and grades of target zones. The actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the risk factors including: the ability of the Company to complete the Tonopah lease option, the timing and content of work programs; results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties; the interpretation and undertainties of drilling results and other geological data; receipt, maintenance and security of permits and mineral property titles; environmental and other regulatory risks; project costs overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; availability of funds; failure to delineate potential quantities and grades of the target zones based on historical data, and general market and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62970
The social media fad on the TikTok application "Benadryl Challenge" proved itself again that it is dangerous after sending at least three teenagers to hospital in Texas last May and caused the death of the 15-year-old teen in Oklahoma last week.

The challenge coaxes participants to take numerous doses of Benadryl which is an over-the-counter antihistamine drug diphenhydramine up to the point that the challenge becomes lethal as the person doing it hallucinates and trips out.

According to Fox News, Dr. Adam Berman, a toxicologist and emergency medicine physician at Northwell Health/Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York, shared that the Benadryl challenge may look fun to the viewers but the challenge could be deadly as it has a high risk and danger as it is lethal.

Berman who is also an associate chair of emergency medicine added that if consumed in normal doses, the antihistamine drug is safe to take. But when taken in multiple doses, Benadryl can cause irregular heart beating, which could result in a heart stoppage. Taking numerous doses can also cause extreme drowsiness and seizures and if combined could be fatal.

Read also: Having Your Monthly Period? Check Out These Foods Women Should Eat and Avoid During Menstruation

The over-the-counter antihistamine, Benadryl is a commonly used drug as a treatment for allergies and some allergic reactions.

The Medical Director at the National Capital Poison Center, Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor also mentioned that even though it is available over-the-counter and generally safe for consumption when directions on the packaging will be followed.

Dr. Kelly also added that serious toxicity can only occur when Benadryl is administered in large dosages.

The medical toxicology physician also stated that the Benadryl ingestion can affect the brain that explains why there is a hallucination occurring when consumed and abused.

Aside from the brain, it can also affect the heart as if the drug will be taken in large quantity it can cause heart rhythm problems that can result in cardiac arrest and even death, Newsweek reported.

Moreover, Dr. Robert Glatter who is an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York emphasized that the bottom line is that engaging in such a challenge is inherently dangerous as can be lethal.

He also mentioned that people may require intubation to secure their airway in case there will be an overdose. Simply put, as you are about to approach the dose that leads to hallucinations that the 'challenge' calls for, the risk for deadly cardiac arrhythmias and seizures significantly increases as well.

A spokesperson from company Johnson and Johnson who is the manufacturer of Benadryl shared their statement in an e-mail wherein they emphasized and pointed out that the health and safety of the persons using their products is their top priority.

The company also wants the Benadryl challenge to be stopped as the TikTok trend is very alarming and dangerous. They also stated that not only Benadryl can cause serious side effects when abused and misused so they reminded the public to avoid any future consequences.

In addition to that, products such as Benadryl should be used only according to the directions on the label to avoid any serious side effects which can extent up to death.

The company currently works with TikTok to stop the fad and the removal of its previous related videos.



Related article: German Researchers Simulate a Pop Concert to Study How COVID-19 Spreads in Crowds

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Former finance minister P Chidambaram flayed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government for the sharp decline in GDP numbers. The Indian economy shrank a record-shattering 23.9 percent during the April-June quarter this year. The GDP contraction was much worse than the forecast of 18.3 percent drop. It is the biggest contraction on record as the coronavirus crisis took a big toll on the economy.

Chidambaram said all this had been anticipated and the Congress had warned the government and urged it to take preventive and preemptive measures. It will take many months before the economy turns the corner and registers positive growth, he said.

Also read: India's GDP contracts 23.9% in Q1FY21 as lockdowns, restrictions bludgeon economy

"Our pleas fell on deaf ears. The country, as a whole, is paying a heavy price, the poor and the vulnerable are in despair. It is only the Modi government that was nonchalant and uncaring. The government peddled a fake narrative, but that narrative has been exploded today by the CSO estimates," Chidambaram said.

"Let me say with regret: it will take many months before the economy turns the corner and registers positive growth. The inaction and ineptitude of the government give us no hope that we will see light at the end of the tunnel at any time soon," the former finance minister said.

He said the GDP in the first quarter has declined by a whopping 23.9 percent, which means about one-quarter of the gross domestic output as on June 30, 2019, has been wiped out in the last 12 months or the gross domestic output has fallen by about 20 percent since the end of 2019-20.

The Congress leader said the only sectors that had grown are Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing at 3.4 percent, and the Finance Minister, who blamed an 'Act of God' for the economic decline, should be grateful to the farmers and the gods who blessed the farmers.

"The estimates do not come as a surprise to us. They should be a matter of surprise to the government that was seeing green shoots during the first quarter. It should also be a matter of shame to the government that did nothing -- literally nothing -- to cushion the fall by taking suitable fiscal and welfare measures, but we know that the Modi government has no shame and will not acknowledge its mistakes," the Congress leader alleged.

Also read: Q1 GDP shrinks | How long will the free fall last?

Chidambaram said the economic tragedy was foretold by many close observers of the Indian economy, most recently by the RBI in its Annual Report released a few days ago.

Also read: COVID-19 impact | India's GDP contraction worse than world's top economies



Of the worlds major and advanced economies, Indias economy declined more than any other countrys except the economy of the United States.

What does that tell us? That Mr Modi stands second only to Mr Trump in terms of incompetent economic mismanagement.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 31, 2020

"Of the world's major and advanced economies, India's economy declined more than any other country's except the economy of the United States. What does that tell us? That Mr Modi stands second only to Mr Trump in terms of incompetent economic mismanagement," Chidambaram said in a tweet.

India imposed one of the strictest lockdowns in the world on March 25, bringing all economic activities to a grinding halt. While businesses and economic activity have started picking up since then, India's economy still doesn't seem to be out of the woods.

India will be officially in recession if GDP contracts in the current quarter July-September  too, which most experts reckon would take place.
TALLAHASSEE, FL  The Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health have announced that they will cut all ties with the Quest Diagnostics lab company. This is a result of Quest allegedly "dumping" a large number of COVID-19 test results from several months all at one time, which would be a violation of state law. Their statement reads as follows:



"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 1, 2020

Florida Department of Health and Florida Division

of Emergency Management Sever Ties with

Quest Diagnostics After Quest Failed to Follow Florida Law

~Testing Company Attempted to Dump 75,000

COVID-19 Test Results from as far back as April~

Today (9/1/20), at the direction of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) will be severing all ties with Quest Diagnostics after Quests failure to follow Florida law and report all COVID-19 results in a timely manner. Quests failure to report nearly 75,000 results dating back to April means most of the data in todays (9/1/20) upload  while it will have historical significance  will have little impact on the status of the pandemic today.

Per Quest, all individuals that tested positive were notified of their results. Therefore, while significant, this unacceptable dump of test results is a data issue and does not impact the health of individuals or the spread of COVID-19 in Florida. Quest Diagnostics is a large, nationwide lab that provides testing at private sites, as well as performing limited testing through the state.

Upon announcing this action, Governor DeSantis said, The law requires all COVID-19 results to be reported to DOH in a timely manner. To drop this much unusable and stale data is irresponsible. I believe that Quest has abdicated their ability to perform a testing function in Florida that the people can be confident in. As such I am directing all executive agencies to sever their COVID-19 testing relationships with Quest effective immediately.

Monday night, August 31, the Governors office was informed that nearly 75,000 tests, dating as far back as April, were to be entered into the DOH COVID-19 monitoring system. While the data, for the most part were over 2 weeks old  with some being almost 5 months old  the state incorporated information that would be useful and included the rest in the interest of transparency.

Without the backlog of Quest results, the positivity rate for new cases on August 31, 2020 is 5.9%."
LANSING, Mich., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Jay Rosen, founder and president of Health Management Associates (HMA), announced the firm's acquisition of Burns & Associates, Inc., an Arizona-based health policy consulting firm that specializes in innovative approaches to the financing and delivery of health care and human services.

Burns & Associates, founded in 2006, works with states on policy analysis, financial modeling, rate setting, and program design, implementation, and evaluation. The Burns team has been on the cutting edge of service delivery and payment reform, and possesses robust analytics expertise. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"Burns & Associates has a proven track record of helping clients successfully navigate change," Rosen said. "Our new colleagues bring an impressive set of knowledge and skills to HMA that will help further expand our breadth and depth of experience and the ways in which we can help our clients."

Burns & Associates is a leader nationally in the design, operation, and evaluation of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) programs, particularly in the development of payment rates for providers serving individuals with developmental disabilities, older individuals and persons with physical disabilities, and individuals with mental health needs. Their vast rate setting expertise, including the development of innovative value-based approaches, extends to a wide array of Medicaid and human service programs.

Commenting on the acquisition, Mark Podrazik, Burns & Associates' president, said, "We have long admired HMA's work and are excited to be joining the firm. As the past several months have shown, state health and human services agencies confront ever-changing circumstances. The ability to draw on the exceptional experience and expertise of our new colleagues at HMA will allow us to enhance the support we provide to our clients  and the people they serve  today and into the future."

Founded in 1985, HMA is an independent, national research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation. Clients include government, public and private providers, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, institutional investors, foundations, and associations. With 22 offices and over 225 multidisciplinary consultants coast to coast, HMA's expertise, services, and team are always within client reach.

For more information about HMA, visit https://www.healthmanagement.com/.

SOURCE Health Management Associates

Related Links

http://www.healthmanagement.com


01.09.2020 LISTEN

The talk on His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo running away from debating former prez. John Dramani Mahama in this year's (2020) election has taken an interesting dimension as Ghanaians in foreign countries intrude on

According to 2017 Ghana Statistical report, Ghanaians abroad contributes about 7.4 of annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Ghana's economy through remittances

A patriotic Ghanaian Lawyer who hails from Kintampo in the Bono East Region living in the United Kingdom Lawyer Kofi Badu has challenge prez Akufo Addo to boldly debate Fmr. Prez John Dramani Mahama(JDM) and prove him wrong on he has done and what he intends to do Ghana when given another four years as a president

Speaking with Kwadwo Ofosu Baffoe on a Techiman based ASTA FM Kokorokoo morning show which was monitored by Nana Kojo Atobra of RighteousTV, the Son of the Bono East Region who is domiciled in the United Kingdom- Lawyer Kofi Badu hintend that, Ghanaians abroad always have a strong stake in Elections outcomes due to the remittances they channel to their families.

"Ghana's Legal immigrant population in the United States of America is 149,96 and that of United Kingdom is 81,917, a lot of Ghanaians depends on remittances from their siblings abroad for their survival in their daily expenditure running from rent, education, health, food, and other many other pressing needs. " Lawyer Kofi Badu

According to him, Ghanaians abroad always coerce and lure their families to vote for a particular party based on their manifestos as to what has been done band to be done through the debate on their policies to be implemented when given power to rule

"Am however dumbfounded after hearing prez Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo resist a call by the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama for a debate to prove and set records straight as to which policital party has contributed immensely to Ghana's Infrastructure development" he hintend

Lawyer Kofi Badu stressed that prez Akufo Addo the leader of the New Patrotic Party is a disappointing personality indicating that he is rather placing doubts of competency in his turn in office as a sitting president adding that Prez Akufo Addo is rather brainwashing Ghanaians because he couldn't fulfill the promises made during the 2016 campaign

"Leading as a president with three and half years mandate why is His Excellency running away from this important debate of which we Ghanaians abroad will asked our families to vote for or against or is it a reason of his own bad shadow of governance appearing as the most inept, corrupt and nepotistic regime that Ghana has witnessed in the fourth republican constitutional rule as peddled by news portals as the talk in Ghana" he opined

According to Lawyer Kofi Badu , Ghanaian citizen in foreign lands wish to task His Excellency prez Akufo Addo that they need his presence on the between him and John Dramani Mahama to clarify the following issues labeled against his administration;

1.The fight against illegal mining popularly called Galamsey in local parlance.

2. The over 500 missing excavators that ended in the hands of your party faithfuls in the name of "party no hia no sika" (the party needs money)

3. The fight against corruption using Anas Aremeyao Anas Tiger Eye P.l. investigative method which is yet to see the light of the day.

4.The low production of cocoa since 2017.

5. The falling price of Cashew since 2017.

6.The Free SHS saga and issues arising from supplying of past questions to final year students instead of text books leading to massive exams malpractices and attacks on the presidents persona by aggrieved students.

7.Teacher trainees Quota on admission, licensure exams cum National Services brouhaha.

8.Nursing trainees Quota on admission, non-bonding of nurses, and National Service brouhaha.

9.The ongoing legalisation debate of tricycles/motorbikes a.k.a Pragya, Okada or Aboboyaa in local parlance for public transport.

10. One Million per constituency promise, One village one dam, One district one factory were some of the theories that made many Ghanaians Diaspora to support you in 2016 hence we need an update in a debate.

"His Excellency, we need this debate very badly to make an informed decision with our families in GHANA before we go for the ballot come December 7th,2020. Hope to hear favourably from your outfit." Thank you. He concludes it.

Signed:

Kofi Badu-Esq_United Kingdom.
Doug Ford will spare no expense, not a penny. He will do everything he can to make sure schools are safe. In fact  and you may be surprised to hear this  he already has.

We have done absolutely everything, everything, said the premier of Ontario on Monday, at yet another press conference involving manufacturing, or hiring police officers, or another still-unfunded subway plan for Scarborough.

Everything that (the teachers unions) have wanted, everything that the advice from the health table, everything from the ministry of health, everything from the minister of education, were sparing nothing. Every idea possible, were putting into the classrooms.

Well, thats a relief. Since schools are both the heart of education and the underpinning of the economy, and also Ontarios two million students are potential COVID-19 vectors for their families and their communities, that is nice to hear.

It is a little odd, though, that Doug has been saying this for a few weeks, during which time the back-to-school plan has changed approximately 37 times. And strangely, those changes have not included provincially mandated class-size reductions.

You wanted ventilation, we got ventilation, said Ford, still talking to the teachers unions. You wanted more money for the teachers, we got more money for the teachers; we went out and got the reserves. We went and got the cleaning. Weve basically covered every single list. And Im just asking, just once, for your co-operation.

Well, the HVAC improvement money came a few weeks before school starts, which is almost certainly too late, and probably insufficient. And the much-ballyhooed announcement of $500 million of reserves didnt really reduce class sizes in any across-the-board way, because even when school boards are creative, tapping what are often already-committed reserves isnt the same as new money. Even the new federal money hasnt resulted in mandated lower class sizes.

And notably, kids opting for online learning doesnt mean smaller class sizes: the funding formula is applied per student, so teachers across the province are just starting to hear about reorganizing classes toward bigger class sizes, including blending grades, and layoffs. With no class-size cap after Grade 3, some classes  across the province, in elementary and secondary  will be significant.

Ford didnt appear to understand that when asked Monday about school classes being collapsed, and instead advised people to trust his news conferences rather than whats on Twitter. Which wasnt the first time he had misunderstood a key education issue.

And more, the current plan isnt maximally safe. According to modelling from the universities of Waterloo and Guelph, the difference between 15 kids per class in school full time and 30 would be 14 expected COVID-19 cases in the former, versus 53 in the latter, and over four times as many lost student days. And, presumably, more secondary infections.

Ford touts the advice of Dr. David Williams, the much-criticized chief medical officer of health, along with his largely unidentified health advisory table and the ministry of health. But Toronto Public Health, Peel Public Health, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Sick Kids report that the Ford government touted have strongly recommended physical distancing in classrooms, with smaller class sizes. Notably, none of that latter list work for the province.

Yes, it would be expensive. But there are a million layers to this problem, from busing, to after-school care, to quarantines and not enough paid sick leave for parents. More than 80 kids are in isolation for 14 days in Quebec after three cases at two high schools, after only French-language schools went back last week. Quebec, notably, has not decreased full-time student class sizes.

Maybe mandatory masking will help. That is a good policy.

Our data suggest masks reduced transmission by 40 per cent, says epidemiologist Dr. David Fisman, But were pushing kids into a superspreader-friendly environment. I dont think itll be enough. Its unknowable.

Oh. Well, maybe the cohorting  keeping kids in identifiable groups to limit potential transmission  will help.

There hasnt been acknowledgment from Dr. David Williams or anyone else in the government that the social circles of 10 construct that weve all structured our lives around, and that our economy is structured around  whether youre renting a cottage, going to a restaurant, sitting on a patio, going to a store  will be completely breached the day that school opens for about everyone in the province, says Dr. Michael Warner, the head of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital in East York.

Because 2.1 million kids and teachers go to school, and almost everyone will have one of those people in their social circle.

So were all going to school on Sept. 8, or 15, or whenever school starts.

Ah. Also, research is showing kids can spread the virus, and our admirably low community transmission numbers seem to be creeping up, and everybody with a medical degree that wasnt printed on a restaurant placemat expects a second wave in the fall.

Why would you not do what you can to slow the fall wave? said Fisman.

Well, as NDP education critic Marit Stiles notes, this is the government that was interested in cutting public education at the start of its term. And its the same government that tried to push class sizes from 22.5 to 28 last fall so it could fire teachers. This appears to be an ideological line.

Why would you risk it, when everybody is telling you you need this much distance between people, and you cant do it in our classrooms? says Stiles. It makes no sense. Its the bedrock of the economy.

So here we are, a couple weeks away. Look, nobody wants outbreaks in schools. Everybody wants to win. Smaller class sizes would help. It would just cost money.

Were ready, as soon as the outbreak happens, said Ford. And it could be the first day, it could be the second. But I just want to remind everyone: if it really starts taking off, I will not hesitate for a second to close these schools down, in a blink of an eye, theyre down, theyre done, bang, closed. Im not chancing anything.

Except, it seems like you are.

Correction  Sept. 1, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that incorrectly said the Ford government commissioned the Sick Kids report that provided guidance for school reopening. In fact, the report was independently done by a group of experts from Sick Kids and other hospitals.

Editors note  Sept. 10, 2020: This article was edited to remove a reference to private charter and voucher schools.

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Mastodons travelled northwards across large distances in North America due to climate change around 800,000 years ago, a new study suggests.

Relatives of modern elephants, mastodons roamed from present-day Alaska east to Nova Scotia and south to central Mexico.

During the more temperate periods, mastodons headed north to feed on vegetation that had flourished after a big thaw, Canadian researchers say.

But as temperatures got colder and large glaciers started to spread down from the top of the continent, the creatures retreated back down south.

This was a constant cycle that took place during the erratic cold spells of the Pleistocene period, which spanned from 2.5 million to 11,700 years ago.

The experts, who reconstructed DNA from fossilised mastodon samples including teeth, tusks and bones, say their findings could be useful for modern conservation science.

Scroll down for video

The Warren mastodon, which was the first complete American mastodon skeleton found in the US, on display at the American Museum of Natural History. American mastodons migrated vast distances across North America in response to dramatic climate change

Today, creatures like moose and beavers are now heading northwards by tens of miles every century to find the optimum temperature in response to climate fluctuations.

'The genetic data show a strong signal of migration, moving back and forth across the continent, driven what appears to be entirely by climate,' said study author Hendrik Poinar, director of the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre in Canada.

'These mastodons were living in Alaska at a time when it was warm, as well as Mexico and parts of Central America.

'These werent stationary populations  the data show there was constant movement back and forth.'

Mastodons, which belong to a group closely related to modern-day elephants and extinct mammoths, were among the largest living land animals on Earth at the time, reaching lengths of 10 feet and weighing 8 tonnes or more.

Illustration shows a single glacial cycle, showing the change from glacial (b) to interglacial (c) conditions, followed by a fall back into another glaciation (d). Mastodons were able to occupy most of eastern Beringia and Canada during interglacials (e), but progressively extirpated from these regions as conditions descend into the next glacial period (f)

American mastodons (Mammut americanum) inhabited woody and swampy locations in North America, eating shrubs and low-hanging tree branches.

The species went extinct about 11,000 years ago around about the end of the the Pleistocene period, along with other large mammals such as mammoths, sabre-toothed cats and giant ground sloths.

Pleistocene was characterised by cold glacial periods interspersed with warmer periods during which ice sheets would retract.

During these warm 'interglacials', previously frozen regions grew new forests and wetlands that provided new food sources for animals like the mastodon, enticing them northward.

Artist's impression of the extinct American mastodon (right) facing a Woolly mammoth (left)

Cycles of glacial and interglacial periods over the last 800,000 years resulted in periodic expansion of the ice sheet across approximately 50 per cent of the habitable land in North America.

Mastodon fossils discovered previously in northern climates had indicated that the species likely had a large range.

But scientists were unsure when these migrations happened and whether mastodon populations took repeated trips or only went once.

To find out more, the researchers reconstructed complete mitochondrial genomes from the fossilised teeth, tusks and bones of 33 mastodons.

Ancient DNA recovered from fossil bones and teeth that hint at different types of vegetation, based on oxygen isotopes.

This enables experts to examine the location of extinct species and their movements over long periods of time.

'These methods can provide a nuanced understanding of responses (e.g., migration and extinction) to climatic stressors during the Pleistocene, and have already revealed demographic trends that are not easily recovered with traditional palaeontological techniques,' the team say in their study.

Researchers identified five distinct groups  or clades  of mastodons.

Two originated from eastern Beringia, a region that historically adjoined Russia and America.

Emil Karpinski at the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre in Canada analyses samples for the study

The authors found no overlap in the ages of the specimens from the eastern Beringia groups and suggest that the two clades likely resulted from separate expansions into this region.

This coincided with interglacial periods when warm climatic conditions supported the establishment of forests and wetlands, they say.

The results show that the animals travelled extreme distances in response to warming climate conditions and melting ice sheets, from warmer environments to the northernmost parts of the continent.

Examining how different Pleistocene creatures responded to climate transitions can provide valuable information on how global warming is affecting modern-day species in the north.

A mastodon fossil on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City

'By looking genetically at these animals which lived for the last 800,000 years, we can actually see the make-up of these populations that made it up to the north,' said lead author Emil Karpinksi at McMaster University.

'It's really interesting because a lot of species presently, like moose and beaver, are rapidly expanding their range northwards by as much as tens to hundreds of kilometres every century.'

However, mastodon populations that headed northward to the Arctic during warm periods were less genetically diverse, making them vulnerable to extinction.

'That is always a danger signal for vertebrate species," said Grant Zazula, an author on the study and paleontologist with the Government of Yukon in Canada.

'If you lose genetic diversity, you are losing ability to respond to new conditions.

'In this case, they were not up there long enough to adapt to northern conditions when they cycled back to cold.'

The study has been published in Nature Communications.
Harrison & Hetherington have announced rescheduled ram sales after Covid-19 cancelled one of the biggest event in the sheep farming calendar.

With Kelso Ram Sales cancelled, attendees from the across the UK and Ireland are looking to sell and buy in a different format to one they are used to.

Harrison & Hetherington (H&H) have released details of their rescheduled dates to meet farmers' needs, despite the pandemic.

With H&Hs numbers up at just over 2,000 entries, the sales are scheduled to take place at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, St Boswells and Lockerbie Marts in the Scottish Borders and Wooler in North Northumberland.

Scott Donaldson, Joint Managing Director of H&H, said it was a 'real shame' that the Kelso Ram Sales had been cancelled.

"It has always been a focal point for the industry, and farmers really do save the best of the best for Kelso," he said.

"Given the circumstances, H&H have worked hard to divide the sales, as it is our responsibility to schedule events so that producers can present their lambs to a large audience through our auction system and maintain social distancing.

"We have entries from across the British Isles and we still anticipate people coming from all over.

Only two people will be allowed to prepare and sell the tups, and only one buyer from each business will be allowed into the ring. Non-buying visitors will not be allowed to enter at all.

Mr Donaldson added: "Weve worked to provide the best solution we can, and we at H&H are looking at over 2000 rams which is even more than last year.

"It is imperative that people adhere to the strict guidelines weve put in place to make sure these sales can take place.

"We really dont want to turn anybody away or deal with an outbreak, so we hope that the farming community will act respectfully and responsibly.

When are the sales?

 Saturday 5 September - St Boswells Mart, Newtown St Boswells

 Thursday 10 September  Borderway Mart, Carlisle

 Friday 11 September - Lockerbie Mart

 Saturday 12 September  Borderway Mart, Carlisle

 Tuesday 15 September - Wooler Mart, Northumberland
Srinagar, Sep 1 : The Army said on Tuesday that it busted multiple hideouts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

The Army said that on August 30, it detected the movement of suspicious persons in Rampur Sector, Baramulla district.

"Movement was from a village close to the LoC and the suspects had crossed into Indian territory. Their movement was under constant surveillance.

"Due to adverse terrain, thick foliage and bad weather conditions, alert was sounded for a likely infiltration attempt. Surveillance Grid was beefed up across the area, ambushes were re-sited to thwart any such attempt.Surveillance continued through the night," it said.

The Army further said that the next morning, a search of the area was carried out.

"After an extensive search of seven hours, a huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from well concealed locations in two hideouts in Rampur sector." The Army recovered five AK series rifles with six magazines and two sealed boxes of 1,254 rounds; six pistols with nine magazines and six rounds; 21 grenades; two UBGL grenades and two Kenwood radio sets.
A northern Indiana woman has filed a lawsuit against the distributor of a recalled hand sanitizer over the presence of toxic methanol, alleging her children had severe side effects.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in St. Joseph County, seeks penalties. It names Texas-based 4e Brands North America, which distributes Blumen hand sanitizer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the product contained methanol, or wood alcohol, which is toxic and can be deadly.

The company, which issued a voluntary recall in July, did not return a message seeking comment.

The Osceola woman claims her childrens side effects included headaches and vomiting. The lawsuit accuses the company of violating Indianas Products Liability Act and Deceptive Consumer Sales Act and seeks class action status.

These deceptive acts are incurable because, among other reasons, the plaintiff relied upon them when purchasing the hand sanitizer and consumed the product in reliance upon the deceptive acts, resulting in personal injury, according to the lawsuit.

The Indiana Department of Health officials on Aug. 30 reported 880 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and six additional deaths. Overall, the state has reported 93,313 confirmed cases and 3,072 deaths since the pandemic began.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Indiana
On Sunday, while driving in my car, I encountered a Trump rally at the border of Wilson Borough and Palmer Township. The large group was on both sides of Wood Avenue in the parking lots of Kmart and Burger King. They were waving flags and yelling, and I felt like I was in the middle of their rally.

I was a bit scared. I was nervous and felt like I would get sick. Did they know I was not one of them? I wanted to hide or disappear. I wanted the red light to turn green. What I really wanted was to use some tear gas to disperse them. Make them go away. Far away. Does Home Depot sell tear gas?

But that would be illegal. That would violate their constitutional rights to free speech and peaceful gathering. That would be wrong.

Isnt that what their hero, the law and order president did a few weeks ago? Didnt authorities use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a peaceful rally near the White House so he could walk across the street for a photo-op? Isnt that illegal? Isnt that wrong?

It appears that this presidents law and order only applies to some of us. And not to himself.

We can change that in November.

Ron Roth

Forks Township
Facebook has said that it will block both local and international news from being shared on its platforms in Austrlia if new legislation is passed.

The new rules would require technology companies such as Facebook and Google to pay publishers such as news organisations for content.

In a blog post published on Monday, Facebook said Australias regulation misunderstands the dynamics of the internet and will do damage to the very news organisations the government is trying to protect.

The proposed legislation would allow news companies to bargain either individually or collectively with Google and Facebook about payment for inclusion of news content on its services.

It seeks to address the fundamental bargaining power imbalance between Australian news media businesses and major digital platforms, according to its proponents. That power imbalance resulted in news media businesses accepting less favourable terms for the inclusion of news on digital platform services than they would otherwise agree to", they claim.

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If the draft proposal becomes law, Facebook has said it will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram.

This is not our first choice  it is our last. But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australias news and media sector, it said.

Facebook argues that the law seeks to regulate every aspect of how tech companies do business with news publishers, that publishers voluntarily place content on their platforms, and that news represents a fraction of what people see in their News Feed.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which is proposing the law, says that over one-third of Facebook users reported using the social media site to access news.

It also says that Google placed a Top Stories carousel of headlines and snippets in response to up to 14 per cent of search queries, and therefore argues that both companies value and benefit from surfacing news content.

Google published an open letter about the law, which claimed that it would dramatically worse Google Search and YouTube, could lead to your data being handed over to big news businesses, and would put the free services you use at risk in Australia.

The ACCC said Googles letter contains misinformation and that Google will not be required to charge Australians for the use of its free services such as Google Search and YouTube, unless it chooses to do so.

A healthy news media sector is essential to a well-functioning democracy, it continued.

Facebook and Google have unparalleled dominance in many countries. In the UK, people spend a third of their time using platforms owned by either Google, such as YouTube, or Facebook, such as Instagram.

This is not the first time countries have tried to push Google and Facebook to pay for the news on their platform. In 2014, Google said its news product, Google News, would not operate in Spain ahead of a law requiring the search company to pay for linked content or snippets of news.

In 2018, the European Union proposed Article 11, otherwise known as a link tax, which would make tech companies like Google and Facebook to pay to use news content on their sites. Heavy backlash against the regulation saw it eventually voted down.
The question of what the red carpet  that weird celebrity style ritual that reached its apogee in the early 21st century as a marketing/social media/fashion Frankenstein's monster  would become in a COVID-19 world was finally answered at, of all places, the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. And it was answered by Lady Gaga.

Held live around New York City, socially distanced but without an audience, the VMAs were the last of the summer award shows, and the first to attempt some semblance of old days pizazz, rather than Zooming-from-your-living-room relatability. Keke Palmer hosted, and both acknowledged the tragedies of the day  the death of Chadwick Boseman, the shooting of Jacob Blake  and engaged in multiple-dress modelling.

For the Song of the Year award, Lady Gaga wore a gigantic iridescent emerald green shirtdress ballgown from Christopher John Rogers and a matching bejeweled and tusked Lance V. Moore mask. Credit:MTV via AP

Not everyone wanted in. Taylor Swift accepted her prize remotely. So did BTS, though the band performed in a pre-recorded segment in very snazzy suits and ties. There was a space where hosts and performers could pose on their ownsome for arrival photos to show off their clothes, but they didn't quite reach the usual critical mass: Sofia Carson, in red Giambattista Valli with a giant poufy peplum; Joey King in a short rose-print Versace; Machine Gun Kelly in hot pink Berluti.

It was nice to see them make an effort, and to experience a bit of a vicarious dressing-up thrill, even if without the attendant crowds and paparazzi. It also felt as if something was missing, like a hot-air balloon slowly deflating. (Why are those people all gussied up and standing there by themselves?)
Any idea that Tim Davie might enjoy a honeymoon period as the BBCs new director-general has gone up in smoke.

He takes over the job today, with the row about the Last Night of the Proms still reverberating and with every opinion poll confirming that the public firmly thinks the BBC got it wrong with its decision last week to downgrade Rule, Britannia! and Land Of Hope And Glory.

But far more worrying for the Corporations 17th DG are the hostile noises coming from the Government.

Ministers seem determined to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee and some are even briefing that its days are numbered.

The pressure is on Davie to find an alternative  and fast.

I worked at the BBC for 33 years and have known Tim for many of them.

He gives a strong sense of being a regular guy.

The BBC's new director general, Tim Davie, will certainly not get to enjoy a honeymoon period in his new job

He worked his way up from a typical suburban background, was a success in major corporations such as Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo, and can therefore cast a critical eye on some of the assumptions of the broadcasting establishment.

I think he has the right kind of mind for the job and, above all, the energy. He will certainly need that energy in the coming months.

The BBC is being assailed on multiple fronts: if these are not tackled, it is in danger of entering an existential crisis.

Im a firm supporter of the Corporation.

The risks of losing a public service broadcaster are shown every day in the U.S., where there is no common ground between Left and Right  and where tensions are fuelled by a polarised media.

The U.S. has no platform where its citizens can come together: at its best, the BBC supplies that platform here.

But we advocates of the BBC have to recognise the new reality.

In Britain, political consent for the licence fee is eroding at both ends of the spectrum, and the very idea of a licence  that is, a tax  for having a television looks like a throwback to a bygone age.

I can see the allure of decriminalisation: it is, of course, a terrible idea to threaten pensioners with prison if they dont pay.

But I also have serious doubts about a smooth transition to a civil enforcement system, which would mean higher fines than are currently in place, and even the threat of bailiffs being sent to seize non-payers property.

Removing criminal sanctions would also blow a random hole in the Corporations finances, and could not be done without very careful planning.

Yesterday, it was reported that Davie is open to implementing a subscription model to replace the licence fee (though I suspect this may prove to be technically difficult).

Outgoing DG Lord Hall floated the idea of replacing the licence fee with a household tax, similar to the model in Germany. It would be a mistake not to consider these options. 

However, it is dangerous to assume that public funding can be painlessly discarded, or that the BBC could easily withstand a massive and sudden drop in its 5billion annual income.

This time it really is different; and it is magical thinking to imagine that the market will step in to replace the things  such as local radio or quality U.K. drama  that the BBC would be forced to abandon if its budget were slashed.

Whatever happens to the licence fee during his tenure, Davie needs to start a sensible debate with the Government about what size and remit is best for the Corporation in the years ahead.

And he should start from the assumption that the BBC could manage with fewer channels.

He needs to be honest about what he wants the BBC to do, how much it will cost and how it can find the money without penalising the poorest.

The row about the Last Night of the Proms from last week continues to reverberate in opinion polls

Just as importantly, he needs to tackle the growing feeling among sections of the public that the BBC is not on their side.

The brouhaha over the Proms, in which high-ups at the BBC seemed to question a pride in Britishness, has prompted despair among current and former executives.

One tells me it was unbelievable; while another, hardened by previous battles, says that almost every year some bright spark in the music department suggested dropping the patriotic songs, but was swiftly overruled.

The mess this time suggests a lack of management grip: What an own goal, as one veteran puts it.

The BBC rightly recognises that the UK is changing.

Part of this change is greater ethnic diversity, and it is right that those voices are being heard on the Corporation and their views listened to.

But another form of diversity is just as important: diversity of thought.

What do I mean?

Well, as Jeremy Clarkson put it recently: Its also people who work on building sites, people with northern accents, people who drive white vans, who work in Greggs, want to sing Land Of Hope And Glory at the Proms and, yes, even people who voted for Brexit.

Time and again, in recent years, those have been the perspectives that have been missing, as many of the Corporations presenters, star journalists and senior managers seemed baffled by the outcomes of the 2016 referendum and the 2019 general election.

The BBC did well 25 years ago in identifying the appeal of Tony Blair and New Labour, but it struggled to understand the rise of Boris Johnson to the Tory leadership and his partys surge in the polls last year.

Davie, thank goodness, seems to get this.

Privately, according to friends, he admits that the BBC has some blind spots, acknowledging that it underestimated the strength of public hostility to the EU during the Brexit debate.

The same friends told a Sunday newspaper last weekend that he is determined the BBC should shed its London metropolitan bias and politically correct culture.

Can he achieve this? I t will certainly be a challenge. That woke mindset seems only to have hardened in recent months, with some insiders expressing fears that it is becoming increasingly impossible to challenge fashionable orthodoxies inside the BBC.

If privately-funded, liberal publishers like the Guardian or the New York Times decide to move further to the Left, that is a commercial and editorial matter for them.

But the Corporation is paid for by the whole of the British public.

Widespread consent for its funding model will vanish unless views from the Right and the Left, from conservatives and liberals, from the shires and the cities  are all reflected.

That is the task Davie faces.

It is a tall order to expect him to achieve all this quickly. I hope the Government will give him some breathing space, though he should not expect an easy ride.

He should be in no doubt, however, that the status quo is not sustainable.

He will need to come up with a revised funding model and a refreshed editorial remit for the BBC.

If he doesnt manage both soon, the future of the BBC looks very troubled indeed.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews at the daily briefing in Melbourne, Australia on Aug. 12, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Victoria Emergency Bill Set to Hit State Parliament

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is believed to have garnered enough support to pass a revised six-month extension to state of emergency powers.

With the state of emergency provisions to expire on September 13, the Andrews government has been in talks to win over wary crossbenchers.

The premier had wanted 12 months but he will likely have to compromise ahead of parliament voting on the amendment when it returns on Sept 1.

Key crossbencher Fiona Patten has indicated she could get behind a sixth-month extension, but only if the state of emergency is justified to the minor parties and independents once a month.

Victorias police, doctors, nurses and paramedics unions have all publicly called for the powers to be extended.

On Monday, Andrews reiterated discussions with the crossbench were ongoing.

Labor will have to pass the bill without the backing of ex-party factional powerbroker Adem Somyurek, who said he will abstain from voting on any bills until a corruption watchdog probe is finalised over alleged branch stacking.

Melbourne is subject to another 12 days of strict stage four restrictions, including an 8pm to 5am curfew and a ban on travelling beyond a 5km radius of home.

Regional Victoria is under slightly less strict stage three restrictions.

Meanwhile, lockdown-weary Victorians will soon be given a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel, with the state governments reopening roadmap to be unveiled on Sunday.

But Andrews has refused to say if restrictions will end on September 13.

The announcement came as Victoria recorded 73 new cases  its lowest daily figure for nine weeks  and 41 additional deaths.

It was Australias worst daily death toll, but only eight were new.

The rest were aged care fatalities from prior to August 27 that were reconciled with the state health department on Sunday, the premier clarified.

Melbourne
A Harrisburg man found guilty of stabbing his neighbor 75 times has failed to convince a state appeals court that he doesnt deserve his first-degree murder conviction and life prison sentence.

Instead, a state Superior Court panel rejected Thomas Boyers claims that he killed Ted McCarty in a blind rage without prior intent and that a confession he gave to police wasnt voluntary.

The evidence contradicts Boyers contentions, Judge Mary Jane Bowes concluded in the state courts opinion.

A Dauphin County jury apparently felt the same way. It convicted Boyer, now 32, in less that 5 minutes after his trial in October 2018.

City police said Boyer killed McCarty, 52, in McCartys South 19th Street apartment in September 2015. The laying remained a cold case until May 2016 when Boyer, then in county prison on an unrelated charge, asked to speak with a city Detective Jarrett Ferrari.

In that recorded confession, Boyer said he killed McCarty after McCarty offered to pay him for a sex act. Boyer claimed the request triggered his memories of childhood sexual abuse.That statement was played for the jury.

In denying Boyers appeal, Bowes cited evidence she said proved the killing was intentional and premeditated, the key requirements of a first-degree murder conviction.

Boyer confessed to the murder, providing specific details of the crime that would be known only to police and the perpetrator. In addition, he admitted that he obtained a knife from the kitchen on his way to the victims bedroom, and that he used it to stab the victim repeatedly, Bowes wrote. Such evidence suggests that he specifically intended to kill the victim when he went into the bedroom, and that he acted with malice.

Nor did the state judge buy Boyers claim that his confession wasnt voluntary. Boyer contended he gave it after not taking his medication. Bowes noted that while in the prison on the unrelated charge, Boyer wrote a note stating he wanted to talk to police about McCartys murder.

Viewing the totality of the circumstances, (Boyers) confession was voluntary, she found.
Newly acquired project adjoins Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Gold Project in Northwestern Ontario

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Victory Resources Corporation (CSE:VR)(FWB:VR61)(OTC:VRCFF) ("Victory" or the "Company) is pleased to announce that the first phase of exploration has commenced on the Hammond Reef South Project, which adjoins Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Project in Northwestern Ontario.

The Company optioned the Hammond Reef South property from Abitibi Royalties, as announced on August 10th, 2020. The Company has engaged Clark Exploration of Thunder Bay to complete the proposed work program (August 12th, 2020 News Release).

The first phase of the program includes the prospecting and mapping of anomalous trends identified by Osisko Mining Inc. At present 15 samples have been sent to AGAT Laboratories, Thunder Bay for analysis. On receipt of the results the comprehensive exploration program will focus of further defining drill targets.

Hammond Reef South Work Commencement Highlights

Victory optioned the Hammond Reef South Property from Abitibi Royalties as announced on August 10 th , 2020

The Company has engaged Clark Exploration of Thunder Bay to complete the proposed work program announced August 12 th , 2020

First phase of the program includes prospecting and mapping of anomalous trends identified by Osisko

Over the past 2 weeks, 15 samples have been taken and sent to AGAT Laboratories in Thunder Bay for analysis, the results of which will define drill targets

The previous and present exploration is focused on the definition of gold trend similar to Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Project. Northeast trending carbonate, sericite altered pyrite bearing zones have been identified with anomalous gold values and have been indicated from the previous Osisko exploration.

"Exploration on the property, carried out from 2009 to 2012, consisted of widely spaced prospecting traverses and limited soil sampling. Significant mineralization was found just north of the property boundary by Osisko," said Victory geologist, Mr. Helgi Sigurgeirson. "Anomalous samples from this local returned from 0.18 to 4.75 grams per tonne Au. The area of the property immediately to the southwest (i.e. along the usual trend of mineralization in the area) has had little exploration. Alteration and minor mineralization were located in other areas of the property as well, but the preliminary nature of the work has left much of the ground incompletely evaluated, leading to the recommendation for Victory's work program of mapping, soil sampling and magnetometer surveying."

The Hammond Reef South Project adjoins Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Project, which contains an open pit measured and indicated mineral resource of 208 million tonnes grading 0.67 gpt gold (containing 4.5 million ounces of gold), as well as open pit inferred mineral resource of 0.5 million tonnes grading 0.74 gpt gold (containing 12,000 ounces of gold), using a cut-off grade of 0.32 gpt, as of 31 December 2019 (see Agnico Eagle news release dated 13 February 2020 for further information). An Amended Environmental Assessment was submitted in January 2018 and the project subsequently received environmental approval from both Federal and Provincial agencies (see notice of approval dated 16 May 2019 on Agnico Eagle's website).

Scientific and technical information contained in this press release was reviewed and approved by Mr. Helgi Sigurgeirson, Victory geologist, and a "qualified person" under NI 43-101.

For further information, please contact:

Ivy Lu

Investor Relations

David Lane

President

Telephone: +1 (236) 317 2822

E-mail: IR@victoryresourcescorp.com

About Victory Resources Corporation

VICTORY RESOURCES CORPORATION (CSE: VR) is a publicly traded diversified investment corporation with mineral interests in North America. The company is also currently seeking other exploration opportunities, preferably in Canada.

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: Victory Resources Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604186/Victory-Resources-Commences-First-Phase-Exploration-on-Hammond-Reef-South-Project
The Australian government says it has been in contact with an Australian television journalist who has been detained in China since mid-August.



The Foreign Ministry said Monday it was notified by Chinese officials on August 14 that Cheng Lei had been detained. The ministry said it conducted a virtual consular visit last Thursday with Cheng, who is being held at a detention facility.



The ministry says it does not know why Cheng is under detention. Australian news outlets say she is being held under a form of detention called residential surveillance at a designated location which means she could be held for several months.



Cheng anchors a business show on CGTN, the English-language channel of Chinas state-owned CCTV, but videos of her work have been removed from the channel's website and social media.



Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne says Canberra will continue to seek information on Chengs detention, which comes amid an increasingly bitter rift between the two regional neighbors. Beijing has imposed heavy tariffs and restrictions on Australian agricultural imports in apparent retaliation for Australias push for an independent probe into the origins of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which was first detected last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.


Alaska Air confirms San Diego, Portand to Cancun routes

Cancun, Q.R.  Alaska Airlines has confirmed the start two new U.S. routes into Cancun. The two routes, they note, are San Diego and Portland, neither of which, had a presence. The flights will begin during the last quarter of this year.

Dario Flota Ocampo, director of the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council, confirmed that in the case of San Diego, they are contemplating the first flight starting November 20, and a day later, Portland, thus joining the 19 cities that connect to Cancun from the United States.

We had not had the route from San Diego, so this is good news for the destination at this stage of recovery, he said adding that there is good rhythm for destinations to the Mexican Caribbean.

According to the Tourism Promotion Council in 2019, they had connectivity with 31 U.S. cities, but due to the pandemic, those figures were cut down to just 19. Flota Ocampo says as the situation in the U.S. improves, the other routes will rejoin.

Flota Ocampo also explained that American Airlines has informed them that by October, their routes need to be fully installed. In contrast, the reactivation of flights from Europe, which were expected for September, were again delayed.

We have had announcements (from them) since July, but they have not been able to make them concrete. Evelop announced the restart of a weekly flight from Spain, however, this was postponed due to the lack of demand, he said stressing that only one flight arrived, but it was to return stranded passengers to their country.

The Tourism Council says as of now, the only news they have regarding European flights is from Airfrance, who announced that on October 3, they will have a Paris to Cancun flight, which they cautioned, is subject to health regulations.
Emission levels soared during the California wildfires, according to new data compiled exclusively for The Independent.

In the second half of August, at the height of the fires, carbon monoxide (CO) levels were, on average, almost double what they were before the blazes broke out. Nitrogen dioxide levels (NO2), from 18-30 August, were around a quarter higher than normal levels (CO is the primary air pollutant emitted from wildfires).

CO spikes corresponded to the wildfires, some of the largest in California's history: The SCU Lightening Complex - a group of fires - to the south of San Francisco and the LNU Lightening Complex to the north of the Bay Area.

Those fires, and others, began with a massive electrical storm on 15 August that unleashed thousands of lightning bolts. Hundreds of fires in California have since burned through more than 2,218 square miles (5,747 sq km), caused eight deaths and destroyed nearly 2,800 structures, many of them homes.

The analysis was provided by greenhousemaps.com, using data from the European Space Agencys Sentinel-5P satellite. Although CO levels were higher in California than other parts of the US, emissions were seen on the maps drifting east into neighbouring states.

James Poetzscher, Greenhouse Maps founder, told The Independent: "Californias increasing temperatures, attributable to climate change, are largely responsible for the states uptick in devastating forest fires.

The unfortunate reality is that, as bad and frequent as these fires are in 2020, due to climate change, temperatures are inevitably going to continue rising for at least the next 20 or 30 years resulting in more frequent and more severe fires.

CO is a colourless, odourless gas that has the potential to kill in high enough doses. The air pollutant is found in fumes that come from burning carbon-based fuels, like wood, when there's limited oxygen. It can accumulate in indoor areas and poison those who breathe it in.

Like with CO, the analysis found that NO2 emissions in the fire zones had spiked. NO2 levels in the atmosphere in part come from cars, trucks, buses and power plants. The air pollutant forms when fossil fuels burn at high temperatures. Along with other nitrogen oxides, NO2 contributes to particle pollution in the air and interact with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form acid rain.

The air pollutant can cause a range of health issues, according to the American Lung Association, including increased inflammation of airways; cough and wheezing and reduced lung function. The group also points to new research which warns NO2 to be the likely cause of asthma in children.

Along with the immediate dangers posed by raging wildfires, deterioration in air quality has serious implications during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), people who live in polluted cities are more at risk from the Covid-19. Poor air quality has been linked to hypertension, diabetes and respiratory diseases, conditions that place patients at greater risk.

California currently has more Covid-19 cases than any other state. According to the California Department of Public Health, on 30 August, there were 4,176 newly-confirmed cases bringing the total to 704,085 positive cases. Some 12,933 people have died in the state.

On Tuesday, the two largest wildfires, east and north of San Francisco Bay, were each about 65 per cent surrounded, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. A third big fire, burning to the south in the Santa Cruz Mountains region, was 41 per cent surrounded.

The progress has allowed thousands of people to return home but many remain under evacuation orders, Cal Fire said.

Forecasts have cautioned about increasingly warm and dry conditions heading toward the Labor Day weekend.

Wires contributed to this report
I appreciate all the work that went into coming up with the agreement and, as a person thats been in negotiations, I know it is time- and labor-intensive, Moore said. I will just state my disappointment with the area of advisory. Given the uncertainty of our times and our desire to be a trauma-informed facility and using restorative work and building relationships with our culture of warmth, to diminish that time to 10 minutes and have part of that time to be a recorded video, does not feel like that is the way we best address the needs of our students.
Ghana's mainstream media entities, which are devoted to common-good-causes, which redound to the benefit of all Ghanaians (not just a greed-filled powerful-few), must demand that this asset-stripping hypocritical-regime, reserves the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation's (GBC) targeted-3-digital-television-channels, are devoted exclusively to telecasting school lessons for kindergartens to tertiary level educational institutions. Full stop.

Apparently, those three targeted digital channels, are planned for annexation - in order to be given out to some of today's greed-filled regime-cronies, in yet another 11th-hour elite-state-capture-deal. Hmmmm, eyeasem, oooooo.

As we all know, as an aspirational people, we can all acknowledge that virtually every family home in Ghana, has at least one television set. Cool.

We can also acknowledge truthfully, that by comparison, only a small proportion of Ghana's total population, can afford regular access to the Internet.

Consequently, the said three digital television channels belonging to the GBC, should not be taken away from them - because free lessons by the best teachers and lecturers, can be telecast daily, on them, for the benefit of our younger generations. Haaba.

Will that not serve Ghanaian society much better, than online delivered courses, by benefitting financially-challenged families, across our homeland Ghana, I ask?

How dare Hon. Ursula Owusu-Erkuful, Ghana's arrogant, loquacious and narcissistic communications minister (who loves the sound of her voice, so), and her regime-cronies, even contemplate such a daft idea, which will deny the offspring of all family clans in Ghana, daily access to free telecast lessons from world-class teachers? Yoooooo...

This regime-of-sly-hypocrites must be prevented from succeeding with its 11th-hour-asset-stripping-schemes. Haaba. Hmmmm, eyeasem, oooo. Eeiiii, Oman Ghana, enti yewieye paaa enei? Asem kesie ebeba debi ankasa, ooooo. Yoooooo...
The efforts of a group called Niagara Women in Politics did make a difference in the 2018 municipal elections, says Shirley Cordiner, who led the grassroots organization.

Cordiner said the groups seven members spent months leading up to the vote encouraging more women to run for office and supported the women who chose to put their names forward.

But in light of a new study being published next week by the Niagara Community Observatory (NCO)  a Brock University think-tank  Cordiner said the region could have used a few more organizations like hers.

The policy brief  called Gender Representation and Governance in Niagara, by NCO research co-ordinator Carol Phillips and Brock student wellness and accessibility centre director Sarah Pennisi  has again determined women in Niagara are not equitably represented on elected local councils.

The research found only 27 per cent of Niagaras 126 elected positions were held by women, while women account for 51.6 per cent of Niagaras population.

Even when the 1,220 advisory committees and local boards in the region are included, researchers found female participation still fell short, with 45.1 per cent representation.

Cordiner said the new study identified many of the same issues that inspired members of her organization to take action two years ago.

Everyone identifies it, but then its, OK, now what are we going to do? Thats whats difficult. Nothing seems to change, she said.

Cordiner fears recent reports of misogyny some local female politicians have faced could push even more women away from politics rather than encouraging their participation.

Phillips said the policy brief cites gender-based media scrutiny and social media harassment as one reason women might opt against politics.

I dont think you need to be a female politician to understand that theres harassment on Twitter, she said.

But having said that, when I see some of the responses to female politicians on Twitter, I hope they dont read them. Its not useful feedback, lets put it that way.

Cordiner said problems appear to be getting worse.

She represented Fort Erie on regional council a decade ago, at a time before social media became as prominent as it is today. At that time, she said, phone calls she received were about issues being dealt with  not about what I looked like, what I did or what I didnt do.

Thats part of the problem, this unknown person posts something on Facebook or whatever, Cordiner said. When I was in politics you picked up the phone and I could deal with it.

Phillips said other pressures that have kept women out of political office are conflicting work schedules, family responsibilities, time and money spent campaigning, and a lack of political confidence.

So much of it is based on a patriarchal society that were still trying to overcome  that women are still predominantly the main caregivers for their children. Theyre still, in a dual-income household, the lesser of the two incomes, she said. Theres still so much for women to overcome.

Phillips said addressing the gender disparity in Niagara will take a really concerted effort to recruit women.

But even women who are recruited, they might say, Thanks, Im flattered, but I can make this world a better place without getting yelled at, she added.

Cordiner said the disparity will require a whole cultural change to resolve, but it needs to happen.

The policy brief contains several recommendations to address some of the issues women face when considering entering politics, including a review and potential Niagara-wide expansion of the Seat at the Table initiative  a six-month mentorship program that ended in June developed by Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and City of St. Catharines, to develop a gender-based analysis for all policy recommendations in the region, and focused recruitment efforts to ensure appointed committees and boards have representation from both men and women.
DUBLIN, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global wind and solar development company, Mainstream Renewable Power ("Mainstream" or "The Company"), has reached financial close for the second phase of its wholly-owned and fully-contracted 1.3 gigawatt "Andes Renovables" wind and solar power generation platform in Chile.

The Company has successfully raised US$620 million in debt to fund construction of phase two of what is one of Latin American's biggest wind and solar generation platforms. This brings to US$1.25bn raised to date by the Andes Renovables platform.

The Senior financing has been provided by a consortium of five banks: IDB Invest, KfW IPEX-Bank, DNB, CaixaBank and MUFG, and is one of the largest renewable energy debt financing deals undertaken in the world this year. A sixth bank, Santander, provided a VAT facility.

The 630 megawatt (MW) second phase of Andes Renovables  called "Huemul"  is comprised of three onshore wind and two solar PV generation assets. All five assets are in pre-construction and will reach commercial operation between 2021 and 2022. They will generate enough sustainable electricity to power 781,000 Chilean homes and will displace 744,200 metric tonnes of CO2 each year.

Andes Renovables is a c.US$1.8 billion, three phase wind and solar generation platform comprised of seven onshore wind and three solar PV generation assets. The first phase, Condor reached financial close in November 2019 and is already over 30% complete. The build-out has created nearly 1,200 jobs across three regions of the country and has safely continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic under strict sanitary and social distancing protocols. The next and final phase, "Copihue", is comprised of one further wind asset with a 100 MW capacity and is on track to reach financial close in H1 2021.

Vestas, Nordex Group and Siemens Gamesa are supplying the wind turbines and the wind farm assets will be built by Sacyr Industrial, SEMI and Elecnor. The solar PV assets will be built by Sterling & Wilson and Metka-Egn. All five main power transformers for the projects will be supplied by Hitachi ABB Power Grids. Grid connection works will be carried out by Transelec, Inprolec and Isotron-Siemens consortium.

Mary Quaney, Mainstream's Group Chief Executive said:

"Reaching financial close on the second phase of our Andes Renovables platform is a further positive step on Mainstream's journey to delivering Latin America's number one wind and solar PV power generation platform.

"Despite the uncertain economic environment caused by COVID-19, today's announcement is testament to the support of the banking consortium of Mainstream as the world's leading independent developer of renewable energy.

"Mainstream is building something much bigger than the sum of its many parts  the Andes Renovables platform is evidence of renewable energy infrastructure on a massive scale and comes at a vital time for Chile as the country looks to invest in a green and sustainable recovery from COVID-19 by decarbonising its electricity system, as well as lowering the price of power generation nationwide."

Manuel Tagle, Mainstream's General Manager for Latin America said:

"This latest milestone comes as we are making excellent progress on the construction of the first phase of the platform and I have been delighted by the response of our teams on the ground to the challenging conditions that the pandemic has created.

"The economic and environmental impact of the platform is very significant and with a development pipeline of 2.7 gigawatts of wind and solar assets in addition to the Andes Renovables platform, Mainstream remains committed to making an even greater contribution to Chile for the foreseeable future."

Notes to Editors:

About Mainstream Renewable Power in Chile

In 2016, Mainstream was the biggest winner in Chile's largest ever technology-neutral electricity auction, taking 27% of the total allocated capacity. Chile's National Energy Commission awarded Mainstream a 20-year index-linked, US dollar denominated contract, to supply 3,366 Gigawatt Hours of firm power starting in 2021. Mainstream has also delivered an additional 332 MW of wind generation in Chile via the Aela Platform with its joint venture partner Actis, delivering its first wind farm into commercial operation in 2014. Mainstream has an additional 2,700 MW of wind and solar PV generation assets under development in Chile.

Detailed Project information

Andes Renovables Platform Phase Name MW onshore wind MW Solar PV Commercial Operation 1 Condor 3 assets (426MW) 1 asset (145MW) 2021 2 Huemul 3 assets (425 MW) 2 assets (205 MW) 2021 - 2022 3 Copihue 1 asset (100 MW) n/a 2022

951 MW (onshore wind) 350 MW (solar PV)



Phase two  Huemul assets Asset

Name Technology MW

capacity Region Commercial

Operation Equipment

supplier Construction

contractor Puelche

Sur Onshore

Wind 156 Los Lagos 2022 Nordex

Group SEMI Llanos del

Viento Onshore

Wind 160 Antofagasta 2022 Siemens

Gamesa Elecnor Ckani Onshore

Wind 109 Antofagasta 2022 Vestas Sacyr

Industrial Pampa

Tigre Solar PV 100 Antofagasta 2021 Full EPC contract Metka-Egn Valle

Escondido Solar PV 105 Atacama 2021 Full EPC contract Sterling & Wilson TOTAL 630



Contact:

Emmet Curley, Head of Communications & Positioning

Phone: +353 86 2411 690

Email: [email protected]

About Mainstream Renewable Power

Mainstream Renewable Power is the world's only independent developer of utility-scale wind and solar power assets with a global footprint. The company is focused on delivering a high-quality portfolio of more than 9 GW of wind and solar assets across Latin America, Africa, Asia Pacific as well as the Offshore wind sector globally.

Mainstream has delivered more than 1.1 GW of wind and solar assets into commercial operation and is currently constructing a further 1.9 GW across Latin America and Africa.

In Chile, Mainstream's wholly-owned 1.3 GW of fully contracted wind and solar assets are on track to reach commercial operation from 2021. In Africa, the company has delivered 600 MW of wind and solar assets into commercial operation in South Africa and currently has 250 MW of wind assets in construction there. Through its Lekela Power joint venture in Africa, it has 410 MW of wind assets in construction in Senegal and Egypt.

Mainstream is the most successful independent developer of offshore wind at scale globally. It has successfully consented Hornsea One (1.2 GW), the largest operational offshore wind plant in the world today; and developed the Hornsea 2 project (1.4 GW) before selling these projects and the entire Zone in 2015. Mainstream fully consented the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind project in Scotland, 450 MW, currently under construction.

Mainstream's Soc Trang 800MW offshore wind development in Vietnam is one of South East Asia's largest renewable energy developments. The Company signed an agreement with Eni, the global energy company, to collaborate on potential renewable energy developments across Africa and Southeast Asia, with an initial focus on the UK's offshore Round 4.

Mainstream has raised more than EUR3.0bn in project finance to date and employs more than 300 staff across five continents.

www.mainstreamrp.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/686512/Mainstream_Renewable_Power_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Mainstream Renewable Power
Morse had also echoed criticism of Neals handling of his committees request for President Trumps tax returns. As one of only two people in the nation with the power to see the documents that the president has sought to hide from the public, Neal shaped the strategy for trying to unearth Trumps financial information. But many Democrats were unhappy with how long it took to do so  the matter is still stuck in court, unresolved  and privately complained that he was not aggressive enough.
Scientists at the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) in West Bengal have installed a solar tree that is likely to be the largest of its kind in the world.

This is the largest solar tree as per our knowledge producing up to 11,500 watts (11.5kw). The second largest tree has been set up in London and produces around 8.6kw, said Harish Hirani, director of CMERI, the countrys apex research and development institute for mechanical engineering under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

A solar tree is a metal structure resembling a tree that has solar panels fitted on the branches. The solar panels connected through metal branches produces solar power. The CMERI solar tree has 35 panels each with a capacity of 330 watts.

Producing around 12,00014,000 units of clean and green power in a year, the solar tree has the potential to save 1012 tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere every year, he said.

One of the main hurdles while setting up solar panels on a large scale and for producing huge amount of renewable energy is availability of land. The inclination of the tree arms (tree branches) holding the panels can be adjusted to get the maximum output, a feature which is not available in roof top panels. The CMERI developed solar tree costs around Rs 7.5 lakh.

Solar trees because of their design use less space and hence can produce more power per unit area. But one of the major hurdles of solar tree is its capital investment. This pushes up the cost of one unit of electricity produced. The cost is almost double than that of solar roof top panels which takes around Rs 3.5 to produce one unit, said SP Gon Choudhury, renewable energy expert and a Green Oscar awardee.

The scientists at CMERI said that as the shadow area is minimum in solar trees they could be set up in agricultural farms to run pumps, e-tractors and tillers as an alternative to diesel. The excess power can be sent to the grid providing economic return to farmers.

This solar tree is a quantum leap towards making an energy reliant and carbon negative India, said Hirani.

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First Arabic Mobile App for Augmented Reality

AMMAN, Jordan, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A.R.E.A, an international mobile application development company founded in Jordan in 2019 specialized in developing advanced mobile apps, has announced the launch of its first application: WININ. A.R.E.A aims to build and launch the largest number of mobile apps in order to become the biggest platform able to provide its clients with the latest programming, development, and marketing techniques for their services and products. All of this with the help of technology and an outstanding team of experts.

The WININ application allows the user the opportunity to win special prizes by downloading the application and selecting the desired brand. WININ has wide variety of more than 30 brands, such as Noon, Careem, Talabat, Shoe Mart, Max, Home Center, Lifestyle, Babyshop, Let's Tango, Jarir Bookstore, Dumyah, Jamalon, PlayStation and others. Once the user/player chooses the brand, the application's system quickly scans the area around them for prizes. The player must then go to the location of these prizes and capture them via the phone camera. Merging the technology of augmented reality within the player's phone camera; the player will be able to see the prizes before their eyes as if they're actually around them.

On this occasion, the CEO of A.R.E.A Mrs. Dabia Ebbini, has expressed her excitement launching A.R.E.A. She said: "I am extremely optimistic about the new application and the levels of success it will achieve. I strongly believe it will create a unique environment that will provide new advertising opportunities for many brands while granting its users special prizes."

The idea of WININ has stemmed from the current wave of creativity in the advertisement industry, as A.R.E.A has noticed the importance of virtual advertising in the current world, it decided to utilize this feature to create new virtual realities around the player and revolutionize the field of marketing.

The WININ application offers prizes and gifts in all countries where the application is available; with around 50,000 prizes. In mid-June of this year, the company has celebrated the launch of the application for the first time, where it had accumulated more than 200,000 downloads. The app currently has more than 25,000 winners from different countries.

It is also worth mentioning that the application provides a wide range of new advertising opportunities that differ from what's other advertisements websites offer. It promises its clients fast results in real-time and provides them with the necessary steps to successful sales flow by attracting the specified targeted audience, among many other services. WININ also plans to create an advertising plan that will make it able to reach countries like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.

About Mrs. Dabia Ebbini

Founder and CEO of A.R.E.A., Mrs. Dabia believes that determination, confidence, and unbridled vision are exactly what it takes to change the world. Her professional beginnings were mired in the advertisement world. She started by producing live TV programs and commercials, which led her to establish and manage VAS company to facilitate her own live TV programs. Moreover, her insightful future vision pushed her towards finding new technology, where she can employ and use her accumulated experience in the field of advertisement and communication in the best possible way. And here came the idea of THE APP, where she was able to transform one wild idea into a well-established company that would revolutionize the market and makes history a witness to it; making a difference to the world through one application.

Who we are?

A.R.E.A was founded in 2019 as the first Arab application for augmented reality company. A.R.E.A is a global company registered in the Cayman Islands and headquartered in Jordan. It is available in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, and Kuwait, and aims to achieve 4 million users, with about 850,000 gifts.

What we do?

A.R.E.A provides its clients with the latest programming, development, and marketing techniques for their products and services, aiming to achieve prosperity using the best technology.

How do we work and how do we make a difference?

All members of A.R.E.A adhere to professional standards, where A.R.E.A aims to achieve efficiency for its clients by providing its team with exceptional training.

For more information, please visit: www.wininapp.com or follow us on our social media pages:

Instagram: @WininApp

Twitter: @WWINApp

Facebook: @WininApp

YouTube: @WininApp

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1247219/AREA_Winin_App_Team.jpg

Contact:

Bashir Mraish

Email: bashir@bashirmraish.com

+962796020000
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  An environmental official assured that no marine life was harmed by the backhoe caught on video to be cruising along the shoreline in El Nido, Palawan on Aug. 26.

The heavy equipment was spotted by Barangay Corong-Corong residents seemingly casually passing along the shoreline, raising concerns that it might have damaged marine organisms.

However, Palawan Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office officer-in-charge Eriberto Sanos noted in an interview with CNN Philippines that the affected area is only the swash zone, or the land-ocean boundary, so no marine damage had been done, based on an assessment by marine biologists.

Even so, he said the operator of the backhoe has already been dismissed from work.

Sanos also explained that the heavy equipment was in the area for a sewage treatment project by the local government.

Based sa investigation, maraming bangka ang naka-dock along the shore, he said. So ang ginawa ng backhoe operator ay naghanap ng space at umikot para iwasan yung mga bangka at mga lubid na na naroon kaya umikot sa may bandang dagat.

[Translation: Based on the investigation, several boats were docked along the shore. So what the backhoe operator did was to look for a space and circled around the area to avoid bumping into the boats and the ropes, and ended up in the waters.]

Sanos said a more in-depth joint probe between the local government and the Protected Area Management Office is also underway, and that those found to have violated any law will be dealt with accordingly.
PepsiCo India announced a special initiative with Airtel involving its most loved snack brands and in the process also offering a special digital experience for all Airtel Prepaid customers. Ringing in the festive season, every customer would get up to 2 GB of Airtel Data with the purchase of LAYS, Kurkure, Uncle Chipps and Doritos packs. Participating consumers can redeem the offer up to 3 times on every unique mobile number.

Data is most important today and people across generations are spending more hours indoors than ever before. Whether it is remote working, content streaming, gaming, e-learning or e-shopping, everyone is relying on data to stay connected. For the quarter ended June 30 2020, average mobile data consumption per user on Airtels network increased to 16.3 GB, an increase of 40% over last year.

Apart from the growing importance & consumption of data, the second insight that emerged during recent times is that in-home consumption is witnessing a significant uptake. As people continue to spend more time at home with their families, there is an increase in demand for snacks.

In line with this connection between the top two trends of today  data and in-home consumption  PepsiCo India and Airtel have joined hands to offer customers up to 1 GB free data with INR 10 pack and 2 GB free data with INR 20 pack of PepsiCo products including LAYS, Kurkure, Uncle Chipps and Doritos. To avail the benefit, consumers can simply check the free data voucher code printed behind the snack pack and go to Airtel Thanks app  My Coupons section and enter the voucher to claim the data offering. Once the user has availed their code, the data can be redeemed immediately or at a later date of convenience and requirement till January 31st, 2021. Once redeemed, the data will remain available for three days in the customers Airtel account.

Shashwat Sharma, Chief Marketing Officer, Bharti Airtel said, At Airtel, we are obsessed about offering our customers the best network experience. We are thrilled to partner with PepsiCo India to help all their customers experience our award winning 4G data services. This also gives us the opportunity to reward our loyal customers with complimentary data and unlock a world of digital experiences on Airtel Thanks when they buy their favourite packet of snack.

Sharing his thoughts, Dilen Gandhi, Senior Director and Category Head  Foods, PepsiCo India said, The new normal has catapulted everyone into a more digital world than ever before. At PepsiCo India, as part of our digital first approach, we follow evolving digital trends and develop matching strategies. Our insights showed us that consumers are enjoying our products and seeking convenience while working and watching content at home. The partnership with Airtel is therefore a perfect fit that will further compliment in-home experience of consumers. With festive season kicking in, the special initiative, truly emphasize the importance of staying connected with friends and family.

The free data offer is available to all Airtel prepaid customers across India and will be a perfect combination for them to enjoy their favourite snack while accessing data at the same time.
Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW HAVEN  A North Haven man has died of injuries sustained in a two-vehicle crash on Whalley Avenue last week, New Haven police said Tuesday.

Zachary Fappiano, 25, was taken to the hospital after the crash near Whalley Avenues intersection with Orchard Street on Aug. 25, Capt. Anthony Duff said. He died Monday.
If Donald Trump succeeds in making political violence a Joe Biden liability, the president will have all the more incentive to set the US on fire

When Elizabeth Neumann went to work in counter-terrorism in Donald Trumps Department of Homeland Security, she thought shed be focussed on Islamic extremism, as she was in George W Bushs administration. But as the assistant secretary for counter-terrorism and threat prevention at DHS, she soon realised that she had to take the threat of White-supremacist terrorism seriously.

It was probably 2018 when we started to realise that this was not just a blip, that Charlottesville wasnt just a blip, she told me.

Even as she and her colleagues worked to understand how domestic White supremacists were being emboldened, there was a series of shocking attacks, including the massacre at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018. Europeans working in counter-terrorism told their American allies that the threat of right-wing extremism was eclipsing that of returning Islamic State fighters.

They were talking to us going: Hey, you guys are the exporters here. You need to do something about this, said Neumann.

But combating White nationalism isnt easy when you work for an administration that incites it. As she said in a recent Republican Voters Against Trump ad, the presidents language gave permission to White supremacists to think that what they were doing is permissible.

Youve probably heard analysis like this from the Left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Centre and the Anti-Defamation League. This is coming from someone who voted for the president and worked for him until April.

Such violence is the main terrorist threat facing America. According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, right-wing extremists were behind two-thirds of terrorist attacks and plots in the United States last year, and over 90% of such attacks between 1 January and 8 May this year. Trump has inspired and encouraged them.

Yet if you follow coverage of the presidential campaign, political violence appears to be seen, by Democrats and Republicans alike, as largely a problem for Joe Biden. Shortly after an apparent Trump supporter named Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with murder in the killing of two left-wing protesters in Wisconsin, a CNN headline said, Why Democrats Are Worried About Kenosha.

Im not faulting CNN here. Democrats are worried. Im worried. At least one presidential poll has shown tightening.

Sarah Longwell, an anti-Trump Republican, has conducted focus groups of largely disaffected female Trump voters, and has seen hints that urban unrest could be helping the president. Theres reason to fear that the presidents attempts to terrify suburban swing voters could work, especially if the media uncritically transmits his propaganda. But that only shows how much American politics is trapped in Trumps alternate reality.

To try to break out of it, Bidens campaign has gone on the offensive. On Sunday, he issued a statement condemning violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the Left or the Right and challenging Trump to do the same. On Monday, he drove home the point: This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it.

Biden is right. However violence plays politically, the reality is that only one of the two candidates cheers it. Trump has urged his fans to thuggery since his first presidential campaign. He invited Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple charged with felonies for waving guns at Black Lives Matter protesters, to speak at the Republican National Convention.

Recently he liked a tweet sympathising with Rittenhouse, who has emerged as a macabre folk hero among some Republicans. During a Monday news conference, the president defended Rittenhouse, arguing that he was acting in self-defence.

Its not just the president, its the entire Republican Party right now, kind of implying that weve got to take matters into our own hands and seek law and order, said Neumann.

This weekend, a convoy of Trump supporters in flag-bedecked trucks headed into Portland, Oregon, to confront left-wing demonstrators. Once in the city, they shot paintballs and pepper spray at protesters. On Twitter, Trump called them GREAT PATRIOTS.

None of this means the left is blameless. During this weekends confrontation in Portland, Aaron Danielson, a member of a Far-Right group called Patriot Prayer, was shot to death, and a man who describes himself as 100 percent antifa is reportedly being investigated for the killing. Whoever did it, Danielsons death is a travesty and, unless he was killed in self-defence, a deep moral stain.

Theres no denying that some of the convulsive demonstrations of recent months have given way to violence and nihilistic destruction. When protesters in Seattle tried to set up a radically utopian police-free zone, six people were shot in 10 days, two of them fatally.

But Biden is hardly a catalyst to left-wing extremism. Besides, at least some of the violence associated with the Black Lives Matter protests has been perpetrated by far-right provocateurs. In his speech at the RNC, Vice-President Mike Pence condemned the murder of a federal officer, Dave Patrick Underwood, who was shot and killed during the riots in Oakland, California. He neglected to mention that the man charged in the killing, Steven Carrillo, was reportedly linked to the Boogaloo Bois, an outgrowth of the militia movement that seeks to incite a second civil war.

Like the Boogaloo Bois, Trump sees his interests served by the destruction of civic peace. The more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on whos best on public safety and law and order, Kellyanne Conway, Trumps departing senior advisor, told Fox & Friends last week.

If the president succeeds in making political violence a Biden liability, hell have all the more incentive to set this country on fire.

Michelle Goldberg c.2020 The New York Times Company
New Jerseys progressive advocates will hold their own remote hearing this week on Gov. Phil Murphys $32 billion budget proposal, following an announcement that the Legislature will not hold traditional public budget hearings, but instead take written testimony.

Murphy on Tuesday introduced his revised budget for the nine-month fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The spending plan calls for about $4 billion in borrowing and $1 billion in new and increased taxes to offset sagging tax collections.

Murphy and Democrats who control the legislature have a month to hash out disagreements on taxing, spending and borrowing before the budget deadline, just a quarter of the typical timeline for the Legislature to review and approve a budget.

The legislative budget committees last Wednesday put out a call for written public input on the budget through Sept. 11. The committees customarily hold a series of hours-long public hearings across the state for members of the public to weigh in on the spending proposal in person.

The members of a coalition of progressive advocacy organizations and labor unions, called For The Many, announced Monday they will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. Thursday via Zoom and are inviting members of the public to testify remotely.

The budget coalition For The Many put this together because were pretty frustrated that theres a lack of public engagement from the state Legislature on the state budget, said Sue Altman, the director of New Jersey Working Families who will lead the hearing.

That is especially troublesome, she said, in light of the ongoing pandemic, protests and need for state government services.

Expected participants include New Jersey Policy Perspective, Make the Road New Jersey, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Environment New Jersey, the Communications Workers of America and the New Jersey Education Association.

Leading up the introduction of the governors budget, For The Many had urged Murphy to propose tax increases on high-income earners, raise the sales tax to 7%, reform estate and inheritance taxes and impose taxes on limousine services to buttress tax collections.

Murphys budget proposal would increase the tax rate on income between $1 million and $5 million from 8.97% to 10.75%, raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes from $2.70 to $4.35, impose the 6.625% sales tax on limo rides, reverse a tax break and cap on boat sales, make permanent a tax increase on corporate income, raise gun fees, and increases taxes on HMOs and opioid manufacturers.

He also would make a record $4.9 billion contribution to the public pension fund, offer a $1,000 savings bond proposal for New Jersey newborns in 2021, and keep school funding equal to last years budget.

Click here to register to testify at the For The Many budget hearing.

To submit written testimony to the state Legislature, click here or mail your testimony to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and/or Assembly Budget Committee, C/O Legislative Budget and Finance Office, Office of Legislative Services, P.O. Box 068, Trenton NJ 08625-0068.

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Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com.
Better thank your lucky stars youre living in Texas, because two of its cities have just been ranked on the Forbes list for The Best Places to Retire in 2020.

According to Forbes, San Antonio and Dallas are among in the top 25 places to enjoy your golden years.

INTENSE MOMENTS: Storm chasers capture Laura's landfall

In making its selections, Forbes took the approach of analyzing which cities "offer a high quality of life at an affordable price." What's particularly key when looking at this year's list is how the pandemic has given seniors a new set of challenges to consider.

"The pandemic could influence retirement location decisions in other ways, too, which fortuitously largely align with how we've traditionally approached our list," Forbes contributor William Barrett wrote. "For example, some Boomers who haven't financially suffered may need their savings to stretch further as they help out millennial kids who have take a hit."

Note: Forbes' list delineates top cities in alphabetical order, so there's not a ranking of No. 1 or No. 2.

Forbes commended San Antonio for these top qualities:

Good air quality

Low cost of living

Bike-friendly atmosphere

Median home price of $188,000, 34 percent below the national median

Low risk for climate change

Lack of state income and inheritance tax

Adequate number of doctors per capita

The drawbacks to San Antonio as a retirement spot include its shortage of walkable areas and its rate of serious crimes, which is above the national average.

Dallas was praised for these attractive qualities for a retirement spot, according to Forbes:

Adequate number of physicians per capita

Relatively low cost of living

Vibrant culture scene

Median home price of $219,000, 21 percent below the national median

Lack of state income and inheritance tax

Good climate

Good air quality

Low risk of climate change

Very bikeable, somewhat walkable

High ranking on Milken list of best cities for successful aging.

The only drawback for living in Dallas in your golden years is the serious crime rate, which is above national average.

As Forbes prepared this year's list, they made certain selective adjustments in light of the of coronavirus concerns. While college towns had typically been top mentions on this list, now they are not highlighted for 2020.

"In a nod to the continuing impact of COVID, this year's list is lighter than its predecessors on smallish college towns," Barrett stated. "We worry that the educational and cultural opportunities that had made them so appealing will be slow to return."

The other consideration that is specific to this year is the proximity to quality medical care.

"Another timely metric we've long considered is the availability of medical care, using doctors per capita as proxy," Barrett said. "Plus, we look at whether a city encourages a healthy and active lifestyle with good air quality, convenience for walking and biking and low serious."

Yes, our beloved Houston didn't make the list. We're still in a quandary about that. But there's always next year.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A grand larceny and a burglary reported last week within about 24 hours of each other at doctors offices on Staten Island have been classified by the NYPD as a pattern, while local authorities seek a man for questioning in connection with one of the incidents.

On the morning of Aug. 25, police responded to a report of a grand larceny at Island Medical Consultants on Ralph Place in Concord. A male employee told police that five envelopes containing about $2,000 were missing, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.

A source with knowledge of the investigation indicated that no apparent signs of forced entry into the facility were found.

WANTEDThe pictured individual is wanted in regards to a burglary which took place on August 24, 2020 at approx 3:40am on the 1100 Block of Richmond Rd. Please contact #CrimeStoppers at #800577TIPS or @NYPDTips with ANY info. pic.twitter.com/MTlcTwARuR  NYPD 122nd Precinct (@NYPD122Pct) August 31, 2020

One day earlier, a burglary was reported at the office of Dr. Azher Siddiqi, located at 1147 Richmond Rd. Police said a perpetrator entered the building and made off with a prescription pad, a safe and around $5,600.

Police on Monday asked the publics help in identifying an individual sought for questioning in connection with the Dongan Hills incident, with a surveillance photo posted on social media. According to the 122nd Precincts tweet, the incident occurred at about 3:40 a.m.

.
Hundreds of police officers and well-wishers came together Monday to remember a beloved four-legged friend.

Hackettstown K9 Jada died Aug. 19, 2020, after a medical emergency suffered while she was on duty.

The Belgian Malinois was 5 years old. She joined the department on July 14, 2016.

Police K9s came to pay their respects from many surrounding departments, including ones from Warren, Morris, Hunterdon and Essex counties. Jadas memorial service was Aug. 31 at the Hackettstown police station.

Lauren Gonnelli from U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimers office presented a U.S. flag that flew over the capitol to Jadas handler, officer Christopher Laver. Gottheimer is a Democrat serving in New Jerseys fifth district.

A procession of mourners went past Jadas cremated remains and a display in front of the police station. Police officers and first responders stood at attention and hand saluted as they went by.

Speakers included: Hackettstown Police Chief James Macaualy, Sgt. Darren Tynan, Mayor Maris DiGiovanni and Rev. Don Gebhard from Hackettstown Medical Center.

A countywide last call radio broadcast was played live over the PA system.

A police bagpiper from Morris County Pipes & Drums played Amazing Grace.

Information from the event was provided by freelance photographer Rich Maxwell

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
BSE and NSE listed Specialty chemicals firm Vikas Multicorp Ltd has announced that it has constituted an Advisory Board consisting of eminent personalities with the purpose of providing guidance and act as a sounding board to the senior leadership team in the company including the Board of Directors.

The nature of the board is non-statutory status and members will be invited to join the Advisory board based on past credentials.

Sunil Alagh, a veteran of consumer-focussed businesses is appointed with his consent as the First Chairman of the Advisory Board. Alagh will steer the company's strategy in this B2C business has decades of experience in FMCG brand building and distribution networks.

The Board will consist of other members by invitation who will be people of eminence from the field of marketing & branding, finance, engineering, general management, and legal, etc.

Sunil Alagh has previously served as MD and CEO for Britannia Industries Ltd, Non-Executive Independent Director for United Breweries Ltd, senior Advisor to AXA, France and Hannover RE, Germany, member of Board of Directors for IL & FS, member of Indian Advisory Board to Schindler Management Ltd, Switzerland, to name a few.

The Advisory Board will guide and advise the Board of Directors on various strategic business decisions. They will also share best practices from the outside world for organization learning purposes.

Enters the FMCG segment with Rs 100 crore investment.

VML had recently announced that it will enter the food protection and personal hygiene segment of the FMCG industry with an investment of approximately Rs 100 crore in two years.

The company has ventured into the 'Food protection and Personal Hygiene' segment of the FMCG Industry with the acquisition of prestigious Brands for Aluminium Foil and Tissues 'HOMEFOIL', 'CHAPATIWRAP', 'CLEANWRAP' & 'MISTIQUE'. VML intends to acquire further businesses as well as expand its footprint all over India.

Vikas Multicorp said the demand for aluminum foil and tissue paper products in India has been growing at a fast pace and is expected to continue to grow in view of present per capita consumption is quite low.

The current aluminum Foil market size in India is about 200,000 MT per annum, in terms of value about Rs. 7,000 crore. These brands have a market share of about 6 per cent in the Indian market.

The tissue paper market in India is about Rs 5,000 crore, out of which the branded tissue market is about Rs 2000 Crore. The Mistique brand has an almost 10 per cent share in the branded tissues category.

These brands have evolved over a period of three decades and are well-established names in the domestic market, enjoying very visible and prominent presence in the market at more than ten lakh retail counters across the nation besides being sold to prestigious institutional customers like the Taj Group of Hotels, Meridian, Maurya Sheraton, Oberoi, Inter-continental, Hyatt, Marriott, and all other big hotels, all the big hospitals like Apollo, Escorts, Max, Gangaram, Vimhans, Fortis, Moolchand, etc., Airlines like Air India, Jet Airways, Jet light, Alliance Air, etc., Canteen Stores Department (CSD), and Railways and Airport Authority of India.

In addition, these brands enjoy a significant presence in all big retail chains and online platforms. These brands also have recognition in International markets, especially in the UK, Middle East, and European countries.

Till recent past Indian foil market is crowded with a large number of small converters that buy aluminum from existing players and convert them into foils. Household Aluminum Foils have acquired a prominent place in the kitchen thus witnessing a growth of about 30-40 per cent in last few years. A ban on plastics is also driving growth.

Studies done in States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala wherein ban on the use of plastics was imposed first, the sale of Aluminum Foils increased by 50 per cent.

Still, India has a very low per capita packaging consumption, which stood at 4.3 Kgs, as compared to other developed countries like Germany and Taiwan, where the per capita packaging consumption stood at 42 Kgs and 19 Kgs respectively.

The company is planning to foray in to complete solutions for Food Protection and Packaging Personal Hygiene needs of Indian households at a one-stop-shop.

The company is further riding high on the Growing Disposable Income, which is encouraging the Indian population to make regular use of hygienic and aesthetic solutions, which were once considered expensive and reserved for special occasions, rising working population, focus on education are also resulting in increasing requirements of packed home-cooked food at the workplace and personal hygiene products.

"With the changing lifestyle, urbanization and increasing requirement of food packaging would be the key factors for sustaining the growing demand. Post-COVID-19 certain changes are expected in consumer behaviour which also impetus the pace further," the company added.

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.)
 Close Trump tells his coughing chief-of-staff to get out of the Oval Office: 'You just can't cough'

Donald Trump is reportedly toying with the idea of live tweeting the Democratic 2020 debates on 26 and 27 June to taunt his would-be rivals for the presidency as they face off against one another for the first time.

Ahead of his own formal campaign launch in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, the president has meanwhile announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will begin deporting millions of illegal aliens next week.

They will be removed as fast as they come in, the president wrote on Twitter. Mexico, using their strong immigration laws, is doing a very good job of stopping people long before they get to our Southern Border. Guatemala is getting ready to sign a Safe-Third Agreement. The only ones who wont do anything are the Democrats in Congress.

Meanwhile, a boisterous crowd of thousands of supporters gathered in front of the Amway Center arena in Orlando on Tuesday, hours before Mr Trump was set to hold a rally to formally launch his re-election campaign.

His official campaign launch in Florida today also coincides with a national week of training for his political supporters to build up ground game in the 2020 elections, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Show all 25 1 /25 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Bernie Sanders The Vermont senator has launched a second bid for president after losing out to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries. He is running on a similar platform of democratic socialist reform Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Joe Biden The former vice president recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well and has since maintained a front runner status in national polling EPA The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts senator is a progressive Democrat, and a major supporter of regulating Wall Street Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar is a Minnesota senator who earned praise for her contribution to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Michael Bloomberg Michael Bloomberg, a late addition to the 2020 race, announced his candidacy after months of speculation in November. He has launched a massive ad-buying campaign and issued an apology for the controversial "stop and frisk" programme that adversely impacted minority communities in New York City when he was mayor Getty Images The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but has faced tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Pete Buttigieg The centrist Indiana mayor and war veteran would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Deval Patrick The former Massachusetts governor launched a late 2020 candidacy and received very little reception. With just a few short months until the first voters flock to the polls, the former governor is running as a centrist and believes he can unite the party's various voting blocs AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Beto O'Rourke The former Texas congressman formally launched his bid for the presidency in March. He ran on a progressive platform, stating that the US is driven by "gross differences in opportunity and outcome" AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kamala Harris The former California attorney general was introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions testimony. She has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Bill De Blasio The New York mayor announced his bid on 16 May 2019. He emerged in 2013 as a leading voice in the left wing of his party but struggled to build a national profile and has suffered a number of political setbacks in his time as mayor AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Steve Bullock The Montana governor announced his bid on 14 May. He stated "We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone." He also highlighted the fact that he won the governor's seat in a red [Republican] state Reuters The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has focused on restoring kindness and civility in American politics throughout his campaign, though he has failed to secure the same level of support and fundraising as several other senators running for the White House in 2020 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam said he intended to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord Vice News The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017 AP The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Andrew Yang The entrepreneur announced his presidential candidacy by pledging that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18 Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a special meaning for the Latino community in the US Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual adviser has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Eric Swalwell One of the younger candidates, Swalwell has served on multiple committees in the House of Representatives. He intended to make gun control central to his campaign but dropped out after his team said it was clear there was no path to victory Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Seth Moulton A Massachusetts congressman, Moulton is a former US soldier who is best known for trying to stop Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the house. He dropped out of the race after not polling well in key states Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Jay Inslee Inslee has been governor of Washington since 2013. His bid was centred around climate change AFP/Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: John Hickenlooper The former governor of Colorado aimed to sell himself as an effective leader who was open to compromise, but failed to make a splash on the national stage Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tim Ryan Ohio representative Tim Ryan ran on a campaign that hinged on his working class roots, though his messaging did not appear to resonate with voters Getty The Democrat challengers to Trump in 2020 DROPPED OUT: Tom Steyer Democratic presidential hopeful billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer is a longtime Democratic donor AFP/Getty

Just before his arrival, the Orlando Sentinel editorial board published a story titled, Our Orlando Sentinel endorsement for president in 2020: Not Donald Trump.

Some readers will wonder how we could possibly eliminate a candidate so far before an election, and before knowing the identity of his opponent, the paper wrote. After 2 years weve seen enough.

Recommended Florida paper endorses anyone but Trump in 2020 ahead of rally

Enough of the chaos, the division, the schoolyard insults, the self-aggrandizement, the corruption, and especially the lies, the paper continued, going on to mention several examples of the presidents most flagrant falsities.

Mr Trump meanwhile said his re-election launch will be a political spectacle. In a tweet, he wrote: "People have never seen anything like it (unless you play a guitar). Going to be wild  See you later!"

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Iranian statements and international contacts with Pakistani scientists prompted the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to warn in 1992 that the Persian Gulf country could develop a nuclear weapon. While Iran reaffirmed its commitment to the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it wanted the countrys right to enrich uranium recognized before it made concessions. A breakthrough came after Iran elected a relative moderate, Hassan Rouhani, president in 2013. The 2015 deal he made recognized Irans right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, and Iran was allowed to keep 5,000 centrifuges to separate the uranium-235 isotope needed to induce a fission chain reaction. But Iran agreed that for 15 years it would not refine the metal to more than 3.7% enrichment  the level needed to fuel nuclear power plants  and would limit its enriched-uranium stockpile to 300 kilograms, or 3% of the amount it held in May 2015. The International Atomic Energy Agency verified that Iran eliminated its inventory of 20%-enriched uranium, which can be used to make medical isotopes and to power research reactors but could also be purified to weapons-grade material at short notice. Inspectors also confirmed that Iran destroyed a reactor capable of producing plutonium. U.S. officials under then-President Barack Obama estimated that the pact extended the time it would take Iran to produce enough fissile material for a bomb from a few months to a year.
A UK and Norway agri-tech firm has raised over 8.4m to address worldwide agricultural labour shortages with their fleet of robots.

Saga Robotics has raised millions from investors to help roll out its fleet of Thorvald robots amid a growing demand in agricultural automation.

The robots are operating on farms across the world, where they perform light treatment to control mildew on strawberries and vines, drastically reducing the need for fungicides.

Development of highly anticipated autonomous strawberry pickers is underway, and their commercial deployment is soon to follow.

Pal Johan From, CEO of Saga Robotics, said digitalisation would be a key element in the upcoming 'agricultural revolution'.

"Our goal is for Thorvald to play a key role in the transition to more sustainable and efficient farming practises, and we see enormous market opportunities for growth internationally in all the segments we operate in."

According to the firm, the need for environmentally conscious, sustainable solutions was imperative, making the case for robotics solutions stronger than ever.

Thorvald undertaking light treatment on strawberries at night

The Covid-19 crisis has also added further strain to the farming industry, limiting the amount of available labour and impacting overall food production.

London-based ADM Capital Europe LLP and Rabo Food & Agri Innovation Fund, the investment arm of world-leading Dutch agricultural bank Rabobank, have invested in the Saga.

Alastair Cooper, Head of Venture Investments at ADM, said the pandemic had accelerated the need to advance the use of robotics in agriculture.

"Sagas robots improve sustainability in farming by reducing soil compression, CO2 emissions and production losses due to mildew," he said.

"Using precision farming technology, Saga reduces pesticide and fungicide use and increases plant yields. With quality data applications we will start to see greater actionable intelligence provided to farmers."

The first Thorvald robot was built in Norway in 2014, and there are now more than 30 of them in operation in five different countries.

The company has received support from Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Research Council, Innovate UK and the EU's Horizon 2020 program.
China installs new modular container-based accommodations for its troops near LAC in eastern Ladakh

India hits out at China; rejects fresh allegations against it over eastern Ladakh standoff

No signs of talks on LAC, but Chinese psy ops in full swing

Indian troops illegally trespassed LAC again at southern bank of Pangong Tso: Chinese Embassy

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Sep 01: Chinese Embassy in India on Tuesday released statement on India-China border situation; says, "Indian troops illegally trespassed LAC again at southern bank of Pangong Tso."

It further reads, "China made solemn representations to India, urged them to control & restrain frontline troops."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the India-China boundary is yet to be demarcated due to which there will always be problems and the two countries should implement the consensuses between their leadership to not let differences from escalating into conflicts.

India-China facing problems as boundary is not demarcated: Wang Yi

He also said that China is ready to manage all issues through dialogue with India.

His remarks came hours after the Indian Army said it has thwarted a provocative Chinese army movement in eastern Ladakh to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake. It is also the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

"China-India relations have recently attracted the attention of all parties," Wang said.

"The boundary between China and India has not yet been demarcated, so there will always be problems of this kind. We are ready to manage all kinds of issues through dialogue with the Indian side", he said.

At the same time, these issues should be placed in their proper place in bilateral relations, he said, adding that President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met many times and reached many important consensus.

An Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance report that alerted India about a China move in

"For example, instead of "the dragon and the elephant compete with each other", "the dragon and the elephant dance together", "1 plus 1 is not 2, but 11" and so on. These are all philosophical views," he said.

"For example, the leaders of the two countries agreed that bilateral cooperation outweighs differences and common interests outweigh conflicts.

"Differences should be managed and controlled, and in particular, differences should not escalate into conflicts. I think that various departments of the two countries should implement these important consensuses," Wang said.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.

The foreign minister said China has a long history and more neighbours than any other country in the world.

Both China and India are great eastern countries with long civilisations, he said adding that the two countries live close to each other and are highly complementary to each other.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 11:50 [IST]
Whistle Stop Cafe is the favorite (3-1) to win the $3 million All-American Futurity in Mondays featured 9th race, the signature event of the All-American Weekend race card at Ruidoso Downs Race Track beginning Friday and running through Labor Day.

Ricky Ramirez, the jockey on Whistle Stop Cafe, picked post position seven. It was from that same position that the Whitmire Ranch gray filly won the 2020 Rainbow Futurity.

Post positions were drawn Monday morning for the All-American Futurity, the All-American Derby, and the inaugural running of the All-American Oaks that will headline the weekend race card at Ruidoso Downs.

The fastest qualifier, Flashing My Pjs, drew post position two in the All-American Futurity and opened at 7-2.

The Cowboy Channel will broadcast the All-American Futurity and the All-American Juvenile live during its broadcast from 4-5:30 p.m. on Labor Day.

The rest of the field for the All-American Futurity, contested at 440 yards, from the rail out is: Eagles And Dragons (10-1), Flashing My Pjs (7-2), Famous And Easy (8-1), Flash Bak (15-1), HR Princess Jess (15-1), Caliente Caramelo (20-1), Whistle Stop Cafe (3-1), Instygator (9-2), Jettz (6-1), and Apollitical Gold (12-1).

Sundays race card features the $1 Million All-American Derby for 3-year-old quarter horses set at 440 yards.

The inaugural running of the $421,165 All-American Oaks, a new division that has been created for fillies, will also run on Sundays card as the 7th race with a post time of 3:36 p.m.

Post time for races is set for 1 p.m. each day. The Turf Club and the Jockey Club are limited to 50% capacity due to the states public health order.

For more information on how to watch online, betting, or drive-thru wagering, visit RaceRuidoso.com.
Gov. Kay Ivey endorsed the courts upholding of the convictions.

As an elected official, our first priority is to be above reproach and avoid even the appearance of misconduct and abuse of office, she said in a May statement. "I support seeking clarity on our states ethics laws to ensure those who want to abide by them may not be unfairly targeted.

However, let me be abundantly clear, I do not support weakening a system that is meant to hold our elected officials accountable. The rule of law must be upheld.

The Opelika-Auburn News has not been able to reach Hubbard or his legal team for comment since the Supreme Courts ruling in his case.

Edgenuity

The high court affirmed convictions related to Hubbards consulting contracts with Edgenuity, Inc. and American Pharmacy Cooperative Incorporated (APCI). Hubbard was paid $210,000 by Edgenuity and $95,000 from APCI from 2012 to 2014.
Reopened: Porterhouse in Temple Bar, Dublin is trading again but business is muted. Photo: Arthur Carron

The Porterhouse Group has recorded "a very minimal recovery" in its two Dublin city centre restaurant-bars because of the lack of tourist and commuter custom, even after reopening.

Business development director of Porterhouse Group, Elliot Hughes, said minimal recovery has taken place at its sites on Nassau Street and in Temple Bar, Dublin while the group's London Porterhouse venue has also been hit by low numbers of tourists and office workers.

Mr Hughes called on Government to find a way to let the pub trade reopen, while punishing rogue operators if safety is compromised.

At the moment there seems "no thought put into working out how pubs can operate in a safe manner", he said.

"There needs to be a more nuanced approach taken, centred around smaller groups, seated on tables with social distancing and cleaning throughout the premises as well as staff wearing protective face coverings.

"This, combined with strong enforcement powers to shut non-compliant bars down, would work."

He added: "I would be the first to call for non-compliant bars to shut, to ensure those that are following the rules are allowed to trade."

Serving food means the Porterhouse chain has reopened but business remains muted, he said.

"Our restaurants are now performing well but still struggling by virtue of being closed for three months."

The group's late night venue, Lost Lane off Grafton Street remains closed and while Mr Hughes said he's optimistic about opening the venue, he accepted that current regulations make this incredibly challenging.

The Porterhouse Group spent 800,000 on the former Lillie's Bordello to transform it into Lost Lane and it was only open 11 months before the Covid- enforced closure last March.

New accounts for the Porterhouse Group show operating profits decreased 51pc to 1.36m in the 12 months to the end of February 2018.

The group recorded pre-tax profits of 855,858.

Mr Hughes said the group has been unable to keep its Subway premises on Nassau Street operating as a result of Covid-19.

The group today employs 250 and Mr Hughes said: "There have been a number of other job losses across the group which have been unfortunately unavoidable. However, we have by and large been able to keep the majority of our staff on, albeit with reduced hours for a significant amount."
Rusesabagina's role in saving refugees during the 1994 genocide inspired an Oscar-nominated film. He has more recently been known for his criticism of the Rwandan government.

Rwandan investigators said Monday they had arrested Paul Rusesabagina -- the man who was hailed a hero in a Hollywood movie about the country's 1994 genocide -- on charges of terrorism.

Two police officers brought Rusesabagina, 66, to the headquarters of the Rwanda Investigations Bureau. It was unclear where Rusesabagina was arrested, as he had been living in Belgium and then in the US state of Texas.

Rusesabagina, who wore a facemask and was in handcuffs, did not speak. He has in the past said he is the victim of a smear campaign in Rwanda, particularly after voicing his dissent with the government in the landlocked African country.

President Paul Kagame marked two decades of rule in Rwanda earlier this year. While praised by some as a pioneer for women's rights and environmentalism, Kagame has been criticized by others, including Rusesabagina, for his iron grip on power.

Suspected links to terrorism, not yet formally charged

He has not, however, been formally charged in court.

"Through international cooperation, the Rwanda Bureau of Investigation wants to inform the general public that Paul Rusesabagina has been arrested," police said in a statement.

"Rusesabagina is suspected of being a founder or a leader or sponsor or member of violent armed extremist terror outfits ... operating out of various places in the region and abroad," the investigation bureau's spokesman, Thierry Murangira, told reporters.

The spokesman said Rusesabagina would face several charges, such as "terrorism, financing terrorism ... arson, kidnap and murder" relating to incidents against his own countrymen on Rwandan soil in June and December 2018.

Authorities did not immediately release further information about the charges against Rusesabagina, but said further details would be made available in the coming days.

Genocide portrayed in Oscar nominated movie

During the 1994 genocide, as manager of the Hotel des Diplomates in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, Rusesabagina used his influence and connections to shelter 1,268 Tutsis and moderate Hutus from being slaughtered by the Interahamwe militia.

His actions were subsequently portrayed in the 2004 acclaimed film "Hotel Rwanda," where he was played by the American actor Don Cheadle.

(AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Suspected links to terrorism, not yet formally charged
The journalist, Daniel J. Thompson, a digital editor who said he was the only full-time Black staff member at the paper, which covers southeastern Wisconsin, said the headline did not accurately sum up the article and gave a false impression of the rally itself, which he attended. The rally for Blake, who was left paralyzed by the shooting Aug. 23, included calls for unity from his father, Jacob Blake Sr., and Wisconsins lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes, the article said.
In a sensational revelation, Sushant Singh Rajput's flatmate Siddarth Pithani has told the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that Rhea Chakraborty 'did a lot of shopping using the late actor's credit card' and that she even sold households items over a period of time.

Republic Media Network accessed Siddarth Pithani's first statement given to the CBI in which Sushant's flatmate told the investigative agency that the late actor had broken down when Pithani asked him about Rhea Chakraborty and reportedly told him that everyone had deserted him.

Pithani also told the CBI that Sushant's Bandra residence was moved into in December 2019 and that he got to know more about Rhea's on asking the house manager Samuel Miranda. Further, Pithani said that on inquiry he found that Rhea had been using Sushant's credit card to shop and that items from the home were sold slowly by her.

READ | In Sushant Case, Rhea Chakraborty's Parents Summoned By CBI; Her Day 5 Grilling Deferred

Pithani turns against Rhea

'When I asked about Rhea, Sushant started crying and said that everybody left me and I will be with you, I calmed him down. The house was taken in December 2019, I got to know through house manager Samuel Mirinda. When I inquired further, I got to know that Rhea Chakraborty does a lot of shopping using Sushant's credit card and household items were also being sold slowly', Pithani said to the CBI.

READ | Mumbai Police Officials Escort Rhea, Brother Showik Home From Santacruz Police Station

Pithani was earlier part of the confession to CBI regarding a team of IT experts being called in to Sushant's house shortly before his death to wipe all his digital devices and transfer the data to 8 hard drives. Dipesh and Samuel Miranda were others who confessed.

'Rhea indirectly linked with a smaller drug cartel'

Based on Siddharth Pithanis revelations, CBI believes Rhea was indirectly linked with a drug cartel that caters to Bollywood clients and knows about its operation, sources informed Republic Media Network, adding that the quizzing of a person named Gaurav Arya will throw more light on this matter.

Also Read | Pithani's Statement To CBI On June 14 Events Accessed; Mystery Over Dipesh's Text Deepens

Sources also said that Rhea never used to procure the drugs and marijuana directly, and that Neeraj, Dipesh Sawant, Samuel Miranda and Keshav were tasked to do the job of procuring. The network of drug dealer 'Chinku Pathan' in South Bombay and another individual by the name Immaa operating in Andheri-Juhu are being probed.

On Friday, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sources told Republic Media Network that Rhea Chakraborty and others "are just the tip of the iceberg". In a massive newsbreak, Republic TV has learned that the NCB's scope of the investigation is far larger.

READ | In Sushant Case Drug Angle, 4 'big Names' Under Lens: 1 Actor, 1 Filmmaker & 2 Politicians

Probe in Sushant case

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his house in Mumbai's Bandra on June 14. Initially, his death was claimed to be a suicide with Mumbai Police's autopsy report stating that there was no foul play. However, numerous lapses came to light as Republic TV investigated the case and Sushant's father filed the first FIR accusing Sushant's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty for abetment of Suicide. Soon after, the Enforcement Directorate registered a case of money laundering and interrogated Rhea and other 4 people named in the FIR. ED's investigation unearthed a narcotics angle in the case, with the Narcotics Control Bureau registering another case in the matter, probing the drug nexus in Bollywood and particularly with Rhea and Sushant.

Read | Pithani Tells CBI 'Sushant Became Tense After Disha's Death; Told Me To Sleep In His Room'

Previously, the Supreme Court gave a nod for a CBI probe in the death case of Sushant Singh Rajput after massive demand for the same across the country. CBI team has pointed out procedural and technical lapses in Mumbai cops investigation and is also along with an AIIMS forensic team analysing the homicide angle. Republic TV's own newsbreaks have soundly challenged the suicide theory in the case, and also brought out deep inconsistencies and incongruencies in the accounts of the key players involved.

Republic had also earlier accessed bank details of Sushant Singh Rajput which showed that huge expenses had been borne by him for Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik. An ED note posted by Sushant Singh Rajput's family alleged that Rhea had worked closely with Samuel Miranda. In her interviews, Rhea has claimed that the spending was Sushant's will and that she hadn't siphoned off any money, especially not the Rs 15 crore as alleged by KK Singh.

READ | Gaurav Arya Hires Camera To Record Media's Sushant Probe Coverage; Republic Confronts Him

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.
Assiniboine Community College is getting ready to welcome back students to classes held online and in the classroom, but there will likely be fewer people learning at the institution this year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Assiniboine Community College is getting ready to welcome back students to classes held online and in the classroom, but there will likely be fewer people learning at the institution this year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately 3,500 students are projected to sign up for the colleges regular and distance courses in the 2020-21 academic year, according to an email sent out by the college Monday morning.

Thats less than the approximately 4,000 students projected to enrol at the college at the same point in time last year for the 2019-20 academic year.

While the number of new students has dropped, ACC director of public affairs Danielle Adriaansen told the Sun on Monday that the number of returning students is actually up from last year. She said the 500-student drop in enrolment is made up of the drop in new students and a drop of approximately 200 students for the colleges distance courses.

Adriaansen did not have final enrolment numbers for the 2019-20 school year available.

"International enrolment this fall has taken a dip, attributed to the global environment in response to COVID-19," the email said. "The college anticipates the decline could be as many as 100 students compared to this same time last year."

While overall numbers have dropped, the college said it still has wait lists in some on-demand programs such as practical nursing, power engineering and human resource management.

International students typically pay more for their tuition compared to domestic students.

The college operates facilities in Brandon, Dauphin and Winnipeg.

 The Brandon Sun
The key promises of an election campaign are different from the priorities set and policies implemented when elected, presidential publicist, Garba Shehu, said in a statement Monday.

Mr Shehu said the priorities set by an administration are dependent on the true state of the treasury and the capacity of the supporting infrastructure needed to deliver on the elected governments agenda.

He added that because governance is dynamicno government elected for two terms could possibly justify continuing only to deliver the agenda it set in the first election campaign that brought it to office some five years previously.

SEE ALSO:

President Buhari first assumed office in 2015 after defeating an incumbent president, the first time in the history of Nigeria. The president was reelected in 2019.

Mr Buhari came into office at both polls on the wings of three cardinal campaign promises: bolstered security, improved economy and fight against corruption.

Listing nine priority areas, last week, he told ambassadors and high commissioners from eight countries that his administration will use the remaining years in office to build a thriving and sustainable economy; enhance social inclusion and reduce poverty; enlarge agricultural output for food security and export; attain energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products and expand transport and other infrastructural development.

He added that he will also expand business growth, entrepreneurship and industrialization; expand access to quality education, affordable healthcare and productivity of Nigerians; build a system to fight corruption, improve governance and create social cohesion; and improve security for all.

Priority renewal

Referencing these, Mr Shehu noted that it became imperative for the Buhari administration to renew its ideas and objectives for its remaining years in office.

He said the ongoing investigations into the affairs of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is proof of the administrations resolve to fight against corruption.

That such an investigation is occurring at all is demonstrative proof that no one  no matter of their position in public life  can anymore believe they can break the law and not pay the penalty, Mr Shehu wrote in the statement he mailed to PREMIUM TIMES.

The fight against Boko Haram continues and will do so until they are fully and completely defeated. The fact the terrorists increasingly flee from direct conflict with the military, and instead focus their ever-decreasing capacities on the civilian population may, tragically, drive news headlines by this and other newspapers, but it is also proof they are severely and irreversibly retreating.

And the economic revival of Nigeria, whilst set back in our country by coronavirus  just as is the case worldwide  requires more than will. It requires plans to implement. After the economic shock coronavirus has brought not just to Nigeria but to potential overseas investors, it is time indeed for an updated and enhanced plan, he said.
WASHINGTON: A new book is reviving questions about President Donald Trumps unscheduled visit to Walter Reed military hospital last fall with the revelation that word went out for Vice President Mike Pence to stand by to temporarily assume presidential powers if Trump had to receive anesthesia for a medical procedure.

The White House has said the presidents November 2019 visit, which raised questions at the time about Trumps health, was part of his routine annual physical, and that the president wanted to get a head start on what typically is an hours-long, head-to-toe exam because hed be busy this year with campaigning.

A presidents routine medical checkup typically is announced ahead of time.

The White House provided no other details at the time. His White House doctor said in a statement Tuesday the president remains healthy and fit to execute the duties of the Presidency. Pences office declined comment.

Trump visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, about two months after the Democratic-controlled House impeached him over his conduct toward Ukraine.

In reporting for this book, I learned that in the hours leading up to Trumps trip to the hospital, word went out in the West Wing for the vice president to be on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized, Michael Schmidt writes in Donald Trump v. the United States: Inside the Struggle To Stop A President."

Pence never assumed the powers of the presidency, and the reason for Trumps trip to the doctor remains a mystery, Schmidt says in the book. Schmidt is a New York Times and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter.

Trump responded Tuesday on Twitter to Schmidts reporting and other speculation about his health, and later had his White House doctor attest to health.

It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate - FAKE NEWS, Trump tweeted.

Trump appeared to be responding to Clinton White House veteran Joe Lockhart, who tweeted Monday about Trump, asking: Did @realDonaldTrump have a stroke which he is hiding from the American public?

Dr. Sean Conley, Trumps White House doctor, followed up with a statement in which he said Trump has not experienced or been evaluated for a stroke, a mini-stroke or any acute cardiovascular emergency.

The president remains healthy and I have no concerns about his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule ahead of him," said Conley, who flew with Trump to Wisconsin on Tuesday. As stated in my last report, I expect him to remain fit to execute the duties of the presidency.

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
It's difficult caring full-time for a spouse, sibling or adult child with lifelong disabilities as the result of combat injuries or service-related illnesses.

But during a pandemic that has upended carefully crafted routines, such as steady medical appointments, therapy and classes, the challenges facing military caregivers have become more acute.

Read Next: Air Forces New Top General is Calling for Radical Change in how the Service Fights

Former Army infantryman Jason Ehrhart needs assistance dressing, bathing, feeding himself, and moving in and out of his wheelchair after losing a leg and suffering burns and a brain injury in a bomb blast in Iraq in 2004.

His parents, Pam and Mike Estes, are with him every day, providing that care. But beginning in mid-March, Ehrhart's physical therapy, classes and outings stopped as a result of COVID-19, and any chance for either parent to catch a break disappeared.

"The other day, he went horseback riding for the first time since March, and I had three hours to myself. I was so overly excited about having a cup of tea. That three hours and that cup of tea regenerated me for the next week," Pam Estes said.

More help could be on the way: The Wounded Warrior Project announced Tuesday that it is dedicating $7 million to assist caregivers, including giving $3,000 grants to the caregivers of more than 700 veterans enrolled in the nonprofit's program for the most seriously injured post-9/11 veterans.

The announcement follows a partnership unveiled earlier this month between the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide 24 hours of respite services for full-time caregivers.

Under that program, Respite Relief for Military and Veterans Caregivers, those who care full-time for a service member or veteran in their homes can apply for relief, which will be provided by CareLinx professionals.

The program is initially being offered in portions of California, Florida and Texas.

"Caregivers charged with caring for our nation's veterans face new challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic," VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a statement announcing the partnership.

"They have become increasingly isolated and are hindered from getting reliable, outside help. This program provides caregivers compassionate and needed relief during this stressful time," he added.

In addition to the $2.2 million in grants tied to Wounded Warrior Project's Independence Program, the nonprofit is giving $1 million to the Elizabeth Dole Foundation to pay for 35,000 hours of respite services for military and veterans caregivers, and has set aside an additional $4.2 million to improve programs for caregivers, emphasizing wellness, self-care, mental health treatment and respite care, according to Alex Balbir, director of WWP's Warrior Care Network and independence services.

"We are witnessing some immediate challenges that have been exacerbated by COVID-19, and there needs to be greater awareness of the long-term needs of our caregivers," Balbir said. "This initiative really focuses on those hidden heroes."

WWP's Independence Program is designed to help post-9/11 veterans with moderate to severe brain injuries, spinal cord injuries or neurological conditions remain in their homes with access to services to aid in recovery and good health.

According to the organization, 62% of those veterans need assistance from a designated caregiver 40 hours a week or more. Those caregivers will receive the $3,000 grants, which they can use for their own wellness.

"We absolutely recognize that the success of the Independence Program is predicated on the caregiver, so it's important that we take care of them. It's as important that we take care of them as we take care of the warrior," said Lyndsay Tkach, deputy director of independence services at WWP.

Ehrhart was 19 years old when the Humvee he was riding in struck a roadside bomb, resulting in the death of his sergeant and his own severe injuries. He was in a coma for months after the accident, and his parents began exploring locations where he could live and work on recovery.

After a bed became available at a VA facility, the couple went to tour it. But they ultimately decided the facility, which mostly served Vietnam-era veterans, was not for their young son. They have cared for him ever since, watching him improve and, during the pandemic, ensuring he didn't regress without the services he normally receives as an Independence Program participant.

"We've been to enough physical therapy appointments with him and knew what kind of stuff they did, and just rolled up our sleeves and jumped in," Pam Estes said.

Jason also took online classes through Wounded Warrior Project, such as writing, art and music therapy. Pam said she had been working to get him to write his name; as the result of classes offered online during the pandemic, he made his parents Mother's and Father's Day cards.

"We didn't think for a moment Jason was going to be able to participate ... and we were blown away by what he could do," Pam Estes said.

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation hopes it will be able to expand its military and veterans caregiver respite program beyond the initial three states, and staff said the WWP donation should help that effort.

The foundation also is pursuing partnerships with other organizations to enhance the program.

"This is what happens when public and private sectors come together. This is so important and such an amazing resource we are happy to offer," said Rashi Venkataraman Romanoff, the foundation's vice president of programs and partnerships.

More information on Wounded Warrior Project programs can be found on the group's website.

To learn more about the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's respite care program for military and veterans caregivers and apply, check out its Hidden Heroes site.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: VA Caregiver Program to Open to WWII, Korea and Vietnam Veterans
Victoria Police has admitted it was "profoundly wrong" in permitting lawyer Nicola Gobbo to inform on her own clients, as the Royal Commission into the Management of Public Informants makes public thousands of pages of documents for the first time.

A police spokeswoman said the force had "accepted without reservation" its failures in the matter, releasing a written apology to the courts and to the community for the breach of trust.

Nicola Gobbo during an interview with the ABC's 7.30 program last year. Credit:ABC

The apology comes as final submissions from counsel assisting Chris Winneke, QC, delivered a stinging assessment of the culture and practices of Victoria Police, including accusations police withheld damaging information, knowingly frustrated or impeded record-keeping practices to potentially cover up their activities and took extensive steps to justify engaging in potentially corrupt conduct.

The police spokeswoman said: "It was an indefensible interference in the lawyer-client relationship, a relationship that is essential to the proper functioning of the criminal justice system and to the rule of law. Our failure at that time to ensure that these circumstances were identified and disclosed was also a significant and missed opportunity to right a wrong.
(Natural News) Why do they call it public broadcasting when it promotes actions against the public interest? What do we pay our tax dollars for public radio that advocates theft in the midst of rioting? On Thursday, NPRs blog Code Switch, with the slogan Race In Your Face, posted an interview promoting a new book titled In Defense of Looting. This tweet says it all for us:

(Article by Tim Graham republished from NewsBusters.org)

Publishers Weeklys review sells the book on Amazon: Osterweil debuts with a provocative, Marxist-informed defense of looting as a radical and effective protest tactica bracing rethink of the goals and methods of protest.

NPRs Natalie Escobar summarized author Vicki Osterweils current take:

Now, as protests and riots continue to grip cities, she argues that looting is a powerful tool to bring about real, lasting change in society. The rioters who smash windows and take items from stores, she says, are engaging in a powerful tactic that questions the justice of law and order, and the distribution of property and wealth in an unequal society.

Escobar blandly asks the author to paint a Marxist-informed picture of why radicals loot:

It gets people what they need for free immediately It also attacks the very way in which food and things are distributed. It attacks the idea of property, and it attacks the idea that in order for someone to have a roof over their head or have a meal ticket, they have to work for a boss, in order to buy things that people just like them somewhere else in the world had to make under the same conditions. It points to the way in which thats unjust. And the reason that the world is organized that way, obviously, is for the profit of the people who own the stores and the factories. So you get to the heart of that property relation, and demonstrate that without police and without state oppression, we can have things for free.

What kind of madness is this? If people just steal everything to have things for free, how does society function? Escobar asks about small businesses being devastated by looting. Escobar asked about neighborhoods losing essential businesses. There are apparently NO essential businesses.

What would you say to people who are concerned about essential places like grocery stores or pharmacies being attacked in those communities? When it comes to small business, family owned business or locally owned business, they are no more likely to provide worker protections. They are no more likely to have to provide good stuff for the community than big businesses. Its actually a Republican myth that has, over the last 20 years, really crawled into even leftist discourse: that the small business owner must be respected, that the small business owner creates jobs and is part of the community. But thats actually a right-wing myth.

Marxists dont like small business any better than big business. They just hate business, period.

Contact NPRs Public Editor to express your opinion about this unfair and imbalanced interview promoting criminal activity. The form is right here.

Read more at: NewsBusters.org
Then-Vice President Joe Biden embraces Benjamin Netanyahu, left, outside the Israeli leader's Jerusalem residence. (Avi Ohayon / European Pressphoto Agency)

If he wins the presidential election, Joe Biden will find a Middle East quite different from the one at the end of the Obama administration.

Nuclear threats may once again be on the horizon in Iran. Militant groups are on the ascendance in Lebanon and Yemen. And Israelis and Palestinians stand further away from settling their conflict than they have in a long time.

Biden says his first task will be repairing much of what he and his supporters consider to be the damage done by President Trump, who demolished long-standing norms and decades of U.S. policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Joe Biden will benefit just by not being President Trump," Biden's top foreign policy advisor Tony Blinken said in a recent interview. "That is the opening opportunity."

More difficult will be deciding whether to reverse some of Trump's controversial actions and, if so, which ones.

The Palestinian Authority leadership boycotted administration-led peace talks after Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed holy city.

Palestinians claim the eastern part of the city  which Israel seized during the 1967 Middle East War  as their capital. For decades the U.S. avoided recognizing either side's claim in Jerusalem pending a final peace agreement.

Biden's advisors say he will not return the U.S. Embassy to Tel Aviv, but it is likely he would reopen a U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem that would cater to Palestinians and allow a Palestinian de facto embassy in Washington.

Regaining Palestinian trust will be a major challenge. The Biden team has released careful, measured policies for the decades-old conflict, a clear rebuke to Trump, but disappointing to many progressives.

Unlike Trump, Biden supports the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"There will be a very important statement about the intention to pursue a two-state solution," said Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a pro-Israel advocacy organization in Washington and informal advisor to the campaign. "Those signals will be sent early."

Story continues

And Biden said he plans to revive U.S. financial aid to support Palestinians that was cut off by Trump as punishment for what he termed their lack of cooperation.

His hands will be partly tied by Congress. The 2018 Taylor Force Act prohibits U.S. aid from going to some Palestinian entities as long as the Palestinian Authority gives stipends to families of Palestinians killed in attacks on Israelis. It will be easier to resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which supports hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, and to hospitals in Palestinian-dominated parts of East Jerusalem, all cut off by Trump.

Biden is likely to frown on any Israeli annexation of West Bank land it seized during the 1967 war and that Palestinians have claimed for their state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's annexation plan was tacitly approved by Trump, but has since been put on hold, partly out of concern about hurting Trump in November and partly because of a pending agreement to normalize diplomatic relations with United Arab Emirates.

How strongly Biden might act to block annexation remains to be seen. He has been careful not to say that U.S. aid to Israel would be conditioned on Israeli behavior.

Much of what Biden could do might be mired in U.S. domestic politics. Any action risks antagonizing either the pro-Israel lobby or the progressive wing of his party.

"I think the best we can hope for from a Biden government is undoing a lot of the damage and doing no more harm, while giving the Palestinians space to get their own house in order," said Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank, and director of the Palestine and Israeli-Palestinian affairs program.

Elgindy and others predicted there would be no bold initiatives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the beginning of a Biden administration. There will be more-pressing crises, his advisors say, and the environment is not ripe for new negotiations.

Netanyahu got nearly everything he wanted with no concessions from Trump, so he has little incentive now to negotiate.

Palestinians, long skeptical about whether the U.S. could be a neutral broker in peace talks, gave up any hope of that after Trump. Members of the governing Palestinian Authority are biding their time, Elgindy and others said, hoping that a Biden victory at least returns the troubled U.S-Palestinian relationship back to a better footing.

"Have we given up on the U.S.? Yes," said Diana Buttu, a Palestinian attorney and former legal advisor to the Palestinian Authority headed by President Mahmoud Abbas. At most, she predicted, "we will see that Biden will reach out to Abbas, but won't do much other than that."

She said that in addition to failing to condemn the U.S. Embassy relocation, Democratic Party leadership declined to include a reference in its platform to the "ongoing occupation" of Palestinian territories by Israel.

Another of Trump's surprising breaks from years of U.S. policy came when he recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a large, fertile plateau that Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 war. It is unclear whether such a move can be easily reversed, and there appears to be little precedent for it. On the other hand, recognition did not lead to any concrete U.S. action and put the United States in conflict with the rest of the international community, which views Israel's control over Golan as a violation of international law.

On Iran, Biden is expected to chart a dramatically different course, and one that Netanyahu won't like.

Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which forced the Islamic Republic to dismantle most of its infrastructure that could be used to produce nuclear weapons, in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions on Tehran and release of its assets frozen in banks all over the world.

Trump  prodded by Netanyahu  contended the deal was flawed because it failed to limit other Iranian activities such as its support for the region's militant groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Houthi rebels in Yemen. In recent months, the Trump administration has piled on new sanctions and other punishment to increase pressure on Iran in hopes of destroying the deal once and for all.

Biden wants to revive it by first bringing Iran back into compliance, and then reenlisting the United States.

"Assuming the deal is still on life support when he takes office, [Biden] would move toward mutual reentry," said Colin Kahl, who served as national security advisor to the then-vice president and now consults with the campaign.

Biden said this year that once the deal is revived, he would work with European allies to "strengthen and extend it, while more effectively pushing back against Irans other destabilizing activities."

Israel's government, which views Iran as an existential threat, has been working to undermine the nuclear agreement since before it was signed.

Another unknown will be the relationship between Biden and Netanyahu.

Trump and Netanyahu had one of the warmest relationships between any U.S. and Israeli leaders. That's a hard act for Biden to follow, particularly since he's associated with the Obama administration, which repeatedly and bitterly clashed with Netanyahu.

But Biden has known Netanyahu for decades, including during the years the Israeli leader spent in the United States. According to aides, the pair enjoy an amiable if sometimes prickly friendship.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.  Northern Arizona University has reopened for in-person classes Monday, welcoming students for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic closed the Flagstaff campus in March.

The announcement came three weeks after the university began its academic year online, the Arizona Daily Sun reported.

As of Monday, 29,594 students were enrolled in classes across all the NAU campuses, with more than 6,000 students living in university-owned residence halls.

Some faculty members have continued to raise concerns about the return to campus as Coconino County health officials reported an additional 55 cases last week, increasing the total to 3,205 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Ive heard from dozens and dozens of (faculty) who are hesitant to return to the classroom face-to-face, not because you are uncooperative or wish to harm students as some have suggested, but because you as faculty have the most contact with students, NAU Faculty Senate President Gioia Woods said in a senate meeting Monday.

The union that represents faculty, staff and graduate student employees, released its own statement Sunday calling for university administrators to stop reopening plans and, instead, provide accurate COVID-19 case numbers.

Moving forward as NAU Administration has currently planned will have catastrophic consequences for the health of everyone connected to NAU  students, their families, faculty, staff, and all of the communities of which we are a part. We must do better, the union said.

University President Rita Cheng said this week that the university will be issuing 2,500 random saliva-based COVID-19 tests each week to faculty, staff and students.

More than 3,000 people, including community members, were tested this month during on-campus surge testing. Fewer than 50 people tested positive for COVID-19.

The university is still formalizing contact tracing efforts with the county, but currently receives data for employees and students who live off campus only if they note that they have an affiliation with the school.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some  especially older adults and people with existing health problems  it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

In other developments:

 Arizona State University reported 775 students were known to have COVID-19 as of Sunday, up from the 452 reported Friday.

Of the 775, students 428 live off campus, 323 are in isolation at the Tempe campus and the remainder are in isolation at either of the ASU campuses in Glendale or downtown Phoenix, university officials said Monday.

ASU has 74,500 students, not including online students.

 The state Department of Health Services on Tuesday reported 507 additional COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths, increasing the states totals to 202,342 cases and 5,044 deaths.

COVID-related hospitalization metrics continued a downward trend, with the department services saying that 150 COVID-19 patients were on ventilators as of Monday, the lowest number since hospitals started reporting that data in early April.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

 A state legislator has urged Kingman Mayor Jen Miles to end her proclamation requiring that masks be worn by the public inside businesses in the city to slow the spread of the coronavirus, The Miner reported.

Miles should end this dictatorial rule and allow our freedom-loving residents to make the decision that is in the best interest of their family and our community, Rep. Regina Cobb, R-Kingman, said on Facebook.

Miles last week extended her proclamation to the end of the year but said it was subject to review before then if state benchmarks show a manageable COVID-19 positivity rate baseline has been achieved.

 Gov. Doug Ducey issued an executive order extending the validity of driver licenses that expire between March 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020, by one year from their original expiration date. The move is designed to minimize visits to state Motor Vehicle Division offices, which have been limited to apointment-only service because of the coronavirus.
The special judge hearing the Babri mosque demolition case will on Wednesday start writing the judgment, expected to be pronounced by the end of this month.

Photograph: Wikimedia Commons

The proceedings in the case at the Central Bureau of Investigation court in Lucknow ended on Tuesday with the advocates for some of 32 accused presenting their oral arguments.

Judge S K Yadav said he will start the dictation of the judgment from Wednesday.

The accused in the decades-old include case include former deputy prime minister L K Advani, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar and Sakshi Maharaj.

Prosecution agency CBI led about 350 witnesses and produced about 600 documents against the accused.

The CBI judge is trying to deliver the judgment by the end of this month to meet the deadline fixed by the Supreme Court.

The Babri Masjid was demolished in December 1992 by 'kar sevaks' who claimed that the mosque in Ayodhya was built on the site of an ancient Ram temple.

The land dispute over the site was settled last year by the Supreme Court, which allowed the construction of a Ram temple.

The court also directed that an alternative site should be allotted in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple took place on August 5 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi participating in a bhoomi pujan.
It is symbolic that the airframe of the first mass-produced transport aircraft An-178, number 006, was built at the Antonov Company just before Ukraine's Independence Day. The prototype took to the skies back in May 2015. The 006 is currently equipped with Ukrainian and Western components instead of their Russian analogs. The plane will then fly to its permanent place of service - to the units of the National Police of Peru. Peruvians have chosen the aircraft due to the unique combination of technical characteristics  speed and load capacity. Five more similar aircraft, which were also of interest to operators from other countries, have already been put into production. President of the Antonov Company Oleksandr Los spoke in an interview with Ukrinform about how the domestic aircraft industry is restoring markets while getting rid of its long-standing dependence on Russia.

From the author

Aircraft construction is a long and painstaking process. The real holiday comes for aircraft builders when they finish the "body" of the future aircraft - its airframe - with its wings attached to the fuselage. This is the most solemn moment. There is a lot of work and testing to be done, but the plane is believed to have been born.

In the shop of the Antonov Company, the 006 still looks "childish" because of the bright primer of its fuselage. But the inscription "Police" has already been placed on the body. The Ministry of the Interior of Peru has chosen the Ukrainian aircraft as it is adapted to work in the specific conditions of mountain airports. Peruvians were impressed by the unique combination of speed (825 km/h) and load capacity (18 tonnes) of this member of the Antonov family.

The An-178 aircraft is designed for the delivery of personnel, weapons and light equipment, transportation of materials, mail and other cargo. In emergency situations, it can be used to evacuate the population from the disaster area, transport the wounded, land rescue teams and more.

A unique feature of the aircraft is its ability to transport almost all existing types of packaged cargo in the world - both in containers and on pallets, including 1C containers.

"The aircraft can be based on runways with artificial turf, as well as on prepared ground runways, which makes it a real aviation SUV. At the same time, the aircraft is quite inexpensive to maintain, as it does not have screws, which significantly increase the cost of maintenance," said Oleksandr Los, President of the Antonov Company.

Mr. Los is very happy with the fact that the An-178 could win an extremely difficult international tender from its famous competitors, and the company's staff prepared a gift for Ukraine for its 29th birthday in the form of a finished airframe of the first mass-produced aircraft without Russian components.

Question: Was it difficult to win the tender for the supply of aircraft for the Ministry of the Interior of Peru?

Answer: Similar aircraft in Europe are produced by only three manufacturers  France/Spain, Ukraine, and Russia. Russians are now under sanctions and they look at our plane with envy, because we have occupied a unique niche of high-speed tactical aircraft. Our potential competitors are currently Leonardo and Airbus aircraft. Creating an airplane is always a very serious competitive and political struggle. We treat our colleagues in the industry with the utmost respect, despite various insinuations from others. Their planes and offers were also very good, but ours were better.

Question: Have you won the tender in terms of finances or technical characteristics?

Answer: A favorable price was a nice addition for our customers. Why don't our competitors like this plane so much? Because they have nothing comparable to offer. The An-178 occupies a promising niche - it has a unique combination of speed, load capacity and takeoff and landing capabilities.

As for the tender for Peru, there were no significant additional technical requirements for this aircraft from the Peruvian side, as the aircraft is already intended for operation in mountainous areas at high-altitude airports. However, I can't tell you the amount of the contract - it's a trade secret. In general, depending on the configuration of the service package, the cost of one An-178 is $60-70 million.

Question: In your official reports you talked about enhanced requirements for the maintenance of these planes. What did you mean?

Answer: The contract includes a package of service and maintenance for several years. Enhanced requirements apply to regulatory service life, in particular, compliance with the time of repair work.

Question: Is the process going according to schedule?

Answer: Now you see that the plane, as an aerial vehicle, is already complete. Then we have to equip the aircraft with systems, wiring, pipelines, electronic units. Then the aircraft is sent for testing.

Separately, I want to emphasize that this is our first mass-produced aircraft, which is assembled without any Russian components. We are accused of not mass-producing aircraft for several years. However, with the onset of Russian military aggression in 2014, we lost not only the market, but also the market for the supply of important components. It took us some time for import substitution and the search for new suppliers.

Specifically, this type of aircraft has about two-thirds of equipment manufactured by U.S. corporations and a third of domestic equipment. Moreover, we carried out design work to replace Russian components at our own expense. In fact, broad international cooperation was envisaged back in 2010-2011 during the development of the An-178 project. In 2015-2016, we continued this planned work.

Question: Has import substitution increased the cost of manufacturing the aircraft?

Answer: American equipment turned out to be cheaper than Russian one.

Question: How quickly did you manage to reach an agreement with Americans?

Answer: The disastrous state policy of the past decades, which ended in Russia's war against our state, had disastrous consequences for Antonov's international reputation. It was unfortunate to hear from foreigners back in 2015 that "Ukraine is the same Russia" and that "Antonov is a Russian company." In general, the process of melting this "ice" took about two years, and this active international educational work by Antonov continues.

Question: Is a pin on your lapel [in the form of the state flags of the United States and Ukraine] connected with this?

Answer: Yes, it is. I am grateful to my U.S. colleagues who responded to our request and today are accelerating the supply of the full range of equipment for the An-178 and not only that. On the other hand, it symbolizes Antonov's openness and mutual responsibility to our colleagues from the United States and partner countries for compliance with international rules of export control.

Question: What is the most difficult stage left?

Answer: The most difficult stage is flight tests that we will conduct on the prototype aircraft. Today, everything is built on digital technology and software, so the most critical thing is to avoid mistakes at the design stage and formulate requirements for this equipment. All this can be finally checked and detected only during flight tests.

The active certification phase has now begun. The aircraft will be initially certified by the State Aviation Service of Ukraine. The aircraft's airworthiness standards were adopted according to the standards of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FAA representatives have already visited Antonov at the beginning of this year.

Question: If the plane is certified by the FAA, will it be recognized in other countries?

Answer: Absolutely. This system works all over the world.

Question: How long will it take in general?

Answer: The process is not fast. There is a saying that a plane has the right to take off only when the weight of the papers describing the plane is equal to its takeoff weight. In the case of the An-178, it's about 50 tonnes (laughs). In fact, they are terabytes of electronic documents. But we will cope with the initial certification until the aircraft is handed over to the customer.

Question: Were Antonov aircraft previously certified in Russia?

Answer: Yes, they were. Formally, it was a certification body of the CIS countries - the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC). Now in Russia, these functions have been taken over by the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia). Of course, this entity acts solely in the interests of the Russian Federation. It has taken away from us "not in a completely transparent way" the control of extending the airworthiness and technical resource of Antonov aircraft in Russia and is trying to take over this control from all other countries, which is a great technical danger and threat to human life.

Question: What is your estimated capacity for assembling aircraft?

Answer: We can assemble 10-12 planes of this type per year. We see great prospects for this aircraft and the entire aviation family founded on its basis. Another step we are already taking is to create a heavy aircraft An-188, which develops the An-77 concept, but at the next technological level. Also in the pipeline is a project to modernize the An-158 passenger aircraft. In addition, work is underway to design a promising passenger aircraft, which we are conducting in the development of cooperation with our foreign partners.

Question: Do you face the personnel problem that has been discussed so much lately? Are there enough engineers, skilled workers?

Answer: Fortunately, we have preserved the design and development staff that maintains a high technical culture and production school. Our brand and technological capabilities attract qualified staff. The company, in fact, is a school of personnel for the entire aviation industry of Ukraine. It is not by chance that a lot of dirt is poured on us and our work not just from Russian and other media resources... They always try to compromise the Antonov Company in the eyes of potential customers.

Question: Do internal political conflicts surrounding the company pose any obstacles to your work?

Answer: This is a difficult stage in the transformation of management bodies, but the team works selflessly, despite financial difficulties or political turmoil. As our enterprise occupies a huge territory within Kyiv, there are always people willing to control it. We have had to fight such encroachments on a regular basis since the late 1980s. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on commercially viable, innovative production, the team has to spend its resources on all sorts of "policies." It is a pity that we have to fight not only on the international stage, but also on the domestic political stage.

Question: Will the transformation of Ukroboronprom, under which your company is to be included in the space and aviation conglomerate, help you with this issue? How do you assess the prospects for such a decision?

Answer: Currently, our trade unions and foreign colleagues are very closely monitoring this issue. The process has just begun, and socio-political discussions are underway, so it is premature to make any statements now.

Question: What do you personally think? Will it be good or not?

Answer: I am convinced only that we in any case have to keep our team, technological base and, first and foremost, the reputation of the enterprise. You can't imagine how painful all sorts of political changes and perturbations around the Antonov Company are for our export opportunities. Let me remind you that Antonov produces dual-use products. Every time our Western partners have doubts about production and technological capabilities, or export control. And competitors do not sleep.

Antonov today is a value category and, without exaggeration, an advertising sign of our country in the world, which increases the status of every scientist and engineer from Ukraine! Any, even the smallest stain on this sign will be studied very carefully. It would be extremely unwise to make so that we could lose the reputation of the country that gave birth to the plane with the Ukrainian name "Mriya."

Ukraine must continue to develop in the world as a country that provides strategic air transportation. We must remain a highly developed country - intellectually and technologically.

Question: Is it true that you can produce hundreds of planes in the near future?

Answer: It can be realistic in several years. We have not received such requests over the past 30 years. Regarding the An-178, the demand is approximately within the following limits. If there were about two dozen planes ready for takeoff, there would already be customers for them. We are constantly looking for clients and potential consumers in different parts of the world. We have special hopes for the southern countries and direct our efforts there. However, the purchase of aircraft in the world is a much-politicized issue. Historical experience shows that airplanes are "sold" by presidents, rather than aircraft manufacturers. An extremely important factor in the foreign market is whether the aircraft are used in your own country. This is the first thing potential customers ask. We have a positive answer. Draft contracts are currently being worked out for the supply of about 30 An-178 aircraft for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and the Ukrainian Interior Ministry to replace our legendary veterans An-26, An-12, An-72. After all, there are problems with their maintenance due to the impossibility of supplying Russian equipment. These planes are up to 90% equipped with Russian components.

Now we are updating the model range and re-entering the markets we occupied earlier. The whole world knows Antonov as a manufacturer of reliable aircraft, but it is necessary to restore confidence in the country and the company. Antonov planes have always been and still are beautiful.

Oksana Polishchuk, Kyiv
(Natural News) As it turns out, the secret behind the Tyrannosaurus rexs supremacy over all other dinosaurs during the Mesozoic Era was all in its head  literally.

According to researchers, this is because the T. rex had an extremely stiff skull that allowed it to effectively crush its preys bones without cracking its own cranium.

The T. rex had a skull thats 6 feet long, 5 feet wide and 4 feet high  and bit with the force of about 6 tons, Kaleb Sellers, an anatomist at the University of Missouri, said, adding that it had traits similar to those found in modern-day crocodiles and hyenas.

This, Sellers said, effectively disproves a previous theory, which posited that the giant theropod exhibited cranial kinesis just like modern birds and snakes  a theory that came about as a result of faulty assumptions regarding dinosaur anatomy, specifically the interactions between bones, ligaments and cartilage.

T. rex skulls prefer not to move

In order to fully understand the mechanism behind the massive predators skull, Sellers and his colleagues from the University of Missouri, Ohio University and the University of Southern Indiana, decided to craft a 3D model of the T. rex, which allowed them to examine and closely observe how the roof of a T. rexs mouth would have reacted to the stresses and strains of chewing.

This model, as described in the academic journal The Anatomical Record, was built using analysis of fossil Tyrannosaurus skulls, as well as models of two of the apex predators modern-day relatives  a parrot and a gecko. Both animals, the researchers said, exhibit cranial kinesis.

According to researcher Ian Cost, what they did was they took movements commonly exhibited by modern birds and lizards and then applied them to their model of the Tyrannosaurus skull.

What we found was that the skull of T. rex actually does not react well to being moved around and prefers to not move, Cost, a functional anatomist and paleontologist at the University of Missouris Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, said. (Related: Brazil dig unearths evidence of a new desert-dwelling dinosaur species.)

Casey Holliday, an anatomist and an associate professor of anatomy in the MU School of Medicine, noted in their research that this is because of an evolutionary trade-off between mobility and stability.

When you put a lot of force on things, theres a tradeoff between movement and stability. Birds and lizards have more movement but less stability. When we applied their individual movements to the T. rex skull, we saw it did not like being wiggled in ways that the lizard and bird skulls do, which suggests more stiffness.

As noted by the researchers, their findings on how joints and ligaments interact can be used for applications beyond paleontology, such as human and veterinary medicine.

Mesozoic monster

One of the most well-known among the predatory dinosaurs, the T. rex was a giant, measuring up to 12 feet in height and 40 feet in length.

According to experts, the T.rex roamed the lush jungles of what is now known as western North America, where it hunted down and finished off herbivorous dinosaurs such as the frilled and horned Triceratops and the duck-billed Hadrosaurus using its mouth, which was filled with 9 to 12-inch long serrated teeth.

An opportunistic feeder, the T. rex was also not above cannibalism, evidence of which are several T. rex bones with deep gashes created by T. rex teeth.

Despite its terrifying power, the T. rex, as did all non-avian dinosaurs, went extinct as a result of the CretaceousTertiary (KT) extinction event, which obliterated three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth, approximately 66 million years ago.

Want to unearth more stories about the past? Visit Discoveries.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

ScienceDaily.com

AnatomyPubs.OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com

SciTechDaily.com

NHM.AC.uk

Reuters.com

LiveScience.com

UCMP.Berkeley.edu
The government needs to address BTL regulation quickly to avoid a worsening housing crisis fuelled by buy-to-let repossessions.

According to property litigation lawyer, Mary Rouse, from law firm Wright Hassall, thousands of buy-to-let landlords will themselves face possession action by their lenders if temporary legislation is not revoked allowing them to evict tenants who are in breach of their tenancy through anti-social behaviour, domestic violence or large debt accrued before Covid.

Many landlords are currently under increasing pressure from their lenders to start making repayments on their buy-to-let mortgages, despite Government imposed temporary legislation preventing them from acting upon non-payment of rent.

Under the present rules, families could be made homeless and with fewer properties available to rent, buy-to-let landlords could either lose their properties to their lenders or sell up.

Recent amendments to legislation include a one-month extension to the blanket ban on evictions, until 20 September 2020, while the amount of notice that a landlord has to give their tenant has been doubled from three months to six months until at least March 2021.

Rouse had this to say: We need legislation that treats both landlords and tenants fairly and, at the moment, this simply is not the case.

For landlords, the risk of losing their properties to lenders, who cannot keep extending payment holidays, looms, while the uncertainty for a lot of tenants is reaching breaking point, so something has to give.

For me, the way forward is a very clear amendment which enables landlords to progress cases where a tenancy breach is non-Covid related, i.e. antisocial behaviour, domestic violence, or where substantial arrears had accrued before Covid began.

Equally, money must be found to cover the full rent for tenants who find themselves in difficulty as a direct consequence of Covid until they return to employment.

Only then will we start to see some stability in the rental market  security for tenants and income for landlords.

Without swift intervention on both fronts, we will be faced with an increase in people being made homeless and fewer private rental properties, all of which will place an impossible burden on the already creaking social housing sector.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan addressed a congratulatory message to Speaker of Parliament of Artsakh Artur Tovmasyan on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Artsakh Republic, the Armenian Parliament told Armenpress.

Dear Mr. Tovmasyan,

On behalf of the Parliament of Armenia and myself personally I address my warm congratulations and wishes to you and the Artsakh-Armenians on the Independence Day.

I proudly follow the heated process of reforms and development in Artsakh, which undoubtedly is also followed by the international community.

Thanks to our joint efforts and dedicated work we will fulfill our national goals and programs, by recording new achievements and success both in the domestic and foreign policy fields for the benefit of our two Armenian states and the unity of the Armenian people, the Armenian Speaker of Parliament said, wishing new achievements to the Artsakh counterpart, and peace and prosperity to Artsakh.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
North America's Largest and Most Trusted Pet Care Franchise Continues to Fuel Momentum & Celebrate Achievements

WESTMINSTER, Colo., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Camp Bow Wow, the largest and leading doggy day care and boarding franchise, is celebrating its many accomplishments and recognitions throughout the first half of 2020. Quickly responding to the evolving needs of franchise owners and pet parents alike, the 140+ million-dollar brand rapidly released new technologies and resources to better serve its communities across North America.

With over 180 open Camps across 42 states and Canada, Camp Bow Wow expedited the roll out of digital processes and capabilities to improve the speed and ease of transactions for customers, while addressing health and safety considerations associated with in-person interactions. The brand rapidly debuted a secure, contactless system that eliminated the need for face-to-face payments with an online format for financial transactions, as well introduced a digital Camper application. Revised processes were additionally launched to foster the strong partnership between Camp Bow Wow's corporate team and franchise network, and ensure open channels of communications. New tools for franchise owners included virtual trainings on topics like social distancing protocols and emergency preparedness, PPP and SBA assistance, customer communication materials and additional operational resources.

On top of providing new technologies and increased levels of support for its franchise owners and customers, Camp Bow Wow's nonprofit organization, Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, has continued its dedication to helping dogs receive proper medical care. Providing urgent funds to both homeless canines and those whose parents cannot afford their veterinary bills, the Foundation experienced a significant increase in applications due to the financial ramifications of the pandemic. Since January 2020, the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation has provided medical grants to 58 dogs in need, increasing the Foundation's total grants to cover necessary medical care to over $600K for 500+ dogs.

"Our unwavering commitment to our franchise owners and Campers is at the heart of what we do," said Julie Turner, President of Camp Bow Wow. "During these unprecedented times, I have been so proud to work alongside our canine-loving franchise owners and support them in their dedication to pet parents across North America. Together we've streamlined operations and introduced new capabilities that have allowed us to quickly adapt the customer experience to what our two and four-legged friends need right now."

Following a record franchise sales year in 2019 with a 16% increase in units sold, Camp Bow Wow has continued to propel the company forward through a series of recent accomplishments. Expanding the presence of its trusted day care and boarding franchises across North America, Camp Bow Wow has heightened its position as the leader in the pet care industry with numerous strategic partnerships so far in 2020:

Opened nine new Camps nationwide with six first-time franchise owners and three multi-unit owners who have invested in multiple franchised locations;

Expanded the brand's presence in Texas with four new locations, and officially brought the Camp Bow Wow experience to Oregon with the debut of Camp Bow Wow Hillsboro;

with four new locations, and officially brought the Camp Bow Wow experience to with the debut of Camp Bow Wow Hillsboro; Strengthened its high-growth network with twelve franchise sales for new locations across North America .

A further tribute to the company's successes to date in 2020, Camp Bow Wow has been awarded numerous accolades that speak to its recent developments:

Achieved multiple honors from Franchise Update Media's "Franchise Innovation Awards," including:

"Franchise Innovation Awards," including: Received first place for the "Most Innovative Building Design, Remodel or Prototype" for Camp Bow Wow's lobby redesign;



Awarded first place in the "Most Innovative Use of Technology" category to celebrate Camp Bow Wow's successful transition to digital employee training and immersive e-learning experience;



Named second place in the "Most Innovative Service Introduction" category" for Camp Bow Wow's enrichment services program;



As a result of the awards, Camp Bow Wow was selected as one of four finalists for Franchise Update Media's Franchise Growth and Development Leader Award;

Franchise Growth and Development Leader Award; Recognized by Denver Business Journal as one of the "Top Workplaces in 2020" for the corporate Camp Bow Wow office.

"As the leading pet care franchise for two decades, we know that innovation is a key to success," said Julie Turner, President of Camp Bow Wow. "We're thrilled to have been recognized for that commitment, and receive so many honors for the new programs and initiatives we've implemented to evolve with changing trends and technologies."

For more information about Camp Bow Wow, to find a location near you, or to become a franchise owner, please visit campbowwow.com .

About Camp Bow Wow:

In 20 years, Camp Bow Wow, the largest pet care franchise, has sold more than 240 franchises in 42 states and Canada. The company is a $140+ million-dollar brand, with over 180 open locations and more than 50 in the process of opening across North America. For 10 consecutive years, the company has been ranked in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list. The Camp concept provides the highest levels of fun, safety and service for its Campers, and peace of mind for their parents. Dogs romp together in an open-play environment and pricing is all-inclusive. The Westminster, Colorado-based company started franchising in 2003, and today over 70% of franchises have women in ownership positions. In addition to day care and overnight Camp, the company also offers grooming services and a rewards-based dog training program. The Camp Bow Wow brand family also includes The Bow Wow Buddies Foundation , a non-profit organization dedicated to providing urgent medical care funds to dogs who are either homeless or whose parents cannot afford to pay their veterinary bills. Since September 2017, Camp Bow Wow is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated.

SOURCE Camp Bow Wow

Related Links

http://www.campbowwow.com


An illegal mobile phone, a charger and notebooks were seized in a jail cell search by detectives investigating the intimidation of prosecution witnesses in the Garda Adrian Donohoe murder trial.

The target of the cell raid was notorious north inner city criminal Glen Holland (36), who is aligned to the Kinahan cartel.

Officers from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI) were backed up by the jail's Operational Support Group (OSG) in Mountjoy Prison in the search operation early last Friday morning.

Analysis

"Evidence was seized and this may prove to be useful in the ongoing witness intimidation investigation," a senior source told the Herald.

"The phone and the notepads will now be analysed and there are plans for more targeted searches in the weeks ahead," the source added.

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Aaron Brady (29) will be sentenced to the mandatory term of 40 years in jail for capital murder at the Central Criminal Court on October 14.

He was convicted after a lengthy trial which was blighted with witness intimidation.

Even before the trial ended, the NBCI had begun a detailed probe into the intimidation.

In mid-July, detectives searched the Mountjoy cell of Dean Byrne (25), a violent north Dublin criminal with over 120 convictions who is currently serving a lengthy sentence for aggravated burglary.

No mobile phone was located during the operation, but a piece of paper with several phone numbers scrawled on it was seized.

Gardai are investigating if intimidation of certain witnesses was "outsourced".

Properties linked to Traveller criminals in Finglas, Blanchardstown, Balbriggan and Coolock were also searched.

There have been no arrests so far in the investigation.

The latest target, Glen Holland, is serving a six and-a-half year sentence after pleading guilty to possessing two loaded handguns as well as almost 70,000 worth of cocaine in September 2010.

He was previously arrested by detectives investigating the murder of Eamon 'The Don' Dunne in April of that year and spent over six years on the run in the UK and Spain before being arrested in Spain in August 2017, on foot of a European Arrest Warrant.

Last Friday was the fourth time that Holland was caught with an illegal mobile phone while serving his sentence in Mountjoy Prison.

In January last year, Holland was given a two-month suspended jail term after Dublin District Court heard he used an illegal mobile phone to call home as he did not want to upset his young son.

Holland, of Rory O'Connor House, Hardwicke Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty to the unlawful possession of a phone at Mountjoy on October 17 and November 9, 2018.

He also admitted causing criminal damage worth 121 to his cell when the first phone was found. In the second incident, prison officers also found a charger and SIM card, the court was told.

Holland has 21 previous convictions for offences including having a phone in prison, for which he was given a consecutive two months in prison in September 2018.

Wanted

Although he has never been charged with the murder of 'The Don', his drugs and firearms conviction was a direct result of a garda investigation into the fatal shooting.

He was arrested in Spain during a top-secret operation when armed police forces raided his hotel room in Tarragona, a port city on the Costa Dorada.

While on the run, Holland also surfaced in the Kent area of England and by October 2014, he became one of the most wanted men in the UK.

He was known to English police as Darren Byrne, and they only realised his true identity after he fled that jurisdiction.

The north-inner city thug is also a very close associate of cartel mobster Barry Finnegan (37), and the two grew up in the same flat complex.
By Marianna Parraga and Mircely Guanipa

(Reuters) - Venezuela's oil exports recovered slightly in August after two months at historic lows, boosted by increased sales to India, according to internal documents from state-run oil firm PDVSA and Refinitiv Eikon data.

Overall exports of crude and fuel rose to 437,600 barrels per day (bpd) in August, according to the data, more than the roughly 400,000 bpd in June and July, which were the lowest levels since the 1940s for the nation.

But the increase registered in both exports and imports could be short-lived if Washington moves in the coming weeks to remove exemptions to sanctions that have facilitated Venezuela-related oil trade.

The United States plans to tighten sanctions after blacklisting clients and tanker owners working with PDVSA earlier this year. But a handful of customers keep receiving Venezuelan crude under authorizations granted by Washington to exchange the oil for fuel, so no cash payments go to President Nicolas Maduro's government.

In July, India's Reliance Industries resumed loading Venezuelan crude under a swap deal permitted by the U.S. Treasury Department after a three-month pause.

The authorization allowed Reliance to re-emerge as the largest buyer of Venezuelan crude by taking 216,000 barrels per day (bpd) last month, almost half of total exports, according to the data.

The second-largest destination for Venezuela's oil in August was Cuba with almost 66,000 bpd of crude and refined products, followed by Europe with 65,000 bpd. The South American nation, which boasts some of the largest crude reserves on the planet, shipped a total of 17 cargoes last month, the data showed.

[For a link to a graphic showing Venezuela's exports, click on: https://tmsnrt.rs/2YScZcw]

Fuel imports by the OPEC-member nation increased in August to 53,160 bpd of mainly diesel and gasoil delivered through swaps, according to the data.

PDVSA did not reply to a request for comment.

PDVSA has in recent months boosted its ship-to-ship operations near the Amuay bay to load tankers at sea, rather than in Jose, its main terminal for oil exports. The number of vessels doing so-called dark voyages to Venezuela - turning satellite transponders off during the loading operation - has also increased, according to the Eikon data.

(Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Mexico City and Mircely Guanipa in Maracay, Venezuela; Editing by David Gaffen)
Rumors have swirled for months that local authorities pressed residents of Xinjiang, a far northwestern region in China, to take traditional Chinese medicine during the coronavirus pandemic. Now a new report from the Associated Press based on interviews, public notices and social media posts suggests this may be true.

Why it matters: Forcing an entire population to take medicine that has not been clinically proven to be effective against the coronavirus could be a breach of medical ethics.

What's happening: Chinese authorities have implemented a lockdown across Xinjiang that is extreme even by China's standards. Residents have been locked inside their own homes amid a strict quarantine that has lasted 40 days  even though the number of reported cases in Xinjiang remains relatively low.

Details: The medicine that some residents told the AP they have been forced to swallow in the presence of medical staff and under the threat of detention is called Lianhua Qingwen.

It's an herbal medicine produced by a company that has seen its shares rise dramatically in value in the past six months.

The big picture: Under Xi Jinping, China has increasingly sought to push traditional Chinese medicine both domestically and abroad.

It may be mostly about money. As AP's Dake Kang wrote, "The Chinese governments push for traditional medicine, given free to Xinjiang residents, is bolstering the fortunes of billionaires and padding state coffers."

Go deeper: Beijing looks to criminalize "defaming" traditional Chinese medicine
Despite Covid-19, the healthcare sector in the UAE has undergone a considerable number of infrastructure and procedural changes in order to position itself as a leading healthcare provider for its residents besides emerging as a medical tourism destination.

These improvements have been more recently recognised and lauded throughout the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, notes Knight Frank Middle East, a leading independent real estate consultancy.

As a result of the continuous investments which have been made to improve the sectors hard and soft infrastructure, the UAE has been recognised as being one of the safest locations in the world in the fight against Covid-19.

With many countries beginning to lift lockdown measures and gradually return to some form of normality, the scale of the pandemics economic impact will be realised over the coming months, with fundamental structural changes expected to occur in many economies.

Alongside this, the Covid-19 pandemic has also raised many questions as to the future structure of the healthcare sector both in the UAE and globally.

Shehzad Jamal, Partner, Head of Healthcare and Education at Knight Frank Middle East stated: 2020 has brought with it an unprecedented challenge in the form of Covid-19, challenging global healthcare systems in terms of infrastructure, mode of delivery, financing and much more. However, it has also allowed countries across the globe to carefully examine the infrastructure gaps, consider alternative mediums such as telehealth, and has led to conventional investors to take a closer look at funding this sector.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Whilst the pandemic has had an almost unfathomable but calculable impact on many individuals health and countries healthcare resources, the scale of its economic impact is yet to be fully understood.

With the global economy stalling, many firms have reacted by reducing headcount, furloughing staff, decreasing remuneration packages or a combination of the three. In a few countries including the UAE, this reduction in employment will have a notable impact on their respective private healthcare sectors.

DEMOGRAPHICS

For the majority of the expatriate population in the UAE, residency is underpinned by employment. Given the scale of the economic fallout anticipated in the UAE, the total population is expected to decline for the first time in five decades.

Whilst it is still too early to predict a precise contraction in population with certainty, initial forecasts indicate that employment will contract by 7.8% in 2020 and is not expected to return to its 2019 level before 2022. This initial decline in employment suggests that population is likely to fall by 5% to 10% in 2020, with recovery ensuing in late 2020 to early 2021.

As a result of this decline in population, we expect that there will be a proportional decline in patient volumes and have a trickle-down effect within the healthcare value chain.

The lockdown and the ensuing breakdown of social norms has led to an increase in requirements and utilisation of certain healthcare services such as preventive care, home healthcare and psychological.

Dr Shajir Gaffar, CEO VPS Healthcare stated: The anxiety and sedentary lifestyle due to the lockdown has resulted in increased demand for mental health and specialities pertaining to lifestyle diseases, both in the outpatient setting and digital platform. As the situation is getting back to normal, healthcare providers need to focus on these segments with immediate effect to help patients return to their pre-Covid lifestyle.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The slowdown in economic activity and resultant cost saving measures employed by firms will mean the UAEs healthcare sector is likely to face significant headwinds in the short to medium term, despite its status as a defensive sector.

The slowdown in the sector has and will not only be driven by the weaker economic backdrop, but also as a result of the various measures enacted to slow the spread of the pandemic. First, with elective surgeries and unnecessary hospital visitation being suspended  although this suspension has now been partially lifted  as part of the containment measures enacted, many service providers have and continue to face a marked decline in financial resources.

With demand likely to soften and the financial position of operators likely to deteriorate, we may experience consolidation in the sector with cash-rich firms undertaking M&A activity to strengthen their market position.

DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

Whilst terms such as digital transformation and telehealth have been regularly used for over a decade we have not seen these segments of the market gain any traction. However, Covid-19 has acted as an accelerator where now telehealth , teleradiology and online pharmacy retail are now truly emerging and being adopted by leading healthcare providers in the UAE.

Dr Ibtesam Al Bastaki  Director of Health Investment & Partnership at Dubai Health Authority commented: Telehealth has been embraced during this crisis situation and it is a great tool to build the rapport between patients and healthcare professionals in various fields to ensure the right quality of services towards the patients.

This concept of remote consultation with a physician has historically not appealed to the vast majority of patients. Even in many developed countries, telehealth has been available for a long time, however due ambiguity in payment mechanisms, it never made it to the mainstream. However, with limited physical access to healthcare facilities during the pandemic, most healthcare facilities and patients have more readily adopted telehealth.

Dr Gireesh Kumar, Senior Manager for Healthcare & Education at Knight Frank Middle East said: The adoption of telehealth as a mainstream service, has been beneficial for healthcare providers during the lockdown as they were able to provide services to their patients with minimal disruption. This has also led to patients overcoming their age-old reluctances associated with telehealth services. In addition to this, given the wider acceptance of telehealth by insurance providers, this service line is expected to experience greater demand going forward.

Key factors that have been instrumental in fast-forwarding the introduction and utilisation of this technology include:

*Patient safety: Given the high probability of contracting nosocomial infections during the lockdown period, telehealth was considered as a preferred service. With growing levels of comfort in such service provisions, this trend is expected to part of the new normal even as mobility returns to pre-Covid levels;

*Direct billing: With a higher number of insurance providers accepting telehealth as a paid service, healthcare providers are revisiting the idea of telehealth as a frontline service to be able to improve their outpatient volumes;

*Time saving: Typical face-to-face consultation with a doctor could take between 2-3 hours when accounting for travel, registration, waiting and consult times. However, with telehealth , this total time can be reduced to little as 20-30 minutes; and

*Millennial population: Such service provisions suit well with the lifestyle of the millennial generation, which is very comfortable with adopting technological solutions.

Joe Hawayek  Senior Director at vHealth (MEA) stated: Telehealth is here to stay. We saw the take-up in the region during Covid-19 because people wanted to stay at home but still needed to speak with a doctor. The benefits of telehealth such as convenience, safety and cost will continue to be recognised even after Covid-19.

Although telehealth has its own set of limitations, patients now have first-hand experience of the convenience it offers and it seems that it will be an important medium for delivering care if supported by adequate regulations.

FUTURE OUTLOOK

This pandemic has been unlike any crisis the world has seen in recent times and is the first experience for the relatively adolescent healthcare system of the UAE. However, the government and private stakeholders have pulled together to ensure that the impact of the Covid-19 is as restricted as possible and held human life and health as its utmost priority.

It is important to take stock of the lessons learned from this pandemic, where it will be critical to revisit the current strategy of healthcare provision by both the public and private sectors to factor in operational readiness and allow temporary expansion of the workforce and infrastructure as and when required.

The successful utilisation of telehealth during the lockdown has provided us with an alternate medium of healthcare services delivery. Therefore, this segment should be further supported by a robust regulatory framework and guidance akin to the traditional healthcare delivery model.

More so, increased efforts are required to be fully self-reliant in terms of healthcare related human capital as well as the provision of medical equipment and consumables. This will help insure the nations readiness and efficacy against any forthcoming pandemics or similar situations. -- Tradearabia News Service
KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Maruti registers 21.3 percent growth in sale of passenger vehicles in August 2020, the highest rate of growth in a month since June 2018.

Overall dispatch figures cross 1 lakh mark for the first time in post lockdown era. Entry level segment records biggest increase in sales at nearly 95%

The growth however is on the small base of August 2019 when sales had declined by 36%

Robust demand from rural markets and shift from public transport to private car usage are the main factors for recovery in sales.

India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has reported a 21.3 percent growth in sales in August 2020 over the previous year signalling the rebound in demand in the domestic automobile industry is gaining momentum.

The company dispatched a total of 113,033 units from its factory to dealerships last month against 93,173 units in August 2019. Overall domestic sales that includes its small commercial vehicle-Super Carry van and the Toyota Glanza hatchback, was higher by 20.2 percent at 116,704 units. Exports saw a 15.3 percent decline at 7,920 units which brought down the growth of its overall sales during the month to 17.1 percent at 124,624 units.

Also read: Maruti XL6 sales drive past 25,000-unit mark; captures 14% market share in MPV segment

This is however the first month since the post lockdown era in March that Maruti has been able to dispatch more than 100,000 units in a month. The numbers however look better than they actually are. Following a 36 percent contraction in sales in August 2019 over 2018, the base was low last year which makes the headline figure of over 20 percent growth a tad misleading. In absolute volumes terms also the figure is lower than in February 2020 when it had dispatched 133,702 units.

Yet, the return to growth would inspire confidence after the company had registered its worst ever quarter in history in the first quarter of this fiscal. Maruti had posted an 81 percent drop in sales in Q1 at just 76,599 units, which in turn consigned its first quarterly financial loss of Rs 249 crore. In line with its performance, India's overall economy also registered a steep 23.9 percent contraction during the quarter, the worst ever in 24 years.

Also read: Hyundai remains cautiously optimistic about upcoming festive season amid coronavirus pandemic

The biggest jump in sales for the company last month came in the entry level mini segment (Alto and D Presso) that registered a near 95 percent growth at 19,709 units followed by compact cars, its most voluminous segment that comprises bulk of its products like Swift, Dzire, Wagon R, Celerio, Ignis and Baleno, which saw a 14.2 percent growth at 61,956 units. Utility vehicles (Ertiga, S Cross, Brezza) were next with a 13.5 percent growth at 21,030 units.
WILLIAMSPORT - A federal prosecutor has inferred that a Williamsport man was a leader of a fentanyl and tramadol distribution network in the Lycoming County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin made the allegation about Jordan Dominque Watkins, 26, when she argued against bail for a conspirator.

Watkins and Damion Lee Bethea, 24, were arraigned Monday in U.S. Middle District Court on charges contained in an indictment handed down last Thursday but sealed.

The indictment has been unsealed but only in relation to Watkins, Bethea and Basil Tyjae Arties, 25. The names of three others have been redacted because they are not yet in custody.

Martin, in opposing bail for Bethea, alleged he was associated with Watkins who pushed a large amount of fentanyl in the county.

Watkins is charged in nine counts with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and the illegal possession of a revolver and long gun by a convicted felon.

The length of the conspiracy, according to the indictment, was a year that ended last Thursday when more than 30 individuals were arrested in Lycoming County in a joint federal, state and local effort.

Magistrate Judge William I. Arbuckle III ordered Watkins detained but released Bethea under home confinement with electronic monitoring.

He is to live in Bloomsburg with his girlfriend who is expecting their second child in October. They have a 1-year-old child.

The judge gave him permission to attend doctor appointments with his girlfriend and be present at the birth but warned him if he stepped out of line he would be sitting in jail until his trial.

He told Bethea releasing him was a close call citing his robbery record as a juvenile and a parole violation for using drugs.

This is the chance of a lifetime, dont blow it, Arbuckle said.

Martin argued for detention calling Bethea a danger to the community and noting he was observed allegedly making a fentanyl and tramadol transaction last Oct. 15.

He is named in only the conspiracy and one of possession with intent to deliver counts, the same as Arties, also of Williamsport.

Arties has yet to be arraigned but is detained based on a complaint prior to the indictment. He is alleged to have distributed fentanyl and tramadol last Sept. 5 with Watkins.

The government is seeking from Watkins forfeiture of any proceeds obtained from the alleged illegal activity including the two weapons and $3,810 seized from him on Aug. 14.

The conspiracy and drug possession charges each carry a 20-year maximum jail sentence, Martin said.

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This Spring, Aspire Art returns to Johannesburg with a much-anticipated auction of Modern and Contemporary art taking place on 3 September. With this large-scale auction, which presents a collection of 168 works by 103 artists, the company is breaking new ground with a fresh, yet considered selection of artworks that is demographically more representative and reflects the spirit of current times. With a strong focus on South Africa, the sale 
One of Chadwick Boseman's last films, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom has been postponed and now scheduled to release later this year in the wake of the actor's death.



Produced by Denzel Washington, the film is special because both Washington and Boseman go way back with their relationship.

Back in 2018, Boseman had revealed that Washington secretly helped pay for his and his peers' tuition fee from Howard for a drama program at Oxford University.

On the Jimmy Fallon show in an interview dated to March 2018, he said, "I've basically been holding this secret my whole career. When I came back, I got a beneficiary letter and it said Denzel Washington paid for you."

 Chadwick Boseman/ Instagram

As Washington paid tribute to Boseman, he wrote, "He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career, God bless Chadwick Boseman."



While this wasn't a publicly known fact before, he shared it completely at the American Film Institute (AFI) tribute for Washington last year.

He said, "Many of you already know the story that Mr. Washington, when asked by Phylicia Rashad to join her in assisting nine theater students from Howard University who had been accepted to summer acting program at the British Academy of Dramatic Acting in Oxford, gracefully and privately agreed to contribute," Boseman added.

"As fate would have it, I was one of the students that he paid for," he continued. "Imagine receiving the letter that your tuition for that summer was paid for and that your benefactor was none other than the dopest actor on the planet...There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington."

Now, we know how Chadwick Boseman became the legendary actor that he was, who went ahead to take on projects like the Black Panther that changed the Marvel Universe narrative forever.
Rhea Chakraborty and her parents are among those named in the FIR registered by Patna Police for allegedly abetting Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide and misappropriating his money, an official said.

Actress Rhea Chakraborty's parents arrived at the DRDO guest house, Mumbai, on Tuesday, 1 August, for questioning by the CBI in connection with the case of death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, a police official said.

This is the first time that Chakraborty's parents are being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case.

Her father Indranjit Chakraborty and mother Sandhya Chakraborty reached the DRDO guest house in suburban Kalina, where the probe team is stationed, around 11 am in a car which was escorted by a police vehicle, the official said.

Rhea Chakraborty and her parents are among those named in the FIR registered by Patna Police for allegedly abetting the actor's suicide and misappropriating his money, he said.

The actress and her brother Showik Chakraborty have not been called by the probing team on Tuesday so far.

She was grilled for around 35 hours over the last four days while her brother was quizzed for the last five days.

Rajput (34) was found hanging in his apartment in suburban Bandra on 14 June following which the Mumbai Police registered a case of accidental death.

The late actor's father subsequently filed a police complaint in Patna, accusing Rhea Chakraborty and her family of abetting Rajput's suicide and misappropriating his money.

The Supreme Court last week upheld the transfer of the FIR lodged in Patna to the CBI.

*
Even as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flies to Moscow On Wednesday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ministerial meeting, there are indications now that even External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar will take part in the foreign ministers meeting on September 10.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is yet to make an announcement to this effect though. Last week, at a press briefing, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said, EAM has received an invitation to participate in the SCO foreign ministers meeting to be held in Moscow next month and as soon as we have a decision on his participation, well inform you.

Jaishankar has expressed his opinion about his belief that the current LAC crisis between India and China can be resolved through dialogue. This optimism stems from the fact that New Delhi and Beijing have been able to resolve differences, diplomatically, over the last few times - from the Daulat Beg Oldie incident in 2013 to Doklam in 2017.

However, the current LAC tension is now over three-month-old, surpassing any stand-off so far. Add to that, the fresh incident of an attempted ingress by the Chinese army on the intervening nights of August 29/30 on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake.

The Ministry of Defence said, Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground.

And, while the brigade commander-level meeting was underway to resolve the fresh crisis, MEA spokesperson said that, on 31st August, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo.

In response, the spokesperson of the Western Theater Command, Colonel Zhang Shuili, said, We solemnly demand the Indian side to immediately withdraw its troops that illegally trespassed the border line, strictly control and restrain its frontline troops and earnestly honour its commitment, so as to avoid further escalation in the situation.

As China continued with its aggressive posturing, India has pulled out of the Kavkaz 2020 military exercise in Russia. India officially said that it had communicated to Russia its inability to join the exercise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite a pandemic, India had sent a contingent to Moscow in June. Sources had indicated that the hesitation to join the exercise was due to the participation of the Chinese military in the exercise.

Meanwhile, sources have told News18 that India will participate in Indra Navy-2020 non-contact, at sea only passage exercise (PASSEX) proposed by Russia in view of the pandemic on the September 4 and 5. Sources said it showcases the level of friendship, trust and interoperability between the Indian and Russian navies.

Jaishankar had also participated in the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral meeting on June 23. He had made a veiled remark for China as he came face-to-face, though virtually, with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi within days of the bloody Galwan clashes. He said, Respecting international law, recognising the legitimate interests of partners, supporting multilateralism and promoting common good are the only ways of building a durable world order.

The SCO is a political, security, economic alliance currently of eight nations. India and Pakistan were added to the Eurasian grouping in 2017. The original forces behind the alliance were Russia and China. In fact, Russians believe platforms like the SCO can help build understanding among countries. Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin, while speaking to News18 in May, had said that SCO-based coordination are meant to facilitate regional stability and strengthening of mutual trust.
Congress on Tuesday stepped up attack on Facebook-WhatsApp with Rahul Gandhi accusing the social networking firm of launching a brazen attack on Indias democracy and social harmony and demanding an immediate investigation into the matter.

International media have fully exposed Facebook's & WhatsApp's brazen assault on India's democracy & social harmony. No one, let alone a foreign company, can be allowed to interfere in our nation's affairs, the former Congress President said.

Rahul demanded an immediate investigation in the two companies and called for punishment if found guilty.

Also Read: 'Ruining' of economy began with demonetisation, says Rahul

Congress accused Facebook of helping BJP achieve its aim of divide and rule by manipulating public opinion.

The blasphemous nexus between the BJP and Facebook is for all to witness and must be investigated without delay, the Congress said in a statement here.

The main opposition party said articles in international media have revealed that Facebook and WhatsApp have been used to fire Mr Modi and BJPs social media campaign, (to) spread hate and disharmony within India.

BJP has hit back at the Congress, by levelling counter-allegations that Facebook officials sympathetic to the opposition party of leaking BJPs letters to the social networking firm.

Facebook India officials are scheduled to appear before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, chaired by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, on Wednesday, to respond to news reports in a section of the international media.

After the reports alleging nexus between Facebook and BJP appeared last month, Facebook issued a statement saying that it was open, transparent and non-partisan platform.
BYAMBASUREN BYAMBA-OCHIR

HONG KONGStudents, teachers, parents, and others are staging protests in Inner Mongolia, a semi-autonomous region in northern China, by surrounding police stations and gathering outside schools. Thousands are congregating in rare displays of open defiance of governmental orders.

These demonstrations were sparked by the Chinese governments directive issued in the summer to broaden the footprint of Mandarin Chinese in state-compiled textbooks and classroom instruction within the region, displacing the Mongolian language in academic environments and daily usage.

From Sept. 1 onward, the authorities will shift public elementary and middle schools language of instruction to Chinese, specifically for three courseslanguage and literature, history, as well as morality and law (which includes political and ideological indoctrination). The change will be rolled out in phases, eventually keeping just mathematics and art classes in the regions dominant native tongue.

On anonymous parent said teaching everything in a second language would make it more difficult for children to learn in school. As Mongoliansmyself and other parentswe are not willing to watch our mother tongue be gradually replaced by another language. Sure, we study Chinese, from a young age so thats not an issue, they told the Voice of America Mandarin service.

Ethnic Mongolians who reside in China see this as a step to erase an important part of their culture. Some see it as forced homogeneity directed at their youngsters, much like what is happening in Tibet and Xinjiang, where the Chinese government has strict rules that limit the public displays and practices related to each regions cultural identity.

Its all part of the Chinese central governments objective to impose cultural and linguistic homogeneity on one of the worlds largest and most diverse nations. As new policies are rolled out to bring this closer to fruition, the many cultures of more than one hundred million people are slowly expunged.

Story continues

The snapback came right before the start of the academic year. High school pupils, many wearing their school uniformsblue and white track jackets with loose-fitting blue pants, worn by public school students all over the countryformed crowds and chanted, Mongolian is our mother tongue! We are Mongolian until death!

The gatherings were peaceful. As of Tuesday, police officers were on site mostly to observe the protests.

#

,  ,         . pic.twitter.com/KM0wPVKWXQ  Enkhochir Khuvisgalt (@Khereid_Mongol) August 30, 2020

Since the July announcement that schools in Inner Mongolia would phase out Mongolian language instruction, 4,200 petitions have circulated by ethnic Mongols in China against the policy, according to Made in China Journal, a quarterly publication that covers the socioeconomic changes in the country.

In some cases, names are added to the petitions in circular formation so as not to create a hierarchy on paper, preventing the authorities from singling out one person as an organizer within the opposition. This method has historical precedence: regional resistance groups and secret societies in the 19th and 20th centuries applied this arrangement so that ringleaders could not be identified and captured.

While China forces the Chinese language onto students in Inner Mongolia, Mongolian elders write back in protest. pic.twitter.com/u7032oyBSF  Ungerni Khooloi (@Nicholastrad) August 31, 2020

The regional education bureau of Inner Mongolia issued a statement on Monday to soothe the concerns of parents and students, saying, The current bilingual education system has not changed. But people in the region point out that television, radio, and other forms of media are already broadcast in Mandarin Chinese, and that their own language is largely absent in massively distributed media. While families generally speak Mongolian at home, paring it back from schools will diminish the languages usage by ethnic Mongols who live in China.

Language schools in five other provinces are also reducing their usage of local languages and dialects, replacing the curriculums with Mandarin Chinese instruction according to the governments new rules.

Online posts about reactions to this policy, especially protests and petitions, are being censored. Videos of the demonstrations in Inner Mongolia have been scrubbed from Weibo, a domestic platform that functions like Twitter, as well as other social media sites. In late August, the only Mongolian language social network, Bainu, was taken offline by the Chinese government.

The Peoples Republic of China propagates a myth of social harmony where the Han Chinese majority (more than 91 percent of the population) lives alongside 55 minorities. During the annual gathering of the countrys rubber-stamp parliament, known as the National Peoples Congress, delegates from non-Han regions wear their traditional attire to stand out from the sea of black suits worn by most bureaucrats. Oftentimes, the lives and cultures of minorities are reduced to folksongs and dances, paving over the tensions caused by the Chinese authorities demands for uniformity.

This is particularly true in Xinjiang, a Muslim-majority region where up to a million Uyghurs are in thought transformation camps at any given moment. People who are trapped in these high-security locations spend hours each day rehearsing musical and dance programs, which are then performed for visiting journalists as proof that individuals are transformed or reformed, and can be integrated into the Chinese fabric of society.

In these camps, language instruction plays an important role too. A leaked 2017 memo that was penned by an official who was at the time in charge of the regions security included this directive: Make remedial Mandarin studies the top priority.

This type of linguistic engineering is not new in China. The Chinese Communist Party governs by uniformity, mainly addressing ideological and economic matters, not so much social and cultural factors. Part of the idea is that people can be unifiedor more easily kept under controlif they speak, hear, and read a single, flattened language, one that removes cultural intricacies and distinctions, breaking connections within regional pockets to channel direct links to the partys own organs.

The policy in Inner Mongolia is, on paper, meant to foster stronger economic inclusion in an impoverished area within China. But the fact is that locals see its implementation as a slightand a continuation of Han Chinese incursion into their culture. Many feel that their traditions are being dismantled in the name of poverty reduction, and few ethnic Mongolians have benefited from mining booms in an area that is nearly twice the size of Texas. Instead, state-run enterprises have reaped most of the profits.

Now, the people of Inner Mongolia wonder if even their own language may be fading away too.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  All deals with Chinese companies will proceed as planned as Malacanang refused to follow sanctions imposed by the United States against Chinese companies involved in illegal activities in the South China Sea, Malacanang said.

"Sangley project will continue. All other projects involving Chinese companies that are banned in the United States can continue in the Philippines," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Tuesday media briefing.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin, Jr. said last week that he will recommend ending contracts with Chinese firms found to be behind incursions in the South China Sea. This was after Washington blacklisted China Communications Construction Company and its subsidiaries, including China Airport Construction Corporation, which is the partner of taipan Lucio Tan's MacroAsia Corporation in upgrading the Sangley airport in Cavite.

Governor Jonvic Remulla earlier told CNN Philippines that he will await guidance from the national government on how to proceed with the 500-billion deal, which was awarded to the MacroAsia and CCC partnership in February.

Roque said the Philippines is not duty-bound to mirror US actions as the country is not a "vassal state."

"Ang pang-nasyonal na interes natin ay masigurado na matapos ang flagship projects under the 'Build Build, Build' program [Our national interest is to ensure that we can finish flagship projects under the 'Build Build, Build' program," he added.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian confirmed that all projects involving Chinese companies in the country will proceed as planned.

We have taken note of the statement made by the Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque that President Duterte charted an independent foreign policy course that puts the national interest at the core, he said in a radio interview. And that the national interest of the Philippines is to ensure the completion of the flagship projects under the Build Build Build program.

Xilian added that Chinas Belt and Road program and the Philippines Build, Build, Build initiative have achieved fruitful results.

I believe that any attempt to undermine the normal economic cooperation between China and the Philippines will never succeed, he said.

The Chinese ambassador assured that Chinese firms involved in projects will comply with existing Philippine laws and regulations.

In 2016, a Hague-based international tribunal ruled as invalid Beijing's sweeping territorial stakes in the South China Sea and recognized Manilas sovereign rights within areas of its exclusive economic zone which China claims. Despite the ruling, China has continued with its incursions in features covered by the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut asked actress Kangana Ranaut to refrain from travelling back to Mumbai after she made a statement that she feared the city police force more than the 'movie mafia'.

The actress had tweeted that she would require security either from Haryana or Central government and would not accept protection from Mumbai police to expose the alleged 'drug mafia' in Bollywood as the probe into late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death intensifies.

The actress had also tagged BJP MLA Ram Kadam in her tweet, an action that drew the ire of Shiv Sena and Congress.

Raut slammed Ranaut's statements in Shiv Senas mouthpiece 'Saamana' and wrote that that the actress' 'treachery' was shameful, considering that she had criticised the city police force despite making a living in Mumbai.

"We kindly request her not to come to Mumbai. This is nothing but an insult to Mumbai police. The Home Ministry should take action over it, Raut wrote.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Ram Kadam said that Mumbai police is not keen on providing security to the 'Manikarnika' actress even though Ranaut wants to expose the alleged mafia.

Jumping into the controversy, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant warned the actress should first run a background check on Kadam before seeking help due to his 'dangerous' history.

ALSO SEE:
Mumbai, Sep 1 : Fans are not ready to accept Sushant Singh Rajput was depressed and have now started digging up throwback photos from his Europe trip in October last year to refute such claims.

Although medically it has been reported that a depressed person does not necessarily appear sad at all times, and it is possible to be depressed while appearing happy, many netizens insist Sushant was in a happy state of mind and are sharing photos from the late actor's trip to Disneyland Paris. They have alleged that Sushant's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty has lying about his state of mind.

Celebrity photographer Viral Bhayani has shared a photo of Sushant, shared with him by Swati Gandhi who met the actor during his trip to Disneyland Paris. A letter written by Swati to Bhayani, reads: "Hi Viral & team, I would like to share that I and my family met Sushant at Disneyland Paris during his Europe vacation in Oct 2019 and while our interaction was brief, he was very jovial and full of life. I will continue to refuse to believe that there was anything wrong with him. If anything, his energy and vibrance rubbed off on us. #JusticeForSSR. Best, Swati." Sharing the photo on Twitter, a user tweeted: "Another evidence a picture with @itsSSR Swati Gandhi shared they took during 2019 Oct Europe Tour at Disneyland as usual a Jovial full of life SSR -- as per Tai he was depressed. Stop this nonsense NOW." Screenshots of a social media post by Pooja Mukherjee, a fan of Sushant, have gone viral, where Pooja shares a selfie with the actor clicked during his visit to Paris.

The text written by Pooja reads: "So according to Rhea Chakraborty, she says Sushant did not go out in Paris and he was in hotel for 3 days... how come? I met @itsSSR and Rhea near Sacre Ceour in Paris on the 7th of October, 2019. Here is my photo with him with the date/time stamp. 7th October 2019 in Paris near Sacre Ceour and here are the tweets from him on the 8th of October at Disneyland, Paris." The screenshot has been shared on a Facebook group titled Sushant Singh Rajput fans, which has a total of over 2,49,000 members.

"No Hotel will hang such scary painting in the rooms. I would request the Sushants Fan in Itally to visit the hotel and confirm whether they have such painting in the hotel. That will help expose her," claimed another user.

"This a full electronic proof that rhea lies every time every word to manipulate her own stories. She must be under strict action with solid evidences of drugs without consent of someone," commented another user.

During the Disneyland Paris visit, Sushant had shared a video on October 8, 2019, which he had captioned: "Come Rain, Come Snow, Wherever Your Dreams take You, You Gotta Go! -- Dream 25/50 Disneyland." The actor had tweeted another video from his verified account on October 9, 2019 where he can be seen enjoying in Disneyland. "Mickey in Disneyland! #livingMyDreams #lovingMyDreams," Sushant had captioned the video.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
Washington: The global climate change has reportedly resulted in melting and retreating glaciers across the world which has led to the increase of the glacial lakes by 50 per cent since 1990, shows a global survey using National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) data.

"In the largest-ever study of glacial lakes, researchers using 30 years of NASA satellite data have found that the volume of these lakes worldwide has increased by about 50% since 1990 as glaciers melt and retreat due to climate change," said NASA on Monday (August 31, 2020).

As per NASA, the findings which are published in the journal Nature Climate Change will aid researchers to assess the potential hazards to communities downstream of these often unstable lakes and will also help improve the accuracy of sea-level rise estimates by advancing the understanding of how glacial meltwater is transported to the oceans.

"Glaciers are retreating on a near-global scale and this study provides scientists with a clearer picture of how much of this water has been stored in lakes," said NASA.

NASA also quoted lead author Dan Shugar of the University of Calgary in Canada as saying, "We have known that not all meltwater is making it into the oceans immediately. But until now there were no data to estimate how much was being stored in lakes or groundwater."

Shugar and his collaborators from governments and universities in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, working under a grant from NASAs High Mountain Asia Program, initially planned to use satellite imaging and other remote-sensing data to study two dozen glacial lakes in High Mountain Asia, the geographic region that includes the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountain ranges, including the Himalaya.

Shugar added that they wrote scripts in Google Earth Engine to look only at High Mountain Asia, and then decided to look at all glacial lakes around the world.

"From there, we were able to build a scaling relationship to estimate the volume of the worlds glacial lakes based on the area of this large population of lakes," stated Shugar.

The team reportedly analyzed more than 2.5 lakh scenes from the Landsat satellite missions and looked at the data in five time-steps beginning with 1990 to examine all the glaciated regions of the world except Antarctica and analyze how glacial lakes changed over that period.

"While water from melting glaciers stored in glacial lakes is a relatively small contributor to overall sea-level rise, it can have a major impact on mountain communities downstream of these glacial lakes," opined Shugar.

Notably, the glacial lakes are not stable like the lakes in which people are used to swimming or boating and these are often dammed by ice or glacial sediment called a moraine, which is composed of loose rock and debris that is pushed to the front and sides of glaciers.

The glacial lakes can also burst their banks or dams which may result in causing massive floods downstream. These floods from glacial lakes are known as glacial lake outburst floods and have been responsible for thousands of deaths over the past century, as well as the destruction of villages, infrastructure, and livestock.

Earlier in May 2020, a glacial lake outburst flood affected the Hunza Valley in Pakistan.

"This is an issue for many parts of the world where people live downstream from these hazardous lakes, mostly in the Andes and in places like Bhutan and Nepal, where these floods can be devastating," said Shugar.

"Fortunately, organizations like the United Nations are facilitating a lot of monitoring and some mitigation work where theyre lowering the lakes to try and decrease the risks," added Shugar.

The study estimates current glacial lake volumes total about 37.4 cubic miles (156 cubic kilometers) of water which is the equivalent of about one-third the volume of Lake Erie.
Next year's GCSE and A-level exams could be pushed back to give pupils more time to study the syllabus, the Education Secretary has said.

Gavin Williamson said England's exams regulator, Ofqual, was working with the education sector to decide whether there should be a 'short delay' to the exam timetable in 2021.

He told the Daily Telegraph: 'I know there's some concern about next year's exams, and that's why we've been working with Ofqual on changes we can make to help pupils when they take GCSEs and A-levels next year.

'Ofqual will continue to work with the education sector and other stakeholders on whether there should be a short delay to the GCSE, A and AS-level exam timetable in 2021, with the aim of creating more teaching time.'

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said next year's school exams could be delayed

Exam season usually begins in May, but the paper said sources suggested they could be pushed back to June and July  but they would not cut into the summer holidays.

Mr Williamson's comments  on the eve of many schools in England reopening to all pupils for the first time since March  follow a call from Labour for a delay to next year's exams.

Shadow education secretary Kate Green said pupils entering Year 11 and 13 who have lost up to six months of teaching time face 'a mountain to climb' unless the timetable is changed.

She said: 'Ministers had warning after warning about problems with this year's exam results, but allowed it to descend into a fiasco.

'This is too important for Boris Johnson to leave until the last minute. Pupils heading back to school need clarity and certainty about the year ahead.'

Shadow educatin secretary Kate Green said pupils had 'a mountain to climb; without a delay

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'Labour's suggestion of a delay to help with 'catch-up' is worthy of serious consideration.

'A delay is not without its problems, a consequential delay to the publication of results will put pressure on higher education providers such as universities and colleges as well as employers. All this will need to be dealt with.'
Kano  A spate of protests has hit the country over plans by the federal government to concession four major airports in the country.

Aviation workers took to the streets in Kano and Ibadan, calling the move an attempt to send them to early graves, since no provision was made to cater for their staff welfare after the concession.

The airports include Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, Port Harcourt International Airport and Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

The unions include Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP).

According to them, "Without second thought, we reject airport concession. Concession, privatisation and sale are the same thing, don't allow anybody to deceive you. And these four airports of Kano, Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt are the hub of Nigerian aviation, that sustain the remaining 18," said Sama'ila Muhammad Alkali, the Kano state chapter chairman of ATSSSAN.

Alkali who is also the Public Relations Officer of Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Kano state alleged that the concession was planning to sell the terminals, car parks and toll gates which generate over 65% of the sector revenue to the concessionaires.

"Under the agreement, the concessionaires after two years have the right to sack you if not satisfied with your service. So even if you have spent 20 or 30 years there, it's as good as you've spent them in vain," Alkali lamented.

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He added that the planned concession of the airports also has security implication particularly now that the country battles different challenges.

"You want to sell airports to companies we don't even know, when they are part of our borders, they are part of the security metro of every country. When you sell it to people, they will look at their profit and not the security implication. They could allow for import of weapons so long as they will make profit," Alkali concluded.

In Ibadan, members of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and NUATE protested by walking through the streets of the city.

The Chairman of ATSSSAN, Oyewole Olayade, said, "Federal Government claimed that the airports are underdeveloped and cannot continue to fund them again.

"Government now believes that it should invite private investors to come forward to invest so that there will be fund to develop the facilities.

"Our stand has always been transparency. As critical stakeholders, we are supposed to be carried along in whatever government wants to do concerning concession.

"These four major airports generate the bulk of our revenues," Olayade said.
The Baptist College of Florida (BCF) recently highlighted a new online friendship between a local student and one in New York, the college and its Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) program leadership saying the temporary shift to all-online operations helped link the two individuals.

When BCF students were required to move fully online to complete the spring semester and continuing through the summer months, the BCF Campus Minister Lance Beauchamp explored unique ways to keep students engaged and connected which resulted in a long-distance friendship between a student in Graceville and the other living in New York, BCF said in a press release.

Determined to keep BCF students connected and engaged spiritually, Beauchamp moved his weekly Coffee Hour to a virtual meeting and added a weekly virtual but real Bible study for all of the students through Zoom. He sent out email reminders, posted on Facebook, and encouraged students to participate in the online BCM events to stay connected throughout the semester and through the summer. All of the BCF students, whether taking classes online or on campus, were now connected to the BCM events online, together, in a way that otherwise may not have been considered in the past, the release continued.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh will leave for Russia on Wednesday to attend a crucial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which is expected to deliberate on regional security scenario, officials said.

Besides attending the SCO defence ministers' meeting, Singh will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu and several other top military officials with an aim to expedite the implementation of several defence procurement programmes, they said.

The SCO defence ministers' meeting is taking place at a time when two of its member countries, India and China, are locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe is expected to attend the SCO meeting.

Asked about the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Singh and Wei on the sidelines of the SCO event, sources said there is no such plan. It will be Singh's second visit to Moscow since June.

He had represented India at the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on June 24 that commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Russia has also invited External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to attend the SCO foreign ministers' meeting on September 10.

Singh will leave for India on the evening of September 5, they said Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh for over three-and-half months.

Indian Army on Monday said the Chinese military carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.

The fresh confrontation has further escalated the tension along the Line of Actual Control.
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- YouMail today announced that it has acquired PhoneTag, a direct-to-consumer voicemail service. Founded in 2003, PhoneTag is a subscription communications business that provides premium voicemail transcription services directly to consumers. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

PhoneTag's service is now running on YouMail's proprietary communication platform, and PhoneTag users are benefitting effortlessly from an improved voicemail experience that now includes protection from robocalls and phishing messages. The full spectrum of YouMail's virtual numbers and a complete suite of advanced virtual reception features is also easily accessible to PhoneTag's customers through an upgrade to the YouMail apps on iPhone and Android.

"Acquiring PhoneTag increases the footprint of YouMail's premium consumer subscription business. YouMail immediately improves the user experience of PhoneTag customers through more advanced call-handling as well as increased protection from scammers and spammers," said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. "We are actively exploring similar acquisitions where our platform can support and run communication services more efficiently and provide users with a better, more secure communication experience."

About YouMail, Inc.

YouMail, Inc. provides security-first, cloud-based communication services for mobile phones. Our free app-based service uses sophisticated, patented and patent-pending technology to block robocalls and phishing messages so that users are protected from spam, identify theft, stalkers, and corporate fraud. YouMail's premium call management services provide virtual receptionist and virtual number services designed for people who use their mobile phones for business. These services help YouMail customers unify virtual numbers with their cell numbers, handle high volumes of mobile calls, and provide personalized answering experiences for their callers. YouMail's communications platform handles over a billion calls per year for over 10 million users, who range from everyday consumers to sole proprietors to the CEOs of the largest companies in the United States and Canada. YouMail, Inc. is privately funded and based in Irvine, California.

Contact:

Rohan Notaney for YouMail

Lumina Communications

[email protected]

650-814-9651

SOURCE YouMail, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.youmail.com


A photographer accused of multiple sexual assaults has been arrested by Toronto police.

John Lee, 42, was arrested on Monday, police said in a news release. He was charged with six counts of sexual assault, voyeurism and two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm.

Police allege Lee sexually assaulted multiple women in relation to his activities as a photographer. Lee was employed as a photographer from March 2013 to April 2016, police say.

Investigators say there may be more victims and are asking anyone with information to contact police at 416-808-7474 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

TY Tom Yun is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @thetomyun
Education Minister: Balance of risk is of greater harm to children not returning to school than being in school

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2020

Its a big week for schools in Wales as children head back to the classroom following the summer break.

It is expected all learners in will return to full-time education over the next couple of weeks, secondary schools in Wrexham are staggering start dates for different year groups.

Wrexham Council issued guidance last week recommending that all secondary school students wear a face covering when in corridors and in communal areas during break and lunchtimes.

The move comes after The World Health Organization (WHO) issued an update saying children over the age of 12 should wear masks.

Wales education minister has said theres is a greater risk of harm to children from not returning to school than being in school.

Kirsty Williams also said the Welsh Government was in discussions about changes to next summers exam timetable following calls for A-levels and GCSEs to pushed back to allow extra teaching time.

The education minister told BBC Radio Wales this morning: Throughout this pandemic over 500 of our schools have been open providing care for critical workers children and vulnerable children.

Prior to the summer holidays, we were the only part of the United Kingdom that successfully created an opportunity for all of our children to return to school that was managed to safely and securely.

All of our children had the opportunity to go back to school for a period of time, weve learned the lessons and the experience of that has been invaluable as we plan for this full return to school this week.

Kirsty Williams said community transmission rates of Covid-19 are lower than they were during the height of the pandemic and indeed when schools reopened prior to the summer, so this is absolutely the right time to go back.

The balance of risk is very much one of greater harm being done to children not returning to school than being in our schools.

Our schools are as safe as they possibly can be, a lot of hard work is being done by local education authorities and headteachers, and members of the profession to get us to this situation.

The Welsh Government has said that parents who dont send their children back to school will not be faced with fines but this will be kept under review.

The education minister said: As we return to education in the new normal we want to have reassuring conversations with parents rather than threatening with them with fines.

This is being discussed with our school leaders and unions who believe that this is the right approach, but we will keep it under review, but I hope the parents will recognise that what is best for their children, though, is to return to school and to get back to learning.

We will review the issue of fines for parents as we progress, but at this stage, it is absolutely appropriate that we have conversations to understand why parents may still have concerns, why they dont want to send their children back and to work with parents to reassure them.

Children in Wales were allowed back to the classroom prior to the summer break to check in, catch up and prepare sessions but around 40 per cent of pupils didnt attend.

Kirsty Williams said: What we saw prior to the summer was that initially there was some reluctance in the first week for the check in, catch up and prepare sessions.

But, if a parent saw other parents returning children to school and that was being done safely and securely as possible, we saw confidence grow and parents then sent children back in the second and third week.

Whats really important is that we work together, myself, local education authorities and individual schools to reassure parents about the fact that our schools are as safe as they possibly can be.

At this time there are no risk-free options, every time each one of us goes out to the supermarket or perhaps goes to visit family or friends or undertakes a different activity we have to balance those risks.

The balance now is very clearly in favour of children returning to school, but we need to do that safely, thats why we have provided additional resources for the cleaning of our schools and extra hygiene measures.

We are also providing additional resources to help children catch up, were all aware that nothing can replace the time in front of a teacher.

This lockdown has had a significant impact on childrens education, its not just about making sure that when children go back they will have the additional support that they need to catch up.

UK Labour party has called for next years A-levels and GCSEs in England to be delayed because of coronavirus, shadow education secretary Kate Green said exams should be pushed back to allow extra teaching time as pupils now face a mountain to climb after losing out on up to six months of teaching because of COVID-19.

Kirsty Williams said there are already discussions taking place between Qualification Wales and the other UK regulators about a change in next summers exam timetable.

There are lots of options that are being considered, but I want to be absolutely clear to parents whose children are going into those crucial exam years, we are already in discussions with the profession.

The WJEC (exam board in Wales) has made adaptations to the courses for both GCSE, A-Level and vocational qualifications and those have been communicated to schools.

Qualifications Wales is in discussions with other parts of the United Kingdom and their regulators about to change in next summers exam timetable, all options are being considered.

We have to think about the knock-on consequences, so I understand why taking exams later in the summer would allow for additional teaching time, but we also have to make sure that those exams are administered properly and what the knock-on effect could be if universities, FE colleges and schools themselves.

There are lots of things to consider and those sessions are already happening.
Nearly all 40 people infected with COVID-19 at Ala. church have recovered

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A congregation in Alabama that garnered headlines after 40 of its members tested positive for COVID-19 following a revival has reported that nearly all of those infected have recovered.

Warrior Creek Baptist Church of Arab, a small Southern Baptist congregation, was the sight of an outbreak in July in which 40 people, including its pastor, became infected.

However, according to a report last week from The Alabama Baptist posted by Baptist Press, there remained only one family that still tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Warrior Creek Pastor Darryl Ross, who was among those who tested positive for COVID-19 in July, explained to TAB that the one family still battling the coronavirus was doing well.

A small church located in Cullman County, 40 members tested positive for the virus during a weeklong revival event, prompting the church to end the gathering early.

In an interview with al.com at the time, Ross explained that he learned about someone attending the event who had COVID-19.

On the way back over Thursday is when we found out. I got a call that one of our guys in the church has tested positive. So we shut down revival and, by Friday night, Ive got church members sick everywhere, said Ross.

Ross also explained at the time that of the several cases, only two were noted as serious, with his own coronavirus infection being minimal in its severity.

I cant smell or taste, a little sinus, thats all Ive had, Ross told al.com. The whole church has been running fever and headaches and terrible respiratory (issues), and Ive been building fences and bush-hogging.

As a mass social gathering, churches and other houses of worship are oftentimes seen as areas of high risk for spreading the coronavirus and have been linked to a few local outbreaks.

Last week, for example, officials in Fremont County, Wyoming, reported that two outbreaks occurred in their locality, both of which were tied to local congregations.

Were definitely hitting some spikes and its all these social gatherings, Fremont County spokesman Michael Jones told the Casper Star-Tribune.

You hate to say churches, but it is family and social gatherings where people are inside and let their guard down.

In July, another Alabama congregation, First Baptist Church of Tillmans Corner, announced that it was suspending in-person worship due to a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases among members.

We need to move quickly and decisively to stop the virus before it spreads any further, said FBC Pastor Derek Allen at the time.

We dont want to see any of our faith family members suffer through a COVID-19 infection, and we want to do our part to contain this spike as much as possible.

FBC of Tillmans Corner announced that it will return to in-person worship on Sept. 13, although attendees are expected to register in advance as a precaution.
ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Monday launched a 60 million U.S. euros anti-COVID-19 assistance program for Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states.

Speaking at the 60 million euros anti-COVID-19 assistance launching program in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Johan Borgstam, Head of the EU delegation to Ethiopia, said the program intends to help IGAD member states tackle the health and socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.

"Through this project we will procure 3.5 million surgical masks and gloves, 70,000 test kits (including 105,000 swabs), eight mobile labs and 24 ambulances," said Borgstam.

IGAD, founded in 1986, is an east African trading and security bloc that includes Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda.

Borgstam emphasized the COVID-19 pandemic is a global health threat that knows no border and as such can only be dealt through international partnership.

"We're a time when the spread of the pandemic is accelerating, affecting the most vulnerable communities including migrants, refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)," said Borgstam.

"Specifically, for Ethiopia, the EU has mobilized and disbursed 10 million Euros in April 2020 as part of its ongoing Health Sector Budget Support to respond to COVID-19 crisis in Ethiopia while about 50 million euros is being mobilized for the economic response," he said.

Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD, while appreciating the 60 million Euros anti-COVID-19 assistance program, emphasized there is much that needs to be done to beat the pandemic in the east African region.
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total August sales of 26,089 vehicles, a decrease of 5.1 percent compared to August 2019. Year-to-date sales totaled 179,043 vehicles, a decrease of 5.4 percent compared to the same time last year. With 26 selling days in August, compared to 28 the year prior, the company posted an increase 2.2 percent on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis.

Sales Highlights

- Sales of the CX-30 reached an all-time high since the vehicle launched in November 2019, with 3,862 vehicles sold.

- The CX-5 saw its second-best August since the vehicle launched, with 13,745 vehicles sold.

- The CX-9 saw its second-best August since 2011 with 2,443 vehicles sold.

- CPO sales totaled 6,630 vehicles in August, an increase of 10 percent compared to August 2019, and achieved a third-best all-time record.

Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported August sales of 3,166 vehicles, an increase of 25.4 percent compared to August last year. Year-to-date sales decreased 30.9 percent, with 26,989 vehicles sold.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through approximately 620 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.

Follow MNAO's social media channels through Twitter and Instagram at @MazdaUSA and Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaUSA.

























Month-To-Date

Year-To-Date

























August August YOY % % MTD

August August YOY % % MTD



2020 2019 Change DSR

2020 2019 Change DSR























Mazda3 3,175 4,825 (34.2)% (29.1)%

22,634 36,999 (38.8)% (38.5)%

Mazda6 1,230 1,608 (23.5)% (17.6)%

10,514 16,166 (35.0)% (34.6)%

MX-5 Miata 774 816 (5.1)% 2.1%

5,790 5,839 (0.8)% (0.4)%

CX-3 860 2,024 (57.5)% (54.2)%

6,576 10,331 (36.3)% (36.0)%

CX-30 3,862 0





24,605 0





CX-5 13,745 15,592 (11.8)% (5.1)%

90,695 103,370 (12.3)% (11.8)%

CX-9 2,443 2,617 (6.6)% 0.5%

18,229 16,624 9.7% 10.2%













































CARS 5,179 7,249 (28.6)% (23.1)%

38,938 59,004 (34.0)% (33.7)%

TRUCKS 20,910 20,233 3.3% 11.3%

140,105 130,325 7.5% 8.0%























TOTAL 26,089 27,482 (5.1)% 2.2%

179,043 189,329 (5.4)% (5.0)%













































*Selling Days 26 28





205 206





























SOURCE Mazda North American Operations

Related Links

www.mazdausa.com


Sudan Signs Historic Peace Deal with Rebel Groups

By Naba Mohiedeen August 31, 2020

Sudan's transitional government has signed a historic peace agreement Monday with the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of rebel groups from the regions of Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and the Blue Nile. The ceremony took place in South Sudan's capital, Juba.

The agreement made after a year of talks hosted by South Sudan raises hopes of ending more than 17 years of war. It offers power sharing, integration into security forces, land rights, and the return of those displaced from years of conflict.

Two rebel factions within the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) refused to take apart in the peace process.

But Sudan's transitional government spokesman Fasial Salih still praised the deal.

He says peace is the first priority out of ten issues the transitional government has determined to begin [addressing]. He says since last September a delegation went to Juba and announced the Juba Declaration. Salih says the transitional government is happy to accomplish this step but they are aware that still more rounds of talks will be needed with the SLM and SPLM-N to hopefully achieve a comprehensive peace.

The rebels fought troops sent by former president Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted by the military in April 2019 after months of popular protest and replaced with a joint military-civilian government.

Bashir is serving jail time for corruption and is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Sudan's delegation to Monday's signing ceremony included Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and the head of the transitional sovereign council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

But the deal was signed by Sudan's commander of fighters in the conflict, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, who rights groups say committed many of the abuses in Darfur.

Hemeti and Burhan were also blamed for attacks against anti-Bashir protesters in Khartoum in June 2019 that left over 120 people dead.

Protest leaders agreed to a power-sharing deal with the military whereby Sudan is to hold its first democratic election in decades in 2022.

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President Donald Trump stood at the epicentre of the latest eruption over racial injustice in Wisconsin, and came down squarely on the side of law enforcement.

He blamed domestic terror for the violence in Kenosha and made no reference to the underlying cause of anger and protests  the shooting of a black man by police.

President Trump declared the violence anti-American. He did not mention Jacob Blake, who was badly wounded last week in Kenosha.

Soon after arriving in the city, a visit made over the objections of state and local leaders, President Trump toured the burnt remains of a block besieged by violence and fire.

With the scent of smoke still in the air, he spoke to the owners of a century-old store that had been destroyed and continued to link the violence to the Democrats, blaming those in charge of Kenosha and Wisconsin while raising apocalyptic warnings if their party should capture the White House.

These are not acts of peaceful protest but, really, domestic terror, said President Trump.

And he condemned Democrats for not immediately accepting his offer of federal assistance, claiming: They just dont want us to come, These governors dont want to call, and the mayors dont want to call. They have to ask.

The city has the scene of protests since the August 23 shooting of Mr Blake, who was hit seven times in the back by police as he was getting into a car while they were trying to arrest him.

Expand Close People line up to watch as the motorcade with President Donald Trump passes by (Evan Vucci/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp People line up to watch as the motorcade with President Donald Trump passes by (Evan Vucci/AP)

Protests have been concentrated in a small area of Kenosha. While there were more than 30 fires set in the first three nights, the situation has calmed since then.

President Trumps motorcade passed throngs of demonstrators, some holding American flags in support of the president, others jeering while carrying signs that read Black Lives Matter.

A massive police presence, complete with several armoured vehicles, secured the area, and barricades were set up along several of the citys major streets to keep onlookers at a distance from the passing presidential vehicles.

Offering federal resources to help rebuild the city, President Trump toured a high school that had been transformed into a law enforcement command post.

He said he tried to call Mr Blakes mother but opted against it after the family asked that a lawyer listen in.

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He later added he felt terribly for anyone who suffered a loss, but otherwise only noted that the situation was complicated and under investigation.

Pressed by reporters, President Trump repeatedly pivoted away from assessing any sort of structural racism in the nation or its police departments, instead blasting what he saw as anti-police rhetoric.

Painting a dark portrait of parts of the nation he leads, the president again linked the radical forces he blamed for the violence to the Democrats and their presidential nominee, Joe Biden, declaring that chaos could soon descend on other cities across America.

President Trump condemned unrest in Portland, Oregon, too  as well as an increase in shootings in cities including Chicago and New York  and tried to take credit for stopping the violence in Kenosha with the National Guard.

But it was Wisconsins Democratic governor, Tony Evers, who deployed the Guard to quell demonstrations in response to the Blake shooting, and he had pleaded with President Trump to stay away for fear of straining tensions further.

I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing, Mr Evers wrote in a letter to President Trump. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.
Thailand continues helping fishing sector and open to suggestions

September 01,2020 | Source: Pattaya Mail

Since the National Fisheries Association of Thailand asked the government to help address challenges faced by workers in the fishing sector due to measures against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the government says that it is ready to consider their demands and find solutions to their problems.



The Deputy Government Spokeswoman, Dr. Ratchada Thanadirek, said today the government is aware of their plight and has already taken action in many areas, such as making some changes to the rules and regulations, purchasing trawlers from affected owners and improving their liquidity.



The National Fisheries Policy Committee, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, is overseeing the tasks of related ministries and sending progress reports to Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha. The issue has been declared part of the national agenda, and relevant agencies must work cautiously so that Thailand is not given a yellow-card sanction by the European Union (EU). At the same time, they have to acknowledge the workers demands.



The Department of Fisheries has adjusted the rules and regulations to help the fishing sector in many respects, including making changes to the list of fishing gear and fishing zones as well as the issuance of seamens registration books to deal with labor shortages.



The government is now improving its vessel monitoring system (VMS) to facilitate the fishing sector. The government is also looking into amending laws related to local and commercial fishing activities, but it must proceed cautiously.



Unregistered trawler procurement is divided into two groups. The first group comprises 568 trawlers that have been adversely affected by changes in the fishing laws. The government has already allocated funds for the purchase of 252 trawlers, and will purchase 53 additional trawlers this October. The total acquisition budget is 764 million baht. Officials are also inspecting the criteria of 263 trawlers. The second group consists of 2,505 trawlers, which previously received a license which their owners now want to cancel. Officials are considering these trawlers criteria and working conditions.



In addition, the government has approved a low-interest loan project, worth 10.3 billion baht in total, to improve the liquidity of entrepreneurs in the fishing sector. The loans would help them install new equipment and employ workers legally. If local and commercial fishing operators see that their issues remain unresolved and think no progress is being made, the Prime Minister is ready to listen to their suggestions to help solve their problems.

 2016 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Theme(s): Others.
Ex-Australian prime minister Tony Abbott today suggested coronavirus lockdowns come at too high a price and nature should be allowed to 'take its course' for more elderly victims of Covid-19.

Mr Abbott, who has been widely tipped to take on a post-Brexit trade role for the UK Government, told an event in London that 'it's a bad time for anyone with the virus, but it is also a bad time for people that would rather not be dictated to by officials'.

He said the current pandemic had forced governments to ask the question 'how much is a life worth'.

But he argued that while 'every death is sad' that has 'never stopped families sometimes electing to make relatives as comfortable as possible while nature takes its course'.

Mr Abbott railed against lockdown rules as he called for them to be eased and for people to make more of their own decisions about the risks posed by coronavirus.

He said 'surely it is time to relax the rules so that individuals can take more personal responsibility'.

He later confirmed that he is in talks with the UK Government about taking on a post-Brexit trade role.

He has been widely tipped to become the joint president of Britain's relaunched Board of Trade.

Ex-Australian PM Tony Abbott has been widely tipped to take a post-Brexit trade role with the UK Government

Speaking at a Policy Exchange think tank event, Mr Abbott was quoted by the Guardian as saying: 'It's a bad time for anyone with the virus, but it is also a bad time for people that would rather not be dictated to by officials, however well meaning.

'In this climate of fear it was hard for governments to ask "how much is a life worth?" because every life is precious, and every death is sad, but that has never stopped families sometimes electing to make relatives as comfortable as possible while nature takes its course.'

Mr Abbott questioned whether lockdown measures were proportionate to the harm done by the disease.

He said: 'From a health perspective, this pandemic has been serious. From an economic perspective, it has been disastrous.

'But I suspect that, from an overall wellbeing perspective, it will turn out worst of all.

'Because this is what happens when, for much more than a mere moment, we let fear of falling sick stop us from being fully alive.

'Now that each one of us has had six months to consider this pandemic and to make our own judgments about it, surely it is time to relax the rules so that individuals can take more personal responsibility and make more of their own decisions about the risks that they are prepared to run?'

He also warned that lockdown measures could be kept up 'indefinitely' in the absence of a vaccine - and said they can produce not just a 'stop-start economy, but a stop-start life'.

Mr Abbott declined to comment at the event on reports that he has been appointed joint president of the UK's relaunched Board of Trade.

However, he later told the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee that he is in talks with ministers about taking a role with the British Government.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss is expected to become the president of the relaunched Board of Trade

'I have had some discussions with members of the British government,' he said.

'I am more than happy to help but there is nothing official as yet.'

The prospect of Mr Abbott joining the Board of Trade has sparked a backlash, with Labour's international trade spokesman Emily Thornberry describing him as an 'offensive, aggressive, leering, gaffe-prone misogynist'.

It is thought International Trade Secretary Liz Truss will be president of the board, while Mr Abbott  who was forced out of power by his own party in 2015 after just two years in charge  will be appointed to an advisory role.
UPDATE: A 19-year-old woman was seriously injured in the crash.

_______

A crash on Interstate 290 in Massachusetts involving a tractor-trailer led to serious injuries Tuesday morning, news outlets reported.

The collision occurred in the westbound lane of I-290 near exit 22 in Shrewsbury, according to a tweet from Massachusetts State Police.

The crash involved a tractor-trailer and another vehicle, WCVB reported. It is unclear how many people were injured.

All traffic on I-290 westbound was detoured off the highway at exit 22. State police urged drivers to seek an alternative route.

The left and right lanes of the highway near Main Street were blocked, WBZ reported in a tweet.

#MAtraffic Crash, ALL traffic on I-290 WB are detoured off I-290 at x.22 in #Shrewsbury. Seek alternate route. More info to come when available.  Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) September 1, 2020

Serious tractor trailer crash on 290 WB in #Shrewsbury after EX. 22 Main St. Left lane & right lane blocked. Serious injuries reported. @wbz pic.twitter.com/cGcnHiX7iq  Breana Pitts (@BrePWBZ) September 1, 2020

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Indian Army has said that multiple hideouts were busted by security forces along the restive Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmirs (J&K) Uri sector and a cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from these hideouts.

Defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that on August 30, a movement of suspicious persons was detected along the LoC in Rampur sector in J&Ks Baramulla district.

The movement was from a village close to the LoC and the suspects had crossed into Indian territory. Their move was kept under constant surveillance. Soon, an alert was sounded about a likely infiltration bid in the treacherous terrain amid the dense vegetation and inclement weather conditions. The search operations continued through the night and until 5 am on Monday, he said.

A cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from two hideouts in the Rampur Sector following a seven-hour search operation, he added.

The recovered arms comprised five Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947 (AK-47) rifles along with six magazines and two sealed boxes that contained 1,254 rounds of AK-47 ammunition.

The security forces also seized six pistols, including nine magazines and six rounds of ammunition, 21 grenades, two under barrel grenade launchers (UBGLs) and two Kenwood radio sets.
Backed by local business organizations, the Jefferson Parish Council is expected Tuesday to ask Gov. John Bel Edwards to loosen coronavirus restrictions by region or parish, saying Jefferson should be allowed to move forward if it meets the criteria and not be held back simply because other areas do not.

The Council resolution, crafted by District 2 Councilman Deano Bonano, argues that many businesses are on "the brink of bankruptcy" and that the parish's hospital capacity and infection rate are sufficient to move "forward into Phase 3 of the recovery while maintaining all of the required safety protocols."

At the meeting, representatives from the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and the Jefferson Business Council are expected to argue in favor of the request. It was placed on the agenda as a parishwide item, suggesting it has the backing of additional council members.

Edwards announced last week that the state will remain in Phase 2 of the reopening plan, which mandates the continued closure of bars and 50% occupancy limits at restaurants, shopping malls, gyms, and other businesses, until Sept. 11.

In keeping the state at Phase 2, he cited concerns about what the evacuations from Hurricane Laura and children going back to school could mean for virus transmission.

Jefferson Parish has recorded 16,461 known coronavirus cases since the disease arrived in March, more than any other parish in Louisiana. And while daily case counts have fallen sharply from the earliest days of the pandemic, according to data from the state Department of Health both Jefferson and the broader New Orleans region still have a high enough count of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people  known as the infection rate  to mandate Phase 2 restrictions.

When it comes to testing, Jefferson Parish has a rate of positive tests of 5.9% for the week ending Aug. 19, which suggests it needs to do more testing because it may not be catching all of its cases. The rate is also nearly twice what the state would require to open bars, which have been among the businesses most affected by the pandemic.

On Monday, Bonano argued that hospital bed and protective equipment shortages that drove the stay-at-home order this spring are no longer present in Jefferson Parish, and that he doesn't believe the parish even had a second spike in coronavirus cases.

Jefferson Parishs numbers have remained well below what would be close to taxing our medical system and running out of space, he said.

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He added that testing had increased significantly since the start of the pandemic, and that parishes that can reopen should for the sake of their economies.

Were at a tipping point, he said. We have to get back to business.

He said masks, social distancing protocols and occupancy limits should still be in place, but let people make their own decisions about where they feel comfortable going.

Gov. Edwards hasn't addressed the possibility of opening up the state by region since early in the pandemic. And he resisted Republican legislators clamoring for such an approach months ago before those calls died down as the virus began surging in other parts of the state, particularly in Lafayette, Baton Rouge and Lake Charles.

Under the changes the council would request, the governor would allow a region to move to the next phase and then any parish in that region would be free to do so if it chooses. It also asks the governor to make the state's full criteria for Phase 3 available to parishes.

If there is something you want people to work toward other than hospital beds and the rate of infection then let us know, Bonano said.

The council meets in the Jefferson Parish Government Center in Gretna at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Jalandhar: The enforcement directorate (ED) has filed three applications in a Ludhiana court for the inspection of new documents filed by the income tax department in the cases against Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his son Raninder Singh, it is learnt.

The applications were filed by the ED on August 14 before the chief judicial magistrate, Ludhiana, through special public prosecutor Lokesh Narang.

The court heard the matter on August 18 and its order says, Papers put up before me being duty magistrate. Record not received. Same be awaited till 29.08.2020.

The ED filed three applications after it learnt that the income tax department has placed fresh documents on the case files of Captain Amarinder Singh and Raninder Singh.

The ED wanted to inspect or obtain the documents to carry forward its investigation under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), ED sources confirmed, requesting anonymity. The ED has urged the court to allow it to inspect the case file.

Earlier, it had initiated action against Raninder under FEMA after the income tax department complained that he had lied under oath about trusts allegedly owned by him in Virgin Islands. Raninder had appeared before the ED in connection with a FEMA violation in 2016 also.

Hearing in the three income tax cases against Amarinder and Raninder are underway in the Ludhiana court. The next hearing in the case of the CM is on September 9, while Raninders cases would come up on September 10.

The IT department claimed Raninder misguided it during the probe and claimed he had documents related to the familys income and trusts abroad. The IT department alleged that Raninder was a settler of Jacaranda Trust, which the family formed.

Other undisclosed trusts include Mulwala Holdings Limited and Allworth Venture Holding Limited. The father and son also allegedly carried out undisclosed financial transactions through a bank account in HSBC, Geneva, and HSBC Financial Services Limited (Middle East).

The IT department said the trusts were established in 2005 and most of the deals were routed through Virgin Islands. It submitted in the court that it has documents sourced from Virgin Islands that show Captain Amarinder Singh and his son Raninder are owners of Marine Mansions in Dubai and other properties in the United Kingdom.

Both Amarinder and Raninder had earlier denied any wrongdoing and termed the charges false. Hindustan Times sent an email to the ED headquarters for seeking its official response on the matter but no reply was received till Tuesday evening.
TULELAKE, Siskiyou County  The worst outbreak of avian botulism in 40 years at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge has killed more than 40,000 waterfowl and shorebirds, biologists say. The outbreak is a product of sustained hot weather, warm water, receding wetlands from lack of freshwater and crowding.

This has turned out to be a really bad year for botulism, said John Vradenburg, supervisory biologist for the refuge. Every wetland in the basin is dealing with some level of botulism outbreak.

Amid the epidemic, with three airboats, crews have rescued more than 2,000 birds for rehabilitation and release.

Vradenburg said it will take consecutive freezing nights to quell the bacteria, and hopes cold weather arrives soon, as it often does here in early September.

Avian botulism does not affect humans, but it can paralyze waterfowl such as ducks and geese, and shorebirds such as stilts and grebes. It is a bacteria that lives in the soil, where sustained warm weather, receding water and decaying vegetation can cause a flare up. Birds can be infected through their food, and it can be spread by birds that have died from the disease and have become infested with maggots, which other birds might eat.

The outbreak ignited in late July, just as many waterfowl started molting  shedding and then replacing their feathers  and for a month, lost the ability to fly to clean water. Additionally, some 50,000 ducklings hatched during summer and are unable to fly for about two months.

If the ducks cant fly, they can be stuck in a contaminated area, Vradenburg said.

Now Playing: Caroline Brady, a biologist for the California Waterfowl Association aboard a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service airboat, rescues a duck infected with avian botulism at Tule Lake in the Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Video: Tom Stienstra

The Klamath Basin features a complex of national wildlife refuges that straddle the California-Oregon border. Although only 13,000 acres of permanent wetland habitat remain, it is considered the heartbeat of the Pacific Flyway by the California Waterfowl Association, where millions of migratory birds stop to rest, feed and water, and resident ducks will nest. It gets limited water from the Klamath River,

In the past two weeks, waterfowl and shorebirds also started arriving in large numbers from points north on the Pacific Flyway, which stretches from Alaska to the southern tip of South America. In one area alone, about 2 square miles on Tule Lake, Vradenburg estimated there were 75,000 waterfowl and shorebirds.

Yet miles of designated wetlands of the refuge are dry due to drought and limited water deliveries. An aerial survey shows a network of canals, some with stagnant water and others with cracked earth, that border historic wetlands resembling desert stubble. This forces birds to crowd in relative tiny spaces where they can find water.

To provide some relief last month, the Tule Lake Irrigation District worked with Department of the Interior and several conservation groups, most notably the California Waterfowl Association, to allow a small amount of water to flow into the refuge along the Stateline Highway that runs parallel to the California-Oregon border.

The wildlife refuge is the last in line for water, behind the endangered sucker fish of Klamath Lake, farming and river flows for salmon, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In the past 10 years, records show that the amount of water flowing into the refuge is less than half.

There isnt a person in this basin who isnt tied to the birds and the refuge, said Brad Kirby, manager of the irrigation district. Were all in this together. He said it has been a difficult year in the Klamath Basin, where 2,200 farmers received about one-third of the water they need to grow their crops.

Shortly after dawn, Vradenburg powered an airboat at 35 mph across Tule Lake. Caroline Brady, a biologist with California Waterfowl, was at the bow, ready to pluck out on any infected birds that could be rescued and rehabilitated.

Vast expanses of the lake were either less than a half inch deep or just soft mud. In the flats, infected ducks, mainly mallards and green-wing teal, and occasional stilts and grebes, were in various states of paralysis. They often struggled in the mud or shallows.

Vradenburg slowed the boat so Brady could reach down and snatch the bird, and then place it in a large plastic cage. She used a retriever pole to fetch carcasses from the tules and mud flats. These were later incinerated to destroy infestations of maggots, which turn into flies and help perpetuate the disease cycle.

Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle

Picking up dead birds is pretty discouraging and disheartening, Brady said. In July, she was helping direct a banding program to track waterfowl migrations, but when avian botulism broke out, she joined the rescue mission.

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.

For more than a month, crews have been working daily on three airboats, at times at night, to pick up as many birds as possible.

Weve picked up about 20,000 (dead) birds, conservatively, Vradenburg said. We assume we pick up about 50%. Thats a low estimate. That puts the mortality upwards of 40,000 birds.

Some 95% of the birds on the Pacific Flyway have historically funneled through the refuge to rest, water and feed. In the late 1800s, biologists estimated the numbers at 10 million waterfowl across 350,000 acres of wetlands here, plus 150,000 acres of connected seasonal wetlands. After dams, water diversions and canals were built, only 13,000 acres of permanent wetland habitat remain, and getting water allocated to that remaining habitat can be difficult, all parties agree.

Now Playing: Nancy Mix, a volunteer at the rescue and rehabilitation center at the Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, releases several ducks that had been infected with avian botulism, rescued at Tule Lake, rehabbed at a Duck Hospital, and then released where clean water from the Klamath River is entering the refuge. Video: Tom Stienstra

The Klamath Refuge is a pinch point on the Pacific Flyway, said Meghan Hertel of Audubon California, explaining that millions of birds on their migratory routes to the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area marshes squeeze into this small habitat. The refuge does not receive enough water to turn dry designated wetlands into marshes where the birds could live.

Until freezing weather breaks the disease cycle, each newly arriving bird on the flyway now faces exposure.

At dawn Sunday, the air at the refuge was brisk, as low as 33 degrees at the southern end of Tule Lake, 38 at the north end of the refuge at Stateline Highway. That was good news, Vradenburg said.

We believe the end (of botulism) could be in sight, Vradenburg said.

Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @StienstraTom.
Five states that are not ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday rejected the proposal mooted by the central government at last Thursdays Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting that states could borrow to meet their current GST revenue shortfall.

The governments of Punjab, Delhi, Kerala, Telangana and West Bengal agreed at a meeting of their finance ministers to reject both the borrowing options proposed by the Centre, Chhattisgarh finance minister T.S. Singh Deo said in a tweet.

They also decided that the Centre should not delegate its constitutional obligation of meeting the revenue gap to the states. The position taken by the states is significant considering that political differences on GST related issues could echo in the monsoon session of Parliament.

The council had on Thursday offered states two borrowing options to tide over their GST revenue shortfall as the GST cess collected from items such as cars and tobacco was not adequate to compensate them this financial year.

States could either borrow 97,000 crore from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or take 2.35 trillion from the market under different terms.

It was agreed among the states that the Centre should make good the shortfall and most importantly should only move through consensus in the GST Council instead of trying to push through its agenda in a majoritarian manner," Deo said.

Kerala finance minister T.M. Thomas Isaac said the states were left with no option. Now that we fully understand Centres intentions on GST compensation, we have no choice other than to reject them lock, stock, and barrel... No more surrender of states rights," Isaac tweeted.

Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal said in a letter to Union finance minister and GST Council chairperson Nirmala Sitharaman that both the borrowing options offered were a breach of the constitutional assurance of compensation to states. We thus take both the options with great regret as a clear breach of the solemn and constitutional assurance by the central government. We believe this is a betrayal of the spirit of cooperative federalism that formed the backbone of the GST journey so far," said Badal.

Mint has seen a copy of the letter.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio, said the states resolved that the only legally tenable option to tide over the crisis was for the central government to borrow the entire shortfall from RBI or any other suitable mechanism. The repayment of the principal and the interest liability should start from 2022 and should be entirely serviced out of the receipt from the cess for which the GST Council should extend the period of levy of cess beyond five years or till the time it is required to repay the debt," said Sisodia.

Pretika Khanna contributed to this story.

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Nawaz Sharif's passport will be cancelled on Feb 16, says Pak minister

Imran Khan, military generals to be responsible if anything happens to Maryam: Nawaz Sharif

Pak court gives 'last chance' to former PM Nawaz Sharif to surrender before Sept 10

International

oi-Deepika S

Islamabad, Sep 01: A Pakistani court on Tuesday gave a "last chance" to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to surrender and appear before it on September 10 for hearing in a corruption case against him, according to media reports.

Sharif, 70, has been in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treating a heart disease and an immune system disorder. The three-time premier was sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case

A two-member special bench of the Islamabad High Court comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani on Tuesday heard the petitions against the sentences of Sharif, daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia Steel Mills cases, Dawn News reported.

"We are not passing the final verdict as of yet. We are giving you [Nawaz] last chance to surrender before the next hearing. Nawaz Sharif should appear before the court in any case," the bench said.

Sharif''s lawyer, Khawaja Harris, said the former premier was not medically fit to return to Pakistan and a related petition was pending in the Lahore High Court.

Further hearing of the case was adjourned till September 10. Appeals of Maryam and Captain Safdar would be heard on September 23, the Express Tribune reported.

The Pakistan government has already declared Sharif an "absconder" and approached the UK government for his extradition.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar last week said Sharif's four-week bail on medical grounds had expired in December last year.

Akbar said the government would task the National Accountability Bureau to pursue Sharif's extradition

In a recent interview with ARY News, Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government "regretted" the decision to lift the ban on Sharif.

In May, a picture of Sharif having tea at a London cafe along with his family went viral on social media, sparking a debate on the seriousness of his health condition.

The government came under further criticism when last week Sharif''s photos surfaced online, showing him strolling in a street, prompting calls from within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to bring him back.

with PTI inputs

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 18:02 [IST]
"We thank the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Minister Kadambur Raju for allowing the film industry to resume the shoot of various films. Though this a great relief, the industry will return to normalcy only if theaters get reopened. Only through theaters, the invested producers will get back their money. Please look through the possibilities and reopen theaters", said Bharathiraja in his statement.

Thanking the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy, veteran director Bharathiraja, the President of Tamil Film Active Producers Association has issued a press release.

Though OTT players like Amazon Prime and Zee 5 are buying well-known films, they are not interested to snap the rights of small budget films so producers are struggling to get back their investment.

Meanwhile, the Multiplex Owners Association in India has also requested the Central Government of India to reopen theaters.
India's illegal crossing of LAC a severe violation of consensus: PLA

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 21:12:40

China strongly opposes the illegal crossing by Indian troops of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Monday, which is a severe violation of the consensus reached at the multilevel talks between the two countries previously, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command said on Monday night.

Such blatant provocations result in increased tensions along the border, and the Chinese side urges India to withdraw its troops that crossed the line, strictly restrain its frontline forces and effectively follow its commitments, the PLA Western Theater Command noted.

On Monday, Indian troops illegally crossed the LAC again at the southern bank of Pangong Tso and mountainous border areas, inciting provocations with such a move seriously intruding upon China's territorial sovereignty while undermining peace and stability along the border between China and India.

The official statement was made after Indian media again hyped up fresh clashes with China, accusing the PLA of "provocative movements." By citing the Indian defense ministry on Monday, Indian media reports said the PLA troops "violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements in the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh, and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo."

When asked about the information released by the Indian military that it has taken action to stop Chinese activities in the Ladakh area, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, refuted such claims, saying that Chinese border troops have always strictly observed the LAC and have never crossed the line. The border troops of the two countries have been in communication over territorial issues, he said.

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State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), author of the bill, answers a question at the Capitol. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

California lawmakers voted Monday to remove a key hurdle that new parents and employees caring for sick family members say keeps them from using the state's paid leave program by offering job protections to those workers.

Senate Bill 1383 by state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) would provide millions of employees who work for smaller businesses with the same 12 weeks of job protections while taking family leave as those who work for larger companies. The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has said he will sign it.

Access to family leave is especially critical amid COVID-19 when workers need to take time off to care for themselves or their loved ones," Jackson said. "Yet without job protection, many workers fear losing their job for taking the Paid Family Leave benefits they pay for. We should be encouraging people to stay home if they are sick, not forcing them to choose between their health and their job."

California's paid family leave program allows workers to take time off to bond with a new child or care for a sick family member while receiving 60% to 70% of their weekly salary for eight weeks. Employees automatically pay into the program through the state's disability tax, but not all workers say they feel they can use the benefit. Many employees, particularly low-wage workers, said they fear that if they take time off they would not have a job to return to.

Currently, companies with 50 or more employees are required to provide 12 weeks of leave to care for a new child or family member. The threshold for parental leave is lower, allowing 12 weeks of job-protected time off for workers at companies with 20 or more employees. Under SB 1383, companies with five or more workers would have to provide 12 weeks of job-protected leave to employees.

Supporters of the bill said providing job protections will ensure that employees who pay into the state's paid family leave program can use the benefit. Lack of job protection is a key reason cited by new parents who declined to take paid family leave when needed, particularly among low-wage workers, who are more likely to work for smaller companies, according to a 2018 survey by the California Employment Development Department, which administers the program.

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Of the 6.8 million workers in the state who earned less than $20,000 in 2018 and paid into the program, less than 46,000 used paid family leave, according to a legislative analysis of the bill.

William Dow, a professor of health policy and management in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley, said because more people of color who are parents work for smaller employers than their white counterparts, the current law does not provide the same level of benefits to everyone who pays into the program.

Dow said there are other factors that cause new parents to decline to use the full extent of their paid leave benefits, such as a lack of awareness as to who qualifies and lower wage replacement, but providing job security will fix a key concern.

"In our survey of new parents, we have 10% of new mothers who dont take as much leave as they would like because they dont have job protections," said Dow, who studies paid leave policies.

SB 1383, however, has drawn concerns from business groups and Republicans, who say now is not the time to add new mandates to businesses struggling during the pandemic. The California Chamber of Commerce, which has opposed previous efforts to expand unpaid family leave, included the bill on its annual job killer list that highlights laws corporate interests say will hurt employment and the economy.

Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Roseville) said family leave is good policy, but that "this bill goes about the goal in all the wrong ways." Kiley read comments he said were from small business owners in the state who believe the bill would have devastating effect.

"This bill will sound a death knell for even more small businesses across California," Kiley said.

The bill makes it illegal to deny an employee's request for 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave during a 12-month period when the reason is to care for a new child or family member, including a parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner.

SB 1383 would also grant spouses that work for the same company to each have 12 weeks of leave, instead of requiring that both parents split the full time off.

Under Jackson's bill, the state would also lower the threshold for four months of job-protected pregnancy disability leave, requiring companies with five or more employees to provide the benefit.

California became the first state in the nation to create a paid family leave program in 2004, but supporters said the state has not done enough since then to ensure the program benefits everyone who is eligible to take time off.

"I'm going to be honest, this is a simple question: Do you think a woman who just had a baby who works for an employer with 19 people should be able to spend time with that child and not risk losing her job with not a cent paid by that employer?" said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) as she urged her colleagues to support the measure. "She has already paid into the system. It is her money she is getting back."
A Syrian military official said Israel's military fired missiles Monday night on areas south of the capital Damascus. The unnamed military official gave no further details adding that Syrian air defenses opened fire on hostile targets. It was not clear what the targets were but state TV said the strikes were carried by warplanes flying Syria's Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The air raids started shortly before 11 p.m. (2000 GMT).

Residents of the capital Damascus said they heard explosions south of the city. An opposition war monitor said Israel's military targeted military posts south of Damascus. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian air defenses were responding to the attack. Israel rarely comments on such reports but is believed to have carried out scores of raids targeting Iran's military presence in Syria. In the past three months alone, Syria has accused Israel of carrying out at least eight air raids on its territory. The last reported strikes came on July 20.

Iran is a key ally of the Syrian government in the nearly decade-long civil war. Israel views Iran as a regional menace and has vowed to prevent any permanent Iranian military buildup in Syria, particularly near the frontier. In recent months, Israeli officials have also expressed concern that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese militant group that operates in Syria, is trying to establish facilities to produce precision-guided missiles. Tensions have also risen along the Israel-Lebanon border.

During last month's strikes on Syria, a Hezbollah member was killed and the Lebanese militant group vowed to retaliate against Israel. On Sunday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to kill Israeli soldiers whenever they kill Hezbobllah fighters in Syria.
If you or a loved one suffers from a nut allergy, there are some supermarket items you wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole (looking at you, peanut butter). But there are also some lesser-known threats to your health, like pesto sauce, vegan cheese, and chicken salad, apparently.

Ukrop's Homestyle Foods, a food producer based in Virginia, is recalling their ready-to-eat chicken salad due to undeclared allergens. After a customer complaint about the product containing almonds that were not listed on the label, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the company is recalling almost 1,200 pounds of the packaged product.

The chicken salad, usually found in the refrigerator aisle of grocery stores, is being sold at various retailers across North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The product in question comes in 15-oz. round plastic containers labeled "Ukrop's Chicken Salad." The batch was produced on August 26, 2020, and has a sell-by date of September 2, 2020. In case you're wondering whether your Ukrop's chicken salad is affected, look for the establishment number "P-19979" inside the USDA mark of inspection on the packaging.

This recall is categorized as Class I by the FDA, which is the most serious category of recalls, due to the fact that consumption of the product could cause "serious adverse health consequences or death."

So far, no reports of sickness have surfaced in relation to this recall, but consumers are advised to dispose of the product regardless of their allergy status.

The company faced a much larger product recall in 2018, when 18,269 pounds of their ready-to-eat meat and poultry products were pulled from grocery stores due to a potential contamination with Listeria.

Most recently, Progresso recalled thousands of pounds of its chicken soup due to a packaging mistake in which the cans were filled with a pork and beef product, while Frito-Lay recalled bags of their Barbecue-flavored potato chips because of a case of undeclared dairy allergens.

Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest restaurant news delivered straight to your inbox.
Contributed Photo / Bjoern Wylezich - TNS

EAST HARTFORD  A man whose last known address was East Hartford has been sentenced to serve a year and a half in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after being deported, federal authorities said.

A judge on Monday sentenced 37-year-old Mario Antonio Herrera, a citizen of El Salvador, to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham.
There are hundreds of long-term care facilities out there fighting to stay afloat. Our goal is to help all of the facilities that are struggling, regardless of what software they use.

Amid the global pandemic, Cantata Health creates a new position to bring on Jason Long as Vice President and General Manager of the long-term care division, NetSolutions. Mr. Long plans to use his extensive experience in building healthcare software and focusing on business growth and his twenty-year history as a business leader and senior-level user experience designer to help long-term care facilities through the COVID-19 pandemic and improve their profitability and quality of care.

As part of Mr. Longs plan to help the long-term care industry, the NetSolutions team is working directly with customers to understand how they can update their software to save long-term care staff time, improve workflows, and make critical data points, like infection trends, easier to access.

In addition to the software improvement the company has planned, Cantata Health is finding innovative ways to help long-term care centers outside of the EHR (electronic health records) platform. "NetSolutions has always been focused on the customers, Mr. Long said, We are prioritizing our direct line of communication with our customers now more than ever to help them overcome their challenges, whether they are related to our software or not.

The company is fulfilling its promise by keeping facilities up to date on quickly changing government regulations, helping them receive funding, providing a publicly available COVID-19 Resource Center, and creating additional training materials for long-term care staff. They also have plans for a video series to help facilities with topics such as



Finding affordable PPE

Growing leads

Staff recruitment

Maximizing reimbursements

Mr. Long went on to say, Its not just about our customers, there are hundreds of long-term care facilities out there fighting to stay afloat. Our goal is to help all of the facilities that are struggling, regardless of what software they use.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 09:35:17|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Education has issued an interim regulation on the naming of higher education institutions.

Institutions in principle should not be titled with words including "China," "national," "international" or other terms that are universally known as substitutes for the nation or the world, and words such as "north China," "east China," "northeast China" and "southwest China", which are referring to regions.

Institutions for advanced education, established by provincial governments, can be titled with the province's name. Without authorization, the names should not include trademarks or names legally owned by other organizations or individuals. Translated Chinese names of foreign colleges and universities are also not allowed to be used.

There should be an interval of at least ten years between name changes at the same level, read the regulation.

The new regulation will apply to the naming of fulltime universities, independent colleges and schools, and advanced vocational and technical colleges established after the issuance of the interim regulation, according to the ministry. Enditem
By ANI

NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent condolences to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the death of former President of India Pranab Mukherjee, according to the Russian Embassy here.

Condoling Pranab Mukherjee's demise, the Russian President in his message said: "During the years of his work as President and other responsible state positions, Pranab Mukherjee has earned the well-deserved respect of his compatriots and high international reputation. As a true friend of Russia, he made a significant personal contribution to strengthening the relations of a particularly privileged strategic partnership between our countries."

"Please convey my words of sympathy and support to the near and dear ones of the deceased and to the entire people of India," Putin said.

Mukherjee passed away on Monday at the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) Hospital where he was admitted earlier this month and had undergone surgery for the removal of a clot in his brain. He was 84.

He was admitted to the Army Hospital in Delhi on August 10 and had tested positive for COVID-19.
Sylvester, part of UHealth and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, will use the anonymous giftthe largest in the Universitys historyto propel into its next chapter of excellence.

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, will use a $126 million anonymous giftthe largest in the Universitys historyto propel into its next chapter of excellence.

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, will use a $126 million anonymous giftthe largest in the Universitys historyto propel into its next chapter of excellence.

Coral Gables, Florida, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A landmark gift of $126 million to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine will accelerate breakthrough advances in finding cures for cancer and expand innovative treatment options for cancer patients. The groundbreaking donationthe single largest in the University of Miamis 95-year historywill further propel Sylvesters standing as one of the nations preeminent cancer centers.



The unrestricted anonymous gift was made in honor of Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester and the Oscar de la Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. I am truly humbled by the magnitude of this gift, said Nimer. I never expected to experience such immense generosity for simply answering the call to serve those in need.



The gift is an anonymous bequest from a member of a family Nimer has known for decades. When facing several health challenges, including cancer, the family and those in their immediate networks, turned to Nimer for guidance and support. Ive dedicated my life to excellence and serving the well-being of others, said Nimer, who is also a professor of medicine, biochemistry, and molecular biology at the Miller School. I now want to honor this donor. With a gift of this size, its our goal to maximize its impact, ensuring that we invest in programs and people who can change outcomes for as many patients as possible. That will mean a legacy that lasts for generations to come.



Recognized as one of the worlds premier leukemia and stem cell transplant researchers and clinicians, Nimer led the multiyear effort to secure National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designation in 2019, making Sylvester the only NCI-designated cancer center in South Florida, and one of only two in Florida.



Sylvester is a leader in cancer care and research and this tremendous act of generosity will have a profound impact on our work in this field, said University of Miami President Julio Frenk. The gift is an affirmation of the extraordinary vision and leadership of Dr. Stephen D. Nimer and our talented and passionate team of researchers, clinicians, faculty, and staff who are changing the way we prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.



To maximize the donations impact, the anonymous gift will serve as a matching gift to leverage additional donations of $1 million or more to Sylvester. To date, philanthropists, including The Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research, Paul J. DiMare and the DiMare family, Steven Dwoskin (Dwoskin Charitable Trust Foundation), Eric and Elizabeth Feder, and Annette de la Renta have met the challenge, donating $21 million in total, to accelerate innovative cancer research and bolster endowment funds for faculty chairs.



This matching program will also establish a strong pool of resources for necessary investments in infrastructure, including a new research facility to foster cutting-edge, scientific discovery and interdisciplinary collaboration.



Based on the donors previous interest in Nimers research priorities, a part of the gift will be dedicated to advancing research in cancer epigenetics and Sylvesters experimental therapeutics program. This will help the people in this community get greater access to more novel treatments, said Nimer. With expanded treatment options and opportunities to develop more cures, our patients can benefit from this landmark gift to our cancer center.



The gift has already allowed Sylvester to recruit a leader in the field of experimental therapeutics, who will build on the programs breakthrough impact on cancer care. Funds from the donation will support Sylvesters continued efforts to attract and retain top-tier scientists and clinicians.



Hilarie Bass, chair of the University of Miami Board of Trustees, said What is most exciting about this gift is the tremendous impact it will have on cancer care for the people of South Florida. It will substantially enhance the research that takes place at Sylvester and lead to enhanced treatment options. Ultimately, anyone seeking cancer care at Sylvester is the true beneficiary.



Jayne S. Malfitano, member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees, and vice chair of Sylvester Board of Overseers, said, Sylvesters preeminent national reputation is due in part to the single-minded dedication our physician-scientists have to those they serveit is this compassion and excellence for care that makes Sylvester so special. Malfitano, who is also the president of the Harcourt M. and Virginia W. Sylvester Foundation board, noted, The donor saw in our institution, and in Dr. Nimer, in particular, the conviction and talent required to alleviate the suffering of so many battling cancer. I am grateful for the trust they had in our work.



Malfitanos involvement with Sylvester dates back more than 35 years when her father, Harcourt Sylvester, Jr., rst pledged a multimillion-dollar naming gift to the University of Miami to build a cancer center in honor of his parents.



Today, Sylvester, part of UHealththe University of Miami Health System and the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, combines the strength of more than 300 cancer experts and researchers. Sylvester discovers, develops, and delivers more targeted therapies, providing the next generation of cancer clinical careprecision cancer medicineto each patient.

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Attachment

CONTACT: Megan Ondrizek University of Miami 3052843667 m.ondrizek@umiami.edu




Reliance Industries (RIL) on September 1, informed the BSE that the Rs 25,215 crore investment by Brookfield Infrastructure and its institutional partners in Tower Infrastructure Trust has been completed.

RIL informed the exchanges, under Regulation 30 of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015.

Further to the earlier disclosures on the subject, the transaction has been completed after obtaining all regulatory approvals, fulfilling other completion requirements, and further to subscription of units of the Tower Infrastructure Trust by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, alongside its institutional partners, for an investment of Rs. 25,215 crore, the statement read.

Earlier in December 2019, RIL said it will divest Jio's telecom tower assets to Canada's Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP for Rs 25,215 crore.

RIL's unit Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings (RIIHL) inked binding agreements with Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP and its partners for the tower business deal, where Brookfield will buyout 100 per cent equity of the operating tower company.

This is the single largest foreign investment in an Indian infrastructure vehicle. Proceeds from the investment by Brookfield and long-term loans will be used to repay existing financial liabilities of Reliance Jio Infratel (RJIPL), including loans extended by RIL.

"Reliance Industries (RIL), which also controls Jio, is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments which publishes Moneycontrol."
Riad Seifs testimony has been highly anticipated and much discussed. Why did one of Syrias most famous dissidents help a high-ranking secret service officer of Bashar al-Assads regime get asylum in Germany? Did he have evidence in favour of Anwar Raslan, who stands accused of crimes against humanity before a German court in the city of Koblenz? In a statement last May, Raslan had listed Seif as one of the people who could confirm his sympathy with the 2011 revolution and affiliation with the Syrian opposition to Assad. But these expectations were crushed within minutes of Seifs hearing, when the witness immediately distanced himself from Raslan. Responding to the judges usual question, he said: No, I am not related directly or by marriage to the defendant. I do not know him at all. Before coming to Berlin, I had never seen him in my life.

This statement came as a surprise since Riad Seif was the one who recommended Raslan to the German foreign office in 2012, helping him and his family secure one of the limited spots in a special humanitarian accommodation program for refugees. What must have seemed like the path to a safe life and better future at the time took an unexpected turn for Raslan when German authorities started investigating him, and finally arrested him in Berlin in 2019. Together with lower-ranking officer Eyad A., he is accused of 58 killings, 4,000 cases of torture as well as rape and sexual assault during his time as head of investigations in Secret Service branch 251, or Al-Khatib branch, in Damascus, Syrias capital.

Recommended reading They felt too safe: how two Syrian agents ended up on trial in Germany

A businessman going into politics

On day 26 of the Al-Khatib trial  as the trial of Raslan and his co-accused is also known  Riad Seif appeared before the judges via video link, as his medical condition did not allow him to take the 600-kilometre trip to the courtroom from Berlin. The 73-year-old looked older than his age. He was seated in a wheelchair, hands shaking, pointing out to the judges that he might have to interrupt the hearing suddenly if his condition deteriorated. Seif suffers from cancer, but during the two days of his testimony last week, he seemed revived by memories of his past, which he avidly shared with the judges.

I was not an ordinary child, Seif said. The witness got into a detailed narration of his success story, during which he proceeded to put himself on a par with Gandhi and Mandela. He was born to a middle-class family in Damascus in 1946 and started working at a textile company as a teenager. Later, he and his brothers founded their own garment business, which became Syrias largest company in the 1970s. Although Seif is known today as one of the most famous Syrian dissidents, he came across more as a businessman than a politician.

In 1994, I joined parliament to apply our business model in all of Syria, he told the court. Until then, I had not even read the newspaper or listened to the news. My business was all I cared about. Seifs political demands were mostly economical, often directed against the corruption and nepotism of the Assad family. When he criticized the awarding of a mobile telecommunication services monopoly to a company owned by Bashar al-Assads cousin Rami Makhlouf, the Ministry of Finance accused him of tax evasion and fined him into bankruptcy. I lost all my assets to the ruling system, Seif said.

If I had known anything negative about him, I would not have supported him

Seif nevertheless continued his political activity and played an important role in the Damascus Spring that started in 2000, after the death of Hafez al-Assad, Bashars father and former president of Syria. Seif hosted regular political debates at his house, eventually forming the Forum for National Dialogue. For this, he was arrested and sentenced to five years in prison in 2001. His second detention lasted from 2008 to 2010. When protesters took to the streets in 2011, Seif joined them but the situation became more and more dangerous for him. After several assaults and gun shots to his bedroom window, he fled Syria. When the judges asked him about the day he left his country, Seif was overwhelmed by grief and struggled with tears. It was the 13th of June 2012,he said after a short break. The United Nations had called me and told me to leave the country immediately.

Two weeks before Seif went into exile, more than 100 people had been massacred in the region of Houla, northwest of Homs, where Raslan originated from. Among the dead were family members of Raslans wife. Impossible that he could have remained in his position after that, said Seif, trying to explain Raslans decision to give up his responsibilities at Al-Khatib prison, where more and more protesters were piled into cells and allegedly tortured each day. It seemed to me that his family had pressured him to defect, said Seif.

By the end of the year, Raslan and his family had left Syria for Jordan, where he joined the Syrian opposition and later managed to contact Riad Seif for help. My son-in-law told me that there was a defected colonel in Jordan who was being threatened by the Syrian regime and hoped for asylum in Germany, Seif recalled. Because the request for help came from a very old friend of his son-in-law, he forwarded Raslans details to the German foreign office, where Seif was well known and trusted. If I had known anything negative about him at the time, I would not have supported him, he stressed.

A letter in praise of Raslan

Riad Seif said he knew Branch 251 well, after having been taken there several times to be interrogated, threatened, and detained for several hours. There is no secret service branch without torture, he said to the judges. But Seif had an incentive to help Raslan, besides doing his son-in-law a favour. I was told that he was a high-ranking officer in the secret service and most likely had important information, Seif testified. Even though the sharing of secret information was not a condition for Seifs help, he assured, he had expected Raslan to cooperate with him in favour of the revolution. He was eventually disappointed, he said. After Raslan had arrived in Germany, he, his wife, and children went to visit Seif at their home. I tried to get information from him, but he did not say a single word, Seif recalled.

Seif described how he increasingly lost trust in Raslan when more and more victims started to share their stories. This, however, did not prevent him from submitting a letter full of praise for Raslan to the German police, after the latter was arrested. The days when Colonel Raslan was in charge were comforting for every inmate, and whoever claims otherwise shall be confronted with me, the statement from a former detainee read. The days under his authority were like holidays, and we eagerly waited for them to arrive.

The document had been posted on Facebook, where Seif retrieved it and presented it to the federal police during his interrogation last year. There are hundreds of statements on social media against Raslan, and just this one in his favour, he argued agitatedly when Raslans defence asked him about the document. I had nothing to do with Raslan. I just felt responsible as a member of the opposition to be objective and offer a balanced picture to the police. Clearly, Seif regretted using his position to support a man who is now accused of crimes against humanity. And yet, as a paradox, the trial might have never taken place if his misjudgement had not brought Anwar Raslan to the country that is now prosecuting him.
Almost 40 children who had been missing were found by authorities in Georgia as part of a two-week mission that they dubbed as "Operation Not Forgotten", the U.S Marshals Service announced on August 27.

Many of the children rescued were at risk for child sex trafficking, exploitation and abuse, the law enforcement agency stated.

Operation Not Forgotten

The authorities rescued 26 children and 13 other children were located in the mission. The mission also involved the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or NCMEC, the Office of the Georgia Attorney General, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other state and local agencies. The children rescued from the mission ranged from 3 years old to 17 years old.

The whole operation has led to the arrest of nine suspects who were charged for parental kidnapping, sex trafficking, registered sex offender violations and other related crimes.

Darby Kirby, chief of the Marshals Service Missing Child Unit, said in a statement that when they track down fugitives, they feel good knowing that they are putting the bad guy behind bars. He added that the sense of accomplishment is nothing compared to finding a missing child.

Also Read: Americans are Buying More Guns than Ever During the Pandemic, Record Shows

Kirby also said that it is difficult to put into words what they feel when they rescue a missing child, adding that the operation has impacted every single one of them. They are working to protect the children and get them the help that they need.

The children were found in 20 counties around metro Atlanta area, including Fulton, Clayton, Gwinnett and Forsyth counties, according to ABC affiliate WSB.

In a press conference on August 27, Donald Washington, the director of the United States Marshals Service, said that a similar operation in Cleveland has recovered 15 children and led to the arrest of two people.

Another operation called "Operation Summer Rescue" that is set to find missing children began in New Orleans.

Washington said that rescuing children is the most meaningful work that law enforcement does. He added that the children are not for sale and that they are not ever forgotten.

Cases of missing children piling up

More than 421,000 missing child reports that were sent to the FBI in 2019, according to the NCMEC. Washington stated that 91% of those are considered endangered runaways and that 1 in 6 or about 60,000 are likely to become a victim of sex trafficking.

The governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, praised the operation in a tweet, saying that the state will continue to work around the clock to bring an end to human trafficking and to make sure that the perpetrators of the evil industry know that they have no place in the state.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said that his office has helped place the children in rehabilitation centres.

Carr said at a press conference that their goal is to save as many children as they can and to expose sex trafficking rings in the state. Carr stated that "sex trafficking can be in many ways a hidden crime, one that lives in the shadows."

Related Article: President Trump Scheduled to Visit Kenosha, Where Jacob Blake Was Shot, Amid Unrest

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The southern Russian town of Beslan has begun three days of mourning to remember the 334 people who were killed in a 2004 school siege. It was one of the worst terror attacks in Russian history, and 184 children were among the victims.
A former All Ireland club champion today became the fifth man charged in relation to the theft and attempted theft of ATMs in Cavan and Monaghan last year.

Daniel O'Callaghan (30) appeared before the Special Criminal Court this afternoon charged with five offences relating to the theft of an ATM in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, in April and the attempted theft of an ATM in Virginia, Co Cavan, in August.

Detective Garda Jim Matthews of Bailieborough Garda Station said that he arrested Mr O'Callaghan, of Monog Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, on foot of a warrant at Cavan District Court at 11.55 this morning.

Mr O'Callaghan, who has three All Ireland Club Championship medals for Crossmaglen Rangers, is charged with offences under Sections 72 and 73 of the Criminal Justice Act.

State solicitor Mr Michael O'Donovan said that Mr O'Callaghan is charged with the attempted theft of the ATM at The Riverfront Hotel, Main Street, Virginia, Co Cavan, on August 14, 2019, for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organisation.

Mr O'Callaghan is also charged with the criminal damage and the theft of an ATM on Main Street, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, on April 3, 2019, both offences alleged being for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organisation.

He is also accused of participating or contributing to the possession of cash intending to facilitate the commission by a criminal organisation or any of its members of a serious offence at Tullypole, Moynalty, Co Meath, on August 14 and 20 of this year.

Defence barrister Mr Seamus Lannon said that Mr O'Callaghan was already on "quite strict bail for separate but related matters" since January and that he had fully complied with all conditions, to which Det Gda Matthews agreed.
Sixty percent of Americans say the federal government's handling of the coronavirus crisis is making the pandemic worse, according to a new poll.

An Axios-Ipsos poll found that 80 percent of Democrats believe the White House's response to the virus is making the country's recovery from the pandemic worse, and just 19 percent believe it is making it better.

Republicans, on the other hand, voiced their support for the White House and just 25 percent say its handling of the pandemic is making the countrys recovery worse.

Meanwhile, 74 percent say the government is making recovery better.

Today there are more than 6million cases of the virus and over 183,000 deaths in the US.

60 percent of Americans say the governments coronavirus response is making the pandemic worse, according to a new Axios-Ipsos poll released Tuesday

Independents largely agree with Democrats with 68 percent saying the government isnt helping.

Trump has falsely insisted that the US has the worlds lowest mortality rate of the virus, but a new New York Times analysis released Tuesday revealed the US accounts for more than its populations share of COVID-19 deaths.

The US accounts for four percent of the worlds population and for 22 percent of COVID-19 deaths, the report found.

According to Johns Hopkins data for the 20 top countries most affected by COVID-19, the US has the 11th lowest case-fatality ratio at three percent.

The US also has the most cases and highest number of deaths from COVID-19 in the world.

Axios-Ipsos started launching polls to measure American trust in the federal government in handling the virus in late March.

Back then more than half of Americans said they trusted the government to look out for their best interests.

This week that trust sits at just 32 percent. The index has been stuck in the low 30s for months as the pandemic wears on.

The Trump administration has been heavily criticized for its handling of the virus. Trump has repeatedly insisted the US has the lowest mortality rate for the virus in the world, but experts say that's not true

Patients wear personal protective equipment while maintaining social distancing as they wait in line for a COVID-19 test at Elmhurst Hospital Center in New York in March

Emergency medical technicians transport a patient from a nursing home to an emergency room bed at St. Joseph's Hospital in Yonkers, New York on April 20

The poll found that most Americans dont trust President Donald Trump to give them accurate information regarding the virus.

The poll also showed that just 31 percent of Americans trust Trump for accurate COVID-19 information and 46 percent say they trust Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for accurate virus information.

Despite the lack of faith among Americans, the poll showed that 57 percent of Americans say they're somewhat or very hopeful the US will get the pandemic under control within the next six months.

Meanwhile, 43 percent are not too hopeful or hopeful at all.

The Axios-Ipsos poll surveyed 1,100 adults from August 28 to 31 with a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
During the last three decades, he has overseen the expansion of computer technology and the greater transition to digital media and online services.

That will be done in coordination with the city library board, he said. Because its a two-step process, the library board and city will cooperate with one another in doing the search, then that person who is selected would be approved by the library board, and that recommendation would come to the city for approval by the mayor and city council.
Wang Yi: Anyone who challenges one-China principle will pay 'heavy price'

Global Times

By Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 12:06:22

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during his visit in Germany on Monday that anyone who challenges the one-China principle will pay a heavy price, referring to the Czech Senate speaker's Taiwan visit.

Wang said Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, noting that to challenge the one-China principle over the Taiwan issue is to make an enemy of 1.4 billion Chinese people and is a violation of international trust and conduct.

Calling the speaker of the Czech Republic's Senate Milos Vystrcil's visit to Taiwan a provocation, Wang stressed that the Chinese government and Chinese people will not sit idly by when challenged by the anti-China power behind the politician, and will let him pay a heavy price for the short-sighted move and political speculation.

Vystrci started his visit to the island of Taiwan from Sunday, a move that has been opposed not only by the Chinese mainland but also by the Czech president's office.

Reuters previously reported that Vystrcil is scheduled to travel to the island with "a trade mission" for six days as the head of a delegation of about 90 political and business leaders.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made a similar comment at a press conference on Monday. He warned anti-China forces behind the Czech official, saying their scheme is doomed to failure and anyone who challenges the one-China principle will pay a heavy price.

Also, the Chinese Embassy in Czech on Saturday expressed strong opposition to the visit.

China has always opposed countries with formal diplomatic ties with the mainland conducting official exchanges with the Taiwan region, said the embassy. The embassy urged the Czech side to abide by the one-China principle - there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China - and take concrete actions to safeguard the overall interests of China-Czech relations.

The embassy said Vystrcil has seriously interfered in China's internal affairs and infringed on China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, condemning the Czech Senate speaker for ignoring mainstream Czech public opinion and insisted on visiting Taiwan out of personal political calculations.

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The last rites of former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee is set to be conducted on Tuesday and his body will be laid in state at his official residence here in the national capital to enable people to pay their last homage.

New Delhi [India], Sept 1 (ANI): The last rites of former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee were conducted on Tuesday and his body was laid in state at his official residence here in the national capital to enable people to pay their last homage.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Adir Ranjan Chowdhury, President Ram Nath Kovind, former President Dr Manmohan Singh, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu had paid last respects to former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on the morning of September 1, 2020.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee has been laid to rest with full military honours. His last rites were performed at Lodhi crematorium today, under restrictions for Coronavirus.

Also read: Former President Pranab Mukherjee dies at 84: Prez Kovind, PM Modi share condolences

#WATCH Delhi: Former President #PranabMukherjee laid to rest with full military honours. His last rites were performed at Lodhi crematorium today, under restrictions for #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/VbwzZG1xX9  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Delhi: Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad pays last respects to former President #PranabMukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg. pic.twitter.com/th4cz9emom  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi pays last respects to former President #PranabMukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg. pic.twitter.com/v504A5vuqo  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind paid last respects to former President #PranabMukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg today. pic.twitter.com/RzYzQCI24P  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Also read: Didnt intend to disrespect SC: Prashant Bhushan responds to contempt case judgement

According to a note issued by the Ministry of Defence, the wreath-laying schedule for official dignitaries was from 9:15 am to 10:15 am for official dignitaries and 45 minutes for other dignitaries. This was to be followed by an hours time for the general public to pay homage to the late President at 10 Rajaji Marg. The MoD note also mentioned that owing to the COVID-19 related protocols, the mortal remains of the late President would proceed in hearse van instead of the normal gun carriage.

All protocols/guidelines in regard to COVID-19 preventive measures were followed, according to the Ministry. Mukherjee passed away on Monday at the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) Hospital where he was admitted earlier this month and had undergone surgery for the removal of a clot in his brain. He was 84.

He was admitted to the Army Hospital in Delhi on August 10 and had also tested positive for COVID-19. The government has announced seven-day state mourning from August 31 to September 6.

Also read: With single day spike of 78k+ new Covid-19 cases, Indias case tally breaches 36L mark

Delhi: Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh pays last respects to former President #PranabMukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg. pic.twitter.com/0qAxqS47iM  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Delhi: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and CPI leader D Raja pay last respects to former President #PranabMukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg. pic.twitter.com/rVLI3sYxoP  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020
Many Hanoi families have turned to celebrating Yulanpen Festival, or Vietnamese Parent's Day online amid the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

Family members of Pham Viet Thoi, 70, gathered at his home in Hanoi's Ba Dinh District at 8 a.m. a day this week to virtually attend Yulanpen Festival in Lac Hong Vien Cemetery Park, Hoa Binh Province.

The festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which falls on September 2 this year, provides children the opportunity to honor their parents and ancestors.

Thoi and his family members watch festival proceedings via a tablet. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Ngoan.

In previous years, Thoi's family had rented a 16-seat car to visit the ancestral tomb, equipped with a tray of vegetarian offerings. This year, due to the ongoing pandemic, the family had to resort to online celebrations.

Using a smart device, the patriarch can now arrange incense lighting, flower delivery, food offerings, joss paper burning, and specially composed prayers for the deceased.

According to Thoi, the cemetery currently offers 24 packages, priced from VND80,000-2 million ($3.4-86.8). The basic bundle, which costs from VND80,000-200,000, only includes josh paper burning, while the VND2 million package entails an offering ceremony, food tray, fruit, golden incense holder, and grave cleaning.

This year, Thoi's family went for the 9-course option, priced at VND1.5 million ($65.1).

Similarly, the family of Le Thi Bich Huong in Thanh Xuan District opted for an online ceremony, instead of preparing vegetarian offerings and attending Vu Lan Festival at the pagoda until 1 a.m the next day.

Le Thi Bich Huong lights incense at home ahead of the virtual commemoration. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Ngoan.

This year, Huong chose a package including vegetarian dishes, fruit and joss paper for about VND2 million, all prepared by cemetery staff, who also clean the grave.

Even though she had booked the online service, Huong still visited the market early in the morning to prepare fruits and offerings at home.

"Due to the pandemic, we cannot visit the cemetery in person to celebrate our ancestors, forcing us to go online. I hope the outbreak would end soon so life can return to normal and our children and grandchildren can gather to pay tribute to their ancestors," she commented.

In the past few days, Thu Lan and fellow staff at Lac Hong Vien Cemetery Park, wearing masks, have diligently cleaned graves, burned incense and offered prayers, food trays and plates of fruit, all captured on film.

Cemetery staff live stream a tomb cleaning process. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Ngoan.

"Vietnamese families often choose a full-service package, or a vegetarian option consisting of seven to nine dishes. Those unable to return from overseas, or the well off also choose this package. Everyone can visit the cemetery online," Lan explained.

Tran Tuan Anh, general director of Toan Cau Company that operates Lac Hong Vien Cemetery Park, said thousands of families would normally flock here to visit their ancestral tombs during this time.

He said this year is the first time the cemetery has deployed online services, with nearly 1,000 customers having placed orders.

According to Anh, all stages from preparation of offerings to performing rituals were held in solemn respect.
Yesterday an Israeli El Al aircraft, which departed from Tel Aviv, landed in Abu Dhabi after flying over Saudi airspace. Meir Ben-Shabbat: Here to transform a vision into reality, unlimited collaboration between the two countries. Criticism from the Palestinian front: a peace made by denying rights. The Emirates first load of aid to Syria since the beginning of the war.

Abu Dhabi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A little over two weeks after the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first direct air link between the two nations was made yesterday; during the route, the Israeli-flagged aircraft also crossed the skies of Saudi Arabia. This is the "first direct commercial flight" between the two nations, which took off from Ben Gurion international airport in Tel Aviv and landed at Abu Dhabi airport.

On board the vehicle of the El Al company there was a mixed Israeli-US delegation, which set foot in the Emirates at 3.39 pm local time after flying over the Saudi kingdom with special authorization. Leading the group was Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump and his special adviser for the Middle East.

At the head of the aircraft were the words "Peace, Salam, Shalom" (in English, Arabic and Hebrew), next to the company logo and the flight number: LY 971 on the way out and LY 972 on the way back, which are the respective telephone area codes of the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

The focus of the talks between the Israeli-American delegation and the Emirati counterparts are issues related to security, trade, collaboration in the scientific field and in the fight against the new coronavirus. Also tourism and the procedures for issuing visas between the two countries - now partners - for future travellers.

Upon his arrival, Kushner underlined the Riyadhs gesture, which granted "for the first time" the green light to fly over its airspace to an Israeli vehicle. The Saudis still have no relations with Israel and, even recently, they have reiterated - rejecting pressure from the White House - that diplomatic relations will only be possible after real peace between Israelis and Palestinians is achieved.

Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat addressed the Emirati hosts with the traditional Arabic greeting "Salamo alaykoum" (peace be with you); he then added that "we are here to turn a vision into reality" and that there are no "limits" to future collaboration between the two nations.

The reaction of the Palestinians was immediate and critical, delivered through chief negotiator Saeb Erekat who stressed that "there can be no real peace by denying the Palestinians' right to exist".

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates, once allies of the Saudis and of the anti-Assad opposition front, have sent - and for the first time since the war began in 2011 - a load of medical and humanitarian aid to Syria, to be used in the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic.

The cargo, which arrived on the evening of August 30 via the Syrian Red Crescent, includes medicines, respirators and disinfectants and is the result of the first [telephone] contact, dating back four months ago, between President Bashar al-Assad and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammad ben Zayed.
Before accidentally discovering her major, Aisha Bowe had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. But when she scored a perfect score on her math exam after a night out of partying, her professor saw something in her that she didnt see in herself: potential.

He told Bowe, I really think that you should go home and think about doing something differently with your life.

Bowe started to do some deep thinking about the direction she was headed in with her life and had some profound realizations.

She realized that she had bought into certain stereotypes that made her think she was not good enough to do anything great with her life. This became her limiting story.

Bowe decided to write down the life she wanted to manifest for herself. Her game plan was clear: get into the University of Michigan, study aerospace engineering, and land a job at NASA.

She decided to transfer to the University from a community college. While finishing her degree at the University of Michigan, Bowe was offered her dream job with NASA. But, she declined because she didnt value herself or believe she was good enough to work at NASA.

A few weeks later, the director of NASAs engineering program, who offered her the job earlier, spoke with Bowe after a conference a few weeks later and told her, After you finish your semester, youre going to come back and work for us.

And thats exactly what she decided to do.

Related: Leadership Lessons From NASA Pioneer Katherine Johnson, Who Just Turned 100

STEMboard

For the first couple of years Bowe worked at NASA, she visited local schools to share the mission that they were on to inspire students within the community. As she began visiting schools, she noticed something: Before she could get to the part of explaining NASAs mission, the students couldnt get past the fact that she was an aerospace engineer working for NASA because she didnt fit the narrative of a typical engineer.

Seeing how interested the kids were in engineering, Bowe created a shadow day for students so they could see what engineering was all about. The kids would get a full tour of the NASA facility so they could learn and be inspired.

She knew there was something powerful about exposing students to technology and began to ask herself, How can I create a company that is not only sustainable but can help develop the technical skills of the people who work there while giving back to our communities?

By 2013, Bowe and her business partner decided to take on their own engineering contracts from federal and private clients through their company, STEMboard, which meant her career at NASA had come to an end.

Bowe started taking a portion of the money she was making with her company to create educational programs for disadvantaged students.

In the last seven years, even without venture capitalist support, her company has evolved to include an educational department with a product line designed to inspire teens worldwide to pursue a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) regardless of their background or lack of resources.

Related: Have What it Takes to Go to Mars? NASA Is Now Recruiting New Astronauts.

Lingo

Every year, Bowe and her team go to the Bahamas to educate about a hundred students on engineering and technology. While there, she noticed that most of the students had never been exposed to building basic hardware or technology, so Bowe decided to buy all the students building kits.

One of the students that Bowe will never forget was named Sal. He was a bright student who showed up every year for the workshop. Sal received the same building kit as the other students, but when Bowe returned the following year, she noticed his kit looked different.

He explained to Bowe how he was able to leverage the kit she bought him to win a science fair project. He ended up innovating the kit, building a laser pointer modification by scavenging extra parts from his community. There are no limits to the imagination.

Inspired by this testimony, Bowe told her team that they needed to refine the kit in a way where more people could access it at home. She wanted a kit that included video support, that was self-paced and that enabled a learner who didnt have academic support at home to learn about science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

Although thousands of students have benefited from the educational programs through her company STEMboard, her team felt that wasnt enough. Hyper-focused on bringing the joy of technology, science and engineering to youth everywhere, her team created Lingo, which offers those self-paced building kits.

Bowe is hyper-focused on scaling the Lingo platform so that its more accessible for schools and educational programs. She is deeply passionate about bringing science and technology concepts to students around the globe from any socio-economic background.

She hopes to create a repeatable model that other companies can adopt so they can solve problems not only for their company but for the world.

Related:

How This Former NASA Engineer Wants to Make STEM Youth Education More Accessible

10 Skills to Make More Engineers Employable in 2020

Why Industry-driven Training is Critical for Employability Amongst Indian Engineers



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Cameroon Secures Borders Amid Renewed Threats

By Moki Edwin Kindzeka August 31, 2020

Cameroon says it is increasing security along its borders with the Central African Republic and Nigeria after suspected rebel incursions and interceptions of vehicles transporting explosives.

Government officials and the military braved a heavy downpour in northern Cameroon Monday to visit the commercial town of Pakete on the border with Nigeria. Jean Abate Edi, governor of Cameroon's North region where Pakete is located said his trip is to make sure that the border with Nigeria is immediately secured.

He said intelligence reports at his disposal indicate that security is threatened on Cameroon's northern border with Nigeria. He said henceforth vehicles known locally as Starlettes are prohibited from transporting goods into Cameroon from Nigeria and that the military has been reinforced along the Nigerian border.

Edi did not say how many more troops have been deployed to the border zone.

Jude Mofor, coordinator of a government operation to secure the border zone, said he invited the governor and his top officials because of the increasing wave of insecurity along the border. He says last week the military intercepted two vehicles bringing into Cameroon explosives from Nigeria. He said Starlettes are increasingly being used in transporting illegal and prohibited goods.

"As our normal duty, we control everything that enters the country. This Starlette was coming and then we stopped it and it refused to stop. Our boys used a special technique that we have to stop vehicles. While controlling, the two occupants of the vehicle ran away. It is then we discovered this stock of explosives," he said.

Mofor said they had opened investigations to determine the origin and destination of the explosives. He said they also seized and were keeping what he described as huge quantities of prohibited goods from Nigeria that may undermine the security of Cameroonians.

The governor said he suspected that the explosives were either destined to commit atrocities in Cameroon or were in transit to the troubled neighboring Central African Republic.

General Agha Robinson, commander of Cameroon troops fighting insecurity on Cameroon's border with C.A.R. and Nigeria also visited the border zones. Robinson said the military also has noticed an increase in the number of people abducted for ransom along Cameroon's border with C.A.R.

Robinson said he has increased troops on that border because Cameroon has within a week reported eight incursions from suspected C.A.R. rebels.

"We came to analyze the operations ongoing so that the success we are recording these days should continue. We came down also to talk to our soldiers to make them know that they have to carry out their mission with professional consciousness. We want to end by calling on the population to go towards those soldiers to denounce [suspects] and then they [the military] will be able to defend them [easily]," he said.

Robinson said in one of the incursions, the rebels left with an undisclosed number of cattle and money they seized from ranchers in the border town of Tignere.

Civilians said two other attacks on merchants were reported in the border town of Galim. They said the rebels also seized gasoline and fled on motorcycles.

Last Sunday a confrontation with Cameroon military killed three suspected rebels remaining in Tignere.

The Cameroon military said it seized war weapons from the rebels who had attacked to gain supplies but gave no further details.

Cameroon shares an 800-kilometer long boundary with the landlocked C.A.R. There are currently some 250,000 C.A.R. refugees in Cameroon.

For the past eight years, sectarian Christian and Muslim militias in C.A.R. have been waging war against each other with horrific violence.

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North Koreas Stolen Bitcoin Loot Move Is Just Tip of the Iceberg

Bitcoin (BTC) has begun to flow out of the accounts that United States prosecutors said belong to North Korean hackers  but an observer in the South said that attempts to follow the money could result in disaster for firms, government bodies and financial services providers.

Source: Adobe/ 

Per blockchain tracker Whale Alert, BTC 12 was moved out of one of the 280 crypto wallets flagged by American prosecutors as belonging to what it alleges are North Korean hackers who have stolen cryptoassets from a range of international targets.

According to Newsis, Americas prosecutor-general alleges that North Korean hackers stole 11 types of crytoasset worth some USD 273,000 from an anonymous virtual currency exchange in July last year. It also said that in August 2019, the rogue state stole USD 2.47 million worth of tokens from a United States-based crypto exchange.

The media outlet said that the North is now trading its tokens on Chinese over-the-counter (OTC) trading platforms  with no shortage of takers in the Middle Kingdom.

Cho Du-hyun, a former business owner and a long-term North Korea observer based in South Korea, told Cryptonews.com,

What we read about is likely the tip of the iceberg. And it figures that the North Koreans will turn to Chinese traders as they share the same political enemies and have a common cause, so to speak. But Im not sure I would pay too much attention to reports about this  most of the trades will likely go completely undetected by the international community. Business between China and North Korea so often is.

Gina Kim, a security specialist based in South Korea, also spoke to Crytponews.com, warning that trying to hunt down stolen funds was a thankless task  and claimed that American and South Korean authorities would be better off focusing on defense. Especially as recent reports from the US Army claim the North has several thousand cyber operatives in the field  many of whom are allegedly working overseas in nations including China.

Kim said,

What the North Koreans are doing with their hacked funds shouldnt really be the issue here  plugging leaks should be. The recent Twitter hacks have shown just how easy it is to run a massive crypto scam by exploiting vulnerabilities at big tech companies. Crypto exchanges, banks, governments and the like would be better off making their systems hack-proof than fruitlessly chasing fistfuls of stolen crypto.

___

Learn more:

How One Ethereum Developer Created a Dilemma For the Whole Cryptoverse

UN: North Korea Turns Talented Children into Cryptocurrency Hackers
Two men were stabbed to death by their third roommate in west Delhis Raghubir Nagar on Monday evening after an altercation over payment of rent.

Police said the third man, who shared the room with the duo, had refused to pay rent because he had gone to his hometown in Amora, Uttar Pradesh, for four months during the lockdown. Police said the suspect was arrested from his hometown early on Tuesday.

According to the police, a call was received at Khyala police station around 7.30pm stating that two men had been stabbed and were lying in their room on the first floor of a building in D block. The duo was identified as Mohammad Ajam, 45 and Amir Hasan, 46, both vegetable vendors.

A police team reached the spot found the two men lying in a pool of blood. They were shifted to a hospital where they were pronounced dead and the bodies sent for post-mortem examination. The duo had been stabbed multiple times. A case of murder was registered and a forensics team was called to inspect the scene of crime , said a senior police officer.

The officer said that the incident came to light after one of Amirs friend called him but the call went unanswered. When he couldnt reach Aamir despite multiple calls, he visited his room and found the door unlocked. When he entered inside, he found both Aamir and Aazam lying on the floor in blood and alerted the neighbours, who in turn informed the police, the officer said.

Locals told us that Ajam and Amir shared their room with one Saakir, 23, who is also a roadside vendor and a native of Amroha, UP. They said Sakir had left for his hometown four months ago and had returned a fortnight ago. After his return, Amir and Ajam asked him to pay rent for four months, to which Sakir refused. This led to an altercation. The police also realised that Saakir was missing since the time of murder the officer said.

Deputy commissioner of police (west) Deepak Purohit said teams were then sent to Saakirs hometown and he was nabbed from there, before he could flee.

Saakir confessed to having killed the two men. He said they were pressurising him to pay the rent for the time period which he spent in his village. He said they had had many arguments and the two men had used foul language against him, which enraged him. On Monday night, he said, when the two men were asleep, he murdered them using a knife and a chopper. He hid the murder weapon and left for his village to collect some money and then flee to an undisclosed location, Purohit said.
Washington, D.C., Aug. 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New Civil Liberties Alliance, a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights group, filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court today in the case of Christopher M. Gibson v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Former U.S. Solicitor General Greg Garre of Latham & Watkins is counsel of record on the petition and led NCLAs pro bono effort seeking certiorari.

The petition asks the highest court in the land to review a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. At issue is whether individuals like Mr. Gibson may gain access to a federal court to vindicate structural constitutional claims that directly impact individual liberty before they must run the entire gauntlet of agency administrative proceedings. NCLA believes the Eleventh Circuit panel erred in concluding the district court lacked jurisdiction to hear Mr. Gibsons objections to the unlawful protection from removal by the President that SEC administrative law judges (ALJs) enjoy.

Mr. Gibsons case is one of many trapped on a treadmill of administrative proceedings that are going nowhere, before unconstitutional ALJs. In 2014 the SEC entered a formal order of investigation of Gibsons trading activities. Gibsons first ALJ, who ruled on his case in 2017, was deemed unlawfully appointed according to the U.S. Supreme Courts 2018 decision in Lucia v. SEC.

Rather than try Gibson in federal court, the SEC subjected him to a second hearing before another constitutionally-defective ALJ. This time, the problem is that the ALJ enjoys multiple layers of for-cause removal protection. In Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Co. Accounting Oversight Board, the Supreme Court made clear in 2010 that officers of the U.S. may not be insulated from removal by more than one layer of for-cause protection. Further protection runs afoul of Article II of the Constitution, which requires the President to take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.

Free Enterprise Fund also squarely held that district courts have jurisdiction to hear constitutional challenges to structural defects in agency tribunals under the very statutory provision at issue in Mr. Gibsons case. Thus, the Eleventh Circuits rulingand that of several other circuitsconflicts with the Supreme Courts precedent in Free Enterprise Fund. Although the Supreme Court ordinarily awaits a circuit split before granting certiorari, the fact that so many circuits have followed one another in committing the same error is a compelling reason for granting review in this case.

NCLA also represents single mom Michelle Cochran in her similar case against the SEC.

NCLA released the following statements:

SEC charges put Americans personal, financial, professional and reputational futures in immediate and often permanent jeopardy. Such life-altering power should only be exerted before a constitutional ALJ. If the Supreme Court does not step in to course-correct the law, Christopher Gibson will have endured two trials, multiple appeals, and surrendered six figures to the government before any court can decide the threshold question of whether his ALJ had the right to try him in the first placeand he will face a third retrial even if he wins. This is senseless, costly, and illogical. NCLA is determined to secure justice for Gibson and all other similarly situated Americans.

Peggy Little, Senior Litigation Counsel, NCLA

The courts of appealsincluding the Eleventh Circuithave gone off the rails when it comes to defendants challenging constitutional defects with agency decisionmakers. People like Christopher Gibson should not have to endure repeated pointless proceedings before ever having a chance to present their constitutional arguments to a real federal judge. The Supreme Court should grant cert in this case and let a federal district judge decide whether ALJs who enjoy multiple layers of protection from removal violate the U.S. Constitution.

Mark Chenoweth, Executive Director and General Counsel, NCLA

ABOUT NCLA

NCLA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civil rights organization founded by prominent legal scholar Philip Hamburger to protect constitutional freedoms from violations by the Administrative State. NCLAs public interest litigation and other pro bono advocacy strive to tame the unlawful power of state and federal agencies and to foster a new civil liberties movement that will help restore Americans fundamental rights.
A second Toronto shopping mall is feeling the pinch of COVID-19 as Ontarios number of active cases has risen to the highest level in four weeks with 112 new infections reported Tuesday by the Ministry of Health.

Fully 70 per cent of the new cases were in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area.

Sherway Gardens has seen temporary closures of two restaurants, Joey and The Keg, for deep cleaning after staff tested positive for COVID-19, mall owner Cadillac Fairview said Tuesday in moving to reassure customers. Both restaurants have reopened after consultations with public health officials.

Cadillac Fairview will continue our extra cleaning of all elevator banks, food court tables, common-area seating, doors and stair railings and all other high-touch points in the complex, the company said in a statement.

Another location of Joey at Yorkdale also closed temporarily in the last few days because of a case, as has a Foot Locker store in the mall at Dufferin and Highway 401.

There are now 1,240 Ontarians actively fighting the highly contagious virus, an increase of 19 from Monday and the most since Aug. 4. Thats up from a recent low of 891 reported Aug. 13.

Locally, 27 of Ontarios 34 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 18 of them reporting no new cases, Health Minister Christine Elliott said on Twitter.

The new cases were concentrated in Peel with 28, Toronto with 26, Ottawa with 18, a dozen in York plus six each in Hamilton and Halton and one in Durham, according to the ministry statistics based on reports from health units at 4 p.m. the previous day.

Outside the GTHA, Windsor-Essex had 11 new infections. Sixty-four of the new cases Tuesday were in people under the age of 40.

Toronto, whose public health department has warned city residents to brace for higher case loads of COVID-19 in the fall, leads the province with 320 active cases, followed by Peel at 290 and Ottawa with 214.

Hospitalizations for the virus are well within the capacity of the health-care system but have been rising, with 65 patients under care the highest since Aug. 6. Of them, 17 are in ICU and nine on ventilators.

At Queens Park, Premier Doug Ford paid tribute to about 600 members of the Canadian Armed Forces who helped in the hardest-hit nursing homes at the peak of the pandemic that ravaged long-term care, killing at least 1,848 residents and eight staff.

More than 5,900 nursing home residents and 2,643 staff caught the virus, leading to severe staff shortages that left appalling conditions in some facilities, such as residents left for hours in soiled diapers or crying for help.

Vivian Stamatopoulos, a caregiver advocate, said the Ford governments plan to bolster staffing in nursing homes in preparation for a second wave of COVID-19 is overdue, given that staff shortages persist and pandemic pay meant to help with retention amid difficult working conditions has been phased out.

Residents are still in unsafe and understaffed, dangerous homes, she charged.

A Star compilation of data from health units at 5 p.m. Thursday found another 141 confirmed and probable cases of the virus, for a total of 44,653 since testing began in January. One additional death lifted the toll to 2,849.

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Inne ogoszenia, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan:
William Bonnell of National Bank of Canada Elected Chair; Michael G. Nassy Elected Vice Chair

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- William Bonnell, Executive Vice President, Risk Management, and Chief Risk Officer, National Bank of Canada (NBC), was elected chair of The Risk Management Association (RMA). Michael Nassy, Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, FVCbank, was elected vice chair. Jodi Richard, Vice Chair and Chief Risk Officer, U.S. Bancorp, was elected Treasurer. Their one-year terms begin September 1, 2020.

"We are excited with the diversity of skills, backgrounds, and experiences of the members of our Board, and it will be an honor to work with them," said RMA President and CEO Nancy Foster. "Through the Board's dedication and support, RMA members will benefit from the resources needed to manage the evolving risks of COVID-19, and be in position to optimize their performance in any economic environment."

As NBC's CRO, Bonnell is responsible for enterprise-wide risk management including credit, market, and operational risks, as well as compliance. He previously held leadership positions in capital markets trading, credit risk, and market risk management while working in Montreal, Toronto, London, and Dublin.

"I look forward to serving as chair this year with such outstanding board members and officers. I believe strongly in the purpose and vision of RMA, especially during these difficult times. The stronger we can make our common risk management practices, the more resilient our organizations will be, putting us in an even better position to support our clients and communities," said Bonnell.

Nassy sets the credit culture for the bank and oversees all credit-related activities including concentration management and stress testing, loan policies and procedures, loan servicing and documentation, and loan approvals, along with the ALLL.

Richard oversees all aspects of the company's risk management activities, including operational risk, credit risk, market risk, model risk, global compliance, AML/BSA, independent risk review, and regulatory services.

Newly elected to the RMA Board of Directors for three-year terms are:

Julie Nosser , Director, Credit Risk Administration, Hancock Whitney Bank, New Orleans, La. , who will chair the Chapter Development Council.

, Director, Credit Risk Administration, Hancock Whitney Bank, , who will chair the Chapter Development Council. Crystal Humphreys , Senior Vice President and Director of Risk Management, American National Bank of Texas , Terrell, Texas , who will chair the Community Bank Council.

, Senior Vice President and Director of Risk Management, American National Bank of , , who will chair the Community Bank Council. Mark A. Whipple , Global Co-Head of Securities Lending, Invesco, New York, N.Y. , who will chair the Securities Lending Council.

, Global Co-Head of Securities Lending, Invesco, , who will chair the Securities Lending Council. John K. McNamara , Managing Director and Deputy Chief Auditor, BNY Mellon, New York, N.Y. , who will chair the Internal Audit Council.

About RMA

Founded in 1914, The Risk Management Association is a not-for-profit, member-driven professional association whose sole purpose is to advance the use of sound risk management principles in the financial services industry. RMA promotes an enterprise approach to risk management that focuses on credit risk, market risk and operational risk. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, RMA has 2,500 institutional members that include banks of all sizes as well as nonbank financial institutions. They are represented in the Association by 18,000 individuals located throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia/Pacific.

SOURCE The Risk Management Association

Related Links

http://www.rmahq.org


Credit - Jeff Manning for TIME

Halfway through my first self-administered haircut during quarantine, I realized it would be, charitably described, uneven. I dont possess the skills, patience or proper tools to give myself a decent at-home haircutI used my neglected beard trimmer, ill-equipped to handle the months worth of growth on my head. I have never owned a proper set of clippers, opting to outsource my haircare to a professional. I have never not had access to a barbershop. Until now.

And so its not that I didnt understand the protesters who grew weary of lockdown orders, the ones who have been ridiculed for their unwillingness to endure some inconvenience for the greater good of public health. One man stood with a sign that simply read We demand haircuts.

I would like a haircut too.

More than the haircut, though, I want to go to my Black barbershop, where Black barbers take their time with my Black hair while Im surrounded by other Black people. This is perhaps the big difference between me and those protesters: they demanded a service, I want a place to feel cared for.

The Black barbershop has its own special lore. Many 19th century Black barbers refused service to Black men out of fear that, not wanting to be shaved by the same razor that touched a black mans face, white men would take their business elsewhere. It was not until race relations deteriorated at the end of the 19th century, writes Douglas Walter Bristol Jr. in Knights of the Razor: Black Barbers in Slavery and Freedom, that these barbers reinvented their traditions to serve the growing Black population emerging in the cities, establishing major corporations and creating the modern-day Black barbershop. This is the place we speak of romantically, the one depicted in films like Coming to America and Barbershop. Black barbershops operate as public spaces where black men can congregate, socialize, and air opinions without repercussions, writes Quincy T. Mills in his Cutting Along the Color Line: Black Barbers and Barber Shops in America.

Story continues

The barber cares and shows it, applying sharp tools directly to the skin, putting you in relative danger, then seeing you through to the end, unscathed. The barbershop is where I learned to make peace with a bit of pain. For some, though, it is a site of immense pain, a largely homosocial space consisting of Black men who revel in the lack of consequences for their speech, which is far too often steeped in misogynist and queerphobic attitudes. Indeed, queer Black folks have had to establish their own space to avoid this toxicity.

I chose my current barbershop in part because, aside from the dedication to push-ups, it is mostly free of that disturbing brand of machismo. The day before nonessential businesses in New York City were ordered closed, I walked past it. I wanted a haircut so badly, but it was clear this pandemic was nothing to be played with, and I took seriously the idea of social distancing. I wanted a haircut even more as we learned COVID-19 was disproportionately affecting Black people. I wanted my barber to take my head in his hands and make it better.

Its probably no coincidence that I gave myself that first haircut within a day of learning that my great-aunt had died from COVID-19. Nearly a third of Black adults in the U.S. know someone who has died from COVID complications. The Trump Administrations goal, according to reporting in the Washington Post, is to convince Americans that they can live with the virus, which is to say they are conscripting the American public into accepting more Black death in the service of the economy. It is what it is, the President said last month when asked about the death toll. We are grist for the mill.

Without the barbershop, there are few places to seek refuge from the constant reminders of the disposability of Black life, few places that feel like a testament to the adage Black is beautiful.

Ive thought, too, about how closed barbershops, during a crucial election year, would affect Black engagement. They are, for better or worse, one of the first places campaigns go to get the pulse of everyday Black American concerns. The same is true for media outlets, a practice with roots in Black newspapers that flourished during the 1940s. Reporters from the Pittsburgh Courier and Chicago Defender regularly printed debates and conversations they participated in or overheard at a barber shop in their respective newspapers, writes Mills, reflecting the democratic ideals of World War II and the realities of Jim Crow America.

Of course now the largest demonstration against police violence in U.S. history has erupted in response to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and so many others, and the shooting of Jacob Blake. In the middle of a pandemic, where proximity increases threat, protesters risk their lives to show one another they care. They dont so much need the barbershop.

Still, as I continue to hear about Black people dying from both police brutality and COVID-19, I want more and more to find relief, however insufficient, in a fresh haircut. Barbershops have reopened in New York, but it remains, in my estimation, too risky to go. For the sake of public safety, Ill live with my patchy home haircuts, longing for that warm feeling I dont know how to replicate.
Now there are two tropical storms in that Atlantic, but neither is a threat to the U.S.

The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday upgraded Tropical Depression 15 to Tropical Storm Omar off the East Coast but said it would be short-lived.

Earlier today forecasters upgraded what had been Potential Tropical Cyclone 16 to Tropical Storm Nana in the Caribbean. It has strengthened as of Tuesday night and could become a hurricane on Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Nana is expected bring heavy rain to parts of Central America, and a hurricane watch and tropical storm watches and warnings have been issued for Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize.

Tropical Storm Nana could become a hurricane before making landfall in Central America.

Nana had 60 mph winds, according to recon data.

Will it be something for those on the U.S. Gulf Coast to worry about?

It didnt appear so as of Tuesday. The hurricane centers forecast track takes the storm nearly due west into Central America and then turns it to the southwest by the end of week, when it is expected to be a non-tropical system.

As of 10 p.m. CDT Tuesday, Tropical Storm Nana was located about 320 miles east-northeast of Limon, Honduras, or 485 miles east of Belize City, and was moving west at 18 mph.

Nana had 60 mph winds on Tuesday night and is forecast to get stronger. It could be a hurricane when it nears Belize.

A hurricane watch is now in effect for the entire coast of Belize.

A tropical storm warning continues for the Yucatan in Mexico from Puerto Costa Maya to Chetumal as well as the Belize coast.

A tropical storm watch continues for the northern coast of Honduras from Punta Patuca westward to the Guatemala border, Roatan Island and the Bay Islands of Honduras and Caribbean Sea coast of Guatemala.

Nana is forecast to stay on a westward track through Thursday, which will take it near but north of the coast of Honduras on Wednesday, the hurricane center said. Nana will likely be approaching the coast of Belize late Wednesday or on Thursday.

TROPICAL STORM OMAR

The hurricane center is also tracking Tropical Storm Omar, which was upgraded earlier on Tuesday.

Omar is forecast to head away from the U.S. and could begin to weaken again on Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Omar is headed away from the U.S.

As of 10 p.m. CDT Tuesday, Omar was located about 310 miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and was moving east-northeast at 14 mph.

Omar had winds of 40 mph, making it a minimal tropical storm.

Omar is expected to stay on a east-northeast path and will continue to move away from North Carolina, forecasters said.

The hurricane center also continued to track a tropical wave that was expected to move off Africas west coast in a day or two.

It is forecast to gradually develop this week while it heads westward over the eastern Atlantic and it could become a tropical depression by this weekend.

Forecasters on Tuesday also were looking at a small area of low pressure that had formed between the Windward Islands and west Africa. It could develop gradually but is expected to meander over the central Atlantic for the next few days.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.
El presidente @MartinVizcarraC brinda conferencia de prensa para informar sobre las acciones que realiza el Gobierno frente al COVID-19. En vivo: https://t.co/dxrdu3owOG https://t.co/JljFplFy2N
An annual tradition of the NYS Fair continues with the unveiling of the 52nd butter sculpture in the Dairy Products building.

The New York State Fair and the American Dairy Association North East unveiled the latest dairy in a Facebook Live event on Wednesday morning.

The sculpture is entitled Nourishing Our Future. One side depicts a dairy farmer providing milk to a child learning at home with his mother and teacher, present virtually on the laptop. On the other side a child is learning in school with a school nutrition worker delivering a meal tray to the classroom.

The display was carefully crafted by food sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton of Conshohoken, Pennsylvania. They have carved the NYS Fair butter sculpture every year since 2003. It takes them about 10 days to complete each creation.

Beginning in chocolate, Victor and Pelton have been working in food as a sculpting medium for over 20 years.

Victor said butter is one of the easiest foods to work with if you can control the temperature of the space it is in like the butter booth at the NYS Fair. Pelton said butter works similar to clay where other food materials act more like plaster, requiring to be carved rather than molded.

Using roughly 800 pounds of butter, the couple said this is their first food sculpture they have done since February. They typically do an average of five butter sculptures and 10 food sculptures in total a year around the around.

It takes 1,954 gallons of milk to make 800 pounds of butter, or the equivalent of one days worth of milk from 287 cows, or 10 months of work from one cow. The average person consumes almost six pounds of butter each year.

The butter for the sculpture this year was sourced from O-AT-KA Milk Products in Batavia. According to the American Dairy Association dairy accounts for around 47 percent of all agricultural products sold statewide.

Victor and Pelton demonstrated for syracuse.com how to make your own butter sculpture at home as the NYS Fair and the American Dairy Association North East is hosting their own butter sculpture contest for 2020. Interested participants can find full details at the contest site on the fairs Facebook page. Sculpture entry photos must be submitted by Sept. 4.

READ MORE

State Fair Flashback 1989: Did you pay 75 cents to see Alfy, the 1,100-pound pig? Or have to see the Fair doctor?

Your guide to a DIY 2020 New York State Fair (video)

No State Fair? No worries! How to make Pizze Fritte at home

Orange Lot Madness: Bigger State Fair-style drive-thru events set through Labor Day
WOODBRIDGE  The first day of school was like a walk in the park, but with foot traffic headed in only one direction, according to the head of the Amity Regional School District.

It honestly seems to be going very, very well, said Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Byars. I have to commend the entire district team of administrators and teachers and paraeducators and school security guards.

Regional School District 5 includes students from Woodbridge, Orange and Bethany.

Byars said she started her day visiting the two middle schools, in Bethany and Orange, before heading to the high school. At all the schools, she said she saw students and staff following the safety protocols such as wearing a mask and keeping distance.

Byars said administrators at Amity Regional High School made a midday adjustment to arrows within school hallways to change the flow of traffic in some areas of the school to better accommodate social distancing.

By reopening at 50 percent capacity  splitting students into two cohorts that attend school in person two out of five days each week  the difference from full capacity was palpable, she said.

Cohorting students maximizes the physical distancing and minimizes student transitions, she said. It really is a significant difference from having everybody here. You can appreciate the value in maintaining that physical distancing when you see school buildings half-full.

About 1,450 students are enrolled at Amity High School, whereas about about 350 students attend both Amity middle schools in Bethany and Orange, according to state data.

Colleen Murray, superintendent of schools in Bethany, rode a bus to Bethany Community School, which is for elementary students, and served lunch in the cafeteria.

On Monday, students with last names beginning in A through K attended in person. On Tuesday, the rest of the students will attend their first day of school. Starting Wednesday, all of the schools roughly 360 students will attend school together for an early dismissal.

Its like a soft opening, Murray said. We wanted to start by easing them into mask wearing.

Murray said that most of the changes that will be made moving forward are usual beginning of year things, such as arranging for a more coordinated parent pickup after the final bell instead of COVID-19-specific initiatives.

I know a lot of parents and adults were worried about it, but they were troopers, she said.

Were doing outdoor education a few times during the day to get the kids out and during recess they can take off their masks, Murray said. Theyve had breaks throughout the day.

Bethany First Selectman Paula Cofrancesco said she had heard a small number of concerns about the hybrid model, but the overwhelming reaction she saw at Bethany Community School was one of happiness.

I saw a lot of smiling faces. Teachers were happy to see the kids and the kids were happy to see their friends. There was a little feeling of some normalcy, she said. It was nice to be back.

Cofrancesco said Bethanys Board of Education had been planning for Mondays reopening since March, when schools were first closed because of the spread of the novel coronavirus in the state and nation.

Orange First Selectman Jim Zeoli, a former school bus driver, said his phone lines had been similarly quiet Monday.

This year I think everybody was apprehensive, but I think its going OK, he said. It usually goes smoothly.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
This graph can tell you a lot about your future. Each bar shows how many new infectious diseases emerged in a year. In 1944, there was one. In 48, three. We have no immunity to new pathogens. Each disease on this list posed a new pandemic threat. It was around 1960 when the number began to rise. By the time 1990 rolled around, it wasnt just two or three new diseases that year  there were 18. Soon after, the trend became so clear, a scientist appeared on TV with a warning. What worries me the most is that were going to miss the next emerging disease, that were going to suddenly find a SARS virus that moves from one part of the planet to another, wiping out people as it moves along. That was 17 years ago. And today, stuck at home in a seemingly never-ending pandemic purgatory, it appears that we did not heed his warning. Covid-19 has opened our eyes to the danger. But has it opened them enough to look past this pandemic to what our future holds? We tracked down that same scientist today to ask him: How do you stop the next pandemic? He said the trend isnt looking good. We see an increased frequency of emerging pandemics. We also still have the ones that emerged recently. We still have H.I.V. We still have Ebola. We still have H1N1. So were adding to the stock of known pandemic pathogens with new ones at an increasing rate. Thats not a good place for us as a species right now. If you want to know how to stop the next pandemic, you first need to know why theyre happening. We humans are an ecological anomaly. There have never been 7.7 billion large-body vertebrates of one species on this planet before in the history of earth. This is David Quammen. Hes a   a very unmystical, black-hole Darwinian materialist. Well, Davids a storyteller. Hes been writing about the origin of infectious diseases for decades. So we are unprecedented, and were causing ecological wreckage thats unprecedented, and there are consequences of that. [explosions] Pandemics emerge due to our ecological footprint. And our ecological footprint is accelerating exponentially. Remember this guy? Thats Peter Daszak, the scientist who warned us in 2003. Hes sometimes referred to as a virus hunter. He goes out to preemptively find viruses before they find us. Its the connection between humans and animals thats driving this. And that connection happens where people move into a new region through things like road building and deforestation, mining, palm oil production, timber and livestock production. People move into new areas. They come across wildlife that weve not really had much contact with. The pathogens spill over into them, and then can spread through that connectivity. [birds squawking] Were encroaching on their habitats. And just many, many more opportunities for spillover events to occur. Christian Walzer is a global veterinarian and executive director for the Wildlife Conservation Society. The destruction happening at the edge of forests is one of the areas where were very concerned. Changing the trees that bats, for example, would roost on, they may be driven to an edge. They may be driven into an area where theres more human population. And suddenly, you create a contact area which didnt exist before. So what do these new contact areas look like? In this video, were going to show you three ways in which our changing relationship with wildlife is increasingly creating dangerous pandemic possibilities. So lets say you want to sell toothpaste. No, peanut butter. Wait, wait shampoo. Never mind, it doesnt matter. In all of those cases, you need palm oil. So you burn down a forest in Malaysia to grow palm trees. But that forest was home to some bats. So the bats find a new home, near some fruit trees on a pig farm. But soon, a virus from those bats makes its way into the farmers who own the property. This isnt science fiction. This is how the Nipah virus came to humans. Why was it getting from the fruit bats to the people? Because of habitat destruction. Most of the forest in northern Malaysia, where the bats would ordinarily be living wild and feeding on wild fruit, most of that forest had been destroyed. In place of the forest, among other human enterprises, were giant pig farms, piggeries, where thousands of pigs were kept in a single corral, being raised for meat. Some of those corrals were shaded by domestic fruit trees that were planted to grow mangoes or to grow starfruit for another revenue stream for these pig farms. So the bats, having lost their wild habitat, are attracted to the domestic fruit trees. They come in, they eat the mango, they eat the starfruit, they drop the pulp into the pig corrals. And with it, they drop their feces and their urine and their virus. It gets into the pigs, spreads through the pigs, then gets in the pig farmers, pork sellers, and other people. Land use change is one big reason more infectious diseases are making their way into humans. However, its not just animal habitat we need to worry about. Animal diversity can be just as important. Loss of biodiversity itself has led to emergence of disease. When you lose species, you tend to be left with certain groups. And if they happen to carry viruses, and if they dominate the landscape, you will be exposed to those viruses more than others. This story doesnt begin in the jungles of Africa or forests of Southeast Asia. We begin in the American suburbs. If humans cut down the forest and turn it into a suburb, like those beautiful suburbs we know in semi-rural Connecticut, where there are great big lawns in front of nice houses, and there are hedges, and then theres somebody elses house with a great big lawn in front of it, thats really good habitat for white-footed mice, and also for white-tailed deer. Not so good for larger mammals, like foxes, like weasels, or for birds of prey. So the hawks and the owls tend to disappear, the foxes and the weasels tend to disappear from this environment. What happens then? You get more white-footed mice. You get an abundance of white-footed mice because their predators are not suppressing them. Having an abundance of white-footed mice wouldnt be so bad, except they are the natural reservoir host of Lyme disease. This means they harbor the bacteria, but it doesnt make them sick. So if there was a biological diverse landscape, well, then  The pathogen is shared amongst the various hosts that are in that landscape. Many of these hosts are incompetent and are unable to actually transmit the disease. And so it becomes a dilution effect. The net result of this reduction in biological diversity, changing the landscape, making it more fragmented, less forested, is more ticks infecting more little kids when they go out to roll around in the grass and bust through the hedges. So there is more Lyme disease. And yet, Covid-19 may not have started this way at all. In view of the ongoing outbreak, if you create a completely artificial interface where you go and capture animals regionally, globally, and bring them together at one place, like at a wildlife trading market, then youre obviously creating fantastic opportunities for viruses to spill over. A pathogen from an animal might not be able to spill over directly into humans, but it could spill over into another animal, evolve or adapt, and then infect humans. With a rotating variety of animals stacked on top of each other, the pandemic possibilities are significant. This is one theory of how the coronavirus may have started in China. The thing is, in the past, a spillover event from this wildlife market may not have affected you. We also have to take one step back from the sort of very romantic idea that these are isolated communities living in central Africa. You know, I always point out that a rat which you capture somewhere in northern Congo now, within 12 hours, youre in Brazzaville. The Republic of the Congo now has a new modern highway and economic artery thanks to Chinese assistance. See, just 10 years ago, that would have been impossible. But then, well, China  The national highway was complete  China wanted access to minerals to mine. In exchange, they helped with infrastructure. Now, theres a road. Theyve created accessways, not only for the rare earths which are so important for your mobile phone, but for viruses as well. If you catch the plane that evening and you take your rat with you because you want to bring it to your family in Paris, its less than 24 hours from a very, very remote community all the way to Paris. But luggage is screened, you say. The rat would get caught. Maybe. But really, the rat isnt the biggest threat. Its you. Your bag gets screened. Your blood does not. We all have a share of the responsibility. Its not just people in China who want to eat bats or who want to eat pangolins. That may be the immediate cause of this spillover, but in terms of the initiation of these things, generally, there is also enough blame, enough responsibility to go around. The three ways in which a pandemic could start shown in this video all have one thing in common  us. Heres what we did. We changed the planet so significantly and so fundamentally that we dominate every ecosystem on earth, right now. We are the dominant vertebrate species. Our livestock are the dominant biomass on the planet. And thats the issue. What weve done is weve created this pathway through our consumption habits by which viruses can get from wildlife into people and then infect us. And our response is we blame one country versus another, we blame people who eat one species over people who dont eat another and we blame nature. Well, no. We need to point the finger directly at ourselves. This is not a whiny argument that the worlds falling apart and its our fault, this is an argument that says we are the reason why this happens. We, therefore, have the power to change it. So how do you stop the next pandemic? Well, this is what you do. No. 1, you find out what viruses there are in wildlife. We estimate 1.7 million unknown viruses. Lets go and discover them. Lets get the viral sequences. Lets get them into the hands of vaccine and drug developers, and get them to design vaccines and drugs that are broadly effective  not just against one pathogen, but against a number of pathogens. But No. 2, and critically, we need to work with the communities that are on the front line of this. And thats a solution that the public are less excited by. Its old-fashioned. Its working in foreign countries with different communities that do different things. Its hard work, and its less attractive to the voting public. Weve got to do all of the above. High-tech, low-tech, but focused on prevention. Its possible and its doable. Lets get on and do it. Great. Lets do it. No more pandemics. Theres just one problem  money. Please, in the back. Thank you, Mr. President. U.S. intelligence is saying this week that the N.I.H., under the Obama administration in 2015, gave that lab $3.7 million in a grant. Why would the U.S. give a grant like that to China? We will end that grant very quickly, but  Thats Donald Trump canceling a grant that was funding research to stop pandemics, including studying coronaviruses in bats. But the grant wasnt going to China. It was going to  you guessed it  Peter Daszak. That grant started in 2015. 2015? Who was president then, I wonder? We have to put in place an infrastructure, not just here at home, but globally that allows us to see it quickly, isolate it quickly, respond to it quickly. This is not a new fight. But if we wait for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare. What is new is our reaction to it. Its nobodys fault  its not like  who could have ever predicted anything like this? What worries me the most is that were going to miss the next emerging disease. If we dont want more Covid-19-like events in the future, we need to stop pandemics before they happen. That means depoliticizing pandemics and investing in prevention. I think we need to wake up. Theres a certain moment right now where the public around the world, because this pandemic has got to every country on the planet, the public now see their own health as intimately connected to why these pandemics emerge through the wildlife trade or deforestation. So we need to really drive that message home that producing a healthier planet will actually save our own lives and improve our own healths.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty

In a piercing appraisal of the growing strife unraveling under President Donald Trumps first term, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accused him of stoking, and even starting, civil unrest that is proliferating across the country.

Trump has been a toxic presence in our nation for four years who is poisoning our very democracy, Biden said forcefully in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The speech offered a moment of methodical, even urgent, messaging for Biden, who sought to cast the president as an unjust and dangerous leader who spews falsehoods in an effort to gain a political advantage.

This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it, Biden said. You know, he may believe mouthing the words law and order makes him strong. But his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows how weak he is.

Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is re-elected? he asked.

Biden devoted the first portion of his just-over 20-minute speech to outline what he deems to be a red-line for protest conducta metric that is unclear under Trump.

The senseless violence of looting and burning and destruction of property. I want to make it absolutely clear so Ill be very clear about all of this. Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. Its lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted, Biden said.

Violence will not bring change. It will only bring destruction. Its wrong in every way. It divides instead of unites, destroys businesses, only hurts the working families that serve the community. It makes things worse across the board, not better.

After mentioning some more typical campaign references about the groups of voters he is seeking to embrace, Biden again moved to correct fabrications Trump and his allies have unleashed throughout the general election. Biden paid particular attention to the GOP-driven idea that he is part of a bigger socialist network of Democrats who will cause disorder in the nation.

Story continues

The road back begins now in this campaign. You know me. You know my heart. You know my story, my familys story. Ask yourself, do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really? I want a safe America. Safe from COVID, safe from crime and looting, safe from racially motivated violence, safe from bad cops, he said. Let me be crystal clear. Safe from four more years of Donald Trump.

Bidens remarks, which were broadcast across major cable news networks, were part of his first major outing since indicating that he plans to step up his schedule after Sept. 7, making use of the roughly two months until Election Day. He also used his televised airtime to turn the attention back on COVID-19, which has been one of the most dramatic points of difference between Biden's campaign and Trumps.

Donald Trump looks at this violence and he sees a political lifeline. Having failed to protect this nation from the virus that has killed more than 180,000 Americans so far, Trump posts an all caps tweet screaming law and order to save his campaign, he said.

Trumps re-election campaign announced that he will appear in Latrobe, about 40 miles away from Pittsburgh, on Thursday. Before that, he is expected to travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, despite calls from top Democraic elected officials, including the governor, who have urged him not to come amid ongoing discord and grief from the police shooting of a Black man named Jacob Blake, 29, by a white officer.

Trump, picking up on the central topic during the Republican National Convention, has been calling for LAW & ORDER!, with the most recent occurrence being hours before Biden took the stage.

The violence were seeing in Donald Trumps America. These are not images of some imagined Joe Biden America in the future, Biden said. These are images of Donald Trumps America today. He keeps telling you if only he was president it wouldnt happen. If he was president. He keeps telling us if he was president youd feel safe. Well, he is president, whether he knows it or not.

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METHODOLOGY

CMPs Women of Influence list will once again identify and bring recognition to the diverse group of female trailblazers who have made significant professional in-roads as innovators, mentors, promoters of inclusion in the industry and more. Their stories, career trajectories, philanthropy and inspirational approaches will not only embody what it means to be a Woman of Influence, but what it means to be a force for change  in the mortgage industry, the nation and the world. This years CMP Women of Influence is selected with the assistance of the Advisory Panel, an independent judging panel composed of industry leaders, including:

Laura Martin , C.O.O., Broker - Matrix Mortgage Global

, C.O.O., Broker - Matrix Mortgage Global Sabeena Bubber , Mortgage broker - Xeva Mortgage

, Mortgage broker - Xeva Mortgage Reza Ghazi, CEO - Greenflow Financial

CEO - Greenflow Financial Veronica Love, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, TMG Canada

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, TMG Canada Troy Resvick, Managing Partner/Senior Mortgage Advisor, Invis - Resvick & Associates Mortgage Advisors

Managing Partner/Senior Mortgage Advisor, Invis - Resvick & Associates Mortgage Advisors Caroline Rapson, Director Operations, CENTUM Financial Group Inc.

When compiling the list, CMP considers the advisory panels recommendations, as well as external nominations. The panelists confirm the final list based on all qualifying candidates industry achievements and service to the mortgage profession. To avoid conflict of interest, any self-voting and voting for relatives is voided.
On August 26 around midnight, the accused persons were on duty and were driving Zimbabwe Zhong Zhing Coking Company vehicles at the mining pits when they were loaded with 25 tonnes each to deliver to the mines stock pile. Instead the two accused persons drove the two vehicles to an unknown destination and offloaded the coal, thereby stealing from Makomo Resources, the State alleges.
Former President and Bharat Ratna Pranab Mukherjees last rites were performed with full military honour at the Lodhi Road crematorium in south Delhi on Tuesday amid strict adherence to social distancing norms because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak that forced a limited presence of family and his friends.

The former President (84) died on Monday evening, 22 days after has admitted to the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in south Delhi to undergo a surgical procedure to remove a brain clot from which he never recovered. He had also tested Covid-19 positive during his treatment in the hospital.

Mukherjees mortal remains were brought to his residence at 10, Rajaji Marg earlier on Tuesday morning, where President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, former PM Manmohan Singh, BJP president JP Nadda, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, chiefs of the three services and a host of dignitaries paid their tribute.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also paid his homage.

Paid tributes to respected Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He would be remembered by generations for his efforts towards Indias progress, PM Modi tweeted after paying a floral tribute to the leader, who he considered to be his mentor and a father-figure.

The Union Cabinet observed a two-minute silence in memory of Mukherjee, who had served as the Union minister for finance, defence and external affairs during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliances (UPA) rule between 2004 and 2014, among his other portfolios and roles in his long and distinguished career in public life.

The cabinet expresses profound sorrow at the sad demise of Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India. In his passing away, the country has lost a distinguished leader and an outstanding parliamentarian, the Cabinet said in a resolution.

The former President was taken for the last rites in a hearse van instead of the gun carriage with the pall- bearers wearing personal protect equipment (PPE) kits as per the Covid-19 protocol.

He was cremated in an electric crematorium and his son Abhijit performed the last rites.

His presence was a support for our family, well miss him. I feel Covid-19 was not the main factor for his death rather it was the brain operation. I had plans to take him to West Bengal but due to current restrictions we couldnt do so, Abhijit told news agency ANI shortly after the cremation.
For months, weve been worried that a top-heavy stock market would be vulnerable to a crash. One generous line of thinking has been that value stocks will perk up once economies recover, and indexes will look more balanced. That may well be the case, but until that day comes  and it could take years  the ATMs and FAANGs of the world have already distorted stock investing into an unrecognizable form.
Wind farms come with many benefits but it poses a great danger to birds. A study suggests that painting the wind turbine black could make a difference could decreases bird deaths by 70 percent (Photo : Pixabay)

Windfarms provide many advantages, making it one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world. The structures, however, pose a danger to birds, and such a threat is considered one of the significant negative impacts of wind farms.

A recent study on Smola, a Norwegian archipelago suggests that coloring painting the wind turbines led to an average annual reduction of 70 percent in bird fatalities. The experiment also revealed that the painting part of some turbine towers black also reduces incidences of bird mortality.

READ: $100M Queensland Wind Farm Proposal Gets Rejected to Save Old-Growth Forest





Painting the Wind Turbines Black

The study which was done in one wind farm in Smola, recorded six bird deaths on four painted turbines, while 18 fatalities were recorded on four control turbines that were not painted. The findings suggest that painting the turbines black lessens the risks of the fatality of the birds without doing much of reengineering.

The findings, which were published in Ecology and Evolution journal, had encouraging results. Still, researchers emphasized the need to test the experiment in different wind farms to make the findings more conclusive.

Since the wind turbines were already installed, painting the rotor blades required additional costs, according to Roel May, a conservation biologist of the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA). "If the painting is done before construction, however, both the cost and the bird mortality will be reduced."

Painting the blades black may address concerns of numerous bird deaths associated with wind farms, the researchers suggest. Doing the simple tweak on turbines reduces motion smear - the difficulty to have a visual lock when an object is moving, making the blades more visible to birds.

Other possible ways to reduce bird deaths were covering the blades with ultraviolet paint and position turbines in areas of updraft that birds usually soar.

Although painting the wind turbines black was found to be useful in this study, researchers suggest that other colors may also be tried.

The researchers also said that more studies are needed on various sites to see what works best in keeping the birds away from the turbine.

According to Dr. May, the reduction of the motion smear concept roots of the rotating blades back to an experiment done in the US at the beginning of the century.

READ ALSO: French President Macron Suspends Glue Bird Traps for Hunting





Windfarms Innovations That Are Bird-Friendly

The researchers cite that in the Smola wind-power plant, one of the largest onshore wind farm in Norway, six to nine white-tailed eagles die every year, causing opposition and conflict on the project.

Martin Harper, the director for conservation at the Royal Society for Protection (RSPB) welcomed the development as the finding are valuable in understanding additional mitigations may be used once a suitable site for wind farms had been chosen.

The spokeswoman for Scottish Power Renewables, UK's largest onshore facility said that the findings were "definitely an interesting development".

According to Dr.May, the research team also have to test whether other rotor blade patterns such as red blade tips may also be equally effective.

He said that he also looked forward to windfarm developers adopt mitigating measures such as painting the wind turbine black to protect to lessen bird fatalities.

READ NEXT: Musicians of the Night: The Nocturnal Singing of Willie Wagtails

Check out more news and information on Windfarms in Nature World News.


An effort to allow duplexes on most California single-family lots died late Monday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

California lawmakers nearly sent a bill to the governor that would have essentially ended single-family zoning across much of a state mired in a housing crisis.

Then they ran out of time.

In a legislative season marred and compressed by the coronavirus outbreak, the California Assembly approved Senate Bill 1120 three minutes before the midnight deadline Monday for bills to pass both houses, a time enshrined in the state Constitution.

But Tuesday came before the Senate could vote. The bill, which would have allowed for duplexes on single-family lots, likely had a good chance.

Its author was Senate leader Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and the bill previously passed the Senate 39 to 0. It needed to go to the Senate again only because the Assembly amended it slightly.

The failure raised questions among supporters as to why Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) brought up the bill at 11:30 Monday night, and it marked another setback for a multiyear push by some activists and legislators to tackle California's housing crisis by boosting density.

"Assembly leadership held the bill until the last minute for a vote and I don't know why," said Brian Hanlon, executive director of California YIMBY, which supported the bill. "We need the Senate and Assembly to be talking and working together."

In a statement, Atkins said she was dismayed to see the bill "die under such unusual circumstances in the Assembly," but hoped "reason will prevail next session."

She added that she understood some bills take a while, but to "lose a common sense bill like SB 1120 in the middle of a crisis because of folks running out the clock. That is harder to understand.

Rendon's spokeswoman, Katie Talbot, didn't respond to Atkins' comments, but she said "this was a challenging year to get all our work done in the Legislature" and she noted that after the bill was brought up at 11:30 p.m., a debate among Assembly members pushed the bill closer to midnight.

Story continues

"The Speaker is supportive of SB 1120, and it did pass the Assembly, but unfortunately we ran out of time to get it past the finish line," she said.

SB 1120 came out of the January defeat of controversial Senate Bill 50, which would have allowed for fourplexes on most single-family lots and low- and mid-rise apartment buildings in places near transit and job centers, regardless of whether they were single-family neighborhoods.

Atkins introduced her duplex bill in February, saying it was a way to boost supply while respecting neighborhood character. Although more modest, it still posed a departure from the way that many California neighborhoods were built: one lot, one house.

SB 1120 wouldn't have outlawed single-family houses. But it would have required local governments to permit applications to convert a house into a duplex or to demolish a house and build two units, either as a duplex or two single-family houses.

Property owners also could have split their lot in two and built two more units, thus allowing four homes where there previously was just one.

SB 1120 wouldnt have applied in rural areas and historic districts.

Cities could also apply design standards to new units unless those standards would have the effect of physically precluding the construction of up to two units, according to the bills language.

Supporters saw it as a way to ease California's affordability problems that most economists blame on a lack of supply that has forced people to bid up home prices and rents to find a place to live. In addition to adding supply, supporters hoped the new duplexes and single-family homes built under SB 1120 would also have been small-scale and cheaper than some options on the market.

But like previous efforts to upend California zoning rules, SB 1120 faced pushback from community groups concerned it would ruin single-family neighborhoods, making them into denser places with too much noise and traffic.

Opponents also pointed out the lack of any affordability mandate in the bill and said it was likely to produce mostly high-end housing that wouldn't be helpful in combating the housing crisis.

In South Los Angeles, many residents again saw the effort as an affront to how hard Black Americans fought to join single-family neighborhoods, battling redlining, racist covenants and even targeted violence. And they worried that suddenly relaxing zoning rules would not only ruin the low density they enjoyed, but also unleash an investment flood that would accelerate displacement of the Black community as developers scooped up old homes and built new ones unaffordable to most in the community.

In June, the bill passed the Senate and was later amended slightly in the Assembly.

On Monday night, as the clock ticked toward midnight, the bill finally was brought up on the Assembly floor.

Among the supporters was Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), who spoke while holding her newborn baby after being denied the ability to vote by proxy amid the pandemic.

"I was actually in the middle of feeding my daughter when this bill came up," she said after arriving on the Assembly floor. "I just come down here in strong support of this bill, and urge my colleagues: It's the simplest way we can have density that still adheres to neighborhood character. "

Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-Templeton) spoke a short time later.

"We have a California, if we continue on the present path, that is going to be unaffordable for the next generation  totally unaffordable  and we all know it," he said. "If we are serious about solving the housing problem we have to do what it takes and that is increase supply. This bill will do it. "

Others urged a no vote. Some decried that the bill would limit local control; some said they may have supported the bill, but worried that a major change to California neighborhoods was being rushed without time for proper debate and analysis.

"This is a major piece of public policy and we should be debating this not for 15 minutes, not for 30 minutes but for several hours," said Assemblyman Chad Mayes, a former Republican Assembly leader and now independent from Yucca Valley. "I still could support, maybe next year, but not this year, because we haven't had the time to properly debate it."

Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), who represents parts of South L.A., came out strongly in opposition.

"I don't think we should be asking for an invasion by developers into communities across the state, because we are too lazy quite frankly to have more meaningful conversations about how we are protecting communities and finding ways to build housing that people truly can afford."

Ten minutes to midnight, the bill hit 38 votes, shy of the 41 needed to pass, and it was put aside.

A few minutes later, it was brought back and passed at 11:57 p.m.

It was back to the Senate, but it was too late.

Midnight passed without a vote in that house where Atkins, the bill's author, is Senate leader.

Given the approval in both houses, Hanlon, the head of California YIMBY, said he expects the bill to return next year.
Protesters clash with deputies of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department during protests following the death of Dijon Kizzee on Monday, in Los Angeles, Calif.
A failure to meet a legal filing deadline has sunk the City of Pittsburghs attempt to overturn the reinstatement of a police officer who was fired after being charged with flashing a pistol during a road rage incident.

A Commonwealth Court panel issued that ruling in the case of Officer Robert Kramer on Tuesday.

In the courts opinion, Judge Patricia A. McCullough cited the accusation that Kramer brandished a gun while off-duty when another driver pulled beside the officers personal vehicle in May 2017, rolled down his window and began yelling at Kramer.

Kramer was charged and dismissed over the incident, but an Allegheny County jury acquitted him of the criminal counts in 2018. An arbitration panel then ordered Kramer to be reinstated to the city force, McCullough noted. A county judge upheld the arbitration ruling.

When the city appealed to Commonwealth Court last September, the state judges gave it a 21-day deadline to file a detailed statement of its arguments, McCullough observed.

She found the city missed that filing deadline by two days, and so forfeited its right to keep contesting Kramers reinstatement.
An NDP MP is calling on Youth Minister Bardish Chagger to resign saying she misled Canadians when she testified before MPs probing the federal governments WE Charity deal.

During a Tuesday press conference, Charlie Angus, the NDPs ethics critic, laid out a timeline of events that he said showed WE Charity co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger were in the drivers seat leading up to the federal government announcing the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) in late April.

Angus said Chagger put them there when she met with Craig Kielburger on April 17, a meeting that went unmentioned during her first appearance testifying before MPs this summer. Documents released last month suggest this was around the time WE was told to start drawing up a proposal for a grant program similar to the CSSG.

She should step down from her failure to come clean and explain why she had that meeting, Angus told reporters on Tuesday.

I really dont know how Minister Chagger stays in this position having so clearly misled two committees and misled the Canadian people at this point, said Angus.

The assertions made by Angus deal with a central issue in the WE affair, a controversy that has plagued the government for months: whether the public service came up with the idea for WE to run the CSSG program or whether that decision was politically motivated.

A spokesperson for Chagger said that the documents supported the ministers repeated assertions that she never spoke with WE Charity about the Canada Student Service Grant.

The documents that have been disclosed support that comment and further support that this was a recommendation by the professional public service for WE to administer the program.

The CSSG agreement was eventually awarded to WE and the group was expected to administer the federal funds to students through grants for volunteering.

But the program was quickly nixed when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced conflict of interest questions due to his familys ties to the organization.

Parliamentary committees began hearing testimony from ministers, including Chagger, public servants, and witnesses from outside government about the deal. Two ethics investigations were launched and thousands of documents were turned over to the committees this summer.

On July 16, Chagger testified in front of one committee that she hadnt discussed the CSSG program with anyone at WE before meeting with cabinet ministers about the agreement.

The Star later broke the story that Chagger had met with Craig Kielburger on April 17, prior to the April 22 announcement of the program. At the time, the minister said the CSSG was not discussed and that the meeting dealt with a separate proposal WE had submitted weeks prior.

Then, on August 11, Chagger testified before another committee probing the deal, and Angus asked her why she hadnt been forthcoming about the April 17 meeting. Chagger told Angus she hadnt discussed the CSSG during that meeting.

But it was during that April 17 meeting that the suggestion for WE to adapt the separate proposal around social entrepreneurship to include a volunteer service aspect was raised, according to an email from a government relations employee with WE.

The program would include microgrants for young people and the ability for WE to work with non-profits across the country, said the email.

Craig Kielburger wrote in an April 22 email that Chagger herself suggested WE Charity include a volunteerism component to their proposed social entrepreneurship pitch during the April 17 call, which took place five days before Trudeau announced the government-funded program to pay young Canadians who volunteered during the pandemic.

Chagger has previously denied she made that recommendation: I at no time directed WE Charity to amend or adjust or add any proposal.

But Angus said that after the April 17 meeting, WE was the only entity being considered for the deal, according to correspondence included in the documents that were turned over. Before that, other options were on the table, he said.

After April 17, theres only one plan, he said. Its the Kielburger plan.

Why did she cover up? Was she doing this on her own? Was she trying to garner a relationship to the prime minister when everyone knew that the Kielburger organization was extremely close to the Trudeau family?

Angus said Chaggers resignation wasnt a condition on which the New Democrats would rest their potential support for the governments upcoming throne speech, which could be crucial for the Liberals who need Opposition support to keep their minority government in power.

The ethics commissioner is probing the agreement between the federal government and WE Charity, including former finance minister Bill Morneau and Trudeaus family ties to the organization.

Since 2015, WE has paid around $500,000 to Trudeaus mother and brother in speaking fees and expenses, along with covering expenses for his wife attending events. Morneau also had a daughter working for the group when the deal was struck.

Morneau resigned his cabinet position this summer as the government dealt with the scandal.

The move came after he told a committee during testimony that WE had covered $41,000 in expenses during two overseas trips his family took in 2017.

Neither Trudeau nor Morneau recused themselves from the decision making during a cabinet meeting where WE was given the green light to work on the grant program.

Trudeau prorogued Parliament this summer, ending the probes being carried out by the all-party committees.
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.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

State subsidies on interest rates will be offered to SMEs in Kazakhstan within the framework of COVID-related support measures, Trend reports with reference to the press office of Kazakhstans president.

The corresponding order was given on Sept. 1, 2020 by Kazakhstans President Kassym Jomart Tokayev during his address to the people.

The subsidies will cover the period of 12 months starting from introduction of an emergency state in the country, i.e. March 16, 2020.

The National Bank is also implementing a special working capital replenishment program for SMEs operating in the sectors most affected by COVID-19. The program was to be completed this year, however taking into consideration current situation I instruct to extend this program until the end of 2021, as well as expand its coverage, Tokayev said.

Tokayev said that additional 800 billion tenge ($477.7 million) are to be allocated for the programs implementation bringing the overall value of funds to 800 billion tenge ($1.9 billion).

Tokayev also instructed to suspend the charging SMEs on rent of real estate objects until the end of the year.

I am instructing to develop a new regulatory framework for SMEs within the next year. I also instruct the government to launch an export acceleration program aimed at medium-sized non-commodity enterprises in order to provide targeted support, he said.

Tokayev said the result of the measures on SMEs support is to be increase of its share in overall countrys GDP to 35 percent by 2025.

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Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
Trump still wants US to get piece of any TikTok sale Critics have slammed President Donald Trump's call for the US government to get a cut of the sale of TikTok, saying that it appears unconstitutional and akin to extortion

President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated his demand for a piece of the action from any sale of TikTok's US operations for forcing such a deal.

TikTok has been at the center of a diplomatic storm between Washington and Beijing, and Trump gave Americans a deadline to stop doing business with TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance -- effectively compelling a sale of the app to a US company.

"Well, I told them that they have until September 15th to make a deal; after that, we close it up in this country," Trump told journalists.

"And I said that the United States has to be compensated -- well compensated -- because we are the ones that are making it possible, and so we should be compensated."

Critics have slammed Trump's call for the US government to get a cut of the deal, contending that it appears unconstitutional and akin to extortion.

The owner of popular video app TikTok vowed to "strictly abide" by new export rules in China which could potentially complicate a sale of the business as demanded by Trump.

- New Chinese rules -

China's commerce ministry last week published new rules that added "civilian use" to a list of technologies that are restricted for export.

The move marked the first time China has adjusted its list of technologies subject to export bans or restrictions since 2008, adding 23 new items.

The new regulations could make it more difficult for ByteDance to sell the wildly popular video app, which features clips of everything from dance routines and hair-dye tutorials to jokes about daily life and politics.

Walmart has confirmed joined forces with Microsoft in negotiations to buy TikTok. Oracle is also reported to be interested in TikTok.

CEO Kevin Mayer last week quit the company, days after TikTok filed a lawsuit challenging the crackdown by the US government.

TikTok -- which has been downloaded 175 million times in the US and more than a billion times around the world -- argued in the suit that Trump's order was a misuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act because the platform is not "an unusual and extraordinary threat."

Story continues

Trump claims that TikTok could be used by China to track the locations of federal employees, build dossiers on people for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage.

TikTok -- used by as many as a billion people worldwide to make quirky, short-form videos on their cellphones -- has repeatedly denied sharing data with Beijing.

gc/ch
She recently spoke candidly about her personal struggle with endometriosis, a disorder in which the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus.

But Olivia Culpo seemed to be in good spirits on Monday as she flaunted her toned figure in a chic white ensemble.

The 28-year-old model posed in her kitchen wearing an ultra cropped white top and matching shorts as she shared the photo to Instagram.

Chic: Olivia Culpo seemed to be in good spirits on Monday as she flaunted her toned figure in a chic white ensemble, she shared to Instagram

She wrapped herself in a long off-white cardigan, that revealed one shoulder and her toned abs.

The former Miss Universe put on a glamorous look with a flawless complexion featuring contoured cheekbones, and a highlighted nose.

Her pout was done in a light pink color and seemed to be paired to her eyes with a blush contour shade and a black winged liner.

She used one hand to play with her hair that was down, parted in the middle, and in tousled curls.

Opening up: Her post comes just days after she opened up about her endometriosis diagnosis on social media

Her post comes just days after she opened up about her diagnosis on social media.

'I've never publicly said this before, but I have endometriosis. Aka the most excruciatingly painful cramps/periods,' she said on her Instagram story last week.

After learning that many of her followers also suffer from the painful disorder, Culpo returned to the platform to elaborate on her coping mechanisms, as well as her aversion to surgery.

Painful: 'I've never publicly said this before, but I have endometriosis. Aka the most excruciatingly painful cramps/periods,' revealed the 28-year-old model on her Instagram Story

'It's so not fun. Very painful. There is obviously a surgery you can get for it that I don't really want to get, but [I use] lots of heating pads, [drink] lots of water, and [take] lots of Midol,' she revealed.

She also encouraged women who think they may be dealing with endometriosis to 'do [their] research and due diligence' by seeking help from a medical professional.

'If you are having very painful periods or you are not being diagnosed with what you think COULD be endometriosis, definitely do your research.

Candid: After learning that many of her followers also suffer from the painful disorder, Culpo returned to the platform to elaborate on her coping mechanisms, as well as her aversion to surgery

'Because if you don't discover that you have this it could get in the way of fertility, you can have tissue growing in areas that you really shouldn't have it, which could interfere with getting pregnant someday,' explained the former Miss Universe.

'Definitely go to your doctor if you have painful periods. Painful periods are not normal. You just want to make sure that everything is ok. If you do want to get pregnant, you just never know. You don't want to wait too late.'

She then tagged her personal OB-GYN Dr. Thais Aliabadi, who also happens to treat numerous members of the Kardashian-Jenner family.
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Ivanka Trump is planning to visit the General Motors Global Technical Center in Warren Wednesday to meet with company officials in an event organized by the White House.

The presidents daughter and advisor will join GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra for a tour of the automakers Technical Learning University. The event is one of several recent appearances by Trump administration officials in Michigan -- U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia visited Zeeland Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue visited West Olive on Aug. 22 and Attorney General Bill Barr stopped in Grand Rapids and Detroit last month.

Ivanka Trumps role in the White House focuses on the education and economic empowerment of women and their families as well as job creation and economic growth through workforce development, skills training and entrepreneurship, according to an online profile. In a statement, Trump said Detroit and GM are ensuring the great American comeback after the economy experienced a swift recession caused by the coronavirus.

The president built the strongest economy in our lifetime and he will do it again, she said in a statement. Prioritizing the American worker and their family is the top priority, and Im proud to visit General Motors Technical Learning University, where workers are learning on-the-job while earning a paycheck.

Last month, GMs Technical Learning University completed a $2 million upgrade to its robotics and manufacturing laboratory facilities, which trains employees while they are on the job. Since 2017, TLU has trained 300 employees and expects to train 3,600 by 2023.

The Global Technical Center, opened in 1956, operates a 710-acre campus home to over 21,000 employees.

The Michigan economy has begun to recover after more than 1 million people were put out of work following state-mandated shutdowns. Michigans unemployment rate rose from 3.6% in February to 24% in April.

The unemployment rate recovered to 8.7% in July, still the highest rate Michigan has experienced since 2013. There were 418,000 Michiganders out of work in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Manufacturing jobs are also rebounding after experiencing a severe decline throughout the spring. There were 64,000 fewer manufacturing jobs in July compared to February.

Trump touted her fathers commitment to working-class Americans in a speech at the Republican National Convention last week before he accepted the partys nomination for a second term.

To the hardworking men and women across America, and here tonight, you are the reason my father fights with all his heart and all his might, Trump said at the RNC. You are the reason he ran for president in the first place. And you are the reason hes going to keep fighting for four more years.

Michigan Democratic Party spokesman Christian Slater criticized the president in a statement Tuesday, highlighting the closure of GMs Warren Transmission plant last year. The president was campaigning in Warren four years ago when he promised voters you wont lose one plant if he were elected.

Ivanka can try to spin Michigan voters all she wants, but nothing will cover for the fact that Donald Trump has failed our state, Slater said in a statement. After Trumps disastrous COVID-19 response, Michigan has seen over 100,000 COVID-19 cases, an unemployment rate that has doubled since March, and no plan to put an end to the crisis.

Trump is prohibited by law to campaign on behalf of her father during the course of her official work. Wednesdays visit is organized by the White House instead of the presidents reelection campaign.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Michigan Democrats target Pences vote against auto bailout before visit, tout Biden as job savior

Mike Pence says Trump will lead recovery after COVID recession at Michigan campaign rally

Gary Peters starts motorcycle campaign road trip to tout achievements in U.S. Senate
Tunde Ednut

Controversial Social media influencer, Tunde Ednut has sparked mixed reactions on social media, after he stated that an Igbo man should not be allowed as President of Nigeria.

Taking to his Instagram page, Tunde Ednut gave reasons why he dreads an Igbo man becoming president of the most populous African country.

According to him, if an igbo man gets to be president, Biafra will most likely to be established and the Igbos will leave Nigeria, which would make it crumble.

So he believes that if we want Nigeria to continue existing, then a person from the Igbo tribe shouldnt be allowed as President.

See What He Wrote Below;

An Igbo man should not be allowed to be president of Nigeria. I have a feeling that BIAFRA will be established if that happens. They will leave us Oo and Nigeria will crumble if they leave Oo. Igbos have been planning BIAFRA since. They have their shit together. Lets not let Igbo in for now. We are in this Nigeria together, you will not run anywhere. we die here!
Damascus, Sep 1 : Two Syrian soldiers were killed and seven others injured by an Israeli missile attack that targeted military sites south of the capital Damascus, a state-media report said.

Citing a military statement, the report said the attack on Monday was carried out from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, reports Xinhua news agency.

It added that the Syrian air defences intercepted most of the missiles before reaching their targets.

Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said powerful explosions were heard in the countryside of Sweida and Daraa provinces as a result of the Israeli attack.

The attack targeted military sites south of Damascus and the towns of al-Sheikh Maskin and Izraa in the countryside of Daraa province, according to the watchdog.

Throughout the Syrian crisis, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, as well as convoys transporting weapons to the Lebanese militia group Hezbollah.
Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents who have been struggling to pay rent or mortgage amid the economic hardships wrought by the coronavirus have lost a critical protection against eviction or foreclosure.

On Monday, a statewide eviction/foreclosure moratorium expired, potentially putting nearly 400,000 state residents at risk of being evicted from their homes.

Its potentially disastrous for renters, said Phyllis Chamberlain, executive director of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania. The timing of the lifting of the moratorium is particularly worrisome as children are returning to school.

She worries that legions of children returning to school via remote learning will have to see parents deal with eviction notices.

Finding a new place to live takes weeks, if not months, Chamberlain said. If one of the parents is unemployed, they wont have proof of employment and that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to convince a landlord to rent to you.

The nearly 400,000 figure is based on the most recent U.S. Census Bureau survey on the state of renter households who reported not paying rent in the previous month.

We cant say for sure how many people will end up being evicted but with that many people, theres going to be a lot more eviction filings, Chamberlain said.

On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf along with Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency executive director Robin Wiessmann urged the Legislature to quickly pass legislation to extend eviction protections for vulnerable residents.

Pennsylvanians shouldnt lose their homes or have to worry about a place to live because of the financial hardships caused by COVID-19, Wolf said. Pennsylvanians are making sacrifices to fight this pandemic, but a place to live shouldnt be one of them. Ive paused evictions for nearly four months, but now we need legislation.

Wolf was joined by Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Jay Costa and Rep. Maureen Madden.

The original eviction moratorium was put in place by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court this spring amid surging rates of coronavirus cases. In May, after that order expired, the governor signed two executive orders extending it: one in May and the other on July 9.

The recent order expired Monday. The states Emergency Services Code prohibits the governor from enacting further relief related to temporary housing. It is up to the Legislature to enact further relief, Wolf said Tuesday.

Eviction moratorium was really important and the extension of it remains really important, Chamberlain said.

The coronavirus continues to take a toll across Pennsylvania: The state Department of Health on Tuesday reported 770 new coronavirus cases, raising the statewide total to 134,795. Across Pennsylvania, 7,691 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, including 18 new fatalities Tuesday, according to the health department.

Unemployment teeters at 14 percent.

Wolf on Monday renewed the states disaster declaration for the pandemic for another 90 days.

Chamberlain noted that demographics data point to the sobering fact that households more vulnerable to evictions identify as minority households. That is the same demographic that is most vulnerable to the coronavirus.

Chamberlain is calling for an overhaul of a new statewide rental assistance program that is funded by federal relief funds but has had a rocky start.

The $150 million program, funded by the the federal CARES Act, has been plagued with cumbersome and confusing paperwork, as well as rigid time constraints.

The best way for people to not get evicted is to get assistance to pay rent, Chamberlain said. That program is designed to help but it needs fixes to work efficiently and more quickly to get assistance in the hands of people who need it.

The relief program includes a cap on the amount of assistance a renter can receive to $750 a month. Both the tenant and landlord have to complete part of the application; and the funds are paid directly to the landlord.

In many places $750 a month doesnt cover the entire rent, Chamberlain said.

A number of landlords were not participating in the program, which requires that thaty accept the $750 and forgive the balance of the rent.

Depending on how much the tenant owes it might not be in their financial interest to forgive, Chamberlain said. Removing that cap and basing it on a different figure makes a lot more sense.

Her organization is urging that the amount be based on fair market rent values.

It would be based on average rents in the community and rents do differ by community, she said.

Chamberlain noted that the idea behind the moratorium was the reasoning that state residents were in danger amid coronavirus cases, and that they needed a reprieve as state and federal programs got underway.

Thats still true, she said. The program is a really critical resource but implementation has been hampered by some of these restrictions. There is assistance available but it hasnt had enough time to get to people in need. If it had, I wouldnt see so many people at risk of eviction now.

The House, which has reconvened for a voting session, is expected to renew efforts to limit the governors emergency powers by overriding Wolfs veto of a bill that would allow the Legislature to force the governor to end the disaster declaration.

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Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf renews the COVID-19 disaster declaration for another 90 days

Pa. Gov. Wolf says he cant extend moratorium on foreclosures and evictions, urges lawmakers to do it
August 31, 2020

News

By Jim Garamone , DOD News

Defense.gov

DOD Working Toward Networked Indo-Pacific

When Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper talks about the Indo-Pacific he talks about it becoming a "networked region"  not in the information technology sense, but as like-minded countries working together.

His travels to the region this week and previously are to encourage this concept, said David Helvey, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs.

"This is about countries that have common interests and shared interests that are willing to commit resources to work to support the folks to left and right in pursuit of a common task," Helvey said during an interview with reporters traveling with Esper.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization binds together 30 nations in collective defense, but there is no comparable treaty organization in the Indo-Pacific. In the region, the United States has a series of bilateral, treaty-based alliance relationships and a set of partnerships. "When we talk about promoting a networked region, we're talking about building the relationships we have not only with our allies and partners, we're promoting the contacts, coordination, integration [among] our allies and partners themselves," Helvey said. "Sometimes that involves us, sometimes them, working together in support of shared interests."

The bottom line is a set of like-minded allies and partners who share values to support the principles of a free and open Indo-Pacific. "We are committing resources to work together to support it, uphold it and promote its resilience," he said.

There are examples of this process. The nations of the region cooperate in enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions on North Korea. The United States, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia work together to pool resources and share information. This supports implementation of sanctions against North Korea.

Another example is Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines working together in the Sulu Sea to combat piracy, human trafficking and terrorism in that area. Singapore is another nation working with allies through its maritime fusion center or its new counterterrorism information facility.

Exercises also help build the network, such as the Rim of the Pacific exercise that's going on now. There are other exercises that just include the United States, Japan and Australia and one with only the U.S., Japan and India. "We also have continued defense cooperation [with] the United States, Japan and South Korea," he said. "So, to the extent that we're able to not only have bilateral, also multilateral security cooperation is part and parcel of networked security measures."

Helvy also spoke about realignment in the region. Esper is looking at the force lay-down worldwide and the Indo-Pacific is, obviously, a large part of that effort. The secretary wants to make sure the United States has the right forces in the right places.

"We are heavily concentrated in Northeast Asia," Helvey said. Some of these troops' placements are legacies of World WarII. "We'd like to be able to make our presence more geographically distributed, more operationally resilient," he said. "Maybe the future is going to be less about bases and more about places  being able to operate across a multiplicity of locations, which give us the flexibility and the agility to respond to a variety of different threats and challenges."

The build-up on Guam is one example of this. "[The Guam base] is going to allow us to be able to project power across and throughout the region and be able to distribute it rapidly," he said.

The idea is to ensure the United States is resilient in the face of many different types of threats, including China, he said.

China is the concern of many nations in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

"One of the key things in our strategy is talking about putting the relationship with China on a trajectory of transparency and non-aggression," Helvey said. "That's going to require a sustained, open channels of communication with the Chinese  the secretary has talked to his Chinese counterpart a number of times already."

These communications are tools for risk reduction or crisis management.

The United States and China may have common interests where the two countries could work together. "I think we would have hoped that COVID would have been one of those areas where we can work together, but the Chinese have been unwilling," he said.

A denuclearized North Korea is an area with a shared interest. "There's other areas where we may have opportunities to cooperate based on shared interest, but that's something we have to work in with Chinese to identify," he said.

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ST. LOUIS: The man charged with first-degree murder Tuesday in the fatal shooting of a St. Louis police officer has a long history of violent crime and missed a court appearance last month in Florida, where he is accused of false imprisonment and sexual battery.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced charges against Thomas Kinworthy Jr., 43, in the death of 29-year-old Officer Tamarris L. Bohannon. Kinworthy is jailed at the St. Louis City Justice Center.

Bohannon responded to a call Saturday afternoon after an armed man ordered a family out of their home and barricaded himself inside. Officers were searching for another reported shooting victim when Bohannon was shot in the head and a second officer was struck in the leg, Chief John Hayden said.

Bohannon died Sunday. The second officer, 30, is expected to recover. They were the seventh and eighth St. Louis officers shot since June. Bohannon was Black, as is his colleague who was shot.

Kinworthy, who is white, has a criminal record dating to the 1990s, when he spent nine months in prison for a drug crime in St. Louis County.

Court records show that Kinworthy was convicted in a 1998 road rage incident in Brevard County, Florida. After the car Kinworthy was in rammed a Ford Mustang, Kinworthy shot the Mustang driver, causing him to lose three fingers. Kinworthy was convicted in 2001 and served six years in prison.

Brevard County court records show that Kinworthy was facing charges again in Brevard County, this time for sexual battery, false imprisonment and other counts. He was accused of allegedly choking a man inside a home, holding him against his will, and trying to sexually assault him in August 2019.

Kinworthy was arrested after the investigation was completed in January, when he also was charged with being a felon in possession of firearms after several guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition were allegedly found in his car.

Kinworthy was due in court in Brevard County last month but failed to show up and a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to court records and a spokesman for the Brevard County Sheriffs Office.

It wasnt clear when Kinworthy arrived in Missouri.

Bohannon, known by those close to him as Bo, had been with the department 3 1/2 years. He was a hero to many, but most importantly to his loving wife and three incredible children, read a note from his family posted on the police department Twitter page.

Mayor Lyda Krewson called Bohannons death a horrific reminder of the dangers our brave men and women in law enforcement willingly and selflessly face everyday to protect and serve.

The two officers were among several who responded to a call around 6 p.m. Saturday near Tower Grove Park. Homeowners Mimi and Steve Haag had dialed 911 to get help for a man who had been shot when the gunman walked into their home, they told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

I saw then he had a gun, Steve Haag said. He was very calm standing there with it in his hand and he just says to Mimi: Maam you need to get off the phone. The Haags escaped unharmed through the back door.

The officers were trying to do their job, thats all theyre trying to do and theyre suffering under gunfire, Hayden said.

The gunman remained barricaded as officers armed with rifles and a SWAT team assembled outside. Police used a bullhorn to order the suspect out and fired tear gas into the house but no gunshots, the department said. The standoff ended around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, nearly 12 hours after it began, when Kinworthy was arrested. The other man who was reportedly shot was never found.

This year has been especially dangerous in St. Louis for residents and police alike. The rate of killings in 2020 is on a near-record pace, and non-fatal shootings have spiked too. The worst of the crime surge has happened since June. Things are so dire that the federal government in early August sent 50 agents to battle crime.

Six other officers have been shot in addition to Bohannon and his colleague, including four struck during a violent June 1 protest that followed George Floyds death in Minneapolis. Two of those officers were shot in the leg, one in the foot and one in the arm.

An officer was shot by a suspect with a sawed-off shotgun on July 26. Another was shot by a teenager on Aug. 2.

Among those officers, only Bohannon died.

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
Fears are intensifying in Northern Irish farming over the impact of Brexit .

With little progress towards a free trade deal, concerns are being raised about the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol which will govern trade in the North should no deal by reached by the end of the year.

In response to the UK Government's recent White Paper on the UK internal market post-Brexit, the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) said it was concerned that Northern Ireland goods could face commercial discrimination in the Britain.

"Issues could emerge as a result of differences in labelling or standards and will be exacerbated if Northern Ireland comes to be regarded as a backdoor for EU and non-EU produce by the Britain industry and customers," said UFU president Victor Chestnutt.

The UFU is also concerned over the impact of the protocol on Northern products transiting to Britain via the Republic. Approximately 50pc of the products sold by Northern agri-food processors to the British market is routed through Dublin port.

The UFU said while the UK Government has committed to unfettered access for Northern Irish produce to the British market, this has only been guaranteed with respect to goods traded directly from the North to Britain.

Mr Chestnutt said there are important outstanding questions as to how unfettered access to the UKIM can be delivered via Dublin as it's the only route that is feasible for meeting just-in-time delivery requirements.

Meanwhile, Conor Mulvhill of Dairy Industry Ireland said it was absolutely critical that all types of Irish dairy product retain unfettered and tariff-free access to Britain at the end of the transition period, for the benefit of farmers and companies north and south.

Products from NI, RoI and mixed milk products are critical parts of our dairy economy North and South.

The EU and British negotiators have already agreed the legally binding Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol, which clearly sets out that there are to be no border infrastructure, related checks or controls on the island of Ireland in respect of North-South trade. This comes into effect whether there is a trade deal by the end of the year or not.

 he British government has the ability to choose to implement their own checks which should be ample to protect their interests, while ensuring their own stated aim of ensuring free access for NI product to the GB internal market, he said.

It comes as France's foreign minister on Monday blamed the stalemate in Brexit talks on what he called Britain's intransigent and unrealistic attitude.

Negotiations between Britain and the EU on future relations after its January 31 exit from the bloc have made scant progress, with both sides accusing the other of posing unachievable demands.

"The negotiations are not advancing because of an intransigent and, let's be clear, unrealistic attitude of the United Kingdom," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian sai .

Le Drian said the EU was as united as ever in reaching an ambitious Brexit deal, but the ball was in Britain's court.
Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) has announced its collaboration with Bahrain FinTech Bay (BFB) to launch an exclusive program entitled Digital Marketing  Tech Minds of Tomorrow, providing local talent and startups with the opportunity to develop a unique future-forward digital marketing tech program for the banks Marketing division, which comes in line with the banks commitment to continuous innovation.

The program encourages innovative, out of the box thinking amongst local talent and aims to inspire creativity, enabling them to develop an innovation platform. As part of the program, teams of professional marketeers, web and software developers, as well as computer programmers will be challenged to create the ultimate Marketing Automation platform for social media. The platform will combine the power of automated processes, from campaign management, digital platform analytics and social media listening tools, to scheduling, reporting and publishing, with a built-in approval process. The platform will also offer customers a seamless, efficient and personalized digital experience.

Chief Executive Officer of BisB, Hassan Jarrar said: We are delighted to be partnering up with BFB to launch the exclusive program that challenges innovation and creativity amongst local talent and startups, where teams of professional marketeers, web and software developers, and computer programmers will be challenged to create the ultimate tech platform for social media in order to come up with a solution that will further simplify digital marketing.

Participants will be able to connect with like-minded individuals who are driven to develop a simple platform that will combine the power of automated processes. This initiative is a reflection of our brand ethos, going beyond our product offerings by reaching our customers and fulfilling their banking needs, he added.

Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain FinTech Bay, Khalid Dannish said: We are excited to be working with our partners BisB to launch this program and showcase local talent and innovation. The increased emphasis on digital journeys driven by the changing landscape of customer expectations provides a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to simplify, automate and rethink digital marketing strategy. Focusing on user experience and harnessing emerging technologies such as AI will increase personalisation and customer engagement, providing more robust digital banking experiences.

In order to be eligible to enter the program, participants must be either Bahraini nationals or residents, between the ages of 25 and 40. The teams must have an extensive understanding of key marketing automation tools. The participating teams should consist of a minimum of 2 to 5 members and must submit a fully developed business plan or proposal outlining the solution. They must also have the ability to implement the proposal by developing the software with the help of programmers and developers, the statement said.

For more information and submitting applications, visit: https://www.bahrainfintechbay.com/bisb - TradeArabia News Service
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Linkedin Yunindita Prasidya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 12:02 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41de78f 1 Business state-owned-enterprises,SOEs,state-capital-injection,PMN,COVID-19,economic-recovery Free

The Finance Ministry's State Assets Directorate General (DJKN) has said it will accelerate the disbursement of Rp 20.5 trillion (US$1.4 billion) in state capital injections (PMN) for five state-owned companies.

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) have an important role to play in supporting the countrys economic recovery, Meirijal Nur, the DJKNs separated state assets director, said. The capital injection plan is a part of the governments national economic recovery program.

We are trying to do it as fast as possible. It will be done by September at the latest, Meirijal said during a media briefing on Friday.

To disburse the funds, we need to be quick, but that doesnt mean we can violate the rules of governance, he added, explaining that the capital injection process needed to comply with the relevant government regulations (PP) and that a regulation on the disbursement of the funds was still being processed.

The government plans to inject Rp 7.5 trillion into state-owned infrastructure company PT Hutama Karya, while state-owned financing firms PT Bahana Pembinaan Usaha Indonesia (Bahana) and PT Permodalan Nasional Madani will receive Rp 6 trillion and Rp 1.5 trillion, respectively.

State-owned PT Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation and state asset management company PT Perusahaan Pengelola Aset will receive Rp 500 billion and Rp 5 trillion, respectively, in state capital injections.

The capital injections are part of the Rp 695.2 trillion in stimulus provided by the government to strengthen Indonesias healthcare system and cushion the pandemics economic impacts.

Meirijal expressed optimism the funds disbursed to the SOEs would eventually reach the bottom economic layer of society.

Permodalan Nasional Madani, for instance, finances ultra-microenterprises through its Mekaar program that targets mostly women entrepreneurs.

Aside from backing several SOEs through direct support in the form of capital injections, the government will allocate funds to Bahana, PT Asuransi Kredit Indonesia (Askrindo), PT Jaminan Kredit Indonesia (Jamkrindo) to give loan guarantee to banks and financing companies that will then provide loans to cooperatives and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The government has also allocated funds to be channeled through the Finance Ministrys special mission vehicles (SMVs) to several chosen SOEs. National flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia, railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia and steelmaker PT Krakatau Steel will receive loans of Rp 8.5 trillion, Rp 3.5 trillion and Rp 3 trillion, respectively, through the SMVs to support their operations.

The SMVs include infrastructure financing guarantee agency PT Penjaminan Infrastruktur Indonesia, infrastructure financing firm PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur ( SMI), secondary mortgage company PT Sarana Multigriya Finansial (SMF) and Indonesia Export Financing Agency.

Meanwhile, state-owned plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara and housing company PT Perumnas will receive Rp 4 trillion and Rp 650 billion, respectively, to manage their liquidity.

We have been very selective. We dont give funds recklessly to SOEs, Finance Ministry State Assets Director General Isa Rachmatarwata said during the media briefing, adding that the agency designed support schemes based on its assessment of the SOEs needs.

We are giving to those that have been really impacted [by the pandemic] but on the other hand, still have the capacity to accelerate the economic recovery, Isa added.
EU is preparing to ban the tiny plastic particles used in household products, but groups say firms could skirt rules.

A draft European Union ban on microplastics would allow industry to use even smaller particles in cosmetics, detergents and paints, which could be more damaging than the tiny pieces of plastic already clogging up the natural world, campaigners and some EU advisers say.

The European Commission, the EUs executive body, will next year seek a ban following a proposal from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to prevent the addition of microplastics to certain products sold in Europe.

ECHA originally sought to prohibit microplastics with a minimum size of 1 nanometre (nm) for particles and 3 nm for fibres. But after input from expert groups and industry, it increased the minimum size for particles by 100 times to 100 nm.

Analysis by non-profit network the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), published on Tuesday, said this would allow companies to use smaller nanoplastic particles.

It gives manufacturers a perverse incentive to switch production from micro- to nanoplastic, which may be more harmful to human and animal health because it can more easily get inside and harm living cells, the EEB said.

ECHA told Reuters it increased the size limit to ensure the restriction could be enforced after industry groups said it is not possible to monitor the smallest particles.

European chemicals industry group CEFIC is among those seeking the exclusion of smaller nanoplastics from the ban.

In many cases, the lower sizes are impossible to measure, which compromises the ability to implement and enforce the restriction, CEFIC told the Reuters news agency in an email.

Significant knowledge gap

Most intentionally added microplastics are bigger than 100 nm, although smaller particles are added to some cosmetics and laundry detergents.

The Committee for Risk Assessment, an expert group advising the Commission, said there is a significant knowledge gap, but research suggests smaller particles are more toxic and can penetrate deeply into the cells of marine life.

Not banning these smaller particles may lead to regrettable substitution to particles with smaller size, it said.

In Europe, approximately 42,000 tonnes of intentionally-added microplastics are released into the environment annually.

Microplastics, which are also created when bigger pieces of plastic litter break up over time, have been found in almost all environments investigated, including polar sea ice and the deepest ocean trenches.
In 1972, in one of the early finds of marine archaeology, researchers discovered a trove of clay figurines on the seabed off the coast of Israel. The figurines  hundreds of them, accompanied by ceramic jars  were assumed to be the remains of a Phoenician shipwreck that had rested under the Mediterranean for 2,500 years.

The artifacts were never fully analyzed in a scientific study, and were filed away and mostly forgotten for decades. But a new analysis by Meir Edrey, an archaeologist at the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel, and his colleagues indicates that the items were not deposited all at once in a wreck. Rather, they accumulated over roughly 400 years, between the 7th and 3rd centuries B.C., in a series of votive offerings, as part of a cult devoted to seafaring and fertility.

These figurines, the majority of them, display attributes related to fertility, to childbearing and to pregnancy, Dr. Edrey said.

The ancient Phoenicians were a seafaring merchant culture that stretched across the Mediterranean. Their first city states arose nearly 5,000 years ago, and the culture reached its height during the millennium before Carthage was defeated by Rome in 146 B.C.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Manhattan district attorney from getting access to President Donald Trump's tax returns.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York put a hold on a lower court ruling that said District Attorney Cyrus Vance could get the records immediately. The appeals court granted the stay so it can consider Trump's argument that a subpoena for the documents is overbroad and was issued in bad faith.

It was the first courtroom win for Trump's lawyers in more than a year of legal wrangling over the tax returns.

Written briefs from the lawyers for both sides are due in the next few weeks, and the court will hold a hearing Sept. 25. If it rules against Trump  as the lower court did and as the appeals court did last time around  his lawyers would have to ask the Supreme Court to block access.

Jay Sekulow, a lawyer for Trump, said his legal team is pleased with the order.

"We look forward to arguing the merits on appeal," he said.

A spokesman for Vance's office declined to comment.

Vance is seeking financial documents, including eight years of tax returns, for a grand jury investigation of hush money payments and other financial transactions. A federal grand jury began its investigation after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about her claim that she had an affair with Trump, which he has denied. Cohen told Congress that the Trump Organization sometimes lied about its financial condition to evade taxes or to obtain favorable loan terms.

In July, the Supreme Court rejected Trump's contention that a sitting president is immune from any part of the criminal justice system, including grand jury investigations. But its decision said Trump could make the same arguments available to anyone else in trying to defeat the subpoena.

The case is now in its second round in court. A federal district court ruled last month against Trump's renewed effort to get the subpoena tossed out.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Newly published research, in Bird Study, carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) in Scotland, shows that wintering waterbirds, such as ducks, geese, swans and wading birds can easily be scared into flight by drones.

In recent years, drone technology has improved rapidly, while at the same time the drones themselves have become ever cheaper and produced in ever greater quantities. Drones are now being used for recreational photography, surveillance, ecological research, remote sensing and even to deliver packages. The mass proliferation of drones and the increasingly likelihood of commercial and recreational drone use taking place close to wildlife creates a new and potentially significant source of disturbance to wild birds.

Such disturbance, which could affect rare and protected species, causes birds to waste energy and reduces their feeding time. In extreme cases, birds might stop using an area altogether, and be forced to feed elsewhere, where feeding opportunities may be poorer or the risk of predation higher. This could be particularly harmful during the cold winter months, when vast numbers of waterbirds come to Britain from the Arctic to feed up before the breeding season.

BTO scientists flew a commercially available quadcopter drone towards waterbird flocks in coastal, freshwater and arable crop farmland habitats. While one researcher flew the drone at a standard speed and height towards the flock, another observed the flocks through a telescope to record any responses to the drone as it approached, including alarm calls, signs of heightened alert levels and taking flight.

The BTO team found that larger flocks were more likely to take flight than smaller flocks, and large flocks also took flight at a greater distance from the drone than smaller flocks. This is probably because the larger the flock, the more likely there is to be a sensitive individual presentin almost all cases, once one bird had responded to the drone, the rest of the flock followed.

The researchers also found that the habitat the birds were in had a strong effect on responses. Birds at inland lochs where there was already lots of human activity were very unlikely to respond to the drone, while birds at coastal sites were more likely to respond. Birds in arable farmland were particularly sensitiveflocks feeding in this habitat are probably most susceptible to disturbance because of the need to be on the lookout for predators.

Lead author, David Jarrett, said: "While we expected that the drone would cause large flocks to flush, we were surprised that birds hardly seemed to respond to the drone at all at those inland lochs where there was already lots of human activity taking place. Hopefully this research can be used to help inform guidance and regulations on drone use in proximity to wild birds."

Britain hosts internationally important flocks of waterbirds outside the breeding season. While it has been thought that drones could be useful in monitoring their numbers, the disturbance caused by such monitoring would have to be carefully evaluated. If drone use were to become more frequent at important sites for our wintering waterbirds, and birds did not become accustomed to this novel form of disturbance, then the resulting increases in energy expenditure and stress would be likely to negatively affect their populations.

Explore further Engineers teach a drone to herd birds away from airports autonomously

More information: David Jarrett et al. Behavioural responses of non-breeding waterbirds to drone approach are associated with flock size and habitat, Bird Study (2020). David Jarrett et al. Behavioural responses of non-breeding waterbirds to drone approach are associated with flock size and habitat,(2020). DOI: 10.1080/00063657.2020.1808587
The Symposium on New Opportunities & New Partnership - Cooperation between ASEAN and China after the COVID-19 Pandemic was held on Aug.28 in Beijing.

The meeting, jointly hosted by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), the Royal Thai Embassy and China Foundation for International Studies (CFIS), sought to offer suggestions on ways for China and ASEAN countries to jointly fight the epidemic, strengthen cooperation in public health governance and other fields, bring back regional economic vitality, and maintain the healthy and stable development of the bilateral strategic partnership.

Chen Dehai, Director of the Department of Asian Affairs and the Secretary General of the ACC, said at the symposium that ASEAN countries and China are both meeting the challenges squarely and have wasted no time in strengthening policy coordination, and are attempting to seek new development in the changing environment.

Forging toward sustainable development

The year 2020 marks the ASEAN-China Year of Digital Economy Cooperation. Currently, the new round of technological revolutions and industrial transformation is emerging, and the digital economy is giving China and ASEAN countries new opportunities to further cooperate on this agenda.

Chen emphasized that the role of digital technology has never been more critical in the fight against the pandemic and the road to the "new normal."

Liu Qing, Director of the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies at the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), also said China and ASEAN countries will take the opportunities provided by digital economy development to create new highlights in 5G, e-commerce and long-distance education, and to build a smart city alliance.

In addition to digital economy cooperation, economic ties between ASEAN and China will also be further strengthened. According to data from China's General Administration of Customs, China's trade with ASEAN stood at 2.09 trillion yuan ($299 billion) in the first six months of 2020, up 5.6 percent year-on-year, making ASEAN China's biggest trading partner during this period.

Jose Tavares, Director General of ASEAN Cooperation, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that through partnership between countries, ASEAN and China can play a stronger role in synergizing cooperation in the region.

Working together on public health

The symposium offered recommendations and methods on how to strengthen joint pandemic prevention and control, enhance public health cooperation between ASEAN and China, and how to find new driving forces, restore regional confidence and economic vitality in the post pandemic period, which is critical to maintaining the healthy and steady development of the ASEAN-China strategic partnership.

Zheng Zhijie, Chairman of the Department of Global Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, noted during the meeting that China and ASEAN countries have basically controlled the pandemic.

China is not only able to respond quickly to its domestic epidemic situation, but can also bring more positive power to ASEAN countries, said Zheng.

Ngeow Chow-Bing, Director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya, said that China has provided massive amounts of medical supplies to various countries, including ASEAN countries, to assist them in their efforts to fight COVID-19.

ASEAN countries are willing to work together on the Health Silk Road, which enables countries to form bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms, he noted.

ASEAN and China are good neighbors, friends and partners, Chen said, explaining that the good mutual relationship will continue to deliver tangible benefits for two billion people, while promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and beyond.

Under the New Normal situation, China and ASEAN countries need to foster greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and ASEAN development plans to realize sustainable development goals, according to Chen.
This final phase included construction of a pedestrian and bike path from that goes from Whytegate Park north to Daniel Wright Junior High School on the west side of Riverwoods Road. The new path is multi-functional, including the primary benefit of allowing students to travel what officials say is more safely to and from school each day. Previously, officials said in the release, students on the west side of Riverwoods Road would cross the busy street twice in order to get to school.
Burma NLD Chief Minister of Myanmars Kayah State Impeached

Kayah State Chief Minister L. Phaung Sho in December 2019. / Kayah State Government Office / Facebook

YANGONIn an unprecedented move, the Kayah State parliament on Tuesday passed a motion to impeach state Chief Minister L. Phaung Sho of Myanmars ruling party for misappropriating state funds, after more than two-thirds of parliamentarians voted in support of the bid.

According to the Myanmar Constitution, any motion to impeach a state chief minister that meets with the respective parliaments approval must be submitted to the countrys president, paving the way for the chief ministers official removal from office. Once that happens, L Phaung Sho will be the very first chief minister to be constitutionally removed into impeached.

The motion was approved on Tuesday by 16 of the Kayah State parliaments 20 sitting lawmakers. In August, the chief minister was accused of misappropriating state funds and failing to return a land plot to the state for public use as ordered by the legislature.

Five local lawmakerstwo from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), two from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and one from the Kayah State Democratic Party (KySDP)signed and submitted the initial impeachment motion against the chief minister, although one of the NLD lawmakers later withdrew his support for the motion.

The motion alleged that L. Phaung Sho misappropriated funds earned by the states heavy-machinery rental service and leased a land plot that is the site of annual state day celebrations to businesses for up to 50 years, despite the parliaments decision that the plot is to be kept as a public place.

According to Article 263 of the Myanmar Constitution, an impeachment motion against a chief minister can be submitted to the speaker of the state/regional parliament provided it has the support of at least one-fourth of lawmakers. Once the impeachment letter is received, the parliament is required to form an investigation body to conduct an inquiry and the chief minister must be given a chance to defend himself.

Yet, according to the investigation committee, the chief minister never showed up to address the accusations.

In his address at the start of Tuesdays parliamentary session before lawmakers voted on the impeachment proposal, L. Phaung Sho questioned the impartiality of the five-member investigation committee, pointing out that the chairman of the body and two other members are among those who submitted the impeachment motion against him.

We need to be mindful not to act impartially or unfairly. If we are not, it will damage the reputation of our parliament. You need to be aware that your reputation can also be tarnished. We are not ordinary people. We, as the peoples representatives, must refrain from personal injustice.

An impeachment motion against a chief minister requires the support of at least two-thirds of state/regional lawmakers to pass. In the Kayah State parliament, the NLD holds 50 percent of seats and the USDP, the military appointees and then KySDP jointly hold the other half.

L. Phaung Sho was elected to the state parliament in the 2015 general election from Mese Township. He has announced that he will run in the same constituency in Novembers general election representing the NLD.

In June, Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein, who is also a member of the NLD, faced an impeachment motion filed by one-fourth of Yangon parliamentarians. However, the impeachment attempt against him failed to garner enough support in the NLD-dominated regional parliament to pass.

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Dame Judi Dench has revealed she hates being called a 'national treasure'.

The actress, 85, detailed her thoughts on being referred to by the term and how much she 'loathes' it during an appearance on David Tennant's podcast 'David Tennant does a podcast with...' on Tuesday.

The phrase is widely used to describe the award-winning British actress thanks to her remarkable 60 year career, which has seen her star in the James Bond franchise, Shakespeare In Love and countless theatre plays.

Candid: Dame Judi Dench admitted that she 'LOATHES' being called a national treasure as it makes her feel like 'a relic' while appearing on David Tennant's podcast on Tuesday

But Dame Judi admitted it makes her feel like a 'relic', as she explained: 'I loathe those words, I loathe them.

'It's something very, very dusty behind a glass and in a corner. It's a relic and I don't want to be a relic.'

She also went on to say she hates 'playing parts that are expected' like 'some old person dying in a chair' and instead prefers exciting roles like evil villains.

Thoughts: The phrase is widely used to describe the award-winning actress (pictured as M in Skyfall) thanks to her remarkable 60 year career, but she said: 'I don't want to be a relic'

She explained: 'I hate to play parts that are expected. If a part comes through and it's some old person dying in a chair somewhere, I think "oh no no, please not that".

'I want to play somebody who you think is a benign old lady sitting in a chair but in actual fact she's bumping people off. I'm looking for a lot of villains to play. I haven't played enough.'

Dame Judi also spoke about her late husband, fellow actor Michael Williams, who passed away in 2001.

As she spoke about her current relationship with conservationist David Mills, Dame Judi said she won't ever get over her husband.

She said: 'He [David] laughs about the same things but I suspect I shan't ever get over Mikey.

'[Grief] changes who you are altogether. It's like you're walking along and there's this enormous chasm in front of you.

'I don't expect you ever get used to it. Sometimes the door in this house just opens and I think he's just wandered in.'
Fatehpur, Sep 1 : A same-sex marriage in Uttar Pradesh has landed the couple in a soup, forcing them to seek police protection. While one of the girls hails from Fatehpur, the other is from Kanpur.

The couple got married last week. Komal from Fatehpur is the 'wife' to Kanpur's Poonam.

Komal and Poonam, on Monday, reached the Sadar police station and gave a written application for protection.

A police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that they would assess the threat perception before taking any action.

Poonam's mother said that she was ready to accept the marriage and the 'couple' can stay with them.

The girls, however, alleged that this is a ploy to take them to Kanpur and then separate them.
We were looking for the right technology and partner to sustain our strong growth profile and W Energy Software checked all the boxes with its best-in-class, modern software solutions for managing our unique accounting and land management complexities

W Energy Software, the new leader in upstream and midstream oil & gas ERP solutions, announces that Killam Oil Company has signed software licenses for its upstream accounting, land management, and regulatory reporting software. The announcement follows a head-to-head evaluation of the producers existing ERP solutions in which W Energy Software was selected to replace multiple legacy software products and vendors. Top reasons for selecting W Energy Software include its unified upstream ERP platform built on the cloud, intuitive user experience for accounting and land workflows, fast and reliable production allocations, and all-inclusive upgrades.

We are looking forward to working with W Energy Software and having a partner committed to our success, said Rolando Villarreal, Director of Information Technology at Killam Oil Company. We were looking for the right technology and partner to sustain our strong growth profile and W Energy Software checked all the boxes with its best-in-class, modern software solutions for managing our unique accounting and land management complexities, he said.

Headquartered in Laredo, Texas, Killam Oil Company is a privately held energy company with operations in South Texas and non-operated working interests across the country. The company had relied on multiple legacy ERP systems for nearly 20 years to manage core business functions, including financial accounting, production accounting, land management, and revenue disbursement. Its accounting software vendor planned to discontinue support for legacy products, putting the producer in the position of investing significant time and resources to switch to a newer version that offered few improvements. Legacy technology also failed to keep pace with Killam Oil Companys business needs with production allocations often requiring extensive time to run and requiring processes to be restarted multiple times. Additionally, faced with complex state regulatory requirements, the producer wanted to simplify preparation of tax and related reporting.

Seeking to modernize its accounting, land management, and regulatory reporting workflows with best-in-class technology, Killam Oil Company evaluated the capabilities of its current software vendors then selected W Energy Softwares full Upstream ERP software suite, which will provide it with a unified suite of business applications built on the cloud. This includes modules for Revenue Accounting, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Joint Interest Billing, Fixed Assets, Purchasing, Authorization for Expenditure, Production Accounting, and Financial Accounting. The W Energy Software solution also provides the producer with modern Land and Division Order management tools as well as a State Tax module to streamline regulatory reporting.

Reasons for selecting W Energy Software over the competition include:



Best-in-class ERP technology and user experience across a unified database and integrated software suite spanning accounting, land, and tax/regulatory.

W Energy Softwares reputation for customer service and partnering with customers to ensure business results.

Fast and reliable processing of settlements and allocations eliminates manual workarounds, enables processes to be run in minutes, and builds confidence in the results.

The industrys most comprehensive single platform, modern technology deployed in the cloud enables teams to reduce IT costs.

We are honored to have been selected by Killam Oil Company as the ERP solution that will empower their entire business with modern accounting and land management technology, said Pete Waldroop, CEO of W Energy Software. He said, by entrusting their business data and financial results to our leading ERP technology, Killam Oil Company will drive business performance even higher, accelerate complex accounting settlements, streamline land management workflows, and prepare specialized state reporting with a click. Waldroop added, we are increasingly seeing that when W Energy Software goes head to head with legacy upstream ERP solutions its almost always a clean sweep as companies seek the benefits of our best-in-class cloud based solutions as well as the many advantages of a unified platform that offers a consistent user experience and common dataset across accounting, production operations, land, and tax.

To accelerate implementation of Killam Oil Companys new land management solution, W Energy Software is leveraging ThoughtTrace, the leader in oil & gas data extraction and a W Energy Software Technology Partner, to digitize and automatically load large volumes of leases.

About W Energy Software

Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, W Energy Software offers the oil & gas industrys only unified ERP solution built for the cloud that is relied on by more than 100 upstream and midstream companies to accelerate business performance, improve operational efficiency, and drive costs down. W Energy Software combines precision-built software in one extendable cloud-based workspace with an intimate understanding of the oil & gas business to deliver solutions that offer flexibility, affordability, and continuous upgrades. Unlike other ERP software that loosely ties together a mix of legacy solutions and fragmented technologies, W Energy Software designed a unified upstream and midstream ERP platform to seamlessly track oil, gas, and NGL from the wellhead through transportation and marketing, eliminating data silos as well as the burden and costs of maintaining multiple systems. With W Energy Software, oil & gas companies stay lean and agile with the tools they need to adapt to market changes and meet evolving customer needs head on, all while gaining the confidence that their business is running on the latest technology. For more information, please visit https://WEnergySoftware.com.
ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Increasing awareness regarding dental health is being noted worldwide. Some of the reasons are increasing cases of issues such as discoloration and misalignment and so on. This is set to drive the global and Asia Pacific restorative materials market on an upward facing curve over the forecast period of 2020 to 2030.

As per Transparency Market Research, "Asia Pacific will grow at a notable pace over this period owing to growing dental tourism. India, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore are preferred destination, contributing significantly to growth in the region."

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Key findings of Global and Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market Study:

Hospital segment under the applications category has been a leading segment over the past few years and the trend is set to continue into the forecast period of this report

Increasing availability of high value equipment and increasing number of multispecialty hospitals are leading factors of growth in the aforementioned segment

Dental institutes and research centers will witness growth over the forecast period owing to increase in demand for technologically advanced products

On the basis of type, the segment for composite resins is anticipated to chart notable growth owing to high demand expected over the forecast period

Growing adoption of biomaterials in dental procedures is set to be a significant growth factor in the segment

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Key Drivers of Growth in Global and Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market:

Growing awareness regarding dental health, accompanied by increase in disposable income is a notable factor of growth in the market

Increasing dental tourism, particularly towards developing nations is set to drive the global restorative materials market over the forecast period

Government initiatives directed towards improvement in healthcare infrastructure and improvement in medical outcomes are paving way for a higher trajectory

View Detailed Table of Contents at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/78540

Regional Analysis of Global and Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market:

The Asia Pacific (APAC) region held a notable share by volume of the restorative materials market and is set to witness notable growth over the forecast period

(APAC) region held a notable share by volume of the restorative materials market and is set to witness notable growth over the forecast period Increasing demand in hospitals and dental clinics of the region owing to improving standard of living, healthcare infrastructure, and per capita income is a notable factor

Purchase Premium Research Report on Restorative Materials Market @ https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php

Competitive Analysis of Global and Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market:

The market for restorative materials is a dynamic landscape marked by proactive measures taken by various players for gaining competitive edge. These are shaping the competitors landscape in a major way. These strategies, along with financials and other product information are provided by Transparency Market Research in the report it has prepared.

Some of the players that are renowned and quite active in the market are 3M Company, Dentsply Sirona, COLTENE Group, Ivoclar Vivadent AG, Voco GmbH, Kulzer GmbH, GC Corporation, Ultradent Products Inc., Septodont Healthcare India Pvt. Ltd., Medicinos linija, UAB, Prime Dental Products Pvt Ltd, IDENTA Dental Material GmbH, KaVo Kerr, and Shofu Dental Manufacturing Co., Ltd., among others.

Expansion in production capacity is a key focus of players as demand for the materials is steadily increases, leading to gaps in supply. Product improvement is also a key driver of growth for individual players.

Browse More Press Releases: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/press-releases.htm

Global & Asia Pacific Restorative Materials Market: Segmentation

Restorative Materials Market, by Type

Amalgam

Composite Resin

Glass Ionomer

Restorative Materials Market, by Application

Hospitals

Dental Clinics

Dental Institutes & Research Centers

Others (including Ambulatory Surgery Centers)

Restorative Materials Market, by Region

Asia Pacific

China



Japan



India



Vietnam



Thailand



Rest of ASEAN



Rest of Asia Pacific

Browse Latest Reports by TMR: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/latest.htm

Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the global Chemicals and Materials Industry,

Glass Ionomer Cement Market - In terms of value, the global & Asia Pacific glass ionomer cement market is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of ~8% from 2020 to 2030. The increase in the number of people opting for esthetic dental treatment is driving the development of advanced technologies. The cosmetics dentistry market has been expanding due to rise in disposable income, increase in focus on dental esthetics, and growth in awareness about cosmetic dentistry. Major cosmetic dental treatments include change in dental appearance, teeth whitening, and change in dental structure.

Crusher Backing Materials Market - In terms of value, the global crusher backing materials market is expected to reach US$ 33 Mn by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of ~4% during the forecast period. The increase in demand for crusher backing materials in crusher machines is a key factor driving the global crusher backing materials market. Additionally, growth in the mining industry across the globe is anticipated to fuel the global market during the forecast period.

Inorganic Color Pigments Market - The production of plastics has been rising significantly across the globe, owing to the increase in demand for plastics in packaging, automotive, and building & construction industries. Unique and advantageous properties of plastics have enabled the material to be used as a substitute for wood, paper, and rubber. Inorganic color pigments are widely employed in the production of polymers that are used in manufacture of plastic products. Increase in plastic production is likely to drive the inorganic color pigments market during the forecast period.

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About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.

Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

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Hours before he was shot Aaron Jay Danielson and a friend were protecting a flag-waving caravan of Trump supporters.

Protests flared again in Portland overnight on Monday as demonstrators clashed with police on the streets of the city which after months of sometimes violent confrontations has become a focal point of the US presidential race.

Police used smoke grenades and pepper balls to control the crowd of protesters. Police acknowledged in a statement that officers deployed some crowd control munitions and said 19 people were arrested, mostly on charges of disorderly conduct and interfering with police.

About 200-300 people gathered in the downtown area to march to the apartment of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler to demand his resignation. They were seen setting fire to wooden benches and plastic rubbish bins along the march.

Police declared the gathering unlawful and later upgraded it to a riot after protesters set fire in an apartment building. The area was secured to allow firefighters to respond to the situation, police said.

Portland has seen nightly protests since the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, in Minneapolis on May 25. Hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested since the protests began.

In recent weeks, tensions between right- and left-wing groups in the city have roiled downtown.

In recent weeks, tensions between right- and left-wing groups in the city have roiled downtown Portland [Nathan Howard/Getty Images/AFP]

A supporter of a right-wing group who was shot dead on Saturday night was mourned by both friends and President Donald Trump as a victim of mob violence while an online fundraising effort raised tens of thousands of dollars in his memory.

Just hours before he was shot in the chest, 39-year-old Aaron Jay Danielson and a friend were seen heading downtown to protect a flag-waving caravan of Trump supporters. They wore hats with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a group that has clashed with left-wing protesters in Portland for years, and appeared armed with knives and paintball guns.

Paint is a defensive mechanism. Paint is not bullets, Trump said during his White House briefing on Monday, adding that someone connected with violent protests shot a young gentleman and killed him. Not with paint but with a bullet.

In mobile phone video of the shooting, both Danielson and his assailant were seen on a darkened street. At least three shots rang out in a smoky haze, followed by images of Danielson crumpled on the ground as the friend, Chandler Pappas, slaps him in the face and rolls him over, yelling Jay! Jay!

He was a good man and he was just killed senselessly for no reason other than he believed something different than they do, Pappas told supporters during a rally Sunday. He was Christian. He was conservative.

Added Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson on his Facebook page: We love Jay and he had such a huge heart. God bless him and the life he lived.

I am getting a lot of questions so I thought I would make this post. 1st- We love Jay and he had such a huge heart.  Posted by Joey Gibson on Sunday, August 30, 2020

Ex-girlfriend Christine Banks said Monday Danielson did not discuss politics much but of the weeks-long protests in Portland: He didnt think it was right.  He was there for peace.

Banks said Danielson was a good person who loved nature and animals.

If you ask anybody, the one thing theyll remember him by is his goofy, beautiful smile, she said. He cared about what you believed in and not the colour of your skin.

A GoFundMe site late Monday said it had raised $33,000 from more than 900 donors for legal/lawyer fees, and towards fulfilling all other incurred costs in this time of need.

Danielson, a burly, bearded man, helped run a company in Portland called North West Specialty Moving that focused on transporting heavy items such as marble statues, hot tubs and gun safes. The companys address, which is the same address listed for Danielson for two parking violations in 2019, is a modest blue bungalow in a residential neighbourhood in southwest Portland.

Luke Carrillo, centre, speaking about Aaron Danielson at a news conference in Portland, Oregon [AP Photo/Aron Ranen]

Luke Carrillo, Danielsons longtime business partner, said they had been friends for 20 years.

We have lived and worked together day in and day out, he told reporters. We are like brothers, brothers that chose one another.

Danielson is associated with another company, Oregon Pro Arms LLC, which according to state records is focused primarily on moving gun safes.

Just hours before the shooting on Saturday, Pappas stood in a mall car park in suburban Clackamas talking to a reporter from the Portland Tribune.

The man next to him who appeared to be Danielson did not say much, except to make a reference to a journalist who had been attacked last year in Portland.

Were all about independent journalism, the man said.

Pappas at one point interjected, referring to the Trump caravan, Im here to stop people from assaulting these people.

Critics have said that instead of keeping the peace, Patriot Prayer has helped incite violence. Last month in nearby Gresham, Pappas showed up to counter a Black Lives Matter event and, according to the Portland Tribune, declared: I came here ready for war.

Portland police have yet to make an arrest. On Monday, they asked for witnesses and those who had taken video of the scene to contact them.

A small memorial to Danielson took shape Monday on a sidewalk in front of the parking structure where he collapsed. It included four yellow daises tied to a tree, a small American flag flapping in the wind, and a sympathy card with a Bible verse and handwritten note.

Jay went to Jesus, where will you go?
A day after the odd-even rule for opening shops of non-essential items was discontinued in the city, shopkeepers are now demanding that the government should remove weekend lockdown.

All the shops in the markets of the city were opened on Tuesday and shopkeepers heaved a sigh of relief. Some shopkeepers also distributed sweets in the Chaura Bazar market welcoming the governments decision to discontinue the odd-even rule.

Shopkeepers now demand that the government should also remove weekend lockdown in the city so that they could pull themselves out of the financial morass.

State general secretary of Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal, Sunil Mehra said that the decision taken by the government to discontinue the odd-even criteria has come as a relief for traders and the footfall of customers has already increased in the markets. But still, only around 25% of footfall is being witnessed in the markets.

If the liquor vends and restaurants can be allowed to open on weekends, then why not the shops? Only traders are being targeted by the decisions being taken by the state government. Most customers visit markets on weekends and weekend lockdown is taking a toll on our business. We will conduct meetings with different market associations in the coming days and raise an agitation to press for our demands, said Mehra.

President of Jawahar Nagar shopkeepers association, Om Prakash Ahuja said, If the weekend lockdown is removed, it would be a big relief for traders, who are reeling under losses.

Shopkeepers in Ghumar Mandi raised an agitation against the odd-even rule on Monday and opened few shops to mark their protest against the government.

Social distancing goes for a toss in markets

With all shops opening on Tuesday, the hustle-bustle in the markets returned especially in the old city area, but visitors and shopkeepers were seen giving social distancing a miss. Visitors thronged shops in Mata rani chowk, Saban Bazar, Girja Ghar chowk, and adjoining areas.

A shopkeeper in the Mata Rani chowk area, Gurjeet Singh said, We are making all efforts to maintain social distancing and asking visitors to wear masks. But it is very difficult to maintain social distancing due to the narrow streets in the market.
Mumbais Coastal Road: Making land in a drowning city

by Shweta Wagh, Hussain Indorewala & Aaran Patel

This year, as the monsoons unleashed severe flooding in South Mumbai, we were presented with standard narratives of the disaster. The bureaucracy blamed the high-intensity rainfall and outdated infrastructure; the people blamed it on a lack of political will and an absence of planning.



After the devastating 2005 floods in Mumbai, the Madhav Chitale Committee report pointed out that even if the entire system had been upgraded as per its new stormwater drainage project or BRIMSTOWAD, it would not have been adequate for the rainfall of such high intensity. BRIMSTOWAD was designed to deal with normal occasions of rainfall, not high intensity rainfall events.



The Chitale report came out 14 years ago. Since then, extreme rainfall events have become more frequent. Meanwhile, natural water courses are being filled up and diverted (disrupting drainage patterns), permeable areas are being paved and built upon (increasing run-off), coastal areas are being reclaimed to create new land (displacing water elsewhere).



Mumbai is drowning because its land is being made more impermeable, ecological systems are being built upon, and extreme weather events are becoming normal. Yet, instead of examining the relations between coastal communities and delicate ecosystems, Mumbais planners are looking for ways to make more land.



The proposal to build a land-filled 9.8-kilometre Coastal Road along the western shoreline has attracted strong criticism: from public transport advocates, who decry the neglect of overburdened public transport infrastructure; environmentalists, who scorn the authorities ignorance of a fragile coastal ecology; residents, who worry about the traffic mayhem it will create in their neighborhoods; and from the artisanal fisherfolk, who point out that the project will decimate their traditional shallow water fishing grounds and coastal commons.



The city government and highway builders have circumvented coastal protection regulations, evaded democratic process, skirted public debate, and outmaneuvered legal opposition to continue reclaiming the coast exclusively for motorists and developers. Already, a significant amount of work  mainly land-filling  has been completed, without requisite environmental and wildlife clearance.



Although slowed by the flight of construction workers due to Mumbais poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic, work on the project continued even during the total lockdown in the months of April and May  the municipal corporation claimed that the reclamation was essential pre-monsoon work. Curiously, the citys stormwater system did not get such attention.



And so, even as Mumbai sees the number of Covid-19 cases rise, with tens of thousands needing food and healthcare, frontline workers lacking safety equipment, and health infrastructure unable to cope, the government continues to invest in a project that will serve no more than 0.54% of its daily commuter trips.



It is revealing that the Mumbai municipal corporation hired consultants to prepare both the project and implementation plans as well as the social and environmental impact assessment studies of their own plans  a practice that is inevitably prone to a whole range of evaluation biases.



For instance, in the Social Impact Assessment for the project, there was neither an acknowledgement of the existence of the traditional fishing zones, or of the customary use of the nearshore and foreshore areas for artisanal fishing activity.



For artisanal fisherfolk, the coast is a productive landscape  the intricate fabric of economic, social and cultural life, rooted in the interface between land and water. The health of the ecology of these shallow coastal waters are thus critical to the livelihoods of the artisanal fishers, who have adopted methods of fishing suited to various ecological and geomorphic conditions of the coast; their customary practices ensure the preservation of coastal biodiversity.



The fisherfolk follow distinctive social arrangements of apportioning these marine and intertidal commons - areas that are now being snatched away from them for coastal real-estate. Land-filling for the Coastal Road will decimate the coastal ecology of the intertidal and shallow waters and the livelihoods of the artisanal fisherfolk.



Reclamation for the Coastal Road, is thus ocean grabbing  defined as capturing of control by powerful economic actors of crucial decision-making around fisheries. It involves the violation of economic, social and cultural rights of coastal communities, especially small fishers, that depend on the sea for livelihood. The project will lead to the dispossession of the artisanal fishers, and appropriation of the use, control and access to the fishing waters and marine resources from its existing users and right-holders.

Theme(s): Others.
KENOSHA, Wis. - Jacob Blake's family planned a Sunday barbecue on the block where the 29-year-old was shot in the back seven times by a police officer, with plans for licensed therapists to provide services to community members.

But when the White House announced that President Donald Trump would come to this lakeside city Tuesday, Blake's family moved the event to coincide with Trump's visit.

"He has a way of taking the focus off things that should be focused on, so we moved it," Blake's uncle Justin Blake said of the president through tears. "Our president hasn't been a unifier. He's been more of an instigator and stirred up a lot of stuff going on."

Trump will bring his campaign message of law and order to Kenosha on Tuesday, meeting with members of law enforcement and touring businesses damaged during riots. But when Trump arrives in this pivotal battleground state, he will likely find a chilly reception from state and local leaders, who reiterated on Monday that they wish he would have just stayed away.

"You have a community that's in the process of trying to heal," Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, a Democrat, said at a news briefing Monday. "There's so many things that have gone on in this community. It just seemed to me, and I think others, that it would be better for us to be able to pull together, let the community get together, and actually heal."

In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham set to air Monday night, Trump said he plans to travel to Wisconsin on Tuesday against the wishes of local officials because he is "a tremendous fan of law enforcement."

Trump's visit comes as Kenosha grapples with the aftermath of the damaging unrest that erupted after Rusten Sheskey, a city police officer, shot Blake, a Black man, in the back on Aug. 23.

Officials have released few details of the shooting, which is being investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

But the shooting led to days of vandalism and violence, culminating in Tuesday's fatal shooting amid the unrest.

Two people were killed and a third seriously injured. Officials have charged 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse with six counts - including two homicide charges. Rittenhouse's attorneys have argued he acted in self-defense. Trump declined to condemn Rittenhouse's actions Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump's visits will spark fresh protests here. Several local activists said no large protests were planned because they did not want to draw more attention to Trump's visit.

In a private meeting Monday afternoon with 30 members of BLAK, a local activist group, the Rev. Jesse Jackson also urged them to avoid becoming a "prop" in Trump's visit.

"Trump is coming to town to use us in a prop in his commercial to scare White people to get votes," Jackson said. "He wants to see us and the red caps on two opposite sides. Let Trump swing in the wind. Tomorrow is a big day. We'll have a new president in 60 days, and we intend to put Wisconsin in the victory column."

Isaac Wallner, the founder of the Human First Project, which formed after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody to press for police accountability in Kenosha, said his group has nothing planned.

"I was going to organize a protest, but then I thought it was best that we just ignore him," Wallner said. "He wants to see both sides fight and get into it. He wants to get to Wisconsin and say, 'See, these Democrats fought us.' "

In recent days, as protests against Blake's shooting spread across the nation, Trump has repeatedly referred to demonstrators as "rioters," "anarchists," "agitators" and "looters" while attempting to blame Democratic mayors and governors and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for the unrest.

In a speech Monday in Pittsburgh, Biden accused Trump of being a threat to the safety of all Americans by stoking racial divisions in a bid to boost his reelection campaign.

"I look at this violence and I see lives and communities and the dreams of small businesses being destroyed," Biden said. "Donald Trump looks at this violence and he sees a political lifeline."

In his speech, Biden mentioned that he spoke to Blake's family last week. The White House said Trump is not scheduled to meet with Blake's family. At a news conference Monday, Trump said the administration spoke with Blake's family's pastor, but "lawyers got involved." Blake's father told CNN that the family does not have a pastor.

According to two local police officials, Trump is expected to visit a section of the city's multicultural Uptown neighborhood, where last Monday night's rioting and looting was centered, according to two local police officials.

Over the weekend, White House staff members and Secret Service agents were scouting heavily damaged properties in the neighborhood, including that of the Danish Brotherhood, a fraternal organization.

A 71-year-old member of the fraternity was assaulted while defending the building with a fire extinguisher on Aug. 24. The victim's friend said he was hospitalized with a broken jaw.

In the community surrounding the rubble, reactions to Trump's expected visit were mixed.

Dave Montgomery, pastor of the Kingdom Word Global Impact Ministries near the Danish Brotherhood chapter, said he would wait to hear Trump's message before deciding whether his visit will be beneficial to the city.

"We hope that it doesn't stir up any more negative in the community," said Montgomery, who is Black. "We've taken a hit already. We hope he has a message that's really serious about unity and being strategic about helping Kenosha. I'm praying that's his message. If not, that's a problem. Does money find its way back here to help rebuild what was lost."

Kevin Mathewson, 36, a former city alderman who summoned men with guns to gather in Kenosha on the night that two people were killed, said that he welcomed Trump's appearance in Kenosha and that most of his friends and family on both sides of the political divide do as well.

"In this case I think he saved the day for us," Mathewson said of Trump. "All our leaders failed here and people felt like they had to defend themselves."

Shad DeLacy, 43, manager of S.J. Crystals Men's Shop in Kenosha, said he could see no benefit of Trump coming to Kenosha.

"I don't know if him coming here is going to help anybody, to be honest with you. Kenosha needs a break," DeLacy said. "We straight up need a break."

"It's too late for a unifying message, for him to give us any comforting words," DeLacy added. "I don't see him coming here and putting people at ease."

On Sunday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, expressed similar concerns in a letter to the White House.

"I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing," Evers wrote. "I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together."

Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser, a Democrat who joined Antaramian in opposing Trump's visit, said Monday he would hold the same view if Biden sought to visit the city this week. Kreuser said both candidates should wait until at least later in the week or the weekend before visiting the city.

"Things have been relatively calm, so let's just hope it stays that way," Kreuser said.

Wisconsin is expected to be a key battleground in the November presidential election. Four years ago, the state shocked many political observers by narrowly supporting Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton, even after Wisconsin twice voted for Barack Obama.

Kenosha County, which is located about 50 miles north of Chicago and home to about 170,000 residents, is one of the Wisconsin counties that Trump picked up in 2016.

Trump carried Kenosha County by less than one-third of a percentage point.

Michael Kraft, a political science and public affairs professor at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay, said it's too early to tell whether the protests in Kenosha will help or hinder Trump's reelection campaign in the state.

"Trump has had pretty stubbornly high unfavorability ratings, and people around here have been generally sympathetic with" the Black Lives Matter movement, Kraft said. "But that only goes so far, and I do think if violence breaks out again, and there more looting and fires, and people react more against the police, that could turn things around" in favor of Trump.

Kraft notes that Evers remains popular in the state. A Marquette University law school poll in early August showed that 57% of voters approve of the job the governor is doing, and Kraft believes it's risky for Trump to dismiss Evers's recommendation that he hold off on visiting Kenosha.

"I think the governor really just wants to resolve the issue peacefully, quietly," Kraft said. "And now he faces the question, will a president visiting the city, in the heat of a campaign, find it in his interest to urge people to stand their ground?"
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:55:48|Editor: huaxia

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COPENHAGEN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod summoned early Tuesday Russia's ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin to a meeting with the Foreign Ministry's foreign policy director, according to his tweets.

The meeting came as tensions rose following the alleged incursion into Danish airspace by a Russian Su-27 fighter, near the island of Bornholm in the Baltic, while in hot pursuit of a U.S. Air Force B52 bomber last Friday, wrote NATO's Allied Air Command on its website on Monday.

According to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Friday's incident was the first of this kind of violation for several years.

"Completely unacceptable violation of Denmark's airspace by Russian Su-27 fighter. (I) will raise issue with Russian authorities to avoid repetition," Kofod tweeted, adding "DK(Denmark)will always defend our air space, insist on international law."

The Russian action prompted the immediate launch of Danish Quick Reaction Alert aircraft to counter the violation, near the Danish island of Bornholm, resulting in the lone Russian fighter turning back before the interception, local media reported.

Earlier Tuesday, Minister of Defense Trine Bramsen called it an "unacceptable violation of Danish airspace."

Russian Defense Ministry has denied that the Russian fighter violated the Danish border, saying the fighter's action was to prevent a violation of Russian territory.

"On August 28, 2020, a Su-27 fighter from the air defense duty of the Baltic Fleet was raised to identify and prevent a U.S. Air Force B-52H strategic bomber from violating the Russian state border," the ministry said in a statement quoted by Russia's news agency TASS on Tuesday.

"The flight of the Russian Su-27 fighter, accompanied by an American bomber, was carried out over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea in strict accordance with international rules..., without violating the borders of other states," the statement added. Enditem
Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the rival of the long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko, has said Crimea is de jure part of Ukraine, but de facto part of Russia.

"When I was a presidential candidate, I voiced the position that we have adopted in Belarus, that Crimea is de jure part of Ukraine, but de facto part of Russia," she said in an interview on LRT TV .

"We understand that there are international laws and that Crimea was transferred to another state in violation of these laws. But again, our task is to deal with the situation in Belarus, what is of concern to our people is a new, fair election. The situation in Crimea is very difficult and Belarusians have different views on this issue  and we would not want this issue to divide us," Tikhanovskaya said.
Technavio has been monitoring the embedded computer market and it is poised to grow by 856.91 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 5% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005083/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Embedded Computer Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. Technavio's in-depth research has all your needs covered as our research reports include all foreseeable market scenarios, including pre- post-COVID-19 analysis. Download a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the major trends in the market?

Increasing implementation of robotics is a major trend driving the growth of the market.

Increasing implementation of robotics is a major trend driving the growth of the market. At what rate is the market projected to grow?

The year-over-year growth for 2020 is estimated at 4.91% and the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be 856.91 mn.

The year-over-year growth for 2020 is estimated at 4.91% and the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be 856.91 mn. Who are the top players in the market?

Abaco Systems Ltd., Advantech Co. Ltd., Artesyn Embedded Technologies Inc., Curtiss-Wright Corp., Digi International Inc., Eurotech SpA, Intel Corp., Kontron S&T AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., and Radisys Corp., are some of the major market participants.

Abaco Systems Ltd., Advantech Co. Ltd., Artesyn Embedded Technologies Inc., Curtiss-Wright Corp., Digi International Inc., Eurotech SpA, Intel Corp., Kontron S&T AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., and Radisys Corp., are some of the major market participants. What is the key market driver?

The demand for IoT devices is one of the major factors driving the market.

How big is the Europe market?

The Europe region will contribute 36% of the market share.

The market is concentrated, and the degree of concentration will accelerate during the forecast period. Abaco Systems Ltd., Advantech Co. Ltd., Artesyn Embedded Technologies Inc., Curtiss-Wright Corp., Digi International Inc., Eurotech SpA, Intel Corp., Kontron S&T AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., and Radisys Corp. are some of the major market participants. The demand for IoT devices will offer immense growth opportunities. To make 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.

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Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations.

Embedded Computer Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Embedded Computer Market is segmented as below:

Product COMS SBCs Stand-alone Boards Others

End-user Industrial Automation Military And Defense Medical Communication Others

CPU Architecture X86 ARM PowerPC Others

Geography North America South America Europe MEA APAC



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=IRTNTR40444

Embedded Computer 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. The embedded computer market report covers the following areas:

Embedded Computer Market Size

Embedded Computer Market Trends

Embedded Computer Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies increasing implementation of robotics as one of the prime reasons driving the embedded computer market growth during the next few years.

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports.

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Embedded Computer Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist embedded computer market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the embedded computer market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the embedded computer market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of embedded computer market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

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 placement

COMs Market size and forecast 2019-2024

SBCs Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Stand-alone boards Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Product

Market Segmentation by End-user

Market segments

Comparison by End-user placement

Industrial automation Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Military and defense Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Medical Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Communication Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by End-user

Market Segmentation by CPU Architecture

Market segments

Comparison by CPU architecture

x86 Market size and forecast 2019-2024

ARM Market size and forecast 2019-2024

PowerPC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by CPU architecture

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America 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

Volume driver Demand led growth

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Abaco Systems Ltd.

Advantech Co. Ltd.

Artesyn Embedded Technologies Inc.

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

Digi International Inc.

Eurotech SpA

Intel Corp.

Kontron S&T AG

NXP Semiconductors N.V.

Radisys Corp.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Femi Fani-Kayode

A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has given the management of Media Trust Limited  the publisher of Daily Trust and other publications  14 days to pay him N6 billion for defamation of character.

He has also demanded an apology.

It was gathered that Fani-Kayode in a letter addressed to the Managing Director of the newspaper dated August 31, 2020 and titled, Defamation of the Character of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode by Iliyasu Gadu accused the company of defaming him in an article titled: FFK, the Drug Addled Thug in Designer Wears dated August 30, 2020.

The letter, which was signed by the former ministers lawyer, Adeola Adesipe.

In the article, which was published in the newspaper, the writer lambasted Fani-Kayode for his conduct during a press conference in which he described a Daily Trust reporter in Calabar, Eyo Charles, as stupid after the journalist asked who was bankrolling his current tour of southern states.

Gadu, the writer of the article, claimed Fani-Kayode, who attended Cambridge University, was once a drug addict and had sought rehabilitation in Ghana but till today has not been cured of the habit.

In his pre-litigation letter, however, Fani-Kayode described the article as libellous and demanded an apology from the newspaper, which must be published in other national dailies.

The former minister also demanded that negotiation be entered into for the possible payment of N6 billion due to the irreparable loss the article had caused him.

It read in part, Be aware that our client has not only suffered immeasurable loss of goodwill, he is currently confronted with unbearable opprobrium by his fans, followers, and colleagues across the globe.

Our client is alive to his rights both in law and equity but is disposed to an opportunity to undo the evil you have done by retracting the said insalubrious remarks on the same platform it was published and apologising to him in two other national dailies.

You are also advised to enter into negotiations with us for the sum of N6bn being a token amount for penitence as opposed to the magnitude of infraction caused to our clients nobility.

The newspaper was given 14 days to comply with the demands in the letter or face legal action.

Fani-Kayode also wrote a similar letter to Gadu, who authored the article.

The former minister attracted the ire of several Nigerians recently after a viral video showed him talking down on a journalist, an incident he has apologised for.

However, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, as well as many other civil organisations, have continued to criticise him while many reporters have boycotted the former ministers ongoing tour of several southern states.
When Kathy Pham immigrated from Saigon, Vietnam, to San Rafael, California, in 1989, she was 18 years old and searching for opportunity.

To make a living, Pham turned to a line of work a lot of other first- and second-generation Vietnamese women in California find themselves in: the nail salon industry. She enrolled in cosmetology school and has been painting nails ever since.

Doing manicures and pedicures didn't pay much, and the job came with more than its fair share of headaches, like long hours, rude customers and toxic chemicals, but Pham liked it well enough. She even grew to enjoy it, eventually ending up at a salon with great colleagues and "customers that treat us like family." Pham, a single mom, was clocking in seven days a week to support herself and her three kids.

Then the coronavirus pandemic struck, putting Pham out of work.

"Right now, I can't do anything," she said in an interview.

Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak

Pham has been jobless for more than five months. And since the federal CARES Act expired July 25, her unemployment benefits have been cut to only about $100 a week, she said  hardly enough to get by.

Nail salon closings, and the resulting lost wages, have been particularly hard on Vietnamese women like Pham, who are the backbone of the industry. According to a study by the UCLA Labor Center and the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, the U.S. nail salon workforce is 81 percent women and 79 percent foreign-born. Of immigrant manicurists, about three-quarters are from Vietnam. Many started coming to the U.S. as refugees after the war, seeking work in a field that didn't require much English.

The nail salon industry is especially important to the livelihood of the Vietnamese community in California, where 39 percent of Vietnamese immigrants in the U.S. live, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Nearly a sixth of all manicurists in the U.S. are concentrated in California.

Story continues

The economic burden of this shutdown has largely befallen women and people of color.

"The economic burden of this shutdown has largely befallen women and people of color," State Assembly member Ash Kalra wrote in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom dated Aug. 28. "[S]ince the closures, three quarters of workers expressed doubt that they will be able to afford food and other necessities in the next month."

Left behind in reopening

In the letter, Kalra, whose district covers parts of eastern San Jose, calls for the safe reopening of salons and a reconsideration of current guidelines, which stipulate that a nail salon is allowed to operate indoors if it's in a county that has a low transmission rate, according to the state's new four-tier system. But if a county has a high transmission rate  which is determined by the number of new cases per 100,000 residents and test positivity rates  the salon must operate outdoors.

While such operations have been permitted since late July, salon owners and employees say outdoor setups require resources most businesses simply don't have. Not only do they present challenges in connecting manicure stations and foot spas to electricity, they say, but they also mean risking exposure to unmasked passersby, struggling to sanitize spaces subject to the elements and laboring in extreme heat and, because of California's wildfires, poor air quality.

The rule also applies to other personal care services, like body waxing, as well as fitness centers, restaurants and places of worship. But other industries, like hotels and casinos, are allowed to operate indoors, whether they are in high transmission counties or not.

That's not fair, argue nail salon advocates, who say manicurists are some of the most stringently hygienically trained workers in the service sector. "We demand to open safely indoors. We demand to open immediately," said Tam Nguyen, co-founder of Nailing It for America, which organized a protest in June. "We've done everything possible to deserve it."

Vietnamese manicurists gather in Westminster, Calif., on June 8, 2020 to call on the state to allow nail salons to reopen. (Lynn Seeden)

Notably, nail salons were left out of the governor's reopening plans even as hair salons were given the go-ahead, which sent a confusing message to the industry, Nguyen said. "It was very puzzling and very hurtful," especially after the same community had banded together in April to donate more than 1.2 million pieces of personal protective equipment to medical professionals.

It also stung, Vietnamese manicurists said, when the governor made repeated but so far unsubstantiated claims that California's first case of community transmission happened in a nail salon.

It also stung, Vietnamese manicurists said, when the governor made repeated but so far unsubstantiated claims that California's first case of community transmission happened in a nail salon. The assertion caused them to worry about not only the racist backlash it might spark  the group Stop AAPI Hate has tallied more than 2,500 reports of anti-Asian discrimination since March  but also the long-term effects on their livelihoods.

"How devastating as an industry for him to say that without any clear data, without any clear science," Nguyen said. "It rocked consumer confidence." (The governor's office didn't respond to requests for comment.)

A majority of California is in the most restrictive tier, including Orange, Santa Clara and Los Angeles counties, home to the three largest Vietnamese populations in the state  leaving most nail salons closed. That's true, as well, of Pham's home, Marin County, and she is stuck wondering when, or whether, her job will resume.

She's tried to find work at other salons, but to no avail. And the longer she goes without work or adequate unemployment benefits, the more anxious she becomes.

The economic impact

Pham is among the 91 percent of manicurists who applied for unemployment insurance during the pandemic, according to a recent survey by UCLA and the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative. The study also found that, because of language barriers, lack of awareness and other obstacles, over 40 percent of those workers needed help to do so.

Kathy Pham. (Courtesy Kathy Pham)

The California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative offers such assistance. In addition to helping workers file for unemployment benefits, it distributes protective equipment, creates Vietnamese-language safety training videos and reopening guidelines and manages a COVID-19 response care fund. Since May, it has given $250 micro-grants to over 250 manicurists, according to program coordinator Vu Nguyen, 90 percent of them Vietnamese women.

Pham hopes she can earn a living wage again soon, but the possible risks weigh heavily on her. "I'm so scared to go back to work," she said. "I want the money to pay all my bills, my rent, my food, for everything. I want to go back to work, but I'm worried."

Health and safety are major concerns among manicurists, said Winnie Kao, a general counsel at the Asian Law Caucus, which has been fielding questions from employees. Much of their apprehension stems from whether they can count on the public to do its part to keep them safe, especially if a customer refuses to wear a mask. "Unfortunately, there are customers who think their own comfort and entitlement to a manicure or pedicure is more important than the safety of the workers, owners, and other customers in the salon," Kao wrote in an email.

A majority of employees say they want to go back to work. But in a population that was already vulnerable before the pandemic, with 76 percent classified as low-wage workers (more than twice the national rate across industries), it's likely that many believe they don't have much choice.

The pandemic, according to the UCLA-California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative study, has only highlighted and magnified the need for better support systems and labor protections. Three in 4 manicurists' pre-coronavirus earnings fell below $600 a week  less than unemployment wages under the expired CARES Act. And undocumented workers ineligible for such programs, Kao said, are stranded without any adequate safety net.

Pham is afraid that all her employable skills and training are for an industry that may never fully recover. And her fear is far from unfounded, said Nguyen of Nailing It, who also runs Advanced Beauty College. It's estimated that 30 percent to 50 percent of nail salons shuttered during the pandemic will stay closed permanently.

"The industry won't look like before," Pham said, adding that she's not sure what other job she'd do to make a living. "I just want a normal life. ... That's all."
The loan moratorium announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in March came to an end yesterday and the repayment schedule resumes from today. Last month, the RBI had allowed lenders to formulate a one-time loan restructuring plan for COVID-19-hit borrowers. While a committee has been constituted to come up with a restructuring scheme for corporate borrowers, the finer contours have been left to individual bank boards. The options could include rescheduling of EMI payments, conversion of interest accumulated into another credit facility, or an extension of the moratorium (by up to two years) after assessing borrowers income streams. Banks have to put in place their frameworks by December 31, 2020.

It would have helped if the banking regulator had provided a broad framework for such loan recast schemes. For now, going by the RBI circular, it looks like each bank will have its own loan recast scheme. said Harsh Roongta, who heads Fee Only Investment Advisors, to Moneycontrol in an earlier podcast.

Since the implementation process is not standard across banks, borrowers face uncertainty. Many are yet to receive any clear communication from their banks on whether a one-time relief to such distressed borrowers, particularly to those who had taken the moratorium, would be offered.

Wait for your banks communication

Your bank would send you some communication as to how you must restart paying your EMIs. Moneycontrol reviewed one such message sent to a borrower by PNB Housing Finance.

Every bank has its own rules for operationalising the moratorium. This will be governed by the terms of the moratorium and the loan agreement. Borrowers must remain in touch with their lenders to know how they need to operate from September 1, says Adhil Shetty, CEO, BankBazaar.

Loan consultancy firm Mortgageworld.ins founder Vipul Patel, says, Write to your bank to seek a restructuring plan. Enquire about a likely resolution plan, on the lines of options mentioned by the RBI. If you can repay your EMIs, you must do so and avoid any restructuring plans.

Keep an eye on the Supreme Court hearing

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will resume its hearing, seeking an interest waiver for six months moratorium period. The SC has frowned upon the interest on interest that borrowers taking the moratorium will have to pay. The apex court had remarked that there was no merit in charging interest on interest.

As Moneycontrol has pointed out several times earlier, the moratorium is not an EMI holiday, but a mere deferment of it. Interest will accumulate during the period and add to your total repayment burden.

The RBI had earlier argued in the SC that the moratorium was meant to provide interim relief to borrowers and that waiving interest would affect the banking sectors financial stability, thus affecting depositors interests.

On August 26, the Supreme Court had asked the central government to clarify its stance on waiving off this accrued interest. The government is expected to shed light on its position during the hearing on Tuesday. As far as your loan is concerned, for the time being, the moratorium as we know it has come to an end. And your repayment of loans would now start.

Prepare for resumption of loan repayment

Irrespective of the SC verdict, put your finances in order. Dont wait for Supreme Court verdict. Plan your finances and start paying your EMIs from September onwards. If the verdict is in borrowers favour, then its a bonus, advises Aparna Ramachandra, Founder-Director, rectifycredit.com.

Any mis-step at your end could come to haunt you later. From September, if you start defaulting on your EMIs, you will be reported to the credit bureau. It will impact your credit score. Your chances of getting a new loan will also be hampered, she adds.

Likewise, even if you do receive a loan restructuring proposal from your lender, it is in your interest to resume EMI payments. Loan restructuring is not a straightforward affair. The bank will scrutinise your credit history before offering it. It should be taken only if your monthly cash flow continues to be impacted, explains Kalpesh Ashar, certified financial planner, Full Circle Financial Planners and Advisors.

In fact, look at making a lump-sum part-payment to reduce the interest burden wherever possible. If you have gold to offer as collateral, then opt for a secured loan to pay off an unsecured liability such as personal loan or credit card dues on which loan moratorium was taken. The unsecured liability comes at a higher cost then the secured one, says Raj Khosla, Managing Director and Founder, MyMoneyMantra.

You can also look at redeeming your mutual fund investments  its a good time to take some profits  liquidating stock holdings or surrendering life insurance policies to reduce the loan outstanding and interest burden, as some borrowers did. Opt for loan restructuring only as the last resort.
Courtesy / Courtesy

Suzanne Scott, the longtime general manager of the San Antonio River Authority, is planning to step down at the end of October to take over as the The Nature Conservancys state director in Texas, according to news releases.

Scott worked for the river authority for more than two decades, of which 13 years she spent running the agency as general manager, according to a news release from the agency.
Imperial Valley News Center

History Matters Showing our children that their past is prelude to their future

Washington, DC - On September 7th, Uncle Sam will be two-hundred and seven. The United States got its nickname when a Troy, NY newspaper ran a story about Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker who supplied beef to the American soldiers during the War of 1812. He loaded the portions into barrels marked US, which the troops started referring to as Uncle Sams rations; the moniker went viral, andeventually it became the personification of America.

Later in the 19th century, the cartoonist Thomas Nast designed an image to match the name: a white goateed man wearing a top hat, dressed in red, white, and blue.

In 1961 Congress passed a resolution acknowledging that Samuel Wilson was the ingenuity behind Uncle Sam.

The Grateful American Book Prize recommends The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For by David McCullough.

*

By the fall of 1776, the Declaration of Independence had already been signed, and delivered to the British. It unambiguously stated that the colonies were now an independent nation. On September 9, 1776, the Continental Congress officially replaced the designation, United Colonies with the United States of America.

Even though the American Revolution was in still going on, the Congressional resolution stated: That in all continental commissions, and other instruments, where, heretofore, the words United Colonies have been used, the stile be altered for the future to the United States.

Seven years later, The Treaty of Paris ended the Warofficially--and America was free.

The Grateful American Book Prize recommends its 2016 award winner, The Drum of Destiny, by Chris Stevenson.

*

On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem called The Defence of Fort McHenry. The War of 1812 had ramped up rage between the United States and Britain a second time. Baltimores Fort McHenry was on the defensive, and Key was imprisoned on an enemy warship.

According to History.com Key watched the bombing campaign unfold from aboard a ship located about eight miles away. After a day, the British were unable to destroy the fort and gave up. Key was relieved to see the American flag still flying over Fort McHenry and quickly penned a few lines in tribute to what he had witnessed.

His poem was printed in newspapersand then--set to music. Its popularity soared; people started calling it The Star-Spangled Banner; and, in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed it should be played and sung at all official gatherings.

Fifteen years later, Keys poem metamorphosized into the national anthem.

The Grateful American Book Prize recommends 1812: The War That Forged a Nation by Walter R. Borneman.
The Minority in Parliament continues to harbour fears that there has been an undervaluation of the royalty rights in the Agyapa Royalties deal.

Speaking on Citi TV's The Point of View, former Deputy Power Minister, John Jinapor complained that the government held back key details on the value of the company despite requests in Parliament to help judge the prudence of the deal.

Deputy Finance Minister [Charles Adu Boahen] looked into our face and told the people of Ghana that it is confidential and that he can't release it to the people's representatives.

The Minority boycotted the approval of the deal in Parliament saying it was too opaque and that the state was in danger of being shortchanged.

The government will be floating 49 percent of Agyapa Royalties Limited but Mr Jinapor had questions about the projected cash flows.

It is the projected cash flows that will tell us whether the business is worth undertaking or not.

So where is the dividend policy? They say they cant provide that. If you want to list on the stock exchange, we need to see the prospectus, Mr Jinapor added.

Defending the actions of the government, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, the Sekondi MP, said the state was in the process of building a prospectus for the deal and that it was premature to make those documents available.

They need to go through some regulatory processes at the London Stock Exchange before the document is available for the public, he said on The Point of View.

Andrew Egyapa Mercer, the Sekondi MP

He also suggested that the government was wary about information on the deal being leaked from Parliament.

They don't want a situation where these documents will be made available to us and the document will be found out there in the public domain.

The state could have been more transparent

Also speaking on The Point of View, Theo Acheampong, an Energy Economist and Political Risk Analyst, noted that the State could have put in place measures to ensure the security of the information amid calls for transparency.

The State could have provided those details to Parliament. A lot of these documents go to Parliament and I'm sure there is some confidentiality and some disclosure around that, he remarked.

He also criticized the lack of clarity in the governments communication on the matter.

The problem is the communication around it; the government and the state agencies being forthright to us about what exactly they want to raise the money for, what the percentages are and how they are going to use the money for whatever investment they want to do.

Mr Acheampong further noted that his estimates point to the royalty rights being valued between $1.6 billion and $3 billion based on forecasts of production and gold price assumptions.

The government has however valued the rights at $1 billion based on balance sheets.

The government through the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) set up Agyapa Royalties Limited to monetise Ghana's gold royalties.

In exchange, the company plans to raise between $500 million and $750 million for the Government on the Ghana and London Stock exchanges to invest in developmental projects.

---citinewsroom
After 2017 Peak Iran Carpet Exports Drop Sharply

Radio Farda August 31, 2020

According to the latest official data, Iranian hand-woven carpets exports fell from $426 million in 2017 to $238 million in 2018, and experienced another drop last year, ending with approximately $69 million.

Earlier in August 2018, Fereshteh Dastpak, the head of Iran's National Carpet Center, announced that the value of Iran's hand-woven carpet exports amounted to $ 1.2 billion annually over the past decade, most of which were exported to the United States. However, she admitted that the figure dropped sharply during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, following the Islamic Republic's international sanctions.

Iranian hand-woven carpet exports peaked in 2017, immediately after the implementation of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In the same year, the U.S. imported the highest proportion of Iran's world-renowned rugs with 28 percent.

Meanwhile, Germany, Lebanon, and Britain were the other major customers of Iranian carpets.

Carpets and pistachios are Iran's most significant traditional exports to the U.S. Nevertheless, two years ago, Washington banned the import of handmade rugs from Iran.

The U.S. Statistics Center's latest report shows that the country imported only $3 million from Iran in the first half of 2020.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/after-2017-peak-iran -carpet-exports-drop-sharply/30813005.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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As a couch potato in a family of long-distance cyclists, Ive always been envious of the red-faced exhilaration of a loved one returning from a workout. Luckily, novels like Asha Lemmies propulsive debut allow me to experience the high of the endurance athlete  consumed by a far-flung odyssey, coming up only for a sip of water (or leftover potato salad). I inhaled FIFTY WORDS FOR RAIN (Dutton, 464 pp., $26) in one day; I had no choice.

Do not question. Do not fight. Do not resist, Noriko Kamizas mother tells her when she stops their car across the street from an imposing walled estate in Kyoto. Noriko steps onto the pavement, clutching her suitcase, noticing for the first time that her mother doesnt have any luggage. Lemmie writes, She could not so much as blink as she watched the car speed down the street, around the corner and out of sight. Nori is only 8 years old, but she understands that her mother is gone for good.

If you are a Flowers in the Attic enthusiast, this story may give you a sense of deja vu. Theres the unfamiliar ancestral home, the abusive grandmother who locks Nori away in a garret and the clueless grandfather who must not be disturbed. But, while V.C. Andrewss Dollenganger siblings had each other for company (ahem), Nori is alone.

Three times a week, the girl gets lessons in reading, writing, math and history. She endures painful daily scrubs with bleach and the finest magic bath soap, administered by a maid at the bidding of Noris grandmother, Lady Yuko, who wants to erase evidence of her married daughters affair with an African-American soldier. (The two met in 1939, when he was on leave in Japan.) The Kamiza family has ties to the emperor: Lady Yuko is his cousin, her husband is the emperors adviser. Noris skin color  and her existence  are a threat to their imperial status.

Image Fifty Words for Rain is Asha Lemmies debut novel. Credit... Lenka Drstakova

For better or for worse, time moves at warp speed in Lemmies world: 30 pages later, weve leapfrogged over three years. Suddenly, Nori learns that she has a half brother, Akira, who is about to move into the grim mansion following the death of his father. He becomes Noris champion, insisting that she be allowed outside, introducing her to music and serving as her first real friend. Scenes where the siblings are together are among the most moving in this emotionally draining (in a good way) novel, but they still bring with them a sense of foreboding. Are we supposed to trust Akira? Is he a stand-up guy or his grandmothers pawn?
Donald Trump has said an investigation is underway into 'a plane full of thugs' intent on causing chaos which he says flew to Washington DC for the Republican National Convention.

The president made the comment in an hour-long interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News on Monday where he slammed Democrat-run cities, said Portland has been 'burning for decades' and painted a bleak picture of what America will look like when he leaves office.

During the interview, Trump said that his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, was having his 'strings' pulled by 'people you have never heard of, people in the dark shadows.'

Ingraham replied: 'What does that mean? That sounds like conspiracy theory.'

But Trump replied: 'They are people that are on the streets, people who are controlling the streets.

'We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city, this weekend. And in the plane it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms, with gear and this and that. They're on a plane.'

When asked for details, he replied: 'I'll tell you some time. It's under investigation right now.'

Trump's statement came on the same day that he defended the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse - the 17-year-old who shot two people dead during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Trump said the teen - a supporter of the president - 'probably would have been killed' by an angry mob if he hadn't fired at them with the illegal gun he was carrying.

Donald Trump appeared on Fox News on Monday evening and spoke of a 'plane of thugs'

The president told Laura Ingraham that he could not publicly disclose details of the flights

The Kenosha shooting came amid nationwide protests against police violence, which Trump claims are being funded by outside influencers.

In the interview, Trump told Ingraham that someone on a flight 'from a certain city' to Washington DC for the convention saw the crowd of 'thugs'.

'This person was coming to the Republican National Convention and there were like seven people in the plane [with] this person, and then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage,' Trump insisted.

He also said the money for the protests is coming from 'very stupid rich people', who were fomenting violence that has continued throughout the country for months.

'The money is coming from some very stupid rich people [who] have no idea that if their thing ever succeeded, which it won't, they will be thrown to the wolves like you've never seen before,' he said.

The president said the money for the protests is coming from 'very stupid rich people', who were fomenting violence.

While Trump spoke at the RNC, yells and chants could be heard from protesters in the background

Attendees at the last night of the Republican National Convention were assaulted and accosted by a large crowd of demonstrators as they left the White House on Thursday night.

Footage from the streets surrounding Pennsylvania Avenue showed one white-haired man being punched in the back of the head and later knocked to the ground by a mob of activists who also threw water over him.

Meanwhile RNC committeeman Chris Ager and his wife were repeatedly abused by a balaclava-wearing protester who threatened to 'f*** you up' as they tried to get into the doors of their hotel.

Hundreds of activists had gathered outside the White House to protest Trump's nomination acceptance speech, trying to drown it out with air horns and fireworks.

While demonstrations started peacefully things grew progressively ugly as the night wore on, with attendees forced to run a gauntlet of angry activists as they tried to leave the event.

Footage showed some scuffles breaking out between police officers and protesters, some of whom aimed punches at officers who drew batons in response.

Senator Rand Paul was also accosted by protesters who almost pushed him to the ground as he left the White House, after shoving a police officer into him.

Protests erupted outside the White House on Thursday evening, as Trump addressed the RNC

Republicans attending the White House speech on Thursday needed escorting away

However, multiple videos showed no police protection for attendees who were surrounded by group of aggressive protesters.

Protests had begun at midday in Washington DC, with a rally outside Amazon owner Jeff Bezos's mansion demanding a $30 per hour minimum wage.

Demonstrations then moved to the streets around the White House from 7pm, with DJs and bands playing in an attempt to drown out the RNC.

During the convention itself, which lasted from 9pm until 11pm, protesters let off fireworks and blared air horns which could be heard in the background of Trump's speech as it was broadcast on TV.

Scuffles initially began between the activists and a smaller number of counter-demonstrators leading to two arrests, according to DCist.

But as the convention finished the disturbances became more widespread.

Against the backdrop of the protests, Trump's speech painted a stark choice for voters this November: a second term for himself or voting for Joe Biden, who he claimed would 'demolish' the nation.

'Despite all of our greatness as a nation, everything we have achieved is now endangered,' the president warned in his acceptance speech, given on the South Lawn of the White House.

On Monday Trump defended the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, saying the 17-year-old 'probably would have been killed' in Kenosha, Wisconsin if he hadn't opened fire, killing two protesters last Tuesday.

'He was trying to get away from them I guess, it looks like, and he fell on then they very violently attacked him,' Trump said in response to a question from DailyMail.com on Monday.

'It was something that we are looking at right now and it's under investigation, but I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would've been killed. It's under investigation,' he added during his press briefing.

Rittenhouse is charged with two counts of 'intentional homicide,' a charge in Wisconsin state law which is the same as murder in most other states, for his actions in Kenosha that left two people dead and one wounded.

President Trump defended the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, saying the 17-year-old 'probably would have been killed' by an angry mob if he hadn't fired at them with the illegal gun he was carrying.

Rittenhouse was part of a group of armed civilians protecting a service station in Kenosha. There was a scuffle between them and the protesters. Shots were fired and 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum was fatally shot in the head.

Video posted on social media shows a man whom police believe to be Rittenhouse make a call on a cellphone and say: 'I just shot someone.'

He flees and is pursued by many protesters, at least one of whom is armed with a handgun. Rittenhouse falls to the ground and the crowd rushes in to seize his weapon.

He was hit over the head by protester Anthony Huber, 26, who had a skateboard and wanted to disarm him.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was patrolling the streets with an AR-15. He fell over, was hit with a skateboard by other protesters who tried to disarm him, and opened fire, wounding one person and killing two. He is now being held on murder charges

Rittenhouse then starts firing into the group and ended up killing Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz.

He was not arrested until the following day, back in Illinois, despite approaching police with his hands in the air while other protesters yelled that he'd just shot multiple people.

He is in custody in Illinois. A judge will decide at a hearing on Sept. 25 whether Rittenhouse will be extradited to Wisconsin, where he would be tried as an adult. He faces six felony charges that include first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide, and a misdemeanor charge for possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor.

Rittenhouse's attorney Lin Wood said the 17-year-old vigilante was 'attacked' with 'lethal force' and 'had the right to defend himself.'

Democratic nominee Joe Biden condemned President Trump defense of the shooting.

'The President declined to rebuke violence,' he said in a statement after Trump's press conference.

'He wouldn't even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it. So once again, I urge the President to join me in saying that while peaceful protest is a right  a necessity  violence is wrong, period. No matter who does it, no matter what political affiliation they have. Period,' he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:18:16|Editor: huaxia

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MAPUTO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Some 70,000 families in northern Mozambique will benefit from the support of the recently created Northern Integrated Development Agency, Radio Mozambique (RM) reported on Tuesday.

Mozambican Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Celso Correia explained to RM that the families will receive socio-economic support that will guarantee a partial reconstruction of their lives.

"Farmers with agriculture will benefit from seeds, tools and access to market for their products. Meanwhile, people working in fisheries will receive boats and kits. The same will happen to woodworkers, who will receive support in their area of work. All of this will guarantee sustainable economic recovery to the population," said the minister.

The minister also said that the northern region of Mozambique, where armed violence has been plaguing several districts in the province of Cabo Delgado, will soon recover.

"Growth in this rich region is unavoidable. We will do our best to guarantee that. No one who engages in armed violence and terrorist acts will thrive in our country," he added.

The support given to the families is the first intervention of the recently launched agency. Enditem
The lawyer representing Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen who shot and killed two protesters in Kenosha, Wis., said Monday that his client was carrying his gun legally and acted in self-defense against a mob of protesters who were threatening him.

This is 100 percent self-defense, Rittenhouses lawyer John Pierce said on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight. The only individuals Kyle shot were the three individuals attacking him and putting him at risk. This is a 17-year-old kid, this is amazing what he did.

On the third night of protests in Kenosha following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, Rittenhouse, who is from a nearby town in Illinois, carried an AR-15-style rifle and was attempting to protect businesses from being looted or set ablaze by demonstrators, his lawyer said.

Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber  and shot Gaige Grosskreutz in the arm, injuring him.

Rittenhouse has been charged as an adult with six criminal counts, including two counts of first-degree homicide, one count of attempted homicide, and possession of a dangerous weapon by an underage individual.

Rosenbaum was leading the attack on Rittenhouse and began to assault him from behind, attempted to take his weapon, take his firearm, and Kyle, when he turned, he instantaneously had no choice but to defend himself by firing because he was in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death, Pierce said.

They began screaming that Kyle needed to be killed, and they were going to kill him. They started relentlessly hunting him as prey as he ran down the street attempting to retreat, the lawyer said. Rittenhouse ended up falling in the street, where he shot two people who were attacking him while he lay on the ground. One of the men who charged at Rittenhouse while he lay on the ground was armed with a pistol.

Pierce added that Rittenhouse retrieved the rifle he used after crossing into Wisconsin, and said that his client and a friend only traveled to Kenosha after a local businessman asked them for help defending his property. The lawyer also said he will fight the underage weapons possession charge by arguing that the 17-year-old was entitled to carry a rifle under the Second Amendments well regulated Militia clause, which suggests Pierce will argue that Wisconsins ban on gun possession by underage individuals in unconstitutional.

Story continues

That is a legal firearm in the state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin is an open carry state. That charge is incorrect as a matter of state law, Pierce said.

President Trump on Monday appeared to defend Rittenhouse but noted that the incident is under investigation.

He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like, Trump said. I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed.

More from National Review
Joanna Horton, 53, of Logan, Philadelphia,(front right), poses for a portrait with her kids Kaleif Horton, 27, (back left), Christopher Horton, 30, (back center), Lee Horton, 32, Joanna Horton, 28, (front left), and her grandkids, Farrah Finney, 6, (front left), and Lamar Horton, 3, (back right), in front of her home on Friday, Aug., 28, 2020. Joanna and her family have been waiting for 27 years for the release of her husband Lee Horton and his brother Dennis Horton. Read more

Reid and Wyatt Evans have been in prison nearly 40 years for a robbery that became a murder after the victim, 68-year-old Leonard Leichter, suffered a heart attack and died.

Dennis and Lee Horton have served 27 years for the robbery and fatal shooting of Samuel Alamo, 37, at a Hunting Park bar  a crime they maintain they did not commit.

Both sets of Philly brothers were offered plea deals for as little as five or 10 years in prison, they said, but rejected the offers. Both were convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole instead. In both cases, a third perpetrator they describe as the principal actor is already out of prison. Both have been repeatedly rejected for clemency, despite spotless prison records. Now, both will have their best shot at freedom at Board of Pardons hearings, to be held virtually for the first time ever this week due to the pandemic. The board votes Friday, after which Gov. Tom Wolf can consider their recommendations.

Without commutations, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has repeatedly argued in championing their cases, they are almost guaranteed to die in prison.

Fetterman, who chairs the five-member Board of Pardons, has led a charge to revive what was once a routine process. Through the 1970s, hundreds of lifers were released by commutation after serving 15 or 20 years, but the practice fell out of favor in the era of tough-on-crime politics. In the last 25 years, just 25 people have won clemency out of Pennsylvanias 5,400 lifers, among whom are more than a thousand age 60 or older.

But the boards last hearing, in December 2019, turned into a stalemate, as fellow board members, most prominently Attorney General Josh Shapiro, rejected the brothers applications, along with more than a dozen other petitions for clemency. Shapiro said he weighs each case individually, considering public safety, the crime itself, the individuals transformation and home plan, and victims input.

 READ MORE: Is this a new era for the Pa. Board of Pardons? (From 2019)

Some saw it as a political clash between two possible Democratic candidates for governor in 2022. Fetterman, previously considered likely to seek a Senate seat, has indicated hell run for governor if its the only way to get commutations for people like the Evans and Horton brothers. The trajectory of my career in public service will be determined by their freedom or lack thereof, Fetterman told The Inquirer last month.

In an Aug. 26 letter from the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, 40 Democratic state lawmakers, the Pennsylvania Bar Association and other advocates urged the board to use its power to remedy unjust sentences and wrongful convictions, in light of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic to aging prisoners, the slow pace of appellate courts, and racial disparities in the justice system.

Shapiro said politics does not factor in his decisions  which he said are focused on balancing justice and public safety. (In the case of the brothers, he said, the board had previously interviewed them together; he said that was a procedural flaw given his belief in individualized assessments.)

One of my frustrations is that people look to the Board of Pardons to address structural issues, Shapiro said. I believe that there are deep and problematic structural issues within our justice system. Ive been talking about that for a decade, and Ive been making meaningful changes within my office to address that. But you cant solve those deep structural issues by a commutation process, because were forced to look at these cases on an individual basis.

Life gives you what life gives you

In Shapiros view, the Board of Pardons is not the venue for innocence claims, which are best left to be reviewed in court. For the Horton brothers, decades of appeals have been unsuccessful. And a case review by the District Attorneys Conviction Integrity Unit raised questions but no exonerating evidence.

The victims brother, Reinaldo Alamo, 62, said he opposes clemency for the Hortons. They took a human life, and they dont deserve to be out in society, he said.

The brothers describe themselves as law-abiding citizens at the time of their arrest, aspiring to careers in law enforcement. Lee, then 27, received his acceptance to the Police Academy while in jail awaiting trial.

Their lives switched onto a different track on May 31, 1993, when police pulled them over driving in North Philadelphia. In the back seat was their friend Robert Leaf, and he had a rifle. The Hortons say theyd picked Leaf up minutes before they were stopped. Police believed the three men had robbed and shot up a Hunting Park bar earlier that night, killing Alamo and wounding others. They arrested them and transported them, in the back of a police wagon, to a hospital.

There, according to police records, police asked three witnesses to the robbery to peer into the wagon and confirm they were the assailants. All three did.

That procedure, known as a show-up, is considered problematic because it can easily produce false-positive identifications, said Marissa Bluestine, of the University of Pennsylvania Law Schools Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice. Current Philadelphia police protocol notes such confrontations are improperly suggestive.

Over the various hearings that would follow, the witnesses statements would conflict. For instance, according to court records, all three witnesses initially told police there were two robbers. After the show-up, they said there were three.

At trial, the witnesses said Dennis Horton was the shooter. In 2018, the District Attorneys Office turned over the police case file, which included notes stating, Leaf is shooter, and a police note indicating that Leaf acknowledged his role while seeming to clear the Hortons.

To the brothers, that evidence seemed powerful.

A spokesperson for District Attorney Larry Krasner said the office supports commutation for both sets of brothers, but declined further comment.

Attempts to locate Leaf and witnesses from the 1993 trial were unsuccessful.

To Reinaldo Alamo, it was and remains an open-and-shut case, given the brothers were caught with the weapon an hour after the murder. He wont be speaking at the hearing, but submitted a letter noting his opposition.

When I heard this it put me in a state of depression, Alamo said of the commutation hearing. To think of ... the turmoil they caused my family, the pain and suffering that it did to my mother.

Still, the Hortons, now in their 50s, are hoping for clemency instead of exoneration.

Im looking at it now like, life gives you what life gives you. ... I think getting out whatever way I can right now is a blessing. I know some people who died in prison, said Lee Horton, who has four children, the youngest of whom was just 2 weeks old when he was arrested.

The brothers have mentored dozens of men in prison, served as peer mental-health counselors, created a day of responsibility, started prison-based reentry and anti-violence programs  and even put together a multipronged anti-violence strategy theyve been pitching to city and state officials by mail. At the brothers last commutation hearing, prison administrators pleaded with the board to let them go.

Its been 40 years

Where the Hortons are known as leaders inside the prison, the Evans brothers are quiet and reserved. And where the Hortons maintain their innocence, the Evans brothers said they accept responsibility. They just hope theyve paid their debt.

Reid Evans, 59, said the brothers goals are to enter the workforce  him in maintenance, his brother Wyatt, 57, in sheet metal work. Mostly, they want to the chance to care for their 86-year-old father, W.K. Evans Jr.

Theyve been there for 40 years, he said. For them to come home, it would mean the world to me right now because Im up in age. Those are my boys.

The brothers were still teenagers when their 19-year-old friend Marc Blackwell showed them a gun and suggested that even though it did not work, they could use it in a stick-up. The three cornered 68-year-old Leichter, the owner of a popular Center City bar, Pop Edwards Tavern, when he was leaving a supermarket on City Avenue. They ordered him into his car at gunpoint, drove him to Fairmount Park and dropped him off by a pay phone. Leichter died three hours later.

Blackwell, as the gunman, was convicted of third-degree murder, or killing without formulating intent to kill. He was sentenced to 37 to 75 years in prison. The Evans brothers were convicted, as accomplices, of second-degree murder  defined as any loss of life associated with the commission of a felony, a crime that carries a mandatory life sentence with no possibility of parole.

 READ MORE: An accomplice will die in prison while the killer goes free: The strange justice of Pennsylvania's felony-murder law (from 2018)

Leichters daughter, Nancy, wrote a letter in support of the Evans brothers commutation application, but declined to comment in advance of the hearing.

Paroled in 2018, Blackwell, 58, now works as a home health aide and a barber, living what he describes as a quiet life filled with gratitude for the chance to be home with his wife and family.

Blackwell said he, far more than the Evans brothers, is culpable for Leichters death. He will not consider himself free until they, too, are released.

For now, the brothers are trying to manage their expectations. If theyre denied, they said, theyll apply again.

Its been 40 years. Its a long time, their sister Rita Faye Aidara said. Were just praying that they can finally come home.
Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Gastonia, North Carolina for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 8 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more.

According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Gastonia, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Gastonia with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs.

The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Gastonia. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Gastonia, North Carolina please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-gastonia-nc/

2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Gastonia, North Carolina (in alphabetical order)

Daymark Recovery Services, Inc.

284 Executive Park Drive Northeast

Concord, NC 28025

866-275-9552

Freedom Detox

1089 X-Ray Drive

Gastonia, NC 28054

704-981-0333

Freedom Farm Ministries

P.O. Box 153

Boone, NC 28607

828-202-5907

Insights in Recovery

359 West Main Avenue, Suite F

Gastonia NC 28052

704-868-8644

Outreach Management Services LLC

1723 Armstrong Park

Gastonia, NC 28054

704-854-9828

Phoenix Counseling Center

2505 Gaston Memorial Drive

Gastonia, NC 28054

704-842-6359

Sunpath LLC

415 West Main Avenue

Gastonia, NC 28052

704-478-6093

Support Incorporated

175 West Franklin Boulevard

Gastonia, NC 28052

704-865-3529

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Chinas foreign minister defended detention camps in Xinjiang and Hong Kongs new security law on Sunday, brushing off human rights concerns by European countries and cautioning against interference in Chinese affairs.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on his first European tour since the virus pandemic erupted, seeking to revive trade and relations strained by the resulting global health and economic crisis.

Speaking in Paris on Sunday, Wang repeated the claim that all those sent to reeducation centers in Xinjiang have been released and placed in employment, even as rights groups and families report on continuing detentions of Uighur Muslims and the loss of contact with loved ones.

The rights of all trainees in the education and training program, though their minds have been encroached by terrorism and extremism, have been fully guaranteed," he told a conference at the French Institute of International Relations.

Now all of them have graduated, there is no one in the education and training center now. They all have found jobs."

The Chinese government has detained an estimated 1 million or more members of ethnic Turkic minorities in Xinjiang, holding them in internment camps and prisons where they are subjected to ideological discipline, forced to denounce their religion and language and physically abused. China has long suspected the Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, of harbouring separatist tendencies because of their distinct culture, language and religion.

Asked about Hong Kongs security law, Wang said, We certainly couldnt sit idly by and let the chaos go on, so we enacted a law maintaining national security that specifically suited Hong Kongs situation."

The law is seen by many as Beijings boldest move yet to break down legal barriers between the semi-autonomous territory of Hong Kong and the mainlands authoritarian Communist Party system. Wang called both issues internal Chinese affairs and said foreign powers shouldnt interfere.

At a meeting Friday with Wang, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his strong concern about the situation in Hong Kong, and around human rights, notably the Uighurs, and the need for China to respect its international commitments," according to Macrons office.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian raised similar concerns, as did officials on other legs of Wangs Europe trip, which includes Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany. His visit also included discussion of trade, fighting climate change and other issues where Europe depends on China because of its huge global influence.
Over 9 lakh ineligible beneficiaries in Assam had availed benefits of Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), the federal cash transfer scheme meant for farmers, agriculture minister Atul Bora told the state assembly on Tuesday.

Replying to a query by leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia, the minister informed that 9,39,146 people who were not eligible had been included as beneficiaries for the scheme, which was launched in February last year and provided income support of 6,000 a year to farmers.

In May this year, the union agriculture ministry had stopped payments to beneficiaries in Assam and asked the Assam government for a report and probe into a potential fraud in the PM-KISAN scheme.

Following the directive, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had ordered an inquiry into the irregularities and entrusted additional chief secretary Jishnu Barua to detect ineligible beneficiaries and submit a report within a month.

On Tuesday, Bora informed the assembly that among the 33 districts in the state, the highest number of ineligible beneficiaries were detected in Barpeta (1.51 lakh) followed by Kamrup (85,711) and Baksa (53,533).

The minister said that initially over 39.39 lakh persons had registered as beneficiaries of the scheme, but over 8.19 lakh of them were declared ineligible by the Centre for discrepancies in bank account details.

This reduced the number of beneficiaries to 31.20 lakh. Of these, the Centre termed another 3.17 lakh as ineligible bringing the number of beneficiaries to down further to around 28 lakhs.

Following a detailed survey conducted across the state, around 18.67 lakh of the beneficiaries were found to be eligible while over 9.39 lakh found ineligible, Bora told the assembly.

The minister said that efforts are underway to recover the sums already allotted the ineligible beneficiaries under the scheme and till date over 94.26 lakh has been collected.

On detection of their roles in inclusion of ineligible beneficiaries in the scheme, the state government has suspended two district agriculture officers and an agriculture development officer. A data entry operator has been dismissed for his role in the irregularities and several cases lodged, Bora said.

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Many relatives who experience severe long-term grief reactions after bereavement have more frequent contact with their general practitioner already prior to bereavement, as well as a higher consumption of antidepressants and sedatives than those who have

Many relatives who experience severe long-term grief reactions after bereavement have more frequent contact with their general practitioner already prior to bereavement, as well as a higher consumption of antidepressants and sedatives than those who have fewer critical symptoms of grief over time. This suggests that it may be possible to prevent this by catching this group earlier. This is shown by a new research result from Aarhus University.

Each year, 55,000 die in Denmark, many of them following the course of a disease. The majority of these bereavements have an effect on several close relatives. A research project from Aarhus University has now examined both the consumption of medicine and contact to general practitioners (GP) among this group of relatives.

Mette Kjrgaard Nielsen from the Department of Public Health is behind the study.

"We can see that there's a group of relatives who have increased contact with their own GP before the bereavement. Measured by symptoms of grief, such as intense longing and yearning, preoccupation with the loss and a lack of acceptance, these are the ones who find the situation hardest to deal with. This group also has a higher consumption of medicine. This means that during the course of the patient's illness, we already have contact to a group of relatives who appear to be severely psychologically affected," she explains.

Relatives should be traced earlier

The results have just been published in the British Journal of General Practice.

Relatives' grief symptoms were measured before the patient's death, and then six months and three years after the bereavement. In total, 1447 relatives, which is 83 per cent of all those involved in the study, contacted their GP. Among relatives with a constant high level of grief symptoms, even more (92 per cent) had contact with general practice, and this group had a higher consumption of antidepressants and sedatives than the relatives with a constant low level of grief symptoms.

This means that healthcare professionals have contact to - and thus the opportunity to identify - relatives who have a need for support already early in the process.

"It's relevant to follow up on the role of general practice in the case of relatives with a high level of grief symptoms or other psychological strain. There is a need for new studies to show how a preventive effort can be best used to help these relatives," says Mette Kjrgaard Nielsen.

Background for the results

The study is a population-based cohort study of relatives in Denmark. A total of 1735 relatives of patients with a terminal illness have replied to the questionnaire. All of the patients received drug reimbursement terminal subsidy due to the incurable nature of their disease and an expected short life expectancy. The relatives replied to the questionnaire while the terminal subsidy was being received, and then six months and three years after the death of the patient.

###

The study is financed by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Danish Cancer Society.

The scientific article can be read in the British Journal of General Practice

Contact

MA, Postdoc, Part-time lecturer Mette Kjrgaard Nielsen

Aarhus University, Department of Public Health -

The Research Unit for General Practice

Tel.: (+45) 4257 7929

Email: mette.k.nielsen@ph.au.dk
- Sisanda Buthelezi might only be 20 years old but she has the talent of someone who has been painting for decades

- The young artist often shows off her work online and she manages to leave Africans speechless every single time

- Speaking to Briefly.co.za, Sisanda opened up about her passion for art and what she hopes to achieve in the future

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

On social media, 20-year-old Sisanda Buthelezi has been wowing South Africans with her exceptional talent.

The young artist posts snaps of the hyper-realistic pieces of art she completed - some she even shows off before they are completed.

Sisanda was born in KwaZulu-Natal but she relocated to Pretoria with her parents at the end of 2012. The talented young lady attended Potchestroom Girls' High School and she fell in love with art completely when she took visual arts as a subject in Grade 10.

READ ALSO: From Fadama, I did not expect this - Kuami Eugene after winning Artiste of the Year Award

She told Briefly.co.za exclusively:

"I have always enjoyed doodling and drawing, even as a child, but my passion for art sparked when I took visual arts as a subject in Grade 10. Under the instruction of Jody Olen, I found and and instantly fell in love with oil painting back in 2016 (17 years old) and was further introduced to other mediums thereafter."

Sisanda Buthelezi is one talented young woman and her art has been liked by thousands of South Africans. Photo: @sisanda_art.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: BBNaija's Wathoni says she gave birth to son without sleeping with any man

Her love for art grew and today Sisanda masters the skills she taught herself. She painted a portrait of former SA president Jacob Zuma - a piece she is most proud of.

Sisanda said about the uBaba portrait:

"It showcases my skill and technique in a manner that even I never thought possible. I really pushed and surprised myself with that one."

The young artist revealed she draws inspiration from life itself, its lessons, and the experiences it has afforded her.

However, she admitted standing out as an artist is difficult because it is such a competitive industry.

"There is so much talent out there and so many means of publishing ones work. Standing out as an artist is tricky and it takes quite a lot considering the amount of competition there is already in the market," she said.

Despite all the challenges, Sisanda is positive that she will succeed and she hopes to help others who want to follow a career in art.

"My dream is to educate and inspire the artists of our future to see art beyond just a tool of communication and interaction with the world, but a way of life and a solution to life. I hope to solve scientific problems through art. I ought to save lives through my work."

The 20-year-old encouraged other artists to not give up on their dreams just because it is hard to make it in the industry.

She said:

"Never stop. No matter the circumstances, no matter the odds. If art is your calling and you can feel it from the pit of your stomach and your work speaks for itself? Run with it. Your talents and gifts are the currency of Heaven  its how you thrive on Earth."

Take a look at more of her artwork below:

READ ALSO: Ghanaians jam on Twitter as official Kumerica 'anthem' by Shatta Wale hits social media

Meanwhile, in other news, a talented artist from Senegal, who is popularly known on Instagram as Bouboudesign, has paid a massive tribute to the late Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman.

In a video sighted by YEN.com.gh on the verified Instagram handle of the renowned artist, Boubou drew Chadwick upside-down with two flowers.

The one-minute video was themed with an official song from the Black Panther movie, and at the end of the art, Boubou crossed his arms in respect, as is done in the movie.

Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

Kofi Kinaata's full performance at VGMA21 | #Yencomgh

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Source: YEN.com.gh
President Kovind leaves for Bangladesh, to be Chief Guest at 50th Dhaka Victory Day celebrations

Let's resolve to build society based on values of justice, liberty: President Kovind on Christmas eve

Ram Nath Kovind calls Lower House to meet on Sep 14, 9 am

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 01: Parliament's monsoon session will begin from September 14 and continue till October 1, notifications issued on Monday said.

The notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said President Ram Nath Kovind has called the lower house to meet on Monday, September 14 at 9 AM.

In a separate communique, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat also said the President has summoned the upper house to meet on September 14.

"Subject to exigencies of business, the session is scheduled to conclude on Thursday, October 1, 2020," it added.

COVID-19: India's testing rate lower than other nations, says WHO Chief Scientist

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs had earlier recommended that the monsoon session be held from September 14 to October 1. There will be in total 18 consecutive sittings with no holiday or weekend break, according to officials.

Hectic preparations are underway for the session with several first-time measures because of the Covid-19 pandemic such as testing of all MPs, staggered sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and use of both chambers and galleries to accommodate members while following physical distancing norms, officials said.

The Budget session of Parliament was adjourned sine die on March 23 -- 12 days ahead of the schedule due to outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 8:10 [IST]
Most readers would already be aware that Dolby Laboratories' (NYSE:DLB) stock increased significantly by 11% over the past three months. However, we wonder if the company's inconsistent financials would have any adverse impact on the current share price momentum. Specifically, we decided to study Dolby Laboratories' ROE in this article.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

Check out our latest analysis for Dolby Laboratories

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for ROE is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations)  Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Dolby Laboratories is:

10% = US$249m  US$2.4b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

The 'return' refers to a company's earnings over the last year. That means that for every $1 worth of shareholders' equity, the company generated $0.10 in profit.

What Has ROE Got To Do With Earnings Growth?

We have already established that ROE serves as an efficient profit-generating gauge for a company's future earnings. Based on how much of its profits the company chooses to reinvest or "retain", we are then able to evaluate a company's future ability to generate profits. Assuming everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don't necessarily bear these characteristics.

A Side By Side comparison of Dolby Laboratories' Earnings Growth And 10% ROE

At first glance, Dolby Laboratories' ROE doesn't look very promising. However, given that the company's ROE is similar to the average industry ROE of 9.9%, we may spare it some thought. On the other hand, Dolby Laboratories reported a fairly low 3.3% net income growth over the past five years. Bear in mind, the company's ROE is not very high . So this could also be one of the reasons behind the company's low growth in earnings.

Story continues

We then compared Dolby Laboratories' net income growth with the industry and found that the company's growth figure is lower than the average industry growth rate of 10.0% in the same period, which is a bit concerning.

The basis for attaching value to a company is, to a great extent, tied to its earnings growth. The investor should try to establish if the expected growth or decline in earnings, whichever the case may be, is priced in. By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. If you're wondering about Dolby Laboratories''s valuation, check out this gauge of its price-to-earnings ratio, as compared to its industry.

Is Dolby Laboratories Making Efficient Use Of Its Profits?

Despite having a moderate three-year median payout ratio of 37% (implying that the company retains the remaining 63% of its income), Dolby Laboratories' earnings growth was quite low. So there might be other factors at play here which could potentially be hampering growth. For example, the business has faced some headwinds.

Additionally, Dolby Laboratories has paid dividends over a period of six years, which means that the company's management is determined to pay dividends even if it means little to no earnings growth. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company is expected to drop to 28% over the next three years. Accordingly, the expected drop in the payout ratio explains the expected increase in the company's ROE to 14%, over the same period.

Summary

In total, we're a bit ambivalent about Dolby Laboratories' performance. While the company does have a high rate of reinvestment, the low ROE means that all that reinvestment is not reaping any benefit to its investors, and moreover, its having a negative impact on the earnings growth. With that said, the latest industry analyst forecasts reveal that the company's earnings are expected to accelerate. To know more about the company's future earnings growth forecasts take a look at this free report on analyst forecasts for the company to find out more.

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.
analysis

Central databases and information exchanges that include the families of the missing are urgently needed.

People around the world go missing every day. Behind every one of these people are loved ones who miss them. Their feelings of loss, uncertainty and hopelessness are shared by thousands in Africa.

Owing to mass migration, conflict, political instability and natural disasters, millions of people go missing every year. While many eventually reach their destinations and maintain contact with their families, those that don't are often lost and forgotten to the world.

'The most difficult is to live without news about my son. I often think about what happened to him, what has become of him. Every night I think of him and I cry,' said a member of one of the families interviewed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Cameroon in 2019.

Some of those who go missing lose touch voluntarily when they move to a new place and 'disappear' themselves. However there are many who fall out of touch involuntarily, without access to communication or contact information, especially those detained, abducted or trafficked. There are also others who die, and their remains go unrecovered or unidentified.

Comprehensive and readily verifiable statistics on the number of missing people still don't exist

As of July 2020, African families from 41 countries were looking for more than 6 000 missing relatives thought to be in Africa or Europe. About 80% of those missing originate from 11 countries alone. These are Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan. More than 28% of them are children.

The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on 30 August was first marked globally following an official declaration by the United Nations a decade ago. Originally it recognised the plight of people forcibly disappeared, including through arrest, detention and abduction. Today it has evolved to include those missing from their homes and families for a range of reasons.

However commemorating the day is not enough. Governments and humanitarian organisations do try to locate the missing, but more needs to be done. In Africa most families of the disappeared are left to deal with the challenges themselves.

Over the past decade, the number of missing people registered by the ICRC with families in Africa has increased dramatically. By 30 June 2020, close to 44 000 people were still missing on the continent. No reliable information exists to confirm whether they are alive or dead. In some cases, people are separated from their loved ones for decades before they are found and reconnected with their families.

Missing people need to be located and identified with greater efficiency and certainty

Compounding this are the many people missing at sea and on land after attempting journeys made more dangerous by the increased securitisation of migration in and out of Africa. In 2014, following an upsurge in migration from Africa to Europe that saw a concomitant rise in deaths at sea, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) established the Missing Migrants Project. The project aimed to better document those who die or disappear and are presumed dead while on their journey.

Since then, the IOM has recorded over 33 000 missing people. The actual number is probably much higher, as not all deaths and disappearances are reported, and sometimes there is insufficient information to identify people or connect them with their relatives.

Many people are displaced in camps or hard-to-reach places such as detention facilities. Others may not have any contact points, or means to access them. In this chasm of uncertainty, their loved ones continue to search for them. Seeking closure, they wish to know the fate and whereabouts of their relatives but are often confronted with legal and administrative hurdles, financial difficulties, emotional strain and social challenges that make this difficult.

Missing people need to be located and identified with greater efficiency and certainty. Already developments in telecommunications, advances in the field of genetics and forensics, and the creation of dedicated databases have helped. However challenges remain. In particular, comprehensive and readily verifiable statistics on the number of missing people still don't exist.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Africa Conflict Migration By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Communication technology can reduce the numbers who go missing and lessen their families' grief

Central databases and information exchange between agencies, governments and non-governmental organisations, as well as coordination with families of the missing, could go a long way in addressing this challenge. Using advances in technology and telecommunications would undoubtedly reduce the number of those missing, lessen the grief of those left behind, and provide much-needed closure for thousands.

In 2020, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the ICRC embarked on a joint research project whose findings are aimed at informing the public and policymakers of the plight of missing people and their families. The project is part of the ICRC's efforts to raise awareness about the issue in Africa, and connects with the work the ISS does on advancing evidence-based approaches to human security.

Together the two organisations strive to help address the problem and encourage governments and intergovernmental agencies to take the lead on assisting affected families and communities.

Ottilia Anna Maunganidze, Head of Special Projects, ISS Pretoria
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - KORE Mining Ltd. (TSXV: KORE) (OTCQX: KOREF) ("KORE" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has appointed Mr. Michael Tucker as VP Exploration. Mr. Tucker is the former exploration manager for Balmoral Resources, which was recently acquired by Wallbridge Mining Company (TSX: WM). KORE is also pleased to announce two appointments to our US based development team responsible for permitting the Imperial gold project. The Company remains on-track to deliver the Long Valley project preliminary economic assessment, expected in the coming weeks, followed by FG Gold project drill results.

Scott Trebilcock, President and CEO stated, "Mr. Tucker came highly recommended and he will immediately enhance our ability to drill multiple projects simultaneously and deliver on our aggressive portfolio exploration programs. Mr. Tucker is a hands-on explorationist who fits well with KORE's culture of efficient capital deployment and delivering results."

Marc Leduc, COO continued, "In California we have been building out our development team and pushing hard on stakeholder engagement as we progress permitting the Imperial project. KORE recently opened an office in Imperial County and has hired a team of local professionals, in-line with our "keep it local" strategy. We are excited to see the expanded team ramping up and taking the Imperial project forward."

VP Exploration and Canadian Exploration Team

Mr. Tucker, P. Geo. has a Bachelors of Geology from Laurentian University and a Masters of Geological Sciences from the University of British Columbia and over ten years of field exploration experience. Most recently he was Exploration Manager for Balmoral Resources (acquired by Wallbridge Mining) where Mr. Tucker led exploration activities across all their projects including the Fenelon gold project which triggered the take-over by Wallbridge. Balmoral won multiple exploration awards for its work during Mr. Tucker's tenure.

Mr. Tucker will report to CEO Scott Trebilcock and take direction from Executive Chairman James Hynes who will continue strategic leadership of KORE's exploration programs. Mr. Tucker started this week and is currently on-site with Mr. Hynes transitioning leadership of the on-going FG Gold drill program.

Mr. Tucker is already taking steps to build-out KORE capabilities by retaining, Mr. Graham Leroux, P.Geo., as Canadian Exploration Manager and hiring former Balmoral geologist Ms. Rosie Tempest. Mr. Leroux, who is currently managing drill operations at FG Gold, will continue leading KORE's Canadian exploration activities while Ms. Tempest will enhance KORE's in-house interpretation, GIS and analytical capabilities.

California Development Team

Led by Mr. Marc Leduc, COO, KORE is building an experienced, strong, local team to deliver mine permitting at the Imperial gold project. Supported by an array of top consultants, the team is actively advancing the Imperial gold project permitting with local stakeholders and our main regulator, the Bureau of Land Management.

Two key recent addition to the team are Frank Salazar, Manager of Community and Government Affairs and Betty Zataray, Manager of US Environmental and Regulatory Affairs.

Mr. Salazar is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience. Mr. Salazar worked on multiple campaign initiatives for the political consultant Mr. James Carville Jr. Mr. Salazar has also worked on multiple permitting projects in Imperial County including green energy and industrial projects.

Ms. Zataray spent six years at Western Mesquite Mines, an operating gold mine nine miles from KORE's Imperial gold project and now owned by Equinox Gold (TSX:EQX), managing permitting with local, state and federal regulatory agencies. Ms. Zataray previously worked at various US locations for Barrick Gold Corporation, including their Cortez gold mine in Nevada. Ms. Zataray has strong relationships in Imperial County and brings strong environmental leadership to KORE.

KORE opened an office in the city of Imperial California in August 2020 to support the Imperial gold project development and exploration activities including project administration.

About KORE Mining Ltd.

KORE is 100% owner of a portfolio of advanced gold exploration and development assets in California and British Columbia. KORE, supported by strategic investors Eric Sprott and Macquarie Bank; and insiders, including management and Board, own 64% of the basic shares outstanding. KORE is well capitalized with recent investment from Mr. Eric Sprott, adding $7.5 million to the treasury. Further information on KORE and its assets can be found on the Company's website at www.koremining.com and at www.sedar.com, or by contacting us as [email protected] or by telephone at (888) 407-5450.

On behalf of KORE Mining Ltd

"Scott Trebilcock"

Chief Executive Officer

(888) 407-5450

Investor Relations

Arlen Hansen, KIN Communications

1-888-684-6730

[email protected]

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any KORE common shares in the United States.

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 Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the future operations of the Company and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects", "intends", "indicates" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the potential gold structures at the District deposits, next steps and timing regarding follow-up programs at the District, results of the PEA, including future Project opportunities, future operating and capital costs, closure costs, AISC, the projected NPV, IRR, timelines, permit timelines, and the ability to obtain the requisite permits, economics and associated returns of the Imperial Project, the technical viability of the Imperial Project, the market and future price of and demand for gold, the environmental impact of the Imperial Project, and the ongoing ability to work cooperatively with stakeholders, including the local levels of government. Such forward-looking statements, and any assumptions upon which they are based, are made in good faith and reflect our current judgment regarding the direction of our business. Management believes that these assumptions are reasonable. Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information.

Such factors include, among others: risks related to exploration and development activities at the Company's projects, and factors relating to whether or not mineralization extraction will be commercially viable; risks related to mining operations and the hazards and risks normally encountered in the exploration, development and production of minerals, such as unusual and unexpected geological formations, rock falls, seismic activity, flooding and other conditions involved in the extraction and removal of materials; uncertainties regarding regulatory matters, including obtaining permits and complying with laws and regulations governing exploration, development, production, taxes, labour standards, occupational health, waste disposal, toxic substances, land use, environmental protection, site safety and other matters, and the potential for existing laws and regulations to be amended or more stringently implemented by the relevant authorities; uncertainties regarding estimating mineral resources, which estimates may require revision (either up or down) based on actual production experience; risks relating to fluctuating metals prices and the ability to operate the Company's projects at a profit in the event of declining metals prices and the need to reassess feasibility of a particular project that estimated resources will be recovered or that they will be recovered at the rates estimated; risks related to title to the Company's properties, including the risk that the Company's title may be challenged or impugned by third parties; the ability of the Company to access necessary resources, including mining equipment and crews, on a timely basis and at reasonable cost; competition within the mining industry for the discovery and acquisition of properties from other mining companies, many of which have greater financial, technical and other resources than the Company, for, among other things, the acquisition of mineral claims, leases and other mineral interests as well as for the recruitment and retention of qualified employees and other personnel; access to suitable infrastructure, such as roads, energy and water supplies in the vicinity of the Company's properties; and risks related to the stage of the Company's development, including risks relating to limited financial resources, limited availability of additional financing and potential dilution to existing shareholders; reliance on its management and key personnel; inability to obtain adequate or any insurance; exposure to litigation or similar claims; currently unprofitable operations; risks regarding the ability of the Company and its management to manage growth; and potential conflicts of interest.

In addition to the above summary, additional risks and uncertainties are described in the "Risks" section of the Company's management discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2019 prepared as of April 27, 2020 available under the Company's issuer profile on www.sedar.com.

Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

SOURCE Kore Mining

Related Links

http://www.koremining.com


Di Maio says Libya crucial player for Med growth Foreign minister in Tripoli, meets with Sarraj

(ANSAmed) - ROME, SEPTEMBER 1 - Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio met with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli on Tuesday.



"Libya is an important player for us, a crucial partner for building a new model of development in the Mediterranean, with flourishing trade and growth opportunities for all countries in the area," Di Maio said.



"Italy looks favourably on the deal reached with (Tobruk Parliament Speaker Aguila) Saleh for the advancement of a ceasefire and we support it. We also believe, as we have always said, that all external interference must stop," Di Maio said.



"We want Italian businesses to come here to support the development and growth of Libya," Sarraj said during his meeting with Di Maio. (ANSAmed).




The 12-21 Rangers shipped off a few pieces today, but they didnt find an offer to their liking on Lance Lynn or Joey Gallo. Given comments made by general manager Jon Daniels, though, it seems probable theyll revisit talks on those players this offseason.

We were open to the idea of acquiring younger players that fit more long-term, said Daniels, who admitted that 2022 and beyond is probably the more likely window for us (via Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Adding to the challenge of competing in 2021, it seems, are forthcoming payroll cuts.

Im not certain what the overall budget will be. It will be down from where it was this year, but Im not sure exactly where, Daniels said, per Wilson. As the GM pointed out, thatll likely be true of a lot of teams in the wake of massive revenue losses arising out of the pandemic. Patching all the teams holes this offseason while navigating budget cuts may be an impossible task.

Lynn is due $8MM in 2021, his final year of team control. Gallo, wholl command an arbitration raise on this years $4.4MM salary, is controlled through 2022. Texas obviously wasnt willing to give either player away for underwhelming returns merely to cut costs. Still, Daniels acknowledgement the team doesnt seem to be a piece or two away from contention figures to lead to future speculation on those shorter-term assets.

Elsewhere on the roster, Shin-Soo Choos $21MM contract comes off the books at the end of the year, and they seem likely to decline Corey Klubers $18MM option. Texas other high-priced players, though, figure to be difficult to move. Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor havent performed well recently and are ticketed for lofty salaries ($14.25MM and $12.33MM, respectively). Likewise, Kyle Gibson and Jordan Lyles have underwhelmed in their first seasons in Arlington.

The Rangers entered this season with an anticipated payroll of around $153MM, per Cots Contracts. They have only $63MM on the books for 2021 before arbitration, although beyond Gallo and Jose Leclerc, there dont figure to be huge raises. That leaves room for some additions, but not to Texas established levels of spending.
A federal judge ruled that the US State Department must issue a passport to the daughter of a married gay couple despite the Trump administration's insistence the girl does not warrant birthright citizenship.

The little girl, Simone, is the daughter of Derek Mize and Jonathan Gregg. Both men are US citizens, but Simone was born from one of the father's sperm and an anonymously donated egg through a gestational surrogate located in the UK.

NBC News reported that the State Department has been denying passport applications to children of same-sex couples if they have a biological parent that is not a US citizen. In order to become a citizen, the child would have to go through additional naturalisation steps.

Mr Mize and Mr Gregg filed a lawsuit in January 2019 challenging the State Department's decision. They claimed that denying their daughter a passport was in violation of the law and of their constitutional rights, and called on a federal court to declare Simone a citizen.

The fathers won their on Thursday when US District Judge Michael L Brown ruled that Simone was a US citizen since her birth. The judge ordered the State Department to issue the child a passport.

"When we brought Simone into this world, as married, same-sex parents, we never anticipated our own government would disrespect our family and refuse to recognise our daughter as a U.S. citizen," Derek Mize said in a statement following the ruling.

The fathers' attorney, Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, said he was "very pleased the court found that the agency's policy was irreconcilable with the law and our Constitution's guarantee to equality because it treated the children of married, same-sex parents differently from the children of other married parents."

The judge dismissed the family's claims that their constitutional rights were violated since the ruling determined the child was a natural citizen since birth.

Simone's fathers applied for and received a green card for their daughter to ensure that she was protected for the duration of the trial.

The State Department attempted to use that against the fathers by asking the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that the fathers were pursuing alternative methods for naturalisation by obtaining a green card.

The judge ultimately rejected that line of thinking.

Aaron C Morris, the executive director of Immigration Equality, told NBC News that State Department's reasoning amounted to "separate-but-equal" arguments over citizenship.

"It was very good to see the government was setting up what looked a whole lot like a 'separate-but-equal' argument, explaining that, 'Sure we denied your kid's citizenship, but you have this other pathway toward citizenship,' and the judge rejected that," Morris said. "You still have to obey the law, even if there is some other means to get to citizenship, they are not the same."

The State Department said it was aware of the court's ruling "and is reviewing the decision with the Department of Justice. We have no further comment at this time."
Earlier this year, HBO aired Plot as a six-part series, adapted by David Simon, who is not known as one of TVs great optimists. His best-known series, The Wire, was a five-season lament for American cities. His website is titled The Audacity of Despair.

Simons confident, chilling adaptation stuck largely to Roths story, with few changes. The biggest was to that ending, which he reimagined in ways that get more unsettling and relevant as our own election season goes on.

The final sequence begins on Election Day, 1942, which, because history has a sense of humor, was Nov. 3, just like this years. On the soundtrack, Frank Sinatra croons The House I Live In (Thats America to Me). Citizens line up in the Weequahic High School gym in Newark. They go into the booths and cast their ballots. The citizenry is turning out. America is showing its best side.

As Old Blue Eyes keeps singing (A certain word / Democracy), a few discordant notes begin to sound. A man with an F.D.R. pin is told he is not on the list at the precinct where he has voted for 20 years and is hustled out by police. More officers wheel away a voting machine, telling puzzled onlookers, Its broken. In a country field, men open a car trunk, unload ballot boxes  marked with the number of an election district in which we just saw lines of Black voters  and burn the contents.

We cut to that evening, in the living room of the Levins, the Jewish family the story was told through. A host on the radio reports on the first returns from precincts on the East Coast. Herman Levin (Morgan Spector)  a mainstream F.D.R. supporter who believes the system is ultimately good and self-correcting  leans in toward the set. We are seeing some conflicting results early on, the announcer says.
The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) has announced that Dr. Sultan Al-Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology will be taking on the role of co-Chair of GMIS, alongside LI Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

GMIS aims to place manufacturing at the heart of economic regeneration and government policymaking, and to be a tool for global cooperation and collaboration, a statement said. A virtual edition of the Summit (#GMIS2020) is scheduled to take place on September 4 and 5, 2020.

Dr Sultan Al-Jaber, who is scheduled to deliver a keynote on the first day of the Virtual Summit, was recently appointed to lead the newly-formed UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology. The new ministry will work towards implementing the vision of the UAEs leadership, enhancing the contribution of advanced technology to the sustainability of economic growth, raising the efficiency and competitiveness of the industrial sector, supporting strategic industries that contribute to advancing the national economy, and nurturing in-country-value to increase the gross domestic product.

The Virtual Summit is taking place during a time where the COVID-19 pandemic has placed public health systems and the global economy under severe strain, reinforcing the pressing need for a cross-industrial and cross-functional platform for leaders to share their experiences and knowledge related to advancing manufacturing through the application of fourth industrial revolution technologies, and building more resilient global value chains in a post-pandemic world. The Summit will continue to strive to enable cross-border collaboration, promote enduring partnerships, and contribute to restoring global prosperity in our world, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Dr Al-Jaber said: In just a short period of time, the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit has evolved to play an important role in advancing a transformational global agenda that is needed now more than ever. I look forward to working with LI Yong, the Director General of UNIDO to help achieve consensus among stakeholders on how the manufacturing community can drive inclusive and sustainable industrial development. In particular, I look forward to exploring opportunities for greater collaboration between government, industry and technology sectors that can enhance global resilience, while accelerating economic growth and prosperity.

LI Yong said: I welcome the presence of His Excellency, Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates. UNIDO has cooperated extensively with the Government of the United Arab Emirates through GMIS and several other initiatives, especially the Abu Dhabi Declaration on advanced technology, and we look forward to enhancing this relationship in the years to come. No matter how influential, no one actor can control this phenomenon alone. We can only hope to shape an inclusive and sustainable 4IR through building strong multi-stakeholder partnerships with representatives of national governments, multilateral organizations, the private sector, the research community, and civil society.

This is why we co-convene GMIS: to leverage our combined knowledge, insights and resources to fuel inclusive and sustainable industrial development. With initiatives such as GMIS we hope to convert theory and best practices into action on the ground.

The Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit was launched to build bridges between manufacturers, governments and NGOs, technologists, and investors to shape the future of the manufacturing sector and highlight the role of fourth industrial revolution technologies to enable the regeneration of the global economy in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The first two editions of the Summit were held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in March 2017, and Yekaterinburg, Russia in July 2019, respectively, with each welcoming over 3,000 high-level delegates from over 40 countries.

The third edition of the Summit (#GMIS2020) was initially planned to take place in April 2020 alongside Hannover Messe 2020 in Germany under the theme of #GermanyConnects  inspired by the countrys leadership in connecting the global manufacturing and industrial community with its transformational digital and technological solutions. Following the growing concerns over the escalating coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, #GMIS2020 was moved to a virtual summit.

Badr Al-Olama, Head of the Organising Committee of GMIS, said: As we continue to receive requests from countries all over the world who are looking to host and contribute to shaping the future of manufacturing, we look back at the decisive moment when both the United Arab Emirates and UNIDO joined forces to convene the worlds first global gathering for the manufacturing community. Through the support of our co-chairs, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and the Director General of UNIDO, we look forward to the next decade of accomplishments and advancing our mission of inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

Under the theme  Glocalisation: Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Global Value Chains, the #GMIS2020 Virtual Summit will feature a cross-section of close to 100 influential global leaders from the public and private sector, including Heads of State, Ministers, and thought-leaders from some of the worlds leading organisations.

The Summit will feature more than 20 virtual sessions, including keynote addresses, panel discussions, and fireside chats, and will cover topics such as Germanys Marshall Plan with Africa and the Global Hydrogen Economy, as well as key topics impacting global value chains, the adoption of 4IR technologies, localising production capabilities and capacity building, and spreading inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

The Summit will also hold five working group sessions gathering a cross-section of experts from world-leading organisations to discuss the challenges and opportunities related to promoting the role of women in manufacturing; enhancing industrial safety and security; advancing the decarbonisation of industry; developing future leaders of industry; and setting up an Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Performance (ISID) Index that helps measure the Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) performance of public and private sector entities.--TradeArabia News Service
Germany called out China over its security law imposed on Hong Kong and the treatment of minority Uighurs on Tuesday during a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that was marked by protests outside the foreign ministry.

At a press conference after talks with Wang, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, also warned China against making "threats" against the Czech Republic over Taiwan.

The Hong Kong law imposed in June radically increased Beijing's control over the city and has led to a brutal crackdown on dissent and protests.

"You know that our concerns about the effects of the security law have not been allayed," Maas said.

"We want the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle to be applied as fully as possible."

Hong Kong was guaranteed autonomy under the "One Country, Two Systems" deal agreed ahead of its 1997 handover from Britain.

But critics say the security law, imposed following months of large and often violent protests calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability, spells the end of the agreement.

The law prompted the US to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and countries including Canada, Australia, Britain and Germany have suspended extradition agreements with Hong Kong.

The European Union agreed in July to limit exports of equipment to Hong Kong that could be used for surveillance and repression.

Wang defended China's policies and said both the Hong Kong law and its approach to the Uighurs were internal affairs that did not merit foreign interference.

- 'We need action' -

Leading a protest by several hundred demonstrators outside the foreign ministry in Berlin on Tuesday, Hong Kong activist Nathan Law called for more support from Berlin over the security law.

"What we need is action... This should be accomplished by the EU together and Germany should take the lead," said Law, 27, who fled to Britain after the security law came in.

"Berlin is very quiet when the topic is China. Berlin is very quiet when the topic is Hong Kong."

Law was joined by supporters waving the blue and white flag of the Uighurs, a minority that suffers from repression and persecution in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, according to rights groups and experts.

Activists say roughly one million Uighurs and other Turkic people have been incarcerated in brainwashing camps, a mass detention that US officials have said has parallels with the Holocaust.

China describes the camps as vocational training centres and says it is seeking to provide education to reduce the allure of Islamic radicalism.

- China 'threats' denounced -

Maas said he and Wang had discussed the camps and "I reiterated that we would very much welcome it if China would... grant access to the camps to a UN observer mission."

The German foreign minister also denounced China's "threats" against a senior Czech politician who led a delegation to Taiwan.

Wang had said on Monday that China would make Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil "pay a high price for his short-sighted behaviour and political speculation".

But Maas warned that the EU treats its foreign partners with respect and expects the same in return.

"Threats do not fit in with this," he said.

Wang's visit to Berlin is the final stop on a tour of five European countries as he seeks to shore up economic and diplomatic relations in light of tensions with the US.

This trip, his first out of China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, also took in the Netherlands, France, Norway and Italy, where he signed two trade agreements, including one on the supply of gas.

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The National Testing Agency (NTA) has started conducting the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main for undergraduate engineering aspirants from Tuesday, despite protests over the safety concerns for students and others owing to the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

Around 858,000 students will appear for the test at 660 centres across the country between September 1 and 6.

Earlier on August 25, NTA had announced that besides JEE-Main, it would also hold the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical and dental aspirants on September 13.

The JEE (Main) is for admission to engineering colleges such as National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and other centrally-funded technical institutes.

The JEE-Main, which is being held in two shifts of morning and evening, started at 7.30am on Tuesday. The entrance exam for admission to an undergraduate degree in architecture will also be held on Tuesday.

NTA and the Central governments bid to conduct JEE-Main and NEET has sparked off a row, where the opposition parties have questioned the move amid the pandemic.

However, the government has been adamant, as it has argued that the aspirants academic year would be in jeopardy.

Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Monday appealed to all states to ensure candidates could appear for JEE-Main smoothly.

After my interactions with the chief ministers and administrative level officials of almost all the states, I can assure all the candidates and their parents/guardians that they will be provided all possible assistance. My best wishes for the bright future of all of you! Pokhriyal tweeted on Monday evening.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday also tweeted, saying that his ministry has allowed JEE-Main and NEET aspirants and their parents to travel by special suburban services in Mumbai on the days of the examinations. Supporting students appearing for NEET and JEE examinations, Railways has permitted them, and their guardians to travel by special suburban services in Mumbai on exam days. General passengers are requested not to commute, he tweeted.

However, several candidates expressed apprehensions about their safety.

Avya Sharma (18) a resident of east Delhis Krishna Nagar and a JEE-Main aspirant, said: My father will pick and drop me to the centre since its unsafe to take private taxis. I will wear a mask and hand gloves, and carry a hand sanitiser. I am scared about my safety. My parents are asking me to maintain social distance norms. We cannot afford to miss the examination, despite the extraordinary circumstances.

NTA has prepared an elaborate protocol to ensure social distancing at examination centres.

The authorities have increased the number of centres in a bid to maintain social distancing norms.

Following are the SoPs issued by the NTA for the examination centres:

Each examination centre will have the following additional inventory

1) Gloves and masks for all staff on examination duty

2) Gloves and masks for candidates in case they do not come with their own hand sanitiser at entry and inside the examination centres as needed.

3) Spray bottles, sponges/cloth for disinfecting items such as desk/table, door handles, etc.

4) Disinfectant liquid with 1% sodium hypochlorite for spraying in the examination centres

5) Liquid handwash/soap in washrooms

6) Thermo guns to check temperature of candidates and all staff on duty

How will the day begin at the examination centres?

1) Examination centres floors and walls, doors, gates, will be cleaned with disinfectant backpack spray machines

2) Candidate Seating Area to be thoroughly sanitized (desk and chair)

3) All washrooms will be cleaned and sanitised

4) Door handles, staircase railing, lift buttons, etc. will be disinfected

5) Wheelchairs, if present, at the examination centres will be sanitised

6) Used gloves and masks will be disposed off at the end of the day

Managing candidates after entry into the examination centre:

1) Staggered time slots for reporting in a bid to avoid overcrowding

2) At the entry of registration room, body temperature will be recorded using thermal scanner

3) Seating arrangement to comply with social distancing norm.

4) An invigilator will not touch any document of the candidate.

Items permitted into the examination room/hall for candidates:

1) Masks

2) Gloves

4) Transparent water bottle

5) Sanitiser

6) Examination-related documents

Post-examination measures:

1) The candidates will be permitted to move out in an orderly manner  one at a time.

2) Volunteers will be present along the exit path to ensure orderly movement of candidates.

.
In Paris, a mother and her three children recently went to a supermarket to look for school supplies. They bought writing instruments, notebooks and plenty of face masks.

Parents and children across Europe have been making similar purchases at the start of a new school year.

European officials have decided to put children back into school classrooms for the new term.

Facing an increase in coronavirus cases, officials in France, Britain, Spain and other countries are making rules about masks, building new classrooms and adding teachers.

European leaders from the political left, right and center are sending a similar message to students and their parents: Even in a pandemic, children are better off in class.

Frances prime minister promised last week to do everything to get people back to school and work. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called reopening schools a moral duty. His government even threatened to fine parents who keep children at home. And Italys health minister forced discos to close this month with one goal in mind: to reopen schools in September in complete safety.

As both a parent and a teacher, Mathieu Maillard has a lot to worry about when French schools reopen. Over the past month, the number of virus infections has increased in France.

Maillard thinks it is time for students to go back. School has to start up again at some point, he said. The health risk exists, but the risk of not putting children in school is even bigger.

When governments ordered people to stay at home, he said, some students never joined his online literature classes. Some had no place to work or did not have computers.

Our students really, really need school, he said. For those growing up in an environment plagued with violence and drugs, school is a place where they can breathe.

In southeast London, father of three Mark Davis is looking forward to schools reopening in September. But he worries about what will happen if there is a rise in coronavirus infections.

Everyone is gunning for this (return to school), but its no good just hoping for the best, he said. Plans need to be put in place.

The British government says schools will only close if conditions become very bad. But parents say the governments message has been unclear.

Most of the countrys 11 million students have not seen a classroom since March. Britain has 41,515 virus-related deaths, the highest confirmed number in Europe. Johnsons government has been strongly criticized for the way it has reacted to the pandemic.

Some European schools are considering a mixed school year, with some in-person classes and others online. But most want to do in-person classes.

UNICEF, the United Nations Childrens Fund, recently announced guidance for government officials. It said that at least a third of the worlds schoolchildren were unable to do distance learning during virus lockdowns. UNICEF officials warned that the effects could be felt in economies and societies for decades.

Medical experts say the risk of opening schools depends on how widespread COVID-19 infections are in the community and what safety measures are taken.

Evidence suggests young children do not spread the disease very easily. But children aged 10 years and up may spread it as easily as adults. While children appear less likely than adults to get infected, severe cases and deaths have been documented.

Health experts say more evidence is needed.

Parents and teachers are not the only people demanding a voice in school reopenings. Denmarks second-largest city, Aarhus, sent all its high school students home after an increase in virus cases. But the students pushed back, saying they do not learn as much online.

In protests last week, they held signs reading: I just want to go to school.

I'm John Russell.

Angela Charlton reported on this story for The Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________



Words in This Story

mask  n. a cover or partial cover for the face

pandemic  n. a situation in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world

disco  n. a business where people dance to recorded popular music

plague i to cause worry to someone  usually used as (be) plagued; to cause constant or repeated trouble or disease for (someone or something)

gun for (something) -- phrasal verb to try to get something in a very determined way

lockdown  n. requirements that people stay in their homes and limit activities outside the home




U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a news conference in the briefing room at the White House on August 31, 2020 in Washington, DC.

At a daily press briefing originally designed to update the public on the coronavirus outbreak ripping through America, President Donald Trump spent about 70 seconds out of 26 minutes discussing the virus. He didn't take any questions from the media on the topic.

Most of Trump's press conference Monday evening focused on other issues, including protests and unrest in various cities and the police response. It was a decidedly different tone from prior news conferences, where Trump provided lengthy updates about the virus for at least a third of the allotted time. Most of Trump's comments reiterated points he already made at the Republican National Convention.

Trump had previously said he would resume regular press conferences in July, with a focus on the coronavirus.

In the minute or so Trump talked about the virus, he discussed the latest on the coronavirus vaccines and point-of-care tests. The president did not mention that new cases are up, particularly in the Midwest where much of his political base lives. Trump, in fact, didn't discuss cases, deaths or hospitalizations that had become standard fare at the often two-hours long briefings at the beginning of the pandemic.

Political communications experts and strategists say his pivot away from the outbreak is likely intentional.

Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, they say, news on the pandemic is a reminder that it has killed more than 183,000 Americans. And that many more could die if the virus isn't brought under control.

"They (the administration) want people to see the coronavirus as old news," said Kenneth Baer, CEO of Crosscut Strategies, a political communications firm and a former communications staffer in the Obama administration.

Political strategists say it's likely that the administration will move from praising the response to avoiding the topic altogether in the coming weeks. During a briefing on Aug. 19, Trump stressed mostly positive developments. He noted that colleges should start to reopen and that testing capacity is up.

"I think the president is trying to return the focus to topics he's more comfortable talking about, where he believes he has a policy advantage," said Lanhee J. Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institute and policy director for Mitt Romney during his presidential run.

Chen said that politicians will generally talk about the issues that voters will want them to talk about, so things could change if cases continue to rise or the pandemic becomes more severe.

But the coronavirus could take on more of a "background issue status" unless Biden and the Democratic Party make it a front and center issue, he said. "Each side will want to speak to their strengths or their perceived strengths, and it's clear the Trump campaign feels now that their strength is the economy and the 'law and order' thesis." In the case of Biden, Chen said, that strength might be talk about Trump's handling of the pandemic.

Others say that spending less time focused on Covid-19 could make it seem like the administration thinks it has a solved the problem, both in terms of the health and economic impact.

"It's entirely in Trump's interest to downplay the continued havoc Covid is wreaking on the health of the U.S. population and on the economy," said Andy Williams, an account director at Hume Brophy focused on political communication and reputation management. Williams described his firm as non-partisan.

"Ignoring Covid-19 in his press conferences and speeches  we saw relatively limited attention paid to it at the RNC  is clearly a deliberate political strategy, and it makes sense," Williams added.

These strategies are nothing new and aren't limited to any one candidate, strategists say.

"What stood out to me from the press conference and from the RNC is that President Trump is trying a classic communications strategy  and that's to change the subject," said Ben Wyskida, chief executive of Fenton, which describes itself as a non-partisan but progressive-leaning communications firm.

"He spoke about Covid-19 last week in the past tense," Wyskida said. "It might give the impression that Covid-19 is under control or in the past."
Maria was having a hard time calming down at her elementary school in Waterbury.

On a December day just before holiday break in 2018, she was hitting and kicking staff and knocking books off the bookcase. She had recently entered foster care, and this was her third behavioral episode in three weeks.

So the school staff called 9-1-1, telling the dispatcher there was a four-year-old female out of control.

With limited mental health staffing at their elementary schools, Waterbury educators regularly call the police when they cant handle a child in crisis, according to a report released today by the states Child Advocate. In fact, says the report, during the watchdogs review of six months of the 2017-18 school year, Waterbury police responded to 198 calls on children under age 12.

The 34-page report said that while many of Connecticuts school systems rely on police to handle behavioral problems in their schools, Waterburys reliance on them stood out.

Child Advocate Sarah Eagan made a long list of recommendations on how to address the issue, including that the state legislature prohibit the use of embedded police officers in schools; prohibit the arrest and detention of children under 12 and; to address the persistent racial disparities in school discipline, ban out-of-school suspension of children, opting instead for therapeutic classroom interventions.

The Child Advocates report says that most of the children arrested are Black or Hispanic, have involvement with the states child protection agency, and are expressing a wish to die. A few have had the police called for them multiple times, the report says. Each of them have disabilities and the children with the most calls all had severe autism. Often the children are arrested and, for their and others safety, they are handcuffed.

These children are typically in third or fourth grade.

Police reports on some of the incidents show a harrowing situation officers encounter:

One account: Officer was able to hear a student screaming all the way outside.  As I entered the classroom, I saw a female student, 8 years old child being restrained by school staff because they were stopping her from hurting herself and others. As soon as they let the child loose, she began to scratch her wrist with a her nails. When her teacher attempted to stop the child from scratching herself, the child attempted to scratch teacher with her nails. Due to childs assaulting and self-injury behavior, I immediately placed her in handcuffs, in an attempt to stop her from injuring herself or others.

This situation had escalated after the teacher took away the childs recess time because she had been misbehaving.

She became very agitated and combative. She then began to slam her head on a table and then grabbed a pencil to stab herself, the report says. The young girl told her teacher because I lose my recess, so I dont want to live anymore.

Eagan says it is unclear why school staff regularly called the police rather than use the mental health team the state set up to respond immediately to such incidents, especially given that Waterbury police are not trained in childrens behavioral health.

Concerned, overwhelmed and under-resourced school administrators may rely on police to respond to childrens crises, seeing police intervention as a rapid way to address a childs spiraling behaviors, ensure a safe school environment, or as an effective strategy to access hospitalization and crisis support, her offices investigation found. Use of law enforcement as a behavioral health first response system is problematic and does not increase the likelihood of a child and their caregiver becoming well connected to community supports. [Theres] persuasive evidence of a lack of effective support structure, including adequate special education services, in place for students and educators, the child advocate reported.

While police across the state arrest 1,700 children at school each year, most do not result in criminal charges. However, for the roughly 150 children under age 12 who are charged in Connecticut, nearly one-quarter of them live in Waterbury. The overwhelming majority are charged with a misdemeanor.

I dont think the issue of calling 9-1-1- over 2-1-1 for little kids in crisis is unique to Waterbury, said Eagan. When school staff do call United Ways 2-1-1, the states Emergency Mobile Psychiatric Services team is deployed. In Waterbury, the response time is 20 minutes.

While police are being called too frequently for mental health breakdowns, she said Waterbury stands out because of how many children are ultimately arrested compared to other municipalities. State data show that Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain and Waterbury regularly have the highest arrest rates, year after year.

In Connecticut, children as young as 7 can be arrested and put in detention. Few countries outside the U.S. allow for such young children to be held criminally responsible and the common age is 14, a recent report by CT Voices for Children found. In the U.S., half the states dont set an age, but of those that do, 19 states set an older age for criminal responsibility than Connecticut. Massachusetts minimum age is 12. Efforts in Connecticut to raise that age in recent years have failed to win support.

Among the 198 times police were called to Waterbury, 84 young students were sent to the hospital for evaluation. In another 16 cases, the parent refused to allow the child to go to a hospital. In 13 cases, officers searched the childs home for a weapon, finding only one and that it was properly secured from the child. Only a couple of the reports indicated the child was referred to a community diversion program to avoid being arrested and charged.

Some 36 were arrested and entered the juvenile justice court system  nearly all of these arrests were the result of the child hitting staff or getting into a fight with another student. All 36 arrests were on misdemeanor charges.

Provided with a copy of the report in advance of the release, the Waterbury Superintendent Verna Ruffin and other school district administrators promised the advocate they will try to improve and reduce the need for police intervention.

To better address de-escalation techniques and provide appropriate professional development, Waterbury is shifting its crisis prevention model from SUPPORT to Safety Care intervention with 300 staff members being trained on September 1 and 2, 2020, the district responded.

The district also promised training for staff on how to work with children experiencing trauma and that they plan to redesign their special education program and model.

Waterbury Chief of Police Fernando Spagnolo said that when his department responds to calls at an elementary school, it tries to use the right officer who is familiar with the school. He also acknowledged, however, that police are not trained on children in crisis.

To avoid these frequent arrests in other municipalities, the child advocate recommends the state better track a schools use of police and 911 and 211 emergency response teams, and whether it is a school resource officer embedded in the school or another police making an arrest. These data points should contribute to a schools overall performance grade that the state compiles, Eagan recommends.

The report recommends review of racial and ethnic disparities data with the goal of understanding and preventing the school-to-prison pipeline.

While certain communities may and do value the role of local police in their schools, the disproportionate and harsher impact on students of color from schools reliance on or utilization of police resources cannot be ignored. Police should have no role in maintaining school climate or school discipline, she concludes.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet lines up on a catapult on the flight deck while an E-2D Hawkeye takes off from the the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Arabian Sea, on Jan.11, 2020. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Isaac Esposito/File Photo/Handout via Reuters)

Navy Plane Crashes in Virginia, Crew Bails Out

An E-2 Hawkeye Navy surveillance plane crashed in a field on Virginias eastern shore on Monday, but all its occupants were able to bail from the aircraft.

A Navy spokeswoman told news outlets on Monday night that the plane crashed around 3:50 p.m. Monday afternoon.

The two pilots and two crew members bailed out of the aircraft safely through the main cabin door. At the time of the crash, the E-2 was conducting a training flight, said a statement from the U.S. Navy. The crew are required to strap on the parachutes when they get aboard the aircraft.

Two pilots and two crew members were on board the E-2 before bailing out. No injuries were reported.

Initial reports indicate no structures or personnel on the ground were damaged or injured in the mishap, the Navy said. The cause of the mishap is under investigation.

Officials said the plane went down near the Wallops Island flight facility near the Virginia-Maryland border.

A photo posted online showed the plane crashed in a field. Local media reported that no structures on the ground were damaged.

Stephen Gardner, a local man, told 13News Now that there were a lot of pieces in the field everywhere, disintegrated.

This is the second military aircraft incident in Virginia in the past month. On Aug. 10, a Maryland-based Air Force UH-1N Huey made an emergency landing after someone shot at it from the ground. That incident, which left a crew member injured, is under investigation.
184.7 sq. kilometres of new claims along major structures

Total of 314.2 sq. kilometres of claims in Flin Flon region.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Searchlight Resources Inc. ("Searchlight" or the "Company") (TSXV:SCLT)(US:CNYCF) is pleased to announce the completion of strategic land acquisition in Saskatchewan within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt ("FFGB") west of the historic mining center of Flin Flon, Manitoba.

Searchlight has been active in recent claim reopening in Saskatchewan staking a total of 25 claims covering 184.7sq. km for a total of 59 claim blocks covering 314.2 sq. km within 40 km of Flin Flon. This staking is part of the Company's long-term strategy to stake highly prospective gold and base metal targets within the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt as open ground becomes available. (See Maps 1 & 2)

The new claim block was staked based on the Company's regional geological evaluation, with focus on large structures with gold exploration potential comparable to Red Lake and Abitibi Greenstone Belts. And in keeping with the Company's focus on infrastructure and road access, Highways 106 and 167 traverse the claims with the majority of the claims within 5km of the highways and major roads. All are less than an hour drive from Flin Flon.

"From my experience in the Red Lake and Abitibi Greenstone Belts I see striking geological similarities to the FFGB with a fraction of the past exploration" stated Stephen Wallace, PGeo President and CEO of Searchlight. "This provides real opportunities for Searchlight as it would be impossible for a Junior exploration company to have our land position in the Abitibi or Red Lake Greenstone Belts".

Searchlight considers the Flin Flon Greenstone Belt in Saskatchewan as one of the most under explored high value mineral exploration regions in Canada. Historically the exploration in the FFGB has been for base metal VMS targets, with limited gold exploration when compared to similar Greenstone Belts. The company will continue to target acquisition of high value gold and VMS properties in the FFGB.

Map 1: Searchlight Resources Claims - Flin Flon Area

Map 2: Searchlight Resources Recent Staking, July 2020 - Flin Flon Area

Qualified Person

Stephen Wallace, P.Geo., is Searchlight's Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

About Searchlight Resources Inc.

Searchlight Resources Inc. (TSX.V:SCLT; US:CYNCF) is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused on Saskatchewan, Canada, which ranked as the top location for mining investment in Canada by the Fraser Institute. Searchlight holds a significant land position within the mineral rich Flin Flon Snow Lake Greenstone Belt. The Company is currently advancing its Bootleg Lake Project located in Saskatchewan less than 10 km from Flin Flon, Manitoba, hosting multiple past producing high-grade gold mines and its English Bay high grade gold project located 10 km from LaRonge, Saskatchewan.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Stephen Wallace"

Stephen Wallace, President, CEO and Director

SEARCHLIGHT RESOURCES INC.

For further information, visit the Company's website at www.searchlightresources.com or contact:

Searchlight Resources Inc.

Alf Stewart, VP Corporate Development

(604) 331-9326

info@searchlightresources.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

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: Searchlight Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604300/Staking-of-Gold-and-VMS-Targets-in-the-Flin-Flon-Greenstone-Belt-by-Searchlight-Resources
souvik101990 wrote:

Official Solution:



The existence of West Berlin, a conspicuously capitalist city deep within communist East Germany, "stuck like a bone in the Soviet throat," as Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev put it. The Russians began maneuvering to drive the United States, Britain and France out of the city for good. In 1948, a Soviet blockade of West Berlin aimed to starve the western Allies out of the city. Instead of retreating, however, the United States and its allies supplied their sectors of the city from the air. This effort, known as the Berlin Airlift, lasted for more than a year and delivered more than 2.3 million tons of food, fuel and other goods to West Berlin. The Soviets called off the blockade in 1949. After a decade of relative calm, tensions flared again in 1958. For the next three years, the Soviets emboldened by the successful launch of the Sputnik satellite the year before and embarrassed by the seemingly endless flow of refugees from east to west (nearly 3 million in the decade since the end of the blockade, many of them young skilled workers such as doctors, teachers and engineers) blustered and made threats, while the Allies resisted. Summits, conferences and other negotiations came and went without resolution. Meanwhile, the flood of refugees continued. In June 1961, some 19,000 people left the GDR through Berlin. The following month, 30,000 fled. In the first 11 days of August, 16,000 East Germans crossed the border into West Berlin, and on August 12 some 2,400 followed the largest number of defectors ever to leave East Germany in a single day.



The author would most likely agree with which of the following?



A. The Berlin Airlift ensured a decade of relative calm from 1949 to 1958

B. The Soviets were embarrassed because despite their technological successes, people were fleeting in large numbers

C. East Germans were emboldened to leave for the West in large numbers because there were no significant blockades

D. The decade following the blockade was calm because of technological innovations by the Soviets

E. The majority of defectors who left East Germany in the decade after the blockade were young skilled workers



For the next three years, the Soviets-emboldened by the successful launch of the Sputnik satellite the year before and embarrassed by the seemingly endless flow of refugees from east to west (nearly 3 million in the decade since the end of the blockade, many of them young skilled workers such as doctors, teachers and engineers)-blustered and made threats, while the Allies resisted The passage infers that the numbers in which people were fleeing were embarrassing to the Soviets despite their continuous innovation in science and technology.



Answer: B

Can anyone explain the causal relationship between technological success and people fleeing in large numbers? It is difficult to infer the causal relationship. However it can be correctly inferred that both these events happened and had an effect on the Soviets.
Safety is one of two challenges preventing the technology from becoming widely used, said Derya Aksaray, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics at the University of Minnesota. Safe autonomous technology for eVTOL aircrafts is still being developed, Professor Aksaray said.

These vehicles need to look at their environment, assess the situation and act accordingly, she said. They cannot wait for a pilot or an operator to say, Now do this, now do that. We cannot wait for that kind of micromanagement of the vehicle.

The other challenge is design: The vehicles should be powerful enough to carry any necessary weight, yet quiet enough to fly at undetermined low altitudes, she said.

Ella Atkins, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan, expressed mixed views on the practicality of eVTOL machines.

They are going to be more energy efficient than helicopters that use a lot of fuel but they will be less energy efficient than cars because they have to lift themselves, she said. From a cost perspective, they wont be practical to go to the grocery store.

Professor Atkins said these machines may be better suited for satellite communities of cities or countries with difficult terrain.

These vehicles can provide transportation, Professor Atkins said, adding that these communities might skip right over having roads and use the aircraft as their main form of transportation.
Life insurers could soon face an inquiry into the 'cruel and unfair' way they treat dying customers, Money Mail can reveal.

The insurance is supposed to provide you with the peace of mind that your loved ones will be financially secure if you die. Many policies will also pay out early if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness.

However, some are using small print to deny dying policyholders vital payouts.

Twice rejected: Grandfather of seven Peter Bull, who has terminal prostate cancer, with his wife Eileen

The problem is that many firms require customers to prove they have less than 12 months to live. But it is difficult even for doctors to predict how long someone has left, with many reluctant even to try.

It can mean customers end up going back and forth between their doctor and insurer to get the distressing paperwork required.

Even then, the insurer can still refuse to pay out if their own medical experts disagree with the policyholder's specialist.

Money Mail has long campaigned for fairer treatment for the terminally ill. Time and again we have exposed how devastated families have been forced to spend their last months together battling insurers.

In some cases they have faced losing out on thousands of pounds because the amount policies pay out often reduces each month.

Now, major providers  including Aviva, AIG, Legal & General, LV=, Scottish Widows, Royal London and Zurich  are finally set to face an inquiry by a cross-party group of MPs.

Five vital questions to ask... 1. How long will it last? Some policies are for a fixed period of time, and if you die after they expire you will not receive a payout. 2. Will my premiums stay the same? Reviewable premiums may be cheap to begin with, but they typically increase as you get older and develop more health problems. 3. Do I have a pre-existing condition? If you fail to declare a health condition, your loved ones wont receive a penny if you die. 4. Am I planning to move abroad? Some policies will not pay out if you move overseas because the insurer may consider the country a riskier location. 5. Will my payout shrink? If you buy level term life insurance, your payout will remain the same. However, a decreasing term policy will cut your payout over time.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Terminal Illness told Money Mail that it plans to investigate how insurers define terminal illness.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, vice-chair of the group, says: 'We are hoping to set up an inquiry this month, as we know this issue is affecting a lot of terminally ill people. The group will first need to formally agree to proceed with it.'

The same group conducted a similar review of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last year.

At present, benefit claimants can get higher payments and faster access to money if a doctor says they are not expected to live for more than six months.

But following an investigation, the group said this means terminally ill patients can be left without help because many doctors would not put this in writing.

A report later added that 'the distress, delay and financial difficulties faced by terminally ill people and their families waiting for benefits' were 'not justifiable'.

It's understood the DWP is looking at how to better support people nearing the end of their lives.

Scott Sinclair, of terminal illness charity Marie Curie, says: 'Dying people should not be denied an insurance payment because health professionals cannot say for certain how long they have to live. Forcing terminally ill people to prove they have less than 12 months to live is cruel and unfair.'

Mother-of-four Ruth Lamont had her claim rejected after being told she was terminally ill.

The nursery school teacher had been rushed to hospital with suspected sepsis in December 2017 after visiting her GP because she felt sick and lethargic. She was later diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer.

Ruth, 53, says: 'I was devastated when I found out it was terminal and immediately thought of my children.'

Cruel blow: The insurer can still refuse to pay out if their own medical experts disagree with the policyholder's specialist

Ruth and her husband, a 55-year-old engineer, had paid 210 a month for life cover with AIG since September 2017. The policy entitled them to a 380,000 payout if one of them died or was diagnosed with a terminal illness. But when the couple made a claim eight months after Ruth's diagnosis, it was rejected.

The policy stated that a terminal illness meant she must have less than 12 months to live, and her consultant had said the 'median' life expectancy of someone with her condition was 83 months.

Ruth, who lives in County Down, says: 'You are basically being told you are not terminally ill enough to receive the money.'

An AIG Life spokesman says: 'We assess claims based on policy conditions to ensure that customers are treated fairly and equitably.'

Peter Bull, 66, is unlikely ever to receive his 150,000 payout from Aviva. When the grandfather of seven was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015, it had already spread and is incurable.

The retired NHS manager, who is married to Eileen, 61, a retired admin worker, had been paying 49 a month into a life insurance policy with Aviva, but when he tried to make a claim it was rejected because he was not expected to die within 12 months.

The rejection letter stated that patients entered into a clinical trial he was due to take part in survived for at least two years, according to median figures.

Peter tried to claim again a year later, but received another rejection. He took his case to the Ombudsman, but it ruled in Aviva's favour. Since taking early retirement due to his illness, Peter has had to draw down 100,000 from his pension and downsize his house in Exeter.

His policy, taken out in 2013, had only a six-year term and expired in April last year.

The father of four hopes to take legal action against Aviva, but cannot afford to do so at present.

He says: 'I try not to think about the fact I may never get my payout, because I feel awful when I do and I know how important mental health is when you're fighting a terminal illness.'

An Aviva spokesman says: 'We understand Mr Bull remains disappointed that we did not pay his claim, but the medical evidence that we received during those years did not support the criteria for terminal illness benefit.'

An Association of British Insurers spokesman says: 'Insurers know this is an extremely difficult time for policyholders and their families, so will assess claims based on the individual's circumstances as quickly as possible.'

f.parker@dailymail.co.uk
In the board game Monopoly, a player must buy all railway stations to maximize his or her returns. The games prototype can be traced to 1903, the year a famous flight by the Wright brothers opened up the skies to us. Today, the role of airports in connecting people is rivalled only by the internet, a role that is likely to survive and thrive even as web interactivity soars. This view of the future could offer a context to explain the verve displayed by the Adani Group, an infrastructure major, as it moves into this field with big money. It recently bagged leases to operate six Indian airports for 50 years: Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram (though this one has been contested). On Monday, news broke that Adani would take over Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) by acquiring a 74% stake, the rest being with the Airports Authority of India. For the Gautam Adani-run conglomerate, this is a significant win, not least for the determination that marked its pursuit of the countrys second busiest air hub (after Delhi). Adani had been stalking this buyout target for months, before MIALs majority owner agreed to a sale.

Indeed, how the Hyderabad-based GVK Group came to sell Adani its control of MIAL is a saga in itself. Burdened by debt, GVK had run into financial trouble more than a year ago. It sought to raise fresh capital in staving off a hostile takeover bid, reflected in Adanis reported attempt early last year to buy the 13.5% stake in MIAL of its minority partner, South Africas Bidvest Group. GVK invoked its right of first refusal on such a sale, and tried to rally other investors instead. It signed a pact with a consortium that included Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Indias National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and Canadas Public Sector Pension Investments to sell four-fifths of its airports business for over 7,600 crore. This led Bidvest to cite its own right of first refusal to block this sell-out. As the stalemate wore on, covid-19 crunched GVKs finances further and pushed it closer to bankruptcy. Another setback awaited the groups principals, G.V.K. Reddy and his son Sanjay Reddy, in the shape of money-laundering and fund-misappropriation charges levelled against them by the Central Bureau of Investigation. GVK seemed in deep trouble by the time it opened talks with Adani. Now Adani is set to take over all the debt of GVK Airport Developers, against which a majority stake in MIAL had been pledged, and also the shares of its South African partners. Upset, the foreign consortium left out in the cold has been up in protest. But the deal is reported to have our competition authoritys okay, and looks likely to go through.

Yet, the deal also grants salience to the uneasy question of private monopolies in key fields of infrastructure. As work goes wireless and gets decentralized, airports may emerge as one of the few attractions of big cities, and their private control could conceivably go against the public interest. Competition must prevail in all spheres of business, after all, except those reserved for the government. When airport privatization first came up as an idea, second airports for cities were touted as the answer to that objection. But progress on these has been tardy, slowed further perhaps by covids impact on civil aviation. In Mumbais case, Adani will take charge of the Navi Mumbai airport project as well. All in all, we may need to tweak our policy to assure flyers and air carriers some choice.

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One Ohio couple whose big day was blundered by COVID-19 switched up their catering plans and served their would-be wedding food to their local community in need.

When Tyler and Melanie Tapajna swapped out a large lodge venue for their vows with a quaint backyard ceremony due to restrictions amid the pandemic, the couple decided to donate the dining resources for their intended 150-guest reception to The City Mission, a crisis center for women and children in Cleveland.

PHOTO: Tyler and Melanie Tapajna in the kitchen at The City Mission in Cleveland, Ohio on their wedding day. (Caroline Stoltzfus/The City Mission)

"I was that bride when I was planning it," newly married Melanie Tapajna told ABC News of her meticulous details for the original mid-August ceremony. "And then once we had the shutdown in Cleveland I was just like, you know the stress isn't worth it and there are so many people suffering right now and we've been so blessed during this time that I was like we should do something, we should give back. It was just the perfect opportunity."

About an hour after they said "I do" at Melanie's grandparents house, the couple said they arrived at Laura's Home -- the crisis center where they had arranged for the catering team to prepare a community meal -- dressed in their suit and wedding gown to start serving food to over 130 hungry kids.

PHOTO: Tyler and Melanie Tapajna in front of The City Mission, Laura's Home after the donated their wedding catering service. (Caroline Stoltzfus/The City Mission)

"When I knew we were actually canceling everything I contacted our catering company -- once I found Laura's Home they got in contact directly and scheduled how they could prep the food -- they really planned everything," Melanie said.

The couple catered to a different demographic of diners, "I said these are kids let them pick what they want to eat," Melanie said of the menu change.

PHOTO: Food prepared at The City Mission, Laura's Home that was donated by Tyler and Melanie Tapajna on their wedding day. (Caroline Stoltzfus/The City Mission)

"They picked fried chicken, mac and cheese, green beans and other kind of picnic food," she said. "That was not how it was supposed to be for the planned wedding meal -- so they were actually able to feed them for a couple days after -- you don't realize one day to feed your family can feed people who don't know where their next meal is coming from for a couple days."

Story continues

The City Mission made the couple's post-nuptial experience feel "as if it was still a big event -- they even decorated for us like it was our wedding reception so they really made it feel special."

PHOTO: Tyler and Melanie Tapajna arrive at The City Mission in Cleveland, Ohio on their wedding day. (Caroline Stoltzfus/The City Mission)

"We didn't expect this to become such a big thing," she said. "We were really excited to be able to be there and we have never worked with The City Mission -- they were very welcoming -- they were clapping for us and saying 'welcome to your reception.' It was really cute."

Tyler Tapajna said "the happiness that we received walking in was awesome, but as far as working in the kitchen and seeing all the smiling, appreciative faces, that was fantastic."

PHOTO: Food prepared at The City Mission, Laura's Home that was donated by Tyler and Melanie Tapajna on their wedding day. (Caroline Stoltzfus/The City Mission)

"It's one thing to donate, but it's another to give back your time and see everything," he added. "So I absolutely enjoyed that."

The couple said they hope their experience inspires other couples to keep in mind what's most important and focus on that.

PHOTO: Tyler and Melanie Tapajna in the kitchen at The City Mission in Cleveland, Ohio on their wedding day. (Caroline Stoltzfus/The City Mission)

"Reminding what your wedding is really about. It's not about the fanciness with these fancy meals, it's really about the two of you," Melanie said. "Not getting lost in the wedding industry," her husband added.

"Whether you donate your time, the food or have a small ceremony, you still get to marry the person you love," she added.

Newlyweds' heartwarming message after serving their catered wedding meal to kids in need originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
The proposal of the White House on the stimulus bill is getting closer to reach a deal after 100 Democratic lawmakers urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to accept the proposal.

The new stimulus bill of the White House and the Republican lawmakers now has the support of some Democratic lawmakers. Some members of the House Democrats are now becoming impatient and urged the House speaker to accept the proposal.

After Pelosi rejected the $1.3 trillion offer of the White House to help millions of Americans heavily impacted by the global pandemic, more than 100 members of House Democrats signed in a letter addressed to Pelosi to find a solution on the impasse stimulus bill.

With the House Democrats' support, it is apparent that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's new stimulus bill will be proposed next week. Thus, there is a big chance that another coronavirus aid bill will be passed this month.

President Donald Trump has long advocated for another round of relief aid. Trump has already told Congress to act immediately on the second round of relief bill, which includes other stimulus checks and other benefits.

But for whatever reason, Congress failed to act on it. It has led to Trump's signing an executive order that expanded the unemployment benefits.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Trump would immediately sign the bill once it is on his table.

The White House and the Republican lawmakers continue to push and negotiate with Pelosi to adapt the bill for the second round of stimulus payment. However, Pelosi rejected the proposal, including the $1.3 trillion that will benefit millions of Americans.

According to Meadows, Pelosi planned to settle with an amount of $2.2 trillion, but when asked about the details or the program under her $2.2 trillion, she could not answer it. It seems that Pelosi has no definite plan yet.

"I had a conversation with Speaker Pelosi. And even on her $2.2 trillion counteroffer, she can't tell the American people, nor me, what is in that," Meadows said.

"I said,' What does the $2.2 trillion represent?' You know what her response was? 'I'm not going to tell you. Let me fill in the blanks.' That's not a proper negotiation, [nor] is it anything that the American people accept," he added.

Meanwhile, the White House and the Republican lawmakers are clear in giving details about their new stimulus bill. In fact, Trump's administration has included the child care providers in the new stimulus bill that McConnell will introduce next week.

Now is the time that lawmakers should support the new stimulus bill and forget what party they belong with. If they do not vote for the next round of stimulus payment, millions of Americans will continue to suffer the global pandemic's economic effect.

Voting for the new stimulus bill will help millions of Americans and boost their morale and reelection bid. Millions of Americans are hoping that they will receive the next round of relief aid very soon.

Check these out!
Jacob Blake's father at a press conference in front of a courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

In a live interview on CNN on Monday, Jacob Blake's father disputed President Donald Trump's account of the White House trying to get the Blake family on the phone.

Less than an hour earlier, Trump said during a press briefing that he was unable to get in touch with the Blakes because "they wanted to have lawyers involved, and I thought that was inappropriate so I didn't do that." He continued: "But I did speak with the pastor of the family."

The White House senior communications adviser Ben Williamson tweeted: "The President was referring to the pastor of Julia Jackson  Jacob Blake's mother."

The family's attorney later said the president reached out to Jacob Blake's mother's pastor and Trump declined to have a call if their legal team monitored it.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Minutes after President Donald Trump explained why he wasn't able to get on the phone with Jacob Blake's family, Blake's father disputed the president's stated reason.

Thousands of Americans have been protesting against police brutality and racism anew after a white police officer shot Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 23. He is paralyzed from the waist down, and the officer is on administrative leave while the Wisconsin Department of Justice investigates.

Earlier Monday evening, Trump said from behind the White House lectern during a press briefing that the Blake family "wanted to have lawyers involved," so the president ended up speaking with the "family pastor" instead.

"We don't have a family pastor," Blake's father, also named Jacob, said on CNN when the host Jim Acosta asked why Trump said he spoke with a pastor and not the family.

The elder Blake was adamant that he did not want to "play politics" with his son's life, later adding, along with his lawyer, that he and his family received threats deemed serious enough that they had to temporarily relocate.

Story continues

Benjamin Crump, the family attorney, told Acosta that the White House had been coordinating with Blake's mother and a pastor for her family to work out a phone call with the president.

"But for some reason," Crump said, "the call never came."

After the CNN interview aired, the White House senior communications adviser Ben Williamson tweeted: "The President was referring to the pastor of Julia Jackson  Jacob Blake's mother."

The Blake family's legal team later released a statement saying that Trump had reached out to Jackson's pastor and that the president declined to have a call if the family's legal team monitored it.

"If the call had occurred, Ms. Jackson was prepared to ask President Trump to watch the video of Mr. Blake's shooting and to do what she has asked all of America to do  examine your heart," the statement on Crump's Twitter account said.

The Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, spoke with Blake's family on Wednesday. In a separate interview with CNN that day, Jackson said she missed Trump's call.

"I'm sorry I missed your call," she said on CNN, addressing Trump. "Because had I not missed your call maybe the comments that you made would have been different and I'm not mad at you at all."

Jackson said she had the "utmost respect" for the president, adding: "Like I said before, and I'm not saying this to him directly, we should always get the details from the right source before we start throwing bricks."

Trump is expected to visit Kenosha on Tuesday, despite Gov. Tony Evers' request for the president to reconsider.

"I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing," Evers wrote in a letter to the White House on Sunday. "I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together."

Read the original article on Business Insider
TANZANIA, Tanzania - The main opposition challenger in Belarus disputed presidential election, which has triggered mass protests, will address an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday.

Estonias U.N. ambassador, Sven Jurgenson, said Tuesday that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to Lithuania under pressure from Belarus authorities, will speak to the U.N.s most powerful body at a meeting focusing on attacks on human rights in the former Soviet nation.

Belarus opposition has called the Aug. 9 election that gave Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term as president rigged. The United States and European Union have criticized the vote it as neither free nor fair and urged Belarusian authorities to begin a dialogue with the opposition.

Lukashenko, who has run the nation of 9.5 million people with an iron fist for 26 years, has dismissed opposition protesters as Western puppets and is pursuing a tough response to demonstrators. Over the weekend, he cracked down on independent media and his government has been jailing activists.

Jurgenson, whose country is serving a two-year term on the Security Council, said the expulsion of independent foreign media and revocation of accreditation for independent journalists in Belarus confirms the importance of sharing information about what is happening in Belarus.

For Estonia, standing up for human rights is also a priority in foreign policy, which is why we consider it important to provide an arena for those whose voices are being suppressed, he said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Jurgenson said the Security Council has stated that severe human rights violations are an early warning of conflicts with international implications and that repression could amount to threats to international peace and security.

Prevention of violent conflict and mass atrocities is the councils key responsibility, thus early warning and awareness raising are necessary, he said.
Portland police hold back Chandler Pappas who was with the victim of a fatal shooting as he reacts in minutes after the incident, in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 29, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Portland Shooting Victim Aaron Danielson Hunted Down, Executed: Witness

A friend of the man shot dead in Portland over the weekend described the shooting as an execution.

Chandler Pappas said he was with Aaron Jay Danielson in downtown Portland when the shooting happened. Both were wearing hats marking them as supporters or members of Patriot Prayer, a conservative group that has clashed with leftwing activists in the past.

They identified our hats, [said] got a couple of them right here, got a couple of them right here. Pull it out. Pull it out, Pappas told a conservative YouTube channel.

Thats when a gun appeared and someone fired at the men.

It didnt even register that someone was pointing a gun at us until the shots went off and he took off running, Pappas said. I turn to check on my partner and hes on the ground, he later added. They blew his heart out.

A man who was shot, and later died, is treated in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 29, 2020. (Paula Bronstein/AP Photo)

I think it was planned, I think they were looking for someone to hurt, Pappas said, adding, They executed my partner. They hunted him downthey hunted us down.

A livestream that captured audio of the shooting showed someone saying We got a couple right here before several gunshots are heard.

Danielson was murdered because he believed something different, Pappas added, describing the victim as not a racist, hes not a xenophone, or whatever labelhes not an ist or an ism. Hes an independent man. Hes good. And he didnt do anything to earn a bullet in the chest.

In a press conference on Aug. 31, Luke Carrillo, who said he was a friend and business partner of Danielson, said the victim was a freedom-loving American who died expressing his beliefs, a right which is given guaranteed to all of us through the Constitution.

He was a great man and he did not deserve the end he met. We ask now that Portland, Oregon, and the entire country stand together and renounce any further acts of violence. No family or friends should ever have to deal with this type of loss for any reason at all, he said.

A member of Antifa, a far-left, anarcho-communist group that has clashed with Patriot Prayer in Portland before, was named by his sister as a possible suspect in the shooting.

Luke Carrillo (C), speaks about Aaron Danielson at a news conference in Portland, Ore., Aug. 31, 2020. (Aron Ranen/AP Photo)

That man, Michael Forest Reinoehl, was arrested with a loaded gun during rioting last month.

A Portland police spokesman said in an email to The Epoch Times that an investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell told reporters on Sunday that people should not jump to conclusions that are not based in fact as he expressed awareness of information circulating on social media.

Police officials urged anyone who witnessed the shooting or captured video of what happened to contact detectives.

Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson first identified Danielson, who he said had such a huge heart.

The shooting took place after a car caravan rally that started in nearby Clackamas. As with other rallies arranged by pro-President Donald Trump groups, the rallygoers met opposition when they drove into the city, and skirmishes broke out in multiple places.

About one week before the shooting, members of Patriot Prayer and other groups clashed with Antifa militants and others in downtown Portland.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly described the timing of the shooting. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
On Monday, the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn a ruling by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denying the partys claim that Michigans ballot access laws are unconstitutional as applied during the coronavirus pandemic.

The SEP candidatesJoseph Kishore for president and Norissa Santa Cruz for vice presidentsubmitted what is known as an Emergency Application for Writ of Injunction to Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the member of the Supreme Court who is assigned the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and is responsible for reviewing and ruling on appeals within the circuit.

The SEP originally filed its lawsuit, Kishore v. Whitmer, on June 18 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other state officials responsible for ballot access procedures in the state.

During the past two-and-a-half months, the SEP has consistently argued that the social distancing requirements of the coronavirus pandemic have made gathering thousands of physical signatures from registered voters to place Kishore and Santa Cruz on the November ballot an impossibility and therefore unconstitutional. To do so, the party has maintained, would be a grave threat to the health and lives of both supporters and the voting public.

Furthermore, the SEP has demonstrated that the lower courts decisions rejecting the lawsuitwithout ever addressing any of the fundamental argumentsare in violation of the constitutional rights of the candidates, party members and supporters who are being denied the right to vote for a socialist candidate in the US presidential elections in 2020.

In his July 8 decision on the original lawsuit, Federal District Judge Sean F. Coxan appointee of Republican President George W. Bushendorsed the arguments of the Michigan Democratic Party officials that the SEP should have been gathering signatures throughout the pandemic. As the case was developing, it became clear that neither Judge Cox nor the governorcontrary to public statements Whitmer made during her stay-at-home executive orders in March, April and Maytook the SEPs health concerns seriously. During oral arguments, Judge Cox referred to a so-called risk of death, precisely when tens of thousands of people were testing positive and thousands were dying from COVID-19 across Michigan.

In an Aug. 24 decision, Judge John K. Bushan appointee of President Trumpissued the ruling of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The decision was a boilerplate response to the SEP arguments that also backed up the positions of the Michigan Democrats. Further demonstrating that the goal of the legal arguments was to keep the SEP off the ballot, Judge Bush advanced the reactionary position that the states ballot access laws were needed to avoid ballot overcrowding, frivolous candidates, and voter confusion.

In the opening section of its application to the US Supreme Court, the SEP requests that Justice Sotomayor, grant Applicants emergency writ to enjoin Respondents from printing the November 2020 Michigan ballots without the names of Kishore and Santa Cruz on them, delay the printing of ballots until this matter can be litigated in this Court, or issue such other orders as may be necessary or appropriate to protect the Applicants rights.

The emergency application addresses the spurious assertion by Sixth Circuit Judge Bush that the SEP did not exercise diligence in signature gathering. The brief states that the SEP did not abstain from gathering signatures because they did not feel like it or because they lacked the ability to do so under normal conditions, but because they refused to risk the lives of their supporters and the public in order to comply with Michigans procedural requirements for ballot access. They should be commended, and not penalized, for their conscientiousness.

Responding specifically to Judge Bushs claims about voter confusion, the SEP application states that placing Kishore and Santa Cruz on the ballot by definition threatens no confusion, given the clear demarcation of their socialist program from the rest of the field. Allowing the SEP on the ballot is in the public interest because it gives the voters of Michigan a chance to support candidates who promote policies in closer alignment with their own views, the brief explains.

This argument has been made by the SEP since the initial filing in June and points directly to the political reasons for the repeated attack on the fundamental democratic rights of voters contained in the rulings so far in Kishore v. Whitmer. Socialism is rapidly growing in popularity in the US. A 2018 Gallup poll found that fewer than half of young people aged 1829 have a positive view of capitalism, while more than half have a positive view of socialism.

If Justice Sotomayor refuses to grant the partys application for an injunction, it would only show workers and young people that the courts are not impartial and, in the end, represent the interests of the banks, corporations and billionaire oligarchs who own and control the economic and political levers of power in capitalist society.

With social tensions intensifying and the mass struggles of the working class and young people expanding amid the coronavirus pandemic and state violence against protesters, there is a fear within all factions of the political and judicial system that the revolutionary program of the SEP will be embraced in a manner that is unprecedented in US history.

The SEPs emergency application is the first time that the Trotskyist movement has appealed to the US Supreme Court since World War II. On Dec. 8, 1941one day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor18 members of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) were sentenced to prison for sedition and conspiracy to overthrow the US government in violation of the Smith Act.

The SWP fought the convictions in the US courts all the way to the Supreme Court and, on Nov. 22, 1943, the high court refused to hear the appeal. One month later, the 18 defendants surrendered themselves to federal authorities and began their 12 to 16 month sentences.
PORTLAND, Ore.: A supporter of a right-wing group who was shot dead on a Portland, Oregon, street was mourned by both friends and President Donald Trump as a victim of mob violence while an online fundraising effort raised tens of thousands of dollars in his memory.

Just hours before he was shot in the chest Saturday night, 39-year-old Aaron Jay Danielson and a friend were seen heading downtown to protect a flag-waving caravan of Trump supporters. They wore hats with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a group that has clashed with left-wing protesters in Portland for years, and appeared armed with knives and paintball guns.

Paint is a defensive mechanism. Paint is not bullets, Trump said during his White House briefing Monday, adding that someone connected with violent protests shot a young gentleman and killed him. Not with paint but with a bullet.

In cellphone video of the shooting, both Danielson and his assailant were seen on a darkened street. At least three shots rang out in a smoky haze, followed by images of Danielson crumpled on the ground as the friend, Chandler Pappas, slaps him in the face and rolls him over, yelling Jay! Jay!

He was a good man and he was just killed senselessly for no reason other than he believed something different than they do, Pappas told supporters during a rally Sunday. He was Christian. He was conservative.

Added Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson on his Facebook page: We love Jay and he had such a huge heart. God bless him and the life he lived.

Ex-girlfriend Christine Banks said Monday Danielson didnt discuss politics much but of the weeks-long protests in Portland: He didnt think it was right.  He was there for peace.

Banks said Danielson was a good person who loved nature and animals.

If you ask anybody, the one thing theyll remember him by is his goofy, beautiful smile, she said. He cared about what you believed in and not the color of your skin.

A GoFundMe site late Monday said it had raised $33,000 from more than 900 donors for legal/lawyer fees, and towards fulfilling all other incurred costs in this time of need."

Danielson, a burly, bearded man, helped run a company in Portland called North West Specialty Moving that focused on transporting heavy items such as marble statues, hot tubs and gun safes. The companys address, which is the same address listed for Danielson for two parking violations in 2019, is a modest blue bungalow in a residential neighborhood in southwest Portland.

Luke Carrillo, Danielsons long-time business partner, said theyd been friends for 20 years.

We have lived and worked together day in and day out," he told reporters. We are like brothers, brothers that chose one another.

Danielson is associated with another company, Oregon Pro Arms LLC, which according to state records is focused primarily on moving gun safes.

Just hours before the shooting on Saturday, Pappas stood in a mall parking lot in suburban Clackamas talking to a reporter from the Portland Tribune.

The man next to him who appeared to be Danielson didnt say much, except to make a reference to a journalist who had been attacked last year in Portland.

Were all about independent journalism, the man said.

Pappas at one point interjected, referring to the Trump caravan, Im here to stop people from assaulting these people.

Critics have said that instead of keeping the peace, Patriot Prayer has helped incite violence. Last month in nearby Gresham, Pappas showed up to counter a Black Lives Matter event and, according to the Portland Tribune, declared: I came here ready for war.

Portland police have yet to make an arrest. On Monday, they asked for witnesses and those who had taken video of the scene to contact them.

A small memorial to Danielson took shape Monday on a sidewalk in front of the parking structure where he collapsed. It included four yellow daises tied to a tree, a small American flag flapping in the wind, and a sympathy card with a Bible verse and handwritten note.

Jay went to Jesus, where will you go?

___

Selskey reported from Salem, Ore., Condon from New York. Video journalist Aron Ranen contributed to this report.

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
I started worrying about parental paperwork before my kids were even born. It began with concerns about how my wife and I would be listed on their birth certificates, and then on their adoption paperwork. I gave birth to our first child and my wife to our second, and with each the non-carrying mother had to adopt the baby to secure her parental rights, even though they were both born into our marriage. Asking a judge permission to be the mother that I already am was an enraging and humiliating process to have to go through at all, but the language of the paperwork was an extra kick in the gut.

I was shocked when I saw Mother and Father, and Husband and Wife, on the forms for me to adopt our second child in Massachusetts, a state that, after all, became the first in the country to change the marriage license to ask for Party A and Party B, in 2004. I sat at the kitchen table seething with resentment as I read over the two pages I had to fill out to request that the court waive the required home study by the Department of Children and Family Services. I remembered during the adoption of our first child, in Connecticut, when our 4-month-olds court-appointed advocate stopped by our apartment to make sure all was in order after our judge told us, Ive never waived an adoption home study before, so Im not going to start now.

The first page of the Massachusetts home-study waiver started with I am the male petitioner in the within adoption of my wifes natural child and the other with I am the female petitioner in the within adoption of my natural child. I emailed the court clerk to help me fill it out myself to avoid paying a lawyer. I kept my tone calm and professional, but my blood was boiling. She replied that I would be the male petitioner and I should cross out male and husband and write in the correct terms. I swallowed my anger and did as she instructed.

After the adoptions came sign-up forms for pediatricians offices, baby music classes, a pediatric dentist, preschool. When we were choosing a day care for our firstborn, we agreed that a form asking for Mother and Father information, instead of Parent/Guardian, would be a deal breaker. We didnt want our child taught by people who hadnt given a moments thought to our family. Then we found that every day care in our area used the form language we feared.

Maybe its small to some people, but its a big deal to us, Darcie Palin, a counselor at a day program for people with disabilities, who lives in Bristol, Connecticut, told me. She was furious when one day she received a letter confirming enrollment from her 6-year-old sons public school, which listed her wife as the father. Palin had already filled out the school enrollment form by crossing out father and writing in parent, an approach many L.G.B.T.Q. parents use. That night, as soon as her son had gone to bed, Palin exploded into a venting session with her wife.
The fatal shooting of a far-right groups supporter in Portland, Ore., on Saturday is raising fears that the Black Lives Matter and pro-Trump protests across the country could escalate into more deadly skirmishes.

The Portland Police Bureau said that the killing was being investigated as a homicide but had released few details.

The New York Timess Visual Investigations unit reviewed multiple videos of the episode and surrounding events to piece together the fatal encounter between an unidentified gunman and Aaron J. Danielson, 39, who died at the scene.

Detour from the caravan

The sequence of events that leads to the shooting begins with a caravan of Trump supporters gathering at Clackamas Town Center, about 10 miles southeast of Portland.

According to a map posted on Facebook by the organizers, who called the event the Trump 2020 Cruise Rally, the caravan was meant to follow Interstate 405 on a route that would bypass downtown Portland, the scene of more than 90 days of protests against racism and police brutality. But a number of vehicles took a detour.
The Ministry has approved a protocol for cases where teachers or students fall ill.

The Ministry of Health has developed rules and recommendations for organizing the educational process in the new academic year in the context of the coronavirus epidemic.

That's according to Minister of Healthcare Maksym Stepanov who spoke at the Svoboda Slova [Freedom of Speech] panel show on ICTV, according to NV.

"I am sure that if these rules are followed, the educational process will be safe," he said.

Stepanov noted that the health ministry had developed a procedure for conducting an external independent assessment for school graduates, and that it went down safe.

At the same time, Stepanov stressed that the rules for the epidemiological safety of children at school are the same throughout the country.

"We have clearly enough said which schools shall operate and which shall not under the adaptive quarantine. It is clearly defined that only in cities and districts classified as a red hazard level, only there shall the educational process be suspended. All other school operate," he said.

I am sure that if these rules are followed, the educational process will be safe

The Ministry has approved a protocol for cases where teachers or students contract COVID-19, Stepanov added.

He specified that in such cases, it's the epidemiologist who decides.

Read alsoCOVID-19 in Ukraine: Gov't introduces new quarantine zones"After the case with the student is confirmed, they need to take this child, put a mask on them, take them to another room where they will stay. Then they need to let fresh air into the classroom, disinfect all surfaces that the child touched, and inform parents. Depending on the child's condition, they go home with their parents for self-isolation, the family doctor is notified, then the family doctor calls a mobile team, which runs tests to confirm or deny the coronavirus. If corona is confirmed, the epidemiologist defines, depending on the child's contacts, who shall go for self-isolation. All this is quite clearly defined in the algorithms," he said.

Stepanov noted that in the event of a student's illness, "the epidemiologist will not send for self-isolation the entire school, children who have not been in contact with the sick child."

If corona is confirmed, the epidemiologist defines, depending on the child's contacts, who shall go for self-isolation

"The same applies if, for example, some teacher falls ill: decisions on self-isolation will be made depending on their contacts. This does not mean that the whole school goes for self-isolation," the minister said.

Quarantine restrictions will affect the catering system at schools. At the same time, there is no ban on visiting cafeterias, the minister stressed.

"Buffet mode is prohibited. It's clearly laid down in our recommendations that different age groups not intersect, that no more than four students are allowed at the table, that there shall be social distancing, that all cafeteria employees wear face masks and gloves," explained Stepanov.

2020 Academic Year amid quarantine: background
"You have a community that's in the process of trying to heal," Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian said at a news briefing Monday. "There's so many things that have gone on in this community. It just seemed to me, and I think others, that it would be better for us to be able to pull together, let the community get together, and actually heal."
San Francisco, Sep 1 : Apple has fixed a malware disguised as an update for Adobe Flash player that slipped through its toughest security screening software and got approved for its Mac desktops.

Mac security researchers Peter Dantini and Patrick Wardle found a common malware campaign disguised as an Adobe Flash installer.

Wardle said that Apple approved popular Shlayer malware disguised as Adobe Flash installer.

According to cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, the malware is the "most common threat" that Macs faced in 2019, reports TechCrunch.

The malware passed through a strict Apple process called "notarisation," that scans an app for security issues.

Once approved, Mac's in-built security screening software called "Gatekeeper" allowed the app to run.

"As far as I know, this is a first," Wardle said. It means Apple did not detect the malicious code when it was submitted and approved it to run on Macs.

An Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch: "Malicious software constantly changes, and Apple's notarization system helps us keep malware off the Mac and allow us to respond quickly when it's discovered.

"Upon learning of this adware, we revoked the identified variant, disabled the developer account, and revoked the associated certificates. We thank the researchers for their assistance in keeping our users safe".

The cybercriminals were, however, back with a new 'notarised' payload that was again blocked by Apple.

For close to two years, the Shlayer Trojan has been the most common threat on the macOS platform.
Cervical cancer scandal campaigner Vicky Phelan has resigned herself to dying at home despite being an advocate of euthanasia.

The 46-year-old from Annacotty, Co Limerick, gave an emotional interview to broadcaster Ciara Doherty on The Big Interview on Virgin Media One last night.

She fought back tears as she discussed her diagnosis of terminal cervical cancer and what that entails for herself and her children, Darragh (8) and Amelia (14).

Despite previously stating she would consider assisted suicide if the pain became unbearable, she said that is no longer an option.

Read More

"Unfortunately in my position, I wouldn't be able to get on a plane and go to Switzerland or Oregon because I wouldn't get there because I'm known at this stage," she said of travelling outside of Ireland for the procedure which is illegal here.

But she accepted leaving home to die would be too traumatic for her family.

"I wouldn't like to do that because I want to die in my own country," she said.

"I don't want to have to go somewhere else and have my poor family travel over there and then travel back with a coffin," she said.

"People should have a choice," she said, referring to euthanasia.

"I know from having witnessed and heard from other people who have gone before me with this disease that it's not a nice way to go and I have young children and that's the thing. It's different if you're in your 80s and you've lived your life, but if you're young and you have children watching you die - and I've seen people die and it's not a nice thing to witness," she said.

"I don't want my children's memories to be of me dying."

She broke down when she said she can't bring herself to discuss the distant future. She recalled a visit to London last autumn with Amelia, who said she would love to go to college there.

"I remember that night going to bed and I got upset because I thought 'God, I'm not going to be here'," she said.

"I have to pull myself back from those (thoughts) because I can't go too far ahead. That's when I lose it."
By PTI

PESHAWAR: Pakistan's archaeological department has expressed reservations over demolition of three British-era bridges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and asked the provincial government to reverse its decision and preserve them in view of their historic importance.

The archaeological department has asked the KPK government to maintain the historic importance of Sardaryab, Naguman and Khialay bridges on Charsadda road near Peshawar.

The archaeologists suggested to the government to preserve the bridges instead of demolishing them after the provincial highway authority moved a report to the KPK government to construct new bridges in place of these old bridges.
This summer, Jonah, a gay twentysomething in the D.C. area, was frustrated after months of the coronavirus lockdown. His sex life, as with so many others, had been completely upended by the pandemic.

Then he stumbled on what seemed like a safer sex option: a glory hole.

Jonah found his glory holeor a hole in a wall or other barrier between parties that allows for anonymous oral sexthrough the sex and dating app Grindr. From there, he was directed to an online scheduling site that required minimal information. During his first time through, he received written instructions on where to meet, along with a helpful reminder of the time.

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When he arrived at the station, he saw a wide partition with a gap in it. It was unlike any other experience that Ive ever had, Jonah said. Satisfyingbut I couldnt wrap my head around the mystery. I was at ease because I didnt know what the other person looked like, but also concerned for that same reason. It ended, and he left the bathroom before I could even pull up my pants.

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Glory holes are often considered a relic of a different, more shadowy era of homosexual sex. They have a long history, but they declined in popularity as the culture shifted and gay life moved out into the open; in 2018, an Australian museum even added one to its collection for posterity. While online directories suggest that kink communities and other enthusiasts have kept hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of glory holes active around the world, their heyday has passed.

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New York City advised residents to be creative with sexual positions and physical barriers, like walls.

But in a twist worthy of 2020, glory holes are finding new life in the pandemic, and they have received support from an unlikely corner: public health officials, who have mostly urged people to stay home. In several regions, health departments worried about high-risk hookups during the coronavirus have alluded toor outright recommendedglory holes as a safer venue for casual sex.

The Canadian B.C. Centre for Disease Control, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and others have recommended, in one way or another, the use of glory holes for sex. In New York, the citys official COVID-19 safer sex bulletin didnt mention glory holes directly, but it advised residents to make it a little kinky and be creative with sexual positions and physical barriers, like walls.

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Michael Lanza, a spokesman for the NYC health department, explained that the goal was harm reduction. The key here is to limit face-to-face contact, as the virus that causes COVID-19 is spread primarily through droplets, he said. He emphasized that leading a safe sex life is vital to the mental well-being of many people in New York, so the advice was merely practical.

Glory holes do limit potentially dangerous face-to-face contact, but their actual risk is unclear. That depends partly on the environment that houses the glory hole and other factors; for one, researchers have detected the virus in semen but havent established if it can be transmitted by seminal fluid. Yet if people are going to continue to have sex with strangers, as public health officials have ample reason to believe, glory holes may be among the safer venues.

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Jonah, the man near D.C., told me that with glory holes, he sought to limit the most dangerous acts, like kissing, and removed the need to bring a stranger into his home. If he had the option of inviting a hookup over right now or meeting him for glory hole sex, Jonah would pick the latter 10 times over, he said.

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Other men offered similar stories. One, James, who is in his 40s and lives on the East Coast, decided to use glory holes as a means to have sex but manage risk.

I hadnt had sex in two months, and I was pretty horny, so I was looking for things that would be safer, he said. And it would seem that if youre not kissing the person and rolling around in bed for 30 minutesthese things seem to lower ones risk, even though its obviously not zero risk. On his first time through, he discovered a private station via Grindr and said he found the experience surprisingly casual and relaxed.

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The recently renewed interest in glory holes seems to be widespread, at least according to people who run private stations.

Rich, a gay professional in his mid-50s living in Washington state, has been running a private glory hole out of his home for nearly two decades. Founded after a sting at a local cruising area, his operations have always had a steady flow of patrons. But since the pandemic safer-sex recommendations, he sees the practice growing.

Ive been in touch with quite a few others over Twitter that have recently installed glory hole arrangements as a response to the pandemic, Rich told me over email. So yes, glory holes are becoming more popular and mainstream, especially with the recommendations from NYC health department, Canada, and others endorsing them.

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At Richs station, he said, business initially slowed down as the lockdown began, but hes seen an uptick himself in recent weeks.

If the role of public health agencies in this reemergence seems odd, Lanza, the New York City health spokesman, doesnt think so. We are a sex-positive health department, he said, noting that the citys guidelines were inspired by manuals for safer sex from the initial AIDS crisis, like How to Have Sex in an Epidemic. We adapted some of the guidance to fit the current COVID-19 public health emergency.

Still, some longtime glory hole patrons saw some irony in the moment.

Van, another man who has used glory holes and continues to during the pandemic, first advised potential patrons that all holes arent created equal. He usually finds his glory holes through an online directory. Some stations are suited for a good timewell kept, sanitary, and run smoothly, with scheduled appointments and all, like the one Jonah found. Other operators hang a dirty curtain with a hole in it through a doorway inside their apartment, with pets and roommates roaming around nearby. In other words: Its worth doing your research.

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But Van also seemed bemused by the pandemic-friendly framing of glory holes. Clean and discreet sites have always been available, he said, but none of those qualities capture the most appealing aspect of using glory holes. His reason for going: the thrill of ceremony.

I find something ritualistic about glory holes, which harkens back to the Catholic confessional boothbut at the same time a deliberate thumbing-of-the-nose at religious dogma, Van told me over email. It adds to the intensity of the experience for me.

One of the most proudly illicit and transgressive sex acts recast as a state-sanctioned, guilt-free way to hook up in a pandemic: Thats a perversion worthy of whoever first cut a hole in a wall centuries ago.

This article uses first or anonymized names for several subjects.
We all sense the end of August. Summer is behind us, the days begin to shorten and we all remember the mixed feelings of having to go back to school. It's all the more vivid if we're close to those children and teenagers having to go back. We relive it all. The smell of new schoolbooks. Seasons of mist. Except we are facing into an autumn and a winter unlike any in the past 100 years.

Many thought that by the time we got to September the flattening of the curve would have gotten rid of the virus. Wake me up when September ends. Sadly, this is not the case, and, in fact, was never going to be the case. The goal of that was to stop the hospitals becoming overwhelmed, which thankfully worked. But, as we hear nightly, the virus still lurks. We're getting a bit better at hunting it down. We're also getting better at treating sick people with Covid-19. The race for a vaccine intensifies.

But now we face the greatest challenge since lockdown. Winter is coming and, like our ancestors, we must prepare for it. They used to store food, stock up on firewood and mend their old clothes to keep them warm. But we highly advanced 21st-century humans need to prepare for something else. We have to be ready for another major attack of Covid-19. We must use our renowned intelligence to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

New worries

Experts everywhere are worried. In the UK, a recent meeting at the Royal Society of Medicine discussed the winter and Covid-19. Oxford university's top doctor, John Bell, warned of a "really bumpy winter". British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance have stated a winter outbreak is likely.

Many others are warning of a second coronavirus wave as we move back indoors. Remember, this virus loves being indoors. Simply being indoors increases the risk of spread 19-fold. And if an outbreak happens at the same time as a flu outbreak, health systems might break. A major reason for trolleys in our hospitals every winter is flu. What if there is a major flu outbreak and our hospitals already have excess of patients because of an upsurge in Covid-19?

Hospital staff are often over-stretched because of flu, and we have to worry about their likely level of exhaustion, already evident at this stage of the pandemic in some. It will be very important to be able to differentiate flu from Covid-19, so that patients can be treated differently. One fear is of what might happen if someone has a co-infection of both flu and Covid-19. Two species of virus in the one person is not unheard of and doctors need to keep an eye out for that, too.

There's a chance, however, that the very things we're doing to stop Covid-19 will also stop flu. This seems to be the case in Australia - it has had hardly any flu during its winter, which is now turning into spring. It is essential, however, that we vaccinate all children and older people now against the flu, otherwise disaster might strike. The UK has already greatly expanded its flu vaccine programme to reach 30 million people in England alone. Thirty-seven experts there recently warned that Covid-19 hospitalisations could peak early next year and a "worst-case scenario" could see 120,000 new deaths. Shouts of the usual groupthink and scaremongering went up as usual, but we would be foolish not to prepare for a difficult time of it.

Test and trace

The next most important thing that we will need is a hugely ramped-up testing capacity to keep hunting the virus down. Again, the UK government has committed to this, recruiting another 6,000 contact tracers. Testing and tracing are our greatest weapons and should be the top priority for Government.

And what about our schools? Again, an expert group in the UK has warned of a second wave being spread because of schools, especially if there is no ramping-up of testing. Remember, secondary school and primary school students can still be sources of infection. In what is one of the most pernicious features of Covid-19, young people are inclined to have no symptoms when infected, and yet can spread the virus.

Overall, however, signs are good, with countries like Sweden and Denmark opening their schools safely, using the same practices that we are adopting here.

Something called 'sentinel surveillance' is needed, however, which means testing regularly many people in environments where spread might happen, and this has to include our schools and colleges. This allows scientists to anticipate where the next outbreak might occur and shut it down.

We must be ready for outbreaks in schools, with possible school closures, and lots of children being in and out of school because of them. By far and away the best way to minimise this is to bring the virus numbers right down in the community. We're doing OK in that regard, but if the number of cases goes up in the community, we might be in trouble when it comes to our schools. Florida is a case in point. The schools opened too soon there, with the virus still widespread in the community. Over 9,000 children have now been diagnosed with Covid-19; 602 of them have ended up in hospital. This reminds us yet again of how serious this virus is.

Finally, if people become more relaxed about all the usual measures of social distancing, mask wearing and hygiene, the virus will love that and keep on spreading. We must not become complacent.

Vigilance needed

As winter approaches, we therefore need to up our game and do it now. Unless we prepare very zealously, a cruel summer is about to turn into an even crueller winter. We have to get through this winter together, just like our ancestors did. Once we get to next spring and summer, we can anticipate much brighter days. There may well be some immunity built up in our beleaguered communities by then. A vaccine, even if partially effective, will help with that, too. And there are likely to be new therapies to help people who are sick in hospital with this virus.

A famous line of poetry from Seamus Heaney has kept us going: 'If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere.' This will become all the more relevant as winter approaches.

Luke O'Neill is professor of biochemistry in the school of biochemistry and immunology at Trinity College Dublin
The Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy will take place September 7-9 in a virtual format, with one of its topics being lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu.

He sent a message on Tuesday, Romanian Diplomacy Day."Next week, between September 7 and 9, the Annual Meeting of the Romanian Diplomacy will take place. This year's edition will normally be dedicated, as natural, to the assessment of the activity of last year, and especially to the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, we will organize a virtual meeting, adjusted for new circumstances, including and foreshadowing current and future operational transformations, both in terms of institutional activity and services for citizens."In his message, the head of Romanian diplomacy talks about the activity of Romanian diplomats and consuls and praised them for "the steps they take every day and the concrete contribution to achieving the major objectives of Romania's foreign policy: strengthening Romania's role and profile in the European Union and NATO, furthering and deepening the strategic partnership with the US, promoting effective multilateralism, as well as democratic values and international law."At the same time, Aurescu talks about the efforts of the ministry amid the COVID-19 pandemic."This year, the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has represented and represents a significant challenge for diplomatic activity - both in the central offices of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the foreign service. Protecting the rights of Romanian citizens to facilitate their return to the country safely and securely and to the countries where they reside, complete and timely information of the Romanian citizens regarding the developments in the pandemic were priority steps to the Romanian diplomacy in this period."According to Aurescu, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has supported the repatriation of over 12,500 Romanian nationals. "Our bilateral contacts have been increasingly more numerous and effective, even in the absence of in-person meetings. Thus, during the period, I coordinated directly in telephone conversations with counterparts from about 30 countries," says Aurescu.The minister says that during the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy, "together with a relevant number of special guests, ministers of foreign affairs from Romania's friendly states, the challenges that Romania must face in the future as a result of global, transatlantic, European and regional developments will be analysed.""The purpose of the meeting is to identify current or emerging opportunities and to capitalise on them, in order to effectively achieve our foreign policy objectives, in an extremely unpredictable international environment," says Aurescu.The Romanian minister adds on the Romanian Diplomacy Day, that "Romania's foreign policy is and must remain, above all, anchored in stability and continuity, in pursuit of the national interest". "Through everything we do, we responsibly relate to the essential objective of Romanian diplomacy to protect and promote the rights and interests of Romanian nationals at home and abroad."
The recovery effort from Hurricane Laura, which slammed into Louisiana last week, is being further complicated by a life-threatening heatwave that has hit the state and neighbouring regions.

A heat advisory was issued on Monday by the National Weather Service for Southeast Texas and portions of Southwest Louisiana. The temperature was expected to feel like 103F (39.4C) even rising to 110F (43.3C), according to the heat index.

"The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible," the warning read, telling residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbours.

The advisory, however, would be near impossible to follow for those in hard-hit areas, many of whom are without water, power to run air-conditioning units and are returning to homes which may have been destroyed or structurally damaged in the storm.

The Weather Channel issued a warning on generators to those using them to power ACs, lights and fridges, noting that they must be kept outside on dry ground.

So far 18 deaths in Texas and Louisiana have been attributed to the storm; more than half of those people were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe operation of generators.

The Category-4 hurricane, which made landfall on Thursday just south of Lake Charles near Cameron, Louisiana, packed 150-mph (240-kph) winds and a storm surge that officials said was as high as 15 feet (4.5 metres) in some areas.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Monday warned that residents were in for a long recovery, with 324,000 power outages across the state and hundreds of thousands of people without water entirely or under boil water advisories.

This is going to be a very difficult storm to recover from, the governor said. Crews were starting to take chainsaws to fallen trees and patch roofs, but most homes in Lake Charles wrecked by the storm were still untouched.

It has been a summer of intense heatwaves across the US. Earlier this month, it is believed that the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth  130F (54.4C) - was hit in Death Valley, California.

More than 600 people in the US are killed by extreme heat every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than any other weather event.

Extreme heat also impacts infrastructure, another potential obstruction to recovery. Heatwaves can lead to blackouts due to overworked power grids, melting roads, grounded aircraft and dangerously hot conditions inside of cars.

The climate crisis is driving up global temperatures. In the US, the federal, National Climate Assessment estimates that there will be around 30 more days over 90F in most areas by 2050.

AP contributed to this report
Barely a month into his job as Chicagos top cop, David Brown described his moonshot: a year when there would be fewer than 300 homicides in the city. When he took the podium Monday for his usual news conference on weekend violence, the city had recorded more than 500 homicides this year, putting it on pace with 2016 when Chicago was hit with a spike of violence not seen in decades.
China said on Tuesday it had suspended barley imports from Australia's largest grain exporter, a ruling that threatens to inflame bilateral tensions.

China's General Administration of Customs said barley shipments from CBH Grain would be halted after pests were found on multiple occasions, the administration said on its official WeChat account.

CBH has been hit by a Chinese trade ban. Credit:Hamish Hastie

CBH denied the charge as it said it would work with Australia's government to overturn the ruling.

"CBH has not found any evidence to support the claims," a spokesman for CBH told Reuters.
By Online Desk

NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to stay the JEE-Main examination, but said any student residing in flood-hit parts of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region who cannot reach the exam centre or reaches late can apply to the National Testing Agency to seek a re- examination.

A division bench of Justices Ravi Deshpande and Pushpa Ganediwala said the National Testing Agency (NTA) shall consider such applications and decide accordingly, after checking the veracity of the same, within 15 days.

The engineering Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main began at 9 am across the country on Tuesday.

"The situation is grim in several districts due to floods. Students should not suffer for no fault on their part, the bench said. The court said any aggrieved student can file an application to the NTA via their centre coordinator."

"The National Testing Agency shall then decide on the application after consulting with the district collector concerned within a period of 15 days," the court ordered.

Assistant Solicitor General Ulhas Aurangabadkar, appearing for the NTA, told the high court that the agency shall consider any application submitted by a student who was not able to appear for the exam due to the flood situation or problem of transport.

ALSO READ | Flying to India for NEET amid COVID-19 risk stressful, impractical: Aspirants in Gulf nations

Earlier, the high court on Monday took cognisance of a letter written to it by Nitesh Bawankar, a resident of Maharashtra's Bhandara district, raising concern over how students will reach the exam centres to appear for the JEE amid the flood situation.

Bawankar sought postponement of the exam for students residing in the flood-hit parts of Nagpur, Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Gondia and Gadchiroli districts.

Due to floods, students from these areas will find it difficult to appear for the JEE-Main examination, he said.

On Tuesday, Gadchiroli collector told HC that due to heavy rains and flood, inter-district transport is affected and the situation may remain unchanged for a few more days.

In such a condition, the NTA would be the appropriate authority to decide the issue of postponing the exam for students affected by flood, the collector said.

Nagpur collector told the court that 1,284 students were to attend the exam in six centres of the district and that there is no flood-like situation there.

Akola collector also told the court that as there is no flood-like situation in the district, there would be no hurdle in conducting the exam there.

A similar submission was made by Amravati collector.

Chandrapur collector told the court that 21 villages were affected by flood in the district and rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) enquired at local levels if there were any students who needed to appear for the JEE-Main exam, but no response was received.

He also said there are four examination centres at the Chandrapur district headquarters which is not affected by flood and hence, is accessible by road.

Collectors of Bhandara and Gondia told the court that while their districts are worst hit due to heavy rains and release of water from the Sanjay Sarovar dam in Madhya Pradesh, there are no centres for JEE-Main examination in both thes districts.

They submitted that candidates appearing for the examination shall have road accessibility to Nagpur and will not face any problem in appearing for the exam.

The court on Monday directed the Centre, Maharashtra government, NTA and collectors of these districts to consider postponing the JEE-Main exam for students who are residing in the flood-affected areas and are unable to reach the centres to appear for the exam.

(With PTI Inputs)
Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Greenville, North Carolina for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 9 rehab facilities based on cost, treatment options, location, accompanying services and more.

According to recent studies, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people under age 50. In Greenville, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Greenville with 55 percent of high school students reported using alcohol, 38 percent reported using marijuana, 8 percent reported using prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and 2 percent reported using heroin. With the growing need for accessible and high-quality rehab programs, Help.org has developed a unique ranking process to help connect individuals with treatment providers that meet their needs.

The Help.org research team analyzed thousands of facilities across the country and then identified the most cost-effective and highest rated programs in larger cities like Greenville. Each facility was evaluated based on rehabilitation services, treatment approaches, cost, special programs for unique demographics and ancillary services. The website also provides information about drug use and side effects as well as educational articles. For a detailed listing of the Best Rehab Facilities in Greenville, North Carolina please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-greenville-nc/

2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Greenville, North Carolina (in alphabetical order)

Dixon Social Interactive Services

313 Clifton Street

Greenville, NC 27858

252-353-0100

Greenville Recovery Center (GRC)

150 E. Arlington Boulevard Suite C

Greenville, NC 27858

252-353-2555

Holly Hill Hospital

3019 Falstaff Road

Raleigh, NC 27610

919-250-7000

Integrated Family Services PLLC

312 B.S. Academy Street

Ahoskie, NC 27910

252-209-0388

Johnston Counseling Services

212 Bridge Street

Smithfield, NC 27577

919-938-0921

LeChris Health System of Greenville, Inc.

2050 Eastgate Drive, Suite E

Greenville, NC 27858

252-353-8452

Port Health

4300  110 Sapphire CourtGreenville, NC 27834

252-830-7540

Side by Side Counseling

2045 Eastgate Drive Suite B

Greenville, NC 27858

252-752-1333

Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center

2577 West Fifth Street

Greenville, NC 27834

252-830-3426

ABOUT HELP.ORG

Help.org is an online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones. The website provides the latest research through scientifically proven methods, community recovery resources as well as information about local financial assistance. Help.orgs team of researchers, activists and writers work together with addiction counselors and other professionals to offer useful and accurate resources to help individuals seeking recovery. To learn more, visit https://www.help.org/.
Some gunmen have kidnapped Olufemi Adeogun, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of Ondo State General Hospital, Idoani, Ose Local Government Area.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr Adeogun was abducted on Monday, alongside a record officer of the hospital, Foluke Ajibola, and another yet to be identified victim.

The incident was confirmed to our correspondent by the state police spokesperson, Tee-Leo Ikoro, on Tuesday, in a telephone interview.

The trio were accosted by their abductors around Owani/Idoani road in the southern senatorial district of the state, sources told PREMIUM TIMES.

An associate of the CMD, who did not want to be identified, said that Mr Adeoguns driver was shot in the arm while trying to escape. He is currently receiving treatment in the hospital.

When contacted, the police spokesperson, Mr Ikoro said efforts are already in place to rescue the victims. He told our correspondent that police officers are currently combing the forest.

To address the security challenges in the state, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, launched Operation Amotekun, in August.

This newspaper had also reported on several occasions how kidnapping for ransom has become rife in many parts of Nigeria despite efforts of security agencies to curb the menace.
Two weeks have passed since President Donald Trump announced that he would sidestep a congressional stalemate to deliver $400 in extra weekly benefits to tens of millions of unemployed Americans  a short-term fix meant to replace the $600-a-week emergency federal supplement that expired last month.

Since then, as more details of the plan  known as Lost Wages Assistance  have emerged, so have problems with finding the funding and getting it to the hands of those who need it. What is now clear is that the federal supplement is $300 a week, not $400. And by Thursday, only one state, Arizona, had started paying out.

Here is what we know.

HOUSTON HIGHWAY VS. ITALIAN CITY: 30K can fit in space taken by this Houston intersection

The federal government is offering an extra $300 a week to unemployed workers.

Trump is using money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which normally provides disaster relief. The additional $100 was supposed to be supplied by states, but most are struggling to meet other expenses. Tax revenues have been sinking at the same time that costs  like precautions to curb the spread of the coronavirus  have soared. Ultimately the administration said the states basic benefit payments could be counted toward their $100 share.

Montana is the only state so far to choose the $400 option, according to FEMA.

Jobless workers with the smallest benefits will not get the supplement.

Only people who qualify to receive at least $100 in unemployment benefits each week  either through the regular state program or a federal pandemic assistance program  are eligible for the extra federal funds.

In Colorado, for example, the rule leaves out 6% of those receiving unemployment pay  or roughly 28,000 people, said Cher Haavind, deputy executive director of the state Department of Labor.

One state has declined to take part. South Dakotas governor, Kristi Noem, announced last week that her state would forgo the federal funds, saying they were not needed because South Dakota had recovered 80% of its job losses.

There are widespread delays.

Each state is supposed to administer the new supplement, just as it processes regular state unemployment insurance and federal pandemic jobless benefits.

In the spring, when state unemployment systems were overwhelmed with claims, there were delays of weeks or even months because computer systems had to be updated and reprogrammed, and staff members trained. Now states must again work out how to process a new program while they keep existing benefits flowing. New claims for state jobless benefits unexpectedly jumped in the most recent weekly report to 1.1 million.

On a conference call with reporters Thursday, John P. Pallasch, assistant secretary for employment and training at the Labor Department, said it could take some states up to six weeks to figure out how to get a program up and running.

As of Saturday, funds had been approved for 23 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Vermont. Keith Turi, a FEMA official, said on the call Thursday that the initial approvals were for three weeks. Well add additional weeks from there as needed, he said.

Most states, though, are still reviewing the rules issued by the federal government to determine how to carry them out.

Florida is mulling the best course of action that will preserve the states financial stability while providing important assistance to Floridians in need, said Cody McCloud, press secretary to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Ohio plans to apply but is considering what it needs to do to upgrade its systems, said Bret Crow, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

States have until Sept. 10 to apply for the funds.

The extra benefit is likely to run out after five weeks.

To finance the program without a congressional appropriation, Trump set it up to draw from federal disaster funds  a limited pool  and the administration said that no more than $44 billion would be spent.

According to estimates from FEMA and the Labor Department, that sum will cover four or five weeks of payments to unemployed workers who are eligible. The funds are supposed to be retroactive to Aug. 1, so recipients might be paid only through early September.

Congress is at an impasse on longer-term support.

Trump acted after Democrats and Republicans were unable to work out a deal on supplemental benefits before the August congressional recess. Democrats have steadfastly supported restarting the $600 weekly booster that ended last month. Republicans have pushed for a smaller supplement  initially proposing $200 a week, arguing that bigger sums discourage people from returning to work.

Studies by economists across the political spectrum have concluded that the additional benefits have not deterred job seekers. The latest, by the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics at the University of Chicago, found that despite anecdotal reports of people turning down jobs, very few workers would not have returned to work if given the opportunity. For most, the temporary nature of the supplement, the difficulty of finding another job, and concerns about career setbacks and permanently lower wages outweigh the short-term financial gain. And workers who reject job offers are no longer eligible for unemployment benefits.

Nearly 30 million people are receiving some form of jobless benefits. At the end of June, there were roughly 5.9 million job openings.

Economists said the emergency federal checks this year have kept the economy functioning, fueling spending that has supported restaurants, retailers and other businesses. The $600-a-week supplement injected roughly $70 billion a month into the economy between April and July, almost 5% of total household income.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
"Grocery workers are an essential part of Kendall-Jackson's success. They form the backbone of our business and are a direct extension of the Kendall-Jackson family," said Barbara Banke, Chairman and Proprietor of Jackson Family Wines, the family-owned wine company that founded Kendall-Jackson in 1982. "They have been frontline heroes during the pandemic, risking their health and safety for all Americans. By launching the Grocery Worker's Relief Fund, we can provide immediate relief to the workers who have supported us for nearly 40 years and need it now, more than ever."

In the United States, the grocery industry employs more than 2.7 million people. According to the recent Washington Post article about the current state of employees in the grocery industry, workers are feeling "overworked and overwhelmed" and are facing unique challenges. In an effort to show appreciation to grocery workers for their contributions during this crisis, Kendall-Jackson searched for a national relief fund that directly benefited the workers, but one did not exist. As a leading producer in the wine industry, Kendall-Jackson embarked on an opportunity to partner with United Way Worldwide to establish an emergency fund. "This is one small gesture in a time of monumental need, but we hope it inspires others to join the cause," adds Banke.

"United Way is honored to partner with Kendall-Jackson to recognize and support our grocery workers everywhere. While many people were at home during quarantine, grocery workers continued to put themselves in harm's way every day to stock the shelves, and make and keep stores safe for their customers," said Suzanne McCormick, U.S. President of United Way Worldwide. "Grocery workers are the unsung heroes of the pandemic and United Way is thrilled to join Kendall-Jackson to give our brave grocery workers an opportunity for relief as they risk their health and continue to go the extra mile during the COVID-19 crisis."

The Grocery Worker's Relief Fund will raise funds to alleviate the challenges these essential workers are facing. The fund will offer emergency support, mainly in the form of cash cards, to provide urgently needed relief, and will connect workers with holistic local help through the 211 network, a national social services helpline. The Grocery Worker's Relief Fund is available to any individual currently employed by a grocery store, including retailers with grocery departments, to apply for eligibility for financial assistance. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and funds will be awarded as resources allow. Help and support doesn't end there -- grocery workers and their families may explore additional resources and options available through the United Way 211 network as well. Workers can apply for the funds beginning October 1, 2020, by visiting www.unitedway.org/groceryrelief. To donate to the Grocery Worker's Relief Fund, visit www.unitedway.org/groceryrelief.

About Kendall-Jackson

Kendall-Jackson is one of America's most beloved family-owned and operated wineries. The winery's flagship wine, the Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, has been America's favorite Chardonnay for over 27 years. Founded by entrepreneur and visionary Jess Jackson in 1982, and now led by his wife Barbara Banke and the Jackson family, Kendall-Jackson is based in Sonoma County and offers a range of acclaimed wines grown on the family's estate vineyards along the coastal ridges of California. Kendall-Jackson is the benchmark for sustainable wine endeavors, setting the precedent for advancement in solar, water, and vineyard practices. Wine Enthusiast Magazine recently named Kendall-Jackson the 2017 American Winery of the Year, one of the wine industry's most distinguished accolades. Recognized as a leader in the industry for more than three decades, Kendall-Jackson has built a reputation centered around consistent, high-quality wines that are available nationwide in national grocery stores, boutique wine retailers, and restaurants. Learn more online at www.kj.com, and follow Kendall-Jackson on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

About United Way

United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 8.1 million donors worldwide and $4.8 billion raised, United Way is the world's largest privately funded nonprofit. We're engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.

About 211

211 is a vital service leveraged by millions of people across North America, funded and run by United Way. Every day, clients contact 211 to access free and confidential crisis and emergency counseling, disaster assistance, food, health care and insurance assistance, stable housing and utilities payment assistance, employment services, veteran services and childcare and family services. Last year, 211 responded to over 12 million requests for assistance across the United States. The service is available to over 95% of the U.S. population, including in Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, and is also available in most of Canada. Individuals in need or who are looking for information for someone else can call 211 from a cell phone or landline or visit 211.org for more contact options.

MEDIA CONTACT: Kendall-Jackson, Marlow Bruce, Director of Public Relations, (415) 806-3009, [email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT: United Way Worldwide, Southerlyn Reisig, Director of Public Relations, (202) 664-2314, [email protected]

SOURCE Kendall-Jackson
For years, researchers have been trying to harness the crop-growing benefits of the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), for example, can deliver water and nutrients to the roots of plants like sorghum, a grain used to produce biofuels. The US Department of Energy (DOE) is particularly interested in producing sorghum more efficiently to reduce the need for irrigation and fertilizer, and recently awarded Regents' Professor Nancy Johnson of Northern Arizona University's School of Earth and Sustainability a $1.3 million grant to study the beneficial associations between biofuel sorghum and AMF.

Johnson's research is part of a five-year collaboration with the University of Georgia, funded by a total of $11.7 million from the DOE, which will involve genetic sequencing and artificial intelligence. A series of field and greenhouse experiments will examine the genetic and environmental factors that cause the variable performance of mycorrhizal symbioses in field conditions.

"Despite decades of efforts, successful use of AMF as biofertilizers has been elusive, largely because mycorrhizae are complex systems and their effects are context dependent," Johnson said. "Environmental conditions, and especially soil fertility and water availability, influence the degree to which AMF can improve sorghum production. Also, different genetic lines of sorghum vary in mycorrhizal responsiveness, and complex communities of AMF and other soil microbes differ in their effects on the nutrient and water relations of their host plants."

Scientists will be conducting shotgun (metagenomic) sequencing to understand what microscopic communities exist in samples of sorghum roots. "Shotgun sequencing reveals all the genetic sequences in samples," Johnson said. "Until recently, there was too much information, but now with advanced computing and bioinformatics, you can figure out what a lot of the organisms are. We're recognizing there's kind of a dance between the plant roots and AMF, and to a certain extent, the plant can select which fungi it associates with to form mycorrhizal symbioses. This research will help us learn more about the process by which plants control their microbiome under different environmental conditions."

The researchers will be growing more than 350 different genotypes of sorghum at agricultural experiment stations in Maricopa, Arizona and near Athens, Georgia to examine how sorghum genetics are interacting with AMF and other organisms in their microbiome.

"We'll characterize which microbes are active in their roots by measuring RNA as well as the DNA. Once we see what's going on in agricultural fields, we'll make single-spore cultures of AMF and grow them in controlled experiments," Johnson said. Systems models will be constructed that link sorghum performance with the communities of AMF and other microbes in the field experiments, and these models will be tested in the NAU Research Greenhouse complex.

To complement the genomic and transcriptomic work, the scientists will apply novel imaging tools to visualize the interactions between sorghum roots and AMF. Johnson will use microscopy in her Soil Ecology Lab at NAU to identify fungal allocation patterns, which will add a spatial context to the research.

"We'll stain the AMF in the roots and examine them under a light microscope. We'll take pictures and use artificial intelligence to teach the computer how to recognize and quantify fungal structures in thousands of root samples." Using innovative convolutional neural network software, the computer will be able to identify AMF and also non-mycorrhizal fungi.

"The Department of Energy wants to be able to produce biofuels more sustainably by helping growers of sorghum select the genotypes that grow best in their environment and not need additional fertilizer. These studies will help advance basic understanding of the genetic mechanisms by which plants control their associations with potentially beneficial root-associated microbes," Johnson said. "A better understanding of natural communities of AMF in soils and the mechanisms that influence mycorrhizal functioning in field conditions is necessary before effective methods can be developed to manage AMF to increase sustainable biofuel sorghum production," she said.

###

Johnson awarded Bullard Fellowship to study microbiome evolution at Harvard University

Johnson is currently on sabbatical, working with several researchers at Harvard University to study the evolution of microbiomes through the Bullard Fellowship she was recently awarded. The DOE sorghum project complements her sabbatical research by providing an empirical study system to test evolutionary theories about the assembly of microbiomes in plants.

About Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University is a higher-research institution providing exceptional educational opportunities in Arizona and beyond. NAU delivers a student-centered experience to its 31,000 students in Flagstaff, statewide and online through rigorous academic programs in a supportive, inclusive and diverse environment. Dedicated, world-renowned faculty help ensure students achieve academic excellence, experience personal growth, have meaningful research opportunities and are positioned for personal and professional success.
MADISON  The Republican-controlled Legislature took no action in a special session Monday called by the states Democratic governor to pass a package of bills on policing policies just over a week after a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back.

Republicans started the session and recessed in both the Senate and Assembly in less than 30 seconds. That satisfied requirements of the law that they meet, even though almost no lawmakers were present. Its a tactic Republicans used in November when Gov. Tony Evers tried to force them to take action on gun control bills.

Republicans kept the session open rather than adjourning it, which means they could take action at a later date, although there are no signs they plan to do anything soon.

Their silence on this issue, their inaction on this issue, sides with white supremacists, said Democratic state Rep. David Bowen, a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, at a news conference Monday urging Republicans to pass the bills.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, on the same day Evers called the special session, said he intends to convene a task force on racial disparities, educational opportunities, public safety, and police policies and standards. Vos on Monday decried the special session as divisive and partisan politics and instead said the task force, to be chaired by a Republican who is white, was an opportunity to bring people together to find solutions.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, who is running for Congress, said that combined with GOP bills related to policing, there will be dozens of proposals that the Legislature will work through in the coming months. Last week, Republican state Sen. Van Wanggaard, a retired police officer and one of Evers loudest critics, proposed that state aid be cut to any community that reduces police budgets.

Evers decried the inaction, saying the people of Wisconsin dont want another task force or more delays.

Its disappointing that theres no sense of urgency from Republicans, and its a let down to all the people who are asking us to lead, Evers said.

The countrys attention has been focused on Wisconsin following the Blake shooting and the killings two days later of two people by a 17-year-old from Illinois who faces first-degree homicide charges. Blakes family said he is paralyzed from the waist down.

The state Department of Justice is investigating the Blake shooting. The Justice Department said officers were responding to a domestic dispute and Blake did not stop after Tasers were used on him. Kenosha police Officer Rusten Shesky shot Blake seven times in the back as he tried to get into his vehicle. The state Department of Justice has said a knife was discovered in Blakes car, but they havent said if was carrying it when officers encountered him.

On the third night of violence after the Blake shooting, authorities say teenager Kyle Rittenhouse intentionally killed two protesters. Since those shootings, the marches and demonstrations in Kenosha have been peaceful.

President Donald Trump plans to visit Kenosha on Tuesday, raising fears among some that his visit could reignite unrest. Evers has asked him not to come. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spoke with Blakes family last week.

Evers first unveiled the package of policing bills in June, shortly after the killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. But he called the special session with 24 hours after Blakes shooting, trying to force the Legislature to take action.

The Legislature hasnt met in over four months.

The bills Evers wants the Legislature to take up would do a number of things, including ban the use of chokeholds by police and no-knock warrants; create statewide standards for police use of force; require police officers to annually complete at least eight hours of training on use-of-force options and deescalation techniques; and require every law enforcement agency to have a use-of-force policy and make it publicly available online.

While Evers has tried to use Blakes shooting to force action from the Legislature, his opponents have criticized his response to unrest in Kenosha, saying he didnt act quickly enough to quell the violence that resulted in dozens of businesses being burned to the ground, suffering millions of dollars in damage.

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Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

All Saints Catholic School on Tuesday became the first Norwalk school to reopen for the new year. All Saints students in grades six to eight returned to the classroom for the first time since schools closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The school is staggering the first day of classes for each grade this week. All grades will return for in-person classes on Sept. 8.
Samsung hasn't given up on its most expensive phone, announcing Tuesday an even steeper price for the sequel to last year's foldable phone. The new Galaxy Fold Z 2 phone will be priced at a cool $1,999.

That's $10 more than the already pricey original and it will be available on Sept. 18.

But if you think $2,000 is a high ticket price, it's a relative bargain compared to the step up, "fashion" model that Samsung would also like to sell you. The Thom Browne fashion edition will cost $3,299.

The Thom Browne model will explore "its shared ethos to provide a deeper level of hardware and software integration. The geometric gray and signature multicolor stripe is complemented by a grosgrain pattern, creating a visual texture of fabric on Galaxy Z Fold 2's unique design," Samsung said in a statement.

Consumers will get a new edition of the Samsung Buds and Watch 3 with their Browne purchase, which will be available on September 25.

Fold Z 2

The Fold Z 2 was originally announced on August 5 as part of Samsung's "Unpacked" events, but the company withheld pricing.

The new phone appears to be a standard 6.2-inch screen premium smartphone, but when unfolded, it grows to 7.6 inches. That's larger than the previous edition, which grew to 7.3 inches when unfolded

Samsung included some functionality changes, too. In the original Fold, you could have two apps open at the same time, and use them on both sides of the screen. This year, you get three apps open.

The original Fold's release date got pushed back after units were sent to the press and discovered to fall apart. Samsung responded by retooling the phone. In a press briefing, Samsung execs said new materials were selected for the latest editionso that it will be stronger when unfolded.

The phone employs what the company calls "sweeper technology ... within the gap between the body and hinge housing to repel dust and dirt particles."

For folks worried about what to do when the screen breaks, Samsung will offer a "one-time-only" $149 screen replacement service. Samsung says it will offer as much as $800 in trade-in value to owners of the original Fold phone.

Explore further What to except from Samsung Unpacked 2020 event

2020 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1

By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:

The Government of Turkmenistan has undertaken active measures to prevent and protect citizens from the threat of COVID-19 through timely and appropriate actions to reduce the risks of spreading infectious diseases caused by COVID-19 to the territory of the country, Trend reports with reference to the data of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Turkmenistan has developed a national strategy to combat COVID-19. This, a set of organizational, legal, financial, economic, sanitary-epidemiological, medical, and quarantine measures are part of these measures.

Taking into account the expected reduction in the state budget revenues, the government of Turkmenistan is working to reduce non-priority expenditures and reschedule public investments in order to maintain social spending in 2020 at the planned level, the report says.

Turkmenistan is also creating opportunities for stimulating entrepreneurship, especially in sectors most affected by the global pandemic, such as transport, tourism, etc.

In addition, the country is implementing investment projects, and encourages public-private partnership.

Turkmenistan is increasing its efforts to open transport corridors and develop multimodal cargo transportation, said the report.

Meanwhile, the country pays special attention to measures aimed at preventing the penetration of coronavirus infection when transporting goods to and through the territory of the country.

Turkmen government established special Government commission to control prices for basic food products and ensure their centralized import and uninterrupted supply on the market

Subsidizing the prices for a number of basic food items, as well as utilities and public transport, continues, said the report.



---

Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva
" " Moral (and health) dilemma: pick it up or let it go? Indeed/Digital Vision/ Getty Images

You can almost taste the last chocolate truffle in the box. As you raise it to your lips, your mouth begins to water with delicious anticipation. And then -- oops! It slips out of your hand and lands (along with your sweet expectations) on the floor. But it's still intact. Do you a) apply the five second rule, pick up it, dust it off and eat it or b) throw it in the trash and head to the store for another box?

If you picked the second option, congratulations. You've just avoided consuming something covered with thousands of germs. If you picked choice A, however, you may be interested to know that the five second rule (no doubt invented by a kid eager to enjoy the last bite of his fallen Hershey bar) is a dirty little lie.

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The idea that food scooped from the floor in less than five seconds would be free of germs was first disproved by high school student Jillian Clarke during her internship at the University of Illinois in 2003. Clarke coated tiles with E. coli bacteria and then proceeded to drop gummy bears and fudge-stripe cookies onto their surfaces. She not only found that bacteria certainly did jump onto the food in five seconds, she also uncovered some interesting facts about human behavior -- namely that women were more likely to eat food that had fallen than men, and that sweet treats were more likely to be rescued and consumed than were veggies.

In many ways, Clarke's research raised more questions than it answered. Did the surface food contacted have an impact on germ transfer? What about the type of food? And if five seconds was bad, was 10 seconds even worse? A team of researchers at a South Carolina University attempted to answer some of these questions. Their findings and more germy information can be found on the next page.
Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, have been married for an almost unbelievable 72 years. With a marriage lasting that long, its inevitable to have some rocky moments. According to the new documentary Being the Queen, it was the first few years of their marriage that were the most difficult.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip | ALASTAIR GRANT/AFP via Getty Images

The new documentary gives fans an intimate look into Queen Elizabeths private life

Being the Queen is directed by Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Tom Jennings. This isnt his first experience with documenting the royal family, as he also made Diana: In Her Own Words about Princess Diana.

According to TV Insider, the new documentary gives royal fans an intimate look at Queen Elizabeths private life. It also features never-before-heard stories. Even though she has sat on the British throne since 1952, there is still a lot to learn about the monarch.

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip: An Early Timeline of The Romance That Changed The Royal Family Forever

The films premiere coincides with the 23rd anniversary of the death of Princess Diana. It reportedly sheds light on how the public life of the monarchy collides with the private lives of the Windsor family.

Ive gained exclusive access to untapped archives while piecing together the complete story of Queen Elizabeth II, which is most often underscored by love and marriage  from abdication, Princess Margaret, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince William and Harry, says Jennings.

Being the Queen shares rare details about the early days of Queen Elizabeths relationship

According to InStyle, the new documentary shares some rare details about the early days of Queen Elizabeths relationship with Prince Philip. The movie features a recording of the Duke of Edinburghs cousin, Lady Pamela Hicks, who discusses the moment that he met the then-Princess Elizabeth.

Lady Hicks says that her father was present in 1939 when King George VI and the Queen Mother took Elizabeth and her sister Margaret to Dartmouth. The monarch was only 13-years-old at the time, and Philip was 18. Hicks described him as this absolute Greek god.

RELATED: King George Once Asked Prince Philip to Babysit an Overwhelmed 13-Year-Old Queen Elizabeth

I think the princess fell headlong in love with him at that moment, Lady Hicks says.

Royal historian Robert Lacey says that Queen Elizabeths parents had great anxiety over their daughters desire to marry the first man she fell in love with. The man she married wouldnt just be her husband, he would also shoulder almost half the burden of the monarchy.

The earliest years of Her Majestys marriage were the most difficult

Lady Hicks also reveals in the doc that the early years of Queen Elizabeths marriage werent easy. Prince Philip was an extremely active enthusiastic young man who suddenly found his entire life taken away, she claimed. Lady Hicks added that he probably thought he would be a yes man for the rest of his life.

This really devastated their lives as a married couple, said Lady Hicks.

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth In Tears After Brutal Fight With Prince Philip

According to Us Weekly, the documentary claims that Queen Elizabeths private life has been rocked by love and sex and marriage.

Jennings says that the Queens relationship was very strained at first because Philip basically had to give up his bride to the world and take a backseat to everything thats going on.

They managed to get through it, but he is sure it was a very strained time for the couple.

Being the Queen premieres Monday, August 31 on National Geographic Channel.
Several panches and sarpanches have been attacked and killed by militants during the past two months in the Union Territory

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Police are all set to review the security setup of functionaries of panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies in view of intelligence inputs about threat perception in the Union Territory, officials said on Monday.

Several panch and sarpanch have been attacked and killed by militants during the past two months in Jammu and Kashmir.

"In view of the intelligence inputs received from sister agencies, the district chiefs were advised to have a fresh security review of panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies functionaries and also take care of the security of vital installations as well as other protected persons," said Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, Mukesh Singh.

He said that district police chiefs were also advised to maintain close coordination with all the sister agencies as well as the force deployed in their respective districts, especially in the border districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch to prevent infiltration.

Singh said that they should foil the nefarious designs of anti-national elements and their mentors operating across the Indo-Pakistan border.

The IGP said district chiefs were directed to brief their supervisory officers and station house officers (SHOs) to focus on over-ground workers, surrendered and released terrorists and their activities should be kept under close surveillance.

Singh chaired a meeting through video conferencing with Range Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) and district Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Jammu Zone in order to review the security of panchayati raj institutions and urban local body functionaries, law and order and security scenario of Jammu region.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Cannabis Global, Inc. (OTC PINK:CBGL) ("Cannabis Global" or the "Company"), a cannabinoid and hemp extract science-forward company developing infusion and delivery technologies and investing in fast-growing cannabis markets, today announces it has acquired a stake in Natural Plant Extract of California, Inc. ("NPE"), which operates a licensed cannabis manufacturing and distribution business operation out of Lynwood, California. NPE owns a Type 7 California Manufacturing License as well as a California Distribution license. Under the terms of the agreement, which closed on August 31, 2020, the Company is purchasing (18.8%) of Natural Plant Extract's outstanding capital stock.

"This is a significant agreement for Cannabis Global, as it provides the Company with further penetration into the important California market, which is valued at billions of dollars per year," commented Chief Executive Officer, Arman Tabatabaei. "We believe we create significant added value for our shareholders and new synergies by combining our managerial talents and technologies with the licenses and marketplace opportunities of NPE. We have aspirations of becoming a major distributor and manufacture of our cannabis products in California. NPE is ahead of most of the competition in the state in terms of permitting, build-out and licensing."

Under the terms of the agreement, which will be further explained in an upcoming filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission ("SEC"), the Company will pay the seller 27 monthly payments of $20,000 and a long-term note for $1,500,000, which can be converted to common shares in the Company at a later date. The total purchase price is $2,040,000. As a result of the acquisition, Cannabis Global expects to book over $2 million of net tangible assets as of the end of the August 31, 2020 fiscal year, likely allowing the Company to become "penny stock exempt" based on the OTC Markets guidelines and to be eligible for the up-listing of its common stock trading venue.

The Company believes this investment will allow for faster expansion into important distribution channels for California and speed market penetration of several internally developed cannabis-related technologies, while meaningfully expanding the asset base of the Company. NPE is currently operating as a distributor and is completing the build-out of its manufacturing facility, which is expected to be completed and fully operational in the first quarter of 2021.

Mr. Tabatabaei continued, "We see many applications for our technologies within the regulated THC-oriented marketplace. Without access to partners with the proper licenses, we have been limited only to the hemp and CBD marketplaces. We expect this new relationship and equity stake in NPE to significantly change this dynamic allowing us more freedom in introducing our cannabis technological innovations to the very active California marketplace."

About Cannabis Global, Inc.

Cannabis Global, Inc., formerly known as MCTC Holdings, Inc., is a fully audited and reporting Company with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, trading with the stock symbol CBGL. The Company is an emerging force in the area of cannabinoid sciences and highly bioavailable hemp and cannabis infusion technologies. The Company does not engage in the production, distribution, or sales of any controlled substances, including marijuana. The Company has an actively growing portfolio of intellectual property having filed six patents in the areas of cannabinoid delivery systems and cannabinoid polymeric nanoparticles. The Company markets its consumer products under the Hemp You Can Feel brand name. Cannabis Global launched its Project Varin early in 2020, to develop new delivery methods for rare cannabinoid Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THV-C) and to develop products based on this cannabinoid.

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.

For more information, please contact:

Arman Tabatabaei

IR@cannabisglobalinc.com

+1-(310)-986-4929

Public Relations:

Tiger Global Management

info@TigerGMP.com

www.TigerGMP.com

Related Links

https://hempyoucanfeel.com/

SOURCE: Cannabis Global, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604218/Cannabis-Global-Acquires-Stake-in-Natural-Plant-Extract-for-2-Million--Positions-Company-for-Further-Growth-in-Multi-Billion-Dollar-California-Marketplace
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 17:31:03|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that establishing close economic ties with neighbors is a priority for the Islamic republic's regional policy, Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.

One of Iran's priorities in the region is to strengthen strategic relations with neighboring states, particularly in the economic and trade arena, Rouhani said at a meeting themed "Promotion of Cooperation with Neighbors" on Monday.

Historical and cultural bonds among regional nations allow for enhanced cooperation that would consequently serve the common interests of regional governments and nations, he said.

"We, all of our brothers in the region, and Iran's neighbors must amicably push for the development of the entire region. Coordinated and shared economy in the region would contribute to peace and security," he was quoted as saying.

Rouhani also called for the promotion of tourism, joint investment plans, as well as banking and financial cooperation among neighbors. Enditem
Police have arrested three men and seized 2.5 kilograms of cocaine, and more than $600,000 after searching a series of houses across western Sydney.

Detectives from Strike Force Raptor, with assistance from NSW Police's tactical operations unit, arrested three men at a house on Victoria Road, West Ryde, just after 12.30pm on Tuesday.

Strike Force Raptor investigators have arrested three men, seized prohibited drugs and a large amount of cash, as part of an investigation into the supply of prohibited drugs across Sydney. Credit:NSW Police

The trio - aged 42, 34, and 20 - have been taken to Granville police station where charges are expected to be laid.

While arresting the three men, investigators seized 2kg of cocaine and $600,000 cash.
'Black Panther's' Chadwick Boseman openly talked about his faith in God, quoted Scripture often

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Chadwick Boseman died at age 43 last week after a four-year secret battle with colon cancer and while he was a successful entertainer, the actor was also a man of faith.

Popularly known as King TChalla in the iconic Black Panther movie, Boseman was raised in a Christian home and, according to multiple reports, was baptized at Welfare Baptist Church in Anderson, South Carolina. The actor kept his faith into adulthood and often professed his Christian beliefs.

The Get on Up star who played James Brown referenced his Christian faith while honoring Denzel Washington in 2019 with the AFI Life Achievement Award. Boseman quoted Ephesians 3:20 and publicly told the actor, May God bless you exceedingly and abundantly more for whats in store than He ever has before.

It was during an appearance on Jimmy Fallon that Boseman revealed the Academy Award-winning actor Washington actually paid for his studies abroad at the British American Drama Academy over 20 years ago. Washington did not know who he was helping at the time.

Following his death, the legendary actor described Boseman as a gentle soul and a brilliant artist who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career.

In 2018, Boseman, once again quoted Scripture openly while delivering the commencement address at his alma mater, Howard University. His speech referenced several Bible passages, including Jeremiah 29:11.

Sometimes, you need to feel the pain and sting of defeat to activate the real passion and purpose God has predestined inside of you. God says in Jeremiah, I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future, he told the graduating class.

Graduating class, hear me well on this day.  This day when you have reached the hilltop, and you are deciding on next jobs, next steps, careers, further education, you would rather find purpose than a job or career.

When God has something for you, it doesnt matter who stands against it. God will move someone that is holding you back away from the door and put someone there who will open it for you, if its meant for you. I dont know what your future is. But if youre willing to take the harder way, the more complicated one, the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning, more victory, more glory, then you will not regret it.



Around the same time of his commencement address, Pastor Samuel Neely, the actors childhood pastor, praised Boseman for his commitment to his Christian faith.

Despite his accomplishments in Hollywood, the retired pastor said he could still see the person I knew as a child.

When I see him, its almost like seeing my own child, hes still Chad, the minister told WHNS-TV. He did a lot of positive things within the church and within the community. With him singing in the choir, with him working the youth group, he always was doing something, always helping out, always serving. That was his personality."

Upon hearing the news of his death, one of Bosemans Black Panther co-stars who has also been outspoken about her Christian faith, Letitia Wright, tweeted, This hurts. Really hurts.



Fellow actor Josh Gad honored Bosemans memory on Instagram by sharing the final text message conversation he had with the artist. Boseman encouraged Gad to catch the rain, appreciate every moment, and enjoy the simplicity of Gods creation.

The impactful actor told Gad, We should take advantage of every moment we can to enjoy the simplicity of Gods creation, whether it be clear skies and sun or clouded over with gloom. And hey, if the air is this clear right now, and it does rain tomorrow, I might even put jars and bins out and catch the rain. Throw that in the water filter and have a water more alkaline than any bottled brand out there.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 17:49:32|Editor: huaxia

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VIENNA, Sep. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries daily basket price increased to 46.27 U.S. dollars a barrel on Monday, compared with 45.33 dollars on Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations released Tuesday.

Also known as the OPEC reference basket of crude oil, the OPEC basket, a weighted average of oil prices from different OPEC members around the world, is used as an important benchmark for crude oil prices. Enditem
E ducations unions are urging the Government to temporarily scrap school absence fines as around 40 per cent of schools prepare to welcome back students for the start of autumn term today.

Despite concerns being raised about the ability to reopen schools safely during the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of pupils will return to classrooms across England and Wales.

For many students it will be the first time they have stepped into a classroom since March, when schools were told to close as part of a nation-wide Covid-19 lockdown.

In a bid to support parents who harbour concerns about the spread of Covid-19 in schools, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) is calling for a temporary ban on fines for parents who do not send their children back to school.

Local authorities can fine parents 120  cut to 60 if paid within 21 days  over a childs absence from school, with the threat of prosecution if they fail to pay.

The Department for Education (DfE) has said fines for parents who refuse to send their children to Englands schools will only be used as a last resort when classes resume.

Schools minister Nick Gibb told Sky News this morning that the normal rules over attendance in schools start today with fines possible as "a tool" to ensure attendance.

UK Schools begin to reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease 1 /28 UK Schools begin to reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Parents drop off children at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk, as pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, begin to return to school as part of a wider easing of lockdown measures PA Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Harris Academy Primary School in Croydon Jeremy Selwyn Parents and children arrive at Watlington Primary School as some schools re-open Reuters Lessons with reduced class sizes at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk, as pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, begin to return to school as part of a wider easing of lockdown measures PA Parents and children arrive at Watlington Primary School as some schools re-open Reuters Parents drop off children at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk PA Parents drop off children at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk, as pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, begin to return to school as part of a wider easing of lockdown measures. PA Parents drop off children at Queen's Hill Primary School, Costessey, Norfolk, as pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, begin to return to school as part of a wider easing of lockdown measures. PA

"School is mandatory in this country. We believe in compulsory education, so all the rules about it will apply," said Mr Gibb.

"Fines have always been the last resort for headteachers, but it is a last resort tool that they have to make sure young people are attending school."

He added that if parents have concerns they should talk to their headteacher or raise concerns with the school.

NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: "If you are a parent and you are worried about safety, a fine is unlikely to make you feel any safer.

Students at St Columba's High School, Gourock, wear protective face masks as they head to lessons / PA

The Government understands this, but the threat of fines still remains, so were urging the Government to take the threat of fines off the table for the coming term.

This would send a powerful signal to parents and families and could well mean that more of them are willing to bring their children back to school, which is what we all want to see.

The school leaders union said while it hoped attendance would be as close to 100 per cent as possible, it understood there will be some families who do not yet feel ready to return.

Its recent survey of more than 4,000 school leaders in England and Wales found that 97 per cent plan to reopen their schools to all pupils at the start of the autumn term, with the date varying across the country.

Teachers raise concerns about schools reopening in survey ahead of return

The remaining three per cent, which were not immediately reopening, were planning transition periods for new pupils or phasing entry to alleviate students anxieties, according to the survey.

Meanwhile, more than a quarter (26 per cent) of parents said they were not planning to send their child back to school at the start of term, while a further 20 per cent remained undecided, according to a poll by the charity Parentkind.

Its survey of 3,400 parents also found that 78 per cent opposed fines for school absences during the autumn term.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) said fining families for school absences will not resolve the fears or anxieties felt by many.

Boris Johnson talks to a class of year seven pupils on their first day at Castle Rock school, Coalville / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

She said the Government also needed to improve facilities for remote learning and IT access for children to ensure their education continues with as little interruption as possible in the event of a future lockdown.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to face parliament to explain how he will protect childrens futures.

He said: He needs to explain how he will make up for the damage already done, bring pupils up to speed and mitigate against the ongoing risk from the pandemic.

Mr Williamson said in a statement: I do not underestimate how challenging the last few months have been, but I do know how important it is for children to be back in school, not only for their education but for their development and wellbeing too.

Face coverings should be worn by secondary pupils and staff in local lockdown areas of England, and at the discretion of post-primary schools across the country / PA

The teachers union NASUWT said there was still considerable work to be done around how the Government intended to ensure schools followed its own safety guidance.

NASUWT general secretary Patrick Roach added: The government has also failed to provide any guidance on schools on steps which should be taken to minimise any discriminatory impacts of coronavirus, despite the wealth of data showing that those from BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds have a disproportionately higher risk of death or hospitalisation from Covid-19.

He said the unions latest research found that three in 10 teachers believed budgetary constraints will affect their schools ability to reopen safely.

It comes as a poll by Tes found that 86 per cent of nearly 6,000 school staff in England said minimising contact between pupils would not be possible.

More than a third (35 per cent) also felt that the Governments approach to coronavirus safety in schools would not work and left them at risk.

Schools in Scotland began to reopen on August 11, while all pupils in Northern Ireland were due to return from August 31.

Additional reporting by PA Media.
The strategy of herd immunity being carried out by the ruling class is inexorably connected to the drive to open schools. After trillions of taxpayer monies were siphoned into the coffers of the stupendously wealthy, the relentless exigencies to extract surplus value off the backs of the working class have risen to a new frenzy. There will be no more lockdowns, and the indispensable factor in bringing the entire nation back to work will be to throw open the school doors and have students seated in classrooms.

The present fight by teachers and their communities to save lives and to stem the rising tide of the pandemic has brought the working class into direct conflict with the capitalist rulers who demand that they comply with their diktats. If any teacher wants to understand the actual intent of the ruling classes, then they should ask why they have been deemed by the Trump administration and the Center for Disease Prevention and Control as critical infrastructure workers.

The scene in a hallway at Georgia High School last month

Speaking of the call for pursuing a policy of herd immunity, the veteran Irish epidemiologist, Dr. Mike Ryan, spokesman for the World Health Organization, said, Humans are not herds. The term is relevant only to the field of animal husbandry, in which an individual animal in that sense doesnt matter from the perspective of the brutal economics of those decisions. The use of the term can lead to very brutal arithmetic which does not put people and lives and suffering at the center of that equation.

Even the venerable Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious disease, must be held to account when he said on July 29, at the American Federation of Teachers conference, with President Randi Weingarten present: In many respects, unfortunately, though this may sound a little scary and harsh, I dont mean it to be that way, is that youre going to be actually part of the experiment, of the learning curve, of what we need to know. Because remember early on when we shut down the country, as it were, the schools were shut down. So, we don't know the full impact. We dont have the total database of knowing what there is to expect.

The Declaration of Helsinki, adopted in 1964, placed at the forefront the ethical principles in research regarding human experimentation. The proclamation is morally binding on physicians, an obligation that overrides any national or local laws or regulations, to respect the individual, their right to self-determination, and the right to make voluntary informed decisions regarding participation in any research. According to the guidelines established by the declaration, the investigators first duty is to the patient or volunteers welfare before the interests of science or society. Teachers, parents, and students have become vulnerable populations as they are threatened with poverty and homelessness if they oppose the nefarious conditions placed on them by the campaign for opening commerce and schools.

Repeatedly, the political establishment and the union executives have attempted to disarm teachers with platitudes about the needs of the psychology of the children, often claiming children are resistant to the infections caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. President Trumps comments on Fox News are just the bluntest and starkest expression of this policy: It will go away like things go away, and my view is that schools should be open. If you look at children, children are almost  and I would almost say definitely immune from this disease  they just dont have a problem  we have to open our schools.

Yet, recent studies have surfaced that demonstrate the potential lethality of school openings. It is this science that teachers and parents need to arm themselves with to ensure that their opposition to the state is based on the firm scientific understanding that the virus needs, first and foremost, to be contained and eradicated before communities can be assured that their children and teachers may resume academic relations in schools.

Herd immunity is the resistance to the spread of a contagious disease within a population that results if a sufficiently high proportion are immune to the disease. That immunity can be conferred through a vaccine, as in the case of measles, polio, and other diseases that have been successfully curtailed through systematic public health campaigns.

In relation to coronavirus, however, where there is not yet a vaccine, herd immunity has no legitimate application. It refers to the natural immunity caused by people being infected by the disease and then surviving it, because their immune systems manufactured antibodies to fight it. Given the high fatality rate, however, if a majority of the population contracts COVID-19 and thus develops the needed immunity, millions will die in the US in the process, and tens of millions around the world.

By all accounts, seroprevalence studies that measure the antibody to the virus in the population indicate that less than 10 percent of the US population may now have immunity. Scientists have posited that to achieve herd immunity would require close to 70 percent of the population to have antibodies. There is still a long way to go to achieve this level of population immunity.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead on the COVID-19 pandemic at the WHO, said at a recent press brief: That means a large proportion of the population remains susceptible. Studies are underway to document the immune response to the virus to see how strong it is and how long it lasts. We do not have a complete picture of this yet.

The policy of herd immunity: The case of Sweden

Sweden's chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, a proponent of a controlled approach to exposing the less vulnerable to the virus, wrote in an email on March 14 to his Finnish counterpart, Mika Salminen, One point might speak for keeping schools open in order to reach herd immunity more quickly. Salminen replied, we have also considered that, but over time the children are still going to spread the infection. Tegnell wrote in response, True, but probably mostly to each other because of the extremely age-stratified contact structure we have.

Johan Giesecke, who served as the state epidemiologist from 1995 to 2005, wrote to a Swedish insurance company in March, I believe the virus is going to sweep like a storm over Sweden and infect basically everyone in one or two months. I believe that thousands are already infected in Sweden  it will all come to an end when so many have been infected and become therefore immune that the virus has nowhere else to go. Secondary schools and universities were reopened in June.

Cumulative new confirmed COVID-19 cases per million: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Germany

The policy was an abject failure. When Sweden was compared to neighboring nations, after the initial surge that led to lockdowns, Sweden's cases continued to accumulate fivefold higher. What is interesting to note was that once secondary schools and universities were reopened in June and the lockdown was lifted, the spike in new cases doubled, while in Denmark, Finland, and Norway, daily COVID-19 cases remained suppressed. When cumulative deaths are compared to the US, Swedens policy can be seen for what it washerd slaughter.

Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 deaths per million people: Sweden vs the US

According to STAT News, the Swedish approach was to allow businesses to largely remain open. And at first, it seemed to work, with a death count nowhere near what it was in countries such as Italy, Spain, and the UK. But even as Sweden was hailed as a model, its cases were steadily rising, and its death rate now exceeds that of the US. Sweden also did not seem to stave off the economic damage it was aiming to avoid.

In a recent publication in The Lancet, in reply to correspondence from Johan Giesecke, 21 Swedish scientists wrote on August 8, Giesecke's further assertion that, as of April 29, 20 to 25 percent of the Stockholm region have been infected only serves to reinforce his opinion of unreported cases. But this assertion is based on a narrow view of available data at that time. Of the three preliminary and unpublished serology studies from Stockholm in April, only one study, testing 527 of 2000 healthcare workers at a single hospital, is close to this estimate (20 percent seropositive). However, community estimates range from 7.5 percent to 10 percent, and suggest considerable clustering.

Herd immunity was not a policy based on science, but a political endeavor phrased in scientific jargon to lull the population to adapt themselves as fait accompli that which was preventable and remains still stoppable. However, this requires recognizing that on a global scale, socialism is the cure for eradicating this pandemic, a disease that erupted as a byproduct of conditions created by capitalism.

Population studies on children and schools

Indeed, data on children, COVID-19, and the impact on the community have been limited. As Dr. Fauci even admitted, once schools were closed, the role of children in the spread of community was difficult to ascertain, though, as cited above, there was no reason to assume that children were impervious or noncontagious.

In mid-March, over a period of ten days, all 50 states closed K-12 schools and childcare centers with almost all colleges and universities following suit. The number of children affected included 21 million in daycare, 57 million in K-12, and 20 million college students, or close to 30 percent of the population. The quick measures taken had been based on previous experiences with pandemic respiratory pathogens, meaning officials clearly understood the potential that children were both vulnerable in acquiring infections and transmitting it to others. The lockdowns, including the rapid closure of schools, led to a significant reduction in community transmission of the virus, and without a doubt, a multitude of lives was saved.

Placing the impact of school closures on the pandemic in a national context, the authors Auger et al., in their study, published in JAMA Network on July 29, found that during the period from March 9 until May 7, school closures were associated with a 62 percent relative decline in COVID-19 incidence per week, which corresponded to an estimated absolute difference of 424 cases per 100,000. Additionally, school closures were associated with a 58 percent relative decline in mortality per week, an absolute decrease in 12.6 deaths per 100,000. Taking the US population under consideration, this implies that school closures were associated with 1.37 million fewer COVID-19 cases over 26 days and 40,600 fewer deaths over 16 days. These are quite significant figures.

In a study published in Nature, Hsiang et al. looked at the effect of large-scale containment policies on the COVID-19 pandemic across six countries, including the United States. They found that prior to the initiated lockdown measures across the country, the viral infection was doubling every three days. However, by April 6, when there were 365,304 cases, they estimated 4.8 million fewer cases developed because of the measures to close schools, commerce, and all nonessential work. Across the six countries, interventions prevented or delayed upwards of 61 million confirmed cases.

In a recent study published in The Lancet on July 30, scientists from the University College London reported on a modeling analysis they performed to determine the optimal strategy for reopening schools. Under several scenarios that included hybrid vs full-time school and various contact tracing and testing strategies, they concluded that for schools and society to reopen, a sufficiently broad coverage of a test-trace-isolate program would need to be implemented to avoid a second COVID-19 wave. The authors write, Our modeling results suggest that full school reopening without an effective test-trace-isolate strategy would result in R0 [the growth factor for the transmission] above one and a resulting second wave of infections that would peak in December 2020, and be 2.3 times the size of the original COVID-19 wave.

Though the US is not the UK and social interactions vary considerably, as a general analysis, the study highlights the urgent need for a robust public health strategy of tracing-testing-isolating. These population studies not only emphasize how communities can halt the spread of the contagion but also warn that without these measures, the pandemic will accelerate again. In this sense, the present change in guidelines by the CDC to avoid testing asymptomatic individuals is a criminal policy being enacted at all levels of the government in coordination with the very same institutions created to prevent diseases, essentially advocating for herd immunity. It is a deliberate effort to conceal the true nature of the health catastrophe to ensure the markets remain fully viablea policy endorsed by the Democrats as much as the Republicans.

It should be mentioned, the seroprevalence studies, blood tests that look for antibodies against COVID-19 in the population, of the hardest-hit nations are on the magnitude of being five to tenfold less to achieving herd immunity.

To be continued
By Cynthia Kim

SEOUL, Sept 1 (Reuters) - South Korea's left-leaning government unveiled plans on Tuesday to increase spending aggressively for the next few years, to safeguard jobs and boost welfare for an economy hit by the coronavirus, taking public finances further into the red.

The finance ministry said total spending will increase 8.5% to record 555.8 trillion won ($468.30 billion) next year, while expected revenue is seen increasing a mere 0.3% to 483 trillion won, as businesses and income earners are hurt by the pandemic.

That will take South Korea's public finances further into deficit, raising its debt-to-GDP ratio by 6.9 percentage points to a record 46.7% in 2021.

The government projects fiscal spending to increase by 5.7% per year between 2020 and 2024, taking the debt level to 54.6% of the economy by 2023. Last year it predicted a level of 46.4% for 2023.

"Even if debt and fiscal deficit increase a bit it looks more appropriate to boost spending to make sure fiscal (policy) does its part," finance minister Hong Nam-ki said in a briefing.

He said it would be difficult to avoid a full-year economic contraction for 2020 if the rate of coronavirus infection continues to rise.

Asia's fourth largest economy needs fiscal policies to play a bigger role to lift activity and safeguard jobs at a time when unemployment is spiking and exports are seen falling for a sixth month in a row.

Having pledged to spend more than 277 trillion won of stimulus to fight the pandemic this year, President Moon Jae-in's government is trying to navigate the economy through a renewed spike in coronavirus cases threatening to prolong recession into a third quarter.

To aid an economy hammered by a slump in exports and the retail sector, the government plans to boost spending on welfare and jobs by 10.7%, and allocate 11.9% more on social infrastructure projects.

The government plans to sell a record 172.9 trillion won of bonds in 2021, compared with 167 trillion won for this year, including the issuance in a third supplementary budget. Of the total next year, 89.7 trillion won will be for deficit-covering bonds. ($1 = 1,186.8400 won) (Reporting by Cynthia Kim Editing by Peter Graff)
MEXICO CITY - For a president with a plunging economy and the worlds fourth-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths, Mexicos Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador isnt doing so badly.

In his second state-of-the-union address Tuesday, Lopez Obrador emphasized what he considers his major achievements: the fight against corruption and his governments austerity.

This government will not be remembered for being corrupt, our principal legacy will be cleaning up Mexicos public life, he said. The republican austerity is a reality, there are no longer luxuries in the government.

The president also noted the challenges facing his administration, including the pandemic and the struggling economy, but gave his positive take. Mexico will emerge from the pandemic with a better public health system and his economic strategy relying on direct support to those most in need is beginning to bear fruit, he said.

But Mexicos teflon president no longer has the near sky-high approval ratings he once had and his honeymoon appears to be over. According to a Reforma newspaper poll published Monday, Lopez Obrador has a 56% approval rating; still a fairly high figure but down from a peak of 78% in March 2019. The in-person poll had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Surprisingly, he still gets 52% support for a coronavirus policy that amounts to little more than damage control with as little testing as possible and almost no contact tracing or mandatory lockdowns. It focuses instead on expanding the number of hospital beds.

The handling of the pandemic has been tremendously bad, says Luis Miguel Perez Juarez, a political science professor at the Monterrey Technological university, calling it a joke that the president almost never wears a mask.

Federico Estevez, a political science professor at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico, said nobody has been able to hold him to better accounting on the real numbers of coronavirus cases in Mexico, which are much higher than official figures because of a lack of testing.

The people clearly recognize that things arent going well, in the economy, on the streets, Estevez said, while noting that Lopez Obrador still has majority support. It doesnt hurt him.

Along with criticism over his coronavirus strategy, Mexicos GDP plunged by 18.7% in the second quarter and Lopez Obradors anti-crime strategy has not reduced the countrys gang-fueled violence. Homicides are stuck at around 3,000 per month in this nation of almost 130 million inhabitants, about the same level as seen during the last two years. Drug cartels continue their bloody turf battles, and cocaine flights and fentanyl pill exports continue.

Mexicos president clearly hopes his main legacy will be going after corrupt politicians who stole hundreds of millions of dollars in past administrations.

A lurid series of leaked videos and testimony in recent weeks has reinforced what most Mexicans have long thought  that former administrations were full of crooks  but they provide little legally admissible evidence. Most of the accusations, including videos of politicians handling suitcases full of cash, were made by a former state oil company director who himself hopes to avoid prison.

Alejandro Gonzalez, 55, a Mexico City designer, acknowledged the hard times, but expressed trust in Lopez Obradors anti-corruption fight.

At this moment, which is very difficult, we have a good president, Gonzalez said. Corruption is an octopus with a lot of tentacles that reach everywhere, up even to the presidents inner circle, and it will take a while yet to root it out.

Lopez Obrador is using it (the corruption fight) very well, but the idea that this will allow him to get to the bottom and punish those responsible, I dont see that right now,  said Jose Antonio Crespo, a political analyst at Mexicos Center for Economic Research and Training,

In fact, 58% of those surveyed in the Reforma poll did not think the corruption cases would lead to any concrete results, while only 28% thought suspects would go to jail.

With little to brag about on the economic or security fronts, the anti-graft campaign will be a key part of Lopez Obradors strategy for the 2021 midterm elections, in which he hopes to hold on to his bare majority in congress and win more governorships for his Morena party.

This will be the central campaign strategy for 2021, to make the main issue the past, not the present, said Crespo. The past of corruption in neo-liberal administrations that he is fighting, and not the present of unemployment, poverty, coronavirus deaths, drug gang violence; the present where there isnt too much to brag about.

With government funds less available next year due to the economic collapse, Lopez Obrador may compensate for reduced government largesse by turning more nationalistic, on a route like that taken by populist governments in Poland and Hungary, Estevez noted: blame the cosmopolitan elite or foreign interference.

Lopez Obrador has already given signs of that. In Tuesdays speech he slammed what he called pseudo-environmentalists who attack us so much.

And last week he accused environmentalist and Indigenous rights groups of being paid by foreign foundations to oppose his Maya Train project, a costly and barely feasible project to connect beach resorts, Mayan towns and archaeological sites on the Yucatan peninsula.

Like his construction of a massive oil refinery  at a time when oil prices are low and most countries are turning to renewables  the train has sparse domestic support, and has raised the ire of some Mayan communities.

Were going to be heading toward straightforward appeals against the cosmopolitan elite, Estevez said. In a crisis you go nationalistic, thats been a Mexican tradition.

__

AP Writer Maria Verza contributed to this report

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On Thursday, September 3, at 12:00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference of Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) Deputy Director Anton Hrushetsky entitled "Big Construction national program: results of sociological survey" conducted from August 6 to August 19, 2020. The main results and conclusions of the conducted study on awareness and support of the program and top priorities will be presented. The broadcast of the press conference will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine (8/5a Reitarska Street). Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot, using editorial cards.
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If you paid professional actors to record a satire video, mocking the deluded perceptions of some of todays protesters, it would be difficult to improve on this one. The absurdity is so stunning that it almost leaves you speechless.

The video was shot at the Shell gas station in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Trayford Pellerin was shot and killed by police on August 21. It was posted by the conservative media figure Graham Allen on his Facebook page. (Be forewarned that there is bad language.)

Its clear that some of the protesters are deeply upset with Pellerins killing, convinced that this was yet another example of police brutality against a black man, and I dont minimize their pain. I simply write to separate myth from reality.

In the video, a number of protesters, both Black and White, stand side by side, blocking the entrance to the station. A pickup truck approaches very slowly, intending to drive in and get gas, at which point the protesters join hands to stop the vehicle.

Undeterred, the driver, who it turns out is a White male, continues to move forward very slowly, just inches at a time. The group then begins to separate, with some pounding his vehicle, as they chant, No justice, no peace. (Someone outside the video frame also throws a rock at the truck. Another bounces up and down on the back of the vehicle)

Some members of the group try to hold his vehicle back, but without success. Others give the driver the finger  how dare he drive into the gas station to fill his truck  also cursing him with the f--- word. The audacity of this man!

Amazingly, as some of the protesters continue to shout at the driver (while the others resume their blocking vigil to stop other cars), he calmly gets out to pump gas.

As others shout out, Say his name, one of the group turns to the camera to explain what is happening. You really have to watch it to believe your eyes.

He says, quite passionately, This is the type of foolishness that were talking about. This man took his vehicle and tried to pass it through a peaceful protest and tried to kill us.

Thats right. The fact that a driver, who apparently lives in that area, decided to get gas at his local gas station, is the type of foolishness that these righteous protesters must deal with it. Oh, the burden!

And can anyone tell me why the gas station should be punished for the actions of the police, who shot and killed Pellerin? Even if their actions were unjustified  which the law must decide  why punish the gas station? And why punish the locals who do business there?

But this is only the beginning of the unintended self-satire.

The driver could not have been more careful, and should a driver with a pickup truck want to hurt (let alone kill) people standing in front of him, he need only slam the pedal to the floor.

Watch the footage for yourself. Then ask the obvious question: in what reality are these protesters living? He tried to kill us?

Another protester then joins in, just as passionate, calling the driver a racist  he must be, if he is getting gas at that particular gas station  stating that he tried to drive a car into them, while acting as if did nothing wrong. (Heres a quick reality check: the driver did nothing wrong.)

The first man speaking now claims that the driver is guilty of inciting a riot (Im not making this up). This is echoed by a woman who claims that he came to the gas station to cause destruction, deliberately. (As theyre yelling, the driver is talking calmly to one of the other protesters while his truck fills up.)

Again, I urge you to watch the video for yourself. Oh, the destruction! Oh, the incitement!

Then, the finale: Thats called domestic terrorism. Thats a domestic terrorist. Make sure that they hear it. Thats a domestic terrorist.

Yes, the unidentified driver, pumping gas while talking calmly with a protester after driving his truck as slowly as possible so as not to injure anyone, is a domestic terrorist. By now, he should be high up on the FBIs most wanted list. Who knows what other acts of destruction and incitement he has engaged in until now? Arrest him!

You might ask, But whats the point of your sarcasm? People are hurting, and thats what you should focus on.

I agree that people are hurting, and I grieve with those who grieve. But I will not ignore it when people turn reality upside down. I will not cheer on those who engage in self-righteous, potentially dangerous, fantasy. Yet this is a microcosm of what is taking place in cities all over America.

These aggrieved people did not have the right to block the entrance to the gas station. Or to pound on the drivers truck. Or throw a rock at it. Or jump on the back of it and bounce up and down. Or assault the driver verbally.

Nor did they have the right to create their own reality, where the protesters engage in harassment, intimidation, and possible property damage while labeling an innocent man a domestic terrorist.

When people stand for the truth, they will find me a ready ally. When they engage in self-deceived fantasy, they will not.
By Park Ji-won



An art exhibition of paintings inspired by the poems of Kim So-wol will be held in Seoul until Dec. 6 to mark the 100th anniversary of his debut.







The Daesan Foundation said the exhibition, "Poems and painting exhibition on the 100th anniversary of the debut of poet Kim So-wol," will run at Kyobo Artspace in Seoul until Sept. 30 where 35 drawings by six painters inspired by Kim's poems are on show.







The participating artists are Kim Sun-doo, Park Young-geun, Bae Dal-lae, Shin Jang-sik, Jang Hyun-joo and Jeong Yong-kook. The exhibition will be moved to the Delight Artwall in Seoul from Oct. 5 to Dec. 6.







Debuting in 1920, Kim has been one of Koreans' most beloved modern poets. He published more than 100 works within five to six years under the Japanese occupation largely describing the delicate emotions and sentiment about interpersonal relationships and nature.







The foundation also released six audio files of readings of his poems so that visitors can enjoy them in a different way at the exhibition.







The exhibition is held under the foundation's project to visualize modern authors so as to promote literature to audiences who are not familiar with written artistic works. The project launched in 2006 has introduced drawings inspired by writers such as Yi Sang, Baek Seok, Hwang Sun-won and Kim Dong-ri.







For more information, visit daesan.or.kr or call 721-3202.


(Newser)  A Chinese-born Australian journalist for CGTN, the English-language channel of China Central Television, has been detained in China, Australia's government said Monday. Australian officials had a consular visit via video link with Cheng Lei at a detention facility last Thursday, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement. They will continue to provide assistance and support to her and her family, Payne said. Australia had been informed by Chinese authorities on Aug. 14 of her detention, but made its first public statement on Monday, the AP reports. Australian authorities have said they do not know why Cheng, who the BBC reports is an Australian citizen, was detained. Further comment will not be provided owing to the governments privacy obligations, Payne said.

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Cheng had not been charged, but was being held under what is called residential surveillance at a designated location," Australian media reported Tuesday. It is a form of detention in which investigators can imprison and question a suspect for up to six months without a formal arrest. Chengs two young children are with family members in the Australian city of Melbourne. Australia in July warned its citizens of a risk of arbitrary detention in China, as relations between the free trade partners have soured in recent years. China dismissed the warning as disinformation. Cheng is an anchor for CGTN's BizAsia program. She was born in China and worked in finance in Australia before returning to China and starting a career in journalism with CCTV in Beijing in 2003. She has reported on major Chinese events including Beijings 2008 Olympics and Shanghais 2010 World Expo. (Read more China stories.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 22:20:50|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official said on Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't seek peace with the Palestinians but wants them to surrender to his plans.

Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee, made the remarks in response to Netanyahu's statement.

Netanyahu said in a joint press conference held on Monday with Jared Kushner, senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, that "if we have to wait for the Palestinians to make peace, we will have to wait forever."

"If Netanyahu and Kushner want to make peace with the Palestinians while Jerusalem and its holy sites under Israel's sovereignty, they must wait until after the end of time and life," Erekat said in an emailed press statement.

Erekat noted that Netanyahu, "who heads a government of settlement and apartheid, does not want peace, but wants the Palestinian surrender under the Israeli apartheid regime."

"I believe that Netanyahu will have to wait forever," Erekat said, adding that the Palestinians had always rejected the principle "peace for peace," which is a basic element in the Israeli plan of annexing parts of the West Bank.

Erekat also said that "the logic behind the U.S.-Israeli attitudes is that the Palestinians must accept being defeated, or in other words, to strip them their legitimate rights in favor of the Israeli illegal settlement."

Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians had stopped in 2014. The Palestinians rejected the new U.S. peace plan in the Middle East, better known as "the Deal of the Century." Enditem
A son stabbed his elderly mother to death with an ornamental sword, cut off her head and placed it in the freezer, a court heard.

Philip Tarver, 47, allegedly decapitated 86-year-old Angela Tarver as police rushed to the family home in Woking, Surrey.

He also used a knife to amputate her left ring finger, which was found in a kettle, it is claimed.

Opening the murder trial at the Old Bailey, Alexandra Healy QC said the attack took place in the kitchen at around midday on 19 December last year.

The defendant stabbed his mother in the chest with an ornamental sword, killing her, the prosecutor told jurors.

Recommended Murder investigation launched after human bones found in river

Brandishing that sword in the dining room of the property he argued with and threatened to kill his father.

During a struggle, he was disarmed by his father Colin Tarver, 83, who left the house with the sword and called police.

It appears that whilst the police were making their way to address and Colin Tarver, the father, was outside the address, that the defendant decapitated his mother.

He placed her head into the freezer of the kitchen and then he amputated her left ring finger which he placed into a kettle, said Ms Healy.

Mr Tarver then began a clean-up operation, washing himself and the knife he used to decapitate his mother, the court heard.

When police arrived, he came to the front door waving a Union Jack and saying he surrendered, Ms Healy said.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. 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Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty

Following his arrest, Mr Tarver heard his father was being spoken to by police and allegedly commented: Oh of course his wife. His wife is in the freezer.

On arrival at the police station he said he was sorry for killing her and that he must repent my sins, the court heard.

During a mental health assessment, Mr Tarver explained how he killed his mother, jurors were told.

He was taken to a mental health hospital where he remained until March when he was deemed fit to be interviewed by police.

Mr Tarver denies murdering his mother and making a threat to kill his father.

Additional reporting by Press Association
Love-struck couples across the land have opted to delay their nuptials in 2020, hoping that the 'old normal' will return next year.

But no such hesitancy has afflicted the Marquess of Worcester, 31, and his fiancee, Lucy Yorke-Long, 34, who, I can disclose, took the plunge at the weekend.

It helped, of course, that they had the perfect venue at their disposal  Badminton House, the sumptuous Gloucestershire family seat inherited by Bobby Worcester's father, 'Bunter', when he succeeded as the 12th Duke of Beaufort following his own father's death in 2017.

The couple, who got engaged last October, were obliged to trim back their guest list to just the closest members of their families and a handful of friends  even though Badminton boasts 40 bedrooms.

The Marquess of Worcester, 31, and his fiancee, Lucy Yorke-Long, 34, pictured on horseback on their wedding day over the weekend

The new Marquess and Marchioness embarked on married life on horseback, riding off across the family estate  but not before Lucy had tossed her bridal bouquet into the air.

Bobbys sister Bella, 29, who has recently found lover with Santiago Santos, a Mexican lawyer with whom she saddled up while leading a trek across Nepal, tried to catch it. The grooms mother Tracy Worcester tells me: We were lucky as the sun shone and having only 30 of Bobby and Lucys nearest and dearest friends and family was a treat for all involved, she tells me  Despite Bellas athletic jump the bouquet hit the ground.'

Last year bride Lucy told the Diary: 'We met through mutual friends at a party. It was very random. Bobby and I were seated next to each other at a dinner. The person who put us next to each other would claim it was a set-up but, who knows, it might have just been luck.'

They had the perfect venue at their disposal  Badminton House, the sumptuous Gloucestershire family seat inherited by Bobby Worcester's father, 'Bunter'. Pictured: The happy couple pose for a photograph on their wedding day

The couple, who got engaged last October, were obliged to trim back their guest list to just the closest members of their families and a handful of friends  even though Badminton boasts 40 bedrooms. Bobby's sister, Bella, 29, caught the bouquet

The Marquess of Worcester stands to inherit his father's estimated 315 million fortune, which includes the 52,000-acre estate in Gloucestershire. Former estate agent Lucy is perfectly equipped to fit in. 'She's a smasher  with a ready smile and a warm welcome,' a friend tells me. 'And she loves riding.'

Bunter Beaufort, the father of the groom, married journalist Georgia Powell two years ago after divorcing his eco-crusader wife Tracy.

Family friend Taki, the indefatigable playboy, assures me that whatever the wedding may have lacked in numbers, it will have made up for in style.

'You never have a bad time at Badminton,' he tells me.

'It was fun under Bunter's father and it was certainly fun last year at the ball Bunter gave,' adds Taki, who has known Bobby since he was born.

Corking news. Bridget Jones star Celia Imrie admits she always keeps a bottle of champagne in her fridge at home. 'It's the most marvellous thing to celebrate with,' she says. 'It can also lift you up when you need extra inspiration.'

Lily sets tongues wagging

Trend-setter Lily Cole knows how to lick the competition when it comes to championing new causes.

The 32-year-old has revealed the new face mask she's helped create with designer Simone Rocha which features a hand-knitted tongue sewn in.

'Safely lick a stranger again!' Lily joked when she shared this picture of herself in a matching top.

'We are auctioning this art mask for Women's Aid charity.'

The striking look has divided fans, with one commenting: 'Oh god it's great but awful at the same time!'

Trendsetter Lily Cole poses in the new face mask she's helped create with designer Simone Rocha which features a hand-knitted tongue sewn in

Back to school blues, Freya?

She spent the summer in Saint-Tropez with her mother, actress Donna Air, and fledgling model Freya Aspinall is keen to make the most of her holiday attire before getting back into school uniform.

The 17-year-old, whose father is conservationist Damian Aspinall, posted a picture of herself sporting a white lace top and matching skirt. Freya is signed to Storm Models and recently starred in her debut campaign for jewellery brand, Tada & Toy  but her parents want her education to come first.

'If she wanted to be in the spotlight I couldn't condemn it,' says Donna. 'Her father and I are in agreement that it should be when the time is right. She's still at school and she's very young still.'

The 17-year-old Freya Aspinall spent the summer in Saint-Tropez with her mother, actress Donna Air, and posted a pictured sporting her holiday attire to Instagram before heading back to school this week

Feisty comic Katherine Ryan discovered her inner shrinking violet when she had to act a sex scene in new sitcom The Duchess, about a single mother, which she both wrote and stars in. Ryan, 37, who, like her screen alter ego, is a single mother with a young daughter, says: 'What I hated was any sex scene. I will never do another.

'It was handled very well  there was no actual nudity, so I don't know why I found it so hard. I didn't know I was such a prude.'

Well, it was you who wrote those scenes, Katherine.

How PM's new head honcho earned nickname 'Headcase'

Picked by Boris Johnson to be Britain's top civil servant, Simon Case has a wild past.

While a student at Cambridge, he established a drinking society called The Justice, where members were put on mock trial for indiscretions.

Records of the group's events show 'Headcase', as he was nicknamed, 'prosecuting' fellow members for crimes such as 'drinking a girl's drink' and 'sleeping with the enemy'  dating members of another college.

According to 'proceedings' from the first meeting, recorded in a mock-courtroom style, the future Cabinet Secretary ordered one chap to 'take off a sock, put it over his glass and drink a fine of three fingers'. For coming to his defence, a female member was made to 'eat a slice of pizza from [a male member's] chest without using her hands'. Cabinet meetings could be lively!

The BBC appears to be exporting its cultural cringe to the colonies. After its dropping of the words of Rule Britannia, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra has now axed its annual Last Night Of The Proms.

A spokeswoman said the orchestra was 'not doing [it] any more'. She would not say when or why that decision was made, but 'a range of factors' were involved and it was something the orchestra had been 'thinking about for quite some time'.
DANBURY  The citys yearlong decline in major crime continued in July with a 19 percent drop over the same month last year, new police statistics show.

The dropping crime numbers, which city officials attribute in part to the stifling effect COVID-19 is having on public life, come at a time of nationwide scrutiny of police procedure, particularly in traditionally underserved neighborhoods and in communities of color.

Danbury, which is one of the fastest-growing cities in Connecticut and one of the most diverse cities in the country, hasnt seen the racial strife with police that has made headlines this summer in hotspots such as Minneapolis, Minn., and Kenosha, Wis.

We try to develop our relationships in the community so that when we do have a use of force, incidents of misconduct and mistreatment are few and far between, said Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour. Nobodys perfect, but we continue to try to find that balance.

Ridenhour is referring to a chain of events sparked by the May 25 public slaying of an unarmed Black man who was handcuffed and face down on a Minneapolis street while a white police officer kept his knee pinned on the victims neck.

Passionate rallies and prayer walks here and across the country calling for reform prompted legislation including one proposal by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy to block federal funding for school resource officers.

Ridenhour on Tuesday said that bill would be counterproductive in Danbury, because the purpose of the School Resource Officer program is to develop positive relationships between police and the community ... and keep kids out of trouble.

The last time Danbury had race-related strife with law enforcement was 2006, when undercover city police officers lured 11 Ecuadorian day laborers into a van and turned them over to federal immigration agents. The day laborers, who became known as the Danbury 11 in national headlines, later settled with the city for $400,000.

The latest statistics released by Ridenhours office track crime in eight major categories and are not official until they are audited by the state at the end of the year. The statistics, which lag behind one month, show major crime through July is down 23 percent in Danbury, compared to the same seven months in 2019.

The drop in major crime is being driven by a 30 percent decrease in thefts.

Ridenhour attributed the slowdown to fewer stores being open because of coronavirus restrictions, although in July more businesses were cleared to open as the state moved into the second phase of its reopening plan.

At the same time, the city has reported three more homicides this year than in all of 2019, when there were none.

In March, a 21-year-old man was fatally stabbed at a city skate park, in June a 60-year-old homeless man was fatally beaten near the railroad tracks, and in July, a 39-year-old Waterbury man was fatally shot near Beaver and Elm streets.

Detectives have made arrests in all three homicides, which police say are not connected.

Homicides are unusual in the city of 85,000, which is consistently ranked one of the safest cities in Connecticut.

In 2019, major crime was down 16 percent compared to the previous year.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
Intas will shortly launch a website to help recovered COVID-19 patients to locate the nearest Blood Bank where they can safely donate plasma.

The R&D team at Ahmedabad based Intas Pharma has developed COVID-19 specific Hyperimmune Globulin as treatment for patients suffering from moderate to severe COVID-19 infection.

Hyperimmune Globulin also has potential for use as prophylaxis for all high-risk population in contact with COVID-19 patients. This could be an important therapeutic option that can potentially help combat the disease until a vaccine is available.

Intas is among the world's first to adopt this approach for treating COVID-19 patients. This will be a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative from Intas in collaboration with all Indian Blood Banks, that will help to procure convalescent plasma (plasma extracted from patients recovered from COVID-19 infection).

Intas has received permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), to conduct clinical trial by using the newly developed COVID-19 specific Hyperimmune Globulin. After establishing its usefulness in the clinical trial, this product will be available for use in treating COVID-19 patients.

Commenting on the development, Dr Alok Chaturvedi, Head of Medical & Regulatory Affairs, Intas, mentioned that "This endeavour is a testament to Intas' commitment towards meeting unmet medical need of the society through research driven solutions."

Intas is establishing an alliance with medical and research institutions, blood donation groups to collect the plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients. Intas will shortly launch a website to help recovered COVID-19 patients to locate the nearest Blood Bank where they can safely donate plasma. The company seeks government support to facilitate the supply of convalescent plasma for the manufacturing of these enriched Hyperimmune Globulin and thereby help more patients conquer COVID-19.
CLEVELAND, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CBIZ, Inc. (NYSE: CBZ) ("the Company"), a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services, announced the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of ARC Consulting LLC and ARC Placement Group LLC (collectively "ARC") of San Francisco, CA, effective September 1, 2020.

Founded by Gary Klintworth and Jim Loughmiller in 2007, ARC provides specialized accounting and advisory services to high-growth companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. ARC's services include technical and transactional accounting, internal and external reporting, external audit preparation, systems implementation, process improvement, and IPO advisory and consulting. Finance and accounting talent placement services were added in 2015 with the addition of Harris Klein.

ARC has 46 employees with approximately $17.3 million in annual revenue.

Jerry Grisko, President and CEO of CBIZ, stated, "We are pleased to welcome Gary, Jim and the entire ARC team to CBIZ. ARC serves many of the fastest growing businesses in North America and their commitment to client service is reflected in their notable reputation and company culture. This acquisition strengthens CBIZ's presence in Northern California and enhances our ability to provide a broad array of specialized accounting services including IPO readiness and other public company reporting. We look forward to working closely with the ARC team to continue to grow this business not only in the Bay Area, but across our national CBIZ platform."

Gary Klintworth of ARC, stated, "We are extremely excited to join CBIZ. This combination substantially expands the depth and breadth of services that we can provide to our clients and prospects in the Bay Area and provides opportunities for us to accelerate national expansion of many of our services." Jim Loughmiller of ARC, added, "We found a partner with the right corporate culture to help us serve our clients and provide expansive opportunities for our team members. Furthermore, we look forward to the opportunity to serve CBIZ clients with all of our current and future service offerings while we continue to support our current client base, particularly those high growth companies in need of specialized accounting services."

About CBIZ

CBIZ, Inc. is a leading provider of financial, insurance and advisory services to businesses throughout the United States. Financial services include accounting, tax, government health care consulting, transaction advisory, risk advisory, and valuation services. Insurance services include employee benefits consulting, retirement plan consulting, property and casualty insurance, payroll, and human capital consulting. With more than 100 Company offices in 31 states, CBIZ is one of the largest accounting and insurance brokerage providers in the U.S. For more information, visit www.cbiz.com.

SOURCE CBIZ, Inc.

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Linkedin Daniel Leussink (Reuters) Tokyo, Japan  Tue, September 1, 2020 09:11 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41cf95e 2 Business PMI,Japan,recession,recovery,economy,factory-activity Free

Japans factory activity contracted at the slowest pace in six months in August, reducing some of the heat on policymakers pressured to take more radical steps to prevent the economy from sliding deeper into recession.

The worlds third-largest economy is expected to see a modest bounce in the current quarter after a record slump in April-June as new coronavirus cases keep a lid on consumer sentiment and slow the overall recovery.

Tuesdays final au Jibun Bank Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose to a seasonally adjusted 47.2 in August from 45.2 in July. It marked the slowest contraction since February, and also eclipsed a preliminary reading of 46.6.

The easing of restrictions related to COVID-19 around the world helped to soften falls in key metrics such as production and new work, said Annabel Fiddes, economics associate director at IHS Markit, which compiles the survey.

But the pandemic continued to limit the performance of the sector as a whole, with firms feeling pressured to cut their prices due to relatively weak demand.

Another month of shrinkage in overall output and new orders held the headline index below the 50.0 threshold that separates contraction from expansion for a 16th month, matching a similar run through June 2009.

Many analysts expect only a modest third-quarter rebound, while a firmer recovery is expected to take time as a resurgence in global infections and uncertainty over the outlook for US-China trade threaten overseas demand.

Japan is also dealing with a leadership issue after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his resignation Friday due to the worsening of a chronic illness, stirring doubts about future fiscal and monetary stimulus policies.

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura last week said he hoped the economy will recover to levels seen before the coronavirus around the first quarter of 2022.

It is hoped that as economies around the world reopen and business operations normalise, this will feed through to... a recovery of Japanese manufacturing activity in the months ahead, said Fiddes.
Today, the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS) celebrates the official kick-off of a new Pan-European effort aimed at creating a European network of national high-performance computing (HPC) competence centers. The initiative, encompassing 33 participating European states, will be coordinated by GCS member HLRS (High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart). The EuroCC project, funded by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and 33 participating European states, will build a sustainable and globally competitive European HPC ecosystem. It will serve research and science in academia while also supporting industries in European member states with a particular focus on encouraging small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to turn to and exploit the advantages of HPC.

While the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing represents German participation in the EuroCC network, HLRS will set up a project management office (PMO) team to guide and coordinate the EuroCC efforts along with a related European project called CASTIEL (Coordination and Support for National Competence Centres on a European Level), an activity supporting the EuroCC project. The GCS centres Julich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre in Garching (LRZ) and HLRS partner SICOS GmbH are supporting the activities by leading subgroups of the project.

EuroCC is one of the first major projects to be supported by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which was established in 2018. The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking marked the start of a new, Europe-wide approach to HPC investment by facilitating closer coordination of all participating states in the realms of infrastructure, technology development, and the development of advanced software. EuroCC will take this effort one step further by facilitating the development of a coordinated, integrated, high level of expertise across Europe in high-performance computing and related disciplines for science and industry, such as high-performance data analytics, classical simulation, and artificial intelligence.

To achieve this goal, each of the 33 member states will designate a national HPC competence center. These centers will be charged with auditing and expanding HPC competencies at the national level and identifying available expertise and knowledge gaps across the country. Over time, the competence centers will become national resources for identifying and coordinating technical knowledge, training resources, industrial outreach, and HPC services and tools for all computing centers in their home countries.

Approximately half of the funding of 60 million to support the creation of the competence centers is being provided by the EU, while the other half will come from the individual countries. Germany's contribution is being financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung, BMBF). The project officially starts on September 1, 2020 and will last for two years.

In an effort supporting the EuroCC project, HLRS, together with GCS, Italian HPC center CINECA, the TERATEC consortium, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and the Partnership of Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE), will lead a closely related coordination and support activity called CASTIEL. While EuroCC coordinates HPC expertise within each participating state, CASTIEL will lead activities to promote interaction and the exchange of expertise across the entire EuroCC network.

"EuroCC and CASTIEL have complementary goals," says HLRS Managing Director Bastian Koller, who on behalf of GCS is leading the coordination of the two projects. "On the one hand, we hope that we will empower the participating countries to develop the expertise they need to become more technologically independent. On the other, countries that have already developed a broad base of expertise will also learn from these international interactions. By raising the knowledge level and improving communication across borders, we see a lot of potential to raise the productivity and impact of HPC all across Europe for academic research, industry, and public administration."

###

About GCS:

The Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS) combines the three German national supercomputing centres HLRS (High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart), JSC (Julich Supercomputing Centre), and LRZ (Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, Garching near Munich) into Germany's integrated Tier-0 supercomputing institution. Together, the three centres provide the largest, most powerful supercomputing infrastructure in all of Europe to serve a wide range of academic and industrial research activities in various disciplines. They also provide top-tier training and education for the national as well as the European High Performance Computing (HPC) community. GCS is the German member of PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe), an international non-profit association consisting of 26 member countries, whose representative organizations create a pan-European supercomputing infrastructure, providing access to computing and data management resources and services for large-scale scientific and engineering applications at the highest performance level.

GCS is jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the federal states of Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria, and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is headquartered in Berlin, Germany. For more information, please visit http://www.gauss-centre.eu.

About EuroHPC:

The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking was established by Council Regulation (EU) 2018/1488 in 2018. 32 European countries are currently taking part in the initiative and pooling their resources with the EU and private partners to enable the EU to become a world leader in supercomputing. The mission of the EuroHPC JU is to develop, deploy, extend and maintain an integrated world-class supercomputing and data infrastructure in the EU and to develop and support a highly competitive and innovative HPC ecosystem. The EuroHPC JU aims at equipping the EU by 2021 with an infrastructure of petascale supercomputers, precursors to exascale supercomputers, and developing the necessary technologies and applications for reaching full exascale capabilities around 2022 / 2023. For more information, please visit https://eurohpc-ju.europa.eu/

Press Contacts

GCS: Regina Weigand (r.weigand@gauss-centre.eu)

HLRS: Christopher Williams (williams@hlrs.de)

EuroHPC Joint Undertaking: Pauline Gounaud (Pauline.GOUNAUD@eurohpc-ju.europa.eu )

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF): Daniela Schmidt (daniela.schmidt@bmbf.bund.de )
Imperial Valley News Center

Joint Statement by the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates

Washington, DC - The accord reached between the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020, is a courageous step toward a more stable, integrated, and prosperous Middle East.

The accord inverts traditional thinking about the way to address the regions problems and challenges, focusing on pragmatic steps that have tangible, practical outcomes. It carries with it the promise of new bridges that will serve to de-escalate existing conflicts and prevent future conflicts.

And it comes at the right time. Over the last decade we have seen a marked increase in war, destruction, and dislocation, and a growing demographic shift towards a younger population. If we are to meet the needs of current and future generations, we must be responding actively to all these changes.

The accord has initiated a historic breakthrough in normalizing ties between Israel and the UAE and has led to the suspension of Israels plans to extend its sovereignty. The United States and the UAE urge Palestinian leaders to reengage with their Israeli counterparts in discussions aimed at achieving peace.

On Saturday, the UAE formally abolished its 40-year boycott law, thereby allowing UAE companies and individuals to trade directly with Israel.

Israeli and Emirati ministers, from foreign affairs to food security, have initiated their first official discussions on continuing and strengthening cooperation. We have already opened phone lines between the two countries and, as we speak, Israelis and Emiratis are collaborating on research we hope will lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of COVID-19.

Today we have witnessed the first commercial flight by Israels El Al airlines to the UAE, carrying both Israeli officials and media. Tomorrow, Emirati, Israeli and American officials will begin discussing bilateral technical cooperation in seven key areas: investment, finance, health, the civilian space program, civil aviation, foreign policy and diplomatic affairs, and tourism and culture. The result will be broad cooperation between two of the regions most innovative and dynamic economies.

The UAE and Israel wish to express their gratitude for the overwhelmingly positive response to this historic accord from governments around the world. They are especially grateful to President Donald J. Trump for his leadership and to his administration for the critical role it has played in achieving this diplomatic breakthrough. They are also greatly encouraged by the broad bipartisan support for this breakthrough from the United States Congress.

All the countries hope and expect that in the near future our collective efforts will set in motion a cascade of positive changes, both large and small, that will put our respective peoples and the wider region on a solid path to security, prosperity, and peace.
4 messages demonstrators shared at the 2020 March on Washington

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WASHINGTON  On the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.s March on Washington, thousands marched in the streets of the nation's capital Friday to call for police reform, racial justice and a bolstering of voting rights.

While the rally and ensuing march from the Lincoln Memorial to the MLK Memorial was inspired by George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other recent victims of police action, the marchs main aim was calling for the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as well as a John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act.

While there were many Black Lives Matter flags flying, speakers calling for the defeat of President Donald Trump and signs calling for the defunding of police, not all who participated In the march were supporters of the BLM political movement.

Some showed up simply to call for equality for all and offer a message of peace.

In the following pages are four things demonstrators said at Fridays March on Washington.

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DUBLIN, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Erectile Dysfunction - Pipeline Review, H2 2020" drug pipelines has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The latest Pharmaceutical and Healthcare disease pipeline guide provides an overview of the Erectile Dysfunction pipeline landscape. The pipeline guide provides comprehensive information on the therapeutics under development for Erectile Dysfunction, complete with analysis by stage of development, drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. The guide covers the descriptive pharmacological action of the therapeutics, its complete research and development history and latest news and press releases.



The pipeline guide also reviews of key players involved in therapeutic development for Erectile Dysfunction and features dormant and discontinued projects. The guide covers therapeutics under Development by Companies /Universities /Institutes, the molecules developed by Companies in Pre-Registration, Filing rejected/Withdrawn, Phase III, Phase II, Phase I, Preclinical, Discovery and Unknown stages are 1, 4, 3, 6, 5, 14, 3 and 3 respectively. Similarly, the Universities portfolio in Phase II, Phase I and Preclinical stages comprises 1, 1 and 2 molecules, respectively.



Scope of the report:



The pipeline guide provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape of Erectile Dysfunction.

The pipeline guide reviews pipeline therapeutics for Erectile Dysfunction by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources.

The pipeline guide covers pipeline products based on several stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages.

The pipeline guide features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which comprise, product description, descriptive licensing and collaboration details, R&D brief, MoA & other developmental activities.

The pipeline guide reviews key companies involved in Erectile Dysfunction (Male Health) therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects.

The pipeline guide evaluates Erectile Dysfunction therapeutics based on mechanism of action (MoA), drug target, route of administration (RoA) and molecule type.

The pipeline guide encapsulates all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects.

The pipeline guide reviews latest news related to pipeline therapeutics for Erectile Dysfunction

Key Topics Covered:



Erectile Dysfunction - Overview

Erectile Dysfunction - Therapeutics Development

Erectile Dysfunction - Therapeutics Assessment

Erectile Dysfunction - Companies Involved in Therapeutics Development

Erectile Dysfunction - Drug Profiles

Erectile Dysfunction - Dormant Projects

Erectile Dysfunction - Discontinued Products

Erectile Dysfunction - Product Development Milestones

Companies Mentioned



AnyGen Co Ltd

Aprogen Inc

Aquestive Therapeutics Inc

Astellas Pharma Inc

Biozeus Pharmaceutical SA

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd

CardioVascular BioTherapeutics Inc

Cure Pharmaceutical Inc

Dicot AB

Druggability Technologies Holdings Ltd

Exopharm Ltd

Fabre-Kramer Pharmaceuticals Inc

Futura Medical Plc

Guangzhou Four-Leaf Clover HealthTech Co Ltd

Hemostemix Inc

Humanetics Corp

ILGEN Inc

Initiator Pharma AS

IntelGenx Corp

Klaria Pharma Holding AB

Mezzion Pharma Co Ltd

MicroCures Inc

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp

MyX Therapeutics Inc

NAL Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Organicell Regenerative Medicine Inc

Pharmicell Co Ltd

Reven Pharmaceuticals Inc

Seelos Therapeutics, Inc.

siRNAgen Therapeutics Corp

Suda Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Targazyme Inc

Techfields Pharma Co Ltd

Tritech Biopharmaceuticals Co Ltd

Veru Inc

XuanZhu Pharma Co Ltd

Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group

For more information about this drug pipelines report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/s24dnl

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ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

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The Delhi Metro has been shut ever since the nationwide lockdown began. After all these months of being shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, the metro service is being resumed in a phased manner from September 7.

In order to make this announcement on social media, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has taken a rather quirky route. The corporation posted a short video in which the lyrics of the popular song Wake me up when September Ends has been modified. The modification is such that the words Ends have been strike off in red color and instead of that Starts is written. This text is written on a digitalized yellow-colored digital sticky note.

Captioning the tweet, the official handle of Delhi Metro said, Several months have gone so fast, Wake me up when September starts. #MetroBackOnTrack"

Several months have gone so fast,Wake me up when September starts. #MetroBackOnTrack pic.twitter.com/9pWba62ANn Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) August 31, 2020

For those unversed with the track, Wake Me Up When September Ends is an acoustic ballad by American rock band Green Day. The song is one and a half decades old but is still quite popular. It was officially released on August 31, 2005.

Currently, the short quirky clip is nearing one thousand views on Twitter alone. Many people have expressed their happiness on Metro resuming its services. A person said, Dear Delhi Metro, hope you took good care of yourself. The time is coming to get yourselves back on track. So hope you are all buckled and oiled up.

Dear Delhi Metro, hope you took good care of yourself. Time is coming to get yourselves back on track. So hope you are all buckled and oiled up.  Deepesh Kumar Sao (@DKumarsao) August 31, 2020

Another person enquired about the functioning of the Delhi Metro, he said, It will be open for all or any for some people, do let me know because rumors are running it is open only for govt officials. Is it true?

It will be open for all or any for some people , do let me know because rumours are running it is open only for govt officials. Is it true Prafful Jain (@prafful3089) August 31, 2020

Replying to the said persons query, the DMRC said, Hi Prafful. Details on the Metro functioning & its usage will be shared once the detailed SOP on Metros is issued by MoHUA. Thank you!

Hi Prafful. Details on the Metro functioning & its usage will be shared once the detailed SOP on Metros is issued by MoHUA. Thank you! Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (@OfficialDMRC) September 1, 2020

The Delhi Government has also released a list of how the unlocking will go in the next phase.
New RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 features include RTX IO, NVIDIA Reflex, AV1 Decode, HDMI 2.0, Second Gen RT Cores, Third Gen Tensor Cores and GDDR6X memory

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced the GeForce RTX 30 series of graphics cards including the RTX 3090, RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 at a virtual event today. The RTX 30 series is based on the NVIDIA Ampere microarchitecture and boasts of 2x performance and 1.9x the power efficiency over the previous NVIDIA Turing based RTX 20 series of GPUs. Ampere cards will use a Samsung 8nm process specifically designed for NVIDIA. The founders edition NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card will be priced at INR 1,52,000 in India. The RTX 3080 and the RTX 3070 will be priced at Rs 71,000 and Rs 51,000, respectively.

Todays launch of NVIDIA Ampere GPUs is a giant step into the future, said Huang. The work of thousands of engineering years, the GeForce RTX 30 Series delivers our greatest generational leap ever. NVIDIA RTX fuses programmable shading, ray tracing and AI for developers to create entirely new worlds. Twenty years from now, well look back and realize that the future of gaming started here.

NVIDIA Ampere Streaming Multiprocessors

Compared to the older Turing Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), the new Ampere SMs boast of 2x FP32 throughput. Ampere also uses 3rd Gen Tensor Cores which reportedly provide up to 2x the throughput of the Turing cores. The high-end Ampere cards use an 18-phase power supply and sport new 12-Pin MicroFit power connectors. All Ampere cards also support PCIe 4.0 although current gen graphics cards cant even saturate the full potential of PCIe 3.0. Overall, Ampere claims to have 1.9x performance-per-watt improvement over Turing.

NVIDIA Ampere RTX 30 vs RTX 20 performance

NVIDIA claims that the RTX 30 series provide 2x the performance in ray-traced video games and when compute intensive tasks such as ray-tracing and DLSS are turned off, the RTX 30 cards supposedly provide pascal-like performance increments. For better perspective, NVIDIA did release a graph showing relative performance.

With the RTX 3070, games such as Borderlands 3, Doom Eternal, Red Dead Redemption 2, Control, Minecraft RTX, Wolfenstein Youngblood were shown to have about 1.3-1.4x performance over the RTX 2070 Super and the RTX 3080 provides nearly 1.9x performance over the RTX 2070 Super. When compared with the RTX 2080 Super, the RTX 3080 provides about 50-60 per cent more performance. These are all approximations based on the graph released, well get a better idea when the cards are benchmarked.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 Specifications

The specifications for the three RTX 30 cards when compared to their RTX 20 counterparts let you know exactly how they are positioned. With 24 GB of memory, the RTX 3090 is akin to the RTX TITAN and would be targeted at workstations and multitasking machines which require a lot of CUDA cores. Whereas, the RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 are very much similar to the RTX 2080 and RTX 2070 in terms of positioning. Which bears the question, what's the equivalent for the RTX 2080 Ti? It would appear that NVIDIA is holding back till AMD's RDNA2 "Big Navi" cards are released in November 2020. We should hopefully see RTX 3080 Ti or Super cards that equal or beat the RDNA cards as a reaction to AMD's cards.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 Pricing

The Founders Edition NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 will be priced at Rs 1,52,000 (One lakh fifty two thousand Rupees), the GeForce RTX 3080 will be priced at Rs 71,000, and lastly, the GeForce RTX 3070 will be priced at Rs 51,000 in India. Compared to the older RTX 20 series, this is a significant increase for the RTX 3090 and the kidney and liver jokes can start anew. However, the RTX 3080 and RTX 3070 pricing seem to be similar to the launch prices for their RTX 20 counterparts. Launch price for the RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition was Rs 1,02,500 and the RTX 2080 started off for Rs 68,500 and lastly, the RTX 2070 was priced at Rs 51,200.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 Availability

The RTX 3080 will be the first card to be available and it will go on sale on Sept 17, 2020. It will be followed by the RTX 3080 on Sept. 24, 2020 and all we know about the RTX 3070 is that it will go on sale in October 2020. NVIDIA sells the Founders Edition cards on their own website in India but partner cards are sold in all specialist computer stores offline and on popular ecommerce outlets such as Amazon.in and Flipkart.com.
31 August 2020

BISICHI PLC

Interim Results for the period ended 30 June 2020

For the six months ending 30thJune 2020:

 EBITDA [1]: 0.35million loss (2019: 5.7million profit)

 Adjusted EBITDA [2]: 0.1million (2019: 5.6million)

 Loss before tax 2.0million (2019: 4.3million profit)

 EPS (basic): 12.66 p loss (2019: 24.75p profit)

 Total production: 580,000 tonnes (2019: 655,000 tonnes)

 The Group's results reflect the challenging period due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the related downturn in international coal markets.

 The Group's South African coal mining and processing operations have been designated by the South African government as 'essential business operations' and allowed to continue during lockdown periods.

 The Group's management continue to focus on keeping costs low at Black Wattle, as well as developing new opportunities at the Group's coal processing plant, Sisonke Coal Processing

 Invoiced income from the Group's directly owned UK retail property portfolio was 0.50million (2019: 0.65million) although, during the period, rental revenue collections have been temporarily impacted.

END

For further information, please call:

Andrew Heller/Garrett Casey Bisichi PLC 020 7415 5030

[1] Earnings before Interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation.

[2] Operating profit before depreciation, fair value adjustments and exchange movements.



Bisichi PLC

Half year review - 30 June 2020

The first half of 2020 has been a challenging period for your company due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on all our operations. As a result, in the six months ended 30 June 2020, Bisichi PLC made a loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of 0.35million (2019: a profit of 5.7 million).

In managing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, your management has prioritised the health and safety of all our employees and stakeholders, while ensuring the continuity of our business during this challenging time. In order to help safeguard our people from the spread of Covid-19, the Group has implemented various health and safety measures, which are aligned with measures announced by both the UK and South African governments, including guidelines and regulations from the South African National Department of Health and the Department of Minerals Resources.

In terms of business continuity, the Group's South African coal mining and processing operations have been designated by the South African government as 'essential business operations', which has allowed the Group's operations to continue during lockdown periods, although with a reduced or socially distanced workforce to help safeguard the health and safety of our employees. At Black Wattle, our South African mining operation, disruptions to mining production in the first half of the year have been mainly limited to temporary staff shortages during the initial lockdown period. Overall, the mine was able to achieve total production of 580,000 metric tonnes (2019: 655,000 tonnes) during the reporting period, with similar levels expected in the second half of the year.

However, during the period, we have also seen reduced global economic activity as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has had a significant impact on demand for coal in the international market. The overall decrease in Group revenue and earnings during the first half of the year can mainly be attributable to this downturn. In January, the average weekly price of Free on Board (FOB) Coal from Richard Bay Coal Terminal (API4 price) peaked at US$92. By mid-April, as global economic activity slowed, the weekly API4 price had fallen to US$44 before recovering to US$50 by the end of the first half of the year. The impact on our operations has been a build-up in our coal stocks and lower prices achievable for our coal in the international market. Although there is a surplus of coal in the domestic market and prices have been negatively impacted, demand for our particular coal has to date remained more stable.

Looking forward, although the duration and extent of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our South African operations remains uncertain, forward markets and leading research indicates some improvement in international coal prices going into the last quarter of the year, in conjunction with an expected improvement in global economic activity. In the interim, your management will continue to focus on keeping costs low at Black Wattle as well as developing new coal processing and marketing opportunities at our coal processing plant at Sisonke Coal Processing.

In the UK, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on rental revenue collections from the group's UK retail property portfolio. Although the final impact of the pandemic on the portfolio remains uncertain, we expect much of the portfolio to recover as tenants fully resume operating. Overall, the Group billed revenue from our directly owned property portfolio of 0.50million (2019: 0.65million) during the period.

The Group continues to hold its joint venture investment, with London & Associated Properties PLC and Metroprop Real Estate Ltd, in the freehold of a retail and residential redevelopment in West Ealing, London. Last year, the joint venture submitted a planning application for an expanded residential redevelopment of 55 flats on the site and we look forward to updating shareholders on the situation in due course.

Finally, in line with what was reported in the 2019 Annual report and given our key priorities stated above and the need to conserve cash, the Board has decided that it will not be proposing an interim dividend, but will review the dividend position when there is greater visibility of the impact of Covid-19.

We would like to thank all our employees and stakeholders for their support during this extremely difficult time.

Sir Michael HellerAndrew Heller

Chairman Managing Director

31 August 2020





Bisichi PLC

Consolidated income statement

For the six months ended 30 June 2020

Unaudited Unaudited Audited 6 months ended30 June 6 months end

30 June Year ended

31 December 2020 2019 2019 Notes 000 000 000 Group revenue 1 14,250 26,399 48,106 Operating costs (15,731) (21,851) (42,962) Operating profit on trading activities (1,481) 4,548 5,144 Decrease in value of investment properties - - (1,480) Gain/(Loss) on investments held at fair value (261) 59 (6) Operating profit 1 (1,742) 4,607 3,658 Share of profit/(loss) in joint ventures 13 36 20 Profit before interest and taxation (1,729) 4,643 3,678 Interest receivable 19 15 28 Interest payable (309) (309) (679) Profit before taxation 1 (2,019) 4,349 3,027 Income tax 2 481 (1,289) (1,432) Profit for the period (1,538) 3,060 1,595 Attributable to: Equity holders of the company (1,352) 2,642 1,046 Non-controlling interest (186) 418 549 Profit for the period (1,538) 3,060 1,595 Earnings per share - basic 3 (12.66p) 24.75p 9.80p Earnings per share - diluted 3 (12.66p) 24.34p 9.80p





Bisichi PLC

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

For the six months ended 30 June 2020

Unaudited Unaudited Audited 6 monthsended

30 June 6 months ended

30 June Year ended

31 December 2020 2019 2019 000 000 000 Profit for the period (1,538) 3,060 1,595 Other comprehensive income: Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations (467) 70 (49) Taxation - - - Other comprehensive income for the period, net of tax (467) 70 (49) Total comprehensive income for the period (2,005) 3,130 1,546 Attributable to: Equity shareholders (1,752) 2,694 1,004 Non-controlling interest (253) 436 542 Total comprehensive income for the period (2,005) 3,130 1,546





Bisichi PLC

Consolidated Balance Sheet

as at 30 June 2020

Unaudited Unaudited Audited 30 June 2020 30 June 2019 31 December 2019 Assets 000 000 000 Non-current-assets Value of investment properties 11,566 13,045 11,566 Fair value of head leases 184 185 182 Investment property 11,750 13,230 11,748 Reserves, plant and equipment 8,786 9,500 9,508 Investments in joint ventures 1,355 1,359 1,342 Other investments at fair value through profit and loss ("FVPL") 449 35 287 Total non-current assets 22,340 24,124 22,885 Current assets Inventories 4,552 1,316 2,432 Trade and other receivables 6,385 9,893 7,559 Corporation tax recoverable - - 19 Investments in listed securities held at FVPL 926 1,090 1,119 Cash and cash equivalents 4,977 9,876 7,720 Total current assets 16,840 22,175 18,849 Total assets 39,180 46,299 41,734 Liabilities Current liabilities Borrowings (4,835) (11,009) (5,103) Trade and other payables (8,409) (7,850) (7,619) Current tax liabilities (317) (128) (457) Total current liabilities (13,561) (18,987) (13,179) Non-current liabilities Borrowings (4,180) (743) (4,141) Provision for rehabilitation (1,359) (1,615) (1,554) Finance lease liabilities (231) (185) (232) Deferred tax liabilities (1,404) (2,364) (2,071) Other non-current liabilities - (45) - Total non-current liabilities (7,174) (4,952) (7,998) Total liabilities (20,735) (23,939) (21,177) Net assets 18,445 22,360 20,557 Equity Share capital 1,068 1,068 1,068 Share premium 258 258 258 Translation reserve (2,490) (1,996) (2,090) Other reserves 707 707 707 Retained earnings 18,530 21,585 19,989 Total equity attributable to equity shareholders 18,073 21,622 19,932 Non-controlling interest 372 738 625 Total equity 18,445 22,360 20,557



Bisichi PLC

Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

For the six months ended 30 June 2020

Unaudited Unaudited Audited 30 June 30 June 31 December 2020 2019 2019 000 000 000 Cash flows from operating activities Operating profit (1,743) 4,607 3,658 Depreciation 1,379 1,041 2,190 Unrealised (gain)/loss on investments 261 (59) 6 Unrealised loss on investment properties - - 1,480 Exchange adjustments 206 (12) 123 Movement in working capital (633) (3,151) (1,459) Net interest paid (289) (294) (651) Income tax (paid)/received (72) (1,134) (1,199) Cash flow from operating activities (891) 998 4,148 Cash flows from investing activities (2,079) (1,840) (3,662) Cash flows from financing activities (125) (7) (3,322) Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (3,095) (849) (2,836) Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January 2,878 5,686 5,686 Exchange adjustment 481 7 28 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 264 4,844 2,878 Cash and cash equivalents For the purposes of the cash flow statement, cash and cash equivalents comprise the following balance sheet amounts:

Cash and cash equivalents 4,977 9,876 7,720 Bank overdrafts (4,713) (5,032) (4,842) Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 264 4,844 2,878



Bisichi PLC

Consolidated statement of changes in shareholders' equity

For the six months ended 30 June 2020



Share

Share

Translation Available for sale

Other

Retained Non-

controlling

Total capital premium reserve reserves reserves earnings Total Interest Equity '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 '000 Balance at 31 December 2018 1,068 258 (2,048) - 707 19,584 19,569 566 20,135 Profit for the period - - - - - 2,642 2,642 418 3,060 Other comprehensive income and expense - - 52 - - - 52 18 70 Total comprehensive income for the period - - 52 - - 2,642 2,694 436 3,130 Dividend - - - - - (641) (641) (264) (905) Balance at 30 June 2019 1,068 258 (1,996) - 707 21,585 21,662 738 22,360 Balance at 31 December 2018 1,068 258 (2,048) - 707 19,584 19,569 566 20,135 Profit for the year - - - - - 1,046 1,046 549 1,595 Other comprehensive income and expense - - (42) - - - (42) (7) (49) Total comprehensive income for the year - - (42) - - 1,046 1,004 542 1,546 Dividend - - - - - (641) (641) (483) (1,124) Balance at 31 December 2019 1,068 258 (2,090) - 707 19,989 19,932 625 20,557 Profit for the year - - - - - (1,352) (1,352) (186) (1,538) Other comprehensive income and expense - - (400) - - - (400) (67) (467) Total comprehensive income for the period - - (400) - - (1,352) (1,752) (253) (2,005) Dividend - - - - - (107) (107) - (107) Balance at 30 June 2020 1,068 258 (2,490) - 707 18,530 18,073 372 18,445





ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS:

The results for the six months ended 30 June 2020 have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The principal accounting policies applied are the same as those set out in the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2019, and which will form the basis of the 2020 Annual report.

1. Segmental analysis

For management purposes, the Group is organised into two operating Divisions, Mining and Property. These Divisions are the primary basis on which the Group reports its segment information. This is consistent with the way the Group is managed and with the format of the Group's internal financial reporting.

Unaudited Unaudited Audited 30 June 30 June 31 December 2020 2019 2019 000 000 000 Revenue Mining 13,716 25,713 46,704 Property 503 650 1,290 Other 31 36 112 14,250 26,399 48,106 Operating profit/(loss) Mining (1,920) 4,004 4,204 Property 409 510 (648) Other (231) 93 102 (1,742) 4,607 3,658 Share of profit in joint ventures 13 36 20 Interest receivable 19 15 28 Interest payable (309) (309) (679) Profit/(Loss) before taxation (2,019) 4,349 3,027

2. Taxation

Unaudited Unaudited Audited 30 June 30 June 31 December 2020 2019 2019 000 000 000 Based on the results for the period: Corporation tax at 27.00% (2019: 27%) 6 1,199 1,570 Prior year adjustment - UK - - (2) 6 1,199 1,568 Deferred taxation (487) 90 (136) (481) 1,289 1,432

3. Earnings/ (loss) per share

Both the basic and diluted earnings per share calculations are based on a loss of 1,352,000 (2019: profit of 2,642,000). The basic earnings per share has been calculated on a weighted average of 10,676,839 (2019: 10,676,839) ordinary shares being in issue during the year. The diluted earnings per share has been calculated on the weighted average number of shares in issue of 10,676,839 (2019: 10,676,839) plus the dilutive potential ordinary shares arising from share options of nil (2019: 179,324) totalling 10,676,839 (2019: 10,856,163).

4. Investment properties

Investment properties are held a fair value at each reporting period. Management evaluate on an ongoing basis the impact of Covid-19 and the current economic performance of the UK Retail market on the future performance of the group's existing UK property portfolio. The Board considers the final impact of Covid-19 on the investment properties to remain uncertain. However the Directors have placed a valuation on the properties which is not materially different to the value as at 31 December 2019. Therefore no change in fair value of investment properties has been made during the period. Investment properties are therefore included at a Director's valuation which is considered to be the fair value as at 30 June 2020. Please refer to page 64 and 65 of the 2019 Annual report and Accounts for details on the valuation of investment and development properties as at 31 December 2019.

5. Related Parties

The related parties and the nature of costs recharged are as disclosed in the Group's annual financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2019. The Group paid management fees of 100,000 (30 June 2019: 100,000 December 2019: 200,000) to London & Associated Properties PLC, an associated company.

6. Financial information

The above financial information does not constitute statutory accounts within the meaning of section 434 of the Companies Act 2006. The figures for the year ended 31st December 2019 are based upon the latest statutory accounts, which have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies; the report of the auditors on those accounts was unqualified and did not contain a statement under Section 498(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006.

As required by the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, the interim financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and in accordance with both IAS 34 'Interim Financial Reporting' as adopted by the European Union and the disclosure requirements of the Listing Rules.

The half year results have not been audited or subject to review by the company's auditors.

The annual financial statements of Bisichi PLC are prepared in accordance with IFRS as adopted by European Union. The same accounting policies are used for the six months ended 30 June 2020 as were used for the year ended 31 December 2019.

The assessment of new standards, amendments and interpretations issued but not effective, are not anticipated to have a material impact on the financial statements.

The largest areas of estimation and uncertainty in the interim financial statements are in respect of:

- The valuation of investment and development properties;

- Life of mine and reserves;

- Depreciation;

- Provision for rehabilitation (relating to environmental rehabilitation of mining areas); and

- Impairment

Property, plant and equipment representing the group's mining assets in South Africa are reviewed for impairment where there is evidence of a material impairment. The impairment test indicated significant headroom as at 31 December 2019 and no impairment was considered appropriate. During the first half of the year, the Covid-19 pandemic impacted on the Group's South African mining operations, in particular in relation to the operations coal markets and coal prices. In terms of business continuity, the Group's South African entities have remained in operation as the entities have been classified as essential businesses. Although the final impact of Covid-19 remains uncertain, the directors have assessed the expected range of impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its impairment model using similar key assumptions and estimates as outlined on page 64 of the 2019 Annual report and Accounts, and no impairment was considered appropriate as at 30 June 2020. However, it must be acknowledged that if circumstances change and the balance of factors shifts as the Covid-19 pandemic runs its course, impairment values may in turn be impacted.

Other areas of estimation and uncertainly are referred to in the Group's annual financial statements. There have been no significant changes to the basis of accounting of key estimates and judgements as disclosed in the annual report as at 31 December 2019.

The interim financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis. Although the final impact of Covid-19 on both our UK and South African operations remains uncertain and an estimate of the overall financial effect cannot be made, the Directors have assessed the range of expected impact of the pandemic on its cashflow forecasts. The forecasts demonstrate that the group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and is well placed to manage its business risks.

7. Dividend

The interim dividend in respect of 2019, totalling 107,000 was paid on the 7th of February 2020. No final dividend in respect of 2019 was proposed by the Board. No interim dividend for the year ended 31 December 2020 has been proposed by the Board.

8. Principal risks and uncertainties

The Group has an established risk management process which works within the corporate governance framework as set out in the 2019 Annual Report and Accounts. Risks and uncertainties identified by the Group are set out on page 11 of the 2019 Annual Report & Accounts and are reviewed on an ongoing basis. There have been no significant changes in the first half of 2020 to the principle risks and uncertainties as set out in the 2019 Annual Report & Accounts.

Covid-19 risk:

The Group is proactively assessing and managing the potential risks brought about by the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall the Group is exposed to impacts on the health and safety of its employees and stakeholders and risks related to business continuity. In the UK, the Group expects there to be an impact on retail property revenue and potentially values. In South Africa, the Group is expected to be impacted by additional health and safety measures related to its workforce and coal price risk.

Risks faced by the business are assessed by the Board on an ongoing basis. Strategies for mitigating the risks have been defined and specific measures for achieving these are already underway. These include the measures outlined in the Chairman's Statement, Mining Review and Financial Review & Performance sections of the 2019 Annual report and Accounts. The final impact of the Covid-19 pandemic remains uncertain and the Group will adapt plans accordingly as more information becomes available or government advice changes.

The other principal risks as stated in the 2019 Annual Report & Accounts reflect the challenging environment in which the business operates and are considered under the following broad headings:

Mining:

- Coal price risk

- Mining risk

- Currency risk

- New reserves and mining permissions

- Power supply risk

- Flooding risk

- Environmental risk

- Health & safety risk

- Labour risk

- Cashflow

Property:

- Property valuation

- Economic performance of United Kingdom

- Covid-19

- Brexit

9.Board approval

These interim results were approved by the Board of Bisichi PLC on 31 August 2020.

DIRECTORS RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT AND REPORT ON PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINITIES

Responsibility Statement

We confirm to the best of our knowledge:

(a) the condensed set of financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting as adopted by the EU;

(b) the interim management report includes a fair review of the information required by:

(1) DTR 4.2.7R of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules, being an indication of important events that have occurred during the first six months of the financial year and their impact on the condensed set of financial statements; and a description of the principal risks and uncertainties for the remaining six months of the year; and

(2) DTR 4.2.8R of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules, being related party transactions that have taken place in the first six months of the current financial year and that have materially affected the financial position or performance of the entity during the period; and any changes in the related party transactions described in the last annual report that could do so.

This report contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current estimates and projections of management and currently available information. Future statements are not guarantees of the future developments and results outlined therein. Rather, future developments and results are dependent on a number of factors; they involve various risks and uncertainties and are based upon assumptions that may not prove to be accurate. Risks and uncertainties identified by the Group are set out on page 11 of the 2019 Annual Report & Accounts. We do not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this report.

Michael Heller Andrew Heller

Chairman Managing Director

31 August 2020

DIRECTORS AND ADVISERS

Directors Sir Michael A Heller MA, FCA (Chairman) Andrew R Heller MA, ACA (Managing Director) Robert Grobler PR Cert Eng (Mining Director) Garrett Casey CA (SA) (Finance Director) Christopher A Joll MA (Non-executive) John A Sibbald MA (Non-executive)

Secretary & Registered office Garrett Casey CA (SA) 24 Bruton Place

London W1J 6NE

Black Wattle Colliery - Directors Andrew Heller (Managing Director) Garrett Casey (Finance Director) Ethan Dube (Commercial Director) Robert Grobler (Mining Director) Millicent Zvarayi
BOSTON and NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- aptihealth, the nation's leading innovator in tech-enabled integrated behavioral healthcare, today announced the appointment of Dale Dutile as Chief Financial Officer. Dutile brings nearly 30 years of recognized fiscal excellence as an investor and advisor to hundreds of healthcare companies in the areas of capital development, financial management, strategy, and business development.

Dutile most recently served as Managing Director of The Boston Company Asset Management, where he was Portfolio Manager on the US Opportunistic Value Team. With primary responsibility for investments in the healthcare sector  including biopharma, medical devices, payors, providers, service providers, and life science tools  Dutile helped the team drive a 300 percent increase in assets under management to $10 billion over the course of a decade. The US Opportunistic Value Team's investment returns earned awards from Lipper, The Wall Street Journal, and Institutional Investor magazine.

Before that, Dutile served as Senior Vice President at MFS Investment Management in Boston, where he led healthcare sector equity research efforts for a $300 billion family of retail and institutional equity portfolios, focused primarily on the medical device, managed care, hospital, and other specialty healthcare sectors.

"The vast financial experience and recognized leadership that Dale adds to our executive team are invaluable as we scale aptihealth and partner with hospital systems and health plans to make our groundbreaking solution to integrated intelligent care available to their providers, patients, and members," said Dan Pickett, CEO of aptihealth. "His strong business acumen, combined with a deep understanding of the complex strategic and regulatory dynamics across the healthcare industry, will help drive our growth strategy and continued success."

As CFO, Dutile is a key member of the aptihealth executive team in driving financial, strategic, and operational leadership across the company. His responsibilities include management and direction of all financial affairs, including business strategy, financial analysis fundraising, investor relations, and operations effectiveness, as well as spearheading the development of robust financial analytics to guide business performance and success.

"I am thrilled to join the experienced, accomplished, and passionate executive team leading aptihealth in its mission to revolutionize behavioral healthcare," said Dutile. "As we continue to drive behavioral health innovation, I look forward to building on the company's momentum and rapidly accelerating our growth trajectory, while delivering exceptional value to our members, customers, and investors."

Dutile earned a bachelor's degree in Finance and Quantitative Methods from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, and a Master of Business Administration from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.

About aptihealth

aptihealth, inc. is a behavioral health engagement company that uses technology to seamlessly integrate physical and behavioral healthcare. Its groundbreaking platform connects medical providers, behavioral health specialists, behavioral health prescribers, and patients with its proprietary screening, assessment, and treatment management protocols. aptihealth's digital platform provides a seamless and effective approach to virtual, integrated intelligent care that helps patients get better faster and stay better longer. aptihealth provides those in need of behavioral healthcare with a fast-track to better mental health.

For more information, visit www.aptihealth.com.

2020 aptihealth, inc. All rights reserved. aptihealth, the aptihealth logo, and other aptihealth marks are trademarks of aptihealth, inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they're associated.

SOURCE aptihealth

Related Links

http://aptihealth.com


A group of journalists who work for Voice of America, the US state-backed broadcaster, sent management a letter of protest Monday denouncing the new chief executive of the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA and a number of other similar media outlets. In the letter, the staffers allege that comments made by Michael Pack, a Trump appointee who took office in June, endanger the personal security of VOA reporters at home and abroad, as well as threatening to harm U.S. national security objectives. As NPRs David Folkenflik reported, the comments in question came during a podcast produced by the conservative website The Federalist, and included Pack saying the agency was a great place to put a foreign spy, as well as joking about deporting his own employees and turning off the air conditioning or banning masks at VOA headquarters in order to help him drain the swamp. Pack also questioned whether the agencys broadcasters were adhering to standards of balance. Whatever CNN or any other network does is one thing, he said on the podcast, suggesting that at VOA he found egregious examples of flouting of those standards.

In the Federalist interview, Pack also suggested that he has had to take strong action since he was appointed because of security lapses that occurred at the agency prior to his arrival. But his predecessor in the role of USAGM chief executive, John Lansingnow the CEO of National Public Radiosaid that this is untrue. Packs insistence that there were issues related to security in hiring at VOA is merely a smokescreen to avert attention from his blatant attempt to interfere with the legislatively mandated independence, or firewall, protecting the journalists of VOA from government interference, Lansing told Folkenflik. (A note on the NPR story said that because of Lansings previous job, neither he nor any other senior NPR executive reviewed the Pack story prior to publication). The letter from VOA staffersincluding two White House correspondents, foreign correspondents based in Africa and Islamabad, and national security reporterssaid that Packs allegations about security lapses at the agency were as baseless as the Red Scare conspiracy theories that targeted Voice of America and other entities during the 1950s (an early version of the letter started circulating in early August, according to a report by the BBG-USAGM Watch website, which is written and edited by current and former employees of USAGM networks).

Since Pack took over the agency, he has made a series of dramatic restructuring moves, including, in mid-August, forcing out the USAGMs chief financial officer and general counsel, both of whom were placed on administrative leave and had their security clearances revoked. A statement from the agency that was sent to Politico and the New York Post at the time said these removals were meant to restore respect for the rule of law in our work after a review found lax vetting of journalists. But both of the executives said Packs actions were in retaliation for their whistle-blowing about what has happened at the agency since he took over. Chief financial officer Grant Turner told a reporter for Voice of America that his removal was punishment for speaking up about patterns of gross mismanagement under Pack, as well as violations of the legal firewall that is supposed to protect USAGM journalists from political interference, and general counsel David Kligerman said he was sidelined in retaliation for attempting to do my job in an apolitical manner and to speak truth to power.

ICYMI: Journalisms Gates keepers

Since he took over, Pack has removed the heads of each of the five media outlets he is in charge of (Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks), and refused to sign visa renewals for a number of foreign journalists working for those networks. He has also repeatedly criticized some of the agencys reporters for favoring the Democratic party in their journalism, echoing some of the same accusations made by Donald Trump before Pack was appointed to his role. (Among other things, Trump said Voice of America was too soft on China in the wake of the COVID pandemic). In their letter, the VOA journalists said that Packs actions risk crippling programs and projects for some countries that are considered national security priorities. He has ordered the firing of contract journalists, with no valid reason, by cancelling their visas, forcing them back to home countries where the lives of some of them may be in jeopardy. Now the purge appears to be expanding to include U.S. permanent residents and even U.S. citizens.

As CJRs Jon Allsop noted shortly after Packs appointment, what makes the accusations of interference by the Trump administration more complicated is that the Voice of America has always had a dual nature. While it does independent journalism and its leaders have often tried to make it a normal news organization, its also true it was created to be a vehicle for American soft power, one that would do things like promoting Western values in Iran during the Cold War. Dan Robinson, a longtime former VOA correspondent who wrote for CJR about the agency in 2017, told Allsop that while Trumps criticisms and attacks have been unusually public, government officials have always communicated criticisms to the staff of the VOA, and the president has always had the power to pick agency leaders. All of which gives the letter writers a high bar to clear: can they show that Packs meddling, mismanagement, or other malfeasance goes beyond what the agencys chief executive is allowed to do?

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Heres more on Voice of America and the USAGM:

Visas denied : NPRs Folkenflik wrote about the withdrawal of visas for a number of Voice of Americas foreign correspondents in June. The foreign journalists affected by the visa decision are particularly valued for their language skills, which are crucial to VOAs mission as an international broadcaster covering news in many countries that do not have a free or robust press. One VOA journalist, who asked not to be named because of a fear of retaliation, said it could lead to the departure of more than 100 staffers in the foreign language services.

Internet freedom : The Open Technology Fund, a non-profit entity that works for internet freedom under the umbrella of the global media agency, filed a lawsuit in June against Pack, arguing that his moves to replace top staff and the governing board of the agency were unlawful. According to the court filing , Pack did not have the legal authority to fire any staff or governing board member of the Open Technology Fund. The lawsuit also argued that, in firing the chiefs of the five networks, Pack violated the firewall clause in a federal broadcasting law that shields the news outlets from political interference.

Never independent : In his CJR piece in 2017, Dan Robinson notes that he spent about 35 years with Voice of America, serving in positions ranging from White House correspondent to overseas bureau chief and head of a key language division, and the agency has always been funded by taxpayers to support a larger agenda. While there are many reasons to be concerned about the Trump administrations treatment of the media, he wrote , to hold VOA and its parent agency out as journalistic paragons of virtue, as some major media have done, and assert they are no different from non-government media, ignores basic facts.

Other notable stories:

Facebook warned on Monday that it would block users and news organizations in Australia from sharing local and international news stories on its social network and its Instagram photo-sharing service if the country passes a proposed code of conduct aimed at curbing the power of Facebook and Google. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is drafting a bill for Parliament that would require both companies to negotiate with media publishers and pay them for content that appears on their sites. Facebook said publishers and users in Australia trying to share news on its site would be greeted with a notification saying they were no longer able to do so and pointing to the legislation.

Corey Hutchins writes for CJR about the Colorado News Collaborative , known as COLab, a new venture designed to be an independent, nonprofit, statewide journalism coalition bringing together nearly a hundred journalists from more than sixty news organizations. Hutchins writes that the creation of the COLab has launched what could be a dramatic third act in the stateone that might see its disparate news media outlets bury old rivalries and unite, in order to hold off collapse.

Fact-checking has become more popular during Donald Trumps administration, but Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan argues that it is increasingly fruitless . More and more, fact-checkers seem to be trying to bail out an ancient, rusty and sinking freighter with the energetic use of measuring cups and thimbles, Sullivan writes. Most people no longer share with their fellow citizens the trust in news organizations  or in political actors  that would give them confidence in a shared basis of reality. And worst of all, the flow of disinformation on social media is both vile and unstoppable.

Was it all just lip service? Thats the question employees inside media companies are starting to ask about diversity and inclusion pledges, says Digiday . More than two months after many media companies issued statements supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and promising to improve the levels of diversity and inclusion inside their organizations, employees inside media companies are growing impatient that their companies leadership teams are not taking strong enough immediate action to back up their words.

Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, LA Bureau Chief at Cronkite News and a professor at the Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, won first place at the LA Press Club awards in the Minority Reporting category for a piece she wrote for CJR about The Liberator , a newspaper that published from 1900 to 1914 and helped build the citys Black community. Edmondss newspaper was part of a post-war surge of Black publications. He became a contemporary of other leading Black editors, such as JJ Neimore and Charlotta Bass of The California Eagle , Robert Sengstacke Abbott at The Chicago Defender , and WEB Du Bois of The Crisis magazine. Edmonds played host to Du Bois, who was the first Black Harvard-educated sociologist, when Du Bois visited Los Angeles in 1913.

Many Americans remain skeptical toward the news media, questioning not only the quality of journalists work but their intentions behind it, according to a new research report from the Pew Center . The research found that no more than half of US adults have confidence in journalists to act in the best interests of the public, or think that other Americans have confidence in the institution. And the public is more likely than not to say that news organizations do not care about the people they report on. While most Americans expect the news they get to be accurate, nearly seven in ten think news organizations generally try to cover up mistakes when they do happen.

After the Assad regime made Syria inaccessible for journalists, Syrian citizens stepped in to do journalism, but this has created safety concerns and ethical dilemmas, according to a report from Nieman Reports . The label of citizen journalism has been given to them by us, not by them. So what we were doing was reaching out to people who werent journalists, but were on the other side. And some of those people were activists, Liz Sly , Beirut bureau chief for The Washington Post , told Nieman. They are people who picked up video cameras, picked up their cell phones, started recording what was going on because they knew it wouldnt be in the official state media. And they wanted the world to know what was happening. So in a way that made them journalist-like, but they were never formal journalists.

A new AI-powered tool can show journalists and analysts how much screen time different public figures and topics are getting on TV, reports The Next Web . Stanford University researchers created the system to increase transparency around editorial decisions, by analyzing whos getting coverage and what theyre talking about. By letting researchers, journalists, and the public quantitatively measure who and what is in the news, the tool can help identify biases and trends in cable TV news coverage, said Maneesh Agrawala.

ICYMI: Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor, and the arbitrariness of the police-shooting news cycle

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.
Students in Southern and Midwestern states appear to be at greater academic risk in key areas than those in other parts of the country as a result of pandemic-driven school shutdowns, concludes an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the EdWeek Research Center.

The Research Centers new Coronavirus Learning Loss Risk Index examined time spent learning and interacting with teachers and family members during this springs physical closures of K-12 schools, and the availability of devices and internet access that enable remote learning. The Index is designed to provide a relativenot absolutesense of how the states compare when it comes to factors that might put students at risk of learning loss during the pandemic.

Students in Vermont were found to be the least susceptible to learning loss based on those factors, while Hawaii was the most prone to academic risks during the coronavirus outbreak, based on the analysis, which tracks the impact on public school student learning from May 14 through May 19.

The data show students in all states, even Vermont, are at some risk, and that nearly half of states (23) are at higher risk or much higher risk of students not having access to the tools and conditions crucial for learning. The bottom nine out of 10 states flagged in the risk index are in the Midwest and the South, as defined by the Census Bureau. The data show technology gaps in the South and disparities in access to both teachers and parental support in the Midwest.

Aside from Vermont, states showing a lower risk of learning loss include Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island. Hawaii ranks as the most at-risk, alongside other higher-risk states, such as Kentucky, Louisiana, and Missouri.

Throughout the nation, the gaps in educational access between households where at least one person has a college degree or higher versus families with no post-high school degrees was wide-reaching across all measures. Forty states were found to be either at higher or much higher risk in providing education equitably to all students based on the Census data.

The Picture Before COVID-19

The pandemic aside, there are underlying conditions that impact the infrastructure of states K-12 systems and how state and local officials respond to the needs of teachers and students alike. States that were doing poorly before the pandemic based on the measures used in Education Weeks overall Quality Counts summative grades and scores continue to perform poorly on the new COVID risk index.

Louisiana, which scores near the bottom on the Quality Counts index in terms of educational outcomes (K-12 Index) and cradle-to-career pathways (Chance for Success Index), ranks last when examining the percentage of weekly hours at or above the national median that household members spent on all teaching activities with children. Louisiana also ranks in the bottom five in terms of always having access to the internet and devices for educational purposes.

Louisianas struggles are not unique, though. Students across the country are having issues accessing technology and the internet. Roughly 3 out of 10 households with public school students did not have home internet or devices always available for educational purposes as late as a couple of months after the virus outbreak began. Most states in the bottom 10 for always having access to the internet and devices are located in the South.

Mississippi ranks last when it comes to internet access always being available for educational purposes. West Virginia ranks at the bottom when it comes to devices. And both states score near the bottom on EdWeeks overall Quality Counts measures with a grade of C-minus each.

There also are gaps in access to technology devices and the internet nationally when comparing households based on educational attainment levels, especially for states that have been having difficulties trying to reopen school buildings. Virginia has the biggest difference, with children from less-educated homes seeing a nearly 40 percentage point gap in access to technological devices than their peers from more-educated households. Georgia, which has faced problems in opening school buildings amid the coronavirus spread, ranks near the bottom (49th) in terms of gaps in access to internet availability for doing schoolwork.

Big Gaps Based on Family Education Levels

For most states, the number of weekly hours students spent in contact with teachers at or above the national median corresponds with the percentage at or above the median spent learning at home with family members.

This association is amplified for households where no one has a college degree. In most states, 25 and the District of Columbia, lesser-educated households lag behind more-educated ones in terms of students having access to instruction from both teachers and family members.

This pattern appears to impact the Midwest disproportionately. Nine out of 12 Midwestern states see significant gaps in access between more- and less-educated households regarding household member and teacher learning hours. For instance, Missouri ranks 47th in educational disparities in access to learning time with household members and second from the bottom for teacher access.

Hawaii shows the largest disparity in weekly teacher interactions between more-educated and less-educated households. The gap for the nation is roughly 8 percentage points, while the gap for Hawaii is nearly 54 percentage points. Additionally, only 37 percent of household members in Hawaii spent more time in teaching activities with children than the national median or above.

Kirstyn Galius, a third-year teacher who works at a Title I school in Hawaii, went from interacting weekly with 60 students at the beginning of the school year to only two by the end of May, about two months after schools shut down in-person instruction. As she prepares for the new school year, she often finds herself calling parents to see what they need, even though some of them speak a different language than her.

One note of caution: Some of the Census data around how, and what, individual households define as learning at home can be ambiguous. One example: whether learning at home included more multifaceted learning involving outside activities with family.

Do you think the way they [Census] are asking the question is capturing family engagement? asked Lois Yamauchi, a parent activist and professor of educational psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Because the research on family engagement in education tends to be dominated by school-based activities, whereas I would argue learning and education is broader than school-based activities.

The top- and bottom-ranking states on the COVID risk Index, Vermont and Hawaii, also differ significantly from the rest of the country in size, population, and academic outcomes. However, there are policy implications that can apply to the rest of the nation.

What to Learn From the Best and the Worst

In Vermont, the state may have been better positioned than others to deal with some pandemic-driven learning challenges due to Act 77 passed in 2013, which encouraged the use of personalized learning and may have increased access to devices, especially in rural environments. before the coronavirus even happened.

Hawaii, meanwhile, is a geographically diverse state with a single statewide school district. Its state schools superintendent, Christina Kishimoto, who was elected in 2017, came in under the framework of empowering schools and allowing for more school-level decision-making.

The state is considered to be at much higher risk than any other state in terms of equity based on EdWeek Research Center analysis. Hawaii has the widest gap in the amount of teacher interaction with lesser-educated households compared with more-educated ones.

Still, the district is under pressure to ensure all students can access a variety of resources that would enhance the learning environment. Under the CARES Act, the federal pandemic-relief law passed in March, the state has been able to create an IT help desk so parents can reach out if they have issues. And the district is also working to provide health-based wraparound services to help deal with the states immense homelessness, which affects students access to remote learning and teacher interaction.

One notable blank spot in the learning-risk picture for U.S. citizens: There is no public data available on the indicators tracked in the COVID risk index from the Census Bureau for Puerto Rico or any other U.S. territory. This is the case despite the fact that Puerto Rico alone, with more than 300,000 students, would be considered one of the 10 largest districts in the United States if it were part of the mainland.
MADRID, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vidoomy reinforces its expansion in USA with the arrival of Monica Fitzsimmons as Vice President Multicultural Sales in the country. With the aim of multiplying its operations and strengthening its activity in the North American market, its arrival continues with the international growth that the company has sustained since its inception and which has increased during this year.



Vidoomy is the adtech specialized in broadcasting advertising videos in global digital media, always with the guarantee of a brand safe environment and the highest transparency. Its technology is directly integrated in more than 2,500 premium publishers where advertisers find the access to target audiences for their advertising campaigns.

With operations in Europe and Latin America, the activity carried out by Vidoomy covers several markets. Monica Fitzsimmons's arrival to Vidoomy's sales force in the USA aims to strengthen the company's presence in the country. There are already more than 10 countries where Vidoomy offers its services, the main ones being the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Spain



Monica's main focus will be to promote the benefits of premium multicultural audiences that Vidoomy offers through its technology and advertising formats. Vidoomy offers advertisers to reach their consumers at the right time with high-quality ads that allow their message to be made known in a contextual environment suitable for the user, making the best of the advertisers investment in advertising.

Monica has more than 20 years experience in communication and advertising sector over USA, developed in prestigious companies such as Conde Nast, Hearst Magazine, StyleHaul, MediaMax or iHeartMedia, that will be the perfect background for a successful development of her functions in her current position at the company. Her knowledge of the digital advertising market and opportunities within the sector will support the strategies and decision making that Monica will adopt within her role as VP Multicultural Sales at Vidoomy-USA.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  A Senate panel has recommended criminal and administrative raps against Health Secretary and PhilHealth board chair Francisco Duque, ex-PhilHealth President Ricardo Morales and other officials over the fraud mess in the state health insurer, Senate President Tito Sotto said Tuesday.

Sotto presented the report of the Senate Committee of the Whole which stated that Duque, Morales and some senior vice presidents should be held accountable for anomalies such as the "shady" implementation of cash advances or the interim reimbursement mechanism.

Lawmakers have questioned the IRM's implementation which was intended to help hospitals continue operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the money was distributed to 279 facilities before requirements were completed. The requirements were met by June 11, but the agency already released over 14 billion from March 25, Sotto said.

The committee also found that the funds released exceeded the estimated costs for COVID-19 treatment.

"PhilHealth estimated 3.3 billion pesos for the cost of COVID for the entire 2020," said Sotto. "Pero ang budget na nilagay nila ay [But the budget they placed was] 26.8 billion pesos."

The funds were also questionably released to non-COVID-19 facilities, such as B. Braum Avitum Dialysis Centers.

B. Braum's branches received 45 million even though some of its facilities do not have dialysis machines or isolation areas and can only provide outpatient care. B. Braum had earlier denied conniving with PhilHealth, but the Senate is convinced that a "ghost patients" scheme is involved and recommended an investigation.

For this, the senate panel recommended charges of malversation, illegal use of public funds and graft against Duque, Morales, Executive Vice President Arnel de Jesus, SVP for Fund Management Sector Renato Limsiaco and SVP Health Finance Policy Sector Israel Pargas as well as other employees involved.

The committee also proposed to charge Duque, Morales, De Jesus, Limsiaco, Pargas and involved employees for violation of the Internal Revenue Code due to PhilHealth's failure to withhold taxes related to the IRM. CNN Philippines is striving to get comments from PhilHealth officials identified in the report.

Moreover, senators want healthcare institutions that got their IRM shares to liquidate the funds and return the unutilized amounts, Sotto said.

Duque told to resign

In the committee report, senators also called for President Rodrigo Duterte to appoint a new Health Secretary.

"With the evidence brought before us, basically our recommendation is for him (Duque) to resign because he was 'big brother,'" Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri told CNN Philippines' The Final Word. "He was the person in charge of PhilHealth as chairman."

Duque in response said it was "unfortunate" that his name was included in the recommendations, maintaining that he had no signature on the IRM's board resolution nor was he present in the deliberations on the program.

"This is not the best time for the Executive to have a difference with the Legislative branch," said Duque in a statement, adding that he would cooperate in any inquiry. "Certainly I intend to clear my name."

Overpriced IT

The committee also recommended charges of falsification, fraud, concealment of documents, graft, and violation of the government procurement act against the corporation's IT department officials.

Sotto said SVP for Information Management Sector Jovita Aragona and Acting Senior Manager Calixto Gabuya should be charged for proposing to buy network switches at 320,000 per unit even though they awarded much cheaper models at 62,424. The more expensive model was already obsolete and unavailable in the market, the committee found.

"Ipinipilit talaga nila na Cisco 2960XR ang binibili nila para lang majustify ang mas mataas na presyo kahit na ang totoo ay Cisco 9200 na mas mura ang binibili," said Sotto.

[Translation: They are insisting that they were purchasing the Cisco 2960XR to justify that the price is higher even though the truth is cheaper Cisco 9200 is being bought]

The committee also wants PhilHealth to start outsourcing its IT services to a reputable company, Sotto added.

Negligence

The panel raised too that resigned SVP for Legal Sector Rodolfo Del Rosario should be charged for negligence and graft for failing to act on the agency's pending cases.

The committee found that out of 7,452 cases against healthcare facilities in PhilHealth, only 5,327 of them or 71.48 percent were acted upon since the year 2000. There were also 4,792 cases against healthcare workers of which only 45.97 percent were cleared in the last 19 years.

The department also failed to implement penalties such as in the case of Perpetual Succour Hospital. PhilHealth was supposed to suspend the hospital's accreditation and have them pay a fine of 10,000 but instead the hospital was made to pay 100,000 without suspension.

Del Rosario had explained during the hearings that the change of penalty was due to an approved board resolution but the Senate maintained that the board does not have the power to amend penalties of cases decided by a court.

The committee also pushed for PhilHealth officials from the CEO to the regional vice presidents to submit their courtesy resignation to give way to a revamp of the agency's management. The panel recommended reassignment of officials every three years.

Senators also suggested more involvement of the Commission on Audit in PhilHealth's affairs over reports that the commission had trouble obtaining documents from the corporation, which led to inconsistent reports on PhilHealth's financial standing.
Jonathan Dick

A man allegedly murdered his brother with a samurai sword at a Melbourne shopping centre because of bizarre delusions about pre-destiny and time travel.

Jonathan Dick had paranoid schizophrenia when he killed his sibling, David, with a knife and samurai sword in the Westfield Doncaster shopping centre car park in February 2017, a forensic psychiatrist says.

Similar delusions drove Dick to try to murder former classmate David Cammarata with a pick hammer outside the man's Keilor home in August 2018, Ranji Darjee told Victoria's Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Justice Lex Lasry was urged to find Dick not guilty of the charges by way of mental impairment.

The court was told the 42-year-old had delusions about aliens, September 11, and the Ku Klux Klan and Hells Angels.

Dick believed he was predestined to kill his brother and feared harm, perhaps even death, would befall himself and others if he didn't go ahead with it, Dr Darjee said.

The psychiatrist added Dick believed he would be transported to the future afterwards so he could avoid jail.

Jonathan Dick had paranoid schizophrenia when he killed his sibling, David, with a knife and samurai sword in the Westfield Doncaster shopping centre car park in February 2017, a forensic psychiatrist says

David Dick

He also became convinced Mr Cammarata was part of a conspiracy to attack him when the pair were schoolboys, linked to groups including the Hells Angels.

Dick told Mr Cammarata 'you had this coming' when he tried to murder him, prosecutor Patrick Bourke told the court.

He said there was sufficient evidence to find Dick not guilty of murder and attempted murder by way of mental impairment.

Dick became one of Australia's most wanted fugitives after going on the run after his brother's murder.

He was chased down and arrested after Mr Cammarata spotted him lurking in a CBD car park in August last year.

He was doing better in prison because of medication, and his delusional memories had disappeared entirely, Dr Darjee said.

Justice Lasry is due to hand down his decision on Friday.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the increasing number of Wi-Fi hotspots around the world, the global voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) market is predicted to witness massive growth, of 24.5%, between 2020 and 2030. At this high CAGR, the industry size would increase from $2,035.3 million in 2019 to $22,801.2 million by 2030. From 124 million in 2017, the number of public community and wireless local-area network (LAN) hotspots is set to rise to 550 million by 2022, according to P&S Intelligence.

This will work as a growth factor for the VoWiFi market , as, with an increasing number of people being able to access wireless internet, the demand for voice over Wi-Fi services will rise. For instance, Asia-Pacific (APAC) is projected to have 261 million, Brazil 15 million, and the U.S. 77 million public hotspots by 2022.

The COVID-19 pandemic is fueling the advance of the VoWiFi market, as, with people confined indoors, the usage of Wi-Fi at homes is rising constantly. Moreover, a large number of companies have shifted to the work-from-home (WFH) model, which has further led to a greater usage of voice over Wi-Fi solutions, for better internet call connectivity and quality.

Get the sample copy of this report @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/voice-over-wifi-vowifi-market/report-sample

The highest CAGR in the VoWiFi market, of 28.0%, will be experienced in the direct-access-based bifurcation, under segmentation by architecture, in the immediate future. This would be because this architecture can directly connect the devices of users to the IMS over the internet, via the usage of IP security (IPSec) tunnel to a security gateway.

In the past, the smartphones category, under the device type segment, dominated the VoWiFi market, due to the burgeoning uptake of such communication devices. In the coming years, APAC is set to account for a significant smartphone-using population; for instance, in 2019 itself, India crossed the U.S. to become the second-largest smartphone market, with 158 million units shipped that year.

Browse detailed report with COVID-19 impact analysis on Voice Over Wi-Fi Market Research Report: By Voice Client (Integrated Voice Client, Separate Voice Client, Browser Voice Client), Technology (CSFB, VoLGA, IMS), Architecture (EPC-Based, Direct Access-Based), Device Type (Smartphones, Laptops and Tablets), End User (Residential, Commercial) - Global Industry Analysis and Growth Forecast to 2030 @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/voice-over-wifi-vowifi-market

Currently, the most productive VoWiFi market is North America, owing to the high number of users as well as higher per-customer-average revenue that service providers receive here. In the coming years, APAC is predicted to observe the fastest advance, to become the largest market by 2030. This is attributed to the rising demand for better connectivity and expanding area under internet coverage. Japan and South Korea account for the highest penetration of the VoLTE technology, while they, along with China, have also adopted VoWiFi fairly early.

Make enquiry about this report @ https://www.psmarketresearch.com/send-enquiry?enquiry-url=voice-over-wifi-vowifi-market

To expand their customer base and revenue channels, players in the VoWiFi market are engaging in agreements and partnerships, as these measures give them the opportunity to:

To integrate IMS in the VoLTE and VoWiFi technologies deployed at data centers

Decrease operational costs and offer comprehensive multimedia services via LTE, Wi-Fi, and 5G

Gain the core network for Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE services

Provide VoWiFi and VoLTE, as a managed service

Deploy a fully integrated cloud-native core network

The major companies functioning in the global VoWiFi market are Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, AT&T Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Oracle Corporation, KT Corporation, Nokia Corporation, Mitel Networks Corporation, Alcatel-Lucent S.A., Ribbon Communications US LLC, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Claro (America Movil), Vodafone Group Plc, Orange SA, T-Mobile USA Inc., Verizon Wireless, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, and Rogers Communications.

Browse More Reports

SD-WAN Market

The rising need for network privacy and improved visibility, vast adoption of cloud-based applications, internet of things (IoT), and big data, and surging awareness about cyber threats are the major factors contributing toward the rising demand for software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) solutions.

https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/sd-wan-market

Web Conferencing Market

The increasing preference for remote working, growing social media usage, rising deployment of web conferencing solutions owing to COVID-19, and surging penetration of high-speed internet are the key factors that positively impact the growth of the web conferencing industry.

https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/web-conferencing-market-report

About P&S Intelligence

P&S Intelligence is a provider of market research and consulting services catering to the market information needs of burgeoning industries across the world. Providing the plinth of market intelligence, P&S as an enterprising research and consulting company, believes in providing thorough landscape analyses on the ever-changing market scenario, to empower companies to make informed decisions and base their business strategies with astuteness.

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P&S Intelligence

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Jennifer Garner has been getting in plenty of family time, while quarantining with her three children, daughters Violet, 14 and Seraphina, 11, and son Samuel, eight.

But the 48-year-old actress took some time away from her brood on Monday afternoon to hit up a luxury spa in her Brentwood neighborhood.

Garner kept the majority of her famous mug concealed behind a floral print face mask and a pair of chic square sunglasses.

Treat yourself: Jennifer Garner took some time away from her brood on Monday afternoon to hit up a luxury spa in her Brentwood neighborhood

Incognito mode: Garner kept the majority of her famous mug concealed behind a floral print face mask and a pair of chic square sunglasses

Her brunette hair was styled into a half up, half down hairdo and she had a pink bracelet and an Apple Watch fastened around her wrist.

The 13 Going On 30 star kept casual for her spa day in a plain grey tee and a pair of denim boyfriend jeans.

She slipped her feet into a pair of white sneakers that featured accents of powder blue and light pink through out.

Casual: The 13 Going On 30 star kept casual for her spa day in a plain grey tee and a pair of denim boyfriend jeans

Nice kicks: She slipped her feet into a pair of white sneakers that featured accents of powder blue and light pink through out

Jennifer carried her cellphone in her hand and she kept the rest of her belongings in a large canvas bag that she had tucked under her arm.

She was forced to walk through the spa's parking garage in order to reach its entrance.

After getting pampered, the actress headed home to her three children, whom she shares with ex Ben Affleck, 47.

All she needs: Jennifer carried her cellphone in her hand and she kept the rest of her belongings in a large canvas bag that she had tucked under her arm

Heading home: After getting pampered, the actress headed home to her three children, whom she shares with ex Ben Affleck, 47

Jennifer and Ben were married from 2005 until their divorce in 2018.

Affleck has been spending the majority of his time in lockdown with his girlfriend and Deep Water co-star Ana de Armas, 32.

Though Garner spends most of her time focusing on her kids, the Alias star has also been indulging in some hangout sessions recently with actor pal Bradley Cooper, 45.

Family time: Garner has been getting in plenty of family time, while quarantining with her three children, daughters Violet, 14 and Seraphina, 11, and son Samuel, eight, at their home in Brentwood amid COVID-19; Jennifer pictured with her children in May

Garner's outing on Monday comes just three-days after the tragic passing of fellow actor Chadwick Boseman.

She happened to act alongside Boseman in their 2014 film Draft Day, which also starred Kevin Costner.

Boseman, who also famously played the title character in Marvel's Black Panther, died at his home in Los Angeles on Friday after enduring a four-year battle with colon cancer.

Love in lockdown: Jennifer's ex Ben Affleck has been spending the majority of his time in lockdown with his girlfriend and Deep Water co-star Ana de Armas, 32; Ben and Ana pictured in July

The actor, who was just 43 at the time of his death, never spoke publicly about his diagnosis, which progressed from stage three to stage four over the course of his battle.

After learning of his death, Jennifer took to Instagram to pen a touching tribute and share a gorgeous portrait of the late actor.

'Loss after loss in 2020, but this one is specifically painful. An artist, a scholar, a gentleman. May your memory be a blessing, Chadwick,' wrote the actress in her post's caption.

Co-stars: She happened to act alongside Boseman in their 2014 film Draft Day, which also starred Kevin Costner; Chadwick and Jennifer pictured in 2014
Hyderabad, Sep 2 : A court in Hyderabad on Tuesday restrained Netflix from releasing web series "Bad Boy Billionaires: India" on the life story of Satyam Computer Services founder B. Ramalinga Raju who was convicted in Satyam scam and three others.

A Hyderabad civil court passed the stay order on a petition filed by Raju, who was released on bail in 2018. He sought orders to restrain Netflix from releasing the web series on the ground that it would invade his privacy in an unlawful manner.

Raju also claimed that the narrative contained half-truths and palpably designed to bring down his reputation.

Netflix has already released the trailer of the web series which is about Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Subrata Roy and Ramalinga Raju.

"What would you do to make it to the top? To build an empire? To maintain an image? Bad Boy Billionaires answers just that. Dive into the stories of India's most infamous billionaires - Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Subrata Roy, and Byrraju Ramalinga Raju as they plan, plot and maneuver through their rises and falls. Watch as insiders and experts discuss what made these men genius and, in some cases, the greatest conmen," reads the description by Netflix.

A court in Bihar had last week restrained Netflix from using Subrata Roy's name in the web series.

The over Rs 7,000 crore Satyam scam came to light on January 7, 2009 when Ramalinga Raju confessed that the company's account books and profits were inflated over many years to the tune of several crores of rupees.

Police arrested him two days later on a complaint by some shareholders.

The CBI filed three charge sheets against Raju and the other accused, charging them with cheating, criminal conspiracy, forgery, falsification of accounts and breach of trust.

A special CBI court in April 2015 had sentenced him, his two brothers and seven others to seven years in prison in the case, said to be India's biggest corporate fraud.

However, a month later, the metropolitan sessions court suspended their sentence and granted them bail.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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In 2003, Carlos Figueroa got a job slinging lattes at a kiosk in the Fox Plaza mall. Back then, it was just another beverage. He hadn't discovered the magic of coffee. Now, he's the head roaster at City Bean Roasters. You may not know the company's name but you've probably tried their coffee. From Trejos Tacos to Nate n Al's to Habitat, it's served, literally, all over the city.

Before it was a coffee shop, City Bean was a twinkle in Sol Salzer's eye. In the late 1980s, he was the frontman for a traveling circus. Tromping across the country, he noticed the burgeoning coffee scenes in Seattle and Chicago, which were teeming with specialty roasters. Los Angeles had nothing like it, not even a Starbucks, so Salzer decided to fill this gap in the market. In 1992, he and business partner James Marcotte opened a City Bean cafe in Westwood.

Carlos Figuroa, head roaster at City Bean, stands in front of a roasting machine. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

They eventually had four cafes, although never more than two at one time. The business was successful but Salzer decided, in the early 2000s, to shift the company's focus away to roasting beans for restaurants and other coffee shops. Today, City Bean operates out of a single location in West Adams, where you can buy gourmet beans or Chemex coffeemakers but not a cup of brewed coffee.

Artisanal coffee roasters have a reputation for snobbiness. In this rarified milieu, City Bean aims to be the friendly  and affordable  cousin. Sure, they source their beans from sustainable farms around the world, and yes, everything they sell goes through a weeks-long cupping process where they identify flavor notes and ideal roasting temperatures. But when the beans hit the shelves, you can grab a standard 12 oz. bag for about $10, almost half the price of their competitors.

Carolos Figueroa, head roaster, inputs the tempetures to get the first roast of the day started. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

"There's so much stuffiness in coffee," Figueroa says. "We try not to take ourselves too seriously. It's coffee; it's a beverage. We never wanna be the cool kids, because eventually the cool kids get played out."

That anti-stuffiness ethos also bleeds into corporate structure and policy. Salzer, a staunch anti-capitalist, shares 20% of the profits equally with his seven employees then reinvests the rest into the company. City Bean's hiring process is unique. After a preliminary interview with Salzer, candidates work a half-day with all seven employees. At the end of the day, the employees vote on whether or not they should hire the applicant.

"When we say we're coffee for the people, we mean it," Figueroa says.

About a decade ago, an employee suggested City Bean start selling leftover beans from wholesale batches at wholesale prices to walk-in customers. What began as a way to reduce waste and increase brand awareness became central to company's ethos. Now, Figueroa estimates 15% of their beans are sold through their "wholesale to the people" program.

A price list for City Bean's "wholesale to the people" program. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

I happened across City Bean by chance because I live a few blocks away from their West Adams roastery, their last remaining brick and mortar outpost. The shop is easy to miss from the street. The nondescript black building blends in with nearby metal fabrication and floor-supply shops, and the only noteworthy marker is a foldable sidewalk sign touting their wholesale prices.

You have to press the doorbell and wait for someone to let you in. Inside, the tiny retail space is lined with framed newspaper clippings and awards. Near the back, an open door reveals a massive, 1926 Probat roasting machine.

A single shelf showcasing dozens of colorful bags of coffee occupies most of the space. Almost everything is single origin. I had never tried coffee from Timor, so I grabbed a bag, along with another from Ethiopia  $20 for both. It wasn't until I returned home that I realized what an absurdly good value this was. The beans from Timor produced the single best cup of home brew I had ever made. That's not due to my brewing skills; that's because of Figueroa's attention to detail.

The small display at City Bean in the West Adams neighborhood offers coffee, chai and various brewing contraptions for customers. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

He and his team roast sample batches so they can compare each bean they sell with several other green, unroasted coffee beans from the same region. Once they land on a certain bean, Figueroa spends weeks dialing in the roasting time and temperature to bring out the flavor profiles he wants. It's a skill he has spent years honing.

In 2005, when Figueroa was promoted to manager of City Bean's new downtown L.A. coffee shop, Salzer offered to pay for classes at the Specialty Coffee Association in Long Beach. "It was like sleepaway camp, but you're drinking your friends' coffee until 2 a.m. every night, then waking up at 5 a.m. to start up again," Figueroa says.

He fell in love with coffee and discovered how a skilled roaster could bring out subtle flavors in the beans. Soon, he was roasting full time. "When you get in front of that machine, the pressure's on. It's vintage, it's temperamental and if you mess up, that's 150 pounds of coffee in the trash," Figueroa says.

Within two years of his promotion, despite all the practice and dedication, City Bean was on the brink of going out of business.

L.A.'s coffee scene was finally catching up to cities such as Portland and San Francisco, and City Bean was still recovering from the financial blows of a devastating car crash that had occurred at their West Hollywood location in 2000. Marcotte jumped ship and joined Intelligentsia as an executive while Salzer and his employees decided to stop serving coffee and only sell wholesale. In the summer of 2007, City Bean moved into its West Adams location.

After the transition to wholesale, Figueroa says he and his team doubled down on their efforts to make specialty coffee beans that more people could afford. He remembers thinking about the coffee his mom would make when he was a kid. "She'd go to this bakery on the corner of Pico and Union, and she'd come back with a huge steaming bag of french rolls, fill a mug with hot milk, sugar and just a bit of Folgers [instant coffee], and we'd dip the bread in there for breakfast," Figueroa recalls.

Those memories have informed his approach to roasting. He believes everyone should be able to have the best cup of coffee, regardless of how they take it. "Whenever I approach a new coffee that I'm roasting, I try to drink it every way someone could drink coffee. Nitro, black, with sugar, with lots of milk," Figueroa says.

Carlos Figueroa inspects the beans as they cool and removes any bad beans. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

It took him eight years to convince his mom she should try anything other than Folgers, but she has been drinking his coffee ever since. "I put my heart and soul in it, so when people like it, it gives me the fuel to keep going," he says.

When I told Figueroa how much I had loved the beans from Timor, he told me to come by the next morning. He tossed me another bag over the fence  the same beans but this time with a darker roast. These ones tasted like pu'er tea and butterscotch.

City Bean's West Adams neighborhood has become one of the newest chapters in Los Angeles's story of gentrification, a conflict that sometimes pits coffee shops, art galleries and expensive restaurants against longtime residents. Figueroa points out that City Bean has been in the neighborhood for 13 years, and most of its employees live here, himself included.

"You see that guy who was roasting your coffee, and now he's walking his dog around your neighborhood. We're all living amongst each other, so the best thing we can do is make the neighborhood vibe as good as possible," Figueroa says.

Michelle Johnson, an editor at coffee publication Sprudge and a competitive barista, says businesses should strive for that kind of connection to their neighborhood. "What it always boils down to is intentionality and whether or not they plan on reinvesting in that community," she says.

After all, she says, coffee shops are supposed to be community spaces. "How can you create a community space that shuts out the community you're physically a part of?" Johnson asks. "Well, I think capitalism drives that."

Unroasted Brazilian coffee beans at City Bean. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

City Bean co-founder Salzer says hiring local and giving employees a stake in the business helps make them an active part of the community. "Stumptown and Intelligentsia are owned by the same holding company that owns Pete's Coffee and Keurig," Salzer says, adding that they fail to represent their communities in the way that a local business can.

Tien Nguyen, a best-selling author and food journalist who teaches food writing at the University of Southern California, says City Bean was a role model for the Los Angeles specialty coffee scene. "They proved you can do it here and not be overshadowed by Starbucks. And at the same time, they were being conscious about they treated their workers," Nguyen says.

Salzer's goal is for City Bean to become a fully employee-owned company within the next five years. It means each employee would own an equal share of the company, regardless of rank. "In a cooperative society, everyone is valued," Salzer says. "Why shouldn't we do that at City Bean?"

COVID-19 has delayed those plans but Salzer doesn't know by how much. In the first month after quarantine, City Bean lost 90% of its wholesale clients and has only recovered about a quarter of them. Salzer gave up his salary to make sure no employees were furloughed or lost pay. On the bright side, the number of walk-ins is higher than ever, according to Figueroa. "If I fill the shelf in the morning, I might come back a few hours later and find it empty," he says.

Roasting has helped Figueroa maintain a sense of normality. "We just try to take it day by day. I just did a great batch of Ethiopia and Kenya that I'm really proud of," he says.

Roasting apprentice Arturo Alegre fills the roasting machine with coffee beans. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)

He's also training an apprentice who he met at a West Adams skate park, using skateboarding terms to teach him the way of the bean. "You don't have to do a kick-flip the way I do, you just have to land it," Figueroa says. It's code for: "Don't replicate my exact roast. Find what feels right for you."

That collaborative work ethic is why Figueroa calls City Bean his second home. "We're family now," Figueroa says of his coworkers. "And if we can offer a great product in this neighborhood, it causes a chain reaction that shares what we love with the surrounding community."

5051 W. Jefferson Blvd., West Adams.

During quarantine, City Bean is open weekdays, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Stylist to the stars Rachel Zoe was taking time out for a little family bonding session on the beach in Santa Barbara on Monday.

The 51-year-old looked fashion forward in a colourful maxi kaftan which she lifted to show off a flash of leg as she walked along the beach.

The mother-of-two was pictured with her youngest son, Kaius Jagger, six, who she was doting on.

Beachwear... but make it fashion: Stylist: Rachel Zoe flashed some leg while wearing a colourful kaftan on the beach in Santa Barbara on Monday

She put lotion on his face as he prepared to go boogie boarding on the waves.

Rachel has been busy celebrating 29 years with her husband Rodger Berman at the swanky Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel in Santa Barbara, California.

Rachel began dating Rodger while attending college in Washington, D.C. in 1991, followed by their wedding in 1996.

The couple are also parents to Skyler Morrison.

Sweet moment: Rachel doted on her youngest son, Kaius Jagger, six, before he went boogie-boarding, putting lotion on his face

At the time they first met, Rodger thought Rachel was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

He told Harper's Bazaar in 2011: 'I met Rachel in the summer of 1991. She was 19, and I was 22.

'She was a restaurant hostess, and I was working as a waiter in Washington, D.C., where we both attended college,

'I vividly remember the first time I saw her, wearing a tight black minidress, high-heeled pumps, stick-straight hair, and big red lips covered in M.A.C. Chili lipstick (her trademark).

'She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I quickly learned that she also had more clothes than any woman I had ever seen. I often wondered if she'd ever do an outfit change mid-date.'

Marking the special occasion on her Instagram account, Rachel shared a throwback of herself flashing her diamond engagement ring while snuggled up to her husband.

'This is us. Me and my  @rbermanus long ago..and today we celebrate #29 years together on our official #firstdate #anniversary xoRZ,' she captioned the photo.
Gov. Charlie Baker said he activated the Massachusetts National Guard late Friday after being asked by local officials whether the state would offer backup if public protests grew too large to handle in the wake of a police shooting that paralyzed a Black man in Wisconsin.

Baker was delivering a news briefing outside the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to discuss MBTA renovations when he was asked about the Guard activation, which his office announced Friday night without much explanation of why until Guard members were called off Monday night.

We heard from a number of municipal officials who asked us if we would have people available to support them if those events turned out to be bigger than what they would be able to manage on their own, the Republican governor said Tuesday afternoon.

Baker did not say which cities and towns had raised the questions, but said he heard of 45 to 50 events that had been advertised on social media late last week.

The National Guard did not end up responding to any community after no requests for support was made, Baker said.

The Republican governors news briefing is the first since he activated the National Guard and called them off three days later due to the potential for large demonstrations after 29-year-old Jacob Blake was shot multiple times by Kenosha police officers.

Demonstrations were held last week not only to protest the police shooting, but also to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech before hundreds of thousands of people.

Baker signed an order Friday activating up to 1,000 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to offer cities and towns special duty and emergency assistance for the preservation of life and property, preservation of order and to afford protection to persons.

State officials did not respond to inquiries seeking clarification on why Baker activated the Guard until Monday night. The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security issued a statement late Monday noting that the activation was ending.

Following coordination with municipal leaders through the weekend regarding potential large scale demonstrations, Governor Baker today authorized the Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard to end the Governors Aug. 28 activation order, an EOPSS spokesperson wrote. That activation, which made Guard personnel available in the event that municipal leaders required their assistance, will end at midnight tonight.

The Guard has assisted the state with COVID-19 testing, food deliveries and securing medical facilities during the pandemic, according to EOPSS. The state has received federal funding to cover COVID-19 missions, but Guard members activated by this order served on state active duty.

Guard members receive federal police training and training on the states police training standards, according to EOPSS.

Related Content:
The terrorist threat against Europe has mutated in the last half-decade as jihadist groups have seen their Middle East sanctuaries eroded, but analysts say the West must remain braced for more attacks.

Both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group -- together responsible for the highest-profile and most horrific terror attacks of the past two decades -- have lost potency as global organisations.

Despite splintering into branches and franchises, their murderous ideology is still able to inspire individuals to carry out random attacks in their name.

On Wednesday, 14 people go on trial in Paris over the massacres in January 2015 at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, and the murder of a policewoman and hostages in a Jewish supermarket -- violence claimed by both IS and Al-Qaeda.

The murderous shooting spree heralded an unprecedented wave of attacks in France.

The deadliest were the coordinated attacks in Paris on November 13 that year at the Bataclan music hall and other venues, when gunmen killed 130 in a plan stemming from the IS group's core leadership in Syria.

Experts believe the same style of assault would be unlikely to recur now, not least because IS has seen a dramatic loss of its territory and membership in Iraq and Syria.

This year, incidents have been more typically carried out by "isolated individuals who were not spotted by the intelligence services... and their limited or even non-existent contacts with identified jihadist networks," a source in the French anti-terror prosecutors' office told AFP.

Since 2015, France has seen 17 crimes classified as acts of terror.

Three took place in 2020, none of which were claimed by the terror groups, but were instead perpetrated by isolated individuals suffering from psychological problems.

But anti-terror prosecutors still see signs of operational coordination, including "networks of false documents and funding," the source said.

The risk of terror attacks in France remains "extremely high", Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Monday, adding that 8,132 people were on a national database of Islamist radicals seen as a security risk.

- 'Attack possible' -

Seth Jones, director of the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, said that in recent years, US and other military operations had "decimated" the IS external operations network, killing or capturing many of its key operational leaders.

Its military rout and the loss of territory IS had declared as a caliphate in Iraq and Syria have also diminished its status, and the motivation for individuals to carry out attacks in its name.

It remains possible that Al-Qaeda could carry out a major attack in Europe, Jones said, either directly or through individuals inspired by its ideology, though this was "not a high probability".

The coronavirus pandemic may have taken some focus off terrorism for security forces worldwide.

But it has also complicated the task of the jihadists, who have been active on a local level, but very cautious about operating further afield.

"In general, the short-term terrorist threat has risen in conflict zones and fallen in non-conflict zones," a UN report said in mid-July.

- 'Easier in Africa' -

German authorities said in April they had foiled a plot to target American military installations, and arrested five Tajiks suspected of acting in the name of IS.

Another source of risk comes from individuals released from jail in Europe or freed or escaped from Kurdish-controlled prisons in northern Syria where they have been held since IS was defeated.

Jean-Charles Brisard, head of the France-based Center for the Analysis of Terrorism (CAT), told AFP he did not rule out new targeted action by IS, pointing to recent attacks foiled in Europe.

"The next cycle will be that of those who are leaving jail," he said.

The CAT has established that 60 percent of prisoners in France convicted for their actions in past conflicts in Bosnia, Iraq or Afghanistan reoffended violently after their release.

A French security source, who asked not to be named, said West Africa is a particular concern after France's forces deployed in the region in June killed the head of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Abdelmalek Droukdel.

Eight people, including six young French aid workers, were killed in a suspected jihadist raid on August 9 in Niger, but no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"I find it more likely that AQIM will conduct a revenge attack against French forces or other French targets in Africa -- including North and West Africa -- than in France itself," said Jones.

"It is easier for the group to operate in Africa."
On the occasion of Ashura, Fatemiyoun have gathered in Damascus to celebrate, something which is not familiar to residents of the city writes Alsouria Net.

The al-Sayeda Zainab region in Damascus witnessed marches and latamiyat (chanting and slapping ones chest) by Iranian and Afghan fighters from Liwa Fatemiyoun on the occasion of Ashura on Sunday.

According to content from the Fatemiyoun Telegram account, fighters wandered around the streets of Sayyida Zainab, chanting in Persian.

The fighters also held up pictures of former Quds Force commander, Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq earlier this year, along with pictures of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

According to Tasnim News Agency, the representative of supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Syria, Abu al-Fadl al-Tabatabai, attended the celebration.

The celebrations and gatherings continued despite the spread of the novel coronavirus and the number of infections, which has reached 2,628 to date.

The Shiite community celebrates Ashura every year on the tenth of Muharram Hijri, and considers it the anniversary of the killing of Imam Husayn ibn Ali in the seventh century AD.

Latamiyat is considered alien to the Damascene neighborhoods, where the people were not accustomed to seeing it in the years pre-revolution. However, the advantages that the Bashar al-Assad regime provided to its allies from Iran and the Hezbollah militia in Syria went beyond the military aspect and started shedding light and encouraging religious practices.

Every year, the streets of the al-Sayeda Zainab neighborhood in the capital are painted black in commemoration of Ashura, in conjunction with an influx of Shiite delegations coming from Iran, Arab, and Islamic countries.

The area, about eight kilometers south of Damascus, is known as an Iranian province, as it is controlled by Tehran-backed militias and thousands of Shiites from Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, and other countries, who visit it on a monthly basis.

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.
The Board of Directors of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc has announced the appointment of a former director general of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Arunma Oteh, as an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company.

Also appointed alongside Ms Oteh is Xavier Rolet, a seasoned entrepreneur.

Both appointees would be joining the Seplat Board with effect from October 1, a disclosure notice by the energy company said Tuesday.

The disclosure, made to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, was signed by Edith Onwuchekwa, the company secretary and chief governance compliance officer.

Controversial reign at SEC

Ms Oteh, the new appointee, was enmeshed in series of controversies when she acted as SEC DG under the administration of former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan.

At the height of the crisis in 2012, she had a public spat with Herman Hembe, then chairman of the House committee on capital market, during the committees public hearing investigating the crash of the Nigerian capital market.

On the second day of the hearing, Mr. Hembe accused Ms. Oteh of expending N30 million on hotel bills in eight months following her appointment in January 2010.

He also accused her of spending N850,000 on food in Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. He said Ms. Oteh, who currently serves as a Vice President of the World Bank, hired two staff of Access Bank, Charles Ugheli and Titi Olubiyi, to work as advisers to SEC, while they retained their position with the bank.

Ms. Oteh fired back saying Hembe lacks credibility. For instance, he collected estacode and other travel allowances from the Securities and Exchange Commission to travel to the Dominican Republic on a capacity enhancement conference for capital market regulators. He did not go neither did he return the money collected.

She added that he also asked the commission to contribute N39 million towards the ongoing charade of a public hearing and demanded another N5 million cash on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. He made both demands by proxy. So, I doubt it if I can have fair hearing from this committee and this fact has been more than demonstrated with the way you are handling this important issue.

Ms Oteh however left the office under controversial circumstances.

Profile

In its disclosure Tuesday, Seplat said that Ms. Oteh is a seasoned C-suite executive with several years of experience operating at the highest levels at major multilateral agencies, global financial institutions and in Government.

She has been an academic scholar at University of Oxford since January 2019 and a member of the London Stock Exchange Africa Advisory Group since January 2020. Ms. Oteh served as Treasurer and Vice President of the World Bank from 2015 to 2018.

As Treasurer, she led a global team that managed the World Banks $200 billion debt portfolio as well as an asset portfolio of $200 billion for the World Bank Group and several public sector clients including 65 central banks. She was responsible for a $600 billion derivatives portfolio used for hedging and risk management purposes. She had oversight over a treasury operation with an annual cash flow of $7 trillion and led an extensive public sector financial advisory business, pioneering a number of innovative solutions such as the worlds first ever pandemic bond in 2017 and blockchain public bond in 2018. Ms. Oteh was the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria from 2010 to 2015.

As Director General of Nigerias apex capital market regulator, she was responsible for the regulation of Nigerias capital markets, including the Nigerian Stock Exchange and led the rebuilding of the capital markets after the global financial crisis. She also served on Nigerias Economic Management team, chaired by the Nigerian President. Previous to SEC Nigeria, she worked at the Africa Development Bank for 17 years in a variety of roles including Group Vice President, Corporate Services (2006 to 2009) and Group Treasurer (2001 to 2006). Her career started in 1985 at Centre Point Investments Limited, a Nigerian investment bank

The disclosure added that Ms. Oteh has also served on several Boards, notably, the International Organization of Securities Commissions(2010 to 2015) which regulates 95% of the worlds securities markets.

She obtained a first class honours degree in Computer Science, from University of Nigeria Nsukka in 1984 and a Masters degree in Business Administration, from Harvard Business School in 1990. She has received several recognitions, notably, the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) National Honour for her contribution to the economic development of Nigeria and role in transforming the Nigerian capital markets.

She was also named the 2014 Ai Capital Market Personality of the Year, and among New Africans 100 Most Influential Africans of 2015. In 2018, she was honoured as the Ai Global Institutional Investment Personality of the Year, and in 2020, was named both the top 100 people in the UK of African heritage, by Power list and Africa top 50 women by Forbes.

On his part, Seplat said, Mr. Rolet is an experienced entrepreneur, named as one of the 100 Best CEOs in the World in the 2017 Harvard Business Review.

In his decade at the helm of the London Stock Exchange, the LSEs market valuation rose from 800m to more than 15bn, transforming it into one of the worlds largest exchanges by market capitalization. He is currently the Chairman, Board of Directors at Phosagro PJSC, a member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Stock Exchange Tadawul as an appointee of the Public Investment Fund, and an Expert Adviser to the Shanghai Institute of Finance for the Real Economy, the firm said.

Commenting on the appointments, Bryant Orjiako, Chairman of SEPLAT, said the Board of SEPLAT is delighted to be joined by two such distinguished international business leaders, adding that both appointees bring extensive expertise in the fields of regulation, capital markets and business governance to the Board.
Pittsfield School Committee Adopts Face Mask Policy

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The School Committee has adopted a new face mask policy

At the end of a long meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 26, the committee accepted a "use of face mask" policy that would guide mask use during the upcoming school year.

"We need to get this policy on the books because there are staff members starting to come into the buildings," Chairwoman Katherine Yon said.

Pittsfield Public Schools staff were starting to return to school Monday. The majority of students will start the school year remotely on Sept.15 with only some kids allowed in the building. As the year goes on and heath data shows that it is safe to do so, more students will return in a staggered fashion.

The district opted to adopt a hybrid a.m./p.m. education model so once students return to school, they will be split into two cohorts. One cohort will be in the buildings in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

Deputy Superintendent Joseph Curtis said the policy is a mixture of Massachusetts Association of School Committees recommendations and input from the district legal counsel. He said the policy subcommittee unanimously recommended it.

The policy requires all students and all staff to wear masks. Curtis said some districts have elected to not mandate that their younger students wear masks.

This is not the case in Pittsfield.

"We felt through a discussion among ourselves and through negotiations that masks for all would be best," he said.

Curtis added that the policy specified that masks must be "manufactured." Students or staff cannot use single-layered neck gators or other improvised masks.

"It is not suited to ensure the health and safety of those around the person, and you have seen many makeshift covers so we wanted to ensure the masks were multilayered," he said. "It can't be a single piece of fabric manipulated in a way to have the appearance of multiple layers of fabric."

Reusable masks must be made out of multiple layers of fabric and must be washed regularly. If they lose their shape or are somehow compromised they no longer can be used, Curtis said.

Also, Curtis said they copied a few lines directly from the dress code policy to ensure that masks do not have vulgar, racist, sexist, or offensive words, logos, or pictures on them.

The School Committee first voted to waive its own policy that would require that the new mask policy goes through a second reading. The policy needed to be expedited because school was scheduled to begin.
Sophia Antipolis, France - 31 Aug 2020: Blood pressure medication can prevent heart attacks and strokes - even in people with normal blood pressure. That's the finding of late breaking research presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2020.1

"Greater drops in blood pressure with medication lead to greater reductions in the risk of heart attacks and strokes," said principal investigator Professor Kazem Rahimi of the University of Oxford, UK. "This holds true regardless of the starting blood pressure level, in people who previously had a heart attack or stroke, and in people who have never had heart disease."

"The fact that the relative effects are similar for everyone does not mean that everyone should be treated," he added. "This decision will depend on an individual's likelihood of suffering cardiovascular disease in the future - there are a number of risk calculators health professionals can use. Other factors to consider are the potential for side effects and the cost of treatment."

There has been controversy about whether pharmacological blood pressure lowering is equally beneficial in people with versus without a prior heart attack or stroke, and when blood pressure is below the threshold for hypertension (typically 140/90 mmHg). Evidence from previous studies has been inconclusive, leading to contradictory treatment recommendations around the world.

This was the largest - and most detailed - study ever conducted to examine these questions. The researchers combined data on individuals who had participated in a randomised clinical trial and conducted a meta-analysis. The study included 348,854 participants from 48 trials.

Participants were divided into two groups: those with a prior diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and those without. Each group was divided into seven subgroups based on systolic blood pressure at study entry (less than 120, 120-129, 130-139, 140-149, 150-159, 160-169, 170 and above mmHg).

Over an average four years of follow-up, each 5 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure lowered the relative risk of major cardiovascular events by about 10%. The risks for stroke, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure and death from cardiovascular disease were reduced by 13%, 7% and 14% and 5%, respectively.

Neither the presence of cardiovascular disease nor the level of blood pressure at study entry modified the effect of treatment.

Professor Rahimi said: "The decision to prescribe blood pressure medication should not be based simply on a prior diagnosis of cardiovascular disease or an individual's current blood pressure. Rather, blood pressure medication should be viewed as an effective tool for reducing cardiovascular risk when an individual's probability of having a heart attack or stroke is elevated."

###

Notes to editors

Authors: ESC Press Office

Mobile: +33 (0)7 85 31 20 36

Email: press@escardio.org

The hashtag for ESC Congress 2020 is #ESCCongress.

Follow us on Twitter @ESCardioNews

Funding: British Heart Foundation, NIHR Oxford BRC, Oxford Martin School, UKRI.

Disclosures: None.

References and notes

1Abstract title: Pharmacological blood pressure-lowering for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease across different levels of blood pressure: an individual participant meta-analysis of 48 randomized clinical trials and 348,854 participants.

The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives.

ESC Congress is the world's largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals contributing to global awareness of the latest clinical trials and breakthrough discoveries. ESC Congress 2020 takes place online from 29 August to 1 September. More information is available from the ESC Press Office at press@escardio.org.
Illustrator Liz Montague sketches today's Google doodle that honors Black female cartoonist Jackie Ormes. (Patrick Thompson)

So who is that captivating woman on Google's landing page today?

Meet cartoonist Jackie Ormes, brought to life posthumously by fellow illustrator Liz Montague through Google's daily doodle. On this day in 1945, Ormes debuted the Patty-Jo n Ginger cartoon in the Pittsburgh Courier, an African American weekly newspaper.

"Ormes was known for her satirical and stylish cartoons and comic strips that challenged the derogatory portrayals of Black female characters prevalent in the media," Google wrote.

Ormes was the first African American woman cartoonist to create widely distributed comic strips. (More than 50 years later, Barbara Brandon-Croft would become the first Black woman to write and draw a syndicated daily strip for mainstream papers.)

Ormes' first comic strip, "Torchy Brown in Dixie to Harlem," starred a Mississippi teen who sang and danced her way to stardom in New York City's Cotton Club nightclub.

Of Torchy's independence, Ormes said, "I have never liked dreamy little women who can't hold their own," in one of her last interviews, according to the New York Amsterdam News.

When the search engine came to Montague about the project, her first reaction was feeling honored, she told Google. Then, she felt intimidated. She wanted to do Ormes justice.

Cartoonist Jackie Ormes (Google / Gayle Ormes Hawthorne)





"She made such honest, fearless work and centered it entirely around Black women," Montague told Google. "It's harder than you would think: to make characters that look like you, when you look so different from most people in that space, so to do the work she did in mid-20th century America is mind-boggling."

That work blazed trails and shattered glass ceilings. Patty-Jo of Patty-Jo n Ginger fame eventually became one of the first high-quality American Black dolls. Even as a precocious 6-year-old, the character tackled crucial topics, like her 1955 commentary on the lynching of Emmett Till.

"Ormess heroines faced real-life issues like romantic heartbreak, environmental justice, and gender inequality, mirroring the issues Ormes encountered in her own life and those around her," Google wrote. "Her characters were all independent women  confident, intelligent, attractive, and brave, who persevered against adversity to reach their next adventure."
Royal decree refers Prince Fahd, his son and four military officers to the anti-graft watchdog for investigation.

Saudi Arabias King Salman has sacked two royals over corruption allegations and referred them to the anti-graft watchdog for an investigation, according to state media.

In a royal decree issued early on Tuesday, King Salman removed Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as commander of joint forces in the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, and relieved his son Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd of his post as deputy governor of al-Jouf region.

The decision was based on a missive from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to Nazaha, the anti-corruption committee, to investigate suspicious financial transactions at the defence ministry.

Four other military officers were also placed under investigation.

The announcement marks the latest government crackdown on what officials say is endemic corruption in the kingdom.

MBS, after becoming heir to the throne in 2017 in a palace coup, launched an anti-corruption campaign that saw scores of royals, ministers and businessmen detained in Riyadhs Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Most were released after reaching undisclosed settlements with the state.

While the crown prince has made fighting corruption a pillar of his reforms, critics say he is moving to sideline rivals to his eventual succession to the throne, take control of the countrys security apparatus and crack down on dissent.





Authorities wound down the Ritz campaign after 15 months but said the government would continue to go after graft by state employees.

In March, authorities arrested nearly 300 government officials, including military and security officers, on charges involving bribery and exploiting public office. Human Rights Watch voiced alarm over the arrests, warning of possible unfair legal proceedings in an opaque judicial system.

The crackdown coincided with the arrest of Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a brother of King Salman, and the monarchs nephew Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was previously crown prince.

Family members of Saad al-Jabri, a former top intelligence agent and aide to bin Nayef, have also been swept up in the campaign. Al-Jabri, who lives in exile in Canada, recently filed a lawsuit in the United States accusing MBS of sending a hit squad in 2018 to assassinate him.

Prince Fahd, the royal sacked on Tuesday, was commander of the Royal Saudi Ground Forces, paratroopers units and special forces before he became commander of joint forces in the coalition, according to Saudi daily Arab News.

His father was a former deputy minister of defence.

The kings decree said the crown prince designated Lieutenant General Mutlaq bin Salim bin Mutlaq al-Azima to replace Prince Fahd.

The coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement that ousted the Saudi-backed government from power in Sanaa. The conflict, seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been in military stalemate for years.
Nigeria: Fulani kidnap 14-y-o girl, 3 others after failed raid on pastors house Immediately, l and my family started praying for divine intervention from God Almighty

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Suspected Muslim Fulani herdsmen abducted a 14-year-old girl and three others after they failed to break into a pastor's house.

The suspected kidnappers first came to my house at exactly 11:57 p.m. (Thursday) and they called, spoke in Fulani and Hausa language that l should open the door for them. Immediately, l and my family started praying for divine intervention from God Almighty, the Rev. Elisha Abu Dreams, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State, told Daily Post.

Dreams said he and his family continued to pray and they refused the attackers' demands that they open the gate of their house in Mararaba Rido in Chikun local government area.

They tried using a hammer to break the entrance to the house but could not succeed. While they were making efforts to have their way into the house, we were still praying to God for help, he said.

The suspected Fulani herdsmen then shot at the door with an automatic gun but still couldnt break open the gate. I called on the police to inform them of what we were going through and for their immediate assistance. Before the police personnel could come to the house, they left without gaining entrance to the house, Dreams said.

The suspects then barged into other houses in the neighboring village and abducted a 14-year-old girl, a police officer who was unwell, a civil defense officer and a security man.

This attack on another pastor in Kaduna state does show that there are groups still in the state that wish to harm the church and its leaders, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern commented.

Many pastors, churches and Christian villages have been attacked in past years in Southern Kaduna. Despite this, the governor of Kaduna state, El-Rufai has never attempted to protect these people, and has on many occasions blamed them for the attacks, stating that they had attacked Muslims or Fulani first, ICC added.

Fulani herders routinely attack predominantly Christian farming communities in Nigerias Middle Belt. While some believe the nomadic herders launch attacks as they look for grazing pastures, the radicals are known for similarly targeting Christian villages as the Boko Haram terrorist group that terrorizes the northern regions of the country.

A Nigerian civil society group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, estimates that 1,202 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in the first six months of 2020 by jihadists, radicalized herdsmen and others.

According to the report, the majority of the estimated 1,202 Christian death toll comes mostly from 812 killings committed by members of the Muslim Fulani herding community. Additionally, 390 Christian deaths were attributed to killings committed by radical Islamic groups in the northeast, like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, in addition to other perpetrators such as armed bandits.
JEE (Main)

New Delhi: The National Testing Agency is set to conduct Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main for the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and other engineering colleges from today.

In a video message, Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Monday appealed to the chief ministers of all states to cooperate in smooth conduct of the exams and also provide transport facility to the candidates to be appearing for the entrance test.

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Ramesh Pokhriyal

I hope they will extend their support, he said. Pokhriyal said that the JEE Main is being conducted keeping students future in mind.

Almost all the students have downloaded their admit cards. They are excited to take their exams, he added.

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In a separate video message, the education minister appealed to the students to follow the Covid-19 safety guidelines issued by the Union government.

I have personally spoken to several chief ministers and appealed with regard to the conduct of the exams. They have given assurance of their cooperation and support. Take your exams confidently," he said.

JEE-MainThe government goes ahead with its decision to conduct the JEE-main exams in various shifts from September 1 to September 6, even as a petition filed by six Opposition-ruled states continues seeking review of the Supreme Courts order in favour of holding the exams continues to remain pending with the apex court.

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According to sources in the NTA, over 7.77 lakh students have downloaded their admit cards to take the exams. A total of 8.58 lakh students had registered for the entrance test.

Various groups of students had been demanding postponement of the JEE-Main in view of the Covid-19 situation in the country.

According to NTA officials, before the start of each exam shift and after the last shift ends, all seats will be thoroughly sanitised and the work stations and keyboards will be disinfected.

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JEE (Main) "Hand sanitisers will be available at the entrance of the examination centre and inside the exam hall at all times. The usual process of checking the admit cards of candidates will be replaced with barcode readers, which have been made available to the examination centre authorities," an official said.

According to the NTA, the candidates will have to clear thermal scans before entering the exam halls. The entrance to the exam centre will be staggered and there will be isolation rooms for candidates whose body temperature is above a prescribed limit.

"While all the candidates will be asked to go to the exam centres with masks and sanitisers, once they enter the centre, they will have to use the masks provided by the examination authority. Each candidate will be offered a 3-ply mask at the time of entry and expected to wear the same during the examination in order to avoid any form of unfair means at the time of examination," the official said.
Mrs. Cynthia Morrison, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, says the government is totally committed to the welfare and rights of children.



She said the government was ensuring that children's rights were prioritized in all spheres of national development.



Mrs. Morrison made the assurance Monday at a stakeholders forum to commemorate the 2020 National Childrens Day celebration in Accra.



It was on the theme: 5 Years of Implementing the Child and Family Welfare Policy (CFWP); the Achievements, Challenges and the way forward



Mrs. Morrison noted that child protection was multifaceted thus, Ghana with support from development partners, was piloting an integrated Social Services Programme in 60 districts.



This, she noted, would assist children, families, vulnerable adults to consolidate the relevant health, education, justice systems, all social protection programmes as well as the Inter-Sectoral Standard Operation Procedure (ISSOP).



There is an ongoing process to our Childrens Act, the Juvenile Justice Act to address current child protection issues faced in the country among other legislations as far as child protection is concerned.



The Minister said in addition to the various interventions underway, the capacity of institutions such as Social Development offices, Department of Social Welfare, Department of Community Development had been built for effective policy implementation.



Despite these successes, there were still challenges of incomplete decentralization of departments responsible for the protection of children, payment of medical examination by victims of abuse, lack of acceptance of child rights issues in communities, and lack of enforcement of laws protecting children towards the implementation of the policy.



The Country Director of World Vision in a statement read on his behalf assured government of continues support and called for the repositioning of the various departments as well as the review the CFWP for the needed attention.



Mr Solomon Tesfamariam, Country Director, Plan International, noted the importance of childrens protection in society and pledged support to their welfare.



He noted that for this reason, Plan had approved a number of strategies for the partnership to engage children in different fora to avoid further abuse.



Mr Fiachra McAsey, UNICEF Deputy Country Representative, commended the Ministry for celebrating children and also pledged support to the fight against child marriage.

Source: GNA









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New Delhi, Sep 1 : Ed-tech company Great Learning on Tuesday announced a collaboration with Northwestern University School of Professional Studies in the US to launch online 'Master of Science in Data Science Programme' in India.

The fully online, 18-months-long Master's programme offers an opportunity to earn a world-class master's degree from a global top-30 ranked university for graduates and working professionals in the country.

According to the company, the course will help learners who aspire to build their careers in data science with a comprehensive curriculum, a guided learning journey, and exceptional learning support.

The programme will prepare learners for some of the most sought-after roles in the industry today like data analyst, data scientist, machine learning (ML) engineer as well as leadership roles in the data science domain.

"This globally well-recognised degree will create a fantastic career launchpad for our learners. Those looking to build a global career must definitely consider the program," Mohan Lakhamraju, Founder & CEO, Great Learning, said in a statement.

The programme provides a robust blend of online live and video-based learning, personalised mentorship sessions, and a series of structured projects.

The curriculum will help learners gain an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of data science and machine learning techniques such as mathematics & statistics, programming languages like R & Python as well as topics like machine learning, time series analysis and computer vision among others.

"Our collaboration with Great Learning supports Northwestern's goal to forge global alliances which provide access to our academic programs for new international audiences," said Thomas F Gibbons, Dean, Northwestern University.

The programme will strengthen their core analytical skills to derive actionable insights from the data and come up with robust analytical solutions to business problems.
NEW HAVEN  Through a series of partnerships, gifts and strategic spending, school and city officials are promising an electronic device for every student and internet access for students homes.

On Tuesday, two days before the district begins the school year for all but pre-kindergarten, officials announced that the roughly 21,000 students in the district will have a laptop or other device to start the year off right.

The dream has been fulfilled, said Superintendent of Schools Iline Tracey.

After schools closed abruptly in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, New Haven officials struggled to get all of the districts students to access their classes  which were transferred online. At the time, the district had about 5,000 fewer laptops to disburse than students. About 10 percent of students  roughly 2,000  were completely disconnected from learning in New Haven. Recently, the state reported only about 30 percent of New Haven students were regularly engaged in learning, attending all their classes and completing all their assignments.

Dr. Tracey and her team are working very, very hard to make sure every child has access to a device, said Mayor Justin Elicker.

Although Elicker and Tracey both have expressed their preference to see students receive some in-person instruction should families so choose  the proposed model would place students into two cohorts that alternate days in buildings with teachers and has been dubbed the hybrid model  a majority of the Board of Education voted that the first 10 weeks of school be conducted entirely online. Even under the hybrid model, though, students would require a laptop to complete their instruction during days when they are not in school.

The more than 21,000 laptops were procured through donations from the since-disbanded, Dalio Foundation-backed Partnership for Connecticut; Yale University; the state Department of Education; and some private donors.

Tracey said some surplus devices will be kept by the school district to accommodate things such as damaged or broken devices.

Technology has always been a part of our learning; now its going to be a much more regular part of that, said Assistant Superintendent Paul Whyte.

The district also has received assistance in spreading internet access to the school community. District officials have installed a mesh network of internet routers to schools in high-need areas and plan on installing routers to 13 buildings total by the end of the month.

The state is funding 10,000 Comcast basic internet accounts and 3,000 Kajeet SmartSpot hotspot devices for public school families in case of connectivity issues.

As Elicker, Tracey and other officials spoke with the press in front of Career High School, some high school students arrived to collect the laptops they will be using this year.

Rising junior Joshuwa Papalotzi said he didnt find instruction in the spring, during the emergency transition to online learning, to be fulfilling.

Its better when theres a teacher there to explain things, he said. It was kind of frustrating.

Tracey said schools are responsible for contacting families about picking up their laptops, which they have been doing through the ParentLink program. She said the process can be difficult, though, because there may be outdated information entered into that program.

We rely on the phone numbers in our PowerSchool network, so some parents may not have the right phone numbers because the phone numbers keep changing. Thats one of the challenges we have, she said.

Nijija-Ife Waters, president of the Citywide Parent Team, has been critical of the districts communication.

The district leaders communication to parents has been awful with school being a couple days away and it does seem like some schools are more effective than others (with communication) which is not cool, she said in a text message. There should have been an evening time pick up for devices for the working parents.

Elicker said city officials know there will be difficulties having everything run perfectly smoothly.

I think its not going to happen in an instant, he said.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
CluePoints S.A., a provider of Risk-Based Study Execution (RBx) and Data Quality Oversight software for clinical trials, today announced a minority investment from Summit Partners, a global growth equity investor with $21 billion in assets under management. Summit will support the company's continued growth and global expansion to meet accelerating customer demand worldwide.

CluePoints is a pioneer and established leader in Risk-Based Quality Management ("RBQM"), offering solutions designed to provide pharmaceutical companies and CROs a better way of identifying, visualizing, managing and documenting risks that may impact the outcome of clinical trials. Using patented statistical models to determine the quality, accuracy and integrity of clinical trial data, CluePoints' cloud-based solutions helps sponsors to remotely monitor clinical and operational data in real-time to increase efficiency, improve patient safety and reduce costs. Since the company's founding in 2012, CluePoints' solutions have been used in over 600 clinical trials by many of the top pharmaceutical companies and CROs around the world.

"CluePoints has seen strong growth in recent years as sponsors and CROs across the pharmaceutical industry are embracing RBQM solutions to enable a safer, more efficient and more reliable form of monitoring clinical risk a market need that has been further accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis," said Francois Torche, co-founder and CEO of CluePoints. "Summit has an impressive history of partnering with founders of growth companies and has helped scale many global healthcare, life sciences and software businesses. We believe this experience, in combination with Summit's deep operational resources, will help CluePoints build on our significant momentum as we continue to expand our international presence and drive product innovation to improve the clinical trial process worldwide."

Patrick Hughes, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of CluePoints, added, "Summit shares our view that RBQM can be a catalyst for long-overdue change in the clinical technology sector. We believe the industry is at an inflexion point and expect to see continued, rapid adoption of these solutions. Together, Summit and CluePoints will work together to invest in both products and people with a vision to build on the company's market leadership position. We are excited about the opportunity this collaboration offers the customers and partners of CluePoints."

As industry regulators, including the FDA and EMA, have pushed the pharmaceutical industry to adopt RBQM strategies to more effectively monitor clinical trial risk, CluePoints has firmly established itself as a market leader in this rapidly evolving sector. The company's solutions are designed to address these requirements to ensure regulatory compliance and to de-risk regulatory submissions. CluePoints' cloud-based products are deployed to support or replace traditional onsite monitoring to drive a Risk-Based Approach to Study Execution (RBx) and ultimately to achieve ICH E6 (R2) compliance.

"We believe CluePoints offers one of the most intuitive, scalable and statistically powerful RBQM solutions available globally to sponsors and CROs," said Thomas Tarnowski, a Managing Director at Summit Partners, who has joined the CluePoints Board of Directors. "CluePoints' software seeks to address what we see as a critical need for risk-reduction, improved patient safety and quality oversight solutions across the pharmaceutical industry. We are thrilled to partner with co-founders Francois Torche and Patrick Hughes and the entire CluePoints team in this next phase of growth."

About CluePoints

CluePoints is the premier provider of Risk-Based Study Execution (RBx) and Data Quality Oversight Software. Our products utilize comprehensive statistical algorithms to determine the quality, accuracy, and integrity of clinical trial data both during and after study conduct. Aligned with guidance from the FDA, EMA, and ICH E6 (R2), CluePoints is deployed to support central and on-site monitoring, medical review, quality risk management and to drive a holistic Risk-Based strategy in all trials. Coupled with thought leadership and consulting expertise to aid pre-study risk assessment, identification of risk controls and solution implementation you now have everything you need to adhere with global regulatory guidance. The result is increased operational efficiency, lower costs and reduced regulatory submission risk as part of the industry paradigm shift to RBx. For more information, please visit www.cluepoints.com.

About Summit Partners

Founded in 1984, Summit Partners is a global alternative investment firm that is currently managing more than $21 billion in capital dedicated to growth equity, fixed income and public equity opportunities. Summit invests across growth sectors of the economy and has invested in more than 500 companies in healthcare, technology and other growth industries. Summit maintains offices in North America and Europe and invests in companies around the world. For more information, please see www.summitpartners.com or follow on LinkedIn.

In the United States of America, Summit Partners operates as an SEC-registered investment advisor. In the United Kingdom, this document is issued by Summit Partners LLP, a firm authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Summit Partners LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC388179 and its registered office is at 11-12 Hanover Square, London, W1S 1JJ, UK. This document is intended solely to provide information regarding Summit Partners' potential financing capabilities for prospective portfolio companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005375/en/

Contacts:

Patrick Hughes

Patrick.Hughes@CluePoints.com



Meg Devine

mdevine@summitpartners.com
The National Institutes of Health and the companies working on stage-three vaccine trials must urgently recruit Black, Latino, Native American and Asian Pacific Islander participants, using strategies endorsed and supported by the communities they are targeting. Pharmaceutical companies must not be allowed to hide data by lumping racial and ethnic groups together: Disaggregated data on enrollments by age, gender, race and ethnicity should regularly be made available to Congress and the public before the trials begin. And vaccines should only be made available to the public if they have been proved effective for everyone, in trials that represent the true diversity of our nation.
At least two people have been killed and seven injured in a series of Israeli missile strikes south of the Syrian capital of Damascus, the nations state media has reported.

Missile defence systems were activated shortly before 11pm local time (8pm GMT), with Syrias state TV saying the incoming missiles were fired from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights region.

Most of the munitions are reported to have been intercepted before they could make impact, according to an unnamed military source cited by Syrian media.

The target of the missiles is believed to have been Syrian military posts, with those killed and injured all reported to be soldiers.

While Israel rarely comments on such military engagement, the nation has been accused by Syria of carrying out at least eight air raids within its borders over the last three months alone.

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

In particular Israel is believed to have carried out several strikes on key positions held by the Iranian military.

While Iran serves as an ally of Syria in its ongoing civil war, Tehrans involvement is seen as a threat by Israel  where officials have vowed to prevent any permanent build-up of forces.

In recent months, Israeli officials have also expressed concern that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese militant group that operates in Syria, is trying to establish facilities to produce precision-guided missiles. Tensions have also risen along the Israel-Lebanon border.

During last months strikes on Syria, a Hezbollah member was killed and the Lebanese militant group vowed to retaliate against Israel. On Sunday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to kill Israeli soldiers whenever Israel kills Hezbollah fighters in Syria.

Additional reporting by agencies
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.1

By Zeyni Jafarov - Trend:

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) held a foreign exchange auction with the participation of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), Trend reports on Sept.1 citing CBA.

According to CBA, demand from the banks at the auction made up $63.7 million and was fully provided, however, with decrease by 1.7 percent or by $1.1 million compared to the previous auction held on Aug.27.

The CBA began to hold foreign exchange auctions through unilateral sale of foreign currency in competitive conditions since mid-January 2017.

In March 2020, it was decided to hold extraordinary foreign exchange auctions in connection with the increased demand of the population for foreign currency amid the failed OPEC+ deal, which entailed a sharp decline in oil prices.

(1 USD = 1.7 AZN on Sept.1)
Written by ACM

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Replying to an "Eurofora" Question at a Press Conference, the New Strasbourg City's Head of Health and Environment service, Dr. Alexander Feltz, stressed that the 1st InComing Large-Public Collective Mega-Event of the 88th "Euro-Fair", usually attracting Tens of Thousands of People, and scheduled for 4 to 14 September 2020, would be a real-life "Test" for EU Parlament's 1st Full Plenary Session in Strasbourg, since the Virus' Crisis, due immediately Afterwards, between 14 and 17 September, Despite a Europe-Wide recent ReBouncing of Infections towards the End of this Summer 2020, amidst a "Bumpy" DeConfinement (See, f.ex.: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/hastydecofinementflop.html, etc), right at the Eve of this Year's Risky Entry of Classes at the Beginning of Autumn.

While France Reached Today +6.711 New Cases of Infections, (Approaching the Level of March), Nevertheless, the New Mayor of Strasbourg, "Green" Franco-Armenian Jeanne Barsheghian, hershelf a Succesful recent Survivant of the Virus, from which she had Just Recovered Before Winning, fespite a Hard Political Competition, at the June 2020 Municipal Elections, recently Stressed that, "Instead of Opposing" various Apparently Conflicting Issues, on the Contrary, she Prefers to Decisively Address them, Taken All Together, Finding a Way to Both Solve, f.ex., "Economic Development", and "Public Health", as well as "Environment Protection" Imperatifs, in Real Practice, almost at the Same Time, (Comp. various other Topical Replies by Barsheghian to "Eurofora"s Questions, at: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/strasbourgvotesarmeniangreenmayor.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/greencandidatemayorokseuroforaproject.html , etc).

- Thus, f.ex., inter alia, Dr. Feltz, after Expressing a Wish for Strasbourg to Become, in the foreseable Future, Able to "ReCycle (Protective) Masks", as he Initially said at the Press Conference, appeared Eager to Urge to "Bring that also Here", Later-on, at a brief Bilateral Encounter, "Thanking" "Eurofora" for having Informed him that, Already, at least an Inventor at USA's Ohio, has reportedly Found Recently a Way to Safely Wash about 30 Times a Piece, even the Best Protective Gear of "N95" (Equivalent to French "FPP2") Filter Masks, making them quite Resilient, thanks to a Special Machine, Instead of People having to Throw Each one Away, after Only 1 Day, or Even some Hours' Use...

Meanwhile, EU Parliament's superb, Impessive Building in Strasbourg, including a Tower in the Middle of a Rivers' Crossroads, near Green Areas with Beautiful Family Homes and Traditional Gardens, Facing Brand-New High-Rise Modern Buildings, had been Used, During the "Peak" of the Deadly Virus' Crisis, as a HeadQuarters for the French "Great East" Region's Sanitary Services ("ARS"), Mainly for Massive Diagnostic Tests Helping to Fight the Virus, (as, in Brussels, its Restaurants and Taxi-Drivers had reportedly been Offered, by the President of EU Parliament, Italian MEP David Sassoli, in order to Prepare and Dispatch Food for Poor People, Hardly Hit by the Pandemic in the Middle of Europe).

After having, Suddenly, Faced an abrupt Lock-Down, Cancelling all its Full Plenary Sessions, (Traditionaly taking place Each Month in Strasbourg), since March 2020, EU Parliament Strived to Work in Brussels, Initially through Various, more or less Brief, "Video-Conferences", Before being Obliged to Hazard a Make-Shift But Restricted "Plenary" Session there on July, at the Eve of an Exceptionally Crucial EU Heads of State/Government Brussels' Summit for the Creation of a European ReVival Fund, (See relevant "Eurofora"s NewsReports, f.ex. at : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/euhardbutbigdealneedsmore.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/euuturnforlongerbalanceddeal.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/eurevivalsummitneedseuropeanvision.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/merkel5pointsforeurevival.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/nonorchestrateddialoguewitheucitizens.html, etc), Finally re-Scheduling a Possibly Fully-Fledged Big Plenary Session anew in Strasbourg for the Middle of September 2020.

Germany Recently Issued a Travel Warning on Brussels' area, But Not yet Strasbourg's area, (Even if Paris and Marseille's French areas were Also Targetted), which means that Returnees have to pass a Health Check, or face Quarantine.

Euro-Fair and EU Parliament's September 2020 Dates in Strasbourg interlap Only on Monday 14, Sharing Mostly the Same Public Transport Network, Except from MEPs' exclusive Taxis and Staff's Special Bus.

- "Currently, we are in a Mode of Risk Reduction", and "Since the Virus is Staying, we have to Learn how to Live With it", Stressed from the outset Dr. Feltz, who is a Professional Medical Doctor himself. In this regard, "in order to Be Healthy, there are Many things to Invent", "in Practical terms of our Sanitary Policy", he urged.

- Inter alia, f.ex., this Euro-Fair 2020, in Addition to "Compulsory Protective Face Masks", available "Desinfectants", and "Social Distancing" precepts, "DesInfections After each Manipulation" at the Stands, "Boosted Ventilation", as well as a Considerable "Reinforcement of Sanitary Help Teams", it will also "completely De-Materialize Payments" (including with "E-Tickets") and "Even Press Badges" (Downloaded), etc., using "a Digital App. [for all Digitalisation Measures See: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/2eurofairsphysicaldigital.html] for the Map and List" of Compagnies which are present and their Products, the "Time-table" of various Cultural Events, etc, Regular "Informations" about "Measures Protecting from the Virus", including "Proposals of Health Checks", (but "Not Compulsory"), while "Everybody will Give his Personal Coordinates" so that he/she "can be Contacted, if necessary, at any time" during his/her Stay. It will constantly "Count the Number of Visitors who Enter or Leave", in order "to Ensure that a Maximum Level of 5.000 at the Same Time has Not been Reached" inside a well "Protected Area", will let Visitors "Pass through a special Portal of DesInfection by Ionisation" (a Local Company's "Innovation", reportedly Checked as Safe), in order to help ensure that things are "Clean", will Organize the "Flows" of Visitors and their main "Pathways" in an "One Way Mode", and "Separating Entries from Departures", to "Prevent Bottlenecks" with a Smooth Transition, will make "Special Arrangements" for an "Obligatory Road-Map" and "Enough Space" for Distancing in Each Compartment of the Exhibitions, while a Wider Guarded "Protected Zone" is (already) Exceptionaly established "Around" the Event's area, (etc.).,.

- Indeed, as the CEO of "Strasbourg-Events" Administration, (responsible for Mega-Gatherings at the City's premisses Near EU Parliament, at the ReNovated "Congress and Music Palace" /"PMC", as well as for the "PE 3" New, ForthComing, Huge Excibition Hall), Miss Albane Pillaire, replied to a Relevant "Eurofora"s Question, Currently, Most Fairs are Still Prohibited because of the Virus, (Both in France and Most EU Countries), Unless they Receive a special "Derogation", Based on "Solid Measures of Public Health Protection", as in this case.

=> In Consequence, as the Present 88th Strasbourg's"Euro-Fair" seems to be a "Pioneer" and, perhaps, a kind of "Symbol", towards a possible Resumption of Collective Activities, in a Safe Way, (Both InDoor and OutDoor) in France and the rest of Europe, Since Last Autumn 2020's General "Lock-Down", "Eurofora" Asked Feltz whether it could be, concretely, a Useful "Test" in view of the Forthcoming 1st EU Parliament's Full Plenary Session in Strasbourg Since the Virus' Crisis (Comp. Supra), and, by the way, How the Preparations, of Also that Subsequent and Obviously very Important European Event, are going, until now.

- Strasbourg City's Public Health Chief, Replying to "Eurofora"s Question, agreed, in principle, that "Certainly", this 2020 Euro-Fair "Will be, partly, a Test for ForthComing Events, as those of EU Parliament, But Also various Other Collective Events currently Planned", as he Added. ("Strasbourg-Events"' CEO, Pillaire, f.ex. told, Later, "Eurofora", that she is Expecting to Host, during the Next Few Months, Also, f.ex., an Annual Mega-Event on "Contemporary Art", a "Salon" for Collector's items in Cars/Motos, as well as "an International Competition on Wines", (But with a "Lesser Public") etc, inter alia.

- However, Feltz kindly but Carefully Declined, at This Moment, to "Advance" in concrete "Predictions" about EU Parliament's forthcoming Plenary, Diplomaticaly Observing that "it Depends, Also, on MEPs' own Wishes", "Because we are Living in a Democracy", and, in general, "We (the Public Authorities of Strasbourg City) are mainly Accompagnying, Preventing, Co-Organizing, Supervising, and Helping such important Events to take place" here, since relevant Key Activities "Must Continue to be Able to Work properly", as he Vowed.

+ At any case, "What we will do Now here, (with this Exceptional "Euro-Fair"), Will be, immediately Afterwards, Evaluated, in order to Reach practically Useful Conclusions for Other such Collective Events, Both Throughout France and elsewhere in Europe", Feltz also said earlier, in this regard.

++ Concenring an Eventual, Last-Minute Obstacle, "We canNot Exclude it a priori, If there is, f.ex., an "Explosion" of the Virus", as Pillaire realisticaly observes, (special Insurances seem Ready for such a Hazard), while Hoping that Strasbourg would Manage to Cope, finally, with that Challenge, given also the Socio-Economic Importance of EuroFair even as a Symbolic "Flagship" of much Needed ReVival, as well as many People's Expectations.



+++ As for Which Political Personality might be Chosen this time, in order to Officially "Inaugurate" this 2020 "Euro-Fair", according to a well-Established Practice, "Strasbourg-Events"' CEO Pillaire said, in Reply to anOther "Eurofora" Question at the Press Conference, that, Even if some have already spoken about a "Possible" Venue of French Economy (and former EU Affairs) Minister Bruno Le Maire (Comp. various Le Maire Replies to "Eurofora"s Questions, including at the Previous, 2019 "EuroFair", among others, f.ex. at: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/frencheconomyministerlemaireoneu.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/frencheconomyministerandbrexitagrideal.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/taxgafaandbuildeudigitaltech.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/macrontoprotectcyprusisraelenergyforeurope.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/internationalpressdebateongermanelection.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/frenchministerlemaireonagriculturalpotential.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/shipgas.html, http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/irish/2009_2010.html, etc), Nevertheless, Nothing hasn't been Definitively Decided, Until Now, (inter alia, Also Because of some ImPrevisibility in Various Activities, directly or indirectly related with the Evolution of the Virus, and other, Still On-Going Developments : F.ex., probably even a Last-Minute Postponement, for 1 Week Later, of France's National Plan for EU's "Revival" Fund, etc), so that, in the Mean-Time, Strasbourg City's New Leadership (See: ..., etc) and the French Government are Continuing relevant Consultations, whose Result would be "Announced Later-on".

At any case, However, "Eurofora" noticed that the "Press Club Strasbourg-Europe" has, Exceptionaly, Reserved the Early Morning of September 4, (i.e. the Date of "Euro-Fair"'s Inauguration), for a probable Press-point with our New Prefect, of Strasbourg's Wider "Great-East" Region, (Extended until it Exceptionaly Neighbours with 4 Other European Countries : Germany's 2 Lander, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Even Belgium, See, f.ex.: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/strasbourgregionpresidentrottneronhightech.html , http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/regionpresidentoneuropeantransportlinks.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/firsteuuniversityleadersonhorizon.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/strasbourgpregionprefectontransborderlinks.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/frenchregionschiefrichertquits.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/francogermancoreregionleaderseyescienceandethics.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/prefetfrataccistrasbourgasgebevanyorshanghai.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/frenchprimeministervallsonhightechfunding.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/frenchregionspresidentricherttoeurofora.html http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/strasbourgregionpresidentrichertandfrencheconomyministermacrononhighspeedinternet.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/newbigfrenchregionheadricherton5eustatesandchina.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/newstrasbourgbigregionprefect.html + http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/alsacepresidentrichertonacaleuropeanprojects.html , etc), Miss Chevallier (means "Knight"). A quite Experienced Top Senior Officer, who served, Recently, also ... at the Other Side of France : as Prefect of the Far Southern Island of Corsica, in the Mediterranean Sea. There where, by a Coincidence, President Macron reportedly Prepares, currently, an Important "MED-7" Heads of State/Government Summit, also for September: See ..., etc)...





(../..)

("Draft-News")
What is fracking?

Fracking is a process of blasting water, chemicals and frac sand deep into the earth to break up sedimentary rock and access natural gas and crude oil deposits. The fracking industry, which has sought to promote the practice as safe and controlled, has preferred the term hydraulic fracturing.

Fracking emerged as an unconventional, relatively new and extremely popular technique only about 20 years ago in the U.S., after advances in technology gave it an unprecedented ability to identify and extract massive amounts of resources efficiently.

Fracking is one of the most important environmental issues today, and its a prime example of how a new technology that offers immediate economic and political benefits can outpace (often less obvious) environmental and health concerns.

Why is fracking so controversial?

Modern fracking emerged so quickly, faster than its impacts were understood. Just as importantly, once scientists, health experts and the public started to object with evidence of harm it was causing, business and government succeeded in perpetuating a message of uncertainty, that more research was necessary, further enabling the full speed ahead fracking juggernaut.

How does fracking impact the environment?

Frackings supporters have pushed an environmental angle, insisting that natural gas can be a bridge fuel, a cheaper, cleaner option than coal before we have a large-scale transition to renewable energy. This claim has some merit, as natural gas does emit much less carbon dioxide than coal or oil. However, it is still a fossil fuel, adding harmful emissions while the climate crisis worsens. Moreover, fracking wells leak methane, a greenhouse gas more than 25 times more potent than CO2.

Water



In order to break up rock formations one to two miles deep, a fracking operation requires millions of gallons amount of water. After its used, the resulting wastewater, which contains chemicals is pumped back into injection wells, sent to treatment plants, or can be dangerously dumped or spilled.

In 2016 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report skewed friendly to industry in its language: Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States. The EPA acknowledged that drinking water contamination was possible, but ultimately came to this conclusion: Data gaps and uncertainties limited EPAs ability to fully assess the potential impacts on drinking water resources locally and nationally.

Earthquakes



According to the U.S. Geologic Survey, disposal of wastewater has caused an increase in earthquakes in the central U.S. Seismologists have reported that frackings initial blasting process can trigger earthquakes.

Air Pollution

In addition to methane, fracking releases many toxic contaminants into the air. EPA has acknowledged the public health threat, but a lack of urgent political pressure has sidelined the agency into advising on ways to control and reduce, rather than eliminate, the danger.

Toxic Chemicals



Fracking fluids contain unknown chemicals and known carcinogens such as benzene. Fracking companies havent been required to disclose their proprietary formulas, however. This is yet another example of how uncertainty serves as an enabling force. The EPA has identified more than 1,000 different chemicals used in fracking fluid.

Wildlife



Fracking can destroy wildlife habitats, pollute rivers and fisheries, poison birds, and use up water supplies that animals need to survive.

How does fracking affect the economy?



The fracking boom made the U.S. the worlds largest producer of oil and gas, reducing its energy imports from 26% to less than 4%. It has lowered oil and gas prices and created thousands of industry jobs. While fracking companies profited greatly at first, as prices dropped their margins collapsed. Many are now going bankrupt.

How is fracking regulated?



Congress has enabled the oil and gas industry to be exempt from such regulations as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Fracking surged during the Obama administration, which moved to protect water from fracking on federal lands in 2015. Subsequently, the Trump administration sought to roll back protections and expand fracking on federal lands.

Key Examples of Fracking in the United States

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvanias Marcellus Shale is the source for about 40% of shale gas production in the U.S.

New York

While the Marcellus Shale also runs through New York, the state has banned fracking.

Texas

Texas produces more crude oil than any other state.

North Dakota

The Bakken Shale in North Dakota has been one of the main sites for the fracking boom and subsequent bust, leaving behind extensive environmental damage.

A recent report found that all 50 states could provide 100% (or even greater) in-state renewable energy.

Other Countries



Outside the U.S., only Canada, China and Argentina have commercial fracking operations. A UN report in 2018 said that other countries were highly unlikely to produce at such a large scale as the U.S., due to political and cultural factors, and existing infrastructure.

The Future of Fracking

While renewables were considered a solution for peak oil only a decade ago, fracking changed the terms of the debate, with a new focus from environmentalists to keep it in the ground starting in 2015.

The Biden administration now stands at a pivotal moment in the climate crisis. Bidens stance on fracking is not yet entirely clear, but he has rejoined the Paris agreement and appears to take climate seriously. At the same time, he is sympathetic to workers in fossil fuel industries, was vice president during the fracking boom years under Obama, and may be more inclined to seek a gradual transition than one fast enough to help solve the crisis.
SACRAMENTO  As California battles through another devastating wildfire season, state legislators have passed a bill that would make it easier for formerly incarcerated people to become firefighters.

AB2147 by Assemblywoman Eloise Gomez Reyes, D-San Bernardino, would allow people who have trained at state fire camps in prison to have their criminal records more quickly expunged upon release.

Every year, several thousand California prisoners volunteer to help the state fight wildfires. They are trained at a camp and often work alongside full-time firefighters, digging fire lines and thinning forests.

But many who serve on prison fire hand crews cannot get jobs doing the same work upon their release. Their criminal records prevent them from becoming emergency medical technicians, a certification that cities and counties require for firefighters.

If we are willing to allow an incarcerated person to volunteer and help fight fires  protecting lives and property while putting their lives at risk  then we should be willing to allow (them) an opportunity to receive an expungement, Reyes said in a statement.

The bill received final legislative approval Sunday, on a 51-12 vote in the Assembly, with most Democrats in support. One Democrat, Assemblyman Rudy Salas of Bakersfield, and 11 Republicans cast the no votes.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Sept. 30 to decide whether to sign the legislation.

The Peace Officers Research Association of California, a statewide federation of police unions, opposed the bill, saying it could put people in need of emergency assistance at risk.

To fully expunge a felons record in exchange for this work is not warranted, is dangerous to the public and fails to recognize the impact to the victims of the inmates crimes, the group said in a statement.

Under the bill, people released from prison could petition a court to have their records expunged immediately. They would have to have worked on a fire hand crew and be lower-level offenders to be eligible.

The bill would exclude anyone convicted of murder, kidnapping, rape, lewd acts on a child under 14, a crime requiring registration as a sex offender, arson or any offense punishable by life in prison.

Those who qualify could have their felony records cleared and parole terminated. Currently, people released from prison typically must wait years to get their records expunged in order to attain EMT certification.

California has suffered from a shortage of firefighters this summer, as historic fires have torched more than 1.7 million acres, killed seven people and burned 3,200 homes and other structures.

That shortage has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. California released thousands of incarcerated people early to slow the spread of the virus in prisons, which reduced its ranks of prison hand crews.

Reyes said the bill could also help prevent former offenders from committing further crimes by providing them a stable path to employment.

Those that have served on the fire lines deserve a second chance, she tweeted after the bill passed.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
ATHENS, Ga., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- FormFree  today announced the inclusion of Director of Product Cindy Snow in HousingWire's list of 2020 HW Insiders. Now in its fifth year, the annual awards program recognizes 50 housing industry professionals making critical contributions to their companies' success.

Since joining FormFree in May 2019, Snow has focused on creating operational processes to enhance product and service quality for FormFree's more than 1,000 mortgage lenders customers. Her contributions ushered in a 65% year-over-year surge in adoption of AccountChek , the company's market-leading automated verification product that allows lenders to digitally verify borrower asset, income and employment information.

"Cindy has mastered the ability to translate the executive team's ambitious vision into a tactical plan of action at every level of the organization," said FormFree Founder and CEO Brent Chandler. "She plays a pivotal role in nearly every aspect of our business, from product development to defining our partner relationships to marketing, sales and even compliance. As a direct result of her work, our customers and their borrowers enjoy a faster, easier and safer loan process."

Among the initiatives benefiting from Snow's involvement during the last year are the onboarding of numerous enterprise-level clients; establishment of a partnership to protect closing fund transfers from wire fraud; and development of an income and employment verification capability that retrieves and certifies payroll data.

"This year's Insiders represent the unsung heroes of their companies; the team members that, behind the scenes, kept everything on track during unprecedented times," HousingWire Magazine Editor Kelsey Ramirez said. "This year, the need for the services of these 50 winners was greater than ever, and they rose to the challenge."

For a complete list of 2020 HW Insiders Award winners, visit https://www.housingwire.com/articles/here-are-the-2020-hw-insiders/ .



About FormFree:

FormFree is a market-leading fintech company whose revolutionary products AccountChek and Passport are changing the credit decisioning landscape and encouraging lenders nationwide to incorporate a more holistic view of each borrower's financial DNA. To date, thousands of U.S. lenders and brokers have ordered millions of FormFree's patented verification reports representing over a trillion dollars in loan verifications. FormFree delights borrowers and lenders with a paperless experience, reduces origination timelines by up to 20 days and offers automated analysis and standardized delivery to lenders and investors using a secure ReIssueKey. For more information, visit https://www.formfree.com/ or follow FormFree on LinkedIn .

About HousingWire:

HousingWire is the most influential source of news and information for the U.S. mortgage and housing markets. Built on a foundation of independent and original journalism, HousingWire reaches over 40,000 newsletter subscribers daily and over 4 million unique visitors each year. Our audience of mortgage, real estate, financial services and fintech professionals rely on us to Move Markets Forward. Visit https://www.housingwire.com/ or https://www.solutions.housingwire.com to learn more.

Twitter: @RealFormFree @HousingWire #HWInsiders #mortgageindustry #fintech

*PHOTO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0901s2p-cindy-snow-300dpi.jpg

This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com



SOURCE FormFree
The world's largest salt flat of Uyuni, 550 Km southwest of La Paz, Bolivia, a rich source of lithium and a biodiverse area as yet untouched by mining. - AIZAR RALDES, /AFP

Mining for renewable energy materials could threaten biodiversity, researchers have found.

Scientists at the University of Queensland, Brisbane found a high degree of overlap between areas used for mining essential minerals like lithium, which is used for car batteries, and areas with high levels of biodiversity as yet untouched by industry.

Conservationists are "often naive to the threats posed by significant growth in renewable energies", the researchers said in the study published in the journal Nature Communications, pointing out that 14 per cent of protected areas contain metal mines or have them nearby.

Overall, the researchers found that eight per cent of mining areas were within range of areas designated as protected by national governments, and seven per cent were within the same range of key biodiversity areas.

Using this metric, 50 million square kilometres of the earth's land surface are influenced by mining, with 82 per cent of mining areas focused on elements needed for renewable energy production.

Elements including lithium, cobalt and nickel are essential for rechargeable batteries, which are used for power storage in wind and solar projects, as well as in electric cars.

New mines are planned targeting these substances, adding to the global surface area covered by mining activities.

"Increasing the extent and density of mining areas will obviously cause additional threats to biodiversity, and our analysis reveals that a greater proportion of mines targeting materials for renewable energy production may further exacerbate threats to biodiversity in some areas," the scientists wrote.

While a move towards renewable energy will help to mitigate the impact of climate change on the natural world, this positive trend could be offset by the impact on some areas of a growth in mining activity.

"Without strategic planning, these new threats to biodiversity may surpass those averted by climate change mitigation," the paper said.

Story continues

Many such areas are in countries without "strong resource governance", the paper warned, including Bolivia's Uyuni salt flats, a rich source of lithium as yet untouched by mining.

Commenting on the study, Professor Frances Wall, professor of applied mineralogy at the University of Exeter, said that proper governmental planning would lessen any impact.

"It is also important to highlight the role of investor and customer requirements in encouraging best practice in biodiversity management  and other issues of sustainability. With best practice the economic development that comes with mining helps preserve biodiversity," she added.

Andrew Bloodworth, policy director at the British Geological Survey, said that demand from renewables was minor compared to other areas of industry.

"Whilst mining for renewable energy materials may be associated with some loss of biodiversity, this is considered to be small compared to the impact on biodiversity being caused by the mining of materials to create new high-rise buildings, vehicles and consumer products," he said.
Empower intends to acquire Kai Medical Laboratory, a state-of-the-art diagnostics laboratory located in the medical district of Dallas, TX to advance COVID-19 national testing programs

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / EMPOWER CLINICS INC. (CSE:CBDT) (Frankfurt:8EC) (OTCQB:EPWCF) ("Empower" or the "Company") today announces it has entered into a non-binding term sheet to acquire the business of Kai Medical Laboratory, LLC ("Kai Medical Laboratory"), by way of a share or asset acquisition, subject to due diligence and customary closing conditions.

Kai Medical Laboratory is a high-complexity CLIA and COLA accredited Laboratory that provides reliable and accurate testing solutions to hospitals, medical clinics, pharmacies, and employer groups. Kai Medical Laboratory offers a wide array of testing services ranging from hematology to hormone testing, endocrinology, toxicology, and immunology. These tests are done under the supervision of its well-qualified and highly experienced scientists, medical professionals, and pharmacists. https://www.kaimedicallaboratory.com

Kai Medical Laboratory has taken an active role in COVID-19 testing, battling the pandemic through RT-PCR testing and serology testing. While the RT-PCR test identifies if a patient has an active virus, the serology or antibody test detects if a patient has previously been exposed to the virus. Both of these test results are vital to managing outbreaks and the potential spread of coronavirus.

To further assist with COVID-19 testing, Kai Medical Laboratory has also developed two key programs in Texas and Arizona. The first program is a direct-to-consumer program that leverages the ability of various healthcare providers to order and administer both the RT-PCR test and the Antibody test. This increases the ability of the general population to be tested, in certain circumstances. The second is an Employer COVID-19 Compliance Program (ECCP) for business owners and employer groups to enable them to test and monitor their employees.

Texas program https://www.testtexasnow.com

Arizona program https://www.covidtest2u.com

Currently the lab has the capacity to complete in excess of 2,000 RT-PCR tests in one eight-hour shift by utilizing its Thermo Fisher QuantStudio 12k Flex testing machine. The lab also utilizes a Roche Cobas 6000 for COVID-19 Antibody testing, ensuring that Kai Medical Laboratory has the capability and capacity to serve a broad range of clients and test methods.

"Adding Kai Medical Laboratory to the Empower Clinics family enables us to dramatically expand COVID-19 testing capability and deliver phase four of our national rollout plan" said Steven McAuley, Empower's Chairman & CEO. "Kai Medical has a newly built high-complexity lab offering a wide array of testing services, that together we will leverage to serve the massive demand for national COVID testing in the U.S. Further, as flu season arrives and a potential second-wave of COVID takes hold, the technical infrastructure of Kai Medical allows Empower to capture testing demand and the additional growth revenues associated with it."

The driving force behind Kai Medical Laboratory's remarkable growth and success is Yoshi Tyler. Yoshi has a passion for being an entrepreneur, and overtime, she found her true calling in healthcare. Driven by this interest, she pursued her career in the healthcare industry for more than two decades. She helmed leadership positions at a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company for over thirteen years. These leadership experiences provided her with in-depth knowledge and industry insights that helped her to lead Kai Medical Laboratory towards growth.

The Kai Medical Laboratory team includes key roles including Principal Scientist, Director of Operations, Molecular Scientist, Quality Assurance, Lab Director and other critical roles.

"Kai Medical Laboratory is inspired by science and built on integrity. Our mission is to change healthcare through science & innovative quality care by providing value-added services, accuracy, and consistency. Our unwavering commitment to quality compliance and scientific innovation elevates Kai Medical Laboratory to a new standard in healthcare," says Yoshi Tyler, the owner, and CEO of the company.

The proposed acquisition includes an 8,000 sq. ft. medical laboratory including covered drive up testing center, with premium testing and laboratory equipment, cash and current assets with a value in excess of $1,750,000.00 USD and a corporate office, both located in the heart of the medical district in Dallas, TX. Under the proposed terms Empower will assume a $1,200,000.00 USD Small Business Administration (SBA) equipment loan, a $150,000.00 SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan and short-term liabilities of up to $250,000.00 at closing. In addition, Empower will issue 1,000,000 Company stock options to the Vendors, subject to the terms and conditions as set out in the Company Stock Option Plan.

Market Leading Technology Kai Medical Laboratory utilizes state-of-the-art instrumentation, preeminent testing methodologies, and laboratory services enabling high-complexity accredited laboratory testing solutions, providing some of the following key instrument testing capabilities:

Thermo Fisher - QuantStudio 12K Flex COVID-19 testing Cannabis Testing Clinical Genomics

Roche Cobas 6000 COVID-19 Antibody testing Clinical Chemistry/Endocrinology

AB SCIEX 6500+ - Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Clinical Chemistry/Endocrinology Agriculture/Cannabis testing

AB SCIEX 4500 - Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Urine Toxicology Cannabis testing

SYSMEX XN-550 Hematology



USA COVID-19 Data as at August 31, 2020

TOTAL CASES: 5,972,356

TOTAL DEATHS: 182,622

CASES IN LAST 7 DAYS: 289,865

ARIZONA as at August 31, 2020

CONFIRMED CASES: 199,984

PROBABLE CASES: 1,713

TOTAL CASES: 201,661

CASES IN LAST 7 DAYS: 3,558

CASES/100K: 1,769

DEATHS/100K: 70

TEXAS as at August 31, 2020

TOTAL CASES: 610,354

CASES IN LAST 7 DAYS: 32,817

CASES/100K: 2,126

DEATHS/100K: 46

(CLIA) The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments regulate laboratory testing and require clinical laboratories to be certified by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) before they can accept human samples for diagnostic testing.

(COLA) is the premier clinical laboratory accreditation, education and consultation organization. An independent accreditor whose practical, educational standards have a positive and immediate impact on patient care. http://www.cola.org

The transaction is expected to be structured on a tax efficient basis, and otherwise in accordance with the requirements of requisite securities laws and the policies of the CSE. Empower has agreed to enter into employment agreements with Yoshi Tyler and Michael Haines, each having an initial term of two years.

Completion of the transaction will be subject to various conditions, including entry into a definitive agreement, completion of due diligence, and receipt of all required shareholder, manager, third party and regulatory approvals, including approval of the CSE. Closing of the transaction is expected to occur prior to October 15, 2020.

ABOUT EMPOWER

Empower is a vertically integrated health & wellness company with a network of corporate and franchised health & wellness clinics in the U.S. The Company is focused on helping patients improve and protect their health, through innovative physician recommended treatment options. The Company has launched Dosed Wellness Ltd. to connect its significant data, to the potential of the efficacy of alternative treatment options related to hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) therapies, psilocybin and other psychedelic plant-based treatment options. The Company provides COVID-19 testing services to consumers and businesses as part of a four-phased nationwide testing initiative.

ABOUT KAI MEDICAL LABORATORY

Our mission is to change healthcare through science & innovative quality care by providing value added services, accuracy, and consistency. Our unwavering commitment to quality compliance and scientific innovation elevates Kai Medical Laboratory to a new standard in patient care. Kai Medical Laboratory is located in the Dallas Medical District in close proximity to some of the largest healthcare groups in the U.S. including Parkland Hospital, UT Southwestern, Children's Medical Center, Baylor Scott & White Health (Dallas), Tenet Healthcare (Dallas), CHRISTUS Healthcare (Dallas).

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Steven McAuley

Chief Executive Officer

CONTACTS:

Investors: Dustin Klein

Director

dustin@svmmjcc.com

720-352-1398

Investors: Steven McAuley

CEO

s.mcauley@empowerclinics.com

604-789-2146

DISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release.Forward-looking statements can frequently be identified by words such as "plans", "continues", "expects", "projects", "intends", "believes", "anticipates", "estimates", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the expected benefits to the Company and its shareholders as a result of the proposed acquisition of Sun Valley; the proposed transaction terms; the expected number of clinics and patients following the closing; the future potential success of Sun Valley's franchise model; the anticipated date of closing of the acquisition and the occurrence thereof; and that the Company will be positioned to be a market-leading service provider for complex patient requirements in 2019 and beyond. Such statements are only projections, are based on assumptions known to management at this time, and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including: that the Kai Medical Laboratory acquisition may not be completed on the terms expected or at all; that the Company's products may not work as expected; that the Company may not be able to expand COVID-19 testing; that legislative changes may have an adverse affect on the Company's business and product development; that the Company may not be able to obtain adequate financing to pursue its business plan; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; failure to obtain any necessary approvals in connection with the proposed transaction; and other factors beyond the Company's control. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this release, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable laws.

SOURCE: Empower Clinics Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604222/Empower-Clinics-Announces-Acquisition-of-Medical-Diagnostics-Laboratory
MONEE, Ill., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Author and sociologist Valda Taurus (https://valdataurus.com/) announced the release of her first novel, the mystery thriller: "Killing Your Best Friend." Revolving through the various perspectives of the main protagonists, the narrative voices include: Tammy Bartow; her neighbor, and wife of suspect Marta Gray; and Detective Andy Mohr. Taurus weaves the plot elements deftly, implementing twists and turns of suspense that have already garnered rave reviews for keeping readers on the edge. "Killing Your Best Friend" is available for purchase via Amazon.com.

Sociologist and Author Valda Taurus Debuts Gripping Suspense Novel That Explores the Depths of Human Behavior: Killing Your Best Friend Sociologist and Author Valda Taurus Debuts Gripping Suspense Novel That Explores the Depths of Human Behavior: Killing Your Best Friend

Synopsis: Tammy Bartow is wrestling with another bout of insomnia when she glances out her bedroom window and sees a shadow creeping along the cold Alaskan ground, near her neighbor's yard. Ever since her neighbor Marta Gray married Alexander (Ax)  an ex-con who has already served time for murder  fear hangs over the community like a dark cloud. But as she eventually returns to bed, Tammy has no idea that in a few hours, she will learn a murder took place in her neighbor's barn. After Marta finds the corpse of Ax's best friend, Ivan, all evidence points toward her husband, who had been drinking all night with the deceased, and eventually blacked out. He cannot remember anything. Marta, blind with love, refuses to believe that Ax could have committed such a chilling act, and she convinces Tammy of the same. Meanwhile, as Detective Andy Mohr attempts to sort out this complex case, he realizes that this is the second time Ax has murdered on Mother's Day. Is it pure coincidence, or a bloody pattern? In this gripping mystery, two determined women and a seasoned detective are led down a complex path to solving a murder.

"I wanted to show raw life: when things don't always work out as they should," said Taurus. "It is a book free of judgement, which appeals to the understanding of action through the prism of our psyche, rather than in terms of approval or disapproval. We cannot change the past because it's gone. And we cannot tell what tomorrow will be like because it has not happened yet. But what we can do is live today  as life is happening."

To learn more about Valda Taurus and her latest book, go online. Or follow her via social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube.

About Valda Taurus, M.A.

Valda Taurus is inspired by stories of survival in extreme situations, whether it be a natural disaster or an inner psychological struggle. She holds a master's degree in sociology and a minor in psychology that complements her desire to be a judgment-free observer of people. On the path to becoming a writer, she completed an advanced fiction-writing course. Killing Your Best Friend is her first novel in which she touches on the topic of destructive feelings such as guilt and self-accusation. Explore her latest work by visiting: www.ValdaTaurus.com.

Media Contact:

Terri Alvey (assistant to Valda Taurus)

+18125503167

[email protected]

SOURCE Valda Taurus

Related Links

https://valdataurus.com/


Linda J. Webster, an animal lover who lives with her husband in Virginia, has published her new book Hero Dog: A Teacup Yorkie Adventure: a charming chapter book ideal for young, independent readers.

The teacup Yorkie, Little Man, wants to find his forever home and experience the adventures that would be his. But the two people who purchase him from the pet shop turn out to be coin thieves, and they quickly abandon him in the middle of the night. A firefighter rescues him and follows the young pups lead to discover the stolen coins and save the life of one of the thieves. The teacup Yorkie realizes that indeed, his adventures have just begun.

Published by Page Publishing, Linda J. Websters engrossing book is an excellent addition to any home or grade-school library.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Hero Dog: A Teacup Yorkie Adventure at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Apple and Google said Tuesday they're expanding coronavirus warning software so that state health agencies can participate without having to create customized apps.

The new option, called "exposure notifications express," removes one of the key barriers to adoption that led to a slow start to the software, which can warn people when they come in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with the coronavirus. So far, only six U.S. states have created apps that work with Apple and Google's software.

The software, which is built into the operating systems on Google's Android phones and Apple's iPhones, uses Bluetooth to tell whether people have spent significant time near one another. If a participant in the exposure notification program tests positive for the coronavirus, that person's close contacts may get a notification.

"I would say this is an improvement," said Jeffrey Kahn, director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Kahn, who has been studying the use of technology to fight the virus, said states have been hamstrung by indecision around which technology vendors they should use to build their apps, among other issues. He said this may help speed up adoption, but shouldn't be considered a magic bullet. "It's still not probably serving all the interests that public health would want, but it's better than nothing," he said.

First launched in May, coronavirus tracking software got off to a rocky start. Some public health agencies in the United States and around the world had wanted to build mobile apps that would help them track the spread of the virus, a process known as "contact tracing." But the contact-tracing apps that initially launched did not function properly because of limitations the two tech giants place on mobile apps distributed through their stores. Citing privacy concerns and potential battery drain, Apple and Google declined to give public health agencies special access for the purpose of contact tracing.

Instead, Apple and Google launched their own software that is built into the operating system. Public health agencies were asked to design their own apps that utilize the software. But the Apple and Google software provides little information to public health agencies.

Tuesday's announcement, the companies said in a joint conference call, may help speed up adoption by allowing states to participate without creating customized apps.

Users who live in states that participate in the software may get a pop-up notification, prompting them to opt into the program. By following simple steps, they can share their Bluetooth data and receive notifications if they come in contact with another participant who has tested positive. Previously, users would have had to download a stand-alone app built by their state. Now, the process is more like changing the settings on the phone.

If a person tests positive for the virus, participating public heath agencies provide the person with a unique number. When entered into the system, other participants who've come into contact with that person may be notified.

Public health experts and researchers have said that to make a difference in the spread of the virus, adoption rates of the exposure notification tool would have to be high, with as much as 60% of the population participating.

On the conference call Tuesday, officials from the companies questioned those claims. They said much lower adoption rates would still reduce the spread of the virus and touted the software's success in Ireland. In one example, an Irish man was diagnosed with the coronavirus after receiving an exposure notification from Apple and Google, the companies said.

In a test, 35 Washington Post staffers downloaded Virginia's Covidwise app, which launched last month. None of them received an exposure notification warning in a week of using it.

Public health officials would like to do more than just notify people of possible exposures. In the long-running practice of contact tracing, officials working for public health agencies have tried to trace the spread of infectious diseases by interviewing patients and asking them who they've come in contact with. Sometimes, they even review surveillance footage to determine where the diseases might have spread.

But the coronavirus has spread too quickly for public health agencies to keep up with traditional methods. Countries such as South Korea and Israel have attempted to use technology to tackle the effort, using cellphone records and GPS data to try to track the virus. Those methods have also drawn criticism from privacy advocates.

With its exposure notification software, Apple and Google steered public health agencies to a more hands-off approach to technology with fewer privacy concerns. Without the ability to collect personal information, more people would use the software, the companies said.

At least in the United States, many people haven't had the option of participating, as states have been slow to create apps. Now, with "exposure notifications express," states will have less work to participate.

Officials from Apple and Google were asked on the call Tuesday why they didn't create the "express" option from the beginning. Their answer: They like when version two of their software is considered better than version one.
The League of Women Voters of Illinois, having examined the states fiscal condition, relative rates of taxation, and needs for human services and educational equity, believes that a graduated rate income tax is critical for sustaining our communities and making our state stronger. On the Nov. 3 ballot, voters are being asked to approve a ballot referendum which would eliminate the constitutional requirement that income can only be taxed at a flat rate in Illinois. A flat-rate tax is a regressive tax  a tax applied uniformly, taking a larger percentage of income from low-income earners than from high-income earners. The League of Women Voters has supported a gradual rate income tax for more than 40 years.

The legislature is seeking a constitutional amendment to change the way income taxes are set to move in 2021 from a flat rate tax where everyone pays the same rate to a graduated rate tax. 97% of taxpayers would pay the same or less that they pay today. Those who would pay a higher rate are people making more than $250,000. In the four decades from 1979 through 2017 the top one percent saw an increase of 254% in their incomes while the bottom 99% saw an increase of only 20% while incomes for the bottom 10% actually decreased by 8%. By removing the constitutional requirement that income can only be taxed at a flat rate, voters will allow the state to have more flexibility to design revenue structures to fit economic reality. This is important as the huge income gap between rich and poor continues to grow.
I ndia has a certain allure that keeps drawing Philippa Kaye back in  so much so that she splits her time between there and her home in Yorkshire. It was India where she was when coronavirus hit. I had planned a trip to Kashmir, Uttarakhand and then the remote wilds of Arunachal Pradesh, but when lockdown looked imminent, I managed to get a flight back to the UK, Kaye explains. I was also planning a trip to Romania this year to see wolves, but that idea was stalled too. Instead of dwelling on it, she is planning her return. Looking to the future is the only way to get through 2020.

This year has obliterated summer holidays  and a drizzly two weeks in Cornwall just isnt going to make up for the summer in Ibiza you had dreamed of. Instead, think of 2021. Or even 2022. This summer might be scuppered but pragmatists are thinking of 2022 and organising intrepid trips for then.

Luxury travel companies are seeing a spike in advanced bookings. Mark Allvey, co-founder and CEO of Untold Story Travel, has seen a 20 per cent rise in long-term bookings for luxury trips compared with the same time period last year. Many clients planning 2021 and 2022 travel are booking a series of trips in one go. We are seeing more requests for road trips, glamping, ranches, sailing and private villas and boutique hotels over large hotels.

While pre-pandemic travellers tended to book trips up to six months ahead, Nicky Kelvin, head of content at travel website The Points Guy, says post-Covid trips will either be booked very far into the future or with only a few days notice. James Bell, managing director of Turquoise Holidays, adds that theres a trend in multi-generational holidays and he has seen several inquiries for 2022. Around 50 per cent of our inquiries for this type of trip at the moment are for a safari and beach combination, whereas the other 50 per cent tend to be looking for larger villa or suite style accommodation within hotels, in the Maldives, the Seychelles, Mauritius or the Caribbean. These holidays tend to be 10 days in length, often with members of the family flying from different parts of the world.

The philosophy? Adventure. After months of stasis and frustration, there is something thrilling, not to mention liberating, about planning a trip far away. Plotting it out in advance provides delayed gratification  and gives you the time and space to save money. Need some inspiration? For Kaye, adventure will mean returning to India on a cross-country road trip, or the four Ks as the author calls it: Kashmir to Kutch to Kanyakumari to Kohima. Its a trip shes been dreaming of for 14 years.

The trip will include the old city of Ahmedabad, the Rann of Kutch, the wolves and lions of Gujarat, the erotic temples at Khajuraho, searching for tigers in Panna National Park and for the one-horned rhino in Assam and its tea plantations and then the wild east and Nagaland with its remote tribes.

Author Daisy White has settled on doing a road trip of Americas West Coast with her family in 2022. Our kids are 10 and 13 so a great age for travel and adventure, she says. We have settled on a West Coast road trip for the four of us, taking in the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park and Death Valley, not to mention a bit of Hollywood. We reckon it will take us three weeks and we will be doing it on a shoestring, but the memories will be priceless.

Half Dome, from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park / Alamy Stock Photo

Spanning three continents, author Saurav Dutt has been planning his 40th in 2022 for a while  and has even put down deposits on all of the hotels. I am starting in Switzerland to see Eric Clapton in concert as a precursor to my 40th before heading to the US. My plans are Los Angeles first, Las Vegas after that. We then move down to Memphis and Nashville, Im a big Elvis, country, rocknroll fan, and then well run through Mississippi. The trip will be rounded off by a visit to Tahiti, and Tetiaroa in the South Pacific.

Privacy and remote natural landscapes will be a big trend as we ease into the new normal, predicts Pelorus co-founder Jimmy Carroll. Our clients are already starting to plan trips for 2021, with some planning for 2022, Carroll says. There is an interest for unexplored and remote destinations such as Gabon where expansive coastlines meet an abundance of natural beauty and the wild unexplored. Chad, one of Africas best-kept secrets, is an under-explored land of dramatic scenery, arid deserts and thriving national parks; the perfect opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Should we be booking trips abroad before were given the green light to travel? A little daydreaming never hurt.

Should we be booking, or even dreaming about trips abroad before were given the green light to travel? A little daydreaming never hurt, and planning travel far in advance has a slew of mental health benefits, too. Psychologist Lee Chambers says booking a holiday can cause a spike of excitement as we visualise ourselves at the destination, and confirming the holiday feels liberating. Chambers continues: Booking a holiday is a form of self-care, even though we dont always see it that way. Having a holiday in the calendar is a motivator in our everyday lives. The anticipation of going on holiday makes us both happier and more resilient. With holidays conjuring up the joy of new novel experiences or the nostalgia of places well-travelled, we frame holidays with a positivity that we so often reserve for special occasions.

Certainly, the pandemic will change the way we travel. Dutt says he will savour travel more, while Kaye says it has made her think twice about flying. White adds that she wont take it for granted in the future. I had the chance to go to Singapore and San Francisco last year and because I was in the midst of writing another book and on deadline I didnt go. I totally regret that I didnt just grab my laptop and jump on the plane now, White says. The pandemic has been a wake-up call to appreciate what I have and take opportunities and freedoms when they are offered. But to be safe doing so.
Beginning Thursday, September 3, 2020, the Director of Medical Affairs at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr Ali Samba is to act as Chief Executive Officer of the hospital until a new substantive CEO is appointment.



This follows the end of the tenure of Dr Daniel Asare as CEO of the hospital.



In a press statement dated August 31, 2020, signed and issued by the acting Board Chairman of the hospital, Jerry Ahmed Shaid, the Board of Directors of the hospital entreated the staff to offer Dr Samba the "necessary support to enable him drive the hospital's agenda of providing excellent healthcare."



"The Board would like to extend its warmest regards and appreciation to the outgoing CEP and wish him the very best in his future endeavours.



Dr. Asare took over from Dr. Samuel Asiamah who was acting CEO after Dr. Felix Anyaa left the position.



Before his appointment, he served as the CEO of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) in the Central Region.



Dr. Daniel Asare in June 2020 tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), went through the necessary protocols and was treated.



During his tenure as CEO, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, in collaboration with Transplant Links UK, performed a successful kidney transplant for four patients with kidney conditions in a major breakthrough in local medical practice.



The transplant team at the KBTH was led by surgeons Dr Bernard Morton and Dr James Edward Mensah, and kidney specialists, Dr Vincent Bioma and Dr Dwomoa Adu.





In all Dr Asare has 29 years of experience in the health service with 17 of these years in hospital management.



He was the foundation head of the new Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital, Sunyani and was later transferred to the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua, where he ably transformed the hospital.





When the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital was being transitioned from a regional to a teaching hospital, Dr. Asare was called upon to facilitate the process as the Chief Executive.



He successfully carried out this mandate and the seventh batch of doctors are completing this year. Postgraduate doctors are also being trained at CCTH.



Dr Asare is a trained Otorhinolaryngologist at the West African College of Surgeons.



He has also studied Health Systems at Leeds University in the United Kingdom.



Dr Asare successfully digitized many of the operations at CCTH before leaving the place and sent similar rich experience to Korle Bu.



Some workers of Korle Bu, mostly senior staff in May this year started internal agitations over the retirement of Dr Asare and argued they were picking indications that there was plans for Dr. Asare to extend his tenure at the health facility.



Article 199 (1) states that: "A public officer shall, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, retire from the public service on attaining the age of sixty years".











Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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BEIJING, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / On August 28th, at the 2020 Financial Forum hosted by IDC China, 17Doubao, which focuses on providing SaaS core business system for insurance institutions and landing business growth, was awarded the Fintech 50 list of IDC China in 2020. Huo Jinjie, president of IDC China, delivered an online speech.

As a world-renowned third-party research institution, IDC has been paying close attention to the development of China's financial industry, including innovation in financial business scenarios and technology application.

At the forum, Michael Araneta, assistant vice president of IDC Asia Pacific, described the prospect of the future financial service model from a global perspective, and explained how financial service enterprises should find innovative solutions under the challenge. Referring to the successful reform practices of 20 best insurance companies in Asia-Pacific selected by IDC, such as Allianz and ZhongAn Insurance, he said that due to the cost reduction, the income of insurance institutions that insist on digitalization in the future can increase by 38%. At the same time, relying on new tools, insurance institutions returning to core business can also carry out business collaboration through digital platforms.

In this IDC Top 50 Financial Technology List, "Financial Technology" is defined as a financial technology manufacturer that exports emerging technology services such as cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, blockchain and Internet of Things to the financial industry.

At present, there are thousands of customers served by the SaaS system of 17Doubao. They solve the pain spots of high customer acquisition cost, traditional management methods, continued improvements in productivity and data mining for intermediary companies and insurance companies, continuously export one-stop products and services, so as to intelligent policy analysis engine, NLP algorithm middle platform, intelligent customer service robot and intelligent claims system, and smartly upgrade the core business management platform, commissions management, and agent management, insurance product API interface system and customer service platform of insurance institutions to achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

In business, 17Doubao SaaS system specifically supports property insurance system, life insurance system and group insurance system. Its core system is composed of multiple processes and functional modules, which can support the marketing and operation of various insurance products.

The upstream partners of 17Doubao, such as China Life Insurance, Taikang Pension and Sunshine Property &Casualty Insurance, also won the IDC Innovation Award for Technology Application Scenarios in Financial Industry.

COVID-19 has also accelerated the mobile construction of insurance institutions. In an era when customers pay more attention to convenience, efficiency and intelligent experience, insurance institutions with strong mobility and online and offline integration ecology will be more competitive. According to the top ten forecasts released by IDC, by the end of 2022, 35% of insurance companies will use artificial intelligence technology and voice interaction to realize service process automation, thereby improving the response speed, efficiency and personalization in service.

As the leading insurance SaaS cloud service provider in China, 17Doubao has always paid attention to the integration of product research and development and compliance technology, and not only launched the "17Doubao Intermediary Assistant" for intermediaries immediately after the outbreak of COVID-19, but also helped intermediaries actively promote online business and extend the "untouched service" channels. Moreover, after the release of the regulatory 630 policy, the "17Doubao Inner Eye" --a visualized system for tracebacking system, a compliant product for online sales of insurance, was quickly launched, helping insurance institutions effectively carry out digital transformation in front, middle and back platforms from three aspects of automation, intelligence and compliance.

The selection criteria of IDC Fintech 50 list in 2020 include market scale, business model innovation, business scale, capital strength and ecological ability. Since 2020, 17Doubao has evolved from focusing on scientific innovation to being driven by technology and business, creating a rich product line, covering digital intermediary solutions, digital insurer solutions, data basic services and enterprise private domain traffic operation solutions. On this basis, 17Doubao has established multi-level and all-round connections with insurance institutions and helped them upgrade their core systems and business innovations

In terms of internationalization,17Doubao is the first insurtech company to develop overseas market in China. It has set up its overseas headquarters EasiTech in Hong Kong, and has explored Singapore and other Southeast Asian markets.

It is reported that before being listed on IDC China Fintech 50, the innovative technology capability of the SaaS cloud platform of 17Doubao has been highly praised by the government, academic circles and industry partners. Since this year, it has won a series of honorary titles such as "Top 100 Fintech Competitiveness in China ", "Top 100 Insurtech in China " and "Specialized and Innovative Enterprise" in Beijing.

Media contact

Contact: Linda Gu

Company Name: Beijing Zhongxinyibao Technology Co.Ltd.

linlin.gu@baodanyun-inc.com

Website: http://www.17doubao.com

SOURCE: Beijing Zhongxinyibao Technology Co.Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604260/With-the-Sought-after-Insurance-SaaS-service-17Doubao-was-Awarded-the-2020-IDC-China-Fintech-Top-50
Former commissioner of Patna Municipal Corporation, Anupam Kumar Suman, on Tuesday ridiculed the state governments show cause slapped on him for disciplinary action for last years water logging in Bihars capital city and said chief minister Nitish Kumar should also be held to account for the mess.

Suman, a 2004-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, said he took to the media to reply to the state governments charge, which he received a couple of days ago, because the letter did not have any significance as he had taken voluntary retirement.

I would have definitely given a befitting reply had I been in service, said Suman, adding that he came to know about the state governments action against him only through the media.

Blaming the acute shortage of resources and lack of political will for perennial waterlogging in Patna, Suman said he was a victim of a witch-hunt.

If head of the institution is held accountable for fault at the subordinate level, how the PMC mayor, departmental minister and the chief minister shall escape the responsibility. They also review every bit of PMCs preparations for the monsoon, he said.

Dismissing the charge levelled by the state government against him, Suman said flimsy grounds such as lack of leadership quality, inaccessibility, absence of proper cleaning of drainage, etc, were cited as reasons for his suspension, which never came into effect. Why did the government not fix responsibility on the officers who waste public exchequer and time to sanction projects under Smart City mission and then cancel them without any substantial reasons? asked the former PMC head.

Bihars urban development department minister Suresh Sharma said that action against Suman, then Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation MD AP Singh, an IAS officer, and other officers was taken on the recommendations of a high-level committee headed by the development commissioner.

Action was justified as all executive powers of the PMC are vested with the commissioner and not with the mayor or other elected representatives. Mayor or minister does not have any role in implementation of the scheme. Water logging was caused as the PMC couldnt take appropriate steps, as assured during the review meetings, to deal with the situation, Sharma said.

Almost a month before Patna was caught in deluge due to heavy showers for four days (September 27-30) last year, Suman had stepped down as the PMC chief and sought voluntary retirement from his parent department, the ministry of revenue. Suman claimed his voluntary retirement was accepted recently.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

Trend:

The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan has amended the decree dated October 11, 2018 On the approval of the unified budget classification, Trend reports.

The relevant document was signed by the Azerbaijani Prime Minister, Ali Asadov.

According to the decree, revenues from services provided in the field of construction activities under Article 11.5 of the Urban Planning and Construction Code of Azerbaijan, as well as revenues from fines for violation of urban planning and construction legislation, were included in the unified budget classification.




ZIMBABWE is running low on Covid-19 testing commodities amid reports that the country records about 81 cases daily.





These commodities include chemicals needed to run tests and containers to put specimens used when conducting and processing Covid-19 test and results.





There are three types of tests available globally and used in Zimbabwe for Covid-19 which include polymerase chain reaction (PCR), antigen, and antibody (serology) testing.





PCR and antigen tests detect whether a person is currently infected, and serology detects whether a person had an infection in the past.





According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care weekly Covid-19 report, the country needed 15 000 viral transport media and and an equal number of PCR reagents per month. At the moment there is only 10 percent of stocks.





The report shows that there is a low supply of GeneXpert cartridges which will not last for a month. Zimbabwe recorded the first case of Covid-19 on March 21.





Testing was decentralised to improve on the turnaround time but frequent shortages of testing kits and reagents have slowed down the progress made. The number of PCR tests done decreased with average tests for the week standing at 1 240 as compared to 1 946 from the previous week. We also reported a decrease in the positives this week (890) as compared from the previous week (2 280), read the report.





However, the ministry said at the moment there is no back log across all testing labs in Zimbabwe as all people who tested have received their results.





During the period August 22 to 28, an average of 81 cases was recorded per day, read the report.





Statistics show that more males (62 percent) have died due to Covid-19 than females.





Most deaths have been recorded in the age range 41 to 50 years.





Age groups within the range 21 to 64 years of age are the most affected. These age groups are highly mobile and also represent mostly the population that is economically active. In this range the relatively young population is the most affected, those between 25 and 44 years of age and 51 percent of all the cases are females.





A total of 573 new confirmed Covid-19 cases and 43 deaths were reported between the 22 and 28 August 2020 giving a cumulative of 6 388 cases and 195 deaths.





All the cases were put under isolation and are monitored periodically. Manicaland (5.2 percent) has the highest Case fatality rate followed by Mashonaland West (5.0 percent) and Harare (4.3 percent). The CFR has increased from 2.6 percent to 3.1 percent during the period 22nd to 28th of August 2020.





In the past seven days, the country recorded 58 imported cases, of these 40 were from South Africa and 18 from Botswana.





About 19 countries contribute to the tally of imported cases with South Africa contributing 82.3 percent of the cases.





South Africa continues to contribute significantly to the number of imported cases.





The implementation of the cabinet directive on the 18th of August that permits immigrants who have negative PCR test upon arrival to be quarantined at home under the supervision of the local Rapid Response Team will be fully implemented once testing capacity at points of entry have been optimised.





The report also reads: Matabeleland South and Masvingo provinces are the only provinces that have reported more imported cases than local cases. Matabeleland South has two borders namely Beitbridge and Plumtree where most returnees proceeding to other parts of the country have been diagnosed of Covid-19.





According to the Ministry, as of 28 August 2020, local cases constituted 80.7 percent of the total Covid-19 cases reported in the country.





Local cases have been reported in most parts of the country. The figures shows that there is a significant number of cases that are of unknown source of infection and more of these cases are in Harare and Bulawayo provinces. The country is now in community transmission, said the Ministry.





According to the weekly report, there are 20 people in Covid-19 isolation treatment centres countrywide.

Two patients were in ICU and a total of 20 cases were admitted in Treatment facilities while the rest were put on home isolation with continued monitoring. Data from Harare City, Bulawayo City and UBH was not available by the time of production of the report.





Bulawayo (145) and Midlands (128) provinces continue accounting for a greater proportion of frontline workers infected.




More cases of COVID-19 have been reported among students at the University of Connecticuts campus in Storrs, as Trinity College reported its first case of the novel coronavirus on campus.

As of Monday afternoon, 58 residential students on the Storrs campus have tested positive or are showing symptoms of the disease, data from the school shows. Those 58 students have been placed in isolation.

Six new positive cases were added over the weekend: three on Saturday and three on Sunday. All six are point of care cases, meaning they were evaluated by Student Health and Wellness-Medical Care and had rapid positive test results, said Stephanie Reitz, a spokeswoman for the university.

While Saturdays cases were not located near one another, Reitz said those students are connected to one another and are not unrelated.

In total, 75 residential students have tested positive since they returned to the Storrs Campus on Aug. 14 out of 6,549 tests performed on 5,000 students. Sixteen of those students have since recovered.

Among students who commute to Storrs, 17 have tested positive so far for COVID-19, according to the university.

Those numbers were up from the 57 cases among resident students the university reported Saturday.

Two UConn staff members have also fallen ill from COVID-19, along with two students who commute to the universitys campus in Stamford.

The new cases at UConn came as Trinity College in Hartford announced its first case of COVID-19 on campus.

A spokeswoman for the liberal arts college said the student has been isolated and is doing well.

Other colleges throughout the state have also reported cases.

In New Britain, two students at Central Connecticut State University have tested positive one a commuter, the other a resident.

Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven has had two cases, one of them a student, the other a student employee. The University of New Haven has one positive case. Yale University has had five positive cases this fall.

Weslyan University in Middletown has had one positive case.
India Accuses Chinese Troops of Attempting to Encroach Himalayan Border

By Anjana Pasricha August 31, 2020

Indian authorities say their troops thwarted an attempt by Chinese soldiers to change the status quo in the northern Ladakh region, where both sides have been locked in a tense standoff along their disputed Himalayan border for more than four months. China has dismissed the allegations.

An Indian army statement Monday said Chinese troops violated the previous consensus and "carried out provocative military movements" but gave no details of what appeared to be a fresh flare-up along the border.

The statement said that the incident took place Saturday and that Indian troops "preempted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground."

The statement said India was committed to dialogue but was "also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity."

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news briefing that Chinese border troops "always strictly abide by the Line of Actual Control, and never cross the line," referring to the undemarcated border between the countries. He said both sides are in communication regarding the situation on the ground. The Line of Actual Control divides their territory.

The strategic Pangong Tso Lake lies at a height of more than 4,200 meters in eastern Ladakh, a barren icy desert where both sides have deployed large contingents of troops since a faceoff in April. It is one of the main points of friction between the countries whose tensions have flared since they accused each other of violations along the Line of Actual Control.

Beijing and New Delhi have been holding military and diplomatic talks to resolve their territorial dispute but there has been little progress so far.

Tensions between the two Asian countries have spiked since mid-June, when their deadliest border clash in 50 years left 20 Indian soldiers dead in Galwan Valley, also in Ladakh. Although troops have disengaged here, they continue to confront each other at several other points such as Pangong Tso Lake.

China's Defense Ministry spokesperson, Colonel Wu Qian, said in a statement last week that "keeping in mind the big picture" of bilateral ties, India and China need to avoid "misjudgment" and take "concrete steps to bring bilateral relations back to the right track of normal development."

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told reporters on Friday that complete disengagement requires re-deployment of troops by each side towards their regular posts on their respective sides.

The status of large stretches of the border region has remained unresolved since India and China fought a war in 1962.

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By Finian Cunningham

August 31, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - It is Americas longest overseas war and shows no clear sign of ending despite a shaky peace deal underway between the Trump administration and Taliban militants. A phased withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan over the next year could yet be derailed, resulting in continued American military operations in the South Asian country  nearly two decades after President GW Bush launched Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001.

US involvement in Afghanistan is the archetypal quagmire. Hundreds of thousands killed or maimed, trillions of dollars wasted, a failed state  despite American pretensions of nation-building, and a militant insurgency stronger than ever. Washingtons declared strategic objectives in Afghanistan have never been coherent or convincing even among Pentagon top brass. The initial justification of avenging terrorism of 9/11 sounds threadbare.

The irony is that Washington first got involved in Afghanistan back in the late 1970s to inflict a Vietnam scenario on Soviet troops who were defending an allied government in Kabul. The Mujahideen fighters sponsored by the US and their Taliban outgrowth have gone on to make the country an even worse Vietnam scenario for Washington than it intended for Moscow.

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Afghanistan is known as the Graveyard of Empires where the British suffered a blow to their imperial prowess, like the Soviets and now the Americans. The question is: why are the Americans seemingly stuck in Afghanistan, unable to extricate their forces? Part of the reason no doubt stems from the bureaucracy of war and the reliable profits for the military-industrial complex which stifles a clean break from what is otherwise a futile, never-ending, dead-end conflict.

Another, perhaps more potent, reason is the immensely lucrative business of global narcotics trafficking. This may well be the main reason for why the Afghan war continues despite the patent incongruities and presidential vows to end it. It is a vital source of finance for the CIA and other US intelligence agencies. The big advantage from drug business is that the finances are off the books, and therefore not subject to Congressional oversight. That dark source of income allows American agencies to fund covert operations without ever being held to account by prying lawmakers (if the latter ever got around to it, that is.)

Senior Russian and Iranian officials have recently stated that US intelligence agencies are heavily involved in covertly transporting narcotics out of Afghanistan.

According to Eskandar Momeni, Irans chief of counter-narcotics, the production of heroin from poppy harvests in Afghanistan has increased year after year by 50-fold since the US forces invaded the country. Based on reliable information, planes operated by NATO and the United States transport these illicit drugs in our neighboring country, the official testified this week.

Russias presidential envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, is quoted as saying that CIA complicity in drug trafficking is an open secret in the country. US intelligence officers are involved in drug trafficking. Their planes from Kandahar, from Bagram [airfield near Kabul] are flying wherever they want to  to Germany, to Romania  without any inspections, said Kabulov.

These claims put in perspective recent sensationalized US media reports which quote anonymous American intelligence sources alleging that Russian and Iranian military personnel were running bounty-hunter schemes in Afghanistan whereby Taliban militants were supposedly paid to kill American troops. The ropey US media reports had the hallmark of an intelligence psychological operation. Russia, Iran and the Taliban dismissed the allegations. Even the Pentagon and President Trump brushed the stories off as not credible.

But what the intended effect seems to have been is to scupper the hesitant moves by the Trump administration to wind down the Afghan war.

Afghanistan is the source for more than 90 per cent of the worlds heroin supply, much of it destined for Europe, according to the United Nations. Some estimates put international drug trafficking as one of the most lucratively traded commodities, on par with oil and gas. Financial proceeds can be laundered through big banks as the scandal involving British bank HSBC illustrated.

For the CIA and other US intelligence agencies, Afghanistan is a giant money press from illicit drug dealing. That easy source for covert funding makes the Afghan war too addictive to kick the habit. With its clandestine global network, fleets of private planes, diplomatic clearance, national security license and byzantine bank accounts all those features make the CIA a perfect conduit for narcotics trafficking. In addition to means, the agency also has powerful motive for secret funding of its other criminal enterprises: media influence operations, color revolutions, assassinations and regime-change subversions.

The systematic involvement of the CIA in international drug running is as old as the agency itself, created in 1947 at the beginning of the Cold War. Its function of covert operations is by definition illegal and therefore requires secret funding. The agency has been linked to illicit Nazi gold to fund its early operations. Later, narcotics trafficking entered as a crucial means for organizational funding. The Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia was central for sponsoring anti-communist schemes in the 1960 and 70s, as was Colombia and Central America for funding proxy forces like the Contra in Nicaragua during the 1980s. Afghanistan carries on this global function for underpinning the CIAs criminal enterprises.
CHICAGO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) will host a webcast and conference call to review its fiscal 2021 first quarter results on Thursday, October 1, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. ET. The company's news release will be issued at approximately 7:30 a.m. ET.

The live audio webcast and presentation slides will be available on conagrabrands.com/investor-relations under Events & Presentations. The conference call may be accessed by dialing 1-877-883-0383 for participants in the U.S. and 1-412-902-6506 for all other participants and using passcode 5016282. Please dial in 10 to 15 minutes prior to the call start time. Following the company's remarks, the conference call will include a question-and-answer session with the investment community.

A replay of the webcast will be available until October 1, 2021.

About Conagra Brands

Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye, Marie Callender's, Banquet, Healthy Choice, Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, and Vlasic, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, Duke's, Earth Balance, Gardein, and Frontera, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.

For more information, please contact:

MEDIA: Mike Cummins

312-549-5257

[email protected]

INVESTORS: Brian Kearney

312-549-5002

[email protected]

SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.conagrafoods.com


The United States will in the coming weeks launch discussions to expand military ties with the United Arab Emirates while at the same time maintaining Israel's qualitative military edge (QME) in the region, US Senior Presidential Adviser announced in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

"The military relationship that America has with the United Arab Emirates is very special, just as the relationship that America has with Israel is incredibly special," Kushner said. "And the QME is something that can be respected while also advancing our military relationship with the United Arab Emirates. We'll be talking more about that over the coming weeks and months."

Kushner was speaking upon landing at Abu Dhabi airport following the first official Israeli flight from Tel Aviv to the

The flight comes after the and Israel on August 13 announced that they had agreed to normalize bilateral relations and establish diplomatic ties as part of a deal brokered by the US. The has become the third Arab country to fully recognize Israel after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994. The two states are expected to sign a number of agreements for cooperation in investments, tourism, security and other areas.

The treaty also appears to have put Israel's plans to extend its sovereignty over lands in the West Bank on hold, but, despite the circumstances, the Palestinian administration has strongly condemned this tripartite agreement.

(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.)
Euromonitor International is the world's leading independent provider of strategic and tactical market research. We create data and analysis on thousands of products and services around the world.
The Su-27 fighter, Russia scrambled to identify the US Air Force B-52H strategic bomber, was flying over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, without violating the Danish border, Russias Defense Ministrys spokesman said on Tuesday.



"The Defense Ministry has denied the statement of the North Atlantic Alliance about the violation of the Danish state border by Russias Su-27 fighter," TASS cited the official as saying.



Earlier, NATO issued a statement that that a B52 bomber of the United States Air Force was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 fighter in international airspace over the Baltic Sea. According to the statement, the Russian fighter followed the B52 well into Danish airspace over the island, committing a significant violation of airspace of a NATO nation.



The Defense Ministry noted that the flight was carried out in strict accordance with the international airspace regulations, without violating the borders of other states. This is confirmed by means of objective control, the ministry stressed.



On August 31, Russian airspace control over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea detected three air targets approaching the Russian state border. To identify them, three Su-27s from the air defense forces of the Baltic Fleet were scrambled. Crews of Russian fighters identified the aerial targets as US Air Force B-52H strategic bombers. Russian fighters returned to their home base after the American aircraft left the Russian state border.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  A multidisciplinary team from Purdue University, under the leadership of Dharmendra Saraswat, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, recently received funding from the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) . The team will develop a curriculum to inculcate computational thinking, teach software development skill sets and increase agriscience students competencies for agriculture informatics careers.

The co-project directors are Dennis Buckmaster, Ankita Raturi, and Somali Chaterji, professors in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE); James Krogmeier and Aaron Ault in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE); Neil Knobloch in the Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication (ASEC); and Mark Daniel Ward in the Department of Statistics.

This is a great win for Dr. Saraswat and his team of faculty at Purdue researching and teaching in digital agriculture, Buckmaster said. The Open Ag Technology and Systems Center has been training students in related areas, but this extends our reach by institutionalizing additional curricula with key collaborations with well-chosen colleagues in other institutions.

Purdues project team will collaborate with the University of Kentucky and Tuskegee University to develop and introduce new courses on agriculture informatics to these campuses.

A major goal of this project is enabling the project team to develop two-week course modules that will be integrated into 12 existing courses, Saraswat said. In addition, three new semesterlong courses on agriculture informatics will be developed. They can be taken in sequence by both undergraduate and graduate students.

The newly developed courses will use problem-based learning and the inverted classroom approach for active student participation. Communication, team building, leadership and independent learning will be emphasized throughout. The educational content will be made available to other land-grant universities and industry for wider use.

Another major focus of the project is to create a collaborative environment and cultivate open-source communities in agriculture beyond the proposed courses through experiential learning, professional development experiences and publication of open-source videos, libraries, code and course materials.

The project is expected to promote teamwork among agriscience students, increase their networks and enhance readiness for agriculture informatics careers.

Over 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students will be impacted over the three-year grant period by participating in two-week course modules and enrolling in three new courses, Saraswat said. They will learn experientially through participation in data-thons, an online data symposium and internships.

The work complements recent Purdue curricular developments, including the Applications in Data Science undergraduate certificate program, an undergraduate minor in Data-Driven Agriculture and a graduate certificate in Spatial Data Science. The work additionally supplements The Data Mine efforts for undergraduate instructions at Purdue and REEU Data Science for Agriculture, a USDA/NIFA funded summer experiential research program.

Writer: Chad Campbell, 765-494-8402, chadcampbell@purdue.edu

Source: Dharmendra Saraswat, 765-494-5013, saraswat@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: 765-494-8415;

Maureen Manier, Department Head, mmanier@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
OKLAHOMA CITY, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SandRidge Energy, Inc. (the "Company" or "SandRidge") (NYSE:SD) today announced the closing on the sale of the Company's 30-story office tower and annex with parking and ancillary uses located at 123 Robert S. Kerr, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 (the "Sale"), for net proceeds of approximately $35.4 million.

As of June 30, 2020, the Company had approximately $14.9 million in cash and $59.0 million in outstanding debt under the Company's revolving credit facility. The $35.4 million in net proceeds received as part of the closing of the Sale significantly reduces the Company's net debt position. The Company believes that the closing of the Sale and resulting receipt of $35.4 million in net proceeds should alleviate any substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.

About SandRidge Energy, Inc.

SandRidge Energy, Inc. (NYSE: SD) is an independent oil and gas company engaged in the development and acquisition of oil and gas properties. Its primary areas of operation are the Mid-Continent in Oklahoma and Kansas and the North Park Basin in Colorado. Further information can be found at www.sandridgeenergy.com.

For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations

SandRidge Energy, Inc.

123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue

Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406

(405) 429-5515

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended." These forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance and reflect SandRidge's current beliefs and expectations regarding future events We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and our perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. We refer you to the discussion of risk factors in Part I, Item 1A - "Risk Factors" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and in comparable "Risk Factor" sections of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed after such Form 10-K. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The actual results or developments anticipated may not be realized or, even if substantially realized, they may not have the expected consequences to or effects on our Company or our business or operations. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except where we are expressly required to do so by law.

SOURCE SandRidge Energy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sandridgeenergy.com


LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) today announced a virtual enrollment option for the Energy Savings Assistance Program, which continues to provide eligible customers with an average of $705 worth of energy-efficiency home upgrades at no cost to help improve the safety and comfort of customers' homes.

"The safety of our customers, employees and contractors is of the utmost importance and, keeping in mind that social distancing is a very important component of helping to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are pleased to offer a virtual enrollment option for our Energy Savings Assistance Program" said Jeff Walker, vice president of customer solutions at SoCalGas. "During this challenging time, it's critical that we continue to support our customers and communities by providing reliable and affordable energy, while also maintaining the health and safety of our customers, employees and contractors."

"Quality Conservation Services (QCS) is pleased to join with SoCalGas to have customers virtually enroll in the Energy Savings Assistance customer assistance program," said Allan Rago, President at QCS. "Customer and contractor safety is always of the utmost importance and especially now, during these unprecedented times. We are pleased to be able to offer this easy virtual option and encourage customers to enroll."

The Energy Savings Assistance Program provides eligible customers with professionally installed home improvements, at no cost to the renter or homeowner, that help conserve energy, reduce natural gas use and enhance safety, health, and comfort. Improvements may include installation of high efficiency washers, water heater replacement, furnace replacement, attic insulation, door weather-stripping and more. SoCalGas has helped over one million of its customers save on their energy bills through energy efficient upgrades.

To qualify for the program, the customer or someone in the customer's household must be enrolled in a qualifying public assistance program or meet income qualifications. Please see here for more information.

Customers interested in applying can visit the Energy Savings Assistance Program webpage on socalgas.com or call (800) 331-7593. Qualifying customers will then be contacted by a SoCalGas contractor who will conduct their virtual enrollment via phone or video call.

In addition to the Energy Savings Assistance Program, SoCalGas offers a wide range of other programs and services. To learn more about these programs and services, or for more information on how to more efficiently manage natural gas usage and possibly reduce monthly natural gas bills, please visit SoCalGas' website at socalgas.com or call (800) 427-2200.

Between 2015 and 2019, SoCalGas energy efficiency programs delivered more than 208 million therms in energy savings, enough natural gas usage for 127,000 households a year, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by over 1,100,000 metric tons, the equivalent of removing nearly 238,000 cars from the road annually. These advances have also helped save SoCalGas customers over $229 million in utility bill costs. In 2019 alone, SoCalGas' energy efficiency programs saved customers $55.6 million.

The Energy Savings Assistance Program is funded by California investor-owned-utility customers and administered by Southern California Gas Company under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

SoCalGas COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Since March, SoCalGas has donated more than $2.9 million to nonprofit organizations for COVID-19 recovery efforts, including supporting the region's workforce, feeding the hungry, providing bill assistance to customers, and more.

For more information on SoCalGas's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit www.socalgas.com/coronavirus .

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians about 45 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.

SoCalGas' vision is to be the cleanest gas utility in North America, delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that vision, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable gas by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2014 through 2018, the company invested nearly $6.5 billion to upgrade and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

SOURCE Southern California Gas Company

Related Links

http://www.socalgas.com


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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 14:03 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41e9219 1 National Polyandry,female,civil-servants,marriage Free

The Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry has said female civil servants are prohibited from practicing polyandry  taking more than one husband  after minister Tjahjo Kumolo claimed the practice had become a new trend.

Paryono, the acting head of the ministrys public relations bureau, said polyandry for female civil servants was prohibited under Law No. 1/1974 on marriage.

He said Article 3 stipulated that men and women could only have one spouse. However, he added, the article allowed men to have more than one wife if they received permission from the court.

It is not regulated for a wife to have another husband, which is also not allowed by religions, Paryono said on Monday, as quoted by tempo.co.

He said the prohibition was reinforced by Government Regulation (PP) No. 45/1990 on revisions to PP No. 10/1983 on marriage and divorce permits for civil servants  an implementing regulation of the 1974 Marriage Law.

Paryono said a marriage was considered legal if it was in accordance with religious law and beliefs, according to Article 2 of the 1974 Marriage Law.

Polyandry is clearly not in accordance with religious law and beliefs and [marriages under such an arrangement] are definitely not registered, he said.

Read also: Freedom of choice: Are Indonesian women caught in a policy trap?

Previously, Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said polyandry had been a new trend among civil servants.

Now, the new trend is female civil servants having more than one husband. This is a new phenomenon. I have encountered many of these cases, Tjahjo said on Friday.

He said he received at least five reports of polyandry over the past year and would decide on the matter after discussions with the National Civil Service Agency (BKN) and the Law and Human Rights Ministry.

However, Paryono  who is also the BKNs public relations, law and cooperation bureau head  said the agency had not discussed the issue with the ministry.

He told tempo.co on Sunday that the agency had not received any data on polyandry in the civil service.

Paryono said civil servants who engaged in polyandry could be summoned, examined and punished.

[They] can be punished with a severe degree of discipline, said Paryono, referring to the punishments established by PP No. 53/2010 on civil servant discipline.

Severe punishments include demotion, transfer in the context of demotion, discharge from office for civil servants holding structural positions and dismissal. (syk)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)  The Venezuelan government said Monday that it had pardoned more than 100 people, including dozens of political opponents who are in prison, have taken refuge in foreign embassies in Caracas or fled the country.

The move comes ahead of congressional elections set for Dec. 6 that the coalition led by U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido says it is boycotting because conditions for the vote are not fair.

The names listed in the pardon dont include prominent opposition leaders such as Leopoldo Lopez, who remains inside a foreign ambassadors residence in Caracas, or Julio Borges, a powerful opposition lawmaker who is in neighboring Colombia.

Relatives of some people on the list who were detained in a Caracas-area prisons rushed to its gates following the government's announcement.

The Caracas-based prisoner rights group Foro Penal said 50 of those to be pardoned were what the opposition considers politically motivated. Roughly two dozen are lawmakers in the National Assembly.

Minister of Communications Jorge Rodriguez listed 110 people being pardoned, although the terms of the announced amnesty were not clear.

The government's intention is to deepen the process of reconciliation for national unity so that political issues are settled by peaceful means and by electoral means, Rodriguez said.

Maduro's government framed the presidential decree as a goodwill gesture to boost participation in the upcoming election. It wasn't immediately clear whether jailed political actors would walk free and those seeking refuge in foreign embassies would step out the gates without fearing reprisals.

Geoff Ramsey, a Washington D.C.-based Venezuela researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America, said this is clearly the product of backdoor negotiations between the Maduro government and moderate sectors in the opposition, which don't include Guaido.

The fact they are openly negotiating in defiance of the U.S. government and Guaido shows that a growing part of Venezuelas opposition has become frustrated with Venezuela's political stalemate, he said.

Story continues

Theyre more interested in pursuing incremental agreements rather than insisting that Maduro has to go before anything meaningful can be negotiated, Ramsey said. The big question is whether this will go beyond political prisoners to include things like free and fair elections.

Venezuela is gripped by an economic and political crisis that has sent more than 5 million fleeing in recent years, escaping scarcities of basic goods and soaring inflation that has left many struggling in poverty.

Guaido for over a year has led a campaign backed by the United States and dozens of other countries to oust Maduro, who remains in power with backing from the military and international allies like Russia, China, Cuba, Turkey and Iran.

The announcement of the pardons came days after authorities released on house arrest lawmaker Juan Requesens, who was jailed for two years and accused of taking part in a failed attempt to attack President Nicolas Maduro with two drones that exploded during an outdoor military ceremony.

Among the lawmakers listed in Maduro's pardon decree is Freddy Guevara, who has lived in the Chilean ambassador's residence in Caracas for nearly three years.

Two jailed lawmakers in the list are Renzo Prieto and Gilber Caro, while Jose Guerra, Tomas Guanipa, Mariela Magallanes and Americo de Grazia live outside of Venezuela, leaving under the threat of being arrested on accusations they want to overthrow Maduro.

Maduro is not our president and I am no criminal, De Grazia, who lives in Italy, said on Twitter, addressing Maduro. If you wish to contribute to Venezuela's peace, pardon the country from this autocracy.

However, Leocenis Garcia, a congressional candidate campaigning for a seat in the National Assembly in the upcoming elections, said he believes that Maduros government doesn't have a chance to come out on top -- especially if there's a groundswell of participation from opposition parties.

Garcia leads ProCitizens, a small political party that is opposed to Maduro but not part of the opposition coalition led by Guaido and Guaidos mentor Leopoldo Lopez.

I agree that we need as much participation as possible from our political parties, Garcia said. The path of violence that the Popular Will Party of Leopoldo Lopez sold to Washington is over, and now we have an electoral path, which is gaining strength.

___

Follow Scott Smith on Twitter: @ScottSmithAP
In endorsing Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention last week, a prominent tribal leader touted the revival of the White House Council on Native American Affairs as a positive step for Indian Country.

The federal initiative went missing in action for the first three years of the Trump presidency, despised as a remnant of the Barack Obama era . But Vice President Myron Lizer of the Navajo Nation offered his own spin on the Indian policy development, saying the council was merely "reactivated" in April.

According to Lizer, the goal of the council is "promote economic development and rural prosperity in Indian Country."

"Whenever we meet with President Trump, he has always made it a priority to repair our relationship with our federal family," asserted Lizer, who addressed the Republican Party via video last Tuesday.

With an eye toward improving coordination across federal agencies, bringing back the council has in fact been a top request of tribal leaders over the past three years. But since being "reactivated" in April, just as COVID-19 was taking a hold in Indian Country, the Trump administration has predictably let it falter before it ever really got off the ground.

Tyler Fish, a senior policy advisor and tribal liaison to President Donald Trump, addresses the winter session of the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C., on February 11, 2020. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Just two weeks ago on Monday, in fact, the White House Council on Native American Affairs (WHCNAA) was left without a leader. That's because Tyler Fish, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation went on a prolonged "leave of absence" as executive director of an initiative that's supposed to be one of Trump's major achievements.

And in a sign of the lesser value placed on the council's work, Fish -- who had only been in the position for four months -- announced his departure in an email to tribal leaders only two business days prior.

"Good evening," Fish said around 8:13pm Eastern on a Wednesday night, "I am writing to inform you that beginning on Monday, August 17, 2020, I will be on a leave of absence for active military service through mid-October."

"I regret the inconvenience this obligation presents to our regular engagements, however, I am bound by the terms of my commission," said Fish, who has served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

According to Fish, tribal leaders who want to engage with the WHCNAA in his absence can continue to do so through "subcommittees" that have been established. But a list he attached to the email just provided the names and contact information for federal officials at various agencies, most of them already familiar to anyone who works in Indian policy circles.

Fish did not respond to a request for comment, sent via email, about who will be leading the council for the two months he is away. He also would not say whether his military leave is taking up the entire time of his absence. Typically, military leaves for government employees are much shorter than two months and are known to the individual far in advance.

No one from the Department of the Interior responded to repeated requests for comment about leadership at the council either. In his message to tribal leaders, Fish referred to Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney , as well as the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, as the "key points of contact for your engagement with the WHCNAA and the Administration."

"If you need assistance connecting with them, please send me an email prior to August 24, 2020," Fish wrote in one last attempt to be helpful.

Fish had been based at Interior headquarters in Washington, D.C., ever since being booted from the White House campus after Indianz.Com reported of his role in a breach of sensitive tribal data by the Trump administration. His new assignment was announced just eight days after the data breach story was published. His White House-issued phone and prestigious whitehouse.gov email address were taken away just days after that.

Still, after a subsequent reassignment story was published, an official from the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs -- one of the points of contact for tribal leaders -- lashed out against Indianz.Com on social media for "dishonest" reporting about Fish's reassignment. Yet more than four months later, no high-ranking officials from from the Trump administration, not even Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt , have publicly talked about the White House Council on Native American Affairs and the supposed "importance of this announcement," as the official put it.

This same White House official, just a couple of hours after Vice President Lizer's address to the GOP last Tuesday, posted a graphic created by Indianz.Com without disclosing where the image came from . He shared the graphic in hopes of promoting the Trump administration's efforts to address the crisis of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives

But just in case anyone thinks Fish's leave of absence is merely a cover for being shown the door by the Trump administration, he made it clear that he intends to come back in mid-October. Notably, that's just a few weeks before the presidential election.

"At the risk of making this communication seem like a farewell letter (its not), I do want to say that the past 2 years have been some of the most rewarding work that Ive experienced," said Fish, whose title at the White House was that of Senior Policy Advisor and Tribal Liaison

Fish official employment, however, has always been through the Department of the Interior -- he was merely serving on a government detail during his time at the White House complex. He bragged to colleagues that one of the reasons he was given the more high-profile assignment was because he switched his political affiliation from Democratic to Republican after Trump took office.

Tyler FIsh moved out of White House job.... I didn't know this until today.



'He got demoted': Trump administration moves Indian Country official out of White House https://t.co/0122mQnSx6  Marilyn Vann (@VannMarilyn) May 1, 2020

Fish also relinquished his citizenship in the Cherokee Nation -- which the tribe had confirmed after reporters asked about his affiliation -- in order to enroll with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The latter tribe prohibits dual enrollments.

At the time of the revival of the White House Council, some advocates in Indian Country expressed hope that it could lead to improvements in the federal-tribal relationship. But there have been little outward signs of any changes since the mid-April announcement.

"If you recall, President Obama hosted Obama hosted a Tribal Nations summit ever year of his presidency," Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico), who is one of the first two Native women in Congress, said in a keynote to the National Transportation in Indian Country Conference on Monday.

"There has been little to no formal interaction by this administration to address the needs of tribes," continued Haaland, who is a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna . "For example, there were tribes that were against the Department of the Interior reorganization, but essentially, the tribes were ignored."

For the eight years of the Obama presidency, the White House Tribal Nations Conference brought hundreds of tribal leaders to D.C. for face-to-face dialog every fall with Cabinet officials and other key government officials. Obama attended every summit and his vice president, Joe Biden, who is now the Democratic nominee for president , also attended in some years.

Tribal leaders have repeatedly pressed Trump and his administration to revive the summits, to no avail. The final White House Tribal Nations Conference took place at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in D.C., which happened to be the site of a large portion of the GOP convention last week.

Biden is promising a different era of government-to-government relations should he win election in November. He plans to bring back the Tribal Nations Conference , make tribal consultation a priority and appoint Native Americans to leadership positions throughout his administration.

Joe Biden stands with Indian Country, Dr. Jill Biden said of her spouse on Friday during a talking circle with Native women leaders, including First Lady Phefelia Nez of the Navajo Nation. President Jonathan Nez addressed the Democratic National Convention on August 18, a day after Fish formally went on leave.

He has worked for years to strengthen tribal sovereignty and ensure the United States follows through on its commitments to Indigenous peoples," Jill Biden continued. "And he knows that upholding the tribal trust and treaty responsibility is a solemn obligation of the federal government."

The Joe Biden campaign is taking the unusual step of calling out a tribal leader, accusing Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer of making "misleading" claims about Donald Trump's Indian Country record. #RNC2020 #NativeVote20 @NativesForBiden @JoeBiden https://t.co/j0oVQMYyUP  indianz.com (@indianz) August 27, 2020

We are in dire need of Joe and people like Joe who are going to listen to us, and who are going to change policy to make our lives better for our children, added Sally Ann Gonzales , a citizen of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe who previously served in the Arizona Legislature

"If we think for a moment about the Obama presidency, and the fact that he moved more land into trust than any president, we can see a stark contrast between President Obama and this president," said Haaland in her keynote at the transportation conference.

Tyler Fish Leave of Absence

The text of Fish's August 12, 2020, to tribal leaders email follows:

Subject: NOTICE - Military Leave and WHCNAA POCs Dear Tribal Leaders, et al. Dear Tribal Leaders, et al. Good evening, I am writing to inform you that beginning on Monday, August 17, 2020, I will be on a leave of absence for active military service through mid-October. I regret the inconvenience this obligation presents to our regular engagements, however, I am bound by the terms of my commission. Good evening, I am writing to inform you that beginning on Monday, August 17, 2020, I will be on a leave of absence for active military service through mid-October. I regret the inconvenience this obligation presents to our regular engagements, however, I am bound by the terms of my commission. In the interim period that I am on active duty, please continue to engage with the WHCNAA through our agency leadership on the WHCNAA Subcommittees. For your convenience, the attached document includes contact information for each of the Subcommittees, their leadership, and agency representatives. Also, the Department of the Interior  Office of the Assistant Secretary  Indian Affairs, and the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs will remain key points of contact for your engagement with the WHCNAA and the Administration. If you need assistance connecting with them, please send me an email prior to August 24, 2020. In the interim period that I am on active duty, please continue to engage with the WHCNAA through our agency leadership on the WHCNAA Subcommittees. For your convenience, the attached document includes contact information for each of the Subcommittees, their leadership, and agency representatives. Also, the Department of the Interior  Office of the Assistant Secretary  Indian Affairs, and the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs will remain key points of contact for your engagement with the WHCNAA and the Administration. If you need assistance connecting with them, please send me an email prior to August 24, 2020. At the risk of making this communication seem like a farewell letter (its not), I do want to say that the past 2 years have been some of the most rewarding work that Ive experienced. Its because Ive come to know many of you personally and Ive been able to develop a greater understanding of the issues in your communities in an effort to seek solutions together in partnership. Even more so, Ive come to a greater understanding of your goals and the vision that you have for your people in the future. Its an honor to be your tribal liaison and I look forward to reconnecting with you all at the conclusion of my current military orders. At the risk of making this communication seem like a farewell letter (its not), I do want to say that the past 2 years have been some of the most rewarding work that Ive experienced. Its because Ive come to know many of you personally and Ive been able to develop a greater understanding of the issues in your communities in an effort to seek solutions together in partnership. Even more so, Ive come to a greater understanding of your goals and the vision that you have for your people in the future. Its an honor to be your tribal liaison and I look forward to reconnecting with you all at the conclusion of my current military orders. Thank you for your dedication and support for a better Indian Country. Thank you for your dedication and support for a better Indian Country. Mvto/Wado, Mvto/Wado, Tyler Fish

Executive Director

White House Council on Native American Affairs Tyler FishExecutive DirectorWhite House Council on Native American Affairs

Join the Conversation
Donald Trump issued a wild series of unfounded accusations against his Democratic opponent for president, Joe Biden, accusing the former vice president of appeasing "Antifa" by supporting rioters in major US cities gripped by protests against police brutality.

The way Mr Trump tells it, Mr Biden has ignored left-wing political violence in Democrat-run cities", a claim that is categorically untrue.

While Mr Biden has focused his campaign messaging primarily on sympathising with the victims of police shootings and calling for sweeping reforms to the law enforcement system, on Sunday he denounced "violence of every kind by anyone" after one Trump supporter was shot and killed in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, while others paraded through downtown in their vehicles, some firing paintballs and pepper spray at counter-protesters.

The statement was one of several examples of the vice president condemning violent protests and distancing himself from rioting and looting.

In a speech on Monday in Pittsburgh, Mr Biden rebuked Mr Trump's "weak" leadership for appearing to exploit for political purposes the racial divisions and distrust between law enforcement and their communities that continue to simmer.

"This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership," the former vice president said. "He cant stop the violence because for years he fomented it. ... His failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows you how weak he is."

Mr Trump responded in kind, criticising Mr Biden at his news conference on Monday for not directly condemning Antifa, the loose collection of anti-fascist, left-wing protesters believed to have instigated rioting and looting at anti-police brutality protests this summer.

"You don't name it, you don't solve it," Mr Trump said of Mr Biden's not mentioning Antifa during any of his recent speeches, adding that "those on the left are the problem".

Antifa is not generally regarded as a centralised political organisation or ideology.

Mr Trump speculated during his Monday press conference that Mr Biden shares the same agenda and talking points as the violent Antifa minority who have undermined the message of the millions of otherwise peaceful protesters calling for policing reform in US cities this summer after the shootings of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and, most recently, Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"Even in his strange speech today that he made in Pittsburgh he didn't mention the far left or, from what I saw, I don't believe he mentioned the word Antifa. Antifa is a criminal organisation, and he didn't mention Antifa thugs, but mostly seemed to blame police and law enforcement," Mr Trump said.

"He even talked about those on the right, but he didn't talk about those on the left, and those on the left are the problem, and Antifa's the problem."

The president continued: "When you surrender to the mob you don't get freedom you get fascism. That's what happens in all cases ... Biden is using mafia talking points  the mob will leave you alone if you give them what you want. That's what it is."

During the question and answer portion of his news conference, Mr Trump appeared to defend his supporters who were videoed firing paintballs and pepper spray at counter-protesters in Portland at the Trump vehicle parade on Saturday.

"They had large numbers of people that were [Trump] supporters, but that was a peaceful protest," he said, claiming they were using "paint as a defensive mechanism".

He added: "Paint is not bullets."

Mr Trump also panned leftist elements for proposing that prisoners be allowed to cast election ballots.

"If you're the Boston bomber, they want you to have a vote," the president said, referring to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Kyrgyzstani man of Chechen descent who has been convicted of setting off bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has advocated for voting rights for prisoners, whereas Mr Biden has proposed restoring voting rights for people who have completed their sentences.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is ramping up its operations to root out the left-wing extremist elements that have overshadowed  in conservative circles, at least  the millions of peaceful demonstrators for policing reform this summer.

The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security are poised to announce a joint operations centre to "investigate violent left-wing civil unrest", Mr Trump told reporters.

That announcement comes on the heels of reports the president and his administration have largely ignored pleas from aides at the DHS to address right-wing domestic terrorism.

The feds have already arrested roughly 200 people in a crackdown on left-wing political violence in "Democrat-run cities," the president said.

"Federal law enforcement is working with state and local authorities all over the country to comb through hours of video, track down rioters, looters and arsonists, and bring them to justice," he said.

"We're doing it very low-key, but we're trying to help cities. They are in all cases Democrat-run, but we're doing the best we can to help them without really much of a consent," he said.

Mr Trump also defended the 17-year-old Illinois boy, Kyle Rittenhouse, who has been arrested and charged with intentional first-degree murder for shooting and killing two people at a protest last week in Kenosha against the shooting of Mr Blake.

Mr Rittenhouse was "trying to get away" from protesters, "and he fell, and then they very violently attacked him," Mr Trump said.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates  Israel-UAE normalization talks are progressing faster than expected and could lead to an additional trilateral pact involving the U.S., officials from all three countries told me following talks in Abu Dhabi.

What's next: Israeli officials said a signing ceremony could take place at the White House before Sept. 18. For now, Israel's national security adviser has invited his Emirati counterpart to visit Israel to continue the talks.

Setting the scene: Officials from all three countries expressed enthusiasm about the pace, atmosphere and results of the talks, and optimism that the U.S.-brokered normalization deal would soon be implemented.

One incentive for moving fast is to create momentum in the region, potentially leading additional Arab countries to recognize Israel (only Egypt and Jordan had previously done so).

Officials from all three countries also said they hope to get a bonus out of the normalization agreement: a trilateral alliance between the U.S., Israel and UAE.

That prospective alliance would focus initially on regional security, but could be broadened to other fields as well.

Behind the scenes: U.S. officials  including Jared Kushner and national security adviser Robert O'Brien  attended almost every breakout session in Abu Dhabi as Israeli and Emirati technical teams discussed investment, finance, health, space, civil aviation, foreign policy and tourism.

The most interesting discussion came over dinner Monday night at the presidential palace, hosted by UAE national security adviser Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, attendees told me.

The talks underlined the central role of the U.S. in peace-making between Israel and its Arab neighbors, as the Carter and Clinton administrations previously proved with the Israel-Egypt and Israel-Jordan deals, respectively.

But despite the warm feelings from the summit, Israeli and Emirati officials expressed caution about what future relations will look like.

Emirati officials said they hope for a relationship unlike Israel's "cold peace" with Jordan and Egypt.

Given the UAE's wealth and development, they contend that a more balanced relationship is possible  but it must be based on respect.

Several Emirati officials took umbrage at statements from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli politicians about bringing together Israeli ingenuity and Emirati money.

The Emiratis see themselves as the Arab startup nation  sending a probe to Mars, developing a coronavirus vaccine  and say they expect the Israelis to treat them as equal partners.

The other side: Israeli officials acknowledged it will be a challenge to build a deep bilateral relationship with the UAE that's based on trust and mutual interests  and not dependent on having an American babysitter.

But they said they've been surprised by the Emirati charm offensive, which has involved heavily publicizing the new relationship in domestic media and through outreach to Israeli journalists, some of whom traveled to Abu Dhabi and were granted access to events and officials.

Emirati officials say they hope their approach to normalization will lead to more pragmatism across the region.

But, but, but: The Emirati decision has been denounced by Palestinian leaders, and countries including Saudi Arabia met the news with cool responses.

Worth noting: One remaining dispute between the sides is the pending sale of F-35 fighter jets to the UAE. Kushner has said President Trump will discuss the issue with Netanyahu, who has expressed opposition to the arms deal.
The United States said on Monday that it was establishing a new bilateral economic dialogue with Taiwan, an initiative it said was aimed at strengthening ties with Taipei and supporting it in the face of increasing pressure from Beijing.

Washington also said it had declassified six security assurances given to Taiwan during the era of US President Ronald Reagan  a move analysts said appeared intended to show further support for Taipei.

The US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, David Stilwell, made the announcements on Monday, amid a continued deterioration in relations between Washington and Beijing and increasing pressure from China on democratically-ruled Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory.

Stilwell said the US is intensifying support to the island because of the increasing threat posed by Beijing to peace and stability in the region and its deepening ties of friendship, trade, and productivity with Taiwan.





Washington broke off formal diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1979 in favour of Beijing, but the US is bound by law to help Taiwan defend itself and is the main arms supplier to the island. The administration of current US President Donald Trump has made strengthening its support for the island a priority, and has also boosted weapons and equipment sales.

Trump is campaigning for re-election in November with a tough approach to China among his key foreign policy platforms, accusing his rival, Democrat Joe Biden, of being weak on China.

In August, Trump also dispatched his health secretary, Alex Azar, to Taipei  the highest-ranking US official to travel to the island in years  angering Beijing.

Significant adjustments

Stilwell told a virtual forum hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation that the latest US moves were not a policy shift, but part of a set of significant adjustments within Washingtons long-standing one-China policy.

We will continue to help Taipei resist the Chinese Communist Partys campaign to pressure, intimidate, and marginalise Taiwan, Stilwell said.

With a population of 23 million, Taiwan continues to punch above its weight in economics as well as governance, thereby making the world a better place.





Taiwans Foreign Ministry expressed thanks for the show of support at a time when it said China was using military intimidation to damage peace and stability near Taiwan, and said it would continue to strengthen its defence capabilities.

Earlier on Monday, Beijing said that the anti-China pronouncements by certain US politicians are destined to fail, after another Trump official, National Security Advisor Robert OBrien, said on Friday that the US should use its alliance in the region to cope with challenges posed by China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing on Monday that some officials in the US were driven by their zero-sum game mindset and Cold War mentality and personal gains.

Six Assurances

US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azars recent visit to Taiwan and meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen angered China, which considers the island as part of its territory [Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters]

Daniel Russel, a predecessor of Stilwell until early in the Trump administration, said the Six Assurances made to Taipei by the Reagan administration in 1982 had been a loosely kept secret at best.

He said the decision to publish them looked like a compromise response to pressure from administration hawks to abandon strategic ambiguity  a long-standing policy of withholding a clear-cut US commitment to defend Taiwan while still showing sufficient support to deter any Chinese military adventurism.

This is quite a speech on Taiwan by @USAsiaPacific

Chief Stilwell. It says almost everything Taipei would want the US to say: E.g.: China is the problem, not Taiwan; Taiwan needs more international room. US will keep selling arms to Taiwan. https://t.co/lC56WurlXV  Julian Ku  (@julianku) August 31, 2020

Among the assurances made in 1982, but never formally made public, are statements that the US has not set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan, nor agreed to prior consultation with Beijing on such sales, or to revise the Taiwan Relations Act that underpins US policy towards the island.

The assurances, Stilwell said, endure today.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Insuresoft, a core system provider for the property & casualty insurance market, is pleased to announce the successful implementation of its Diamond platform for Southern Trust Insurance Company's auto, homeowner and umbrella lines of business.

Insuresoft

In spring of 2019, Southern Trust contracted with Insuresoft to implement its personal lines products on the Diamond platform. The two teams collaborated to define a new auto program that could be more competitive in the marketplace, with better third-party and report-ordering interfaces for a more streamlined business process.

Auto insurance ultimately went live on the Diamond platform in March 2020, 10 months after the process started. Homeowners insurance followed, going live in June 2020, followed by umbrella in July 2020. Based on their success with personal lines on the Insuresoft Diamond platform, Southern Trust decided to manage its commercial lines on Diamond as well. Commercial auto, the business owner policy (BOP) and other commercial lines will make up the next phases of implementation.

"I give Insuresoft high A+ marks for both discovery and implementation," says Travis Brank, Senior Vice President of Product and Pricing at Southern Trust. "Their team was fantastic at sticking to deadlines, keeping us updated and leading the process. They responded with urgency and they were also very flexible," he adds.

All of the input received from Southern Trust's agents is positive. "In the past, agents did business with us because of the relationship," says Brank. "Now they also do business with us because we're easy to work with."

Favorite features include data prefill, which saves agents a lot of time as well as the mobile app and customer portal, which allow agents and customers to easily access policy information.

"It is refreshing to work with an insurance technology organization in meeting expectations for both parties," says Les Cole, President of Southern Trust.

ABOUT INSURESOFT

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Some Civil Society organizations have initiated an online petition to galvanize public support against the implementation of the controversial Agyapa Royalties Limited.

Though the Finance Ministry last Friday sought to put all related matters to rest, civil society groups continue to mount pressure for the suspension of its implementation.

President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, who is also a member of the Alliance of CSOs working in Extractive, Anti-Corruption and Good Governance, told Citi News that there are still more questions on the deal than there are answers.

The contract had been okayed by Cabinet as of March 2020. The final contract still has grave issues which show that the government is shortchanging the republic. There are a number of confusing issues. The contract states clearly that we are getting 1 billion dollars and that is based on the fact that we have depressed the value of the asset by 70% and we are getting just about 50 percent.

There are alternate procedures so they should not go and list on the stock exchange, undervalue it and then raise the stocks and the shareholders will benefit. Unfortunately, the dividends arguments also do not hold. You are likely to get a maximum of 10 million dollars a year but the sad aspect is that they keep confusing everyone that they have only signed 12 mining leases. The government who is shepherding this whole process must bring everything to the table, he said.

The Agyapa Royalties deal has become a topical issue following concerns from members of the opposition.

The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has alleged that cronies of President Akufo-Addo are seeking to cut dubious deals by buying off 49% shares, in the publicly listed company which the government intends to use as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to raise funds for developmental projects.

Civil Society groups in Mines and Energy have also described the SPV as one which is not transparent and must be suspended.

IMANI, which is among the CSO's against the deal stated in a document that the degree of information-hiding has been so intense that, per the official record, it took the Ministry of Finance more than a year to share the full set of agreements with the Government's own Attorney General following an initial request for legal review in January 2019. Unsurprisingly, the final agreement ratified by Parliament defies many pieces of advice offered by the Attorney General, including a suggestion that the Investment Agreement be limited to a fixed term of 30 years.

IMANI further contended that the government's plans of leveraging Ghana's mineral royalties to secure about $1 billion is an undervaluation of the country's mineral resources.

There is a case to be made for diversifying the country's sovereign wealth strategy and acquiring some geo-economic influence, but that should not be pursued at the high cost of valuing 75% of all of Ghana's future royalties at 30% of their true value. The $1 billion valuations of these massive resource entitlements is unconscionable and amount to undervaluing Ghana's resources by over 65%, IMANI said.

---citinewsroom
There were some extraordinary moments last March and April on virtual Parliament Hill, but they seem to have slipped Erin OTooles mind.

It was a time of fear, but it was also a time of common understanding about what matters most. The coronavirus was spreading quickly, requiring quick, life-altering decisions many times a day.

Despite a bitter federal election just months earlier, the political parties stopped haranguing each other and instead focused on how to shutter the economy, encourage everyone but essential workers to go home, and slow down the spread of COVID-19.

And they largely succeeded, with a generosity of spirit that should make any parliamentarian proud.

Yes, there were shortcomings. The recession has hit women the hardest, revealing weaknesses in child care and workplace attachment. The virus hit poor neighbourhoods and racialized communities the hardest, revealing the fragile intersections of poverty, race and close quarters.

OToole, though, has seized his new podium as leader of the Conservative party and used it to lump everything in together and accuse the Liberals of screwing up the entire system of income supports.

Thats historical revisionism with serious implications for how a Conservative leader would deal with future outbreaks.

In an interview with Globals West Block after winning the leadership last week, OToole accused the Liberals of getting pandemic supports entirely wrong  saying the governments CERB undermined its efforts to give employers wage supports to keep their workers.

Theres some legitimacy to the argument. It was something that the Liberals and government officials have fretted about for months. They were fearful that by rushing the $2,000-a-month emergency response benefit out the door early in the pandemic so that workers would stay home and not spread the virus, their jobs would disappear for good and make recovery much more difficult.

Indeed, former finance minister Bill Morneau spoke openly about the problem, begging employers to take back their employees and make full use of the government wage subsidy instead.

The problem was, the wage subsidy didnt hit balance sheets until many weeks after the CERB hit households. At first, it was 10 per cent of a struggling companys payroll, rising soon after to 75 per cent as opposition politicians cried out for more, and as the bureaucracy figured out how to handle the payments efficiently. By historical standards, they moved fast, but not fast enough for some companies that had to close their doors and lay people off while the wage subsidy was in limbo or just insufficient.

The take-up of the subsidy looked really low for a while, but as economist Kevin Milligan pointed out in a recent presentation, the success of the wage subsidy has been a bit of a sleeper. Companies could apply for it retroactively, and the numbers have crept up. More than 3 million employees were supported by the subsidy in each of March, April and May, and almost that many in June.

Milligan, who is now on loan to the federal government for a few months from his post at the University of British Columbia, also pointed out that in the job gains of the summer, most of the people who are now re-employed have returned to their prior workplaces. So, attachment to the workforce is not completely broken after all.

The problem with OTooles criticism is that he is now, several months later, saying the government should have save(d) the jobs first.

Part of that criticism is just anti-Liberal bluster designed to carve out space for the new Conservative leader to make his mark on economic policy.

But part of it points to OTooles priorities and a rewriting of history. In the spring, there was no question of putting the jobs first. Public health had to come first, or there would be no jobs to go to anyway. That was something every party agreed on almost immediately.

As the pandemic wore on and public health officials learned more about how to handle the spread of the virus, the Liberals and Conservatives alike turned their thoughts to a safe reopening.

Does OToole really want to suggest that jobs should have been prioritized over the spread of the virus? Probably not, but he is suggesting that payroll support for employers is far more effective in recovery than income support for individuals.

In the United States, pandemic support has tilted heavily in favour of those with work, rather than those who are completely out of the workforce, says economics professor Hilary Hoynes of the University of California (Berkeley) speaking at the same Queens University conference on social policy as Milligan.

What it means is that those at the very bottom of the income scale are left behind.

In Canada, we just dont need to go there. If the pandemic has taught us anything, its that we dont have enough systemic support for those at the low end.

OToole has talked about the need to get rid of CERB and reform employment insurance (which the Liberals are planning to do) while also increasing government benefits for families with children. He also wants to introduce measures for small business.

Thats all food for thought as political decision-makers and experts brainstorm about how to coexist with the virus and make ends meet at the same time.

But to reinterpret the tumultuous policy-making of the recent past risks obscuring some of the lasting messages the pandemic rescue package sent us. We now know full well where our most vulnerable people are, and they need the same kind of political collaboration that saved us all last spring.
HOUSTON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- InvestorsHub NewsWire -- Recruiter.com Group, Inc. (OTCQB: RCRT), a leading hiring platform with the world's largest network of recruiters, has announced a strategic partnership with Beeline , a global leader in software solutions for managing the extended workforce. The collaboration will bring to market a unique, diversity-focused network of recruiters to Beeline customers.

Recruiter.com provides a talent-sourcing solution that leverages its community of over 26,000 recruiters worldwide. The new private diversity recruiting team will focus on minority-owned, small, and independent recruiting firms. Beeline customers will access this private network to further diversify their contingent workforce spend and support traditionally underrepresented businesses.

"Many companies want to do better when it comes to supporting diversity initiatives within their contingent labor programs. Managing with a small and trusted PSL (Preferred Supplier List) is good business; however, it can limit opportunity to work with other players," said Doug Leeby, CEO of Beeline. "The one-to-many dynamic of Recruiter.com means our customers simply add one more supplier, but get the benefit of thousands. This particular endeavor focuses on diversity and providing access to under-represented firms and talent. We have a duty to keep leading our industry, and we are very proud of this partnership."

"Beeline has demonstrated their long-term commitment to delivering workforce innovations for hundreds of Fortune 2000 clients," said Evan Sohn, CEO of Recruiter.com. "Recruiter.com is proud to partner with Beeline and help drive further innovations in diversity talent solutions."

Supplier and supply chain diversity have long been critical parts of advancing equality and inclusion and supporting the overall economy's growth. The recent national attention to diversity issues has renewed many corporations' commitment to strengthening diversity initiatives. However, there are still many issues surrounding access. The 2019 State of Supplier Diversity report notes that some of the most significant challenges for minority- and women-owned business enterprises include difficulties in being discovered by large companies, citing that purchasing and decision-makers are often not attuned to how their supplier diversity programs work.

James H. Lowry, nationally recognized workforce and supplier diversity expert, told Minority Business News USA, "Everyone must work together  irrespective of race, religion, gender, or political parties  to achieve success." Beeline and Recruiter.com are proud to extend business opportunities to minority recruiting and staffing professionals through this innovative workforce solution.

About Beeline

Enabling companies to increase profitability and flexibility by utilizing an agile mix of employee and non-employee talent, Beeline is the world's largest independent provider of solutions for sourcing and managing the complex world of contingent labor. Our software helps procurement, sourcing, and human resources professionals optimize costs, reduce risks, and add value to their services procurement and contingent workforce programs. We have the deepest, most seasoned team of contingent workforce solution professionals. From our locations around the world, we deliver innovative technology, end-to-end global and localized customer support, and value-added capabilities which help many of the world's largest enterprises meet their most critical talent needs. To learn more, visit https://www.beeline.com

Recruiter.com Group, Inc.

Recruiter.com is a hiring platform for the world's largest network of small and independent recruiters. Recruiter.com empowers businesses to recruit specialized talent faster with virtual teams of recruiters and AI job-matching technology. Visit https://www.recruiter.com .

For investor information, visit https://www.recruiter.com/investors.html .

Please follow social media channels for additional updates:

LinkedIn Recruiter Network Group: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/42370/

LinkedIn Company Page: http://www.linkedin.com/company/1240434

Twitter Company Page: https://twitter.com/recruiterdotcom

Facebook Company Page: https://www.facebook.com/RecruiterDotCom

Company Contact:

Recruiter.com Group, Inc.

Phone: (855) 931-1500

Investor Relations:

Dave Gentry

RedChip Companies, Inc.

Phone: (407) 491-4498

[email protected]

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the anticipated results of the partnership, state of the job market, Beeline's clients' hiring demand, and the future demand for talent. The words "forecasts" "believe," "may," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "should," "plan," "could," "target," "potential," "is likely," "will," "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and commercial needs. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements include continued demand for professional hiring, the accuracy of the Recruiter Index survey, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the job market and the economy as virus levels are again rising in many states, and the Risk Factors contained within our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

SOURCE Recruiter.com Group, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.recruiter.com


Update: Police have identified the man killed in the double shooting in Syracuses Skunk City.

Syracuse, N.Y.  One man is dead and another man is hospitalized after they were shot Monday night in Syracuse.

Police were called to the 200 block of Bradley Street in the citys Skunk City neighborhood around 9:44 p.m.

When they arrived, they found a 34-year-old man shot in the mid-section, said Syracuse Police Sgt. Matthew Malinowski, a department spokesman.

The man was rushed to Upstate University Hospital, where he later died.

Around the same time, police were alerted that a 26-year-old man arrived at Crouse Hospital in a private vehicle with gunshot wounds to the hip and leg.

That man is expected to survive, Malinowski said.

Up to two dozen gunshots were fired, according to 911 dispatches.

Syracuse police ask anyone with information about the incident to contact them at (315) 442-5222.

Contact Jacob Pucci at jpucci@syracuse.com or find him on Twitter at @JacobPucci.
Phuket Immigration says help coming for expats caught in permit-to-stay crisis

PHUKET: The Phuket Immigration Office is asking any foreigners staying on a non-immigrant B (Business) visa who cannot satisfy the minimum income requirement for a one-year permit-to-stay to delay filing their annual application pending a possible temporary reprieve issued by officials in Bangkok.

CoronavirusCOVID-19immigration

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 1 September 2020, 03:39PM

The news comes only after the issue was brought to the attention of The Phuket News, whereby foreigners legally living and working on the island are no longer earning the same income as before the outbreak, and now face having their usual application for a one-year permit to stay being refused.

The visa amnesty issued by Cabinet approval allows such foreigners to stay until Sept 26, yet the Immigration Bureau has urged foreigners to start filing their usual applications early to avoid a crush in the run-up to the amnesty expiring.

That point now seems moot as many foreigners can no longer satisfy the minimum income requirement for one-year permits-to-stay, leaving them exposed to being granted only 90 days stay, or worse, being asked to leave the country immediately after Sept 26.

Only in July did Phuket Immigration Deputy Chief Col Nareuwat Putthawiro confirm that foreigners with multiple employers listed on their work permits need to satisfy the minimum income from the major employer only in order to qualify for a one-year extension to a permit to stay.

However, the minimum income requirements in order to be issued a one-year permit-to-stay remained unchanged.

The minimum income required for foreigners from any western European countries, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United States of America is B50,000 per month.

For applicants from South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the income required is B45,000 per month.

For foreigners from any other countries in Asia [except Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam], as well as foreigners from Eastern Europe, Russia, South Africa, any country in South America or Central America, or Mexico, the income required is B35,000 per month.

The minimum income required for nationals from any country in Africa (other than South Africa), or from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, the minimum income required to be issued a one-year permit to stay is B25,000 per month.

Yet, with international tourism shut down, many businesses on the island remain closed or running at minimal cost, including salaries. Many employees on the island, both Thai and foreign, have accepted greatly reduced hours and salaries while the crisis continues just to maintain some form of income.

Phuket Immigration Office Deputy Chief Lt Col Udom Thongchin told The Phuket News today (Sept 1) that his office has no choice in the matter.

We can accept the applications, but they cannot be approved. We do not approve them here [in Phuket]. The applications are sent to [the regional immigration headquarters in] Songkhla, but they cannot approve them as the conditions have not been met, he said.

We understand the situation has affected the income of businesses that hire foreigners. It has affected everyones monthly income. The income is not enough for foreigners applications. This affects foreigners in Phuket, and in other provinces, but there have been no changes or updates to the regulations concerning extensions [to permits-to-stay], he explained.

However, Lt Col Udom said that officers in Bangkok were considering the problem and might provide some form of reprieve, and he asked foreigners caught out by the income requirement to delay filing their applications.

Please wait for an announcement after Sept 15, because Immigration officials in Bangkok are talking about this issue to figure out the problem, he said.

I think they will have some solution before Sept 26, which is the final date to apply for an extension. This is my understanding, Lt Col Udom added.

Updates will be issued as soon as possible. We want to help but we have to follow the visa extension [sic] regulations. Please wait for an update from Bangkok, he repeated.

Meanwhile, Lt Col Worapol Panpetch, Inspector at Phuket Immigration, confirmed that the amnesty for filing 90-day reports expired yesterday (Aug 31).

People can report themselves as usual, but any foreigners who are now late for submitting a 90-day report will be fined B2,000. We must follow the regulations, they are the law, he said.
- US$620m secured from a consortium of five banks for 630 MW of wind and solar assets

- One of the largest renewable energy debt financing deals undertaken in the world this year

- Deal underlines Mainstream's commitment to renewable power build-out in Chile and its track record in delivering gigawatt-scale renewable energy platforms

- Full 1.3 GW Andes Renovables platform continues to make excellent progress despite COVID-19 impact due to strict internal safety protocols

DUBLIN, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global wind and solar development company, Mainstream Renewable Power ("Mainstream" or "The Company"), has reached financial close for the second phase of its wholly-owned and fully-contracted 1.3 gigawatt "Andes Renovables" wind and solar power generation platform in Chile.

The Company has successfully raised US$620 million in debt to fund construction of phase two of what is one of Latin American's biggest wind and solar generation platforms. This brings to US$1.25bn raised to date by the Andes Renovables platform.

The Senior financing has been provided by a consortium of five banks: IDB Invest, KfW IPEX-Bank, DNB, CaixaBank and MUFG, and is one of the largest renewable energy debt financing deals undertaken in the world this year. A sixth bank, Santander, provided a VAT facility.

The 630 megawatt (MW) second phase of Andes Renovables  called "Huemul"  is comprised of three onshore wind and two solar PV generation assets. All five assets are in pre-construction and will reach commercial operation between 2021 and 2022. They will generate enough sustainable electricity to power 781,000 Chilean homes and will displace 744,200 metric tonnes of CO2 each year.

Andes Renovables is a c.US$1.8 billion, three phase wind and solar generation platform comprised of seven onshore wind and three solar PV generation assets. The first phase, Condor reached financial close in November 2019 and is already over 30% complete. The build-out has created nearly 1,200 jobs across three regions of the country and has safely continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic under strict sanitary and social distancing protocols. The next and final phase, "Copihue", is comprised of one further wind asset with a 100 MW capacity and is on track to reach financial close in H1 2021.

Vestas, Nordex Group and Siemens Gamesa are supplying the wind turbines and the wind farm assets will be built by Sacyr Industrial, SEMI and Elecnor. The solar PV assets will be built by Sterling & Wilson and Metka-Egn. All five main power transformers for the projects will be supplied by Hitachi ABB Power Grids. Grid connection works will be carried out by Transelec, Inprolec and Isotron-Siemens consortium.

Mary Quaney, Mainstream's Group Chief Executive said:

"Reaching financial close on the second phase of our Andes Renovables platform is a further positive step on Mainstream's journey to delivering Latin America's number one wind and solar PV power generation platform.

"Despite the uncertain economic environment caused by COVID-19, today's announcement is testament to the support of the banking consortium of Mainstream as the world's leading independent developer of renewable energy.

"Mainstream is building something much bigger than the sum of its many parts  the Andes Renovables platform is evidence of renewable energy infrastructure on a massive scale and comes at a vital time for Chile as the country looks to invest in a green and sustainable recovery from COVID-19 by decarbonising its electricity system, as well as lowering the price of power generation nationwide."

Manuel Tagle, Mainstream's General Manager for Latin America said:

"This latest milestone comes as we are making excellent progress on the construction of the first phase of the platform and I have been delighted by the response of our teams on the ground to the challenging conditions that the pandemic has created.

"The economic and environmental impact of the platform is very significant and with a development pipeline of 2.7 gigawatts of wind and solar assets in addition to the Andes Renovables platform, Mainstream remains committed to making an even greater contribution to Chile for the foreseeable future."

Notes to Editors:

About Mainstream Renewable Power in Chile

In 2016, Mainstream was the biggest winner in Chile's largest ever technology-neutral electricity auction, taking 27% of the total allocated capacity. Chile's National Energy Commission awarded Mainstream a 20-year index-linked, US dollar denominated contract, to supply 3,366 Gigawatt Hours of firm power starting in 2021. Mainstream has also delivered an additional 332 MW of wind generation in Chile via the Aela Platform with its joint venture partner Actis, delivering its first wind farm into commercial operation in 2014. Mainstream has an additional 2,700 MW of wind and solar PV generation assets under development in Chile.

Detailed Project information

Andes Renovables Platform Phase Name MW onshore wind MW Solar PV Commercial Operation 1 Condor 3 assets (426MW) 1 asset (145MW) 2021 2 Huemul 3 assets (425 MW) 2 assets (205 MW) 2021 - 2022 3 Copihue 1 asset (100 MW) n/a 2022

951 MW (onshore wind) 350 MW (solar PV)



Phase two  Huemul assets Asset

Name Technology MW

capacity Region Commercial

Operation Equipment

supplier Construction

contractor Puelche

Sur Onshore

Wind 156 Los Lagos 2022 Nordex

Group SEMI Llanos del

Viento Onshore

Wind 160 Antofagasta 2022 Siemens

Gamesa Elecnor Ckani Onshore

Wind 109 Antofagasta 2022 Vestas Sacyr

Industrial Pampa

Tigre Solar PV 100 Antofagasta 2021 Full EPC contract Metka-Egn Valle

Escondido Solar PV 105 Atacama 2021 Full EPC contract Sterling & Wilson TOTAL 630



Contact:

Emmet Curley, Head of Communications & Positioning

Phone: +353 86 2411 690

Email: [email protected]

About Mainstream Renewable Power

Mainstream Renewable Power is the world's only independent developer of utility-scale wind and solar power assets with a global footprint. The company is focused on delivering a high-quality portfolio of more than 9 GW of wind and solar assets across Latin America, Africa, Asia Pacific as well as the Offshore wind sector globally.

Mainstream has delivered more than 1.1 GW of wind and solar assets into commercial operation and is currently constructing a further 1.9 GW across Latin America and Africa.

In Chile, Mainstream's wholly-owned 1.3 GW of fully contracted wind and solar assets are on track to reach commercial operation from 2021. In Africa, the company has delivered 600 MW of wind and solar assets into commercial operation in South Africa and currently has 250 MW of wind assets in construction there. Through its Lekela Power joint venture in Africa, it has 410 MW of wind assets in construction in Senegal and Egypt.

Mainstream is the most successful independent developer of offshore wind at scale globally. It has successfully consented Hornsea One (1.2 GW), the largest operational offshore wind plant in the world today; and developed the Hornsea 2 project (1.4 GW) before selling these projects and the entire Zone in 2015. Mainstream fully consented the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind project in Scotland, 450 MW, currently under construction.

Mainstream's Soc Trang 800MW offshore wind development in Vietnam is one of South East Asia's largest renewable energy developments. The Company signed an agreement with Eni, the global energy company, to collaborate on potential renewable energy developments across Africa and Southeast Asia, with an initial focus on the UK's offshore Round 4.

Mainstream has raised more than EUR3.0bn in project finance to date and employs more than 300 staff across five continents.

www.mainstreamrp.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/686512/Mainstream_Renewable_Power_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Mainstream Renewable Power
Miller Auto, an 88-year-old family business, achieved their vision with investment banking, tax, succession planning, and wealth advisory services from CLA.

Miller Auto, an 88-year-old family business, achieved their vision with investment banking, tax, succession planning, and wealth advisory services from CLA.

Miller Auto, an 88-year-old family business, achieved their vision with investment banking, tax, succession planning, and wealth advisory services from CLA.

St. Cloud, Minnesota, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) announced today that it helped Miller Auto find a new owner. Started in 1932 as a small repair shop operated by John Miller, the father of selling owner Tom Miller, the automotive dealerships operations have grown to include new models of GMC, Nissan, Buick, and Lincoln, along with a huge selection of pre-owned makes and models. Gilleland Enterprises now takes over as the new owner.



A closely held family business and long-time CLA client, Miller sought a buyer that would preserve the dealerships legacy of service and strong presence in the community, and allow the current owners, Tom Miller and Chance Haakonson, to retain Millers marine sales and operations.



One of our main objectives was to find a buyer for the automotive operations that understood the dealerships value in the community, said Ben Axelrod, head of the investment banking practice at CLA. But we also were keen to find a buyer that would make sure the transition of the automotive operations to a new owner  while maintaining the marine operations under current ownership and management  went very smoothly.



Mrudul Sharma, principal in CLAs dealership practice, added, We continue to see strong interest in dealerships with solid market dynamics. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of working with buyers we believe have the long-term vision and resolve to complete transactions.



Tom Miller stated, "Gilleland has been a tough competitor over the years and I am proud to sell to a local company that treats their employees well. We enjoy a great long-term partnership with CLA and they have been by our side as we grew our company. Chance and I are very pleased with the outcome and believe the Gilleland family will continue to provide our employees with great opportunities for success.



The CLA team included Mrudul Sharma, Scott Gorden, and Pat Fuist in the national dealership practice, and Ben Axelrod and Derek Murphy of CLA Wealth Advisors.



Securities products, merger and acquisition services, and wealth advisory services are provided by CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors LLC, a federally registered investment advisor and member FINRA, SIPC.

Story continues

About CLA

CLA exists to create opportunities for our clients, our people, and our communities through industry-focused wealth advisory, outsourcing, audit, tax, and consulting services. With more than 6,200 people, 120 U.S. locations and a global affiliation, we promise to know you and help you. Investment advisory services are offered through CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor.

Attachment

CONTACT: Jackie Kruger CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) 612-376-4623 jackie.kruger@CLAconnect.com




NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Surfside Solutions Inc. ("Surfside"), a leading provider of advertising and data solutions focused on the cannabis industry, today announced its partnership with Dutchie , the world's largest and fastest-growing e-commerce solution for cannabis dispensaries, to measure marketing attribution utilizing online sales data through the Dutchie website and software.

Through this partnership, Dutchie customers can now leverage e-commerce activity like purchases, viewed products, and abandoned carts to create targeted and personalized advertising based on specific customer behaviors. These data segments allow brands to better measure and retarget their marketing efforts based on evolving e-commerce trends.

"The role of customer data cannot be understated when it comes to making the best marketing decisions for a business," said Jon Lowen, Cofounder of Surfside. "Dutchie's platform presents a prime opportunity for us to help companies take advantage of the everyday activity taking place within their e-commerce store to retarget and find new customers, while tying it back to ROAS. Ultimately, identifying and developing marketing strategies based on purchases and purchase intent leads to a major increase in marketing efficiencies and transparency, driving measurable results that are directly tied to sales."

Dutchie processes 10 percent of all legal cannabis sales worldwide, and powers 25 percent of all legal dispensaries across 30 markets and 301 cities in the United States and Canada. With this level of reach, Surfside's data will help thousands of cannabis companies better understand their customer's shopping behaviors in their efforts to build a loyal customer base, drive customer acquisition, and ultimately increase revenue.

"We're excited about bringing additional value to our customers through Surfside's platform, which is sure to help brands across the cannabis industry boost sales by coupling marketing technology with Dutchie's e-commerce tools," said Ross Lipson, CEO & Cofounder at Dutchie. "Our company has seen the value of successful marketing efforts firsthand, and we hope this partnership will not only drive growth for our customers, but increase the breadth of cannabis consumers overall."

To learn more about Surfside, please visit www.surfside.io . To learn more about Dutchie, visit www.dutchie.com .

About Surfside

Since its inception, Surfside has been on a mission to build an ecosystem of products that make customer acquisition smarter, faster and more engaging for modern brands. By combining a single customer view with advanced audience modeling, media activation, and cross-channel measurement, Surfside empowers clients to find and attract qualified consumers through monetization of their digital and offline audiences.

About Dutchie

Based in Bend, Oregon, Dutchie is the cannabis industry's leading and fastest-growing e-commerce provider, powering online ordering for the top dispensaries throughout the United States and Canada. Today, it powers 33 percent of all cannabis sales in the U.S. and hosts more than 25 percent of all cannabis dispensaries nationwide. Dutchie is a product- and design-focused company that has created a best-in-class experience for cannabis dispensaries and shoppers. Since its inception in 2017, Dutchie has experienced significant growth. The company has raised a total of $53M in funding to date. To learn more, visit www.dutchie.com .

Media Contact:

Carrie Booze

North 6th Agency for Surfside

[email protected]

(212) 334-9753, ext. 142

Jess Montejano

Riff City Strategies for Dutchie

[email protected]

(415) 592-4441

SOURCE Surfside Solutions Inc.

Related Links

https://www.surfside.io


Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:52:10|Editor: huaxia

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Houses are damaged by an earthquake in Atacama, Chile, Sept. 1, 2020. A powerful 7-magnitude earthquake that hit northern Chile just past midnight damaged buildings and roads, but inflicted no injuries, the Interior Ministry's National Emergency Office (ONEMI) said on Tuesday. (Agencia UNO/Handout via Xinhua)

SANTIAGO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A powerful 7-magnitude earthquake that hit northern Chile just past midnight damaged buildings and roads, but inflicted no injuries, the Interior Ministry's National Emergency Office (ONEMI) said on Tuesday.

The seismic waves toppled several boulders off hilltops and onto roads, disrupting traffic until militarized police arrived to direct traffic.

However, no damage was registered to critical infrastructure such as hospitals and sanatoriums, the director of ONEMI, Ricardo Toro, told reporters.

"There have already been several aftershocks and we expect there will be more aftershocks from the large earthquake. People have to remain calm," said Toro, adding "they will most likely continue until Tuesday."

The quake, which measured 7 on the Richter scale of intensity, hit at 00:09 a.m. local time (0409 GMT), with its epicenter located 55 kilometers north of the town of Huasco, in the northern Atacama region, some 700 kilometers north of the capital Santiago.

The earthquake was also felt in the regions of Antofagasta and Coquimbo, in the north of the country, and Valparaiso and Santiago and the metropolitan area, in the central zone.

So far there have been over 60 aftershocks, including a 6.1-magnitude quake at 00:30 a.m. local time, and a 5.6-magnitude one at 3:01 a.m. local time, both also with an epicenter in Huasco. Enditem
Adele is facing backlash for the bikini and hairstyle she wore in an Instagram post marking the canceled Notting Hill Carnival festivities.

On Sunday, the British pop star, 32, shared a photo in tribute to Notting Hill Carnival, which celebrates Caribbean and Black culture in the U.K. In the photo, Adele wore a Jamaican flag bikini top and Bantu knots, a traditional African hairstyle.

"Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London ," she captioned the post for Carnival, which is being celebrated virtually this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Adele came under fire after posting the photo, as many on social media accused her of cultural appropriation.

Video: Adele flawlessly recreated one of Beyonces Black Is King looks

One follower commented, "black women are discriminated against for wearing cultural hairstyles like bantu knots and locs but white people are not, thats not fair and thats why people are pissed off."

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Others took offense with Adele's Jamaican bikini top.

"Dear white people, please just be yourselves and stop it for good with cultural appropriation. Adele the bantu knots were unnecessary. The Jamaican flag bikini top was unnecessary... Please just stop it," another follower wrote.

However, other followers came to Adele's defense.

"WE LOVE SEEING OUR FLAG EVERYWHERE!!!!" one person wrote in the comments. "This made me smile . It shows the impact my little island has on the whole world. How influential we truly are."

Another commenter added: "This is cultural appreciation not appropriation."

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RELATED: Adele Surprises Fan with Sweet Instagram Message: 'I'm Absolutely Chuffed You Like My Music'

On Saturday, the carnivals executive director, Matthew Phillip, spoke to The Guardian about the significance of the event in 2020, despite it being held online.

For more than 50 years carnival has been a statement that Black Lives Matter, he said. Thats normal practice for us, its not something that were just jumping on now because of the current global climate and whats going on. Carnival has been making these statements for 50 years.

In a year when people have been protesting against the treatment of black people I think this is a good way of showing that we have something to contribute, something that is positive, he added, referencing the worldwide unrest over racial injustice and police brutality that ignited in May with the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
When Makayla and Canisha Saulter heard loud popping sounds near their home in Bloomington, Minnesota, the sisters assumed they were just firecrackers.

But it was something far worse.

Makayla and Canishas cousin Anthony Smith said the siblings were loading a U-Haul on Sunday night when suddenly their neighbor, a white male, began shooting at them.

Makayla Saulter, 12, protected her 18-month-old niece from a shooter. (Courtesy Anthony Smith)

I dont know if it was racially motivated, but he wanted to kill my family, Smith told TODAY Parents. He was standing like 10 feet away, just firing and wouldn't stop."

Police have not said that race was a factor in the shooting.

Makayla, 12, was holding Canishas 18-month-old daughter. She was found on the ground cradling the unharmed baby in her arms.

She's a hero, Makaylas aunt, Reverend Marcia Westbrook, told TODAY Parents. She was going to protect the baby no matter what. She's a protector."

Makayla, who who was shot in the head while attempting to flee the gunman, is currently in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Canisha Saulter and her daughter, Winter. (Courtesy Anthony Smith)

Smith describes Makayla as a fighter, and said the family is asking for prayers for her. Westbrook wrote on a GoFundMe page, It is unknown how long she will be in the hospital or if she will ever fully recover.

Canisha, 29, who was shot three times in her lower body, is listed in stable condition. Smith said that Canisha, a single parent to Winter, will need to learn how to walk again.

When police arrived at the home of the suspect, who police identified as Jason Michael Mesich, they discovered the body of his wife, Angela Lynn Mesich, in their garage.

After an overnight standoff, Mesich, 48, was arrested on Monday. He is being held on probable cause of second-degree homicide, second-degree attempted homicide and first-degree assault. In the statement of probable cause filed with the court, police said Mesich told them that he "hated all children" and said that he thought Makayla and Canisha may have witnessed him shoot his wife.

Story continues

According to the court documents, Mesich told police he argued with his wife on Sunday night because he felt they did not have sex often enough. A search warrant was executed on Mesich's home after his arrest and police said they found "numerous guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition."

Attempts to reach an attorney for Mesich were unsuccessful.

"What happened is senseless," Bloomington Police Deputy Chief Mike Hartley told TODAY Parents. "To target innocent people in their front yard is pure evil."
Hollywood star Kirsten Dunst and her fiance, Jesse Plemons, were forced to quarantine at an Auckland hotel after their applications to self-isolate at a remote rural property were rejected by the New Zealand government.

The American couple were initially permitted to enter the country in May to resume work on their upcoming film, The Power of the Dog, when the vast majority of foreigners were banned due to tight COVID-19 border restrictions.

Kirsten, 38, and Jesse, 32, then applied for an added exemption to serve their two-week quarantine period at an idyllic rural property while their imported cast and crew stayed at the five-star SO/ Auckland hotel.

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) issued the couple a denial letter stating that their request would not be accommodated.

No special treatment: The New Zealand government denied Hollywood star Kirsten Dunst's (left) request to self-isolate at a rural property upon her arrival in the country to film The Power of the Dog. She instead went through hotel quarantine with her fiance, Jesse Plemons (right)

Kirsten and Jesse were already in New Zealand when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, and they quickly made their way back home to Los Angeles.

The pair - along with their two-year-old son, Ennis, and 16 'essential' workers - were granted exemptions from New Zealand's strict border rules in mid-May to return to the country and resume filming The Power of the Dog.

But a week later, the A-list couple's request to isolate at a rural property was denied.

The Mfat letter, dated May 21, read: 'Managed isolation must be undertaken in a facility [hotel] that has wrap-round health and security services in place already.'

In a subsequent application just hours later, The Power of the Dog producer Chloe Smith wrote on behalf of Kirsten and Jesse: 'In order for Ms Dunst and Mr Plemons to undertake their travel to New Zealand, they must be assured of the highest standards of privacy.

'There is a huge amount of public interest in Ms Dunst and Mr Plemons and their activities.

Back in the country: The couple were initially permitted to enter the country in May to resume work on their upcoming film, The Power of the Dog, when the vast majority of foreigners were banned due to tight COVID-19 border restrictions. Pictured at the Golden Globes in January

'She is routinely followed by paparazzi photographers and articles have been published on their activities in New Zealand.'

Smith concluded: 'We will be unable to give them an assurance of privacy and, therefore, we will be unable to complete the film, if they are required to isolate under managed conditions.'

Despite these protests, Kirsten and Jesse ended up doing hotel quarantine.

Denied! The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) issued the couple a letter stating that their request would not be accommodated and ordered them to quarantine at a hotel instead. Pictured Kirsten in September 2019 in Los Angeles

Application: The Power of the Dog producer Chloe Smith wrote on behalf of Kirsten (pictured with her goddaughter in 2019) and Jesse: 'We will be unable to give them an assurance of privacy and, therefore, we will be unable to complete the film, if they are required to isolate under managed conditions'. Despite these protests, the pair ended up doing hotel quarantine

In an interview with Variety at the time, Kirsten admitted that 'having a two-year-old in a hotel room for two weeks' during quarantine was 'challenging'.

Kirsten and Jesse will star alongside Thomasin McKenzie, Frances Conroy and Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog, which is slated for release next year.

New Zealand announced nine new coronavirus cases on Monday, five of which were in the community and were traced to the known Auckland cluster.

New Zealand has recorded 1,387 cases of COVID-19 so far, including 22 deaths.
If theres one Little People, Big World star fans tend to love, its Amy Roloff. While Amy is dealing quarantine due to coronavirus (COVID-19) like the rest of the U.S., she has a smile on her face as she keeps fans updated on life with Chris Marek in her new home. And shes also pushing some new products and recipes from her side business, Amy Roloffs Little Kitchen.

Unfortunately, it seems Amy may have missed the mark on her sales pitch for her reusable bags. Heres what her fans are saying.

Amy Roloff has made a few statements regarding coronavirus on Instagram

Amy keeps fans in the loop regarding whats going on with her life. From moving off of Roloff Farms post-divorce from Matt Roloff to finding her new place, shes gone through rough times  but she always has hope. And shes also given fans plenty of words of encouragement as they move through the current pandemic.

I just wanted to let you know that I am thinking of everyone and Im trying to do my best, Amy told her Instagram followers in a video posted in March 2020. But I think its a reminder for us to do our due diligence to stay safe, stay healthy, and do everything that we can to try and make that happen. Not only for ourselves, but those around us.

Amy also took to Facebook Live to talk to her followers about whats going on. I know so many of you guys are missing some huge, huge events, Amy noted. We hear it on the news. We hear it all over the place. But she still offered words of encouragement to those who are disappointed.

Shes promoting her tote bags to help the environment during the pandemic

It looks like Little People, Big World is filming despite the pandemic. But Amys also keeping herself busy with Amy Roloffs Little Kitchen. Her small business features recipes, treats, and merchandise that fans can buy. And now, it seems shes promoting her tote bags on Instagram.

Its important that we all reduce our plastic use to help the environment, and reusable tote bags can help! Amy captioned her post of her showing off her totes. Oregon no longer gives bags away in stores so I always have to bring totes to the store with me to carry all my groceries!

She then went on to explain the benefits of her specific tote bags shes selling online, as they come in varying sizes. You can get them on my website, the link is in my bio! Amy added.

Little People, Big World fans are slamming the post

Amy Roloff from Little People, Big World visits Hollywood Today | David Livingston/Getty Images

RELATED: LPBW: Fans Are Slamming Amy Roloff for an Unsanitary Habit

Amy certainly means well her with post. But not everyones a fan of what shes adding to Instagram. Some fans took to the post to explain that many stores in the U.S. arent allowing reusable bags in stores due to the coronavirus.

Since COVID we havent been able to use our reusable bags, one follower noted.

Because of the covid virus, we cant take our own tote bags into stores, another wrote. We have to use their plastic bags.

Others found the post tone deaf to the current world happenings.

Oregon has bigger problems than plastic bAgs!!! another wrote.

No reusable bags in Wisconsin either but suddenly thats the least of our worries, another wrote. Mask up folks and stay safe and be kind.

Hopefully, reusable bags will be allowed in stores once coronavirus cases decrease country-wide. Until then, Amy might not be selling too many with this post.

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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.
Elm Grove Elementary is no stranger to students dealing with the impacts of natural disasters.

Juliana Schone, a counselor at the Kingwood-area school, said their have students been resilient through potentially life-changing experiences, whether it be a hurricane or a pandemic. Young children, in general, are often more flexible in such situations, Schone said.

As students and staff we have to be flexible. We have to remain positive, and we have to kind of be united and help each other (in) any way, Schone said.

MORE FROM SAVANNAH MEHRTENS: Three years after Harvey, Kingwood continues to battle for flood mitigation

As Hurricane Laura prepared to make landfall in late August, the threat was all too familiar for the Lake Houston area.

Humble ISD Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen said everyone in the district has been through a lot amid the coronavirus pandemic and the changes involved with it. Then the district had to plan for a potential hurricane the same week schools restarted face-to-face instruction for the first time since spring break last year.

She said Humble ISD is stepping up to the challenges involved to do what is best for their students.

My team has worked really hard all through all of those different events weve been through and just constantly demonstrated incredible perseverance and resiliency to meet the needs of students, staff and community regardless of the circumstances, Fagen said. We have these unusual things that happen, but all of the core business of the district has to continue forward. And at the same time, we have to manage and lead through the context that were presented.

Before the storm shifted east toward Louisiana, it recalled painful memories for Elm Grove residents.

In 2019, the Elm Grove neighborhood, which sits at the northern point of Kingwood on Northpark Drive, was damaged with two floods in a matter of six months. The floods came after Harvey devastated parts of Kingwood and Humble in 2017.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Surge in COVID-19 cases at Baylor University prompts reside in place order

However, the water damage was unusual for a neighborhood that didnt even flood during Harvey while their neighbors in Kingwood faced drastic damage. Tropical Storm Imelda flooded homes that were just finishing their rebuilding efforts from the first flood. As households that flooded were pouring their damaged belongings and drywall out into the street for disposal, Elm Grove teachers were going door-to-door to hand out sandwiches and supplies for those who were in need.

With a school mascot of an Eagle, Principal Cassie Pfeifer said they are focused on finding ways to help their students take flight amid challenges. Schone said they teach them that its not always about what happened, but how they will react to it. When students work with each other, it helps in understanding they are not alone and creates the sense of community.

We teach our kids that we are positive and that we can do this together as a staff, as students and as a community, Pfeifer said. (The) community has been awesome in supporting us and just getting us all to be focused on that one goal  getting together again, being together again and moving forward with whats best for our students.

For their students, Schone said in order to be resilient after natural disasters, they work to show that their school is a safe place. Each child will have a slightly different perception of what happened to them during a disaster of any kind, so Schone said it is important to meet each student where they are on that path and celebrate each achievement they can in their school.

BACK TO SCHOOL: Excited Humble ISD students return to in-person classes amid coronavirus precautions

Schones sentiments echoed Fagens remarks, as the staff at Elm Grove Elementary has helped in supporting their community. Pfeifer said they had help going in and out, and that Schone was the key person who helped organize and make sure everyone received what they needed during the floods and in preparing to come back this year.

There was never a small job, Schone said. If we had to go clean up, if we had to go distribute some food, whatever it was, I think the EGE staff was always ready to volunteer to get the help and being there for the kids.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
An Ohio woman called police fearing a smoked turkey tail she bought from a local grocery store was actually a human penis.

Lamia Singfield purchased the mysterious-looking meat from an Akron Save A Lot last Monday, planning to make a turkey stew complete with beans, peppers and potatoes.

But she was left shaken after taking a closer look at the 'turkey tail', taking to Facebook to tell her friends that she believed she was in possession of a severed male appendage.

'I know what this is,' she stated in a Facebook Live video filmed from her kitchen.

Lamia Singfield of Akron, Ohio called police last Monday fearing a smoked turkey tail she bought from a local grocery store was actually a human penis

The mysterious looking piece of meat had Singfield so concerned that she called the cops. Police then contacted the medical examiner's office for a further investigation

Singfield later checked her receipt and realized she had accidentally purchased a 'smoked pork tail' - but she still harbored concerns about the phallic piece of meat.

The disturbed cook called the local police department to report her disturbing purchase and they called around to her home to investigate.

'I hope it's not a human, because then somebody is missing something that they need or somebody might be dead,' she stated.

'I just want answers.'

A second video shared later the same evening showed the cops on the scene.

'This is serious, I showed them and they were like 'This is somebody's penis!'' Singfield told her friends via Facebook Live.

'I have a human part in my house, and I could have got sick!'

Singfield added: 'They are calling the medical examiner out here right now, and the coroner, because somebody is missing they stuff. Save A Lot has got some explaining to do.'

Singfield's video showed the mystery meat on a plate placed on the hood of a police car as they waited for the examiner to arrive

Thankfully, the medical examiner put an end to the mystery when they confirmed that the item was pork.

The coroner noted that there was a bone in the piece of meat, meaning it was likely a pig's tail.

Save A Lot issued a statement in response to the investigation, stating: 'At Save A Lot we have a long-held commitment to the highest standards in quality control and work in partnership with our vendors to ensure those standards are upheld.

'Issues of quality receive the utmost priority and we take this matter very seriously. We can confirm that we have had no previous quality issues with this item and we have not been contacted by the customer in question or the local authorities regarding this incident. We will take the appropriate action at that time.'

Meanwhile, Singfield is relieved that she didn't cook up a human appendage in a $50 pot she had just purchased from Bed, Bath & Beyond.

The Akron local feared she may have had to throw out the crockery, or hand it over to police as part of a criminal investigation.
Union activists and supporters rally against the Supreme Court's ruling in the Janus v. AFSCME case, in Foley Square in Lower Manhattan, in New York City on June 27, 2018. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Foundation Sues to Give Public Employees The Right Not to Pay Union Dues

Las Vegas Police Officer Melodie DePierro is the latest in a growing line of public sector employees suing in federal court to demand recognition of their rights under a 2018 Supreme Court decision.

DePierros action was filed in the U.S. District Court for Nevada against the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) and the local Police Protective Association (PPA) union.

In Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) decided by a 54 vote in June 2018, the high court ruled that public sector employees cant be forced to pay union dues in the form of agency fees without being given a chance to consent or refuse the deduction.

DePierro noted in her suit that the departments monopoly bargaining agreement with the union only allowed a 20-day window of opportunity to request agency fee refunds and that she had never agreed to the deduction in the first place.

Right-to-work advocates cheered Janus as a landmark decision that would prompt millions of employees at all levels of government to demand an end to hundreds of millions of dollars in agency fees that helped fund partisan union political activities with which they disagreed.

Data compiled by the Department of Labors Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on union membership, however, showed little change from 2018 to 2019 in the immediate aftermath of Janus.

There was a minor drop in local government employee union membership, but totals for state and federal sectors increased slightly.

However, employment in the public sector declined at almost the same rate, so the share of public-sector workers represented by a union held steady at 37.2 percent, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a think tank associated with labor organizations.

DePierros lawsuit is one of many filed since June 2018 by attorneys for the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (NRTWLDF) seeking enforcement of the Janus decision. It was NRTWLDF attorneys who won the Janus decision.

Getting a firm fix on union membership, however, is further complicated by the fact that BLS data do not provide any information on whether workers are paying fair-share fees, simply whether they are members of a union or represented by a union, EPI Director of Policy Heidi Shierholz told The Epoch Times on Aug. 31.

As a result, it is difficult to determine the impact of Janus from BLS data. One thing that is clear, however, is that public-sector unions have not seen an unusual decline in membership since the Janus decision.

Instead of respecting her First Amendment Janus rights, PPA union bosses have decided to keep imposing an unconstitutional policy on her just to keep her hard-earned money rolling into their coffers, NRTWLDF President Mark Mix said in a statement announcing the suit.

The High Court made perfectly clear in Janus that affirmative consent from employees is required for any dues deductions to occur. Yet, PPA union bosses are clearly violating that standard here, Mix said.

The rush to the union exits by public sector workers predicted by Janus advocates has been delayed by many states failing to recognize that the rights affirmed by Janus are not self-executing, Steve Delie, director of labor policy at the Michigan-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy, told The Epoch Times on Aug. 31.

Janus clearly recognized that a union must obtain an employees clear, voluntary, and knowing consent to any paycheck deductions, but did not describe a particular infrastructure that would satisfy that standard, he said.

As a result, states have had to examine the law to develop an appropriate solution. We are now beginning to see the results of that process, with other states likely to follow suit in the near future.

Officials in Michigan, Alaska, Indiana, and Texas are moving forward in their re-examinations, Delie said. Michigan is especially significant because, he noted in a recent Wall Street Journal opinion column, more than 8,000 of the states 34,000 public workers declined to pay union dues.

If more states follow Michigans lead and adopt annual dues-deduction consent requirements, that exodus could accelerate, and union revenue could plummet, Delie wrote.

The National Education Association (NEA)  the nations largest government union  is projecting a decline of 128,410 members over the next two years, after already losing 103,176 dues- and fees-paying members since Janus, he continued.

The NEA has made nearly $13 million in campaign contributions thus far in 2020.

To date in the 2020 campaign, government unions have contributed more than $11 million to Democrats, or 87 percent of their total political donations, according to opensecrets.org. Those figures dont include non-cash contributions that unions routinely make to Democratic campaigns.

The pace at which other states clear the path for Janus recognition is likely to be strongly influenced by the NRTWLDFs multiple lawsuits, especially those such as DePierros targeting window periods.

A week before the DePierro filing, NRTWLDF attorneys issued a special notice to more than 28,000 Ohio state employees advising them of their right not to pay agency fees. The notice was part of a settlement of the foundations suit against the state government and the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, AFSCME Local 11 (OCSEA).

Other Janus suits currently working their way through the courts include NRTWLDF actions against the Chicago Teachers Union, the Alaska State Employees Association, the United Teachers of Los Angeles, California Service Employees International Union, the University Professional and Technical Employees union and the University of California, and the Township of Ocean Education Association, New Jersey Education Association, and the National Education Association unions. The latter suit has reached a federal appeals court.

Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc
Health chiefs were tonight forced to defend their coronavirus test programme  after claims helpline phone operators said Londons empty centres had none and Bradford was the nearest available.

Callers to the 119 service told MailOnline over the past week were stunned to be told no drive-through spots were available or postal swabs.

One claimed she was told the nearest available test was in Bradford in West Yorkshire, some 200 miles away from the capital.

The Department of Health and Social Care tonight insisted its Test and Trace programme was working and claimed it was testing hundreds of thousands of people every day.

But it would not say how many had been tested in London, only that To make sure we stay in control of this virus we are targeting our testing capacity at the areas that need it most.

Twickenham's testing centre was empty despite callers being told no tests were available

At Greenwich there were very few visitors throughout the whole of Tuesday

Heathrow's testing facitlity had a few cars come through but did not seem to be used fully

A MailOnline investigation discovered the testing centres in Twickenham, Heathrow and Greenwich were practically empty despite callers being told none were unavailable.

It came after a number of people in the capital needing swabs came forward to complain they had been told none could be taken in the city.

One, who landed back in the UK on Saturday, was told she had to call 119 to organise a test after her friend tested positive.

A number of Twitter users expressed frustration at the lack of text availability in London

She said: I was told there were no tests in the whole of London and to call back at 8pm.

The same thing happened when I called back at 8pm  they told me the closest test I could get was 80 miles away, despite living in the capital city.

I ended up calling four times and trying to get an appointment and was told the same thing each time.

The Government released figures today showing 186,500 tests had been carried out today

The latest numbers showed that a further 1,295 people have now tested positive for the virus

NHS TEST AND TRACE FAILING TO REACH EVEN HALF OF PEOPLE AT RISK OF COVID-19 IN SOME AREAS NHS Test and Trace was still failing to track down up to half of Covid-19 patients' contacts in areas most at risk of local lockdowns, it was claimed back in July. In Luton, which had the fifth highest infection rate in England, just 47 per cent of potentially-infected people were contacted by the system since its launch on May 28, according to analysis by The Guardian. Only 65 per cent of close contacts in Leicester - which had to retreat back into lockdown in June after a spike in cases - were tracked down by tracers. It meant 3,340 people who may have had the disease in the city slipped under the radar and could have spread it further through the population. Language barriers may partly explain the low success rates in some of the worst-hit areas, where the virus is disproportionately affecting people of south Asian heritage. In Luton, for example, 20 per cent of the population do not speak English as their first language, along with 27.5 per cent in Leicester, which has the highest rate in the country. In Blackburn it is 13.4 per cent, according to Statista. Other potential explanations include a distrust of unknown callers, missed emails or people outright refusing to hand over contact details. Local councilors and public health officials are now demanding more control over the test and trace process Advertisement

'Three out of the four times I was told they didnt even have any home testing kits to send me.

I ended up hiring a car and just turning up to the Twickenham testing centre to see if I could chance it.

It was completely empty and despite being told four times that I couldnt get a test, I was tested straight away without an appointment or a wait.

The story was the same with others complaining they were unable to get a test after ringing the helpline.

Joanna North wrote online: I tried to get a test in London last week.

No postal tests available and nearest testing availability was Bradford.

Dan Allison added today: Just called the coronavirus 119 number to book a test for my wife.

Apparently no test available to send or walk ins. Nothing for London? Is this a joke?

Todays Coronavirus figures showed 186,500 tests were carried out in the UK today, out of a capacity of 349,159.

So far 41,504 people have been killed here but officials have insisted they are scaling up testing, prioritising outbreak areas.

But for home testing officials said they did occasionally pause booking for short periods to help smooth out demand.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: NHS Test and Trace is working  we are working to increase national testing capacity and hundreds of thousands of people are being tested every day.

There is a high demand for tests and our laboratories continue to turn test results around as quickly as possible. To make sure we stay in control of this virus we are targeting our testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, as well as prioritising at-risk groups.

We are expanding testing capacity to 500,000 tests a day by the end of October  as well as bringing in new technology to process tests even faster.
I gave myself a good scare last week when I attended a safety training day.

Without the cert to say that I had completed Safe Pass training, I was going to lose out on a contract to supply flower bulbs to a big construction site up in Dublin.

When I went up to have a look at the site, I only got in by the skin of my teeth because the site manager insisted that everyone, visitor or not, had to have a Safe Pass to get in the gate.

It struck me as I drove home that the rigour with which formal safety training is now enforced on sites is exactly what needs to happen on farms.

Up to the early Noughties, construction sites had the exact same track record in safety as farming  abysmal.

The boom was intensifying, and the combination of inexperienced workers and ever-increasing workloads meant that construction sites were cementing their dubious claim to being the most deadly workplaces in Ireland.

But the construction workers unions kicked up, and new regulations were introduced that revolutionised how construction sites approach safety.

Accidents and, crucially, lethal incidents almost halved over the following decade from an average of about 11 deaths per 100,000 employed to closer to six per 100,000.

Over the same period the number of farming accidents has barely budged from about 20 deaths per year. As a result, agriculture now bears the awful mantle of being the most lethal occupation in Ireland.

It has got to the stage where building sites now account for half as many fatalities as farms, despite employing twice as many people.

Ive been reporting on farm accidents for over 20 years, and during that time I cant claim that Ive seen a big change in attitudes.

I was reminded of those attitudes during the Safe Pass training course last week.

It was an intense day: all the legislation, risk assessment methodology, statistics and terminology was unleashed on us over the course of nine hours with minimal breaks.

After a few hours, I wasnt the only one reeling from a realisation that I could be locked up for some of the stunts that pass as standard practice on my farm. One of other participants was clearly reaching breaking point.

The man wasnt in the first flush of his youth, and clearly employed several tradesmen in his business.

The tutor had just dropped the bombshell that it would be illegal to ask an employee to drill a hole in a wall from a ladder.

A person must have three points of contact with a ladder at all times. Theres just no way you can do that and hold a drill, which also requires two hands, at the same time, he explained.

Sure how are we supposed to get anything done in this country if weve to adhere to all these rules and regulations! the eldest student in the room exploded.

If I have to get a hoist every time a fella needs to drill a hole or clean a gutter, and he cant get into the hoist without a harness, which in turn has to be certified every six months, every 100 job becomes a 1,000 job!

He wasnt wrong. In fact, he forgot to mention that the man getting into the harness would also need a one-day training session on working at heights to be fully compliant with the law.

But then what price do we put on keeping those around us safe?

When the stadiums were being built in London for the 2012 Olympics, there were no reported fatalities during the 80- million-man-hour build. The same task four years later in Rio de Janeiro claimed the lives of at least 11.

How much a life is valued says a lot about a society.

It wouldnt take a genius to adapt the well-practised health and safety regulations from construction to a farming situation.

Granted, there wont be a manager sitting at the gate of every farm looking for a Safe Pass.

But it would be so easy to link a register of farmers who have completed a Safe Pass training course within the last four years to the pay-out of CAP monies?

Our farm leadership have been running scared of this issue for so long Ive given up on expecting them to suddenly support any drastic move like this.

Instead, it will have to come from grassroots, and probably from the grassroots that are left behind picking up the pieces after so many terrible farm accidents that happen every year.

Darragh McCullough farms at www.elmgrovefarm.ie in Meath

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Mumbai:

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his New Year eve address, BJP ally Shiv Sena on Monday said most of the schemes he announced were initiated under the UPA rule, and asked what more "sacrifices" would be required for situation to normalise post note-ban.

"People were under the impression that PM Modi would apply balm on the sufferings faced by them. But, it does not seem Modi was very serious while he was addressing the nation. More than 400 people lost their lives standing in queues.

Families of all deceased must be cursing the government," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said on Monday. The schemes announced by Modi hold no value for families of those who lost their lives, the ruling ally said.

"Many of the schemes announced by Modi are old and have been running since the UPA regime. For instance, Rs 6,000 announced for women (who undergo institutional delivery) is already running since 2013 under the Food Security Act," it said.

The party said there are flaws in schemes announced for farmers as well. "RBI is not ready to accept the demonetised currency deposited with district co-operative banks.

The financial loss, thus, will have to be borne by these banks. Now the PM has announced that loans taken for agriculture will be borne by the government.

The question is, how will these banks be able to bear this excessive burden," it sought to know.

The Sena said the Centre is yet to pay district banks the compensation for loans they provided during the Kharif season of 2015 and that waiving interest on loans taken during the previous Rabi season would further burden them.

"People were expecting a precise answer from the PM on when the problems being faced by them will end. But possibly, the PM himself does not have any answer.

Also, the PM does not have specific figures on how much black money has been retrieved post demonetisation," the Sena said.

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(Reuters) - General Motors Co <GM.N> and medical equipment maker Ventec Life Systems have delivered 30,000 ventilators to the U.S. government during the COVID-19 pandemic, the automaker said on Tuesday.

The deliveries were under a $489 million contract from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

GM said it has handed over operational control of its Kokomo, Indiana facility to Ventec to make ventilators.

(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
Chinese authorities have detained an Australian journalist since at least August 14, but have not disclosed why

China on Tuesday declined to explain why an Australian journalist working as an anchor for state TV has been detained without charge for at least two weeks, the latest case to fray relations between Beijing and Canberra.

Cheng Lei, an anchor for CGTN, China's English-language state broadcaster, has been held since at least August 14 but Australian diplomats say Beijing has given no reason for her detention.

A foreign ministry spokeswoman in Beijing batted away questions over the fate of the China-born journalist, who enjoyed a high profile as a business news presenter on CGTN.

"I can't give you any specifics," Hua Chunying told reporters.

"But you know China is a country governed by law... we will handle things according to the law."

Ties between Beijing and Canberra have already withered over trade, security concerns about Chinese tech, and Australia's push for a probe into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cheng has not been seen in public since being held, although Australian envoys in Beijing were able to speak to her on August 27.

There are fears she could face a prolonged period of detention after reports in Australian media said she was being held under "residential surveillance".

"Our concerns for Ms Cheng are genuine and real," Simon Birmingham, Australian minister for trade, tourism and investment told ABC News on Tuesday.

Free media advocates also called for full information on her case.

Chinese authorities should "disclose their reasons for holding" her or "release her immediately", the Committee to Protect Journalists said, calling China the "world's leading jailer of journalists".

- Big beef -

The detention of Cheng, who conducted interviews with international CEOs for CGTN's Global Business and BizTalk shows, has also sent shockwaves through China's foreign journalist community.

While the cause of her detention remains a mystery, she has written a number of Facebook posts critical of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Beijing's approach to the coronavirus outbreak.

Story continues

One post poked fun at Xi's visit in March to Wuhan, the Covid-19 ground zero: "The big story today, Dear Leader's visit, triggered titters in the newsroom -- waving to a big TV screen showing the coronavirus hospital in Wuhan apparently equals a visit."

"In China... 'serve the people' goes the slogans [sic]... [the] reality is the opposite," she wrote.

Cheng also praised on Facebook a censored interview with Ai Fen, a doctor who sounded an early alarm about the new virus in Wuhan.

China has ramped up its rhetoric against Australia since Canberra called for a probe into the outbreak.

A senior Beijing envoy last week equated the push for a global inquiry to the betrayal of Julius Ceasar by Brutus, registering the "indignation, anger and frustration" felt by China at Australia.

China has also bristled at Australia's invocation of national security as a reason for investigations into foreign interference at its universities.

Beijing has been accused of retaliating with a litany of trade measures including probes into alleged dumping of Australian wines, suspending beef imports, and warnings to its citizens against travelling to Australia.

Chinese customs said Tuesday they had suspended barley imports from Australia's largest grain firm CBH Group -- and revoked its export license -- after apparently detecting a large number of pests in its produce.

Such acts fit a pattern of "coercive diplomacy", according to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

Cheng is the second high-profile Australian citizen to be detained in Beijing after writer Yang Hengjun was arrested in January 2019 on suspicion of espionage.

Earlier this year, Australia warned its citizens they faced the risk of arbitrary detention if they travelled to China.

"Optimistically, she could be expelled after a couple of weeks from China," Geoff Raby, former Australian ambassador to China and a friend of Cheng's, told AFP.

"But at this stage, we just don't know."

AFP attempted to contact Cheng through WeChat and did not get any response.

Her bio page has been pulled from the website of CGTN.

She is known to have two young children, both believed to currently be in Melbourne.

"She's really warm, very bright... very generous," another friend of Cheng's told AFP, requesting anonymity.

bur-rox/apj/qan
Megans Law - and the public-facing, online registry of sex offenders that it has spawned in states across the country - was born in a time of high interest in cracking down on crime and bolstering victims rights.

In the generation since, there been some push back from criminologists who have argued that it makes more sense to evaluate sex offenders and gage their future risk for reoffending over time, while theyre in custody, then to simply rate them according to the offenses for which theyve already been caught.

And listed offenders themselves argue that the unending public shaming the registry creates for ex-convicts amounts to a permanent punishment that makes it dramatically harder for them to rebuild productive lives upon their reentry into society.

Pennsylvanias registry re-entered the news this weekend when Orlando P. Duarte, a lifetime Megans Law registrant from Harrisburg, was charged with the open-air shooting of a 16-year-old boy, Kyan King, who told witnesses minutes before that he was trying to escape from a man who raped him.

To answer questions posed by readers about the registry, and its interface with the King case, PennLive is posting this look at what Pennsylvanias Megans Law is intended to do, and how concerned residents might be able to make it work better for them.

What is it?

The registry is named for Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old New Jersey girl who was raped and murdered in 1994 by a man who had been convicted of sex crimes twice before. Her family said they could have protected her if theyd known about her killers history.

Controversial from its start, the registry is currently the subject of several cases before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in which defendants argue that the laws policy underpinning that people convicted of certain sexual offenses cannot change and therefore are prone to reoffending is flawed and a violation of registrants Constitutional right to reputation.

Attorneys for offenders are arguing that only a small number of offenders fit that bill, while the rest get lumped into that group, suffering a lifetime of harm.

Who goes on the it?

People convicted of any one of several dozen enumerated offenses are required to be placed on the Megans Law registry of sex offenders, which is maintained and posted online by the Pennsylvania State Police. According to the most current data, there are 21,554 offenders on Pennsylvanias registry.

Duarte, because of the severity of a sexual assault he was convicted of in 2012 against a girl, was required to go on the list for the rest of his life. Others can be forced to register for periods of 10, 15 or 25 years.

That listing includes the offenders current home address, the make, model and license plate of any vehicles he or she owns, updated photographs, a physical description including height, weight and identifying marks like tattoos, and a list of the offenses on their criminal record. The registry also provides, by municipality, any places where the person works or attends school.

Who gets this information?

The primary function of the registry to make this information available online, to the public.

At the states Website, anyone can search for offenders by city, down to within a half-mile of a given address. The idea is to help you know whos living in your neighborhood. But the onus, in most cases, is on the searcher to look first. According to state police numbers, many people do: The agencys most recent Megans Law annual report shows nearly 2.7 million people visited the Web site in 2018.

Is the public ever directly notified of an offenders arrival without having to search?

You can make that happen. Any member of the public can register with the state to receive email alerts about all registered offenders living within five miles of a designated address, be it their home, or their childs school or day care, for example. You can ask for alerts on up to five distinct addresses.

In addition, in cases where the person has been identified by the state as a sexually violent predator, there is also a separate active community notification requirement under which the police department with local jurisdiction is required to distribute flyers with the offenders name, address, photo and qualifying offenses to all buildings within 250 feet of the persons new residence.

The same notification is also required to go to the home school district and any child care centers in the municipality.

Was Duarte, the Harrisburg homicide suspect, a sexually violent predator?

He was not. According to court records, Judge Scott Evans did order Duarte to be evaluated by the states Sexual Offenders Assessment Board, and the board submitted its finding in July 2012. The boards evaluations are not made public, but we do know from his filing status that Duarte was, in the end, not deemed to be a predator.

How current is the Megans Law Website?

Offenders are required to verify all of their information at least annually, but also to report any changes of address, employment or enrollment as a student within three business days. Subsequent changes to the law now require some offenders, including the sexually violent predators, to verify their information in person as many as four times a year, in addition to reporting any changes in real time.

The state police update the online registry daily.

Harrisburg Police Sgt. Kyle Gautsch said Monday that the department believes Duarte - whod lived in Harrisburg for the last two years - was current on all of his verifications.

Are there restrictions on where Megans Law registrants can live?

Not specific to this state law. However, sometimes judges or probation departments can impose such restrictions in sentencing orders or as a condition of parole or probation.

Does the registry list an offenders specific residential address?

The Web site shows specific street addresses for all registrants who have one.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:13:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Lebanese gathered in Beirut's downtown on Tuesday in the afternoon to protest against the appointment of Mustapha Adib as Lebanon's prime minister a day earlier, al-Jadeed local TV channel reported.

The protests took place when French President Emmanuel Macron paid his second visit to Lebanon in less than a month to follow up on developments in the country.

Protesters voiced their concerns about the appointment of the new prime minister as they consider him to represent the current ruling class.

They criticized the ruling class for not meeting their demands since the beginning of nationwide protests on Oct. 17 last year.

Protesters also voiced their demands for proper investigations into the explosions that rocked Beirut on Aug. 4 while saying that they were promised a report about the investigations' results five days after the blasts but nothing serious happened in this regard.

Lebanon has been witnessing nationwide protests since Oct. 17 last year but demonstrations slowed down upon the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.

The country has been going through the worst economic and financial crisis in its history with high poverty and unemployment rates.

The Lebanese, have on many occasions, expressed their hopes that Macron would be able to pressure Lebanese officials and authorities to implement necessary reforms to save the country or even introduce a complete overhaul to Lebanon's political system and ruling class. Enditem
By Andrew Hammond





Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi finishes up, in Germany on Tuesday, a five-country European excursion. The goal has been a low-profile trip, pitching partnership to European allies, but thorny issues including Hong Kong have instead brought controversy and challenge.



The late-August/early-September timing of the trip may appear odd, but was selected by China for several reasons. Firstly, Beijing was hoping to avoid public protests  with much of the continent still on holiday  at a troubled time for bilateral ties.



Yet, issues such as the new Chinese security law in Hong Kong, plus Uighur Muslim human rights in Xinjiang province, have been raised with Wang on his pit stops with ministerial counterparts in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and France. Worse still, there have been some protests too, including by MPs and MEPs from a new Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.



A second reason for the timing of the trip, which is Wang's first since February, is that he is acutely aware that several key European nations will make difficult China-related choices in coming weeks, including on whether to allow Huawei to be part of their 5G networks. His pitch this week, soon after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's most recent visit to the continent, is that Beijing is a more reliable partner than Donald Trump's Washington.



Europe is becoming an increasingly important theater for China and the rising power has generally enjoyed growing influence across much of the continent in recent years. Last year, for instance, Italy became the first G7 state to endorse the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).



While Italy is not always seen as amongst the top-tier global powers, part of the reason why its endorsement has such significance (and drew huge criticism from the United States) is Rome's continued systemic importance in Europe. It is not just a G7 state, but also the third-largest eurozone economy and poses perhaps the biggest threat to the single currency area's future because it has the second-biggest debt load in the bloc.



In Eastern and Central Europe too, Beijing's growing influence is being felt, including through so-called "16+1" meetings hosted by China. The goal is intensifying and expanding cooperation in the fields of investment, transport, finance, science, education and culture.



Key trends are increasingly apparent in China's external interventions in Europe. For instance, Beijing is tailoring its approach around bespoke needs of individual states or blocs of countries such as the 16+1 forum. Further, Chinese overtures are coming with a clear quid pro quo as underlined by Italy's signing up to BRI in exchange for investment from Beijing.







Yet, while China has made many diplomatic inroads into the continent in recent years, relations in 2020 have been set back since the pandemic, especially in Western Europe. There is concern in some countries around the transparency of Beijing's handling of the original coronavirus outbreak.



This has also coincided with a range of other issues, including the clampdown in Hong Kong. Plus there is now growing pressure on continental European leaders over 5G following the decisions of the United Kingdom, United States and Australia not to allow Huawei technology in their networks.



The new chill in the air has even led EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell to assert that China is not an economic partner but a "systemic rival that seeks to promote an alternative model of governance." A particular concern in Brussels is that Beijing's growing focus on Europe is aimed at "dividing and ruling" to undermine the continent's collective interests.



Take the example here of the BRI initiative which is endorsed not just by Italy, but also several Central and Eastern European states too. Yet, other countries in the continent, including France, have reservations about the Chinese initiative, not least given frustrations over Beijing's perceived slowness to open up its own economy, and a wave of Chinese takeovers of European firms in key industries.



In this context, several key Western European countries are now thinking more carefully about their future relationships with Beijing. And were it not for the fact that the Atlantic relationship with the United States under Trump also looks so fragile, it is quite possible that some of the continent's leaders would now remonstrate with China much more.



As things stand, however, there is too much uncertainty in U.S.-Europe ties for that to happen. The European leaders who met Wang this week therefore gave him a judicious hearing stressing not just irritant issues, but also areas of common interest, including the importance of an open, multilateral trading system and tackling climate change.



Despite post-pandemic tensions, both Europe and China still recognize that they have much to potentially gain from their partnership, especially at a time of continued uncertainty from the United States under Trump. Yet, Wang's trip has also been a reminder that the window of opportunity for closer collaboration may not remain open indefinitely, especially if the range of issues clouding ties grows, and there is a change of leadership in the White House in January.





Andrew Hammond (andrewkorea@outlook.com) is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics






Atlanta, GA, September 1, 2020  Breckenridge Insurance Services is pleased to welcome Carrie B. Mudd to the wholesale brokerage and binding firm. Mudd joins the organization as a vice president, underwriter with over 17 years of insurance and transportation experience.

Prior to Breckenridge, Mudd was a Sr. Account Executive/Broker at a relatively new operation with Transportation Insurance Experts, Inc. Before that, she was a Sr. Underwriter, VP of Eastern Operations at Altamont Insurance Group, LLC and a Sr. Underwriter at Guardian Insurance Wholesalers, Inc. Early in her career, Mudd held agency manager and agent roles.

Carrie brings an extensive background in the commercial trucking sector. She has a keen underwriting eye with experience in handling the traditional to the tougher accounts, said Trevor Pierce, president of Breckenridge Insurance Services. As continued opportunities present themselves in the transportation industry, this represents an exciting opportunity to further develop this area of our business.

Mudd added, Im very excited to join the team at Breckenridge Insurance Services. As I have been involved in all aspects of building a wholesale commercial transportation division and association-based programs, Im looking forward to working with our producers and partners to grow this line of business at Breckenridge.

At Breckenridge, Mudd will be charged with evolving the carrier alliances and agent base for commercial transportation with an emphasis on Motor Truck Cargo and Physical Damage solutions in the long-haul trucking sector. She is based in Kentucky and can be reached at cmudd@breckis.com or 469-320-4027.

About Breckenridge Insurance Services:

BRECKENRIDGE INSURANCE SERVICES is a national wholesale insurance brokerage/MGA delivering top-rated, competitive commercial coverage solutions. With more than three decades of providing responsive counsel and risk management insights, Breckenridge has become a recognized leader and trusted partner to valued agents and coveted carrier partners internationally. With significant in-house contract binding authority and expert, award-winning brokers spanning nearly all property and casualty, workers compensation and professional liability risks, we offer collaborative, comprehensive solutions. As part of Breckenridge Insurance Group, the team has access to additional resources and expertise to help clients go further. For more information, please visit WWW.BRECKIS.COM.

About Breckenridge Insurance Group:

BRECKENRIDGE INSURANCE GROUP, headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is an international specialty wholesale insurance broker, program manager, managing general agent (MGA) and insurance services provider. The company offers access to diverse range of commercial insurance and financial services products to businesses and professional services firms in a variety of industries. The company serves independent insurance agents, brokers, and financial institutions nationally by way of Blue River Underwriters, OSC, Breckenridge Insurance Services brokerage and contract binding group and Southeastern Underwriters, Inc. For more information, please visit WWW.BRECKGRP.COM or call 855.728.8822. CA Insurance License #0G13592

Media Contact:

Caren Henry

chenry@breckgrp.com

267.961.8252

Topics Agencies Underwriting Insurance Wholesale
BEIRUT  President Emmanuel Macron of France met with representatives of Lebanons political factions on Tuesday, urging them to back an overhaul of government and measures to curb pervasive corruption, and warning that they were otherwise at risk of sanctions on their personal wealth, according to officials familiar with the talks.

Mr. Macrons visit this week is his second since a blast tore through parts of Beirut on Aug. 4, killing more than 180 people, wounding 6,000 and causing an estimated $8 billion in damage. The blast, which officials have said was caused by a neglected store of ammonium nitrate, became the latest symbol of mismanagement and corruption in Lebanon, forcing the government to resign last month.

If Mr. Macron cannot secure a commitment to a program including anticorruption measures and an audit of the central bank and banking sector, he has warned that the international community may impose sanctions on Lebanons political leadership, the officials familiar with the talks said. Mr. Macron did not specify what those sanctions would be.

Those leaders have controlled the government through a sectarian power-sharing agreement that has been in place for the three decades since Lebanons civil war, a long and brutal conflict in which most of them participated.
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CB Insights today named Trust & Will to the third annual Fintech 250 , a prestigious list of emerging private companies working on groundbreaking financial technology.

"We're proud to, once again, recognize the 250 best private fintech companies globally. This year's Fintech 250 represents 25 countries and spans 19 categories -- reimagining everything from retail banking and crypto, to insurance and asset management," said CB Insights CEO Anand Sanwal. "The previous Fintech 250 class raised more than $22 billion in investor financing and saw more than 20 exits after being recognized, and we expect this year's class will have similar success as they continue to transform how people and businesses spend, save, borrow, and invest their money."

Trust & Will was selected as one of the Fintech 250 from a pool of 16,000 companies, including applicants and nominees. The CB Insights Intelligence Unit applies an evidenced-based approach and considers several factors, including patent activity, investor quality, news sentiment analysis, proprietary Mosaic scores, market potential, partnerships, competitive landscape, team strength, and tech novelty. The Mosaic score measures the overall health and growth potential of private companies to help predict a company's momentum.

"There are few recognitions that bring together such an incredible group of companies, and the Fintech 250 list is one of them. It is an honor to be a part of this prestigious group of startups, many of whom have inspired us over the years," said co-founder and CEO of Trust & Will, Cody Barbo. "We set out on a mission to help millions of people protect their family and assets, and the more visibility we can bring to Trust & Will, the closer we are to achieving this mission. This is a win for our team, but more importantly a win for our members who have trusted us to protect their legacy."

Since starting the company in October of 2017, Trust & Will has raised $8M+ in capital, gone through the Techstars accelerator, lined up partnerships with several of the largest financial services firms and insurance companies, completed the first electronic Will in history, and helped over 130k+ Americans kickstart their estate plan.

2020 Fintech 250 Highlights:

Unicorns : 32 of the 250 companies are valued at or above $1B as of their latest funding round

: 32 of the 250 companies are valued at or above as of their latest funding round Funding trends: YTD, these 250 private companies have raised $10.3B in equity funding across 120 deals (as of 8/26/20)

YTD, these 250 private companies have raised in equity funding across 120 deals (as of 8/26/20) Mega-rounds: Since 2019, there have been 87 mega-round ($100M+) equity investments to this year's Fintech 250, with 35 of them in 2020 YTD (as of 8/25/20)

Since 2019, there have been 87 mega-round ($100M+) equity investments to this year's Fintech 250, with 35 of them in 2020 YTD (as of 8/25/20) Global representation: 46% of the 2020 Fintech 250 are based outside the US. After the US, the UK is home to the most Fintech 250 companies (38), followed by India (20)

ABOUT TRUST & WILL

Since 2017, Trust & Will has helped more than 130,000 members successfully protect their legacy. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Trust & Will is modernizing the trust and estate planning industry with an easy, fast, and secure way to set up your estate plan online. We've approached estate planning with a design-first approach, layered on top of incredible customer support to help people throughout the process  making estate planning simple, affordable, & accessible. To learn more, please visit: www.trustandwill.com.

SOURCE Trust & Will

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Abuja  A member of the National Assembly, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, has said that the Akanu Ibam international airport in Enugu, which was re-opened last weekend, will boost the nation's economic growth.

Nnamani, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, while expressing delight on the reopening of the airport after the repairs, was optimistic that the economy of the nation especially in the eastern region that was on a low ebb because of the shutdown aggravated by the outbreak of coronavirus would now pick up.

According to him, "I welcome the news of the reopening of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport that serves as the gateway to the Igbo area of Nigeria with excitement."

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Co-operation and Integration in Africa/NEPAD paid glowing tribute to the Governor of Enugu State, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, for his leading role in the actualization of the project.

"It is ennobling that Governor Ugwuanyi has lived up to the expectation of overseeing the primary and central city of Igbo land. He did not only coordinate, organize and champion the activities but he was directly involved on a daily basis.

"This is consistent with the role expected of the Governor of Enugu State to symbolize total Igbo social and cultural appropriation of the city of Enugu," he said.

The former two-time governor of Enugu State, however, advised airport users not to allow the excitement of the reopening to undermine the adherence to all the COVID-19 protocols, saying that the health of citizens matters.

The Enugu airport had earlier been closed for 370 days by the aviation authorities because of safety concerns including the hitherto faulty runway surface and navigational aids in order to meet international standards.
Indias Supreme Court took the `middle path in a long standing dispute between telecom service providers and the government, sparking a fierce rally in Bharti Airtel Ltd and clearing a massive regulatory overhang in the troubled sector.

A 3-judge bench gave 10 years to mobile operators to pay off $20 billion of Adjusted Gross Revenue or AGR to the government in equal annual instalments. The judgement added bankrupt TSPs, under liquidation, but still owning spectrum needed to seek the guidance of National Company Law Tribunal to sell airwaves and pay off outstanding loans. And more importantly mobile operators sharing spectrum belonging to rivals were not obligated to pay the rivals AGR dues, the judges ruled. This clarity brought cheer to Reliance Industries Ltd., majority owner of Jio Platforms, Indias top mobile services company. RIL rose 0.3 percent to 2,087 rupees, a whisker short of an all-time high.

The verdict ``provides much needed clarity on the AGR issue. It is positive for the near term because of the cash flow respite afforded with payments staggered across 10 years, Ratings agency CRISIL said in a note to clients.

The Court ruled on a decade-and-a-half long battle on what constitutes and defines AGR and how should it be calculated. On one side were private telecom giants such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, controlling nearly 60 percent of Indias 110 crore-plus mobile users. And on the other side was a Covid-hit government starved of revenues and running short on resources to raise them. The Court had already ruled in favour of the government two months ago but loss-making TSPs said they were unable to pony up the cash owing to intense competition in the cash guzzling sector.

The judges said the telecom departments interpretation of AGR will hold good.

The government collects license fee, calculated as a percentage of sales  or Adjusted Gross Revenue  from telecom companies. The higher the top line, the more money the exchequer makes. At the heart of the dispute was what constitutes AGR? And at stake was 1.47 lakh crore rupees that was owed to the government. It had received a paltry 30,051 crore rupees earlier from three players  Bharti, Vodafone and the Tata Group. The TSPs sought time to pay off the remainder.

Also at stake was the deteriorating health of the banking sector that has lent heavily to telecom operators.

The stock market rejoiced the judgement. Bharti Airtel  suffering from a huge sell-off related to index-rebalancing  surged 6.5 percent to 546.25 rupees, a 4-week high. It was the top traded counter on the National Stock Exchange on Tuesday with volumes of more than 4,000 crore rupees. On Monday the stock saw heavy selling of nearly 9,595 crore rupees as mainly foreign investors exited the counter owing to a sharp cut in its weightage in the MSCI-Global index.

VODAFONE SHORT ON IDEAS

The judgement was a shot in the arm for Vodafone Idea, which owes the exchequer more than 50,000 crore rupees. The loss-making company had expressed its inability two months ago to pay off the dues immediately and said its India balance sheet was riddled with losses. The government offered a staggered payment plan but that was objected to by an angry Supreme Court, which said it amounted to ``scuttling its earlier order that gave the winning hand to the executive. A balance was, thus, sought to prevent a financial meltdown of the sector and reducing it to a duopoly. Analysts were sceptical

The judges ``have taken the middle path, said Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a lawyer representing Bharti Airtel. Mobile operators had sought 20 years of staggered payment and got 10, he added.

The verdict ``is not as beneficial to Vodafone Idea as it is to Bharti Airtel,  said Rusmik Oza, Executive Vice President at Kotak Securities. ``Considering the high annual interest and depreciation cost the annual AGR dues could further put strain on Vodafones cash flows.

The judgement provides Vodafone Idea, partly owned by billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, with breathing space to bring in much needed cash to resuscitate its balance sheet and put up a fight against Bharti and Jio platform in a market that is seeing booming growth in the data usage as millions work from home.

"Annual AGR payments of Vodafone far exceed its annual operating profit, said Hemang Jani, Head Equity Strategist at Motilal Oswal Securities. ``With no tariff hike built, Vodafone should find it difficult to manage AGR payments.

Singhvi, among Indias highest paid legal brains, said he saw the possibility of a review petition being filed by some disgruntled mobile operators. He himself added that such petitions had a 99.9 percent failure rate.

(Additional Reporting by Yatin Mota)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:16:26|Editor: huaxia

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BERLIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Today's world is faced with three crucial choices while China and Germany, as major countries with global influence, should jointly undertake three major tasks, said visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday.

Wang made the statements at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. Wang said they had candid, in-depth and friendly talks, which boosted mutual trust and generated fruitful results.

Today's world is faced with three crucial choices -- between multilateralism and unilateralism, between openness and seclusion, and between cooperation and confrontation, Wang said.

The first major task for China and Germany, Wang said, is to promote global unity against the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitate world economic recovery.

To this end, both countries should continue supporting the work of the World Health Organization (WHO), and say no to erroneous words and deeds that are harmful to global cooperation against COVID-19, he said.

In the meantime, both should further implement the consensus of the Group of 20 (G20) summit, provide assistance to less-developed regions including Africa, and in particular help make COVID-19 vaccines, once available, a global public good, Wang said.

The pandemic has already caused an impact on the global industrial and supply chain, while so-called "de-coupling" and "de-globalization" will only weaken the momentum of a global economic recovery, he said.

China and Germany will maintain openness to each other and strengthen cooperation in such areas as trade and investment, health and hygiene, clean energy and digital economy, so as to contribute to stable operation of the global supply chain, Wang said.

In addition, both countries will support each other's efforts to resume work and production, and continue expanding the "fast track" for people-to-people exchanges, he said.

The second major task for China and Germany, Wang said, is to jointly make China-EU relations more stable and mature and lift bilateral ties to an even higher level.

China will faithfully support the European integration process through practical actions, remain a trustworthy strategic partner as Europe strives for unity and development, and support a bigger role of Europe in international affairs, he said.

Wang said China has high expectations for the development of China-EU relations during Germany's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of this year.

Both sides will prepare for important political agenda for the next stage, deepen cooperation in climate change, green development, digital economy and public health, and conclude negotiations of China-EU investment agreement, Wang said.

Thirdly, the two countries should work together to practice multilateralism and oppose the waging of a "new Cold War," Wang said, adding that both countries are opposed to the instigation of confrontation and will strengthen cooperation among multilateral institutions, as well as support the United Nations, the WHO and multilateralism.

China-Germany and China-Europe share far more common interests than differences, and are partners rather than rivals, said the Chinese minister, adding China and Europe have different social systems and ideologies, but China is always opposed to the export of ideologies, let alone competition of social systems.

Wang said he has invited Maas to China for the second round of meetings on China-Germany high-level cultural exchange mechanism, and proposed a year of cultural exchange on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations.

China and Germany have forged a comprehensive strategic partnership. It is very normal to have different views on some issues, the Chinese State Councilor noted.

"As long as we adhere to mutual respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and to mutual understanding and support on issues concerning our core interests, the two sides will maintain mutual trust; Sino-German relations will go a long way and contribute to world peace, stability and common development," said Wang. Enditem
A scientist has revealed why you should never keep your skincare or makeup products in the bathroom, and how doing so can lead to you putting fecal matter on your face.

Founder of Qr8 Dr Michele Squire, from Brisbane, explained that everything in a bathroom from heat and light to steam and water can negatively affect the formulas of our skincare and makeup.

But the worst culprit of all is the toilet, as if you flush it with the seat up, this can lead to particles of bacteria ending up in your moisturiser or lipstick.

A PhD-qualified scientist and former nurse has revealed why you should never keep your skincare or makeup products in the bathroom (Dr Michele Squire pictured)

Founder of Qr8 Dr Michele Squire explained that everything in a bathroom from heat and light to steam and water can negatively affect the formulas of our skincare and makeup (pictured)

'Of course, there is a huge convenience factor about keeping our products in the bathroom so that when we jump out of the shower at night or in the morning, we can directly get started on our skincare routine,' Dr Squire told the Adore Beauty podcast.

'But the problem with the bathroom and particularly the bathroom shelf is that it's very exposed.

'Heat, humidity, visible light like sunlight and artificial light are all able to get into our skincare.'

The scientist said that each product you own has 'lots of molecules which move around all the time and bang together constantly undergoing reactions'.

When you add light, heat and oxygen into the mix, this speeds up these reactions and the general degradation process, resulting in products with changed texture, smell, colour and activity on the skin.

If you want to stop fecal matter from when you flush the toilet ending up in your beauty products, you could try something like a beauty fridge (pictured)

Dr Squire said one of the worst issues associated with keeping your products in the bathroom is the matter of the toilet.

'When you flush the toilet and leave the lid up, you produce this big plume of bacteria and microbes into the air,' she said.

'If you're in a hurry and you've got all of your cosmetics open and you happen to be the type of person who flushes without putting the lid down, you're in danger of ending up with fecal microbes in your cosmetics and on your face.'

She advises closing anything as soon as you've used it and never leaving the lids off your products for too long.

Dr Squire said you don't have to spend big in order to get science-driven good skincare, especially with something like cleanser that isn't on your face for very long. She likes the skincare brand, CeraVe (pictured) and their hydrating cleanser

When it comes to where you should store your beauty products, the ideal location is somewhere cool and dark, ideally between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius.

'If you're wedded to the idea of keeping your skincare products in the bathroom, I would recommend something like a beauty fridge so you can keep your products cool,' Dr Squire said.

She added that this is especially useful if you live somewhere excessively cool or hot.

You could also try keeping your products outside of the bathroom and transporting them to and from it when you apply them if you like the lighting in there.

A general rule of thumb is that an unopened skincare product will last for three years, but once it's open, you should check the packaging, as it will often detail exactly how long you've got before you should toss something out.

'A good way to tell if something is gone off is to look for changes,' Dr Squire added.

'A change in colour, texture, smell or separation could mean it's past its best before date.'
The Federal Government has called for caution as some state governments announce reopening of schools, saying that COVID-19 remains potent and very dangerous.

Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, gave the warning on Monday in Abuja at the 62nd joint national briefing of the taskforce.

According to Mr Mustapha, as the nation plans to re-open more sectors, "everyone must stay the course and stick with the winning strategy which is anchored on the ability of our health institutions to contain the virus".

"While citizens wear facemasks properly, stay away from crowded places, avoid mass gatherings, maintain simple hygienic practices and as much as possible protect the elderly and most vulnerable to this pandemic.

"It is in the above context that the PTF appreciates the on-going calls for re-opening of the education sector and indeed some sub-nationals are already making preparations for such.

"Whilst the PTF does not discourage making such preparations, we need to be guided by experiences from countries such as Germany, France, the United States and the UK where opening of schools in some cities led to an increase in confirmed cases and fatalities," Mr Mustapha said.

The SGF also noted that the taskforce would be submitting the seventh Interim Report to President Muhammadu Buhari "and would be guided by his directives on the next phase".

Mr Mustapha said that the decisions and approval would be transmitted at the national briefing on September 3.

'Not yet uhuru'

He said that as the nation entered the last few days of the extended eased lockdown phase of the Nation's National Response this week, "the PTF, like the global community, was confronted with a series of emerging new developments around the characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic".

According to him, the global number of confirmed cases has exceeded the 25 million mark and is attributable to resurgence in countries hitherto considered to have effectively contained the virus.

"While a good number of countries that have relaxed restriction measures are actually re-introducing such, which in some cases are being made more stringent on the basis of lessons learned.

"The PTF has observed that South Africa is no longer in the top five with the global cumulative cases. It has similarly observed that Ethiopia is also rising strongly.

"The PTF will continue to monitor developments all over Africa even as we prepare to open up the international air space for flights.

"The PTF has also observed that from the point the global numbers entered the 20th million, growth in cases has been on the average of a million cases every four to five days.

"This is a trend that deserves a lot of attention and the PTF is doing that. For us in Nigeria, the last three weeks have shown a slowdown in the number of confirmed cases.

"Indeed, in the last four months of testing, the lowest daily figure of confirmed cases, 138 was reported on 30th August 2020," he added.

He, however, called for caution and vigilance on the declining numbers because the virus was still potent and very dangerous.

Mr Mustapha said in spite of the nation's enhanced testing capacity, the number of samples collected for testing have not been encouraging.

He said that while government intensify its targeted testing strategy, it still urged the states to expand the scope of their sample collection.

Not all bad news

The SGF also recalled that at the start of the pandemic, it was predicted that the African continent, with its weak health infrastructure and propensity to high disease burden, would be the worst hit.

He, however, said that a recent publication by the Weekly Science Review had indicated that in spite of having 17 per cent of the global population, Africa had accounted for just five per cent of global confirmed COVID-19 cases and three per cent of deaths.

"A recent study by a group of African countries in East Africa indicates that Africa has weathered the storm of the pandemic with a death ratio of 1:10000 persons at a total of 23,000 so far.

"According to the study, far more Africans have been infected with the virus and are now resistant to it for reasons such as more exposure to variants of the coronavirus and regular exposure to malaria and other infectious diseases, which prime the African Immune system to fight new pathogens.

"The PTF is, however, studying the manifestation of the virus in Nigeria and in other countries and continents in order to understand its nature.

"This should ordinarily give us encouragement that we are winning the war against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"But unfortunately, the science, data and experience from other parts of the world indicate that such data should be viewed with extreme caution, as it is prone to be very deceptive and could be misleading.

"If we let down our guards and be influenced to deviate from our strategy of cautious optimism that have brought Nigeria this far."

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The SGF said that the noticed gradual shift in areas of high infection burden with Plateau State reporting the highest number of confirmed cases could be related to increased testing by citizens of the state.

"However, we also need to look at the flip side that there are a number of highly undetected cases lying around which we need to discover and deal with early," he said.

Vaccines

Mr Mustapha noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had published a draft landscape of the COVID-19 candidate vaccines and that as at August 2020, a total 173 candidate vaccines are under evaluation.

He said: "Thirty three are under clinical evaluation (eight at phase 3 trials); 143 candidate vaccines are in pre-clinical evaluation;

"As the PTF has always maintained, early testing, detection, tracing and treatment remains the second-best option for dealing with this pandemic, with the first being staying safe.

"In this wise, we implore Nigerians to get tested and present cases requiring treatment early to reduce our avoidable fatalities.

"Testing positive for coronavirus is not a death sentence, not testing and concealing cases of symptoms and presenting late is what leads to death," he said.

(NAN)
Breonna Taylor's boyfriend is suing the city of Louisville and its police department saying he was the victim of misconduct the night of the raid that saw his EMT girlfriend shot dead by officers.

Lawyers for Kenneth Walker filed the civil lawsuit in Jefferson County District Court in Kentucky on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for assault, battery, false arrest and imprisonment, malicious prosecution, abuse of process and negligence the night Taylor was killed in her apartment during the raid.

'Kenny continues to reel from the death of the love of his life, but he is also the victim and survivor of police misconduct - misconduct that threatens his freedom to this day,' the complaint, obtained by the Louisville Courier Journal, says.

Breonna Taylor's boyfriend Kenneth Walker filed the civil lawsuit in Jefferson County District Court in Kentucky on Tuesday

Walker was initially charged with attempted murder after firing a single shot that police say wounded an officer when they stormed into Taylor's apartment the night of March 13 as they served a 'no knock' narcotics search warrant.

That charge was dropped by prosecutors in May without prejudice, which means he could potentially be charged again in the future.

His lawsuit aims to prevent that from happening and cites Kentucky's stand your ground law.

That law prevents authorities from prosecuting anyone acting in self defense.

'The chargers brought against me were meant to silence me and cover up Breonna's murder. For her and those that I love, I can no longer remain silent,' Walker said on Tuesday after the lawsuit was filed.

While Walker was not injured during the raid, his 26-year-old EMT girlfriend was shot eight times.

Officers never found any drugs in her home.

Walker fired his gun when officers stormed into the apartment and has since said he thought he was defending against a home invasion.

At the time, Walker told police that he could hear knocking on the night of the shooting but did not hear police announce themselves.

Walker said he was 'scared to death' so he grabbed his gun and when the door was knocked down, he fired a shot.

Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical worker, was shot dead by police serving the 'no knock' narcotics search warrant at her apartment

Walker was initially charged with attempted murder after firing a single shot that police say wounded an officer when they stormed into Taylor's apartment the night of March 13. That charge was dropped by prosecutors in May without prejudice, which means he could potentially be charged again in the future

He said his intention was to fire a warning shot downward toward the ground.

'I am a legal gun owner and I would never knowingly shoot at a police officer,' Walker said on Tuesday.

Police say Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was shot in the leg by Kenneth during the raid.

His lawyer Steven Romines, however, has since said there is evidence that Walker didn't fire the shot that injured the officer.

Romines said officers likely fired about 40 bullets into Taylor's apartment in two different waves after Kenneth fired the initial shot.

'We know police are firing wildly from various angles,' Romines said.

'The timeline and evidence at the scene is more indicative of (police) actually shooting Mattingly than it is Kenny Walker.'

He said crime scene photos of Walker's round indicated it did not have any contact with blood.

The lawsuit says that Walker screamed for help as his girlfriend was bleeding out but no one came.

As he was being ordered out of the apartment by police, an officer asked if he had been struck by an bullets, the lawsuit says.

'Oh, that's unfortunate,' the officer allegedly responded when Walker said no.

The lawsuit also says that another officer admitted to Walker as he was being placed in a police car that 'there's been a big misunderstanding here tonight'.

Walker fired his gun when officers stormed into the apartment and has since said he thought he was defending against a home invasion

Sam Aguiar, the attorney who is representing Taylor's family in a wrongful death lawsuit, has slammed law enforcement and accused them of going to extreme lengths to try and tarnish the slain woman's name by offering Glover a plea deal

The filing of the lawsuit comes a day after a lawyer for Taylor's family said her ex-boyfriend had been offered a plea deal that would have forced him to implicate the EMT in a drug case after her death.

Taylor family attorney Sam Aguiar posted a photo on social media Monday that he said was a plea offer to Jamarcus Glover from prosecutors.

The photo of the document appeared to show Taylor listed as a 'co-defendant' in illegal activities leading up to April 22, weeks after her death.

The filing of the lawsuit comes a day after a lawyer for Taylor's family said her ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover (above) had been offered a plea deal that would have forced him to implicate the EMT in a drug case after her death

'Why would they put her name on there?' Aguiar said in a statement. 'It's outrageous.'

Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Wine acknowledged the existence of the document but said it was part of preliminary plea negotiations with Glover and not an attempt to smear Taylor.

Taylor was fatally shot by police serving the narcotics search warrant as part of a wide-ranging police operation targeting Glover.

Glover and others were arrested on drug trafficking charges the same night Taylor was shot.

Wine issued a statement on Monday saying Taylor was never a co-defendant in the case against Glover.

He provided a copy of what he said was the final plea deal offered to Glover, which did not include her name but did list her address as a place where he picked up mail packages.

Wine said Glover implicated Taylor in his criminal activity in jail phone calls to Taylor. Jail phone calls reported by news media show Glover called Taylor 26 times in early January, including some calls to ask her to help him gather bond money.

The plea document furnished by Wine also said Glover kept some of his money at Taylor's address.
But government spokesman clarifies offer only applies to about 37 foreign farmers who benefit from special protection.

Zimbabwe said on Tuesday that only foreign white farmers protected by international investment treaties qualified to retrieve land seized by the government two decades ago.

On Monday, the government announced foreign white farmers settled in Zimbabwe whose land was seized under former President Robert Mugabe can apply to get it back and will be offered land elsewhere if restitution proves impractical.

Information ministry secretary and government spokesman Nick Mangwana clarified in a tweet on Tuesday the offer did not apply to all evicted white farmers, but only to about 37 foreign farmers who benefit from special protection.

Some of the previous owners had already been compensated from the previous government. For example, the Dutch farmers were being paid over the years, Mangwana said. They may get that land or replacement land elsewhere instead of compensation.

Mugabe launched land reforms in 2000, grabbing parcels from 4,000 white farmers on the grounds that he was reversing historical land ownership imbalances that favoured the minority whites.

Last month, Zimbabwe agreed to pay $3.5bn in compensation to local white farmers whose land was forcibly taken by the government to resettle Black families, moving a step closer to resolving one the most divisive policies of the Robert Mugabe era.





Alternative land

Under Zimbabwean laws passed during a short period of opposition government but ignored by Mugabe, foreign white farmers protected by treaties between their governments and Zimbabwe should be compensated for both land and other assets.

In that regard, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube and Lands and Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka said in a joint statement these farmers should apply for their land back.

That means, in some instances, the government would revoke the offer letters of resettled [Black] farmers currently occupying those pieces of land and offer them alternative land elsewhere, the ministers said.

But removing the Black beneficiaries from the land could prove practically and politically difficult.

Where the situation presently obtaining on the ground makes it impractical to restore land in this category to its former owners, government will offer the former farm owners alternative land elsewhere as restitution where such land is available, the statement said.

The ministers said other white farmers, whose land had been earmarked for acquisition by the government but were still on the properties, can apply to lease the land for 99 years, just like their Black counterparts.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the land reform could not be reversed but paying of compensation was key to mending ties with the West.

The programme still divides public opinion in Zimbabwe, where the number of white farmers has dropped to about 200 from 4,500 when land reforms began 20 years ago, according to the predominantly white commercial farmers union.

Opponents see the reforms as a partisan process that left the country struggling to feed itself, but its supporters say it has empowered landless Black people.

Mugabe, who died in September 2019, had promised the land reforms would not be reversed.
A remake of the 1980s classic All Creatures Great and Small hits screens tonight with an all-star cast and a storyline that will be 'strikingly relevant', despite being set in 1937.

The retelling of James Herriot's tales of a rural vet in the Yorkshire Dales stars Mr Selfridge's Samuel West and Oscar winner Rachel Shenton, and during a virtual Q&A ahead of the series, the cast and producers said they expect the show to resonate with a new generation of viewers.

Samuel, who has also appeared in The Crown, The Darkest Hour and Mr Selfridge, explained: 'I'm really pleased we're in a good British drama series that isn't about very rich people. I loved being in The Crown and I'm not going to knock it, but it's been so much part of our calling card for so long and actually it's not the zeitgeist now.

'We're living smaller, more carefully and more in harmony with nature and what we're selling now is really very positive in all of those respects.'

Producer Colin Callender added: 'At a time where we're all separated and living in lockdown, this is a story about people coming together from different backgrounds and classes, and I think the story couldn't be more of the moment.'

It comes amid a huge surge in popularity of shows about rural life, with Our Yorkshire Farm, a Channel 5 show following the real-life dramas of a shepherdess and her nine children, emerging as the suprise hit of the summer.

A remake of the 1980s classic All Creatures Great and Small will return to screens tonight with an all-star class set to wow viewers with heart-warming, funny and emotional scenes. Pictured left to Right: - Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley), Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West), James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph), Helen Alderson (played by Rachel Shenton) and Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse)

The retelling of James Herriot's (real name Alf Wright) tales of a rural vet in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s sees Scottish actor Nicholas Ralph (above) make his TV debut opposite Oscar-winner Rachel Shenton

In tonight's episode, which will be the first in a series of six, newly-qualified James (played by newcomer Nicholas Ralph) arrives at veterinary practice at Skeldale House to start a job as the assistant of the eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) who serves many farms in the local community.

James, a baffled city boy who travelled to the countryside from Glasgow where his parents urged him to work on the docks, finds himself in trouble when he gets off the bus too early and has to walk through the night in the pouring rain to get to the veterinary practice.

Before he alights the bus, he meets Helen Alderson, played by Rachel Shenton, who later becomes his love interest.

On his eventual arrival in town, James is greeted by housekeeper Audrey Hall (played by Anna Madeley) and his new boss, who isn't interested in an interview but instead takes him straight out on a job.

Dressed in a suit, tie, and dress shoes James heads straight into a field to help get pus out from a horse' s hoof.

But he is repeatedly kicked over by the thoroughbred, and falls into mud covering himself from head to toe.

Undeterred, he carries on to help the animal get better, much to the amusement of his new boss and the locals.

James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph, left) a baffled city boy who travelled to the countryside from Glasgow, finds himself in trouble when he gets off the bus too early and has to walk through the night in the pouring rain to get to the veterinary practice, on arrival he's greeted by housekeeper Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley, right)

In tonight's episode, which will be the first in a series of six, newly-qualified James (played by newcomer Nicholas Ralph, pictured right) arrives at veterinary practice at Skeldale House to start a job as the assistant of the eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) who serves many farms in the local community. He soon meets and becomes smitten with local lass Helen (played by Rachel Shenton (left)

In the hour-long season premiere, James quickly becomes involved in life in the village, getting drunk in the pub with locals, bonding with housekeeper Mrs Hall, and even travelling to a rural farm in the middle of the night to help a cow in labour.

In one hilarious scene, James returns the wrong cat to its owner and all hell breaks loose when he realises there's been a huge mix-up due to his heavy night the day before.

As well as getting to know his larger than life boss, James meets Helen again in the first episode, when he and Siegfried are called out to her father's farm to help an ailing calf.

On his way in, he is confronted by a cow and climbs onto a wall for safety in fear of the animal, before being saved by cool as cucumber Helen.

The story is based on the real experience of James Herriot (real name Alf Wright) and his semi-autobiographical series of books, which were based on his interactions in North Yorkshire.

The collected works of All Creatures Great and Small have sold 60million copies internationally and have never been out of print.

Its most famous adaptation originally ran on the BBC from 1978 to 1990 with Christopher Timothy as the Dales vet and Robert Hardy as his boss, Siegfried Farnon.

Discussing the pressure of playing such a well-known and loved role, Samuel West (pictured) explained to FEMAIL that he used the knife from the real life version of his character in the first scene he filmed.

Donald Sinclair, a real life vet and local celebrity, was the basis of Siegfried's character.

Discussing the pressure of playing such a well-known and loved role, Samuel West explained to FEMAIL that he used the knife from the real life version of his character in the first scene he filmed.

Speaking at a virtual press conference ahead of the show, he said: 'On the very first day, Nick was looking at this horse, the one that kicks him and Andy [Barrett, the show's production vet] handed me a thing called a hoof knife, which I have to give to James.

'I look at this things, and in faded Biro it says D Sinclair, it's Donald Sinclair's hoof knife and we used it in our very first scene together.'

Mrs Pumphrey (Diana Rigg) & Tricki-Woo (Derek) are pictured. The adaptation originally ran on the BBC from 1978 to 1990 with Christopher Timothy as the Dales vet and Robert Hardy as his boss

'And as an actor when you're thinking "Oh god, I've got to play this really well known part for quite a long time and big shoes and everything", but something that says "While you're holding this you are him", that really helped.'

Just like Siegfried, in real life Sinclair was famously eccentric with Samuel also recalling how the vet once fired his shotgun into the wall when he wanted people to leaving a dinner party he was hosting.

While the series is set in 1937, creators said they were keen to develop female characters more than in previous adaptations.

Rachel, who won a best live action short film Oscar in 2017 for The Silent Child, explained she spoke to children of Joan Danbury, the real-life inspiration behind her character to help understand her role.

The man himself: James Herriot, above, who died in 1995, wrote memoirs based on his experiences with animals as a vet

Rachel, who won a best live action short film Oscar in 2017 for The Silent Child, which she wrote and starred in. explained to FEMAIL she spoke to children of Joan Danbury, the real life inspiration behind her character to help understand her role. She is pictured on the show as Helen

'I got some really nice nuggets of information from them, one being her wicked sense of humour and keen eye for mischief.

'They said that if there was ever a cheeky joke their mum would be the one to tell it.

'She was the first woman in the village to wear trousers, now I've done the wrangling of the bulls it makes sense, wearing a dress would have been completely impractical.'

Rivalling for Helen's attention is wealthy landowner Hugh Hulton, played by Matthew Lewis, who is best known for his role as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films.

The character, who is described as Helen's childhood sweetheart and very handsome, makes his debut in the second episode and is sure to make some viewers swoon.

The show is set in the stunning Yorkshire Dales, and will air after The Yorkshire Vet, a real-life programme about a of Skeldale Veterinary Centre in Thirsk, North Yorkshire - once the practice of James Herriot. Pictured is Nicholas Ralph as James

Although they don't all make an appearance in the premiere, the cast is full of famous faces including Nigel Havers (Coronation Street) who portrays the manager of the local racecourse, as well as Game of Thrones star Dame Diana Rigg who plays the peculiar widow of a wealthy beer baron and is obsessed with her dog and the surgery's most famous patients Tricki Woo, played by a Pekingese called Derek.

Also starring is Callum Woodhouse (The Durrells) as Siegfried's younger brother Tristan who spends more time in the pub than helping animals.

While the original series, which aired on the BBC, was hugely successful and had a 12- year run, the show's executive producer Colin Callender also revealed that the drama is more character-led than its predecessor.

Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) is pictured with one of the show's many adorable creatures, a golden retriever, cuddled in front of a fireplace

'There's a depth to to these characters that I think a contemporary audience wants,' he explained.

'They expect this from their dramas, that characters are rooted in a psychological reality and a time and place. This was England after World War I and between the wars and the depression, so this story seemed to be resonant with a whole range of themes that are strikingly relevant to the day.

'And who could have guessed that when it aired we'd be in a world where all those issues were aired and would be more dramatically real than ever before.

The old days: Actors Christopher Timothy and Robert Hardy are pictured on set in 1979, when playing the vet and his boss

The show is set in the stunning Yorkshire Dales, and will air after The Yorkshire Vet, a real-life programme about a of Skeldale Veterinary Centre in Thirsk, North Yorkshire - once the practice of Alf Wight.

The Yorkshire Vet is narrated by Christopher Timothy, who played Herriot in the original series of All Creatures Great and Small that aired 30 years ago.

Callender added: 'One of the starring characters of the show is the Yorkshire Dales and with the new camera technology and drones we would be able to bring that to life in a way that is inherent to the story-telling'.

Also a soaring success for Channel 5 this year has been Our Yorkshire Farm, which became a surprise rating hits beating out the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in the 9pm slot for the last two weeks.

The show followed the lives of Amanda and Clive Owen, aged 45 and 65 respectively, and their nine children at a remote hill farm in the Yorkshire Dales.

Happy house: Pictured from left to right, Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West), James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph), Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse) and Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley)

Take one: Rachel Shenton took to Instagram last autumn to share this picture and announce her casting in the series, which she said she was over the moon about

Sebastian Cardwell, the digital channel controller at Channel 5, previously said: 'James Herriot has a special place in the heart of the public and the commission of this iconic drama series, against the stunning backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales, is set to bring joy to a new army of TV viewers.

'The original books affectionately captured a unique slice of British life.

'In challenging times we hope the charming and heart-warming stories of community and compassion will resonate with new audiences.'

Original cast members: Pictured L-R are Rebecca Smith, Christopher Timothy, Lynda Bellingham and Oliver Wilson, seen in January 1988

Success: Rachel, pictured with Chris Overton, won a best live action short film Oscar in 2017 for The Silent Child, which she wrote and starred in
I wanted to stay put in Colombia to build a better future for my daughter, but we have to go back. Those are the words of Nelson Torrelles to Wall Street Journal reporter John Otis. As Otis reported in the August 31 edition of the Journal, the haggard and hungry Torrelles along with his wife and 5-year old daughter are walking back to Venezuela on a Colombian highway.

Theyd initially moved to Colombia to escape Venezuelas socialist hellhole, only for Torrelles to get a job as a waiter at a barbecue restaurant in Bogota. But when Colombia joined much of the rest of the alarmed world in shutting down its economy in March in response to the coronavirus, Torrelles lost his job and soon enough the family apartment that he couldnt make rent on. Hard as it may be to imagine for those of us lucky enough to live in the United States, the hungry Torrelles and his family are moving back to Venezuela.

Please stop and think about this for a minute. Please stop and imagine the pain Torrelles is in. It surely extends well beyond hunger. Imagine not being able to adequately provide for your family, including a daughter too young to understand that your failures are largely beyond your control. Words dont begin to describe what Torrelles must be going through, nor can someone lucky enough to be in the United States understand just how awful things must be for Torrelles and his family.

About the coronavirus shutdowns, this column will stress yet again what it always has: the greater the presumed lethality of any virus, the less of any kind of need for shutdowns or government intervention. Practicality is behind this simple assertion.

For one, economic growth has long been the biggest enemy of virus and disease precisely because economic growth produces the surplus resources that can be mobilized in pursuit of cures for what ails us. If something threatens us with sickness or even death, no reasonable person would respond with forced economic contraction.

Second, the greater the presumed lethality of any virus, the more that any laws or rules meant to limit its spread are superfluous. Really, what about the high possibility of sickness or even death requires a law? People dont need to be told to not hurt or kill themselves. No reasonable person would seek to expand government power over human action during the spread of a virus precisely because wise people would govern themselves.

To which some who absolutely revel in being told what to do will respond that not everyone is rational when it comes to protecting themselves. So true.

All of which speaks to the third reason any kind of governmental response to a virus is impractical. It is because accepted wisdom rarely ages well. Think back to AIDS in the 1980s, and the popular view that it could be spread by people merely existing in the same room.

Some people will most certainly throw caution to the wind about any virus, and it cannot be stressed enough that these people are crucial. Their indifference or their disagreement with accepted wisdom means essential information will be produced. Specifically, those who dont share the alarmism of doctors like Anthony Fauci and Scott Gottlieb, two individuals who in no way face the risk of going without food, shelter or lifes comforts if it turns out theyre wrong, can tell us if those who aim to protect us are wrong or right. In particular, if some wholly ignore the Faucis and Gottliebs of the world only to experience no ill health effects for doing just that, the medical profession and society more broadly will be much smarter as a consequence.

Lest we forget, Fauci was the doctor who told us a husband could pass on AIDS to his wife just by being in the same room. This was 1983. He knew so little. So did everyone. The past raises an obvious question about the present: why would doctors and scientists eager to know the truth be so adamant as Fauci and Gottlieb are about ongoing governmental limits on human action? Those wholly interested in the truth would presumably cheer those not eager to follow official, or unofficial rules and accepted societal norms. They produce information as important, and arguably more important than the rule followers. Again, theres so much we dont know.

At the same time, what we know is that per the CDC, the hospitalization rate for those infected with the virus is .1 percent? As for deaths, the New York Times reported once again on August 18th that More than 40 percent of all coronavirus deaths in the United States have been tied to nursing homes. Once again is operative mainly because the Times has long reported this fact, and its one that has long led the half-awake to a very simple conclusion: some, or maybe a lot of the U.S. coronavirus deaths have been a consequence of the elderly dying with the virus as opposed to having died directly because of it.

It turns out the CDC agrees with this blinding glimpse of the obvious. It recently released a report indicating that over 94 percent of the U.S. coronavirus deaths occurred among individuals with underlying medical conditions like diabetes, heart failure, respiratory failure, and other maladies. So while theres so much so many dont know, including doctors, whats long been apparent is now being accepted even by the CDC; U.S. death counts related to the virus are overstated. Perhaps wildly so.

Its a reminder that the answer to any illness or any other presumed problem must always begin with freedom. Not only does it produce crucial information that truth-focused doctors and scientists would plainly want to know, not only does it produce the growth that provides cures, it also helps those with the least avoid what Nelson Torrelles is enduring right now.

Again, please stop and imagine the many layers of his agony. Having done that, please ask yourself in your relative comfort just how deep your corona-religion is? Is it so deep that youll continue to turn a blind eye to the global suffering thats taking place so that you can feel safe from a virus that thankfully kills so few? Please think deeply about this. The lives of hundreds of millions of innocent people with exponentially less than you hang on your level of alarmism, and the strange joy you derive from being told what to do.
Credit: Tomsk State University

That air pollution can increase the risk of respiratory diseases by enhancing susceptibility to viral and bacterial infections is nothing new. Some studies have suggested that small particles in the air facilitate the spread of viruses and even the new coronavirus, in addition to direct person-to-person infection. However, despite some preliminary hypotheses, the effects of prolonged exposure to particulates and other atmospheric contaminants on SARS-CoV-2 have not been studied.

An international team made up of the biologists dr. Roberto Cazzolla Gatti (associate professor at Tomsk State University in Russia and research fellow of the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research in Austria) and Dr. Alena Velichevskaya (researcher at Tomsk State University in Russia) and the physicists from the University of Studies in Bari and the Bari section of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFS) dott. Nicola Amoroso, dr. Alfonso Monaco and dr. Andrea Tateo revealed, in the first scientific study concerning the Italian situation published after having also passed the peer-review phase, that at national level there is a significant statistical association between the prolonged exposure to air pollutants and the severity of the pandemic effects (mortality and infectivity) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The study, just published by the prestigious scientific journal Environmental Pollution, leader in the field of research on the effects of pollution on the environment and health, examines the possible reasons for which the new coronavirus has had a more severe impact on some Italian regional and provincial populations and less on others. The research revealed what many already feared, namely that between various environmental (such as the presence of contaminants produced by industries, farms, road traffic, etc.), health (such as obesity, cigarette smoking, availability of hospital beds, number of swabs, etc.) and socio-economic (such as, for example, the average annual income per family) factors, air pollution and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) - much more than other pollutants such as PM10, ozone, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, etc. - are the most important in predicting the effects of SARS-CoV-2.

"Air pollution is the factor that more than all the others may have influenced the mortality and positivity rates of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Italy" state the authors of the study. "We have also discoveredthey continuethat emissions from industries, intensive livestock farming and road traffic, in order of importance, could be responsible for over 70% of COVID-19 deaths nationwide". Using artificial intelligence models, the team was able to "predict" the values of both the trend of infections and mortality with an accuracy of over 95%. Based on these models, the scientists also estimated that a small future increase in pollution levels (of 5-10%) could be associated with an increase in health effects due to pathogens similar to the SARS-CoV-2 virus by up to 30% (whose about 4-14% of more potential deaths).

Considering that over three-quarters of COVID-19 associated deaths in the first half of 2020 in Italy were reported in the northern regions, the results of this study clearly demonstrate that the large presence of factories, industrialized areas and factory farms plays an important role in the health effects of SARS-CoV-2 and that the excess mortality from COVID-19 due to air pollution in northern Italy is not accidental. North-western Italy, which includes the first national industrial triangle (also called To-Mi-Ge) corresponding to the summits of Turin, Milan and Genoa, is the area where an extensive industrial development took place between the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. According to a report published in 2019 by the European Environment Agency (Air quality in Europe, 2018), the Po Valley, i.e. the area between the Alps, the northern Apennines and the Adriatic Sea, is the region most affected by the concentration of atmospheric pollutants in the whole of Europe.

Thanks to the computing power provided by the ReCaS datacenter of the University of Bari and the National Institute of Nuclear Physics, the second Italian computing center for the capacity of calculation, the new study was also able to detect how some provinces recorded abnormal rates of mortality compared to what was predicted by the artificial intelligence model: 5 provinces in northern Italy (Cremona, Lodi, Piacenza, Bergamo and Brescia) showed an excess of cases compared to those predicted by the respective pollution level, confirming that other local and additional causes may have aggravated the health effects of the coronavirus. In the south, however, the province of Syracuse above all, followed by those of Taranto, Trapani and Agrigento showed a lack of observed cases compared to those expected, a result that should stimulate local administrators to reduce the air pollution of the administered provinces to contain the immediate and future risk of aggravating the effects of respiratory epidemics.

The results of this brand new study, which used the complex algorithms of artificial intelligence to evaluate numerous factors at the same time, show that the imperative of productivity, economic growth and industrial development put before people's health and environmental protection is, in fact, a short-sighted idea, with serious repercussions in the present and an issue of serious concern for the near future.



More information:

Cazzolla Gatti R., Velichevskaya A., Tateo A., Amoroso N., Monaco A., Machine learning reveals that prolonged exposure to air pollution is associated with SARS-CoV-2 mortality and infectivity in Italy. Environmental Pollution, 115471 doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115471

Provided by Tomsk State University
New rules were enforced over the August bank holiday weekend in the UK, to attempt to put a stop to mass gatherings amid the COVID-19 crisis.

But this didn't stop Love Island's Jack Fincham from attending a massive party at The Swan in West Malling, Kent.

The pub threw a huge event - charging revelers 120 each for the pleasure - promising to adhere to social distancing and the pandemic public safety guidelines.

Social, not distant! Love Island's Jack Fincham attended a massive party in West Malling, Kent on Monday

However, Jack, 26, not only attended the event, but filmed himself and all the attendees, plastering it across his social media accounts.

Implicating the pub and its guests, Jack inadvertantly identified numerous culprits, now eligible to be fined 10,000.

Jack was seen kissing an unknown brunette woman on the cheek while they partied under a marquee, despite recently confirming his relationship with Connie O'Hara.

Jack - who has also recently welcomed a child, but with a different woman - was also seen hugging his friends as they drank and danced at the ticketed event.

Flouting the rules! The Swan threw a huge event - charging revelers 120 each for the pleasure - promising to adhere to social distancing and the pandemic public safety guidelines

Evidence: Jack, 26, not only attended the event, but filmed himself and all the attendees, plastering it across his social media accounts

The Swan had posted the following message to Facebook ahead of the event: 'Your tables will be positioned 2 metres apart and you will be allowed to dance at your tables only'

The ex-reality personality flouted COVID-19 rules, along with the other attendees, who were all seen crammed into the event despite the 2m+ rules that are still in place in England.

The Swan had posted the following message to Facebook ahead of the event: 'Your tables will be positioned 2 metres apart and you will be allowed to dance at your tables only.

'There won't be a dance floor and we ask that you don't form the conga at any point.

'We will be adhering to COVID-19 guidelines and expect everyone joining us to do the same, if our rules are followed we will stay healthy and safe.'

Candid camera: The ex-reality personality flouted COVID-19 rules, along with the other attendees, who were all seen crammed into the event despite the 2m+ rules that are still in place in England

Breaking the rules: 'There won't be a dance floor and we ask that you don't form the conga at any point. We will be adhering to COVID-19 guidelines and expect everyone joining us to do the same, if our rules are followed we will stay healthy and safe,' was also promised by The Swan

Oh dear! Yet the footage shared by Jack - who has 2.1 million Instagram followers - saw the exact opposite of what the event planners had promised

Yet the footage shared by Jack - who has 2.1 million Instagram followers - saw the exact opposite of what the event planners had promised.

In a multitude of clips from the day-into-evening event, the attendees were seen in a mass gathering in the centre of the marquee, dancing closely together, with no social distancing rules being followed at all.

The promise to keep attendees to their own tables had, evidently, been abandonned by this point.

MailOnline has approached The Swan and Jack's reps for comment.

Too close: Jack was also seen hugging his friends as they drank and danced at the ticketed event

Musical chairs! The promise to keep attendees to their own tables had, evidently, been abandoned by this point

The party - which featured food, a DJ, tables intended for no more than eight people, and unlimited alcohol - comes after new rules to crack down on mass gatherings came into force on Friday - leading to 90,000-worth of fines issued by Sunday night.

The regulations - with were put in place ahead of the bank holiday weekend - gives police the power to hand out 10,000 fines.

Current government guidelines state people from different households can meet in an outdoor space in a group of up to six. It is also acceptable for people to meet in a a group of two households in any location.

One of the biggest infringements to have taken part this weekend was the massive illegal lockdown rave in Wales, which was finally shut down by police on Monday.

Day-into-evening event: The attendees were seen in a mass gathering in the centre of the marquee, dancing closely together, with no social distancing rules being followed at all

Meanwhile: One of the biggest infringements to have taken part this weekend was the massive illegal lockdown rave in Wales, which was finally shut down by police on Monday

Some 3,000 revellers descended on an area of woodland near the village of Banwen in the early hours of Sunday morning - with 400 ravers still at the site by Monday evening.

But South Wales Police managed to shut down the rave after around 70 officers, assisted by Dyfed-Powys Police and the British Transport Police, were called out to the wood to execute a dispersal order.

Summons have been issued to 22 ravers, which could see them slapped with 10,000 fines under the new rules.

Assistant chief constable David Thorne wrote on Twitter: 'Rave at Banwen is over! South Wales Police, Dyfed-Powys Police [and] British Transport Police teams have done a fantastic job this weekend of clearing this huge area from the 3,000 strong illegal gathering. Thank you to all involved.'

Assistant chief constable David Thorne wrote on Twitter: 'Rave at Banwen is over! South Wales Police, Dyfed-Powys Police [and] British Transport Police teams have done a fantastic job this weekend of clearing this huge area from the 3,000 strong illegal gathering. Thank you to all involved'

You ok? A young woman rests on the ground at the site of an illegal lockdown rave in Wales

Locals voiced complaints about the illegal music festival after rubbish was dumped and ravers defecated over the site.

Elsewhere, rowdy revellers confronted a line of riot shield-wielding police officers in a Norfolk forest on Sunday night, after authorities tried to shut down their 500-person rave.

Crowds of police officers wearing helmets and hi-vis jackets moved in to break up the 'well-established and planned' all-night unlicensed music event in Thetford Forest.

Earlier, West Yorkshire Police said eight people were fined 10,000 after several parties across Headingley and Burley on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday.

Tsk tsk! Young partygoers posed at the site of the illegal lockdown rave. It has since been shut down

Get out! Around 70 South Wales Police officers, including mounted officers, executed a dispersal order at an illegal rave in the woods near the Welsh village of Banwen

One man was fined 10,000 for a Headingley house party. Another gathering in the same area lead to four people being slapped with the enormous fee, Sky News reports.

Two DJs were fined 10,000 each in Burley; and Jeremy Corbyn's brother Piers received the first 10,000 fine in London for an illegal gathering after he organised a march claiming coronavirus is a hoax.

The 73-year-old meteorologist led more than 10,000 anti-lockdown protesters at the 'Unite for Freedom' rally in Trafalgar Square on Saturday.

Mr Corbyn, the older brother of the former Labour leader, was seen being hauled off by officers after the event and his Twitter account has since confirmed he was slapped with the colossal fine and 'held for ten hours.'


Horse Well drilling Progressing

Melbourne, Sep 1, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cohiba Minerals Limited ( ASX:CHK ) is pleased to announce that drilling on its first hole (HWDD02) at the Horse Well prospect is progressing well and has passed the 400m mark with a change over from RC drilling to diamond drilling.The diamond drilling is progressing at around 60 - 70m per day (two shifts) indicating that the target depth of 1,200m should be achieved in approximately 12 days.The drill pad and sump for the second drill hole, which will be HWDD03 (Figure 1*), has been established and will target the proposed "feeder" system and coincident magnetic anomaly.The Company is also pleased to announce that key tenements over the Horse Well and Pernatty C areas (Olympic Domain tenements) have been successfully renewed for another 12 months and the Company's tenements are all in good standing.Cohiba's CEO, Andrew Graham says, "We are pleased to announce that the long-awaited drilling program is progressing well with the drillers working double shifts to ensure we reach our target depths in the quickest time possible. The drill pad and sump for the second drill hole have been established to ensure there are minimal delays between drill holes. We look forward to providing ongoing updates as the drilling program progresses.During this lead up period we have also worked hard to ensure that all of the Company's tenements are in good standing and are pleased to announce that we have successfully renewed key tenements in the Olympic Domain area."*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Cohiba Minerals Limited

Cohiba Minerals Limited (ASX:CHK) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with the primary focus of investing in the resource sector through direct tenement acquisition, joint ventures, farm in arrangements and new project generation. The shares of the company trade under the ticker symbol CHK.

The Company recently acquired 100% of the shares in Charge Lithium Pty Ltd, which holds exploration licences in Western Australia.
The world-renowned musician, known for his 1993 hit I Like To Move It, was discovered at a property in Miami Beach on Tuesday morning, according to police.

He was 49.

Officer Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department told the PA news agency: We received a 911 call this morning at 10.42am to 5660 La Gorce Drive. Detectives are currently on scene and in the preliminary stages of the investigation.

The veteran DJs death comes a month after he was reportedly arrested and charged with sexual battery on a woman.

The alleged incident is said to have happened at Morillos home in Miami Beach in December 2019.

Sad News :( A True Legend. Erick Morillo RIP.  DJ Pauly D (@DJPaulyD) September 1, 2020

Following his death, Jersey Shore star DJ Pauly D was among those paying tribute on social media.

Advertisement

He tweeted: Sad News ?? A True Legend. Erick Morillo RIP.

Musician Yousef said: Cant believe it. Only spoke to him last week . he was troubled, less than perfect but was always amazing to me and helped us get circus going in the early days, and we had many amazing times over the 20 years we were friends. Genuinely gutted. RIP @ErickMorillo.

Morillo was born in New York and spent part of his childhood in Colombia before returning to the US, where he began his career.

I Like To Move It, which Morillo released under the pseudonym Reel 2 Real, was an international hit and has appeared in other media, most notably the Madagascar animated film franchise.

Morillo was a three-time winner of the best house DJ prize at the DJ Awards and also won best international DJ in 2002, 2006 and 2009.
Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong offered incense to commemorate late President Ho Chi Minh at House No 67 inside the Presidential Palace complex in Hanoi on September 1,

on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2).

Also present were Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, former Vice President Truong My Hoa, and leaders of the Party General Secretary and President Offices.

Highlighting the responsibility of realising the late Presidents testament and the Declaration of Independence, the Party and State leader said this years National Day celebration is being held in conjunction with the organisation of congresses by Party organisations at all levels nationwide in preparation for the 13th National Party Congress.

He also took the occasion to thank staff at the complex for fulfilling their assigned tasks.

The leader then visited an exhibition at the complex, which displays nearly 100 documentary photos related to President Ho Chi Minhs revolutionary career.

President Ho Chi Minh led the country to success in its struggle for national independence. On September 2, 1945, he read the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming to the world the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

He was a talented leader and a national hero who devoted his whole life to the cause of national independence and freedom and happiness for the people while tirelessly striving for peace and progress in the world.

House 67 is where President Ho Chi Minh had lived, worked, and passed away. It was the venue of Politburo meetings during the fiercest years of war.
The family of a Rwandan man who has been internationally celebrated for his efforts to save ethnic Tutsis from the 1994 genocide in the country accused authorities Tuesday of kidnapping him, one day after he was arrested on terrorism charges.

The daughter of Paul Rusesabagina, who was arrested in Dubai, wrote on Facebook that her father was kidnapped and taken by extraordinary rendition to Rwanda.

Rusesabagina, who was depicted in the film Hotel Rwanda, is accused of terrorism, arson, kidnapping and murder, perpetrated against unarmed, innocent Rwandan civilians on Rwandan territory, according to a statement from the Rwanda Investigation Bureau.

RIB STATEMENT ON THE ARREST OF PAUL RUSESABAGINA



1. RIB informs the general public that, through international cooperation, Paul Rusesabagina was arrested and is in the custody of RIB.  Rwanda Investigation Bureau (@RIB_Rw) August 31, 2020

The government did not immediately respond to the familys accusation that Rusesabagina was kidnapped.

Rusesabagina, an ethnic Hutu, has received multiple human rights awards, including the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 for sheltering hundreds of Tutsis at his hotel in 1994.

He was paraded past media in the Rwandan capital of Kigali Monday as he was handcuffed.

Rusesabagina has been living in exile after forming an armed opposition party in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. He is a Belgian citizen who first lived in Belgium after leaving Rwanda in 1996, before moving to the United States.

The Rwandan government did not provide details on how they arrested him and has not said when he will appear in court.

Belgian authorities said they had no information about the circumstances of Rusesabaginas arrest and said they did not participate in his apprehension.
A former Irish soldier charged with membership of the Islamic State terrorist group and financing terrorism has been returned for trial at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.

An ex-parte application - where only one side is present in court - was on Monday granted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to try Lisa Smith at the non-jury court.

Last December at Dublin District Court Ms Smith, a 38-year-old from Co Louth, was initially charged with an offence contrary to the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005, which carries a possible 10-year sentence, for being a member of unlawful terrorist group Islamic State between October 28, 2015, and December 1, 2019.

On July 24 last, a further charge was bought against the mother-of-one under the same legislation for financing terrorism by sending 800 in assistance, via a Western Union money transfer, to a named man on May 6, 2015.

At Monday's brief hearing State Solicitor Michael O'Donovan said that the DPP was applying to the court to make an order under Section 49 of the Offences Against the State Act that the accused woman be tried before the Special Criminal Court.

In certain cases the DPP can certify that in his or her opinion the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure the effective administration of justice.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt made the formal order for the case to be heard in the three-judge non-jury court.

Ms Smith, who denies the charges, was not present in court on Monday for the legal formality.

The case was listed for mention before the court on September 14.
New Delhi: The legendary actor Irrfan Khan bid the world goodbye, leaving behind his grieving family, friends and fans. But his son Babil makes sure to post interesting, unknown facts about his father, keeping him alive in fan's hearts.

Babil shared pictures showing how his late father used to leave little notes for him on his room walls. His caption reads: I forgot to put in the second picture, didnt want to write the entire caption again, also switched up the order of the pictures by mistake, yes I know I had one job, but do I look like I give a shit (when you zoom in to notice whats written on the wall behind me, Baba wrote notes on my walls when I left for London, I guess he still liked drawing on the walls, I guess the child was still alive, which brings me great joy, and yes he spelt opinion with an E, I am obviously biased here cause I think thats kind of ducking awesome and also I spelt that with a D on purpose before autocorrect decides that profane language must not be spoken. Plus I like ducks, theres a secret joke in that, see if u can find it. And no Im not sad in the picture, I smoked a spliff, deal with it. Im 22. I gotta live a little. And I now have realised that my original caption was probably shorter than this one, so kids, dont smoke spliffs. And the trolling lives on.

Irrfan breathed his last on April 29, 2020. He was rushed to Kokilaben hospital due to colon infection a day before.

The actor par excellence battled a rare form of cancer - Neuroendocrine Tumour - and had undergone treatment for it in London. He first informed about his illness on social media sending fans into a state of shock.

Irrfan stays in our memory forever!
When Charlotte Woodward was born, doctors told her parents not to expect much from her because she has Down syndrome. But her parents ignored that advice and encouraged their daughter to follow her dreams. Still, society sometimes creates barriers for Woodward and other people with Down syndrome. In August, Woodward made a TikTok video detailing the nonsensical challenges she faces. To date, it has been viewed over 1 million times.

These issues affect our very lives, Woodward, 30, a student at George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia, and community outreach associate at the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), told TODAY.

Charlotte Woodward had to advocate for herself her entire life. It makes her a natural community outreach associate at the National Down Syndrome Society. (Courtesy Charlotte Woodward / NDSS)

In the video, Woodward tackles things about having Down syndrome that dont make sense. She discusses how people with Down syndrome cant get married or theyll lose their health insurance and support, how they are paid sub-minimum wage, how they do not qualify for organ transplants and how they are misunderstood by police.

Woodward and her colleagues at NDSS are working to change what seem like arbitrary rules.

Its never been Down syndrome that has held somebody back. Rather, its these old antiquated laws, Ashley Helsing, director of government relations at NDSS, told TODAY. There werent high expectations for Charlotte when she was born but she and her family were just fighting every single day to make sure that she can live the life that she wants to live. It's an incredible story and she's just such an incredible person because of all of that.

From the beginning, Woodwards family had to overcome barriers.

Within minutes of being born my mom was told that I would never learn to read or write and I would be placed in a sheltered workshop. I am at college with straight As and I have a great job, Woodward said. If my parents just went along with the dire prediction of the doctors  I would never have such great opportunities.

Eight years ago, Charlotte Woodward needed a heart transplant. She felt lucky her doctors did not think her having Down syndrome was a reason to disqualify her and she received one. Other people with Down syndrome aren't so lucky so she has been lobbying to change laws about it. (Courtesy Charlotte Woodward / NDSS)

Woodward also knows firsthand what its like to need an organ transplant and possibly be denied one. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 50% of people with Down syndrome have a congenital heart defect and Woodward was one of them. She underwent four open-heart surgeries to repair it. But surgery wasnt enough.

Story continues

I started to exhibit the telltale signs that my heart wasnt keeping up with the rest of my body. So my doctors decided I would be a prime candidate for a heart transplant, she explained. But there is a catch. Not many people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to get lifesaving organ transplants and that is because of discrimination.

The reason? Theres a myth that people with disabilities are not able to handle the aftercare following such a surgery. In September 2019, the National Council on Disability submitted a report to Congress focusing on how "the historical and continued devaluation of the lives of people with disabilities by the medical community, legislators, researchers, and even health economists, perpetuates unequal access to medical care, including life-saving care."

There have actually been studies done that show that people with disabilities actually do better after getting a transplant than people without, Helsing said. Again, it goes back to those preconceived notions and misconceptions that are rampant in society.

Charlotte Woodward enjoys college and hopes to some day marry. Some laws prevent people with Down syndrome from getting married because they no longer qualify for health insurance and other support. She hopes this changes so she can fulfill all her dreams. (Courtesy Charlotte Woodward / NDSS)

Woodward said this really hurts people with disabilities.

It boils down to a bias in the whole health care system and sends a message to people with Down syndrome about whether they have worth and value and whose lives matter the most, she said.

In 2012, Woodward underwent a heart transplant and has been thriving since.

The transplant team looked beyond my diagnosis. Since then my heart has been great, she said.

She testified before the Virginia legislature to end organ transplant discrimination for people with disabilities and the bill passed.

I helped get that passed in Virginia and, of course, were trying to get that passed in all 50 states, she said.

Related:

In the video, Woodward talks about Ethan Saylor, a young man with Down syndrome who died after being dragged out of a movie theater by a law enforcement officer in 2013, his mom explained to TODAY in July. NDSS works with police departments to help train them to interact with people with Down syndrome to prevent further devastating events from occurring.

Its just such a tragic thing, Helsing said. We do police training to help officers and people in police academies understand how to better work with our community.

Woodward and Helsing hope that the video encourages people to challenge the stereotypes they have about people with Down syndrome.

If you know somebody with Down syndrome your whole perspective changes, Helsing said. In all aspects of life, people with Down syndrome and other disabilities should be fully included and welcomed and embraced.

Woodward agrees.

People with Down syndrome rise to high expectations not low expectations," she said.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Tarry Summers founded The Columbus Home Company which is a real estate investment company. Tarry started investing in real estate full time in 2013 by buying single family rental properties. Through guts, hard work, and lots of determination he has created one of Ohio's largest single-family rental companies. Tarry came from working 80+ hour weeks in the fitness industry and was tired of working so much with sub-par compensation. He wanted to find a way to work less and make more, all while helping families find shelter and comfort. On April 12, 2013 Tarry left his corporate job at Chase. He set up a deal to purchase 16 rental properties, closed on all of them separately in one day, and then walked into his new career the next day.

One of the biggest challenges Tarry Summers faced when he first started his business was gaining capital. Coming from no real-estate background, Tarry was troubled with finding people to fund his business of the start. He put his first property under contract by himself and did what he had to do to gain capital going forward. Tarry was also faced with challenges in learning how to grow and expand his business. He had nobody guiding him, no partners, and no employees to help him find his way. Tarry literally went from nothing to something all by himself. Finally, Tarry was troubled with learning how to deal directly with people he did not know. With a whole new atmosphere and market, he had to find his way among other sharks to get his footing.

An entrepreneur's perception of fear and success is crucial to the trajectory of their business. In Tarry Summers's eyes, fear is just being afraid of the unknown, which incidentally, had no effect on him. Tarry went from the fitness industry to the real-estate business in the matter of a few days. Talk about the unknown. Tarry has built his business from the ground up, picking up pieces of the puzzle and knowledge all along the way. Tarry has no fear with his business, as it is simply motivation for him to proceed.

One's mindset can be the key to opening a whole new world when it comes to starting your own business. In the case of Tarry Summers, mindset is everything. Tarry can walk out of his job with a smile one day and walk in with a smile the next day. In his eyes, if you are not happy mentally with what you are doing, you will not ever be happy. Tarry believes that authenticity is crucial for personal growth, as well as business growth. Without authenticity, Tarry feels like he is unable to succeed. With Tarry's unstoppable mindset, he consistently outperforms his competition in the sector, all while having fun doing it. Tarry believes that when you can work your tail off and have fun doing it, the money is just a byproduct of your business.

Moving forward, Tarry Summers is working to double his real estate portfolio in the next 18 months, as well as expand The Columbus Home Company into new markets. To learn more about Tarry Summers and The Columbus Home Company, click here.

Kiley Almy

Kiley@nextwavemktg.com

Next Wave Marketing

SOURCE: Tarry Summers

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604307/From-a-Single-family-Rental-Home-Purchase-to-One-of-Ohios-Biggest-Family-Rental-Companies-Meet-Tarry-Summers
FRONT PAGE

An article on Monday about the fossil fuel industrys demands for a trade deal that weakens Kenyas rules on plastics and imports of American trash misidentified a group formed by the plastics industry to address the issue of waste. It is the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, not the Alliance to End Public Waste.

INTERNATIONAL

Because of an editing error, an article on Thursday about the sentencing of Brendan Tarrant, a man convicted of murdering 51 Muslims at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019, misspelled the given name of a woman who spoke at the hearing. She is Maysoon Salama, not Maysson.

NATIONAL

An article on Thursday about a repurposed convent that was damaged during Hurricane Katrina misstated the title of Mary Kincaid. She is a senior project manager for the city of New Orleans, not the director of the citys Office of Resilience and Sustainability.

An article on Saturday about race-based housing policies that left some neighborhoods hotter than others described incorrectly a highway that was built through Jackson Ward. While the route that isolated Gilpin later became part of the national Interstate highway system, it was not a federal highway when it was built.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump said he will try to win New York in the November presidential election, citing support across upstate, on Long Island and with voters who have changed their minds about him.

"I'm going to give New York a very good shot, because the same people that voted against me like me now," Trump said in an interview with Fox New's Laura Ingraham aired Monday night. "And you know I won upstate big; I won Long Island. All the outside of the little circle in the middle, which is crazy because I built so many things there."

Polls from Siena College and Public Policy Polling conducted this summer give former Vice President Joe Biden at least a 25-point margin in the state. Nationally, Biden led Trump by 7 points as of Tuesday, according to an average of 2020 general election polls by Five Thirty Eight.

Trump won 45 of 62 counties in New York in 2016, but the state's major population centers, including the New York City metropolitan area, handed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a statewide victory by 22.5 percentage points or 1.7 million votes.

In the interview, Trump also said he is being personally "targeted" by New York prosecutors, including the office of state Attorney General Letitia James, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Trump is the subject of two separate civil and criminal investigations in New York regarding his personal and business finances.

"They target me. I won everything in Washington," he said. "Now I got targeted in New York."

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

Trump asserted that New York City needs a new mayor  someone, he said, like former mayor Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer  to turn around a struggling city. He also lamented that Cuomo was "nasty" to him after the federal government gave New York coronavirus supplies and sent a U.S. Navy hospital ship to New York Harbor as the state was hard hit by the pandemic.

Cuomo attacked Trump's mismanagement of the coronavirus response in a speech during the Democratic National Convention two weeks ago.

Last week, the Republican National Convention featured numerous criticisms of the state and New York City, as Trump takes aim at violence occurring in cities where racial justice protests are taking place. Trump has blamed Democratic mayors and governors for the rioting and looting associated with many of the protests.

On Tuesday, Trump visited Kenosha, Wis., the scene of protests that have turned violent after a Black man was shot in the back by police multiple times, to survey damage from rioters.
Yves here. While this post contains some useful observations about the ability of government to enforce a Covid-19 vaccine requirement, it also skips over some basic issues. One is that the currents state quarantine requirements look to be on shaky ground. States are not allowed to interfere with interstate commerce; that authority lies solely with the Federal government. But no one with sufficient legal firepower has challenged the state quarantines, perhaps because they have proven to be so toothless. So the Feds could impose a You need to be vaccinated to get on a plane rule, but not states (and thats before getting to Dream if you could enforce it without DHS/TSA participation).

By Ross D. Silverman, Professor of Public Health and Law, Indiana University. Originally published at The Conversation

The longer COVID-19 rages on, the more the United States appears to be hanging its hopes on the development and rapid, mass distribution of a vaccine.

Getting a safe and effective vaccine out to the public could be a game changer, health experts believe. But stopping the viruss spread will only happen if enough people choose  or are required  to get vaccinated.

But while some people may see it as their patriotic duty to get vaccinated, others wont.

Opponents may challenge vaccination requirements based on claims of religious liberty or under specific laws that would allow for a religious exemption from any COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In some states including Indiana and Massachusetts, there are laws allowing parents to cite religious reasons to opt out of childhood immunization requirements.

As a public health lawyer and ethicist who has researched issues related to vaccination policy, Im often asked about the role a vaccine mandate could play in our COVID-19 response. My answer is a common lawyers response: It depends, as this question raises numerous questions of its own.

Safe and Effective?

Whether or not a vaccine mandate is appropriate will depend upon how safe the vaccine is determined to be, what it protects against and how well it offers protection. The Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn has been adamant that the agency will not cut corners in their vaccine review process, and that the decision will be based on science and data. Any suggestion otherwise would damage public trust.

But public hesitancy to vaccines was already one of the biggest global public health concerns even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Added to this are the vaccine misinformation and conspiracies that have flourished during the epidemic.

These may explain why 35% of Americans say they will not get the vaccine. While troubling, its unclear how many in this camp will keep that opinion if COVID-related illnesses, injuries and disruptions to our lives continue, and a vaccine becomes readily available.

And we do not know enough about COVID-19 immunity yet to know what share of the population would need to be vaccinated for a community to achieve herd immunity and stop the viruss spread. A mandate may not be necessary, although those refusing vaccination tend to cluster, leaving potential pockets of continued vulnerability.

If/Then Mandates

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said he would be pretty surprised if vaccination became mandatory for any part of the population.

But other experts have raised the possibility of a vaccine being mandatory as part of a if/then proposition in other words, someone can only do something if they are first vaccinated. For example, proof of vaccination could be required to engage in certain jobs, such as prison staff or line workers in meat processing plants. Some businesses, such as nursing homes and hospitals might require vaccination for those who work with certain high-risk populations.

It also could be required to gain access to certain spaces, such as schools or sporting events, or to qualify for certain benefits, like freedom to travel to other states without having to quarantine. These types of rules already exist, for example, in many universities, which require students living in dorms be vaccinated against meningitis.

Another approach would be to mandate the vaccine for certain populations based upon risk characteristics, such as those who live in nursing homes.

Under these scenarios, would religious or personal exemptions override any mandate? That depends on who issues the mandate.

Recent guidance from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commissionsuggests that a request to be exempted from an employers flu vaccination mandate based on sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observances would be protected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The guidance doesnt explicitly state that the same rule would apply for COVID-19  because there is no COVID-19 vaccine at this time  but it seems clear that the commission would prefer that employers consider simply encouraging employees to get vaccinated.

That said, there is a provision under the law that would allow businesses not to honor this exemption if it created undue hardship. In care facilities, where employees interact regularly with vulnerable populations, employers likely will be able to make undue hardship arguments and prevent exemptions. But people working in a typical office environment, or in a service industry position, would probably be able to make a religion-based claim to opt out.

It gets a little more complicated when it comes to any state-issued vaccine mandate. A number of states have created laws protecting religious rights beyond the First Amendment. Florida and Texas, for example, allow parents to opt their children out of school vaccinations citing deeply held religious beliefs or philosophical opposition.

Twenty-one states have religious freedom laws prohibiting even minimal interference with residents right to practice their faith. In states with these laws, legislatures may need to amend the statute to avoid challenges and allow for universal vaccination mandates for adults.

These exemptions for religious beliefs are political choices. There are no Constitutional or ethical obligations to require an opt out to a vaccine that may be key to stopping a pandemic, should a state wish to prioritize protecting their residents from COVID-19 through mandating vaccination.

Even during this pandemic, most courts, including the Supreme Court, have been hesitant to interfere with the decisions made by state officials taking steps to keep the community safe from a dangerous outbreak. As Chief Justice Roberts recently described, these are emergency circumstances fraught with medical and scientific uncertainties, and moment-to-moment management of such situations are best left to the elected officials who are directly accountable to the public.
01.09.2020 LISTEN

Prof. Mrs. Goski Alabi, Consulting President of Laweh Open University College, has advised entrepreneurs to make their products readily available in the virtual space that has evolved in the wake of COVID-19 so as to stay in business and to reap the attendant dividends.

According to Prof. Mrs. Alabi, entrepreneurs should recognise that in the era of COVID-19, physical space and physical presence have been by virtual space and virtual presence, and it is those who are taking advantage of this new normal that is making it big.

She identified education, food delivery, personal shopping, logistics, digital marketing, affiliate marketing, shop dropping, virtual pharmacy, home-based care, virtual gumming and dancing, waste management, general online consultancy, among others, as the areas that hold a lot of prospects for entrepreneurs.

"Education, in particular, cannot be left behind in this enterprise, the earlier we recognise that, the better it would be for us," stressed the Professor of Quality Management and Leadership.

Prof. Mrs. Alabi made these observations when she addressed on Sunday the University of Cape Coast (UCC) first Alumni E-Forum, organised by the Old Mariners Association (OMA) in collaboration with the UCC Alumni Relations Unit. She spoke to the topic, Identifying Business Opportunities in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic."

Prof. Mrs. Alabi characterised entrepreneurs as people who dare to innovate. She said such persons identify problems or challenges and think and create solutions.

"Creation of solution, requires a lot of effort. Sometimes, there are risks involved but entrepreneurs don't allow these to dissuade them. They persevere to come out with solutions.

Besides, she observed that entrepreneurs find out whether there is someone who will pay for the solution and also consider the competition and examine the uniqueness of their product or service before they venture into the market with their offerings.

She noted that those who have turned out to be heroes of entrepreneurs,  see the small problems and create big value out of the small problems.

Speaking on the same topic, but with a focus on finance, Mr. Emmanuel Quarm, Financial Controller of Data Bank Group, said one useful lesson that the COVID-19 pandemic had taught is the importance to invest towards emergency funds.

Mr. Quarm disclosed that the existence of emergency funds could have lessened the adverse impact of the recent banking crisis on the 400,000 families who were hardest hit.

He explained that there are four types of Investments, namely emergency, multipurpose, education, and retirement funds. He encouraged Ghanaians to invest in these funds against a rainy day.

Mr. Quarm advised that everyone should always be guided by his objectives and risk tolerance when investing in a particular fund.
The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Administration (ARBDD) has obtained the UNESCO agreement for the establishment of a Romania-Ukraine-Moldova cross-border reserve, Danube Delta Governor Ion Munteanu said Tuesday on the 30th anniversary of the reserve.

Currently, the Danube Delta is a transboundary biosphere reserve that includes 60,000 hectares in Ukraine and 580,000 hectares in Romania."Over time, we have had many bilateral and trilateral projects. The last of them, Pan Nature, was designed to create a reserve in the Republic of Moldova, the Prutul de Jos Biosphere Reserve. The next step we want to take in this cooperation is to make a three-party reserve. We have the approval of UNEOSCO for such action," said Munteanu.He also said that in the autumn of 2020, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will renew the European Diploma of Protected Areas."In 2019, UNESCO and EU official visited the area to assess the way the reserve was managed over time. Data we have indicate that everything went very well and a new diploma is in the making," said Munteanu.ARBBD will hold in Tulcea today a meeting with the local administration to mark the 30th anniversary of the reserve and in Sulina there will be an event to which students, teachers and environmental volunteers are invited to participate. Attendance is limited because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.The 30th anniversary of the reserve is marked at 09:30hrs, on the Danube bank in Tulcea, and by the Ivan Patzaichin-Mila 23 Association, which will start the first edition of the United Waters Caravan of Romania (AUR), organised in partnership with the Department for Sustainable Development within the Romanian Government, in which several dozen people will travel in paddle boats the distance between Tulcea and the village of Sfantu Gheorghe."The AUR caravan is the vision of the association for responsible tourism, made with care for the environment and respect for biodiversity, a lesson in how to visit the Danube Delta," reads a statement released by the Ivan Patzaichin-Mila 23 Association.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has pulled most of his advertising from TV over the past week, ceding the airwaves to Democratic rival Joe Biden, who is currently outspending him by more than 10-to-1, advertising data shows.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has pulled most of his advertising from TV over the past week, ceding the airwaves to Democratic rival Joe Biden, who is currently outspending him by more than 10-to-1, advertising data shows.

Though Trump has an outsized ability to command national attention, it is unusual for a White House contender to go mostly dark on TV the week after their presidential convention. The election is just over two months away and early voting will begin in September in some states.

The move comes as Trump's campaign has burned through money almost as fast as it has taken it in. And after Biden drastically narrowed what was once an overwhelming cash advantage enjoyed by the president, campaign officials have acknowledged they were trying to conserve money.

That's allowed Biden an opportunity to communicate an unfiltered message to voters without competing advertising.

During the month of August, Biden doubled what Trump spent, dropping about $80 million in states that included key battlegrounds such as Wisconsin, Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to data from the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG.

Trump's limited spending targeted some of those states, but it was also directed to places like Iowa and Montana, which he won handily in 2016. This week he is spending about $1.6 million to Biden's $18.3 million. Most of Trump's ads are placed on Fox News Channel and CNN, as well as a smattering that will run in New Mexico and Washington, D.C., the data shows.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller said Monday that the campaign will be going back up on the air this week. Yet data from Kantar/CMAG shows it does not have an increase in advertising booked until Sept. 8.

"We have over $200 million worth of TV ads that are reserved (from) Labor Day until Election Day," Miller said. "Were speaking with voters in states as theyre starting to come online."

The lack of advertising to drive home his message comes as Trump has sought shift the focus of the race from his handling of the coronavirus and the resulting economic collapse to the need for "law and order" after recent unrest in some cities, including Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Nationwide, protests against police brutality have largely been peaceful, though there has been some violence, looting and property destruction, particularly in Portland.

A man affiliated with the right-wing group Patriot Prayer died in that city after he was shot Saturday amid skirmishes between Trump backers who led a car caravan through the city and Black Lives Matter protesters who had gathered for another night of demonstrations.

In Kenosha, a 17-year-old Illinois teen is accused of shooting three people, killing two, during recent protests after a white officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, multiple times.

Trump will travel to Kenosha on Tuesday to address the unrest. While the data shows his campaign is not currently running TV ads there, ones it has placed on Facebook that target the state have focused on the protests.

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A handful of those ads seek to tie Democrats to activists who have called for defunding the police in response to law enforcement brutality.

One ad, titled "Democrats have lost their minds," urges Trump supporters to come together "to send a united message that we demand law and order."

Biden has said he is against defunding the police and in a speech Monday decried the violence while blaming Trump for stoking division.

"He doesnt want to shed light, he wants to generate heat, and hes stoking violence in our cities," Biden said. "He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it."

___

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
Adm. Brett Giroir, director of the U.S. coronavirus diagnostic testing, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 30, 2020.

If the U.S. wants to control the coronavirus this fall, it needs to start with the upcoming Labor Day weekend, top U.S. health officials are warning.

"Labor Day is coming up, and we need to stress personal responsibility," Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. "We have to go into the fall with decreasing cases like we're doing now. We can't risk a lack of personal responsibility."

Covid-19 cases are down 38% and new hospitalizations are down 37% across the country since they peaked in late July, he said. The U.S. has struggled to contain a summer of Covid-19 outbreaks after a resurgence of cases ripped through the Sun Belt states in June and July. Those cases originally began ticking up shortly after Memorial Day in May and continued to climb after the Fourth of July holiday.

"Why are we seeing this success? Because the national strategy is working," Giroir said, adding that states have implemented appropriate public health policies regarding face coverings, physical distancing, testing and contact tracing.

However, Giroir warned that seven states still have a so-called positivity rate, or the percentage of tests that are positive, above 10%. New Covid-19 cases were growing by 5% or more, based on a seven-day average, in 25 states as of Monday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

While new cases are declining in California, Texas, Arizona and Florida  states that saw some of the worst outbreaks over the summer  additional cases have started to rise in the Midwest and more rural parts of the country. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield has warned America's heartland "is getting stuck" as cases plateau instead of decline.

"We don't need to have a third wave in the heartland right now. We need to prevent that particularly as we're coming to the fall," Redfield told Dr. Howard Bauchner of the Journal of the American Medical Association on Aug. 20.

Giroir's concerns about the Labor Day weekend echo those from White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, who reportedly said on a White House conference call with governors Monday that the holiday will help determine whether the U.S. is able to get a "running start" this fall, according to the Associated Press.

"If we get through this weekend, as Dr. Fauci said yesterday on the governors' call, and we do what we're supposed to do, we're going to be in really good shape going into the fall," Giroir said on Tuesday's conference call.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Ukraines food retailer Novus Group (Novus) are promoting modern retail and logistics standards, with the construction of the countrys first green distribution centre, in the capital, Kyiv, and new stores across the country.



The EBRD is supporting Novus with a US$ 100 million financing package, up to US$ 35 million of which will be syndicated to commercial banks.



The financing will facilitate the construction or refurbishment of more than 30 new Novus stores by the end of 2022, which will almost double the total number of the retailers supermarkets across Ukraine.



Novus will also use the funds to build the first green distribution centre  a state-of-the-art logistics facility compliant with Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) principles for the construction of environmentally sustainable buildings. Freon and ammonia-free refrigeration systems, which will be installed in the centre, are a novelty in the Ukrainian food retail market.



Operational in Ukraine and owned by the Lithuanian BT Invest, Novus Group has been a key EBRD client in the countrys retail sector since 2013. The Banks financial assistance and expert advice have helped Novus become a benchmark in terms of its corporate social responsibly, integrity, environmental and social management principles.



Grant funding for the project was provided by Japan and by the European Union through the EBRD Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change (FINTECC).



Novus is a multi-format Ukrainian food retailer with a workforce of more than 5,500 employees. It operates a chain of stores with a total gross area of more than 220,000 square metres. Since the launch of the business in 2009, Novus Group has focused on offering the highest retail standards to customers across the country.



The EBRD is the largest international financial investor in Ukraine. To date, the Bank has made a cumulative commitment of almost 14.4 billion through 476 projects in the country.
SELMER, Tenn., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tranzon veteran Tim Mast, CAI, AARE, has been tapped as president and CEO of Tranzon, LLC . He will be responsible for the strategic growth and development of Tranzon as well as support of its member companies. Current CEO Tom Saturley, CAI, will remain chairman of the executive committee. The change is effective Tuesday, September 1.

Mast, of Selmer, Tennessee, is a 20-year industry veteran and in recent years has served as executive vice president of Tranzon Asset Advisors, a Tranzon member company. Mast will remain in Selmer.

"Tim served in 2018-2019 as president of the National Auctioneers Association, and after that he was chairman of the NAA board. Having completed those responsibilities, he is in a good position to take on this new challenge," said Saturley, also a former NAA president.

Mast noted that the real estate auction business has remained vibrant, and one of his first priorities will be to prepare the company for an expected surge in business as the Coronavirus pandemic abates.

"COVID has brought significant changes to many segments of our society, and we expect sellers will embrace the Tranzon auction method using our technology and marketing expertise to accomplish their goals on a timely basis. Hopefully, this opportunity will also attract individuals and companies who see the benefit of being a part of this exciting movement," said Mast.

Mast said he will work to grow the business by helping Tranzon franchisees be more successful, bringing on new resources to serve those companies, and bringing new companies into Tranzon. "Depending on the time period, up to 50 percent of our auctions have involved more than one Tranzon affiliate, and one priority is to encourage and facilitate that with even more member companies," he said.

Individuals seeking more information about Tranzon may call 866-872-6966 or visit www.Tranzon.com .

Tranzon LLC was formed in 1997 by a group of real estate auctioneers to develop a nationwide network that revolutionized the way real estate professionals bring buyers and sellers together. The company has conducted tens of thousands of successful commercial and residential auctions for clients including financial institutions, trusts, guardians, estates, and private individuals. Tranzon member companies are independently owned and operated.

For more information:

Carl Carter, 205-910-1952

SOURCE Tranzon, LLC

Related Links

http://www.Tranzon.com


US President Donald Trump announced that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine has reached Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States and is very close to being finalised for approval.

Trial participants will receive either two doses of the experimental vaccine - dubbed AZD1222 - four weeks apart, or a placebo, the company said.

Image For Representation/AFP

The trial is being conducted under US governments Operation Warp Speed program, which aims to accelerate development, manufacturing and distribution of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.

US President Donald Trump has said that a vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be available before the November 3 presidential election, much sooner than most experts anticipate.



Teletrader.com

AstraZeneca, which is developing its vaccine in conjunction with Oxford University researchers, and Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech SE, have said they could have data by October, to support U.S. emergency use authorization or approval of their respective vaccines, reports Reuters.

Also Read: AstraZeneca Expects Covid-19 Vaccine By September As Pharma Firms Ramp Up Efforts For Vaccine



"Trial centres across the US are recruiting up to 30,000 adults aged 18 years or over from diverse racial, ethnic and geographic groups who are healthy or have stable underlying medical conditions, including those living with HIV, and who are at increased risk of infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus," AstraZeneca said in a statement.



AZD1222 is already undergoing late-stage clinical trials in Britain, Brazil and South Africa, with additional trials planned in Japan and Russia. The trials, together with the U.S. Phase III study, aim to enroll up to 50,000 participants globally.

Image For Representation/Reuters

The US trial will evaluate whether the vaccine can prevent COVID-19 infection or keep the illness from becoming severe, the National Institutes of Health said in a statement.

AstraZeneca is one of the leaders in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Other companies that have COVID-19 vaccines in phase 3 trials include Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc.



Also Read: COVID-19 Vaccine: Serum Institute Begins Phase 2 Trial Of Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Today

Disclaimer: While there have been several different types of treatments being given to COVID-19 patients across the world, there isnt any one drug that has worked as a sure-shot treatment yet. Dont self medicate/stock up and always consult your doctor/medical health professional.


Calls and More Calls



Debra Graner of Kentucky votes in the 2020 primary election. Graner, who has a felony record, regained her right to vote under a gubernatorial order.



Florida Showdown Continues

Looking Ahead



Jamie Achenbaugh of Iowa is now able to vote under an order from Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.



More than ever, Eric Harris is mindful of the elected officials around him: The school board members deciding whether his children will go back to the classroom, the sheriff influencing how officers interact with people like him, and the U.S. president steering the countrys coronavirus response.This year has given Harris lots of reasons to vote. And this year, he can.With three felonies on his record, the 41-year-old had been barred from voting in Iowa  the last state that had permanently banned people convicted of felonies from voting without the governor's approval  until an executive order from Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in early August changed that. It means a lot to me, Harris said.In every state except Maine and Vermont, people convicted of felonies are stripped of their voting rights while in prison. In most states, that ban extends to those on probation or parole, while some states have additional time and fee requirements, disenfranchising millions of people.Reynolds restored automatic voting rights to most people with felony records after they complete their sentence, including parole or probation; the exceptions are people with homicide convictions, who must file an application. Under the order, an estimated 60,000 additional people now are eligible to vote in the Hawkeye State.They join the ranks of hundreds of thousands of others with felony convictions who are newly eligible to vote in the general election this year. Since the 2016 election, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Virginia also have implemented or expanded voting rights for some people convicted of felonies.The political stakes are up for debate . Roughly 630,000 people with felony convictions can vote this year in Florida, nearly six times the 113,000 vote-margin by which Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the state. But research has shown that like other voters, people convicted of felonies who are registered dont necessarily vote.Still, groups ranging from liberal political organizations to the nonpartisan League of Women Voters are working furiously to find these newly eligible voters as registration deadlines approach. But the pandemic is complicating in-person registration drives, as are the uncertainties around mail-in voting. And eight states explicitly require people with felony records to pay some form of court costs and fees before registering.In 2016, an estimated 6.1 million people or 1 in 40 adults were unable to vote because of a felony conviction, according to the Sentencing Project, a Washington, D.C.-based research and advocacy organization. The project found that Black people were the most likely to be disenfranchised: More than 7 percent of the adult African American population, or 1 in 13 people, could not vote because of a felony conviction.The burden of disenfranchisement falls on poor folks and people of color. All of that skews our democracy, said Blair Bowie, who leads the Restore Your Vote project at the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for voting rights. You're cutting out voices that are important. That makes it harder for our government to reflect the will of the people.Voting rights advocates consider Reynolds order in Iowa a victory, but say the goal is to make the voting rights part of the states constitution. Advocates also want to expand voting rights in every state to include people on probation and parole, people who havent paid court costs and people in prison.But ongoing legal disputes, particularly one in Florida, show how complicated the issue is.Veronica Fowler, communications director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, feels the pressure. Shes glad for the governors executive order but cognizant of the ticking clock leading up to Election Day.Its a heavy lift. There isnt a lot of time, Fowler said of getting people registered to vote.This population is especially challenging to reach out to and motivate, she said. If you have been recently incarcerated, you have a lot going on in your life.The Iowa Department of Corrections has started including a handout in discharge packets that explains the terms of the governors order, according to spokesperson Cord Overton. But to reach those who are already out of prison, the ACLU is relying on flyers, social media posts and word-of-mouth communication through people including Harris. In addition to working at a restaurant, he cooks part time at a homeless shelter. I know a lot of people who are disenfranchised.In Kentucky, an estimated 170,000 people with felony records were given voting rights in December under an order from Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. As in Iowa, the order doesnt automatically apply to people convicted of certain violent offenses.Grassroots advocacy organization Kentuckians for the Commonwealth has been working for years on expanding voting rights. Since Beshears order, and with the help of other organizations, it has put together a list of more than 60,000 names and contact information for people who now can register to vote.Although Debra Graner, 69, has been staying at home because of the pandemic, shes helping with texting outreach. The work is personal. She has a felony on her record and registered to vote as soon as she could after Beshears order.When I got my rights to vote back, I said, Look, there are other people who dont have a right. Its a core principle, she said. I have a voice, and I need to have it heard these days.National groups are helping too. The Campaign Legal Center has helped restore voting rights to nearly 10,000 people with felony convictions and trained 5,000 community leaders since it started the Restore Your Vote program three years ago, according to Bowie.Community leaders troubleshoot registration problems, often at the local registrar level. And when center officials think a states law isnt right, they file lawsuits, Bowie said. The center is one of the groups involved in the ongoing legal battle in Florida.In 2018, 65 percent of Florida voters supported a constitutional amendment to give voting rights to people with felony records who had completed parole or probation, with the exception of those convicted of murder or sexual offenses.But the GOP-controlled legislature last year passed a measure to require that restitution, fines and fees be paid before voting rights are restored. Over half of the estimated 1.4 million people convicted of felonies in the state have outstanding court costs or restitution , according to the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University Law School.Lawsuits have ensued over the constitutionality of the law, which opponents liken to a poll tax. A federal judge in May found the requirement to be unconstitutional. But Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in his favor. Voting rights groups asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in; the court in July left in place the appeals courts order. The issue remains before the appeals court, which heard arguments in the case Aug. 18.Florida is known for close elections, and some political observers think a majority of the new voters would vote Democratic. But Sean Morales-Doyle, deputy director of voting rights and elections in the Brennan Centers Democracy Project, dismisses the notion that politics drive enfranchisement efforts.The decisions about who has the right to vote should never be based on an assessment of how we think someone is going to vote, he said. We should be for or against voting rights restoration because of the merits of the policy, not the politics.The parties to the lawsuit have agreed to expedite the case with the pending election. Meanwhile, Florida activists want to get as many people registered to vote as they can.The League of Women Voters of Florida is trying to reach residents on a list of about 68,000 people who dont have outstanding fines, according to the groups president, Patricia Brigham. Volunteers have called about 20,000 people and reached slightly more than 1,000 on the first try. Theyre going to keep running through the list, look into a texting option and start sending postcards, she said.All of the others are in limbo, Brigham said. They may not know if they have fines. There are some who cant afford it. You cant hold that against an American citizen when it comes to voting. Thats a modern-day poll tax. Its a form of voter suppression.Another group working on outreach is the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which has raised $4 million to cover fees and restitution costs that might keep people from voting.The nonpartisan group so far has donated up to $1,500 each to 3,000 people, according to its president, Desmond Meade. Many people owe the state much more than that, but the group wants to help as many people as possible before the Oct. 5 registration deadline  and while hoping for a court ruling to overturn the fines and fees requirement.We will walk every step of the way with every one of the 1.4 million people, Meade said. We are here for them.Beyond the push toward the November elections, voting rights activists eventually want to extend voting to people on probation or parole and people in prison.Residents who are required to pay taxes, be good citizens, they should also have a role in determining who governs them, said Nicole Porter, advocacy director of state and local policy for the Sentencing Project.A referendum on the ballot in California in November would give parolees voting rights. Efforts are ongoing in other states, including Connecticut, where legislation proposed by Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, a Democrat, to extend voting rights to people on parole died this year.Denise will make the proposal again at the next legislative session, and as many times as is necessary until it passes, said Gabe Rosenberg, communications director. Gov. Ned Lamont, also a Democrat, has supported similar legislation. Washington, D.C.'s city council this summer passed emergency legislation to allow people convicted of a felony to vote while incarcerated and could approve a permanent measure.Indeed, research from the Sentencing Project shows that changes through executive action and legislation from 1997-2018 in 23 states restored voting rights to an estimated 1.4 million people.In 17 states, people convicted of felonies automatically are eligible to vote after being released from prison, according to the Brennan Center.In 17 others, voting rights are restored after prison, parole and probation. In 11 states, at least some people are permanently ineligible to vote under certain convictions without government-approved restoration.In three, voting rights are regained after prison and parole, and people on probation can vote.Hans von Spakovsky, a senior scholar at the Heritage Foundation and former member of the Federal Elections Commission under President George W. Bush, in an interview criticized the executive order in Iowa, calling it harmful to victims.When you are sentenced for a felony, everything that you were ordered to do by a judge is part of that sentence, he said, including restitution. To restore the right to vote when you haven't completed all of the terms of the sentence is fundamentally unfair.Von Spakovsky also said he thinks if voting rights are restored, the move should be done in conjunction with the restoration of other civil rights, such as being able to carry a gun, run for office or sit on a jury.If the state believes that your very important right to vote should be restored, why would all those other rights not be restored? he said.Some advocates take issue with executive orders like Iowas but for a different reason: They can easily be overturned by a new governor.Thats just what happened in Iowa: Reynolds restored rights this year after Republican Gov. Terry Branstad took them away in 2011. Branstad had reversed a 2005 order from Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack that gave voting rights to people with felony convictions.Council Bluff, Iowa, resident Jamie Achenbaugh, who finished probation two years ago for a felony conviction, hopes the legislature will consider passing an amendment that would make her voting rights permanent.Achenbaugh, 37, petitioned the governor for voting access earlier this year and was told she had to set up a payment plan for the $3,000 she owes in court costs. Under Reynolds executive order, shes able to vote again.Its the kind of thing you dont think about until you dont have that right, she said. It makes you feel like a part of society."Stateline
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Norway amounted to $50.7 million over 1H2020, compared to $39.6 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee.

The share of Norway in the total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at 0.1 percent during the reporting period compared to 0.08 percent during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export to Norway amounted to $2.8 million over the period from January through June 2020, compared to $8.1 million during the same period of 2019.

Norways share in the total volume of Kazakhstans export also amounted to 0.01 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 0.02 than percent during the same period of 2019.

In turn, Kazakhstans imports from Norway stood at about $47.9 million over the reporting period, compared to $31.5 million during the same period of 2019.

Norways share in the total volume of Kazakhstans import amounted to 0.3 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 0.2 percent during the same period of 2019.

The total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover amounted to $42.5 billion over the period from Jan. through June 2020 which indicates a decrease from $46.1 billion during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export amounted to $26 billion during the reporting period of 2020 ($28.6 billion in the same period of 2019), whereas imports amounted to $16.5 billion ($17.5 billion in 2019).

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
(Natural News) The engineered rioting in Portland, organized by Antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement, is having a strong negative effect on businesses in the citys commercial downtown area because of how the nightly rioting is preventing commerce from regularly occurring there.

Businesses are leaving, said Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance.

Hoan said that the rioting is giving off the perception that coming downtown is unsafe. Regular visits from customers have been replaced with stores shuttered using strips of plywood, walls and shopfronts covered in graffiti and an accumulation of damages that are un-repaired.

The financial consequences to the downtown corridor are a running calculation that is almost impossible to wrap your mind around, said Hoan. Several businesses in the area have already lost a lot of revenue due to the rioting. According to him, the city must do something fast in order to make sure that the damage done to the commercial district doesnt last.

In late May, Kassab Jewelers was robbed of nearly $1 million worth of jewelry. The store, which is run by an immigrant family, did not receive any support from the city or the state. (Related: Portland officials seem to actually want their city to burn down.)

Stacey Gibson, the franchise owner of a Subway, is dispirited by the fact that the rioters dont understand how much hard work she has put into making sure her business is successful and that she treats her employees well and provides them with a good salary. All of this hard work, Gibson argues, goes down the drain because rioters come in and destroy it by breaking the window and everything else. Business owners are the ones who have to pay for the destruction, not the rioters, said Gibson.

The actions of the Black Lives Matter movement and their allies in the radical leftist organization Antifa prove that they do not care about either lives or property. Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, and learn about one instance wherein a member of BLM fired into a vehicle and was subsequently put down in self defense.

Businesses moving out of downtown Portland

Amid concerns about the length of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the rioting in downtown Portland, many companies have decided to simply avoid the problem by packing up and either switching to a remote working model or moving to a new office outside of the area.

The Standard Insurance Company is one of those businesses. A vast majority of their 2,100 employees in Oregon used to work at the Standard Insurance Center, a 27-story office building located downtown. Now, nearly all of them are working from home.

Bob Speltz, the companys senior director for community relations, said that the reasons for the changes are the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and current disruptions and unsafe conditions in the neighborhood.

Speltz said that, while a majority of their employees are working from home, a small handful remain in the Standard Insurance Center, and another group of workers have been relocated to their campus in Hillsboro, to the west of Portland.

Speltz also said that the company was not sure how many of their workers will be returning to the Standard Insurance Center, but that the company will be happy to recommit itself to its office in downtown Portland assuming conditions in the neighborhood improve.

Other large businesses are following suit, such as OCHIN, a national health nonprofit organization, which announced that it will be selling its 40,200 square-foot headquarters in downtown Portland. All of their employees are now working from home.

Damage in Portland not limited to downtown neighborhood

Unfortunately for Portlands business owners, the rioting has not been limited to the downtown area, where organized groups of Antifa and BLM rioters have been meeting every night to assault the county and federal courthouses. In the Kenton neighborhood in North Portland, many business owners are on edge due to the nightly destruction.

Terrance Moses, an African-American business owner and member of the Kenton Business Association, said that the current actions of the Black Lives Matter movement prove that it has drifted from its original purpose of promoting racial equality.

Moses said that, when he went to one demonstration, he was shocked to hear one of the protest leaders promoting the use of violence as a valid tactic. His tone was were going to burn if thats what it takes to get our point across. Moses also witnessed them talking about how, if people end up going to jail, then they are going to jail for the cause and that this is the only way the Black Lives Matter movement is actually going to enact real change.

So if you feel you need to burn some stuff up then you burn it up, said Moses, quoting the speech he heard.

Moses said that the movements messages and actions are very counterproductive, especially if they actually do want to promote racial equality. It especially hurts people of color who are business owners, because they are already struggling due to having to deal with the coronavirus.

Nine businesses in the Kenton district are Black and minority owned, and one of them was spray painted and we put thousands of hours putting together that plaza so Black-owned businesses can expand outside, said Moses.

If the movement actually wants to reach people, Moses believes they need to stop being so destructive and start marching during the day. The people the movement needs to reach, Moses argues, are not outside of their homes during the evening.

My [main] message to you is stop, said Moses, when asked about what he would like to say to the demonstrators. Lets regroup and have a plan other than destroying things for destroyings sake.

Learn more about how the rioting is affecting the prosperity of communities in cities like Portland, Seattle and Minneapolis by reading the articles at Rioting.news.

Sources include:

NYPost.com

KATU.com

KGW.com

KPTV.com
- Nasra Yusuff lamented how she had worked hard to gain over 53k subscribers on her channel

- The comedienne said she had made a mistake of trusting someone with her logins, saying she knew who the person was but was not willing to expose them

- The content creator added she had opened another Youtube channel and urged her followers to support her

Churchill Show comedienne Nasra Yusuff has revealed her Youtube channel was hacked and she ended up losing her hard-earned cash.

Sharing a long threat on social media, the lass lamented how she had worked hard to gain over 53k subscribers to end up losing the account.

READ ALSO: Perfect for bedsitter: Kenyans applaud innovative fundi who crafted convertible bed

Nasra says she knows the person who hacked her account Photo: nasrayusuff

Source: Instagram

READ ALSO: Sauti Sol's Bein, wife Chiki get cute ring tattoos in place of wedding rings

She revealed that she had made a mistake of trusting someone with her logins, saying she knew who the person was but was not willing to expose them.

"I made a mistake, I trusted someone with my login details, only for the person to disappoint me! I wanted to expose the name and handle of the person but I'm too good to harm anyone, even when they harm me," she said.

Nasra said she could only access the channel in areas that would only benefit the hacker, adding he had stolen KSh 100,000 which she would have used to order a wedding gown.

The lass noted her fans gave her the strength to push on and had opened another Youtube channel urging them to support her and would delete the other one.

READ ALSO: DJ Mo proudly admires wife Size 8's hot body in lacy swimsuit

READ ALSO: Maria actor Luwi tickled by meme describing him as the inventor of mourning

The comedienne urged fans to be careful with those they trust especially when it came to social media privacy.

TUKO.co.ke recently reported about another comedian, in Jalang'o, whose social media account had been hacked for months.

The radio host went on social media urging his fans to help him recover his Twitter account and even offered KSh 50k for anyone who'd help him reclaim it.

READ ALSO: Donny van de Beek: Ajax star set for Man United move

READ ALSO: Waititu anaswa na COVID-19, kesi yake ya ufisadi yapigwa stop

Jalang'o said the hacker made him lose several business opportunities which were offered to him to advertise on the site.

He also warned of other social media accounts of frauds claiming to be him in order to scam unsuspecting netizens.

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.

My children are not a curse - Judy Kemuma | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
LONDON and REDWOOD CITY, California, Sept. 1 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Avast (LSE:AVST), a global leader in cybersecurity and privacy products, today announced it has become a member of Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a UK charity responsible for finding and removing images and videos of child sexual abuse from the internet. Avast will work with IWF to filter out webpages identified as hosting child abuse imagery, helping to crack down on the creation and sharing of such content and ensuring unsuspecting internet users are not inadvertently exposed to the disturbing content.

Susie Hargreaves, Chief Executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, said, "We are very excited to be teaming up with Avast. As a charity, we use the best technology to fight against the spread of online child sexual abuse material. Working with Avast, with their huge experience in the field, will boost this mission and have a very real impact on the safety of children around the world."

The IWF has over 150 members globally, comprising technology companies, content providers, hosting companies and security leaders, who are all committed to making the internet a safer place.

IWF has worked tirelessly over the past 24 years to take the UK from being a major host of online child sexual abuse content to hosting less than 1% of such content worldwide today. Partnering with global technology companies like Avast is an important step in extending its programme which now operates in 40 countries worldwide to tackle the problem on a global scale.

Jaya Baloo, Chief Information Security Officer at Avast said, "The IWF has an extremely challenging job in tackling this horrific problem which has become more prevalent as technology and the internet has evolved. Our purpose is to make the online world a safer place and as part of this commitment, we are partnering with organisations who share our goals, by providing technical support and skilled resource. We hope that working with IWF to block the sharing of this content online, we can also help prevent the re-victimisation of the children featured, and even aiding, if at all possible, the rescue of some of these children. Any role we can play to reduce the abuse of children must be right and we will not compromise in our mission to stop online harm."

About IWF:

The Internet Watch Foundation helps make the internet a safer place. It works to help victims of child sexual abuse worldwide by identifying and removing online images and videos of their abuse.

IWF analysts search for child sexual abuse images and videos and offer a place for the public to report them anonymously. They can then have them removed. The IWF is a not for profit organisation and is supported by the global internet industry and the European Commission.

For more information please visit www.iwf.org.uk .

The IWF is part of the UK Safer Internet Centre, working with Childnet International and the South West Grid for Learning to promote the safe and responsible use of technology.

The IWF works globally to stop child sexual abuse imagery on the internet. If you ever stumble across a sexual image or video of someone you think is under 18, please report to the IWF. Reporting can be done anonymously and confidentially - we don't need your details, just your help.

About Avast:

Avast (LSE:AVST), FTSE 100 company, is a global leader in digital security and privacy products. With over 400 million users online, Avast offers products under the Avast and AVG brands that protect people from threats on the internet and the evolving IoT threat landscape. The company's threat detection network is among the most advanced in the world, using machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to detect and stop threats in real time. Avast digital security products for Mobile, PC or Mac are top-ranked and certified by AV-Comparatives. Visit: www.avast.com .

Media Contact: PR@avast.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/827113/Avast_Logo.jpg
New Delhi: One-fifth of the population in Chennai has been exposed to COVID, said a Sero survey for the transmission of the infection in Greater Chennai Corporation areas. "Overall, one-fifth of the population in Chennai was exposed to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection," the GCC said in its preliminary finding.

The sample size was around 12,000 to detect a seroprevalence of 2 percent, for a relative precision of 20 per cent design effect of 2.5 and for 95 percent confidence interval. Of the individuals tested, 2,673 individuals had evidence of past SARS-CoV-2.

"The reading (inference) is 21.5 percent of Chennai's population reached the immunity levels by July-end," GCC commissioner G Prakash told reporters. "Now, the (immunity) levels will be more and it would also mean a (comparatively) lower transmission rate," he said adding the scientific study would be useful to alter strategies to tackle COVID in Chennai.

Around 80 percent of the population is still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 here and "we need to understand the reasons for varying seroprevalence across zones to improve our control measures," the civic body said. "There is huge variation in sero prevalence across zones ranging between 7.1 percent in Madhavaram and 44.2 percent in Tondiarpet."

The infection to case ratio is lower compared to some of the published studies (Santa Clara, National survey) - indicating high testing performance.

The field data/sample collection activities happened between 18 and 28 July and the testing of the samples was completed by August 6, the GCC said in an official release adding the mean age of individuals surveyed was 41.1.

The sero survey was conducted in the GCC areas to estimate the proportion of the population exposed to SARS-CoV-2. The study design was a multi-stage cluster sample survey among individuals aged more than 10 years.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu today reported 5,928 new COVID cases pushing the tally to 4,33,969, while the death toll stood at 7,418 with 96 more fatalities, according to a health department bulletin.

The active cases stood at 52,379 and in total 3,74,172 people have got cured, with 6,031 recoveries, said the bulletin.

Out of the over 5,900 new infections, the state capital shared 1,084 and the remainder was scattered across Tamil Nadu. The state tally of 4.33 lakh plus positive cases till date includes Chennai's 1,36,697 infections.

As many as 75,165 samples were put to RT-PCR tests and cumulatively 48,88,312 specimens have been examined.
On the 80th anniversary of the assassination of Leon Trotsky, the Trotskyist Fraction of the Fourth International (FT-CI) produced a special series for its website Izquierda Diario under the title #Trotsky2020.

Far from an objective presentation of the political legacy of Trotsky, the co-leader of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and founder of the Fourth International, the FTs supposed commemoration is an attack on the revolutionary principles for which Trotsky fought during his entire political life.

Leon Trotsky

Despite the name this political grouping has chosen for itself, the FT is not a Trotskyist organization. It is the political heir of the late Argentine revisionist leader Nahuel Moreno, a representative of the Pabloite tendency that sought the liquidation of the Fourth International and was responsible for historical betrayals of the working class in Argentina and throughout Latin America.

The Morenoites of the FT are responding desperately to the resurgence of class struggle on an international scale. The fact that broad layers of the working class are rising up against the capitalist system and its national state is undermining the discredited nationalist trade unions and pseudo-left parties of the upper-middle class to which the Morenoites are oriented.

Their efforts play an important and reactionary role for the ruling class in seeking to divert the global working class from the true program and history of the Fourth International, embodied in the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI).

The main element of Izquierda Diarios sinister commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Trotskys assassination is a slickly produced one-hour and twenty-minute video, in which representatives of its organizations in Europe, Latin America and the United States present different aspects of [Trotskys] political and strategic elaborations, historically and in their actuality. The final 40 minutes are dedicated to an interview with the groups Argentine leader, Emilio Albamonte.

The different aspects presented are bits and pieces from Trotskys writings of the 1920s and 1930s, with an overriding focus on tactical formulations torn out of their historical context. The video purports to present a review of Trotskys political struggle: From the politics of the united front between the great organizations of the workers movement to combat the rise of fascism... to the entry of Trotskyist militants into the French section of Social Democracy.

The FTs invocations of the demand for the united front and the tactic of entryism in the 1930s are nothing more than an attempt to dress up its present-day opportunist political maneuvers in language associated with the struggle waged by Trotsky.

A falsification of the tactic of the united front

The first speaker, a representative of the FTs German group, spoke of Trotskys demand for the united front of the Communist Party and Social Democratic Party in the face of Hitlers rise. The next speaker, from Italy, added that Trotsky proposed a united front in that country as well in order to combat sectarianism.

The FT wants to make people believe that the unprincipled and bureaucratic electoral and trade union alliances that form the basis of its work are sanctioned by policies advanced by Trotsky. Trotskys fight for the united front as a means of uniting the working class against the menace of fascism, while at the same time exposing the treacherous role of the Social Democratic Party before the masses of workers organized in its ranks and winning them over to a revolutionary policy, stands in stark opposition to the Morenoites present-day practice.

Thus, Albamonte states that in the midst of the great revolt of Chilean youth and workers in November 2019, the FTs group, the PTR (Revolutionary Workers Party), managed to form a united front with the CUT (Workers United Centre) trade union, led by the Communist Party. He acknowledged that this would have been impossible when the CP had tens of thousands of members.

The Chilean revolt of 2019 [Credit: Flickr user Rafael Edwards]

This admission points to the fact that this united front has nothing to do with either uniting the mass organizations of the working class in struggle or exposing the CP leadership. Rather, it was just a rotten alliance between the Stalinists and the Morenoites for the purpose of diverting the Chilean working class from revolutionary struggle.

When the Stalinists still had a significant base in the working class, they had no use for the services offered by the FTs predecessors. But now that they are absolutely discredited and, what is more, terrified by the rising movement of the working class, they welcome the left cover given by the Morenoites to their betrayals.

The same method of distortion of Trotskys revolutionary perspective is used by the French section of the FT, Permanent Revolution (RP), to justify its reactionary policies. RP spokeswoman Daniela Cobet describes Trotskys activities in France in 1936 as a desperate attempt to overcome the very weak character of his group, guided by an obsession with finding a way to the working masses rather than staying on the sidelines. Trotsky offered a series of tactics, the most daring and varied, seeking to better embody the strategic need of a revolutionary party.

What does Trotskys struggle to turn the young French Trotskyist movement to the mass working class struggles of the 1930s have to do with the modern-day operations of the RP? The group is integrated into the pseudo-left New Anticapitalist Party (NPA), a party of the upper-middle class oriented toward the Stalinist trade unions and the defense of the military interventions of French imperialism, from Libya to Mali. The NPA is a party openly hostile to the working class. It aligned itself with the attacks of the Macron government on the Yellow Vests, slandering them as a racist and fascist movement.

But the Morenoites insist that this reactionary party, which plays a relatively marginal role, in Cobets words, is a vehicle for the continuation and development of Trotskys struggle today.

The NPA as a vehicle for uniting different traditions

She states: To make [the NPA] a tool for the reorganization of a revolutionary extreme left that revives Trotskys tactical audacity, to build in France a powerful revolutionary party composed of militants coming from different traditions... this is the best homage that can be paid to the great Russian revolutionary 80 years since his assassination.

The FT does not attempt to explain how the formation of a national opportunist party composed of militants from different traditions would be a tribute to Leon Trotsky, who fought implacably against Stalinism and centrism to build the Fourth International, insisting that outside of its cadres, there does not exist a single revolutionary current on this planet really meriting the name.

The Morenoites insistence that the legacy of Trotsky is a collection of daring tactics that provide a solution to the problem of isolation is a tribute not to Trotsky, but rather to those who sought to destroy the international revolutionary party he founded. Finding our place in the mass movement as it is, wherever it expresses itself, and to aid it to rise through its own experience to higher levels was Michel Pablos motto in his efforts to liquidate the Fourth International.

The FT seeks to equate Trotskys legacy not only to the betrayals of Pabloism, but also to middle class theories that flourished in the universities in the decades after his death. Trotsky is painted in the video as the forefather of post-modernist anti-Marxism.

Andrea Datri, speaking on behalf of Bread and Roses, the feminist wing of the FT, argues that Trotsky was a proponent of the idea that not even the most radical material transformations can solve oppression by themselves. She claims that the large demonstrations in the last Womens Day celebrations, dominated by the middle class, would have been seen by Trotsky as the vanguard of the struggle against capitalism.

Continuing on this same basic theme, Marcello Pablito, speaking for the Brazilian Revolutionary Workers Movement (MRT), advocates the actuality of a revolutionary and socialist strategy that does not limit itself to dissolving racial issues into class determinations.

Pablito states that the first truth of the revolutionary strategy consists in exposing the relationship between the [black peoples] struggle, which departs from the fight for our own lives, our own identity and our own culture, and the historical task of our entire class, regardless of the color of our skin.

According to the FT, the potential of this strategy of beginning with the question of race, was demonstrated by the black fury aroused in the United States by the police murder of George Floyd, leading to protests in Brazil, the largest black country outside of Africa.

The FT invokes the mass multiethnic protests against police violence to promote racial politics.

What the Morenoites do not state is that the fury in the United States against racism and police violence was expressed in protests of a multiracial character that spread not only to Brazil, but also to Europe and across the globe, expressing fury over not only racism, but also social inequality, mass impoverishment and the homicidal policies of the worlds capitalist ruling classes in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They did not find a single quote, even a loose phrase, that would allow them to fabricate some relationship between Trotskys work and their promotion of anti-Marxist and anti-working class identity politics based upon the interests of the petty bourgeoisie.

Trotskys revolutionary strategy is based on the objective unity of the international working class, determined by its relationship to world capitalist production. With the globalization of capitalism, the unification of the international working class is now greater than ever. Attempts to divide it along racial, gender or national lines serve only the reactionary purposes of the ruling class.

The FTs attacks on the dissolution of racial issues into class determinations correspond to the moods of sectors of the upper-middle class, increasingly integrated into the bourgeois state. They find expression in pseudo-left parties such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the United States and the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) in Brazil, to which the FTs groups in both countries are oriented.

It is clear that the FTs commemoration consisted of a gross distortion of and slander against Trotskys political legacy. But there is one more aspect that makes this exercise an especially sordid historical falsification.

In a presentation that was dedicated to the historical interval between the betrayal by the Third International that allowed Hitler to come to power in Germany in 1933 and the assassination of Trotsky on Stalins orders in 1940, the Morenoites deliberately omitted Trotskys conclusion from this betrayalhis implacable struggle throughout this period to found a new, Fourth International to resolve the crisis of revolutionary leadership in the working class.

The founding of this world party in 1938, its subsequent history and the struggles within it are for the Morenoites and their commemoration a closed book.

It is remarkable that the presentation made by their US group, Left Voice, consisted of a young woman wandering around the streets of Manhattan reading aloud excerpts from Trotskys essay If America Should Go Communist. Her conclusion was that the work showed Trotskys immense creativity in thinking through the possibilities of a socialist future.

This absurd attempt to transform Trotsky into some kind of utopian socialist can be made to have any semblance of plausibility only by abstracting his brilliant essay from his struggleof which it was a partagainst anti-communism and the destructive impact of the crimes of Stalinism on the consciousness of the American and international working class.

At the same time, the Left Voices presentation was totally divorced from the intense collaboration of Trotsky during the years before his assassination with the American Trotskyist movement, the largest party of the Fourth International, which gained significant influence in the American working class. Of this, not a word was spoken.

Morenoism and its hostility to the Fourth International

The central thrust of this entire exercise in historical falsification is to pretend that the Fourth International never existed, consisting of no more than a vision in Trotskys mind that was buried along with him. In the words of FT leader Emilio Albamonte: First of all I have to tell you that the Trotskyist movement was decapitated. Deutscher [Isaac Deutscher, Trotskys biographer, who was irreconcilably opposed to the founding of the Fourth International] defined it as a small boat with a huge sail. That sail disappeared under the Stalinist pickaxe.

After giving this blunt assessment, which dovetails with the principal aim of Trotskys Stalinist assassins, Albamonte can go back to extolling Trotskys supposed tactics as a useful means for pursuing influence and positions within the pseudo-left parties of the bourgeoisie, the trade unions and capitalist state apparatus itself.

Why are the Morenoites obliged, on the anniversary of Trotskys assassination, to obscure and deny what he himself described as his greatest historical achievement, ensuring the continuity of Marxism and the fight to build a revolutionary leadership in the international working class by founding the Fourth International?

First, it is because they are incapable of accounting for their own history, and second, because they have no intention of allowing the history of the Fourth International and the struggles conducted within it to interfere with opportunist alliances with any number of heterogeneous revisionist tendencies.

Nahuel Moreno

The PTS (Socialist Workers Party of Argentina), the leading organization within the FT, has its origins in the break-up of the Movement toward Socialism (MAS) following the death of its leader, Nahuel Moreno, in 1987.

Moreno broke with the International Committee of the Fourth International in 1963, reunifying with the Pabloite revisionist tendency that sought the liquidation of the Fourth International into Stalinism, Social Democracy and the bourgeois nationalist movements. He subsequently pursued a policy of extreme national opportunism, adapting his party to Castroism and Peronism, as well as to Argentinas Social Democrats and Stalinists. Supporting the right-wing Peronist government of Isabel Peron, his party played a critical role in politically disarming the Argentine working class in advance of the 1976 military coup.

Today, the PTS, which claims continuity with the tendency founded by Moreno, pursues a policy of opportunist electoral alliances around the so-called Left and Workers Front (FIT), which subordinates its various components to a program based on left populism and adaptation to the Kirchnerist wing of Peronism.

In 2017, the leader of one of the Morenoites main allies in the FIT, Jorge Altamira of the Partido Obrero (PO), accurately described the PTS as Podemos in diapers, referring to the Spanish left party that is now the main partner in the PSOE-led bourgeois government that is implementing austerity measures against the working class and a catastrophic back-to-work campaign in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the characterization was on the mark, it did not stop the PO from continuing its opportunist alliance with the PTS in pursuit of parliamentary posts.

The FTs supposed commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Trotskys assassination is a travesty and, in essence, an attempted second assassination directed against Trotskys entire revolutionary historical legacy.

It will not succeed. This legacy is embodied in and defended and developed by the International Committee of the Fourth International and its protracted struggle against revisionism. The ICFI is waging a tireless struggle to bring this immense history into the growing international struggles of the working class and thereby build a leadership capable of leading the working class to victory and abolishing world capitalism.
Second day of talks held as rival soldiers confront each other at their contested Himalayan border in Ladakh.

Indian and Chinese military commanders have held talks for a second day as rival soldiers confront each other at their contested Himalayan border in Ladakh, bringing fears of a military escalation.

Both of the Asian giants have accused the other of fresh provocations, including allegations of soldiers crossing into each others territory, months after their deadliest standoff in decades.

Details of the talks which resumed on Tuesday morning werent immediately disclosed.

China and India have been holding dialogue to negotiate a Chinese withdrawal from the border since May when the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops transgressed into the Indian side of the de facto border known as Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Tens of thousands of troops from the rivals sides have amassed across the disputed border since then. The border conflagration escalated on June 15 when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in clashes in Ladakhs Galwan Valley.

An Indian army convoy moves on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway in Indian-administered Kashmir [Mukhtar Khan/AP]

Both armies are now confronting each other at the border, its an extremely volatile and dangerous situation out there, Ajai Shukla, defence analyst, told Al Jazeera.

India has been trying to sort of arrange a mutual de-escalation, a disengagement and a pullback to their respective sides of the border.

But by all accounts, China is not willing to do that, it is willing to talk, but at the same time, its continuing its hostile and aggressive stance  and that is what is causing the Indian side to build up and to be prepared for any further escalation of the situation by China.

On Monday, India said its soldiers had thwarted provocative movements by Chinas military on Saturday night. In turn, Chinas defence ministry accused Indian troops of crossing established lines of control and creating provocations along the disputed border on Monday.

Both India and China have provided little information, but media in the two countries have given extensive coverage to the escalating tensions.

Al Jazeeras Katrina Yu reporting from Beijing, said: We have had a more aggressive response from Chinese state media. The Global Times which had a quite aggressive editorial saying that India should be under no illusion that the Chinese are not willing and ready to take on India.

The official newspaper of Chinas ruling Communist Party blamed India for the latest standoff.

According to the Global Times, Al Jazeeras Katrina said they have also undertaken a survey with their readers, vast majority of whom say they are tired of what it calls hostile behaviour from the Indian side and that 90 percent would support military action.

But there has also been an acknowledgement from China that India is also an important neighbour  a lot of trade is done with India and they would like to maintain peace, Katrina Yu said.





The standoff is over disputed portions of a pristine landscape high in the Karakoram mountains that boasts the worlds highest landing strip, a glacier that feeds one of the largest irrigation systems in the world, and is a critical link in Chinas enormous Belt and Road infrastructure project.

India unilaterally declared Ladakh a federal territory and separated it from Indian-administered Kashmir in August 2019, ending its semi-autonomous status and straining the already prickly relationship between New Delhi and Beijing.

China was among the countries to strongly condemn the move, raising it at international forums including the UN Security Council.

According to some Indian and Chinese strategic experts, Indias move exacerbated existing tensions with China, leading to the deadly June border clash.

The disputed and undemarcated 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) border between India and China stretches from the Ladakh region in the north to the Indian state of Sikkim.

The two nations fought a border war in 1962 that also spilled into Ladakh and ended in an uneasy truce. Since then, troops from opposing sides have guarded the undefined mountain border area, occasionally brawling. They have agreed not to attack each other with firearms.

Rival soldiers brawled bitterly in May, and in June, fought with clubs, stones and their fists, leaving 20 Indian soldiers dead. China did not report any casualties.

Accusing each other of instigating the violence, both sides have pledged to safeguard their territory but also try to end the standoff, which has dramatically changed the India-China relationship.

India has banned dozens of Chinese apps, including popular video-sharing app TikTok, and has placed restrictions on Chinese investments amid the backlash against Beijing following the deadly border clashes in June.

Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks on ending the crisis have been unsuccessful.
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Public listed investment company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, Waha Capital, has launched its third fund with capacity in excess valued at $500 million, Trade Arabia reports.

The fund, Waha Islamic Income Fund SP, will invest in sharia-compliant assets across the sukuk and equity markets, and will have a global outreach for investments, the Bahrain-based media reports.

The fund is the third to be added to the entitys asset management business.

While our existing funds have some Sharia compliant elements in them, there has been a steadily growing demand from our existing clients over the past couple of years for us to develop such a fully-fledged Islamic fund, said CEO Amr AlMenhali.

We are confident that it will be well received because it avoids investment in prohibited or controversial activities or asset and business sectors that may be considered as particularly risky or potentially volatile. It will only invest in entities that have relatively low gearing, stated AlMenhali.

Waha Capital focuses its investments in four business, namely Principal Investments, Capital Markets, Infrastructure and Industrial Real Estate. Its investment portfolios include sectors such as aircraft leasing, healthcare, consumer finance and offshore oil & gas services.

Investors represent a diversified mix of institutions (pension funds, endowments, SWFs, and family offices) from North America, Europe and the GCC.
Mike Pence was "on standby" to take over the presidency during Donald Trump's unplanned visit to hospital last year, according to claims in a new book.

Plans for Mr Pence to take the presidency if Mr Trump needed surgery during a November 2019 visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre were revealed in a review of a new book by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt.

While Mr Pence did not end up taking that step, Mr Schmidt says in Donald Trump v the United States that the vice president was on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anaesthetized.

The White House's press secretary at the time, Stephanie Grisham, said the visit was to begin parts of the president's annual physical exam and that the president remained healthy and energetic without complaints.

Mr Trump's doctor, Sean Conley, followed up two days after the exam with a memo saying the president's "interim checkup" was routine and was only unplanned due to scheduling conflicts.

Despite some speculation, the president has not had any chest pain, nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues, Dr Conley wrote in the memo. Specifically, he did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurologic evaluations.

Any purpose of the unscheduled visit beyond what the White House confirmed has remained unclear, despite online activists claiming the president had suffered more serious health issues.

Dr Conley said in his statement that a full summary of Mr Trump's labs and exam would be incorporated in the president's 2020 annual physical report. Released in June, the annual checkup said the president remained healthy, with screenings for diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure all within the normal range.

The report from Dr Conley revealed the president weighed 244 pounds, which when calculated with his 63 height gives a body mass index of 30.5. According to the CDC, thats right on the border of overweight and obese, which starts at a BMI of 30 or higher.

Mr Trump's visit to Walter Reed was among several revelations in the new book, including an incident in which Mitch McConnell allegedly fell asleep during a classified briefing on Russia. It is the latest in a series of books released in the lead up to the 2020 election from family and staff, like niece Mary Trump and former national security adviser John Bolton.
After bursts of deadly violence erupted amid racial justice protests in Oregon and Wisconsin this past week, the acting chief of the Department of Homeland Security said Sunday that state and local leaders in the two states are standing in the way of federal law enforcement officials.

"If the governor had taken action early on, after day one, day two of some of that violent activity occurring there, we probably -- a lot of this could have been avoided," acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf said on ABC's "This Week," referring to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where three people were shot Tuesday, two fatally, during protests following the shooting of Jacob Blake by police last weekend.

MORE: 'Tired of broken promises,' Sharpton says, as thousands march on nation's capital

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was captured on video in Kenosha armed with a rifle and has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths. Another person was killed in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday amid clashes between President Donald Trump's supporters and protesters who have been demonstrating for racial justice equality since George Floyd's death in May. At times throughout the summer, Portland protesters also faced harassment from far-right activists and attempts by the federal government to rein in their activity.

"I think this points to a larger issue that we've seen in Portland for the last three months. And that is local and state officials, not allowing law enforcement to do their job and really to bring this violent activity -- night after night after night -- to a close," Wolf told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl. "We've asked the governor, we've asked the mayor to step in. They don't have the resources."

Federal law enforcement agents were deployed to the city in July to protect property, including a federal courthouse. The move came against the wishes of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, but despite Wolf's claim, no action was taken to prevent the officers from conducting their work. Local leaders and protesters also argue that the agents, from DHS, the U.S. Marshal Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, were antagonistic and amplified the violence and destruction.

Story continues

"We will be happy to provide resources to bring this violence to an end  across the ideological spectrum left or right, the violence needs to end." Wolf said Sunday, adding a message to local officials, "If you see this activity, take early action, bring law and order to your streets, and we can address and really avoid some of the violent activity that we're seeing."

"Is there a consideration of sending in more federal law enforcement, even in the defiance of local leaders?" Karl asked, with the situations in both cities still unsettled.

"All options continue to be on the table," the acting secretary responded.

Pressed repeatedly by @jonkarl about the disparity between how Jacob Blake and Kyle Rittenhouse were treated by police, acting DHS Sec. Chad Wolf says circumstances are being investigated, then pivots to blaming the governor for the violence in Kenosha. https://t.co/qwpuubd9oE pic.twitter.com/H2Y0yJ2t1i  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 30, 2020

Such a law and order message was the centerpiece of Trump's nomination acceptance address, capping the Republican National Convention on Thursday, echoing the themes of national security that dominated much of his 2016 campaign. Given the repetition, in addition to the ongoing protest violence, Karl challenged Wolf on whether Trump has fallen short on his pledges of safety to Americans.

"Did he fail to keep that promise? He said safety was going to be restored beginning on Jan. 20, 2017," Karl asked.

"Absolutely not," Wolf responded. "Again, what we see across cities and across states -- local law enforcement, first line of defense; state law enforcement; and if both of those fail, then obviously the federal government can step in, and we need that -- we need that request from the state governors."

"You need to have some conviction, and you need to bring in (federal) law enforcement to do their job," he said.

MORE: Trump says he will nominate Chad Wolf as permanent head of DHS

Wolf was the subject of criticism Tuesday after a naturalization ceremony he participated in at the White House was later broadcast during the RNC -- one of several instances during the convention in which executive branch officials engaged in political activity, a potential Hatch Act violation.

MORE: Immigrant unaware naturalization ceremony would be used at Republican National Convention

On "This Week," Karl asked Wolf whether he knew the event would be aired at the convention, leading the acting secretary to describe his involvement as routine and repeat the administration's position that there was no wrongdoing because the non-political citizenship ceremony was pre-recorded and made publicly available, and that the Republican National Committee simply chose to air it during the convention.

"Respectfully, that was not my question. My question was: Did you know when you took part in that ceremony that it was going to be used that night at the Republican convention?" Karl pressed.

NEW: No, acting DHS Sec. Chad Wolf tells @jonkarl when pressed about whether he knew that the naturalization ceremony that he led at the White House would be aired as part of the Republican National Convention. https://t.co/JJi7nHNhRz pic.twitter.com/sZa6dpVjy5  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 30, 2020

"No," Wolf said. "What I knew is, again, participating in a naturalization ceremony -- we had a number of (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) employees there as they do every naturalization ceremony, making sure that that ceremony goes on without a hitch, that we're giving that oath of allegiance to those individuals there. Again we'll continue to do that because that's our mission at the department."

MORE: 'Complete outrage' over in-person election security briefings to Congress ceasing: Sen. Klobuchar

The acting secretary further responded to Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe's decision to suspend in-person briefings on election security and foreign interference to members of Congress, instead transitioning to written reports.

Wolf agreed with the suggestion that the election cycle is at a stage during which increasing amounts of information should be shared, but stated, as Ratcliffe also claimed, that the change was made to combat leaks of sensitive intelligence.

"The Director of National Intelligence deals with classified information, providing that information to Congress. He has seen, I have seen, and others have seen that information leak, time and time again," Wolf said, noting that briefings will continue on unclassified matters.

In a later interview on "This Week," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., responded to the decision, calling it a "complete outrage."

"I think the House is going to have to subpoena the director of intelligence in order to get information, which is crazy," she said. "We are going to have to demand the information to protect our election."

Acting homeland security secretary faults state officials for Oregon, Wisconsin protest violence originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A Utah woman was found murdered just days after her mother warned that she had been kidnapped by a couple who were holding her hostage and threatening to kill her.

Stevie Shay Wilkerson was reported missing in St George on August 9 and her body was recovered about an hour away in Iron County two weeks later on August 23.

One day after Stevie vanished, her mother, Vawna Wilkerson, issued a desperate plea on Facebook claiming that the 26-year-old had been 'abducted [and] taken against her own will'.

Vawna went on to say that her daughter was 'being held hostage by a man calling himself Joey and a woman calling herself Jose', who Stevie 'accidentally crossed paths with' at a hotel.

'Please help me find my beautiful baby girl... they are armed and have threatened to kill her,' the mother wrote in all caps.

Stevie Shay Wilkerson (left) was found murdered in Utah just days after her mother Vawna Wilkerson (right) warned that her daughter had been kidnapped by a couple who were holding her hostage and threatening to kill her

Stevie (right) was reported missing in St George on August 9 and her body was recovered about an hour away in Iron County two weeks later on August 23. Police said her death is considered a homicide but have not released the cause

One day after Stevie vanished, her mother Vawna issued a desperate plea on Facebook (pictured) warning that the 26-year-old had been 'abducted [and] taken against her own will'. Police have not commented on Vawna's claims

Stevie was last seen on August 9 as she left a Claridge Inn on South Bluff Street in St George, according to local police.

She was found in neighboring Iron County 14 days later, and authorities said her body had been there 'for some time'.

The Iron County Sheriff's Office said detectives are treating the case as a homicide but declined to offer any additional information as the investigation is ongoing.

An autopsy is underway to determine the cause of death.

Police have yet to make any arrests in the case and have asked anyone with information to contact the Iron County Sheriff's Office at 435-867-7500.

Officials have not commented publicly about the claims Vawna presented in her Facebook post after Stevie disappeared.

In the comments section of the post, Vawna expressed frustration with the investigation prior to Stevie's body being found.

'I don't think they are even doing anything,' she wrote on August 11. 'They quit keeping in touch with us yesterday...'

In another comment, Vawna claimed that the couple who took her daughter were wanted for kidnapping in other states.

She also wrote that the police, Stevie's boyfriend and staff at the hotel where she disappeared were refusing to give her descriptions of the people she claimed abducted her daughter.

Police have asked anyone with information about Stevie's disappearance or death to contact the Iron County Sheriff's Office at 435-867-7500

Stevie's cousin, Angie Golish, expressed her heartbreak at the body discovery in an interview with the Deseret News.

Golish described Stevie as an animal lover with 'a big heart, not a mean bone in her body'.

'She was just sweet and a little shy,' the cousin said. 'She was so kindhearted and loved all animals, big and small. She dreamed of being a veterinarian growing up.'

'My aunt said it feels extra tragic that she would die this way because she was truly a person who wouldn't hurt anyone or anything,' Golish added in apparent reference to Vawna.

Stevie worked as a quality control inspector at Megapro Screen Printing in St George, according to her Facebook profile.

In her final post on June 26, she asked for help finding an apartment to rent with her boyfriend and dog, Niko.
Indian troops' illegal crossing of LAC will 'escalate tensions'

Global Times

By GT staff reporters Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 22:54:03

New Delhi may incite tensions to seek leverage for negotiations: expert

China strongly opposes Indian troops' illegal crossing of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Monday, which is a severe violation of the consensus reached before at the multilevel talks between the two countries, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Western Theater Command said on Monday night.

Such blatant provocations lead to tensions on the border, and China urges India to withdraw its troops that crossed the LAC, strictly restrain frontline forces, and effectively follow its commitments, the PLA Western Theater Command noted.

Lin Minwang, deputy director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Monday that Indian action this time will definitely escalate tensions, as China has been forced to be tough and would take action; otherwise the Indian provocation would be endless.

"The negotiations held by both sides since June 15 have achieved limited progress, as the Indian stance remains tough, and even urged Chinese troops to retreat from some locations within Chinese territory, which China has refused. This time, India has increased its troops to about 40,000 in the border region, which makes the situation more intense," he said.

Although India fortified its military deployment, China has also increased its troops in the border region, and both sides have to prepare for winter as well. India actually has no advantage in a potential conflict, Lin noted.

Indian media again hyped fresh conflicts with China, while accusing the PLA of "provocative movements." It is speculative calculation, which is a very dangerous move without clear understanding of the border situation between the two countries, Chinese experts said.

This comes shortly after the Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected claims that Chinese border troops tried to carry out fresh violations along the border.

The Indian defense ministry said in its latest statement that in an incident along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between Saturday and Sunday, the PLA troops "violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements in the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh, and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," India Today reported on Monday, citing the official document.

Quoting unnamed Indian Army sources, the report also noted that the "Chinese Army had tried to transgress into Indian areas using a sizeable number of troops. But the Indian Army pre-empted the Chinese attempt, and foiled their move."

When asked about the information released by the Indian army, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, refuted the report, claiming that Chinese border troops have always strictly observed the LAC, and have never crossed the line. The border troops of the two countries have been in communication over territorial issues, he said.

Some forces in India have been speculating on the border situation, trying to incite tensions with China despite several rounds of senior military-level talks on disengaging frontline troops, following the border skirmish in June, some Chinese experts said. Such a reckless intention is very dangerous miscalculation, echoing the rising confrontation between China and the US. Indian side has not fully realized the gap of military capabilities between two countries, and how severe the consequences would be if India continues instigating border conflicts, they noted.

India illegally crossing the LAC reflects its hasty mindset, Qian Feng, director of the research department of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Monday.

India hopes to gain an upper hand in border talks with China through little tricks such as launching provocations. However, as long as it steps up provocations, logistical supplies at the border would become a huge pressure on India, he said.

"Given the worsening coronavirus epidemic and its stalled economic growth, it would be a loss for India to continue its input in the border area, both in terms of military and supplies," he said, noting that through provocations, it attempts to exert pressure on China.

Faced with a growing hostile attitude of India against China and continuous military provocations, about 70 percent of respondents to a recent survey conducted by the Global Times and China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) agree that the Chinese government should be tough in fighting back against India's provocations, and 89.1 percent support military retaliation, with 50.4 percent of them "strongly supporting" self-defense and counter-attacks.

Constant provocations

Since the border conflict between China and India in May, India has fortified troops and tank regiments in Ladakh, and such armored deployment is aimed at containing the PLA movement in the area, Indian media Business Standard reported on August 3.

A survey of India Today-Karvy Insights Mood of the Nation (MOTN) also suggest that nearly 60 percent of respondents agree that India should go to war with China over the border conflict, India Today reported on August 7, after local media the Hindustan Times, citing a recent Harvard University assessment, claimed that India has the upper hand in military deployments along its border with China, and has closed the military gap with its neighboring country.

Chinese analysts said Indian military forces have some advantages in the border regions in terms of quantity, because it has a better geographical environment. But China can immediately transport huge amounts of troops by its advanced infrastructure like high-speed railways to the border region once China decides to retaliate. And the combat capability of the PLA is much more advanced than Indian troops; so in a real war, India might get a head start, but China will soon overturn it.

Chinese experts also said India's move to increase its military presence in the border regions, even crossing the LAC to incite more tensions, is unhelpful to deescalating tensions, while China is trying to cool down the situation through patience.

Since Galwan Valley skirmish in June, the PLA has held a series of intense and multidimensional drills, while the two sides have been pushing forward diplomatic and military talks to ease the situation. Last week, two J-20s, the most advanced stealth fighter jets of the PLA Air Force, were spotted at an airport about 300 kilometers from the border region, foreign media reported, but Chinese experts suggested that foreign media not over-interpret such a deployment as China wants to deescalate the tensions.

"As far as I know, the magnitude of the latest conflict was not the same as the incident on June 15. No casualties, no bloody confrontation," Qian Feng, director of the research department of the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Monday. The situation has also been eased, but as the 6th round of military talks would soon be held, such hype on rising conflicts may serve as some leverage for negotiations, he noted.

Over the past two months, China and India have held several rounds of senior military-level talks, and agreed to disengage frontline troops. The Hindu reported last week that as the standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh entered its 17th week, the two sides were preparing for another round of military talks to resolve the disputes.

Xie Chao, an assistant professor on Indian studies at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Monday that a sharp contrast could be interpreted from the latest statement from India and what the Chinese FM said. It also shows that India continues to hold a hostile and accusatory altitude on the border conflict, while China is mild and restrained.

For a long time, India has been fortifying troops on the Indian side of the border, especially since May. However, China has not followed suit, only maintaining necessary military deployment in case of an emergency, Xie said.

Given the complex history of the China-India border, the two sides have different understandings of the LAC, but have a complete set of procedures and agreements to resolve differences, Xie said, adding that "Such groundless accusations by India will not help the efforts of the two sides to cool down the tense border situation."

Chinese analysts warned that India should have a clear understanding that China is much stronger militarily than India. If New Delhi continues such provocative rhetoric, or launches large-scale attacks at the border region, it would face severe consequences.

Influenced by Washington

The latest survey on China-India relations conducted by the Global Times and China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) showed that more than 70 percent of participants believe that India is too hostile toward China, and nearly 90 percent surveyed support a strong government retaliation.

If India makes more provocations and launches new border conflicts against China, about 90 percent of respondents support China defending itself and striking back at India with force.

By showing their resolve to fight with China, India is trying to pressure China to make concessions, especially amid the rising tensions between the US and China. The South Asian country intends to use the influence of Washington to check and balance Beijing in the Asia-Pacific region, experts noted.

The US plans high-level talks with "Quad" security partners from India, Australia and Japan in September and October, US President Donald Trump's national security adviser said on Friday. Some Chinese experts said such talks would further stir regional tensions, when China is making efforts to solve disputes with its neighbors through negotiations.

"The domestic nationalist sentiment is inciting Indian officials to make this dangerous military gesture for the sake of their own political gain, which would only make border situation more intense, and lead to a dangerous result," Xie said.



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All residents in micro containment zones to be tested for Covid-19 in Srinagar

A health worker gears up to collect swab samples for coronavirus rapid antigen testing.

According to the union health ministrys dashboard, India on Tuesday logged 69,921 new cases, 819 deaths due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, which has taken the overall tally to nearly 3.7 million. The total cases include 785,996 active cases, over 2.83 million recoveries and 65,288 deaths.

India on Sunday registered 78,761 cases, the highest ever across the globe. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that over 4.33 crore samples have been tested for Covid-19 so far out of which 10,16, 920 samples were tested on Monday.

Indias GDP contracted by almost 24% in from April-June in 2020 as compared to 2019. This indicates that the Covid-19 lockdown during the initial months took a severe toll on economic activity. India observed a hard lockdown during the initial months of the outbreak in April and May. According to experts, lockdown was not a problem but what made matters worse was the way in which it was implemented.

Click here for complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

India stands as the third worst-affected nation from the Covid-19 pandemic. The United States, which is the worst affected topped six million cases on Monday, adding a million infections in three weeks. The country had recorded its five millionth case on August 9, which was just 17 days after it hit four million.
NEW, Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted at 8:12 a.m. Monday. Restaurants statewide will be able to open for indoor dining beginning this FRIDAY at 25% capacity and with social distancing between tables.

Carlos Chacon saw the tweet. He didnt hold his breath.
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North Korean soldiers look as they stand guard along the river bank of the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite side to the Chinese border city of Dandong, in a file photo.

Military authorities in North Korea have quarantined an entire company of soldiers who patrol the countrys border with China, after it was discovered that one of the soldiers had come in contact with a Chinese national, sources in the country told RFA.

The company is part of the 25th border guard brigade, stationed along part of the Sino-Korean border in Ryanggang province. A North Korean brigade is usually divided into around 10 companies of about 120-150 troops each.

On the 10th, a company in the 25th brigade was quarantined to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a military source from Ryanggang, who asked not to be named, told RFA Monday.

After a total of 60 days of isolation, the soldiers in the company can only come out if they do not show symptoms, the source said.

The source did not specify the location and unit name of the responsible company for the safety of the soldiers.

Securing the border with China to prevent coronavirus has been a major priority for North Korea in recent weeks.

Though the two countries suspended trade and officially closed the border at the beginning of the pandemic in January, the 1,420-km (880-mile) frontier has remained porous, because North Koreas nascent market economy depends on the smuggling of goods into and out of China.

Since January, RFA reported several incidents related to smuggling of goods or movement of people across the border, including the mid-July return of a refugee that had previously escaped. He was undetected during his return, and a reportedly infuriated top leader Kim Jong Un disbanded the military unit responsible for guarding the part of the border where he crossed.

RFA also previously reported that North Korean elite special forces troops were sent to assist border guard units posted there, but sources said their true purpose was to stop the guards from taking bribes from smugglers to look the other way when contraband crosses the border.

Last week, sources told RFA that a shoot-on-sight order was in effect for anyone found within a kilometer (0.6 miles) of the border.

The Ryanggang source said the one soldier got his company in trouble at the beginning of August when he served as a middleman in a border transaction.

On the 6th, a solder in the 25th received money on behalf of a local resident from a Chinese national while on duty at the border, the source said, adding that a state security agent witnessed this soldier delivering the money to the resident, and reported it as suspicious activity.

After that resident was arrested and investigated, it was revealed that the border guard had come in contact with the Chinese, the source said.

While in most cases the recommended quarantine period is 14 days, it is believed that the soldiers are on a 60-day quarantine as a form of punishment. Soldiers do not receive a proper food supply, and if they are unable to go out for two months, they will face hunger during the two months of isolation.

They went into quarantine together without getting tested. The quarantined soldiers arent allowed to go outside of their barracks and they are confined there, but the authorities are not providing food, so they are complaining of hunger, the source said.

The authorities are taking this case seriously because this incident happened even though they have been emphasizing their emergency quarantine status, holding several plenary meetings of the Central Committee [of the Korean Workers Party] to block the coronavirus, the source said.

The country declared a maximum national emergency in mid-July when a refugee who had escaped to South Korea swam back North across the inter-Korean border to an area near his hometown of Kaesong.

Authorities claimed the refugee displayed coronavirus symptoms and Kaesong was put on lockdown. Additionally, travel between provinces was banned and Pyongyang began to focus more closely on the activities of military units along the border with China.

Once the quarantine is over, the soldier and the commanding officer will be in trouble, the source said.

Another source, a Ryanggang resident, confirmed to RFA Monday that the entire company was quarantined.

It is said that the soldiers are not allowed to step out of the barracks and that the period of quarantine is from August 10 to October 10, said the second source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Earlier this month, around the same time, there was a case in which a company belonging to the 27th brigade was disbanded for failing to prevent a refugee from re-entering the country. People are saying that the 25th brigades company might also be disbanded as soon as their quarantine is over, said the second source.

The second source expressed concern that if any of the soldiers actually have coronavirus, the quarantine could cause the virus to spread among the whole company or even kill some of them.

The authorities forcibly quarantined all the border guards of the company [to punish them] for having contact with Chinese, but there were no diagnostic procedures or medical staff to check their health conditions, the second source said.

There are no medical supplies or medical facilities in case of emergency. If any of the quarantined soldiers are infected by the new coronavirus, they just have to sit and wait for their deaths, the second source said.

On August 26, WHO Representative to the DPRK Edwin Salvador told RFA that the North Korean Ministry of Public Health reported on August 20 that a total of 2,767 people in the country had been tested for COVID-19, all with negative results. He added that the North Korean authorities did not confirm any details about the Kaesong returning refugee suspected case.

North Korea still maintains it is virus-free despite the governments extensive measures against COVID-19, including in April advising citizens in public lectures that the virus at that time had been spreading in the capital and two other regions of the country. It has not reported a single confirmed case.

Reported by Sewon Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
A view of the Mekong river bordering Thailand and Laos is seen from the Thai side in Nong Khai, Thailand, October 29, 2019. Photo by Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun.

Facebook and the Mekong River Commission (MRC) launched a collaboration initiative Monday to provide early flood alert and drought monitoring information to Mekong nations.

The MRC stated it has installed 22 hydrological stations along the main channel in the lower Mekong River basin to monitor and collect river water level and rainfall data, which feeds into its Mekong Flood and Drought Forecasting System.

The system provides the public and riparian governments with daily river water level data, including flood alerts and drought forecasting throughout the year. The system will be explained through a 3D animated video, which will be shared on Facebook to reach communities across the region.

Facebook will also train officials from the four MRC member countries Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam on how to use different digital tools to communicate effectively and quickly during and after a disaster, according to an MRC statement.

This will include a training on Facebooks Population Density Maps, an application that uses state-of-the-art computer visual techniques to combine publicly and commercially available datasets with Facebooks AI capabilities. The maps are three times more detailed than available sources.

The collaboration aims to raise public awareness in the four countries about the flood and drought information systems and build capacity for relevant officials on the use of online digital systems.

Mekong River flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

According to a United Nations report on economic losses, poverty and disasters, the last two decades have seen direct economic losses from climate-related disasters increase by up to 250 percent.

The MRC estimates that while seasonal flooding brings diverse benefits to the region, the average annual cost of floods in the lower Mekong basin is approximately $60-70 million. Cambodia and Vietnam alone account for approximately two-thirds of the Mekong regions total annual flood damage.

"We see the utmost importance of providing timely and reliable information on water levels to Mekong countries and communities exposed to flood and drought and an ever changing climate so that they can take action in time to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare an effective response," said Anoulak Kittikhoun, MRCS chief strategy and partnership officer, as cited in the statement.

Recent studies by the Mekong River Commission have shown that drought in the lower Mekong basin has increased in frequency and severity in recent decades. Water levels in the river also hit a critical low during summer last year, the commission stated in July 2019.

Unseasonably low rainfall, weak water output from upstream areas caused by maintenance work at the Jinghong hydropower dam in China, and severe drought in several Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, last summer had led to massive declines in water levels and severely disrupted the lives of millions who depend on the river for their livelihood, it said.
New Delhi: Star couple Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan have sent the internet into a meltdown with pictures from their Onam festivities. They touched down in Kochi right in time to celebrate Onam with Nayanthara's family. Pictures from the celebrations have been posted by Vignesh on social media. Both Nayanthara and Vignesh wore traditional white outfits and the actress looked radiant.

Onam wishes to all the lovely people around. Lets find reasons to be happy and enhance them with hope amidst this pandemic thats the only way to invite a smile on everyones faces, Vignesh wrote while sharing a set of loved-up pictures of the couple.

Here are some more pictures from Nayanthara and Vigneshs Onam festivities that have taken over the internet.

Nayanthara and Vignesh took a private jet from Chennai to reach Kochi. The filmmaker revealed that the couple came out of their home after "8 months of hibernation".

Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan fell in love during the shooting of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. They have been together for five years.

On the work front, they are currently working together on Netrikann, produced by Vignesh. She was last seen opposite superstar Rajinikanth in Darbar.
The Michigan agency in charge of monitoring, investigating and ensuring workplace safety says the number of complaints have boomed exponentially amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Based on the criteria for reporting deaths, injuries and serious illness to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), those investigations are likewise expected to experience a surge.

Typically, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) investigates 200 to 240 complaints per month, in line with what the agency received in January and February of this year, MIOSHA spokesperson Camara Lewis said, but those figures skyrocketed in March.

The number of incoming complaints has increased to over 200 per week for the last several weeks, Lewis said Monday, Aug. 31. Just to put this in perspective, MIOSHA has received more complaints this year since March, than were received in 2018 and 2019 combined.

Of the nearly 5,800 complaints this year, the greatest number, 1,312 or 23%, have occurred in the manufacturing industry, followed by retail, 16%; hospitality and food service, 14%; and health care and social assistance, 14%.

The greatest number of weekly complaints, 476, were reported during the third week of July between July 13 and July 17. MIOSHA issued a press release on July 13 that contained a complaint hotline number, which may partially account for the spike, Lewis said.

Complaints by month:

January: 210

February: 222

March: 938

April: 1,038

May: 758

June: 770

July: 1,503

August: 766

When it comes to death and serious injury or illness investigation, MIOSHA typically investigates accidents clearly connected to the job.

On Feb. 13, a 59-year-old sawmill laborer in Fairview was killed when his clothes became tangled in a debarking machine; a 42-year-old mechanic died March 13 after a car he was changing the oil on lurched forward and pinned him against a toolbox; and a 23-year-old volunteer firefighter in Gwinn lost his life also on March 13 after falling through the floor of a three-story home during a fire fight.

Of late, the death investigations are a little different. MIOSHA last week reported three new confirmed worker deaths, the 15th, 16th, and 17th of the year. All were COVID-19-related, categorized as other and involved victims who worked in Ann Arbor.

A 51-year-old public bus driver in Ann Arbor began experiencing symptoms while driving on March 16, called in sick the following day, was hospitalized March 22 and died on March 28, the same day his coronavirus test results were returned showing he was positive.

A 62-year-old clerk for a medical facility in Ann Arbor left work after experiencing symptoms on March 19. She never returned to work and died on March 29. The death certificate lists the manner of death as natural due to COVID-19, MIOSHAs preliminary report says.

A 77-year-old custodian was asymptomatic during his last day of work, March 27, but later tested positive, was immediately hospitalized and died on May 3.

In each of the Ann Arbor cases, the employer reported the death to MIOSHA.

MIOSHA has over 30 COVID-19 workplace fatalities that are in various stages of completion, Lewis told MLive. The three that have been released are the first that have been completed. More will be released as they are completed.

As of July, the Michigan Nurses Association reported over a dozen potential workplace deaths connected to hospitals; in the Michigan Department of Corrections, where more than 5,100 inmates and 450 correctional officers have contracted the virus, three guards have died; by late April, nearly 200 Detroit police officers or civilian employees had tested positive, including an officer, 911 dispatcher and volunteer chaplain who died. There have been publicized outbreaks among workers at farms, bars, restaurants, offices buildings and factories.

While the law requires reporting of any work-related serious illness that results in hospitalization to MIOSHA, the lag time and nature of contagious illness can lead to confusion regarding the employers obligation, said Nelson Miller, a professor of employer law at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and a former practicing attorney.

Anything requiring medical treatment beyond first-aid qualifies as reportable, Miller said. A few days off at home because of (an illness) contracted at work would also qualify.

I think employers are reluctant and able to claim that they need not report because of questions over whether the infection occurred in the course of work and work-related exposures ... So I think a lot of employers are sort of saying, you know what, we dont know.

Miller said some employers may be avoiding making reports to MIOSHA out of fear that they will face greater oversight, potential fines or other enforcement action.

He notes, however, that businesses found in violation for failing to report serious illness or death also face significant fines. Those generally range up to $7,000 but may be as high as $70,000 for repeat or willful violations.

Employers may also face misdemeanor charges that included fines of up to $500 and 90 days in jail for violating Gov. Gretchen Whitmers executive orders establishing guidelines for businesses to safely reopen.

I would advise that employers who are concerned that their employees may have contracted the disease ... go ahead and report, he said. That way youre not involved in any kind of additional violations, any kind of a cover-up and that information may be very helpful.

Miller said some employers are likely reporting to county health officials but they should be mindful of reporting to MIOSHA safety officials, as well.

MIOSHA reported 37 worker deaths in 2019 and youd think wed have many times that number already, Miller said.

It is the responsibility of the employer to determine if the COVID-19 death was contracted at work or not, and if so, report it to MIOSHA, Lewis said. MIOSHA reviews the employers rational behind the determination.

If MIOSHA is made aware of a potential COVID-19 related workplace fatality, an investigation is conducted to determine if the employer had the appropriate precautions in place at the time of the incident to protect their employees. If the investigation reveals appropriate precautions were not in place, a general duty citation may be issued.

An employer must report a death within eight hours of becoming aware of it, assuming the death is the result of a workplace contraction of the coronavirus, Lewis said.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued criteria to help employers determine whether an employee case of COVID-19 is work related.

This cannot be reduced to a ready formula, but certain types of evidence may weigh in favor of or against work-relatedness, OSHA said in a May 19 memo.

If several cases develop among workers without an alternative explanation; if the case develops shortly after lengthy, close exposure with a customer or coworker with a confirmed case; or if the employee has close contact with the public in a community with a coronavirus outbreak and there are no alternative explanation, the infection is likely work-related, OSHA said.

OSHA is tasked with investigating work-related deaths involving federal and some state government employees. It hasnt listed any coronavirus deaths this year. However, there is usually a six-month delay between the death or injury and completion of any investigation.

The federal safety agency has created worker exposure risk guidelines that identify greater risks based on the workers contact with the public, proximity to colleagues, or in the case healthcare and morgue workers, the most at-risk, the likelihood of coming into contact with airborne particles due to specimen collection or handling of the dead.

MIOSHA on Aug. 21 cited six businesses for failing to protect workers from the coronavirus, including:

United Shore Financial Services, LLC, based in Pontiac

UPS distribution facility based in Livonia, MI

Speedway, LLC, gas station and convenience store location based in Waterford, MI

Coops Iron Works, a fitness center based in Saginaw, MI

Dan Freed, a residential contractor based in Eaton Rapids, MI

Hills Roofing, LLC based in Niles, MI

The MIOSHA investigations determined that these six employers were clearly not taking the appropriate steps to protect employees and their communities from the spread of COVID-19, MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman said. These citations are meant to reiterate the employers duty. Precautions are necessary to establish and maintain a work environment where everyone can return home safe and healthy.

MIOSHA does not require businesses to report common illnesses, such as a cold or the flu, regardless of whether they result in death or serious illness.

The agency has published guidelines for businesses and employees to follow as businesses across the state reopen.

Any workplace safety complaints or death, injury or illness reporting may be made made to MIOSHA, 855-723-3219 or via the agency website.

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:

These 100 Michigan schools will start the year with remote learning

Laid-off Portage teachers recalled, middle school sports reinstated amid better budget outlook

These are the pros and cons for Michigan parents still looking at education options for the fall

Grand Valley students moving back to campus amid pandemic excited to be here while it lasts

First day of school looks much different this year in Jackson Public Schools
Reliance Industries' $3.38 billion deal to acquire Future Group's retail business pitches the conglomerate as an even more formidable force in India, making its retail arm more attractive to the potential investors it seeks to woo. The oil-to-telecoms group controlled by India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, announced late on Saturday that it will acquire Future Group's retail and wholesale business as well as its logistics and warehousing operations. The acquisition of Future Group's 2,000 retail stores and Big Bazaar grocery chain will help Reliance, which sells ...
In this 2014 file photograph, a small bottle of the opiate overdose treatment drug, naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, is displayed at the South Jersey AIDS Alliance in Atlantic City, N.J. It is becoming easier for friends and family of heroin users or patients abusing strong prescription painkillers to get access to naloxone, a powerful, life-saving antidote, as state lawmakers loosen restrictions on the medicine to fight a growing epidemic.
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of DAE Funding LLC

Global Credit Research - 31 Aug 2020

New York, August 31, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of DAE Funding LLC and other ratings that are associated with the same analytical unit. The review was conducted through a portfolio review in which Moody's reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), recent developments, and a comparison of the financial and operating profile to similarly rated peers. The review did not involve a rating committee. Since 1 January 2019, Moody's practice has been to issue a press release following each periodic review to announce its completion.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future. Credit ratings and outlook/review status cannot be changed in a portfolio review and hence are not impacted by this announcement. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Key rating considerations are summarized below.

The Baa3 long-term senior unsecured rating of DAE Funding LLC, a subsidiary of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Ltd ("DAE"), reflects DAE's better-than-peer average liquidity strength, disciplined risk management processes, and its unique access to capital and customers in the United Arab Emirates (Aa2) that differentiates the company's business proposition versus competitors. Moody's estimates that DAE's liquidity provides two year's coverage of cash requirements as of 30 June 2020, reflecting strong cash balances and available borrowing commitments, manageable debt maturities and absence of material aircraft purchase commitments. DAE's aircraft fleet is balanced by model and type and features average age and remaining lease term comparable to rated peer median. DAE's credit profile is challenged by Moody's expectations of a more extended and weaker recovery in air travel following the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic that results in higher risks to earnings, cash flow, liquidity and capital positions, which could weaken the company's credit profile for an extended period. Moody's placed DAE's ratings on review for downgrade on 1 June 2020.

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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 Finance Companies Methodology published in November 2019. Please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

This announcement applies only to EU rated and EU endorsed ratings. Non EU rated and non EU endorsed ratings may be referenced above to the extent necessary, if they are part of the same analytical unit.

This publication does not announce a credit rating action. For any credit ratings referenced in this publication, please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for the most updated credit rating action information and rating history.

Mark L. Wasden VP - Senior Credit Officer Financial Institutions 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 Ana Arsov MD - Financial Institutions Financial Institutions 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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Local News

By Ls Cohen Published: September 01 2020

Rescued six passengers from a sinking boat last month.

When the crew of the Fireball in the Fire Island ferry fleet came upon a sinking boat in the Great South Bay last month the crew sprung into action using its training to help rescue the six passengers onboard.

Captain Luke Kaufman and deckhands Anthony Celano and Kayla Brabender were honored for their heroism last week by Islip Town officials including Supervisor Angie Carpenter, Town Councilman John Cochrane, Jr., joined New York State Senator Phil Boyle and members of the US Coast Guard. It was noted in a press release about the ceremony that deckhand Kayla Brabender had just completed her training two days prior to the rescue.

"We train for this all the time. I am glad that we could have been there at that particular moment, because I think had we not come upon that scene when we did, there probably would have been a different outcome," said Fireball Captain Luke Kaufman.

Carpenter expressed her gratitude for the crew.

To Dave Anderson and his incredible team, we thank you for what you do each and every day," she said.

Kaufman added that it was only 15 minutes from the time ferry personnel responded to the distressed passengers to when they were safely returned to shore by the US Coast Guard.
Top executives of China's leading state-owned banks dampened hopes of a quick recovery, saying they expect their second-half net profits to continue to be weighed down by mounting sour loans despite the economy making a steady recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The mainland's five leading commercial banks reported their maiden decline in profitability since the global financial crisis, which was due primarily to higher provisioning for bad loans. This is despite China's gross domestic product rebounding 3.2 per cent in the second quarter, from the 6.8 per cent contraction seen in the first quarter.

Analysts expect Chinese banks' profitability to come under pressure for a variety of reasons, ranging from weak consumer sentiment to geopolitical tensions. The stock markets in Hong Kong and the mainland fell on Monday amid concerns over banks' outlook.

"The coronavirus is the biggest black swan [the banking sector has seen]," Jin Yanmin, chief risk officer at China Construction Bank, said during the bank's results briefing on Monday. "As the global economy is in the middle of an adjustment, going forward [more] non-performing loans will be reported next year" as the government and central bank end economic stimulus measures, affecting corporate borrowers further.

China Construction Bank reported a net profit of 137.63 billion yuan, a 10.7 per cent from 154.19 billion yuan a year ago.

Loan loss provisioning rose 49 per cent from a year ago to 111.38 billion yuan. CCB's non-performing loan ratio rose to 1.49 per cent from 1.42 per cent at the end of December.

First half net profit at Agricultural Bank of China dropped 10.4 per cent to 108.83 billion yuan, from 121.45 billion yuan.

The bank's president Zhang Qingsong quashed any expectations of a quick rebound, saying that the lender plans to stringently increase loan-loss provisioning during the second half. "In a complicated external environment, combined with measures to counter the impact from the pandemic, it's inevitable that our net profit would be pressured," he said.

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Agricultural Bank of China's loan loss provision during the first half rose 35 per cent, reaching 99.12 billion yuan from 73.48 billion yuan a year ago.

Bank of Communications' net profit dropped 14.6 per cent to 36.51 billion yuan, from 42.75 billion yuan. Its NPL ratio rose to 1.68 per cent, from 1.47 per cent at the end of December.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world's largest lender by assets, earned 148.8 billion yuan in the first half, down 11.4 per cent on year. The bank's NPL ratio rose to 1.5 per cent by the end of June, compared to 1.43 per cent three months earlier.

China's top banks, including China Construction Bank, have increased bad loan provisions. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=China's top banks, including China Construction Bank, have increased bad loan provisions. Photo: EPA-EFE

Bank of China said its net income plunged 11.5 per cent to 100.9 billion yuan between January and June. Its bad-loan ratio remained unchanged from the first quarter, standing at 1.42 per cent on June 30, but it was 0.05 percentage point higher than the end of last year.

Overall, Chinese banks reported a 9.4 per cent fall in first-half earnings at 1 trillion yuan, according to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. By the end of the June, the average NPL ratio for commercial banks hit 1.94 per cent, the highest since 2009.

Beijing has required banks to sacrifice as much as 1.5 trillion yuan in profits this year to finance cheap loans, cut fees, defer loan repayments and grant more unsecured loans to help small businesses survive the downturn caused by the coronavirus lockdown.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
In recent weeks, several of the states most powerful chief executives have felt compelled to speak out in response to the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement and nationwide protests sparked by the killings of Black Americans.

At the same time, a number of them have committed to new efforts aimed at recruiting more diverse groups of leadership candidates, in addition to better supporting the advancement of people of color in their own organizations.

Whether those efforts produce actual change will be revealed over time. The dearth of diversity in the top floors is not new. Experts say it is not a problem that will be quickly solved.

Were dealing with literally decades of white privilege in American corporations  and its hard to break through that privilege, said Fred McKinney, a professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at Quinnipiac University and a member of the states Minority Business Initiative Advisory Board.

Similar initiatives in past years have yielded modest results, contributing to generations of racial homogeneity in executive echelons, experts said.

If you dont have a pipeline of Black professionals and executives coming up in a company, it shouldnt surprise anybody that the top person is a white man, McKinney said.

Scant diversity at the top

Twenty-five of the companies on this years Fortune 1,000 list of the largest publicly traded firms in the country are headquartered in Connecticut.

Their names will be familiar to anyone who follows the markets or business news.

Something else about them will likely ring familiar as well: They are primarily led by white men.

In that they are no different than most other large companies in the U.S. Business Insider reported in July that only three Fortune 500 companies in the country have a Black CEO  a total equal to only 0.6 percent of the chief executives in that group. In comparison, 13 percent of the national population is Black, according to the most recent Census data.

In Connecticut, a couple of Fortune 1,000 firms have diversified their top positions.

Norwalk-based Frontier Communications is led by Bernie Han, who is Asian-American. He was hired as CEO last December, having held a number of senior-level roles at Dish Network in the past decade.

Frontier did not make Han available for an interview, but it provided a statement from him.

At Frontier Communications, our leadership embraces diversity because we recognize a culture of inclusion is critical to achieving business goals and building a stronger organization, Han said.

/ CMG

Stamford-based Synchronys Margaret Keane is the rare woman among the CEOs of the states Fortune 1,000 organizations.

Frequently interviewed about the significance of being a woman who leads a Fortune 500 company, Keane has not shied away from speaking publicly about Synchronys response to the events of the past few months.

Our country is awakening to the need to meaningfully address racial injustice and equality, Keane said on an earnings call in July.

Hearst Connecticut Media reached out to all of the states Fortune 1,000 companies for this article. More than half did not respond or declined to comment.

Mixed results

Diversity and inclusion strategies have yielded gains at some companies. Data provided by Synchrony and Bloomfield-based Cigna, for instance, show that their workforces racial and ethnic demographics are in line with state and national rates.

Those firms and a number of others in Connecticuts Fortune 1,000 cohort have earned accolades for their efforts to diversify their workplaces.

Rhonda Nesmith Crichlow, who was hired in 2016 as Stamford-based Charter Communications chief diversity officer, said the firm in the past few years has made substantial strides advancing diversity and inclusion.

That includes improving diverse representation at our senior leadership levels beyond the executives who appear on our website, Crichlow said. We recognize there is more work to do, and we remain committed to furthering our progress.

But a number of HR experts also see a long road ahead for programs aimed at making executive ranks more heterogeneous.

When you look at all these very successful firms and very little diversity at the top, that, to me, is indicative of a lack of execution in the last five years, 10 years to ensure that their population had a level of diversity, said David Lewis, founder and CEO of Norwalk-based HR services firm Operations Inc. The only organizations that you could cut some slack for would be ones who could show that they did cultivate a good population of diverse candidates, but before those people were tapped to make it to the top position in a division or in a company, some other company came knocking and poached them away.

Crichlow and her counterpart at Cigna, as well as other executives interviewed for this article said the largely white composition of their companies most senior positions is not symptomatic of discrimination or bias against minority employees.

There are so many factors that go into it  from whats the job and whats the availability of talent, said Susan Stith, Cignas vice president of diversity, inclusion and civic affairs.

Mary Butkus / Mary Butkus

Others offer different assessments. Black employees in the corporate sector often feel marginalized and overlooked and encounter subtle racism, according to Guy Fortt, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples Stamford branch.

Many Black professionals say its harder for Black employees to move up the ladder, while white professionals dont realize how different the workplace is for Black professionals and how much harder it is for them, Fortt said.

Pledging to make changes

Acknowledging that their workforces are still not diverse enough, a number of the states Fortune 1,000 firms have rolled out new initiatives in the past few months.

In July, Cigna announced the launch of its Building Equity and Equality Program, a five-year undertaking that executives said would expand and accelerate the companys efforts to support diversity, inclusion and equality for communities of color.

Among the changes, Stith cited the implementation of diverse candidate slates. Such a practice would help to address the gap between the 34 percent of all Cigna employees who are ethnic minorities and the 10 percent representation for that group among executive/senior officials and managers.

Diverse candidate slates will focus on how do we bring into the interview process more diversity, Stith said. We will look at that within a certain level in the organization, and that becomes our pipeline to build to those more senior ranks because youve got to start somewhere.

Synchrony recently formed a senior-level committee to focus on diversity and equality issues across all areas of its business.

We were very focused coming into this year on Black and Hispanic leadership. And particularly Black.  because we dont have enough, Keane said in an interview with Time . Were doing a lot of soul-searching  We get all these awards (and could say) were great. But, like, lets look at the numbers on some of these things and how we make a difference. We have to double down on all this right now.

Anthony Collins Photography 2019 / CMG

Other Connecticut-based Fortune 1,000 companies that have recently signaled that they would do more to tackle racial inequality inside and outside their organizations include Hartford-based The Hartford, Stamford-based Pitney Bowes, Stamford-based United Rentals, New Britain-based Stanley Black & Decker, Norwalk-based Xerox and Norwalk-based Booking Holdings.

Longstanding work

Signaling the growing focus on diversity, a number of Fortune 1,000 firms in the state and country have appointed chief diversity officers in the past few years.

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Charter, Cigna and Synchrony, Greenwich-based XPO Logistics in July named one of its top HR executives, LaQuenta Jacobs, as its first chief diversity officer. She is not related to the companys CEO, Bradley Jacobs.

HR executives see diversity efforts as necessary to supporting employees well-being and catalysts for critical thinking and a broader range of perspectives in the workplace.

Im an African-American woman, Im a certain age and grew up in a certain community, Stith said. Thats part of who I am  but there is so much more. ... The other part of the reality is that people make decisions about where they work by your diversity and also how inclusive you are.

Many firms also see their employee diversity as vital to forging strong customer relationships.

We have to understand our customers and relate to them and understand their perspective, said Craig Pintoff, United Rentals chief administrative officer. Doing that through a diverse workforce is one method. Thats part of the customer service and respect of the communities we serve.

Staying the course

If companies commit to their new programs, executives said those initiatives could make a major impact.

This is a movement, not a moment, Stith said. Were showing that theres momentum behind the words that we say. These are not just words; these are real actions. And were going to show our employees and our external clients and customer stakeholders exactly what we mean when we say those words.

HR experts such as Lewis caution that it could take considerable time to see real results.

Itll take five years for you to be able to look at this, Lewis said. If you see that there is a greater level of diversity in that (executive) population  visually, perception wise and in reality  I would then argue, at that point, thats demonstrative of actions that came as a result of (the response to the death of) George Floyd.

Nationwide demographic forces could also drive change when todays youth move into the workforce.

White students accounted for slightly less than half of the population in public elementary and secondary schools, while Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander pupils shares have increased in recent years to, respectively, 27 percent and 6 percent, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Black students comprised 15 percent of the total, down slightly from their percentage in 2000.

Im optimistic about the beliefs, understanding and experience of young Americans  white, Black, brown and Asian Americans, said Quinnipiacs McKinney. They realize that the best positions in American corporations should not be reserved for white men and that these corporations can do better.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
The Australian housing market's decline is slowing. Images: Getty

Australias housing market dipped 0.4 per cent in August as capital city markets began to diverge, with three recording an increase in prices.

Melbourne fell the furthest, down 1.2 per cent as the citys coronavirus lockdown set in, while Sydney fell 0.5 per cent and Brisbane 0.1 per cent.

Adelaide and Perth didnt change in value, while Hobart values increased 0.1 per cent, Canberra increased 0.5 per cent in value and Darwin home values soared 1.0 per cent higher.

This marks the fourth consecutive monthly value fall across the Australian housing market.

CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless said Melbournes figures demonstrate the impact of the worser viral outbreak, together with the fallout from stalled international migration. Since Covid-19 hit Australia, Melbournes home values have sunk 4.6 per cent.

Image: CoreLogic

Continuing, Lawless said the other cities figures show how housing markets are linked with social distancing rules and border policies.

[These policies] have a direct effect on labour market conditions and sentiment. Its not surprising to see Melbourne as the weakest housing market considering the extent of the virus outbreak, and subsequent restrictions, which have weakened the economic performance of Victoria, Lawless said.

Looking forward we are likely to see a diverse outcome for housing markets around Australia, depending on how well the virus is contained and the regions exposure to other factors such as its reliance on overseas migration as a source of housing demand.

Regional markets have held up better than their capital city markets, with no change in values recorded over August. Similarly, while capital city markets were down 2.1 per cent over the quarter, regional markets moved only 0.2 per cent lower.

Lawless said the different support factors are at play, with regional markets not as heavily influenced by international migration.

Story continues

Regional markets may also be appealing for their relatively low density and lower price points. The normalisation of remote work through the pandemic could make proximity to major cities less of a factor in home purchasing decisions.

But a catalyst could be on its way for the Australian property market

While Lawless said Augusts figures represent a slowing in the decline and improvement in some markets, challenges lie ahead.

Through the Covid-19 pandemic to-date, active listing numbers have remained extremely low, demonstrating both a lower than average amount of fresh stock being added to the market, and a strong rate of absorption. So far there has been no evidence of urgent or distressed listings starting to pile up, Lawless said.

This could potentially change however as fiscal support starts to taper at the end of September and distressed borrowers taking a repayment holiday reach their six month check-in period around the same time.

JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments are due to reduce in size from late September, with ANU analysis warning this will tip 740,000 Australians into poverty.

The timing of these two events could be the catalyst for a gradual rise in distressed listings which will be an important trend to monitor, Lawless said.

If we do see active listing numbers rising to be higher than previous years, it could signal that vendors will need to offer up greater discounts in order to sell their home.

The Reserve Bank of Australia will hold its monthly board meeting today, ahead of the June quarters National Accounts figures on Wednesday.

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Bharti Airtel share price rose over 6% today after the Supreme Court allowed telcos 10 years to make staggered payment of the pending AGR dues. Share price of Bharti Airtel gained 6.37% to Rs 546.7 against previous close of Rs 513.95.

However, stock of another telco Vodafone Idea slipped 24.53% to Rs 7.69 on BSE as the firm expected period of 15 years for payment of dues.

The apex court said telecom companies have to pay 10 per cent of total pending dues upfront and can't default on the annual payments. Airtel's AGR dues stood at Rs 43,980 crore, of which the telco has paid Rs 18,000 crore. Vodafone Idea still owes more than Rs 50,000 crore to the Centre in AGR dues.

Vodafone Idea had sought 15 years to pay its AGR dues, including spectrum usage charge, license fee, interest, penalty, and interest on penalty.

AGR case Live Updates: SC allows telcos 10 years for payment of dues

Jaikishan Parmar, Sr. Equity Research Analyst at Angel Broking said,"Banks with exposure towards Vodafone Idea corrected as street was expecting 15 or 20 years of staggered payment. We could see some pressure in the near term in select banks with exposure to Vodafone Idea as staggered payment allowed for 10 years instead of company /Government demanded 15/20 years. And investors will be in wait and watch mode as tomorrow SC will also give hearing on interest charged on the interest component for the moratorium."

The court said if telcos default on the annual AGR installment, interest would accrue and it may also invite contempt of court.

Abhimanyu Sofat, Head of Research, IIFL Securities Ltd said, "The judgement is a relief for Bharti Airtel as they won't have to pay for old dues of companies from whom they bought spectrum. The window for vodafone to raise funds, have better models and give paybacks commitment is small which is adding the pressure on the stock. "

Share Market News Live: Sensex rises 200 points, Nifty at 11,490; Eicher Motors, NTPC, Nestle top gainers

Stocks in news: Biocon, Morepen Labs, Edelweiss, L&T, Bharat Dynamics

By Aseem Thapliyal
One of the most famous defenders of the Amazon rainforest, indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire, has been hospitalized with Covid-19 but is "well and stable," the institute he founded said Monday.

One of the most famous defenders of the Amazon rainforest, indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire, has been hospitalized with Covid-19 but is "well and stable," the institute he founded said Monday.

The latest health scare for the 90-year-old chief came just over a month after he was released from the hospital for gastric ulcers and a series of other issues.

Known for his colorful feather headdresses and the large disc inserted in his lower lip, Raoni, a chief of the Kayapo people in north-central Brazil, has traveled the world raising awareness of the threat posed by destruction of the world's biggest rainforest.

Raoni was admitted Friday to the Dois Pinheiros hospital in the city of Sinop, a hospital source told AFP.

"Chief Raoni's family only authorized us to inform about his health after the medical staff confirmed Raoni is well and not at risk. He should be discharged soon," said the Raoni Institute, created in 2001 to defend the Amazon.

"Nevertheless, his advanced age (requires) care and he will be monitored by his medical team until he is completely recovered," it said in a statement.

Raoni's health began to decline after he lost his wife of more than 60 years, Bekwyjka, who died in June after a stroke.

The chief had signs of pneumonia, but is now free of fever and breathing normally, without supplemental oxygen, the institute said.

Raoni has clashed with President Jair Bolsonaro, who has accused him of taking money from foreign interests to criticize Brazil's environmental policies.

The far-right president has faced condemnation from environmentalists and the international community for presiding over a surge in deforestation and calling for protected Amazon lands to be opened to mining and agriculture.

Story continues

Raoni for his part told AFP in a June interview that Bolsonaro was using the coronavirus pandemic to eradicate his people.

Covid-19 has hit especially hard among indigenous groups in the Amazon, who have a history of vulnerability to outside diseases.

In Brazil, 28,815 indigenous people have been infected by the new coronavirus, and 757 have died, according to the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples' Association (APIB).

Another prominent indigenous chief in Brazil, Aritana Yawalapiti, died of complications of Covid-19 earlier this month aged 71.
Washington state law enforcement officials and volunteers are frantically searching for a pregnant woman who disappeared a week ago on the eve of her first ultrasound appointment.

Kassandra Cantrell, 33, was last seen in Tacoma on August 25. Her car was found abandoned on Friday.

The search for the mother-to-be took an alarming turned on Monday night, when the Pierce County Sheriff's Department's SWAT team served a search warrant at the home of Cantrell's ex-boyfriend off of K Street.

Scroll down for video

Where is Kassandra? Officials in Washington state are frantically looking for Kassandra Cantrell, 33, who has been missing for a week. She is three months pregnant

SWAT officers on Monday night served a search warrant at the Tacoma home (pictured) of Cantrell's ex-boyfriend

As of Tuesday morning, no arrests have been announced, Q13 reported.

According to Cantrell's family, the 33-year-old is three months pregnant with her first child.

She was scheduled to have her first ultrasound appointment last Wednesday, but she never made it to the doctor's office, prompting her family to report her as missing.

Cantrell's mother, Marie Smith, recalled the last time she spoke to her daughter on the phone.

'She said, "love you." I said, "I love you too,"' the woman recalled to KING5.

On Friday, officers found Cantrell's Mazda sedan abandoned near the Tacoma Dome

Cantrell's mother, Marie Smith (left), broke down in tears talking about her daughter's disappearance

Smith said her daughter was excited about her unexpected pregnancy and has already picked out names for a boy and a girl, in the event she was having twins like her mother had, according to KIRO7.

Cantrell was last seen at 8.30am last Tuesday driving away from her home in Parkland, possibly en route to a grocery store. but investigators said her financial accounts have been dormant.

Her phone last pinged at around 1pm that day in the vicinity of Point Defiance Park before being turned off, or losing charge.

Three days after Cantrell's last sighting, her 2014 white Mazda 3 sedan was found underneath the overpass to Highway 705 near the Tacoma Dome, about 10 miles from her home.

Cantrell was scheduled to have her first ultrasound on August 26 but never made it. Her phone last pinged at 1pm on August 25; her financial accounts have been dormant for a week

'It doesn't make any sense where the car was found. There's nothing in that area that she would have been going to,' said Smith.

Friends and family spent the better part of Sunday searching for Cantrell in Point Defiance Park, but their efforts failed to turn up any clues.

Her family say Cantrell would not have left without telling anyone, especially without her two dogs

Her mother said Cantrell would not have just taken off without telling anyone, especially without her two beloved chihuahuas.

'What I hope, worst-case scenario, is that maybe she was carjacked and shes just hurt somewhere.' Smith said.

But the mother expressed concern that the father of her daughter's unborn baby might be involved.

'I wouldnt have suspected him if he wasnt the father,' said Smith. 'But he has a girlfriend so I dont know what that might, you know, what that might have triggered.'

Smith appealed directly to anyone who may be holding her daughter against her will, pleading with them to let her go, reported KOMO News. She also begged witnesses who may have seen Cantrell to come forward.

Cantrell is described as being 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighing 180lbs with brown hair.
A childcare worker who allegedly 'forcibly' shook a five-year-old boy after he threw toys over a fence told his boss he was only defending himself, a court has heard.

Kyong Shik Choi, 46, appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday after allegedly assaulting the child at the Blinky Bill Early Learning Centre in Canberras south last week.

The court heard Choi, who has since been fired, pushed the boy down, grabbed him by the collar and shook him against a fence, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Canberra childcare worker Kyong Shik Choi was charged with assault and fired from the Blinky Bill Early Learning Centre (pictured) after allegedly shaking a five-year-old boy against a fence

Documents tendered to the court allege the boy hit the father-of-one in the face with a nearby mat.

In an interview with police the alleged victim said he was 'sad' and 'angry'.

The incident was witnessed by a member of the public who called out for Mr Choi to stop before reporting him to the supervisor, the court heard.

The court was told Choi told his boss he agreed his behaviour was inappropriate but he was defending himself after the boy had kicked and spat at him, ABC News reported.

Mr Choi, originally from South Korea, was charged with common assault and released on bail to reappear before the ACT Magistrates Court later this month.
President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter To Nguyen Phu Trong, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

"Dear Mister President,

I convey my sincerest congratulations to you and your entire people on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of independence of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The relations between Azerbaijan and Vietnam enjoy rich history and good traditions. Our expanding political, economic, and cultural bonds, mutually beneficial cooperation are among those factors that ensure the dynamic development of our bilateral ties.

I believe that the current high level of our interstate relations will be a strong foundation for further broadening our cooperation in all areas.

On this pleasant day, I wish you good health, happiness, success in your work, and everlasting prosperity and welfare to the friendly people of Vietnam," the head of state wrote.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
A 54-year-old man was killed and a police K-9 injured during a shootout following a traffic stop in Chilton County.

Sheriff John Shearon on Tuesday chronicled the events that took place Monday afternoon in Thorsby that led to the death of Robert Earl Jackson. On at least two occasions in less than 45 minutes, the sheriff said, the convicted felon initiated the gunfire that was exchanged with lawmen.

The deadly shooting, the sheriff said, appears to be within departmental policy and Alabama law, but will still be investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation and later presented to a Chilton County grand jury.

Jacksons family, however, said they are devastated by their loved ones death and believe authorities targeted him and have done so for weeks. Were just tore up,' said Jacksons son, Jermale Phillips of Birmingham.

The incident began about 12:30 p.m. Monday when, said Thorsby Police Chief Rodney Barnett, an officer saw Jackson fail to yield the right of way to a pickup truck on Montgomery Avenue, and was almost struck by the struck.

Thats when officers attempted to pull over Jackson. As officers approached the vehicle, the driver produced a handgun and fired on the officers without conversation or warning,' Shearon said. The suspect then fled on foot in a construction site on Montgomery Avenue and continued to fire on officers as he fled.

Robert Jackson, 54, was shot to death Monday, Aug. 31, in Chilton County. Sheriff John Shearon and Thorsby Police Chief Rodney Barnett discussed the deadly shooting Tuesday.

Jackson, authorities said, then fled into a wooded area behind a construction site, continuing to fire at officers. Two Thorsby officers returned fire at Jackson.

Numerous law enforcement agencies responded to assist and established a perimeter around the wooded area. Thorsby police requested the sheriffs office Tactical Response Unit and the K-9 Unit. Shortly after 1 p.m., tactical deputies and the K-9, named Missile, entered the area where the suspect fled in an attempt to apprehend him and see if he was wounded and needed medical attention, the sheriff said.

A short distance inside the woods line, Missile located Jackson hiding behind a fallen tree. The suspect fired on the K-9, striking him in the torso. The suspect then fired on deputies. Two deputies returned fire, striking Jackson.

Shearon said a paramedic assigned to the Tactical Response Unit was part of the search team and immediately began treating the wounded Jackson. Unfortunately,' Shearon said, those life saving measures were unsuccessful, and the suspect died at the scene.

The sheriff said a handgun was recovered and investigators determined the weapon had been stolen in June.

Missile was transported to a local veterinarian where he is expected to recover. No other law enforcement officers were injured.

But for the K-9 locating the suspect and drawing fire,' Shearon said, deputies would have very likely have walked into an ambush where the suspect was hiding behind a tree. "

The dog took a hit and the vet said another half inch and the dog would have been killed,' Shearon said. The dog saved the lives of officers yesterday. Theres no doubt about that.

Shearon said the slain suspect had a lengthy criminal history. Jackson has an extensive criminal history involving numerous violent crimes, use of firearms and drug offenses. He has multiple felony convictions for attempted murder, robbery, possession of meth,' he said. He was also currently on bond for various charges out of Chilton County including possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine, certain persons forbidden from possessing a firearm, resisting arrest, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Shearon said all of the officers and deputies involved in the shooting are veteran law enforcement officers. Though he did not name the officer, he said the two Thorsby officers involved are assigned to the patrol division, one with 15 years of experience and the other five years of experience.

Both deputies are sergeants assigned to the Special Operations and Criminal Investigations Division. One has 15 years of experience, and the other has 20 years of experience. One of the sergeants is also on the Tactical Response Unit and the other is a K-9 handler.

Based on the evidence and witness statements, we have no reason to believe any of the law enforcement officers involved acted outside of department policy or Alabama law,' Shearon said. We have every reason to believe they responded to Jacksons actions with justified use of deadly force in defense of themselves and other civilian workers present during the incident.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all thats been affected by this incident,' the sheriff said.

Robert Jackson, 54, was shot to death Monday, Aug. 31, in Chilton County. Sheriff John Shearon and Thorsby Police Chief Rodney Barnett discussed the deadly shooting Tuesday.

It is standard policy to have SBI conduct a separate investigation. Once that is complete, the findings will be presented to a Chilton County grand jury, likely sometime in 2021, said C.J. Robinson, chief assistant district attorney for the 19th Judicial Circuit which is made up of Chilton, Autauga and Elmore counties.

He said that will open when the investigation is done, and all of the physical evidence analyzed. The last thing we want to do is present a grand jury with something less than the whole story,' Robinson said.

Jacksons wife, as well as other family members, responded to Mondays scene. Phillips said his father had left home to renew his wifes vehicle tag.

Phillips said law enforcement officers have been targeting his father for weeks and beat him up two weeks ago. Shearon said that did not happen.

The family said they are determined to get to the bottom of what led to the deadly shooting and seek justice for Jackson. He was the best,' Phillips said. My dad was the type of person that wasnt going to let them beat him for no reason.

Theyve had it out for him,' Phillips said. He was getting ready to sue them. Theyve been picking at him, everybody knows that. They did exactly what they wanted to do.

He wasnt a bad guy, but he didnt take no crap off anybody either,' Phillips said. He wasnt going to let anybody hurt him.

You see how many Black men get shot by police,' he said. They just gunning us down out here.
Zante to Wales travellers told to self isolate to head off significant health and economic impacts

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2020

This evening the Welsh Government have effectively unilaterally added Zante to the previously UK agreed quarantine list.

In the last week the NHS Wales Test Trace Protect service has identified multiple separate clusters linked to the Greek island of Zante/Zakynthos which currently has no returning quarantine restrictions.

There are currently 6 clusters amounting to over 30 cases in the last week from 4 flights, of which 2 of these flights landed in England.

In a statement tonight the Health Minister Vaughan Gething has said,

There are concerns from our public health teams that the current advice and control measures for returning travellers are insufficient. Unfortunately our Consultants in Communicable Disease Control have several examples of Covid-19 positive travellers who have not self-isolated on return to Wales. That is a real concern for all of us. Public Health Wales have expressed direct concerns about the public health risk posed by passengers returning to Cardiff this evening from Zante/Zakynthos. I share that concern. It is almost certain that travellers returning to Wales from areas of higher Covid-19 incidence will lead to further seeding of infections within Wales. Travel into Wales from mainland Europe drove the first wave of Covid-19. Without action it is likely that there will be significant health and economic impacts arising from new clusters of infections and renewed disease transmission in Wales. I have therefore agreed the following actions: 1. All passengers on the flight from Zante/Zakynthos to Cardiff this evening will be given a letter before leaving the airport requesting that they self-isolate for 14 days due to the risk of unknowingly spreading Covid-19 to others. 2. All passengers will be offered a Covid-19 antigen test within 48 hours of their return and will be offered a repeat test 8 days after returning home. I am aware that travellers may be returning to Wales from Zante/Zakynthos this evening or tomorrow from other airports outside of Wales. I ask that these travellers self-isolate for 14 days on their return and request a test once they arrive home and to repeat the test 8 days after returning home. In addition, I have pressed for an early meeting with the UK government and devolved nations tomorrow to consider the latest assessment of risk by the Joint Biosecurity Centre. There is an obvious need for us to consider the potential for changes to the Regulations in Wales which would require travellers arriving in the UK from Greece and possibly elsewhere to self-isolate on their return.

The Health Minister has said it is a dynamic situation and said measures are subject to ongoing review.

Later this evening the Scottish government has announced quarantine restrictions will be imposed on people travelling from Greece to Scotland.
Burma Myanmar Authorities Hunt More Than 4,000 Returnees from Rakhine in COVID-19 Clampdown

The health authorities take a woman for quarantine in South Okkalapa Township, Yangon. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Yangon  More than 4,000 people who recently returned to Yangon from Rakhine State  which has become Myanmars COVID-19 hotspot  have yet to report to the authorities, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Around 5,300 people returned to Yangon from Rakhine State between Aug. 10 and Aug. 20 and only 757 of them have reported to the health authorities. They have been placed in quarantine along with some 800 people who returned to Yangon by bus or plane from Rakhine after Aug. 20, said Dr. Moh Moh Theingi of Yangon Region Health Department.

Many are not answering phone calls from the health authorities or have given incorrect numbers and thus could not be traced, she said.

We want them to isolate at home and contact us as soon as possible so that we can test them for coronavirus, she added.

Currently, the health authorities have only required those who returned to Yangon from Rakhine State between Aug. 10 and Aug. 20 to undergo quarantine at home and placed those who returned after Aug. 20 in isolation at hotels and quarantine centers.

The majority of infected patients are asymptomatic. The virus is detected only through lab tests. Even if you are fine with the virus, it is risky for elderly and sick people in your family, said Dr. Moh Moh Theingi.

So far around 800 out of the 1,600 people in quarantine have been tested, according to Yangons health department.

The health authorities checked the symptoms and, as I had none, they told me to undergo quarantine at home. They came and took my sample, said a photojournalist at a private daily newspaper who flew to Yangon from Rakhine State on Aug.16.

Ten transmissions were reported in Yangon this week, 14 people who returned from Rakhine tested positive for the virus and 194 people who came into contact with them are also being kept in quarantine.

The health ministry has formed a team to contact those who returned from Rakhine to Yangon.

It announced on Saturday that it would take legal action under the Disaster Management Law against those who fail to report to the health authorities.

As of Sept. 1, Myanmar has reported 887 COVID-19 cases with 354 recoveries.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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Fears Grow for IDPs in Myanmars Rakhine as COVID-19 Outbreak Disrupts Food, Health Services

Myanmar Police Station in Lockdown After Chief Fails COVID-19 Test
STEPHEN MATUREN/AFP via Getty ImagesBy KARMA ALLEN, ABC News



(KENOSHA, Wis.) -- Jacob Blake captured the attention of civil rights advocates around the world last week as cellphone video circulated of the 29-year-old man being shot seven times in the back by Wisconsin police in front of his children.



Blake's family said the shooting left him paralyzed from the waist down and doctors fear he may never walk again, adding to public outrage that had already caused days of civil unrest within his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin.



Several competing narratives have emerged in the wake of the shooting, including official accounts of the incident issued by Kenosha police and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the agency charged with investigating the shooting.



The Kenosha Professional Police Association claims Blake was armed with a knife and "forcefully fought" with the officers who tried to subdue him.



But those closest to Blake, including his parents, say Blake is a loving and devoted father who did not deserve what happened to him.



Three of his children -- ages 8, 5 and 3 -- witnessed the incident and were "absolutely devastated" in the wake of the shooting, Blake's attorney, Ben Crump, said. The oldest boy was celebrating his birthday when his father was shot, Crump said.

What investigators say occurred



The shooting occurred just after 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23, when Kenosha police officers responded to a reported domestic incident after a woman called saying, "Her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises," according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. The woman has not been identified.



A dispatcher named Blake in a police call, saying he had taken the complainant's keys and refused to leave. The dispatcher said Blake "isn't supposed to be there" and that she couldn't get more details because the complainant was "uncooperative," according to the agency, which is investigating the shooting.



Once on the scene, officers said they tried to arrest Blake and deployed a Taser in an unsuccessful attempt to detain him, the department said. Investigators said Blake walked to his vehicle, "opened the driver's side door, and leaned forward," before Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey fired seven shots into Blake's back, according to the agency.



No other officer fired their weapon. Investigators have not explained why officers moved to arrest Blake or why Sheskey fired so many times.



The agency said Blake told authorities that he had a knife in his possession. Investigators later recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of Blake's vehicle. The Wisconsin DOJ has not said whether Blake was holding that knife during his interaction with police.



All of the officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave.



A 20-second video of Blake's shooting, filmed by a bystander, has been viewed millions of times on social media. The video appeared to show three officers with their weapons drawn following Blake as he walked from the back of a vehicle to the driver's side. As Blake entered the driver's side of the car, Sheskey, who was hanging onto Blake's shirt, opened fire.

Fiance offers different account of shooting



Milwaukee ABC affiliate WISN-TV spoke to Blake's fiance, Laquisha Booker, who said two of their kids were sitting in the back of the car when Blake was shot by police. She claimed the officers threatened to shoot her as well.



"They didn't even know the kids were in the car, and I'm telling the woman cop, 'Can you please?' She said, 'Get back before I shoot you,' I'm like, 'Shoot me? My kids are in the car,'" Brooks said.



Referring to Blake's being shot, Brooks added, "It wasn't just one shot -- 'Let me just put you down for a little bit.' That man just literally grabbed him by his shirt and looked the other [expletive] way and was just shooting him with the kids in the back screaming. Screaming! While I'm trying to fight this woman cop, saying, 'Let me get my kids out the car.' Her telling me no, they're handling it."



Booker told WISN she never called police and wasn't sure why they were there. She said her fiance wasn't armed and didn't own any guns or weapons.



"It doesn't make sense to treat someone like that," Booker told WISN.



Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who often takes on prominent cases and is representing the family, said Blake was helping to de-escalate a domestic incident when police drew their weapons and Tasered him. As Blake was walking away to check on his kids, the officers fired their weapons several times into his back at point blank range, according to Crump.



"We all watched the horrific video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back several times by Kenosha police. Even worse, his three sons witnessed their father collapse after being riddled with bullets," Crump said in a statement immediately after the shooting. "Their irresponsible, reckless, and inhumane actions nearly cost the life of a man who was simply trying to do the right thing by intervening in a domestic incident. It's a miracle he's still alive."



Crump said he believes Blake was racially profiled and nearly killed because he is Black.



"We will seek justice for Jacob Blake and for his family as we demand answers from the Kenosha Police Department," he added. "How many more of these tragic 'while Black' tragedies will it take until the racial profiling and undervaluing of Black lives by the police finally stops?"

A 'fun-loving' family man who adores his boys



Blake's uncle, Justin Blake, described his nephew as a "fighter" who was "fun-loving" and deeply in love with his young boys. He said his nephew had been comforting family members, telling them things were going to be okay, even as he fought for his life.



"Little Jake's been through a lot. He's in a lot of pain," Justin Blake told ABC News' Good Morning America. "His children are surrounded by family, we give them love showering them with love, and just trying to help them through this experience that was just brutal."



He said his nephew recently underwent surgery and was doing better, but he isn't "out of the woods yet."



His children have not been allowed to visit him yet, according to the family.



"You can only imagine the psychological problems that these babies are going to have for the rest of their lives," Crump said in an interview with Good Morning America on Tuesday. "They'll go through life and they'll think of this horrific scene that plays over and over in their mind."



"And this was the 8-year-old son's birthday. It will be very difficult for him to not remember this tragedy every time his birthday comes around," he added.



Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, said she raised her children and grandchildren to love and respect police officers, but now she fears they might grow to resent them.



"I can pray for my grandchildren as well as my children, but it puts a stumbling block in the process of trying to make sure they grow up without that hatred and that image," Jackson said in an interview with GMA.



About two weeks before the shooting, she said she introduced her 14-year-old grandson to a high-ranking police officer she admired in an effort to show him that some police officers are good people.



"We talked for a few minutes and my grandson was very impressed, we had a conversation. You need to know that not all police officers are bad. There's some good ones out there. Then a week or two later this happens to us all -- what do I say to him now?" Jackson said.



Teary-eyed, Jackson also revealed that she had gone to visit her son at the Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, just west of Milwaukee. When she arrived, the first thing he did was cry and tell her, "I'm sorry about all this."



"I asked him, 'Jacob, did you shoot yourself in the back?' He looked at me and he said, 'No.' I said, 'Then why are you sorry?' He says, 'Because I don't want to be a burden on anybody. I want to be with my children and I don't think I'm going to walk again, Mom,'" she said.



But even through his tears, he maintained his loving and compassionate demeanor, she said. When it came time for them to pray, she said her son stopped her and asked if the police officer in the room could join them.



"The three of us prayed together," she said.

Police union claims Blake 'forcefully fought' officers



The Kenosha Professional Police Association released a statement Friday, disputing some of the statements by the Wisconsin DOJ. It claimed Blake was armed with a knife and "forcefully fought" with the officers who tried to subdue him.



In this statement, attorney Brendan Matthews, representing the police union, says that officers were dispatched to the location by a complaint that Blake was attempting to steal the caller's keys and vehicle.



Wisconsin DOJ has previously said that officers were dispatched due to a call from a woman saying her boyfriend was not supposed to be on the premises.



There is an open warrant for Blake's arrest on sexual charges, although it has not been made public against whom. Matthews said officers were aware of the warrant before they arrived at the location. They said Blake was not breaking up a fight between two females as neighbors and family have said.



Matthews contends the silver SUV seen in the video is not Blake's car and that Blake was actually holding the knife in the video where he rounds the front of the car. He said Blake put one of the officers in a headlock at one point during an altercation.



"The purely fictional depiction of events coming from those without direct knowledge of what actually occurred is incredibly harmful, and provides no benefit to anyone whatsoever, other than to perpetuate a misleading narrative," Matthews said. "The lawyers for Mr. Blake, among others, have continued to provide false and misleading 'facts' to the public, in what can only be considered a ploy for attention and sympathy."



"Unfortunately, even the incident update from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation ('DCI') -- the agency charged with investigating the incident independently -- is riddled with incomplete information, and omits important details that would help to paint a more complete picture of the incident," he added.

Family, activists call for justice



A large crowd of protesters flocked to the scene immediately after the shooting, prompting local authorities to impose the citywide curfew. Officers were seen using tear gas on protesters who had gathered outside the Kenosha Police Department.



Police said they have received "numerous" calls in the wake of protests about armed robberies and shots fired in the city.



A day after the shooting, authorities announced the Kenosha County Courthouse and administration building will be closed for a day due to damage sustained during the previous night's civil unrest.



Kenosha city officials held a press conference Monday evening to update residents on the investigation, but its location had to be changed multiple times as protesters shouted in the background. The press conference was originally scheduled to be outside, but it was moved inside. Banging and shouting from protesters could still be heard, so it was then moved a third time, into an interior room.



At Tuesday's protest, two people were killed and a third was seriously wounded in a shooting when a counter-protester, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse from Antioch, Illinois, allegedly opened fire, police said. He was charged with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, two counts of recklessly endangering safety and one count of possession of a dangerous weapon.



Lin Wood, one of Rittenhouse's attorneys, said his client was acting in self-defense.

"From my standpoint, it's important that the message be clear to other Americans who are attacked that there will be legal resources available in the event false charges are brought against them," he said.

Rittenhouse's extradition hearing is set for Sept. 25.



The American Civil Liberties Union called for the immediate resignation of Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis and Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth in the wake of the civil unrest.



The ACLU claimed that Beth's deputies had "fraternized with white supremacist counter-protesters" and "allowed the shooter to leave as people yelled that he was the shooter." The ACLU further alleges that Miskinis "blamed the unidentified victims in Tuesday night's shooting for their own deaths."



"The ACLU strongly condemns Sheriff Beth and Police Chief Miskinis' response to both the attempted murder of Jacob Blake and the protests demanding justice for him," said Chris Ott, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. "Their actions uphold and defend white supremacy, while demonizing people who were murdered for exercising their First Amendment rights and speaking out against police violence."



Separately, Blake's family has also called for charges against the officers involved.



"We believe based on the evidence, based on that video, probable cause exists to arrest and charge the officers with attempt at murder," Crump told GMA earlier this week. "It should be no different than what happened at George Floyd's case - when you see such a lack of humanity and respect for the people that you're in charge of to protect and serve, why shouldn't you be held accountable? You shouldn't be above the law. That's the reason I think now we continue to have so many tragedies happening over and over again, as quick as we can keep up where there's another hashtag."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
"History does not repeat itself, but it sometimes rhymes" is a saying attributed to Mark Twain. He probably didn't pen it, but the writer would appreciate its wit and how much global affairs bellows the truth of something he did say: "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."

The heart's desire of most sane people is that somewhere in the world there is someone who actually knows what s/he is doing and has their best interests at heart. This is a tad optimistic.

In Australia part of the hope is close to the mark; most politicians do want to improve their community and attempt to do it guided by their own political lights. Their aspirations and cures might prove they have no idea what they are doing but their intentions are mostly good.

Politicians are maligned worldwide but ours, largely, are a fair reflection of the community: they can be honourable, courageous and inspired as well as deplorable, cowardly and dumb. Sometimes all at the same time. Like us. And, like us, they can be corrupted by power and the other forces that drive moral compasses off course.
Breaking the Internet often amounts to just another day at the office for Adele.

Yet when she got dressed up to celebrate Caribbean culture on what is traditionally known as the Notting Hill Carnival weekend, she could barely have predicted the online fallout. After a much-talked-about weight loss of seven stone, Adele donned a Jamaican bikini top, a carnival feather neckpiece and African bantu knots for the [cancelled] carnival celebration. "Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London," she tweeted, alongside emojis of the British and Jamaican flag.

Now, most of Adele's posts get a fair bit of attention; an occupational hazard of having nearly 40 million followers. One online faction praised the look and, recognising her as a true ally in terms of racial equality, lauded her celebration of Jamaican culture. However, another sizeable faction criticised the singer for cultural appropriation. Said one Twitter user in a widely shared post: "If 2020 couldn't get anymore bizarre, Adele is giving us Bantu knots and cultural appropriation that nobody asked for. This officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic. Hate to see it."

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Cultural appreciation - the honouring and respecting of a culture that's not yours - is completely fair game. When Kate Middleton, for instance, visited Pakistan, her wardrobe showed an acknowledgement of traditional clothing practices and dress codes. There was no doubting Middleton's desire to pay respect and gain understanding of the host country.

Cultural appropriation is a different, much more problematic, beast altogether. This is where a person adopts the customs, ideas and dress of another race or group of people. Often, it refers to a scenario in which a person from a more dominant or privileged society borrows/copies/steals/pays homage/delete where appropriate from another, often minority or repressed culture. Fashion is stuffed to the seams with designers borrowing from other cultures and modes of dress. In celebrity culture, where being a trailblazer is pretty much required for the job, stepping out of your comfort zone and experimenting with lesser-spotted looks is commonplace.

In her book Don't Touch My Hair, Irish-Nigerian writer/academic Emma Dabiri teased apart cultural appropriation by Kim Kardashian, Justin Beiber and Madonna. Writing about the European desire to strip black people of their cultural goods, she says: "The key to understanding what is and isn't appropriation requires an analysis of power." The powerful group "systematically extracts the cultural resources of a subordinate group, erasing the subordinate group's involvement in the process".

"There is no other group of people on Earth whose cultural production has the mass appeal of black culture yet is simultaneously derided and effectively repackaged and claimed by everybody else.

Video of the Day

"Sometimes it can feel as though black people are not allowed to keep anything (except seasoned food)".

You don't need to look far to find celebrities who have been accused of cultural appropriation. Sometimes they get a pass: when Selena Gomez donned a traditional bindi during a live performance, commentators noted that she was 'casting her vote for Team India'.

Cauvery Madhavan, a writer born in India and living in Kildare, has long noticed that several people 'borrow' their style from Indian culture.

"I have to say, I would look at it as 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'," she admits. "Most Indians get great pleasure out of seeing someone wanting to dress in saris.

"Having come from India and loving Ireland, I know that both countries have thrived on their cultures being appropriated. I must add a caveat though, because the brown experience is not the same as the black experience," Madhavan adds.

In cultural appropriation, the problems arise because many see the practice as inappropriate or disrespectful, a 'cherry picking' of certain trends or looks, often without acknowledging its original cultural meaning or historical significance. And, in a social climate where race relations in Europe and the US balance on a knife-edge, there is certainly reason for people's displeasure when people who have enjoyed white privilege their whole lives start to 'try on' new identities.

Amandla Stenberg released a video, 'Don't Cash Crop on My Cornrows', accusing artists like Katy Perry and Izzy Azalea of using black culture to become more edgy. Later, she criticised Kylie Jenner for allegedly embracing African-American aesthetic values without addressing the issues that affect the community.

UK-born actor Steve Hartland, who has lived in Dublin for 20 years, notes of these celebs: "It's a fashion statement. It's geared towards them looking right in front of a certain part of the public. You'd respect it if they as a people with money and power could help those who could do with a lift every now and again.

"There's a line I would draw - if someone [dressed a certain way] for comedy value, or to ridicule people, that would annoy me," Hartland adds. "Equally, when someone identifies as black and they don't have an ounce of black blood in them, that annoys me too."

Hartland notes that he wasn't offended at all by Adele's carnival celebration.

"I saw nothing wrong with it - she's going along with the craic," he notes. "It's only cultural misappropriation if you don't have respect for the culture and the people, but taking into context the timing, I'm reading 'I'm thinking of the Carnival at this time, and sharing it with you'."

Lawson Mpame, an Irish stylish and fashion blogger, also spotted Adele's picture with interest: "My first thought was 'Good on her', although I suspect I have an unpopular opinion compared to other black people," he says. "I did see a lot of Jamaican artists making positive comments [towards Adele].

"Notting Hill Carnival is one of the biggest days to celebrate Caribbean and African culture in the UK, and it's usually packed with people doing the same thing as Adele, and no one bats an eyelid."

Yet Mpame is more than aware of the sensitivities surrounding black culture. "My sister works as a lawyer in the UK and has had instances where people have called her natural hair 'unkempt' and that she should wear a wig at work," he observes.

"Black women all over the world have dealt with this, and all of a sudden celebrities have made it cool, or made it a fashion statement."

Mpame rightly theorises that much of the heat that Adele is catching for her latest look is a quirk of timing as much as anything else. "Covid has everyone on edge anyway, and in the US especially racial tensions have been reignited," he notes. "It's a weird time. Everyone is on edge and that's a huge part of the problem."
The Indian Army on Tuesday dismissed reports claiming 'infiltration attempt by Chinese Army along LAC in Ladakh's Chumar' as false. In a statement, the Army clarified that it was routine peacetime activities on China's side of the LAC and "the same cannot be inferred as an intrusion attempt".

"Reports of intrusion attempts by PLA in Chumar are NOT true. The activities mentioned in a tweet by a news agency were routine peacetime activities on their side of the LAC and the same cannot be inferred as an intrusion attempt," read the statement.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Tuesday stated that China had engaged in provocative action on August 31 along the LAC, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation. Addressing a media briefing, he said that due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts of the Chinese troops to unilaterally alter the status quo.

Srivastava also highlighted that the actions and behaviour of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the Line of Control (LAC) has been in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquillity on the border. "Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two Foreign Ministers as also the Special Representatives," he added.

He stated, "As you aware, India and China have been closely engaged through diplomatic and military channels over the past three months to resolve the situation along the India-China border. It would also be recalled that earlier the two Foreign Ministers and the two Special Representatives had agreed that the situation should be handled in a responsible manner and either side should not take any provocative action or escalate matters and ensure peace and tranquillity as per bilateral agreements and protocol.

The MEA Spokesperson added that the Chinese side has violated this understanding and engaged in provocative military manoeuvres in the late night of August 29-30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake. "As stated yesterday (Monday) by the Indian Army, the Indian side responded to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive measures along the LAC in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity. Furthermore, yesterday on 31st August, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo."

"We have taken up the matter of recent provocative and aggressive actions with the Chinese side through both diplomatic and military channels and have urged them to discipline and control their frontline troops from undertaking such provocative actions. The Indian side is firmly committed to resolving all outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector through peaceful dialogue. In this context, we expect the Chinese side to sincerely abide by the understanding reached earlier and earnestly work with India to resolve the situation and to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he added.
Nascimento Continues to Lead GGMaster POY Race

September 01, 2020

Were entering the final quarter of 2020 and the race for the $500,000 GGPoker sponsorship package is well and truly on.

The top 10 performers in the weekly GGMasters over the course of the year secure some fantastic prizes. Those finishing in second through 10th receive free tickets to every GGMasters tournament in 2021. The winner, however, walks away with a GG sponsorship package worth up to $500,000.

Brazils Ricardo Sambalele Nascimento is still the man to catch in this Player of the Year race. Nascimento has topped the leaderboard since the beginning of the year and doesnt look to be relinquishing his grip on top spot. The Brazilian has 1,903.80 points, a lead of 60 points from Canadas Luka Donkbet.

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Some of the chasing pack are new names from our previous GGMasters POY update. Germanys scrabbleking soared into third-place after winning the August 16 edition for a massive $90,735. That result means the German is only 69 points away from first-place.

JustaMortal finds themselves in fifth place courtesy of triumphing in the August 30 edition of the GGMasters. The Costa Rican outlasted 4,826-opponents to turn their $150 into $94,840.

Current GGMaster Player of the Year Top 10 (September 1, 2020)

Place Player Country Points 1 Ricardo Sambalele Nascimento Brazil 1,903.80 2 Luka Donkbet Canada 1,843.46 3 scrabbleking Germany 1,832.64 4 Marlon LeNeR tt Vasmann Brazil 1,722.06 5 JustaMortal Costa Rica 1,721.12 6 PraiaBrava Brazil 1,654.52 7 Interlace Turkey 1,640.97 8 BadReligion Brazil 1,637.42 9 Luiz NoodleMuncha Duarte Brazil 1,634.09 10 Vladas Vladiator13 Tamasauskas Lithuania 1,592.68

The GGMasters takes place at GGPoker every Sunday at 6:00 p.m. CEST and it has grown into one of the must-play online events. $150 is the buy-in for the GGMasters, unless you win your way in for a fraction of the cost via the many satellites running around the clock.

The GGMasters is a unique beast because there are no rebuys or re-entries permitted, youre gone once you bust. Its great to see such an impressive freezeout tournament on the online poker tournament schedule, especially because it comes with a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.

You earn Player of the Year leaderboard points each time you finish in the money places of the GGMasters. A points multiplier comes into place for reaching the final table and for winning that weeks event. With four months left of 2020, theres still plenty of time to get in on the action and see if you can reel in Nascimento from his lofty position.

Bryan "smbdySUCKme" Piccioli Leads 38 Players After WSOP Online Main Event Day 2

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Cheng Lei's family believed their daughter would never become a TV reporter in Australia.

It was the early 1990s and non-European faces were even rarer on our screens than today. In Melbourne, her father said she should become an accountant.

The family of news anchor Cheng Lei wanted their daughter to become an accountant. Credit: Getty Images

She took her family's advice, graduated from the University of Queensland and went on to Cadbury Schweppes and ExxonMobil in Melbourne. Busy, but not satisfied, the business analyst took a punt and went for an internship in Beijing well below her pay-grade, returning to a country she had left as a 10-year-old to pursue a career she did not think she could have in her adopted home.

"There are only boring people, no boring careers," she said in 2015. "Doing what you like is possible."
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will leave for Russia on September 2 (Wednesday) to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the ministry said on Tuesday. The Defence Minister will be on a three-day visit to Russia.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, it said, "Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will leave for Moscow tomorrow on a three day visit to Russia. He will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defence Ministers meeting during his visit."

Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh will leave for Moscow tomorrow on a three day visit to Russia. He will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defence Ministers meeting during his visit.    / RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) September 1, 2020

According to news agency PTI, the meeting is expected to deliberate on regional security scenario. Besides attending the SCO defence ministers' meeting, Singh will hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu and several other top military officials with an aim to expedite the implementation of several defence procurement programmes, officials told PTI.

The SCO defence ministers' meeting is taking place at a time when two of its member countries, India and China, are locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh. Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe is expected to attend the SCO meeting.

Asked about the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Singh and Wei on the sidelines of the SCO event, PTI sources said there is no such plan. It will be Singh's second visit to Moscow since June. He had represented India at the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on June 24 that commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Russia has also invited External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to attend the SCO foreign ministers' meeting on September 10. Singh will leave for India on the evening of September 5, they said.

Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for over three-and-half months. Indian Army on August 31 said the Chinese military carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong Lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops. The fresh confrontation has further escalated the tension along the LAC.
Five years ago, all doors to the future suddenly slammed in Hoang Thi Quyens face when her husband, the breadwinner of the family, died in an electrocution accident at work.

Representatives from Citi Foundation, Microfinance and Development Centre and the Hanoi Centre for Womens Development Support hand over personal protective and medical equipment support to health station in My Duc District's Hop Thanh Commune.

All the burdens of taking care for their two sick sons, including one bed-ridden, were placed upon her shoulders.

Now 37, Quyen and her children live with her parents-in-law and a grandparent-in-law who are in their 70s and 90s in a small house in An Tien Commune in the outskirts district of My Duc, some 50 kilometres from central Hanoi.

Quyen cannot work as she has to take care of her 15-year-old son who suffers from serious cerebral palsy and her eight-year-old boy who has Down syndrome.

Sometimes, I cannot sleep at all because my son is snivelling the whole night long, she said.

The familys income depends entirely on the State support of VND2 million (about US$90) per month for Quyen and her children, and sometimes on her parents-in-laws selling o, a fish caching tool made from bamboo. Making 100 o used to bring the family an extra VND1 million of income.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started in Vietnam, no one has come to buy our o anymore so we have lost that income source, Quyen said.

She said that sometimes when she ran out of money, she had to buy rice and food for the family on credit. Sometimes her son cried asking for milk or grilled pork but she had no money to spend.

On Wednesday, she was among 20 households in the commune that received food essentials, including 10 kilos of rice, instant noodles, cooking oil and sauce together with medical supplies including masks, mouthwash and hand sanitiser.

Even though those things are not expensive, they are the necessities that I and my family really need right now, Quyen said, adding that the rice would help feed her family for the next two months while the masks were of great value as she had wanted to buy them for the family before.

A woman in My Duc District's Xuy Xa Commune gets support to load the food aid onto her bicycle.  VNA/VNS Photos Hong Minh

Quyens family and 19 others in An Tien Commune are among 110 households in My Duc District listed as the most seriously affected by the pandemic to receive the support, as part of the Citi Foundations project for COVID-19-related community relief and economic recovery efforts globally.

In Vietnam, the project is carried out by the Microfinance and Development Centre (M&D) in partnership with the Hanoi Centre for Womens Development Support, local authorities and womens associations in 10 outskirts districts of Hanoi, namely My Duc, Ung Hoa, Phu Xuyen, Thuong Tin, Soc Son, Me Linh, Ba Vi, Thach That, Chuong My and Thanh Oai.

M&Ds Director, Nguyen Bich Vuong, said besides direct support for the households, the project would also provide emergency assistance for personal protection and medical equipment for grassroots health stations.

According to Vuong, 40 health stations in 10 districts will receive protective cloths, masks, gloves, sanitiser, mouthwash, digital thermometers, blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, ENT diagnostic sets and phlegm suction machines. Some stations will also be helped with installing hand wash stations, she said.

Research from M&D showed many health stations in poor localities lack full protection for health workers while other necessary equipment is lacking.

As doctors and nurses at grassroots health stations are those who directly fight COVID-19, they must be protected well enough to be able to help the whole community fight the disease, Vuong said, adding that all the items were selected carefully based on the need of health stations as well as regulations of the Ministry of Health.

Head of health station in My Duc Districts Xuy Xa Commune, Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh, checks on the phlegm suction machine provided by Citi Foundation.

Head of the health station in My Duc Districts Xuy Xa Commune, Nguyen Thi Kieu Oanh, said all the items were much appreciated.

Oanh said as Xuy Xa was a poor commune, all nine health workers at the station had to work very hard to ensure health conditions for some 8,000 local people.

The protective gear and medical equipment provided like this are practical motivations for all of us to work safely and take care for peoples health with our whole mind, she said.

Vuong from M&D said besides emergency support for local health stations and people directly affected by COVID-19, the project would also organise 10 training courses on pandemic prevention and community health care for 10 districts.

According to Vuong, the project in Vietnam was approved very quickly by Citi Foundation within two months. The support was even increased four times higher than the initial plan, showing the foundations strong commitment to helping the community, she said.

We always say Hanoi is the heart of the country. Once the heart is healthy, the whole country will be healthy to fight and defeat COVID-19, she said. VNS

Hong Minh

Young people involved in Vietnams fight against COVID-19 Young Vietnamese at home and abroad are striving to contribute to the countrys fight against COVID-19 in their own way, believing that everyone has a role to play for the sake of their homeland.
Revellers sit after police shut down a suspected illegal rave in Thetford Forest, in Norfolk, Britain on Aug. 30, 2020. (Reuters/Toby Melville)

Revellers Dont Want Violence as Police Break up Forest Rave in England

Police broke up an overnight illegal rave party in a forest in eastern England on Sunday, just days after the British government introduced tougher measures to target serious breaches of CCP virus restrictions, including 10,000-pound ($13,000) fines for gatherings of over 30 people.

Dozens of officers, some holding protective shields, faced off with the revellers in Thetford Forest, Norfolk, in the East of England, but despite a few scuffles, the party was largely dispersed peacefully. There did not appear to have been any arrests and the police dismantled the sound system.

A reveller puts his hands up in front of riot police at the scene of a suspected illegal rave in Thetford Forest, in Norfolk, Britain on Aug. 30, 2020. (Reuters/Toby Melville)

One participant in the Thetford Forest rave, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said that people were just anxious to get back to socialising.

Itching to Socialise

I understand people shouldnt gather in groups of above 30 but people are itching to socialise and have a night out, he said.

People dont want violence, he added. Weve come here to socialise and then clear up after ourselves.

Revellers tidy up rubbish after a suspected illegal rave in Thetford Forest, in Norfolk, Britain, on Aug. 30, 2020. (Reuters/Toby Melville)

Before the 3-day bank holiday weekend, a traditional time when British people often gather in numbers at public events, the government had said that those facilitating or organising illegal raves, unlicensed music events, or any other unlawful gathering of more than 30 people may face a 10,000 [$13,000] fine.

August Bank Holiday

National Vice-Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Che Donald commented in a statement on the enforcement of the new government rules amid the ongoing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pandemic in light of the annual August bank holiday.

Our police officers are doing an incredibly difficult job in testing circumstances but as always, they will be ready to deal with anything that may come their way over the long bank holiday weekend, he said.

Donald also commented on press reports that indicated that greater numbers of police officers had been made available to tackle potentially illegal gatherings over the holiday weekend.

I have seen in the media reports of extra police officers deployed in preparation for any illegal gatherings or raves that may take place over the weekend, he said.

This simply is not the case; we do not have a pool of extra officers ready and waiting to be deployed.

Donald further explained that officers were being deployed from the existing pool of those on duty to manage those ignorant enough to ignore the guidance designed to keep them and others safe.

Large Gatherings

The PFEW statement pointed out that people who gather in numbers over 30 at family occasions can also technically face falling foul of the new laws, and Donald called for more clarity on this.

It would be helpful if the government were clearer with their legislation in relation to large gatherings so that we can be more effective with policing such events, he said.

Many officers dispersing large gatherings are often subject to abuse and violence from the selfish individuals who choose to attend these, and this is completely unacceptable. We are not societys punching bags.

Over the last few months, we have seen a staggering 31 per cent increase in assaults on officers, who are just simply doing their jobs and doing their best to enforce the government guidance to keep everyone safe.

The police have had to break up several illegal raves in other parts of England as the government tries to balance opening up the economy by loosening restrictions on socialising with protecting the publics health.

Reuters contributed to this report
BLACKROCK LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC (the "Company")

LEI: UK9OG5Q0CYUDFGRX4151

Voting Rights and Capital (Article 15 Transparency Directive, DTR 5.6)

In conformity with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule 5.6.1R, the Company would like to notify the market of the following:

As at 31 August 2020, BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc's capital consists of 39,259,620 Ordinary Shares of 10 cents each, carrying one vote each, excluding 2,181,662 ordinary shares held in treasury.

As at 31 August 2020, the total number of voting rights for Ordinary shareholders in BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc is 39,259,620.

Shareholders should use 39,259,620 as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the Company.

All enquiries:

Sarah Beynsberger

BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, Company Secretary

Tel: 0207 743 2639

1 September 2020
The fatal shooting of a Black man by sheriff's deputies after officers pursued him on his bicycle Monday sparked protests in the South Los Angeles neighborhood where he was killed.

The man was identified Tuesday as Dijon Kizzee, 29, by Los Angeles County medical examiner spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani. Kizzee's cause and manner of death have not yet been determined, according to online case records.

In a statement Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that deputies from the South Los Angeles station were on patrol in the neighborhood of Westmont when they saw Kizzee, who was on a bike, "commit a vehicle code violation."

The statement does not say what code was violated.

When deputies tried to stop Kizzee, he dropped his bike and ran, the statement said. After momentarily losing sight of Kizzee, the officers saw him a block away and tried to "make contact" with him, the sheriff's department said.

Kizzee immediately punched one of the deputies in the face, then dropped a jacket, revealing a black semi-automatic handgun on the ground, the statement said. When Kizzee "made a motion" toward the gun, the statement said, one of the deputies opened fire.

Kizzee was pronounced dead at the scene.

Image: Los Angeles protest (Christian Monterrosa / AP)

A video that appears to have been shot by a bystander  and which contains disturbing content and profanities and other offensive language  shows a man carrying what appears to be a bundle and running on a sidewalk as two deputies watch. NBC News does not know what events occurred prior to what is shown on the video, which was posted to Facebook.

The video cuts to a scene of two deputies pointing guns at a man who is lying on the ground on the street next to a curb. He is face down and does not appear to be moving.

Other deputies arrive at the scene, and at one point officers appear to be leaning over the prone man and putting handcuffs on him.

How you gonna handcuff a dead man? a voice is heard yelling on the video.

Story continues

NBC News does not know if the man was dead yet at this moment in the video.

The sheriff's department has not identified the deputies involved in the shooting.

Multiple investigations are being conducted into the incident, which is standard procedure whenever there is a fatal shooting by a deputy, the sheriff's department statement said. These include probes by the county medical examiner and the sheriff's homicide and internal affairs bureaus. The county's office of the inspector general oversees the investigative process, the statement said.

Protests sparked by the shooting drew more than 100 people, according to NBC Los Angeles. In aerial footage, dozens of people could be seen peacefully gathered in the neighborhood of Westmont, where Kizzee was killed.

Kizzee's aunt, Fletcher Fair, told reporters Tuesday that she was sad and upset over her nephew's death.

"He should be as free as anybody else," Fair said, according to NBC Los Angeles. "My nephew was sweet. He loved his mom and his little brother."

Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., whose congressional district is next to the area where the killing occurred, asked Tuesday what bike violation was so severe that they needed to stop Kizzee.

"What bike violation is so severe that they needed to shoot him as many times as they did?" she tweeted. "If he dropped a weapon, why was he then shot?"

The incident comes about two and a half months after Andres Guardado, 18, was killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputy just four miles south of Mondays shooting.

Guardado was fatally shot by deputies on June 18 after the officers allegedly saw him with a gun and pursued him as he ran away, the sheriff's department said. Both an official county autopsy and an independent autopsy by the family found Guardado was shot in the back five times.

Guardados family, who have said they are waiting for answers as to why he was killed, said that he was working as a security guard when he was shot.
Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, right, R-Granite Bay, attends a hearing of the Assembly Transportation Committee in Sacramento, Calif. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

California lawmakers on Monday wrapped up a legislative session largely defined by the pandemic as they approved new COVID-19 sick leave for food workers, added sweeping labor protections for laid-off hotel staff and made it easier for essential employees to file for workers' compensation.

With approval in the Senate and Assembly ahead of Monday's deadline, the bills will next head to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will have until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the measures.

The bills made their way through the Capitol after the building itself had to be shuttered twice this year due to the coronavirus, shortening the time lawmakers had to craft and debate proposals. At least three lawmakers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since July, and in the final days of session, 10 Republicans were forced to quarantine and vote remotely.

"We had to pivot quickly despite those disruptions to deal with the crisis this year," said Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), a pediatrician who chairs the Senate's Health Committee. "It was a very challenging and unusual session, but I think we did what was needed."

Among those already en route is Assembly Bill 3216 by Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), a proposal pushed by unions that would create significant labor protections for hotel, janitorial, airport, event center and building maintenance workers.

The bill requires employers in those industries to first rehire workers they laid off during a state of emergency, including in cases in which a new owner takes over a business.

This bill is and has always been about protecting workers, especially those who have been among the hardest-hit communities during this crisis: Latino workers, low-wage workers and immigrant workers," Kalra said. "These workers did not create this crisis, and they should be able to go back to their jobs and be part of our states economic recovery.

Opponents included Republicans and business groups, who argued that the "right of recall" provisions  which would require employers to extend offers of employment to laid-off workers  were unworkable and would slow industries trying to reopen.

Story continues

The Legislature also passed a budget trailer bill, first made public Friday, that would require food-sector companies, healthcare providers and emergency responders with more than 500 employees to provide two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave for full-time workers who are unable to work after being exposed to the coronavirus or contracting COVID-19. AB 1867, which expires Dec. 31, is similar to an executive order Newsom signed earlier this year.

Federal law passed this year provides the same benefit to employees at smaller businesses. Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) said AB 1867 would ensure that workers at larger companies "aren't left out in the cold."

"We want to make sure we are protecting those workers, especially those workers who are going to work every single day to feed us," Ting said.

Assemblyman Jay Obernolte (R-Big Bear Lake) said restaurants in the state are struggling to remain afloat amid the ban on indoor dining, and adding new regulations will hurt those businesses further.

"Although I think we all share the desire to make it easier for the workers of California, it is wrong to put this burden on the shoulder of an industry already reeling," Obernolte said.

Late Monday night, the Legislature passed SB 1159 by Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), which would make it easier for police, firefighters and other essential employees who contract COVID-19 on the job to be covered under the states workers compensation program. The bill also eases a requirement that workers with COVID-19 prove they contracted the illness while on the job in cases in which there is an outbreak at the employee's worksite.

Newsom has previously said he plans to work hand in glove with the Legislature to expand COVID-19 workplace protections, including loosening workers compensation claim requirements. In May, Newsom signed an executive order easing workers' compensation restrictions for essential workers, but those changes relaxed the burden of proof only for workers with COVID-19 before July 5. SB 1159 codifies the executive order and extends the time frame for the changes until 2023.

The Legislature also approved AB 276 by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), which would raise the amount Californians can borrow penalty-free from their employer-sponsored retirement accounts to $100,000 from $50,000 if they have been financially impacted by the pandemic.

Another proposal approved by the Legislature, AB 2537 by Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona), would require general acute care hospitals to stockpile three months of protective equipment supplies by April 1 or face a fine of up to $25,000. AB 2043 by Assemblyman Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) is also headed to Newsom and would require the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health to compile and publicly report investigations into agricultural workplace conditions related to COVID-19, as well as illnesses from the virus.

While lawmakers worked to clear bills before Monday's deadline, the state Senate was largely slowed by an unprecedented challenge  remote voting by 10 Republicans forced to quarantine after being exposed to Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee), who tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

Action on COVID-19 bills and all other pending legislation came to a grinding halt early Monday evening for almost two hours when a bitter partisan feud erupted in the state Senate. Majority Democrats, concerned about the number of bills to be considered before the constitutional deadline at midnight, sought to impose time limits on debate  a change in normal Senate rules that infuriated Republicans.

Senators quarreled over the rule change, with at least one expletive caught on a microphone that wasn't muted. The effect of the disagreement left the fate of several closely watched bills in doubt as the night wore on.

Lawmakers approved SB 275 by Pan and Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino), which calls for the state to build a supply of medical equipment. Hospitals and other healthcare employers would be required to assemble a 45-day supply by June 1, 2023.

SB275 was watered down in recent days, reducing the stockpile from a 90-day supply to half that amount for healthcare employers, while leaving the state's own threshold undefined. Recent amendments require the state to begin building its stockpile only after money is set aside to do so.

Opponents of the bill argued that it requires healthcare employers to begin building a supply too soon, potentially taking away equipment needed now by frontline workers. Others have said it's the responsibility of the state, not healthcare employers, to create a stockpile for emergencies.

Pan said the need for the state to warehouse medical supplies was evident during the current pandemic, in which mask shortages drove up prices and increased the spread of the virus.

A UC Berkeley Labor Center study found that if the state had had a stockpile prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of workers would not have contracted the virus, and California would have saved $93 million each week on unemployment claims from out-of-work healthcare workers.

The study's co-author, William Dow, a professor of health policy and management in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley, said California can save money and lives if it plans ahead. Dow said any stockpile is an improvement over what California had prior to the pandemic, but he raised concerns that a 45-day supply would not be sufficient.

"I find that incredibly myopic," Dow said. "I hope this is looked at again when people have clearer eyes after we get through the current uncertainty surrounding our budget."

Times staff writer John Myers contributed to this report.
Kuros Biosciences Announces Treatment of the First Patient in its Spinal Fusion Trial with Fibrin-PTH

Details Category: Proteins and Peptides Published on Tuesday, 01 September 2020 10:55 Hits: 1215

Spinal Fusion Trial with Fibrin-PTH

First investigational trial of a drug-biologic bone graft for spine fusion

Phase 2 trial in the U.S. compares Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) with local autograft

Primary endpoint is radiographic interbody fusion at 12 months

Potential to address a major commercial opportunity

SCHLIEREN/ZURICH, Switzerland I September 1, 2020 I Kuros Biosciences, a leader in next generation bone graft technologies, today announced that the first patient has been treated in the STRUCTURE trial, investigating Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) for transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedures in patients with degenerative disc disease. The first patient was treated by Dr Richard Todd Allen, principal investigator at University California San Diego. The STRUCTURE trial is conducted under an open Investigational New Drug (IND) for spinal fusion, which was recently filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Kuross STRUCTURE trial is a prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blind, dose-finding, multi-center study with the primary endpoint of radiographic interbody fusion, using CT-scans, at 12 months as determined by an independent radiology expert panel. This Phase 2 trial, conducted in the U.S., intends to demonstrate safety and efficacy of Fibrin-PTH in patients undergoing a single-level TLIF procedure.

In this first-of-its-kind investigational trial, a flowable drug-biologic bone graft will be delivered through a narrow-gauge delivery system to achieve interbody spine fusion. Not only is this the first time a drug-biologic bone graft is being tested for the treatment of Degenerative Disk Disease (DDD) in patients within a clinical trial, but it is also the first time such a technology is being evaluated for both open and minimally invasive surgical technique under clinical trial conditions.

STRUCTURE shall enroll 50 patients with DDD requiring single-level interbody fusion with concomitant posterolateral fusion (PLF). Patients treated with local autograft will serve as controls. KUR-113 or local autograft will be applied in and around FDA-cleared polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) cages.

Joost de Bruijn, Chief Executive Officer of Kuros, said: The treatment of the first patient in the STRUCTURE trial is an important milestone for Kuros`s Fibrin-PTH program. Fibrin-PTH targets a substantial clinical need and, if successful, addresses a huge commercial opportunity. We are happy that elective surgeries have resumed in the U.S., and expect recruiting the patients into the study without further delays.

The coordinating investigator of the STRUCTURE study, Dr. John Chi from Brigham and Women Hospital, commented: It is exciting that the first patient has been included in this study which evaluates a completely novel investigational product that, if successful, has the potential to revolutionize the way we achieve spinal fusions.

Dr Todd Allen commented: I am very pleased to be part of this unique study and to have enrolled the first patient. Given the strong pre-clinical data and ease of application of Fibrin-PTH, being particularly suitable for minimally invasive surgeries, I see great potential for this novel drug-biologic combination product.

About Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113)

Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) consists of a natural fibrin-based healing matrix with an immobilized targeted bone growth factor (truncated human parathyroid hormone (PTH) analog). Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) is designed to be applied directly into and around an intervertebral body fusion device as a gel, where it polymerizes in situ. Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) functions via the well-established mechanism of action of parathyroid hormone; has been demonstrated in animal models of spinal fusion to be comparable to rhBMP-2; and has been shown in preclinical studies to be easy to use and ideal for open or minimally invasive techniques. The safety & efficacy of Fibrin-PTH (KUR-113) has not yet been evaluated for spinal fusion in humans.

About Spine Fusion

Lumbar fusion surgery is designed to create solid bone between adjoining vertebrae of the spine, eliminating any movement between the bones. Spinal fusion may be recommended for conditions such as spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease or recurrent disc herniations. The goal of fusion surgery is to reduce pain and nerve irritation. Surgeons perform lumbar fusion using several techniques. One such technique  Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion (TLIF)  is used to stabilize the spinal vertebrae. This definition is adapted from www.spine-health.com. It is estimated that the orthobiology market for spinal fusion is growing to $2.2 billion in 2030, while currently over 800,000 spinal fusion procedures are performed annually in the US & EU.

About Kuros Biosciences AG

Kuros Biosciences is focused on the development of innovative products for tissue repair and regeneration and is located in Schlieren (Zurich), Switzerland, Bilthoven, The Netherlands and Burlington, MA, U.S. The Company is listed according to the International Financial Reporting Standard on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol KURN. Visit www.kurosbio.com for additional information on Kuros, its science and product pipeline.

SOURCE: Kuros Biosciences
The August numbers are in and San Francisco rental prices are still falling.

According to Zumper, this is the first time in the history of the companys data (which starts in 2014) that median rent for a one-bedroom in SF has been below $3,000. The company predicts it will likely stay below $3,000 in September if the trend continues.

Year-over-year, one and two-bedroom rentals are down 14.1% and 15% respectively.

After a two month period over summer where San Francisco's rent price drops hit a plateau, we've seen another acceleration in the decrease in prices, Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades said. In the Bay Area metro report, 27 of the 31 cities had negative rent price changes, with the most expensive markets experiencing the most drastic declines.

While San Francisco rents plummet, some surrounding areas are seeing rents increase. Livermore rent continued to be the fastest-growing, up 9.7% since this time last year. Vallejo saw rent climb 4.3%, while Concord rent increased 3.4%.

ApartmentList saw more modest drops in pricing in its most recent rental report, finding that San Francisco rents declined 1.5% in August, and have decreased by 5.6% in comparison to the same time last year.

The company also looked at migration trends in Q3 and found that 35.6% of those looking for a place to live in San Francisco are searching from outside the metro, compared to 47.2% at this time last year. For those apartment hunters looking to move away from San Francisco, ApartmentList found that San Jose is the most popular destination. Los Angeles and San Diego came in second and third, respectively.

Despite much speculation of a Bay Area exodus, ApartmentList found that the percentage of renters who are currently living in the San Francisco metro and looking to move elsewhere has remained largely stable, increasing only very slightly from 31.6 percent at this time last year to the current rate of 32.1 percent. The demand for Bay Area apartments falling, it seems, is due to the fact that the region is simply attracting fewer new residents from elsewhere, as opposed to seeing existing renters leaving the area.

ApartmentList puts median rents in San Francisco at $2,353 for a one-bedroom apartment and $2,956 for a two-bedroom. While that two-bedroom median looks low, lets never forget its still far above the national average of $1,195.

It is clear that we have not tested the floor yet, Georgiades said. That will only come when the state-wide eviction moratorium expires. Whereas we at Zumper do not think we'll see anything as dramatic as San Francisco's rents halving, we are already down 20% from peak a year ago, so this story is not over yet.

Tessa McLean is a digital editor with SFGATE. Email her at tessa.mclean@sfgate.com or follow her on Twitter @mcleantessa.
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(Natural News) Protesters outside the White House placed a life-sized effigy of President Trump in a guillotine on Thursday evening as the president made his acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination on the White House South Lawn nearby. In a video that was shared on social media by Daily Caller reporter Shelby Talcott, the doll can be seen with its head in the guillotine, and it is wearing a prisoners jumpsuit, straitjacket, and mask. According to Talcott, a piece of paper on the doll reads Ticket  Fascist, Rapist, Criminal.

In the background of the video, protesters can be heard shouting Off with his head! leaving no doubt about how they feel about the President. Another video clip shared by Talcott featured people screaming Fk Trump! Protest organizer Justin Johnson encouraged people to make noise to drown out Trumps speech.

The hateful display was panned by Trump critics and supporters alike. Newsweek reported that many people on Reddit said they found the guillotine to be in poor taste, even those who arent fans of the president. Some worried that these types of protests would only serve to help secure his re-election.

Trump continues to speak out against violent mobs

During the acceptance speech, Trump hit out at the violent mobs rioting throughout the nation. He said: As has foolishly been done for many decades, your vote will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans, or whether we give free rein to violent anarchists and agitators and criminals who threaten our citizens.

He added that we cannot allow mob rule in America, saying that the Republican party strongly condemns the looting, violence, rioting and arson being seen in Portland, Minneapolis, Chicago, Kenosha, and other Democrat-run cities that are allowing these mobs to get out of hand.

President Trump pointed out that Joe Biden was proud to have the support of people like Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who labeled the Minneapolis Police Department a cancer that is rotten to the root. Should Biden be elected president, Trump believes that police departments throughout the country will be defunded, leaving every city looking like Portland.

The same evening, leftist mobs went after several high-profile Republicans and their spouses as they left the presidents speech. Senator Rand Paul and his wife, Kelley, were accosted by violent protesters. Some of them were yelling at him to say the name of Breonna Taylor, a police shooting victim from his state. In an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, Kelley Paul recounted the frightening confrontation, saying that she believes they would have been knocked to the ground had two police officers not helped them.

U.S. News pointed out that although some demonstrators were wearing masks, no one was practicing social distancing, which is a recurring theme in the protests weve seen around the nation.

Representative Ken Buck (R-Colorado) called for an investigation by the Department of Justice into who is funding these violent protests. Paul said that some of the protesters had been staying in the hotel room next to his, with others also staying on his floor in the same hotel. He wondered who is flying these people into the city and paying for their hotel rooms, saying it is clear they are well-organized and funded.

Its also not clear who was behind the guillotine. A paper sign for The Palm Collective was posted on it, although it is not known whether someone placed it there afterward or if they were the group responsible for the tasteless display.

According to their website, The Palm Collectives mission is to end systemic racism in DC and beyond while creating powerful communities through the power of Collective Action. We are a Black-led organization and are proud to center the voices of our fellow BIPOC members.

Not surprisingly, we havent seen any high-profile Democrats step up and denounce this violent act. Can you imagine the outrage if Trump supporters put on this sort of display with a Biden doll?

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

Newsweek.com

FoxNews.com

USNews.com
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The transgender community has long dealt with poor medical care, owing to a scarcity of skilled providers and widespread discrimination. A third of all trans people in a 2015 survey reported at least one negative experience while seeing a health care provider, including harassment and denial of treatment. And nearly a quarter of the respondents said they skipped needed care out of fear of being mistreated.

The crisis has been worsened by the Trump administration's recent decision to eliminate portions of the Affordable Care Act that protected transgender patients against discrimination by doctors, hospitals, and health insurers. That move that was blunted by a Supreme Court decision in June that prohibited LGBTQ bias in employment, but it still threatens to complicate the lives of those in some states who could face challenges by insurers over transgender-related care.

"There are more than 1.4 million trans people in the U.S., and yet it's still one of the most underserved communities when it comes to safe, accessible, and reliable health care," said Soltan Bryce, an M.B.A. student at Harvard Business School (HBS), a trans man, and chief of growth for Plume, a Denver-based startup that provides telehealth services to the trans community. The first-of-its-kind firm now operates in 16 states, including Massachusetts, New York, California, and Florida.

"One thing that's really clear is that rollback [of Obamacare protections] will lead to a loss of life in the trans community," said Bryce. "People have lost access to care because of the rollback. That's part of why we do what we do."

At the heart of Plume is the idea of making access more available. Health insurance is not required. Monthly subscribers use a smartphone app to connect with Plume's predominantly trans care team, who facilitate medical evaluations, lab work, referrals, and prescriptions for hormone replacement therapyestrogen, testosterone, testosterone blockers, and other interventions that allow patients to live in alignment with their gender. Although not every trans person uses hormone replacement therapy, about 80 percent do and once started it's a lifelong commitment, so maintaining uninterrupted access is critical, he said.

Many of the LGBT health centers that provide similar services are overtaxed by demand and usually located in major cities, forcing trans patients who live outside urban areas to travel hours for appropriate care. With telehealth, geography is no longer an issue, said Bryce.

Also, having an almost all-trans staff, including Plume's co-founding physician and activist Schuyler Bailar '19, the pioneering Harvard athlete who is a community adviser, makes a huge difference to patients.

"'For trans by trans' is really key, because we hear that message a lot from our patients and our community members who are used to being not understood, who are used to being mistreated," said Bryce. "It's hard to explain, but to be able to know that who you're going to is someone who understands the experience that you've hadthat in itself can be part of the gender-affirming experience."

In many ways, Bryce's career is the ultimate fusion of two lifelong personal threads. As Palestinians living in Kuwait, his family fled during the Gulf War and came to the U.S. as refugees when he was a child, settling in a small town in North Carolina. Bryce says his first encounter with health care in America was with the Red Cross, but his interest in the field took hold in high school while volunteering at a local hospital as an emergency medical technician. Like many small-town hospitals, it was more than just where the sick and the injured were taken, it was the heart of the community.

"Just this idea of caretaking has always been really interesting to mewhat it takes to provide care and how we think about care as more than just the medical services that are delivered  but all these things surrounding the actual patient-provider relationship," he said.

Throughout his career, Bryce has seen the ways in which the existing health technology systems don't serve certain vulnerable communities particularly welllike small rural hospitals and trans communitiesand it fueled his interest in using tech to increase access to care.

Since Bryce began at HBS and his wife, Nina, M.Div. '19, graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 2019, the couple have lived at Mather House, serving as resident tutors.

"We've loved being tutors at Mather House," he said. "I learn so much from the students. They're so themselves in a way that I get a lot of inspiration from."

During his first semester, Bryce said he was "struggling" with the question of whether to be out at HBS. "To go from being 'should I be out' to what I'm doing now is a long way to go in a year, but that's another way the students really gave me a lot of courage," said Bryce. "There's this intergenerational element that feels really important" and gets him "thinking a lot about [how] I benefited from those who came before me and how I think about those who are coming next."

Last year, Bryce was a tutor on LGBT issues, business, and intramural sports, programming events and mentoring individual students including those applying to HBS and counseling LGBT students on relationship issues, like coming out and breakups.

"One thing we've heard a lot from our students is it goes a long way to have tutors who just look like or are like them. And also, just being in Mather as a Palestinian trans person married to a Jewish woman who goes to HBS  it just kind of provid[es] a template for 'many things are possible here,'" said Bryce, with a laugh.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bryce said he would have "really struggled" as a first-generation college student in the U.S. if it weren't for extra help of advisers who offered "the right support at the right time. It helped me succeed. Not everyone has that, and I think that's to Harvard College's merit that the tutor and residential life program exists," he said.

This semester, Bryce is working closely with HBS faculty mentors to expand Plume's reach and improve lives by bringing health care equity to trans community.

"The question we ask at HBS is: 'How will we make a difference?' The undercurrent of that is: 'What does different look like? What does different feel like?'" he said. To "build a brand and a business around the idea of celebrating an identity that has been so historically marginalized and mistreated and hurtit feels like this incredible privilege to be able to do that, and it's not something that I take lightly."
by Trung Tin

Before the epidemic, the Diocese of My Tho held a day of Mass and prayers for 1,200 catechumens in the local cathedral. Mr Chinh is a unique case. A former secretary of the local party committee, he was baptised and became a Catholic. He said he gave up all his material interests to become a Catholic. Today, his family is happy to be in God's grace.

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews)  Four Catholic dioceses in the Mekong River Delta region continued their missionary work with enthusiasm and humility in July and August despite the COVID-19 epidemic.

As part of this, the Evangelisation Committee of the Vietnamese Episcopal Council organised a two-day seminar on missionary work for the dioceses in the so-caller Water Area. many people came from the dioceses of Long Xuyen, Vinh Long, Can Tho and My Tho.

Before the epidemic, the Diocese of My Tho held a day for Mass and prayers for 1,200 catechumens in the local cathedral. It was an opportunity to meet Bishop Phero (Peter) Nguyen Van Kham. The catechumens were helped to learn and come close to Catholicism.

Mr Vo and Mr Andre Andreng from Van Phuoc parish expressed joy at learning and understanding Catholicism and talked about the blessings of praying to God and Our Lady.

Mr Chinhs case is unique. A former secretary of the local party committee, he was baptised and became a Catholic. He said he gave up all his material interests to become a Catholic. Today, his family is happy to be in God's grace.

In the Diocese of Can Tho, priests and lay people share in the missionary work. Father Ngo Phuc Hau serves at the Cai Ran missionary centre in Ca Mau, Diocese of Can Tho where he celebrated the baptism of more than 2,000 people.

During his ministry, he helped people build more than 4,790 concrete roads, 20 canal bridges, 60 homes for the poor and a medical room, dig 200 wells for clean water, at a cost of about US$ 5,000. He also provided scholarships to poor students worth US$ 10,000 per year.

Thanks to his past missionary activities, Bishop Phero (Peter) Huynh Van Hai of Vinh Long positively evaluated the missionary work in the Diocese, in the spirit of baptism: Here I am, I said; send me! (Is 6:8).

The prelate offered his thoughts about how to integrate into the community, stressing the missionary work of local Catholics.

The missionary work begins when neighbours see how Christians live with their faith.

The mission starts with proclaiming the Good News so that people may believe, live with faith, with the word of God, be saved by Christ and return to Christ, said Bishop Huynh Van Hai. To achieve this, we must have patience and engage in dialogue.

In the four large dioceses, local Catholics share the same farming-based culture with members of other religions.

Over the recent past, missionaries have been planting the seeds of the Gospel in the area. They expanded many mission centres, and got involved in works in the public interest.

They visited local communities, built schools and taught young people whilst maintaining friendly relations with local authorities.
Mill Town is preoccupied with a poisonous irony: Rumfords citizens live and work in a place that makes them unwell, yet they cling to their jobs with prideful obstinacy, ignoring patterns of illness, swallowing the mills denials and accepting their lot with a collective shrug that Arsenault, once she learns the extent of the cancer and the mills likely responsibility for it, finds mysterious and troubling. Why had her family, her friends, her acquaintances been so incurious, so passive, about the jobs on which they depended? She doesnt spare herself from the accusation of complicity: Why had it taken her so long to wake up?

Yet, as she soon realizes, the answer to her questions is bound up in their very formulation. Rumford relies wholly on the mill. Few have questioned the bargain that asked them to trade physical health for economic well-being because nobody has a choice about whether to accept it. The residents adversary is too powerful, their need too great. The founder of the Rumford mill, Hugh Chisholm, also co-founded International Paper, which remains the largest paper company in the world. (The Rumford mill has had multiple owners over the years; it was purchased two years ago by ND Paper, a subsidiary of the Chinese conglomerate Nine Dragons.)

The scale of the problem and of the potential malfeasance could not be grander or more terrifying. Toward the end of the book, Arsenault interviews Stephen Lester, the science director at the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, about dioxin. Why, she asks, did nobody seem concerned about the pollutant, when everything she found indicated it was a critical health issue? The Environmental Protection Agency doesnt even list it as a carcinogen. Lester explains that the E.P.A. had performed two studies on dioxin: a cancer risk assessment and one that dealt with other health risks. The former was damning: It determined that exposure to any amount of dioxin increased the risks of getting cancer, Arsenault writes. But the agency published these findings only in draft form; when, years later, it released the non-cancer risk assessment, it announced that the cancer risk study was still being finalized. In Lesters account, the agency has no intention of publishing it. Doing so would be far too explosive: If the E.P.A. used cancer risk rate data to determine how much dioxin would be allowed in food, he tells Arsenault, you wouldnt be able to buy a McDonalds hamburger  nearly all animal products, in other words, contain levels exceeding what would be deemed acceptable.

Is the E.P.A.s failure to publish the study a smoking gun? Arsenault claims she cant really say. Because there are so many factors to consider, including other environmental triggers and peoples behavior and family histories, its nearly impossible to establish a causal relationship between the mills pollution and the incidence of cancer in Rumford. Arsenault comments repeatedly on the intractability of her material. Over the decades, numerous scientific studies in the area were abandoned. She could find no centralized storehouse of data. The evidence she could track down rarely appeared definitive. The books penultimate chapter finds her hunkered down in a basement room at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, frantically scanning a pile of ancient and disorganized files.
SASKATCHEWAN, CAN / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / When I called your boss to tell him I was with you, he only asked two things, "Is my truck ok and is the stock damaged?"

How much does your boss care about you, or are you simply a tool that helps him achieve success? Be honest. The reality may help you see what all your hard work is really worth.

Joshua Bert Gabie sacrificed his family, social life, and sanity to turn a startup into a multi-million dollar direct sales operation. He had a team of people under him selling medical-grade indoor air quality systems.

One day, while driving to visit a client, an 18-wheeler appeared in his rearview mirror. The truck driver was aggressive, and despite Joshua pumping the brakes, the driver didn't slow down. Instead, he sped up and swerved to get around Joshua's vehicle. Unfortunately, it was too close, and Joshua's work truck was struck. The force was so great the truck flew off of the road, into a ditch, up a snowbank, airborne to the other side of the road, and through a barbed-wire fence used to keep cattle from running away.

The farmer witnessed the accident, and ran over to unconscious Joshua, pulled him out of his vehicle, and drove him straight to the hospital. When Joshua woke up, the farmer said: "When I called your boss to tell him I was with you, he only asked two things, "Is my truck ok, and is the stock damaged?"

The doctors said that Joshua would never walk again. The reality of what had just happened brought him to tears. He had lost everything. His job, paycheck, house, clothes, and future were ripped away from him.

Something that kept going through his mind was what the farmer said, "He didn't even care about your well being if you were even alive, I wouldn't work for him after this if I were you."

The fire inside of Joshua grew thinking about everything he gave up for a company that quickly dropped him with not as much as a care for his safety. Joshua knew he had to do something else in life, but first, he had to get his body back.

Every single day, he would stand up just to fall on his face. He would knock himself out or hurt himself daily. He did this over and over again until one day, he stood for three seconds. He knew that was the beginning of the bright future ahead of him. It took eight months of hard physical work to get to a point of being able to walk on a treadmill assisted. That achievement just powered him to do more until he was able to walk unassisted with a walker two years later.

He had achieved something NO ONE thought was possible. It was just the beginning.

The Fight of an Entrepreneur

Joshua was always an Entrepreneur at heart. When in first grade, he would sell watches for a profit. He bought the watches for $15 to $20 and sold them for $70 to $100. When he was older, he would buy candy and sell them for double to the kids in class. They couldn't get it otherwise, so the demand was high. This lesson he learned as a child-led Joshua to become the great salesman he is today.

Joshua's Advice for Entrepreneurs

Joshua doesn't want anyone to go through what he did only to find out they had been working for someone else's good fortune. This is what he has to say to all entrepreneurs or those thinking of becoming one:

Take a deep look in the mirror and decide right now if you want to spend the rest of your life safely tip-toeing your way to the grave giving days and hours of your life to a company that just looks at you like a number? Don't allow your boss to go on vacation with his family and buy luxury vehicles because of your hard work. Instead, use your hard work to do something for yourself. Learn a new skill so you can take care of yourself because your boss may not care if something ever happens to you.

Always remember, successful people make decisions fast, and they rarely change their minds. Unsuccessful people make decisions slowly and change their minds often. Stay consistent. You're only three feet away from gold. Don't limit yourself. When things are working, be aware, and prepared. When things are not working, be disruptive and creative. Sharpen your mind. Read books. Be aware of what you take into your subconscious mind through audio, visually, music, tv-shows, and movies. Pay attention to who you surround yourself with.

Joshua had everything ripped away from him except for his knowledge and mindset. That is what carried him through his darkest hours and helped him rebuild his life. Strengthen your knowledge and mindset now to help you build a life you can be proud of and confident in when times get rough, as you know it will someday. Joshua had to learn the hard way, but you're learning it the easy way - right here, right now.

CONTACT:

Joshua Bert Gabie

joshua@thenewrich.ca

The New Rich

https://www.instagram.com/the_walking_legend/

SOURCE: BrandBerry Unlimited.com

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604109/Joshua-Bert-Gabies-Story-The-Walking-Legend
Market Queens and traders operating in Agogo and its surrounding communities have hailed the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and his government for the massive interventions in the agricultural sector.



The women, who are mostly into trading and export of foodstuffs to neighbouring countries such as Togo, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, say the advent of the NPP administration has seen tremendous improvement in the once dormant agric sector, resulting in improvement of their business.



The Founder and Leader of the Agogo Plantain Producers and Exporters Association, Nana Akosua Tawiah, who made these remarks during the official inauguration of the Association at Agogo, observed that farming and agriculture has become very attractive and motivating, thanks to the Government's flagship policies such as Planting for Food and Jobs(PFJ)



"Nana Addo and NPP came for we farmers and traders; the numerous interventions introduced by this government has benefited us a lot and we are very much happy," she said.



The Association, which has a membership of over a hundred female farmers and traders, are engaged in production, trading and export of plantain and other foodstuffs to neighbouring countries in the West African sub-region.



According to them, the decision by the Government to subsidize inputs, provide extension services to support their farming activities and also providing access to markets is a laudable one, stressing them it was against this background that they decided to form the association to promote their businesses and seek the welfare of their members.



Nana Akosua Tiwaah also lauded the collaboration between the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Agogo Traditional Authority, culminating in the launch of the Agogo Plantain Festival and Export programme.



She noted that the technical and extension support received from the staff of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has gone a long way to help in their farming activities, resulting in increased yields over the past three and half years.



"We also want to commend the Minister, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, for listening to our concerns to set up banking facility in Burkina Faso for us, this will help us to transact our business activities and reduce the dangers associated with carrying physical cash on us" She emphasized.









Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Photo: The Canadian Press Police attend the scene of a multiple shooting in Calgary, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. New data from some of Canada's biggest police forces show major COVID-19 lockdowns across much of the country in the spring led to a sharp uptick in calls to police for domestic violence and people in a mental health crisis. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

New data from some of Canada's biggest police forces show major COVID-19 lockdowns across much of the country in the spring led to a sharp uptick in calls to police for domestic violence and people in a mental health crisis.

At the same time, police say reports of many other crimes fell, including robbery, assault, sexual assault and impaired driving.

Statistics Canada released the data today using information provided by 17 police forces across Canada between March and June.

During those months, an estimated three million people lost their jobs as restaurants, retail outlets, gyms, movie theatres and tourism businesses were forced to close.

Public safety experts and mental health advocates worried the anxiety and pressure of the pandemic was going to wreak havoc on already stressed families, leading to more domestic violence, child abuse and mental health trauma.

The initial data reported by police appears to bear witness to that, with calls to police for domestic disturbances up 12 per cent, for people in a mental health crisis up 11 per cent and for child welfare checks up almost 19 per cent.

The 17 police forces responded to more than 38,000 calls for domestic disturbances and violence in those four months, an increase of more than 4,000 such calls during the same period in 2019.

At the same time, reports of assaults fell 12 per cent, reports of sexual assaults fell 25 per cent, robbery reports were down 20 per cent, car theft fell 15 per cent and drunk driving reports were down 14 per cent.

The 17 police forces serve almost two-thirds of the Canadian population, and include the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, and forces in almost a dozen major urban centres including Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg and Ottawa.

The statistics agency warns the data are incomplete at the moment and do not represent the full picture of police reported crime but do provide a glimpse of crime in some parts of Canada during the most strict period of lockdowns due to COVID-19.

Data on this will continue to be collected until the end of the year.
EDWARDSVILLE  Its been quite a year for Good Weather Gallery as it gratefully celebrates its first anniversary with a special exhibition and reception.

Join Good Weather Gallerys curator and owner Brooke Peipert, of Alton, in welcoming textile artist Denise Mandel for a solo exhibit, A Journey Through Interwoven Threads, by textile artist Denise Mandel & One-year Anniversary of Good Weather Gallery, featuring Mandels collection of loom woven work. The exhibit, hung in the gallery at 301 N. Main St., in Edwardsville, also will feature live music and for every $365 spent by an individual, they receive a mini bottle of Rondel Gold Brut Cava champagne.

More Information If you go: What: "A Journey Through Interwoven Threads," by textile artist Denise Mandel, & "One-year Anniversary of Good Weather Gallery" When: 6-9 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 5 Where: Good Weather Gallery, 301 N. Main St., Edwardsville Info: The gallery celebration and opening reception for the exhibit is open to the public for in-person viewing. The reception will feature live music and for every $365 spent by an individual, they receive a mini bottle of Rondel Gold Brut Cava champagne. Social distancing in place and face covering in effect. Virtual exhibits and e-commerce are available at www.goodweaetherartgallery.com. To make an appointment call 618-477-9323 or email blpart.advocacy@gmail.com. All the shows can be seen at the gallery's website and its Facebook page. See More Collapse

Good Weather Gallery is excited to celebrate its one year anniversary alongside such a talented artist, Peipert said. Grab your mask and a friend and celebrate with us.

Mandels artist statement is, Weaving is the core of my existence as an artist. Things just come together when behind my looms. In the process of designing, prepping, execution and giving birth to a creation by cutting the warp threads, the interwoven yarns talk to me. Reflections of past, present, and even future moods and memories, occur. Natures seasonal events influence shapes plus color palette. Be it stars, rainbows, autumn leaves, snowflakes, flowers, etc. Animals frequently appear, too.

Navajo weaving of the Southwest influenced Mandel, of St. Louis, greatly when she started her career as a weaver in New Mexico.

For that, it will remain in my blood forever, she said. Compositional weft-face rugs and tapestries are my forte. Images result in one-of-a-kind Southwest, contemporary, dimensional and, or pictorial variety.

The public is welcome to attend in-person the opening reception of A Journey Through Interwoven Threads, by textile artist Denise Mandel & One-year Anniversary of Good Weather Gallery.

When the pandemic started Peipert went virtual, but with the easing of restrictions Peipert has allowed exhibition opening and closing events for in-person attendance and viewing, with safety precautions being followed. In between openings and closings patrons can view exhibits by appointment. Virtual exhibits and e-commerce are available at www.goodweaetherartgallery.com. To make an appointment call 618-477-9323 or email blpart.advocacy@gmail.com.

All the shows can be seen at the gallerys website and its Facebook page.

Our shows will continue virtually, Peipert said. But openings and closings are open to the public and in-person viewing. We want our artists, visitors and patrons to stay involved as we move past this pandemic, and see our momentum continue.

Good Weather Gallerys most recent online exhibition was Respite, featuring original works by Eugenia Alexander and Greg Edmondson.

Alexanders artist statement is, Through my work, I use the rich African tradition of storytelling through fabric work telling stories of connecting the African Diaspora/African American to traditional African heritage specifically through Indigo Dying. As an African American, growing up not knowing my heritage I felt a sense of loss of where exactly my ancestors came from, what their traditions and heritage are. As I learned indigo dying from a master artist I started to feel more of a connection to my heritage and culture as if it was my ancestors passing this tradition down to me through indigo hand dying. I tell these stories of Blackness, Connection, and Search through my work.

Edmondsons artist statement is, For the past five years I have been an Artist-in-Residence in mostly isolated, immersive environments. The works presented here illustrate the significant and on-going shift in my practice that this experience has brought about. The generative systems that drove my earlier work have begun to give way to a more intuitive and color driven approach to making imagery. My interest in patterns of organic growth and decay has remained, but the strict set of instructions I had followed has eroded. This new work is still formal and abstract, but based in simple forms and complex color strategies. These new paintings straddle a line between intention and response  constantly being nudged into unfamiliar territory by small discoveries made along the way.

Also, the artwork is available for purchase via www.goodweatherartgallery.com beginning the opening day of solo exhibits.

We have also began e-commerce, so work can either be purchased directly from the gallery or directly from our website, Peipert said.

Peiperts plan also is to continue the figure drawing sessions,which were gaining in popularity in the months before the coronavirus pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization.

Each show will be available to view virtually on Good Weather Gallerys website www.goodweatherartgallery.com and its Facebook page.
The situation in East Ladakh continues to remain tense with the Indian Army matching the heavy weapon posturing of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday after pre-empting China from moving into the dominating heights south of Pangong Tso on August 29-30 night, people familiar with the development said.

The situation is very tense in the Chushul area with the PLA fully in aggressive mode and show-casing heavy-calibre weapons to force the Indian Army to give in. The Indian Army has also matched weapons and blunted the Chinese offensive both at south of Pangong Tso and Rezang La by a counter-offensive mounted by the Special Frontier Forces, said a senior military official.

As of now, both the armies are matching each other in strength with the Indian Army present in strength to repel any Chinese aggression along the 1,597 km Line of Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

Also Read: Forget disengagement, China opens new front along LAC

The Indian counter-offensive has ensured that its troops are now dominating heights along its side of the LAC and monitoring the Chinese movement. The situation is dire and the possibility of escalation cannot be ruled out as Chinese PLA under instruction of Beijing is going all out to push the Indian Army, said a second senior military commander.

While military-to-military and diplomatic channels are open between the two countries, fact is India is now facing China which believes that it is a global superpower and wants to make its posturing in Ladakh to send a message to its adversaries elsewhere.

The Chinese president is in the Middle-Kingdom mode and will continue to deepen the difference on the LAC. It is deliberately trying to push the Indian Army into reaction without caring a damn that this might lead to serious blood-letting. The Chinese aggressive posture will continue till the November US Presidential elections as there is no other country which is willing to take on Beijing, said a China watcher.

There is a glimmer of hope for peace if the meeting between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi happens on the side-lines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ministerial meet in Moscow. But any further escalation from the PLA will end up scuttling any diplomatic initiative.

Even as the PLA aggression in Ladakh is on, national security planners in Delhi are monitoring all moves with clear-cut directions that there should be no territorial compromise in Ladakh or anywhere along the 3,488 km LAC.

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Workers could soon be allowed to work just four days a week or enjoy more annual leave than ever before if flexible working from home proposals are given the green light.

Employees and bosses will be able to agree on flexible working from home arrangements during the coronavirus pandemic under a proposal from the Fair Work Commission.

But there are concerns the generous new working model, designed to help Australians ease back into the office during the pandemic, could bankrupt small businesses who rely on commuters footfall.

Fair Work Commission president Iain Ross has released a draft plan to change awards, including a provision allowing working from home arrangements that 'balance personal and work responsibilities' against the employer's business needs.

The Fair Work Commission have proposed a draft to change awards after COVID-19 to include working from home clauses including double annual leave (pictured, a woman on holiday)

Employees could be able to compress their week, so usual hours are worked over fewer days as long as the usual workload is complete.

Starting and finishing times could also be staggered and employees directed to work at home or other locations.

Workers could even opt to take double the annual leave at half pay and also buy extra time off if bosses agree.

With the agreement of three quarters of a workforce, a cut to hours could be shared if an employer can't usefully use all emplopyees.

Justice Ross said working from home had been one of the most significant shifts since the start of the pandemic.

'It is likely the direct economic and social impacts of the pandemic will be felt for some time to come,' he said.

Additions to contracts could include working from home agreements such as start times, location and compressing your work hours to work less days (stock image)

Despite working from home benefits, many Australian workers have expressed a keenness to return to the office. Pictured: a pedestrian wearing a face mask travels in Sydney CBD amid the coronavirus pandemic in August

'There will (likely) be a continuing need for flexible work arrangements to assist employers and employees in adapting to the changed conditions and to support the recovery.'

The draft proposal could be potentially be included in modern awards, most of which don't explicitly deal with working from home.

HOW YOUR WORK LIFE COULD CHANGE: The Fair Work Commission's proposal could see staff reaching mutual agreements with their employers on a range of flexible working measures. Potential sanctions include: - Employees making agreements to balance personal and work responsibilities with the needs of their employer - The potential to compress your working week to work more hours on fewer days - Altered starting times and locations - Taking double annual leave at half pay Advertisement

The commission president said that could constrain working from home arrangements if business was forced to pay penalty rates or overtime, despite employees seeking flexibility.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said the draft was an important initiative which would deliver flexibility.

'A very large number of employees are currently working from home, and it is evident that workplaces will never be the same again,' he said on Tuesday.

The economy is said to be suffering thanks to an increase in working from home, with small CBD businesses struggling due to a lack of foot-traffic from reduced onsite workers.

Office vacancy rates in Sydney and Melbourne have jumped dramatically in the last six months, as businesses steady themselves for the lasting effects of the pandemic.

But many Australian workers have not expressed keenness to return to the office.

Research conducted by office portal company Equiem found 46 per cent of Australians surveyed claimed they were more productive working from home.

But some like Sydney recruiter Jen Davis have a yearning for office culture and the unity of a team environment.

'Being home is great for being able to get through the workload, but I find the being in the office great for connecting and engaging with people who do come in at the same time as me,' Ms Davis said.

Ms Davis believes many workers like to be in the office for work to distinguish a difference between their home and professional life.

'Some people still do believe that unless youre in the office youre not technically working or there are questions over where you are and what youre doing,' she said.

'It should be measured on output as opposed to location.'
Mariah Carey and Ellen DeGeneres 'toast to not being pregnant' during a 2008 interview: Warner Bros Television

Mariah Carey has said she was made to feel extremely uncomfortable during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, in which the pop star was pushed into revealing a pregnancy that she later miscarried.

Carey appeared on DeGeneres US talk show in 2008, when DeGeneres asked the star to either confirm or deny tabloid rumours that she was expecting a baby with then-husband Nick Cannon.

Despite Careys protests that she wanted to change the subject, DeGeneres offered Carey a glass of champagne to toast not being pregnant.

When DeGeneres spotted that Carey had faked sipping champagne from her glass, she shouted You are pregnant!

In 2010, Carey revealed that she was indeed pregnant at the time, but miscarried soon after the DeGeneres interview took place.

I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say, Carey recalls in a new interview with Vulture. And I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath.

She continued: I wasnt ready to tell anyone because I had had a miscarriage. I dont want to throw anyone thats already being thrown under any proverbial bus, but I didnt enjoy that moment.

Carey went on to say that she had wished that empathy had been implemented in the moment, adding: But what am I supposed to do? Its like, What are you going to do?

The Independent has contacted DeGeneress representative for comment.

Mariah Carey and Ellen DeGeneres (Chris Delmas/Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

The 2008 clip of Carey and DeGeneres went viral on social media last month amid an internal investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, racism and workplace bullying behind the scenes of DeGeneres show. DeGeneres herself was not implicated in the allegations.

Three of the shows top producers have been let go from the series as a result of the investigation, while employees have been offered extended holiday and additional time off.
The Scottish Government is to introduce legislation setting out the timings and terms for a second independence referendum, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Announcing her programme for government to MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, the First Minister for Scotland said a draft Bill will set out the proposed question people will be asked in a new poll.

She said at next years devolved election in Scotland she will make the case for Scotland to become an independent country, and seek a clear endorsement of Scotlands right to choose our own future.

Announcing her legislative agenda, she said suppressing Covid-19 is our most immediate priority  and it will remain so for some time, but her Government would use the disruption of the pandemic to rethink how we do things.

Test and Trace

Announcing a significant enhancement to Test & Protect, she said the Scottish Government would launch Protect Scotland, our new proximity tracing app.

The app will provide an additional means of notifying and giving advice if youve been exposed to someone who has tested positive  even if you dont know them and they dont know you, she said.

The NHS Louisa Jordan hospital at the SECC in Glasgow will open through winter, she said, and eligibility for the flu vaccine would be extended to everyone over the age of 55, social care workers and those who live with shielded people.

Ms Sturgeon said the programme also lays foundations for the future.

It establishes a national mission to create new, high-quality, green jobs, she said.

She added: I can can confirm that central to this, and central to our programme, is a Youth Guarantee  a new partnership with Scotlands employers, backed by 60m (67m) of Government investment, to guarantee everyone aged 16-24 a job, a place in education or a place in training.

We are also earmarking 10m (11m) to help employers recruit and retain apprentices. This will include incentives to take on apprentices who have been made redundant.

Funding announcements

Ms Sturgeon also announced that a National Transition Training Fund will be launched in the autumn to help 10,000 people of all ages retrain for jobs in growth sectors, and a Green Jobs Fund initially worth 100m (112m) will be established.

We will increase our investment in infrastructure year on year, so that by the end of the next parliament it will be 1.5bn (1.7bn) higher than last year, she added.

Announcing plans for digital infrastructure, she said that by the end of 2021 an electronic device, unlimited data, and two years of digital support and training will be provided to 50,000 people who would otherwise be without digital access that the rest of us take for granted.

This is a massive step, and will help us end the digital divide once and for all, she said.

The First Minister said Scots mustnt forget that the global climate emergency is intensifying, and that it too requires urgent action.

Our overall investment in decarbonising heat  which will in itself be more than 1.5 billion over the next parliament  will help us improve energy efficiency, reduce fuel poverty, and ensure that in just over 20 years, heating in Scotland will no longer be a source of greenhouse gas emissions, she said.

Saying the Scottish Government would help industries become more green, she added that a Grangemouth Future Industry Board would be established to support a Just Transition at that cluster  promoting economic activity while advancing the move to a low-carbon future.

Addressing the self-sabotage of Brexit, Ms Sturgeon said leaving the EU strengthens the case for Scotland becoming an independent country.
Roma legend Francesco Totti has hinted that he would be keen to return to his former club in some capacity following a recent change of owner

Roma legend Francesco Totti believes that "sooner or later" he will reconnect with the club which has just changed owners, he told Italian daily La Repubblica in an interview published on Tuesday.

Totti, 43, spent 24 years at the club as a player before moving upstairs to the boardroom.

He resigned as a director in June 2019, however, after falling out with US owner James Pallotta and with management, who he criticised for keeping him out of decisions.

But the sale this summer of the club to another American businessman, Dan Friedkin, could lay the foundations for a reconciliation between the ex-captain, who has since become a players' agent, and his long-standing club.

"It is natural to think that sooner or later Roma and I will meet again," he told La Reppublica.

"But I am not fixing the moment, and above all I am not waiting for it to happen by sitting idly at home."

Totti said Friedkin had understood quickly the essentials of running a club.

"In Rome, the owner must be physically present," he said.

"The announcement that his son Ryan will come to live here is a move in the right direction.

"Pallotta made mistakes because he made decisions on reported information."

Totti said he had not been in contact with the new bosses but said he was ready to "have a coffee" with them.

alu/smr/bsp/as
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 00:17:34|Editor: huaxia

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WARSAW, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Polish President Andrzej Duda took part in an early morning ceremony in Westerplatte, near Gdansk, on Tuesday to mark the 81st anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.

"Here on Westerplatte, Polish soldiers were under attack" by German troops, Duda said a few minutes before 5 a.m. local time. The German attack commenced at 4:45 a.m. on Sept. 1, 1939. "In Wielun (a small town nearby), German airmen barbarically dropped bombs on a sleeping town," he said.

During the ceremony, Duda officially handed over to relatives the official identification documents of soldiers whose remains were found last year during an archeological investigation.

Duda was joined by government officials, including Sejm (lower house) Speaker Elzbieta Witek, Senate (upper house) Speaker Tomasz Grodzki and Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. This year's commemoration at Westerplatte was organized by the national government. In previous years, the local authorities held that responsibility. In 2026, the authorities plan to open a museum on the site dedicated to the German invasion of Poland.

The attack on Westerplatte 81 years ago and the ensuing German invasion of Poland marked the beginning of World War II. The shelling from sea and land of the Polish garrison there was followed by German infantry advances from the city of Danzig (now Gdansk), where the majority of the population at the time was German. The small Polish garrison held out for seven days before surrendering in a battle which both sides expected to last only hours.

During the clashes, local German paramilitaries also attempted to seize the Polish post office in the city itself, which led to a 15-hour armed combat between postal staff and German troops.

Both the Battle of Westerplatte and the concurrent defense of the post office serve as symbols of Polish heroism and patriotism today. Enditem
India on Tuesday said China resorted to provocative action a day earlier when it attempted to change the status quo in the Pangong Lake area even as military-level talks were underway. Chinas actions this year have been in clear violation of agreements, the spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs said.

Read full statement by Ministry of External Affairs here:

As you aware, India and China have been closely engaged through diplomatic and military channels over the past three months to resolve the situation along the India-China border. It would also be recalled that earlier the two Foreign Ministers and the two Special Representatives had agreed that the situation should be handled in a responsible manner and either side should not take any provocative action or escalate matters and ensure peace and tranquility as per bilateral agreements and protocol.

The Chinese side however, violated this understanding and engaged in provocative military maneuvers in the late night of 29th and on 30th August in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake. As stated yesterday by Indian Army, the Indian side responded to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive measures along the LAC in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity. Furthermore, yesterday on 31st August, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo.

The actions and behavior of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the LAC has been in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquility on the border. Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two Foreign Ministers as also the Special Representatives.

We have taken up the matter of recent provocative and aggressive actions with Chinese side through both diplomatic and military channels and have urged them to discipline and control their frontline troops from undertaking such provocative actions.

The Indian side is firmly committed to resolve all outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector through peaceful dialogue. In this context, we expect the Chinese side to sincerely abide by the understanding reached earlier and earnestly work with the India to resolve the situation and to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas.
Marcos De La Toba, a former tenant at the Royal Park Motel, stands in front of the building at the center of numerous lawsuits that allege residents and workers were exposed to asbestos and other toxins. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

When Brandy Mahone saw an unfamiliar man taking photos around the run-down motel she called home, she assumed he must be a city employee and started chatting, sharing her concerns as a tenant.

She was jarred, she said, when she later saw the same man accepting cash from a motel worker. "You told me you were going to help me," she remembers thinking, "and it turns out you were in bed together."

Courtney Durham was working for the housing department at that time, earning more than $120,000 annually to run a program helping poor seniors and disabled people with free repairs, according to city payroll officials.

He was also moonlighting as a consultant at the Royal Park Motel, assisting a building owner who has been accused of illegally ejecting tenants and jeopardizing their health with asbestos, lead and other toxic substances.

His dual role landed him in hot water with the city and has spurred accusations that Durham, a longtime Los Angeles city employee, was involved in alleged wrongdoing that harmed families at the motel.

Durham did not respond to messages from The Times, and his attorney said Durham did not want to comment. City officials said his official responsibilities at the housing department did not involve the Westlake building.

Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics, said that nonetheless, Durham should have at least flagged dangerous practices at a building where families lived.

This is "a city employee who gets paid by city taxpayers to protect people," she said.

::

The Westlake motel was a modest home for renters on the economic margins  a 1966 building with more than a hundred units and a retail space in one wing that at one point was occupied by a Thai restaurant. It was one of a dwindling number of residential motels in the city, providing cheap accommodations for as little as $600 a month.

The motel made the news one Christmas six years ago when a fire tore through the building. In its aftermath, tenants say owner Gerald Wang embarked on repairs  and illegally tried to turn the building into a tourist hotel to turn a higher profit.

Story continues

Nearly two years ago, former tenants reached a settlement exceeding $1 million over complaints that they were illegally evicted as Wang and his associates overhauled the aging building.

Wang still faces five other lawsuits from former tenants and people who worked at the Royal Park, who say they were exposed to asbestos and other toxic substances. Although Durham is not a defendant in the lawsuits, he has been deposed in the ongoing litigation over the motel.

Housing officials say Durham never obtained permission for his side job, which included commissioning reports that detected asbestos in the building. In June, the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission fined him nearly $19,000 for failing to get city approval for the side job. Such outside work is allowed only if it doesn't conflict with department interests.

After renovations got underway several years ago, the housing department fielded repeated complaints about illegal construction and shoddy conditions. Mahone lodged a complaint in 2016 about being ejected from her unit.

The housing department warned the motel that if Mahone was being displaced for any repairs, she had to be allowed back into her unit at her same rent when the work was done. Wang was loath to do that, stating in an email that it would be a problem." He turned to Durham, who had worked on and off for the housing department for decades.

You do not want this to escalate, Durham advised Wang in an email reviewed by The Times, telling him to respond to the housing department "ASAP" and try to hold off on renovating that unit until last.

In the meantime you can negotiate, Durham wrote. Never admit that you evicted the tenant.

Durham emailed Wang the following day to say that as I understand it, the case is currently closed.

Mahone said she never heard back about her complaint. A motel employee offered her some money and moved her into another motel, she said, but only for a few weeks before ejecting her. She said she ended up on the streets for months with her husband and daughter.

Nicolas Rodriguez, who was working at the motel at the time, told a city official in an email that Durham had taken a crucial step to thwart the complaint: Providing Wang with a letter that said tenants did not have to move permanently for the renovations.

Rodriguez said that when a housing inspector saw that letter, "to my astonishment the case was closed." But tenants like Mahone were still being illegally removed, Rodriguez wrote, complaining that she and her husband had gotten much less money to relocate than they were entitled to under city rules.

What Durham did, Rodriguez wrote in another email to the housing department, allowed the motel owner "to deprive many good Los Angeles residents of their rights."

Rodriguez is now among the people suing Wang over conditions at the motel, alleging in his lawsuit wrongful termination and hazardous conditions at the building. The aging motel was later sold to a new owner and is being rehabilitated to become housing for homeless veterans, bolstered by taxpayer funding.

::

In an email, Wang said he was confident that the allegations against him would not be substantiated, stating that when repairs were needed after the fire in the building, we retained a licensed contractor who obtained all necessary permits and clearances. He declined to comment further.

Royal Park was cited by government agencies over the renovations: The building department slapped the motel with a violation order for unpermitted work in the restaurant area of the building. Air quality regulators also issued a violation for failing to notify them about renovating restaurant ceilings that contained asbestos.

In a deposition, a South Coast Air Quality Management District inspector said it was unclear whether asbestos was safely removed from the restaurant area, since no one admitted how it had been taken out. Wang and companies tied to him and his wife agreed to pay $12,000 over the violation without admitting liability.

L.A.'s county public health agency also said it was unclear if the restaurant work was properly contained to prevent contaminating residential areas of the motel. Construction worker Maximino Hernandez Valencia said laborers in the restaurant were told to take debris to a dumpster outside and put mattresses on top.

They didnt want people to notice it was there, Valencia said in Spanish. He is now suing Wang for wrongful termination and other alleged violations, contending that an accident at the site led to the loss of his eye.

Valencia said in a deposition that he saw other crews working at the motel, including an asbestos team dressed in protective suits, but he didn't have the same protection when he and other laborers worked in rooms and the restaurant.

Durham has distanced himself from the work in the restaurant: In a letter to an air quality inspector, he said the work he assisted with was limited to 53 motel units and that it was conducted in full compliance with governing codes."

At one point, however, Durham commissioned a report that detected asbestos at the restaurant  the area that spurred the air quality violation. He told the inspector he had gotten that report for "bidding purposes."

Durham said in a deposition that he had estimated the costs and handled payment for a licensed asbestos removal contractor, but did not inspect any of the work at the motel or do any construction work himself. City investigators calculated he earned roughly $44,000 in profits for his work at Royal Park.

Durham also said he didn't know what another contractor embroiled in the litigation  a friend of his named Eddy Liu  was doing at the motel. Emails obtained in connection with the tenants' lawsuit show, however, that they were in contact about the building, with Durham repeatedly copying Liu on emailsand sending him a report about asbestos at the site.

Valencia, the construction worker who lost his eye, identified Liu as one of the "bosses" for the job and is suing him and Wang for wrongful termination, asbestos exposure and other unsafe conditions. Liu has denied Valencia's claims and is contesting a state fine over safety violations. He said in an email that his work at Royal Park was limited to remodeling hotel rooms, not the restaurant, and that all asbestos was removed before his crew arrived.

::

Durham did not initially list any outside income on government forms that he was required to turn in annually while he was working with the Royal Park. Under rules for the housing department, Durham was supposed to report any income from any person or business involved in construction contracting or technical assistance in L.A.

It was not until February, years after the forms were first filed, that Durham amended them to include his income from Royal Park. In a deposition, Durham said he didnt think the form asked him to disclose his business with Wang.

In June, he was fined $18,750 by the Ethics Commission for doing outside work without permission from the housing department permission that he would not have gotten for working at Royal Park, investigators said. When investigators first contacted Durham, he initially sought to conceal his activity, they found, calling his actions a deliberate violation. Durham agreed to pay the penalty.

The housing department declined to say what action it had taken.As of early August, Durham was still employed with the department. Former tenant Marcos De La Toba, one of the people suing over asbestos contamination at the motel, said that "when a city official who is entrusted with the well-being of the residents in the city of Los Angeles does this, you feel unsafe."

"You feel like you cannot trust city officials anymore," De La Toba said.
Former NSW Police deputy commissioner Rosemary Milkins recently installed bright lights that "lit up her back lawn like a netball court" to age-proof her home for when her eyes won't be so sharp.

It's not that she needs the lights now, Ms Milkins, 66, told the aged care royal commission on Tuesday. After caring for her late mother, Dorothy Urch, who lived at home for 17 years after a diagnosis of dementia, Ms Milkins is preparing her home in Hornsby Heights for the next 25 years in the same way a parent may install a child-proof gate.

As many as 3.6 million older Australians will require aged care services at home by 2050, the royal commission has heard. Yet the absence of oversight meant the "highest risk" for older people in the aged care system was within the home, Robert Fitzgerald, the chairman of the NSW Ageing and Disability Commission, told the commission.

The commission also heard there were insufficient advocates for older Australians; a high risk of elder abuse and neglect; and an absence of quality indicators or checks.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is urging Kenyans to remain resilient in observing COVID-19 guidelines in spite of a decline in the number of new coronavirus infections.

In a statement Monday, WHO cautioned that the decline does not necessarily mean that Kenya is flattening the curve.

For now we would warn against premature relaxation of the effective measures put in place by the Kenyan government, WHO said.

We advice that the wearing of masks, the frequent washing or sanitising should remain in place.

According to the U.N agency, testing should be strengthened to capture a greater proportion of suspected cases within the testing regime.

It further noted that epidemiological, health systems and public health surveillance considerations need to be factored in deciding whether the decline implies an interruption of transmission and review of interventions.

While these are encouraging quality indicators that may be used as proxy to decreased transmission, the findings should be treated with caution, WHO said.

As encouraging as the report may be, this cannot be stated conclusively, since the positivity rate can be interpreted only with comprehensive surveillance and testing of suspected cases.

Meanwhile, President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday said Kenya has started to flatten the curve.

Speaking while opening the Covid-19 Virtual Conference, the Head of State said the country has done well in the six months since the first COVID-19 case was recorded.

He, however, urged caution saying the pandemic is at a critical point.

We must analyse as this virus unfolds and changes form. We are at the inflection point and here the curve can either flatten and de-escalate or take an upward surge, he said.

We must not celebrate this happy moment too soon, but rather celebrate it with cautionthe curve begins to flatten after it reaches its highest point, this is the most dangerous point.
"He has been suspended and is on unpaid leave," the supervisor added. "We have the findings and we know what the action is going to be. We haven't taken steps on it and I'm not going to say it at this time, what those steps are going to be."

Emminger also noted that Rider, who has served as a public safety dispatcher for the town since 2001, does belong to a union, which affords him certain rights.

"He will be able to exercise those rights under the union contract, which means he'll exercise the right to grieve it," Emminger said.

The supervisor said the town had to take similar action against a town employee last year.

"We had a similar resolution and that employee was terminated," Emminger said.

Rider has served as a public safety dispatcher with the town police department since 2001, according to his LinkedIn page.

He initially was placed on a paid suspension about a month ago, after the town received a complaint against him, before he was suspended without pay. The Town Attorney's Office led an investigation and passed its findings along to Stauffiger, who determined Rider's actions rose to the level of misconduct.

Rider has exercised his contractual right to challenge the discipline leveled against him. He declined to comment when reached by The News on the advice of his attorney, Paul D. Weiss, who has not responded to a request to speak on his client's behalf.

The Buffalo News: Good Morning, Buffalo The smart way to start your day. We sift through all the news to give you a concise, informative look at the top headlines and must-read stories every weekday. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.

Stephen T. Watson News Staff Reporter I report on development, government, crime and schools in the northern Erie County suburbs. I grew up in the Town of Tonawanda and worked at the Post-Standard in Syracuse before joining The News in 2001. Email: swatson@buffnews.com Follow Stephen T. Watson Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
Sweetie Pies fans have been praying for the Montgomery family matriarch Miss Robbie after learning that her son, Tim Norman, is currently facing charges in relation to the death of Miss Robbies grandson, Andre Montgomery. Norman is Montgomerys uncle.

Miss Robbie and Tim Norman via Twitter

In her first statement, Miss Robbie tells a close friend that she is simply heartbroken about the alleged murder-for-hire plot.

Tim Normans arrest in connection with the alleged murder-for-hire plot against his nephew

According to prosecutors, Norman is currently sitting in a Mississippi jail in connection to the death of his 21-year-old nephew.

Prosecutors say two years before Montgomerys death, Norman allegedly took out multiple life insurance policies on Montgomery totaling $450,000, which lists Norman as the sole beneficiary.

In the days leading up to Montgomerys death, police records reveal that Norman and other co-conspirators began communicating via burner phones to find out Montgomerys location.

Source: YouTube

RELATED: Friend of Sweetie Pies Star Tim Norman Says Normans Jealousy and Greed Led Him To Allegedly Conspiring in Murder-For-Hire Plot Against His Own Nephew

Norman allegedly tried cashing in on Montgomerys life insurance polices a week after the murder but was denied because he could not provide adequate documentation.

All About The Teas interview with Tasha K alleges that Normans jealously and greed is to blame for his involvement, claiming Norman was in debt and was also jealous of the relationship between Miss Robbie and Montgomery.

Miss Robbie speaks on Tim Normans arrest, admits shes weak

Sources claiming to be close to the family have expressed great concern for Miss Robbie. According to a report from All About The Tea, some members believe Normans next intended victim was going to be his mother.

Family members say they discovered a life insurance policy for Miss Robbie worth over $1 million. Norman is listed as the sole beneficiary. They are also investigating a series of events in which they say Miss Robbies life was in danger.

Tim was drowning in debt, the source claims. His Jackson, Mississippi location was derailed because of Coronavirus and he owed a lot of people money. He also owes Janae thousands in back child support and he owes the IRS back taxes. Please keep our family in your prayers.

Source: YouTube

RELATED: Basketball Wives Star Jennifer Williams Says Shes Not Surprised of Her Ex Tim Normans Alleged Involvement in a Murder-For-Hire Plot; Says Norman Has a Bad Temper

Bossip reports that a St. Louis journalist, April Simpson, who is close with the Montgomery family says shes spoken to Miss Robbie.

Life seems unreal right now, especially for people dealing with pain and heartache, Simpson writes. One of those people is our beloved Ms. Robbie Montgomery. I reached out to her letting her know she is loved and has an immense amount of support.

But Simpson says Miss Robbie is simply brokenhearted and not yet ready to speak publicly.

Thanks for the prayers, but at this time Im weak and cant make a statement, Simpson shares on behalf of Miss Robbie.

She continues: Please keep praying for me and my son.
Vidya Iyengar By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: As a final-year undergraduate student pursuing business administration, Maria Fernanda Garcia Gonzalez has been looking forward to the next phase of life  graduating, getting a job and starting a career. But things have been rough for the 27-year-old student from Mexico who has recently been diagnosed with a tumour in her left ovary. She has been taking treatment from Dr Sreenivasa Rao at Ayaansh Hospital, Indiranagar.

Unable to manage the finances, Gonzalez has turned to crowd-funding platform Ketto to raise Rs 2 lakh. Just after my mother was diagnosed with coronavirus in July, my health issues started. Shes a dentist and the pandemic has hit her practice very hard, says Gonzalez whose father passed away last year. In the Western culture, you fly away from home at the age of 18, but my parents supported me to the extent they could, she adds.

The last couple of months have been an emotional roller-coaster, with funds going towards her mothers treatment. Not wanting to bother family in these times, Gonzalez searched online about crowd-funding so that she could manage this independently. The student who got stuck in India due to the lockdown started having unbearable abdominal pain and was diagnosed as having an ovarian tumour. My mom and I have done all we can to collect money for the medical expenses, but Rs 2 lakh is a huge amount, she says.

Gonzalez is often asked why shes turning to the public for help. It is such a misconception in India that Westerners are financially well-placed. People are always asking me why Im asking different sources for money, says Gonzalez. She studied international relations back home while balancing jobs, including that of a bilingual receptionist, and decided to switch gears when she came to India.

Ive always been keen to come here. I felt that international relations may or may not land me the job I would want, which is why I decided to study business administration, she says, adding that being older than her peers only makes her more serious.

While the rest of them may bunk college, I know the effort it takes to be able to study, she says. Right now, Gonzalez says her mother is worried being thousands of kilometres away. The times are such that travel is not possible with borders closed. But Mexicans are known to be very brave, which I am trying to be, she says.
The HazardHub team has done an incredible job in developing a fast, stable, and cost-effective data engine. Im thrilled to join HazardHub to get them to the next stage of their development. - Paul Heimann

HazardHub, the USAs fastest-growing supplier of geospatial risk data and a 2019 Insuretech 100 company  are pleased to announce that renowned geospatial expert Paul Heimann has joined HazardHub as Chief Architect.

Brady Foust, Chief Scientist for HazardHub says, We are incredibly excited to add Paul to our team at HazardHub. Ive seen Pauls work firsthand and can attest to the excellence of his geospatial capabilities. Plus, Paul is a gifted data engineer who not only knows what to do but how to program it. Were looking forward to Pauls help with increasing the depth and sophistication of HazardHubs data offerings. 

Heimann  a graduate of two prestigious geospatial programs with a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MS for the University of South Carolina - comes to HazardHub from American Family Insurance, where he played an integral role on their Cloud Transformation Journey. Before American Family, Paul spent more than 7 years at the Weather Company, where he designed, developed, and delivered highly available and scalable weather data streaming ingest and data distribution services deployed to Amazon's cloud infrastructure (AWS).

Heimann says The HazardHub team has done an incredible job in developing a fast, stable, and cost-effective data engine that accesses over 100 billion data points to deliver almost 1,000 data elements for any point in the US. What they currently provide to the insurance industry cant be touched by competitive systems. Im thrilled to join HazardHub to get them to the next stage of their development.

Bob Frady, CEO of HazardHub adds, At HazardHub, we continue our march to becoming the preeminent provider of hazard and property data to the P&C world. Being able to attract someone of Pauls caliber to our team is a testament to both the strength of our current team and the future potential our company holds. Were very pleased that Paul has joined HazardHub and look forward to many great things together.

About HazardHub

HazardHub is your insurance policy against property risk.

Air. Fire. Water. Earth. Man-Made. HazardHub is the only third-generation provider of property-level hazard risk databases spanning the most dangerous perils in the continental United States. HazardHub translates huge amounts of geospatial digital data into easy to understand answers, providing easy to comprehend risk scorecards that are used to make real-world decisions. Our team of scientists provides comprehensive, and innovative, national coverage for risks that destroy and damage property. With more than 20,000,000 results returned to the market, HazardHub is fast-becoming the industrys go-to vendor for property and risk data.

To learn more about HazardHub or to use our free lookups, visit http://www.hazardhub.com or reach us directly at support@hazardhub.com.
This week, Amit Varma joins Milan Vaishnav (Director of the South Asia programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) to talk about his continuously evolving career, his libertarian ideology, and his views on nationalism.

This week, Amit joins Milan on the show to reflect on his career as a journalist, author, entrepreneur, podcast host, and--yes--professional poker player. Milan talks to Amit about his libertarian leanings, his views on nationalism, and why exactly India has so few economic reformers.

If youre listening to this podcast, chances are you are a fan of the podcast, The Seen and the Unseen. For 186 episodes and counting, the journalist Amit Varma has been putting together some of the most thoughtful, insightful and eclectic conversations with the best and brightest in India.
Chennai, Sep 1 : Government buses resumed operations and temples reopened for the public after a gap of about 160 days, in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday.

However, wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing was mandatory.

Following the relaxation in the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, the government began intra-district bus services.

Officials said the number of buses will be increased gradually based on the demand.

However, private bus operators did not ply their vehicles saying that intra district transport with restrictions on the number of passengers is not a viable proposition for them.

The private bus operators said they should be allowed inter-district operations so that it is financially viable.

The big temples in the state saw devotees wearing masks and maintaining social distance.

Chennai Metro Rail will resume services from September 7 onwards and the decision on operating the suburban trains will be taken after a review.

Private organisations were allowed to carry on operations with 100 per cent staff strength.

In the hosiery town Tiruppur, the knitwear units started functioning with a higher staff strength.

As part of more relaxations from Tuesday, all shops, including grocery, vegetable and tea vendors can remain open for an additional hour till 8 p.m.

But educational institutions, amusement parks, zoos, museums and other places where people congregate in large numbers will remain under lockdown till September 30.
This March 16, 2020 file photo shows vials used by pharmacists to prepare syringes used on the first day of a first-stage safety study clinical trial of the potential vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle. The world's biggest COVID-19 vaccine test got underway Monday, July 27 with the first of 30,000 planned volunteers. The experimental vaccine is made by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., and it's one of several candidates in the final stretch of the global vaccine race. Read more

Medical workers  and not just doctors and nurses  at high risk for catching and spreading COVID-19. Police officers. Seniors who live in crowded houses. Morticians.

These are some of the groups a scientific advisory committee thinks should have first crack at a coronavirus vaccine. Everyone assumes there wont be enough vaccine for all who want it when it first becomes available, so the government will need to ration doses.

On Tuesday, a committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a draft allocation framework that suggested how to do that rationing. It proposed delivering the shots in four phases.

Medical workers with direct exposure to the virus would get shots in the first phase. This includes people providing direct patient care in hospitals, nursing homes and private homes, along with transport and environmental services workers. People who live in group settings like nursing homes or in overcrowded situations would also be in the first phase, as would first responders, including ambulance service workers, police, and firefighters. People at especially high risk for serious illness because of chronic health conditions like cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and obesity would also get priority, but the group did not specify exactly how. There likely wont be enough vaccine at first for all Americans with such medical problems, so the government may need to reserve the shots for people who have two or more serious health conditions. Morticians and funeral home workers could get shots in the first phase.

A comment period on the 114-page discussion draft began immediately and was to last only through this week  four days. There will also be a five-hour, online public listening session Wednesday.

The mission of the academies, which are composed of top scientists, is to provide independent, objective advice to guide policy.

 READ MORE: Who will get the first shot when the coronavirus vaccine arrives

The National Academy of Medicine, at the behest of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), created the expert panel to study allocation in July. The 18-member committee is heavy on epidemiologists, but also includes a health economist, a geriatrician, bioethicists, and foundation leaders. Traditionally, the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends who should get vaccines, and it has been discussing since April how to allocate a new coronavirus shot. Its recommendations may come later this month, said Jose Romero, ACIP chairman and professor of pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

At the academy panels first meeting in July, Victor Dzau, the academys president, said he expected final recommendations from that group by late September to early October.

NIH Director Francis Collins, said at that meeting that this issue could benefit from extra deep thinkers.

This is going to be controversial, he said. Not everybody is going to like the answer.

Eddy Bresnitz, a former deputy commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health who is now advising the department on coronavirus response, said he thinks the advisory groups will both be valuable. I think that these are going to be in some ways synergistic or complementary, he said.

In the report, the committee said its framework is mean to guide ACIP.

Asked who will make the final decision on allocation, Romero said, I dont know, to tell you the truth. His recommendations will go to the CDC.

In deciding who gets a vaccine first, experts and government officials need to weigh its likely effect on spread of disease, on preventing serious illness and death, and how well it works in different groups. If its markedly more effective in younger people, for example, it might be better to target them even if the elderly are most likely to die from the disease. Because COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Blacks and Latinos, members of both committees have discussed how to make sure people of color have early access.

The committee said that mitigation of health inequities is one of its goals. It said it was taking into account work environments, living arrangements and social determinants of health that may increase risk of certain chronic health problems and place an outsize burden of sickness and death on people of color. The committee said that those in charge of distributing the vaccine should make sure that it is delivered in a timely manner to areas of high social vulnerability.

Politics vs. science

The vaccine discussions come at a time when many Americans are worried about the role politics is playing in the nations response to the new virus. A new survey from STAT, a health news site, and Harris Poll found that 78% of Americans think the approval process for a new COVID-19 vaccine is being driven more by politics than science. About one-third of the adults surveyed were in no rush to get a new vaccine, but 67% said they would like to get one as soon as its available.

In its second phase, the academy committee included more people with underlying health problems, the remaining older adults, teachers and school staff, along with people who live and work in prisons, as well as residents of homeless shelters and of group homes for people with physical or mental disabilities or who are in recovery. Many such people who live in group settings have health problems and are unable to socially distance. Some essential workers who cannot avoid exposure to the virus could get shots in this phase. This could include transportation and food and drug store workers. The committee specified that these workers should be offered vaccine regardless of their immigration status.

The third phase includes more essential workers, including those who work in hotels, restaurants, hair salons and exercise facilities. Children (if theyve been included in clinical trials) and young adults would also get shots because of their role in spreading disease.

The last phase is for the healthy people who are left. If theres still a vaccine shortage, the committee suggested using a lottery. The committee said the United States should make the vaccine available to everyone within 12 to 18 months.

Along with figuring out who gets the doses, public health officials will be faced with distribution challenges. Two of the vaccines farthest along in development, made by Moderna and Pfizer, require two doses given three to four weeks apart. Both must be stored at extremely low temperatures.

Romero said the need for cold storage could make it harder to distribute the vaccine in rural areas.

AstraZeneca announced the Phase 3 trial of its COVID-19 vaccine this week.

Health workers first

ACIP has been in general agreement that some health care workers and those with underlying health problems should be first in line. Modeling discussed at its last meeting found that vaccinating nursing home staff was more effective at reducing viral spread and death than vaccinating residents. In general, younger people mount a stronger immune response after vaccination than the aged. In addition, many nursing home outbreaks start with staff, who may have been exposed to the coronavirus at home and who often work in more than one facility.

Bresnitz, who attended the recent ACIP meeting, said one committee member suggested acceptance of the vaccine by health-care workers might make other people more confident about getting it.

At the ACIP meeting, Kathleen Dooling, a CDC doctor, asked the committee to assume that there may be a total of 3 million doses of the two vaccines available in October, 10 to 20 million in November and 35 to 45 million in December. Romero said these are hypothetical numbers. He said it is unlikely that any vaccine will be available before November. Not only do we not know how much vaccine will be available, but we dont know which vaccine will be available, he said.

Regardless, supply will fall short. Dooling had these estimates for people at high priority: 17 to 20 million health-care workers with either direct or indirect exposure to the virus, 60 to 80 million essential workers, more than 100 million American adults with health conditions that put them at high risk and 63 million people aged 65 and older. Some of those groups overlap.

Bresnitz pointed out that a Department of Homeland Security document lists seven single-spaced pages of categories of essential workers.
Its designed to help businesses in the event of them wanting to defend a dispute or pursue a dispute relating to their core business activities, she explained. Its there to be able to allow small businesses to potentially deal with issues that could be resolved earlier, and not lead to full-on litigation.

Read more: Solution Underwriting on specialised NDIS support

Lane concedes that the new cover is not a substitute for general liability or professional indemnity, but it is instead designed to complement them.

The heads of cover were designed with the SME space in mind, in terms of which areas of legal protection matter most to these businesses, while also giving them access to legal advice through Sparke Helmore lawyers.

Each head of cover is designed and written in plain English. Its one of those policies where its got a heading, it tells you what it covers and doesnt cover, and its very clear [with its]intention, Lane continued.The first head of cover is contractual dispute and it always ties back to the clients core business A contractual dispute is not only about defending their claim, but its also about pursuing a claim in the event of there being any sort of issues relating to retailers with product suppliers.

The second head of cover is tax audit, which people can [also] buy as a standalone product  It [covers] the cost associated with businesses having to be audited and getting your accountant to put everything together, going through the audit process and then again, finding out at the end of it if theres been any issues.

Read next: Protecting your business from COVID-19 scams: Expert

Lane believes the commercial legal protection cover is competitive and delivers value to the SME market because most other insurance policies are about defending yourself, while this cover actually gives the client the ability to be able to pursue a dispute as well and take it on knowing they have the comfort of legal advice and legal expenses being paid for them, she said.I think theres a lot of people who think I dont know where to go [and] its going to cost me lots of money to actually stand up for myself.

Moreover, Lane noted that every policyholder will have access to advice via email, phone or other methods of communication. Notably, they will not only have this for heads of cover under this policy, but any legal question or matter that comes back to the clients core business.
India on Tuesday accused Chinese troops of resorting to provocative action even as military commanders were holding talks on Monday to ease fresh tensions near Pangong Lake, underscoring the deep mistrust dogging the disengagement process along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The latest development follows the two sides trading charges of trespassing the LAC on the southern bank of Pangong Lake since the weekend, complicating the de-escalation process that has stalled at key friction points, including Depsang and Gogra.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation that arose from the face-off on the southern bank of Pangong Lake, Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action.

Without elaborating on the provocative action, he added: Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo [along the LAC].

Srivastava reiterated Indias assertion that Chinese troops violated the understanding reached by the two sides in diplomatic and military talks on resolving the standoff when they engaged in provocative military manoeuvres during August 29-30 in an attempt to change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong Lake.

The Indian side responded to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive measures along the LAC in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity, he said.

Statements issued by both India and China also make it clear that there was a string of incidents between August 29 and 31  the Indian side talked about the PLA carrying out provocative military movements to change the status quo during August 29-30, while Chinas western theatre command claimed the Indian side had broken the consensus on August 31.

The Indian Army has occupied key heights on the lakes southern bank to prevent the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) from grabbing territory on the Indian side of the LAC during a stealthy midnight manoeuvre on August 29, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.

The PLAs fresh provocative action on Monday was targeted at the heights held by Indian troops, the people added.

Indian troops are holding a series of positions near Black Top, a hill feature, and on Rezang and Reqin passes, which are on the Indian side of the LAC and allow the army to dominate the area and keep an eye on Chinese military activity. Specialist mountain troops played a key role in taking these heights and one of them was killed in a landmine blast.

The people cited above said China triggered the latest face-off through its efforts to occupy dominant positions on the southern back of Pangong Lake, which was hitherto not seen as a friction point as it was under effective control of the Indian side. The tensions in this sector were earlier confined to the Finger Area on the lakes northern bank.

The two sides were now attempting to take dominating positions before colder weather conditions start setting in, making large-scale troop movements and logistics more difficult, the people added.

Srivastava said all military and diplomatic engagements over the past three months, including discussions between the two foreign ministers and the two Special Representatives on the border issue, resulted in an agreement that the situation should be handled in a responsible manner and either side should not take any provocative action or escalate matters.

He added, The actions and behaviour of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the LAC has been in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquillity on the border. Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two foreign ministers as also the Special Representatives.

The Indian side has taken up the recent provocative and aggressive actions with the Chinese side through diplomatic and military channels and urged them to discipline and control their frontline troops from undertaking such provocative actions, he said.

While the India side is committed to resolving all outstanding issues along the LAC through peaceful dialogue, it expects China to abide by the understanding reached earlier and earnestly work with India to resolve the situation, Srivastava said.

The Chinese embassy in New Delhi, through a statement, reiterated Beijings contention that Indian troops violated the consensus and trespassed the LAC on the southern bank of Pangong Lake and near Reqin pass. What India has done runs counter to the efforts made by both sides for a period of time to ease and cool down the situation on the ground, and China is resolutely opposed to this, it said.

The statement called on India to withdraw its troops illegally trespassing the LAC and immediately stop any actions leading to the escalation and complication of the situation.

Strategic affairs analyst Brahma Chellaney said Indias options were narrowing and the contraction of the economy by almost 25% in the quarter ended June would further reduce the space for military options, and this might embolden the Chinese.

Therefore, last weekends activity was essentially a defensive move to occupy vacant heights on the Indian side of the LAC, otherwise, the PLA could have seized those heights just as they have done at other places, he said.

The Chinese are sitting pretty on land grabs they have made and they have moved to the second stage, which is consolidation. This is not just strengthening their gains but also deterring India from initiating any counter-action by securing their core territorial gains and enlarging their footprint in areas around the land grabs, he added.

Border tensions between India and China flared up in the aftermath of a clash in eastern Ladakhs Galwan Valley on June 15  the first deadly conflict between soldiers of the two sides along the LAC in 45 years. The clash resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers, including a commanding officer, and an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers.
[ This book was one of our most anticipated titles of September. See the full list. ]

The next few years chronicle Giovannas attempt to make sense of herself in the aftermath. With the new, ungainly body thats come into her possession, she moves between the Naples of her parents and that of her aunt  ditching class, dressing in black (my eyes were black, my lips, every item of clothing was black), and perfecting that posture of superiority and boredom that American parents call an attitude. An uncontrollable meanness seems to be growing inside her. She worries for the fate of her soul. Is she bound to turn out like Vittoria? How much of character is mutable? How much is fixed? She would ask her parents for guidance, only they are more lost than she is. She observes their mistakes, their constant crying, and searches for meanings to get around that impression of scant intelligence in people who had so much of it. She concludes that the body, agitated by the life that writhes within, consuming it, does stupid things that it shouldnt do.

Adolescence remains rich territory for Ferrante. Here as in her past work, she captures the interior states of young people with an unflinching psychological honesty that is striking in its vividness and depth. We share in Giovannas embarrassments, the tortured logic of her self-soothing, her temptations and decisions that accrete into something like experience. How easy it is, in retrospect, to have belittled those years of our lives  how much harder to recall, with the full strength of the limbic system, the feelings of privation and loss that attended our departures from childhood. Ferrantes genius is to stay with the discomfort. With the same propulsive, episodic style she perfected in the Neapolitan quartet, she traces how it is that the consciousness of a girl at 12 becomes that of a young woman at 16.

Ferrantes dedicated readers will recognize elements of earlier novels. Mirrors, dolls, sensitivity to odor, dialect as a suppressed class vestige, education as a means of social mobility, the academic conference as a site of infidelity, a woman who threatens to stab someone and does it  all reappear in The Lying Life of Adults. So does the frame narrative of a woman writing, who wonders if her story is a story at all or merely a snarled confusion of suffering, without redemption. The change in period makes all the difference. Setting Giovannas coming-of-age in the early 1990s, Ferrante slyly asks how decades of feminism and reaction have changed the world since the Neapolitan novels Lila and Lenu were teenagers.

For Giovanna and her peers, there is less physical violence and more freedom of movement, less homophobia and more negative body image. (This is the era of Reviving Ophelia.) There is also more humor to be found, at least in Giovannas perfect Gen X deadpan. But the deep structure of psychic life is the same: Love stands at the center of womens lives more than it should; ambition is tangled up in sex; desire doesnt so much blind the characters as hijack their powers of judgment and conscript them into its service. Giovanna marvels at what power men have, even the most small-minded, even over courageous and violent women like my aunt. Her mother may be a teacher who got married in a cream-colored suit instead of a white dress, but she still labors over the plots of the romance novels she proofreads with more devotion than the enterprise requires. When Giovanna claims, at the novels perhaps too-abrupt end, that she will become an adult as no one ever had before, we sense, with a pang, that she will be more like her mother than she knows.
In our better interest: Taliban on NSA level meet on Afghanistan convened by India

Former Indian Ambassdor to Beijing Vikram Misri is new deputy NSA

Dr. Kafeel Khan ordered to be released, detention under NSA set aside

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Lucknow, Sep 01: The Allahabad High Court has ordered the immediate release of Dr. Kafeel Khan who was detained by the Uttar Pradesh government under the National Security Act (NSA).

It may be recalled that the NSA was involved against Khan on February 13 following the orders of the Aligarh District Magistrate.

The court said that the order was illegal as the ground submitted by the authorities was not sufficient to detain him.

UP Guidelines For Unlock 4.0: What is allowed, what is not

He has been in jail since January 29 for allegedly delivering a provocative speech at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on December 10 2019 during the protests against the amended citizenship law.

It may be recalled that he had been in the news earlier following the 2017 tragedy at Gorakhpur's Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, in which several kids died due to lack of oxygen cylinders.
Rescue Workers at Crash Site

Two men from the rescue party looking at a section of the wrecked fuselage of the TWA Super constellation plane that crashed in the Grand Canyon, in July of 1956. Credit - Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Around 11:30 a.m. on June 30, 1956, a TWA Super Constellation and a United DC-7, together carrying 128 people, collided over the Grand Canyon at 21,000 feet. The collision ripped the tail off the Constellation and severed much of the DC-7s left wing. The Constellation plunged in a near vertical dive and crashed about 300 feet above the Colorado River onto a relatively flat area called Temple Butte. The United DC-7 staggered about one mile north before it slammed just below the top of a formation named Chuar Butte and slid into a rugged gulch.

This crash of two passenger planes would change the U.S. aviation industry in ways that are still felt today. Mid-air collisions were fairly common prior to the Grand Canyon accident: one 1956 Aviation Week article noted that, between 1948 and 1955 there were 127 mid-air collisions in the U.S. with 30 involving commercial airliners; today, by comparison, the last major airline crash in the U.S. was now more than a decade ago. But the relatively low speeds of many of those incidents meant that overall fatalities had remained low. (Those 127 accidents led to a total of 226 deaths.) Air-traffic controllers were already worried by 1955 that the increased speeds of newer aircraft would increase fatalities, and the Grand Canyon collision proved their worst fears to be correct. It was the worst American aviation accident up until that time, and would permanently change flight safety measures in the U.S.

After both aircraft missed a radio report, air traffic controllers and airline ground personnel launched a search. Just before sunset, after hearing a radio broadcast about the missing aircraft, sightseeing pilot Palen Hudgin and his brother flew to where he had seen smoke earlier in the day. They tentatively identified the Constellations tail and, after landing, called TWA to report their finding.

Story continues

Earlier that afternoon, Air Force pilot 1st Lt. Miles Burd was mowing his lawn when a phone call summoned him to nearby Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Burd took off with another pilot and a flight surgeon in one H-19 helicopter and headed north, accompanied by a second H-19 flown by 1st Lt. Daryl Strong. They landed in the parking lot of a hotel near the Little Colorado River.

At dawn the next day, Burd and Strong took off in one H-19, and Capt. Jim Womack and 1st Lt. Phil Prince took off in the other. By then the crew of an amphibious aircraft, an SA-16 Albatross, from Hamilton Air Force Base in California, had spotted what they assumed was the United wreckage, but they couldnt land for confirmation. Burd and Strong flew back and forth at random over the canyon and were about to head to Grand Canyon Airport to refuel when Burd spotted a glint on Chuar Butte. With nothing flat to set down on, he touched one wheel to the ground, and the flight surgeon leaned out and grabbed a piece of the wreckage.

They landed back at Grand Canyon Village and Burd told the waiting reporters, We found the crash and we have a piece to verify it.

The reporters went crazy. So crazy, they even besieged the pilots when they went into the bathroom.

Recovering remains from a civilian crash wasnt an Air Force mission, so the helicopter crews returned to Luke on Monday morning. But the crash sites were inaccessible by road and too remote to reach on foot; helicopters were needed to recover remains and wreckage. The Army jumped at the chance to do the recovery. Their aircraft arrived at the bare-bones Grand Canyon Airport midmorning on Sunday and Operation Granite Mountain began.

Early on July 2, Capt. Walter Spriggs and Chief Warrant Officer Howard Proctor took off in an H-21 with about a half-ton of equipment and five searchers. The helicopter left three searchers on the southeastern rim of the canyon to reduce weight and dropped into the canyon. Spriggs and many of the Army pilots had flown in Koreas mountainous terrain, but they had never encountered anything as rugged as the Grand Canyon. However, the pilots easily negotiated the landing on a small pinnacle about 60 yards from the main wreckage at the TWA site. After off-loading, they returned to the rim to ferry the remaining searchers.

The searchers confronted a horrific scene: charred bodies, missing limbs, a penny embedded in a womans wedding ring. That first day, the searchers filled five rubberized crash bags containing human remains. A few articles were unscathed, including a toy boat and 148 letters that somehow survived from 66 pounds of U.S. Mail.

Spriggs and Proctor next headed to the United site at Chuar Butte, which jutted 1,400 feet above the river on a nearly vertical slope. The combination of terrain and high temperatures created swirling winds and violent drafts that shot the helicopter up and down like an elevator and thwarted two landing attempts.

Army pilots made three more flights into the canyon that morning, hauling government and TWA officials along with more gear and removing the crash bags. By 10:00 a.m., 60-knot winds and severe turbulence shut down flying, a pattern that would repeat over the next two days, as the H-21s shuttled in personnel and supplies and carried out 21 more crash bags. The remains of the 70 TWA passengers were buried in a mass grave in Flagstaff after a combined Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish and Mormon service.

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The helicopters dropped off 13 mountain climbers to complete the task at the more difficult United crash site. Five climbers were from Colorado and eight from Switzerland. Over the next four days the climbers removed all 58 United victims using a Tyrolean traverse system of ropes and pulleys devised by the Swiss to hoist the bags up the cliff to the waiting helicopters. The coroner identified half the bodies.

Finally, on July 10, one last helicopter dipped below the rim for a final search. In its haste to return to Fort Huachuca, the Army abandoned most equipment and supplies; a 1976 cleanup crew later found C rations, ropes, a piton and an empty can of Schlitz beer.

The Air Force pilots and crew, along with 24 Army officers and warrant officers, received medals at the White House.

The deadly collision and recovery, highlighted in front-page newspaper headlines for days, brought the issue of airline safety to the publics attention. A week after the accident, a Congressional hearing was held in Las Vegas to start finding out what had gone wrong. Accident investigators determined that, although the pilots had simply failed to see each other, the U.S.s antiquated air traffic control system, which relied heavily on visual cues by pilots and estimates by controllers, was largely to blame.

As a result of the investigation, Congress passed legislation in 1957 that formed what became the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board. The FAA updated the ancient air traffic control system in the United States. Working in concert, the two federal organizations transformed commercial aviation into the safest form of transportation in the world.

Potomac

Eileen Bjorkman is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and author of Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin: A Story of the U.S. Militarys Commitment to Leave No One Behind, available now.
NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday said China had made three fresh attempts to change the status quo along their disputed border in the past as many days as New Delhi firmly rejected Beijings attempts to pin blame on it for a spike in tensions over the weekend.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said that China engaged in provocative military manoeuvres in the late night of 29th and on 30th August in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake."

The Indian army responded to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive measures along the LAC ( Line of Actual Control) in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity," he said.

Furthermore, yesterday (Monday) on 31st August, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo," he said.

India had taken up the matter of recent provocative and aggressive actions" with Beijing through diplomatic and military channels, Srivastava said adding that India had urged them to discipline and control their frontline troops from undertaking such provocative actions."

Chinas actions since May along the LAC has been in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquility on the border," he said.

Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two Foreign Ministers as also the Special Representatives," he said referring to two telephone conversations  one in June and another in July.

India, he said, was firmly committed to resolve all outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector through peaceful dialogue."

In this context, we expect the Chinese side to sincerely abide by the understanding reached earlier and earnestly work with the India to resolve the situation and to restore peace and tranquility in the border areas," he added.

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Peterborough County politicians are grieving the loss of Dave Nelson, two-time former county warden and longtime reeve of the Otonabee-South Monaghan.

He was one of the longest-serving county council members of all time, said current Warden J. Murray Jones.

Mr. Nelson served 44 years on Otonabee-South Monaghan council, 37 of those as reeve. He also served on county council, which is made up of representatives of eight Peterborough County township councils, for 39 years.

Jones said Mr. Nelson taught him a crucial lesson, one thats easier said than done.

He always said, you do your very, very best at county or township council, you make the decision that you think is the right one, and then leave it in the room and dont take all the stress home with you. And he lived by those words, said Jones.

Otonabee-South Monaghan Mayor Joe Taylor, Mr. Nelsons successor, said Mr. Nelson was really proud of the title reeve.

Taylor said that while seven of the eight county townships had switched the term of head of council from reeve to mayor in recent years, Mr. Nelson insisted that Otonabee-South Monaghan was going to have a reeve.

However, when Nelson announced he was not going to be seeking re-election in 2018, Taylor said he knew the township was going to eventually change the title from reeve to mayor.

So, I went up to him and I said, Dave, were going to change the name from reeve to mayor at some point. I dont know whether its going to be this term, next term, or three terms from now, but at some point, we will. He said, Yes, Joe. I believe youre right, said Taylor.

I said, All right. How about if we do it this way? How about if at the end of this term, the last resolution that council does is change the head of council from reeve to mayor, so the beginning of the next term, when you retire, youll retire as the last reeve in the history of the County of Peterborough.

After his suggestion, Taylor said Mr. Nelson looked at him with a sparkle in his eye.

He kind of thought about it and he smiled and he said, Yeah, that might work okay, Taylor said.

In honour of Mr. Nelson, the flag outside Otonabee-South Monaghans municipal office and fire station No. 1 in Keene will fly at half-mast all week, Taylor said.

You know, nevers a long time, but you may never see anyone in municipal politics for 44 years again. Dave was the last of an era, he said.
A check of the video indicates that what she said was: You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a G6! Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car! Oh, my goodness! Everybody gets a car! You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! You get a car! Everybody gets a car!
People wait to receive COVID-19 test at a temporary test site at Sunset Park in New York, U.S., August 13, 2020. /Xinhua





Editor's note: Joel Wendland-Liu is an associate professor of the integrative, religious and intercultural studies department at Grand Valley State University in the U.S. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Trump's promise to "sign a health care plan within two weeks" in an interview back in July, which he didn't deliver, shows that health reform remains an urgent issue for millions of Americans.

As many as 12 million workers in the U.S., since the economic collapse, do not have health insurance. Many millions more go without stable coverage or face costs so high that they often choose to go without needed medical care. As many as 50 million American workers have been out of work since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March. Most health insurance for people under 65 comes through employer-sponsored insurance benefits. When a worker loses their job, they lose their insurance benefits.

Some get coverage through other household members, through stop-gap programs, and Medicaid programs expanded under Obamacare. The cost of stop-gap plans is so high; however, they offer little benefit. And many state-based Medicaid expansions under Obamacare were blocked by Republican-dominated states that opposed it on ideological grounds.

One notable exception is Oklahoma. This year, despite Republican Party dominance, Oklahoma passed a ballot measure to Medicaid benefits to 200,000 low-income adults. A decade after Obamacare's original passage!

For the past three-plus years as president, Republican Party leader Donald Trump has tried to dismantle Obamacare, notoriously lashing out at his allies in Congress and the Supreme Court who refused to overturn the law.

Despite Republican congressional majorities in the first two years of his term, Trump refused to act on health reform. Instead, he started a trade war with China. He shifted resources around in the Pentagon budget to build part of a wall on Mexico's border. It remains a laughingstock monument to xenophobia.

This past week, Republicans presented their worship of Trump in the form of a substance-less national convention. The Trump worship ceremony delivered no plans, platform, or solutions to the major problems confronting the U.S. today.

Least of all did Trump or his allies present solutions to the crisis of public health and the failed health insurance mess.

Why does the U.S. allow itself to continuously fall into a health crisis where millions lose access to coverage when the economy and employment numbers dip?

A national insurance program that leaves no one out, is immune to recession, and is free of competing party squabbles makes sense.

The answer lies in the twin poisons of racism and anti-communism. As New York Times journalist Jeneen Interlandi reports, the first attempt at a federally-supported medical care system was started in the closing years of the U.S. Civil War as smallpox epidemics ravaged military camps that housed self-liberated former slaves.

Military medical professionals and abolitionist health experts built numerous hospitals and clinics. They made medical care a feature of their work in the Freedmen's Bureau. But because these facilities served primarily black, formerly enslaved men, women and children, they were underfunded and allowed to languish into insolvency.

After the collapse of Reconstruction and the reinstallation of white supremacy in the South, white politicians habitually resisted public systems that might threaten to end racial segregation, such as public schools and public health systems.

Their influence in Congress was so powerful that in the 1940s when a bill proposing a national health insurance plan went up for a vote, President Franklin Roosevelt gave it only mild support. He relied on this bloc of southerners for some of his major policies and didn't want to alienate them. They had written into labor and Social Security laws rules that excluded occupations such as farm labor and domestic labor from benefits of the new reforms.

Southern politicians took these steps specifically because they wanted to prevent black people from accessing the benefits of labor unions and Social Security retirement programs. They blocked the attempt at a national health insurance law for precisely the same reason.

In 1948, President Harry Truman advocated strongly for a national health insurance law. This time, the racial segregationists in Congress aligned with the Republican Party anti-communists, uniting those two issues. In this new political front against a national health system, they raved about how a national system would allow Soviet-style communism to penetrate the U.S.

Racist hatred of black people and ideological hatred of socialism fueled the political movement against a national system that makes sense. As a result, they left U.S. workers to struggle with a bloated, expensive, inefficient insurance mess for 70 years. Today, we get empty promises from Trump for fantasy laws while millions are left with only a hope they don't get sick during a pandemic that has killed almost 180,000 of their neighbors, friends, and family members.
TEHRAN, Iran, Sep. 1

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Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has called for the development and strengthening of strategic relations with neighbors, especially in the fields of trade and economy, as one of the priorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Trend reports via IRNA.



Strengthening and expanding economic cooperation with neighboring countries as much as possible could play an important role in overcoming problems, Rouhani said.



Rouhani said that the Iranian nation and the government have always been in favor of friendly nations, and the government welcomes expansion of bilateral and regional relations with the neighbors.

The president also urged for strengthening of relations between the nations of the region, the development of tourism, joint ventures and the expansion of banking and financial cooperation between neighbors.
When Elizabeth Neumann went to work in counterterrorism in Donald Trumps Department of Homeland Security, she thought shed be focused on Islamic extremism, as she was in George W. Bushs administration. But as the assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention at D.H.S., she soon realized that she had to take the threat of white-supremacist terrorism seriously.

It was probably 2018 when we started to realize that this was not just a blip, that Charlottesville wasnt just a blip, she told me.

Even as she and her colleagues worked to understand how domestic white supremacists were being emboldened, there was a series of shocking attacks, including the massacre at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018. Europeans working in counterterrorism told their American allies that the threat of right-wing extremism was eclipsing that of returning Islamic State fighters.

They were talking to us going: Hey, you guys are the exporters here. You need to do something about this, said Neumann.
Police are investigating if a five-year-old Sydney boy was beaten by his mother's boyfriend over two hellish months resulting in the worst injuries a doctor has ever seen.

The pre-schooler was rushed to hospital on Friday evening after police allegedly found the boy bruised from 'head to toe', suffering brain injury and splinters throughout his body.

The alleged abuse came to light after a neighbour rang police, worried about terrifying screams coming from the Cabramatta home that night - and it has led officers to take a hard look at whether the incident was a once-off.

Court documents obtained exclusively by Daily Mail Australia reveal detectives are probing whether the boy had been beaten in the two months before he was found.

The 20-year-old man accused of beating the five-year-old 'within an inch of his life' appeared calm during a brief appearance in front of a magistrate on Tuesday

A toy scooter, bike and Thomas the Tank Engine rolling tray were heaped out the front of the Cabramatta home this week along with a carton of soft drink and an old mattress

Piles of water bottles, Red Bull and coconut drink were piled up in the home's front yard this week

A police charge sheet tendered in court said the man is accused of 'intentionally wounding' the child 'between the 1st day of July 2020 and the 28th day of August 2020.'

A senior source with knowledge of the police investigation said the boy's injuries will be investigated bruise-by-bruise to see if he was allegedly beaten 'just on the Friday night or earlier', in the previous nine weeks.

It all hinges on evidence from doctors.

'These types of investigations rely heavily on medical evidence and that's quite time consuming,' the police source said.

The boy was rushed to hospital last week and placed on life support.

He remained in a critical but stable condition on Tuesday.

The boy's accused attacker appeared in front of a magistrate, dressed in prison greens, via video link from Silverwater's Metropolitan Remand Centre on Tuesday.

The accused appeared calm, his hair hanging over his eyes, and simply told the magistrate 'that's correct' when asked if he wanted to get himself a private lawyer.

Magistrate David Degnan told him his case 'will be ultimately dealt with in a higher jurisdiction' than the local court.

Children's shoes, a discarded lunch box and a carton of soft drink were left on the front porch of the mother's red brick home where the crime is alleged to have occurred

The shocking alleged abuse the boy suffered sparked a rare disclosure of a child's horrific injuries by a surgeon at Westmead Children's Hospital.

Westmead Children's Hospital surgeon Dr Adam Fowler tweeted that the boy's injuries made him 'physically sob whilst examining'

Dr Adam Fowler tweeted on Saturday: 'One admission overnight. The worst case of suspected child beating I've ever seen in my professional career.

'One that made me physically sob whilst examining.

'I can't even right now.'

Dr Fowler has since deleted his tweets.

The accused man did not apply for bail on Tuesday and bail was formally refused. He will face court again in eight weeks' time.

The boy's mother is due to face court next week. She has been charged with 'not providing for a child causing danger of a serious injury'.

A court was previously told police had 'very disturbing' images of the boy's alleged injuries, with a magistrate revealing the alleged beating had begun as 'smacking' for disciplinary reasons.

Blinds always drawn and security cameras everywhere: Inside the 'house of horrors' where boy, five, was allegedly beaten within an inch of his life

Outside the 'house of horrors': Neighbour Visal Pom (above), who lives out the back, said the secretive mother kept the blinds completely closed no matter the time of day

Strangers come and go, CCTV cameras ring the red brick rental home and without fail, the blinds are always pulled down.

This is the Sydney 'house of horrors' where a boy, five, was allegedly beaten within an inch of his life with a metal pole and wooden stick by his mother's new lover.

The Cabramatta pre-schooler was rushed to hospital on Friday night suffering injuries a devastated doctor candidly described as the 'worst' he's ever seen.

As the child fights for life, neighbours shed light on the boy's intensely private arrested mother, 31, and her boyfriend, 20 - who moved in just weeks ago.

'The blind is always closed, always closed, never see them open at all,' said Mother-of-three Visal Pom, who lives with her family in a small home at the back.

'Only the first time they moved in (did they have the blinds open) as it was the first new home for them. But after that, always closed.

The home where the mother, her son and boyfriend lived was ringed by closed circuit television cameras but neighbours said it was unclear whether they used them

Another neighbour, Kosen Kim, reported seeing different men visiting the house of the apparently unemployed couple each day.

A heartbroken Ms Kim, who said she wished she could have done more, said: 'All different people come ... the men always change.

'Every day I see different (people), not the same person'.

Neighbours said the only child - the son of another man - seemed happy while lolling about the yard with his toys about twice a week.

A bike, scooter and Thomas the Tank Engine tray sat idly this week in the front yard this week, alongside piles of rubbish, plastic bags, an old mattress and a discarded pillow.

A Thomas the Tank Engine toy and cardboard box filled with junk sit idly out the front of the 'house of horrors' where Friday night's tragic events allegedly occurred

Police gather outside the home the night after the alleged 'smacking' incident escalated into a suspected case of child abuse

Only a couple of neighbours heard the commotion on Friday night, which led one to call the police about 9.50pm.

Another neighbour said the screaming prompted him to turn up the volume of a movie he was watching - thinking it was just another set of locals having their usual row.

A New South Wales Police Force spokeswoman said the boy was in a critical but stable condition on Tuesday.
The Army is replacing the current acting senior commander of Fort Hood, Texas, and has named a four-star general to lead a new investigation into the chain of command's actions relating to the murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen.

Gen. Michael Garrett, commander of U.S. Army Forces Command, is directing that Maj. Gen. John B. Richardson IV formally assume duties as deputy commanding general for operations of III Corps and acting senior commander of Fort Hood on Sept. 2, essentially replacing Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt, according to an Army news release.

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Efflandt has been serving as the senior deputy commander at Fort Hood while the current commander, Lt. Gen. Pat White, leads Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, which oversees the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Richardson was "previously scheduled" to assume command at Hood to maintain continuity as III Corps returns from its role leading CJTF-OIR.

Efflandt had been set take over as commander of the 1st Armored Division, but his transfer was put on hold in early August while an independent team of investigators evaluated whether the command climate at Hood led to leadership failures that may have factored in Guillen's disappearance and murder.

Instead, Efflandt will continue to serve as deputy commanding general for support and will remain at Fort Hood, the release states. The Army will announce the name of a new commander for the 1st Armored Division "in the coming days."

Guillen, a 20-year-old 3rd Cavalry Regiment soldier, went missing in April after she was allegedly murdered and dismembered by fellow soldier, Spc. Aaron Robinson. Guillen's remains were discovered and identified in early July.

Robinson took his own life in July when police approached him. Cecily Aguilar, a 22-year-old civilian from Killeen, has been arrested and charged with allegedly helping Robinson dispose of Guillen's body.

The Army also announced that Garrett, the FORSCOM commander, has chosen Gen. John Murray, commanding general of Army Futures Command, and one of the Army's most senior commanders, to lead an in-depth investigation into the chain of command's actions related to Guillen.

"There are currently several investigations underway at Fort Hood which are tasked with reviewing a wide range of topics and concerns," the release states. "Gen. Murray will roll those efforts into a more complete and comprehensive investigation that will delve into all activities and levels of leadership."

Murray's investigation, which will be conducted under the provisions of Army Regulation 15-6, is separate from the independent review of the command climate at Fort Hood, which began in August, according to the release.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Fort Hood Commander's Transfer on Hold Amid Investigations
In 13 months, three refineries in Nigeria cost the country 148 billion in expenses, but produced less than 40,000 metric tonnes of crude oil, a June report published by NNPC has shown.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation attributed the operational shortfall to the ongoing rehabilitation of the oil refineries.

The refineries have a combined production capacity of 445,000 barrels per day (bpd).

The Port Harcourt refinery has the capacity of 210,000 bpd, the Kaduna refinery, 10,000 bdp, and the Warri refinery, 125,000 bpd.

But from June 2019 to June this year, the three petrochemical companies could only manage 38,977 metric tonnes of crude production.

This was produced in July 2019 by the Kaduna refinery, which amassed an operating deficit of 62 billion in 13 months, according to PREMIUM TIMES review of the published details.

With zero production, the Warri and Port Harcourt refineries respectively gulped 42.1 billion and 43.8 billion from the countrys coffers.

All through, only the Kaduna refinery had its capacity utilised for once. It had an 8.09 per cent capacity utilisation in July 2019. During the remaining months, itself and the other refineries had zero capacity utilisation.

The declining operational performance is attributable to ongoing revamping of the refineries which is expected to further enhance capacity utilization once completed, the NNPC wrote in its report.

In June alone, the refineries cost the country 10.23 billion in expenses, despite not processing any oil for the month, this newspaper earlier reported.

While only 2.07 per cent of the consolidated capacity of the three refineries was utilised in June, for the 13 months under review, they functioned only at 0.16 per cent of their optimal capacities.

Although the NNPC said this was due to the ongoing repair of the refineries, its audit report published in June  the first in 43 years  showed that the refineries posted a cumulative loss of 1.64 trillion from 2014 to 2018.

Both Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries recorded a combined loss of 208.6 billion in 2014; 252.8 billion in 2015; 290.6 billion in 2016; 412 billion in 2017, and 475 billion in 2018.

The audit report also showed that a cumulative loss of about 412.8 billion was incurred from the operations of the nations four refineries in 2017 and 2018.

Critics have called for their privatisation, often countering the logic in the federal governments avowed commitment to sink more public funds to repair the refineries, which have been left to rot for decades.

Yet, both the state petroleum minister, Timipre Sylva, and the NNPC chief, Mele Kyari, have at different fora spoken about the governments resolve to rehabilitate the refineries before considering privatisation.

Periodic turnaround maintenance has over the years been carried out to increase capacity, but production remains low and cost, high.

The capacity of the three refineries pales significantly when compared with the nations required consumption because Nigerias rate of importation is over 80 per cent of its consumption.

PREMIUM TIMES found that the bulk of the losses from the refineries was from the operating costs and administrative expenses accumulated by them despite that some have since been shut down or operating at grossly below installed capacities.

Also, all the refineries spent huge earnings on administrative expenses, which included head office overhead funding, public relations and publicity, staff training expenses, local/international travels and hotels, employee benefits, directors remuneration, and consultancy fees.

Other factors responsible for the losses incurred, NNPC said, include spillages, explosions, and theft.

Products theft and vandalism have continued to destroy value and put NNPC at a disadvantaged competitive position. A total of 1,067 vandalised points have been recorded between June 2019 to June 2020, the NNPC wrote.

Implication

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Nigeria has 36.97 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, according to the 2019 Oil Producing Exporting Countries (OPEC) annual statistical bulletin. This is eighth highest among OPEC members, representing a share of 3.1 per cent.

As of March, Nigeria was Africas largest oil producer (and sixth in the world), pumping about 1.78 million bpd, sales from which the country earns 90 per cent its foreign exchange, 60 percent of its revenue, and 8 percent of its GDP.

On the downside, however, the countrys non-performing refineries have made it a major importer of oil products, despite its huge production potential.

As a result, upstream oil explorers export the crude product to foreign refiners before importing it back to the country for sale to the downstream players.

While that is an extra strain on the governments revenue, a report by a watchdog organisation, Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), showed that the imported fuels are unsafe and unclean, as they fall far below officially recommended standards and cannot be sold anywhere in Europe.

The report found that fuels refined illegally by vandals in Nigerias creeks are cleaner than those legally imported from Europe.

Nigerias maximum stipulated sulphur content in premium motor spirit (petrol) is 150 per per million (ppm), that of automotive gas oil (diesel) is 50ppm, and that of dual purpose kerosene (DPK) is 150ppm.

On the contrary, SDN found that while illegal diesel refined in the creeks has 1,523ppm on the average, samples of those refined abroad have 2,044ppm sulphur content. This is about 14 times more sulphuric than the limit set as safe.

For petrol, samples collected contain 43 times more than EU fuel sulphur standards, the report said, adding that household kerosene was found to be better.

Official kerosene was found to be much better quality than unofficial samples, but is generally in short supply. The low quality of unofficial samples indicate artisanal camps face challenges achieving a pure kerosene product, the SDN report said.

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Yet, the officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), have failed to take responsibility to ensure that regulatory rules and procedures are complied with by players in the sector.

To this end, the Global Air Report published by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) said the air quality in Nigeria is one of the worst with more than 114,000 Nigerians dying from air pollution in 2016 alone.

As a way forward, SDNs senior project officer on environment, Jesse Martin, earlier told PREMIUM TIMES that there is a need to engage artisanal refiners in the bid to hatch out a more effective domestic refining in the country.

Mr Martin said Nigerias ministry of petroleum resources and petroleum technology development fund (PTDF) should consider engaging artisanal oil refiners in plans for domestic refining, given they are often producing fuels with better characteristics than official fuel supplied to Nigeria.
The Russian delegation at the event (Photo: Russia's Ministry of Economic Development)

Moscow - Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong and Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Vladimir Ilichev co-chaired a teleconference of the Vietnam-Russia Senior Working Group on prioritised investment projects on August 31.

The two sides discussed the implementation of joint investment projects in the priority list, including the construction of a centre for nuclear science and technology in Vietnam, the establishment of auto manufacturing joint ventures and Russian firms participation in e-government development in the country.

They also touched upon cooperation prospects in new fields and the possibility of carrying out approved projects.

The Russian side put forward ideas related to projects in waste treatment, digital technology and pharmaceutical chemistry, public security, electrical energy and power lines.

Ilichev also called for Vietnams support for the initiatives to arrange an online Mathematical Olympiad for students BRICS nations, which is set to be launched on Russias Uchi.ru education platform.

Vietnamese students have taken part in the event since April, according to the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.

At the event, delegates also discussed cooperation in curbing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, particularly the supply and production of Russias vaccine against COVID-19 in Vietnam.

Data from Russian authorities showed that despite the pandemic, two-way trade rose 4.7 percent to 2.3 billion USD in the first half of 2020. Russias exports to Vietnam surged 43 percent to 682 million USD, primarily foodstuff, machinery and metal.

The Vietnam-Russia Senior Working Group on prioritised investment projects was set up in accordance with a joint statement signed in 2012 during Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedevs official visit to Vietnam.
France: migrants set up camp in front of Paris city hall Protest action by a hundred families without housing

(ANSAmed) - PARIS, SEPTEMBER 1 - A hundred migrant families set up a camp Monday evening in the square in front of Paris city hall to call for "dignified" reception and housing. The group of migrants, totaling about 250 people from Somalia, Afghanistan, and the Ivory Coast, set up a hundred tents and spread out sleeping bags in front of the Hotel de Ville. There are at least 60 children among them, as well as 15 pregnant women. The group is reportedly made up of families and single women who live on the streets in the capital city, or in makeshift camps. Mael de Marcellus, Paris coordinator of the Utopia56 association, which spearheaded the initiative, said the migrants "must be housed in a dignified and unconditional way". "We alerted the City of Paris to their situation more than a month ago, and we haven't received answers," de Marcellus said. "It's a symbolic initiative, but the City cannot continue to turn a blind eye," he said.(ANSAmed). (ANSA).




Trump has asserted throughout his presidential campaign that as the US president he will ensure job security and safety for American citizens first

Washington: US Vice President Mike Pence on Monday said the second term of President Donald Trump would see a reform in the country's broken immigration system, with a focus on the intake of immigrants on the basis of merit.

Acknowledging that there were challenges in the countrys immigration system, he said that Trump, who is seeking re-election in the 3 November presidential election, has been working to secure the border and fix the broken immigration system.

As the President and I have spoken many times, part of that second term agenda is going to be the kind of immigration reform that's built on the principle of a merit-based immigration system, he said during a virtual event on the US-India organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), a non-profit organisation.

He said that President Trump wants to fix the broken immigration system. We want people to come to this country that are ready to participate, ready to contribute as people from India have done as people in the United States have done, he said.

So, I just want the rising generation in India and Indian business leaders, men and women, who are looking to make investments in this country to know that America it's not only open for business but we look forward to growing the relationship between our two countries for decades to come, Pence said.

Pence said the four million members of the Indian diaspora across the US represent some of the best people in this country and they're creating wealth and prosperity. He said they have made enormous contributions in the incredible relationship that they have helped to facilitate and forage between the United States and India.

Immigration has been a very critical agenda of the Trump campaign and his presidency, with Trump asserting throughout that as the American President he will ensure job security and safety for American citizens first.

As job losses mounted and the American economy suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump ordered some stringent immigration restrictions, including suspending the H-1B visas, which is popular among Indian IT professionals, along with other foreign work visas for the rest of the year.

Trump has said the step was essential to help millions of Americans who have lost their jobs due to the current economic crisis.

Trump issued the proclamation in June, ahead of the presidential election in which he is being challenged by Democratic Party's nominee and former vice president Joe Biden.

In the administration of our Nation's immigration system, we must remain mindful of the impact of foreign workers on the The United States labour market, particularly in the current extraordinary environment of high domestic unemployment and depressed demand for labour, said the proclamation issued by Trump.

Indian IT workers form the majority of H-1B visa holders in the US and have to wait decades for a Green Card due to the huge backlog.
Johnny Depp has asked for a postponement of a planned defamation lawsuit in the US, citing the filming schedule of the third Fantastic Beasts movie.

Depp argues through his lawyers that the Covid-19 pandemic caused delays in production over which he has no control.

The actor filed the $50m defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard in March 2019, after she wrote an opinion piece she wrote in The Washington Post about domestic abuse.

While Depp isnt named in the piece, the complaint argues that it makes him identifiable. Depp has denied all allegations of domestic violence. His complaint against Heard refers to the op-eds clear implication that Mr Depp is a domestic abuser as categorically and demonstrably false.

The defamation case is being handled out of Virginia. Heards attorney Eric M George told Deadline in March 2019: This frivolous action is just the latest of Johnny Depps repeated efforts to silence Amber Heard. She will not be silenced.

In court papers shared by Deadline on Monday and dated 21 August, Depps attorneys ask for the trial to be moved from January 2021 to some time between March and June 2021.

Fantastic Beasts 3 was supposed to be filmed in London long before January 2021, but, the filing argues, the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the studios plans, causing repeated postponements.

The filing cites a letter it says Depps manager received on 19 August from Warner Bros, which states that Depp is now expected to work on the movie from October 2020 to the middle of February 2021  a period that would conflict with the planned trial.

Depp would face liability for breach of contract if he didnt report to work on those dates, the filing states. The document also stresses that Warner Bros, not Mr Depp, determines when shooting of Fantastic Beasts begins and ends.

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The Independent has contacted Depp and Heards lawyers for comment.

The filing comes almost a month following the high-profile libel trial between Depp and The Sun in the UK. The proceedings concluded in July after 16 days. An outcome has yet to be announced.
The absence of pediatric information perpetuates 'off-label' drug use which could be dangerous for this vulnerable population

Hamilton, ON (September 1, 2020) - Newly approved drugs in Canada lack important pediatric drug information in their product monograph, according to an analysis led by McMaster University and McMaster Children's Hospital.

This absence of pediatric information perpetuates "off-label" drug use which could be dangerous for this vulnerable population, say the authors. They add that Canadian regulatory mechanisms are needed to ensure submission of pediatric data by manufacturers when use in children is anticipated.

The findings were published today in Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Open.

"Less than one-third of new Canadian drugs are approved for pediatric patients," said senior and corresponding author Samira Samiee-Zafarghandy, assistant professor of pediatrics at McMaster and a neonatologist and pediatric clinical pharmacologist at Hamilton Health Sciences' McMaster Children's Hospital.

"Dosing information was missing for the majority of pediatric age groups, but most concerningly for newborns. In addition, we found that many important drugs that treat critical diseases are not approved for use in newborns or children."

Diseases with no new drug development approved for children include, among others, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), seizure, depression and severe pain.

The detailed analysis was conducted of product monographs, which are intended to provide the necessary information, especially for health professionals, for the safe and effective use of a new drug.

The research team manually reviewed monographs of all new drugs approved by Health Canada between 2007 and 2016. During this time, Health Canada approved 281 drugs, 270 of which had clear benefit for children.

However, only 75 (28 per cent) of the drug monographs were approved for children and there were only 10 (4 per cent) drugs approved for use in newborns.

For a few oral drugs with approval in children (15), only nine (60 per cent) were available in child-friendly, age-appropriate dosage forms.

"Although we were aware that information present in the drug labels are usually more focused on adult patients, the extent of the absence of prescribing information available for children was much, much greater than we anticipated," said Samiee-Zafarghandy.

"We were also confounded by how many drugs used in critical conditions for pediatric and newborn patients did not have any information for their proper use in these children. Many of these drugs are being prescribed to children anyway, and the lack of pediatric data in their monograph can make it difficult for physicians and pharmacists to optimize treatment. The result may be inadequate treatment or increased side effects."

Samiee-Zafarghandy said regulatory mechanisms to require the submission of pediatric data by manufacturers to Health Canada are urgently needed to promote both neonatal and pediatric drug development.

"Our study is the first to report this severe lack of necessary information in labeling of Canadian drugs for pediatric patients," she said.

"The results of this study will serve as a foundation for future comparisons of pediatric drug information availability between Canadian drug labels, and drug labels of medications approved in other advanced countries."

###

There was no external funding for this study. Samiee-Zafarghandy thanked her national and international research team, and Health Canada who assisted in gathering the information for the study.

Editors:

Photo attached of Samira Samiee-Zafarghandy.

Photo caption: Samira Samiee-Zafarghandy is an assistant professor of pediatrics at McMaster University and a neonatologist and a pediatric clinical pharmacologist at McMaster Children's Hospital. Photo courtesy Hamilton Health Sciences

For more information:

Veronica McGuire

Media Relations

McMaster University

vmcguir@mcmaster.ca

289-776-6952

Lise Diebel

Communications and Public Affairs

Hamilton Health Sciences

diebel@hhsc.ca

905-521-2100, ext. 49489
Pune Police is known to use relevant trends and events to create witty advisory posts that convey essential information to netizens. And their new share, regarding Ganesha Visarjan rules, is no different.

This photograph was shared on Pune Polices official Instagram and Twitter accounts on September 1. Let us break the nariyal and resolve to make Pune a healthier city as we bid Bappa a safe farewell, reads the text shared alongside the image. The picture was shared with the hashtag #FollowVisarjanRules.

The snapshot shows a cracked nariyal (coconut). This Visarjan, break nariyal not rules, says the text placed over the broken coconut.

Check out the witty advisory post here:

Let us break the 'nariyal' and resolve to make Pune a healthier city as we bid Bappa a safe farewell.#FollowVisarjanRules pic.twitter.com/qRw9CwvT9Q  PUNE POLICE (@PuneCityPolice) September 1, 2020

This share has received a lot of appreciation from netizens. On Instagram, it currently has over 200 likes. The post has similarly garnered over 150 likes and many supportive comments on Twitter.

Here is what netizens had to say about the share. Good one, commented somebody on the micro-blogging platform.

One person said, Nice. An Instagram user also left several folded hand emojis under the image posted on the photo and video sharing platform.

Pune Polices social media handles often feature impressive graphics, such as this one, that communicate vital information regarding citizens safety. For instance, on August 30, they shared a flow chart which advised individuals to wear masks when they step out of the house for essential trips.

What are your thoughts on the share?

Also Read | Pune Police tweets how to get Instant safety. Its something all should abide by
NEW DELHI: Six accused in a terror case on Tuesday pleaded guilty before a Delhi Court of being ISIS operatives and part of the criminal conspiracy hatched by the Islamic terror outfit to establish its base in India by recruiting Muslim youths through different social media platforms to carry out acts of terrorism in the country.

Accused Abu Anas, Mufti Abdul Sami Qasmi, Suhail Ahamed, Nafees Khan,?Mohd Afzal and Obedullah Khan moved applications before the court, which is likely to take up the matter on Wednesday, their advocate Qausar Khan said.

Special Judge Parveen Singh is also scheduled to take up the matter tomorrow to consider the quantum of sentence for six other accused --Mudabbir Mushtaq Sheikh, Mohammad Shareef Moinudeen Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Hussain Khan, Syed Mujahid and Mohammad Azhar Khan -- who pleaded guilty earlier.

While pleading guilty, the accused told the court that they were 'remorseful for the acts alleged against them', and undertook not to indulge in similar acts and activities in future.

Advocate Khan further told the court that the accused wanted to return to the mainstream and rehabilitate themselves.

"The accused are having clean antecedents, even their conduct in jail are satisfactory and there is nothing adverse against them... The accused are pleading guilty voluntarily without any pressure, threat, coercion, inducement or undue influence and he that he understands the consequences," their plea said.

The case, registered by the NIA on December 9, 2015 under relevant sections of the IPC and the UA(P) Act, pertains to the larger criminal conspiracy hatched by the ISIS to establish its base in India by recruiting Muslim youths for the proscribed terror group through different social media platforms, the NIA said.

The accused had formed Junood-ul-Khilafa-Fil-Hind organisation, seeking to establish a caliphate in India and pledging allegiance to ISIS, to recruit Muslim youths to work for the ISIS and commit acts of terrorism in India at the behest of Syria-based Yusuf-Al-Hindi who is purportedly the media chief of ISIS, the NIA alleged.

The NIA filed chargesheets against the accused persons in 2016-2017.

After the six accused pleaded guilty on August 6, the court convicted them under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, and various sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Explosive Substances Act.

This case was first of its kind in which terrorist conspiracy of this magnitude involving online radicalisation was effected on cyber space in the aftermath of declaration of Islamic Caliphate by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014, the NIA had said.
On Monday, the Indian Army said the Chinese military carried out 'provocative military movements' to 'unilaterally' change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of 29 and 30 August, but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops

New Delhi: India and China on Tuesday held another round of military talks to ease escalating tension triggered by fresh confrontation between the two sides on the southern bank of the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh, government sources said.

The Brigade Commander-level talks began at 10 am in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh with a specific agenda to discuss the situation around the Pangong lake, they said, adding the meeting is underway.

On Monday, the Indian Army said the Chinese military carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of 29 and 30 August, but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.

The two sides held talks for around six hours on Monday as well but no concrete outcome emerged from the engagement, the sources said.

They said a sizeable number of Chinese troops attempted to occupy the area in a bid to open a new front as the two sides continue to hold talks to resolve the three-and-half-month-long border row.

The two sides were earlier engaged in a confrontation on the northern bank of Pangong lake but it was for the first time such an incident occurred on its southern bank, they said.

Following the Chinese attempt, the Indian Army has significantly strengthened its presence on a number of "strategic heights" around the Pangong lake besides further bolstering its presence in the area.

A battalion of the Special Frontier Force was also deployed in the area. It is learnt that Chief of Army Staff Gen MM Naravane reviewed the overall situation in eastern Ladakh at a high-level meeting in the Army headquarters.

The sources said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also been told to enhance its surveillance on increasing Chinese air activities along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

There have been reports that China has deployed J-20 long-range fighter jets and several other key assets in strategically located Hotan airbase which is around 310 kms from eastern Ladakh.

In the last three 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 Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC.

The fresh attempt by China to change the status quo in the Pangong lake area is the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

China also suffered casualties but is yet to make the details public. According to an American intelligence report it was 35.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.
A Syrian artist living in Germany has launched an online art school for children, to help them fill their days as they socially distance themselves from other children writes Zaman Al-Wasl.

Syrian artist Salam al-Qatifan launched an online art project for Syrian children living in different countries in order to help keep them active while observing quarantine rules and social distancing practices. The project teaches children a variety of drawing and coloring techniques as a productive way to spend their free time while they are stuck at home.

Qatifan, 31, took a hazardous sea trip and left her war-torn homeland for Germany in 2016, to live in Munich. After learning the language and adapting to the new way of life, she held dozens of individual and group exhibitions, and participated in art workshops and cultural festivals. She obtained dozens of certificates of gratitude and appreciation as well as a masters degree from UNESCO in Athens after volunteering with the German Peace on Paper workshop to support refugees in Greece. She he has been giving weekly drawing lessons through the live broadcast on the Projects Club page on Facebook and YouTube, the first club to support projects in Europe and organize workshops and exhibitions.

Qatifan said that she adopted the approach of carrots and play, and simplistic explanations, both verbal and practical, first offering a detailed description of the tools necessary, from the different types of media, to paint brushes and the methods of using and cleaning them. The artist was amazed by the childrens response, their interest in her lessons and their eagerness to learn and work in art, which she promptly supported and encouraged.

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.
How a mission to introduce the world to Bosnia-Herzegovina changed the course of Alphonse Muchas life.

Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) was a Czech artist who first made his name crafting fantastical images of beautiful women for advertising campaigns.

Around the time this 1899 poster for Moet champagne was made, Mucha won a well-paid commission to decorate Bosnia-Herzegovina's pavilion at the 1900 Worlds Fair in Paris.

The expo was a showcase of technical achievements and cultures from 40 countries, who built pavilions for the event.

Before the expo opened, Mucha was provided with a rail pass to travel through Bosnia to research his assignment. He later wrote: I was not only very satisfied with my journey but also amazed. What I had been looking for so hard all this time I found among the Balkan Slavs.

Mucha, whose homeland was also under Austro-Hungarian control, noted that while describing the glorious and tragic events in [Bosnias] history, I thought of the joys and sorrows of my own country, and of all the Slavs.

Muchas highly paid assignment to introduce Bosnia to some of the 48 million visitors to the Paris Expo was paid for by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was eager to present the Balkan territory as a model colony.

Mucha drew from Bosnian fables and history for the large-scale illustrations.

Although Mucha spent much of his working life in Paris, he always considered himself a Czech artist.

Famed actress Sarah Bernhardt described her collaborator friend as "a Czech from Moravia not only by birth and origin, but also by feeling, by conviction, and by patriotism."

A report in the Scientific American magazine noted dryly that the pavilion illustrates not only the history of [Bosnia], but the progress which is being made in the arts and industries, agriculture, education, railroads, etc.

During the assignment to illustrate the heritage of his fellow Slavs, Mucha later described a moment of revelation: It was midnight and there I was all alone in my studioamong my pictures, posters, and panels. I became very excited. I saw my work adorning the salons of the highest society or flattering people of the great world with smiling and ennobled portraits. I saw the books full of legendary scenes, floral garlands, and drawings glorifying the beauty and tenderness of women. "This was what my time, my precious time, was being spent on, when my nation was left to quench its thirst on ditch water. As I stood there looking at all these things, I swore a solemn promise that the remainder of my life would be filled exclusively with work for the nation."
A man who lived in Georgia and worked in Chattanooga has been sentenced to serve 121 months in federal prison in a child pornography case.

Gerald Allen Vesco, 62, was sentenced by Judge Travis McDonough.

Vesco earlier pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography and failure to register as a sex offender.

Authorities said in early September of last year, Vesco was caught sharing via computer depictions of minors engaging in explicit sex acts.

On Sept.

5, Vesco was a Kik user under the name bikerdad58. An undercover FBI agent was posing as one of the group.

Vesco confided that he liked boys and had had sexual contact with several young boys, including at his previous residence in Ohio.

It was also charged that he traveled from state to state without notifying authorities that he was on the sex registry.

He was convicted in October 2003 of four counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and was placed on the Sexual Offender Registry.
Mobvois TicWatch lineup is about to grow by one, as the company recently leaked the release date of the TicWatch Pro 3 GPS.

This new smartwatch from the company will be the second in less than a month that gets a release date. Though the TicWatch GTX is a smartwatch which doesnt run on Wear OS and instead is using Mobvois own software.

The latter watch option releases officially this week. As Mobvoi will begin shipping it on September 3. If youd rather go for the companys Wear OS option, then youll need to wait a bit longer. It will however still be coming out in September. So not too much longer.

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The TicWatch Pro 3 GPS release date is (or was) set for September 24

In a now deleted tweet on Mobvois official Twitter, the company told its followers to be ready for the upcoming TicWatch Pro 3 GPS.

Which it said would be launching on 9/24. Thats just about at the end of this month, giving the TicWatch GTX a few weeks to gather interest before Mobvoi rolls out another option for consumers.

Though, considering the company deleted the tweet, its possible that the release date was planned for September 24 but it will no longer be hitting shelves on that date.

Advertisement

The other possible option is that the information in the tweet wasnt a mistake and it was just put out too early. It wouldnt be the first time that a company has accidentally leaked details like this.

Thats also assuming that it was a mistake or put out too early to begin with. Theres one more potential scenario. That Mobvoi meant to put out the tweet with the launch info and then pull it after a short while.

Knowing that publications and users would see it and pick it up. And spread the word. Doing so creates a certain level of hype and gets consumers excited about the upcoming product.

Advertisement

The watch also has SP02 tracking

Mobvoi is the next smartwatch brand to add SP02 tracking to a device. Not only did its tweet reveal the availability date, but it also revealed the new feature.

This along with the built-in GPS might make the watch a little bit more expensive. But it shouldnt cost any more than the last TicWatch Pro model which was a few hundred at launch.

Now all that remains is for Mobvoi to reveal an official price tag. And that could be coming up very soon if the watch does release before the end of this month. Having said that, it has already been listed on Amazon UK for 399. So the US price is probably going to be $399.
SYDNEY: Facebook Inc on Tuesday said it would stop Australians sharing news content on its platforms if a proposal to make it pay local media outlets for their content becomes law, further escalating tension with the Australian government.

Under Australias closely watched internet reforms, the country will become the first to make the social media behemoth and Alphabet Incs Google pay for news sourced from local providers under a royalty-style system.

Facebooks plan to block the sharing of news on Australian user accounts, rather than pay royalties, puts the firm broadly in step with Google on the matter and pushes the prospect of an agreement with the government further out of reach.

Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram," Facebook Australia Managing Director Will Easton said in a blog post, referring to two Facebook-owned platforms.

This is not our first choice - it is our last. It is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australias news and media sector".

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg hit back, saying the proposed law was in the national interest, followed 18 months of public inquiry and would create a more sustainable local media industry where original content was paid for.

We dont respond to coercion or heavy handed threats wherever they come from," Frydenberg said in an email to Reuters request for comment.

Bridget Fair, chief executive of Free TV Australia, a lobby group for free-to-air broadcasters, said Facebooks plan amounted to bullying" and that the U.S. firm would say and do anything to avoid making a fair payment for news content".

Australian Facebook users are being held to ransom as a tactic to intimidate the Australian government into backing down on this issue," she said in a statement.

The proposed law was the only reasonable way to even up the bargaining power between Facebook, Google and Australian News Media Businesses," Fair said.

Facebooks Easton in his blog post called the proposed law unprecedented in its reach", and said the company could either remove news entirely or agree to pay publishers for as much content as they wanted at a price with no clear limits.

Unfortunately, no business can operate that way," he wrote.

Like in most countries, Australias traditional media companies in recent years have seen their mainstay advertising income streams eroded by online competitors, and consumers shy away from paid subscription.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which drafted the proposed law, was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday. It has argued the law would allow news businesses to negotiate fair payment for journalists work.

Last month, Google began an advertising campaign using pop-up ads on its main search page that said its free service would be at risk" and users personal data could be shared if the firm is made to pay news organisations for their content. The ACCC called the statements misinformation".
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PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  President Donald Trump wants to dramatically expand aquaculture production in the United States, but a coalition of environmentalists believes his plan would be bad for the oceans, unnecessary for food security and difficult to implement.

Trump's bid to grow fish farming is designed to address the so-called seafood deficit, which refers to the fact that nine-tenths of the seafood Americans eat comes from overseas. The seafood trade gap with other countries approached $17 billion in 2017, according to one federal government report.





. . .
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 00:04:27|Editor: huaxia

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DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) warned on Monday that operators of unregistered drones faced the risk of a six-month jail term or a fine of one million Tanzanian shillings (about 431 U.S. dollars).

Hamza Johari, TCAA director general, told a news conference in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam that last week the aviation watchdog announced the registration of the drones but the process had been slow.

"The registration of the drones is a global requirement," said Johari, adding that the Ministry of Defense and other intelligence bodies were required to assure that the registered drones will not be used for harmful purpose.

He said The Civil Aviation Remotely Piloted Aircraft System Regulations 2018 required all drones to be registered before they can be used.

On Aug. 24, TCAA directed all owners of drones in the country to register their devices by Aug. 28, saying failure to observe the directive will amount to breach of relevant regulations. Enditem
01.09.2020 LISTEN

The running mate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearer, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, will from today Tuesday, September 1 embark on a 4-day campaign tour of the Western North Region.

Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang will first, in accordance with tradition, call on traditional authorities and opinion leaders in the region and then engage with communities, including youth groups, womens groups and the physically challenged, among others.

The NDC Vice Presidential Candidate will also meet with Regional Executives of the NDC.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemangs interactions are expected to cover a wide range of issues, including peace, stability, development, inclusivity, education and economic prosperity. Her main objective will be to deepen even more her appreciation of their realities.

In keeping with her desire to reach and engage as many citizens as possible, she will also employ radio to interact with a wide range of community members.

The NDC Running Mate will be accompanied by National Executives of the NDC, National Campaign Team Members, Members of Parliament, Regional and Constituency Executives.

---kasapafmonline
Singaporean Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen talks with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (on screen) during a bilateral video conference on August 31. (Photo: Singapore's Ministry of Defence)

Hanoi  Singaporean Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen and his US counterpart Mark Esper discussed various regional security issues, including the East Sea, counterterrorism, and the importance of ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, during their virtual meeting on August 31.

A media release by The Pentagon revealed that the two sides reaffirmed their commitments to the excellent and long-standing bilateral defense relationship and mutually-beneficial partnership.''



Meanwhile, the Singaporean Ministry of Defence said in a statement that the two defence chiefs also discussed a wide range of regional and geopolitical developments, including the need for regional defence establishments to work closely to address common threats such as COVID-19 and terrorism.



It said both countries enjoy extensive defence interactions, including dialogues, military-to-military exchanges, training and cross-attendance of courses, and defence technology cooperation. Both sides also addressed the importance of maintaining the momentum of bilateral cooperation initiatives amid the pandemic.



Esper expressed appreciation for the regional access that Singapore provides US forces which has been extended for another 15 years.



Last September, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and US President Donald Trump renewed the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Regarding US Use of Facilities in Singapore through the Protocol of Amendment, extending the agreement for extra 15 years.
State media stated that 1.4 million children in the city reported to 2,842 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools as part of a nationwide return to classes

Beijing: Children returned to school Tuesday in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the original epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic that underwent months of lockdown but which has not seen new cases of local transmission for weeks.

State media stated that 1.4 million children in the city reported to 2,842 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools as part of a nationwide return to classes.

Life has largely returned to normal in Wuhan, where the novel coronavirus was first detected late last year. After what critics called an attempt to ignore the outbreak, the city underwent a 76-day lockdown during which residents were confined to their homes and field hospitals opened to assist an overwhelmed medical system.

Wuhan marked a milestone on Sunday when its last confirmed case, a patient who brought the virus from overseas, was released from a city hospital.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The coronavirus pandemic has brought a number of challenges to schools, which were forced to close in the spring to help slow the spread of infection. One major challenge for schools was ensuring that students' nutritional supplementation needs were met when they were not attending school in person.

As schools across the country begin to welcome students back in person or for virtual learning, equity must be at the forefront of decisions pertaining to school emergency food services, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

"Ensuring access to food during these critical times is of paramount importance to meeting the public health needs of vulnerable populations at greatest risk for food security. Further, as schools contemplate re-opening plans, a greater emphasis should be placed on ways to maintain practices developed over the closure period, protecting access to supplemental nutrition," said Gabriella McLoughlin, postdoctoral research associate at the Brown School's Prevention Research Center.

McLoughlin is lead author of the paper "Addressing Food Insecurity Through a Health Equity Lens: A Case Study of Large Urban School Districts During the COVID-19 Pandemic," published in the August edition of the Journal of Urban Health.

McLoughlin and her co-authors conducted a mixed-methods study evaluating emergency meal distribution and strategy implementation from March to May in four large urban school districts: Chicago Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, Los Angeles Unified School District and New York City Department of Education.

"We found that these four urban districts took distinctive steps to enhancing participation in emergency feeding programs through a health equity lens," McLoughlin said. "However, given the significantly lower than typical participation rates observed in each district, we present key ways that this could be mitigated by focusing on equity as a key priority. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and document analysis highlighted some gaps in reach and potential ways that they can increase participation in emergency meal programs."

Federal nutrition assistance programs like the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) help to address child food insecurity and improve access to healthy foods, McLoughlin said.

"Nearly 30 million students participate in SBP and NSLP daily, and 85% of SBP and 71% of NSLP participants receive free or reduced-price meals based on household income, meaning their families do not have adequate means to purchase food absent safety net programs," she said. "For many students, school meals make up one-third to one-half of their caloric intake in a day."

"Given the detrimental impact of COVID-19 on the economic landscape of the U.S. and subsequent surge in food insecurity prevalence, continuation of meal sites that serve meals to students and families may serve as a vital strategy to offset ongoing depravity," McLoughlin and her co-authors wrote. "This will be especially important for families/children at a greater risk for contracting COVID-19 who wish to remain at home and/or for parents who still cannot return to work through job loss or ongoing furlough.

"Further, depending on the school schedule and whether schools opt for a rotation systemminimizing attendance and asking students to be at school on certain days of the weekoperating walk-up and drive-up meal sites would facilitate equitable access to supplemental nutrition despite students not attending schools full time. Continuation of various waivers granted by the USDA may therefore be necessary to combat rising food insecurity rates and ease the transition of going back to school amid the pandemic."

Explore further COVID-19 has exacerbated food insecurity

More information: Addressing Food Insecurity through a Health Equity Lens: A Case Study of Large Urban School Districts during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Urban Health. DOI: 10.1007/s11524-020-00476-0 Addressing Food Insecurity through a Health Equity Lens: A Case Study of Large Urban School Districts during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 20:38:43|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday urged the United States to abide by the one-China principle, and to cease lifting its substantial relationship with Taiwan as well as any forms of official contact with Taiwan.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the comments in response to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell's announcement on Monday that the United States was establishing a new bilateral economic dialogue with Taiwan, aiming at strengthening "ties" with Taiwan.

Stressing that the Taiwan question concerns China's core interests, Hua said at a daily press briefing that nobody should underestimate China's firm resolve and determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The one-China principle is the political basis and fundamental precondition for the establishment and development of China-U.S. diplomatic ties," Hua said, adding that there is only one China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.

In response to Stilwell's announcement of the declassification of six Reagan-era security assurances given to Taiwan, Hua said the so-called Taiwan Relations Act unilaterally enacted by the United States and the so-called "Six Assurances" to Taiwan constitute gross interference in China's internal affairs.

They severely violate the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, as well as basic norms governing international relations, Hua said, adding that they are entirely wrong, illegal and invalid.

"The Chinese government voiced firm opposition from the very beginning," she said, calling on the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, rather than the so-called Taiwan Relations Act or "Six Assurances."

"We urge the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, to stop lifting its substantial relationship with Taiwan and to cease any forms of official contact with Taiwan, so as not stray further down an erroneous path," Hua said. Enditem
As protests around the country are increasingly met by gun-wielding antagonists, a federal judge allowed California on Monday to maintain its near-absolute ban on openly carrying guns in public, but refused to dismiss a suit challenging the ban.

The ruling stood in contrast to the angry confrontations that flared up elsewhere last week, as right-wing extremists came to protests with guns and asserted their right to openly carry. California has so far not seen those kinds of armed conflicts at protests.

In Wisconsin, an open-carry state, protesters of the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha were met Aug. 25 by a throng of armed counter-demonstrators, including 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who carried a rifle despite the states minimum age of 18 for possessing a gun. Police said Rittenhouse fatally shot two people and wounded a third.

Gun-wielders may be showing up on both sides. Police in Portland said a man shot to death Saturday night during clashes between right-wing and left-wing groups was a Trump supporter, Aaron Danielson. The shooter has not been identified.

In Mondays ruling, U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller of Sacramento noted that the U.S. Supreme Courts 2008 decision allowing private citizens to keep handguns at home for self-defense declared that the Constitutions Second Amendment was intended to allow Americans to use arms in defense of hearth and home.

Although the high court has not yet ruled on whether Americans have a constitutional right to carry guns outside the home, the court denied review in 2017 of a Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling upholding a California law that prohibits carrying concealed weapons in most urban areas, including San Francisco.

At least for now, Mueller said, the state can also enforce its law against openly carrying firearms in public in nearly all cases. Individuals can openly carry a gun only if they reasonably believe they or someone else are in immediate danger and law enforcement has failed to respond.

Most states allow gun owners to carry their weapons in public. According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, California, four other states and the District of Columbia generally ban carrying guns openly in public. Thirty-one states allow the open carrying of a handgun without any permit, and 15 states require a permit or license.

California allowed open carry of firearms until 1967, when Black Panther Party members carried guns to the state Capitol to protest police brutality and what they called the disarming of Black people. Soon afterward, a Republican-sponsored open-carry ban was signed into law by Gov. Ronald Reagan.

Recent events reflect the dramatic changes in politics and policy since 1967.

This spring, conservative protesters took their rifles into the Michigan State Capitol to demand an end to the states coronavirus lockdown. Last week, fatal shootings occurred in Wisconsin and Portland.

President Trump appeared to defend the Wisconsin shooter, telling reporters Monday that Rittenhouse had been violently attacked by demonstrators  not mentioning that the attack occurred after the first fatal shooting  and that he probably would have been killed if he hadnt opened fire again. News accounts of the first shooting, based on video shot by people on the scene, described Rittenhouse as running from pursuers, one of whom appeared to lunge at him.

Troy Stolt / Associated Press

The politics were even more clear-cut at last weeks Republican National Convention. Two featured speakers were Mark and Patricia McCloskey, a white St. Louis couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter demonstrators who marched past their mansion in June. The McCloskeys, praised by Trump, have both been charged with unlawful use of weapons.

The presidents Democratic opponents want to abolish the suburbs, Patricia McCloskey said from her home in a recorded speech aired last Monday. Her husband said Democrats viewed the governments job as protecting criminals from honest citizens.

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 federal ruling on Californias open-carry ban could be short-lived. On Sept. 24, an 11-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit will consider a challenge to a Hawaii law that authorizes open-carry gun permits only for those engaged in the protection of life and property  police and security guards.

A conservative panel of the court ruled 2-1 in 2018 that the law was unconstitutional, but the full court then granted the states request for a new hearing. Its ruling, at least several months away, will be binding in the circuits nine states, including California.

Mueller noted Monday that an open-carry ban in Illinois, similar to the Hawaii law, had been declared unconstitutional by another federal appeals court in 2012. While awaiting the Ninth Circuits verdict on the Hawaii law, she said, gun owners can proceed with their suit claiming California is depriving them of constitutionally protected liberties.

Amy Bellantoni, a lawyer for the gun owners, said they may ask the appeals court to halt enforcement of the California law while their case is pending.

In a separate case, another Ninth Circuit panel ruled last month that Californias voter-approved ban on gun magazines that carry more than 10 cartridges violates the Second Amendment. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra has asked the full appeals court to order a rehearing before a larger panel in that case as well.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Montreal, Sep 1 : Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was deeply disappointed over the toppling of a statue of the country's first premier, John A. MacDonald, who was linked to policies that killed many indigenous people in the late 19th Century.

Addressing reporters on Monday in Montreal, where the incident took place on August 26, Trudeau said that while some of the country's past leaders have done questionable things, acts of destruction are not the best way to advance the fight for equality, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We are a country of laws and we are a country that needs to respect those laws, even as we seek to improve and change them, and those kinds of acts of vandalism are not advancing the path towards greater justice and equality in this country," he said.

Trudeau said he understood the impatience and frustration of Canadians who face systemic discrimination and racism and the desire to act quickly, adding that his government "will do just that".

The Macdonald statue in Montreal was brought down and decapitated by activists during a demonstration calling on political leaders to defund police, which was part of a wave of protests across the country against excessive violence perpetrated by law enforcement against black and indigenous people.

Images posted on social media showed the statue was decapitated on the ground and sprayed with graffiti.

Macdonald's statues across Canada have been repeatedly defaced and placed under review by critics calling out the "harmful legacy" left by the leader, who has been credited as a father of Canadian Confederation.

The demonstrators said the glorification of Macdonald is out of step with the modern push for racial justice.

MacDonald was Prime Minister for 19 years in the 1860s-1890s and is remembered for his nation-building policies but he also created the residential schools system, a BBC report said last week.

For more than a century, the system forcibly removed at least 150,000 indigenous children from their homes and sent them to state-funded boarding schools.

Many children were abused and some died, and they were were forbidden from speaking their own language or practising their culture.

A government report in 2015 called the practice "cultural genocide".

He was also accused of allowing famine and disease to kill many indigenous people and his government forced some First Nation communities to leave their traditional territories, withholding food until they did so.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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(Bloomberg Opinion) -- President Alexander Lukashenkos Soviet-lite regime in Belarus has been dealt a blow from which it will not recover. Unfortunately, Russia can keep it on life support for some time to come.

Thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Minsk again last weekend, and the outrage remains palpable. That, unfortunately, may not matter. The Kremlins now overt backing has emboldened the collective farm boss-turned-autocrat. If he hangs on, Belarus will pay the price.

Left fighting for survival after claiming an implausible landslide victory three weeks ago, Belarus strongman responded true to form with a violent crackdown and thousands of arrests. But as protests and strikes spread, Lukashenko appeared to teeter on the edge. At one point, he traveled to a state-owned factory  to visit the very people who once credited him with saving their jobs  only to find them chanting leave when he addressed them, a scene reminiscent of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescus last speech in December 1989.

Yet while Ceausescu was ousted days later, the 66-year-old Lukashenko has dug in. He is now sending increasingly belligerent signals  none more desperate than footage of the president stepping off a helicopter wearing a bullet-proof vest and carrying a gun, accompanied by his teenage son in combat gear. He has spoken, without evidence, of foreign forces massing on the border. Reporters and strike leaders have been detained, and the oppositions coordination council for the transition of power is under investigation. Representatives including Nobel Prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich have been questioned.

Over the weekend, the government expelled foreign journalists covering the ongoing demonstrations. None of that points to a leadership about to yield. Lukashenko has Moscow to thank.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has no good options when it comes to Belarus. He doesnt want a democratic movement on his doorstep, but has been loath to support a fickle ally and is wary of alienating a population broadly well-disposed towards Russia. Still, last week, the risk of inaction appeared to have become too great. In a televised interview on Thursday, Putin was unambiguous. With a cursory nod to the will of the Belarusian people, he made clear Russia could not be indifferent to the fate of its closest neighbor, and would step in if required. Lukashenko, he hinted, had made enough concessions.

Story continues

This was not just a threat. It was a signal of support for the security apparatus on which the entire Lukashenko edifice is built  and should be read as such. That doesnt mean military intervention is impossible, but this is not Ukraine. In Belarus, Russia is propping up an unpopular autocrat, and Moscow doesnt need tanks for that. Indeed, it has already sent in journalists to keep state television going, and left its fingerprints on a government narrative that increasingly talks up a non-existent outside menace.

The West has so far acted with caution, rightly wary of provoking Moscow. It has called for new, fair elections. Yet it has little leverage and initial sanction efforts look unlikely to change minds, while emboldening Lukashenko to threaten to leverage the countrys strategic geographic position and cut off the flow of European goods to Russia.

Its a poor sign for what lies ahead, with tougher punishment looming. Russia can keep a zombie regime breathing, but it will struggle to do more  even if it goes ahead with gestures like supporting the crumbling Belarusian ruble by refinancing $1 billion of debt or encouraging tycoons to invest.

This episode will certainly mark the end for a Belarusian economic miracle. The regimes brutal crackdown and a willingness to cut off the internet at will  costing the country more than $56 million per day, according to Netblocks figures cited by the Financial Times  has irreparably damaged the prospects of a technology and outsourcing sector that flourished despite the command economy, supporting successes like messaging app Viber. It amounts to roughly 6% of Belarus's gross domestic product but created a disproportionate number of new jobs, and fed hope. A brain drain is already under way.

Konstantin Sonin of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy compares the potential near-term outcome to the fate of Transnistria, a Russian-speaking strip of land between Ukraine and Moldova that broke away as the Soviet Union collapsed. It remains unrecognized and, for many outside the region, unrecognizable. Moscows support has helped it survive, but hardly thrive.

In the short term, its hard to be optimistic for Belarus when writing from Hong Kong, where very similar popular demonstrations filled the former colonys streets for much of last year, until they were silenced by riot police using rubber bullets and tear gas, plus the imposition of a national security law.

What is clear is that living at Putins pleasure will not make for a stable future for Lukashenko. Hell be buffeted by inevitable economic stagnation, possibly becoming too much of a drag for Moscow. Belaruss protesters will get the change they voted for on Aug. 9. It may just take time.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Clara Ferreira Marques is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering commodities and environmental, social and governance issues. Previously, she was an associate editor for Reuters Breakingviews, and editor and correspondent for Reuters in Singapore, India, the U.K., Italy and Russia.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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London: Charlie Hebdo, the magazine attacked by terrorists during a deadly wave of assaults in Paris five years ago, has republished controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad on the eve of a major court case.

Thirteen men and one woman will face trial from Wednesday for allegedly supplying weapons and other support to the two brothers who stormed the magazine's headquarters in January 2015 and killed 12 people, including some of France's best-known cartoonists.

The brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, were later killed in a gun battle with police. A third man with links to the pair, Amedy Coulibaly, also executed a police officer in the French capital and then murdered four people during a siege at a kosher supermarket.

Charlie Hebdo had long attracted the ire of Islamic extremists for its caricatures of religious figures, including the Prophet Muhammad. It has been publishing under extreme secrecy and security measures in the years since the attack.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Taliban insurgents launched a complex attack Tuesday morning against a military base in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least three public protection forces, an official said.

Five other forces were wounded in the attack, said Abdul Rahman Mangal, a spokesman for the governor in Paktia province.

A suicide car bomber targeted the entrance gate of the base in the provincial capital Gardez then two gunmen started shooting at the Afghan security forces, Mangal said.

Security forces killed both attackers in a gunbattle lasting almost 10 minutes and the area is now under control, he added.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the group claimed responsibility for the attack in Gardez.

The attack comes after Afghanistans president appointed 46 members to a council for national reconciliation, which will have final say on whether the government will sign a peace deal with the Taliban after what are expected to be protracted and uncertain negotiations with the insurgents.

The negotiations were envisaged under a U.S.-Taliban peace agreement signed in February as intra-Afghan talks to decide the countrys future. A series of delays have hampered the start of the negotiations, which some had expected to begin late last month.

There are also other obstacles in the way of the negotiations. The Afghan government has reversed a decision to release the last 320 Taliban prisoners it is holding until the insurgents free more captured soldiers.

The U.S.-Taliban deal called on the Taliban to free 1,000 government and military personnel they hold captive while the government was to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, in an exchange meant as a goodwill gesture ahead of the intra-Afghan negotiations.
Conference of Heads of Private Second-Cycle Schools (CHOPSS), are calling on government to include first year Junior High and Senior High Schools' students in the October 5 reopening of schools, to enable them to complete the academic calendar.

It said the Form One students, like the Form Two students were not too far-off from sitting their respective exit examinations, adding that a longer break in their academic work would impact negatively on their performance.

Mr Naphtali Kyei Baffour, Public Relations Officer, CHOPSS, who made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday said, even though the CHOPSS was impressed with the October reopening for second year JHS and SHS students, including the first year students would facilitate proper planning ahead of the new academic calendar.

To be honest we are partially impressed. What we are saying is that it is good that we have reopened for the second year students for the JHS and SHS, but unfortunately, we were expecting the total reopening for first year JHS and first year SHS to equally join them because these two groups are almost at par and are all supposed to exhaust the academic calendar as far as the second term and third term are concerned, so that if we are thinking of the next academic calendar, we know that they are moving together, he said.

Mr Kyei Baffour further urged government to consider the economic impact of closure of schools on private schools and staff and speed up processes of reopening other levels of the school system.

He said a continuous closure would lead to massive job loss in the sector. Due to inadequate funds, most private schools across the country had been compelled to lay off staff to free up their wage bill to avoid total collapse.

If we are going to keep the students home, let's think about the economic effect and the hardship that this has brought to private schools as well.

As we speak some teachers of private schools have not been paid since April, so if we are extending it to January, it means that this whole month, they won't be paid. The impact is massive, he added.

Mr Kyei Baffour therefore reiterated the need for government to include private schools in its stimulus package for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), to mitigate their plight and curb further job losses.

On Sunday, August 30, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his 16th address to the nation on the measures taken by the government to curtail the spread of COVID-19, announced the reopening of schools for second year JHS and SHS students effective October 5, to enable them to complete their academic calendar.

He further postponed the rest of the academic calendar for pre-JHS schools and first year JHS students to January, 2021.

GNA
Huntington developed the 2020 Community Plan in cooperation with community organizations throughout the Midwest to ensure the bank's commitment reflects the needs of people and businesses in its footprint. In the next several months, the bank will announce specific initiatives to support small businesses, consumers and communities. The plan will evolve as Huntington continues to listen and take action to meet the changing needs of local communities.

"Huntington is a purpose-driven bank, and our purpose of looking out for people leads us to do more to support underserved people, businesses and communities," said Steve Steinour, chairman, president and CEO. "Together, the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, as well as critical issues related to racial and social inequity, have highlighted the need for increased economic opportunity for people in our region and across America. As a bank, our desire is to help drive meaningful change and to improve the economic vitality and financial security of those we serve."

Huntington's 2020 Community Plan reflects increased investments in the following areas:

Access to Capital: Huntington is investing in small businesses, with a special emphasis on those owned by minorities, women and veterans. The bank's $7.6 billion commitment to helping businesses will be bolstered by additional investments in business-planning and educational programs to help bring business owners the relief, recovery and growth they are seeking as the cornerstones of the American economy.

Affordable Housing and Home Ownership: Huntington is expanding lending programs and educational services to support increased home ownership by minority and low- to moderate-income borrowers throughout the Midwest. The bank's $7.5 billion commitment will enable greater opportunities for first-time home buyers, improve housing security for financially distressed consumers, and create generational wealth building through home ownership. It will also enable home rehabilitation and the refinancing of existing homes to unlock the cash-flow needs of borrowers.

Community Lending & Investment: Huntington recognizes the barriers to banking that exist for some people and businesses, and we are investing $4.9 billion toward our communities' efforts related to affordable housing, food security, workforce development and social equity. Huntington believes these areas are fundamental to helping people not only find basic economic security, but also prosper. Huntington also knows that by making our communities stronger, it creates additional opportunities for those that live and work there.

"This plan is the result of extensive listening  listening to our community partners, customers and colleagues to understand their needs and to have robust discussions about how Huntington can best help," Steinour said. "As a regional bank, we know our impact lies in delivering locally. We're privileged to partner with many city and neighborhood organizations and community groups who share our commitment to looking out for people."

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is the ranking member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

"It will take a sustained commitment from all of us, including our financial institutions, to meet the needs of all of our neighborhoods and address racial inequities in healthcare, economic opportunity, and access to safe, affordable housing. I applaud Huntington for working with community organizations throughout Ohio and in the neighboring states it serves," said Senator Brown. "This investment will build on Huntington's track record of addressing critical needs in the places where it does business."

The 2020 Community Plan increases Huntington's commitment by roughly $4 billion above the Community Development Plan launched in 2017, which is complete more than a year ahead of schedule. To further engage critical community organizations, in 2017 Huntington chartered a National Community Advisory Council in partnership with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC).

"We commend Huntington for recognizing the real need for access to capital that remains among low- and moderate-income communities throughout the Midwest," said NCRC CEO Jesse Van Tol. "We look forward to working with Huntington on its 2020 Community Plan in order to make a meaningful difference for people who are navigating the economic and social challenges that persist for them."

"Huntington Bank sets the bar for their commitment to increasing working-poor people's access to credit, capital and basic banking services," said NCRC President and Founder John Taylor. "Their previous 2017 Community Development Plan with NCRC was completed more than a year ahead of schedule. Recognizing the need to build upon that commitment and success, the bank met with community groups, including many of NCRC's members, as well as its leadership, to draft yet another larger community plan. This new plan commits $20 billion, a $4 billion increase over their previous commitment. This will bring desperately needed investment, loans and philanthropy to the many low- and moderate-income cities and towns in the bank's footprint. Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation go out to Huntington Bank."

Huntington will work with hundreds of community organizations to implement its 2020 Community Plan.

"We're honored to work with so many partners who share our commitment to building stronger communities," Steinour said. "Together, we can make a meaningful impact and lift up our communities in need to deliver new opportunities for all the people we serve."

About Huntington

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with $118 billion of assets and a network of 839 fullservice branches, including 12 Private Client Group offices, and 1,344 ATMs across seven Midwestern states. Founded in 1866, The Huntington National Bank and its affiliates provide consumer, small business, commercial, treasury management, wealth management, brokerage, trust, and insurance services. Huntington also provides vehicle finance, equipment finance, national settlement, and capital market services that extend beyond its core states. Visit huntington.com for more information.

SOURCE Huntington Bancshares Inc.
By Akbar Mammadov

Armenias provocative moves nullify negotiations and hamper the peace process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said in a presser on September 1.

Abdullayev said that Armenias actions in the past one and half month were sufficient to understand the provocative nature of this country.

She reminded that Armenia launched a pre-planned attack on Azerbaijans border Tovuz district on July 12-16. The attack was thwarted by the Azerbaijani army.

She also said that Armenia used the recent deadly explosion in Lebanese capital Beirut for its goal to strengthen the result of occupation by announcing its plan to settle Lebanese Armenians in Azerbaijans occupied territories.

Furthermore, Abdullayeva said that after the failure in Tovuz, the Armenian military-political leadership resorted to another provocation by staging a sabotage attempt on the line of contact in Azerbaijans Goranboy region on August 23. The Armenian sabotage group's leader was captured by the Azerbaijani army.

Lastly, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Azerbaijans occupied Khankendi city on August 29 and met representatives of the puppet regime created there, Abdullayeva said.

She stressed the Pashinyan visited the Armenian military units in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which openly demonstrates that Armenia is an aggressor country and pursues annexation policy.

Commenting on Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyans earlier comments on the importance of political will for the settlement of the conflict, Abdullayeva said: After all these, I wonder what peace and what proposals and initiatives to reduce tensions in the region Mnatsakanyan is talking about.

Furthermore, Abdullayeva said that Armenia is bringing up its youth in line with the racist ideology and fascist values of Nzhdeizm and supports terrorism on the state level. She reminded vandalism and hate crimes committed by Armenians against Azerbaijani civilians in a number of countries recently.

The views of the Armenian minister, who connects the prevention of ethnic clashes in foreign countries to demonstration of political will in resolving the conflict, are nonsense. Because Armenia has not been able to demonstrate such political will for years, Abdullayeva said.

The spokesperson noted that the withdrawal of the Armenian occupying forces from the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan and restoration of the rights of the displaced people from these lands is key to ensure lasting peace in the region.

Armenia must eventually show political will and take concrete steps in this direction, she concluded.

Armenia has stepped up its military provocation recently, staging sabotage both on the border and on the line of contact. On July 12, Armenian forces shelled Azerbaijan's positions in Tovuz, Azerbaijan's strategically-important district on the border. The Armenian attack killed 12 Azerbaijani servicemen, including an army general, as well as a 76-year-old civilian. Armenian forces retreated after suffering losses in Azerbaijan's retaliation.

Azerbaijanis' peaceful protests against the Armenian attack was met by hate crimes committed by Armenian natioanlists in Los Angelese, Belgium and other cities and countries across the world.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

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Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
NEW YORK - A federal appeals court Tuesday granted President Donald Trump a temporary reprieve in the long-running fight over his tax returns, barring Manhattans top prosecutor from getting the records while Trumps lawyers embark on another bid to overturn the subpoena seeking them.

With a temporary stay in place and Trump expecting a return to the Supreme Court, its unlikely that the case will be resolved or any tax returns will be turned over before the November election. The three-judge panel ruled after hearing brief arguments from both sides.

Trumps lawyers argued that a stay keeping the tax returns under wraps will protect him from irreparable harm  such as leaks from secret grand jury proceedings  while they appeal a lower-court ruling two weeks ago that granted Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.s office access to Trumps tax returns.

A lawyer for Vances office argued that further delays to the enforcement of a subpoena issued nearly a year ago would only hamper their investigation, which he said covers a wide range of business dealings connected to Trumps company, the Trump Organization.

One of the three judges on the panel, John M. Walker Jr., said that the subpoenas cover 11 entities engaged in business dealings as far away as Europe and Dubai.

The question at this juncture is quite simple but also quite important, Trump lawyer William Consovoy argued at the hearing. Will the president be given an opportunity to appeal that ruling before his personal records are disclosed to the grand jury and the status quo is irrevocably changed?

Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said they were pleased with the ruling. A message seeking comment was left with Vances spokesperson.

Trumps lawyers appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month after a district court judge rejected their renewed efforts to invalidate a subpoena issued to his accounting firm. A hearing on the merits of the appeal is scheduled for Sept. 25.

With Trumps side certain to appeal an unfavourable ruling, Vance is unlikely to see the records soon, University of Richmond law school professor Carl Tobias said.

The Supreme Court ruled in July that the presidency in and of itself doesnt shield Trump from Vances investigation, but the high court returned the case to U.S. District Judge Victor Marreros courtroom to allow Trumps lawyers to raise other concerns about the subpoena.

At that stage, Trumps lawyers argued that the subpoena was issued in bad faith, overly broad, might have been politically motivated and amounted to harassment. Marrero rejected those claims. Consovoy told the judges Tuesday that he thought the investigation was an arbitrary fishing expedition.

Trump has blasted the quest for his financial records as a continuation of the most disgusting witch hunt in the history of our country.

Carey Dunne, of the district attorneys office, said Trump and his lawyers have long misrepresented the scope of the investigation as focusing primarily on hush money payments paid to protect Trump from adultery allegations before the 2016 election. Vances lawyers have said they are legally entitled to extensive records to aid a complex financial investigation.

The president has complained at every turn that weve not announced what the grand jury is looking at as if that itself is bad faith, Dunne said. But of course, what the grand jury is looking at is secret. Were not allowed to make that public, which is what has led to his speculation about the grand jury scope. But none of this speculation is plausible.

Even if Vance does get Trumps tax records, those would be part of a confidential grand jury investigation and not automatically be made public.

Vance, a Democrat, began seeking the Republican presidents tax returns from his longtime accounting firm over a year ago, after Trumps former personal lawyer Michael Cohen told Congress that the president had misled tax officials, insurers and business associates about the value of his assets.

Congress is also pursuing Trumps financial records, though the Supreme Court last month kept a hold on the banking and other documents that Congress has been seeking and returned the case to a lower court.

Trump is the only modern president who has refused to release his tax returns. Before he was elected, he had promised to do so.

___

Follow Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak
In a bid to better help Search users find images that can be used for their personal or professional work or not, Google has made it easier to find licensable images on its platform.

For results where the publisher or image creator provided licensing information, Google will now display a "licensable" badge over the image. "When you select a badged image to view, we will show a link to the license details of the image, and if provided by the publisher, you'll also find a link to where you can purchase or license the image," the company said in a statement on ...
BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Weller, innovator of functional, wellness-focused beverages, is taking another extraordinary leap in its evolution from the #1 CBD Sparkling Water brand to a broader, better-for-you platform comprised of bubbly drinks. Weller's launch of its first non-CBD product, Sparkling Immunity, is the only sparkling elderberry product to deliver essential vitamins and minerals with refreshing flavor while providing core, daily immunity support for people on the go.

Weller Debuts Another Category First With Elderberry Sparkling Immunity Line

Weller's latest fizzy innovation was motivated by increased consumer interest in immune-boosting products due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving beyond the cold & flu aisle and a reactive health mindset, the non-CBD sparkling water provides an effervescent, convenient and delicious way to integrate immunity protection into your daily routine with only 10 calories from juice and zero added sugars.

"The most valuable learning for us came from the utmost disruptive period of the pandemic, from March to May," said John Simmons, co-founder of Weller. "For that 12-week period, we were the #1 CBD Food and Beverage brand* and the 2nd fastest growing brand out of the top 20 CBD brands in the category*. Our growth during this uncertain time shows that Weller has a tremendous amount of brand equity and is becoming synonymous with trusted and delicious wellness beverages."

Freshly squeezed elderberry juice is the sparkling water's star ingredient, filling each can with natural immune-boosting power from antioxidants and vitamins. Secondary fruit flavors like peach, strawberry and lemon-lime round out the palate with multi-dimensional, craveable flavors that will pique the interest of existing sparkling water consumers. The simple, all-natural ingredient list offers a core nutrient profile of vitamin C, vitamin D3, zinc, and magnesium for a healthy daily habit that provides immune support in every sip.

"When developing a new line, we decided to create something we truly felt tasted great and would resonate with consumers' palates," Simmons stated. "New iterations of our consumers' favorites are just the start and we look forward to an even greater year of growth for the brand."

"We're launching these new products into our existing footprint of 1,500 retailers across the country. The strategic advantage to the brand is activating our incredible brokers and sales teams who can place these products with retailers that haven't adopted CBD beverages yet," said Megan Siegel Jansen, VP of Sales of Weller. "We have amazing velocities across channels and are in a great position to leverage our brand equity with another timely wellness solution for consumers."

The national launch is supported by Weller's brokerage partner, Presence Marketing, and sales teams, Critical Mass Group (Los Angeles) and Boost Marketing (NYC). "The Weller Sparkling Immunity line is a great way for our retail partners to address a growing shopper need-state," said Dan Morad, CEO of Critical Mass Group. "The demand for wellness products is only going to keep growing larger year over year."

In conjunction with the product launch, Weller will donate beverages to frontline workers and organizations they have supported since the pandemic began. These partners include Community Food Share, Conscious Alliance, Frontline Friends, Metro Caring, North Colorado Medical Center, Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, UC Health Hospital in Colorado, and Waterfall Beverages.

The new line will be available in stores across 25 states and on the Weller website at the end of September. Sparkling Immunity will be available for $2.99 per 12 fl oz can and comes in three varieties: Elderberry + Peach, Elderberry + Lemon-Lime, and Elderberry + Strawberry.

For more information on how Weller products are providing wellness on-demand, visit www.welleryou.com .

About Weller

Weller , maker of functional, wellness-focused beverages, is here to support people as they seek to bolster their health and well-being. Weller delivers the positive benefits of functional ingredients through delicious, trusted and ready-when-you-are products that aid consumers who are actively pursuing their best selves. Weller is committed to using the highest-quality ingredients, CBD from broad-spectrum hemp extract and natural formulations so that nothing artificial gets in the way of the most optimized version of yourself. For more information on how Weller can plus up a daily routine, please visit www.welleryou.com .

*SPINS, 12-weeks, ending 05/17/20

MEDIA CONTACT

Alessandra Luckey | Kim Le

213.225.4421

[email protected]

www.startrco.com

SOURCE Weller
DALLAS - Sept. 1, 2020 - Expanded telehealth services at UT Southwestern have proved effective at safely delivering patient care during the pandemic, leading to an increase in patients even in specialties such as plastic surgery, according to a new study.

The study, published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, illuminates the unexpected benefits that telehealth has had during the pandemic and provides insight into what this may mean for the future of medicine in the United States.

"Prior to COVID-19, it was not clear if telehealth would meet the standard of care in highly specialized clinical practices. Out of necessity, we were forced to innovate quickly. What we found is that it is actually a really good fit," says Alan Kramer, M.P.H., assistant vice president of health system emerging strategies at UTSW and co-author of the study.

UT Southwestern was already equipped with telehealth technology when COVID-19 hit - but only as a small pilot program. Through incredible team efforts, telehealth was expanded across the institution within days, bringing with it several unanticipated benefits for both the medical center and patients.

"The conversion rate to telehealth is higher than in person," says Bardia Amirlak, M.D., FACS, associate professor of plastic surgery and the study's senior corresponding author. The study found 25,197 of 34,706 telehealth appointments across the institution were completed in April 2020 - a 72.6 percent completion rate - compared with a 65.8 percent completion rate of in-person visits from April 2019.

The study notes the significant increases in the volume of new patients seen by telehealth beginning in March 2020. This resulted from a combination of relaxed regulations and an increasing comfort level with telehealth visits among physicians and patients. UTSW saw the percentage of new patients seen through telehealth visits increase from 0.77 percent in February to 14.2 percent and 16.7 percent in March and April, respectively.

Even within a niche field like plastic surgery, the implementation of telehealth has been incredibly successful, demonstrating the tractability of telehealth to a wide range of practices. From April to mid-May, plastic surgery completed 340 telehealth visits in areas such as breast cancer reconstruction, hand surgery, and wound care, with completion rates similar to the whole of UTSW. Likewise, plastic surgery also saw a large number of new patients, who comprised 41 percent of the telehealth visits.

"The fear was that the platform wouldn't be able to handle it: the privacy issues, insurance issues, malpractice issues ... but it came together well and we were able to ramp up into the thousands, and were able to not only decrease patient anxiety, but also increase many beneficial factors, such as patient access," says Amirlak.

The study reported several boons for telehealth patients, including reductions in stress, missed work, the number of hospital visits, travel time, and exposure to pathogens, in addition to improving access to care with the option for out-of-state consultations. Indeed, patients from 43 states and Puerto Rico have participated in telehealth visits at UTSW facilities since March.

Even as COVID-19 restrictions have eased in Texas, telehealth is still proving to be a major part of UT Southwestern's clinical practice. "The feedback from patients has been very positive," says Kramer. "We're now sustaining 25 percent of our practice being done virtually, a major win for our patients. It's changed the way we think about care."

Whether this trend continues into the post-COVID-19 world remains to be seen, he says. But either way, Kramer says, it is clear that telehealth will be a useful tool.

The numerous benefits that telehealth has to offer are accompanied by several challenges, however, such as the practicality and risks of remote diagnostic medicine. Though technology is starting to address some issues with the development of tools such as electronic stethoscopes and consumer-facing apps that can measure blood oxygen levels and perform electrocardiograms, for example, some argue the value of the in-person physical exam cannot be replaced. Moving forward, Amirlak says, "it will be our responsibility as physicians and scientists to recognize the potential dangers of taking telehealth to the extreme right now and missing a clinical diagnosis."

Aside from patient-facing issues, other challenges need to be included in discussions of the future of telehealth, including federal, state, and local laws; privacy concerns; and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. Many statutes and restrictions have been loosened during the pandemic, allowing institutions like UTSW to implement telehealth rapidly and effectively. But the future of telehealth will necessitate the development of long-term regulations.

"Based on the trends, it seems that telehealth is here to stay. So it's important to think about the concerns, and based on this information, the issues that we have and how we can resolve them going forward," says Christine Wamsley, a UTSW research fellow and first author of the study. With the ramp-up of telehealth and related restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, now may be the best opportunity for health care providers and governmental agencies to address these challenges and set out guidelines for the practice of telehealth.

###

The study was supported by co-author Jeffrey Kenkel, M.D., FACS, chair of plastic surgery, and with the efforts of Dunja Morgareidge, practice manager of plastic surgery, to bring telehealth to the department.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institution's faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 23 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,500 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide care in about 80 specialties to more than 105,000 hospitalized patients, nearly 370,000 emergency room cases, and oversee approximately 3 million outpatient visits a year.
Courtesy, Brian Correa

Two San Antonio bar owners are planning on bringing extra love to Southtown this fall with their just-unveiled concept.

Amor Eterno, an intimate bar by the minds of Brian Correa and Aaron Pena, is preparing for an October opening at 540 S. Presa St. Correa is the owner of the venerable Bar America and Pena's is The Squeezebox, a St. Mary's Strip hot spot. The two have been collaborating on the new concept since before the coronavirus pandemic took a hold in San Antonio.
For a lot of Canadians packing up to go camping or cottaging for that last long weekend of summer, a bottle of Bloody Caesar mix is a must-have.

Its a time-honoured Labour Day ritual. And, to some, its also vital  in case they wind up with a hangover  to have the hair-of-the-dog handy. New research from Finland, however, suggests wed be better off leaving the clam juice at home and, instead, packing an amino acid called L-Cysteine.

Of course, the best way to avoid a hangover is to not drink to excess. Thats pretty much foolproof. The second best way, according to the study from the University of Helsinki, might be taking a hefty dose of L-Cysteine before going to bed. Then, while were sleeping, the amino acid works its magic by binding to the acetaldehyde, the metabolite responsible for causing a lot of the pain and discomfort associated with the morning after.

The study saw 19 people give up six successive Friday nights to sit in a hotel and drink excessive (but carefully controlled) amounts of alcohol mixed with lingonberry juice until they went to bed. Some were given placebos, while others were given doses of L-Cysteine mixed with some B vitamins. The group that got the vitamin-amino acid cocktail fared better the next day  although, this is only a correlational study.

Since Ive been taking N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC), a similar compound, to prevent hangovers for nearly two years, I was happy to see that the efficacy of this amino acid might not be all in my head. I started adding it to my hangover prevention regimen (B12 and an anti-inflammatory before bed on the extremely rare occasions I had reason to worry Id had one too many) after interviewing Toronto writer Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall about his book Hungover: The Morning After and One Mans Quest for a Cure.

As the title suggests, Bishop-Stall spent nearly a decade researching and experimenting on himself. Although he recently told me he was still tweaking the formula, he had a half-dozen things he took after drinking (but before bed) and emphasized the importance of NAC which, he pointed out, wasnt exactly a new idea. Nor was he surprised at the results of the study.

The thing is, I know it works because I did my own testing for a long time, says Bishop-Stall. Its also included in almost every single mass-market hangover product thats been made for the last 30 years. One of the ones that was out a few years ago even says right on the bottle that it uses the power of cysteine.

Over the years, Bishop-Stall estimates he got as many as 100 friends and acquaintances to try NAC, which is more than any scientific trial that were aware of. These arent double-blind control trials, of course, so they dont really count. Sadly, there arent many that do count, since hangover research is relatively new and rather difficult to conduct. Assessing the severity of a hangover involves a certain amount of subjectivity.

Plus, you have to find people who are willing to drink too much. This issue came up with the Finnish study, which was already a small sample, but shrank down to 19 as people dropped out after deciding they couldnt drink the amount of alcohol required to induce a hangover.

Still, if NAC works, you might think that a million marketplace reviews might have confirmed its efficacy, given that its on the market in multiple forms. Unfortunately, people dont necessarily take it correctly; the dose and the timing are key. The study found a dose of 1,200 mg was associated with reduced nausea, headache, stress and anxiety.

And then theres the matter of when you take the NAC. If you already have symptoms of a hangover, its probably already too late.

With the commercial products, people werent necessarily educated on the dose, says Bishop-Stall. And you have to take it before going to sleep (not the morning after). For it to really work, it has to be taken before the body starts that whole system of withdrawal.

Some may wonder if we should really be spending our precious research resources on curing an ailment that is decidedly self-inflicted. Others might submit that hangovers are natures way of keeping us from drinking too much. Ive certainly pondered these topics.

The Finnish study, however, provides rebuttals to both of these critiques by framing L-Cysteine as a harm reduction tool. First of all, acetaldehyde is carcinogenic, so binding it to the L-Cysteine may reduce long-term alcohol-related cancer incidence.

Possibly more importantly, it might keep people away from morning-after drinks, an ill-advised but popular hangover cure. Not only is it bad for the liver to indulge in more alcohol the following day, its the sort of behaviour that might lead to alcoholism.

Its possible that the hair-of-the-dogs days are numbered. Dont worry though, cottagers. You can still enjoy a Bloody Caesar this weekend. Just maybe try not to use it as a hangover cure.
The U.S. Air Force has taken initial steps to begin prototyping a supersonic aircraft that could someday carry the president around the world in half the time.

Last month, the service's Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate awarded a $1 million small business innovation research (SBIR) phase II contract to Exosonic, a start-up aerospace company, to begin the design and development of a low-boom executive airlift concept.

Read Next: Here's the Marine Corps' Plan to End Gender Segregation at Boot Camp

The 24-month contract for the plane called "Air Force One" when the president is on board requires the company to create the future aircraft's specifications, to include "power, weight, dimensions, communication systems, cabin layout" and a virtual reality model of the aircraft cabin space, Air Force Materiel Command told Military.com on Tuesday.

"Low-boom allows travelers to fly at supersonic speeds without generating disruptive booms for those on the ground," said AFMC spokesman Daryl Mayer.

Separately, Exosonic is building a 70-seat passenger aircraft intended to fly at Mach 1.8 speeds "supersonically overland and overwater with a muted sonic boom," according to the company's website. A prototype roll-out for that project is expected in 2025, Mayer said.

The Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate contract, sponsored by the Air Force Research Lab, "will support Exosonic's efforts to develop and modify the company's commercial supersonic airliner to serve as an executive transport vehicle," the company said in its own release. "These modifications will include reconfiguring the aircraft cabin to include the required accommodations, communications equipment, and security measures that allow U.S. leaders and their guests to work and rest onboard the aircraft."

The latest contract follows another awarded to Hermeus Corp, another start-up developing Mach 5 commercial aircraft, traveling more than five times the speed of sound. The Georgia-based company successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype earlier this year, according to a company release.

Last month, the Air Force awarded Hermeus a $1.5 million Other Transaction Authority (OTA) Phase II contract for the company to begin research on how it could modify its commercial prototype toward the military's VIP fleet.

Meanwhile, the replacement for the current aging Air Force One platform has yet to be delivered -- or even fully modified.

In 2016, the Air Force awarded Boeing Co. a contract to begin preliminary work on the VC-25 Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization program, better known as PAR. Earlier this year, the VC-25B program -- a follow-on from the current VC-25A -- began modification on the first of two Boeing 747-8 aircraft.

The first phase of aircraft modification involves "cutting out large skin and structure areas in both the forward and aft lower lobes of the aircraft and then installing two newly manufactured superpanels," according to a release from Materiel Command. The superpanels contain

structural upgrades "and cutouts for the VC-25B lower lobe doors including internal airstairs for mission requirements," the release said.

The two 747-8s were originally ordered for the Russian airline company Transaero in 2013, DefenseOne reported in 2017. Boeing never delivered the jets to the now-defunct airline and instead put them in storage.

Boeing spent 2019 removing the aircraft's commercial interior, engines, auxiliary power units and "numerous secondary system components," officials said.

Additional updates to the aircraft include "electrical power upgrades, a mission communication system, a medical facility, executive interior, and autonomous ground operations capabilities," Material Command said.

The aircraft passed its critical design review in the spring, according to Defense News.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: Military Investigating Reports of Drone Flying Near Air Force One
Financial sanctions imposed against Mali by the West African regional bloc in light of the 18 August coup d'etat will only serve to further the hardship of the Malian people, according to critics of the move to lock Mali out of international financial transactions.

"We are a people and to sanction the people, it's truly to harm them, the people aren't responsible for what happened," said Imam Mahmoud Dicko, one of the leaders of the M5-RFP opposition group, the 5 June Movement - Rally of Patriotic Forces.

A group of soldiers called the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) arrested former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita two weeks ago, resulting in his resignation and a swift response by regional bloc Ecowas, who called on the military junta to hand over power to a civilian-led transitional authority.

Mali uses the West African CFA franc and the country's money is managed by the Dakar-based Central Bank of West African states (BCEAO), who shut down all operations in Mali in the aftermath of the military takeover.

BCEAO's operations within Mali itself have since restarted, but the country's financial connections to the outside world remain severed, with Mali locked out of the West African CFA franc zone.

Strangling the economy

"A prolonged financial lockdown will asphyxiate the Malian economy," said Ndongo Samba Sylla, an economist at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, pointing to Mali's trade with neighbouring countries within the West African Monetary Union (WAMU).

35.6% of all Malian imports come from WAMU countries, especially Cote dIvoire and Senegal, two countries that will therefore be hit indirectly by the financial lockdown, Sylla told RFI.

Sylla also raises questions over the legitimacy of sanctions by Ecowas, a 15-country regional political grouping, and their implementation by BCEAO, the central bank for the eight countries of WAMU.

"Why would BCEAO, a central bank said to be politically neutral and independent from its member states, enforce sanctions decided not by the WAMU but by Ecowas," said Sylla, who has published research on the West African CFA currency.

Story continues

Sovereignty

People could better realise that WAMU member countries taken individually have relinquished an important part of their formal political sovereignty, as they do not issue their own currency, added Sylla.

Malis agricultural sector has already begun to feel the impact of the coup detat and restrictions on trade, with livestock sales hit and difficulties importing feed and supplies.

Although condemned by the regional bloc Ecowas, the coup and takeover by Malis military was widely supported by the general public with one survey of 925 people in Bamako saying 81 percent did not agree with Ecowas calls for the junta to step aside.

The CNSPs arrest of President Keita, widely known as IBK, came following months of street protests led by the M5 group over alleged corruption, botched legislative elections and insecurity.
A recent addition to the White House's coronavirus task force is urging officials to adopt the controversial theory of 'herd immunity', according to reports.

Scott Atlas was announced as the newest member of the White House coronavirus task force on August 12, and has been dubbed by White House officials the 'anti Fauci' because his opinions are frequently at odds with veteran infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci.

Atlas, 65, is a radiologist, a senior fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution of Stanford University and a frequent Fox News commentator.

He previously served as chief of neuroradiology - radiology of the brain and nervous system - at the Stanford University Medical Center.

He has also advised Republican presidential candidates on health care, including Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer.

Dr Scott Atlas joined the White House coronavirus task force on August 12

On Monday five sources told The Washington Post that Atlas, who has no training in epidemiology or virology, was promoting the idea of 'herd immunity'.

The idea, which Sweden has adopted, is that there should be no widespread lockdown, but vulnerable populations should be strongly protected.

A herd immunity strategy allows many people to get sick, and therefore generate immunity to the disease - eventually preventing the spread to the shielded vulnerable population.

Atlas is said to be backing a controversial 'herd immunity' theory about COVID-19, but has denied the reports

Sweden has been extremely hard-hit by the virus, with among the highest death rates per population.

Atlas has denied the Post's report.

'There is no policy of the President or this administration of achieving herd immunity,' he said in a statement. 'There never has been any such policy recommended to the President or to anyone else from me.'

But an administration official told CNN that the policies Atlas has suggested are in the vein of a herd immunity strategy.

'Everything he says and does points toward herd immunity', the source said.

In Sweden, according to the latest data from John Hopkins University, 57.16 people per 100,000 have died from COVID-19; ranking Sweden above the U.S., with 55.95 per 100,000.

That puts Sweden 10th worst in the world in terms of deaths per 100,000; Brazil, Italy, Spain and the UK are also among the worst.

Sweden has 84,379 cases - neighboring Norway has had 10,782, Denmark has 17,410, and Finland has had 8,086.

Health experts inside and outside the White House are expressing alarm at the idea that the United States could adopt Sweden's herd immunity approach.

'The administration faces some pretty serious hurdles in making this argument,' said Paul Romer, a professor at New York University who won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2018.

He told The Washington Post: 'One is a lot of people will die, even if you can protect people in nursing homes. Once it's out in the community, we've seen over and over again, it ends up spreading everywhere.'

Atlas has been dubbed 'the anti-Fauci' within the White House, the Washington Post said

Infectious disease experts have said it is wrong to believe that young people cannot be affected, pointing out that more than 25,000 people younger than 65 have died of the virus in the United States.

Furthermore, young people can easily spread the virus to vulnerable people of all ages, in a country already struggling with high rates of heart and lung disease and obesity.

Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician, told CNN that up to two million Americans could die if the US adopted a herd immunity strategy.

'If we're waiting until 60% to 80% of people have it, we're talking about 200 million-plus Americans getting this -- and at a fatality rate of 1%, let's say, that's 2 million Americans who will die', she said.

'Those are preventable deaths of our loved ones'

Trump has not explicitly mentioned herd immunity, but appears open to the idea.

'We are aggressively sheltering those at highest risk, especially the elderly, while allowing lower-risk Americans to safely return to work and to school, and we want to see so many of those great states be open,' he said during his speech to the Republican National Convention on Thursday night.

'We want them to be open. They have to be open. They have to get back to work.'
NDDC Pays Tuition Fees Of Students On Its Scholarship Scheme After Protest

Months after some students staged a protest following the non-payment of their school fees by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, the NDDC has finally paid $5,901,000 to 197 students on its scholarship scheme.

Recall that during the investigative hearing done by the House of Representatives on allegations of financial recklessness in the commission, several students sent abroad by the commission to study, came out to complain that they have been left stranded as the commission has failed to fulfill its promise to pay their tuition fees as well as give them some allowances.

The students staged a protest that got the attention of President Buhari who ordered the payment of the students fees.

Well, respite has come the way of the students as the fees of some of them have now been paid while fees of others are currently being processed.

Director of Corporate Affairs, NDDC, Charles Odili, in an interview with Vanguard, said $5.901m have now been paid to 197 scholarship students. Odili said among the 197 beneficiaries were 12 Ph.D students from 2016 and 13 Ph.D. students from 2019, totaling 43, who got $30,000 each, amounting to $1,290,000.

Odili said 154 MSC beneficiaries of 2019 were paid $30,000 each, amounting to $4, 420,000, bringing the grand total to $5,910,000. He gave the description of 94 beneficiaries of 2018 still awaiting payment as 40 PHD and 54 MSC.
Renovation

1 September 2020

Steps from the wonders of Istanbul and offering a historical landmark experience since 1996, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet is embarking on a Hotel-wide transformation.

International travellers and local clientele can look forward to inspired designs driven by storytelling, meaningful experiences as well as Istanbul's rich culture and history, furthering the Hotel's journey as Old City's only Five-Star luxury experience.

Surrounded by breath-taking views of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, the Blue Mosque and Marmara Sea, the Hotel offers a quintessential location for exploring Istanbul's deep heritage. Next spring Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet will re-emerge more beautiful than ever, with a totally fresh look while keeping its intimate residential feel and honouring the city's vast ancestry. The award-winning Hotel has gained a loyal following thanks to its highly personalised service delivered with utmost emotional connectivity by a genuinely caring team.
And then there was hypoxia, altitude sickness. Lack of oxygen affected Ricker Buck, who wrote of becoming forgetful, a hazard of thin air. He started forgetting things along the trail, like one of their water buckets back at a spring.

The more I read "The Oregon Trail," the more I came to appreciate how incredibly lucky my ancestors were to make the 2,000-mile journey without a serious illness or accident. Many a traveler died from falling off wagons and being run over by the wheels. Any cut or scrape could cause a deadly infection, but the trail itself posed its own dangers. Other common accidents involved firearms and stampedes. What did a pioneer do if the team got spooked by a herd of buffalo and ran away? Good question.

One of the Bucks most hair-raising episodes was at South Pass in Wyoming. It was your worst nightmare  mine, at least  a steep, narrow passage in which the wheels of their wagon were within a foot of the edge of a deep gorge. No, thank you.

Many sections of the original Oregon Trail are historic sites with visitor centers, parking lots and hiking trails built around former encampments, defunct trading posts and Pony Express stations.
Data from the Department of Education shows that 79.3 per cent of grades across all levels will be unchanged due to standardisation.

At a briefing this afternoon, Ms Foley also confirmed that the department has dropped plans to use a school's previous academic record to assess this year's Leaving Cert grades.

The predicted grades of teachers will now carry more weight under changes to the Leaving Cert marking scheme this year.

Speaking at the briefing, Minister Norma Foley acknowledged concerns people have had:

"For some time now I have had serious concerns about the use of school by school historical data.

"As you aware in other jurisdictions it has led to accusations that students in disadvantaged schools in those jurisdictions, were at risk of being treated unfairly or subjected to what was called a 'postcode lottery'".

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According to the department, adopting the preferred standardisation model, the average reduction in student marks following standardisation is 0.8 per cent in DEIS schools while the reduction is 1.3 per cent in non-DEIS schools.

Overall the data from the department revealed that as a result of standardising grades:

3.9 per cent of grades increase as a result of standardisation, with the increase being 5% in DEIS schools as compared to a 3.7% increase in non-DEIS schools.16.8 per cent of all grades are reduced by one grade as a result of standardisation, with 13.6% grades being decreased by one grade in DEIS schools compared to 16.8 per cent in non-DEIS schools. 0.1 per cent of all grades are reduced by two or more grades, with the figure being 0.1% in DEIS schools and 0.1% in non-DEIS schools.The average reduction in school marks as a result of standardisation is less in DEIS schools compared in non-DEIS schools.

Standardisation model

The Government said today's decisions will provide additional reassurances to Leaving Cert students and that their unique situation has been understood and treated fairly.

Ms Foley also said at today's briefing that the decision to drop using school's historical data was a necessary one:

Equity and fairness must be at the heart of everything we do as a society. From my first day as Minister for Education I have been determined that in this extraordinary year, the system in place to mark students achievements of their years in post-primary education would be the fairest possible system under these challenging safeguards.

While the Irish Calculated Grades model had inherent safeguards that marked it as more equitable than those that were used in other jurisdictions, I felt we could do more to assure our students of the fairness of our system.

I have considered the effects and impacts of the standardisation model we are using, the importance of ensuring that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are not treated unfairly and the experiences in other jurisdictions in this regard."
(Newser)  An Army officer stationed at Georgia's Fort Stewart has been removed from leadership positions after an anti-Semitic social media post. "For legal reasons this is a joke," 2nd Lt. Nathan Freihofer captioned the TikTok video, in which he told a joke involving Jewish people, the Holocaust, and incineration chambers at concentration camps. "If you get offended, get the [expletive] out, because its a joke," he said before signing off, along with a few other choice words. "The statements made in the video are not indicative of the values we live by, and there is no place for racism or bigotry in our Army or our country," a commander at the base says in a statement calling the video "vile."

story continues below

Freihofer will remain suspended until an investigation is complete, Stars and Stripes reports. Army officials say the post violates the military branch's social media policy, and the Washington Post cites an official who says the probe will also investigate whether a hand gesture Freihofer used in the video was intended as a Nazi salute. "At the highest levels of command, this is being adjudicated," another Army official says. The Post notes Freihofer has almost 3 million TikTok followers, "an unusually large number for a young officer in the Army." "This is completely unacceptable. On social media or not, racist jokes are racist. Period," tweeted Army Sgt. Maj. Michael A. Grinston, the Armys top enlisted soldier. (Read more anti-Semitism stories.)
 

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Franklin Graham warns socialist left will 'close the Church down': 'The storm is coming'

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Prominent evangelical leader Franklin Graham says that the Democratic Party is opposed to faith and warns that the left will close the Church down in many places should the United States fall into the embrace of socialism.

Graham, the president of Samaritans Purse and the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, sat down with CBN News correspondent David Brody last Friday to discuss the Democratic and Republican conventions that took place over the past two weeks.

He also discussed his upcoming Washington Prayer March that will take place at the end of September in Washington, D.C.

The Democrats, if anything, they are opposed to faith, Graham asserted after being asked to compare and contrast the major parties positions on faith.

The Democrats have taken God pretty much  out of government, he added, later stating that the changes that the left want to make and take us into socialism is going to affect the Church.

The government will  begin to tell the Church how [it] can be the Church and theyll close the Church down in many places, Graham warned. We see right now because of COVID, the government trying to tell the Church that they can not meet and the Constitution gives us that freedom to do that. But because of COVID, they said we cant meet.

The 68-year-old praised President Donald Trump as being someone who wants to see more of God here in Washington.

The outspoken evangelist assured that there are millions of Democrats who are wonderful people and stated that his father was a lifelong Democrat who never switched parties.

He argued that his dad saw the party that he grew up in changing and moving to the left.

Thats what its done, Graham contended. The Democratic Party today is a party of the left. Its a socialist party, they want socialism for this country.

Considering that some believe Trump was anointed to the presidency by God, Graham was asked what it would mean if the Democrats win on Nov. 3.

I think God brought him here for this season  for these for years, Graham explained. I am just asking that God would spare this country, for another four years, to give us a little bit more time to do the work before the storm hits. I believe the storm is coming.

You are going to see Christians attacked, you are going to see churches close and you are going to see a real hatred expressed toward people of faith. That is coming, Graham continued. Jesus told us. He said, You will be hated by all people because of me. And if we are going to stand for the name of Christ, the world will hate us.

Graham had previously spoken about the absence of God at the Democratic National Convention in a Facebook post.

Shortly after Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as his running mate, Graham called the the most pro-abortion presidential ticket in the history of our nation a source of great concern to all Christians."

.@JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris are labeled as the most pro-abortion presidential ticket in the history of our nation. This should be a great concern to all Christians. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I am pro-life & believe every life is precious to God. https://t.co/SkKccmuZlH  Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) August 13, 2020

This is not the first time that Graham has issued dire warnings about socialism taking hold in the U.S.

Earlier this year, Graham took to Twitter to warn about all-out socialism taking hold in the U.S. if Americans did not vote for leaders who love this country, defend the Constitution, & support law & order in the upcoming election.

Graham told to Brody that the only hope for this country is God.

Donald Trump cant turn it around, Graham stressed. Biden isnt going to turn it around. Only God can do this  and we need Gods help.

Grahams daughter, Cissie Graham Lynch, made similar warnings during a speech at the Republican National Convention last week, asserting that the Democratic Party has no room for people of faith.

They will force the choice between being obedient to God or to Caesar, she warned. The radical lefts God is government power.

Grahams niece, Jerushah Duford, an evangelical author, speaker and member of the NeverTrump Republican group Lincoln Project, accused evangelicals who support Trump of failing the Gospel in a USA Today op-ed last week.

I have spent my entire life in the hurch, with every big decision guided by my faith. But now, I feel homeless. Like so many others, I feel disoriented as I watch the church I have always served turn their eyes away from everything it teaches, Duford wrote. I hear from Christian women on a daily basis who all describe the same thing: a tug at their spirit.

I feel it every time our president talks about government housing having no place in Americas suburbs, she added. Jesus said repeatedly to defend the poor and show kindness and compassion to those in need. Our president continues to perpetuate an us-versus-them narrative, yet almost all of our church leaders say nothing.
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), says with five built refinery plants across the country and seven in the making, Nigeria will be a net exporter of petroleum products in the next two years.

The Director and Chief Executive Officer of DPR, Sarki Auwalu, disclosed this in Lagos when the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, paid a visit to the headquarters of the department.

Mr Auwalu assured that the flow of import would reverse when the new refineries come on stream in the next two years.

He added that the feat would be achieved through the combined capacity of 375,000 barrels per day from 27 modular refineries, 650,000 barrels from the Dangote refinery and the 450,000 barrels from the government refineries.

Specifically, he said the Dangote integrated refinery and petrochemical project with 650,000 barrel per day, the biggest in Africa, Waltersmith refinery with 7,000 capacity per day, and others that were almost near completion would come on stream.

The existing five included the four plants owned by the Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the one owned and operated by Niger Delta Petroleum Resources.

Mr Auwalu said the aspiration of DPR was to grow the oil reserve to 40 billion barrels and gas to 210 trillion cubic feet.

He added that the department would also grow oil production from its current 2.4 million capacity to three million production capacity and as well reduced cost of production.

"Currently, we have oil prospective licences, about 61, more than 2, 000 wells that are producing crude oil and condensate, we have about 125 wells producing gas.

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"We equally have 20 floating, loading and offloading vessels, 28 oil terminals, several float stations and oil and gas processing factories," he said.

The director said that none of the functional oil facilities stopped work because of pandemic and the country maintained production and export.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the director took the minister and the entourage to inspect server and control rooms in the headquarters where oil production, shipping and related activities were monitored real time.

In his remarks, the minister commended the management of DPR for the measures taken to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic to cripple the nation's economy.

The minister also commended the government agency for its role in sustaining peace in the host communities of Niger Delta which had resulted to a halt in pipeline vandalism and restiveness.

"What the DPR does goes far beyond technical because their engagement of the oil producing communities is very key. When we came in 2015, production had dipped because of the restiveness in the Niger Delta.

"Its not by accident that we have some stability and modicum of peace in that area today. Its because of the policies that have been put in place to continue to engage the communities," he said.

He also commended the DPR for the accountability it exhibits in the management of the flow of revenue to the nation, which goes straight into the Treasury Single Account. (NAN)
WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The United States, United Kingdom and Norway in a joint statement said they welcomed the peace agreement between Sudan's civilian-led transitional government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front as a first step in rebuilding stability in the country.

"It is an important step in restoring security, dignity, and development to the population of Sudans conflict-affected and marginalized areas. We believe the formal agreement must be followed up with local peace and reconciliation efforts in the conflict-affected areas," the countries said in the statement. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Tim Ahmann, Editing by Franklin Paul)
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday stressed that China is ready to manage all kinds of issues through dialogue with India. The Chinese foreign minister, during his visit to France, also said, "China has always been committed to maintaining stability along the China-India border and will not escalate the situation".

Yi's statement comes a day after India accused China of military provocation and unilaterally changing the status quo at the Pangong Tso area. Yi, while delivering a speech at the French Institute of International Relations, told that China has pursued a policy of good-neighbourliness and friendship. "We hope to live in long-term stability and friendship with all our neighbours," Yi added.

As per the Chinese government's newspaper Global Times, Yi said the boundary between China and India has not yet been demarcated, so there have been problems. He said that "China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity...we are ready to manage all kinds of issues through dialogue with the Indian side".

Yi further talked about the important consensus between India and China and said, "Both sides agreed that bilateral cooperation outweighs differences and common interests outweigh conflicts".

He said that China was willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with India to help it speed up its development.

In another development, China's Western Theatre Command has accused the Indian Army of illegally crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Monday. "A blatant provocative move that seriously infringed on China's territorial sovereignty," it added.

In the last two-and-half months, India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks to resolve border conflict in the Eastern Ladakh.

Both sides began a process of disengagement on July 6 but it has not moved forward since mid-July. The Indian side has constantly insisted on the complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest.

The People's Liberation Army of China has pulled back from the Galwan Valley and certain other friction points. However, the PLA troops are still present in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas. The India-China border covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control.

Also read: Ladakh standoff: Chinese troops never crossed LAC, says China foreign minister

Also read: India-China border row: Chinese troops increase foothold in Pangong Tso area
The new area code will apply citywide in the same areas where 202 is used. With more than one area code assigned to the same region instead of splitting area codes geographically, the overlay avoids exacerbating chasms between rural and suburban areas that have had different triplets assigned to them. It also means that customers who have secured their coveted 202 area codes can keep their numbers regardless of where they live instead of having to adopt a new area code had it been assigned based on geography.
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MojoRank, a leader in artificial intelligence recruiting and diversity hiring solutions for human resource organizations, today announced the availability of its Intelligent Recruiting Solution on Microsoft AppSource, an online cloud marketplace providing tailored line-of-business solutions.

MojoRank takes you straight to the best candidates.

MojoRank's AI-enabled talent acquisition software has a proprietary matching algorithm that intelligently evaluates candidates based on job requirements to instantly disqualify those who aren't a fit and surface those who are the best fit and ready to make a move.

Companies that post dozens of jobs each year and receive thousands of applications can easily get bogged down in the hiring process. MojoRank's Intelligent Recruiting Solution (MIRS) eliminates inefficiency, protects investments in human capital and boosts retention by aligning the right talent with the right job, including a built-in backfill plan. Using AI and machine learning, the platform:

Accelerates the time to fill and time to hire by eliminating time wasted vetting unqualified applicants.

by eliminating time wasted vetting unqualified applicants. Anonymizes the talent to eliminate unconscious bias and support the organization's diversity & inclusion goals (customizable feature).

to eliminate unconscious bias and support the organization's diversity & inclusion goals (customizable feature). Advances the talent to enable internal mobility so the right talent is assigned to the right job.

to enable internal mobility so the right talent is assigned to the right job. Assigns other best-fit job opportunities to runner-up candidates internally and externally so the investment is not lost.

MIRS features global, multilingual support and integrates with any existing HR system and technology stack, so companies can enjoy its benefits right away without modifying or replacing any existing platforms.

"MojoRank's Intelligent Recruiting Solution not only increases recruitment productivity and reduces employee attrition for human resource organizations, but we're also excited to showcase the full capability of our solution on the Microsoft Azure technology stack," said Brion Lau, Head of Sales & Operations for MojoRank. "MIRS is a groundbreaking solution that integrates our proprietary algorithms to find the best talent for every open position."

Toby Bowers, General Manager, Business Applications Group, Microsoft Corp., said, "We're happy to welcome MojoRank and its Intelligent Recruiting Solution to Microsoft AppSource, which gives our customers access to the best solutions available from our extensive partner ecosystem. Microsoft AppSource offers partner solutions such as MIRS to help human resource organizations meet their needs faster."

About MojoRank

MojoRank changes the way companies discover, engage, and hire candidates and employees for open positions. Utilizing next-generation artificial intelligence, MojoRank's intelligent matching technology instantly matches qualified candidates and employees to the right opportunities, completely eliminating time wasted vetting lesser-qualified candidates while at the same time removing unconscious biases. This groundbreaking solution accelerates the time to fill and time to hire, amplifies efficiency, supports diversity goals and protects investments in human capital.

To learn more, visit https://www.mojorank.com/ or explore the Intelligent Recruiting Solution at its page on Microsoft AppSource.

Press Contact:

Michele Foster

[email protected]

tel (408) 618 2328

SOURCE MojoRank
A new panel headed up by economist Ross Garnaut will investigate whether it is worth investing billions of dollars of taxpayers' money to revive a decades-old water scheme.

The Bradfield scheme, once touted as the solution to drought in western Queensland, was first floated by Sydney Harbour Bridge engineer John Bradfield in the 1930s.

Professor Ross Garnaut authored a landmark report into climate change. Credit:Andrew Taylor

The plan, to move water from the rain-drenched north to the drought-declared west, was further developed by Sir Leo Hielscher and Sir Frank Moore and has been talked about by politicians for years.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will ask an expert panel to conduct the first comprehensive government review of the inland irrigation scheme in more than 15 years.
KENOSHA  President Donald Trump met with law enforcement Tuesday and toured the damage caused by a week of protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, despite concerns by some state and local officials that such a visit would exacerbate divisions in this southeastern Wisconsin community.

During a visit to Bradford High School, about three miles from where a teenage gunman killed two protesters Tuesday night, Trump praised the Wisconsin National Guards response to protests as part of the presidents call for law and order to address civil unrest in cities across the nation.

This is going to heal very quickly, Trump said in regard to the damage caused by protests in Kenosha. Some people think those are two terrible words  law and order  and theyre not terrible at all, theyre beautiful.

Trump also claimed credit for quelling violence that damaged or destroyed more than two dozen buildings last week, but mischaracterized how the National Guard was deployed and who authorized the deployment.

Once (Gov. Tony Evers) responded and once we took control of it, things went really well, Trump said during a roundtable discussion with state and local officials.

The Wisconsin National Guards deployment began on Aug. 24 when Evers authorized 125 Guard members be deployed to Kenosha in response to the communitys request. Evers doubled that number, while also rejecting Trumps offer of support from the Department of Homeland Security, the next day.

That night two protesters were shot and killed and a third wounded allegedly by a 17-year-old from Illinois who had traveled to the city to protect buildings alongside other armed counterprotesters.

The number of Guard members grew steadily over the course of the week to at least 750 members by Thursday.

Authorities said they had more than 1,500 National Guard members deployed in the community and Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said more than 200 people have been arrested since the protests began.

The Guard has not been federalized and remains under the command of Evers and the Guards Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, according to Evers office. Federal assistance has consisted of FBI and U.S. Marshals Service support. The Wisconsin National Guard also has been in communications with the federal government and other states for additional support.

Praise for police

Trumps visit was billed by White House officials as an effort to unify a city that has been a hotbed of civil unrest and protest since the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, on Aug. 23. While in Kenosha, Trump praised the actions of area law enforcement to quell violent protests, while also lobbing criticism at violent mobs of protesters, the media and Democrat-run cities.

Trump met with local law enforcement and toured damaged businesses on Tuesday, but did not meet with Blake or his family. White House officials said Monday the president was unable to connect with Blakes family.

Some people thought it would be a good thing for me to come, a bad thing, I just wanted to come, Trump said. I really came today to thank law enforcement.

Trump described the vast majority of police officers as honorable, courageous and devoted public servants, but also spoke to the challenges in law enforcement, which he said can be exacerbated by bad apples. He also repeated his characterization of police officers who harm people as choking, which in a Fox News interview on Monday he compared with golfers missing a three-foot putt.

You have some bad apples, we all know that, and those will be taken care of through the system and nobody is going to be easy on them either, Trump said. And you have people who choke ... I know you practice this all the time where you give people literally a quarter of a second to make a decision and a lot of them cant make that right decision, its a very tough thing to do.

On Tuesday, Trump announced his administration will commit $42 million to the state for public safety support, funding for additional prosecutors, direct aid to law enforcement and funding for small businesses damaged by protests.

Also on Tuesday, Evers announced up to $1 million in disaster recovery microloans to Kenosha businesses damaged amid protests. Businesses will be eligible for up to $20,000 each in no-interest loans to cover repair costs.

Mixed views

Trumps visit was met with a mix of praise and concern, as several Republicans, including former Gov. Scott Walker, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and seven members of the 23-member Kenosha County Board, encouraged Trumps visit.

At the same time, some state and local Democratic officials, including Evers and Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, had urged the president to call off the trip for fear that it could fan the flames of ongoing unrest in the community.

Anthony Davis, 49, who was in Kenosha from Illinois on Tuesday, said he felt terrible after watching the widely circulated video of police shooting Blake multiple times in the back.

It just needs to stop and this guy here ... Donald Trump is the root of the whole problem, said Davis, who is Black.

Kenosha resident Barbara Griffin, 60, stood near Civic Center Park  where much of the protests have taken place over the last week  wearing a pink Make America Great Again hat. Griffin said she supports Trumps visit to her community, as well as the presidents call for law and order.

Seeing my city in flames, waking up and smelling buildings being burned with my morning coffee  Im not happy, Griffin said. Im upset to see my city destroyed.

People gather

On the citys north side, just west of the Washington Park Municipal Golf Course, more than 200 people gathered late Tuesday morning at the site where Blake was shot.

A throng of media from around the world was there as Blakes uncle, Justin Blake, spoke, along with the Rev. Jessie Jackson and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, who grew up about three miles from the neighborhood.

The scene included inflatable bouncy houses, a craft table for children, free haircuts, voter registration tables and the smell of grilled brats and ribs. Another table overflowed with brooms, shovels and cleaning supplies that were to be used to help clean damaged areas.

Family speaks out

Justin Blake said his nephew remains in the hospital and paralyzed from the waist down but is able to speak and reach out and touch family members. Justin Blake implored for peaceful protests but also legislative action to create change.

We want legislation, we want bills and we want laws, Justin Blake said. Its 2020. The matrix are falling and the gig is up. We no longer are going to tolerate this. As a community were going to work together. Were going to put aside our differences and agree to disagree and rebuild our community.

On Monday the Legislature briefly opened a special session that Evers had called to address police practices, but took no action. Republicans said they hope to be ready to pass something by Jan. 1.

Blakes uncle also expressed disinterest in speaking with Trump.

I dont have any words for the orange man, Justin Blake said. All I ask is that he keep his disrespect, his foul language far away from our family. We need a president thats going to unite our country and take us in a different direction.

State Journal reporters Barry Adams and Elizabeth Beyer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photos: Scenes from President Trumps visit to Kenosha

Its 2020. The matrix are falling and the gig is up. Justin Blake, uncle of Jacob Blake

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Coronavirus Updates:On Wednesday, state capital Bengaluru saw its biggest single-day spike of 3,420 cases, taking its overall tally in the state to 1,35,512

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Cumulatively, these five states reported 536 deaths in a day which is over 65 per cent of the total fatalities registered in the country during the period.

Five states -- Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh  have accounted for over half of the total COVID-19 cases and close to 60 percent of the recoveries reported in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said yesterday.

So far, 1,37,616 people have recovered from the disease in the state, the bulletin said. The toll due to the disease mounted to 3,283 after 55 more fatalities were registered from different parts of the state, the bulletin said.

The COVID-19 discharge rate in West Bengal reached 83.04 percent on Tuesday after the state recorded the highest single-day recovery of 3,346 patients, the health department said in a bulletin. On Monday, the discharge rate was 82.49 percent.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 54 percent of COVID19 cases are between the 18-44 years while 51 percent of deaths are in the 60 years and above age group.

The session will take place during the annual UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders, which will take place this year mainly by videoconference due to the pandemic

The summit will debate "post-Covid-19 global governance in relation to the maintenance of international peace and security," Niger's UN Ambassador Abdou Abarry told journalists while presenting the Council's program for the month.

Niger, the current president of the UN Security Council, said Tuesday it will organize a 24 September video conference between heads of state to discuss the future of global governance following the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic has killed more than 851,000 people worldwide since surfacing in China late last year, according to the AFP count. More than 25.5 million cases have been registered.

Russia, which on Tuesday topped one million cases, along with Spain and Britain recorded the highest number of infections, while 216,080 people have died in Europe.

More than four million people have been infected with the coronavirus in Europe, according to a tally by AFP at 1640 GMT.

Only China, of the leading global economies, has escaped a recession sparked by the pandemic.

"Fiscal support will remain essential to sustaining many families and businesses," she said.

With the White House and Congress still at an impasse over a new emergency relief package, Brainard warned that "the economy continues to face considerable uncertainty associated with the vagaries of the COVID-19 pandemic" and business shutdowns risk becoming permanent.

Government spending will be "essential" to help struggling businesses and families weather the downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Federal Reserve governor Lael Brainard said Tuesday.

Some nations have worked directly to secure supplies of vaccine, but others are pooling efforts to ensure success against a disease that has no geographical boundaries.

The decision to go it alone, first reported by The Washington Post, follows the White House's decision in early July to pull the United States out of the WHO. Trump claims the WHO is in need of reform and is heavily influenced by China.

The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will not work with an international cooperative effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine because it does not want to be constrained by multilateral groups like the World Health Organization.

Indias coronavirus case count reaches 37,69,523 on Wednesday after 78,357 new cases registered in 24 hours. The toll rises by 1,045 to 66,333. There are 8,01,282 active cases, and more than 29 lakh patients have recovered.

The tournament was scheduled for Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai. The Chinese government announced in July that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country would not host international sports events for the rest of 2020.

The International Federation of PGA Tours confirmed the inevitable on Wednesday when it canceled the HSBC Champions World Golf Championships event in China, reports PTI

With over 8.08 lakh cases, Maharashtras COVID-19 tally remains the highest among Indian states and union territories, according to the Union Health Ministry's latest update.

The total number of COVID-19 recoveries in the country has surged to 29,01,908, while the fatality rate has further declined to 1.76 percent. There are 8,01,282, active cases in the country which comprises 21.26 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

The toll climbed to 66,333 with 1,045 more fatalities reported in 24 hours. India has so far reported 37,69,523 cases of the viral disease, according to the data updated at 8 am.

India's COVID-19 tally of cases galloped past 37 lakh on Wednesday with 78,357 new instances of the disease reported in a day, while the number of recoveries crossed 29 lakh pushing the recovery rate to 76.98 percent, the Union health ministry data showed.

The protocols will be decided in a day or two by the ministry of housing and urban affairs, government of India with the approval of the Home ministry," Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd MD, NVS Reddy said in a statement on Tuesday night.

"Managing Directors of all Indian metros held a video conference on Tuesday (September 1) to recommend protocols for necessary precautions and safety measures.

The Telangana government has permitted operation of metro rail services here in a 'graded manner' from 7 September. The announcement comes after the Centre allowed the metro services to resume operations across the country, as part of Unlock-4 guidelines.

The recovery rate of the state stands at 70.72 percent, he said.

A total of 2,152 people have been cured of the disease during August while, 2,609 people, including 989 security personnel, have been diagnosed with the disease in the state during August, the official said.

Arunachal Pradesh now has 1,226 active cases, as 2,979 people have recovered from the disease and seven have died of the infection.

Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 tally rose to 4,212 as 100 more people including 17 security personnel tested positive for coronavirus, a senior Health department official said on Wednesday.

The total number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 so far stood at 97,402 while 32,341 are under treatment. The recovery rate in Telangana was 74.5 percent.

Cumulatively, 14.83 lakh samples have been tested. The samples tested per million population was 39,952, the bulletin said. The case fatality rate in the state was 0.64 percent, while it was 1.76 percent at the national level.

Telangana continued to record an increase in coronavirus cases with 2,892 fresh infections and 10 more deaths, taking the tally in the state to 1.30 lakh.

Of the total, there are 80,770 recoveries and 28,443 active cases, said the health department.

Odisha registered 3,219 new COVID-19 infections, taking the total number of coronavirus cases to 1,09,780, said the state health department on Wednesday. The COVID-19 toll climbed to 514 after 11 more patients succumbed to the highly contagious disease.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state has reached 83,853, which includes 1,074 deaths.

At present, 68,265 people have recovered and 67,093 have been discharged.

Five deaths and 690 new coronavirus cases were reported in Rajasthan on Wednesday, said the State Health Department. The Health Department also informed that 141 people recovered from the infection.

In Thane, 1,175 new cases were reported on Tuesday, taking the total count to 1,25,352, a district official said. The district also reported 27 more deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 3,577, he said.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Thane crossed 1.25 lakh on Wednesday after 1,175 more people tested positive for the disease in the Maharashtra district, officials said. Besides, the COVID-19 tally in neighbouring Palghar district reached close to 25,000-mark, they said.

Abarry said the meeting "on post-COVID-19 global governance in relation to the maintenance of international peace and security" will address traditional security threats such as conflicts but also crime and pandemics as well as adjustments to the current international system.

Niger''s UN Ambassador Abdou Abarry, who took over the rotating council presidency on Tuesday, told a virtual press conference on Tuesday that the meeting of the UN''s most powerful body will take place online on 24 September.

The UN Security Council will hold a high-level summit during the annual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly later this month to discuss security threats in the world after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

Four more MLAs have tested positive for COVID-19 in Rajasthan which recorded five more fatalities due to the novel coronavirus on Wednesday. A Congress MLA and three BJP legislators had tested positive for the virus last week.

He was admitted to AIIMS' Trauma Centre, which is a dedicated COVID-19 facility, on Tuesday evening and is being attended to by a team of doctors led by Dr Neeraj Nischal, an associate professor in the department of medicine at the premier institute.

The condition of the BJP's Uttar Pradesh vice-president and Noida MLA Pankaj Singh, who is undergoing treatment at the AIIMS here after testing positive for COVID-19, is stable, sources said on Wednesday.

Indias Case Fatality Rate (CFR) stands at 1.76%, one of the lowest globally while global CFR stands at 3.3%, said the health ministry on Wednesday. "India is reporting 48 deaths/million population, also one of the lowest in the world while the global average is 110 deaths/million population", it adds.

District collector Dr Vipin Itankar has also contracted the deadly infection and is undergoing treatment at the civil hospital, the official said. As on Tuesday, the recovery rate in Nanded stood at 71 percent as 104 patients were discharged from hospitals, he said.

With 312 persons testing positive for coronavirus infection, the caseload in Maharashtra's Nanded district has reached 7,027, an official said on Wednesday.

On August 4, it dropped below the 10,000-mark for the first time since 30 May and stood at 9,897, owing to a good recovery rate and fewer new cases.

The number of active COVID-19 cases peaked to 28,329 on 27 June. It tapered off to 10,705 active cases by 31 July.

There were 10,596 active COVID-19 cases on 1 August. The number increased to 15,870 on Tuesday, an analysis of Delhi government's health bulletins showed.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi increased by around 50 percent in a month, with the city witnessing a marked uptick in new cases, according to government data.

AIIMS Delhi on Wednesday has said that it is temporarily suspending OPD services. "In view of need to optimise usage of available inpatient beds for hospitalisation of seriously ill emergency/ semi-emergency patients, it has been decided to temporarily stop routine OPD admissions," a statement read.

An octogenarian died of the novel coronavirus in Ladakh, taking the toll to 35 today, officials said. The number of cases of the pathogen rose to 2,733 with 52 more people testing positive for the infection, including 46 in Leh and six in Kargil, according to the officials.

Similarly, from the same date, passenger train services within Tamil Nadu shall be permitted, he said. Inter-state train services arealready operational in permitted routes.

"Considering public welfare, following the Standard Operating Procedure, from September 7, inter-district government and private bus transport will be allowed across Tamil Nadu," Palaniswami said in a statement.

While bus transport is allowed only within districts as of now, there were representations from the public to the government seeking facilitation of services to go from one district to another, he said.

Inter-district bus transport and passenger train services within Tamil Nadu would be permitted from September 7, Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced on Wednesday.

distancing of at least 6 feet as far as feasible, use of face covers/masks to be made mandatory, isolation wards in every

The health ministry has released SOPs on preventive measures to be followed during exams held during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among others, the SOPs include measures like maintaining a

The health ministry has released SOPs on preventive measures to be followed during exams held during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among others, the SOPs include measures like maintaining a distancing of at least 6 feet as far as feasible, use of face covers/masks to be made mandatory, isolation wards in every centre , neither staff nor examination centres at Containment zones shall be allowed .

According to the SOPs for Metro services, only asymptomatic people will be allowed.to avail the services and stations in containment zones will remain closed. Metro Rail corporations can take decisions to skip stations, reported The Hindu.

Metro services in Mumbai will remain suspended till October but from 7 Sept, but Delhi, Noida, Chennai, Kochi, Bangalore, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Maha Metro (Nagpur), Kolkata, Gujarat and UP Metro (Lucknow) have prepared their SOPs, reports quote Puri as saying.

Delhi Metro Yellow Line from Samaypur Badli to Huda City Centre to be operational from 7 September, said DMRC chief Mangu Singh. In the first stage, Delhi Metro services will operate in two shifts  7-11 am and 4-8 pm and normal operations will resume from 12 September, PTI quotes Singh as saying.

Andhra Pradesh reports 10,392 new coronavirus cases, and 72 deaths, taking the total cases to 4,55,531 including 3,48,330 recoveries and 4,125 deaths, said the health department. The number of active cases in the state stands at 1,03,076, it said.

However, the airlines were allowed to operate not more than 33 percent of their pre-COVID domestic flights. Modifying its previous order of June 26 where it had put the 45 percent limit on the number of domestic flights, the ministry issued an order on Wednesday stating that, "45 percent capacity may be read as 60 percent capacity."

Further easing the restrictions imposed to control the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, the government on Wednesday permitted Indian airlines to increase the number of domestic passenger flights to 60 percent of their pre-COVID services, according to an official order. On 26 June, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had allowed the airlines to operate a maximum of 45 percent of their pre-COVID domestic flights. The ministry had restarted domestic passenger services from 25 May, after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.

Madhya Pradesh recorded 1,424 new coronavirus cases, taking the total count of infections to 66,914, reports PTI. With 27 people succumbing to the infection since Tuesday evening, the count of fatalities rose to 1,453, officials said.

Maharashtra reports 17,433 new cases and 292 deaths, taking active cases to 2,01,703, recoveries to 5,98,496 and toll to 25,195: A total of 13,959 patients were cured today, and a total of 5,98,496 patients have recovered so far.

Karnataka reported its highest single-day spike of 9,860 new COVID-19 cases, taking its overall tally to 3,61,341. 113 more fatalities in the last 24 hours took the state's death toll to 5,950. There are 94,459 active cases in the state, said the state health department in its daily health bulletin. The state capital Bengaluru saw its biggest single-day spike as well with 3,420 new cases, taking its overall tally to 1,35,512, including 2,037 deaths and 93,563 discharges.

Uttarakhand records its highest single-day spike of 836 new coronavirus cases, taking infection tally to 21,234. Toll rises to 291 with 11 more fatalities while the number of active cases stands at 6,442, reports PTI quoting a health department bulletin

Noida-Greater Noida Metro will resume services from 7 September with curtailed timings, reports PTI. Only passengers with face masks, body temperature not more than 37.7 degrees Celsius will be allowed entry, said officials.

Twelve deaths and 1,511 fresh infections were reported in Rajasthan today. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 84,674 including 70,674 recovered, 12,919 active cases and 1,081 deaths, said the state Health Department

The Punjab Health Department on Wednesday reduced charges for a rapid antigen test for coronavirus by private labs to Rs 700. Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said the government has reduced the charges from Rs 1,000 to Rs 700, inclusive of the GST and other taxes. It has been left to the private labs to fix rates for the collection of samples from houses, he said in a statement. There are 45 ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) approved private labs conducting COVID tests in the state. The minister said the government has fixed a maximum of Rs 2,400 for a RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction) test.

Coronavirus LATEST Updates: Karnataka reported its highest single-day spike of 9,860 new COVID-19 cases, taking its overall tally to 3,61,341. 113 more fatalities in the last 24 hours took the state's death toll to 5,950. There are 94,459 active cases in the state, said the state health department in its daily health bulletin.

With Metro rails set to resume services from 7 September in a graded manner, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs announced SOPs for their operation. The Metro timings will be staggered to begin with and only a limited number of Metros will ply, he said.

Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal directed officers to augment the city''s testing capacity by taking a few steps, including ''testing on demand'', testing at the national capital''s border points and at major construction sites to check the spread of COVID-19.

India has been reporting one of the lowest COVID-19 fatality rates in the world with the figure further declining to 1.76 percent as on date against a global average of 3.3 percent, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

The announcement came amid complaints from the public about difficulties faced in travelling long distances within the state since only allowed intra-district bus operations were allowed from 1 September

The COVID-19 toll in India increased by 1,045 to 66,333. There are 8,01,282 active cases, and more than 29 lakh patients have recovered.

Five months after its services were suspended, Hyderabad Metro Rail will resume its operations from 7 September in the city.

As India entered Unlock 4.0 on Tuesday, the total coronavirus case count in India rose to 36,91,166 with 69,921 people testing positive in 24 hours. The toll due COVID-19 climbed to 65,288 with 819 new fatalities while the recovery rate increased to 76.94 percent with 65,081 persons recuperating in 24 hours, the health ministry data updated at 8 am showed.

Five states  Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh  accounted for over half of the fresh COVID-19 cases and close to 60 percent of the recoveries reported in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said.

Cumulatively, these five states reported 536 deaths in a day which is over 65 percent of the total fatalities registered in the country during the period.

In the 24 hours between 8 am on Monday and on Tuesday, Maharashtra reported 11,852 new coronavirus infections, Andhra Pradesh 10,004, Karnataka 6,495, Tamil Nadu 5,956, and Uttar Pradesh 4,782. Together, they account for 56 percent of the cases added in a day, the official statistics revealed.

These five states have also reported the maximum number of patients that were cured and discharged in 24 hours, cumulatively accounting for 58.04 percent of the total 65,081 people who have recovered during the 24-hour period across the country.

While Maharashtra reported 11,158 recoveries in a day, the corresponding figures for Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka stand at 8,772 and 7,238 respectively. Tamil Nadu registered 6,008 recoveries, while Uttar Pradesh reported 4,597.

While the recovery rate in the country neared 77 percent, the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.77 percent, said the health ministry. The number of recoveries is 3.61 times the active cases of the viral infection.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative 4,33,24,834 samples have been tested up to 31 August, with 10,16,920 of them being tested on Monday.

In Delhi, which reported its biggest single-day jump in nearly two months, the third round of the monthly sero-survey kicked off. Health minister Satyendra Jain said the all 272 wards and two Assembly areas in the state will be covered to arrive at a micro-level analysis of the situation.

Tripura, Chhattisgarh were among other states which reported a record rise in cases on Tuesday. While Tripura registered 509 fresh infections and 10 fatalities, 1,694 more tested positive in Haryana while 17 succumbed to the infection.

Karnataka allows bars to re-open, Uttar Pradesh revises weekend lockdown

As the country entered the fourth phase of the "unlocking" process, with more activities and services, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that markets would remain shut only in Sundays instead of on the weekends, while the Karnataka government said it has allowed bars, pubs to resume services with 50 percent capacity from Tuesday.

The Unlock process of the country had begun on 1 June with the graded reopening of commercial, social, religious and other activities. Unlock 4 came into effect from 1 September and will continue till 30 September.

The Karnataka government has allowed bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants in the state to serve liquor from Tuesday with 50 percent of their seating capacity.

There were restrictions on serving liquor since March, when the lockdown was first imposed , and until now only takeaways were allowed at these establishments.

The order by the Excise Commissioner said that such relaxations were already in place in states like Assam, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. It also cited the government's revenue as one of the reasons behind the decision.

Bars also opened in Goa, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

State-run buses were running again in Tamil Nadu capital Chennai, while places of worship, parks, shopping malls, hotels and clubs too reopened across the state.

In Uttar Pradesh, shops will remain closed only on Sundays, instead of the two-day weekend lockdown, said Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi. "The chief minister has instructed that there will be no weekly closure on Saturdays, and shops can remain open from 9 am to 9 pm. However, shops will remain closed on Sundays from midnight of Saturday to midnight of Sunday," he said.

The government had in July announced that shops and offices would remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays to stop the spread of the coronavirus infection.

However, under the recently released Unlock-4 guidelines, the MHA said that states should not impose lockdowns outside containment zones without taking the Centre into confidence.

In line with the directives, Madhya Pradesh revoked its decision on Sunday lockdowns but West Bengal decided to go ahead with a total shutdown on three days in September. Punjab too announced that existing restrictions like weekend curbs and night curfew will continue in all towns of the state.

States like Maharashtra and Nagaland allowed intra-state travel while many states, including West Bengal and Delhi said that Metro services will be allowed to resume. However, Delhi has decided to maintain status quo on all other restrictions and has not not issued fresh guidelines.

Railways to run more special trains

Meanwhile, to ease passenger movement in high-demand areas, the Railways said it will run more special trains in addition to the 230 plying currently, The consent for running these trains has been sought from state governments, said an official. The Railway ministry spokesperson, however, did not say how many trains will be added to the network.

Currently, all regular passenger services are suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.

Tripura, Chhattisgarh report record rise in daily cases

Several states including Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu recorded fresh infections and deaths.

Tripura registered its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases with 509 new cases, while a record 10 fresh fatalities pushed the northeastern state's coronavirus toll to 113, a health official told news agency PTI. The fresh infections have taken the state's COVID-19 caseload to 12,156, he said.

Chhattisgarh witnessed the biggest spike in COVID-19 cases in a single-day with 1,514 people testing positive on Tuesday, taking the tally to 33,017, while 10 more patients died, pushing up the fatalities to 287, a health department official told PTI.

The state has 15,163 active cases at present as 17,567 people have been discharged after recovery, he said.

The National Capital recorded its biggest spurt in daily cases in nearly two months, with 2,312 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total to over 1.77 lakh. The toll mounted to 4462 with 18 fatalities, said a bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.

Maharashtra's caseload surpassed eight lakh (8,08,306) with 15,765 more testing positive, while the toll reached 24,903 with 320 deaths.

As many as 10,368 new coronavirus cases and 84 deaths were reported in Andhra Pradesh, taking the state's tally to 4,45,139 and toll to 4,053.

Tamil Nadu reported 5,928 new COVID cases pushing the total to 4,33,969, while the toll stood at 7,418 with 96 more fatalities. Of the over 5,900 new infections, the state capital reported 1,084 and the remaining were scattered across Tamil Nadu. The state tally of 4.33 lakh plus positive cases till date includes Chennai's 1,36,697 infections.

80% of Chennai population still susceptible to infection, finds study

A sero-survey in Chennai found that over a fifth of the city's population had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and around 80 percent of the population was still susceptible to the infection, said the Greater Chennai Corporation.

The sample size was around 12,000, of which 2,673 individuals had evidence of past SARS-CoV-2, it informed. The field data / sample collection activities happened between 18 and 28 July and the testing of the samples were completed by 6 August, the GCC said in an official release adding that samples were collected from individuals above the age of 10.

"The reading (inference) is 21.5 percent of Chennai's population reached the immunity levels by July-end," GCC commissioner G Prakash told reporters. "Now, the (immunity) levels will be more and it would also mean a (comparatively) lower transmission rate," he said adding the scientific study would be useful to alter strategies to tackle COVID here.

Around 80 percent of the population is still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 in Chennai and "we need to understand the reasons for varying sero- prevalence across zones to improve our control measures," the civic body said. "There is huge variation in seroprevalence across zones ranging between 7.1 percent in Madhavaram and 44.2 percent in Tondiarpet," it said.

Sero-surveys involve testing of blood serum of people to check for the prevalence of antibodies which indicate past exposure to the virus.

Previous such surveys have found that 51 percent of the population in five areas of Pune had developed anti-bodies while in Mumbai, there was a 57 percent sero-prevalence in slums and 16 percent sero-prevalence in non-slum areas.

Delhi begins latest round of sero-survey

Delhi which has in the past conducted two rounds of such a survey, began the lastest round on Tuesday. The sample size this time will be 17,000 and the exercise will be carried out for seven days, said the state's health minister.

"The fresh round of sero-survey began today. This time we will be doing it ward-wise, so all 272 municipal wards of Delhi will be covered, plus two Assembly areas. Sampling will be done for a week. After that, results should come in 7-10 days," Jain said.

The previous surveys were done district-wise. But this time, it is being done ward-wise to analyse the COVID-19 situation in the city at a "micro-level", he said.

The last sero-prevalence survey was held between 1 and 7 August, which showed that 29.1 percent of the people surveyed had antibodies against the coronavirus infection.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: India and China on Tuesday held another round of military talks to ease escalating tension triggered by fresh confrontation between the two sides on the southern bank of the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh, government sources said.

The Brigade Commander-level talks began at 10 am in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh with a specific agenda to discuss the situation around the Pangong lake, they said, adding the meeting is underway.

Following the Chinese attempt, the Indian Army has significantly strengthened its presence on a number of "strategic heights" around the Pangong lake besides further bolstering its presence in the area.

On Monday, the Indian Army said the Chinese military carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.

The two sides held talks for around six hours on Monday as well but no concrete outcome emerged from the engagement, the sources said.

They said a sizeable number of Chinese troops attempted to occupy the area in a bid to open a new front as the two sides continue to hold talks to resolve the three-and-half-month-long border row.

The two sides were earlier engaged in a confrontation on the northern bank of Pangong lake but it was for the first time such an incident occurred on its southern bank, they said.

A battalion of the Special Frontier Force was also deployed in the area. It is learnt that Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane reviewed the overall situation in eastern Ladakh at a high-level meeting in the Army headquarters.

The sources said the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also been told to enhance its surveillance on increasing Chinese air activities along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

There have been reports that China has deployed J-20 long-range fighter jets and several other key assets in strategically located Hotan airbase which is around 310 kms from eastern Ladakh.

In the last three 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 Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC.

The fresh attempt by China to change the status quo in the Pangong lake area is the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

China also suffered casualties but is yet to make the details public. According to an American intelligence report it was 35.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.
Beijing, Sep 1 : Pete Lau, CEO and co-founder of the Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus, has joined OPPO as senior vice president and head of the product experience team.

With the new assignment, Lau will act as SVP and head of product experience at Ouija Holdings Ltd., internationally known as OPlus, which is a majority shareholder of both OPPO and OnePlus, reports GizmoChina citing a Chinese newspaper paper.cn.

OnePlus has officially confirmed that Lau will remain as the CEO of OnePlus in addition to his role as SVP at OPlus.

OPPO is wholly owned by Oujia holdings Ltd. (OPlus) and Oujia holdings own a majority 74 per cent stake in OnePlus as well as a majority stake in Realme too, according to the report.

All three smartphone brands are owned by the same OPlus holdings.

According to the report, with Lau as the SVP of the holding company, he will be tasked with the responsibility of "brand synergy between OPPO, OnePlus and Realme".

Lau joined OPPO in 1998 and was promoted to the head of marketing. In 2013, Lau left OPPO and founded OnePlus.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
As protests continue to erupt in the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and across the world in outrage against the horrific shooting of Jacob Bla Read more
A Pakistani court on Tuesday gave a "last chance" to former prime minister to surrender and appear before it on September 10 for hearing in a corruption case against him, according to media reports.

Sharif, 70, has been in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treating a heart disease and an immune system disorder. The three-time premier was sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case



A two-member special bench of the Islamabad High Court -- comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani -- on Tuesday heard the petitions against the sentences of Sharif, daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia Steel Mills cases, Dawn News reported.

We are not passing the final verdict as of yet. We are giving you [Nawaz] last chance to surrender before the next hearing. should appear before the court in any case, the bench said.

Sharif's lawyer, Khawaja Harris, said the former premier was not medically fit to return to Pakistan and a related petition was pending in the Lahore High Court.

Further hearing of the case was adjourned till September 10. Appeals of Maryam and Captain Safdar would be heard on September 23, the Express Tribune reported.

The has already declared Sharif an absconder and approached the UK government for his extradition.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar last week said Sharif's four-week bail on medical grounds had expired in December last year.

Akbar said the government would task the National Accountability Bureau to pursue Sharif's extradition



In a recent interview with ARY News, Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government "regretted" the decision to lift the ban on Sharif.

In May, a picture of Sharif having tea at a London cafe along with his family went viral on social media, sparking a debate on the seriousness of his health condition.

The government came under further criticism when last week Sharif's photos surfaced online, showing him strolling in a street, prompting calls from within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to bring him back.

(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.)
JOLIET, IL During the pandemic, Joliet businessman John Bays kept his contractors busy renovating his Tundra Lodge hotel conference center in Green Bay, Wis. and the Crowne Plaza Chicago-Northbrook. Now, the president of Bays Investment Corporation is turning his attention to downtown Joliet's Two Rialto Square Building next to the historic Rialto Square Theatre. Several tenants utilize the first four floors for offices, but until now, Bays has not disclosed his plans for the upper two floors.

Bays considered turning the fifth and sixth floors into a hotel. However, he's decided against that. Instead, Bays told Joliet Patch that he is now moving ahead with plans to convert the fifth and sixth floors of Two Rialto Square into high-end apartments.

Bays said he is putting 10 apartments on each of the upper floors. During an interview at Bays' other major downtown redevelopment project, the Premier Building, Joliet Patch asked Bays when he expects the 20 new apartments will be ready for occupancy.

"Ninety days is what comes to mind because we're going to be focused," Bays assured Joliet Patch. "We're doing 20 upscale apartments, and I want to make it really nice, so we get really good people."

(Joliet Patch article continues below this photo.)

John Bays, president of Bays Investments, image via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor





Bays said that finishing the apartment units this fall is one of his top priorities for Bays Investments. He said there will be 16 one-bedroom apartments, two two-bedroom apartments and two studio apartments at his Two Rialto Square property, 116 N. Chicago St.

For the past year, Bays has kept his workers busy renovating a major portion of the first floor into what will be a large dine-in restaurant and bar area. However, because of the pandemic, Bays said he was not in a huge hurry to get the restaurant ready to open.

"I want to get the apartments in first," Bays told Joliet Patch."And I want to make the lobby area really nice."

Story continues

About a block down the street, another downtown Joliet real estate investor, Mike Petry, converted the historic Barber Building into 35 loft apartment units geared for working professionals. Petry had so much demand for his apartment units that he recently got the city of Joliet's backing to add another four more apartment units within the Barber Building at 68 N. Chicago St.



Similar to Petry's project, Bays said he will be marketing his Two Rialto Square Building apartment units toward Joliet's working professionals such as lawyers, city and Will County government employees, medical field workers and educators.

"These are going to be upscale apartments for Joliet's business class," Bays remarked. "The goal is to bring in the pride of Joliet. These are going to be really nice."

Bays envisions that some of his 20 apartment units would be rented out before the end of 2020. Once he gets his apartment renovations done, Bays said he might be ready to select the restaurant entity that will occupy the main level of his building. The restaurant is adjacent to the crown jewel of Joliet: the Rialto Square Theater. The Rialto has been off-limits to shows since March because of the pandemic, but it's being used daily as Will County's traffic court.

Bays told Patch he remains in talks with multiple entities about opening the restaurant.

"It's been a lower priority for us," Bays said. Getting it done "wasn't a big deal for me to finish because of COVID-19. I have a tenant for it. I definitely have a tenant for it."

During last week's interview, Bays told Patch he plans to move his company headquarters for Bays Investments to downtown Joliet because he has so many projects in the heart of the city.

Bays Investments is at Twin Oaks Place on West Jefferson Street. Bays told Patch that he will move his company to either the Premier Building, which he bought in July 2019, or the Two Rialto Square Building that he acquired in December 2018.

Related Joliet Patch story: John Bays: Premier Building Adding Tenants, Looks Fantastic

John Bays bought the Two Rialto Square Building on North Chicago Street in December 2018. Image via John Ferak/Joliet Patch

This article originally appeared on the Joliet Patch
Unforgetting is a story of two countries, inextricably bound, and Lovato is uniquely positioned to tell it. As a U.S.-born son of immigrants, he grew up knowing the culture of gang life in the streets of San Francisco, spent his holidays visiting family in El Salvador, was briefly a born-again Christian, worked for nongovernmental organizations in both countries, joined the opposition as an urban commando late in the civil war and later witnessed, as a journalist working for The Boston Globe, the exhumation of mass graves. In one of his memoirs most chilling chapters, he takes us into a forensics lab in San Salvador where all the countrys documented and undocumented dead come to be analyzed and counted before being returned to their loved ones  or buried in anonymous graves. We meet Saul Quijada, a forensic anthropologist skilled in making the bones speak  from rural and urban areas where killings in El Salvador force migration, he says, to the deaths that take place during the migration through Mexico to the United States. He shows Lovato one of the older skeletons from the massacre at El Mozote, early in the war: Were rebuilding the cranium piece by piece because it was in pieces, chopped up with a machete. The pieces were like a jigsaw puzzle.

The jigsaw puzzle is one of the governing tropes of Lovatos episodic narrative; his task is to piece together not only his fragmented identity, but the mosaic of testimony from the host of characters he assembles, all the while standing in the rubble of wars aftermath. His grandmother tells him: Were all pieces of broken glass, stained with blood and struggling to put ourselves back together. Lovatos quest is to do the personal forensic work of recovering the fragments of my childhood and adolescent memories, especially the ones that are often more painful to conjure. These have largely to do with his violent, charismatic father, whose smuggling business, alcoholism, womanizing and secrecy bequeathed to the author a measure of nihilistic rage that animates his search to uncover his fathers secret regarding the massacre in 1932. The revelation of this secret guides Lovato in contemplating deeper questions about the personal and political silences that perpetuate violence; about prolonged mourning and the enduring effects of intergenerational trauma; about the collective inability to look down into the abyss of our history; and about what turns salvageable kids  into stone-cold killers.

In a particularly timely passage, he ties the militarization of policing in the United States to counterinsurgency tactics deployed, thanks to U.S. aid and training, by El Salvador during the civil war. The American military strategists who advised the Salvadoran government during that war later recommended using the same tactics in the war on gangs in Los Angeles, with cops wearing puffed-up, RoboCop gear now worn by police everywhere. Today, Lovato writes, while the media popularizes the terrors of gang war, it ignores the fact that counterinsurgency policing is a multibillion-dollar industry for the arms dealers and military contractors that provide the tanks, semiautomatic weapons, and other equipment now supplied to local police forces throughout the United States.

It is a complex puzzle indeed, and Lovato is among the first Salvadoran-American writers to assemble it, shuttling back and forth in time, between countries and languages, to retrieve the pieces for a kaleidoscopic montage that is at once a family saga, a coming-of-age story and a meditation on the vicissitudes of history, community and, most of all for him, identity.
CONAKRY, Guinea: Guinean President Alpha Condes party announced on state television late Monday that he will seek another term in office, becoming the second West African leader this month to say term limits dont apply when there is a new constitution in place.

The announcement sets the stage for violent election seasons in both Guinea and Ivory Coast, where presidential elections are set for Oct. 18 and Oct. 31 respectively. Already tens of thousands have taken to the streets in Guinea to oppose another term for Conde.

His proposal has been particularly unpopular given Guineas half-century of strongman rule that only ended with Condes election in 2010. The president insists he is following the will of the people by running this October as a public referendum had approved changes back in March.

The ruling RPG party released a statement read on state television saying they had asked Conde to run for a third term.

We have the immense privilege and pleasure to inform the Guinean people that he has accepted our request, the statement read.

Conde became Guineas first democratically elected president since the countrys independence from France in 1960. Many Guineans celebrated his election as it ended several of turmoil that had followed the death of longtime dictator Lansana Conte, who had exploited the countrys riches for nearly a quarter century.

Earlier this month, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara made a similar announcement, saying his first two terms did not count toward term limits since the country had adopted a new constitution.

His decision to run again in the Oct. 31 vote has sparked fears of electoral unrest given Ivory Coasts past: More than 3,000 people were killed in the aftermath of the 2010 vote.

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
BRUNSWICK, Ohio -- Reportedly citing a downturn in the market and the effects of COVID-19, A Raymond Tinnerman Industrial Inc. announced last week that it will close its Brunswick manufacturing facility at 1060 W. 130th St.

While the move will result in the loss of 54 jobs over the next six months, Brunswick Director of Economic and Community Development Grant Aungst said some divisions of the company are expected to stay.

A number of corporate jobs, about 23, will remain, Aungst said last week.

A Raymond Tinnerman manufactures fasteners and assembly products used in consumer goods, industrial machinery, furniture and plumbing fixtures.

In 2009, in the midst of a troubled national automotive industry, Brunswick-based Tinnerman Palnut Engineered Products, which was founded in 1870, was purchased by the French Company A Raymond. The move merged A Raymonds primarily plastic fastener operations with the primarily steel and metal fastener manufacturing at Tinnerman Palnut.

At the time, the company employed 482 people at factories in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Ontario, Canada.

Aungst said much of the decision to end manufacturing operations in Brunswick had to do with broader issues within the industry.

In todays day and age, (companies must be) as efficient as possible, Aungst said, noting that A Raymond employs roughly 7,000 people worldwide.

The business has been realigned to its other facilities. What they did here was quite advanced, but being a large supplier, they had to rework their scope, he said.

Representatives from A Raymond did not return calls for comment by deadline.

Read more news from the Brunswick Sun.
Appointment

1 September 2020

The Penn State School of Hospitality Management has named Gerry Fernandez, president and founder of the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance, as the 2020-21 Walter J. Conti Visiting Professor.

The Conti Professorship Program was established in 1987 by alumni and friends of the Penn State School of Hospitality Management to honor alumnus Walter J. Conti for his contributions to the school, Penn State, and the hospitality profession. Industry leaders have served as Conti Visiting Professors each year since 1988.

As a Conti Visiting Professor, Fernandez will teach and advise students and faculty members in their fields of study or areas of expertise throughout the academic year. He will lecture, collaborate, and advising students and faculty members during both visits to campus and virtual seminars.

With over 40 years of industry experience, Fernandez founded and serves as president of the Multicultural Foodservice and Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), an educational non-profit organization that connects and advocates for the business benefits of diversity and inclusion in the restaurant, foodservice, and lodging industry. The organization is the first that works to bring about a national discussion on diversity management in hospitality.

Fernandez has held leadership positions at a number of recognized hospitality companies, including The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Hemenway's Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar, the Capital Grill. He also worked as a national account manager at General Mills, where he first started his work in diversity and inclusion. After attending the 1995 Women's Service Forum, Fernandez recognized the need to promote opportunities for people of color in the industry, as the conference was doing for women.

He has been featured on the Nation Restaurant News' "Power List" 2014 and "50 Power Players" 2000, which features the 50 most powerful people shaping the restaurant industry each year. He is also an honorary Board member of the Rhode Island Community Foodbank and has served as a trustee at Johnson & Wales University. He has received the Rainbow/P.U.S.H Coalition's Reginald Lewis Trailblazer Award, the Black Culinary Alliance Heritage Award, and the Herman G. Rusch Humanitarian Award from the American Culinary Federation.

Fernandez holds a bachelor's degree in foodservice management from Johnson & Wales University, where he also earned a culinary arts degree, and an honorary doctorate in business administration.

Walter J. Conti, a Penn State trustee emeritus, died in 2016 at the age of 87. He served on the Penn State Board of Trustees from 1974 to 1992. After graduating with his bachelor's degree in home economics from Penn State in 1952, he went on to becoming a well-known restaurateur and industry leader.
A Report of the Security Council for 2019 has been presented to the United Nations General Assembly. The report, in particular, contains information on the situation in Ukraine.

According to the report, the Assistant Secretary General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs, Miroslav Jenca, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Ursula Mueller, the Chief Monitor of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission, Ertugrul Apakan, and the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office of OSCE, Martin Sajdik, briefed the Council on the situation in Ukraine.

The Minsk Agreements, despite being largely underimplemented, remained the only agreed framework for a negotiated peace in eastern Ukraine, they told the Council.

The members of the Council reaffirmed their unanimous support for the Package of Measures, encouraged implementation of the obligations contained therein, including respect for a lasting ceasefire.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it is impossible to end the war in Donbas without a direct dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Ukraine has an alternative plan if the Minsk agreements do not bring results.

ish
GENEVA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) --World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevedo stepped down on Monday, pledging to continue to advocate for the multilateral trading system in all of his future roles.

"It has been an immense honor to serve as WTO Director General," Azevedo said on Twitter. "My message as I end my tenure today: the multilateral trading system is -- as its architects intended -- a fundamental pillar of global peace and prosperity."

Azevedo has been WTO chief since 2013 and has served his second term since 2017. In May, the Brazilian career diplomat surprisingly announced his intention to step down on Aug. 31, cutting his second term short by exactly one year.

He stressed that the WTO reform process must continue for the system to stay responsive to the needs of the global community. "International cooperation is not easy, but it is necessary to meet the needs of an interconnected world. Without cooperation, all countries will be worse off."

The WTO started the selection process for the new director general on June 8. Eight candidates have already been nominated by their countries to succeed Azevedo.
A Florida man who referred to himself as the antifa hunter has been sentenced to three years in prison for carrying out a campaign to harass a black political candidate and an anti-racist activist.

Daniel McMahon of Brandon, Florida, plead guilty in April to one count of bias-motivated intimidation and one count of cyberstalking, after he threatened African American activist, Don Gathers, through a social media campaign that deterred him from running for office in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The 32-year-old also admitted to threatening to sexually assault the autistic daughter of an activist from North Carolina who had protested against White nationalists in the area, according to the Associated Press.

McMahon was sentenced in federal court in Virginia, where Mr Gathers had announced he was running for office, according to NBC News.

He was sentenced to three years and five months in prison by a federal judge, and declined to give a public statement.

Recommended Antifa website redirected to Biden site causes conspiracy meltdown

Under the pseudonym, Jack Corbin, the 32-year-old posted social media messages that were intended to deter Mr Gathers from running for a seat on Charlottesvilles city council.

In court documents filed earlier this year, prosecutors wrote that McMahon began threatening the candidate after he had protested the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, in 2017.

The prosecutors said that they found pictures of James Fields, who was convicted of murdering Heather Heyer at the white supremacist rally in 2018, on McMahons computer.

In January 2019, as Mr Gathers was preparing to announce his candidacy for the city council, McMahon called the candidate a terrorist and the n-word, as part of a targeted social media campaign.

He wrote, under the pseudonym, that he was worried that Mr Gathers would pull a Bill Cosby on multiple white women, and called him the the most dangerous violent antifa in the USA, according to NBC.

McMahon referred to himself as the antifa hunter during the harassment, in reference to the anti-facist group Antifa, who confront white supremacists and neo-nazis at demonstrations and rallies.

The 32-year-old then issued Mr Gathers with a formal warning, and told the candidate that he had to pull out of the race, or a diversity of tactics would be used to end his political career.

When Mr Gathers withdrew from the race for the city council two days later, McMahon posted: Hail Victory, according to the court documents.

Following McMahons arrest in 2019, an anti-racist activist who has not been named, told the authorities that he threatened her and her autistic daughter in an attempt to get information about other protesters.

According to the court documents, the 32-year-old asked the activist if her daughter was a minor and then said he would be very gentle with her.

The activist replied: What kind of a monster says those things? and McMahon told her: Maybe you should have put your daughter before your antifa terrorism?

According to a court filing, the woman told the prosecutors: Only a deeply disturbed individual would do this, a monster, and added: I will never feel completely safe about my child again.

McMahons father, Paul McMahon, told the court last year that one of his sons friends has been attacked in Charlottesville, and added that he was doing a deep dive to try and find the people that were trying to obscure their identifies from law enforcement.

On Monday, Mr Gathers said he prays he may forgive McMahon one day, but said: today is not that day.

He added: I despise all that you and others like you represent.
Public schools in Alabamas Black Belt have been hemorrhaging students over the past two decades, an issue that goes far beyond education.

The second installment of Black Belt 2020, a series of issue briefs from the University of Alabamas Education Policy Center and AL.com, tackles the issue, and looks at some of its core causes.

Enrollment decline in the Black Belt is symptomatic of deeper challenges facing rural America, the brief reads. The loss of residents is hurting rural economies and prompting them to seek opportunity elsewhere. In the long-term, schoolsand the students who stayare left hanging.

Public school enrollment in the 24 counties that make up the Black Belt region, as studied by the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama, is down by nearly 24 percent, from nearly 140,000 students in the 1995-1996 school year to just under 107,000 in 2019-2020. School enrollment in the remaining 43 counties in Alabama actually increased by about four percent over that span.

[Cant see the chart? Click here.]

Declining school enrollment has negative effects on the surrounding community, the brief, written by Stephen Katsinas, Noel Keeney Emily Jacobs and Hunter Whann, says. The result is many school closures and the loss of community identity that goes with it in many small Black Belt towns.

The issue of declining school enrollment in the region is multi-faceted, but starts with the issue examined in the first brief in the Black Belt 2020 series: Population decline.

The migration shift of residents from Alabamas rural Black Belt areas to more suburban areas where resources and supports such as hospitals, larger and new schools, tranquil parks, community recreation, plentiful job opportunities, and other quality of life factors exist is a real threat to the continued sustainability of rural Alabama, said Jacqueline Brooks, Superintendent of Macon County Schools, said in the brief.

Brooks, a native of Macon County who graduated from the very school system she now heads, spoke to Alabama media members Monday, saying the issues underlying the Black Belts declining school enrollment go far beyond the schools themselves.

Starting with the onset of the 21st century, somewhere around 2000, really peaking around 2010, we saw a huge migration of our students from our rural school districts into city and suburban school districts, Brooks said. We decided to give surveys to find out why this was happening.

One of the main takeaways from those surveys, Brooks said, was that the education provided by the local schools was not among the top reasons people were leaving.

Healthcare, job opportunities and even high utility rates were all among the reasons parents listed as to why they left Macon County - and those trends are similar throughout the Black Belt.

There is no hospital in Macon County, Brooks said, or even something as simple as a Walmart. Both of those things feed into the countys declining school enrollment and dropping population - its the second-fastest shrinking county in the fast-shrinking Black Belt.

And those issues arent singular to Macon. Of the 10 Alabama counties without a hospital, six are in the Black Belt.

And there are places in west Alabama that are even worse off than Macon, according to State Superintendent Eric Mackey - places where people have to drive across two county lines to get to a hospital, or where parents have to drive an hour or more one way to get to their job.

The lack of economic opportunity in the area means parents are often forced to work outside of the county, and often eventually move, Mackey said.

Its a chicken and egg problem, Mackey said Monday. Weve got to create economic opportunities in these rural counties so that people will move back home and have good jobs, but weve got to get the people back so that we can attract these businesses. The businesses dont want to come until the people are there, and the people dont want to come until the jobs are there.

These economic concerns play directly into school enrollment, and the health of a school system. Most of these rural school systems are heavily funded by sales tax. If theres no Walmart in a county, for instance, that means people might drive to the next county over to spend their money, and the county schools wont get any of the tax revenue. Its a problem made worse by the coronavirus pandemic, Mackey said.

The lack of students and lack of funding mean schools are forced to offer more narrow curricula, which in turn leads to more people leaving.

Brooks has seen the toll such declines in enrollment can take on school systems first hand. She came back to her hometown of Tuskegee in the late 1990s after a stint as an educator in Florida. She came back as a middle school principal to a school with around 850 students.

Now that particular school has around 300 students in it, she said. Thats 500 students. Thats a huge loss.

According to data from the Education Policy Center, the Macon County school district as a whole shrank from nearly 4,300 in 1995-1996 to just over 1,800 in 2019-2020. A decline that significant has a price.

You can see changing enrollment in any of Alabamas school systems in the table below.

We once had, in our comprehensive high school, two Spanish teachers and one French teacher, Brooks said. We are now only able to offer foreign language through Access. Access is a form of virtual learning used by Alabama schools. Brooks said she was happy to have such a tool at their disposal and called it a needed and wonderful resource.

Of course we would love to be able to offer in-person teaching, but our average daily membership doesnt allow us to offer the units to be able to do so, she said. The number of units a school is able to offer is directly related to its enrollment. For these shrinking schools, the type of classes they can offer - and the teachers for those classes - is becoming more and more limited.

Recruiting teachers has been a challenge for many of these school systems, but retaining them has been even more challenging, Mackey said.

Mackey pointed to Brooks as a success story. She was raised in the Black Belt, went to a very small school in Macon County, he said. She could have had a very successful and lucrative career in Florida and never moved back to Alabama, but what brought her back home was that call of home. She wanted to give back to that community that had given so much to her.

He said that motivation of people wanting to come back to their home counties has often been the winning formula for getting teachers to come to and stay in Black Belt counties. Recruitment and the attrition of teachers remain a constant struggle.

Some policy decisions have helped - student loan forgiveness for certain teachers in some Black Belt counties for instance, has been successful in getting teachers in the door. But they usually leave between three and five years after arriving. Mackey also mentioned bonuses to keep teachers for longer, but said theres a big difference between a one-time signing bonus and a true salary increase.

The quality of life is more than just the school district. Its city government, its grassroots effort, its a recipe of many things that equal the type of lifestyle and quality of life that residents are looking for today.

One potential policy step Mackey said could help Black Belt schools is looking at the states Supplemental Use Tax - Alabamas online sales tax program. Under the current law, none of that money is required to go to schools - though counties can choose to allocate a percentage to schools. As more sales move online, this is one way of securing funding for rural schools.

He also mentioned economic incentives to bring more jobs to the Black Belt region.

The Education Policy Centers data does not cover private schools, which present another issue for Black Belt school districts.

Black Belt 2020 is an ongoing series by AL.com and the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama examining demographic, economic, and education issues, challenges, concerns, and options facing the Black Belt in Alabama.
tech2 News Staff

Samsung will host Galaxy Z Fold 2: Unpacked Part 2 event on today. At this event, the company will launch another foldable smartphone: Galaxy Z Fold 2.

To recall, the company hosted the Galaxy Unpacked event part 1 on 5 August where it launched Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Tab S7 series.

Galaxy Z Fold 2: Unpacked Part 2: How to watch it live

Today's event will kick off at 7.30 pm IST. You can watch the livestream by tapping on the link embedded below.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 expected price

Samsung has already opened pre-orders for the foldable smartphone on its UK website. According to The Verge, the retail website also leaked the pricing of the handset (the prices are now taken down). The report reveals that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will come in two colour variants-- Mystic Bronze and Mystic Black. In terms of storage, the website reveals that it will come in a 256 GB storage variant only which is likely to be priced at 1,799 (approx Rs 1,75,900). A tipster Max Weinbach suggests that the foldable phone might start shipping on 17 September.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 will cost 1,799.00 in the UK. Samsung's pre-order page is already live. Confirms September 17th shipping date and September 18th release. https://t.co/HpkErtigWJ  Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) August 27, 2020

Galaxy Z Fold 2 expected specification

As per a previous report, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 will have two AMOLED displays. On the exterior, there will be a 6.23-inch punch-hole screen. The device also has a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED primary foldable display with a 120 Hz refresh rate.

Samsung had previously confirmed that the upcoming device will be available with ultra-thin-glass for improved durability and a punch-hole for a cleaner design.

The triple rear camera setup might comprise 12 MP + 64 MP + 12 MP sensors, while the inner selfie camera is said to be 10 MP. It might draw power from a 4,356 mAh battery that will support 15W wireless charging.
Equityholders are encouraged to vote well in advance of the voting deadline of September 10, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. ( Vancouver time)

Equityholders who have questions or need help voting or changing votes that were previously cast can contact Laurel Hill Advisory Group at 1-877-452-7184 ( North America ), at +1-416-304-0211 (outside North America ), or by email at [email protected]

NEW YORK and TORONTO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc. ("iAnthus" or the "Company") (CSE: IAN) (OTCQX: ITHUF), which owns, operates, and partners with regulated cannabis operations across the United States, is pleased to announce that Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. ("ISS") and Glass Lewis & Co. ("Glass Lewis"), have each recommended that iAnthus shareholders vote FOR the special resolution (the "Arrangement Resolution"), to approve an arrangement (the "Arrangement") pursuant to Section 288 of the British Columbia Business Corporations Act to effect the Company's previously announced recapitalization transaction (the "Recapitalization Transaction").

ISS and Glass Lewis are two leading independent proxy advisory firms who make voting recommendations to their subscribers, including pension funds and large institutional investors.

In reaching its independent recommendation that shareholders vote FOR the Arrangement Resolution, ISS noted, among other things, that:

"Approval of this resolution will allow existing shareholders to retain some value by allowing them to retain their shares even after the company defaulted on some of its obligations. The Recapitalization Transaction will reduce the company's total consolidated debt by approximately US$54.7 million, and its annual cash interest expense will be eliminated. Given the company's extensive strategic review process, lack of alternatives, and weak financial position, the resolution is supported."

Separately, in reaching its recommendation, Glass Lewis noted, among other things, that:

"we believe that the benefits of undertaking the Recapitalization Transaction by way of an arrangement  where common shareholders can at least retain a portion of the equity in a better-capitalized firm  represents a superior outcome for common shareholders compared to the likely alternative of having to implement the transaction through CCAA Proceedings, which would result in no recovery of value for shareholders."

VOTE FOR THE ARRANGEMENT RESOLUTION TO APPROVE THE RECAPITALIZATION TRANSACTION

If the Recapitalization Transaction is not approved by Equityholders (as defined below), the Recapitalization Transaction will be effected by way of proceedings under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (Canada). In such case, and based on current circumstances, there will be no recovery to you as a shareholder. This could cause you to lose the only opportunity you have to maintain any equity in iAnthus in connection with the Recapitalization Transaction.

To ensure an informed decision is made, Equityholders are encouraged to read the Management Information Circular of the Company dated August 14, 2020 which can be found on the Company's website at: www.ianthus.com/2020-special-meetings and under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

iAnthus Meeting

The special meeting of the holders of the common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares"), options to purchase Common Shares, and warrants to purchase Common Shares (collectively, the "Equityholders"), will be held on Monday, the 14th day of September, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. (Vancouver time).

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT - PLEASE VOTE TODAY

The proxy voting deadline is 11:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) on Thursday, September 10, 2020.

The Board of Directors of iAnthus UNANIMOUSLY recommends that Equityholders vote

IN FAVOUR of the Arrangement Resolution.

Shareholder Information and Questions

iAnthus' securityholders who have questions or require voting assistance may contact iAnthus' Proxy Solicitation Agent:

Laurel Hill Advisory Group

North America Toll Free: 1-877-452-7184

Outside North America: 1-416-304-0211

Email: [email protected]

About iAnthus

iAnthus owns and operates licensed cannabis cultivation, processing and dispensary facilities throughout the United States, providing investors diversified exposure to the U.S. regulated cannabis industry. Founded by entrepreneurs with decades of experience in operations, investment banking, corporate finance, law and healthcare services, iAnthus provides a unique combination of capital and hands-on operating and management expertise. iAnthus currently has a presence in 11 states and operates 36 dispensaries (AZ-4, MA-1, MD-3, FL-16, NY-3, CO-1, VT-1 and NM-7 where iAnthus has minority ownership). For more information, visit www.iAnthus.com.

COVID-19 Risk Factor

The Company may be impacted by business interruptions resulting from pandemics and public health emergencies, including those related to COVID-19. An outbreak of infectious disease, a pandemic, or a similar public health threat, such as the recent outbreak of COVID-19, or a fear of any of the foregoing could adversely impact the Company by causing operating, manufacturing, supply chain, and project development delays and disruptions, labor shortages, travel, and shipping disruption and shutdowns (including as a result of government regulation and prevention measures). It is unknown whether and how the Company may be affected if such a pandemic persists for an extended period of time, including as a result of the waiver of regulatory requirements or the implementation of emergency regulations to which the Company is subject. Although the Company has been deemed essential and/or has been permitted to continue operating its facilities in the states in which it cultivates, processes, manufactures, and sells cannabis during the pendency of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no assurance that the Company's operations will continue to be deemed essential and/or will continue to be permitted to operate. The Company may incur expenses or delays relating to such events outside of its control, which could have a material adverse impact on its business, operating results, financial condition, and the trading price of the Common Shares.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this news release that are forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including concerning COVID-19 and the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in iAnthus' periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this news release, words such as "will", "hope", "could", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "potential", "believe", "should", "our vision" and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements relating to the Recapitalization Transaction.

Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release. iAnthus disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law, and iAnthus does not assume any liability for disclosure relating to any other company mentioned herein.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

The securities to be issued pursuant to the Restructuring Transaction have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, or an exemption from such registration is available. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. "United States" and "U.S. person" are as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act.

SOURCE iAnthus Capital Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.ianthuscapital.com/


Wearing face coverings and social distancing in public is not always taken seriously in Accra, Ghana.

analysis

Denialism is impeding the ability of African governments to curb the spread of COVID-19. State corruption and poor communication across Africa make buying into conspiracy theories tempting, especially for young people.

At the Kariobangi market in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, people go about their daily business. Some are wearing masks while an almost equal amount of people are walking without them. Porters carry heavy goods for trade, sweating profusely in the heat as they push their way through the crowd. They don't seem to observe Kenya's social distancing measures. One of the porters is 34-year-old primary school dropout Paul Amani.

"I don't believe the coronavirus disease exists. Look at the people around here: No one is wearing a mask. I don't think that disease has reached Kenya," he says.

Meanwhile, 29-year-old university student Lucia Mueni also believes the pandemic is "a lie." She is in her final year of a project management and human resources course, and believes her education has been put in jeopardy by a disease that does not exist.

"COVID-19 was invented as a fake disease by China and America to ruin our economy because they saw how close we are getting to them. Open schools, open businesses and go the Tanzanian way," she tells DW.

Tanzania's president John Magufuli declared the country coronavirus free in June. Tanzania has stopped publishing data on coronavirus cases.

Others see the pandemic as a way for corrupt officials to capitalize on aid handouts. Sixty-nine-year-old Mukami Kavilu only wears a mask on her chin so she does not get in trouble with security officials.

"If it was there, all the foreigners coming into the country would be stopped. It is all lies, they are just searching for a reason to embezzle millions of COVID-19 funds," she says.

Distrust in the government's motives and poor health communication have also fueled conspiracy theories across the continent in Ghana.

Haizel Bartels is a young professional in the tech industry. He is angry at the level of attention COVID-19 has received.

"You wake up in the morning and every news bulletin we have talks about corona and how many people are infected and blah blah blah. And people are dying out of fear. We have swine flu, bird flu, et cetera. We are not asked to stay at home and not go to work or school," he told DW.

Full community compliance needed

But this fearless attitude has created an uncomfortable climate for those who do feel threatened by COVID-19. Margaret Sonne, a resident of Osu near Accra was forced to leave a family party because relatives and friends refused to follow health guidelines.

"Almost 90% were there without a nose mask. A friend came by and was like 'there is no virus, there is no virus.' And it looks like a lot of people are taking the thing for granted. And that makes it very dangerous," she said.

Believing conspiracy theories is tempting for many. Additionally, government inaction and corruption has made health efforts harder.

Doctor Gitahi, global chief executive officer at AMREF Health Africa, says African governments should use the law to enforce restrictions to stop the spread. He partly blames rising COVID-19 numbers on deniers of the pandemic.

"For COVID-19, the most effective measures are nonmedical interventions, public health interventions rely on community participation," he explained. "The more compliance you have the better. But you will never achieve 100% compliance even when it's about a vaccination."

Faults in official messaging fuel COVID-19

Health analyst Daniel Lartey says messaging and communication from the Ghanaian authorities has been a key stumbling block.

"Ghanaians are special people who revere traditions, customs and it's something we have grown with. We've not had much success in breaking down the message to actually break the belief and superstition barrier," he told DW.

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But to understand why many people have lost their fear of COVID-19 -- especially young people -- one has to analyze what triggers their mind, according to Florian Kutzner, an assistant professor of social psychology at the University of Heidelberg. And transparency comes up again.

"If you want cooperation and altruistic behavior, you need trust as a policymaker and trust originates in one thing: from being perceived as benevolent. That means I understand what you need, what your needs are."

The problem, Kutzner says, is that young people often feel excluded by decisions made by older policymakers.

"The needs of youngsters, I think, are particularly underrepresented in the public discourse that ranges from a decline of COVID-19-caused restriction of sexual activity, a decline in supporting organized sporting events, the inability to celebrate, travel."

Andrew Wasike (in Kenya), Isaac Kaledzi (in Ghana), and Isaac Mugabi (in Bonn) contributed to this article.
Turkey has again extended its energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean through its ship the Oruc Reis, this time by 11 days, until September 12.



Turkey Monday night issued a Navtex (navigational alert) announcing an extension of the Oruc Reis's research activities accompanied by the Cengiz Han and Ataman vessels.



Earlier, Turkey had announced the ship's mission would continue through Sept. 1.



Navtex is a maritime communications system that allows ships to inform other vessels about their presence in an area, as well as other information.



Earlier this month Turkey resumed energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean after Greece and Egypt signed a controversial maritime delimitation deal, spurning Turkey's goodwill gesture in halting its search.



Declaring the Greek-Egyptian deal "null and void," Turkey authorized the Oruc Reis to continue its activities in an area within Turkey's continental shelf.



Turkey has consistently opposed Greece's efforts to declare an exclusive economic zone based on small islands near Turkish shores, violating the interests of Turkey, the country with the longest coastline in the Mediterranean.



Ankara has also said energy resources near Cyprus must be shared fairly between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the only solution to the dispute lies through dialogue and negotiation to reach win-win sharing, and has urged Athens to respect Turkey's rights.
US President and his Democratic rival have been accusing one another over violence that has erupted at protests in Portland, Oregon.

A man linked to a right-wing group was killed on Saturday, as elsewhere in the city a pro-Trump rally clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters.

Trump called participants of the rally "great patriots" and blamed the city's Democratic mayor for the unrest. Biden in turn accused Trump of "rooting for chaos and violence", the BBC reported.

In a campaign speech in the city of Pittsburgh on Monday, the Democratic candidate said: "Fires are burning and we have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames. But we must not burn. We have to build."

Portland has become a flashpoint for demonstrations against police brutality and racism since the police killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25 triggered a wave of national and outrage.

Media reports say a man who calls himself an anti-fascist is being investigated over Saturday's deadly shooting, while the founder of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer identified the victim as a supporter.

Trump on Sunday re-tweeted what appeared to be the dead man's name along with the message "Rest in Peace".

Police have not publicly named the suspect or the victim, or specified whether the shooting was directly linked to the clashes.

The President is set to visit the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday amid anger there over the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake.

Trump has blamed Portland's Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler for the unrest.

"Portland will never recover with a fool for a mayor," he wrote on Twitter on Sunday as he suggested sending federal forces to the city.

He also accused Biden of being "unwilling to lead".

Trump continued on Monday, describing Portland as "a mess" and repeating calls for "LAW & ORDER".

"If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them," he wrote.

In another tweet he said "Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their 'Movement'."

"It wasn't supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and don't listen anymore - even forced Slow Joe out of basement," he added in reference to his Democratic rival.

On Sunday, Biden said the president "may believe tweeting about law and order makes him strong - but his failure to call on his supporters to stop seeking conflict shows just how weak he is".

--IANS

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.)
UNION CITY, CA  The gradual reopening of stores and restaurants is a welcome sight to Union City residents exhausted by coronavirus shelter-in-place orders. The Alameda County health department officially allowed the reopening of malls on Monday, following new guidance from the state announced last Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

At Union Landing, more than two dozen stores and restaurants are currently open, according to the mall. That will certainly increase in coming days as stores get staff and merchandise in place after being closed for 5 months.

Stores are limited to 25-percent of capacity. Here is a list of businesses currently open at Union Landing:

As for other businesses allowed to reopen in Alameda County, a few categories were allowed to reopen last Friday, but many are still shuttered. Here is the latest guidance from the health department:





This article originally appeared on the Union City Patch
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 21:48:19|Editor: huaxia

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A student receives temperature check before entering an exam site in Baghdad, Iraq on Sept. 1, 2020. High school students in Iraq took final examinations amid strict health measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Xinhua)
Zoom Video Communications reported the second-largest sales surge among Nasdaq 100 companies last quarter, providing an emphatic demonstration that businesses and consumers have continued to flock to the video-meeting service in even larger numbers than expected.

Revenue jumped more than four times to $663.5 million in the fiscal second quarter from a year earlier, the San Jose, Calif.-based company said Monday in a statement. Analysts, on average, projected $500 million. Biotech firm Moderna Inc. is the only Nasdaq 100 company to have reported a larger sales gain in a similar period, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Earnings, excluding some items, were 92 cents a share in the period ended July 31, compared with analysts' estimates of 45 cents.

Zoom has emerged as one of the clearest corporate beneficiaries of the covid-19 pandemic, which has forced millions of people to remain home to prevent the spread of the virus. Workers, students and families count on the service to keep them connected to colleagues, teachers and loved ones. Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan has tried to multiply the software maker's good fortune by bringing complementary products to market, including an expanded phone service and dedicated monitors to slot into a home office.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Rishi Jaluria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson who is bullish on the stock. "After Q1, my colleagues and I said this is one of the best quarters in software history. How do you follow this up? I think they've done it. Outside of the massive acceleration in growth, the biggest positive surprise is how much profitability is going to the bottom line."

Zoom gave a forecast suggesting the explosive growth will continue. The company said sales will be as much as $2.39 billion in the fiscal year ending in January -- meaning revenue would almost quadruple in just one year. Analysts, on average, expected sales of $1.81 billion. Zoom previously projected fiscal-year revenue of $1.8 billion.

Fiscal-year adjusted profit will be $2.40 to $2.47 a share, the company said. Analysts, on average, estimated $1.25.

The stock, which entered the public markets in April 2019, has increased more than fourfold this year. Shares closed Monday at a record $325.10 in New York.

"Organizations are shifting from addressing their immediate business continuity needs to supporting a future of working anywhere, learning anywhere, and connecting anywhere on Zoom's video-first platform," Yuan said in the statement.

Zoom now has 370,200 business customers with more than 10 employees, a more than fivefold surge from a year earlier. There are now 988 clients spending more than $100,000 on Zoom services, more than double the figure from a year ago.

The company has also made international growth a priority, bolstering operations in India to gain more users in the world's second most-populous nation. The company hired 500 employees in the most recent period and told analysts in a conference call that it would expand spending on sales, marketing, capital expenditures and research and development in the coming quarters, to take advantage of the market opportunity. Yuan said Zoom is exploring an entry into the market for virtual events, but hasn't decided whether it will partner or acquire to help businesses host remote conferences.

The results provide "confidence the company may extend its hyper growth beyond the peak of covid-19 through at least the end of 2020," said Boyoung Kim, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. "The risk of churn as quarantine restrictions ease is manageable, given a rapidly expanding base of enterprise customers, many of which sign annual or multiyear contracts."
With the return of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! fast approaching, the pair have resumed their typically busy schedules after lockdown restrictions eased.

And Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly proved there's no rest for the wicked as they helped welcome Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield back to This Morning on Tuesday.

During a rare TV interview, the hosts, both 44, revealed they're tested for coronavirus every four days in order to present their much-loved shows together.

They're back! Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly proved there's no rest for the wicked as they helped welcome Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield back to This Morning on Tuesday

The pair kicked off their segment by hugging on air as they explained why they don't need to keep a social distance from each other.

Removing their protective face masks, Dec shared: 'We don't need these with each other. We're in a cohort!', while Ant added: 'We're working on BGT and other things so we get tested every four or five days so.

'We form a cohort with our households. We have to be careful of where we go and who we see. Nothing new there!'

He later discussed fronting 2018's edition of I'm A Celebrity with former Celebrity Juice star Holly, who claimed her stint was 'magical'.

Working hard: During a rare TV interview, the hosts, both 44, revealed they're tested for coronavirus every four days in order to present their much-loved shows together

'We have to be careful': Removing their protective face masks, broadcaster Dec shared: 'We don't need these with each other. We're in a cohort!'

The media personality jokingly said: 'I said there was only one person who could do it. I didn't want another guy standing next to me and it had to be a girl. So it had to be holly and thankfully she said yes.'

Ant, who had checked himself into rehab and was fined 86,000 for a drink-driving offence before his year-long career break, added: 'I've never spoken to you [Holly] about it!'

As they prepare to film the series at North Wales' Gwrych Castle instead of Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic, Holly and Phil were eager to get the TV veterans to tease any details.

When asked whether Tiger King's Carole Baskin will appear on this year's show, a coy Dec said: 'The rumours are there. We couldn't possibly say.

'We will be in wales, we are very much looking forward to it and its going to be completely different so no one knows what it will be like.'

'I didn't want another guy standing next to me': He later discussed fronting 2018's edition of I'm A Celebrity with former Celebrity Juice star Holly, who claimed her stint was 'magical'

'It's going to be completely different': They're preparing to film the series at North Wales' Gwrych Castle instead of Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic (pictured in 2019)

'It's great': The TV icons also discussed BGT's return to the small screen over the weekend and Ashley Banjo stepping in for Simon Cowell as he recovers from a back injury (pictured in April)

The TV icons also discussed BGT's return to the small screen over the weekend and Ashley Banjo stepping in for Simon Cowell as he recovers from a back injury.

Ant said: 'We're back this Saturday so it's the semi-finals, Ashley Banjo stepped in he's really good. From the off his comments are very good, quite harsh sometimes. He has great insight because he's been on it.'

On how the show has adjusted to the new normal amid the COVID-19 crisis, Dec explained: 'There's no live audience but we have a huge virtual audience who are all on their sofa clapping and cheering along.

'It's different people and a different audience every week, it looks fantastic. It's tough on the acts, especially for them to come out and sing to nobody.'

'It's gone in the blink of an eye': They later touched on marking 30 years in showbusiness as they promoted their new book Once Upon A Tyne, set for release on Thursday

They later touched on marking 30 years in showbusiness as they promoted their new book Once Upon A Tyne, set for release on Thursday.

Ant shared insight into their new project by adding: 'We wanted it to be like a conversation and us talking through a story. Every chapter will be about a show we work on and the backstage stories of them.'

On their time in the spotlight, the Geordie stars said: 'It feels like it's gone in the blink of an eye. It bizarrely feels like we're only getting started. I don't think you ever feel like, 'oh I've made it.'

'There is an element that someone will knock on the door and say that well it was meant to be for someone else and we go, 'oh, okay.'

All laughs: Poking fun at competing for the Best Presenter prize at the annual National Television Awards, Phil, 58, joked: 'Well, that's the NTAs stuffed again!'

'We love working together': They also confessed they 'don't really remember' meeting each other for the first time as teenagers, but recall 'clicking' instantly (pictured on BBC in 2000)

'We love it, we're very lucky to be involved in three of the biggest shows on TV. We love working together, we love each other and being together and working together.'

Poking fun at competing for the Best Presenter prize at the annual National Television Awards, Phil, 58, joked: 'Well, that's the NTAs stuffed again!'

They confessed they 'don't really remember' meeting each other for the first time as teenagers, but recall 'clicking' instantly.

Broadcaster Ant said: 'For me it was so daunting because there were all these kids who knew each other and they were all quite cliquey and as a 13-year-old kid who is self-conscious. We clicked quite quickly once we started working together.

'There's no pressure for ratings': Before the pair started SMTV in the late 90s, Ant revealed Phil had advised them to 'enjoy it, because itll be the best time youll ever have on television'

'They became friends and we got to know each other, we had the same interests and same sense of humour.'

Before the pair started SMTV in the late 90s, Ant revealed Phil had advised them to 'enjoy it, because itll be the best time youll ever have on television.'

The former Text Santa star continued: 'But youre right. What it is, is theres no pressure for ratings, for getting it right, but you could just have fun on a Saturday morning.

'We would try stuff out every Saturday and just mess about. If it didnt work, youd do something else next week.'

Rounding off the discussion, the ex-PJ & Duncan musicians detailed a funny story about their documentary with Prince Charles five years ago.

'I hope he didn't hear anything through the walls!' The ex-PJ & Duncan musicians also detailed a funny story about their documentary with Prince Charles in 2015 (pictured in March)

Ant said: 'It was in the place that he has in Scotland and he said, ''Would you like to stay over because were doing an interview the next morning?'''

Dec explained: 'We go up the main staircase and our butler, who met us out of the car says, ''Ant - this is your room. Dec - this is your room. Prince Charles is there - next door.'''

'He was opposite me. So I put my robe on and I nipped downstairs, at the time when I smoked. Im going to nip downstairs for a smoke. So I get to the top of the stairs, in a robe, and hes there', Ant continued.

'With a pair of secateurs and he says, ''Ive just been out pruning the roses.'' I kind of have this small talk with him and back into the room, and then silently scream into the pillow. But yeah, it was wonderful. I just hope he didnt hear anything through the walls!'

Busy bees: Earlier in the day, the duo sported protective face masks as they were seen outside The ITV studios in west London

Great minds think alike: The famous duo cut casual figures as they coordinated in black jackets, straight-leg trousers and navy footwear

Out and about: The pair later removed their jackets as they soaked up the sun

In good company: The pair put on an animated display as they walked around White City

On cloud nine: Geordie native Dec looked effortlessly cool in a navy shirt as he flashed a wide smile

Chatting up a storm: They engaged in a lively conversation outside the complex

Impressive: They have marked 30 years in showbusiness by penning their new book, set for release on Thursday

Earlier in the day, the duo sported protective facial coverings as they were seen outside The ITV studios in west London.

The famous duo cut casual figures as they coordinated in black jackets, straight-leg trousers and navy footwear.

Presenters Ant and Dec last appeared on This Morning to celebrate Holly and Phillip's 10-year anniversary in September 2019.

The blonde beauty and her TV husband have been on a break from their much-loved stints since early July, with Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford filling in their roles.

The award-winning show is said to have smashed new records for the first time in a decade.

This Morning, which has been airing throughout the coronavirus pandemic, has reportedly seen rating records rise to 1.2 million.

And amid the new records, This Morning presenter Alison Hammond has landed her own travel segment with co-star Josie Gibson, which will be inspired by the classic film 'Thelma and Louise'.

Milestone moment: The presenters last appeared on This Morning to celebrate Holly and Phillip's 10-year anniversary in September 2019 (pictured)

The two former Big Brother stars, aged 45 and 35, will compete against each other to find the best places to staycation in the UK.

Alison told the Mirror: 'Josie - it's on! Who doesn't love a good old fashioned game of Top Trumps and even better, This Morning has given it a crazy new twist by incorporating some of Britain's most unusual staycation spots.'

While Josie joked to the publication: 'Alison & Josie - some may have coined us the better looking version of Ant & Dec (okay that someone might have been me!).'

A source added: 'Josie's always wanted to work on This Morning and when she originally got the job she asked if she could be the 'Judith Chalmers of the UK'. So with this new strand she's now got her dream job, with her dream woman in Alison.'

Impressive: Alison Hammond, meanwhile, has landed her own travel segment with co-star Josie Gibson, which will be inspired by the classic film 'Thelma and Louise'
In a move likely to have been signed off by ministers, Britains ambassador to Lisbon has signalled that Portugal will probably return to the no-go list after just two weeks.

The UK government warned against travel to Portugal for over five months from 17 March.

Self-isolation for inbound travellers was revoked only on 22 August  whereupon tens of thousands of holidaymaker booked late-summer breaks. Airlines and holiday companies including Jet2, Ryanair and Tui laid on extra capacity to cope with the surge in demand.

But the number of new coronavirus cases in Portugal has increased sharply over the past 10 days. And in a series of tweets on Monday night, the ambassador warned: Travellers should consider their plans carefully.

Chris Sainty tweeted: Since [transport secretary] Grant Shapps announced the decision on 20 August to allow quarantine-free travel from Portugal, thousands of British holidaymakers and Portuguese living in the UK have travelled to Portugal.

Its been great to see people reunited with their families and enjoying the summer in Portugal.

We worked closely with Portugal to ensure the situation here was fully understood by decision-makers in the UK. But things can change quickly.

As cases rise across Europe, quarantine has been reintroduced for many countries, in line with the UKs overriding goal to protect public health.

Travellers should consider their plans carefully and factor in the risks of travelling abroad in this fast-moving situation. As Grant Shapps said, only travel if you are content to unexpectedly quarantine if required.

The tweets are thought likely to have been signed off by the transport secretary and Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary.

The measure used by ministers and the Joint Biosecurity Centre to decide if a country should be deemed unacceptably high risk is the rate of new coronavirus cases over a one-week period.

Portugal could be back off the travel corridors list (iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Figures are released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) each day at 11am.

When a country exceeds 20 cases per 100,000 people, it becomes a candidate for a Foreign Office warning against travel and the re-imposition of 14 days of self-isolation for arriving passengers.

The UK is currently on 13.2, and Portugals rate increased from 18.1 to 21.1 in the three days to Monday.

The current convention is that the transport secretary tweets additions to the no-go list each Thursday evening, with quarantine coming into effect at 4am the following Monday.

Last Thursday, the Czech Republic was deemed high risk even though its coronavirus rate was only fractionally above 20.

Bar an implausibly sharp reduction in Portugals infection rate between now and Thursday, quarantine looks set to be re-imposed.

On Monday, 320 new infections were recorded in the country; The Independent calculates that the figure would need to dip below 100 for three days running for it to get clear.

Paul Charles of the PC travel consultancy, who has campaigned for testing as an alternative to two weeks of quarantine for arriving travellers, said: Its a pretty significant statement from the ambassador, who is clearly privy to what is happening on the ground in Portugal.

Clearly his knowledge will be advising the Joint Biosecurity Centre  and affecting many thousands of people.

But it shows no understanding of planning teams in airlines. You need at least two weeks to sort out your schedules.

This is the problem with a short-term weekly review. Its just another reason why its a badly thought-out policy.

The government in Lisbon is furious at what it sees as an over-hasty reaction. In the past week, Portugal has intensified testing in care homes, which the authorities say has skewed the figures.

Fresh outbreaks, largely among young people, have flared up in the north of the country around Porto and along the Douro Valley, while the vast majority of tourists are in the south.

Portuguese officials will also question why Gibraltar appears to have been given special treatment. Even though the British overseas territory has a rate of 166, more than eight times the trigger level, it is still regarded as low risk.

Many travellers currently in Portugal appear to have already concluded that quarantine will be re-imposed from Saturday 5 September.

One-way fares on Ryanair from Lisbon to Manchester on Friday are currently selling at 270, while easyJet has no seats available from Faro, serving the Algarve, to any London airport on Thursday or Friday.

British Airways has cut the cost of a weeks holiday on the Algarve later in September, including flights to and from Heathrow and accommodation, to just 179.
Mumbai, Sep 1 : Actress Bhumi Pednekar is celebrating the third anniversary of her film Shubh Mangal Saavdhan by heaping praise on the team, including co-star Ayushmann Khurrana.

"Shubh Mangal Saavdhan", a romantic comedy film, directed by R.S. Prasanna and backed by Aanand L. Rai, highlighted the topic of erectile dysfunction among men in a humorous vein.

"One of my favourite films. I still can't believe it's been #3YearofShubhMangalSaavdhan. Thank you @aanandlrai sir for believing in me, #RSPrasanna for making me a part of your vision, @hiteshkewalya for penning these beautiful characters and @ayushmannk for being the best co-star that I could have ever wished for & the entire team of SMS for your constant support," Bhumi posted on Instagram on Tuesday.

The actress has also worked with Ayushmann in her 2015 debut feature, "Dum Lag Ke Haisha" and last year's "Bala".

Bhumi had earlier said: "Ayushmann and I are definitely a fortunate on-screen 'jodi' to be getting so much love and adulation from the audiences. We complement each other as artistes and we do have very good on-screen chemistry. It just shows and I'm just glad that people have loved us as a pair."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Nuova missione in Libia per il ministro degli Esteri Luigi Di Maio, atterrato questa mattina a Tripoli insieme al sottosegretario Di Stefano, delegato dal ministro a lavorare per istituire una commissione mista Italo-libica per le questioni economiche.

A quanto si apprende, Di Maio vedra il capo del governo di accordo nazionale, Fayez al-Sarraj, il presidente del parlamento di Tobruk, Aguila Saleh, il presidente della Noc (compagnia petrolifera nazionale) Mustafa Sanalla e il presidente dell'Alto Consiglio di Stato, Khaled Al-Meshri E il primo viaggio all'estero del ministro dalla ripresa dei lavori. Il 17 agosto era stato in Tunisia.

Motivo della visita in Libia la delicata situazione sul terreno e il recente accordo Sarraj-Saleh per un cessate il fuoco.

Nel piano di Di Maio c'e la ripresa dei vecchi accordi siglati da Silvio Berlusconi, con l'obiettivo di dare nuovo impulso agli investimenti italiani in Libia e offrire nuove opportunita di crescita alle nostre imprese e al popolo libico.

Nel frattempo, pero, qualche timore dopo la notizia che un kamikaze a bordo di una moto si e fatto esplodere questa mattina nella zona occidentale della citta.

E accaduto, all'incrocio di Buabah al Giran, nei pressi di un check-point delle Forze di Sicurezza.

Non si hanno al momento notizie di vittime.

 Riproduzione riservata

(Unioneonline/v.l.)
Social-Emotional Learning

Louisiana to Provide SEL Courses to Middle High School Students

Louisiana will be providing every student in grades 6-12 access to social and emotional learning courses this school year. The state has licensed content from Edgenuity, an education technology company that produces online curriculum for K-12. The content was developed by Purpose Prep, a division of Weld North Education, which owns Edgenuity as well. Purpose Prep specializes in creating SEL curriculum.

Schools will have access to a library of courses, taught by some 80 experts. Teachers may choose to use the activities or full courses to personalize the learning experience for their students. Topics cover intervention on substance abuse, bullying, exploitation, depression and hopelessness, peer pressure and similar areas of concern for teens, as well as courses on fostering SEL development, such as college and career readiness, finding a purpose and working for social justice. The company has also introduced a new learning module in response to COVID-19 that addresses the trauma and loss caused by the pandemic. Students learn about healthy emotional responses and strategies, building and maintaining relationships through chaos and defining purpose through uncertain times.

"We must support our students through the uncertainty of today's environment. Their ability to learn well depends not only on instruction, but also on a sense of belonging, positive relationships and the feedback they receive," said Governor John Bel Edwards, in a statement. "As students have been disrupted from their school routine and disconnected from their teachers, social and emotional support and skills are more essential than ever."
AKRON, Ohio - Hoppin Frog Brewery is marking its 14th anniversary in that now familiar socially distanced style, via a virtual program at 7 tonight.

Billed as a hoppy hour, founder Fred Karm will guide the virtual session via Facebook Live. You can also ask questions online.

Karm will discuss the brewerys beers that helped bolster its reputation, expansions over the years, new beers and more.

Hoppin Frog opened its taproom in 2013. Karm was instrumental in efforts to lift the former alcohol-percentage cap on beers brewed in Ohio and has added cans to the brewerys portfolio. The brewery has garnered a handful of awards in competitions across the world, and is known for its bomber bottles as well as big, hearty ales like B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher - Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout.

In a release he said Hoppin Frog is older than half the breweries in the world.

Hoppin Frog is Summit Countys second oldest brewery behind Thirsty Dog Brewing Co.

I am on cleveland.coms life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, heres a directory on cleveland.com.

(Photo courtesy Your Social Mask)

Masks for eating and drinking on sale: Going out to a bar or restaurant but want to stay protected from coronavirus? Check out these masks that allow you to eat and drink without taking them off.
As the Summer of COVID draws to a close, many experts fear an even bleaker fall and suggest that American families should start planning for Thanksgiving by Zoom.

Because of the many uncertainties, public health scientists say its easier to forecast the weather on Thanksgiving Day than to predict how the U.S. coronavirus crisis will play out this autumn. But school reopenings, holiday travel, and more indoor activity because of colder weather could all separately increase transmission of the virus and combine in ways that could multiply the threat, they say.

Heres one way it could go: As more schools open for in-person instruction and more college students return to campuses, small clusters of cases could widen into outbreaks in late September. Public fatigue over mask rules and other restrictions could stymie efforts to slow these infections.

A few weeks later, widening outbreaks could start to strain hospitals. If a bad flu season peaks in October, as happened in 2009, the pressure on the health care system could result in higher daily death tolls from the coronavirus. Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has said that scenario is his biggest fear.

One certainty is that the virus will still be around, said Jarad Niemi, a disease-modeling expert at Iowa State University.

We will not have a vaccine yet and we will not have enough infected individuals for herd immunity to be helpful, Niemi said.

Fall may feel like a roller coaster of stop-and-start restrictions, as communities react to climbing hospital cases, said University of Texas disease modeler, Lauren Ancel Meyers. Everyone should get a flu shot, she said, because if flu spreads widely, hospitals will begin to buckle and that will compound the threat of COVID.

The decisions we make today will fundamentally impact the safety and feasibility of what we can do next month and by Thanksgiving, Meyers said.

The virus is blamed for over 180,000 deaths and 6 million confirmed infections in the U.S. Worldwide, the death toll is put at almost 850,000, with over 25 million cases.

The U.S. is recording on average about 900 deaths a day from COVID-19, and newly confirmed infections per day are running at about 42,000, down from their peak in mid-July, when cases were topping out at over 70,000.

Around the country, a chicken processing plant in California will close this week for deep cleaning after nearly 400 workers got sick, including eight who died. And college campuses have been hit by outbreaks involving hundreds of students, blamed in some cases on too much partying. Schools including the University of North Carolina, Michigan State and Notre Dame have moved instruction online because of clusters on their campuses.

Several vaccines are in advanced testing, and researchers hope to have results later this year. But even if a vaccine is declared safe and effective by years end, as some expect, there wont be enough for everyone who wants it right away.

Several companies are developing rapid, at-home tests, which conceivably could be used by families before a Thanksgiving gathering, but none has yet won approval.

More than 90 million adults are over 65 or have health problems, putting them in higher danger of severe consequences if they get sick with the coronavirus. Many of them and their families are starting to decide whether to book holiday flights.

Cassie Docking, 44, an urgent care nurse in Seattle, is telling her parents  both cancer survivors  that Thanksgiving will be by FaceTime only.

We all want to get to 2021, she said, and if thats what it takes, thats what well do.

Caitlin Joyces family is forging ahead with a holiday feast. They plan to set up plywood tables on sawhorses in a large garage so they can sit 6 feet apart.

Well be in our coats and our sweaters, said Joyce, 30, of Edmonds, Washington, who plans to travel to her grandparents home in Virginia. It will be almost like camping.

One widely cited disease model projects 2,086 U.S. deaths per day by Thanksgiving, more than double compared with today.

In our family we will not have our extended family get-together. We will stick to the nuclear family, said Dr. Christopher Murray of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, one of the few models making a prediction for November.

Uncertainty is huge in Murrays model: Daily deaths could be as low as 1,500 by Thanksgiving or as high as 3,100. In a more optimistic scenario, daily deaths could range from 510 to 1,200 if nearly everyone wears masks. A more pessimistic scenario? From 2,700 to 6,500 daily deaths if social distancing rules continue to be lifted and are not reimposed.

With all the uncertainty, most disease modelers arent looking that far ahead  at least officially.

Jeffrey Shaman, a public health expert at Columbia University, thinks the virus will spread more easily as the weather forces people indoors: But what level of a bump? Thats hard to say.

At Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, computer scientist Roni Rosenfelds team uses machine learning to project COVID-19 deaths. The teams computer algorithm learns from patterns it finds in state and county data to improve its forecasts.

A five-time winner of a CDC competition for predicting flu season activity, Rosenfeld thinks his models COVID-19 projections arent very useful beyond four weeks because of the wild card of human behavior, including that of government officials.

What happens very much depends on us, he said. People, myself included, dont always behave rationally. Presented with the same facts, the same person might behave differently depending on how sick and tired they are of the situation.

Like other disease modelers, Rosenfeld said the virus will still be with us at Thanksgiving, readily spreading at family gatherings. While his plans may yet change, he said he is going to travel with his wife to visit their adult children. They will wear masks and keep a safe distance during the visit.
By Associated Press

TEHRAN: Iran's supreme leader has called the United Arab Emirates' recognition of Israel "treason that will not last for long", the state media in Iran reported on Tuesday.

The comments by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei come just as a joint US-Israeli delegation wrapped up a trip to Abu Dhabi on the first Israeli commercial air flight between the nations.

Khamenei said the "treachery" was committed against the entire Islamic world and the Palestinians.

Both Israel and the UAE view Iran with suspicion.
The executive director of projects at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Cairo Ojougboh, says Nigeria will break if the commission releases the list of highly placed Nigerians who have benefitted from contracts awarded by the commission.

The NDDC has been in the spotlight after the National Assembly launched an investigation into allegations of financial recklessness in the commission. The investigation took a different turn when the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, accused members of the National Assembly of being the largest beneficiaries of contracts awarded by the Commission.

Peter Nwaoboshi, senate committee chairman on NDDC; Matthew Urhoghide, senate committee chairman on public accounts, and James Manager, senator representing Delta South were some of the beneficiaries listed by the minister. The Senate and the National Assembly have also denied the allegations of its members benefitting from the contracts awarded by the commission.

In an interview with Vanguard, Ojougboh said Nwaoboshi and Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC, and the rest of the National Assembly are culpable in the sleaze contracts. He said Nigeria will break if the full list of beneficiaries of contracts is released.

The National Assembly is culpable. At the end of the forensic audit, you will see members of the national assembly. A senator came and said that in the list of 2016 they brought, that he had only six contracts, I said no, that he had more. What he didnt know is that we did not release the list for 2017 and the one for 2019. If we release it this country will break. Oh, because of the people looting, the calibre, the names and people looting the NDDC. And who engineers it? The chairmen of the NDDC in the senate and house of representatives in the national assembly. he said

Ojougboh said the N51 million spent by the acting managing director of the commission was their security vote.

My MD feeds 100 policemen every day and in Port Harcourt as an executive of NDDC, you need security more than anything, till tomorrow, you know of it. When they are sending these policemen, the instruction is to feed them, cater for them, that is what is in the letter the police hierarchy sends, he said So people are talking about 51 million of imprest for the MD, it is a security vote, its not for his personal pocket, the money does not go to the MDs account. Myself, N18 million, it does not go to my account, it goes for security and other expenses and it is retired, there is no fraud in it.

On the N3.14 billion spent on COVID-19 relief for staff during the pandemic, the NDDC director said
A public interest defence should be created for people who leak information in violation of the Official Secrets Act, the government has been told.

The Law Commission, a statutory independent body that recommends reforms in England and Wales, said the 1989 law needed to be brought into the 21st century.

It said that security services personnel, members of the military, civil servants, journalists and civilians should be protected from prosecution in circumstances where illegal disclosures are made for the public good.

This would require both the subject matter being disclosed being in the public interest and the manner of disclosure also being in the public interest, the Law Commission said.

We do not outline which factors define the public interest, as this is a political question and therefore should be determined by government and parliament.

The body called for an independent commissioner to be established to assess allegations of criminality. It also said protections must be created to uphold freedom of expression.

The recommendations came after a series of controversies relating to the Official Secrets Act, which currently has no public interest defence.

In July last year, journalists were threatened with prosecution under the law if they published leaked diplomatic cables from the British embassy in Washington.

Sir Kim Darroch had resigned as ambassador to the US after his statements on Donald Trumps administration were aired.

The publication of these specific documents, now knowing they may be a breach of the Official Secrets Act, could also constitute a criminal offence and one that carries no public interest defence, said Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu.

The law makes the unauthorised disclosure of protected information  such as material concerning security, intelligence, defence, international relations and diplomatic communications  an offence.

It applies to everyone but is most commonly used against military and security officials, and civil servants.

GCHQ translator Katharine Gun was prosecuted after leaking an email in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion (Getty)

Famous prosecutions include those of Richard Tomlinson, a former MI6 officer who was jailed after trying to publish a book detailing his career, and former GCHQ translator Katharine Gun.

In 2003, she passed an email showing the National Security Agency calling for the UK to bug the offices of UN Security Council swing nations ahead of a key vote on the Iraq invasion to The Observer.

She was charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act but the prosecution presented no evidence at trial, amid suggestions that evidence over the legality of the war would embarrass the government.

The Law Commission said the Official Secrets Acts of 1911, 1920, 1939 and 1989 helped protect Britain from spying and leaks but were outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

It added: The Law Commissions recommendations aim to ensure the law can protect against the nature and scale of modern threats and allow the government to respond effectively to illegal activity.

At the same time, our aim is for the recommendations to be proportionate, in line with human rights obligations and ensure that the government can be held to account.

It called for the law to be reworded to refer to foreign powers rather than the enemy, and to remove the requirement for proof that leaks caused damage.

It said the law should apply to non-British citizens and that MPs should consider increasing the maximum sentences for serious offences.
The Scholarships Were Awarded Through the Exchange Club of Lawrence and the Andovers

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / The founders of F.H. Cann & Associates (FHC), a company that delivers world-class accounts receivable management and contact center solutions, are pleased to announce that they have awarded two $1,000 scholarships to recent graduates of Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

To learn more about F.H. Cann & Associates and the services that they offer, please visit https://www.fhcann.com.

Sheri Traficante-Cann, President/CEO of FHC, noted the scholarships were awarded through the Exchange Club of Lawrence and the Andovers. Frank Cann, Executive Vice President of F.H. Cann & Associates, is a board member of the organization.

Remy Garcia is one of the recipients of the F.H. Cann & Associates Scholarship. She is a recent graduate of Lawrence High School and plans on attending Salem State University in the fall.

"She was awarded the Yale Book, which is given to a high school student who has an outstanding personal character and intellectual promise," Sheri Traficante-Cann noted, adding that Remy also received the L-PIN award and was a member of Top Notch Scholars, through which she has volunteered at the Cor Unum Meal Center.

"Remy was also a member of the Outdoors Club and the Yearbook Club."

The second recipient of the F.H. Cann & Associates Scholarship is Gladdys Jiminian, who also graduated from Lawrence High School. Gladdys will attend NECC.

As Ms. Traficante-Cann noted, Gladdys was a member of the Lawrence Youth Council, activities volunteer at the Edgewood Retirement Home, and Next Generation Leadership Network.

"Gladdys also participated in the Dual Enrollment at Northern Essex Community College, and she was also a member of the Dance Team at Lawrence High."

The fact that F.H. Cann & Associates awarded two scholarships to local high school graduates will not surprise the many clients who have worked with the company since it first opened in 1999.

The company's team has earned a well-deserved reputation for giving back to the community; in addition to the recent work with the Exchange Club of Lawrence and the Andovers, F.H. Cann & Associates has been involved with a number of other organizations, including the Pulmonary Hypertension Association and Lazarus House Ministries.

About F.H. Cann & Associates:

F.H. Cann & Associates, Inc. (FHC) was established in 1999 and has provided best-in-class accounts receivable management services and contact center solutions for over 20 years. More information can be found on their official website: https://www.fhcann.com

Contact:

F.H Cann & Associates

info@fhcann.com

877-750-9804

SOURCE: F.H. Cann & Associates, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604271/FH-Cann-Associates-Awards-Two-1000-Scholarships-to-Two-Recent-Graduates-of-Lawrence-High-School-in-Lawrence-MA
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Granting 10 years to telcos for repayment of AGR dues, the Supreme Court on Tuesday also asked the Department of Telecommunication to complete assessment of liability of AGR dues in spectrum trading.

A bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra, S. Abdul Nazeer and M.R. Shah said: "We direct DoT to complete the assessment in such cases of trade and raise demand if it has not been raised and to examine the correctness of self-assessment and raise demand, if necessary, after due verification. In case demand notice has not been issued, let DoT raise the demand within six weeks from today." The bench observed that on a joint reading of para 11 of the Spectrum Trading Guidelines dated October 12, 2015, read with O.M. dated May 12, 2016, showed that the seller's dues prior to the concluding of the agreement/spectrum trading shall not fall upon the buyer. The bench noted that parties were aware of the definition of pending AGR, and the purchasers of spectrum cannot escape the liability as specified in the Spectrum Trading Guidelines.

"Thus, it is apparent that it was known to the parties that AGR dues were to be finalised as per the decision of this court in a pending matter, and this was pending for the last 20 years. The liability cannot be escaped as specified in the Trading Guidelines to the extent that the seller or buyer is liable. They have to pay the AGR as per the judgment rendered by this court. The purchasers who are not seller or buyer, shall have to pay the dues to the extent they are liable under the Guidelines," the bench observed.

The top court said in the present case, it is not in dispute that in some cases, only part spectrum was traded, and the remaining spectrum continued with the seller. At the time of agreement for spectrum trading, the AGR dues of the seller were also known, noted the bench.
ATLANTA, Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power today announced in a filing with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) that the target in-service dates for the Vogtle nuclear expansion project remain November 2021 for Unit 3 and November 2022 for Unit 4. The company also reported the project is now approximately 87% complete, as significant progress continues to be made at the site.

Georgia Power's 23rd Vogtle Construction Monitoring (VCM) Report filing covers the period January 1, 2020 through June 30, 2020 and can be found here.

Keeping safety and quality the top priority, the project continues to accomplish major milestones despite the COVID-19 pandemic. This summer, the project completed a series of critical tests as the site continues to transition from construction towards system operations.

Critical tests achieved

Recently, the site completed closed vessel testing for Unit 3, which prepares the unit for cold hydro testing ahead of hot functional testing, and ultimately initial fuel load. Closed vessel testing verifies the pipes and valves in the Unit 3 reactor coolant system were installed as designed and helps ensure safety systems function properly.

The site also completed the structural integrity test and integrated leak rate test on Unit 3. These tests were completed in succession and demonstrated the containment vessel meets construction quality and design requirements.

Additional 2020 key milestones achieved, include:

Placement of the final module for Unit 3  The water tank that sits atop the containment vessel and shield building roof, known as module CB-20, is a major part of the AP1000 reactor's advanced safety system and will hold approximately 750,000 gallons of water ready to flow down in the unlikely event of an emergency to help cool the reactor.

 The water tank that sits atop the containment vessel and shield building roof, known as module CB-20, is a major part of the AP1000 reactor's advanced safety system and will hold approximately 750,000 gallons of water ready to flow down in the unlikely event of an emergency to help cool the reactor. Placement of the Unit 3 integrated head package (IHP) atop the reactor vessel  Standing 48 feet tall, weighing 475,000 pounds and containing more than three miles of electrical cables, the IHP will eventually be used by highly-trained nuclear operators to monitor and control the nuclear reaction that will occur inside the Unit 3 reactor vessel.

 Standing 48 feet tall, weighing 475,000 pounds and containing more than three miles of electrical cables, the IHP will eventually be used by highly-trained nuclear operators to monitor and control the nuclear reaction that will occur inside the Unit 3 reactor vessel. Completion of Open Vessel Testing for Unit 3  This successfully demonstrated how water flows from the key safety systems into the reactor vessel ensuring the paths are not blocked or constricted, and confirmed the pumps, motors, valves, pipes and other components of the systems function as designed.

 This successfully demonstrated how water flows from the key safety systems into the reactor vessel ensuring the paths are not blocked or constricted, and confirmed the pumps, motors, valves, pipes and other components of the systems function as designed. Placement of the polar crane and containment vessel top for Unit 4  This signifies that all major lifts inside the containment vessels for both units are now complete.

With more than 7,000 workers on site, and more than 800 permanent jobs available once the units begin operating, Vogtle 3 & 4 is currently the largest jobs-producing construction project in the state of Georgia.

VCM process

The company files a VCM report to provide the PSC a detailed update on progress and other information related to the construction of the nation's only new nuclear units. The VCM process includes public hearings held at the PSC, as well as reports filed by the PSC staff's independent construction monitor.

New construction photos highlight continued progress

Georgia Power has released new photos of the nation's only new nuclear units currently under construction. Follow the progress being made at the site with the Plant Vogtle 3 & 4 Online Photo Gallery.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this release is forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information includes, among other things, statements concerning the target in-service dates for and construction and future operation of Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4 and expected job creation. Georgia Power cautions that there are certain factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of Georgia Power; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Georgia Power's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including extended disruptions to supply chains and further reduced labor availability and productivity, which could have a variety of adverse impacts, including a negative impact on the ability to develop, construct, and operate facilities, including, but not limited to, Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4; the ability to control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction, and operation of facilities or other projects, including Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, which includes components based on new technology that only within the last few years began initial operation in the global nuclear industry at this scale, and including changes in labor costs, availability and productivity, challenges with management of contractors or vendors, subcontractor performance, adverse weather conditions, shortages, delays, increased costs, or inconsistent quality of equipment, materials, and labor, contractor or supplier delay, delays due to judicial or regulatory action, nonperformance under construction, operating, or other agreements, operational readiness, including specialized operator training and required site safety programs, engineering or design problems, design and other licensing-based compliance matters, including, for nuclear units, the timely submittal by Southern Nuclear of the Inspections, Tests, Analyses, and Acceptance Criteria documentation for each unit and the related reviews and approvals by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") necessary to support NRC authorization to load fuel, challenges with start-up activities, including major equipment failure or system integration, and/or operational performance; the ability to overcome or mitigate the current challenges at Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, including, but not limited to, those related to COVID-19, that could further impact the cost and schedule for the project; legal proceedings and regulatory approvals and actions related to construction projects, such as Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, including Public Service Commission approvals and NRC actions; under certain specified circumstances, a decision by holders of more than 10% of the ownership interests of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 not to proceed with construction and the ability of other Vogtle owners to tender a portion of their ownership interests to Georgia Power following certain construction cost increases; the ability to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses (including satisfaction of NRC requirements), to satisfy any environmental performance standards and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives, and to integrate facilities into the Southern Company system upon completion of construction; the inherent risks involved in operating and constructing nuclear generating facilities; the ability of counterparties of Georgia Power to make payments as and when due and to perform as required; the direct or indirect effect on Georgia Power's business resulting from cyber intrusion or physical attack and the threat of physical attacks; catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and other storms, droughts, pandemic health events or other similar occurrences; and the direct or indirect effects on Georgia Power's business resulting from incidents affecting the U.S. electric grid, natural gas pipeline infrastructure, or operation of generating or storage resources. Georgia Power expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forwardlooking information.

SOURCE Georgia Power

Related Links

http://www.georgiapower.com


The US will push back against Chinas aggressive actions, including its outsized territorial claims on the border with India, even as it eyes the possibility of formalising the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad as an alliance, a senior state department official has said.

Deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun said China has been picking a fight right now on virtually every front and has exploited every opportunity they can from technology theft to assertion of national sovereignty over the territory and territorial waters of other countries, and the US is in a concerted effort to push back on all fronts.

Our strategy is to push back against China in virtually every domain. Were doing it in the security area. Were doing it in terms of outsized demands to claim sovereign territory, whether its in the Galwan Valley of India on the India-Chinese border, or whether its in the South Pacific. Were also doing it economically, he said.

Biegun made the remarks during a conversation with Richard Varma, former US envoy to India, at a leadership summit organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) late on Monday.

Asked about Chinas aggressive actions on the disputed border with India, in Hong Kong and across the Indo-Pacific, Biegun said the Donald Trump administration is focused on countering the predatory practices from the Chinese economy and is working to balance out the US-China economic relationship.

China was welcomed into global institutions such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) two decades ago in order to help the country transition to a more rules-based order, but this experiment has failed across all the domains, he said.

He said that China grew so quickly at the beginning of this century that its outsized influence in those institutions is instead seeking to transform those institutions to Chinas interests. This is unacceptable from the point of view of the US, which is pushing back in institutions such as the World Health Organization or World Intellectual Property Organization, he added.

China is repressing the Tibetans and Uyghurs, has breached an agreement with the UK on the transition of Hong Kong, and is near hostilities with the government of India and in a state of hostility with the people of Taiwan, Biegun said.

Replying to a question on the possibility of giving a formal shape to the Quad  an informal dialogue mechanism between Australia, India, Japan and the US  and whether the larger strategy behind it was counterbalancing the rise of China, Biegun said there was certainly a temptation in governments to formalise the mechanism.

The Indo-Pacific, he noted, is lacking in strong multilateral structures such as NATO or the European Union. The strongest institutions in Asia oftentimes are not inclusive enough, and so...there is certainly an invitation there at some point to formalise a structure like this, he said.

Biegun cautioned that responding to the threat of China itself would not be enough of a driver for such an organisation, and the goal of the US is to create a critical mass around the shared values and interests...in a manner that attracts more countries in the Indo-Pacific...to be working in a common cause or even ultimately to align in a more structured manner.

He said Washington would keep its ambitions checked to start with a very strong set of members, and a formal alliance would only happen if the other countries are as committed as the United States.

Biegun also noted that India had recognised that it cant be a passive player in relation to developments in the Indo-Pacific region and this has driven the recent activities of the Quad, including a weekly meeting of the four members along with New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam on ways to counter the Covid-19 pandemic.

He also said a ministerial meeting of the Quad is expected to be held this fall in Delhi  thats the intention anyway  in person. He added, Id say this Quad concept has really helped India find a place in the larger Indo-Pacific theatre.

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The HSE has insisted that a new community Covid-19 testing site at Punchestown Racecourse is meeting the increased demand for tests in the county.

Health officials were forced to mobilise quickly after cases surged in Kildare partly due to dozens of new cases in meat plants.

A HSE spokesperson said: The HSE acted quickly to respond to the initial surge in numbers in Kildare collaborating with National Ambulance Service (NAS), the Defence Forces, a local community college, a local business and local volunteers. Initially a school site, previously used as a testing site, St Conleths, Newbridge, was re-opened by NAS for two days followed by opening a pop-up site for a fortnight (10th to 23rd August 2020) in the grounds of the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge.

It had five bays in tents, it was run by NAS for the first week and by HSE Community Services for the second week, with support from the Defence Forces and local volunteers.

We moved from this pop-up site to a surge site in Punchestown, which opened on Monday, August 24.

This is a drive-through testing centre and will allow us to meet the current increased demand for testing in the Kildare area.

This is possible thanks to the support of the management from Punchestown Racecourse and continued collaboration with the Defence Forces and local volunteers.
Summer programs that provided free meals to children will continue into the fall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Monday.

The department called the extension unprecedented as the agency hopes to provide children with nutrition as the coronavirus continues to ravage the country.

The extension pertains to the USDAs Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) through the end of 2020, or until available funding runs out.

As our nation reopens and people return to work, it remains critical our children continue to receive safe, healthy, and nutritious food, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, USDA has provided an unprecedented amount of flexibilities to help schools feed kids through the school meal programs, and today, we are also extending summer meal program flexibilities for as long as we can, legally and financially.

The Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option will be continue to be provided at no cost. The extension allows for meals to be served outside the typical times and permits parents and guardians to pick up meals for their children - something usually prohibited.

In Worcester, the programs allowed volunteers to serve up to 600 meals per day for students across 45 locations in the city. Children under the age of 18 could receive a free bagged meal that provided food for breakfast and lunch.

The USDA said the program will not continue into 2021 unless Congress appropriates more funding.

During the last six months, 80,000 sites partnered with the USDA handed out more meals than ever, the agency said.

We appreciate the incredible efforts by our school foodservice professionals year in and year out, but this year we have an unprecedented situation, Perdue said. This extension of summer program authority will employ summer program sponsors to ensure meals are reaching all children  whether they are learning in the classroom or virtually  so they are fed and ready to learn, even in new and ever-changing learning environments.

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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Several members of an organized crime syndicate consisting of Armenians and Iranians are under arrest for racketeering and defrauding around 50 citizens of Iran in a travel fraud, the Armenian police said in a news release.

Two Iranian citizens recruited their 50 countrymen and transported them to Armenia under the pretext of organizing their further travel to European countries. The accomplices of the Iranian duo, who are citizens of Armenia, met the victims of the fraud in Armenia and charged a total of nearly 300,000 dollars for their services  which from the beginning was a fraud. The con artists presented themselves to be representatives of law enforcement or diplomatic sectors in order to obtain the victims trust.

Some of the 50 people were taken to Turkey and Georgia and promised to be sent to their preferred destinations afterwards. However, they were again taken back to Armenia and had their passports seized by the perpetrators.

Police said several of the Iranian suspects were identified and have given statements.

Other members of the crime group have been apprehended and arrested. Some of the seized passports of the victims have been recovered amid the ongoing criminal investigation.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
The EU's foreign policy chief held talks with Libya's UN recognised government on Tuesday to push for renewed efforts to resolve the country's long-running conflict.

Josep Borrell met the head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, whose administration recently announced a truce after months of hostilities with Khalifa Haftar's Libya National Army (LNA).

"#Libya remains top priority for EU. We welcome recent ceasefire understanding, and continue to support dialogue and Libyan-led political resolution to conflict," Borrell tweeted after the meeting.

Haftar launched an offensive to seize Tripoli in April 2019, but was beaten back by pro-GNA forces. Fighting has stalled around the central Mediterranean port of Sirte, the gateway to Libya's eastern oil fields and export terminals.

The GNA and Aguila Saleh, speaker of the eastern-based parliament that backs Haftar, in late August made separate announcements that they would cease all hostilities and hold nationwide elections, drawing praise from world powers.

"EU strongly supports Berlin process, mediation efforts and deescalation measures, including arms embargo - key elements to bring Libyan conflict to an end," Borrell tweeted.

He was referring to a January summit in the German capital where the main countries involved in the Libyan conflict agreed to respect an arms embargo and to stop interfering in Libya's domestic affairs.

Borrell said he had also discussed ways "to advance (the) political process", revive joint military talks between the two sides and to lift an oil blockade imposed since January by pro-Haftar groups demanding a fair share of hydrocarbon revenues.

The EU diplomat later on Tuesday met the head of the National Oil Corporation Mustafa Sanalla, and tweeted that they had discussed the "need to ensure that oil production can resume, for the benefit of all Libyans and for the unity and prosperity of #Libya."

Haftar last month authorised a partial lifting of the months-long blockade of oil terminals to help ease power cuts in the east, according to a military official loyal to him.

The north African country, which sits on the continent's biggest crude reserves, has been mired in a complex web of conflicts since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Haftar is supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates as well as Russia, while the GNA is backed by Turkey and Qatar.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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As with the previous pandemics and other major events, such as the Great Depression and World War II, the coronavirus pandemic will profoundly change workplaces and the nature of work itself.

In fact, it already has, according to a new article published by an international panel of management experts, including Michael Wilmot, a new assistant professor in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Many of these changes, especially the massive shift toward remote workwhat most people refer to as "working from home"are probably here to stay.

"We know that previous major world events had a profound impact on workplaces and the kind of work people do," Wilmot said. "In fact, these events led to the demise of some markets and businesses and the creation of others. This pandemic is no different. It will change work in fundamental ways, and this will challenge people to learn to work in ways dramatically different than previous generations."

Wilmot, who studies the role of personality at work, was one of several researchers who contributed to "COVID-19 and the Workplace: Implications, Issues, and Insights for Future Research and Action," published in the August issue of American Psychologist. As the title suggests, the article emerged as an overview of previous research related to work and workplaces, studies that apply in the context of a pandemic. Lead authorsKevin Kniffin at Cornell University, Jayanth Narayanan at the National University of Singapore, and Frederik Anseel at the University of New South Wales in Australiadescribe the article as a generative overview, a framework for identifying work and workplace issues for producing future research.

The authors and contributors cited several previous studies pertinent to the context of the pandemic, especially those related to remote work, which communications technologies and faster internet connectivity have facilitated over the past several years. In this sense, COVID-19 merely accelerated an already growing trend. The authors pointed to a survey of 229 human resources departments showing that roughly half of the companies had more than 80% of their employees working from home during early stages of the pandemic. The companies expect substantial long-term increases for remote work after the pandemic.

The above trend, suddenly mandatory for almost all individuals who do their work from an internet-connected computer, creates or complicates a host of issues, including "presentism"people working at home when illand the inability of some people to set boundaries between work and home.

As one who studies the role of personality at work, Wilmot contributed insights pertaining to disparate impacts on employees with regard to certain individual differences and personality traits. For example, how will these issues affect extroverts versus introverts?

The authors identified several other issues, including:

A loss of social connectedness and loneliness for many employees, which can negatively affect performance and commitment to organizational goals.

Increased risk among employees for substance abuse and addiction.

Related to above issues, companies might need to create or augment employee assistance programs and hire staff trained to recognize mental health issues.

The possibility that virtual work arrangements will foster more participatory relationships, given that physical cues of dominance are less salient in virtual environments.

The need for human resource departments to develop new performance management and appraisal systems for remote-working populations.

The expectation that some companies will institute new modes of surveillance due to perceived lack of control, now that employees are "out of sight."

"Considering all these issues and more, I think it's important to examine how workers will adapt," Wilmot said. "I'd like to think some of the insights we provide will make positive contributions in the face of these changes."

Explore further Productivity could be improved by a permanent shift towards remote working, research shows

More information: Kevin M. Kniffin et al. COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, issues, and insights for future research and action, American Psychologist (2020). Kevin M. Kniffin et al. COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, issues, and insights for future research and action,(2020). DOI: 10.1037/amp0000716
Record Rains, Urban Flooding Woes Continue in Karachi

By Ayesha Tanzeem August 31, 2020

Parts of Pakistan's commercial hub, Karachi, continued to be submerged Monday, days after record-breaking rainfall caused heavy flooding.

"Normal rainfall in Karachi in the month of August is 68 millimeters (6.8 centimeters). This year, we have recorded 587.5 millimeters (58.75 centimeters) so far," said Muhammad Riaz, the director general of Pakistan's Meteorological Department.

Last Thursday, the city received more than 23 centimeters of rain, the highest on record in a single day.

Residents in the port city posted cellphone footage of houses destroyed, streets resembling rivers, cars and motorcycles floating, and people swimming.

"What we have witnessed in Karachi today was apocalyptic in some ways. The true hurt & damage will be visible after the water recedes. Nothing but devastation," resident Fakhr e Alam tweeted along with cellphone video of his neighborhood, where water covered almost half the walls and gates of surrounding houses.

Another video shot from inside a car showed the bottom part of the steering wheel submerged.

The flooding severely hampered movement, including for emergency vehicles.

"My Uncle in Karachi had a heart attack this evening and relatives and neighbors tried everything from trying to drive him to physically carrying him on their shoulders to get to the hospital, but they couldn't make it on time and he passed away," Fatima Akram Hayat said in a tweet.

Residents complained of sewage on the streets and in water tanks. Power was out in several areas for days amid sweltering heat and humidity. The outage also caused disruptions in cellphone service, interrupting emergency management and leaving citizens out of touch with loved ones.

In some cases, the electricity cables broke, causing fears of electrocution.

"Few residents located in these zones have also requested us not to power up supply since it may be a safety hazard for them," tweeted Karachi's electricity provider, K-Electric.

Meanwhile, authorities said another weather system was hovering over Sindh province, increasing the likelihood of more rains in the coming days.

The large metropolis, considered to be Pakistan's economic lifeline, has faced problems of overcrowding and unplanned development since the country's independence in 1947.

"[A] very large majority of its population lives in informal settlements in poorly designed housing with inadequate services," according to a 2017 working paper, titled, "Drivers of climate change vulnerability at different scales in Karachi."

Much of the city's planning woes have been exacerbated over the decades due to corruption coupled with political rivalries among local, provincial and federal governments.

Parts of Karachi are owned by the federal government. In addition, local and provincial governments have set up parallel structures of service delivery, like trash pickup, diluting resources.

"We need to clearly understand who is responsible for what. Until the municipal functions are divided between the federal and provincial governments, problems of delivery will remain," Murtaza Wahab, the spokesman for Sindh government, told local news channel Geo News.

According to the working paper, bad governance and development shortcomings in Karachi "have created vulnerabilities at different scales that are likely to exacerbate the impacts of climate change-related weather events taking place within the city and elsewhere in the country."

Development professional Zaigham Khan said overcrowding and slum developments were a result of the city absorbing the social and economic problems of the entire country.

"If there is terrorism in FATA (erstwhile tribal area), locals move to Karachi. When there is war in Afghanistan, the most refugees arrive in Karachi. When there are floods in the country, the affected go to Karachi. If there is insurgency in Balochistan, locals escape to Karachi. If there are no jobs in southern Punjab, the preferred refuge is Karachi," he said.

Like other metropolitan cities of the world, he said, Karachi needs to be managed by a strong municipal government and an empowered mayor, but he added that local politics intervened in the execution of such an idea.

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A group of people attempted to circumvent the Interstate 35 checkpoint on foot, authorities said.

U.S. Border Patrol agents determined that the people in the group were immigrants who had crossed the border illegally. The case unfolded late Sunday, when agents tracked down footprints on a ranch off of I-35. Agents apprehended the six immigrants from the countries of Mexico and Guatemala in the thick brush, authorities said.

Agents identified a U.S. citizen as the brush guide for the group. He had a previous human smuggling conviction in 2003. Border Patrol said that despite the threat of the global pandemic, smugglers continue to endanger the lives of individuals they exploit and the health and safety of the nation.

To report suspicious activity such as human or drug smuggling, download the USBP Laredo Sector app or contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free at 1-800-343-1994.
No comment on Pranab Mukherjee book before reading it: Former Union Minister

Former President Pranab Mukherjee laid to rest with full military honours

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Sep 01: Former President Pranab Mukherjee was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi road electric crematorium on Tuesday afternoon. His son performed his last rites. Mukherjee's family and relatives paid their last respects clad in PPE kits while conforming to COVID-19 safeguards.

An Army contingent gave a guard of honour and a gun salute to the former president. Mukherjee (84) died on Monday evening at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi cantonment following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments.

Following COVID-19 protocols, former President Pranab Mukherjee's remains were carried in van instead of gun carriage, ANI reported om Tuesday.

RIP Pranab Mukherjee: President, VP, Prime Minister pay last respects to former president

The body of former President was taken from his official residence at Delhi's 10 Rajaji Marg to Lodhi Crematorium. He had tested positive for COVID-19 and undergone surgery for a brain clot at Army (R&R) Hospital on 10 August, where he passed away on Monday.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 12:25:30|Editor: huaxia

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GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least three Afghan police and three assailants were killed in a suicide car bomb blast and ensuing gunfight outside a police camp in Gardez, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Paktia province on Tuesday, the provincial governor confirmed.

"Today roughly at 5:30 a.m., one enemy detonated a car bomb outside a Public Protection Police Forces camp in Gardez. Two gunmen tried to enter the facility after the explosion, but they were shot and killed by police at the gate of the building," Governor Haleem Fedai told Xinhua.

Five police personnel were slightly wounded in the blast that also damaged facilities of the front gate of the building, the official said, adding the wounded were shifted to a hospital in the region, 100 km south of the country's capital, Kabul.

He blamed enemies of peace, referring to the Taliban militant group, for the attack.

The blast sent a column of thick smoke into the sky and triggered panic, the official said,

More details would be made public later as investigation is underway to find more facts about the incident, the governor added. Enditem
Corn grows near an ethanol plant in the US state of Illinois

Brazil reinstated a 20 percent tariff on US ethanol imports Monday in a setback for President Donald Trump's administration, which lobbied to retain an exemption for the politically important industry.

The South American country had previously exempted up to 750 million liters (198 million gallons) a year of imported ethanol from tariffs, but did not renew the benefit after it expired Sunday, an official said.

"It's a very sensitive issue," the official told AFP, adding it was possible the inter-ministerial committee that decides tariff questions could hold an extraordinary meeting "in the coming days" to revisit the matter.

The US ambassador in Brazil, Todd Chapman, had reportedly lobbied hard to retain the exemption.

Chapman now faces an inquiry before the US House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee over reports he violated a law barring federal officials from engaging in partisan activities by telling Brazilian counterparts that a renewal of the ethanol exemption would help Trump's re-election chances.

Ethanol is a key agricultural export for Iowa, a battleground state in the November election.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has sought to cultivate a close relationship with Trump, whom he openly admires and to whom he is often compared.

But that has not always shielded him from the Trump tempest. The US notably announced last week it would lower its quota for Brazilian steel imports.

That was a blow to Bolsonaro, who successfully persuaded Trump last year to continue exempting Brazil from the steel tariffs he imposed in 2018.

The ethanol issue is complicated by the fact that Bolsonaro also has a powerful agricultural lobby to contend with at home.

Ethanol is big business for sugarcane producers in Brazil's politically important northeast and southeast. They are also pushing for tariff-free access to the US sugar market.

Brazil and the United States lead the world in ethanol production, together accounting for nearly 85 percent of supply.

Story continues

The US exported more than 1.25 billion liters of ethanol to Brazil last year, and imported 738 million liters of Brazilian ethanol.

Both countries' producers face slumping fuel demand at home because of the coronavirus pandemic and are keen to boost exports.

jhb/bfm
OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau is casting a wider than usual net to come up with what he promised will be a bold agenda for an economic recovery.

Trudeau invited cabinet ministers to make submissions on what they want to see in a Sept. 23 throne speech  a move that a senior Liberal source said already distinguishes this effort from the way the Trudeau governments platforms, budgets and throne speeches were drafted in the past.

Some have already submitted ideas. The whole ministry will hash through the path ahead at a cabinet retreat expected to be held in Ottawa in mid-September.

It is a pivotal time for the Liberal government.

The throne speech will be put to an automatic confidence vote in Parliament on which the government could fall and thrust the country into a pandemic election.

Ten days ago, a government source told the Star that the business of crafting the throne speech, meant to be a big reset for a government elected less than a year ago on a now outdated platform, was at its midpoint.

Since then, theres been a ramped-up effort to reach outside the prime ministers inner circle and consult more broadly on what should be in the document.

Trudeau is actively seeking input from the Liberal caucus of 155 MPs, delegating that task to Associate Finance Minister Mona Fortier.

Every possible caucus configuration  urban, rural, GTA, Quebec, or Atlantic caucuses  have been holding zoom video conference calls to advance their ideas and priorities.

It is a deliberate move.

The controversy over the now defunct WE student grant program  and the Oppositions accusations the Trudeau government is a centre-driven operation that gives preferential treatment to those with insider access  did political damage, admitted several sources.

So the effort to craft an agenda to lead the economy out of the pandemic cannot be too centre-driven or it will be unsuccessful, is how one source, who spoke on condition they not be named, put it.

The Star spoke to several MPs whove been on the zoom calls and are waiting to see if their input will be reflected.

Some are skeptical and see the exercise as window-dressing. Others are hopeful.

MP Gary Anandasangaree, who is part of the Liberals Black caucus and represents the Scarborough-Rouge Park riding where one long-term-care home saw 53 senior residents die of COVID-19, hopes the throne speech will provide meaningful direction for how the government will act in the months ahead.

Theres two major issues that Im looking for, one is addressing long-term care as a federal government to look for national standards, and the other one is a deep-rooted plan to address systemic racism, he said in an interview.

I think the throne speech should really signal where were going with this, and the different elements of that I think could be rolled out later on. But I think the throne speech should clearly define where we are and where were going with respects to systemic racism, writ large, with a very important emphasis on anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism.

Apart from Liberal input, theres no shortage of outside advice.

The Council of Canadian Innovators on Tuesday submitted a plan to the government that contained eight recommendations it said would ensure the Trudeau government leads a meaningful economic reorientation.

It calls on Trudeau to boost support for Canadian-based knowledge and data-driven industries, saying Canadian governments need to become larger purchasers of made-in-Canada digital products and services. It urges the federal government to enlarge Canadas intellectual property capacity to harness value from COVID-19 research and development done here; to create national data strategies for strategic sectors such as health care, clean-energy (including smart cities), agriculture, energy and mining, to increase access to capital for the fastest-growing firms; to reverse the tech talent brain drain in this rare labour market opportunity, and to fast track the adoption of national standards and regulations for health care and cybersecurity.

Earlier in the summer Trudeau personally consulted economists, bankers and experts like Mark Carney, the former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, as he began to consider what a post-pandemic recovery might look like.

In her new role, Trudeaus Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland who was handed the finance portfolio after Bill Morneaus resignation last month, is looking beyond Parliament Hill for advice.

Freeland has contacted Unifor national president Jerry Dias, head of Canadas largest private sector union, whom she consulted often during the NAFTA negotiations, to discuss his concerns.

In an interview, Dias says among throne speech priorities he intends to lay out when they meet is the need for a green economic relaunch plan to address the needs of the $100 billion auto industry and its workers.

Dias is in talks right now with the big three companies, Ford, GM and Chrysler, and said the industry is at a crossroads.

Canada was once the number four producer in the world in 1999, churning out 3 million vehicles, but is now 12th or 13th, he said, producing about 1.8 million vehicles or less annually.

Dias said about three per cent of the global market today is electric vehicles, but by 2040 thats expected to be 50 per cent, and if Canada does not harness this opportunity to ramp up its capacity, Canadian workers will be left behind.

The bottom line is the government is going to have to get serious. Were looking at a transformation of the industry, he said.

Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna and others talk about having billions of dollars for a green transformation, said Dias. Well if youve got it, and you want to play, theres no bigger industry to start than the auto industry. So that will be number one.

Dias also wants the throne speech to address Employment Insurance reform, how Ottawa will treat precarious casual workers, and workers in the gig economy; and how any recovery will address barriers facing women trying to get back in the workforce.

If youre going to have an economic recovery, that means women are going to have to lead it and were going to have to start talking about a national child-care strategy, he said.

Will it all be enough to allow Trudeau to craft a throne speech that will survive a confidence vote?

Thats the bigger question.

The NDP and Conservative Opposition parties say they have not yet been consulted by Trudeau on what they want in a throne speech, though the party leaders have, like the Bloc, outlined certain priorities publicly.

Conservative Leader Erin OToole wants the government to address expediting natural resources to markets to stem the tide of Western alienation.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has identified the need to provide universal affordable child care for women, and the need to protect other marginalized groups in society.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has laid out the Blocs demands for supporting the government in a throne speech, despite already declaring he would vote to defeat the government over the WE controversy if Trudeau and his chief of staff didnt also follow Bill Morneau and resign.

The Bloc demands include support for seniors, for farmers in supply-managed sectors; a transfer to the Quebec government of its share of funds for the now defunct student volunteer program; and changes to emergency benefits to encourage labourers to return to work.

A senior government official, speaking on background, told the Star the government will probably be consulting the Opposition parties in the coming weeks but suggested it is too early for that kind of outreach.
The government has injected GH800 million into the National Investment Bank (NIB) to help close the banks capital deficit and boost its operations to support the national industrialization agenda.



The injection of funds, which is in the form of a bond issued to the bank earlier in August this year, is part of efforts to make the bank compliant with the Bank of Ghanas (BoGs) requirements on minimum stated capital for banks and also make it more competitive.



The Managing Director (MD) of the NIB, Mr. Samuel Sarpong, told the Daily Graphic and the Graphic Business' specialized programme on banking and finance, Banking & More, yesterday that the amount was in the form of a 10-year bond that the government issued to the bank.



Mr Sarpong was the first MD of a bank to take his turn on the programme, which streams on Facebook and other digital channels of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL).



He said the Board of Directors of the NIB was now in the process of converting the bond, which was issued at 19 percent coupon (interest) rate, into equity for the purposes of capitalization.



The initial money that has come in is in the form of a bond, but it is going to be converted into equity, and that is the process we are going through over the next two months, he said on the programme.



Banking & More



An initiative of the Daily Graphic and the Graphic Business, Banking & More is a pre-recorded interview that is broadcast on YouTube and the Facebook page of the Daily Graphic at 9 a.m. every Monday.



The discussions are also available on www.graphic.com.gh and Graphic NewsPlus, the digital version of the newspapers of the GCGL.



It is a thought-leadership programme meant to shape policy and bridge the information gap in the banking and the financial sectors by getting key stakeholders to throw more light on issues of concern.



The interview with Mr. Sarpong discussed the challenges facing the NIB, the status of ongoing reforms, his vision for the bank, among others.



Challenges



The NIB, which was established in 1963 to drive domestic industrialization, has suffered significant turbulence over the past few years.



The bank has posted losses consistently in recent times and now has a capital deficit of GH2.2 billion, according to an assessment conducted on its capital position last year.



Mr Sarpong said the government, which is the majority shareholder, was concerned about the banks predicament and had set in motion a strategy to help revive it.



He added that key in the strategy was the recapitalization of the bank to make it liquid, efficient and resilient to support businesses.



Beyond the capital injection, he said, the bank had also recovered about GH300 million of its funds that were locked up in some of the collapsed financial institutions, with plans underway to recover the remainder.



Impact



Mr. Sarpong explained that the injection of fresh capital and the funds recovered from the collapsed financial institutions had already strengthened the banks balance sheet and improved its earnings.



Combined with other gains chalked up from the internal controls instituted from last year to this year, he said, the NIB had successfully reversed its liquidity position from a deficit to a surplus, something which he said was the result of the turnaround campaign currently underway.



He said staff morale had also gone up, following the implementation of policies that were found to be credible and relevant to the revival of the bank.



Our staff is actually getting excited about the prospects of the bank and they are working hard to realize the dream. It may interest you to know that since I joined the bank in May 2019, deposits have actually gone up, he said.



Consequently, he said, he was convinced that the bank was on its way to becoming the premier development bank that specialised in supporting industrial development.



Reforms



Mr Sarpong, who was part of the team that reformed the GCB Bank, said he was passionate about turning troubled institutions into profitable ventures to support national development.



He added that a far-reaching reform exercise was currently underway in the NIB to create the requisite structures needed to efficiently deploy the GH800 million capital and the recovered funds for growth and support to the economy.



He said the reform process involved the reconstitution of the board of directors, development of new policies, injection of additional hands to augment existing staff and the prioritisation of good corporate governance, ethics and professionalism to help make the bank resilient.



The new board and the management have actually understood the issues; we have put in place solutions to stabilise the bank; we are managing the balance sheet well, cutting cost, going after those who owe the bank and putting in place good governance practices, he said.





Source: Graphic.com.gh









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The US and Israel are losing no time in rushing to cement the announced peace deal between Israel and the UAE

In a historic development, an Israeli commercial flight flew for the first time from Tel Aviv to the UAE capital Monday carrying a joint American-Israeli delegation to discuss with Emirati officials details of the peace deal announced 13 August.

Onboard was Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, who is US President Donald Trumps son-in-law and a key architect of Washingtons Middle East policy. The American delegation was led by US National Security Adviser Robert OBrien and the Israeli delegation was led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat.

On arrival in Abu Dhabi, Kushner thanked Saudi Arabia for allowing the flight to use Saudi airspace. Israel media reported that Saudi authorities gave permission to the Israeli flight on US request and because a senior American delegation was onboard.

The Israeli delegation, including economists, scientists and planners, would meet UAE officials in preparation for the signing of cooperation agreements in the civil and economic fields. The two-day visit also aimed at setting a date for the signing of the Abraham Accord  as the Israeli-Emirati peace deal is called  with the US as a third party, probably in September.

Though the main theme of the negotiations in Abu Dhabi looks economic, preparing for trade, economic and technological cooperation and joint investment agreements, political and diplomatic aspects are not absent. Israel is keen on signing an agreement to open embassies and to formalise diplomatic relations as soon as possible.

The official Emirati news agency quoted Lior Haiat, spokesperson for Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as saying: We hope that it would be a quick process and within a few weeks or months we would be able to see the fruits of this process. The Israeli official said that the delegation will discuss with Emirati officials diplomatic relations, tourism, science and space, trade and investments, as well as cultural and health research, the Emirati news agency reported.

Abu Dhabi-based English daily The National said that the visit underpins the importance Israel places on cooperation with the Emirates, one of the few Arab countries with a GDP larger than Israels.

Since the announcement of the peace deal, Israel and the UAE have moved quickly to cement their ties. Almost immediately, they opened direct phone lines and cabinet ministers held friendly phone conversations. On Saturday, the UAE ended its formal commercial boycott of Israel. UAE Minister of State for Food Security Mariam Al-Mheiri, and Israels Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Alon Schuster, held an online meeting last Friday and agreed to collaborate in food and water security, cooperation in research and development, aquaculture and agriculture technology.

Emirati political commentator Rashed Murooshid told Al-Ahram Weekly that active peace with Israel is of great benefit to the UAE and the region. He specifically mentioned cooperation in tourism as an important element, citing his country set a benchmark for the industry. Tourism is becoming a significant component of the economy, and enhancing it leads not only to business benefits but also social and cultural ones, that strengthen the message of tolerance and coexistence the UAE adopted, he said.

Responding to the few voices that criticised the deal, Murooshid said: Decades of failed efforts to settle the Palestinian issue shouldnt put us off. Direct and transparent relations can help opening the way to direct and serious negotiations between the concerned parties. That will prove more fruitful than back corridors and external parties just exploiting the issue to further Palestinian internal wrangling.

It is not only the Israelis who are in a hurry to make a hot peace. The Americans are keen as well to make up for the failed Deal of the Century Kushner and Trump announced last year.

Upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi, Kushner said: On the plane we asked the pilots to fly faster because there is great urgency between the people of both countries to break down old barriers, to get to know each other, to form new and hopefully very deep friendships. Signing the accord officially could be a boost to Trump in the run up to November US presidential elections.

Even if mere coincidence, it was remarkable that on the same day Israel reached a deal with Hamas in Gaza Strip to calm the situation down and to stopping firing rockets from Gaza on Israel in return for opening the crossings on the border and allowing Gazan fishermen more space in the Mediterranean Sea. The deal was brokered by Qatar.

Israelis are mindful of the rift between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. But as Tel Aviv is eager for a warm peace with the whole Arab Gulf, it is trying to appease all parties.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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More than 3000 public school students in NSW have not returned to their classrooms since the remote learning period ended in May.

The chief executive of Fams, the peak body for non-government organisations working with vulnerable children, said the situation was "as bad as we feared", with many students becoming disconnected from trusted relationships with teachers and school counsellors during lockdown.

Many high school students who have disconnected were already on the edge of disengagement. Credit:Louise Kennerley

"We know that for some children and young people, the connection to school was tenuous at best. Lockdown was the circuit breaker those kids did not need," Julie Hourigan Ruse said.

Former NSW Teachers Federation president Denis Fitzgerald told the union's inquiry into teaching conditions on Tuesday that since the lockdown thousands of students have not returned.
Democratic incumbent Edward Markey has been challenged by Joe Kennedy III to represent Massachusets in the US Senate.

Massachusetts residents are set to decide between a longtime progressive senator and a Kennedy scion in one of the last primary votes of the election cycle.

Representative Joe Kennedy III, the 39-year-old grandson of Robert F Kennedy and great-nephew of former President John F Kennedy, is challenging 74-year-old senator Edward Markey, who has spent more than 40 years in Washington, to represent the state of Massachusetts in the chamber.

Few residents were expected at the polls on Tuesday, with state officials reporting that most ballots had already been cast in either early voting or mail-in ballots.

The winner of the primary is all but assured victory in the November 3 election in the deeply Democratic state.

Markey, a longtime progressive who co-authored, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes, the Green New Deal to lower carbon emissions causing climate change, has resonated with young voters, while garnering the endorsement of fellow progressives, including Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Elizabeth Warren, who competed against Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential primary.

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Kennedy, meanwhile, has found support among the partys establishment, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The representative has also gone after Markey on the issue of racial inequity, criticising his initial opposition to school desegregation efforts in Boston in the 1970s and noting criticism of Markey by the father of Danroy DJ Henry, a young Black man from Massachusetts killed by police 10 years ago.

Kennedy has also highlighted his familys political legacy, in part in response to Markey, who during one debate told Kennedy that he should tell his father, the former US Representative Joe Kennedy II, not to help fund a political action committee that was going after Markey.

Markey has also portrayed Kennedy as a progressive in name only, in one debate faulting him for deciding early in his career to work as a prosecutor for Michael OKeefe, a Republican district attorney.

No matter who wins on Tuesday, the result will make history. It will be either the first time a sitting US senator or a Kennedy has lost a primary in the state, according to the FiveThirtyEight news site.

Tuesdays vote will also decide several Democratic house races, with incumbents Richard Neal and Stephen Lynch expected to easily overcome challenges from young progressives, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse and physician Robbie Goldstein, respectively.
Enjoy a glass of Temecula Valley Wine during California Wine Month.

Celebrate California Wine Month this September Temecula style by staying in Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country sipping wine, watching a beautiful sunset, dining al fresco, and absorbing the breathtaking scenery. Temecula Valley Wine Month is a great reason to wander local and relax among expansive landscapes with breathtaking views, award-winning wines, and in the comfort of clean, safe accommodations.

CRUSH From Home is a virtual wine and culinary tastings on September 17 and 24. Both events will feature South Coast Winery & Carter Estate Winerys winemakers Jon McPherson and Javier Flores as well as Vineyard Rose Chef Jose Esparza. Prices are $110 for local wine pick up or $145 with shipping. Each ticket is good for up to 10 guests of the same household. Check the website for a schedule and more details - CRUSH From Home.

Wine Trails

Visitors to the region can take advantage of three unique wine trails to help plan their wine-tasting experience. Its easy to spend a day on each trail, taking in the variety of wines and unique experiences they have to offer.

Rancho California Wine Trail  Some of the regions oldest and most well-known wineries can be found here. Most visitors first encounter this trail upon exiting the freeway. Located on the west side of the trail sits Hart Winery, Callaway Vineyard & Winery, Thornton Winery, Baily Vineyard & Winery, Bolero Winery, Europa Village, Mount Palomar Winery, Miramonte Winery, Churon Winery, and Bel Vino Winery. Further east, visitors can explore Maurice Carrie Vineyard & Winery, Avensole Vineyard & Winery, Carter Estate Winery & Vineyard, South Coast Winery, Wiens Family Cellars, Ponte Winery, BOTTIA Winery, Monte De Oro, Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyard, Chapin Family Vineyards, and Doffo Vineyard & Winery. Standouts along this densely concentrated trail include Callaway Vineyard & Winery, the first commercial winery in Temecula Valley; Thornton Winery, known for their sparklings; and Baily Vineyard & Winery, specializing in the Bordeaux varieties.

Calle Cotento Wine Trail  For an off the beaten path wine tasting experience, visitors wont want to miss the Calle Cotento Wine Trail. Located just off Rancho California Road, this wine trail boasts sweeping views of vineyards throughout the trails meandering path. This area is home to Akash Winery, Peltzer Family Cellars, Lumiere Winery, and Vindemia. Dont miss The Crush House tasting room at Peltzer where guests can sample unique wines in rustic, hip style.

De Portola Wine Trail  Just south of Rancho California Road, the De Portola Wine Trail wanders through an equestrian region, nestled against the foothills of Temecula Valley. The Spanish influence in both architecture and wine is strong at Masia de la Vinya, while Cougar Vineyard & Winery (which features 100% Estate, award-winning Italian varietals including Primitivo, Pinot Grigio, and Pulciano), Robert Renzoni Vineyards & Winery, and Danza del Sol Winery all evoke the idyllic Italian wine scene, and nearby Foot Path Winery is the only certified user of organic grapes in the valley. Wine tasters wont want to miss the grape Shiraz at Fazeli Cellars or the stunning, hilltop views at Oak Mountain Winery. Other De Portola Wine Trail favorites include Leoness Cellars, with its lush grounds and critically acclaimed wine list, and Gershon Bachus Vitners, where a wine education program takes tasters on an adventure through red wines.

Romantic Moments

The romance of wine county can be captured through memorable experiences high above the vineyards, on horseback over the rolling hills, outdoors dining with panoramic views, or overlooking the valley under colorful skies.

Hot Air Ballooning  Couples can watch the sunrise together in a hot air balloon floating over the vineyards. This is popular for marriage proposals, celebrations, and special occasions. California Dreamin, Magical Adventure, and A Grape Escape all offer a Will You Marry Me? package.

Horse Drawn Carriage Ride  There is something magically romantic about a horse and carriage ride through the vineyards. Temecula Carriage Company offers private horse drawn carriage rides for couples, complete with an intimate vineyard picnic and a bottle of sparkling wine.

Sunset Viewing  Temecula Valley is known for its stunning sunsets. Professional photographers flock to wine countrys hilltops in hopes of capturing some of the most spectacular landscape images rich with blended colors of scarlet, crimson, saffron and dusty orange in the vast open skies above.

The best spots cozy up and relax with a glass of wine while watching a breathtaking sunset together are Avensole Winery, Bel Vino Winery, Callaway Vineyard & Winery, Danza Del Sol Winery, Lorimar Vineyards & Winery, and Palumbo Vineyards & Winery.

Al Fresco Dining with a View  With 19 dining options to choose from in wine country, this is one of Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Countrys unique amenities. Al fresco dining is a favorite with visitors who want to take in the panoramic views. Celebrated chefs use local, natural resources to create innovative dishes that pair beautifully with their wines.

Winery restaurants with sweeping views include Bel Vino Bistro at Bel Vino Winery, Baba Joons Kitchen at Fazeli Cellars, Flower Hill Bistro at Miramonte Winery, Mama Rosas Trattoria at Robert Renzoni Winery, Meritage at Callaway Winery, Pinnacle at Falkner Winery, and The Pool Cafe at BOTTAIA Winery.

Where To Stay

Visitors can enhance the wine country experience by staying in Temecula Valley Wine Country at Bolero Winery at Europa Village, Carter Estate Winery & Resort, Inn at Churon Winery, Inn at Europa Village, or South Coast Winery Resort & Spa. Other nearby options open only minutes away include Best Western Country Inn, Best Western Plus, Extended Stay America, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Home2 Suites, Hotel Temecula, La Quinta Inn & Suites, Motel 6, Pechanga Resort Casino, Quality Inn, Rancho California Inn, Rodeway Inn, Signature Temecula, and SpringHill Marriott.

Temecula Valley is conveniently located just a short drive from most Southern California cities. Its an immersive escape some have called closer to far away. Its Southern Californias wine country destination; a convenient, accessible place to escape, relax, and wander.

Start planning a getaway and book a room at VisitTemeculaValley.com.

ABOUT TEMECULA VALLEY AND VISIT TEMECULA VALLEY

Temecula Valley is prepared to welcome visitors to a safe and clean environment. The businesses have strict cleaning and safety protocols to ensure everyones safety and comfort. They have met and often succeeded county and state requirements because visitors and their employees health are top priority.

Temecula Valley Southern California Wine Country is a year-round vacation destination, located 60 minutes from San Diego, Orange County, Palm Springs, and 90 minutes from Los Angeles.

Temecula Valley Wine Country is widely recognized for its scenic vineyards, award-winning wines, and experiential wineries. The popular boutique destination includes the Temecula Valley Wine Country as well as historic Old Town Temecula, and Pechanga Resort Casino. It also was named as a 2019 Wine Enthusiast 10 Best Wine Travel Destination.

Visit Temecula Valley is the regions official tourism marketing organization and resource for visitors. For visitor information and assistance, please call (888) 363-2852 or go to VisitTemeculaValley.com.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday ordered Kenya's health ministry to publish details of all purchases made during the coronavirus pandemic following allegations government officials stole millions of dollars of vital medical supplies.

The directive applies particularly to tenders issued by the state-run Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA), at the centre of a growing scandal that has prompted strikes at ill-equipped hospitals and street protests.

KEMSA is under fire over allegations government officials and businessmen pilfered $400 million in public money earmarked for medical equipment needed in the fight against coronavirus.

Kenyatta last week instructed the anti-corruption commission to expedite its investigation into KEMSA, which is responsible for supplying Kenya's overwhelmed hospitals treating coronavirus patients. KEMSA's CEO and other top officials have been stood down.

Kenyatta also said the health ministry had 30 days to develop a "transparent" system so that KEMSA's procurement processes could be published online.

"This level of transparency and through the use of technology, will go a very along way in ensuring that we have the confidence of our people that those placed in institutions are able to manage the resources of the Kenyan taxpayer plus our development partners in an open and transparent manner," the president said in a statement.

- Medical staff among virus victims -

Frontline health workers have been among the 577 to die from coronavirus in Kenya since the first case was detected in March. They include a 32-year-old nurse who succumbed to the disease two weeks after giving birth to her child.

Medical staff dealing with coronavirus patients have complained about the quality of supplies, with some posting images online of defective personal protective equipment sent to emergency rooms across the country.

Doctors in public hospitals went on strike this month, not long after a television investigation alleged massive graft at KEMSA, sparking anti-corruption protests in several Kenyan cities. Police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Nairobi last week.

Story continues

The KEMSA scandal came after Kenyan investigators vowed a separate inquiry into the alleged theft of PPE supplies donated by Chinese billionaire and Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

The allegations of graft and misappropriation surfaced as new infections of Covid-19 soared across Kenya, though numbers have dipped in recent weeks.

Government officials have expressed optimism about the downward trend but WHO Kenya urged caution in a note Monday, warning that overall testing and contact tracing had also declined over the same period.

The East African country had recorded 34,201 cases as of Monday.

np/jj
Kanu Sarda By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: In its Monday sentencing, the apex court on Monday had a word of advice for judges and lawyers  judicial norms, ethics, and code of conduct are sacrosanct.

Truth can be the defence to the Judges also, but they are bound by their judicial norms, ethics, and code of conduct, said a three judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra.

The top court touched on the unprecedented press conference in 2018 when four SC judges spoke to the media regarding their differences with the CJI.

We hope it was the first and the last occasion that the judges have gone to the press, and God gives wisdom to protect its dignity by internal mechanism, particularly, when allegations made, if any, publicly cannot be met by sufferer judges.

The bench went on to explain how the right of freedom of speech and expression cant be misused.

Though there is a freedom of speech, freedom is never absolute because the makers of the Constitution have imposed certain restrictions upon it. Particularly, when such freedom of speech is sought to be abused, and it has the effect of scandalising the institution as a whole and the persons who are part of the said institution and cant defend themselves publicly, the same cant be permitted in law.

The court cant abdicate its duty and has to be uninfluenced by the statements published in various articles published in the media and opinions expressed therein. It has to decide the case uninfluenced by such opinions, the bench said.

The then top four judges of the apex court, Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, had held an unprecedented press conference on January 12, 2018, when Justice Dipak Misra was the Chief Justice of India, and had highlighted a litany of problems afflicting the highest court of the country.

The then CJI and the four judges have since retired.

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, imposing a 'nominal fine' of Re 1 on Prashant Bhushan in a contempt case, noted on Monday that the activist lawyer had tried to justify the averments made on the basis of press conference by these four judges.

"Truth can be the defence to the judges also, but they are bound by their judicial norms, ethics, and code of conduct," the bench said in its 82-page judgement.

The apex court said that similarly, the code of conduct for advocates is equally applicable to the lawyers also, being part of the system.

"The Rules of Professional Ethics formed by the Bar Council, though couched under statutory power, are themselves not enough to prescribe or proscribe the nobility of profession in entirety. The nobility of profession encompasses, over and above, the Rules of Ethics," it said.

The bench noted that judges have to express their opinion by their judgments and they cannot enter into public debate or go to press.

"It is very easy to make any allegation against the judges in the newspaper and media. Judges have to be the silent sufferer of such allegations, and they cannot counter such allegations publicly by going on public platforms, newspapers or media. Nor can they write anything about the correctness of the various wild allegations made, except when they are dealing with the matter," it said.

The top court said that retired judges do "have the prestige that they have earned by dint of hard work and dedication to this institution".

It noted that judges are also not supposed to be answering each and every allegation made and enter into public debate.

"Thus, it is necessary that when they cannot speak out, they cannot be made to suffer the loss of their reputation and prestige, which is essential part of the right to live with dignity," it said.

The Bar is supposed to the 'spokesperson for the protection' of the judicial system and they are an integral part of the system, it said.

"The Bar and Bench are part of the same system i. e. the judicial system, and enjoy equal reputation. If a scathing attack is made on the judges, it would become difficult for them to work fearlessly and with the objectivity of approach to the issues," it said.

"The judgement can be criticized. However, motives to the judges need not be attributed, as it brings the administration of justice into disrepute," the bench said.

The apex court imposed a "nominal fine" of Re 1 on Bhushan, who was convicted for criminal contempt for his two tweets against the judiciary, saying he has attempted to "denigrate the reputation of the institution of administration of justice".

The court said it was "showing magnanimity" and instead of imposing any severe punishment, it was sentencing Bhushan with a nominal fine of Re 1.

It said the fine be deposited with the apex court registry by September 15, failing which Bhushan shall undergo a simple imprisonment of three months and he would further be debarred from practising in top court for three years.

The apex court had on August 14 held Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt for his two derogatory tweets against the judiciary and maintained that they cannot be said to be a fair criticism of the functioning of the judiciary made in public interest.

(With PTI Inputs)
A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle  looking for the needed proof that they really work as a U.S. advisory panel suggested Tuesday a way to ration the first limited doses once a vaccine wins approval.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - This July 18, 2020, file photo, shows the AstraZeneca offices in Cambridge, England. AstraZeneca announced Monday, Aug. 31, its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. The company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle  looking for the needed proof that they really work as a U.S. advisory panel suggested Tuesday a way to ration the first limited doses once a vaccine wins approval.

AstraZeneca announced Monday its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. The Cambridge, England-based company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups.

Two other vaccine candidates began final testing this summer in tens of thousands of people in the U.S. One was created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc., and the other developed by Pfizer Inc. and Germanys BioNTech.

"To have just one vaccine enter the final stage of trials eight months after discovering a virus would be a remarkable achievement; to have three at that point with more on the way is extraordinary," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement.

NIH Director Francis Collins tweeted that his agency "is supporting several vaccine trials since more than one may be needed. We have all hands on deck."

AstraZeneca said development of the vaccine, known as AZD1222, is moving ahead globally with late-stage trials in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa. Further trials are planned in Japan and Russia. The potential vaccine was invented by the University of Oxford and an associated company, Vaccitech.

Meanwhile, a U.S. advisory panel released a draft plan Tuesday for how to ration the first doses of vaccine. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine proposed giving the first vaccine doses  initial supplies are expected to be limited to up to 15 million people  to high-risk health care workers and first responders.

Next, older residents of nursing homes and other crowded facilities and people of all ages with health conditions that put them at significant danger would be given priority. In following waves of vaccination, teachers, other school staff, workers in essential industries, and people living in homeless shelters, group homes, prisons and other facilities would get the shots.

Healthy children, young adults and everyone else would not get the first vaccinations, but would be able to get them once supplies increase.

The panel of experts described "a moral imperative" to lessen the heavy disease burden of COVID-19 on Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and suggested state and local authorities could target vulnerable neighbourhoods using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Academies will solicit public comments on the plan through Friday.

FILE - In this July 27, 2020, file photo, Nurse Kathe Olmstead, right, gives volunteer Melissa Harting, of Harpersville, N.Y., an injection as a study of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., gets underway in Binghamton, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)

Theres a good reason so many COVID-19 vaccines are in development.

"The first vaccines that come out are probably not going to be the best vaccines," Dr. Nicole Lurie, who helped lead pandemic planning under the Obama administration, said at a University of Minnesota vaccine symposium.

Theres no guarantee that any of the leading candidates will pan out  and the bar is higher than for COVID-19 treatments, because these vaccines will be given to healthy people. Final testing, experts stress, must be in large numbers of people to know if theyre safe enough for mass vaccinations.

Theyre made in a wide variety of ways, each with pros and cons. One problem: Most of the leading candidates are being tested with two doses, which lengthens the time required to get an answer  and, if one works, to fully vaccinate people.

Another: Theyre all shots. Vaccine experts are closely watching development of some nasal-spray alternatives that just might begin the first step of human testing later this year  late to the race, but possibly advantageous against a virus that sneaks into the airways.

For now, heres a scorecard of vaccines that already have begun or are getting close to final-stage tests:

GENETIC CODE VACCINES

The Moderna and Pfizer candidates began Phase 3 testing in late July.

Neither uses the actual coronavirus. Instead, theyre made with the genetic code for the aptly named "spike" protein that coats the surface of the coronavirus. Inject the vaccine containing that code, called mRNA, and the bodys cells will make some harmless spike protein  just enough for the immune system to respond, priming it to react if it later encounters the real virus.

These mRNA vaccines are easier and faster to make than traditional vaccines, but its a new and unproven technology.

TROJAN HORSE VACCINES

Britains Oxford University and AstraZeneca are making what scientists call a "viral vector" vaccine but a good analogy is the Trojan horse. The shots are made with a harmless virus  a cold virus that normally infects chimpanzees  that carries the spike proteins genetic material into the body. Once again, the body produces some spike protein and primes the immune system, but it, too, is a fairly new technology.

Two possible competitors are made with different human cold viruses.

Shots made by Johnson & Johnson began initial human studies in late July. The company plans to begin Phase 3 testing in September in as many as 60,000 people in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Chinas government authorized emergency use of CanSino Biologics adenovirus shots in the military ahead of any final testing.

KILLED VACCINES

Making vaccines by growing a disease-causing virus and then killing it is a tried-and-true approach  its the way Jonas Salks famed polio shots were made. China has three so-called "inactivated" vaccine candidates against COVID-19 made this way.

Sinovac has final studies of its candidate underway in Brazil and Indonesia. Competitor SinoPharm has announced plans for final testing in some other countries.

Safely brewing and then killing the virus takes longer than newer technologies. But inactivated vaccines give the body a sneak peek at the germ itself rather than just that single spike protein.

PROTEIN VACCINES

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Novavax makes "protein subunit" vaccines, growing harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and packaging them into virus-sized nanoparticles.

There are protein-based vaccines against other diseases, so its not as novel a technology as some of its competitors. But it only recently finished its first-step study; the U.S. governments Operation Warp Speed aims for advanced testing later in the fall.

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AP journalist Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)-Mains for admission to engineering colleges began on Tuesday amid stringent precautions and social distancing measures in view of the COVID-19 pandemic even as the chorus continued to grow for postponement of the crucial exam which has already been deferred twice.

Scenes outside exam centres across the country reflected the 'new normal' amid the pandemic: staggered entry and exit for candidates, sanitisers at the gates, distribution of masks, and students queuing up with safe social distance among them.

JEE-Mains, the first large scale exam to be conducted amid the pandemic, is scheduled from September 1 to 6.

Over 9 lakh candidates have registered for the exam for admission to engineering courses in IITs, NITs and Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs).

While the governments of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have assured students that they will provide transportation to candidates, a group of IIT alumni and students have also launched a portal to provide transport facilities to exam centres for the candidates in need.

Several candidates appearing for the exam in West Bengal had a difficult time reaching their test centres owing to heavy rain and lack of transport.

However, those in Delhi and NCR didn't complain of any major difficulties.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been opposing the conduct of JEE and NEET exams amid pandemic, alleged that the Modi government has ignored the "genuine concerns" of aspirants, who have been demanding postponement of the entrance exams, due to its "arrogance" and is jeopardising India's future.

ALSO READ | Bombay HC refuses to stay JEE-Main, allows students from flood-hit Vidarbha region to seek re-examination

"Modi Government is jeopardising India's future. Arrogance is making them ignore the genuine concerns of the JEE-NEET aspirants as well as the demands of those who took SSC and other exams. Give jobs, not empty slogans," Gandhi said on Twitter.

Students in Delhi who appeared for the exam on Tuesday said they were initially apprehensive about taking the test amid a pandemic, but did not face any issues at the centres as all safety norms were properly followed.

Shivani, who took the computer-based exam at the Arwachin Bharti Bhawan Senior Secondary School in Vivek Vihar here, said she travelled from Dwarka Mor to the centre without facing any difficulty.

"Amid the ongoing protests to demand the postponement of the exam, I had thought the exam won't happen. But somewhere I didn't want them to be postponed as it would have led to more anxiety among students," she said.

Requesting anonymity, another candidate at the centre said all Standard Operating Procedures were followed inside the examination centre and students were made to sit at appropriate safe distance.

However, scenes were different in West Bengal.

While the government had asked all state transport utilities to commence bus services from 5 am in view of the exam, several candidates in North 24 Parganas, Berhampur, Malda and Siliguri claimed that they had to wait for hours, braving a downpour, to get a bus to reach their test centres.

Suspension of local train services due to the COVID-19 pandemic added to the woes of the candidates.

"I had to hire a cab to reach the centre at TCS Gitobitan in Salt Lake from Khardah (North 24 Parganas) as no direct bus was available. It would have been easier if the trains plied," Subham Das, one of the candidates, said.

Meanwhile, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court refused to stay the JEE-Main examination, but said any student residing in flood-hit parts of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region who cannot reach the exam centre or reaches late can apply to the National Testing Agency to seek a re-examination.

Increasing the number of examination centres from 570 to 660, alternate seating plans, fewer candidates per room and staggered entry and exit are among the steps the National Testing Agency (NTA) has taken for safely conducting the crucial exam.

"Hand sanitisers are being made available at the entrance of the examination centre and inside the exam hall at all times.

The usual process of checking the admit cards of candidates has been replaced with barcode readers, which have been made available to the examination centre authorities," said an NTA official.

"While all the candidates are asked to go to the exam centres with masks and sanitisers, once they enter the centre, they have to use the masks provided by the examination authority.

Each candidate will be offered a 3-ply mask at the time of entry and expected to wear the same during the examination in order to avoid any form of unfair means at the time of examination," the official added.

The first shift of the exam began at 9.30 am while the exam in the second shift was conducted from 2.30-5.30 pm.

"Before the start of each exam shift and after the last shift's end, all seats were thoroughly sanitised and the work stations and keyboards were disinfected," the NTA official said.

There has been a growing chorus for postponing the exams amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed a plea seeking postponement of the two exams amid a spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases, saying a "precious year" of students cannot be wasted and life has to go on.

Based on the results of the JEE-Mains Paper 1 and Paper 2, the top 2.45 lakh candidates will be eligible to appear for the JEE-Advanced exam, which is a one-stop exam to get admission into the 23 premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

JEE-Advanced is scheduled to take place on September 27.
Wirecard was found to be missing 1.9bn from its balance sheets. Photo: Peter Kneffel/picture alliance via Getty Images

German opposition lawmakers have collected enough votes to launch a parliamentary enquiry into the fraud scandal that has brought down bankrupt payments company Wirecard.

The Greens, the Left Party, and the Free Democratic Party said on Tuesday that they have formed an alliance to compel the coalition government  made up of the Christian Democratic Union and Social Democratic Party  to open an enquiry. The probe would examine, among other things, what the government knew and whether it or the financial regulator had turned a blind eye to concerns about Wirecards operations.

Wirecard, once the darling of the German fintech scene, was revealed in June this year to be missing 1.9bn (1.69bn, $2.27bn) from its balance sheets. Its auditor EY, who had refused to sign off on the 2019 accounts due to the missing money, said in June that there were clear indications Wirecard had carried out an elaborate and sophisticated fraud involving multiple parties around the world...with a deliberate aim of deception.

READ MORE: Former Wirecard COO put on Interpols most-wanted list

The timing of the parliamentary probe is far from ideal for the two ruling parties, as it will likely run into 2021, which is federal election year in Germany.

The enquiry could also spell bad news for finance minister Olaf Scholz, who is running as the Social Democrat candidate to replace Angela Merkel as chancellor. Merkel has said that this is her final term, but the CDU has not yet chosen its candidate for 2021.

READ MORE: German finance minister to run as chancellor candidate in 2021

Scholzs ministry is in charge of the countrys top financial regulator, BaFin, which has been harshly criticised for a lack of oversight on Wirecard.

The Financial Times first reported on suspicious accounting practices in Wirecards Asian businesses in 2019.

Wirecard declared itself insolvent in June, and was ejected from Germanys DAX 30 in August.

READ MORE: Bust Wirecard to sell UK business to Railsbank

Insolvency administrators cut Wirecards workforce in Germany by half late last month, letting 730 employees go as part of the insolvency proceedings. The companys other assets are being sold off to try and recoup some of the 4bn that it owes creditors.

Its former chief executive Markus Braun and two other executives are in the custody of the Munich authorities, accused of fraud and other charges, while former chief operating officer Jan Marsalek is on the Interpol most-wanted list, and has been on the run since June.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Public health experts from three medical associations have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting that schools and other educational institutions should be reopened in a graded manner.

The statement issued by the Indian Public Health Association, the Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine and the Indian Association of Epidemiologists stated that the closure has had a significant impact on the teaching-learning system and mental health of the children.

"It is time now to move towards normalcy. The opening of schools and other educational institutions could be started in a graded manner. There should be a pragmatic approach, especially in areas where a sufficient population is already infected," the experts said.

Twenty members of the joint Covid-19 task force went on to say that schools may be opened with due safety measures with social distancing, alternate work days and with adequate surveillance even in low infection areas.

In the Unlock-4 guidelines issued by the government, schools and educational institutes have been directed to remain closed. The experts said that the impact of school closure is higher on the children of lower socio-economic strata, who do not have social capital for alternatives like digital platforms.

"Sufficient evidence is available that infected, young children are at an extremely low risk of developing morbidity," the public health experts said.

They requested the government to discontinue the imposition of lockdown as a strategy to control the spread of coronavirus infection and said that limited restrictions should be imposed in epidemiologically-defined clusters for short periods.

The three health associations said that even cluster restrictions should be imposed only after weighing its impact on the livelihood of the population.

They added that creating containment zones and aggressive testing for Covid-19 offers little advantage in large cities where the infection has already spread wide. "The focus should instead be on preventing deaths from Covid-19 and not containing the infection." The experts said that containment zones should be revamped with a clear roadmap and timelines for periodic review by an expert committee, with the aim to test all suspects, isolate all infected individuals for proper treatment and that they should be de-contained in 14 days.

Asserting that "pragmatic testing" should be adopted as a control strategy, they said that universal scaling up of testing at the current community transmission stage of the pandemic may not be an optimal strategy and will divert attention and resources from control measures.

"With the availability of sufficient understanding of the natural history of disease and at-risk population, testing should be used with due diligence. Targeted testing of high-risk individuals, healthcare workers, elderly with comorbidities, screening prior to surgical procedure is recommended," the experts said.

The associations further said that it must be assumed that an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus "would not be available in the near future" and any false sense of hope that this panacea is just around the corner must be avoided.

The public health experts include Dr Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr AC Dhaliwal, Former Director, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme and NCDC, Dr DCS Reddy, Former Professor and Head, Community Medicine at BHU in Varanasi, Dr Sanjay K Rai, National President of IPHA and Professor at AIIMS in New Delhi and several others.
Teagasc has warned that some dairy farmers are currently either unaware of, or have not yet implemented, the new derogation requirements for 2020.

There are a number of additional requirements which the nearly 6,500 farmers who applied for a nitrates derogation in 2020 need to be aware of.

The clock is definitely ticking, with limited time left to comply before the end of the year, said Tom ODwyer, Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc.

Failure to comply with these new requirements, in addition to the existing conditions of the derogation, could result in penalties, or withdrawal of your derogation, under cross-compliance.

Mr ODwyer said many dairy farmers are taking on-going action to comply with nitrates derogation requirements, thereby playing their part in improving water quality, but Teagasc dairy advisors report that some have not implemented the required 2020 actions yet.

There are eight changes which derogation farmers need to be aware of.

The full details are on page 7, or can be seen on Teagasc's website.

Tim Hyde, Environment Specialist with Teagasc, urged derogation farmers to familiarise themselves with the changes and to discuss how they can best meet the requirements before the end of the year, to ensure they are compliant.

Pat Murphy, Head of Environment Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc, said: Derogation farmers may have completed some, or all, of the actions already. The key thing now is to familiarise yourself with the requirements.

"Contact your Teagasc advisor or private consultant to discuss what requirements apply to your farm and how best you can meet them. Teagasc will offer training courses in autumn 2020 and throughout 2021.

All derogation applicants must attend an environmental training course before December 31, 2021.

A grassland management course must be completed in the same time frame, unless the farmer completes at least 20 PastureBase Ireland grass measurements.
The callousness with which these political dissidents are being treated goes against the Supreme Court's directive, given right at the beginning of the lockdown.

The apex court had directed states to release prisoners to decongest jails, which had become hotspots of the coronavirus.

Jyoti Punwani reports.

IMAGE: Sudha Bharadwaj with her daughter Maaysha in happier times. Photograph: Kind courtesy Maaysha

The last few days have shown that the Right to Health, defined by the Supreme Court in more than one judgment as an integral part of the Right to Life, is being denied to the jailed intellectuals awaiting trial in the Bhima Koregaon case.

While poet Varavara Rao was stealthily shifted from the Nanavati Hospital in north west Mumbai back to the Taloja Jail a few days before his scheduled bail hearing (to be held on August 31, now deferred to September 3), advocate Sudha Bharadwaj's latest medical report had mysterious omissions.

Bharadwaj applied for bail on health grounds on June 10.

Her petition pointed out that her co morbidities: A history of pulmonary TB, and her ongoing diabetes and hypertension, made her more vulnerable to COVID-19.

On July 21, the Byculla Jail reported that the 58 year old had ischemic heart disease, and confirmed that she had a history of pulmonary TB, diabetes and hypertension. The report also said that she had osteoarthritis.

The latest report dated August 21, does not mention ischemic heart disease or osteoarthritis.

Curiously, however, the tablet 'atorvastain' (sic) is mentioned in the list of drugs that Bharadwaj is being administered.

This was the very drug that was prescribed to her for her ischemic heart disease, according to the earlier medical report. Only there it was spelt correctly as 'atorvastatin', and its strength was also given.

The drug is prescribed to prevent heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes.

What does one conclude from this? Why did the latest medical report omit the name of the disease for which Bharadwaj is taking medicine prescribed by the jail doctor?

Again, the latest report does not mention osteoarthritis, but talks of 'bodyache'.

The first report stated that while the Byculla Jail's capacity was 262, it housed 266 inmates. This precluded any possibility for social distancing as required for preventing COVID-19.

The second report states that the jail now has 246 inmates, hence it is not overcrowded.

Does the reduction of its strength by 20 inmates allow the kind of social distancing required?

"The second report appears to be fictitious as there is a vast divergence between the two reports," says Bharadwaj's lawyer Ragini Ahuja.

However, stating that there is no inconsistency in the reports, and accepting the public prosecutor's contention that whenever further treatment is required, it would be provided, the high court denied bail to Bharadwaj on health grounds.

Two curious factors emerged in this hearing.

First, the public prosecutor, appointed by the Maharashtra government, echoed what the additional solicitor general for the National Investigation Agency said.

The Maharashtra government, specially its senior-most leader Sharad Pawar, had initially criticised the way the Bhima Koregaon case investigations were going, the way the original two Hindutva activists accused for the violence, Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote, were being ignored.

The government had resisted its takeover by the NIA, and Pawar had declared that an SIT would be set up to conduct a parallel investigation.

Now, the Maharashtra government speaks in the same voice as the NIA.

Secondly, the NIA ASG, without a trace of irony, gave the precedent of Varavara Rao being admitted to Nanavati Hospital to reassure the court that if the need ever arose, Sudha Bharadwaj too would get the best care.

But Rao was only admitted to Nanavati after a public outcry and the National Human Rights Commission sending a notice to the Maharashtra government.

Left to itself, the NIA would have let Rao rot in Taloja Jail hospital, where it has hurriedly deposited him again even while he was under treatment at Nanavati Hospital.

***

IMAGE: Vernon Gonsalves. Photograph: PTI Photo

The NIA's intentions become clear when you consider that even in as basic a matter as a COVID-19 test, accused Vernon Gonsalves, Anand Teltumde and Mahesh Raut, have had to petition the court.

Gonsalves, aged 61, was deputed by Taloja Jail to look after Professor Varavara Rao in the jail hospital. Teltumde, aged 70, was afraid he may have contracted Covid since he was in contact with Professor Rao; while Raut, aged 33, had symptoms of the virus.

Their plea was made in mid-July; it was only on August 28 that their reports were submitted.

In the interim, the Taloja Jail had submitted two medical reports, supposedly of Teltumde and Raut, but completely identical. Later, they submitted revised reports, saying the earlier reports were due to a 'copy paste mistake'.

One of Sudha Bharadwaj's medical reports too had to be rejected by the court because it was unintelligible.

Such is the casual attitude of the jail authorities towards the health of these undertrials. And nobody's holding them accountable.

On the other hand, the additional solicitor general of the NIA's presence at these hearings, shows how important this case is for the Centre.

***

IMAGE: Professsor G N Saibaba with wife Vasantha Kumari. Photograph: PTI Photo

The treatment of these prisoners who have yet to be tried, has brought home what was clear from the beginning of the lockdown: The spread of COVID-19 is being used to full advantage by the State to deprive citizens of their Fundamental Rights.

In a matter as crucial as health, these hearings have dragged on for more than a month (in Bharadwaj's case, more than two months), with families of the accused kept totally in the dark. It is only through the court that they have been informed of the health of their loved ones.

Perhaps the worst example of this deprivation of human rights is the refusal of any kind of bail or even parole to the 90 % physically disabled Delhi University Professor G N Saibaba.

His last bail appeal was rejected on July 28. His mother passed away on August 1, pining to see her eldest son who she hadn't seen for the last four years.

Refusing to allow him to attend his mother's last rites, Jail Superintendent Anup Kumar Kumre gave this absurd explanation: 'He is a different kind of inmate. Some inmates don't return after being released on parole or furlough. If he had been earlier released on parole or furlough and had returned in due course, we might have thought of releasing him this time.'

This is a man unable to go to the toilet on his own, with no attendants provided to him, suffering from a range of crippling ailments which the Nagpur Jail Hospital cannot handle.

200 prisoners and 60 staffers of Nagpur Jail have tested positive for COVID-19.

Yet, the court has repeatedly chosen to accept the public prosecutor's assertion that the jail is looking after Professor Sai Baba and he was unlikely to contract covid in his high security cell where inmates cannot interact with one another.

The crime for which this professor has been convicted? Being a member of a banned organisation.

The callousness with which these political dissidents are being treated goes against the Supreme Court's directive, given right at the beginning of the lockdown. The apex court had directed states to release prisoners to decongest jails, which had become hotspots of the coronavirus.

According to Human Rights Watch, India, the world's largest democracy, compares with Bangladesh, Republic of Congo and Nigeria, in its refusal to decongest prisons in the wake of COVID-19.

Quite an achievement.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
With 69,921 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in 24 hours, India's coronavirus tally mounted to 36,91,166 on Tuesday. India has the fastest-growing daily coronavirus caseload of any country in the world. The country's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 and went past 30 lakh on August 23.

Amid the rapid surge in cases, the country has begun the fourth phase of unlocking from today. In Unlock 4.0, the central government has eased several restrictions for the public, including the resumption of metro operations in the country.

However, the government has claimed that the escalation in COVID-19 cases is because of the testing. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, the country is conducting at least one million tests every day, compared with two lakh tests a month ago. It added, a cumulative total of 4,33,24,834 samples have been tested up to August 31 with 10,16,920 samples being tested on Monday.

Moreover, India's recovery rate graph is inclining to the upward direction steadily. Until today, India's discharged or cured patients tally stands at 28,39,882. On the other hand, the deaths due to COVID-19 has climbed to 65,288.

The recovery rate has increased to 76.6 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.78 per cent.

There are 7,85,996 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country, which comprises 21.60 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

Here is the state-wise active coronavirus case tally:-

Andaman and Nicobar Islands -439

Andhra Pradesh- 1,00,276

Arunachal Pradesh -1,220

Assam- 23,273

Bihar-16,335

Chandigarh-1,859

Chhattisgarh-14,237

Dadra Nagar Haveli-284

Delhi-14,66

Goa-3,649

Gujarat- 15,524

Haryana- 11,371

Himachal Pradesh-1,563

Jammu and Kashmir-7,980

Jharkhand-14,096

Karnataka-87,254

Kerala- 23,553

Ladakh-773

Madhya Pradesh-13,914

Maharashtra-1,94,399

Manipur-1,894

Meghalaya-1,196

Mizoram-420

Nagaland-874

Odisha-25,758

Puducherry-4,849

Punjab-15,512

Rajasthan-13,825

Sikkim-424

Tamil Nadu-52,578

Telengana-31,699

Tripura-4,366

Uttar Pradesh-54,788

Uttarakhand-5,908

West Bengal-25,280

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The new 10 Megawatt gas-fired power plant (PLTMG) is pictured in Timika town, Mimika, Papua, on June 25. (photo: PLN/PLN/ thejakartapost.com)

Jakarta - PT Hanlim Power Corporation, the arm of a Republic of Korean company in Indonesia, plans to build a 4,800 MW gas-fired power plant in Batubara regency, North Sumatra, which is touted to be the largest in the province.



The company signed a deal with North Sumatra Governor Edy Rahmayadi on August 26 to expedite the issuance of land and administrative permits for the plant, which will power is the Sei Mangkei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and Kuala Tanjung Industrial Zone.



This deal marks the first step to beginning construction, Hanlim chairman Paul Han R Lee.



Construction will begin in January 2021 at the latest, Edy said. The plant will be built in three equal stages of 1,600 MW each and is slated for full-capacity operations before Edys term ends on September 5, 2023.



He noted that the plants power would be directly distributed to the two zones, a decision that circumvents the legally sanctioned distribution monopoly of electricity giant PLN.



The state-owned firm has been unable to guarantee the distribution of the plants power as it had not finished its latest electricity procurement plan (RUPTL), Edy explained, adding that Hanlim would have moved the project to Vietnam unless development began soon.



The North Sumatra governor expects the plants operations to attract 250 investors, which would, in turn, create more job opportunities for the locals. The province has 345,000 unemployed residents, according to latest Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data.



Indonesia is banking on several SEZs and industrial zones to stoke the growth of domestic industries, which has seen its share of gross domestic product (GDP) steadily decline over the past few decades.
Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York for New Managers:

A new fund is using so-called "superintelligence" to make trading decisions. J4 Capital launched in January, running a unique fund backed by a self-programming computer.

J4 is led by Jeff Glickman and Steven Jacobs. Glickman holds foundational patents for machine learning developed in the late 1990s and is the developer of the only known artificial superintelligence (ASI). He previously worked with the Department of Defense, where he worked on artificial intelligence. Steven Jacobs is the youngest MBA in US history, getting his degree at age 19 from Chicago Booth and going on to a lengthy career in securities trading and software development. J4 grew out of the team's desire to test the limits of artificial intelligence and investing.

"I set out to create something that would come up with investment ideas faster than I could, but it quickly grew beyond that," Glickman tells Opalesque New Managers. Glickman and his team spent over ten years developing and testing what would eventually become ASI.

Unlike other applications of AI in investing, which often rely on limited rules-based frameworks, Glickman's ASI is a genetic algorithm essentially designed to predict the direction of the S&P500 and optimize the investment portfolio accordingly. ASI is fully automated - it is self supervising, self healing, and self monitoring. C......................

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The Andalusian government has announced new measures aimed at slowing the Covid-19 infection rate in the region. The restrictions approved at a regional Cabinet meeting on Tuesday reduce numbers and times for weddings and other events, prohibit the use of beaches after 9.30pm and put stricter controls on visits to care homes.

Beaches off limits at night

The Junta's spokesperson Elias Bendodo has called for councils in coastal towns and villages to enforce a new regional ban on the use of beaches in the region between 9.30pm and 7am.

Exceptions to the rule will be made for anglers and others carrying out individual activity, as well as bars and restaurants located on the beaches.

Weddings and celebrations

The maximum number of guests permitted at weddings and other celebrations is to be reduced further from 300 to 150 for open air events and from 250 to 100 for indoor events.

Free bars will not be permitted, events must end at 1am and all guests must be seated at tables of no more than ten people. Eating and drinking will only be permitted at those tables.

Conferences and events

The regional government will allow conferences, business meetings, trade fairs and other events to go ahead, but at 75% of the venue's capacity, with distancing, masks and strict hand hygiene. As with weddings, these events must end at 1am with a maximum of ten people per table.

Events held indoors with more than 200 people, or outdoors with more than 300, will be subject to a risk assessment by the health authority before they can be authorised. This will apply to cinemas and theatres.

Care home visits

Visits to care homes for the elderly will no longer be allowed where there is one or more confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the residence or more than three suspected cases. This ban will remain in force until 28 days after the diagnosis of the most recent case.

Otherwise, relatives will be allowed to visit with restrictions and precautions in place, unless the cumulative 14-day incidence figure goes above 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Local incidence rates will also be taken into account.

Situation in Andalucia

The new measures have been taken after the latest assessment of the coronavirus situation in Andalucia by the regional government's committee of medical experts.

The aim is for "the pandemic to evolve more favourably in Andalucia than in the rest of Spain", as it has been doing so far, according to the regional authority.

Bendodo stressed that "the situation in Andalucia is still within margins of control", and although cases are increasing, the region is "well below the Spanish average".

In Andalucia 102 positive PCR tests per 100,000 inhabitants have been reported in the last 14 days, almost half the figure for Spain: 205. This is the second region with the lowest infection rate, after Asturias.
TikTok has possibly had more troubles than any other app in recent memory. One of Chinas biggest technology exports to the world in terms of apps and software, TikTok has been riddled with privacy controversies in notable international markets such as India and USA. Now, after reaching close to sale agreements with American technology firms Microsoft or Oracle, TikTok and its parent company Bytedance face a fresh hurdle  this time back in its home turf. The restriction comes in the form of new export rules put in place overnight by Chinas ruling Communist Party. The move is being seen by experts as a direct response to USAs Donald Trump governments muscle flexing against China.

According to a New York Times report, China has imposed new export control rules, which now covers technology based on data analysis for personalised information recommendation services. In other words, Bytedance can still sell the app per se, but will not be able to sell the famous content recommendation algorithms that made TikTok a viral sensation. These algorithms break down a users video viewing habits into granular details, categorises them into content genres, and then proceeds to recommend more videos that are similar to a users liking. More than the app itself, data analysis and machine learning driven algorithms are the centrepiece of any social media app today, and the same holds true for TikTok as well.

ALSO READ | TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer Quits in Less Than 3 Months as Privacy, Global Tensions Intensify

With the new restriction in place, it would seem that making an outright sale for TikTok has gotten exponentially difficult for Bytedance. Without the key recommendation algorithms in place, Bytedance would effectively be looking to sell the licence for only the brand of TikTok to interested companies, which in turn may reduce the overall valuation of the app. The Chinese governments move is being seen as a direct response to what experts and industry analysts had referred to as an act akin to bullying, by US president Donald Trump. In many ways, taking the all important algorithms under government restriction is meant to send out a strong message to America  an act that almost feels like a fresh wave of trade war between the two nations.

While the Trump government has set a September 15 deadline for TikTok to either be sold or be banned in USA, its largest foreign market at the moment, the export restriction may stall any potential buyout transaction that may have been in process. TikTok has so far denied all allegations of having privacy loopholes and ties to the China government, and has also recently sued the US government for what it claims is unfair treatment given to it by America. TikTok, since June 29, has also been banned in India, which was its largest foreign market before the ban was enforced. As of today, the app remains banned in the country.

In the two weeks remaining until September 15, it will be interesting to see whether once-invested parties such as Microsoft still remain interested in a deal for TikTok. The viral video app is one of Chinas biggest technology success stories, scaling up at drastic pace to reach close to 700 million monthly active users as of August 2020. Beyond the Facebook group of apps, Bytedances TikTok is the largest social media platform in the world, hence underlining its position in this critical industry.
Couple ended up in Ustica after breaking covid-19 lockdown.

A pair of Flat Earth-enthusiasts from northern Italy set sail from Sicily with the intention of reaching the remote island of Lampedusa which - for them - represented the edge of a flat world, reports Italian paper of record Corriere della Sera.

Too bad that the couple, a middle-aged man and woman, undertook their escapade in full lockdown, breaking the strict covid-19 travel restrictions in place three months ago.

The story, which is only coming to light today, reveals that the hapless pair reached the north Sicilian port of Termini Imerese where they sold their car and bought a boat.

From here they set sail for their desired destination but ended up instead on the island of Ustica, 60 km to the north-west of Palermo, and not remotely near Lampedusa which is located to the far south of Sicily, near the coast of Tunisia.

The disorientated pair arrived into the harbour at Ustica "tired, thirsty, and risking shipwreck," to the dismay of the local mayor, the carabinieri and the coast guard, according to Italian media.

"The funny thing is that they oriented themselves with a compass, an instrument that works on the basis of terrestrial magnetism, a principle that they, as flat-earthers, should refuse," Salvatore Zichici, a doctor at the maritime department of the ministry of health, told Italian newspaper La Stampa.

After disembarking in Ustica in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, the two were escorted to Palermo where they were placed in quarantine on board their boat for 15 days.

However the couple decided to risk a daring escape by sea, which also did not go according to plan. Being inexperienced seafarers, the two were picked up by the harbour master not far from the coast, despite being at sea for three hours.

Escorted back again to the port, the pair then made another attempt to escape, this time ending up in the home of a "mythomaniac" man who claimed falsely to be coronavirus positive, before they eventually returned home to Veneto by land, to the "understandable general relief" all round, reports La Stampa.

Photo Huffington Post
MEXICO CITY, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended his handling of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, arguing in a major speech that the economy has fared better than some of its peers.

The pandemic lockdown threw Mexico's economy, Latin America's second largest, into the deepest slump since the Great Depression, shrinking 17% in the second quarter.

"The economy's contraction, despite the global disaster, was 10.4% during the first half of the year. But despite the collapse the damage was smaller than in Italy, Spain, France and the United Kingdom," Lopez Obrador said in his state of the union address from the ornate national palace.

Lopez Obrador has resisted pressure to borrow to support the economy or bail out companies on the brink of collapse, while picking fights with some businesses.

"We have faced the pandemic and we are going to get out of the economic crisis without taking on additional external debt and without allocating public money to immoral bailouts," he said.

In contrast, Brazil's economy contracted 9.7% in the second quarter as its government launched a spending program to cushion the pandemic's impact.

Lopez Obrador has forecast that the economy will follow a V-shaped trajectory, meaning a sharp slump followed by an equally sharp recovery.

"Fortunately this is happening, the worst is over and now we are recovering. Lost jobs are already recovering, production is slowly returning to normal and we are already beginning to grow," he said.

The economy advanced 8.9% in June compared to May, and after losing some 1.1 million tax-paying jobs between March and July recovered some 90,000 jobs in August.

But the economy contracted 13.2% in June compared to the same month last year and the central bank warns that Mexico's economy could contract by almost 13% this year. (Reporting by Anthony Esposito; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Andrea Ricci)
By now, the halls at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay are usually filled with the excitement and nerves of anxious students starting a new school year. In 2020, however, the First Nations school is largely empty as it starts its program later and online.

Unable to secure enough funding to address pandemic risks, Dennis Franklin Cromarty (DFC), a school for students from 24 First Nations in Ontarios remote North, decided to offer virtual learning for the first seven weeks. For now, most of its anticipated 150 students will stay in their communities instead of moving to Thunder Bay, as teachers deliver curriculum in virtual classrooms.

Stress levels are high, anxiety levels are high, just because we dont know, we dont know what the options are, what the answers are, teacher Aaron Guthrie said. Were trying to prepare for multiple different angles, trying to make sure that we do the best we can.

As provinces map out measures and modify timetables to help protect students from COVID-19, First Nation schools have largely been left to handle preparations themselves. The federal government announced only days ago that it would provide $112 million in funding for schools on reserves to help pay for things such as ventilation, personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. This was in addition to a $2-billion commitment to aid provinces and territories with their school plans.

But its unclear whether any of that money will help off-reserve First Nations schools, such as DFC and Pelican Falls High School in Sioux Lookout, which are designated as provincial private schools but receive education funding from Indigenous Services Canada to operate.

The education announcement came after First Nations leaders in Northern Ontario accused the federal government of discrimination for ignoring back-to-school plans from educators and tribal councils, who have been trying to navigate how to return to school safely without additional financial support. First Nations leaders say that puts the well-being of thousands of students in jeopardy.

Deputy Grand Chief Derek Fox of Nishnawbe Aski Nation said in a statement that he was disappointed in the governments delay to commit funding and that educators, parents and students are now forced to scramble days before the school year is supposed to start.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said he understands the complexities of education in the North, where it often becomes a jurisdictional tangle with the province when it comes to funding First Nations students.

He didnt provide any clarity about how Indigenous Services Canada will distribute the new funds, but said the $112 million will be for on-reserve schools, while First Nations students studying off reserve will be supported through the provincial allocation  $760 million in Ontarios case.

The minister said the government remains committed to providing assistance to communities as specific needs arise, through a number of resources. These include, he says, the $685-million Indigenous Community Support fund directed toward communities and organizations, on and off reserve, for elder support, food insecurity, educational aid for children and mental-health assistance.

A spokesperson for Ontarios Ministry of Education, Ted Chang, said in a statement to The Globe and Mail that First Nations schools are the responsibility of the federal government, but that the province will work with Ottawa to ensure that the schools have access to the money announced.

Dobi-Dawn Frenette, executive director of Northern Nishnawbe Education Council, the tribal group that oversees DFC and Pelican Falls, says theyve accessed pieces of provincial funding to help offset costs for resources such as laptops. The province has also supplied protective equipment for DFC and Pelican Falls.

Ms. Frenette said they are working with First Nations to set up classrooms for their students in their communities, but the reality of life in the remote North presents its own compounding challenges for students, parents and educators.

Many of our students may not have access to a learning device, access to (internet) connectivity, they may not have access to a study space, many of our communities dont have clean drinking water, she said, adding that she estimates they will need $5.5 million to $7.5 million for their back to school plan that includes supporting in-classroom and remote learning.

Ottawas funding announcement comes too late to help schools initially because back-to-school plans for the start of the year have already been made. The schools hope to be able to make use of those funds in the coming weeks and months so they can increase in-classroom learning.

Like DFC, Matawa First Nations operates a high school in Thunder Bay for students from its nine communities. Education manager Sharon Nate said the First Nation received no response from Indigenous Services to its $25-million pandemic proposal, which included retrofitting facilities and improving internet capacity.

She said it was unreasonable to expect them to use core and existing funding to address these needs. The Matawa Education Centre in Thunder Bay would normally see around 160 students this fall but are expecting 100 to 120 when they open their doors Sept. 3 to both in-class and remote learning.

Assembly of First Nations statistics show that more than half of First Nations schools in the country dont have high-school programming and that 78 per cent of First Nations students in Ontario have to leave their communities to attend high school, including most of the 49 communities in Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

Parents John and Beatrice Fox from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI), 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, said they dreaded that prospect even prior to COVID-19. When the pandemic hit, they were prepared to keep their 15-year-old daughter Heidi home.

But another option emerged. The Fox family found out about the Home Away program that was started in 2019 by the Independent First Nations Alliance, a tribal council representing five First Nations. The program allows 45 students from two of its communities, KI and Muskrat Dam, to live in residences and boarding homes in Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay and Southern Ontario while attending local public high schools.

I feel safe, like with their own house, their own bathroom and its not that far, Mr. Fox said about the distance to Sioux Lookout from their home in KI where he and his wife will stay.

Matthew Hoppe, the chief executive of Independent First Nations Alliance (IFNA) in Sioux Lookout, says academic success will be difficult to achieve through remote and online learning. He said their program provides wraparound services to ensure students have academic and mental-health supports such as tutoring, land-based activities and counselling because of the challenges they face when coming out to urban centres.

Our goal is to provide that learning environment, provide those resources, provide those people, provide that support, and allow these kids to thrive, he said.

Pikangikum First Nation is one of the few communities in Nishnawbe Aski Nation with a high school that goes up to Grade 12, which allows its young people to remain in the communities. Eenchokay Birchstick school will open its doors to 568 students between Grades 6 and 12, while 538 students from kindergarten to Grade 5 will have laptops to start their school year from home.

Education director Kyle Peters says they havent received any additional funds from Indigenous Services or the province to assist with costs related to reopening, but hes keeping receipts and hopes to get reimbursed for expenditures. Those include $80,000 for three chartered planes to safely transport its teachers into the community, where there have been no reported cases of COVID-19.
In reporting for this book, I learned that in the hours leading up to Trumps trip to the hospital, word went out in the West Wing for the vice president to be on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized, Michael Schmidt writes in Donald Trump v. the United States: Inside the Struggle To Stop A President.
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I spent a day in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) several years ago. Our hosts demonstrated the hospitality for which the Arab people are justifiably known.

It was obvious, however, that this was a Muslim nation governed by Sharia law. Flogging, stoning, amputation, and even crucifixion are legal punishments. Apostasy from Islam is a crime punishable by death.

It was therefore a great surprise to hear on August 13 that the UAE and Israel had decided to normalize relations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to suspend plans to annex parts of the West Bank in exchange for the UAEs formal recognition of Israel.

As a consequence, the first commercial flight from Israel landed in the UAE yesterday with a delegation of Israeli and U.S. officials. The UAE is now the third Arab country to officially recognize Israel, following Egypt and Jordan.

Why is this development so significant for not just the Middle East but for America and the world? This topic is too complex to explain completely in a single article, but we can summarize some of the key factors today. (For more, see my book, Radical Islam: What You Need to Know, and this article on our website.) As well see, principles at work here apply to Christians seeking to follow and serve Jesus in these chaotic days.

Why are Muslims opposed to Israel?

Why have so many in the Muslim world been united against the State of Israel? At least four factors are at work.

One: The Quran says of the Jewish people, Evil indeed are their works (5:63). Islams holy book calls the Jews apes (2:65; 7:166) and swine (5:60).

Two: Many Muslims believe that Israel stole its land in 1948 from its rightful Palestinian owners and continues this theft with its expansion into the West Bank and the Golan Heights.

Three: Muslims are committed to the ummah, the global Islamic community. What happens to one Muslim happens to all Islam. As a result, Israeli aggression against the Palestinians is an attack on Islam. Since the Quran mandates that Muslims defend Islam (2:190191), many Muslims believe they are required to oppose Israel.

Four: Some Muslim leaders (primarily Shiites in Iran) believe that the Mahdi (their Messiah) will not return so long as Islam tolerates the existence of Israel. They claim that if Muslims would ever attack Israel, the Mahdi would then appear to protect Islam from retribution. As you can see, this makes the possibility that Iran could possess nuclear weapons especially threatening to Israel.

What has changed?

In recent years, Arab Muslims have grown increasingly and understandably concerned about the rise of two ancient superpowers.

The Persian Empire (ca. 559330 BC) dominated the Muslim world across several centuries, subjugating Arab tribes and cultures. Persians are almost all Shiite Muslims, while Arabs are primarily Sunni Muslims.

Ancient Persia is modern-day Iran (the name was not changed until 1935). Iran has been hard at work building a Shiite Crescent through Syria (where it supports President Assad) and Lebanon (where it supports Hezbollah). To Arab Muslims, Irans expansionism and drive for nuclear capacity constitutes an existential threat. Many are coming to view Israel as a valuable partner in deterring this aggression.

The Ottoman Empire (AD 12991923) dominated the Muslim world, including the Arabs, for centuries. Modern-day Turkey, under Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been working to expand its military, political, and economic influence with a view to rebuilding its global empire. To Arab Muslims, this expansionism constitutes a second existential threat. As with Iran, many are coming to see Israel as a partner in deterring this aggression as well.

As a result, the UAE treaty may lead to formal ties between Israel and other Muslim nations. In fact, one analyst predicts that eventually there will be normalization between Israel and the whole of the Arab world.

Why are people hostile to Christians?

The UAE (and perhaps other Arab nations) are changing their minds about Israel because they are now dealing with threats they consider to be more dangerous than Israel.

Lets apply this shifting narrative to the way many secular people view evangelical Christians. In a television interview yesterday, I was asked why so many people seem so hostile to believers. My response was that many people see believers as hostile to them.

In their view, our biblical stance regarding same-sex marriage is bigotry against LGBTQ people. Our commitment to the preborn is a war on women. We insist on religious freedom because we want to discriminate against those with whom we disagree. Many white evangelicals are seen as white supremacists.

To change their minds, we need to shift the narrative. We must not retreat on biblical truth, but we can speak that truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We can work to provide pregnant women with financial support, healthcare, and practical options for adoption or raising their children. We can defend religious freedom for those of all religions, not just our own. We can treat LGBTQ people with dignity and respect. We can condemn racism as sin and work to promote racial justice.

How can we change secular minds?

In short, we should always be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15a), but we must do it with gentleness and respect (v. 15b). To change secular minds about biblical truth, we need to demonstrate biblical compassion and grace. Then others will be drawn to the love of Christ they experience in us.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery explained how to lead people to construct a ship: Building a boat isnt about weaving canvas, forging nails, or reading the sky. Its about giving a shared taste for the sea, by the light of which you will see . . . a community of love.

Originally published at Denison Forum
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Shares of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) climbed over 2 percent in early trade on BSE on September 1, a day after the company said it completed the divestment of the electrical and automation business to Schneider Electric.

In a media release after the market hours on August 31, the company announced the closure of the strategic divestment of its Electrical & Automation (L&T E&A) business to Schneider Electric, a global player in energy management and automation.

The deal had been announced in May 2018 and is in line with L&Ts stated goal of unlocking value for future growth, said the company.

S. N. Subrahmanyan, CEO & MD, L&T said: "This all-cash deal will help us create a much stronger balance sheet, thereby creating long-term value opportunities for our stakeholders by focusing on key aspects of the business."

"The deal was a complex M&A transaction involving slump sale of the domestic business and share purchase transfer. This is in sync with our strategy to look at L&T in broadly three areas, EPC Construction & Projects, Manufacturing & Defence and Services."

Global brokerage firm CLSA has a 'buy' rating on the stock, with a target price of Rs 1,280 per share.

As per CNBC-TV18, CLSA said the company's loss-making business consumed $2.1 billion in the capital and depressed RoE by 175 bps. Loss-making businesses wiped out 11 percent of its FY20 PAT, CLSA said.

CLSA expects losses to decline on a turn in Hydrocarbon and toll-roads. The company has begun well on divesting assets as it concluded a $2 billion deal with Schneider.

Turning around loss-making business and reallocating capital to improve RoE is important and the company is a good proxy for a domestic CAPEX revival, the global brokerage said.

Jefferies also has a buy rating on L&T with a target price of Rs 1,280.

As per CNBC-TV18, Jefferies said Rs 14,000 crore is the value of electrical and automation business sale to Schneider. There was scepticism on the deal being completed and materially repriced. We believe the deal is a much-awaited positive and prudent utilisation will build confidence, Jefferies said.

Shares of L&T were 0.89 percent up at Rs 953.70 on BSE at 10:20 hours.

The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
King of Prussia, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/01/2020 -- A flat roof is an ideal choice for many types of businesses. Low-maintenance, easy to install, and exceptionally affordable, flat roofs are a great choice for any property owner looking to keep their building safe and secure without breaking the bank. G. Cannon Roofing and Siding is proud to announce that their team will continue offering flat roofing installations and repairs as needed throughout their service area this summer.



G. Cannon Roofing and Siding provides one of the most comprehensive ranges of flat roofing options in Pennsylvania. From single-ply roofing to cement roofing, their team can help property owners realize their ideal building material based on their needs. G. Cannon's team is fully licensed as well, assuring home and business owners that they'll always receive the highest quality roofing repair or replacement, no matter when they call.



G. Cannon Roofing and Siding also provides a wide range of standard roofing installations in Horsham, PA, and beyond as well. From standard asphalt shingle roofs to metal roofing solutions, G. Cannon Roofing and Siding has a solution for every type of property and the needs of any individual business or homeowner.



Any property owner in need of a new roofing installation or a roofing repair is encouraged to give the team of roofing contractors in Conshohocken, PA, working with G. Cannon Roofing and Siding a call today at 484-653-5800. Their team can also be found online at https://cannonroofingandsiding.com/, where interested parties can read more about currently available services and specials.



About G. Cannon Roofing and Siding

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For more information, visit http://www.cannonroofingandsiding.com.
She's the Bachelor star with a taste for the finer things in life.

And on Monday, Laura Calleri proudly showed off some designer goods as she stepped out in Perth.

The 24-year-old, who has previously described herself as a 'snob,' clutched a $2,250 Louis Vuitton bag and flashed her bra in a sheer $344 Off-White singlet as she made her way to The Peach Pit bar.

Sheer daring! On Monday, The Bachelor's self-professed 'snob' Laura Calleri flashed her bra in a sheer singlet and clutched a $2,250 Louis Vuitton bag while stepping out in Perth

Laura flashed her trim pins in a khaki miniskirt and wore a white denim jacket over her shoulders.

She finished the look with white sandals, and styled her long, brunette locks out and over her shoulders, neatly straightened.

For makeup, she opted for thick foundation with blush and bronzer, and a soft pink lip.

Familiar face: Laura is currently competing for Locky Gilbert's heart on The Bachelor Australia

The marketing coordinator is vying for Locky Gilbert's heart on The Bachelor.

The reality star copped backlash from viewers after she asked Locky, 31, if he would court her with luxury goods in the first episode.

After stepping out of the car, she introduced herself and asked him: 'When we're together, how much will you spend on my birthday present?'

'How much will you spend?' The reality star copped backlash from viewers after she asked Locky, 31, if he would court her with luxury goods in the first episode

But she hit back at trolls, telling The West Australian: 'In the comments [on social media] people are like, "You need a sugar daddy dating site."

'I'm like, "No, my dad just gives me money. I don't need a sugar daddy, I already have one, he is my real dad!"'

She also said that going to the prestigious private school Penrhos College prepared her for The Bachelor, because 'there's so much b**ching and carrying on at Penrhos'.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : A brutal double murder over rent, a tiff over a bike stunt, a robbery gone wrong, elimination over an extramarital affair, reasons and excuses may be many but Delhi has seen 285 murders till July 31 this year.

This is just 13 short of what it saw last year during the same period. In 2019, Delhi witnessed 521 murders in the whole year. In almost a decade, Delhi has witnessed 5,071 murders since 2011 till July 31, 2020.

On Monday night, a 23-year-old slashed the throats of two of his roommates in west Delhi's Raghubir Nagar after they pressured him to pay their house rent. The accused however argued that since he returned from his home after four months, he is not liable to pay rent. The scuffle that followed led to the double murder.

In another incident, a tiff over a lewd comment passed on one's wife turned fatal for a 26-year-old auto driver as he was stabbed to death by a man in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj on Tuesday . The accused identified as Surender attacked Sagar after he slapped Surender for passing lewd comments on his wife.

Last month in Rohini, a woman along with her paramour murdered her husband after she discovered that her husband was older than what she thought before their marriage. The accused first strangled the man with a 'chunni' and then hung his body from a ceiling fan to make it look like suicide.

In July, a 25-year-old man died when three juveniles allegedly stabbed him more than 28 times, days after he told them not to perform bike stunts in west Delhi's Raghubir Nagar. The incident was captured on CCTV.

Not just this, gang wars in Delhi have also contributed to the statistics of murders in Delhi in the recent past.

In May this year, two members of the Nasir gang were shot dead in northeast Delhi. Both were pumped with several bullets by suspected Chenu gang members in a day. The gangs in their bloody battle have left several dead in the area in what is known as a fight for dominance.

In 2011, a total of 543 people were murdered in Delhi. In 2012, at least 521 people were slain. In the year 2013, a total of 517 people were killed in the national capital. In 2014, a total of 586 people were killed while in 2015, 570 others were murdered.

In 2016, a total of 528 people were murdered and in 2017, another 487 people were killed.

In 2018, a total of 513 people were murdered and in 2019, the total number of people found murdered in Delhi was 521.

Till July 31 this year, Delhi has seen 285 murders. The Delhi Police was able to crack most of these cases.

(Zafar Abbas can be contacted at zafar.a@ians.in)
A little after President Donald Trump's threat to ban the US operations of TikTok, the parent company ByteDance is left with either selling it for $20-30 billion, or walking empty-handed.

According to a report by Bloomberg, China also hinted that it would get involved in any deals approval. This has led ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming to reconsider his options and weighing the implications of Beijings involvement, sources familiar with the matter have said.

The companys regulatory team and deal negotiators are in discussions to see if it's still possible to craft a sale that can win approval from both governments, an acquirer, venture investors and ByteDance itself, said one of the people on condition of anonymity.

Beijings last-minute entry into the process raises the odds that Zhang will hold on to the US operation beyond the stated American deadlines or even back out of a deal altogether.

Its likely the need for approval in Washington and Beijing -- along with the already complex negotiations -- will push any final deal beyond the November elections in the US in any case, a person familiar with the matter has said.

According to sources, talks remain fluid and its still possible Zhang will proceed with a sale. It is also possible that he could also negotiate a deal with an acquirer, then not complete the transaction because of government demands.

Once the sale is complete, Zhang will relinquish control over upwards of a 100 million users in the US when he is on the cusp of monetising that base, the report said.

Beijings involvement could end up benefiting Zhang. Chinas assertion that its regulators will weigh in on any TikTok asset sale could give Zhang a possible out, said Ding Chenling, a tech entrepreneur who said he has known the ByteDance founder for half a decade.

It could take up to 30 days for Beijing to greenlight ByteDances application to sell tech to a foreign acquirer, which means it may well pass Trumps target for banning TikTok, Chenling added.
ALBANY, N.Y.  The New York State United Teachers, joined by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, local educators and others, recently called on the state to update Department of Health school reopening guidelines to make mandatory the wearing of masks at all times indoors during the school day, except for appropriate break periods and in cases of medical accommodation.

In a letter to state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, the union cited ongoing concerns with school reopening plans across the state and the disparate mask policies that exist among school districts. NYSUT urged the state to look to scientific research showing the efficacy of masks and recent guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics that recommends the universal use of face coverings.

The union also cited a recent change in Pennsylvania guidance to make the use of masks mandatory at all times during the school day.

Unfortunately, as the beginning of the school year nears and districts continue working out their reopening plans with parents and teachers, we are seeing disparate mask policies that are not leaving parents or educators confident in the safety of their districts plans, the letter states. In reviewing individual reopening plans with educators in the field, its clear that numerous plans do not go far enough in their mask mandates to ensure the safety of students and educators.

The governor has said  and we agree  that parents and educators must be confident in their school districts reopening plan in order for this to work, NYSUT President Andy Pallotta stated.

We are still fighting a global pandemic, and masks are key to protecting others around us, AFT President Randi Weingarten said.

While our district has adopted a masks on the move policy, such as when students are in the hallways, in the classroom, masks will not be required, Diane Vanyo, president of the Argyle Teachers Association in the Capital Region stated.

The science is clear that masks are among the most effective ways we can reduce the spread of this virus, Dr. Jana Shaw, a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases at Upstate Golisano Childrens Hospital in Syracuse commented.

Masks throughout the school day with social distancing in the classrooms is not only appropriate based on the available science, but it is the best way to protect students, teachers and staff during this pandemic, Dr. Ken Spaeth, chief of occupational and environmental medicine for Northwell Health on Long Island added.

As NYSUT has said throughout the school reopening process this summer, health and safety must be at the forefront. A recent poll of NYSUT members showed that 81 percent believe the health and safety of students and staff should be the deciding factor in reopening schools.

In addition to revising statewide guidelines regarding the use of masks, the union continues to advocate for a statewide policy for closing school buildings in which there is a positive COVID-19 case for 14 days, and clear protocols for how testing, contact tracing and quarantining will be performed in schools.

NYSUT has been clear that if steps are not taken that instill confidence in individual school reopening plans, if there are any questions about safety or if any districts plan is missing any details, that district must begin the year with remote learning.

Educators and parents agree: School districts need to err on the side of caution, Pallotta said. Safety must continue to be the top priority.
August 31, 2020

News

By David Vergun , DOD News

Defense.gov

Defense Department Aids U.S. Delivery of Ventilators to Indonesia

Indonesia received a shipment of 500 ventilators from the U.S. Agency for International Development, Aug. 30, 2020. The Air Mobility Command transported them from Travis Air Force Base, California, to Jakarta, Indonesia.

USAID also contracted with Korean Airlines to airlift 250 ventilators from the United States to Indonesia last week.

On July 21, 100 ventilators were delivered to Indonesia. A final shipment of 150 is expected to be delivered sometime in September, which will bring the total to 1,000.

Ventilators are an important clinical component in the treatment of many COVID-19 patients.

"The Department of Defense is pleased to support the delivery of ventilators to our close partners in Indonesia," said Reed Werner, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia.

The U.S. government's contribution of more than $12 million in COVID-19 assistance to Indonesia in addition to the 1,000 ventilators is testament to the strength of the relationship between the two countries, Werner said, adding that DOD's involvement in the shipment of the ventilators reflects the many ways the countries' militaries work together to advance shared interests.

Stephanie L. Hammond, acting special assistant to the deputy assistant secretary of defense for stability and humanitarian affairs, said: "The United States, through the generosity of the American people and the innovation of American private industry, is providing access to brand-new, high-quality ventilators to countries that urgently need them to fight COVID-19."

Ezra Cohen, acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, added: "The Defense Department continues to play a key role in the global response to COVID-19. From the beginning of this pandemic, the department was quick to support our allies and partners through the provision and transport of life-saving medical equipment and humanitarian aid.

"We are now shifting our efforts to focus on sustainable preparedness and prevention activities. In addition to delivering ventilators to Indonesia, we are also helping set up isolation clinics and providing testing equipment and training to build public health capacity and to help prevent, detect and respond to infectious diseases."

Jennifer E. Smoak, DOD's assistant director of Disaster Relief Policy, said, "Helping people gain access to basic needs and build strong, healthy, stable communities is rewarding and, in part, why I answered the call to public service. As a working mother who helps others meet basic, humanitarian needs I am able to model for my daughter how to pursue a dream of helping others."

Before the flight to Indonesia, Air Force Maj. Roger Gates, a 21st Airlift Squadron pilot at Travis AFB who flew on this mission, said that since the ventilators are urgently needed by the Indonesian people, the Air Force is doing what it can to expedite the shipment in a safe manner.

"Each one of those machines has the possibility to save an individual's life. These ventilators may end up saving many lives," he said.

"The American people are very generous and industrious, even when they're also hurting from the pandemic," Gates said.

"I think that that is one of the best parts about being an American is that we are helping people out even when we're getting punched in the face with a tornado or hurricane or in this case a virus that's killing hundreds of thousands of people," he mentioned.

Last week, Gates' squadron was impacted by the California wildfires, and some squadron members' houses were burned. Despite that, he said the missions they were tasked with continued.

In concert with USAID and the State Department, DOD has so far provided more than $92 million in support for allies and partners' COVID-19 needs for testing, lab diagnostic support, preventative infection control, personal protective equipment, and the provision and transportation of humanitarian commodities. "This support has helped countries in every geographic combatant command build sustainable public health capacity," Smoak said.

For nearly 60 years, USAID and DOD have partnered to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and promote economic growth and stability around the world, she added.

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On Tuesday, September 1, Woodbine Mohawk Park hosted a 10-race qualifying session, which featured a variety of Standardbreds that covered a number of age groups and classes.

The fastest win time of the session was recorded in Race 7, as Down Under bred Major League N posted a wire-to-wire win (:27.3, :57.1, 1:26.1) in 1:53.4 for driver Ed Hensley and trainer Ashley Hensley. The seven-year-old daughter of Gotta Go Cullen has been a fixture on the front end during her Mohawk races this summer. With her Tuesday effort, the bay was making her first charted line since July 31. The Hensleys own Major League N, who arrived in North America this past fall.

The session's two-year-old winners included Mooseonyourcaboose (2:00.2), who is a full brother to 2019 Dream Of Glory Trot winner Knight Angel; Saratoga Blue Chip (1:56), who recently competed in the Nassagaweya Stakes; and Bump In The Road (1:57.4), who was participating in her second-ever qualifying race.

To view the harness racing results from Mohawk's Tuesday qualifying session, click the following link: Tuesday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).

The replay of the qualifying session appears below.
PIRANHA

Stock photo of Base Model PIRANHA. The system is heat pump that reuses thermal energy that would otherwise be lost down the drain and into the sewers.

Stock photo of Base Model PIRANHA. The system is heat pump that reuses thermal energy that would otherwise be lost down the drain and into the sewers.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An award-winning Australian not-for-profit is taking delivery of a SHARC International Systems Inc. (CSE: SHRC) (FSE: IWIA) (OTCQB: INTWF) ("SHARC Energy" or the Company) wastewater heat recovery system for its development of a seniors independent living village in Canberra, Australias capital.



The PIRANHA system, which recovers the valuable energy from water that goes down the drain in buildings every day, is part of SHARC Energys global commercialization initiative. The PIRANHA will recover energy for Farrer Village by Goodwin , a 169-unit independent living apartment facility that has decided to lower its carbon footprint and save money on heating by recovering energy normally lost in forgotten wastewater.

As the population continues to age, senior facilities will grow in numbers and so will their energy use and costs, said SHARC Energy CEO and Chairman Lynn Mueller. We are excited to work with highly reputable organizations such as D Group and Goodwin to help lower energy use in senior facilities, lowering their carbon footprint and helping seniors-care facilities reduce their energy costs.

Goodwin Aged Care Services (Goodwin) has been supporting seniors with quality care and accommodation for more than 65 years. Goodwin, which is seeking to lower the carbon-footprint of its buildings, is a not-for-profit that is the largest and longest-standing aged-care provider in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

SHARC Energys PIRANHA system, designed for use in a variety of industrial, commercial and multi-family residential building applications, will capture the heat in the residential buildings wastewater and then use it to heat the hot water for showers, laundry, sinks, dishwashers and sanitation practices. This will reduce energy use and energy costs for owners and residents of the development.

Story continues

The Farrer Village by Goodwin development is being managed by D Group, a civil, hydraulics and management specialist company operating within Canberra, ACT and Australia. Founded in 1999, D Group has grown from a local hydraulics company to Canberras market leader in integrated civil, hydraulics and management projects.

This project marks the first Seniors Living facility installation that PIRANHA will be a part of and highlights a key sales vertical that can benefit from SHARC technology. This also marks the second PIRANHA installation in Australia.

About SHARC Energy

SHARC International Systems Inc. is a world leader in energy recovery from the wastewater we send down the drain every day. SHARC Energy systems recycle thermal energy from wastewater, generating one of the most energy efficient and economical systems for heating, cooling & hot water preheating for commercial, residential and industrial buildings. SHARC Energy is publicly traded in Canada (CSE: SHRC), the United States (OTCQB: INTWF) and Germany (Frankfurt: IWIA).

Further information about the Company is available on our website at www.sharcenergy.com or under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

About D Group

D Group are civil, hydraulics, and management specialists operating within Canberra and Australia. Founded in 1999, D Group has grown from a local hydraulics company into Canberra's market leader in integrated civil, hydraulics and management projects, employing over 110 full-time employees.

D Group are unique in the market. They offer a full-service, integrated, multi-discipline approach to projects, which allows them to offer best-practice advice and workmanship.

Over 90% of business at D Group comes from repeat clients. The company is founded on the belief that the growth of your business is of mutual interest. As such, D Group ensure they consistently deliver the highest standard of workmanship and client service to businesses both big and small.

For more information, please visit https://www.dgroup.com.au/ .



About Goodwin

Goodwin is an Australian not-for-profit that has been supporting seniors with quality care and accommodation for more than 65 years. They are the largest and longest standing aged care provider in the ACT.

Goodwin help people to live independently, within a supportive community and with services close at hand to meet their changing needs. Their services include residential care, home care, independent living, day clubs and health and wellness centres. To maintain our presence as leaders in the industry, Goodwin strives to continue to develop their services.

It is Goodwins people who have helped build the companys reputation for quality care and dedicated service, and further deepened Goodwins links to the Canberra community. The company has grown to become one of the national capitals largest non-government employers, and today employs people across many different professions.

For more information, please visit https://goodwin.org.au/ . For more information on the development, please visit https://www.goodwinfarrer.org.au/ .

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Lynn Mueller

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Jason Shepherd

Investor Relations

SHARC International Systems Inc.

Telephone: (250) 212-2122

Email: jason.shepherd@sharcenergy.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information involves 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 information. SHARC Energy's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. SHARC Energy believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon. Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. The Company 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 securities legislation.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/23ec1bf0-d8cd-4bf5-af08-ffd05114386c

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/22134aea-b904-4ffb-b6ef-24f868f75b38




by Bernardo Cervellera

A Protestant pastor carried out a national survey over two years (2017-2018) to understand "the mechanisms and characteristics" of the dizzying growth of Protestant communities in the People's Republic of China. Despite problems linked to security and control, 120 churches from 18 provinces of China participated.

Rome (AsiaNews) - What drives a Chinese to become a Christian? What desire does he or she have, which is fulfilled in being baptized? What impact does family tradition have, the witness of a friend or a pastor? What is the composition of the Christian communities in China? These are just some of the questions that a pastor, writer and researcher, who signs himself with the pseudonym Steve Z., tried to answer with a survey, the results of which were published in several articles on the highly considered Protestant website "China Change, throughout the month of August 2020.

In the first of a series of four articles, "Seeking to Understand Church Growth in China", published on August 10, the pastor points out that his investigation is the first that seeks to understand "the mechanisms and characteristics" of the impressive growth of Protestant communities in the People's Republic of China.

Protestant sources affirm that the number of Protestant faithful is around 100 million; others stop at a soberer 60 million. In any case, their number is much higher than that of official sources. For example, the Blue Book from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, published in 2010, records only 23.05 million Protestants, distinguishing between 15.56 million baptized and 7.49 million non-baptized. In 2018, the White Paper of the Council of State fixed Protestant Christians at 30 million.

Pastor Steve Z.'s survey is not a nationwide census and therefore does not answer the question of how many Protestants there are in China, but tries to understand the reasons why communities are growing.

The survey was carried out in 2017 and 2018, through visits or questionnaires sent to communities of faithful and church leaders. The investigation particularly reached out to Chinese (Han) communities and not those of ethnic minorities. But it collected data from unofficial and official communities (Three Self Movement), rural and urban, migrant and urban communities.

All responses to the questionnaire had to be written. This created some difficulties. The period in which the survey was carried out marks precisely the period in which the government repression against churches and religions intensified - especially after the launch of the New Regulations on religious activities - and this has determined the giving or not giving answers, taking into account problems of safety and control.

The author reports that out of 1000 churches contacted, only a little more than 10% - 120 churches - took part in the survey. Due to the delay with which responses were delivered, the study is based on 70 churches in 18 provinces of China. In addition to Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan, and Guangxi, which were not invited to take part in the survey because of the minority issue, there is no result from the following provinces: Jilin, Hebei, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Fujian, Jiangxi, Ningxia, and Hainan.

The survey sent to the 18 provinces yielded 1655 questionnaires from faithful and 110 questionnaires from church leaders or preachers.

The churches that participated in it are divided as follows: 11 rural churches, 43 urban churches, 5 migrant worker churches, 6 traditional Three-Self churches, None of the churches was founded by overseas missionaries planting churches, 3 of them have a long history and have been meeting since before 1979.

The results of the survey will be presented in the Part II.
University of South Carolina redefining aircraft production process

COLUMBIA, SC - September 1, 2020 - The University of South Carolina (UofSC) College of Engineering and Computing will transform the manufacturing and simulation processes used in aircraft production through a $5.7 million NASA grant. The research team's atom to airframe to spaceframe approach will make urban air mobility possible by dramatically increasing the production rate of aircraft.

Ranging from drone delivery services to air metro services to air taxis, urban air mobility refers to in-air transportation within urban areas. It is expected to be a commercially viable market by 2030. However, this will require aircraft to be built in much higher quantities and frequencies than currently being produced.

Today, high-selling aircraft like the Boeing MAXX and the Airbus A321 can be produced at a rate of 60 to 70 aircraft a month, or two to three aircraft a day. Michel van Tooren, the initiator of the NASA proposal and the former director of UofSC's SmartState Center for Multifunctional Materials and Structures, predicts that urban air transport will ultimately require 100 aircraft to be produced a day.

"How do you do that?" van Tooren says. "And if you do 100 aircraft a day and it's maybe 30 blades on an aircraft, then that's 3,000 blades a day. There's no technology available at the moment that creates such an enormous number of aircraft-quality products, and that's the big challenge."

The South Carolina team - in partnership with Boise State University, The University of Southern Mississippi, Benedict College and multiple industry partners - will work to make these production demands possible through a four-year NASA University Leadership Initiative (ULI) grant. South Carolina's research team consists of Darun Barazanchy, Wout De Backer, Jaspreet Pandher and Paul Ziehl, who coordinates and serves as the principal investigator for the project.

"In an impressively short period, the UofSC McNair Aerospace Center has become a household name in the aerospace composites world, especially in the area of thermoplastics and fastener-free joining, as well as robotics, digital commissioning, combustion and predictive maintenance," says Hossein Haj-Hariri, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing. "Receiving one of the coveted NASA ULIs is testimony to the excellence of the center, which continues to pursue and receive similarly competitive and prestigious funding in all its areas, and educates, trains and produces graduates that are at the forefront of their respective disciplines, and highly sought as a result."

Boise State and Southern Mississippi will begin the research using experimental and simulation techniques to make the thermoplastic tape that aircraft are built from stronger and more durable. This tape will then be passed to South Carolina's team, which will use advanced manufacturing processes such as automated fiber placement and automated tape layup to build aircraft parts at a higher production rate. The UofSC team will then use thermoplastic welding, instead of nuts and bolts, to fusion bond the parts together.

"It's a new level of simulation and it's a new way of manufacturing," van Tooren says. "Through it, we can transform aerospace manufacturing and open the door to large-scale urban air mobility sooner than we ever imagined."

The University Leadership Initiative was created by the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). This $32.8 million ULI has five team leads, including South Carolina, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Oklahoma State University, Stanford University and the University of Delaware. The ULI will allow these universities to build their own teams and formulate their own research paths in hopes that their findings support the NASA ARMD portfolio and the larger U.S. aviation community.

###

About the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a globally recognized, high-impact research university committed to a superior student experience and dedicated to innovation in learning, research and community engagement. Founded in 1801, the university offers more than 350 degree programs and is the state's only top-tier Carnegie Foundation research institution. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of 20 locations throughout the state, including the research campus in Columbia. With 56 nationally ranked academic programs including top-ranked programs in international business, the nation's best honors college and distinguished programs in engineering, law, medicine, public health and the arts, the university is helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and around the world.

This story has been published on: 2020-09-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 09:08 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41cf1d0 1 World diplomacy,UNSC,Peacekeeping,presidency,multilateralism Free

The adoption of a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that aims to empower women peacekeepers marked the end of Indonesias month-long council presidency in August, as the nation entered the last stretch of its two-year term on the esteemed global body.

The UNSC adopted Resolution 2538 (2020) regarding female personnel in UN peacekeeping missions on Aug. 28 by consensus.

Resolution 2538 [2020] is the first resolution in the history of Indonesian diplomacy [to be adopted by] the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said over the weekend.

At the same time, this is proof of Indonesias contribution to enhancing the role of women as agents of peace.

The main elements contained in the resolution include the need to increase the number of female personnel in UN missions, training cooperation; the establishment of networks and databases for female personnel; enhancing safety and security and providing special facilities for female personnel; and initiating UN cooperation with regional organizations on the matter.

"Support for this Indonesian initiative is inseparable from Indonesia's diplomacy, credibility and track record in UN peacekeeping missions," Retno said.

Women constitute just over 6 percent of the total UN peacekeeping force today, the shortfall derives from the low proportion of female peacekeepers deployed by troop-contributing countries, including Indonesia.

Of the 5,327 women currently working in UN peacekeeping missions, just 158 are Indonesian.

They are deployed across seven UN peacekeeping operations: in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), South Sudan (UNMISS), Darfur (UNAMID), Mali (MINUSMA) and Western Sahara (MINURSO).

Since 1999, Indonesia has sent more than 570 female personnel to various UN peacekeeping missions.

While the UN encourages countries to deploy a force that is at least 15 percent female, the figure for women in Indonesias peacekeeping contingent still hovers below 5 percent, according to official sources.

The Indonesian government is working to raise this ratio to 10 percent.

In recent years, peacekeeping has gained a notorious reputation for incidents of sexual violence committed by peacekeepers against civilians, including reports of peacekeepers bartering humanitarian aid for sex. Over 200 people reported sexual violence and exploitation committed by UN personnel in 2018, according to a 2019 report by the UN secretary-generals office.

Read also: Why there are so few women in UN peacekeeping

The issue has become a priority in Indonesias multilateral diplomacy agenda under Retno, the nations first female top diplomat.

It was also the first time that the UNSC has passed a resolution specifically addressing the issues faced by women in peacekeeping. Initiated by Indonesia, the draft resolution was cosponsored by all members of the council and dozens of other UN member states.

As UNSC president, Indonesia led meetings and convened general debate sessions and other fora, as well as facilitating reports and exchanges of information on behalf of the council.

The nation also assumed the presidency of the council in May last year, nearly a year after it was elected to serve as a nonpermanent member for the 2019-2020 period.

In the last week of its presidency, Indonesia held conference meetings on international peace and security caused by terrorist acts and on the Middle East conflict, as well as an Arria formula meeting on cybersecurity.

Under its leadership, the UNSC also passed on Aug. 28 a resolution to extend the mandate of UNIFIL and another resolution on the UN mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

It also conducted sofa talks, informal discussions to find common ground between opposing views on various controversial issues in the UN body. It is a new format that Indonesia initiated, where members meet without an agenda and without meeting records.

Indonesia has contributed both intellectually and to the improvement of working methods at the UNSC in seeking out breakthroughs on issues that have been difficult to discuss, said Grata Endah Werdaningtyas, the ministrys director for international security and disarmament.

By presenting a sofa talk format, for instance, we are inspired by the spirit of mutual cooperation and a culture of working things out as a family that is characteristic of Indonesian society, she said.

As a "middle power" in Asia, Indonesia continually seeks to leverage itself as the worlds third-largest democracy and the largest economy in Southeast Asia, among other things, in line with the constitutional mandate of maintaining global peace.

The nation ranks seventh in terms of diplomatic influence, according to the 2019 Lowy Institutes Asia Power Index.

Topics : diplomacy UNSC Peacekeeping presidency multilateralism
A minor crisis between Spains governing coalition partners over the 2020 budget plan appears to be over, at least according to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the leader of the Socialist Party (PSOE).

On Tuesday, Sanchez said during a radio interview on the Cadena SER network that he has met with Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the leftist Unidas Podemos group, to iron out the tension between both political parties.

The junior partner in Spains minority government had threatened on Friday to vote against any budget agreement negotiated between Sanchez and the center-right Ciudadanos party, which holds 10 seats in the lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies.

The draft budget will be a government agreement, but later we will have to talk to other parties. We will not veto anyone Prime Minister Sanchez

Instead, Iglesias wants Sanchez to reach a deal with his own partners first; he is also demanding for Unidas Podemos representatives to be present at any future talks with Ciudadanos. On Tuesday, Sanchez said that there has been no Unidas Podemos veto against Ciudadanos.

We are going to make a budget that incorporates the governing agreement with Unidas Podemos, said the prime minister. The draft budget will be a government agreement, but later we will have to talk to other parties. We will not veto anyone.

Spain has been functioning since 2018 under the budget passed by the previous administration of Mariano Rajoy of the Popular Party (PP). Sanchez has been struggling to secure parliamentary support for a new budget plan ever since he first came to power on the back of a successful vote of no-confidence against Rajoy held in mid-2018.

Failure to secure support for his first budget plan led to early elections in April 2019, which proved to be inconclusive. These were followed by a repeat vote in November, which also failed to deliver a clear winner. Sanchez now heads a minority government that is forced to reach case-by-case deals in a fractured parliament in order to get legislation passed. On Monday, the PM assured a gathering of business leaders that the governing coalitions stability is assured for the remainder of the political term.

I am quite satisfied with the loyalty and the functioning of this coalition government. PM Sanchez

The PSOE and Unidas Podemos are expected to restart bilateral talks on the budget on Tuesday. The issue has been an ongoing source of friction because Unidas Podemos wants to repeal the PPs labor reform of 2012, which sought to introduce flexibility in the job market through cheaper layoffs, while the PSOE is only willing to tweak its most controversial aspects.

I am quite satisfied with the loyalty and the functioning of this coalition government. Mutual understanding is optimal in these times of pandemic. Stability is guaranteed, insisted Sanchez on Tuesday.

But the Socialist leader underscored the urgency of approving a new budget. We are still laboring under a 2018 budget made by a conservative government at a time when there was no pandemic. Those accounts do not include the tools to deal with social emergencies or to spend the funds from Europe, said Sanchez, alluding to the recent coronavirus recovery fund agreed to in Brussels, which will allocate 140 billion to Spain. That old budget cannot absorb those enormous economic resources from the European funds. Thats why a new one must be urgently approved.

Sanchez also appealed to the main opposition PP for support. The PP says it cannot support us because they are the alternative to us. But precisely because they are the alternative they have to put aside partisan battles in order to battle the pandemic.

Concerns about Madrid

The prime minister also pointed to the way that some regions have been handling the ongoing coronavirus crisis  in particular Madrid, which is run by the PP with the support of Ciudadanos  as to the main reason for the rising infection levels in Spain. The reasons are clear: mobility, nightlife, he said. Citizens have relaxed. But in administrative terms, the levels of contact tracing in some regions have to improve. We are placing contact tracers at the disposal of Madrid, as well as economic resources and joint-management efforts, he said.

Sanchez defended Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts (CCAES), after the governments chief epidemiologist highlighted Madrids coronavirus statistics at a press conference on Monday night, prompting criticism from the regional premier, Isabel Diaz Ayuso. If Simon conveyed that message, its because we are concerned about the state of public health and the epidemic in Madrid, the prime minister said. But he insisted that the progress [of the coronavirus epidemic] is worrying, but bears no relationship to the situation in March.

Sanchez also made remarks about the monarchy, agreeing that there could be more transparency in the royal households accounts but insisting that Spain needs constitutional stability right now and that this is not the right time to debate the institution despite the shockwaves created by the secret departure of former king Juan Carlos to the United Arab Emirates amid a financial scandal.

English version by Susana Urra.








DUBLIN, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Security as a Service Market - Forecasts from 2020 to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global Security as a Service market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 19.52% to reach a value of US$16.239 billion by 2025 from US$5.572 billion in 2019.



There has been an increase in the number of security breaches over the past few years and has led to severe losses to the end-user industries such as BFSI, and Communication and Technology among others. This has led to an increase in the concerns among the end-users and is forcing them to adopt advanced approaches to secure their infrastructure from attacks. Security as Service providers includes the different security services companies dealing in cloud security services, data security services, ransomware protection services, and e-mail security services among others. The presence of a good number of players in this market offering tailored offerings to customers at prices lower than those for security solutions is driving the adoption of security as a service among end-users, thus boosting the growth of the market.



Moreover, there has been an increase in the adoption of advanced and cost-effective solutions such as cloud services and cloud computing, which aids the enterprises in saving significant amount of time, reducing the cost associated with adopting security solutions such as physical and logical security for providing e-mail protection, web protection, network protection, and identity and aces protection among others. This is adding momentum to the growth of the market.



However, the availability of a wide range of security solutions for diverse security needs of enterprises across industries continues to pose a threat to the adoption of security as a service (SECaaS) offered by market players as some of the enterprises still prefer On-premise deployment of security solutions to security delivered overcloud. This is hindering the growth of the market to some extent.



Yet, stringent regulations in many regions regarding the security of customer data, coupled with increasing competition across industries is pushing industry players towards adopting flexible and cost-efficient approaches to security. Huge losses associated with data breaches are forcing governments to enforce stricter data security regulations in their respective geographies. For example, on May 25, 2018, the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations), that was set by the European Union (EU) were made effective in order to effectively provide greater control to the EU residents over their personal and sensitive data.



Increasing demand for Web protection and E-mail protection



Web protection and E-mail protection are projected to hold a significant market share over the forecast period. There has been an increase in the number of the instances of malware sites, phishing web pages, phishing and ransomware e-mails, which has resulted in an increase in the demand and adoption of the web protection and e-mail protection services as they are able to provide optimum security and protection from these above-mentioned threats. Therefore, web protection and e-mail protection are expected to hold a noteworthy market share over the forecast period.



BFSI industry is expected to expand at a fairly high pace over the forecast period



The BFSI sector holds a significant share in this market and the sector is poised to show a healthy market growth over the projected period. The rapid growth of this sector, coupled with an increasing focus of banking and financial institutions on streamlining their business functions is steering them away from conventional On-premise solutions to solutions delivered overcloud. This is driving the adoption of security-as-a-service offerings by vendors among them, thus boosting the growth of the market. Availability of a good number of vendors offering tailored solutions for diverse business needs while ensuring compliance with stringent regulations is further supporting the growth of the market.



The Asia Pacific region followed by the North American region to show considerable growth over the forecast period



Geographically, the North American region is expected to hold a noteworthy market share and grow at a significant pace over the forecast period. This is attributable to the fact that there is widespread and faster adoption of advanced technologies in countries such as the US, coupled with the increasing investments in the R&D of security as service solutions. In addition, there are increasing investments in the Asia Pacific region in countries such as India, and China among others to propel the growth of industries that generate huge volumes of sensitive data from digitized business functions.



Some of the major players covered as a part of this report are Symantec Corporation, McAfee, LLC, Cisco Systems, Inc., Web Werks, Gemalto NV, Trend Micro Incorporated, Coronet, Allot, Stratejm Inc. and Cloudteria LLC.



The Security as a Service market has been segmented based on type, enterprise size, end-user industry, and geography. By type, the market has been segmented as email protection, data loss prevention, web protection, network protection, identity and access protection, and others. By enterprise size, the market has been segmented as small, medium, and large. By the end-user industry, the market has been segmented as BFSI, communication and technology, healthcare, government, defense, and others.



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

1.1. Market Definition

1.2. Market Segmentation



2. Research Methodology

2.1. Research Data

2.2. Assumptions



3. Executive Summary

3.1. Research Highlights



4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants

4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes

4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis



5. Global Security as a Service Market Analysis, By Type

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Email Protection

5.3. Data Loss Prevention

5.4. Web Protection

5.5. Network Protection

5.6. Identity and Access Protection

5.7. Others



6. Global Security as a Service Market Analysis, By Enterprise Size

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Small

6.3. Medium

6.4. Large



7. Global Security as a Service Market Analysis, By End-user Industry

7.1. Introduction

7.2. BFSI

7.3. Communication and Technology

7.4. Healthcare

7.5. Government

7.6. Defense

7.7. Others



8. Global Security as a Service Market Analysis, By Geography

8.1. Introduction

8.2. North America

8.2.1. North America Security as a Service Market, By Type

8.2.2. North America Security as a Service Market, By Enterprise Size

8.2.3. North America Security as a Service Market, By End-User Industry

8.2.4. By Country

8.2.4.1. USA

8.2.4.2. Canada

8.2.4.3. Mexico

8.3. South America

8.3.1. South America Security as a Service Market, By Type

8.3.2. South America Security as a Service Market, By Enterprise Size

8.3.3. South America Security as a Service Market, By End-User Industry

8.3.4. By Country

8.3.4.1. Brazil

8.3.4.2. Argentina

8.3.4.3. Others

8.4. Europe

8.4.1. Europe Security as a Service Market, By Type

8.4.2. Europe Security as a Service Market, By Enterprise Size

8.4.3. Europe Security as a Service Market, By End-User Industry

8.4.4. By Country

8.4.4.1. Germany

8.4.4.2. France

8.4.4.3. United Kingdom

8.4.4.4. Spain

8.4.4.5. Others

8.5. Middle East and Africa

8.5.1. Middle East and Africa Security as a Service Market, By Type

8.5.2. 2025

8.5.3. Middle East and Africa Security as a Service Market, By Enterprise Size

8.5.4. Middle East and Africa Security as a Service Market, By End-User Industry

8.5.5. By Country

8.5.5.1. Saudi Arabia

8.5.5.2. UAE

8.5.5.3. Israel

8.5.5.4. Others

8.6. Asia Pacific

8.6.1. Asia Pacific Security as a Service Market, By Type

8.6.2. Asia Pacific Security as a Service Market, By Enterprise Size

8.6.3. Asia Pacific Security as a Service Market, By End-User Industry

8.6.4. By Country

8.6.4.1. China

8.6.4.2. Japan

8.6.4.3. India

8.6.4.4. South Korea

8.6.4.5. Others



9. Competitive Environment and Analysis

9.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

9.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

9.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

9.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix



10. Company Profiles

10.1. Symantec Corporation

10.2. McAfee, LLC

10.3. Cisco Systems, Inc.

10.4. Web Werks

10.5. Gemalto NV

10.6. Trend Micro Incorporated

10.7. Coronet

10.8. Allot.

10.9. Stratejm Inc

10.10. Cloudteria LLC



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qrdr47

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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Last week, the Detroit Free Press and several other sources reported that General Motors (GM) is bringing salaried workers onto the production assembly lines of its Wentzville Assembly Center in Missouri, located 40 miles outside of St. Louis.

Assembly workers have called off shifts due to health and safety concerns over the spread of COVID-19, which has led to many choosing to stay home rather than risk exposure in the crowded plant, which employs roughly 1,250 workers per shift. Workers at the plant build Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickup trucks, the Chevy Express and GMC Savana full-size vans.

GM Wentzville Assembly (Credit: WSWS)

The Wentzville Assembly Center is located in St. Charles County, Missouri, an area that has seen an alarming increase in its COVID-19 test positivity rate and prevalence of positive cases. The rise followed the premature resumption of economic activity in June after several weeks of lockdowns and business closures, which, while limited, aided in slowing the transmission of the virus.

According to the countys Department of Public Health web page, its current 14-day test positivity rate stands at 9.5 percent and its latest 14-day average prevalence per 1,000 of population stands at 2.86. Over the past 14 days, confirmed cases have increased by 15 percent, and the number of quarantined persons has increased by 1 percent.

The corporation clearly views the legitimate health and safety concerns of assembly line workers as an irritating hindrance to its relentless drive to maintain profit levels in a market where its sales have fallen on average by 24 percent year-over-year, roughly in line with the rest of the global auto industry, according to the companys 2020 second-quarter sales report.

In announcing its shifting of some salaried workers to production lines at Wentzville, GM spokesman Jim Cain told the Free Press last Tuesday, The team on the ground in Wentzville is trying to navigate a very difficult situation to keep the plant operating, while accommodating employees who are not showing up to work due to concern of Covid.

Responding to the demands of its wealthiest investors, in July GM backtracked on its earlier decision to cut the third shift at the plant and decided to keep the lines running to pump out profits as COVID-19 cases were on the rise. It also transferred workers to Wentzville from the GM Spring Hill, Tennessee plant, where a shift was being cut, and from the Detroit-Hamtramck GM facility, in addition to hiring in more temporary workers.

The United Auto Workers union and all of the Detroit-based auto manufacturers are deliberately concealing the true number of positive COVID-19 cases at the plants from rank-and-file workers, exacerbating the already unsafe conditions. Workers are packed together on full shifts without adequate or comfortable personal protective equipment (PPE), working overtime in poorly ventilated and improperly cleaned facilities, where they do not know who has and has not either contracted the virus or come into close contact with someone who has.

Furthermore, there is virtually no effective contact tracing or testing of workers being done at any of the facilities, although the corporation has ample financial resources and influence to implement such measures. Instead, management is relying on highly unreliable screening measures such as daily temperature checks and symptom questionnaires for workers as they enter the plant, measures that the UAW had rubber-stamped as adequate when North American auto production restarted in May.

In March, wildcat strike action in the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe against unsafe working conditions forced the temporary shutdown of auto plants.

The salaried office workers being brought to the assembly lines are supposedly volunteers, according to Cain, and mainly work within a product capacity, meaning that they have been inside plants and are familiar with the production process. They could be manufacturing engineers, so theyre familiar with what happens inside the four walls of an assembly plant. Theyre not coming in cold, but they do have to learn a new job and quality, he explained to the Free Press. He also cited the measure as a way to get around the time it takes to onboard and train over 200 temporary positions it has been hiring since July.

Concerns certainly exist over whether or not the salaried engineers, or other workers, will be trained properly for the job. The corporation has already shown its willingness to sacrifice the health of as many workers as it takes to maintain levels of profit desired by shareholders. Assembly workers faced unsafe working conditions in the plant pre-pandemic, due in part to the UAWs collaboration through joint labor-management environmental and health committees, in reality entirely subservient to management.

When Hondas manufacturing plant in Marysville, Ohio, a nonunion shop, began using office workers on the assembly line at the beginning of August, UAW spokesman Brian Rothenberg claimed that office workers at the Detroit auto companies would never be pulled to work on the factory floor, a claim that has now been proven to have no merit. In response to the development in Wentzville, Rothenberg merely stated, We strenuously object to GM doing this, but proposed no action whatsoever.

Rothenberg stated at the time of the Honda Marysville announcement, First, we have unionized temp workers to fill in, referring to the reserve army of superexploited temporary and supplemental workers, who are paid below full-time wages and receive few benefits. This low-wage category was enshrined in contracts signed by the UAW in the wake of the 2009 bankruptcy and restructuring of the US auto industry and maintained in subsequent concessions contracts.

He also pointed to the reserves of unemployed autoworkers that the UAW would help force back into unsafe conditions through economic blackmail. And if theres not enough of those, other people who are laid off from the nearby area, and then a larger area, and then a larger area, and call them back to work.

In response to the companys decision, a veteran worker at the plant told the WSWS: They are so stingy [bringing in salaried workers], when we have permanent people on layoff at two plants. Maybe they are waiting it out so they don't have to transfer higher paid guys in and can auto-convert the temps that are up for conversion in October at a lower rate.

The worker denounced the UAW, pointing to the sellout of last years GM strike and the ongoing corruption scandal. Im tired of them getting fat and not giving anything back, like our big $250-a-week strike pay, while they pay legal fees for our union heads that stole all of our money.

The UAWs response to the companys latest actions to endanger workers lives in the name of profits has been completely toothless. Cain stated to the press that he has not seen the supposed grievances. According to the Free Press, the UAW Local 2250 has refused to call for any strike or work stoppage, and has only issued a warning and claims to have filed grievances to GM based on Paragraph 215 of the 2019 concessions contract, pushed through after the betrayal and isolation of the longest GM strike in well over four decades.

It states, Supervisory employees shall not be permitted to perform work on any hourly-rated job except in the following types of situations: (1) in emergencies arising out of unforeseen circumstances which call for immediate action to avoid interruption of operations; (2) in the instruction or training of employees, including demonstrating the proper method to accomplish the task assigned.

The UAW seeks to divide workers in the plant, whether they are assembly line workers, white-collar workers or cleaning staff. It knows that its perfunctory warning has no teeth, since the contract was written with the interests of GM at heart, and that according to the profit interests of the company, the pandemic counts as an emergency arising out of unforeseen circumstances.

Workers know that the union is completely incapable of and unwilling to defend the health and safety of any workers on the production lines. The UAW has been exposed many times over as a bribed tool of the corporation, as demonstrated by the ongoing allegations contained in a recent GM court filing of payoffs being funneled by Fiat Chrysler officials to union executives through offshore bank accounts.

The real emergency is that the lives and health of workers at all levels of production are being sacrificed for the profit interests of a wealthy few. There are ample resources to suspend production and pay workers in full, in a nonessential industry such as auto manufacturing, until the pandemic is under control.

For workers to expropriate the wealth needed to fulfill their demands as a class against the corporations and its cronies in the union, they must unite across all areas of the plant independently of the UAW. Workers at Wentzville must look to the examples of autoworkers across the US Midwest and Mexico as well as teachers who are forming rank-and-file safety committees to unite the working class to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.

If you work at GM Wentzville Assembly and you want to learn more about how you can organize a committee at your plant to link up with other autoworkers, teachers, logistics workers, meatpackers and others throughout North America and the world, contact us today. The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter and Socialist Equality Party are doing everything that it can to support workers in this life-or-death struggle.
We have talked about landlocked public lands in the past. Over 16 million acres of public land are not accessible by the public, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. The TRCP has partnered with ONX Maps to map and tabulate landlocked public parcels in 15 states and that effort shows that of that 16 million acres, 1.55 million acres of public land is inaccessible in Arizona.

The TRCP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving our nations hunting and fishing heritage. OnX Maps is a mapping application used by outdoor enthusiasts of all persuasions.

The Coronado National Forest is planning on doing something about access issues on a portion of the forest in the Douglas Ranger District. The proposal calls for the construction of a total of 2.6 miles of road split in three different locations in the Chiricahua Mountains portion of the forest.

The three new road segments are 1.1 miles of road around private land and unserviceable road at John Long Canyon near the Dart Ranch headquarters, a .25-mile reroute of USFS Road 314 at Horseshoe Canyon and a 1.2-mile reroute of Forest Road 42 around private land at North Fork of Pinery near the private land inholding.

The three new road segments will provide public access to existing Forest Service roads and thousands of acres of public land that have been off limits due to access blockage by private land owners.

All outdoor enthusiasts should support this effort. Access to multiple use public lands should not be limited to only adjoining private property, or to those with horses or those with legs young enough and strong enough to hike  that is what wilderness lands are for.

You have until September 5 to make a comment. Go to: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=57856

On another note, even though the Trump administration has denied the latest permit request for the Pebble Mine, it is not too late to speak up on the issues associated with a huge open pit mine near Bristol Bay, Alaska. Bristol Bay is such an incredible ecosystem it would be a real shame to take the risks associated with an open pit mine that could well destroy that ecosystem. Even though the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has declined the permit to the Canada company proposing the mine because of the high potential for destroying the unique Bristol Bay watershed, the issue is now before the EPA where it could be killed permanently. Go to http://www.savebristolbay.org/ to stay on top of this critical issue.

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Controversial fashion influencer Arielle Charnas is facing backlash yet again for gracing the cover of this month's Cosmopolitan Mexico.

The 33-year-old has landed the cover of the publication despite her numerous scandals this spring  and her appearance on the front of the magazine has some Latinx readers, like E! News' Lilliana Vasquez, absolutely 'exhausted.'

After posting a short rant on her Instagram stories, Vasquez shared an hour-long video in which she and other women discussed why the new cover is so 'problematic,' arguing that Charnas has done nothing for the Latinx community and giving her the honor sends the wrong message.

Uh-oh... Controversial fashion influencer Arielle Charnas is facing backlash yet again for gracing the cover of this month's Cosmopolitan Mexico

Spotlight: The 33-year-old landed the cover of the magazine even after facing numerous scandals this spring

Charnas has found herself in the midst of firestorms again and again this year  and while she recently changed her Instagram to private to filter out her critics, the mother-of-two shows no sign of retreating from the spotlight.

Back in March, the Something Navy founder infuriated New Yorkers when she managed to get her hands on one of a limited number of COVID-19 tests thanks to a personal connection, in spite of the massive shortage at the time.

Then, when she tested positive, she didn't self-isolate for the required two weeks, and fled Manhattan with her family for the Hamptons.

Once out east, Charnas was accused by a Southampton florist of skipping out on a bill and then lying about it.

She also reportedly received between $150,000 and $350,000 in coronavirus relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program for her fashion line, Something Navy, which she re-launched in July  with $10 million in funding round.

Now her problems are playing out on the international stage as she has landed the cover of the September issue of Cosmo Mexico.

On Instagram, the magazine even alluded to her troubles, calling her 'the influencer who got something positive out of such a difficult time.'

Not happy: The cover has some Latinx readers, like E! News' Lilliana Vasquez, absolutely 'exhausted'

The post has earned less than a thousand likes so far, and several of the commenters have chimed in to voice their disappointment with the choice.

'Is it that a Mexican or at least Latin influencer was not available?' asked Lissette Calveiro.

'FAIL,' wrote another commenter. 'Honestly of all the incredible Latina women that have worked hard to build their businesses, from NOTHING, you feature a esta papita sin sa [this potato without salt]l? ... What a waste of a cover.'

'We as Latinos have to take a deep introspective look at our colorism and elitism,' wrote yet another. 'Why her? Why whitewash a magazine that is meant to represent us, the Hispanic community?

'Not only does she not represent us because she isnt Latina, but she is so out of touch with reality, flaunting her wealth (getting a drive thru Covid test during the time they were scarce) while literally hundreds of thousands of people are dying.'

Also piling on the criticism is E! News host Lilliana Vasquez, who first admitted on Instagram that she needed to 'calm down' before sharing her thoughts.

'I am so tired, OK?' she said. 'I am exhausted. We collectively as Latinas in media are tired. We are tired. We are tired of being invisible in mainstream media, on TV, in magazines, in films.

The issue: Vasquez shared an hour-long video in which she and other women discussed why the new cover is so 'problematic'

She said: 'What Cosmo is signaling to millions of Latinas across the globe is there is not one Latinx influencer that deserved to be on that cover more than Arielle Charnas'

'This one f***ing hurt. This hurts my heart because this is one of our own magazines choosing another,' she went on.

'What Cosmo is signaling to millions of Latinas across the globe is there is not one Latinx influencer that deserved to be on that cover more than Arielle Charnas, someone who has done zero for our community.'

Charnas is not the first white star to cover the Cosmo Mexico, though the magazine usually chooses Latinx celebrities.

The only other white star on the cover this year was Lucy Hale, who fronted the May-June  after also covering the American edition of the magazine in March. It is not uncommon for photoshoots and interviews to re-run in international editions of magazines like Cosmo.

Charnas has not covered the American edition of Cosmo, however, so her place of honor on the front of the Mexican edition has proven hurtful and unnecessary to several of its readers.

'When I saw this cover today, it broke my heart,' Vasquez said in a follow-up IGTV video, adding that she was feeling frustration and anger.

She said that the cover sends the message to its readers that they are not enough, and that they don't deserve the accolade of the cover.

Agreement: Other social media users are in agreement and re-shared Vasquez's videos

Yes! Vasquez talked to several other people in her IGTV video, discussing how they believed the magazine could have easily found a Latinx influencer for the spot

'Is there a way that Arielle has championed our community?' Vasquez asked

She also took issue with the cover line, which reads in Spanish that Charnas is 'the influencer that risked it all when no one else would during the pandemic.'

'I am unclear on how Arielle risked it all,' she said, before mentioning her PPE loans. 'I'm not sure what she risked other than government money.'

'Is there a way that Arielle has championed our community?' she went on.

'Shameful': Dozens of people chimed in to share their upset over the cover, with one person naming 'a few of thousands of amazing LatinX women' who could have been featured on the cover instead of Charnas

Vasquez talked to several other people in her IGTV video, discussing how they believed the magazine could have easily found a Latinx influencer for the spot.

Commenters appear to be in agreement. On her page and the magazine's page, dozens have echoed those sentiments.

'What a disgrace. How dare you name her as a Latin influencer?! What has she done? Shes not even Latin! So disappointed,' wrote one.

'This is the problem with some of the Hispanic publications/media channels  especially those in Latin America  that continue to idolize white women,' wrote another.

'Its very obvious that @cosmopolitanmx PR and editorial team is not well versed with all the backlash tied to Arielle nor did they do proper research to FIND influencers, better yet LATINAS who couldve graced the cover loud and proud.

'As a Latin magazine, we want to see more women of color. I want to see an Afro Latina, an indigenous woman, a transgender woman, a plus size woman. The list goes on. But not someone who OBVIOUSLY flaunted her white privilege during the beginning of the pandemic. I cant and will never idolize or a support that type of influencer.'

Upset: The magazine's post has earned less than a thousand likes so far, and several of the commenters have chimed into voice their disappointment with the choice

Charnas has been fielding criticism from all sides since mid-March, though none of it appears to have dinged her follower count.

The drama began when she posted a video on Instagram saying she was ill and detailing her symptoms, which she feared might be coronavirus. At the time, tests were particularly hard to come by, and patients had to meet certain requirements to get one.

But after reaching out to her friend, Dr. Jake Deutsch Charnas was in a car with her husband Brandon, pulling up to a clinic as a health professional performed the test through the window.

Later, she updated followers to say that while a flu test came back negative, she tested positive for COVID-19.

'I wanted to give you all a health update,' she wrote. 'This morning, I learned that I tested positive for COVID-19.

'While the virus seems to be everywhere that you turn, it's meaning and importance completely changes when it affects you personally.

Sick: Charnas complained of coronavirus symptoms in March, when it was still quite difficult to get one of a limited number of tests

Connections: Though she didn't meet the requirement, she got a test through a friend

Privilege: She filmed herself driving up to get the test in Manhattan

'Now that I've officially tested positive, here is my plan per the recommendation of my doctors: Continue to quarantine/self-isolate, get lots of rest and drink fluids, get in touch with the family and friends that I've been in close contact with over the past 2 weeks so they can be even more diligent in their own self-quarantine and look out for any symptoms.'

'We are truly living in an unprecedented time, but if social media has shown us anything in the past couple of days, it's that we are all in this together.'

Critics quickly piled on, accusing her of 'cutting the line' to get a test. At that time, many other people across the country were being denied tests despite showing similar symptoms, and critics didn't like that she used personal connections to skirt around the rules.

Charnas addressed those who were upset that she managed to get a test, but mistook the anger as being about her ability to access healthcare when others can't  rather than the fact that she used a powerful connection to get a test that is being rationed for the most vulnerable.

'I realize that there are many individuals, both in New York City, and nationwide, who do not have the ability to receive immediate medical care at the first sign of sickness, and access to care is #1 priority in a time like this.'

Update: She later told followers she tested positive and tried to address the anger that she got a test when so many other people are being turned away

'It is the responsibility of our government offices to ensure all American can access necessary tests and I acknowledge how lucky I am to have had that access.'

However, the diagnosis didn't appear to have stopped Charnas from doing whatever she wanted to do, despite strong warnings from doctors and epidemiologists.

Ignoring calls to self-isolate for 14 days, Charnas has continued to live in close quarters with  and hug and kiss  her family, and she also kept using the services of a nanny.

Others in her house got sick. Charnas said her husband was ill as well, and she also seems to have inadvertently revealed that the nanny was still working and had the virus too.

According to Charnas, she and her nanny 'got sick together.'

And just eight days after her diagnosis, on March 26, she left her New York City apartment, went down the elevator, walked past her doormen, got into a car, and drove out to a rented home on Long Island, possibly stopping at a gas station or rest stop along the way and exposing even more people to the disease.

Unsurprisingly, furious comments poured in, blasting Charnas for her dangerous behavior, calling her 'selfish' and 'irresponsible.'

What happened to isolation? Charnas traveled to a rental home in the Hamptons just eight days after her positive test

In the family: The Instagrammer and her husband have two daughters together

Staying inside: Charnas, a fashion influencer, claimed she was quarantining herself

'Wow. Wow. Wow. Shocked and Sad you all couldnt stay quarantined to slow the spread when you posted sooo much about staying home. Youre probably still shedding. Ive been a big fan for a long time and this makes me sad,' wrote one.

Another accused her of 'setting such a bad example to millions of followers.'

Then, in July, Page Six reported that Charnas got a loan of $150,000 to $350,000 through JPMorgan and Chase on April 13, 10 days after the loan program launched.

Charnas relaunched her fashion brand, Something Navy, on July 13, and grossed $1 million in just 30 minutes, according to the influencer and the brand's CEO Matt Scanlan.

'The velocity and speed of sales totally broke our back end,' Scanlan said on the Glossy Podcast.

The brand is valued at $45 million, and Charnas herself is belived to be worth around $2.5 million.

Hong Kong billionaire Silas Chou, along with Box Group, M3 Ventures, Silas Capital, Third Kind Venture Capital and Rent the Runway co-founder Jennifer Fleiss are all investors in the brand.
Much better than counting sheep and can cut use of sleeping pills

Approximately 500 000 Norwegians suffer from chronic sleep disorders, also called insomnia. Researchers have long known that cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is the best documented treatment, but few people have access to such therapy.

A fully automated digital version of this treatment has proven effective for many patients and can reduce the use of sleeping pills.

"Our results show that it's possible to provide very effective and drug-free sleep treatment on a large scale. This can be done without meeting with health personnel," says clinical psychologist Havard Kallestad.

Kallestad is a researcher at St. Olav's Hospital and at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Department of Mental Health. He is also one of the first authors of a newly published article in The Lancet Digital Health.

Digital sleep support can help people identify the underlying causes of their sleep issues. The treatment addresses problematic sleep patterns, various stressors and other factors that interfere with sleep. Patients keep a journal that can provide insight into their own situation.

The new study in The Lancet Digital Health is encouraging.

The treatment study included 1721 participants, who received either digital sleep therapy or good sleep advice and digital information about sleep problems. All were Norwegian adults over the age of 18 who had difficulty sleeping. The findings are quite clear.

Approximately six of ten participants (58 per cent) experienced substantial improvement from the digital sleep therapy. In the control group, which received good sleep advice and digital information, only around 20 per cent experienced a similar effect. The digital sleep treatment was thus about three times as effective.

Thirty-eight per cent of participants achieved normal sleep quality after undergoing the digital sleep therapy. Only eight per cent of the control group had similar results.

"We also found that the participants who received digital sleep treatment were able to reduce their use of sleeping pills more than participants who only received sleep advice," says Kallestad.

This form of psychological therapy for a significant public health problem could prove to be more accessible than sleep medication treatment.

Digital sleep therapy is fully automated, meaning that no appointment with a health care provider is needed for the treatment. The study interventions were also automated.

The sleep treatment takes about 6 to 8 weeks to complete.

###

The study is a collaborative project between the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, NTNU and St. Olavs Hospital. It is funded by the Research Council of Norway (FHI) and Samarbeidsorganet (The Liaison Committee for Education, Research and Innovation in Central Norway) between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority and NTNU.

Researcher ystein Vedaa from FHI and NTNU and Kallestad shared first authorship in this study. Brge Sivertsen from FHI and NTNU was the last author. The digital sleep therapy programme used in the study was developed at the University of Virginia.

Source: Lancet Digital Health. Effects of digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia on insomnia severity: a large-scale randomised controlled trial. ystein Vedaa, Havard Kallestad, Jan Scott, Otto R.F. Smith, Stale Pallesen, Gunnar Morken, Knut Langsrud, Philip Gehrman, Frances P Thorndike, Lee M. Ritterband, Allison G. Harvey, Tore Stiles, Brge Sivertsen.
The reopening of schools and the winter flu season returning could mean Covid-19 patients pile the pressure on NHS hospitals again, a World Health Organization director has warned.

Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO's Europe chief, said he 'wouldn't be surprised' if hospital admissions surged this November to levels seen during the worst days of the pandemic.

He warned Britain was facing 'three phenomena' in the colder months on top of coronavirus - including children picking up the disease at school, an uptick in influenza cases and excess deaths among elderly people.

Dr Kluge said, unlike back in March, a national lockdown was not an option this time because the negative impact it would have on schools, the economy and society as a whole was too great.

Top scientists today criticised the 'alarmist' view that schools could be breeding grounds for the virus, saying there is no evidence to back it up.

It comes as schools in England finally reopened today after their doors were slammed shut six months ago when the country went into lockdown.

Dr Hans Kluge said he 'wouldn't be surprised' if hospital admissions surged this November to levels seen during the worst days of the pandemic because of schools reopening combined with a bad flu season

Pupils at Rosshall Academy in Glasgow wear face coverings as it becomes mandatory in corridors and communal areas on August 31

Speaking on the Radio 4 Today programme, Dr Kluge said: 'Let's not forget that we're entering three phenomena.

'One is the reopening of the schools for the academic year, the second is the flu season and the third is the excess mortality in the elderly population during the winter.

Children are at a greater risk from MEASLES than Covid says Britain's most senior paediatrician Britain's most senior paediatrician claims children are at a greater risk of contracting measles than coronavirus. President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Professor Russell Viner advised parents to send their children back to school, claiming he's 'far more worried about the risk to children of measles than of Covid'. Later today, Boris Johnson will tell his Cabinet that the reopening of schools should act as a springboard for 'more normality' for the whole country. Millions of children return to classrooms this week, with many heading back for the first time in almost six months. Professor Viner told The Sun: 'If your job is about the care of children, and if you know that the risk of them getting ill with Covid is incredibly small, you want to see schools reopen. 'Last week saw yet another scientific paper telling us very, very few children become seriously ill with Covid-19.' Advertisement

'So I wouldn't be surprised, unfortunately, if we see an increase [in hospital admissions] in October, especially towards late November.

'There's no reason for panic but we have to be aware. It is far too early to draw all the conclusions for the time being but we know what needs to be done.

'This is the key message: if we look back in February, the full option was lockdown and re-booting but now we should target the virus and not the schooling, the economy and society.'

Dr Kluge said schools should be the absolute last place to close again if targeted lockdowns are needed to curb Covid-19's spread.

Because we see that there has been a tremendous negative impact by school closures,' he said.

'Both in terms of education, but also mental health, social development and lets not forget there are abusive home environments.

'Most cases of covid 19 in children are mild or asymptomatic. So in that sense we say as a society we have to open the schools.'

Dr Kluge said there appeared to be a 'small' risk of children picking up the disease at school and bringing it home to their parents.

But scientists today said this theory was 'simply not borne out by the experience of the past six months.'

Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the University of Oxford's Centre for Evidence-based Medicine, called for the Government to put out clear and concise messaging that schools were very safe.

Writing in the Daily Mail today, he said: 'We need to reassure parents that it's safe for children to return to school this week.

'School-age pupils are the least likely to display any Covid-19 symptoms, and it will be a tragedy if they are denied the chance to restart their education by ill-founded fears.

'We need our children to be smarter than ourselves to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of our current generation  we need them to be in class.

'The alarmists will say that such asymptomatic people are just as likely to spread the coronavirus  and are perhaps even more dangerous, because they don't know they have it. That fear simply is not borne out by the experience of the past six months.'

Professor Heneghan also rubbished talks of a second wave and said anyone who believed there was a resurgence was misinterpreting the data.

He added: 'Don't be misled, as so many people are, by the rise in infections nationally.

'On Sunday, 1,715 people across Britain tested positive for Covid-19, the most since early June. It's easy to misinterpret that data and to assume that we're in the grip of the feared 'second wave'.

'We are not. There is currently no second wave. What we are seeing is a sharp rise in the number of healthy people who are carrying the virus, but exhibiting no symptoms.

'Almost all of them are young. They are being spotted because  finally  a comprehensive system of national test and trace is in place.'

'And while young people might have an infection, they appear well and healthy, not showing any symptoms.'
Wallace expressed frustration last week that students had attended parties and not followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for preventing the spread of the virus, and that some parents had not cooperated with school contact tracers. This week he said he hopes the incident has led to greater understanding of the role students and the community as a whole must play in order for schools to fully reopen for learning.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : As Epic Games fights a legal battle with Apple for removing the Fortnite game from App Store, its CEO Tim Sweeney took a jab at the Cupertino, California-based tech giant, promoting PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile on App Store.

On September 8, Fortnite's rival battle royale game PUBG Mobile will officially enter its 'New Era' with the Version 1.0 update, featuring a full overhaul of the signature 'Erangel' map and enhanced graphics that bring cleaner textures and flashier effects.

Apple App Store said in a tweet: "A new era of @PUBGMOBILE is coming, featuring an overhaul of the Erangel map and a bold new look".

Sweeney replied: "While waiting for Apple to #FreeFortnite on iOS and Mac, here's another awesome battle royale game powered by Unreal Engine!" PUBG Mobile is developed on Epic Games' open and real-time 3D creation platform Unreal Engine.

A US judge ruled last week that Apple cannot delete the developer account of Epic Games that supports Unreal Engine but can keep the Fortnite game away from the App Store for violating its policies.

The Fortnite game was removed from the App Store on August 13 for adding an in-app payment system in violation of its rules.

The Fortnite game just received the 'Season 4; update on platforms other than the iOS.

Launched in 2017, Fortnite features a battle royale format where 100 players compete to survive as the last player standing on a remote island.

The popular game has amassed a huge following of over 350 million players, and is available on multiple platforms.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A Japanese cosplay enthusiast from Tokushima has been getting a lot of attention online thanks to his adorable collection of costume cat costumes inspired by characters in popular anime.

The talented artist, who goes by Yagyou (@YagyouNEKO) on Twitter, is the one-man-team behind one of the most adorable projects Ive seen on social media in a while. After choosing a character from some of his favorite anime  he has an affinity for Studio Ghibli work- he starts working on the feline cosplay costume. He conceptualizes and designs the outfit, cuts and sews the material himself, dresses the felines and even takes the photographs himself. Looking at some of his costumes and the artistic photos he takes, its hard to believe he does everything himself.

Photo  Yagyou (@YagyouNEKO)

Taking advantage of the many shrines, bridges and visually-impressive locations of Tokushima prefecture, Yagyou is able to pull of some truly spectacular shots, while still focusing on the feline protagonists and their handmade outfits. Studio Ghibli fans will recognize the costumes of some of their favorite characters from memorable anime like Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away, among others.

Photo  Yagyou (@YagyouNEKO)

While Yagyous costume may simply seem cute to the average viewer, Studio Ghibli fans will be impressed by his attention to detail and the ingenious ways he manages to incorporate elements of the iconic outfits into his feline costumes.

Photo  Yagyou (@YagyouNEKO)

Although his Cosplayers Archive page features some photos of Yagyou himself cosplaying as various anime characters, the young artist writes that he has been focusing exclusively on his cat cosplay project in recent months and, judging by the attention hes been getting lately, hell probably continue to do so moving forward.

Photo  Yagyou (@YagyouNEKO)

So far, Yagyou has mainly been working by himself, but he writes that anyone willing to assist him with the photo shoots or just provide ideas is welcome to do so.

Photo  Yagyou (@YagyouNEKO)

The cat costume maker says that one of his future goals is to put together a calendar featuring 12 of his best photos, which is something Im sure both cat enthusiasts and fans of Studio Ghibli anime would gladly pay for.

Photo  Yagyou (@YagyouNEKO)

Yagyous work reminds me of another cool animal costume project we featured in the past  Samurai Age, a company specializing in samurai armor for cats and dogs.
Truth is we all love Odunlade Adekola and Femi Adebayo, but Lateef winning this is good too.

He is also a very good actor and very close in terms of popularity with his two seniors now, Man so good doing the job so with this award coming in, we had say, WELL DESERVED.

The actor just emerged winner as the Male Actor of The Year at the Fresh Awards Nigeria 2020. The 34-year-old actor beats Odunlade Adekola, Kunle Afod, Muyiwa Ademola, Damola Olatunji and Femi Adebayo to the award. Reacting to the goodnews, an exited Lateef said, MALE ACTOR OF THE YEAR wow! Lateef said: Id like to thank the entire team of Fresh Awards Nigeria for choosing me and seeing me worthy of this prestigious award. To everyone that voted for me, thank you so much. I feel so honoured and humbled. A huge Shout out to my ever-supportive fans, friends, family, producers, directors, and colleagues, May God bless us all. Again I say which of the blessings of Allah will I deny? none Walahi.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Hyderabad, Sep 2 : Tension gripped Telangana's Khammam town on Tuesday after a mob angry over the death of a youth under suspicious circumstances set afire a car of a corporator. The deceased was working at the corporator's house.

Alleging that corporator Ramamurthy Naik sacrificed the youth in the hunt for a hidden treasure, a mob chased his car. They damaged the vehicle while he ran into the local school and hid there. Police reached there to rescue the corporator.

When the police were shifting the car to the police station, the mob again attacked it and set it afire. The vehicle was completely gutted.

Anand, who joined as housekeeping assistant at Naik's residence last month, died under suspicious circumstances on August 18. His relatives alleged that the corporator sacrificed him for treasure.

The police registered a case of death under suspicious circumstances and were investigating.

On Tuesday, the relatives of the deceased youth stopped Naik at Koikondai village, when he was going in his car. They questioned him about the youth's death.

The corporator allegedly manhandled the victim's father which angered the villagers. They started attacking the vehicle, forcing the corporator to hide himself in a school.

The corporator later denied the allegations. He said Anand died after getting epileptic attack while erecting a tent. He said they shifted him to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
Wearing masks, hundreds of thousands of children and young people across England returned to their classes at schools and colleges on Tuesday after over five months of lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

IMAGE: Pupils at Rosshall Academy wear face coverings as it becomes mandatory in corridors and communal areas in Glasgow, Scotland. New rules require children over 12 to wear face coverings in corridors and other communal areas in schools in Scotland. Face coverings are not mandatory in classrooms. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Students were seen queuing up outside their schools ahead of their classes, as new rules are in place to stop the spread of COVID-19.



The Department for Education earlier said pupils will return to school environments with a 'system of controls' in place to keep all students, teachers and staff safe by minimising direct contacts and maintaining social distancing wherever possible.

Face coverings are mandatory in communal areas and corridors at schools and colleges within areas of the country deemed at high risk of COVID-19 infections.



"For many, today marks the first day of a new school year, with thousands of children set to walk through their school gates again as schools across the country begin to reopen for full-time education for all pupils," UK Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said earlier.



"I do not underestimate how challenging the last few months have been but I do know how important it is for children to be back in school, not only for their education but for their development and wellbeing too," the minister said.



"But it is down to the sheer hard work of so many teachers and school staff that from today pupils will be able to learn in their classrooms together again. It has not been easy for parents nor schools, but we could not have got to this point without your support and I cannot say thank you enough for this," he said.



The DfE emphasised that the new school term follows the backing for a full return from the chief medical officers across the four nations of the UK in their recent consensus statement, highlighting that the health risk posed by COVID-19 to children is extremely low and noting the significant risk to young people's wellbeing if they are not back in school.



Most children have been out of full-time education for more than five months, since a nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 23.



A British Medical Journal study also said the risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 for children was 'vanishingly small'.



Last week, the National Association of Head Teachers published survey findings that highlighted 97 per cent of schools plan to welcome all pupils full-time from the start of the autumn term and will have the range of recommended safety measures in place.



The remaining 3 per cent outlined that they will phase students back or use transition periods to reopen more widely.



The return of pupils this week follows the reopening of schools in Leicestershire last week, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visiting to see first-hand the practical steps being taken to ensure the risk of transmission is reduced.



The DfE said ministers have also been visiting schools ahead of the new term and have praised some of the innovative ways schools will be looking after children including the use of cleaning stations, and staggered breaks, keeping pupils in 'bubbles', social distancing and safety on transport.



School term start dates will vary across the country, with approximately 40 per cent schools expected to start term on Tuesday. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have had varying start dates, with many schools already operational.



"It remains the government's priority to continue to support schools, nurseries and colleges through the next few months, continually guided by the best possible science and medical advice," DfE said.



Consistent with the latest Public Health England advice, strict hygiene and cleaning protocols will be in place along with a one-off personal protective equipment supply boost being distributed to schools for use in the small number of instances where it is necessary.



"All children will stay in groups or bubbles to reduce the risk of spreading infection, and older children in particular will be expected to follow social distancing guidelines. Face coverings should also be worn in communal areas in secondary schools in any areas with local lockdowns in place," DfE added.



The government said that pupils are encouraged to walk, cycle or scoot to school but the government is also providing an additional GBP 40 million to local authorities to increase home to school transport and ease pressure on public transport as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry recorded a 20% month-on-month (m-o-m) increase in the value of member companies exports to Africa in June 2020, which reached AED 2.94 billion ($800 million).

The value of exports and re-exports to Africa, tracked by Certificates of Origin (COOs) issued to Dubai Chamber member companies, signalled a rebound in trade activity with Africa to average levels seen during the January-March 2020 period, a statement said.

A rebound in trade activity

Of the AED 883 million ($240 million) worth of members exports and re-exports targeting Sub-Saharan Africa in June, AED 508.3 million ($138.3 million) went to East Africa, AED 249.5 million ($67.9 million) to West Africa, AED 92 million ($25 million) to Central Africa, and AED 33.3 million ($9 million) to Southern Africa.

Despite the wide disparity in value among the sub-regions, West Africa, along with Central Africa, were the main drivers of the rebound seen in June. Member exports to North Africa accounted for two-thirds of the export value to Africa for June, or AED 2.05 billion ($558 million), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa AED 883 million ($240 million).

On a regional level, the value of members exports to Central Africa saw the biggest m-o-m increase of 48%, followed by North Africa (25%), West Africa (12%) and Sub-Saharan Africa (8.6%).

Best-performing markets

Nigeria was identified as one of the best-performing markets in the Sub-Saharan Africa during recent months. Members exports to Nigeria in June amounted to AED 112 million. Plastics such as ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers, polyethylene in primary forms, along with plates and sheets accounted for 23% of exports to this market. Machinery contributed another 15% of exports, and came mainly in the form of drills, hydraulic engines, and appliances.

Angola, Dubais largest exports partner in the Central Africa sub-region, accounted for AED 33 million worth of members exports in June. The nature of commodities exported to the country is broad, and includes foodstuff items, such as cereal flour, palm oil, and dairy products, which are in high demand within this market.

Strong momentum observed in West and Central Africa sub-regions is likely to continue throughout the second half of 2020, as African cities continue easing movement restrictions and business activity continues returning to pre-Covid-19 levels.-TradeArabia News Service
This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country. He cant stop the violence  because for years he has fomented it, said Biden during a Monday speech in Pittsburgh. He may believe mouthing the words law and order makes him strong, but his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows you how weak he is. Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected?
(Natural News) The co-director of Northeastern Universitys Violence and Justice Research Laboratory, Carlos Cuevas, sent an email to faculty and graduate students in the schools criminal justice department in July asking them to submit any research they have proving there is systemic racism in policing. In addition, he requested studies showing the use of excessive force by police. He also asked that they share the call for papers with colleagues, contacts and the American Society of Criminology.

In the letter, which was reprinted by Law Enforcement Today, Cuevas said he was working on a special issue on Police, Violence, and Social Justice.

It appears those behind the issue have already made up their mind about the slant, with an attachment to the email from the APA journal Psychology of Violence explaining the reasoning behind it: Given the disproportionality of legally sanctioned police violence against members of black and brown communities, this special issue is designed to advance the scientific knowledge about the excessive use of force by some law enforcement officers as applied to members of communities of color with the goal of advancing prevention, intervention, and policy recommendation.

The letter does not state whether contradictory research will be accepted to provide a more balanced and realistic view. However, when The College Fix reached out to ask if they would accept any research that contradicts their claim of racism among police, they gave a vague answer and then stopped responding to future inquiries.

The person who sent Law Enforcement Today the anonymous tip about Cuevass email called it a slap in the face and said that thousands of alumni serve everyday in law enforcement. Northeastern ranks in the top 1 percent in the nation for criminal justice students getting bachelors degrees.

Data does not support the notion of systemic police racism

According to the Washington Posts Fatal Force database, a black man in America is more likely to be killed by a lightning strike than by a police officer. A closer look at data from 2019 shows that of the 1,003 people who were shot and killed by police in the U.S. that year, 250 were black and 405 were white. A total of 55 unarmed suspects were killed, again with more whites than blacks at 25 versus 14. Its important to note that shooting unarmed suspects may be justified if they are trying to take an officers firearm, making a furtive movement, or attacking an officer. Among the 14 incidents where unarmed black men were shot and killed by police officers that year, several of them involved fights with officers, high-speed car chases, or weapons recovered at the scene.

Calculations carried out by Law Enforcement Today show that police shot and killed one unarmed black man out of every 3,141,721 black Americans. Although every death is a tragedy, this is hardly an epidemic worthy of the violent overreactions being seen across the nation. Plus, there is no way of saying for sure if racism was a motivation in most shootings  and sometimes the officers involved were also black.

In fact, the number of unarmed black people who are killed by police is so low that most Americans know them by name. Yet many more unarmed white people are killed each year by police, and hardly anyone can tell you their names. We can thank the media for that; their selective reporting ensures we only hear about the stories that support their narrative of racist police.

A study of police shootings found that suicidal whites were more likely to killed by police, yet no one accuses police of being racist against whites. Moreover, those shot and killed by police in 2019 were overwhelmingly male  is anyone accusing them of gender discrimination against men?

While no one wants to see police use excessive force on anybody, it is important to examine the statistics in a balanced and accurate way  and that is something that the editors of the Psychology of Violence journal do not seem very interested in doing.

Sources for this article include:

TheCollegeFix.com

LawEnforcementToday.com
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 15:15 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41f7e6c 1 Lifestyle plastic-bottle,fast-fashion,Aqua,danone,HnM,environment Free

Indonesian drinking water brand AQUA and Swedish fashion brand H&M have launched an initiative to create a children's collection made from recycled plastic bottles.

Called Cleaning-Up for the Future, the products will be sold at H&M retail and online stores around the world.

In Indonesia, the collection is available at id.hm.com as well as 12 H&M stores in Greater Jakarta, West Java's Bandung, East Java's Surabaya and Bali.

The initiative dates back to 2017 with the establishment of the Alliance for Marine Plastic Solutions Forum (AMPS) by what was then the office of the coordinating maritime affairs minister. It aims to reduce marine waste by 70 percent by 2025 and plastic waste to zero by 2040.

Read also: H&M tests renting clothes to address environment concern

Through the initiative bottle2fashion built with H&M Indonesia, Danone-Aqua has collected 129 tons of used plastic bottles from the shores of Jakarta and Thousand Islands, Danone Indonesia senior sustainable packaging manager Ratih Anggraeni said in a statement.

The plastic bottles were turned into polyester fiber and then into various fashion items by H&M.

Plastic bottles and fast fashion waste might be the worst enemies currently faced by planet Earth. According to plasticocean.org, more than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year. It is estimated that, in 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.

Environmental mission 7billion for 7seas stated that the fast fashion industry was responsible for 20 percent of global wastewater, contaminating rivers, oceans, freshwater sources and soil. (gis/wng)
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty ImagesEver since announcing his bid for U.S. President in the 2020 election, people have been questioning Kanye Wests intentions and whether not he is being fueled by ulterior motives, but the rapper insists his campaign isnt just a scheme to help President Donald Trump secure reelection.

In a new interview with Nick Cannon for his podcast Cannons Class, Kanye insists his only goal is to be the candidate America votes into the White House on November 3.

"People keep on saying I think that y'all, you and Republicans, are in cahoots," West says in a preview clip posted to Cannons official Instagram account. Cannon responded by noting there are people who believe Republicans are "paying you to do what you're doing to be a distraction" in the upcoming election.

"Bro, can't nobody pay me," West insists. "I got more money than Trump."

At present, West is still fighting to appear on voting ballots across the nation, though his status in New Jersey and his home state Illinois remains in question after election officials raised concerns about the required amount of valid signatures he submitted as part of a petition to run as an Independent.

By George Costantino

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Delhi police have arrested a man who stabbed an auto driver to death after the two engaged in a scuffle three days ago, police said on Tuesday.

A 26-year-old auto driver Sagar was stabbed to death by the accused Surender in Delhi's Vasant Kunj area after Sagar slapped the accused for passing a lewd comment on his wife.

"Sagar slapped Surender, who runs a tea stall near Chattarpur Metro Station, after he misbehaved with Sagar's wife three days ago. This irked Surender and he stabbed Sagar on Monday," said Ingit Pratap Singh, Additional DCP South West.

Sagar was rushed to a hospital immediately, where he was declared brought dead.
The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates.

Whats happening

Joe Biden wouldnt be the Democratic nominee for president without Black voters. His campaign appeared to be on life support after the first three primary states. His chances were revived by a decisive victory in South Carolina, where he won 60 percent of the Black vote. By the end of Super Tuesday, which featured several other states with large Black populations, he had all but sewed up the nomination.

Biden will once again need support from Black voters if he hopes to defeat President Trump in November, but this time the challenge is slightly different. Unlike in the primary, theres little risk of his opponent taking in a sizable chunk of the Black vote. The issue for the former vice president is whether enough Black voters will cast ballots for him to win.

Black voters make up about 12 percent of the U.S. electorate. They consistently have one of the highest turnout rates of any ethnic group. But because they have overwhelmingly supported Democrats, the difference between average and above-average Black turnout can have a major impact on elections. In 2012, about 66 percent of eligible Black voters cast ballots, the highest rate of any ethnic group. In 2016, Black turnout fell to 59 percent. That drop-off was one of the key reasons Trump pulled off narrow victories over Hillary Clinton in a handful of key swing states.

Why theres debate

Members of Bidens camp see reasons for optimism that he may be able to boost Black turnout to the levels needed to win the election. His success with Black voters during the primary and backing from prominent Black figures suggest Biden has a strong well of support, they argue. The selection of Kamala Harris, who is Black and South Asian, as his running mate may also help Black voters feel they would be represented in the White House.

Some of the reasons to expect high Black turnout have little to do with Biden. Trump is deeply unpopular with Black voters, with a significant majority saying he is racist. Black voters may vote in large numbers more as a referendum on Trump than as an endorsement of Biden. The growth of the Black Lives Matter movement in recent months may be fueling higher enthusiasm among Black voters.

Story continues

Despite these advantages, there are reasons for Biden to worry about Black turnout, experts say. Though they are often discussed as a unified group, there is some variance in the political leanings between different groups of Black voters. The most significant difference is in terms of age. Biden has the overwhelming support of older Black voters. But Black voters under 30 are much more skeptical of the former vice president specifically and more likely to feel that voting doesnt matter at all. Biden may have hurt his chances with Black voters with some of his recent gaffes when discussing race and the election.

Perhaps surprisingly, Trumps campaign has attempted to court Black voters in hopes of shrinking Bidens advantage with the group. Even if those efforts are only marginally successful, a 1 to 2 percent shift in support among Black voters could be enough to tip closely contested swing states. Black voters are also much more likely to be denied the opportunity to vote by things like voter ID laws, felony disenfranchisement and subpar election infrastructure.

Perspectives

Optimists

Black Lives Matter can boost enthusiasm among Black voters

Right now, the issues around Black Lives Matter is an opportunity for Biden to attempt to appeal to those voters, because those young people are a lot of the people who are being very vocal about what they want to change. And he has space here to show that he would be taking a more progressive stance on these types of policy issues.  Political scientist Chryl Laird to NPR

Black voters dislike of Trump overrides any issues they have with Biden

Of course, Biden is aided by how Black Americans view Trump. Hes deeply unpopular and broadly viewed by Blacks as racist.  Philip Bump, Washington Post

Kamala Harris will help Black voters feel represented

Harris brings Biden a direct link to the partys African-American base, reflecting his teams strategy of generating excitement and high turnout in Black communities.  Errol Lewis, CNN

Trump cant court black voters without turning off white suburban voters

The president believes that Black men will respond to his macho presentation of self, allowing him to cut into the Black vote enough to repeat his 2016 triumphs in Wisconsin and Michigan. (He has given up on Black women.) But his appeals to Black men cut against his strategy for recapturing the white suburban women who abandoned the Republicans in the 2018 midterms.  William A. Galston and Elaine Kamarck, Brookings Institution

Skeptics

Democrats shouldnt take Black voters for granted or treat them as a monolith

Pundits often portray Black Americans as an undifferentiated mass  loyal Democrat-supporting foot soldiers who will execute their mission for The Team on Tuesday as long as some preacher provides the right marching orders on Sunday. If these depictions have not already expired, they are certainly growing stale.  David C. Barker and Sam Fullwood III, Conversation

Young Black voters dont have faith in the electoral system

Young African Americans dont have confidence that the system will or can function in a way that will advantage their lives. They have no evidence  or little evidence  that the system will improve their lives. When they engage with the system, more often than not, it is adverse. In some ways, it is destructive and life-threatening to them. As a result of that, they have little inclination to engage with that system.  Political scientist Sam Fulwood III to Time

Democrats need to present a clear vision for systemic change to convince Black voters

The motivation for Democrats warm embrace of Black Lives Matter cant be simply that Black Votes Matter. The Democrats platform has been full of that sentiment for a long time. Biden still has to prove to many  Black and Latino voters, young folks, and those far to the left of him  that he can be trusted on these issues; that he is worth braving a pandemic and weaving through voter suppression tactics to cast a ballot for.  Jerry Brewer, Washington Post

Bidens legislative history undercuts his efforts to convince Black voters hes on their side

Biden has avoided any clear apology for his role in deepening the systemic racism in public policy that he now pledges to oppose.  Bidens failure to meaningfully acknowledge his role in constructing the color-blind racial regime of the post-civil-rights era, structured around calls for law and order and the coded deprecation of poor Black women, has clouded his newfound epiphany concerning racial justice.  Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, New Yorker

Black voters face greater hurdles to voting than other groups

Black voters still face hurdles to the ballot box because of the strains on election systems posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and racial inequalities in elections that existed long before the virus.  Grace Panetta, Business Insider

Is there a topic youd like to see covered in The 360? Send your suggestions to the360@yahoonews.com.

Read more 360s

Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 17:59:17|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Caretaker Lebanese Finance Minister Ghazi Wazne signed on Tuesday a contract with turnaround firm Alvarez & Marsal to conduct forensic auditing for the Central Bank of Lebanon, a statement by the Finance Ministry reported.

The ministry also signed two separate contracts with KPMG and Oliver Wyman to conduct regular financial and accounting auditing of the Central Bank of Lebanon.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has, on many occasions, asked Lebanon's financial authorities to audit the central bank's accounts to assess the actual losses and assets of the bank.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun tweeted earlier in the day that he insists to go all the way with forensic auditing which is a very important step in the fight against corruption in the country.

Lebanon has been trying to reach a deal with the IMF to unlock billions of U.S. dollars in aid for the country but the Central Bank of Lebanon and the cabinet presented different figures to the agency which halted negotiations temporarily.

Lebanon is going through its worst economic and financial crisis amid shortage in U.S. dollars and the weakening of the local currency, and high unemployment and poverty rates. Enditem
Galatians 3:28 is one of the better-known verses in the Bible:

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Christians, rightly, rejoice at its liberating truth  all joined in Christ through faith are one. This unity transcends the great religious, socio-economic and gender divisions of the ancient world. The implications are astounding  in Gods eyes all human beings are of equal value and dignity regardless of religion, ethnicity, net-worth, social standing, intelligence, physical disability, education, gender, age, or skin colour.

However, its one thing to affirm an inclusive principle, its quite another to put it into practice. From its earliest days, a challenge for the church has been to live up to its calling to be a radically inclusive community in contrast to systemic inequalities that define the world.

At this point Wilberforce is often referenced (rightly) as an inspiring example of Galatians 3:28 in action  taking on, and defeating, the economic and political might of the slave trade. His dogged determination, and eventual success, is a story worth telling.

But I wonder if it also rather too conveniently air-brushes the darker history of Christian rejection of the radical social and political implications of Galatians 3:28.

Perhaps if you are reading this you might be like me, a Christian with roots in Northern Ireland evangelical Protestantism. Over the years Ive thought a lot about theology and the intersections between evangelical identity, faith and politics. Ive also thought a lot about gender, particularly how innumerable gifted women have experienced marginalisation within the church and the inbuilt privilege and assumptions I have as a man. For centuries the dominant paradigm was that women were simply inferior to men. If we had space, we could quote Chrysostom, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and Hodge and many others. More recently, modern complementarians shy away from the inferiority argument, instead making the historically novel, and logically questionable, claim that women are equal in status and gifting with men and yet selected leadership roles in church and family are open only to men.

But why is it, I ask myself, that it took the death of George Floyd for me, in my 50s, to even begin seriously to think about the colour of my skin?

Over the last few weeks Ive begun to read up on slavery and the bloody history of white colonialism in Africa (too many atrocities to name but we could start with Britain in multiple places, German genocide in Namibia and millions dying in the Congo under Belgian rule). And then there are the tens of millions more men, woman and children kidnapped and transported to lives of unimaginable brutality in a global slave trade designed to prop up the developing economies of the colonial powers. And this doesnt even include the violent suppression, and local exterminations, of indigenous populations in places like Australia and the United States. To this you can add Apartheid in South Africa and the appalling more recent history of deliberate systematised racism in America post-Lincoln (summarised in this excellent video by Phil Vischer of Veggie Tales fame).

However, its one thing to affirm an inclusive principle, its quite another to put it into practice. From its earliest days, a challenge for the church has been to live up to its calling to be a radically inclusive community in contrast to systemic inequalities that define the world.

And white Christianity has been, and is, deeply implicated in this toxic history. Yes, thats a sweeping statement but one, I think, that is impossible to deny. White supremacy isnt a delusion of the radical left, its a defining assumption of modern Western history. Underneath it is an ability of those claiming the name of Christ to detach political and economic activity from what they profess to believe. In other words, to read the words of Galatians 3:28 but leave their radical implications conveniently behind in favour of power and money.

Take Edward Colston, so recently thrown into Bristol harbour (well his statue at any rate). A slave trader who made vast profit from human lives, but also a churchman and philanthropist, well known for his generosity to good causes (hence his statue).

So is this PS just an exercise in white guilt? After all, you may be thinking, What has all this got to do with me? Im not responsible for the past. Nor do I live in the racially segregated USA.

Well, let me suggest that recent events are challenging that sort of detachment, wherever you live. If you are a white follower of Jesus and havent thought about what that means as a Christian, then this is a good time to start. Indeed, the very problem with whiteness is that it is taken to be the norm - and we dont think about what seems to be normal (which is why Id never thought seriously about being white until now).

Indeed, the very problem with whiteness is that it is taken to be the norm - and we dont think about what seems to be normal (which is why Id never thought seriously about being white until now).

One Christian scholar challenging these sorts of assumptions is Professor David Horrell who has studied how Galatians 3:28 has been applied by white Western Bible interpreters. He concludes that

 though it may be uncomfortable to acknowledge it, is not our racialised identity one significant part of that complex intersection of facets of identity to which we should  indeed must  pay attention?  Assuming that our interpretation is uncontextualised  unmarked, unlocated, unraced  is, I would suggest, no longer a feasible option.

In other words, if you are a Christian, you are a Christian first and a white person second. It is as Christians we are called to reflect theologically and critically on the intersections of whiteness, power and injustice. This means beginning to appreciate that our reading of history, theology, the Bible and Christian identity is deeply shaped by our whiteness. And then to put those assumptions under the searchlight of texts like Galatians 3:28.

In doing so we will be better placed to begin to seek out, befriend and listen to non-white voices and perspectives. This is especially needed in such an ethnically monochrome society like Northern Ireland. Maybe, just maybe, as we do so we will begin to understand, and to feel, what it means in day-to-day experience to be non-white within a default white culture. And once we begin to see things through non-white eyes, perhaps, just perhaps, we will find ourselves called to act against systemic inequality in the church and wider society.

Patrick Mitchel is Senior Lecturer in Theology at the Irish Bible Institute in Dublin and blogs at www.faithinireland.wordpress.com.
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In these times, the world is highly being characterized by digital solutions, on which most of the industries are now dependent upon. Because of increased penetration of advanced technologies all across the globe, the adoption of digital technologies has increased considerably over the past few years. Owing to this rapid digitalization, organizations are being compelled to change their business models in order to stay relevant in their respective fields. The same if true for the healthcare industry, as the governments of various countries are focusing on encouraging clinics and hospitals to convert conventional health records to the electronic format.

Attributed to all these factors, the demand for electronic health record (EHR) services and solutions is growing swiftly. EHR is simply the digital version of a patients health records on charts. Since EHR is real-time records of patients, the information can be made available instantly to authorized users. The recorded data can be shared with other healthcare providers and across different healthcare organizations. As per a report by P&S Intelligence, the global EHR market is expected to attain a value of $30.4 billion by 2023, rising from $22.3 billion in 2017, progressing at a 5.4% CAGR during the forecast period (20182023).

Geographically, North America has been the major user of EHR solutions in the past, which is primarily because of the surging geriatric population and rising awareness regarding the relevance of EHRs in healthcare facilities. Apart from this, the adoption of EHRs is also predicted to grow considerably in Asia-Pacific, thereby making the region the fastest growing EHR market in the years to come. This can be owing to the increasing investments by various companies in EHR solutions in the region. Japan has been the major user of these services in Asia-Pacific due to innovative healthcare facilities in the region.

In conclusion, the demand for EHR is growing due to the rapid digitalization across the globe.

Read more: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/electronic-medical-records-market
Monday 05 September, 2016 Reliable information reaching Biafra writers desk has it that the life of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indi...
The makers of a multimillion dollar small aircraft have shifted the blame for a mid-flight malfunction onto the husband of a Melbourne celebrity, as a years-long dispute unfolds in court.

Businessman and high-flying architect Andrew Norbury is suing the manufacturers of his $US4.35 million 2007 Cessna Model 525 Citation CJ1+ jet after the plane made two uncommanded left turns during a descent towards Essendon Airport in April 2011.

Andrew Norbury with his wife Lydia Schiavello at Essendon Airport.

An uncommanded turn describes a phenomenon in which a turn occurred without the pilot's intervention while an aircraft is on autopilot.

Mr Norbury, the husband of The Real Housewives of Melbourne television show star Lydia Schiavello, was flying on autopilot during his return trip from Merimbula in NSW with his young son and his sons friend when the plane veered left, causing a momentary panic among the passengers.
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Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1 2020

The Prosperous Justice Partys decision (PKS) not to join the Gerindra Party camp in the Dec. 9 South Tangerang mayoral election in Banten shows a deeper friction between the two long-time coalition partners, a political analyst has said.

The conflict is not only happening at a regional level  in this case in South Tangerang [election], Indonesia Political Review executive director Ujang Komaruddin told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

It is clear that the two parties have gone their separate ways as their interests no longer align, he added.

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The Autoworker Rank-and-File Safety Committee Network is a national organization of workers throughout the auto industry who have organized to oppose the unsafe return to work by the auto companies and the United Auto Workers. Email the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter at autoworkers@wsws.org to learn more and get involved today.

The Autoworker Rank-and-File Safety Committee Network demands an end to the outrageous cover-up by management and their UAW accomplices of the spread of COVID-19 cases in the auto plants.

Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), under pressure from the viciously anti-worker Trump administration, issued new guidelines stating that people exposed to the coronavirus who do not yet show symptoms do not necessarily need to be tested, even as COVID-19 continues to spread throughout our workplaces and communities.

United Auto Workers members leave the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Warren Truck Plant in Warren, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

The Detroit automakers told the Detroit Free Press that they are not going to follow the relaxed CDC rules and will still require testing for those exposed to the virus. They must think workers are idiots.

Its becoming common knowledge that those exposed to the virus in the plants are not being notified by management or the UAW, let alone tested. Its an outright scandal that the companies and the unions make less and less of an attempt to hide.

The limited safety measures they promised following the restart in May are being systematically eliminated as they try to get us to build more vehicles. Workers at Jefferson North Assembly (JNAP) and other Fiat Chrysler plants have been notified that even the extra five minutes added to breaks for cleaning and social distancing are being eliminated.

The auto companies are seeking to wash their hands of any responsibility to protect our health and safety.

Ford has announced it is launching a massive health and safety campaign based entirely on shifting the responsibility onto workers to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Their end game is to blame us for our own illnesses and deaths that they shouldve prevented.

The company wants workers and their families to sign a contract pledging to adhere to a list of safe practices at home, including wearing facemasks and regular hand washing, with an additional pledge for parents and guardians.

Management claims signing the pledge is voluntary, but we dont believe that. This kind of thing has a dark and ugly history. Henry Ford had his notorious Sociological Department that tried to monitor the living conditions and morals of Ford workers. We must not accept this attempt to reestablish the methods of industrial dictatorship!

The situation requires urgent action. In recent days, it has come to our attention that workers at several plants who were in contact with infected co-workers on their team have not been informed and not asked to self-quarantine. Guards at JNAP are often letting workers into the plant without checking the COVID questionnaires or checking the thermal scan. Disinfectant bottles for cleaning were empty for weeks.

At the FCA Toledo Jeep complex, no fewer than three workers on one team had tested positive for COVID-19, but management failed to inform the rest of the team.

At the same time, Fiat Chrysler management has issued a warning to workers that if they expose such unsafe practices via social media they could face termination.

The newly formed rank-and-file safety committee at the Faurecia Gladstone parts plant in Columbus, Indiana, reports that a gap leader was left on the floor for five days waiting for test results after she reported being exposed to COVID and even had symptoms. After the worker tested positive, she was sent home without pay. Management lied by saying the worker was in self-quarantine.

These go against basic health protocols that require the entire team be sent home to self-quarantine for 14 days if even one team member tests positive for COVID-19.

The committee has learned of similar horror stories at other factories.

These criminal practices must end now! Workers deserve nothing less than full accountability and all information necessary to preserve our health and safety.

The Autoworker Rank-and-File Safety Committee Network not only demands serious adherence to safety protocols. We reject any suggestion that the responsibility for maintaining safe conditions is primarily the responsibility of workers. What has been demonstrated again and again is that management values their cars more than the lives of us, the workers.

The safety protocols now in place are totally inadequate. This committee demands:

All workers must be immediately notified when there are new COVID-19 cases and all areas and shifts that are affected. The companies must keep a total count of positive COVID-19 cases, updated in real time, that is easily accessible by workers. This information cannot be kept secret from us.

Social distancing must be implemented when entering and leaving the plant and during bathroom, lunch and other break times. Disinfectant and cleaning equipment must remain readily available for workers to use as they see fit.

All equipment must be cleaned on every break by a separate cleaning crew, who will have cleaning equipment, follow social distancing guidelines, wear masks and be compensated for their labor by the company. Workers are not responsible for cleaning equipment, nor for paying the cleaning crew.

Trained medical personnel, independent of management, must be present in every plant, reporting directly to safety committees on conditions.

The line must be stopped for 10 minutes every hour to enable workers to take off their masks, rest and cool off. If a worker has underlying health issues, which prevent them from being able to wear a mask in the plant, they should be able to either wear a face shield or be guaranteed a job back after the pandemic, with full pay in the meantime.

Workers must have regular, universal testing, with results returned within 24 hours. Temperature checks and self-reporting symptoms are not enough.

If conditions are not safe, workers have the right to collectively refuse to work without threat of retaliation by management and the union.

Workers must not be targeted, reprimanded, terminated or otherwise harassed for taking time off to wait for test results. Reinstate any terminated employees immediately who have been fired for taking days off to get tested. No retribution for using FMLA to deal with family health and mental health issues.

We call on all autoworkers and auto parts workers in North America, including our brothers and sisters in Canada and Mexico, to follow our example and construct rank-and-file safety committees to work together to fight this pandemic. Our lives are more important than corporate profits.

This is not just a fight by autoworkers. All workers whether teachers, meatpackers, Amazon workers, truckers or airline workers must unite together. The unions will not do this. The big business politicians, Democrats and Republicans wont do this. It is up to us to stand up and defend our lives.
is the first of its kind to provide separate content each for students, educators, and parents

teaches the warning signs and risk factors of suicide

provides expert guidance on what to do when seeing someone at risk of harming themselves

includes a 20-minute training video, worksheet, and resource guide

can be done remotely for adult training (due to the sensitive nature of the content, a school-based setting is required for student training).

Explore the Say Something program and get access to the resource materials:

https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/our-programs/say-something/

"Youth suicide is becoming a public health crisis in our country. We're seeing this trend reflected every day in the types of tips that come into the Crisis Center of our Say Something Anonymous Reporting System," said Nicole Hockley, co-founder and managing director of Sandy Hook Promise and mother of Dylan, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. "To actively reverse this trend during these trying times, it's more important than ever that students, educators, and parents know the signs and take action to get help before a tragedy can happen."

Relatedly, an interactive Say Something: Being a Trusted Adult professional development workshop for educators equips teachers and administrators to better support students who speak up about warning signs of self-harm, violence, and victimization. This new training was originally conceived by Sandy Hook Promise's National Youth Advisory Board as a way to help students feel more confident in sharing sensitive information with adults.

To date, more than 12 million people nationwide have participated in Sandy Hook Promise's proven Know the Signs programs that train youth and adults to identify at-risk behavior and intervene to get help before a tragedy can occur. Through these no-cost programs, Sandy Hook Promise has averted multiple school shooting plots, teen suicides, and countless other acts of violence.

About Sandy Hook Promise: Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national nonprofit organization based in Newtown, Connecticut. SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. SHP's mission is to create a culture engaged in preventing shootings, violence, and other harmful acts in schools. Through its proven Know the Signs programs, SHP educates and empowers youth and adults to recognize, intervene, and get help for individuals who may be socially isolated and/or at risk of hurting themselves or others. SHP is a moderate, above-the-politics organization that supports sensible program and policy solutions that address the "human side" of gun violence by preventing individuals from ever getting to the point of picking up a firearm to hurt themselves or others. Our words, actions, and impact nationwide are intended to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation. Make the Promise at www.sandyhookpromise.org .

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The United States on Monday said it is open to exploring ways to formalise the Quad, as the group of Indo-Pacific powers it forms with India, Japan and Australia is called.

Starting in 2017, the Quad has met once or twice a year at the level of officials and ministers  New Delhi is expected to host the next ministerial in the fall  but the group has lacked the kind of institutionalised organisation that supports something like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of the EU.

It is a reality that the Indo-Pacific region is actually lacking in strong multilateral structures, Stephen Biegun, the US deputy secretary of state (he is the American counterpart of foreign secretary Harsh Shringla), said on the opening day of the annual summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), a trade body of companies of the two countries.

They dont have anything of the fortitude of NATO, or the European Union, he added, referring to the most popular models being talked about for the formalised structure. There is certainly an invitation there at some point to formalise a structure like this.

The top diplomat indicated a certain inevitability about the formalised structure that had not been known previously. Its something that, he said, could happen in the the second term of the Trump administration or, (if he doesnt win) the first term of the next president.

A formalised, institutionalised structure, Biegun said, would meet the need for a sustained regular communication between countries with those shared interests and values.

Biegun, who is not a career diplomat but a political appointee, displayed rare candour in identifying China as a unifying threat to the Quad but argued for a higher purpose: I think responding to the threat of China in and of itself, or any potential challenge from China in and of itself, would be enough of a driver, though it also has to have a positive agenda

The Quad has been decades in the making. But it began meeting in its intended format and spirit with some kind of predictable regularity in 2017. Its meetings started small at first, at the level of officials. But quickly graduated to the ministerial level, with the first such meeting held on sidelines of the UN general assembly meetings in September 2018.

While a summit-level meeting of the Quad hasnt taken place yet, talk of a formalised structure has been gaining ground, starting with a core membership of the four, which could expand to include more  such as the Quad+3, addition of New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam, which emerged as a US-led group that held weekly consultations on Covid-19.

Remember even NATO started with relatively modest expectations and a number of countries chose neutrality over NATO membership in post-World War 2 Europe, Biegun said, adding that the original NATO only had 12 members, relative to its 27th today so you could start a little bit smaller and grow into your membership.

So long as the purpose is right and as long as we keep the ambitions checked  to start with a very strong set of members, he said, I think it is worth exploring.

Although, he cautioned, it only will happen if the other countries are as committed as the United States.
Playing with Lego can be a serious business  the makers of the plastic brick system have a kit specially designed for use in team workshops.

A series of these Lego-based workshops has been held in Silverdale aimed at bringing the community together.

Auckland Council paid Serious Play Works $20,000 to facilitate the project, which began in February.

Eight sessions were held with groups including Silverdale Centre, Silverdale Hall and market, Silverdale School, the Mens Shed and the community marae, Te Herenga Waka o Orewa.

One local who took part in the Silverdale Hall workshop, Lorraine Sampson, says it was constructive, well run and useful. We talked about local issues, and pairs made Lego together, then each group talked about what they had made, Lorraine says. Connectivity was discussed.

Serious Play Works owner Mike Phillips says he was brought in because it was easier for people to talk to someone independent of Council.

Mike spoke with residents, students and businesses all over Silverdale, and says he only used the Lego around 50 percent of the time  including several sessions at Silverdale School.

Sometimes people preferred just to have a cup of tea and a chat, he says.

Among his findings were that the area is quite segmented and that businesses, in particular, want a more cohesive identity.

There is a lot of pride in the area but Silverdale has perhaps been a bit overlooked, while an area like Orewa has grown more cohesively because it is part of a Business Improvement District. People love living in Silverdale and want to see some positive changes, Mike says.

He says Auckland Council will take the process forward from here, and that could include a community project.

Councils community empowerment manager Christine Olsen says one aim was to build connections between the old and new Silverdale communities, and that the use of the Lego Serious Play focuses on enhancing innovation and business performance.

We are now working towards creating an event that brings the community back together to share the outcomes of the Lego Serious Play sessions, she says. It is a fantastic opportunity for the community to shape their identity.

Anyone interested in attending future meetings or joining the project can email HibiscusandBaysLocalBoard@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Community health workers are an important resource for providing basic health care needs for the community, as well as helping facilitate clinical research.

We know that community health workers are increasingly involved in research to engage individuals from underserved communities, and they make important contributions to the success of research in their community because they understand the socio-economic and cultural factors that influence it, says Susan Murphy, ScD, OTR/L, an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Michigan Medicine and research health science specialist at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare Systems Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center.

We absolutely need their partnership and assistance to engage underserved communities in research, but we have also found that training for community health workers in research best practices varies, she says.

Murphy, along with Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., MPH, FACE, of the University of Florida, and Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, are the principal investigators of a newly funded $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Healths National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences that will help train and empower community health workers in research best practices.

There are no national competencies for research best practices for community health workers, says Murphy, who also works as a faculty lead in the Education and Mentoring Group at the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR). Previously at MICHR, she led development of an online competency-based training in research best practices in social and behavioral research for clinical research professionals.

This grant will allow us to enable community health workers to better support research within their community, she says. This is especially important in underserved communities where quality and translation of clinical research are hampered due to health disparities.

Aguilar-Gaxiola, director of the University of California Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities, adds, The work of our team is also timely in that we hope to address the challenges and health disparities underserved communities are experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing health disparities in research

The three principal investigators say the grant will address four main issues:

Provide a standardized education in research best practices for community health workers. Develop training for community health workers and promotoras (Spanish-speaking community health workers) that is relevant to their communitys culture and language(s). Reduce barriers to accessibility of competency-based training and tools for training community health workers online. Empower select community health workers to become champions of the training to serve as peer mentors and facilitate the training of their colleagues at the community sites where they work.

We believe this project will help to build an effective, community-engaged clinical research workforce and enhance research quality, Murphy says. Which is a shift in the paradigm of training focused solely on clinical research professionals.

The University of Michigan serves as the contact institution for the grant and each primary investigator represents a different NIH Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA)-funded center, with U-Ms being MICHR.

The grant will also establish a national network of CTSA Community Advisory Boards, which will be a major dissemination pipeline for the training across CTSA-funded institutions nationwide.

The three investigators' institutions will serve as the first training hubs for the program.

"The hubs are representative of a diverse group of community partners and each hub has established partnerships in community settings that serves the Black and Latinx communities, and other racial/ethnic populations," Murphy says.

In addition, community health workers and community members will be engaged in content generation, as well as providing feedback on how the training and its implementation is being received.

"Community health workers understand the needs of their community and are an incredibly valuable resource, especially when it comes to engaging their community members in research that could help us reduce health disparities in the future," says Cottler, a dean's professor of epidemiology and director of community engagement of the University of Florida Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

Grant: Training Promotoras/Community Health Workers using Culturally and Linguistically-Appropriate Research Best Practices. Funded by the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. Award U01TR003409.

###
Actor, comedian, author and The View co-host, Whoopi Goldberg, is asking Disney to build a Wakanda theme park in honor of the late actor Chadwick Boseman.

It was announced on Friday that Boseman - who starred in the blockbuster movie Black Panther, playing the role of TChalla/Black Panther, king of the fictitious African kingdom of Wakanda - died of colon cancer, after a private four-year battle with the disease. He was 43.

In a Twitter post on Sunday, Goldberg, 64, tweeted, Dear People in charge of building NEW experiences Disney Land and World we dont really need another Frozen land BUT what we could use is Wakonda, please Disneyworld Disneyland PLEASE build in Chadwick Bosemans name WAKONDA (Sic).

Dear People in charge of building NEW experiences Disney Land and World we dont really need another Frozen land BUT what we could use is Wakonda, please Disneyworld Disneyland PLEASE build in Chadwick Bosemans name WAKONDA  Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) August 31, 2020

A report from CNN noted that Frozen attractions at Walt Disney World in Orlando include Frozen Ever After and a chance to meet Anna and Elsa at Royal Summerhaus at Epcot. In addition, at Disneys Hollywood Studios, you can experience A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. However, because of the pandemic, the report said, some events are listed as temporarily unavailable.

A Marvel expansion at Disney California Adventure park, was announced by Disney, last year, the report said.

According to the report, in a statement on Twitter, the company said that visitors will find heroic encounters throughout the Avengers campus, including Black Widow, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Super Heroes from Wakanda and Asgard, and Iron Man. There was however, no talk of a dedicated Wakanda theme park, the report said.

A long list of celebrities paid tribute to Boseman after his death was announced on Friday, among which was Goldberg, who told her 1.5 million followers that Boseman was a wonderful actor and a truly nice man. She described Boseman as one of her all time favorite people on the planet, the report said.

Absolutely devastating, Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios and chief creative officer at Marvel, said of Bosemans passing, the report quoted.

He was our TChalla, our Black Panther, and our dear friend. Each time he stepped on set, he radiated charisma and joy, and each time he appeared on screen, he created something truly indelible, Feige said in a statement to CNN. The Marvel Studios family deeply mourns his loss, and we are grieving tonight with his family, The report quoted.

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Sudan's premier Abdalla Hamdok said Tuesday that a peace accord with rebel groups paved the way for national rebuilding by overcoming the grievances of deadly conflicts under ousted president Omar al-Bashir.

Rebel commanders from the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) and Sudan's transitional government initialled a landmark deal on Monday to end 17 years of conflict in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed.

The SRF -- founded in 2011 -- is an alliance that includes five armed rebel groups and four political movements from Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

In 2003, a deadly conflict broke out in Darfur between African ethnic groups and government-backed Arab nomads, killing around 300,000 people and displacing 2.5 million others.

Bashir was deposed during enormous street protests in April last year, before painstaking negotiations between the generals and a protest umbrella resulted in a power sharing administration later in the year.

The ousted president is wanted by the International Criminal Court over genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states re-erupted in 2011 alongside South Sudan's independence, six years after a peace deal between the south and Khartoum had paved the way for the secession of provinces to the south of those states.

"Peace remains the dream of the Sudanese people," Hamdok told reporters on Tuesday.

The deal, which was signed on Monday in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, "creates a new Sudanese state, and remedies all injustices of the past," he said.

Two rebel movements refused to take part in the deal.

"The government is keen to meet with them in the near future to achieve comprehensive peace to serve the interests of the Sudanese people," Hamdok said.

The peace deal covers key issues around security, land ownership, transitional justice, power sharing and the return of people who fled their homes because of fighting.

It also provides for the dismantling of rebel forces and the integration of their fighters into the national army.

Sudan has been led since August last year by a civilian-majority transitional administration, which has prioritised forging peace deals with rebels.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Christmas has come early to Coles with the launch of its festive bakery collection.

Now available in stores Australia-wide, the 11-piece range includes old favourites like the 'CHOICE Recommended' Christmas pudding and new additions like mince pies stuffed with blackcurrant and apple.

Classic mince pies have been upgraded with a new and improved recipe that promises 'even more juicy fruit and an attractive shortcrust pastry star design'.

And with prices ranging from $2 to $7, the range is sure to be welcomed by budget-conscious customers who can buy every product for a reasonable $26.

Scroll down for video

The 11-piece range includes old favourites like the 'CHOICE Recommended' Christmas pudding (pictured)

New additions include mince pies stuffed with blackcurrant and apple (left), while classic mince pies have been upgraded with a new and improved recipe (right)

After shifting a staggering one million mince pies in September 2019 alone, Coles is hoping to smash last year's sales record by getting in early with shoppers.

Coles Bakery Manager Rosie Anderson said the release date - almost four months ahead of Christmas Day - was brought forward to bring hope to coronavirus-weary customers as the pandemic rolls on.

'We've been working hard to bring a timely festive bakery collection to stores early to help raise the spirits of those Australians who need it most,' Ms Anderson said in a statement Tuesday.

And Coles aren't the only iconic Australian brand getting into the festive spirit a little earlier than usual.

Coles Christmas bakery collection * Coles Matured Christmas Pudding 110g, $2.50 and 700g, $7 * Coles Christmas Pudding 110g, $2 and 700g, $4 * Coles Fruit Mince Pies 6 pack 360g, $2 * Coles Festive Fruit Mince Pies 6 pack 360g, $4 * Coles Festive Chocolate Pudding 110g, $2.50 and 550g, $7 * Coles Blackcurrant & Apple Fruit Mince Pie 6 pack, $4 * Coles Iced Fruit Cake Single 95g, $2 * Coles Iced Fruit Cake Slices 5 pack 250g, $5 Advertisement

On August 27, hardware giant Bunnings rolled out a collection of Christmas lights to brighten the mood amid COVID-19.

The range - exclusively available in select stores - includes pink reindeer, fibre optic trees and giant Nutcracker soldiers that stand over a metre high.

An employee from the Craigieburn outlet, 25km from Melbourne CBD, announced the launch with a Facebook photo that's gone viral since it was posted on Tuesday night.

'After the year we've had, bushfires and a pandemic (and our metro Melbourne folk still getting through), looking forward to seeing lots of seasonal lighting,' she wrote in the caption.

Christmas come early: Bunnings has launched a collection of Christmas decorations, exclusively available in select stores, to brighten the mood amid COVID-19

It's not clear which other stores are stocking the festive collection, which does not appear on the brand's website because they are promotional items.

On social media, the excitement was evident.

'Eekkk! That makes me happy! Especially as we are hosting family Christmas this year and I wanted to get a head start!! Thank you!' one person said.

Another added: 'We need something cheerful, that's for sure! I think I need to get into the festive spirit this year.'

But some felt the launch was premature, even against the backdrop of the pandemic.

'Gosh Christmas stuff already, it's not even September yet,' one woman said.

A second said: 'Christmas decs (sic) already.. Oh my god, yes I love Christmas but why can't they wait until October at least?'

A third was more outspoken in her criticism.

'No!!! Halloween needs to come first. Hate b****y Christmas. Worst time of year,' she said.

'People turn into monsters and become so greedy - completely missing the whole point. Anyway, that's my whinge.'
Top Maoist leader Muppalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathi, said to be in his 70s, who led the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) for over one-and-a-half decades has offered to surrender to the Telangana police, highly placed sources in the intelligence department said.

According to sources, Ganapathi had offered to surrender to the police through some Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders close to chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. The surrender is likely to materialise in a couple of days.

Incidentally, both Ganapathi and KCR are from the erstwhile combined district of Karimnagar in the northern Telangana. The Maoist leader carries a reward of Rs 1.50 crore on his head.

It is learnt Ganapathi has decided to surrender owing to his ill-health. He is said to be suffering from asthma, diabetes and also severe joint pains. Though he is still part of the central committee of the Maoist party, he had not been very active in the movement and had been hiding in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, sources said.

Senior police officers posted in Chhattisgarh also claimed that they had specific information about the surrender of Ganapathi. We cannot confirm the surrender but something is happening. There is buzz about this surrender among the Maoist leaders of Chhattisgarh and we have been told something has happened in Telangana, said a senior IPS officer on condition of anonymity.

Ganapathi, who was instrumental in building the Maoist movement across the country, played a major role in the formation of CPI (Maoist) with the merger of CPI (ML-Peoples War Group) and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) in 2004.

He had been the general secretary of the party since then till he stepped down to pave way for Namballa Kesava Rao alias Baswaraj, 63, to take over the reins of the party in November 2018. Baswaraj was heading the central military commission and Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army of the party then.

Apparently, Ganapathi was asked to step down from the general secretary post as part of restructuring of the central committee and also because of age and ill-health.

Hailing from an agriculturists family in Birpur village of Telanganas Jagtial district (erstwhile part of Karimnagar), Ganapathi is a graduate in science and worked as a teacher before joining the Naxalite movement during the Jagtial peasants movement in the late 1970s.

A close follower of Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, the founder of CPI (ML-Peoples War Group), Ganapathi rose to the top ranks within a decade and established contacts with international Maoist organisations. He is seen as an ideologue of the Maoist movement in the country.
By Rev. James A. Dunkins

Working-class African-American families are being hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic that is devastating South Jersey. That is why the state Senate should give immediate final passage to S-2340, a vitally important pandemic-related housing protections bill, to support this vulnerable group.

Black Americans suffer from higher rates of asthma, diabetes and other risk factors that make the virus more deadly. They are more likely to work in essential occupations, particularly in the service sector, that put them at a higher risk of being exposed.

Thus, its no surprise that African-Americans infected by the virus are far more likely to die than their white counterparts, according to a Brookings Institution analysis. While the public health impacts of this virus are ravaging Black communities, the pandemic is also worsening systemic inequalities that threaten to leave families of color poorer.

As of June, Black workers were twice as likely to have been laid off or furloughed because of the economic downturn as white workers. As a result, they are struggling to keep up with their rent and mortgage payments.

A consulting firms survey for New Jersey advocacy groups found that an estimated 450,000 households expected to be unable to pay August rent on time, including nearly half of Black renters.

These are shocking statistics that demand immediate action.

While Gov Phil Murphy has taken important steps to keep people in their homes by imposing temporary moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures, and rolling out a new federally funded program to help cover some families back rent, these stopgap measures dont come close to meeting the needs of Black New Jerseyans. Simply put, without further action from Trenton theres nothing to stop a landlord from immediately demanding months of back rent from tenants the moment the moratorium expires.

Thankfully, the Legislature is considering S-2340 to establish a comprehensive, statewide forbearance program that puts working families needs first.

Designed to head off a tsunami of COVID-caused displacement, it would allow families impacted by the pandemic to enter into standardized repayment plans with adequate time to repay back rent and mortgage bills. The legislation would also protect families from suffering longer-term financial impacts from the pandemic by protecting the credit ratings of those who enter into the program.

While S-2340 has passed both houses of the Legislature, final amendments still need to be passed by the Senate before it can head to the governors desk.

Unfortunately, we believe the New Jersey Apartment Association, a trade group of landlords, is using this opportunity to further delay passage of the bill.

It is crucial that lawmakers put the well-being of working families of color over the greed of corporate landlords and quickly give final approval to this legislation. Families deserve the security that will come with the knowledge that the pandemic, which is currently threatening their health wont also threaten their ability to stay in their homes. This is the single most important policy that the Legislature can enact to mitigate the disparate impact the pandemic is having on families of color.

And because South Jersey is typically the poorest part of the state, I am calling on its lawmakers, particularly state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, to work with the bills sponsors to give it final passage.

All working families, but particularly people of color, need the security of knowing that they will not be forced into homelessness by big banks and corporate landlords.

The Rev. Dr. James A. Dunkins is the senior pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Port Norris and Vineland.

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The state said in a Monday news release it expects the shelf-life of the program under the current funding model to last about three weeks. It said about 55,000 low-income claimants wont be eligible for the funds, which are limited to those who qualify for at least $100 in weekly unemployment benefits, either through state programs or the federal pandemic assistance program.
Amid popular protests in the capital and elsewhere, divisions have emerged in Libyas internationally recognised government, though Fayez Al-Sarraj is moving to take control

Popular protests in the Libyan capital Tripoli and cities in western Libya last week were a manifestation of suppressed tensions within the Presidential Council and Government of National Accord (GNA). Quarrels burst into the open after simmering below the surface behind closed doors since April. This will likely realign loyalties or break existing fragile alliances in west Libya. This is a good litmus test of bonds within the alliance supporting the globally-recognised GNA, at a time when protests on the streets are demanding improved living conditions and holding officials accountable for corruption.

Bickering between the head of the Presidential Council, Fayez Al-Sarraj, and Minister of Interior Fathi Bashagha, who protested security breaches during demonstrations at Midan Al-Shuhada (Martyr Square), the largest square in Tripoli, between 23-26 August. Shots were fired and several youth protesters were arrested.

Since 20 August, demonstrations broke out across Libya and eventually reached the capital to protest declining living conditions, poor services, power and water outages, lack of cash in banks, fuel shortages, deterioration of health conditions due to Covid-19, rampant corruption in state institutions and general mismanagement of the country. Protests reached Tripoli after first starting in Sirte on 20 August by supporters of the previous regime who launched a movement called Rashahnak (We nominate you) in support of Seif Al-Islam Muammar Al-Gaddafi, son of the former president. The next day, protests spread to Al-Zaweya, west of the capital, condemning security steps taken by Bashagha at Ras Ajdir border crossing with Tunisia which is controlled by associates of the Berber city of Zuwara. They accused Bashagha of inciting strife between the cities in the western region.

Protests in Tripoli and Misrata began 23 August demanding better living conditions and prosecuting corruption cases. Demonstrations in the capital steadily grew in size, especially among youth, but by the third day protesters were divided along the political lines of organisers who pointed fingers at each other about supporting and opposing the GNA and demanding it resigns.

In Misrata, youth demonstrators gathered in front of the municipal square to protest living conditions and corruption, but did not reach the scale of protests in Tripoli. Demonstrations in other cities ended once numbers grew in Tripoli and after security clashes. In a statement on the evening of 23 August, Bashagha accused a group of armed men affiliated with official parties in the state of firing at protesters using machine guns and canons. Amnesty International accused Al-Nawasi Brigade of shooting into the crowd and kidnapping six protesters. Also known as the Eighth Battalion, Al-Nawasi is a component of the Tripoli Protection Force (TPF), a coalition of the four main armed groups in the capital which support Al-Sarraj.

Bashaghas accusation against armed groups affiliated to state agencies was even more pronounced on 27 August, when he threatened to use force to protect civilians. This was an escalation of a quarrel among Al-Sarraj and his allies in Tripoli, before the latter decided to suspend Bashagha to face a disciplinary investigation which was postponed to Thursday. Bashagah insisted that his questioning be done publicly.

Bickering between Bashagha and Al-Sarraj is the tip of the iceberg of long festering rivalries and disagreements within the GNA between two camps since April, triggered by a financial dispute among cabinet members. Since then, more squabbles have surfaced revealing a deep rift in Tripoli. Al-Sarraj has the finance and economy minister on his side, along with the Supreme Judicial Council, TPF, Tripoli Military Zone and the State Audit Authority. In the opposing camp are Presidential Council deputies Ahmed Maetiq and Abdel-Salam Kajman, and the governor of the Central Bank, Al-Sadiq Al-Kabir, alongside Bashagha.

Arguments erupted because the war was suspended, financial disputes, and differing opinions on next political steps. One camp in the government wants to respond in earnest to calls to return to the political process supported by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and international and regional powers, to improve their chances in future arrangements that could be decided in talks. The other camp believes calls for relaunching talks are likely to fail and will not thaw the political and battle stalemate. Al-Sarraj and his cohorts want to fly solo and continue taking political and fiscal decisions while ignoring considerations on a political agreement.

Observers believe the quarrel between Al-Sarraj and Bashagha will likely undermine the alliance that exists in western Libya, which is only possible if the opposing force is unified in its vision and shares a common view in confronting Al-Sarraj. Al-Sarraj understands he is facing off with several opponents of varying political and social stripes, which gives him much room for political machination.

Bashagha was suspended from his post while on a trip to Ankara and after meeting Turkish Minister of Defence Hulusi Akar on 28 August, which several regional analysts viewed as Ankara abandoning Bashagha who was once considered Turkeys closest ally in Tripoli. Since the signing of the memorandum of understanding about maritime operations, security and military cooperation in Istanbul between the Turkish government and GNA in late November, Al-Sarraj became the sole interlocutor with Turkey from Tripoli, since he heads the cabinet that is recognised by the global community.

Upon his return to Libya from Turkey, Bashagha tried to flex his muscles in front of Al-Sarraj, even though he submitted to the decision to suspend him, by demanding a public interrogation. He was met at Mitiga Airport by a crowd of supporters who accompanied him in an armed entourage that travelled across Tripoli from east to west until they arrived at Al-Nakheel village at the Janzour Tourist Complex, which houses many diplomatic missions in west Libya.

Although prominent leaders of armed groups in Misrata and police officers stood alongside Bashagha as a show of solidarity with him, key influential figures and actors in Misrata did not side with Bashagha. Instead, they criticised him for his caustic statements about the protests and demanded he first resign from the cabinet before pelting it with stones.

A key critic of Bashaghas actions is veteran politician Abdel-Rahman Al-Sewehli, former chairman of the High Council of State, along with several prominent businessmen in the city who chose to align themselves with Al-Sarraj, who had started to take a series of steps to address protest demands. These included issuing several economic decrees such as disbursing financial aid to Libyan families, forming committees to tally the number of young graduates to train and appoint them to jobs in the public sector, which is already inflated and has the highest rate of employment in the world.

Other steps included military appointments, such as appointing commander of the Central Military Zone General Mohamed Al-Haddad, who is from Misrata, as army chief-of-staff. He also appointed Undersecretary of Defence Colonel Salaheddin Al-Namroush, from Al-Zaweya, as minister of defence, which had remained in Al-Sarrajs grip for some time.

Al-Sarraj also appointed the commander of the Western Military Zone and head of the Joint Operations Room General Osama Al-Juwaili as chief of intelligence.

With these appointments, Al-Sarraj has at least struck a balance that would enable him to manage local alliances away from political blackmail  a step that paves the way for a critical cabinet shuffle that was delayed several times due to disagreements.

It appears that Bashagha stands alone in confronting Al-Sarraj, as the latter stripped the former of any leverage he could use in their dispute.

Developments abroad indicate that suspending Bashagha could be a move to pander to Moscow, which prefers not to deal with Bashagha in Tripoli due to his strong statements against Moscow and its position on Libya.

Bashagha had also urged the US to establish a military base in western Libya, and promised not to allow the Russians to gain a foothold south of the Mediterranean.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Nearly 100 employees have been furloughed from the York city school system.

The York City School Board voted Monday to furlough non-instructional employees, who include cafeteria workers, hall monitors, student and health aides and security, Fox 43 is reporting.

This breaks down to 52 part-time and 38-full-time employees, according to WGAL.

The move comes as city schools hold classes online for the first marking period, according to reports.

The school board will revisit the furloughs at the end of the marking period Oct. 30, reports indicate.

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By Lisa Barrington and Dan Williams

AL-DHAFRA AIR BASE, Abu Dhabi (Reuters) - After accompanying an Israeli delegation to the UAE for historic normalisation talks, White House adviser Jared Kushner set off on a tour of other Gulf capitals on Tuesday, looking for more Arab support.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates set up a joint committee to cooperate on financial services at the talks in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi. Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, accompanied the Israeli delegation on Monday on what was billed as the first Israeli commercial flight to the influential Gulf monarchy, which agreed in August to normalise relations.

Israel exchanged embassies with neighbours Egypt and Jordan under peace deals decades ago. But until now, all other Arab states had demanded it first cede more land to the Palestinians.

In remarks reported by the UAE state news agency WAM, Kushner suggested other Arab states could follow quickly. Asked when the next would normalise ties with Israel, he was quoted as saying: Lets hope its months.

Kushner later flew to Bahrain and then Saudi Arabia and is expected also to visit Qatar.

While no other Arab country has yet indicated a willingness to follow the UAE, the richest, Saudi Arabia, allowed the El Al charter flight carrying Kushner and the Israelis to use its air space.

In Bahrain, which houses the U.S. naval headquarters for the region, the state news agency reported that during his meeting with Kushner, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa had praised the role the UAE has played in defending Arab and Islamic interests.

In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Kushner discussed the need for the Palestinians and the Israelis to resume negotiations and reach a lasting peace, state news agency SPA reported.

The UAE, United States and Israel on Monday urged the Palestinians to "re-engage" with the Israelis, according to a joint statement carried by the Emirati state news agency.

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"DISGRACED FOREVER"

The Palestinians have denounced the UAE agreement with Israel, which they say violates a longstanding pan-Arab position that Israel could normalise relations only in return for land. The UAE says it obtained a major concession from Israel to halt plans to annexe territory on the occupied West Bank.

The Gulf Arab states are mainly ruled by Sunni Muslim monarchs who consider their biggest foe to be Shi'ite Iran, and Israel has long held out the promise that their common enemy could bring them together.

In a fiery speech on Tuesday, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said: The Emiratis will be disgraced forever for this treachery against the Islamic world, Arab nations and Palestine.

The UAE, along with Israelis and evil Americans like the Jewish member of Trumps family, are working together against the interests of the Islamic world, Khamenei said, referring to Kushner, who is Jewish.

Asked about Khameneis remarks, UAE Foreign Ministry official Jamal Al-Musharakh told reporters in Abu Dhabi: The path to peace and prosperity is not paved with incitement and hate speech.

Israeli officials have played up the economic benefits of the UAE deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said representatives of the two countries had signed an agreement on cooperation in financial services.

The state-run Abu Dhabi Investment Office and Invest in Israel, part of Israel's economy ministry, issued a joint statement saying they had agreed to set out a plan to establish formal cooperation.

The Gulf state's biggest lender First Abu Dhabi Bank <FAB.AD> later said it would open discussions with Israel lenders Bank Hapoalim and Bank Leumi.

Amid the historic normalisation talks, Kushner spent a morning meeting UAE military officials at an Abu Dhabi air base that houses U.S. military F-35 jets, advanced stealth aircraft which the Gulf state has long sought to buy despite Israeli objections.

The UAE has said normalisation should remove any hurdle blocking the sale. Netanyahu said on Monday Israel still opposes selling the jets to the UAE.

(Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi, Alexander Cornwell and Maha El Dahan in DUBAI; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Giles Elgood and Lisa Shumaker)
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland is banning from Wednesday direct flights from 44 countries including Spain, Israel and Romania in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the Central European country, the government said on Tuesday.

The United States, Malta, Montenegro, Mexico, Brasil, Argentina and India are also on the list of countries, but local media reported that Russia and China had been removed from it.

The move follows measures to reintroduce restrictions on public life in the worst affected parts of the country, as the government tries to tackle the spread of the virus without resorting to a complete lockdown.

Poles are, however, allowed to fly to and from any country they want if they choose indirect flights through countries that are not on the list, such as Germany.

Poland, a country of 38 million, has officially registered 67,922 COVID-19 infections and more than 2,000 people have died from the virus. On Tuesday 550 new infections were registered, according to Health Ministry data.

(Reporting by Marcin Goclowski, editing by Ed Osmond)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:01:20|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran reported 1,682 more COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, raising the tally of infections in the country to 376,894. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia reported 898 new cases, the lowest record in daily infections in the kingdom since April.

Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, said the pandemic has so far claimed 21,672 lives in Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, up by 101 in the past 24 hours.

She added that 325,124 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals while 3,709 remain in critical condition.

Saudi Arabia reported 898 new COVID-19 cases and 32 more deaths on Tuesday, taking the total infections to 316,670 and the death toll to 3,929. This was the lowest daily spike in infections in the kingdom since mid-April, and the third day in a row when the daily infections fall below 1,000.

The total number of recoveries in Saudi Arabia rose to 291,514 after 718 more patients recovered from the disease.

In Iraq, the health ministry announced 3,404 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 238,338.

It also reported 81 deaths during the day, raising the death toll to 7,123, while 3,871 more patients recovered in the day, bringing the total recoveries to 180,473.

Hazim al-Jumaili, Iraqi deputy health minister, said that the health authorities are mulling new proposals to reduce the financial difficulties because many commercial activities such as restaurants and shops are suffering from the impact of the restrictions.

Israel reported 1,942 new coronavirus infections and 18 more deaths on Tuesday, raising the tally of COVID-19 cases to 118,538 and the death toll to 957.

The total number of recoveries in Israel rose to 96,214 after 1,205 new recoveries were confirmed on the day, Israeli Health Ministry said.

Turkey confirmed 1,572 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, raising the total number of infections to 271,705. Meanwhile, 47 people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 6,417.

The tally of recoveries rose to 245,929 after 1,003 more patients recovered in the last 24 hours, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted.

In an interview with the Turkish daily Hurriyet, Koca said that Turkey is currently experiencing the second peak of the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak that started in March.

He blamed the resurgence in infections on the activities during the Eid al-Adha holiday in early August and the weddings held in the country.

Kuwait reported 702 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, pushing the tally of infections to 85,811 and the death toll to 534, Kuwaiti Health Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also announced the recovery of 433 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 77,657.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 574 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 70,805.

At the same time, 560 more patients recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries in the UAE to 61,491, said the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, adding that the death toll remained unchanged at 384.

Palestine on Tuesday confirmed 552 new COVID-19 cases, raising the tally of infections in the Palestinian territories to 30,490, including 180 deaths and 20,792 recoveries.

Lebanon's tally of COVID-19 infections increased on Tuesday by 469 cases to 17,777, while death toll went up by 4 to 171.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Rafic Hariri University Hospital to follow up on Lebanon's fight against COVID-19 and the relevant materials needed by the country.

Qatar's Health Ministry on Tuesday announced 216 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 118,994.

The tally of recoveries increased by 228 to 115,895, while only one death was reported, raising the total fatalities to 198, the ministry said.

Libya on Tuesday announced 658 new coronavirus cases, the highest daily spike so far, which brought the tally of infections to 14,624, including 242 fatalities and 1,676 recoveries.

In Oman, the health ministry reported 206 new COVID-19 infections, raising the tally of confirmed cases to 85,928, including 689 deaths and 81,024 recoveries. Enditem
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

BRIDGEPORT  One person suffered non-life-threatening injuries in an early-morning shooting on Tuesday, according to city officials.

The citys 911 dispatch center received a call about an assault with a gun shortly before 2 a.m. in the area of Sixth Street and Stratford Avenue, according to Scott Appleby, the citys director of emergency communications and emergency management.
The documentary series Eyes on the Prize is the story of how ordinary people with extraordinary vision redeemed democracy in America. It is a testament to non-violent passive resistance and its power to reshape the destiny of a nation and the world. And it is the chronicle of a people who challenged one nations government to meet its moral obligation to humanity.  John Lewis

Keep your eyes on the prize, is a phrase that has occupied different meanings in our vernacular for different reasons, but all point to the same end:

To remain steadfastly focused on ones goal, or

Concentrate on achieving your desired result, or

Remain focused on achieving a positive end, without being distracted by problems or setbacks, or

It means to remember what is at the end of the road as youre going through all the stuff youre going through to get there, whatever the hardships are, or

It will all be worth it in the end, or

Remember why you are doing this.

In the 1950s and 60s, the folk song Keep your eyes on the prize was used to champion the Civil Rights Movement and to emphasize the struggle of African Americans seeking justice and freedom.

In 1987 an epic 14 part documentary series used the title, Eyes on the Prize, for a reason. The documentary focused on telling the story of the Civil Rights era face front and forward, with direct personal accounts and clear and painful imagery that heralded the true story of a movement that reshaped history and emboldened the lives of the many people who lived through that struggle to attain equality and justice.

The documentary itself went through a ten-year battle to get made, demonstrating their determination to share its powerful message. Eyes on the Prize, gave us truth in earnest; a message that ought to have opened the door then to a new era of understanding the Black experience in America. It is on a complacent and unenlightened society that it was not more widely spread.

We could be missing the opportunity again to fully engage in this important reckoning if we dont protect the Black Lives Matter movement from morphing into a systemic quagmire that divides the country instead of the opposite. Understanding the BLM movement as a clarion call to valid action, vital to our growth and unity as a nation, takes precedence over any other option that might co-opt it. What the Black Lives Matter movement portends is an important cultural paradigm shift and if we keep our eyes on the prize we can bring together a country torn apart.

Revisiting the entire 14 part series, Eyes on the Prize, with a focused national media undertaking, would help to advance many of the actions and initiatives that are underway right now; initiatives that could bring healing and restorative justice.

Eyes on the Prize, opens a dark door on a shameful past that requires us to pay attention. In stark detail, it honors the many courageous actions and sacrifices born out of the need for human dignity.

Because the series has been archived and its media platform brought up to date, those 14 episodes are still easily available through several different sources in both analog and digital formats. Ostensibly, the series could be made widely available through focused regional educational and outreach programs all around the country.

The wonderful thing about documentary, and the power of film, is that it can serve to change things, change people, and educate in order to make a difference, when you walk in someone elses shoes, it changes you. Seeing is believing, this is a significant part of the learning experience film offers; in some cases it is an even more striking way to learn.

Documentaries can teach so you never forget; they influence the viewer to become a caretaker of the message, it is a responsibility.

It is quite fitting that the first one-hour episode of the Eyes on the Prize, series in 1987 was titled Awakenings.

https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/eyes-on-the-prize-1954-1985

Sandra Pfeifer is a social issue documentary filmmaker and media artist who has lived in Southern Illinois for 40 years.
India has tested more than 12 million samples for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the last two weeks keeping in line with its test, track, treat strategy to prevent the virus from spreading, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.

As many as 1,016,920 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministrys data. The country crossed the milestone of conducting one million tests daily on August 21.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

In all, the country has conducted 43.3 million tests since January 22 when Covid-19 testing started with one lab at the Indian Council of Medical Researchs (ICMRs) National Institute of Virology in Pune.

As experts have suggested that aggressive testing is crucial to control the outbreak, states and Union territories are progressively increasing their testing capacity.

The health ministry said in a statement Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are among others contributing the maximum to the overall number of test. These three states account for nearly 34% of the total testing, the ministry said.

22 States/UTs have better TPM than the National Average. Goa, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are reporting a maximum number of tests in a day, it added.

There has also been sustained growth in the average weekly numbers of tests. The weekly average tests have multiplied by more than four times since the first week of January 2020, the government stated.

The health ministry credited the expanded diagnostic lab network and facilitation for easy testing across the country for the substantial boost. The tests per million (TPM) have also seen a sharp increase to 31,394, it added.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

As of Tuesday, there were 3,691,166 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country after registering nearly 80,000 infections for two days in a row. Of them, 785,996 were active cases while 2,839,882 people have recovered from the infection. The toll from the disease has climbed to 65,288.
Mayor Ted Wheeler addresses a crowd in downtown Portland, Ore., amid protests in July. (Associated Press)

There is still much to be learned about the brutal killing Saturday night in Portland, Ore., of Aaron "Jay" Danielson. But there can be little doubt that with his violent death and many others in U.S. cities over the last three months, we are witnessing multiple failures of leadership and a fearsome unraveling of the fabric of civility that binds our nation together.

Danielson was shot to death on the street at the tail end of a contentious political rally that he may have attended in association with a right-wing organization that routinely demonstrates in Portland.

It might be tempting for those who sympathize with protests on the other side of the political spectrum to take his killing in stride or chalk it up to a settling of scores after the Kenosha, Wis., killings a week earlier. Authorities there allege that Joseph D. Rosenbaum and Anthony M. Huber were shot to death by a 17-year-old Illinois boy who was on the scene with a group intending to defend property from protesters ostensibly aligned with Black Lives Matter. But this is Americans killing each other. It is suicide. It must stop.

The first responsibility of government is to protect the people  their bodies, their rights, their sense of safety and security. Its often a delicate and dangerous balance, and it has been so consistently since May 25, when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on George Floyds neck until he was dead. Outraged Americans quickly took to the streets to demonstrate their anger at not just the latest police killing of an unarmed Black person but at the many previous deaths that had too often been brushed aside in the public mind, like the March killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Ky.

Some protests were accompanied by destruction of property, which cannot be countenanced  but which properly takes a lower priority than protecting human life. Elected leaders and, if we are honest with ourselves, some police officers sympathized with and even shared in the outrage over Floyds killing and over needlessly dangerous and violent police tactics. Protests that in other times might have been shut down earlier because of accompanying destruction were allowed to continue, perhaps in solidarity and perhaps in recognition that the outrage could not be contained.

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Some tactics seemed foolhardy, at the time or in retrospect. The six-block Seattle area variously known as the CHAZ or the CHOP, depending on whether the area in the Capitol Hill neighborhood was the autonomous zone or the organized protest, was at one point described by the citys mayor as a block party. Protests were directed at police, who left their station in order to de-escalate the tension. Some protesters intended the zone to exemplify the benefits of a self-governing world without police, and for a short while it was, until it wasnt. Two teenagers in the zone were shot, one fatally, and the police returned.

Portlands protests were needlessly exacerbated by the presence of federal agents, who made arrests well away from the courthouse they supposedly were protecting from destructive demonstrators.

In both cases, and in others besides, President Trumps statements and actions harmed more than helped, but thats no surprise. Thats his nature. And what about Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee? Did they make all the right moves under difficult circumstances? Probably not, although its hard to say. Have their constituents lost lives and property, and did they leave residents feeling that things had gotten out of hand? They did  and the fact that Trump also says so does not make it untrue.

In an emergency, one of governments tools to protect our bodies and our rights is our police, yet heres our quandary: It is the brutality of police, and the societal racism that they reflect, that are being protested. So how can they protect us? It is a police officer who knelt on Floyd, who shot Taylor in her own home, who appears to have pumped seven bullets into Jacob Blakes back.

Yet protect us they must. The alternative to a world without police may briefly look like a block party, but its at least as likely to involve militias or armed individuals coming to town to fill the vacuum, as Kyle Rittenhouse is alleged to have done in Kenosha, and being met by people like the one under investigation for the killing of Danielson in Portland. We cannot control or restrain armed criminals or self-styled militia fighters who insert themselves when the authorities cede the field, and our ability to punish them after the fact is too little, too late. But we can, with effort, take better control of the police we hire, train, arm and pay to protect and serve us. They have to do much better. As do all of us.
Louis DeJoy

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies during a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on August 24, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee is holding a hearing on "Protecting the Timely Delivery of Mail, Medicine, and Mail-in Ballots." Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images

The House Oversight Committee is preparing to issue a subpoena to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for documents related to the nationwide mail delays that he is "withholding from Congress," Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said Monday.

The committee said in a memo that it intends to issue a subpoena for documents related to "nationwide delays caused by changes to postal operations" after DeJoy, a top Trump and Republican Party donor, refused to cooperate with the panel's requests.

Maloney said DeJoy has not turned over additional documents after he appeared before the committee last week. Maloney plans to issue the subpoena on Wednesday.

DeJoy said in a letter to the committee on Friday that he believes his testimony "clarified any outstanding questions you had regarding operational changes that I have implemented." DeJoy disputed that he was responsible for operational changes that have been blamed for the slowdown but said he had no plans to roll back changes and would continue to implement new policies after November's election. DeJoy said in the letter that USPS staff were "working with the Oversight committee to identify and provide materials requested during the hearing."

Democrats had asked DeJoy to provide any analysis the USPS ran on the effect of the operational changes implemented since DeJoy took over the agency in June, which included eliminating extra mail delivery trips.

The Oversight Committee said that despite DeJoy and aides' attempts to downplay the "extent and gravity" of the delays, "headlines from states across the nation have made clear that they are far worse than previously disclosed."

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Despite DeJoy's vow to provide all relevant documents to the panel, "he has not produced a single additional document" since the hearing last Monday, the committee said.

The letter said that documents DeJoy has released have been "woefully inadequate" and failed to respond to Democrats' concerns. The letter noted that despite repeated inquiries about USPS efforts to remove mail sorting machines from post offices, lawmakers did not learn of the plans until "internal Postal Service documents were leaked to the press."

Maloney threatened to subpoena DeJoy during the hearing after grilling him over an internal assessment of USPS performance that showed a significant slowdown after DeJoy took over the agency. Maloney questioned why the committee learned about the assessment from a whistleblower when the panel had asked the USPS to turn over documents related to the agency's performance.

https://twitter.com/ddayen/status/1297237665989816320

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., also questioned whether DeJoy would turn over his personal calendar. The congresswoman asked whether DeJoy, the former CEO of USPS contractor XPO Logistics, had met with any former colleagues during his tenure. She called for Maloney to issue a subpoena if the USPS did not turn over the calendar.

"The details of this calendar are extraordinarily important to the committee's investigations," she said. "If we cannot receive them voluntarily, I would recommend consideration of a subpoena for these details."

Democrats, who passed a bill that would provide $25 billion in funding to aid the cash-strapped agency, have particularly been concerned with the slowdown's potential effect on the delivery of mail ballots in the upcoming election. The USPS warned 46 states that it may not be able to deliver ballots in time for their deadlines, and President Trump has threatened to withhold funding from the agency in an evident effort to undermine timely mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic.

DeJoy, who had acknowledged that changes made during his tenure have resulted in "unintended consequences," said he would temporarily pause policy changes until after the election to "avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail."

But despite DeJoy's claim, postal workers around the country say the policies already implemented have caused mail to pile up. DeJoy has said he has no plans to return the hundreds of mail sorting machines that have already been removed or reverse any other changes.

"I've never seen anything like it," Keith Richardson, a longtime postal clerk who serves as the president of the American Postal Workers Union chapter in Chicago, told NBC News. "Some stations have so much mail backed up, it's three times more than the volume you would see at Christmas. You can't even walk down the aisles. It's a wonder carriers can get in and out."

"We have more packages in our facility right now than we do at the holidays," added Ramona Chavez, the vice president of the American Postal Workers Union chapter in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "We have a mail handler group on Facebook and we're all reporting the same thing. We're all understaffed. Everybody's just doing everything they possibly can. Delays are our new normal."

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., the chairman of the Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations, said the subpoena was intended to "restore confidence" in the postal system.

"Congress must assert itself. The public demands it," he said. "Today's action is a necessary step in our efforts to hold the Trump administration accountable for its deliberate sabotage of the Postal Service."

Related Articles
It's a trendy app providing educational videos on subjects ranging from the female orgasm to the idea that reality might be a computer simulation.

But now it has emerged that one of its directors was new BBC boss Tim Davie.

His involvement with the Uptime app  an unpaid role but one that entitled him to share options  has raised eyebrows given the apparent demands of his previous job as chief executive of BBC Studios, the broadcasters commercial arm.

The app offers curated video playlists with leading experts giving users the tools you need to build a stronger self, better relationships and a better world.

Its subjects include the female orgasm and meditation. One playlist explores why orgasms matter and features a video on the evolution of orgasms.

Another set of videos asks Do we live in a simulation?, with one speculating whether it is possible that were the equivalent of a video game to someone else.

Tim Davie became a director of Uptime App Limited last November, he has been transparent with the BBC about his involvement

It considered the idea that our reality is merely a simulation.

Other series on the service include Why masculinity has become a damaging concept, What are the main arguments against capitalism? and The six types of sex addicts, which includes a video titled What is it like to be addicted to sex and porn?

More mainstream topics include How to launch your business during Covid-19 and Understanding art movements and styles.

There is also a video with Professor Brian Cox, who presents shows for the BBC.

As well as curating content from other producers, the app features Uptime Original videos.

Mr Davie, who takes over from Tony Hall as BBC director-general today, became a director of Uptime App Limited last November.

He has been transparent about his involvement with the app, listing it on his BBC declaration of personal interests in which he says the role is unpaid but options received.

He is set to quit the position as he takes up the top BBC job. His involvement with Uptime, which was launched to the public at the end of April, is thought to come from personal relationships with some of those who set it up.

Two of Uptimes founders are entrepreneurs Jamie True and Jack Bekhor. Another is Patrick Walker, a former Facebook and YouTube executive and ex-BBC journalist.

It has also emerged that Mr Davie was director of a previous company involving Mr True and Mr Bekhor, called Work Angel Technology.

The BBC executive was a director there between July 2014 and March 2016. The company became part of LifeWorks, an employee wellbeing business, in 2016.

It was acquired by another firm in July 2018. While he had left his role at Work Angel Technology in March 2016, Mr Davie appeared in a February 2018 YouTube video promoting LifeWorks in his capacity as boss of BBC Worldwide.

Tim Davie is set to quit the unpaid job at Uptime as he prepares to take up the top BBC job

The BBC revealed that Mr Davie will step down from his director role at Uptime as he becomes director general of the broadcaster and have no involvement with the company.

It is also understood he will give up the right to any options when he becomes director-general.

The BBC said: There is no issue with the directorship but it is not one he will continue with.

Mr Davies involvement with Work Angel was also fully declared to the BBC with no issue, it is understood.

A key part of Mr Davies plans as the new director-general will be to push for a less metropolitan BBC and to toughen up on impartiality at the broadcaster.

The BBC has already pledged to make more shows targeting viewers in the North and the Midlands and it is thought that Mr Davie will build on that.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 1 : The Kerala Police on Tuesday formally arrested four Congress workers alleged to be part of the conspiracy to eliminate two activists attached to the youth wing of the CPI-M.

The four were taken into custody by the police on Monday.

The cold blooded murder took close to midnight on Sunday, when 24-year-old Haq Mohammed and 32-year-old Mithilaj, both youth wing activists of the CPI-M were hacked to death by five people who came on a bike armed with swords and knives at Venjaramoodu, about 25 kms from the state capital's suburbs.

According to the police, the arrested include Shejith, Ajith, Najeeb and Sathi, while two others -- the prime accused Sajeev and Sanal -- are yet to be arrested. Four more persons have been picked up by the police for questioning.

Even though the FIR does not mention that this is a political murder, the police pointed out that these two factions first clashed during the May 2019 Lok Sabha polls and since then, there has been an uneasy calm between them.

While the top CPI-M leadership, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the twin murder and ordered a probe into it, the Congress said their party had no role in it.

The incident occurred close to midnight when the two deceased, who were travelling on a bike, were stopped and attacked by the five persons who came on two bikes. While Mithilaj died on the spot, Mohammed died in the hospital.

After the incident, angry CPI-M workers went around the area and are alleged to have damaged the Congress offices at several places in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
WATERLOO REGION  Education experts worry that at-risk kids might fall behind, after seeing preliminary return-to-school patterns that surprised some of them.

More children intend to stay home at schools in areas where more students are poor, where more students are recent immigrants, and where the first language of more students is not English, new data shows.

This is concerning because students facing poverty and language barriers typically benefit from more school support and may struggle with online learning.

It is something that we have taken note of, said Loretta Notten, education director for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. For some students, theyll learn well either way. But for some, learning virtually is going to pose a little more challenge.

Preliminary data suggests 83 per cent of local students intend to return to classrooms while 17 per cent intend to learn from home. This snapshot from Aug. 27 excludes six per cent of students who have yet to reveal their intentions.

Much commentary has focused on affluent families using their means to help their kids learn remotely from home. But data suggests less-privileged families with lesser means may be more likely to keep kids out of classes.

An analysis of 169 elementary and high schools found that schools where fewer students plan to return tend to have higher child poverty, more recent immigrants, and more children who learned English after learning a different language.

If those are the parents that are choosing not to send kids back, then those are the kids who would probably benefit the most from being there (in school), said David Johnson, an economics professor at Wilfrid Laurier University who studies education. That I think is worrisome.

A separate, unpublished analysis by the Catholic board also found that where students face greater socioeconomic disadvantages, more students intend to stay home. Analyses look at school populations, not individual families.

I believe it is important that we have a careful look at who has selected online learning and in-school learning, said Carolyn FitzGerald, an education professor at Laurier who studies mental health in education.

The findings are not what she expected. This pandemic has certainly revealed the impact of a number of social inequalities, she said. We cannot begin to address inequities in education brought on by the pandemic unless we look for disparities and seek to understand them.

The findings surprised Janet MacLaughlin, a professor of health studies at Laurier who has researched aspects of the education system.

If less-privileged families are more likely to keep their kids at home, shes concerned that students are well supported at home with what they need to succeed. This includes access to technology and internet, supports to learn English, food programs and school supplies.

If they are already low income, and are giving up what income they do have in order to stay home with their child, will this place some families into deeper poverty? There are many ripple effects that need to be considered, McLaughlin said.

The tendency is illustrated by the contrast between Cedar Creek Public School in Ayr and Cedarbrae Public School in Waterloo.

At Cedar Creek, three per cent of students live in poverty and 89 per cent plan to return to classrooms. At Cedarbrae, 38 per cent of students live in poverty and 70 per cent intend to return.

The collective rate of child poverty is 10 per cent at the 20 elementary schools with the highest return-to-school rates.

The twenty elementary schools with the lowest return-to-school rates have a collective poverty rate of 24 per cent.

Experts are concerned because remote, online learning differs from in-class learning.

In a real classroom, teachers can more easily pick up on visual clues and observe independent work. Kids interact more easily with other kids, which is another way children learn. Children can more easily ask questions, in the moment.

These are helpful things for students with education barriers to overcome.

Its unclear if similar supports can be replicated online. Virtual learning may work best for children who can self-regulate better, staying in one place longer to watch a screen, Notten said. It may require more aptitude with technology, and more parent intervention at times. Language might be a barrier.

We do know that some of the challenges that are associated with learning virtually might be realized, Notten said. It might be a little more challenging to support some of those students to full success.

Schools pledge a more robust online experience after being compelled to go online in March when schools closed to limit the spread of COVID-19.

But schools still have little experience delivering remote instruction to elementary students. Experts have not assessed it widely because it is so rarely done, Johnson said.

Return-to-school rates are not finalized. They may change by Sept. 8 when education resumes, and change again in October and in November if students switch from home to school or school to home.

Correlations between socioeconomic disadvantage and current return rates are evident but weak. The tendency obscures a wide variation among schools that points to many other factors in play.

To discern patterns, The Record compared return rates against demographic data from the Ministry of Education, drawn from the 2016 census and from standardized testing.

The Catholic board compared return rates against factors including single parent status, family income, parent education, and immigration.
Bharti Infratel rose 3.18% to Rs 204.55 after the company said it will proceed with its proposed merger with Indus Towers.

Bharti Infratel said that its board, in a meeting held on Monday (31 August), decided to proceed with the scheme of arrangements for a merger with Indus Towers.

"After deliberations, the board has decided to authorize the chairman to proceed with the scheme and to comply with other procedural requirements for completion of the merger including approaching NCLT to make the scheme effective subject to certain procedural condition precedents," Bharti Infratel said in a statement.

As per the likely shareholding structure in the merged company, Vodafone may hold 28.2%, PEP 3.2%; total for Indus share swap 31.4% and current infratel shareholders 68.6%.

Vodafone Idea has decided to cash out by selling its 11.15% stake in Indus. "The above is basis cash consideration chosen by Vodafone Idea (VIL) for its 11.15% shareholding in Indus which will be based on 60 days VWAP as at closing date (and agreed closing adjustments). Based on today's calculation the cash consideration comes to approximately Rs 4,000 crore, said the company.

VIL and Vodafone Group Plc. have entered into certain security arrangements for payment obligations. This includes a combination of a security deposit by VIL, security via pledge of a certain number of shares of the merged company out of those issued to V Plc. and a corporate guarantee by V Plc. which can get triggered in certain situations and events, as per the statement.

These security arrangements remain subject to all applicable regulatory approvals and any approval of V Plc's lenders. The security arrangement will provide the merged company a payment cover of over one year for the operational payments due from VIL.

The scheme shall become effective on the date on which certified copy of the order of NCLT is filed with registrar of companies, the company added.

The deal was first announced in April 2018 to create the world's largest mobile tower operator outside China. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had cleared Bharti Infratel's merger deal with Indus in February this year. The new merged entity would become the world's largest telecom tower company with more than 1.63 lakh towers.

Bharti Infratel is a provider of passive telecom infrastructure and it deploys, owns and manages telecom towers and communication structures, for various mobile operators.

The company's consolidated net profit dropped 20.7% to Rs 703.60 crore on 5.2% fall in net sales to Rs 1,635.40 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019.

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COLONIE  Latham fuel cell manufacturer Plug Power has secured $140,000 in tax breaks from the state of Ohio to significantly expand its Ohio service center outside of Dayton.

The news was first reported by the Dayton Business Journal and the Dayton Daily News.

"Ohio is competing with New York for the proposed project," the Dayton Daily News reported.

A Plug Power spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment on the company's plans for Ohio, where it currently leases a 5,000-square-feet space in West Carrollton, which is southwest of Dayton. Plug Power has roughly 20 workers there.

A spokesman for Empire State Development, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's economic development agency, was looking into whether or not New York state has offered any similar incentives to Plug Power to counter Ohio's offer, which requires the hiring of 25 new employees and adding $1.5 million in payroll.

Plug has already selected a 32,000-square-foot warehouse nearby that it plans to move into by next May, according to Apex Commercial Group, a Dayton-based real estate brokerage.

The Ohio facility does not appear to be the same as plans for a new gigafactory the company wants to build that would make fuel cells and electrolyzers that separate hydrogen from water.

"We are in the process of selecting a location for this facility, and we are in discussions with multiple locations across the country," Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh told analysts last month during an earnings call. "I look forward to tell you more about this during the Plug Power symposium in September when we hope to announce the location of this facility."

The Plug Symposium, which the event is called, is being held virtually on Sept. 24. Although the company has yet to turn a profit, it is forecasting $1.2 billion in revenue by 2024, up from $1 billion.

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

It is unclear if New York is still in the hunt for the service center expansion project or if New York is also competing against Ohio for the gigafactory, which would produce $2 billion in annual revenue for Plug Power, a company that has been quickly expanding beyond the forklift truck market for its fuel cells.

Plug Power has also been expanding in the Rochester area, so it may be looking beyond just the Capital Region for what would be its showcase manufacturing facility. Plug Power currently assembles fuel cells at its headquarters in Latham.

State lobbying records show that Plug Power's lobbyists have visited ESD and other state agencies ahead of its decision on the gigafactory. No costs have been revealed by the company.

lrulison@timesunion.com
Hawaii's government requires all travelers to fill out its online "Safe Travels" application in an effort to keep its residents and visitors healthy during the coronavirus pandemic, beginning Tuesday.

Travelers can fill out two forms: one for inter-island travel and one for trans-Pacific travel. The new plan digitizes the process from paper and uses the same form for each traveler type.

The forms collect health and contact information to assist in public health monitoring.

It's part of a screening process that includes temperature checks and secondary screening for travelers with symptoms or temperatures of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

"I am pleased to launch this digital app, which will allow our travelers to provide their required health and travel information before they arrive at the airport, Gov. David Ige said in a news release. "It will also help us keep in contact with those who are required to be in quarantine. This is an important step in preparing to reopen our economy."

Here's how it works: Travelers enter their information and trip details 24 hours before their flights. They will receive a QR code via email after entering their information, which is scanned at the airport once they arrive at their destination.

Ige announced this month that the state won't reopen to tourism until at least October, which means its 14-day mandatory quarantine for out-of-state and inter-island travelers (in Kauai, Hawaii, Maui and Kalawao counties) remains intact.

Forget about a Hawaii vacation until at least October: COVID-19 spike delays tourism reopening

The state is working on a "resort bubble concept" for inter-island travelers. The state calls the program an "enhanced movement quarantine" that each county can develop to give residents and visitors the ability to travel between islands without a 14-day quarantine.

Officials reviewed an idea that would allow tourists to roam freely on resorts while their movements are tracked via a wearable monitor to ensure they stay inside the boundaries of the facilities.

Story continues

The resort bubble concept would keep the tourists within a geofence that tracked their movements, West Hawaii Today reported.

How Hawaii might eliminate quarantine: State may use 'geofence' technology to track tourists during coronavirus pandemic

The tourism delay, the second since the program was announced in June, will affect passengers who bet on the previous Sept. 1 reopening plan and bought airline tickets to Hawaii; airline flight schedules; and, of course, Hawaii's pummeled tourism industry. The quarantine rule began in March, and the latest extension means much of the year will be wiped out as few visitors want to be confined to their hotel or vacation rental.

The state reinstituted a ban on social gatherings bigger than five people  inside and outside  and other restrictions on Oahu, home to Honolulu and the site of the majority of Hawaii's coronavirus cases.

Contributing: Dawn Gilbertson, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

A way to travel in Hawaii? Government unveils 'resort bubble' concept to hop between islands

US quarantine guide: These states require travelers to self-quarantine or present negative COVID-19 test

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawaii COVID-19 travel: You must fill out forms on Safe Travel app
Two events are planned in Bridgeton to mark one year since Dulce Maria Alavez vanished while playing at a city park.

Dulce disappeared from Bridgeton City Park during a family outing on Sept. 16, 2019.

Her family will return to that spot on Wednesday, Sept. 16, for a vigil slated for 5-7 p.m. The event is intended for family, friends and the community, explained Kim Phillip, who is assisting Dulces family. While she lives in Arkansas, Phillip said she works with families of the missing nationwide to help spread the word about cases like these.

Were just a couple weeks away from one year since the day Dulce disappeared, she said. The more time that passes, the chances of finding her grows slimmer. Its imperative that we continue to get her name, face and story out there. By utilizing social media as a mass medium of connectivity, were hopeful that as many people see her story as possible.

Amanda Feliciano is organizing the event on the 16th with Dulces family.

Another event is slated for Sunday, Sept. 13, at the park. Called Dulces Day, the program will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include a candlelight vigil and guest speakers, along with rock painting and face painting.

Flier advertising Dulce's Day event on Sept. 13.

This event was planned for a Sunday so that those who may not be able to attend on a weekday evening could take part, explained organizer Jackie Rodriguez, who led several vigils and searches for Dulce in the last year and previously acted as a spokeswoman for the family. She has stepped back from that role, but remains active in efforts to find the child.

One of the other organizers of the Sept. 13 event, Stacey Staas-Filoon, said she continues to conduct research on the case and is working on new advertising efforts to keep Dulces story out in the community.

We volunteers and family will never give up until she is home again, she said. We will all celebrate together when she comes home.

Investigators believe Dulce was likely abducted by a stranger, an FBI agent involved in the case recently revealed. He urged anyone with information that might be helpful to step forward.

Tips may be phoned in to New Jersey State Police at 609-882-2000, ext. 2554, or Bridgeton police at 856-451-0033. The FBI is also accepting information at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Select option 4, then option 8. Anonymous tips may be sent by text to TIP411 with Bridgeton in the message line.

Even though a year has passed, Phillip said all of those pitching in to help locate Dulce wont stop.

We are strong and valiant in our search efforts, she said. There are many people donating time, resources, and money. Despite the hurdles, were not giving up.

The family of Dulce Maria Alavez is holding a vigil on Sept. 16 to mark one year since the child disappeared from Bridgeton City Park.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
White House Senior Adviser Ivanka Trump introduces her father U.S. President Donald Trump to deliver his acceptance speech as the 2020 Republican presidential nominee during the final event of the Republican National Convention on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, August 27, 2020.

DETROIT  General Motors CEO Mary Barra is scheduled to meet Wednesday with White House adviser Ivanka Trump at the automaker's design and tech center in suburban Detroit.

Barra will give President Donald Trump's daughter a tour of GM's Technical Learning University, which recently completed a $2 million upgrade for employee training, according to GM spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan.

Barra invited Ivanka Trump to tour the facility last year as part of GM's partnership in the White House's advertising campaign that urges those who are jobless or unhappy with their current positions to "Find Something New," Ginivan said.

White House spokeswoman Carolina Hurley, in a tweet, said Trump and Barra will meet with apprentices and employees and learn more about GM's leading earn-while-you-learn programs.

"The President built the strongest economy in our lifetime and he will do it again. Prioritizing the American worker and their family is the top priority, and I'm proud to visit General Motors' Technical Learning University, where workers are learning on-the-job while earning a paycheck," Ivanka Trump said in a statement. "Detroit, GM, and the talented GM workforce are ensuring the great American comeback is underway and I'm looking forward to seeing it firsthand."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:32:30|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Russian scientists have said that China's treatment for COVID-19 using cellular technologies appears promising, Russian news agency Sputnik reported Monday.

Scholars from the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital plan to launch clinical trials with stem cell secretion products, or exosomes.

"I assess the proposed methodology in China as promising, but clinical trials will tell (us) about the effectiveness and safety. In theory, cell therapy should also help in the regeneration of damaged lung areas," said Stanislav Otstavnov of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

"The method proposed by Chinese experts is supposed to use exosomes of adipose tissue MSCs. Research continues, and the idea itself is promising," said Alexey Lyundup, executive director of the Association of Biomedical Cell Products Manufacturers.

The World Health Organization announced the COVID-19 outbreak had become a pandemic on March 11. The latest statistics from the organization show global confirmed cases have surpassed 25 million, while the death toll has topped 847,000. Enditem
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 09:49 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41d32a1 1 World seafarers,Indonesian-consulate,Dubai,United-Arab-Emirates,repatriation,Foreign-Ministry,Consulate-General,Indonesian-Consulate-General,citizen-protection,Indonesian-citizen Free

The Indonesian Consulate in Dubai has urged the Northern Star Shipping Agency to immediately repatriate 12 Indonesian seafarers currently "trapped" in the United Arab Emirates.

The seafarers were working on the Oasis V ship, which has been docked at Hamriyah Port in the city of Sharjah since June this year. Repatriation efforts were reportedly hampered by the pandemic.

"There were [also] internal issues between the agency, workers and the company that prevented repatriation," the consulate said in a statement on Sunday.

Read also: COVID-19: Govt repatriates 330 Indonesians from India, more to come home

A protection team from the Indonesian Consulate in Dubai mediated between the workers and the employment agency. They agreed to urge the company to repatriate the workers as soon as possible.

The Consulate General in Dubai vowed to closely coordinate with the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi to speed up the administrative matters required by the agency for repatriation.

"The Consulate and the Embassy will assist to resolve the case and ensuring [the workers'] rights are fulfilled," the statement read. (vny)
Three of the hospitalized individuals are in a critical condition, the ministry reported in a statement. It suggested that they were poisoned by bootleg vodka.

According to the statement, most of the victims are residents of Armavir, a town 46 kilometers west of Yerevan.

Another Armavir resident, a 50-year-old man identified as Ashot Hovsepian, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of illegally producing and selling alcohol.

Armenias Investigative Committee said it is now trying to identify other people who have bought alcohol from Hovsepian. The law-enforcement agency urged them to avoid drinking it and to cooperate with investigators.

The Ministry of Health also reported efforts to ascertain the circle of consumers of the alcoholic beverage sold by the suspect. Health authorities have taken samples of the beverage determine its chemical composition through laboratory tests, said the ministry.
-Two long-time neighbours come together to continue energizing life, benefitting families, local businesses and communities -

TORONTO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Hydro One Limited (TSX: H) ("Hydro One") announced the legal closing of the acquisition of Orillia Power Distribution Corporation ("Orillia Power") by Hydro One's wholly-owned subsidiary, Hydro One Inc. The Ontario Energy Board approved the sale on April 30, 2020.

"We are thrilled to become a part of Orillia and to continue energizing life in the community for years to come," said Mark Poweska, President and CEO, Hydro One. "At Hydro One, we're deeply committed to the communities where we work and live, and look forward to finding more ways to support families, businesses and the local economy in Orillia."

"On behalf of Orillia Council, I would like to welcome Hydro One to the Sunshine City," said Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke. "Hydro One's continued investment in our community and their proven philanthropic spirit will serve our community well now and into the future. Hydro One's commitment to Orillia will positively shape the economic growth of our city and we look forward to the many opportunities our continued partnership will bring."

"Thanks to the dedication of the City of Orillia, this exciting time not only demonstrates a strong commitment to the community but will enhance service quality while reducing distribution charges for its customers over the next few years," said Jill Dunlop, MPP for Simcoe North. "This acquisition is instrumental in job creation and will bring tremendous growth and new investment to the City of Orillia, a win-win-win for the community, the local business sector and industry in our area."

Orillia Power customers will immediately benefit from the sale. Customers will receive a 1 per cent rate reduction to the base distribution portion of their bills starting with their September electricity use. The base distribution portion of the bill will be frozen at this rate for the next five years.

Additionally, Hydro One plans to invest in the local community by building a new provincial warehouse and regional operations centre in the area. Hydro One will continue to be an active community partner through its support of important local initiatives.

Orillia Power serves approximately 14,000 customers. To learn more, please visit: www.HydroOne.com/Orillia.

Hydro One Limited (TSX: H)

Hydro One Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, is Ontario's largest electricity transmission and distribution provider with approximately 1.4 million valued customers, approximately $27.1 billion in assets as at December 31, 2019, and annual revenues in 2019 of approximately $6.5 billion. Our team of approximately 8,800 skilled and dedicated employees proudly build and maintain a safe and reliable electricity system, which is essential to supporting strong and successful communities. In 2019, Hydro One invested approximately $1.7 billion in its transmission and distribution networks and supported the economy through buying approximately $1.5 billion of goods and services. We are committed to the communities where we live and work through community investment, sustainability and diversity initiatives. We are designated as a Sustainable Electricity Company by the Canadian Electricity Association. Hydro One Limited's common shares are listed on the TSX and certain of Hydro One Inc.'s medium term notes are listed on the NYSE. Additional information can be accessed at www.HydroOne.com; www.sedar.com; or www.sec.gov.

Forward-Looking Statements and Information

This press release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Words such as "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "attempt", "may", "plan", "will", "can", "believe", "seek", "estimate", and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking information. These statements are not guarantees of future performance or actions and involve assumptions and risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking information. Some of the factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from the results expressed, implied or forecasted by such forward-looking information, including some of the assumptions used in making such statements, are discussed more fully in Hydro One's filings with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Hydro One does not intend, and it disclaims any obligation, to update any forward-looking information, except as required by law.

SOURCE Hydro One Limited

Related Links

http://www.hydroone.com


A group of independent Thirty-One consultants is working with Niagara-based Wise Guys charity to help kids start the new school year.

With help from local businesses and individuals, the consultants were able to collect enough school supplies to fill 105 of Thirty-Ones zipper pouches.

Each pouch also got masks, hand sanitizer and ear savers. Recently, the members from Thirty-One, along with Wise Guys members and some of their Wise Kids, stuffed the pouches to be sent to Boys and Girls Club of Niagara to distribute.

Thirty-One products include such items as stylish bags and totes, wallets, thermal pouches and numerous accessories.

Brock University, Dillons distillery find good use for schools leftover wine

A little wine really is good for the health  especially during the pandemic.

Five thousand litres of wine produced by the Brock University Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute will be turned into about 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, as a result of the schools recent donation to Dillons Small Batch Distillers, based in Beamsville.

When guests visit the institutes wine cellar, they often ask us what we do with our research wine once the projects have ended, said institute director Debbie Inglis, in a release from Brock.

Thanks to this partnership, we can tell them the wine is being given a second life, as well as keeping our community safe and healthy in the process.

Normally, the research wine  it is left over from staff and student projects  gets discarded to make room for new wine.

When Inglis found out Dillons  it normally produces spirits such as whisky, white rye, vodka and gin  could use that wine to make hand sanitizer, she contacted them.

The distillery has worked with the St. Catharines institute since 2012, so the decision was easy.

When the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the spring, Dillons swung into action by using its alcohol to manufacture hand sanitizer, which was provided to front-line workers in small bottles.

Distiller Louis Hinshelwood said Dillons makes hand sanitizer in a way similar to how it produces its premium spirits: in a still, the wine is heated to the boiling point so it releases alcohol vapour.

Next, it is run through a series of distillations to separate the pure ethanol, to which a mix of water, hydrogen peroxide and glycerol is added to create hand sanitizer that meets Health Canada standards.

Its nice that its literally coming from the hands and work of people in the community who are now benefiting from it, said Hinshelwood.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

The meeting reviewed a guideline on the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin, and a report on the fifth round of disciplinary inspections by the 19th CPC Central Committee.

The Yellow River is the "mother river" of the Chinese nation, and the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin should be regarded as a long-term project concerning the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, said an official statement issued after the meeting.

Coordinated management measures covering mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts are needed to improve the ecological environment, optimize the allocation of water resources, and promote the high-quality development of the whole basin, according to the meeting.

Differentiated measures should be adopted to improve the ecological environment of the Yellow River basin and vigorously promote the economical use of its water resources, said the statement.

The country will also improve the disaster prevention and reduction system and build up capabilities to respond to various disasters.

Effective steps should be taken to promote the high-quality development of the Yellow River basin, build a modern industrial system with special advantages, optimize urban development structures, and promote rural vitalization, said the statement.

The meeting also underlined preserving and promoting the Yellow River culture.

Provincial-level regions along the Yellow River and relevant departments should strengthen coordination and take main responsibilities to formulate and implement detailed plans to make significant progress during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

The meeting also reviewed the report on the latest round of disciplinary inspections, in which 15 teams were dispatched to inspect 35 central Party and state institutions from May to July this year.

According to the results of the Party discipline inspections, leading Party members groups or Party committees of the central and state organs showed a more active attitude to implementing the decisions and arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee, and positive outcomes had been achieved in ensuring full and strict governance over the Party, the meeting said.

In the meantime, the meeting urged concrete and effective moves to address prominent problems and intensify day-to-day supervision.

The meeting required the central authorities to ensure the principle and oversight responsibilities for exercising strict governance over the Party are fully assumed.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the India-China boundary is yet to be demarcated due to which there will always be problems and the two countries should implement the consensuses between their leadership to not let differences from escalating into conflicts.

He also said that China is ready to manage all issues through dialogue with India.

Wang, who is currently on a tour of Europe, made the remarks during an interaction at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris on Monday.

In response to a question on China's relations with India and Japan, the minister did not directly refer to the latest provocative move by the Chinese military in eastern Ladakh.

His remarks came hours after the Indian Army said it has thwarted a provocative Chinese army movement in eastern Ladakh to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake. It is also the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

"China-India relations have recently attracted the attention of all parties," Wang said.

The boundary between China and India has not yet been demarcated, so there will always be problems of this kind. We are ready to manage all kinds of issues through dialogue with the Indian side, he said.

At the same time, these issues should be placed in their proper place in bilateral relations, he said, adding that President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met many times and reached many important consensus.

For example, instead of "the dragon and the elephant compete with each other", "the dragon and the elephant dance together", "1 plus 1 is not 2, but 11" and so on. These are all philosophical views, he said.

For example, the leaders of the two countries agreed that bilateral cooperation outweighs differences and common interests outweigh conflicts.

"Differences should be managed and controlled, and in particular, differences should not escalate into conflicts. I think that various departments of the two countries should implement these important consensuses, Wang said.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.

The foreign minister said China has a long history and more neighbours than any other country in the world.

The long history of exchanges have always left problems of one kind or another. We are ready to work with our neighbours to resolve issues left over from history through friendly consultation in the spirit of building friendship and partnership with them, he said.

Both China and India are great eastern countries with long civilisations, he said adding that the two countries live close to each other and are highly complementary to each other.

China is ready to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with India to help India speed up its own development, he said.

China and India are also major developing countries and emerging economies. "We should jointly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries on the international stage and create a broader space for the development of emerging economies, he said.

If both China and India can develop, it will be 2.7 billion people moving towards modernisation, a spectacle never before seen in the course of human progress. I hope India can see and deal with problems from this perspective, he said.

About China-Japan ties, Wang said this year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, and is a year of reflection.

We should draw lessons from it and never allow the tragedy of history to repeat itself. And I think that's what more and more people in Japan are seeing. I believe China-Japan relations will continue to move forward in the general direction of improvement, the foreign minister said.
OUT OF MESOPOTAMIA

By Salar Abdoh

We are not provided with wisdom, Marcel Proust wrote in Remembrance of Things Past, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can take for us. In Salar Abdohs latest novel, Out of Mesopotamia, the journey leads to the most recent wars in Iraq and Syria. Saleh, the protagonist, is a journalist embedded with the Iranian-backed militias that have fought against the Islamic State for the better part of a decade. Early on in his story, which toggles between the battlefield and the home front, Saleh finds a volume of Prousts masterwork, left by a fighter in a ruined building. This text underpins Abdohs novel, which is as much a meditation on time and memory as it is a book about war.

Image Salar Abdoh Credit... Mehri Rahimzadeh

Like Prousts literary devices, the modern battlefield has collapsed traditional experiences of time; now, fighters dodge bullets one minute while texting their loved ones the next, and the metric of a successful suicide attack is measured by how many likes its video gets on Facebook. This is a new, disorienting conception of war, one that Saleh must navigate as he travels between the front lines and his home in Tehran, where he attends literary events, art show openings and meetings for a television show he is writing about a heroic sniper based on a dead friend. Always, the battlefield beckons, and he struggles to exist between these disparate realities. I do not know in how many worlds a person can live simultaneously, Saleh wonders, before they lose themselves completely.
- By Praveen Chawla





While the market as represented by that imperfect measure the S&P 500 has not only recovered from the pandemic-induced bear market, but is also hitting new highs, there is plenty of value left. While the "Robinhooders" and "Compounder Bros" chase after growth and tech stock, us bottom-feeding, deep-value vultures can find plenty of fallen angels to keep us busy. As for value investors, our day will come. It always does. Markets are cyclical if nothing else. A 50-cent dollar never goes out of style.





One such 50-cent dollar is Molson Coors Beverage Co. (NYSE:TAP). The brewer owns iconic beer brands like Coors Lite, Miller & Molson Canadian, Ricards, Blue Moon and many others. The company has grown by mergers and acqusitions. The current form of Molson Coors is the result of a merger between Molson of Canada and Coors of the United States in 2005. It is the United States' second-largest and the world's fifth-largest brewer by volume.

Molson Coors' balance sheet expanded dramatically after the merger of Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) and SABMiller in October 2016. As part of the regulatory approval process, Anheuser-Busch had to divest its Miller brands by selling its stake in MillerCoors to Molson Coors. The latter acusition saddled the company with over $8 billion in debt. The debt, together with the decline in popularity of mass beer brands (in favour of craft beer), has crushed the stock price.

Molson Coors Is a Steal

On top of all dealing with this debt, the coronavirus pandemic hit. A big portion of the company's business occurs in restaurants and pubs (the in-premise business). Given that the hospitality business has been almost totally shut down, it has further driven the stock price down.

The stock was trading around $54 and already depressed at the start of the pandemic in late February and now is around $37, a drop of a little over 30%. (The share price was over $100 in 2016.) This drop implies that the company has suffered a permament loss of business of 30% for the rest of its life. I think this is illogical and an opportunity for investors who can think of the long term. Pandemics, even a global one, are temporary and will abate in time, even if there is a second wave.

Story continues

If you look at the operating cash flow line, it has not suffered as much. With trailing 12-month free cash flow at around $1.5 billion and a market cap of approximately $8.1 billion, we are looking at a free cash yield of roughly 19%. To get this set of iconic brands at this kind of free cash flow yield is like taking candy from a baby.

Molson Coors Is a Steal

Well, what about all that debt? The company has been reducing debt steadily since the Miller acquisition. As can be seen from the chart above, debt has been reduced from over $11 billion to roughly $8 billion currently. In other words, the company has reduced debt by over $3 billion in less than four years. Given the cash flow, debt is arguably not a problem. Now that the company has temporarily eliminated its dividend, it can direct even more of its cash to reduce debt and build the business back up in the post-pandemic world. Given all our other troubles, we will need more beer, not less.

In conclusion, I think the company is undervalued by at least 50%. The pandemic is a temporary phenomenon, but beer is forever. I think this stock will be over $80 in three years. I am backing up my truck to load up on the stock.

Disclosure: The author is long Molson Coors.

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By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan continues to support entrepreneurs and small businesses to curb the economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Thus, in accordance with the resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers, the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy continues to transfer funds to hired employees of taxpayers engaged in areas affected by the pandemic and in the framework of financial support programs for private entrepreneurs.

Financial support worth AZN 51.9 million ($30.5M) was paid to 22,885 taxpayers covering 234,355 employees in August as part of the second stage of the financial support package amid pandemic.

The second stage of the financial support program that started in August covered 18,245 more employees, compared to the first stage. This is due to the increase in the number of employees who signed labor agreements.

Moreover, 49,887 micro-entrepreneurs received lump-sum payment in the amount of AZN 12.4 million ($7.2M) within the second stage of financial support in August.

Earlier, the countrys Ministry of Economy announced the second phase of the program to provide financial support to business entities working in economic spheres affected by the COVID-19 that will cover August and September.

The financial support program in the second phase covers micro-entrepreneurs who received a lump-sum payment of AZN 250 ($147) in the first stage of the program and there is no need to re-apply for financial support. The financial support will be paid in equal installments in two phases, covering August and September.

The payment of the first phase for August has already been completed, and after September 10, the transfer of the next part of the funds to be paid to the hired employees of entrepreneurs under the second financial support program will begin.

Financial support is provided to taxpayers in accordance with the order of the Azerbaijani President and the relevant decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, working in areas affected by the pandemic, and who received funds under the first phase of financial support and have not made significant staff reductions.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The visit to the current hotspot of racial unrest comes after Trump defended a gunman accused of killing two protesters.

US President Donald Trump has plunged head-first into the latest hotspot in the countrys continuing racial justice unrest with a visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, the city where Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was paralysed after being shot in the back seven times by police.

Tuesdays visit comes despite urging from local officials, including the states governor, that the presidents presence would further agitate the days of unrest that have followed the August 23 shootings and which, at times, have turned violent.

I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing, wrote Governor Tony Evers in a letter to Trump earlier this week.





The president will meet with law enforcement and survey property affected by recent riots, according to the White House. Trump said on Monday he will not meet Blakes family. He said he spoke to Blakes mothers pastor to set up a phone call with the family but demurred because they wanted to have lawyers involved and I thought that was inappropriate.

However, shortly before leaving Washington for Kenosha, Trump told reporters his team was still making that determination on a meeting with the family.

The Blake family instead plans to hold a counter-event near where Blake was shot, about two miles from where Trump will be touring the city.

On Monday, when asked about concerns his visit could make matters worse, Trump responded: Well it could also increase enthusiasm, and increase love for our country.

The controversial visit fits into Trumps larger message that Democratic opponent Joe Biden has sided with anarchists and rioters amid the unrest. The president, in recent weeks, has increasingly sought to focus attention on what he calls the threat to American cities and suburbs, and away from the coronavirus pandemic.

Protesters killed

Trumps visit also comes a week after two protesters were shot and killed during the demonstrations in Kenosha.

Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Illinois who had come to the demonstration armed with a semi-automatic weapon, was later arrested and charged for the killings, as well as for non-fatally shooting a third man.

The family of Jacob Blake and organizers of Saturdays Justice for Jacob Rally are hosting a community gathering at the site of Jacobs shooting. The gathering began with free music  from missionaries from Downtown, LA. #Kenosha pic.twitter.com/Iuaj8I3pSw  Hillary Flores (@hgflores_) September 1, 2020

Trump on Monday appeared to defend the teenager  who had said in a widely circulated mobile phone video footage, recorded before the killings, he had come to Kenosha to protect properties.

Police say Rittenhouse fatally shot one man during a confrontation and the teenager fell while being chased by people trying to disarm him. Thats when he allegedly shot and killed a second man.





That was an interesting situation, Trump told reporters. He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like, and he fell. And then they very violently attacked him  He was in very big trouble. He would have been  he probably wouldve been killed.

Biden, who on Monday returned to the campaign trail for the first time since the Democratic convention, accused Trump of fomenting the violence for political gain.

He swiftly rebuked Trumps defence of Rittenhouse in a statement late on Monday.

Tonight, the president declined to rebuke violence, said Biden. He wouldnt even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it.

Battleground state

Wisconsin also remains politically significant for Trump.

The battleground state was key to Trumps slim 2016 Electoral College victory. While Biden remains up in national polls, his lead has been narrowing as national attention has moved away from the coronavirus and towards the unrest.

However, Biden continues to lead Trump in Wisconsin polling averages, according to RealClearPolitics.





Trump has sought to take credit for the deployment of National Guard forced to Kenosha, although the reinforcements were requested by the states governor. Trump also said he increased other federal forces in the area.

On Monday, Trump said he was heading to the state to see the people that did such a good job for me, later telling Fox News: I am a tremendous fan of law enforcement and I want to thank law enforcement.

Before leaving for Kenosha on Tuesday, he added: One of the reasons Im making the trip today and going to Wisconsin is because weve had such a big success in shutting down what would be, right now, a city that would have been, Kenosha, a city that would have been burnt to the ground right now.
The Presidential Task Force, PTF, on COVID-19 has warned states not to be in a hurry to reopen schools as they continue to monitor the situations around the country while working to curb the spread of the virus.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, and Chairman of the PTF, Boss Mustapha, gave the warning on Monday during its daily briefing in Abuja.

According to Mustapha, discourage the resumption of schools but they want to ensure adequate measures are put in place to keep students safe.

He said, PTF appreciates ongoing calls for the reopening of the education sector. And indeed, some sub-nationals are already making preparations for such.

Whilst the PTF does not discourage such preparations, we need to be guided by experiences from countries such as Germany, France, the US, and the UK where the opening of schools in some cities led to confirmed cases and fatalities.

He noted that they would present its recommendations to President Muhammadu Buhari this week, which will determine the next phase in the national response.

There had been reports that some states including Lagos was planning to fully reopen schools for the next academic session in September.

Timetable for the resumption of schools in Lagos was been circulated on social which showed that first term of the session would start September 21, 2020 and end December 18, 2020.

But the Lagos State Ministry of Education, in a statement disassociated itself from the timetable explaining that it did not come from them.
Negligence in Boss case, admits PM

THAILAND: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has admitted there was negligence in the handling of the 2012 hit-and-run case involving Red Bull scion Vorayuth Boss Yoovidhya.



By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 1 September 2020, 08:49AM

Vicha Mahakun, chairman of the committee looking into alleged misconduct set up by the prime minister, leaves Government House after submitting the report to Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday (Aug 31). Photo: Chanat Katanyu

The premier was speaking yesterday (Aug 31) after he received a report into the handling of the investigation submitted by Vicha Mahakun, chairman of the committee looking into alleged misconduct set up by the prime minister.

Negligence has been detected in many parts [of the past handling of the case]. With these facts in hand now, the government will form a new committee to work on the five points [identified by the Vicha-led committee], said Gen Prayut.

The Prime Minister blamed the problems identified on law enforcement by certain officials, saying it was not the entire justice system that failed in the handling of this case.

Despite admitting that this case should have been dealt with a long time ago, Gen Prayut said he believed it was still possible to start all over again.

Speaking after submitting the full 100-page report to Gen Prayut yesterday morning, Mr Vicha said Gen Prayut had promised to discuss the findings at todays cabinet meeting.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam also attended yesterdays briefing that took about an hour, he said.

After todays cabinet meeting, Gen Prayut will give an interview in which he will summarise the findings for the public, said Mr Vicha, adding that he would then discuss the report in detail with the media after.

The PM will make the report public to prove demonstrate the governments intention to turn its recommendations into action, said Mr Vicha.

Mr Vicha last week hinted that the report recommends that both the police and public prosecution organisations will have to be reformed given their mishandling of the hit-and-run case.

The findings the PM will disclose tomorrow will clearly show who is at fault. The report contains everything and wont leave any unanswered question. Names, positions and organisations [of the wrongdoers] are all in it, said Mr Vicha.

Gen Prayut ordered the Vicha-led panel to look into the case after public prosecutors decision to not indict Mr Vorayuth on a charge of reckless driving causing death sparked public outrage.

That has also prompted similar investigations by the Office of the Attorney-General and the Royal Thai Police into the handling of the case.
An exhibition entitled Doc Lap (Independence) opened at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi on the morning of August 31, displaying 100 photos and documents highlighting Vietnamese peoples aspiration for independence and freedom.

Works in display also include valuable historical documents, including President Ho Chi Minhs Declaration of Independence, which was read by him at Ba Dinh Square on September 2, 1945, marking the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam).

The exhibition will last until September 30 at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, 19C Hoang Dieu Street, Ba Dinh District.

Meanwhile in Ho Chi Minh City, a display of books is taking place at Nguyen Van Binh Book Street, introducing readers to publications on assorted topics including President Ho Chi Minh, the August Revolution, the Vietnamese Peoples Army, and the national construction and development process.

Visitors to the event can also join in lucky draws with gifts of books on President Ho and the countrys history of liberation and defence.

A special arts programme entitled Loi The Doc Lap (Oath of Independence) will be staged at 8:05 PM, September 2, and will be broadcast live on Vietnam Televisions Channel 1 to mark National Day.

The programme will feature reportages, stories shared by historical witnesses, songs, and dances chronicling from the 1990s, when Vietnamese people lived under harsh colonial rule, to President Ho Chi Minhs journey to seek a way for national salvation, and the Vietnamese peoples struggle for national independence.
Sound reverberated inside Stonehenge thousands of years ago, according to a new study.

Researchers in the UK used a scale model to study the acoustic qualities of the mysterious monument built some 4,000 years ago, when all 157 stones were intact.

To approximate the original location and shape of the stones, laser-scanned data of Stonehenge's modern-day configuration was combined with archaeological evidence of its original layout - and the team found it was more like a movie theater than an open-air space.

It's unlikely Neolithic Britons had that in mind when they constructed Stonehenge in the 3rd millennium BC, but researchers believe they would have exploited the sound effects while singing or speaking.

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Researchers used a scale model of Stonehenge to study the acoustic qualities of the mysterious monument some 4,000 years ago, when all 157 stones were intact. To approximate its original design, laser-scanned data of Stonehenge's modern-day configuration was combined with archaeological evidence of its original layout

'There are clues to where the stones were, such as filled-in holes where they were stood,' acoustic engineer Trevor Cox, who led the project in collaboration with Historic England, said last fall.

Today, Stonehenge is composed of 63 stones, including five standing slabs, known as sarsen stones.

A 1:12 scale model, dubbed Stonehenge Lego, was constructed under the assumption there were originally 157 stones on the site, including 30 in the outer circle.

Researchers at the University of Salford used 3D printing to create 27 stones of different shapes and sizes.

A 1:12 scale model was constructed using 3D printing and custom modeling. Speakers placed inside and outside 'Stonehenge Lego' emitted chirps at various frequencies

Researchers discovered sound briefly lingered inside the model on the mid-frequency range. 'Surprisingly, considering the Stonehenge has no roof and there are lots of spaces between the stones, the acoustics are more like an enclosed room, like a cinema, rather than an outdoor space,' acoustic engineer Trevor Cox said. 'It really does enhance singing.'

Then they used silicone molds of those stones to construct the remaining 130.

Stonehenge Lego was placed in a special acoustic chamber where it was tested via a technique called 'auralization.'

'It is the sound equivalent of visualization,' Cox said. 'We can virtually place a source of sound in a space.'

Speakers at various points inside and outside the model emitted chirps that varied from low to high frequencies.

The team found mid-frequency chirps briefly lingered inside Stonehenge Lego.

Reverberation time - or how long it takes sound to degrade by 60 decibels - averaged about 0.6 seconds.

That's enough to boost voices or musical instruments, Cox said.

Stonehenge's auditory qualities have been studied before but, with so many stones missing and displaced, it's never been a true representation of the past. And noise from tourists and the nearby highway has also tainted on-site testing.

In comparison, reverberation time is about 0.4 seconds in a typical living room and around two seconds in a large concert venue, according to Science News.

When Cox transmitted his own voice into Stonehenge Lego, he said the acoustics gave it a 'majestic and reverberant' quality.

Because of how the real stones were laid, he said, his voice wouldn't have projected into the surrounding countryside or even toward people standing nearby.

And sounds from outside the Wiltshire-based attraction wouldn't have reverberated inside, either.

'Surprisingly, considering the Stonehenge has no roof and there are lots of spaces between the stones, the acoustics are more like an enclosed room, like a cinema, rather than an outdoor space,' Cox said. 'It really does enhance singing.'

The 1:12 scale model Stonehenge was created by researchers from the University of Salford in collaboration with Historic England, which oversees the famous Wiltshire site

Though it's doubtful Neolithic Britons understood the audio science when they lugged the massive monoliths into place, Cox said, 'it would be astonishing if they didn't exploit the acoustics once it was built.'

'The amplification could have aided speech communication and the reverberation improved musical sounds,' he wrote in the October 2020 issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Understanding how the site responded to sound may help scientists unlock what the site was ultimately used for, he said.

Stonehenge's auditory qualities have been studied before but with so many stones missing and displaced it's never been a true representation of the past, he said.

Noise from tourists and the nearby highway has also tainted on-site testing.

Measurements taken at a Stonehenge replica in Washington State are imprecise, Cox maintains, because it's made of concrete blocks, which are much more homogenous than real stone.

Stonehenge Lego gives researchers 'brand new insights into what our ancestors would have heard in the stone circles,' he said last fall.

'To understand a space we need to not only know how it looked but also how it sounded,' he added. 'Think of any modern ceremony and it involves sound, and it is a reasonable guess that people would have talked and made music inside or around the henge.'
Dominic Gatta as he proposes to Tatiana Cruz on the helipad of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Read more

Tatiana Cruz, a nurse with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, was not too thrilled when she was asked to work a Friday night shift on her day off last month.

I was immediately like, no, she said.

But her manager really needed her and it was extra money and, besides, her boyfriend, Dominic Gatta, a nurse practitioner at HUP, told her he was working that night anyway.

Go for it, he said.

So Cruz did. At work, she was first assigned to one floor but then re-routed to another  the one where the hospital helipad was located. A co-worker suggested they check it out. Cruz thought that was a little weird since it was raining, but what the heck? As they walked outside, she noticed two people out on the helipad. That seemed a little odd, too.

Thats when I saw Dominic standing there. I thought, Why isnt he in scrubs? He told me he was working, said Cruz. I was so confused. I said, What are you doing here?

And there in the rain, Gatta got down on one knee. And out came the ring.

Across the way, the staff of Founders 14, the floor where the couple first met four years before, stood at the windows and cheered.

For Gatta, 28, a Brooklyn native and Penn graduate, asking Cruz, 29, of Northeast Philly, for her hand at the place where their love story began made all the sense in the world.

I wanted to do it at work because Penn brought us together, Gatta said. Thats where we became best friends. I feel I owe a lot to Penn because they gave me Tatiana, so I wanted to do it there.

Their love story started in September 2016.

I remember the first time I saw Tatiana, Gatta said. It was in front of the medicine cart outside one of the patient rooms. I remember being immediately taken aback. In other words: I thought she was gorgeous.

He introduced himself to her and the nurses she was with and soon learned that Tatiana was seeing someone. He and Cruz became friends, and their friendship grew as they worked their demanding nursing jobs together. Each was impressed by the compassion and kindness the other showed toward patients.

I found I would pick up overtime knowing she would be there, he said. I would get excited seeing her lunch box in the fridge as I was coming in, knowing she would be at work.

He also took on the role of their floors Sunshine Club director, so he could organize social activities to do things with Cruz and their co-workers outside of work.

But like the couple Jim and Pam in the television show The Office, Gatta knew that, like Jim, he was going to have to wait.

He wasnt the only person who picked up on their chemistry. Once, they were caring for a patient together. When Cruz was gone, Gatta recalled, the patient said, You like her, dont you? Before I even responded, she said, I bet you marry her one day.

After about a year or so, Cruz and her boyfriend parted ways. For their first date, Gatta picked up Cruz at her parents house. They ate at a little Fishtown restaurant and stopped at a couple of bars. Cruz surprised Gatta by knowing her way around a pool table. On the car ride home, she asked him about the music he was playing. He explained that it was a playlist he put together of songs that reminded him of her. She started to cry.

This was a very good first date, Gatta said.

After about a month, they were official.

At that point, it was a done deal, said Cruz.

As a couple, they discovered they loved exploring Philadelphia. Their favorite restaurants were little neighborhood places, like Effies, the Greek restaurant where they celebrated with their families after they got engaged.

The couples adventures took them on road trips, too  Brooklyn, Washington, Atlantic City. They enjoyed going to concerts together. True to their Office romance, when they bought each other takeout coffee, hed write Pam on her cup, and she wrote Jim on his. Cruz took Gatta to Portugal, where her family is from. Gattas parents heartily approved of Cruz, and her parents really liked him, too.

This year, COVID-19 struck, and of course the impact on their hospital was profound. Gatta was going to be working with some of the most seriously stricken patients in the intensive care unit. Cruz volunteered to care for other COVID-19 patients elsewhere in the hospital. The couple decided to quarantine together.

It was hard not being able to see their families for the month of their assignments. But both of them took pride in their work, and they found it rewarding to be able to support their patients. And knowing they were there for each other just made their bond even stronger.

By this summer, the couple pretty much knew engagement was in the cards, but Gatta wasnt letting on when  despite Cruzs best efforts.

Id been working it. We were both talking about it, but I was the one that was non-stop talking about it, Cruz said, laughing. We had a mutual understanding that we both wanted to be together.

Gatta had his work cut out for him to pull off the Aug. 7 proposal. Aside from arranging it with the hospital and getting a photographer, Cruz almost didnt agree to work the shift to get her there. While Cruz was telling the supervisor she didnt want to work, Gatta was texting the manager, who was his accomplice, suggestions of incentives to offer Cruz so shed take the bait.

He was hoping for good weather. The forecast? Showers.

But then he remembered: In The Office, Jim proposed to Pam in the pouring rain.

Talk about good luck.

It was a dream come true, he said.
In the aftermath of a terrible disaster, the generosity of Animals Australia supporters helped the courageous team at Animals Lebanon to leap into action  saving lives and sharing hope.

On 4 August 2020, a massive explosion ripped through Beirut, Lebanons capital city. Shocking video and photos flooded the internet: hundreds of people lost their lives and thousands were left injured and grieving. Yet in the midst of this suffering, there was hope. Brave members of Animals Lebanon launched a rapid response rescue team, to comb the wreckage for animal survivors and do whatever they could to help.

Your support is helping injured or lost animals in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion.

Since April this year we have been assisting Animals Lebanons efforts through our COVID- 19 emergency grants program. Now, with this explosion devastating large parts of Beirut, Animals Australia supporters generosity has helped these caring human beings reunite missing animals with their loved ones, provide veterinary care to those who need it, and in doing so, uplift and inspire through their acts of courage and kindness.

Economic collapse, coupled with a major explosion in the midst of a pandemic have made for a very challenging time for Beiruts only animal protection organisation. But thanks to your support, Animals Lebanon have continued to run street feeding programs, and provide veterinary treatment and rehoming for animals in need. Their search and rescue teams will continue to work to reunite animals with their families.

Watch this video to see the inspiring work of Animals Lebanon:





Our global COVID-19 Emergency Grants Program is saving lives

Its not only animals in Beirut whose lives are being changed by your support. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we have helped provide veterinary treatment and food for working animals and animals used within tourism industries, whose owners are out of work and without income. We have fuelled feeding programs to ensure that millions of animals living on the streets were still being fed when some of the busiest city streets became deserted. And we will continue to monitor where animals here and around the world need us most, as this pandemic continues.

These emergency grants continue to help animals across several continents, in countries that have been hard hit by COVID-19. We have so far assisted 26 organisations helping animals in Lebanon, Palestine, Nepal, Uruguay, Colombia, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Tanzania, the Philippines, Indonesia, Egypt, and Australia.

Thank you for caring.

On behalf of animals across the globe, thank you for ensuring they arent forgotten in such difficult times. Your support means the world to them, and those dedicated to protecting them.

Donate to the Emergency Grant program now 
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Dhaka, Bangladesh  Tue, September 1, 2020 16:00 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41f9bea 2 Business Bangladesh,garment-workers,export,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,textile-industry Free

Bangladesh's crucial textile industry saw a sharp rebound from the coronavirus crisis in August, with exports surging nearly 50 percent as factories swung into full gear to meet orders from global retailers, officials said Tuesday.

Shipments of ready-made clothes hit $3.3 billion, up from $2.3 billion a year earlier, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said.

The garment industry is the cornerstone of the economy in Bangladesh, the world's second largest exporter of the goods after China.

The reinstatement of cancelled orders from retail titans including H&M, Primark and Walmart has revived the industry even though Bangladesh is still suffering from the pandemic, BGMEA spokesman Khan Monirul Alam Shuvo told AFP.

Some companies say they are now looking for thousands of workers to cope with new orders.

The association said in April that western retailers, who normally buy around $30 billion worth of garments each year, cancelled $3.2 billion-worth after the virus forced stores to shut down.

Shipments collapsed 83 percent in April and more than 50 percent in May.

"Some 80 percent of those orders have since been reinstated," Shuvo said. "Still, we have to wait another five months to see a clear picture."

Because of the pandemic, Bangladesh closed factories for one month from March 26. The 4,500 garment factories employ more than four million workers -- about two-thirds of them women -- and hundreds of thousands were laid off.

Hannan Group, which exports high-end fashion to brands such as Esprit and Casamoda in Europe, said it has recruited nearly 1,600 workers in the past two months.

"I think the worst is over. Some retailers have placed new orders and revived some old orders. We need new workers to make the shipment deadline," Hannan chairman A.B.M Shamsuddin, whose companies employ 12,000 people, told AFP.
When I was a boy, the domineering Yorkshire vet Siegfried Farnon seemed a genial monster  irascible, brilliant but unpredictable, one of the explosive characters typical of my grandfathers prewar generation.

And in the bestselling books that were the basis of Sunday nights much-loved serial in the Seventies and Eighties, apprentice vet James Herriot was the symbol of youth.

Herriot was a mere lad in a mans world, Siegfried the grown-up ogre. The gulf between their personalities summed up the famous generation gap of that time.

Funny thing... from this distance, that gap appears to have vanished. The plain British decency that, despite their differences, united Siegfried and James in the 1930s is largely absent in the 21st century.

The remake of All Creatures Great And Small faithfully revives the spirit of the beloved 1978 series and sticks even more closely to Herriot stories.

Pictured: Helen Alderson (played by Rachel Shenton) and James Herriot (played by Nicholas Ralph)

The first book in the series, If Only They Could Talk, opens with the eager trainee stripped to the waist on the cobbled floor of a barn, his arm up to the shoulder inside a cow, struggling to deliver a breeched calf.

In the new TV version, that scene was neatly captured at the climax of the first episode, the moment when young James proves hes more than just a naive city boy  he has the makings of a real vet, and a Yorkshire one at that.

Hes still the fresh-faced innocent, clumsily knocking over ornaments and muddling up pets, just as Christopher Timothy played him more than 40 years ago. But newcomer Nicholas Ralph has added a layer of greater accuracy, by giving Herriot (the pen name of Alf Wight) a mild Scots accent. That baffled the Dalesmen. Art thou a foreigner? snorted one.

The opening five minutes set the tone if not the place. Young James was living with his parents in a Glasgow tenement, desperate to put his veterinary training to use.

This was a vivid recreation of city poverty in the Thirties, with barefoot children in the streets and clothes drying in the stairwells. But a nostalgic haze hung over the memory, echoing the evocative mood of Call The Midwife.

A leisurely farewell followed, both Herriot parents dabbing their faces with handkerchiefs and muttering about grit in their eyes, as a steam train departed in clouds of soot and cinders with their bold son aboard.

This series intends to milk every drop of melancholic pleasure from the lost and gentle past. For Channel Five, the remake is a natural choice. Theyve had great success with the Yorkshire Vet documentary series, following Herriots real-life assistant Peter Wright on his rounds in the same Dales landscape. Bosses at the channel are so confident that this six-part series will be a hit that theyve also filmed a Christmas special.

We didnt have to wait long for the arrival of Siegfried  played by Samuel West, with a hefty dose of homage to Robert Hardy. Mrs Hall, he bellowed at the housekeeper, wheres the blasted paper?

Weve yet to meet Siegfrieds reprobate of a brother, Tristan  a floppy-haired Peter Davison in the original series, played by The Durrells Callum Woodhouse this time round

Hardy starred as the short-tempered, big-hearted owner of the Skeldale practice from 1978 to 1990. He poured a lot of himself into the part: a man of giant enthusiasms and great intellect, he had a way of barking at you rather than talking. I outraged him once by suggesting that someone (preferably me) should gather all his wonderful anecdotes and tall tales into a biography. Hardy, author of the definitive work on the English longbow, had no intention of ceding his credentials as a writer to anyone else, and insisted he would pen his own memoirs. Sadly, he died in 2017 aged 91 with the job unfinished.

The first actor to portray Siegfried was, in fact, Anthony Hopkins, in a 1975 made-for-TV movie that co-starred Simon Ward as Herriot. Hopkins is a grand performer, but in this role he was completely eclipsed by Robert Hardy.

Samuel, the son of another theatrical titan, Timothy West, wisely makes no attempt to escape from Hardys shadow. Instead, he lives up to it with flamboyant eruptions and a glint of laughter in his scowls.

Brandishing a huge pair of pliers for gelding livestock, he proclaimed it to be, the emasculator... enough to bring tears to your eyes! He has his match in the housekeeper, Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) who is a rather underwritten character in the books. Shes the force that holds the practice together... and ensures that James gets to bed safely on his first night, after the locals ambush him in the pub to get him drunk on home-brew.

Weve yet to meet Siegfrieds reprobate of a brother, Tristan  a floppy-haired Peter Davison in the original series, played by The Durrells Callum Woodhouse this time round. Dame Diana Rigg as Mrs Pumphrey (owner of the snappish Pekingese, Tricki Woo) hasnt appeared yet either. But we did glimpse Helen (Rachel Shenton) the capable farmers daughter, who... well, never mind. Youll see.

Expect tender romance, farcical misunderstandings and lots more difficult births in freezing barns, with young James up to his eyeballs in mud and cattle. As Herriot himself liked to say, it shouldnt happen to a vet...
Ethnic Mongolians in China protest switch to Mandarin schooling Inner Mongolia, a vast region of desert and grassland bordering Mongolia, is home to more than four million ethnic Mongolians

Tens of thousands of people in an ethnic Mongolian region of northern China have joined rare protests and school boycotts against a new curriculum they fear will wipe out their minority culture, residents said Tuesday.

The sudden policy change in Inner Mongolia means all ethnic minority schools in the remote region will now be required to teach core subjects in Mandarin rather than Mongolian, echoing similar moves in Tibet and Xinjiang to assimilate local minorities into the dominant Han Chinese population.

"Almost every Mongolian in Inner Mongolia is opposed to the revised curriculum," a 32-year-old herder from the Xilingol League area surnamed Hu told AFP, warning Mongolian children were losing fluency in their mother tongue.

"In a few decades, a minority language will be on the verge of extinction."

Tensions flared across the vast grassland region bordering Mongolia and Russia after the policy was announced by the Inner Mongolia Education Bureau last Wednesday.

Mass demonstrations involving parents, students and ordinary citizens have erupted across the region, according to video clips provided by residents to AFP, while thousands of students have boycotted classes.

In some clips, scores of uniformed students can be heard shouting in Mongolian: "I swear to death that I will always learn my mother tongue."

"There are at least tens of thousands of people protesting across Inner Mongolia," said Baatar, a 27-year-old herder in the Hinggan League area who refused to give his name because of security concerns.

As of Tuesday, several bilingual boarding schools in Hinggan League and nearby Tongliao city were surrounded by hundreds of paramilitary police to prevent children who were already enrolled from leaving, Baatar added.

Several parents were beaten and arrested by police late Monday during a demonstration outside his sister's school in Horqin Right Front Banner, Baatar said.

AFP's calls to local bilingual schools went unanswered.

Story continues

Locals said parents also faced widespread pressure from police to send their children to school, with pupils threatened with expulsion if they did not attend.

- Bilingual curriculum -

Enghebatu Togochog, director of the New York-based NGO Southern Mongolian Human Rights Organization, called the protests a "civil disobedience resistance movement" that has spread throughout Inner Mongolia.

The area is home to more than four million ethnic Mongolians -- around 16 percent of the region's population.

"Parents are refusing to send their children to schools that use Chinese as the only language of instruction," he said.

WeChat messages and photos of petitions against the policy written in the traditional vertical Mongolian script have been mass-censored by authorities in recent days, he added.

The Inner Mongolia Education Bureau did not respond to faxed requests for comment.

It claimed in a Monday post that the number of Mongolian-language teaching hours remained unchanged.

It is the only region left in the world that uses the traditional Mongolian script, as neighbouring Mongolia adopted the Cyrillic alphabet under Soviet influence.

For decades, the region's bilingual curriculum for ethnic minority schools offered a full range of subjects taught in Mongolian, as well as Mandarin, English and Korean classes.

Herder Hu said that he and many other ethnic Mongolians had become fluent in Mandarin while preserving their native language.

On Monday, dozens protested in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar against the Chinese policy, while thousands of Mongolians campaigned online in solidarity with their neighbours.

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UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Security Council, in a videoconference meeting, on Monday announced that a draft resolution aimed at advancing measures to prosecute, rehabilitate and reintegrate foreign terrorist fighters did not pass owing to a negative vote by a permanent member.

With a vote of 14 in favor to one against (the United States), the 15-member organ failed to adopt the text, which would have repeated calls for continuous implementation of measures regarding prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration of foreign terrorist fighters, as laid out in previous resolutions.

By the draft, the Council would have re-emphasized that women associated with foreign terrorist fighters returning or relocating to and from conflict may have served in many different roles, including as supporters, facilitators or perpetrators of terrorist acts and therefore may require special focus when developing tailored prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration measures.

The Council would have also asked for such measures to include long-term methods to counter violent extremism conducive to terrorism, and incitement to commit terrorist acts.

The Council would have recognized the significant challenge of radicalization to terrorism and terrorist recruitment in prisons and acknowledge the need to prevent these facilities from serving as potential incubators for radicalization to terrorism and terrorist recruitment, as well as ensure that prisons can serve to rehabilitate and reintegrate prisoners.

Security Council resolutions are currently adopted through a written procedure vote under temporary, extraordinary and provisional measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as set out in a letter by its president for March, which was China.
64 years: Protecting Lives, Ensuring Happiness, Life Insurance Corporation of India

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Anuj Cariappa

New Delhi, Sep 01: Life Insurance Corporation of India enters 65th year of its existence on 1st September, 2020. A premier financial institution of the country, it has immensely contributed to propagating the message of life insurance. In its 64 years of existence. LIC has spread its wings from being the leading Life Insurance Company into an internationally recognized financial conglomerate with the presence in fourteen countries. It has also ventured into other financial services through its Subsidiaries and Associates viz LIC HFL Ltd, LIC Pension Fund Ltd, LIC Mutual Fund, LIC Cards Services Ltd, IDBI Bank Ltd , LIC HFL Care Homes Limited, LICHFL Financial Services Limited, and LICHFL Asset Management Company Limited.

Starting with an initial capital of Rs.5 Crore in 1956, today LIC has Asset base of Rs. 31,96,214.81 Crore, with Life Fund to the tune of Rs. 31,14,496.05 Crore. LIC has always been at the forefront in Nation Building Activities by deploying the funds to the best advantage of the policy holders as well as the Community as a whole, true to the spirit of nationalization. National priorities and obligation of reasonable returns to the policyholders are the main criteria of our investments. The total funds, so invested for the benefit of the community at large are Rs 30,69,942 Crore as on 31st March 2020.

LIC is today serving its customers through Eight Zonal Offices, 113 Divisional Offices, 74 Customer Zones, 2048 Branch Offices, 1526 Satellite Offices , 3354 Life Plus Offices and 31556 Premium Points. It has over one lakh employees, 12.08 Lakh agents and 28.92 crore plus policies In-force. Today LIC offers a bouquet of 28 plans for sale under Individual Business, each catering to the needs of various segments of the society viz Endowment, Term Assurance, Children, Pension, Micro Insurance, Health Insurance and Unit Linked products etc. Customers are assured to be provided with the best products as per their changing needs and changing times.

During 2019-20 Life Insurance Corporation of India has registered a growth of 25.17 % in the New Business in terms of the First Year Premium. The Total First Year Premium amounted to

Rs 1.78 Lakh Crore at the end of 31st March, 2020 capturing 68.74% of market share. As on 31st March , 2020, LIC's market share in terms of number of policies was 75.90%, garnering 2.19 Crore new policies, highest in six years inspite of major Corona impact at year end.

Pension & Group Superannuation Business created history, crossing one Lakh Crore and collected Rs 1,26,696 Cr as New Business Premium Income registering a growth of 39.46%.

In 2019-20 LIC has settled 215.98 lakhs claims amounting to Rs. 1,59,770.32 Crore.

LIC has been a trailblazer in embracing technology for supporting its sales and servicing functions. The focus has now shifted to improving the online and digital presence in order to remain customer-centric, improve pricing and create operational efficiencies. LIC has a strong online presence and has provided digital platform for new business and servicing operations to both internal and external customers, including channel platforms like banks and other agencies. The Customer Portal system of LIC is designed to enhance the digital experience and provide online services to the customers. The Customer Mobile App, which is available on both Android and iOS, has more than 34 lakh users. MPIN based access to mobile applications is in place for ease of use to the customers.

LIC has leveraged various digital platforms for electronic premium payments to provide a seamless experience to customers. PayTM (directly), PhonePe and GooglePay (through BillDesk) are some of the more recent modes that are available to customers for premium payment digitally. Renewal premium collection transactions through the Digital infrastructure have reached an all-time high of 40.23 %. LIC has launched a chatbot for the convenience of online visitors to the corporate website. The chatbot, named LIC Mitra, is capable of answering a variety of questions on the plans available for sale, servicing related queries and also premium payment enquiries.

LIC Golden Jubilee Foundation, established in the year 2006, caters to the Community Development Initiative of the Corporation and works on a large variety of projects focusing on Relief of poverty or distress, Advancement of education, Medical Relief and Advancement of any other object of general public utility. Since inception, the Foundation has supported NGOs dedicated to the above causes through 543 projects.

On this Anniversary We rededicate ourselves to the welfare of our customers in true spirit of our moto "Yogakshemam Vahamyaham", "Thy Welfare is Our Responsibility".

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 8:05 [IST]
Transgender people in Ontario have higher rates of chronic health conditions and are more likely to visit an emergency department for mental health issues, despite using health services more frequently than the general population, new research has found.

The study, by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, used data from 2,085 transgender individuals in Toronto, Thunder Bay and Ottawa and also found trans people are more likely to live in lower-income neighbourhoods than other people in the province.

Alex Abramovich, a scientist at CAMHs Institute for Mental Health Policy Research and lead author of the study, said his research on trans health is the largest of its kind in Canada. This is partly because its difficult to identify trans patients, as primary health-care providers like family doctors and hospitals do not collect specific data on them and instead classify patients by the gender listed on their health card.

Trans people are often left out and are made invisible in most of the research, Abramovich said, adding this has contributed to limited information about transgender health, and as a result, a failure to address health concerns unique to trans individuals.

Abramovichs study examined patient data from community and hospital clinics in the three Ontario cities between January 2012 and December 2016, and compared it to that of the cisgender population, the term used to describe someone who identifies with the gender that corresponds to their sex at birth. The study found that chronic health conditions, like asthma, diabetes and HIV, are more prevalent in trans people, and that 33 per cent of trans individuals have two or more chronic health conditions compared to 28 per cent of cisgender people.

The study also found that 8 per cent of transgender individuals have visited psychiatrists in the time frame of the research, a significantly higher figure compared to that of 0.93 per cent of the general population. In general, the study found that trans patients were more likely to visit their primary care physician, the emergency department and be admitted to hospital, particularly for mental health and self-harm.

Abramovich said that as a trans person himself, and through his research studying LGBTQ+ youth and homelessness for the last 15 years, he is aware that trans health outcomes are different to those of the cisgender population. Those outcomes differ even further when looking at trans people from rural versus urban communities, or those who also identify as a racial minority.

These worse health outcomes are due to stigma, discrimination and violence, which many trans people in Ontario have been subjected to, Abramovich added. Being able to secure formal employment, leaving the house safely or even using a public restroom, he said, are basic needs that when denied can lead to poorer health overall.

When I talk to people about my research, people think that its because youre trans youre going to have poorer health  but its not because of that, he said. It has a lot to do with society and years of stigma and being erased.

In particular, Abramovich said previous research reveals that poorer outcomes of mental health can be directly tied to whether a trans individual who wants to medically transition has access to do so.

When theyre in that waiting period, their risk of suicide is significantly higher than a trans person who has already completed their medical transition, he said.

The study also revealed data on the demographics of trans people in Ontario. About 95 per cent of trans individuals live in urban settings and are from a lower socioeconomic background compared to a random sample of cisgender people examined in the same study.

The average age of trans patients included in the study is 30, Abramovich said, adding more effort needs to be put into reaching out to older trans folks who may not be reflected in the limited data available.

Because of the small sample sizes in numerous gender identity categories, self-reported identities were narrowed to four in the study: transgender woman or transfeminine, transgender man or transmasculine, nonbinary and unknown.

Abramovich said he hopes his research sheds light on the health outcomes of trans people, as well as the need to provide more inclusionary care to work on remedying the health gaps that exist between trans and cisgender individuals.

What does inclusionary care look like? For starters, it looks like patients being asked how they identify when they start seeing a doctor, Abramovich said. He added its important that primary care physicians know they can also provide most health-care needs for trans individuals, and they shouldnt shy away from taking them on as patients.

As for whats next, Abramovich said he hopes this research is the first step in improving health outcomes for trans people in Ontario and further understanding the reasons behind their higher rates of chronic health conditions, as well as how marginalization due to race and class contribute to health alongside gender identity.
Xi Jinping's recent remarks that China must build an impregnable fortress to maintain stability in Tibet and protect national unity are part of Beijing's attempts to make its position clear ahead of polls to elect the Tibetan government-in-exile

Even as China has again ratcheted up tensions along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, it has also sought to assert its control over Tibet, which is a major cause for discord with India.

Chinese premier Xi Jinping on Saturday said China must build an impregnable fortress to maintain stability in Tibet, protect national unity and educate the masses in the struggle against splittism, according to Reuters.

Two days after the comments, the Chinese army carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake, the Indian Army said on Monday.

The attempt, however, the army added in a statement, was thwarted by Indian troops.

Xi's comments on Tibet

At a senior Communist Party meeting on Tibets future governance, Xi lauded the achievements made by the government and praised frontline officials, but also said taht more efforts were needed to enrich, rejuvenate and strengthen unity in the Tibetan region.

Political and ideological education needed to be strengthened in Tibets schools in order to plant the seeds of loving China in the depths of the hearts of every youth, Xi noted in remarks published by state news agency Xinhua.

Xi said that patriotism should be incorporated into the whole process of education in all schools.

The Chinese president also reportedly called for efforts to ensure national security and enduring peace and stability. He also sought to steadily improve people's lives, maintain a good environment, solidify border defence and ensure frontier security.

Visit of China's foreign minister

Xi's comments on Tibet, however, cannot be seen in isolation, and appear to be part of a broader policy push.

Just few weeks ago, on 17 August, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi made similar statements during a rare visit to Tibet and the border areas. Wang had emphasised that the security and stability of the region is important to the overall development of China, the Global Times quoted him as saying.

Top Chinese leaders and officials visit Tibet annually, but it is rare for the foreign minister to visit the remote Himalayan region.

During his visit, Wang had also spoken about the current international situation, apparently referring to US-China diplomatic, political and trade tensions, which has led to a new low in bilateral ties between the two countries in recent weeks.

In July, China had ordered the US to close the American consulate in Chengdu, located close to Tibet, in retaliation to Washingtons move to shut down the Chinese consulate in Houston.

It is in this context that Xi's statements about building a "fortress" to maintain Tibet's stability gain significance.

Tibet and India-China ties

While the comments by the Chinese president have brought Tibet into the limelight, the issue has been a lingering point of concern for New Delhi and Beijing for over six decades.

China seized control over Tibet in 1950 in what it describes as a peaceful liberation that helped the remote Himalayan region throw off its feudalist past. But critics, led by exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, say Beijings rule amounts to cultural genocide, as noted by Reuters.

In 1959, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, fled to India. Since then, the Tibetan government-in-exile has been based in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, which has been a major irritant in India-China ties.

The Dalai Lama's activities in India have sparked statements of displeasure from Beijing on many occasions in the past.

For instance, after the Tibetan spiritual leaders trip to Arunachal Pradesh in 2017, China had warned India that allowing the Dalai Lama to go there will have a negative impact on the settlement of the border dispute.

China also lays claim over Arunachal Pradesh and claims that the Indian state is "south Tibet".

However, at other times, India has been wary of needling China over Tibet. A prominent example of this was in 2018, when media reports said that the Centre had advised senior leaders and government functionaries to stay away from events organised by Tibetan leaders, citing "very sensitive times" in bilateral relations on India and China.

At the same time, the Centre, in a statement to the media, maintained, "India's position on the Dalai Lama is clear and consistent. He is a revered religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India. There is no change in that position. His Holiness is accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India."

However, there has been evidence of Beijing's attempts to target the Tibetan government-in-exile. A case in point is the arrest of a Chinese man in August 2020 on charges that he had been bribing some 'lamas' (Buddhist spiritual monk) in Delhi's Majnu ka Tila to gather information on Dalai Lama and his associates.

Upcoming polls

The attempts by the Chinese leadership to foreground the issue of Tibet comes ahead of elections scheduled to be held to elect the government-in exile.

According to an article in Hindustan Times, the election is scheduled to be held next year. The Tibetan Election Commission has announced dates for voter registration - from 1 September to 15 October, 2020.

The 2021 general elections will be held to elect the fifth directly elected Sikyong or president of the Central Tibetan Administration and the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), the chief election commissioner had told a press conference on 5 August.

Thus, Xi's comments on Tibet and the Chinese foreign minister's visit to the region are only the latest attempts to make its position clear on Tibet, at a time when the region may be poised for interesting developments.

With inputs from PTI
If the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines aren't enough to convince you that face shields alone shouldn't be used to stop the spread of COVID-19, then maybe a new visualization study will.

To increase public awareness about the effectiveness of face shields alone as well as face masks with exhalation valves, researchers from Florida Atlantic University's College of Engineering and Computer Science used qualitative visualizations to test how face shields and masks with valves perform in impeding the spread of aerosol-sized droplets. Widespread public use of these alternatives to regular masks could potentially have an adverse effect on mitigation efforts.

For the study, just published in the journal Physics of Fluids, researchers employed flow visualization in a laboratory setting using a laser light sheet and a mixture of distilled water and glycerin to generate the synthetic fog that made up the content of a cough-jet. They visualized droplets expelled from a mannequin's mouth while simulating coughing and sneezing. By placing a plastic face shield and an N95-rated face mask with a valve, they were able to map out the paths of droplets and demonstrate how they performed.

Results of the study show that although face shields block the initial forward motion of the jet, the expelled droplets move around the visor with relative ease and spread out over a large area depending on light ambient disturbances. Visualizations for the face mask equipped with an exhalation port indicate that a large number of droplets pass through the exhale valve unfiltered, which significantly reduces its effectiveness as a means of source control.

"From this latest study, we were able to observe that face shields are able to block the initial forward motion of the exhaled jet, however, aerosolized droplets expelled with the jet are able to move around the visor with relative ease," said Manhar Dhanak, Ph.D., department chair, professor, and director of SeaTech, who co-authored the paper with Siddhartha Verma, Ph.D., lead author and an assistant professor; and John Frankenfeld, a technical professional, all within FAU's Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering. "Over time, these droplets can disperse over a wide area in both lateral and longitudinal directions, albeit with decreasing droplet concentration."

To demonstrate the performance of the face shield, researchers used a horizontal laser sheet in addition to a vertical laser sheet revealing how the droplets cross the horizontal plane. Not only did the researchers observe forward spread of the droplets, they found that droplets also spread in the reverse direction. Notably, face shields impede forward motion of the exhaled droplets to some extent, and masks with valves do so to an even lesser extent. However, once released into the environment, the aerosol-sized droplets get dispersed widely depending on light ambient disturbances.

Like the N-95-rated face mask used in this study, other types of masks such as certain cloth-based masks that are available commercially also come equipped with one to two exhale ports, located on either side of the facemask. The N95-rated face mask with the exhale valve used in this study had a small amount of exhaled droplets that escaped from the gap between the top of the mask and the bridge of the nose. Moreover, the exhalation port significantly reduced the effectiveness of the mask as a means of source control, as a large number of droplets passed through the valve unfiltered and unhindered.

"There is an increasing trend of people substituting regular cloth or surgical masks with clear plastic face shields as well as using masks that are equipped with exhalation valves," said Verma. "A driving factor for this increased adoption is better comfort compared to regular masks. However, face shields have noticeable gaps along the bottom and the sides, and masks with exhalation ports include a one-way valve which restricts airflow when breathing in, but allows free outflow of air. The inhaled air gets filtered through the mask material, but the exhaled breath passes through the valve unfiltered."

The researchers say that the key takeaway from this latest study illustrates that face shields and masks with exhale valves may not be as effective as regular face masks in restricting the spread of aerosolized droplets. Despite the increased comfort that these alternatives offer, they say it may be preferable to use well-constructed, high quality cloth or surgical masks that are of a plain design, instead of face shields and masks equipped with exhale valves. Widespread public adoption of the alternatives, in lieu of regular masks, could potentially have an adverse effect on ongoing mitigation efforts against COVID-19.

"The research conducted by professors Dhanak and Verma on the importance of proper face coverings to stop the spread of COVID-19 has literally illuminated the world," said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science. "While broad acceptance regarding the need for face coverings has risen steadily, there is an increasing trend of people who are substituting regular cloth or surgical masks with clear plastic face shields, and with masks equipped with exhalation valves. This latest research provides important evidence to further support CDC guidelines and inform the public to make better selections in their choice for face coverings for their benefit and for public safety."

###

About FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science:

The FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science is internationally recognized for cutting edge research and education in the areas of computer science and artificial intelligence (AI), computer engineering, electrical engineering, bioengineering, civil, environmental and geomatics engineering, mechanical engineering, and ocean engineering. Research conducted by the faculty and their teams expose students to technology innovations that push the current state-of-the art of the disciplines. The College research efforts are supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Education (DOEd), the State of Florida, and industry. The FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science offers degrees with a modern twist that bear specializations in areas of national priority such as AI, cybersecurity, internet-of-things, transportation and supply chain management, and data science. New degree programs include Masters of Science in AI (first in Florida), Masters of Science in Data Science and Analytics, and the new Professional Masters of Science degree in computer science for working professionals. For more information about the College, please visit eng.fau.edu.

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit fau.edu.
(Newser)  Do as he says, not as he does, apparently? Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has found himself on the receiving end of plenty of scorn after a photo was snapped of him dining inside a Maryland restaurant on Sunday. Kenney has banned indoor dining in restaurants in his city due to the coronavirus, and PennLive reports it's a decision he has "staunchly stood by" despite criticism from chefs and locals. And there is plenty of fresh criticism now: 6ABC cites this Instagram post from Philadelphia restaurateur Marc Vetri: "Hi @phillymayor !!! Glad youre enjoying indoor dining with no social distancing or mask-wearing in Maryland tonight while restaurants here in Philly close, suffer and fight for every nickel just to survive. I guess all your press briefings and your narrative of unsafe indoor dining dont apply to you. Thank you for clearing it all up for us tonight."

story continues below

Kenney's office explained in a Sunday night statement that the restaurant belonged to a friend and that, "for what it's worth," he stopped at Philadelphia restaurant Rouge and dined outdoors on his way home. After saying Kenney "looks forward to" bringing back indoor dining effective Sept. 8 at 25% capacity per the guidance of the Health Commissioner, the office offered this bit of justification: "There are 782 total cases in the county the mayor briefly visited, compared to over 33,000 cases in Philadelphia. Drastically different circumstances." Kenney said much the same in a Monday tweet: "I know some are upset ... I felt the risk was low because the county I visited has had fewer than 800 COVID-19 cases, compared to over 33,000 cases in Philadelphia. Regardless, I understand the frustration." (Read more Philadelphia stories.)
Let's go back for a moment.

Picture it: Election Night, 2016.

You, like millions of others around the country, had gone to your polling place or had already mailed in a ballot, and you sat down to watch the results come. While it was a late night for campaigns, it was clear that many races, including the presidential one, had winners by the next day.

With the political conventions wrapped up, the nation sets its sight on Nov. 3. Yet, it is becoming apparent that this Election Day will be very different than four years ago.

So, let's take a look at the big question:

Will there be a winner on Election Night?

Though we're still a ways away from that day, it's becoming increasingly unlikely.

During the primary season, several states saw slow to come in results which could serve as a potential prequel to the November general election. Though as Matt Masterson, a senior adviser on election security at the Department of Homeland Security, described to the New York Times, delay is not the word he would use to describe the later than usual results.

" suggests something's wrong," he told the paper.

"The need to take a longer time to process and count these ballots is a sign of the process working," Masterson added. "It is in no way an indication of anything malicious."

To be clear, there has been no evidence of any potential fraud from any of the 2020 primary races.

Looking ahead to the fall, election officials at the federal level have already been cautioning Americans of the potential for later than normal election tallies.

In August, the head of the Federal Election Commission called on Americans to be patient as they wait for results.

"Were all going to need to take a deep breath and be patient this year because theres a substantial chance we are not going to know on Election Night what the results are, possibly for the presidency, but maybe for many other races that are important to people, and thats okay," FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub told CNN's "New Day." "If it takes a little bit longer to count all the votes accurately, thats what we need to do in order to ensure everyones vote counts," she said.

How long could it be until we have final results?

With a presidential winner being declared on Election Night effectively out of the picture, the conversation moves to OK, so, when will we know?

Short answer: It could be days, or possibly, weeks after Nov. 3.

The reason for that? Currently 18 states have mail-in ballot deadlines that must be postmarked by Election Day but can be received and counted after Election Day. Those states are:

Alaska

California

Illinois

Iowa

Kansas

Maryland

Minnesota

Nevada

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Which states could be the most important to watch?

Ohio, the state that has seemingly forever swung back and forth for Democrats and Republicans in the presidential contest. The Buckeye State allows for ballots to be received up to 10 days after the election.

For historic context: Since 1964, no candidate has won the presidency without winning Ohio.

The latest deadline of the listed states is Illinois, which allows for a 14-day ballot return delay.

The most Electoral College votes of these states is California, which has 55. It allows ballots to come in up to three days after the election.

Fact-checking statements about election corruption

As Election Day nears, President Donald Trump has repeatedly issued eye-popping claims about corruption.

So our National Investigative Unit asked 15 top election leaders from across the country if the president is right.

Click here for Chief National Investigative Correspondent Mark Albert's fact check

What's your state's policy on absentee and mail-in voting?



A record number of people are voting by mail because they're scared of contracting coronavirus at their local polling place. Some states are even changing their voting policies because of the pandemic.



Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told lawmakers the U.S. Postal Service plans to "send a letter to every American" explaining "what our process is" for mail-in voting. DeJoy expects that letter to go out in September, but until then, the USPS launched a brand new website with information for voters and election officials on how to properly vote by mail this fall. On the site, you can find your states election website to get local information on your states voting procedures and how to get an absentee ballot.

All states allow at least some type of mail voting, but some make it more accessible to voters than others.

App users, click here to see your state's policy



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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - FenixOro Gold Corp. (CSE: FENX) (OTC Pink: FDVXF) (FSE: FD8) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Jing Peng, CPA to the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

Mr. Peng is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant. He has worked in public accounting for the past 10 years providing financial services primarily to junior exploration companies. Mr. Peng has been the CFO of Austin Resources Ltd., a TSXV-listed company, since September 2015 and the CFO of Captor Capital Inc., a CSE-listed company, since March 2014. In addition, since December 2010, Mr. Peng has been the senior financial analyst at Marrelli Support Services, a well-respected supplier of accounting and reporting services. Mr. Peng was a senior accountant at MSCM LLP and KPMG LLP. Mr. Peng hold a Master's degree in Management and Professional Accounting from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

This represents the Company's planned transition of administrative operations to its Toronto office. The Company thanks outgoing CFO Mr. Xavier Wenzel for his dedication and service.

About FenixOro Gold Corp.

FenixOro Gold Corp. is a Canadian company focused on acquiring gold projects with world class exploration potential in the most prolific gold producing regions of Colombia. FenixOro's flagship property, the Abriaqui project, is located 15 km west of Continental Gold's Buritica project in Antioquia State at the northern end of the Mid-Cauca gold belt, a geological trend which has seen multiple large gold discoveries in the past 10 years including Buritica and Anglo Gold's Nuevo Chaquiro and La Colosa. As documented in "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Abriaqui project Antioquia State, Colombia" (December 5, 2019), the geological characteristics of Abriaqui and Buritica are very similar. The report also documents the high gold grade at Abriaqui with samples taken from 20 of the veins assaying greater than 20 g/t gold. Abriaqui has not yet been drilled but surface and underground geological mapping and sampling as well as a preliminary magnetometry survey have been completed. The property is drill-ready pending finalization of the government permitting process.

Fenix's VP of Exploration, Stuart Moller, led the discovery team at Buritica for Continental Gold in 2007-2011. The Buritica Mine currently contains measured plus indicated resources of 5.32 million ounces of gold (16.02 Mt grading 10.32 g/t) plus a 6.02 million ounce inferred resource (21.87 Mt grading 8.56 g/t) for a total of 11.34 million ounces of gold resources. Buritica is scheduled to commence production in 2020 with annual average production of 250,000 ounces at an all-in sustaining cost of approximately US$600 per ounce. Resources, cost and production data are taken from Continental Gold's "NI 43-101 Buritica Mineral Resource 2019-01, Antioquia, Colombia, 18 March, 2019"). Continental Gold was recently the subject of a takeover by Zijin Mining in an all-cash transaction valued at C$1.4 billion.

Corporate Office:

FenixOro Gold Corp.



350 Bay St. Suite 700

Toronto, ON

Telephone: 1-833-ORO-GOLD

Email: info@FenixOro.com

Website: www.FenixOro.com

Technical Information

The comparison between Abriaqui and the nearby Buritica project is meant only to indicate the similarities between the two in terms of geological setting. FenixOro does not imply that exploration results and/or economic characteristics of a potential future mine at Abriaqui will be similar to those seen at Buritica. The sampling done at Abriaqui is in the form of rock chip and channel samples on surface and in shallow underground workings on vein exposures. The samples were prepared and analyzed at ALS laboratories in Medellin and Lima respectively. Samples were taken, prepared, shipped and analyzed following, industry standard QA/QC protocols and were submitted with certified reference standards.

Stuart A Moller, P. Geol. (British Colombia) Vice President of Exploration of FenixOro and a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained within this press release. Mr, Moller is a geologist with over 40 years of experience in world-wide mineral exploration including 10 years in Colombia.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This news 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 the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of FenixOro's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will", "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 include, but are not limited to information concerning the Abriaqui. Although FenixOro 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. In particular, there is no guarantee that Abriaqui will be drilled or produce viable quantities of minerals, that the Company will pursue Abriaqui or that any mineral deposits will be found.. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this press release, and FenixOro 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.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63002
Gurugram, Sep 1 : A 39-year-old doctor allegedly committed suicide by jumping off from his 8th floor flat in Evo apartments located in Sector-47 in Gurugram on Tuesday, police said.

The deceased was identified as Surjit Kumar Saha who hails from Nepal but got Indian citizenship in 2005.

He was a liver transplant surgeon at the Medanta hospital in Gurugram.

According to police, Saha was living alone in his Gurugram flat while his wife Laxmi and six year old daughter live in Kolkata.

"We suspect that Saha had some conflict with his wife and it could be a reason behind the extreme step. We have also recovered a suicide note from his flat in which he did not blame anyone for the extreme step," said Mohan Puri, an officer privy to the investigation.

According to police, Saha was under stress as the couple had filed a mutual divorce petition in a local court and on Tuesday they had to attend their first court hearing.

The police said Saha and his wife had a conversation over the phone just before his suicide, in that conversation Saha told his wife that he would jump off from the window.

After hearing this his wife immediately informed the Gurugram police about it over the phone.

Police said further action will be initiated once they receive any complaint from the deceased's family.

"We are investigating the matter and will also get more inputs from his family. Further investigations are being conducted. The body has been kept in the mortuary for an autopsy," he said.
Boston University has announced that it will not notify professors if students test positive for coronavirus due to privacy concerns.

The decision was shared last month despite updated FERPA rules relaxing in March when the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic.

It's one of many in the country to opt against sharing whether a student has the contagious disease that has infected 128,533 people in Massachusetts and killed 9,060 in the state.

As classes are set to resume on Wednesday, Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer, wrote in a memo that in recent weeks the school had received requests from faculty who would like to be automatically notified in the event that a student in one of their classes tests positive for COVID-19.

Boston University will not notify professors if students test positive for coronavirus due to privacy concerns

They went with the decision in order to encourage students to share information with them with confidence they will not be identified. The only exceptions will be for individuals who are identified as a close contact through the university's contact tracing process. File image

However Morrison said after spending 'a great deal of time' reviewing the relevant data, looking at best practices at other institutions, reviewing privacy law, and considering what is best for the community, they opted against sharing the information.

'It is clear from this comprehensive review that the health of our community  faculty, staff, and students  is best served by ensuring the strict privacy of everyone's test status,' Morrison wrote.

'Therefore, we have decided that we will not share individual-level information about positive test results with other members of our community.'

The same rule applies to leaders of schools or colleges.

The note added that only exceptions will be for individuals who are identified as a close contact through the university's contact tracing process.

Morrison said those who need to know in order to sanitize a particular area or assist the recovery of an individual who has tested positive are also exceptions.

In total, 40 out of 30,347 tests have returned positive and 242 were invalid at Boston University. On August 30 they reported one positive and eight invalid results out of 1,947 tests

Coronavirus has infected 128,533 people and killed 9,060 in Massachusetts

Those included would be people moving a residential student to isolation and delivering food and supplies.

Morrison explained that they went with the decision to maintain the utmost privacy in order to encourage students to share information with them with confidence they will not be identified.

Morrison said it was a vital part of how they are managing the contact tracing process.

'If students do not feel their privacy is protected, they may be less likely to fully and honestly participate in contact tracing, putting us all at higher risk,' Morrison wrote.

'While I understand the desire to seek out this information about your students, an effective contact tracing process requires a level of trust that we feel cannot be maintained if students know their testing status will be revealed to faculty or staff.

Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer (pictured), wrote in a memo that in recent weeks the school had received requests from faculty who would like to be automatically notified about cases

'I know this decision will be a disappointment to some of you, but I hope that you understand that we have made this decision with the ultimate goal of keeping all faculty, staff, and students as safe as possible.'

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) prohibits educational agencies and institutions from disclosing personal identification information from students' education record without the prior written consent of a parent or 'eligible student,' unless an exception to FERPA's general consent rule applies.

Under the 'health or safety emergency' exception a school can 'if the public health agency's knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of students or other individuals.'

However under the FERPA health or safety emergency exception, an educational agency or institution 'is responsible for making a determination, on a case-by-case basis, as long as it is in a 'non-personally identifiable form.'

'For example, if an educational agency or institution releases the fact that individuals are absent due to COVID-19 (but does not disclose their identities), this would generally not be considered personally identifiable to the absent students under FERPA as long as there are other individuals at the educational agency or institution who are absent for other reasons,' the Department of Education stated in March.

'However, we caution educational agencies or institutions to ensure that in releasing such facts, they do so in a manner that does not disclose other information that, alone or in combination, would allow a reasonable person in the school community to identify the students who are absent due to COVID-19 with reasonable certainty.'

Boston University has been updating a dashboard of test results from July 27.

In total, 40 out of 30,347 tests have returned positive and 242 were invalid. On August 30 they reported one positive and eight invalid results out of 1,947 test results.

BU said 22 students are currently in isolation, one is confirmed non-contagious and 17 have recovered.

It's not the only school with privacy concerns surrounding COVID-19.

The University of Alabama, where 1,200 staff and students have tested positive, has adopted a similar stance to BU.

The University of Texas at Austin recently said it was deliberating if and when to notify someone that they've been in close contact with positive case.

The University of Arizona said it hadn't decided on whether to identify a positive case.

NC State is sharing case-by-case counts in clusters and the University of North Carolina told student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, that it wouldn't due to FERPA concerns.
A man in the northern Vietnamese province of Thai Nguyen was purportedly killed by his father after he came home high on meth and began yelling and swearing at his parents.

The victim is T.M.C., 23, while the murder suspect is his own father, 47-year-old Tran Van Hung, local police confirmed on Tuesday.

A preliminary investigation showed that C., who was unemployed, previously pawned his mothers cellphone on Sunday.

On the following day, he continued to pawn the familys motorbike and spent the money on personal purposes.

At around 1:00 am on Tuesday, C. came home and showed signs of being high on crystal meth.

He began swearing at and provoking his parents.

Hung, the father, became so infuriated that he attacked his son with a knife.

C. was seriously injured but managed to run away.

Local residents found C.s body on a nearby street at around 5:00 am on the same day.

Hung turned himself in to local police later that morning.

He has been taken into custody to assist in the investigation.

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Increases in sales of e-books and digital audiobooks and higher online sales helped to cushion the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic at Penguin Random House, parent company Bertelsmann reported this morning. Total revenue in the first half of 2020 fell 1.4% at PRH from the comparable period a year ago, dropping to 1.63 billion. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) fell 7.9%, to 209 million. In April, Bertelsmann also acquired the remaining 25% stake in PRH that had been held by Pearson.

The U.S. had the best performance among PRHs international companies, with sales rising 5.2%, to 990 million. The coronavirus pandemic had a negative impact on the companys businesses due to the extensive closures of local bookstores, Bertelsmann reported. In contrast, the US business demonstrated particular resilience, partially offsetting reductions in other countries.

Within the U.S., the top-selling fiction title in the first half of 2020 was Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, which sold more than 1.6 million copies, bringing its sales in North America to over 6.5 million copies across all formats since 2018, Bertelsmann said. In nonfiction, Untamed by Glennon Doyle and Michelle Obamas memoir, Becoming, each sold over one million copies, while How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi was also a major bestseller, Bertelsmann said.

In a video message from his home to company employees, PRH global CEO Markus Dohle attributed the solid performance during the pandemic to PRHs ability to react quickly to changing market conditions. In particular, he cited PRHs ability to capture more online sales as lockdowns slowed sales through physical stores. We never couldve predicted a global pandemic, but weve been working toward a world in which online sales channels would have an even larger share of our overall book sales, Dohle said . A world in which we would need to activate every single competitive advantage we have been investing into over the last 10 plus years. So now is the time. The time to benefit from all our investments into supply chain, into corporate marketing, into consumer marketplace developments, and to focus even more on driving sales online.

The increase in online sales is reflected in the growth of digital revenue in the first six months of the year, with digital sales across the company up 15% over the comparable period a year ago.

With a strong fall/holiday list, investments in the supply chain, and the recovery of book sales in most of its markets, Dohle said he remains confident PRH will deliver a very good 2020 and - even more importantly - that we will emerge from this crisis stronger than ever before. 

PRH was one of Bertelsmanns strongest performers in the first half of 2020. In the period, total revenue fell 8.9%, to 7.85 billion, and profit fell to 488 million from 502 million in the first six months of 2019.

Bertelsmann said that while the pandemic has had only a minor impact on its service, education, book publishing, and music businesses, the virus has hurt its advertising-financed business of RTL Group and Gruner + Jahr. Because of the extreme uncertainty surrounding the further course of the coronavirus pandemic, Bertelsmann said, its forecast for the rest of the year has a significantly higher degree of uncertainty than usual. Assuming that infection rates do not begin to climb again in the second half of 2020, Bertelsmann anticipates that, for the financial year 2020, revenues will decrease moderately to significantly and operating EBITDA will fall strongly.
NAIROBI, Kenya  When Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager who saved more than 1,200 Rwandans during the 1994 genocide, landed in Dubai last Thursday, he texted his family members on the messaging application WhatsApp to assure them he had arrived safely.

That was the last the family said they heard of him until Monday, when authorities in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, paraded him in handcuffs in front of the media, and said he was being held on charges including terrorism, arson and murder.

We were shocked and surprised, Carine Kanimba, one of his daughters, said in a telephone interview from Washington on Tuesday.

The case of Mr. Rusesabagina has caused consternation in the United States and Belgium, where he has lived in exile over many years, and in Rwanda, where residents debate his international reputation as a human-rights activist. In Rwanda, he is known as a fierce opponent of the countrys president  Paul Kagame  who has clamped down hard on dissent.
Hundreds of jobs are at stake as Curtin University looks to slash $45 million in costs, warning staff that they need to cut employment costs by a whopping $41 million.

A consultation paper responding to revenue forecasts and budgetary challenges, warns of significant workplace changes and the need to reduce the number of staff employed at the Perth university to save $30 million, but only if staff forgo a two per cent pay rise due in June next year which would achieve a saving of $11 million.

If staff do not agree to the two per cent cut, the full $41 million would have to come from staff cuts.

The paper, sent out to staff by the Vice Chancellor on Monday afternoon after an initial video message, says the aim is to achieve as much savings as possible via voluntary redundancies, with the application process to open shortly.
Up in western Massachusetts this week, a Democratic congressional primary may well determine whether or not the country gets any kind of health-care reform under a Biden administration. Alex Morse, the young mayor of Holyoke, is challenging Rep. Richard Neal for the 1st district seat.

Neal is the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and has used that power over the last two years to not investigate President Trump's unprecedented corruption, and to bottle up legislation taking on medical extortion rackets. To protect Neal, the party establishment attacked Morse with a Republican-style dirty tricks campaign. When that didn't work, big money interests started dumping trainloads of cash into the race to save him.

This is everything wrong with the Democratic Party.

Richie Neal may well be the worst Democrat in the House, and that is saying a lot. (Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey maybe has worse politics, but he also has little power.) Let me start with oversight: During the 2018 midterm campaign, then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi promised one of the first things a House Democratic majority would do is demand Trump's tax returns. That task would be up to the Ways and Means chair, and as Eleanor Eagan and Jeff Hauser write at The American Prospect, after they won control of the House, Neal dragged his feet for months even asking for the returns, months more issuing a subpoena, and months more before actually filing a lawsuit to get them.

Neal clearly didn't want to do it, and more importantly, he wanted (on behalf of his insurance industry donors) Trump to sign a bill allowing 401(k) fund managers to rip off their clients, which indeed passed. By that time, Neal had dithered and procrastinated so long that when the case got to the Supreme Court, they simply kicked it back to a lower court to run out the clock before the election (which is probably what Neal hoped would happen). Now Pelosi is nonsensically promising that Neal will get Trump's tax returns after Biden is elected president  that is, when it would be basically meaningless.

Story continues

But sandbagging oversight to sell out retirees is not even close to the worst thing Neal has done policy-wise over the last two years. He also singlehandedly stymied a bill to stop surprise billing  the legal extortion racket where medical provider gangsters stick up insured people for huge sums when their treatment is out of their insurance network. Private equity goons have been buying up physician groups in strategic sectors where people have no choice but to take out-of-network care to be able to extort as many people as possible. This practice is so incredibly unpopular that even Republicans, including Trump, are nominally against it. But Neal doesn't care if his constituents or the rest of the American people are bankrupted, or if being so corrupt harms the Democratic Party as a whole by allowing the GOP to pose as the real opponent of surprise bills. He's just a rusty machine where big money interests  in this case Blackstone Group  pop a couple quarters in his back, and he creaks into action to do whatever they want.

What's more, Pelosi let him do it. She almost certainly could have levered the bill out of committee, but instead she has endorsed Neal's re-election campaign, and even cut an ad full of outrageous lies praising him. She is plainly signaling that as long as Neal remains in place, there will be no serious health-care reform  if we can't even do a tiny and overwhelmingly popular fix of legal extortion, Biden's public option has no chance whatsoever.

That brings us to the frankly jaw-dropping dirty tricks campaign against Neal's challenger, Alex Morse. Early in August, the College Democrats chapter of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst leveled some troubling accusations against Morse, saying that he had some inappropriate relationships and communications with students there.

However, the details were extremely vague, and there were no actual accusers named. When reporters at The Intercept did some digging, they found a literal anti-Morse conspiracy from the chapter leadership and top figures in the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Two College Democrats had plotted for over a year to destroy Morse so that Neal would give one of them an internship. They tried honeypotting him over Tinder (Morse is gay), but when that didn't work, shopped around their faked up story anyway. The state Democratic Party's executive director Veronica Martinez, chair Gus Bickford, and party heavyweight Jim Roosevelt helped orchestrate the smear campaign, lied about having participated, and advised the would-be Nixon Plumbers to delete their communications with party grandees. (Neal insists he had no knowledge of the conspiracy.)

It almost worked, too. Morse was reportedly about to withdraw from the race before The Intercept's reporting came out. But now it is a real race, and the big money interests are spending like they are worried. Neal has already spent some $4.3 million on the race, and recently three different outside political groups  the American Hospital Association PAC, the Democratic Majority for Israel, and American Working Families  have dumped in an additional $1.5 million. As David Dayen and Alex Sammon write at The American Prospect, the latter two are very likely coordinating in violation of campaign finance law.

So here we have a bunch of amoral sharks who think nothing of inventing a frankly homophobic smear campaign simply to get an internship with a guy who does nothing but give in to Republicans and sell his own constituents down the river to Wall Street and Big Medical. The country is falling to pieces and all these cretins can think of is their own careers  if being in politics simply to serve as a cat's paw for the worst industries in the country even counts as such.

If Democrats are to repair the terrible damage Trump is doing to this country, people like Neal and those who surround him have to go.

More stories from theweek.com

Fauci shoots down false claim only 6 percent of coronavirus deaths are legitimate: 'They are real deaths from COVID-19'

60 percent of Americans say federal government's coronavirus response is making the pandemic worse

New York City delays start of in-person classes in deal to avoid teachers strike


Lina Krakue, 49, never wanted to clutter her bathroom or dresser with creams or supplements that looked like prescriptions from the doctor. But when she went shopping for wellness products related to menopause, thats exactly what she found. I went into the store, I think I ran out clutching my purse," says Krakue, an early-childhood educator in the Bronx, New York. The words they had on these things: symptoms, alleviate, cure. It was like I was coming down with one of the 10 plagues. It was so unsexy."

A friend had recently asked if shed be interested in joining a consumer research group developing a menopause line for women like her. Krakue was in. The group was created by arfa, the brand incubator launched earlier this year in New York by former Glossier president and COO Henry Davis, 36; the former publisher of Vices now-shuttered womens interest site, Broadly, Ariel Wengroff, 31; former Glossier CTO Bryan Mahoney, 43, and former Glossier chief of staff Shabdha Chigurupati, 30.

On August 25, arfa is launching a brand called State Of, a line of beauty and wellness offerings designed for perimenopausal and menopausal women that sprang from the research group. (Perimenopause refers to the time leading up to menopause, when women might start to experience its first signs.) Theyre one of a small but growing number of brands betting that this market is underserved and potentially lucrative.

Last year, an AARP survey found that 70% of women 40 and older wanted to see more perimenopausal and menopausal beauty and personal grooming products. (The average age that women enter menopause in the US is 51, and most women start to experience perimenopause symptoms in their 40s.) Recently, a variety of menopause wellness brands have debuted to address these needs. Founders include menopausal women themselves frustrated with limited wellness offerings, as well as corporations like Avon and Procter & Gamble.

Part of arfas business model is to identify markets that are overlooked by the personal-care industry and then work with people who represent them, like Krakue, who then become members of their research group, which they call The Collective. Collective members across the country test products and give feedback. Arfa refers to members as stakeholders, since they receive 5% of arfas profits for their contributions.

Wengroff and Davis got the idea for State Of while working on arfas first brand, a genderless antiperspirant line called Hiki that launched sales in June after giving away about 20,000 products to healthcare workers, first responders and those who participated in a social media campaign. Hikis products include an anti-chafe stick and body powder, and some of the women in The Collective who worked on Hiki would talk about how they were sweating all over, getting hot flashes and feeling as though they were burning from the inside. Wengroff says many of them felt they couldnt talk about their experiences with their friends or partners but started to open up during Collective meetings. (Meetings used to be in-person and social, like members going to someones house for wine night, but have since migrated online.) We started to understand that the perimenopause and menopausal experience was under-researched, underlooked at and undercared for," she says.

With State Of, they wanted to target issues like joint pain, skin dryness and, of course, hot flashes. The brands first offerings fall into four categoriesmoist, cool, relief and repairand include body creams, bath salts, body oils and a cooling spray designed for perimenopausal and menopausal women. Their facial moisturizer ($32), for example, is designed for really, really dry skin" but without any of the thickness some similar products have, which can also become goopy if the wearer starts to sweat. The products, which sell exclusively on State Ofs website, start at $10, for the cooling spray, and go up to $38, for a CBD body oil designed to help with body pain and inflammation. Theres also a line of supplements (evening primrose oil, turmeric, and skin, hair and nails) that retail for $35 each. They wanted products that their customers wouldnt be embarrassed to have at their desk at work. They landed on packaging in rich blues, pinks and greens embellished with a signature crest.

Its a space that people are now starting to recognize as having a huge potential," says Rochelle Weitzner, 51, who launched her menopause beauty company Pause Well-Aging after having her first hot flash, which made her feel like she was dying. Theres a customer here, and this customer actually has more money than the younger customers that most [beauty brands] are focused on."

Weitzner spent two years developing Pause Well-Aging, which has what she calls an accessible luxury" price point with hero products that include a hot-flash cooling mist ($39), collagen-boosting moisturizer ($72) and a fascia-stimulating tool ($115). Pause Well-Agings products are based on a peptide-vitamin-antioxidant complex that target loss of elasticity, radiance and collagen in the skin, as well as excessive dryness.

Both traditional beauty brands and consumer-goods corporations are entering the market, too. The Greek beauty brand Korres launched a White Pine Meno-Reverse line with a serum-moisturizer ($58) and a wrinkle plumping and age-spot concentrate ($78) that they worked on with the University of Athenss pharmacy and biology departments. Earlier this year, the cosmetics company Avon published a report on menopause in conjunction with an announcement of its own forthcoming line, Avon Adapt. And last year Procter & Gambles start-up studio, P&G Ventures, created Kindra in partnership with the venture capital fund M13. Kindra is a menopause brand that currently includes a vaginal-dryness treatment and applicator, as well as three supplements.

Kindra CEO Catherine Balsam-Schwaber says customers have told her that the treatment has helped them sleep better, enjoy their sex life again and get back to workouts like spin classes they previously couldnt do. Its a real problem for women and one that nobody warns you about," says Balsam-Schwaber, 49. You spend about 40% of your life as a woman in menopause. You shouldnt feel less than. This is part of the natural progression of your body."

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TDT | Manama

The Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa Award for Bahraini Doctors will reflect positively on the health sector, not only in Bahrain but also at the regional level, members of the committee selected to choose the awards winners said.

The members highlighted the awards noble values, given its role in improving the healthcare field, being the cornerstone of human development, and the basis of humanitarian activities, particularly in light of the tremendous efforts exerted by medical personnel in facing the coronavirus (COVID-19).

In this regard, Germanys Leipzig Heart Centre Cardiology and Electrophysiology assistant professor Dr Sotirios Nedios said that he was extremely happy to join the awards jury. He stressed that the appreciation of outstanding medical staff is a noble goal, and noted that HRH the Prime Ministers efforts to encourage scientific research, innovation, community service, and development are widely appreciated and have a far-reaching positive impact on the medical field.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region director Dr Ahmed bin Salem Al Mandhari expressed his confidence that the award will contribute positively to improving the level of health services in Bahrain and even the wider Middle East.

WHO Antimicrobial Resistance assistant director-general Dr Hanan Balkhy confirmed that the award was launched at a time Bahraini medical staff deserved honouring for their distinguished efforts in the field of health care. I am confident that the award will have a positive impact on improving health services, not only in the Kingdom but also at the level of the entire region, she said.

HRH the Prime Ministers Court issued an edict, stipulating the formation of a committee to select the winners, under the chairmanship of Health Minister Faeqa bint Said Al Saleh. The committee shall supervise the procedures for granting the award, verify that the nomination conditions and criteria for the award are met, review the nomination files, research papers, evaluate the assessment criteria and other documents submitted by each candidate, select the names of award winners, and submit its final decisions to the award board to announce them.

It shall also propose the development of the necessary scientific and technical criteria for the nomination, evaluation, and award procedures, in coordination with the award board. The jury comprises a number of prominent international experts in the field of medical research from the WHO and European and American universities as members.

They are Dr Al Mandhari (Oman), Dr Hanan (Saudi Arabia), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland chief executive and registrar Professor Cathal Kelly (Ireland), Professor Dame Parveen Kumar (UK), Professor Kenneth Christopher (US), Professor David Gordon (UK), and Professor Nedios (German/Greek).

It also includes officials from HRH the Premiers Court, Bahrain Medical Society president Dr Ghada Al Qassim and Arabian Gulf University president Dr Khalid Abdul Rahman Al Ohaly. HRH the Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa earlier this year issued directives to celebrate Bahraini Doctors Day on the first Wednesday of November each year, and launch a $200,000-worth award carrying his name to honour outstanding Bahraini doctors in the medical, clinical and treatment research. The award shall be granted in two categories: the Innovation and Creative Award in Therapeutic, Clinical and Medical Research, and the Extended Loyalty and Giving Award.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 1, 2020 - 19:41 | World, All

The Czech Senate head declared himself a Taiwanese in a speech at Taiwan's legislature on Tuesday, channeling the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy who in 1963 famously called himself a "Berliner" to express U.S. solidarity with the citizens of then besieged West Berlin in defiance of Communism.

"I am a Taiwanese," Milos Vystrcil, who leads an 89-member delegation to Taiwan for a six-day visit that began Sunday, said in Mandarin Chinese to express his support for the self-ruled island, receiving standing ovation lasting for nearly a minute.

Quoting from Kennedy's 1963 speech in which he proclaimed "Ich bin ein Berliner," Vystrcil said, "Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free."

Vystrcil is the highest-level Czech politician to visit Taiwan to date.

Mainland China has reacted sharply against Vystrcil's remarks, saying he has overtly supported Taiwan independence forces.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters Tuesday that Vystrcil has "grossly violated China's sovereignty," adding, "We strongly criticize interference in China's internal affairs."

On Monday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi described Vystrcil's visit as an unendurable provocation for which there will be retribution.

"The Chinese government and Chinese people won't take a laissez-faire attitude or sit idly by, and will make him pay a heavy price for his short-sighted behavior and political opportunism," Wang said in remarks that drew a diplomatic protest from the Czech government.

Vystrcil's visit is at the invitation of Legislative Speaker You Si-kun, making him the first parliament speaker of a foreign country to speak at Taiwan's legislature in 45 years and the first sitting legislative speaker of a country that does not have official ties with Taiwan to do so.

Before his speech, You presented Vystrcil the legislature's prestigious diplomatic medal in recognition of his "outstanding contribution to jointly safeguarding core values of freedom, democracy, rule of law and human rights" and "advancing friendly exchanges and cooperation" between the legislative bodies of Taiwan and the Czech Republic.

You praised Vystrcil for resisting China's pressure and threats to visit Taiwan, saying it not only proves Taiwan's existence in the international arena, but also paves the way for the future alliance of the two legislative bodies.

Fielding questions from the media after his talk, Vystrcil said his visit to Taiwan does not violate the "one China" principle, of which he said his country has its own interpretation.

Vystrcil said the purpose of his trip to Taiwan is threefold.

One goal is to seek cooperation partners for his country in the fields of trade, science and technology, communications, and research and development.

Another is to carry out parliamentary diplomacy with Taiwan which shares the same values of freedom and democracy.

Finally, his trip is to ensure the independence and sovereign integrity of his country.

"I don't think in a democratic world we should listen to the orders of other countries, especially non-democratic countries," he said.

He pointed out that 96 percent of the Czech Senate members voted in favor of the trip, even though President Milos Zeman's government does not support it.

Vystrcil was accompanied to Taipei by Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib, a strong supporter of Taiwan who scrapped his city's sister-city agreement with Beijing last October over Chinese pressure to recognize the "one China" policy.

Related coverage:

China, Czech Republic exchange protests over Senate top's Taiwan trip

Czech delegation visits Taiwan despite China's protest

Japan, Taiwan to reopen borders for long-term residents from Sept. 8
Dean of the School of Performing Arts of the University of Ghana, Professor Kofi Agyekum, popularly known as Opanyin Agyekum has supported the fee payment for mandatory test at the Kotoka International Airport following its reopening.



Ghana's air border has been reopened for travelers after months of the closure of borders in the country due to the impact of the Coronavirus.



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced, during his 16th update on the pandemic, that the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) will commence business on Tuesday, September 1.



I am glad to announce that KIA will reopen and resume operations from Tuesday, September 1, 2020. This decision has been communicated to international airlines across the world. After weeks of thorough work, I am satisfied that it is safe to do so, he said.



However, the country's land and sea borders remain closed until further notice.



The President was convinced about the reopening of the airport after the aviation authorities and Health Ministry outlined measures to prevent the importation of the disease.



Some of the measures are that the travelers will have to show a negative Coronavirus medical report taken within 72 hours from their country of origin and further take a mandatory test at the KIA.



The mandatory test, which is to be conducted for all passengers coming into the country forms part of directives outlined by the Ministry of Aviation and Health to curb the spread of the novel disease.



The passengers are to pay a fee of $150 for the test and the test result is said to arrive within 30 minutes.



Some critics have raised issues with the fee saying it is expensive and also wondered why a passenger will have to pay such amount to test for COVID-19.



But Opanyin Agyekum is in agreement with the government, saying the fee is a part of measures to protect Ghanaians against importation of the novel Coronavirus.



To him, in every endeavour, there is risk taking; hence calling on the President Nana Akufo-Addo and the government not to be perturbed by the criticisms over the fee.



He noted that humans will always talk criticize about everything and anything no matter good or bad.



''Even if you cut it down to 1, there will be someone to say why didn't the government give it for free; what is it using the 1 for? So, whatever you do, people will talk about you'', he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo''.



He charged the authorities tasked to enforce the safety protocols at airport to concentrate on their work and not pay attention to the negative remarks.





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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Syracuse, N.Y.  Police have released the name of a man killed Monday night in Syracuses Skunk City neighborhood.

Jorge A. Gonzalez, of Syracuse, was fatally shot in his midsection in the 200 block of Bradley Street, said Sgt. Matthew Malinowski, Syracuse Police Department spokesman. A second man wounded in the shooting is expected to survive, he said.

Gonzalez was rushed to Upstate University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 34 years old.

The shooting was reported at 9:44 p.m. About two dozen gunshots had been fired, 911 callers told dispatchers, and a wounded man was unconscious and struggling to breathe.

Police, along with the Syracuse Fire Department and American Medical Response, responded to Bradley Street. AMR rushed Gonzalez to Upstate.

Around the same time, a wounded man  the second person shot in the Bradley Street shooting  showed up at Crouse Hospital. The 26-year-old man had been shot in his hip and leg, Malinowski said. Hes expected to survive.

Gonzalezs death marks the 22nd homicide in Syracuse this year.

Police have asked anyone with information about the double shooting to call (315) 442-5222 or send tips anonymously through the Syracuse PD tips app.

Did you know Jorge Gonzalez? We would like to tell readers more about him. Please reach out to citynews@syracuse.com.

Staff writer Samantha House covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at shouse@syracuse.com.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new national survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older shows that the majority of those surveyed (81%) say that, as a result of the pandemic, it's more important than ever to make suicide prevention a national priority. Conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), and Education Development Center (EDC), the survey data also show 52% report being more open to talking about mental health as a result of COVID-19.

The survey, which builds upon similar surveys conducted in 2015 and 2018, shows respondents overwhelmingly believe suicide can be prevented (93%). While 95% of those surveyed said they would do something if someone close to them was thinking about suicide, most people (69%) identified barriers that keep them from discussing suicide with others, such as not knowing what to say (31%), feeling they don't have enough knowledge (28%), or not feeling comfortable with the topic (19%). These findings underscore the importance of equipping all Americans with the necessary tools and resources to feel empowered to have conversations about mental health and suicide prevention, and to take steps to care for their own mental health. Additionally, this data points to the critical role technology plays in providing support and services, particularly important given today's social distancing rules in the wake of the pandemic.

"These new findings indicate that the American people are ready for the nation to take action now to mitigate the short-term, and prevent any long-term, negative mental health or suicide-related consequences of the pandemic," said Colleen Carr, director of the Action Alliance. "These complex and urgent public health issues require multi-sector perspectives and solutions."

"Our new survey data indicate Americans are ready and willing to have open conversations about mental health, and they are feeling more empathic (66%). Likely through the COVID-19 pandemic, people are growing stronger in their understanding of mental health and are more supportive of each other. The next step we must take is to make sure that when they try to access mental health care, they are able to find effective, culturally competent, affordable care," said Dr. Christine Moutier, AFSP's chief medical officer.

Some helpful ways people can be there for someone who may be struggling or in crisis include:

Recognizing the risk factors and warning signs

Learning the action steps for talking with someone who might be suicidal

Staying socially connected to family, friends, and loved ones

Sharing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number (1-800-273-TALK), which provides 24/7, free, and confidential support or the Crisis Text Line (text TALK to 741741).

"Our country has never witnessed a public health and economic event of this proportion in recent history. The pandemic continues to take a toll on many people's health and well-being," said Dr. Jerry Reed, senior vice president for practice leadership at EDC. "Yet, with challenges come opportunities. This data shows us that Americans see these issues as critically important and that they want to play a role in addressing them. We must take bold steps now to support those who are struggling and to emerge a stronger country."

To help change the public conversation about these issues and empower Americans with action steps they can take to support others, as well as to strengthen mental health and suicide prevention, the Action Alliance recently launched the Mental Health & Suicide Prevention National Response to COVID-19 (National Response). Working with public and private sector partners like AFSP, SPRC, and EDC, the Action Alliance's National Response is committed to creating lasting cultural, systems, and policy changes that ensure equitable access to the care, support, and servicesboth in and outside of clinical settings. In addition, AFSP's Project 2025 continues to work to reduce the rate of suicide 20% by 2025 by focusing on four specific areas: primary care settings, emergency departments, the gun owning community and correction systems.

OTHER KEY FINDINGS:

The online surveyconducted in July 2020assessed public perceptions about suicide and mental health. The survey also found:

While most Americans (78%) view mental and physical health as being equally important, more than 51% said physical health is treated as more important than mental health in our current health care system.

Most Americans (73%) said they are more aware of the importance of taking care of their own mental health during the pandemic, with many relying on positive coping mechanisms.

If they were having thoughts of suicide, most Americans (73%) would tell someone, and people select different sources of support including:

Mental health provider (34%)



Family member (33%)



Spouse/significant other (32%)



Friend (30%)



Primary care doctor (25%)



Hotline/Crisis line (21%)



Clergy/Faith leader (14%)



Social media network (7%)



Coworker (5%)

Top sources for where Americans go to find resources/tips about coping with suicidefor themselves or a loved oneinclude mental health providers (50%), doctors or primary care health professionals (43%), hotline/crisis lines (41%), and internet searches (35%).

Technology plays an important role in Americans accessing mental health care:

25% have worked with their mental health professional through telehealth,



20% have used mental health apps, and



19% have engaged with another provider through telehealth.

METHODOLOGY:

The Public Perceptions of Suicide survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of EDC and AFSP from July 22-24, 2020 among 2,072 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Kim Torguson at [email protected].

FOR MEDIA PARTNERS:

Research shows that the media may influence suicide rates by the way they report on suicide. Evidence suggests that when the media tell stories of people positively coping in suicidal moments, more suicides can be prevented. We urge all members of the media working on these stories to refer to the Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide for best practices for safely and accurately reporting on suicide. For stories of persons with lived experience of suicidality and finding hope, refer to www.lifelineforattemptsurvivors.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ACTION ALLIANCE FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION:

The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention is the nation's public-private partnership working to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and make suicide prevention a national priority. The Action Alliance and its initiatives are supported by funding from the public and private sector including support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to provide operational support via EDC . Learn more at actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following the Action Alliance on Facebook , Twitter , and YouTube.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION:

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, and with a public policy office in Washington, D.C., AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

ABOUT THE EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER:

The Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity. Since 1958, it has been a leader in designing, implementing, and evaluating powerful and innovative programs in more than 80 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.edc.org and follow on Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT THE SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCE CENTER:

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) is the nation's only federally funded resource center dedicated to advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. SPRC works with states, tribes, health systems, colleges and universities, and other public and private groups, bringing the latest science and interactive resources to support suicide prevention efforts across the country. The SPRC project is currently based at the nonprofit Education Development Center. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Related Links

www.afsp.org


AUSTIN, TX  Noted entrepreneur and designer Kendra Scott will co-teach Women in Entreprenurship in a new faculty appointment as a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, school officials announced Monday.

The upshot: Students at UT-Austin will have the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship from the founder of one of the most recognized brands in Texas. Founder and CEO of Kendra Scott, LLC., has been tapped for the new faculty appointment as a professor of practice in the College of Fine Arts, officials wrote in an advisory. Scott will lead the course alongside Jan Ryan, professor of practice and executive director of the Center for Creative Entrepreneurship.

Scott joins the faculty after partnering with UT Austin to create the Kendra Scott Womens Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (WEL) in 2019. In addition to a curriculum and speaker series that launched in spring 2020, the WEL Institute is slated to open a new student center space on the first floor of the Doty Fine Arts Building this fall, university officials noted.

Related story: Kendra Scott Launches Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute At UT

The new three-credit course class is designed to provide hands-on, tangible tools to equip and empower female entrepreneurs, officials explained. With a blend of lectures, experiential exercises and guest speakers, the class will immerse students in the core tenets of creating a new business, will expose the obstacles and challenges women face in contemporary society and will offer strategies to overcome them, officials described. Like all of the WEL Institutes courses, this class is available to all schools and majors within UT Austin, university officials added.

Im honored to join the university as a professor of practice, and am so excited for the opportunity to work directly with this next generation of courageous leaders, Scott said in a prepared statement. Weve seen a real hunger for programming and classes that lift up and support aspiring female entrepreneurs, and I am eager to further our work with the WEL Institute by bringing my own experience and expertise to the classroom.

Story continues

Professors of Practice Kendra Scott, left, and Jan Ryan at the launch event for the WEL Institute at UT Austin in September 2019. Photo courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin.



Scott started her company with only $500 out of her spare bedroom in 2002, just three months after her first son was born. Her commitment to innovation, quality and detail has brought her from a small startup to a billion-dollar brand that has won over loyal fans, media and celebrities alike. With more than 2,000 employees, the company boasts a thriving web business and more than 100 stand-alone stores, and it has expanded beyond fashion jewelry into fine jewelry, home decor and beauty products.

Professors of Practice Kendra Scott, left, and Jan Ryan at the launch event for the WEL Institute at UT Austin in September 2019.

The Women in Entrepreneurship class will have a specific focus on the female founders unique perspective and is targeted at students who are interested in starting their own company or simply pursuing an understanding of the entrepreneurial mindset. The class aims to confront common gender biases and conditioning, provide actionable advice in the face of the roadblocks women face and empower students to see larger possibilities for their career.

In the class, students will hear from Scott and her executive team members who lead the companys marketing, eCommerce, innovation and philanthropy departments, and students will have the opportunity to move beyond theoretical concepts and practical real-world examples of decision-making and problem solving.

Uniquely, this class will allow us to offer a live case study of one of the most innovative brands in retail today, Ryan said in a prepared statement. We want students in this class to walk away with the tools they need to feel empowered to take control of their careers.

The course will be open 30 students, who were admitted to the class through an application process in the spring. Though the course was originally planned to be taught onsite at the Kendra Scott headquarters, it is moving to an online model in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The course is sponsored by the Kendra Scott Womens Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute, which was created last year to address the barriers that women may face in business  whether cultural, financial or personal.

On this 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment, The University of Texas at Austin is pushing against boundaries to women as entrepreneurs in the world of startups, venture capital and corporate leadership, College of Fine Arts Dean Doug Dempster said in a prepared statement. And Kendra Scott is leading the way!

This article originally appeared on the Austin Patch
With complacency setting in, Covid-19 has once again started spreading its tentacles in Agra increasing the risk of a second wave of coronavirus infection in the district.

On Sunday alone, the district reported 65 fresh Covid-19 casesthe maximum in a day so far. On Saturday, there were a total of 2,901 Covid-19 cases in the district with 107 deaths.

Wait and watch for three or four days, said district magistrate Prabhu N Singh when asked if Agra was heading for its second peak. Some sort of complacency seems to be setting in among Agra residents. Its time to be more cautious. Diabetic and 50 plus employees should stay at home and assist from home for the next two weeks particularly, the DM added.

Singh also said only 20% cases were being reported from rural areas and the rest from city areas as urban people had become more careless about their safety.

Agras chief medical officer (CMO) Dr RC Pandey too admitted that people here had lowered their guard and said, There is no room for complacency as none can claim that they are not at the risk of getting the coronavirus infection. Staff at government offices are falling easy prey as they are coming to office without masks besides defying physical distancing norms. Cases are rising everywhere in the country and Agra is no exception. Thus one should be extra cautious now.

Also, people seem to have become careless because the rise in coronavirus cases here was far less than other districts in the state. By the end of August, Agra was in 24th place among the districts having maximum cases, he added.

The rise in cases is attributed mainly to the rise in sample collection as Agra had by August 31 collected 1,17,527 samples and stood at the sixth place in doing so after Lucknow, Meerut, Noida, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, the CMO further said.

Ten government offices in the Taj city have reported 62 coronavirus cases in the last 15 days. The worst-affected offices are those of Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd, commissioner, DM compound and collectorate, SP city, Agra Development Authority and Agra Nagar Nigam among others.

On the rising cases in government offices, the DM said, Offices need to be checked regularly and make sure all staff are wearing masks and strictly following social distancing. In fact, we are facing our toughest time now and need to treat everyone as carrier (of the virus). He, however, added that low positivity rate (cases found positive per hundred samples) of 2.5% in the district gave some relief.

Agra was the first UP district to have reported five coronavirus cases on March 2 this year. However, there were only 12 cases in the district in March. In April, 441 cases were reported, 439 in May, 390 in June and 574 in July but the coronavirus cases jumped to 1,045 in August.

Many justified the rise in the cases in August because of good pace of sample collection and testing in the district. As many as 60,732 samples were collected here in August as compared to 29,889 collected in July, the CMO said.

Agra district was first in the state to report Covid-19 cases on March 21.

On May 21, Agra mayor had expressed apprehension of Agra becoming another Wuhan.

Much acclaimed Agra Model was exposed because of high number of cases in the first two months.

Initially, Agra remained the district with maximum cases.

With 2,901 cases so far, Agra is presently at 24th position in the list of districts having maximum cases.

Agra is the 6th district in the state with maximum sample collection

62 employees at 10 govt offices have tested positive in the last 15 days of August.

Positivity rate in Agra is at 2.5% on an average.

80% cases are from the city and only 20% from rural areas of Agra.

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A provincial helpline saw a significant increase in calls this year, including from Hamilton older adults scrambling to find information amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

According to data available through 211 Ontario, a free helpline that connects people to programs and services by phone or online, the number of calls from older adults at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown grew dramatically in both Hamilton and the province compared to last year.

Certainly, were seeing overall an increase in needs as a result of COVID, Karen Milligan, executive director of Ontario 211 Services, said in an interview.

While 211 is for people of all ages, the helpline can assist seniors dealing with isolation and other needs even if they dont have internet access. A live agent is available 24-7 and the service offers help in English and French, with interpreters available in 150 other languages.

March and April were the busiest months so far this year both in Hamilton and the province. In Hamilton, calls from older adults jumped to 132 from 82 at this time last year, an increase of 60 per cent. The calls nearly tripled in April, from 57 last year to 141 this year. Older adults accounted for about 20 per cent of the calls from Hamilton, with the most common requests being for information about health as well as financial assistance.

There were more than 160 health-related calls so far this year from local older adults. Among them were requests for physician referrals and help with medical expenses.

The agency also fielded more than 110 calls from the same group for financial assistance. In those cases, 211 provided information about pensions, disability benefits as well as Old Age Security.

There were also more than 100 calls for other government services, a large chunk of which was for help with filing taxes.

The United Way Centraide Canada is one of the main funders of 211 Ontario. Brad Park, president and CEO of United Way of Halton and Hamilton, said despite the increase in calls to the helpline this year, the service is underused.

There are so many more individuals, if they just knew about it and understood what it was there for, could access it as well, said Park, noting that the service can help callers access online groceries, counselling and health care, among other needs. Its a way for them to feel like theres somebody out there helping them.

The online dashboard provides information on unmet needs, or requests that couldnt be fulfilled. In total this year, there were 36 unmet needs for older adults in Hamilton, including for temporary financial assistance, where either there was no resource available or the caller was ineligible for the service.

The second most common unmet need was for food assistance, mostly for ordering groceries. The needs couldnt be met for a number of reasons, including a waiting list, lack of resources and affordability.

Milligan notes that early on in the pandemic, it took time for in-person programs to transition online, so in some cases the unmet need was temporary. She added that sometimes 211 agents would follow up with callers once information relevant to their request became available.

Park invites residents to try out the helpline if theyre ever in need.

We know that demand for this service is going to grow as people look for answers, he said. If your house is on fire, call 911, but if youre going through a crisis, call 211. It is just that catch-all method for information.
Kenosha, Wisconsin: Chris Bernhardt is staring in disbelief at what used to be the Danish Brotherhood Lodge in Kenosha. For 110 years the lodge served as the fulcrum of the citys Danish-American community, hosting regular bingo nights and breakfasts featuring traditional pancakes and sausages.

"A lot of people had their weddings and bridal showers here," says Bernhardt, whose family has been involved with the lodge for several generations. "There was a centurys worth of memorabilia in the basement bar."

Robert Nelson outside what used to be the Danish Brotherhood Lodge in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Credit:Matthew Knott

Now the lodge is nothing more than a pile of charred bricks and sheets of metal. Rioters set fire to the building last week during protests that erupted after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a black man, seven times leaving him paralysed. An elderly employee who tried to protect the mattress store next door was taken to hospital with a broken jaw after looters attacked him. A nearby used-car lot was set aflame: the resulting scene of burnt-out vehicles conjures up images of TS Eliot's The Wasteland.

"Its just horrible, theres no reason for it," Bernhardt says of the destruction. "I know people are angry but this is no way to show your anger."
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appealing to him to consider more legally viable options for providing Goods and Services Tax (GST) dues to the states to help them tide over the financial crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the letter, Kejriwal mentioned that two options that are given by the Union Finance Ministry which require the states to borrow loans and then meet the repayment liabilities, will put an onerous burden on the states. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor wrote the letter following deliberations on the options given by the central government to the states at the 41st GST Council meet on August 27.

Appealing to the Prime Minister, Kejriwal said that the GST Council should consider authorising the Centre to borrow on its behalf and extend the period of collection of cess beyond 2022. The GST Council had on August 27 offered states with two options to tide over their GST revenue shortfall as the GST cess collected from items such as cars and tobacco was not adequate to compensate them this financial year.

The Centre specified that the state governments could borrow either via a special window it will facilitate through the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or raise debt from the market. Terming the GST reform as a landmark reform in the indirect tax structure of India, the Delhi Chief Minister in the letter stated that the assurance of the GST compensation to states to meet the shortfall in GST collections is one of the pillars on which the entire GST edifice rests.

Kejriwal also said that all the states will overcome the unprecedented situation that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought before the country by working collectively. He said that the GST Act, 2017, very clearly provides for compensation to the states for the loss of revenue arising on account of the implementation of the GST in pursuance of the provision of the Constitution (101st Amendment Act, 2016).

"To create an artificial distinction between loss occurring due to the implementation of the GST and those occurring due to COVID-19 pandemic goes against the very spirit of the Compensation Act and will lead to a creation of a trust deficit between the Centre and the states, wherein in future, the states will be hesitant in coming together to achieve more such larger common national goals, as was done through the implementation of GST," Kejriwal said.

The Delhi Chief Minister said that the options proposed by the Centre will lead to a cumbersome process of borrowing by the states, crediting the debt amount to the GST compensation fund, "to which legally all the compensation funds have to be credited in terms of the Section 10 of the GST (Compensation Act, 2017) and thereafter release of such funds as may be due to the states from the Compensation Fund." Requesting the Prime Minister for a more sustainable and viable option, Kejriwal said, "Considering the above situation, it is my humble submission that the Government of India may like to consider a much more simpler and legally sustainable option of borrowing by the Government of India to the full extent of the requirement of compensation in the year 2021 and 2022, to be serviced and repaid by the future collection of cess with effect from 2022." For this purpose the GST Council may consider authorising the central government of India to borrow on its behalf and extend the period of collection of cess beyond the year 2022, Kejriwal said. He further stated that if this option is exercised, it will be acceptable to all the states who will be obliged to the Centre for supporting them in such a situation.

Five states -- Punjab, Delhi, Kerala, Telangana and West Bengal -- that are not ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday rejected the proposal mooted by the central government at the GST Council meeting.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
TORONTO - Barrick Gold Corp. says it has suffered further setbacks in its fight with the national government over control of its Porgera Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Barrick Gold logo is seen during the company's annual general meeting in Toronto on Tuesday, April 28, 2015. Barrick Gold Corp has lost a court challenge in Papua New Guinea over rights to a highlands gold mine and intends to appeal to the country's Supreme Court, the miner said on Tuesday, prolonging a dispute that has halted output as gold prices soar. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

TORONTO - Barrick Gold Corp. says it has suffered further setbacks in its fight with the national government over control of its Porgera Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea.

The operating company that represents the Toronto-based miner and its partners says it lost a court challenge in the country over rights to the gold mine and intends to appeal to the country's supreme court.

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It adds it has confirmation from the prime minister that the government has granted a special mining lease for Porgera to Kumul Mineral Holdings Ltd., the national mining company.

Barrick Niugini Ltd., the joint venture mine operator that is owned 47.5 per cent each by Barrick and Zijin Mining Group of China, with the rest held by local landowners and the Enga provincial government, suspended production in April and placed the mine on care and maintenance status.

It laid off 2,650 local mine workers in July, making permanent temporary layoffs enacted when the government said it would not extend its special mining lease.

In May, Barrick Gold removed Porgera output from its overall 2020 production guidance, dropping it by about 200,000 ounces to between 4.6 and 5.0 million ounces, just as gold prices began to soar to record heights.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ABX)
The tule elk, whose magnificent antlered presence is one reason about 2.5 million people visit Point Reyes National Seashore each year, may be at risk of dying from dehydration, say wildlife advocates who fear a repeat of the drought conditions that wiped out nearly half of a herd five years ago.

A vigilante group of 12 elk activists carried 150 gallons of drinking water into the Tomales Point Tule Elk Reserve Sunday night in defiance of National Park Service closure orders. Point Reyes has been shuttered since Aug. 18 as the lightening-sparked Woodward Fire smolders on the parks southern shore.

The activists used 40-pound jugs carried by hand from a truck to fill two steel troughs, said Jack Gescheidt, who participated in the clandestine nighttime water drop.

We are doing this because we care, Gescheidt said Monday, This is the National Park Services job.

Park administrators condemned the unauthorized entry and water drop.

Taking action without permits and permissions from the National Park Service and while the park is entirely closed to all public access due to the Woodward Fire is unlawful, park officials said in a statement Tuesday morning.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Its just the latest skirmish between the park and wildlife advocates over management of Point Reyes elk herds. Conservation groups and activists have repeatedly called on park administrators to provide drinking water to the hundreds of elk who live in the 2,600-acre fenced enclosure at Pierce Point, citing dry pond beds and drought-like conditions.

When animals are enclosed, they have to be taken care of, because they cant seek out what they need, said Deborah Moskowitz, president of the Resource Renewal Institute, a nonprofit advocacy group started by Huey Johnson, who helped secure parcels that later became Point Reyes and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Moskowitz did not participate in the water delivery Sunday.

The institute is one of several groups spearheading a campaign that has bombarded the parks administrators with hundreds of phone calls and emails with pleas for water in recent days.

But park officials say those fears are overblown.

Our assessment is that there is still water out there, and McClures Creek is flowing quite nicely, said Dave Press, a National Park Service wildlife ecologist at Point Reyes.

The reserves eight ponds run dry almost every year, and the elk are used to seeking out water from other sources, including springs scattered throughout the reserve and dew that collects on vegetation, Press said.

Matthew Polvorosa Kline, a wildlife photographer who spends several days a week photographing the elk, isnt sure water is as readily available as park officials claim. He has photographed five dead elk this month alone, he said.

Kline said he believes the unusual prevalence of elk carcasses may be a sign of more elk deaths to come. The parks unwillingness to replenish the herds water represents a disturbing replay of the 2011-2015 drought that left 254 of 540 elk dead, Kline wrote in an Aug. 20 joint statement with the advocacy groups ForElk and Save Point Reyes National Seashore that was posted on their websites.

The park has defended its hands-off management approach and, to date, has not provided additional water to the enclosed elk, even during last decades devastating drought. In 2014, after herd numbers plummeted two years in a row, officials developed a plan to place watering troughs in areas frequented by the elk, but conditions improved and the troughs were never used, Press said. The herds population rebounded to 445 elk last year.

Press and other park officials say they would implement the plan if conditions become dire. They performed weekly walkabouts of the elks enclosure to check water levels until Aug. 20, just after the Woodward Fire began. It has burned 4,465 acres on the parks southern coast and was 25% contained Tuesday.

While the flames remain far from the elk reserve, conservationists say the threat of wildfires is just one reason why they believe the fenced-in herd should be allowed to roam free.

If it is a zoo, treat it like a zoo and take responsibility for their food and shelter, said Jim Coda, a retired lawyer who at one time represented the National Park Service and who is now part of the grassroots effort to bring attention to the elks water situation. If you dont want to do that, take the fence away and let nature take its course.

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 elk at Pierce Point have been kept behind an 8-foot fence since they were reintroduced to the peninsulas northernmost tip in 1978. Officials later moved some elk to other parts of the park, where they were given free range. The Pierce Point herd remains enclosed to keep them off the pastoral lands of nearby organic dairy farms.

The clash over the elks access to drinking water is the latest installment in a long-standing battle over the management of the peninsulas tule elk herds.

The fight has pitted environmentalists, cattle ranchers and the Park Service against one another. Conservationists would have the cattle ranches kicked off the peninsula; the ranchers, who lease their fields from the park, would rather see the elk moved elsewhere  or eliminated.

In sustaining populations of both elk and cows, the park has sought to balance two competing priorities: native wildlife conservation and sustainable farming. The cattle ranches go back generations to the years after the Gold Rush, when hunters cleared the peninsula of elk to make way for grazing pastures. Balancing present-day environmental and cultural considerations is no easy task, said Christine Beekman, the parks outreach coordinator.

The issue came to a head four years ago when several environmental groups, including Moskowitzs Resource Renewal Institute, sued to prevent the park from renewing lease agreements with the peninsulas remaining cattle ranches and dairy farms.

In a settlement, the park agreed to conduct an environmental review of ranchings impact on the seashore, the first of its kind. A draft of the environmental impact statement generated 7,627 public comments when it was released last year, most favoring the elk over cows and other livestock.

The final statement will be incorporated into the parks ranch management plan and is expected to be released in the early fall.

Nora Mishanec is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @nmishanec
COLUMBUS, OhioState Rep. Larry Householder returned to the Ohio House chamber Tuesday for the first time since he was charged with overseeing a $60 million bribery scandal to pass the states nuclear bailout, saying he intends to plead not guilty and defending the bailout as good legislation.

I think that, you know, in the United States, we believe that youre innocent until youre proven guilty. And that day has not occurred, said Householder, a Perry County Republican who was removed as House speaker in July following his arrest on a racketeering conspiracy charge. And so, I am innocent. I am going to defend myself vigorously.

Householder declined to speak further about his case, though he said he didnt know that authorities were looking into his actions until his arrest.

As the lone candidate on the ballot in House District 72, Householder is likely to win re-election despite having a few write-in challengers. Householder said if he wins in November, he intends to take office next January, though he said he wouldnt run to become speaker again.

Asked whether there are still enough votes in the House to pass a revised version of the $1.3 billion nuclear bailout of two Northern Ohio nuclear plants owned at the time by a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., Householder replied, Do I think its going to be difficult? Yes, because its a very complex bill and not everybodys tuned in.

Householder, who has had trouble finding legal representation, said hes found an attorney. Householder said his lawyer, whom he declined to name, said he was allowed to come to House session even though a federal judge ordered him to avoid all contact directly or indirectly with any person who is or may become a victim or potential witness in the investigation.

Householder said: There are corporations that go through these types of things. That doesnt mean that the, you know, employees are banned from coming.

He continued: But Im not going to cause any problems. I mean, Im just coming here to to participate and vote for the people in my district and do my job.

Gov. Mike DeWine said on Tuesday afternoon that Householder has a right to be there on the House floor.

Speaking again with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Householder said he wasnt embarrassed with the situation hes in, likening it to the criticism President Trump is facing.

If you look at whats going on at the national level with the president and everyone else, it just seems thats the way things are today, Householder said.

Householder also suggested his removal as Ohio House speaker after being arrested was a political move.

I understand that things got pretty wild there for a while. And I understand that, and those things happen, he said. I mean, thats part of politics when you get into the arena.

Read more Ohio politics and government stories:

Ohio House poised to remove Householder from legislative ethics panel following corruption arrest

Donald Trump leads Joe Biden in tracking poll of Ohio likely voters

Ohio nuclear bill also funded solar projects. What will happen to them if the bill is repealed?

Ohios voter purge list includes 21,474 in Cleveland, Akron area; see if your name is included
Tom Cruise has reportedly hired a 500,000 cruise ship for the cast and crew of his upcoming film Mission: Impossible 7 in a bid to prevent more coronavirus delays.

Production for the action movie, which will see the actor, 58, reprise his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, resumed in London in July after a five-month pause due to the pandemic.

Sources have claimed the screen star has rented the Hurtigruten watercraft for filming in Norway as he is 'determined' to avoid further set-backs on the franchise, which is set for release in November 2021.

Thinking ahead: Tom Cruise has reportedly hired a 500K ship for the cast and crew of his film Mission: Impossible 7 (photo of Norweigan Hurtigruten cruise liner MS Roald Amundsen)

An insider said: 'They are terrified of further delays. Tom is determined not to see any more hold-ups.

'The studio believes it will keep everyone safe and get this shoot wrapped up', they added to The Sun.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Tom, Skydance Media, New Republic Pictures and Paramount Pictures for further comment.

While it is unclear which Hurtigruten model the crew are staying on, the brand's collection includes MS Kong Harald, MS Vesteralen and MS Roald Amundsen - the world's first cruise ship propelled partially by battery power.

Up and running: Production for the action movie, which will see the actor, 58, reprise his role as Ethan Hunt, resumed in London in July after a five-month pause (pictured in the 2018 movie)

'He's determined': Sources have claimed the screen star has rented the Hurtigruten watercraft for filming in Norway to avoid further set-backs on the franchise, which is set for release in November 2021 (pictured in 2018)

The latest hybrid expedition cruise ship can take 500 passengers and is designed to sail in harsh climate waters.

Following a COVID-19 outbreak on the MS Roald Amundsen last monyh, the ship's owner halted all cruises and Norway closed its ports to cruise ships for two weeks.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said that during its two journeys in July, a total of 37 crew members and 16 passengers have tested positive. The passengers all registered as living in Norway.

'The preliminary results now show that there are a total of 53 people with confirmed infection on these two voyages; 37 among the crew and 16 passengers,' the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said.

Impressive: While it is unclear which model the crew are staying on, the brand's collection includes the MS Roald Amundsen - the first cruise ship propelled partially by battery power

The cruise liner often acts like a local ferry, travelling from port to port along Norway's west coast. Some passengers disembarked along the route and authorities fear they may have spread the virus to local communities.

It was recently claimed that Tom was 'exempt from Norway's quarantine rules' as he restart filming in the Scandinavian country.

The media personality revealed how 'excited' he was to start shooting the latest instalment of the franchise in a phone call with Norways Minister of Culture Abid Raja.

Speaking about his return, he said: 'Its a gorgeous country, I cant wait to get back there. Im very excited, as is the whole crew, about coming back.'

Upcoming: The films focus on agent Ethan, played by Tom, and will be directed by Christopher McQuarrie (pictured 2011)

During the call, the minister told how Norway is 'looking forward to having [Tom] back' and insisted how the Hollywood star and crew are allowed to shoot in the country without having to quarantine at home first, Norwegian publication VG reported.

However, cast and crew had to pass two tests for coronavirus within 48 hours of landing in Norway and a series of daily rigorous health checks were in place.

Abid added that the film production team wouldn't not have contact with anyone that is not part of the set.

It is thanks to a scheme allowing film productions that receive grants from the Norwegian Film Institute to shoot in the country without quarantine, the minister told VG.

Norway has provided the backdrop for the famous scene in Mission: Impossible  Fallout where Ethan hangs off the edge of Pulpit Rock known as Preikestolen.

The epic scene shows Ethan scaling the cliff face which boasts a 604-metre drop into the Lysefjorden.

The films focus on agent Ethan and will be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who previously worked on 2015's Mission: Impossible  Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible  Fallout in 2018.
English French

A public limited company (societe anonyme) with a share capital of 1,531,013,637.50

Registered office: 1, cours Ferdinand de Lesseps

92500 Rueil-Malmaison

Registration number 552 037 806 RCS Nanterre

www.vinci.com

Shareholders relations department: actionnaires@vinci.com

____________________________________

Issue of new VINCI shares,

reserved for group employees in France

in the context of its savings plan

The combined general meeting of shareholders held on 18 June 2020, through its 12th resolution, delegated to the Board of directors its power to make increases in the capital reserved for employees for a period of 26 months expiring on 17 August 2022.

The meeting of shareholders defined in this context the manner in which the issue price of the new shares is determined.

During its meeting held on 18 June 2020, VINCI Board of directors fixed terms and conditions of a capital increase reserved for group employees in France, this transaction being in keeping with the powers received from the general meeting of shareholders.

The maximum number of shares that could be issued and the total amount of the issue will depend on the level of employees subscriptions for the units to be issued by the Castor Relais 2020/3 mutual fund which will be determined at the end of the subscription period which will be opened from 1 September up to 31 December 2020.

The issue price of the new shares is equal to 95 % of the average opening prices of the VINCI shares quoted on the regulated market of Euronext Paris SA on the 20 trading days preceding 18 June 2020, namely 79.90 per new share to be issued.

The total number of new shares to be issued cannot exceed the limit prescribed by the general meeting of shareholders held on 18 June 2020 through its 12h resolution. The total number of shares that could be issued pursuant thereto and pursuant to the 13th resolution of the general meeting of shareholders held on 18 June 2020 to promote share ownership in favour of employees living in some foreign countries cannot exceed 1.5 % of the number of shares comprising the authorised share capital at the time when the Board makes its decision.

The Castor Relais 2020/3 mutual fund will subscribe for the new VINCI shares to be issued1 at the end of January 2021.

Authorization for trading these new shares on the regulated market of Euronext Paris will be required immediately after their issuing.

These ordinary shares will be accompanied by no restriction and will bear current dividend rights as from 1st January 2020.

Rueil-Malmaison, 31 August 2020

*

* *

*









 Employees will subscribe for this issue, which is reserved for them, through a temporary mutual fund initially and momentarily invested in monetary securities known as Castor Relais 2020/3 and classified as a euro monetary mutual fund. This mutual fund received the approval of the AMF on

9 July 2020, under no. FCE 2020 0066. It will collect the employees cash payments intended to subscribe for the units that it issues. At the end of the 4-month subscription period opened to the employees, this temporary mutual fund will subscribe for the VINCI shares issued according to the total amount of the payments that it collects and will then be absorbed by the Castor mutual fund on 2 February 2021. The AMF approved such a merger in advance on 16 July 2020 (under no. 126517).

The Castor mutual fund is an employee savings and employee shareholder UCITS invested in VINCI shares. It is one of the principal instruments used for the implementation of the VINCI groups company savings plan in France.







1 Up to the total amount of employees payments raised by contributions paid by group companies that are members of its savings plan in France.







Attachment
English French

MONTREAL, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xebec Adsorption Inc. (TSXV: XBC) (Xebec), a global provider of clean energy solutions is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into an agreement effective August 31st, 2020, to acquire all of the outstanding securities of Applied Compression Systems Ltd. (ACS). ACS principals will remain with ACS after the acquisition to optimize their integration into Xebecs industrial service and support business and to grow the operation over the coming years.



Xebecs Cleantech service coverage will increase and now include British Columbia, a province with the countrys most aggressive renewable natural gas and hydrogen mandates and targets. ACS has existing experience and customer relationships for servicing renewable gas installations.

Total consideration payable by Xebec is approximately $4.5M, subject to certain holdbacks, adjustments and time-based payments. ACS had revenues of over $8.0 million for the last twelve months with an EBITDA margin of approximately 12%. As with other acquisitions in the Industrial Service and Support segment, Xebec expects that ACS growth and profitability could be improved with sourcing and back-office synergies.

When customers select a vendor for a multi-million-dollar renewable natural gas or hydrogen installation, service and support figures prominently in their purchasing decision. With its service acquisition strategy Xebec responds to this important customer need and sees it as competitive advantage due to the lack of a similar offering from other vendors. Furthermore, the expansion of its Cleantech Service Network (CSN), is set to expand across North America over the coming years. In addition, this strategy will lead to increased recurring aftermarket sales with a positive impact on overall profitability. As a result, Xebec expects revenues of approximately $200 million in its Industrial Service and Support segment by 2025.

Weve been a Xebec customer for more than a decade buying both regenerative compressed air dryers and nitrogen generators. Were happy to now be more involved with Xebec through this acquisition and are excited to help increase the number of sales channels and provide the capability to design and manufacture full compressed air & gas systems. In addition, weve worked on a number of waste-to-energy projects in British Columbia and the United States such as renewable natural gas systems. Were looking forward to being part of Xebec, a worldwide leader in renewable natural gas and hydrogen systems and see the use of renewable gases grow substantially in British Columbia over the coming years, states Mike Sanderman, President, Applied Compression Systems Ltd.

Applied Compression Systems offers a single source solution for air & gas compression requirements. The company has a strong focus on custom designed and fabricated compressor packages for specialized applications in the oil, gas, petrochemical, alternative fuel, waste-to-energy, research, power generation, mining and manufacturing industries. ACS can supply either standard units or design and fabricate equipment that is custom-built to specific requirements from concept to completion.

ACS is both a customer and supplier and has unique capabilities to design and build compressed air & gas systems. This acquisition will strengthen our Industrial product portfolio as a compressor integrator while simultaneously increasing our service presence in Western Canada. British Columbia is a key province for us as its one of two in Canada that specifically mandates supporting renewable natural gas and hydrogen. ACS rich experience in compressor system integration and service is well recognized and a great asset to our company.

Given their location on the west coast, it will bode positively with the strong pipeline of projects we are working on in those regions. Having local service and support will continue to be a key part in assuring customers they will be taken care of. We welcome Mike and his team to the growing portfolio of Xebec industrial companies, says Dr. Prabhu Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Xebec Adsorption Inc.

Related links:

https://www.xebecinc.com

https://www.appliedcompression.com/

For more information:

Xebec Adsorption Inc.

Brandon Chow, Investor Relations Manager

bchow@xebecinc.com

+1 450.979.8700 ext 5762

About Xebec Adsorption Inc.

Xebec is a global provider of gas generation, purification and filtration solutions for the industrial, energy and renewables marketplace. Well-positioned in the energy transition space with proprietary technologies that transform raw gases into clean sources of renewable energy, Xebecs 1500+ customers range from small to multi-national corporations, governments and municipalities looking to reduce their carbon footprints. Headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Xebec has several Sales and Support offices in North America and Europe, as well as two manufacturing facilities in Montreal and Shanghai. Xebec trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol XBC. For more information, www.xebecinc.com .

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. This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements, and subject to risks and uncertainties. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as plans, seeks, expects, estimates, intends, anticipates, believes, could, might, likely or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results may, will, could, would, might, will be taken, occur, be achieved or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements, including statements concerning future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses and future prospects as well as the expectations of management of Xebec with respect to information regarding the business and the expansion and growth of Xebec operations, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic factors and uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements, including the relevant assumptions and risks factors set out in Xebec's public documents, including in the most recent annual management discussion and analysis and annual information form, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Furthermore, should one or more of the risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, the uncertain and unpredictable condition of global economy, notably as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, Xebecs capacity to generate revenue growth, the availability to Xebec of financing and credit alternatives and access to capital, Xebecs capacity to meet all its other commitments and business plans, Xebecs limited number of customers, the potential loss of key employees, changes in the use of proceeds relating to the loan, share price volatility, and other factors. Although Xebec believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, Xebec disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 11:53 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41de306 1 National mk-law,MK-judges,ruu-mk,constitutional-court-law-amendment,house-of-representatives,Commission-III,Yasonna-Laoly,mahkamah-konstitusi Free

House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, has finished the deliberations for a revision of the Constitutional Court Law, despite civil societys concerns about potential conflict of interest that could harm the courts impartiality.

All political party factions in the commission agreed with the government on Monday to endorse the bill during the Houses plenary session on Tuesday.

During a hearing with Commission III, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly read President Joko Jokowi Widodos stance on the bill. In the letter, the President said it was necessary to regulate the Court to prevent judicial tyranny while maintaining its independence.

The bill is needed to optimize the role of the Constitutional Court as the guardian of the Constitution, Yasonna read out the letter on Monday.

Commission III deputy chairman Adies Kadir of the Golkar Party said the lawmakers had agreed on changes to the law regarding the Courts composition and authority, procedures for the appointment and dismissal of justices, the chief and deputy chief justices terms of office and minimum age requirements as well as procedures to appoint justice candidates.

Weve also added new elements for the Courts honorary council members by including an expert, as well as transitional provisions for justices who are still in office, said Adies.

Read also: Groups raise concern over 'conflict of interest' in Constitutional Court Law revision

During a hearing on Friday, the House and the government agreed to set the minimum age for justices at 55 years  down from the 60 years proposed by the House. They also scrapped a provision stipulating that justices could only serve for five years and could be reelected for another term.

They agreed to include a provision allowing justices currently in office to keep their positions until they are 70 years old, 10 years longer than regulated in the prevailing Constitutional Court Law of 2011.

Civil society groups had criticized the move to revise the law, the draft for which was proposed by the Gerindra Party.

They suspected that the bill was being used as a "political swapping" tool, as many controversial pieces of legislation were currently being challenged at the Court, such as the State Spending and Financial Relief Law, the Mining Law, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law and the omnibus bill on job creation.
After getting some reassurance that Big Basins redwoods were going to be OK, my mind turned to the fate of an equally beloved and significantly less fire-resistant organism in the park: the banana slug.

I became obsessed with banana slugs while hiking in Big Basin in 2019, and I snapped hundreds of photos of the otherworldly bright yellow creatures. That was before I even knew how truly bizarre they are, particularly when it comes to reproduction.

Every California banana slug  the species most common in Big Basin  can impregnate itself or any other slug. The term for this unique sexuality is simultaneous hermaphrodite. Also, when two slugs mate they create a puddle of slime, which they later eat. From time to time, one slug also ends up chewing off the other ones penis. No one knows why.

Steven Sparapani

Still just 39% contained, the CZU Lightning August Complex fire has burned 84,640 acres in both San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties including the entirety of Big Basin Redwoods, which is prime slug territory. To find out if the fires triggered what one of my co-workers referred to as banana slugageddon, I reached out to Janet Leonard, a research associate with UC Santa Cruz who specifically studies these weirdos and gives lectures with titles like, "Sex and Banana Slugs: Little-Known Facts About a Charismatic Animal."

Reached at her home, Leonard sounded tired, perhaps from the two-plus decades she has spent correcting misconceptions about banana slugs. In terms of their survival of the fire, there was good news and bad news.

In a dry summer, a lot of [banana slugs] were going to be underground anyway, and down in creek beds, she said. So I dont think theyre in danger of extinction, but its going to reduce populations.

Banana slugs can burrow up to nine feet underground, Leonard said, and down there they do a thing called estivating. Its sort of like hibernating in that the slug goes into an inactive or dormant state to conserve energy, but it takes place during hot, dry periods. Banana slugs bodies are largely made up of water, so they also secrete a layer of mucus that covers their bodies and prevents them from dehydrating.

When their surroundings are suitably moist, banana slugs emerge ready for a snack. They are detritivores  meaning they eat fallen leaves, moss, poison oak, mushroom spores, animal poop. (Dont lick them, Leonard warns, because you might end up ingesting chemicals from poison oak or a deadly mushroom.) The slugs play an important role in their ecosystem, though, thanks to their nutrient-dense waste that helps fertilize soil and scatter seeds.

Ashley Harrell

Unfortunately, after a fire scorches a landscape, finding enough to eat can be a problem for banana slugs. Leonard also worries that the numbers before the fire werent very high to begin with. Weve had some wet years, but on average its been a long drought, so populations were probably down already, she said.

How many banana slugs are lost wont be something we can calculate as theres no slug census. Attempting to count them is a nonstarter, according to Leonard, because the slugs have such a wide vertical distribution  from high up in trees when the weather is wet to deep underground when its dry.

Oh, and while shes got me on the phone, Leonard would love to clear up some misconceptions about banana slugs.

First of all, theyre not really that slow. When she gives a lecture, Leonard often tells people that if she placed a banana slug on the stage at the beginning, within 15 minutes it would be hard to find. That surprised me, as I had read in multiple places that slugs were some of the slowest creatures on Earth, I told her.

Thats idiotic, she said.

Shes also seen on the Internet that banana slugs live up to seven years. Ive hatched them from eggs and had them live three years in the lab, she said. I spent some time getting in touch with people, trying to track down the seven-year business, and nobody ever heard of anything like that.

I told Leonard that I had seen on some websites that banana slugs breathe through their skin  was it true?

Well, no, she said. The skin has a thick layer of mucus, theres not going to be a lot of oxygen transfer through that.

Ashley Harrell

I was beginning to feel bad about stressing Leonard out, but before we hung up I had to be sure that what I read about them removing each others penises was correct. To my surprise, it was.

Theyll amputate their partners penis, she said matter-of-factly. They basically just chew it off  Its something weve been interested in for years but really dont understand much about why it happens, because it happens rarely.

By rarely, she means, Oh, five out of every 100 matings will end that way.

Not all species of banana slugs do this. Only the California banana slug and the slender banana slug are known to engage in the practice. Coincidentally, those are the only two species that live in Big Basin, out of a total of eight known species.

In the 22 years Leonard has been combing the Santa Cruz Mountains for slug specimens, the area has never seen fire, she said, which makes it hard to know exactly how well they handled it. Still, shes optimistic.

In terms of the fire, I think probably banana slugs are the least of the tragedy, she said. I think theyll survive, and when we get good rains, theyll come out in the spring.

Ashley Harrell is an associate editor at SFGATE who covers California's parks. Email: ashley.harrell@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AshleyHarrell3
MT. PLEASANT, Mich., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Isabella Bank Corporation (OTCQX:ISBA) announced today that the Board of Directors of the Corporation declared a third quarter cash dividend of $0.27 per common share at its regular meeting held on August 26, 2020. The dividend will be payable on September 30, 2020 to shareholders of record as of September 28, 2020. Based on ISBA's closing stock price of $16.30 per share as of August 31, 2020, the annualized cash dividend yield was 6.63%.

"I am pleased to announce our Board approved a dividend of $0.27 per share for the third quarter which represents a 3.85% increase from the third quarter of 2019. Our continued financial strength and outlook provides us the ability to reward shareholders with an attractive return on their investment as evidenced by the 6.63% annualized yield," commented Jae A. Evans, President and Chief Executive Officer of Isabella Bank Corporation. "We continue to assist businesses and families with their financial needs during these challenging times while preparing for the future of our organization. We are carefully monitoring the potential impact COVID-19 may have on our business and are prepared to take any necessary steps to maintain our strong capital position."

About the Corporation

Isabella Bank Corporation (OTCQX: ISBA) is the parent holding company of Isabella Bank, a state chartered bank headquartered in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Isabella Bank was established in 1903 and has been committed to serving the local banking needs of its customers and communities for 117 years. The Bank offers personal and commercial lending and deposit products, as well as investment, trust and estate planning services through Isabella Wealth. The Bank has 30 banking locations throughout seven Mid-Michigan counties: Clare, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, and Saginaw. The Corporation has been recognized on the Detroit Free Press list of "Top Workplaces".

For more information about Isabella Bank Corporation, visit the Investors link at www.isabellabank.com. Isabella Bank Corporation common stock is quoted on the OTCQX tier of the OTC Markets Group, Inc.'s electronic quotation system (www.otcmarkets.com) under the symbol "ISBA." The Corporation's market maker is Boenning & Scattergood, Inc. (www.boenninginc.com) and its investor relations firm is Renmark Financial Communications, Inc. (www.renmarkfinancial.com).

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. To the extent that the foregoing information refers to matters that may occur in the future, please be aware that such forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results. Additional information concerning some of the factors that could cause materially different results is included in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Forward Looking Statements" set forth in Isabella Bank Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission's Public Reference facilities and from its website at www.sec.gov .

SOURCE Isabella Bank Corporation

Related Links

http://www.isabellabank.com


In a world turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic, rarely have so many kids relished the end of their summer vacations  and rarely have so many teachers faced such anxiety as school bells ring in a new year across much of Europe starting Tuesday.

The pandemic-stained months of this years summer break  with social distancing rules and enforced seclusion from friends  came on top of months of lockdowns and uneven online instruction since COVID-19 hit Europe.

Now from Belgium to Russia, France to Hungary, tens of millions of kids will be unleashed upon one another in classrooms, gyms, and playgrounds again. While its a joyous time for youngsters, parents and teachers are more than uneasy how that will fuel the continents daily infection rates, which are already much higher now than in May or June due to virus spread during family outings and summer vacations.

The first thing I will do at school will be greeting everyone and hugging because Im full of love, said Eva Aldanova, 10, who is heading back to her 4th-grade class in Moscow. I will tell everyone that I missed them a lot. And I will get ready for my first lesson!

Preparing schools for that first lesson has been a challenge throughout the continent, which in contrast to many school districts in the United States, is choosing in-class teaching as opposed to online. Disinfectants need to be in place, better air circulation guaranteed, masks plentiful, ways to reduce interactions between large groups of students introduced. Some language teachers will even need transparent face masks so they can show pupils how to pronounce words.

I feel OK, but I am a bit tired because we worked on all those plans, security plans, and risks assessments the last two weeks, and it was a lot of work, said Karin Heremans, director of the Atheneum Antwerp in the northern Belgian port city. We have 600 students so we need to manage everything. But I am very hopeful.

One of the main worries is whether students will be able to wear masks the entire school day. The World Health Organization says students 6 to 11 should wear masks in cases where they cannot social distance, and students 12 and over should wear masks just like adults.

We are really wondering how it will go if we ask students of all ages to wear one or two masks all day long, said Luc Pirson, President of FAPEO parents federation in Belgium. No adults (teachers) for the moment had to wear masks for 8 hours straight. So we really hope that teachers, administrations will make space in the schedule to allow students to breathe normally.

It all underscores what WHOs Europe office on Monday called the largest disruption of education systems in history.

Nations across the continent, which has seen over 209,500 confirmed deaths in the pandemic, are already struggling to contain a renewed wave of infections and are desperate to keep school openings from worsening the situation. Authorities have put 20% of Frances regions in the red zone for community virus spread.

Cecile Cluchier, a nursery school teacher in Antony, a town south of Paris, knows kids will be very excited to see their friends at school and says social distancing wont be the first thing on their minds.

Lets not fool ourselves. We know that with 25 pupils, we wont always be able to keep an eye on each of them, she said.

Frances education minister has admitted that not all schools across the country will be ready to open as planned on Tuesday and French doctors say the governments virus-fighting measures for schools are too lax.

WHO says the extended school closures have affected childrens mental health and social development and those effects could linger for years. Good remote education relies on students having laptops, wireless connections and a dedicated place at home to learn  things that poor children often lack. Experts say coronavirus lockdowns have widened the educational gap that already exists between wealthy and poor students.

Many pupils will have a lot of catching up to do, teachers say.

Were not going to start this year as if the previous one had ended normally. Were obviously going to have to go over lessons from last year and we will have to adapt the content of our lessons, said Aline Becker, headteacher for over 400 children at the Anatole France school in Antony.

She urged patience, for students, parents, and teachers.

Were not going to bridge this gap in three weeks or a month, she said.
Boris Johnson has picked a close ally as the new cabinet secretary, in fresh evidence of his determination to a deliver a hard rain on the civil service.

Simon Case  a former aide to Prince William  is expected to accelerate a dramatic shake-up that has already seen a number of senior figures ousted in recent months.

He will start work next week, replacing Mark Sedwill, who was forced out after frustrating the prime minister and his chief aide, Dominic Cummings.

In June, Mr Cummings told political aides that a hard rain is coming as he vowed to overhaul an incoherent Cabinet Office, creating a smaller centre of government with a different culture.

But there is growing criticism that officials, rather than ministers, are taking the blame for mistakes in the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Recommended Parliament returns as Tory backbenchers grow frustrated at Johnson

The latest was Jonathan Slater, the top civil servant at the Department for Education, who was sacked last week over the summer exams fiasco  even as Gavin Williamson survived as education secretary.

Mr Johnson said: Simon will make a fantastic cabinet secretary and head of the civil service. His years of experience at the heart of government and working for the royal household make him ideally suited for this crucial role.

I would also like to thank Mark Sedwill for his outstanding service to the government and the country as a whole. After serving for decades with great distinction, I believe he has earned the gratitude of the nation.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A killer whale (orca in the fjord of Skjervoy, northern Norway AFP/Getty

Mr Case said: I have seen how much hard work is being done by the civil service to support the government and our country through unprecedented times.

It is a privilege to come into this role to lead a service that is working day in, day out to deliver for people right across the country.
Crosshairs, Catherine Hernandezs dystopian follow-up to her renowned debut Scarborough, takes the form of an epistolary novel, replete with flashbacks and observations of an ongoing struggle against white supremacy and capitalism in a frighteningly familiar, future Toronto.

The narrator of Crosshairs is Kay, who describes himself as a Queer, femme, Jamaican-Filipino man. The letter he is writing is illusory, done without paper or pen, known as a Whisper Letter, and addressed to his partner Evan whose whereabouts are unknown. Quickly, through the letter, the current state of affairs becomes apparent  Toronto has been captured by a militant group known as the Boots, led by a Christoph Waltz type (think Inglourious Basterds, not Django Unchained) and backed by Canadas prime minister and the president of the United States, who have formed an insidious union to protect the rights of the True Canadians, or the white and wealthy, by enslaving and slaughtering the Others, or the Black, Brown, and Indigenous residents of the city.

Kay is on the run, seeking hiding places in backyards and abandoned buildings, with memories of his life before the Renovation punctuating the present day horrors.

Vivid and mournful are Kays memories of his childhood, and of his mothers life before he was born  a young Filipina woman who loves karaoke and works as a live-in caregiver for a loathsome family. The novel sparkles most when Kay recalls his days as a drag performer at clubs like Epic or Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, where he is better known as Queen Kay on the stage, throwing shade, kiki-ing with the other queens, and falling in love with Evan.

However, what the novel earns in these moments of charm, pacing and thrill, it diminishes with its frequent pedantries. Too often the characters announce, unprovoked, who they are, their politics, their identities, like a badge. Otherwise unnamed and unobserved characters get they/them pronouns, alerted with an asterisk, and, indelible, is the chant white allies of the resistance all over the country perform while lunging and holding staffs above their heads: When the oppressed tell me I am wrong, I open my heart and change! When change is led by the oppressed, I move aside and uplift! Caught in this private, daily act of unlearning his white privilege, a character apologizes, if it were my choice, it would be us allies fighting for your safety while you all were on a beach somewhere enjoying a pina colada. Perhaps one of these uncomfortable, performative exchanges could be overlooked, but they occur so often that one begins to question Hernandezs confidence in her characters to illustrate the story and her readers to understand it.

Hernandezs storytelling throughout is compelling, and she builds tension and intrigue as the story moves forward, leaving the reader ravenous for the outcome of this war, curious as to how our beloved 519, Gibraltar Place, and Don Valley became concentration camps, sites of cruelty, stolen labour, and death.

However, as she aims to ensure everyone and every cause is included, she leaves very little, in terms of the character and values of the people in these pages, to be presumed or interpreted by her reader. From Palestine, to pipelines, to transgender people and bathroom access, to gender neutral pronouns, to the sterilization of Indigenous women, to the policing of Black lives, every relevant and contemporary socio-political issue is given occasion. It illustrates, perhaps, that being included, in and of itself, is not enough, and shouldnt be the goal. Still, even in these moments where Hernandez misses the mark, it is strikingly apparent what she is striving for  to decentre whiteness. This is no easy task, and her only fault, perhaps, is that she has taken on too much.

Still, Hernandezs novel brings Toronto, as it is known by its Queer Black, Brown, and Indigenous residents, to life. A rare and wonderful and formidable feat.

Letticia Cosbert Miller is a Toronto-based writer, curator, and editor IG @lettireads
Agence France-Presse

Canadian researchers said on Monday 31 August they are investigating a popular superfood  the acai berry  as a treatment to prevent COVID-19's most severe symptoms.

Past studies have shown that the berry's extract may act as an inflammation inhibitor, which doctors believe could help prohibit the severe inflammatory response caused by the coronavirus.

University of Toronto scientists Michael Farkouh and Ana Andreazza, who have studied the berry's effect on inflammation responses for nearly five years, are researching how it can be used to fight Covid-19.

"It's a long shot," Dr Farkouh told AFP. "But acai berries are cheap and easily accessible for everyone, as well as safe, so it was worth trying."

The pair enrolled some 580 patients who have tested positive for coronavirus in Canada and Brazil, where the berry is grown.

Half of the patients took doses of the extract, while the rest received placebos.

The hope is that early intervention with acai could help prevent some of the disease's worst symptoms, which can lead to hospitalisation and death, Dr Farkouh said.

He explained that the extract specifically targets the same NLRP3 pathway as the coronavirus, which when activated triggers the body's response to fight off infection and stress.

Results of the 30-day study are expected to be released at the end of 2020.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks rose on Tuesday after a survey showed Euro zone manufacturing activity remained on a recovery path last month, with conditions improving for the second straight month. The final Euro zone manufacturing PMI of 51.7 was unchanged from the flash reading and just a touch lower than the 51.8 reading in July. The benchmark DAX rose 76 points, or 0.6 percent, to 13,024 after losing 0.7 percent the previous day. Freenet AG advanced 1.6 percent. The telecommunications and web content provider said that it has planned to buy back up to 5 million shares of the company. Dialog Semiconductor rallied 2.5 percent and Infineon Technologies added nearly 2 percent after reports that Apple is aiming to launch four new iPhone models next month with 5G wireless speeds. China-sensitive automakers were moving higher, thanks to strong readings on China's manufacturing sector. BMW climbed 1.1 percent, Daimler rose 0.4 percent and Volkswagen advanced 1.3 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Dr. John Vitarello Especially at this time, driving tours and road trips are among the activities with which many people are most comfortable. These are always popular things to do in Frederick County and they are now getting more attention than ever." - John Fieseler, Executive Director, Visit Frederick

At a time when driving tours are more popular than ever, thanks in part to COVID-19 concerns, a newly published book of photographs provides dozens of opportunities to travel the beautiful countryside around Frederick, MD in search of the featured subjects. Furthermore, purchase of the book benefits very worthwhile local charities through a self-perpetuating funding mechanism.

The book, Historical Bridges of Frederick County, is the work of Dr. John Vitarello. "Dr V." is a well-known cardiologist in Frederick, having practiced in town for decades. As a new pre-retirement mental challenge, he decided to teach himself professional level photography. He has shot thousands of pictures from which to select the best images of the historical iron truss, stone and wooden bridges across the county, and he's done it from the best angle (often hip deep in water) and when the light was best. In addition to inspiring photos, the book features write ups of each bridge as well as maps locating each crossing. Visit Fredericks Executive Director John Fieseler says he is happy to see attention paid to the dozens of historical bridges around the county beyond the well-known covered bridges. It will also encourage folks to experience our bucolic back roads throughout the county, says Fieseler. Especially at this time, driving tours and road trips are among the activities with which many people are most comfortable. These are always popular things to do in Frederick County and they are now getting more attention than ever. We're happy to have this great new content to share with our visitors.

Dr. Vitarellos other motivation was to benefit very worthwhile local charities in a manner that can serve as a self-sustaining model for future philanthropic projects. Boys & Girls Club, Mission of Mercy, Student Homelessness Initiative Project and the newer Partners in Care organizations will receive all of the proceeds beyond a portion set aside for future reprinting of the book to perpetuate the project. Over the last 34 years I have witnessed the most amazing citizens of our community organize and stage wonderful galas, outstanding fund raisers, festivals and a wide variety of activities to promote the common good, says Dr. Vitarello. Individuals, service groups and charitable organizations alike have made an everlasting favorable impression on me to the point that I want to dedicate this book to local Frederick charities.

Historical Bridges of Frederick County features 99 pages of photographs coupled with information about each of the bridges and their connection to the areas history. There are also driving, bicycle and fishing tour routes included to aid readers who will be inspired to seek out the bridges themselves. The book was made possible through Graphcoms commitment to charity, and the tireless work of graphic designer Jessica Dean. The book is available for sale for $19.95 at Curious Iguana bookstore at 12 N. Market St. in Frederick and at the Frederick Visitor Center at 151 S. East St. in Frederick. It can also be ordered online at curiousiguana.com.

Learn more about the project in a virtual program to be presented online at http://www.fcpl.org by Frederick County Public Libraries on September 29, 2020 at 7:00 PM. Dr. Vitarello will discuss the book with Maryland Room Manager Mary Mannix and Visit Frederick Executive Director John Fieseler.
A Troy man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Friday after being convicted in October of numerous drug crimes and a gun offense, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Osie Lee Davis, 49, was sentenced by a Montgomery federal court judge to 360 months in prison and six years of supervised release upon completion of the sentence after he was convicted on six counts of possessing drugs with intent to distribute, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking offense, according to Louis V. Franklin, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama.

Evidence at the Troy mans October 2019 trial showed that officers found multiple narcotics packaged for sale -- including marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and clonazepam -- during a search of Davis after an officer discovered he had a suspended license and outstanding arrest warrants during a January 2017 traffic stop.

Davis, who had multiple felony convictions, was prohibited under federal law with having a handgun, which was found next to the drivers seat in his car.

During a second traffic stop in October 2018, when Davis was pulled over for having a headlight out, Troy police found cocaine and marijuana in his car. While booked into the Troy City Jail, several more baggies of cocaine were found in Davis shoes, prosecutors said.

A federal jury found Davis guilty of the charges in October.

Drug trafficking encompasses more than simply selling narcotics, it also tears families apart, destroys lives, and heightens the potential for violence throughout our communities, Franklin said in a statement. Mr. Davis has a long history of criminal conduct that spans decades. He has multiple convictions for drug distribution and has had numerous opportunities to change, but each time he chose to return to the same way of life. Thirty years is a significant sentence, but it is one that Mr. Davis earned for himself. I would like to thank the agencies involved in this investigation and I am grateful that Mr. Davis will no longer be a threat to the citizens of Troy and the surrounding communities.
-In the first half of 2020, China-Europe freight trips rose 36 percent year-on-year to 5,122, transporting 3.67 million pieces and 27,000 tons of anti-pandemic materials to European countries, including Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Hungary.

-With strict protective measures, overseas Chinese workers are joining hands with their local colleagues to speed up the construction of landmark projects across the world.

-China's vision for a shared future and its proposals to jointly build the Belt and Road have been welcomed by experts around the globe.

BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- As the COVID-19 pandemic is dragging the global economy into a deep recession, the Belt and Road Initiative, with the participation of overseas Chinese enterprises, have rekindled some hope.

Serving as an international platform for cooperation, the Belt and Road has played a vital role in assisting the fight against the pandemic and stabilizing global supply and industrial chains.

Workers of overseas Chinese enterprises and their local counterparts are busy resuming production while taking strict protective measures.

HEALTH SILK ROAD

In a phone conversation held in March with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China is willing to work with Italy in global efforts to combat the epidemic and create a Silk Road of Health.

On April 14, a China-Europe freight train loaded with much-needed medical and industrial supplies arrived in the western German city of Duisburg.

Chinese and German guests attend the welcome ceremony of China-Europe freight train from Wuhan in Duisburg, Germany, April 14, 2020.

(The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Dusseldorf/Handout via Xinhua)

Noting the difficulties facing German citizens because of the pandemic, Transport Minister of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wuest said the goods transported from China, especially medical materials, were of vital importance.

In the first half of 2020, China-Europe freight trips rose 36 percent year-on-year to 5,122, transporting 3.67 million pieces and 27,000 tons of anti-pandemic materials to European countries, including Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Hungary.

Complaining about the massive disruption of the supply chains caused by COVID-19, Michael Schumann, board chairman of the German Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade, said "in this sense the Belt and Road Initiative can of course make an important contribution to the future."

The ancient Silk Road has become both a cargo lifeline and a bond of solidarity.

Soon after Iraq reported its first COVID-19 case, a Chinese medical team consisting of seven experts arrived in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on March 7. Days later, a Chinese-built lab for coronavirus testing was inaugurated in the war-torn country.

"The Chinese experts are very supportive and helpful," lab director Mohammed Ghanim Mahdi said. "When they were here, they gave us all the technical training we need. This can be a treasure for us."

Keshmeer Makun, a lecturer at the University of the South Pacific, said the pandemic has strengthened, not restrained, cooperation under the Belt and Road framework.

HOPE REKINDLED

The World Bank Group predicted that the global economy will suffer the deepest recession since World War II with a 5.2-percent drop in GDP this year, a figure that highlights the urgent need for the resumption of production.

With strict protective measures, overseas Chinese workers are joining hands with their local colleagues to speed up the construction of landmark projects across the world.

The Peljesac Bridge near Komarna is under construction, in Croatia, April 17, 2020. (Milan Sabic/Pixsell/Handout via Xinhua)

Since being discharged on Aug. 22 from a 14-day quarantine after their arrival, over 140 Chinese workers have been devoted to the construction of Peljesac Bridge, the biggest infrastructure project in Croatia.

Construction of the bridge, once delayed by the pandemic, is set to pick up speed, thanks to the output of those welders.

"We can't emphasize more on the significance of the bridge to the Croatian people and also to us," said Lu Shengwei, representative of the Chinese construction team. "Everyone knows that the EU-funded bridge that links Croatian territories has been entrusted with a Chinese company."

In Cambodia, despite all the obstacles brought by the pandemic, Chinese and Cambodian workers are forging ahead with the construction of the country's first expressway.

Connecting the capital city of Phnom Penh and the deep-sea port province of Preah Sihanouk in southwestern Cambodia, the 2-billion-U.S.-dollar Chinese-invested expressway is expected to become the artery of Cambodia's economy.

Chinese and Sri Lankan staff members conduct maintenance work at Lakvijaya Power Station in Puttalam, Sri Lanka, April 11, 2020. (Xinhua)

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said that this thoroughfare will become an important strategic road, and will contribute to boosting Cambodia's economic growth.

"We understand the significance of this expressway and clearly know our responsibilities," said Xu Song, foreman of a construction team of 280 workers on the project. "During this special period, applying strict measures to prevent COVID-19 and advancing the construction steadily are our priorities."

In Sri Lanka, a Chinese operation and maintenance team has been doing its utmost to ensure the normal operation of Lakvijaya Power Station, a Chinese-built power plant that provides about 40 percent of the nation's electricity supply.

Pang Tusheng, a technician of the team, said he planned to return to China to attend his daughter's wedding, but the pandemic changed his plans.

"Under such circumstances, we should stick to our posts because it's a significant task to maintain the smooth operation of the power station," said Pang.

SHARED FUTURE

Following the epidemic, China has rushed to the rescue of those in need, upholding the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind.

"The right approach to tackling global crises and realizing long-term development is through greater connectivity, openness, and inclusiveness," Xi said on June 18 in a written message to the High-level Video Conference on Belt and Road International Cooperation.

China will work with its partners to develop the Belt and Road into a model of cooperation, a model of health, a model of recovery, and a model of growth, Xi said.

China's vision for a shared future and its proposals to jointly build the Belt and Road have been welcomed by experts around the globe.

Chinese medical expert Yang Honghui (L) instructs an Iraqi medical worker on operating a nucleic acid detection machine at a new Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) lab in Baghdad, Iraq, March 26, 2020. (Xinhua)

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Health Silk Road and Digital Silk Road put forward by China highlight the importance of innovative forms of cooperation to tackle the challenges we collectively face.

Charles Onunaiju, director of the Center for China Studies in Abuja, Nigeria, said Xi's remarks have given African countries full confidence in defeating the pandemic.

"The Belt and Road, in which Africa is considerably engaged, will play a pivotal role in global recovery" in the post-pandemic era, said Onunaiju.

Pavle Basic, member of the Serbia National Council for Coordination of Cooperation with Russia and China, said Serbia has given its full support to the Belt and Road.

"We deem the initiative as one of the most significant initiatives on the global arena, which will contribute to the creation of worldwide partnerships in all areas," said Basic.

Yu Xiong, professor with Surrey Business School at the University of Surrey, said "in the current complex international environment, China's clear layout of future plans brings strong confidence to people at home and abroad who are concerned about China's development."

"Many countries share the vision that, China, whose economy has begun to steadily recover, can lead them to develop and face the next challenges together," the professor said.
URIs groundwater research team  (l-r) Janelle Kmetz, Jeeban Panthi, Associate Professor Soni Pradhanang and Kyle Young  prepares for a test flight. Credit: Todd McLeish

The movement of groundwater in aquifers deep beneath the surface often carries with it a variety of contaminants that can be traced to leaking septic systems, damaged underground infrastructure, excessive fertilizer use and other land uses. But where that groundwater and those contaminants end up is often unknown.

Using a drone with an infrared thermal imaging camera, a team of University of Rhode Island researchers led by doctoral student Kyle Young has tracked some of it to the Ocean State's coastal ponds.

"We're looking to quantify the amount of nutrients being brought into our estuaries and what's happening to those nutrients," said Young, a Coast Guard helicopter pilot and physics teacher at the Coast Guard Academy on leave to earn his doctorate. "The key nutrient is nitrate. In small amounts, nitrate is a good thing, but in larger amounts it can be degrading to the ecosystem."

Young and his advisor, URI Associate Professor Soni Pradhanang, seek to quantify the discharge of groundwater into the salt ponds as part of an analysis of what they call a "water budget" or an accounting of all of the water that flows into and out of the area.

"We know the amount of precipitation that comes down, we can quantify how much runoff goes into stream water, but one thing that's not easy to directly quantify is groundwater flow," said Pradhanang. "We don't know how much water is going from the aquifers into other water bodies."

Since the temperature of groundwater is cooler than the salt ponds in late summer, a drone equipped with an infrared thermal imaging camera can detect a plume of cool water in the ponds that is likely a discharge of groundwater. And that's exactly what Young and Pradhanang Lab graduate student Jeeban Panthi and undergraduate Janelle Kmetz have found at Green Hill and Ninigret ponds.

They flew their $10,000 drone at 400 feet over miles of salt pond coastline and captured several infrared images showing significant cool zones suggesting that groundwater is entering the pond from the bottom. Because groundwater is freshwater and less dense than the saltwater in the ponds, it rises to the surface, delivering a clear signal to the infrared camera.

"Just because we don't see plumes in some areas doesn't mean there isn't groundwater discharge there, too," noted Young. "There could be too small of a freshwater component for it to show up in the thermal signature, or it might not be cool enough compared to the surrounding water. But one thing we can say about the plumes we found is that they have ample freshwater, signifying waters that came from the terrestrial zone."

What that means for the health of the coastal ponds is uncertain. Discharges such as those the researchers found have likely been going on for many years, and groundwater doesn't always contain contaminants. But identifying their locations may be useful in tracking the movement of terrestrial pollutants into the ponds in the future.

The discovery also has implications in the context of climate change. According to Pradhanang, the groundwater affects the salinity and pH of the pond water, which is critical to many water activities like aquaculture, as well as to the plants and animals that live in the ponds.

If storm surges happen more frequently, as is predicted with climate change, they might affect the amount of groundwater entering the water bodies, changing the environmental conditions and negatively affecting the wildlife that lives there. "It could have implications at an ecosystem level," Pradhanang said.

Now that the plume locations have been identified, Young is continuing his drone flights to see how the weather and tides affect the plumes.

"Flying highly sensitive equipment on an aircraft is high stakes research," he said. "Quantifying how the discharge changes over time is the next step. But so far it's nice that we've been able to identify the sites of possible pollution contribution to the ponds."

Once Young returns to the Coast Guard Academy next year, Pradhanang hopes future students will take up the project to identify groundwater discharge locations and quantities into other salt ponds, coastal and freshwater bodies, Narragansett Bay, and elsewhere around the region.

Explore further Sea-level rise linked to higher water tables along California coast
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Mostly clear, breezy, and very cold. Near or below zero wind chills by morning. .

Tonight

Mostly clear, breezy, and very cold. Near or below zero wind chills by morning.
If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. In light of that, when we looked at Infomedia (ASX:IFM) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

What is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. To calculate this metric for Infomedia, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.14 = AU$24m  (AU$192m - AU$20m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

Therefore, Infomedia has an ROCE of 14%. That's a pretty standard return and it's in line with the industry average of 14%.

See our latest analysis for Infomedia

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Infomedia compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

Unfortunately, the trend isn't great with ROCE falling from 34% five years ago, while capital employed has grown 245%. Usually this isn't ideal, but given Infomedia conducted a capital raising before their most recent earnings announcement, that would've likely contributed, at least partially, to the increased capital employed figure. Infomedia probably hasn't received a full year of earnings yet from the new funds it raised, so these figures should be taken with a grain of salt.

Story continues

In Conclusion...

In summary, despite lower returns in the short term, we're encouraged to see that Infomedia is reinvesting for growth and has higher sales as a result. And the stock has done incredibly well with a 132% return over the last five years, so long term investors are no doubt ecstatic with that result. So while the underlying trends could already be accounted for by investors, we still think this stock is worth looking into further.

Like most companies, Infomedia does come with some risks, and we've found 2 warning signs that you should be aware of.

While Infomedia isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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.
Key Workers Parade Lap raises 850

The Key Workers Parade Lap at the weekend has raised 850 for three Island charities.

The money will be split between the Friends of Nobles Hospital, The Hyberbaric Oxygen Therapy Team and St John Ambulance.

Hundreds of people lined the streets as emergency services vehicles led the parade followed by about 400 motorbikes from the grandstand on Saturday.
Sarraj announced a cease-fire Aug. 21 and called for demilitarizing the key city of Sirte and the nearby area of Jufra, which would mean the withdrawal of forces of military commander Khalifa Hifter. Sirte is the gateway to Libyas major oil export terminals also controlled by Hifters forces
An online fundraiser has drawn more than $130,000 in donations to help the family of two young girls who were photographed last week relying on a California Taco Bell's free WiFi to finish their homework.

The photo of the girls was shared on Instagram last week and has since gone viral, raising concerns about the 'digital divide' between affluent and low-income families during the coronavirus pandemic.

A representative of the Salinas City Elementary School District has confirmed that the girls in the picture are students in the district and said that officials have since provided wireless hotspots for the family to use.

On Sunday, a Salinas resident named Jackie Lopez launched a GoFundMe campaign asking for donations for the family, with the initial goal set at $20,000. As of Tuesday evening, more than $132,000 has been raised.

A photo shared to Instagram showed two young children in Salinas, California, sitting outside a Taco Bell so they can use the free Wi-Fi for homework (pictured)

Lopez wrote in the campaign description that the mother of the girls in the picture is a migrant worker named Juana who has three daughters.

'She is an essential worker that works in the fields picking berries,' Lopez explained. 'On her days off from work she sells flowers on the side of the road. When field work is off-season she walks around Salinas selling ice-cream, snacks and candy. She doesnt take a day off because that is a day she could be making a few dollars to provide for her girls.'

Lopez said that after tracking down Juana and speaking to her, she learned that the single mom and her three daughters were facing eviction from the rented room they had been sharing.

'I then realized that those same little girls that not only needed internet, clothes and school supplies now needed a home too,' Lopez stated.

Thanks to donations from her Instagram followers, Lopez said she was able to put together enough money to put up Juana and her three girls in a hotel for a week, and also provide the family with food, clothes, school supplies and other essentials.

'For now they are safe but they need as much help as they can get,' Lopez added. 'Thank you for helping change their lives. All children deserve a happy place to live and because of their dedication, these little girls deserve a safe space to learn. We appreciate every single one of you for helping making that happen.'

Lopez followed up with an update on Monday, writing that she spoke to an accountant who has been hired to help Juana manage her new funds, and that the money will be available for withdrawal the next day.

In August, many schools across the country kicked off the year with virtual lessons that involved children having their first day of classes though a computer screen.

The girls' mother, a migrant worker named Juana, is seen with her three daughters in a hotel rooms where the family had been put up by generous supporters

Many administrators scrambled to create feasible curriculum that could be taught uniformly during in-person classes, online lessons or both.

But the photo shared to social media last week highlighted the plight of students who don't have immediate access to internet, broadband or technology - raising fears that some children may get left behind academically.

The picture, originally shared to Instagram by user Ms_Mamie89, explained that the two girls arrived to the Taco Bell on Alisal Street in search of internet connection.

'These 2 young girls were looking for a place with WiFi to do their school work so they sat near Taco Bell to connect to the free WiFi,' the user wrote.

The two girls are seated near a dumpster, with their laptops out and notebooks on the concrete ground, completing their homework as two employees stand nearby.

'A lot of us dont have to worry about having a proper WiFi connection or a quiet place to work from home. Every student from preschool through college should have free access to reliable WiFi especially now,' the user added.

The state of California has been labeled a COVID-19 hot spot.

In Monterey County, where the city of Salinas is nestled, officials have recorded more than 8,000 confirmed cases and 58 deaths as of Tuesday.

Those numbers contributed to the 713,000 infections and 13,000 deaths amassed in the overall state of California, which was the first state to implement lockdown orders under Gov. Gavin Newsom and re-opened on May 18.

A woman named Jackie Lopez launched this GoFundMe campaign after reaching out to Juana and offering her help

Newsom was forced to re-implement some quarantine restrictions as recently as last month.

He ordered indoor operations for several businesses, including fitness centers and places of worship, to close in 36 of the Golden State's most overwhelmed counties.

The pandemic has exacerbated some students' ability to obtain adequate education resources.

Technology inequality has continued to be a problem nationwide for a plethora of school districts, but the pandemic showcased a significant hurdle in distance learning.

The Salinas City Elementary School District, one of the largest in Monterey County, identified the children as their students.

One student attends Sherwood Elementary School, and the other is a student at Los Padres Elementary School, The Californian reports.

The Salinas City Elementary School District said in a statement that they were aware of the photo and had provided resources to those children.

'Our district became aware of a post that is circulating on social media early this morning,' wrote Richard Gebin, public relations officer for the Salinas City Elementary School District.

'We immediately identified the students belonging to SCESD, and since then, have provided the family with a hotspot so that our students can safely access classroom instruction from home.

'We are aware of connectivity concerns and we have placed additional orders for hotspots to address the digital divide.'

Board President Amy Ish also acknowledged the digital inequality experienced by students in Salinas and neighboring areas.

'The digital divide is very clear and delays in receiving needed technology are a statewide concern, we are grateful the state is making technology a priority and look forward to receiving these hotspots in our district,' said Ish.

The school district is asking families to contact their school sites if they face similar problems with digital resources and distance learning.

Families who need internet access can contact their child's school Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 3:30pm.

But according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as other reports, closing the gap will take more than providing hot spots.

'Low-income households have lower rates of in-home Internet connectivity compared with higher-income groups,' the agency wrote.

'Connectivity rates are particularly low among HUD-assisted renter households, who are also more likely to depend exclusively on smartphones and other handheld devices to access the Internet in the home.'

Money was listed as some of the main reasons families lacked internet connection.

'Eighty percent of respondents to the 20152016 ConnectHome baseline survey who lacked Internet access at home cited Internet costs as one reason they lacked in-home Internet access, and 37 percent cited device costs,' the agency wrote.

The Public Policy Institute of California reported that in 2017 that 'gaps persist for low-income, less educated, rural, African American, and Latino households.'

'Between 54% and 67% of these households had broadband subscriptions in 2017, compared to 74% for all households.'

The agency added around 16 per cent, or 945,000, of students in California had no internet connection at their home in 2017 and 27 per cent, or 1.7 million, did not have broadband.

Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo expressed his concerns over Twitter last week and called for officials to 'do better'

Former California Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Len also commented to add that 40 per cent of Latinos in California reportedly do not have internet access

Ed Source, a non-profit journalism website reporting education in California, found in May that around 1.2million students did not have computer or broadband access for distance learning.

While school districts have attempted to provide enough resources for families, local officials have called for more action.

'2 of our children trying to get WiFi for their classes outside a Taco Bell in East Salinas!' wrote Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo on Twitter.

'We must do better & solve this digital divide once &for all for all California students.'

Former California Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Len shared the sentiment on social media by pointing out that Silicon Valley, a multi-million dollar hub for tech giants, sits just an hour away.

'This is California, home to Silicon Valley...but where the digital divide is as deep as ever. Where 40% of all Latinos don't have internet access. This generation deserves better,' he said.

Users on social media expressed their fears and concerns that children in California did not have adequate digital resurces for class

Pia Glenn: 'My mind goes to those with fewer resources first and it genuinely breaks my heart. Mainstream schooling ain't never been "fair," but I fear this hurdle may seriously hinder some ferociously bright minds'

Residents also expressed their outrage on social media, with many of them pointing out the disparities some low income and rural students face daily.

'This country has to do so much f****** better. How in the world can Bezos have as much $ as he does when we have this?? It makes no sense,' wrote Reagan Gomez, director of award-nominated short film 'Surviving.'

Broadway actress Pia Glenn said: 'This is exactly what I think of when I imagine mandatory online schooling.'

'My mind goes to those with fewer resources first and it genuinely breaks my heart. Mainstream schooling ain't never been "fair," but I fear this hurdle may seriously hinder some ferociously bright minds.'
The California Legislature on Monday sent two bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom that would allow flexibility in a state labor law for certain industries to hire independent contractors instead of employees while Democrats shot down late appeals from Republicans to exempt even more careers.

One proposal, Assembly Bill 2257, allows more leeway for youth sports coaches, artists, interpreters, freelance writers, appraisers, insurance field representatives and a range of people in the music industry to work as independent contractors.

That bill had the support of Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, who wrote Assembly Bill 5, the 2019 California law that requires businesses to give employment benefits to more workers.

Separately, lawmakers passed a carve-out for newspaper carriers. That proposal, Assembly Bill 323, would give newspapers one more year to comply with the law. A number of publishers argued the increased costs of the new labor law would put smaller newspapers serving remote or ethnic communities out of business.

I am hopeful Gov. Newsom will sign AB 323 into law because he values the importance of bringing news to our citizens in California, said Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, in a statement.

AB 5 restricts when businesses can label workers as independent contractors rather than employees entitled to benefits such as overtime and sick leave. It codified a 2018 California Supreme Court ruling that also restricted employers ability to deny benefits to workers.

The law is being challenged in court by an association of truck drivers, as well as by gig economy giants Uber and Postmates. Uber, Lyft and DoorDash also are behind a ballot initiative, Proposition 22, that would exempt app-based drivers from the law.

Several Republicans said the Democratic-backed bills the Legislature sent to Newsom would not exempt enough professions from the labor law. They contend the new law is putting people out of work.

I am very disappointed that the majority party didnt accept the amendments that would have made this bill tremendously better, said Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield. This bill does move the needle a little bit and I guess a little bit is better than nothing at all.

Sen. Brian Jones, R-Santee, called for an amendment to the bill to include tattoo artists.

While I do agree that the definition of fine artists should now cover them, I want to make sure that there is no room for error and I asked that we would add them by name to this bill, he said.

Sen. Melissa Melendez, R-Lake Elsinore, said, I will be supporting the bill today, but the fact that we have had so many bills introduced to amend the original bill should tell everyone that there is something terribly wrong with this bill. We have all had people write to us, call us in tears because now they do not have a job. And it did not have to be this way.

Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson said AB 2257 responds to concerns and makes significant headway toward addressing the fundamental question of who is an employee and who is an independent contractor.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
<! testing for COVID-19 >

By Bayo Onanuga

Even though Nigeria reported another 143 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, suggesting it is time to declare a flattening of the curve, health minister, Dr Osagie Ehanire said the authorities will not do so.

His reason was that testing for the virus has been grossly inadequate in a country of 200 million people.

Ehanire spoke at a briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja.

He said that most laboratories across the country were operating below capacity, adding that efforts were ongoing to ensure provision of at least one laboratory in every state.

Our target is to test two million Nigerians for COVID-19, of which we have achieved barely a quarter.( Actually a fifth)

However, plans have been concluded to set up and optimise laboratories in all states.

According to the minister, there has been a significant drop in COVID-19 testing due to reduced sample collection across many states for reasons not clear in all cases.

Lagos, for example, tested over 35, 000 in July and just under 20,000 in August, while Kano dropped from 23,000 in July to just under 4,000 in August.

These are just examples that show that there is more work to do and many more challenges ahead.

We shall commission a study group of the Ministerial Experts Advisory Committee to begin processes to examine this development, to bring up new knowledge which can guide response or may have an implication on government decision making.

With a total of 1,013 deaths recorded so far, the case fatality rate has also dropped slightly to 1.88 percent, the gradual fall is possibly an indication of improvement in response and treatment strategies to contain COVID-19 and also a common global trend.

As long as we still record deaths from this disease, there is no room for complacency, he said

As at Monday, Nigeria had done 403, 407 tests, usually on people who stepped out to be tested.

Out of the tests carried out, Nigeria has 54,008 confirmed cases.

According to NCDC figures, 41,638 have been discharged. Only 11,357 are active.

But is the testing inadequate? Or does Ehanire and the NCDC just want to do testing for testing sake to justify the N10 billion recently released by President Buhari?

According to the World Health Organisation, countries that do very few tests per confirmed case are unlikely to be testing widely enough to find all cases.

The WHO has suggested a positive rate lower than 10%  but better lower than 3%  as a general benchmark of adequate testing.

Countries that do very few tests per confirmed case are unlikely to be testing widely enough to find all cases. The WHO has suggested around 10  30 tests per confirmed case as a general benchmark of adequate testing.

Surely, Nigeria is far from the WHO benchmark as it has a ratio of one positive case to about eight tests.

South Africa, with Africas worst COVID-19 record, has also failed to meet the benchmark.

South Africa so far has 625,056 cases out of 3,674,872 tests conducted, according to records posted by worldometers.info. The ratio will be one positive case to six tests.

Egypt is the worst violator. It has only carried out 135,000 tests, out of which 98,727 were positive. The ratio is less than 1 to 2.

Madagascar has performed testing similar to Nigerias scale: 57,927 tests that revealed 14,863 confirmed cases.

However, some African countries have met the WHO benchmark for testing.

Morocco is one of the clear leaders. The North African country has carried out 1,890,964 tests.

Out of the tests have emerged 61,399 cases. The testing and confirmed cases work out in the ratio of 1 case to about 30 tests.

Rwanda is another country that has conformed with the WHO standard. It has done 404,944 tests and confirmed 4,020 cases. This is about one positive case to 100 tests.

Uganda is also another conformist. It has carried out 367,423 tests and fished out just 2,928 cases. Again, the ratio is like Rwandas.

Zimbabwe has done 149,748 and discovered 6412 cases; Zambia has done 115,570 tests for 12,097 cases.

Ethiopia has also done well to conform with WHO recommendation. So far, it has confirmed 51,122 cases out of 890,929 tests conducted. That is a ratio that approximates 1-19.

In West Africa, Ghana is on the borderline of the WHO recommendation: It has done 442,185 tests and has found 44,205 cases, about 1-10.

Senegal has also done 146,218 tests and has established 13,611 cases. It still falls within the WHO bracket, at least 10 tests for one case.

Benin has done 118,206 tests and got 2,145 cases. Cape Verde also did 76,576 tests to get 3,852 cases.

In East Africa, Kenya has also largely conformed with WHO recommendation, having accomplished 454,406 tests to get 34,201 cases.

Our Conclusion: Ehanire was right. Nigeria has not done adequate COVID-19 tests. It needs to expand the scope and in doing so, find quicker and cheaper methods of doing the test, as being done in other countries, for accelerated results.



*Bayo Onanuga is the editor-in-chief of TheNEWS Group
On Sept. 2, 1945, World War II officially came to an end when Japan signed official surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri. The war was one of the deadliest in world history, with millions of soldiers and civilians killed. For the 75th anniversary of the wars end, this newspaper spoke to two veterans, who reflected on their time in the service and their memory of the end of the war.
A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. (Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

Not All Australians Are Good Guys: Head of Australias Foreign Intelligence Agency

The head of Australias cyber technological intelligence agency, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has spoken publicly about the duties of the bureau to assuage concerns over privacy.

Rachel Noblewho is the first woman to head ASDoutlined during an address to the Australian National University in Canberra on Sep. 1, that ASD like the more well know American National Security Agency was a foreign intelligence agency specialising in gathering and intercepting overseas communications, including radio, cyber, and electronic communications.

ASDs mission Noble explained was to advise the government on foreign strategic and military developments, as well as to protect Australia from cyber threats, while conducting its own cyber-offensives.

Noble also took pains in her speech to assert that ASD does not have broad domestic powers to spy on Australians saying, ASD cannot, under law, conduct mass surveillance on Australians.

Debate surrounding the ASDs powers was triggered two years ago when the Rupert Murdoch-owned News Corp. published information about government ministers seeking to expand its capabilities to monitor Australians on home soil.

Tourists walk around the forecourt of Australias Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Oct. 16, 2017. (REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo)

Key figures at the time responded to the reports, saying there was no proposal to increase the ASDs powers to collect intelligence on Australians or to covertly access their private data, according to AAP.

Noble said that laws introduced in 2001 by then-Senator John Faulker, made it mandatory for the agency to obtain written authorisation before any information-gathering could occur domestically. No authorisation can exceed six months unless renewed by the defence minister.

All activities conducted by the ASD must be connected to its legislated functions. Including situations where individuals present a safety risk, are acting for a foreign power, threatening security, breaching a United Nations sanction, smuggling of people or money, and illegally transferring intellectual property.

These are the rules by which ASD still operates today  20 years later, she said.

Noble said ASD staff are trained in their obligations and responsibilities.

A man at the computer on Dec. 27, 2011. (Adam Berry/Getty Images)

For more than 20 years ASDs role in relation to intelligence collection against Australians has been laid bare on the face of legislation, she says.

And Im sorry if this is news to you, but not all Australians are the good guys, she added.

Some Australians are agents of a foreign power, Noble continued. Some Australians are terrorists. Some Australians take up weapons and point them at us and our military.

Some Australians are spies who are cultivated by foreign powers and are not on our side, she added.

However, she emphasised that the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation was ultimately responsible for handling domestic threats, not the ASD.

Touching on the issue of expanding power for the nations intelligence agency, Noble said there needed to be conversations on how to manage contemporary threats, and whether they could lead to legislative change.

It was the role of politicians; however, not public servants, to decide how best to address any new risks.
PARIS - Thirteen men and a woman went on trial Wednesday in the 2015 attacks against the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper and a kosher supermarket in Paris that marked the beginning of a wave of violence by the Islamic State group in Europe.

Seventeen people and all three gunmen died during the three days of attacks in January 2015. Later that year, a separate network of French and Belgian fighters for Islamic State struck Paris again, this time killing 130 people in attacks at the Bataclan concert hall, the national stadium, and in bars and restaurants.

Those on trial in Frances terrorism court are accused of buying weapons, cars, and helping with logistics in the January 2015 attacks. Most say they thought they were helping plan an ordinary crime. Three, including the only woman accused, are being tried in absentia after leaving to join Islamic State.

The trial will establish and confirm that the two attacks were co-ordinated. One was an attack on freedom of expression and the other was against Jews because they were Jews, Francois Hollande, who was then Frances president, told RTL radio.

The attacks from Jan. 7-9, 2015, started during an editorial meeting at Charlie Hebdo, whose offices had been unmarked and guarded by police since the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad years before. Brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi gunned down 12 people before carjacking a vehicle and fleeing. They claimed the attacks in the name of al-Qaida.

Two days later, on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, Amedy Coulibaly stormed the Hyper Cacher supermarket, killing four hostages and invoking the Islamic State group as the Kouachi brothers took control of a printing office outside the French capital. The attackers died that day during near-simultaneous police raids.

It took days more for investigators to realize that Coulibaly was also responsible for the seemingly random death of a young policewoman the previous day.

It took further weeks to unravel the network of petty criminals and neighbourhood friends linking the three attackers. By then, Hayat Boumedienne, who was married to Coulibaly, had left for Syria with the help of two brothers also charged in the case. Most of the 11 who will appear insist their help in the mass killings was unwitting.

Since 2012, terrorism capitalized on the prevailing delinquency there is around these terrorists, said Samia Maktouf, a lawyer for one of the attack survivors. They are not second fiddles, they are full accomplices.

Despite a global outpouring of support, the attacks were also seen as a massive intelligence failure. French authorities ended a phone tap on one of the Kouachi brothers a few months before they stormed the editorial offices. At least one had trained with al-Qaida in Yemen and been convicted of an earlier terrorism offence. The brothers walked away from the carnage they had caused, escaping easily and drove through multiple dragnets before being trapped two days later.

The government failed. If the intelligence services had done their job, this would not have happened, said Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, lawyer for the only defendant in court facing a life term. The victims dont just want a guilty verdict, but real justice. The truth must come out.

The chief judge declined to rule on Coutant-Peyres request for a delay in the trial to learn more about the sale of the weapons to the Kouachi brothers and Coulibaly. Investigators never determined who sold the weapons.

Her client, Ali Riza Polat, is accused of serving as the link between the Kouachi brothers and Coulibaly. He was involved in each stage of the attack planning, according to the judicial investigation, organizing secure phone lines, checking the price of explosives and ammunition, and travelling with Coulibaly to Belgium.

Wednesdays trial opened under tight security, with multiple police checks for the main courtroom and the overflow rooms. At nearby newsstands, the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo appeared, defiantly reprinting the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed cited by the gunmen who killed so many of the publications editorial staff.

Patrick Pelloux, a Charlie Hebdo contributor who missed the editorial meeting the day of the killings, said he had been dreading the trial.

You have to understand the emotion were feeling, its very hard, Pelloux said. We have to let justice run its course.

Turkey condemned Charlie Hebdos decision to republish the cartoon, saying the insult and disrespect toward Muslims cannot be justified as art or within the scope of freedom of expression.

We invite our friends and politicians in Europe to take a clear stand against such attacks against our sacred values, which have been increasing recently, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron refused.

The president of the republic in France should never qualify editorial choices of a journalist, editorial staff  never, he said. Because there is a freedom of press that you are rightly so attached to, deeply. ... There is also in France the freedom to blaspheme, which is attached to the freedom of conscience.

___

Angela Charlton contributed from Paris.

Read more about:
News summary:

Colocation Australia announces new national service to offer wholesale customers flexible and cost-effective connectivity

ADVA's open optical transport solution optimizes network capacity for simplified provisioning and enables businesses to scale as demand grows

Wholesale offering delivers flexible links to Australian cities and Singapore

ADVA (FSE: ADV) today announced that Colocation Australia (ColoAU), a subsidiary of 5G Networks Limited (ASX: 5GN), has deployed its FSP 3000 OpenFabric to give customers flexible and low-cost connectivity with complete freedom to adjust capacity as required. The company's new national wavelength product uses bandwidth sourced from a range of providers to offer cost-effective long-distance transport. By using ADVA's open OTN cross-connect technology, ColoAU is now able to optimize links between Australia's mainland state capital cities and Singapore to offer the lower-speed services that businesses need. Customers can select data rates ranging from 1.25Gbit/s to 50Gbit/s over OTN, Ethernet, SDH/SONET and Fibre Channel interfaces.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005020/en/

ADVA is helping Colocation Australia optimize network capacity and give its customers the bandwidth they need (Photo: Business Wire)

"We're using ADVA's technology to solve one of the key problems that small and medium-sized companies face. They no longer need to waste valuable resources in overprovisioning links that end up redundant or obsolete and are able to support growing bandwidth requirements driven by demand. By utilizing the ADVA FSP 3000 OpenFabric, we're able to provide elastic bandwidth offerings that can instantly be turned up or down," said Nic Tippelt, wholesale manager, ColoAU. "Our new national wavelength product lets customers take control. It empowers them to choose high-quality, secure, point-to-point connectivity that supports ever-changing capacity needs."

The ADVA FSP 3000 OpenFabric gives ColoAU and 5GN Wholesale a truly scalable end-to-end architecture and the ability to support a wide range of client interfaces for metro, inter-capital or international connectivity. It enables the company to leverage other service provider and utility networks as its own and offer a unique combination of high capacity and flexibility. The ADVA FSP 3000 OpenFabric features open OTN switching technology, which extends the delivery of bandwidth services throughout the network and eliminates the boundaries of legacy OTN solutions. With the new service, ColoAU has become the first company to use the openness, flexibility and scalability of ADVA's solution in this way.

"Our FSP 3000 OpenFabric creates an architecture that's open, disaggregated and completely future-proof. It gives ColoAU's customers the freedom to efficiently transport any mix of optical services, and scale as and when needed. By utilizing other networks to flexibly offer a wide range of wavelengths, the company is empowering enterprises across Australia to harness the ideal connectivity for their business needs," commented Erik Lindberg, VP, sales, APAC, ADVA. "ColoAU's new national wavelength product provides businesses across Australia and Singapore with an entirely new way to access the capacity they require. It enables them to seize new opportunities without major risk and eliminates wasted capacity and unnecessary cost."

About ADVA

ADVA is a company founded on innovation and focused on helping our customers succeed. Our technology forms the building blocks of a shared digital future and empowers networks across the globe. We're continually developing breakthrough hardware and software that leads the networking industry and creates new business opportunities. It's these open connectivity solutions that enable our customers to deliver the cloud and mobile services that are vital to today's society and for imagining new tomorrows. Together, we're building a truly connected and sustainable future. For more information on how we can help you, please visit us at www.adva.com.

About 5G Networks and Colocation Australia

Colocation Australia is a subsidiary company of 5G Networks. 5G Networks (ASX: 5GN) is a licenced telecommunications carrier operating across Australia. Our mission is to be Australia's partner of choice for unifying a seamless digital experience for our customers across data connectivity, cloud and data centre services, underpinned by expert managed services in the business and wholesale markets. 5G Networks currently owns and operates its own nationwide highspeed data network with points of presence in all major Australian capital cities. www.5gnetworks.com.au.

Published by:

ADVA Optical Networking SE, Munich, Germany

www.adva.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005020/en/

Contacts:

For press:

Gareth Spence

t +44 1904 699 358

public-relations@adva.com



For investors:

Stephan Rettenberger

t +49 89 890 665 854

investor-relations@adva.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 18:16:02|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Pakistan is determined to further build up deep-rooted historic and fraternal ties with Saudi Arabia, according to a statement released by the Pakistani foreign ministry on Tuesday.

Qureshi made the remarks during a meeting with Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmed Al-Malki, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan.

The two sides exchanged views on important bilateral, regional and international developments during the meeting, according to the statement.

The foreign minister reiterated Pakistan's support and solidarity with Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity, said the statement.

While highlighting the excellent relationship between the leadership of the two countries, the ambassador underlined that his country would continue to work with Pakistan for further strengthening of bilateral relations. Enditem
"CSS is thrilled to welcome Juanita and Jina, two exceptional leaders, to our executive management team," said Tony Renzi, CSS's Chief Executive Officer. "CSS is at a critical moment in our history and we need talented leaders who can help us lay the foundation for our expanded capabilities and future growth. Juanita and Jina both have the proven leadership experience and profound business expertise to help guide our company through our post-conservatorship strategy and our work to support a competitive mortgage market."

As CFO, Russell has broad leadership responsibilities providing direction and management for CSS's finance and accounting teams. She will also play a critical role in strategic planning, funding, and capital investment processes. In the CAE role, Hong has company-wide oversight for all internal audit-related activities and responsibility for evaluating and improving the effectiveness of governance, risk management, and control processes. She also supports the Board of Managers in its oversight role.

Juanita Russell, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President

Russell brings more than 25 years of experience to CSS including 21 years at MERSCORP Holdings, Inc. where she rose through the ranks serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2011-2018. While CFO at MERSCORP, she led the sale of the company, navigating a two-year M&A process. Russell is a Certified Public Accountant. She has a BS in Accounting from the University of Maryland  Robert H. Smith School of Business, and an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School.

Jina Hong, Chief Audit Executive and Senior Vice President

Hong brings 20 years of audit experience to CSS. Most recently, she was Head of Global Audit Methodology for HSBC in New York. Prior to that, she held Internal Audit leadership positions at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs in New York, and internationally with Lehman Brothers Japan, Credit Suisse Singapore, and ANZ Bank Australia. Her audit expertise spans Capital Markets, Investment Banking, Finance, and Corporate Services, as well as audit strategic change initiatives. Hong is a Certified Public Accountant and a Management Accountant. She holds a BCom degree from the University of New South Wales.

COMMON SECURITIZATION SOLUTIONS, LLC: Common Securitization Solutions (CSS) enables the issuance of the largest segment of mortgage backed securities  the Uniform Mortgage Backed Security from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which helps support liquidity in the nation's housing finance markets. CSS does this through the Common Securitization Platform, the largest and most advanced securitization operation in the nation, which processes more than $200 billion in mortgage securities each month. CSS is a joint venture owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

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A state lawmaker on Monday asked the Florida Supreme Court for an expedited hearing to order the governor to appoint a qualified candidate to the Florida Supreme Court after the court rejected his previous pick as unqualified.

Rep. Geraldine Thompson, a Democrat from Windemere in Central Florida, filed a petition Monday asking the court to choose from the list of candidates the governor was given in January, which included Palm Beach Circuit Court Judge Renatha Francis, whom he appointed to the Florida Supreme Court in May.

In a unanimous ruling last week, the court said that DeSantis exceeded his authority when he named Francis to the post, even though she is not eligible to serve until Sept. 24. But the court also ruled that because Thompson didnt seek the proper remedy, Francis remains as the nominee.

In a new petition filed Monday, Thompson asked the court for an expedited hearing and asks the court to require the Judicial Nominating Commission to appoint one of the 7 individuals that remain on the list certified by the JNC to the Governor on January 23, 2020.

Renatha Francis, a Palm Beach County circuit judge, looks toward her husband, Phillip Fender, as he holds their son, Joshua Fender, 33 months old, after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced her appointment to the Florida Supreme Court at a press conference on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at the Miami-Dade Public Library main branch in downtown Miami.

DeSantis lawyers argued that because Francis, who has been on maternity leave from the Palm Beach County circuit court bench, did not intend to take the oath and assume office until Sept. 24, she was eligible for the post.

But the court voted 5-0 that the governor cant arbitrarily decide when a judge fills a vacancy and that when DeSantis appointed Francis, her appointment took effect immediately. Not at some time in the future.

Thompsons petition also casts blame on the Judicial Nominating Commission, which vets candidates and nominates the list of applicants from which the governor can choose.

Thompson, who is Black, said the JNC also violated the law by including Francis on the list sent to the governor in January and should be blamed if the court now will have no Black members.

Francis, 42, was born in Jamaica and would have been the first Black justice since Peggy Quince retired early last year. She also would be the only woman on the court.

Story continues

Thompson wrote in her petition that she supports racial and gender diversity on the court but, achieving diversity should not, and is not, required to come at the expense of sacrificing the appointment of a qualified candidate to the Florida Supreme Court.

She said the resolution will be that another candidate will be selected but, because the JNC gave the governor only one candidate to choose from who was Black, and that is Francis, the court will be without a diverse bench.

The JNC and the governor created a situation that has resulted in a lack of diversity on the court, Thompson told the Herald/Times Monday. By sending forward only an African American who was ineligible to serve they guaranteed that an African American would not be present on the Supreme Court.

Mary Ellen Klas can be reached at meklas@miamiherald.com and @MaryEllenKlas
CHICAGO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Intelligent Flow Meter Market with COVID-19 Impact by Type (Magnetic, Coriolis, Ultrasonic, Vortex, Multiphase, Thermal, Turbine, Variable Area, & Differential Pressure), Offering, Communication Protocol, Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Intelligent Flow Meter Market size was valued at USD 2.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 3.1 billion by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2020 to 2025. The key factors fueling the growth of this market include the benefits of accuracy, stability, and reliability provided by intelligent flow meters, high demand for these flow meters in chemicals and water & wastewater industries, and the growing use of intelligent flow meters for diagnostic information along with measurement data.

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Magnetic Flow Meters are expected to hold the largest size of the intelligent flow meter market by 2025.

Magnetic flow meters are expected to contribute the largest share to the intelligent flow meter market during the forecast period. Magnetic flow meters are most significantly used in the water & wastewater industry, which is the major end user of the intelligent flow meter market. These flow meters are also used for flow measurement in industries such as chemicals, food & beverages, pulp & paper, power generation, metals & mining among others. These flow meters can effectively measure the fluid or gas flow in both the forward and reverse directions in the pipe with high accuracy. Magnetic flow meters require low maintenance costs as they do not have any moving components in them. Owing to these benefits over other types, magnetic flow meters are largely adopted in industries and are expected to dominate the market during the forecast period.

Oil & gas industry accounted for the largest size of the intelligent flow meter market in 2019.

Oil & gas industry contributed the largest share of the intelligent flow meter market in 2019. This growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for accurate and precise measurement of oil and gases in extraction plants as well as refineries. There has been a major demand for intelligent flow meters from the oil & gas industry compared to other industries however, there is a sharp decline in oil prices as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This may adversely affect the adoption of intelligent flow meters in the industry in the near future as the industry would be on its verge of recovery and the deployment of intelligent flow meters would cause increasing expenses.

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APAC projected to be the largest market for a intelligent flow meter from 2020 to 2025.

APAC is expected to lead the intelligent flow meter market by contributing the largest share in 2020. This growth can be attributed to a number of factors such as the rising demand for efficient and accurate measurement devices, increasing industrial infrastructural activities, and high demand for intelligent flow meters in chemicals and water & wastewater industries. The presence of prominent players in the intelligent flow meter market such as Yokogawa Electric (Japan), Azbil (Japan), and Fuji Electric (Japan) support the growth of the market in the region to a large extent.

The key players operating in the intelligent flow meter market include ABB (Switzerland), Emerson Electric (US), Siemens (Germany), Endress+Houser (Switzerland), Honeywell International (US), Yokogawa Electric (Japan), Baker Hughes (US), and Azbil (Japan) among others.

Related Reports:

Level Transmitter Market by Technology (Capacitance, Radar, Ultrasonic, Differential Pressure/Hydrostatic, Magnetostrictive, Radiometric), Industry (Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Water & Wastewater, Power, Metals & Mining), and Region - Global Forecast to 2024

Pressure Transmitter Market by Type (Absolute, Gauge, Differential Pressure, and Multivariable), Application, Fluid Type, Industry (Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Power, Pharmaceuticals, Food & Beverages), and Geography - Global Forecast to 2024

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Nairobi  The Government has launched the second phase of Nairobi River Sewerage Improvement Program set to be completed in 2023.

The launch follows the successful implementation of the first phase which increased sanitation coverage from 40 per cent in 2012 to 48 per cent by 2017 for improved public health and sustainable environment.

Funded by the Government of Kenya, the African Development bank and the French

Development Agency to a tune of Sh11 billion, the second phase will contribute to the realization of Kenya's Big Four Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goal 6 which has committed to ensure universal and equitable access to safe and affordable water for all, access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and an end to open defecation by 2030.

Speaking during the launch, the acting Director-General of the African Development Bank Nnenna Nwabufo said that the project seeks to improve access, quality, availability and

sustainability of wastewater services in Nairobi City with a view of contributing to the

restoration of Nairobi rivers.

"The planned investment will enhance the provision of reliable, safe, and sustainable urban

sanitation services in Nairobi City with a view of contributing to improved access and

increased economic activities," Nnenna said.

The Water Secretary Eng. S.A.O. Alima said that the project will expand access to sewerage

services, improve fecal sludge management, eliminate pollution of Nairobi Rivers and protect

them as alternative water sources through construction of secondary reticulation networks

and last mile connections.

"I am glad to note that the completed investments have had a positive impact on the city of

Nairobi by increasing the sanitation coverage to remarkable levels. We appreciate the

continued cooperation with the Bank in the various water and sanitation programs under

implementation throughout the country." Eng. Alima said.

Speaking on behalf of the National Treasury, Makori said that the Government has met

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all the conditions for loan effectiveness and the implementing agency has received no

objection for advance procurement.

"So far, the financing agreements and the subsidiary loan agreements have been signed

between National Treasury and AfDB. The Government has provided Sh2 billion in the

budget for the 2020/2021 financial year and the project is now ready for implementation," Makori added.

Eng. Michael Thuita, the Chief Executive Officer at Athi Water Works Development Agency

(AWWDA) which is the implementing agency said that the project will see the rehabilitation and construction of wastewater treatment facilities, construction of 220km of sewer

reticulation network including faecal sludge management infrastructure, and construction of

50 ablution blocks and rehabilitation of 50 ablution blocks in Nairobi informal settlements.

"The project will build on the gains made in NaRSIP Phase I to increase sewerage coverage

from the current 48% to 70% by 2023 and provide 12,000 new household sewer connections,

serving approximately 500,000 residents of Nairobi. We are committed to ensuring that the

project is delivered on time and at the best value for money," he noted.
I documented and wrote about the Delhi communal riots. Now I am being portrayed as conspiring to incite violence.

Over the past few months, I have increasingly felt as if I am becoming a character in a Kafkaesque drama. It all started in late April when a civil rights activist called me regarding some information appearing in the press that the police is investigating a professor for his role in plotting the communal violence that shook Delhi in late February. She thought that person could be me.

She was working on the Bhima Koregaon case, in which five intellectuals and activists were arrested following clashes between right-wing Hindu groups and Dalits, prompted by the desecration of a Dalit shrine in the state of Maharashtra.

She felt that the actions of the authorities after the Delhi violence might be following a similar pattern  throwing false accusations of conspiracy at public figures.

I did not think much of what she said until May 22, when in the middle of the night, I was awakened by a friend frantically calling me. She had just heard about a report aired by news channel The Times Now that evening, which had claimed that a certain Delhi University professor, part of a leftist, Islamist, radical coterie, had plotted to incite violence during the visit of US President Donald Trump to India to portray the government as intolerant to minorities.

These allegations were aired on prime-time TV and were watched by hundreds of thousands of viewers. My friend, too, was sure that the unnamed professor was none other than me and wanted to warn me.

Me, a professor of Hindi and a writer, planning violence? I did write a number of articles about the Delhi violence, which may have upset certain quarters, but I never imagined that they would go as far as concocting such a fantastic allegation and drag me into the ongoing conspiracy investigation by the police.

So I tried to dispel my friends fear and said she was reading too much into what was simply the flight of imagination of a section of the media, which had to keep whetting the appetite of its audience.

The matter, however, turned out to be serious. Shortly after, another report appeared on a YouTube channel called Capital TV, which repeated the same allegations.

More friends started calling and saying I should not take it lightly and that I was indeed being targeted in these reports. My family too became worried. My wife, who had just lost her father, cut short a stay with her family in Patna to be with me.

Two months later, on July 30, a notice came to me from the special cell of Delhi police that is probing this so-called conspiracy angle of the investigation into the Delhi communal violence.

To help the reader understand why such an angle was introduced in the first place and why I, along with many others, have become a convenient scapegoat, I must provide some background.

The riots in February came as a shock, but we, observers and critics of the politics of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its pronounced majoritarianism, had apprehensions even earlier that such violence might be unleashed any day on Muslims.

What was the basis of our fear? In December 2019, the BJP, using its majority in parliament, had secured approval for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which created a pathway for Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Jain and Buddhist refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to attain Indian citizenship on grounds of religious persecution. Muslims were excluded.

This move was preceded by a long ideological campaign by the leaders of the ruling party who kept threatening to throw out Bangladeshis who had allegedly entered the country illegally. It was not difficult for anyone to understand that the term Bangladeshi was a code word for Muslims in general.

The passage of the new law introduced an element of religion in defining citizenship. It went against the secular principles of the Indian constitution. It was designed to insult Muslims.

The Muslim community felt hurt and humiliated and started protesting against this discriminatory law. Demonstrations were held in various places and by different communities, including in universities such as Jamia Millia Islamia, which was raided by police on December 15.

Meanwhile, a unique protest started taking shape in a dense, predominantly Muslim area, known as Shaheen Bagh, in southern Delhi. Women of the neighbourhood came out and started occupying a section of the road close to them. The protest soon spread to other parts of Delhi and was joined by many Muslims and some non-Muslims alike, especially students and the youth. People like me who have been long critical of the sectarian turn of the ruling establishment in India felt enthused about these protests. We felt that they might give strength to the opposition and help it find its voice and secular resolve.

Not only was there no response from the government, but also BJP functionaries started actively inciting anti-Muslim sentiments ahead of the local elections in Delhi in February. They gave a communal twist to a protest that sought to restore the secular principle of equal citizenship. The air was thick with wild theories. A whisper campaign to tarnish the secular image of the protests succeeded in turning a normal Hindu mind against the protesters.

Despite this hate campaign, the BJP lost the assembly election. Its frustration grew and it continued with its vilification campaign.

Eventually, on February 22, some female protesters started coming out on the main roads and blocking traffic  a tactic many citizens acts of civil disobedience had used before. The difference was that the government did not treat these protesters as citizens of India. Its leaders portrayed them as enemies. Shortly after, BJP leaders announced they would take law into their own hands if the demonstrations did not disperse.

On February 24, as Trump started his official visit to India, violence broke out but the police did little to stop it. In the following days, the High Court asked the police about its reluctance to act against BJP functionaries inciting violence and directed it to facilitate the safe passage of ambulances carrying injured people and ensure the protection of victims.

The violence left 53 dead, hundreds injured, hundreds of houses and businesses damaged or destroyed. Three-quarters of those killed were Muslims, the rest were Hindus.

I, along with members of civil society, went to the areas where violence had taken place, observed it first-hand, and talked to Hindus and Muslims. My understanding was that it was preplanned violence. I talked to members of the security forces and could see a distinct hostility among them regarding Muslims.

I saw the apathy of the Delhi government in arranging relief for the victims, again mostly Muslims. It took a lot of noise from civil society to move the state government to set up a relief camp for displaced victims.

Then the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March made any kind of movement impossible. Relief and rehabilitation efforts took a hit. Many of us who supported the anti-CAA protests tried to help the victims by organising the distribution of food, clothes, medicines, etc and helping the injured in getting medical aid. We somehow managed to keep the relief operation going.

It was in the midst of all this that I learned that the investigative agencies had started to weave a narrative of a conspiracy aimed at defaming and embarrassing the government when Trump was in town. It is worthwhile to note that this so-called conspiracy is not even an offence in itself  it is not a crime to organise and peacefully protest even if it embarrasses the government.

Nevertheless, the police, while framing charge sheets, wrote about a drawn-out conspiracy going back to the Jamia protests. It even tried to implicate a known peace activist like Harsh Mander  who had petitioned the Supreme Court to look into the BJPs hate speech  in inciting street violence. It claimed that those protesting against the citizenship law and their supporters had a nefarious anti-government agenda and the February violence was part of it. The political narrative and now the legal case seem to assume that the fact of the street protest was apriori reason for retaliatory violence.

Young Muslim women and men who were involved in the protests were getting arrested even before the February violence. Two young non-Muslim female activists supporting the protests were also detained. Notices from police started reaching the homes of students who had to move to their hometowns due to the pandemic.

The investigation is trying desperately to find evidence of a crime that never happened: the claim that gullible Muslims were misled about the new law, provoked to protest and brought to the roads, which in turn provoked the Hindus to become violent.

Targeting of writers and intellectuals, who were active in these protests, is a clear design of this government to set an example and give a warning that the act of dissent would be treated as a crime and that non-Muslims should not dare to come out in the support of Muslims.

On August 3, I headed to the special cell of the Delhi police to follow up on the notice I received. After being interrogated for five hours, I decided to issue a statement, in which I wrote: While cooperating and respecting the right of police authorities to conduct a full, fair and thorough investigation, one can only hope that the probe would focus on the real instigators and perpetrators of the violence against a peaceful citizens protest and the people of Northeast Delhi. It should not lead to further harassment and victimisation of the protesters and their supporters, who asserted their democratic rights through constitutional means.

The statement was widely covered by the media. The Times of India, a leading mainstream daily, wrote an editorial criticising the line of investigation. It wrote: Delhi University professor Apoorvanands interrogation, purportedly over support for the anti-NRC-CAA protests that long preceded the riots, spins a deceptive narrative. If a false equivalence is sought to be drawn between dissent and rioting, nothing could be more absurd and self-defeating. Dissent makes democracy meaningful and representative.

The police reacted to this editorial by issuing a statement, saying: criminal jurisprudence treats the act of conspiring to commit a crime as a distinct evil from the crime itself.

This rebuttal was rapidly followed by a series of exposes by a section of the media known to be closely aligned to the ruling establishment. On August 10, Zee News claimed in a news report that Gulfisha Fatima, a young activist involved in the anti-CAA protests who, like many other young protesters, is in jail on charges of inciting, planning and participating in the violence, had confessed to the Delhi Police that I held many secret meetings with her, along with other activists, to instigate and plan the riots.

Similar reports were carried by other media outlets, like Aaj Tak, DNA, TV9, Opindia and others.

These exposes have been followed by more alleged disclosures made by people who are in jail for a very long time. They claim to expose other aspects of the conspiracy the investigative agency has been talking about.

It needs to be noted that the law specifically says that custodial confessions cannot be treated as evidence. Also, the High Court of Delhi in a ruling restrained the police from sharing any information regarding a person who is in jail while being investigated for the February violence, lest it becomes a media trial against the person.

Since my interrogation, I have not heard back from the police after August 3. But I am only one of the characters in this Orwellian script. The police is busy collecting testimonies and evidence against people it seeks to paint as conspirators behind the violence. And they are, in the eyes of the investigative agencies, obviously those who had supported and participated in the anti-CAA protests.

It is clear now that the establishment is using state agencies and a pliable media to spread hate against minorities, especially Muslims and liberal intellectuals, writers, academics who have been speaking up for the rights of minorities.

One feels sorry that the energy, talent and the expertise of the people involved in these investigations are being used to forge something so surreal. They are being made to work against the very people they are meant to serve. I do feel dismayed.

So where to from here? I abhor the idea of young Muslim activists left alone to suffer the state oppression for having dared to protest and therefore, I would happily own the protests. So, my fate should not be different from what they are going to face. If we are to become one people, can our fates be different?

People like me can only wait and hope for the constitutional conscience of the organs of the state to stir, civic morality in all sections of the society to awaken. I can go on doing my duty of writing and speaking, of alerting my people that they were making a Faustian pact and would be left soulless, that we cannot live as Indians with our heads held high if minorities are reduced to the level of second-class citizens.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Secondary school teacher Nikiwe Ndlovu was looking to go back to school last month after lockdown in iLembe District, a rural area in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. She was attending a teacher's meeting before the opening of the school when she contracted Covid-19.

Ndlovu has health issues so she did not realize that she had the coronavirus until she tested positive, creating even more challenges as she tried to teach Technology, Life Orientation and Natural Science in grades 8-12 while living at home in isolation.

It's very difficult to teach on WhatsApp because some learners don't even have phones-- they rely on their friends for sharing the activity I used to send, she says, adding that network difficulties in the rural areas and students' lack of data add to the mix.

Students are falling behind due to Covid-19, and educators are trying to pick up the slack in an effort to ensure students are safe and can continue their education.

UNESCO, the UN cultural agency, calls the pandemic the biggest educational disruption in history, and has set up a global campaign to help students, especially girls, get back to school.

Some teachers return

All eyes are on Philani Xaba, principal at Noodsberg Primary School in Tongaat at Bamshela near Durban, as he works on creating a safe space for students to learn, but what he says is with little help from the provincial government.

His school has 863 learners, and he is trying to create social distancing within sanitized classrooms, but only eight of his 27 teachers came back to school on 20 July. The others filed a comorbidities claim, which in South Africa means that you are vulnerable and susceptible to getting Covid-19 and cannot do your job.

Within a week, seven teachers tested positive for Covid-19. The government has not replaced them, he says, nor have they replaced the others on comorbidities leave.

When we reopened the school, Covid-19 took over, because the teachers were sitting together in the staff rooms, meeting together during breaks, so it spread like fire, he says. No students have contracted it.

The government has not replaced the teachers, he says, nor have they replaced the other seven off sick.

I've utilized all the resources that I have, says Xaba. Even if you are an administrative person you are now in the classroom to occupy all the learners so they are not alone, he adds.

And that is for the students who do come to school.

Fear means low attendance

According to their global monitoring of school closures, UNESCO noted that at the peak of the pandemic in April 2020, more than 1.5 billion students were affected by school closures around the worldmore than 90 percent of the world's young people in 200 countries.

This is a crisis situation right now, and we also need to see that as a window of opportunity to really create new education systems that are gender responsive, that are inclusive, and are more resilient not just on this current situation but for future crises as well, says Justine Sass, chief of section for education and inclusion on their Building Back Equal campaign.

Principal Xaba agrees.

Parents are so scared to bring their learners to school, he says, when they were informed of new South African government guidelines at parent meetings. That's why all of the schools, if you check the attendance, is so poor. I think it's about at 30 percent or even less, he says.

In one of the meetings, a parent asked me, 'have you all been screened and checked for Covid-19, as was said on the radio?' And I told them that no, it was said, but we have not yet been tested. We just come in and are afraid, he says.

At Ekukhanyeni Special needs school in the Pietermaritzburg area of KwaZulu-Natal Province, the attendance is even lowerat about 20 percent since the school opened last week, says teacher Thembi Nesemare.

The majority of children, although they have disabilities, some have underlying conditions, too, like HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, and chronic chest infections. That's why they haven't brought those students to school, she says.

Continuity of learning hasn't been very good for girls with disabilities, for children with disabilities; we need to ensure that there are inclusive measures, says UNESCO education expert Sass, as educators in South Africa are doing their best under stressful conditions.

Part of the South Africa Department of Education guidelines includes the option to homeschool children if they are vulnerable. But where Nesemare teaches, there are additional socio-economic problems.

The majority of parents who have children with disabilities in this community are illiterate, she tells RFI, which makes it difficult for parents to help their children at home to get ahead at school.

Problems with masks

Part of daily education, especially in Nesimare's school, is to remind the children that they need to socially distance, wash their hands and keep a mask on.

We have a concern with children who are autistic, because some are very sensitive about material touching their face, she says. This is a matter that we have put forth to the department to assist with finding what other mechanism other than the mask can be used for a child with autism, she says.

Lack of cleaners and screeners

When the teachers and students do decide to come to school, they must go through a daily screening process, where a monitor takes their temperature and gives them alcohol gel as part of Covid-19 preventative measures.

In Xaba's school, if half of the school comes in the morning, that's 432 students. School starts at 8:00.

How many screeners should there be? asks Xaba. There's only one in our school. Which means that the school day begins late, because all these learners cannot enter the school without being screened, without forms being filled out, without being sanitized by the gate, he says.

We're very concerned that this is going to be a crisis within a crisis, and special measures have to be taken for this context, she says. We can't push children to go back into schools if the school situation isn't going to be safe for them, or if the health measures are not going to be in place for their return, says UNESCO's Sass.

Special measures

The South Africa nationwide guidelines give the individual schools the opportunity to tailor the school year for their students, while maintaining social distancing.

Principals are given the choice of having half the students who make up a 'Group A' come in one week, while they stay home the next week and learners in 'Group B' arrive. Or Group A and Group B can alternate daysGroup A on Monday, Group B on Tuesday, which is another option.

Xaba says he was worried about the students not having enough time with teachers, so his school has selected the third option: Group A, or half the school, comes in the morning, from 7:30-12, and then Group B, the other half, come in the afternoon. Each section learns the same thing, so their curriculum is cut in half for the 2020-2021 school year.

We need to put an extra hour, more than the 7-hour school day, so that the second session can have the same time as the morning session, he says.

His school was not given mobile classrooms as promised, and while South Africa is still cold as it goes into Spring, he says it is too dusty in the Summer to hold classes outside, either.

Our students are going to fall behind because when we came back to school they couldn't provide enough classrooms for a Covid-19 situation, he adds with a sigh.

RFI contacted the Education Department in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, but they were not available for comment.

Teaching takes its toll

Although Ndlovu is still recovering from Covid-19 and is even isolated from her own children at home, she is trying to do as much as she can for her students, and creates packets of exercises and homework.

When I send an activities packet to school, the principal brings the finished work for me to mark on the weekends and give the students feedback, she says.

All these changes to the class format, timings and class sizes puts pressure on teachers, too.

Teaching while in isolation with Covid-19 under these circumstances has taken a toll on Ndlovu.

The doctor said I must deal with the stress because he said that I am depressed, while pretending I am strong, she says.

I'm trying to be strong because I do not want the children to fall apart because of me, she says, referring to both her students and her own children.

I am so grateful that teachers worked hard to help the learners in attendance. Even though there are challenges, the teachers work tirelessly, she says.

In some of the schools, we did not even have fumigation, or deep cleaning in rural areas--you will find the teachers cleaning the schools for ourselves so the learners arrive in a safe place, she adds.

It is also impossible to generalize how education is carried out South Africa in this time of pandemic, which varies according to the province, city, community, and school, says Nesemare, the special needs teacher.

Our school is in an area where the parents are not working. Some have been told you can't come back until we're at Pandemic level 1, and we're at level 2 right now, she says.

We've been on lockdown for five months. Some parents prefer sending kids to school where they will be able to eat instead of facing starvation-- those are the factors here, she says.

Ndlovu is hoping to be well enough to physically go back to school in October to teach in person.

My children at school really need me to be there for them, she says.
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg yesterday ramped-up a campaign for the premature lifting of coronavirus restrictions in Victoria, which has been the epicentre of a major outbreak of COVID-19 over the past two months.

Frydenberg was giving voice to the insistence of the financial elite that lockdown measures be overturned immediately, to create the conditions for a resumption of corporate profit-making, despite the fact that this program will inevitably result in further infections and deaths.

In this, he was continuing the bipartisan position of the federal Liberal-National government, the Labor opposition and state governments that have subordinated public health to the dictates of big business throughout the pandemic.

Frydenberg in conference with the Business Council of Australia last month. Credit: @JoshFrydenberg (Twitter)

In a number of media interviews yesterday morning, Frydenberg denounced the Victorian Labor government of Premier Daniel Andrews for having failed to present a roadmap out of the present crisis.

Stage Four restrictions, introduced at the height of the surge in Victoria early last month, are set to elapse in less than a fortnight.

The financial press is demanding that the policies associated with it, including the cancellation of face-to-face teaching, the closure of much of the retail sector in Melbourne and other limited workplace shutdowns and curtailments, be dispensed with.

This week a major Sydney law firm revealed that it is preparing a class action against the Andrews government, over the impact of the shutdowns on business. Up-market bars and clubs in Melbourne have signalled that they will join, and a number of major corporations are expected to follow.

Businesses, Frydenberg claimed, were being kept in the dark by the Andrews government. He invoked new Treasury analysis indicating that the real jobless rate in Victoria is at least 10 percent, with some 30,000 workers losing their employment in July.

Frydenberg complained that the data indicated that 60 percent of those on the governments JobKeeper wage subsidy, provided to businesses that have stood workers down, would be in Victoria in the December and March quarters.

The concern of the federal and state governments is not for the social crisis being inflicted on ordinary people. The already inadequate JobKeeper payment is being slashed to $1,200 per fortnight in October, and then to $1,000 in January. Frydenbergs comments are a further warning of the austerity measures that will be contained in the federal budget due be handed down next month.

At the same time, Frydenberg stated that his focus was on getting people back to work. In other words, the mounting hardship will be used to force workers into low-paid, casual employment, including in workplaces where they are imperilled by the virus.

Frydenberg called on Andrews to outline the number of cases in Victoria that is acceptable to the Victorian government to start reopening the economy.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Paul Guerra, the chief executive of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce, was blunter. We know theres going to be outbreaks sadly, so how do we deal with that without having to shut down all of industry and, in fact, all of the state? he asked.

The statements are in line with the policy adopted in April by all federal and state governments, Labor and Liberal-alike, organised in the extra-constitutional National Cabinet that has ruled by decree through most of the pandemic.

The governments rejected expert medical advice calling for a strategy aimed at eliminating community transmission of the coronavirus, on the grounds that the measures required would have too great an impact on big business. Instead, they opted for a policy of suppression. Schools and workplaces would remain open, as the virus continued to circulate, but the level of infection would be limited by contact-tracing and expanded testing.

It was this program, implemented in Victoria by the Andrews government, with the full support of the federal government and Labor opposition, which resulted in the surge of infections over the past two months and a catastrophe for tens of thousands.

Throughout July, as daily infection tallies rapidly mounted, Andrews rejected calls from epidemiologists for immediate school and workplace closures. He instituted a series of limited lockdowns that failed to contain the spread. Only in early August, when it was clear that the entire health system was on the precipice of a collapse, were the Stage Four measures reluctantly implemented.

The record demonstrates the fraudulent character of any suggestion of a major diversion between Andrews and the federal government. Andrews and Prime Minister Scott Morrison have been at pains, throughout the disaster, to stress their alignment, in keeping with the national unity of the political establishment and the ruling elite.

To the extent that frictions have emerged over the past week, they are entirely tactical and are determined by political expediency. Governments are seeking to divert attention from their own responsibility for the crisis and are fearful of mounting popular opposition.

Supporters of the federal government have condemned the Victorian governments decision to outsource hotel quarantines to private security contractors, whose negligence played a major role in the outbreak. Those who endorse Andrews have pointed to the fact that aged-care, which has been the sector hardest hit, is a federal responsibility.

This is all an exercise in diversion. Far from a series of policy failings, the coronavirus surge was the predictable outcome of the program implemented by all governments, Labor and Liberal-National.

Andrews has again underlined the bipartisanship, immediately responding to Frydenberg by pledging to present a roadmap for the lifting of restrictions this Sunday, which will be discussed at a National Cabinet meeting on Friday.

Andrews roadmap will feature the hitherto unknown traffic light system. Sectors that are deemed red will remain closed, while those that are orange will supposedly be subject to heavy restrictions. Yellow will indicate some restrictions and businesses assigned a green light will be able to fully reopen with a COVIDSafe plan. It remains entirely unclear what the jargon actually means.

A hint was provided by Andrews statement that his government would oversee faster temporary closures of workplaces, once infections are detected. In other words, the government is pursuing a policy that it knows will result in the workplace clusters that fuelled the previous outbreak. Nothing has been done, moreover, to address the mass casualisation and job insecurity, that played a major role in the spread because workers were forced to go from one place of temporary employment to another.

Significantly, the roadmap is being prepared in secret consultations between the Labor government and representatives from ten industries. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the largest businesses, with the backing of the corporatised trade unions, are calling the shots.

The government has also announced that it is planning for a resumption of face-to-face teaching in Term Four, which begins next month. Schools were major centres of infection, with over a hundred of them having been forced to close after the premature return to classroom education in July.

It is clear that the state and federal governments are creating exactly the same conditions that led to the second wave of infections in Victoria and elsewhere. As was the case previously, an apparent reduction in case numbers, resulting from lockdown measures, is being exploited to overturn the very policies responsible for the fall in infections.

Daily COVID-19 cases in Victoria have fallen to below 100, for the first time since the outbreak began. Because a substantial proportion of infections were of unknown origin, however, it is likely that the virus is spreading more than is captured in the official figures.

Yesterday, a further 41 coronavirus deaths were announced in Victoria. The majority of them were earlier fatalities that had been reclassified. This is an indication of the opacity of official information, and the extent to which government announcements must be viewed with significant suspicion.

In any case, the deaths, which are treated as a non-event by the media and political establishment, are a warning to the working class. The criminally-negligent policies that are being pushed by Labor, the Liberal-Nationals and the capitalist ruling class they defend are preparing new tragedies.
The remaining parties to the Iran nuclear deal have agreed to save the faltering agreement, rejecting an attempt by Washington to trigger a return of UN sanctions on Tehran.



Senior EU foreign policy official Helga-Maria Schmid, who chaired the September 1 meeting in Vienna, said in a statement that all participants reaffirmed the importance of preserving the agreement.



Representatives from Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran, and Russia attended the meeting, which is part of a regular series of gatherings to discuss implementation of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).



The United States withdrew from the 2015 landmark agreement more than two years ago and reimposed sanctions on Iran, which responded by progressively stepping up its nuclear activities because it has failed to receive economic benefits promised in the deal.



In a controversial move, the United States on August 20 formally began a 30-day process at the UN to trigger the return of international sanctions on Iran under a snapback provision in the Iran nuclear accord.



But the UN Security Council overwhelming rejected the United States' claim it remains a "participant" in the nuclear deal because it was listed as such in the UN resolution that enshrined it, setting the stage for a showdown later this month at the international body.



In the EUs statement, Schmid said the remaining participants to the accord reaffirmed the United States unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and had not participated in any JCPOA-related activity since.



The United States could not be considered as a participant state, the statement said.



Chinese representative, Fu Cong, told reporters after the Vienna meeting that the JCPOA participants all agreed that the United States had no legal ground or legal standing to trigger snapback." He said Washington is trying to sabotage or even kill the JCPOA.



Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said after the talks that parties to the JCPOA have come together against U.S. attempts to reinstate sanctions against Iran and impose its "skewed and unilateral interpretation of the situation" on the world.



In a boost to the Vienna talks, Iran last week agreed to allow inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog to visit two sites suspected of having hosted undeclared nuclear activity in the early 2000s.



The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency had criticized Iranian officials for denying it access to the two locations, and for not answering its questions about past activities at the sites.



In another blow to Washington, the United States also failed to rally enough support to extend an arms embargo on Iran set to expire in late October.



Iran has threatened to completely exit the JCPOA and hinted it will pull out of another key nonproliferation treaty if the arms embargo is extended or there is a "snapback" of sanctions.



But Tehran has said it will come fully back into compliance with the JCPOA if the United States abides by its commitments and lifts unilateral sanctions.





With reporting by AP and TASS
MILAN  Valentino revealed on Tuesday that it will hold a coed spring 2021 show in Milan on Sept. 27. The citys fashion week is slated to kick off on Sept. 22 and close on Sept. 28 with a number of younger brands.

Paris is the city where we have always hosted our shows and that truly embodies Valentino DNA, said creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. The current situation has forced us to take an unusual decision. I believe that, in this moment in time, it is of paramount importance to stay grounded and focused and to work on tasks. I feel energized when I can work on ideas and this is the time for ideas to spread and grow. Milano is a new opportunity, a great project that I am developing with my teams with the aim of working around the idea of identity.

The company has yet to disclose the location or the time slot for the show.

This is the first time Valentino will show its womens collection in Milan, decamping from Paris. During founder Valentino Garavanis tenure, mens collections were presented in Milan in the years of 1985 to 2007.

With former co-creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, Piccioli unveiled Valentinos mens fall 2012 and spring 2013 collections in Florence at Pitti Uomo. Since January 2013, Paris was selected as the location to showcase the brands mens lineups.

In the current scenario, we need to make decisions in advance to protect our first resources, our people, and to allow our brand to remain relevant exploring alternative opportunities, stated chief executive officer Jacopo Venturini, who joined Valentino in June, succeeding Stefano Sassi. This is why we feel that it would be more ethical to produce the new show in Italy, in Milano. We strongly believe that this project will contribute to underline the importance of being part of a fashion system represented by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana and the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

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The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the brands couture presentation as well. Piccioli exceptionally showed Valentinos fall collection in Rome in July with a performance called Of Grace and Light at the Cinecitta Studios outside the Italian capital. The event included a video filmed by Nick Knight, followed by a presentation of 15 elongated white gowns, some as high as 16 feet.

Italys fashion body recently released a provisional calendar of Milan Fashion Week that will blend more than 50 digital events and around 28 physical shows staged by brands ranging from Fendi  also opting for a coed format for the first time  to Prada, which will see the debut of Raf Simons as co-creative director with Miuccia Prada. Also on the schedule are such names as Alberta Ferretti, Max Mara, Versace, Emporio Armani, Etro, Salvatore Ferragamo and MSGM.

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This certification will allow AWIM programming to gain wider adoption across the state of Indiana to continue to influence and enhance the ways in which our youth are prepared to meet the challenges of the future." Chris Ciuca, vice president of programs, SAE International

SAE International announced today that its A World In Motion (AWIM) program has been included as one of the Indiana Department of Educations (IDOE) approved evidence-based STEM curriculum programs through which school districts across the state of Indiana may apply for grant funding. In partnership with STEMworks, IDOEs Office of Teaching and Learning certified AWIM as one of 13 programs that has established priorities and goals to ensure all of Indianas students have access and opportunities to gain a high-quality STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] education.

Through SAEs AWIM program, we strive to deliver on our mission to help today's students become tomorrow's engineers and scientists, said Chris Ciuca, vice president of programs at SAE International. This certification will allow AWIM programming to gain wider adoption across the state of Indiana to continue to influence and enhance the ways in which our youth are prepared to meet the challenges of the future. We look forward to helping unlock the potential in every child throughout Indiana with our evidence-based classroom STEM efforts.

SAE's AWIM is listed in the STEMworks national database as an "Accomplished" STEMworks Program, the highest level of accreditation. The acceptance within the newly established state-level STEMworks initiative further demonstrates that AWIM continues to meet the standard of quality for the state of Indiana.

AWIM is a teacher-administered, industry volunteer-assisted program that brings science, technology, engineering and math education to life for students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8, meeting students wherever learning is taking place. Benchmarked to the national standards, the AWIM program incorporates integrated STEM learning experiences through hands-on activities that reinforce classroom STEM learning. For more information on SAEs AWIM program, please visit: https://www.sae.org/learn/education.

STEMworks is a searchable database of STEM education programs that have been evaluated against rigorous and results-driven design principles. STEMworks catalogs programs like AWIM, that apply and have been approved according to their standards. Schools can search for programs by audience type, program type, impact level, location, and grade level via the online database. For more information on STEMworks, please visit: https://stemworks.wested.org/.

About SAE International

SAE International is a global association committed to advancing mobility knowledge and solutions for the benefit of humanity. By engaging nearly 200,000 engineers, technical experts and volunteers, we connect and educate mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions. We act on two priorities: encouraging a lifetime of learning for mobility engineering professionals and setting the standards for industry engineering. We strive for a better world through the work of our philanthropic SAE Foundation, including award-winning programs like A World In Motion and the Collegiate Design Series. More at http://www.sae.org.
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CHICAGO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Guaranteed Rate Affinity, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), announced an 86% increase in the company's total loan volume as compared to 2019, funding over $5 billion in loans in the first half of 2020. With mortgage rates at historic lows, the company's loan volume for both purchases and refinances has been skyrocketing.

"It's been incredible to see Guaranteed Rate Affinity reach this milestone and build such strong momentum that we'll continue to build upon," said Guaranteed Rate Companies President and CEO Victor Ciardelli. "This is a testament to the extreme hard work of our loan officers and our strong partnership with Realogy and we look forward to achieving many more future milestones."

From January to June of 2020, Guaranteed Rate Affinity broke its company record with over $5 billion funded across more than 15,000 units. The company funded over $2 billion in the months of May and June alone. Incorporated in 2017, the company has now served over 57,000 borrowers while maintaining a 96% customer satisfaction score.

"A trusted partner to help our agents and customers navigate uncertain times is invaluable," said Coldwell Banker President and CEO Ryan Gorman. "During the first half of this year, Guaranteed Rate Affinity has been able to serve more clients, break company records and continue its ambitious market growth."

Backed by award-winning technology and an entirely digital mortgage process, Guaranteed Rate Affinity provides borrowers and real estate agents with access to knowledgeable loan officers, competitive rates, tailored service. With nearly 1,000 employees across the country, Guaranteed Rate Affinity continues to grow and is now licensed in 49 states including Washington, D.C.

To learn more, please visit: grarate.com

About Guaranteed Rate Affinity

Guaranteed Rate Affinity is a joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY). Guaranteed Rate Affinity is also partnered with Realogy Holdings Corp., which owns some of the most recognized and respected real estate brands in the industry. Guaranteed Rate Affinity originates and markets its mortgage lending services to Realogy's real estate, brokerage and relocation subsidiaries. Guaranteed Rate Affinity provides unmatched support to Realogy brokers coast-to-coast, assuring their customers receive the fastest pre-approvals, appraisals and loan closings possible, creating the ability for buyers to move quickly and confidently when purchasing homes in today's competitive market. The Company also provides the same services to the public and other real estate brokerage and relocation companies across the countryhelping employers improve their employees' relocation experience by putting the customer first, providing the customer the ease and security of digital mortgages and offering low rates with loans personalized to each customer's needs. Guaranteed Rate owns a controlling 50.1% stake of Guaranteed Rate Affinity and Realogy owns 49.9%. To explore career opportunities, please visit: careers.grarate.com

SOURCE Guaranteed Rate Affinity

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ALBANY, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Astral Power, Inc. today announced that it will donate $25 to local Food Banks in New York State with every customer who enrolls in Community Solar with them during the month of September, as part of their efforts to help transform local communities for Hunger Action month . Based on their location, Astral Power will not only give their customers a $25 bonus for enrolling, but will also donate $25 to the following Food Banks: Feed More WNY , Food Bank of the Hudson Valley , Foodlink , People to People , and Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY .

Astral Power out in our Communities

Every day in New York State, thousands of children and adults do not get the meals they need to thrive. Food banks across New York work to get nourishing food  from farmers, manufacturers, and retailers  to the people in need within the communities. Our local food banks seek to help the New York residents build a path to a brighter, and more food-secure future.

"We're in communities across New York every day so we see the impact COVID-19 has had on the people of our state," says Thom Smith, President at Astral Power. "Thus, we want to help in every way we can - both with lower cost, renewable electricity and by providing assistance to those suffering from food insecurity."

Along with the $25 donation to Food Banks for each customer who enrolls, Astral Power will also be collecting non-perishable food items from their customers who choose to donate and delivering those critical supplies at the end of the month. Once collected, Astral Power will be making these donations to regional food banks across New York State to help those in their communities get nourishment during their time in need.

About Astral Power: Astral Power connects people with local solar farms to save them money, reduce their carbon footprint, and support their local communities. Astral Power guarantees a 10% savings on its customers' utility bills without any hassle.

Learn how Astral Power helps customers lower utility costs and how to sign up by visiting www.astralpower.com . Connect with us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn and Instagram .

Contact:

Kristy Tan

Astral Power

(770) 656-5832

[email protected]

SOURCE Astral Power

Related Links

http://www.astralpower.com


WASHINGTON  During a White House news conference on Monday, President Trump suggested that the 17-year-old accused of killing two people with a semiautomatic rifle at a protest in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 25 had acted in self-defense.

That was an interesting situation. You saw the same tape as I saw and he was trying to get away from them I guess it looks like, Trump said of Kyle Rittenhouse, adding, He fell and then they very violently attacked him and it was something that were looking at right now and its under investigation. But I guess he was in very big trouble ... he probably would have been killed.

Rittenhouse had traveled to protests in Kenosha from his home in a nearby Illinois town. Kenosha has been the site of intense demonstrations, some of which have turned violent, since Aug. 23, when a Black man named Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer. Blakes shooting was captured on video and turned the city into a focal point for the ongoing national protests against racial injustice and police brutality that erupted around the country following the death of George Floyd in May. Based on posts on his social media pages, it appears that Rittenhouse has been a supporter of the president, attending a Trump rally in January.

President Trump at a news conference at the White House on Monday. (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Video filmed by witnesses shows Rittenhouse carrying a large rifle and accompanying groups of right-wing activists who have said they went to Kenosha to protect property against rioting. Rittenhouse was also filmed running away from the scene of a shooting and subsequently being chased by protesters. The footage shows Rittenhouse fall as he runs away from demonstrators who accused him of the earlier shooting. He is then seen firing his gun at some of his pursuers from the ground. Rittenhouse was arrested the following day and charged with killing two people and seriously injuring a third.

While Trump seemed to justify Rittenhouse opening fire on the protesters, he repeatedly criticized left-wing political violence that has occurred at recent protests in Democrat-run cities.

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The wave of violence and destruction that weve seen in recent weeks and months has occurred in cities exclusively controlled and dominated by the Biden, Joe Biden party, Trump said.

Rioting and looting have taken place within the protests in multiple cities since Floyds death in late May. On Saturday night, a man named Aaron Danielson was shot and killed at a protest in Portland, Ore. Members of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, which has engaged in clashes with leftists in Portland since well before Floyds death, identified Danielson as one of their supporters. Authorities have not identified a suspect in the killing, but according to the Wall Street Journal they are investigating a leftist antifa activist named Michael Reinoehl as a person of interest.

Portland has been gripped by civil unrest including skirmishes between left-wing and right-wing groups in the months since Floyds death. Danielsons killing on Saturday followed an event billed as the Trump 2020 Cruise Rally in Portland, where the presidents supporters drove into the city in a caravan of cars. Trump supporters were filmed firing paintballs at protesters as they drove through town.

At his news conference, Trump was asked if he would condemn his supporters who shot the paintballs along with leftists who have engaged in rioting.

That was a peaceful protest and paint ... is a defensive mechanism. Paint is not bullets, Trump said.

Kyle Rittenhouse, at left in backward cap, walks in Kenosha, Wis., at around 11 p.m. on Aug. 25 with another armed civilian. (Adam Rogan/the Journal Times via AP)

The president then referenced Danielsons killing and blamed it on leftists, though that has not been confirmed by local law enforcement. Trump described Danielson as a young gentleman who was killed not with paint, but with a bullet.

I think its disgraceful, he said of Danielsons death.

The president also offered a rationale for the right-wing protesters in Portland. He suggested they are rightfully angered by rising crime in American cities.

They went in very peacefully and Ill tell you what theyre protesting, Trump said. When they turn on the television or read whatever they may be reading, and they see a city like Chicago ... or a city like New York where the crime rate has gone through the roof, or a city like Portland ... where the entire city is ablaze all the time ... they see that, they say, This is not our country.

The president and his campaign have increasingly focused on violence at protests and surging crime as a case for his reelection. Trump and his allies have blamed this on Democratic local governments and the Defund the police movement that has gained traction in the wake of Floyds death. Crime has risen in the majority of major cities around the country since the coronavirus pandemic began in March. However, this increase has included a couple of Republican-led cities and locales where there has been no protest-driven effort to reduce police budgets. Trumps claims about soaring crime have also included some questionable assertions. In New York, rates of murders, shootings and burglaries are all up this year, but rates of other major crimes, such as rapes, assaults and robberies, have fallen.

Trump also used the news conference to accuse his opponent in the presidential race of not condemning violence from leftists. However, in a speech earlier Monday, Biden criticized protesters who engage in violent activity.

I want to make it absolutely clear: Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. Its lawlessness, plain and simple, and those who do it should be prosecuted, Biden said.

Biden also described Trump as someone who fans the flames of unrest.

Despite Bidens harsh words, Trump suggested his rival hasnt done enough to mention the far left as a source of violence.

He even talked about those on the right, but he didnt talk about those on the left and those on the left are the problem, said Trump. The rioters and Joe Biden have a side. Theyre both on the side of the radical left.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Union Cabinet on Tuesday condoled the sad demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee, who passed away here at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital during treatment on Monday.

The Cabinet observed silence for two minutes in his memory.

Mukherjee had gone into septic shock due to his lung infection and was hospitalised on August 10 in a critical condition.

The Cabinet later passed a resolution, saying: "In his (Pranab Mukherjee) passing away, the country has lost a distinguished leader and an outstanding parliamentarian".

Mukherjee, the 13th President of India, was a man of unparalleled experience in governance who served as the Union Foreign, Defence, Commerce and Finance Minister, the Cabinet said.

"Mukherjee has left his imprint on our national life. In his death, the country has lost a distinguished national leader, accomplished Parliamentarian and a tall statesman." The Cabinet recorded its deep appreciation of the services of Mukherjee to the nation and extended its heartfelt condolences to the members of his bereaved family on behalf of the Government and the entire nation.

Born on December 11, 1935 in the small village of Mirati in Birbhum District of West Bengal, Mukherjee acquired a Master's degree in History and Political Science as well as a degree in Law from the University of Kolkata.

Mukherjee then embarked on his professional life as a college teacher and journalist. Inspired by his father's contribution to the national movement, Mukherjee started his full time public life following his election to the Rajya Sabha in 1969.

Mukherjee served as Deputy Minister, Industry; Shipping and Transport, Steel and Industry and Minister of State for Finance during 1973-75. He assumed office as the Finance Minister of India for the first time in 1982 and was Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1985. He became Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission from 1991 to 1996; concurrently Minister for Commerce from 1993 to 1995 and Minister of External Affairs from 1995 to 1996; Minister of Defence from 2004 to 2006.

He again served as the Minister of External Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and Minister of Finance from 2009 to 2012. He was Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2012.

Mukherjee assumed office of the President of India on July 25, 2012 and served his full term of five years. As President, Mukherjee lent dignity to the high office and brought to bear his scholarly and humanitarian outlook on national and international affairs.

A prolific reader, Mukherjee has authored several books on the Indian Economy and on Nation Building. The many awards and honours conferred on him include the Best Parliamentarian Award in 1997, Padma Vibhushan in 2008 and India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 2019.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration announced Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will invoke its authority to halt evictions through the end of the year in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The moratorium  a draft of which was posted to the Federal Register  is the most significant step taken so far by the White House to fend off what experts predict will be a flood of evictions across the country, after enhanced federal unemployment aid and a federal eviction moratorium expired at the end of July.

The move followed President Donald Trump's Aug. 8 executive order, which asked the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services to consider whether eviction-halting measures were necessary to help quell the Covid-19 crisis.

The CDC's order applies to people who would also have been eligible for the stimulus checks sent directly to millions of Americans earlier this year  individuals with $99,000 or less in income, or couples filing jointly with $198,000 or less.

Those who are eligible must meet additional criteria before presenting their landlords with a declaration, which will be made available on the CDC website. They have to show that they have made efforts to seek government help and cannot pay their rent due to the impact of the pandemic, and they must demonstrate that they are likely to become homeless or move into congregate housing if evicted.

A senior administration official told reporters in a call Tuesday evening that the Department of Housing and Urban Development wants state and local officials to use certain available block-grant programs to help renters and landlords who may be unable to collect rent from some tenants for months.

The $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund, a piece of the stimulus bill signed into law in March, can also be used for rental assistance, another official added.

"President Trump is committed to helping hard-working Americans stay in their homes and combating the spread of the coronavirus," said Brian Morgenstern, deputy White House press secretary, on the call.

"The administration has also made federal funds available to alleviate any economic impact to tenants, landlords and property owners," Morgenstern said.

Congress and the White House failed to reach a deal earlier this summer on an extension of coronavirus aid, and millions of Americans whose livelihoods have yet to recover from the pandemic effectively saw their financial lifeline cut off on July 31.

Major questions also remain as to the feasibility of such a broad moratorium on evictions. Housing experts warn that barring landlords from evicting nonpaying tenants without compensating them could have a massive destabilizing effect, felt first in the commercial housing market and then in credit markets, as both large and small-scale landlords default on mortgages.

As talks broke down in early August between House Democrats and the White House over the size and scale of another coronavirus relief bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Trump to use his executive power to halt evictions. But she noted that without money to prop up renters and landlords, a moratorium could do as much harm as good.

"He can extend the moratorium, and I hope that he does," Pelosi said on CNBC on Aug. 6. "But you can't just extend the moratorium, you've got to have money."

"If they extend the moratorium, people won't have to pay their rent just yet. It'll get pushed further down the road, unless we get some money for them to compensate for what they have to get. And that's not just for the renters, that's for the landlords," said Pelosi.

"What good is a moratorium until the end of the year, if you don't have some money to help pay the rent?"

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 19:27:07|Editor: huaxia

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HANOI, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Four workers were killed after an embankment collapsed in Vietnam's northern Phu Tho province on Tuesday, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The workers were constructing the foundation of the embankment, which is part of a construction work in Viet Tri city, when it suddenly collapsed and buried them. The embankment is about 20 meters long and 4 meters high from the ground and has been dug further for two meters underground, according to the report.

Bodies of the four victims had been found as of Tuesday noon.

An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway, according to the news agency. Enditem
Lifelong Relationships Partner Parents Make an Unforgettable Impact

Ill never forget my sponsors...

Victor shook his head, vehemently denying the possibility that childhood sponsors who helped him go to school could ever stray from his memory.

You must understand, he said, that they changed my life. They loved me enough to help me  even though we lived on opposite sides of the world. Why would they do that? It was because of their love for Jesus that they could find love for me.

Victor paused, thinking back. Im 38 years old. But I pray for them. I pray for them every day.

The family of five lived in Pennsylvania. They chose to sponsor Victor when they met at a church concert. Victor was traveling that year with the India Childrens Choir, a ministry of Bibles For The World that introduced thousands of people across the United States and Canada to the plight of children in poverty in India. Victor was eleven years old.

They cared for me, he says now. They made it possible for me to go to school. I had my books, my uniform. We would write back and forth, sharing pictures, telling what was happening in our lives.

Victor pulled out a gilded photo album from a place of honor on a bookshelf.

I have their pictures here. And all the letters they sent to me. I keep them here and look at them almost every day, to remind me to pray for them and their family.

A sponsor/child relationship is a unique and special way to impact a life with the love of Jesus. Such relationships often go on for years  for Victor and his Partner Parents, it has now been 28 years since their first meeting.

I work in the Sielmat Christian Hospital, now, for Bibles For The World, Victor said as he replaced the album. I went to optometry school and now I give eye exams and make glasses for people. They come for help and many are too poor to pay. I make them glasses anyway, because thats what Jesus would do. And I let them know that Jesus loves them.

Building and training Christian leaders to impact their communities and nations for Christ is a powerful means of expanding the reach of the Gospel  and it is one of the important pillars of Bibles For The Worlds (BFTW) ministry.

For BFTW, it begins in the 42 Christian schools we operate in NE India, and continues in our Trinity College & Seminary, notes John L. Pudaite, president and CEO of Bibles For The World. With more than 9,000 children enrolled annually in our Christian schools, BFTW is focused on creating futures of Christian service for those called, even as children, to serve others in Jesus name.

Pudaites perspective is unique  hes the grandson of one of the very first tribal believers in northeast India  a member of a headhunting tribe known for their ferocity.

When my grandfather responded to the Gospel message preached by a lone missionary, it was the start of a century of dramatic change for my people. My father became a Bible translator and the founder of Bibles For The World. Now Im carrying on his legacy to impact the people of India and the world with Gods Word.

Bibles For The Worlds Partner Parents program is just one offshoot of the ministrys diverse activity across the globe. But its a critical one, says Pudaite.

Partner Parents are making an enormous impact in the lives of thousands of children in India. Since planting the first schools more than fifty years ago, weve seen a literal transformation in thousands of kids lives. Our flagship school, Sielmat Christian Higher Secondary School, has 2,950 students from kindergarten through grade 12, about a quarter of whom are sponsored by Partner Parents. Can you imagine the impact thats had on the community?

The Indian government reports that the percentage of Christians in the country relative to the entire population is roughly 2%. But in the region surrounding Sielmat, where Bibles For The World operates nearly three-dozen schools, the Christian population is about 38%.

I chalk that up to the growth of the Church in that region, as well as the influence of our Christian schools  AND our Partner Parents, says Pudaite.

But there are thousands of young students who remain unsponsored. Were praying that God will provide sponsors for at least 500 additional students in the coming year.

Partner Parents play a vital role in influencing young lives in India through their prayers, encouragement and support of their sponsored childs Christian education. Monthly support, which starts at $34 per month, provides tuition, books, uniforms, shoes and periodic healthcare for the sponsored student. Partner Parents have the opportunity to select a boy or girl by name, age and location of their school / village. They receive photos, reports from the school, correspondence from the student and the opportunity to correspond back. Some Partner Parents even choose to visit their student and his or her family in India on special Sponsor Trips hosted by Bibles For The World.

When I was in India I had the chance to see where and how my student lives, the challenges he faces each and every day, says Natalie, a recent Partner Parent. They simply dont have the kinds of opportunities kids in America do  yet they still want to become doctors or nurses or teachers. Becoming a Partner Parent was the best decision Ive ever made!

Impacting anothers life. Making a lasting difference. These are the aspirations of our hearts. Yet so many people never experience the joy of helping others in a truly meaningful way. Thats why we encourage you to consider becoming a Partner Parent to a needy girl or boy in India.

Bibles For The Worlds Partner Parents program provides you with the opportunity to make an indelible impact on one young girl, or one young boy, helping transform them for eternity.

Become a Partner Parent today. Visit partnerparents.org to learn about the children who need your help, the villages where they live and the schools that are caring for them.
India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist

India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent

Jaishankar likely to attend SCO meeting in Moscow alongside China amid heightened LAC tension

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 01: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar is likely to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ministerial meeting in Moscow.

The SCO meeting is taking place at a time when two of its member countries, India and China, are locked in a bitter border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chinese Defence Minister Gen Wei Fenghe is expected to attend the SCO meeting.

Asked about the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Singh and Wei on the sidelines of the SCO event, sources said there is no such plan.

China took provocative action again to change status quo in Pangong Tso Lake, says Centre

It will be Singh''s second visit to Moscow since June. He had represented India at the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on June 24 that commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Russia has also invited External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to attend the SCO foreign ministers' meeting on September 10.

Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a standoff in several areas along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh for over three-and-half months.

Indian Army on Monday said the Chinese military carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.

The fresh confrontation has further escalated the tension along the Line of Actual Control.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 21:41 [IST]
PHILADELPHIAIt was back on September 12 of 2019 that the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals heard its final argument in the case brought by Free Speech Coalition and several other plaintiffs to free the adult industry from the onerous recordkeeping and labeling burdens created by Congress' passage, way back in 1988, of 18 U.S.C. 2257 and, later, 2257Aand the result was a mixed-bag opinion issued today, authored by Circuit Judge Michael Chagares.

Judge Chagares, writing for a three-judge panel that included Circuit Judges Kent A. Jordan and Luis Felipe Restrepo, noted that the adult industry has been fighting 2257/2257A in the Third Circuit since 2009, and stated at the outset that, "we laud the District Court for its skillful handling of this complex case throughout." The case first came before District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson, who has issued three prior opinions in the case, some of which the Third Circuit supports, but took issues with parts of others.

At the beginning of the Third Circuit opinion, Judge Chagares laid out what parts of Judge Baylson's opinions it agreed with. These included that the two association plaintiffs, Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), lacked standing to as-applied First Amendment challenges to the laws, but that the as-applied claims of the 10 individual plaintiffs were "meritorious," though "only with respect to certain categories of claimants," that for those claims found meritorious, "the age verification, recordkeeping, and labeling requirements all violate the First Amendment," and it found that the criminal penalties attendant to those "unconstitutional provisions" are unenforceable.

The Third Circuit also denied all of the plaintiffs' claims that the statutes were facially overbroad, ruling that those plaintiffs "failed to prove that those provisions improperly restrict a substantial amount of protected speech relative to the Statutes plainly legitimate sweep," but that for those plaintiffs awarded wins of their as-applied claims, they are entitled to a nationwide injunction against the laws' enforcement.

The Third Circuit opinion spends a number of pages recapping what's happened before in this case and what decisions were reached, all of which can be determined by searching AVN.com for "2257." Importantly, however, the Third Circuit noted that while it had originally approved the use of "intermediate scrutiny" to deal with the claims against the laws, after the trial of the matter, and more importantly after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, the appeals court reversed itself and found that the laws should have been considered under "strict scrutiny," which places a higher burden of proof on the government to sustain the laws.

In between those decisions is when the appeals court decided that FSC and ASMP could not bring as-applied challenges to the laws because the associations failed to show that their claims did not require an "individualized inquiry" for each member of each association.

"Even though FSCs and ASMPs members 'collectively produce a significant portion of the works generated by the adult film industry,' that was insufficient for associational standing because 'aggregating that industry's speech in toto [would be] an improper method for identifying the burdens imposed on specific members,'" the panel found, and it spends several paragraphs addressing that associational standing claim, noting that "conferring associational standing" is improper for claims requiring a fact-intensive-individual inquiry." It also found that despite arguments put forth by plaintiffs, "[N]either FSC nor ASMP represents the adult film industry as a whole. [Citations omitted here and below]

The panel also originally rejected the ten individual plaintiffs' First Amendment challenges, but once strict scrutiny became the operative legal basis, the Third Circuit reversed itself on that issue. First, the panel noted that 2257's age verification requirement could not be applied to "secondary producers," and agreed that, "The [age verification] requirements 'do not advance the Governments interest' when sexually explicit depictions show 'performers whom no reasonable person could mistake' for a child."

But it's at that point that the appeals panel started making distinctions as to who had to keep age records.

"The record confirms that a substantial percentage of the plaintiffs performers are at least thirty years old: 55% for [plaintiffs Betty] Dodson and [Carlin] Ross, 59.7% for [Nina Hartley], 40% for [Dave] Levingston, 52.63% for [Barbara] Nitke, 66.02% for the Sinclair Institute, and 76% for [David] Steinberg," the panel stated. "Likewise, the 'vast majority' of participants in [Carol] Queen's live-streamed show were in their thirties and forties. Although the record does not reflect the age breakdowns of the performers in the depictions that [Barbara] Alper creates or the depictions that [Tom] Hymes posts on his website, the Government bears the burden of disproving the plaintiffs proposed alternative," which was to restrict recordkeeping requirements to "images depicting young people under 30 years of age." The panel noted that it was "not convinced" that requiring age verification, recordkeeping and labeling for depictions of those clearly adult performers advanced the legitimate cause of protecting children. As such, the panel agreed that as applied to those plaintiffs, the statutes' criminal penalties for failing to keep records and label the material with 2257 labels should not apply to those plaintiffs whose material clearly deals with performers/models over 30.

The panel then took up the question of whether 2257/2257A are "overbroad" under the Constitution, noting that, as it had in a prior appeals decision, "the Statutes requirements validly apply when producers create sexually explicit depictions showing young-looking performers who could be children. We determined that this 'legitimate sweep of the Statutes is vast' because a careful examination of the expert testimony at trial revealed that there is a substantial universe of online pornography depicting young-looking performers." However, the panel noted that it had previously ruled that the statutes don't apply to sexually explicit depictions of those who are clearly adults, nor to "adults who share sexually explicit images between themselves for purely private purposes." Nevertheless, "The plaintiffs have not carried their heavy burden of showing that we should resort to the 'strong medicine' of the overbreadth doctrine to facially invalidate the Statutes, a tool to be used 'sparingly and only as a last resort'."

The final section of the panel's opinion deals with the question of whether the decision(s) should result in a nationwide injunction against the government applying the portions of 2257/2257A that were ruled unconstitutional across the nation as a wholea permanent injunction that had already been issued by the district court but not enforced pending this appeal.

The Third Circuit here strikes down that injunction, agreeing with the government's argument that "the injunction provided more relief than necessary to the few plaintiffs who succeeded on their as-applied claims only." However, those successful plaintiffs, no matter where they may be located, have been freed from 2257's restrictions and may continue to make sexually explicit material based on the age guidelines accepted by the appeals court.

"It's a great victory for the First Amendment," J. Michael Murray, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the case, told AVN. "The Third Circuit agreed with us that the statutory scheme and all the regulations flunked strict scrutiny, at least as applied to the ten individual plaintiffs, and so there will be a permanent injunction restraining the government from enforcing it against them. On top of that, of course we had already gotten the court to agree that the statutory scheme in so far as the inspection provisions were facially unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment, and so it seems to us that there's very little left of the statutory scheme, and it's a very impressive victory for the First Amendment. Of course, we're disappointed that they didn't grant some of the broader relief that we were asking that the court grant, but when they say that the statutory scheme cannot survive under strict scrutiny, it seems to me that it's difficult to envision the statute surviving this opinion."

Whether it does survive, of course, may be up to the U.S. Supreme Court, if the government decides to appeal the Third Circuit's ruling.

Free Speech Coalition, through its Board chair, attorney Jeffrey Douglas, has issued the following statement in response to the Third Circuit's opinion:

"Free Speech Coalition has prevailed in its long-running suit with the US government over 2257 record-keeping regulations. The decision, handed down by the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, is a defeat for the Government. However, the decision is complicated, and the scope of our victory is still being determined by our legal team. We expect to have a fuller legal analysis later today, as well as recommendations for proceeding in light of the decision.

"In the meantime, we urge that all producers continue to fully comply with existing 2257 regulations, as the scope has not been determined and the decision issued by the 3rd Circuit is still subject to appeal."

The entire Third Circuit opinion in Free Speech Coalition, et al. v. Attorney General of the United States may be read here.
Labour has accused the government of rewarding failure by extending coronavirus test and trace contracts with private sector firms despite poor performance compared to local public systems.

Health secretary Matt Hancock defended the record of private firms like Serco in parliament on Tuesday afternoon, saying that private companies have been absolutely critical in operating the contract tracing system.

The governments scientific advisors on Sage have said contract tracing systems need to reach 80 per cent of people exposed to the virus in order to be effective, but in many areas call centres operated by Serco have been falling far short of that.

Critics, including the Independent Sage group of experts, have said the government should redirect resources to local public health teams, which are managing to reach over 95 per cent of contacts. In some of the worst areas the private call centres are reaching under half of contacts provided.

You dont need an algorithm to work out that their performance when compared to local public health teams is where test and trace is failing, said shadow health minister Justin Madders.

In some areas the private companies involved in test and trace have been reaching less than half of the contacts theyre supposed to  not the 80 per cent that the secretary of state has claimed.

He asked: Why is it then that this government is rewarding public sector failure by extending these contracts?

Matt Hancock defended the work of the private company, saying it was a first line of defence and that local publicly-run teams could focus on the harder-to-trace people.

The test and trace system at a national level makes the immediate and very rapid first attempt at contact and if no contact is made then the local teams can go in. Its the combination of the two that works best, he said.

But I really think the opposition is making a mistake trying to divide people between public and private whereas actually people are working very hard to deliver, and to deliver the control of this virus.

Mr Hancock added: The private companies have been absolutely critical in the working and making sure the whole testing system can be built at the scale that it has. As I just said in my statement the improvements are continuing and were seeing that local engagement which is critical.

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The health secretary also dismissed suggestions that top civil servants had links to private companies involved in the contract as not serious. Campaigners have criticised a revolving door between private companies involved with public sector contracts and the civil service or government.

Sercos 108m contract to operate the test and trace call centre system was extended in August.

The original contract was directly awarded to Serco by the Crown Commercial Service on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care in May and was not put out to open tender.
Bengaluru, Sep 1 : Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa tested Covid positive and has been admitted to a private hospital here for treatment, an official said on Tuesday.

"As Eshwarappa had cold and flu symptoms since Sunday, he took Covid test, which turned positive. He is under treatment at Manipal Hospital in the city's eastern suburb," his secretary told IANS.

Eshwarappa (72) is a legislator from Shivomogga assembly segment in Malnad region.

"I was diagnosed with coronavirus earlier in the day. I have got admitted for treatment at a hospital on doctor's advice," Eshwarappa tweeted in Kannada.

State Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who was also treated at Manipal a month ago for the infection, hoped Eshwarwappa would soon be cured and return to work.

State Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar also wished Eshwarappa speedy recovery.

Earlier in the day, state Women and Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle said she tested positive for Covid and was in home quarantine.

Other state cabinet ministers such as B.R. Sriramulu, S.T. Somashekar, Anand Singh and C.T. Ravi, opposition Congress leader Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar, BJP's Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members and MLAs and MLCs of the BJP, Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) also tested positive and recovered from the diseases over the last 2 months in the southern state.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

People may report a reduced feeling of responsibility when they comply with orders in situations of asymmetric power, such as hierarchies. Previous research has shown that complying with orders reduces the sense of agency, that is, the feeling that you are the author of your own actions and thus responsible for the outcomes. Obeying orders also reduces the brain's processing of the outcomes of actions, compared to outcomes that are chosen freely. These results could help to explain why people can commit atrocious acts under coercion.

The sense of agency, and feeling of responsibility for the outcomes of their action could be attenuated, as the brain reduces outcome processing, compared to scenarios where individuals decide for themselves on a course of action. The authors note that the psychological finding of feeling a reduced sense of agency under coercion should be considered quite distinct from the important legal and moral questions about the extent to which people are responsible for their actions when coerced.

These effects have been shown in experiments with adult volunteers, for whom coercion should be a rare (and generally illegal) occurrence. In contrast, some social structures, such as the armed forces, rely on strict hierarchical organization where people are required to follow orders. The professional role of military personnel implies compliance to hierarchical authority, based on the mandate society has given to that authority. In the present research published in Nature Communications today, the authors wondered to what extent the hierarchical organization of military environments might influence the experience of agency and outcome processing.

"We wanted to investigate how a military environment would affect our experimental measures of agency and outcome processing. We also wanted to compare results for different military ranks: the officers who typically give orders, and subordinates who receive them," explains Dr. Emilie Caspar, first author of the present study. "Officers are trained to be accountable for their own actions, and also for the actions of troops under their command. We predicted that their experience of being a responsible agent might therefore be enhanced, compared to subordinates.", she adds.

In the present study, the authors used a simple laboratory paradigm, in which two volunteers respectively took turns in the role of 'agents' or 'victims." The word 'victim' is used figuratively to define the role in the experiments, which followed ethical permissions, informed consent, and the declaration of Helsinki. Thus, all participants were always free to end their participation at any time, without giving reasons, and without personal or professional consequences for them.

Agents were either free to decide to administer or not a mildly painful shock to the 'victim' in exchange for a +0.05 monetary reward, or were coercively instructed by an experimenter to inflict or not the same shock. During the task, the authors used an implicit measure of the sense of agency based on time perception, and also recorded the brain activity of agents with an electroencephalogram. The team calculated a 'coercion effect," defined as the difference between the coercion condition and the free-choice condition. In a first study, the authors tested a group of civilians and a group of junior cadets, that is, officers in their first year of military training.

"Results of this study showed that for civilians, we replicated previous results. A useful implicit marker of sense of agency is the experience that your action and its outcome are compressed together in time. The interval between actions and outcomes that were freely chosen seemed shorter than the interval between the same actions and the same outcomes in a coercive condition. So, civilian participants appeared to have a reduced sense of agency in the coercive condition compared to the free-choice condition. However, for junior military cadets, there was no coercion effect: they showed no difference in our measure of agency between a condition in which they were following orders and a condition in which they could freely decide which action to execute," reports prof. Axel Cleeremans, co-senior author of the study. These results could reflect the negative influence of working in a highly hierarchical context on the sense of agency.

In a second study, the authors compared three groups of military personnel: junior cadets, privates with an average of 5 years' military experience, and senior cadets who had reached the rank of first lieutenant; again after 5 years' military experiencebut this time of officer training. Results again showed no coercion effect on agency for junior cadets, and also showed no coercion effect for privates.

However, the senior cadets showed the standard coercion effect, with more agency in the free-choice condition than in the coercion condition. Further, senior cadets also had no attenuation in a brain measure of outcome processing, while privates did. Thus, working in a military environment, and position within the military hierarchy, both seemed to have a detrimental effect on sense of agency and outcome processing.

Importantly, these results are not simply explained by a selection process favoring junior cadets with a high sense of agency. An additional analysis conducted 3 years after the second study found that junior cadets who most attenuated sense agency and outcome processing in the free-choice condition relative to seniors were in fact those who persevered in the military, while those who maintained a high agency and outcome processing were more likely to leave.

"These results have deep societal implication, both for civilian society and hierarchical organizations such as the military" says Prof. Patrick Haggard, co-Senior author of the study. "If they are followed up in longitudinal studies, they open the possibility of training the sense of individual responsibility, which could have major benefits."

Dr. Major Salvatore Lo Bue, coauthor of the study and professor at the Royal Military Academy of Belgium added: "The contemporary soldier operates in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous environments in which he/she sometimes has to make critical decisions on his/her own. He/she does not simply execute orders given by others. Insights about the underlying mechanisms of agency in the military environment can help to tailor the training to enable the soldier to make the swift switch between obedience when required, and making his/her own decisions when necessary."

Explore further Why obeying orders can make us do terrible things

More information: Emilie A. Caspar et al, The effect of military training on the sense of agency and outcome processing, Nature Communications (2020). Journal information: Nature Communications Emilie A. Caspar et al, The effect of military training on the sense of agency and outcome processing,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18152-x
BERLIN: The aunt of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, whose drowning five years ago put a human face on the Syrian refugee crisis, appealed to the world Tuesday to help refugees in need and not allow their continued drowning deaths in the Mediterranean Sea.

Tima Kurdi told reporters in the southern German city of Regensburg that while I couldnt save my own family, lets help save others in need.

The image of the little boys lifeless body lying face down on a Turkish beach galvanized world attention to the refugee crisis, illustrating the magnitude of the suffering, the lives destroyed and the treacherous journeys migrants risked fleeing violence or seeking a better life.

While Turkish authorities have given the boys first name as Aylan, his aunt says the family prefers that it be transliterated as Alan.

Alans brother, Galip, and mother Rihan, were also among the five people who drowned on Sept. 2, 2015, when their boat sank on the ill-fated journey from the Turkish resort city of Bodrum to the Greek island of Kos.

Tima Kurdi, who later founded the Kurdi Foundation to help refugee children in need, is campaigning to show those who perceive migrants as a problem or threat the level of suffering migrants and refugees are exposed to.

Those people are innocent victims, they flee from force, not by choice, she said, struggling to fight back the tears.

Sadly, our familys tragedy is one of many, she added. We cannot close our eyes.

Five years ago, during the height of Europes migrant crisis, more than 1 million people mostly from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, fled to Europe, many of them by crossing the Mediterranean in flimsy smugglerss boats that often sank.

In March, the U.N. migration agency said since 2014, an estimated 20,000 migrants have died while trying to cross the Mediterranean.

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 71-year-old woman has been missing from her home since Friday, and family members are asking for the publics help in looking for her.

Ha Pham was last seen near her home in the Montavilla neighborhood on Friday. Her nephew, Kiet Tran, said family thinks that Pham, who has Alzheimers disease, may have walked out of the house while her husband was doing yardwork.

Portland police said Pham does not drive and doesnt use public transit, but she is familiar with the area of Southeast Division near Southeast 117th Avenue.

Pham is 5 feet, 1 inch tall, weighs 110 pounds and has shoulder-length graying hair. She was last seen wearing a black sleeveless dress and no mask.

Tran said his aunt used to frequent several places before she was diagnosed with Alzheimers and that she may have returned to those areas. He said she may have gone to St. Peters Episcopal Church at 247 S.E. 82nd Ave. or Hong Phat Food Center at 101 S.E. 82nd Ave. He said she also used to walk to the Fred Meyer at 6615 N.E. Glisan St.

Pham does not speak English. Her nephew suggested that if someone spots her, they can try to communicate with her by having Google Translate up on their phone and translate a phrase into Vietnamese, trying to communicate that theyre there to help her.

He said family and friends have been putting flyers up around the Mt. Tabor area and that family has hired a private company with some search and rescue-trained dogs to help look for her. The family has set up a fundraiser to help pay for the search.

Police have asked anyone who sees Pham to call 911 right away. Anyone who may have information about her can also contact missing persons Detective Kristina Coffey at 503-823-1081.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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TikTok may be banned soon in the United States, but before that happens, there are some accounts on the trendy social media app that you should follow for some exciting ideas on what to do in San Antonio.

TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese technology giant ByteDance, soared in popularity in the U.S. during the coronavirus pandemic due to its powerful core algorithm that is built to quickly recommend different types of content to people depending on their preferences.

READ ALSO: San Antonio's TikTok star 'Rosa' highlighted by Cosmopolitan, Alexander Wang

President Donald Trump has threatened to ban the app in the U.S., saying if Microsoft or another "secure" and "very American" company doesn't buy the U.S. leg of the Chinese-owned operation by Sept. 15, the wildly-popular video app will cease operating in America. As of Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reports an official bid and deal has not been made.

Until then, the app is still running, leaving room for influencers, including those in San Antonio, to create more content for their followers.

Scroll below for five TikTok accounts to follow for some San Antonio flavor
India aims for 100 million tonnes (MT) coal gasification by 2030 with investments worth over Rs. 4 lakh crores, said Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Coal and Mines. Addressing a webinar on Coal Gasification and Liquefaction, Joshi said that Coal Gasification and Liquefaction is no more an aspiration, but a requirement. He added that for encouraging use of clean sources of fuel, government has provided for a concession of 20% on revenue share of coal used for gasification.

He emphasized that this will boost production of synthetic natural gas, energy fuel, urea for fertilisers and production of other chemicals. The webinar was organised by Ministry of Coal (MoC) in New Delhi for discussing the road map for achieving the target. The webinar was attended by around 700 delegates from Government of India, CIL and the coal sector. Reiterating on government's commitments for green initiatives in the coal sector, Joshi said that Coal Gasification and Liquefaction are well in the government's agenda and various actions have been taken for development of Surface Coal Gasification in India.

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For manufacturers in the electronics adhesives industry, bolstering distribution networks and volatility in the prices of raw materials are major challenges during the pandemic period.

DUBAI, UAE / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Future Market Insights: The worldwide electronics adhesives market is expected to rise 2x between 2020 and 2030, reaching a valuation of US$ 13 billion. The covid-19 pandemic has moderately impacted the electronics adhesives market. Suspension of activities in production facilities and restrictions on consumer electronics, appliance, and automotive sectors are holding back short-term growth in the market. However, market players are leveraging demand for electronics adhesives for medical devices such as ventilators, creating limited growth opportunities.

"Growing demand for low-cost, reliable, and miniaturized electronic devices, from consumers and manufacturers, and the critical need for adhesives in high-performance industrial and consumer electronic systems will sustain growth in the long term," says the FMI analyst.

For more insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-378

Electronics Adhesives Market - Primary Takeaways

Encapsulation applications are reflecting fast growth rates, supported by relay, power train, and transformer production and use.

UV curing products hold major revenue share, driven by superior characteristics of thermal conductivity and insulation.

North America is displaying prospects for promising growth, supported by demand for electronics adhesives in aerospace and defense sector applications.

Electronics Adhesives Market - Growth Factors

Frequent advances in electronic devices and components, and the resultant demand for specialist adhesives.

Niche applications in the rapidly growing microelectronics sector contributes to is a major contributor to market developments.

Electronics Adhesives Market - Major Constraints

Environmental concerns associated with the production of electronics adhesives is an obstacle to potential adoption rates.

Poor resistance to cold and hot environments, and resultant mechanical flaws are challenging manufacturers.

For any Queries Linked with the Report, Ask an Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-378

The Projected Impact of Coronavirus

The electronics adhesives market has witnessed a slowdown since the beginning of the global pandemic. Temporary shut downs of industrial facilities in the consumer electronics, appliances and automotive sectors have hit demand for adhesive materials in the short term. In addition, lockdowns have also limited the distribution of electronics adhesives. However, the rising demand for medical devices such as ventilators during the crisis will generate niche growth opportunities. This requirement has also resulted in the designation of electronic adhesives as essential goods in many countries boosting overall growth.

Competition Landscape

The electronics adhesives market comprises players including but not limited to Panacol-Elosol GmbH, Henkel AG & Co., KgaA, DELO Industrial Adhesives LLC, Dow Chemical Company, Bondline Electronics Adhesives Inc., Sika AG, Avery Dennison Corp., 3M Company, HB Fuller, and Wacker Chemie AG.

Players in the electronics adhesives market are pushing to invest in product development strategies aimed towards eco-friendly formulations and widening the overall scope of application for their offerings.

For instance, DELO has unveiled DELO MONOPOX TC2270, a new insulating and conductive electronic adhesive offering for semiconductor applications. MacDermid Alpha Electronics is unveiling its NP505- HR Solder paste which will provide superior thermal cycle and impact bend performance. Further, Master Bond Inc. has released EP62-1LPSPMed, a two-part, bio-compatible epoxy for electronic coating applications.

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More About the Study

The FMI study provides detailed insights on electronics adhesives market. The market is broken down in terms of material (PUR, polyurethane, acrylic, silicone, and epoxy), application (thermal management, conformal coatings, encapsulation, surface mounting, wire tacking, soldering, underfill, sealing, and constructional) and end use (mobile & telecommunication, desktops and networks, television, home appliances, automotive, aerospace, analytical & measurement, and others) across seven key regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia, Oceania, and Middle East & Africa).

Explore Future Market Insights Coverage of the Chemicals & Materials Industry

BRIC Automotive Plastics Market: Find insights on the BRIC automotive plastics market with segment analysis, statistics, influencing factors, players and key strategies adopted by market players for a 5-year forecast period.

Bio-Plastics Market: FMI's report on the bio-plastics market offers details on the market between 2014 -2020. The study covers influencers, revenue sources, market leaders, and strategies.

APAC Flexible Glass Market: Get an in-depth analysis on the APAC flexible glass market with insights on growth levers, opportunities, policies, restraints, regional markets and market leaders.

About Future Market Insights

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

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MINSK -- Thousands of university students have gathered in the Belarusian capital for a march after the countrys opposition called for a nationwide strike to coincide with the first day of the school year.

Columns of students carrying banned red-and-white flags that have long been a symbol of opposition to President Alyaksandr Lukashenkas rule flocked into the center of Minsk on September 1.

At least 55 people were detained as riot police dispersed protesters at several locations, according to the Vyasna human rights group. Video posted on social media showed police dressed in black charging into a line of students and forcefully dragging them away.

"September 1 is a day of knowledge. Knowledge of the meaning of Belarusian solidarity. Join this one-day strike, support the workers and show the government who is the real source of power," opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya's team said in a statement.

Lukashenka, who has kept a tight grip on Belarus for 26 years, was declared the winner in an August 9 presidential election, which was widely viewed as rigged in his favor.

Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have since taken to the streets across the country to protest the results, calling on Lukashenka to step down, release all political prisoners, and hold free and fair elections.

BELARUS: Postelection Timeline Of The Crisis (click to view)

Much of Europe, as well as the United States and other countries, have criticized Lukashenka's crackdown on protesters and opposition members, both before and after the vote.

In a statement on September 1, UN human rights experts said they had received reports of 450 documented cases of torture and ill-treatment of people held in custody since the election.

"Any violation of the non-derogable prohibition of torture and ill-treatment must be prosecuted and punished," they said.

The experts also said that most people reported missing have been accounted for, but the whereabouts and the health situation of at least six individuals are said to be unknown to their relatives.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on September 1 called on the UN Human Rights Council to immediately convene to discuss the situation in Belarus.

Separately, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia announced on August 31 that they had slapped travel sanctions on several top Belarusian officials, including Lukashenka.

The European Union has agreed to impose sanctions on up to 20 senior Belarusian officials suspected of involvement in election fraud and the brutal crackdown on protesters.

With the goodwill built up during a thaw in relations with the West quickly evaporating, Lukashenka, who has rejected the oppositions demands, has turned an eye toward the Kremlin, a traditional ally despite recent strains sparked by Minsk's courting of others.

Crisis In Belarus 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.

On September 1, Lukashenka said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin will safeguard "our common homeland from Brest to Vladivostok" and that he was ready to reroute the countrys cargo from Baltic ports to Russian ports in response to the sanctions imposed by Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

"They say, it would be more expensive for Belarus," BelTa news agency quoted Lukashenka as saying.

"Of course, it would be a little bit disadvantageous for us. But we can agree with the Russians on tariffs," he said

Addressing students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations on September 1, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Western countries of "delivering verdicts" on the crisis in Belarus, which he said is unacceptable in the modern world."

Moscow has consistently accused the West of interfering in the internal affairs of Belarus.

With reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and AFP
A 29-year-old San Antonio man is facing a murder charge in the death of a woman whose body was found after their children texted their grandmother for help, an arrest affidavit said.

Jorge Izquierdo was arrested Sunday after being extradited from California. He is accused of killing 27-year-old Cora Nickel.

On Aug. 20, Lynette Robinson, Nickels mother, called San Antonio police just after 10 a.m. after finding her daughter dead inside a residence in the 8900 block of Maverick Draw. Robinson went to the home after receiving a text message from her grandchildren  ages 5 and 8  who said come over, red stuff all over the floor and think mom is dead, the affidavit said.

The children were outside the home when Robinson arrived, and she put them into her vehicle before going into the house. Inside, she found Nickel laying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. Robinson said she touched her daughters body, which felt cold, before calling 911, the affidavit said.

Nickel died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiners Office.

According to the affidavit, Nickel, Izquierdo and their children had gone to a family function at the home of Izquierdos mother the night before. When the couple and the children returned to the Maverick Draw residence, Nickel and Izquierdo got into an argument.

Izquierdo was washing clothes at the residence when Nickel asked him to leave,the affidavit said.

The children had gone to bed but woke around 4 a.m. and tried to find Nickel in her room, but she wasnt there, the affidavit stated.

Investigators obtained surveillance videos from home security systems throughout the neighborhood that they said showed Izquierdo running from the residence around 11:30 p.m. A neighbor reported seeing someone running toward a ditch at the end of the street after his motion sensor lights were triggered.

The day after Nickels body was found, Izquierdos mother reported him missing. She told authorities she was afraid for his safety after receiving a message from him that morning. Documents did not indicate what was said in the message.

Izquierdos mother said she and her son are very close. She said she became worried when her calls to him went to voicemail and he wasnt returning them.

Later that day, Izquierdo was located in Oxnard, Calif., after he called his sister to pick him up from a park.

He was extradited to San Antonio, arrested Sunday and charged with murder. His bail was set at $200,000.
NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbus City Schools in Columbus, Ohio has adopted Curriculum Associates' Ready Classroom Mathematics to support students' growth and achievement in mathematics. The rigorous, standards-aligned core curriculum, which emphasizes modeling and discourse, will be implemented with all of the District's 25,000-plus students in Grades K5 starting in fall 2020. The District will additionally continue its use of Curriculum Associates' online i-Ready program to support both mathematics and reading instruction across all of K8.

"Our responsibility is to ensure that students are learning and developing proficiency," said Dr. Talisa Dixon, superintendent/CEO at Columbus City Schools . "This new curriculum will provide rich, robust, high-quality instruction for all students to reach mastery and have deep meaningful learning experiences online and eventually in the classroom."

Ready Classroom Mathematics helps teachers deliver discourse-based instruction while empowering students to think mathematically and discuss mathematical ideas. Its printed and online resources work cohesively to support the teaching and learning process. The program uses multiple-day lessons and instructional routines to help students understand important mathematical concepts, make connections between multiple mathematical strategies, and deepen their conceptual understanding by leading the majority of the classroom discussion. There are also frequent opportunities for practice and assessment to ensure that students understand concepts and to help teachers make instructional decisions.

"We chose Ready Classroom Mathematics because of its level of rigor, it promotes student discourse, and it includes digital manipulatives that students can utilize remotely," said Leslie Kelly, director of elementary curriculum at Columbus City Schools. "Plus, we had already been using i-Ready for the last two years, and what stands out about Curriculum Associates is their level of customer service. They have really taken the time to understand our needs and they work continually to meet those needs. We are looking forward to continuing this partnership as we implement Ready Classroom."

The District will be using Ready Classroom Mathematics' print and digital components to deliver lessons remotely. Because the District uses i-Ready Diagnostic, student data will automatically feed into Ready Classroom Mathematics to help teachers personalize instruction based on students' levels of understanding. Students will receive Student Worktexts at the beginning of the school year and teachers are currently being trained on using the program.

The program also includes a variety of professional learning resources that are built into the beginning of every unit and embedded within every lesson. It also offers professional guidance to support English Learners, including language differentiation strategies that provide scaffolds for the five WIDA language proficiency levels and ideas for community and cultural responsiveness that can be incorporated during the lesson.

"When combined with i-Ready, Ready Classroom Mathematics provides a blended math curriculum that engages students in the learning process as they build strong mathematic habits," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "We look forward to supporting Columbus City Schools with these high-quality programs and meeting the needs of both educators and students as part of our continued partnership with the District."

To learn more about Ready Classroom Mathematics, visit ReadyClassroomMathematics.com/LearnMore.

About Curriculum Associates

Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.

SOURCE Curriculum Associates

Related Links

https://www.curriculumassociates.com


The Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board (CDMB) authorities in Uttarakhand have started work for online darshan of the Char Dham shrines for pilgrims in a bid to avoid overcrowding at the sacred temples because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, state government officials said.

CDMB authorities will allow online darshan in the revered shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in a bid to keep the viral infection at bay.

Ravinath Raman, chief executive officer (CEO), CDMB, said, Initially, online darshan will be available for the Badrinath shrine, where cameras are being installed.

Raman said the cameras and other equipment are being installed by a telecom company for free of cost.

The equipment is being installed by the company as per a CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiative, but they will be owned by the board. Work has started in Badrinath and it will be followed by the Kedarnath shrine. However, the process may take a while, as the heavy equipment needed to be lugged to a higher altitude at the height of the monsoon season, said Raman.

The CEO, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) official, said that after the work is completed, images and videos of the four shrines would be live-streamed on several websites.

The live streaming will be done on the boards or the chief ministers website and also via social media platforms, he said.

Raman said the online darshan initiative would be reviewed after the viral outbreak subsides.

This is not a permanent arrangement. We will stop the online initiative after normalcy returns in a post Covid-19 world, he added.

The CDMB data showed that 21,670 pilgrims visited the Char Dham portals until August 30.

The CDMB authorities said 10,899 and 6,491 devotees visited Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines, respectively, until August 30. Badrinath and Kedarnath portals were opened for the public on May 15 and April 29, respectively.

While the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines have reported 3,837 and 533 pilgrims, respectively, after their portals were opened on April 26.

The authorities maintained that the virtual inflow of pilgrims is much less this year because of the contagion.

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The Nigeria Labour Congress has warned the National Assembly not to resurrect or cause to be passed into law the National Water Resources Bill because of the danger it portends to national unity.

In a statement signed by the NLC president, Ayuba Wabba, the group said although the National Assembly is constitutionally vested with law-making, they should not ambush Nigerians.

"Information in the public domain has it that the National Assembly leadership is working surreptitiously with vested interests outside the Assembly anxious to pass the bill without due legislative process," read the statement dated August 28.

"We equally warn against legislative abuse or betrayal of Nigerians as this is what it will amount to if the bill is passed or caused to be passed without public engagement and scrutiny. Already, the sentiments expressed against this bill are too grave to be brushed off."

The labour union's warning came just as Nigeria's Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, criticised the attempt by both the executive and legislative arms to "sneak" the bill into law.

Civil society groups across the country have also criticised the bill, saying it would breach citizens' right to water. Controversial parts of the law include the part that vests ownership of water bodies on the federal government and the part that mandates citizens to get federal permission to drill bore holes in their homes or businesses despite the inability of the government to provide potable water to majority of its citizens.

The National Water Resources Bill failed to secure a concurrent passage by both Houses in the Eighth Assembly. In the current Ninth Assembly, it has passed second reading in the House of Representatives and has been referred to a House committee.

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Debate

In his lead debate in the Lower House, the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the bill would "trigger change."

But the NLC said the bill was rejected in 2018 "with very good reasons."

"Although there is no law against re-presentation of a killed or rejected bill, however, given the strong sentiments expressed against this bill from practically all sections of the country, then and now, we would strongly advise that this bill should not be resurrected.

"We have in our hands at the moment enough challenges to court fresh and costly controversy.

"Although legislation is one of the three constitutional functions of the National Assembly, it should not be a licence to dictatorship but a representation of the will, aspirations and sensitivities of the populace. In light of this, we state unambiguously that the National Assembly should listen to the voice of reason by resting this bill." Best Regards,
A West Australian police officer who fatally shot a knife-wielding man acted appropriately under the circumstances, a coroner has found.

Hayden Paul Stacey, 22, was shot in the chest by probationary constable Lucinda Boon after he advanced on her and another officer with a large kitchen knife in Wannanup, south of Perth, in May 2018.

Police had repeatedly called on an agitated Mr Stacey to drop the weapon and unsuccessfully tried to subdue him with their Tasers.

Hayden Paul Stacey, 22, was shot in the chest by probationary constable Lucinda Boon after he advanced on her and another officer with a large kitchen knife in Wannanup, south of Perth, in May 2018

In findings published on Monday, coroner Michael Jenkin said Constable Boon had no option but to shoot Mr Stacey given the risk of being stabbed.

'Having carefully considered the available evidence, I am satisfied that the officers conducted themselves reasonably when they interacted with Mr Stacey,' the coroner said.

He made just one recommendation, finding that police should take all necessary steps to introduce new Tasers with greater potential to incapacitate offenders.

Mr Stacey had been wearing baggy clothing which may have prevented the Taser probes from making contact with his skin, the court heard.

He was spotted by the officers who were responding to two reports of a suspicious person - one of which, the court heard, was made by Mr Stacey himself.

Sergeant Harry Russell said Mr Stacey was carrying a multi-tool knife, telling the officers: 'I brought the knife down so I can get a gun to shoot myself'.

After Mr Stacey ignored multiple demands to drop the knife, the constable drew her Taser.

He eventually complied but then produced a 30cm kitchen knife and started to move towards the officers.

Mr Stacey was tasered three times but it didn't appear to affect him, making the sergeant believe he must have been wearing armour.

Holding his knife above his head saying 'do your job, come on then', he lunged at Constable Boon, who had warned she would shoot him if he didn't drop the weapon.

He was shot in the chest from three metres away and died in hospital shortly afterwards.

The court heard Stacey had been unable to find work and experimented with drugs including methamphetamine since being imprisoned in 2014, and had alcohol and cannabis in his system when he was shot.

But the coroner said he had been unable to conclude whether Mr Stacey was actively suicidal or had intended to force officers to shoot him.

A WA Police internal affairs unit investigation concluded the officers did not use excessive force so they were not subject to any sanctions.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended waivers from federal meal requirements for children through the end of 2020, after schools and others expressed concern about students access to meals during the coronavirus pandemic.

Waivers extended by the USDA, which announced the decision on Monday, will allow schools and community groups to continue feeding students with fewer restrictions than are typically in place under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, and let organizations that serve students meals in the summer months continue doing so in the fall. These new extensions apply to the Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option.

This extension of summer program authority will employ summer program sponsors to ensure meals are reaching all childrenwhether they are learning in the classroom or virtuallyso they are fed and ready to learn, even in new and ever-changing learning environments, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in his Monday statement announcing that his agency was extending the waiver period.

Mondays waiver extension represents an about-face for the department. On Aug. 20, Perdue said in a letter to members of Congress that he would require schools to shift back to certain requirements of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, and that flexibility under these summer-meal programs would lapse with the start of a new school year.

To justify his decision, Purdue said that he believed Americans were a generous people and would help provide a variety of opportunities to provide children with meals, while the waiver extensions would represent a step toward a universal meals program not authorized or paid for by Congress.

But school officials and others have been arguing for weeks that food insecurity brought about by the pandemic made such flexibility for schools all the more essential. They also said the fact that many schools are starting the school year with all-remote instruction made it more important for them to provide students with meals quickly and easily.

In addition to public school groups, members of Congressincluding, perhaps crucially, Republicanspushed for the department to continue flexibility for these programs. On Aug. 26, for example, GOP lawmakers on the House education committee told Perdue that, Given the broad range of [school reopening] plans, we should ensure the federal programs that help feed students are flexible, easy to operate, and free of unnecessary burdens.

Senate Republicans also encouraged Perdue to extend flexibility for these programs. The waiver extensions announced by Perdue on Monday will last until Dec. 31, or until available funding runs out, the USDA said.

Perdue had previously extended other waivers from meal requirements initially granted to help schools and families deal with the pandemic. Those waivers were first extended until Aug. 31, but were extended again and are now in affect until June 30, 2021. You can read more about them here .

Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa .
Madrid, Sep 1 : Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday said that he was moderately optimistic about the country's economic recovery despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to the media, he said the GDP was growing faster than 10 per cent in the third quarter and that partial employment data was very positive, the BBC reported.

"The situation is delicate with many uncertainties caused by the pandemic, but the resilience our workers are showing fuels a moderate optimism about the recovery of the country," he said.

His comments come after new figures showed the number of foreign tourists visiting Spain fell 75 per cent in July from a year earlier.

One of the top tourist destinations in the world, Spain normally welcomes some 80 million visitors a year, but ot only received 2.5 million foreigners in the month of July, the National Statistics Institute said.

The country, one of the worst-hit in Europe, has again witnessed a sharp surge in the number of coronavirus cases in recent days.

As of Tuesday, Spain's overall caseload increased to 462,858, while the death toll stood at 29,094.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 21:39:26|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) Chief Executive Charles Li Xiaojia said on Tuesday that Hong Kong may become the world's largest biotechnology fund-raising center in the next five to 10 years.

Li made the remarks at the HKEX Biotech Summit 2020 held online, noting that Hong Kong is now the world's second-largest biotech fund-raising center.

Laura Cha, chairperson of the HKEX, said at the summit that the HKEX carried out a listing reform in 2018, allowing unprofitable biotech firms to list in Hong Kong, which has become Asia's largest biotech fund-raising center.

Market capitalization was 40.4 trillion HK dollars (about 5.21 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of July 2020, up 26 percent from 32.1 trillion HK dollars for the same period last year. The average daily turnover in July 2020 was 165.1 billion Hong Kong dollars, up 140 percent from 68.7 billion Hong Kong dollars for the same period last year, according to Cha.

Although the COVID-19 epidemic has brought unprecedented challenges to Hong Kong, its capital market has shown strong resilience and vitality, Cha said.

HKEX Head of Listing Bonnie Chan said since the launch of the new listing rules by the HKEX, there have been 20 unprofitable biotech firms listed in Hong Kong, raising 48 billion HK dollars.

The HKEX will continue to improve the listing rules by working closely with the market and following the market trend, Chan added. (1 U.S. dollar = 7.75 HK dollars) Enditem
The Dean of the School of Performing Arts of the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Kofi Agyekum, popularly known as Opanyin Agyekum has called on the aviation authorities in charge of enforcing the safety protocols at the Kotoka International Airport not to engage in malpractices.



Speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Opanyin Agyekum advised the KIA staff to concentrate on their work.



He urged them to ensure the passengers coming to Ghana strictly comply with all the laid-down protocols at the airport.



He also asked the airport staff not to delay the 30-minute result of the mandatory COVID-19 test but rather be swift and prudent in executing their duties.



''Any person given a task should concentrate on the work. Place your phone somewhere and focus on your work'', he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.





Ghana's borders have been closed for months since the country recorded first cases of COVID-19.No person was allowed to enter the country via land, sea and air entry points.Upon consultations with relevant State and health authorities, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced the reopening of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on Sunday, August 30, 2020.''Fellow Ghanaians, I am glad to announce that Kotoka International Airport will reopen and resume operations from Tuesday, 1st September 2020. This decision has been communicated to international airlines'', he said.The reopening of the airport comes with instructions.The President spelled out the protocols in his nation address on Sunday saying:1. any passenger arriving in Ghana must be in possession of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result from an accredited laboratory in the country of origin. The test should have been done not more than seventy-two (72) hours before the scheduled departure from the country of origin. All airlines have been instructed to ensure compliance with this directive for all passengers wishing to travel to Ghana, and those airlines who fail in this regard will be duly sanctioned;2. disembarking passengers must do so wearing face masks;3. upon disembarking from the aeroplane, each passenger will undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test at the airport terminal, at a fee to be borne by the passenger. The test result will be available within thirty (30) minutes;4. children under the ages of five (5) will not be required to undergo testing at the airport;5. passengers, who test positive for COVID-19, will be handled by the health authorities for further clinical assessment and management; and6. passengers, who test negative, can, thereupon, enter Ghana to go about their lawful activities, and will be advised to continue to observe COVID-19 safety precautions during their stay in Ghana.For the mandatory COVID-19 test at the airport, all passengers are expected to pay a fee of $150.The mandatory test forms part of directives outlined by the Ministry of Aviation and Health to ensure the deadly disease is not imported into the country.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation ("MagnaChip" or the "Company") (NYSE: MX) today announced that certain of its wholly owned subsidiaries have completed the previously announced sale of the Company's Foundry Services Group and the factory in Cheongju ("Fab 4") to Key Foundry Co., Ltd. ("Buyer"), for a purchase price equal to approximately $350.6 million, which includes a positive working capital adjustment of approximately $5.9 million. The purchase price was paid in a combination of U.S. Dollars in the amount of $46.5 million and Korean Won in the amount of approximately KRW 360.6 billion. In addition to the purchase price, Buyer assumed all severance liabilities relating to the transferred employees, which have a value of approximately $100 million. Buyer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Magnus Semiconductor, LLC ("Magnus"), which was established by Alchemist Capital Partners Korea Co., Ltd. and Credian Partners, Inc. On April 20, 2020, Magnus assigned, and Buyer assumed, all rights and obligations of Magnus under the business transfer agreement relating to this transaction.

The Company intends to use approximately $227.4 million of the net proceeds to fully redeem all of its outstanding 6.625% Senior Notes due 2021, of which $224.25 million principal amount was outstanding as of August 31, 2020.

MagnaChip's Chief Executive Officer, YJ Kim, said: "This represents a pivotal chapter for MagnaChip as we are transforming into a streamlined, pure-play standard products company focused on the attractive growth opportunities in our Display and Power businesses. We will use a portion of the net proceeds from the sale to de-lever by paying off $224.25 million of our outstanding debt, eliminating a substantial portion of our annual interest expense. With sharpened focus and an improved balance sheet, we are committed to strive for sustainable and profitable growth."

"The Board of Directors is pleased with the successful close of the transaction," said Camillo Martino, Chairman of the Board of MagnaChip. "The company is positioning for continued future success, enhancing our shareholders' value."

The Company will host an Analyst day on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 9:00 AM Eastern Time.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements

Information in this release regarding MagnaChip's use of proceeds from the sale of its Foundry Services Group and Fab 4, future operations and shareholders' value are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to MagnaChip as of the date of this release, which may change, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include the impact of changes in macroeconomic and/or general economic conditions, including those caused by or related to the COVID-19 outbreak, recessions, economic instability and the outbreak of disease; the impact of competitive products and pricing; timely design acceptance by our customers; timely introduction of new products and technologies; ability to ramp new products into volume production; industry wide shifts in supply and demand for semiconductor products; industry and/or company overcapacity; effective and cost efficient utilization of manufacturing capacity; financial stability in foreign markets and the impact of foreign exchange rates; unanticipated costs and expenses or the inability to identify expenses which can be eliminated; compliance with U.S. and international trade and export laws and regulations by us and our distributors; the risk that the redemptions of our Notes are not consummated according to our current expectations or at all; public health issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic; other business interruptions that could disrupt supply or delivery of, or demand for, MagnaChip's products, including uncertainties regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that may result in factory closures, reduced workforces, scarcity of raw materials and goods produced in infected areas, as well as reduced consumer and business spending affecting demand for MagnaChip's products due to government and private sector mandatory business closures, travel restrictions or the like to prevent the spread of disease; and other risks detailed from time to time in MagnaChip's filings with the SEC, including our Form 10-K filed on February 21, 2020 (including that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may also exacerbate the risks discussed therein), our Form 10-Q filed on May 11, 2020, our Form 10-Q filed on August 7, 2020 and subsequent registration statements, amendments or other reports that we may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or make available on our website. MagnaChip assumes no obligation and does not intend to update the forward-looking statements provided, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About MagnaChip Semiconductor

MagnaChip is a designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor platform solutions for communications, IoT, consumer, industrial and automotive applications. The Company provides a broad range of standard products to customers worldwide. With more than 40 years of operating history, MagnaChip owns a portfolio of approximately 1,200 registered patents and pending applications, and has extensive engineering, design and manufacturing process expertise. Please visit www.magnachip.com for more information. Information on or accessible from MagnaChip's website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this release.

CONTACTS :

United States (Investor Relations): So-Yeon Jeong Head of Investor Relations Tel. +1-408-712-6151 [email protected] Korea / Asia media: Chankeun Park Director of Public Relations Tel. +82-2-6903-5223 [email protected]

SOURCE MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation

Related Links

https://www.magnachip.com/


As students in the Wyomissing School District returned to school Monday, Superintendent Robert Scoboria issued a sobering reminder of the times we live in.

This past weekend, we learned that four students at our Junior-Senior High School have been identified as positive for COVID-19, Scoboria wrote in a letter to parents Monday. Our school nurses worked closely with these families to quarantine the students and their siblings from attending school or activities.

School district nurses will secure medical clearance prior to the affected students returning to school, and the district will continue to work closely with the state Department of Health for guidance, Scoboria wrote.

To provide updated information for families, the district has launched a COVID-19 dashboard.

Local information will be updated weekly, and additional information can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Health.

Scoboria asked parents and guardians to closely monitor the health of their children and communicate all concerns to the school district health offices.

Children or adults who are ill or exhibiting symptoms should stay home. Parents should report information to school nurses if their child has been exposed to someone who is COVID-19 positive, or if a test has been administered. The district advises parents to consult with family physicians and health care providers.

The letter listed school nurse contacts:

At Junior-Senior High School, Sally McNichol, 610-374-0739, ext. 2110 or smcnichol@wyoarea.org.

West Reading Elementary Center, Mary Kelly, 610-374-0739, ext. 5213 or mkelly@wyoarea.org.

Wyomissing Hills Elementary Center, Beth Delp, 610-374-0739, ext. 4105 or bdelp@wyoarea.org

Additional information is available at the districts refreshed reopening plan with answers to common questions.

Parents/guardians with questions should contact their childs school office or the appropriate department for food service, technology, or transportation.

While we celebrate todays successes and the return of our students to school, we know there is much work to be done. We will accomplish a great deal during the 2020-21 school year through our teamwork and togetherness. Stay safe and healthy as our Spartans need all of us, Scoboria wrote.
Psychosis is loss of contact with reality. Psychosis in bipolar disorder is more common than many people might think. Psychosis is a symptom, not an illness, and its more common than most people might think. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports that, in the United States, as many as 3 in 100 people will have an episode of psychosis at some point in their lives, and around 100,000 young people experience psychosis each year. And, according to a 2000 study, more than half of people with bipolar disorder will experience psychosis at some point. Its surprising, then, that psychosis is often left out of the conversation when were talking about bipolar disorder. Episodes of psychosis can be scary, but treatment is available. Knowing is a battle  the sooner you accept your psychosis, the sooner you can try to get treatment.

What is bipolar disorder with features of psychosis? Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme shifts in mood and energy levels. This often means experiencing highs, or episodes of mania, and lows, or episodes of depression. But bipolar disorder affects us all differently. For example, some people experience mania or depression, but not both. And many people have bipolar disorder with additional specifiers, or different features that occur with bipolar disorder, such as anxiety or psychosis. Psychosis is when your thoughts or experiences make it difficult to tell what is real and what isnt. This often involves hallucinations or false beliefs, known as delusions. Some people with bipolar disorder will have hallucinations or delusions during an extreme manic or depressive episode. While mania can involve psychosis, hypomania  a milder form of mania  doesnt involve psychosis.

Types of psychosis Psychosis is when you find it difficult to tell the difference between what is real and what isnt. Its a complex state that involves your thoughts and your physical experiences of the world. Psychosis presents itself differently from person to person. Every persons experience is different, but most people find it frightening and confusing. Symptoms of psychosis usually mirror your mood at the time, which is known as mood-congruent psychosis. When the symptoms dont match the mood, this is mood-incongruent psychosis. Psychosis may involve some of the following: Hallucinations Many people have auditory hallucinations, such as hearing voices. Some people also see or smell things that arent there. You might also see objects change shape or move in an unusual way. Hearing voices, which could be helpful or nasty, is common in psychosis. Delusions Delusions are beliefs that feel completely real but that nobody else believes are true, or beliefs that your other perceptions show cannot be true. For example, delusions of grandeur involve the feeling of being very important. Paranoid delusions involve feeling like someone is trying to control or harm you. Disorganized thoughts or speech This might feel like your thoughts are racing. You may move very quickly between ideas and speak quickly. Other people may not be able to keep up or understand your train of thought. This is also a symptom of mania.

Treatment and recovery Treatments are available that can make psychosis easier to live with. You may have to wait for medications to get in your system. Types of medication that can help include: antidepressants

mood stabilizers

antipsychotics As time goes on, your episodes can be few and far between, and you can start to see patterns. For examples, some people may start to notice that the features of psychosis get worse when they dont get enough sleep. When the symptoms get too hard to manage, you can call your psychiatric healthcare team to adjust your meds or schedule emergency counseling sessions. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of talk therapy, helps a lot of people with psychiatric conditions. Many people  mental illness or not  can benefit from therapy. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has chapters across the country where you can find resources and support. Want to learn more? You can take a deep dive into bipolar disorder treatments here.

Bipolar disorder or something else? Most people equate schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder with psychosis. In schizophrenia, people may live without stability when they first receive their diagnosis. It can take a little time to get into the rhythm of treatment. Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that involves psychosis, which can include hallucinations, delusions, and disordered thinking. Treatments can greatly improve its symptoms and reduce the likelihood of recurrences. According to the American Psychiatric Association, schizophrenia affects less than 1% of the population. Schizoaffective disorder involves a major mood episode  which could include depression or bipolar disorder  at the same time as schizophrenia. Schizoaffective disorder is less common than schizophrenia, affecting around 0.3% of people in their lifetimes. Other factors that can cause psychosis include: Parkinsons disease

Alzheimers disease

a stroke

giving birth (postpartum psychosis) If you have psychosis without a known cause, its highly advisable to talk with a doctor about your experiences. Finding out the cause is the first step toward finding a treatment that works for you.
District School Board of Niagara is spending $4.5 million to hire as many as 70 teachers in an effort to reduce elementary class sizes.

The decision to allocate one per cent of its accumulated surplus was made Monday night during a special meeting of trustees and staff.

This results in targeted kindergarten class sizes of no more than 22 students, a maximum of 17 in primary grades, and a cap of 22 in junior-intermediate grades.

Under normal circumstances, provincial guidelines say kindergarten class sizes shouldnt exceed 29 students, with a board average of 26 students per class.

For primary grades, up to 20 students is the most allowed, but this figure climbs to 23 when a 10 per cent boardwide increase thats permitted is factored, said a report approved by trustees Monday.

DSBN education director Warren Hoshizaki said this wiggle room is helpful when faced with the decision to add a few extra students to a room, rather than creating an unbalanced split-grade class.

Junior-intermediate class sizes can be as high as the low 30s, but with a board average of 24.5 students per class.

Monday nights vote by the board is expected to create a reduction of elementary class sizes by three to four students.

Were trying to target that as close as we can, Hoshizaki said in an interview Tuesday.

Of the new teachers who will be hired, most of them will be assigned virtual classrooms, he said.

About 60 will serve at the elementary level and about 10 will teach secondary students, he added.

Anticipating Mondays vote two weeks ago, DSBN has been working with teachers unions to get word out that jobs will be opening up.

Hoshizaki expects all the hires will be made by next week when classes start.

Were all ready to go. Right now, were just in the process of getting people in place, he said, adding DSBN has about $9.5 million in accumulated surplus.

During Mondays meeting, Hoshizaki said there will be instances that classes will need to be held in commons areas at schools due to lack of space in some classrooms.

He said there are a couple of situations in the region for which this will need to occur  when students who started the academic year at home are given a chance to return to in-class learning, and again in early 2021 if there are major strides in the pandemic dissipating.

Thats all based on the info we get from the province and Niagara Region Public Health.

Asked about parents expressing concerns or feeling nervous about their kids going back to school, Hoshizaki said he believes those who are worried have opted for the online-only approach.

Some of them who have a little more anxiety are going virtual right now, he said.

Eighty-three per cent of DSBNs secondary students will be in class, and 80 per cent of the elementary population is physically returning.

For Niagara Catholic District School Board, 13 per cent of elementary students will stay home at their computers, and 17 per cent of secondary students have chosen the virtual route, communications staff said Tuesday.

This may change a bit, as parents continue to change their preferences. We recognize that this is a difficult decision for parents, and are giving them the option to change their minds about how their children will attend school as they receive new information, the board said in a statement.

Whether the Catholic board will hire new teachers is a matter that is being worked on now, it said, unable to provide a number related to average class sizes.

Catholic schools wont go over the caps for class sizes mandated by the province, said the board.
Senior citizens are especially susceptible to scams. Now Im afraid my own mother has been taken for a ride.

It happened during the Democratic National Convention.

Watching the con unfold, I flashed back to the 1973 film classic, The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

First, The Set Up. On the third night of the convention, as my sister joined our 78-year-old matriarch on the couch, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.  the Democratic nominee for vice president  approached the microphone.

Then, The Hook. My mother was an easy mark. In 2016, she went all-in for Hillary Clinton, the first woman to lead a presidential ticket for a major party. She was bound to get the warm and fuzzies about another woman vying for the No. 2 spot.

Finally, The Sting. For my mom  a Mexican American who suffered blatant discrimination growing up in South Texas in the 1940s  the fact that this trailblazer also is a woman of color was the cherry atop the sundae.

Seeing Harris on television, my mom turned to my sister and said: She is looking out for all of us. Hillary didnt do that.

Mom, youre killing me. It falls to your son  who has covered politicians for 30 years and learned to ignore what they say and focus on what they do  to set you straight.

Ive been watching Harris for years, and I can tell you that Harris only looks out for Harris  except when she is looking around the corner for her next job. She is a lawyer with only one client: her ambition. And shell defend it at all costs.

Of course, women have the same right as men to be ambitious. But when a public figure  man or woman  lets ambition get in the way of doing the right thing, he or she needs to be called on it.

Voters havent heard much from Harris on the timely issue of rioting and social unrest in response to police shootings like the one that recently occurred in Kenosha, Wisc. Jacob Blake  29 and (stop me if youre heard this before) African American  was shot in the back by white police officer Rusten Sheskey.

Harris has plenty of woke talking points to share about the scourge of police violence. Thats an easy case for Democrats to argue.

Yet the former prosecutor is a lot quieter when it comes to the publics violent response to such shootings. The reluctance to scold protesters is bound to frustrate Americans who want to vote for the Democratic ticket but feel reluctant to elect leaders who cant, or wont, restore order in U.S. cities.

Harris had her chance to fight for the downtrodden while serving as the first female district attorney of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.

Instead, according to criminal justice reform advocates, she ignored alleged wrongdoing by attorneys who worked for her. This allegedly includes what is perhaps the most common act of prosecutorial misconduct: withholding exculpatory evidence from defense attorneys, as required by the Supreme Court in Brady v. Maryland.

Harris got another chance to look out for the little guy  in the form of undocumented immigrants  while serving as California attorney general from 2011 to 2017, the first African American and the first woman to hold that position.

Why is that fact important? Because the pioneers who are also minorities dont just take the arrows, they also get extra scrutiny by white people who keep waiting for the groundbreakers to get radical and go off the rails. That paralyzes some folks.

While serving as Californias chief law enforcement officer, Harris kept quiet for the most part while an intramural debate was raging between Democrats. California legislators were battling both the Obama administration and then-Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown to pass something called the Trust Act, which would have limited the cooperation that Immigration and Customs Enforcement enjoyed from local police and sheriff departments.

Listen to California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, who wrote the Trust Act. He told the Huffington Post in 2019 that the help he received from Harris office was bupkus and zilch and invisible.

Not exactly a profile in courage from someone who is  as Democrats insist on reminding us  a daughter of immigrants.

Sorry, Mom. I hate to burst your bubble. But youre the one who taught me to stop believing in fairy tales.

ruben@rubennavarrette.com
LANSING, MI - Parents and guardians would need bus driver approval or prior permission to step onto a school bus to pick up their child under legislation discussed at the Capitol on Tuesday morning.

House Bills 5038 and 5039 would criminalize unauthorized boarding of a school bus by a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days imprisonment or a $100 fine. House Bill 5040 would require a sticker warning on school buses warning of the punishment. The three bills were introduced Oct. 8, 2019.

Members of the Michigan House Judiciary Committee debated the merits of the legislation Sep. 1. Some Republicans argued the bills provide extra protection for students from random assailants, while Democrats worried about overreach.

Rep. Jack OMalley, R-Lake Ann, sponsored Bill 5038 and testified Tuesday that buses are the weakest link in the school safety chain, and the bill would ensure students and drivers are safe.

Were putting all sorts of things on our school doors so people cant get in, he said, but our school buses are sent out every morning at 5:30, 6 a.m. on their own, and we needed to do something to beef this up.

In the bills current form, the only people allowed to board buses would be students, bus drivers, teachers, school employees, pre-authorized chaperones or someone with prior authorization who would be essential to the health, safety, and welfare of those in the vehicle.

In the initial drafting of the bill, unauthorized bus entry would result in a felony, but after discussions with Gov. Gretchen Whitmers office, the proposed punishment was brought down to a misdemeanor, OMalley said.

The impetus for the bill originated from videos sent to his office that showed belligerent behavior by adults around or inside buses. A message was left with OMalleys office requesting the videos.

House Rep. Tenisha Yancey, D-Harper Woods, asked why parents or guardians wouldnt be allowed on buses.

Would you be willing to carve out an exception for someone who is the parent or caretaker of the child? she asked OMalley.

The parent, OMalley said, can be the problem.

This could be creating an issue, though, said Yancey. If Im a parent and you arent letting my child off the bus, I could probably press charges against you. Its opening up another can of worms.

There are already crimes on the books that could cover the behavior the bill seeks to address, such as disorderly conduct or felonious assault, said Minority Vice-Chair Rep. David LaGrand, D-Grand Rapids. The legislation would also give bus drivers room to deny access to parents attempting to help their special needs children, such as LaGrands blind daughter.

Related: Grand Rapids native returns to braille competition as defending champ

This bill would give bus drivers, who are random contractors in my community, the ability to stop me at their discretion from getting on the bus to help my disabled daughter, he said. That is unacceptable to me.

The bill would just categorize the school bus as property and align it with standard trespassing infractions, said Majority Vice-chair Rep. Beau LaFave, R-Iron Mountain.

OMalley added that it was his intent to unburden bus drivers and allow them to keep everyone safe.

Its their job to get your kids to and from home safely, sometimes on icy roads, he said. Sometimes with 50 kids screaming in the back. The last thing they need is someone trying to get on that bus and cause them more trouble.

We are defending our schools to the utmost, but nobody thinks about the school bus. Thats the softest target.

The bill would also create a $500 civil infraction for impeding the progress or operation of a school bus. The bill remained in the Judiciary Committee for further deliberation.

Read more from MLive:

Michigan senator who tested positive for COVID-19 rails against critics wishing hed suffered more

Michigan reports 8 coronavirus outbreaks at K-12 schools and 6 on college campuses

These 100 Michigan schools will start the year with remote learning

Gyms, theaters, bowling alleys could get green light to reopen soon in Michigan
A 25-year-old New Jersey man was arrested two weeks after he falsely claimed an Evesham police officer pointed a gun at him while the officer was assisting a different motorist whose car broke down, authorities said.

Alec Ohlstein was charged Friday with two counts of filing a false police report and misuse of the 911 system after a check of the officers body camera and a witness account concluded that the Medford Lakes resident made up the allegation.

The incident unfolded around 12:20 p.m. on Aug. 13 when an Evesham police officer exited his patrol vehicle and briefly stopped traffic while attempting to help a driver move a disabled car to the side of Greentree Road, according to Lt. Joe Friel, a department spokesman.

Ohlstein, who was in his car behind the one that got stuck, believed this was an improper vehicle stop and came up to the officer to voice his concerns, Friel said.

After briefly trying to argue with the police officer, Ohlstein drove away and called 911 to say the cop threatened him by pulling a gun, officials said. That led to an internal affairs investigation by Evesham police and eventually Ohlsteins arrest.

Ohlstein was brought to the Burlington County jail ahead of his first court appearance.

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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Experts say it's not a good idea to warm up your car in winter

Experts say it's not a good idea to warm up your car in winter. Here's why.
BENGALURU : The electric vehicle (EV) revolution isn't just mushrooming from consumer demand but also from e-commerce and hyperlocal delivery firms. Delivery and e-commerce startups such as Bigbasket, Swiggy and Flipkart are also adding to the overall demand for EVs, especially with the two-wheeler format.

EV scooter makers including eBikeGo, Okinawa and Ather Energy are helping e-commerce and food delivery firms to convert their petrol-based scooters, used for deliveries, to more cost-efficient EV variants.

Bigbasket, which employs its own delivery workers on a full-time basis unlike Swiggy and Zomato, said that they are able to pay out 30-40% more salaries when the delivery workers chooses to use EVs for last-mile deliveries. This is possible since delivery workers are now able to save up on the fuel cost. Bigbasket is also taking a step forward by setting up its own charging station infrastructure across its dark stores, which are small warehouses spread across cities it operates in, as well as across its fulfilment centres.

A move that may benefit delivery workers, Bigbasket and Flipkart are also slowly converting their bigger-sized procurement trucks into EV-powered vehicles, which are expected to drastically bring down supply chain costs for e-commerce firms.

Bigbsaket has currently deployed over 4,000 EV scooters in Bengaluru, and plans to double the count by next year. While, Flipkart is also aiming to transition to a 100% EV model for its logistics operations by 2030, and for that the e-commerce company is aiming to install charging infrastructure across 1,400 supply chain premises in its network.

EVs are quite economical for a typical delivery person who makes anywhere from 13,000 to 18,000 per month doing 400 to 500 deliveries a month. We also charge 50 to 65 rupees per order, a part of which goes to the delivery personnel," KB Nagaraju, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Bigbasket said in an interview.

However, out of the 13,000 to 18,000 in net monthly earnings, delivery personnel incur a fixed fuel cost of anywhere between 5,000 to 6,000 since they cover almost 60-70 kms a day.

With electric vehicles, the same delivery person is able to save this fuel cost, and effectively his net income will increase by at least 30%-40% per month," Nagaraju added.

With more net income being paid to delivery workers, Bigbasket is also able to bring down delivery costs from the earlier 50-65 per order to around 40-45 per order in areas where it has an EV deployment in the last-mile.

According to industry estimates, there are more than 2 crore two-wheelers running in India, and a good chunk of these the two wheelers are being utilized in the food delivery, e-commerce, and all last-mile logistics services in the country. And most of these vehicles are petrol-based scooters. EV manufacturers such as EbikeGo, Okinawa, and Ather Energy are looking to convert this fleet into EV scooters.

Delhi-based EV manufacturer eBikeGo, currently supplies EV scooters to delivery startups such as Bigbasket, Zomato, and to retail brands including Burger King, Nandos, among others. The company recently launched a franchise models targeting to help delivery-centric brands and startups. Its franchise owned and company operated (FOCO) model requires companies to invest anywhere from 20lacs to INR 1crore for purchasing EVs without having to expose the asset ownership on the balance sheet.

eBikeGOs founder and chief executive T Irfan said that the startup has already deployed more than 1,600 EV scooters in the franchise format and had clocked gross revenue of 2 crore in 2019-2020. Irfran added that the EV startup is now targeting to achieve 10 crore in gross revenue by end of 2021.

Jeetender Sharma, managing director, and founder of Okinawa said the total addressable market size for EVs currently stands at around 3-5 million users. Sharma also estimated that around 100,000 bikes out of this can be deployed in hyper local delivery and e-commerce brands over the next one year.

There is a huge opportunity for EV Industry in e-commerce and hyperlocal delivery market. In the post COVID era, e commerce is going to play a major role in the EV industryWe are in process of building presence in e-commerce and hyperlocal market currently," added Sharma during a phone interview.

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Czech cement production reaches 4.57Mt in 2019

ICR Newsroom By 01 September 2020

Cement output in the Czech cement industry increased 3.2 per cent YoY to 4.57Mt, a level not seen since 2008, reports the Czech news agency, CTK. In the last six years, cement production has increased by more than 40 per cent.



Sales expanded by 1.5 per cent YoY to 3.84Mt, according to preliminary data of the Czech cement producers association.



Exports rose by 1.9 per cent YoY to 760,613t, with nearly half of volumes delivered to Slovakia, followed by Germany (29 per cent), Austria (15 per cent) and Poland (nine per cent).



Imports declined by 14.5 per cent YoY to 489,955t. Slovakia was the main importer of cement into the Czech Republic with almost 50 per cent. A quarter of cement imports came from Poland, 20 per cent from Germany and eight per cent from Austria.

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Big name: Dame Helena Morrissey made her name in fund management

Female fund managers have outperformed their male colleagues so far this year, according to research.

The investment industry has had a rollercoaster ride since the start of the pandemic, trying to cope with volatile markets and spot the next big trends.

But Goldman Sachs found that women have done best. The average female-managed fund has lagged its benchmark by 0.6 per cent this year  while the average fund with no woman as a manager underperformed by 1.6 per cent.

The investment bank told clients: 'Female-managed funds withstood many of the market swings.'

A number of senior women in UK financial services made their name in fund management, including Dame Helena Morrissey, Nichola Pease and Nicola Horlick.

Currently the likes of Aberdeen Standard's Lesley Duncan, and the Herald Investment Trust's Katie Potts, are at the top of their game.

The edge which women have was still evident when Goldman adjusted for the riskiness of different funds.

Part of their stronger performance was due to the types of stocks which the female-managed funds tend to hold.

They have a greater exposure to the tech sector, which has been booming as investors have piled in to take advantage of the expected growth of companies like Amazon and Apple.

Male-managed funds, on the other hand, prefer investing in financial companies.

Despite the better performance which women have achieved, there are still few female fund managers around.

Goldman said that out of the 496 large-cap funds it has analysed recently, 14 have an all-female fund manager team, and 380 have an all-male team.

And even though they tend to perform better, the female-managed funds have seen investors pull more money out since the start of the year than their male-managed counterparts.
The Centre for Climate Change and Food Security (CCCFS) would like to put out our opinion per our review of NPPs manifesto on the areas of climate change and food security in line with our organisations vision and mission.

1. Background

Climate change issues have gained global traction because of the impact climate change has on almost every facet of human existence. To address the issue, there have many global accords including the famous Paris accord, that seek to galvanise governmental commitments from various countries in addressing the problem.

Food security on the other hand, which relates to climate change as an either a positive or negative outcome, continue to be a global agenda because some 690 million people representing 8.9% of the worlds population, are hungry. SDG 2 envisions eradication of hunger by 2030.

Ghana is a signatory to almost all the international accords, declarations, treaties etc on these two interlinked issues. That is why, academics and civil society must continuously benchmark governments performance or commitments to the realisation of these international commitments. The manifesto, having become an integral part of Ghanas politics, gives an insight on the aspirations of future governments, making it an important document for assessing potential governments. This is exactly what we seek to do with this piece of work.

2. General Observations/Comments

We note, that, the manifesto is cast in a two-pronged approach. The first part of the manifesto highlights governments achievements viz a viz, its 2016 manifesto while the second part focuses on the partys intentions for Ghana should it win the 2020 elections. We acknowledge that, in the 2016 manifesto, government made a specific promise on climate change with the view of accessing dedicated global funds for addressing climate change issues. What government did in respect of this promise, was to engage in a swap agreement with Switzerland and South Korea for the supply of solar panel and stove for carbon credits. Both the promise and the delivery, in our respectful view, are too scanty when compared with the enormity of the climate change challenge. We commend government for other non-climate-change-intended programmes which it undertook in fulfilment of its manifesto pledges in 2016, which nonetheless, had/have significant mitigation impacts on climate change. These include the combat against illegal mining (though not very successful), youth in afforestation programme, setting up of the sanitation ministry (little has been achieved though), passage of law to ban import of 10-year-old vehicles, etc. Also, The One Village One Dam project, which has not been largely successful, is a good initiative for mitigating climate change and boosting agriculture which ultimately, improves our food security situation. On food security, the PFJ and One Constituency One Warehouse programmes are commendable. These two programmes have been largely successful. Government has to a greater extent, achieved its promise on food security as evidenced in Ghanas leap from 79th to 59th position in the Global Food Security Index in 2018. Finally, we take cognisance of the fact that, some of the projects initiated under bullets 3 & 4 are still ongoing. These projects must be oriented to have climate change undertones so as to guide their focus to integrate climate change combat seminally, in them.

This assessment looks exclusively at what NPP intends to do should it win the next election as presented in their manifesto. We, therefore, delink completely, all ongoing projects that have implicit or explicit implications for climate change combat and food security from this assessment. The focus here is on post-2020 events.

Our assessment set out to answer the following questions using SMART as the broad measurement instrument 

Are there specific promises on climate change combat and food security? Are there general promises that are not specific but have unintended effects on climate change combat and food security? If there are any such promises in respect of questions a & b above, are they realistic and achievable?

3. Scoring

We intend to answer questions a & b quantitatively through simple counting and to qualitatively answer question 3 using the SMART instrument. Each letter in the measurement instrument, SMART, is assigned a 20% score, altogether making 100%. Each promise is assessed using this criterion and then, a cumulative average is extracted for all promises.

4. Climate Change

Question: Are there specific promises on climate change combat?

Our findings/comments:

We found that there is no mention at all of the term climate change. The implication of this, is that there are no specific promises on climate change mitigation. This frontally offends the tenets of the Paris accord which enjoins countries to take steps aimed at combating climate change.

Question: Are there general promises that are not specific but have unintended effects on climate change?

Our findings/comments:

Disappointingly, we did not find any general promises that combat climate change. In fact, the manifesto is surprisingly, silent on issues of environment, sanitation, and all other activities that cumulatively combat climate change. This again offends the tenets of the Paris accord.

Question: If there are any such promises in respect of questions a & b above, are they realistic and achievable using our SMART instrument?

Our findings/comments:

Since the answers to the two questions above are all negative, question 3 is not applicable.

Verdict: NPP manifesto scores 0% on the combat against climate change.

5. Agriculture and Food Security

Some 2% of Ghanaians representing 2 million in nominal terms, are estimated to be hungry. Ghana as a signatory to the SDGs, should be working to eradicate hunger in its entirety by 2030. The possibility of achieving this, will be based on governments agriculture programmes.

Question: Are there specific promises on food security?

Our findings/comments:

The expression food security, appears only once. Under Agriculture Transformation, one of the broad thematic areas through which NPP intends to achieve its Ghana Beyond Aid agenda, the manifesto states We will continue our investments to strengthen our food security.. It is commendable that there is a deliberate attempt to protect the gains made  and to achieve more  in food security. But, since this is a broad statement whose effectuation depends on the promises made under agriculture, we will not count it quantitatively as a promise.

Question: Are there general promises that are not specific but have unintended effects on food security?

Our findings/comments:

All the promises made under agriculture can be said to have direct implications on food security if well implemented. In total, we counted 10 such promises. 2 out of the 10, had subsidiary promises totalling 9, which constitute breakdown of how to achieve those 2 broad promises.

We are happy that agriculture which employs almost 60% of Ghanas population, is selected as a broad theme and 10 promises made under it to actualise the Ghana Beyond Aid rhetoric. In total, there are 11 promises

Question: If there are any such promises in respect of questions a & b above, are they realistic and achievable using our SMART instrument?

Our findings/comments:

This question applies since we have identified promises under questions a & b and so we do an in-depth analysis using our scale.

For easy referencing for readers, we reproduce the entire promises contained on page 153 of the NPPs manifesto here:

We will accelerate:

our efforts in modernising agriculture along the entire value chain, including expanding our Agricultural Mechanisation Centres

support for farmers through:

increased supply of inputs

enhanced involvement of farm extension officers to work with farmers and breeders

increased disease control

improved warehousing and post-harvest logistics, and

tighter linkages with industry mainly through 1D1F

diversification of export-oriented, large scale agricultural enterprises in cocoa, palm oil, legumes, cereals, rice and horticulture, poultry and meat for regional markets

large-scale private sector investment in processing, packaging and export of agricultural produce

promotion of import substitution, with special focus on rice, sugar and poultry by

scaling up supply of improved seeds and fertilisers to farmers

promoting consumption of locally produced rice, sugar and poultry

supporting the private sector under the Rearing for Food and Jobs (RFJ) policy with subsidised day-old chicks, feed, and vaccines

supporting soya bean production for the production of poultry feed

enhancement of small ruminant production with supply of improved breeds of sheep and goats

the successful implementation of the Greenhouse Village concept, focusing especially on the youth

activities under the Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) with the rapid growth of the Ghana Tree Crop Development Authority (GTCDA)

the development of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam, and

access to finance through subscription to the Ghana Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing Scheme for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL) programme to finance and de-risk private sector investments in farming and other agricultural value-chain activities.

The promises have been assigned numbers in a descending order where 1 represents the first promise and so on, for easy identification and counting.

This table gives a breakdown of the scores we assigned to each promise.

PROMISES S M A R T TOTAL (%) 1 10 10 10 20 0 50 2 20 15 20 20 0 75 3 5 15 20 20 0 60 4 5 5 20 20 0 50 5 20 15 20 20 0 75 6 20 10 20 20 0 70 7 5 15 20 20 0 60 8 5 5 15 20 0 45 9 20 20 20 20 0 80 10 20 5 20 20 0 65 AVERAGE SCORE 63

Notes

S requires a promise or vision to be specific. The elements of specificity include  but not limited to  unambiguous project title, how you intend to execute the project, pointed direction of end results, and KPIs. We realised that most of the promises lacked one or more of these essential elements.

M requires the promise to be measurable. The elements of measurability include  but not limited to  deadlines, quantities, quality, costs, etc. We realised that most of the promises lacked one or more of these essential elements.

A requires the promise to be attainable. The elements of attainability include  but not limited to  achievability of the promise taking expertise, time, costs, scope, resources, etc into cognisance. We realised that a few of the promises lacked one or more of these essential elements.

R requires the promise to be relevant. The elements of relevance include  but not limited to  importance, impact, etc of the promise. We realised that almost all promises had these essential elements.

T requires the promise to be time-oriented or time-bound. All the promises in the manifesto, lacked the T element as none of the promises, was assigned timelines. Though we know governments hold office for a period of 4 years, it would be good if the manifesto gave at least, an estimated time of start and completion of programmes/projects outlined.

Verdict: NPP manifesto scores 63% on agriculture and food security.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Using the three-dimensional scale for assessing food security, i.e., affordability, quantity, and quality, we note, that, the promises largely promote quantity but are very silent on affordability and quality. There is just a slight hint on quality arising from the aspect that deals with disease control but that pales into insignificance when benchmarked against the gamut of issues that make up quality.

On affordability, it is not automatic that, increase in food quantity may necessarily plummet food prices though it is the rational outcome from the interplay between the forces of demand and supply. This is because, while some parts of Ghana may experience glut of food, other parts may face dearth of food  underscoring an uneven food distribution system over the years. So, while areas that experience glut of food may have food prices plummeting, those that experience dearth, may have increments in prices. Also, in an unregulated market such as ours, the potential of hoarding by sellers in order to instigate shortages for a future exorbitant pricing, exists which will then defeat the cardinal element of affordability. Our recommendation therefore, is that, potential governments must seek to couch deliberate policies to deal with our irregular food distribution system and the exploitative market system in order to achieve affordability in the face of abundance.

On quality, this is achieved through a careful production technique that reduces residues of chemicals in food, producing highly nutritious food, and food that generally fits the consumer expectations. In this regard, we do not find any of the promises attempting to address the issue of quality. It is our recommendation that, future governments, should turn their eyes on organic agriculture as an efficient alternative method of producing quality food while at the same time, preserving the environment. Additionally, standard-setting for all food products must be taken seriously as we have come to know how some producers disregard basic hygiene in the cause of production. Limits for agrochemical use by farmers should be set to ensure food safety.

The lack of alacrity to combat climate change is repulsive. We ask the media and civil society to take this matter seriously and bring it to the front burner of national discourse as our very existence, is threatened by this canker.

Sulemana Issifu

Director of Research, Centre for Climate Change and Food Security

Email: [email protected]

Zoom: [email protected]

Skype: issifusulemana

Phone: +491629352295
Colin Farrell is getting ready to head back to England to finish shooting The Batman, with Robert Pattinson in the titular role of the Dark Knight, in England in early September.

While in quarantine in Los Angeles in recent months, the Irish-born actor, who plays Penguin in Matt Reeves' superhero reboot, has been working out hard in order to keep in shape.

And all that work was on display when Farrell showed off his toned biceps while waiting to pick up some lunch to-go in the trendy Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on Monday.

Scroll down to video

Guns blazing: Colin Farrell, 44, showed off his toned biceps in a sleeveless t-shirt when he picked up lunch to-go in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles on Monday

The actor was the picture of ruggedly handsome in a sleeveless blue t-shirt and cream-colored pants.

He also wore a pair of tan shoes and a bandana over his short brown hair on another warm and sunny Southern California day.

In adherence to health and safety protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Farrell donned a black protective while out in public.

While waiting for his food, Farrell cooled off with an ice-cold soda, and eventually he was on his way.

Safety first: The Irish actor wore a protective mask while out in public, which is in accordance to health and safety protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic

A lot of fans are still talking about Farrell's incredible transformation into the villainous Penguin in the first official trailer for The Batman just over a week ago.

He looked unrecognizable, compliments of the top-notch prosthetics and makeup work, in his three brief appearances in the two-minute-plus teaser.

The actor has gone on record to say how much 'fun' he's had creating the new version of Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, and to understand 'the aesthetic of the character,' during an interview with GMA Online News in May.

Amazing transformation: Colin Farrell looked unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin in the first official trailer for The Batman

Back to work: Production on The Batman is expected to pick back up in the UK in early September, according to a report in Variety

Farrell's role as Penguin is said to be a minor one, but nonetheless, he expressed how excited he is to get back to the set and 'explore it,' according to Variety.

Director Matt Reeves recently revealed he only shot about 25% of the film before the mass closures of movie and TV sets in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

Along with Pattinson and Farrell, The Batman also stars Jeffrey Wright as Gotham Police Department commissioner James Gordon; John Turturro as Carmine Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Zoe Kravitiz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman; Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/Riddler; Barry Keoghan as Stanley Merkel; Jayme Lawson as mayoral candidate Bella Real; and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

The Batman is slated to hit theaters an October 1, 2021.

Reimagined: Robert Pattinson plays Bruce Wayne/Batman in the superhero reboot
Goldman Sachs expects Brent crude to reach $65 a barrel in the third quarter of 2021, although it could end the year lower, at $58 a barrel, according to Goldman Sachs analysts.

In a note, they also said they expected West Texas Intermediate to rally to $55.88 a barrel by the third quarter of next year, up from $51.38 a barrel in earlier forecasts, Business Insider reports.

"There is a growing likelihood that vaccines will become widely available starting next spring, helping support global growth and oil demand, especially jet," the Goldman analysts said.

"Key to the resilience of spot prices, despite stalling inventory draws this summer, has been the steady rally in long-dated prices," they added.

Earlier this year, the investment bank's head of commodities Jeffrey Currie said that the short-term prospects of oil remained weak, but in 2021, prices would start to improve more markedly. He noted in July that if prices increased quickly, they would interfere with the market rebalancing by bringing more shale production back online.

Separately, Goldman analysts said back in July that demand for oil would likely recover to pre-crisis levels by 2022, spurred by a return to work for millions, a shift towards more private transport, and government support in the form of infrastructure spending.

In their latest note, the investment bank's analysts said they expected oil demand to improve by 3.7 million bpd between January and August next year, while supply remains capped thanks to OPEC+' continuing production cuts and a modest increase in non-OPEC supply.

Oil started this week with a gain, rising to the highest in five months on the back of positive economic news from China, a weak greenback, and plans by the UAE's state oil company to reduce crude oil supplies by as much as 30 percent in October.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
(Natural News) Fewer birds are crooning North America today. A recent study published in the journal Science found that the regions bird populations declined in the last 49 years.

Researchers from the United States and Canada joined forces to understand how bird populations changed across North America. They looked at existing data chronicling birdlife and found that common bird species decreased in number by as much as 29 percent.

The researchers said that the losses serve a huge blow to agriculture and overall ecological balance. Many of the birds included in the study are common bird species, which play a pivotal role in controlling pests and dispersing seeds.

We expected to see continuing declines of threatened species. But for the first time, the results also showed pervasive losses among common birds across all habitats, including backyard birds, said lead author Ken Rosenberg of Cornell University and the American Bird Conservancy.

Common bird species suffer losses

In the study, the researchers examined the populations of various bird species. They combined data from several independent sources including data that were obtained after almost 50 years of on-the-ground monitoring. They also used data from the 143 Next Generation Weather Radar stations, which detect migrating birds in the air.

The team found that North American birds were fewer by three billion since 1970. Thats one out of four birds gone. About 90 percent of the total loss involved 12 bird families such as swallows, blackbirds, warblers, sparrows and finches.

Meanwhile, the species that were most affected included grassland birds and shorebirds, which lost about 720 million and more than one-third of their numbers, respectively.

Many of these birds play an important role in keeping crops healthy and maintaining the population levels of their prey and predator species. Therefore, the researchers were alarmed that their decline may mirror some changes in other animal populations, such as insects and amphibians.

While most bird species included in the study remain common today, study co-author Peter Marra of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute was cautious.

Thats what happened with the Passenger Pigeon, a bird that was really common and nobody thought could ever go extinct, said Marra. The losses are also gradual, which means that they occur even without anyone noticing theyre happening.

Several factors contribute to the decline of bird populations. Two of the major players are urban sprawl and agriculture.

Were squeezing the planet so hard in terms of using resources and space. And now were reaching this tipping point, said Rosenberg.

Other factors include the rise of domestic cat populations, collisions with glass structures and buildings, and pesticide use. (Related: Why are the animals dying? Birds, fish wiped out in mysterious deaths.)

Bringing back birds

Despite the losses, however, some bird species are also recovering. Raptors such as the bald eagle and waterfowl like swans and geese have surged in the last few decades. These recoveries were the result of sustained conservation efforts. For example, banning the pesticide DDT and increasing protection through legislation helped boost the raptor populations.

Co-author Michael Parr is hopeful that despite the decline in some species, its not too late to try saving birds. He encouraged people to help in their own ways. Actions such as keeping cat indoors, protecting avian habitat and making windows safer for birds help ensure their survival.

More so, Parr continued, its important for policymakers to enact laws and strengthen existing ones such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Proper funding is also required to build effective programs that will rehabilitate bird populations.

These combined efforts can revitalize ailing bird species. The losses do not mean that the birds are totally gone; what remained of them can be used to spur recovery and bring them back to their regular numbers.

Learn more about animal conservation at Environ.news.

Sources include:

MedicalNewsToday.com

AllAboutBirds.org
A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of a young mother found laying in a pool of her own blood with her children in the house, according to an arrest affidavit.

Police arrested Jorge Izquierdo for the killing of 27-year-old Cora Nickel on Aug. 20.

SAPD was called to the 8900 block of Maverick Draw just after 10 a.m., after Nickel's mother, Lynette Robinson, found her dead inside the residence. Robinson had received a text message from her grandchildren age 5 and 8 who said "come over, red stuff all over the floor and think mom is dead," the affidavit noted.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

When Robinson got to the house, the children were outside so she put them into her vehicle before going into the house. Inside, she found Nickel laying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. Robinson said she touched her daughter's body, which felt cold to the touch, before calling 911, the affidavit said.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office later reported Nickel died from a gunshot wound to the head.

According to the affidavit, Nickel, Izquierdo and the couple's children had gone to a family function at Izquierdo's mother's home the night before and all returned back to the Maverick Draw residence where Izquierdo and Nickel got into an argument. Izquierdo was washing clothes at the residence when Nickel asked him to leave. Investigators also reported that Izquierdo is the father of the children.

The children had gone to bed, but woke up around 4 a.m. and tried to go find Nickel in her room, but she wasn't there, the affidavit recorded.

Investigators reported they obtained numerous surveillance videos from home security systems throughout the neighborhood that they say showed Izquierdo running from the residence around 11:30 p.m. that night. Another neighbor reported seeing someone running towards a ditch at the end of the street after his motion senor lights were triggered.

READ ALSO: Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office IDs young mother found dead in Northwest home Thursday

On Aug. 21, Izquierdo's mother reported him missing and told authorities she was afraid for his safety after receiving a message from Izquierdo the morning after Nickel's death, though documents did not indicate what the message was. Izquierdo and his mother were very close, according to the mom who said she became worried after her calls went straight to voicemail and he wasn't calling her back.

Izquierdo was located later that day in Oxnard, Calif., after calling his sister to come pick him up from a park.

He was extradited to San Antonio and arrested on Sunday and charged with murder. His bail was set at $200,000.

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
President Uhuru Kenyatta called for the utilization of knowledge gained from the global and national response to Covid-19 in the roll-out of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the country.

The President said UHC, which is one of the Governments Big 4 development agenda, should be structured to promote preventive medicine.

Pre-mortem analysis will help us chart the path to sustainable health provisioning for all. Using this model, the conference should, therefore, give us counsel on how to promote preventive medicine over symptomatic care.

It should guide us on how to use the lessons learnt from the Covid-19 experience in order to anchor the full national roll-out of the Universal Health Coverage, the President said.

The Head of State spoke Monday morning at State House, Nairobi when he opened a Covid-19 virtual conference organised by the Council of Governors on building resilience to deal with future pandemics.

To achieve resilience to the current Covid-19 and future health challenges, the President called for a shift from tactical responses to more long-term strategic approaches.

We must move away from tactical response to this pandemic, to strategic response. Instead of symptomatic reactions to this crisis, we must move to structural reactions that are long-term and transformative.

And this is what I call positive resilience  being able to anticipate the patterns of this pandemic, responding to it transformatively and building-back better, the President told the meeting attended by Deputy President Dr William Ruto and, Cabinet Secretaries Eugene Wamalwa (Devolution) and Mutahi Kagwe (Health).

As stakeholders harness lessons from the six-month fight against Covid-19 and as the curve of infections in the country begin to flatten, the President called for caution saying the focus should remain victory against the killer virus.

But as we implement best practices after the counsel of this conference, our shared goal must also remain in sight. And this goal is simple: Victory over Covid-19 and nothing less. We must achieve it at zero option, he said.

In their opening remarks, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said the infrastructure set up to respond to Coronavirus was a major boost to the countrys UHC agenda while Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa hailed the excellent inter-governmental relations exhibited during the Covid-19 period.
Two officers of Chiles Carabinero paramilitary police have been placed under preventive detention in connection with the violent police-state repression unleashed against last years massive demonstrations against social inequality. The arrests came as only two dozen symbolic cases have been allowed to proceed out of many thousands of lawsuits that have languished in the courts. They have been cynically selected by the Stalinist Communist Party and their political acolytes to sow dangerous illusions in so-called Chilean democracy and parliamentarism.

Public prosecutors announced last Friday the arrest of ex-Capt. Patricio Maturana for his role in the shooting of Fabiola Campillai, 36 and a mother of three. On the evening of November 26, Campillai was shot at close range by special forces with a tear gas canister in the face, then denied assistance and left to die. It was only because of the intervention of neighbours that she survived. Fabiola has undergone numerous intrusive operations and lost her sight and her senses of taste and smell.

Maturana was removed from his post earlier that month in what was a purely administrative procedure: his superiors dismissed the sadistic cop for refusing assistance to a victim and omitting the corresponding legal procedure. No charges were laid. Capt. Jaime Fernandez was also discharged for refusing to deliver assistance as well as giving contradictory statementsFernandez withheld his GoPro body camera that implicated Maturana in the assault on Campillai.

Alejandra Arriaza, Campillais lawyer, confirmed to the media what is a well-known fact: that Carabineros lie, withhold information and continually create obstacles to human rights cases brought against the institution.

Carabineros have not made themselves available to the investigation from the first day, Arriaza told CNN Chile, but consistently  obstruct justice. Arriaza raised that many of the cops involved in the current cases are accused of previous human rights abuses, which had been left to languish in the courts.

Had they been investigated [and] sanctioned in a timely manner, today these people would not have enjoyed the power they have to remain on the streets, to use weapons and attack the people, she said.

These points apply especially to former Lt. Col. Claudio Crespo, who on August 21 was placed under preventive detention by Judge Marcia Figueroa, who ruled that the accused constitutes a danger to the security of society and posed a danger of escape.

The court heard that on November 8 last year Crespo, abusing his position and with the intention of punishing, fired 170 cartridges from a distance of 24.5 metres aiming specifically at the upper third of the bodies of demonstrators. At 6:10 p.m. psychology student Gustavo Gatica received multiple pellets to the face, resulting in his total loss of vision. The court has granted 90 days to public prosecutors to conduct a criminal investigation.

As with the Campillai case, international media attention played a role in moving Gaticas case along. After human rights groups leaked the names of Crespo and Col. Santiago Saldivia in June, the Carabinero high command transferred Saldivia to a cushy job in the Directorate of Welfare, and discharged Crespo for an administrative infringement of manipulating the records of his GoPro camera before submitting it to internal auditors.

Had the cases not drawn the international attention, all of these cops would have remained in their posts and quite possibly received promotions. This is not conjecture but confirmed by Crespo, who has moved up the ranks despite a decade-long career of extreme violence.

In 2013, a medic from the Valparaiso region testified to an Ethical Commission against torture that Capt. Crespo tortured minors in his police van during the student demonstrations of 2011 and 2012. In 2018, Maj. Crespo was accused of firing at a protesters face from less than five metres. During last years demonstrations, the now Lt. Col. Crespo was caught on camera strangling youth, threatening to shoot a firefighter as well as indiscriminately firing at protesters.

This is the modus operandi of Chiles state apparatus. Whether under military rule or civilian government, it has resorted to violence to quash rebellious youth and militant actions by the working class. The police and the armed forces are the repressive arm of the state that maintains bourgeois law and order and protects capitalist private property.

The fascist-military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet unleashed in the first five years after the 1973 military coup a reign of bloody terror against the political left. The working class suffered torture that oftentimes ended in forced disappearances and mass graves. The armed forces, Carabineros and secret services were permitted, with a nod from their backers in Washington, unprecedented levels of state criminality and lawlessness.

Enshrined in Pinochets constitution were anti-terror laws that criminalised all social protest as a threat to national security. He militarised the police and made frequent use of the military in controlling civilians. These measures were an attempt to intimidate the working class and prevent the formation of any form of independent organisations as the dictatorship rammed through its free-market economic shock therapy against the population. Both centre-left and right-wing civilian governments have since only added their own authoritarian laws and sharpened old ones, especially with the outbreak of radical student protests against private education beginning in the 2000s.

Another turning point was reached with the eruption of strikes and demonstrations involving millions of workers and youth last year in opposition to social inequality, government corruption and state repression, as the deepening world economic crisis began to assert itself. In response ultra-right billionaire President Sebastian Pinera gave his we are at war speech that set in motion a series of draconian laws to outlaw protests. He decreed for the first time in the 30 years of civilian rule a State of Constitutional Emergency.

This allowed the military, Carabineros special forces and black berets to up the ante, knowing full well that they had institutional protection: Carabineros head Gen. Mario Rozas secretly told officers that they had his support and backing and he would not discharge anyone by police procedure.

During the last three months of 2019, militarised police and the military fired 152,000 12-calibre cartridges, tear gas cartridges and irritant gas grenades that resulted in dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries and mutilations. There were a growing number of reports of mock executions, rape, torture and torture chambers, of severe beatings resulting in death, and forced disappearances, state crimes that have continued to occur to this day as the coronavirus pandemic tears through the country.

Amid the greatest crisis of bourgeois rule since the revolutionary period of 19681973 and the growing danger of police-state dictatorship, the Chilean parliamentary left and its satellite organisations are working to conceal the class nature of the capitalist state. This task has especially fallen to the Chilean Stalinists, who have made a political career of promoting the parliamentary road to socialism.

The few symbolic human rights cases that have been permitted to proceed are being cynically exploited to sow illusions in the courts, the parliament and the other institutions of the bourgeois state, including that the police and armed forces can be democratically reformed.

PCCh deputy Hugo Gutierrez called for a profound restructuring of the uniformed police. Senator Alejandro Navarro, ex-Socialist Party and now head of the electoral front Progresista, lamented that the credibility of the Carabineros is once again in question. He called on the director to step aside. adding that La Moneda [the presidential palace] has not only the moral but also legal duty to ask him. The Human Rights Commission president, deputy Emilia Nuyado (PS), called on the minister of the Interior and the President to demand greater collaboration from an institution that is subordinate to political power.

It is worth recalling that 50 years ago the Popular Unity government headed by Salvador Allende argued along similar lines.

Sceptics and catastrophists will say [that] a Parliament that served the ruling classes so well is incapable of transfiguring itself into the Parliament of the Chilean people, Allende said in his first Congressional address on May 1971. Furthermore, they have emphatically said that the Armed Forces and Carabineros, until now the supporters of the institutional order that we will overcome, would not accept to guarantee the popular will determined to build socialism in our country.

For my part, I declare  that since this Institution is based on the popular vote, nothing in its very nature prevents it from renewing itself to become in fact the Peoples Parliament. And I affirm that the Chilean Armed Forces and the Carabineros, remaining faithful to their duty and their tradition of not interfering in the political process, will be the support of a social order that corresponds to the popular will expressed in the terms established by the Constitution. The Stalinists went further as the preparations for a CIA-backed coup became ever more open, declaring the Army to be the people in uniform.

Two years after Allendes speech, the Popular Unity government was overthrown by the US-backed Armed Forces and Carabineros, Allende was assassinated and a 17-year fascist-military dictatorship was installed over the bodies of thousands of worker militants.

It is time for the youth and working class to draw lessons from the bitter and tragic experiences repeatedly suffered under the mis-leadership of the national-reformist Chilean left and turn to revolutionary socialist internationalism advanced by the Trotskyist movement of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
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London's West End faces losing 10billion a year and 50,000 jobs because visitors are staying away from the city hotspot, local politicians and experts have warned as pictures show the area deserted today.

Strict quarantine rules combined with the fears of infection in the UK have driven a collapse in the number of overseas travellers coming to the capital.

And domestic visitors are also well down as office staff resist calls to go back with a knock-on effect on footfall at West End shops and restaurants.

The gloomy predictions coincide with the end of the government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme yesterday, and crowds of diners made the most of the discount on the Bank Holiday.

But today the same venues restaurants were deserted, as these photos show, after the scheme that provided 80 million two-for-one discounts at a cost to the taxpayer of 400m.

Nickie Aiken, Tory MP for Cities of London and Westminster, said as many as 50,000 people in the capital's retail sector faced losing their jobs due to the lack of visitors.

She said the loss of international visitors had majorly impacted London's economy.

Ms Aiken said: 'Almost half of the 10 billion annual spend in the West End is from overseas travellers and then the lack of office workers who have not been back at their desks since March, that has a huge effect on the overall turnover of West End shops and hospitality.

'Between about 70-80% - you're basically looking at about 50,000 job losses retail job losses in West End retail alone.'

The Prime Minister also warned today Boris Johnson today warned his fisrt Cabinet meeting after the summer break that there is going to be 'more of this wretched Covid still to come', but told ministers 'bit by bit' the UK is 'getting back on its feet'.

 Slide me  What a difference a day makes: The packed streets of Monday were left abandoned in just 24 hours in the West End

 Slide me  Staying away: Many took part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme (left) but by today (right) the same places were very quiet

 Slide me  Some roads had been shut for the weekend they were so busy but by today may of them were completely empty

AstraZeneca begins final trials of Oxford University coronavirus vaccine enrolling 50,000 people The world may be one step closer to getting a coronavirus jab after Oxford University's vaccine candidate entered its final stage of tests in the US. UK drug giant AstraZeneca, which owns the rights to the vaccine, said it had enrolled 30,000 American volunteers to take part in its phase three clinical trial. It now means 50,000 people worldwide are taking part in studies to see whether the jab - known as AZD1222 - can actually prevent people getting infected with Covid-19. Thousands of volunteers have already been injected with the experimental drug in the UK, Brazil and South Africa and are being monitored by scientists. Oxford's Professor Sarah Gilbert, the brains behind the jab, said preliminary data from trials in these countries could be expected in the coming weeks. Cambridge-based AstraZeneca said further trials are planned in Japan, where there has been a deadly second wave, and Russia, where there have been a million cases. AstraZeneca and Oxford scientists have repeatedly promised to deliver the vaccine to the most vulnerable groups to Covid-19 by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the British drugmaker today struck a 15million deal with Oxford Biomedica to mass-produce the vaccine if it is proven to be effective. Gene and cell therapy firm Oxford Biomedica will be the sole manufacturer of the vaccine in Britain for 18 months. AstraZeneca has also struck deals with manufacturers in China, the US, and across Europe as it looks to supply the entire world with the Oxford jab. Oxford Biomedica says it will receive 15m as a capacity reservation fee, plus as much as 35m to make multiple large-scale batches of the vaccine if it works. Early trials have shown promising results, with tests showing the vaccine is safe to use in humans and appears to provoke an immune response. But data that proves it protects people is not expected until later this year. To prove without doubt that it protects people from infection, vaccines need to go through rigorous phase three trials. Advertisement

Ms Aiken told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: a 'huge fall off in confidence' regarding the perceived safety of public transport was partly behind the drop in shoppers.

She added: 'We've got to get that back, we've got to get businesses, the Mayor of London and Government to work together to provide that confidence to get people back in.'

The doomsday-style predictions came as Edinburgh said it had seen a two million slump in visitor numbers in August.

Hospitality chiefs said the absence of 25,000 performers and the demise of 'the after-work pint' contributed to the fall.

The number of people on the streets of the Scottish capital was down to 700,000 in August compared to 2.7million in the same month last year.

The Edinburgh Hotels Association said the average occupancy was down to just 50 per cent in August - at a time when they would normally be almost full.

The average price of a hotel room was just 76 - down 52 per cent on the same period in 2019 - as prices were slashed to try to drum up business.

Association chiefs described the situation as 'much worse than expected'.

City centre leaders said the many businesses are now in 'survival mode' following the 'double whammy' of the festivals cancellation and the lack of office workers.

Among the sectors hardest hit in the London economy have been the tourism industry and the arts.

London's visitors make up 53 per cent of all inbound visitors to the UK, but travel restrictions combined with high Coronavirus cases have made it an unattractive option for travellers.

Visit Britain had predicted pre-pandemic that people from abroad using the UK tourism industry would bring in 30.3billion.

But when the pandemic hit it downgraded its total to 10.6billion.

The New West End Company has also said that the number of people visiting the area increased when non-essential retail stores reopened on June 15, but was still half of what was expected.

Experts in the group, which acts for 600 retailers and landlords in Oxford Street, Bond Street, Regent Street and Mayfair, believe there will be a 5billion drop in retail sales.

Last month MailOnline told how lost fare revenue would leave TfL needing an estimated 3.5billion for the year despite a 1.6billion government bailout in May and Sadiq Khan's decision to increase the congestion charge by 4.50 to 15 a day. Tube and bus fare revenues were down 90% at the height of the lockdown.

London Councils have also lost out on 1.4billion thanks to lost income from council tax, business rates and charges for council services while each borough's spending on services during lockdown has gone up.

The Greater London Authority, which is mainly funded by government grants, has also suffered a 493million from the loss of its share of tax revenue .

 Slide me  Even popular fast food giants were shunned by London visitors and tourists, despite the capital's sunny weather

Only two diners could be seen at McDonald's restaurant in the West End on the day workers were urged to go back to work

The Eat Out to Help Out scheme saw millions return to dining out as restaurants but they were in short supply today

Economists at law firm Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economics & Business Research estimated London businesses were losing 575million a day at the height of the lockdown.

Their findings suggest that each day at the height of the lockdown, the London hotels, restaurants and pub sector lost 54.7m a day in revenue, office work including professional services in the City lost 50m a day, financial services 50m and arts, entertainment and recreation 31.9million.

Their estimations project a 66.9bn impact to London's GDP in lost revenue over the course of the pandemic to date, calculated according to each sector's usual Gross Value Added.

Boris Johnson today warned there is going to be 'more of this wretched Covid still to come' as he convened his Cabinet and told ministers 'bit by bit' the UK is 'getting back on its feet'.

The Prime Minister told his top team that 'we know there will be more outbreaks' but he is 'absolutely confident' the Government will be able to deal with them.

He also claimed that 'huge numbers' of people are now returning to offices and 'quite right too' amid fears that Professor Chris Whitty could quit over the Government's push to persuade workers to ditch working from home.

Mr Johnson met with his Cabinet in the grand Locarno Suite at the Foreign Office - chosen because it has more space than Number 10 so that ministers can socially distance.

The opulent setting will be used for the meetings for the foreseeable future after months of Mr Johnson having to speak to ministers via Zoom.

The Prime Minister will be hoping that the meeting, which came on the morning that Parliament returned from its summer break and as thousands of pupils finally returned to schools across England, will set an example to workers across the nation.

Mr Johnson is encouraging employees to head back to their offices but it was claimed today that ministers are holding back on the drive because of fears the Chief Medical Officer could resign.

Prof Whitty is said to be hampering the Government's efforts to get more workers back to their normal commutes and to physically return to their workplaces.

The return of the school run saw 370 traffic jams grind part of London to a halt this morning as parents took their children back to classes for the first time since lockdown - while empty Tubes and trains threw doubt on Boris Johnson's claims that 'huge numbers' of workers were heading back to the office today.

Congestion levels on the roads in the capital were at 36 per cent at 8am today according to TomTom data, up from 31 per cent this time last week - which is a rise of five percentage points or 16 per cent (a sixth).

However, traffic congestion in London is still well below the average level of 67 per cent last year. Elsewhere, the figure in Birmingham was at 23 per cent at 8am, which was down from 25 per cent at the same time last week.

Meanwhile major train stations in the capital still appeared to be empty, with photographs taken during rush hour at the London terminals of Victoria, Waterloo and King's Cross showing hardly anyone on the concourse.

Mortgage lending soars 40% to near pre-Covid levels as stamp duty cut help housing market bounce back

The number of mortgages handed out to homebuyers soared by 40% last month to near pre-covid levels as the housing market continues its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Mortgages approvals for house purchase reached 66,300 in July, up 40 per cent from 39,900 in June and just below the 67,300 recorded in July 2019, the latest data from the Bank of England show.

It means they are now 10 per cent below the 73,700 mortgage approvals recorded in February, just before the coronavirus pandemic took hold.

Looking like a 'V-shaped' recovery? Mortgages approvals for house purchase reached 66,300 in July, up 40% from 39,900 in June

In demand: Mortgage approvals continue to recover, aided by the recently introduced stamp duty holiday which exempts buyers from paying the tax when buying homes up to 500,000

The lockdown, with the closure of estate agents and buyers unable to view properties, brought the housing market to a halt, with mortgage approvals hitting a record low of 9,300 in May.

But estate agents around the country have been observing a 'mini-boom' in demand over the past couple of months since the gradual reopening of the housing market in May.

This is being aided by a cut in stamp duty introduced by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak in mid-July, which exempts buyers in England and Northern Ireland from paying the tax when buying homes up to 500,000 until 31 March 2021.

Experts say mortgage approvals will likely rise further next month, when more buyers are expected to take advantage of the stamp duty holiday.

Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, says: 'Mortgage approval numbers always provide a useful lead indicator of direction of travel for the property market in the coming months.

'Unfortunately, these figures relate to the period when we were emerging from lockdown but before the full benefit of the stamp duty holiday was being felt.

'Contact with mortgage brokers or lenders is not always the first thought of aspiring buyers. As a result, these approvals do not reflect the stronger upsurge we noticed across most property types and price ranges from the beginning of August.'

Gareth Lewis, commercial director of property lender MT Finance, added: 'There are positive signs indicating plenty of consumer confidence out there as people are borrowing money.

'There are more "for sale" and "sold" signs springing up, and even tales of gazumping. August's numbers will show even more of an uptick in transactions once the stamp duty holiday starts to filter through to the figures.'

However, economists remain cautious about the longer-term outlook for the property market as the furlough scheme begins to be unwound and unemployment is expected to rise.

Consumer borrowing rose for the first time in four months in July, figures show

Howard Archer, chief economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club, said: 'Many people have already lost their jobs, despite the supportive Government measures, while others will be concerned that they may still end up losing their job once the furlough scheme ends. Additionally, many incomes have been affected.

'Consumer confidence is still low compared to long-term norms and many people are likely to remain cautious for some time to come when making major spending decisions such as buying or moving house.'

Meanwhile, the gradual lifting of the lockdown restrictions also had an impact on demand for loans, credit card borrowing and overdrafts, with consumer borrowing rising for the first time in four months.

The Bank of England's data show that net consumer borrowing increased 1.2billion July, following four months of repayments between March and June, when Britons repaid some 15.9billion worth of debt (excluding mortgages).

But lending on credit cards, which was 600million in July, remained down about 10 per cent compared to a year ago.

The weakness of demand for credit cards and loans between March and June meant the annual growth rate remained negative at -3.6 per cent despite Julys increase in borrowing, and was the weakest since records began in 1994.
The uncertainty and short notice with respect to the Trumbull Public Schools is unacceptable. We, the parents of school children, were led to believe that Trumbull schools would be:

1. Open, at least in a hybrid capacity

2. Have teachers

3. Have a plan for distance learning

On Aug. 26, we found that none of these things are certain. I have many issues with this, the superintendents communication and how things are being handled.

First, the short notice leaves my family and many other families scrambling to make alternative plans and arrangements. Superintendent Ralph Iassogna at best pays lip service to this by admitting it will impact [our] plans particularly of a child-rearing nature. This impacts work plans, budget plans, teaching plans and our entire lives. We need to plan work schedules, how to budget for alternative teaching arrangements, coordinate with other families to assist where possible and more. That line makes it seem like Mr. Iassogna has little to no idea the impact this causes. I understand that given the situation, a back-to-school plan may not work, but going back on the hybrid plan with little to no notice is unacceptable.

Second, I expect my child to be taught by teachers. Mr. Iassognas purposefully misleading statements are there to hide their failing and mislead parents. Mr. Iassogna states that if not enough teachers return, and substitutes are unavailable, we will consider a return to the Virtual Learning Model. However, the use of substitutes there shows he either negligently lacks precision in his wording or is willfully misleading. The substitutes in this context are long-term substitutes to fill in for teachers who are not returning due to concerns around COVID-19. Further, these are not like typical long-term substitutes. The school is looking at college seniors instead.

Mr. Iassogna further attempts to mislead when he states, We are now reaching out to colleges for potential candidates, particularly in light of the governor easing certification requirements for college seniors. This change could not have been planned for as only the governor could institute that order and did so during the summer. He acts as if the governors change in certification requirements led to unforeseen complications with respect to sourcing teachers. The governors change did not reduce the teachers available. It did not cause our teachers to not return. We would have been short on long-term substitutes before that change. That change only made available the college seniors and there is no relevance for it as some excuse for the difficulties we are facing. Rather, it is an emergency change to address problems that had already existed and had not been communicated to the parents and families in Trumbull.

Third, distance learning in the spring was extremely poorly executed. I am not here to say why it was, or what challenges existed that made it poor in the spring. Spring distance learning consisted of a handout emailed to the parents for the week. There was no synchronous, live whole group instruction. There was no small-group differentiated instruction. There was about one live session for specials (art, music). For the year starting in just days, there are no plans for distance learning that have been published or relayed to the parents. At best, after speaking with the assistant superintendent, I have heard the plan is students will have a webcam to watch the live instruction of the other cohort. No plan for engaging or involving the distant students exists, or if it does, has not been communicated to the parents.

What I would have expected is honest and upfront communication with parents, letting them know of the possibility and likelihood of a full distance model due to teacher inability. I would not expect my student to be taught by a college senior as a long-term plan. That is unacceptable and would, at best, suffice as a teachers aid or classroom assistant. Further, I would have expected communication that such a thing was being considered immediately. Finally, I would have expected a plan describing what distance learning would look like given a hybrid model or full distance model. Additionally, the necessary technology aspects (tablets, laptops) would have been coordinated already so parents could either get the units from the school or ensure they have the funds to purchase them.

I understand that the sudden changes in the spring took everyone by surprise. However, over the last five months, I had expected some plan to come into shape to care for, educate and instruct the students enrolled in the Trumbull School districts. The parents are the stakeholders here. The work superintendent does, the school district that is run, is for our children. If I had failed to deliver an expected service to my clients at work, misled them or attempted to mislead them about the expected service, there would be professional consequences. I would expect there to be changes to ensure that such services would be delivered at high quality and work to restore trust with clients to happen immediately.

To be clear, the Board of Education is not bereft of culpability here. There should be oversight. There should be communication. In the end, every organization has people responsible, and attempts to avoid responsibility by pointing to the bureaucracy or other factors is often done by those who would readily accept credit should there have been a success. If there is no one taking responsibility for this failure, then none of those involved should take any responsibility for the successes that I know our town can achieve.

Christopher DeCruze lives in Trumbull.
North Korea has a leadership problem because it is still unclear who is in charge. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has appeared in public only five times since his heart surgery in April. None of those appearances have been confirmed and photos and videos of them do not contain confirmation of the date taken. Meanwhile his younger (31-year-old) sister Kim Yo Jong has received several promotions and is portrayed as a senior official who is making a lot of decisions. There is much to do and more of those problems are showing up in the capital, which is no longer isolated from all the miseries common in the rest of the country. For reasons yet unknown Kim Yo Jong not been seen in public since late July. It is rumored that her brother is in a coma. Maybe some of the time because someone is making decisions and it appears to be mostly Kim Yo Jong. She may be staying out of sight to avoid angering her brother. Kim Jong Un is still the supreme leader even if he is incapacitated most of the time. In his waking moments he can issue orders that must be obeyed. The only thing holding North Korea together is this dictatorial power, and as long as Kim Jong Un lives, his sister can only borrow some of that power some of the time. Doing otherwise could be fatal for the younger sister.

Other Ways To Die In The North

North Korea is suffering major food shortages, mainly because of several natural disasters. These were made worse by shortages of fuel and other supplies to help repair the damage to agricultural areas. The border with China was closed again, blocking food imports. North Korea still has a covid19 problem they wont acknowledge. The key problem is that the national health system cannot handle a lot of serious cases. Even in the capital, where the best medical facilities are, there are inadequate resources to handle a lot of elderly senior officials needing treatment for the virus. These officials are depending on the development of a covid19 vaccine. Without in a lot of them will die. Normally healthy people of any age either repel the virus or have it without knowing it. Others will suffer the symptoms (like a very bad case of flu) and survive. Months of inadequate food have left more of these younger people more vulnerable to a fatal case of covid19.

Comparative Covid19 Coping

Compared to China and North Korea, South Korea has suffered a much lower death rate for people infected. China admits to a death rate of three per million people while South Korea has a well-documented rate of six per million people. China claims only 59 cases per million people while South Korea has 394 per million. During the first two months of 2020 China seemed to accurately report cases and deaths and that trend indicated an infection and death rate two or three times that of South Korea. But after February China suddenly reported a sharp decline in cases and dead. This was contradicted by many reports from people living in China. Such reporting was declared a crime and there is now much less of it.

China claims that there was no longer any covid19 danger in China. Unofficial reports getting past Chinese censors and out to the rest of the world indicate that covid19 is still infecting and killing people in China, and people are resisting government offers to pretend that the covid19 epidemic has passed. Similar situation in North Korea where the government insists there has never been a covid19 epidemic, just a few isolated cases that were quickly taken care of. North Korea provides no data on covid19 infections and deaths,

North Korea does have one advantage in restricting the spread of covid19; poor transportation networks. Government mismanagement of the economy have left the roads and railroads in such poor shape and it is difficult to travel anywhere. So covid19 could not spread much from the few active entry points on the Chinese border and a few ports. Even with that there were some large outbreaks along the Chinese border and in some military units.

In contrast South Korea has an excellent health system. South Korea has been able to cope and has already contained the virus, with the number of new cases declining and fewer deaths. Despite this superior performance, North Korea will not accept any South Korean help in this matter because the official word in the north is that the government kept the virus out. In most of the country that is true. But along the still porous Chinese border it is no secret with the locals that covid19 got into their part of North Korea. People living near the Chinese border increasingly ignore government propaganda and take their own precautions to avoid the disease. While the military has a rudimentary health system for their personnel and some resources to deal with covid19 infections, modern health care is only available to the most senior officials both military and non-military officials. These officials also have access to the outside world and what is really going on with covid19 in other countries.

North Korea is going through the covid19 epidemic the old-fashioned way and that is not unusual for the north, where people are perplexed by all the fuss. After all the North Korean government took no precautions during SARS (2003) and MERS (2015) virus outbreaks. What is different about covid19 is that it spreads more easily and quickly. Not to the extent that it could be described as an exterminating disease. Only a few percent of those infected die and these are mainly the very old or already very sick. In North Korea you have to add a fourth vulnerable group; the malnourished. Food shortages have been worse the past few years and a lot more people are simply not getting enough to eat. There are also more homeless children and adults in urban areas and they tend to be in poor health.

Some of these deaths may be from other causes but even North Korea medical personnel, at least outside the capital, do not have the diagnostic equipment to confirm covid19 deaths. Officially there is a national health-care system but the reality is that only the capital and the military have any significant medical resources. The only place where you see a lot of people wearing face masks is the capital where only key security personnel and the most elite officials (the one percenters) were issued masks. Other people improvise. The government continues to take extraordinary measures to keep out foreigners who might have the virus.

August 28, 2020: North Korean trade (buying and selling) with China continues declining. In July the total trade was only $74 million. This was down 24 percent from June. This is caused by the continued border closures because of covid19. At its worst (March) trade was reduced to $19 million. Restrictions were gradually lifted and in June trade was almost $100 million but revived fear of virus infections led to tighter border control. Smuggling is also more difficult but still occurs.

One of the most painful trade shortages is imports of refined petroleum products. These come from China and Russia and during the first six months of 2020 were only 17,000 tons, half what came in during the first six months of 2019.

August 27, 2020: In northeast North Korea (Ryanggang Province) two cities (Samjiyon and Hyesan) near the Chinese border were ordered locked down until a woman who recently crossed the border from China was found and arrested. The woman in question used smugglers to get her into China back in 2017. That did not work out well as smugglers often try to turn young women like this into prostitutes or unwilling wives for local men. The woman saw going back to North Korea as her best option. It is illegal border crossers like this woman who have brought covid19 into North Korea before. Earlier line crossers who were later caught were tested for the virus and if they had it, they were killed.

August 26, 2020: North Koreans were surprised to see state-controlled TV providing continuous coverage of the major typhoon that was approaching North Korea. While this kind of coverage is common in South Korea, and the rest of the world, it was never seen in North Korea before. This is not a unique incident. North Korean TV has been responding to the fact most North Koreans have viewed Chinese or South Korean television, often via a smuggled thumb drive or MicroSD card. Competitive pressures strike again.

August 25, 2020: In a rare move, North Korea ordered 500 personnel from the RGB (Reconnaissance General Bureau) to perform guard duty around key facilities damaged during the recent typhoon. This is an unprecedented move because RGB personnel are trained to be spies. The RGB operates agents in South Korea and China. In 2015 the RGB got permission from China to send over a hundred additional agents into China. These men were trained to speak better Chinese and how to operate under cover in China. These RGB men were to seek out defectors in China, kidnap them and return them to North Korea where they go straight to a labor camp, possibly for life. This program was meant to make North Koreans less willing to flee the country. The RGB teams were told to concentrate on those defectors attempting to get to South Korea via South Korean embassies in places like Thailand. China tolerates RGB agents as long as they do not carry weapons or create much fuss. The RGB was formed in 2009 by combining several other intel agencies and that required a lot of effort to get reorganized and combined. RGB handles a lot of Cyber War operations and provides information for attacks on South Korea. Since the covid19 lockdowns RGB agents have not been able to travel to or return from China. The government also ordered all traffic from China or Russia halted in order to minimize covid19 getting into the country. There has been another outbreak in northeast China but the Chinese can handle that while North Korea cannot.

On the Chinese border efforts to eliminate border guards taking bribes now involves taking any suspect personnel off the border. Some are dismissed from the security forces, an unusual step for troops never caught doing anything illegal. This new policy has removed so many personnel from the border that thousands of elite infantry have been ordered from their bases in the interior, to the border. On the plus side, the border guards get more food and other supplies.

From the Chinese side of the border North Korean troops could be seen installing more barbed wire fences along portions of the border most often used by smugglers. Increased security has also been imposed on the South Korean border, even though that frontier is covered by the four-kilometer wide DMZ. Long believed nearly impossible to sneak across, DMZ security is not as tight as it used to be and North Korea fears a South Korean with covid19 might get in. Such fears have also led to much tighter security around the capital Pyongyang. These fears are real because in July a South Korean who was actually a North Korean that had been in South Korea for three years and got homesick returned without permission. He allegedly sneaked across the DMZ (the most heavily guarded border on the planet) and turned himself in to North Korean police on July 19th. South Korea investigated this incident and found it was real. The North Korean man was identified as a 24-year-old from Kaesong City (near the DMZ) who got to South Korea in 2017 but had problems adjusting to life in the south. The announcement of this first case was followed by additional travel restrictions in towns and cities near the South Korean border, starting with Kaesong City. North Korea says this man has covid19.

Throughout North Korea travel outside your hometown has become more difficult because of the covid19 fears. You need official permission for long-range travel, even going from province to province.

August 24, 2020: In North Korea border guards have been ordered to shoot on sight any unauthorized (without a military escort) people found to be within a kilometer of the Chinese border. This mainly applies to rural portions of the border. There are many North Korean villages, towns and cities right on the border.

August 23, 2020: In North Korea the government began using military reserve food supplies for people in the capital. Every household in Pyongyang receives some free rice and corn each month, which has now become a matter of life and death for more and more North Koreans. While the rest of the country has been distributing local and military reserve food supplies since early in the year, capital residents stopped receiving any free food in March. Dipping into the military food reserves made it possible for Pyongyang residents to recently received three months of missing food allocations. That does not cover all the missed allocations but does solve the current hunger emergency. Pyongyang residents did not complain about the missing free food distribution because that might result in expulsion from the capital. Even with food shortages Pyongyang is the best place to live in North Korea.

The military food reserves have now been used nationwide to prevent starvation and that means there will soon be no military food reserve. These reserves, which also include fuel, ammo and other items, are meant the keep the troops going for 30 days or more in a major war, especially if enemy air power prevents movement of supplies. These military reserves are stored adjacent to major military units.

August 11, 2020: Off the west coast a North Korea patrol boat opened fire on Chinese fishing boats that were operating illegally in North Korean waters. Three Chinese were killed. This was unusual because the patrol boat crews usually get a bribe from the Chinese to ignore the poaching. The death of three Chinese may be retaliation for a July incident where Chinese fishing boats rammed a North Korean coast guard patrol boat. China believes North Korea was responsible for killing several Chinese fishermen in June. The bodies were never found but their empty boat, with lots of blood stains on it, was later found drifting. The root cause of the increase violence is the North Korean coast guard men demanding larger bribes because so many other sources of bribes were not available because of the covid19 restrictions.

August 9, 2020: In southwest North Korea (North Hwanghae Province) soldiers sent into help deal the aftermath of a recent typhoon seemed more interested in systematically looting the distressed areas. Soldiers used their trucks to transport salable items to black market dealers and even robbed locals individually. This kind of crime is nothing new. Many military bases are surrounded by abandoned farms and homes because civilians move rather than put up with the persistent plundering soldiers. The government has a hard time curbing this behavior because most military units are also suffering from food, fuel and electricity shortages. In response the troops do what soldiers have long done; live off the land. In this case it is the property of North Korean civilians living near their base.

August 3, 2020: In northern North Korea several liquified gas cylinders exploded in the city of Hyesan, which is on the river that marks the border with China. That meant there were plenty of photos and videos of the explosions, all taken from China and posted on the Internet. In North Korea the government tried to suppress news of the incident. That backfired as news of the incident slowly spread throughout North Korea. At first the government blamed the incident on the gas cylinders that were not government approved and had long been smuggled in from China to provide heating and cooking fuel the North Korean government could not provide. The gas cylinders were widely used by government officials outside the capital Pyongyang (which always had a much higher standard of living than the rest of the country.) The explosion of one gas cylinder caused nearby cylinders to explode. Two weeks later the government admitted the incident occurred and apologized. Such apologies are rare and there are only about one every year or two. The apology included revealing that the injuries and damage was made worse by the firefighters delayed response. That was because some of their vehicles had no fuel. The local border guard commander was relieved and punished for tolerating all the smuggling (of gas cylinders and much else). The many other victims who had lost homes and businesses later complained that the compensation from the government was inadequate as was the apology. It was noted that the incompetent local officials who let it happen are still in charge.
WESTPORT  As the country continues to grapple with its complicated racial past, a forum titled Why is Westport so White? highlighted the challenges people of color face in town.

The Monday evening outdoor event drew more than 60 people at MoCA Westport and laid out how the towns racial history impacts present day existence.

There have been Black residents in Westport almost since Westports beginnings, Danielle Dobin, one of the events organizers, said. Of course at that time, those Black residents were enslaved people and they were brought here without their consent.

According to Dobin, who also chairs the Planning and Zoning commission, after slavery ended, more Black families moved to the town during the Great Migration of the 1920s. But in the 1950s, an act of arson destroyed a multifamily apartment building on Main Street and displaced many of these families, she said.

Following those events, it became almost impossible for Black families to choose to live in Westport, Dobin said.

While the American suburbs exploded in growth during the 60s, restrictive racial covenants blocked out nonwhites and Jewish people until the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Dobin said after the law was enacted, discrimination continued with real estate agents allegedly engaging in gentlemens agreements to not show homes to people of color.

The impact of the restrictive covenants and the gentlemens agreements were intense, she said.

As for consequences  the towns Black population is just 1.2 percent of the whole, Asian population rests at 4 percent and the indigenous American population is at 0.1 percent, according to 2010 census numbers.

Several Westporters spoke to how the lack of diversity has affected their lives.

Ifeseyi Gale, a Black mother, said after moving to town a year ago she sometimes felt she was back in her hometown in Scotland.

But I have encountered some incidents where it makes you remember that racism still does exist, she said. Maybe its not the same way of having a servant or slave, but it has turned its head in different aspects.

Gale said once while driving and looking for an address, she passed a girl on a bicycle twice. The girl sped away into her driveway and shortly afterward, family members came outside and questioned her presence in the area, she said.

This young lady thought that I wanted to kidnap her, Gale said. A black woman in a BMW SUV  which is just kind of strange because that doesnt even fit the profile of a kidnapper.

She said the fact the girl was 15 years old highlighted a more serious issue.

It shows you the issue is systemic racism, Gale said.

Harold Bailey, chairman of TEAM Westport and one of the events organizers, said while Gales story may be shocking to some, its unfortunately not surprising to people of color. He also illustrated how the towns lack of diversity further impacted youth.

Bailey said the school system had a higher percentage of white professionals than the towns percentage of white population. This led to years of the schools pushing what he described as a philosophy of color-blindness.

The fallacy to that is what that reinforces is the elephant in the room, which is whiteness and being white, Bailey said. What that says is everybody being normal  and then theres the other over here.

The student population at Staples High School was 85 percent white, drops to 80 percent at the middle schools and in the high 70s at the elementary schools, he said, data supported by information available from the state Department of Education.

That says the town of Westports student body is getting more and more diverse the further out you go, he said.

The racial shift in population has left many needed conversations unexamined in increasingly diverse classrooms, he said.

Former students also spoke to how the color-blind approach affected them.

Schools cannot pretend to be color-blind in a world that is anything but, Nicole Kiker, a white former Staples student, said. This is especially true for schools that are only 1.2 percent Black.

TEAM Westport has created a 10-point plan to address many of the issues, organizers said, and will presented it to the districts administration.

But Bailey said there remains a reasonable doubt in a number of peoples minds on whether or not the town looks the way it does because thats what residents want.

The truth is, we have to reimagine and continue to deliver our own meaning of the town that gets rid of the hurdles of the schools, communities, employees, visitors, citizens, etc. so that is no longer a reasonable doubt, he said.

dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com
He was as much at home with the nitty-gritty of administrative detail, the key to ministerial success, as he was with the intricate calculations that went into party management

Pranab Mukherjee, who passed away on Monday, capped a long and remarkable career in politics and public life by ascending to the post of President of India. His tenure in Rashtrapati Bhavan was not something in any sense presaged by the circumstances of his birth in Mirati village, Birbhum district, in 1935.

Mukherjee's youth and early adulthood can be seen in myriad ways as a perfect apprenticeship for what he ultimately chose: A public life in politics. In college and university, he earned graduate and postgraduate degrees in history, law and political science from the University of Calcutta, grounding himself in precisely those fields of the liberal arts and social sciences that would give him the intellectual discipline that would serve him well as a politician.

Subsequently, he worked as a clerk in a government office and a lecturer in a well-known Calcutta college. Between times, he also worked briefly as a journalist. These, too, were good training spells for the intricacies of political life.

In retrospect, too, we could see as an augury the fact that Mukherjee did not start his career in the Congress. Rather, it was Ajoy Mukherjee, leader of the breakaway Bangla Congress and twice chief minister of Bengal heading United Front governments after the elections of 1967 and 1969, who brought him into politics.

In 1969, Pranab Mukherjee managed the successful election campaign of VK Krishna Menon, the Congress stalwart who had been denied in 1967 the ticket for the South Bombay constituency which he had then held, from Midnapur. Mukherjee was elected to the Rajya Sabha in the same year on a Bangla Congress ticket. And it was then that he caught Indira Gandhi's eye.

The timing was fortuitous, because the seismic split in the Congress was in the works and when it materialised in December 1969, Indira needed all the talent she could mobilise.

Mukherjee joined the Congress the next year and in 1973 joined Indira's council of minister as a deputy minister. In October 1974, he was elevated to the position of minister of state (MoS) in the Ministry of Finance. But his big break came at the end of the year, six-odd months after the imposition of the Emergency, when he became MoS with the Independent Charge of the newly-created Department of Revenue and Banking.

Tasked with implementing various draconian laws to deal with economic offences  the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (1973), Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (1974) and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (1976), Mukherjee excelled at his job, a fact that earned him the strictures of the Shah Commission, instituted by the Janata Party government in 1977 to probe Emergency excesses.

The political/historical scuttlebutt has it that Mukherjee's meteoric rise through the ranks of the party, including the job at the helm of the banking and revenue department, owed much to Sanjay Gandhis patronage. Whatever the truth of that bit of speculation, there can be little doubt that he acquitted himself with great distinction at whatever job in government or Parliament that was entrusted to him. True to his reputation as an outspoken man, Mukherjee never ran the younger Gandhi sibling down and acknowledged both his proximity and debt to Sanjay.

His efficiency and loyalty soon made him one of Indira's closest confidants during the Emergency and in the difficult times that followed. Mukherjee was one of the few senior Congress leaders who joined Mrs. Gandhi when the party split for a second time in January 1978. And after the Congress (I) won the 1980 Lok Sabha elections by a landslide, he became, first, Cabinet minister for commerce, and steel and mines, then finance minister (the first of three stints), to which, days before Indira died, was added the additional charge of, again, commerce, and steel and mines.

Journalists who had occasion to speak with Mukherjee at length came away with a singular impression of the breadth of his knowledge of politics and the acuity of his understanding of it. The raft of obituaries that have appeared in the media, by journalists who had spent time with him, close colleagues and others, all attest to his encyclopaedic knowledge and his elephantine memory, both inestimable assets for a politician.

After 1970, Mukherjee had just one falling out with the Congress. This was, as is well known, in the months following Indira's assassination in 1984. Mukherjee was first left out of the council of ministers by then-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, then dropped from key party fora, including the Congress Working Committee and Parliamentary Board, and then, in April 1986 expelled from the party. He floated his own outfit  the Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress  but merged it with the Congress in 1989.

Mukherjee's fall from grace and his rift with the Congress and the Gandhi family, both of which were subsequently fully healed, was clearly because Mukherjee harboured an ambition for the prime ministerial office.

How clearly that had been articulated after Indira's death is not clear, though it is obvious that Rajiv felt threatened enough to leave out an extremely competent minister and party manager out in the cold, banishing him to Bengal to become, for a short stint, the president of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC). As Mukherjee once pointed out, despite the vast gulf in political experience between them, he was just nine years older, not yet 50 when Indira died.

Once back, however, Mukherjee prospered in the party, becoming in succession deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, minister for commerce and minister for external affairs in the government led by PV Narasimha Rao. He gathered enough traction in the party and with the family, to become minister for defence, external affairs and finance in successive United Progressive Alliance, before concluding his active political career to become president.

One of the conceivable reasons for Mukherjees failure to make a realistic bid for the '7 RCR' job was the lack of a mass base. From 1969 to 2002, Mukherjee remained a member of the Rajya Sabha, being elected to the Lower House from Jangipur, Murshidabad, only twice: in 2004 and 2009. His involvement in state politics, too, was not particularly significant. Though he was West Bengal PCC president from 2000 to 2010, his stewardship came at a time when the Congress had ceased to be a force in Bengal. This divorce from state politics, in a comparative sense, is surprising, given Mukherjee's virtually unparalleled grasp of Bengals politics, political geography and political history.

History will possibly remember Mukherjee as one of the last, and brightest, examples of a particular type of politician that the Congress par excellence created. He was as much at home with the nitty-gritty of administrative detail, the key to ministerial success, as he was with the intricate calculations that went into party management. And like a true inheritor of the tradition of a liberal, broad church, he was always able to reach out across political and ideological aisles.
An Edmonton-based track star training to compete in the next Paralympic Games has been sidelined by the theft of her two training bikes.

Amanda Rummery says the customized bikes were stolen from her garage in the area of near 77th Avenue and 111th Street in the McKernan neighbourhood early Saturday morning.

Edmonton police are asking anyone with information on the theft to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

The bikes  a black Cannondale and a red Schwinn  are adaptive. Each one has a handlebar removed.

The alterations allow Rummery to ride with one hand. The 23-year-old track star had her arm amputated following an ATV accident in high school.

Rummery, a Canadian record holder in the 100-metre, 200-metre and 400-metre Paralympic track events, uses the bikes to cross-train. She hopes to represent Canada at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games.

She's pleading for their return.

"Being an arm amputee these bikes have been modified to be quite unique," Rummery said on her Facebook page. "I am hopeful if we keep an eye out they will be found!"

A passion for track

Rummery was 17 when she lost control of an ATV on a summer trip at her grandmother's cabin in Kenora, Ont. The quad slammed into a tree.

She suffered a brachial plexus injury, severing the nerves from her left arm  her dominant arm at the time  from her spinal cord.

In 2018, three years after the July 2015 accident and multiple failed reconstructive surgeries, she had her arm amputated from the elbow.

She began track racing as part of her recovery and quickly developed a passion and a talent for the sport.

Within a year, she was bound for Lima, Peru to compete at the 2019 Parapan American Games.

"Living with a physical disability has its challenges, and these bikes were modified to make bike riding easy and accessible for me," Rummery said in an Edmonton police news release.

'"Adapting to riding a bike with one arm was certainly difficult, though these bikes brought me independence and are very special to me."
STAMFORD  Two men were wounded by gunfire in separate incidents after a gunman fired into a city park and a street robbery went wrong, police said Monday.

Gunfire erupted in Hatch Field on Richmond Hill Avenue at 5:15 p.m. Friday, police said. Police received multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired inside the park.

When officers arrived, they found a 38-year-old Stamford man with a gunshot wound to his upper right arm. He was rushed to Stamford Hospital for treatment, police Lt. Tom Scanlon said.

Responding officers had difficulty finding cooperative witnesses, even though they were told that a significant number of people were in the park when the shots rang out, Scanlon said.

Officers determined that an unidentified gunman wearing a ski mask walked into the park and fired multiple shots at a group of people sitting around the pavilion, police said.

Immediately after firing the shots, the gunman fled, police said. Scanlon said they are looking for a surveillance tape of the suspect.

Crime scene investigators combing the scene found multiple shell casings from a single semiautomatic pistol, Scanlon said.

Determining a motive for the shooting has been hampered by a lack of cooperation by witnesses, he said. Police do not know whether the gunman was targeting anyone, Scanlon said. The many people who were with the man when he was shot fled the park before officers arrived, he said.

That shooting was followed by another early Saturday.

Officers were called to Stamford Hospital after a gunshot victim with a wound to his right leg showed up at the emergency room at 4:30 a.m., police said.

The 37-year-old Stamford man told police that he was walking in the area of Ursula Place and Dale Street in the East Side when three men approached and demanded his possessions, Scanlon said. The man refused, and one of the men shot him at close range in the leg, he said.

The three fled after the shooting, and police are working to assemble surveillance tapes of the incident in hopes of determining the identity of the suspects, Scanlon said. He did not release a description of the three men.

Scanlon said it was rare for someone to be shot during a street robbery in Stamford.

The man said that after the shooting, he flagged down a passing motorist, who gave him a ride to Stamford Hospital, police said.

Anyone with information on the shootings is asked to call investigators at 203-977-4414.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
The Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change have express their deeply regret sfor the accident which occurred at sea near Poudre dOr at around 20.30 hours on Monday 31 August and presents its deepest condolences to the bereaved families.

Following information received from the Mauritius Ports Authority that the sunk Tug Sir Gaetan Duval was carrying 25 T of diesel for its own use as well as lubricating oil present in its engine, the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan has been activated. As for the Barge Ami Constant, it was reported to be empty and is in the lagoon.

As at Tuesday 01.09.2020 at 11. 00 am, no trace of pollution has been observed on the shore and in the lagoon.

Officers of the Ministry and other stakeholders are on site and monitoring any environmental impact. Aerial, water and air quality, flora and fauna and ecological surveys are being undertaken by the local and Japanese Expert teams.

Sorbent booms are being deployed on site as a precautionary measure.

The National Coast Guard is presently carrying research and rescue operations.

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After roughly a month without documented outbreaks of COVID-19 in the Toronto shelter system, the virus has hit both a youth facility and a refugee site in the last week and a half  and among the infected is a five-year-old boy.

The youth shelter, Evas Satellite in North York, was reporting two cases as of Sunday, which is the latest data made available by the city. That outbreak was first reported on Aug. 23. The COSTI refugee shelter is meanwhile reporting four cases including the young boy, with their outbreak first reported on Aug. 26.

The two outbreaks have emerged at the end of a summer that saw COVID-19 cases in patients age 19 or younger nearly tripling across Ontario.

From May 30 to Aug. 30, cases in that cohort increased by more than 180 per cent, going from 989 total cases to 2,798. Infections among the 20-to-39-year-olds, meanwhile, increased by 83 per cent, from 7,244 to 13,276. All other age groups in Ontario saw increases of less than 46 per cent in that time.

Mary-Anne Bedard, general manager of Torontos Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, cautioned that it was too early, and too small of a sample size, to say whether the current outbreaks are related to those broader trends around virus spread. The six cases in the two outbreak shelters represent just 1.6 per cent of the 371 active cases in Toronto as of Sunday.

I think the point is that, hey, by the way, the demographics of the epidemic are certainly shifting in Canada towards younger people, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist with the University of Toronto and Toronto General Hospital. There had been a pendulum shift around the age of patients in the last few months, he said. And guess what? Those in shelters are not immune.

The precise location of the COSTI shelter (there are several in the GTA) hit by the outbreak was not disclosed by the city  nor by COSTI executive director Mario Calla, other than to say it was in the citys east end.

The same COSTI site had an outbreak earlier in the year; its the first for Evas, according to Bedard. The task for the shelters now is trying to isolate how exactly the virus got past their defences, says Calla  trying to figure out where it all started.

Their first positive case of the outbreak at the COSTI site was the boys mother, Calla said, after she attended a hospital last weekend for health issues that are believed to be unrelated to COVID-19. While being checked out, the woman was tested for the coronavirus, and the result was positive. Soon after, her five-year-old son and four other families known to be in close contact with the woman were tested, resulting in three more positive results  the boy and two others who are a couple, Calla said. Further testing is underway.

This is always the worry, that someone will catch the virus somewhere, then we have to jump to be sure its contained, Calla said in an interview this week.

COSTI runs three shelter sites across the city, and they have daily screening by telephone, to ask residents whether they are experiencing symptoms. Shelter residents are complying with rules around sanitizing, screening and wearing masks inside, Calla reported. But they still had some contact with the broader community. Thats where the risk is, he said.

Now theres the question of managing the return to school for kids in the system. As of Monday, COSTI hadnt yet connected with the Toronto District School Board to hash out plans around things like busing kids from the shelter sites to schools, but Calla said he anticipated that would happen in the near future. The concern there for us, I guess like most parents, is the kids are going into a more communal space. So, its about bringing something back.

When the five-year-old tested positive at the refugee shelter, he was asymptomatic, Calla said  as was the couple. Dr. Bogoch said on Tuesday that in most cases among kids, symptoms are less severe. But particularly in the shelters, an infected young person could readily transmit the virus to someone more vulnerable. At some point (in that case), sadly, an adult is going to get it.

Evas, in response to an inquiry about their outbreak, said in an email that they operated in compliance with all of the citys COVID-19 protocols and shelter standards. Our priority is the health and safety of our staff and especially the young people who are depending on us, to support them as they work towards building brighter futures, public engagement director Kearie Daniel wrote.

Toronto Public Health declined to identify whether the two cases at Evas were staff or residents, due to the small numbers of staff cases and to protect peoples privacy and personal health information. According to Daniel, the nonprofit provides services to young people from age 16 to 24.

In terms of how the two outbreaks started, associate medical officer Dr. Vinita Dubey said that it wasnt unexpected to see the virus emerge in congregate settings like shelters, given that its still spreading in the community.

Bedard, the SSHA manager, pointed out that Torontos shelters had 98 virus cases in June, but then only five in July. That drop, in her view, wasnt a product of specific changes made within the shelters  but rather, overall reductions in community spread across Toronto. For about a month, from late July until late August, she noted that there were zero confirmed cases in shelters citywide.

Every day that we didnt have a COVID case was a good day, Bedard said in a telephone call this week. But they still recognized that the virus was circulating, locally and beyond. Until theres a vaccine, I think we all are aware the virus is going to be in the community  for the next year to 18 months.
Any other year, many Ontario families would be gearing up to go back to school after Labour Day. But this September, amid a pandemic, things are much different.

For some students, class start dates have been delayed and may be subject to a staggered return. For others, classes will resume as planned. While some parents are opting for remote learning at home, others will be sending their children back to school in person.

Should parents expect more changes after Ontarios teacher unions filed a labour board challenge over school reopening plans on Monday?

What about safety? If kids return to school, what are the policies around social distancing, mask-wearing, and recess ? How will Ontario school boards act if their staff or students test positive for COVID-19?

The Stars Kristin Rushowy will be answering more back-to-school questions after an overwhelming response from readers in a Q&A last month.

Kris Rushowy answers your back-to-school questions

Ask a question in the conversation below. You need a torstar.com account to participate, and registration is free. Rushowy will be answering your questions on the Stars This Matters podcast , which will be posted on this page early next week.
High vigilance as schools fully return 8 months since epidemic

Global Times

By Zhang Hui, Chen Shasha and Fan Anqi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 19:56:33

Schools nationwide to reopen; so far zero infection

Eight months after the COVID-19 pandemic first hit China, schools from kindergartens to colleges are finally headed toward a full resumption in the fall semester. While students are excited to meet their classmates and teachers again, society faces a big test in epidemic prevention and control.

Parents and students interviewed by the Global Times said they were confident in Chinese schools' strict epidemic prevention and control measures in preventing large-scale infections amid a spike in cases at US universities. Medical experts said Chinese schools are unlikely to see such spikes, but schools need to remain vigilant due to the possibility of local sporadic cases and pressure from imported cases.

Many cities in China set different school resumption days for different grades to avoid large gatherings. In Beijing, about 590,000 students in six grades involving primary and middle schools resumed class on Saturday, and 400,000 more students were scheduled to resume school on Tuesday. Another 520,000 students will return to school on September 7.

Nearly 1.4 million students in Wuhan are set to return to school on Tuesday in 2,842 middle and primary schools and kindergartens.

On the first day, primary school students and their parents have to take their temperatures to enter the schools, and parents leave from other exits.

A mother of a primary school student surnamed Xu told the Global Times on Monday that schools told parents to report students' temperatures every day. Students must wear masks all day and schools must conduct regular disinfection.

School management was so careful that it prepared disposable lunch boxes for students who usually brought their own packed meals to avoid gatherings of students for washing the boxes, Xu said.

Many schools will continue the measures they took during the spring term, such as separating students as they have lunch, reducing the number of students in one classroom and setting up one-meter signs in cafeterias.

Some parents said they hoped that parents and schools could take regular temperature reporting and other measures seriously, not in a perfunctory way.

Aside from taking regular prevention measures, many schools invited frontline doctors and nurses who fought the COVID-19 epidemic on their opening day to teach students to improve personal health and respect these frontline workers.

Students in different grades at the Shanghai-based Tianyuan Foreign Language Primary School will hold a DIY activity on the first school day to make paper caps, outfits and masks for medical staff, and the school will invite a mother of twin students, a nurse who fought COVID-19 at Leishenshan hospital in Wuhan when the city was plagued by COVID-19, to share stories with students, Zhao Yingqun, the school's principal, told the Global Times on Monday.

"With these activities, we hope to inspire our students to be aware of the contributions and sacrifices made by medical workers, and express our gratitude and respect for them," Zhao said.

Chinese universities, most of which gradually resumed autumn semester courses in mid-August, have adopted strict COVID-19 measures, such as partially closed management, nucleic acid testing, banning gatherings, and strict identification systems.

Song Yiran, a student from Lanzhou University in Northwest China's Gansu Province, told the Global Times on Monday that partially closed management in universities could greatly reduce the risks of being infected through outdoor activity.

Under partially closed management, students can apply for permission to go out to meet relatives or have job interviews, and the university also made students' enclosed lives easier by allowing food deliveries and other services in schools, Song said.

A campus is a high-risk area. The consequences will be disastrous if someone gets infected outside and then returns to the campus to use the cafeteria, public bathing rooms or classrooms, she said.

With Chinese schools welcoming the return of students, some universities in the US have switched back to online courses after an increasing number of confirmed cases involving students were reported since schools reopened in mid-August.

Since classes started on August 19, for example, 1,200 students at the University of Alabama have tested positive for the virus. Across the US, 36 states have reported a total of 8,700 COVID-19 cases at colleges and universities, CNN reported.

Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert at Peking University First Hospital, told the Global Times that the US reopened its universities when local infections had not been put under control, which resulted in the spikes at universities. What happened in US universities is unlikely to occur in Chinese schools as China has accumulated rich preventive measures and built a strong epidemic monitoring system. But China should be on alert for imported cases and risks of infection through imported frozen seafood, Wang said.

Chinese schools initially resumed classes for the spring term in May. Before the summer vacation, 75 percent of the nation's 280 million students had returned to school, and Chinese schools maintained zero infections during the two-month period.



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A woman walks past a painting by French street artist and painter Christian Guemy in tribute to members of Charlie Hebdo newspaper who were killed by jihadist gunmen in 2015, in Paris, on Aug. 31, 2020. (Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images)

French Paper Attacked in 2015 Reprints Mohammed Caricatures

PARISThe French satirical paper whose Paris offices were attacked by Islamic terrorists in 2015 is reprinting caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed cited by the gunmen who opened fire on its editorial staff.

The January 2015 attacks against Charlie Hebdo and, two days later, a kosher supermarket, touched off a wave of killings claimed by the ISIS terrorist group across Europe. Seventeen people died12 of them at the editorial officersalong with all three attackers.

People hug each other outside Charlie Hebdos office, in Paris, on Jan. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

Thirteen men and a woman accused of providing the attackers with weapons and logistics go on trial on terrorism charges Wednesday. In an editorial this week accompanying the caricatures, the paper said the drawings belong to history, and history cannot be rewritten nor erased.

As the attackers, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, walked away from the carnage, they cried out We have avenged the Prophet. Claiming the attacks in the name of al-Qaeda, they then killed a wounded policeman point-blank and drove away.

Women light candles to commemorate the victims killed in an attack at the Paris offices of the weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, in front of the French Embassy in Berlin, on Jan. 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Two days later, a jailhouse acquaintance of theirs stormed a kosher supermarket on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, killing four hostages and claiming allegiance to the ISIS terrorist group. The Kouachi brothers had by then holed up in a printing office with another hostage. All three attackers died in near-simultaneous police raids.

The supermarket attacker, Amedy Coulibaly, also killed a young policewoman.

French President Francois Hollande, left, comforts French columnist for Charlie Hebdo Patrick Pelloux as they take part with family members and relatives in a solidarity march in the streets of Paris on Jan. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Philippe Wojazer, Pool)

The caricatures re-published this week were first printed in 2006 by the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten, setting off sometimes violent protests by Muslims who believe depicting Mohammed is blasphemy.

The papers Paris offices were firebombed in 2011 and its editorial leadership placed under police protection, which remains in place to this day.

By Lori Hinnant and Nicolas Vaux-Montagny
The US department of Justice has begun investigating claims that people were being paid to move between cities in a bid to disrupt and agitate anti-racism demonstrations.

Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf said on Monday that an investigation was underway during an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

He had asked Mr Wolf whether or not the Justice Department had assisted with the DHS response to violence and looting seen in places such as Portland and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

It follows comments made by Donald Trump, who echoed a Facebook conspiracy theory alleging that protesters "dressed head to toe in black" had travelled to cause violence in Seattle this summer.

The US president suggested on Monday that someone had also paid for a plane almost completely loaded with thugs to disrupt last weeks Republican National Convention.

Mr Wolf, who discussed US attorney general William Barrs help with an investigation, said on Monday that this is something that I have talked to the AG personally about.

He told the Fox News host that the Justice department was also targeting and investigating the head of these organisations, [and] the individuals that are paying for these individuals to move across the country.

What we know, Tucker, is that we have seen groups and individuals move from Portland to other parts of the country, said Mr Wolf, despite neither Black Lives Matter or Antifa having designated leaders.

Mr Trump, in an interview with that aired two hours later, told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that some very stupid rich people were funding protesters and rioters.

This person was coming to the Republican National Convention and there were like seven people in the plane [with] this person, claimed the president.

And then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage, he added This is all happening.

Those comments, which Mr Trump could not prove, appeared to be based on a post that went viral on Facebook in June, which claimed that At least a dozen males got off the plane in Boise from Seattle, dressed head to toe in black.

That post, NBC News reported, also claimed that those onboard the plane had been ready to disrupt protests, whilst one person had a tattoo that said Antifa America on his arm.

It comes three months after Mr Trump blamed Antifa, a far-left group, for protests in the wake of Minneapolis police killing George Floyd on Memorial Day.
Police arrested a man who camped out on Disney's abandoned "Discovery Island" during the coronavirus lockdown in April.

Richard McGuire, 42, was arrested after he sailed to the Disney-owned island in Orlando and began recording YouTube videos documenting his adventures on the island.

The island was formerly the site of a zoological park, but was shut down in 1999. It has become a popular destination for "urban explorers" who visit abandoned places. Would-be visitors can only reach the island by boat.

Though the island was formerly home to walking trails and animal exhibits, it's now covered in overgrowth, with only decaying buildings and rusted animal enclosures as evidence of its prior purpose.

Mr McGuire was able to reach the island with the use of a small boat. He travelled there under the cover of darkness while the park was closed due to the coronavirus.

It wasn't Mr McGuire's first time visiting the island; during one of his videos, he said he'd been visiting the island since 2004. He implored his viewers to be careful if they visited the island for the sake of future visitors and offered them safety tips for making fires.

According to Click Orlando, Mr McGuire was caught on a Disney security camera, which prompted a dozen Orange County Sheriff's deputies to swarm the island to find him.

Police body cam footage shows deputies wandering around the island with their guns drawn searching through the ruins of the island for Mr McGuire.

"This is the best game of hide-and-seek ever," one of the deputies said.

"Dude, this is sketchy," a colleague replied.

The deputies were not the only ones recording their visit to Discovery Island.

During the search, Mr McGuire was also filming. In one clip, he hides in a patch of overgrowth as helicopters fly by above him and police search nearby.

"The island is surrounded," he said.

Ultimately, the deputies were unable to locate Mr McGuire, and returned to the mainland. They waited for him to leave the island and arrested him upon his return from his trip.

Though he had planned to stay on the island for a week, he eventually became fatigued and decided to leave and turn himself in to the authorities, claiming he was "flat wore out."

Speaking with a local media outlet, WESH, Mr McGuire described the manhunt as though he was in "a scene from the movie 'The Fugitive.'

Recommended Grandmother sues Disney after being arrested for carrying CBD oil

"I never expected it to be that intense," he said.

Disney has issued a lifetime ban to Mr McGuire for his unsanctioned trip. He said he was just happy he already had the chance to take his daughter to the park.

Mr McGuire has been charged with trespassing and is facing up to a year in jail.
Iraq's Assyrians Denounce BBC Documentary for Omissions

Promotional poster for a new documentary about Iraq produced for the BBC and PBS. ( BBC/PBS/Frontline) A new five-hour documentary series on the social impact of the Iraq War made for the BBC and PBS has been roundly criticized for entirely ignoring the plight of Iraq's persecuted Christians and other minorities.

In an Aug. 20 open letter to the BBC, Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil in northern Iraq said the airbrushing of any mention of the country's minorities in the program, called Once Upon a Time in Iraq, raised "grave concerns" about the program's editorial process.

Made by British filmmaker James Bluemel and aired on the BBC over the summer, the series aims to offer a "personal archive from civilians and soldiers from both sides of the conflict."

Those interviewed share their personal accounts and recollections of life under Saddam Hussein, the U.S.-led invasion, and the years of chaos and hardship that followed, including sectarian violence and the atrocities carried out by the Islamic State group, which occupied parts of northern and central Iraq from 2013 to 2017.

The program was produced by KEO films, an independent company that describes itself as having a "strong ethical brand reputation and innovative approach" that have led its programs to being "ratings powerhouses and award winners."

In his Aug. 20 letter, Archbishop Warda said the omissions, especially as the U.S. government had declared the persecuted minorities to be victims of genocide by Islamic State, was "both wounding and damaging."

"It is wounding because I feel it is tantamount to showing we do not matter and should have no voice," Archbishop Warda wrote. "Those like ISIS, who have persecuted us, have consistently sought to deny us a voice."

He said it was damaging because of the BBC's "global reputation and credibility," which makes the program a "profound setback to achieving understanding of the atrocities committed against us and our plight on the global stage."

The program was also a "dereliction" of the BBC's commitment to impartiality, the archbishop added. The commitment, which dates back to its founding, aims to ensure a "range of views is appropriately reflected" so that "no significant strand of thought is under-represented or omitted."

Archbishop Warda called on the BBC to rectify the omissions "so far as it is possible," and include corrections. "I appeal to you to consider my letter seriously and the pain this has caused to these minority communities in Iraq who followed it in the U.K., U.S., and other countries," he wrote in closing.

'False Representation'

John Neill, a volunteer aid worker for the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil, noted that not only was there "no mention of the Yazidis in the whole series" but that it also ignored the presence of Iranian militias, which are "causing a huge issue of security, resulting in the minorities fleeing for the diaspora."

The most used words in Iraq are "hope" and "voice," Neill told the Register, but the series "denied the minorities both." The Yazidis, a small ethno-religious minority who were targeted for genocide by ISIS because of their syncretistic religious beliefs, are a "deeply damaged and traumatized people," and all Iraq's ancient minorities are in "desperate need" of "education, livelihood programs, capacity building, rights and security," he said.

Murad Ismael, a Yazidi activist and former director of the Yazda Organization, said the BBC program's omission of the "Yazidis, Christians, Kakais and others is a false representation of Iraq," adding it was "very regrettable" that a "major global media outlet" would "completely ignore one of the most important parts of Iraq's reality."

The denial of crimes committed against the Yazidis and other minorities takes many different forms, Ismael told the Register, "including the subjective, cherry-picked media coverage, which is utterly unacceptable."

"The story of minorities in Iraq is the story of some two million Iraqis who found themselves on the run for their lives," he added. "Thousands were killed, other thousands were enslaved, and hundreds of thousands lost their homes, churches, temples, and everything they ever owned -- if all that is not worth being a part of Iraq's story, I don't think there is a story to be told at all."

BBC Response

In response to the criticism, a BBC representative said Once Upon a Time in Iraq is a "highly-acclaimed series from award-winning producers" which "does not claim to offer a definitive history of the Iraq War or its people; rather it seeks to tell the stories of individuals from many sides of those conflicts -- civilians, soldiers and journalists -- allowing the audience to understand the impact of war on a personal level, and what it was like to live through key moments."

But Thomas Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute, an NGO working to achieve worldwide acceptance of religious freedom, criticized the response as "self-congratulatory, arrogant and revealing." He told the Register that the omissions are "inexplicable" in themselves, and help "explain why public awareness of massive global religious persecution and its effects on human dignity and international security is so low."

The Register contacted Bluemel for comment. He did not respond, but in a July 13 article in the U.K.'s Telegraph newspaper, he wrote that he did not want to make "a regular documentary where I interviewed politicians, decision makers and the key players" and instead wished to "tell the story through the eyes of those whose lives were impacted and altered by those political decisions."

The BBC has been increasingly criticized in recent decades for its lack of impartiality on a range of issues, and especially when it comes to religious and political coverage. But such failures are not just limited to the BBC but particularly common in the mainstream media, according to Nina Shea, an expert in religious freedom at the Hudson Institute.

She said the BBC and other mainstream media "typically suffer from secular myopia, meaning they are blind to religious influences in world events" and that this is "particularly true" when it comes to "Christianity and Judaism for those covering the 'Muslim' Middle East."

Shea pointed out that Muslims are taught in Iraq and elsewhere that history began with Islam's arrival in the seventh century, but "there is simply silence" when it comes to the "pre-existence of Christian, Yazidi, Mandean and Jewish communities and their significant contributions to Iraqi civilization" up to modern times. This is why, she added, Islamists often refer to Christians as "Crusaders" and believes the BBC may think this, too, or that the Christian faith was brought by European colonial powers and so does not belong in Iraq.

Liberal Bias?

Shea also does not rule out "bias on the part of media liberals who refuse to see Christians and other Middle Eastern religious minorities as victims of persecution and, as the U.S. officially designated, under the Islamic State, genocide."

Such bias, she said, misses a "major piece of the Iraq War history," namely how such ancient communities have been "all but eradicated" since 2003 and are still struggling to rebuild. "The story of the Iraq War's consequences, including the rise of ISIS that led to the devastation of these ancient minorities, should be told," Shea said.

Gregory Stanton, founding president of Genocide Watch, also noted that religious minorities in Iraq "have long been ignored" and said one reason is because the British government will not declare what happened in Iraq a genocide until a court declares it. He stressed "there is nothing" in the UN Genocide Convention that says only a court can use the word. "The BBC follows suit," Stanton said. "It is an absurd position."

The result of such "denialism," he said, is that "protection for targeted groups always comes too late." What is needed, Stanton added, is for a British government commission to use the word "genocide" when it is "not too late to intervene to prevent it."

The sum of such airbrushing "makes the task of seeking international support work and humanitarian aid that much harder," said Neill, who was also once a BBC employee. He pointed out that the Mandeans, an ethnoreligious group in Iraq dating back to the second century BC, are "nearly gone, the Yazidis have no financial support, and what happens when Christianity disappears from Iraq after 2,000 years?"

Neill said the omissions in programs like Once Upon a Time in Iraq make his work of raising funds and awareness to help the minorities survive "that much harder," at a time when the UK and Europe already "do nothing of concrete value" for Iraq's minorities who look set to "disappear under the sight of their consulates in Erbil."
The Receiver of the 347 defunct microfinance companies, 23 savings and loans and finance houses, Eric Nana Nipah has disclosed he is unable to carry out a detailed asset tracing exercise of some 35 of the resolved companies.

According to him, this has rendered him unable to validate and settle claims of depositors under the Depositor Payment Scheme.

In a statement issued recently in Accra, Mr Nipah highlighted that currently there are 35 resolved companies with depositor claims worth approximately GH252 million which have no books or records available to us, to enable us to validate and settle these claims under the Depositor Payment Scheme.

The companies are ABIS Plus Microfinance Limited, African Trust Microfinance Limited, AG Microfinance Limited, Bedel, Bengay Microfinance Limited, Big Dreams Microfinance Limited, Boin Microfinance Company Limited, Common Capital Microfinance Limited and Crown Capital Microfinance Limited.

Others are D-Vanc Microfinance Limited, Dwetire Microfinance Limited, Elite Microfinance Limited, Era Microfinance Services Limited, Gmet Microfinance Limited, Godigo Microfinance Limited, Golden Trust Microfinance Co. Limited, Halal Microfinance Limited, High Prestige Microfinance Services Limited, High Prestige Microfinance Limited, Jada Microfinance Limited, Jopat Microfinance Company Limited, Joy Help Microfinance Limited, Kapital Express Microfinance Company Limited, Kingdom Trust Microfinance Limited and Liberty Daily.

The rest include Man Capital Microfinance Company, Noble Dream Microfinance Limited, Restore Microfinance Company Limited, Royal Future Microfinance Limited, Savannah Microfinance Limited, Star Plus Microfinance Limited, Starling Microfinance Services Limited, Unique-Mas Microfinance Company Limited and Great Africa Micro Credit Company.

We are working with the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to locate and retrieve these companies' records in order to be able to validate and settle depositor claims made on these companies, the Receiver indicated.

He added that out of a total of 370 entities in resolution, 157 were non-operational with some ceased operations long before BoG revoked their licenses.

In the conduct of the resolution of these companies, a major challenge the Receiver has faced with some of the non-operational companies has been in the area of securing the books and records of these companies both manual and electronic. At the commencement of the resolution process, there were 157 non-operational companies whose books and records we were not able to locate and secure.

Based on the collaborative arrangement we have with the EOCO, which includes assets tracing and investigations, over time, we have been able to retrieve books and records from 131 resolved entities which were not operational at the commencement of the resolution of these companies, thereby making it possible for us to be able to validate creditor claims on these institutions, he added.

----Daily Guide
With great power comes an even greater electricity bill.

 Anonymous

One planet, dozens of cities and 10 million Californians collectively benefited during the past decade from the creation of community choice aggregators, or CCAs, in local communities throughout the state.

More commonly known as community choice energy programs, locally controlled CCAs give residents and businesses the ability to select greener, renewable sources of electricity often at a lower cost than provided by Californias three investor-owned utilities: Pacific Gas and Electric Co., San Diego Gas & Electric Co., and Southern California Edison.

In recent weeks, Californians have endured a heat wave, rolling blackouts, lightning storms and more than 500 wildfires, making clearer the imperative to confront our existential threat of climate change by embracing the clean energy future that CCAs enable.

CCAs arent just good for the Earth, but good for the pocketbooks: as nonprofit local agencies, they can secure better deals for their ratepayers by prudently managing their portfolio and keeping operating costs low, and they avoid the burden of compensating shareholders and C-suite officers. If utility executives and investors continue to have their way, however, recession-battered ratepayers could endure rapidly escalating bills in the months ahead. By approving hikes of an obscure exit fee charged to customers, state regulators have shifted hundreds of millions of dollars in the utilities costs to local residents and businesses. In theory, this exit fee, known as the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment, ensures that CCA ratepayers bear their fair share of the more expensive electricity supply contracts that utilities signed on their behalf many years ago. As ratepayers leave those investor-owned utilities to join CCAs  the logic goes  they shouldnt saddle PG&E, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison and their remaining customers with the entire burden of those costly legacy contracts.

In practice, however, exit fees hardly resemble a fair share.

Since 2013, exit fees have risen more than 600% in the PG&E service area, all for the financial benefit of a criminally convicted and chronically mismanaged utility. It will increase another 35% this fall, boosting an average customers exit fee in PG&Es territory to $220 annually. PG&E is hardly unique; San Diego Gas & Electric recently proposed a larger increase to its exit fee this fall, and weve seen similar increases in Southern California Edisons territory as well.

Exit fees lack guardrails. The fees adjust annually through the California Public Utilities Commissions regulatory process, based upon opaque cost data provided by  wait for it  the big utilities. Those same utilities have blocked CCA efforts to obtain their cost data, even though that information underlies every commission rate-making decision, and even after PG&E was caught committing hundreds of millions of dollars in calculation errors.

Accordingly, the public cannot understand why exit fees increase at rates several times higher than electricity in the open market. One obvious hypothesis: The system driving these rate hikes has nothing to do with energy economics, and everything to do with the political power of the big utilities.

Several solutions are overdue. First, we need to reverse recent rule changes that have accelerated rate hikes. In October 2018, for example, the commission eliminated legislatively enacted limits on utilities use of exit fees to recover the costs of operating their older gas and nuclear power plants. The 2018 rule change saddles all ratepayers with those burdens, undermining any incentive for utilities to reduce costs and retire inefficient, dirty gas generators, as other private companies have done.

The former commissioner who proposed that change in 2018 observed that for many customers, the bill impacts should be relatively small. The impacts were hardly small, but no matter; that commissioner now works for Southern California Edison. The current commission must do better.

Second, the commission and legislature must adopt common-sense transparency measures around rate-setting and fees. Every resident and business in California deserves public disclosure of cost data and rate calculations as proposed in Assemblyman Ash Kalras AB2689, which was shelved amid the pandemic. Consumers must know what they are paying for  particularly if theyre paying more.

Finally, the commission must adopt the recommendations of its public working group to require utilities to optimize their energy supply portfolio. Doing so would reduce energy costs for all customers, as current regulations undermine any market-based incentives for the utilities to manage their portfolio costs. Although Southern California Edison co-led a working group with CCAs to make significant advances in this area, the other two major utilities, PG&E and San Diego Gas & Electric, have opposed a consensus reform proposal and are seeking to block implementation in the 11th hour by pressing for self-serving changes. The commission should not capitulate to these tactics.

In this painful moment for Californians, the Public Utilities Commission has an opportunity to significantly ease financial burdens on families and support our climate goals. We urge the CPUC to rise to this crucial opportunity.

Sam Liccardo is the mayor of San Jose, and Sheila Kuehl is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
How to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. Its anonymous!

Dear How to Do It,

Im a 32-year-old straight woman. I have never had sex. I dont frequently masturbate, but when I do, its AWESOME. Im cool with having an apparently low sex drive. But I want to have sex. I know what makes me feel good, Ive discovered a couple of kinks, and I know what my absolute Do Not Want areas are.

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The thing is, the area I live in doesnt have the best choices for casual sex. I have several close male friends, but they are NOT optionsI wouldnt want to possibly screw up a long-term friendship, neither would they, and were more like siblings. I would also feel too awkward hooking up with someone who probably knows one of those guys, and would probably be douchey enough to tell them. That might make me too picky, but given my anxiety issues, its something I take into consideration.

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Now Im seriously considering saving my money and, post-COVID, taking a vacation somewhere that has legal prostitution and finding a male prostitute to do the job for me. My rationale is thus: They know what theyre doing. They wont fight me on protection. And they might be more willing to indulge in my kink than a regular guy. Would that be a completely awful idea? If not, are there ways to do this properly as a straight woman that would give me the best chance for a safe experience?

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Paying Up

Dear Paying Up,

You sound pretty self-possessed about what you want, so I decided to focus on your second question. I was able to find a trio of male escorts who see female clients in Australia, where sex work is decriminalized or legal in many parts of the country. Male escorts who see and provide sexual services for women are a far rarer commodity than just about every other kind of sex worker, Cameron Hart, one such escort, told me. In a very general sense, there is less demand and therefore a far smaller industry base with which to engage when looking for a suitable provider. He suggested that you consider writing to female service providers for referrals: Sometimes reaching out to other sex workers or providers (specifically women) to ask their opinion of or recommendation on male sex workers can give you an insight into how they conduct themselves professionally and in the sex work community. I know as a fact that many of my clients are referred to me by women in the sex industry.

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Escort John Oh also suggests that you do your research. Read each guys website, he said. Get the best picture that you can of them. Then drop them an email and politely inquire if you can spend some time getting to know them. Offer to pay for their time to do so. Im sure that you will figure out quickly enough if any given guy might suit you. A third professional companion, Ryan James, said not to stop there: After checking out their professional pictures on their website, have a look at their social media to find casual and recent pictures. Read through their bio and everything else you can find on their website about what they offer. Then go on to check if theyve written anything elsewhere. See if they have a blog, if theyve done any interviews. All this helps paint a picture of what they might be like in person and whether they would be a good match for you.

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All three of the men I contacted strongly encourage communication, particularly when kink is in the mix. When contacting an escort, an email, text or phone call simply requesting what youre after is all thats necessary. Your name, type of service that youre after, preferred date, time and location. Be sure to mention anything specific that youre after, especially when it comes to kink, James said. Hart echoed that: Some of us are trained in specific kink protocol, whilst others are notand this will often impact our eagerness to provide for specific kinds of requests or desires. As an example, I am happy to fulfill moderate BDSM fantasies and requests, but high-protocol kink and scenes requiring significant skill I will often refer out to other providers who I know are trained, skilled and well regarded in that area. Again, the best way to assess whether a provider is right for you is to reach out and communicate.

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Both Hart and James cautioned that a provider asking for a picture of you is a red flag, and asking for sexually explicit images is a whole red parade. Another red flag is if they send you sexual images without asking for your consent first.

So I think your best bet is to start looking now, while youre saving, to get an idea of what services and which providers might be interesting to you in whatever destination you decide to go with. Hart also said to consider first patronizing sex workers digitally via subscription platforms, and I think that might be a useful way for you to practice communicating with a provider. You should never be afraid to reach out, whether that be by email, Twitter message, or even a private message through OnlyFans (or whichever platform the provider is using). Most of us are more than happy to discuss private or personalized content creation with fans or clients, he said.

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And as I always advise for safety when meeting someone new: Meet in public first, tell a trusted friend where youre going, and set check-in time(s). You dont necessarily have to mention every last detail. Best of luck.

Get Sex Advice in Your Inbox Every How to Do It column, delivered weekly. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.

Dear How to Do It,

Im not sure if this even counts as a problem, but Id appreciate your thoughts on something. My wife and I are in our 50s. Third marriage for both of us. Weve been together 10 years, and married for six. Our sex life is amazing, for our age but also for most any age. We make love virtually every day; if we happen to miss a day (tired, not feeling the best, ate supper too late), we often have sex twice the next day. Usually there is no initiator; it is just understood that we both desire each other whenever the opportunity arises. Afterward, we cuddle blissfully, sleep soundly, and wake up happy. So, here is the question: Most of the time, my wife prefers to have intercourse and that I have an orgasm, but she only wants to have an orgasm occasionally, usually once a week, and only after she has taken a very long and thorough shower. (She only orgasms with oral sex.) Id love for her to orgasm more often, and would happily go down on her anytime, anywhere, with or without a preparatory shower. What should I do? Is this even an issue? Should I just count my blessings and carry on? Ive tried several times to talk about this. She admits she has a bit of a self-consciousness issue about cleanliness, how she smells down there, etc. Ive reassured her that Im not squeamish, and that in any case she is super hygienic. But clearly the discussion makes her uncomfortable, so I drop it. Any thoughts on a different approach? Or should I just accept that this is the way she wants it and carry on with our perfectly wonderful sex life?

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No Qualms

Dear No Qualms,

I think valuing the female orgasm is generally goodvery goodbut in this case, you may be overvaluing it. Remember, sex is about the journey. The experience. The intimacy. Orgasms can be nice, but they dont need to happen in every sexual interaction. It sounds like your wife is very satisfied with the sex the two of you have, and doesnt need or want to orgasm every time.

Its less about your squeamishness and more about hers. She doesnt feel comfortable receiving oral sex unless shes had that shower. Youve brought it up multiple times and say that the discussion clearly makes her uncomfortable. Respect her boundaries and leave it alone.

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Dear How to Do It,

Im a 36-year-old man living in a major city. My girlfriend and I have been dating for about three years, and we decided to have an open relationship for the past two years. This was my first open relationship, and my partners second. We stopped that after the pandemic hit, and now weve had some time to talk and reflect about the last couple of years.

We set some ground rules: honesty, safe sex, etc. My girlfriend typically hooked up with someone once every two or three months. The problem is that in the last two years, Ive struck out every single time. I know that its easier for women to hook up than it is for men, and its not about keeping score, but Ive had ZERO hookups! When I was single, I never had a dry spell like this. The problem is always the same: I meet someone online (Tinder, OkC) or in person, and it seems to be going well at first. Im able to get a reply or a date pretty regularly. Early on, Im honest with the fact that Im in an open relationship, because I dont want to deceive anyone. This immediately puts up a wall, even if I thought it was clear from the start that it was a casual encounter. Every woman Ive met does not want to have a casual encounter with me because Im in a relationship, even when I tell them its open and my partner knows.

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Is this a normal experience for men in open relationships? How do you get around this problem? Do I not tell the other person Im in a relationship? This seems dishonest and could hurt them, which I absolutely do not want to do. My girlfriend is equally baffled. After two years of trying, I feel shunned and ready to give up.

Great Wall

Dear Great Wall,

Open relationships are a difficult thing for many people to understand. Potential partners may be confused and not want to put in the energy and effort to understand your situation, in the same way that people who care for elderly family members or have children may struggle to find partners willing to wrap their heads around those complexities. Potential partners may be unsure whether everything is above board because theyre unfamiliar with the concept of nonmonogamy or because theyve been burned in the past.

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I want to take a moment to applaud you for being direct and upfront about your primary relationship. I agree that hiding it would be dishonest and potentially set the prospective partner to feel hurt, used, or misled. Bravo.

I think you should put the fact that you have a primary relationship and are looking for hookups in your OkCupid profile in a pretty obvious way, to make the process more efficient. And I think that you might have a better chance of success on Feeld, as it caters to people looking for threesomes and nonmonogamous hookups. You also might find success at poly munches or other sorts of meetups. You know, presuming that the COVID situation improves and you and your main partner decide to continue nonmonogamy.

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You dont get around the problem so much as you push through the problem. You keep putting yourself out there until you find someone who is interested in what you have to offer, and then you foster that relationship to whatever degree youre both comfortable with. Good luck.

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Dear How to Do It,

My partner and I have been together for 15 years. We grew up in the evangelical church hearing No premarital sex! Womens bodies should be hidden! Sex is dirty! and so on. It took us YEARS to even know how to talk about sex, and weve been each others only sexual partners (after marriage, of course). Weve discovered that sex is actually pretty great, and talking about it helpswho knew?! But Im stuck on how to broach non-vanilla sex. I have two main problems: One, Im curious and want to explore, but I dont know whats even out there. Unfortunately, porn isnt an optionI still have too many layers of guilt to work through before I could enjoy it. Is there a nice list somewhere with a bunch of the things people do and how to do them? Two, how do we talk about these adventurous things without it being awkward? My partner has always been loving and patient and supportive, but I feel like Id be bringing up something gross or perverted (thanks church), and I dont know how to get over that.

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Holy Union

Dear Holy Union,

Nadia Bolz-Weber wrote a book called Shameless: A Sexual Reformation that I recommend to anyone raised in the Christian faith who is struggling with sexual intimacy as an adult. I thought it was wonderful. Some people find it too aggressively critical of conservative Christianity and the purity movement, but I think a read through will help you feel soothed by reminding you that you arent alone.

As for whats out there, well, theres a whole buffet. Im not sure what vanilla means to you, so Ill start simple. You can pleasure each other with your mouths. You can use your anuses as sources of salacious sensation. Stimulation of feet, particularly toes, can be another fun feeling. The main question to ask yourself in this department is: What feels good?

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Theres a vast array of BDSMbondage, domination, sadism, masochismactivities. This can be anything from light hair pulling or a couple of smacks on the butt, through one of you holding the others wrists with your hands, to elaborate scenes involving hours of rope bondage or scripted psychodrama. Are you curious about experiencing pain sensations? How about delivering those sensations? Can you imagine yourself in charge of the action? Do you want to submit to your partners whims? Do you want to be worshipped, put temporarily on a pedestal? Does physical restraint sound interesting? And physically restraining your partner? Do you have any fantasies youd like to role-play?

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Sometimes talking about sex is awkward. Sometimes sex itself is awkward. Sharing our desires involves vulnerability. You might consider practicingwhen youre alone, in the mirror, saying, Im still curious about sex or I want to try ______ with you. Get a feel for the words in your mouth before you try to communicate with your partner. Another thing to do before you begin to communicate is reminding yourself of your history and the fact that your feelings are OK. I feel shame around sexuality because of the messages I heard growing up. I know that shame doesnt serve me, but its OK that Im feeling it. You might even start the conversation with your partner with this. Weve talked about the ways our upbringings have affected us. I believe you understand my apprehension. I want to explore the rest of sex with you, and Im not sure how to talk about that.

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Take your time, be patient with yourself, and let your desires lead you. Good luck.

Stoya

More How to Do It

My wife and I have been together for many years and married only recently. We have a regular, healthy sex life that I would call vanilla with some extra toppings. We also are pretty open about sex and masturbation (hell, I surprised her with a new vibrator when we found her old one was dying out). But theres one fantasy I havent told her aboutand it has to do with her impending pregnancy. I really dont feel comfortable telling her about my dark secret that when she is seven to nine months pregnant, all Ill want to do is bone her.
Senator Biodun Olujimi has blamed the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP for the crisis rocking the Ekiti State chapter of the party.

PDP in Ekiti has been embroiled in a protracted crisis for some time now. The party is polarised, with one faction loyal to a former governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose, and the other to Senator Olujimi, who represents Ekiti Central in the Senate.

The two groups produced two state chairmen last Saturday at parallel congresses after they had conducted congresses at the ward and local government levels.

Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, Senator Olujimi said her faction held a parallel congress in protest against the national body's support for the "illegal" congress conducted by the Fayose group.

Meanwhile, the new leadership of the PDP in Ekiti State has promised to reclaim the state from the ruling APC in the 2022 governorship poll, issuing a red card to Governor Kayode Fayemi.

The State Working Committee (SWC) led by the Chairman, Bisi Kolawole, who is a loyalist of Fayose, promised to reach out to Senator Olujimi and other aggrieved leaders of her faction to unify the party and reinforce its chances in 2022.

Addressing party supporters who ushered in the new executive into office at the party's secretariat at Ajilosun in Ado Ekiti, Kolawole vowed that the PDP would end what he called "a reign of terror" being allegedly inflicted on Ekiti people by the APC.
A 'Coffin Confessor' who gets paid thousands to gatecrash funerals at the request of the dead has revealed the most outrageous things he's had to tell grieving relatives.

Bill Edgar was a private investigator until an elderly man asked him to step in at his funeral three years ago to call out his best friend for 'trying to screw' his wife.

The Gold Coast man has since made a thriving business divulging his dead clients' explosive secrets to their heartbroken families during burials and will readings.

Speaking on the Kyle and Jackie O show on Tuesday, Mr Edgar - whose clients pay up to $10,000 for his services - revealed his most shocking confessions.

'I've exposed family secrets, sexual affairs and intimate relationships between brothers and sisters,' he told the stunned hosts.

Mr Edgar said his worst job was when he had to reveal a girlfriend had slept with her partner's mother and father.

Bill Edgar was a private investigator until an elderly man asked him to intercept his funeral three years ago to call out his best friend for 'trying to screw' his wife

Bill Edgar has since made a thriving business divulging his dead clients' explosive secrets to their heartbroken families during burials and will readings

'Basically, there weren't many people left at the funeral,' he said.

Another request involved telling the family of a bikie gang member that he was gay and his lover was in the crowd.

'Half a dozen people left, a couple gave me the finger and told me that I was going to get bashed, but the majority said, "we know what he was like, and we knew".'

To avoid gatecrashing funerals with false assumptions and accusations, Mr Edgar uses his private investigation skills to verify his clients' claims.

'I've got to get some actual facts too - I've got to look in to it. I can't just go to a funeral and announce bullsh**t, it's got to be legitimate stuff.'

To avoid gatecrashing funerals with false assumptions and accusations, Mr Edgar uses his private investigation skills to verify his clients' claims

Along with airing people's dirty laundry, Mr Edgar spends most of his time purging his dead clients' homes of embarrassing items to spare their families the discomfort (stock image of a funeral)

Along with airing people's dirty laundry, Mr Edgar spends most of his time purging his dead clients' homes of embarrassing items to spare their families the discomfort.

One customer was an 88-year-old man from Toowoomba in Queensland who asked the coffin confessor to clean his attic.

'He said "you're going to find some items in there that are going to shock you"'.

'I got in the attic and there's a sex swing, there's toys - you name it, it was there.'

Mr Edgar explained that he never has to ask his clients questions about their seemingly bizarre secrets because 'they divulge everything ... they've got nothing to lose'.

Mr Edgar explained that he never has to ask his clients questions about their seemingly bizarre secrets because 'they divulge everything'

Some clients have also used his services to confess to crimes.

While he is obliged to report admissions to the police, Mr Edgar skirts around the problem by asking the person write confession down in a letter and address it to themselves.

The coffin confessor picks the unopened letter up after the client dies and places it in a drawer and leaves it there.

'It's illegal to open someone else's mail,' he said.

Other strange requests come from clients who want want to be buried with specific items, such as money, firearms, and mobile phones with torches because they're scared of the dark.

Some ask for glass coffins, caskets filled with water or fitted with speakers programmed to make screaming sounds as it's lowered into the ground.

Bill Edgar has also been asked to prick some clients in the arm with a pin before the burial to make sure they're really dead

'One person wanted their coffin to be upside-down, on top of their wife's coffin, in the 69 position,' he said.

He has also been asked to prick some clients in the arm with a pin before the burial to make sure they're really dead.

To use the coffin confessor's services, dying clients must sign a contract giving Mr Edgar the right to call the service off and take the body away if the family try to stop him from doing his job.

They are also asked to video themselves giving Mr Edgar permission to carry out their final wishes.

When asked whether he feels guilty about slapping upset friends and family members with shocking details during a vulnerable time, he said: 'I'm not respecting the living.'

'My clients are dead and I like them more than the people who are alive.'

Clients are asked to video themselves giving Mr Edgar permission to carry out their final wishes

But the messages Mr Edgar shares aren't always of vengeance and resentment, The Gold Coast Bulletin previously reported.

Once a month, he sends a letter to a man telling him that his wife loves him and will never forget him, at the dead woman's request.

The Coffin Confessor previously told Daily Mail Australia he was once asked by a man dying from pancreatic cancer to euthanize his dog so it could be with him 'in heaven'.

'His instructions were that he wanted to take his dog with him, and he wanted someone to take his dog's life so they could be together in heaven,' he said.

Despite Mr Edgar saying he would jump at every opportunity if it paid, he draws the line in assisting with death, saying it's something he would never do.

A more morbid case Mr Edgar was faced with came from a man on his death bed with pancreatic cancer, whose dying wish was to have his beloved pet dog die with him

Although Mr Edgar's intrusions at funerals are often met with hostility from mourners, some of his clients' family members actually thank him for his help.

'I had the daughter of a man that died came up to me and said her dad would be so proud that you told his brother and sister-in-law to "f**k off",' he said.

Mr Edgar said at this particular funeral he even improvised and added in a few choice words of his own.

He also had three separate requests in one week from people who asked him to dress up as Homer Simpson for their funeral.

'I think it's for more of a themed-funeral, it's more lighthearted. I guess people pick their idol and want me to surprise everyone,' he said.

Some to wonder if he could simply not fulfill his client's wishes and pocket the cash after they die.

'My clients say to me "look I'm paying you this money, if you rip me off I won't know but I'll see you one day in heaven",' he said.
Confocal image of a mouse brain tissue shows the astrocytes (red) and neurons (green). Credit: Ethell lab, UC Riverside.

A team led by a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside has found a new mechanism responsible for the abnormal development of neuronal connections in the mouse brain that leads to seizures and abnormal social behaviors.

The researchers focused on the area of the brain called hippocampus, which plays an important role in learning and social interactions; and synapses, which are specialized contacts between neurons.

Each neuron in the brain receives numerous excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs. The balance between excitation and inhibition in neuronal circuits, known as E/I balance and thought to be essential for circuit function and stability and important for information processing in the central nervous system, can play a role in causing many neurological disorders, including epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia.

The researchers also focused on a protein called ephrin-B1, which spans the membrane surrounding the cell and plays a role in maintaining the nervous system. The goal of their study was to determine if the deletion or over-production of ephrin-B1 in astrocytesglial cells in the brain that regulate synaptic connections between neuronsaffects synapse formation and maturation in the developing hippocampus and alters the E/I balance, leading to behavioral deficits.

"We found the changes in the E/I balance are regulated by astrocytes in the developing brain through the ephrin protein," said Iryna Ethell, a professor of biomedical sciences in the UCR School of Medicine who led the mouse study. "Further, astrocytic ephrin-B1 is linked to the development of inhibitory networks in the hippocampus during a critical developmental period, which is a new and unexpected discovery. Specifically, we show the loss of astrocytic ephrin-B1 tilts the E/I balance in favor of excitation by reducing inhibition, which then hyperactivates the neuronal circuits. This hyperactivity manifests as reduced sociability in the mice and suggests they can serve as a new model to study autism spectrum disorder."

The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, can further scientists' understanding of the mechanisms that lead to neurodevelopmental disorders, allowing researchers to discover novel interventions for treating these disorders by targeting astrocytes during a specific developmental period.

Ethell explained that astrocyte dysfunctions are also linked to synapse pathologies associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease where early dysfunction in synaptic connections can also lead to neuron loss.

"How exactly astrocytes use the ephrin protein to control the development of neuronal networks remains to be explored in future studies," she said. "Our findings open a new inquiry into future clinical applications as impaired inhibition has been linked to several developmental disorders, including autism and epilepsy."

The report is first to establish a link between astrocytes and the development of E/I balance in the mouse hippocampus during early postnatal development.

"We provide new evidence that different ephrin-B1 levels in astrocytes influence both excitatory and inhibitory synapses during development and contribute to the formation of neuronal networks in the brain and associated behaviors," Ethell said.

She explained that synapses are building blocks of neural networks and function as fundamental information-processing units in the brain. Excitatory synapses are cell-cell connections that facilitate neuronal activity, she said, whereas inhibitory connections negatively regulate brain activity to coordinate brain responses, their timing, and specificity.

"Hyperactivity of neuronal networks resulting from the loss or impaired function of inhibitory synapses can lead to neural dysfunctions and seizures," she added. "Like a car without brakes, the brain without inhibitory neurons cannot function properly and becomes overactive, resulting in loss of body control."

Ethell acknowledged further investigation is needed to determine how exactly ephrin signaling in astrocytes alters inhibitory synapses, and specifically how astrocytes may contribute to these mechanisms.

"Given the widespread and growing research interest in the astrocyte-mediated mechanisms that regulate E/I balance in neurodevelopmental disorders, our findings establish a foundation for future studies of astrocytes in clinically relevant conditions," she said.

Explore further Often overlooked glial cell is key to learning and memory

More information: Amanda Q Nguyen et al, Astrocytic ephrin-B1 controls excitatory-inhibitory balance in developing hippocampus, The Journal of Neuroscience (2020). Journal information: Journal of Neuroscience Amanda Q Nguyen et al, Astrocytic ephrin-B1 controls excitatory-inhibitory balance in developing hippocampus,(2020). DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0413-20.2020
T he widow of Pc Andrew Harper today said everything in my life is different now as she campaigned for a new law meaning those who kill emergency workers are jailed for life.

Lissie Harper also said she was pretty appalled that Pc Harpers three killers are appealing after their manslaughter convictions.

She said: There isnt a deterrent for these people. They think they can go out and commit crime and take peoples lives and thats acceptable. Its not to the rest of us. Were dis gusted by that sort of behaviour.

She was speaking on ITVs Good Morning Britain as more than 650,000 signatures backed Harpers Law, an online petition calling for tougher sentences.

Mrs Harper had been married to her 28-year-old husband for just four weeks when he was dragged behind a car and killed responding to a late-night burglary in August last year.

Mrs Harper, who is due to meet with Home Secretary Priti Patel this month for talks, said: Losing someone in that way, you can never prepare yourself for.

"This [campaign] has given something that maybe I can have some control over. I have an immense amount of support. Everything in my life is different now and Ive got to find a new purpose.
By Matthew Stefanski

Tucked away in the Dutch countryside near the village of Margraten is a piece of hallowed ground, made sacred by those who are buried there.

Traveling along a country road  or the bike path that runs alongside it  past grazing animals, and pastoral farms one arrives at the stone gate to the Netherlands American Cemetery, where beneath the perfectly manicured grass lie 8,301 American World War II servicemembers. An additional 1,722 missing in action are memorialized on the tablets of the missing. Among those buried are six Medal of Honor recipients and forty pairs of brothers. All of them heroes.

The Netherlands American Cemetery is one of twenty-six U.S. military cemeteries from World War I and World War II under the care of the American Battle Monuments Commission. These cemeteries can be found on all corners of the globe and are the final resting places for about 30% of U.S. casualties from the two conflicts, with the remainder having been re-buried in the United States following each respective war. While the cemetery in Normandy is perhaps most recognizable to readers, each cemetery is a testament to the commitment of the United States to never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country far from home.

The Netherlands American Cemetery, known locally as the Margraten Cemetery for the nearby village, has created an incredible bond between the people of Margraten  and the Netherlands writ large  and the United States.

Each of the over 10,000 graves and memorialized names at the cemetery has been adopted by a Dutch family as part of a tradition that dates back to the earliest days after the war. For over three quarters of a century Dutch citizens, young and old alike, have visited the cemetery and their grave, bearing flowers and remembrance. This beautiful tradition continues to this day and is especially visible during holidays such as Memorial Day or Dutch Remembrance Day commemorated annually on May 4, when nearly every grave and memorial tablet is decorated with fresh bouquets of flowers, hand-written thank you cards, and Dutch and American flags.

Nowhere does one feel more American than at an American military cemetery overseas. I cannot shake the memory of when I visited the cemetery on Memorial Day 2019. I stood and watched as the Dutch arrived, by car and bicycle, at the cemetery and then proceeded to visit their specific grave. Each person knew exactly where to go, as if they have done this before, as if they have been doing this for 75 years or more.

An elderly Dutch couple flagged me down and asked  in excellent English  that I take a picture of them alongside their adopted grave, freshly decorated, so that they can send it to the relatives of the U.S. servicemember in the United States. It was all a truly moving sight to behold. Countless relationships continue to this day between families in the Netherlands and the United States, brought together by the cemetery in Margraten, the men and women who rest there, and their great sacrifice during wartime.

This small plot of land continues to be a source of inspiration to this day. In 2015 Dutch organizers initiated the Faces of Margraten tribute, which sought to put a face to the name of every American servicemember buried and memorialized at Margraten. In 2015, 2016 and 2018, they displayed the photos of identified servicemembers next to their graves creating a moving commemoration. The planned commemoration for 2020 has been rescheduled for 2021.

Their efforts so far have been extremely successful, with faces found for over 7,500 servicemembers. However, some 2,500 names are still waiting to be matched with photos.

The Netherlands American Cemetery is the final resting place for Americans from across the country, from airmen who were shot down in the skies over occupied Europe, to airborne and ground forces who pushed into Germany across the Rhine River in 1944 and 1945. Among those buried in Margraten are also men from our community.

Twenty-seven men from Hudson County, buried and memorialized at the Netherlands American Cemetery, have yet to have a photo submitted on their behalf. You can help add a face to the name. If you recognize any of these names or know where to find a photo of them, please contact info@fieldsofhonor-database.com or visit the website thefacesofmargraten.com.

Help the Faces of Margraten complete their project and add a face to the stone grave of our New Jersey servicemembers buried in the Netherlands.

Here are the names:

AGRESTA, Frank F.; DALY, William J.; DOLAN, William P.; DUSENBURY, James V.; FERRARA, Frank A.; GENTILE, Benjamin J.; GILIA, Andrew P,; HUGHES, William F.; KOZAR, Paul; KULESA, John E.; LOPEZ, Anselmo C.; LUICK, Ferdinand W.; MASON, Stephen C.; MIRABELLA, Paul; MOCIO, Edward; MULLEN, John T.; OCONNELL, Raymond B.; PETRUZZELLO, Arthur; QUINN, Frank; REINHARDT, John A.; SACHEWICZ, William P.; SHARKEY, Bernard E.; SHEEHAN, William V.; STONE, Fred S.; TULAI, Stephen; WEIR, Frank A.; YOUNG, Walter.

Matthew Stefanski is a resident of Bayonne.

Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.com.
The experts also received reports of violence against women and children, including sexual abuse.

UN human rights experts claim 450 documented cases of torture have been recorded in Belarus since the beginning of mass protests.

"The experts received reports of 450 documented cases of torture and ill-treatment of people deprived of their liberty after the disputed presidential election on August 9 that led to mass protests and arrests," the OHCHR said on September 1, 2020.

Read alsoBelarus protests: Students take to streets in Minsk on Sept 1 (Photo, video)It is noted most people reported missing have been accounted for, but it is alarming that the whereabouts and the state of health of at least six individuals are reportedly unknown to their relatives.

The experts also received reports of violence against women and children, including sexual abuse.

Belarus protests: background
PYN Elite is very hot on Vietnamese bank stocks

At the moment, Vietnamese banks account for a total of 32.5 per cent of PYN Elites portfolio. Our top picks are HDBank(HSX: HDB), VietinBank (HSX: CTG), and TPBank (HSX: TPB), said Petri Deryung, portfolio manager and board member at PYN Elite. We increased our weighing in banks already before the coronavirus crisis due to banks importance for the Vietnamese stock market. Many banks had improved their earnings in 2019 but they still lagged behind the VN-Index.

Deryung also explained that in Europe, there has been a lot of talk about the financial sectors future growth and the quality of banks balance sheets. However, things are different in Vietnam where the banks are the true growth stories. They are not to be picked for being good dividend stocks because the banks are investing their profits for future growth.

In recent years, the funds key banking stocks have recorded annual growth in earnings and revenue up to 30-40 per cent. This year will also be a decent one, despite COVID-19. Many of PYN Elites banks are expecting earnings growth as much as 20 per cent in 2020 and this will lead to P/E ratios of 5-6.

Besides, a number of Vietnamese banks have accelerated their initial public offering (IPO) process or switched exchanges, signalling ambitions to tap into larger capital inflows. For example, LienVietPostBank showed intentions of switching from the UPCoM to the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HSX) and raising its foreign ownership limit from 5 to 9.99 per cent to tap into overseas capital.

Privately-held lender ACB, which is currently listed on the Hanoi bourse, signalled its ambition of listing on the HSX in November or December.

SHB and VIB may also follow suit, saying they would shift focus from the capital's exchange to its southern counterpart.

At the end of July, PYN Elites portfolio reached approximately $450 million, 4 per cent of which was allocated for cash, and 96 per cent for Vietnamese stocks. Shares of Vietnam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Corporation (UPCoM: VEA) held the largest proportion, accounting for 11.85 per cent.

In its recent report, PYN Elite assessed that VEA had a solid cash flow, but UPCoM somehow restrained its potential. The fund expected VEA would be listed on the major bourse, HSX, within the next few years.

VEA dividend rates are relatively high, around 10 per cent of the market price. The firms dividend yield might be reduced due to increasing share price.

PYN Elite believed VEA is one of the most attractive tickers as it is expected to double its valuation within the next three years.

Last month, PYN announced it would lift its ownership cap at local IT and telecom CMC Group.
It is the worst of all worlds, for an incumbent president seeking re-election, to have the country feel as if its coming apart under his leadership. Trump can deflect and cast this chaos as a preview of Bidens America, but the public usually punishes those who preside over disorder, from Vice President Hubert Humphrey in 1968 to President George H.W. Bush in 1992. Trump is on the same path, with low approval ratings of his handling of crime (46 to 52 percent) and even lower approval of his handling of race relations (37 to 62 percent).

Compounding this problem is his rhetoric. The president speaks as if he approves of violence in the streets. Kenosha would be quiet if not for an incident of police brutality and abuse. The same is true for other cities where rioting and disorder have taken place. And yet, just last Friday, the president lamented the extent to which officers cant use excessive force against protesters: The reason they didnt fight back too much, Trump said of the police confronting protesters at his acceptance speech in Washington, D.C., is they dont want to lose their pension and they dont want to lose their job because weve become too politically correct. Everybodys afraid to do anything now.

Trump said something similar several years ago, telling David Muir of ABC News that he would send federal help to Chicago to handle its homicide problem. I will send in what we have to send in. Maybe theyre not gonna have to be so politically correct, he said.

On Monday, Trump held a news conference. Asked to condemn the killings in Kenosha, he said the shooter acted in self-defense; otherwise, he probably would have been killed. Asked to condemn the Portland caravan for harassment, he refused. (Over the weekend, on Twitter, he called them GREAT PATRIOTS!) Trump said nothing, in other words, to disprove Bidens claim that he looks at this violence and sees a political lifeline and that he adds fuel to every fire.

Its not too late. With a little more than two months until the election, the president can still reverse course. But he cannot do so as long as he and his campaign indulge the fantasy that he is blameless and untouched by the crisis in Democrat cities.

The solution is for Trump to disavow the instigators. His trip to Kenosha today should include tough words for police officers who insist on using lethal force when its not necessary. He should urge police departments to reject the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and military-style equipment against protesters, understanding, as the Kerner Commission report explained in 1968, that the harmful effects of overreaction are incalculable.

Face to face with law enforcement at the site of a terrible tragedy, Trump will have the chance to rebuke both bad policing and the self-styled militias who raised the heat on an already tense situation.
OSLO: Norway is relaunching cod farms in Europes ice-cold northern waters after mass escapes and failure to thrive condemned its earlier attempt to become the first country to try large-scale breeding of a species declining in the wild.

The handful of companies raising Atlantic cod in pens in Norwegian fjords say they have learned lessons from a wave of bankruptcies of cod farms earlier in the millennium as well as the success of Norways multi-billion-dollar salmon business.

They are hoping to emulate that success with cod at a time when wild Atlantic cod are seeing mixed fortunes.

While stocks off Iceland and in the Barents Sea are sustainable, those off Canada, the United States, Ireland and Britain are low, as are those in the Baltic Sea and the non-British part of the North Sea.

Norcod, the biggest of the new farms, is raising 1.8 million fish along the craggy Norwegian seacoast and plans to begin sales in the second quarter of 2021.

We are targeting northern and western Europe first," said Christian Riber, Norcods commercial director, adding the firm had also seen interest in their product from U.S. customers.

The company aims to produce an initial 6,500 tonnes in 2021, rising to 25,000 tonnes in 2025. That would exceed the high of 21,000 tonnes recorded in official statistics across the country in 2010 before the industry collapsed.

They used wild fish for breeding and the cod was escaping by biting into the nets," said Oeyvind Hansen, who heads the national cod breeding programme at Nofima, the only research institute that works with the selective breeding of cod.

Around half of all the fish raised in a pen died, including from cannibalism, he said. Growth rates were also slow and the 2008-2009 financial crisis starved companies of credit. By 2015, Norway produced no farmed cod at all.

Norways production of farmed salmon and cod Norways production https://graphics.reuters.com/NORWAY-COD/jbyvrqlkype/chart.png

WHAT CHANGED?

Nofima continued the research into cod breeding it had conducted since 2002-2003 thanks to public funding from a ministry of fisheries keen to develop new industries around fish. It has now bred five generations of farmed cod.

Through selective breeding, the fish has adapted to farm life. It has become more domesticated," said Hansen. We have learned a lot about the biology and we have selected the fish best suited for fish farming."

Mortality rates in the pens are down to roughly 15%, there is less cannibalism, faster growth and the fish no longer try to escape, he said. Norcod says its mortality rates were much lower.

We are benefiting from the huge improvements in equipment for the salmon farming industry in the last decade," said Norcods Riber.

Salmon farming has grown in two decades into a $8-billion dollar industry that exports 1.1 million tonnes of fish and is now Norways third-largest export after crude oil and natural gas, with logistics to match.

Norways top exports in 2019 https://graphics.reuters.com/NORWAY-COD/gjnvwawelvw/chart.png

WILD COD VS FARMED COD?

Not everyone is pleased about the revival of cod farming.

We have sustainable cod stocks in the wild in many areas in Norway that are thriving," said Arnold Haapnes, who heads the biodiversity programme at green group Friends of the Earth Norway. So why should we use (public) money to compete with the wild cod?"

Farmed salmon regularly escape during storms and mate with the wild salmon, he said, causing introgression, the mixing of genes between wild fish and farm fish. This eventually lowers the amount of genes available in the wild population and makes it more vulnerable to disease and environmental changes, which are on the increase. https://reut.rs/3hNcSGn

Norcod said it was able to prevent escapes, including in bad weather, by using suitable equipment and with good routines, with frequent inspections of the nets to ensure there are no holes.

Authorities say cod farming can be developed sustainably with appropriate regulation and helps to provide healthy protein to a growing world population, especially since climate change is affecting wild fish stocks.

Fishing rights are a major issue within the European Union, and non-EU member Norway negotiates quotas and access with the bloc each year. It is also negotiating a bilateral trade deal with Britain  its biggest trading partner, as London negotiates its exit from the European Union.

In 2018, Norway exported close to 200,000 tonnes of cod globally, valued at 9.5 billion crowns ($1.1 billion), according to the Norwegian Seafood Council, a trade body, which said the largest markets were Portugal, Britain and France.

We need to produce more healthy seafood," said Fisheries Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, And farmed cod can provide a regular source."

(Editing by Philippa Fletcher)

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
Honcharuk was the youngest prime minister in the history of independent Ukraine.

Ex-Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk will join the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center as a distinguished fellow.

"The Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center is honored to announce that Oleksiy Honcharuk will be joining as our new distinguished fellow. Serving as Ukraine's prime minister from 2019 to 2020, Oleksiy Honcharuk led a reform-oriented government. We're excited to welcome him to the team," the Center wrote on Twitter on August 31.

According to the Atlantic Council's website, Honcharuk is an expert in political, fiscal, and structural reforms.

Eurasia Center

The Eurasia Center is part of the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan organization that galvanizes U.S. leadership and engagement in the world, in partnership with allies and partners, to shape solutions to global challenges. The Atlantic Council promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the Atlantic Community's central role in meeting global challenges. The organization was founded in the U.S. in 1961.

Oleksiy Honcharuk: background
Grains are put out to dry on traditional mats in the village of Huangling. The settlement in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province, boasts 600 years of history, and the scenic area is now a prime example of how rural tourism benefits remote communities, according to Koh King Kee. [Xinhua/Hu Chenhuan]

Editor's note: As China aims to eliminate extreme poverty and be a "moderately prosperous society" (xiaokang shehui) in time for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China next year, we talk to leading experts for their take on the country's commitment.

A Malaysian's abiding memory of China from decades ago underpins his faith in the country's determination to rid itself of poverty and serve as a model for the world.

The imagery that sticks in Koh King Kee's mind from a visit to China 31 years ago is of the country as a wild horse. The Malaysian was making his first study tour of China, covering a sweep of territory that took him from Beijing in the north to Hainan Province in the south. On that spring visit, he wanted to better understand China's reform and opening-up experience.

Returning home, he told a Malaysian newspaper in an interview: "China is a wild horse, full of vigor and galloping swiftly forward. Although the pace may be disorderly at times, it will never turn back."

Three decades later, China has become "a high-speed train on solid tracks with a clear direction, and is traveling at tremendous speed", said Koh, president of the Centre for New Inclusive Asia, a think tank in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Though China's remarkable economic transformation has impressed the world, with the country emerging from poverty to become the second-largest economy within 40 years, there are gaps in how outsiders perceive this journey. For most, understanding and knowledge of China's poverty-alleviation efforts and achievements remain insufficient, said Koh, a keen observer of political and economic developments in China.

Since China began to reform and open up its economy in 1978, growth in gross domestic product has averaged almost 10 percent a year, and more than 850 million people have been lifted out of poverty, according to the World Bank. This figure represents about 70 percent of the gains made by the entire world in poverty reduction over that period.

"China's achievements in poverty alleviation are outstanding, and China can share its experiences on poverty reduction with more developing countries across the world."

Koh said it would be good to see even more work being done on this front.

Poverty reduction has always been a priority for Chinese President Xi Jinping. The country aims to fully eradicate poverty by the end of this year, a goal that is a key component of the plan to build China into a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Xi also writes about poverty alleviation in his book Up and Out of Poverty, based on his grassroots working experience from his early years.

Pools of water amid the otherwise arid landscape of a desert in Alashan make for a snaphappy tourist's dream in this part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [For China Daily/Wang Zheng]

Strategic Goal

"It is a very good practice to raise poverty alleviation to become a strategic goal of the country, and it is also important for the country to hold a vision that every person should benefit during the process of industrialization and to extend a helping hand to those who need it," Koh said.

He said the guiding principle behind China's efforts to eradicate poverty is targeted poverty alleviation, which means applying development measures tailored for local conditions after careful study of the causes of poverty. The principle also entails exploring the scope for potential activities that could be pursued to improve people's living standards.

China's local governments even craft tailor-made programs to help individuals and families rise out of poverty based on the specific causes that have been identified for their conditions. "Targeted poverty alleviation is an important strategy that China has adopted and the one lesson that the world should learn the most," Koh said. "The causes of poverty in every region, and even within every family, can be very different. If the government offers a one-size-fits-all measure to help the poor, it could be ineffective and may end up creating wastage."

Koh said a lack of developed transport networks could be a factor holding back some regions, while others have large tracts of barren land that are unsuitable for growing crops. At the level of individuals, some may fall into poverty due to illness, while old age and the inability to keep working can plunge others into hardship. Similarly, a lack of education or adequate work skills holds back many.

In terms of remedies, Koh said he is deeply impressed by China's use of technology to aid the poor. Drones are used to help farmers with aerial spraying of pesticides. Big data is employed to help identify the causes of poverty in communities, and e-commerce platforms provide a means for farmers to sell more of their agricultural produce.

Given that the vast majority of poor Chinese live in the countryside, the government has heavily promoted the use of e-commerce in villages as a means of opening new sales channels and accelerating automation in agricultural production. Online platforms are seen as a way to overcome the problem of villagers' limited access to information, which has hindered economic progress.

The development of internet infrastructure in the countryside, along with programs to train people in e-commerce skills, is being promoted as a means to help the rural poor boost incomes. The government has also called on large companies to make comprehensive e-commerce platforms available for the benefit of people in rural areas.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, the value of online sales of agricultural products was 397.5 billion yuan ($56.1 billion) last year, up 27 percent year on year. The number of online sellers in rural areas rose to 13.84 million, with the ranks of rural internet users exceeding 250 million, the ministry said.

"China's agriculture products are now sold to urban folks through e-commerce, an experience worth learning by other developing countries," Koh said. "Earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenya's coffee-bean farmers were unable to sell their produce due to transportation restrictions. However, they were later able to sell all their coffee beans through the platforms of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba."

Mirroring the situation in China, countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, have higher proportions of poor people in remote rural areas. As in rural China, low education levels contribute to the hardships they face.

"I have suggested to Malaysian government officials that they reach out to China and learn from China's poverty-alleviation experiences," Koh said. "This may prove useful in our efforts to reduce rural poverty.""We cannot emulate all the practices that China does, as we have our own specific causes of poverty in Malaysia, but we can learn from China's best practices and strategies in lifting people out of poverty."

Koh pointed to the concentrations of poverty among some of the indigenous peoples of Malaysia's eastern states. He believes their lives could be improved with a focus on activities such as making eye-catching traditional handicrafts. In their midst, there is also an abundance of therapeutic herbs in the forests. Sales of handicrafts and sought-after herbs could be boosted through online promotions.

"Most countries do not have long-term strategies for poverty alleviation, set quantifiable national targets or have the resolve to solve the problem in a specific time frame as with China," he said. "These governments do not have the system advantage that China has in mobilizing state resources to help the poor."

Koh applauds China for putting green-based development high on the economic agenda, while authorities introduce poverty-alleviation measures. He cites the northern desert areas of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, where officials have helped residents to increase their incomes by encouraging them to grow anti-desertification plants, which have an added benefit of helping to make the desert green.

Koh King Kee in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province, in 2017 [For China Dailiy]

Rural Tourism

Koh recalls what he learned from a 2017 visit to Wuyuan County in eastern China's Jiangxi Province, where he was struck by the picturesque rural scenery. "The local government has increased farmers' income by developing rural tourism," he said. "The well-preserved ancient villages and natural scenery such as the bridges and rivers are splendid."

Koh stresses that governments should realize that poverty is hardly likely to be eradicated with a one-time solution; follow-up actions are required.

"People who have just risen out of poverty can fall into poverty again due to natural disasters, illnesses or other problems. Shaking off poverty is not the end, and people still have a long way to go before they can live a prosperous life. In China, local governments set up a monitoring system to ensure that people lifted out of poverty don't fall back into the poverty trap."

Koh said that despite the differences among countries  in levels of economic development, cultural attitudes and policy approaches  worldwide can learn from China's experience in reducing poverty. He suggests that China set up a special agency under the Belt and Road Initiative in which resources are made available for the country to share its experiences with developing countries.

In particular, he has in mind Africa and the less-developed countries in Southeast Asia. Such an agency could help governments look more effectively into their poverty situation and apply remedies with a clearer focus on the issues.

"China has financed and constructed many large infrastructure projects in developing countries under the BRI, which will no doubt boost partner countries' economic growth in the long run. But China also needs to look into projects that can yield more immediate results and bring direct benefits to improve local people's living standards."

He suggested that China invite more people  government officials, community leaders, NGO representatives and scholars  to visit poverty-alleviation projects in the country. In this way, they can observe firsthand the best practices that China is employing in the battle against deprivation. They will be equipped with the knowledge and insights to apply these methods in those areas of need in their own countries.

Koh said China's experience in lifting up its people has become even more relevant to the world, given the rise in extreme poverty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to research by the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research, rates of extreme poverty could rise to affect more than 1 billion people due to the pandemic. "Poverty is likely to increase dramatically in middle-income developing countries and there could be a significant change in the distribution of global poverty," the research paper says. "The location of global poverty could shift back toward developing countries in South Asia and East Asia."

Despite the impact of the pandemic, Koh is confident that China will be able to eliminate absolute poverty this year.

Enormous Potential

"I'm confident in the Chinese government's strong leadership and that this goal will be reached," he said. "Although the COVID-19 pandemic has affected China's economy and consumers' buying power, its economy has already started to recover. Chinese factories have been operating at close to 90 percent of their typical output since May, and China's second-quarter GDP recorded 3.2 percent growth. China will certainly play an important role in the global recovery.

"China's GDP is about 60 percent that of the United States, but its per capita GDP is only 14 percent that of the United States, which means China's economic growth still has enormous potential. In the long run, poverty alleviation will help China expand its consumer market as its middle class grows."

Koh cites findings from the McKinsey Global Institute to support his argument. According to the institute, Chinese consumption is expected to grow by about $6 trillion between now and 2030. This sum is equivalent to the combined consumption growth expected in the US and Western Europe over the same period, and double that of India and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations combined. And in 11 of the 16 quarters since 2015, consumption has contributed more than 60 percent of China's total GDP growth.

"China's success in poverty alleviation is as impressive a story in the history of mankind as its miraculous achievement in economic growth. There are valuable lessons the world can learn from China."

Koh King Kee is a seasoned observer of political and economic developments that have shaped China over recent decades. He was appointed an adviser to the Asia-Pacific Economic Research Institute in Beijing in 1989.

In recent years, he has focused his attention on the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. He has presented talks on the initiative to financial institutions, business chambers and universities, as well as at forums in his native Malaysia and in China. Koh brings his insights to a column he pens for China Focus, a Beijing-based digital media outlet that delivers news and opinions of China to a global audience.

Koh, also the president of the Centre for New Inclusive Asia think tank, believes that countries around the world have much to learn from China's experience in dramatically reducing poverty.

(Source: China Daily)
Windsor actor Ryan Mhlanga-Martin says the death of Chadwick Boseman has shaken him as the characters the actor portrayed made him seem invincible.

Boseman who was 43, was most recognized for playing Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Black Panther in the Marvel universe. The actor died Friday after a four year battle with colon cancer, his family said in a statement.

"Honestly I was shocked, I didn't think that someone like him could die," Mhlanga-Martin told CBC News.

"That seems kind of naive saying it out loud... but seeing him in inspirational films playing these historical figures...these people that, especially in the Black community we revered...seeing him play those characters you almost feel like he has this type of invincibility to him."

Mike Evans/CBC

Others, like award-winning Windsor actor Leslie McCurdy, say that Boseman's death is all the more impactful during a time when the world is experiencing the Black Lives Matter movement.

"I think because he did play some very iconic roles and in particular the Black Panther, it became an iconic role and he played it so well and... the portrayal of African Americans and Africans in it was so positive and it gave everybody such a role model, something to look up to," McCurdy told CBC.

For Mhlanga-Martin, who says Boseman was one of the few actors he looked up to, he says he wants to continue to follow in the famous actor's footsteps.

"He gave people like us, us Black kids, a chance to dream," Mhlanga-Martine said. "He left a long road ahead of us for us young Black actors that want to follow in his footsteps. We have something to look up to, something to strive for to be that extraordinaire that Chadwick Boseman has achieved."

Tahmina Aziz/CBC

More from CBC Windsor
A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a New York prosecutor from obtaining Donald Trump's tax returns while the president's lawyers continue to fight a subpoena seeking the records. The three-judge panel ruled after hearing brief arguments from both sides.

Trump's lawyers had asked for a temporary stay while they appeal a lower-court ruling that granted Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.'s office access to Trump's tax returns. A lawyer for Vance's office had argued that further delays would only impede their investigation.

'The question at this juncture is quite simple but also quite important,' Trump lawyer William Consovoy said.

'Will the president be given an opportunity to appeal that ruling before his personal records are disclosed to the grand jury and the status quo is irrevocably changed?'

A hearing on the merits of Trump's latest appeal will be held on Sept. 25 after both sides agreed to an expedited schedule - meaning it's possible the matter could be decided before November's election.

New round in taxes battle: Donald Trump's lawyers filed their case with federal appeals court judges in a bid to stop Cy Vyance Jr., the Manhattan D.A., getting access to his taxes

Trumps lawyers appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month after a district court judge rejected their renewed efforts to invalidate a subpoena issued to his accounting firm. Judge John M. Walker Jr. said at Tuesday's hearing that the subpoenas cover 11 entities engaged in business dealings as far away as Europe and Dubai.

Trump has blasted the long-running quest for his financial records as a 'continuation of the most disgusting witch hunt in the history of our country' and predicted the case would again end up before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the presidency in itself doesnt shield Trump from Vances investigation, but the high court returned the case to U.S. District Judge Victor Marreros courtroom to allow Trumps lawyers to raise other concerns about the subpoena.

Trump's lawyers then argued that the subpoena was issued in bad faith and overly broad, might have been politically motivated and amounted to harassment. Marrero rejected those claims. Consovoy told the judges Tuesday that the investigation was an 'arbitrary fishing expedition.'

Carey Dunne, of the district attorney's office, said Trump and his lawyers have long misrepresented the scope of the investigation as focusing primarily on hush money payments that were paid to protect Trump from adultery allegations.

'Vance's lawyers have said they are legally entitled to extensive records to aid a 'complex financial investigation.'

A page from Trump's 1995 tax records

'The president has complained at every turn that we've not announced what the grand jury is looking at as if that itself is bad faith,' Dunne said.

'But of course, what the grand jury is looking at is secret. We're not allowed to make that public, which is what has led to his speculation about the grand jury scope. But none of this speculation is plausible.'

Even if Vance does get Trump's tax records, those would be part of a confidential grand jury investigation and not automatically be made public.

Vance, a Democrat, began seeking the Republican presidents tax returns from his longtime accounting firm over a year ago, after Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen told Congress that the president had misled tax officials, insurers and business associates about the value of his assets.

Congress is also pursuing Trumps financial records, though the Supreme Court last month kept a hold on the banking and other documents that Congress has been seeking and returned the case to a lower court.

Trump is the only modern president who has refused to release his tax returns. Before he was elected, he had promised to do so.

The district attorney is seeking eight years of tax returns from Trump's longtime accounting firm Mazars USA in connection with a criminal probe of the president's business practices.

Trump has fought the subpoena for a year. He suffered a defeat in July when the Supreme Court rejected his claim of immunity from criminal probes while in the White House.

The tax returns are unlikely to become public before the Nov. 3 presidential election. Vance has said the continued litigation has effectively given Trump the 'temporary absolute immunity' that courts have rejected.

On Aug. 20, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero refused for a second time to block the subpoena, saying 'justice requires an end to this controversy.'

But Monday's filing said Trump was not resurrecting his broad immunity claim, arguing instead that the subpoena was overbroad and issued in bad faith, and that Vance should have to show why its contents were relevant to his probe.

'The District Attorney should not have been allowed to 'run roughshod' over the President in his pursuit of claims that the Supreme Court held he could raise,' the filing said.

The filing said enforcing the subpoena would cause Trump irreparable harm.

'It is disclosure of these records to the government--not just to the public--that causes injury,' it said.

Marrero has refused multiple times to block the subpoena. The U.S. Supreme Court last month upheld one of his rulings, finding that the presidency in itself doesn't shield Trump from Vance's investigation.

But the high court returned the case to Marrero's courtroom to allow Trumps lawyers to raise other concerns about the subpoena. They did, arguing that it was issued in bad faith, might have been politically motivated and amounted to harassment.

The DA's investigation covers records in the time frame a hush money payoff was given to porn star Stormy Daniels, who said she had an affair with Trump; the president has denied the allegation

Vance's attorneys countered that they were entitled to extensive records to aid a 'complex financial investigation,' citing public reports of 'extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization.'

Those arguments led to this week's flurry of rulings and appeals.

Trump blasted the long-running quest for his financial records Thursday as a 'continuation of the most disgusting witch hunt in the history of our country.'

Vance, a Democrat, began seeking the Republican president's tax returns from his longtime accounting firm over a year ago, after Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen told Congress that the president had misled tax officials, insurers and business associates about the value of his assets.

The president has said he expects the case to end up back before the Supreme Court.

Even if the tax records ultimately are subpoenaed, they would not automatically be made public, as they are being sought as part of a confidential grand jury investigation.

Congress is also pursuing Trumps financial records, though the Supreme Court last month kept a hold on the banking and other documents that Congress has been seeking and returned the case to a lower court.

Trump is the only modern president who has refused to release his tax returns. Before he was elected, he had promised to do so.

Trump had called the case a 'witch hunt' when he spoke to reporters last Thursday in the Oval Office at the White House.

'Well, the Supreme Court said if it's a fishing expedition, you don't have to do it, and this is a fishing expedition. But more importantly, this is a continuation of the witch hunt, the greatest witch hunt in history,' he said.

'There's never been anything like it, where people want to examine everything you've ever done to see if they can find that there's a comma out of place. No president has ever had to go through this,' he added.

The president predicted the case would end up back in the hands of the Supreme Court, which last month ruled the president could not claim immunity in the case and sent it back to the lower court.

'We'll probably end up back in the Supreme Court. But this is just a continuation of the most hideous witch hunt in the history of our country,' he added.

Trump complained prosecutor want to 'inspect every deal he's ever done.'

'This is the ultimate fishing expedition. Nobody has anything. We don't do things wrong.

'But they'll say let's go in and inspect every deal he's ever done. Let's get papers from 10 years - every paper, every deal he's ever signed, maybe we can find with some lawyer made a mistake, where they didn't dot an 'i' where didn't put a comma down someplace, and then we can do something. This is a disgrace. This should never ever be allowed to happen again,' he said.


BRADY ANDERSON, Chariho, Wrestling, Sophomore; Anderson finished first in the 152-pound weight class at the Griswold Midseason Invitational tournament. Anderson went 3-0 in the tournament, pinning all of his opponents in the first period. Anderson is 10-4.

LYDIA LASKEY, Stonington, Gymnastics, Senior; Laskey finished first in all four events in meets against NFA and Westerly. Laskey had an all-around score of 33.75 against NFA and 34.60 against Westerly.

RILEY PELOQUIN, Westerly, Girls Basketball, Sophomore; Peloquin scored 22 points and had 19 rebounds in two games. Peloquin is averaging 7.6 points and 7.5 rebounds a game for the Bulldogs.

DEONDRE BRANSFORD, Wheeler, Boys Basketball, Sophomore; Bransford scored 25 points and had 28 rebounds in a pair of Wheeler victories. Bransford is averaging 10.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per contest for the Lions.

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Des soldats camerounais a Buea, capitale de la region camerounaise anglophone du Sud-Ouest, le 26 avril 2018 AFP/Archives/ALEXIS HUGUET

The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, CHRDA, concludes that Cameroons military has, for the last four months, carried out gravest crimes against civilians in the countrys predominantly English-speaking North West and South West Regions.

The accusations are contained in a report made public Monday, August 31, 2020, in Buea. It follows a four-month long-running inquiry by CHRDA, the organization founded by Human Rights Lawyer Nkongho Felix Agbor Anyior alias Agbor Balla.

The inquiry report reveals that the CHRDA team examined several incidents between May and August 2020.

The military is accused of engaging in gross human rights violations as they battle to banish armed fighters seeking to create a putative state out of the restive Anglophone regions.

In such violations, civilians are the primary victims, the damning CHRDA report said, alleging further that the army was responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians across the troubled regions.

It said: There have been extra-judicial executions, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, looting and extortion, poor prison conditions, and inhumane and degrading treatment of detainees. Inhabitants have also seen their homes and villages burned down by the military in the two English-speaking regions, forcing civilians to flee from their homes and seek refuge in other towns as IDPs or simply flee to the bushes.

The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa said its human rights monitoring and reporting officers among other things gathered testimonies of victims and eyewitnesses.

Documentary and audio-visual evidence, showing acts of violence committed by the military, were also received and analyzed by CHRDA, the international human rights group said in Mondays statement.

It said between May and August 2020, the military carried out no fewer than six incidents of extrajudicial executions.

On Thursday, May 28, 2020, the military conducted an offensive raid in the neighborhood of Upper Bonduma, situated in Buea, which led to the killing of four unarmed young menThe young men were allegedly caught smoking cannabis before the military executed them, the report read in part.

It adds: On Saturday, July 4, 2020, Ebangi Brice, a native of Bangem was shot at close range and killed by the military. The military killed him for ringing a church bell. They claim he was alerting the local population to escape after they arrived in the village to carry out an operation.

On July 20, 2020, the military stormed Modelle Village, in Menchum Valley Subdivision, and attacked the civilian population in reprisal for the death of three soldiers killed by separatist fighters. Three civilians were killed  Igang Mica, Kuta Daniel, and Iba.

On 13 August 2020, the Defence and Security forces open fire on three children in Tiko, Fako Division, and killed a 17-year-old girl called Bessem Blandine, in Form Two.

CHRDA says the summary executions add to the arbitrary arrest and detention of civilians in precarious prison conditions, harassment, and extortion of civilians, as well as arson of homes.

The government and the security and defence forces are expected to be readying a reputational damage control following the publication of the damning findings. Authorities have always denied wrongdoing on the part of the military, describing excesses as isolated incidents.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to take a decisive action on the plan by DISCOs to hike electricity tariff in the country.

Ayuba Wabba, the NLC president, on Tuesday in Abuja made the call in a statement titled: Increase in Electricity Tariff by Abuja DISCOs  a taunting of the will of the Nigerian people gone too far.

Mr Wabba said the organised labour would mobilise Nigerian workers to resist the increase in electricity tariff by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), effective from September 1.

Mr Wabba said the NLC condemned the deaf and dumb posture of the state electricity regulators  the NERC.

We wish to state that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) seriously frowns at, completely condemns and totally rejects any plan to inflict further pain on Nigerians at this very time of great economic distress.

The new dribble by the Abuja DISCO is dead on arrival as it will be resisted by the Nigerian working class and people. The other DISCOs should not bother putting their ships of exploitation to sail.

It is important to put it on record that the NERC will be putting its name on the wrong side of history if it continues to play the ostrich while a group of portfolio investors make a blood meal of Nigerians.

Nigerian electricity consumers need the NERC to speak up and act in the defense of the rights of the Nigerian people, he said.

He noted the adamant desire by the DISCOs was to ram through an ill-conceived agenda to further impoverish Nigerians amid plummeting return on service delivery.

He said that the brazen decision was taken in spite of the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly had ordered the DISCOs to suspend the electricity tariff increase till further notice.

It appears that the adamant desire of DISCOs in Nigeria to ram through their ill-conceived agenda to further impoverish Nigerians through astronomical tariff increase amidst a plummeting return on service delivery has now been deregulated.

The DISCOs appear to have given themselves the ignoble tasks of taking turns to taunt the will of the Nigerian people.

Abuja DISCO has adorned the robe of the protagonist in this regard with its announcement of a new tariff plan for electricity consumers within its service area starting from Sept. 1, 2020.

This move is in spite of the resolution of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and even the direct orders of Mr President that the plans by DISCOs to hike electricity tariff should be suspended until further notice.

ALSO READ: Nigeria electricity firms begin implementation of new tariffs

We are not aware of any order by the government or the elected representatives of the Nigerian people de-freezing the order to suspend any plans to inflict more pocket and psychological trauma on Nigerians by way of reckless and insensitive hike in electricity tariff, he said.

Mr Wabba however, noted that since the unbundling of the former Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to yield the DISCOs and GENCOs, electricity tariffs through the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) had been increased a number of times without accompanying improvement in services.

He said that each hike in electricity tariff in Nigeria was trailed by huge leap in hours of darkness, de-metering of more Nigerians, exponential rise in incidences of estimated billing.

This has also increased the burden on citizens for the procurement of equipment and facilities for public electricity supply amidst other devious methods by DISCOs to cheat, exploit and despoil poor Nigerians, he said.(NAN)
Two cases of COVID-19 linked to the Assiniboine Centre at the Brandon Regional Health Centre over the weekend were found in health-care workers and the third was found in a patient, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Monday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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The Brandon Regional Health Centre's main entrance is pictured. (File)

Two cases of COVID-19 linked to the Assiniboine Centre at the Brandon Regional Health Centre over the weekend were found in health-care workers and the third was found in a patient, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Monday.

The patient likely contracted the virus at the facility, according to Roussin.

"It looks like we had a client who tested positive who had been admitted much longer than the incubation period and then we had the two staff who tested positive," he said. "Thats the only connection we can come up with right now. ... This client was certainly in too long to have been exposed outside the facility."

These three cases at the hospital were first identified on Sunday, but more specifics were not provided until Mondays COVID briefing. A government spokesperson said in an email that only those who are considered to have been in close contact with people who tested positive will be contacted by health officials.

In a statement emailed to the Sun, Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said her union is not aware of any of the positive cases in Brandon being nurses. Jackson also expressed concern regarding the outbreaks at Brandon care homes and called for greater transparency from the government.

Fairview Personal Care Home in Brandon. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

"In most cases, nurses learn of outbreaks in health facilities at the same time as the general public. We are advocating for improved information sharing with nurses and other health-care professionals, and believe enhanced transparency in the immediate and long term is critical for a robust and effective public health response to COVID-19."

Additionally, Roussin announced that an investigation discovered that a previously identified case of COVID-19 is a health-care worker at the Fairview Personal Care Home in Brandon and is a close contact of a previously known case. Close contacts of the health-care worker are being identified and the case investigation continues.

See XXX  Page A2

Though the risk of transmission is considered low, the entire Fairview Personal Care Home has been moved to level red in the provinces health restriction system and outbreak protocols are being undertaken to reduce the risk to staff and residents. This means that like that the Hillcrest Place and Rideau Park care homes in Brandon, visitations are being restricted.

Asked about what concerns he has about the health-care system with cases found in four facilities in Brandon and a care home in Steinbach, Roussin said he believes there has been a bit of a breakdown when it comes to people following preventive guidelines.

"Weve seen on a number of occasions out in the public with the spread in Brandon that theres a lot of fatigue out there with adhering to the fundamentals, adhering to the guidelines that did such a good job of protecting us in that first wave," Roussin said. "When we see the spread in these personal care homes, we can see that its challenging to be using PPE consistently, its challenging to do that for so long."

Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home in Brandon. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Most of Brandon is still under level orange, but the second floor of the Assiniboine Centre at the hospital as well as the three care homes named above are under level red. As reported last week, the Brandon School Division is operating under less severe level yellow restrictions.

Officials are also warning that possible exposure to the virus may have occurred at Frederickson Performance Centre at Unit F-1212 18th St. in Brandon from 7 to 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 17 and from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 23. The risk of transmission is considered low, but those potentially exposed and having symptoms appear are encouraged to get tested.

During the briefing, Roussin was asked why Manitoba hasnt signed on to the federal governments contact tracing smartphone app eight days before school starts. He said that the federal government decides what order provinces join the app and it hasnt been Manitobas turn yet. He added that the help wont eliminate the need for other contact tracing measures.

In total, there were 28 new cases of COVID-19 detected as of 9:30 a.m. Monday, including 13 in Prairie Mountain Health. The number of active cases in Brandon has risen to 168, with 127 people having recovered.

There were also seven cases found in the Winnipeg health region, six cases in the Southern Health-Sante Sud health region and two in the Interlake-Eastern health region.

Of the cases announced Monday, 14 were related to close contact with previously identified cases and one was related to travel. In the last week, Public Health has been unable to identify a source for 32 cases, 16 of which were in Prairie Mountain Health. Since July 1, there have been 423 cases detected in Prairie Mountain Health.

Roussin said that there are 83 cases linked to employees at "a business in Brandon," which is how he has previously described the cases connected to Maple Leaf Foods pork processing plant. While the governments numbers and the union representing workers numbers didnt line up last week, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832 communications director Chris Noto said their figures also list 83 cases among their members.

A further 20 cases link to the business cluster and the Prairie Mountain Health cluster, Roussin said.

In the province as a whole, there are 469 active cases, with 11 people hospitalized and one person in intensive care. Manitobas five-day test positivity rate is now at 2.1 per cent. There have been 280 cases linked to communal living, 115 of them currently active.

Effective today, all visitors to health-care facilities in Manitoba will be required to wear a non-medical mask to be allowed to enter. Those exempt are people who cannot put on or take off a mask without assistance, those who have a medical condition that prevents them from safely wearing a mask or children under five years of age.

On Thursday, travel restrictions for northern Manitoba and isolated communities are being reinstated. Those exempt from those restrictions are residents of those regions or people intending to set up a permanent residence, people travelling directly to lodges and campgrounds, government staff, health providers, people seeking emergency health care, business owners and operators and travel related to parenting arrangements.

Full details of those travel restrictions will be posted online on Thursday. Roussin also encouraged Manitobans to obey travel restrictions put in place by First Nations communities.

 cslark@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
China is able to make India suffer more severe military losses than in the past if it wants to engage in competition, state-backed newspaper Global Times said on Tuesday, after a fresh border flare-up between the two nuclear-armed countries. Indian forces foiled an attempt by Chinese troops to occupy a hill on the Asian giants' disputed border in the western Himalayas, officials in New Delhi said on Monday.

On the same day, China's military spokesman demanded India withdraw troops that Beijing said had illegally crossed their shared border. China's foreign ministry said Chinese border troops had not crossed the line of actual control. "India ... said it preempted Chinese military activity," the Global Times said in an editorial. "The word 'preempt' shows it was the Indian troops that first took destructive actions, and the Indian troops initiated the standoff this time."

Also read: India-China border row: Ready to manage all issues through talks, says Chinese Foreign Minister

It added that India faced a "powerful China" and that New Delhi should not have any "illusions" of support from Washington over the issue. "But if India wants to engage in competition, China has more tools and capability than India. If India would like a military showdown, the PLA (People's Liberation Army) is bound to make the Indian army suffer much more severe losses than it did in 1962."

The Global Times is published by the People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party. Tensions between the two armies in the freezing snow deserts of the Ladakh region have been running high for months. In June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand fighting with Chinese troops in the nearby Galwan valley, the neighbours' most serious military clash in more than half a century.

Also read: Ladakh standoff: Chinese troops never crossed LAC, says China foreign minister

Both sides had agreed to pull back after that clash, but the Indian Army accused Chinese forces of violating that accord over the weekend.

Also read: India-China border row: Chinese troops increase foothold in Pangong Tso area
The City of London Corporation is asking the public for their views on whether statues of slave-owners should be removed from the Square Mile.

In the latest sign of Britain grappling with its past in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, the 800-year-old body that governs Londons financial district launched a three-month consultation on Tuesday asking for peoples views on statues, street names and other landmarks which celebrate former slave owners.

The Corporation wants people to put forward suggestions on what to do with the landmarks, including whether to remove them, re-interpret them or leave them as they stand.

A number of Britains most well-known financial institutions, including Barclays, HSBC, insurance market Lloyds of London, and the Bank of England have made statements in recent weeks about wealth that they and their founders historically generated from the forced labour of African slaves.

The City grew into an international financial hub in between the 17th and 19th centuries in part through funding and insuring vessels that took slaves from the west coast of Africa to the Caribbean before returning with commodities such as sugar and cotton which fuelled the Industrial Revolution.

That history is reflected in the urban geography of the Square Mile, in place names, buildings and statues that commemorate those made wealthy by the transatlantic slave trade.

One statue that has recently attracted particular attention is that of William Beckford in the Guildhall.

Beckford, sometimes referred to in his day as the uncrowned king of Jamaica, amassed a fortune from 20,000 acres of plantations on the island. He was also Lord Mayor of London in the 1760s and MP for the City of London.

In June this year, the government rejected a petition to remove Beckford's statue, saying it was a decision for the local authority.

Opponents of removing statues claim that such plans amount to an attempt to erase history.

Campaigners have argued that statues of slave-owners should not be left in place as figures to be venerated, but should instead be placed in museums where their full historical context can be made clear. Andrien Meyers, co-chair of the City of London Corporations Tackling Racism Taskforce, said: We know that historical symbols continue to have an impact today and we want to understand how people feel about this aspect of our cultural history and whether such landmarks should be re-sited, reinterpreted or retained as they stand.

We want to hear as broad a range of opinions as possible from City residents, workers, learners, visitors and other stakeholders before any decision is made on how we should deal with this issue.

People can take part in the consultation, which runs until Tuesday, 24 November, online at cityoflondon.gov.uk/historiclandmarksconsultation
The Tujia ethnic groups Nverhui Festival, known as the Tujia Valentine's day, is traditionally a blind date event held on the 12th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar every year, when single Tujia men and women gather to seek their soulmates by singing songs. It is a traditional Tujia ethnic group custom that has a history of over 400 years.

Through the happy and prosperous Nverhui, people can feel the Tujia people's positive spirit and their pursuit of happiness.

Today, this beautiful and romantic custom has turned from a blind date festival into a grand gathering of ethnic unity, cultural integration, tourism and economic prosperity.
The Nigerian Senate has denied claims that lawmakers recieved N20 million each as COVID-19 palliatives from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

This was contained in a statement signed by the senate spokesperson, Ajibola Basiru, on Tuesday.

His statement was in reaction to the allegation made by the commissions director of projects, Cairo Ojougboh, who claimed that the agency gave N20 million to each senator and N15 million to each member of the House of Representatives as palliatives.

Mr Ojougboh made this claim in an interview with Vanguard Newspapers, where he also said that the country will break up if the NDDC releases a list of those involved in looting the commission.

In the National Assembly, each of the senators got N20 million, while the House of Representatives members got N15 million for COVID-19 from the National Assembly. They all received COVID-19 allowances, the paper quoted him saying.

But in his reaction, Mr Basiru denied the claims and demanded proof that lawmakers collected the money. He also demanded an apology if Mr Ojougboh failed to provide evidence.

The Senate hereby disclaims the allegation in its entirety. The Senate categorically denies that any senator collected the sum of N20 million or any sum whatsoever from NDDC as Covid relief fund for any purpose whatsoever.

The Senate challenges Dr Ojougboh to publicly provide evidence of his claim and list the names of the senators he allegedly gave the alleged sum. Failure to provide evidence of his claim, the Senate hereby demands immediate retraction and public apology from Dr Cairo Ojougboh, part of the statement read.

There have been a series of accusations and counter-accusations between the lawmakers and officials of the NDDC following a corruption probe launched by the National Assembly.

There have also been allegations of reckless spending by the agency, ranging from spending N1.5 billion as COVID-19 palliatives for its staff, to spending N85.6 million for top officials to attend a graduation ceremony in the United Kingdom during the lockdown in Nigeria.

The investigation became controversial when officials of the NDDC accused some lawmakers of being complicit in the reckless spending. Most of the lawmakers accused have denied the allegations.
New revelations have come out in the Sushant Singh Rajputs death probe. Rhea Chakrabartys lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, talked to Marya Shakil, Political Editor, CNN-News18 and revealed some new facts in the case. A new life insurance policy has come to light.

He said, If a person has a huge life insurance policy, should his death be declared a suicide or some other reason to enjoy the benefits of the policy? Statement of the people residing in the house reveals that his family was continuously informed. Right from the time the door was being opened, to the time when instructions were given to knock out the door, to the time when they saw the body hanging; IPS OP Singh was giving instructions as well. His family knew everything. I assure you she left the house because Sushant had asked her to. Rhea is being maliciously accused by the family.

If atal a person is having a huge LIFE INSURANCE POLICY whether it would be given to a person who has committed suicide or whether they would want another cause of DEATHso that they enjoy benefits of huge insuranceSatish Manashinde tells @CNNnews18 #RheaChakraborty #SSR https://t.co/TU8lMoQFER Marya Shakil (@maryashakil) August 31, 2020

Another new revelation that Maneshinde talked about was Sushants medical prescription. He said that his sisters knew about his state and has helped him get the medicines in an unauthorized and illegal way.

He said, The records say that the family was aware of his medication as far back as November 29, 2019. There are exchange of messages between Shruti (Modi) and his family asking for prescription and medicines. It is revealed that on 8th of June, 2020, when Rhea left the house around 12:30, he was in touch with his sisters. Priyanka had sent the message asking about his health. Previously, he had asked for the medicines from her. She sent a couple of names of the medicines which he said he cant get without a prescription. She procured the prescription from Ram Manohar Lohiya Hospital and sent it to him. This prescription is a bogus one. Sushant has been entered as an OPD patient. The medicines prescribed to him fell in the narcotics section. He was not in Delhi when this entry was found."

Talking about the bogus prescription, the lawyer said, They have provided prescriptions from a doctor who has not even examined him. How can you prescribe medicines to a new person without looking at the ongoing medication? Also, he is being shown as the outpatient in the department. Therefore, it is obvious, the story cooked by the family is fake.

Rhea is being continuously interrogated for last four days. Everything from the time she met him till he died is being investigated. She hasnt changed her stand in front of different investigation agencies. Everything is turning out to be false that SSRs family has alleged her for. Rhea has already been interrogated four times by the CBI. She is repeatedly interrogated by the ED. The police FIR and now CBI FIR talks about the role Rhea played in his suicide. But the new chats establish that his sisters were administering him the medicines and not Rhea," he added.
After attacks against Russian military police and Turkish patrols, Russia has hit back with airstrikes, combined with Syrian artillery and missiles reports Al-Masdar.

The Russian Air Force responded to last weeks attack against their military police in western Idleb by launching a number of strikes over the governorate on Sunday.

According to a field report from neighboring Hama, the Russian Air Force launched at least a half dozen strikes against the jihadist rebels in Idleb.

The Russian airstrikes came in response to the attack on a group of military police by the jihadists of Kataeb Khatib al-Shishani, who claimed the previous ambush against a Turkish military contingent.

In addition to their airstrikes, the Russian military also utilized their reconnaissance aircraft to guide the artillery and missile units of the Syrian Army.

The Syrian Army launched heavy artillery and missiles towards the jihadist defenses on Sunday, hitting a number of sites after the Russian drones revealed the locations of the militants.

Despite the alleged claims of a ceasefire in northwestern Syria, the situation around the Idleb frontlines remain unstable, as all parties continue to exchange hostilities at the strategic Jabal al-Zawiya axis.

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.
President Donald Trump responds to questions from members of the news media during a news conference at the White House in Washington on Aug. 31, 2020. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

Trump Doesnt Want His Supporters Confronting Protesters

President Donald Trump said he doesnt want his supporters to engage or confront Black Lives Matter protesters, saying that law enforcement officers should deal with them.

No. No, I dont want them. I want to leave it to law enforcement, the president said in a Monday night interview on Fox News.

But my supporters are wonderful, hard-working, tremendous people. And they turn on their television set, and they look at a Portland, or they look at a Kenosha, before I got involved and stopped it, or they look at Chicago, where 78 people were shot last weekend and numerous people died, or they look at New York, where violence is up by like, what? 150 percent.  Theyre looking at all of this, and they cant believe it, Trump said.

Trump was seemingly referring to riots and protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and in Portland, Oregon. Earlier in the day, the president commented on 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, saying he probably would have been killed by the protestors. Meanwhile, the pro-Trump Patriot Prayer organization confirmed that one of its supporters was shot and killed in Portland.

That was an interesting situation. He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looked like, and he fell, and then they very violently attacked him, Trump said at a White House press conference in reference to the Rittenhouse scenario. He was in very big trouble, the president remarked. He probably would have been killed.

A man is arrested in Portland, Ore., early July 5, 2020, left. The gun he possessed and a knife are seen on right. According to court records, the man is Michael Reinoehl. (Portland Police Bureau)

Over the summer in the wake of unrest triggered by the death of George Floyd, Trump has frequently said he is the law and order candidate and has offered to send in federal agents to hotspot areas like Portland, only to be denied. The president has argued that he is the candidate who will keep Americans safe in the midst of rising crime and demonstrations.

Trump is slated to travel to Kenosha on Tuesday to survey damage caused during the riots and protests.

Wisconsins Democratic governor, Tony Evers, who deployed the National Guard in the wake of the unrest, alleged that Trump would create further tensions by visiting the city.

I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing, Evers wrote in a letter to Trump. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.

In a statement after Trumps news conference but before his Fox interview, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said: Tonight, the president declined to rebuke violence. He wouldnt even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it.
On April 26, 1986, Pranab Mukheree was sitting with veteran party leader Kamlapati Tripathi when lightning struck. In April, it is not unusual for Delhi to witness gushy dust storms but a lightening was bit strange. When telephone rang, Tripathis daughter-in-law Chandra picked up the phone and turned pale. Looking at a somewhat poised Mukherjee, she told Tripathi that Mukherjee has been expelled from the Congress for six long years. For a man, who until year-and-a-half ago, was officially designated as number two in Indira Gandhi cabinet, none of his party leaders had bothered to inform him. The expulsion order was not signed by any AICC functionary but lowly office secretary.

Tripathi was having daily tussle with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. In protest, he did what had become Varanasi born leaders second-most favourite daily pastime after performing elaborate puja  writing copious letter to Rajiv. These letters were written in bold language and demanding in nature, articulating concerns of the in-house old guard dissidents.

Mukherjee turned defiant. He told India Today in its May 15, 1986 edition, I have been a proud Congressman; nobody can take my contribution awayto those who think I have no power base, I can only say that I will remain an activist. I believe in the Congress ideology, and in whatever way I can, I will propagate that. [interview with Inderjit Bhadhwar]

While Tripathi and Vasant Dada Patil [former Maharashtra chief minister who was governor of Rajasthan then] turned vocal, a handful of party leaders namely A P Sharma, Shyam Sunder Mahapatra, R Gundu Rao, Mayawati Tripathi, Sripat Mishra, Deep Chand Bhatia and Ashok Bhattacharya joined Mukherjees Rashtriya Socialist Congress [RSC]. A national convention was held in January 1987 in Vithalbhai Patel House, New Delhi where an alternative, sixteen point programme was announced to take on Rajiv who was also Congress president. Rajiv revoked A P Sharma and Gundu Raos suspension in May 1987.

In electoral terms, Mukherjee was badly mauled at the home turf of Bengal. His party had contested over 200 seats in March 1987 state assembly polls and lost all. Even five sitting Congress MLAs who had defected to RSC, lost their deposit. Led by Jyoti Basu, the Left alliance won 244 seats leaving the Congress to 40 in the house of 294. The magnitude of defeat was so severe that Mukherjee turned conciliatory towards Rajiv-led Congress.

This was a time Rajiv was himself struggling and battling on many fronts. Bofors and a range of other scandals had badly demolished his Mr Clean image. V P Singh, Arun Nehru, Arif Mohammad Khan had turned rebellious forming Jan Morcha.

In his memoirs, The Turbulent Years  1980-1996 [Rupa], published in 2016, Mukherjee has profusely thanked Sheila Dikshit for his ghar wapsi. I learnt later that two individuals, Santosh Mohan Deb and Sheila Dikshit, lobbied with Rajiv to bring me back to the party. I did not know her personally at that time wrote Mukherjee.

Sheila Dikshit, daughter-in-law of Congress veteran Uma Shankar Dikshit, had won her Lok Sabha polls from Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh in December 1984. Rajiv had subsequently made her parliamentary affairs minister. She used to distribute chit to ministers and MPs giving them talking points to cover in their debates or responses. She was also actively working with Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary panel which gave her some proximity to Rajiv, Sonia Gandhi and many chief ministers of party-ruled states.

In his autobiographical account, Mukherjee deftly dealt with the vexed issue of his differences with Rajiv Gandhi. At one place, he wrote, To return to the question of why he dropped me from the Cabinet and expelled me from the party, all I can say is that he made mistakes and so did I. He let others influence him and listened to their calumnies against me. I let my frustration overtake my patience.

Mukherjee admitted that he failed to sense Rajivs unhappiness and the hostility of those around him. However, I remained engrossed in my work, as is my usual way. Many of my actions, all without malice or ill-intent, were used by my detractors to project me as someone unwilling to accept Rajivs leadership. Petty things were blown up into huge issues.

Mukherjee cited an example for an interview he gave on October 31, 1984 in which he had stated that the economic policies of the government would continue. This was a time Indira was dead and Rajiv had taken over as new prime minister while Mukherjee was finance minister. It was interpreted as questioning the authority of the Prime Minister. While I had given the interview to quell any uncertainty about India in the international markets following the assassination of Mrs Gandhi, it was portrayed as presumptuous and unmindful of Rajivs authority.
IHG Hotels & Resorts have been delivering True Hospitality in meetings and events for decades and have meeting space available in most destinations around the globe. IHG is now combining this wealth of knowledge, with industry best-practices and the expertise behind the IHG Way of Clean , to bolster the global Meet with Confidence commitment.

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IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG,NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with a broad portfolio of hotel brands, including Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas , Regent Hotels & Resorts , InterContinental Hotels & Resorts , Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants , Hotel Indigo , EVEN Hotels , HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts , Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts , voco , Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts , Holiday Inn Express , Holiday Inn Club Vacations , avid hotels , Staybridge Suites , Atwell Suites , and Candlewood Suites .

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Tibets India-based exile government hit back this week at a call by Chinas President Xi Jinping to Sinicize the Tibetan people's Buddhist religion, describing the move as an attempt by Chinas ruling Communist Party to destroy Tibets unique national identity.



Tibetan Buddhism should be guided in adapting to [Chinas] socialist society and should be developed in the Chinese context, President Xi said on Aug. 29 at the 7th Central Symposium on Tibet held in Beijing.



Efforts to make Tibets centuries-old faith comply with Chinas culture and political goals are misguided and unrealistic, though, Lobsang Sangaypolitical leader, or Sikyong, of Tibets exile Central Tibetan Administrationsaid in a response issued by the CTA this week.



For Tibetans, Buddhism is more important than Communism, Sangay said, calling Beijings attempt to raise Chinas political system over the Tibetan peoples faith a violation of international religious freedom.



[The] Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism is never going to work, Sangay said. The last 60 years of Chinese rule in Tibet is a testament to that fact.



The root cause of instability in Tibet is not the Tibetan peoples faith, but the repressive and failed policies of the Chinese government. The continuation of these hard-line policies and repression is only going to make matters worse, Sangay said.



Chinese police and surveillance teams now regularly monitor life in Tibetan monasteries for signs of opposition to Chinas rule, source in the region say. Meanwhile, authorities interfere with Tibets traditional recognition of senior Buddhist monks and other religious leaders in order to install politically compliant figures of their own choosing.



Yet the determination of the Tibetan people inside Tibet is still strong, and [they remain] faithfully devoted to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sangay said.



Regarded by Chinese leaders as a separatist, the present Dalai Lama fled Tibet into exile in India in the midst of a failed 1959 Tibetan national uprising against rule by China, which marched into the formerly independent Himalayan country in 1950.



Fear of losing control



Chinas continuing attacks on the Dalai Lama meanwhile show that Tibet is very important to the Chinese government, and also reflect Chinese officials fear of losing control, Ngodup Tseringthe Dalai Lamas representative in the Washington-D.C. based Office of Tibettold RFAs Tibetan Service in an interview this week.



It has been more than a decade since the Dalai Lama, Tibets traditional ruler, handed his political authority over to Tibetan exile political leaders now chosen by popular vote, Tsering said. But Chinas continued denunciations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama show that they are still deeply afraid.



President Xis speech signals a doubling down of Chinas current hard-line and repressive policy in Tibet, said Pema Jungney, speaker of Tibets India-based exile parliament, adding, I cant interpret it any other way.



They are determined to wipe Tibets history from the face of the earth.



China is now establishing Communist Party structures in all areas of Tibet to strengthen their command, policies, and power, thus suppressing all the freedoms of Tibetans in the spheres of faith and belief, politics, the economy, and culture, Boston-based Tibet analyst and former assistant director of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy Jampel Monlam said, also speaking to RFA.



If these policies of Chinas continue much longer, I worry about what will happen to Tibet, Monlam said.



Reported by Lobe Socktsang and Rigdhen Dolma for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Rigdhen Dolma and Dorjee Damdul. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to equal protection under the law. It is a beautiful thing and a hallmark of a free democracy. Unfortunately, the freedom to live without discrimination remains an unrealized dream for many in Canada. Worsening this problem, the growing use of algorithmic policing technology in Canada poses a fast-approaching threat to equality rights that our justice system is ill-equipped to confront.

Systemic bias in Canadas criminal justice system is so notorious that Canadian courts no longer require proof of its existence. Indigenous and Black communities are among the worst affected. The critical question is: what can be done? The right to equality under section 15 of Canadas Charter, a largely forgotten right in the justice system, should serve to remind governments and law enforcement services that bold change is not merely an option. It is a constitutional imperative.

Most often, courts respond to discrimination in the justice system by granting remedies such as compensation, or exclusion of evidence from court proceedings. But these case-specific remedies seem to operate as pyrrhic victories, while systemic change remains elusive. A case-by-case approach to remedying rights violations is also costly for the public and burdensome to the very individuals wronged.

Making matters worse, Canadian police services are beginning to explore the use of algorithmic technologies that may exacerbate systemic discrimination.

As described in a recent report jointly published by the University of Torontos Citizen Lab and International Human Rights Program (co-authored by myself), the widespread use of algorithmic policing technology would be deeply problematic. Predictive policing technology is used to attempt to forecast individuals or locations that are most likely to be involved in crimes that have not yet occurred (and may well never occur). Data sets (including data sets created by police) are fed into algorithms that are then supposed to produce predictions through machine-learning methods.

Given the continuing over-representation of Black and Indigenous individuals in policing data caused by over-policing and discrimination in the justice system, using such data to forecast potential crime risks perpetuating or amplifying existing inequality. As scholar Virginia Eubanks describes, policing algorithms can operate as feedback loops of injustice.

In the report, we call for moratoriums on these controversial technologies, and urge Ottawa to convene a judicial inquiry on the legality of repurposing police data for use in algorithms. Section 15 may well prohibit police decision-making that is guided by algorithmic predictions that are rooted in biased data.

A judicial inquiry is important because section 15 is under-utilized and rarely applied in Canadian courts. Its scope is not well understood. There are substantial costs and legal hurdles that must be overcome to bring a discrimination claim in court. Despite some recent signs of hope, in-court litigation is slow and has not ended the cyclical harm experienced by vulnerable groups.

In theory, the public does not need to wait for courts to painstakingly deliberate these problems over decades. Section 15 prohibits all government action taken in the criminal law enforcement system that has the adverse effect of disproportionately disadvantaging racialized and Indigenous communities (or other groups protected by section 15). The constitutional prohibition operates automatically and is in effect right now.

Section 15 also requires governments and police services to move beyond circular debates as to whether the justice systems damage is caused by overt racism, historic racism, institutional bias, poverty, or depleted mental health-care systems. It is all of the above. But section 15 prohibits much more than overt racism. It prohibits all government activity that has the purpose or effect of disproportionately disadvantaging protected groups.

When the Charter was enacted in 1982, governments were given a three-year grace period to comply with section 15 in particular  a concession granted in recognition of the hard work and substantial legal reform that would be required by governments to fulfil their new obligations. Nearly 40 years later, it is time for the burden of that hard work to be taken up and completed.
By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese leaders named diplomat Mustapha Adib as the new prime minister on Monday, under pressure from French President Emmanuel Macron who will visit Beirut to press for reforms aimed at dragging the Middle East nation out of a financial abyss. With its economy devastated by a financial crisis, a swathe of Beirut in tatters following a huge port explosion on Aug

By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese leaders named diplomat Mustapha Adib as the new prime minister on Monday, under pressure from French President Emmanuel Macron who will visit Beirut to press for reforms aimed at dragging the Middle East nation out of a financial abyss.

With its economy devastated by a financial crisis, a swathe of Beirut in tatters following a huge port explosion on Aug. 4, and sectarian tensions rising, Lebanon is facing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-90 civil war.

Adib, the former ambassador to Germany, was named hours before Macron was due in Beirut for his second visit in less than a month. The French president will push politicians to enact reforms that donors have demanded to tackle corruption and waste before they will release financial support.

Senior Lebanese officials said Macron's mediation was essential in securing agreement on a new prime minister in the 48 hours before consensus emerged on Adib. Politicians were deadlocked last week over who to choose.

"The opportunity for our country is small and the mission I have accepted is based on all the political forces acknowledging that," said Adib, who won the support of nearly all Lebanon's main parties in consultations hosted by President Michel Aoun.

"There is no time for talk and promises ... It's the time to work with everyone's cooperation," he said.

He called for the formation of a government of competent specialists in record time, an immediate start to reforms and a deal with the International Monetary Fund. Lebanon's talks with the IMF on vital support have been stalled since July.

Forming governments has often taken months in the past.

"We welcome the nomination of a new prime minister and hope that a new government will be formed shortly with a mandate to implement the policies and reforms that Lebanon needs to address the current crisis and restore sustainable growth," an IMF spokesperson told Reuters.

Adib, who has a doctorate in law and political science, later visited areas hardest hit by the port explosion that killed some 190 people and injured 6,500.

"Our children died. We don't recognise you," a passerby shouted at him as he inspected the shattered neighbourhoods. Another offered to shake hands with Adib, who wore a facemask as Lebanon battles COVID-19.

The explosion, caused by what authorities say were 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the port, led to the resignation of the previous government, now acting as caretaker.

UNDER PRESSURE

Since October, the crisis has sunk Lebanon's currency, locked savers out of deposits held by a paralysed banking system and fuelled poverty and unemployment. The root cause is decades of corruption and waste overseen by a political elite.

Macron's visit coincides with Lebanon's centenary, at a time of profound doubts that it has a future as a viable state under the sway of former warlords and sectarian leaders loyal to different regional masters, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Macron made a series of phone calls to Lebanese leaders at the weekend that were vital to securing consensus on Adib.

"It was the pressure of his calls to everyone, the pressure of his coming to Lebanon, the pressure of everyone not wanting to upset him," a senior Lebanese politician said.

A French presidency source said Macron was demanding "a government of mission, clean, efficient, able to implement the necessary reforms in Lebanon".

Macron told journalists on Friday that the exceptional moment facing Lebanon led him to increase pressure.

"France has convinced its European and American partners and a good part of the regional partners that we are honest brokers," he said.

Adib's name surfaced on Sunday when he was nominated by former prime ministers, including Saad al-Hariri who heads the biggest Sunni Muslim party. Under the Lebanese system, the post of premier must go to a Sunni.

Hariri's Future Movement and the powerful Iranian-backed Shi'ite party Hezbollah were among those nominating him.

With Hariri's backing, Adib will enjoy more support than Hassan Diab's outgoing government, nominated by Hezbollah and its allies which together have a parliamentary majority.

Lebanon won pledges of more than $11 billion in support at a Paris conference in 2018 conditional on reforms that it failed to carry out.

(Reporting by Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul and Ahmad Kerdi in Beirut and Elizabeth Pineau in Paris; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Michael Georgy, Edmund Blair and Catherine Evans)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
During the recent pandemic purge at our house, I uncovered a tattered newspaper article new to me. The name of the paper was torn off along with the date. I suspect it was published in the New York Daily News during 1945. Even as I taped it together, information was missing.

As I read the rest, tears filled my eyes. I had never quizzed my brother about his time in the Marine Corps. Too late now, I thought with regret. He passed years ago.

I was 8 years old when he marched off the day before his 18th birthday to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. My father, uncle and I accompanied him to Penn Station from our Queens home. Mom wouldnt come, afraid of embarrassing him with her tears. I gave him a heartfelt hug goodbye.

The article read: His helmet was pierced and then knocked off his head by sniper fire on Iwo Jima but Marine Private Roy M. Pezella Jr. of South Ozone Park stayed on the job until he succeeded in wiping out an enemy strong point.

He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroic achievement and the Purple Heart in recognition of wounds suffered in the Iwo Jima Battle, the Marine Corps announced today.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 07:15 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41c69ee 1 National Constitutional-Court,deputy-minister,Jokowi-administration,erick-thohir,SOE-Minister Free

The Constitutional Court (MK) has said that deputy ministers cannot hold concurrent roles at state-owned and private firms, arguing that they should focus on their main duties in their respective ministerial offices.

The nine-justice bench declared its stance on the issue as it read out the final ruling on a judicial review petition challenging Article 10 of a 2008 law on state ministries filed by Bayu Segara from the Forum of Legal and Constitutional Studies (FKHK) and Novan Lailathul Rizky from Sahid Jakarta University.

The plaintiffs demanded that the court revoke the article, which allows the president to appoint deputy ministers, as they deemed it to be "unconstitutional".

The court rejected the petition on Thursday on the grounds that the plaintiffs did not have legal standing, but it did highlight the petitioners' argument over the absence of a regulation that bans deputy ministers from holding concurrent roles as commissioners or members of board of directors at state-owned or private firms.

Even if deputy ministers only give assistance to ministers in delivering ministerial duties, the appointment and the dismissal of deputy ministers are within the president's prerogative rights, the same as that of ministers," the court said in its ruling dossier.

"Deputy ministers should, therefore, be treated equally as state officials who carry the same status, like ministers. With such a status, all provisions prohibiting ministers from serving dual roles under Article 23 of the 2008 law should also apply to deputy ministers.

The court argued that it was necessary so that deputy ministers could "focus on their ministerial duties.

Read also: Groups raise concern over 'conflict of interest' in Constitutional Court Law revision

Some deputy ministers in President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration are known to have concurrent roles at state-owned enterprises.

For example, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, a deputy for the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) minister, is also a vice president commissioner of state oil and gas holding company PT Pertamina.

Another SOE deputy minister, Kartika Tiko Wirjoatmodjo, also serves as president commissioner of state-owned Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).

Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara is also known as the current vice president commissioner of state-owned electricity firm PT PLN.

In response to the court's statement, SOE Minister Erick Thohir said he would further discuss the matter with other ministries, including the Law and Human Right Ministry.

I dont know the details yet, but I will study the matter," Erick said, adding that the court's stance over the issue was not part of its ruling that rejected the plaintiffs' request.

Erick, however, defended deputy ministers and said they had the capabilities needed by the ministry.

I think of our deputy ministers as warriors and we dont really think of their dual roles, he said as quoted by tempo.co.
Greeces government is discussing plans to buy new military aircraft from France amid Turkeys moves to explore for hydrocarbons in waters claimed by Athens in the eastern Mediterranean.

Reuters on Monday cited a Greek official as saying no deal had been struck yet, contradicting Greek news reports that an agreement had already been reached to acquire 18 Rafale fighter jets.

"We are in talks with France, and not only with France, in order to increase our country's defense potential," Reuters cited the official as saying, adding that the discussions include the purchase of aircraft.

Why it matters: Turkeys push in the eastern Mediterranean is bringing regional countries and the European Union together in opposition, with Frances leaders eager to step in.

Last week, fighter aircraft from France and the United Arab Emirates joined the Hellenic armed forces for joint military exercises based out of Souda Naval Base on Crete. Italian forces also joined the exercise.

The EU reiterated last week the possibility of placing economic sanctions on Turkey for sending a research vessel, the Oruc Reis, to explore for hydrocarbon reserves in waters claimed by Greece.

In response to the tensions, Turkey said it would launch live-fire exercise this week in an area between Turkeys coast and Cyprus.

Turkish officials slammed the threats of sanctions and the joint military exercises. Video shared by Turkeys Defense Ministry on Saturday suggested Turkish F-16s had intercepted and turned back Greek F-16s approaching the Oruc Reis exploration area.

Whats next: Ankara on Monday again prolonged the Oruc Reis mission, this time issuing a new NAVTEX that said its work will continue until Sept. 12.

Germany is seeking to mediate the dispute, and both Greeces and Turkeys foreign ministers have expressed openness to engaging with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to resolve the tensions.

On Tuesday, Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara was open to dialogue with Greece, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mocked Greece as incompetent during a speech at the presidential complex and said regional and global power Turkey was being treated unjustly.

Know more: Cengiz Candar digs up the ideological roots of Erdogans strategic ambitions in the Mediterranean and what they portend for the NATO alliance.
Waiver of interest on deferred EMIs during the moratorium period would be against the basic canons of finance and unfair to those who repaid as per schedule, the Centre told the on Tuesday.

Reserve Bank of India has however come out with a scheme which provides for extension of moratorium for two years to certain stressed borrowers, the central government informed the apex court.

The Ministry of Finance has filed an affidavit before the apex court which had asked the Centre and the RBI to review the move to charge interest on EMIs and interest on the interest during the moratorium period introduced under the scheme due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the hearing of a PIL on the issue, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and RBI, told a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan that the moratorium period on repayment of amid the COVID-19 pandemic is extendable by two years. The bench would hear the case on Wednesday.

There cannot be a one-size fit all solution to all the problems faced by the banking sectors, Aditya Kumar Ghosh, Under Secretary with the Ministry of Finance, said in the affidavit.

The government said any post facto change in the terms of the RBI circulars with regard to non-charging of interest during the moratorium period would be unfair to those who kept paying their EMIs.

I respectfully state and submit that ex post facto change in the terms and conditions of the offer of moratorium favouring those who availed of it over those who made the extra effort of repaying as per schedule would be grossly inequitable and patently unfair for those who did not avail of the benefits of moratorium initially or gave it up subsequently.

A waiver of the interest on interest during moratorium would also be against the basic canons of finance, the affidavit said.

The RBI, through its circulars of August 6, has empowered the banks to resolve COVID-19 -related stress and customise relief to individual borrowers through grant of various concessions in terms of alteration in the rate of interest and haircut on amount payable as interest, it said.

The RBI circular also provides for extension of the residual tenor of the loan, with or without moratorium, by up to two years, waiving penal interest and charges, rescheduling repayment,



Converting accumulated interest into a fresh loan with a deferred payment schedule and sanction of additional loan, the affidavit said.

The Centre said that the desired reliefs for eligible borrowers are now available under the RBI framework and in addition, the Central Government through various means has also given commensurate reliefs to sectors affected by COVID-19 in order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

RBI on August 6 provided a framework for lenders to implement resolution plans in respect of eligible and...the resolution plan may involve any action/ plan/ reorganisation including regularisation of the account by, inter alia, restructuring, which is described as an act in which a lender grants concession to the borrower and which may involve modification in terms of advances/ securities, which would generally include, among others, alteration in payment amount / amount of instalment / rate of interest, the affidavit said.

Besides concessions in the rate of interest, the framework under RBI's circulars of August 6, also permits lenders to allow moratorium of up to two years, it said.

This extended moratorium becomes part of an individualised solution for a borrower and is made available along with other interventions. The RBI framework is specific to the situation arising out of the pandemic. Thus, a borrower, who is fearful of being in default as on 1st September and becoming an NPA soon thereafter, could continue to avail moratorium as a part of the resolution plan implemented in terms of the above circular, the affidavit said.

It referred to the fact that many depositors rely on interests from banks and it would not be good for banks' health of they do not charge interests.

However, it is pertinent that while the standstill applicable to bank loans results in the bank not getting its funds back during the period of the moratorium, the bank continues to incur cost on bank's deposits and borrowings.

It is respectfully submitted that since a moratorium offers certain advantages to borrowers, there are costs associated with obtaining the benefit of a moratorium. Borrowers take a conscious call while opting for a moratorium and many borrowers after understanding the advantage of paying in time did not avail of the moratorium when the initially announced period of moratorium was extended from three months to six months, it said.

Earlier, to mitigate the burden of debt servicing brought about by disruptions on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, RBI, through circulars of March 27, and May 23, had permitted lending institutions to grant a moratorium on payment of all instalments, including interest, of term loans falling due between March 1, and August 31.

(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.)
Misty is a divine, creative human being. I envision her coming home after giving an incredible performance, a thing of beauty, and being in the next beautiful thing.

Brigette Romanek

I have long been wildly smitten with the unstuffy grandeur of a 1985 cover of Architectural Digest that features a suzani-swathed Rudolf Nureyev lounging insouciantly at home in Paris among his sumptuous velvet sofas and impressive collections. The timeless image of the international superstar has served as an inspiration and visual reference to me, a link between ADs past and present and a vivid reminder to strive for unconventional choices. Not many dancers make the cover of AD, but I am a hard-core balletomane, so that simply had to change!

Lelanie Foster

Derry Moore

At long last there is an acclaimed artist who has attained a level of cultural relevance that merits the honor: the glorious and groundbreaking principal ballerina and activist Misty Copeland. I was thrilled to document my longtime friends glamorous new apartment in Manhattan, decorated by another treasured colleague, Brigette Romanek. (See the three of us in more carefree days past, celebrating Misty at a gala for her company, American Ballet Theatre, bottom.)

Joshua Kissi

Joshua Kissi

Imagine my utter surprise and delight when the photos arrived: elegant, famous Misty, barefoot and casually seated on the floor in a golden goddess gown and leaning on her velvet sofa in a pose so evocative of the great Nureyevs that you would think we planned it. But we most certainly did not, as I never art-direct portraits and always trust our photographersin this case, Lelanie Fosterto follow their own creative impulses on set. Misty was stunned when I told her that she was the first ballet dancer on our cover since the late iconic Russianand that the images were serendipitously so similar. What an honor to follow Rudolf Nureyev! was her heartfelt response. A pas de deux to remember.

Story continues

AMY ASTLEY, Editor in Chief

Instagram: @amyastley

Samantha Nandez/BFA.com

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Here are the new movies and shows you can stream in September, including The Devil All the Time and the Back to the Future trilogy. Check out some of the highlights below, or scroll down to the full list, five things you should definitely watch and whats leaving Netflix this month.

Im Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

A young woman travels with her new boyfriend to his parents secluded farm. Upon arriving, she comes to question everything she thought she knew about him, and herself. From the mind of Oscar-winner Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Synecdoche, New York) comes this mind-bending adventure starring Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, Jesse Plemons and David Thewlis. (Sept. 4)

The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)

Two years after Cole survived a satanic blood cult, hes living another nightmare: high school. And the demons from his past? Still making his life hell. Stars Bella Thorne and Judan Lewis. From director McG (Charlies Angels). (Sept. 10)

The Devil All the Time (2020)

Filmed in Alabama in spring 2019 and based on a 2011 novel by Donald Ray Pollock, this dark multi-character tale follows several storylines: A tormented war veteran who believes in blood sacrifice, a troubled son whos trying to escape his past, two serial killers who hit the highway to find their victims and a corrupt preacher whos inclined to view members of his flock as sexual playthings. Stars Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Bill Skarsgard, Sebastian Stan, Jason Clarke, Riley Keough, Mia Wasikowska, and Eliza Scanlen. (Sept. 16)

Enola Holmes (2020)

When Enola Holmes (Sherlocks teen sister) discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord. Starring Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill. (Sept. 23)

The Boys in the Band (2020)

A group of gay men gather for a birthday party in 1968 New York City, only to find the drinks and laughs interrupted when a visitor from the hosts past turns the evening upside down. Stars Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto and Matt Bomer. (Sept. 30)

Away

Oscar-winner Hilary Swank stars as an American astronaut who struggles with leaving her husband and daughter behind to embark on a dangerous mission with an international space crew. (Sept. 4)

Ratched

A young nurse at a mental institution becomes jaded, bitter and a downright monster to her patients. A prequel series about Nurse Ratched, originally played by Alabama native Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest in 1975. (Sept. 18)

Back to the Future trilogy

A 17-year-old high school student is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by an eccentric scientist. Somehow this came out 35 years ago, yet it remains timeless. You can also stream the two sequels. (Now available)

Grease (1978)

Good girl Sandy (Olivia Newton John) and greaser Danny (John Travolta) fell in love over the summer. When they unexpectedly discover theyre now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance? Who doesnt love this super popular musical full of memorable songs. (Now available)

Magic Mike (2012)

Channing Tatum stars as a male stripper who teaches a younger performer how to party, pick up women and make easy money. Despite what you might think, guys, this flick is for you, too. From Oceans Eleven director Steven Soderbergh. (Now available)

Pineapple Express (2008)

A process server and his marijuana dealer wind up on the run from hitmen and a corrupt police officer after he witnesses his dealers boss murder a competitor while trying to serve papers on him. Seth Rogen and James Franco star in this stoner action comedy. (Now available)

MORE MOVIES & TV

Sept. 1:

Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices

The Boss Baby: Get That Baby!

Felipe Esparza: Bad Decisions

La Partita / The Match

True: Friendship Day

Adrift

Anaconda

Back to the Future

Back to the Future Part II

Back to the Future Part III

Barbershop

Barbie Princess Adventure

Borgen: Seasons 13

Children of the Sea

Coneheads

Glory

Grease

Magic Mike

The Muppets

Muppets Most Wanted

Not Another Teen Movie

Pineapple Express

Possession

The Producers (2005)

The Promised Neverland: Season 1

Puss in Boots

Red Dragon

Residue

Sex Drive

Sister, Sister: Seasons 16

The Smurfs

Wildlife

Zathura

Sept. 2:

Bad Boy Billionaires: India

FreaksYoure One of Us

Sept. 3:

Afonso Padilha: Alma de Pobre

Young Wallander

Sept. 4:

Away

The Lost Okoroshi

Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy: Part 2

Sept. 7:

Midnight Special

My Octopus Teacher

Record of Youth

Waiting for Superman

Sept. 8:

StarBeam: Season 2

Sept. 9:

Corazon loco / So Much Love to Give

Get Organized With the Home Edit

La Linea: Shadow of Narco

Mignonnes / Cuties

The Social Dilemma

Sept. 10:

The Babysitter: Killer Queen

The Gift: Season 2

Greenleaf: Season 5

The Idhun Chronicles

Julie and the Phantoms

Sept. 11:

The Duchess

Family Business: Season 2

Girlfriends: Seasons 18

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Pets United

Pokemon Journeys: The Series: Part 2

Se busca papa / Dad Wanted

Sept. 15:

Americas Book of Secrets: Season 2

Ancient Aliens: Season 3

Cold Case Files Classic: Season 1

The Curse of Oak Island: Season 4

Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice

Izzys Koala World

Michael McIntyre: Showman

Pawn Stars: Season 2

The Rap Game: Season 2

The Smurfs 2

Taco Chronicles: Volume 2

The Universe: Season 2

Sept. 16:

Baby: Season 3

Challenger: The Final Flight

Criminal: UK: Season 2

The Devil All The Time

MeatEater: Season 9

The Paramedic

Signs: Season 2Sing On!

Sept. 17:

Dragons Dogma

The Last Word

Sept. 18:

American Barbecue Showdown

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous

Sept. 22:

Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt: Season 3

Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father: Season 4

Kiss the Ground

The Playbook

Mighty Express

Sept. 23:

Enola Holmes

Waiting

Sept. 24:

The Chef Show: Season 2

Real Steel

Sept. 25:

A Perfect Crime

Country-Ish

Nasty C

The School Nurse Files

Sneakerheads

Sept. 26:

The Good Place: Season 4

Sept. 27:

Bad Teacher

Van Helsing: Season 4

Sept. 28:

Whose Vote Counts, Explained

Sept. 29:

Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia

Welcome to Sudden Death

Sept. 30:

American Murder: The Family Next Door

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY WATCH

Project Power (2020)

When a pill that gives its users unpredictable superpowers for five minutes hits the streets of New Orleans, a teenage dealer and a local cop must team with an ex-soldier to take down the group responsible for its creation. Stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback, Machine Gun Kelly and Casey Neistat. Fun, futuristic action flick from the directors of Nerve and Catfish.

Oceans Twelve (2004) and Oceans Thirteen (2007)

The latter two-thirds of Steven Soderberghs breezy heist trilogy holds up well, with these equally delightful follow-ups that see the crew in fine form robbing whomever they can to survive in light of their efforts from the first film. George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon lead the way in these slick sequels, but pay special attention to the late Carl Reiners work as Saul.

Nightcrawler (2014)

Dan Gilroys underrated comedy/thriller stars Jake Gyllenhaal (in a career-best performance) as a morally bankrupt idealist who corners the late night Los Angeles crime reporting market. A razor-sharp dark comedy some might find it hard to stomach, featuring outstanding supporting work from Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed and the late great Bill Paxton.

Casino Royale (2006)

Daniel Craigs James Bond debut set a new tone for the franchise. Here, he must defeat a private banker to terrorists in a high stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro, but things are not what they seem. Craigs follow-up as 007 Quantum of Solace, is also available.

Cobra Kai

Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, a middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again. Fun follow-up to the classic kids flick starring Ralph Macchio.

LEAVING NETFLIX IN SEPTEMBER

Sept. 4

Christopher Robin

Sept. 5

Once Upon a Time, seasons 1-7

Sept. 8

Norm of the North: King Sized Adventure

Sept. 10

The Forgotten

Sept. 14

Cold Case Files, season 1

Sept. 15

Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made

Sept. 16

The Witch

Sept. 17

Train to Busan

Sept. 20

Sarahs Key

Sept. 21

Person of Interest, seasons 1-5

SMOSH: The Movie

Sept. 22

20 Feet From Stardom

Sept. 26

The Grandmaster

Sept. 28

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Sept. 30

2012

40 Days and 40 Nights

A Knights Tale

Cheech & Chongs Up in Smoke

Dear John

Despicable Me

Donnie Brasco

Frances Ha

House of the Witch

Inside Man

Insidious

Jurassic Park

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park III

Menace II Society

Million Dollar Baby

Mortal Kombat

Mud

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Schindlers List

Seabiscuit

Sinister

Starship Troopers

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Terminator Salvation

The Devils Advocate

The Social Network

Zack and Miri Make a Porno
From KALB in Louisiana:

Louisville lawyer Sam Aguiar, one of the attorneys representing Breonna Taylor's family, said local law enforcement had tried to offer Taylor's ex-boyfriend a plea deal in exchange for him naming Taylor as a co-defendant in a drug case. A convicted drug trafficker, Jamarcus Glover was arrested on new drug charges just last week. Also last week, WAVE 3 News reported the revelation of new documents that painted a picture of a close relationship between Glover and Taylor. The documents included transcriptions of recorded jailhouse conversations between Glover and Taylor, as well as conversations between Glover and another woman, whom he told Taylor was holding money for him.

On Tuesday, we were told Breonna Taylor's ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover was offered a plea deal, which would have required him to say that Taylor was part of his drug operation. Just now, the family's attorney shared a picture of a plea deal that appears to show it is true pic.twitter.com/E9nsWQLKrb  Roberto Aram Ferdman (@robferdman) August 31, 2020

Tom Wine, an attorney for the state of Louisiana, has said that this leaked document was only a draft, and that it has been rejected:

Breonna Taylor was never a Co-Defendant in the Jamarcus Glover case. A case including Breonna Taylor as a Co-Defendant was never presented to the Grand Jury nor did our office ever consider presenting one to the Grand Jury with her name. Our office has not and does not posthumously indict any person who is deceased. [] We were aware of the information in the warrants as well as the jail phone calls where Mr. Glover implicated Ms. Taylor in his criminal activity. When I was advised of the discussions, out of respect for Ms. Taylor, I directed that Ms. Breonna Taylor's name be removed.

While Breonna Taylor's name was removed as a "co-defendant" from the most recent plea offer, Jamarcus Glover was still going to have to say that he and other co-defendants used Taylor's apartment to store "proceeds from the trafficking operation" and she handled "all his money" pic.twitter.com/6Iq1HHYP1b  Jason Riley (@JasonRileyWDRB) September 1, 2020

This follows up on news from earlier this summer, that lawyers for Breonna Taylor's family filed a series of court documents alleging that Taylor's brutal, unnecessary death at the hands of police officers who showed up at the wrong house to deliver a "no-knock warrant" and killed her in her sleep, was actually the result of a labyrinthine real estate conspiracy:

The court filings allege that Breonna Taylor's murder was an accidental result of other shady behaviors around the proposed Vision Russell Development Plan meant to revitalize the neighborhood (read: gentrification). The project had previously stagnated, but was finally starting to make some progress earlier this year when eight homes were demolished on Elliott Avenue over the course of a few weeks. One of homes on that street that was purchased by the city, but not destroyed, had been occupied by a man named Jamarcus Glover, an ex-boyfriend of Breonna Taylor's who also had a few small drug offenses on his record. According to available documents, the police showed up at Taylor's house that night under the impression that Glover was living there; they claimed to have confirmed through USPS that Glover was receiving packages at Taylor's house, but a U.S. Postal Inspector has denied that this ever The conspiracy laid out in the court filings essentially claims that city and real estate developers wanted to get people out of the properties on Elliott Avenue, and used the police to do their work for them, by concocting a fictionalized version of Glover that positioned him as some kind of major kingpin of drugs and crime.

The Louisville Courier-Metro has tons of more information on the relationship between Glover and Taylor, and the police surveillance against him that wrongly lead them to her home.

Attorney says Jamarcus Glover was offered plea deal to name Breonna Taylor as co-defendant [KALB Louisiana]

Drug suspect offered July plea deal if he would admit Breonna Taylor part of 'organized crime syndicate' [Jason Riley / WDRB]

Breonna Taylor was never co-defendant in Jamarcus Glover case, Commonwealth's Attorney says [Taylor Weiter, Tyler Emery / ABC WHAS11]

Report details why Louisville police decided to forcibly search Breonna Taylor's home [Andrew Wolfson / Louisiana Courier-Journal]

New court documents connect Breonna Taylor's murder to an alleged massive real estate conspiracy [Thom Dunn / BoingBoing]

Image: Lucas Werkmeister / Wikimedia Commons
Andrew Harnik/Getty

When the Office of the Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe called lawmakers on Capitol Hill Friday to inform them that the administration would no longer provide in-person briefings on threats to the U.S. election, congressional staffers scrambled to figure out why the director suddenly had pulled back from his commitment to appear for questioning.

They still dont have a solid answer.

But two administration officials and three other individuals familiar with the issue told The Daily Beast that top White House officials, including National Security Adviser Robert OBrien and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have repeatedly discussed in meetings with staff and with President Donald Trump how to restrict and control the flow of information on such sensitive topics to Capitol Hill. Those conversations have primarily focused on how details and materials from congressional briefings leak to the media, on their belief that Democrats politicize the briefings, and how it may be beneficial to limit the time some administration officials spend in front of Congress.

John Ratcliffe, Trumps DNI Pick: I View China as the Greatest Threat Actor Right Now

Ratcliffes announcement that he was suspending the election security briefings came less than 70 days before the 2020 presidential election. Individuals close to Trump and Meadows say they were unaware of Ratcliffes decision to scale back the briefings until ODNI sent formal letters to Capitol Hill Saturday. But the shared belief among top officials about the need to curtail in-person briefings underscores the extent to which the Trump White House believes lawmakers access to sensitive national security matters is a political hindrance.

On August 10, Ratcliffes office had offered to brief the House Intelligence Committee on election security threats, according to an individual familiar with the matter. And the committee had already booked a room and timeSeptember 17for Ratcliffe to speak with lawmakers about his offices latest findings, primarily how Russia is attempting to meddle in the 2020 election, how Iran seeks to undermine democratic institutions and how China views the candidates. The office had also agreed to give all House members a briefing on September 24 and 25.

Story continues

But two weeks after those offers, Ratcliffe reversed course. The reversal struck officials as an escalation of former acting intelligence chief Ric Grenells decision to skip an election security briefing in March, sending William Evanina, the head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, instead.

In phone calls to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Ratcliffe expressed frustration that information from prior briefings had made it into the press, according to two individuals familiar with the matter. Even after those calls and the letters which Ratcliffe sent to the Hill Saturday, lawmakers were still unsure exactly what had triggered the ODNI announcement.

Final Senate Report on Aggressive Russian Interference: Manafort Was a Grave Counterintelligence Threat

On two occasions over the last several months, OBrien told his office in meetings that he did not want the National Security Council to engage with Congress on election security issues, telling officials that he did not think that matter was something the council needed to take action on since it was largely the purview of other agencies. He also told officials on his team that he wanted to limit congressional briefings, two individuals familiar with those conversations said. Those sources say is unclear if OBriens comments lead to any administrative action.

Another individual familiar with OBriens thinking said it was the national security advisers belief that congressional briefings led to political bickering between lawmakers. Members learned little from in-person interactions they could not get from a briefing document, that person said.

One White House official told The Daily Beast that Meadows has for months been wary of the type of briefings on Capitol Hill that Democratic sources can potentially use to try to make Trump look bad through surreptitious leaks to media outlets. Meadows has discussed the matter on at least two occasions with President Trump this summer, that official said.

Since Meadows has become chief of staff, theres been tighter control over what people can do on the Hill, compared to the [Mick] Mulvaney era, a Republican close to the White House said, adding that Meadows has applied this to a broad array of matters, including foreign policy and national security, as well as budgetary issues. They dont want to get screamed at in the Oval Office because Trump saw something in The New York Times that was leaked, likely, from the Hill.

On Tuesday afternoon, a senior administration official pointed to Meadows prior work on the Oversight Committee, the congressional task force on FBI and Department of Justice oversight, and the impeachment hearings as proof of his authority on these matters. Hes seen firsthand how these hearings or interviews have been weaponized with leaks, the official said, particularly out of Chairman Schiffs Intel Committee during impeachment.

This official added, Itd be accurate to say hes conveyed [to others] these concerns and sought to better protect intelligence so back and forths or clips of information cant be shared out of context.

The decision by Ratcliffe to ultimately pull the plug on in-person briefings has caused angry pushback among Democrats on the Hill, who see it as an affront to Congress role in election security, at best, and a cynical ploy to keep private any news of Russian involvement in the 2020 elections, at worst. On Tuesday Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) along with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Peter Visclosky (D-IN), chairman of the subcommittee on defense in the House Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to Ratcliffe demanding that he reinstate the previously scheduled election security briefings.

If you are unwilling to resume election-related intelligence briefings to Congress, we will have no choice but to consider the full range of tools available to compel compliance, the letter says.

Citing dozens of interagency meetings on securing the 2020 elections in the past year alone, NSC spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement to The Daily Beast that election security has received more focus under President Trump than any Administration before him.

He went on to note that ensuring a secure election remains a top priority for the NSC.

The NSC is the coordinating body for the government on national security issues such as election interference, but that doesnt mean the council is actively involved in safeguarding the election.

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KENOSHA, Wis.  President Donald Trump dove into the latest eruption in the nations reckoning over racial injustice on Tuesday, touring the destruction left by violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and declaring it was enabled by Democratic leaders.

Soon after arriving in the city, a visit made over the objections of state and local leaders, Trump toured the charred remains of a block besieged by violence and fire. He spoke to the owners of a century-old store that had been destroyed and blasted the Democrats in charge of Kenosha and Wisconsin.

They just dont want us to come in, said Trump, who has pressed to deploy federal enforcement. These governors dont want to call, and the mayors dont want to call. They have to ask.

The city has been riven by protests since the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man hit seven times in the back by police as he was getting into a car while they were trying to arrest him. Protests were concentrated in a small area of Kenosha, and while there were more than 30 fires set in the first three nights, the situation has calmed since then.

Trumps motorcade passed throngs of demonstrators, some holding American flags in support of the president, others jeering while carrying signs that read Black Lives Matter. A massive police presence, complete with several armored vehicles, secured the area and barricades were set up along several of the citys major thoroughfares to keep onlookers at a distance from the passing presidential vehicles.

Trump toured a high school that had been transformed into a law enforcement command post. He had praise for the response but no words for the underlying cause of the anger  accusations of police violence  and did not initially mention Blakes name. He said he tried to call the mans mother but opted against it after the family asked that a lawyer listen in.

Repeating his apocalyptic attack lines, Trump again linked the radical forces he blamed for the violence to the Democrats and their presidential nominee, Joe Biden, declaring that chaos could soon descend on other cities across America.

Biden in turn has assailed Trump over the deadly protests that have sprung up on his watch.

Wisconsins Democratic governor, Tony Evers who deployed the National Guard to quell demonstrations in response to the Blake shooting, had pleaded with Trump to stay away for fear of straining tensions further.

I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing, Evers wrote in a letter to Trump. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together.

On the eve of his visit, Trump defended a teenage supporter accused of fatally shooting two men at a demonstration in Kenosha last week.

Claiming the mantle of the law and order Republican candidate, Trump insists that he, not Biden, is the leader best positioned to keep Americans safe. He said his appearance in Kenosha would increase enthusiasm in Wisconsin, perhaps the most hotly contested battleground state in the presidential race.

Blakes family held a Tuesday community celebration at a distance from Trumps visit.

We dont need more pain and division from a president set on advancing his campaign at the expense of our city, Justin Blake, an uncle, said in a statement. We need justice and relief for our vibrant community.

The NAACP said Tuesday neither candidate should visit the Wisconsin city as tension simmers. Bidens team has considered a visit to Kenosha and has indicated that a trip to Wisconsin was imminent but has not offered details.

Biden, in his most direct attacks yet, accused Trump on Monday of causing the divisions that have ignited the violence. He delivered an uncharacteristically blistering speech in Pittsburgh and distanced himself from radical forces involved in altercations.

Biden said of Trump: He doesnt want to shed light, he wants to generate heat, and hes stoking violence in our cities. He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it.

Trump and his campaign team have seized upon the unrest in Kenosha, as well as in Portland, Oregon, where a Trump supporter was shot and killed, leaning hard into a defense of law and order while suggesting that Biden is beholden to extremists.

Trump aides believe that tough-on-crime stance will help him with voters and that the more the national discourse is about anything other than the coronavirus, the better it is for the president.

Protests in Kenosha began the night of Blakes shooting, Aug. 23 and were concentrated in the blocks around the county courthouse downtown. The first three nights, more than 30 fires were set and numerous businesses were vandalized. There was an estimated $2 million in damage to city property, and Kenoshas mayor has said he is seeking $30 million from the state to help rebuild.

The violence reached its peak the night of Aug. 25, two days after Blake was shot, when police said a 17-year-old armed with an illegal semi-automatic rifle shot and killed two protesters in the streets. Since then marches organized both by backers of police and Blakes family have all been peaceful with no vandalism or destruction to public property.

In Pittsburgh on Monday, Biden resoundingly condemned violent protesters and called for their prosecution  addressing a key Trump critique. And the former vice president also tried to refocus the race on what has been its defining theme  Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 180,000 Americans dead  after a multi-day onslaught by the presidents team to make the campaign about the violence rattling American cities.

Bidens wife, Jill, on Tuesday kicked off a multi-week, 10-city tour of schools disrupted by the pandemic in eight battleground states, drawing a direct line from the empty classrooms to the administrations failures combating COVID-19.

During her tour of a Wilmington, Delaware, school, she spoke with teachers and administrators about doubts that in-person learning will actually resume anytime soon and the challenges -- including obtaining new small desks and protective equipment to make sure classrooms can handle social distancing -- if they do. She said feelings about heading back to school have turned from excitement into anxiety, and the playgrounds are still.

--The Associated Press
The World Health Organization advised countries on Monday to continue enforcing safety measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic spread. WHO added that this includes limiting public gatherings.

WHO also urges people to protect vulnerable groups as they try to reopen business services.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the more control countries have on the virus, the more they can open up.

"Opening up without having control is a recipe for disaster," Tedros was quoted in a report.

The WHO Director-General also said that no country could pretend that the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Tedros highlighted four essential things that all countries, communities, and individuals must focus on to take control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The WHO official also said that countries should prevent amplifying events.

He added that many countries have linked to large gatherings at stadiums, nightclubs, and worship places.

Tedros said that countries should find "creative ways" to be social.

"Vulnerable groups such as older people, people with underlying conditions, and essential workers should also be protected to prevent deaths," he said.

The WHO Director-General said that individuals should play their part by wearing masks, social distancing, and practicing proper hygiene.

Tedros said that governments could avoid stay-at-home orders by making targeted responses to the COVID-19 pandemic through testing, contact-tracing, and isolating.

Tedros said that if countries are serious about opening up, they must also be serious about suppressing transmission and saving lives.

He added that this might seem like an impossible balance. But Tedros claimed it is not.

"It can be done, and it has been done," the WHO official was quoted in a report.

Tedros added the WHO recently issued guidance on how hotels, cargo ships, and fishing vessels can safely resume operations.

This as part of their commitment to support every sector to reopen as safely as possible.

WHO earlier said that mask-wearing and social distancing should be imposed in many countries even if a vaccine is eventually brought to the market.

Global COVID-19 Cases

Global COVID-19 cases topped 25 million, with high daily cases in the U.S. and India.

WHO said it received support from the European Commission for the COVAX vaccine initiative and shared results of a new survey that shoed widespread disruption of healthcare delivery.

Tedros thanked the EC for its participation in the COVAX Facility and for its $470 million contributions.

The COVAX Facility pairs pooling the risk of supporting vaccine development with securing vaccine doses for countries at a reasonable price.

The program has nine candidate vaccines in its portfolio, as of now.

It also has a goal of delivering two billion doses by the end of 2021.

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO's chief scientist, warned that authorizing a vaccine too early with too little data could create complications.

Swaminathan said the risk of approving a vaccine prematurely would make it very difficult to continue with randomized clinical trials.

The WHO scientist added that there is a risk of introducing a vaccine that has been inadequately studied and might turn out to have low efficacy or have a safety profile that is not acceptable.

Check these out:

WHO Announces the Novel Coronavirus as a Pandemic

Online Petition Calling for WHO Director-General's Resignation Nears 1 Million Signatures

WHO Warns Global Coronavirus Pandemic is Getting Worse
The 8 gigawatt solar energy contract that Adani Green Energy won from the government in June has propelled it to become the worlds largest solar developer by capacity.

According to a ranking renewable energy consultancy Mercom Capital Group, Adani Green is currently the top global solar developer with 2.3 GW of operational projects, 2 GW under construction, and 8 GW of awarded projects (with contracted PPAs) for a total capacity of 12.3 GW. Hong Kong-based GCL New Energy is the second largest global solar developer with 7.1 GW, followed by SB Energy, Enel Green Power, Brookfield Renewable, First Solar, AES Corporation, Invenergy, Lightsource bp, and ENGIE.

In June, Adani Green Energy Ltd bagged a manufacturing-linked solar contract from the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to develop 8 GW of projects. The transaction is valued at 45,000 crore, or $6 billion.

Based on the awarded agreement, the 8 GW of solar projects will be implemented over the next five years. The first 2 GW of generation capacity will come online by 2022 and the subsequent 6 GW capacity will be added in 2 GW annual increments by 2025.

By operational capacity in utility-scale solar, the top developer was GCL New Energy with 7.1 GW, followed by Enel Green Power with 4.2 GW. Adani ranks eighth globally on this list. However, Adani has the most capacity awarded and under-construction globally, with a pipeline of 10 GW.

Adani Green is the only Indian developer among the top 10 globally. The company has operational solar projects in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Karnataka besides 65 megawatts in Rugby Run, Australia.

In a press statement, Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group said: Achieving this ranking is a direct result of our commitment to creating the infrastructure needed for a clean powered future. While we are pleased to be ranked the largest solar player in the world, we recognize that there is a lot more that remains for us to do as the world transitions into an increasingly decarbonized energy landscape. We anticipate that over the next decade several existing business models will be impacted as a result of the disruption caused by the intersection of plummeting cost of renewable energy and the ability of technology to rescale industries."

He added: We expect our renewable energy platform will create new possibilities for our core business and we will be able to address some of the most intractable problems that humankind has faced, including affordable decentralized energy, availability of distributed clean water, green hydrogen as an alternate fuel, and micro agriculture, among others."

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Arizona man Christopher Wade Nelson, 49, was arrested July 29 for pretending to have terminal ALS to get free gifts and free truck repairs, police say

An Arizona man has been arrested after he allegedly faked having terminal Lou Gehrig's disease to scam sympathetic donors into giving him a free motorized wheelchair, free truck repairs, and fundraise for a $9,000 speech device.

Christopher Wade Nelson, 49, was arrested on July 29 following a seven-month investigation on multiple felony charges including fraud, aggravated identity theft, forgery and witness tampering.

At the time of his arrest he was out on pre-trial release for pending charges related to another similar scam in 2016 where he allegedly faked having pancreatic cancer to defraud his high school friends for donations.

In that case he reportedly received $30,000 in donations from high school alumni over a five-year period and sent e-mails saying he died by suicide, according to ABC15.

Police surveillance video from July of Nelson's home shows him walking and he was reportedly seen washing and driving a car, doing yard work, heavy lifting and dancing, despite claiming he needed a wheelchair

After being released he fraudulently claimed to have Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) to dupe people into giving him free perks, gifts, and thousands of dollars, and to avoid court, officials say.

ALS is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control.

Police say Nelson engaged in the schemes between May 2018 and May 2020 to delay his pending criminal trial.

Police say he used Instagram to ask the owner of an auto shop to repair his 1951 Chevy truck for free so he could take 'one last ride' due to his 'terminal ALS'.

He also reportedly 'fabricated, forged and with intent to defraud, documents allegedly from Mayo Clinic Physicians, submitted through his legal counsel...faking a terminal illness to avoid court appearances.'

The Mayo clinic says it did not sign the documents related to his illness.

He also used social media to get a physical therapist and real ALS patients to conduct a $9,000 fundraiser to get him a speech device, it is alleged.

In February 2020 when Nelson appeared in court, he arrived in a motorized wheelchair and his attorney said he could no longer speak.

Nelson pictured standing with a mask on in his latest court appearance after his arrest. In previous court appearances he appeared in a wheelchair and claimed he couldn't speak

Police say he used Instagram to ask the owner of an auto shop Big Happy Rods in Mesa to repair his 1951 Chevy truck for free so he could take 'one last ride' due to his 'terminal ALS'

But police surveillance video of his home from July shows Nelson walking and he was reportedly seen washing and driving a car, doing yard work, heavy lifting and dancing, cops say.

Scottsdale police determined he is 'healthy, mobile and utilizes verbal communication skills clearly and easily'.

Now Nelson remains in custody on new charges, in addition to violating his pre-trial release conditions.

Police say Nelson was checked out by jail doctors who confirmed he does not have ALS.

Nelson was arrested in December 2017 for an alleged 2016 scam where he claimed to have pancreatic cancer and duped friends from high school out of $30,000 to help with his medical costs. While out on pre-trial release, he allegedly launched the ALS scam

His wife was also arrested but has been released.

Robert Ellingson, the owner of auto shop Big Happy Rods in Mesa said he was scammed by Nelson and repaired his truck for free.

'Somebody hit me up claiming to be his daughter, he had ALS and didnt have long to live. He was tinkering with an old truck he had forever - trying to get it running, but couldnt,' Ellingson said to Fox10.

Ellingson says he often takes on pro bono projects and donated parts and his labor to Nelson after learning of the diagnosis.

'Its just a slap in the face when somebodys lying about it,' he said.

'This weekend, I got hit up on one of the parts I have for sale, and the guy hit me up and asked is there a disabled veterans discount. I said, "Yeah, if you have the proper credentials,"' he added.

Police are asking anyone who may have been defrauded by Nelson to contact their Financial Crimes Unit at 480-312-8141.
The oil spill disaster off Mauritius turned deadly this week when a tugboat leaving the shipwreck collided with a barge and sank, killing at least three sailors, police said Tuesday.

The tug - called the Sir Gaetan Duval' - was towing the empty barge from the stranded hull of the Japanese ship, the MV Wakashio, on Monday night when heavy seas rammed the barge into the tug.

It sank off the northeast coast of the Indian Ocean island nation, near a village called Poudre D'or, as it led the barge to Mauritius' capital Port Louis.

Four sailors were rescued and one is missing, said Mauritius police constable Jordan Jason Sunasy.

'It is a terrible twist in this disaster,' environmental consultant Sunil Dowarkasing told The Associated Press. 'The consequences of the shipwreck has now taken human lives. The cost of the oil spill keeps mounting.'

Pictured: Coastguards prepare for a search and rescue operation near the scene where a tugboat involved in cleaning up an oil spill from the MV Wakashio, a Japanese bulk carrier, collided with a barge during bad weather, in Poudre d'Or, east of Mauritius September 1

Residents gather near the scene where a tugboat involved in cleaning up an oil spill off from MV Wakashio, which has become a national disaster for the island nation of Mauritius, a small island in the Indian ocean

The environmental disaster began on July 25 when the bulk carrier Wakashio strayed miles off course and struck a coral reef a mile offshore (pictured on August 11 as fuel leaks from the ship)

The tugboat sank in deep water outside a coral reef and so far no oil has been seen on the coast, Dowarkasing said.

The environmental disaster began on July 25 when the bulk carrier Wakashio strayed miles off course and struck a coral reef a mile offshore.

After being pounded by heavy surf for nearly two weeks, the ship's hull cracked and on Aug. 6 it began leaking fuel into the Mahebourg Lagoon, polluting a protected wetlands area and a small island that was a bird and wildlife sanctuary.

More than 1,000 tons of fuel spilled into the coastal waters. About 3,000 tons remained on the boat and was pumped into barges before the Wakashio broke in two several days later.

Thousands of civilian volunteers worked for days to try to minimize the damage, creating makeshift oil barriers by stuffing fabric tubes with sugar cane leaves and using empty plastic bottles to keep them afloat.

Pictured: A coastguard search and rescue helicopter hovering near the scene where a tugboat involved in cleaning up an oil spill off from MV Wakashio. Three sailors are said to have died, with one still missing. Four have been rescued

More than 1,000 tons of fuel spilled into the coastal waters. About 3,000 tons remained on the boat and was pumped into barges before the Wakashio broke in two several days later

Environmental workers carefully ferried dozens of baby tortoises and rare plants to shore, plucking some trapped seabirds out of the goo.

Dead dolphins began washing up on the coast last week. So far 47 dolphins and three whales have been found, Dowarkasing said.

An initial autopsy by a government laboratory said oil was not the cause of the deaths, but few Mauritians believe that, Dowarkasing said.

The government of Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth is under pressure to explain why immediate action was not taken when the ship first ran aground. He has blamed bad weather for the governments apparent inaction.

Tens of thousands of people marched in the capital on Saturday in protest, calling on top officials to step down.

People wave the national flag of Mauritius as they attend a protest against the government's response to the oil spill disaster. Critics say the government were too slow to react

The major oil spill caused by a Japanese ship may pose a long-term threat to the region's ecology, including to the Indian Ocean island's delicate mangroves, and its tourism

Greenpeace has called for an investigation. The long-term impacts of the oil spill will likely affect whales, turtles, seabirds and much of the marine life in the area, Greenpeace warned

The ship's captain and first officer have been arrested and charged with 'endangering safe navigation,' and several investigations are underway.

The Japanese-owned vessel's black box is being examined, and crew members are now facing questions about why the vessel, which had been heading from Singapore to Brazil, was so near to the shore.

A maritime official with knowledge of the incident, who asked not to be named, said last month the crew had been questioned about reports they were having a birthday party on board, but added it was not clear yet if the party had been held at the same time that the ship ran aground or earlier in the day.

The captain, identified by police as Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, 58, and his first officer were charged with endangering safe navigation and appeared at court in Port Louis, a police spokesperson said.

The Mauritius coastguard had repeatedly tried to reach the ship to warn that its course was dangerous but had received no reply, the maritime official said.

'The route set five days before the crash was wrong and the boat navigation system should have signalled that to the crew and it seems the crew ignored it.

The tug was reportedly taking a barge from the Mahebourg lagoon, the site of the crashed MV Wakashio, to the capital of Mauritius. However, heavy seas caused the barge to crash into the tug near Poudre D'or, causing it to sink

An aerial view taken on August 15, shows the vessel MV Wakashio as it starts to break up after it ran aground on a coral reef in the lagoon off the coast of Mahebourg (pictured in map above)

'The boat did also fail to send out an SOS (when it ran aground), and did not respond to attempts by the coastguard to get in touch,' the official said.

The official confirmed that the crew had been questioned about reports they were having a birthday party, and denied media reports that the ship had sailed close to land seeking a Wi-Fi signal, saying that looking for a phone signal would not have required sailing so close to land.

A national television network had reported that the captain told the court the ship was sailing coastline to get a phone signal, something he had done before when sailing through those waters.

He was not in charge of the ship at the time, he said, the ship was not on autopilot and there was bad weather, according to the report.

Scientists say the full impact of the spill is still unfolding but the damage could affect Mauritius and its tourism-dependent economy for decades. Removing the ship is likely to take months.

The official noted it was the second accident in the area in four years and said the government might establish a signal station nearby to try to ward off future disasters.

Mauritius National Crisis Committee said last month it planned to scuttle the ship's remains at sea at a yet to be determined date. It would do so in a way that would avoid further pollution or interfere with maritime routes, it said in a statement.

Environmental group Greenpeace said the action would lead to more pollution.
TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE: Illinois-based Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org ) is leading a major humanitarian effort to feed hungry families and orphans struggling due to the economic devastation caused by COVID-19 in Russia and the former Soviet Union. So far, SGA and local evangelical churches have helped around 20,000 families and supplied enough groceries for nearly 2 million meals.

Slavic Gospel Association helps feed 20,000 families on edge of hunger, supplies nearly 2 million meals

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Slavic Gospel Association (SGA)

Aug. 31, 2020

LOVES PARK, Ill., Aug. 31, 2020 /Standard Newswire/ -- An Illinois-based, international organization is leading a major humanitarian effort to feed hungry families and orphans struggling due to the economic devastation caused by COVID-19 in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org) has served its grassroots network of 6,350 local evangelical church partners in the vast region by supplying enough groceries for nearly 2 million meals that have helped around 20,000 vulnerable families, many on the edge of starvation.

SGA and local churches are targeting the most at-risk, including orphans, elderly shut-ins, and single-parent families as part of the organization's Christ Over COVID campaign (www.sga.org/COVID).

With COVID-19 still spreading through the massive region -- stretching across 11 time zones -- millions of people are struggling to put food on the table. Russia has the fourth largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, more than 960,000.

"Some are so desperate they've been on the brink of suicide," said SGA president Michael Johnson.

One mother -- who lost her job at a local cafe when it was forced to close -- was going to hang herself because she had nothing to feed her kids. Members of a local church came to her door just in time, carrying groceries.

"If we stop giving food to these families, they will simply be left to starve," said a pastor in Ukraine.

Orphans -- and children who've been removed from dysfunctional homes because of alcoholic parents and abuse -- are among the most food insecure. Prior to COVID-19, more than 700,000 unwanted children and orphans -- equal to the entire population of Boston -- were housed in bleak, under-funded orphanages from Eastern Europe to Siberia. Many of these children were forced to return to abusive homes as orphanages shuttered due to the pandemic.

The 'Forgotten' Children of COVID-19

"They're truly the 'forgotten,'" Johnson said. "Some commit suicide, others end up as drug addicts or prostitutes, or turn to crime."

Veronika and her young siblings live in poverty, with no mother to look after them, and a father who's often drunk. The task of feeding the family falls to Veronika. It's difficult under normal circumstances, but COVID-19 has made it much worse.

Supported by SGA, a local church was able to deliver a food package to Veronika in the nick of time, just as supplies at home were running out.

"She was really happy to receive the food from us," a local volunteer said.

Millions in Russia and neighboring countries are in dire straits, with no safety net or stimulus package to help them. Even in normal times, the average monthly salary in Russia is about $500, with many surviving on much less.

With its extensive network of local evangelical church partners, SGA is able to deliver aid quickly to the exact point of need -- a crucial advantage when tackling a major crisis like COVID-19.

"We call our humanitarian response Christ Over COVID (www.sga.org/COVID) because we want to show people that God loves them and cares for them in the midst of this pandemic," Johnson said. "Love in action is powerful, gives people hope, and can transform their lives."

Founded in 1934, Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org) helps "forgotten" orphans, widows and families in Russia, the former Soviet countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel -- caring for their physical needs and sharing the life-transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ. SGA supports an extensive grassroots network of local evangelical missionary pastors and churches in cities and rural villages across this vast region.

SOURCE Slavic Gospel Association (SGA)

CONTACT: Jamie Bowers, 704-426-2400, jbowers@inchristcommunications.com

Related Links

www.sga.org/COVID

www.sga.org
This week in Christian history: English pope dies, Christ and Culture author born, early church baptism controversy

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Christianity is a faith with a long and detailed history, with numerous events of lasting significance occurring throughout the ages.

Each week brings the anniversaries of great milestones, horrid tragedies, amazing triumphs, and everything in between.

Here are three things that happened this week, Aug. 30-Sept. 5, in Church history. They include the death of the only Englishman to be pope, the birth of a notable American Protestant theologian, and an early church debate on baptism.

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Filming in Belfast is underway once again for the new series of Line Of Duty.

The BBC drama, which has be nominated for several Baftas, follows the investigations of specialist police anti-corruption unit AC-12.

Series six of the show, starring Enniskillen-born Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston, began filming in Northern Ireland in February. A month later it was postponed when the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic.

On Tuesday filming resumed in the city, next to the old Belfast Telegraph building and Central Library, which is used as police headquarters in the show.

Series regulars will all return alongside Line Of Duty newcomer Kelly McDonald, who plays a mysterious detective chief inspector.

The Scottish actress's character, Joanne Davidson, will be tasked with investigating an unsolved murder case.

Also joining Line Of Duty for the first time this series are Shalom Brune-Franklin (Our Girl, Cursed), Perry Fitzpatrick (This Is England, I Am Nicola), Andi Osho (Kiri, Curfew) and Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster, Patrick Melrose).

On returning to filming the new episodes, series' creator and showrunner Jed Mercurio, said: "We know Line of Duty fans are desperate for series six and we hope we can get it on air as soon as possible.

"Thanks so much for your patience in these difficult times."

The production team will be employing independent health and safety consultants and working in accordance with all current Covid-19 government guidelines to ensure that the new series is produced in a safe and responsible manner.

McClure, who plays DI Kate Fleming, said: Been sitting on these incredible scripts for some time now, so Im really looking forward to getting back to it and seeing the Line Of Duty family.

Dunbar, who returns as Ted Hastings, added: Even with the imposition of Covid restrictions I cant hide my excitement at getting the team back together.

So many people wonderingwhat happens next?

In a new image Compston can be seen in his role as DS Steve Arnott, in an interrogation room, but with another person out of sight.

He said: Its been a long few months and it will be a different way of working from when we stopped, but Im delighted to be back on the case with the Line of Duty team.

Thanks to our dedicated cast and crew for keeping the #LineofDuty filming CoViD safe pic.twitter.com/dX0ZViRZr8  Jed Mercurio (@jed_mercurio) September 1, 2020

Simon Heath, Executive Producer for World Productions, said: Its been almost six months since we stopped shooting, but following our implementation of all the industry Covid protocols, were delighted to be able to resume filming series six safely.

The new series of Line Of Duty is due to air on BBC One next year.
Does the September share price for Belvoir Group PLC (LON:BLV) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Belvoir Group

Is Belvoir Group fairly valued?

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK7.40m UK6.10m UK5.37m UK4.93m UK4.67m UK4.52m UK4.43m UK4.38m UK4.37m UK4.37m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -12.04% Est @ -8.07% Est @ -5.28% Est @ -3.33% Est @ -1.96% Est @ -1.01% Est @ -0.34% Est @ 0.13% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 9.8% UK6.7 UK5.1 UK4.1 UK3.4 UK2.9 UK2.6 UK2.3 UK2.1 UK1.9 UK1.7

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK32m

Story continues

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 9.8%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK4.4m (1 + 1.2%)  (9.8% 1.2%) = UK52m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK52m ( 1 + 9.8%)10= UK20m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is UK52m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of UK1.5, the company appears around fair value 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.

dcf

The assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Belvoir 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 9.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.234. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Belvoir Group, we've put together three relevant elements you should further research:

Risks: For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Belvoir Group that you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does BLV'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 British 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.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia on Tuesday said it would bar entry of long-term immigration pass holders from India, Indonesia and the Philippines from Sept. 7, in a bid to curtail imported coronavirus cases amid a spate of new clusters in the country.

Health authorities in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy have recorded over 9,300 cases as of Tuesday, and 128 deaths, with new cases found in clusters detected in at least four states.

The entry ban on pass holders from the three countries will include permanent residents, expatriates, students and those on spouse visas and participants of Malaysia's My Second Home programme, senior minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

"The decision was made on the advice of the health ministry to clamp down on the spread of imported COVID-19 cases," Ismail Sabri said in a televised news conference.

India is the third most affected country by the pandemic behind the United States and Brazil, with its coronavirus tally reaching nearly 3.7 million on Tuesday.

A total of 7,505 people have died of the coronavirus in Indonesia, the highest in the region, while the Philippines, which has reported over 224,000 cases, has seen a continuous rise in infections.

(Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; Editing by Martin Petty)
RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL), a leading specialty retailer of hard-surface flooring in North America, today announced that, effective September 1, 2020, Joseph M. Nowicki has been appointed to its Board of Directors for an initial term expiring at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Mr. Nowicki will also serve on the Audit and Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Committees of the Board of Directors.

"We are delighted to welcome Joe to our Board of Directors," commented Charles Tyson, President and Chief Executive Officer. "With over 35 years spanning a breadth of financial disciplines, industries and business functions, both in the retail and home improvement industries, as well as his expertise in the development of e-commerce and digital enhancements for a public company with over $7 billion in annual revenue, Joe's leadership experience, knowledge and insight will help guide us as we continue to implement our business strategy."

Mr. Nowicki, 58, previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc., a distributor of commercial and residential roofing products and related building materials, from 2013 until June 2020. Prior to that assuming that position, he was Chief Financial Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Treasurer of Spartan Motors, Inc., a specialty chassis, vehicle, truck body and aftermarket parts manufacturer for RV and emergency response customers. Mr. Nowicki served on the board of directors of Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc., owner and operator of Buffalo Wild Wings franchised restaurants, from 2010 to 2020, when it was acquired by a private investment firm. He served on the board of directors of ASV Holdings, Inc., a compact tracked loader and skid-steer loader manufacturer, from 2017 to 2019, which was acquired by a private company in 2019. Mr. Nowicki received a B.S. degree at Canisius College and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

About Lumber Liquidators

Lumber Liquidators is one of North America's leading specialty retailers of hard-surface flooring with 422 stores as of June 30, 2020. The Company features more than 400 varieties of floors in the latest styles, including waterproof vinyl plank, solid and engineered hardwood, laminate, bamboo, porcelain tile and cork flooring. Additionally, Lumber Liquidators provides a wide selection of flooring enhancements and accessories to complement, install and maintain new floors. Every location is staffed with flooring experts who can provide advice, pro services and installation options for all of Lumber Liquidators' products, much of which is in stock and ready for delivery.

For further information contact:

Lumber Liquidators Investor Relations

[email protected]

Tel: 917-640-4196

SOURCE Lumber Liquidators

Related Links

http://www.lumberliquidators.com


Dalata, Irelands largest hotel group, has reported a loss of 70.9m for the first half of this year, as Covid-19 caused huge disruption to the travel industry.

Revenue at the group fell by 60pc to 80.8m.

The company, which has just signed agreement for lease for two new hotels in Brighton and Manchester, recorded a revaluation loss of 161m during the period, according to interim results.

Room occupancy rates of 34pc were down from 80pc in the same period last year, at the group whose brands include the Clayton and Maldron hotels.

The average revenue per available room was 32.69 down from 88.48 in the corresponding period last year.

Cash and available facilities increased to 175m as at June 30, from 162m at December 31.

Dalata had cash of 110m and undrawn committed debt facilities of 111m at the end of August.

The company said all hotels have now re-opened and are operating under the accredited Dalata Keep Safe Programme.

Occupancy for the group was 30pc in July and is projected to be approximately 40pc for August.

2020 started positively with encouraging trading in January and February, Dalata said.

[However, there has been] record low occupancies followed during the remainder of the six-month period due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The company said it is focused on positioning the business for further growth and a successful recovery.

Commenting on the performance, Pat McCann, Dalata CEO, said: While the future remains uncertain, I am encouraged by the positive demand drivers in the markets in which Dalata operates.

The Irish economy and Dublin market is underpinned by strong FDI from industries which will be less impacted by Covid-19. There is also likely to be pent-up demand for key destination cities such as London and Dublin, he added.

The company has also announced plans to raise funds via a share placing.

It will place new ordinary shares of 0.01 each in the capital of the company, representing up to approximately 19.9pc of the companys existing issued share capital.
BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwest Biotherapeutics (OTCQB: NWBO) ("NW Bio"), a biotechnology company developing DCVax personalized immune therapies for solid tumor cancers, today announced that the Company has acquired Flaskworks, a company that has developed a breakthrough system to close and automate the manufacturing of cell therapy products such as DCVax.

Flaskworks was previously owned by its technical founders and Corning Incorporated. The technical team from Flaskworks has joined NW Bio as part of the acquisition.

It is anticipated that the Flaskworks system will enable substantial scale-up of production volumes of DCVax products and substantial reduction of production costs.

To date, the manufacture of immune cell therapies (including T cell therapies and others) has involved two major challenges. First, the manufacturing processes involve "open" steps in which the product is open to the air in the manufacturing suite. This necessitates extremely expensive "clean room" facilities with specialized infrastructure and specialized operating systems for sterile air and water, and personnel working in sterile lab suits ("space suits"). Second, the manufacturing processes are mostly manual processes  in essence, hand crafted artisan processes by highly skilled technicians working under sterile conditions.

These factors have made the manufacturing of immune cell therapies (such as T cells) very costly, and greatly limited the number of such therapies that can be produced. There simply are not enough of the specialized clean room facilities, not enough highly skilled artisan technicians, and each technician can only produce limited amounts of products.

The Flaskworks system is designed to fundamentally change the manufacturing process from artisan hand work to assembly line-like automation. As such, the Flaskworks system is designed to enable the scale-up to far greater production volumes. Technicians will oversee the automated systems (potentially multiple systems per technician) rather than making the products themselves.

The Flaskworks system is also expected to significantly reduce production costs: turning "open" steps in the manufacturing process into "closed" steps, in which the product is not open to the air in the manufacturing suite, removing the need to build and operate the extremely costly clean room suites for those processes, and removing the need for personnel to work in sterile lab suits. This will greatly reduce the DCVax-L production costs.

The buildout of the Sawston, UK facility has purposely been designed to proceed in phases, as modules, both for efficiency in the timing of capital costs and to allow flexibility in operations and usage. Implementation of the Flaskworks system will enable certain phases of the buildout to be simplified and streamlined.

The existing manufacturing process for DCVax-L products already takes a practical and economical approach by using a batch manufacturing process combined with special cryopreservation technology. The full set of doses for a patient, for as much as 3 years of treatments, are all produced in a single 8-day manufacturing batch, and then are stored frozen in single doses. The freezing technology has been validated and was used throughout the Company's Phase 3 trial. This makes DCVax-L an off-the-shelf product for the whole treatment period after the one-time manufacturing batch, while also being a fully personalized product.

The Flaskworks system will follow the same batch-manufacturing process  doing so in a "closed" and automated manner.

Certain optimization work will be required so that the Flaskworks system will produce DCVax-L products with characteristics equivalent to the products made by the current DCVax-L manufacturing processes. This will then need to be confirmed by comparability studies. The Flaskworks technical team will work with NW Bio's contract manufacturers to accomplish this. In the meantime, the Company's DCVax products will continue to be made through the existing processes.

The acquisition of Flaskworks was executed and closed on August 28, 2020. The total purchase price was approximately $4.33 million, of which $1.65 million was paid in cash at closing, up to $2.01 million will be paid in stock subject to milestone-based vesting, and $0.67 million will be paid in either cash or stock, or a combination thereof, within 120 days after the closing.

The acquisition includes both intellectual property owned by Flaskworks and a license of additional intellectual property from Northeastern University.

Although a number of companies have developed and are continuing to develop automated machines for certain cell therapy production processes, those machines have certain drawbacks. For example, they typically try to handle a variety of cell types and have not been optimized for a particular cell type, such as dendritic cells. In contrast, the Flaskworks system has been developed and tailored specifically for immune cells such as dendritic cells.

Linda Powers, NW Bio's CEO commented, "We believe that our DCVax platform technologies are potentially applicable to all types of solid tumor cancers, which comprise the vast majority of all cancers. We are working to build the infrastructure and systems that can enable the scale-up of production to such volumes  and can do so at a price level that will be affordable for widespread use of DCVax treatments."

"The phased buildout of our Sawston, UK facility and now our acquisition of Flaskworks are major building blocks towards achieving these goals. These steps, along with others in process, have been years in the making to reach fruition at the same time as we are reaching the results of our Phase 3 clinical trial of DCVax-L for Glioblastoma."

About Northwest Biotherapeutics

Northwest Biotherapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing personalized immunotherapy products designed to treat cancers more effectively than current treatments, without toxicities of the kind associated with chemotherapies, and on a cost-effective basis, in both North America and Europe. The Company has a broad platform technology for DCVax dendritic cell-based vaccines. The Company's lead program is a 331-patient Phase III trial of DCVax-L for newly diagnosed Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). GBM is the most aggressive and lethal form of brain cancer, and is an "orphan disease." The Company is also pursuing development of DCVax-Direct for inoperable solid tumor cancers. It has completed a 40-patient Phase I trial, and is preparing for Phase II trials. The Company previously conducted a Phase I/II trial with DCVax-L for advanced ovarian cancer together with the University of Pennsylvania.

Disclaimer

Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts, including statements concerning future treatment of patients using DCVax and future clinical trials, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," "believe," "intend," "design," "plan," "continue," "may," "will," "anticipate," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We cannot guarantee that we actually will achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. Specifically, there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, such as risks related to the Company's ability to enroll patients in its clinical trials and complete the trials on a timely basis, uncertainties about the clinical trials process, uncertainties about the timely performance of third parties, risks related to whether the Company's products will demonstrate safety and efficacy, risks related to the Company's ongoing ability to raise additional capital, and other risks included in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings. Additional information on the foregoing risk factors and other factors, including Risk Factors, which could affect the Company's results, is included in its SEC filings. Finally, there may be other factors not mentioned above or included in the Company's SEC filings that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or developments, except as required by securities laws.

SOURCE Northwest Biotherapeutics

Related Links

http://www.nwbio.com


FILE PHOTO: Excess natural gas is burnt, or flared, from Mexican state-owned Pemex's Tula oil refinery, located adjacent to the Tula power plant belonging to national power company Comision Federal de Electricidad, or CFE, in Tula de Allende

By Stefanie Eschenbacher and Simon Jessop

MEXICO CITY/LONDON (Reuters) - At a time when oil production is at historic lows, lenders who want Mexican oil giant Pemex to adapt to climate change are struggling to be heard.

Big oil companies such as BP, Royal Dutch Shell and Repsol have begun to build strategies to cut the carbon they emit. But state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos [PEMX.UL], one of the biggest borrowers in emerging markets, is determined to push in the opposite direction, three people in the company and in the government told Reuters.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a leftist oil nationalist, has staked his reputation on reviving Pemex, which has been a powerful symbol of Mexican self-reliance since its creation in 1938 but is now heavily indebted. Earlier this year, Pemex became history's largest "fallen angel" - a borrower that descends from investment grade to junk.

Lopez Obrador has said rehabilitating the country's six outdated oil refineries and building a seventh one in his home state, Tabasco, is key. He considers the new refinery a milestone towards energy independence, one top source in the finance ministry said, adding that this concern has become more pressing in light of U.S. President Donald Trump's power to stifle Mexico's economy. Lopez Obrador is determined to keep Pemex focused on exploration for oil, the sources said.

Pemex, which employs nearly 150,600 workers and is the source of almost a fifth of Mexico's budget revenues, is set to be a critical test case for both institutional investors and climate change campaigners looking to push through change.

If its management does not heed calls to curb carbon emissions, "it will become tougher for them to issue debt," said Marie-Sybille Connan, an analyst at asset manager Allianz Global Investors.

Investors have rarely spoken about their engagement with Pemex management, but Allianz is one of four major lenders who are now going public. Nearly 90% of the oil company's $107.2 billion total financial debt is held by bond investors, Refinitiv Eikon data, quarterly reports and filings related to recent refinancing transactions show. On top of this, it has $64.9 billion in pension liabilities.

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"It will become increasingly challenging for international institutional investors to invest in their bond issuances if they don't address their sustainability concerns - whether climate, oil spills due to oil theft and health and safety," Connan said.

The biggest challenge for both Mexico and Pemex is the fact that there are other things that take priority, said Aaron Gifford, emerging market debt analyst at T.Rowe Price, one of the largest holders of Pemex bonds. After the taxes the company pays to the government, there's no money left to invest in new ways to produce oil.

"We've been very keen on speaking to Pemex's board and really trying to get them to commit to making changes for good," said Gifford. But management has canceled a lot of investor meetings and calls.

"Those meetings that I've been in, they've been very tense and sometimes even a little bit heated," he said. "We have so many questions for them."

Pemex, the Mexican finance ministry and the president's office did not respond to requests for comment. Lopez Obrador, who has pointed to Mexico's state-run hydroelectric plants to show he backs renewable energy, has blamed his predecessors for Pemex's problems. Financial debt surged by 75% under the last government, a Reuters analysis of accounts from the past decade shows.

Graphic: refinery destroys biodiversity site https://tmsnrt.rs/2YJVcnv

CREDIT CRUNCH

On paper, Pemex is barely solvent. Its liabilities exceed its assets by more than $110 billion, its accounts show. The reason international investors keep lending is because the market considers the Mexican government has given an implicit guarantee for Pemex.

This support was reiterated in April, after Pemex's bonds were downgraded. "Now, more than ever before, Petroleos Mexicanos has the absolute backing of the federal government," company executives said in a letter on government-headed notepaper to investors, seen by Reuters.

Market pressure is already building. The company's yield spreads have widened, showing it is already getting harder to borrow as even yield-hungry investors are rethinking their investments. Yields on Pemex bonds are between about 7% and just under 9% for the most frequently traded ones as of Aug. 28, according to MarketAxess data.

Investors such as Allianz said that even if Pemex has pressing problems now, it shouldn't ignore long-term objectives. None expect radical change, but the four who spoke to Reuters said they feel the company is not taking their concerns seriously.

If international investors become reluctant to lend, Mexico's own access to credit could also be at stake. Ratings agencies have repeatedly cited the company's unsustainable debt level as a risk factor for the sovereign rating. Mexico's sovereign bonds are skirting the edge of a downgrade.

Climate Action 100+, a group of 450 asset managers with collective assets of some $40 trillion, told Reuters earlier this month it would add Pemex to the list of 160 companies it seeks to speak to directly to prompt them to develop strategies for a lower carbon future.

"When we look at what peers are doing, Pemex should do more, show more ambition in terms of commitment to reduce carbon emissions," said Jaime Gornsztejn, who leads the engagement with Latin American companies for Federated Hermes, a fund manager which is spearheading that effort.

He and others said companies such as Colombia's Ecopetrol and Brazil's Petroleo Brasileiro, or Petrobras, have gone further than Pemex to address climate concerns.

"We haven't had much traction so far," he said.

Pemex's credit options are constrained by Mexico's proximity to the United States. Even if other countries were hypothetically open to lending to the company, Jorge Sanchez, director at Mexican financial think tank Fundef, said it was unlikely Mexico would turn to them.

"It's not about Pemex, it's about geopolitics," Sanchez said. "The United States won't be happy if the main investors in Pemex, Mexico's largest company, were Chinese or Russian."

PRESSURE

Pemex was the ninth biggest energy producer of carbon and methane emissions globally between 1965 and 2018, according to data from the Climate Accountability Institute, an NGO, with emissions of some 23 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

That is less than the largest state-owned emitters, Saudi Aramco and the National Iranian Oil Company, but more than any other Latin American oil company, the data showed.

Even so, sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters the company has no plans to change its strategy.

Lopez Obrador's energy agenda rolls back some of the moves made by his predecessor to open the energy market to the private sector. Next year's budget will likely be dedicated to boosting oil extracted from shallow waters, one senior Pemex executive with direct knowledge of the draft proposal said, adding there was no allocation for greener policies.

While the President says he is committed to clean energy, he has justified government efforts to impede the roll-out of new privately built solar and wind capacity on the grounds that those plants were tainted by corruption in past administrations. "(Renewable energy) was used as a pretext for doing lucrative business ... to get government subsidies, to push up the price of electricity and affect us all," he said in July. He has also complained that wind farms are an eyesore.

"There's no way the government will consider another scenario for its energy policy," a person at the oil company's commercial arm PMI said, on condition of anonymity. "What they're looking for is becoming a big player in exploration, production and refining."

The kind of oil Pemex mostly produces, known as "heavy sour crude," has fallen out of favor over environmental concerns because refining it tends to produce highly polluting sulfur-rich fuel oil.

Last December, Mexico's energy regulatory commission agreed that the government could postpone a planned rule that would have required Pemex to produce and sell only ultra-low sulfur diesel across the country.

Pemex had asked the courts to give it more time to comply with the rule, saying Mexico lacked the infrastructure to comply.

(Reporting by Stefanie Eschenbacher in Mexico City and Simon Jessop in London; Additional reporting by Sabrina Valle in Rio de Janeiro and Adriana Barrera, David Alire Garcia, Dave Graham and Ana Isabel Martinez in Mexico City; Editing by Rachel Armstrong, Frank Jack Daniel and Sara Ledwith)
TAIPEI, Taiwan - Defying anger from China, the president of the Czech Republics Senate addressed Taiwans legislature on Tuesday, offering a strong rebuke of authoritarian politics and Beijings increasingly aggressive foreign policy.

Milos Vystrcil concluded a speech that underscored shared democratic values by proclaiming in Mandarin that I am Taiwanese, a throwback to former U.S. President John F. Kennedys famed 1963 anti-communist speech in a then-divided Berlin in which he declared he was a Berliner.

Beijing is furious about the Czech delegations visit, with the foreign ministry summoning the Czech Republics ambassador to lodge stern representations on Monday and saying the visit amounted to flagrant support of Taiwan independence.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and strongly objects to any official contact between other countries and the self-governing island.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying condemned Vystrcils visit, saying, he is openly supporting the separatist forces and separatist activities in Taiwan that seriously violate Chinas sovereignty and Chinas internal affairs.

She echoed a warning from Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who said in Europe on Monday that the Chinese government and people will not sit by and let this go unchecked, and will definitely make them pay a heavy price for their short-sighted behaviour and political opportunism.

Following meetings in Berlin with Wang, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose country holds the European Unions rotating presidency, said he had been in touch with his Czech colleague about the Senate presidents visit.

Europeans operate in foreign and security policy very closely with one another and we treat our international partners with respect, and we expect that from them as well, Maas said. Threats are not a part of that.

Wang defended Chinas response, saying that the Czech delegation was mixing in Chinas internal affairs.

China must react adequately, he said through a translator. There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is a part of China.

In his address, Vystrcil directly referenced Kennedys Ich bin ein Berliner speech, and emphasized democratic freedoms embraced since the Czech Republic threw off communist rule at the end of the Cold War and Taiwan emerged from martial law at the end of the 1980s.

In 1963, the American president JFK, in his famous speech Im a Berliner, clearly opposed communism and political oppression and supported the people of West Berlin, Vystrcil said. He said Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free.

Please let me use the same manner to express my support to the people of Taiwan: Im a Taiwanese, he said, speaking the last phrase in Mandarin Chinese.

Vystrcils visit follows a spat last year between Beijing and Prague, the Czech Republics capital. The two cities ended a sister-cities agreement because Beijing had wanted Prague to agree to the one-China principle, which is Chinas stance that Taiwan is a part of its territory.

The visit is also in direct opposition to Czech President Milos Zeman, who has taken strongly pro-China views. Vystrcil is to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen later in the week.

Amid Chinas campaign of diplomatic isolation and military threats, Taiwan has been blocked from participating in major international forums and now has just 15 formal allies. Despite the lack of official ties, the U.S. remains Taiwans closest partner and source of weaponry to counter Chinas threat to bring the island under its control by military means.

Following his speech, Vystrcil told reporters that his visit was consistent with Pragues interpretation of the one-China policy and wasnt intended as an affront to Beijing.

And something I wish to emphasize is that we are in no way opposing mutual benefits and equal relations with the Peoples Republic of China as much as we want to have mutual benefits and equal relations with Taiwan, Vystrcil said.

Taiwanese parliamentary Speaker Yu Shyi-kun said the Czech delegations visit was an affirmation of Taiwans continued presence on the world stage as well as a repudiation of authoritarianism.

On one hand, (Vystrcils) visit is proof of the existence of Taiwan. Proof to the world that Taiwan exists, Yu said.

At the same time, the visit makes me feel that, no matter whether it be the governments and peoples of the Czech Republic or Taiwan, we all have one thing in common, we both fight against an authoritarian regime and mutually create a future.

In Prague, Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek told Czech public television Tuesday the government informed China that no change had been made in national policy regarding its relationship with Taiwan. Petricek however, did take note of Chinas comments on Vystrcils visit.

I believe that the trip of Mr. Vystrcil will not harm our relations with China. We want to continue to work on our strategic dialogue but we cannot agree and have to protest at a moment when we can hear such strong statements, Petricek said.

___

Associated Press journalists Johnson Lai in Taipei, Taiwan, and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.
On December 26, 2019, Sara Biel and her daughter joined a protest against the eviction of three mothersDominique Walker, Misty Cross, and Sameerah Karimand their children, from a house on Magnolia Street in Oakland.

In November, with the support of Moms4Housing, a collective working toward pragmatic solutions to Oakland's housing crisis, the women had moved into the unlocked house, which had been vacant for two years. Working people who could not afford housing in Oakland, they squatted in a public and intentional manner, seeking to find a way to enter a housing market that has been manipulated by corporate developers.

"That they were being evicted at seven in the morning on the day after Christmas was straight out of the Scrooge playbook," said Biel, who is a psychiatric social worker, poet, and co-editor of Colossus:Home, a new poetry anthology that will raise funds for Moms4Housing.

Although there was a stay of eviction on that day in December, less than a month later the Alameda County Sheriff's office returned with a team armed with machine guns and a battering ram, knocking down the door of the house and arresting the women inside. Ultimately, as pressure from organizers led to some measure of support from elected officials, the county refused to press charges. But that was just part of an ongoing and as yet unsuccessful struggle of Moms4Housing, working with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment and the Community Land Trust, to buy the house on Magnolia Street.

After the protest in December, Biel talked with her friend Karla Brundage to suggest that they support Moms4Housing with an anthology, the second in a series they were calling Colossus (after "The New Colossus," the Emma Lazarus poem that is written on the Statue of Liberty). The first anthology in their series, Colossus: Bay Area Poets Challenge Immigration Injustice, was born out of what Biel describes as her fury over the Trump administration's detainment and separation of immigrant families.

"I said, 'if it's for Moms4Housing, I am in!'" said Brundage, who is the program manager for 826 Valencia's Mission Bay branch by day.

'Colossus:Home' co-editors Karla Brundage (left) and Sara Biel.

Biel and Brundage have both been using poetry as a vehicle for social engagement and commentary since the early '1990s. In the early 2000s, Biel was a member of Blood Test, an all-female and distinctly feminist group that performed collectively written poetry; in the '90s, Brundage started doing street performance and poetic protest, a term coined by poet and activist Wanda Sabir.



When they put out the call for submissions to Colossus:Home, they were unprepared for the overwhelming response from writers and artists wanting to contribute. What they assumed would be a modest, scrappy volume has become an elegant, nearly 200-page book with 19 full color images.

"I thought if we get 26 poets to contribute that would be great," said Biel, noting that the first Colossus anthology featured 13 poets and was put together at her kitchen table. Biel credits book designer Fred Dodsworth with encouraging her to include visual art and prose in the anthology. The photography of Francis Baker is on the cover and sprinkled throughout the volume.

"It's a very diverse group of contributors," said Brundage. "More women than men, but we curated to have voices from the wider Bay Area, including newcomers (recently arrived immigrants), Black, Latinx, gender non-conforming, Arab, Palestinian, and Asian American writers. There are nine Bay Area poets laureate in this collection, including San Francisco's Kim Shuck."

Contributors (full disclosure, I am proud to have a poem in Colossus:Home) were clearly moved by the opportunity to support Moms4Housing. The collective's work has been cited by local legislators including California State Senator Nancy Skinner, who supported the passage of S.B. 1079, a bill that fines corporate developers who keep single family homes unoccupied for more than 90 days, and directs resulting funds to support low-income housing.

"Nobody should be sleeping on the street if there are empty spaces they could be sleeping in," said Biel, whose introduction to Colossus:Home touches on the historical roots of the current housing crisis in the redlining practices of the 1940s and '50s, and the more recent predatory lending schemes that have led to foreclosures, evictions, and empty houses.

In an effort to explore the multivalent meanings of home, Biel and Brundage organized the anthology into five sections: "Home Body," "Home Made," "Home Town," "Home Land," and "Home Coming." The categories reflect the various ways we might find ourselves at homefrom being at ease in our own bodies to having a sense of belonging in a city or in a nation, or even on the planet or in the universe. Many of the issues that have come to the foreground in our volatile political moment relate to questions of how and when and by whom a place is called home.

In the forward to Colossus:Home, Dominique Walker of Moms4Housing writes: "Just as art should reflect the times, so should our collective resistanceI believe in the power of the people. We are what we need. Let's continue to create, capturing this history. Let it show resistance."

To order your copy and learn about upcoming Zoom readings from Colossus:Home, visit colossuspress.org.
Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), shown in 2018, proposed a bill to limit the removal of prospective jurors without cause. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

The California Legislature this week approved two bills aimed at reducing discrimination in jury selection and criminal cases.

In a year marked by protests across the nation against police killings of Black men and women, the legislation was among only a handful of bills addressing racial discrimination in the criminal justice system that progressed to the governor's desk.

Assembly Bill 3070, sponsored by California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and introduced by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), would limit the removal of prospective jurors without cause, a change intended to prevent discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin or religious affiliation.

"It represents a much needed and timely change to fix our criminal justice system," Weber said.

In a criminal jury selection process, members of the jury pool must answer questions to determine whether they would be capable of making an impartial judgment in the case.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys can remove jurors for cause, such as having a relationship with a defendant, a financial interest in the case, stated opinions or bias. Attorneys can also exclude someone from a jury without stating a cause by using a peremptory challenge.

Current state law prohibits peremptory challenges based solely on an assumption that a prospective juror was biased due to the person's race, religion, gender or similar grounds. Proponents of AB 3070 say that because the existing process to object to such a peremptory challenge requires proof of an attorney's intentional bias in striking a prospective juror, it has failed to prevent discrimination in jury selection and instead disproportionately harms people of color.

Weber's bill changes the process by shifting the burden of proof from the attorney objecting to the peremptory challenge to the attorney who removed the prospective juror.

If a peremptory challenge is called into question, the attorney who rejected the juror would have to provide a reason for the exclusion. A judge would then weigh the answer to determine if there is a substantial likelihood that an objectively reasonable person would "view race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or religious affiliation, or perceived membership in any of those groups, as a factor in the use of the peremptory challenge," according to the bill.

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"This bill is about ending what has been going on for many, many years in this country, specifically the exclusion of Black and brown communities from juries, a problem that has been with us and that undermines confidence in the entire system," Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said on Sunday when the bill came up for a vote on the Senate floor.

Opponents of the legislation, including the California District Attorneys Assn., have argued that lawmakers should wait until a working group formed by California Supreme Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye finishes a study of jury selection and suggests steps to address discrimination. Others said it could slow the court process.

Sen. Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana) gave an example of trying a case against white supremacists who were charged in a cross burning on a Black family's lawn when he was a federal prosecutor in Orange County in 1989. Umberg said he used peremptory challenges to remove other potential jurors, based on characteristics such as their clothing, in order to include a Black person on the jury.

"I desperately wanted an African American on that jury because I thought that they might be able to explain, understand, what burning a cross on someone's front lawn meant because the defense was this was a prank, this was just a neighborhood quarrel out of control," Umberg said in speaking against the bill. "Burning a cross is not a prank. It was an act of terrorism, an act of terrorism and to overcome that defense I wanted somebody on that jury that could explain that."

Recent amendments to AB 3070 have delayed the timeline of the legislation  it would apply to criminal jury selection beginning in 2022. The change would also apply to civil cases starting in 2026.

After the bill failed in the Senate Sunday, it was granted reconsideration and squeaked through with a 21-16 vote the next day. The Assembly sent the bill to the governor late Monday.

The Legislature approved a similar measure addressing racism in criminal cases from Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose).

AB 2542, which was sponsored by social justice groups, seeks to counter a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court decision that held defendants must prove intentional discrimination in arguing bias affected the legal process in their case. States can establish their own laws to address racism in their criminal justice systems.

Under the bill, defendants would be allowed to file a motion in trial court or petition for a writ of habeas corpus, and attempt to vacate a conviction or sentence to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that an attorney, law enforcement officer, juror, judge or expert witness exhibited bias or used discriminatory language about their race, ethnicity or national origin.

Defendants would also be allowed to show that they were charged or convicted of a more serious offense, or were given a more severe sentence than defendants of other races in similar circumstances, among other discriminatory actions. A defendant could also argue that jurors were eliminated based on discrimination in jury selection.

"It is time to establish a statewide policy that makes it unlawful to discriminate against people of color in the state's criminal justice system," Kalra said before the vote to send the bill to Newsom. "As millions march for racial justice, we cannot stand still."
Line of Duty has resumed filming after a five-month hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BBC police drama suspended shooting for series six back in March, but leading actor Martin Compston - who plays DS Steve Arnott - returned to set to shoot socially-distanced scenes on Tuesday.

Show creator Jed Mercurio thanked fans for their 'patience' and assured that the cast and crew are aiming to have the sixth season back on air 'as soon as possible'.

It's back! Line Of Duty has resumed filming for series six as it shared a socially-distanced snap on set with Martin Compston as his character DS Steve Arnott

In a new photo from the set, Martin posed as his character DS Steve Arnott while sitting behind a glass wall, which appeared to be in a prison.

The cast surrounding him are all wearing face masks and remain at a social distance on the other side of the screen.

Martin also posted the picture to his own Instagram where he captioned it with: 'Officially back in business #waistcoatup #lineofduty6.'

The actor also posted a fun snap of himself getting his longer locks, which he grew during lockdown, cut by hair stylist Cat Coogan.

Reunited: Vicky McClure also took to Instagram to post a picture of herself with Martin at a distance, which she captioned: 'Hello mate'

Before and after! Martin also posted the picture to his own Instagram and shared a fun snap of himself getting his longer locks, which he grew during lockdown, cut by hair stylist Cat Coogan ahead of filming

The hairdresser made sure she took social-distancing measures as she wore a face mask, visor and plastic apron.

Martin shared a before and after snap, which he captioned: 'This womans surgical with scissors.'

The star also posted up a picture of himself in police uniform teasing fans: 'In The civvies, must be Line of Duty 6.'

Vicky McClure took to Instagram to post a picture of herself with Martin at a distance, which she captioned: 'Hello mate'

Talking about the highly-anticipated return to filming, creator Jed said: 'We know Line of Duty fans are desperate for Series 6 and we hope we can get it on air as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your patience in these difficult times.'

Back to it! The star also posted up a picture of himself in police uniform teasing fans: 'In The civvies, must be Line of Duty 6.'

Series regulars, Martin, Vicky McClure (DI Kate Fleming) and Adrian Dunbar (Superintendent Ted Hastings), also issued statements about their return to filming.

Martin, 36, said: 'It's been a long few months and it will be a different way of working from when we stopped, but I'm delighted to be back on the case with the Line of Duty team!'

Vicky, 37, added: 'Been sitting on these incredible scripts for some time now, so I'm really looking forward to getting back to it and seeing the Line of Duty family.'

While Adrian, 62, commented: 'Even with the imposition of Covid restrictions I can't hide my excitement at getting the team back together. So many people wonderingwhat happens next?'

Line Of Duty insisted that they have worked with health and safety consultants in accordance to government guidelines to ensure the safety of cast and crew.

Statement: Talking about the highly-anticipated return to filming, creator Jed said: 'We know Line of Duty fans are desperate for Series 6 and we hope we can get it on air as soon as possible. Thanks so much for your patience in these difficult times.' (pictured in 2019)

Executive Producer for World Productions, Simon Heath, said: 'It's been almost six months since we stopped shooting.

'But following our implementation of all the industry Covid protocols, we're delighted to be able to resume filming series six safely.'

The hit BBC One police drama suspended its filming in Belfast for season six in March to adhere to the COVID-19 regulations.

A BBC spokesperson said at the time: 'In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, the producers Caryn Mandabach Productions and Tiger Aspect Productions of Peaky Blinders Series 6 have postponed filming, and World Productions on Line of Duty Series 6 have suspended filming, both in consultation with and supported by the BBC.

Hit show: Series regulars, Martin, Vicky McClure (DI Kate Fleming) and Adrian Dunbar (Superintendent Ted Hastings), also issued statements about their return to filming (above Mercurio with the lead stars)

'We will continue to review all productions on a case-by-case basis and will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the Foreign Office, World Health Organisation and Public Health England.'

The exciting news comes after creator Jed revealed filming on the show's sixth series is set to resume imminently.

The writer revealed in a tweet on Thursday that he was jetting to Belfast to self-isolate ahead of a return to production.

He wrote: 'So Im on a @British_Airways flight to Belfast to self-isolate before resuming filming of #LineOfDuty and the two passengers in the row behind arent wearing masks and the flight attendant wont challenge them.

'If we have to shut down again, you know who to blame.'

It is rumoured to air sometime in 2021 - although no date has been confirmed. Series five aired from March-May 2019.

The show, which stars Martin as DS Steve Arnott, Vicky as DI Kate Fleming and Adrian as Superintendent Ted Hastings - following anti-corruptions officers as they root out bent coppers in the AC-12 division.

Last month, Martin explained the cast have a 'definite date that we're working towards' to get back on set and they're hoping to have the forthcoming sixth season shot before Christmas.

Paused: The hit BBC One police drama suspended its filming in Belfast for season six in March to adhere to the COVID-19 regulations

Appearing on The One Show, he said: 'Well, I'm in dire need of a haircut and I've also got a few lockdown pounds I need to lose before we get back.

'We've got a definite date that we're working towards but there's no point announcing it because the situation's so fluid,

'It can change daily, so hopefully we can get it done before Christmas.'

The Scottish star said the new pandemic filming measures will make things on set 'completely different' but he is eager to start again.

Discussing necessary alterations in order to keep the film studio coronavirus-safe, he explained: 'I think there will be changes.

'I mean there's going to massive changes off camera just because of the protocols and the social distancing, how many people can be on set, no congregating, people off-camera wearing masks. It's going to be a completely different feel.

Martin also teased storylines for the upcoming sixth series, which saw filming halted in March because of Covid-19, as he insisted that 'the scripts are so good!'

He said: 'In terms of the changes we really wouldn't want to compromise the scripts, the scripts are so good, and people are so loyal to the show, there would be no point coming back if we're going to compromise quality.'

The show's writers are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to storylines, and so when quizzed about whether there is, as rumoured, a 'massive bombshell' at the end of episode four, Martin teased: 'Well there's a few before that as well...

'But just because I don't have script five, there's a big, big question at the end of [episode] four.'
On Tuesday, Trumps account of the looters on the plane began changing from what he had said the night before. Trump told Ingraham that the plane was headed to Washington, while on Tuesday he said it going from Washington to wherever. He also said Monday that he couldnt say more about the incident because it was under investigation, but then he told reporters Tuesday that he would ask his acquaintance whether they would talk to the news media about what that person supposedly saw on the plane.
Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc on September 1 announced a new system that will enable public health authorities to use smartphones to assist in contact tracing without having to build an app.

The new system - called Exposure Notifications Express - will allow public health officials to submit a small configuration file to Apple and Google. The two tech companies will then use the file to set up systems that phone owners can opt in to in order to determine whether they have been near someone who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

In the case of iPhones, a new version of the iOS operating system being released on Tuesday will alert users whether an exposure notification system is available from local health authorities and allow users to set it up without downloading any new apps. On Android devices, users will also get a prompt from the phone's operating system, but will still have to download an automatically generated app.

The two companies said Maryland, Nevada, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., will be the first U.S. places to use the new system. The new system also works alongside tools that the two companies released in May that enable public health officials to build apps that allow iPhones and Android devices to use Bluetooth signals to detect proximity to a person who has tested positive.

Six U.S. states and about two dozen countries have launched exposure notification apps based on the Apple-Google technology in recent weeks without major hitches.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

The apps are increasingly compatible with each other, allowing for cross-border tracking. A few jurisdictions, such as Hawaii, are moving forward with separate tracking technology.

However, the effectiveness of exposure notification apps in helping slow coronavirus spread remains a major question. Most governments are not tracking detailed data on app usage in the interest of user privacy.

In Alabama, for example, more than 1,000 students caught the virus in an outbreak in August. But a university representative said it was too early to tell whether a two-week-old state app had made any difference.
RUTHERFORD, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- National mental health and brain research non-profit, One Mind announced the award of a combined total of $600,000 to the two winners of its 2020 One Mind Rising Star Awards, Gregory A. Fonzo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, and Kevin T. Beier, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine.

Now in its 16th year, the Rising Star Awards support early career researchers in their investigation into neuropsychiatric disorders. Drs. Fonzo and Beier will each receive $300,000 in research support and will present their projects at the 26th Annual One Mind Music (virtual) Festival for Brain Health and Scientific Symposium, Saturday, September 12, 2020.

"One Mind is delighted to recognize and help fast-track the promising research and innovative methods that Dr. Beier and Dr. Fonzo bring to the investigation of the neurological basis of major psychiatric illnesses," said Brandon Staglin, president of One Mind. "At a moment when mental health issues loom large for so many impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, research that will produce effective treatments is more critical than ever, and we're proud to support."

Dr. Fonzo is the recipient of the inaugural One Mind Baszucki Brain Research Fund Rising Star Award, which aims to grow the field of bipolar disorder research. Dr. Fonzo's research will investigate the potential for focused ultrasound to influence the circuitry of the brain and develop treatment tools for bipolar and other mood disorders. With the award, he will continue to investigate predictors of first-line psychiatric treatment response.

Dr. Beier is the recipient of the 2020 One Mind Janssen Rising Star Award in Memory of Jeffrey S. Nye, a Johnson & Johnson neuroscience researcher who passed away in 2017. Dr. Beier's research maps neural circuitry associated with depression vulnerability. The extension of this work will be to develop focused therapeutic strategies to treat depression, as well as to help identify those at risk for developing this disorder. To support his research, Beier will also receive a One Mind/Inscopix Technology Grant, which includes a state-of-the-art nVoke miniature microscope system, along with training and support for using the system.

This year's Rising Star Awards are sponsored by Janssen Research & Development LLC, and the Baszucki Brain Research Fund; since 2005, the One Mind Rising Star Awards have conferred a total of $9 million in research grants to 36 early-career neurology and psychiatry researchers. The awards are designed to catalyze innovation in the field by awarding novel approaches along with fostering greater collaboration among research teams.

In addition, One Mind announced the five winners of its inaugural One Mind Bipolar Research Awards for advancement in the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder. Each of the five recipients will receive $20,000, thanks to additional financial support from the Baszucki Brain Research Fund.

Awardees include: Hirofumi Morishita, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City; Paulo Lizano, Ph.D., M.D., instructor, Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; Ivy F. Tso, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School; Nolan Williams, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and director, Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab; and Alexander Urban, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine.

The recipients of the 2020 One Mind Rising Star Awards and the One Mind Bipolar Research Awards were selected with the assistance and recommendations of the ten-member One Mind Scientific Advisory Board, which includes leading brain scientists, noted for their pioneering research in their respective fields.

For more information about One Mind's Rising Star Awards, or to learn about the organization's many initiatives, visit www.OneMind.org.

About One Mind



Launched in 1995 by Shari and Garen Staglin as their means to "run toward the problem" of their son's schizophrenia diagnosis, One Mind is today a leading mental health non-profit that heals lives by direct support for neuropsychiatric brain research. By convening the brightest minds in brain science and advocacy around a collective vision of "Accelerating Brain Health for All," One Mind is advancing a three-pronged program strategy: accelerating discoveries, improving services and transforming culture. Through such achievements as enrolling over 10,000 patients in innovative clinical studies and the One Mind at Work initiative that has brought supportive workplace mental health practices to over 6 million employees, One Mind is creating a world where all facing brain health challenges can build healthy, productive lives. Brandon Staglin, whose own experiences triggered the creation of the non-profit, now serves as its President, exemplifying the change One Mind seeks in its disruptive research and workplace initiatives.

onemind.org | facebook.com/OneMindOrg | Instagram.com/OneMindOrg | twitter.com/OneMindOrg

Janssen Research & Development, a longtime One Mind research partner, is part of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Baszucki Brain Research Fund is supported by San Mateo philanthropists David Baszucki and Jan Ellison Baszucki.

Inscopix has developed technology that is empowering breakthroughs in neuroscience, with the vision to drive new treatments to dramatically improve the health and well-being of people suffering from debilitating brain and nervous system disorders. The Inscopix platform and data will enable advances in conditions including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, psychiatric disorders, chronic pain, and addiction.

SOURCE One Mind
Therefore, the campaign is initially aimed at those people, thus raising their awareness and responsibility.

El presidente @MartinVizcarraC brinda conferencia de prensa para informar sobre las acciones que realiza el Gobierno frente al COVID-19. En vivo: https://t.co/dxrdu3owOG https://t.co/JljFplFy2N
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will not work with an international co-operative effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine because it does not want to be constrained by multilateral groups like the World Health Organization.

The decision to go it alone, first reported by The Washington Post, follows the White Houses decision in early July to pull the United States out of the WHO. Trump claims the WHO is in need of reform and is heavily influenced by China.

Some nations have worked directly to secure supplies of vaccine, but others are pooling efforts to ensure success against a disease that has no geographical boundaries. More than 150 countries are setting up the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, or COVAX.

That co-operative effort, linked with the WHO, would allow nations to take advantage of a portfolio of potential vaccines to ensure their citizens are quickly covered by whichever ones are deemed effective. The WHO says even governments making deals with individual vaccine makers would benefit from joining COVAX because it would provide backup vaccines in case the ones being made through bilateral deals with manufacturers arent successful.

The United States will continue to engage our international partners to ensure we defeat this virus, but we will not be constrained by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China, said White House spokesman Judd Deere. This president will spare no expense to ensure that any new vaccine maintains our own Food and Drug Administrations gold standard for safety and efficacy, is thoroughly tested and saves lives.

Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., said the administrations decision was shortsighted and will hamper the battle to end the pandemic.

Joining COVAX is a simple measure to guarantee U.S. access to a vaccine  no matter who develops it first, tweeted Bera, a medical doctor. This go-it-alone approach leaves America at risk of not getting a vaccine.

The administrations decision, paired with the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO, means the U.S. is abdicating Americas global leadership in fighting pandemics, according to Tom Hart, North America director at The ONE Campaign, an advocacy organization co-founded by Bono of the rock band U2.

Not only does this move put the lives of millions around the world at risk, it could completely isolate Americans from an effective vaccine against COVID-19, Hart said.

A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle  looking for the needed proof that they really work.

AstraZeneca announced Monday its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. The Cambridge, England-based company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups.

Two other vaccine candidates began final testing this summer in tens of thousands of people in the U.S. One was created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc., and the other developed by Pfizer Inc. and Germanys BioNTech.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:

The process of reforming has already been started in Uzbekistan and will bring a certain amount of positive outcomes which cannot be ignored, Consultant of Carnegie Moscow Center, Temur Umarov told Trend in an interview.

"Uzbekistan has a huge domestic market. For years artificial monopolies and import limitations did not lead to saturation of the market. Now the situation is changing. So, there always was potential in food and consumer goods manufacturing, especially after the announcement of the agrarian reform," Umarov noted.

According to him, the pandemic will make drug and medical equipment production of Uzbekistan even more interesting for the investors.

But, Umarov also noted that the second lockdown which has been extended to August 15, 2020 will make the economic consequences for Uzbekistan more tougher.

Increased government spending on coronavirus containment has expanded the budget deficit to 4.7 percent of GDP. The government established a $1 billion anti-crisis fund to increase social benefits for vulnerable groups of the society and launched a number of tax relief initiatives for key sectors of business that were heavily effected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Umarov noted.

Umarov also stressed the Uzbek governments careful use of monetary instruments.

In April 2020 the Central Bank of Uzbekistan lowered its base rate from 16 percent to 15 percent and recommended that commercial banks restructure loans or provide loan relief to small and medium enterprises, said Consultant of Carnegie Moscow Center.

He noted that different institutions forecast a slight growth for Uzbek economy in 2020 (from one percent to 2.5 percent).

As Umarov said, in the years to come there also will be interest in healthcare, education, and tourism sectors.

"Although service industry accounts for little more than a third of the countrys GDP, there are spheres with high potential. Uzbekistans financial sector has shown the biggest growth rates in 2019, this was not possible without the liberalization of the foreign exchange market and reforms in banking sector. Another potentially big sector of economy is real estate, as the urban population in Uzbekistan is growing," Temur Umarov noted.

The Carnegie Moscow Center is a thinktank and research center that focuses on domestic and foreign policy, international relations, international security, and the economy. It is a regional affiliate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC and a nonprofit organization.

Carnegie Moscow Center is the number one think tank in Central and Eastern Europe and the 26th top think tank in the world, according to the University of Pennsylvanias Global Go To Think Tank Index.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
When Katie Farrell took a booking at her restaurant last Saturday, she thought little of it when the customer rang back later to interrogate her.

Used to people asking about precautions taken at Dooleys regarding Covid-19, she happily rattled off the safety measures.

What she didnt expect, however, was cancellation that followed.

And it came the same day 17,000 people marched in Berlin to protest against masks and Germany's other Covid-19 restrictions.

The protest, which saw protestors abandon their masks and refuse to physically distance themselves from others, followed one held by 3,000 recently in Dublin.

Both protests have taken place amid rising cases of infection.

Ms Farrell referenced the cancellation on Twitter.

Had a customer on phone tonight said would cancel reservation if our staff or customers are wearing masks! I accepted the cancellation immediately with gratitude! #StaySafe #WearAMask  DooleysWaterville (@DooleysWatervi1) August 30, 2020

It received more than 2,500 likes, as well as overwhelmingly supportive comments.

I didn't expect a tweet to get so much attention," she said.

The potential customer made a booking and then decided to call back and interrogate us about our Covid-19 safety precautions.

They asked do we wear face-coverings, and I said we do, of course.

And they asked if we expected them to wear a face covering, and I told them according to the guidelines they have to wear a face-covering until they are seated at the table.

It was at that point they said they wanted to cancel their booking.

Stock photo of a man holding a mask. Picture: PA Photo/iStock

They told me this was because they don't agree with face coverings.

I said I was very sorry and I explained we have a duty of care towards our staff and other customers to keep everyone safe.

She added:

Safety is far more important to us than the business.

Adrian Cummins, CEO of Restaurants Association of Ireland, said of the incident: I havent seen this before.

This is the first case to be brought to my attention, but that doesnt mean there havent been other cases out there.

You have to have sympathy with the restaurant owner. They are doing everything right in accordance with public health advice and guidelines.

Then you have customers who are trying to go against government advice, putting the restaurant owner in a predicament."

Gerry Killeen, research chair in applied pathogen ecology at University College Cork, said there will be more incidents like the one at Dooley's.

The only reason why this doesnt surprise me is that if you look through the history of public health, this is nothing new.

You will always get people who are extraordinarily stubborn (and) non-compliant.

There are two sides to the issue of us all being in it together. There will be more cases like this because frustrations are starting to boil over. The few people like this present an enormous risk to the rest of us.
The Ministry of Railways on Tuesday said it is planning to run more special trains apart from the 230 plying currently, to ease passenger movement amid the coronavirus pandemic. The ministry has sought consent from state governments for the same.

"More special trains are being planned. State governments are being consulted," news agency PTI reported citing a Railway Ministry spokesperson.

The spokesperson, however, did not specify how many trains will be added to the network. Sources said the announcement for the new trains will be made in a couple of days, the news agency reported.

Last month, Indian Railways had announced that all regular passenger train services will remain suspended "until further notice", but 230 special trains will continue to be in service.

"This is to bring to the notice of all concerned that as decided and informed earlier as well, regular passenger and suburban train services will continue to remain suspended till further notice," the Railways had said.

"Local trains in Mumbai, which are presently being run on limited basis only on the requisition of the state government, will also continue to run," it had further said.

Passenger train services were suspended on March 22, three days before the imposition of a nationwide lockdown on March 25 to contain spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In the first three months of this financial year, Railways' revenue was in the negative -- Rs 531.12 crore in April, Rs 145.24 crore in May and Rs 390.6 in June (all in negative).

According to an RTI finding, it has cancelled more than 1.78 crore tickets since March this year due to coronavirus-led lockdown. Refunds amounting to Rs 2,727 crore have been granted to people whose tickets were cancelled. For the first time in its history, Indian Railways has refunded more than it has earned from tickets. In the first quarter of FY21, the Indian Railways has registered negative passenger segment revenue of Rs 1,066 crore.

Also Read: Railways launches e-pass facility to make pass, ticket booking by employees hassle-free

Also Read: Railways generates over 6.4 lakh man-days of work under Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan
China Pakistan Economic Corridor chairman Lt General (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa, who has landed in the middle of a scandal over his familys rise in assets that coincided with his elevation in the army, will come up with a detailed explanation of the familys growth in assets, Pakistans information minister Shibli Faraz said late on Monday evening after the governments initial response to brush aside the controversy appeared to be ineffective.

A news website Facts Focus last week traced the growth of the Bajwa familys business empire in the United States and Pakistan and claimed that there was a correlation between the retired army officers clout and his familys investments.

The websites investigation also revealed that the retired army officers wife had been a shareholder in all the familys foreign businesses from the very beginning. It turns out that according to the assets declaration form that Gen Bajwa had filed with the government claimed his wife did not hold any foreign assets.

By the time journalist Ahmad Noorani published the news report, the Bajwa familys business empire is alleged to have included 99 companies (five were later shut down) in four countries including a pizza franchise with 133 restaurants worth an estimated $ 39.9 million.

The website pegged the familys combined investments to develop the business at $52.2 million. At current exchange rates, it comes to a whopping Pakistani 8.6 billion (Indian 3,848 million). The investments started pouring in after 2002 when Asim Bajwa got himself a prize posting in General Pervez Musharrafs staff. His brother Nadeem Bajwa, who worked as a delivery driver, also started working his way up. By 2008, the family had opened 53 franchises. As the army officer moved up the hierarchy, so did the business.

The website, which published documents to back up its findings, said it had reached out to Gen Bajwa, who is overseeing implementation of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor - a project that runs into billions of dollars - but he chose not to respond to its findings.

Gen Bajwa clearly adopted the same approach when the freshly-minted website published its report last week. He put out a 22-word rebuttal on his Twitter handle. A malicious propaganda story published on an unknown site, against me and my family, (just uploaded on social media) is strongly rebutted, he said.

Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also chipped in. It is now a common practice that the news is run without confirmation. A news should be made public once it is confirmed. The truth in this case will come to the fore soon, Qureshi said on Friday, according to a report in the Dawn newspapers website.

When the rebuttals didnt help, information minister Shibli Faraz stepped in with a tweet. I have just spoken to Asim Bajwa. He will explain in detail the news about his assets in a few days, the minister announced.

The corruption scandal has come as a huge embarrassment to Prime Minister Imran Khan who had appointed Gen Bajwa to oversee implementation of the CPEC project as well as the PMs special assistant on media. Imran Khan routinely accuses opposition leaders of corruption. Like when opposition leaders did not allow two legislations to pass in the Pakistani Senate, PM Khan had gone hammer and tong to slam them, alleging that they wanted him to give them immunity for their corruption.

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Comments are likely to rile China, which has threatened to make Milos Vystrcil pay a heavy price for visiting island.

The president of the Czech Senate declared that he was Taiwanese in a speech at Taiwans parliament on Tuesday, channelling late US President John F Kennedys defiance of Communism in Berlin in 1963, in remarks likely to further rile Beijing.

Addressing Taiwans parliament on Thursday, Milos Vystrcil, who is leading a delegation of about 90 politicians and business executives, said Kennedys declaration: Ich bin ein Berliner, was an important message for freedom.

Please allow me to use the same method to express support for Taiwans people. Allow me to be so humble but also resolute in saying to your countrys parliament that I am Taiwanese, Vystrcil said to a standing ovation.

Vystrcil spoke in Czech and his comments were translated into Mandarin.

China claims the democratically ruled island as its territory and has already threatened to make Vystrcil pay a heavy price for his visit. The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.





Kennedys speech in 1963, telling the people of West Berlin who were surrounded by Communist-ruled East Germany that he too was a Berliner, is often seen as one of Kennedys greatest speeches.

Vystrcil has said his Taiwan visit underscores the values-based foreign policy put in place by late President Vaclav Havel, a dissident under the countrys Communist rule and a personal friend of the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

Vystrcil is the first senior foreign politician from a non-diplomatic ally of Taiwan to deliver a speech at Taiwans parliament.

Taiwan Legislative Yuan Speaker You Si-kun said Vystrcils Taiwan visit not only strengthened the friendship between the two countries but would also deepen democracy.

Applauses after Czech Senate speaker @Vystrcil_Milos gave a speech in #Taiwan parliament, the first foreign speaker to do so from a non-diplomatic ally. He cited JFK's famous words 'Ich bin ein Berliner' to end his speech by saying "" in Mandarin (I am Taiwanese). pic.twitter.com/yE3aBqfwqA  Amber Wang (@ambermywang) September 1, 2020

While the Czech government has not supported his visit, it has been upset by Chinas strong condemnation and has summoned the Chinese ambassador in Prague. Beijing on Monday also summoned the Czech ambassador.

Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek said earlier on Monday he expected China to explain the threat against Vystrcil.

Of course the journey has an impact on our relationships with China, but I think this has gone too far, he told journalists.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has labelled the statement impertinent and inappropriate.

Czech President Milos Zeman has sought closer business and political ties with China since taking office in 2013, but his efforts have been hit by failed investment plans and Czech wavering about allowing Chinas Huawei Technologies to play a role in developing next-generation telecoms networks.
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The military uses missiles as one of its favorite weapons, because a missile allows a person to launch a weapon many miles away from the target.

At HowStuffWorks you can learn how all of these different types of missiles work:
Chetana Belagere By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: With India hitting a global record of highest single-day rise of nearly 79,000 Covid-19 cases, the Union health ministry on Monday announced Karnataka as one of three states, along with Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, which have together contributed to around 43 per cent of the total coronavirus cases in India.

Nearly 43 per cent of cases have been recorded in three states, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Also, seven states have contributed to 70 per cent of these new cases in the past 24 hours. Of these, Maharashtra has contributed the maximum caseload amounting to almost 21 percent, followed by Andhra Pradesh 13.5 percent, Karnataka 11.27 percent and Tamil Nadu with 8.27 percent, the Union health ministry said on Monday.

However, according to senior epidemiologists in the State, Karnatakas caseload contribution is high as testing has also gone up drastically. Testing per million population is also high in Andhra Pradesh. There is a surge in these two states compared to Maharashtra and Delhi, which had peaked earlier.

These three states have a population of only 18% of Indias total, and yet the total tests done account for nearly one-fourth of tests done in the country. This means the states that test well report a greater number of cases and also have the opportunity to bend the curve faster, explained senior epidemiologist and member of Covid-19 Technical Committee Dr Giridhara R Babu.

Dr CN Manjunath, director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research and member of State Covid Task Force said, Many northern states have conducted fewer tests, so it does not truly reflect the disease burden. It gives an impression that they are in better control.

Meanwhile, Karnataka has been increasing daily testing in the past few days. On August 1, it tested 22,097 per million population, while on August 30, it tested 46,665 per million population.

There have also been several complaints about the State forcing people to test and also about several false positive reports from labs.

Just to ensure that we increase testing numbers, hospitals have been forcing people to subject themselves for tests. Also, labs are overburdened. This shouldnt be done, said a senior health official.

Meanwhile, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have also accounted for about 50 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours.

However, Dr Babu said that instead of worrying, states like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka should be shown as good models.

Andhra Pradesh is keeping mortality rate less than 1% of total cases. I am worried about states with higher populations but low testing, and reporting few cases. Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand account for 39% of Indias population, and yet their testing is just 21% of the total tests, much lower than the three high caseload states, he explained.

Experts said that unless we follow a syndrome approach and enhance testing capacity throughout the country, reporting bias will wrongly convey that southern states have relatively higher burden than populous states.

To contain mortality rate and virus spread, Dr S Sachidanand, vice-chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences heading the State Death Audit Committee, said the government has to follow steps like health education, awareness about prevention and spread of Covid, testing, detect cases early, and early pro-active treatment. We can definitely flatten the curve soon, he said.
Atlanta, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- T Stamp Inc. trading as Trust Stamp, an AI-powered authentication company dual headquartered in Atlanta (US) and Cheltenham (UK), announced the successful completion of a $6.5M equity crowdfunding offering through SeedInvest, a leading investment platform. The five-year-old company, which has over 50 employees worldwide and a pre-money valuation of $25M, completed the raise to fund the continued research and development of its privacy-preserving identity solutions.

Trust Stamp creates transformational technology that accelerates secure societal and financial inclusion through accessible identity solutions that reduce fraud, improve user experience and promote universal access to financial opportunity. Their core technology addresses existing and compounding issues in the biometric services market, including data privacy and security, while also providing a robust solution for identification in areas of the world where a lack of identity infrastructure hinders economic inclusion.

The companys $6.5M Regulation A round on SeedInvest consisted of individual investments from more than 2,700 accredited and unaccredited investors. Notably, the first $1M was raised in just two days. Trust Stamp rounded out their $10M Series A round with off-platform investments from Mastercard International, FSH Capital, Second Century Ventures, 630 Cybersecurity, the FIS FinTech Accelerator program and the OnRamp Insurance Accelerator program.

In addition to providing Trust Stamp with capital, the high levels of investor engagement with their equity crowdfunding campaign served to increase awareness of their complex technology and validate their unique market fit. Trust Stamp President Andrew Gowasack comments, 2020 has been dotted with milestones in the growth of our team, technology portfolio, company initiatives and commercial use. Trust Stamps Series A round has not only provided the financial boost to support this rapid headway while solidifying our existing systems for sustainable growth, but also expanded the reach and potential impact of our mission in the identity space. We are thrilled to welcome each of the 2,778 passionate investors, tech-enthusiasts and identity evangelists to our journey.

Continuing this traction, Trust Stamp is working towards a direct public listing on the Euronext Growth Market operated by Euronext Dublin, trading under the AIID ticker symbol (AI for ID).

The Regulation A process provides a clear path to entering the public market for high-growth companies, and Trust Stamps success with the alternative route of funding despite economic uncertainty affirms these next steps. Equity crowdfunding has democratized investing to give people the power to support companies they believe in. Fittingly, that vote of confidence in Trust Stamp takes us closer to a future where equitable, privacy-preserving identity solutions democratize access to the connected world, says Gowasack.

About Trust Stamp

Trust Stamp is an artificial intelligence company focused on providing identity solutions at the intersection of biometrics, privacy, and cybersecurity. The company applies advanced cryptographic techniques, deep neural networks and proprietary AI powered tools to biometric and other identity data to create an Irreversibly Transformed Identity Token (IT2) that can be matched, deduplicated and verified while protecting sensitive identity information. Trust Stamp is currently participating in the DIFC Fintech Hive programme, LORCA Cyber Accelerator and FIS Fintech Accelerator and is a graduate of multiple global programs including QCFintech, 630 Cybersecurity, Plug and Play (Silicon Valley and UAE), NAR REach, Mastercard Startpath, the Georgia Advanced Technology Development Center, the OnRamp Insurance Accelerator, the UKs GCHQ/NCSC incubator and the Netherlands based Blue Tulip Awards program (first place winner in the finance category).

About SeedInvest

SeedInvest is a leading equity crowdfunding platform that provides individual investors with access to vetted startup investment opportunities. SeedInvest was instrumental in the passage of the 2012 JOBS Act, which changed 80-year-old U.S. securities laws to make it possible for entrepreneurs to raise capital over the Internet. SeedInvest has funded over 200 startups and boasts a rapidly growing network of over 400,000 investors. SeedInvest has had over 46,000 startups apply to raise capital since inception and has accepted ~1% of those companies to feature on the platform. The company was featured on the 2018 Inc. 500 List as the 4th fastest-growing financial services company in America.

Disclaimer

All securities-related activity is conducted by SI Securities, LLC dba SeedInvest, an affiliate of Circle Internet Financial Limited, and a registered broker-dealer, and member FINRA/SIPC, located at 61 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10006. This communication is for information purposes only and should not be regarded as a recommendation of, or an offer to sell or as a solicitation of an offer to buy, any financial product. Investments are offered only via definitive transaction documents and any potential investor should read such documents carefully, including all risks, before investing. Startup investments involve a high degree of risk and those investors who cannot hold an investment for the long term (at least 5-7 years) or afford to lose their entire investment should not invest in startups. To learn more about investing in startups and its risks visit www.seedinvest.com/academy.
A view of HCM City at night from the Saigon River is among short tours offered by many travel companies on the occasion of the National Day, September 2 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - People nationwide will enjoy a one-day holiday on September 2 to celebrate the countrys National Day and safe holidays are the order of the day amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, as there is only one day off, most holidaymakers have chosen short-term tours to nearby destinations without COVID-19 or to spots that have been announced safe from the pandemic.

Major travel agencies in Hanoi and HCM City have reported that despite the pandemic, they had seen an increase of bookings for tours to safe destinations.

The health sector and authorities of all levels are working together stamp out the COVID-19 pandemic in many places and this has created a number of "safe zones" for tourists to visit.

Communication and marketing director of the TST Tourist Company Nguyen Minh Man said a new trend of travelling has been created, focusing on destinations announced as safe from the pandemic on tours during the day in cars.

The health sector has laid out strict health regulations to ensure hygienic conditions for tourists.

Vehicles serving tourists must regularly spray disinfection chemicals and each vehicle of between 30 and 45 seats is only allowed to carry less than 20 and 30 passengers, respectively.

Tour operators have also been told to not sells tours to those who have passed through or come from high-risk areas and those with COVID-19 symptoms signs such as fever or cough.

Tourist agencies will prioritise clients with negative coronavirus test certificates.

Doan Thi Thanh Tra, a marketing and communication director of Saigontourist, said fewer people had booked tours for this year's National Day holiday compared to previous years due to the pandemic.

However, according to Tra, the holiday had created a chance for the tourism sector to restructure, reconnect business activities and revive the working spirit of their employees after a long stagnation, while also remind customers about their brand.

On the other hand, the number of tourists booking tours at Saigontourist on September 2 shows the tourism market also has signs of prosperity. More and more units and families have started contacting the company for advice and even signed tour contracts to depart in October to safe destinations," said Tra.

"A majority of tourists have booked tours prioritising HCM City neighbouring provinces which have a high safety index for COVID-19 such as Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Long An, Tien Giang and Can Tho," Tra added.

A report from Vietravel revealed that for September 2 this year, the company had largely stopped accepting large groups of tourists to focus on family groups with basic services such as support for booking, buying tickets and car rental to destinations such as Phu Quoc and Vung Tau.

In addition, the report said their company is offering staycation packages to top hotels.

In Hanoi, most tourists chose to travel to places about 45-50km from the city such as Ba Vi in the outskirts of Hanoi, Tam Dao in the northern province of Vinh Phuc and Ha Long Bay in the coastal province of Quang Ninh.

Hoai Huong, a tourist from Hanoi, said as the holiday was only one day her family chose a tour to Tam Dao.

"The thing is that the COVID-19 pandemic is still complicated so we choose not to travel by trains or planes. We want to be in safe places near our home city," according to Huong.

PROMOTIONS

In an effort to drum up business, travel agencies have designed a variety of short-term tours, with some companies even offering affordable prices for high standard services.

For example, Vietravel has offered stays at 4-5 star hotels in the city between 1.3 million VND (56 USD) and 3.4 million VND (147 USD) per night for two people, a discount of 50-70 percent.

This type of product, according a company representative, was mainly for customers in the city or from neighbouring areas to enjoy luxurious services at affordable prices.

TST Tourist Company has launched short-term tour products, prioritising destinations near HCM City and in the city.

Currently, the tours offered by the company for 1-2 days cost from 700,000 VND to about 1.8 million VND per person. Over the past few days, the number of visitors who register for these tours has also increased significantly, the firm said.

Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Deputy Director of HCM Citys Department of Tourism, said organising tours on September 2 is the first step for tourism agencies to restart the tourism market, boost their operations, improve revenue and create jobs, but they shouldn't have high expectations of a revenue boom because the pandemic has forced more than 90 percent of travel companies in the city to close.

"Businesses which have opened again should comply with regulations on spacing to ensure safety measures for tourists and staff," she said.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 19F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 19F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
(Reuters) - Women's Super League champions Chelsea signed Denmark international Pernille Harder from VfL Wolfsburg on Tuesday for a fee reported by British media to be around 300,000 pounds, a record for the women's game.

The 27-year-old, who netted 103 goals in 113 games for beaten Champions League finalists Wolfsburg in a trophy-laden three-year spell in Germany, joins a Chelsea side bristling with attacking talents such as Australia's Sam Kerr and the English duo of Bethany England and Fran Kirby.

"Im excited to just play for such a big club, to play with so many amazing players and to also be playing in the league. The English league, its so exciting at the moment and Im really looking forward to it," Harder told Chelsea's website (http://www.chelseafc.com).

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said: "She is a fantastic team player who wants to take her game to the next level. She chose Chelsea as the club that can push her to that level. She can play for any team in the world, but she chose us."

Chelsea kick off their title defence away to Manchester United on Sunday.

Harder's last game for Wolfsburg was a 3-1 defeat to Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League final on Sunday.

(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Toby Davis)
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The management of Hungary's prestigious University of Theatre and Film Arts resigned on Monday in protest over the imposition of a government-appointed board which they say will undermine the school's autonomy.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's supporters and pro-government journalists have long argued that after he won a third strong mandate in 2018, it was time for a shift in culture towards conservative values to end what they call the domination of the arts in Hungary by liberals and left-wingers.

In power for a decade, Orban, a nationalist, has steadily tightened government control over various walks of Hungarian public life including universities, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and state media. Oligarchs close to Orban have bought up large chunks of the private media.

In a speech following his 2018 election victory, Orban said the main task was to "embed the political system in a cultural era."

A law passed by parliament earlier this year transferred the ownership of the state-run theatre school, which goes back 155 years, to a private foundation.

The government appointed a board of five trustees, rejecting members proposed by the university. The university's senate said it had been deprived of its right to decide on budgetary, organisational and personnel issues.

"This was a cornerstone for us that if there is nothing left of the autonomy of the institution then we must retreat to the classrooms to teach," said deputy dean Eszter Novak.

"This is the start of a new era."

Several leading theatre directors have resigned from their teaching positions at the school in recent weeks. Students were due to stage a protest at the university later on Monday.

The government, which denies any attempt to censure free expression, has said the fact that some universities will be governed by a board of trustees will actually eliminate state influence over them.

(Reporting by Krisztina Than and Krisztina Fenyo; Editing by Gareth Jones)
A number of start-ups in the capital continue to work remotely, but from this month more will embrace alternating between the office and home desks, according to a new poll.

Equity crowdfunding platform Seedrs queried London businesses currently raising with it, or that have, about back to the office plans.

Many companies across Britain have had employees doing their jobs from home since the Covid-19 lockdown started in March.

Of 44 respondents to Seedrs, half plan to remain completely remote in September.

However, in signs that will encourage retailers and restaurants in town that are in need of footfall, more office workers will be travelling in soon.

The survey findings show 2% will return full-time in September, and 16% will start alternating between office days and working remotely.

In addition 7% of firms said they have been back into offices properly since the start of August, and 23% have been mixing home and office working since the same date.

Businesses that took part in the survey include drinks firm Skinny Tonic, travel money card group Currensea, and video production agency Perspective Pictures.
The Russian government wants to know what the countrys data centers are up to, and that includes cryptocurrency mining farms.

The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media has published a proposed bill for public feedback, which firstly provides a definition of precisely what counts as a data center.

The bill, if passed, would also obliges data centers within the nation to report their operations to the ministrys supervising agency, the internet censor Roskomnadzor.

Related: DCG to Invest $100M in Bitcoin Mining Venture

According to the draft document, published on the government portal Friday, a data center is defined as an object with its own infrastructure for hosting hardware providing storage, processing and access to data, with guaranteed levels of accessibility, security and management.

An operator of a data center must provide the agency with information about the computing capacity of such a facility, how the data is stored, which services the center provides and at what cost.

In addition, the regulators wants to know about the land and buildings in which the data center is housed, even down to how many shelves it has and to what extent the shelves are filled, how its connected to the electricity grid and how its certified.

They know already

Igor Runets, CEO of Bitriver, one of the largest mining farms in Russia located in Siberia, believes the new rules will apply to miners and that, most likely, they will have to file a report every quarter.

Related: Russia Is Blocking Bitcoin-Related Websites Again

The government needs this data to monitor the digital economy development. Right now, nobody is gathering information about data centers. On the other hand, including commercial information into such reports seems redundant, Runets said.

The government already knows all the larger mining operators anyway, he said, as any farm consuming more than one or two megawatts of power can be detected by the electric grid operator.

Story continues

See also: Putin Signs Russian Crypto Bill Into Law

Artem Kozlyuk, founder of RosKomSvoboda, a non-profit monitoring online censorship and surveillance practices in Russia, says that gathering such a massive amount of information about all the data centers in one place can potentially open them up to security threats.

It can attract attention of people from the [foreign] intelligence services to criminal actors, Kozlyuk said. The parameters for data storage, which are on the list to be reported, include sensitive information like hardware manufacturer, technical settings and software updates, he added.

We all know how easily the data has been leaked from the government agencies over the recent years. Centralization of the sensitive information like this is an opening for illegal access, Kozlyuk said.

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On May 28, 2019  you know, about 479 years ago  I wrote the following: So who will win in 2020? Its still a long way away, so much can happen, but if I had to bet? Id say Trump.

As it turns out, so much can happen happened, and so here we are. The election is 62 days away, and its been decades since an incumbent faced worse odds.

As for me? I hope the odds get even worse. As far as Im concerned, this country needs to move on from Donald Trump.

I never cared for him; he strikes me as a jerk and not terribly bright. Ive never wavered from that opinion.

But back in May of 2019, things were different. The economy was humming. Unemployment at historic lows. Yes, there was some social unrest, but Americans gonna America, and when things are good in the wallet, that usually spells success for the sitting president.

And while I wasnt happy with the prospect of four more years of Trump, looking at my bank account was enough to soothe my worries. I wasnt going to vote for him, but I figured we made it this far without the world collapsing, we could make it another few years. Im sure I wasnt alone in this view.

Basically, Americans can, will, and do forgive jerks if it means money in their pockets. This isnt a flaw in the system; it pretty much is the system.

Of course, a good economy is not necessarily the result of what a president does. And on the flip side, a bad economy is not necessarily the fault of what a president does.

Except in this case.

Our economy is in tatters. Unemployment claims are through the roof. The shock to the economy is the worst since the Great Depression. And it is Trumps fault.

Its not Trumps fault the coronavirus exists, but It is his fault there has been a cruddy national response. It is his fault that he didnt act immediately, in any way.

What did he do instead? On January 22, he said We have it totally under control. On February 4  during the State of the Union  he said, My administration will take all necessary steps to safeguard our citizens from this threat. On February 10 he said, Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away. On February 24 he tweeted, The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. On March 10 he said, This was unexpected.  And it hit the world. And were prepared, and were doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away. On April 3, about wearing masks, he said Its going to be, really, a voluntary thing. You can do it. You dont have to do it. Im choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it, and thats OK. It may be good. Probably will. Theyre making a recommendation. Its only a recommendation.

Shall I go on?

If Trump instead acted like the leaders in New Zealand  or South Korea  or Japan  or practically any other first world country  we would be the ones today who arent letting travellers from other countries into America instead of the other way around.

If Trump encouraged governors to shut everything down for a few weeks back in early March  like the leaders of dozens of other countries did and like we shouldve done on a national scale  we wouldve beaten this disease back. Would there have been short-term economic pain with a few weeks of a nationwide shutdown? You bet. But it wouldve been short-term. A few weeks of shutdown in March, masks after that, and were New Zealand. Were South Korea. Were Japan. Were Cambodia. Were Latvia. Were Malaysia. Were Thailand. Were Egypt. Were Ireland. Were Qatar.

Shall I go on?

Way I see it Trumps response to the coronavirus was stupid, deadly, and costly.

But Americans are a forgiving bunch. We can forgive stupid and deadly.

What we cant forgive is costly, in its most literal sense. Were six months-plus into this thing, and were still massively struggling to get out of it. A nationwide response was needed, and Trump failed to do anything. As a result, were in dire financial straits as a nation. Someone cue up the James Carville Its the economy, stupid clip.

For the record, Im not trying to change minds here  I cant imagine theres a single person in the nation who is debating between Trump and Biden. Decisions have been made. I figured Id just put my own thoughts down so I dont have to do it again.

But you know whats the craziest thing about all this is? If Trump acted accordingly in regards to the coronavirus  and really, as a germaphobe extraordinaire, its mind-boggling that he didnt  he would be seen today as a hero, as the man who single-handedly saved the economy  not to mention untold lives.

And he wouldve deserved the hero designation, jerk or not. He mightve even got my vote.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission is scrambling to find a new home for its 126 active employees after a state order to vacate its longtime home near the Roundhouse in Santa Fe.

The General Services Department notified the PRC in March that it had to leave the PERA Building  where its been housed for more than two decades  by June 30. It later extended that to Sept. 30, but with the eviction date now rapidly approaching, the commission is struggling to pack up its offices and find alternative accommodations during the pandemic.

The PRCs fiscal year 2021 budget includes no money to lease a new office, because it never paid rent at the state-owned PERA Building  nor does it include money for moving expenses, temporary housing or storage space for equipment, furniture or files, said PRC chief of staff Jason Montoya.

The GSD issued us an eviction letter with no appropriations provided and nothing in the current operating budget to lease an office, Montoya told the Journal. Weve been told that no other state space will be made available to the PRC in the near future.

Political backdrop

The GSD says it needs the PRCs current space to house the newly created Early Childhood Education and Care Department.

But with the PRC facing imminent homelessness and no state assistance to even temporarily resolve the situation, House Republican leaders say Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham may be punishing the PRC for decisions that conflict with state policies.

House Republican Leader James Townsend, Republican Whip Rod Montoya, and Republican Caucus Chair Candy Spence Ezzell said in an Aug. 27 letter to the governor that theyre dismayed at what seems to be a vindictive reaction to the PRC.

We are writing to express our frustration with your administrations unwillingness to locate appropriate space for the (PRC), they said. The failure to provide this constitutionally established entity with a proper location to conduct its statutory responsibilities is, frankly, incomprehensible.

Lujan Grishams administration and Democratic legislators have clashed frequently with commission members since last year, starting with approval of a constitutional amendment to turn the five-member elected PRC into a three-member body appointed by the governor. That amendment will go before voters in the November elections.

Then, in a 3-2 decision last summer, the commission refused to uphold clauses in the states new Energy Transition Act that allow Public Service Company of New Mexico to recover all its investments in coal plants from ratepayers when replacing those facilities with renewable generation. The governor had to appeal to the Supreme Court, which ordered the PRC in January to abide by the law.

And in this years legislative session, Democrats unsuccessfully pushed a bill to allow the governor to appoint two executives to oversee most PRC staff, which the commission opposed as an unconstitutional infringement on its regulatory authority.

The commission oversees electric, water and telecommunications utilities. It also presides over transportation companies, the Pipeline Safety Bureau and the state fire marshal.

PRC Chair Theresa Becenti-Aguilar said the governor has ignored the problems caused by the commission eviction.

Shes doing business right across the street  in walking distance  but there hasnt been even one phone call, Becenti-Aguilar said. Weve never been invited to her office, and shes never come to the PRC.

GSD Secretary Ken Ortiz declined to comment on suggestions about retaliation against the PRC. But he said the state chose the PERA building for the new Early Childhood Education and Care Department because the Children Youth and Families Department is already housed there.

The decision to co-locate those agencies there is to provide customers with easy access to like-minded services, Ortiz said. Thats the whole reason for doing this.

Space tough to find

No other state-owned offices in Santa Fe are big enough to house the PRC, so the commission must independently find another space, Ortiz said.

Its a challenge in the Santa Fe area, Ortiz said. The GSD doesnt own anything large enough for the commission.

The PRC is authorized for 166 full-time employees, 32 of whom are assigned to the state fire marshal. That agency will remain at the PERA Building until July 1, 2021, when it becomes part of the state Homeland Security Department.

Of the PRCs remaining 134 positions, eight remain vacant under a state hiring freeze, leaving the commission with 126 employees that need housing.

For us to continue to provide good government service, we need office space for at least 40 or 50 people, including management and critical support divisions like IT, Montoya said. The rest could continue to telework until we have a permanent space, as theyve been doing in the coronavirus.

But the commission has no money even for temporary space for reduced staff. The governor vetoed $490,000 in funding in March, and another $364,000 was cut in a special session in June, reducing the PRCs FY 2021 operating budget from $15.2 million to $14.35 million, Montoya said.

The commission is now seeking either a grant or loan from the Department of Finance and Administration.

Two large meeting spaces will remain open at the PERA Building for commission meetings until the end of the year, but all staffers must vacate their offices by Sept. 30.

Its unfair, Becenti-Aguilar said. I dont think we should just be booted out the door.  Under constitutional statutes, I dont believe the governor has the authority to leave us without an office space.
The MoU reflects both parties' eagerness to advance their mutual interests, consolidating their partnership to support the strategic directives of the Government of Dubai and help the Emirate shape strategy and make better-informed policy decisions in line with the Dubai Strategic Plan.

The agreement was signed by Fahad Al Gergawi, CEO of Dubai FDI, and Bilal Sabouni, Guidepoint's Managing Director and Head of the Middle East, North Africa & Turkey region.

Commented Fahad Al Gergawi: "We are engaging with Guidepoint to assist foreign investors in making better investment decisions. Dubai's advantage, as it is the preferred foreign direct investment destination, offers businesses the ease of conducting trade, world-class infrastructure, and opportunities in one of the smartest and most secure cities worldwide. Our partnership will focus on tailor-made advisory and consultancy approach to better align potential investors with our strategic plans."

Bilal Sabouni added: "Through our firm's global reach into +190 countries and wide range of activity across 150 sectors, our teams are perfectly positioned to expand and promote local know-how as well as to provide world-class Expert Network services to key government stakeholders. We are thrilled to contribute to Dubai FDI's mandate and help accelerate their efforts in achieving sustained long-term economic growth."

About Guidepoint

Guidepoint, a leading expert network, connects clients with vetted subject matter experts from their global professional network. Guidepoint's slate of services, including phone consultations, surveys, events, and proprietary data insights products, empower our clients to access new industries, get up to speed on trending topics, enable in-depth exploration of critical subjects, and offer validation of qualitative insights. Our multinational client list includes 9 of the top 10 consulting firms and some of the largest hedge funds, private equity firms, and Fortune-ranked public companies. Guidepoint's industry-leading compliance platformoverseen by Guidepoint's General Counsel, a former SEC enforcement attorneysupports appropriate client-to-Advisor interactions through the application of Guidepoint's own policies and procedures as well as custom, client-specific controls the company implements at clients' requests.

For more information, visit www.guidepoint.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1219908/Dubai_FDI_CEO.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1219907/Bilal_Sabouni_Official_Photo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.guidepoint.com



SOURCE Guidepoint
Customers across Sydney can now order delicious cannolis to be delivered to their doorstep for only $9.90 between Wednesday and Sunday.

Brothers Matt and Jordan Marchetta started the online patisserie business Cannoli Rush in February 2020 with the aim to tap into their family's 35-year history of making and selling Italian cakes.

The traditional dessert originates from Sicily in Italy and has a hollow tube-shaped pastry shell that's filled with cream or ricotta.

But the brothers have 'refined the recipe to perfection' and have experimented with a range of different flavours.

Customers across Sydney can now order delicious cannolis to be delivered to their doorstep for only $9.90 between Wednesday and Sunday

Brothers Matt and Jordan Marchetta started the online patisserie business Cannoli Rush in February 2020 with the aim to tap into their family's 35-year history of making and selling Italian cakes

Some of the 15 unique flavours include cookies and cream, coffee, Kinder Bueno and the new Biscoff cannoli.

'Our head chef has actually been producing some of Sydney's finest cakes and pastries for over 35 years,' the business said online.

'Fast forward to today and our cannoli is loved so much that production is bigger than ever while still being handmade!'

The brothers pride themselves in making high quality cannolis from the freshest ingredients for their customers to order and enjoy.

Some of the unique flavours include cookies and cream, coffee, Kinder Bueno and the new Biscoff cannoli (pictured)

The small cannolis are priced at $2.70, the large cannolis are priced at $4.50 each and gift boxes are also available to purchase

The small cannolis are priced at $2.70 while the large cannolis are priced at $4.50 each.

For Father's Day the business is offering $99 gift boxes including eight different cannolis, assorted sweets and a 500mL bottle of Jack Daniels.

Alternatively the same box can be purchased for $69 without the alcohol, or other cannoli boxes are also available starting at $53 each.

Customers can place their orders on the Cannoli Rush website.
So Yummy Logo "Sharon Rechter, President of First Media, is a visionary in understanding, marketing to, and developing programming for Millennial women, " commented Larraine Segil, Chair and CEO of EWA."

The Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation (EWA, Los Angeles CA) today announced a Strategic Alliance with First Media, developer of SO YUMMY and BLOSSOM, Channels for Millennials, to promote EWA's Mission of enabling women to rise in their careers. First Media's programming will include a public service message which will promote the EWA Mission of enabling women to rise in their careers

"Sharon Rechter, President of First Media, is a visionary in understanding, marketing to, and developing programming for Millennial women, " commented Larraine Segil, Chair and CEO of EWA. "We are delighted to be working with her, her team and company to create unique and targeted messaging for this demographic."

First Media is an industry-leading publisher providing content for the do-it-all millennial woman. Comprised of several multi-platform brands, First Media helps women live happier, more ful lled lives. Their brands - Blossom, So Yummy, Blusher and BabyFirst - have all established massive, incredibly loyal female audiences. By studying these audiences and how they react to the content the company produces, First Media can predict with 87 percent accuracy how well a video will perform before it is posted. As a result, First Media regularly produces the most viewed and shared content in the world: Blossom and So Yummy are the #1 and #2 pages on Facebook in terms of views per post, and BabyFirst is viewed by 60 million U.S. TV homes. Through these platforms, First Media is able to offer brand partners highly customized campaigns with unparalleled results.

Learn more at https://first.media/

The Exceptional Women Awardees Foundation (EWA) selects high potential, upper-career Exceptional Women from multiple industries, develops and mentors them with guidance and career redesign advice to propel them to sustainable success - one woman at a time. Their year-long program enables the EWA to be connected for life to their ever-expanding EWA global network, as their fellow women leaders move into positions of significance. Learn more at http://www.ExceptionalWomenAwardees.com
TAIPEI/BERLIN: The head of the Czech Senate declared himself to be Taiwanese in a speech at Taiwans parliament on Tuesday, channelling the late U.S. President John F. Kennedys defiance of communism in Berlin in 1963, as China slammed him for crossing a red line.

China, which claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory, has threatened to make Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil pay a heavy price" for visiting the island. The Czech Republic, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Addressing Taiwans parliament, Vystrcil said Kennedys declaration he was a Berliner was an important message for freedom and against communism.

Please let me also express in person my support to Taiwan and the ultimate value of freedom and conclude todays speech  with perhaps a more humble, but equally strong statement: I am a Taiwanese," Vystrcil said, receiving a standing ovation.

Speaking in Berlin, the Chinese governments top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, denounced Vystrcil.

If he wants to visit Taiwan to designate it as an independent state, isnt this a public affront, a public challenge? That is why we must tell and we have told the Czech Senate speaker, You have crossed the red line," Wang said.

Kennedys Ich bin ein Berliner" speech in 1963, telling the frightened people of West Berlin who were surrounded on all sides by Communist East Berlin that he was also a Berliner, is an address often called Kennedys best.

Vystrcil has said his Taiwan visit underscores the values-based" foreign policy put in place by late President Vaclav Havel, an anti-communist dissident and personal friend of the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.

While the Czech government has not supported his visit, it has been upset by Chinas strong condemnation and has summoned the Chinese ambassador. Beijing on Monday also summoned the Czech ambassador for a telling-off.

Czech President Milos Zeman has sought closer business and political ties with China since taking office in 2013, but his efforts have been hit by failed investment plans.

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
Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, two social movements founded by Black women, have increased pressure on businesses to raise the number of women, particularly Black women and other women of color, in executive positions.

For good reason.

Women in senior management remain underrepresented in corporate America even though their numbers increased from 17% in 2015 to 21% in 2019, according to research by consulting firm McKinsey. In C-suites, white women accounted for 18% (68% were white men) a year ago. Women of color, which included Black and Asian women and Latinas, accounted for just 4% (10% were men of color).

A panel discussion at the AICPAs 2020 ENGAGE conference addressed the need for more women, particularly Black women, in executive positions.

Diversity is not just how it looks, its how decisions are made, said Scharrell Jackson, chief operating officer at BPM, a Bay Area public accounting and advisory firm. Jackson was one of two Black female executives on the panel and answered questions in a follow-up interview.

Everything is tied to the bottom line, she said. If we want our organization to shift in the face of diversity, we must hold our partners and our executives financially responsible for that success.

To better balance the scales for women in corporate America, access to sponsorship, equal first-rung promotion, and client exposure are just some of the issues that need to be tackled, panel members suggested.

Also, awareness must rise about the lack of access to opportunity Black women face, according to the McKinsey study and a 2019 survey by LeanIn.Org, which focuses on getting more women in corporate leadership:

White men report having access to senior leaders at three times the rate and white women at twice the rate of Black women.

31% of white men had a sponsor or mentor during their career, compared with 27% of white women and 19% of Black women.

33% of white men received job or executive leadership training, compared with 30% of white women and 19% of Black women.

One-quarter of Black women report their manager helps them navigate organizational politics, compared with 39% of white women and 41% of men.

35% of Black women say their managers promote their contributions to others, compared with 46% of white women and 46% of men.

Recruitment, retention, and development

Ultimately, in order for us to have greater representation in the C-suite, its an and strategy, said Latoria Farmer, executive director for Workforce, Inclusion & Diversity at KPMG in Dallas, a Black female executive on the ENGAGE panel.

This means companies need to focus on talent acquisition and developing and retaining women while qualifying them to be promoted to leadership ranks where they can exert influence, she said.

No one lever, no one of those things independently will move the needle. It has to be a trifecta, Farmer said during the panel discussion.

Despite broadly equal numbers of male and female graduates entering accountancy, the lack of diversity starts early.

Women tend to doubt their abilities more than men and often have insufficient feedback from managers who fail to create road maps to help better position them for new roles or higher salaries, the executives said.

By the first round of promotions, white men are leading the race, panelists said, adding that unconscious bias means senior management tends to elevate people they can easily identify with.

Finding sponsors who understand the specific challenges Black women and other women of color face climbing the ranks is an all-too-common challenge in the profession, where white men dominate senior positions, they added.

Essentially, you dont have the role models, you dont have someone who looks like you that currently has that seat at the table, said Jessica McClain, CPA, controller at Brand USA, a destination marketing firm in Washington, D.C. McClain is Black.

Without having that person in the room to speak for you, youll never get a seat at the table, she said in an interview.

Raising awareness

Black women frequently encounter microaggressions. The LeanIn.Org survey found that 40% of Black, female participants had their judgment questioned in an area of their expertise, compared with 36% of white women and 27% of men. Also, 42% of Black women reported being asked to provide evidence of their competence, compared with 29% of white women and 16% of men.

Jackson, the ENGAGE panelist, said Black women are often told their language or directness makes others feel uncomfortable. She added she is usually the only woman of color at corporate events.

If you do happen to be invited to the table, oftentimes one of the barriers for a Black woman is they want to change you, she said. Youve been invited, which they will call inclusion, but you dont belong.

It takes more than hiring a specialist consultant to improve diversity, Jackson and McClain said. It requires a genuine top-down commitment to change the entire corporate ethos. This can start with simple steps such as intentionally recruiting graduates from historically Black universities.

Also, clients and investors can exert their influence to ensure firms actively promote diversity.

Goldman Sachs, for example, announced this year it would not help U.S. or European companies go public unless they had at least one diverse board member in 2020 and two in 2021.

The Black Lives Matter movement has definitely accelerated, and it has opened organizations eyes as to the barriers, biases, and impediments that have inhibited diverse individuals from entering the C-suite, said McClain.

If you havent figured out as a leader that you need to have greater diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, she said, there needs to be repercussions. Organizations need to feel the pain financially and reputationally.

As businesses continue to strategize how to deal with the impact of COVID-19, the current disruption should also be an opportune time to overhaul their approach to diversity, the executives suggested. Although in reality, it could take years to see real change.

While BLM is the hot topic today, I am not confident that there will be a long-term commitment by many executives. The commitment will take both a financial and emotional investment, Jackson said. The bottom line is, there has to be a call to action that starts from the heart or a positive financial impact on the organization for business leaders to shift.

 Sophie Hares is a freelance writer based in Mexico. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Sabine Vollmer, a JofA senior editor, at Sabine.Vollmer@aicpa-cima.com.
Asserting that China has been picking up fights virtually on every front, a top American diplomat said Washington's strategy to counter it is to push back against Beijing in every domain, including its "outsized" sovereignty claims in India's Galwan Valley.

Instead of finding some reasonable balance and shared interests, the US has found that China has exploited every opportunity that they can -- from technology theft to assertion of national sovereignty over the territory and territorial waters of other countries, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said during third India US Leadership Summit on Monday.

The virtual summit was organised by US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), a non-profit organisation. "The United States is in a concerted effort to push back on all fronts," he said. "Our strategy is to push back against China in virtually every domain. We're doing it in the security area. We're doing it in terms of outsized demands to claim sovereign territory, whether it's in the Galwan Valley of India on the India-Chinese border, or in the South Pacific," Biegun said.

Also read: China escalated military exercise activities by firing ballistic missiles in South China Sea: Pentagon

The Trump Administration is also doing it on the economic front, he said. The president (Donald Trump) has led the charge against the predatory practices from the Chinese economy and the Phase One trade deal is just a first step in that (direction), to be followed by many others in the years ahead to equalize and balance the US-China economic relationship, he said during a conversation with Richard Verma, former US Ambassador to India.

Underpinning all of that is a demand for basic reciprocity, he said. "For a very long time, there had been a desire to extend to China special privileges and benefits, and even the benefit of the doubt among them, to bring China into a more modern and prosperous future," he noted.

"Twenty years ago when that initiative was launched in earnest with China's entry into the World Trade Organization, the bet by most policymakers was that eventually, the weight of the institutions that China was joining would slowly redirect the Chinese political system and Chinese interests to a point where China would become much more invested in a rules-based order...," Biegun said.

Also read: China threatens to boycott iPhones, Apple products if 'WeChat' banned in US

He added that these rule based-orders would at least moderate the tendencies of the Chinese government to make it a better partner for many around the world, even if they do not make China a true democracy. "Unfortunately, this (US) administration has reached the conclusion that the experiment has failed across all the domains that I mentioned and we're pushing back against China, Biegun said.

"But perhaps the biggest failed assumption was that the institutions that China joined would ultimately change China. What the US has found that China grew so quickly at the beginning of this century that its outsized influence in those institutions is seeking instead to transform those institutions to China's interests," said Biegun.

That's unacceptable from our point of view and we are pushing back in the institutions like the World Health Organization or like the World Intellectual Property Organization. "We are pushing back hard to ensure that organisations either adhere to their core principles or we make clear we are not going to be a party to those efforts. There is a lot of concern about China, but there is an all-of-government effort here to turn it back, the top diplomat said.

According to Biegun, there is real concern inside Beijing as to what they are confronting. Internally, China is simultaneously trying to erase Tibetan cultural identity; they are repressing hundreds of thousands, if not more than a million, Uyghur Muslims and trying to separate these people from their faith and their historical tradition, he said.

Also read: BT Buzz -- 'We ain't leaving India': Chinese firms on 'Boycott China' call

The Chinese government has breached the UK-China agreement on the transition of Hong Kong and asserted direct state control from Beijing that has completely abolished the one China, two systems commitment that Beijing made to the UK and to the Hong Kong people to uphold through 2049, he said.

But beyond the internal challenges, China is also facing deep strategic and economic tensions with the US, as the Trump administration seeks to push back against these various areas of concern, Biegun said. Pointing out Beijing's attitude of multilateral confrontation with various countries across the globe at the same time, Biegun said it is in "near hostilities with" India, in a "state of hostility" with Taiwan, "in competition and less than cooperative relationship with Japan" with a "deep, steep deterioration of their relationship with Australia and to some extent with New Zealand .

Also read: China holds another round of military drills in South China Sea

"They have been in a contentious battle of words and more with many of US partners in Europe over COVID-19 disinformation and several other Chinese behaviours are deeply disturbing to our European partners. From China's perspective, whatever they're doing can't possibly be seen as working as they're picking a fight right now on virtually every front and on every area of interest that the People's Republic of China has, Biegun added.
Catholic bishop refutes notion that 'evangelization' is a 'cultural aggression'

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Bishop Robert Barron of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has defended the legacy of a Catholic saint whose statue was toppled earlier this year by social justice demonstrators and refuted the argument that evangelism is a form of "cultural aggression."

Barron delivered a homily last weekend on Aug. 22 outside the Mission Santa Ines in Solvang, California, where a statue of St. Junipero Serra is located.

Serra was a native of Spain who worked to bring Catholicism to the native peoples of present-day California and Mexico

Barron's homily came as other statues of the 18th-century Franciscan missionary located in the state have become targets of vandalism and destruction.

The Church understands the very legitimate concerns of some of the protesters, he said. Yes, we are concerned about racism  oppression (and) righting social wrongs.

Serra was canonized by Pope Francis during his visit to the United States in 2015.

Critics argue that the Spanish missionary epitomized the horrors of colonialism and the mistreatment of Native Americans. During his homily, Barron attempted to assuage the concerns of anti-Serra protesters in the crowd.

The bishop strongly pushed back on the narrative asserting that Serra is to blame for everything that bugs them about 18th-century Spanish colonialism.

He slammed the besmirching of the reputation and memory of this great saint.

I refuse to accept the characterization of evangelization as some sort of cultural aggression, he said.

Barron also took issue with the characterization of Serra as indifferent or hostile to Native Americans.

Do you know in 1773, Junipero Serra made his way, of course, by foot, in constant pain from Carmel all the way to Mexico City to argue for a bill of rights for the Native peoples? he asked.

When the Spaniards first arrived in the New World, in places like Santo Domingo, from those earliest days, there were churchmen who were speaking up for the rights and prerogatives of the Native peoples, who were resisting some of the worst elements of the Spanish occupation.

A 2019 survey conducted by the Barna Group found that the idea of evangelization as a kind of cultural aggression seems to have gained acceptance among millennial Christians.

The survey found that 47% of millennials strongly or somewhat agreed with the idea that it is wrong to share ones personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith.

According to Barna, 40% of millennials either strongly or somewhat disagree with the assertion that if someone disagrees with you, it means theyre judging you.

Younger Christians tend to be more personally aware of the cultural temperature around spiritual conversations, Barna stated in an analysis report. Among practicing Christians, Millennials report an average (median) of four close friends or family members who practice a faith other than Christianity.

Sharing the gospel today is made harder than at any time in recent memory by an overall cultural resistance to conversations that highlight peoples differences, Barna concluded.

Previous Barna research demonstrated that 65% of Christian millennials believe that people today are more likely to take offense if they share their faith.

Barron expressed disagreement with the negative view on evangelization.

Serra wanted to share what he quite rightly took to be the most precious gift you could ever give, he said. Thats what his life was about.

In June, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco called the toppling of a Serra statue in the Golden Gate Park the work of Satan.

"This is the activity of the evil one who wants to bring down the Church, who wants to bring down all Christian believers, Serra argued.
Former Married At First Sight star Hayley Vernon has encouraged her social media followers to join her on a protest to defy Victoria's Stage Four draconian lockdown restrictions.

In a series of Instagram Stories on Tuesday, the coronavirus conspiracy theorist passionately spruiked the upcoming event on Saturday, September 5th - which already has tens of thousands of furious Melburnians signed up to protest further lockdown.

The 33-year-old also poked fun at those complying with the state's orders to wear a mask in public and appeared to ridicule the 'unprecedented times' brought on by the virus by boasting about her 'health and fitness.'

Wants her freedom: Former Married At First Sight star Hayley Vernon has encouraged her social media followers to join her on a protest to defy Victoria's Stage Four draconian lockdown restrictions

Speaking in a short clip as she rode her bike maskless, Hayley said: 'We have a lot going on right now. One thing that I'm mega thankful for is my health and fitness.

'Without my health and fitness, I don't know where I would stand mentally during these unprecedented times,' she added with a laugh at the end.

Hayley also advised her followers to join in on a 'Freedom Day' protest, which is scheduled to take part in Melbourne, as well as Australia's other states.

'I'm calling on all activists, SJW's [social justice warriors], BLM protestors, pro life choices, concerned Victorians, anyone! Join the walk in protesting our freedom,' she wrote.

'Calling on all activists!' The coronavirus conspiracy theorist passionately spruiked the upcoming event in a series of screenshots shared to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday

She added the caption: 'In this together Melbourne,' in another reminder post for the protest

'In this together Melbourne,' she added in another reminder post for the protest.

Hayley also shared a short clip from Toy Story where its character Buzz Lightyear dramatically falls to the ground while Woody watches on .

The scene was titled: 'People in public when their mask falls off.'

Hayley - who joined the explicit adult streaming site OnlyFans last month - has been regularly accused of spreading misleading and false information about COVID-19 since it was declared a pandemic in March.

In July, she criticised Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews for making face masks mandatory in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Maskless: Hayley appeared to ridicule the 'unprecedented times' brought on by the virus by boasting about her 'health and fitness'

She said: 'Without my health and fitness, I don't know where I would stand mentally during these unprecedented times'

'Why are we wearing masks? Us people who are healthy,' she wrote on Instagram. 'This as you said "is about curbing behaviour". I'll be dammed if you are going to curb anything about me.'

She continued: 'You are a walking talking oxymoron. I am woke. I will not be wearing a mask. MELBOURNE AND AUSTRALIANS STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS. This is not the time to comply.'

Victoria recorded 70 new cases overnight, down from a peak of more than 700 cases in July when the state's second wave began.

'This still makes me lol': The 33-year-old Melburnian also poked fun at those complying with the state's orders to wear a mask in public

Hayley rose to fame on the 2020 season of Married At First Sight where she was 'married' to David Cannon.

She had tumultuous relationship with David, who infamously used her toothbrush to clean a dirty toilet.

Before her controversial stint on the Channel Nine experiment, Hayley worked in a lucrative finance role but has been earning her living working as a construction labourer since her return to Melbourne.
On a split vote, Lincoln City Council members enacted a sign ban Monday to rein in control of their meetings following several instances this summer that were described as chaotic.

The amended ordinance empowers the council chair to clear the room of spectators if there is a disturbance or disorderly conduct inside chambers or in the lobby outside it and also states that only a person at the podium may address the council during a meeting or post a sign.

Councilwoman Tammy Ward said the council has been accused of not having control of its chambers and being lenient with its rules.

On Aug. 3, Black Lives Matter supporters drummed in the lobby at City Hall between speakers during a city budget hearing. And at a more recent council hearing, mask mandate opponents blurted out statements without being recognized.

Earlier in August, the council heard testimony largely from supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement who opposed the measure.




Haiti - PetroCaribe : Dominican firms reject the accusations of the 3rd report of the CSC/CA





In the third and last report of the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Litigation (CSC/CA) completing the audit of funds spent under the PetroCaribe program https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31571-haiti-flash-the-csc-submits-its-3rd-and-last-report-on-the-use-of-the-petrocaribe-fund.html , two Dominican companies are cited. One of them is Constructora Rofi, owned by Dominican Senator Felix Bautista, the other is Engineering Estrella, of which Baitista is a shareholder. The ratio of 1.066 speaks of favoritism in the awarding of contracts, as well as unjustified disbursements in favor of these companies.



In a statement, Senator Bautista recognizes the right of the Haitian judicial authorities to investigate "how the Petrocaribe funds were invested and to establish the corresponding responsibilities" but he affirms that Rofi dissociates himself from acts of corruption alleged in work contracts in Haiti, made with funds from the PetroCaribe program



He explained that on July 25, 2016, in response to an invitation from the Haitian Senate commission of inquiry, relating to the PetroCaribe funds "all questions have been answered and all the documentation in support of the projects built, delivered and inaugurated by the Haitian state."



In his press release, he explains that out of 14 works attributed to Rofi, 13 have been completed, the only site remaining unfinished is that of the VillaAcceuil, where work is 80% advanced. In addition, he recalls that the Haitian state still owes Rofi more than $50 million, which is delaying the completion of certain works.



Bautista says he regrets that this audit was carried out without giving us the opportunity to present our objections, duly supported by official documents from the Haitian State. "



Finally, he regrets that since 2014 he has sent 11 correspondence to the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation, to the Ministry of Finance and to the Housing and Public Buildings Construction Unit (UCLBP) "in the interest of reconciling accounts and Establish a timeline to complete the work in progress but never received a response.



For its part, the Dominican firm "Ingenieria Estrella" in Haiti clarified that all PetroCaribe contracts were obtained in compliance with the law and that all the works have been completed, inaugurated and are operational.



The company recalls that in no case has it been subjected to pressure or harassment "from any authority in Haiti, where we have worked for 14 years without interruption and have made large investments, because we believe and have confidence in the future of this sister Nation""



Download Report 3 on the management of the Petrocaribe Fund (PDF in French, 1,066 pages, 16Mo) :

https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Troisieme-Rapport-Petrocaribe-Haiti.pdf



Download Report 2 on the management of the Petrocaribe Fund (PDF in French) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/Rapport-final-2-CSCCA_31-mai-2019.pdf



Download Report 1 on the management of the Petrocaribe Fund (PDF in French) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/PETROCARIBE-31-01-2019.pdf



All you need to know about PetroCaribe: https://www.haitilibre.com/article-26121-haiti-flash-tout-ce-qu-il-faut-savoir-sur-l-utilisation-du-fonds-petrocaribe.html



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31571-haiti-flash-the-csc-submits-its-3rd-and-last-report-on-the-use-of-the-petrocaribe-fund.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















[ This book was one of our most anticipated titles of the month. See the full list. ]

Indeed, for all their ill-advised or bungled covert ops  which included coups from Tehran to Guatemala City  it is impossible not to be a little swept up in the spectacle of this bygone era when intrepid individuals actually shaped history, even if it was often for the worse. Anderson quotes an erstwhile ornithologist who had joined the Office of Strategic Services, the C.I.A.s World War II precursor, lamenting the offices breakup once the conflict had ended. Jesus H. Christ, the operative griped, I suppose this means that its back to those goddamned birds.

Some of the people in this book will be familiar to students of C.I.A. and Cold War history. The story of Wisner, the head of the early intelligence apparatuss covert action arm, has been well told many times before. Anderson is at his best, however, when he plows fresh ground  as he does with the story of Sichel, a German emigre who signed on to help the O.S.S. as a special funds officer, trading gold coins on the black market and artificially aging fresh bank notes by stomping on them. Sichel eventually rose to the position of head of C.I.A. operations in Eastern Europe, running agents deep inside Soviet territory.

The problem, Sichel discovered, is that once these infiltrators arrived, they had almost no support system to latch onto. Often the local resistance networks were ephemeral, mere catchment basins for K.G.B. counterintelligence. Sichel came to view these operations as useless at best and immoral at worst. Anderson interviewed Sichel, who is now in his late 90s, eight times, and his story sensitively and dramatically illuminates the practical and moral dilemmas of mid-20th-century spycraft.

Andersons book is a period piece, covering the years 1944 to 1956  but the climate of fear and intolerance that it describes in Washington also feels uncomfortably timely. Even as the fledgling C.I.A. was swiftly expanding its reach in Europe and Asia, domestic enemies were beginning to chip away at its political support at home. Seeing an opportunity to hobble a bureaucratic rival, the F.B.I. director J. Edgar Hoover launched his own covert war against the C.I.A., spreading rumors that Wisner had compromised himself by a relationship with a Romanian princess and relentlessly hounding gay intelligence officers out of the service, a purge that came to be known as the Lavender Scare.

[ Read an excerpt from The Quiet Americans. ]

Both these factors  creeping right-wing hysteria at home and cynical maneuvering abroad  combined to embitter Wisners operators. For a man like Burke  erudite, cultured, liberal, but also engaged in a war where ideas themselves were weapons  it was all enough to call into question just what sort of nation and society he was fighting to defend, Anderson writes. Burke ultimately quit the agency in frustration in 1955 and took a job as general manager of the Ringling Brothers circus. (Youve been training for it all your life, his new boss needled him. You just havent known it.)
Kenosha mayor seeks $30M in aid to rebuild businesses, property destroyed by riots

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The mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin, is seeking $30 million from the state in order to help rebuild and repair businesses and other property destroyed by riots in the week following the police shooting of African-American Jacob Blake.

We are looking for $30 million to help us rebuild, to help us with the uptown, to help us with the downtown, Mayor John Antaramian said at a press conference on Sunday.

This is to help with all the people that have been negatively impacted, that we end up getting them the help that they need to get back on their feet, and to enable us to the things we need to do.

According to Fox6, buildings in uptown and downtown have faced severe damage as fire officials reported that dozens of fires were set in the days following the shooting of Blake. Blake, 29, was shot in the back by a police officer on Aug. 23 during an attempted arrest in which he leaned into his car and had possession of a knife.

Antaramian stated that Kenosha is a safe community with hardworking individuals who are mourning and facing immense tragedy and devastation.

Were asking the state and community partners to help rebuild what was lost and to invest in programs and training for our young people, Antaramian said.

City Public Works Director Shelly Billingsley told local leaders on Monday that damage to city-owned property from the violence is estimated at nearly $2 million so far.

Billingsley gave an overview of what it would take to replace damaged garbage trucks, street lights and other city property destroyed during the unrest.

According to the director, two dump trucks that are also used as snowplows in the winter were also destroyed.

Right now, were estimating between lost equipment, lost street lights, lost traffic signals, and miscellaneous sign damage  were estimating a cost of approximately $1.9 million, she was quoted as saying, according to Kenosha News.

On the first night of the unrest Sunday, an angry mob broke into a car dealership and destroyed vehicles on its lot. Video posted online shows cars engulfed in flames exploding.

The car dealer, Car Source, was reportedly hit again the next day.

Anmol Khindri, a member of the family who owns the dealership, estimates the damage from the violence across the two nights to be more than $2.5 million.

In an interview with Kenosha News, Khindri said that dozens of vehicles were destroyed and argued that authorities did nothing to protect his family business or put out the fires.

Everybody watched it burn to ashes, Khindri claimed. Nobody did nothing about it  nothing.

Khindri explained that the family is not sure what to do next as insurance has not provided any immediate relief.

I have a family to feed, he said. I have 20 other families who have worked for this business over the last eight or nine years.

Through a GoFundMe page, Car Source has raised nearly $30,000 as of Tuesday morning.

According to the fundraising campaign, the company lost 137 cars.

Car Source, a family business burnt down to ashes in a matter of hours due to riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the account reads. Our insurance company is finding their way out so they don't have to pay for all this arson that took place Monday early morning and 2nd time early Tuesday morning.

Many people whose properties have been destroyed in Kenosha and other cities across the country where riots and looting have taken place like Minneapolis or Portland are finding out that their insurance plans may not cover the total cost of the rising demolition costs.

According to the Star-Tribune, some private insurance plans are not coming close to paying the full cost of rebuilding property destroyed in the Minnesota riots following the killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day.

The Ahn family, which owns 7 Mile Fashion in Minneapolis, found that out the hard way. The family estimates that damages sustained to their three stores cost about $2.5 million. However, the family told the newspaper that insurance will cover just $600,000 because their policy was outdated.

The newspaper further reports that although Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz estimates that total losses from the violence in the Twin Cities is over $500 million, insurance companies informed the Minnesota Department of Commerce that they will only cover a maximum of $240 million in riot-related damage.

According to the Star-Tribune, the Lake Street Council, an organization dedicated to helping rebuild the area of Minneapolis, estimated that small businesses will have about $200 million in uninsured losses in the five-mile stretch that sustained the heaviest damage.

The council says it has raised over $10 million and has so far awarded over $5.5 million in grants to local businesses that were damaged following Floyds death. Of those grants, 83% are owned by families or individuals who are black, indigenous, people of color or immigrants.

The Epoch Times reports that several businesses are shifting operations out of downtown Portland, Oregon, or altering plans to open stores there because of the near-nightly unrest that has occurred in the city since May.

The city estimated last month that there was about $4.8 million in property damage to businesses as over 100 fires were set.

In Kenosha, Scott Carpenter, the manager of the B&L Office Furniture, said his familys business had been around for over four decades but sustained devastating damage due to the riots.

He argued in an interview with Fox Business that the violence and looting damage the ongoing racial justice effort.

My message to them is you are defeating ... the protesters' cause, he said. It's just hatefulness. I don't understand where that hate comes in somebody's heart that they want to destroy people's businesses. In my personal opinion, you're going to get further with love than this."

While the peaceful protests in the streets have called for an end to injustice against African Americans, riots and looting throughout the country following the death of Floyd have negatively impacted black-owned businesses.

This includes Jessica McClain, the owner of The Black & White Look Optical eyewear store in Washington, D.C. She said that about 90% of her stores inventory was smashed because of looting in the wake of Floyds death in late May.

They pretty much used bricks and hammers, she told WTOP.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump will visit Kenosha, something that concerns Antaramian.

"Realistically, from our perspective, our preference would have been for him not to be coming at this point in time," Antaramian told NPR on Sunday. "All presidents are always welcome and campaign issues are always going on. But it would have been, I think, better had he waited to have for another time to come."
Built in 1895 in the West Woodlawn neighborhood, Tills home is an important reminder of Chicagos connection to the South and the Civil Rights movement that continues today to seek justice for the Emmett Tills of this nation. The memory of Emmett Till, and the contributions of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley since his death, are essential to telling the story of equity and justice in America, says the final draft of a staff report to the commission.
Since the announcement of the nationwide lockdown in the US due to the COVID-19 virus, the CPG industry has witnessed a dramatic shift in consumer behavior. This has led to uncertainty and losses within the industry. US CPG companies face challenges such as demand-supply inadequacies, extremely high demand for certain SKUs, a substantial decrease in demand for non-essentials, and adapting logistics strategies. Therefore, Infiniti's industry experts analyzed CPG industries in other infected countries and developed an action plan for the US CPG industry to combat COVID-19 successfully.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005853/en/

Minimizing the Business Impact of COVID-19 in the US CPG Industry: Three Key Strategies (Graphic: Business Wire)

For solutions to successfully combat the business impact of COVID-19, overcome supply chain challenges, and adapt to the new normal in the US CPG industry, request a free proposal.

"As the COVID-19 situation unfolds across the globe, it presents new operational and leadership challenges for CPG companies. As a result of the crisis, there is a seismic shift in the way consumers shop and what they shop for, creating new CPG industry challenges," says a CPG industry expert at Infiniti Research.

The COVID-19 pandemic blindsided the world, and it has continued to take its toll as it spreads. The CPG industry is one of the most impacted industries by COVID-19 in the United States. The pandemic has influenced and changed consumer behavior drastically. There has been a sharp decline in demand for non-essential items, and a surge in stocking, and hoarding of certain essential items, which has been highly challenging for the CPG industry. This has led to a need for appropriate demand-supply management, an action plan to increase logistics flexibility, and adjustment of existing strategies to the new norm. Infiniti's research experts analyzed the CPG industry trends in various markets and have compiled an ideal action plan for the US CPG industry to combat COVID-19. In their recent article, Infiniti's experts discuss important lessons from other infected countries and three key strategies to combat COVID-19 in the US CPG industry.

Struggling to recover from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US CPG Industry? To learn how Infiniti Research can help US CPG companies efficiently combat COVID-19 and adapt to the new normal, request more information.

Infiniti's experts discussed the following three key strategies to successfully combatting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US CPG industry:

Defining a contingency plan to ensure supply continuity, determining the weakest links in a company's supply chain, and developing strategies to address these issues is a priority.

Building logistics flexibility by familiarizing oneself with COVID-19 hotspots, and revamping existing logistic and transportation plans is essential.

Making account managers available to address and resolve pain points and bottlenecks for customers is vital for CPG companies during this crisis.

Gain comprehensive insights into the three key strategies to combatting COVID-19 in the US CPG industry by reading the complete article here.

About Infiniti Research

Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us.

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman wanted to make a deal for the best starting pitcher on the market, so he called Indians GM Mike Chernoff to see what the asking price was for ace right-hander Mike Clevinger.

According to SYNs Andy Martino, the Indians insisted any deal must include two of the three: Yankees No. 1 pitching prospect Clarke Schmidt, No. 2 pitching prospect Deivi Garcia and outfielder Clint Frazier.

Cashman said all three were untouchable, then checked in with Texas Rangers GM Jon Daniels, who was shopping the second-best starter on the market.

Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

Daniels asking price for right-hander Lance Lynn was the same as Clevelands. He named the three Yankees untouchables and said that he had to have two of them in any deal.

As the days and hours led up to Mondays 4 p.m., trade deadline, Cashman had more talks with the Indians and Rangers.

Nobody budged.

Clevinger ended up going to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster in which the Indians received three promising major leaguers and three elite prospects, Lynn wasnt traded, and the Yankees didnt make any deals.

Although disappointed, Cashman feels that he did the right thing not giving up parts that he wanted to keep even for Clevinger, who cant become a free agent until after the 2022 season, or Lynn, who is under contract for 2021 at a team-friendly $8 million.

The bottom line is the matches and trying to come up with some something that we felt was sensible versus something that we couldnt live with, Cashman said. Im very comfortable not doing what was being asked of us, but youve got to go through those motions.

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Chinese Communist Party leaders regard human beings as more or less useful pawns in a political game. They reject Western liberal ideas concerning the rights of the individual and the independence of the judicial system.

Taking hostages to be used as leverage in an international dispute is a weapon in the CCPs armoury. No one doubts that Beijing was engaged in hostage diplomacy when it seized Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. It wants a swap.

We dont know the reason for the detention of Australian journalist Cheng Lei. It may be unrelated to the current strains between the two countries  unlike the arrest last year of Australian writer and activist Yang Hengjun, which appeared to be politically motivated.

Nevertheless, Australian and international media have all viewed Chengs arrest through the lens of the diplomatic tensions. Is Beijing sending Canberra a message? After trade embargoes, cyberattacks and tourist curbs, is this another move in Beijings campaign of political pressure after the Morrison government called for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19?
The trade war between China and Australia has escalated after the communist nation slapped a ban on our biggest grain exporter after disputed claims pests were found in multiple shipments.

The move comes a day after the Australian government confirmed TV anchor Cheng Lei was arrested in China on August 14, and has been in custody since.

West Australian grain handler CBH vowed to fight the 'extremely disappointing' decision, which appears to be the latest trade strike fuelled by diplomatic tensions.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said the federal government wanted to get to the bottom of the situation.

'We do respect the fact that China - like any other country would, like we would - has got quarantine inspection arrangements,' he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.

China has escalated its trade war with Australia by banning a top grain exporter from sending barley to the nation after disputed claims pests were found in multiple shipments

China's customs department confirmed the decision on Tuesday, saying quarantine pests were found in CBH barley exports multiple times. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping

'We will be working with the company once we are aware of all the facts to make the appropriate representations.'

China's customs department confirmed the decision on Tuesday, saying quarantine pests were found in CBH barley exports multiple times.

But the grain cooperative insists there is no evidence to support the claim.

'CBH is therefore extremely disappointed the suspension has been put in place and will continue to work with the Australian government to challenge the suspension,' the exporter said.

Australia's export markets in 2019 1. China: $135 billion (33% of total Australian exports) 2. Japan: $36 billion (9%) 3. South Korea: $21 billion (5%) 4. United Kingdom: $16 billion (3.8%) 5. United States: $15 billion (3.7%) Source: Worldstopexports.com Advertisement

Australian farmers were already effectively blocked from exporting barley to China, which imposed tariffs of 80.5 per cent on the commodity in June.

Senator Cormann said CBH had a great track record, but declined to speculate if diplomatic issues had sparked the ban.

'The truth is, Australia's grain products, Australia's barley products, are highly regarded all around the world,' he said.

'If there is less opportunity to export high-quality Australian grain into China there will be more opportunity to export grain into other markets around the world.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a constitutional power play last week, signalling the Commonwealth would gain veto power over state government agreements with foreign nations.

The beefed-up powers would allow the foreign minister to pulp Victoria's belt and road initiative agreement with Beijing.

China's deputy ambassador Wang Xining has revealed the depth of anger towards Australia over its push for an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus.

Grain traders have said while the CBH suspension will have limited impact, it signals a further deterioration in the Australia-China relationship.

China's move will only further increase tensions between the two nations after Ms Lei, a prominent television anchor on the Chinese government's English-language network CGTN, was arrested on August 14.

Her family is seeking legal counsel as Australian consular staff offer assistance.

Geoff Raby, a former ambassador to China who runs a consultancy firm in Beijing, is a close friend of Cheng.

'Everyone in her circle is just astounded this has happened,' he told ABC radio on Tuesday.

'Cheng Lei is a very skilful operator. She knows where the limits on public comment are in that sort of system. She understands how it works, she is pragmatic and hard-headed.

'It is very hard to see where the sensitivity is and where she may have overstepped any red lines around political sensitivities in China.'

Mr Raby said Cheng did a slightly sardonic recent piece on coronavirus, but it was scarcely enough to rankle authorities in Beijing.

Cheng Lei, a prominent television anchor on the Chinese government's English-language network CGTN, has been in custody since August 14

Cheng reportedly did a slightly sardonic recent piece on coronavirus, but it was scarcely enough to rankle authorities in Beijing

He described her as an objective and balanced journalist who would argue from China's corner in private conversations.

China is Australia's largest trading partner, but the relationship has been heavily strained by disputes over COVID-19, territorial claims in the South China Sea and Beijing's security crackdown on Hong Kong.

China recently imposed tariffs on Australian barley, suspended some beef imports and warned students and tourists it was not safe to travel to Australia because of allegations of racism.

The nation launched anti-dumping investigations into Australian wine and suspended beef imports from five Queensland abattoirs.

In May China announced an 80.5 per cent levy on barley exports. The tax will remain in place for five years.

The tariff is set to cripple Australia's drought-affected grain farmers.

Australian farmers were already effectively blocked from exporting barley to China, which imposed tariffs of 80.5 per cent on the commodity in June

Australia is the biggest barley supplier to China, exporting about A$1.5 billion to A$2 billion worth a year, which is more than half its exports.

Last month China launched an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wine.

The inquiry will look into whether Australian winemakers dumped cheap bottles of wine into China over a five-year period, drowning out local producers.

Trade Minister Simon Birmingham described confirmation of the inquiry as 'a very disappointing and perplexing development'.

'Australian wine is not sold at below market prices and exports are not subsidised,' Senator Birmingham said.

'Australia will engage fully with the Chinese process to strongly argue the case that there are no grounds to uphold the claims being made.'

Agriculture Minister David Littleproud also flatly rejected the dumping allegations.

Shares in Treasury Wine Estates slumped more than 13 per cent as news of the investigation emerged, and have since been halted from trading on the Australian Stock Exchange.

TWE, which imports premium brands such as Penfolds into China, said it would co-operate with the investigation.
KENOSHA, Wis.: Defying requests to stay away, President Donald Trump arrived in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday to highlight his law and order" re-election campaign theme in a city upended by protests after the shooting of a Black man by a white police officer.

Opinion polls show the Republican president narrowing the gap with the front-running Democrat, former vice president Joe Biden, amid ongoing protests over racial injustice and the resulting violence.

Trumps trip to Wisconsin, a political battleground state that he won narrowly in 2016, gives him a chance to emphasize his police-friendly pitch in a state he hopes to keep in his column in the Nov. 3 election.

The states governor and the citys mayor both urged Trump to avoid Kenosha to prevent inflaming tensions and allow citizens to heal.

But the president dismissed their appeals, choosing to visit one of the flashpoint cities where anti-racist demonstrators have clashed with Trump supporters who have converged on protest sites, sometimes openly carrying arms while vowing to protect property from looters.

After landing at an airport in neighboring Illinois, Trump and his motorcade passed groups of onlookers, mixed with people carrying signs of support for him and others carrying signs with Black Lives Matter written in big letters. At one intersection, police in riot gear stood in a row blocking traffic, with no disturbances visible.

A 17-year-old Trump supporter has been charged with killing two people and wounding another with a semi-automatic rifle in Kenosha. Trump defended the white teenager, who faces six criminal counts, and declined to condemn violence from his supporters.

But in Portland, Oregon, site of three months of nightly protests that have often turned violent, a Trump supporter was shot dead on Saturday and the president lamented that they executed a man in the street."

One of the reasons Im making the trip today and going to Wisconsin is weve had such a big success and shutting down what would be right now a city - that would have been Kenosha - a city that would have been burned to the ground by now," Trump said before departing Washington.

LAW AND ORDER

The president takes credit for restoring peace in Kenosha since National Guard and federal law enforcement reinforcements were sent in. Although Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers called in more National Guard troops on his own authority, Trump sent in about 200 federal law enforcement officials.

Kellyanne Conway, a Trump adviser until Monday, said last week the president stood to benefit politically from the kind of unrest that erupted in Kenosha.

Trumps law and order" message appeals to his base of white supporters.

Meanwhile he has largely overlooked the racial wounds caused by police use of force and plays down the more than 180,000 U.S. deaths from the coronavirus pandemic.

At last weeks Republican National Convention Trump portrayed Biden as a leader whose policies would create further chaos in the streets, trying to link Biden to vandals and left-leaning, violent activists.

Biden has responded by calling for rioters and looters to be prosecuted while saying Trump himself was stoking the violence with divisive rhetoric, calling the president too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it."

Peaceful demonstrators have complained that violent agitators, often white, have hijacked their protests with property damage.

Trump did attempt to arrange a meeting with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man partly paralyzed after a police officer shot him in the back, by going through the pastor of Blakes mother, according to Blake family lawyers.

Trump said in the end he would not meet with Blakes relatives because of a request that lawyers be involved.

Trumps trip has increased expectations that Biden would also visit Kenosha. Bidens campaign has said he will soon go to Wisconsin, where he has a lead in the polls, but has not disclosed 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
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday ordered Kenya's health ministry to publish details of all purchases made during the coronavirus pandemic following allegations government officials stole millions of dollars of vital medical supplies.

The directive applies particularly to tenders issued by the state-run Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA), at the centre of a growing scandal that has prompted strikes at ill-equipped hospitals and street protests.

KEMSA is under fire over allegations government officials and businessmen pilfered $400 million in public money earmarked for medical equipment needed in the fight against coronavirus.

Kenyatta last week instructed the anti-corruption commission to expedite its investigation into KEMSA, which is responsible for supplying Kenya's overwhelmed hospitals treating coronavirus patients. KEMSA's CEO and other top officials have been stood down.

Kenyatta also said the health ministry had 30 days to develop a "transparent" system so that KEMSA's procurement processes could be published online.

"This level of transparency and through the use of technology, will go a very along way in ensuring that we have the confidence of our people that those placed in institutions are able to manage the resources of the Kenyan taxpayer plus our development partners in an open and transparent manner," the president said in a statement.

Medical staff among virus victims

Frontline health workers have been among the 577 to die from coronavirus in Kenya since the first case was detected in March. They include a 32-year-old nurse who succumbed to the disease two weeks after giving birth to her child.

Medical staff dealing with coronavirus patients have complained about the quality of supplies, with some posting images online of defective personal protective equipment sent to emergency rooms across the country.

Doctors in public hospitals went on strike this month, not long after a television investigation alleged massive graft at KEMSA, sparking anti-corruption protests in several Kenyan cities. Police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Nairobi last week.

The KEMSA scandal came after Kenyan investigators vowed a separate inquiry into the alleged theft of PPE supplies donated by Chinese billionaire and Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

The allegations of graft and misappropriation surfaced as new infections of Covid-19 soared across Kenya, though numbers have dipped in recent weeks.

Government officials have expressed optimism about the downward trend but WHO Kenya urged caution in a note Monday, warning that overall testing and contact tracing had also declined over the same period.

The East African country had recorded 34,201 cases as of Monday.
A logistics warehouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, reported as about to be closed is actually being sold by APL Logistics to an unidentified buyer.

The confusion that developed around the closure/sale is based on APL's submission of a WARN letter with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development last week, the subject of which is "Notice of APO Logistics' Kenosha Facility Closure." WARN, or Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, notices are required by states in advance of closures or cutbacks.

A news report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the WARN letter and the "closure," and that story was linked to in a widely read Wall Street Journal feature on logistics.

The result? A spokesman for intermodal freight forwarder APL, Thad Bedard, the company's vice president of strategy, told FreightWaves that he has received multiple calls about the fate of the facility.

It isn't hard to see why. The wording in the WARN notice says nothing about the facility being sold. "The entire facility will close, and the closure is expected to be permanent," the Thursday letter says. "The expected last date of employment at the Kenosha facility will be October 31, 2020, with all employment separations taking place on that date. All affected employees have been notified of their separation dates and that their separation from employment will be permanent."

But Bedard said the warehouse is not closing. Technically, the workers there are being laid off by APL as it sells the facility to the unidentified 3PL. The spokesman added that APL at present expects "most" of the workers at the warehouse to be hired by the new owners but the process requires APL to file a WARN notice with the state.

There were 86 positions at the facility identified in the letter as being affected by the "closure."

APL is an international freight forwarder with extensive oceangoing and rail services. It's part of Japan's KWE group.

Story continues

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 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Boat-ed is offering an online Massachusetts Boating Safety Course starting September 1, 2020. For the first time, Massachusetts waives the in-person classroom time required for students to earn their boating safety certificate.

Massachusetts traditional certification process includes 10-12 hours of in-class learning. In-class learning for the boating safety course was divided into five to six two-hour classes. This in-class time can now be taken online from your own home. Massachusetts does require an in-person proctored final exam.

Boat-ed is a longtime state partner, offering online solutions for state-regulated courses. Our Massachusetts Environmental Police approved course offers live-action, high definition videos, comprehensive instruction, and is designed to work on any device. We are proud to provide the state of Massachusetts the ability to provide their students online learning.

This online course will fulfill all course requirements. Upon satisfactory completion of the course the final exam can be scheduled here.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 19:06:53|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 11 people, mostly military personnel, were killed in the overnight Israeli missile strikes on the capital Damascus and Daraa province in southern Syria, a war monitor reported on Tuesday.

The death toll includes three Syrian soldiers, seven pro-Iran fighters, and one civilian, who were killed in the Israeli strikes that targeted a camp for pro-Iran fighters near the international airport of Damascus, and in the al-Kiswah area south of Damascus as well as the air defense battalion in Daraa, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

On the previous night, state news agency SANA said two Syrian soldiers were killed and seven others were wounded by an Israeli missile attack that targeted military sites south of the capital Damascus.

Citing a military statement, the report said the attack was carried out from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It added that the Syrian air defenses intercepted most of the missiles before reaching their targets.

Throughout the Syrian crisis, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, as well as convoys transporting weapons to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia allegedly backed by Iran. Enditem
Breonna Taylor, painted by Amy Sherald for the cover of September's Vanity Fair. (Amy Sherald / Vanity Fair)

Scrubs.

Thats the word that came immediately to mind when I first saw the remarkable cover to the remarkable September issue of Vanity Fair, whose guest editor, the formidable Ta-Nehisi Coates, takes devastating aim at the systematic depredations wrought by a persistent American culture of white supremacy.

Scrubs are the spotless clothes worn by doctors, nurses and other medical professionals in the hospital, in order to protect their endangered patients. Twenty-six-year-old Breonna Taylor, the magazines posthumous cover subject, was an emergency room technician with plans to become a nurse, fulfilling a long-standing interest in medicine. She was shot to death in March in the hallway of her Louisville, Ky., apartment after three policemen broke in with a battering ram, unannounced, and opened fire.

Taylor was fatally struck by five bullets. One policeman has been fired, but no arrests have yet been made.

On the magazines cover, the young Black woman is not shown wearing scrubs. She's dressed instead as if for a red carpet arrival  a long evening dress  in keeping with the magazine's celebrity image. Painter Amy Sherald has saturated the life-size portrait in medium blue tones, with undercurrents of green. Scrubs come in many colors, but blue or green is a standard. (In Louisville, blue is the color of the uniform worn by an EMT.) A fatal sickness runs rampant across the land, and an emergency worker has arrived.

In Sheralds painting, deep azure describes the solid hue of Taylors long, flowing dress, cinched at the waist, its full skirt stylishly slit up to the thigh. (The dress designer was Atlanta-based Jasmine Elder, although the painter added the slit.) The V-neck of its bodice frames her face, while her body, slightly turned toward a three-quarter pose, lets the V rhyme with the cut of the loose, short sleeves.

The color fans out to encompass the background too. A flat, uninterrupted expanse, like a clear blue sky, constructs a celestial atmosphere. The composition couldn't be more different from the pleasant if pedestrian illustration of Taylor by Alexis Franklin that bumped Oprah Winfrey from the cover of O for the first time in that magazine's 20-year history.

Story continues

Sherald, a Baltimore-based artist, is best known for her official portrait of Michelle Obama now in the National Portrait Gallery. The dress is important in that painting, too, its geometric patterns splashed on a white background suggesting both the famous quilt designs produced by generations of African American women in the Alabama hamlet of Gees Bend and the radical 1920s textiles of pioneering German Bauhaus artist Anni Albers.

The first lady, like Taylor, is also seated against a clear blue ground. The mountainous volume of her white dress makes her virtually an Olympian figure.

Michelle Obama's portrait by Amy Sherald. (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution )

In the magazine, the painter tells mens fashion editor Miles Pope that she added details specific to Taylors life to her portrait, which necessarily relied on photographs of a woman she could not meet. A small gold cross hangs from a slender gold chain around her neck. The discreet engagement ring on her left hand signals for posterity the once planned, now never-to-be-delivered marriage proposal from Kenneth Walker, who was with her the night she was slain.

Taylors visual address to a viewer is direct and unflinching  right hand on hip, gaze serious, eyes firmly fixed. She looks at you, looking at her. Her rich, brown skin has been grayed, the painters trademark device for excluding the idea of color as race.

The result is powerful  Breonna Taylor rendered as a Nike, a fierce icon of victory. Has Vanity Fair ever before published a posthumous cover subject? In our conflicted moment of social unrest, the characterization is fully fitting for a magazine whose cover is otherwise best known as a commercially minded celebrity marketing tool.

Is the cover merely performative? A virtue signal, unashamedly flagged for commercial gain rather than a genuine expression of shifting social consciousness?

Perhaps it is both. Vanity Fair, after all, is an imprint that had been dead for nearly 50 years when suddenly it was revived with the glitzy 1981 launch of the Reagan administration. The fit was seamless. That cruel era of aristocratic conservatism has had generational consequences, which only now are in the throes of unraveling on the nations streets.

Artists as a class are regularly ignored in American life, unless a high net worth serves as a functional framing device. But the Coates-edited issue of the magazine engages compelling work by several notable Black artists, including LaToya Ruby Frazier, Deana Lawson and Hank Willis Thomas.

What Sheralds life-size Taylor painting might look like when eventually encountered in person, rather than on the front of the publication for which it was designed, remains to be seen. Louisvilles Speed Art Museum, which has shown Sherald's work in the past, has approached the artist about exhibiting the portrait in Taylor's hometown.

But for Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Botham Jean, Elijah McClain, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Amadou Diallo, Heather Heyer, George Floyd, Corey Jones, Laquan McDonald, the Cheyenne and Arapaho, Malice Green and Eleanor Bumpurs  the partial catalog of people murdered in the dark shadow of systemic white racism named in Coates searing introductory essay  it seems a grim but suitable cover. In this time of mass death, the visual invocation of scrubs, accidental or not, is one reason why. The emergency is real.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was friends with first lady Melania Trump for more than a decade, and while she briefly served in the White House as an adviser, she is now spending her time working with "three different prosecutors" who are looking into whether any financial crimes were committed during the planning and execution of President Trump's 2017 inauguration.

Winston Wolkoff writes about her relationship with the Trump family in her new book, Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady, out Tuesday. In an interview with ABC News that aired Monday, Winston Wolkoff said she is working with the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York and the attorneys general in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. as they probe the inauguration. "It's taken over my life," she added.

The inaugural committee spent a record $104 million on Trump's inauguration. In 2018, The New York Times reported that Winston Wolkoff's event-planning firm received more than $26 million from the committee; she told ABC News most of the money was transferred to another company that produced multiple inaugural events. This article turned her into "the cover girl for the inauguration shenanigans," she said, and when she appealed to Trump for help, the first lady refused to help Winston Wolkoff clear her name.

Trump's spokesperson told the Times she had "no involvement" with the inaugural committee and "had no knowledge of how funds were spent." This, Winston Wolkoff writes in her book, was "complete and utter horses--t." Winston Wolkoff said Trump personally approved several pricey expenditures, including $130,000 Tiffany crystal bowls that were given to inaugural dinner guests. Winston Wolkoff told ABC News that after the inauguration, she took a close look at the bills, and was shocked when she saw "a tree you could buy for $10 was $1,000, or a stage that would cost $100,000 was $1 million." Read more about the extravagant inauguration and Winston Wolkoff's roll in it at ABC News.

More stories from theweek.com

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60 percent of Americans say federal government's coronavirus response is making the pandemic worse

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Beavertown reveals plans for London's largest brewery

London's Beavertown Brewery has announced plans to build the English capital's largest brewery - billed as the brand's "forever home".

'Beaverworld', a project eight years in the making, will be located on a six-acre plot of land in Ponders End, Enfield and is expected to create up to 150 jobs in the local north London area.

The larger site will allow the brewery to deliver 90,000,000 pints annually - 10 times more than at its previous Tottenham location - to meet increasing demand for Beavertown's beers. Building plans include space for a state-of-the-art brewhouse, packaging space, warehouse, logistics hub and offices.

The expansion comes after Heineken purchased a minority stake in Beavertown Brewery in 2018, with 40 million going to fund the new brewery. The company has also been working on growing its core range of beers with new products such as Nanobot.

Beavertown Brewery founder Logan Plant said: "Beaverworld has been a long time in the making and we're thrilled that we've now started brewing on site in Enfield. We're confident that with Beaverworld, we have created a quality-driven brewery with passion and love for the craft at its core. Beaverworld is the answer to our dream of getting more Beavertown in the hands of the masses and we could not be more excited that it's now up and running. With Beaverworld we're expecting to create our own lasting legacy."

1 September 2020 - Bethany Whymark
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:

Representatives of the Electrical and Electronics Association of Malaysia (TEEAM) and Uzeltekhsanoat Association discussed reforms to develop and support enterprises operating in the electrical industry, as well as plans to create related cluster in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Trend reports via Dunyo information agency.

TEEAM International Cooperation Director Suresh Kumar shared information about the Malaysian experience in the development of this industry, the opportunities created by the host country to conduct research work, including jointly with foreign specialized institutes, special zones to support manufacturers of electrical products.

Kumar highlighted the importance of the development of smart technologies and the introduction of energy-efficient equipment in all industries, which will undoubtedly contribute to ensuring the competitiveness of the industrial sector of Uzbekistans economy.

Following the negotiations, it was agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding between the parties to identify specific areas of cooperation and getting detailed information on the Malaysian experience in creating clusters, including on the example of the Penang Science Cluster

It was also agreed to establish cooperation to promote Uzbek electrical products, including smart meters for electricity, transformers in the Malaysian market through TEEAM member companies, as well as to consider the possibility of organizing joint projects to create production in this direction by attracting Malaysian technologies to Uzbekistan.

Founded in 1952, TEEAM is engaged in the development of the electrical industry in Malaysia and unites 1,700 enterprises.
Business leaders warn of further lay-offs from today as employers are forced to contribute to the wages of furloughed staff for the first time.

The Government will reduce its contribution to 70 per cent of wages up to 2,500 per month, down from 80 per cent.

Firms will have to top up salaries to 80 per cent, and continue to pay national insurance contributions and pension contributions.

Business leaders now say that the Chancellor's job retention bonuses will not stop them from laying off staff.

Rishi Sunak is offering employers a 1,000 grant for every furloughed employee they keep on when the job retention scheme winds down at the end of October.

Rishi Sunak is offering employers a 1,000 grant for every furloughed employee they keep on when the job retention scheme winds down at the end of October

Business leaders now say that the Chancellor's job retention bonuses will not stop them from laying off staff (pictured: Empty streets around the City of London, August 28)

But fewer than one in five business leaders who have furloughed staff say these payouts will actually help them keep hold of their workers, according to a poll carried out by the Institute of Directors.

And just 3 per cent said they will have a 'substantial effect' on their ability to retain workers.

Just over half the 730 business directors who took part in an IoD poll said they were confident about being able to start contributing to the wages of furloughed staff.

But 28 per cent said that they were pessimistic about being able to meet these additional costs.

Tej Parikh, chief economist at the IoD, said: 'As the furlough scheme winds down, job losses are starting to mount.

'The job retention bonus is just a sticking plaster, and is unlikely to give many businesses the support needed to retain staff.'

The IoD's hard-hitting intervention came as accountancy giant KPMG warned that the UK economy is unlikely to recover until early 2023 as it slashed its growth forecasts.

It now expects the economy to shrink by 10.3 per cent this year, compared with the 7.2 per cent fall it predicted in June.

With the Treasury considering plans to raise corporation tax from 19 per cent to 24 per cent to help pay for the Covid crisis, the IoD described the job retention bonus as a 'sticking plaster' and urged Sunak to cut taxes including employer's national insurance contributions to prevent a 'surge in unemployment'.

An audit by the Mail has revealed that top British firms have already announced plans to lay off more than a quarter of a million workers since the Covid crisis began.
When it became obvious that the Titanic was not going to survive its tragic collision with the iceberg in the North Atlantic, those in positions of authority started to do the human triage necessary in emergencies. Who would be saved, who would perish, and who would be empowered with those i
Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib on Monday called for the formation of a new government in record time and the immediate implementation of reforms as an entry point for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Adib, a relatively unknown 48-year-old former ambassador to Germany and close aide to former prime minister Najib Mikati, had received backing from the country's Sunni Muslim political heavyweights, including the Future Movement party headed by former premier Saad Hariri.

In a televised speech after his nomination, Adib vowed to swiftly launch a reformist government and seek international financial assistance after the August 4 Beirut blast deepened the country's political and economic crisis. "The opportunity for our country is small," Adib said after he was formally designated by Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

Under the country's multi-confessional political system, the prime minister must be a Sunni, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian and the post of parliamentary speaker goes to a Shiite.

Lebanon has experienced political shake-ups in the past, including the nomination of outgoing prime minister, Hassan Diab after Hariris resignation in October following mass protests sparked by the countrys crippling financial crisis.

This time, the power equations were slightly different, explained FRANCE 24s Leila Molana-Allen, reporting from Beirut before Adib was officially named as premier. Last time, Hassan Diab was chosen by the two main parliamentary blocs, who are the Hezbollah-Amal Shia alliance and the FPM [Free Patriot Movement], the Christian party that President Aoun comes from. This time, previous Sunni prime ministers came out and said they have chosen Mr. Adib, in addition to the Shiite bloc, explained Molana-Allen. So at least he has a more united bloc on both sides of parliament who support him.

Adib holds a PhD in political science and taught at a Lebanese university before being named in 2013 as Lebanon's ambassador in Germany.

Story continues

A country in a deep crisis

The announcement of Adib's premiership followed contacts by French President Emmanuel Macron over the past 48 hours to press Lebanese leaders to agree on a candidate, according to local media reports.

Last week, contacts among Lebanese leaders to agree a new prime minister were deadlocked.

The previous government led by Diab quit on August 10 following the devastating Beirut port blasts in which a massive amount of unsafely stored chemicals detonated.

That disaster came amid the country's worst economic crisis in decades as well as the coronavirus outbreak and at a time of widespread popular discontent with Lebanon's entire political class.

Those who have taken to the streets in mass protests since October 17 against the politicians they deem corrupt and inept have already rejected any name that might emerge from the parliamentary consultations.

Macron notes 'constraints of a confessional system'

Macron arrives in Lebanon late Monday for his second visit since the Beirut blasts.

A French presidency source said Macron had been in contact by phone with the main protagonists on Saturday and Sunday.

On Friday, Macron spoke of the "constraints of a confessional system" in a country populated by Christians, Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

"If we let Lebanon go in the region and if we somehow leave it in the hands of the depravity of regional powers, it will be civil war," Macron said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
The two private school associations in the country have expressed their disappointment at the decision of the government to reopen schools for junior high school (JHS) Two students.



The associations  the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) and the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS)  said they were disappointed by the decision when a 10-member committee set up by the Minister of Education had not completed its work to consider the suggestions of the various stakeholders.



They said they were going to propose a number of suggestions, including the redesigning of a new academic calendar that would have catered for the time lost in the old (2019-2020 academic year) calendar, instead of continuing with it.



But, in a quick reaction, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has explained that the Presidents decision placed emphasis more on protecting lives than livelihoods.



The President, after considering all the options available to him for concluding the current academic year, decided that kindergarten (KG), primary, JHS One and senior high school (SHS) One students will not return, the GES said.



Disappointment



The Executive Secretary of GNACOPS, Mr Enoch Kwesi Gyetuah, and the National Organiser of GNAPS, Mr Ezra Datnanyi, gave their reactions in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic yesterday after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had announced last Sunday that JHS Two and SHS Two students would go to school in October.



However, some members of three teacher unions  the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers (CCT)  said they were ready to teach, provided all the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) safety protocols were in place.



Re-opening



In his 16th address to the nation last Sunday, the President said the decision had been taken by the GES, after consultations with the relevant stakeholders, for SHS and JHS Two students to return to school from October 4 to December 14, 2020, to complete the academic year.



He said, among other things, that with JHSs operating with class sizes of 30 and SHSs with class sizes of 25, SHS Two and JHS Two students would be in school for 10 weeks to study and write their end-of-term examinations.



He said the GES, after further consultations, had decided to postpone the remainder of the academic year for all nursery, kindergarten, primary, JHS One and SHS One students, adding that the next academic year would resume in January 2021, with appropriate adjustments made to the curriculum to ensure that nothing was lost from the previous year.



Already, final-year JHS and SHS students are in school. While SHS students are writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), their counterparts in JHS are preparing for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).



All schools in the country were closed on March 15 as part of the governments intervention to stop the further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic after the first case was recorded.



GNACOPS



Mr Gyetuah said it was necessary that the academic calendar be redesigned, in consultation with the relevant stakeholders and not by the GES alone.



It should not be the GES alone taking the decision because it contributes 59 per cent of the educational needs, with the private schools contributing 49 per cent at the pre-tertiary level. The GES should not be the only body that should come out and tell us everything; there should be some consultations, he said, asking: We are unhappy because if they are going to school to write examination, what are they (JHS 2 students) going to write the examination for?



He said with the proposal for the redesigning of the academic year, what had been lost in the old academic year would be fused into the activities of the new one, so that students could have a longer period in school.



For instance, in the first term if we are supposed to spend 15 weeks, we can spend about 19 weeks, and then in the second term add a week or two to the stipulated period. With this, the whole academic calendar would be packed in such a way that students can study and then recover whatever has been lost, he said.



Rationale



Mr Gyetuah questioned the rationale for going to school to write an examination which was an internal one.



In addition to starting a new academic calendar with the promotion of students and the extension of the academic term to cover lost periods, he proposed another scenario that could have been considered  using September to December for piloting to work on the psychological demands of the children.



In that instance, he explained, JHS students would be allowed to go to school in September and then be joined by Upper Primary pupils in October and then Lower Primary pupils in November, and so on.



With that, we will see how things will be and put in place the necessary measures to deal with whatever issues that may come out of this.



When this happens, you ease the burden on parents, school authorities and teachers. All of these will be done with all the COVID-19 safety protocols in place, he indicated.



GNAPS



Mr Datnanyi, for his part, said private schools had hoped that the President would allow schools to reopen in September to help alleviate the financial stress they had gone through since March.



Private schools are the worst hit in the COVID-19 period because they have not been able to pay their teachers, unlike public school teachers who are still being paid by the government, although they are not working.



Our hope was that the President would exempt nursery and kindergarten pupils and ask all others, from Class One to JHS Two, to go back to school in September or October, so that we can get some money to run our schools and pay teachers, he said.



Moreover, he said, private schools were yet to receive part of the stimulus package announced by the government.



So on Sunday, August 30, we the private schools were disappointed by the announcement that only JHS Two students would be returning to school on October 5, he indicated.

GES reacts

However, the Deputy Director-General of the GES in charge of Quality and Access, Dr Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, explained that the decision of the President was based on protecting lives first, then livelihoods.



The President, after considering all the options available to him for concluding the current academic year, decided that KG/Primary/JHS One and SHS One students will not return.



We need to consider the fact that the President has thought through the fact that asking little children in KG and Primary to social distance and wear masks will be difficult. Putting the reopening of the new academic year in January allows for proper planning and multiple scenario considerations. The President has made a decision based on the safety of children, he said.



He said some private schools conducted online classes to complete the third term and that was laudable, adding that they can continue with online classes during this period until January 2021 when the new academic year will begin.



We know that private schools have livelihoods to protect, but at the same time we have a responsibility to protect lives, and they should understand that the Presidents decisions are based on the safety of the children first, Dr Tandoh further explained.



The President has taken a decision not to endanger children, he said, insisting that the representative of private schools was aware of the conversation around the reopening of schools in January.



Regarding the planning of the new academic year, we will continue to engage all stakeholders, including teacher unions, parents, private schools and on-state actors in the educational sector, he added.

Source: Graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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An Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance report that alerted India about a China move in

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 01: A Brigade Commander level Flag meeting of India and China would continue today.

Sources tell OneIndia that the meeting that was held on Monday was a stormy one. However both sides decided to continue talks today as well. The meeting took place after several calls on the hotline were made by both sides.

This came in the backdrop of a provocative military movement by the Peoples Liberation Army. This attempt was however blocked by the Indian troops at Pangong Tso on Saturday.

The source cited above said that there was no scuffle or contact. The source further added that the Indian troops moved in to occupy the dominating heights on its side of the Line of Actual Control on Saturday on the South Bank of Pangong Tso. This was done after the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance reports suggested that the PLA was attempting move in to occupy the same area.

'Taking countermeasures', says China after India repels its troops

The Chinese have claimed these heights as theirs. The move by the PLA was foreclosed by our soldiers. They had attempted to change the realities on the ground by intruding into our territory on the southern bank of Pangong Tso. There was no question of a casualty as there was no violent clash a source told OneIndia.

"The PLA violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," a statement from the Army said.

"Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground. The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity," the statement also added.

There is however no official word as yet on the brigade commander level flag meeting being held between the two sides at Chushul to resolve the issue.

China on the other hand has shown no sign of disengaging from the troop confrontation. It continues to build roads, bridges, helipads and other military infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control.

India on the other hand has matched the PLA build up and deployed tanks, artillery, surface to air missile batteries and other heavy weaponry.
Boris Johnson last night came under pressure to put Greece on the UK's quarantine list after Scotland and Wales imposed restrictions on Britons returning from the holiday hotspot.

Nicola Sturgeon's government is mandating two weeks of self-isolation for anyone arriving from 4am on Thursday, while her Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford has singled out the party island of Zante.

Around 190 passengers on a Tui Airways flight from Zante to Cardiff last night were asked to self-isolate for 14 days and - in the first example of state-sanctioned testing - they will be swabbed within 48 hours and again after eight days.

It comes after the Welsh Government said it was 'deeply concerned' over claims that 'inept' cabin crew aboard a Tui flight last week did nothing to stop passengers removing their masks. At least 16 have since tested positive.

Around 190 passengers on a Tui Airways flight landing at Cardiff last night were asked to self-isolate for 14 days and - in the first example of state-sanctioned testing - they will be swabbed within 48 hours and again after eight days. (stock photo of a Tui jet)

Vaughan Gething, the Welsh health minister, said that he was pushing for a meeting with his counterparts in Westminster to discuss changes to the UK's travel rules for Greece post-haste.

Scotland's chief medical officer Gregor Smith said: 'There is a compelling public health risk around importation of the virus, especially given the number of imported cases linked to the Greek islands.

Countries on UK Government's quarantine list Spain France Croatia Malta UAE Jamaica Switzerland Belgium Czech Republic Austria Netherlands Bulgaria Canada Singapore Advertisement

'The flow of travel between Scotland and Greece, and the behaviour we have seen from some of those travellers, means that on public health grounds there is a strong case - supported by public health directors - to remove Greece from the exemption list.'

Despite the changes in Wales and Scotland, the Department for Transport in London said there were no plans to amend travel arrangements with Greece.

Greece's current infection rate is 13.7 per 100,000 people, while the UK Government's threshold for its quarantine list is 20 cases per 100,000.

But there are graves fears that these relatively low numbers belie how rife the contagion is on Greek party islands popular with young Britons.

Tour operator Tui has said it will no longer be offering holidays to the resort of Laganas on the Greek island of Zante from Thursday.

Andrew Flintham, managing director of Tui UK and Ireland, said: 'Laganas is a popular resort with young people who traditionally holiday in large groups of friends.

'The health and safety of our colleagues and customers is our primary concern and recent cases shows that some customers are not following social distancing and Covid safety measures.

'It is therefore the right thing to do to protect and reduce a now identified potential risk to others by no longer offering holidays to this specific resort.

'The recent cases in Wales have highlighted a demographic of customers that have recently returned from Zante and subsequently tested positive. As the only airline that flies between Cardiff and Zante it has allowed us to understand trends that may also be seen in other areas of the UK.'

Trips to all other resorts in Zante will continue as normal.

Rory Boland, travel editor at Which?, criticised the Government's approach to quarantining countries, claiming it was damaging the travel industry and leaving holidaymakers confused.

He said: 'Yet again haphazard announcements and rumours around quarantine have sparked chaos and confusion for holidaymakers, with many facing an unenviable choice between paying extortionate prices for last-minute flights home or the disruption caused by two weeks in isolation on their return.

'When the dust settles on what has been a disappointing summer for so many people, it's clear that a reassessment of the Government's approach to managing the threat posed by coronavirus to holiday travel will be needed.

'The travel industry will also need greater Government support to make it through the tough months ahead while major reforms will be needed to restore confidence among holidaymakers who have often been left out of pocket and with nowhere to turn for support when the pandemic has left their travel plans in tatters.'

Seven of those on Tui's August 25 flight to Cardiff were infectious at the time of flying and all 193 passengers have been told to self-isolate, the Welsh Government said.

One traveller claimed that the flight was full of 'selfish covidiots', with passengers not wearing their masks properly and disregarding the rules.

Stephanie Whitfield, 39, had been travelling with her husband on the flight from Zante to Cardiff when she spotted fellow passengers walking around with no mask

Education Minister Kirsty Williams, pictured, said the Welsh Government is 'deeply concerned' by reports from passengers on the flight

Education Minister Kirsty Williams told the Welsh Government's weekly press conference that a statement about other flights coming into Wales would be made on Tuesday.

Authorities impose new restrictions on the island of Zante as fears grow holiday destinations could become new covid hotspot Local restrictions have been put in place on the islands of Zante/Zakynthos amid fears of a rise in coronavirus cases. These include:

Suspension of any kind of live events and celebrations such as parties, trade fairs, religious ceremonies, open markets etc.

Prohibition of operation of all food/catering sector-related shops, services and facilities from midnight - 7am the next day.

A ban on gatherings of more than 9 people, either indoors or outdoors;

A limit of 4 people per table in any restaurant, except for cases where the party consists of family members, where the limit is 6 people;

Mandatory use of face masks in indoor and outdoor public spaces. Advertisement

'The Welsh Government is deeply concerned by the reports from people who were on that flight about the lack of appropriate measures to keep everybody on that flight safe,' she said.

'My colleague Vaughan Gething, the health minister, is in discussion with all relevant parties and will be making a statement later today about other flights that may be operating out of Greece and into Cardiff Airport.'

On Tuesday, Public Health Wales said one further person with coronavirus had died in Wales, bringing the total number of deaths there to 1,596.

There were a further 51 positive cases of Covid-19 reported, bringing the number of cases to 18,063.

Dr Christopher Williams, incident director for the Covid-19 outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: 'All passengers are being followed up by their local Test Trace Protect teams.

'They should all self-isolate at home, as they may become infectious, even if they have no symptoms. Anyone with symptoms should book a test without delay.'

Stephanie Whitfield, who was on the flight in question, claimed the 'inept crew couldn't care less' after passengers took off their masks and mixed freely with friends and families on board.

The flight left all 193 people on board facing two weeks self-isolation and comes amid fears that Zante could be a new coronavirus hotspot.

Mrs Whitfield, from Cardiff, who was on the flight with her husband, told the BBC: 'This flight was a debacle. The chap next to me had his mask around his neck.

'Not only did the airline not pull him up on it, they gave him a free drink when he said he knew a member of the crew.

'Loads of people were taking their masks off and wandering up and down the aisles to talk to others.

'As soon as the flight landed, a load of people took their masks off immediately. The flight was full of selfish 'covidiots' and an inept crew who couldn't care less.'

According to Dr Gwen Lowe, consultant in communicable disease control for Public Health Wales, there have been about 30 cases in the last week linked to Zante, and confirmed in people who were on different flights and staying in different locations.

She also admitted: 'These are confirmed positive cases and we're expecting that number to rise.'

The Foreign Commonwealth Office updated its advice for Britons travelling to Zante, or Zakynthos, after an increase in local restrictions to combat the virus.

TUI has defended itself over the claims and insisted that all passengers wore masks and complied with Covid protocols 'for the duration of their flight'.

A statement said: 'The health and safety of passengers is always our priority and we are concerned to hear of Mrs Whitfield's claims.

'Our crew are trained to the highest standards and in line with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) guidelines.

'Passengers are informed prior to travel and via PA announcements on the flight that they have to wear masks throughout and are not allowed to move around the cabin. Masks can only be removed when consuming food and drink.

'A full investigation is now underway as these concerns weren't reported during the flight or before today.'

Tourists now face several restrictions on what they can do on the island, including the suspension of live events and celebrations such as parties, trade fairs, religious ceremonies and open markets, as well as the prohibition of all food and catering sector-related shops, services and facilities from midnight to 7am the next day.

There is also a ban on gatherings of more than nine people, either indoors or outdoors, a limit of four people per table in any restaurant, except for cases where the party consists of family members, where the limit is 6 people, and the mandatory use of face masks in indoor and outdoor public spaces.

Several Britons who visited Greece in recent weeks have reported cases of the virus.

Last week, 11 teenagers from Plymouth tested positive for the coronavirus, with up to 30 infected in total after returning from Zante.

Plymouth's director for public health Ruth Harrell said that some of the teenagers went gone on a 'night out in Plymouth's bars and restaurants' before they were aware of the risk.

Greece's current infection rate is 13.7 per 100,000 in the last seven days.

A seven-day rate of 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people is the threshold above which the UK Government considers triggering quarantine conditions.

Parents have been in touch with MailOnline and shared their concerns about cases in Zante.

Phillipa Clarke told Mail Online: 'My daughter and 2 friends flew into Birmingham airport from Zante at midnight on Friday.

'She's since heard on social media chat that of a group of 11 Cardiff lads they were friendly with, chatted in the evenings, same flights, transfer, hotel and pool, 3 have tested positive, so she's currently isolating. I'll be interested to see if/when we hear from Track & Trace.

'Clearly an issue with Zante, flights and Cardiff. Everything we feared.'

Another woman said: 'I was not on board but my daughter told me on Friday that a number of pupils from Cardiff High School had Covid 19 after returning from Greece. I took no notice of it as there was nothing on the news about it.

'There were at least two groups from this school - one were 18 year olds and the other 17 year olds. My daughter has also been told there was a third group from kids from other schools in Cardiff.

'All groups had been partying out in Zante, Greece and we've been told that some of their parents have caught it. I've heard more from people locally than has appeared in the media.'

Passengers who were on TUI flight 6215 on Tuesday are being considered as 'close contacts' of those who tested positive for COVID-19, forcing them all to quarantine for two weeks.

Seven of the passengers on the flight tested positive at the time of the journey, and a further nine since, taking the total to 16.

However, another passenger, Danielle Loughman, defended TUI and told MailOnline that cabin crew repeatedly stressed the importance of wearing masks and fellow passengers had done their best to maintain social distancing.

She added that Mrs Whitfield's complaints had surprised her and 'it was like we were on different flights'.

Mrs Whitfield said she and her husband had decided to isolate before learning about the positive cases

She hit out at TUI and claimed that the 'inept' crew did nothing to ensure social distancing was maintained on the flight

Mrs Whitfield said she and her husband had decided to isolate before learning about the positive cases and revealed that they have some symptoms of the virus.

She added she was 'more angry' than anything else.

Ms Loughman refuted her claims and said: 'I was on the flight mentioned above near the back of the plane and have family that were at the front of the plane and neither of us had any issues with people not wearing masks.

'The cabin crew repeated several Times throughout the flight that if anyone felt unwell or had Covid like symptoms to report them to the cabin crew as soon as possible.

Get in touch Are you in Zante and concerned about coronavirus? Let us know danny.hussain@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

'We were told to not queue for the toilet which was adhered too and didn't see anyone chatting in the aisles (if they had I would have complained).

'Whilst I cannot comment about everyone wearing their masks (I was near back so couldn't see everyone) there was definitely not a mad rush to take them off and everyone still had them on as we went through customs as we all had to lower our masks when checking our passports.

'Yes the flight was full but Tui did all they could to advise people of the safety measures in place.

'We are now all self isolating as requested by track and trace. I would never normally email about a story like this but after reading what one passenger has said I cannot believe it. It's like we were on different flights.'

Passengers on board a TUI flight from Zante to Cardiff all have to self-isolate after seven tested positive for coronavirus

She said officials are in the process of reaching all 193 people on the Tui flight.

Another passenger on board, Victoria Webb, told the BBC she had received no communication from any health body since the flight.

Dr Lowe said it is 'very obvious' from the work carried out in Wales that the majority of people do not catch the virus from strangers.

'Yes, you can be unlucky, and you can get it from a random stranger or from a super spreader, but the vast majority of people get it from their workmates, their work buddies, their family, and their friends,' she said.

Asked about whether airlines should be more proactive about telling people to wear masks, Dr Lowe said wearing face coverings 'may help' but pointed out that they are an 'informal measure', adding that it is difficult for airlines to police.

'If somebody is determined not to wear a mask, people often don't know how to wear masks properly, they touch them a lot, they wear them below their nose, they take them off to eat.

'And if you've got Covid symptoms, that will spread Covid symptoms quite rapidly through a confined space such as aircraft,' she said.

Public Health Wales investigations have raised concerns that people in their 20s travelling abroad to destinations such as Zante, above, are showing a 'lack of social distancing'

Dr Giri Shankar, Public Health Wales director, said: 'These passengers will be contacted shortly, but meanwhile, they must self-isolate at home as they may become infectious, even without developing symptoms. Anyone with symptoms should book a test without delay.

'Our investigations into a number of cases of coronavirus have indicated that a lack of social distancing, in particular by a minority of the 20-30 year age group, has resulted in the spread of the virus to other groups of people.'

Dr Shankar added that passengers were being contacted but must quarantine at home in the meantime, as they could become infectious even without symptoms.

No new deaths related to Covid-19 were reported by the public health body in Wales on Sunday, while it said 56 cases had been confirmed.

Today is the third consecutive day that neither Wales or Northern Ireland recorded any Covid-19 fatalities.

Dr Shankar urged revellers enjoying the bank holiday weekend to remember the importance of social distancing.

He added: 'I would make a direct appeal to young people to remember that even if they feel that they would not be badly affected by Covid-19 if they were to test positive for it, if they were to pass it on to older or more vulnerable family members, friends or colleagues it could be extremely serious, even fatal.'

Earlier this week, shocking footage showed three workers in hazmats suits haul a passenger off a Ryanair flight, moments before it departed, after he received a text saying he had tested positive for coronavirus.

The passenger and his travel companion were taken off the plane minutes before it was due to take-off from London and moved to the airport's isolation area, where they were met by health authorities.

Their seats and the overhead cabin bins were then disinfected before the plane was allowed to fly to Pisa in Italy one hour and 40 minutes behind schedule, according to Flight Radar.

The passenger, who has not been named, breached coronavirus quarantine restrictions by leaving their home and boarding the flight.

Ryanair said in a statement that the passenger received a text message minutes before his departure that he had tested positive for Covid-19.

The spokesman said: 'The passenger and his travel companion were immediately offloaded and taken to a Stansted Airport isolation area where they were assisted by local public health authorities.

'Since this passenger and his companion had complied fully with Ryanair health regulations, they were both wearing masks at all times at Stansted Airport and for the very short period (less than 10 minutes) they were seated on the aircraft prior to departure.

'There was little if any risk of Covid-19 transmission to other passengers or crew members as all of whom were also wearing face masks at all times.

'The aircraft departed for Pisa following a delay of 1 hour and 20 mins to allow for the empty seats and overhead cabin bins to be disinfected to comply with all UK health authority guidance. Ryanair apologises to all passengers for this short delay'.

Instructions on NHS England's website warn those with symptoms to stay at home and avoid all travel.

Instructions on the Department of Health website read: 'If you are getting a coronavirus test because you have symptoms, you and anyone you live with must self-isolate until you get your result.

'This also applies to anyone in your support bubble (where someone who lives alone - or just with their children - can meet people from one other household).'

It can take up to 72 hours for tests to be completed to show whether someone has coronavirus.

***Are you in Zante and concerned about coronavirus? Let us know danny.hussain@mailonline.co.uk***
English French

SAINT-MICHEL-DES-SAINTS, Quebec, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following the renewal of its Directors mandate, Nouveau Monde Graphite (Nouveau Monde or the Corporation) (TSXV: NOU; OTCQX: NMGRF; Frankfurt: NM9) announces role changes at its Board of Directors to guide its corporate development strategy. Arne H. Frandsen, co-founder of Pallinghurst, will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Daniel Buron, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Domtar, will serve as Lead Independent Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee.



Eric Desaulniers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nouveau Monde, comments: Our Board benefits from the rich expertise of its Directors in areas such as investment, mining development, business administration, intellectual property, environmental law and sustainable development. The leadership of Mr. Frandsen and Mr. Buron will enable us to enhance our governance and optimize our capital portfolio for the Corporation's next key milestones.

Issuance of Common Shares

In parallel, Nouveau Monde announces the issuance of an aggregate of 1,037,587 common shares of its share capital (the Common Shares) at a price of $0.20 per Common Share, for an aggregate amount of $207,517.40, to 31 of its employees in settlement of an unpaid portion of wages that corresponds to a proactive capital management measure put in place temporarily in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Faced with the advent of COVID-19 and drastic measures to suspend non-essential economic activities, Nouveau Monde reached an agreement in writing at the end of March, 2020 with each of the said employees to reduce their wages by 20%. This wage reduction spanned fourteen weeks, after which the Board of Directors of Nouveau Monde decided, in order to thank the employees for their support, to issue the Common Shares in settlement of the wage reduction.

Our employees represent assets of prime importance for the realization of our projects, explains Desaulniers. It is important to recognize their collaboration through this period of extremely rare economic downturn and to offer attractive and respectful employment conditions in order to continue our growth.

The issuance of the Common Shares was conditionally approved by the TSX Venture Exchange and will be subject to a hold period of 4 months plus one day.

The settlement of wage reduction in the form of Common Shares of Nouveau Monde takes place in particular in favour of Mr. Eric Desaulniers (for an amount of $8,750, or 43,750 Common Shares), President and Chief Executive Officer of Nouveau Monde, Mr. Charles-Olivier Tarte (for an amount of $8,750, or 43,750 Common Shares), Chief Financial Officer of Nouveau Monde, and Me Virginie Fortin (for an amount of $8,750, or 43,750 Common Shares), Corporate Secretary of Nouveau Monde, which constitutes a related party transaction within the meaning of Regulation 61-101 respecting protection of minority security holders in special transactions (Regulation 61-101) and within the meaning of Policy 5.9 of the Stock Exchange  Protection of Minority Securities Holders in Special Transactions. However, the directors of Nouveau Monde who voted have determined that exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements provided for in sections 5.5 (a) and 5.7 (1) (a) of Regulation 61-101 respectively may be invoked as neither the fair market value of the Common Shares issued to these insiders nor the fair market value of the consideration paid does not exceed 25 % of the market capitalization of Nouveau Monde. No director of Nouveau Monde has expressed a contrary opinion or disagreement in connection with the foregoing.

A material change report relating to this transaction with a related party will be filed by Nouveau Monde no later than 21 days prior to the date on which the Common Shares are expected to be issued as the conditions of participation of unrelated persons, on the one hand, and related persons, on the other hand, in connection with the issuance of the Common Shares were not determined.

The Board of Directors has also granted a total of 6,325,000 stock options to officers and directors. These stock options are granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Corporations stock option plan.

ABOUT Nouveau Monde Graphite

Nouveau Monde Graphite is developing the Matawinie graphite mining project, located in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, 150 km north of Montreal, QC. At the end of 2018, Nouveau Monde published a Feasibility Study which revealed strong economics with projected graphite concentrate production of 100,000 tonnes per year, with an average concentrate purity of 97%, over a 26-year period. Currently, Nouveau Monde operates a demonstration plant where it produces concentrated flake graphite, which is being sent to potential North American and international clients for the qualification of its products. In a perspective of vertical integration within the electrical vehicle market, Nouveau Monde is planning a large-scale secondary graphite transformation facility, catering to the needs of the booming lithium-ion battery industry. Dedicated to high standards of sustainability, the Matawinie graphite project will be the first of its kind to operate as an all-electric, low-carbon mine.

Media Investors Julie Paquet

Director, Communications

450-757-8905 #140

jpaquet@nouveaumonde.ca Christina Lalli

Director, Investor Relations

438-399-8665

clalli@nouveaumonde.ca

Subscribe to our news feed: http://nouveaumonde.ca/en/support-nmg/

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release including, but not limited to the issuance of Common Shares to its employees in settlement of the unpaid wages related to the COVID-19 pandemic and, generally, the About Nouveau Monde Graphite paragraph which essentially describes Nouveau Mondes outlook and objectives, constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the time of this press release. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Nouveau Monde as of the time of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect.

Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can directly or indirectly affect, and could cause, actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about managements expectations and plans relating to the future. Nouveau Monde disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
A McDonald's manager who met her foreign fiance on Facebook is losing hope of reuniting with her partner because of bureaucratic red tape.

Britney Plug, 26, is one of 100,000 Australians now in limbo due to 'the world's most expensive and slowest' partner visa approval process.

She applied offshore for a prospective marriage visa in February 2018, after falling in love with Filipino national Keno Gonzales, 30, over her computer screen from Perth.

A McDonald's manager who met her foreign fiance on Facebook is losing hope of reuniting with her partner because of bureaucratic red tape

Britney Plug (pictured with fiance Keno Gonzales) is among 100,000 Australians waiting in a queue to have her partner's visa processed so they can get married and start a new life together

The pair began talking on Facebook then took the romance to the real world, with Ms Plug travelling to see partner in the Philippines in April 2017.

But the last time she saw her fiance was in November last year and she has no idea when they will see each other face-to-face again.

'We were told at first it would be 6 to 14 months, then 14 to 16 months. But things just kept dragging on,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'We're living in separate countries which is what makes this so hard.

'We were advised not to even bother applying for a tourist visa as Keno is from a very low socio-economic background and would be considered a flight risk.'

So the star-crossed lovers are being forced to keep their relationship alive via Facebook messenger since they're unable to travel for the foreseeable future.

Ms Plug said the entire process is putting an enormous financial strain on her, after the pair spent $10,000 on the visa application.

On top of this, after being assigned a case manager in February the timeline was pushed back even further when borders closed due to COVID-19.

She no has 'no hope whatsoever' about the situation resolving itself anytime soon with all partner visas being put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic

She now said she has 'no hope whatsoever' about the situation resolving itself anytime soon with all partner visas being put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Labor MP Julian Hill put forward a motion in parliament on Monday to call on the federal government to address the backlog of visa applications.

'Australians love who they love, and it has always been part of modern Australia that people fall in love, marry people from overseas and build a life here,' Mr Hill said.

He described the government's processing as 'mean and miserable', saying constituents' 'desperate cries for help' were among his most common complaints.

Mr Hill also accused the Coalition of setting a cap on partner visas, despite the fact this is illegal under the government's Migration Act.

'Right now, as we debate this motion, the lives of nearly 100,000 Australians are in limbo, desperately waiting for years for this miserable government to grant their partner visas,' he said.

'Australian couples are suffering, separated for years and hearts pining. Relationships are now stressed or broken as waiting times continue to increase.'

The Chair for the Joint Standing Committee on Migration Liberal MP Julian Leeser told parliament a 'significant number' of partner visas were granted in 2018-19.

That figure was 39,918.

'I think that this indicates we actually have a high number of people successfully obtaining partner visas each year,' he said.

He said coronavirus was having a significant impact on Australians entering the country themselves, and it wasn't just potential new migrants who had been impacted.

But desperate couples unable to start new lives with their partners are hoping to overhaul the visa process from the ground up.

More than 8,000 people have signed a petition seeking to streamline the partner visa process, but 10,000 signatures are needed for it to be debated in parliament.

The closing date is Wednesday September 2.

Applicants want to see applications processed on a first come/first serve basis and applicants to be made aware of their position in the 'queue' and approximate waiting time.

'The current offshore partner visa processing system  the world's most expensive and slowest - separates Australians from partners, and children from parents, for up to and over two years,' the petition reads.

The cost of applying for a partner visa in Australia is about $8,000 with an average waiting time of around two years.

The same visa in New Zealand costs an estimated $2,000 with applications approved within 13 months.

In the United Kingdom, it only takes around three months and costs around $2,700.
A video conferencing company that few had heard of before lockdown is now worth more than Britain's two biggest lenders combined following an explosion of people working from home.

Yesterday shares in Zoom soared by 35 per cent after it revealed profits had rocketed by more than 3,000 per cent between May and July.

This added over 20billion to its value, meaning it is now worth around 90billion  more than HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group put together.

Zoom's billionaire founder Eric Yuan has seen his fortune rise by almost 1billion to 9.5billion, according to Bloomberg data

It also means its billionaire founder Eric Yuan has seen his fortune rise by almost 1billion to 9.5billion, according to Bloomberg data.

The New York-listed firm saw a huge increase in users as countries introduced strict measures to stem the spread of the pandemic.

It became an essential tool used by families and companies around the world to stay in touch during lockdown.

The number of business customers with ten or more employees that signed up to its services over the three month period surged from 66,300 to 370,200  a rise of 458 per cent.

Zoom's astronomical rise has smashed Wall Street's expectations

New clients included big-name companies such as oil giant ExxonMobil.

In the UK its popularity boomed as people turned to 'video hangouts' to call loved ones, host pub quizzes and run virtual versions of cancelled events.

Its astronomical rise has smashed Wall Street's expectations, with the the Silicon Valley-based tech firm revealing it raked in as much revenue between May and June as it did in the whole of last year.

Turnover rose 355 per cent to 500million over the three months  compared with 464m for the entire previous year. And profits jumped from 4.1million to 140million.

But analysts have warned that the astonishing rise will not last once workers begin returning to offices. In the UK, some of the biggest companies have announced plans for staff to continue working from home for the rest of this year.

After two quarters of rampant growth during the coronavirus crisis, the company's share price has risen by almost 550 per cent since the start of the year. Yuan, now 50, spoke little English when he emigrated from China to the US at the age of 27.

He founded Zoom in 2011 after his bosses at telecoms giant Cisco refused to back his idea to create a Zoom-like product. But as well as its popularity soaring, Zoom has also faced criticism over privacy and security practices.

It is facing problems with 'zoom bombing', in which pranksters hijack other people's Zoom events and insult those present with racist language and hate speech. It is also facing scrutiny for its ties with China.
Juanita Tremblay is packing up her office and will be handing over her keys to her landlord today.

The Miramichi entrepreneur made the tough decision to close her business, Close to Home Gifts & Decor.

Numerous factors led to her decision to close the business, Tremblay said, but having to pay her full rent during the pandemic was a major one.

Her store was closed for about two months during the spring, and when she opened again in May, business was slow.

"When we came back, there wasn't enough sales to even cover my rent," she said.

Submitted by Juanita Tremblay

Tremblay owns and operates three businesses in Miramichi and has been paying full rent on all of them since the start of the pandemic.

She asked both of her landlords to apply for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance, or CECRA, but neither of them did.

One landlord told her they would not qualify for the rent subsidy, and the other said they were not interested in going through all of the necessary steps.

"And so that fell through," she said. "I just decided it was better off to close. I just couldn't stay open and lose money every day."

Tremblay said rent relief would have helped her survive a while longer but, in the end, consumers were not spending their money in gift shops like hers during the recovery.

Karen Grant, president of Kiers Marketing in Fredericton, said her landlord did take advantage of CECRA.

The rent relief took some of the pressure off once the pandemic hit. It was "another obligation that we did not have to worry about."

The company was able to continue working on files this spring during the pandemic, which meant her business was still operating even if the doors were closed.

Grant said the end of CECRA is not going to affect her business because the timing works in her favour. Typically, her business slows down during the summer months and picks up in September.

But another month of rent relief would have been helpful "just to have a little bit of wiggle room."

Story continues

Federal money left on table

Only 444 landlords in New Brunswick applied to CECRA, said Louis-Philippe Gauthier, the director of provincial affairs for New Brunswick with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

That is about a third of the number of landlords that were eligible for the program, which means most of the total budget for the program will be left untouched.

"Two-thirds of it has been left unused," he said. "It means that businesses that would need the support will just not be getting it, unfortunately."

Gauthier blamed the low participation in the program on the way it was designed. It was up to landlords to apply for the rent relief, but tenants were the ones most affected.

Submitted by Karen Grant

"It's quite frustrating," he said.

"Business groups like CFIB have been telling the federal government it should have been retooled much earlier."

Gauthier said there is now a lot of support funding left on the table when it could have been used by business owners.

"That's not reaching the businesses that could make use of it to help them go through the recovery of the shutdown."

Now that CECRA is over, Gauthier said, it is important for businesses to talk to their landlords.

"Find arrangements that suit both your business and the landlord's needs." He added that even if that is not possible, having the conversation is important.

"It's like having a conversation with your banker when you need to have an extension on your margin."

"Your rent is a conversation that you can have with your landlord."

Entrepreneurial spirit remains

Despite the closure of her store, Tremblay said she is looking forward.

"I'm only 50 years old. I've got at least 15, 20 years left in business."

She is doing some research on the type of business she wants to invest in next.

Tremblay said it is sad to pack up her belongings at the store before closing the doors for the last time, but she is ready to move on.

"It's not my fault. It's nobody's fault. It is life. It's what happens."

"It's a new beginning. So it's all unicorns and lollipops after this."
Irish Life Health is to raise the cost of its premiums, in a move that is expected to be followed by hikes from competitors VHI and Laya.

It comes despite massive disruption to the private health insurance market earlier this year when private hospitals were effectively taken over by the State for three months.

This meant large numbers of procedures were not carried out.

The 2.5pc average rate increase will mean annual costs rising from between 30 and 150 for a family of two adults and two children.

Some plans will see rises of up to 6.8pc. Higher prices will be effective on policies renewing or new members joining from October 1.

In January, Irish Life increased the cost of premiums by an average of 4.4pc. This meant the cost of cover for a family of two adults and two children renewing rose by between 90 and 300 a year.

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Irish Life Health managing director Jim Dowdall blamed rising costs in private hospitals for the latest price rise.

"This increase is required to pay for the ongoing health-care needs of our customers for their upcoming policy year and is a result of the rising costs of private hospital treatment, medical consultant fees, drugs and other medical procedures along with the changing health-care needs of an aging population."

Earlier this year the three main health insurers refunded members to cover the fact that most were unable to access private hospitals and clinics during the lockdown.

Some members were sent a cheque while others saw the cost of their cover fall for a period.

But it is understood private hospitals are back operating at full capacity, while the pandemic has prompted more people to claim for the likes of GP and other routine out-patient expenses on their health insurance.

Mr Dowdall added: "Earlier this year every Irish Life Health customer received a refund for the months while they could not access all private hospital treatments. Despite this short-term reduction in claims during the height of the pandemic, unfortunately we have seen that costs across the system continue to rise."

Just last week it emerged that health insurers reached agreements with most private hospitals to cover the cost of Covid-19 tests.

That came after private hospitals and clinics began charging up to 275 for Covid tests for people before they could attend the hospitals.

The agreements between private hospitals and insurers will mean insurers will absorb the costs in future.

Health insurance broker Dermot Goode warned of more rises to come from other insurers after the Irish Life Health increase.

"There is no doubt others will follow suit. Consumers need to brace for what is coming," he said.

Mr Goode of TotalHealthCover.ie said private hospitals had cleared backlogs from the lockdown and many were now operating at full capacity.

He said people who would not normally claim for day-to-day medical expenses on their cover where now doing so.

The health insurance broker said this meant there had been a huge increase in the number and value of claims coming into insurers.

In March, VHI announced it was increasing its prices by an average of 2pc across a range of its plans.

In April, Laya put up the cost of some of its plans by 1pc, but cut the cost of others.
Moments after defending violent supporters who fired pepper spray and paintball guns at anti-racist protesters in Portland, Oregon, Donald Trump has claimed that a 17-year-old supporter accused of fatally shooting two demonstrators in Kenosha, Wisconsin was "trying to get away" from protesters "and he fell, and then they very violently attacked him".

He called a caravan of his supporters in Portland  which he falsely claimed is "ablaze all the time"  a "peaceful protest, totally".

"They had large numbers of people that were supporters, but that was a peaceful protest," he said at the White House on Monday. "Paint as a defensive mechanism. Paint is not bullets."

Earlier on Monday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that the president is "not going to weigh in" on the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, who has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, all with a deadly weapon after allegedly firing a long gun at three protesters, killing two and injuring another.

The president is scheduled to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday following nightly demonstrations against police violence after an officer shot seven rounds into the back of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man who has been left paralysed by the shooting.

But the president has raged on Twitter against Democrats and has promoted right-wing conspiracies after a man linked to a far-right group that has encouraged violence at protests was shot and killed in Portland on Sunday.

His son Donald Trump Jr also shared a Twitter post that said "Kyle Rittenhouse is a good example of why I decided to vote for Trump." The president "liked" the post.

Mr Rittenhouse  who has expressed support for the president on his social media pages, including a TikTok from a campaign rally in January  has retained a law firm that previously represented the president's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

John Pierce said on Thursday he would be joined with a "SEAL team" of defence to "obtain justice" for the Illinois teenager following his arrest. The legal team also will rely on the #FightBack Foundation  an organisation that "takes journalists to court who attack and smear conservatives"  to raise money for his defence.

Asked on Monday evening whether he would be willing to condemn the alleged actions of his supporters, the president said: "We're looking at all of it. That was an interesting situation. You saw the same tape as I saw.

"It was something that we're looking at right now and it's under investigation," he added. "I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed. It's under investigation."

According to a criminal complaint, Mr Rittenhouse prowled the streets in Kenosha with an AR-15-style rifle on Tuesday before clashing with protesters outside a car dealership, where Joseph Rosenbaum was shot dead.

"I just killed somebody," Mr Rittenhouse told a friend over a mobile phone before midnight, according to the complaint.

Several people reportedly ran after Mr Rittenhouse after discovering that he had allegedly fired his gun.

According to the complaint, when Anthony Huber  the second person to be shot dead  had reached Mr Rittenhouse, "it appears that he is reaching for the defendant's gun with his left hand as the skateboard makes contact with the defendant's left shoulder".

"The defendant rolls towards his left side and as Huber appears to be trying to grab the gun," according to the complaint. "The gun is pointed at Huber's body. The defendant then fires one round ... Huber staggers away, taking several steps, then collapses to the ground."

Video from the scene also appears to show the suspect firing his gun at another man, Gaige Grosskreutz, who was injured.

Mr Rittenhouse left the scene walking past police with his hands above his head.

The president's remarks from the White House on Monday followed a damning statement from Joe Biden, the president's Democratic rival, who said that the president had exploited fear and fanned flames of violence in the wake of demonstrations against police brutality.

"This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership," the former vice president said in a speech from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "He cant stop the violence because for years he fomented it ... His failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows you how weak he is."
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Wildlife rangers have captured a monster crocodile at a popular tourist spot in the Northern Territory.

The male saltwater crocodile is 4.4 metres long and weighed in at 350kg when it was caught in the Flora River Nature Park, 120 kilometres south of Katherine in the Northern Territory, on Friday.

Katherine senior wildlife ranger John Burke said the reptile was caught in a spot that visitors frequently walk by.

'The tourists walk down to the river in the area where he was,' Mr Burke told ABC News.

Mr Burke said he did not know of a larger crocodile caught in the Flora River.

A park ranger pours water over a captured saltwater crocodile to cool it down. The reptile is 4.4 metres long and weighed in at 350kg when it was caught in the Flora River Nature Park, 120 kilometres south of Katherine in the Northern Territory, on Friday

Pictures and video of the crocodile show it tied down, blindfolded and blanketed on an extended car trailer.

Its webbed feet are also shown to be over twice the size of a human hand in a side-by-side photo.

The captured predator has now been taken to a crocodile farm to become part of a breeding program. Farmed crocodiles can also be killed for their meat and leather.

'Hopefully, it will be a little croc resort there and he'll have a new girlfriend,' Mr Burke said.

The wildlife ranger explained that people need to be 'crocwise' on NT waterways since the cold-blooded reptiles are becoming more active as the weather warms up.

The crocodile was tied down, blindfolded and blanketed on an extended car trailer before being transported to a farm for a breeding program

Its webbed feet are also shown to be much larger than a human hand in a side-by-side photo

'They're moving into breeding season as well, and the rivers are low and they're out looking for mates, particularly the big males,' Mr Burke said.

While Mr Burke cannot recall a larger crocodile in the Flora River, an even bigger reptile has been caught in the same wildlife management zone.

A 4.71-metre crocodile was captured two hours north-east in the Katherine River, which is closer to the sea, three years ago.

Crocs are trapped in large cages baited with wild pig and other meats and submerged in waterways.

Their numbers have been increasing across Australia's tropical north since federal law made them a protected species in the early 1970s.
Stage four lockdown has been much harder than the last. Victorians are desperate to know when they can get on with their lives and have their freedoms restored. A new normal is needed, and we can get there a lot sooner if the state government applies a targeted, proportionate and effective risk management strategy. Something we havent seen a lot of, but desperately need.

We know hotel quarantine got us into this second wave, putting livelihoods, business, jobs and mental health at risk, yet the majority of Victorians did the right thing. They are willing to continue

doing the right thing.

Government measures to control the risk of virus spread need to be specific, and not so generalised as to put the community off-side. Credit:Getty Images

We also know that the cost of extending the stage four restrictions will impact society disproportionately. Risk management brings balance to this. A risk management approach weighs the cost of carefully opening Victoria back up while preventing outbreaks and immediately reacting to any new cases.

Managing risk is all about knowing how likely something is to occur, and the consequences if it does. Controls are the things we put in place to lower likelihood and consequences. They reduce risk. To understand this in context, the State Health Emergency Response Plan gives this pandemic its highest risk rating. Its what we in risk management call catastrophic  highly likely with disastrous consequences. We knew that in March.
A gulf between the wealthy and everyone else

Wealth and privilege have always opened doors, and during the early days of the pandemic, they yielded access to coronavirus tests in short supply and a way to escape hard-hit areas.

Now, in New York City, where the crisis is largely under control, having money or connections can mean being able to pay for tests with faster turnaround times and swapping cramped apartments for homes in the suburbs.

Wait times for test results in New York can range from several days to more than two weeks, but wealthier people, as well as businesses like movie production companies, have found a way to jump the line. Some have signed up for concierge medical practices, where annual memberships can cost thousands of dollars a year, while others have sought out smaller labs or doctors offices with their own lab equipment. That can mean getting results in less than 24 hours  as long as youre willing to pay $150 to $200 out of pocket.

At the same time, an exodus of city dwellers has picked up steam, with home sales surging over the summer in the suburbs surrounding New York City. The demand has been driven by white-collar workers who are able to work remotely, including many families who are eager for yards and more square footage.

Crowded open houses, multiple offers and bids above asking prices are the new normal in the suburban real estate scene. Some people in New Jersey have gotten unsolicited calls and even knocks on the door from brokers asking if they want to sell.

Real estate agents and moving companies are still swamped, but when the dust settles, some fear that the exodus could stymie the citys economic recovery.
Mrs. Freda Prempeh, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano North Constituency in the Ahafo Region on Monday said, President Akufo-Addo's government has done a lot to deserve the votes of the electorate in the Constituency.

She emphasised that the government had not neglected the Tano North Municipality in the distribution of the national cake, saying within the three and half-year term, development witnessed in the area was unparalleled.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Duayaw-Nkwanta, Mrs. Prempeh who is the Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, called on her constituents to appreciate the President by voting to renew his mandate in the Election 2020.

She said the level of development in the Constituency was obvious for everybody to see, indicating that the electorate in the area would be ungrateful to the President if they failed to re-elect him on December 7.

Mrs. Prempeh said education, health, agriculture, road network and electricity had been improved, saying more than 60 boreholes had also been constructed in the deprived communities, while about 30 communities had been hooked on to the national electricity grid.

She said the Bomaa-Onye-Nkwantabisa, Adrobaa-Krofrom-Susuaho, Bomaa-Anwenase-Atonsu and Duayaw-Nkwanta-Bomaa roads would be put into good shape by the close of the year, while the 12.7 kilometre Techire-Adrobaa road was almost completed.

Works on the reshaping of the Subonpang-Kwasoagya, Tanokrom-Dwumakwai, Bomaa-Onwe, Bomaa- Nkwantabisa, as well as Duayaw-Nkwanta-Campso stretch of road had all been completed, she said.

The MP added that works on the Tepa-Bomaa, Duayaw-Nkwanta-Bredi, Duayaw-Nkwanta-Adagyamamu, as well as Bourkrukruwa and Yamfo town roads were progressing and they would be completed very soon.

Mrs. Prempeh said the Yamfo town roads, Bomaa-Duayaw-Nkwanta stretch and the Bomaa-Dwenase-Atonsu under the Cocoa Roads Rehabilitation Project had all been awarded on contracts and work on them commenced.

On behalf of the people, the MP thanked President Akufo-Addo for the excellent work towards improving particularly road and health infrastructure in the area.

---GNA
(CNN) "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg is calling on Disney to build a Wakanda theme park in honor of the late actor Chadwick Boseman.

Boseman -- who played T'Challa/Black Panther, the king of the fictitious African kingdom of Wakanda in the blockbuster "Black Panther" -- died of colon cancer, it was announced on Friday, after battling the disease privately for four years.

In the wake of his death, Goldberg, 64, urged Disney to make some changes to its popular attractions, insisting "we don't really need another Frozen land."

There are several "Frozen" attractions at Walt Disney World in Orlando, including "Frozen Ever After" and a chance to meet Anna and Elsa at Royal Summerhaus at Epcot, plus "A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration" at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Some events are listed as temporarily unavailable because of the pandemic.

"Dear People in charge of building NEW experiences Disney Land and World we don't really need another Frozen land BUT what we could use is Wakonda," she tweeted. "Please Disneyworld Disneyland PLEASE build in Chadwick Boseman's name WAKONDA (Sic)."

CNN has reached out to Disney for comment.

Last year, Disney announced a Marvel expansion at Disney California Adventure park.

While there was no talk of a dedicated Wakanda theme park, the company said in a statement on Twitter that visitors will "find heroic encounters throughout the Avengers campus, including Black Widow, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Super Heroes from Wakanda and Asgard, and Iron Man."

Goldberg was among a long list of celebrities to pay tribute to Boseman after his death was announced at the age of 43.

Describing him as one of her "all time favorite people on the planet," Goldberg told her 1.5 million followers that Boseman was a "wonderful actor" and a "truly nice man."

Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios and chief creative officer at Marvel, said Boseman's passing was "absolutely devastating."

"He was our T'Challa, our Black Panther, and our dear friend. Each time he stepped on set, he radiated charisma and joy, and each time he appeared on screen, he created something truly indelible," Feige said in a statement to CNN. "The Marvel Studios family deeply mourns his loss, and we are grieving tonight with his family."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Whoopi Goldberg wants Disney to build a Wakanda theme park in honor of Chadwick Boseman."
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock (10762532bl) Protesters gather in solidarity where Dijon Kizzee was killed by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Dijon Kizzee shooting protest, Los Angeles, USA  31 Aug 2020

On Monday afternoon, police shot and killed a Black man in South Los Angeles for allegedly violating a bicycle vehicle code. According to a press conference held by Lt. Brandon Dean, he was fatally shot by officers over 20 times after running from them. Family members at the scene have identified him as 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee. His identity was later confirmed by a Los Angeles County examiner-coroner.

Around 3 p.m., officers reported that they saw a man riding a bicycle and made a U-turn to stop him for violating a vehicle code, though it is still unclear what vehicle code he was allegedly breaking. After police approached him, Kizzee got off his bike and began to run. Officers then began chasing him.

To get away, Kizzee allegedly punched one of the officers in the face and dropped a bundle of clothing he was carrying. The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semi-automatic handgun, said the lieutenant at a press conference.

At that point, two officers opened fire and shot Kizzee several times and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The department has stated it will be speaking with witnesses and working to find any surveillance cameras that may have captured it on video.

A video taken by a bystander partly shows the incident. It begins with the man running and carrying clothing while a woman can be heard yelling dont shoot him. Two cops are then seen pointing their guns at Kizzee, who has collapsed on the ground. The video shows him motionless and lying face down, where eye witnesses report he was left by county officers.

Police killed Kizzee the day before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to vote on purchasing body cameras for officers, who are currently not required to wear them on duty. It also comes two weeks after the fatal shooting of a Black man in nearby Pasadena, Anthony McClain, who was killed by cops during a traffic stop.

Immediately following Kizzees death, protesters gathered at the scene and hundreds marched to the police station in solidarity, chanting Say his name and No justice, no peace. According to protesters, the police left Kizzees body on the ground for hours afterward, and those at the scene, including the LA chapter of Black Lives Matter, were tweeting about how he was still there after 11 p.m., over 8 hours after he was killed.

Story continues

The police kill another Black man, another Black person, were tired of the injustice, were tired of the police brutality, were tired of being looked upon as fourth-class citizens, were tired of just not being treated equally, Raheem Taylor, a protester there, told CBSLA.

Arlander Givens, a neighborhood resident who was interviewed at the scene, asked why the cops fired if Kizzee was not holding a weapon and simply running. If he reached down to grab it, thats different. But if its on the ground, why shoot? That means he was unarmed, Givens said.

According to the New York Times, the Sheriffs Department is investigating the shooting alongside the district attorneys office and the Internal Affairs Bureau.

This comes after over three months of Black Lives Matter protests against police violence that were prompted by George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade. This is less than two weeks after police shot and paralyzed Jacob Blake at close range in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Despite cries for action, advocates continue to rally in defiance of racist police killings, and vow to seek justice for Dijon Kizzee.

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According to a linguist from RUDN University, the number of COVID-19 cases in a country might be related to the existence of aspirated consonants in its main language of communication.

This data can help create more accurate models to describe the spread of COVID-19. The results of the study were published in the Medical Hypotheses journal.

COVID-19 is mainly spread through droplets of liquid coming from the respiratory passages of an infected person. The disease spreads faster through coughing or sneezing, as in these cases the speed of the droplets increases. However, a regular conversation can also lead to infection, and the amount of produced droplets depends on the sounds pronounced by an infected speaker.

The exact sounds that add the most to the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses haven't been identified yet. A RUDN linguist suggested that they might include aspirated consonants, i.e. the sounds that are accompanied by exhalation.

The issue of a correlation between the spread of infections and the language of the infected people was first brought up in 2003, after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-1in South China when over 8,000 cases were registered in 26 countries.

The USA accounted for 70 of them, but Japan did not have a single patient, in spite of the fact that the number of Japanese tourists in China at that time was much higher than that of US travelers (3.2 mln vs 2.3 mln, respectively). Some scientists suggested a linguistic explanation: the staff of Chinese stores spoke to US tourists in English, and to Japanese guests in Japanese. Georgios Georgiou from RUDN University found the same correlation for COVID-19.

Unlike in Japanese, in the English language the consonants [p], [t], and [k] are aspirated. When they are pronounced, numerous small droplets are released from the respiratory passages of a speaker into the air. Such droplets may contain viral particles.

Japanese has fewer aspirational consonants, and therefore Japanese speakers produce less airborne droplets during a conversation. To confirm whether the speakers of the languages that are rich in aspirated consonants are more prone to the COVID-19 infection, the RUDN linguist used the official data of 26 countries with 1,000+ registered COVID-19 cases as of March 23, 2020.

Our study did not include Switzerland because it has several official languages. We also excluded countries with too many or too few cases per 1 mln residents (e.g. Italy and Japan, respectively) to avoid extreme values." Georgios Georgiou, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of General and Russian Linguistics, Philological Faculty, RUDN University

The languages in the study were divided into two groups by the presence or absence of aspirated consonants. According to the scientists, although the groups did not show statistically significant differences, the countries that predominantly spoke the languages of the first group had more cases of COVID-19: 255 per 1 million residents (as opposed to 206 cases in the second group).

"Although no clear relationship was observed, we do not rule out that the spread of COVID-19 can be partially due to the presence of aspirated consonants in a country's main language of communication. This can be a valuable insight for epidemiologists,' added Georgios Georgiou.

However, the researchers of this paper recognize that it is difficult to determine such a relationship due to experimental limitations.

For example, the different social distance measures taken in each country and the fact that we do not know exactly the linguistic background of the speakers in each country, render the paper's initial assumption just a hypothesis. However, this hypothesis has strong fundaments and can be studied in a future large-scale study.
A worshipper kneels in prayer during Mass celebrated outdoors at the historic Our Lady Queen of Angels (La Placita) Church amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles on Aug. 9, 2020. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Pandemic Restrictions on Worship Spark Civil Disobedience

News Analysis

Constitutional tensions between the authority of governments to use coercive powers to protect public health and the right of Americans to freely engage in religious worship have come to the fore in recent months as the quarantines, curfews, and stay-at-home orders amid the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19 have dragged on.

The Supreme Court has come under attack by churchgoers in recent months for holding in effect that there is a pandemic exception to the Constitutions First Amendment religious protections. Many churches are now openly practicing civil disobedience just as religious activists seeking equal rights for blacks did during the Civil Rights era.

In May, in South Bay United Pentecostal Church v. Newsom, the high court unexpectedly denied a request from a California church that it be permitted to function under the same conditions as secular businesses. The vote was 54.

In July, the Supreme Court refused a request from a Nevada church that it be allowed to carry on under the same conditions as secular businesses. This prompted a particularly sharp dissent from Justice Neil Gorsuch in which he concluded: The world we inhabit today, with a pandemic upon us, poses unusual challenges. But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel. The vote in Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley v. Sisolak was 54.

Some critics, such as Dr. Steven J. Allen, distinguished senior fellow at the Capital Research Center, worry that if governments can trample religious freedoms with relative impunity, what will be next? Will future presidents, governors, and mayors use the emergency powers the courts have allowed them to possess to impose sweeping restrictions on the use of carbon emissions to supposedly save the planet? Will officeholders issue dramatic fiats limiting gun ownership rights despite the Second Amendment?

Some Americans have been appalled at what they say are examples of government overreach that limit church activities in hopes of combating the virus. As religious people go about their daily lives, battles have been raging in courts about how far governments can go in their efforts to combat the virus.

Liberals have tended to support restrictions limiting church activities, particularly those regulating indoor services by banning them or imposing social-distancing requirements in the pews.

Conservatives, on the other hand, have tended to chafe at such restrictions on religious worship, arguing that they violate a fundamental constitutional right upon which the nation was founded.

Very few of the lawsuits aimed at churches during the pandemic have led to the striking down of state or local orders restricting church services.

Momentum

Curt Levey, president of the Committee for Justice, told The Epoch Times in an interview that the courts have so far been hesitant to overrule governments, but as time goes on the momentum will probably shift in the other direction.

Right now, legally speaking, it is as if the United States is now in a wartime emergency, Levey said.

Id compare it to World War I, he said.

In 1918, while the war the United States joined the year before was still raging, Americans were being arrested for protesting and campaigning against the war. At that time, most of the free speech challenges lost, but as you got into 1919 and 1920, and some of those cases went to the Supreme Court, they started winning. I think were in that 1918 phase right now.

Allen told The Epoch Times that from a conservative perspective, whats happening is the other side has been winning.

Americans were shocked into compliance when the virus containment measures were first instituted, he said.

People were taken by surprise, they wanted to be good citizens, they wanted to be good Americans, they didnt want to make other people sick, so they tended to give the politicians and the public health bureaucrats the benefit of the doubt and now they know that they shouldnt.

But now the people on our side are educating ourselves, and as weve learned more about the Wuhan coronavirus we know how much of what has been said about it has been nonsense.

In terms of the rights issue, I think well find out which side is winning on Nov. 3, because the election to some degree will be a referendum on the way the politicians have handled this crisis. The media, obviously, and particularly social media, are actively censoring information, the facts about the Wuhan coronavirus.

Not Based in Science

Levey said Americans are wondering if they have given up too much in exchange for supposed public health protections.

While President Donald Trump has tried to strike a good balance, some government officials have gone overboard.

Whether these pandemic policies have been an overreaction, whether weve given up too much including in terms of health, are open questions right now, he said, adding that he recently read that a large number of cancer cases are expected because people havent been getting screened during the pandemic.

Robert Weissberg, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told The Epoch Times he isnt surprised that the churches have been losing in court.

All government intrusions into personal liberty require justification, and the more serious the intrusion, the stronger the justification, Weissberg said.

In the case of violating religious liberty, the justification must be iron clad, beyond doubt. Not just maybe, perhaps, and the like. National security provides the best examples since these restrictions often require a court order. The left has been waging war on religion for centuries, so what else is new?

Attorney Paul Jonna, a member of the Thomas More Society legal team who has been successfully defending Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, which has been defying county rules about indoor church services, recently spoke to The Epoch Times.

Judges are people like you and me, and they read the news and see the data, Jonna said.

At first, we didnt know much about this virus. But as things progressed, and as the data set in, it has become increasingly clear that the restrictions on churches are not based in science. They are arbitrary and unjustified and reflect, at best, apathy toward religion or, at worst, disdain for it.

Courts are starting to acknowledge that the burden on the government to justify these restrictionsat this stage in the pandemicis much higher. This is especially true given how the government viewed certain preferred First Amendment activity (like protests).

In the church case hes handling, it was on Aug. 14 that the first judge in California agreed that there are constitutional problems with how they [i.e. governments] are treating churches.

Cary Gordon, senior pastor at Cornerstone World Outreach in Sioux City, Iowa, told The Epoch Times hes fed up with how both parties have handled the pandemic.

One of the most fundamental laws of God states: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy, he said.

Obedience to this command in a seven-day cycle must not be interfered with by civil authorities. Those in both political parties who have shouted Separation of Church and State at me every time I exercised my First Amendment right to speak as a pastor into the political world for the last 25 years are now invited to live up to their perverted, progressive retooling of the phrase by separating themselves from my business in my church every Sunday morning.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:49:02|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Eight people have been confirmed dead after a canoe capsized in Nigeria's northwestern state of Kebbi, said an official on Tuesday.

The incident in the Jega local government area of the state occurred on Monday, said Sani Dododo, head of the Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency.

Dododo told the media that only two women were rescued among the passengers. Ten people, including the operator, were aboard the canoe at the time of the incident.

However, only four bodies had been recovered so far, he said, adding a search had been launched for the recovery of the other four bodies.

The canoe, operated by a middle-aged man, suddenly capsized as they neared a bank of the stream on their return journey from a naming ceremony, according to Dododo.

"Normally, if there is this kind of capsizing, you can not find the bodies in the same place a day after, but such bodies may be recovered far away from the scene of the accident," the official said.

In line with this, professional traditional fishermen have been mobilized to search for the remaining bodies, he added.

Local police said they have launched an investigation into the canoe mishap. Enditem
Malaysia will block citizens of India, Indonesia and the Philippines from entering the country starting Monday.

The restrictions will affect those with long-term passes, students, expatriates, permanent residents as well as family members of Malaysians, Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told reporters in a televised press conference on Tuesday. All foreign tourists have been banned from entry since March.

Malaysia extended measures to curb the pandemic until the end of the year as the virus is still actively spreading across the world," Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a speech on Friday.

Philippines is followed by Indonesia in having the largest number of coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia, while India is grappling with total infections nearing 4 million. Malaysias government will continue to monitor the situation and may widen the restrictions if virus cases rise in more countries, said Ismail.

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FOSTER CITY, Calif., Sept. 01, 2020, provider of enterprise-grade in-memory computing solutions based on Apache Ignite, today announced it is hosting or participating in multiple online conferences, webinars and virtual meetups taking place in September and October 2020. GridGain will use these events to share unique insights into the latest in-memory computing technology developments and trends.



"We continue to see soaring interest in how in-memory computing can drive digital transformation, enable highly performant, massively scalable applications, improve data access while decreasing API calls and power digital integration hubs, HTAP and other strategies," said Terry Erisman, executive vice president of marketing and alliances at GridGain Systems. "To meet this demand, our participation in online and virtual events makes it easier than ever for participants to benefit from access to some of the industry's leading in-memory computing experts."

Webinars

Getting Started with Apache Ignite as a Digital Integration Hub (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/webinars/getting-started-apache-ignite-digital-integration-hub) - September 2, 2020 - Presented by Glenn Wiebe, GridGain Solution Architect, this webinar will provide an overview of how to use Apache Ignite as a digital integration hub (DIH) - also known as an API Platform, Smart Data Hub, or Smart Operational Datastore - for real-time data access across data sources and applications.



Presented by Glenn Wiebe, GridGain Solution Architect, this webinar will provide an overview of how to use Apache Ignite as a digital integration hub (DIH) - also known as an API Platform, Smart Data Hub, or Smart Operational Datastore - for real-time data access across data sources and applications. How Apache Ignite Achieves Performance and Fault Tolerance with Its Network Components (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/webinars/how-apache-ignite-achieves-performance-and-fault-tolerance-its-network) - September 9, 2020 - Stanislav Lukyanov, GridGain Customer Success Team Lead, will introduce the role of the networking layer in distributed systems using Apache Ignite as an example. Attendees will gain practical insights and learn how to maximize the performance and reliability of applications running on distributed systems.



Stanislav Lukyanov, GridGain Customer Success Team Lead, will introduce the role of the networking layer in distributed systems using Apache Ignite as an example. Attendees will gain practical insights and learn how to maximize the performance and reliability of applications running on distributed systems. Going Cloud-Native: Serverless Applications With Apache Ignite (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/webinars/going-cloud-native-serverless-applications-apache-ignite) - September 16, 2020 - Denis Magda, GridGain Vice President of Developer Relations in R&D and Apache Ignite Committer and PMC Member, will discuss architectural patterns and design considerations for deploying Apache Ignite in a serverless computing environment.



Denis Magda, GridGain Vice President of Developer Relations in R&D and Apache Ignite Committer and PMC Member, will discuss architectural patterns and design considerations for deploying Apache Ignite in a serverless computing environment. Apache Ignite Workshop: Cluster Memory Management Techniques (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/webinars/apache-ignite-workshop-cluster-memory-management-techniques) - October 14, 2020 - Denis Magda, GridGain Vice President of Developer Relations in R&D and Apache Ignite Committer and PMC Member, will introduce several architectural techniques to ensure your cluster remains operational and your applications keep running even if memory becomes a scarce resource.

Virtual Meetups

Virtual Apache Ignite Meetup: When You Don't Need Apache Ignite (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/meetups/virtual-apache-ignite-meetup-when-you-dont-need-apache-ignite) - September 8, 2020 - Dmitriy Pavlov, Lead Software Engineer, Community Manager at GridGain and Apache Ignite Committer & PMC Member, will provide an overview of popular and less-than-popular use cases for Apache Ignite including in-memory data grid and database, storage of large files, organization of asynchronous communication through message queues, and full-text search. The talk will focus on the needs of developers and architects who face application performance problems.



Dmitriy Pavlov, Lead Software Engineer, Community Manager at GridGain and Apache Ignite Committer & PMC Member, will provide an overview of popular and less-than-popular use cases for Apache Ignite including in-memory data grid and database, storage of large files, organization of asynchronous communication through message queues, and full-text search. The talk will focus on the needs of developers and architects who face application performance problems. Apache Ignite 3.0: Major Changes and Features (https://www.gridgain.com/resources/meetups/apache-ignite-30-major-changes-and-features) - September 15, 2020 - Valentin Kulichenko, GridGain Director of Product Management, will provide a sneak peek into the major changes that are proposed for Apache Ignite release 3.0, including:

 Schema-first approach

 Dynamic configuration

 SQL API

 Modularization

 Cleanup

 Native Image support for GraalVM

Conferences

Developer Week Seattle: Cloud Edition (https://www.gridgain.com/company/news/events/developer-week-seattle-cloud-edition) - September 29, 2020 - Ken Cottrell, GridGain Solution Architect, will present, "Apache Ignite: Continuous Machine and Deep Learning at Scale." This discussion will explain how distributed ML/DL works with Apache Ignite, and how to get started. Attendees will learn how the Apache Ignite in-memory computing platform addresses these ML limitations with distributed model training and execution to provide near-real-time, continuous learning capabilities.





Ken Cottrell, GridGain Solution Architect, will present, "Apache Ignite: Continuous Machine and Deep Learning at Scale." This discussion will explain how distributed ML/DL works with Apache Ignite, and how to get started. Attendees will learn how the Apache Ignite in-memory computing platform addresses these ML limitations with distributed model training and execution to provide near-real-time, continuous learning capabilities. Apache Ignite Track at ApacheCon 2020 (https://www.gridgain.com/company/news/events/apache-ignite-track-apachecon-2020) - September 29, 2020 - Denis Magda, GridGain Vice President of Developer Relations in R&D and Apache Ignite Committer and PMC Member, will present, "In-Memory Computing Essentials for Software Engineers." Attendees will be introduced to the fundamental capabilities of in-memory computing platforms that are proven to boost application performance and solve scalability problems by storing and processing unlimited data sets distributed across a cluster of interconnected machines. The session is tailored for software engineers and architects seeking practical experience with in-memory computing technologies.





Denis Magda, GridGain Vice President of Developer Relations in R&D and Apache Ignite Committer and PMC Member, will present, "In-Memory Computing Essentials for Software Engineers." Attendees will be introduced to the fundamental capabilities of in-memory computing platforms that are proven to boost application performance and solve scalability problems by storing and processing unlimited data sets distributed across a cluster of interconnected machines. The session is tailored for software engineers and architects seeking practical experience with in-memory computing technologies. In-Memory Computing Summit 2020 Virtual Worldwide Conference (https://www.imcsummit.org/2020/virtual/) - October 28-29, 2020 - The In-Memory Computing Summit 2020 is a free, virtual technical conference for the worldwide community that focuses on the full range of in-memory computing-related technologies and solutions. The event will highlight the role of in-memory computing in digital transformation, available technologies, and successful use cases.

About GridGain Systems

GridGain Systems is revolutionizing real-time data access and processing by offering an in-memory computing platform built on Apache Ignite. Common use cases for the GridGain platform include application acceleration and as a digital integration hub for real-time data access across data sources and applications. GridGain solutions are used by global enterprises in financial services, software, e-commerce, retail, online business services, healthcare, telecom, transportation and other major sectors, with a client list that includes ING, Raymond James, American Express, Societe Generale, Finastra, UPS, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Microsoft, RingCentral, American Airlines, Agilent, and UnitedHealthcare. GridGain delivers unprecedented speed and massive scalability to both legacy and greenfield applications. Deployed on a distributed cluster of commodity servers, GridGain software can reside between the application and data layers.

CONTACT:

Terry Erisman

GridGain Systems

terisman@gridgain.com

(650) 241-2281

GridGain is a trademark or registered trademark of GridGain Systems, Inc. Apache, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Ignite, Ignite, Apache Kafka, Kafka, Apache Spark, and Spark are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.
After the four day testing period, the data collected showed that visitors had returned to every US state except for Maine. This could be highly dangerous for the entire country as if Las Vegas becomes a contact point, millions of more Americans could be infected with the virus due to travel and activities in Las Vegas.

People have been highly mobile, and as a result, it makes sense why we see the continuation of the surge, commented Oscar Alleyne, Chief Program Officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. America's unwillingness to shut down and quarantine nationally is the reason the country has been hit so hard.

Nevada's gaming regulators put multiple COVID-19 requirements and restrictions in place in order to get the casinos up and running. This has proven not to be enough, as the virus continues to spread. Once the US has a contract placement program in place, only time will tell how many people contracted the virus on or around the Strip.

There are currently over 50,000 COVID-19 cases in Clark County. That may look as if they have successfully begun to flatten the curve, however, with so much traffic coming in and out of the County, Las Vegas is potentially spreading the virus around the US.
The criminal charge, which carries a sentence of six months to 2.5 years in prison, regards the same time period as the special audit conducted by the State Board of Accounts, which is Jan. 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2016, when, according to the audit, Stidham was paying his then-girlfriends various businesses to perform bookkeeping services on contract with his office.
The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main, for admission to engineering colleges was held on Tuesday amid stringent precautions and social distancing measures in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Candidates appearing for the examination in the first shift from 9 am to 12 pm reached the examination centre at TCS ION digital zone, Sherpur chowk and were asked to abide by Covid norms.

As per sources, only 42% of candidates showed up in the first shift and 48% appeared in the examination in the second shift (3 pm to 6 pm).

In the first shift, of the total 170 students, only 73 appeared in the examination while 105 students out of 218 turned up in the second shift. However, in January this year, over 1,400 students took the entrance examination in two shifts.

JEE Main is a computer-based test (CBT) conducted by National Testing Agency twice a year for admission to National Institute of Technology (NITs), Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), and government-funded technical institutes. Candidates can appear for either one or both entrance examinations. The best of the two scores is considered for the ranking.

Staff was deployed at the entry gate to check the admit card of candidates and a 3-ply mask was given to them by the examination authority. Candidates had to undergo thermal screening at the entry gate and at several points hand sanitisers were also kept.

Many students who appeared in the BArch paper in the first shift found the mathematics section to be difficult on account of numerical questions. The paper carried a total of 400 marks.

A candidate Anjali Yadav said, I found the mathematics portion difficult as it took me plenty amount of time to answer all questions. Physics and chemistry were comparatively easy and it was a balanced paper. The authorities have made elaborate arrangements to maintain social distancing at centres. All the students have been asked to go to the exam centres with masks and sanitisers, once they entered the centre, they were told to use the masks provided by the examination authority.

In view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, NTA has taken extra precautions to ensure the safety of students, said, Rahul Kumar, a resident of Kitchlu Nagar. He said, Of the three sections, I found the mathematics portion tricky and time-consuming. Overall, it was a balanced paper. Somehow, I was able to complete the paper in the prescribed time.

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BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloud Agronomics Inc., an enterprise technology startup founded in 2018, announces the closing of its Seed funding round. The round was led by SineWave Ventures, a fund that invests in technologies that engage public and private sector partnerships, enabling Cloud Agronomics' large-scale commercialization. The new funds will foster the expansion of their carbon monitoring and digital agronomy products throughout the US, Brazil, and Australia.

Visit our website here: www.cloud.ag

DYNAMIC CROP NUTRIENT ANALYSIS. Cloud Agronomics produces digital agronomy analytics on over a million acres of land in the US throughout the growing season. Currently, they remotely quantify nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium with square meter precision and 90% accuracy. Their customers see over 15x ROI through decreased input costs and optimized yield production.

ACCURATE, AFFORDABLE, SCALABLE SOIL CARBON MEASUREMENT. Cloud Agronomics has created the world's first remotely-sensed soil carbon measurement to verify carbon sequestration initiatives. As growers begin to consider more regenerative practices, like no-till, crop rotation, and cover-crops, they will need a financial incentive to support them through the transition. Cloud Agronomics is a reliable, affordable verifier of global soil organic carbon levels. The company is keen on collaborating and is already in conversation with strategic partners like Microsoft AI for Earth to scale their carbon index.

"Cloud Agronomics' ambition to connect the public and private sectors with their technology will allow carbon based incentives to be distributed in a measured and accurate manner," said Vivek Ladsariya of SineWave Ventures, the company's lead investor.

ABOUT CLOUD AGRONOMICS

Cloud Agronomics is a Boulder, CO and Providence, RI-based company scaling accurate, affordable insights for agriculture. They collect hyperspectral data and with rigorous machine learning models, produce analytics on proprietary geospatial data that contains 300x more information per pixel than satellite images. Through their integrated platform, they evaluate the performance of crops and soil in real-time, providing the industry with soil and nutrient management solutions that accelerate restorative farming practices.

The world class founding team includes CEO Mark Tracy (Indigo Agriculture, Cargill), Executive Chairman Jaymin Patel (former CEO of GTECH Corporation, now IGT, and Brightstar Corp.), Chief Science Officer Jim Kellner (Brown University), and cofounders Jack Roswell, David Schurman, and Alex Zhuk. The seventeen full-time members draw from their diverse disciplines to enable sustainable food production from seed to harvest.

They are hiring! Find their open positions linked here .

CONTACT: Petra Sikorski, +1-720-425-8305, [email protected]

SOURCE Cloud Agronomics
A firefighter wields a hose against the Hennessy fire in Vacaville on Aug. 19. (Los Angeles Times)

Its 112 degrees. Im blinking sweat out of my eyes as I try to breathe through my mask and talk to my guests about the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon in their glasses. Im bothered that the heat and breathless air dont seem to trouble them, but I continue on, talking about the distinguishing factors of that vintage: severe heat and wildfires.

With COVID-19, wine tastings in Napa Valley can happen only outside. During the unprecedented heat spell in early August, I was advised to stay hydrated, take breaks, and watch for signs for heat exhaustion and heatstroke in both myself and our guests. Each day my co-workers and I carried on, pouring wine and pretending that we were superhumans who werent affected by the weather.

Besides our safety, the only thing that mattered was guest satisfaction. Even in a crisis, wealthy tourists stay wealthy. They keep us in business, and in return, we dont bring the mood down.

Under the beating sun, I tell my guests: This year looks like a great vintage. We just hope for a drama-free harvest.

Three days later, on the morning of our commencement picking of Sauvignon Blanc, the Hennessey fire started on the east side of St. Helena, just four miles from the winery. Since then it has evolved into the LNU Lightning Fire Complex, burning more than 350,000 acres and destroying 800 structures, including my co-workers home in the Berryessa Highlands. As I write this, the fire is still burning, smoke taints the air and an eerie orange glow streams through my window.

I came to Napa Valley a year and a half ago to pursue my passion for wine on the pretext of the California Dream. My job, as a wine educator for a high-end winery, should be one of the best around. But I might have moved here at the worst time in recent history.

The last few years have been plagued with unthinkable heat waves and the apocalyptic wildfires that have ravaged the local wine industry: smoke-tainted grapes, evacuations during harvest, rolling blackouts and crippled tourism. Napa Valley is experiencing the reality of climate change: It is hotter and drier every year. What didnt burn this year will burn next year, and so on.

If that wasnt bad enough, COVID-19 has dramatically strained the wine industry. When wineries in Napa Valley reopened in mid-June after being closed for three months, many hospitality staff members did not return to work because they were older (and more susceptible to the virus) or because they were permanently laid off. For many small wineries, tasting room sales and wine club sign-ups are their only form of business. But even the larger ones that sell wine to restaurants have seen their sales come to a screeching halt. Online sales are the saving grace for many brands, but theyre not always enough to keep the business afloat  especially when the latest fires are causing tourism to decline again.

Its hard to sell wine when the weather forecast is smoky, its raining ash and the global pandemic keeps people home.

The people who live here are simply exhausted. We are tired of the anxiety, the packing and unpacking, and the fear of losing our loved ones and our homes. Besides, the region is pricing out its workers. Most people who work at wineries live far from them in less expensive towns such as Vacaville, Fairfield, Windsor, Healdsburg and Santa Rosa.

Yet those locations have suffered the most from wildfires. I asked my co-workers why anyone would choose to live on the outskirts of the valley where rolling dry grasslands are prone to fires. It seemed obvious that those homes are risky investments considering the danger. But I was repeatedly told the same thing: It wasnt like this until a few years ago.

Each year we wait patiently for the annual grape harvest, which starts in mid-August. Normally, this is the most exciting time to be in wine country  there are endless parties, extravagant dinners, grape-stomping photo shoots and the promise of a great vintage. But things are different now. Napa Valley is deflated as many wineries question how badly the grapes have been tainted by smoke, and if its possible to use the fruit at all. Vineyard workers are risking their health  due to unhealthful air quality and a pandemic  because they cant afford not to.

The winery I work for has been closed for a week because of bad air quality and its location in an evacuation zone. When we reopen, who will want to visit?

Olivia L. Eckerson is a wine educator in Napa Valley.
As one of the leading corporations in Vietnam in the field of industrial and urban real estate development, the listing ceremony and celebration of the official trading day of Becamex IDC's BCM shares was a key development milestone for the company.

According to Pham Ngoc Thuan, general director of Becamex IDC, listing on the HSX is an important step, affirming the corporation's transparency and reputation among domestic and foreign partners, investors, and financial institutions, increasing liquidity, demonstrating the sustainable development of Becamex IDC since its inception.

Regarding the corporations upcoming strategy, Thuan said that Becamex IDC will continue to create breakthroughs in new areas of development, where it has spent a lot of resources on extensive research, investment, and preparation. Among those are the implementation of the digital transformation project, building a Science and Technology Industrial Park, developing the World Trade Centre of Binh Duong New City, and establishing the Centre for Research and Development Applications  Smart Manufacturing 4.0.

With all these efforts, I believe we will contribute to the sustainable development of Binh Duong province and Becamex IDC, Thuan said.

Becamex IDC owns 14 industrial parks with a total area of more than 14,400 hectares, occupying 11.4 per cent of the total industrial land area in Vietnam.

In Binh Duong province, Becamex IDC directly manages six parks with a total area of 2,923ha.
I received a call to say an Amazon Prime subscription was to be renewed. I told them that I did not want Amazon Prime. Then I was passed to a man who said I was due a rebate.

He said he would talk me through a cancellation form on my computer. I typed in 39.99 as he asked and it came up as 3,999.

I was put through to a manager who became angry, saying I owed them money. He threatened legal action and said that my mistake could cost someone their job.

He explained that it was too late to stop the money going into my account, and that, to repair the damage, I would need to transfer 3,900 back to them.

Phone scam: An elderly reader was tricked by a fraudster who called pretending to be from Amazon and offering a rebate

I was very scared and agreed to this, giving them my bank details so they could take the money.

With hindsight I realise I should have checked my account first, but all I could think of was that this would rid me of the caller.

When I checked my bank account later, the supposed rebate was not there but our money had been taken. We are in our 80s and the cash means a lot to us.

R. K., London.

You fell victim to vile scammers who bullied and harangued you into giving away your bank account details.

They are of the same ilk as the scum who pretend to be calling from HMRC and threaten to send police with an arrest warrant.

The call you received had no connection to Amazon. Legitimate organisations do not phone out of the blue and demand bank or credit card details.

These criminals seem unable even to add up, as the sums demanded in your letter show but that would not have been uppermost in your mind when you were being threatened and intimidated by them.

Fortunately, there is a good outcome to this ugly episode.

I contacted Lloyds Bank and pointed out that you were a vulnerable customer. It had previously rejected your claim but agreed to review your case, taking into account all the extra information you supplied.

The fraud department spoke to you and understood better the sophistication of the scam.

As a result, Lloyds has refunded the entire amount, plus a 150 goodwill payment. A spokesman says: 'We have a great deal of sympathy for Mr K as the victim of a scam.

'While he didn't take steps to verify that the cold-caller was genuine, we have since taken into account the new information he provided and have refunded the cash which he transferred to the fraudsters.

'It's important for people to remember that banks will never ask them to move money from their accounts, so if they're asked to do this, then it's definitely a scam.'

Remember, if you are unsure about a caller, hang up. Then  ideally using a different phone, because scammers will keep your line open if they can  contact the company or your bank on a recognised number, such as the one on its website, a number you already have or the one on the back of your bank card.

An Amazon spokesman says: 'We take phishing and spoofing attempts on our customers seriously, and will never call a customer for payment outside of our website.

'If a customer has concerns or receives a call they believe is not from Amazon, they can check the amazon.co.uk help pages for guidance.'

You have YOUR say Every week Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some in response to our special report on the small businesses who face going under if workers do not return to the office. My colleague is very angry because a flatmate has been told to work from home from now on. They have turned the communal dining room into their office, and my colleague is not looking forward to winter, when the lights and heating may be left on permanently to accommodate them. It seems to me unhealthy that a worker should wake up, walk five metres to the desk, stay there all day, then go back to bed again! M. P., by email. The economy needs to restart and the Government is not putting out the right message. If civil servants arent returning to the office, it isnt setting a good example for others. I hope staff will get bored and miss their colleagues. D. S., by email. The easiest way to gain some momentum is for the Government to get council staff back to the offices. Many town centres will see an immediate increase in footfall during morning breaks and lunchtime. S. T., Manchester. My shop is at risk of going under. We were closed for three months so we did online sales and offered free local delivery. But these customers have not returned since we reopened. L. O., by email. I work for a small business and understand these are tough times, but we need to adapt. Take some initiative and try to trade differently. T. S., by email. Our High Streets have changed gradually over the past 20 years, but what we are seeing is the need for change within months. It cannot be done that fast. S. R., by email.

Our boiler and central heating system are serviced every year as part of our British Gas HomeCare cover.

The cost has increased from 374.99 to 386.32 a year, yet British Gas has now cancelled our annual service.

How can it hike the fee when it hasn't serviced our boiler?

S. E., Thornton Heath, Surrey.

You make an excellent point  the annual service is an integral part of these contracts.

Your policy actually renewed on January 5, says British Gas.

Your service this year was booked for February 10, but rescheduled to April 1 as the firm was swamped with breakdown call-outs in your area. Covid-19 then intervened.

I made contact and your service was eventually carried out. British Gas has also frozen your premium at last year's level.

A spokesman says: 'We are sorry for the concern caused to Mr E due to the delay in his annual boiler service and increase in HomeCare premium. We have spoken to him to apologise.'

Straight to the point We bought two train tickets to travel around South-West England with Great Western Railway (GWR) in March. But the Isle of Man  where we live  then introduced a 14-day quarantine for anyone returning to the island, so we decided to cancel our trip. We are still waiting for a 201.40 refund. E. d. L-R., Isle of Man. GWR apologises for the delay in processing the refund. It says that this was because it had not received your returned ticket. It has also been dealing with an unprecedented volume of requests. You should now have your money back. *** My elderly friend has been trying to speak to Barclays about his investments for six months. He lives in Malaysia so I have been trying to help, but to no avail. D. B., by email. All you wanted was for the bank to call your friend, but it took my involvement to make this happen. He has now managed to speak to Barclays and is happy with the outcome. *** I bought a valve from eBay for 44.99. Six months later, the boiler was not firing properly. A plumber confirmed it was an issue with the valve, so I contacted the seller, Movika Trading. I've heard nothing back. C. F., by email. Movika's records go back only 90 days and you could not provide evidence of any refund request made to eBay or PayPal. Movika has refused to offer a refund and adds that it cannot accept returns after such a long period of time. *** My wife and I booked a holiday at a Sandals resort in Antigua through the Avios eStore. I was supposed to receive 36,918 points in February, but they never arrived. J. B., Lytham, Lancs. There was an error and your booking wasn't processed properly. Your account should now be credited.
Dr. Sean Conley, third from right, a Navy veteran and President Donald Trump personal physician, walks to Marine One from the White House in Washington, Saturday, April 28, 2018, for the short trip to Andrews Air Force Base en route to Michigan with the president.

"I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media," Conley said.

Dr. Sean Conley, the president's physician, in his statement said that Trump "has asked that I ... address the recent public comments regarding his health."

Trump's tweet in turn, came shortly after FoxNews.com, the online sister of Fox News, published an article noting that Joe Lockhart, who had served as White House press secretary under President Bill Clinton , on Monday tweeted, "Did @realDonaldTrump have a stroke which he is hiding from the American public?"

The statement came hours after Trump claimed on Twitter that unnamed people are "trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes."

President Donald Trump 's doctor, in an extraordinary official statement issued at the behest of the president Tuesday, said that Trump has not experienced or been evaluated for a stroke, mini-stroke or heart-related emergencies.

"The President remains healthy and I have no concerns about his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule ahead of him," Conley said.

"As stated in my last report, I expect him to remain fit to execute the duties of the Presidency," he added

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC when asked what media outlets or reporters had claimed he may hay suffered a stroke, mini-stroke or heart attack.

But in recent days, there has been speculation on Twitter, by Lockhart' and others, that the president may have had a stroke at the time he made a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last November.

That visit was not previously announced on his official schedule.

The White House at the time had claimed that Trump went to the hospital for medical tests as part of his annual physical.

Lockhart's tweet came on the heels of a report by CNN about a forthcoming book by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt, which discusses the Walter Reed visit.

Schmidt wrote that he had learned "in the hours leading up to Trump's trip to the hospital, word went out in the West Wing for the vice president [Mike Pence] to be on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized."

After Lockhart posted his tweet speculating on the question of whether Trump had had a stroke, Dr. Ronny Jackson, a former White House physician for Trump, replied to it in what Lockhart said was an attack.

Jackson, who is running for a seat in Congress representing a Texas district, later deleted the reply, Lockhart said.

Jackson "basically said that this was all fake news and he could attest to the President being in great health," Lockhart told CNBC.

"Not sure how he could do that since he wasn't the doc at the time of the Walter Reed visit," Lockhart added.

Trump's reelection campaign later called for CNN to fire Lockhart as a political analyst for "knowingly pushing a conspiracy theory about President Trump's health."



"If another CNN employee said similar things about Barack Obama they'd be fired immediately, so the same standard should be applied here," the campaign said in a prepared statement. "That is, of course, unless CNN is complicit in the smear campaign in order to level the playing field against Joe Biden, somebody who truly has lost a step."

-- Additional reporting by CNBC's Christina Wilkie.
CHICAGO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Feeding America network of food banks will mobilize this month to help bring an end to hunger  at a time when hunger is impacting more of our neighbors in every corner of the country. Hunger Action Month is designed to inspire people to take action and raise awareness of the fact that millions of people in America are facing hunger.

September marks the thirteenth year Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 partner food pantries and meal programs, has organized the annual call to action to bring attention to the reality of food insecurity.

This year's campaign comes at a critical time when the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt millions of people living paycheck to paycheck. Due to staggering unemployment rates, Feeding America estimates an additional 17 million people could be food insecure in 2020 as a result of this crisis, bringing the total up to 54 million people.

"We need your help now more than ever," said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. "Hunger in this country existed long before COVID-19, but the pandemic has thrust more and more of our neighbors into food insecurity, and food banks are responding to a sustained, increased demand. With support of the community, together we can end hunger one helping at a time."

During the month of September, people across the country can get involved in the movement to end hunger by:

Volunteering at their local food bank

Donating to their local food bank or Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund

Contacting elected officials to protect and increase the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, which is the first line of defense against hunger

Pledging to vote to feed America this November

Wearing orange and lighting city landmarks orange for Hunger Action Day, Sept. 10

Joining the conversation by posting photos or stories to social media with #HungerActionMonth and @FeedingAmerica

To learn more about ways you can take action this September, please visit HungerActionMonth.org.

Press Contact

Zuani Villarreal at [email protected] or 312.641.6532

About Feeding America

Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org , find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE Feeding America

Related Links

http://www.feedingamerica.org


Technavio has been monitoring the cannabis-based alcoholic beverage market and it is poised to grow by 155.28 mn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 19% 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/20200831005551/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Cannabis-based Alcoholic Beverages Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. Technavio's in-depth research has all your needs covered as our research reports include all foreseeable market scenarios, including pre- post-COVID-19 analysis. Download a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the major trends in the market?

Growing prominence of online retailing is a major trend driving the growth of the market.

Growing prominence of online retailing is a major trend driving the growth of the market. At what rate is the market projected to grow?

The year-over-year growth for 2020 is estimated at 16.88% and the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be 155.28 million.

The year-over-year growth for 2020 is estimated at 16.88% and the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be 155.28 million. Who are the top players in the market?

Anheuser-Busch InBev, CannaVines, Dutch Windmill Spirits BV, Heineken NV, Klosterbrauerei Weienohe GmbH Co.KG, MJ Wines LLC, NABC, Inc., Rebel Coast Winery, and Winabis, Wine Cannabis, are some of the major market participants.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, CannaVines, Dutch Windmill Spirits BV, Heineken NV, Klosterbrauerei Weienohe GmbH Co.KG, MJ Wines LLC, NABC, Inc., Rebel Coast Winery, and Winabis, Wine Cannabis, are some of the major market participants. What are the key market drivers and challenges?

The social acceptance of cannabis is one of the major factors driving the market.

The social acceptance of cannabis is one of the major factors driving the market. How big is the North America market?

The North America region will contribute 51% of the market share

The market is concentrated, and the degree of concentration will accelerate during the forecast period. Anheuser-Busch InBev, CannaVines, Dutch Windmill Spirits BV, Heineken NV, Klosterbrauerei Weienohe GmbH Co.KG, MJ Wines LLC, NABC, Inc., Rebel Coast Winery, and Winabis, Wine Cannabis are some of the major market participants. The social acceptance of cannabis will offer immense growth opportunities. To make most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free.

View market snapshot before purchasing

Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations.

Cannabis-based Alcoholic Beverage Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Cannabis-based Alcoholic Beverage Market is segmented as below:

Product Cannabis-infused Beers Cannabis-infused Spirits Cannabis-infused Wines

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=IRTNTR40777

Cannabis-based Alcoholic Beverage 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. The cannabis-based alcoholic beverage market report covers the following areas:

Cannabis-based Alcoholic Beverage Market Size

Cannabis-based Alcoholic Beverage Market Trends

Cannabis-based Alcoholic Beverage Market Industry Analysis

This study identifies growing prominence of online retailing as one of the prime reasons driving the cannabis-based alcoholic beverage market growth during the next few years.

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports.

Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform

Cannabis-based Alcoholic Beverage Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist cannabis-based alcoholic beverage market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the cannabis-based alcoholic beverage market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the cannabis-based alcoholic beverage market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of cannabis-based alcoholic beverage market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

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 placement

Cannabis-infused beers Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Cannabis-infused spirits Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Cannabis-infused wines Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Product

Market Segmentation by Application

Market segments

Comparison by Application placement

Market opportunity by Application

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

Volume driver Demand led growth

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor analysis

Vendors covered

Anheuser-Busch InBev

California Dreamin'

CannaVines

Dutch Windmill Spirits BV

Heineken NV

Klosterbrauerei Weienohe GmbH Co.KG

MJ Wines LLC

Rebel Coast Winery

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/20200831005551/en/

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Last Tuesdays tragic shooting of Damian Lamar Daniels cut to the core of our ongoing national debate about the proper role of law enforcement.

Daniels, a 30-year-old Black military veteran, was experiencing mental distress last week, prompting three phone calls from his family members  and one from him  to the sheriffs office in a span of 25 hours.

After sheriffs deputies arrived at his home, they tried to detain Daniels, who had a gun tucked under his shirt.

He resisted and the ensuing struggle led to his fatal shooting.

The killing of Daniels prompted questions about why a mental health case involving a man who had not threatened anyone was treated like a criminal matter.

The case put one prominent local Democrat, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, at odds with another prominent local Democrat, Sheriff Javier Salazar.

There was no warrant for his arrest, there was no order from a judge to take him in, Wolff said last week. We just need to look at how were doing these things.

On ExpressNews.com: County judge calls for review of deadly struggle between despondent man, deputies

The Daniels shooting was one of the topics of conversation on this weeks episode of the Express-News Puro Politics podcast.

Express-News reporter Brian Chasnoff pointed out that Salazar defended the handling of the incident by suggesting that if the sheriffs office had activated its mental health professionals for this case, the result likely would have been the same.

My question then is, What is the point of having a mental health unit?, Chasnoff said. It seems like this is a textbook example of where you would activate those people.

The political backdrop to the Daniels tragedy is Salazars re-election campaign against Republican nominee Gerry Rickhoff, the former county clerk.

Last week, during a virtual meeting with the Express-News Editorial Board, Rickhoff said the use of mental-health professional could have helped to de-escalate the tense situation at Daniels home.

This man did not have to die, Rickhoff said.

Hear this and other issues discussed on this weeks weeks edition of Puro Politics.

Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Gilbert, become a subscriber. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
Germanys health minister has been subjected to homophobic abuse and allegedly spat on while attempting to engage with a crowd of anti-lockdown protesters, as opponents of the countrys pandemic restrictions appear increasingly emboldened.

Jens Spahn faced down the two dozen or so demonstrators gathered outside a community centre in which he was campaigning on Sunday ahead of local elections in Bergisch-Gladbach.

Now viral footage showed the Christian Democrats (CDU) politician appealing for calm from the crowd as some in the crowd yelled disgrace and gay pig.

North Rhine-Westphalia Police said in a statement on Monday that they had no evidence that the minister was spat on, but that a criminal complaint had been filed against a 39-year-old man who insulted Mr Spahn.

Mr Spahn, whose handling of the pandemic has seen him become a figure of hatred for sceptics and conspiracy theorists despite his overall ratings rising, condemned the reaction he received on Sunday.

Discussing with one another is democracy. It is not roaring and insulting, he tweeted on Monday.

A small group may be loud. The vast majority of citizens stick together despite some hardships in the crisis and help. That makes us strong. We respect each other and continue to take care of each other!

German economy minister Peter Altmaier went further in his criticism, tweeting: Anyone who spits at and molests democratically elected politicians infringes the German constitution and makes an outsider of themselves.

It comes amid rising concern at an increasingly vocal coalition of far-right activists, anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists attempting to capitalise on fatigue at the restrictions, many of whom were among a crowd of 30,000 who gathered in Berlin to protest coronavirus restrictions on Saturday.

Apparently emboldened by baseless rumours that a supportive Donald Trump was also in the city, hundreds of demonstrators  some brandishing the flag of the German Reich of 1871-1918 and other far-right banners  attempted to storm the Reichstag on Saturday night.

Many of them managed to breach a security barrier outside the Reichstag, the burning of which a month after the Nazis came to power in 1933 was used by Adolf Hitler as an excuse to crack down on civil liberties.

The demonstrators on Sunday were intercepted by police and forcibly removed. Some 300 protesters were arrested, police said.

Reich flags and right-wing extremist provocations in front of the German Bundestag are an unbearable attack on the heart of our democracy, said Germanys president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, after a meeting with three police officers who stood alone against the protesters until reinforcements arrived. We will never accept this.

Mr Steinmeier defended the right of those protesting against the coronavirus measures to demonstrate, but admonished them not to allow themselves to be co-opted by the extreme right with a different agenda.

Opinion polls show only one in 10 Germans reject the countrys current prevention measures, such as the requirement to wear masks on public transport, in stores and in some public buildings, while 60 per cent said they are exactly right and 28 per cent that they were not strict enough.

Additional reporting by AP
All COVID-19 protocols such as maintaining social distancing, use of face mask and hand sanitizer, and thermal checking were strictly followed by aspirants after coming out from the Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEE) centre at Vivek Vihar here.

At one of the examination centres in Delhis Arwachin Bharti Bhawan Senior Secondary School in Vivek Vihar, Syed Ali Hasan said, I am glad that the exam finally happened. Postponing the examination is similar to mounting pressure on students. And given the protocols being observed strictly, things are absolutely perfect inside.

Another aspirant Harleen Kaur stated, All the COVID-19 protocols have been maintained stringently. We were asked to sanitize our hands thrice. Sitting arrangements were also maintained observing proper social distancing.

Generally scheduled in April, todays examination started after they were postponed twice earlier following the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Muskan said, I am relieved. The examination finally actually happened. It was good, though I am a little worried about the last answer. Otherwise, the paper was not tough. There were three to four invigilators and gloves and masks were worn throughout the examination.

Dipesh Jain, a parent said, I was extremely worried about my daughter. I was worried that she might lose a year. Postponing the exam or not holding it can never be a solution to the pandemic. To me, observing all the safety norms meticulously is more important.

In a tweet earlier today, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal shared a video message wishing students good wishes for the examination.

JEE is crucial for students trying to get through the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) across the country.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of examinees appearing for JEE has been reduced to 12 per room, from 24.

While entering the halls in the morning, students maintained queues while observing the said norms of social distancing. All were checked with thermal scanners and given hand sanitizers before entering the centre.

Students were allowed to carry only transparent water bottles, admit card, original identity card, two passport size photographs, and hand sanitizers inside the examination centre.

The centres main entrance gate was closed at 8:30 am, half an hour before the commencement of the examination.

The following set of examinees will not use the same computers to give the examination. There will have another set. Before continuing with the entire procedure for the second half, everything, from door handles or railings will be sanitized once again.

Nearly 9.58 lakh students registered for the examination which will be conducted for six days altogether across 660 centres pan India.

The examination tenure was three hours which started at 9 am. The next shift will begin at 3 pm.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted the states next phase of reopening its economy which includes restaurants to reinstate indoor dining at 25 percent capacity. Social distancing and masks will still be required. ( AP News  August 31, 2020)
North Korea has ordered soldiers and police to 'shoot on sight' anyone within half a mile of the country's border with China in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Pyongyang sources only learned of the draconian new measure less than a day before it took effect at midnight on Thursday.

Police in the city of Hoeryong said they would kill anyone within such a distance of the boundary 'regardless of their reason for being there', RFA reports.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, pictured, has ordered soldiers and police to 'shoot on sight' anyone within half a mile of the country's border with China in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus

The policy is being enforced along the entire 880-mile border until the end of the pandemic to try and prevent transmission of Covid-19 through contact with people from China.

The government is sending ammunition to the police to help carry out the ruthless new policy, with sources claiming 'no one will be held responsible for shooting deaths' that occur within such a distance.

The frontier has remained porous despite the two countries closing borders and suspending trade, as the North Korean economy relies on goods being smuggled in and out of China.

A refugee who previously escaped was able to return undetected, which left leader Kim Jong Un so furious he disbanded the military unit that was in charge of the part of the border he crossed.

Special forces troops were also sent to 'assist', but their main job was in fact to watch the guards for corruption, following reports of smugglers paying them to turn a blind eye when shipments are sent or received, according to RFA.

A source said: 'The emergency order stipulates that soldiers on border guard duty will leave behind their blank shots and carry only live ammunition.

'The authorities have sent the notorious special forces to the border area [to watch the border guard units] and now they are ordering the units to fire upon their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers with live ammunition.'

North Korea claims to be the only 'virus-free' country in the world, having not reported a single case, and is serious about maintaining such a status, even though it is widely doubted.

The government is sending ammunition to the police to help carry out the ruthless new policy, with sources claiming 'no one will be held responsible for shooting deaths' that occur within such a distance

The public were recently told 'the enemy is trying to infiltrate the border by sending the virus across it' as officials stressed the need to raise awareness and establish a system of reporting unusual activity near where the two countries meet.

Senior health officials were fired for failing to contain the virus following reports it was spreading in three separate parts of the country, including the capital, and the city of Kaesong was locked down in July over fears of an outbreak.
Balancing two worlds

PROFILE: Few things evoke frustration like the feeling that youre not being heard. Dr Nomfundo Moroe lends an ear and empathy to the Deaf community.

Imagine this: A five-year-old child with perfect hearing whose parents are both hearing impaired is unwittingly positioned between the hearing and the non-hearing worlds. The child communicates with her parents in Sign language and is responsible for translating and talking to the outside hearing world on their behalf.

Such an encounter with a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) a few years ago ignited the interests of audiologist Dr Nomfundo Moroe, and inspired her research interest in how these children cope with being the mediator between their Deaf parents and a hearing world.

When working as a junior audiologist for the Department of Health, I interacted with a young girl who used to come to my department to buy batteries for her mothers hearing aids, says Moroe. In one of our engagements, she told me that her parents were Deaf. Moroe became curious, and started enquiring about the childs everyday life. I would ask her about her day-to-day experiences. I learned that shed have to skip school to accompany her mom to appointments as there was no one else to help translate.

Long before then, two of Moroes undergraduate classmates at Wits made Moroe wonder how Children of Deaf Adults managed to keep a balance between the hearing and the Deaf worlds. These interactions inspired Moroe on to postgraduate study. In 2013 she published extensively on Children of Deaf Adults being the ears and mouths for their parents, and the delegation of these children to act as interpreters for their families.

Five years later, Moroe shifted focus from Children of Deaf Adults to the area of occupational health, safety and environment. In 2018 she earned a PhD for the topic of Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in South African Large Scale Mines: From policy formulation to implementation and monitoring.

Planting a seed

As one of eight siblings, Moroe was raised by her mother and late uncle after her father passed away during her first year in high school. My mother is a teacher and she values education. She named me Nomfundo, which means mother of education, and my paternal grandmother named me Hlakaniphile, which means the intelligent one. So you can see that I was born with a mission  to pursue education.

During her final year of high school in 2001, Moroe would often visit the private practice of the local GP, Dr Mabusela, across the road from her home in Esikhawini, a township in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal.

Back then, I didnt have access to a resource like Google to find out what this discipline [audiology] was about. Dr Mabusela gave me a brief background, saying hes seeing a lot of patients who were Deaf and in need of speech therapy and audiology services, but had no one to refer them to. I can safely say he planted that seed, as I then applied for Speech Pathology and Audiology at Wits.

The intelligent one listens

During the course of her degree, Moroe became a wife and subsequently a mother of two boys. She says she had difficulty balancing these demands. I was a smart student but that did not come through in my undergraduate training. Therefore, I needed to prove to myself that I was not as incapable as some of my lecturers had said. So I enrolled for a Masters degree to take back my self-worth and to live up to my name.

Her research took her deep into the Deaf community as she published on the topics of identity and belonging within the hearing and the Deaf world, and the role of audiologists in these families. Moroe says the Deaf community revealed itself as confident a community as any other.

People who are Deaf see themselves as a cultural group. They are a community and function well within that community without any challenges. The difficulties begin once stepping out of their own world, says Moroe. What further creates fractious feelings is that sign language is misconceived as being only for a disabled group of people, and hearing people who are capable of learning a manual language arent making enough effort to do so. As the hearing world, we can work to be more accommodating.

It starts with changing the perception of Deaf people as being disabled. Healthcare professionals sometimes see the hearing loss before they see the person and label the person as Deaf. They then have sympathetic attitudes, which are problematic, says Moroe. We come in with a lens of pathology and impairment whereas the hearing impaired choose a social view that although we are a minority, we are a community who embraces our difference.

Moroes research interests turned from children of Deaf Adults to unacceptable levels of noise in the mining environment, after meeting up with her PhD supervisor, Professor Katijah Khoza-Shangase. She started focusing on occupational noise-induced hearing loss.

Going underground

During her PhD, she found that the noise made by equipment in South African mines far exceeds the legal 85 dBA limit. To put this into perspective, a conversation between two people sitting across from each other at a table tallies at about 45-50 decibels.

Legislation states that if workers are exposed to high volumes, they should be using hearing protective devices. Not much has been done to help educate workers about the long-term impact of noise, she says.

The effects of being continuously exposed to noise only become evident a decade or so later. It was these effects on ordinary workers, and how that might make them feel, that piqued Moroes interest in this research area. My argument is that people at work are trying to make a living and feel they dont have an alternative, she says.

Moroe went on to publish more than 10 manuscripts on the topic of occupational noise-induced mining loss, earning her PhD by publication in December 2018.

Going through my journey of study I realised how little exposure and research was done on occupational hearing loss. I am forever trying to come up with ways of how best to address the noise issue in the mine sector.

Moroe, a fellow of the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), whose research is supported by the National Research Foundation, has a vision of opening an occupational health and safety unit, working with occupations where there is excessive noise.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed telecom companies, including Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, to repay about 1.43 lakh crore in combined dues they owe the government over 10 years , offering a reprieve to the sector weighed down by heavy debt and under intense regulatory and competitive pressure in recent years.

The breather is short of the 15-20 years sought by the telcos, and which the court said was unreasonable, but came as a shot in the arm to the companies that missed a January deadline to repay their dues.The stock market rallied in response although Vodafone Idea shares took a beating on the perception that its problems were not over. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had proposed a 20-year window.

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra asked the managing directors (MDs) or chief executive officers (CEOs) of the companies to furnish undertakings or personal guarantees within four weeks for payment of dues.

The court ruled that, at the first instance, the respective Telecom Operators shall make the payment of 10% of the total dues as demanded by DoT by March 31, 2021.

Telecom Service Providers have to make payment in yearly instalments commencing from April 1, 2021 up to 31, 2031 payable by 31st March of every succeeding financial year.

In the event of any default in making payment of annual instalments, interest would become payable as per the agreement along with penalty and interest on penalty automatically without reference to Court. Besides, it would be punishable for contempt of Court.

The court ordered service providers and DoT to furnish a compliance report every year by April 7 each year. The top court said the sale of spectrum by telcos facing insolvency proceedings shall be decided by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

The decision will come as a relief to Vodafone Idea, which reported its eighth consecutive quarterly loss in the three months to June and expressed concerns about its ability to stay afloat. The companys gross debt, excluding its lease liabilities, was 1.19 lakh crore as of end-June.

Even so, the Supreme Courts ruling that telecoms firms pay 10% of the dues owed by March 31, 2021 pushed Vodafone Ideas stock down 12.76% to 8.89 on the BSE.

The window for Vodafone to raise funds, have better models and give payback commitments is small which is adding pressure on the stock, said Abhimanyu Sofat, head of research, at stock brokerage IIFL Securities.

The BSEs benchmark Sensex gained 0.71% to 38,900.80 points, and Bharti Airtel shares leapt 6.38% to 546.75.

According to a previous court submission in July, Vodafone Indias dues as of October 2019 amounted to 58,254 crore. It has paid 3,500 crore and has outstanding dues of 54,754 crore. Bharti Aritel had dues of 43,980 crore in October, of which it has paid 18,004 crore, leaving outstanding dues of 25,976 crore.

Total dues owed by the industry amounted to 1.69 lakh crore as of October; the figure has now come down to 1.43 lakh crore.

The entry of Reliance Industries Jio Infocomm in late 2016 with free voice services and cut-price data forced many rivals out of the fiercely competitive market. Others such as Vodafone and Idea were forced to regroup, but continue to bleed and lose subscribers. Jio has already cleared its smaller backlog of charges.

This {court ruling} is positive for Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio and negative for Vodafone Idea, said Gurmeet Chadha, strategist at Complete Circle Consultants in Delhi.

Telecom is a gruesome business and when 5G comes you will have to pay more for spectrum. Eventually, unless Vodafone Idea raises significant capital or gets a strategic partner, we are headed for a duopoly.

On October 24, the Supreme Court allowed the central government to recover its dues from telecom companies in a ruling that hit Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea the hardest. The court accepted the governments definition of AGR or adjusted gross revenues that it includes their income from revenue lines that are not central to their main business.

Income from sales of handsets, termination and roaming charges, rent and dividends should count as part of AGR, which determines what telecom companies pay as licence fee and spectrum usage fee, the court ruled in a verdict that came at a time when debt-laden service providers were already under intense pressure because of adverse regulatory orders,hefty levies and intense competition amid a price war set off by the entry of Jio. Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel both posted record losses in the September quarter.

The court order came in a 16-year-old case stemming from DoT claims that telecom companies had under-reported their revenue and thus paid less for spectrum and in the form of other levies.

At the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on December 6, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla sounded a stark warning, saying Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between Vodafone and his group, would have to shut shop if no relief is forthcoming from the government to soften the blow from the Supreme Court verdict that telecom operators pay DoT the dues they owe in three months.

Birla,who is also chairman of Vodafone Idea, said he is hopeful the company doesnt find itself in a situation where it needs to exit from the market.

But, at the same time, if you ask me specifically, it is true we will shut shop if we dont get relief. Because there is no company in the world that can pay that kind of fine in three months, it just doesnt work like that, Birla said at the time.
Orange Niger is set to build out and modernise its network after being granted a loan of XOF31 billion (US$56.3 million) by Coris Bank Niger.

The operator has also stated its intention of obtaining a 4G licence in order to launch an LTE and LTE-A offering before the end of 2020, reports CommsUpdate.

CEO Souleymane Diallo said: This important financing agreement with Coris Bank International once again reflects the strength of our recovery plan put in place since the takeover of Orange Niger by Zamani Com in November 2019, and which is already reflected in significant growth in all of our indicators.

Our objective is clear, we want to be the digital operator of reference in Niger, and that means upgrading your network with the very latest technologies. We will now get down to modernising the network in the next three months, before proceeding with the launch of our new brand, concluded Diallo.
By Tetsushi Kajimoto, Antoni Slodkowski and Yoshifumi Takemoto

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba, a favourite in opinion polls to become the next premier, told Reuters on Monday Tokyo should deepen ties with Asian neighbours, including South Korea, amid growing tension between China and the United States.

Ishiba, 63, steered clear of declaring his candidacy in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, even as opinion polls showed he was the people's choice to become the country's next leader.

But later on Monday Asahi daily said he has decided to run to "show citizens the choice", citing several members of his party faction.

Ishiba, a rare LDP critic of Abe, said he was popular because he presented a break from the current administration, underscoring his differences with long-time Abe aide Yoshihide Suga, a key contender backed by several LDP factions.

Abe, Japan's longest-serving premier, stepped down on Friday due to ill health, kicking off a leadership contest within his party, whose winner is all but guaranteed the premiership because of the LDP's majority in the lower house of parliament.

Fielding calls from lawmakers and messages from secretaries in his parliamentary office, Ishiba said there are many countries in Asia that are "stuck" because of the intensifying rivalry between Washington and Beijing, and Japan should seek stronger bonds with them, as well as with South Korea.

"For example, does Japan have a relationship of trust with Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines or Singapore?" asked Ishiba. "We must build political, cultural or security relationships of trust with Asia," he added.

Abe oversaw a cautious improvement in ties with China, although a territorial row and Beijing's clamp-down on Hong Kong are causing strains. Tokyo's ties with Seoul are strained by a dispute over compensation for Koreans forced to work in Japan's wartime factories and mines, as well as in Japanese military brothels.

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"You can't say that because we don't like each other we won't work together. South Korea is a very important country from the standpoint of Japan's national security," said Ishiba, adding that Japan should "work hard to get to know South Korea better."

He also expressed concern about the lack communication with North Korea: "We should create liaison offices in Tokyo and Pyongyang," he said.

FUTURE OF ABENOMICS

Ishiba said the "Abenomics" stimulus policy was not sustainable, although he saw no need to drastically change the current policy, including monetary easing, "for the time being".

"The current economy has been backed by corporate tax cuts, zero interest rates, yen weakening and sluggish wages, but I don't think such a policy is sustainable," Ishiba said.

Asked about possible sales tax cuts to stimulate domestic demand, Ishiba said alternative financing resources must be secured first, such as through value-added corporate tax hikes and welfare reform.

"The merit of the sales tax is to secure stable revenue ... but the role of the sales tax must be reviewed when we consider how to boost disposable incomes of low-income households."

'DIFFERENT TASTE'

Ishiba highlighted the differences between him and Abe's right-hand man, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga.

Ishiba defeated Abe in the first round of a party presidential election in 2012, thanks to strong grassroots support, but lost in a second round vote by lawmakers. In a 2018 party leadership poll, Ishiba lost heavily to Abe.

"People still want an LDP government, but after Mr. Abe has resigned they're asking: 'who's got a different style?'," said Ishiba. "I've continuously challenged Abe and I have more support than those who haven't. This is not based on performance, but on expectations," said Ishiba.

He criticised party executives for leaning toward adopting a slimmed-down election format limited to lawmakers and representatives of local chapters, due to the coronavirus crisis and a tough national security environment.

"There's no logic to these arguments," said Ishiba. "Mr. Abe said he would do his best as premier until the next prime minister is chosen so the government would go on...there would be no political vacuum," said Ishiba.

(Reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto, Antoni Slodkowski and Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Chris Gallagher, Hugh Lawson, Peter Graff and Chizu Nomiyama)
Meghan Markle, along with her husband Prince Harry, has officially renounced her membership as a senior working member of the British royal family. However, the public remains to have a piqued interest in her time within the royal circle. With the release of royal family memoirs, one in particular indicated that Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton had a strained relationship and did not get along well.

The Defining Moment

According to writers of a new royal biography, the Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Cambridge did not reportedly have a close relationship for a while, but a particular incident altered the way both saw each other.

In "Finding Freedom" penned by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the authors reveal the defining moment that led to the duchesses' fallout. They were initially not at war with each other but they did not manage to move past distant politeness, according to an excerpt.

The mark of the beginning of a distant relationship was on a day in which Markle and Middleton found out that they were going shopping on the same street. Both women could have taken off from the palace together, but Middleton decided to drive the opposite way and left Markle behind, reported Express.

Kate Middleton's Slated Tell-All Interview

Middleton allegedly would like to set the record straight regarding her relationship with Markle and the other circulating rumors regarding her. This September, she is planning to open up in a tell-all interview.

The searing question posed upon the release of the excerpt of "Finding Freedom'' is this: What was the relationship between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton while they lived under one roof?

Also Read: Meghan Markle Reportedly Demands $90M, Threatens Royals With Tell-All Interview

Are They Feuding?

The royal expert duo indicated that the pair were not feuding but did not know each other well, reported Grazia.

According to a source, in 2019, the rivalry gossip had an effect on both Markle and Middleton, finding being pitted against each other burdensome.

"Meghan is very aware that Kate will be queen; their roles are very clear. What's challenging is when they are pitted against each other. That's been challenging to both of them. Meghan has her life; Kate has hers," the insider stated, reported Glamour.

Lack of Efforts on Kate Middleton's End

By the time 2017 arrived, Markle first met the royal family members including Middleton. The news made its rounds not long after the first meeting that the two princes' wives did get along.

Scobie and Durand noted that Middleton did not make attempts to "bridge the divide" between them.

According to the authors of the memoir, when they first met, Markle made an effort to bond with Kate by gifting her a present: a Smythson notebook. The biography described that they had nothing in common.

Middleton's upcoming interview this September will focus on her rumored feud with the former "Suits" actress. No concrete pieces of evidence have surfaced to confirm that the rumors are accurate as of now.

Also according to the two reporters, "Meghan would agree with the assessment that the duchesses were not the best of friends. Their relationship hadn't progressed much since (Markle) was Harry's girlfriend.

They stated that Meghan Markle had expected Kate Middleton guiding her through things she would need to learn as an outsider but that never transpired to be a good start to a good relationship.

Related Article: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Still Want Media Attention Despite Lawsuits

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New Delhi: One of the most popular and longest-running sitcoms on television, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah welcomed Bappa home with much aplomb. The festive fervour inside the Gokuldham society remains high with brimming energy and happiness.

Here are the pictures:

In the Ganpati special episodes, Tapu Sena makes meticulous arrangements to welcome Bappa into the society. The pandal has been kept minimalistic but is elegantly decorated. Madhavi and Bhide along with Tapu Sena set up Bappas idol in its place and perform an aarti welcoming him back.

Keeping the precautionary measures in mind, the residents of Gokuldhaam Society have agreed on each family performing aarti separately. Meanwhile, everyone gets a Darshan of Bappa streamed on their TV sets through the cameras installed around the pandal.

Meanwhile, two new faces have been introduced on the show. Sunayana Fozdar and Balwinder Singh will be seen playing Anjali and Roshan Singh Sodhi on the show after the old faces made an exit.

On Neha Mehta, who played Anjali before, leaving the show, producer Asit Kumarr Modi said: "Neha Mehta will always remain part of the Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah family. 12 years of working together bind you in a relationship that cannot be easily expressed in words. The decision to part ways was mutually agreed on. Everyone in the team appreciates and values her contribution to Anjali Mehttas character and the show. And, if ever in the future we have an opportunity to include her in any of our projects, we will definitely seek her out."
Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law fled to Britain after Beijing imposed the security law following months of large and often violent protests

Exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law led a protest by several hundred demonstrators including members of the Chinese Uighur minority in Berlin on Tuesday ahead of a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Speaking outside the foreign ministry, Law called for more support from Berlin over a security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in June that radically increases its control over the financial hub and has led to a brutal crackdown on dissent and protests.

"What we need is action... This should be accomplished by the EU together and Germany should take the lead," he said.

"Berlin is very quiet when the topic is China. Berlin is very quiet when the topic is Hong Kong," he added.

Law was joined by supporters waving the blue and white flag of the Uighurs, a minority that suffers from repression and persecution in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, according to rights groups and experts.

Law, 27, fled to Britain after Beijing imposed the security law following months of large and often violent protests calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.

The move drew international condemnation, with the US imposing sanctions against Chinese officials, while countries including Canada, Australia, Britain and Germany have suspended extradition agreements with Hong Kong.

The European Union agreed in July to limit exports to Hong Kong of equipment that could be used for surveillance and repression.

Hong Kong is supposedly guaranteed certain freedoms and autonomy in a "One Country, Two Systems" deal agreed ahead of its 1997 handover from Britain.

Wang's visit to Berlin is the final stop on a tour of five European countries as he seeks to shore up economic and diplomatic relations in light of tensions with the US.

This trip, his first out of China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, also took in the Netherlands, France, Norway and Italy, where where he signed two trade agreements, including one on the supply of gas.

bur-fec/dlc/wdb
The past six months have been filled with uncertainty for students, parents, teachers and school administrators.

The social distancing rules put in place in March to reduce the impact of COVID-19 caused education to move out of the classroom and online. When the 2020-21 school year begins on Tuesday, Sept. 8, all classes in the Lebanon Community Schools district will be held online.

Superintendent Bo Yates is confident the staff members in the district are ready to deliver a high quality online education for as long as that is required.

We learned a ton going through last spring, as did every other school district in the state. I dont think anybody was prepared to move into a virtual environment, totally. But we did and we did the best that we could, Yates said. But we took what we learned from that experience and we have improved our programs fundamentally.

School staff is spending this week working with families to make sure they have the computers they need to begin the school year online. They are also working to help parents and students understand the new system which has been acquired to organize this schoolwork and make communication much easier.

Alisha Port, the lead technical support specialist for Lebanon Community Schools, and her team has been working for weeks to get 800 new Chromebooks ready for distribution. They are also working to repair existing Chromebooks, fixing broken keys and keyboards, and getting them ready for students to use.

We get every minute out of them we can, Port said.

But perhaps more important than the laptops themselves is the online learning environment. Over the summer, the school district acquired the Canvas Learning Management System and district staff have spent these months getting ready to integrate this tool into every students education.

Yates said that in some ways, the pandemic has forced schools to adopt new programs which would have eventually become part of the educational landscape anyway. This process was simply sped up by these recent events.

Its not just our online learning platform, Yates said of Canvas. Its a platform that were going to use regardless if were online, offline, blended learning. It just provides us consistency across all those operational models.  It really is a huge step up for us.

Tami Volz, the school improvement and federal programs director for the district, said one of the benefits of Canvas is the ease of communication. Instead of relying on email, Volz said, Canvas allows district staff members to easily communicate with parents and students.

Its like an email but even better because youre attached to a class and when you go into a class, theres the message, Volz said.

Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Meckley said training is available for parents and students to help them learn how to use Canvas. This information is specific to the grade level of the student: early elementary, upper elementary, middle school and high school.

Families can self-pace themselves and do it on their own, Meckley said of the training. If theyre not able to do that, we have appointments available  for them to come in and get support.

Meckley said there will also be online parent forums to answer questions about the Canvas program.

Even though the students will be taking classes online, the goal is to return to a much more traditional and structured environment. For example, high school students will have six class periods daily on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Each of these class periods will be 35 minutes in length and feature live instruction from their teachers, Volz said.

Wednesday is set aside for homework. The schedule for middle school students will be similar. Attendance will be taken every period and the coursework will be graded as usual.

Elementary school students will have 21/2 hours of live instruction daily each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Teachers will devote 60 minutes to math instruction and 90 minutes to language arts.

The time will be broken up as needed with live teaching as well as individual and group projects.

Teams of teachers at each grade level worked this summer to set up the curriculum for the first six weeks of the year so classes can hit the ground running.

One area of concern when school was disrupted in the spring was the delivery of breakfast and lunch to students who rely on this service. In the past six months, the district has set up an entire delivery system and provided more than 50,000 meals.

With the school year beginning, the district will only be able to provide meals to students who are enrolled within the Lebanon Community Schools system.

This year, students who attend the Hamilton Creek and Lacomb schools will be able to receive the free lunch service. This program will also continue to be offered at Cascades, Green Acres, Pioneer and Seven Oak.

Breakfast is free for all students in the district.

Yates said one of the key reasons for families to keep their children enrolled in Lebanon Community Schools is to help ensure the continuity of their education. No one knows what the next few months will hold, but students who are in the system will be better able to manage whatever shifts occur between online, in-person, and blended learning, Yates said.

In a written statement, Yates summarized the case for Lebanon Community Schools.

We care about our students. It may seem that we have become just another virtual option, but we are a team of passionate educators who are focused on the students in Lebanon. When we can transition to in-person instruction, there will be continuity of content and instruction. Nothing will need to be reinvented, we will simply transition from a virtual model to an in-person model, Yates stated.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky.  Breonna Taylors boyfriend has filed a lawsuit saying he is a victim of police misconduct and seeking immunity from prosecution for firing a single shot that wounded a Louisville officer the night police broke into Taylor's apartment and killed her.

The attorney for Kenneth "Kenny" Walker also says evidence indicates his client didn't fire the bullet that nearly severed the officer's femoral artery.

"We know police are firing wildly from various angles," attorney Steve Romines told The Louisville Courier Journal of the USA TODAY Network. "The timeline and evidence at the scene is more indicative of (police) actually shooting Mattingly than it is Kenny Walker."

Kenneth Walker was charged with attempted murder of a police officer after shooting at officers who had burst into his girlfriend's apartment on a search warrant. Walker says he thought intruders were breaking in and he acted in self-defense. The charges were dismissed.

Walker, 28, is seeking unspecified monetary damages from the city and Louisville Metro Police for assault, battery, false arrest and imprisonment, malicious prosecution, abuse of process and negligence stemming from the night of the shooting, according to the civil complaint filed in Jefferson County District Court Tuesday.

Kenny continues to reel from the death of the love of his life, but he is also the victim and survivor of police misconduct  misconduct that threatens his freedom to this day, the complaint said.

Walker is being represented by Romines, a Louisville civil rights attorney who also represents David McAtee, who was shot dead by the Kentucky National Guard in the doorway of his barbecue business June 1.

Attorney says Walker's shot didn't hit Mattingly

In the complaint, Romines says Walker was interrogated by police under false pretenses the night of the shooting  and then wrongfully and illegally arrested, detained, charged and prosecuted.

After police used a battering ram to enter Taylor's apartment while serving a search warrant, Walker fired what he said was a "warning" shot. Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was struck in the femoral artery in his thigh.

Mattingly, along with detective Myles Cosgrove and now-fired detective Brett Hankison, returned fire, killing Taylor.

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However, Romines told The Courier Journal on Tuesday that he doesn't believe Walker shot Mattingly.

Based on crime scene photographs and other evidence he has obtained through discovery, Romines said police likely fired 40 to 45 bullets into Taylor's apartment in two "flurries" or waves of shootings.

"The radio transmission and the 911 calls reflect that a minute and eight seconds transpires with no shots before they start shooting into the apartment again," Romines said.

"During that time, Hankison yells 'reload,'" Romines said, adding that the initial 911 call comes from a neighbor while gunfire is going off.

More than a minute elapses before anyone says "officer shot," he said.

"We know police are firing wildly from various angles," Romines said. "The timeline and evidence at the scene is more indicative of (police) actually shooting Mattingly than it is Kenny Walker."

Photographs of Walker's round that was recovered didn't show any indication it touched blood, Romines said.

The lawsuit names Mayor Greg Fischer, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Jefferson County Commonwealths Attorney Tom Wine, Louisville Metro Police Chief Rob Schroeder, former Chief Steve Conrad, the Louisville Area Governmental Self-Insurance Trust, 13 police officers and unnamed officers.

The attorney is seeking an immediate judgment for Walkers immunity under Kentuckys stand your ground law, which prevents police or state officials from prosecuting anyone who acts in self-defense.

Walker did not in fact know, nor should he have known that it was police officers who banged on the door and then broke it down.

According to the lawsuit, Taylor and Walker were startled and awakened by a loud boom at the door. Taylor asked who is it, and when she and Walker received no response, started putting their clothes on.

Walker got his firearm, for which he has a Kentucky conceal-carry permit, for protection.

Hankison has since been fired, accused of firing indiscriminately into the apartment and adjoining units. Mattingly and Cosgrove are on administrative reassignment.

The case is being investigated by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and the FBI for possible action against the officers.

Follow reporter Kala Kachmar on Twitter: @NewsQuip

'They miss a 3-foot putt': Trump tells Ingraham some officers 'choke' during shootings

More: Justice Department investigating BLM protest leaders, funding in Portland and other cities

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Breonna Taylor case: Lawyer says Kenneth Walker didn't shoot police
HERNDON, Va., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center announced today that with nearly 7 million students enrolled during Summer 2020, community colleges saw enrollment losses of nearly 6% and for-profits' enrollment declined by 7% over Summer 2019. Meanwhile, public and private nonprofit four-year colleges saw modest enrollment growth of 3% and 4%, respectively.

However, public four-year, rural institutions declined more than 8%, and private nonprofit rural campuses declined by almost 5%. But enrollment at public and private nonprofit four-year institutions in cities increased nearly 6% and those in suburbs grew by 3%.

"These data offer the first opportunity to grasp the full range of effects on students and institutions of the host of disruptions the nation has weathered this summer," said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. "The equity implications for higher education in the fall are becoming more clear: Many of those most affected by the pandemic also appear to be losing access to college classes, even at community colleges and rural institutions that have traditionally served them."

The new report kicks off a new research series, Stay Informed with the Latest Enrollment Information, that will track the impact of COVID-19 on postsecondary enrollments, using the latest data available. Unlike our normal Current Term Enrollment Estimates report series, Stay Informed highlights year-over-year changes, using 2018 and 2019 historical data as pre-pandemic baselines and creating fixed panels of institutions that have submitted data within each month. This allows us to provide early insights with preliminary data before the full enrollment reporting is completed for the term. The Research Center will update the data monthly, for various subgroups of students, programs, institutions, states, or regions.

Key research findings include:

Black students suffered the steepest declines in undergraduate programs with a decline of 8%, particularly at community colleges with a 11% decline. But Black graduate enrollment increased 3%.

Hispanic undergraduate enrollment increased at all institutions except for community colleges, and Hispanics graduate students increased nearly 13% from last year, the fastest growth of all racial/ethnic groups.

Male undergraduate enrollments dropped overall 5.2% and nearly 14% at community colleges, compared to a decline of less than one percent for women.

At primarily online institutions, where more than 90 percent of student enroll exclusively online, graduate enrollment increased almost 6% and undergraduate enrollments decreased almost 4%. A total of 34 institutions are identified as primarily online, as of Spring 2020, and 28 are included in the Summer 2020 analysis. Primarily online institutions are predominantly private for-profit four-year, multi-state, institutions.

Undergraduate enrollment growth in public and private nonprofit four-year colleges was driven by students aged 18-20, and by high school dual enrollees, with 8% and 17% growth, respectively.

In a precursor to this new report, the Research Center's June report, "A COVID-19 Supplement to Spring 2020 Current Term Enrollment Estimates," showed that the pandemic did not appear to have had any major effect on students' enrollment status changes during the spring term, regardless of demographic characteristics or institution types. However, there were early signs of broader impacts underway, such as more students taking leaves of absence than in pre-pandemic years, particularly African Americans and Hispanics.

To further quantify the impact of COVID-19 on U.S. higher education institutions, the Research Center, with financial grants from Ascendium Education Group and the ECMC Foundation, will launch in late October a new research report series titled, "COVID-19: Transfer, Mobility, and Progress," that addresses student transfer, mobility, and progress in near-real-time.

About the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes.

The Research Center currently collects data from more than 3,600 postsecondary institutions, which represent 97 percent of the nation's postsecondary enrollments in degree-granting institutions, as of 2018. Clearinghouse data track enrollments nationally and are not limited by institutional and state boundaries. To learn more, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org.

Media Contact: Todd Sedmak, [email protected] or 703-742-4837

SOURCE National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

Related Links

https://nscresearchcenter.org


Gaza City: Gazas Hamas rulers say they have reached an agreement through international mediators to end the latest round of cross-border violence with Israel.

Under the deal, Hamas is to halt the launches of explosives-laden balloons and rocket fire into Israel, while Israel said it would ease a blockade that has been tightened in recent weeks. The Israeli restrictions have worsened living conditions in Gaza at a time when it is coping with a new coronavirus outbreak.

An Israeli police officer demonstrates a new laser defence system designed to intercept explosives-laden balloons launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Credit:AP

As a result of indirect mediation efforts led by Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar, Hamas said "several projects will be announced to serve our people in Gaza Strip and contribute in mitigating difficult living conditions.

Its statement didn't detail any of the projects but it said conditions would return to what they were before the escalation.
Immigration status will no longer block hundreds of thousands of people in New Jersey from becoming licensed doctors, nurses, electricians, counselors, cosmetologists, and other professionals.

Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday signed a bill into law that allows immigrants to obtain a professional or occupational license in the Garden State even if theyre undocumented, as long as they meet all other requirements.

Previously, you were required to have a lawful presence in the United States to qualify for a license. This law (S2455) removes that barrier.

Murphys office said the law  which takes effect immediately  will benefit about 500,000 undocumented residents in New Jersey.

The office also said the state will be the first on the East Coast to enact such a law. California, Nevada, and New Mexico are among the other states with similar statutes.

Sponsors and advocates said this is especially crucial as New Jersey continues to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout. This, they said, will allow for more workers at hospitals and bring more people into the states workforce in general.

This bill is a good idea no matter what, Murphy, a self-avowed progressive Democrat, said before signing the bill during a Facebook Live event. But God knows, the strain and stress on our medical and health profession made its timing and its urgency more so.

New Jersey is stronger when everyone is given the opportunity to contribute and everyone is given a chance to live their American Dream, the governor added. This law sends a simple, powerful message that immigration status can no longer be used as an excuse to discriminate among equally educated, trained, and qualified individuals.

WATCH NOW: Join us on @GovMurphy livestream of the #OccupationalLicenses4All bill signing!

Today, NJ becomes the first state on the East Coast to remove barriers for immigrants to access professional opportunities. We all should have the freedom to thrive: https://t.co/maGnh8uhen pic.twitter.com/obfHm0iP2u  Make the Road New Jersey  (@MaketheRoadNJ) September 1, 2020

Estrella Rivas, a 20-year-old Elizabeth resident who is a student at Rutgers-New Brunswick, said she has long hoped to become a doctor to help her family. But she was born in El Salvador and isnt a U.S. citizen, and that meant she had trouble volunteering at some hospitals.

I was denied because I didnt have a Social Security number, Rivas said during the FacebookLive with Murphy. The reality is this: My immigration status has meant that doors have closed for me.

Today we make big steps on becoming a more fair and equitable state, she noted about the new law.

Technically, federal law prohibits employers from hiring people living in the U.S. illegally. But federal law does allow states to pass their own laws to grant undocumented immigrants eligibility for certain state and local benefits, including professional and commercial licenses.

Both houses of the Democratic-controlled New Jersey Legislature passed the Democratic-sponsored bill (S2455), largely along party lines, this summer. The state Senate passed it by a vote of 26-11, the state Assembly 47-26.

By eliminating barriers to occupational licenses, we will enable qualified, trained, highly skilled, and hardworking Dreamers to fill critical worker shortages in our state while contributing to the economy and being treated with dignity, said Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, D-Hudson, a main sponsor of the measure.

But some Republicans opposed the measure.

We have rules and laws in this country and, if you come into the country illegally and you are in violation of the law, I dont think we should be granting you licenses, state Assemblyman Harold Wirths, R-Sussex, said when the Assembly passed the bill in July.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.
Caracas, Sep 1 : Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has pardoned over 100 opposition leaders, who are currently serving sentences or facing criminal charges, ahead of the December 6 parliamentary elections.

Communication and Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the move on Monday was aimed to "promote peaceful coexistence and the resolution of controversies through constitutional, electoral and peaceful channels", reports Xinhua news agency.

The pardons represent a guarantee of all parties' participation in the legislative elections, said Rodriguez.

A total of 27 deputies from different political parties with pending legal proceedings are among the pardoned leaders.

It also includes legislator Freddy Guevara, who sought asylum in the Chilean diplomatic residence, as well as Roberto Marrero, who had served as chief of staff to opposition leader Juan Guaido.

December's polls will take place to elect the 167 deputies of the National Assembly.

The 167 members consist of 113 seats elected by first-past-the-post voting, 51 elected by proportional representation and three reserved for members of the indigenous community.
It's mating season for elk in Colorado. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most iconic spots to catch large herds of elk in action  but some visitors often get way to close, prompting the closure of several elk-grazing meadows within the park this fall.
1 killed, 4 students kidnapped as gunmen invade school, church in Nigeria

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One person was killed and several others were abducted when suspected Fulani radicals were said to have attacked a secondary school and burned a church in a predominantly Christian village in Nigeria.

According to the London-based human rights watchdog Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the attack occurred at Prince Academy in the Damba-Kasaya Community in Chikun local government area last Monday.

Residents of the area accused Fulani militia of arriving in large numbers around 7:45 a.m. when they are said to have invaded the school, abducted a teacher and four of his students.

The militants also reportedly broke into the Aminchi Baptist Church, destroyed musical instruments and the churchs public address system before setting objects inside the church on fire.

According to witness testimony, 35-year-old Benjamin Auta was killed during the attack and leaves behind a wife and baby.

Our church, Aminchi Baptist Church, here in Damba Kasaya, was burned, and Mr. Benjamin Auta, aged 35, was killed during the attack, resident Nuhu Aruwa told Morning Star News.

Although local reports indicated that Auta was killed as he and others pursued the gunmen after they abducted the students and teacher, Aruwa told the nonprofit persecution news outlet that Auta was killed in his house located near the school.

Aruwa stated that in total, the gunmen abducted seven Christian villagers.

Among them were four students of Prince Academy and one of their teachers, Aruwa was quoted as saying. Two other Christian farmers, a woman and a man were captured and taken away too by the herdsmen.

Residents have identified the kidnapped students as 10-year-old Favour Danjuma, 15-year-old Miracle Saitu Danjuma, 16-year-old Happiness Odoji and 17-year-old Ezra Bako. The abducted teacher has been identified as 29-year-old Christiana Madugu.

The situation in southern Kaduna is pressing and increasingly desperate. We extend our condolences to the family of Mr. Auta, and our prayers are with those who anxiously await the safe return of their loved ones, CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said in a statement.

CSW cited data by the Southern Kaduna People's Union showing that since 2019, at least 45 communities have been displaced and occupied in Kaduna state.

Mission Africa International stated in an August report that several tribal communities in Kaunda, including the Gbagyi, Adara, Chawai and Irigwe communities, have been displaced from their ancestral lands by Fulani invaders.

These apart from the deaths suffered put at above 500 from January to June 2020, the destruction of their home and displacement of 50,000 persons from 109 communities who cannot currently go to farm and harvest their produce, the report explains. In some of the communities, they have to pay protection taxes to invaders to get to their farms.

Thomas urged the Nigerian government to address this violence and insecurity in an earnest and unbiased manner and provide humanitarian assistance for the burgeoning number of displaced people and to guarantee their safe return to their homes and lands.

We also call on the European Union and the governments of the U.K. and U.S. to encourage the Kaduna state and federal governments to provide for these IDPs, who continue to rely on NGO and church donations for survival, and to allocate resources towards assisting them as a matter of urgency, Thomas explained.

Throughout the Middle Belt states of Nigeria, thousands of residents from predominantly Christian farming communities have been displaced and killed in recent years due to attacks by radicals from the nomadic predominantly-Muslim Fulani herding community.

Some international human rights organizations have argued that the violence against Christians in Nigeria is reaching genocidal levels.

In Kaduna state, there has been increased violence in recent years and months.

At least 11 Christians, including a 16-year-old girl and pastor, were reportedly killed by suspected Fulani attackers in the Gora Ward of Zangon Kataf local government area on Aug. 18. Fulani militants were also said to have burned seven homes, according to the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union.

Last Thursday night, suspected Fulani radicals abducted a 14-year-old girl and three others after they failed to break into the home of Pastor Elisha Abu Dreams in the Mararaba Rido area of Kadunas Chikun local government area.

Dreams, who is the head of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna state, told the Daily Post about how he and his family refused the attackers demands to open their house.

Nigeria ranks as the 12th worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution on Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List. Nigeria was added to the U.S. State Departments special watch list of countries that have engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom last December over its failure to thwart violence in the country.

Elsewhere in Nigeria, Islamic extremists from Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province continue with their violence against communities in the countrys northeast.

A Nigerian civil society group International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law estimated that 1,202 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in the first six months of 2020 by radicalized herdsmen and Islamic extremists.

Of those deaths, 390 were attributed to killings committed by radical Islamic groups Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, in addition to armed bandits. The report attributed 812 killings committed by Fulani radicals in the Middle Belt states.
New Delhi: The External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday (September 1, 2020) in a virtual meeting with his Nigerian counterpart Geoffrey Onyeama, held wide-ranging discussions on the entire gamut of India-Nigeria bilateral relations.

During the 75 minutes interaction, the two Ministers recognized and acknowledged the excellent long-standing, multifaceted and strategic bilateral ties between the two counties, based on mutual friendship and cooperation.

"India being the largest democracy in the world and Nigeria the largest democracy in Africa, share the values of pluralism, inclusiveness and sustainable development for all. Both sides agreed to maintain the momentum in strengthening the excellent ties for the mutual benefit of our two countries and peoples," read the Joint Communique released after the meeting.

As per the Joint Communique, the discussions covered a wide spectrum of cooperation on political, economic and trade, defense and security, developmental assistance and cultural cooperation and both sides recalled their extensive cooperation in the field of defense training and capacity building.

Jaishankar and Onyeama expressed satisfaction that it was expanding to newer areas such as defense equipment support, medical and maintenance services, sharing of R&D expertise for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency, and regular exchange of information/views.

They also acknowledged ongoing collaborative efforts through information sharing between the Indian and Nigerian Navies and increase of surveillance for Maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, though collaboration between Indian and Nigerian Navies.

"The Ministers urged the armed forces of both countries, to continue to work together in the on-going efforts to counter-terrorism, insurgency and piracy," said the Joint Communique.

Thank you FM @GeoffreyOnyeama of #Nigeria for a comprehensive review of ties with a key partner in Africa. Agreed to expedite initiatives in defence, trade, energy and consular matters. Will work closely on regional and international issues. pic.twitter.com/tSoyUitVI6  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 1, 2020

Notably, with a bilateral trade turnover of USD 13.9 billion in 2019-20, India is Nigerias largest trading partner, and Nigeria is Indias largest trading partner in Africa.

Both sides also agreed to expand cooperation in Information Technology (IT), Defense and solar energy projects to be executed through the Indian Line of Credit (LoC).

The Nigerian side expressed appreciation to India for the recent donation of medical supplies in support of the on-going fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jaishankar and Onyeama agreed to further intensify high-level exchanges between India and Nigeria and to hold bilateral discussions on a regular basis.
New Delhi Chinese President Xi Jinpings call for bolstering border defences in Tibet and sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism are misguided and unrealistic, the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile has said.

Lobsang Sangay, the sikyong or president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, also expressed concern at Chinas military build-up on the Tibetan plateau, and questioned Beijings military expansionism and its intentions on the five fingers as well as on the border regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Xi had given a call to promote the sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism and to build an impregnable fortress to maintain stability in Tibet while addressing Chinas top leadership on Saturday at a forum on future governance in Tibet.

Xi was quoted by state-run Xinhua news agency as saying that the government and military leaders should solidify border defences and ensure frontier security as well as ensure national security and enduring peace and stability in Tibet, which shares a long border with India.

Responding to Xis remarks about building an impregnable fortress in Tibet, Sangay said: China has been quietly militarising the Tibetan plateau for over 60 years under the pretext of development and modernisation. For Tibet, this has only led to an influx of soldiers, Han settlers, and weapons.

For its neighbours, this militarisation of the Tibetan plateau has led to a military build-up on its borders, jeopardising the already contentious border regions as evidenced by the recent Galwan incident.

Sangay said that to foster stability in Tibet, China must first address the genuine grievances of the Tibetan people and not forget the 154 Tibetans who have set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese policies in Tibet.

He added that the increasing militarisation of Tibet is a serious source of concern for the Tibetans as well as India and Asias security at large. Restoring the status of Tibet as a zone of peace with its historical demilitarised border with India is the only way of enduring peace in Asia.

Sangay, who heads the Central Tibetan Administration based in Dharamshala, said: The root cause of instability in Tibet is not the Tibetan peoples faith, but the repressive and failed policies of the Chinese government. The continuation of these hardline policies and repression is only going to make matters worse. Thats why genuine autonomy based on the middle way approach is the only viable solution.

He also refuted Xis call for sinicising, saying: Chinas policy of sinicising Tibetan Buddhism is a misguided attempt at controlling the Tibetan peoples religious belief and the reincarnation system. China must draw on its past experiences and allow the Tibetan people to maintain its distinct faith and religious traditions.

The remarks were a reference to increased efforts by Beijing to choose the next Dalai Lama. Chinese authorities have said they will reject any successor to the current Dalai Lama chosen outside China, and experts have contended that any Indian involvement in the issue could potentially affect bilateral relations.

The Chinese presidents assertions and Sangays response came against the backdrop of the dragging India-China border standoff. Tensions flared again on Monday, when the Indian Army said it had thwarted Chinas provocative military movements to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the southern bank of Pangong Lake.

Some experts have suggested that the Indian government should play up the Tibet card as part of efforts to pressure the Chinese to complete the stalled disengagement and de-escalation process on the LAC.

Sangay said Buddhism is more important than communism for Tibetans.

To force them to treat communism as more important than their faith is not only a violation of international religious freedom, but is also deeply misguided. Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism is never going to work. The last 60 years of Chinese rule in Tibet is a testament to that fact, he added.

The demolition of Larung Gar and Yarchen Gar, two of the largest Buddhist institutes in the world, by Chinese authorities was a tragic example of Chinese atrocities on Tibetan Buddhism, he said.

Despite their suffering, the people in Tibet are still strong and remain faithfully devoted to...the Dalai Lama, Sangay said.

Sangay also emphasised that, as envisioned by the Dalai Lama, Tibetans seek genuine autonomy within the framework of the Chinese constitution. He added, Resumption of dialogue with...the Dalai Lama or his envoys remains the only foreseeable solution to resolve the Tibet issue.

The Central Symposium on Tibet Works was the Chinese Communist Partys most important forum for Tibet policies. The two-day meeting was the first such gathering since 2015.

...
As per recent investigations, the Hells Angels are allied with the Ndrangheta. (Project Hobart, Dec. 2019) One specific alliance involves the Figliomeni crime family (already damaged by Project Sindacato, Jul. 2019, see previous article ) and the Hells Angels Chapter of London (Ont.), in illegal gaming operations. In the criminal circles the struggles, before or after, are inevitable. And when they break out, even for the Ndrangheta the success can never be taken for granted. Situations can be adversely affected by a structural weakness, which we will deal with later, but also by evaluation errors. In a sense, what we are about to tell is probably just the story of a serious evaluation error of a Locale of Ndrangheta originating from Siderno that cost it two human losses (plus a third, a not involved young woman, only guilty of being together with one of the two victims when blood was done), against one belonging to the opposite group and composed of drug dealers residing in Montreal. A position probably born of an act of arrogance, typical of the culture of the men of the Ndrangheta, maybe wanted and calculated (we will foreshadow this eventuality very briefly at the end of this story about the murder of Sukhvir Deo), consisted in the non-payment by them of a drug seizure, evidently trusting, erring, on their criminal reputation. An overestimation of own strengths or, conversely, an underestimation of their interlocutors, difficult to understand considering that:

Ndrangheta hit in downtown Toronto.











In the following months there were reports of threats to members of the Commisso family: The Star has learned that police have warned two York Region men who are considered to be senior members of Commissos family that there are credible threats on their lives. The warnings came over the past month and the men declined police protection. (P. Edwards, The Star, Jul. 30, 2017).



A situation of strong tension already noticed a few weeks earlier also by R. Lamberti on the columns of the Toronto Sun who reported the words of one of his sources (presumably a police officer) which centered on the context of reference: Theres this new breed of drug dealer filling in the void, working with the Rizzutos [a detail that is certainly not insignificant] and pushing back against the Calabrians here in Toronto, the source says. You can call it as much as an all-out drug war as you can get. (R. Lamberti, Toronto Sun, Jul. 3, 2017,). Then, Lamberti continued reporting a prediction that would not have been incorrect: The source believes its likely there will be further murders in the GTA related to the feud. The issue is that you have vendettas going on, drug rip offs going on, you have so much going on, the source says. (ibidem).



This is how, on Jun. 29, 2018, at about 12:40 a.m., the accounts were definitively settled, when, along a driveway in front of the parents' house in Woodbridge, hitmen killed Cosimo Ernesto Commisso, 33, and his female companion, Chantelle Almeida, 26, who was in the car with him at that time.



Double murder of which P. Edwards reiterated and clarified the relative context even better: A Star investigation reported that there were two credible death threats against other men in the Commisso family in York Region last year, and that the men declined police protection from York Region police. The threats came as enemies from a group called the Wolfpack Alliance had aligned itself with enemies of the GTA Ndrangheta, the Star investigation found. (P. Edwards, The Star, Jul. 2, 2018).



However, the journalistic reports had to specify that Cosimo Ernesto Commisso didnt have a criminal record and any known personal association with crime figures, even if it was mentioned he was related to at least one of those Commisso, originating from Siderno, indicated among the major exponents of the Ndrangheta.



In conclusion, given that, to date, all the murders of which we have spoken are still unsolved, if this hypothesized reconstruction of the facts, starting with the motive, is correct, the involved Toronto Locale would come out with broken bones from the clash.



After all, the group of drug dealers was what remained of a consortium, rather than an Alliance, that probably, in a certain historical moment (during the months preceding the arrests within the Project Loquace which started on Nov. 1, 2012), according to P. Cherry (Montreal Gazette), had tried to take control of cocaine trafficking in Montreal while most of the Quebec-based Hells Angels were heavily affected by the Project SharQc (Apr. 2009) and the Rizzuto crime family was dealing with a leadership crisis awaiting the release from a U.S. prison (which will take place on Oct. 5, 2012) of the then-boss Vito Rizzuto (to note, demonstrating the shortcomings affecting the Canadian investigative and judicial system, the decision of a Quebec Court judge who, on Jun. 17, 2020, after 7 and a half years of preventive detention right in the context of the Project Loquace, decreed a definitive stay of proceedings against Mihale Laventis; the causes adduced have been due to delays of the Crown in the presentation of new circumstantial evidence as well as because it took the Crown too long to bring the case to trial; however, Laventis has not been released awaiting the extradition to the United States to respond to the accusation of large-scale importation of Canadian-grown marijuana).



Alongside the hypotheses about the toughness and consistency of this enemy group from Montreal, the story we have just told provides us with a further element of considerable importance for understanding the 'Ndrangheta in GTA. Ultimately, an element of substantial weakness that consists in the fact that the Locali are completely autonomous operationally and often competing with each other too. Namely:



 although in Toronto there is a Crimine formally recognized by the supreme Crimine of Calabria composed of all the Locali located in the GTA;  although, probably in recent years, as emerged from the related Italian Projects called Canadian 'Ndrangheta Connection 1 and 2 (Jul. and Aug. 2019), a more restricted Crimine has been constituted, composed only and exclusively of the Locali, the majority, dependent on the mother-Locale of Siderno (Crimine of Siderno); a downsizing probably caused by the very serious disagreements that broke out between the Locali and resulted in the murder, in 2014, of Carmelo Verduci, boss of the Locale of Toronto dependent on the mother-Locale of Marina di Gioiosa Jonica ( But not even this murder closed the dispute. Also because now, for someone locked up in the Montreal Detention Centre, it had probably become a matter of personal revenge too.In the following months there were reports of threats to members of the Commisso family: The Star has learned that police have warned two York Region men who are considered to be senior members of Commissos family that there are credible threats on their lives. The warnings came over the past month and the men declined police protection. (P. Edwards, The Star, Jul. 30, 2017).A situation of strong tension already noticed a few weeks earlier also by R. Lamberti on the columns of the Toronto Sun who reported the words of one of his sources (presumably a police officer) which centered on the context of reference: Theres this new breed of drug dealer filling in the void, working with the Rizzutos [a detail that is certainly not insignificant] and pushing back against the Calabrians here in Toronto, the source says. You can call it as much as an all-out drug war as you can get. (R. Lamberti, Toronto Sun, Jul. 3, 2017,). Then, Lamberti continued reporting a prediction that would not have been incorrect: The source believes its likely there will be further murders in the GTA related to the feud. The issue is that you have vendettas going on, drug rip offs going on, you have so much going on, the source says. (ibidem).This is how, on Jun. 29, 2018, at about 12:40 a.m., the accounts were definitively settled, when, along a driveway in front of the parents' house in Woodbridge, hitmen killed Cosimo Ernesto Commisso, 33, and his female companion, Chantelle Almeida, 26, who was in the car with him at that time.Double murder of which P. Edwards reiterated and clarified the relative context even better: A Star investigation reported that there were two credible death threats against other men in the Commisso family in York Region last year, and that the men declined police protection from York Region police. The threats came as enemies from a group called the Wolfpack Alliance had aligned itself with enemies of the GTA Ndrangheta, the Star investigation found. (P. Edwards, The Star, Jul. 2, 2018).However, the journalistic reports had to specify that Cosimo Ernesto Commisso didnt have a criminal record and any known personal association with crime figures, even if it was mentioned he was related to at least one of those Commisso, originating from Siderno, indicated among the major exponents of the Ndrangheta.In conclusion, given that, to date, all the murders of which we have spoken are still unsolved, if this hypothesized reconstruction of the facts, starting with the motive, is correct, the involved Toronto Locale would come out with broken bones from the clash.After all, the group of drug dealers was what remained of a consortium, rather than an Alliance, that probably, in a certain historical moment (during the months preceding the arrests within the Project Loquace which started on Nov. 1, 2012), according to P. Cherry (Montreal Gazette), had tried to take control of cocaine trafficking in Montreal while most of the Quebec-based Hells Angels were heavily affected by the Project SharQc (Apr. 2009) and the Rizzuto crime family was dealing with a leadership crisis awaiting the release from a U.S. prison (which will take place on Oct. 5, 2012) of the then-boss Vito Rizzuto (to note, demonstrating the shortcomings affecting the Canadian investigative and judicial system, the decision of a Quebec Court judge who, on Jun. 17, 2020, after 7 and a half years of preventive detention right in the context of the Project Loquace, decreed a definitive stay of proceedings against Mihale Laventis; the causes adduced have been due to delays of the Crown in the presentation of new circumstantial evidence as well as because it took the Crown too long to bring the case to trial; however, Laventis has not been released awaiting the extradition to the United States to respond to the accusation of large-scale importation of Canadian-grown marijuana).Alongside the hypotheses about the toughness and consistency of this enemy group from Montreal, the story we have just told provides us with a further element of considerable importance for understanding the 'Ndrangheta in GTA. Ultimately, an element of substantial weakness that consists in the fact that the Locali are completely autonomous operationally and often competing with each other too. Namely: although in Toronto there is a Crimine formally recognized by the supreme Crimine of Calabria composed of all the Locali located in the GTA;  although, probably in recent years, as emerged from the related Italian Projects called Canadian 'Ndrangheta Connection 1 and 2 (Jul. and Aug. 2019), a more restricted Crimine has been constituted, composed only and exclusively of the Locali, the majority, dependent on the mother-Locale of Siderno (Crimine of Siderno); a downsizing probably caused by the very serious disagreements that broke out between the Locali and resulted in the murder, in 2014, of Carmelo Verduci, boss of the Locale of Toronto dependent on the mother-Locale of Marina di Gioiosa Jonica ( see previous article );  although, therefore, the Locali of Ndrangheta, also in Toronto, has established stable "intermediate bodies" (so called by the Italian magistrates during the presentation to the press of the Project Canadian 'Ndrangheta Connection 1) for general coordination and control (control, however, which concerns specially the formal respect of the rules, in particular with regard to new affiliations and rank progressions to avoid uncontrolled proliferation); despite everything, each Locale jealously takes care of its businesses, not usually contemplating the sharing of resources, whatever they may be. So, as we said, an element of weakness in certain circumstances such as in this case; in the face of an external attack that, if faced by all the Locali in close union, and not by one alone, it would probably have had a different result.

Finally, one last note. On Jun. 7, 2016 (thus less than three months before the Ignani's murder), in midtown Toronto, two hitmen wearing construction vests shot to death the 34-year-old Sukhvir Sukh Deo while sitting in his Range Rover. Sukh wasn't just any character. He was considered a leading member of the Wolfpack. In particular, when he lived in Metro Vancouver, as affiliated with the Independent Soldiers, one of the gangs under the umbrella, to use the words of a Vancouver police officer, of the Wolfpack Alliance. In 2013, he had moved from B.C. to the town of Oakville (part of the GTA) where he had purchased a luxury home for $3.3 million; home raided by tactical police officers in the early 2014 as part of an investigation for drug trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime (in that occasion, journalistic reports mentioned the seizure of a Bentley, Rolls Royce and Land Rover). Thus, a personage perhaps too cumbersome to be tolerated by the 'Ndrangheta in its territory. Initially, this wouldnt have prevented it from doing drug-deals with him. Maybe until the last, ended with the murder of the supplier, just to avoid paying the relative compensation. An eventuality that would alter the count of the dead within the story we have just told, but not its frame of reference.



 In the underworld environment, someway, the strength and danger of this group of drug dealers from Montreal had to be known; in fact, it was almost certainly an emanation, evidently still operational, of that consortium (police definition), based in Quebec and in connection, if not an integral part, of the Wolfpack Alliance (alliance of different criminal groups originally cemented in British Columbia indicatively starting from the year 2011), defeated by police forces in November 2012 (Project Loquace), which was able to import huge amounts of cocaine into Canada thanks to direct relationships with Mexican cartels.Evidently, the men of Ndrangheta did not expect that, from Montreal, this group would have had the audacity to move into enemy territory to advance its payment claim and, not getting results, to move to the factual ways. On the contrary, after the drug purchase, its hypothesized, but absolutely in no way proven, on initiative of the duo Cosimo Ernesto Commisso of Woodbridge (not to be confused with the aforementioned Cosimo Commisso, cl. 1945) and John Ignani of Toronto, the Montreal group would have refused to accept the economic loss and it would begin to insist with the two buyers to get the relative payment.In the face of continuous refusals, Montrealers would then have would decide to take action, assassinating Ignani, in that moment 33-year-old, in an underground parking garage of his condo in downtown Toronto, on Aug. 21, 2016.Only after the clash had developed, journalistic reports provided a fairly significant profile of the victim, most likely just an associate, but not a full member, of a Locale of 'Ndrangheta: Ignagni had a criminal record for threatening death in connection with a kidnapping after three victims said they were held against their will over unpaid drug debts. Ignagni was described as the son of a former president of the Vagabonds Motorcycle Club, considered an outlaw biker club by police. (A. Humphreys, National Post, Jun. 29, 2018), including a secure connection between Ignani and Cosimo Ernesto Commisso, well known surname of a blood family originally from Siderno. Indeed: At the time of Ignagnis murder, police towed a BMW motorcycle and a Porsche sedan from the underground garage. The Porsche was registered to Commisso, police said. Commisso and other members of his family attended Ignagnis funeral. Also at the funeral were many crime figures. (Ibidem).But even after the Ignanis murder the Montreal group didnt give up. One of its men, Anastasios Tassos Leventis, had already been sent to Toronto with the precise aim of obtaining the payment: Leventis was connected to the Wolfpack Alliance, even if he wasnt a member. Leventis moved to downtown Toronto from Montreal more than a year ago to collect drug debts owed to Montrealers, the police source says. (P. Edwards, The Star, Jul. 30, 2017).A description of Tassos was also provided, exactly corresponding to the characteristic profile of the Wolfpack members, known to be aggressive young computer-friendly newcomers from British Columbia (B.C.) and Quebec: Leventis was an enthusiastic gambler who trained as a computer programmer. (Ibidem). A court document issued in 2009 described Anastasios Leventis as a computer technician who was the principal supplier of large quantities of marijuana to a group of smugglers arrested in an RCMP investigation dubbed Project Cancun. (P. Cherry, Montreal Gazette, Mar. 15, 2017). The details provided on the latter Project were as follows: The RCMP-led operation targeted drug traffickers in the Mohawk communities of Kahnawake, Akwesasne and Kanesatake. Anastasios Leventiss organization delivered marijuana to American clients via the Akwesasne reserve. The marijuana was often packed in hockey bags and the smugglers used boats in the summer and snowmobiles and trucks on ice bridges in the winter, police said. (P. Edwards, The Star, Jul. 4, 2018).But Tassos was not just a subject with a profile very distant, for culture, from that of a typical belonging to the Ndrangheta. He was above all brother of Mihale Big Mike Laventis, from Montreal, alleged boss of high caliber, one of the six leaders of a criminal consortium (a consortium and not just a sole criminal organization  several organizations that pooled together their resources and contacts and shared the risks", how it was defined during the police press presentation of the Project Loquace that dismantled it with an operation unleashed on Nov. 1, 2012) operating in Quebec, but with fundamental grafts from B.C., from which three of the six identified bosses came (Larry Amero, Shane Maloney and Rabih Alkhalil, defined "key figures in B.C.'s gang conflict,"). Consortium able to import enormous quantities of drugs thanks to the fact that it had optimized the cocaine trafficking chain at the highest levels. In particular:  buying directly from Mexican cartels;  making the drug shipments pass through the border between the United States and Canada by land, using trucks;  reselling at retail through very ramified organizations in Quebec like the Hells Angels and the West End Gang, which were directly represented among the consortium, and like the Italian mafia (Rizzuto crime family, also known as the Montreal Family).Consortium that we could also call alliance, maybe just the Wolfpack Alliance, which, although born in B.C., perhaps was really realized and structured managing this huge drug trade (the numbers declared by the police were impressive: the consortium was able to sell up to 75 kilograms of cocaine a week, netting $50-million in revenues, only from May to October 2012).Mihale Laventis has been detained since his arrest in December 2012 (note that Mihale Laventis resided in a luxury condo next to the Old Port of Montreal built by the real estate developer Tony Magi, known business partner of the Montreal Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto; old accounts that had yet to be settled and dating back to power struggles within the Montreal Family probably led to his murder on Jan. 24, 2019).So, its likely that it was Tassos himself, one day in September 2016, who went to Cosimo Ernesto Commissos family restaurant always to claim the due payment: The victims family owns a restaurant and bar in Woodbridge that was shot at last year. As Dimmi Bar & Trattoria was closing one night in September, a man fired a gun into the restaurant, grazing a waiter in the head and causing a minor injury. (A. Humphreys, National Post, Jun. 29, 2018). Investigators believe Commisso was an associate of John Ignagni, 33, who was killed in an ambush in the parking garage of a downtown Toronto condominium in 2016. (Ibidem).The news that reported this fact were partly conflicting. On the basis of some of them, on that occasion, Commisso had beaten and kicked off Tassos who had shown up at his restaurant. The meaning of the event is however the same: the Montrealers continue to press heavily to obtain the agreed payment.At that point, its supposed, the involved Locale of Ndrangheta was forced to take the initiative, not being able to continue to suffer the insistence of the group of Montreal. It called the 39-year-old Tassos to a mid-afternoon meeting on Jan. 30, 2017. Its likely that he was worried about what could have happened during that meeting. But he probably didnt expect that the hitmen would have anticipated the times by shooting him to death on the street, into the crowd, just out of an apartment building where he lived in downtown Toronto, while he was on his way to the appointment. "The victim knew his killers" a police officer said. "The killers were waiting for him outside his condo. He was chased down the street. Two handguns were found at the scene.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Congress on Tuesday once again targeted the Modi government over the "unholy nexus" of the ruling BJP with social media giant Facebook and WhatsApp and accused it of being on a mission to subvert India's democracy after coming to power in 2014 as the opposition party demanded an immediate investigation.

The Congress in a statement said, "The BJP has been on a mission to subvert India's democracy and harmony from the time they came to power in 2014." It said that dismantling democratic institutions and undermining their authority is but second nature to the BJP.

The Congress said that using all means available to them, a recent investigative article by an international media reveals that the BJP has gone above and beyond to propagate their agenda. "The BJP is found to have availed the services of social media platforms to deceive the Indian public," the Congress alleged.

The party further said that as elucidated by international media houses, Facebook India and WhatsApp have been used to "fire up Narendra Modi and BJP's social media campaign", spread hate and disharmony within India and more.

It said that from Facebook India's Head of Public Policy Ankhi Das's collusion with the BJP even before the 2014 Lok Sabha election, to Facebook's inaction to pull down pages, posts that fuel communal hatred and fake news, the link between the two seems stronger than ever.

"Moreover, Facebook's global leadership has been aware of the biases and partisanship but remained willing participants, proving that the unholy nexus between BJP-FB has hit the nerve-centre of our nation's democratic functioning," it said.

The Congress also said that according to the latest information in the public domain, this nexus has deeper roots. "In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP had flagged 44 rival pages to Facebook and as of August 31, 2019, 32 per cent of these pages, that is 14 out of the 44 have been pulled down by Facebook," it said.

The party further alleged that it has also come in public knowledge that not only has Facebook pulled down pages that opposed the ruling party but upon the request of BJP, 17 pages which post content in favour of the BJP government's agenda have been reinstated.

"Shockingly, these requests have been made through email exchanges between BJP leader Amit Malviya and Facebook India Public Policy executives, Das and Shivnath Thukral," it alleged. "This blatant shielding of BJP-leaning Facebook pages is nothing short of a deliberate attempt to manipulate the public opinion in India. Another major issue that has come forward is Facebook's propagation of ads which circumvent its political ad transparency requirements," the Congress said.

"The aim of the BJP is to divide and rule and social media giant Facebook is helping them achieve this," the Congress alleged, adding that casting aside democratic principles, BJP attempts to rule the nation by manipulating and coercing public opinion. "The blasphemous nexus between the BJP and Facebook is for all to witness and must be investigated without delay," the Congress added.
A year ago, Senator Ed Markey already faced two challengers and was behind in polling by double digits to Congressman Joe Kennedy who hadn't even entered the race yet, but in the past year, Markey has put on a fight to make Tuesday a more competitive race than many expected.

Markey is facing off Tuesday against Congressman Joe Kennedy III, the 39-year-old grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, in the Democratic Senate primary for a seat that will likely remain Democratic no matter who wins. Recent public polling has Markey up, but the Kennedy campaign hopes a coalition of voters from minority communities will show up on Election Day to put the legacy into the Senate.

The central message of the Kennedy campaign in the past few months has been about how a senator should represent its constituents. Nick Clemons, Kennedy's campaign manager, told CBS News that Markey doesn't show up whereas Kennedy is present across the state.

Congressman Joseph Kennedy III speaks to a constituent at a Juneteenth rally, Friday, June 19, 2020, in Boston. / Credit: Michael Dwyer / AP

According to The Boston Globe, Markey was in Massachusetts even less than Senator Elizabeth Warren while she was running for president. However, on the same day the Globe published that article, the editorial board of the paper endorsed Markey in the Senate primary.

Markey has built a coalition of young people and environmentalists who have been energized, helped in part by his relationship with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and their work together on the Green New Deal, legislation aimed at overhauling fossil fuel consumption.

Kennedy, for his part, has not attacked Markey for his progressive ideas and supports many of the same goals, including the Green New Deal, and he is a co-sponsor of the U.S. House Medicare for All legislation. In primary debates, Kennedy criticized decisions Markey has made in his over 40 years in Congress like his vote for the Iraq war and for opposing busing to desegregate public schools in the 1970s. Markey rebutted that he changed his stance on busing years ago and was not the only Democrat in Congress wrong about the Iraq war at the time.

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"Honestly, whatever the results, and I'm very hopeful and we're working hard to win, Markey's campaign manager John Walsh told CBS News. "I think it's going to be a reality that in this race in Massachusetts in 2020 for the United States Senate between Ed Markey and Joe Kennedy III, Ed Markey has run a race on an urgent, positive agenda."

Senator Ed Markey speaks with protesters on Boston Common at the conclusion of a demonstration against police brutality, Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in Boston. / Credit: Steven Senne / AP

The late primary, which was always scheduled for September 1, has allowed both campaigns to seize on the moment of unrest in the country throughout the summer in their campaigns. Both of the campaigns told CBS News they will spend their last few days focused on racial inequities in the justice system, the economic system, and in the education system in Massachusetts.

Kennedy has been a rising star in the Democratic Party. He was first elected to Congress in 2012 and was chosen to give the party's response to Mr. Trump's 2018 State of the Union address, but since launching his campaign, he has been asked repeatedly why he is running now.

In his campaign launch, Kennedy said "we have a Senate that instead of trying to harness the opportunity of every person in this country, they're trying to pull us back, and I'm running for the United States Senate to tear that down, to fight back." He also told CBS News after launching his bid that he was running to bring about structural reform to make the economic system more fair. When asked if Markey was not doing these things, Kennedy said in September last year that he would do better than Markey on delivering change to Massachusetts.

Both campaigns have been rolling out endorsements in the final weeks before the primary. Markey's endorsements include Ocasio-Cortez, Warren, Senator Cory Booker and Representative Carolyn Maloney, as well as climate change groups like the Sunrise Movement. But Kennedy in the past week added Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to his list of endorsements.

"Never before have the times demanded that we elect courageous leaders as today, which is why I'm pleased to join so many of my colleagues in endorsing Joe Kennedy III for Senate," Pelosi said in a video recorded for the campaign. "He knows that to achieve progressive change, you must be on the front lines leading movements of people. Massachusetts and America need Joe Kennedy's courage and leadership in the Senate."

Thirty other House members have endorsed Kennedy and on Sunday, former Congressman Beto O'Rourke endorsed Kennedy.

Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Seth Moulton from Massachusetts both have said they will not endorse in the primary.

Kennedy has in the past few months leaned into the history that comes with his name on the campaign trail and in ads. The campaign brought on in July political strategist Tad Devine, who produced television ads for the late Senator Ted Kennedy. In a recent ad, the narrator says, "Joe Kennedy knows how a legacy is earned, in communities where a leader lives and works, in quiet conversations with people grieving and struggling, in a fight he and his family have made for generations," with soundbites of speeches from Kennedy's ancestors.

Massachusetts' Secretary of State William Galvin said last week that over 1 million people have requested ballots for the primary, setting the opportunity for this race to outpace the 21.9% turnout in 2018's statewide primary.

"We are feeling the higher this turnout goes, the better the turnout for Joe Kennedy is," Kennedy's campaign manager Nick Clemons told CBS News. "We know our voters are more likely to vote on Election Day. They're not early voters, they're not vote by mail folks, so we're pushing our coalition out the door, phone banking, texting, everything we can do to get them out to vote."

The campaigns have racked up an impressive amount of cash for a Senate primary in what many consider a safely Democratic state. Kennedy outraised Markey in two fundraising quarters this cycle, but from April to June, Markey outraised him by just about $50,000. From July to the middle of August, Markey raised about 600,000 more than Kennedy and spent just under $3 million in that time period. Kennedy's campaign, on the other hand, has made a final sprint into the primary, spending about $4.4 million, according to the latest financial filing.

If Kennedy loses, he would be the first Kennedy to ever lose an election in Massachusetts since John F. Kennedy entered Congress in 1947.

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HONG KONG: Hong Kong tested more than 120,000 people for the coronavirus Tuesday at the start of a mass-testing effort thats become another political flash point in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Volunteers stood in lines at some of the more than 100 testing centers, though many residents are distrustful of the resources and staff being provided by Chinas central government and some have expressed fear DNA could be collected.

The Hong Kong government has dismissed such concerns, and leader Carrie Lam urged the public to see the program in a fair and objective light and appealed to critics to stop discouraging people from being tested since participation is crucial to the programs success.

Priscilla Pun, a sales manager, got tested to give herself peace of mind. I dont see any reason not to do it, and this way I can let my family in Canada know that I am safe, said Pun, who was tested at a center in the eastern Quarry Bay neighborhood.

Others, like Giselle Ming, said she decided to take part to support the Hong Kong governments initiative even though she was not worried that she might be a carrier of the coronavirus. In this bad situation of the coronavirus, I hope I can do something to help the society, she said.

This large-scale universal community testing program is beneficial to fighting the epidemic and beneficial to our society. It will also help Hong Kong come out of the pandemic unscathed and is conducive to the resumption of daily activities, Lam said at her weekly news conference.

More than 650,000 people in the city of 7.5 million signed up in advance for the program, which will last at least a week. It is aimed at identifying silent carriers of the virus those without symptoms who could be spreading the disease.

On Tuesday, 126,000 people were tested, according to government officials. Only 10% of people who registered for tests did not turn up.

The government expects 5 million people will take part in the program, which could be extended to two weeks depending on demand.

Hong Kongs worst outbreak in early July was blamed in part on an exemption from quarantine requirements for airline staff, truck drivers from mainland China and sailors on cargo ships.

At its peak, Hong Kong recorded more than 100 locally transmitted cases a day, after going weeks without any in June.

The outbreak has slowed, with the city reporting just nine cases on Monday, the first time in two weeks that daily infections had fallen to single digits. However, the government and some experts say that community testing can help detect asymptomatic carriers to further stop the spread of the virus.

Respiratory medicine expert professor David Hui said that even though infections have dwindled, the proportion of cases with untraceable sources of infection remain between 30% and 40%.

That means there must be some silent transmission going on, so community testing has some role in picking up these silent transmitters, said Hui, a public health adviser to the citys government. Hopefully if we can identify these people and isolate them for a period of time that may help to break the transmission chain in the community.

The program is more effective if most of the population takes part, Hui said.

If only 1 or 2 million people take part, then we may not be able to achieve that objective, he said.

Other experts, such as Dr. Leung Chi-chiu, a respiratory specialist and a member of the Medical Council of Hong Kong, said the testing program plays only a supplementary role in controlling the pandemic in the city, due to the long and variable incubation period of the coronavirus.

Leung said mass testing may not be the most cost-effective method, as it is not easy to pick up the disease in its early development, especially if a person is not having symptoms or has not had recent exposure to an infected patient.

Even if mass testing could identify infected patients, they may already be past the infectious stage, he said.

Leung said large-scale testing cannot replace traditional methods of social distancing and contact tracing, and should only be used as a complementary measure.

Some pro-democracy activists, such as Joshua Wong, have publicly opposed the program. Wong called for a boycott, citing Swedish media reports that some test kits being used had high rates of false-positive results.

Lam said that while false-positives can happen, the tests used in the program have passed quality assurance procedures.

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
According to data released by National Statistical Office (NSO) on Monday, all key sectors except agriculture witnessed contractions. The construction sector saw a whopping drop of 50.3%, while the manufacturing industry witnessed a 39.3% fall. On the other hand, trade, hotels, transport, communication and services related to broadcasting contracted 47%.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for the first quarter of the ongoing financial year said that the country witnessed its worst contraction ever. Indias GDP for the April-June quarter nosedived by 23.9%, as per provisional estimates released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

The GDP had expanded by 5.2% in the corresponding quarter of 2019-20. The GDP for the preceding January-March quarter of 2019-20 had witnessed a growth of 3.1%.

Most indicators have shown that the initial improvement in June tapered off in July. Experts opine that the economic recovery is yet to hold ground. Electricity use and fuel consumption show how recovery in industrial output could be long drawn.

The gross value added (GVA) at basic price at constant terms during the June quarter shrunk 22.8%. The GVA at Basic Price at Current Prices slipped 20.6% in the first quarter.

While India may not be officially into recession because that is generally identified by a GDP contraction in two straight quarters, but weak investment, capital spending and consumption demand will keep negatively impacting the economy.

Moreover, data collection, too, was affected due to the pandemic.

With a view to contain spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, restrictions were imposed on the economic activities not deemed essential, as also on the movement of people from 25 March, 2020. In these circumstances, the usual data sources were substituted by alternatives like GST, interactions with professional bodies etc. and which were clearly limited," said Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation in a statement on Monday.

As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), salaried jobs have suffered the biggest hit during the lockdown, with total loss estimated to be at 18.9 million during April-July. In May 2020, global research and rating agency, CRISIL, said that Indias fourth recession since Independence, first since liberalisation, and perhaps the worst to date, is here.

In the past 69 years, India has seen a recession only thrice  as per available data  in fiscals 1958, 1966 and 1980. The reason was the same each time  a monsoon shock that hit agriculture, then a sizeable part of the economy. The recession staring at us today is different," it said.

Eventually, agriculture, forestry and fishing industry were the only ones that witnessed a growth of 3.4% in the June quarter.

The contraction in the Indian economy in the June quarter turned out to be one of the worst among the G20 countries. So far, the UK economy had seen the biggest slump in June quarter GDP among the top 20 economies of the world, with a 21.7% year-on-year plunge  its deepest recession on record.

High frequency indicators such as index of industrial production (IIP), PMI manufacturing, auto sales, among others, contracted sharply during the June quarter. IIP contracted by an average 36% during April-June, while commercial vehicle sales contracted 84.8% during the same quarter.

Meanwhile, construction could add as many as one in four of the incremental gross jobs. Both labour-intensive and knowledge-intensive sectors will have to sustain and improve on their past strong momentum.

Increasing investments on large infrastructure projects can give an impetus to the economy, feel experts.

According to a report by KPMG, infrastructure spending is expected to have a multiplier effect on overall economic growth, primarily based on the Keynesian theory that aggregate demand can be reactivated by increasing public expenditure.

A well-planned pipeline and well-developed infrastructure can lead to the creation of valuable assets, build investor confidence, increase revenue and finance sources, grow businesses, generate employment, improve ease of living and enable inclusive growth, it said.

According to a report by McKinsey, manufacturing and construction sectors could achieve the fastest acceleration in sector GDP growth relative to the past.

The report also highlighted that India will have to create 90 million non-farm jobs over the next decade, which will require an ambitious reform agenda able to deliver 8-8.5% annual GDP growth and productivity gains.

However, manufacturing and construction were at not doing well even before the lockdown, which is otherwise being touted as the sole reason behind the slump. The GDP fell to an 11-year low of 4.2% in the last financial year. The economy grew by 3.1% in the January-March quarter of 2019-2020, against 5.7% at the same time a year ago, the slowest growth in at least eight years.

According to NSO data, the manufacturing sector grew merely by 0.03% in the last financial year compared to 5.7% in 2018-19 financial year. The growth of the construction sector too declined to 1.3%.

Construction has accounted for around 40% of the development investment during the past 50 years. Around 16% of the nations working population depends on construction for its livelihood. It contributes more than 5% to the nations GDP and 78% to the gross capital formation.

Manufacturing sector, on the other hand, currently contributes 16-17% to GDP and provides employment to around 12% of the countrys workforce. Various studies have estimated that every job created in manufacturing has a multiplier effect in creating 23 jobs in the services sector.
Sir Philip and Lady Tina Green at a gallery on Cork Street, London

Sir Philip Green's 100 million superyacht has been quarantined in Monaco with his wife on board.

Two crewmen have tested positive aboard the 300ft Lionheart and its yellow flag has been flying in Port Hercules to signify the vessel bears the contagion.

Lady Tina Green, 71, told The Sun that she was on board the luxury boat, but did not reveal whether Sir Philip or their 29-year-old daughter Chloe were with her.

'After maintenance in Italy, the boat returned to Monaco. We were meant to go on a cruise with my family,' Lady Tina said.

'It was my responsibility to have the whole crew tested before leaving. We then discovered two cases - one asymptomatic and the other with a sore throat.

'The two have been confined to the cabin ever since. The rest and myself are on the boat. Everyone is well.'

Topshop boss Sir Philip  who furloughed 14,500 staff in April  was last spotted lounging on the yacht three weeks ago on the French Riviera.

The colossal boat, complete with helipad, pool, 15 crew cabins and room for 12 guests, is where the 68-year-old has conducted much of his business for the last two years.

When not at sea, Sir Philip lives at his 20million Roccabella penthouse in Monaco.

Sir Philip's 300ft Lionheart yacht moored in Monaco on August 22

Sir Philip Green enjoys a smoke on the back of his 'Lioncub' speedboat in the French Riviera three weeks ago

Johnson under pressure to add Greece to quarantine list Boris Johnson last night came under pressure to put Greece on the UK's quarantine list after Scotland and Wales imposed restrictions on Britons returning from the holiday hotspot. Nicola Sturgeon's government is mandating two weeks of self-isolation for anyone arriving from 4am on Thursday, while her Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford has singled out the party island of Zante. Around 190 passengers on a Tui Airways flight from Zante to Cardiff last night were asked to self-isolate for 14 days and - in the first example of state-sanctioned testing - they will be swabbed within 48 hours and again after eight days. It comes after the Welsh Government said it was 'deeply concerned' over claims that 'inept' cabin crew aboard a Tui flight last week did nothing to stop passengers removing their masks. At least 16 have since tested positive. Advertisement

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.

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'.

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 the Arcadia Group, which owns Topshop, from Monaco.

Green enjoyed almost two decades of ruling the high street after lucrative takeovers of BHS in 2000 and Arcadia in 2002.

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.
Four people died on Tuesday when land collapsed at a construction site in northern Vietnam.

The land collapse happened at 8:30 am at a vocational school in Gia Cam Ward, Viet Tri City, which is the capital of Phu Tho Province, a source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Some people were working at a construction site in the school when soil from an overhead structure suddenly slid down on them.

Rescuers arrived at the scene shortly after the accident occurred to pull people out from the rubble.

Police officers and soldiers also joined the rescue mission, Nguyen Ngoc Son, chairman of the Viet Tri Peoples Commitee, told Tuoi Tre on Tuesday afternoon.

We had completed the mission by noon, Son said.

Four people had died upon being found under the soil.

Son added that local authorities would hand over their bodies and offer condolences to their families in the flesh.

It was not immediately clear why the land had collapsed. Police are probing the cause.

Residents stand outside a vocational school in Phu Tho Province, where four people died after land collapsed at a construction site, September 1, 2020. Photo: T. Anh / Tuoi Tre

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The latest article from Beyond the World War II We Know, a series from The Times that documents lesser-known stories from the war, recounts the sacrifices of colonial forces, particularly British-backed Indian troops who fought not only the Axis powers, but also their compatriots.

They fought in every theater of World War II, from North Africa to Europe and as far east as Hong Kong. They died and went missing in the tens of thousands. And they formed the largest volunteer force in history. But their contributions are often an afterthought in history books.

The colonial forces that dotted the battle maps of World War II were crucial for the Allies to fill out their ranks and keep up their momentum. While India contributed the largest number of volunteers, at some 2.5 million troops, Africans, Arabs and others fought and died for the freedom of the Allied powers, although they were under the yoke of colonial rule. I always say, Britain didnt fight the Second World War, the British Empire did, said Yasmin Khan, a historian at Oxford University and author of The Raj at War.
Evidence keeps mounting that Californias longtime housing shortage can be solved by market forces set loose by the lifestyle and workplace changes created by the coronavirus pandemic.

Now the failure of the worst parts of a sweeping housing package in the state Legislature leaves the path clear for those market forces to work themselves out. Had the most wide-ranging of the bills passed, there could have been far less motivation for developers and local governments to heed the accelerating non-political forces.

Potential housing effects of the viral crisis became noticeable almost immediately after shelter-at-home orders first came from county governments in the Bay Area, quickly followed by similar statewide decrees by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

White-collar workers for companies large and small were suddenly ordered to work from home, as companies from internet giants like Twitter and Facebook to law firms, insurance companies, stock brokerages and many more provided technology for workers to work wherever they like.

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Soon, television broadcasters were shown in living rooms and backyards viewers had never before seen.

Vacancy signs proliferated in the densest of business districts from San Francisco to Santa Monica to Fresno, San Diego, Orange County and beyond. Said a stock brokerage vice president in Pasadena, We spent $2 million over the last two years refurbishing our offices to accommodate more than 100 workers. Now we get five people a day working there. We dont need all that space. Our people are as productive as ever; theyre just not in the office very often.

Realtors report record levels of vacancies, but a building boom propelled by previous state demands for more and more mixed-use office and commercial buildings has continued.

Thomas D. Elias: Blackout blackmail possible in August outages Are power companies playing games with rolling blackouts again? Evidence suggests they are, columnist Tom Elias says.

As empty space appeared within existing buildings, spurred strictly by non-political events, state lawmakers kept pushing the most ambitious housing construction plan the Legislature ever saw.

Pushed by Democrats like San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego and Santa Monica Assemblyman Richard Bloom, this package included Senate Bill 902, allowing up to 10 units on any lot zoned for a single home; two other bills allowing developers to build more high-end units on one site if they constructed enough affordable ones on others; a fourth letting city councils overturn without a new popular vote all height-limit laws passed by local voters  and much more.

But the 10-unit bill died in a committee, along with the prospect of developers trolling established low-rise neighborhoods with fat bankrolls to tempt homeowners sitting on large amounts of equity. So did several other major proposals in the package.

Thomas D. Elias: Manson follower Van Houtens parole must be denied again No member of the Manson "Family" should ever see the light of day again, says columnist Tom Elias, who covered the group's bloody crimes as a reporter in 1969.

If the lawmakers behind these measures paid any heed to whats going on in their own districts, they might not have proposed these things, despite the strong support they predictably got from developers and building trade unions.

Twitters building in Wieners district now stands mostly empty. Office towers in Atkins San Diego district are nowhere near filled and for lease signs abound in downtown Santa Monica, barely a mile from Blooms home.

These empty spaces and many more like them will likely produce more than 1 billion vacant square feet that can be turned into apartments and condominiums in all price ranges with far less work, in far less time and with far fewer lawsuits to fight them than pushing for new construction. Building trades workers will be kept busy doing the electric, plumbing, elevator, carpentry and drywall work needed to convert commercial space into residences. Established neighborhoods will remain intact.

Thomas D. Elias: Harris VP nod could end rule of Bay Area clique If Biden wins in November, the pressure will be on Newsom to name a replacement senator from Southern California, columnist Tom Elias says.

Yes, it will take some rezoning to accomplish this. But those changes are inevitable: cities and counties would otherwise stand to lose large amounts of property tax money as massive vacancies reduce the value of commercial buildings.

If legislators are really interested in solving the housing problem, and not merely in self-aggrandizement or feathering the nests of their campaign donors, they will leave well enough alone, allowing the market forces to play out over the next two to three years. That way, California will see the millions of new housing units it needs far more quickly than it could have under any of the failed new laws.

Columnist Elias wins again for commentary

For the 12th time in the last 14 years, California Focus columnist Thomas Elias has won first prize for commentary in the annual competition of the Los Angeles Press Club.

Winners for the year 2019 were announced late Saturday via a webcast, rather than at the clubs usual June awards dinner, canceled due to the coronavirus.

Thomas D. Elias: Solid standards needed for pre-fire power cutoffs To some affected customers, who saw winds during the October closure episode reach speeds no higher than 7 mph (during big fires, winds usually are many times higher), this looked more like revenge than fire prevention.

Elias won for his Jan. 7, 2019 column titled Solid standards needed for pre-fire power cutoffs. This was one of a series of columns Elias has written over the last several years on utility problems and malfeasance.

Said the judges, all members of other press clubs around the nation, Elias provides excellent commentary, bringing important details to the readers.

The Elias column appears regularly in 92 newspapers in all parts of California.

Watch Now: First Street Napa: A tour

Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. He is author of the book, The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced those citizens who do not share the Kremlin's interpretation of the history of World War II, calling them "collaborators."



Putin made the comments on September 1 while taking part in a nationwide online class to commemorate the first day of the school year in Russia.



Putin said that the West had been trying to rewrite the history of the war against Nazi Germany since the Cold War ended.



"But those who now agree with the people who initiate the rewriting of history may well be called modern-day collaborators," Putin said, adding that "such people have always existed and will always exist everywhere."



Putin has frequently accused European countries of "rewriting history" by allegedly diminishing the role of the Soviet Union in the defeat of Nazi Germany and stressing atrocities committed by Soviet forces, like the mass murder of Polish officers in Katyn Forest in 1940.



Historians in the West also say the 1939 nonaggression pact between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany facilitated the outbreak of World War II, which Russian officials vehemently disagree with.



Last year, the world marked the 80th anniversary of the accord  known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact -- in which Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to divide up Central and Eastern Europe.



Soviet forces took over eastern Poland, eventually massacring more than 20,000 of the country's officers whom they had taken prisoner.



The Nazis eventually betrayed the pact with their surprise invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
Waiting patiently at an airport for a flight to depart may be boring for some, but others use it as a time to observe people's rather unusual quirks.

Too Cool 2 Be True has compiled snaps of some of the funniest and most memorable moments travellers from across the globe have witnessed while preparing for their trips.

Some of the amusing sights include a passenger wearing a bike helmet, a man practicing yoga in the departure lounge, and a woman who appears to be flashing her bottom - thanks to an unfortunately placed travel pillow.

Elsewhere, an exhausted little girl can be seen flopped over the top of a suitcase, while being pulled along by her guardian.

Travelling in style: This savvy plane passenger, from an unknown location, opted to wear a bike helmet for her journey, presumably in order to avoid catching coronavirus from her fellow travellers

What better way to say namaste to your fellow passengers than a spot of yoga in the departure lounge? This yoga-enthusiast is pictured at an unknown location

Exhausted: This tired little girl, from an unknown location, expertly managed to stay on top of a suitcase as she hitched a ride through the airport

Double take: Some passengers were shocked when they saw this woman, in an unknown location, walking past them - thankfully it turned out to be her travel pillow

Welcome home: Although you are only able to make out one word on this little girl's sign, people in the arrivals lounge, at an unknown location, were impressed by her efforts

This family, from an unknown location, attempted to protect themselves from coronavirus by placing placing plastic bags over themselves while queuing at the airport

That can't be comfy! Another couple, from an unknown location, came up with a clever way to be each other's cushions as they took a nap

You are now safe to disembark: The replacement captain for this flight to an unknown destination was happy to be allowed up in the cockpit - and provided a wonderful greeting for his passengers

Oops, didn't see you there: Bizarrely, despite their sheer size, these enormous planes, believed to be in the US, managed to back into one another while on the runway

Needs must: This woman, from an unknown location, appeared to be so desperate for some shut eye that she used her suitcase to prop herself up

These children, believed to be from the US, were desperate for their mother to return home from her trip - for more reasons than one!
South Africa: Police urged to treat GBV victims with care

Police Minister Bheki Cele has warned that police officers who mistreat victims of gender-based violence will be harshly dealt with.

Cele made the commitment during a security cluster dialogue themed Improving access to justice for victims and survivors of GBV and femicide on Monday.

During August, which is commemorated as Womens Month, a slew of reports of women being raped, maimed and murdered continued to dominate the media.

From April 2020 to date, 14 777 suspects were charged in relation to GBVF, said Cele.

In the first six months of 2020, a total of 217 life sentences were handed down to 251 accused from 200 dockets of domestic violence.

The FCS [Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences] unit has made significant strides in securing justice for victims, and detectives continue to put together watertight cases to secure multiple life sentences, said Cele.

While the FCS continues to be beefed up with more officers to handle the caseload, officers within stations continue to undergo specialised sensitivity training in order to provide a professional service to the victims.

The treatment of victims and survivors with compassion and professionalism is a policy of the SAPS [South African Police Service]. However, the treatment of some complainants of domestic violence at stations remains a concern.

Police [officers] who choose not to comply with the policy by turning victims away dont have a place in the SAPS, said the Minister.

Such acts, he said, are a dereliction of duty, which is a serious offence that warrants [action].

The Minister said a police directory will soon be made available at police stations across the country. The directory will contain every contact number of every police station, station commander, the National Commissioner, Police Minister and Deputy Minister, and all police officers in leadership roles.

Cele said this will enable citizens to escalate complaints until they are assisted.

If anyone feels theyve been let down by any man or woman in blue, they can contact the GBVF complaints line: 0800 333 177, said Cele.

Cele said the brutal killing of women is a shame.

Its a fact; men commit these heinous gender crimes. Its often men that the women [victims] know, men they love and trust, and men that they expect protection from.

He emphasised that GBV remains a priority for the SAPS.

We continue to improve and intensify the combatting, prevention and investigation of crimes against women of all ages, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

Cabinet has tasked the JCPS cluster to ensure that GBVF victims and survivors get access to the criminal justice systems. The system must be efficient and sensitive to the needs of survivors.

Time for change

Cele said SAPS is making progress in resourcing specialised units that deal with GBVF, both in funding and human capital.

We have a FCS that has trained specialist detectives to investigate gender-based violence.

The shortage of rape kits, the Minister said, has been resolved and will not be an issue for the next three years after a supplier was recently appointed.

Things need to change. Change must be at our stations  from the most junior officer right up to top management. The change must come from our homes, our communities, boardrooms and other places of work, schools, places of worship, educational institutions, and all public spaces, he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, said the country should be focusing on fighting against COVID-19 instead of men making womens lives impossible.

Women dont do these painful things to themselves. The perpetrators are men. Yes, it has to start with the communities. Every woman must be able to walk the streets of a free South Africa, without the fear of being tampered with, she said.

Cabinet recently adopted the National Strategic Plan for GBVF, which was developed by government, in conjunction with civil society.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Valerie Frizzle was the invention of writer Joanna Cole, who passed away this summer of non-Covid-19-related causes, and illustrator Bruce Degen. The two were initially approached by an editor at Scholastic about concocting a humorous and stealthily informative series centered on a science teacher who leads her charges on out-of-the-box field trips. The pair ran with it, basing the projects unforgettable central character on two of their own teachers: The Friz, as Ms. Frizzles students affectionately call her, was a blend of Coles childhood science teacher, Miss Blair, and Ms. Isaacs, Degens geometry teacher at the High School of Music and Art in New York City.

I was in love with art, not math, recalled Degen, a Brooklyn native who now lives in Connecticut. Ms. Isaacs was in love with the concepts of math, and her face would glow with the beauty of the logic. I understood math for the first time, and I got a 95. So Ms. Frizzle would share Ms. Isaacs' gleaming eyes and pinned-up curly hair (though in real life it was blonde, not red). Instead of the chalk-dusted smock that Ms. Isaacs wore, the fictional creation wore a shirtwaist dress whose exuberant prints complemented each lessons theme. (It is no surprise that a small corner of the internet is devoted to Ms. Frizzle Halloween costumes.)

The Magic School Bus series, now a mainstay of pediatricians waiting rooms and school libraries across the globe, debuted in 1986. Theres a reason that Joanna chose the waterworks as the subject of our first book, Degen said of the debut, in which the students learn firsthand about the earths water cycle, swimming through a citys water purification system and ultimately emerging from the faucet of a school bathroom. She wanted to show that even the boring-est, unsexiest topic could be made into a crazy adventure.

The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks would go on to inspire dozens of spinoff books and television adaptations. The original PBS animated series featured a Ms. Frizzle whose fluty voice was performed by Lily Tomlin (a role that won her an Emmy); Kate McKinnon voiced the other Friz  Valeries sister, Fiona  in the most recent version, Netflixs The Magic School Bus Rides Again. Today, 93 million copies of the books are in print in 13 countries. A feature film is in the works, and Scholastic plans to publish the 13th book in the original series, about evolution, next year.

Were all tapping into our inner Ms. Frizzle, said David Levithan, a vice president and publisher at Scholastic, who oversees the series and who recently dressed up as the Friz for a video sales conference, donning a star- and planet-print dress and curly red wig to buoy the mood of his homebound colleagues. His mother, he added, with whom hes been quarantining in suburban New Jersey, enjoyed it too. Ms. Frizzle is unflappable, and she manages to keep up our spirits, Levithan said. She finds what shes talking about so fascinating and that is its own superpower.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HubSpot (NYSE: HUBS), a leading growth platform, today announced that Brian Halligan, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, and Charles MacGlashing, the Company's Corporate Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations, are scheduled to present virtually at the Citi Technology Conference on Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 10:45 a.m. ET. All interested parties can access the webcast live on the Company's investor relations website at ir.hubspot.com . The Company will also host virtual one-on-one investor meetings on the same day.

About HubSpot

HubSpot (NYSE: HUBS) is a leading growth platform. Since 2006, HubSpot has been on a mission to make the world more inbound. Today, over 86,000 total customers in more than 120 countries use HubSpot's award-winning software, services, and support to transform the way they attract, engage, and delight customers. Comprised of Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, CMS Hub, and a powerful free CRM, HubSpot gives companies the tools they need to Grow Better.

HubSpot has been named a top place to work by Glassdoor, Fortune, The Boston Globe, and The Boston Business Journal. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, MA with offices in Dublin, Ireland; Singapore; Sydney, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; Berlin, Germany; Bogota, Colombia; Paris, France; Ghent, Belgium; and Portsmouth, NH.

Learn more at www.hubspot.com .

SOURCE HubSpot

Related Links

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Fake: Image of police car burning is not from Norway

Fact Check

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 01: An image of a car burning has been linked to the recent violence in Norway. Clashes had broken out between the right activists and Muslims in Oslo.

The far right activists had taken out a rally against the Islamisation of Scandinavia and the same was opposed by the Muslims groups.

A user on the social media while putting out the image said, 'Norway riots. It is horrible out there but there is no media coverage. The riots in Scandinavia is quite rare and it was not used to happen before. The mainstream media won't cover this because they have an agenda and appease immigrants.

However a reverse image search suggests that this an image from Chicago and not Norway. Following the killing of a black man, George Floyd in May protests had erupted. This is an image of a police car beings set ablaze by the rioters during the 'Black Lives Matter,' protests.

The reverse image search led us to an article in a news portal called WGN9, published on May 31. The article titled Massive US protests raise fears of new coronavirus outbreaks can be found here:

The same image has appeared in articles published by the Chicago Sun Times. The image being circulated now on the social media has a misleading claim. It is from the United States and not from Norway.

Fact Check Claim Image of police car burning is from Norway Conclusion The image is not from Norway, but US Rating False Raise your request for FACT CHECKING. Mail us at factcheck@one.in
Melting glaciers caused by climate change are responsible for a 48 per cent surge in the amount of water trapped in unstable glacial lakes over 30 years, scientists have discovered.

Researchers tracked glacial lake volume since 1990 using more than a quarter of a million NASA satellite images to create a 'near-global database' of glacial lakes,

The study also reveals the number of lakes and the total area covered by lakes has increased by 53 and 51 per cent, respectively.

Researchers hope that by understanding how water from glaciers ends up in these lakes they can predict when and how it will reach the ocean, its final destination.

Currently, the amount of water trapped in glacial lakes, 156.5 cubic km, would cause a sea level rise of 0.43 mm if it was released into the oceans, the study reveals.

Pictured: a map compiled from 254,795 satellite images of glacial lakes. This map shows the size and location of glacial lakes according to the latest study. Each dot represents a single glacial lake. Yellow dots are larger than green, which are larger than blue dots

Satellite images show the growth of glacial lakes over the last three decades. Imja Lake in Nepal has increased its volume enormously since 1989 (pictured)

'We have known that not all meltwater is making it into the oceans immediately,' lead author Dan Shugar, a geomorphologist at the University of Calgary, said.

'But until now there were no data to estimate how much was being stored in lakes or groundwater.'

The findings, published Monday in Nature Climate Change, will help identify potential hazards to communities downstream of these often unstable lakes, he said.

They will also improve the accuracy of sea level rise estimates through better understanding of how quickly water from glaciers makes it to the sea.

Between 1994 and 2017, the world's glaciers, especially in high-mountain regions, shed about 6.5 trillion tonnes in mass, according to earlier research.

'In the past 100 years, 35 per cent of global sea-level rises came from glacier melting,' Anders Levermann, climate professor at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Impact, told AFP.

 Slide me  Pictured: a before and after shot of Nepal's Imja Lake from 1989 and 2019. It is one of many glacial lakes to have increased in volume as ice melts in the word's mountains

Pictured: the retreating Barry Glacier, which has succumbed to the effects of climate change. new study found melting glaciers has caused by climate change is responsible for a 48 per cent surge in the amount of water trapped in unstable glacial lakes over 30 years

Pictured, the disappearance of two St. Patrick Bay ice caps this summer. Images taken by NASA in 2015 and 2020 reveal how the polar ice caps have vanished in half a decade due to global warming. Left, one of the caps in 2015. Right, the same location on July 14, 2020

Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets following 'worst-case scenario' Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are losing mass at the 'worst case scenario' rate predicted by the UN - and could result in sea levels rising by 16 inches by 2100. According to a new study by the University of Leeds, if these rates continue, an additional 16 million people could be exposed to repeated annual flooding. If levels rise by 16 inches over the next 80 years as predicted, there will also be a increase in the number of destructive storm surges, the researchers claim. Mass loss from 2007 to 2017 due to melt-water and crumbling ice has matched Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change's (IPCC) most extreme forecasts. Study lead author, Thomas Slater, an expert in polar observations, said 'we need a new worst case scenario', adding that the sheets were melting faster than predicted. Advertisement

The other main sources of sea level rise are ice sheets and the expansion of ocean water as it warms.

Earth's average surface temperature has risen one degree Celsius since preindustrial times, but high-mountain regions around the world have warmed at twice that pace, accelerating glacier melt.

Unlike normal lakes, glacier lakes are unstable because they are often dammed by ice or sediment composed of loose rock and debris.

When accumulating water bursts through these accidental barriers, massive flooding can occur downstream.

Known as glacial lake outbursts, this kind of flooding has been responsible for thousands of deaths in the last century, as well as the destruction of villages, infrastructure and livestock, according to the study, published in Nature Climate Change.

The most recent recorded incident was a glacial lake outburst that washed through the Hunza Valley in Pakistan in May.

In January, the UN Development Programme estimated that more than 3,000 glacial lakes have formed in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, with 33 posing an imminent threat that could impact as many as seven million people.

The new study, based on 250,000 scenes from NASA's Landsat satellite missions, estimates current glacial lake volume at more than 150 cubic kilometres (37 cubic miles), equivalent to one-third the volume of Lake Erie in the United States or twice the volume of Lake Geneva.

A decade ago, it would have not been possible to process and analyse that volume of data, said Shugar.
As the Monsoon Session of Parliament draws near, there has been some real criticism of the government over concerns that it is trying to stifle the voice of democracy by disallowing Question Hour and Zero Hour, a regular feature of every parliament session when each day an hour is spent both on Question Hour and Zero Hour mentions.

Top sources in the government confirmed to CNN News18 that there will be no Question Hour. However, there will be a half-an-hour slot for for Zero Hour which may be stretched up to an hour or so depending on the Chair.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi told CNN News18, When has the government said no for Zero Hour. It is a call which has to be finally taken by both Lok Sabha speaker and Rajya Sabha chairman. Given the seriousness of COVID-19, it is going to be a session with minimum presence. Thus, we are not in a position to allow ministers and officers to come in and go out for the Question Hour. This has been explained to all the leaders that we have spoken to."

It may be noted the government has reached out to all political parties for the smooth functioning of the session. Deputy Leader of the Lok Sabha Rajnath Singh has made calls to several top notch leaders of political parties with the likes of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary, Farooq Abdullah Sharad Pawar and Derek OBrien.

Parliamentary Affairs Ministers Prahlad Joshi, Arjun Meghwal and V Muraleedharan have also called several party leaders. Joshi has spoken to National Conference MP Abdullah, TMCs Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Vijay Sai Reddy of the YSRCP, Tiruchi Siva and TR Baalu of the DMK, and Pinaki Misra of the BJD among others.

Some parties have expressed reservation about not having Question Hour, while others have agreed that these are indeed difficult circumstances unlike normal times.

Among those raising objections is TMCs OBrien, who spoke to Rajnath Singh about his reservation. However, his partys parliamentary leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay is said to have accepted where the government is coming from. NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar has also acknowledged the reason government has decided to scrap Question Hour.

While Tiruchi Siva from the DMK has asked for the need to have Question Hour and Zero Hour, his party leader from Lok Sabha TR Baalu has appreciated the governments effort to keep everyone safe.

Congress Lok Sabha floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury recently wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla demanding Zero and Question Hour. However, he agreed with the government when Rajnath Singh called him a few days ago.

Prahlad Joshi told CNN News18, Our Deputy Leader Rajnath Singh spoke to Chowdhury and he agreed that it was indeed difficult to have Question and Zero Hour, but soon after he wrote a letter to the Speaker. It seems the party forced him into that afterthought."

Many political parties had also asked for short-term discussions or debates on vital issues. Top sources in the government said it is likely to allow one such discussion per week, but the final call will be taken by the custodians of both houses.

The government has also agreed on discussions on very crucial issues that have been brought to the notice through the course of their discussion with political parties, including the India-China issue, GDP, economy, COVID-19 crisis, migrant crisis and so on.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal told CNN News18, We have never run away from any issue and that is the reason we have allowed discussion on multiple issues. However, we have crucial bills to pass and we hope that the Opposition will not hold the House to ransom."

The Monsoon Session of Parliament will begin from September 14 and will go on till October 1 with about 18 sittings, including weekends with each house in seating for a duration of four hours. The session will be conducted following strict COVID-19 protocol.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, along with top officials, reviewed the situation at the India-China border, sources said.

IMAGE: NSA Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane, Chief of Naval Staff Karambir Singh and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria during the 74th Independence Day celebrations, at Red Fort in New Delhi. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to call another high-level meeting later today, they added.

This comes after the Indian Army thwarted an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, the meeting of brigade commander of the Indian Army with his Chinese counterpart is underway in Chushul to discuss issues related to the situation on the southern bank of Pangong lake, Indian Army sources said

The Indian Army said it has thwarted a provocative Chinese army movement in eastern Ladakh to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake.

It is also the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.

With inputs from PTI
Hutterite colonies received disturbing news late last week, when the Department of Education sent a letter to Manitoba school divisions advising superintendents they should plan to restrict teachers and staff in Hutterite schools who do not live in the community.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Hutterite colonies received disturbing news late last week, when the Department of Education sent a letter to Manitoba school divisions advising superintendents "they should plan to restrict teachers and staff in Hutterite schools who do not live in the community."

Thats according to a letter from the Hutterian Safety Council COVID-19 Task Force to colonies.

The communication from the province allegedly spurred school divisions to send "missives" to teachers stating "all colonies in the province are closed to non-colony staff."

"It caused the Hutterites communities to panic a bit," said Kenny Wollmann, a member of the task force.

What appeared most troubling is that colonies  and there are roughly 125 in Manitoba  werent differentiated by risk level, as per the provinces colour-coded pandemic response plan.

"Although this was internal communication and very preliminary, it justifiably resulted in widespread concern. Divorced from the proper context of extensive and ongoing communication within the various governmental departments and (the safety council), it paints the picture that all Hutterites are indiscriminately labelled as red or high-risk schools," the task force letter states.

"This is a problem because, while there certainly are Hutterite schools that fall into this category  whether because of COVID-19 cases or a lack of trusting and transparent communication  there are also communities who are taking all necessary precautions and have few or no COVID-19 cases."

Beautiful Plains School Division chief executive officer and Supt. Jason Young stated in an email the school division meets formally with colony leaders at least twice a year and are in regular contact with all eight colonies throughout the year. On Friday, Young received the Department of Educations letter, which he said informed the school division that "Public Health indicated we should plan for our staff who reside off the colony to participate in remote learning to commence the school year."

Young said the school division then shared the email with the eight colony principals, which was followed up with a phone conversation with each one, as well as with at least one colony leader, such as a minister, secretary or German teacher, that same day.

"As with all our plans right now, they continue to evolve with the level identified in the provincial pandemic response plan," Young said.

"We will be looking at and continuing to plan for the best way to follow the directives from Education and Public Health while continuing to work with our colonies to adapt a plan that works best for our students during these challenging times."

Wollmann said the safety council is working very closely with Health and Education to ensure that Hutterite schools can open the safest way possible, whether thats in-class learning, blended learning or remote learning. The population on colonies varies greatly, and Wollmann said well-defined and nimble assessment criteria and processes are still being determined with Public Health.

"The challenge before all parties at this point is to determine what the reality is on the ground within each community and whats the best way of doing that," Wollmann said.

That means dealing with a great number of schools over a significant geographic spread, with a diversity of situations.

"So, yeah, this is a challenge. Ive always said that when it comes to COVID, aint nobody got an instruction manual beforehand. Everybody is struggling to make sense of things." Wollmann said.

"In most cases, it would depend not so much on percentages. It would depend more on the reality on the ground. Like if it were somebody elderly, it would be a highly contained situation that doesnt have an impact on the school in any way. There would be no reason for that to result in a red. But if it were somebody that were involved in the school, well, that would be a red," he said.

Currently, there are 119 active cases of COVID-19 in what chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin calls "communal living" clusters.

When asked how many colonies are affected, Wollmann said the safety council and Manitoba Health are not revealing those numbers.

"Partly because these numbers are fluid. What we do say is that, in most cases, if there is COVID in a community, it is very, very quickly contained. And until such a time when it becomes an actual risk for the Manitoba public, those numbers are pretty much useless," he said.

Hutterite schools range from a dozen to more than 60 students. The safety council wants to keep students, as well as teachers, safe. Wollmann said while an increasing number of communities staff their schools internally, the majority of schools are a blend of staff from the community and from outside the community.

"Probably the majority are non-Hutterites teaching in Hutterites school," he said.

Beautiful Plains employs 14 teachers for the eight colony schools, of which some are colony members and reside on the colony. Approximately 210 students attend those schools.

In its letter to colonies, the safety council stated a risk assessment process would be developed to quickly identify low-risk communities.

However, Wollmann said the letter from the province intensified an already very serious situation.

"And, in a sense, it might be helpful to prompt some community leaders who havent been taking this as seriously as they ought to just step up to the plate and to lead the efforts to make sure that their communitys response to COVID is rigorous and keeps everybody safe," he said.

The Brandon Sun also sent questions by email to the departments of Health and Education, as well as to the Brandon School Division, which staffs one colony, on Monday afternoon. Answers did not arrive by the deadline.

 mletourneau@brandonsun.com

 Michele LeTourneau covers Indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism.
(Natural News) Is work stressing you out? Is the fear of catching the Bill Gates/Fauci virus (Covid) freaking you out? Is your relationship, or lack thereof, stressing you right now? If youre reading the wrong news, and watching TV, plus listening to some regulatory agency talking heads that get paid tens of millions of dollars for pushing toxic pharmaceuticals and dirty vaccines (check every third commercial), then that nicotine fix is all you got really for keeping your sanity, right? Thats how you deal with things. Maybe theres a better way. A much better way.

Ever heard of indigenous cures from around the world? Probably not. Theyre all suppressed in the USA, censored and banned because they work (just like zinc and D3 for Covid). Guess what? All you need is a natural dopamine boost every time you would have smoked (or vaped), and some central-nervous-system-balancing vitamins, then its smooth sailing from there. Can you see the blue horizon now? Keep reading.

The Big 5 central nervous system killers  aspartame, MSG, nicotine, pesticides and ammonia

Nicotine is a stimulant in the short term, but a depressant over the long term. How long have you been sucking back on those cancer sticks? Did you switch to vape and find yourself doing that twice as often, almost relentlessly, just to keep up with the high dose nic fix (nicotine) that cigs delivered? Cigarette tobacco is processed in ammonia to give your lungs ammonia-laden vapor. Thats what causes the majority of your anxiety, when that high-intensity nicotine wears off. Then the depression chemicals do their work on you.

Think now of the pesticides the tobacco farmers use to kill the tobacco worms, including budworms, hornworms, and their larvae. The damage those chemicals do to your nervous system is exactly why every smoker in the world says, I need a cigarette every half hour or hour.

In fact, 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety disorders and from depression, which just so happen to also be the two most common mental illnesses in the country. Its not uncommon to suffer from both. Its all about bug killer, weed killer and GMOs that disrupt the central nervous system and cripple hormone production.

Did you know aspartame and MSG (monosodium glutamate) are both genetically engineered excito-toxins created in food laboratories to overwhelm the central nervous system, purposely to be so addicting that you keep coming back for more, until you become deathly sick? Then the doctors prescribe highly experimental and dangerous SSRI drugs (psychotropics) that literally cause hallucinations, feelings of committing homicide and suicide. Go figure.

Even if you vape, youre still addicted to nicotine. Either way, your dopamine levels have been so propped up and jacked up for so many years, that now you cant get that rush unless you light up or vape it. Youre a patient for life. Or are you? You could escape the chronic sick care world you obey each day, and make up your own mind (because we know you still have one), and say goodbye to the quacks, their quack medicine, and that quack nic habit.

Its just a lifestyle change. Dont be afraid of how good you will feel.

Take control of your neurotransmitters

Take control of your neurotransmitters, and get off the drugs and pesticides. Its just an out-of-control roller coaster ride and we all know youre sick to death of it (pardon the pun). If youre consuming aspartame and/or MSG, stop now. Its all part of the vicious cycle.

Safely boost your dopamine levels with the all-natural supplement beverage Krave Kicker, that blends superfood mucuna (nootropic) with vitamin B-12 as methycobalamin. Effective for up to 4 hours as relief from nicotine cravings.

So whether youre smoking, vaping, dipping or chewing, theres a natural remedy thats now YOUR solution. Escape nicotine and your immunity will go up while your stress and anxiety go right down  down the toilet when you detoxify! Dont forget to drink lots of clean water and stay hydrated, my friends.

Tune your internet dial to StopSmoking.news and get the inside track on becoming nicotine-free for life. Then switch to pesticide-free food and water. This has been a public service announcement from Natural News. Free your spirit from the chains of nicotine and pesticides now. You can do this.

Sources for this article include:

StopSmoking.news

NaturalNews.com

Tobacco.ces.ncsu.edu

TruthWiki.org

KraveKicker.com
BEAUMONT, TX  I had chosen to stay in town and ride out the storm, but it was almost too late when mandatory evacuation orders were issued for my neighborhood outside of Beaumont.

Horror stories about previous hurricanes couldn't deter me. Besides, the converted boathouse I lived in was several miles inland. "It never floods here," my landlord told me.



We really thought the worst of Hurricane Harvey was over. Forecasts said the storm would blow through Houston and be on its way. We never expected it would make an about face into the gulf, gain strength and camp over southeast Texas for days.

It overwhelmed the bayous. Upstream, dams were opened. Water hurtled toward us.

My mom was in town visiting me that weekend. I don't know if she chose to come to town anticipating the storm ahead, or if it was some kind of divine maternal foresight, but I'm glad she did.

A driveway in Bevil Oaks, Texas, becomes submerged under floodwater amid Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. (Payton Potter, Patch Staff)

It was she who begged me to leave when voluntary evacuation orders were issued. It was she who helped pack only a few hours later when my young landlady knocked on my door: "It's time to go. Now."

At its peak, the storm dropped over 60 inches of rain in southeast Texas in just a few days. There was no time to meticulously pack.

Pine Island Bayou behind my house had already crested, and water was rising fast. By the time we made it out of town and to Highway 69 north of Beaumont, water was lapping up on the sides of the road. In a few short hours, the roadway became an impasse.

The following day, the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper's cover was an aerial shot of the city, cut off on all sides, emblazoned with a simple headline: "An Island."

Before I made it back home to Dallas, the bayou behind my apartment had swelled, and the cozy reformed boathouse I called home for a summer filled with 6 feet of water.

Still, I count myself lucky. I was able to get myself and my belongings to safety, but I was only a few hours away from becoming stranded. Others were not so lucky.

Story continues

One resident, Tom Melanson, was evacuated with his family from their home in Rose City, just a few miles outside of Beaumont.

"In the middle of the day, we received a knock on the door from someone saying we were under mandatory evacuation," Melanson told Patch. "That's when I noticed the water was already almost up to our hill. We were told we would expect 6 more feet of water once the dam was released."



Little did he know, it was already too late to leave by car. The family were evacuated by a rescue team in an air boat.

"I couldn't recognize anything while on the boat. Large yards full of grass looked like a big river," he said. "Street signs were gone; it just really looked like some other place."

Water encroaches on the home Tom Melanson was evacuated from in 2017 in Rose City, Texas. (Courtesy Tom Melanson)

Returning to Rose City after Harvey, Melanson said, was a nearly insurmountable chore. That's why, when Hurricane Laura and its "unsurvivable storm surge" approached the Texas gulf shore, he chose to take no chances.



Between the landfalls of Harvey and Laura, Melanson had moved West to go to work for a university in Houston.

"After [Harvey], the flooding, the rescue, losing everything that I owned and not being able to get assistance since I didn't rent or own property  the crazy long lines for groceries waiting in the heat  I made, and I mean made, my family agree that our evacuation plan was to just get out," Melanson said. "Once I moved to Houston I really cemented that plan because I had a westward base to jump off of for my family."

Melanson returned to Houston and his family to the Golden Triangle, a region surrounding the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange. To their relief, the storm had veered east and made landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana, instead of Southeast Texas.

While 68 deaths are directly attributed to Hurricane Harvey, the latter storm claimed only 14 lives, the Associated Press reports. Whether that's the result of more time for planning, more foresight or the remnants of trauma leftover from Harvey is hard to say.



Even still, The Yale Center for Environmental Communication recently reported Laura was the fifth-strongest recorded hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland with sustained winds of 15o miles per hour.

While it largely spared Southeast Texas, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said recovery in the Pelican State will be 'very difficult.

Nicholas Smith, a current Kansas resident whose family lives in northern Louisiana, told Patch he's never seen a hurricane have such an impact in him hometown.

"Laura was a Category 1 hurricane when it reached my family, which is over 170 miles north of Lake Charles," Smith said. "When it reached my hometown, its winds were still 70 miles per hour. My grandma called to tell me shes never seen anything like it in her life. Trees and power lines covered yards and highways and not a single person had electricity once Laura was through."



Four days after the storm made its way through the region, Smith's family is still without power, attempting to stay cool in the late Louisiana summer.

"Theyre struggling," he said. "To make matters worse, the storm exposed many of the rural communitys vulnerable infrastructure, particularly water and sewage."

Still, Louisianians like Smith's family are undeterred: "Theyre a resilient people. Theyll come back; itll just take time and help," he said.

Today I count myself lucky to have left Bevil Oaks when I did. But, I know that if I had stayed I would have seen rescuers coming to the aid of complete strangers. I would have watched my neighborhood be rebuilt. I would have seen a community, together, starting over from scratch. Because that's what Texans do.

This article originally appeared on the Houston Patch
The Naked City podcast will take a journey into the dark depths of the Australian criminal underworld. In this series you will hear recordings of some of Australia's most dangerous criminals, all of whom have been remarkably frank in their recollections.

Alistair Farquhar MacRae  Sandy to his friends  killed for money and to protect a massive vice ring that sold drugs and corrupted police.

When he moved from Melbourne to Mildura it was not a lifestyle choice. He had a plan to lure naive investors to his home to buy large amounts of marijuana, only to murder them and bury the bodies on the property.

When he eventually went into government protection to finger bent cops, an aside to another witness provided the forensic link to an unsolved double murder.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Tuesday criticised Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for blaming the coronavirus for the current economic situation of the country. A day after a 24% drop in the GDP signaled Indias worst economic contraction on record, Chidambaram took on Sitharaman for her act of God" comment, saying, Dont blame God for a man-made disaster."

In fact, you should thank god. God has blessed the farmers of the country. The pandemic is a natural disaster. But you are compounding the pandemic, a natural disaster, with a man-made disaster," Chidambaram told NDTV in an interview.

Sitharaman earlier had put the blame on the pandemic in response to the states demand for compensation due to GST losses. This year we are facing an extraordinary situation. We are facing an act of God where we may even see a contraction," she said.

Questioning Chief Economic Adviser KV Subramanians claim that the economy would see a better performance in the coming quarters on the back of a V-shaped recovery, Chidambaram said, I dont know if anyone takes the Chief Economic Adviser seriously. When is the last time he had a conversation with the Prime Minister? He has been predicting V-shaped recovery for months. Then he saw green shoots when the Finance Minister said it. Where are the green shoots?"

Chidamabaram said the data point on which Subramanian relied had been refuted by the Reserve Bank of India.

Talking about the path to recovery, Chidambaram said, This is the time to borrow, spend, boost demand, put money in the hands of the poor so that consumption increases."

On the Aatma-nirbhar package during the pandemic, the former minister simply said, It is a joke."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 16:58:23|Editor: huaxia

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MACAO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Macao's gaming industry revenue plunged by 94.5 percent year-on-year in August, the special administrative region (SAR)'s gaming industry watchdog said on Tuesday.

Macao's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau said in its latest report that the gaming revenue was 1,330 million patacas (about 166.8 million U.S. dollars) in August this year, a drastic decline of 94.5 percent from the same period of 2019.

The accumulated revenue in the first eight months of 2020 reached 36.39 billion patacas (about 4.56 billion dollars), down by 81.6 percent year-on-year.

Macao's monthly gaming revenue had been on a year-on-year growth for 29 consecutive months since August 2016. But the trend ended as it recorded a decrease of 5 percent in January 2019. Enditem
California companies and their employees have clashed throughout the pandemic over whether employers should tell workers if they have potentially been exposed to the coronavirus on the job. Now a bill passed by the Legislature and headed to the governors desk, AB685, seeks to clarify what companies must tell employees and state officials about such risks.

Workers advocates say the legislation is key to shoring up workplace safety and retaliation protections for employees when it comes to reporting a case of the coronavirus. But business groups are worried the bill is still too vague on what it requires of companies and amounts to a public shaming when an outbreak is associated with a company.

The bill is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsoms signature after the Assembly included some amendments from the Senate.

AB685 would require employers to give written notice and instructions to workers who may have been exposed to the coronavirus at work. It also requires that businesses notify health authorities if infections become widespread, information that the California Department of Public Health can then make public.

The bill also creates anti-retaliation protections for employees who report infections, to encourage them to come forward.

Companies are already required to disclose cases of the virus to local health departments, but that information is not public. Companies are also required to report workplace-related injuries to state regulator Cal/OSHA, but there has been some disagreement on whether that includes cases of the coronavirus.

The bill makes mandatory what many employers already are doing and what health authorities have been recommending that they do, which is notify employees when theyve possibly been exposed and do contact tracing, said Charles Thompson, a lawyer at the San Francisco office of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart.

How broadly a company notifies workers about a workplace infection has largely been up to employers and local health departments during the pandemic, however.

In the Bay Area, cases of the coronavirus at electric-car maker Teslas Fremont plant have led some workers to speak out about what they feel is a lack of transparency around potential infections from co-workers. Tesla conducts rigorous contact tracing but limits notifications to workers with close contact to an infected individual.

Business critics of the bill including the Western Growers, an Irvine association representing farmers in Arizona, California, Colorado and New Mexico, have questioned what potential exposure means and said that it is not clear what employers have to tell their workers when a case is identified.

We are still very much opposed to AB685 primarily because were very unclear as to what this measure is going to do to make the workplace more safe, said Matthew Allen, the groups vice president of state government affairs.

Allen said that a host of amendments he hoped to see added to the bill had been left out but that a clearer definition of what constitutes a work site subject to the bill, particularly in agricultural settings where fields and indoor sites are involved, was added.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Despite the reputational risk to businesses of a disclosed infection, increased transparency about the virus in the workplace will help workers protect themselves, said Linda Delp, a UCLA professor and director of the schools Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program.

I cant tell you how many calls and questions weve gotten at (the program) about My employer is not being up-front with me about what is happening, Delp said. As much clarity as possible will help workers to feel like they are at least being told up front whats happening in the workplace, she added.

Delp said underreporting and the sheer number of virus cases make it almost impossible for local and state authorities to track and trace them in the workplace without the help of employers.

I dont see an alternative, Delp said.

It is not clear if Gov. Newsom will sign the bill, but Allen of the Western Growers said he expects it will become law.

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice
In a sense, the Supernova Digital Animation Festival was a pandemic-era festival long before the pandemic hit. For half a decade, the event has been staging outdoor screenings of experimental and motion-based animation across Denver, Colorado. Last year, it introduced a complementary online platform to host screenings.

For its fifth edition, to be held in September, Supernova has had to change relatively little about its setup. Outdoor screenings are going ahead on its network of vast LED screens, making this probably the only U.S. animation festival to have taken place safely in real life since the virus hit. Events will adhere to all Colorado guidelines and mandates for outdoor social distancing and safety protocols. Oh, and theyre free.

The festival will kick off at 7 p.m. on September 3, when commissioned works will be beamed in a loop onto the Daniels & Fisher Clocktower. Screenings on the tower will recur throughout the month. Meanwhile, competitive and other programs will be gradually rolled out on the Supernova.video online platform (which costs $1.99 per month). The festival and platform are run by digital motion-art platform Denver Digerati.
Twitter and Facebook announced Tuesday they had suspended accounts linked to a small Russian influence operation which posed as an independent news outlet to target left-wing voters in the United States and Britain.

The accounts were linked to a website named Peace Data, which allegedly hired freelance journalists to write about domestic politics as part of the manipulation scheme.

The operation is believed to have partly focused on US politics and racial tensions in the run-up to the November 3 presidential election.

Social media analytics firm Graphika reported that part of the operation's aim was to steer left-wing voters away from Joe Biden's campaign.

Facebook on Monday suspended 13 Facebook accounts and two pages linked to a Russian influence operation which posed as an independent news outlet to target left-wing voters

Twitter announced it had suspended five accounts linked to the operation as it slammed governments attempts to 'undermine democracy'.

Peace Data also operated 13 Facebook accounts and two pages, which were set up in May and suspended on Monday for using fake identities and other forms of 'coordinated inauthentic behavior,' the company said.

The investigation began based on information from the FBI about its off-Facebook activities.

Facebook said its investigation 'found links to individuals associated with past activity by the Russian Internet Research Agency', a St Petersburg-based company, known as a 'troll factory', which U.S. intelligence officials say was central to Russian efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election.

Moscow has denied those allegations and says it does not interfere in the domestic politics of other countries.

Investigators at social media analytics firm Graphika studied the operation and said Peace Data predominately targeted progressive and left-wing groups in the United States and Britain, but also posted about events in other countries including Algeria and Egypt.

It said in a report that the website pushed messages critical of right-wing voices and the center left, and in the United States 'paid particular attention to racial and political tensions', including civil rights protests and criticism of President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.

Graphika said only around 5 percent of Peace Data's English-language articles directly concerned the US election, but that 'this facet of the operation suggests an attempt to build a left-wing audience and steer it away from Biden's campaign.'

The findings support an assessment by the United States' top counterintelligence official last month, who said Moscow was using online disinformation to try to undercut the Biden campaign, and could stoke fears about further Russian efforts to interfere in the November vote.

Twitter also announced that it had suspended five accounts linked to the operation

In its statement, Twitter hit out at the Russian government trying to 'undermine democracy'

Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, said his team acted on information provided by the FBI and suspended the accounts before they gathered a large online following.

Only 14,000 people followed one or more of the suspended accounts, he said.

'I think it's very important that we know about this,' Gleicher told Reuters. 'I want people to know that Russian actors are still trying and their tactics are evolving, but I wouldn't want people to think that this was a large, successful campaign.'

Twitter said that tweets from the accounts also had low impact on the platform but warned they would still strictly enforce their policies against 'attempts to manipulate our service to undermine democracy'.

They added that they worked alongside the FBI in identifying and suspending the accounts to 'protect the public conversation'.

'We wish to express our gratitude to the @FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force for their close collaboration and continued support of our work to protect the public conversation at this critical time,' Twitter Safety announced Tuesday.

'Regardless of the low-level impact in this case, governments around the world must stop these practices. They're antidemocratic.

The Peace Data website: Links to the site can no longer be shared on Twitter

The Peace Data Twitter account was suspended as of Tuesday

The link to the Peace Data Facebook page from the website also led to a dead link

'Attempts to manipulate our service to undermine democracy  by both foreign and domestic actors  will be met with strict enforcement of our policies,' the company added.

Twitter stated that the five accounts will now be included in the company's database of information operations to empower academic research.

'The accounts purported to be associated with a website called Peace Data, which publishes a range of content about global political issues,' Twitter said.

'At least some of the content published on the website was created by real people who appear to have contributed to Peace Data as freelancers.

'The Tweets from the Russian-linked accounts were low quality and spammy, and most Tweets from these accounts received few, if any, Likes or Retweets. The accounts achieved little impact on Twitter and were identified and removed quickly,' the statement continued.

'Going forward, links to content from Peace Data's site will be blocked from being shared on our service. Existing links will be de-amplified across the service in accordance with our policies.'

Peace Data publishes in English and Arabic and says on its website it is a non-profit news organisation seeking 'the truth about key world events'.

But the three permanent staff listed online are not real, according to the Graphika analysis, which found the profiles used computer-generated photographs of non-existent people and were linked to fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and business-networking site LinkedIn.

To evade detection, the people behind the network recruited Americans to do their bidding, likely unknowingly, both as journalists and as people authorized to purchase political advertisements in the U.S.

The fake personas advertised for writers on freelance journalism websites and Twitter, offering up to $75 for an article, screenshots of the adverts seen by Reuters showed.

Peace Data's website lists 22 'contributors', mostly freelance journalists in the United States and Britain. Facebook and Graphika said there was no indication the writers knew who was behind the website.

Peace Data 'staff' then shared the articles, covering a wide range of political issues, in left-wing social media groups, Graphika said.

The website published over 700 articles in English and Arabic between February and August this year.

Ben Nimmo, head of investigations at Graphika, said co-opting real people made it easier for political influence operations to remain undetected.

'What we've seen recently has been much smaller and much lower profile,' he said. 'It looks like they're trying harder and harder to hide.'

It comes after Twitter in August unveiled new labels marking the tweets and accounts of 'state-backed media' as well as official government entities, in a move it said will 'increase transparency and accountability.'

It announced the new steps to prevent the spread of content from state-affiliated media used to advance a government's political agenda, a move affecting key outlets from Russia and China.

Twitter slapped the new label on Sputnik, a Russian state-controlled news outlet

China Daily was among the accounts to receive the state-affiliated media label

Official government accounts, such as the White House, and key government officials tasked with communicating foreign policy abroad will also receive the labels.

Twitter said the changes will for now only be applied to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, which are the US, the UK, France, Russia and China.

It added that it would define state-backed media outlets 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.'

'Unlike independent media, state-affiliated media frequently use their news coverage as a means to advance a political agenda,' the company said in a statement.

Already, the label has been applied to a number of Russian outlets, including RT and Sputnik, as well as Chinese news services such as China Daily and Xinhua.

Top editors and senior staff at the designated news outlets will also receive the label on their tweets, Twitter said.

Twitter said the decision would not affect 'state-financed media organizations with editorial independence,' specifically citing the British-based BBC and US-based National Public Radio.

Twitter's announcement follows a similar action by Facebook earlier this year which labeled content from media which are editorially controlled by governments.

It follows increasing tension over Twitter's role as an arbiter of public debate, after bitter spats between the social media site and President Donald Trump.

In recent months, Twitter has moved aggressively to slap fact-checking labels and warnings on certain of Trump's tweets, and this week even removed a video of the president claiming that children are 'almost immune' to coronavirus, calling it medical misinformation.

In fact, children are not immune to the virus, but appear to suffer serious side affects and mortality at a dramatically lower rate than older individuals.

It also comes amid concerns over campaigns by governments aimed at influencing elections and public sentiment in other countries through media outlets that disguise their true origins.

State-led influence campaigns were prominent on social media during the 2016 US elections and have been seen around the world.

On August 12, Twitter also announced that it was joining with Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn and others to 'counter shared threats to the online public conversation ahead of the 2020 US Elections'.

'We continue to stay vigilant on these issues and meet regularly ahead of the November election,' they said in a joint statement.
By Ayad Akhtar

Little, Brown. 346 pp. $28

- - -

A decade after the attacks of Sept. 11, Ayad Akhtar staged a play called "Disgraced" that captured the paradox of being an American of Muslim descent. His one-act drama, which went on to win a Pulitzer Prize, takes place in the elegant Manhattan apartment of a Pakistani American lawyer named Amir Kapoor who's married to a white artist. On the night we meet them, one of Amir's colleagues drops by with her husband for dinner. Smart and sophisticated, they all talk about religion and politics, but the evening will eventually veer out of control and turn vicious - a kind of "Who's Afraid of Osama bin Laden." At a climactic moment, one of the guests asks Amir if he felt proud when planes smashed into the twin towers. Without hesitation, he answers, "If I'm honest, yes."

When the other three characters blanch, Amir explains that he felt a sense of pride "that we were finally winning."

"We?" his horrified colleague asks.

"Yeah ... I guess I forgot ... which (BEGIN ITAL)we(END ITAL) I was."

The challenge of remembering one's identity in a racist culture is also at the heart of Akhtar's remarkable new book, "Homeland Elegies." But here, Akhtar bounds far beyond the cleverly engineered drama of "Disgraced." With its sprawling vision of contemporary America, "Homeland Elegies" is a phenomenal coalescence of memoir, fiction, history and cultural analysis. It would not surprise me if it wins him a second Pulitzer Prize.

But for which category?

In an introductory note to readers, Akhtar claims, "This is not a work of autobiography. ... This is a novel." That's the only disingenuous passage in this book. The interior design of "Homeland Elegies" may include elements of fiction, but the architecture is clearly the author's life: The narrator is a man named Ayad Akhtar, the son of Pakistani doctors, who writes a Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a Muslim American and then struggles to negotiate the rising xenophobia of the Trump era. Check, check, check, check.

My point isn't to call out how closely the story echoes the author's history. One of the most fascinating themes of this tour de force is the sustained tension between memoir and invention that runs through any creative person's life. Akhtar introduces that subject early in a chapter called "On Autobiography; or, Bin Laden." He notes that after his play made him famous, he was repeatedly asked to what extent the central character was him. "I've gleaned that what I'm usually being asked is whether I, too, felt a blush of pride on September 11." His answer loops back to the creation of Pakistan, describes the radicalization of a family friend, explains the CIA's role in Afghanistan, and then finally brings us to the moment his exasperated mother condemned American military aggression: "They deserve what they got," she says - a line that eventually ended up in his famous play.

How, the narrator asks, can he "express the complex, often contradictory alchemy at work in translating experience into art?" This essayistic novel is Akhtar's answer to that question. It's a poetic confession of the agony of trying to articulate a nuanced critique of faith and politics in an age of shrieking partisanship.

The story's sinuous plot moves through the lives of the playwright and his father, constantly assessing their respective attitudes toward the United States as their fortunes rise and fall. "Love for America and a firm belief in its supremacy," Ayad says, "was creed in our home." His father, a heart specialist who dabbled in real estate, once treated Donald Trump, and that brief encounter fueled his enthusiasm for the TV celebrity "well past the point that any rational nonwhite American (let alone sometime immigrant!) could possibly have justified to himself or anyone else." Ayad sees in his father's unlikely attraction to Trump something essential about contemporary America. It demonstrates, he says, "the full extent of the terrifying lust for unreality that has engulfed us all."

But this is not merely a critique of the MAGA crowd. Something more virulent, he suggests, is infecting modern civilization. In 2008, years before the ascension of the Very Stable Genius, Ayad travels to Pakistan with his father to visit their relatives. In their "infuriating stupidity," he sees "the broad outlines of the same dilemmas that would lead America into the era of Trump: seething anger; open hostility to strangers and those with views opposing one's own; a contempt for news delivered by allegedly reputable sources; an embrace of reactionary moral posturing; civic and governmental corruption that no longer needed hiding." We're living, Ayad warns, through a systemic collapse of confidence fueled by "thoughtless and obsessive suspicion."

All this could sound insufferably superior if the author weren't so willing to make himself squirm under his own examination. Akhtar's portrait of the artist as a young Muslim exposes both his vanity and his capacity for obsequiousness, particularly around wealthy people. As in "Junk," Akhtar's most recent play, "Homeland Elegies" attends closely to the distorting power of money and debt in modern society. A significant section of the book traces his compromising relationship with a Muslim hedge fund manager who lures Ayad into high society and gives him a lesson in predatory capitalism.

Everywhere one can hear Akhtar's award-winning ear for dialogue that conveys the unexpected rhythms of conversation and drama. But what's surprising is his equally engaging mode as a lecturer. Personal episodes mingle effectively with engaging disquisitions on, say, the dilution of antitrust law, the financialization of modern medicine and other arcane economic issues that rarely intrude so forcefully in the pages of literary fiction.

This blended approach works only because the book demonstrates the ills warping both East and West with stories rooted in the author's own experience, bravely diagnosing what it means to struggle, humiliatingly, for acceptance in a racist country. The defining dilemma of his life, Ayad says, is that he's "no longer a practicing - let alone (BEGIN ITAL)believing(END ITAL) - Muslim and yet still entirely shaped by the Islam that had socially defined [him] since 9/11."

In one of the book's many memorable set pieces, Ayad's car breaks down while driving through Pennsylvania. His encounter with a state trooper and later a repair shop demonstrates what it means to be a potential terror suspect; to always be on one's friendliest behavior; to shift, whenever possible, one's lineage to India. "If all this sounds somewhat paranoid," Ayad writes, "I am happy for you. Clearly you have not been beset by daily worries of being perceived - and therefore treated - as a foe of the republic rather than a member of it."

After years of trying to imagine he's welcome here, he finally forces himself "to stop pretending that I felt like an American." Ironically, by embracing that conflicted position, Ayad attains the success that is the American Dream. To mainstream white culture, he's a Muslim willing to say what needs to be said; to some Muslims, he's a self-loathing sellout who cashes in on ethnic stereotypes. That paradox runs like a wire through this book, which so poignantly expresses the loneliness of pining for one's own homeland.
A 32-year-old head constable of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force, who went missing from his camp days after he was transferred to Left-wing insurgency-hit Dantewada district on August 28, was found dead on Monday. Police suspect Maoists may have killed Kaneshwar Netam.

...Netams body was found near the jungles of Bodli village on Monday. As per primary investigation, the constable was transferred to Dantewada on August 25 and on August 28, he went missing from his camp, said Dantewada police superintendent Abhishek Pallava.

It seems the constable was killed by cadres of Maoists but we are investigating the case from all angles since no Maoist note was recovered from the spot.

Earlier, suspected Maoists abducted assistant police sub-inspector Nagaiya Kosa on Sunday from Kutru area of Dantewada district and killed him with sharp-edged weapons .

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This is one of those cases where the storm map looks scarier than reality, at least for the United States.

Theres a tropical depression swirling near the Carolina coast, and forecasters say it could strengthen into a tropical storm Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday night. The good news: The storm is forecast to track out to sea  away from the United States.

As of 11 a.m., the storm system  now known as Tropical Depression 15  was centered about 140 miles east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was generating top sustained winds of 35 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

The system was moving east to northeast at a pace of 14 mph, and no coastal watches or warnings have been issued.

Forecasters from the hurricane center said the depression could become a tropical storm later today or tonight, but gradual weakening is expected by late Wednesday as it moves farther out to sea.

UPDATE (12:45 p.m. Tuesday): The system off the Carolina coast remains a tropical depression, but another tropical disturbance  south of Jamaica  has quickly strengthened into a tropical storm and has been named Nana. If the other system gets stronger, it will be named Omar.

UPDATE (5:20 p.m. Tuesday): The system off the Carolina coast has now been upgraded to Tropical Storm Omar, with its top winds blowing at 40 mph, making it a minimal tropical storm. Forecasters from the National Hurricane Center say it will be a short-lived storm, with little change in strength expected overnight and weakening to begin Wednesday night.

This map shows the forecast track of Tropical Storm Nana as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1.National Hurricane Center

Meanwhile, forecasters are monitoring two other tropical disturbances in the Atlantic hurricane basin.

One is becoming more organized and has a high probability of becoming a tropical depression or a tropical storm in the next two days, the hurricane center said. That disturbance (the red X in the map above) is about 140 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and its top winds have increased to 40 mph during the past few hours.

That qualifies as tropical storm strength, but the system doesnt yet have closed wind circulation, one of the key characteristics of a tropical storm or hurricane.

UPDATE (12:45 p.m. Tuesday): At about 12:15 p.m., this system rapidly gained strength and became more organized, prompting the National Hurricane Center to name it Tropical Storm Nana. Here is the centers announcement on Twitter. Nana is the earliest N storm on record in the Atlantic hurricane basin.

UPDATE: Tropical Storm #Nana has formed from PTC 16, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 km/h). A Special Advisory will be issued within the hour to update the forecast. https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/DJmOGpRfoE  National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 1, 2020

#Nana has formed south of Jamaica - the earliest forming 14th named storm of an Atlantic #hurricane season on record. Prior record was Nate on September 6, 2005 at 0UTC. pic.twitter.com/HKr4QJe1F9  Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) September 1, 2020

Forecasters say this storm system will likely move near, but remain north of, the coast of Honduras on Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center said a tropical wave (the yellow X in the map above) is expected to emerge off the coast of Africa in a day or so. As of now, they give it a 40% chance of forming into a tropical depression or a tropical storm in five days.

Live weather radar

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An unexpected intervention by the Victorian Greens could help get the Andrews government's extended state of emergency bill over the line.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam is set to return to Parliament on Tuesday and vote for the government's bill, extending the power for a further six months and allowing the government to declare a state of emergency in rolling four-week blocks.

Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam. Credit:Justin McManus

The bill looked like it might have been in trouble with Labor struggling to secure enough crossbench votes to pass State Parliament's upper house.

But Ms Ratnam's intervention puts Health Minister Jenny Mikakos in a much stronger position to overcome the opposition of Coalition MPs and push her legislation through.
Milos Vystrcil gave his speech to the Taiwanese parliament as he is not bound by Czech government protocol of accepting the 'One China' policy - RITCHIE B TONGO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock /Shutterstock

A senior Czech politician invoked a famous Cold War-era phrase by late US president John F Kennedy as he delivered a landmark speech to Taiwan's parliament Tuesday during a visit that has incensed Beijing.

Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil channelled President Kennedy's 1963 challenge to communism when he declared "Ich bin ein Berliner" to West Berlin citizens worried about the Soviet Union's looming presence behind the Iron Curtain.

President Kennedy used the phrase 'Ich bin ein Berliner' to show his support for the people of Berlin and the highest values of freedom", Mr Vystrcil said.

"Maybe I can be more humble, but allow me to use the same determined phrase to conclude my speech in your country's parliament, in Taiwan - I am Taiwanese."

His final declaration - "I am Taiwanese" - was delivered in Mandarin and received a standing ovation from lawmakers on the self-ruled island.

As a precaution against coronavirus he gave his speech wearing a facemask, which was decorated with the flags of the Czech Republic and Taiwan.

Mr Vystrcil is leading a 90-member delegation to Taiwan that Beijing has slammed as a "despicable act".

Mr Vystrcil wore a badge highlighting the friendship between Prague and Taipei - ANN WANG /Reuters

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned on Monday that Mr Vystrcil would "pay a high price for his short-sighted behaviour and political speculation", while Beijing summoned the Czech ambassador.

Prague then summoned Beijing's ambassador in response to Mr Wang's comments.

Beijing's authoritarian leaders view Taiwan as part of China's territory and have vowed to seize the island, by force if necessary.

It has tried to keep Taiwan diplomatically and economically isolated from the rest of the world, especially after the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.

She rejects Beijing's idea that Taiwan is part of 'One China' and views the island as a de facto sovereign nation.

The Czech government accepts Beijing's 'One China' policy and does not send official delegations to the island.

Story continues

But Mr Vystrcil is a member of the right-wing opposition Civic Democrats and is not bound by the protocol.

Milos Vystrcil received a standing ovation after saying that he was Taiwanese during a speech to the parliament in Taipei - Chiang Ying-ying /AP

The delegation, including politicians, entrepreneurs, scientists and journalists, will meet Ms Tsai on Thursday as part of their five-day trip.

Mr Vystrcil said his visit was a way to highlight Czech sovereignty as his country "should not listen to the orders of another country, especially a non-democratic country", a clear reference to Beijing.

He said the Taiwan visit did not violate Czech's interpretation of the "one China" principle.

"We are not against the People's Republic of China," he told reporters.

"We also hope to have good, equal and mutually beneficial ties with the PRC, and similarly equal and mutually beneficial ties with Taiwan."

Taiwanese parliamentary leader Yu Shyi-kun called Mr Vystrcil's visit a diplomatic breakthrough for Taipei that helps proves its existence to the international community.

"He does not yield to threats, intimidations and the lure of incentives... I believe that many countries will learn from Czech in the future," Mr Yu said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 20:58:53|Editor: huaxia

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CHONGQING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A China-Europe freight train for cross-border e-commerce B2B exports departed from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Tuesday morning, marking the first of its kind in the country.

The train, fully loaded with 43 containers of cross-border e-commerce products, including clothing, household appliances, and daily necessities, is bound for Germany, Poland, and other European countries.

Starting from Tuesday, 12 directly subordinated institutions of China's General Administration of Customs, including the Chongqing Customs, have been added to a pilot list for conducting cross-border e-commerce B2B export supervision.

Cross-border e-commerce B2B exporters will be given priority for inspections and streamlined declaration procedures, with more efficient clearance at lower costs.

The launch of the cargo freight service blazes a new trail for foreign trade companies and makes it easier and more convenient for them to enter the global market, according to the Chongqing port and logistics office.

As a national cross-border e-commerce pilot city, Chongqing has attracted more than 500 cross-border e-commerce companies. Enditem
New Delhi:

New Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said that the country and the force want to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border, however, it will not shy away from using its power in any form.

He also made it clear that Eastern Army commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi and Southern commander Lt Gen P M Hariz, whom he superseded, will continue to serve the army and help maintain its unity and power.

Our country, our army wants peace and tranquillity at the border. But it does not mean that we are weak. We are capable and powerful in all forms and if need be, we will not shy away from using our power in any form.

Our aim is that peace is maintained at the border. But I will say it again that if need be, we will not hesitate in using our power, Gen Rawat said after reviewing the Guard of Honour at the South Block here.

India shares a 3,323-km boundary with Pakistan, including a 749-km Line of Control (LoC). The Indian Army has lost over 60 soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir in 2016 and there have frequent ceasefire violations by Pakistan across the LoC.

Gen Rawat also sent across a message to all ranks of the army, saying every soldier counted.

I am fully conscious of my responsibility to the rank and file of the army. Every individual, every soldier in the army counts irrespective of the arms and service he belongs to because it is the contribution of every soldier that makes the army efficient and strong, he said.

He had on Saturday taken over as the 27 th chief of the 1.3 million strong Indian Army succeeding Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who retired after 42 years of service.

Gen Rawat said, I would like to use the opportunity to convey to the rank and file in the army that everyone in the army, wherever or whoever he may be is equal in my eyes based on the tasks that they are required to perform.

His comments comes at a time when there is feeling among sections of the armoured corps that only the infantry, that Gen Rawat belongs to, has the upper hand and Lt Gen Bakshi could not make it only because he was from the armoured corps.

Both Gen Rawat and his predecessor Gen Suhag, along with senior officers in key positions, are from the Gorkhas.

Gen Rawat said he accepted the governments decision to appoint him as the chief with all humility.

I respect the officers who have been superseded. They have worked with me shoulder-to-shoulder and I can say it for certain that they will continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder to keep the unity and power of the army in the future also, he said.

He said he is fully aware of the role and task that has been assigned to the army by the government.

We are duty bound to maintain the security and sanctity of our borders, assist the government in the maintenance of internal law and order and also provide succour during any disaster that may befall any part of our nation, he said.

The army chief said that welfare of veterans, veer naris, other widows and those who have been disabled in the line of duty would continue to be taken care by the army till their last breath.

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Re: Prop rep debate is dead

Contrary to what some people may wish, proportional representation (prop. rep.) is not going away, but is here to stay for the long haul.

The reason for this is that the current voting process or electoral system does not respect the first principle of democracy, which is that the will of the majority of the electorate should prevail and the make-up of the parliament and ultimately the composition of the government should closely reflect the way the people voted in the general election.

However the current system regularly results in one political party with a little more and sometime even less popular support than the others, receiving an inordinate number of seats in the parliament or legislature. It is so egregious, in 2020 that it could be considered as systemic electoral fraud.

In most cases the party with usually about 39 to 45% of the vote and well short of a majority, receives well in excess of 50% of the seats and forms a false majority government with almost unfettered powers to impose their vision and policies into legislation which the actual majority of voters did not support. Under the current system, such undemocratic anomalies happen almost every election as it did in the 2011 and 2015 Canadian elections and in 2019 it kept the Trudeau Liberals in power despite the fact they received fewer votes than the Conservative Party did.

A prop. rep. voting system Is necessary to correct an ongoing injustice and provide this country with a fair and properly democratic electoral system. It must be done because it is the proper thing to do now! Proper to correct a flawed and corrupt electoral regime an injustice that adversely infringes on the right of every Canadian to know her or his vote has the same power to elect a representative as anyone elses vote does.

It didnt take a referendum to change the electoral system in the late 1800s and switch to the secret ballot nor in 1919 when women were accepted as voters, nor in the 1950s when many non-white citizens were also recognized as eligible voters in all elections in Canada. All those changes had been opposed by many people for many years, but proactive people kept those issues in the public consciousness until each reform came to pass in its own time. Proportional representations time is near so expect to see more political discussion and action about this issue, not less.

Terry W. Robertson
There will be a resurgence of COVID-19 in the fall, health and municipal officials warned on Monday, including the possibility of a wave bigger than the one that peaked in April.

We know that most of us are not immune to COVID-19 and the virus is still very much circulating out there, said Dr. Eileen de Villa, Torontos medical officer of health, speaking at a press conference from city hall.

She added that how bad the second wave gets will depend in large part on whether people continue to wear masks, wash their hands and practise social distancing.

Were getting ready for a resurgence in the weeks and months ahead.

The citys COVID-19 Resurgence Plan, announced Monday, outlines how the city will fight the expected second wave of the virus, which has now infected 25 million people worldwide.

Toronto has reported 1,175 deaths.

De Villa said its not yet known what that resurgence will look like  whether it will be one big wave in the fall and winter  perhaps far larger than the one experienced in the spring, with successive smaller waves in 2021  or whether it will arrive in the form of a series of closely spaced, smaller waves that diminish over time, or manifest as a slow burn, without a clear wave pattern.

De Villa said that only one per cent of Ontarians have the antibodies that would make them less likely to become ill with the disease. Everyone else is at risk of getting the illness, which has been shown to have unpredictable outcomes in people of all ages, with some reporting symptoms that linger for weeks or months.

Safe, reliable vaccines are not expected before the spring of 2021.

While city and public health officials did not release details of the plans for the fall or the projected numbers for each scenario, another lockdown has not been ruled out, including cancellation of non-essential services and closing parks and other city amenities.

The city says it will return to operating free emergency child care for essential workers if licensed child-care centres are required to close, if the province funds it.

As the weather becomes colder, the city will maintain additional winter space for the homeless and provide enhanced street outreach services.

Additional staff were hired over the summer to conduct contact tracing, a critical component of controlling the spread of the virus.

The city is also looking at setting up a voluntary isolation centre for people who have been diagnosed with the disease but are unable to self-isolate at home.

Civic centres, city hall and metro hall will remain closed for now, said Mayor John Tory, also speaking at the press conference.

Although an increase in the number of infections is inevitable, he said the citys plan aims to minimize the increase.

We have learned from this fight so far, he said.

During the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, a second wave in the fall was much larger and more deadly than the first wave, although local officials say that doesnt mean that will necessarily happen with COVID-19.

De Villa reported an increase of 40 cases in Toronto on Monday. Cases were averaging about 13 a day when the city entered Stage 3 of re-opening on July 31.

According to the Stars count, reported cases have been rising slowly but steadily on average in Toronto since that week ended on Sunday, Aug. 2.

The seven-day average went up every week in August; last week saw an average of about 33 cases reported each day.

Toronto Public Health also closely monitors the seven-day case average, which is one of several metrics in the citys dashboard of key pandemic indicators. That dashboard moved from green to yellow earlier this month, indicating the infection rate is no longer in line with the citys goals.

Despite the increase, the city is still well below its peak infection rate of about 230 cases a day, seen in late May.

Cases have also been rising in the rest of the GTA. Peel, York, Durham and Halton regions have all seen their case averages increase significantly this month.

De Villa reminded residents that COVID-19 spreads easily from person-to-person  its easier to catch than the flu  and its unpredictable.

There are no guarantees about the kind of outcome you may have if you get it, she said.

We still have some questions about kids and how easily  or not  they can spread the disease to others.

She urged people to build one 10-person bubble and stick to it.

Epidemiologist and mathematician Caroline Colijn agreed that what the wave looks like will depend a lot on what actions people take to fight it.

She said shes concerned about the return-to-school in places, like Toronto, where the virus is continuing to circulate in the community.

She believes that while we need to be re-opening schools, it must be done with extreme caution, and small class sizes will be key to containing the spread of the illness.

It will also be important that parents keep their children home if they show any signs of respiratory illness. Contact tracing and isolation also needs to be conducted quickly in the event that someone becomes ill.

Our ability to control COVID while shutting everything down was great, but our ability to control it while everything is opening up is less great, and that is the real challenge, said Colijn.

Francine Kopun is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @KopunF

Ed Tubb is an assignment editor and a contributor focused on crime and justice for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @edtubb
The Us requires India standing by its side for the success of its strategy of a free and open region, a top American diplomat said Monday noting that the Quad concept has helped New Delhi find a place in the larger theatre.

The new strategy, which reflects the realities of the modern world, is focused around democracies, free markets and the values that India and its people share with the US and its people, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said in his remarks at the US-India Strategic Forum during the third India US Leadership Summit.

The summit was organized by the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum.

In order to make that successful we have to tap into the full scale of the region. That includes the scale of economics, the scale of security cooperation, and that's impossible to do without India as a centerpiece of the strategy," Biegun said.

"So, as important as I'd like to think the United States is to this strategy, it's not going to be successful for us without India also standing side by side, Biegun said.

Observing that India has shown tremendous leadership and interest in contributing to the Indo-Pacific strategy that the US is advancing, the diplomat said New Delhi and Washington have deepened their security cooperation.

The two countries are in the process of seeking an even broader economic relationship, including through some dimensions of trade liberalization, he said.

They are also working very closely in the security sphere, with India clearly indicating recently an intention to invite Australia to participate in the Malabar naval exercises, which will be a tremendous step forward in ensuring the freedom of passage and the security of the seas in the Indo-Pacific, he added.

So, in many ways, across multiple dimensions, the US-India relationship is contributing to this, but also you see it in the personal interactions between Indian leaders and American leaders.

"Those relationships have formed across different ideological foundations and different political parties over many, many years. When you see our leaders together, you can tell that the wind is blowing in this direction in both countries, and that really will make us that much more successful with our strategies, Biegun said.

Responding to a question, the top American diplomat said "the QUAD representing United States, India, Australia and Japan is a combination of democracies and also illuminates those four parties' sense of responsibility and willingness to uphold the responsibilities, to extend the benefits of democracy, extend the benefits of economic development, and extend the benefits of security throughout the region".

All four of us, of course, are Pacific powers, he said.

As India has grown and its interests have grown, New Delhi recognizes that it cannot be a passive player in how that develops throughout the Indo-Pacific, he added.

So it's a real coincidence of a variety of factors that are underpinned by that historic shared value of democracy that I think is really what illustrates the Quad. The Quad isn't exclusive. I think there's plenty of reason to bring other countries into this discussion as well, he said.

According to Biegun, there is going to be a ministerial meeting with the Quad this fall in Delhi.

Quad concept has really helped India find a place in the Indo-Pacific in the larger Indo-Pacific theatre. It's also obviously indeed in our interest to have India as a partner in these issues, the US diplomat 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.)
Citizens wait for virus tests at Seoul Medical Center in Seoul, Tuesday, when the accumulated number of COVID-19 cases surpassed 20,000. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



South Korea's total COVID-19 caseload exceeded 20,000, Tuesday, with the country seeing triple-digit daily increases for 19 consecutive days. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported 235 new cases Monday, including 222 local infections, raising the total case load to 20,182.



The daily number has dropped by almost half in five days since Aug. 27 when it peaked at 441, the highest daily rate in the last six months.



However, the health authorities said the situation is still unstable and there could be another resurgence at any time as among the local cases detected, 175 were in the capital area, home to half of the country's 51 million population  Seoul reported 93 new cases, while the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and west port city of Incheon reported 60 and 22 each.






Lee Jae-yong



Lee Jae-yong charged with fraud in merger



By Kim Se-jeong



Prosecutors indicted Samsung Group Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong without physical detention, Tuesday, on multiple charges related to a controversial merger of the group's units and alleged accounting fraud.



Lee was indicted on counts of stock manipulation, violation of laws governing the capital market and external audits, and breach of trust during the merger between Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T, as well as accounting fraud at another group affiliate, Samsung Biologics.



The prosecution also indicted 10 former senior executives of Samsung on similar charges for allegedly assisting Lee in the fraudulent activities surrounding the merger.



"It is a case that can have grave consequences. Also, we have clear-cut evidence against them and the case is of interest to the public. With this backdrop, we conclude the case needs a judicial review," said prosecutor Lee Bok-hyun, head of the investigation team, Tuesday.



In response, Samsung criticized the prosecution, saying it was politically charged and had the intention to indict Lee from the beginning.



Tuesday's decision was somewhat unexpected as it came after an independent committee's recommendation against indictment.



On June 26, a 14-member independent committee concluded in a 10-3 vote that the investigation into Lee's case was unwarranted. Although non-binding, such committee recommendations have been almost always accepted by the prosecution.



Vice Chairman Lee, 51, has been under investigation on suspicion of stock manipulation and illegal trading during the 2015 merger of Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T.



The prosecution accused Lee, as the largest shareholder of Cheil Industries, of attempting to lower the price of Samsung C&T, in order to gain more shares in the merged company which could eventually help him consolidate his grip on Samsung Group.



Separately, he allegedly inflated the value of Samsung Biologics, the largest shareholder of which was Cheil Industries.



The investigation started in November 2018 and Samsung has repeatedly dismissed the allegations as groundless.



Tuesday's decision is expected to keep Lee busy attending trials. The merger case is separate from ongoing secondary hearings in a bribery case.



In 2017, Lee was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a bribery case that was part of a huge corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye and her confidante, Choi Soon-sil. He was released in 2018 after his sentence was suspended by an appeals court. But he was back in court last year after the Supreme Court ordered new hearings in the case last August.



The latest development is expected to add uncertainty at the tech giant, which has been dealing with the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.


The Pallister government has at last launched a long-promised survey asking Manitobans whether to beef up punishments for rural crime.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (507 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Pallister government has at last launched a long-promised survey asking Manitobans whether to beef up punishments for rural crime.

"There has been a rash of thefts across rural Manitoba of fuel, of tools, quads (and) pick-up trucks. There's no security for rural people," Agriculture Minister Blaine Pedersen told reporters Monday.

In late January, Justice Minister Cliff Cullen said his government would ask Manitobans whether they want tougher sentences to deal with rising crime, after discussing the topic with his provincial and federal counterparts that month.

The per-capita crime rate -- a measure combining almost all Criminal Code offences but excluding traffic offences -- was 42 per cent higher outside Winnipeg than in the city in 2017, the last year Statistics Canada compared those jurisdictions.

On Monday, the two ministers launched a survey that wraps up Oct. 31, asking the public for feedback on four issues.

It proposes broadening the $5,000 trespassing penalty to include non-fenced areas like yards, reducing a property owners liability when trespassers sustain injuries or die, and creating a paper trail for scrap-metal sales in order to clamp down on thefts.

Cullen said COVID-19 delayed the survey rollout, and that the government took time to examine other provinces' approaches, for legislation he hopes to table ahead of the spring 2021 legislative session.

"We thought it would be really prudent at this particular time to make sure we had the dialogue with Manitobans," he said.

The ministers were joined by the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, whose assembly last fall was dominated by concerns over rising crime rates.

In February, the AMM lobbied Ottawa and the province to boost spending on the RCMP, who both fund the cash-strapped force. The RCMP has consolidated detachments in recent years, which many reeves argue has made police slower to respond to crimes.

In 2018, MPs from across the Prairies had constituents testify to Parliament about slow response times and the impact of meth on rural crimes. The study was launched after high-profile deaths such as the 2016 shooting death of Colten Boushie in Saskatchewan.

Since then, videos of police brutality against Black and Indigenous people across the continent have increased support for channeling police funding into social supports.

Yet the Pallister government is sticking with its plans to put more cops on the street.

"We're putting more money into policing across Manitoba than ever before. We have more RCMP and staff associated with the RCMP, boots on the ground, than ever before in Manitoba," Cullen said Monday.

He said that increased police funding has helped initiatives like the RCMP's Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Teams, which go beyond local officers reacting to reported crimes to focus on digging deeper, such as monitoring suspected drug dealers.

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When asked if Manitoba is sufficiently funding police work, AMM head Ralph Groening instead said the province has been receptive to his mayors' feedback. "It is not only about funding; it's also about how to use resources effectively," he said.

The survey launched Monday also proposes designating livestock farms as biosecurity areas that restrict who can enter.

Pedersen said that is to clamp down on the risk of infections spreading among animals. He did not say if this is related to animal-rights protesters occupying and filming inside such operations, which has prompted the Alberta government to respond.

The survey does not poll Manitobans on an initiative spearheaded by the Alberta government, asking Ottawa to allow judges to hand down harsher sentences for offenders found to have deliberately committed a crime in a remote area, due to victims living far from police being more vulnerable.

The province is also consulting with agricultural, business and Indigenous leaders.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
US President Donald Trump tours an area affected by civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin on September 1, 2020. - Trump visited Kenosha, the Wisconsin city at the center of a raging US debate over racism, despite pleas to stay away and claims he is dangerously fanning tensions as a reelection ploy. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images) (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

In front of a brick building northwest of downtown, on a day when the nation's gaze again fixed on this once-strong factory city, Justin Blake declared that President Trump must be defeated as he stood over the spot where a police officer shot his nephew in the back seven times.

"We dont have any words for the orange man," Blake said of Trump as he spoke to a crowd of more than 100 people  most of them Black  who had come for a block party complete with barbecue and bounce house. "All I ask is he keep his disrespect, his foul language far away.... Our president hasn't been a unifier.

Two and a half miles away, a different scene unfolded in uptown Kenosha, as the presidents supporters lined up behind barricades in anticipation of his arrival, waving American flags and hoping to catch a glimpse of his motorcade.

Sue Wells, a 57-year-old retired cleaner and factory worker, came with her daughter and her 5-year-old grandson. She signed a petition to recall the states Democratic governor and disparaged the racial justice movement as she stood by the historic Danish Brotherhood Lodge, which had burned to rubble during recent protests.

If youre so for Black Lives Matter, why are you destroying their community? said Wells, a white Kenosha resident. The protesters, she said, dont understand how it is dividing us.

Trump's visit to Kenosha on Tuesday, where he toured downtown and met with business owners, law enforcement and elected representatives, lasted all but two hours. Yet it drew out the raw passions and divides of this town  and the nation  where debates over racism, policing and protest are colliding ahead of an election many fear will only bring more rancor.

Reckless far-left politicians continue to push the destructive message that our nation and law enforcement are oppressive or racist, Trump said after he landed here. Theyll throw out any word that comes to them. Actually, we should show far greater support for our law enforcement.

Story continues

Conflicting images played out across Kenosha, which like Minneapolis and Portland, Ore., before it, bore the burden of a nation's multiplying troubles in a narrative that featured a polarizing president, parents fearful of more bloodshed and members of right-wing groups, including the Proud Boys.

Police stand near a burning Department of Corrections building during protests Aug. 24 in Kenosha, Wis. (Morry Gash / Associated Press)

In Blake's neighborhood, stereos blasted the "Cupid Shuffle" as groups danced in the street, some wearing shirts that said "BLAK: Black Lives Activists of Kenosha" and others calling for justice for Blake's nephew, Jacob, who was left paralyzed. Volunteers lined up to register voters and offered free COVID-19 testing.

A few blocks northwest, dozens in red Make America Great Again hats cheered for the president's motorcade before he spoke with local officials at Mary D. Bradford High School. Trump did not mention the Blake name, and when a reporter asked about protesters' concerns about racism, the president said that was "the opposite subject" of what he wanted to discuss. He wanted to talk about the violence that has struck cities and left buildings torched.

"I keep hearing about peaceful protests. I hear it about everything, and then I come into an area like this, and I see the town is burned down," Trump said. He said protests were really "acts of domestic terror" and "anti-American riots." While much of Kenosha is on alert with boarded-up stores visible well into the suburbs, actual damage is limited to a small stretch of its urban core.

The president said he rejected a chance to speak with Jacob Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, after learning she wanted lawyers present.

Benjamin Crump, a family lawyer, confirmed the account. If the call had occurred, Ms. Jackson was prepared to ask President Trump to watch the video of Mr. Blakes shooting and to do what she has asked all of America to do  examine your heart, he said.

The police shooting of Jacob Blake and subsequent shootings in which 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse now faces murder charges in the deaths of two protesters have further split this crucial swing state. Trump won by a small margin four years ago in both Kenosha County and Wisconsin. Democrats hope this year that former Vice President Joe Biden will instead make gains.

Trump is pushing a "law and order" theme and is against the Black Lives Matter movement. Biden, who has spoken to the Blake family, has blamed the president for stoking violence among far-right and militia groups that have increasingly clashed with those protesting against police brutality.

Trump said Kenosha would have been burned to the ground by now if not for the intervention of the National Guard, which he claimed was his doing. The Wisconsin National Guard, however, has been in the city for more than a week at the request of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, and federal law enforcement and National Guard troops from several other states joined later last week.

In a statement Tuesday, Biden called Trump's time in Wisconsin "self-centered divisiveness accompanied by zero solutions."

Trump failed once again to meet the moment, refusing to utter the words that Wisconsinites and Americans across the country needed to hear today from the president: a condemnation of violence of all kinds, no matter who commits it," a reference to Trump's defense earlier this week of Rittenhouse, who he said was defending himself.

If plans went as some locals, including the governor, mayor and county executive had hoped, Trump would not have landed in this city of 100,000, halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago. The Democratic mayor, John Antaramian, said it would be better had [Trump] waited." Seven of the county's 23 supervisors, however, wrote a letter saying they wanted the president's "leadership in this time of crisis."

David Swartz, 56, protests President Trump's visit to Kenosha, Wis., on Tuesday. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times)

At the Danish Brotherhood Lodge, several members spent Tuesday combing the ruins for relics, including their 110-year-old registry. They were glad to hear the president was touring damaged areas of their historic neighborhood, which has undergone gentrification over the years and is now dotted with small businesses.

Hes drawing attention to this area instead of sweeping it under the rug and saying Oh, poor protesters, said Joe Vaughn, 58, a retired ironworker who serves as the lodges treasurer.

Among those scouring the wreckage were Bryan Bernhardt, 52, and his 27-year-old son. Bernhardts grandfather helped found the lodge, where he and Bernhardts late father later served as presidents. Bernhardt said he was glad to see Trump and the National Guard in Kenosha, but was worried violence would rise again.

Minneapolis is still going through it, Seattle, Portland, he said. Everyone feels for the family. Does change need to be made? Probably. Lets get all the facts first.

A few streets away, David Swartz, 56, said he turned out to protest Trump's use of his town as a campaign stop. Swartz, a union electrician laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, attended recent demonstrations in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, because nobody deserves seven bullets in the back. But he said he has brothers in the local electricians union who support Trump.

"Hes dividing the country, dividing people, pitting them against each other, said Swartz, wearing his IBEW Local 127 jacket as he carried his sign on a street corner.

Kenosha has been under curfew since last week because of protests and riots after police shot Blake, 29, on Aug. 23 after officers showed up to a northwestern neighborhood in response to a 911 call about a domestic dispute.

Rittenhouse, the teen from Illinois, is charged with two murders on the night of Aug. 25 near protest sites. Rittenhouse, who carried a semiautomatic rifle and said he was protecting local businesses, fled the scene  in plain sight of police  and was arrested the next day in Lake County, Ill. Like Trump, his lawyers said he acted in self-defense.

For Porche Bennett, a 31-year-old native Kenoshian who attended the block party on the street where police shot Jacob Blake, not enough is being done to bring police to justice.

"We want the officer charged and fired," said Bennett, who is Black and co-founded the group Black Lives Activists of Kenosha that has helped organize recent protests. "We do not want violence. What we want is justice for Jacob Blake and his family."

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) joins Justin Blake, uncle of Jacob Blake, during a community gathering at the site of Jacob's shooting Tuesday. (Morry Gash/AP)

As the party wound down, a few hundred protesters marched around the Kenosha County Courthouse. National Guard troops stood watch over the fenced-in site. In this open-carry state, a handful of armed protesters, both those in support of and against the president, appeared. Small groups with members of right-wing movements, including the Proud Boys, were also present.

Protest leaders urged crowds to disperse before the 7 p.m. curfew, fearing things could quickly go wrong.

Jacob Blakes family really doesnt want people out, said KeJuan Goldsmith, 19, a University of Wisconsin-Green Bay sophomore from nearby Racine. "All it takes is one cop triggered."

Times staff writer Eli Stokols in Washington contributed to this report.
World maritime trade grows each year, aided by canal waterways that connect oceans and reduce shipping time, energy consumption and carbon emissions. Following recent expansions of the Panama and Suez canals, non-native fish species are invading new habitats according to a new report in Nature Ecology and Evolution by researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama and the Leibnitz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Germany.

"We're seeing a shift from predominantly freshwater fishes to marine fishes in the Panama Canal (Lake Gatun) in a short period of time," said Mark Torchin, STRI marine ecologist. "The concern is that if fish invasions continue there is a good chance of some of those fishes moving into the other ocean, with unknown environmental consequences."

Larger locks to allow transit of NeoPanamax vessels (NeoPanamax refers to ships too big to pass through the original 1914 locks) through the Panama Canal were finished in 2016. Expansion of the Suez Canal to include a new, 35-kilometer channel concluded in 2015.

"During the planning phases of both projects, researchers warned about the risks of expanding these two canals," said Gustavo Castellanos-Galindo, postdoctoral fellow at STRI and guest scientist at ZMT. "This report documents those changes in real time."

Only four years after the Panama Canal expansion, long-term monitoring recorded the presence of 11 new marine fish species in Lake Gatun, which has served as a freshwater barrier to movement of marine fauna between Pacific and Atlantic Oceans since the canal opened in 1914. This takes the total number of marine fish species known from in the lake from 18 to 29. Marine fishes such as jacks, snooks, mojarras and ladyfish have entirely replaced freshwater fishes in some parts of the lake.

Salinity in the lake increased, although the cause has not yet been determined. Possibilities include increased ship traffic and lock usage and the new locks' design, which incorporates recirculation of some lockage water.

"These marine fish invasions are an early warning sign of what could happen if no corrective measures are taken," Castellanos-Galindo said. "Along both coasts of Panama there are hundreds of fish species that could tolerate the conditions of an even slightly brackish canal. We don't know what the ecological and socioeconomic consequences of these fishes crossing the canal to either the Pacific or the Atlantic would be."

"We can document the Panama Canal invasions because we have good, standardized and quantitative pre-expansion data," said D. Ross Robertson, STRI ichthyologist. "We need to get back out there to collect more data to find out exactly what is going on and to provide the science that will help policy makers mitigate the potential impact. This is a really good example of how the pandemic has interrupted field work with important implications for environmental decision making."

Whereas the barrier to fish crossing from ocean to ocean in Panama is a freshwater lake, in the Suez waterway, the Bitter Lakes were originally saltier than the Mediterranean and Red Sea, which also limited species movement. Nonetheless, throughout the history of the Suez Canal, more than 400 non-native animal species, including more than 100 species of marine fishes from the Red Sea, have entered the Mediterranean. With canal expansion, increased water flow diluted the lakes and eight new fish species entered the Mediterranean during the past five years.

Because fees for shipping through the canals account for roughly 10% of the gross domestic product in Panama and in Egypt, there is an economic incentive to continue to increase shipping traffic through the canals. The authors suggest creative, science-based solutions to limit environmental and socioeconomic damage. They propose that the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) may provide the ideal opportunity for ensuring that the canals are included in international maritime policy to limit the environmental and economic impacts of invasive species. In addition, because policy changes can take a long time to implement, they also suggest that the shipping industry could proactively address this issue.

The UN agency responsible for sustainable shipping, the International Maritime Organization, has implemented guidelines and obligations to reduce the spread of non-native species through ballast water--but they do not apply specifically to the canals.

In the case of the Suez Canal, it may be possible to use the hypersaline effluent from desalinization plants to make the Bitter Lakes saltier again, with the caveat that this alternative should be studied carefully before implementing. In both cases, sophisticated monitoring tools--using DNA in water samples to generate lists of the species detected and using sound to detect invaders, may help to catch invaders early before they establish large populations. Technology may also be put to work to directly address invasion by means of acoustic and/or electric barriers to deter invaders.

The authors hope that all of the stakeholders will recognize the importance of having the best scientific data in hand as they design new policy and mitigation measures.

###

The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, headquartered in Panama City, Panama, is a unit of the Smithsonian Institution. The institute furthers the understanding of tropical biodiversity and its importance to human welfare, trains students to conduct research in the tropics and promotes conservation by increasing public awareness of the beauty and importance of tropical ecosystems. Promo video.

Castellanos-Galindo, G.A., Robertson, D.R. and Torchin, M.E. 2020. A new wave of marine fish invasions through the Panama and Suez Canals. Nature Ecology and Evolution.
Assam has recorded a nearly 50% jump in cases related to illegal drugs in the past two months, director general of police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta informed on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference on the day of rejoining duty after recovering from Covid-19, Mahanta stated that the sharp rise in cases showed police pro-activeness in detecting those cases.

The drive against illicit trafficking of drugs has picked up since June 26, when International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is marked. The rise in numbers indicates police seriousness in dealing with these kinds of cases, the DGP said.

Between June 26 and August 30, the number of drug-related cases has gone up by 49.6%. Similarly, there has been a jump of 46.13% in the number of people arrested during that period, Mahanta said.

While 401 cases were registered and 694 people arrested between January 1 to June 25, 200 cases were registered and 338 people arrested between June 26 and August 30.

According to a police release, this year till August 30, the Assam Police have recovered 9.27 kg of heroin, over 3,000 kg of ganja, 8.62 kg of opium, 51,347 bottles of cough syrup and over 6.38 lakh illicit tablets.

The recovery of heroin, ganja and psychotropic substance tablets have gone up by 53.6%, 60.04% and 274% respectively, the release said.

The sustained drive has weakened the network of drug traffickers. We are also probing links of international drug rackets involved in the trade and also how they are linked to trade in illegal arms as well, Mahanta said.

The DGP said that since some cases couldnt lead to convictions in the past due to procedural lapses, training has been imparted to police officials through webinars on how to handle drug-related cases.

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(Photo : Twitter via Apple Hub (@theapplehub))

It is nearing the end of the year again and multinational company, Apple, is rumored to be shaking up the market with their new releases towards the end of October with its new players headed by the mysterious AirTags, the most-awaited smartphone, iPhone 12, and the AppleWatch's latest iteration, the Series 6.

Apple would not let this opportunity go to waste as it is known that the company usually releases during the third quarter of the year.

Apple is remaining silent and keeps their releases under wraps, but several fans cannot wait for their announcement and takes it on their own hands to discover what the most valuable company in the world has to offer. The technology giant is rumoured to hold its event on the latter half of October to unveil their new devices.

According to Mac Rumors, the most loved smartphone in the world, iPhone 12, would be joined by its valuable partner, the AppleWatch Series 6, and the long-rumored and mysterious AirTags would be the star of the October release.

MacOtakara reports the talks and releases to be done by the technology company based on speculations and the 'Chinese suppliers' who are concerned with the device. The Chinese suppliers who are the sources of information even claimed that the AirTags would join the release of the 2020 iPhone SE last April.

Apple's Fall release hasn't been confirmed. Still, speculations and rumors provide strong evidence that correlates to the company's statement back in July to launch the new iPhone later than its regular release date.

ALSO READ: iPhone 12 Price New Leaks Say It Could Go As Much as $1,200 Without Essential Accessories

AirTags, What exactly is it?

Upon hearing the device, the new Apple product seems vague and unknowing to the public. However, AirTags is named literally for what it is, a tag that is small in size, resembling a coin, that attaches to most devices like keys, wallets, accessories, and other objects a person would think of 'tagging.'

These coin-like devices are so helpful especially when objects are often misplaced. The AirTags would act like a GPS-location tracker for your Apple device to track using Find My iPhone or iPad. This device will be handy for people who are often forgetful and clumsy with their belongings. Users can now pair their loose articles like a device through any Apple device that has the Find My Device feature. AirTags will be on a separate tab from the Apple devices which have built-in GPS trackers in them. The "Items" tab will list all of the "AirTagged" things to be tracked and monitored by the user.

Apple Rumors and Leaks, Will they Come Through?



Apple is set to deliver new and upcoming technology to its customers and loyalists twice a year, once during spring, and fall. Back in July, Apple confirmed that it would release its iPhones much later than their September tradition.

With that, Apple confirms their upcoming launch of the new iPhone. Details and prices, however, are not confirmed but are leaked to the public by sources. The multinational tech company will pair the iPhone 12's release with its complementing device, AppleWatch, now on its sixth series.

Currently, the leaked prices for the iPhone 12 series will range from $699 to $1,200 on four different variants and various options for storage capabilities.

AirTags, on the other hand, is rumored for a long time already, and the public is eager for the device that will allow them to tag almost everything for ease of usage. October's most-awaited release date for Apple fans is over a month away, and the company is still keeping things on the lowkey.

ALSO READ: Apple Fail! The 'Shlayer' Mac Malware it Accidentally Approved Was Discovered by a College Student!

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Alonzo



 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
India on Tuesday stated that China had yet again engaged in provocative action on August 31 along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation.

Addressing a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts of the Chinese troops to unilaterally alter the status quo.

Srivastava also highlighted that the actions and behaviour of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the Line of Control (LAC) has been in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquillity on the border. "Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two Foreign Ministers as also the Special Representatives," he added.

He stated, "As you aware, India and China have been closely engaged through diplomatic and military channels over the past three months to resolve the situation along the India-China border. It would also be recalled that earlier the two Foreign Ministers and the two Special Representatives had agreed that the situation should be handled in a responsible manner and either side should not take any provocative action or escalate matters and ensure peace and tranquillity as per bilateral agreements and protocol.

The MEA Spokesperson added that the Chinese side has violated this understanding and engaged in provocative military manoeuvres in the late night of August 29-30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake. "As stated yesterday (Monday) by the Indian Army, the Indian side responded to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive measures along the LAC in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity. Furthermore, yesterday on 31st August, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo."

"We have taken up the matter of recent provocative and aggressive actions with the Chinese side through both diplomatic and military channels and have urged them to discipline and control their frontline troops from undertaking such provocative actions. The Indian side is firmly committed to resolving all outstanding issues along the LAC in the Western Sector through peaceful dialogue. In this context, we expect the Chinese side to sincerely abide by the understanding reached earlier and earnestly work with India to resolve the situation and to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he added.
During the pandemic, increasing numbers of people have pulled out their sewing machines and knitting needles and gotten to work.

Since the stay-at-home orders were issued and people were stuck at home, many who had sewn before pulled out their machines and started sewing again, Blaine Austin, CEO of SewingMachinesPlus.com, told the E-Commerce Times.

At the same time, the CDC announced that everyone should be wearing masks. Since there was a shortage in N95 masks, they asked people to make their own, [and] this caused a massive rush on sewing machines nationwide, he added.

There has been a massive resurgence in sewing and crafts, as makers around the world  including groups like DesignLabGive (pictured above) and NJ Masks  have been sewing masks and creating other much-needed items for themselves and others.

Health and Wellness Benefits

Weve seen an influx of inquiries to our customer service and website about sewing questions for many people who are getting back into sewing to help with the PPE shortage, Junichi Horie, vice president of Brother International Corporations home appliance division, told the E-Commerce Times.

Our network of Brother Dealers also experienced a big uptick in new purchase inquiries and service and repair for existing machines. Some individuals who were negatively impacted with furloughs have also started to look for ways to support themselves, Jorie continued. The maker community is getting larger, with many people using their sewing and crafting hobbies to start a small business.The practical need to make masks has been supplemented by the psychological benefits of making things during a stressful time.

Studies have shown that yarn crafts in particular also have numerous health and wellness benefits, Jenny Bessonette, executive director of the Craft Yarn Council, explained to the E-Commerce Times.

Through a survey that now has over 3,500 responses, weve found that 63 percent of respondents said current events are causing them stress. Eighty-five percent of the respondents said theyre currently creating with yarn to relieve stress. Ninety-four percent also said that knitting, crochet and other fiber crafts help them slow down from their daily routine and the things that are stressing them out, she added.

Digital Resources and Communities

The Internet has done much to facilitate the recent growth of interest in home crafting  with digital forums serving as a way for crafters to connect with each other, buy supplies, and sell their wares.

The Internet offers anyone wanting to learn a new sewing or crafting technique instant access to videos, tutorials, and online classes, Angela Wolf, ambassador for Brother International Corporation, told the E-Commerce Times. Even more importantly, people are gathering in online communities, connecting, sharing their projects, and making friends.

Information about sewing and crafts is readily available on the Internet, making it relatively easy to learn new skills and find supplies with which to work.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The Internet makes information available like never before, said Austin. With so many classes and DYI videos [available] online people can be more creative than ever and get help with just a click of the mouse. They are also able to see all the different type of equipment and related accessories that are available, [as opposed to being] limited to what the local retail store might have had in stock.

The Internet also offers a sense of community and connection via social media for crafters who might otherwise be stuck at home.

Many people are engaging with each other on social media to talk about news related to the pandemic and to talk about what theyre doing with their time, explained Bessonette. Weve found in our Stitch Away Stress survey this year that over half of knitters and crocheters are connecting to fellow crafters through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Theyre also overwhelmingly using online and social media platforms to stay plugged into the yarn community to find inspiration and ideas for projects.

Business Opportunities

The Internet also offers a variety of possibilities for crafters to make some money  which can be particularly important during this time of widespread layoffs.

What was once primarily a hobby for yourself or gifts has evolved into a maker movement that is helping individuals to become entrepreneurs and business owners, said Horie. From women to men of all ages, sewing, crafting and even quilting are inclusive. Whether you are doing it just because you love it and share it with your family, or are turning embroidery into a small business, the communities are so supportive and strong, especially on social media.

For clothing designers and makers, in particular, digital forums allow customers to find and purchase their wares, creating an ever-growing market for independent fashion creators.

I believe consumers love more than ever unique designs, Javier Bello, marketing expert for Ueni, told the E-Commerce Times. Of course, consumers will continue buying big brands. However, exclusivity and innovation are two key aspects that are deeply attached to independent fashion designers.

Not Your Grandmas Sewing Machine

Because of new technologies and products, crafting and sewing in the 21st century offer unique opportunities for expanding ones creative reach.

Currently, some of the new machines out in the marketplace are far more advanced than any time in history, said SewingMachinesPlus.coms Austin.

We have sewing machines that not only sew; they also quilt and embroidery. They actually scan, digitize and resize designs right in the machine. There is WiFi and Bluetooth built right into some machines. This makes it easy to download and save designs right to the cloud and your home PC without the use of cables or USB sticks. Theres also a growth in trends like repurposing old clothing, Austin explained.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Repurposing old clothing and other fabrics has also become a significant trend thats likely to continue gaining traction in the future.

A lot of people, instead of throwing out old clothes or giving them away, are using them to create all kinds of things they can wear or use, explained Austin. The future of sewing is unlimited. With so many advancements each year, its opening up endless possibilities to the home sewist.

These sewing and crafting trends are likely to continue throughout the pandemic and beyond.

Sewing masks for medical and fashion purposes will be forefront for the next few months, said Brother Internationals Wolf. Zero waste, sustainable fashion, and repurposing have been trends for some time, and I see that only gaining momentum with this new creative boom.

With a low-cost entry point, sewing and crafting can be used for a purpose or self-expression. Adding a slogan to a T-shirt, customizing home decor with embroidery, designing a face mask to coordinate with your next outfit, altering garments to fit, or simply creating a custom card for a friend. The creative possibilities are endless.
A group of 40 hihi, also known as stitchbirds, became the most recent addition to the birds living in Shakespear Regional Park when they were transferred from Tiritiri Matangi on July 3. We are keen to keep a close watch on these new birds to see how well they do in their new environment.

Three cages containing sugar water feeders have been set up at key locations in the bush to provide extra food and to encourage the birds to stay inside the predator-proof fence where they are safe from mammalian predators. Before release, the birds were given a unique set of plastic colour bands so they can be individually recognised. Each bird also has one of its colour bands modified to contain a tiny transponder similar to those used to microchip domestic pets. The sugar water cages have a wire detector coil wrapped around the entrance holes which can read the identity number held on the transponder.

This is part of an initiative to find and test effective ways to monitor hihi and the outcome so far has been spectacularly successful.

In the first week after release, 39 of the birds were detected using the sugar water feeders. One hungry male made an astounding 173 visits in one day. Thankfully, after a couple of weeks, number 40 also appeared at one of the feeders.

At first, nearly all the records were from the feeder located near to where the birds were released in the Defence Forces land but more recently there have been records at both the Kowhai Glen and Waterfall Gully feeders. Five of the birds have visited all three feeders. We anticipate that, as the birds explore and find natural food sources, they will come to rely less on the feeders.

One of the mysteries around hihi is that it is difficult for them to survive and breed successfully without supplementary sugar water feeding. The only place they are living without this help is on Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island.

Hihi can be difficult to spot but are easy to hear. Check what they sound like on the website NZ Birds Online.

After last years successful fund-raising concert, Gulf Harbour Country Club will host another event, this time titled Summer Sounds  Live on the Green with an exciting lineup featuring The Remnants of Hello Sailor and JT and the SAXman. The concert will be held on November 22 and tickets will be on sale soon at summersounds.online.
Bebaak, Shazia Iqbal's short film now streaming on MUBI INDIA, is about a woman's identity crisis as a Muslim woman in India, trying to make her own in a prejudice-ridden world.

Birds born in a cage think flying is an illness

Bebaak, writer-director Shazia Iqbals short opens with the quote from Chilean-French Alejandro Jodorowsky, a poignant rumination on what freedom truly means.

At the centre of the story is Fatin Khalidi (Sarah Hashmi), a cash-strapped student of architecture who hasnt been able to pay her tuition fee for two months, and now has to interview for a scholarship to a cleric (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) of a Madrasa.

Bebaak is also about the crisis of identity. Early on in the film, Fatin tells her mother she feels odd, alienated in a place like Bhendi Bazaar in response to her mother asking her to cover her head lest she stand out in the orthodox neighbourhood. They look at us differently, she scoffs.

Later, when a Hindu friend asks her where her interview is, she replaces Bhendi Bazaar with Town. As someone doubly marginalised  a Muslim woman  she feels almost a sense of overwhelming shame over her identity. Her desire to fit in is acute; the fear of religious discrimination, even severe.

Fatin is not the only one with a conflict of identity. Her middle-class mother (Sheeba Chadda) wears a hijab when she prays, but discourages her daughter to wear one just to placate the traditionalists. Her father, (Vipin Sharma), a manager at a recording studio, has deliberately stationed his family in a non-Muslim locality, approves of his daughters wearing jeans, but is unable to rear his head in defiance to power over his financial constraints. Unlike their social media-savvy children, bred in English-medium schools, their rebellion is measured. They negotiate multiple identities so that their children can have less cloistered lives.

Their nauseatingly claustrophobic lives are not just metaphoric  Shazia Iqbal conjures a space almost too queasy to breathe. Fatins six-member family live inside a tiny apartment where availability of adequate space is a distant dream. Hence, for Fatin, a degree and an eventual job is not only a segue to a metaphoric freedom, but also from the confines of financial distress.

At Niyaz Sheikh, the cleric's office, Fatin is chastised on the basis of her lack of hijab and religious education. When she says she wants to be an architect, he dismisses her, questioning a womans contribution to such a profession. He swiftly adds the scholarship is only for students of medicine, a profession he deems fit for women. He then bargains with Fatin, telling her she can only get a scholarship if she wears a hijab.

There is nothing cinematically villainous in Siddiquis portrayal of the narrow-minded, sexist Niyaz. In fact, it is his spectacular ordinariness which makes the character not an alien, but the everyman that women are expected to deal with every waking hour of their existence. When he places the blame on women for being groped on the streets, you know its not his religion that is dictating his actions, its his sexism.

Not education or her parents, even her rebellious instincts  Fatins climactic defiance comes from the fear of dousing the flicker of hope she had unwittingly ignited in the little girl she had met during her visit at the Madrasa. Unlike Fatin, she does not have the privilege to choose to embrace or to shun the hijab, but she hopes, one day, shell wield enough power to tell off her oppressors, her family. Thus, Fatins rebellion no longer remains her own, but for all women who do not have the luxury to rebel.

Bebaak is now streaming on MUBI INDIA.

Watch the trailer here
COLUMBUS, Ohio - After announcing July on Ohio roads was the deadliest since 2007, Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday called on the Ohio General Assembly to pass a bill that would increase criminal penalties on drivers who text and use other devices.

In July, 154 people were killed on Ohio highways, DeWine said.

Speed was a contributor to the accidents, but the number of people on motorcycles killed was up 52% compared to the previous July and pedestrian fatalities were up 113%. Federal research shows 94% of serious crashes are caused by driver error, DeWine said.

He called on the Ohio General Assembly to pass Senate Bill 285, which is sponsored by Sens. Sean OBrien, a Bazetta Democrat, and Stephanie Kunze, a Columbus-area Republican.

The bill, which is in a Senate committee, would increase the penalty for texting while driving from a minor misdemeanor to a new unclassified misdemeanor crime -- using electronic wireless communication devices while driving -- with a $150 fine, and tiered penalties for additional violations within a three-year period.

DeWine said his administration worked with OBrien and Kunze on the bill.

Its a good bill, is supported by every safety group, and should have bipartisan support, he said. I ask the General Assembly to move on that bill. It will save a lot of lives.

Under current law, distracted driving is a second offense, Ohio Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Richard S. Fambro said.

That means officers have to witness another crime before theyre allowed to pull a vehicle over.

It makes it significantly difficult for law enforcement, not just troopers but law enforcement in general, to get their hands around the problem, he said.

SB 285 would make using an electronic wireless communication device while driving a primary offense.

It is a significant problem we face that we need to have the support of the General Assembly, Fambro said.

Early in the pandemic, traffic and crashes decreased significantly. For instance, in April there was a 13% reduction in traffic fatalities compared to the previous year, and the second lowest month overall for traffic fatalities in over 13 years.

As Ohio began to open up, we saw a definite uptick in crashes, fatal crashes, and a significant increase in speeds at which vehicles were traveling on Ohios roads, he said. As of today, we have issued over 2,200 citations for 100 or more miles per hour on Ohios roadways. Thats a 61% increase when compared to the same time period in 2019.

DeWine also announced he will sign an executive order to create the new Ohio Traffic Safety Council, which will be lead by the Ohio Department of Public Safety, which will have members who are in law enforcement, advocates against drunk driving and others. They will monitor all statewide traffic safety initiatives, analyze the results, analyze trends and advise DeWines office on innovative ways to create safer roads, DeWine said.

More coverage:

1,453 newly reported coronavirus cases in Ohio, an increase not seen since July: Tuesday update

Gov. Mike DeWine to provide Tuesday update on the states response to coronavirus: Watch live

Records, interviews illuminate FirstEnergys lobbying and campaign efforts: Capitol Letter
Last year saw the strongest flooding in 50 years, reportedly without causing any damage

The Egyptian irrigation ministry expects the Nile flood to be higher than average this year due to rain adding to the Blue Niles flow, but noted it is still too early to confirm the extent of the flooding.

The comments came during a meeting of the committee for regulating the flow of the Nile, headed by Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aty.

As Egypt last year witnessed the strongest flooding in 50 years, according to an earlier statement by the ministry, without reported harm, it is likely that the expected increase in this years flood will be good news.

The news comes as Egypt is embroiled in a long-standing dispute with Ethiopia over the massive dam it is building on the Blue Nile, which Cairo worries could cut its water supply.

Addis Ababa completed the first filling of the dams reservoir, which has a capacity of 74 billion cubic metres, earlier this summer, retaining 4.9 billion cubic metres of water.

In addition, flooding in Sudan in recent weeks has killed dozens of people and destroyed more than 35,000 houses.

The average level of the Blue Nile has reached 17.43 metres, the highest since the country started measuring in 1912, Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said last week.

The Nile flood takes place in August, September and October, caused by heavy rain in the Ethiopian highlands.

The rate of rainfall is growing, the Egyptian ministry said in its Monday statement, adding that a final confirmation of the extent of the floods can only be given in September and October.

The ministry referenced floods in Khartoum and the increased water level, saying it coordinates and exchanges information with the Sudanese irrigation ministry and carries out joint water level measurements.

Abdel Aty ordered officials to continue removing illegal structures on waterways, especially those on the Nile, as such encroachments limit the capability of the water networks to contain excess water in the times of emergency and flooding.

GERD filling

Ethiopia started filling the reservoir of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in July despite the lack of a legal binding agreement with the downstream countries Sudan and Egypt.

Egypt and Sudan hope to secure a legal agreement with Ethiopia to secure their water shares during periods of drought.

Abdel Aty also warned in July warned that Sudan would be totally destroyed if the mega-dam collapses.

Egyptian irrigation ministry spokesman Mohamed El-Sebaie expects the first filling of the reservoir not to harm Egypt this year, thanks to water reserves at Lake Nasser.

The filling will not affect [Egypt] this year because we have taken [water] from the reserves of Lake Nasser that had been saved over the past years," El-Sebaie said.

He said plans adopted by Egypt to reduce water consumption have helped increase reserves in Lake Nasser, which can be used in case of drought.

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People on ventilator support in Delhi saw only 2-fold rise from Jan 1-14: Data

3-kg bomb at Delhi flower market: Police yet to zero in on any suspect

Republic Day: Delhi-NCR under high-security cover after intel inputs of possible terror attack

Delhi Metro start date: Here is what we know

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 01: Delhi Metro will resume its services from September 7 onwards in a calibrated manner.

The decision was taken to resume services after the Centre issued fresh guidelines for Unlock 4.0. Delhi Metro will resume its services for public from September 7 in a calibrated manner.

Further details on the Metro functioning and its usage by the general public will be shared once the detailed SOP on Metros is issued," a statement by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) read.

Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal had said that he was glad that metro has been permitted to start its operations from September 7. The Noida Metro will also resume its services on the Aqua Line from September 7 onwards in a calibrated manner.

The details on the metro's functioning and its usage by the public will be shared once a detailed SOP is issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in the next few days.

The number of entry points to Delhi Metro stations will be heavily curtailed to ensure compliance with COVID-19 distancing norms, when services resume.

Punjab lockdown guidelines 4.0: Weekend lockdown, night curfew to remain

The Delhi Metro has been closed since March 22 when the Janata Curfew was observed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. A nationwide lockdown came into force from March 25.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had on Sunday said that it was prepared to resume operations whenever directed by the government.

"The DMRC has 10 lines spanning 242 stations with 671 entry points. Whenever the services resume, only 257 gates and frisking sides are planned to be kept open to comply with COVID-19 safety norms," a source told PTI.

However, the arrangement is only in planning phase as of now and the entry points figures could be revised before the resumption of services, whenever that happens, he said.

Red Line or Line 1 which connects Shaheed Sthal in Ghaziabad to Rithala in Delhi has 31 stations and 70 entrance points, the source said.

UP Guidelines For Unlock 4.0: What is allowed, what is not

When services resume, only 32 gates and frisking sides are planned to be kept open, the source said.

The Yellow Line or Line 2 which connects Samyapur Badli in Delhi to Huda City Centre in Gurgaon has 38 stations and 116 entry points.

When services resume, only 39 gates and frisking sides are planned to be kept open to comply with COVID-19 safety norms, he said.

While cases have again begun to rise in Delhi in the past one week, the DMRC has been working on protocols to handle commuters in adherence to COVID-19 safety guidelines, whenever the services are ordered to be resumed.

The preparations include new smart cards with auto top-up facility and stickers on social distancing norms pasted on seats and platform floors.

While the economy has slowly opened up in a phase-wise manner in the unlock period since June 1, the DMRC has not received a nod from the Centre to resume operations.
New Delhi [India], Sep 1 (ANI): For the first time, a female IPS officer has been appointed as Inspector General (IG) of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Srinagar sector, one of the terrorist-affected areas in

Charu Sinha, IPS officer of the 1996-batch Telangana cadre, will now be heading the Srinagar sector for as the Inspector General. This is not the first time when she has been assigned such a tough task, earlier also, she had worked as IG, the Bihar sector in and has dealt with Naxals.

Under her leadership, various anti-Naxals operations were carried out. Later, she was transferred to IG Jammu in where she spent a long and successful tenure. On Monday, a fresh order came appointing her as the IG Srinagar sector.

Current Director-General CRPF AP Maheshwari headed the Srinagar sector as IG in 2005.

The sector, which started functioning in 2005 never had a female officer at the IG level. This sector involved in anti-terror operations and closely work with the Indian Army along with police.

"Srinagar sector is located at Brein Nishat, Srinagar (J-K). It started functioning in 2005. Srinagar Sector has operational jurisdiction over three districts of J-K- Budgam, Ganderbal, and Srinagar and Union Territory of Ladakh," the CRPF said.

"It includes 2 ranges, 22 executive units, and 3 Mahila companies. Apart from it, Srinagar Sector has administrative control on Group Centre-Srinagar," the paramilitary force added.

Sinha will also be heading all operations involved in this sector.

Besides this, 6 and 4 senior cadre officers have also been transferred or inducted in CRPF. Maheshwar Dayal (Jharkhand sector), PS Ranpise (Jammu sector), Raju Bhargava (Work) have been inducted into the CRPF.

PS Ranpise will replace Charu Sinha as head of the Jammu sector.

Similarly, Rajesh Kumar who was heading operations Kashmir in the J-K zone has been transferred and Sanjay Kaushik will head the Dehradun sector.

Others who have been transferred are Rakesh Kumar Yadav, RNS Bahad, and Pramod Kumar Pandey.

(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.)
Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on Tuesday reported a 6.06 percent decline in total sales at 52,609 units in August. The company had sold 56,005 units in the same month last year, HMIL said in a statement.

Domestic sales, however, were up 19.9 percent to 45, 809 units as against 38,205 units in August 2019, the company added.

The company's exports last month stood at 6,800 units, down 61.79 percent from 17,800 units in August 2019.

"The company continues humbly to contribute to the recovery of Indian automobile industry by registering domestic sales volume of 45,809 units in August with positive growth of 19.9 percent on a comparative low base of last year," HMIL Director (Sales, Marketing and Service) Tarun Garg said.

Good response to new Creta, Verna, Tucson, NIOS and Aura has resulted in this performance, he added.

"We would like to carry on with cautious optimism as uncertainty still surrounds the pandemic," Garg noted.
Using a burner and simple tools such as tweezer and hammer, Berik Alibai turns metals and precious stones into pieces of art.

The 56-year-old man, born in a small village in the Zhambyl Region in southern Kazakhstan, has the epithet the "golden hands of Kazakhstan."

In his workshop, swords and daggers seem to have been taken from Oriental fairy tales. Rings, earrings, and bracelets made according to nomadic traditions bring visitors closer to the life of Kazakhs in ancient times.

Alibai comes from a craftsman's family and has worked as a jeweler for about 40 years. The master also took part in the restoration of jewelery relics for the country's national museum.

"My great-grandfather and grandfather were jewelers. When I was young, I always helped them with the craft work. I had dreamed of having my own workshop," Alibai told Xinhua.

"In the 1990s, the dream came true," he added.

Alibai said that Kazakh jewelry art was flourishing in the 17th and 18th centuries, and his works have drawn inspiration from ancient masters.

"Our work is piecemeal, everything is done manually, without the use of machines, computers, technical devices," he said.

"This is the only way to make an exclusive piece of jewelry," he said.

Alibai is now focused on passing on his skills to the next generation.

"Being a jeweler is not easy. A lot of young people get excited about jewelry art, but only a few can finish the apprenticeship," the master said.

"I do not refuse anyone, so there have been many boys and girls in the workshop. I teach them for free, hoping that the beauty of Kazakh arts can be inherited," he said.

Alibai has been recognized as an honored worker of Kazakhstan and has received the Honorary Order of Carl Faberge.

His works are exhibited in the National Museum of Kazakhstan as well as in private collections both in Kazakhstan and abroad. The hand-made jewelry he makes is also presented as national gifts for foreign leaders.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace has been forced to apologise for breaking social distancing rules, after he was filmed shaking hands with someone.

Footage of the handshake on Tuesday morning was captured by Sky News as MPs returned to Westminster for the new term of parliament.

Boris Johnsons spokesperson said: The defence secretary recognises the mistake and apologises for slipping up.

He knows the importance of social distancing and will be extra careful in future.

In April Wallace revealed he had spent time self-isolating after developing coronavirus symptoms.

Wallace is not the first cabinet minister to be caught breaking the governments coronavirus rules.

In June, health secretary Matt Hancock was filmed slapping a colleague on the back in the Commons chamber.

Hancock, who suffered from coronavirus symptoms in March, later said he was so sorry for a human mistake on my part.

The prime minister himself infamously boasted on March 3 of having shaken hands with everybody he met in a hospital which had a confirmed coronavirus case.

On the same day the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) body had told ministers they should advise against greetings such as shaking hands in an effort to curb the spread of the illness.

Johnson later developed coronavirus symptoms and was taken to intensive care in a London hospital.

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E U chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier today stepped up warnings across Europe that there will be new barriers with the UK even if an 11th-hour trade deal is struck.

Ahead of travelling to London to try to break the deadlock in negotiations, he tweeted guidance from the European Union that changes are inevitable and businesses, citizens and public bodies should prepare for them.

Mr Barnier was due to hold emergency talks today with UK chief Brexit negotiator David Frost amid a stand-off over state aid rules and fishing rights.

In a tweet directed at Croatia, he highlighted the guidance which states: Even if the EU and the UK enter into a very ambitious partnership by the end of 2020 covering all areas agreed in the Political Declaration, the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, internal market and customs union at the end of the transition period will inevitably create barriers to trade and cross-border exchanges that do not exist today.

Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, from 1 January 2021, far-reaching consequences for public administrations, businesses and citizens will be visible.

The warnings follow similar Twitter messages directed at other EU nations and come amid concerns that Britain could end up having left the European bloc with no deal at the end of the year.

Both sides are accusing the other of blocking progress in the talks.

A UK government spokesperson said: It is the EUs refusal to agree with us arrangements they have agreed with other major trading partners that is the cause of the difficulties, and will remain so until the EU accepts that the UKs future subsidy arrangements are a matter for the British people and Parliament, not the EU.

However, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian blamed the UKs intransigent and unrealistic attitude.

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John Dickie, director of strategy for business group London First, said it was now crucial that both sides work hard to agree a deal as quickly as possible. Businesses need time to prepare for the new arrangements, and their bandwidth has been squeezed by the pandemic.


Officials in Belarus detained the organizer of a strike at a major factory on Monday. The move is part of government efforts to suppress weeks of demonstrations. Protesters are demanding the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 26 years.

Lukashenko has dismissed the protesters as Western puppets and rejected European Union offers to help settle the political crisis. Government officials say Lukashenko won re-election in presidential elections on August 9. Opposition leaders reject the election results arguing that Lukashenko and his supporters cheated. The E.U. and the United States also criticized the election as neither free nor fair.

After launching a fierce operation on protesters in the first days after the vote, the government has sought to end the demonstrations with threats and the jailing of some activists.

Police on Monday detained Anatoly Bokun, who leads the strike committee at Belaruskali, a huge fertilizer factory in Soligorsk. He is facing a 15-day jail sentence on charges of organizing an unofficial protest.



The factory, a big money maker for Belarus, produces a fifth of the worlds potash fertilizer.

The Belaruskali strike committee said officials had halted a two-week long strike at the factory and that all its potash mines are now working. Gleb Sandras, a spokesman for the group, said that agents of Belarus State Security Committee had pressured workers to end the labor action.

Strikes at Belaruskali and other industrial centers have created problems for Lukashenko, who has kept most of the economy under government control. He depends on workers as his main base of support.

Belarus Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Nazarov confirmed Monday that the strikes caused a problem, but added that all major industrial centers are operating normally.

Bokuns detention follows the arrests last week of strike leaders at two other industrial plants in the capital, Minsk. The organizer of a strike at the Grodno Azot, a major producer of nitrogen fertilizers, fled to neighboring Poland to avoid detention.

Seeking to limit the protests, the Belarusian government has opened a criminal investigation of the opposition Coordination Council. Government lawyers have accused its members of harming the countrys security. Last week, Belarusian courts gave 10-day jail sentences to two council members and ordered several others to appear for questioning. Among them is Svetlana Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature.

The European Union and United States have urged Belarusian officials to open talks with the opposition. Lukashenko has rejected the idea.

In an effort to win over critics and end the unrest, Lukashenko has spoken about the possibility of a constitutional reform that could lead to new presidential elections. On Monday, he dismissed the oppositions demand that the country reestablish its former constitution.

In the days after the August 9 vote, the government detained nearly 7,000 people. Police used rubber bullets and other non-deadly weapons against the demonstrators. They also beat protesters, killing three and wounding hundreds of others.

During the next two weeks, police officers did little to stop the demonstrations. But last week, they returned to measures to end the dissent.

The Belarusian government also acted against the news media, expelling some foreign reporters from the country and barring the work of many Belarusian reporters. Two Moscow-based Associated Press reporters covering the recent protests in Belarus were deported to Russia on Saturday. In addition, the government told the APs Belarusian reporters that they were barred from working.

United States and EU officials have strongly condemned the Belarusian governments actions against the media.

The opposition held another large demonstration on Sunday. An estimated 100,000 protesters gathered in Minsk, while many police officers watched.

On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkels spokesman praised the bravery of the protesters. He urged Lukashenko to recognize the need for open talks between leadership, opposition forces and all Belarusians to, in his words, bring about a peaceful solution to this current crisis.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Yuras Karmanau wrote this story for The Associated Press. George Grow adapted his story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

puppet  n. one whose actions are controlled by an outside force or influence

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Former BlueScope executive Jason Ellis has pleaded guilty to one criminal charge of inciting the obstruction of Commonwealth public officials during a cartel investigation.

The charge related to Mr Ellis' actions during an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission into alleged cartel conduct by BlueScope, Australia's biggest steelmaker, and its representatives.

Former BlueScope executive Jason Ellis pleaded guilty to one charge of inciting the obstruction of Commonwealth public officials in the performance of their functions. Credit:

The matter was prosecuted by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. In a statement on Tuesday, the competition regulator said Mr Ellis had pleaded guilty to one charge of inciting the obstruction of federal officials in the performance of their duties.

"Mr Ellis has pleaded guilty to inciting two fellow BlueScope employees to give false information and evidence to the ACCC regarding discussions he and those BlueScope employees had in meetings with certain steel companies. These matters were 'rolled up' into one obstruction charge, as part of Mr Ellis' guilty plea, accepted by the court today," the ACCC said in a statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:59:57|Editor: huaxia

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STOCKHOLM, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Amid a record number of applications to Swedish universities, the country's Council for Higher Education has decided not to offer college entrance exams this fall, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Radio Sweden reported on Tuesday.

After much deliberation and mixed messages from the government and education authorities, and after having consulted college presidents around the country, the Council for Higher Education announced on Tuesday that it would cancel the bi-annual college entrance exams known in English as the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (SweSAT).

The decision follows hot on the heels of a Tuesday op-ed, signed by 21 presidents of universities and higher-education colleges who argued that it would be unwise to go ahead with the national exams this year due to the risk of "cluster contagion". The 21 signees represent institutions that are responsible for holding the exams twice a year, once in spring and once in the fall.

"If 21 presidents tell me that they cannot take responsibility for any spread of the infection, well then I can't change my decision," Karin Roding, director-general of the Council for Higher Education, told Radio Sweden. The council warned earlier this month that the tests could be cancelled for a second time in a row after the spring round was withdrawn, something that several political parties objected to.

However, last week it looked like the fall round might have gone ahead anyway, only at a smaller scale than normal as the government decided to amend the Higher Education Ordinance, which among other things sets out the rules for university admissions. The amendment would have allowed the Council for Higher Education to open up the test to a smaller group, for instance, to individuals who have not previously taken it. However, the Council's statement on Tuesday means such a scenario is now unlikely.

The SweSAT is normally given twice a year at a number of locations throughout Sweden and is used as one of the means to gain admission to higher-education institutions. It is made up of questions on mathematics, Swedish vocabulary, English reading comprehension and more. In 2019, over 67,000 Swedes registered for the exam, an 11 percent decrease compared with the year before, according to the Council for Higher Education which administers the SweSAT. Enditem
HONOLULU: An American consultant pleaded guilty Monday in an illicit lobbying effort to get the Trump administration to drop an investigation into the multibillion-dollar looting of a Malaysian state investment fund, and to arrange for the return of a Chinese dissident living in the U.S.

Federal prosecutors say Nickie Mali Lum Davis failed to disclose to the federal government that the lobbying effort was done on behalf of a fugitive Malaysian financier who has been charged in the U.S. with conspiring to launder billions of dollars from the fund.

Davis, 45, pleaded guilty to a single count involving a violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires individuals enlisted by foreign entities to lobby the U.S. government to register that work with the Justice Department.

Davis said that she knew the government contacts she made would require registration but she willfully failed to register.

The charge arises from the complicated saga of 1MDB, a Malaysian wealth fund that was established more than a decade ago to accelerate the countrys economic development but that prosecutors say was actually treated as a piggy bank by associates of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

U.S. prosecutors allege that at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najibs associates to finance Hollywood films and buy hotels, a luxury yacht, artwork, jewelry and other extravagances. Najib was sentenced in Malaysia last month to 12 years in prison.

The effort to wipe away legal troubles for the Malaysian financier who prosecutors say helped orchestrate the pilfering was ultimately unsuccessful.

The Justice Department in 2018 charged Jho Low, who remains at large, in connection with the alleged money laundering and last year reached a civil settlement to recover more than $700 million in assets that officials say are traceable to the looted funds. Low denies any wrongdoing and did not admit any guilt or liability as part of the settlement.

The latest case accuses Davis of working with a politically connected fundraiser with close ties to President Donald Trump to press the Justice Department to abandon forfeiture claims seeking the recovery of assets purchased with laundered proceeds.

Davis faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine when shes sentenced in January.

Prosecutors say Davis is cooperating with the U.S. government. As part of a plea agreement where prosecutors agree not to pursue additional charges against her, she must forfeit $3 million in proceeds from the offense.

She pleaded guilty via video from Los Angeles during a hearing in Honolulu, where she is charged. When the judge asked if she lives in Beverly Hills, her attorneys said she lives in California and has a home in Hawaii.

U.S. District Judge Leslie Kobayashi said she isnt allowed to travel without court approval anywhere besides the two states.

Abbe David Lowell, one of her defense attorneys, said Davis needs to travel internationally for business and to meet with her attorneys and prosecutors in Washington, D.C.

Kobayashi said that wouldnt be possible without her permission. Details of Davis travel must be provided in advance, the judge said.

The government wants her to travel all over the world because shes cooperating thats their kuleana, she said, using the Hawaiian word that can mean responsibility.

The judges responsibility is the safety of the community and ensuring that Davis doesnt disappear, she said.

Kobayashi said she wont grant Davis special treatment because of her wealth.

Lowell said his client isnt a flight risk, noting Davis has a 6-year-old daughter in Los Angeles.

Kobayashi disagreed, saying Davis has the resources to flee, along with the motivation of a serious charge that will likely involve some prison time.

She has a high risk of non-appearance, Kobayashi said.

___

AP journalist Eric Tucker contributed to this report from Washington.

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
PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito, legendary actors and NJ natives team up with the Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey (GOCCNJ) to help individuals at highest risk for complications from COVID-19. These Hollywood greats and life-long friends reunite virtually during the pandemic to increase awareness about POLST-- P ractitioner O rders for L ife- S ustaining T reatment -- an important tool that empowers people to express their wishes and treatment preferences in case of a medical crisis. To view the Public Awareness Video, visit GOCCNJ's website, www.goalsofcare.org.

Many may not be familiar with POLST. It is a medical order, like a prescription, that is completed and used by medical professionals to inform healthcare professionals about what treatments a patient would or would not want during a medical emergency. POLST forms are most appropriate for individuals with a serious illness or those approaching the end of life and provide specific instructions related to artificial nutrition, resuscitation (CPR), mechanical ventilation (intubation), and re-hospitalization when a patient is unable to communicate and needs medical care. Unlike an advance directive, POLST forms are actionable, meaning the emergency or healthcare team must follow the medical orders as written.

The most important aspect of POLST is the conversation between doctor and patient required in order to complete the form. This conversation should include a discussion of the patient's goals of care: What would matter most to you if you were faced with a life-threatening emergency? Answering this question, having this conversation with your healthcare provider, and completing the POLST form will ensure that you get the care you need and no less, and the care you want and no more. POLST ensures that treatment orders align with the patient's goals of care.

Douglas and DeVito, who donated their time to make this video, use humor to raise awareness about a topic that most find difficult to discuss. "Facing challenging medical decisions is always hard, but it's especially difficult during a health crisis. We're grateful to Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito for helping us deliver this important messageif you're a caregiver for a loved one who is seriously ill, or a decision-maker for a resident of a nursing home or senior facility, you should learn more about the POLST form," says Dr. David Barile, MD, who was instrumental in the design of New Jersey's POLST form and is Founder/Chief Medical Officer, GOCCNJ and Director of Palliative Medicine Services and Medical Director of the Acute Care for the Elderly Unit at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center. "The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for all of us to discuss our preferences for end-of-life care with loved ones. Healthy adults should use an advance directive. However, for vulnerable, older adults, having a conversation with your healthcare provider about POLST provides an opportunity to convert your wishes into a medical order, increasing the likelihood that you'll receive care that's consistent with your wishes."

These conversations are critical in New Jersey because not enough residents have had thorough discussions with healthcare professionals and family decision-makers about future medical care and documented those wishes in writing. As a result, NJ patients near the end of life receive more aggressive medical care than those in any other state and often, that high-intensity care is unwanted and burdensome to patients and their families.

GOCCNJ works with its members to raise awareness about and increase access to high-quality advance care planning and end-of-life care services such as palliative and hospice care. The Coalition believes human interests, values, and dignity must be at the core of medical decision-making, and they aspire to create a standard of care where people discuss, decide & document their wishes for care to ensure that those wishes will be honored at the end of life.

GOCCNJ will be hosting a Virtual Town Hall on September 15, 2020 @ 7 PM with leading experts in New Jersey to address questions about advance care planning and POLST in the era of COVID. All New Jersey residents are invited to attend whether you are a patient, a family decision-maker, a caregiver, or any individual interested in planning ahead. To register visit: www.goalsofcare.org/events.

GOCCNJ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the only network of organizations in NJ working together to make certain that patients with serious illness get the care they need and no less, and the care they want and no more. Through education and advocacy, GOCCNJ's mission is to ensure that healthcare providers, patients, and family caregivers have the information, resources, training, and tools they need to facilitate discussions that result in a care plan that aligns treatment with the patient's goals of care.

SOURCE Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey

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Tourism revenues fell 61.8 percent over July to VND974 billion ($42 million) in August as the Covid-19 resurgence slashed travel demand.

This brought revenues for the first eight months to VND13.1 trillion ($569 million), down 54.4 percent year-on-year, compared to a corresponding 10 percent growth last year, according to the General Statistics Office.

The most severe drops in the first eight months were seen in Khanh Hoa Province at 76.6 percent, followed by Ho Chi Minh City, the provinces of Ba Ria  Vung Tau, Quang Nam and Kien Giang. Da Nang City, the epicenter of the second outbreak, saw a 63.6 percent drop.

Revenues from lodging, food and drinks in the first eight months fell 16 percent year-on-year to VND322.5 trillion.

The tourism sector served 3.77 million visitors in the first eight months, down 66.6 percent year-on-year, with the government closing is borders and canceling all international flights except for special cases like repatriation and the entry of foreign experts and skilled workers under stringent conditions.

The number of visitors from China, traditionally Vietnams largest tourism market, dropped 72.3 percent year-on-year in the first eight months, followed by South Korea (70.5 percent) and Japan (67.4 percent).

Last year, Vietnam welcomed 18 million foreign tourists, up 16.2 percent year-on-year.
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Deepak "Dee" Agarwal, entrepreneur, c-suite executive, and founder of both retail and business process outsourcing organizations, has always been deeply rooted in his corporate purpose: giving back to a world in which he has found success.

"After watching my businesses flourish and thrive, I saw it as my opportunity and responsibility as a leader to pay it forward and define our mission as something beyond generating revenue. I have always sought to instill these values in my corporate culture. At the end of the day, it always comes back to your 'Why?' - Why do you do what you do, and what lasting impact are you making?"

From day one, Dee Agarwal's desire to make a lasting impact has been a guiding light in his business decisions. Keeping his values at the core of his operations, Deepak Agarwal discovered two philanthropic organizations that best captured his desire to give back in a meaningful way.

"Addressing hunger, especially childhood hunger, is a plight and priority that I resonate with intellectually and emotionally," explained Deepak Agarwal. "Intellectually, it is clear that one of the best ways to set children on a positive path is by making sure they have nutrients to grow and learn. Emotionally, I recognize that children have very little ability to change their circumstances and need our help. I have two young daughters, and the idea that any child is starving is heartbreaking and something I wanted to do my best to address."

Backed by a desire for impact, Dee first sought to use his company as a tool of improvement and giving. He started with World Vision, a humanitarian organization with a focus on empowering children, families, and communities by fighting hunger in impoverished areas of the world. Upon learning of their work, Deepak Agarwal felt an immediate draw to support their efforts. While operating ContactCenter.com, Deepak worked with World Vision to sponsor one child for every employee of the company, resulting in the sponsorship of over 1,500 children.

"It was incredibly rewarding to integrate my support of World Vision with my company," said Deepak Agarwal. "Employees had such a sense of pride, knowing that their work each day helped support a child in need. The positive impact of this partnership reverberated inside and outside of the organization."

Since his work with World Vision, Deepak has sought additional ways to support the fight against world hunger. Today, Deepak continues this philanthropic focus through a one-to-one grant with Vitamin Angels, an organization dedicated to serving mothers and children across the globe with vitamins, supplements, and nutritional counseling. Through Dee's contributions and the grant, Vitamin Angles is able to provide a free 6-month supply of vitamins for children in need for each purchase of specified vitamin brands, with the goal of reaching more than 1 million children.

Deepak Agarwal continues to use his platform as a business leader to lead by action and stress the importance of giving back. "Whether it is 1 million people or just one, helping those in need is a powerful way to demonstrate humility, generosity, and gratitude for what you have gained. Lead your life and business with these principles and discover a sense of fulfillment that no amount of revenue can buy."

CONTACT:

Andrew Mitchell

Email: media@cambridgeglobalmedia.com

Phone: 404-955-7133

SOURCE: Scenic Figure

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604263/Deepak-Agarwal-Supports-1500-Children-through-World-Vision-and-Over-1-Million-Children-through-Vitamin-Angels
01.09.2020 LISTEN

"Honesty is a very expensive gift, don't expect it from cheap people " (Warren Buffet)

Educational Workers Connect, an educational Think Tank whose principal objective is advocating for quality education and its related issues across the country, is once again taken aback after listening to our president, His Excellency Nana Addo during his 16th national address on COVID-19 on Sunday, 30th August 2020.

In his address, specifically on measures concerning issues regarding our education, he stated emphatically that our brothers and sisters in JHS 2 and SHS 2 are to return to school on 5th October 2020.

However, the students from the kindergarten to the SHS one are to return to school in January 2021. This means that the academic calendar for this year is virtually thrown out of gear.

Even though we do not have issues with the decision, no matter how uncomfortable it will be for some other stakeholders in the sector, ie the Private Schools who have been badly hit by the decision and the situation for obvious reasons, we find the announcement by our President very puzzling and worrying.

Our position stems from

the fact that during the 15th address by the president also on Covid 19, he intimated that there was going to be a very broad consultation and some discussions with the relevant stakeholders to determine the modalities ie WHEN" and "HOW" our schools would be reopened. This announcement we received with utmost excitement because we knew that was the best way to go.

Consequently, the Minister of Education, Hon. Mathew Opoku Prempeh inaugurated a 10 member committee made up of men and women of high integrity and substance chaired by the good Prof. Dominic Fobi. This committee, we also expressed our reservations concerning the composition of the membership and asked the minister to expand the scope of the membership of the committee. We argued that, excluding the teacher unions, the national chairman of PTA, CHASS and a health expert whose views and ideas are very crucial to arriving at any final decision that will inform the president on the way forward to reopen the schools was inappropriate and disrespectful to the teachers. We were of the view that including those stakeholders in the committee would make the committee very solid and complete . Regrettably, this noble call asking the minister to expand the scope of the committee was not heeded by the minister.

Moving forward, we were told by the minister as captured in his release as part of the terms of reference for the committee was to establish WHEN it will be appropriate for the schools to reopen.

He also stated unambiguously that the committee was expected to submit their final report to him by 21 September, 2020 for onward submission to the president for actions to be taken.

It, therefore, stands to reason that the date, conditions and other modalities that would inform the president would be influenced by the committee's report as was captured in the minister's statement.

We are, therefore, shocked to the marrow when we heard the president announced that our students in JHS 2 and SHS 2 were to report back to school on 5 October 2021. This date comes almost a month ahead of the date the committee was supposed to submit their report to the minister and then to the president.

We therefore ask the following questions that are agitating the minds of the many stakeholders in the sector, including Ghanaians.

1.Was the committee indeed inaugurated by the minister as published in some of the dailies?

2. If yes, did they submit their report to the minister and then to the president for his actions which includes the decision to reopen the schools for a section of the students to return?

3.Did the president indeed consult those who matter as he made us to believe?

4.If he did, can we respectfully be told the expert advice he had which informed the decision as he has always done in the case of decisions concerning the covid situations knowing when we were told the committee was supposed to present their report?

5. How come the announcement had been made ahead of the date for the submission of the report by the committee?

6. Is it the case that, the committee was just inaugurated to exist on paper while the main decision was already made?

7.Was the committee paid in whatever form, be it allowance or whatever?

8. If yes, is that not waste of the tax payers money?

9. Who is being honest with Ghanaians here by setting up a purported committee? The president or the minister?

These are the nagging questions that we respectfully want answers for.

According to William Shakespeare,"No legacy is so rich as honesty" Are our leaders being honest with us? How long shall we as a nation and as governments be playing politics with our education which is already having dire consequences on our very much cherished education?

We want to state that these unfortunate actions do not engender trust, hope and cooperation among the shareholders in the sector which will have very serious ramifications for us as a nation in the future as far as our education is concerned. Thomas Jefferson also puts it succinctly that " Honesty is the first chapter in the Book of Wisdom ". We owe it as a duty and a civic right to be honest to ourselves and to the good people of Ghana.

Educational Workers Connect, is very much unhappy with these developments in the educational sector as this seems to be a trend as far as taking very crucial decisions concerning education are arbitrarily taken without recourse to the stakeholders and experts in the sector.

We are therefore respectfully calling on the government and the minister in particular whose continuous disregard to teachers and other stakeholders in the sector is becoming a worry to many observers including teachers.

This is very crucial because these actions do not and cannot promote the quality of Education that our Think Tank and Ghanaians are advocating for.

Finally, we once again demand answers to those myriad of questions asked above to clear all manner of suspicions lingering in the minds of Ghanaians.

This will also help promote the cooperation that the government will want from the stakeholders to move the sector forward.

As we speak, our checks indicate that the teacher unions were not even consulted before the decision to reopen the schools was announced. Is this not unfair and unacceptable? Why is government continuously having difficulty consulting the teacher unions in many of such crucial decision makings?

We also respectfully call on the president to consider giving some packages to our colleagues in the private schools who will be out of job for 10 months if not more. This will help mitigate their sufferings a bit.

We end our call on the government to as a matter of urgency rectify all the anomalies to make the reopening of the schools a smooth one.

" Honesty is indeed the best policy " ( Benjamin Franklin).

God bless Ghana!

Signed

Daniel Yao Agbezudor

(Executive Secretary)
Hours after the expiration of an order halting evictions and foreclosures, Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday he cannot extend his moratorium and urged lawmakers to take action to ensure residents dont lose their homes.

Wolf had issued an order barring evictions and foreclosures in May and extended it in July, but the order expired at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 1. Wolf surprised some housing advocates last week when he said he lacked the legal standing to extend the moratorium again.

At a news conference Tuesday, Wolf called on lawmakers to pass legislation imposing a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions. With many losing their jobs in the coronavirus pandemic, Wolf said keeping people in their homes is a public health priority.

I have provided this for as long as I can under Pennsylvanias laws. Now, the House and Senate has to act, Wolf said.

Wolf said foreclosures and evictions should be halted for an extended period, possibly 90 days or longer, but said he was opening to discuss the length of the moratorium with lawmakers. The governor also called on lawmakers to approve an additional $200 million to provide more housing assistance.

The Wolf administration estimated 400,000 Pennsylvanians may not be able to make their August and September payments.

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, joined Wolf at the news conference and said lawmakers should have taken action already.

We shouldnt be here today, Costa said.

In a news conference Monday, Wolf had hinted that he could possibly extend the moratorium. Later, his office issued a statement saying thats not an option, the Associated Press reported.

Last week, the Federal Housing Administration extended its moratorium on evictions and foreclosures through Dec. 31, 2020. The FHAs action protects homeowners with FHA-insured single family mortgages.

Wolf said in a letter to lawmakers last week the states Emergency Services Management Code does not give him the authority to take additional action. He said the code put a limit on the amount of time he can issue orders regarding temporary housing.

The governor is asking lawmakers to take action to help those facing foreclosure and eviction. Specifically, hes calling for lawmakers to approve an increase to the $750-per-month cap on payments for housing assistance. He said the payments should be at least 130% of federal government limits.

Wolf called on lawmakers to approve $100 million in housing assistance and another $100 million so residents dont have to risk losing water services.

Some advocates have said many will lose their homes with the governors moratorium ending.

Jason Gottesman, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus, faulted the Democratic governor for failing to work with lawmakers. The GOP controls both chambers of the General Assembly.

Gov. Wolf has ignored the law and acted by fiat for the last six months, Gottesman said in a statement. It is curious now that he is searching for the limits of his authority as an excuse to pass the buck to the General Assembly over the crisis he created for both property owners and renters.

Instead of telling the General Assembly how to do its job and what bills to pass, Gov. Wolf should instead work with us to reopen Pennsylvanias economy, get those struggling to pay their bills back to work safely, and restore some sense of normalcy to the people of the Commonwealth, Gottesman said.

Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, said the governor informed lawmakers Monday night he wouldnt extend the moratorium. He criticized Wolf for not engaging with lawmakers on the issue.

Governor Wolf has made zero phone calls to the Republican legislative leaders on this issue, Corman said in a statement Monday. He has offered zero language that would provide guidance to the legislature on how to achieve what he wants.

Costa said Democratic lawmakers have been talking for months about the need to advance housing protections but they didnt gain support in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

Wolf said at the news conference its probably true that he hasnt personally called GOP legislative leaders but his staff has been reaching out to lawmakers. He also said hes been urging lawmakers to take action so people dont lose their homes.

The General Assembly has had three months to act, Wolf said. They have not.

Wolf also called on lawmakers to approve other steps to help renters and homeowners.

The governor wants lawmakers to eliminate the requirement that renters and homeowners be 30 days behind in their payments before being eligible for aid. The current rules force renters, for example, to choose between paying rent and buying groceries and prescriptions, the Wolf administration said.

The Wolf administration also wants landlords and mortgage lenders to have the option of allowing people to repay what they owe over the course of a year, or the option of forgiving unpaid rent and mortgage payments.

The pandemic has battered Pennsylvanias economy, as many businesses have shuttered or laid off workers. Pennsylvanias unemployment rate rose to 13.7% in July.

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New Delhi: The Centre and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the moratorium period on repayment of loans amid the COVID-19 pandemic is extendable by two years.

On March 27 the had RBI permitted all commercial banks (including regional rural banks, small finance banks and local area banks), co-operative banks, all-India Financial Institutions, and NBFCs (including housing finance companies and micro-finance institutions) (referred to hereafter as lending institutions) to allow a moratorium of three months on payment of instalments in respect of all term loans outstanding as on March 1, 2020.

In May, the RBI announced extension of loan moratorium by 3 more months to August 31.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), told a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan that several steps have been taken for stressed sectors and the economy has contracted by 23 percent due to the pandemic.

The bench said that it would hear on Wednesday the pleas which have raised the issue of interest being charged on instalments which have been deferred under the central bank's scheme during the moratorium period amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

The apex court had earlier asked the Centre and the RBI to review the move to charge interest on deferred EMIs during the moratorium period.

Petitioner Gajendra Sharma has sought a direction to declare portion of the RBI`s March 27 notification as ultra vires to the extent it charged interest on the loan amount during the moratorium period.
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Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 18:36 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4202067 1 National Jokowi,COVID-19-mitigation,COVID-19,pandemic,virus-korona-indonesia,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,coronavirus Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo claimed on Tuesday that COVID-19 mitigation in Indonesia has remained relatively under control compared to several other countries around the globe.

Compared to other countries, Indonesia remains under control. It needs to be maintained. COVID-19 mitigation is still at a point where its under control, Jokowi said during a meeting at the Bogor Palace in West Java on Tuesday. The meeting was livestreamed on the Presidential Secretariats YouTube channel.

The President, however, did not specify which foreign countries he was referring to in his statement.

He went on to say that Indonesias controlled mitigation of the ongoing pandemic was reflected in the rate of recoveries and active cases in the country.

Read also: COVID-19 under control in Jakarta, Anies claims amid spike in new cases

Throughout August, the recovery rate in Indonesia reached 72.1 percent, higher than the global average of 69 percent, he said.

The countrys rate of active cases stood at 23.69 percent, lower than the global average of 27 percent, he added.

However, the countrys 4.2 percent mortality rate is higher than the global average, which stands at 3.63, according to Jokowi.

Although we have reduced our fatality rate from 7.83 percent in April to 4.2 percent this month, we still have to do our work and further reduce it, he said.

Read also: Indonesia's 'Merah Putih' vaccine candidate to be ready for production mid 2021: Jokowi

Jokowi then called on every regional head across the archipelago to live up to their commitment to COVID-19 mitigation in their respective communities, claiming that public resilience was a key element prior to vaccination.

We need to improve our resilience, our endurance, until every citizen has been vaccinated, he said.

On Tuesday, the Health Ministry announced 2,775 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 177,571. According to data released by the ministry, 88 more people have died from the disease, bringing the death toll to 7,505.
A man fishes next the moon shaped sculpture by artist Pavlos Vasiliadis, in Thessaloniki on August 31, 2020. Greeces National Meteorological Service issued a warning for unusually high temperatures throughout the country in the coming days. In Athens, the highest maximum temperature values are expected to reach 38 to 39 and possibly in places it will reach 40 degrees Celsius.(photo: Sakis MITROLIDIS / AFP)

"We have known that not all meltwater is making it into the oceans immediately," lead author Dan Shugar, a geomorphologist and associate professor at the University of Calgary, said in a statement.

"But until now there were no data to estimate how much was being stored in lakes or groundwater."

The findings, published Monday in Nature Climate Change, will help scientists and governments identify potential hazards to communities downstream of these often unstable lakes, he said.

They will also improve the accuracy of sea level rise estimates through better understanding of how -- and how quickly -- water shed by glaciers makes it to the sea.

Between 1994 and 2017, the world's glaciers, especially in high-mountain regions, shed about 6.5 trillion tonnes in mass, according to earlier research.

"In the past 100 years, 35 percent of global sea-level rises came from glacier melting," Anders Levermann, climate professor at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Impact, told AFP.

The other main sources of sea level rise are ice sheets and the expansion of ocean water as it warms.

- Glacial lake outbursts -

Earth's average surface temperature has risen one degree Celsius since preindustrial times, but high-mountain regions around the world have warmed at twice that pace, accelerating glacier melt.

Unlike normal lakes, glacier lakes are unstable because they are often dammed by ice or sediment composed of loose rock and debris.

When accumulating water bursts through these accidental barriers, massive flooding can occur downstream.

Known as glacial lake outbursts, this kind of flooding has been responsible for thousands of deaths in the last century, as well as the destruction of villages, infrastructure and livestock, according to the study, published in Nature Climate Change.

The most recent recorded incident was a glacial lake outburst that washed through the Hunza Valley in Pakistan in May.

In January, the UN Development Programme estimated that more than 3,000 glacial lakes have formed in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, with 33 posing an imminent threat that could impact as many as seven million people.

The new study, based on 250,000 scenes from NASA's Landsat satellite missions, estimates current glacial lake volume at more than 150 cubic kilometres (37 cubic miles), equivalent to one-third the volume of Lake Erie in the United States or twice the volume of Lake Geneva.

A decade ago, it would have not been possible to process and analyse that volume of data, said Shugar.
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Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 14:16 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41ec303 1 Business PLN,Environment-and-Forestry-Ministry,power-plant,emission,cap,coal-power-plants Free

State-owned electricity company PLN has called on the Environment and Forestry Ministry to revise emission caps for fossil fuel-fired power plants, arguing they would increase the costs of power suppliers.

The cap would result in an increase of Rp 140 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and raise subsidy spending by Rp 10.7 trillion (US$729.58 million) each year to pay for emission control equipment, PLN president director Zulkifli Zaini said on Aug. 25.

The environment ministrys latest regulation tightens emission limits for four key pollutants, including for particulate matter (PM)  the most dangerous pollutant to human health  by 33 percent to 100 milligrams per cubic meter.

He did not ask the ministry to revoke the cap but to make it applicable only for new power plants, specifically those that had not signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) with PLN.

The cap is based on Ministerial Regulation No. 15/2019 replacing Regulation No. 21/2008.

They complied with the old regulation but not the new one, so were asking for a softer transition, Zulkifli told House of Representatives (DPR) lawmakers in Jakarta.

PLNs presentation on Aug. 25 noted that 87 existing coal power plants, which had a total capacity of 20,752 megawatts, required emission control equipment to comply with the regulation. Indonesias total coal plant capacity is 34,743 MW as of last year.

Responding to PLNs request, the ministrys air pollution control director, Dasrul Chaniago, told The Jakarta Post in a text message on Wednesday: When we made that regulation, PLN representatives were intensively involved.

PLNs request reflects conflict between various ministries policies that aim to suppress electricity prices, curb subsidy spending and slash air pollution, the leading cause of respiratory health problems.

PLNs request also challenges government claims that thermal power plants, particularly coal-fired power plants, were the cheapest means of electrifying the country, said Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) researcher Fajri Fadhillah on Thursday.

The costs do not take into account the social costs that burden the public, such as deteriorating public health, he told the Post via text message.

Coal plants contribute 50 percent of the total 69,600 MW of installed power-generation capacity in Indonesia, a country with the worlds sixth-largest coal reserves, according to Energy Ministry data and BPs statistical review.

PLN and the environment ministry signed a deal in November 2019 to adjust implementing the new cap to each plants financial readiness. PLN will create such an adjusted 10-year roadmap that is slated to come out later this year.

PLNs Zulkifli noted that the company had other strategies to reduce thermal plant emissions. These included using lower-sulfur coal in its plants and using natural gas in diesel power plants.

The Indonesian Private Electricity Producers Association (APLSI) declined to comment for this story.
I listened to Biden's speech at 1.25 times the regular speed, which made him sound normal, not like a demented man trying to track a teleprompter. Nothing, though, prepared me for the speech's rank dishonesty. Mary McCarthy said of the communist Lillian Hellman that "every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the.'" Biden's speech was worse because every word was a vicious lie. I felt sullied listening to it.

This post cannot address each lie. I'll tackle just some the worst ones and recommend that you listen to Tucker Carlson's outraged monologue (which you can see here if the video won't load):

PART 1: Voters have started to blame Joe Biden for the chaos. Thats clear in the polls. Suddenly Democratic leaders are worried and they are frantically trying to distance themselves from the terror they created. pic.twitter.com/azMtE1Ri8v  Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) September 1, 2020

PART 2: Voters have started to blame Joe Biden for the chaos. Thats clear in the polls. Suddenly Democratic leaders are worried and they are frantically trying to distance themselves from the terror they created. pic.twitter.com/abC32JCtE3  Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) September 1, 2020

Throughout the speech, Biden repeated his Big Lie, saying over and over that the violence we've seen on the streets since May 25 is Trump's fault. "He doesn't want to shed light, he wants to generate heat, and he's stroking [sic] violence in our cities." Biden's imaginary world derives from the fact that he never once mentions Black Lives Matter or Antifa. To him, all violence comes from the right, in the form of

... unwarranted police shooting, excessive force, seven bullets in the back of Jacob Blake [a Joe Bidenesque finger rapist who attacked police with a knife], knee on the neck of George Floyd [a violent ex-felon who died from an overdose], killing of Breonna Taylor in her own apartment [a tragedy, but it does appear she was involved with serious drug-dealing], violence of extremists and opportunists, right-wing militias and to derail any hope and support for progress, the senseless violence of looting and burning and destruction of property.

Only after dishonestly recalibrating reality to exonerate the leftist military arms of BLM and Antifa did Biden insist that "rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting."

Biden then immediately reiterated that lie that it is Trump-supporters who are "acting as an armed militia in this country." Biden followed this with a mafia-style threat, the one that's the political equivalent of "Nice little country ya' got here. Shame if something happened to it."

Biden's threat took the form of a question: "Does anyone believe there'll be less violence in America if Donald Trump is re-elected?" Put another way, to an America that knows he's lying when he says the violence comes from conservatives (as opposed to leftist BLM and Antifa activists), Biden all but explicitly threatened that the mobs will retreat only if he is elected.

Dan Bongio summarized Biden in a single tweet:

Liberal groups, rioting in liberal cities, with liberal mayors, and liberal city councils, promoting radical liberal causes, and supported by liberal money:



Biden - Trump did it! #BidenRiots  Dan Bongino (@dbongino) August 31, 2020

Biden next called out Kellyanne Conway's statement that "the more chaos, violence, the better it is for Trump's re-election," which he claimed proved that Trump wants violence. That was another lie.

The truth is that, when Conway appeared on Fox and Friends, she was asked about Pete Buttigieg's contention that the violence is Trump's fault. Conway referenced a video showing a restaurant-owner in Madison, who obviously opposed Trump, asking the rioters if they were trying to get Trump re-elected:

Windows of businesses and residential buildings being smashed on University Avenue  which were not preemptively boarded up. This Papa Johns employee asks protesters, Do you want Trump to be elected? pic.twitter.com/IbSubGfGs6  Dylan Brogan (@telldylan) August 26, 2020

In that context, Conway stated, "He knows, full stop, and I guess Mayor Pete knows, full stop, that the more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who is best on public safety and law and order." That is a factual observation, not a claim that violence is Trump's ticket back into the White House. Biden's assertion was a lie.

And as always, Biden brought up the execrable "fine people hoax," when he said:

Donald Trump adds fuel to every fire because he refuses to even acknowledge that there's a racial justice problem in America. Because he won't stand up to any form of violence. He's got no problem with right-wing militia, white supremacists, and vigilantes with assault weapons often better armed than the police.

Aside from the lie of the fine people hoax, Trump has repeatedly condemned violence:

And so it goes, with one lie following another:

He lies about defending federal property when the Obama administration kept WWII veterans away from their memorial.

He lies about Trump refusing to help Democrat cities when those cities rejected his help.

He lies about Trump being divisive, a lie made manifest by looking at the Democrats' hate-filled convention versus the Republicans' inclusive one. In Democrat-world, it's divisive to object to Democrat falsehoods.

He lies that Trump is to blame for escalating murder rates, rather than the Democrats, who defunded police, a fact that has police endorsing Trump.

He lies about the elderly who died of COVID, not because of Trump, but because Democrat governors turned nursing homes into slaughterhouses.

And that's just a fraction of Biden's lies.

In some ways, the worst thing about the speech happened when Biden lost track of his Teleprompter, revealing to the world that he had no idea what he's saying. When he gave the speech, his hard-left advisers fed falsehoods into his empty brain and he channeled them out through his mouth.

Biden is all bad things: invariably wrong in his policies, creepy, racist, and leftist. Right now, he's also just a sock puppet for the hard left, and that's the scariest thing of all.

Image: Biden Pittsburgh speech, screengrab from a shareable tweet.
Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state and wife Mrs Martha Emmanuel were last Sunday honoured when the Global Mission Plaza, Ibadan built by Bishop Francis Wale Oke was named after them.

The event marked the commencement of the 38th Holy Ghost Convention of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, and the 38th anniversary of entering into full time ministry of the Presiding Bishop of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Bishop Wale Oke.

Governor Emmanuel who performed the inauguration of the center, commended Bishop Oke for his mentorship role in the country, adding that he was a beneficiary of the clergys teachings.

I thank God for a day like this. Our father, Bishop Wale Oke, has imparted in me so much, especially in this political terrain.

I want to join my faith with others to say that there will be an increase that is beyond his expectation, Governor Emmanuel added.

The ceremony which was witnessed by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr Ola Makinde, among other dignitaries at the Olubadan Estate, Ibadan.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, who performed the dedication, prayed for the success of Governor Udom Emmanuels administration in Akwa Ibom state.

Adeboye also prayed for Oyo State Governor Makindes administration and for Nigeria.
Ghanaians have been advised not to make any attempt to corrupt persons who have been entrusted with resources or allow themselves to be corrupted by such people.

They must ensure that people with power and resources did not abuse or misuse it to their benefit but in the interest of the public.

Mr Theophilus Tetteh Tuwor, Central Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) who gave the advise encouraged citizens to report any corruption issue that came their way, describing it as their civic responsibility.

He was speaking on the topic Corruption and its Effect on Development Project at a social auditing forum organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) with support from the European Union (EU) at Amoyaw, a community in the Cape Coast North Constituency of the Central Region.

The forum brought together community leaders, chiefs, assembly members and other stakeholders to discuss the involvement and role of the people towards the development of the area.

Mr Tuwor said any community with corrupt leadership would not see much development and reiterated that corruption deprives people of their fundamental human rights and retard development.

When you need something from an institution, you make sure you pass through the right channels. You do not pass the back door because when you pass the back door, that is where you are going to corrupt somebody, he advised.

We should not see corruption as something very far from us but something that affects our human rights, he added while encouraging the people to show active interest in developmental projects ongoing in their area.

He noted that the community members would be the ultimate losers if they failed to not take active participation and track the development projects in their communities.

The contractor will come and do the work and go but if it is a shoddy work, its affect you. When projects are abandoned, you lose, so if you do not look at it well and the project is not well executed, it becomes your burden, he said.

A seven-member Social Audit Committee was constituted at the end of the forum to follow up and collaborate with all stakeholders to bring development to the community.

Mr Tuwor urges the committee always liaise with contractors of projects in their community to know the duration and other details and collaborate with them for its smooth execution.

Mr Ebenezer Kwesi Dadzie, Cape Coast Metropolitan Director of the NCCE underscored the importance of community members tracking development projects ongoing in their communities saying, that would do away with waste of the taxpayers money.

Mr Kobina Issah, the assembly member of the area commended the NCCE for the education and implored the chiefs to take a lead role in monitoring the development projects.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

Trend:

The speeches of Armenian foreign minister about creating conditions for peace are a paradox, Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said.

Abdullayeva made the remark commenting interview of Armenian FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan to Interfax News Agency, in which he stressed importance of political will for Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports on September 1.

According to the spokesperson, the paradox is that the speeches were made by the foreign minister of a country which in violation of the fundamental principles of international law, has kept the internationally recognized territories of a neighboring country under military occupation for about 30 years and directly impedes the resolution of the conflict through negotiations, and moreover, by its actions and statements serves to aggravate tensions in the region.

Abdullayeva noted that the steps of the leadership of Armenia, nullifying the essence of the negotiations, are the main obstacle to the creation of the "peace conditions", which the foreign minister of this country speaks about.

"A glance at the actions of Armenia in the last month is enough to clearly see the aggressive and provocative essence of this countrys policy, the spokesperson said. On July 12-16 of this year, Armenia, having carried out a new military provocation in the direction of the Tovuz district on the border of the two states, tried to carry out a planned attack on the Azerbaijani positions. The Azerbaijani army resolutely suppressed this act of Armenian aggression."

After the terrible explosion in Beirut, to use this tragedy for its dirty purposes, Armenia announced about a plan for the illegal settlement of the occupied Azerbaijani territories by ethnic Armenians from Lebanon, Abdullayeva added.

By this statement, Armenia confirmed its intention to consolidate the results of the ethnic cleansing carried out in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and adjacent districts, the spokesperson added. After the Armenian military-political leadership failed in the military adventure in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district, it began to resort to other provocations to compensate for this failure.

On August 23, on the line of contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in the direction of Azerbaijans Goranboy district, an attempt of a reconnaissance and sabotage group of the Armenian armed forces to make a provocation was suppressed and the leader of this group was detained, Abdullayeva said.

And finally, the trip of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the occupied Azerbaijani city of Khankendi on August 29, his meeting with the "representatives" of the puppet regime, the presence of the Armenian military formations in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, once again clearly demonstrated that Armenia is an aggressor country conducting the policy of annexation of the Azerbaijani territories, the spokesperson said.

Taking into account all the abovementioned aspects, what kind of peace, what proposals of reducing the tension in the region does Mnatsakanyan talk about?" Abdullayeva said.

Everyone is well aware of the reasons for the criminal acts of the country, which supports terrorism at the state level, enlightens the young generation on the basis of the racial ideology of Garegin Nzhde and fascist values, whose representatives demonstrate aggression and hostility towards Azerbaijanis in various countries, the spokesperson said.

Therefore, the opinion of the Armenian minister, who links the suppression of ethnic confrontation with the demonstration of political will in resolving the conflict, is absurd as Armenia has been unable to demonstrate this political will for so many years, Abdullayeva said.

To ensure sustainable peace in the region, the Armenian occupying forces must be withdrawn from the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan and the rights of the indigenous population of these lands, who have become refugees and internally displaced people, must be restored, the spokesperson said. Armenia must finally demonstrate its political will and take concrete steps in this direction.

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.
An Accra Circuit Court has caged into prison custody two accused persons who allegedly robbed a Pharmacy shop at gun at Dansoman.

The accused persons were; Shamsu Alhassan, a trader and Abdul Wahab Yakubu an Okada Rider.

Alhassan had been charged with robbery while Yakubu was facing a charge of possession of narcotics drugs.

They pleaded not guilty before the court presided over by Mr. Emmanuel Essandoh.

The Court declined to admit the accused persons to bail after defense counsel had argued for it.

Mr. Andy Vortia, who represented Yakubu contended that his client had a fixed place of abode and he would not abscond from the jurisdiction.

According to defense counsel, his client had people who would stand as sureties when granted bail adding that he would appear and stand trial.

Prosecuting Chief Inspector Simon Terkpertey said the complainant was a Pharmacy Assistant at Demens Pharmacy Shop at Dansoman Exhibition Roundabout. Alhassan and Yakubu resided at Sahara near Dansoman and Banana Inn all in Accra, respectively.

On August 2, this year, at about 3:15 pm the complainant was in the Pharmacy shop when Alhassan walked into the shop ostensibly to purchase an ointment.

Chief Inspector Terkpetey said the complainant then moved to remove the product from the shelf. Alhassan then threatened to shoot the complainant if he made any noise.

Alhassan then demanded the day's sales and the complainant who feared for his life, handed over unspecified amount to him.

Alhassan further marched the complainant to the Manager's office and searched the various drawers and made away with unspecified amount.

Prosecution said Alhassan after obtaining the monies attempted to escape with his unregistered Motorbike but he was nabbed by some witnesses.

Yakubu who attempted to ride away Alhassan's motor bike was also arrested. When Yakubu was searched, a quantity of dried leaves suspected to Indian hemp and toffees allegedly laced with Indian hemp were retrieved.

Prosecution said accused persons in their respective statements admitted the offences.

GNA
ABINGDON, Va.  An Abingdon woman is expected to survive after her husband said he accidentally shot her Thursday, authorities said.

At about 10 a.m., Washington County central dispatch received a call from a man in the 25000 block of Watauga Road, not far from its intersection with U.S. Highway 58. The man, later identified as James Christopher Barnett, told dispatchers that he accidentally shot his wife.

The Washington County Sheriffs Office responded and found his 71-year-old wife, Nancy Barnett, with a gunshot wound.

She was flown by Virginia State Police MedFlight helicopter to Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee for treatment. She was in critical, but stable condition late Thursday, according to Detective Brandon Tweed.

Sheriff Blake Andis said she is expected to survive.

Her husband, Barnett, 56, was taken into custody and transported to the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail, where he is being held without bail.

Washington County Virginia Commonwealths Attorney Josh Cumbow said Barnett has been charged with aggravated malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Andis said investigators were still trying late Thursday to determine what happened leading up to the shooting. Investigators cleared the scene around 4:30 p.m., Tweed said.

The sheriff said deputies had only responded to the Barnett residence once previously for a medical call. Barnett appears to have no criminal history, local court records show.

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Guwahati, Sep 1 : A week after he tested Covid-19 positive, former Assam Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Tarun Gogoi was administered plasma therapy after his condition deteriorated at the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), doctors said on Tuesday.

GMCH doctors said that Gogoi's condition, however, is stable now after administering one unit of plasma and two litres of oxygen since late on Monday night. According to the doctors, the condition of the 85-year-old veteran leader had deteriorated late on Monday night after a sudden fall in oxygen saturation levels. Gogoi, Chief Minister for 15 years until the BJP came to power in Assam in 2016, had tested positive for COVID-19 on August 25 and was admitted to the GMCH the next day.

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had rushed to the hospital to inquire about the treatment of Gogoi and also spoke with his son and Congress MP Gaurav, who is currently out of the country. A nine-member medical team of doctors, headed by Jogesh Sarma, the head of the GMCH's Pulmonary Medicine Department, is monitoring Gogoi's treatment.

Gogoi, who represents Titabor Assembly constituency in Jorhat district, is among the 24 legislators from the state to have tested positive for the dreaded virus. Rajya Sabha member Kamakhya Prasad Tassa, All India Mahila Congress President and ex-MP Sushmita Dev and sitting Lok Sabha member Maulana Badruddin Ajmal had also tested positive earlier.
Three members of the Coalition of Aggrieved Customers of the collapsed 53 Fund Management Companies have been arrested for leading a protest at the premises of the Finance Ministry.



Members of the group besieged the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, to protest over the exclusion of members of Blackshield Capital Limited from the governments proposed bailout packages for customers of the defunct fund management companies.



The Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Accra Regional Police Command, DSP Efia Tenge, explained in an interview on Accra-based radio station, Citi FM, that the leaders were arrested for staging an unlawful protest.



She said, we heard a group of aggrieved people have besieged the premises of the Ministry of Finance and we saw that they had blocked the entrance of the Ministry preventing access and therefore it behoves on the police to come and ensure that they are dispersed and that is what we have done.



We keep on saying that if you want to embark on any form of protest or any form of demonstration, go through what the law requires for all of us under the Public Order Act 1994, Act 491 so if you do not go through this basic requirement then it means that the police will have no other option than to come and disperse the crowd and that is what the police have done, she explained.



The group took the action on the back of claims that some affected customers would not be part of the governments bailout package for the sector.



The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which made the announcement in a statement said customers of Blackshield and three other firms would not be part of the bailout package because owners of such companies had challenged the revocation of their licenses in court.



Reconsider exclusion of BlackShield from bailout package  Aggrieved customers



The Coalition of Aggrieved Customers had earlier called on SEC to rethink the decision to exclude clients of BlackShield Capital Limited from the governments bailout package.



Addressing the press on Monday, August 31, 2020, spokespersons for the Coalition, Charles Nyame described the exclusion of BlackShields clients as mischievous and a plot to divert the publics attention from the poor handling of the financial sector clean-up.



We consider the reasons given by the SEC as misleading and deceptive. The government also issued a bailout to other customers of companies that are also in court to contest their revocation. It is therefore questionable how the government and SEC decided to apply the rules differently. The actions by the government and SEC are mischievous and dishonest, especially when the government is aware that the court is on legal vacation. We hereby call on the government to rethink and include all BlackShield customers in the bailout package since advancing the bailout package does not amount to any interference in the court process, he noted.







Source: Graphiconline.com









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The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) network has launched its new strategy "Sustainable Buildings for Everyone, Everywhere" with the backing from its 70 Green Building Councils and their +36,000 members.

It is aimed at helping tackle the climate emergency, health and wellbeing and resource efficiency issues in the built environment across the globe.

According to WorldGBC, buildings are responsible for almost 40% of global carbon emissions and 50% of global material use.

Around 91% of people and their families live where air pollution levels exceed World Health Organization limits. People spend 90% of their time indoors, so the quality of the indoor environment is critical in fighting infectious disease transmission.

By 2050, the global population will increase to 9.8 billion and the worlds building stock will double, accelerating devastating environmental, social and economic impacts of the built environment, stated WorldGBC.

WorldGBC CEO Cristina Gamboa said: "To tackle the worlds most pressing issues such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, our new strategy establishes three North Star Goals for our sector: Climate Action, Health & Wellbeing, and Resources and Circularity. To reach these goals, our network has outlined key milestones for 2030 and 2050 and seven impact pathways to achieve them."

"A sustainable future is the only future, and history will judge us tomorrow on what we do today. Together with our networks leadership and solutions, we will continue to scale up collective action for net zero carbon, healthy and sustainable built environments," observed Gamboa.

In the face of Covid-19, these efforts will enable the much-needed green and equitable economic recovery all around the world.

Based on climate science and the Global Goals of Sustainable Development (SDGs), the strategy tackles global warming, health and wellbeing and resource impacts to deliver quality infrastructure - a critical need for our planet, communities and economies in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, he added.

Emmanuel Normant, VP Sustainable Development, Saint-Gobain, said: I welcome the launch of the renewed WorldGBC strategy, Sustainable Buildings for Everyone, Everywhere, developed around three essential areas  climate change, health and wellbeing, resources and circularity.

This document, that is very aligned to Saint-Gobains approach, will be a key milestone to shape the buildings of tomorrow. Its North Star Goals will become a reality with significant training and information, voluntary commitments along the value chain and proactive advocacy towards policymakers.

Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs and a VP at Signify, said:

"The launch of the World Green Buildings Council new two-year strategy Sustainable Buildings for Everyone, Everywhere is a critical leadership program to guide the way towards the decarbonization of the global built environment."

"It is no coincidence that building renovation has been identified as a top priority of post-Covid-19 recovery programs around the world to boost jobs and economic growth and accelerate circular business models," stated Verhaar.

"By coming together to urge the right course of action, we can stave off the worst effects of climate change, paving the way for a brighter, more prosperous, and better future for our planet," he added.

Surbana Jurong Group CEO Wong Heang Fine said: "The WorldGBCs new strategy is bold and sets the tone for sustainability in the coming decades."

"The step to decarbonising value chains reflects the next frontier for climate action, and it will initiate innovative and creative designs and applications for the built environment," he added.

As a leader in designing and delivering sustainable buildings and infrastructure, Surbana Jurong supports the new strategy and is committed to redefining cities and transforming them into sustainable and liveable spaces, where both present and future communities and businesses can thrive.

DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) CEO Christine Lemaitre, said: "Since its establishment in 2007, the DGNB German Sustainable Building Council has been advocating for a transformation of the construction and real estate industry based on a holistic understanding of quality."

'For us and our members, sustainability is the new normal has been the goal for many years. With the newly-formulated strategy, the WorldGBC is taking up exactly this approach, which is why we absolutely support the activities," he noted.

Henrietta Budai, Secretary General (CEO), HuGBC (Hungary Green Building Council)

"HuGBC became an Established member of the World Green Building Council last year. However, we fully supported all strategies that have been developed in recent years."

"The new strategy formulates those missions and goals we also work for in Hungary. I think that resilience and speed is a key value when executing the strategy. We as national green building councils have to anticipate and also adopt quickly to the ever-changing challenges. We must work hard to support our stakeholders in accelerating the changes in mindsets and behaviours required for a better future," he added.

Canada Green Building Council President and CEO Thomas Mueller said: "The WorldGBCs Sustainable Buildings for Everyone, Everywhere strategy echoes the pressing need to engage in meaningful climate action now, while also building healthier, resilient communities for the wellbeing of all Canadians"

It reflects our own commitments in Canada, where we rallied the industry to champion a green recovery that prioritizes green buildings. Investment in high performing, healthy buildings and retrofits can reignite recovering economies by providing skilled jobs, creating efficiencies through lower carbon emissions, and driving the innovation needed to pivot economies toward a low carbon future. To achieve this, we need collective action of the industry now, here in Canada and around the world.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Assemblys committee on Peace and Harmony on Monday said that Facebook should be considered as a co-accused in the Delhi riots case. The committee, formed days after the communal riots in the capital this February, on Monday concluded its second hearing in the matter of the social media giant allegedly intentionally violating its hateful content norms in India.

It has summoned Facebook officials in its next meeting and also continued with its demand for an investigation leading to the filing of a supplementary charge sheet in the ongoing cases related to Delhi riots.

The committee found Facebook prima facie guilty of a role in the violence based on the testimonies of witnesses who presented their stories in dealing with Facebook in the past, the committee Chairman Raghav Chadha said.

The witnesses have alleged strong complicity on the part of Facebook in aggravation of Delhi Riots, the AAP MLA said.

During the hearing that lasted for more than two hours, these witnesses said that a strong nexus existed between Ms. Ankhi Das and the ruling dispensation. Das is the public policy head of Facebook India.

The witnesses unanimously also believed that the alleged complicity of Facebook has also hampered the process of free and fair elections in India and has the mischievous distinction to hijack democracy, the committee said in a statement.

It also pointed out similar issues with WhatsApp for allegedly not taking enough measures to contain the spread of hateful content.

The committee has prima facie found Facebook complicit in Delhi riots of February 2020 on the premise of incriminatory material produced on record by the witnesses as well as their scathing depositions before the Committee, and thus deciding to summon the Facebook officials in its next meeting, the committees statement said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 17:06:15|Editor: huaxia

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WINDHOEK, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's flagship airport, Hosea Kutako International Airport has reopened and is preparing for the resumption of international flights, the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) said Tuesday.

"The company has set in motion its restart plan to ensure airport readiness upon the resumption of international flights under the provisions of the state of the emergency regulations on COVID-19," said the company's spokesperson Dan Kamati.

Kamati said the NAC has not received any airline schedules ahead of the reopening, but airlines have expressed their willingness to resume flights.

"We are anticipating mid-September this year," he said.

The spokesperson noted that the airport will abide by social distancing measures with the use of floor and seat stickers. It is also equipped with sanitizer dispensers and thermostats for temperature checks.

"The airport surfaces, trolleys and other amenities will also be disinfected and cleaned frequently for people's safety," Kamati said. Enditem
Tehran, Sep 1 : A top Iranian official has urged the European Union (EU) to put anti-Tehran "terrorists" on trial, while regretting that some member states of the bloc have given these elements shelter.

"Over 17,000 oppressed Iranian citizens have been victimized by terrorist acts and clear and systematic violations of the basic human rights, including the rights to life, security, and health," the Iranian Parliament's Human Rights Commission Chairwoman Zohreh Elahian said in a letter on Monday to Maria Arena, the head of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights.

Members of the exiled Iranian Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) were responsible for many of these terrorist acts, Xinhua news agency quoted Elahian as saying in the letter.

"Most of the terrorists have sought asylum in European countries and keep on plotting against the people of Iran," she added.

The Iranian lawmaker reminded the European governments' commitments to cooperate "in matters such as the identification and prosecution of offenders, their extradition and the seizure of their assets in order to compensate victims".

Elahian asked the European Parliament to take action, and hoped that European governments will "support the victims of terror and their family members, deliver justice to victims, and put the terrorists who live in these countries on trial to end impunity".

Elahian sent a similar letter to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, calling on the Foreign Ministry to make preparations for prosecuting MKO terrorists.

"Unfortunately, today the majority of these terrorists continue to hatch plans against the Iranian people by fleeing the blade of justice and seeking refuge in European countries," she said in the letter.

According to a report in the state-run Fars News Agency, the MKO is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community.

Its members fled Iran in 1986 for Iraq, where they received support from then-dictator Saddam Hussein.

In 2012, the US State Department removed the MKO from its list of designated terrorist organizations.
After more than 7 months of separation, students returned to school in batches beginning from last week in Beijing. By August 24, there were nearly 4,000 students back to Beihang University. The "one-stop" registration and health care packages provided by Beihang offer students convenience and extra assurance towards their campus life.
Theres no way to deny it  Rachel Lindsay is a blessing to The Bachelor franchise. The Bachelor Happy Hour host first appeared on Nick Vialls season. She then became The Bachelorette lead in 2017. Now, the Texan consistently challenges the franchise to become better, raising valid questions about the shows diversity  or lack thereof. So what about the former reality stars love life? Lindsay is happily married to her Bachelorette final pick, Bryan Abasolo.

Rachel Lindsay and Nick Viall broke up on The Bachelor

RELATED: Fans Are Standing Up for Rachel Lindsay After She Was Attacked on Social Media

On Aug. 31, ABC will air a recap of Vialls journey during The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons  Ever. So fans will get to relive some of Lindsays early days on the franchise. The pair met in 2017, and they seemed to hit it off right away. But even so, Viall and Lindsay did not end up together.

In the end, Viall picked Vanessa Grimaldi on The Bachelor. Meanwhile, Lindsay and Viall bid a tearful farewell in the ninth week. That said, it seems the exes are on friendly terms now.

Rachel Lindsay got engaged to Bryan Abasolo on The Bachelorette

The Bachelorette stars Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo | Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

RELATED: The Bachelor: How Rachel Lindsay Hopes Fans Can Spark Change Within the Franchise

A few months after The Bachelor, Lindsay got to embark on her own Bachelorette journey. But when she was initially approached by producers, Lindsay didnt want the role.

When they offered me The Bachelorette, I told them no, Lindsay told Page Six in August 2020. But when a mother reminded the reality star about the impact of the first Black bachelorette, Lindsay reconsidered. She said:

It was a mother coming up to me saying, I heard youre going to be on The Bachelorette. My daughter stopped watching the show. But shes gonna start watching it again because theres [minority] representation. And I said, OK then I have to do The Bachelorette. I wasnt even thinking about the bigger picture.

Then at the end of Lindsays season, the 35-year-old met her perfect match. And in the finale, Lindsay picked Abasolo over Peter Kraus. The couple got engaged in Rioja, Spain.

Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo are married now

RELATED: The Bachelorettes Rachel Lindsay Was Reportedly in the Running for Co-Hosting Gig on The Real

Now, its been three years since Lindsay and Abasolo got together on The Bachelorette Season 13, and a few things have changed. In August 2019, the couple got married. They held their wedding in Cancun and spent their honeymoon in Greece. The former reality stars also celebrated their one-year anniversary recently.

One year + FOREVERI love you and I am beyond thankful for you, Lindsay wrote on Aug. 24.

Then in his own Instagram post, Abasolo wrote:

I cant believe its already been a year since we both said I Do! I consider myself beyond lucky to be able to call you my wife and truly blessed to be your husband. I wake up every single day a better man because you are always there to support, encourage, and love me no matter what. You are my rock and my best friend. Thank you for the memories we have shared together this year and I look forward to many many more. I love you @therachlindsay Happy Anniversary!

Meanwhile, when speaking with Us Weekly in October 2019, Lindsay and Abasolo revealed theyre ready to be parents.

We hope [to have kids] sooner rather than later, Lindsay said. Were not preventing it. But if were planning, in the next year.

Lindsay and Abasolos relationship will also be put to the test once things return to normal. The former bachelorette is expecting to be bicoastal due to work.

I love to work. Im addicted to working, clearly, and rather than holding that against me, Brian loves it and hes super supportive of it, Lindsay said, per Us Weekly. We have an understanding, we talk it out. Its not always easy. But hes supportive of what Im doing and Im supportive of what hes doing because he has his own practice here in Miami.

She later added, If we can survive The Bachelorette and having everybody against our relationship  we can do anything. We got this now.

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Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu says police have detained the top Islamic State leader in the country - Anadolu

The Islamic State groups top leader in Turkey has been arrested, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of arrests of alleged jihadists in the country.

Mr Soylu identified the suspect as Mahmut Ozden and described him as the "emir" of Islamic State in Turkey, detained in an "ongoing" operation.

Mr Ozden has previously been convicted of terrorism offences, local media reports.

In a report about arrests of Islamic State suspects last April, state-run Anadolu Agency reported: "Another terrorist, Mahmut Ozden was sentenced to six years and three months in prison."

Police officers of Turkish Special Forces Command carry out an operation against suspects - Eren Bozkurt/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

It was not immediately clear why Mr Ozden had been at large.

Police seized Mr Ozden's computer and other "digital material", which revealed "important plans", Mr Soylu said. These involved a plot to kidnap Turkish politicians and take them to Syria and attacks on businesses.

The operation is still ongoing and we have detained other Daesh terrorists linked to him, the minister said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

Mr Ozden was detained in the southern city of Adana, Haberturk news channel reported.

Information obtained from a suspected IS militant who was detained in a raid in Istanbul last week led to Mr Ozden's arrest, the minister told reporters.

That man, identified by the initials H S, had been planning a sensational attack in Istanbul, police said.

A video published on August 25 showed police detaining the suspect in a hotel in the working-class Kucukcekmece district. An assault rifle and ammunition was seized in the raid.

Released surveillance camera footage showed a man walking in Istanbuls Taksim Square and nearby, which Anadolu said was the suspect scouting the area in preparation for an attack. The man had recently illegally crossed into Turkey from Syria, the report said.

Earlier last month, Turkish police in northwestern Bursa province reported foiling an attack on a police station by detaining another suspected militant.

Story continues

Islamic State militants have carried out several attacks in Turkey in the past five years, including an Istanbul nightclub shooting on New Years eve that killed 39 people.

Israeli, French, Tunisian, Lebanese, Indian, Belgian, Jordanian and Saudi citizens were among the foreigners killed alongside Turkish citizens in the Reina nightclub in the Ortakoy neighbourhood in the early hours of January 1 2017, while another 79 people were wounded.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying it was revenge for Turkeys military involvement in Syria. An Uzbek national was later arrested in Istanbul and charged with the attack.
Facebook and Twitter have, again, caught Russian trolls trying to meddle with their platforms. Both companies disclosed that they had suspended a handful of accounts linked to the Internet research Agency, the Russian troll farm behind Russias 2016 election interference campaign.

Though not the first time the companies found IRA accounts this year, it does seem the group has been evolving it tactics. Both Facebook and Twitter report that the IRA accounts pushed a news site in an effort to boost their credibility, and that they managed to hire actual (and apparently unwitting) journalists to write for it.

In total, our team has found and removed about a dozen deceptive campaigns connected to individuals associated with the IRA, Facebook wrote in an update. The IRA-linked campaign we removed in August was largely unsuccessful on Facebook, but it tricked unwitting freelance journalists into writing stories on its behalf.

Similarly, Twitter said that it had identified five accounts it could reliably attribute to Russian state actors, which seem to have been associated with the same scheme. As on Facebook, Twitter says the accounts achieved little impact on Twitter and mostly posted spammy and other low quality tweets.

The Tweets from the Russian-linked accounts were low quality and spammy, and most Tweets from these accounts received few, if any, Likes or Retweets.



The accounts achieved little impact on Twitter and were identified and removed quickly.  Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) September 1, 2020

But the company notes that the accounts, which were associated with a news website called PeaceData had hired freelancers to produce content. Twitter says that it will now block links to the PeaceData website and that existing links will be de-amplified.

Both Twitter and Facebook said they were tipped off to the IRA activity by the FBI, which helped them shut down the accounts before they could grow their influence.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) flagged concerns of the business community during an online conference with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Speaking during the conference, KCCI President Sheikh Ashiq told the Finance Minister that although the slowdown across the country and the globe is on the back of the coronavirus pandemic, but for the Kashmir valley it has had a severe impact over the past 13 months.

He sought support from the Finance Ministry for the businesses in the region and said that sectors like horticulture can be a game changer in the valley, which need to be tapped.

Ashiq also said that previous meetings with the minister raised a lot of hopes, but developments were yet to take place on the ground.

He also informed Sitharaman that the industry body has raised the concerns with the newly-appointed Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.

Earlier speaking at the virtual conference, the Finance Minister said that she recently met Sinha and assured him of support from the ministry towards the financial issues of the Union Territory.
A Brigade commander level meeting is underway.The meeting came after the Indian Army thwarted an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

The meeting of brigade commander of the Indian Army with his Chinese counterpart is underway in Chushul/Moldo to discuss issues related to the situation on the southern bank of Pangong lake, Indian Army sources said.The meeting came after the Indian Army thwarted an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

On the night of August 29/30, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo, said Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand in a statement on Monday.

The Indian Army took measures to strengthen its position and and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground.The Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity through dialogue but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity. A Brigade Commander level Flag Meeting is in progress at Chushul to resolve the issues, Anand said further.

ALSO READ: First female IPS officer Charu Sinha to head terrorist-hit Srinagar sector for CRPF

Army sources said the Chinese Army had tried to transgress into Indian areas using a sizeable number of troops but Indian Army came to know about their intentions and preempted the Chinese attempt and foiled their move.India and China are engaged in a standoff since April-May over the transgressions by the Chinese Army in multiple areas including Finger area, Galwan valley, Hot springs and Kongrung Nala.

The talks between the two sides have been going on for the last three months including five Lieutenant General-level talks but have failed to yield any results, so far.

The Chinese Army has refused to withdraw or disengage completely from the Finger area and seems to be buying time to delay its disengagement from there.While efforts are underway to resolve the ongoing border dispute, India has rejected the Chinese suggestion to disengage equidistantly from the Finger area in Eastern Ladakh.

ALSO READ: Facebook, WhatsApp operations in India must be probed: Rahul Gandhi
A Dublin primary school has sent home one of its senior classes after a student tested positive for Covid-19.

The school's principal stated that the "case originated outside the school" and that pupils have been sent home as a precaution.

In an email to parents, the school asked students in the class to remain home and restrict their movements for 14 days.

"As you are aware, public health has declared that these cases will be inevitable in schools, and it is therefore inevitable there will be more such cases in the coming year," the email said.

"If any pupil becomes symptomatic you should contact your GP.

"Siblings of pupils in the affected class may still come to school unless symptomatic or otherwise directed by public health."

The principal added that while the school will be informing parents of this first event, "we will not be informing of each individual further cases unless instructed by public health to do so".

The school reopened last Wednesday and is following public health advice.

It is understood the school will facilitate learning from home for the affected students with live zoom lessons over the next two weeks.

Under HSE guidelines, schools do not have to contact parents if there's been a confirmed case, only the "close contacts" of the student.

In a statement to Independent.ie, the school principal said: "I can confirm that public health has directed that one of the senior classes are to restrict their movements. The case originated outside the school.

"I wish to commend public health officials who acted speedily on this matter and our school community are very encouraged with the efficiency of public health officials and their thorough, comprehensive and speedy intervention into this case.

"The school has been following all public health protocols for the re-opening of schools and I wish to thank the families who have been very supportive of the school's reopening."

A spokesperson for the HSE said it cannot comment on individual cases or outbreaks to protect the privacy and confidentiality of those involved.
New Delhi :

Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitious digital payment app, BHIM is facing technical glitches while downloading it from the Google play store. An error message is visible while trying to install the app in to the smartphone.

Such reports of error have appeared after the BHIM app was top listed in google play stores list of most downloaded app. The app has also been reported to be downloaded 3 million times.

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant in a tweet had said that the BHIM app was downloaded 3 million times, since its launch, and has been no 1 on play store in India among all apps, 500,000 transactions

Earlier, in a bid to further push adoption of e-payments in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30 launched the BHIM app that will enable fast and secure cashless transactions using mobile phones.

Named after the architect of the Indian Constitution, Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) is a simplified payment platform designed to make Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and USSD payment modes simpler and usable across feature phones and smart phones.

Developed by National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), BHIM is supported by host of banks, including State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and Punjab National Bank, among others.

The app is for now only available to android users and is currently available in Hindi and English, and support for more languages is expected soon.

BHIM is interoperable with other Unified Payment Interface (UPI) applications and bank accounts.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Hyundai America Reports August 2020 Sales







August SUV Retail Sales Grew 8%

Palisade Continues To Rally Sales; Kona Sets New August Sales Record

Hyundai Continues to Gain Market Share





FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020  Hyundai Motor America reported total August sales of 58,361 units, an 8% decline compared with August 2019. Retail sales were down 2%. Hyundai fleet sales were down 63% and represented 4% of total volume. There were three additional selling days in August 2019 and Labor Day holiday weekend sales were included in last years August numbers. On a daily selling rate basis, Hyundai retail sales increased 7% year over year. Industry forecasts predicted a 20% drop in total sales for the entire industry.

Despite a down market, our SUVs continue to drive sales and deliver results for us and our dealers, said Randy Parker, vice president, National Sales, Hyundai Motor America. Our entire line up performed well, but Palisade led the pack and is one of the fastest selling vehicles in the industry. Sonata sales were up, because customers still want great, high-quality, safe sedans.

Despite this months sale decline, Hyundai has increased its retail market share nearly a full percentage point on the year, the biggest gain in the industry.

Hyundai sold 55,915 retail units in August, with SUVs representing 67% of the total retail mix. Hyundai SUV retail sales grew 8%. Retail sales of the flagship SUV Palisade were up 56%, while Kona retail sales jumped 22%, establishing new August total and retail sales records. Sonata retail sales increased 11% in August as research from Cars.com found that 41% of shoppers were in the market for sedans, higher than SUVs and crossovers (39%).

August Sales Summary

Aug-20 Aug-19 2020 YTD 2019 YTD Hyundai 58,361 63,737 388,635 454,405

August Product and Corporate Activities

IONIQ Brand Launch: Hyundai unveiled its global IONIQ brand, opening a new chapter as a leader in electrified mobility.

Hyundai unveiled its global IONIQ brand, opening a new chapter as a leader in electrified mobility. Elantra N Reveal: The all-new Elantra N is designed and engineered to deliver enhanced driving performance to the bold all-new Elantra that is arriving at U.S. dealers in Q4.

The all-new Elantra N is designed and engineered to deliver enhanced driving performance to the bold all-new Elantra that is arriving at U.S. dealers in Q4. IIHS TOP SAFETY PICKS: The Venue was awarded an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK, bringing Hyundais total to 10 award-winning vehicles, tied for the most in the industry.

The Venue was awarded an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK, bringing Hyundais total to 10 award-winning vehicles, tied for the most in the industry. IMSA Racing Success: Hyundais racing partner, Bryan Herta Autosport, scored its third straight 2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge victory and second straight podium sweep.

Hyundais racing partner, Bryan Herta Autosport, scored its third straight 2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge victory and second straight podium sweep. Personnel Additions: Hyundai further strengthened its leadership team adding Olabisi Boyle as the new vice president of Product Planning and Mobility Strategy and Fred DePerez as the vice president of Product Line Management and Sales Planning.

Model Sales

Vehicle Aug-20 Aug-19 2020 YTD 2019 YTD Accent 1,135 1,577 10,967 18,313 Elantra 9,135 14,305 66,868 110,855 Ioniq 879 2,152 8,143 12,642 Kona 7,998 6,385 45,842 49,851 Nexo 25 34 117 174 Palisade 7,983 5,115 52,842 9,962 Santa Fe 9,129 10,828 61,854 88,043 Sonata 7,965 8,231 45,088 62,339 Tucson 11,632 13,985 80,495 92,568 Veloster 836 1,125 5,984 9,658 Venue 1,644 0 10,435 0

Hyundai Motor America

At Hyundai Motor America, we believe everyone deserves better. From the way we design and build our cars to the way we treat the people who drive them, making things better is at the heart of everything we do. Hyundais technology-rich product lineup of cars, SUVs and alternative-powered electric and fuel cell vehicles is backed by Hyundai Assuranceour promise to create a better experience for customers. Hyundai vehicles are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide and nearly half of those sold in the U.S. are built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea.
 Flash

Lies and rumors about China's response to climate change or its policies on Xinjiang and Hong Kong are bound to be debunked by facts, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris.

Wang made these remarks on Sunday when responding to a question by a member of the European Parliament who claimed that China's deeds and words are not consistent on climate change and that China's policies on Xinjiang and Hong Kong are not in line with the values of the European Union.

'China does what it says'

On climate change, Wang said, "we are not only clear but also resolute in our actions."

"First of all, despite pressure from various parties, we stood firmly with France and facilitated the signing of the landmark Paris Agreement," he said.

"Secondly, China has achieved the 2020 target of emission reduction two years ahead of schedule."

The share of non-fossil energy in China's total energy consumption has risen to nearly 15 percent; the installed capacity of renewable energy accounted for 30 percent of the world's total, making up 44-percent of the global increase, Wang explained.

What's more, he noted, over half of the world's new energy vehicles are now running on Chinese roads, and a quarter of the world's newly afforested area since 2000 is in China.

"Thirdly, we have not stopped there," Wang added. "China is making new plans with long-term goals based on the new ecological needs of the country."

"These facts and figures show that China does what it says. It is also a fact that the air quality in Beijing is getting better and better," he said.

'People in HK feel safer'

On the situation in Hong Kong, Wang said: "It is China's internal affairs and no foreign country has the right to interfere. We never discuss the internal affairs of other countries, as we believe that all governments will run their own affairs well and fulfill their due responsibilities."

He went on to explain that the law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong was promulgated to fill a major loophole in Hong Kong's legal system and has contributed to making Hong Kong a safer and more stable place.

"Since the second half of last year, the world has seen the chaos in Hong Kong -- its Legislative Council being smashed, subway paralyzed, innocent people being injured, and a lawmaker being stabbed in a terrorist attack. If the chaos continues, Hong Kong will have no future and the 'one country, two systems' policy can hardly be sustained," said Wang.

"Any country, including France, must have laws to safeguard national security. And this is the authority of the central government. You can't just sit back and watch this chaos continue," he said.

After the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, decided to fill this major loophole in Hong Kong's legal system, nearly 3 million citizens in Hong Kong offered their signatures in support. And since the national security law for Hong Kong was implemented, nearly 80 percent of Hong Kongers believe that the city is getting safer and more stable, Wang added.

Moreover, chapter I of the national security law for Hong Kong clearly states its goal of "ensuring the resolute, full and faithful implementation of the policy of 'one country, two systems'," Wang said.

He said the national security law for Hong Kong also clearly stipulates that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, including the rights and freedoms which Hong Kong residents enjoy under the Basic Law of HKSAR and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to Hong Kong.

Therefore, the promulgation and implementation of the national security law for Hong Kong will not only safeguard the basic rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents, but will also ensure the implementation of "one country, two systems" in a more stable and sustainable way, said Wang.

At the same time, all foreigners and foreign companies in Hong Kong will enjoy full legal protection, he added.

'Come and visit Xinjiang'

Regarding Xinjiang, one of China's autonomous regions bordering Afghanistan, it used to be a channel for international terrorist forces to penetrate into China, Wang said.

Over the years, Xinjiang was hit by several thousand violent terrorist attacks, which caused hundreds of casualties among innocent people including Uygur residents, he said.

"For sure, the Chinese government must assume the responsibility of protecting people's lives and resolutely fight terrorism. Meanwhile, we have taken preventive measures in countering terrorism and achieved de-radicalization through education," Wang said.

There are similar practices in France and the United States such as de-radicalization centers and community correction systems, he said, adding that measures taken by the Chinese government are answering the call of the United Nations.

The human rights of those participating in learning and training have been fully protected, and all the trainees have graduated and acquired vocational skills. They have found jobs and are living a normal life, Wang said.

In the past three years, not a single terrorist act befell Xinjiang, as the region is peaceful and people there are living and working in harmony, he said.

Wang also noted that in the past 40 years the Uygur population in Xinjiang has more than doubled from 5.5 million to 11 million, and that there are 24,000 mosques in Xinjiang -- one for every 530 Muslims -- a higher rate than in many Muslim countries.

"Where did the 'ethnic cleansing' come from? How can there be any suppression of 'religious freedom'?" he asked. "We welcome everyone to visit Xinjiang. Seeing is believing," he said.

Over the past several years, more than 1,000 people from over 90 countries and regions had visited Xinjiang. They are from different countries and having different political viewpoints, but they all agree that what they had seen in Xinjiang is completely different from what they had heard of before, Wang said.

'Lies and rumors bound to be debunked by facts'

However, Wang noted, if one goes to China with "a presumption of guilt" in advance, trying to find or "develop" the so-called "evidence," that is another matter, and the people of Xinjiang will certainly not accept it.

As the Chinese minister sees it, rumors and lies about China come from a small pocket of people who are bent on smearing China.

"They find that the more sensational news they spread, the more attention and sympathy they will get, or even funding. So the lies get bigger and bigger, but further and further away from the truth," said Wang.

"Lies and rumors, no matter how many times they are repeated, are bound to be debunked eventually by facts," he added.

Wang also cited surveys conducted in China by international pollsters such as Harvard University, the Pew Research Center in recent years, which found that the support rate of the Chinese people for the ruling party and the Chinese government has always been the highest in the world, averaging over 90 percent, far exceeding that of other countries in the world.

"If it has not been effective in protecting and promoting the human rights of the people, how can it continue to enjoy the support of the people?" he asked.

"China is the fastest-changing place in the world today. It has made tremendous progress and will surely usher in new and greater progress in the future," Wang reassured, adding "We welcome everyone to China to see the progress and changes for themselves."
Dianna W. on Yelp

You used to have to be local to get your hands on the coveted blueberry coffee cake served at Hobees Restaurant. Not anymore.

Hobees has joined Goldbelly, a national online marketplace that ships artisanal goods by local purveyors, to sell its blueberry coffee cake thats normally served as a complimentary side or for purchase at its restaurants. With the online sale, customers can buy the entire cake, though itll set you back $59.
GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Co-hosted by Mars Economics of Mutuality (EoM) Foundation and the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham China), the international seminar themed Why Does Purpose as A Strategy Make A Difference in Today's Post-COVID World? was held online on August 27. Leading experts from Mars EoM Foundation, XAG, VISA China, and YouChange China Social Entrepreneur Foundation were brought together with hundreds of other business leaders to discuss how the primacy of purpose could transform business performance across the people, planet, and profit equation. Justin Gong, Co-founder of XAG, shared the power of unmanned agriculture technologies as profitable solutions to the relevant social and environmental problems in the global food system.

This seminar was part of the Mars EoM program series, which aims to explore a more sustainable and inclusive path forward that helps business thrive in the post-COVID era. Based on fifteen years of in-depth academic research and business practice, the Economics of Mutuality is a ground-breaking management innovation that empowers companies to seek a purpose that goes beyond profit maximisation. It was developed within Mars, Incorporated in collaboration with Oxford University and other top academic institutions.

Create Purpose-centric Values with Drones and Robots

Alan Beebe, the President of AmCham China expressed in the opening remarks that the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unprecedented challenges and opportunities to companies worldwide. There is a new urgency for business to consider how emerging digital technologies can lead to the achievement of the economics of neutrality goals.

With the mission of advancing agriculture, XAG is an agriculture technology company which has been putting the EoM values into practice. Unlike many other companies addressing their positive impacts through separate charity or corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, XAG is born with CSR embedded and empowers millennial generation with drones and robots to reshape the agriculture landscape.

"Our business naturally has a purpose, which is based on solving environmental and rural development issues such as the loss of biodiversity and aging farming population. We develop agricultural drones, farming robots, IoT systems, and smart agriculture farm management software to conduct field works as tedious and dangerous as seeding, spraying pesticides, and crop scouting. In this case, the young generation farmers can focus more on managing agricultural inputs and making decisions to optimise the production workflow," Justin Gong, Co-founder of XAG said.

XAG's smart agriculture solutions can not only help farmers improve productivity through autonomous operations, but also generate higher profits for smallholders and farm owners. Drones and robots are cost-effective, eco-friendly tools of precision agriculture, conserving water and reducing the use of pesticides while closing yield gap to ensure food security.

Mutuality as A New Force to Boost Economic Resilience

Inclusive collaboration and profit sharing are the key paths forward to promote mutuality business growth. For example, XAG has been working with local government in China to build digital farming infrastructure that paves the way for standardised operations of unmanned agricultural equipment, as well as the hands free farms.

"Just like people in the city have grown accustomed to calling a taxi or ordering a meal with their smartphone, farmers in rural areas can also order drones and robots from their service providers to implement the fieldwork. This is easily achieved by using the lightweight survey drone to take high-definition field maps on the farm. In the meantime, we provide technical training for young generation to help them better adapt to the age of big data," Justin Gong explained. This shows that XAG is more than designing new tools and products for the company itself, but to create a smart agriculture ecosystem for the whole society that connects farmers, producers, and consumers.

Mutuality as a new form of sustainable, inclusive growth model can be a powerful force to increase business resilience under crisis. This March in China, when the coronavirus outbreak exacerbated rural labour shortages and threatened to disrupt the spring planting season, XAG leveraged its nationwide distribution and service network to successfully seed million hectares of rice fields with drones. "In this critical period, we launched an online program that trained farmers to become drone pilots. And we also worked with the seed company to develop special coatings for rice seeds that could be directly broadcast by our drones," Gong said.

In this seminar, Bruno Roche, Former Chief Economist, Founder and Executive Director of Economics of Mutuality, Mars Incorporated, concluded that the purpose of business should not remain at pursuing higher financial performance. Instead, businesses should seek to drive holistic value creation for all stakeholders in their respective ecosystem. This is about adopting a responsible and more complete form of capitalism that is fairer and performs better than the purely financial version operating today.

So far, the mutuality business model has been soundly verified across different countries and regions. "As companies are being tested by this COVID crisis, they should build bridges, not the walls, to let social, human, natural and shared financial capital to flow, making the world economy more resilient to uncertainties such as climate change and pandemics," Gong said.

SOURCE XAG

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www.xa.com


BRUNSWICK, Ga. - The commissioners of a coastal Georgia county where Black man Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot after being pursued by armed white men are suing to stop a referendum on abolishing the county police department.

The Glynn County Commission filed the lawsuit Friday, The Brunswick News reports. The report said the lawsuit argues that a state law mandating the November vote is unconstitutional. The referendum would seek to abolish the county police agency and hand law enforcement authority over to the sheriff.

State lawmakers approved the binding referendum in the spring after Arberys February shooting death, though the referendum effort has its roots in scandals that took place earlier.

Glynn County commissioners have opposed that effort, saying two local Republican lawmakers are trying to help their political ally, Sheriff Neal Jump.

Arbery was fatally shot last Feb. 23 when a white father and son armed themselves and pursued the unarmed 25-year-old man, who was running in their neighbourhood, according to authorities. More than two months passed before Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, were charged with felony murder and aggravated assault.

A third man, William Roddie Bryan, a neighbour of the McMichaels who authorities say had joined in their pursuit of Arbery and recorded the cellphone video of the shooting, also was subsequently charged with murder. All three men remain jailed, awaiting trial.

The county police department was the initial investigating agency, but arrests came after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case from local prosecutors.

The county police chief and three former high-ranking officers were indicted in March on charges that they ignored an officer consorting with a drug dealer. A Glynn County narcotics officer was found to have been having sex with two confidential informants. There also have been claims of unjustified shootings by the departments officers.

Commissioners want to prevent the scheduled Nov. 3 vote while the lawsuit is being considered. The suit describes the two laws that cleared the way for the vote as patently unconstitutional, saying the General Assembly cant take back home rule powers given to county governments in the state Constitution.

The General Assembly cannot pass a local act that requires the abolishment of the police department without the input of the county, which is granted constitutional authority .... to provide police protection to its citizens, the county argues.

The county also argues the law is improperly targeted at only Glynn County.

The suit also contends that it was too late for the election to be held on Nov. 3, saying such elections have to be called 90 days ahead. Kemp signed the bills on Aug. 5, precisely 90 days before Nov. 3, but official notice to the Glynn County Board of Elections took several more days.

The county board initially interpreted the situation to require it to hold an entirely separate election with different ballots, machines and poll works on the same day as the general election, estimating that would cost the county $500,000. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger instead encouraged the board to put it on the same ballot as the other races, but the countys lawsuit said that move is illegal.
We respect Cardinal Blase Cupich and Superintendent Jim Rigg and appreciate the difficult decisions they have tried to make, especially with the financial difficulties of trying to keep our Catholic school system vibrant. And many parents desire a return to normalcy. However, nothing could damage Catholic schools more than an outbreak that could lead to serious illness or death among students, teachers, administrators and pastors, not to mention their families.
Social media has observably taken a turn for worse with regard to negativity and toxicity in the last few months. At a time when celebrities are being attacked left, right and centre, actor Amit Sadh opened up on how he is coping with the pressures of having to 'speak out' on social media.

Talking about trolls and harassers on social media, Amit Sadh told Hindustan Times, "I have my own system. I also get trolled whenever I do something. Who are these people, I want to ask them back, they are just sitting at home and tweeting. Basically, you are not even trolling, you are harassing people. Again, you can't go and fight these people."

He continued, "When I want to be silent, I will be silent, and same when I want to speak up. I talk without inhibitions, and I will choose. I may not be as vocal with everyone, it's a choice. If you are silent, and for someone to actually accuse you, make life hell for you, is wrong. Again, it's a twenty edged sword, that is going to pierce you." Amit said that one cannot accept the good side without accepting the 'uncomfortable side'.

Amit, who had starred alongside the late Sushant Singh Rajput in Kai Po Che!, said, "Even I am being trolled for Sushant they say 'you are quiet, I am unfollowing you. Sometimes, when I am in the mood, I also say 'thanks, one less person to take care of', because I am very protective of my fans. Agar ek kam hai, it's better that I pay more attention to the other one. Again, it's not about public figure, as a whole nation it's time we introspect, let's not abuse social media. We are abusing it. My whole thing is if you don't have love or respect, don't abuse people. A lot of people abuse women, what country are we becoming? I feel I can't run away, I have a social responsibility. I will be an example and lead from the front."

Amit was last seen in the Amazon Prime web series Breathe: Into The Shadows. It also starred Abhishek Bachchan and Nithya Menen.

ALSO READ: When Kangana Ranaut Said People Can Get 'Venomous And Evil' On Social Media

ALSO READ: Saif Ali Khan On Why He Is Not On Social Media: It Fills Me With Negativity


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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 14:34 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41ed3cc 1 National puan-maharani,house-of-representatives,Lawmakers,problematic-bills,PDI-P Free

House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani claimed on Tuesday that lawmakers maintained transparency when deliberating bills, amid criticism questioning the legislative branchs transparency in the deliberation of some bills.

"Being transparent, accepting criticism and input are our commitments so that we are able to have quality legislation products," Puan said in her speech during a plenary session at the legislative complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician said the House had tried to maintain that commitment despite the COVID-19 pandemic, adding it had 248 bills in the 2020-2024 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) and 37 on the priority list.

"Six bills have been passed into law, 10 bills are in the deliberation process and 19 bills are being drafted," she said without specifying the titles.

The House, however, has repeatedly found itself in hot water, with critics lambasting it for lack of transparency in deliberating some bills.

Civil society groups have called on the House to repeal problematic articles in the revision to the 2011 Constitutional Court Law, arguing that they contained conflicts of interest that could compromise the courts independence and impartiality.

Read also: House set to endorse revision of Constitutional Court Law

They criticized the swift deliberation of the bill, which was conducted behind closed doors between the House and the government during the ongoing pandemic.

They also raised suspicions that the bill was being used as a "political swapping" tool, as many new controversial laws were being challenged at the court, such as the State Spending and Financial Relief Law, the Mining Law and the omnibus bill on job creation.

The Indonesian Parliament Watch (Formappi) described the Houses performance during the sitting period as the same as during the New Order Era, as it had rushed some bills deliberations and dismissed public participation.

Formappi researcher Lucius Karus said the House did not carry out the checks and balances function properly, adding that the legislative body seemed to only act merely as a "rubber stamp" and a "tool of legitimacy" for the government.

"The House now looks almost the same as it did in the New Order Era, acting merely as a tool of legitimacy for the government, he said.

Many bills were made through speedy deliberations.
A grandfather who was brutally attacked outside his home has died two weeks after the horrific assault.

Emiliano Lombardi, 84, was attacked with pieces of broken mirror outside his home in East Cannington, south Perth, on August 16.

Mr Lombardi was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital the next morning and remained in intensive care until his death on Monday night.

Emiliano Lombardi, 84, (pictured) died in Royal Perth Hospital two weeks after he was brutally attacked outside of his East Cannington home in south Perth on August 16

Mr Lombardi (pictured) suffered a broken nose, eye injuries, and numerous deep cuts after he was attacked with car mirror shards and spent a week in an induced coma

Mr Lombardi had gone outside to investigate a disturbance around 7pm when he was brutally slashed with the car mirror shards.

He suffered from a broken nose, eye injuries, and numerous deep cuts.

The 84-year-old was spent a week in an induced coma and underwent facial surgery at Royal Perth Hospital.

Australians were shocked at the gory images of Mr Lombardi's injuries which showed the grandfather covered in blood.

News of the attack prompted neighbours and local tradesmen to look after Mr Lombardi's home while he was hospitalised.

Tradies volunteered to repaint and plaster the grandfather's home, while neighbours visited daily to look after his chickens and vegetable garden.

Businesses also offered to provide new furniture and bedding after the 84-year old's sheets were stained with blood.

Tradesmen, business and volunteers rallied together to look after the grandfather's home and pets while he recovered from the savage beating (Mr Lombardi is pictured)

Quade Karsum Jones (pictured above), 28, was arrested following the attack. Police also arrested a 24-year-old man from Armadale and allege the two men are behind the bashing

A local vet found a dogsitter for Mr Lombardi's pets and dozens of get-well cards were sent to the hospital by strangers.

WA Police arrested two men as part of an investigation into the horrific bashing on August 20.

Both 28-year-old Quade Karsum Jones, from Seville Grove, and a 24-year-old man from Armadale were taken into custody.

Jones, a roofing tradie, was charged over the attack on Mr Lombardi, an indecent assault on a woman in her 40s and an assault on a man and woman in their 20s.

WA Police arrested (pictured) two men on August 20 in relation to the horrific bashing

Jones (pictured above), a roofing tradie, was charged with the attack on Mr Lombardi as part of an alleged crime spree that took place between 6.30pm and 7.30pm

Police will allege the attack on Mr Lombardi was committed as part of a rampage that lasted for an hour from 6.30pm and 7.30pm.

His charges include intent to do grievous bodily harm, indecent assault, robbery, and assault occasioning bodily harm.

Jones is expected to remain behind bars until September 15 after briefly facing Perth Magistrates Court on August 21.

The 24-year-old man who allegedly joined Jones on his alleged crime spree was charged with multiple counts of criminal damage and firearm and drug crimes.

The alleged rampage included the four assaults, graffiti and letterbox damage and a brick thrown through a window.

WA Police said the Homicide Squad have taken over the investigation and the charges may be upgraded.

The investigation is ongoing.
PATNA: Gunshots were heard at Bihar Military Police Gorkha Vahini camp on Tuesday (September 1) morning. When locals rushed to the post, they found two bodies, of a man and a woman, of Gorkha personnel lying on the ground.

Top officials also reached the spot and began investigating the matter. The police said that it will only be known after the investigation if it's a suicide or murder, adding that prima facie appears to be a case of an affair between the two colleagues.

However, there has been no official confirmation on the same.

The deceased have been identified as Amar Subba (36) and Varsha Tiping Tamang (26). Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Upendra Sharma said a total of five bullets were fired from the self-loading rifle of Amar Subba, who was found lying in a pool of blood beside his colleague Varsha Putung, his junior, at the premises of BMP-1.

The first battalion of Bihar Military Police is also known, in common parlance, as the "Gurkha battalion" as it draws much of its workforce from among the members of the tribe.

"Both hailed from Darjeeling. Both were married with families back home. On the basis of forensic examinations so far, we can say that all the five bullets were fired from Subbas SLR and no third person was involved", the SSP told reporters.

Asked whether he suspected that Subba had first killed Putung before pointing the gun at himself, the SSP said, "we are not ruling out anything at this moment. "We would be able to say more after getting feedbacks from their colleagues about what type of relationship the two deceased shared.
The University of California must immediately suspend use of SAT or ACT test scores for admission and scholarship decisions, an Alameda County Superior Court judge has ruled. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)

The University of California must immediately suspend all use of SAT and ACT test scores for admission and scholarship decisions under a preliminary injunction issued by an Alameda County Superior Court judge.

The ruling came in a lawsuit asserting that the use of standardized test scores is broadly biased  and particularly detrimental to students with disabilities who seek to take the test during the coronavirus crisis.

Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman said in his Monday ruling that plaintiffs had shown sufficient cause to stop the tests for now because applicants with disabilities had virtually no access to test-taking sites or legally required accommodations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The barriers faced by students with disabilities have been greatly exacerbated by the COVID-19 epidemic, which has disrupted test-taking locations, closed schools and limited access to school counselors," Seligman wrote.

Seligman added that little data existed to show whether the tests were even valid or reliable indicators of their future college performance. He set a case management conference for Sept. 29.

The injunction on the use of SAT and ACT results will affect all California applicants to the UC system.

"The SAT and ACT are dead and gone as far as the UC system is concerned," said Mark Rosenbaum, a Los Angeles attorney who helped file the lawsuit as director of Public Counsels Opportunity Under Law project. The "historic decision puts an end to racist tests that deprived countless California students of color, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families of a fair shot at admissions to the UC system.

Rosenbaum said he and his team targeted only the UC system to efficiently manage the case but that the court's reasoning should apply to all colleges and universities, both public and private, across the country.

"If other universities don't follow, we'll come after them as well," he said, adding that he would be conferring with civil and disability rights advocates in other states.

Story continues

In a statement Tuesday, UC said it "respectfully disagrees" with the court decision and was evaluating whether it would pursue further legal actions.

"An injunction may interfere with the universitys efforts to implement an appropriate and comprehensive admissions policies and its ability to attract and enroll students of diverse backgrounds and experiences," the statement said.

SAT officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment but have long argued that their tests are not discriminatory and provide a uniform and useful yardstick to assess applicants from different schools and states.

ACT officials said they offered accommodations to students with disabilities and are committed to "ensuring access to our assessment' for them "despite the difficulties that COVID-19 has presented globally."

Earlier this year, the UC Board of Regents unanimously voted to phase out standardized test scores in admissions decisions after concluding that the tests were unacceptably biased based on race, income and parent education level and did not provide useful information about how students would fare in college. Regents voted to make the tests optional this year and next, then phase them out, but would still allow them to be used for scholarship decisions. Regents also gave campuses the flexibility to choose to drop them immediately rather than continue using them on an optional basis until 2022.

UC Berkeley, UC Irvine and UC Santa Cruz already have decided to drop the SAT and ACT testing requirements altogether. Most of the system's five other undergraduate campuses, including UCLA, had planned to consider the scores for applicants who chose to submit them. UC campuses will begin accepting applications for admission to the 2021-22 academic year on Nov. 1.

"University admissions officials and faculty are best positioned to determine appropriate admissions decisions and procedures, taking into account the individual needs and priorities of a particular campus," the UC statement said.

The lawsuit was brought by several high school students and nonprofits, including Community Coalition, Dolores Huerta Foundation, College Seekers, Chinese for Affirmative Action, College Access and Little Manila Rising. One plaintiff, identified only as Gary W., was described in the ruling as a recent high school graduate with learning disabilities who had completed all UC admission prerequisites (which include several college-prep courses). But the student faced what the ruling called "formidable barriers" to taking the SAT and ultimately could not do so, prompting his decision to not apply for UC admission this year.

Some accommodations, such as Braille and large-print exams, 100% extended time for tests and computers for those who cannot hand write essays, are only available at high school testing centers, but those have been closed during the coronavirus crisis, said Abigail Graber, an attorney with Brown, Goldstein & Levy, a Baltimore law firm representing the plaintiffs. She added that students also have been unable to obtain needed documentation of their disabilities because they can't meet with high school counselors and psychologists for evaluations during the pandemic.

In its own filing, the university argued that campuses should have the flexibility to use optional testing as allowed this year and next so all applicants can showcase their strengths  which could be test scores for some disadvantaged students, including those with disabilities. Applicants who perform well on standardized tests, for instance, could use their scores to offset lower grades or completion of fewer honors or AP courses.

UC officials also argued that a ruling was premature because the application window for fall 2021 won't open until November and most campuses have not finalized their admissions process yet. Therefore, UC argued, no applicant has yet demonstrated any harm suffered.

Seligman, however, rejected those assertions. He agreed with UC that no data yet exists that show students with disabilities have been harmed. But he noted that several campuses have indicated they plan to give all applicants a first review based on factors other than test scores, then provide a second review with test scores for those who have them. Most if not all students with disabilities would be denied the benefit of the second review, he said, since the chances of being able to take the SAT or ACT with or without accommodations during the pandemic are "almost nil."

"In short, applicants with disabilities are denied meaningful access to the 'aid, benefit or service' that test-takers have," Seligman wrote. "They are denied a potential second chance at admission."
(ANSAmed) - ROME, SEPTEMBER 1 - The Mycenae archaeological site in Greece will reopen to visitors on Tuesday following a fire that two days ago reached the ruins, said Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni.



She said the fire didn't cause damage to the ancient city in the Argolis region.



However, flames did blacken the famed Lion Gate marking the entrance to Mycenae, which dates to 3,250 years ago.



Mendoni's announcement came after she visited the site.



She said that due to strong winds, the flames reached inside the archaeological site "where the Argolis superintendency for antiquities had carried out a systematic deforestation, so that there weren't any grasses or bushes that could feed the fire".



Numerous firefighters intervened to stop the blaze, aided by planes and helicopters.



"A fire at an archaeological site, in particular at one that is so emblematic, is a sad event in and of itself," Mendoni said.



"But it's very important that the state mechanism mobilised efficiently. We are proud that there wasn't any damage to the monuments," she said. (ANSAmed).


BANGKOK - A panel appointed by Thailands prime minister to look into the handling of the criminal case against an heir to the Red Bull energy drink fortune involving a fatal hit-and-run incident has found there was a conspiracy to shield him from prosecution and recommended that those involved face charges.

Vicha Mahakhun, a former Supreme Court judge who chaired the Factual and Legal Inquiry Committee, said at a news conference Tuesday that the conspiracy involved government officials, lawyers and a prosecutor.

A summary of their report went further, saying the deputy attorney general had acted illegally with the intention of protecting Vorayuth Yoovidhya, more commonly known by his nickname, Boss.

It also said the attorney general and the police commissioner could not deny responsibility as the heads of their organizations, and that the performance of the assistant police commissioner had been inadequate.

We found that there was an organized effort to create a dishonest case, said Vicha, who also has served with the National Anti-Corruption Commission. You can describe the co-ordinated effort as a conspiracy to damage the case from the start. We have a saying: A toxic tree yields a toxic fruit. It is inedible.

Vicha said the effort included false evidence, delays and insincere attempts to determine Boss whereabouts, adding that disciplinary and criminal actions should follow.

The panel was one of several hurriedly set up after news leaked out that the last outstanding charge against Vorayuth had quietly been dropped in June by the deputy attorney general, Nate Naksuk. It ignited a storm of public outrage. Nate has since resigned.

Police say Vorayuth smashed his Ferrari into the back of a police officers motorbike around dawn on a major Bangkok road in September 2012. The officer was flung from the bike and died at the scene. The Red Bull heir drove home and was later arrested. Medical tests showed traces of alcohol and cocaine in his bloodstream, according to police.

But Vorayuth avoided further legal action by consistently failing to meet with prosecutors, while continuing to live a jet-set life.

Prosecutors finally issued an arrest warrant for him in April 2017, but by then he had fled abroad, where he remains. The warrant was withdrawn this year after the last charge was dropped, but police issued a new one after the public furor caused them to reopen the case.

The panel also recommended that the charges against Vorayuth be reinstated. In practical terms, that means just one charge  causing death by negligence  as all others have expired under the statute of limitations. However, police recently said they will add a drug charge that was not initially lodged against Vorayuth.

As a result of the case, the panel has engaged in detailed deliberations about reforming the Thai justice system.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Tuesday that this step was crucial.

We cannot live without law, he said. There will be anarchy, not democracy, in our country. We cant live that way. This will damage the country. We will lose the confidence of foreign nations. The economy wont be stable. Well lose investment. What do we gain from that?

The case has been taken up by anti-government protesters seeking to force the Prayuth administration from office as a prime example of the corruption bedeviling Thai society.

___

Associated Press videojournalist Tassanee Vejpongsa contributed to this report.

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Dramatic video captured the moment a decommissioned ship was torn apart by a volley of missiles and shells at the culmination of a two-week naval drill.

The USS Durham, a cargo vessel which was taken out of in 1994, was hit by a US-made Harpoon and Hellfire missiles, French Exocet missiles, and five-inch shells fired from American, Australian, Canadian, and Bruneian ships.

The sinking marks the end of the biennial Rim of the Pacific naval training exercise - which is typically the largest anywhere in the world, but was scaled back this year due to coronavirus.

Even so, the two-week drill involved 22 ships, one submarine and 5,300 personnel from ten different countries, led by the US Navy.

The exercise took place in the waters off Hawaii, and involved combat maneuvers and live-fire drills.

All land-based exercises were called off, and ship-boarding drills were also abandoned to reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus.

The sinking exercise took place on Saturday, with the Durham disappearing below the waves shortly after midnight on Sunday.

'It's really paramount that we maintain partnerships and alliances so we are ready as a team to face whatever crisis may arise' Capt. Jay Steingold, director of this year's RIMPAC exercise, said ahead of the drills, when ran from August 17 to 31.

'RIMPAC, no matter what it looks like, will help us increase our ability to operate together and build that trust,' Steingold said.

The exercise also takes place amid escalating tensions between the US and China in the Pacific, centered around the South China Sea.

In July, the US sailed two carrier groups led by the USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan through the region in a 'freedom of navigation' exercise, designed as a snub to Beijing which claims control over the disputed waters.

As the exercise went ahead, Washington accused China of a 'campaign of bullying' in the region, targeting US partners including Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, all of whom claim rights to parts of the lucrative shipping territory.

China has also been rushing to modernize its navy to counter US forces in the region, with its first homemade aircraft carrier - the Type 002 - launched in 2017.

The country also has a new carrier under construction - the Type 003 - which is nearing completion at a dry dock in Shanghai.

Just this week, Beijing announced the launch of two new destroyers - the Type 055 and Type 052D - to replace its ageing Type 051 design.
Not everyone agrees with the timing of his decisions, but Gov. Ned Lamont has been the strong, steady hand the state of Connecticut needs to cope with the coronavirus pandemic for which there is no playbook.

Since March 9 Lamont has operated under emergency executive orders that confer broad responsibility. With the Emergency Public Health and Civil Preparedness Declarations set to expire Sept. 9, the governor on Tuesday extended them another five months through Feb. 9.

We support extending the powers and orders  with a caveat. If the pandemic is under control before the February date, according to metrics that the General Assembly and the governors office would agree upon, then the emergency powers should lift sooner.

Early in the crisis the state needed a leader to act decisively and quickly. With the first recorded death on March 17, the scope of the human toll was unknown and feared. Schools had to be closed, all but essential businesses shut down, people were told to shelter in place. Hospitals prepared for the worst; the governor tried to procure critical personal protective equipment that was in short supply across the country. Lamont partnered with the governors of New York and New Jersey.

Executive powers are not to be taken lightly. Republican Senate and House leaders are concerned Lamonts extension goes too far and circumvents the legislative branch.

They expressed grave concerns over the extension of unilateral power to the executive branch and the full and total exclusion of the legislative arm of the government, Sen. Minority Leader Len Fasano and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides wrote Tuesday in a letter to Democratic legislative leadership. We believe that the power must be given back to the elected representatives who have been elected by the people to act legislatively.

For a check and balance on the governors powers, they want a leadership committee to be able to appeal or reject any new executive order within 72 hours.

That would seem reasonable. But care must be taken that political pressure does not drive policy during this health emergency.

Lamonts cautious reopening of the state has met pushback. In April, hundreds rallied from their vehicles with parades around the Capitol demanding the right to go back to work; and some groups, such as the restaurant industry, have been urging more leeway with conditions still in a phase two reopening mode.

But proof of the right approach comes down to numbers: Connecticut has one of the lowest rates of positive virus cases in the country, thanks to the governors guidance and also, in no small measure, to residents taking the health crisis seriously by wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

We remain in uncertain times, however. Medical experts expect the virus to surge this fall; the pandemic is far from over.

It is appropriate to enable the governors orders to stay in place, but a clear measure is must be defined for when they are no longer needed.
Mali's junta, which seized power two weeks ago, will hold transition talks with political parties and civil society groups this weekend following mounting pressure for a quick handover to civilian rule.

"These meetings aim at drawing up a roadmap for the transition, to define the outlines and organs of the transition and to define the charter of the transition," the junta said in a statement Tuesday.

The August 18 putsch has prompted Mali's neighbours along with ally and former colonial ruler France to call for a swift transfer of power, amid worries over instability in a country struggling with an Islamist insurgency, ethnic violence, endemic corruption and economic malaise.

The military rulers have this time invited to the talks the June 5 Movement, which spearheaded a protest movement that led to the toppling of president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

The movement was not invited for transition talks last Saturday when the junta called off discussions at the last minute.

The other players invited to the talks on Saturday and Sunday include former rebels, unions and representatives from the media.

The June 5 group has demanded that the military rulers give it a role in the transition to civilian rule, which the military has promised without setting a timetable.

Mali's influential imam Mahmoud Dicko, a key player in the mass opposition protests that led to Keita's ouster, said the junta did not have "carte blanche".

"We will not give a blank cheque to anyone to run this country, that's over," he said.

"We led the fight," he said. "People have died and the soldiers who have completed (this fight) must keep their word."

The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States regional bloc has been piling pressure on the junta to hand over power quickly, fearing that the crisis could impact neighbouring states.

ECOWAS mediator and former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, said last week that the coup leaders wanted a three-year transition period.

This was rejected by the bloc, which has demanded an immediate civilian transition and elections within 12 months.

ECOWAS slapped sanctions on Mali after the coup, including a closure of borders and ban on trade and financial flows.

- Call for reforms -

Civil society platforms have meanwhile called for deep reforms, especially on electoral laws and the administrative machinery.

The powers of the president, the prime minister and parliament need to "be clearly defined", said Abdourhamane Ben Mamata Toure, a lawyer and a former director at France's prestigious Ecole nationale d'administration (ENA) which trains future bureaucrats.

One of the criticisms levelled against the toppled president is that he hogged power.

Keita, 75, was elected in 2013 as a unifying figure in a fractured country and was returned in 2018 for a second five-year term.

But his popularity crashed as he failed to counter the raging eight-year-old jihadist insurgency and brake Mali's downward economic spiral.

Thousands of lives have been lost, hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes and swathes of the country have been abandoned to armed Islamists by the state.

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The Delhi High Court directed the Delhi government on Monday to rework its testing plan in order to allow the maximum number of people who are asymptomatic to undergo a Covid-19 test through swab-based lab tests (RT-PCR method), pushing for the wider use of a technique that is seen as more reliable.

The court, while expressing dissatisfaction on the number of tests being conducted, said the Covid-19 dragon has been tamed much less slain and is looming large in the city and needs to be tackled on priority. The need to ramp up testing is particularly needed since more people are being allowed to move freely.

You (Delhi government) thought that you had slain the dragon (Covid-19). However, this dragon has several heads which is making life miserable for people. The dragon is alive and cases are rising up in the city every day, the court said while expressing concern on the increasing number of cases in the city. This court is therefore not satisfied with the number of testing actually being conducted on the ground by the Delhi government, it said while hearing a plea filed by advocate Rakesh Malhotra on the ramping up of tests in the city.

A bench of justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad, while asking the city government to come up with a new policy, also asked it to examine as to whether the necessity of obtaining a prescription from a private doctor for undergoing the RT-PCR should be made mandatory/optional or done away with.

The court also directed the Delhi government to set up Covid-19 testing centres at inter-state bus terminals in the city within seven days for migrants who return to the city from different states.

On August 19, the Delhi government had told the high court that it had already set up a testing centre at Anand Vihar ISBT.

On Monday, the high court said it expects the Delhi government to come up with an advisory for persons who want to get themselves tested for Covid-19 through the RT-PCR method, as long as it does not adversely impact the testing of samples sent by the government to private laboratories or the timeline within which reports are to be submitted by labs to the government.

Delhi government spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment.

However, Dr Nutan Mundeja, chief of the Delhi directorate general of health services under the city government, told the court it would re-strategise the plan for testing.

Since early July, when Delhi increased its testing numbers, the city has been heavily reliant on antigen tests, which are done through swabs as well, but are on-the-spot at health centres and testing camps.

Over the past week, at least seven of every 10 tests conducted in the city has been using the rapid antigen method. This proportion has been largely consistent throughout August.

Daily tests in Delhi also appear to have hit a plateau. The seven-day average for daily tests in the city stands at 19,715  off the peak of 21,660 for the week ending July 10.

On Monday, the health bulletin said 14,389 tests were conducted in 24 hours. To be sure, the number of tests generally reduces on Sundays and holidays.

After going through a comparative study of the sero survelliance reports, the court said that a significant portion of the population in Delhi remains asymptomatic and it is that population which would cause a silent spread of the disease, posing a serious challenge to the health system.

The court sought to know from Dr Nivedita Gupta of the ICMR whether the strategy with respect to testing in Delhi can be changed. To this, Gupta said ICMR is only an advisory body and is going to come out with new guidelines.

She, however, clarified, that its guidelines do not stop any state government in coming out with their own rules. Citing an example of Punjab, Gupta said the state government had done away with the need for a prescription to getting tests conducted. She said Maharashtra has also tweaked its (ICMR) rules according to its own needs.
The world may be one step closer to getting a coronavirus jab after Oxford University's vaccine candidate entered its final stage of tests in the US.

UK drug giant AstraZeneca, which owns the rights to the vaccine, said it had enrolled 30,000 American volunteers to take part in its phase three clinical trial.

It now means 50,000 people worldwide are taking part in studies to see whether the jab - known as AZD1222 - can actually prevent people getting infected with Covid-19.

Thousands of volunteers have already been injected with the experimental drug in the UK, Brazil and South Africa and are being monitored by scientists.

Oxford's Professor Sarah Gilbert, the brains behind the jab, said preliminary data from trials in these countries could be expected in the coming weeks.

Cambridge-based AstraZeneca said further trials are planned in Japan, where there has been a deadly second wave, and Russia, where there have been a million cases.

AstraZeneca and Oxford scientists have repeatedly promised to deliver the vaccine to the most vulnerable groups to Covid-19 by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the British drugmaker today struck a 15million deal with Oxford Biomedica to mass-produce the vaccine if it is proven to be effective.

Gene and cell therapy firm Oxford Biomedica will be the sole manufacturer of the vaccine in Britain for 18 months.

AstraZeneca has also struck deals with manufacturers in China, the US, and across Europe as it looks to supply the entire world with the Oxford jab.

Nobel Prize-winning scientists are among 100 experts calling for healthy people to be infected with coronavirus in a bid to speed up the development of vaccines (file)

Oxford Biomedica says it will receive 15m as a capacity reservation fee, plus as much as 35m to make multiple large-scale batches of the vaccine if it works.

Early trials have shown promising results, with tests showing the vaccine is safe to use in humans and appears to provoke an immune response. But data that proves it protects people is not expected until later this year.

To prove without doubt that it protects people from infection, vaccines need to go through rigorous phase three trials.

In these tests the vaccine is being given to tens of thousands of people in real-world environments to see if it stops them from catching Covid-19 in the community.

The Oxford scientists behind the jab had to move their studies abroad over the summer  to South Africa and Brazil where Covid-19 is still rife  to speed up the trials.

There are not enough people catching the virus in the UK anymore to be able to reliably test whether the jab is working.

WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE ORDERED OXFORD'S VACCINE ALREADY? UK The UK is the host of research and development efforts of the vaccine, which has been developed by researchers in Oxford and will be manufactured by AstraZeneca, a company based in Cambridge. The British Government has ordered 100million doses of the jab and has already started manufacturing them so they're ready to go if and when clinical trials are successful. The price paid has not been disclosed. US The US Government has ordered 100million doses of the vaccine and contributed $1.2billion (910m) to the research and development of the jab. European Union (EU) The European Commission has agreed a deal for 300million doses of the vaccine if its clinical trials work, with the option to buy a further 100million. The deal has been made on behalf of countries in the EU. The amount of money spent is unknown. Australia Australia has confirmed it ordered enough doses of the vaccine to give one to its entire population of 25million people. It is not clear how many doses the nation has ordered. The UK - with a population of 66m but an order of 100m - ordered more than it needs. China One company in China has agreed a deal with AstraZeneca to make at least 100million doses of the vaccine. Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products, based in the city of Shenzhen, will increase capacity to 200m per year by the end of 2021. Russia A Russian company, R-Pharm, also has a deal to produce and distribute the vaccine, but it is unclear how many it will make or what it will pay to AstraZeneca. Brazil Brazilian officials have set aside $360million (274m) for at least 100million doses of the vaccine. Brazil is currently in one of the worst Covid-19 crises in the world with more than 3.6million official cases so far and 114,000 deaths. Advertisement

Professor Sarah Gilbert, who is leading the Oxford team, is confident the jab could be ready for the most vulnerable people in society by the end of the year.

She announced this week that preliminary data from the phase three trials would be presented to regulators soon.

The team have genetically engineered a virus to look like the coronavirus  to have the same spike proteins on the outside  but be unable to cause any infection inside a person.

This virus, weakened by genetic engineering, is a type of virus called an adenovirus, the same as those which cause common colds, that has been taken from chimpanzees.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock says frontline health and care workers, and those at an increased risk of serious disease, including elderly care homes residents, will be first in line to get access to a vaccine.

Over-50s and those with heart and kidney disease will be next, according to Mr Hancock, who said health bosses were also considering fast-tracking access for people from BAME backgrounds, who are disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

It's more likely the average person will get their hands on a Covid-19 sometime in early 2021, according to the UK's vaccine tsar, Kate Bingham.

Mass-manufacturing is already under way, however, so that the vaccine can be produced as quickly as possible.

AstraZeneca claims it can manufacture two billion doses by summer 2021. The US has already ordered 300million doses and the UK has pre-purchased 100million.

It emerged last week that Number 10 is drawing up emergency plans now in case of a scientific breakthrough before Christmas, officials said.

The new rules being drafted will not shortcut the path a vaccine must take before it is approved for human use, and rigorous clinical trials must still be completed.

It is intended, instead, to speed up the approval process by giving the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) the power to issue a 'temporary authorisation' without waiting for the jab to be fully licensed by Europe.

Rules during the Brexit transition period - which doesn't end until 2021 - mean any new medicine for coronavirus must be licensed by the European Medicines Agency.

But the new rule - for which officials are holding a three-week consultation - would mean that if scientists prove their vaccine works and is safe, the MHRA could approve it and get it used in Britain before it's licensed by the European Union.

This will not cut short safety trials or any of the scientific work but will mean less paperwork has to be done before the jab can be used.

Professor Sarah Gilbert, who is leading the Oxford team, is confident the jab could be ready for the most vulnerable people in society by the end of the year

The rules are being drafted now in case a working vaccine is found before the end of the year, while the Brexit transition period is still going.

Drug manufacturers are so hopeful that their jabs will work that they are already manufacturing millions of them without knowing whether they will be used.

As well as speeding up the process of getting it from labs to patients, the British Government is planning to speed up the vaccination programme once it starts.

It will do this by training huge numbers of staff to give out the vaccines so there can be a constant flow of jabs being administered.

More doctors and nurses will be given the relevant training and health workers in other parts of the NHS may also be trained up.

Student doctors and nurses, and staff such as midwives, paramedics and physiotherapists could be among the newly trained staff.

There are around 1.1million people working in the NHS and officials say 'no options are off the table' in who they could train up.

Everyone who is included in the programme will go through a 'robust training programme', the Department of Health said.

Ministers are also reported to be considering drive-through vaccine clinics which work in a similar way to the regional coronavirus testing centres.

People could be able to drive to centres specially set up - possibly in GP surgery car parks, for example - and get the vaccine without having to go into a clinic or hospital.

This could make the process faster and make social distancing easier. The car park plan was drawn up for flu vaccinations in the coming months, The Times reported, but it's possible that it could be used for a Covid-19 jab in future.
The mass protests in the capital Minsk and other parts of Belarus were sparked by a disputed election the official results of which gave a landslide victory to Alexander Lukashenko, the countrys authoritarian president. Lukashenko denies opposition allegations that he rigged the August 9 ballot to prolong his 26-year rule.

Some commentators see glaring similarities the Belarusian demonstrations and nationwide protests which were triggered by former Armenian President Serzh Sarkisians attempt to hold on to power after completing his second and final presidential term in April 2018. The peaceful protests known as the Velvet Revolution paralyzed much of Armenia, forced Sarkisian to resign and brought protest leader Nikol Pashinian to power.

Mnatsakanian rejected such parallels in an interview with the Russian Interfax news agency published late on Monday.

Armenia followed its own path and its not quite correct to draw parallels based on that, he said. True, there might be some common parameters, but on the whole these are different situations.

The most important thing is to accept and acknowledge that a solution to the issue is the prerogative of the people of Belarus. We very much hope that this situation will be resolved peacefully, he added.

Asked whether Armenia recognizes Lukashenko as Belaruss legitimate leader, Mnatsakanian said: Prime Minister Pashinian congratulated the president of Belarus  We intend to continue working with Belarus in all directions both within the framework of bilateral relations and in international formats.

Pashinians congratulatory message to Lukashenko was denounced by Armenian civil society activists and opposition figures. Some of them accused the prime minister of turning a blind eye to a brutal crackdown on Belarusian protesters launched by security forces right after the disputed election. Pashinians political allies defended the congratulation, implicitly citing Armenias geopolitical interests.

Both Armenia and Belarus are members of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Eurasian Economic Union. Russia is increasingly showing support for Lukashenko despite President Vladimir Putins uneasy relationship with the Belarusian strongman.

Faced with the biggest challenge yet to his rule, Lukashenko has accused the West of funding the protests and massing NATO forces on Belarusian frontiers. He has said he might need military assistance from Russia and the CSTO.

Mnatsakanian would not be drawn on a possible CSTO intervention in ongoing developments in Belarus. He argued that the Belarusian government has not requested it so far.
(Natural News) The city of Chicago saw a bloody weekend as police recorded more than 50 shooting incidents, with 10 deaths directly resulting from these.

An incident involving police officers was among the weekend shootings recorded. Two officers were wounded while engaging a suspect at a traffic stop in the Homan Square neighborhood on the early morning of Aug. 30, after police received reports of a vehicle with an armed occupant. The said vehicle was flagged at the stop after officers saw a gun inside and ordered the driver to step out.

However, the occupant refused and locked himself in the vehicle  forcing officers to break the windows. The suspect shot two officers in the struggle, only to be shot by another officer at the stop. The injured officers and the suspect were taken to different hospitals to receive medical care. One of the officers shot has been discharged, while the other is still recovering from his injuries. The perpetrator is now facing multiple charges of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, with a judge setting his bail at $10 million.

Meanwhile, another incident on the afternoon of Aug. 30 involved five people being shot while eating at a restaurants outdoor dining area in the Morgan Park neighborhood.

A white sport-utility vehicle pulled up at the back parking of Lumes Pancake House, where tents were set up for diners. The perpetrators got off the vehicle and fired through an opening at one of the tents, immediately fleeing afterward. A 31-year-old man died while four others  three women and a man  were wounded. Police are now investigating the incident.

Other shooting incidents in Chicago were reported from Friday evening until Sunday evening.

Democrat mayors are disregarding calls to address increased crime in their cities

Chicago has seen a sudden rise in gun-related violence under Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

A report by The Chicago Tribune said that the city recorded more than 500 homicide incidents for 2020 alone  the highest number since 2016. As of Aug. 31, the department reported that there were 505 homicide incidents recorded and 2,703 people shot  a big jump from last year that only had 333 homicide incidents and 1,734 people shot.

President Donald Trump has called out several Democrat mayors for the increased amount of violence in their cities and exhorted them to restore law and order, including Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and others.

However, the presidents calls were not warmly received by some of the mayors he addressed. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said he appreciated if Trump stayed out of the way, while New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio claimed nobody has done more to set back the city and America at large than the current president.

However, the heaviest burden on addressing this violence falls on law enforcement units themselves. Police departments in other U.S. cities are facing budget cuts from their respective city councils after calls from Black Lives Matter protesters to defund the police.

The city council of Austin, Texas, voted to slash $150 million from law enforcement budgets  leading the county judge of nearby Williamson County to ask for State Trooper reinforcements. The city council of Portland, where Antifa doxed law enforcement officers there, passed a budget removing $15 million from police allocations.

Find out more news about violence in cities with Democrat mayors and how law enforcement responds to this violence in spite of budget cuts at PoliceViolence.news.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

CBSLocal.com 1

ChicagoTribune.com 1

CBSLocal.com 2

CBSLocal.com 3

ChicagoTribune.com 2

Twitter.com

OregonLive.com

WCBS880.Radio.com

KVUE.com 1

KVUE.com 2

KGW.com
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Owl Ventures, the largest venture capital fund in education technology, announced today that it closed $585 million across two new funds. The Silicon Valley and San Francisco based firm closed $415 million for its fourth fund and $170 million for its first Opportunity Fund. The new funds will help fuel its strategy of making early, growth and later stage investments in the world's leading education technology companies across the education spectrum including PreK-12, higher education and future of work (career mobility/professional learning).

Since its founding in 2014, the firm has been a major investor in many of the fastest growing companies in the global EdTech market including U.S. companies Accelerate Learning (acquired by Carlyle Group), Degreed, DreamBox Learning (acquired by TPG Rise), Hazel Health, MasterClass, Newsela, Noodle Partners, Quizlet, Remind and international companies such as BYJU's, Labster, Lele Ketang, Sanjieke and WhiteHat Jr. (acquired by BYJU's).

"Since we began the firm, we have seen the digital revolution rapidly unfold in education and workforce development," said Tory Patterson, Managing Director at Owl Ventures. "Due to the shift to remote learning and work, we find ourselves in a watershed moment for the over $6 trillion education and training market as the rising digital penetration in the sector that had already been taking place has surged."

"We are finding that our portfolio companies based in the U.S., China, Europe and India are mission-critical elements to continued learning," said Ian Chiu, Managing Director at Owl Ventures. "Inbound inquiries, user growth/engagement, and customer pipelines have dramatically spiked across our portfolio with our platforms being leveraged globally."

The success of Owl Ventures global investment strategy was recently highlighted by two of its portfolio companies in India when BYJU's, the most valuable privately held EdTech company in the world, acquired 18 month old start-up WhiteHat Jr for $300 million. Owl Ventures was the only fund that was an investor in both companies.

"The meteoric growth of both Whitehat Jr and BYJU's is illustrative of the rapidly growing and maturing EdTech market in India and throughout the world," said Amit Patel, Managing Director at Owl Ventures. "We seek to partner with visionary entrepreneurs who are tackling large problems in education as well as training and help them build transformative category leading companies."

Owl Ventures is the lead investor in the vast majority of its deals and typically joins the board of each of its companies. This hands-on approach helps companies across numerous functions including distribution, partnerships, talent, fundraising and outcomes measurement. The firm has also helped foster a robust community within the portfolio companies through CEO Summits and industry specific events that allow fellow EdTech entrepreneurs to share best practices, insights and explore partnership opportunities. As an education sector specialist, the fund has successfully partnered with leading diversified venture capital and private equity funds to help accelerate the growth of its portfolio companies.

Owl Ventures is backed by top global Limited Partners consisting of prestigious college & university endowments, foundations, strategic education institutions, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices from across the U.S., Asia, Europe, Middle East, and South America.

"Our global LP base and network of education institutions and leaders is a major competitive advantage as we have valuable partners throughout the world that can uniquely help change the trajectory of our portfolio companies," said Tom Costin, Managing Director at Owl Ventures.

About Owl Ventures

Owl Ventures is the largest venture capital fund in the world focused on the education technology market with over $1.2 billion in assets under management. The Silicon Valley based firm invests in the world's leading education technology companies across the education spectrum encompassing PreK-12, higher education and future of work (career mobility/professional learning). Owl Ventures has deep domain expertise and leverages a global network of Limited Partners, investors, and strategic partners to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses into transformative category leading companies. Learn more at www.OwlVC.com

Contact: Tom Costin, [email protected]

SOURCE Owl Ventures

Related Links

http://www.owlvc.com


More than half a million people signed up for tests and at least 10,000 were tested in the first two hours on Tuesday.

Hong Kong began a voluntary mass-testing programme for coronavirus on Tuesday, amid calls for its boycott by some pro-democracy activists, as part of a strategy to break the chain of transmission in the citys third outbreak of the disease.

The testing programme has become the latest political flashpoint in Chinas self-governing territory, with many distrustful over resources and staff coming from Beijing, and fears that residents DNA could be collected during the exercise.

The Hong Kong government has dismissed such concerns, saying that no personal data will be attached to the specimen bottles and that samples will be destroyed in Hong Kong after the exercise.

Testing began at 8am (00:00 GMT), with residents heading to more than 100 testing centres staffed by some 5,000 volunteers.

According to the South China Morning Post, at least 10,000 people were tested in the first two hours of the programme, including many middle-aged and elderly people.

Hong Kong began a voluntary mass-testing programme for coronavirus as part of a strategy to break the chain of transmission in the citys third outbreak [Kin Cheung/AP Photo]

The Hong Kong government said that as, of Monday evening, about 553,000 people had registered for the test.

The government expects 5 million of the citys 7.5 million residents to take part in the week-long programme, which could be extended to another week if there is demand.

It is aimed at identifying silent carriers of the virus  those without symptoms who could be spreading the disease.

Calls for boycott

Hong Kong was hit by a sudden surge in cases in early July with the outbreak blamed in part on an exemption from quarantine requirements for airline staff, truck drivers from mainland China and sailors on cargo ships.

At its peak, Hong Kong recorded more than 100 locally transmitted cases a day, after going weeks without any in June.

The outbreak has slowed, with the territory reporting just nine cases on Monday, the first time in two weeks daily infections had fallen to single digits.





However, the government and some experts say community testing will help detect asymptomatic carriers and further slow the spread of the virus.

Respiratory medicine expert David Hui told AP news agency that even though infections have dwindled, the proportion of cases with untraceable sources of infection remain between 30 and 40 percent.

According to Hui, the programme is more effective if most of the population takes part.

If only 1 or 2 million people take part, then we may not be able to achieve that objective, he said.

Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong was among those who urged people to boycott the testing and questioned the accuracy of the tests conducted, citing Swedish reports claiming that the test being used had returned high rates of false-positive results.

I called on boycott the tests after cited Swedish reports of high rates of 3700 false-positive results returned by test kits from @TheBgiGroup Genomics, a firm involved in the program, and questioned the accuracy of the testing. https://t.co/9xaCb86yGy  Joshua Wong   (@joshuawongcf) August 31, 2020

Targeted testing

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Jessica Leung of the Civic Party also raised concerns about how data from the tests would be stored, and for how long.

Dr Arisina Ma, from the Hong Kong Public Doctors Association, also told Al Jazeera that while she is not against testing, the programme should be focused to make it cost-effective.

Testing should be targeted to those with symptoms and those with close contact with confirmed cases, she said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong is expected to resume face-to-face school classes from September 23 as authorities wind back strict coronavirus restrictions, which have kept about 900,000 students working at home for more than four months.

The citys government had said at the start of August that face-to-face classes would be suspended indefinitely.

But more than two-thirds of parents, regardless of income level, believe their children have difficulty learning at home, according to a February survey by the Education University of Hong Kong.

A survey by The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) of nearly 600 low-income students showed more than 70 percent did not have computers and 28 percent had no broadband internet at home.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As children prepare to return to classrooms next week, two healthcare companies in New York have teamed up in the fight to keep them safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Staffing and H2One Hand Sanitizer will provide more than 390 New York public schools with nurses, healthcare professionals, and sanitizing products. The first of the school healthcare workers will begin orientation at the schools just after Labor Day, with the first pupils due to arrive on September 10th.

Under the direction of the NYS Department of Education, Prime Staffing will assign nurses and healthcare professionals to schools in each of the five boroughs, partnering with H2One to provide thousands of bottles of premium hand sanitizer for kids, staff, and healthcare workers at the schools. In addition, H2One will create an animated video teaching the students how to properly sanitize their hands. It is just one of the ways the children will be encouraged to stay safe both inside the schools, and at home.

During the height of the pandemic, Prime Staffing helped place hundreds of urgently needed critical care and nursing staff to Tri-State area hospitals. CEO Michael Fazio says he is proud to now focus his attention on children: "As a father of two, I want to make sure that our schools are as safe as they can be when the kids return, and these healthcare workers will make that a reality."

H2One CEO Alfred Zaccagnino, a proud father of two children, believes that among the most important steps to keeping the virus at bay is keeping hands clean and sanitized: "We are delighted to partner with Prime Staffing on this important project which will not only will keep children safe, but will also go a long way to educate them on the importance of sanitization in our new normal. Applying sanitizer, in addition to washing their hands, should become as second nature to kids as tying their shoelaces."

H2One donates one bottle of its hand sanitizer for every bottle sold online, to Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club and San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.

Media contact:

Oui 2 Public Relations

Rob Goldstone / David Wilson

[email protected] / [email protected]

SOURCE Prime Staffing
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The twin murders of two Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) workers, who were allegedly hacked to death at Venjaramoodu in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, took a new turn with the DYFI releasing an audio tape linking Congress MP Adoor Prakash with Shajith, one of the accused in the case. Shajith was also an accused in another murder attempt case involving a DYFI worker Faisal.

The audio was released soon after Industries Minister E P Jayarajan alleged that the accused in the twin murders at Venjaramoottam have links with Adoor Prakash. Demanding an inquiry into the MP's role in the latest murder, Jayarajan alleged that the accused called Adoor Prakash on the phone soon after the murder.

However, Adoor Prakash rebutted the allegations and claimed that it was the responsibility of the minister to prove the charges levelled against him in connection with the case. Reiterating that none of the accused in the twin murder had called him, Adoor Prakash said that he did not make any call to the police station except for reasonable matters.

Meanwhile, the police recorded the arrest of two more persons Ansar and Unni, who were directly involved in the murder, in the case, taking the total arrested to four, while the police have taken as many as nine persons in connection with the case. All the four arrested in the case are Congress activists.

The CPM will hold a black day on Wednesday in protest against the murder. The CPM state secretariat in a release alleged that the murder was hatched by the Congress leadership. All the accused and conspirators in the case should be booked at the earliest, it demanded.

Earlier, KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran said the CPM was trying to celebrate the murder. As per the information he had received from the DCC, no Congress worker was involved in the murder, he said.

The twin murders had rocked the state on Thiruvonam day with two DYFI workers brutally hacked by an armed group at Thempamoodu on Sunday night. Midhilaj, 30, and Muhammed Haq, 24, were murdered while they were going to the former's house at Ozhukupara near Vembayam.

Midhilaj, a native of Ozhukupara, and Haq, a native of Kalunginmugham, were affiliated with their local DYFI units. The assailants had previous enmity with Haq and his friends and there were clashes between the two groups in the past.
AstraZeneca will now begin the Oxford University coronavirus vaccine's final trials. The United States government has contributed $1.2 billion or 910m to the research and development of the vaccine.

Also Read: New Study Shows Early Death Increased by 30% When Taking Naps Longer Than One Hour, And May Lead to Heart Disease

The U.K. drug giant AstraZeneca enrolled 30,000 American volunteers in phase three clinical trial. A total of 50,000 people across the globe will participate in the vaccine's final tests.

Also Read: LG's Wearable Air Purifier 'Puricare' Mask is Pretty But Does Not Help During COVID-19 Pandemic - Reports

In the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil, thousands of people were already injected with the experimental drug and are being monitored by medical experts.

Sarah Gilbert, Oxford's Professor behind the vaccine's development, said that the preliminary data from trials in the countries that already received the medicine could be expected in the coming weeks.

Scientists from Oxford and AstraZeneca promised that the drug would be delivered to the countries most vulnerable to COVID-19, by the end of the year. One of these countries is Russia, where millions are infected, and Japan, where a deadly second wave occur.

AstraZeneca has made a deal of $20 million (15million) with Oxford Biomedica, a gene, and therapy firm, which will be the primary manufacturer of the vaccine for 18 months in Britain.

The British drugmaker also made deals with China and across Europe, hoping to supply countries worldwide with the Oxford vaccine.

Other countries that ordered the COVID-19 vaccine

Brazil

Brazilian government ordered 100 million doses of the experimental drug, setting aside $360 million or 274m. The country has 3.6 million official cases and 114,000 deaths currently.

Australia

Australian officials said that the country ordered enough doses for 25 million people. However, the exact amount of medicine was not disclosed.

China

Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products, a Chinese company based in Shenzhen, has agreed on a deal with AstraZeneca to manufacture 100 million doses of the vaccine. By the end of 2021, the company will increase its capacity to 200 million doses every year.

For more news updates about AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Also Read: BEWARE: Extensive Use of Hand Sanitizers May Trigger Superbug 'Armageddon' -Expert Warns

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
September 2020 is a notable month for actor Zendaya. Not only does she celebrate a birthday at the top of it, but she could end it as an Emmy winner. Heres what Zendaya said about the day she was nominated, and how she could make history if she took home the award.

Zendaya is nominated for her first Emmy for Euphoria

Zendaya arrives at the GQ Men of The Year Awards 2019 on November 28, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. | Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

On July 28, 2020, the Television Academy announced the nominees for the 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Among them is Zendaya, who is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series alongside Jennifer Aniston, Olivia Colman, Jodie Comer, Laura Linney, and Sandra Oh.

Zendaya is nominated for her role in the first season of the HBO teen drama Euphoria. She portrays Rue Bennett, a teenager who returns to high school after going to rehab for drug addiction. The series received critical acclaim, and a second season is in the works.

She thanked fans and collaborators on social media

RELATED: Zendaya Reacts to Emmy Nominations for Euphoria; Im Honestly Speechless

Im honestly speechless, my heart is just overflowing with love and gratitude, Zendaya wrote on Instagram hours after the nominations were announced. Im so incredibly honored to work beside the talented people that I get to call family. I am a small piece of a big beautiful puzzle and Im so proud of all of you.

Zendaya thanked Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, distributor HBO, production company A24, and the Television Academy for this beautiful acknowledgment. She also mentioned the fans, writing, Thank you to everyone out there whos watched and given our show life. She finished, We out here Emmy nominated yall!!

Zendaya took a few hours to sleep after getting the news

So why did it take her a while to post on social media? Speaking to guest host Ben Platt on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Zendaya explained Levinson called to tell her about her nomination early in the morning, a time he knows not to call her, so she thought something bad must have happened,

When he told her the good news, Levinson was crying, as was her mom when Zendaya talked to her. I was kind of overcome with all this emotion, she said. She continued, I was too nervous and excited to take it all inI was like Im just going to shut down and sleep for a little bit and then hopefully this will still be a real thing when I wake up.

She is poised to break this Emmy record if she wins

Several young actors have received Emmy nominations in the past, but, relatively speaking, they are few and far between. In recent years, teenage actors such as Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) earned nods, and in 2019, When They See Us star Asante Blackk (then 17), was nominated.

Zendaya, who turned 24 on September 1, 2020, could become the youngest person to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. This would break the record set the year before by Comer, who first won for her role in Killing Eve when she was 26.
Election 2020 Nearly 7,000 Candidates Approved to Run in Myanmars November Election

Residents of Kyauktada Township in Yangon check voter lists posted outside a polling station on Aug. 5, 2020. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

YANGONMyanmars election commission announced Sunday that a total of 6,969 people have been approved to run in the November general election.

Meanwhile, dozens of potential candidates were rejected due to issues ranging from citizenship to the fabrication of data.

One candidate was rejected for allegedly having connections with a terrorist organization, though he rejects that allegation.

The approved candidates will vie for a total of 1,171 parliamentary seats that are up for grabs in the Union Parliament as well as state and regional legislatures on Nov. 8.

According to data compiled by The Irrawaddy, 7,026 people applied as candidates with state and regional election sub-commissions. Twenty-six of those withdrew their applications later, and another 31 were rejected after their eligibility was reviewed by their respective sub-commissions.

Most of the rejections are for violations of the election laws Article 8, which requires that candidates must be born of parents who are Myanmar citizens and must have resided in Myanmar for at least 10 consecutive years leading up to the election.

Other disqualifying factors include fabricating personal data in an application or seeking to run as a candidate for one party before resigning from another.

Current Rakhine State lawmaker U Pho San, who hoped to seek reelection as an Arakan National Party candidate in Kyaukphyu Township, saw his application rejected due to alleged ties to the Arakan Army (AA).

He has a son who left his position as a major in the Myanmar military to join the AA, which has been declared a terrorist organization and is engaged in intense fighting against government troops.

U Pho San has rejected the allegation, and Rakhine election sub-commission secretary U Thurein Htut told The Irrawaddy that the candidacy was initially approved.

However, it was later denied following objections by the Home Affairs Ministry.

Shan State will have the highest number of candidates in November, with 1,018 approved to contest for the states constituencies. Yangon Region will select from 950 candidates and Sagaing Region from 685 candidates.

The numbers of approved candidates in other states and regions are as follows: 542 in Ayeyarwady; 541 in Mandalay; 531 in Bago; 480 in Kachin; 480 in Magwe; 380 in Rakhine; 302 in Mon; 272 in Kayah; 269 in Tanintharyi; 233 in Karen; 210 in Chin; and 76 in Naypyitaw.

You may also like these stories:

Myanmars Ruling NLD Rejects Calls to Ditch Muslim Candidate

New Ethnic Faces Dot Myanmars 2020 Election Landscape

Myanmars Military Chief Urges Personnel to Vote for Correct Candidates
Pune recently became Indias "corona capital" and has now gone past Delhi in terms of the number of persons infected with COVID-19. This means it has recorded the highest number of COVID cases in the country. While Pune's tally reached 175,105, Delhis tally is 1,74,748 as per a TNN report.

More bad news for Pune is that it also has the maximum number of active cases in the country. More than 52,000 patients as of now, while Mumbai is around 20,000 and Delhi stands at 14,626.



PTI

Mumbai, which has also witnessed a huge number of coronavirus cases, at present has 1,45,805 cases and 7,658 patients have succumbed till now. The Pune district recorded 73 COVID-related deaths on Monday, taking the fatalities count to 4,134.



Numbers going up

Meanwhile, 11,852 more people tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra on August 31, taking the COVID-19 tally to 7,92,541. 184 more patients succumbed to the infection, taking the states death toll count to 24,583. Notably, as far as states are concerned, Maharashtra has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country.



PTI

As per the state health department, Maharashtras recovery rate is 72.37 per cent, while the fatality rate is 3.1 per cent. At present 13,55,330 people are in home quarantine and 35,722 in institutional quarantine. There are 1,94,056 active cases in the state.



Rising pandemic

In August, Pune's first sero survey found that over 50 per cent of residents from five high-incidence areas in the city have been exposed to the COVID-19 infection. The survey, which is done to detect the presence of specific antibodies, and assess the prevalence of a disease in the population, was conducted by taking samples of 1,664 respondents.



PTI

Delhi recorded 1,358 fresh coronavirus cases on August 31, taking the tally to over 1.74 lakh. the bulletin of Delhi Health department said that the national capital 18 more COVID patients succumbed in the last 24 hours, pushing the fatalities count to 4,444.


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Linkedin Editorial Board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 08:26 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41ca44c 1 Editorial Ciracas-Police,TNI-AD,Polri,police Free

For the umpteenth time since the two institutions broke up as part of sweeping reforms introduced to protect hard-won democracy 20 years ago, Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police personnel have been embroiled in a clash. The latest incident, in which a group of military soldiers attacked and burned the Ciracas Police station in East Jakarta on Sunday, may not be the last if no comprehensive solution is found.

So entrenched is the animosity between members of the two forces that even a trivial matter such as eye contact could trigger a fight. In some occasions, the squabbling claimed lives, as what happened in Mamberamo Raya regency in April. The armed clash in the outlying Papua province killed three police personnel.

Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen. Dudung Abdurachman said the Ciracas violence had been provoked by Pvt. MI, who told his friends he had been beaten by a number of police officer. During his interrogation, however, he admitted that he had gotten injured from falling off his motorcycle. The fact that the soldiers made no effort to verify the false news only shows the blind solidarity in the name of spirit of the corps.

The propensity to commit violence is dangerous not only for the conflicting parties but more importantly, for the public at large who the police and military are supposed to protect and safeguard from both domestic and outside threats. The danger lies in the fact that they have access to arms; if they can use these weapons to hurt each other, they can misuse the weapons against civilians.

Brutality, if persists, is indicative of the failure of the military and police in promoting human rights as a game changer that distinguishes them from their past. Revisiting the curriculum in military and police schools and academies is pressing to end the culture of violence.

Read also: TNI to dismiss personnel involved in attack on Ciracas Police in East Jakarta

The bitter rivalry needs settlement beyond doubt, or else it will jeopardize national stability. In an apparent bid to create a deterrence effect, Army chief Gen. Andika Perkasa has threatened not only to bring the errant soldiers to justice but also dismiss them.

Strict enforcement of the law is indeed mandatory to prevent the conflict from recurring. But this legal approach is far from ideal because the TNI has until today insisted that soldiers accused of committing crimes should stand trial in the Military Court. On the other hand, the police, like other citizens, fall under the auspices of the public court to account for the crimes they commit.

Surely the arch rivalry stems from the sweeping reform, which equally divided the labor between the police and military as institutions responsible for national security and defense, respectively. It turns out the police, due to their new powers, took over resources initially under the militarys control.

The dozens of clashes between them, however, should not justify efforts to restore the old rules. It is the responsibility of the civil authority to ensure equality between the military and police in terms of welfare. More importantly, national policies should avoid overlapping authorities between the two, which in fact occur as in the case of counterterrorism measures.
Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has written to Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg raising concerns over senior Facebook officials on record abusing Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers. He said it is problematic when these employees are doing this while still working in Facebook India and managing important positions.

It is doubly problematic when the bias of individuals becomes an inherent bias of the platform," the minister wrote. The three-page letter came in the middle of a raging controversy about the social media platform being allegedly biased towards the ruling BJP, with Prasad making exactly opposite claims.

He spoke about a concerted effort by Facebook in the run up the 2019 general elections to delete pages or substantially reduce their reach but also offer no recourse or right of appeal to affected people who are supportive of the right of centre ideology, adding that dozens of mails written in this regard to the social media giant has gone unanswered. However, there were attempts through selective leaks" to portray a different reality, he wrote.

The interference in Indias political process through gossip, whispers and innuendo is condemnable. This collusion of Facebook with the international media is giving free run to malevolent vested interests to cast aspersions on the democratic process of our great democracy," Prasad said.

He said there are credible media reports about the Facebook Indias managing director and other senior officials belonging to a particular belief and that people from this political disposition has been overwhelmingly defeated in successive free and fair elections.

Individuals working in any organisation may have their individual likes or dislikes, but that must not have any bearing on the public policies and performance of the organisation," Prasad added.

The Union minister further said he would like to point out multiple instances where the social media platform has been used by radical elements whose sole aim is to destroy social order to recruit people and assemble them for violence.

Stating that there is yet to be any meaningful action taken against such elements, he asked if it is being held back by the same vested groups who have an incentive in stoking violence and political instability in India".

Another issue raised by Prasad is the outsourcing of fact-checking services to third parties, which he called shady organisations with no credibility". He said that vigilant volunteers" have to regularly fact check these groups, adding that a lot of misinformation" about COVID-19 and its aftermath have gone unchecked. He said an organisation like Facebook with transnational presence and wide user base cannot be immune to local sensitivities.

The Congress has been targetting the ruling camp after articles published in US media suggested Facebooks bias towards posts belonging to members of the BJP or right wing groups. A meeting of a Parliamentary committee, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, is scheduled to be held on Wednesday where the issue of Facebook Indias alleged bias towards BJP, and reports of its public policy head Ankhi Das supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and disparaging opposition in internal messages, are likely to be raised.

Prasad said it seemed deeply entrenched vested interests arent satisfied with the shrinking space of one side of the spectrum in India and wants to throttle it completely."

He said only an internal power struggle" could explain how facts are being spun by selective leaks from within your company to try and portray an alternate reality". He ended his letter with an appeal that Facebook puts in place country-specific community guidelines that respect the social and religious diversity of India.

I hope that you are cognizant that this experiment should not be allowed to be hijacked by a vested lobby that abhors free speech and tries to enforce one world view and rejects diversity," Prasad wrote.
September 01 : Post pandemic, countries are coming back to normalcy slowly and steadily. While educational institutes in India are yet to open, they have started opening in other countries. Amidst this, Kajol left for Singapore with her daughter Nysa, who is pursuing her education in the country.

The 17-year-old Nysa, who had returned to Mumbai in March due to coronavirus pandemic, left for Singapore with mom Kajol to resume her studies as schools and colleges have opened. The actress will stay with her daughter at least for a few months.

According to a Mumbai Mirror report, Nysa is studying at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore. As her parents Kajol and Ajay do not want her to miss out on studies, Kajol immediately left for Singapore with Nysa as she didnt want to send her alone in a foreign country in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. In 2018, Ajay and Kajol had bought an apartment in the city-state and the mom-daughter duo will stay in their own apartment, the report quoted a source saying.

It has been possible for Kajol to leave Mumbai and stay in Singapore for the next few months as the actress is not working on any project currently. The actress is set to make her digital debut with Tribhanga, directed by Renuka Shahane. A drama set in Mumbai, Tribhanga weaves a complex story that goes back and forth through three generations of the same family, from the late 1980s to the present day.
McMaster University says a graduate student on campus tested positive for COVID-19.

It wont say when they tested positive, when they were on campus, nor where they went on campus.

In a statement posted on its website on Monday, the university said all spaces where the student spent time had already been thoroughly cleaned and reopened.

Any contact tracing is managed by Hamilton public health and they will contact directly anyone who would be part of the tracing for this case, the statement said.

The university says the COVID-positive student contacted the university quickly after testing positive and was very helpful in sharing information.

McMaster is committed to informing the public when the university becomes aware of a COVID case on campus, said spokesperson Wade Hemsworth in an email to The Spectator. It will distribute the information on its website and, as appropriate, through other communications channels.

The Specs questions about when the student was on campus and when they tested positive went unanswered.

Hemsworth said this is the only confirmed COVID case on campus of which the university is aware.

Hamilton public health does not typically alert the public to where COVID cases are found unless they are part of an outbreak at a hospital, shelter or other health-care or congregate-care setting. The health unit says it would consider broader notification to the public if an outbreak occurred in a workplace or business and public health wasnt able to track down those at high risk of exposure.

On Tuesday, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said she did not have information about the McMaster case.

McMaster asks that if people are feeling sick, they stay away from university buildings and seek medical advice. All faculty and staff are required to complete a COVID screening assessment within one hour of their expected arrival at a campus facility, the university says.

McMaster has developed comprehensive protocols for any reported confirmed case of COVID-19, read the universitys online statement. These have been developed in close consultation with Hamilton public health and include creation of a university rapid response team.
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia imposed travel bans on President Alexander Lukashenko and 29 other Belarusian officials yesterday, acting to impose sanctions before the rest of the EU.

The three Baltic states, all members of the European Union, have led calls for the West to take firmer action against Mr Lukashenko, who is accused by opponents and the West of rigging an election to prolong his 26-year rule.

The sanctions are aimed at officials the Baltic states accuse of vote rigging and playing a role in violence against protesters since the August 9 election.

Mr Lukashenko's inclusion in the lists sends a message to other European countries which have been reluctant to back measures against him personally.

Mr Lukashenko, an ally of Moscow, denies electoral fraud and has said the protesters are backed from abroad.

"We said that we need peaceful dialogue and agreement between the regime and society, but we see that the regime is not ready for that," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said.

"We see that we need to move forward and to show an example to other countries."

The European Union has been working on its own list of individuals in Belarus to target with similar sanctions, but Western countries have mostly been cautious, wary of provoking an intervention from Russia.

The three small Baltic states are in the EU and Lithuania and Latvia border Belarus. Lithuania has been hosting opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, who fled there after the election her supporters say she won.

Ms Tikhanouskaya will speak to the UN Security Council on Friday at Estonia's invitation, her spokesman said.

Tens of thousands of protesters again took to the streets in central Minsk on Sunday, seeking to keep up pressure on Mr Lukashenko to resign. At least 140 people were detained, Russia's RIA news agency reported.

Mr Lukashenko threatened on Friday to cut off European transit routes across his country in retaliation against any sanctions.

Goods from landlocked Belarus account for almost a third of Lithuania's rail traffic and port volume.

Belarus is also a major overland route for European goods bound for Russia, and carries pipelines used to ship Russian oil to Europe.

President Vladimir Putin has invited Mr Lukashenko to Moscow, a sign of Kremlin support.

The German foreign ministry said it had summoned the Belarusian ambassador yesterday in response to the detention of foreign journalists in Belarus.
India and China on Tuesday held another round of military talks to ease escalating tension triggered by fresh confrontation between the two sides on the southern bank of the Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh, government sources said.

The Brigade Commander-level talks began at 10 am in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh with a specific agenda to discuss the situation around the Pangong lake, they said, adding the meeting is underway.

On Monday, the Indian Army said the Chinese military carried out "provocative military movements" to "unilaterally" change the status quo on the southern bank of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 but the attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops.

The two sides held talks for around six hours on Monday as well but no concrete outcome emerged from the engagement, the sources said.

They said a sizeable number of Chinese troops attempted to occupy the area in a bid to open a new front as the two sides continue to hold talks to resolve the three-and-half-month-long border row.

The two sides were earlier engaged in a confrontation on the northern bank of Pangong lake but it was for the first time such an incident occurred on its southern bank, they said.

Following the Chinese attempt, the Indian Army has significantly strengthened its presence on a number of "strategic heights" around the Pangong lake besides further bolstering its presence in the area.

A battalion of the Special Frontier Force was also deployed in the area. It is learnt that Chief of Army Staff Gen M M Naravane reviewed the overall situation in eastern Ladakh at a high-level meeting in the Army headquarters.

The sources said the Indian Air Force has also been told to enhance its surveillance on increasing Chinese air activities along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

There have been reports that China has deployed J-20 long-range fighter jets and several other key assets in strategically located Hotan airbase which is around 310 kms from eastern Ladakh.

In the last three 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 Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC.

The fresh attempt by China to change the status quo in the Pangong lake area is the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

China also suffered casualties but is yet to make the details public. According to an American intelligence report it was 35.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.


Aircraft carrier Shandong. Photo:Xinhua

The Shandong, China's first domestically developed aircraft carrier - the country's second overall - set out from shipyard on Tuesday for military exercises, which will reportedly be held in the Bohai Sea in the next 22 days. Experts expect the carrier to integrate with J-15 fighter jets that were newly produced for it, as it continues to establish actual combat capability, and it will hopefully become combat-ready by the end of 2020.

Two combat-ready aircraft carriers will have strategic significance for China to resist military pressure from countries like the US in the Taiwan Straits and the South China Sea, and potentially from India on China's key maritime transport lanes, experts said.

After a display of fireworks and under the assistance of several tug boats, the Shandong embarked from the Dalian Shipyard in Northeast China's Liaoning Province on Tuesday morning, Hong Kong-based news website wenweipo.com reported on the same day.

The carrier had full-scale models of a J-15 fighter jet and a Z-18 helicopter on its flight deck when it left Dalian, the report said.

The voyage coincided with a notice released by China's Maritime Safety Administration on Monday, which set a navigation restriction in the Bohai Sea from Tuesday to September 22 for an undisclosed military mission.

The restriction zone is in the waters off a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Aviation Force base, so putting these factors together, the Shandong's voyage will likely feature integrated training with fighter jets in the sea area, wenweipo.com predicted.

China has been producing new J-15 aircraft carrier-based fighter jets and training new pilots for the Shandong in recent years, and this voyage could see the carrier integrated with those capabilities as a crucial part of its combat preparedness, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to photos released by the Shenyang Aircraft Co under the Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), the manufacturer of the J-15, on its website in February, the company was producing new J-15s at that time. A J-15 under assembly was seen getting new, green priming paint instead of the previous yellow one, which indicated that it features a new type of anti-corrosion material for better performance at sea, reports said then.

Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie told the Global Times on Tuesday that after the latest exercise, it will not take the Shandong long to become combat capable, thanks to experience garnered on the country's first carrier, the Liaoning.

Hopefully within this year, the Shandong will conduct another training session, which will eventually give it the basis for initial combat capability, Li predicted.
Students and teachers were smiling under their mandatory masks when the Green County, Ky., school district opened its doors for in-person instruction on August 17.

But after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the area, the district was forced to close after just five days of instruction, giving teachers, students, and parents only 72 hours notice.

Everyone knows student learning is best when theyre here, but you have to balance that with student safety, said William Hodges, the superintendent.

Green County is not alone in managing this kind of abrupt shift. More than a dozen school districts have opened their doors for in-person learning, only to switch, at least temporarily, to full-time virtual learning, according to published reports. Some made the switch for just a few days, while others say they dont know when theyll bring students back to brick-and-mortar classrooms.

Several of the districts contacted by Education Week closed because of a surge in cases in the surrounding community. Others closed only when teachers, other staff members, or students tested positive for the virus. In some cases, superintendents made the call, in the absence of clear direction from the federal government, or their state, or because they felt that the state guidance didnt fit the local context.

District leaders are finding their way through what has become an untenable situation, said Dan Domenech, the executive director of AASA, the School Superintendents Association.

Superintendents are under an incredible amount of stress, he said. Theres been very little guidance in terms of what to do and how to do it. Its been very contradictory at times and very confusing.

The Trump administration is pushing for schools to stay open. But officials havent offered much assistance on how to make that happen, he said. And some governors have followed suit, urging local districts to open their doors, but not providing much in the way of direction or resources.

Thats left it up to district leaders to navigate pressure on both sides, from parents who want their kids back in class, and from other families who want to shield their children as much as possible from the virus.

Superintendents are beside themselves. they know whatever they do, theyre going to get hammered by one group or the other, Domenech said.

And that is especially the case when districts start with in-person classes, and then make a quick switch back to full-time remote learning.

That is why some districts, especially large urban ones, are choosing to start with full-time remote learning. They want to avoid having to make continual assessments, and the problems that come with transitioning back and forth. In fact, only 9 percent of urban districts chose to open for in-person instruction this fall, according to a report released in August by the Center on Reinventing Public Education .

But smaller rural districts were more likely to welcome students for face-to-face instruction, according to the same report, with nearly two-thirds offering classes in person.

That means those districts have to enforce rules, such as mask wearing, and keep track of how the virus is spreading, both within their schools and local communities. Some districts have elected to do their own contact tracing to figure out which students have been exposed to the virus, so that they know who must quarantine in the event of a positive test.

Initially, Green County, which has about 1,700 students, gave families a choice between virtual and in-person learning. But the vast majority, 80 percent, decided to go with traditional instruction.

Thats partly because of practical problems with connectivity. South Central Kentucky is not a great place for internet access, Hodges said. The district has tried to remedy that, working with T-Mobile and Bluegrass Cellular to create access points around the area. But many students still have difficulty logging on.

The district planned for in-person instruction, with school buildings set up for social distancing. Each classroom was equipped with the number of desks necessary to keep students six feet apart. Students and teachers were required to wear masks.

If a class had too many students to fit in a regular size classroom, students were slated to take turns doing online instruction in larger spaces such as the gym, library, or cafeteria. Even though they werent in the room with a teacher, that move allowed children to be supervised by adults and get access to the school buildings broadband.

But, despite the preparation, the time for in-person instruction was short lived.

Hodges developed his own index system to monitor COVID-19 cases in the community. (Im an old math guy, he said). The area saw a spike when a number of patients tested positive at a long-term care facility. Many of the students have parents who work at the center, or relatives who live there, so it made sense to close schools for in-person instruction until at least Sept. 8.

Parents were aware of the index ahead of time, Hodges said, and knew that going all virtual was a distinct possibility. They could see the index climbing, every day they knew it was coming, he said. Obviously, they wanted their kids in school, but they were very understanding.

Although brief, the time in the school building helped prepare the district for what could be a largely remote school year. Teachers were able to use the time to assign Chromebooks to their students, for example, and gave teachers an opportunity to get to know their students in person before transitioning to a virtual environment.



Hodges is not sorry the district opened its doors, even if it was only for a short window.

It was great to have those kids for those five days and prepare them for the virtual setting, Hodges said. We will cherish each day we have with our students.

The Stillwater Public Schools in Oklahoma also had to close for in-person instruction after just a week, due to a spike in cases in the surrounding area. The district announced the change on a Sunday, at 4 pm, giving parents and teachers scant time to prepare for the pivot.

The late notice was frustrating to many parents in the district and it was frustrating to us as well, said Barry Fuxa, a spokesman for the district. But he said it gave Stillwater time to distribute technology students could use to take classes from home. And he said the district will continue its system of monitoring community infection rates and reopen for in-person learning as soon as its feasible.

We do want to remain adaptive, Fuxa said. He suggests that if districts are planning on toggling between in-person and online instruction throughout the year, parents need to be clear on that choice and prepared for abrupt changes.

Make sure youre really driving home that message to the community, he said.

Stacey Forcey-Moore, a spokeswoman for the Avon Community School Corp. in Indiana echoed that recommendation. The district, which serves about 10,000 students in central Indiana, had to shutter its doors briefly for in-person learning from Aug. 11-14, before transitioning to a hybrid schedule Aug. 17.

She suggested districts that want to try to offer in-person instruction should work to begin preparing families now for uncertainty and changes throughout the school year. Her district wanted to start the school year with face-to-face classes so that teachers could form relationships with students, in case the district had to switch to virtual learning.

And she suggested that districts help families to work on their contingency plans so they are prepared in the event schools close or their child is quarantined.

Quarantining students is something another Oklahoma district, Grove Public Schools, grappled with after it opened for in-person instruction on August 13, after going all-virtual last spring.

But Pat Dodson, the superintendent of the 2,300-student district, realized he would have to close down the high school when two teachers, and later a student, tested positive for the virus. Then another student tested positive at a school serving 4th through 6th graders. That student had a sibling in the elementary school. That meant the entire district had to close for in-person instruction.

Given all the staff who had been exposed, Dobson figured hed need 17 substitutes. I dont have 17 substitutes on a good day, he said.

Grove Public Schools reverted to virtual instruction for two days, while district officials used video cameras and other methods to do its own contact tracing. Anyone who had been within six feet of the infected individuals, for 15 minutes or more, was told to stay home in quarantine for ten days, even if they had been wearing a mask.

That amounted to 80 people, including students, teachers , bus drivers, and other support staff.

Of course, there was a big uproar, Dobson said. For one thing, parents were unhappy their children had to be in quarantine, even if they had no symptoms.

But he thinks making every effort to offer in-person instruction is worth it, given the needs of families in the area. Were a rural community, parents cant be home with the kids. They have to be at their jobs, he said. And despite the headaches, he thinks the district is on the right track.

Our plan is working, because we are still open, he said. Everybody is putting in lots and lots of hours to try and keep it safe and keep it open.

Image: Getty
Around two out of every five residents of New York would leave the city if they had the option, according to a new poll by the Manhattan Institute released on Tuesday.

Out of all respondents, 39 percent said they would live outside the city if they had the option to live anywhere. The responses come in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused close to 24,000 deaths among city residents and forced mass closures of businesses.

When divided by ethnicity, black and Hispanic respondents who wished to leave the city were more likely to say they would live nearby. A majority of white and Asian respondents who wanted to leave, by contrast, said they would rather live somewhere far away from the city.

Of those four ethnic groups, Hispanics were most likely to say they wished to leave, at 47 percent of all Hispanic respondents.

Respondents with a higher level of income and education were most likely to say they would stay in the city. For respondents making over $125,000, 66 percent said they would like to stay in the city, while 59 percent of those with a graduate degree or higher wished to remain. Residents of Manhattan (66 percent) were more likely to say they wished to remain in New York, though the borough is emptier now during the pandemic.

The survey was conducted from July 6-13, with 1,485 respondents.

New York has been hit hard by the coronavirus and ensuing social fallout, with police struggling to contain a rise in murders. The city is also facing a budget crisis that may force the municipal government to lay off about 22,000 workers, and the reopening of city public schools has been delayed to September 21 to accommodate teachers union demands for additional health and safety measures.

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Principals have said there is still confusion around the wearing of face coverings as more students return to schools across Northern Ireland from Tuesday.

Stormont's Education Minister Peter Weir announced last week that the guidance on face masks would be updated to include a recommendation to wear them in corridors of post-primary schools when they return full-time.

Previous advice had made it mandatory for all pupils aged 13 and over to wear a face covering on public transport or when large numbers of staff or pupils were gathered together in an enclosed space where social distancing was not possible.

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However, they were "not generally recommended for routine use in schools".

The introduction of face coverings in Northern Ireland's school corridors followed advice from the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser and came after similar moves in Scotland, and hours before a U-tun in England.

However Michael Allen, principal of Lisneal College in Londonderry, said the new guidance has caused great confusion amongst school heads.

Mr Allen, who will have 900 pupils and 90 staff returning to his school from Tuesday, raised this issue directly with Mr Weir on Twitter over the weekend.

He pointed out that the BBC had last week reported that students must wear face coverings while principals had also been contacted by the Education Authority to say masks would be mandatory, rather than just recommended.

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Responding to Mr Allen, Mr Weir tweeted: "Position is same as sent out to schools on Tuesday night. Already recommended for transport and where larger groups of pupils and/or staff beyond normal classroom and now extended to corridors and movement around the school.

"Beyond where we recommend, if a pupil or staff member wishes to use a face covering then it is permitted," he added.

Mr Allen told the Belfast Telegraph on Monday: "Look, if every school is using its own discretion then they will probably all be doing it differently.

"I don't think you can make it mandatory but maybe it would have been easier if it was, with exemptions, in order for schools to manage."

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He added: "Our message to our pupils is that we are strongly encouraging their use in corridors and communal areas where there could be large numbers. That's simply to try and offer some level of protection of those students and staff who might be more vulnerable to infection."

Justin McCamphill of the NASUWT teaching union believes face coverings should be compulsory in schools.

"We have had a lot of our members asking us what 'strongly recommend' actually means and it's being interpreted in different ways in different schools," he said.

"Most schools say they are telling their students to wear a face covering in corridors etc but there is still some confusion out there. Some principals are worried that they are going to have difficulty implementing this particularly when the minister is posting on social media that it's not mandatory."

While many pupils in P7 and years 12 and 14 were back at school last week for the first time since March, the full school population is set to return this week.

Mr McCamphill said that while his members support the move on face coverings, they have also questioned why it was not introduced earlier instead of "coming at the last possible moment".

"This has all come too late and face coverings should not be a substitute for social distancing which schools should still be trying to implement as much as possible," he added.

Meanwhile Scotland's Education Secretary said on Monday that pupils should not be sent home if they refuse to comply with new guidance making face coverings mandatory in corridors and on school transport there.

John Swinney announced updated guidance for Scottish schools making it mandatory for pupils and staff to wear masks because of the "difficulty" of physical distancing in "crowded corridor environments".

But he rejected the idea that pupils should be sent home if they fail to wear a face covering, when asked whether he agreed with the suggestion by the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) at the Government's coronavirus briefing.

"We've got to make sure that the wearing of face coverings in schools becomes essentially a habitual part of school life," Mr Swinney said.

"In our guidance, we make it clear that young people should be encouraged and motivated and required to do that, but it should not result in exclusion from school if they don't do that.

"I don't agree with the SSTA that young people should be excluded from school if they're not wearing face coverings, but I do think schools need to build up the cultural understanding and awareness of the importance of wearing face coverings as something that is done to protect all of the school population - staff and pupils alike."

The new rules are "precautionary judgments" based on World Health Organisation advice and concerns from schools since they reopened two weeks ago, Mr Swinney said.
Chang Yu Jui (C) is held by the police in front of three pickup trucks he had allegedly stolen in Ha Tinh Province, central Vietnam, August 2020. Photo courtesy of Ha Tinh police.

A Taiwanese man was arrested in central Ha Tinh Province on Monday for allegedly stealing three pickup trucks.

The Ky Anh Town police have taken in Chang Yu Jui, 38, an employee of a company in town, for questioning.

On August 2, seeing a pickup truck parked in front of Dinh Uy Production Trading Companys office, Chang broke its lock and drove it straight to a pawn shop and pawned it for VND100 million ($4,340). The truck is valued at around VND400 million.

Later he admitted to the police that he had stolen two more vehicles belonging to Dinh Uy and Huu Luong companies also in town and pawned them too.

The vehicles have been returned to their owners.
Hours apart and on different stages, Joe Biden and Donald Trump leveled scathing criticisms at one another Monday over their handling of the violent protests raging in two U.S. cities.

The crux of their clash: Whose leadership poses the most dangerous threat to the country?

With the conventions over and the final post-Labor Day leg of the race a week away, the day marked the start of a more urgent phase of the campaign. On display was a stark contrast between two visions of how to confront an inflection point on race and the power of law enforcement.

Biden went first. In a major speech in Pittsburgh, he offered a sweeping indictment of Trumps America, highlighting failures in his handling of the coronavirus and portraying the president as so desperate to hold on to power that he is resorting to fear and hatred as a campaign strategy.

He keeps telling us if he were president you would feel safe. Well he is president, whether he knows it or not, Biden said. Does anyone think there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is reelected?

After days of Trump contending that Biden was a tool of a radical movement sowing discord in American cities, Biden tried to put the president on his heels. Biden called on Trump to denounce all forms of violence and accused him of fanning unrest with streams of tweets, including some that seemed to support confrontations in the streets.

The road back begins now, in this campaign. You know me. You know my heart, and you know my story, my familys story, Biden said in the speech, which was carried live on several cable networks. Ask yourself: Do I look to you like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?"

He added, "I want a safe America  safe from Covid, safe from crime and looting, safe from racially motivated violence, safe from bad cops. And, lets be crystal clear: Safe from four more years of Donald Trump.

Biden spoke on the eve of Trumps Tuesday trip to Kenosha, Wis., the site of deadly clashes and destruction after the shooting of Jacob Blake last week. The president is planning to meet with law enforcement officials, ignoring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' plea to stay away, lest Trump ratchet up tensions further.

Story continues

Trump has claimed credit for bringing calm to Kenosha, even though it was Evers who initially deployed the National Guard. Some local Democrats, however, have complained that Biden took too long to denounce the violence. They fear that Trump's law-and-order message might sway swing voters who want an end to the mayhem.

But Trump seemed to cede whatever ground he might have gained when he turned to social media and not only refused to condemn violence from some of his own supporters, but retweeted a video of his supporters attacking protesters. His spokesperson later said he hadnt watched it.

Biden, in his speech, dared the president to reject violence perpetrated by his own supporters. Yet hours later at a White House briefing, Trump refused to do so, even when he was asked about his supporters shooting pepper spray and paint balls at protesters.

Biden's Monday speech took on Trump directly in a way the Democrat had not during his convention speech two weeks ago, when he did not utter the president's name. The Democrat called out Trump by name, insisting the president owned the violence in Kenosha, Portland and other American cities, after four years of fanning racial tensions. In doing so, he also defended the Obama administration's record on crime.

After months of test-driving ways to brand Biden, Trump and his allies have settled on painting him as an unwitting instrument of socialists and left-wing radicals. They say Biden is too oblivious to understand hes being exploited, and too weak to buck their orthodoxy in the rare times when he does.

But each time Trump has tried to tag Biden, the Democrat emerged with the upper hand and his lead in polls has grown.

The run-ins follow a familiar pattern. Trump bet that Biden could not defy growing calls from the left to defund the police. In response, Biden said he not only opposes defunding police but wants to spend more on law enforcement. Trump said Biden supports banning hydraulic fracturing. Biden said unequivocally he does not.

And Trump has repeatedly returned to the idea that Biden would refuse to condemn rioting so as not to offend liberal voters. But Biden has repeatedly denounced the people rioting, looting and setting fires to property.

None of this is protesting  its lawlessness, plain and simple, Biden said Monday.

When Trump took the podium at the White House later, he tried to blame Biden and his party for the violence wracking cities. But Trump refused to condemn all of the actors contributing to the chaos, including right-wing supporters of his campaign. He said the men wielding paintball guns were using the substance as a defensive mechanism."

Paint is not bullets, he said.

But when asked about Kyle Rittenhouse  the 17-year old charged with five felonies after shooting three people last week in Kenosha, two fatally  Trump said Rittenhouse was attacked so violently that he could have been killed.

You saw the same tape as I saw and he was trying to get away, Trump said. It's under investigation, but I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would've been killed.

Rittenhouse has been charged as an adult with two counts of first degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide.

Trump also said he declined to meet with the family of Blake because he was uncomfortable with their request to have lawyers present.

Trump has been highly critical of Biden for having not yet visited Wisconsin. Amid the pandemic, Biden moved his acceptance speech from Milwaukee to Wilmington, Delaware, citing safety concerns.

Joe Biden has refused to travel to Wisconsin for over 670 days, so it should not come as a surprise that he is refusing to visit the Badger State and address the ongoing riots and violence," said Trump campaign spokesperson Samantha Zager. "Despite claiming he would actually start campaigning for president, its clear Biden prefers to hide from his failed record and the Democrat failures to protect our cities."

Biden is preparing for a more robust travel schedule after Labor Day but might visit Wisconsin later this week, according to the campaign.
South Korean Unification Minister Lee In-young, right, poses with Japanese Ambassador Koji Tomita at his office in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



Unification Minister Lee In-young called Tuesday for Japan's support in improving inter-Korean relations, saying it will be "very beneficial for Japan as well."



Lee made the remark during his first meeting with Japanese Ambassador Koji Tomita after his inauguration in July, stressing the need for the two countries to maintain cooperation in the wake of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent decision to step down.



"Prime Minister Abe has announced his decision to step down due to health concerns. Our government is sorry to hear about this and wishes him a speedy recovery," Lee said at the start of the meeting.



"Our government will continue to cooperate with the new Japanese administration and we expect to maintain close cooperation especially in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula and peace in the Northeast Asia region," he said.



Lee also called on Japan to support South Korea's efforts to improve inter-Korean relations "with a broad perspective and open mind."



"I am aware that within Japan, or in some parts of it, there are those who voice concerns over the rapid move in improving inter-Korean relations ... I believe bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula by improving inter-Korean relations will lead to peace and stability in Northeast Asia and will be very beneficial for Japan as well," he said.



Tomita agreed on the need to resume denuclearization talks but emphasized that several issues remain for Tokyo and Pyongyang to resolve first, including the abduction of Japanese citizens by the North in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies on Japanese language and culture.



The abduction issue has been one of the key hurdles for diplomatic normalization between North Korea and Japan for decades.



"North Kora's kidnapping (of the Japanese) was an important task under the Abe administration ... it will remain an important task under the new administration as well," he said.



Inter-Korean relations have been stalled since the no-deal nuclear summit between the North and the U.S. early last year. The ties worsened recently when North Korea blew up a joint liaison office in its border town of Kaesong in anger over anti-Pyongyang leaflets flown from the South. (Yonhap)




Joint Statement by the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates

August 31, 2020

The accord reached between the United States, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 13, 2020, is a courageous step toward a more stable, integrated, and prosperous Middle East.

The accord inverts traditional thinking about the way to address the region's problems and challenges, focusing on pragmatic steps that have tangible, practical outcomes. It carries with it the promise of new bridges that will serve to de-escalate existing conflicts and prevent future conflicts.

And it comes at the right time. Over the last decade we have seen a marked increase in war, destruction, and dislocation, and a growing demographic shift towards a younger population. If we are to meet the needs of current and future generations, we must be responding actively to all these changes.

The accord has initiated a historic breakthrough in normalizing ties between Israel and the UAE and has led to the suspension of Israel's plans to extend its sovereignty. The United States and the UAE urge Palestinian leaders to reengage with their Israeli counterparts in discussions aimed at achieving peace.

On Saturday, the UAE formally abolished its 40-year boycott law, thereby allowing UAE companies and individuals to trade directly with Israel.

Israeli and Emirati ministers, from foreign affairs to food security, have initiated their first official discussions on continuing and strengthening cooperation. We have already opened phone lines between the two countries and, as we speak, Israelis and Emiratis are collaborating on research we hope will lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of COVID-19.

Today we have witnessed the first commercial flight by Israel's El Al airlines to the UAE, carrying both Israeli officials and media. Tomorrow, Emirati, Israeli and American officials will begin discussing bilateral technical cooperation in seven key areas: investment, finance, health, the civilian space program, civil aviation, foreign policy and diplomatic affairs, and tourism and culture. The result will be broad cooperation between two of the region's most innovative and dynamic economies.

The UAE and Israel wish to express their gratitude for the overwhelmingly positive response to this historic accord from governments around the world. They are especially grateful to President Donald J. Trump for his leadership and to his administration for the critical role it has played in achieving this diplomatic breakthrough. They are also greatly encouraged by the broad bipartisan support for this breakthrough from the United States Congress.

All the countries hope and expect that in the near future our collective efforts will set in motion a cascade of positive changes, both large and small, that will put our respective peoples and the wider region on a solid path to security, prosperity, and peace.

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California Ballot Initiative Focuses on Dialysis Care

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, DeWayne Cox, 57, visits the DaVita Valley Dialysis clinic in Van Nuys, California, where he has excess minerals such as potassium and phosphorus filtered from his blood.

A needle draws his blood, cleanses it through a machine, and then transfers it back into his body. This process of dialysis, which takes four to five hours each time, has been part of Coxs weekly routine for the past 10 years.

Without it, Cox says he would die.

Proposition 23, also known as the Dialysis Clinic Requirements Initiative, would require at least one licensed physician to remain on-site during treatment at outpatient kidney dialysis clinics.

It also requires clinics to report dialysis-related infection data to state and federal governments. It prohibits clinics from closing or reducing services without state approval, and prohibits clinics from refusing to treat patients based on the source of payment for care.

The measure will be decided by California voters on the November ballot. If it passes, Cox says his life will be in jeopardy.

It will cost clinics hundreds of thousands of dollars above their present budget, which is at the margins already. So that means theyre going to start closing up clinics or closing up shifts, Cox told The Epoch Times.

While proponents say the measure increases the quality of care that vulnerable patients will receive by requiring a doctor to be present at all times, and would thus save lives, Cox says missing just one treatment could be fatal.

For some, when the public votes in November, life or death could hang in the balance.

DeWayne Cox visits the DaVita Valley Dialysis clinic in Van Nuys, Calif. (Courtesy of DeWayne Cox)

The Need for Treatment

Since he was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2009, Cox has struggled with his health, making a 9-to-5 job out of the question. A filmmaker by profession, he drives for Uber to make ends meet.

Uber gave me that flexibility and film work is also something I do peripherally, he said. I had to have the flexibility to be able to go to dialysis three days a week.

Cox said the process is difficult and it takes him a while to recover.

When its taking out those minerals, its literally taking out energy. Its draining my body  but I know its life-saving, so I do it, he said.

Failing to miss even one treatment is out of the question. He made that mistake oncedue to work obligations in 2017and the consequences were dire.

I missed a dialysis session on a Friday, and I ended up in the emergency room on that Saturday because of chest pains, he said.

Once he was in the emergency room, the attending physician prescribed insulin, a misstep that landed him in intensive care for two days.

They didnt know what they were doing, Cox said. They did not know how to treat me there, unfortunately.

Cox is concerned that added costs due to Prop 23 would reduce a clinics available hours of operation, potentially causing him to miss work for treatment.

There are a lot of people who wont be able to work because they have to go to dialysisthats the first priority. Or maybe, theyll have to go to a clinic thats much, much further away, Cox says.

And that leads to the possibility of missing sessions, and then situations like what I had to endure when I went to the emergency room. So thats very dangerous for patients.

An ambulance is parked outside a DaVita kidney dialysis center in Van Nuys, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

However, Prop 23 would prohibit clinics from closing or reducing services without state approval.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) would have the authority to exempt a clinic from the mandatory physician requirement if there is a physician shortage or if at least one nurse practitioner or physician assistant is on site.

Its this requirement thats become a primary sticking point between supporters and critics of the initiative.

The Quality of Care

Patients will experience better quality care and have better outcomes when a doctor is present, says Steve Trossman, a spokesman for Service Employees International UnionUnited Healthcare Workers West (SEIUUHW), which is sponsoring Prop 23.

The initiative requires that clinics have a doctor on-site, which will have a major impact on all aspects of the operationpatient safety, hygiene, and help when there are medical emergencies, Trossman told The Epoch Times.

Trossman said that while every clinic has a medical director, the director isnt currently required to be on site. Furthermore, he said, nephrologistsphysicians who specialize in kidney physiology and diseaseare only required to see their patients at the clinic once a month.

Trossman pointed to many quality of care deficiencies in dialysis clinics across the state. He said state records show more than 5,000 deficiencies were found during clinic inspections between 2017 and 2020.

At least 315 citations were issued for failure to ensure that the physicians orders were followed, Trossman said.

He gave the example of a citation at a clinic in Encino. There was a delay in notifying a physician there that a patient had elevated blood pressure. Because of that delay, the problem wasnt addressed in time and the patient became unresponsive, was transported by paramedics to the hospital, and subsequently died.

He said the possibility of delayed notifications would be greatly reduced under Prop 23.

The doctor will be able to respond to emergencies, such as cardiac arrest, bleeding, dangerous fluctuations in blood pressure, and other common problems associated with dialysis treatment, Trossman said.

A sign is displayed in the window of a DaVita kidney dialysis center in Van Nuys, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

A DaVita kidney dialysis center in Van Nuys, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The physician will also oversee quality of care, make sure procedures are followed, and be able to consistently assess the overall condition of the patients and watch for signs of potential problems or decline.

But John Hammes, a nephrologist in San Diego whos been working with dialysis patients for 25 years, told The Epoch Times that the measures mandated by Prop. 23 dont guarantee patient safety.

The population [of dialysis patients] is chronically ill. They have a lot of comorbidities. They tend to get infections that are much more likely to be immediately life-threatening, he said.

The process of dialysis itself puts the patients at increased risk for complications and bad outcomes  the treatment is a poor substitute for normal native kidney function.

Kathy Fairbanks, a spokesperson for No Prop 23, a coalition of patients, doctors, and others who oppose the proposition, told The Epoch Times that the measure doesnt guarantee patients will receive specialized care.

The physician on-site doesnt even have to be a specialist in kidney care, she said. They dont have to be a specialist in anything. All they have to be is an M.D., so it could be a podiatrist, it could be a dermatologist. That, to me, says a lot.

This physician would not be administering dialysis. They would be in an administrative position. And it wont improve patient quality, she added.

Dr. Peter N. Brentan, the president of the California Medical Association, is cited on the website of No Prop 23 as saying, Prop 23 would unnecessarily increase health care costs and make the doctor shortage worse for all Californians by moving thousands of practicing doctors into non-caregiving roles in dialysis clinics.

The Cost

In a March 10 statement opposing the measure, the California Medical Association (CMA) pointed to an analysis by the Berkeley Research Group that estimated the mandatory physician requirement would increase treatment costs by $320 million annually.

As a result, almost half of the dialysis clinics in California would have negative operating margins, according to the CMAforcing clinics to scale back hours or shut completely.

Its very, very expensive. If this physician position were helping improve patient quality, that would be one thing, but  it wouldnt have any impact on quality, it would just increase costs, Fairbanks said.

Trossman said SEIU-UHW doesnt believe this figure is accurate.

The calculations dont take into account the existence of the medical director who is already paid by the clinic, he said.

Patients Caught in the Middle

Hammes said he is responsible for anywhere from 70 to 100 dialysis patients at any given time.

Nothing is free in this world, he said. Theyre going to find that its no longer financially tenable to continue to operate certain clinics, and thats going to lead to dialysis clinics closing. And thats going to lead to a reduction in access to care.

Theyre also going to restrict hours for certain clinics for cost reasons, and thats going to lead to people having less flexibility in terms of how they schedule their dialysis treatments.

He said flexibility is key for his clients.

Patients cancel treatments all the time. They reschedule, they have other clinic visits, some of them work. Some of them just dont feel like coming on a certain day, so they reschedule.

So to reduce that flexibility is going to reduce the number of treatments that are rendered, and its going to increase hospitalization. A large number of patients are going to get treated in the hospital, and thats going to cost the entire system even more money.

Fairbanks said, Initiatives like these end up putting the patients in the middle. Its the patients who now dont have anywhere to go to get dialysis.

For Cox, the possibility of his clinic closing or reducing its hours is deeply disconcerting. He says DaVita Valley Dialysis is a lifeline.

The only anchor and the only thing that I could rely upon was my dialysis center being there and available for me, he said.

And for many people, its also a social network. And for a lot of these people, its their only social network. So I know how important it is to have those centers there and available to us, and I dont want to see us lose even one of them.
The dark cloud that is the coronavirus still looms over the US and as a means of caution, Uber is asking some riders to verify they are wearing a mask before their driver arrives.

If a user has been reported to the firm for not wearing a mask in the past, their next ride will require them to take a selfie with their face covered.

The app will soon include a scanner that looks for a mask-like object on the riders face that is positioned over the mouth and nose.

Uber notes that both riders and drivers have the ability to cancel the trip if either are not complying with the protocol  and neither will penalized for doing so.

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Uber is asking some riders to verify they are wearing a mask before their driver arrives. If a user has been reported to the firm for not wearing a mask in the past, their next ride will require them to take a selfie with their face covered

Drivers for both Uber and UberEats and riders were asked to wear masks back in May.

Following the announcement, the firm added face detection technology to its drivers app that required them to take a selfie to show they are wearing a face cover before going online.

For those without a mask, they are unable to access the app  leaving them blocked from picking up passengers.

And now the same technology is rolling out to riders.

However, the verification process will only appear for users who were reported by a previous driver for taking a ride without a mask.

Sachin Kansal, global head of safety product, shared in the announcement: Earlier this year, we built innovative technology designed to verify that drivers on Uber and delivery people on Uber Eats are wearing a mask.

The app will soon include a scanner that looks for a mask-like object on the riders face that is positioned over the mouth and nose

Before starting to drive passengers or deliver food, they are asked to take a selfie showing their mouth and nose are covered.

To date, more than 3.5 million drivers and delivery people have completed more than 100 million mask verifications.

Uber is set to launch the mask verification feature in the US and Canada by the end of September, followed by Latin American and other countries around the world.

However, the firm is ensuring customers that this technology detects the mask as an object in the photo and does not process biometric information.

Uber has attempted to play its part during the coronavirus in a bid to keep both its drivers and riders safe.

Since March, the firm has distributed some 30 million masks and face covers in the US and 1.4 million drivers and delivery personel have received the protective gear worldwide.

In addition, weve provided more than 800,000 packages of disinfectant sprays, wipes, and hand sanitizer to drivers at no cost, including through our partnerships with Clorox, Unilever, and Dettolwith millions more on the way, said Kansal.

In July, the firm quietly launched a service to give public health officials quick access to data on drivers and riders presumed to have come into contact with someone infected with COVID-19.

Uber is set to launch the mask verification feature in the US and Canada by the end of September, followed by Latin American and other countries around the world

Now being promoted to government health officials in all the countries where it operates, the service provides health departments with data about who used Uber's services and when and allows health agencies to urge affected users into quarantine, company officials told Reuters.

This means that if a person tests positive for COVID-19, health officials can use Uber's database to see other people they may have come in contact with.

Information on an individual can be accessed in a few hours, the officials said, with the company considering COVID-19 an emergency involving danger of death or serious physical injury.
In a tweet, the Congress leader claimed that the international media has 'exposed' Facebook and WhatsApp's 'brazen assault' on India's democracy

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that international media has "exposed" Facebook and WhatsApp's "brazen assault" on India's democracy and social harmony, as he demanded an investigation into the allegations against them.

With his tweet hitting out at the social media giant, Gandhi tagged a recent article by the Wall Street Journal on how questions were raised by Facebook employees on its India team''s neutrality after an executive posted internal messages allegedly favouring the BJP.

"International media have fully exposed Facebook's and WhatsApp's brazen assault on India''s democracy and social harmony," he said.

"No one, let alone a foreign company, can be allowed to interfere in our nation's affairs. They must be investigated immediately and when found guilty, punished," Gandhi tweeted.

International media have fully exposed Facebooks & WhatsApp's brazen assault on India's democracy & social harmony. No one, let alone a foreign company, can be allowed to interfere in our nation's affairs. They must be investigated immediately & when found guilty, punished. pic.twitter.com/5tRw797L2y  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 1, 2020

The popular messaging app WhatsApp is also owned by Facebook.

Another report in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month and one in the Time magazine had brought to fore similar allegations.

Dismissing the Congress' allegations, BJP leaders have been alleging that Facebook favours other parties, with the ruling party''s IT cell head Amit Malviya alleging a "Congress-Facebook nexus".

The Congress has written two letters to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg seeking action against its India team, an independent probe into their functioning and replacing them.

Hitting out at the Congress for alleging a nexus between the BJP and Facebook, Malviya had on Saturday said it is not some social media firm but the people of India who have rejected Rahul Gandhi and his party.

After a major political row erupted over the allegations against it, Facebook had earlier said its social media platform prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence, adding these policies are enforced globally without regard to political affiliation.
Notorious bikie Shane Bowden

A notorious bikie who travelled from Victoria to Queensland after being diagnosed with COVID-19 was fleeing for his life, his girlfriend says.

Shane Bowden, a former member of the Mongols and Finks gangs, is accused of flying into Brisbane from coronavirus- stricken Victoria on Monday morning in breach of strict border restrictions.

The 48-year-old knew he had tested positive to COVID-19 when boarding the flight, and has now forced 84 other people on the flight into self-isolation.

Late on Tuesday night, Queensland Health updated the information for passengers on the flight, and confirmed Bowden was not a risk to the public as he wasn't infectious while on board.

The mother of Bowden's teenage son and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Trudi McPhee told Herald Sun he was desperate to leave Melbourne and was concerned he was being 'watched' while in hospital receiving treatment for COVID-19.

Bowden was only released from a five-year prison stint two months ago, and within 15 days was the victim of a drive-by shooting.

He was in Royal Melbourne Hospital recovering from a gunshot to his leg when he was first diagnosed with COVID-19, and was still being treated for the virus 72 hours before he boarded the flight.

'He is a pretty wild man, he was already wanted by Queensland police he had told me,' Ms McPhee said.

'He didn't want to be in Victoria anymore.'

Bowden was a member of the Finks bikie cub when he shot Melbourne bikie Christopher Wayne Hudson

The last time Victoria recorded fewer than 70 infections in the space of a day was on July 3

Ms McPhee said she thinks Bowden 'needs help' after he began consumed with the theory that people were watching him while he was recovering in hospital.

'He checked out of hospital because he was very scared, he was worried people were watching him all the time... He is obviously not thinking properly,' she said.

Ms McPhee last heard from Bowden three days ago, when he was still an inpatient.

He made it clear that he wanted to head to the Gold Coast, but Ms McPhee said she had no clue just how quickly he would leave.

An urgent alert had been issued for those on board Bowden's flight, Jetstar's JQ560 from Melbourne to Brisbane, while it emerged Victoria Police tried in vain to track him down after he tested positive for the virus 'some time ago'.

He was under police guard in quarantine, Queensland Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said.

But the Herald Sun reported he was taken from quarantine to a Gold Coast hospital on Tuesday after his leg became infected.

Travellers are temperature tested by health officials after arriving on a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Sydney on July 7

Motorists are stopped at a checkpoint at Coolangatta on the Queensland- New South Wales border earlier this month

'This male person is well known to us,' Mr Gollschewski told reporters on Tuesday, adding Bowden is accused of lying on his border declaration pass.

Authorities in the Sunshine State are investigating to see whether he has committed an offence, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said.

Bowden spent seven years in prison for the shooting of another Melbourne bikie in 2006, and was said to be part of the Fink's 'Terror Team'.

He temporarily joined the Mongols but was recently booted from the club, Ms McPhee revealed.

'He lived for the Mongols, whatever happened, why he got kicked out  it is not my business. But, when things like this keep happening it is my opinion it is time to hang up your boots and find something else to do,' she said.

When he was released from jail in June, Bowden was 'happy' to be free and vowed to stay on the right side of the law, she added.

Bowden was picked up in a limousine after a five-year prison stint for a violent home invasion

An entourage of Mongols gang members travelled an hour and a half from Mebourne to meet Bowden with the limousine

The 48-year-old made a glitzy exit from jail - picked up in a limousine.

He was met by an entourage of fellow gang members on motorbikes, who travelled an hour and a half from Melbourne to meet Bowden, the Herald Sun reported.

He wrote in a social media post after his release and the subsequent shooting that he was excited to go back to Queensland.

'Can't [wait] to get back there as [soon] as I can get back X the border,' he wrote, according to the Courier Mail.

The alleged breach comes as Victoria recorded just 70 new coronavirus cases overnight, the lowest increase in two months, with another five deaths.

A young woman stands next to a bicycle on Saturday in Melbourne during the city's draconian Stage Four lockdown

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk meanwhile said on Tuesday she would keep her state's borders closed for least a month, citing concerns about community transmission of COVID-19 in southern states.

'We said we would review at the end of the each month and there has been no advice from the chief health officer to change what we are doing,' she said.

The premier said Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young wanted to see southern states, and New South Wales in particular, complete two COVID-19 incubation cycles without any cases of community transmission.

Tuesday morning's promising case total in Victoria was announced as Premier Daniel Andrews comes under increasing pressure to end Victoria's economically-crippling Stage Four lockdown due to end on September 13.

Mr Andrews on Tuesday told reporters a road-map out of Stage Four restrictions was being constructed by government officials piece-by-piece.

'With a full week's additional data and the practical and really important input from workers, from business, from community groups, we on Sunday will be able to give people a clearer sense of what the phases to come look like,' he said.

A masked cyclist is pictured on Church Street in the affluent Melbourne suburb of Brighton on Monday. Victoria has recorded a two-month low in daily COVID-19 infections on Tuesday

A drive-through COVID-19 testing facility is seen in Murarrie, Brisbane

The five deaths on Tuesday include two women in their 70s, two women in their 80s and one in her 90s.

A 'Freedom Day' protest on the streets of Melbourne planned for this Saturday has already drawn the support of tens of thousands of Victorians.

Victoria Police have also threatened to arrest AFL legend Sam Newman for calling on fellow Melburnians to take to the streets to protest the draconian restrictions.

The force told Daily Mail Australia on Monday they are already investigating the former Footy Show host and others for allegedly inciting Victorians to take to the streets against the controversial lockdown.

Newman issued his extraordinary call on Sunday after anti-lockdown protesters clashed with police in a dramatic stand-off in Broadmeadows in the city's north.

'Of all the protests that we have put up with, how about a quarter million of us gather in the CBD to take the City/State back, before EVERY previous march will have been pointless,' Newman tweeted on Sunday night.

'And hopefully a state day of coordination. Any takers? #StateofSurvival.'

On Monday, Victoria recorded its highest death toll yet with 41 fatalities and 73 new cases of the coronavirus.

Monday's number included 33 deaths in the weeks leading up to August 27, but were only reported to Victoria Health by aged care facilities on Sunday.

Mr Andrews has announced a restrictions roadmap that will be put forward on Sunday, after another week of data has been recorded.

'We will announce the roadmap to ease the restrictions we have all been living under,' he said.

'It is too early today to settle that roadmap and to lock that in as it were.'

'Another week's data is critically important to make sure that the strategy continues to work and for us to have a better sense of how long it will take to drive these numbers down to very, very low numbers so that they can be contained without the need to put restrictions back on over not just weeks and months.'

'These case numbers are too high for us to open up, and they are still too high for us to put forward a definitive plan,' he said.

'There will be a plan. It will come soon. But it will be one that we can be confident of, not something that potentially gets a few people being happier.'
The temporary stop on export of Tahitian lime to NZ is an opportunity to ensure producers meet border requirements before any further export. Photo: MALFFB
The murder of Trump supporter Jay Bishop by Black Lives Matter rioter Michael Reinoehl in Portland Saturday night was a watershed moment, an introduction of the political violence that has been common in many other countries but has seldom been seen in America. However, it does have antecedents: the heated runup to the Civil War is the most exact analogy, which is not all that surprising given that we may now be careening toward a second one.

The political violence broke out in the Kansas Territory. Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois was the main architect of the principle of popular sovereignty, the idea that slavery would be approved or outlawed in the new territories by popular vote. Douglas, who had presidential aspirations, drafted the Kansas-Nebraska Act to establish new territories by those names in part of the land that had been acquired in the Louisiana Purchase and was still unorganized. The act stipulated that Kansas and Nebraska would decide by popular sovereignty whether to allow slavery or not. Since both territories lay north of the 3630' parallel, slavery should have been outlawed in both of them, according to the Missouri Compromise.

That should have been the end of the matter, with popular sovereignty definitively ruled out for Kansas and Nebraska. Instead, Douglas and his allies were determined to repeal the Missouri Compromise and won President Franklin Pierce over to the idea that doing so would be the best way to bring peace to the nation once and for all over the slavery question. Slavery would be voted up or down in various states and territories, and all would be well.

Congress approved the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Pierce signed it, and all was not well. As Rating Americas Presidents: An America-First Look at Who Is Best, Who Is Overrated, and Who Was An Absolute Disaster explains, the fatal weakness of the principle of popular sovereignty immediately became obvious: proponents and foes of slavery rushed into Kansas and Nebraska in order to tip the vote in their direction. Armed conflict ensued and persisted throughout Pierces presidency; Bleeding Kansas became a symbol of the intractability of the slavery issue and the absolute ineffectiveness of President Pierce.

In a message on the unrest in Kansas dated January 24, 1856, Pierce claimed that serious and threatening disturbances in the Territory of Kansas had been speedily quieted without the effusion of blood and in a satisfactory manner. However, he admitted that disorders will continue to occur there, with increasing tendency to violence. In a proclamation on Kansas issued on February 11, 1856, Pierce called on outsiders to abstain from unauthorized intermeddling in the local concerns of the Territory, and warned that any endeavor to intervene by organized force will be firmly withstood.

Few paid any attention. Kansas continued to bleed. Three months after Pierces proclamation, pro-slavery forces in Lawrence, Kansas, attacked free-staters, destroying the offices of two abolitionist newspapers and a hotel that abolitionists frequented. The Pierce administration did nothing and could do nothing. The sacking of Lawrence was emblematic of its failure.

Likewise emblematic of the outrageously overheated state of the public debate, much like ours today, was an incident that unfolded on the floor of the Senate in May 1856. On May 19 and 20, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts delivered a lengthy speech entitled The Crime against Kansas. In it, he resorted to lurid imagery to make his case, saying: Not in any common lust for power did this uncommon tragedy have its origin. It is the rape of a virgin Territory, compelling it to the hateful embrace of Slavery; and it may be clearly traced to a depraved longing for a new slave State, the hideous offspring of such a crime, in the hope of adding to the power of Slavery in the National Government.

Sumner also mocked Senator Andrew Butler of South Carolina in terms that strongly hinted of the widespread belief among abolitionists that slaveholders were primarily interested in their female slaves for sexual use: The senator from South Carolina has read many books of chivalry, and believes himself a chivalrous knight, with sentiments of honor and courage. Of course he has chosen a mistress to whom he has made his vows, and who, though ugly to others, is always lovely to him; though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaste in his sight; -- I mean the harlot Slavery.

Rating Americas Presidents details how Southern honor was offended, and Southern honor would be avenged. On May 22, Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina, Butlers cousin, entered the Senate chamber and made for Sumners desk. He told the senator: Mr. Sumner, I have read your speech twice over carefully. It is a libel on South Carolina, and Mr. Butler, who is a relative of mine. He began beating Sumner over the head with a heavy wooden cane and did not stop when Sumner began bleeding profusely and knocked his desk loose from the floor (it was bolted down) in an attempt to get away. Brooks didnt stop until he had broken his cane. He later recounted: I...gave him about 30 first rate stripes. Towards the last he bellowed like a calf. I wore my cane out completely but saved the Head which is gold.

Both men were hailed as heroes. Southerners inundated Brooks with canes to celebrate his attack and replace the one he had broken over Sumners head. The cane was not the only thing that was broken. The Union was as well.

Sound familiar?

Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is author of 21 books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) and The Truth About Muhammad. His latest book is Rating Americas Presidents: An America-First Look at Who Is Best, Who Is Overrated, and Who Was An Absolute Disaster. Follow him on Twitter here. Like him on Facebook here.
BEIRUT - French President Emmanuel Macron said Lebanese politicians have committed to a road map that begins with a government of experts to be formed in two weeks and quickly enacts reforms.

Speaking at the end of two days of meetings in Beirut, Macron said France was committed to helping Lebanon get out of its crisis, but failing to implement reforms within a three-month period would result in punitive actions, including withholding vital international assistance.

He did not rule out sanctions on the political class if they continue to engage in corruption, saying that sanctions, if imposed, will be targeted and co-ordinated with the European Union.

Macron is visiting for the second time in less than a month as Lebanon faces multiple crises and challenges including an unprecedented financial meltdown, economic collapse and the aftermath of last months massive explosion in Beiruts port that ripped through the capital.

Going back to business as usual would be madness, Macron told reporters at the end of his visit. It is now up to the political forces in Lebanon to agree on the implementation of this road map.

The visit was Macrons second since the devastating Aug. 4 explosion  the most destructive single incident in Lebanons history, killing at lest 190 people and injuring more than 6,000. This visit was packed with events and political talks aimed at charting a way out of the crisis, and it also comes as Lebanon marks its 100th anniversary.

Macron said he would hold an international conference in Paris in October to co-ordinate aid and mobilize international support for the reform agenda. He also said he would return to Lebanon in December to follow up on progress.

If by the end of October it appears that the things that your leaders have committed to have not been achieved, this will lead to a reaction, Macron said, adding that he would tell the international community that it cannot provide aid to Lebanon under these conditions.

This isnt a blank check, he said.

Macron arrived late Monday, a few hours after Lebanons ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib, was appointed by President Michel Aoun to form a new government after winning the backing of major political parties and leaders.

The 48-year-old diplomat, little known to the public before he emerged abruptly as a consensus candidate, faces a mammoth task and he has been rejected by activists and a public demanding that long-ruling politicians stand down.

In a nod to opposition activists, Macron said the new government should be made up of experts and not representatives of political parties.

On Tuesday afternoon, a few thousand protesters gathered in Beiruts landmark Martyrs Square for a peaceful protest against the ruling class seen as being responsible for the economic collapse and port explosion. Time for accountability, read one banner put up by demonstrators. Police later fired tear gas at protesters who started pelting security forces with stones and trying to break through security barricades to reach Parliament.

Speaking to Politico en route from Paris to Lebanon on Monday evening, Macron said he wanted credible commitments from political party leaders on reforms, including a concrete timetable for change and parliamentary elections within six to 12 months. Its the last chance for this system, he said.

At the news conference Tuesday, however, he said that there was no consensus on early elections and that it was not part of the road map.

On Tuesday morning, the French president went to a forest in northeastern Lebanon where he planted a cedar tree to mark 100 years since the State of Greater Lebanon  the precursor of the modern state of Lebanon  was established. Lebanon was a French protectorate until it gained independence in 1943.

French warplanes flew in formation, spraying smoke the colours of the Lebanese flag over the Jaj forest in the Byblos region. During the planting ceremony, Macron hugged Tamara Tayah, an 11-year-old victim of Beiruts port blast, whose mother, Hala Tayah, was killed in the explosion.

Macron also visited the port of Beirut and a hospital in Beirut, where he spoke to victims of the Aug. 4 blast. He was applauded inside the hospital when he arrived and a young woman offered him a bouquet of flowers.

Wives and mothers of prisoners protested outside and tried to get Macrons attention about coronavirus infections in prisons.

France and the international community have said they will not provide financial assistance to Lebanon unless it implements reforms to fight widespread corruption and mismanagement that have brought the tiny nation to the brink of bankruptcy. Adib, a dual Lebanese-French citizen, promised to carry out the mission as he prepared to form a new Cabinet, saying he will work on reaching a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund.

The IMF welcomed Adibs nomination, hoping a new government will be formed shortly with a mandate to implement the policies and reforms that Lebanon needs to address the current crisis and restore sustainable growth.

Lebanon has one of the highest debt ratios in the world at 170% of GDP and defaulted on paying back its debt for the first time in March. Seventeen rounds of talks between the IMF and the former government, which resigned six days after the port explosion, did not lead to a breakthrough.

In a step aimed at showing Lebanon is moving ahead with reforms, outgoing Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni on Tuesday signed three contracts related to a forensic audit of Lebanons central bank accounts to determine how huge amounts of money were spent in this nation plagued by corruption.

Also on Tuesday, the judge overseeing the investigation into the Beirut blast questioned four security officials who were based at the port and issued arrest warrants for them, the state-run National News Agency said. The four are an army intelligence brigadier general, a major with the State Security agency and two majors with the General Security Directorate, the news agency said.

The new arrests bring to 25 the number of people detained after the blast, many of them port and customs officials.

____

Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
Protection of Vietnamese citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Lan - Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Consular Affairs  talks to VietNamNet about behind-the-scenes stories about Vietnams measures to protect its citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The campaign to remove Vietnamese citizens from Hubei

Many people have not forgotten about the campaign to move Vietnamese citizens out of Hubei (China), the worlds coronavirus epicenter in early February. Can you share detailed stories with our readers?

Right when the Chinese media reported about the epidemic, on January 14, the Department for Consular Affairs coordinated with Vietnamese representative agencies in China to implement many measures to protect our citizens.

We kept in touch with Vietnamese students and Vietnamese people in China, especially those in Wuhan, to encourage and disseminate knowledge about disease prevention under the Chinese health authoritys recommendation; made list of Vietnamese citizens who were in China; helped stranded citizens to apply for visa extension; and met and handed over diplomatic notes to the representative of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask them to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and health for Vietnamese citizens in China.

The Department for Consular Affairs held many interdisciplinary meetings to discuss the detailed plan to bring Vietnamese citizens from Wuhan city, Hubei province home.

On the night of February 9, the Department for Consular Affairs sent a mission, led by Director Vu Viet Anh, to Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province to welcome 30 Vietnamese citizens from Wuhan.

The Department for Consular Affairs coordinated with the Vietnam Embassy in Beijing and related ministries, branches, agencies and localities to closely monitor the travel schedule of Vietnamese citizens from all over China to the meeting area to come back home.

To successfully deploy this flight, the Vietnam Embassy in China had to handle many procedures such as: collecting citizens' aspirations for repatriation and making the list of these people to send it to local authorities, sending diplomatic notes to the Chinese authorities to apply for flight permits, working out plans and arranging facilities, necessities, medical protective equipment, accommodation and places for gathering Vietnamese citizens in Hubei, and asking support of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Hubei province to allow Vietnamese citizens to pass through local checkpoints to arrive at the airport on time.

Vietnamese citizens return to their homeland after long, anxious days in Wuhan, China. Photo: Bao Quoc Te

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy in Beijing continuously worked through diplomatic channels to get early notice of the flight permit. However, the Chinese side said that the procedures in China had to go through many stages and the Wuhan airport had to focus on serving previously registered aircraft.

Until about 5pm on February 9 (only 4 hours before the flight departed from Vietnam), they by phone called about the license for Vietnams flight.

After flight HVN68 landed at Van Don airport, Quang Ninh province at 5.4am of February 10, Vietnamese authorities quickly carried out disinfection procedures and medical examination in accordance with epidemic prevention regulations for 30 citizens, including a female passenger who was eight months pregnant. All citizens had stable health condition and were taken to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases for quarantine.

No one left behind

With the humanitarian policy and determination "do not leave anyone behind", do you think that the protection of Vietnamese citizens has become a highlight in Vietnams efforts to prevent and fight coronavirus epidemics?

Following the Prime Minister's direction, with the determination not to leave anyone behind, in the context of the complicated pandemic, when many countries have a blockade policy, the protection of Vietnamese citizens is still a top priority of Vietnamese representative missions overseas.

This is the most important political task, aimed at maximally protecting the rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens, ensuring their health, and bringing people in extremely difficult circumstances back home.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Lan - Deputy Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department for Consular Affairs

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs cooperated closely with the Ministries of Defense, Health, Transport, relevant authorities, overseas Vietnamese representative agencies and Vietnamese airlines to take 1,255 Vietnamese citizens who were stranded at international airports home and organized 84 flights to bring nearly 21,000 citizens from about 50 countries and territories to Vietnam, out of a total of over 50,000 Vietnamese citizens wishing for repatriation (about 42%).

It is expected that from now to the end of August 30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will organize 34 flights to bring more than 10,000 citizens back home. According to the plan, by late August, we will organize a total of about 118 flights to bring home more than 31,000 citizens out of over 50,000 citizens wishing for repatriation (about 63%).

How do you evaluate the need for repatriation of Vietnamese citizens abroad?

The Covid-19 pandemic has become extremely complicated, unpredictable throughout the world. There are about 4.5 million Vietnamese people living, studying and working abroad. A large number of Vietnamese citizens, mainly vulnerable subjects such as students, women, the elderly, the sick or unemployed workers, those who are stuck due to expiration of visa... want to return home.

To seriously implement the guiding of the Government of facilitating Vietnamese abroad to go home, based on appropriate priority order and the countrys ability for quarantine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has coordinated closely with relevant ministries, departments and agencies, using all domestic resources and capabilities to organize flights to bring back our citizens as soon as possible.

Thai An

More Vietnamese citizens arrive home on repatriation flights A total of 145 Vietnamese citizens in especially difficult circumstances in Eastern and Southern Africa together with 570 Vietnamese citizens from Taiwan (China) and Japan have been safely repatriated.
The Rural Women Project has been launched in Osh and Chui Oblasts of Kyrgyzstan to improve the quality of life and increase access to information and legal awareness, Trend reports citing Kabar.

According to the press service of the Union of Local Self-Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, the project aims to reduce and eliminate discriminatory stereotypes against rural women.

Under the project, assistance will be provided in expanding legal opportunities and obtaining consulting and qualified legal assistance, provided by the Free Legal Aid Centers and Buses of Solidarity, as part of the implementation of the provisions of the Law "On State Guaranteed Legal Aid" adopted in 2016.

The project will cover rural women and decision makers in 193 rural counties of Osh and Chui Oblasts. This initiative will increase the legal knowledge of at least 400 rural women from local activists, non-profit organizations, and vulnerable groups; and at least 200 representatives of local authorities.

Various forms of interaction between local government bodies and the Free Legal Aid Centers and Buses of Solidarity will be intensified.

This project is being implemented in partnership with the Legal and Business Development Fund and the Union of Local Self - Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. This initiative is financed by UNDP within the framework of the "Towards sustainable access to justice for legal empowerment in the Kyrgyz Republic joint project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and UNDP.
Doug Lynam is a partner at LongView Asset Management in Santa Fe and a former monk. He is the author of From Monk to Money Manager: A Former Monks Financial Guide to Becoming A Little Bit Wealthy  And Why Thats Okay . Contact him at douglas@longviewasset.com
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Monday said the institute will remain closed till September 30 and extended the date of registration for the monsoon semester till September 4.

It issued a notification, saying, Students are required to stay back where they are and should not return to the campus until further notice. The JNU Students Union (JNUSU) has been demanding that the university ensure a phased return of students to the campus and had also written to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal about it.

In a related development, the university also extended the date of registration for the monsoon semester till September 4.

The JNUSU has been calling for a postponement of the registration process.

It said registration was being done online while many students do not have access to internet facilities.

International students are facing difficulty in registration due to the duration of visas. Particularly at a time when many have returned to home countries they cannot be expected to extend visa duration immediately. Further, many international students have reported difficulty in paying fees due to certain banking policies restricting online transfer, the JNUSU said.

The students union had organised a protest on August 24 at the office of the Dean of Students and also met the deputy registrar on August 26 and 28 over this and other issues.

It said that there are discrepancies in mess bills as well as the non-disbursement of scholarships was making students unable to pay the bill. The JNUSU also claimed that the evaluation of the last semester has not been completed and there are no guidelines on courses.

There is a lack of clarity over registration of MPhil terminal students of the integrated MPhil/PhD batch who have been given time to submit till December but not made aware whether the university will extend their PhD by a semester or not, it said.

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PEORIA, Ill., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OSF HealthCare is leveraging what it has learned during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve breast cancer screening among minority and low-income patients. The Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL) and Saint Gabriel Digital Health (SGDH) at the Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center will train digitally enabled community health workers to engage with patients in new ways.

They'll use digital tools including text messaging, videos, and two-way messaging to help educate and empower patients to engage more in their own health. In turn, that should help improve mammogram rates and lower breast cancer mortality.

Dr. Sarah Stewart deRamirez, Vice President-Chief Medical Officer for OSF Innovation, says efforts will be funded by a $75,000, one-year grant from the Illinois Health and Hospital Association and Blue Cross-Blue Shield Insurance.

"We decided we wanted to take on the disparities we see between rural and urban, between race and ethnicity amongst our patients and really try to reduce those disparities and bring up the level of both screening mammograms and ultimately life expectancy around individuals diagnosed with breast cancer." -Dr. Sarah Stewart deRamirez

Of the households that OSF HealthCare (OSF) serves, nearly half are low-income and almost a quarter are below the poverty line. Dr. Stewart deRamirez, who is also an Emergency Medicine physician, says nationwide 40% of the population gets a yearly mammogram but for low-income women over 39, it's closer to 20%.

According to Dr. Stewart deRamirez, "So depending on how much money you make and the insurance you get, that ultimately determines the rate at which people are able to access mammograms as well as access treatment and ultimately survive or die from breast cancer."

The main goal of the grant is to pilot a hybrid digital health worker (remote) and community health worker (in-person) model to see the impact on improving breast cancer screening for Peoria and 5 surrounding rural counties (Fulton, Henry, Knox, Tazewell and Warren). Stewart deRamirez says there is little understanding about the impact of using communication and education tools patients can access on a smartphone, pad or computer. The results of the research, in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health, could also provide insights about prevention approaches for other types of cancer and chronic diseases.

Abby Lotz, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for OSF Saint Gabriel Digital Health, agrees it's important to collect evidence about what works to improve mammogram rates and early treatment for breast cancer.

"Do people want to stand and talk to someone at a health fair? Do they want to connect with their digital health worker in their community one-on-one? Do they want to connect passively through the health applications or messaging functions and we'll make sure we're using all of those approaches to meet them where they are."

OSF Saint Gabriel Digital Health deployed pandemic health workers to digitally support COVID care for individuals at home. Leaders were pleasantly surprised about people's willingness to use smartphones or tablets to stay connected with health care providers.

"I think that we don't give each generation enough credit. I think technology is so widely adopted but we need to support that. We need to continually upscale our communities to help them with that adoption and we want to be the trusted partner to help them do that," according to Lotz.

The grant will also support efforts to screen all at risk patients within the OSF HealthCare system for social determinants of health such as housing and food insecurity or transportation challenges that contribute to lack of access and care. Those who screen positive will be connected to community social service agencies that can provide support and reduce those barriers.

Dr. Stewart deRamirez believes technology can be a great equalizer in providing health equity but key to making an impact is understanding more about the extent people want to connect digitally and the kind of support needed to allow them to do that easily.

OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system owned and operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, Peoria, Illinois. OSF HealthCare employs more than 23,600 Mission Partners in 147 locations, including 14 hospitals  10 acute care, four critical access  with 2,097 licensed beds, and 2 colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan. The OSF HealthCare physician network employs more than 1,500 primary care, specialists and advanced practice providers, who are part of the OSF Medical Group . OSF HealthCare, through OSF Home Care Services, operates an extensive network of home health and hospice services. It also owns Pointcore Inc., comprised of health care-related businesses; OSF HealthCare Foundation, the philanthropic arm for the organization; and OSF Ventures, which provides investment capital for promising health care innovation startups.

Jump Simulation, a part of OSF Innovation, is a collaboration between University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and OSF HealthCare. The Jump center replicates a variety of patient care settings to ensure novice and seasoned clinicians can practice handling medical situations in a life-like environment. Boasting six floors and 168,000 square feet, the center is one of the largest of its kind and provides space for conferences, anatomic training, virtual reality and innovation. For more information, visit www.jumpsimulation.org.

Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHHA) is dedicated to advocating for Illinois' more than 200 hospitals and early 40 health systems as they serve patients and communities throughout the state. Our mission is to be the trusted voice and resource for members as they care for their communities. More information is available at www.team-iha.org.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is committed to expanding access to quality, cost-effective health to as many people as possible in Illinois. BCBSIL is dedicated to innovation and exploring, nurturing and activating future possibilities to make the health care system work better for our members and our communities. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Learn more at www.bcbsil.com

Contact: Colleen Reynolds | Media Relations Coordinator | (309) 825-7255

SOURCE OSF HealthCare
Colombian Supreme Court decides it should no longer handle the fraud and bribery case against former President Alvaro Uribe.

An investigation into witness tampering and fraud by Colombias former president is being handed over to the office of Attorney General Francisco Barbosa.

Critics said the move could help Alvaro Uribe, who is under house arrest.

The former president resigned from his Senate seat earlier this month to force the court, which deals with criminal proceedings involving legislators, to transfer his case to the Office of the Attorney General.

Al Jazeeras Alessandro Rampietti reports from Bogota.
Pregnant women are less likely to show symptoms of Covid-19 but more likely to end up in intensive care than women who aren't expecting, a study has found.

How the coronavirus affects pregnant women has been unclear throughout the worst of the pandemic and they were put onto the shielding list as a precaution.

While some research has found they don't seem to be at any extra risk, a study published today finds they are more likely to get severely ill if they do get symptoms.

The paper reviewed 77 other studies that have been done around the world and found that pregnant women were 57 per cent less likely to show signs of illness.

Among those who did develop symptoms, however, the chance of being admitted to intensive care was 62 per cent higher than it was for other women. All the women in the study were already in hospital, so they may have had other health problems.

This does not mean that 62 per cent of pregnant women with Covid-19 went into intensive care, but was a proportionate increase in risk. For example, if 10 in 1,000 non-pregnant women went to ICU, 16 pregnant women would do so.

The virus, research showed, may also lead to a premature delivery and increase the chance of the baby needing to go onto a neonatal care unit.

Scientists, however, said the results were reassuring and showed pregnant women had 'comparable outcomes' to other women who caught coronavirus.

The science is not clear on whether pregnant women are more at risk from coronavirus or not but the NHS put them on the shielding list as a precaution (stock image)

The research was done by a team called the PregCOV-19 Living Systematic Review Consortium, led by the University of Birmingham's Professor Shakila Thangaratinam.

They looked at 77 studies already done on the effects of Covid-19 which included 11, 432 women who had been admitted to hospital and diagnosed with the viral disease.

The review found the pregnant women in hospital with coronavirus were 57 per cent less likely to have symptoms, but 62 per cent more likely to end up in intensive care.

In addition, there was an 88 per cent higher chance of them ending up on a ventilator.

Existing health problems in the mothers, including obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, were strongly linked to the increased risks of intensive care and ventilation.

Dr Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: 'While overall risks to pregnant women from coronavirus are low, the findings of this study highlight the particular risks to pregnant women, especially those in the third trimester of pregnancy, should they become unwell with coronavirus.'

He said the findings of the study were 'welcome' and that women should follow Government guidance, which puts them in a 'moderate risk' group.

The NHS had advised pregnant women to shield themselves during the height of the pandemic.

On its website the health service says: 'There's no evidence that pregnant women are more likely to get seriously ill from coronavirus.

'But pregnant women have been included in the list of people at moderate risk (clinically vulnerable) as a precaution.

'This is because pregnant women can sometimes be more at risk from viruses like flu.

STUDY FINDS HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN NO MORE LIKELY TO GET SEVERELY ILL A study published by King's College London in August found that healthy pregnant women do not face a higher risk of severe Covid-19 than women who are not expecting. There were fears mothers-to-be would be more vulnerable to dying from the disease because their immune system is weaker during pregnancy. But researchers quashed the concerns after analysing data from two million women from the UK, US and Sweden. They found expectant mothers with no underlying conditions faced no greater risk of developing severe Covid-19 than women who aren't pregnant. But, similar to what has been seen in the general population, pregnant women with existing health conditions, such as lung, heart or kidney disease and diabetes, were more likely to end up in hospital. The study done by the PregCOV-19 Living Systematic Review Consortium  in the main story on this page  took in all women, not just those who were healthy, which is why its results may appear different. The PregCOV-19 study accepted existing health problems as risk factors instead of ruling them out. King's College London academics, who led the research, said women with other illnesses should be monitored more closely. Dr Erika Molteni said: 'Although our findings should be reassuring for healthy women who are pregnant at this time, it highlights the importance of protecting those with underlying health conditions and keeping a close eye on them during their pregnancy, particularly if they start showing symptoms of COVID-19.' Advertisement

'It's not clear if this happens with coronavirus. But because it's a new virus, it's safer to include pregnant women in the moderate-risk group.'

The study found that 73 pregnant women out of 11,580 women in the studies (0.6 per cent) had died after testing positive for Covid-19. Their causes of death were not explained, meaning they may or may not have been caused by the disease.

Preterm birth was more common among women with Covid-19 than those without, the scientists said, and a quarter of babies born to sick mothers had to go into a neonatal unit.

Those babies were at a three-fold higher risk of needing to be admitted than babies born to mothers without the virus, they said.

Professor Thangaratinam and colleagues wrote: 'Pregnant and recently pregnant women are less likely to manifest Covid-19 related symptoms of fever and myalgia than non-pregnant women of reproductive age and are potentially more likely to need intensive care treatment for Covid-19.

'Pre-existing [illnesses], high maternal age, and high body mass index seem to be risk factors for severe Covid-19.'

Dr Morris, from the Royal College of Obstetricians, added that other evidence showed women from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds were at greater risk of complications than white women.

'It is important that pregnant women are aware that the absolute risks to their health from coronavirus are low,' he said.

'This study highlights a possible increase in the need for intensive care among pregnant women with coronavirus.

'This is also true for pregnant women should they contract flu. This year, it is particularly important that pregnant women take up the offer of the free flu vaccine, which is safe in all trimesters of pregnancy, to protect them from becoming seriously unwell with flu.'

Dr Edward Mullins, a National Institute for Health Research lecturer at Imperial College, said: 'This living systematic review is a useful resource for the healthcare community.

'The reviews findings confirm the increased risk of pre-term delivery, but not spontaneous pre-term labour with SARS-CoV-2 infection and that women in pregnancy have comparable outcomes to women who are not pregnant  which is different to the worse outcomes seen in women in pregnancy with other pandemic respiratory viruses.

'The findings of the review support ongoing social distancing measures for women in the latter stages of pregnancy to reduce the risk of pre-term delivery.

'There are unanswered questions on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in early pregnancy and on transmission from mother to baby in the womb which need to be addressed to further understand how this virus affects women in pregnancy.'

The study was published in the British Medical Journal.
T his year marks the 50th anniversary of the march of 150 protesters in Notting Hill, west London, to demonstrate against racial harassment of black people at the hands of the police.

The protesters' march on August 9, 1970, was sparked in part by officers' repeated raids on the Mangrove, a popular local restaurant and hub for the area's black community.

Nine protest leaders  Frank Crichlow, Darcus Howe, Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Barbara Beese, Rupert Boyce, Rhodan Gordon, Anthony Innis, Rothwell Kentish and Godfrey Millett  were arrested and charged with incitement to riot for their part in the demonstration.

The group later became known as the Mangrove Nine.

Here's what you need to know:

Who are the Mangrove Nine?

The Mangrove Nine are Frank Crichlow, Darcus Howe, Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Barbara Beese, Rupert Boyce, Rhodan Gordon, Anthony Innis, Rothwell Kentish and Godfrey Millett.

All of the nine were arrested and charged with incitement to riot for their part in the 1970 protest in Notting Hill.

What happened during the 1970 protests in Notting Hill?

The Mangrove - an all-night restaurant - had opened on All Saints Road in Notting Hill in March 1968.

Run by Trinidadian-born entrepreneur, Frank Crichlow, it quickly became a hub for the area's black community.

It was raided multiple times by police between 1969 and 1970, however, on suspicion that the restaurant was in fact a drugs den.

Incensed by officers' actions, on August 9, 1970, 150 protesters marched to local police stations demanding the police get their "hands off the Mangrove" and decrying police harassment of black people.

Police preparation for the march was extensive, with those protesting met by hundreds of officers.

Heavy-handed policing prompted violence, which authorities at the time later used to build a case against the demonstration's leaders.

Historical Home Office documents have since revealed this was a deliberate strategy to target and decapitate London's emerging black power movement.

By the end of the protest, more than 20 police officers had been injured and some 19 arrests had been made.

Why was the trial so important?

The trial was a political spectacle that saw the Met Police's Special Branch and the Home Office attempt to discredit the leadership of the growing British black power movement.

However, after a 55 day hearing at the Old Bailey, the Mangrove Nine were acquitted of incitement to riot.

Five were acquitted of all charges against them, while the remaining four - Rupert Boyce, Rhodan Gordon, Anthony Innis and Altheia Jones-Lecointe - received suspended sentences for an array of lesser offences, including affray and assaulting police officers.

Meanwhile, the trial delivered the first judicial acknowledgment that there was "evidence of racial hatred" in the Metropolitan Police.

What this trial has shown is that there is clearly evidence of racial hatred on both sides, Judge Edward Clarke told the courtroom in his closing comments.

Is the restaurant still there today?

No, the Mangrove closed its doors in 1992. The site is now home to a late-night cocktail bar and restaurant.
China has decided to make an example of Australia for complaining about its Wuhan virus plague and launching an official inquiry into its origins. In the latest escalation of tensions between the two nations, an article in the state-controlled, English language, semi-official newspaper Global Times, suggests that race is playing a role in Chinas targeting of a Caucasian-majority country. The move apparently is in response to Prime Minster Scott Morrison's plan to stop states signing deals with foreign powers that go against Australia's foreign policy.

News.com.au reports:

Australia is at risk of becoming the poor white trash of Asia as disputes with our biggest trading partner heat up, Chinas state-run newspaper says. The comments come as China launches its second investigation into Australian wine and Australian journalist Cheng Lei is being detained in China. Tensions are growing between Australia and Beijing with Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week announcing new powers to tear up Victorias Belt and Road initiative if deals between foreign governments and local and state governments go against national interests. But an opinion piece published by the Global Times says there are few signs that Australia intends to stop provoking China. Further decoupling with China will not send China back to poverty but will only make former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yews famous statement more likely to come true: That if Australia doesnt open up its economy and reduce unemployment, it risks becoming the poor white trash of Asia, researcher Yu Lei writes. If decoupled from Australia, it wont be difficult for Chinese products and investments to find new markets and investment destinations. However, it wont be so easy for Australia to find a comparably large export market or a supply of high-quality and cheap imported goods or a strong group of investors to replace Chinas.

China cant intimidate President Trump and the United States into backing down because it needs access to our vast market and still fears our military prowess. But Australia, with only 25 million citizens and dependent on China as its biggest export market, is a much easier target for intimidation.

Humiliate the white people in Australia and then Caucasians in Europe and North America will get the message that a new boss is going to run the world. That chilling proposition may be the pernicious logic lurking behind that latest provocative statement.

Chinese leaders have no historical models for diplomacy based on relationships between equal sovereign nations, the so-called Westphalian system invented in 17th century Europe. For millennia, China was the overwhelming hegemon of the world it knew in East Asia, and other nations dealt with it as tributary subjects of the emperor. Then came the arrival of the West, the Opium Wars, and abject humiliation, subjugation, mass opium addiction, social disintegration, and utter catastrophe as Western powers "carved up the Chinese melon."

The 98th Regiment of Foot at the attack on Chin-Kiang-Foo (Zhenjiang), 21 July 1842, effecting the defeat of the Manchu government. Watercolour by military illustrator Richard Simkin (18401926). Public domain

It is hardly surprising if a thirst for revenge might lurk in many a heart, especially among the Chinese leadership, ambitious strivers by definition. But by cheating its way to technological sophistication and by bullying as foreign policy, China is alienating its neighbors and counterparts, save only for those nations whose leaders depend on it or have been bought.

It is not hard to see trouble ahead.

Hat tip: John McMahon
The national data portal https://data.gov.vn was launched by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) during a ceremony in Hanoi on August 31.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung and officals perform the launching ceremony of the National Data Portal.

The portal provides data of State agencies in service of political and socio-economic activities, contributing to the process of e-government building in Vietnam.

At the event, leaders of the ministries of information and communications, natural resources and environment, science and technology, health, education and training together with those from the Vietnam Social Security, the Vietnam National University-Hanoi and the Vietnam Post Corporation signed a cooperation agreement to promote open data and develop the portal.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung expressed his belief that Vietnams rankings of e-Government building in the world, now at 86th place, will improve.

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung speaks at the ceremony.

The national database on Vietnamese enterprises has been basically completed while the national population database will be basically completed next year, he said, adding that apart from the Governments determination and efforts, the involvement of leaders of ministries, agencies and localities is also needed because they own important data.

Deputy head of the MICs Authority of Information Technology Application Do Cong Anh said the ultimate goal of building the portal is promoting data governance in State agencies towards the goal of developing data sustainably for the e-government.

New digital services in the process of digital government building as well as open data will be provided on the portal, making it easier for the public to use them to serve research, study or product invention, as well as offer feedback to State agencies to improve operating efficiency./.
The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has held a days workshop at Lawra and Nandom Districts for stakeholders to reflect on its Promoting Social Accountability through Citizens Participation in Local Governance.



This was to inform the design of an exit and sustainability strategy for the two districts to wean off the project.



It was also to identify and build on strategies and approaches that worked best for the project and implement relevant modifications required to sustain the project outcomes and achievements in the project districts.



The workshop, held separately in the two districts in the Upper West Region, was attended by key stakeholders including District Chief Executives, District Coordinating Directors, Development Planning Officers, chiefs, Queen mothers, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and some civil society organizations.



It formed part of activities to end the implementation of the Promoting Social Accountability through Citizens Participation in Local Governance, a citizens empowerment and accountability project, implemented by CDD-Ghana in the two districts.



The project is being implemented in 20 districts in the country with the aim to strengthen transparency, participation and feedback around local government budgeting and planning systems.



It also seeks to enhance the capacity, attitudes and behaviour of citizens and stakeholders towards deepening accountability and transparency in the use of local resources as well as improving service delivery.



Mr Balaarah Abdulai, a member of the project team, who spoke during the workshops at the two Assemblies, urged public sector officials to see citizens participation in development initiatives as a right backed by law and policy guidelines to involve them in design, planning, implementation and monitoring of development interventions to ensure sustainable development.



Mr Balaarah said section 40-48 of the Local Governance Act provided opportunity for citizens, most importantly, vulnerable populations such as PWDs, women, youth amongst others to participate and share their thoughts on development issues that affected their lives.



He encouraged state actors to constantly engage citizens beyond the conventional platforms such as town hall meetings that were supported by CDD-Ghana to enhance transparency and accountability.



He said citizens were losing trust in service providers on the grounds of service provision, a situation, he indicated, was contributing significantly to the decrease in revenue generation by Assemblies.



Mr Balaarah, therefore, encouraged the service providers to constantly share with citizens, information regarding service provision in the District to enable them to trust and support revenue generation efforts to enhance local development.







Source: GNA









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A driver adjusts his face mask as Uber and Lyft drivers with Rideshare Drivers United and the Transport Workers Union of America conduct a caravan protest outside the California Labor Commissioners office amidst the coronavirus pandemic on April 16, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. The drivers called for California to enforce the AB 5 law so that they may qualify for unemployment insurance as the spread of COVID-19 continues. Drivers also called for receiving back wages they say they are owed. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Uber will soon require some passengers to upload mask selfies to prove they're wearing one.

The rule will be enforced if drivers report a rider for not wearing a mask.

Earlier this year, Uber began requiring all drivers upload similar verification selfies to ensure mask compliance.

Masks have been proven to successfully slow transmission of the coronavirus, which has hobbled Uber's core business.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Uber riders will be required to upload a mask selfie if a driver reports them as not wearing appropriate face protection, the company announced Tuesday. If they don't, they won't be allowed to ride again.

Earlier this year, Uber started requiring all drivers to upload the same verification photo proving they have a mask in order to drive. The company said more than 3 million drivers have uploaded more than 100 million selfies since June when the verification technology was introduced.

"We firmly believe that accountability is a two-way street," Uber said in a press release. "That's why we're expanding the same technology to riders, too  With the addition of this new feature, one driver's feedback can help ensure the safety of Uber for the next driver."

The new rules will roll out at the end of September, Uber said.

Face masks have been proven to help slow the spread of the virus, which travels primarily through respiratory droplets and aerosol particles.

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in May that for many passengers and drivers, their next Uber trip in a world radically changed by the COVID-19 pandemic would be like a first trip all over again. However, overall ride volumes remain significantly hampered by the coronavirus outbreak.

"Our global geographic footprint remains a huge advantage," Khosrowshahi said in August, "and we're seeing evidence that confirms what we've always believed, that when cities move again, so does Uber."

Shares of Uber are up about 7% since the beginning of the year, roughly in-line with market benchmarks.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Troy Lambeth named as CEO for Sanad Group. Image: Sanad Group

Badr Al Olama, chairman of Sanad, and executive director of Aerospace at Mubadala said: Troy and Mansoor have been instrumental to Sanads growth and development. As a group, the combined companies will complement each other to deliver a range of comprehensive services and solutions that meet the challenges of a challenging sector. With significant developments that are taking place through fourth industrial revolution technologies, we are seeing new business models that are driven by major customer expectations. This requires us to integrate our offering and capitalize on our combined past achievements to deliver high quality innovative solutions that creates value for customers.

Mansoor Janahi named as deputy CEO. Image: Sanad Group

Sanad integrates the synergies of Sanad Aerotech, the specialist aircraft engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) service provider; Sanad Capital, the dedicated aircraft engine and components leasing service provider; and Sanad Powertech, the energy and industrial MRO service provider. As a group, Sanad is becoming an aviation services powerhouse well positioned to provide comprehensive solutions that support the needs of its customers.

The groups launch in November 2019 was designed to build on Mubadalas Aerospace investments in engineering and leasing solutions excellence. The company will also focus on adopting new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and big data to bring transformative change to the aerospace and aviation sector.

Since 2016, Sanad has experienced significant growth, serving an expanding global customer base from its headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Major deals include the landmark AED 23.8 billion (USD 6.5 billion) engine maintenance agreement with Rolls Royce for Sanad Aerotech, the award of a major contract of MRO services for Shams Power Company to Sanad Powertech and the delivery of the final tranche of a AED 1 billion (USD 280 million) engine leasing deal with Etihad Airways through Sanad Capital.
Now that the fate of La Casa de Papel is known, fans can settle in with the news that season 5 will truly go out with a bang. With the gang holed up in the Bank of Spain and the Professor under Inspector Sierras thumb, its a given they wont go out quietly. Cue the theories, storyline wishes, and ships for Money Heists final bow on Netflix.

Death is inevitable, but so are flashbacks to remind everyone of the good times, the challenging times, and THE PLAN. With that in mind, one character is coming back in the last episodes, leaving us to wonder how his presence will help tie up all the loose ends in the last season.

Scene from Money Heist/La Casa de Papel | Courtesy of Netflix

Money Heist production is up and running

Last month, we shared that series showrunner Alex Pina revealed hes writing part 5 of La Casa de Papel. Weeks later, Netflix confirmed the news and added that it would be the series last round. What else do we know about season 5? More war.

We also know that production has officially begun in Spain and the actors are reporting to set. Luka Peros (Marseille), Alvaro Morte (Professor), Darko Peric (Helsinki), and Najwa Nimri (Sierra) have all dropped Instagram posts to share that they are back to work and the countdown is on.

A fan-favorite is also joining the party.

RELATED: Money Heist Season 5 Confirmed by Series Showrunner Alex Pina

Berlin is coming back too

We all know Berlin is dead, but after he popped up in part 4 via flashbacks, some fans wondered if his work was truly done in La Casa de Papel. Rest assured, well be seeing him again.

Actor Pedro Alonso shared a few LCDP snaps on his Instagram account, and in the one below, hes on a plane with co-stars Diana Gomez (Tatiana), Patrick Criado, and Peros  who took the picture. Criado is playing a new character in the upcoming season.

Clearly, Berlin and Tatiana are featured in part 5. Set photos from Netflix show Alonso and Criado in scenes together. Theres a good chance that Criados character is part of the Money Heist squad.

How Berlin could show up in Money Heist

Part 4 dedicated an entire episode to Berlins wedding titled La Boda de Berlin and viewers learned about Marseilles connection to Andres (Berlin) and Sergio (Professor). We also learned more about the original plan and Palermos role in it, shedding light on why he felt qualified to take over at the bank.

It is likely the rest of the plan will be revealed through flashbacks with Berlin and those privy to its finest details. Could Tatiana be part of that blueprint or Professors emergency fallback? Its possible.

The other reason were guaranteed to see Berlin is much sadder. As with Nairobi, hell be there to welcome another member of the heist family into the afterlife. The question is who will it be?

Creator Alex Pina admitted he writes as he goes along, so fans probably shouldnt expect too many hints to drop between now and part 5s release. For now, we can wait for Berlin and the others to yell Bella Ciao! one last time.
Nokia announced that it is launching the first in a series of professional level certifications to train and certify industry professionals on end-to-end 5G networks, from network access to application management.

The Nokia Bell Labs End-to-End 5G Networking Certification program is vendor-agnostic and provides a deeper knowledge of 5G networking with a focus on Access, Core and Transport domains. It is designed for business and technology professionals as a follow-up to Nokias popular foundation-level 5G Associate Certification that was introduced in February.

By gaining a greater understanding of the concepts and frameworks of end-to-end 5G networking, companies will benefit from faster realization of 5G strategies and the competitive advantage of providing high-value 5G services.

Marcus Weldon, Nokia CTO and President of Nokia Bell Labs, said: The future of work is about workers in every industry being augmented with the knowledge that is most relevant to them for every task, at every point in time. A key enabler of that future is 5G networking technologies that will form the digital fabric of this future. Gaining knowledge of how end-to-end 5G networks will impact every possible aspect of our connected world is essential to select the right strategy for your business. So, whether you work in a communications service provider or an enterprise or an industry vertical that is on the leading edge of digitization, I encourage you to take advantage of the 5G Networking Course and the new Professional level Program that is being made available now.

Sergio Fasce, Vice President of NokiaEDU, the learning and development branch of Nokia, said: NokiaEDU and Nokia Bell Labs are working together to offer the next phase of our innovative end-to-end 5G certification program. The 5G Networking course is equally suitable for business leaders, technology professionals and University students providing detailed information to enable strategic decisions, while retaining the engaging format and practical use cases of the Foundation course.

The End-to-End 5G Networking course is now available from the Nokia website, along with the associate-level Foundational Certification. Additional professional level certifications and courses will follow later in 2020. Each course has approximately an 8-hour run time which can be completed at the learners own pace.

Nokia is uniquely positioned to present this end-to-end perspective as it is the only vendor with a product and services portfolio that covers all 5G network elements, including radio, core, cloud and transport as well as management, automation and security. This offers operators and enterprises across all vertical industries (manufacturing, public safety, transportation, energy, etc.) a simple and efficient step-wise upgrade to existing radio access, core and transport domains, helping customers identify a faster path to 5G. Approximately 60% of Nokias 5G customers have selected more than just New Radio from its end-to-end portfolio.

Nokias momentum in 5G is underpinned by the companys continued leadership in cellular technology R&D and standardization. In March 2020, Nokia announced it had declared more than 3,000 5G patent families as essential for 5G, less than six months after declaring its previous milestone at 2,000 patent declarations Driven by world-class innovations from across the organization, including the renowned Nokia Bell Labs, it has played a leading role in contributing technologies to 5G, working with 3GPP to establish 5G standards and enabling the rollout of 5G networks. Nokia is now contributing towards the next set of standards, Release 16 and Release 17.
The media's focus on the "autonomous zone" in Seattle this summer let the right claim the whole city was like the set of a "Mad Max" movie. (Associated Press)

Last week, a mob of white protesters swarmed a white woman eating dinner in Washington, D.C.s Adams Morgan neighborhood. Video of the bullies shouting white silence means violence and demanding that patrons raise their fists in solidarity with the movement went viral.

Many pro-Trump and right-wing media personalities were quick to insist this verbal assault was emblematic of the entire Democratic Party and the broader American left. Never mind that the victim, Lauren B. Victor, was a fellow progressive who told a Washington Post reporter, Im very much with them. Ive been marching with them for weeks and weeks and weeks."

Among the funny things about this decidedly unfunny event is that it would have been almost impossible for this roving rhetorical goon squad to find the kind of victims they surely wanted. Adams Morgan is an especially liberal neighborhood in a very liberal city. Sure, there are some conservatives there  I lived in Adams Morgan for over a decade  but as a statistical matter, picking on random white people in Adams Morgan in the hope of finding MAGA types or even opponents of BLM is like scouring Manhattans Upper West Side for taxidermists. Its theoretically possible, but youll have your work cut out for you.

More to the point, national Democrats would be well-advised to draw inspiration from Victors refusal to be bullied by a mob, even one she sympathizes with, because she is surely more representative of voters than the mob accosting her was.

American liberalisms Achilles heel has long been a reluctance, sometimes a flat-out inability, to criticize radicals to their left. In the 1960s, leading Democrats kowtowed to extremists out of what the late historian Fred Siegel called a riot ideology, and it cost the party dearly.

There have been exceptions. Americans for Democratic Action arguably saved the Democratic Party from its left-most wing led by the useful idiot Henry Wallace, FDRs former vice president. Bill Clinton broke the GOPs monopoly on the presidency by deliberately picking fights with the left in order to attract more moderate voters. Clintons tactics were arguably more cynical than idealistic  he took time off from the campaign trail to oversee the execution of a severely brain-damaged Black man. But say what you will about his triangulation, it worked.

Story continues

American politics has become a contest between two competing caricatures of reality. The primary driver of this dynamic has been the medias  particularly cable news  addiction to narrative journalism combined with the pernicious influence of social media. Twitter and Facebook make it all too easy to shine a spotlight on outlier events and present them as central to our lives. The focus on the ludicrous autonomous zone in Seattle earlier this summer let the right claim the whole city was like the set of a "Mad Max" movie.

Similarly, the statistically rare (Im sorry, but its true) examples of outrageously bad behavior by some cops captured on video give many on the left permission to push a narrative of wholesale racial oppression by police.

Social media is like the wall on Platos Cave, selective facts cast shadows we mistake for reality. If you take all of your cues about what is happening in America from partisan Twitter  as so many journalists do  youd be a fool not to buy a gun and prepare for the coming apocalyptic helter-skelter.

The problem is intensified by the tendency of the hyper-politically engaged left and right to listen only to people in their own echo chamber and to mistake Twitter outrage for sentiment on the ground. So despite the fact that a majority of Black and Latino people want the same amount or more police in their communities, we spent weeks listening to experts claim that abolish the police is a reasonable, mainstream position. (Heres an illustrative heuristic: If you hear politicians or journalists using the label Latinx to describe Latinos, youre listening to someone in a bubble. According to recent Pew Research Center polling, only about 25% of Latinos know the term and only about 3% actually use it.

Joe Biden won the nomination largely because most of his competitors talked as if Democratic primary voters were indistinguishable from the very online left-wing activists and journalists who dominate MSNBC and CNN.

To his credit, Biden has unequivocally condemned rioting, vigilantism and street violence. But he took too much time to do it, not because he doesnt believe what he said, but because the campaign let the fringe define the center of the party. Condemning violence  by rioters and vigilantes alike  is a no-brainer; its a pre-partisan patriotic requirement of political leadership.

Hesitation to do so is not merely shameful, its political malpractice, because most voters expect it and even the appearance of reluctance feeds precisely the narrative that could cost Biden the election.

@JonahDispatch
Students in Da Nang wait to take the novel coronavirus tests before their national high school exam, August 31, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong.

Da Nang will collect samples of 200,000 families yet to be tested for the new coronavirus to prevent any possible community infections.

In the past two days, authorities in central Da Nang City, a tourism hotspot that became Vietnam's Covid-19 epicenter in late July, have listed all families whose members have yet to be tested for the new coronavirus.

In all, around 200,000 families have been counted.

Accordingly, each family will send one member for Covid-19 mass testing. In case anyone tests positive, their family would be isolated and all members screened.

Ngo Thi Kim Yen, director of Da Nang Health Department, said mass testing will help track all new coronavirus infectees that might have slipped the net.

"The result will provide a foundation for the city to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment, from which authorities could decide to ease social distancing," she said.

Social distancing was imposed across the city on July 28, and then extended on August 11.

Residents are required to stay home and only go out to buy food or medicine, to work in factories or manufacturing facilities, act as service providers, or in case of emergency. Gathering of more than two people in public is banned and a minimum distance of two meters between each other in public must be maintained.

The move came after the Da Nang reported a domestic Covid-19 case, the first which ended Vietnam's 99-day streak with no community transmission of the novel coronavirus, on July 25. Infection then spread quickly across hospitals in the city to patients and their family members, turning Da Nang into an epicenter with 389 community infections.

"More mass testing will put residents at ease," said Hoa, 63, who lives on Hoang Hoa Tham Street of Thanh Khe District.

He and his partner run a street-side coffee shop and have had to shut down their business for the past month.

Da Nang is home to around 220,000 families or 1.1 million people. Between July 24 and August 31, Da Nang had tested 225,170 residents, many of whom live in neighborhoods with positive cases or had close contact with them.

On Monday and Tuesday, tests had been conducted among 14,000 students attending the national high school exam as well as examiners. This mean 14,000 families have had their members screened for the virus.

As planned, mass testing of the remaining families will commence Thursday.

"We will try our best to complete the entire mass testing process in less than five days. If it takes us any longer, the initiative will lose its value by failing to provide the city a comprehensive picture to conduct its next move," said Yen.

"Result from mass testing, however, should be considered relative, since we cannot test all 1.1 million residents at once," she stressed.

Da Nang currently has four facilities qualified to test for the new coronavirus using polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) screening, the most trusted method currently. The facilities are Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang Hospital for Lung Diseases, Hospital 199, and the Da Nang Center for Disease Control.

Its testing capacity could reach 14,000 samples per day.

Vietnam has so far recorded 1,044 Covid-19 cases. Of these, 301 are still under treatment and 34 have died.
Chron.com is following the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Houston area

10:15 a.m. update:

COVID-19 cases in Texas rose to 630,493 on Sundaya one-day increase of nearly 3,000 cases, according to Houston Chronicle data.

Texas also added 76 new deaths, bringing the state's total to 12,740.

The state's positive test rate rose slightly to 12.24 percent, while the rolling average of viral tests fell from 37,159 to 36,669.

In the Houston region, cases increased to 152,739 while deaths increased to 2,882. Harris County reported 1,089 new cases and is now at 105,757 cases total.

Hospitalizations in Texas dropped for the 11th straight day, according to the Houston Chronicle.

jay.jordan@chron.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 20:08:03|Editor: huaxia

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An Iranian flag is pictured at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Jan. 8, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

Lavrov said that Russia supports direct dialogue between the United States and Iran.



MOSCOW, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. attempts to re-impose sanctions on Iran are doomed to fail, while Moscow stands ready to mediate between Washington and Tehran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.

The United States has lost all its rights with Iran by abandoning its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, Lavrov said when addressing students of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

"The United States wants now to use a rather complex, sophisticated legal instrument, which was laid down in the JCPOA and approved by the United Nations Security Council, to restore the collective sanctions," he said.

"But this mechanism was prepared exclusively for a situation when Iran does not fulfill its obligations, which is not the case," he said.

The top Russian diplomat recalled that the United States did not just say that they were renewing unilateral sanctions, but they aimed to ban all other countries from trading with Iran.

Lavrov said that Russia supports direct dialogue between the United States and Iran, and is ready to help create conditions for that, if both sides are interested.

"It is always better to directly state one's claims and hear a direct answer," he said. 
Bahrain's Labour and Social Development Minister Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, has announced that the rate of compliance with the summer afternoon outdoor work ban has reached 99.7%, reported BNA.

This reflects the kingdom's commitment to the ministerial edict 39/2013, given its humanitarian and economic dimensions, and ultimate goal of protecting workers from the dangers of working during difficult summer weather conditions, said the minister, while commenting on the last day of the outdoor work ban yesterday (August 31).

Humaidan praised the compliance of the majority of establishments and companies with the ban, stressing the governments keenness on supporting all measures aimed at protecting workers and ensuring their safety at various work sites, out of its interest in protecting human rights.

According to him, the growing rate of compliance with the edict, which prohibits work from noon to 4 pm, reflects the prestigious status enjoyed by Bahrain in the field of human rights respect, especially those of workers participating in its nation-building and development march.

He affirmed that edict 39/2013 and the civilised behaviour of employers and workers place the kingdom among advanced countries in ensuring the rights of workers, through providing a safe and secure work environment free from injuries and occupational diseases.

Under this edict, a jail term not exceeding three months, and/or a BD500-1000 fine, is the penalty inflicted on violators.

Humaidan said the labour ministrys specialised teams had carried out 13,658 surprise and regular inspection visits to work sites during the two-month ban, which started on July 1, and had reported violations at 30 establishments concerning 42 workers.

Legal action will be taken against all the violators, he added.
Photo: The Canadian Press A pilot taxis a Westjet Boeing 737-700 plane to a gate after arriving at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on February 3, 2014. WestJet Airlines Ltd. is raising its surcharges on domestic flights in response to a 30 per cent rate increase by Nav Canada, which operates air navigation across the country. The airline says it has hiked the fee it charges for air traffic control services by between $4 and $7 per passenger, depending on flight duration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

WestJet Airlines Ltd. is raising its surcharges on domestic flights in response to a 30 per cent rate increase by Nav Canada, which operates air navigation across the country.

The airline says it has hiked the fee it charges for air traffic control services by between $4 and $7 per passenger, depending on flight duration.

It also says it is looking into an appeal of the rate increase and will scrap the surcharge if the move is successful.

CEO Ed Sims says WestJet is sympathetic to Nav Canada's situation, "where a lack of sector-specific federal support" has aggravated concerns over plummeting passenger numbers, but that the higher fee will result in even fewer fliers and undermine economic recovery.

Meanwhile some airports have said they will increase their airport improvement fees by half after laying off hundreds of staff, adding to carriers' financial worries.

Robert Kokonis, president of Toronto-based consulting firm AirTrav Inc., says the fee hike at Nav Canada will hit travellers trying to visit friends and family the hardest, as business travel has largely dried up.
By Noriyuki Suzuki, KYODO NEWS - Sep 1, 2020 - 13:24 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Japan's job availability fell to a six-year low and employment conditions worsened in July, government data showed Tuesday, highlighting the severe blow dealt to workers by the coronavirus pandemic.

The job availability ratio dropped to 1.08 from 1.11 in June, falling for the seventh straight month to the lowest level since April 2014, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The ratio means there were 108 openings for every 100 job seekers.

The unemployment rate rose to 2.9 percent from 2.8 percent in June, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The jobs data painted a bleak picture of an economy that is struggling to emerge from recession after the coronavirus outbreak led to a slowdown of activity and a record economic contraction in the April-June quarter.

Despite the lifting of a state of emergency in May, economic activity has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, making the outlook uncertain.

The services sector continues to struggle, with the latest data showing new job offers by hotels and restaurants plunging 44.0 percent from a year ago before seasonal adjustment. The number of offers in the manufacturing sector saw a 40.9 percent decline.

The reports demonstrate the challenge facing the successor to outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as jobs data are a lagging indicator of economic health. The government has been providing subsidies to companies to keep people employed amid the virus' spread.

"We are likely to see a bigger impact on employment going forward," said Toru Suehiro, senior market economist at Mizuho Securities Co.

"Japan's economy is expected to rebound in the July-September period, but there is a possibility that companies will still be reluctant to hire," he said, adding that the jobless rate will likely rise above 3 percent in the coming months.

The jobless rate has remained below 3 percent in recent years as the country has faced severe labor shortages amid the rapid aging of the population.

The labor ministry said in a separate report that the cumulative number of people who were fired or whose employment contracts were not expected to be renewed climbed to 50,326 at the end of August, up around 9,000 from a month earlier.

The increase likely reflected many temporary workers whose quarterly contracts would not be renewed after the current July-September quarter and received one month's notice.

The ministry has been collecting data on people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic since February and the pace of increase slowed from June, around the time when the Japanese economy gradually reopened.

Around 70,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Japan, including about 700 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was quarantined near Tokyo in February.

In July alone, the number of jobless people increased 20,000 from the previous month to 1.96 million on a seasonally adjusted basis.

About 720,000 people voluntarily left their jobs, down 20,000, while 560,000 were forced out, down 40,000. About 490,000 people were looking for jobs, up 20,000, according to the internal affairs ministry data.

The jobless rate for men fell 0.1 percentage point to 3.0 percent, while that for women rose 0.2 point to 2.7 percent.

The total number of employed people increased 110,000 to 66.48 million.

Related coverage:

Japan April-June capital spending marks largest fall in decade

FOCUS: Firms downsizing offices amid coronavirus upheaval

Japan economy shrinks at record 27.8% in April-June amid pandemic
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today begins "Childhood Cancer Awareness Month," a fitting time to bring focus to the enormous funding gap between childhood and adult cancer. Cancer is the leading cause of disease-associated mortality in children aged younger than 19 years in the United States. Yet, less than 8% of the federal research budget for the National Cancer Institute is allocated to pediatric oncology. Furthermore, funding efforts focus on treatment and cure, when what is really needed is funding for prevention.

Jonathan Agin, JD, the Executive Director for the Max Cure Foundation explains, "During this month, the Max Cure Foundation will join multiple stakeholders, including other CAC2 members, to release a critical new report that addresses the increase in childhood cancer diagnoses and highlights possible prevention measures. The release of the report is the culmination of more than two years of work and represents the beginning of a more inclusive discussion to put prevention on equal footing with treatment and the cure."

Understanding that most childhood cancers are non-hereditary, where do we look? Scientific evidence exists that children experience a greater susceptibility to harm from the exposure to toxic chemicals (many of which are known carcinogens). Studies exist that show some common toxic chemicals create alterations at the cellular level creating greater vulnerability to a cancer diagnosis. According to Dr. Philip Landrigan, MD, MSc, FAAP, "In the United States we have some of the weakest chemical policies of any country in the Western world. Federal agencies in our country are not keeping dangerous chemicals out of products intended for use by children. The result is that all of our children are at risk of exposure every day to chemicals that should never been allowed on the market in the first place."

This new Childhood Cancer Prevention Initiative also calls on companies to become part of the solution. Anne Reynolds Robertson, Founder of Toxic Free Future for Our Children, is no stranger to the toxicity of business practices commenting, "Through the Childhood Cancer Prevention Initiative, we can make significant inroads into raising the awareness of the impact toxic chemicals have on babies and children, and equally as important, make progress on advancing a range of marketplace solutions, including driving retailers and manufacturers to turn off the tap on toxic chemicals and replace them with viable, safer alternatives."

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Benjamin Franklin was a visionary when he spoke those famous words. In the context of childhood cancer, preventing the distribution and exposure to toxic chemicals that are either known carcinogens or that act with other chemicals to cause cancer, will have the positive benefit of reducing the number of children diagnosed each year. Prevention most certainly will not supplant the need to develop better therapies. It will, however, ensure that there will be fewer children needing them in the first place.

About:

The Max Cure Foundation, Inc. ("MCF") is a national 501(c)(3) childhood cancer organization founded and principally located in New Jersey whose programs have an impact across the country. MCF's mission is to fund research for the development of pediatric cancer therapies, including funding to discover less toxic treatments for children, to financially assist low income, military and first- responder families with a child in active treatment, and through advocacy, to pursue legislative and regulatory changes that benefit children with cancer and, at the same time, raise awareness to the needs of those fighting pediatric cancer.

CAC2

The Coalition Against Childhood Cancer serves all stakeholders in the pediatric cancer space and strives to unite and amplify the collective efforts of the childhood cancer community. CAC2 exists to ensure that the childhood cancer community benefits from greater levels of coordinated action and collaboration that leverage the unique strengths of its members, minimizes waste of precious resources and expertise, and drives better outcomes for patients and their families.

For media inquiries, or to arrange interviews, please contact Giselle Chollett at [email protected], or 917.386.7116.

SOURCE Max Cure
WARM tributes have been paid to a popular Limerick musician, storyteller and weaver, who has sadly passed away.

The life and times of Gerry O'Brien, who was a very recognisable figure on the local culture scene, will be remembered at a funeral Mass in St Michaels Church, Denmark Street this morning.

It was in this street which his father originally owned OBriens Pub which would later become Joe Malones before being demolished.

With his distinctive red curly hair and thick glasses, Gerry would be known by sight to people who would not have had the pleasure of speaking with him.

Lifelong friend, popular Limerick poet John Liddy described him as a character and the last of the hippies we would have known of.

He was a 1960s man, very peaceful, friendly and gentle. We will all miss him, those of us who knew him. He was very good to me down through the years. He would turn up at my poetry readings and help out and organise things for me.

Sadly, since he now lives in Madrid, Spain, John will not be able to be present at his funeral today.

Instead, he has resurrected a ballad he wrote about an adventure he and Gerry  also a keen yachtsman  had along the River Shannon.

I remember Gerry was very good on coins. He had two silver coins and he played them. He got a great sound of them. It was brilliant. Hed join in with anything. But he could laso play the bongos, and a number of other instruments. I used to really love getting to Limerick and meeting up with him, John added.

Dominic Taylor of the Limerick Writers Centre described Gerry as a character, but also a very gentle guy.

Everybody loved him, you could see from the comments left on our Facebook page. Its incredible the amount of people he was acquanted with. He was a free spirit in the real sense of the word. He lived a full life, unfettered by the normal cares other people had, he said.

Gerry, who was suffering from cancer, died peacefully in University Hospital Limerick across the weekend.

The beloved son of the late Batt and Kitty OBrien, and the dearest brother of Miriam, Rena, Rose, Pat and Eugene, plus the loving uncle of Alex.

He is sadly missed by family, relatives and his many friends.

His funeral Mass takes place at 11am today before his cremation in Shannon later.

In compliance with current guidelines, the funeral will be restricted to family members and close friends only.

Messages of sympathy may be expressed by visiting www.griffinfunerals.com or by post to Griffins Funeral Home.

May he rest in peace.
Dentsu Impact, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, has elevated Ajit Devraj and Anupama Ramaswamy to the role of Managing Partners. The duo will continue to report into Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Impact, Dentsu India & mcgarrybowen India and Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact.

In their new role, Ajit and Anupama, together, will oversee the Gurgaon and Bangalore operations for Dentsu Impact. Here, Ajit will be the business lead while Anupama will head the creative arm of the agency. For the record, Dentsu Impact handles significant brands such as Maruti Suzuki, IKEA, Tata Consumer products, Subway and Carlsberg, to name a few.

Erstwhile Executive Vice President, Ajit decided to dabble into the creative side of the business in 2018 when he joined Dentsu Impact. Prior to that, he was a management consultant with companies like Accenture and PwC in Australia and the UK.

Anupama has successfully led Dentsu Impact as National Creative Director for four years. Under her leadership, the team has worked on some prestigious accounts like Maruti Suzuki, Ikea, Tata Tea, Max Hospitals, Max Bupa, Unicharm, Vivo and many more. Previously, Anupama has worked with agencies like Cheil India, JWT, Draft FCB, and Lowe.

Speaking on the elevation, Ajit Devraj said, I feel honoured to be able to take up the role of Managing Partner of Dentsu Impact. Our strength lies in being innovative. Over the years, we have built a unique set of capabilities ranging from pure creative and brand work to delivering end-to-end MarTech, design and business-oriented solutions. A few years ago, bringing in business-driven, management and consulting skills was a rarity and I would like to thank Amit Wadhwa, Narayan Devanathan and Soumitra Karnik for their vision. Of course, I am grateful for the support of my team and our wonderful set of clients who have backed my learnings and growth into this role. I am looking forward to taking Dentsu Impact through its next phase of growth and supporting our clients in delivering a fully connected experience to their customers.

Commenting on her new role, Anupama Ramaswamy added, Well, it is a huge and challenging responsibility. But creativity comes truly alive when there are constraints. The only way to fight stiff competition is to push ourselves harder, and think even more out-of-the-box. We must march forward into the future with ideas that are different yet relevant at the same time. With so many unique touch-points, it is critical that we become the single partners to every client, thereby ensuring that every element of communication has the same levels of quality and brand integration. The idea is to learn and unlearn, and then learn again, every single day. Soumitra and Amit have placed their trust in my abilities, and together, Im sure we will create magic. I am absolutely looking forward to creating memorable stories that will help Dentsu Impact shine.

Speaking on the development, Soumitra Karnik said, I am thrilled to announce the second phase of Dentsu Impact. Our journey has been really exciting so far and we are proud to hand over the steering wheel in the able hands of Ajit and Anupama. Both are absolutely amazing at what they do. They bring in a lot of method and discipline, which is required during this time of constant fast changes that our industry is going through. They have a hard task ahead  to embrace whats new faster than others, to deliver growth at the back of solid creative reputation, to be always people-first and to keep the joy of advertising intact.

Amit Wadhwa added, This is an important phase for Dentsu Impact. We move into a new era, hereon, where creativity embraces the new approach to communication. We could not have better leaders than Ajit and Anu to lead the organisation into this exciting phase. Both come with extremely balanced mindsets and have the hunger and eagerness to accept new challenges and work towards achieving them. I am excited!

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Bangladesh Restores Internet to Rohingya Camps

2020-08-31 -- Bangladesh restored internet access in Rohingya refugee camps and surrounding communities on Friday after a nearly year-long blackout, saying pressure from international groups led to the change.

When the government imposed the ban on internet services at the 34 refugee camps in southeastern Cox's Bazar district on Sept. 3, 2019, authorities at the time said they were seeking to ensure security for the Rohingya population. The blockage left Bangladeshis who live in communities that surround the camps in the border region without internet service as well.

"Many local and foreign organizations insisted on lifting the ban, and we listened to them," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

Mohammad Illiyas, secretary of the Arakan Rohingya National Union, thanked the government for lifting the ban.

"It seems, we have received a new ray of hope. We were thrown into the 'Dark Age' and now we get back to normalcy," Illiyas told BenarNews. "Now, our children can enroll in online classes. They will spend some quality time here in the camps and life will be easier."

More than 740,000 of about 1 million Rohingya in the Cox's Bazar camps had fled from Myanmar's Rakhine state amid a brutal military crackdown that began on Aug. 25, 2017, in the wake of deadly attacks carried out by Rohingya insurgents on army and police outposts.

Bangladesh officials announced the 2019 blackout a week after about 200,000 Rohingya rallied at the Kutupalong camp to mark the second anniversary of the beginning of the mass exodus.

At the same time as the ban was implemented, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) asked mobile phone providers to stop selling cellphone SIM cards to Rohingya, according to Mohamad Johurul Haque, the agency's chairman.

"The Rohingya are not entitled to use Bangladeshi SIM cards. But they have been using a huge number of mobile SIM cards in and around the camps," he told BenarNews at the time, referring to regulations stipulating that only people with passports or national ID cards were allowed to have mobile phones in Bangladesh.

Friday's announcement did not affect Rohingya access to SIM cards. Khan, the minister, said the refugees found a way around the ban by getting the cards from and using internet networks in nearby Myanmar.

"[T]he locals were suffering," he said of the internet ban.

Since the ban was instituted, local and international activists and officials, including Sam Brownback, the U.S. State Department's ambassador at large for International Religious Freedom, have called for internet restoration.

In April, 25 Bangladeshi activists called on the government to lift the ban to spread information about the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Daily Star newspaper.

"We, therefore, request the Bangladesh government to restore mobile internet service immediately and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 among the Rohingya as well as the local communities," the Star quoted the groups as saying in a joint statement.

Even early this week, as the world was preparing to mark the third anniversary of the Myanmar crackdown that drove hundreds of thousands of Rohngya across the frontier into southeastern Bangladesh, influential Western NGOs were clamoring for the government to restore access to mobile internet communications in the camps.

Among other reasons, they said this was needed to help children take part in remote learning as well as to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Rohingya population during the COVID-19 outbreak.

One of these groups, the International Rescue Committee, published a report Monday calling for restoration of internet services "to ensure all refugees have consistent access to speedy internet services across all camps in Cox's Bazar so that children can learn."

Access to the world

Md. Rashid, the chairman of the Arakan Rohingya National Union, said lifting the ban would allow refugees to have access to the rest of the world.

"Our life was confined to these refugee camps and we were deprived of all sorts of news around the world. It seems Rohingya get a new life," he told BenarNews.

"Relatives of many Rohingya live in Middle East, Europe, the U.S. and many other parts of the world," he said. "Since we didn't have high-speed internet connections, we couldn't contact them. The problem is now solved."

Some officials and Rohingya, however, expressed concern that the return of the internet could bring with it a return of criminal activities, with gangs taking advantage of online access to communicate with each other.

An associate professor at the National Mental Health Institute questioned that assessment.

"Listen, criminals are criminals. We cannot say, only Rohingya are committing crimes and Bangladeshis are not. Labelling the entire group as criminals is unacceptable," Helal Uddin Ahmed told BenarNews.

"It is not possible to control crime by banning high speed internet connections. Law enforcement agencies should find the causes behind the rising number of crimes but imposing restriction on connectivity would not reduce them."

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

Copyright  1998-2020, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content 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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TRAVERSE CITY, MI - The Trump administration plans to lift endangered species protections for gray wolves across most of the country by the end of 2020.

Were working hard to have this done by the end of the year and Id say its very imminent, Aurelia Skipwith, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday.

Shot, trapped and poisoned to near extinction in the last century, wolves in recent decades rebounded in the western Great Lakes region and portions of the West, the total population exceeding 6,000, the report said. Gray wolves have been on the federal Endangered Species List since 1973.

Michigans population has been stable between 600 and 700 wolves for nearly a decade, according to a Department of Natural Resources survey conducted earlier this year.

RELATED: New details about Michigans 700 wolves after DNR survey

In 2019, the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed dropping wolf protections in the lower 48 states. Its part of an effort to return management authority to the states  moves that courts have repeatedly rejected after opponents filed lawsuits, the report said.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel argued last summer that delisting the gray wolf just as recovery in Michigan is proving effective would harm wolf populations struggling to bounce back in other states.

The Michigan gray wolf survey conducted earlier this year shows the states population is stable and healthy. The survey counted at least 695 wolves, which were distributed across the Upper Peninsula in 143 packs that averaged just under five wolves per pack. Wolves began returning to Michigan in the late 1980s after being nearly wiped out.

Skipwith, echoing the Fish and Wildlife Services long-held policy, told the AP the wolf has biologically recovered and that its removal from the list would demonstrate the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act.

But the Humane Society of the United States and other wildlife protection groups contend wolves are still vulnerable. Dropping protections across the Lower 48 would doom any chances of their spreading to other states where they could thrive if humans allowed it, they say.

The agency doesnt believe much suitable habitat remains beyond areas that wolves currently occupy, and therefore they wouldnt expand much regardless of protections, Skipwith said. That claim is disputed by environmental groups and some biologists.

A final decision had been expected last spring, but the service is taking time to review the science behind its position and issues raised in court rulings, Skipwith said.

We just want to be sure were covering all the bases, she said. When groups want to come in and sue because of such a success, it takes away resources from species that need them.

Wolves were removed from the federal endangered species list for Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota in 2012. A federal judge in 2014 restored protection for the animals in those states, a decision upheld by an appeals court in 2017. The wolves are removed from the endangered list in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and portions of Oregon, Utah and Washington state. Federal protections remain elsewhere.

READ MORE:

Arctic foxes, drugs seized in police raid near Detroit

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Strong cooldown puts a large blob of blue temps over Michigan and Midwest
Naomi Osaka says she has 7 different masks with 7 different names. I have 7 and its sad that 7 masks isnt enough. Hopefully Ill make the finals and youll see all of them.



Really and truly, I understand the intention is to keep their names alive and make it so that Tennis fans can't ignore how state-sanctioned murders against Black people are an ongoing problem, but this is weird AF. To tie her success in the Open to her activism is just strange.

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I mean, I get what you mean but she's young and her intentions are clearly good so I want to give her that space to figure it out. I can't imagine what being in her position is like - not just as a tennis star but a young mixed race black person who has had her own share of antiblackness to deal with.

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Sigh. Saying she's young and that her intentions are good is literally meaningless. Black people are dying and wealthy high-profile Black people are making weird moves in response. I said what I said.

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I'm inclined to give her some grace but I totally agree that a lot wealthy black celebs are doing more harm than good.

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It's because in the finals is when it would get the most visibility, as it did here. No need to make things complicated when they aren't.



I realize I misunderstood her quote. She's saying that she'll wear one mask to each of her USO matches and that hopefully she gets to the finals so she can wear all of them.



There's even less of an issue here. She wants all the visibility it can get, which's the same tbing as posting to social media which is, you know, what almost everyone else is doing. She's being even more proactive with her activism but sure, fixate on how it isn't what you think it should be...



Edited at 2020-09-01 02:01 pm (UTC)

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She's just saying that it takes seven matches to get to the final so she has one per match...

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So you would prefer her have all the names each time?

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I dont see anything wrong with what she is doing

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She's a cutie.

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She is the only light in the darkness that the males have imposed on has befallen tennis. I hope the universe compensates her accordingly.

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The men are just SO FUCKING DUMB at the moment, it's quite breathtaking.

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Wonder what goalpost the japanese fans that were in her mentions, screaming about how black people are defending "thugs" like James Blake and George Floyd, will move to

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She seems so great

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Are people really asking me to give her grace when my critique was mild as hell???? If youre not Black, feel free to see your way out of my Black-ass business. If youre Black, ask yourself why youre content with slactivism from high-profile Black people and whether or not its actually stopping the state-sanctioned violence.

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So what exactly is stopping state-sanctioned violence? How do you suggest people with a platform best use that platform to enact actionable change? These arent baiting question. I want to be clear on that. These are genuine questions. What would you like to see from someone in her position?



And so that theres no misconceptions, I am black.

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No need to clarify your race. There are plenty of Black people who arent able to do a good power analysis and who are content with crumbs from the Black elite because they genuinely think them doing the bare minimum is better than them doing nothing.



Im not going to even respond to your question about how to solve state-sanctioned violence because you know wearing masks with the names of murdered Black people as a professional athlete advances in an tournament isnt it.

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I clarified my race because if I didnt, it would be easy to disregard the rest of my comment and evade answering any of my questions.



Looks like the joke is on me though, because you still evaded answering a single point and even projected a bunch of assumptions onto me! Looks like you have nothing of substance to offer. Just criticism that makes you feel like youre doing something worthwhile.

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Arent you always stanning Meghan Markle and her racist husband though.

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I have literally never had anything but positive experiences with you, so forgive me when I say I'm not following this line of thought. Are you really calling my defense of the not-so-thinly veiled racism Meghan Markle receives stanning? Is it not consistent to care about anti-Blackness? And even if I were stanning Meghan (nevermind the numerous times I have stated that the woman has terrible politics because she literally married a member of the royal family), what does that have to do with wishing Osaka's activism was not tied to her success in the US Open? That pointing out displaying Black people's names pales in comparison to hurting the pocketbooks of the people who run her sport? Please don't act like the white and non-black people on this site who continually make bad faith arguments around what counts as effective activism for a problem that doesn't even affect them.



Edited at 2020-09-01 06:55 pm (UTC)

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i get you! i do.

athletes should be blatantly striking in streets right now, fuck a game! For BLM, for the murders in the streets, and for the goddamn pandemic.



its so fucking creepy how rich people are basically doing nothing with their power when the fascist state is growing day by day but refuse to look at history.



the USA may have private militias, police, and citizens murdering each other regularly soon and it will be considered the new normal. it will be a systemic way to eliminate those most passionate for the cause and civil rights. all because we dont have leaders or citizens who are willing to support and champion BLM and progressive policy as passionately as the people who have fucking DIED for it.



she shouldnt be playing at all if she really cares and sees the situation for what it is.

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THIS. Like, no one is bashing Osaka for this, we're asking why she's tying her activism (i.e. face mask wearing) to her career advancement. Celebrities often do the bare minimum when it comes to activism. People are so content with rich people "raising awareness" or bringing attention to an issue (never mind that there is LOTS of attention on this right now because the pigs keep brutalizing and killing Black, Indigenous, and Latinos), they never stop to ask themselves if visibility/awareness is hollow from people with huge platforms. The good sis has the power to stop bags from being collected and flexed this power last week. Money and property are the only things our stupid government and the corporations who run it care about.

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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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I've warmed up to her and wish the best for her career as long as it doesn't involve beating Serena anymore lol. She's one of the few in tennis who is speaking up and going to marches. Meanwhile all these "legends" can barely bring themselves to say black lives matter.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/09/01/breonna-taylor-plea-deal-louisville/#comments-wrapper



This is just insane This is just insane

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I saw red for a moment when first read this. Theres no escaping this evil.

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This is a good thing. 

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good for her!!



but where are the high profile white celebs doing stuff like this??? once again, we're advocating for ourselves among ourselves and hoping for systemic change when we've historically been denied influence like that.

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New Delhi, Sep 1 : A series of massive protests have been held all over the world in the last 48 hours against the gross human rights violations being committed in Pakistan by the Imran Khan government. After worldwide protests held on August 14, its Independence Day, it is for the second time in August that Pakistan has been shamed globally.

From outside the Pakistani consulate in New York to in front of the UK Parliament in London, from the roads of Toronto to the streets of Amsterdam and Gottingen in Germany -- thousand, most of them from the minorities of Pakistan, have marched against the forceful abductions, killings and enforced disappearances taking place in the deep state.

Sunday was the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances and 2020 also marks 10th anniversary of the Convention for the Protection of All Persons against Enforced Disappearances and the 40th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations' Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan's government and the security services have cracked down on critical voices including journalists, activists, non-governmental organizations, and the political opposition. The federal government has failed to mitigate the economic impact of Covid-19 on low-income workers and other vulnerable groups. Arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agencies continue with impunity. Blasphemy-related violence against religious minorities, fostered in part by government persecution and discriminatory laws, is frequent. Authorities have failed to establish adequate protection or accountability for abuses against women and girls, including forced marriage and so-called honour killings," says the Human Rights Watch, an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City.

As you read this, the people from Gilgit in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the minorities from the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan continue to live in fear, even as Islamabad is busy trying to find new means to escape the blacklisting by the global terror-financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

India Narrative has, over the last few months, brought to light several brutalities committed by the Pakistani Army, intelligence and the death squads outsourced by them to kill, abduct, and terrorize the minorities of the country.

The Pakistani Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances reported in December 2019 that 2,141 individual cases remain unresolved. The actual figure is obviously much more.

"It is a matter of serious concern that many victims remain afraid to seek assistance or publicize their cases for fear of reprisal by the institutions and individuals involved. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has long held that the official data sorely underreports the number of forcibly disappeared persons, which calls into question the effectiveness of the Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COEID). Some victims such as Dr Deen Mohammad from Balochistan have now been missing 11 long years," says Dr Mehdi Hasan, the HRCP chairperson.

Deen Mohammad, Idris Khattak, Bramsh Baloch, Hayat Baloch, Shabir Ahmed, Tahir Ahmed Naseem, Sajid Hussain - the list of victims of Pakistan's brutality continues to get longer with each passing day.

In June, the UN human rights experts had condemned the widespread silencing of human rights defenders "through intimidation, secret detention, torture and enforced disappearance, whether with the direct involvement of the Pakistani government, or with its complicity or complacency." Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Shias, Ahmadis, Buddhists - all have suffered Sunni highhandedness. People from all walks of life-journalism, arts, the legal profession-have witnessed the violation of their rights. The Covid-19 pandemic has only worsened the situation.

"Minority rights activists and social media trackers say they've seen a sharp rise in online sectarian attacks, hate speech and cries of 'Blasphemy!' Toxic trending on Twitter has also taken aim at minorities, blaming the ethnic Hazaras for allegedly bringing the coronavirus to Pakistan from neighboring Iran. After #Shiavirus began trending on Twitter in April, Hazaras say they were denied jobs, service at stores - even treatment in medical facilities," reported The New York Times, last week.

Amnesty International, in its annual report on Pakistan, noted how the authorities in Pakistan have intensified their crackdown on the right to freedom of expression.

"Enforced disappearances remained pervasive, with no one held accountable for them. The government failed to uphold its commitments to legislate against torture and enforced disappearances. Violence against women and girls remained widespread. Parliament blocked attempts to restrict child marriage. Religious minorities continued to be prosecuted under blasphemy laws and attacked by non-state actors," it mentioned.

Clearly, Pakistan is no longer a 'failing' but already a 'failed' state, sinking deeper into the abyss of despair.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
Drugs do, drugs do, drugs do, mujhe drugs do, mere liye gaanja laao, charas laao, ecstasy laao... Yes, these were the exact words uttered by Arnab Goswami on his debate show about the probable drug angle in the Sushant Singh Rajputs mysterious death case. As soon as the clip started to do rounds on the internet, it became great fodder for social media memes. Theres a remix version of the now infamous quote that has particularly caught everyones attention.

It genuinely felt like Arnab could be the perfect choice for the Udta Punjab sequel if there was a version starring journalists. He might be going through a midlife crisis and hence such ridiculous comebacks, which are surely savage nonetheless and can hit anyone under their belt.

Move over Drugs Do, we have compiled 5 more Arnab Goswami moments from his show that prove he is the master of ridiculously savage remarks and these videos will leave you in splits.

1. Chhaati Peeto

Its Arnab and we can always expect him to go a little overboard with his words on the show. During one of his debates, where he was talking about the Ram Mandir, one of the panelists opined how people were using Ram as a political influence to create a divide. Arnab, obviously, didnt agree with the opinion and then said, "Aap Chaati Peeto, Peeto!" To spice it even further, he said, "Jalan Ho Rahi Toh Burnol Lagao."

2. Tiddi Biryani Controversy

If you are wondering how he manages to be in the limelight, its because of his hilarious comebacks. This is one of the most bizarre theories that Arnab managed to plant. According to him, Pakistan planned an attack on India by sending in locusts. He even went on to suggest them to eat Tiddi Biryani as they dont have money to spend on tomatoes, onions, and wheat. Another level of crass, if we may say so.

The longer version of Arnab's expert comments on Pakistan's alleged locust conspiracy against India. If a @republic employee goes job hunting, what would they show as their journalistic achievement? pic.twitter.com/zwgoUtnfWi  Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) May 29, 2020

3. Tum Chuhe Ho...

So, in one of the debates about Article 370 of the constitution that gave Kashmir the status of the special state, there were Kashmiris who wanted it not to be removed and this irked Arnab. He eventually ended up calling them, Chuha (mouse). Yes, you read that right.

4. Karni Sena Members Are Comedians

The Rajput Karni Sena general secretary Surajpal Ammu called for a ban on the screening of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat and said there were scenes that hurt the sentiments of the community. In one of the debates, Arnab targeted a person called Surajpal for lying. The two sequences that happened in the show that caught our attention were when he called Karni Sena members comedians and even went on to say that he doesnt believe in being polite with them. Surajpal had to walk out of the show because Arnab had completely lost his cool.

5. Tum Toh Cheen Ke Chande Pe Palne Waale Chatukaar Ho...

From Cheen Ke Chaprasi to Cheen Ke Chaatukaar to Cheen Se Chipakne Waale Chambak, these were the words used by Arnab Goswami when panelists were debating on the ban of Chinese apps. This is hands down the most hilarious conversation that has happened in the Arnab Goswami show.





Are you also speechless just like us after seeing these videos? Or have you seen worse? Let us know in the comments section below.
A man wanted in connection with a South Carolina shooting was arrested in Shippensburg, according to a release from the U.S. Marshals Service.

Dominque Apprentice Montgomery, 29, from Williamsburg, South Carolina, was wanted after a shooting on July 31, according to the marshals. A warrant was issued on charges of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and attempted murder.

Montgomery was arrested Tuesday morning in the 100 block of Walnut Bottom Road, Shippensburg, the marshals said. He was turned over to Cumberland County officials for arraignment.

We place a high priority on fugitive cases in which the use of violence against victims occurs. By working with our law enforcement partners to ensure violent offenders are brought to justice, communities throughout Pennsylvania become safer and more secure, United States Marshal Martin J. Pane said.

The marshals worked with state police, the state board of probation and parole, the York County Sheriffs Office, the York County District Attorneys Office, the Harrisburg Bureau of Police, the Lower Paxton Township Police Department and the Swatara Township Police Department.

Read more on PennLive:
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- BYD Company Limited (BYD) announced that its 2020's first-half revenue slid 2.7% from a year ago to 60.503 billion yuan ($8,817,620,475), while the net profit attributable to shareholders jumped 14.29% year on year to roughly 1.662 billion yuan ($242,280,220).

Compared to the first quarter (Q1), BYD's second-quarter (Q2) revenue and net profit skyrocketed 107.46% and 1275.93% respectively to 40.824 billion yuan ($5,949,697,314) and 1.55 billion yuan ($225,864,808), according to both Q1 and H1 financial results.



(Photo source: BYD)



For the first half of 2020, BYD's automobile sales totaled 158,628 units, plunging 30.45% from the previous year. Nevertheless, the companys auto arm gained gradual sales rebound after March as the COVID-19 pandemic was abating in China. According to BYDs sales report, its Q2 sales reached 97,355 units, 59% more than that of the quarter ago period.

The contracted proceed from the automobile business should be blamed for BYDs H1 revenue decrease. The company earned around 32.072 billion yuan ($4,674,128,380) worth of revenue from January to June, falling 5.62% over the year-ago period. Nonetheless, the downturn in automobile arm was somewhat offset by the 0.24% and 7.59% increase in the revenues of the handset components and assembly arm and the rechargeable battery and photovoltaic business.

BYD said, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe in the first half of 2020, coupled with the continued trade friction between China and the U.S., have resulted in a drastic economic slowdown around the world. Amid such market climate, the production and sales volume of automobiles in China were down by 16.8% and 16.9% year on year respectively, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). Among which, the NEV outputs and sales tumbled 36.5% and 37.4% to 397,000 units and 393,000 units.



(BYD Han EV, photo source: BYD)



With the increasingly fierce market competition, BYD firmly seized the key core technologies of NEVs and continued to launch competitive models, the company said. In March 2020, BYD released and mass-produced its next-generation battery product, the Blade Battery, which redefined the safety standards for new energy vehicle industry by passing the nail penetration test, the so-called Mount Everest with respect to safety testing for power batteries. Besides, in June 2020, BYD launched its new energy flagship model, Han, which is its first model equipped with the Blade Battery and High Performance Silicon Carbide Motor Control Module.
The EPA is proposing to add Pioneer Metal Finishing in Franklinville, Gloucester County, N.J. to the national list of Superfund sites. Read more

The EPA wants to add Pioneer Metal Finishing Inc. in Franklin Township, Gloucester County, to the Superfund list because soil or sediment near the facility and a neighboring wetland is contaminated with chromium, copper, and nickel at levels that pose a threat to human health and the environment.

The soil is also contaminated with PCBs, according to the EPA proposal. The states Department of Environmental Protection also supports the Superfund designation. The proposal is currently in a 60-day public comment period.

Proposing to add the Pioneer Metal Finishing Inc. site to the National Priorities List is an important first step toward protecting human health and the environment in affected communities, said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez in a news release.

Pioneer Metal Finishing is a former electroplating facility on Coles Mill Road in Franklinville. It began operations in the mid-1950s. It discharged untreated waste into an adjacent wetland through the late 1970s.

The waste was comprised of metallic salts, untreated sludge, rinse water, cleaning solutions, and plating wastes, and went into an unlined trench leading to the wetland. The company began treating the waste from the late 1970s through 1981, when a new system was installed that stopped the discharges.

The company stopped the electroplating process in 2005 and the facility is now used for powder coating. But the issues linger. The wetland flows into Scotland Run, which flows through other wetlands potentially contaminated by the previous releases. That threatens Timothy Lake, which is one mile downstream and is used for swimming, boating, and fishing.

Other recreational water bodies that may be threatened include Malaga and Willow Grove Lakes, as well as the Union Lake Wildlife Management Area with eight threatened or endangered species habitats.

The DEP first asked the EPA for help in addressing the site contamination in 2018. The EPA collected samples and found that flammables, acids, and corrosive materials were present at the facility. Over a year, the EPA removed 100 tons of hazardous waste and cyanide-contaminated debris from the facility. That included 20,000 gallons of liquid waste.

The state supported placing the site on the Superfund list to qualify for cleanup.

Pioneer is one of four sites across the United States the EPA is proposing to add to the list.

It also announced six properties that are now officially Superfund sites, bringing the U.S. total to 1,339.

One of those is the Blades site in southern Delaware. The site is located in a residential area and sits on an underground plume of water containing hazardous substances. The contamination came from two electroplating facilities.
Scores Detained as Students March against Belarus President

KYIV, UkraineAuthorities in Belarus detained scores of protesters on Tuesday as university students took to the streets of the capital of Minsk on the first day of classes to demand that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko resign after an election the opposition has denounced as rigged.

Hundreds of students gathered outside universities across Minsk and marched through the city center to the Education Ministry, continuing a fourth straight week of mass post-election protests.

Police detain students during a protest against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 1, 2020 (AP Photo).

Lukashenko, who has run the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for 26 years, has dismissed protesters as Western puppets. The demonstrators chanted for him to Go away! and held banners demanding freedom for political prisoners.

Police moved to break up the crowds and detained some of the protesters. Belarusian media reported dozens of students were detained. Minsk police confirmed there were detentions but didnt say how many.

Police detain a student during a protest against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 1, 2020. (AP Photo)

According to the Viasna human rights center, several university professors also were detained and riot police beat many of the detained students. Valentin Stefanovich, a human rights advocate with the center, called the beatings an untoward reaction of the authorities to a peaceful protest.

Students and universities in general are a highly explosive group, Stefanovich told The Associated Press. The authorities are really scared of strikes starting in universities and are carrying out demonstrative intimidation acts.

After a ferocious crackdown on demonstrators immediately after the Aug. 9 election drew international outrage, the government has avoided large-scale violence and sought to end the protests with threats and the selective jailing of activists.

Several organizers of strikes at top industrial plants have been detained. On Tuesday, people started gathering near several large plants to support the striking workers.

Prosecutors have opened a criminal probe of the oppositions Coordination Council set up after the election to try to negotiate a transition of power. They accuse its members of undermining national security.

Last week, courts handed 10-day jail sentences to two council members and summoned several others for questioning, including Svetlana Alexievich, the 2015 Nobel literature laureate. Another council member, Lilia Vlasova, was detained Monday.

Authorities on Monday also denied entry to the Roman Catholic archbishop of Minsk and Mohilev, who was returning to Belarus from Poland. Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz strongly criticized the Belarusian police last week.

On Tuesday, Lukashenko accused Konrdusiewicz of delving into politics and dragging believers, Catholics into it and receiving orders from Poland.

The United States and the European Union have criticized the Aug. 9 election that gave Lukashenko a sixth term as neither free nor fair and urged Belarusian authorities to begin a dialogue with the opposition.

The president bristled at the idea and alleged the opposition would wage a massacre on his allies if it takes power in Belarus.

It wouldnt be a purge, like some say. It would be a massacre, he said Tuesday.

The crackdown immediately following the election left nearly 7,000 people detained, hundreds injured by police rubber bullets, stun grenades, and beatings, and at least three protesters dead. Police then stopped interfering with the demonstrations, but last week they again cranked up the pressure and began breaking up rallies.

The government also cracked down on the media, deporting some foreign journalists and revoking the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists. Two Moscow-based Associated Press journalists who were covering the protests were deported to Russia on Saturday. In addition, the APs Belarusian journalists were told by the government that their press credentials had been revoked.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists said accreditations also were taken away from 17 Belarusians working for several other media, including Germanys ARD television, the BBC, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse, and U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said five of its journalists lost their accreditation.

U.S. and EU officials have strongly condemned the media crackdown.

The detention of hundreds of demonstrators didnt deter the opposition from mounting another massive rally Sunday, which saw an estimated 100,000 people in the streets of Minsk amid a heavy police presence.

by Yuras Karmanau
Telecom companies in India have been under pressure due to adjusted gross revenue (AGR) payment dues to the government and this had resulted in the matter getting referred to Supreme Court. Over the years, we have seen significant numbers of cellular operators shut operations due to various reasons.

The most common reason was financial viability of keeping the business running, or have got merged with other companies  not to forget the 2G scam. It is a known fact that the telecom business is capital intensive and needs constant flow of capital investment to keep the company ...
ODESSA -- U.S. Sen. John Cornyn visited Odessa on Monday, the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting in which seven people were killed and 25 were injured.



He toured New Tech Odessa and talked about school district funding from the CARES Act and talked to the press about gun purchase background checks. When talking about the situation that allowed the Odessa mass shooter, Seth Ator, to purchase a firearm, Cornyn said unlicensed firearm dealers need to be eliminated.

We need to make sure that we eliminate unlicensed firearm dealers, which will mean more people get background checks because all FFLs (Federal Firearms Licenses) are required to do those, he said. (This), I think, draws the appropriate line between law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights, which I enthusiastically support, and the line between legitimate and illegitimate use by people who are convicted criminals or people with documented mental illness.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 13:37:56|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- At least 35 people were killed and many others wounded in targeted attacks across Afghanistan in August, according to official figures.

The civilians supporting the government, civil servants, religious leaders, tribal elders and persons involved in peace and reconciliation efforts came under attack in targeted killings.

In the latest of such attacks over the weekend, Mohammad Hassan, a former senator, was shot and killed on his doorstep in Qala-e-Wazir, in Police District 5 of the national capital, the capital police confirmed on Monday.

On Aug. 25, one police officer was killed in a roadside bomb blast in Mirwais Maidan locality of the same district.

On Aug. 25, Saba Sahar, a female official of the Interior Ministry, his driver and a policeman were wounded in a shooting attack in Sayyed Noor Mohammad Shah Mina in eastern Kabul.

On the same day, Raouf Dawlatzai, a pro-government local leader, and commander of Afghan Local Police (ALP) in Nahr-i-Shahi district of northern Balkh province, his two sons and two policemen were killed in a shooting attack on outskirts of Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh.

Also on Aug. 25, Hamid Yaftali, chief of Police District 7 of Faizabad, capital of northern Badakhshan province, and a police officer were killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion in Faizabad.

Mohammad Halim Fedai, governor of eastern Paktia province, escaped an armed attack on his motorcade in neighboring Logar province on Aug. 23.

On the same day, three laborers of the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum were killed in an IED attack in northern Jawzjan province.

On Aug. 22, Musa Jan Kharoti, chief of Sar Hawza district of eastern Paktika province, was killed in a shooting attack in Kabul.

A civilian, whose identity and job remained unknown, was killed and six others wounded after four separate sticky IED explosions struck four vehicles in Kabul on Aug. 22, according to officials.

At least four other civilians and government officials lost their lives in separate sticky IED explosions and several vehicles were destroyed across Kabul during last month.

On Aug. 22, a colonel of the Defense Ministry along with his driver died after gunmen spread bullets on his vehicle outside of his house in Sayyed Noor Mohammad Shah Mina locality of Kabul during morning rush hour.

Four Afghan army personnel were shot to death when they were visiting a picnic site in mountainous Paghman district on the western outskirts of Kabul on Aug. 21.

Later on the same day, one attacker was killed and three policemen wounded after gunmen attacked a police patrol in Kandahar province in southern part of the country.

Abdul Baqi Amin, a senior official of the Ministry of Education, was killed and his driver was wounded in a sticky IED explosion in Police District 5 in western Kabul on Aug. 19.

On Aug. 15, Mohammad Aman, a local pro-government leader was shot and killed following a shooting attack in Police District 3 of Kandahar city.

On Aug. 14, Fawzia Koofi, a female member of a 21-member peace negotiating team slightly wounded in an assassination attempt. Koofi, a former parliamentarian was attacked in Shamali, a locality on the northern outskirts of Kabul.

A policewoman was shot dead in front of her family members outside his house after militants broke in to her house at night and ransacked her house in Kunduz city, capital of northern Kandahar province on Aug. 13. Three senior provincial security officials were sacked after the incident.

Three off-duty army soldiers were kidnapped and shot dead in Khak-i-Jabar, a district on the southeastern outskirts of Kabul on the same day.

One civilian was killed and three people were wounded by gunshots in Police District 10 of Kandahar on Aug. 12.

On Aug. 13, two engineers of the National Water Affairs Regulation Authority, a department of the country`s Ministry of Power and Water, were killed after Taliban gunmen ambushed their vehicle in eastern Parwan province, north of Kabul.

On Aug. 10, Alizaman, a tribal elder and influential leader was shot and killed outside his house in Zintu area of Mianshin district, of Kandahar.

On the same day, one attacker who tried to shoot a religious leader in neighboring Helmand province was arrested by the security forces.

In July, at least 30 people lost their lives and many others wounded in targeted attacks across the militancy-hit country. Enditem
Natl security law shows strong deterrence, police force confident in dealing with challenges: HK police chief

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 19:05:24

The commissioner of police of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Chris Tang Ping-keung, said that the police force will spare no efforts in investigating acts and activities that endanger national security and enhance communication with its counterparts in the Chinese mainland, as the social unrest in 2019 has united the Hong Kong police force more than ever.

"Hong Kong police have arrested more than 20 people suspected of violating the national security law for HKSAR since it came into force Hong Kong police have the confidence to meet all challenges and effectively safeguard public order in Hong Kong and national security," Tang told Xinhua News Agency in a recent interview.

The department for safeguarding national security of the Hong Kong Police Force was established on July 1, right after the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong on June 30.

The department is broadly divided into three parts, intelligence gathering, investigations and operations, and training and logistical support, said Tang, noting that the department's responsibilities include collecting and analyzing intelligence on acts endangering national security, conducting investigations and other related operations.

"When there is sufficient evidence, the police will take further action," said Tang.

It has been about two months since the enactment of the national security law for Hong Kong, which Tang sees as a strong deterrence, as violence and illegal demonstrations have virtually gone to zero. At the same time, quite a few rioters got flustered and some claimed to have cut ties with violence and others have fled.

Hong Kong police officers have made tremendous sacrifices to maintain social stability and peace. Some officers have had their personal details leaked, some have given up their holidays to stay on the frontline, and some have been injured in law enforcement actions.

"I am proud of my colleagues' performance," said Tang. "After the social unrest in 2019, we have become more united and confident in overcoming any challenge."

Tang noted that they have gained a great deal of experience in operational strategy and use of equipment in dealing with the unrest last year, as the police force had never before dealt with such a huge breach of public safety. At the same time, the police have become more aware that only by clarifying rumors in a timely manner can the public's misunderstandings be eliminated.

According to Xinhua, the Hong Kong Police Force is in close contact with the mainland. Tang said that hundreds of senior and junior officers have travelled to the mainland for exchanges, visits and study.

Tang revealed that there will be more exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong police forces after the COVID-19 epidemic in Hong Kong is contained. "We attach great importance to studying and communicating in the mainland, and hope our colleagues can have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the country through the mainland visits."

Responding to the announcement by some countries that they would consider suspending some exchanges with the Hong Kong Police force, Tang said that the force has communicated with many countries around the world, and unfriendly acts from some countries would not have much of an impact on them.
JACKSON, Mich., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy has been named the best employer for women in the utility sector and tied for third best employer in Michigan according to a new ranking from Forbes magazine of the best places in America for women to work. As a company committed to leading the way in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Michigan and the utility sector, Consumers Energy also announced a change to their parental leave policy, allowing birthing mothers six months (24 weeks) paid leave, and a four month (16 weeks) paid leave to a nonbirthing parent.

The new leave time can be used for adoption and foster care placements and be taken over a 12-month period. The company is also extending 40 hours of paid medical leave to non-represented, exempt employees, an expansion of a state requirement. The new parental leave policy is included in the 2020 contract negotiated with the company's largest union, the Michigan State Utility Workers Council, which is subject to ratification by covered members over the coming weeks.

"Consumers Energy always talked the talk when it came to creating a culture and policies aimed to attract and retain talent in our company, but with the world-class change in our parental leave policy, we are walking the walk as well," said Patti Poppe, Consumers Energy's President and CEO. "Despite the latest ranking from Forbes, we are not satisfied and will continue to work hard to do more such as increasing diversity and women in traditionally male-dominated fields and in the electric lineworker and gas boot camp programs."

Consumers Energy ranked No. 1 in the utility sector, tied for third in the state and was 144th overall in Forbes's third annual ranking of the best employers for women. Forbes collaborated with market research firm Statista, surveying 75,000 Americans, including 45,000 women, working for businesses that employ more than 1,000 workers. The respondents spanned 31 industries and were asked to share their opinion on a series of statements about their respective employer's culture, opportunities for career development, image, working conditions, salary and wages and diversity.

"As a working mother of three children seven years old and under, and having experienced the joy and challenges of maternity leave, I have advocated for the new parental leave policy in my role as the Executive Sponsor of our Women's Advisory Panel employee resource group," said Lauren Youngdahl Snyder, vice president of Customer Experience. "This is a no regrets move to ensure all new parents - regardless of how they build their family - will be afforded ample time to grow, bond, and adjust to their new normal."

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information about Consumers Energy, go to ConsumersEnergy.com.

Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/consumersenergy

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SOURCE Consumers Energy

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LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Oxford Biomedica plc (OXB.L), a gene and cell therapy group, announced Tuesday that it has signed a supply agreement with AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L, AZN) to expand manufacturing support of COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222. The 18 month supply deal, under a three year Master Supply and Development Agreement, is with AstraZeneca UK Ltd. for large-scale commercial manufacture of the adenovirus vector-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Under the deal terms, AstraZeneca will pay Oxford Biomedica 15 million pounds upfront as a capacity reservation fee. Subject to satisfactory scale up of manufacturing capacity and continuation of the vaccine programme, Oxford Biomedica expects to receive additional revenue in excess of 35 million pounds plus certain materials costs for the manufacture of multiple large-scale batches of AZD1222 until the end of 2021. The companies may extend the supply period for AZD1222 by a further 18 months into 2022 and 2023 by mutual agreement. As part of the deal, Oxford Biomedica will reserve capacity for AstraZeneca in up to three manufacturing suites in its new commercial manufacturing centre, Oxbox, for an initial 18 month period. Oxford Biomedica said it does not expect any impact to its current partnerships or ability to secure and support additional new partnerships in the cell and gene therapy field. 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.
Well known Longford businessman Andrew Reynolds has backed calls for financial support for rural publicans who have suffered what he calls catastrophic losses in the wake of the global pandemic that has swept across our country and throughout the world.

Referring to recent appeals by many local publicans who are struggling to survive throughout this predicament and having personally heard testimonies from business associates I know who have told me they will not be able to open again as a result of the crisis, Mr Reynolds said that the lack of government funding for pubs in rural Ireland may well mean the end of social interaction for those who most depend on it in the local community.

For many the local pub is the only means of social interaction and the only time that people get to meet for a chat and such occasions play a major part in battling the scourge of loneliness, isolation and mental health in our communities and whilst there are obvious risks with the presence of Covid-19 in our homes and in our towns and villages.

Our pubs and hostilery owners have been more than willing to make the specific changes and steps necessary in order to meet the health and safety demands required to deal with the ongoing crisis.

However business owners do need some clarity and more support to do so and I am therefore calling for same as a matter of urgency before we lose both such crucial and cultural aspects of our community as well as meeting the vital needs of the most vulnerable in our towns and villages which are are at risk of being lost in the midst of this ongoing battle.
Marco Perez was thrilled to hear the news ahead of Monday evenings dinner rush inside his 5-year-old AdaPris Pizza Buffet in Cullman County.

For the first time since March, when strict State Health Orders went into effect, Perez is given the go-ahead to reopen the self-serve buffet in his restaurant.

That is good news, said Perez, when informed that hidden on Page 11 of the states revised Safer at Home Health Order that was issued on Thursday is a tiny nugget that will make buffet fans  but especially, their owners -- rejoice: Effective 5 p.m. Monday, all buffets, salad bars and self-serve drink stations are OK to reopen as long as there is an employee present whose duties include ensuring that six-feet of separation exists among customers. In addition, that employee will also be charged with providing hand sanitizer and will encourage patrons to apply it before using the buffet, salad bar or self-serve drink station.

Right now, business is not very good, said Perez, who switched to a cafeteria-style service during the coronavirus pandemic as buffet restaurants became taboo among public health officials as possible harbingers of virus spread and disease. Some people dont like us serving them. Weve tried to do the best we can, but I think this is really good news.

Indeed, buffet restaurant owners and operators in Alabama can now return to the self-service format their customers are long accustomed to with the slight restrictions. Those that have remained opened during the Covid-19 pandemic have had to switch to family-style or cafeteria service, where a restaurant employee  typically, a waiter or waitress  takes their order and brings their food and drinks to the table.

But after months of reorganizing their restaurants and business models away from the buffet, there is no indication that some restaurants will immediately flip back to the buffets. Some buffet operators, when contacted Monday, were unaware of the State Health Order that allowed them to return to self-service, though a representative with the Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association said it notified its members of the changes on Thursday.

We applaud our states restaurants for their due diligence in following the Safer at Home Order since being allowed to reopen in May, said Alison Ingle, spokeswoman with the association.

A Wind Creek Casino buffet remains closed in Pennsylvania. Wind Creek, which is an arm of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, also operates casinos in Atmore, Montgomery and Wetumpka. None of the buffets inside those three facilities are scheduled to reopen under their former self-serve formats. Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

None of the buffets at the three Wind Creek casinos in Alabama are reopening, said Magi Thomley Williams, spokeswoman with Wind Creek Hospitality, which is owned and operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The company -- which operates three casinos in Alabama in Atmore, Montgomery, and Wetumpka  has converted its buffet areas into seated dining facilities with table service and social distancing in place, Williams said.

At this time, we do not plan to reopen as a traditional buffet in any of our Alabama locations, she said.

Some chain restaurants are also taking a cautious approach. A spokesman at Cicis restaurants said that some restaurants will continue to serve unlimited pizza to guests directly at the buffet by a team member, while others will be shifting to an updated self-service buffet with member service available upon request.

At Shoneys, the All You Care to Eat Freshy Prepared Food Bars have been cafeteria style for months. According to a spokesman, this has proven to be successful and many of our guest appreciate the additional level of customer service.

Similarly, in Alabama, we will follow the guidelines set forth to ensure the health and safety of both our guests and team members, said Gill Duff, the companys chief marketing officer.

In Saraland, the Barnyard Cafeteria was once called Barnyard Buffet, but changed its name during the pandemic. The buffet was repurposed into a cafeteria-style format, with employees standing behind sneeze guards and the food line while serving customers who walked along the buffet pointed to the food items they want.

Owner J.J. Nelson said he also was unaware of the State Health Order changes, but said he was not returning to the buffet-style format. Under a buffet format, Nelson said he would have to position employees to monitor the hot food line, salad bar, dessert line and the self-service drink station.

Nelson said that customers are used to the current layout and are appreciative of the safety features. He said that maybe one or two people say they miss making their own plates.

Nothing Ive seen in my customers behavior whatsoever has indicated that the majority of people want the buffet back, said Nelson.

He said going back to the buffet format wouldnt be good business for him right now. He said he would have to have to pay four employees to monitor the buffet lines while people pile double food on their plates again as opposed to the current situation where the employees are dishing out more moderate portions that are keeping customers completely satisfied. He said that customers are always allowed to walk back to the buffet line and get more food if they want.

My labor costs stay high, and my food costs double again, said Nelson, noting that under the buffet format, more food goes to waste. Its only going to shrink my margins further when Im barely scraping by as is.

Some restaurants are angling for the return of the traditional buffet. At City Market Grill and Buffet in Pell City, vice-president of operations Kenneth Phillips said the restaurant kind of expected the state to allow the buffets to return. He said the restaurant will hire additional staff to prepare for a return to its normal buffet features.

With the new amendment to the health code order, our guest can now serve them selves from our buffet. We will have hand... Posted by City Market Grill & Buffet on Sunday, August 30, 2020

At the Gift Horse Restaurant and Antiques in Foley, the self-service buffet has attracted diners for 38 years until the coronavirus pandemic started. The restaurant, when it reopened in May, opted to serve customers family-style at their tables.

Jackie McLeod, the restaurants owner, said she isnt sure the buffet will return immediately. She said, there isnt enough people to come through to do a buffet, quite frankly, as traditional diners have opted to stay away from indoor restaurants during the pandemic.

She said shes hopeful to return to the buffet format during the weekends.

This is good news, absolutely, said McLeod.

Bob Norton, chairman of the Auburn University Food System Institutes Food and Water Defense Working Group, predicted in April that open, self-serve buffets could be halted until a vaccine emerges. On Monday, he called the revised State Health Order interesting, and noted that Covid-19 remains primarily a respiratory disease in which social distancing and wearing masks remain important in reducing the number of new cases.

Restaurants that chose to reopen these kinds of operations will need to have an employee available to maintain the distance requirement, as the regulation requires, said Norton. This employee could also be used to enforce any establishment rules, such as requiring mask use by patrons, when at the salad bar, buffet or drink dispenser.

Nelson, who calls that additional step as too much during a time when hes still getting phone calls asking if his restaurant ever reopened. Restaurants in Alabama could resume in-person dining on May 11, under social distancing restrictions.

We still get 10 calls a day asking if were open, said Nelson, critical of the federal virus response. Thats the problem in my personal opinion is that we shut down to begin with. None of us should have closed for two months thinking a brief quarantine would fix things. We should have taken it seriously up front, educated the public and instituted masks sooner.

This story was updated at 3:12 p.m. on Wednesday, September 2, 2020, to include statements from Cicis restaurants and Shoneys.

End of the Southern buffet as we know it? Coronavirus upends popular culinary tradition

Im watching it tank: The struggles of reimagining an Alabama buffet during coronavirus

From hair salons to gyms, experts rank 36 activities by coronavirus risk level
Today is the first step in a year long initiative to transition PURA from a CBD sports beverage manufacturer into a hemp conglomerate built on lifestyle brand with a broad CBD consumer products reach, and a leading industrial hemp initiative.

The year long initiative includes plans to see the Farmersville Brand strategy infused with a $100 million investment.

"PURA's success today is the result of years of hands on entrepreneurial trial and error experimentation," said CEO, Brian Shibley. "We have learned micro details that most would not find of interest regardless of how vital a particular detail may be to the success of a cannabis enterprise. And, we have learned overall macro cannabis sector dynamics that now drive our Farmersville Brands transition. It is now apparent that the rate of legalization in the U.S. is going to take longer than the staying power of small entrepreneurial ventures. At the same time, it appears most large sector players were driven by a we-can-capitalize-this-under-the-Canadian-legalization-bubble rather than being launched with a well thought out market development strategy. We believe PURA is just the right size, with just the right experience to introduce the right strategy at the right time."

In January of this year, PURA launched an acquisition campaign as a forerunner initiative to the first step of the Farmersville Brands transition announced today. The company leveraged its own experience and organic core competencies to acquire CBD infused beverage, edible and topical businesses.

PURA targeted CBD product acquisitions that could be enhanced with PURA's patented technology. PURA owns a license to a U.S. Patented cannabis extraction process backed by extensive university medical research. The license, issued by NCM Biotech, is exclusive for beverages, edibles and cosmetics among other uses. NCM Biotech is focused on medical research and Puration has access to that research. See a recent research report on CBD extracts derived from NCM Biotech's patented extraction process: Journal of Cannabis Research.

Since launching the acquisition campaign in January, the company has acquired a CBD confections business, a CBD pet products business and CBD sun care business. Combined with its existing beverage industry product line, PURA's combined horizontal market opportunity ranges across over $2 trillion in market value:

Sexual wellness $39 Billion Projected Market Value

Confections $232 Billion Projected Market Value

Pet Products $202 Billion Projected Market Value

Sun Care $12.6 Billion Projected Market Value

Non-Alcoholic Beverage $1.6 Trillion Projected Market Value

Grand View Research valued the CBD market at $4.6 billion in 2018 with a forecasted compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22% through 2025. Grand View Research also forecasts that the industrial hemp market, which Farmersville Brands also plans to pursue, will reach over $15 billion by 2027.

Pursuing both the $4.6 billion CBD market and the $15 billion industrial hemp market, PURA's Farmersville Brands will be developing an opportunity within a $20 billion niche of a $2 trillion market.

Central to the Farmersville Brands transition is the construction of a lifestyle brand that embodies the values, interests, attitudes, and opinions of the population where CBD and hemp products are an ideal fit.

Farmersville Brands holistic lifestyle approach will include a certain Texas personality component built on a targeted 70 acer property in Farmersville, Texas, just north of Dallas, expected to soon be acquired by PURA.

The location is intended to be a hemp mecca were visitors can participate in and learn about the reintroduction of hemp into the American market. Visitors can engage on a recreational weekend sojourn, or engage in a professional capacity to explore the best agricultural and processing practices, and new innovative methods for utilizing hemp to construct homes or to power cars.

PURA has already secured a $5 million investment commitment to fund its ongoing acquisition efforts as part of the overall Farmersville Brands transition. The existing investment commitment is an initial component of the overall planned $100 million infusion into the Farmersville transition.

Look for a series of updates on various aspects of PURA's Farmersville Brands transition coming soon.

For more information on Puration, visit http://www.purationinc.com

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor:

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Contact:

Puration, Inc.

Brian Shibley,

[email protected]

(800) 861-1350

SOURCE Puration, Inc.

Related Links

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Internationally renowned DJ and music producer Erick Morillo has died aged 49, less than a month after he was arrested on sexual assault charges.

Morillo was found dead at his home in Miami Beach on Tuesday morning by officers responding to a 911 call, according to local police.

The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear but authorities said there were no apparent signs of foul play.

The Colombian-American artist gained recognition in the 1990s with his electro-dance hit I Like To Move It, which was released under his stage name Reel 2 Real.

He went on to win the DJ Awards' 'Best House DJ' and 'Best International DJ' titles three times.

Morillo's family confirmed his passing to People, saying: 'He was well-loved by his family and he had a lot of love to give.'

Internationally renowned DJ and music producer Erick Morillo was found dead at his home in Miami Beach on Tuesday. The circumstances surrounding the 49-year-old's death remain unclear but authorities said there were no apparent signs of foul play

Morillo gained recognition in the 1990s with his electro-dance hit 'I Like To Move It'. 'He was well-loved by his family and he had a lot of love to give,' his family said in a statement

Morillo's home in Miami Beach is pictured above. Police found his body inside after responding to a 911 call on Tuesday morning

Several fellow artists expressed sadness at the news on social media.

'Can't believe it,' DJ Yousef tweeted. 'Only spoke to him last week... he was troubled, less than perfect but was always amazing to me and helped us get circus going in the early days, and we had many amazing times over the 20 years we were friends. Genuinely gutted. RIP.'

'Heartbreaking news. No words. Rest In Peace,' DJ Joseph Capriati wrote alongside a picture of himself with Morillo.

DJ Anton Powers tweeted: 'R.I.P @ErickMorillo such sad news. Mr Subliminal, pretty much single handily changed the game. House Music Royalty and an absolute king on the decks.

'Will always be a massive honour to have DJed for him at his Subliminal Sessions Arena's.'

DJ Lolsch added: 'Terrible news. Erick Morillo RIP. A legend has left us.'

Morillo's death comes less than four weeks after he was arrested in Miami on August 6 and charged with sexual battery after a rape kit allegedly came back positive for his DNA.

He was set to appear in court on Friday.

Morillo had denied the allegations made against him by a fellow female DJ who claimed he raped her at his home in December 2019.

Several fellow artists expressed sadness at the news on social media, including DJ Yousef

'Heartbreaking news. No words. Rest In Peace,' DJ Joseph Capriati tweeted

DJ Lolsch stated: 'A legend has left us'

DJ Anton Powers recalled playing for Morillo years ago

Police said that Morillo and the 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.

She told police that he apologized so she decided to stay and later went to sleep alone somewhere in the house.

Morillo is pictured in his mugshot after he turned himself in to police to face sexual assault charges on August 6

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 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.'

Morillo is pictured in a recording studio in a photo posted on his Instagram

Morillo was born in New York to Colombian parents but considered Miami to be his home.

He released his first album Move It! in 1994, followed by Are You Ready For Some More in 1996.

In addition to spinning, Morillo produced music under a number of aliases including Ministers de la Funk, The Dronez, RAW, Smooth Touch, RBM, Deep Soul, Club Ultimate and Li'l Mo Ying Yang.

In the years before his death Morillo was open about his struggles with ketamine and alcohol addiction, which he said he had overcome in 2017.

'I went to rehab three times and even after all three I never gave up alcohol,' Morillo told Skiddle. 'That was what seemed to keep pulling me under. So, besides the fact that I hurt so many people, I think the most difficult part was coming to the realization that I was going to have to go completely sober.'

'It was a scary thing because you think life is going to be boring then,' he continued. 'What's life going to be like if I can't drink and if I can't go to a place where there's drinking?

'You stop worrying about the future and you start focusing on the right now. So, the beginning of being completely sober was the hardest part. Once I had six months under my belt it was very easy.'

At the time Morillo revealed that he was going to therapy and was happy about where his life was at.

'I've accomplished so much in my career and I'm happy about who I am today,' he said.

'I don't have to be the biggest, the greatest, the youngest. These were just pressures I put on myself: "Oh my God, that's it, my career is over!"

'I did it to myself. Because I didn't talk to anybody those ideas were just stuck in my head and that made me depressed and made me want to use. Now I don't feel like that.'

Morillo continued playing shows up until the pandemic struck, shutting down nightlife venues around the country.

On July 24 he tweeted a photo of himself performing with the caption: 'I miss going to work.'
SHOTLIST BERLIN, GERMANYSEPTEMBER 1, 2020SOURCE: AFPTV 1. SOUNDBITE 1 - Nathan Law, Hong Kong activist (male, English, 25 sec): "In Hong Kong we're in such a dire time, because the government has been depriving us of our basic rights. Freedom of expression, freedom of assembly... And seemingly the heavy-handed approach will not stop in a short-time future. So for me it's important that we appeal to the support of the international community and we also say very clearly that even in such a hard time, Hong Kong people will never give up." 2. Wide shot Nathan Law talks to the demonstrators3. Mid shot demonstrators with a banner "Fight for Freedom - Stand With Hong Kong"4. Close-up a sign "No More Tyranny"5. Tilt down Flags and Nathan Law talks to the demonstrators 6. SOUNDBITE 2 - Nathan Law, Hong Kong activist (male, English, 23 sec): "I've written a letter to the foreign minister Maas, saying that Germany could take the lead to take the sanction mechanism in the European Union, to implement that on the Chinese officials who are responsible for the human rights violations and to consider the counter-measures towards the national security law." 7. Cutaway: Close-up a sign "Free Hong Kong" at the demonstration ///-----------------------------------------------------------AFP TEXT STORY: leadGermany presses China over Hong Kong security law, Uighurs By Femke COLBORNE =(Picture+Video)= ATTENTION - UPDATES throughout with press conference, ADDS Maas, Wang quotes ///Berlin, Sept 1, 2020 (AFP) - Germany called out China over its security law imposed on Hong Kong and the treatment of minority Uighurs on Tuesday during a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that was marked by protests outside the foreign ministry.At a press conference after talks with Wang, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, also warned China against making "threats" against the Czech Republic over Taiwan.The Hong Kong law imposed in June radically increased Beijing's control over the city and has led to a brutal crackdown on dissent and protests."You know that our concerns about the effects of the security law have not been allayed," Maas said."We want the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle to be applied as fully as possible."Hong Kong was guaranteed autonomy under the "One Country, Two Systems" deal agreed ahead of its 1997 handover from Britain.But critics say the security law, imposed following months of large and often violent protests calling for greater democratic freedoms and police accountability, spells the end of the agreement.The law prompted the US to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and countries including Canada, Australia, Britain and Germany have suspended extradition agreements with Hong Kong.The European Union agreed in July to limit exports of equipment to Hong Kong that could be used for surveillance and repression.Wang defended China's policies and said both the Hong Kong law and its approach to the Uighurs were internal affairs that did not merit foreign interference. - 'We need action' - Leading a protest by several hundred demonstrators outside the foreign ministry in Berlin on Tuesday, Hong Kong activist Nathan Law called for more support from Berlin over the security law."What we need is action... This should be accomplished by the EU together and Germany should take the lead," said Law, 27, who fled to Britain after the security law came in."Berlin is very quiet when the topic is China. Berlin is very quiet when the topic is Hong Kong."Law was joined by supporters waving the blue and white flag of the Uighurs, a minority that suffers from repression and persecution in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang, according to rights groups and experts.Activists say roughly one million Uighurs and other Turkic people have been incarcerated in brainwashing camps, a mass detention that US officials have said has parallels with the Holocaust. China describes the camps as vocational training centres and says it is seeking to provide education to reduce the allure of Islamic radicalism. - China 'threats' denounced - Maas said he and Wang had discussed the camps and "I reiterated that we would very much welcome it if China would... grant access to the camps to a UN observer mission." The German foreign minister also denounced China's "threats" against a senior Czech politician who led a delegation to Taiwan.Wang had said on Monday that China would make Czech Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil "pay a high price for his short-sighted behaviour and political speculation".But Maas warned that the EU treats its foreign partners with respect and expects the same in return."Threats do not fit in with this," he said.Wang's visit to Berlin is the final stop on a tour of five European countries as he seeks to shore up economic and diplomatic relations in light of tensions with the US.This trip, his first out of China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, also took in the Netherlands, France, Norway and Italy, where he signed two trade agreements, including one on the supply of gas.bur-fec/hmn/jxb -------------------------------------------------------------
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A friend of the right wing activist and Donald Trump supporter shot dead in Portland Saturday says his 'partner was hunted down and executed'.

Chandler Pappas was with Aaron Jay Danielson, 39, on Saturday as Black Lives Matter protesters clashed with Trump supporters who drove in a caravan through the city. Danielson was gunned down after his attackers said 'we got a couple of them right here, pull it out', according to Pappas.

Both men were supporters of right-wing group Patriot Prayer and wearing hats with its logo. Pappas told The Common Sense Conservative: 'They recognized our Patriot Prayer hats. They executed my partner. They hunted him down.'

Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, was on Monday identified by anonymous police sources cited by The Oregonian as the man under investigation for the shooting. No one has been arrested in the case.

Urging the president to send troops to Portland, Pappas added: 'Jay is dead because he believed something different from them. He did not do anything to earn a bullet in the chest.'

He denied there was any confrontation in the moments before the shooting, saying: 'We had no idea who this guy was, I know he didn't know who Jay was. I think they isolated us and thought they could get away with it

'I think it was planned, I think they were looking for someone to hurt. I think they were looking for someone just like us, unprotected who didn't bring guns because we didn't have the intention to kill anyone.'

Chandler Pappas, pictured, was with Aaron Jay Danielson, 39, on Saturday as Black Lives Matter protesters clashed with Trump supporters who drove in a caravan through the city. Pappas told The Common Sense Conservative : 'They recognized our Patriot Prayer hats. They executed my partner. They hunted him down'

The victim was Aaron Jay Danielson, pictured. He was a member of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer

This is one of the videos that was circulating on social media from Saturday's shooting. It's unclear if this is the image Reinoehl's sister had seen

The man under investigation for the shooting is a 48-year-old father-of-two whose own family turned him in to police after spotting him in videos from the night of violence.

Reinoehl's estranged sister said she received a phone call threatening that their family would be in danger unless they turned him in to police. She then looked online and saw photographs of her brother circulating.

'We reached out to police and confirmed that we recognized Michael in the screenshots. On the one hand, this whole thing surprises the daylights out of us, because we always thought he is a lot of bark, not a lot of bite. But hes also been very impulsive and irrational,' she said.

'Violence begets violence and hatred begets hatred. This is not the solution. My heart goes out to the victim. It always has, before I even knew my brother was involved.'

She claimed her brother is troubled and that they have not been in touch for three years. In the past, she said he'd stolen their mother's seizure medication and is in debt. He has a son and daughter from a previous relationship but is no longer involved with the mother.

Reinoehl, according to his social media pages, has been attending the riots in Portland since the end of May.

Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, was identified by anonymous police sources cited by The Oregonian. His estranged sister also reported him to the police after recognizing him in videos from Saturday night's shooting. The 48-year-old has a long arrest record. He has been attending protests in Portland since May and sharing photos and videos from them including this one (left). He describes himself online as '100% ANTIFA'. He has not been arrested or charged

Police arrived on the scene 'within a minute' of when gunshots rang out. The victim is seen wearing a hat with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a right-wing group whose members have frequently clashed with protesters in Portland in the past

Portland police hold back Pappas who was with the victim of Saturday night's fatal shooting minutes after the incident

In this post, from June 16, he claims to be 100% 'ANTIFA' and says 'We do not want violence but we will not run from it either'

In a June 16 post, he ranted: 'I am 100% ANTIFA all the way! I am willing to fight for my brothers and sisters! Even if some of them are too ignorant to realize what antifa truly stands for.

'We do not want violence but we will not run from it either! If the police continue to pick on and beat up innocent citizens that are peacefully voicing their objections, it must be met with equal force!'

He claimed on social media to have been in the army and 'hated it'.

Details of any military record are unknown.

He has a lengthy arrest record which includes violations for driving while intoxicated and unlawful possession of a firearm.

In July, he was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to a protest but the charges against him were dropped. It is unclear why.

Neither prosecutors nor police in Portland would confirm his identity on Monday morning.

It came as witnesses described watching people celebrate the right-wing protester's death in the street.

Gabriel Johnson, a former Marine and Portland resident, said he went out to hear people in the street saying they 'weren't sad' that a 'Nazi fascist' had died.

'This is such a tragic event and a polarizing event for our city...And one of the things that I just came back with, and I was appalled by, is all of the people in the street celebrating,' he told Fox and Friends.

He was named as President Trump weighed in on the situation, threatening to send the National Guard.

'Rest in peace Jay!', he said, after learning of Danielson's death.

Reinoehl has been sharing photos and videos from the riots since they began. Above, a post in July

Trump tweeted: 'Rest In Peace Jay!' after retweeting Women for Trump co-founder Amy Kremer

He then tweeted: 'Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesnt clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!' he wrote.

'The Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their "movement".

'It wasn't supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and don't listen anymore - even force Slow Joe out of basement!'

In disturbing footage, recorded by videographer Justin Dunlap, the victim, later identified as Danielson, appears to be following two other people down a street before two gunshots ring out and a cloud of smoke erupts at the source.

It remains unclear if the shooting at was linked to fights that broke out as a caravan of about 600 vehicles was confronted by counter-demonstrators in the city's downtown area.

Police said the caravan had left the area around 8.30pm, and officers heard gunshots around 15 minutes later and arrived at the shooting scene 'within a minute'.

A GoFundMe set to help Bishop's family reads: 'Aaron 'Jay' Danielson was a Portland citizen who went downtown to express his opinions during the unrest and was shot and killed on the evening of Saturday August 29th.'

In footage taken later in the night one woman can be heard telling a cheering crowd: 'I am not sad that a f***ing fascist died tonight.'

The person who appeared to fire the shots and a handful of other people nearby then flee out of view as the victim staggers for a few feet and collapses on the ground.

WHO ARE PATRIOT PRAYER? Patriot Prayer is based in Washington state and was founded in 2016. Since early 2017, its supporters have been periodically coming to Portland to hold rallies for Trump, ratcheting up tensions in the liberal city long before the national outrage over Floyds death sparked more than three months of protests here. Portland has seen nearly 100 consecutive nights of Black Lives Matter protests and many have ended with vandalism to federal and city property, including police precincts, a county jail, the federal courthouse and City Hall. Patriot Prayer founder Joey Its founder, Joey Gibson, a one-time Senate candidate, has said he and his group are not a hate group and simply want to exercise their freedom of speech without interference from left-wing groups or protesters. The group became a prominent presence in Portland in the summer of 2017, when Gibson organized a large rally in the city less than a week after a white supremacist fatally stabbed two men who had come to the defense of two Black teenagers - including one wearing a Muslim head-covering - on a light-rail train. The defendant Jeremy Christian, who was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences earlier this year, had attended a Patriot Prayer rally several months before, but was kicked out by organizers for flashing Nazi hand signs. Patriot Prayer held several other marches and rallies in Portland in 2017 and 2018 and Gibson was arrested for felony rioting last summer on a charge related to a brawl that broke out between the group's supporters and left-wing activists at a pub after a May Day march in the city. Portland knifeman Jeremy Christian attended a Patriot Prayer rally He has pleaded not guilty; a judge this week denied his motion for a change of venue at trial, according to court records. In a video that was live-streamed on Facebook last summer after he was released on bail, Gibson urged his supporters to "show up one hundred-fold" at a rally scheduled for the following day in Portland that was organized by the Proud Boys - a group that's been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center - and other right-wing groups such as the Three Percenters and the American Guard. Gibson told the AP he was again present late Saturday in Portland when a caravan of about 600 Trump supporters drove through the city, sparking clashes in the streets with Black Lives Matter demonstrators. Gibson did not appear to have a part in organizing the caravan, however. In a video on Twitter, organizer Alex Kyzik said before the rally that those who attended should not openly carry their weapons. The same person organized a similar rally in Boise on Aug. 22. There were no public records available for a man named Alex Kyzik in Boise, Idaho, and it was unclear if that was his real name. Videos taken before the shooting show people squaring off for fist fights and Trump supporters firing bear spray and paintballs at counterprotesters, who in return throw objects at the trucks and attempt to block their progress by standing in intersections. Mayor Ted Wheeler said when Trump supporters want to come to Portland to rally, there is nothing the city can do to prevent them. "Its no secret to anybody that I personally am not a Trump supporter, but I will defend to the death the right of a Trump supporter to stand outside my apartment and non-violently demonstrate in support of their candidate. Thats core to American democracy," Wheeler said. 'So when people say they want to come into the city in a caravan supporting their presidential candidate, we cannot tell them no. They have constitutional rights to be here - rights, which I embrace and support. The violence, however, is the problem.' Advertisement

Several people are seen rushing over when a car turns a corner and skids to a stop in front of the victim.

Danielson was shot in the chest and died at the scene. Gibson said he was also in Portland on Saturday night when the shooting took place, and that he rushed to the scene immediately after.

'I can't say much right now. All I can do is verify that he was a good friend and a supporter of Patriot Prayer,' he earlier told the Associated Press.

Addressing his Facebook friends Gibson later added: 'If you planned on going to the boat cruise, please go! I know that Jay would love to look down from heaven and see tons of American flags on the Columbia river today. I will not be attending but I hope all of you enjoy yourselves out there. Fly them high for Jay. God Bless all of you.'

An Associated Press freelance photographer who heard three gunshots and then observed police medics attending to the victim said it was a white man wearing a hat with the insignia of Patriot Prayer, a right-wing group whose members have frequently clashed with protesters in Portland in the past.

Dunlap, the videographer, claimed that the victim had been macing people prior to the shooting.

In his video someone could be heard shouting that the man was a 'motherf**ker who has been pushing people and jumping people the entire time'.

'That guy has been f**king with people the entire time,' the witness shouted.

The shooting took place on Southwest 3rd Avenue and Alder Street - along the main thoroughfare which runs through the heart of Portland, past Portland State University.

Police cautioned the public against drawing conclusions about what sparked the violence.

'It is important for detectives get a full and accurate picture of what happened before, during, and after the shooting,' a police statement said.

'If anyone was a witness, has video, or has information about the homicide, they're asked to contact the primary detectives.'

Police Chief Chuck Lovell added: 'I ask everyone to give the detectives time to do their important work before drawing conclusions about what took place.

'This violence is completely unacceptable and we are working diligently to find and apprehend the individual or individuals responsible.'

Mayor Ted Wheeler said in a text message to Oregon Public Broadcasting that he was 'aware of the situation.'

'Gathering information now,' he continued. 'Will be transparent with public.

'Asking for people to remain calm and not add to this tragedy.'

More than 600 cars flying Trump flags and banners set off in a convoy around and through the city Saturday as the sun began to set, after tense scenes at their meeting point and clashes with counter-protesters.

It came as Trump supporters staged similar gatherings around the country, with hundreds of people congregating in Los Angeles, Georgia and elsewhere to celebrate their president and rally for his re-election.

In Washington DC, Black Lives Matter protesters were tear gassed to push them away from the White House, while in Kenosha, Wisconsin - where Jacob Blake was shot on August 23 - protests continued, but were largely peaceful.

The White House announced that Trump is scheduled to visit Kenosha on Tuesday - which many fear could exacerbate tensions in the city.

As the convoy of Trump vehicles entered Portland's city center, supporters sitting in the back of pick ups used pepper spray on counter-protesters.

Eggs were thrown at their trucks and cars, and the Trump supporters retaliated by turning paintball guns on the crowd, allegedly firing ball bearings.

A reporter was among those shot by the paintball guns.

Two bare-chested men were filmed punching each other as the violence spread.

Riot police swarmed into the center and began making arrests.

A block away from the scene of the shooting, a black man in a face mask was pictured in an animated discussion with right-wing political activist and founder of Patriot Prayer Gibson.

Meanwhile, the driver of a dark-colored sedan revved his engine and then sped towards the crowd of BLM protesters before driving off, miraculously managing to not hit anyone.

One BLM supporter was attacked as he filmed the license plates of MAGA cars.

An angry group of Trump supporters got out of a car and confronted the activist, who was knocked to the ground.

The Trump supporters then turned and walked away.

The Morrison Bridge was the scene of an ugly conflict as the caravan pulled into the city, and one Trump supporter drove his truck towards protesters on an off ramp.

Two people brawled on the bridge, sparking a rapid response from Portland police who arrested the pair.
With a heavy heart, Neil Brereton decided last week that it was time to fly home to Northern Ireland to help scatter his fathers ashes.

His father, Norman, died in June, but because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Brereton couldnt travel there for his funeral.

He and his wife, Maz, have decided its now relatively safe to fly. And, they reasoned, it wouldnt cost them anything out of pocket  Air Canada still owed them $14,000 in credits for other trips cancelled earlier in the pandemic.

So when the Toronto Beaches area resident called to book the new flight, he was floored when the Air Canada reservations agent said hed need to fork over another $2,200 and more than 200,000 Aeroplan points.

They told me the vouchers hadnt been issued yet. I was shocked. Some of the original flights were cancelled in the spring, said a stunned Brereton this week. With seats disappearing rapidly, he bit the bullet and spent the $2,200 and points.

To be going over to scatter my fathers ashes and to take care of his estate, and then to have to deal with this? Its awful. I cant believe theyd do this, said Brereton, adding hes been a loyal Air Canada customer for years.

We hadnt pushed for refunds, because we know what kind of trouble the travel industrys in. We thought we were doing the responsible thing by accepting credits, and this is what happens? Were not rich; $14,000 is a lot of money, said a frustrated Brereton, who finally got a $5,000 voucher  after hed already forked over the cash and points for the flight.

After questions from the Star about the complaint, Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick said the airline would be reaching out to Brereton and allowing him to retroactively use the voucher towards the flight. He said the large reduction in the airlines flight schedule during the pandemic has resulted in a lot of people trying to get vouchers at the same time.

As a result, there have been some delays in processing vouchers for customers due to the volume. We are working to shorten this period, Fitzpatrick said.

The complaint lodged by Brereton and his wife is just one out of a massive wave of complaints against Canadian airlines during the pandemic. According to statistics released Tuesday by the Canadian Transportation Agency, it has received more than 8,000 complaints about Canadian airlines since March. Thats more than it received in all of 2018 and 2019. The agency says its still trying to work through the backlog.

The high volume of complaints comes as little surprise to air passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs, who says membership in his Facebook group has jumped to more than 36,000 today, from roughly 16,000 at the beginning of the pandemic. The vast majority of the complaints? Passengers frustrated about not getting refunds, confusion surrounding refund policies and delays in getting vouchers.

I might see one complaint a week about baggage. Everything else is about vouchers and refunds, said Lukacs.

Passengers, he said, are simply fed up, especially when they see consumers in Europe and the U.S. getting refunds rather than credits or flight vouchers.

People are frustrated, theyre angry. Its not like youve bought a car and its a lemon. Its like youve paid for a car and havent gotten it, said Lukacs, who suggests passengers also complain to regulators in the U.S. or Europe, if their flights either started or ended there. Credit card companies have also stepped in to help in some cases, he added.

Some people have had some luck getting chargebacks from the card companies, Lukacs said.

Travel industry professionals are also getting caught up in delays attempting to get refunds or credits.

Travel agent Stephanie Roles says shes still trying to get a credit or refund for a cancelled trip to Las Vegas for a friends Mothers Day wedding.

Im out $3,500 at this point. Ive been really polite, but Ive been getting nowhere with the airline, said Roles, who decided this week to complain to the CTA.

But even passengers who formally complain to the CTA are getting frustrated, saying theyve been met with lengthy delays.

Calgary resident Peter Scott, who had a cruise from Miami to Barcelona cancelled, said he got Aeroplan points refunded by Air Canada relatively quickly for his flight to Miami, and got an almost immediate refund from the cruise line, but struggled to get a refund from WestJet for his return flight home. He finally got an email this week from WestJet saying that the cheque was in the mail, for a trip he was originally supposed to take in May.

After several months of waiting for the CTA to deal with his complaint, a CTA representative said in an email last week that all COVID-19-related voucher complaints are currently on hold.

He was unimpressed by the email.

I was pretty disappointed. Theyre the agency thats supposed to be helping passengers, said Scott.

For its part, the CTA says the unprecedented volume of complaints has led to delays in processing and ruling on individual claims. It denied anything has been placed on hold.

We continue to process cases as efficiently as possible, but, due to the high volume of complaints received, the CTA continues to experience delays for facilitation cases. The language used was imprecise when stating that these cases are on hold, a CTA spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Neither Air Canada nor WestJet would comment on the volume of complaints the CTA had received.

We cannot comment as these are now matters before the CTA, a quasi-judicial body, said Air Canadas Fitzpatrick. Under the CTA process, the agency must first decide whether to entertain a complaint and, if so, it next investigates and then makes a ruling. Complaints are not in themselves a finding of wrongdoing.

WestJet spokesperson Morgan Bell said the CTA hadnt shared complaint statistics with the airline.

We havent seen anything or a report on the matter from the CTA, so we are unable to provide comment at this time, Bell said.

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If someone had told me six months ago I would be teaching virtual exercise classes while under guard, I would have laughed at the absurdity of the idea. I am, after all, a law-abiding soul who has spent an inordinate amount of time as a high school teacher trying to encourage adolescent kids to stay on the right side of the law.

Nevertheless, on a cold early morning this month, I found myself logging in online to greet my exercise class in California while I quarantined at the Sydney InterContinental Hotel. Outside my door, a man in uniform patrolled the corridor.

Returnees are under guard in a stressful situation. Credit:Edwina Pickles

The class turned out to be a nice distraction from claustrophobia and lack of fresh air.

One of the best pieces of advice I could give someone entering quarantine in Australia (apart from dont do it unless you really have to) is to have a reason to get up each morning. Teaching fitness classes on Zoom gave me a sense of purpose. It also provided me with the added bonus of exercise and communication with the outside world. This is essential because one of the big issues with quarantine, essentially a form of solitary confinement in my case, is the toll it takes on mental health.
A registered sex offender from Pennsylvania has been charged with fatally shooting a 16-year-old boy who was seen running away from him naked on Saturday.

Orlando Duarte, 45, is currently in the Dauphin County Jail on felony counts of criminal homicide and prohibited possession of a firearm stemming from the killing of Kyan King in Harrisburg.

Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said witnesses told police before his death, King said that he had been raped and that his rapist was trying to kill him, reported Local 21 News.

Orlando Duarte, 45 (left), has been charged with criminal homicide and prohibited possession of a firearm for the killing of Kyan King, 16 (right)

King was found laying naked in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after being shot in the chest

The harrowing incident began unfolding at around 1pm near 18th and Forster streets in the usually quiet Allison Hill section of Harrisburg, where residents were shocked to see a naked teen running down the street, with an armed man in an orange shirt pursuing him on foot.

Witnesses reported that the suspect, later identified as Duarte, fired several shots at King, who was heard crying for help.

King told a witness he had been raped by a man who was now trying to kill him

Tracy Burton, who called 911 to report the shooting, said she heard King repeatedly yelling, 'help me,' which was followed by the sound of gunfire, reported The Morning Call.

King was found laying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his chest. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died of his injuries.

Duarte fled the scene but was captured two blocks away by responding officers after a brief chase.

He reportedly told investigators he thought King was 18 years old.

Sergeant Kyle Gautsch, with the Harrisburg Police Department, said Duarte and King knew each other.

'Our understanding, this wasn't just a happenstance incident where he was pulled off the street. We are under the impression and understanding that they did know each other. They were acquaintances,' Gautsch said during a press conference.

When police went to search Duarte's apartment on North 17th Street, they reportedly found a note written in King's hand that read, 'If you're reading this I'm dead,' according to PennLive.com.

Police also found a pair of sandals, which they said were placed near the back door as if someone had run out of them.

King's family held a memorial in his honor just hours after his killing on Saturday

Duarte had no legal right to own a firearm because he is a register sex offender in the Megan's Law database stemming from his 2012 conviction on charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, aggravated indecent assault without consent, indecent assault of a person less than 13, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors.

Duarte has a prior criminal record that includes two sexual assault cases involving children

In that case, Duarte was found guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl under the age of nine.

He was released from prison in May 2018 after serving six years.

Duarte's criminal record also includes prior charges related to a 2007 sexual assault of a seven-year-old boy.

Duarte was sentenced to six to 23 months of confinement and probation after pleading no contest to multiple counts.

He is due back in court on September 28. If convicted as charged in connection to King's killing, he could face life in prison.

Meanwhile, the victim's family held a memorial in his honor on Saturday, remembering King as smart and sweet, with a loud laugh, reported ABC27.

'We all loved Ky Ky we love him a lot,' his older sister Nyairrea Jones said. 'My little brother. Everything about him. I miss it all.'
LOS ANGELESA top executive for the telecommunications giant AT&T, in a blog post on the companys website, on Monday called for the Federal Communications Commission to reform Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act  the law often described as the First Amendment of the Internet.

Section 230 protects internet platforms  such as Google or Facebook  from legal liability over content posted by users, which allows those platforms to provide an open forum for online communications without the impossible task of monitoring every piece of content that appears on their sites.

But the law has recently come under attack from both Republicans and Democrats, who for sometimes varying reasons say that the law allows platforms too much latitude.

The Trump administration has requested that the FCC review Section 230, which the adminsitration says is being abused by by online platforms that allegedly remove political speech with which they disagree.

But according to the co-author of Section 230, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, the law was never intended to force platforms to remain politically neutral. The purpose of the law was to protect free online speech of all stripes.

You can have a liberal platform. You can have conservative platforms. And the way this is going to come about is not through government but through the marketplace, citizens making choices, people choosing to invest, Wyden said in a 2019 interview with the tech news site ReCode. This is not about neutrality.

AT&T Executive Vice President of Regulatory & State External Affairs Joan Marsh wrote in her blog post that the debate over Section 230 is the neutrality debate that really matters  referring to the ongoing debate over net neutrality rules. But net neutrality is a separate debate, over whether telco providers like AT&T should be allowed to discriminate against traffic from some sites, while favoring traffic from others, such as sites that they, themselves, own.

Since the repeal of net neutrality rules in 2018, AT&T has repeatedly violated the principles of net neutrality  for example waiving data caps for subscribers who stream content from the HBO Max app, which is owned by AT&T.

In her blog post, Marsh notes that five tech giants (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google) alone make up about 25% of the S&P 500 with valuations growing, even in a pandemic.

But AT&T itself outranks all of those companies except Amazon and Apple on the current Fortune 500 list of the countrys most valuable corporations. While Amazon places second and Apple fouth, AT&T comes in ninth. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, ranks 11th, while Microsoft places 21st and Facebook 46th.

AT&Ts latest annual profit of nearly $14 billion were greater than Amazons $11.6 billion.

Photo By Brownings / Wikimedia Commons
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chiefs of three defence services were among the dignitaries who paid their last respects to former President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday morning.

IMAGE: President Ram Nath Kovind pays tribute to former President and veteran Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee -- who passed away at an army hospital on Monday -- at the latter's residence in New Delhi, on Tuesday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Mukherjee's mortal remains were brought to his residence, 10, Rajaji Marg, earlier on Tuesday from the army hospital where he breathed his last on Monday.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays his last respects to the former President. Photograph: PTI Photo

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General M M Naravane, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh were among others who paid homage to him.

IMAGE: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat pays tribute to Mukherjee. Photograph: PTI Photo

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Harsh Vardhan, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Communist Party of India's D Raja also paid their respects to him.

IMAGE: Indian national flag flies at half-mast at Parliament Building during the seven-day state mourning on Mukherjee's demise, in New Delhi, on Tuesday. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

Cremation is scheduled in the afternoon.

IMAGE: Barricades block traffic as van carrying mortal remains of former President Pranab Mukherjee arrives at his residence, in New Delhi, on Tuesday. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

The Union government had on Monday announced a seven-day state mourning as a mark of respect for the former President.

IMAGE: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays tribute to the former President. Photograph: Kind courtesy @rajnathsingh/Twitter

Mukherjee died following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments. He was 84.

IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lays a wreath. Photograph: @INCIndia/Twitter

A seven-time parliamentarian and recipient of Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, he was one of the most admired and respected political figures.

IMAGE: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pays her last respects to Mukherjee. Photograph: Kind courtesy @nsitharamanoffc/Twitter
And now for something completely different Worthy of a Monty Python skit, The Dept. of Health and Human Services is looking to dole out 250M big ones for a PR firm to counter Donald Trump's nonsense about COVID-19.

As the nation's number of COVID-19 cases surpasses the six million mark and deaths top 183K people, HHS is counting on PR to "defeat despair and inspire hope" about combatting the pandemic.

That's Mission Impossible since the despair and hopelessness is due to president Trump's disastrous handling of COVID-19.

Politico reports that DHHS issued a "performance work statement" to a number of firms, spelling out the goal of forging a coalition of spokespeople to deliver the message that Trump is capable of defeating the virus and setting the stage for national recovery.

That's laughable. The twitter-in-chief remains in full denial about COVID-19, and when he acknowledges the virus it's only to promote quack cures.

The DHHS is naive when it talks about lifting the national despair at a time when Trump is whipping up hate, divisiveness and social unrest though his "law and order" routine, which he sees as his only path to re-election.

COVID-19 is just about the last thing that Team Trump wants to deal with at the moment, especially as November 3 draws near.

And speaking of discouraging news, The Washington Post reported Sept. 1 that the US has decided to boycott a World Health Organization-led effort of more than 170 countries to develop, manufacture and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.

Both Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun expressed interest in participating in some fashion with the WHO effort, but were overruled by Trump.

The reason: Trump's snit with China, which he feels has too much influence within the WHO.

The president would rather snub the world community and its search for a cure that could save tens of thousands of lives rather than cooperate with WHO.

The DHHS should save its cash and call off the search for a PR firm. Creating uplifting messages on the COVID-19 front is a waste of money when Trump is still in office.

It may want to revisit the PR effort when Joe Biden takes office, but then such a campaign won't be necessary. A Biden presidency would go a long way in restoring confidence in the US.

Whatever happened to the US trade deficit with China? Candidate Trump promised to win the trade war with China because he said that nation was "raping" the US on trade.

The president has been bashing China on COVID-19, national security and human rights issues but is mostly silent on trade.

The Financial Times notes that the president is "now conspicuously quiet on trade" with China. It points out that the US trade gap with China was $347B in 2016 and $345B in 2019.

Candidate Trump asked voters to use the size of the trade deficit with China as a "scorecard" on his effectiveness in office. He may want to take back those words.

Powered by the pandemic Zoom Video Communications chalked up a robust 355 percent surge in second quarter revenues to $663.5M. Net income jumped to $185.7M from $5.5M a year ago.

CEO Eric Yuan sees even better days ahead as Zoom's video meetings evolve from a tool that companies used to insure "business continuity" during the early stages of the COVID-19 to "supporting a future of working anywhere, learning anywhere and connecting anywhere."

Yuan may be right, but others are zoning out on Zoom and longing for the days when they can mix it up face-to-face with people at the office.
At the beginning of the year, it seemed like gig worker classification was going to be one of the biggest issues of New Yorks state legislative session. Californias 2019 reclassification of gig workers such as ride hail app drivers as employees put the spotlight on New York, the next largest labor-friendly state. Few expected that Albany would pass major legislation reclassifying workers this year, but momentum was building. Hearings were held, and multiple bills were introduced taking varied approaches to deciding whether gig workers should remain classified as independent contractors, be reclassified as employees or be granted employment benefits in some other way. In his January budget proposal, Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a task force to study how gig workers should be classified and make recommendations by May 1  or leave it to the state Department of Labor to introduce new regulations on its own. Dueling coalitions representing labor groups and gig companies were gearing up for a lobbying battle in Albany. By 2021, it seemed, the state might actually pass one of those bills.

You can probably guess what happened next: the coronavirus pandemic blew up the legislative agenda, bringing that momentum to a halt. When the Legislature passed a budget in April, it left out Cuomos task force proposal. Despite the fact that gig workers for companies such as Instacart and Grubhub found themselves on the frontlines of the pandemic, delivering food and groceries to those able to work from home, comprehensive reform to grant those workers benefits like paid sick leave or overtime fell off the agenda.

Nonetheless, labor advocates are encouraged by a recent slate of small steps to grant those workers traditional benefits and by their belief that the financial stresses of the pandemic highlighted the need to change the rules for gig workers  potentially building political momentum for reclassification. A handful of court rulings this spring and summer affirmed that gig workers in certain industries should be considered employees for the purposes of receiving unemployment insurance.

State Sen. Diane Savino, who was one of the first to introduce legislation to change gig workers classification, and who held a hearing on the issue last fall, said that when the conversation over gig workers began a few years ago, some werent sure whether these app-based workers would need the same protections as employees. A lot of people thought, Well, maybe they don't need it in this new world, and that people can go out and make their own way and be masters of their own universe, she recalled. And then the pandemic came and knocked everybody on their ass.

While gig workers in New York are broadly classified as independent contractors  meaning they work for themselves and arent eligible for traditional employment benefits  two court rulings this year add some nuance. In March, just days after New York entered its pandemic lockdown, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that Postmates delivery workers could receive unemployment benefits. The court found that the relationship between a former Postmates driver and the platform did in fact constitute an employer-employee relationship, despite the companys claims that its workers are self-employed.

Then, in July, a federal judge in New York ruled that the state must begin paying unemployment benefits to Uber and Lyft drivers, affirming a 2018 ruling that Uber drivers and other similarly situated drivers should be considered employees for the purposes of unemployment insurance.

The two court rulings are limited in the kind of benefits they extend and address only two kinds of gig workers. They dont suddenly make Uber drivers eligible for overtime pay or give Postmates workers the right to organize. They also hold no immediate impacts for on-demand dog walkers or handymen. But together, union and labor leaders say they are an important first step of recognizing that these kinds of app-based gig workers should be considered employees for the purposes of all employment benefits. If youre an employee, youre not just an employee for one particular right, said Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO. You cant be a little pregnant. Either youre an employee or youre not.

Cilento said that he now wants to see those rulings codified by the state and apply to all kinds of benefits. Some state lawmakers have expressed interest in reclassifying gig workers as employees, while others have tried to find solutions for granting workers more benefits without going that far. But Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, said that these court rulings make such a third way approach unrealistic. I think that those court decisions were a real game changer, Desai said. Now, if the Legislature wants to pass a watered down, third way bill  as the companies have been lobbying for  there's no question that they would be taking away benefits from gig workers that have been established by the courts.

But even those who believe gig workers in New York deserve a comprehensive policy change admit that the state would be on dangerous ground if it simply followed in the footsteps of states that have triggered a cascade of lawsuits and unintentionally harmed some freelancers. The best-known example of a state reclassifying gig workers as employees is in California, where a recently passed law doing so has resulted in a series of court challenges, including from Uber and Lyft. When a California judge ruled in August that the companies had to comply with the law and start classifying their drivers as employees, both companies threatened that the order would force them to shut down in order to retool their business models. But just before a shutdown was set to begin, an appeals court granted the companies a reprieve that delays the requirement to reclassify their workers while the companies appeal the ruling.

Known as AB5, this new California law uses a more stringent method of worker classification and ends up reclassifying many gig workers as employees. It uses whats called an ABC test, under which a worker is only classified as an independent contractor if they are (1) free from the control of their employer, (2) doing work outside the usual course of business of an employer and (3) engaged in an independently established business. For example, an accountant who runs her own firm and is retained by a non-accounting business to do its taxes would still be an independent contractor. But, under this test, most app-based gig platforms would have to start treating their drivers, couriers and task-doers as employees.

When it passed in California, it garnered ferocious opposition from companies including Uber, Lyft and Doordash. The financial cost of treating workers as employees, which would include providing them with health insurance, would be massive. The companies say there are other ways to grant their workers employment benefits without fundamentally altering their business models. Some have proposed creating portable benefits programs for their workers. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently wrote an op-ed in The New York Times calling for gig companies to contribute to benefits funds that their workers could use for the benefits that they want. Uber and Lyft have both released polls showing broad support for this kind of plan among drivers and others currently classified as independent contractors.

AB5 hasnt just been controversial because it upset gig companies, though. Others said that the states approach was overly broad. It has been overwhelmingly unpopular with freelance writers, for example, because it bars companies from accepting more than 35 submissions a year from freelancers; any more, and the company would have to treat them as employees. A weekly opinion columnist, who is typically only working one-two days per week on his or her column, would now have to receive a full benefits package. But instead of suddenly hiring up all of their freelancers when the law went into effect in January, some of those companies simply cut back on the work they gave freelancers to get them below the 35-assignment threshold.

The fate of AB5 is still in flux. Uber, Lyft and Doordash have raised over $100 million to campaign for a ballot measure that would exempt them from AB5  keeping workers for companies like theirs classified as independent contractors, while requiring the companies to start paying for some employment benefits for their workers, such as minimum wage and health care contributions. Californians will vote on that measure this November.

Though much of the focus of the gig worker issue has been on AB5 in California, a similar debate has taken shape in New York over the past few years, though to much less fanfare. Multiple pieces of legislation have been introduced in Albany that would change how app-based gig companies have to treat their workers. State Sen. Robert Jackson and Assembly Member Deborah Glick introduced a bill last fall that would classify workers under an ABC test, similar to AB5. Before that, Savino and Assembly Member Marcos Crespo introduced legislation last spring that would create a third classification of worker  a dependent worker  which would capture app-based gig workers and extend to this group the right to organize and collectively bargain, along with other protections.

Groups on both sides of the issue have coalesced to promote their interests in Albany as the debate heated up. The NY Do It Right Employment Classification Test (DIRECT) Coalition, which is made up of labor groups including the New York Taxi Workers Alliance and 32BJ SEIU, favors a full reclassification solution using an ABC test. On the other end of the spectrum is the Flexible Work for New York coalition, which is made up of business industry groups and individual gig companies such as Grubhub and TaskRabbit. This group argued that what gig workers value is their flexible work schedules and that classifying them as employees would eliminate the ability to work whenever or wherever they want.

The fact that New Yorks gig worker debate has taken place in the shadow of Californias controversial AB5 saga means that lawmakers have proceeded cautiously. Even those who say they favor an ABC test acknowledge that New York has to be careful to avoid Californias pitfalls. Rafael Espinal, the former City Council Member who now serves as president of the Freelancers Union, has been paying especially close attention to Californias efforts. I think it's important that the bill sponsors here in New York take a closer look and learn from the lessons, and make sure that whatever moves forward has the best interests of all parties in mind, Espinal said. We understand that there are misclassified workers, and we support any effort to deal with that issue, but we also have to ensure that professional freelancers and the freelance workforce as a whole is not hurt through unintended consequences.

But even though Californias gig worker debate is arguably more fraught than ever, the pandemic is adding a new urgency for New York to address gig worker rights now. I just feel like were, as a country, collectively guilty of appalling hypocrisy, said New York City Council Member Brad Lander. We stood out on our stoops and cheered at 7 every night. We were cheering for a lot of people  doctors and nurses and grocery store workers  but the ones most likely to actually go down the block while we were cheering were restaurant delivery workers. This spring, Lander introduced legislation that would use a modified ABC test to make New York City gig workers entitled to paid sick leave, noting the risk that the majority of these workers faced during a public health crisis.

While workers classified as independent contractors received federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, they were left out of New Yorks emergency paid sick leave legislation. In the spring, some gig companies began offering paid sick leave because of the pandemic, but critics say workers shouldnt be reliant on the goodwill of companies to receive ad hoc benefits.

And the status quo creates a public health risk. If a delivery worker, for example, has COVID-19 but goes to work because they cant use paid sick leave, they could end up spreading the virus.

Using examples like app-based couriers delivering food to people in quarantine or Amazon Flex workers delivering packages amid a surge in online shopping, Lander also noted that a lack of employment protections hits already-marginalized communities especially hard. In the context of the racial reckoning, (theres) a real understanding that were talking overwhelmingly about workers of color, and yet weve just totally failed to show up for them and provide them even the basics of paid sick leave  much less the broader set of benefits that workers need, in terms of health care, retirement security and workers comp, he said.

Landers paid sick leave legislation still has not progressed in the Council, but he pointed to Council Speaker Corey Johnson when asked about the delay. Legislation in the City Council moves forward when the speaker moves it forward, Lander said. To me, its now like the City Council has denied these workers paid sick leave that we could be giving them. A representative for Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Even if that legislation does pass, it wont be the complete solution that gig workers need, Lander said. We need that big comprehensive change at the state level, he said. This was designed, in part, to be a step to build momentum for it. Paid sick leave is the one area that we have figured out that the city could implement on its own. In other areas of employment law, were preempted.

Jackson, the sponsor of the state bill that would create an ABC test for workers, echoed the notion that the pandemic only makes the need for reclassification more clear. So many home healthcare workers, app-based drivers, nail salon workers, childcare providers, and other so-called freelancers have been left out in the cold when it comes to unemployment benefits and workplace protections, he said in an emailed comment. The need to reclassify these workers as employees is more urgent now than ever before, and I continue to work on legislation that addresses those needs.

Meanwhile, some of those fighting against attempts to reclassify New Yorks gig workers as employees readily admit the fact that the pandemic has brought these workers lack of protections into harsh light, but say that the state can create a new way to grant those benefits without requiring reclassification. Everyone agrees that workers deserve benefits and protections, but there are many wrong ways to pursue a worthwhile goal, Ryan Naples, deputy director at Tech:NYC, a technology industry group whose members include gig companies such as Uber, Lyft, Doordash and Handy, wrote over email. Just as California is dealing with the consequences of capriciously reclassifying millions of workers, so too could New York create a mess for itself without a thoughtful, flexible framework.

Though the state Legislature has been largely silent on the gig worker issue during the pandemic, Savino hinted that new legislation may be forthcoming. While she wouldnt detail what a new approach would look like, she acknowledged that both the pandemic and the recent court rulings on Postmates, Uber and Lyft, have changed the conversation. Were certainly taking a different look at it than we were in January, she said.
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A Chinese military spokesperson on Monday told India to immediately withdraw its troops who illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Mountain.

The Indian troops undermined the consensus reached in previous multi-level engagements and negotiations, said Zhang Shuili, spokesperson for the Western Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, in response to the recent China-India border situation.

Zhang called India's move "flagrant provocation," which stirred tension on the border.

The Indian action has severely violated China's territorial sovereignty and harmed the peace and stability at border areas, Zhang said, noting that China strongly opposes the Indian side's faithless act of repudiating past promises.

India should strictly control and restrain its frontline troops, take concrete actions to honor its promises and avoid further escalating tensions.

The Chinese military is taking necessary countermeasures, and will closely follow the latest development to resolutely safeguard China's territorial sovereignty, as well as peace and stability at border areas, said Zhang.
Family physicians are noting an uptick in calls from parents wanting a medical exemption to return to class as Manitoba schools are set to open their doors next week.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Family physicians are noting an uptick in calls from parents wanting a medical exemption to return to class as Manitoba schools are set to open their doors next week.

Keir Johnson, a spokesman with Doctors Manitoba, said pediatricians and family doctors are fielding questions from anxious parents wanting to know if their child could be exempt from in-class learning starting Sept. 8.

"I think the top two questions when it comes to back to school concerns are: will my child need a mask exemption in school or would my child need to stay home from school?" Johnson said Monday. "There are certainly some requests that are coming in where people have very legitimate concerns, but theyre not medical in nature."

Doctors are expecting the calls and questions to continue for the next few weeks as school ramps up amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Johnson said, but for the time being, the volume is manageable.

All students in kindergarten to Grade 8 must return full-time this fall, and high school students at least twice a week, unless a physician advises against in-class learning due to COVID-19 risk factors, according to Manitoba Education.

Students with health concerns will be able to access remote learning, but the province has not made the option available to families at large.

According to the province, situations where a medical exemption from in-class learning "should be rare," and limited to children with compromised immune systems or other medical conditions that increase their risk.

Early last week, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba released its guidance to doctors on when to write medical exemption notes for school and use of face masks.

"Members must abstain from providing anyone an exemption either written or verbal in the absence of a justified medical condition or based upon information that is known to be inaccurate," the college stated.

Johnson said doctors will consider whether a student has an underlying medical condition and what risk that presents to the patient, but theyre also looking at the precautions taken at the school level to mitigate potential harm.

On excusing children from school, the college said medical conditions where risk of infection with COVID-19 from in-person learning is substantial or where children may be at a higher risk of death from COVID-19 could warrant an exemption.

"It is important for members to use their knowledge, skill and judgement of the childs diagnosis and potential risk of harm from attending school to determine if an exemption to in-person learning should be provided," the college stated.

Public health officials have also mandated the wearing of non-medical face masks for students in grades 4 through 12, when physical distancing of two metres is not possible.

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"Feeling uncomfortable or holding a strong opinion against mask wearing are not considered to be medical indications for exemption," the college wrote in its bulletin.

Examples of medical conditions that qualify an exemption to wear a mask include breathing or cognitive difficulties or a disability that makes wearing a mask unsafe or if the person is not able to remove the mask independently.

"There are very few medical conditions that justify an exemption from wearing a face mask," the college noted.

Many parents presenting at doctors offices seeking medical notes are well-intentioned, Johnson said, and often require more education about the virus that causes COVID-19 to ease some concerns.

"A lot of it is coming from not having complete information, which is understandable but its also coming from a place of fear so talking to an expert or a doctor is always a good thing to do when you want factual reliable information."

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
Earlier, the Constitutional Court ruled the decree on the anti-graft agency director's appointment unconstitutional.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Razumkov, says no initiatives have been submitted to Parliament to date on introducing amendments to legislation on the National Anti-corruption Bureau.

The comment, delivered at a TV panel show on ICTV on August 31, comes amid the recent ruling by the Constitutional Court which found unconstitutional the President's decree on the appointment of NABU Director Artem Sytnyk, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

Read alsoUkraine State Judicial Administration, Kyiv District Administrative Court's heads served with charge papers  NABU"As of today, there are no initiatives regarding changes to the legislation on NABU in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in connection with the ruling of the Constitutional Court. If such initiatives arise, we will definitely consider them," said the Rada chairman.

Constitutional Court's ruling on NABU chief's appointment: background
In 1918, a novel strand of influenza killed more people than the 14th century's Black Plague.

At least 50 million people died worldwide because of the H1N1 influenza outbreak. The dead were buried in mass graves. In Philadelphia, one of the hardest-hit cities in the country, priests collected bodies with horse-drawn carriages.

During today's novel coronavirus outbreak, some are turning to the conclusion of past pandemics to discern how and when life might return to "normal." The Washington Post has received a few dozen questions from readers who want historical context for the current epidemic. But how did the deadliest pandemic ever recorded come to an end?

Those who contracted the virus developed an immunity to the novel strand of influenza, and life returned to normal by the early 1920s, according to historians and medical experts. Reports at the time suggest that the virus became less lethal as the pandemic carried on in waves.

But the strand of the flu did not just disappear. The influenza virus continuously mutated, passing through humans, pigs and other mammals. The pandemic-level virus morphed into just another seasonal flu. Descendants of the 1918 H1N1 virus actually make up the influenza viruses we're fighting today.

"The 1918 flu is still with us, in that sense," said Ann Reid, the executive director of the National Center for Science Education who successfully sequenced the genetic makeup of the 1918 influenza virus back in the 1990s. "It never went away."

It's not clear exactly how or where the 1918 influenza outbreak began, but, at some point, the novel H1N1 virus passed from birds to humans.

From start to finish, the flu could burn through a town or a city in a matter of weeks. Few people had contended with a concoction of influenza like this before, Reid said, which is why it was so potent. In crowded cities, it was not a matter of who got sick but when they would.

"Everybody got the flu, and everybody got it bad," Reid said.

President Woodrow Wilson contracted the virus while negotiating the end of World War I.

Seasonal influenza tends to kill the oldest and youngest in a society, but in 1918, about half of those who died were men and women in their 20s or 30s. People were getting sick and dying in the prime of their lives.

"As many as 8 to 10 percent of all young adults then living may have been killed by the virus," historian John Barry wrote in his best-selling book "The Great Influenza."

All the while, World War I continued. The bloody trench warfare across Europe left 8.5 million or more soldiers dead. The tight quarters during the war aided the spread of the virus, said Howard Markel, a physician and medical historian at the University of Michigan.

The 1918 outbreak has been called the Spanish flu because Spain, which remained neutral during World War I, was the first country to publicly report cases of the disease. China, France and the United States already had cases of the flu, but wartime censorship largely kept the outbreaks out of the newspapers.

Then, the king of Spain - Alfonso XIII - and several other members of his government contracted the flu. This series of events left a permanent mark, tying the country to the deadly outbreak.

"There was a very common habit, which has persisted to this day, of blaming an epidemic on one country or one group of people," Markel said. "It goes back centuries."

The longer the influenza virus existed in a certain community, the less lethal the sickness was. An epidemiological study cited by Barry in "The Great Influenza" noted that "the virus was most virulent or most readily communicable when it first reached the state, and thereafter it became generally attenuated."

Experts say there's this natural progression where a virus often - but not always - becomes less lethal as time wears on. It's in the best interest of the virus for it to spread before killing the host.

"The natural order of an influenza virus is to change," Barry told The Post. "It seems most likely that it simply mutated in the direction of other influenza viruses, which is considerably milder."

By 1920, the influenza virus was still a threat, but fewer people were dying of the disease. Some scientists at the time started to move on to other research. Barry wrote that William Henry Welch, a famous pathologist from Johns Hopkins who was studying the virus, found it "humiliating" that the outbreak was passing away without experts truly understanding the underlying cause of the disease.

What Welch didn't predict was that the virus never truly went away. In 2009, David Morens and Jeffery Taubenberger - two influenza experts at the National Institutes of Health - co-wrote an article with National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, explaining how the descendants of the 1918 influenza virus have contributed to a "pandemic era" that has lasted the past hundred years. At the time the article was published, the H1N1 influenza virus in public circulation was a fourth-generation descendant of the novel virus from 1918.

"All those pandemics that have happened since - 1957, 1968, 2009 - all those pandemics are derivatives of the 1918 flu," Taubenberger told The Post. "The flu viruses that people get this year, or last year, are all still directly related to the 1918 ancestor."

The 1918 influenza outbreak does not come with a neat bookend. People moved on, but the virus continued on in some form or fashion.

"We are living in a pandemic era that began around 1918," Taubenberger wrote with Fauci and Morens back in 2009 for the New England Journal of Medicine. "Ever since 1918, this tenacious virus has drawn on a bag of evolutionary tricks to survive."

We continue to turn back to the 1918 outbreak as a point of comparison, said John Greene, a historian of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Some of the public health measures a hundred years ago are still put in place today. To "flatten the curve," cities and towns have more or less shut down. That said, Greene cautions against drawing the parallels "too closely."

There are some similarities to draw between today's pandemic and the influenza outbreak a hundred years ago. Both come from winged animals - one from birds and the other from bats. Both are respiratory viruses. Both led people to wear masks in public. Both forced cities and schools to shut down for periods of time. And in both cases, the country's leaders exacerbated problems by ignoring the early warning signs.

But influenza viruses and coronaviruses are not the same. There's very little someone can draw from influenza to then provide treatment for the coronavirus-caused illness named covid-19, said Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"They're really different viruses," Offit added.

Influenza is consistent and relatively quick when compared with the novel coronavirus. People who are exposed to the flu, start showing symptoms in one to four days after the infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it tends to take five days for those infected with SARS-CoV-2, the name of the novel coronavirus, to start showing symptoms of covid-19, but symptoms onset ranges from two days to two weeks.

The novel coronavirus is not moving on the same time frame as the 1918 influenza, Greene told The Post. Everything is longer with the novel coronavirus - the symptoms, the sickness and the long-term complications. Doctors are concerned that covid-19 can lead to lasting cardiovascular complications.

And asymptomatic carriers make it harder to mitigate the spread of the virus by simply taking temperatures. Symptoms are not the best solution for tracking the disease. The novel coronavirus is acting more like polio: People with mild cases do not know they're sick, Greene said.

"It immediately raises a different set of problems for managing a disease," Greene said. "One needs to relearn the way to think about who is dangerous, and that becomes, basically, everybody."

Recognizing the similarities and differences to past pandemics can provide a "meaningful mirror" for the present, Greene added. The question is: What can the 1918 influenza outbreak tell us about how our current pandemic may end?

"The sad answer is not very much," Markel said. "The operative word in this particular pandemic is 'novel' coronavirus. We're learning as we go along, but we don't really know that much."
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) historic deal with Israel to normalize relations a "betrayal" that "wont last for long."

The treachery was committed against the Islamic world or Arab nations, regional countries, and Palestine," Khamenei said in a speech on September 1, according to state media, as a joint, high-level U.S.-Israeli delegation wrapped up a visit to Abu Dhabi following the first direct flight between Israel and the U.A.E.

Israel and the U.A.E. announced on August 13 that they were establishing full diplomatic relations in a U.S.-brokered deal that included an Israeli pledge to suspend its plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

The deal makes the U.A.E. the first Gulf Arab state to establish full diplomatic ties, and only the third Arab nation to have active diplomatic relations, with Israel.

The U.A.E. has touted the normalization deal as a tool to force Israel into halting its contentious plan to annex parts of the West Bank sought by the Palestinians for their future state.

The move was hailed by several Gulf states but slammed by Iran, Turkey, and Palestinian officials.

Speaking on August 31, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested that Iran, which has come under intense U.S. pressure, was central to the deal between the U.A.E. and Israel, saying Tehran creates instability in the Middle East.

The Emiratis and Israelis can have the capacity to cooperate in securing the Middle East against this enormous threat, Pompeo said in an interview.

This weekend, the U.A.E. repealed a law boycotting Israel which had been in place since 1972, and earlier this month the two countries opened direct telephone services for the first time.

With reporting by AP and Reuters
Chron.com is following the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Houston area

11:30 a.m. Gov. Abbott to provide updates on next steps for state reopening

Gov. Greg Abbott said in a Monday Twitter post he hopes to provide updates next week on future phases of the state's reopening plan.

"I said last month that Texas wouldnt have any more lockdownsdespite demands from mayors and county judges insisting on lockdowns," Abbott said. "Since my last orders in July, COVID numbers have declinedmost importantly hospitalizations."

Abbott paused reopening plans in late June following a major spike in cases and hospitalizations across the state.

Months into the pandemic and bars are still prohibiting from opening and restaurants are still required to operate under limited capacity, two industries that have been particularly hard-hit by the virus. Abbott did not elaborate on what the next reopening steps might be or if those industries would be addressed.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 'Blood in the water': Squeezed by shutdowns, Houstons bar owners are on the rocks

As of Monday evening, there were 4,203 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 across state facilities, a slight increase from the day before, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data.

9 a.m.: Outbreak reported at Katy nursing home

A Katy nursing home is being investigated by Harris County Public Health (HCPH) and Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC) after 14 people reportedly died there, possibly from COVID-19, according to a news release from the county health department.

An initial investigation began at Heritage Park of Katy Nursing and Rehabilitation facility on May 24 after three people tested positive for the virus. To date, there have been 14 deaths at the facility, four of which are confirmed to be COVID-19 related, while another ten are pending medical record review.

Five residents and staff members are currently being monitored by the county health department for COVID-19.

On HoustonChronicle.com: As half of Texas nursing homes report coronavirus infections, one local outbreak diminishes

"HCPH issued public health control orders to the facility to ensure compliance with infection control and prevention, to track viral transmission of virus causing COVID-19 and COVID-19 related deaths," the department stated in the release. "HCPH is continuing to work with HHSC and other state entities in this investigation."

A large outbreak was reported at another Katy nursing home in August when 70 residents became infected and 15 people died at the Sterling Oaks Rehabilitation facility, marking "one of the largest active outbreaks in a licensed Texas nursing facility," the Houston Chronicle reported.

8:30 a.m.: The latest Houston, Texas numbers

The COVID-19 outbreak in Texas increased by 2,516 new cases on Monday evening, bringing the statewide total to 633,009 cases, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data. The state reported 36 new deaths and is now at 12,776 statewide.

The state's positive test rate dropped from 12.24 percent to 11.96 percent, while the rolling average of viral tests increased from 36,669 to 37,843.

In the Houston region, cases increased by 1,130 to 153,869, while deaths increased by 9 to 2,891 total. An additional 838 new cases were reported in Harris County, which now accounts for 106,595 cases total.

NOTE: The numbers included in this report represent a one-day change in data from Sunday, August 30 through Monday, August 31. 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.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against John Brian McLane, Jr. of Kentucky and Paul Anthony Nash of Florida, for orchestrating a fraudulent pyramid scheme.

The SEC's complaint alleges that McLane and Nash defrauded over 700 investors by convincing them to invest in a fraudulent pyramid scheme they operated through their multi-level marketing company, Mindset 24 Global, LLC. According to the complaint, McLane and Nash raised more than $1 million from investors who purchased or sold packages of self-improvement materials in order to participate in Mindset 24's compensation plan, thereby earning commissions from profit-sharing pools and by recruiting new investors. As alleged in the complaint, Mindset 24 was not a legitimate business and was instead entirely dependent on existing investors recruiting new investors to fund the scheme. McLane and Nash also allegedly misappropriated over $50,000 in investor funds for themselves. As set forth in the complaint, the scheme inevitably collapsed, with the vast majority of investors losing money.

The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Kentucky, charges McLane and Nash with violating the registration requirements of Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933 and the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 thereunder of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The complaint seeks injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Benjamin Perlman and supervised by Carolyn M. Welshhans and Nina B. Finston. The litigation will be led by Patrick Costello under the supervision of Jan M. Folena.

The SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy has issued an Investor Alert to encourage investors to be aware of indications that a pyramid scheme may be posing as a multi-level marketing program.
PLA's electronic warfare capability serious threat to Taiwan: MND

ROC Central News Agency

08/31/2020 07:45 PM

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) The buildup and deployment of advanced electronic warfare units by the People's Liberation Army along China's southeastern coast could potentially pose a serious threat to Taiwan's defenses, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Monday.

In its 2020 report on China's military power, the ministry noted how Beijing has been continuing to deploy new-generation fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft and drones to its air bases in Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces.

The ultimate purpose, according to the report, will be to provide the Chinese military with the advantage of being able to paralyze Taiwan's air defenses and allow it to seize control of the island's surrounding waters in the event of an armed conflict.

Even more so, considering its sheer size and increasing capabilities in electronic warfare, Beijing's move is aimed at giving the PLA air superiority over the Taiwan Strait, the report said.

According to the MND, Taiwan faces an increasing threat from China as Beijing has refused to renounce its goal of taking over Taiwan militarily if necessary, and has continued to deny Taiwan its status as a political entity.

Aside from that, China has been ramping up its intimidation of Taiwan more blatantly, as demonstrated in the attempts by its warplanes to cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait on multiple occasions this year, and its large-scale military drills in the region, the report said.

But despite this worrying concern, the MND said that China at present does not have the ability to initiate a full-scale attack against Taiwan due to the natural environment across the Taiwan Strait and its lack of landing gear and logistical capability.

Also on Monday, the MND submitted its 2021 budget to the Legislative Yuan, totaling NT$453.4 billion (US$15.42 billion), part of which will go to the upgrading of the country's F-16 fighter jets.

(By Matt Yu and Ko Lin)

Enditem/J

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Border Force - Steve Finn Phtotgraphy

An Army drone previously used in Afghanistan is to fly over the English Channel to monitor migrant boats as the crisis continues.

The Watchkeeper drone will be used to help tackle the dangerous crossings, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

It is the first time the eye-in-the-sky war technology will fly in the UK operationally.

It comes as migrants continue to risk the dangerous seas in the Dover Strait, though bad weather has limited crossings recently.

Other armed forces aircraft, including Atlas A-400M, Shadow R1 and P-8 Poseidon have also been authorised to help monitor Channel crossings.

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy is considering deploying small patrol boats to the Channel to assist the Border Force.

More than 5,000 migrants have crossed to the UK in small boats so far in 2020, analysis shows.

below).

An MoD spokesperson said: "The deployment of Watchkeeper provides further defence support to the Home Office in tackling the increasing number of small boats crossing the English Channel.

"It will provide a leading surveillance and reconnaissance capability, feeding information back to the Border Force and allowing them to take appropriate action where necessary."

The unmanned air system (UAS) was used to support British armed forces in Afghanistan and was hailed as a "battle-winning technology" by then defence secretary Michael Fallon in 2014.

Now it is scheduled to fly from Lydd Airport, and will be operated by 47th Regiment Royal Artillery.

The MoD says the unmanned aircraft hosts a range of sensors, including Electro-Optic and Infra-red full motion video day-and-night camera, Synthetic Aperture Radar and a Moving Target Indicator radar.

It will provide a leading surveillance and reconnaissance capability, feeding information back to the Border Force and allowing them to take appropriate action where necessary, a MoD spokeswoman added.

The Watchkeeper programme has cost the UK more than 1 billion, figures released in 2017 showed. However, the drones have been beset by issues in recent years.

Story continues

The drone is piloted by radio signals, which means troops must be close on the ground nearby to fly it. For this reason it has been less suitable for deployment over Syria and Iraq than the Reaper, an RAF drone that is controlled by satellite and can be operated from thousands of miles away.

The drone is 6.5m long, with a wingspan of almost 11m, and can fly for up to 14 hours. It weighs 485kg, can fly within a range of 150km from its ground station, and cruises at a speed of up to 77 knots at an altitude of 16,000ft. Made by Thales, the French defence and aerospace giant, the platforms cost around 22m each.

Four Watchkeeper drones are known to have crashed, including two which plunged into the sea off the coast of Wales in early 2017.

The other two crashes happened in 2014 and 2015, whilst they were landing at West Wales Airport and MoD Boscombe Down respectively.
Telecom stocks traded mixed on September 1 after the Supreme Court announced its verdict with respect to adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues case.

Bharti Airtel rallied 6.4 percent to Rs 546.75 and Reliance Communications gained 4.15 percent at Rs 2.51, whereas Vodafone Idea plunged 12.76 percent to Rs 8.89 on the BSE at close.

The Supreme Court in its judgement said it has allowed telecom companies for staggered payment of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues over the next 10 years. The 10-year payment timeline will begin from April 1, 2021.

Telecom companies will submit undertaking to pay AGR dues as per Supreme Court order and will pay 10 percent upfront.

Any default in AGR due payments would invite interest, penalty, along with contempt of Court, said the Supreme Court.

In case of spectrum sale, the court agreed that whether spectrum sale can be allowed under Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) is to be decided by National Company Law Tribunal, reports CNBC-TV18.

"The initial announcements of paying AGR dues over 10 years is positive for telecom stocks like Bharti Airtel and positive for banking stocks who had huge exposure to the telecom sector," Vikas Jain, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities told Moneycontrol.

"The SC verdict giving a ten year time frame for payment of AGR dues with 10 percent upfront payment can be regarded as reasonably fair. Since the SC has not said anything about the dues of Reliance Communications, Aircel and Vodafone, this is certainly very positive for Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. However, the 10-year time frame puts a question mark on the survival of Vodafone. Indian telecom industry moving to a virtual duopoly is not a desirable development," VK Vijaya Kumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services said.

Bharti Airtel as well as Vodafone Idea made hefty provisions with respect to AGR dues in March and June quarters 2020, and as a result, both had reported losses in same quarters.

During June quarter 2020, Vodafone Idea has recognized a charge of Rs 19,440 crore as an exceptional item towards the total estimated AGR liability, in addition to estimated recognized liability of Rs 46,000 crore as on March 31, 2020. Hence, company posted a consolidated loss of Rs 25,460.20 crore for June quarter 2020, against a loss of Rs 4,873.90 crore for the corresponding quarter a year ago.

Bharti Airtel in June quarter had further recorded an incremental provision of Rs 10,744.4 crore (including net interest) to give effect of the differential amount between DoT demand along with provision for subsequent periods for which demands have not been received, in addition to provision of 36,832.2 crore for the periods up to March 31, 2020.

Meanwhile, Bharti Infratel has informed the exchanges that its Board of Directors discussed, in a meeting held on August 31, the scheme of arrangement with Indus Towers and related agreements, and has decided to proceed with the merger.

Based on the adjustments, the company shared likely shareholding structure (subject to change based on agreed closing adjustments) as Vodafone with 28.2 percent stake, Providence Equity Partners (PEP) with 3.2 percent stake, total share swap for Indus as 31.4 percent, and Infratel shareholders with 68.6 percent in the merged company.

The merged company will see Airtel holding 36.7 percent stake, followed by Vodafone UK with 28.2 percent stake, and Providence with 3.2 percent stake, while the balance 31.6 percent will be held by public shareholders, CNBC-TV18 reported.

Singapore-based investment firm Integrated Core Strategies (Asia) acquired Rs 1,952.9 crore worth shares in telecom operator Bharti Airtel via an open market transaction on August 31.

It bought 3,80,10,584 equity shares of Bharti Airtel (representing 0.69 percent of its total paid-up equity) at Rs Rs 513.79 per share, bulk deals data available on the National Stock Exchange showed.

: "Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd which publishes Moneycontrol."
Two police officers are facing a disciplinary hearing over claims they failed to act on claims of domestic violence made by a teenage hairdresser who was killed in a heated confrontation with her ex-boyfriend.

PCs Kerry Lynham and Sophie Dennis from the Metropolitan Police face a disciplinary hearing over claims of harassment made by Katrina Makunova in the weeks before her death.

The 17-year-old died in July 2018 when she fell on to a knife that she had concealed in her handbag ahead of a meeting with Oluwaseyi Dada, 23, in Camberwell, south-east London.

He was jailed for two years and three months for her manslaughter in what Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith described as an 'extraordinary case'.

Katrina Makunova, 17, (left) was killed by her boyfriend Oluwaseyi Dada, 23, (right) in Camberwell, London on July 12, 2018

The two Metropolitan Police constables will face claims that their performance was grossly incompetent in a two-day hearing beginning on September 8.

It is claimed that, on June 23 2018, at an address in Forest Hill and at Lewisham police station, both in south-east London, they:

Failed to acknowledge a member of the public was reporting criminal allegations of harassment and offences under the Public Order Act;

Failed to take positive action as a result of that allegation;

Failed to complete risk assessments relating to a vulnerable victim of domestic abuse;

Failed to safeguard a child (Miss Makunova) in failing to complete a report for a database containing details of minors who have had contact with police.

PC Dennis is also accused of providing false and misleading information on a crime report.

It is claimed the officer wrongly recorded that Miss Makunova did not want to make a statement when she had not been asked to do so; wrongly stated that a risk assessment form had been completed; and incorrectly said that she had refused to answer some questions.

Previously, the trainee hairdresser and her family had called police five times between February and June to accuse Dada, who she met on Instagram, of assault and harassment.

Miss Makunova died after an altercation in the foyer of Dada's block of flats in Camberwell. Police believe this ended with her falling on her handbag which contained a knife that fatally pierced her chest.

Dada, from Streatham, admitted manslaughter, but Miss Makunova's family believe he should have been charged with murder due to his controlling and brutal behaviour.

Brett Weaver, prosecuting, said there was a 'background of animosity' in the relationship and the couple had 'made threats and insulted each other via social media'.

Her older brother, Julius, 21, said Dada regularly threatened her with violence if she went to police.

Miss Makunova had been working at Aroma Hair and Beauty in Farnborough, Hampshire, and aspired to become a beautician

Police and paramedics found Dada attempting CPR on Ms Makunova at the scene, pictured in July last year

One time, Julius said he contacted police after Dada threatened to kill his girlfriend because he suspected she had been talking to other boys.

'She told me in [Romanian] not to saying anything because he had a machete in his trousers,' he recalled.

Julius said Dada was a psychopath whose controlling behaviour regularly led to violence, including when he threw his girlfriend out of his flat naked and forced her to get a taxi home.

He also said his sister had sent a message the day before he died saying she 'did not love' Dada but he was 'very possessive'.

Later, Dada told her: 'Don't f***ing play that game before I stab you'.

This was followed by even more threatening messages, and 30 minutes before she arrived at his flat to pick up a mobile phone he sent a note saying, 'Let the party begin'.

Miss Makunova had been working at Aroma Hair and Beauty in Farnborough, Hampshire, and aspired to become a beautician.

Speaking soon after her death, Julius paid tribute to the tragic teenager, describing her as a 'hardworking, confident and joyful girl'.

He added: 'She could walk into the room and put a smile on everyone's face.'
San Francisco officials unveiled a plan Tuesday for reopening indoor operations at schools, churches and businesses, building upon relaxed restrictions around outdoor personal services and salons that took effect earlier in the morning.

Outdoor gyms and fitness centers will be allowed to open Sept. 9. Indoor gyms  restricted to one-on-one personal training sessions or individual gym sessions  are poised to reopen by the end of the month.

By mid-September, the city hopes to open in-person learning up to the 6th grade for schools that can demonstrate their ability to safely allow students back into classrooms.

Outdoor tour buses and boats, outdoor movies, hotels for tourists and indoor museums, zoos and aquariums are also slated to reopen in mid-September.

Churches would be able to allow for services of up to 50 people outdoors in mid-September, when they could also allow for individuals to pray indoors, one at a time. By the end of the month, places of worship could reopen for indoor services at 25% capacity or with a maximum of 25 people.

The relaxation of restrictions on outdoor worship followed the release of a letter Monday from San Francisco Catholic Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone calling on Breed to remove excessive limits on outdoor public worship.

We have shown we can celebrate the Mass safely, the archbishop wrote. Ours and others faith is being treated as less important than a trip to the hardware store or a nice dinner out on the patio. The archdiocese has sparred frequently with city officials during the pandemic.

Similarly, small social gatherings could also resume in late September with a maximum of 25 people indoors or at 25% capacity within event spaces. Up to 50 people would be allowed to gather outdoors.

In October, the city plans to allow in-person learning at middle schools, places of worship and indoor operations of barbershops and hair salons and gyms, with mandated restrictions intended to ensure safety.

In November, San Francisco hopes to open high schools that obtain approved safety plans.

San Francisco paused its reopening plans when it was placed on the states watch list in July, because of a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. The watch list is now obsolete as the state moved Friday to a four-color-tiered system.

San Francisco is in the red tier, second to the worst, but better than six Bay Area counties that opened indoor malls and salons Monday. Napa is also in the red. Among the seven Bay Area counties that have the states worst delineation at purple, Alameda is the only one that did not open indoor salons this week.

Breed urged San Franciscans to be vigilant during the Labor Day Weekend holiday and to continue to wear masks and maintain social distance at a news conference Tuesday.

Family gatherings are where the spread happens, Breed said.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

The relaxation of restrictions, she said, doesnt mean we cant pull things back if infections increase.

There are a lot of questions, the biggest one is When? Breed said. When can I do this (or) that? The only way we get to that place is for all of us to do our part.

Breed said it will be incredible when the time comes to open indoor hair salons and barber shops.

I sure dont want to get my hair done outside, the mayor said. I get it.

The mayor was followed to the City Hall microphone  which she carefully wiped down  by Dr,. Grant Colfax, director of of the Department of Public Health, who also urged vigilance over the holiday.

We must dig deeper, Colfax said. There is more virus out there than ever before.

Rusty Simmons and Steve Ryubenstein are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: rsimmons@sfchronicle.com srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Rusty_SFChron @SteveRubeSF
- The NYO of the NPP has described President Akufo-Addo as a good leader

- Nana B has thus urged Ghanaians to pray for the president to do more

- He also noted that Akufo-Addo's hard work and efforts have protected Ghanaians

- Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

The National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, is calling on Ghanaians to always remember President Nana Akufo-Addo in prayers for his exemplary leadership.

According to Nana Boakye, President Akufo-Addo needs the support and prayers of every Ghanaian to do more Ghana.

In a radio discussion monitored by YEN.com.gh on Peace FM on Monday, August 31, the man who is affectionately called Nana B opined the NPP leaders needs to be given another four-year term to continue with the good job he is doing for the country.

READ ALSO: Fact check: Two claims by Bawumia on infrastructure that are false and misleading

Let's continue to pray for him. Let's continue to support him, for in times like this that the nation needs quality leadership, he said.

Meanwhile, the NPP also held a press conference on Monday to address certain issues raised by their political opponent, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The NPP's Director of Communications, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, also opined that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) deferred its manifesto launch because they don't have anything sensible to tell Ghanaians.

The Adentan MP stated that the NDC doesn't know what Ghanaians want and they have also been hit hard by the quality of the NPP's manifesto.

.... Mahama has ruled for 6 years but, he is still struggling to find out what Ghanaians governance priorities are."

READ ALSO: Travellers to Ghana to pay over GHC800 as COVID-19 testing fee

YEN.com.gh earlier also reported that the NPP has called on Ghanaians to reject former President John Mahama at the December polls because he lacks focus.

Buaben Asamoa, said Mahamas records make him unfit to seek another mandate.

It is the NPPs strong contention that candidate John Dramani Mahama does not have the focus and competence necessary to take this country in the right direction, Mr. Asamoa noted at the presser which was monitored by YEN.com.gh.

"We don't want NPP or NDC. We want another party in power" - Angry Ghanaian speaks | #Yencomgh

Got a story you think we should know about? Get interactive via our Facebook page!

Source: YEN.com.gh
It's primary day in Sen. Ed Markey's race against Rep. Joe Kennedy in Massachusetts.

Why it matters: Markey is among Capitol Hill's most prominent climate advocates. He co-authored the Green New Deal (GND) resolution, and a decade before that co-wrote the big climate bill that passed the House but went no further.

He's getting support from several climate groups and movement figures, including:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who worked with Markey on the GND.

The upstart Sunrise Movement, which helped push the GND into the political bloodstream and devoted lots of organizing resources to the race.

Long-established green groups like the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, the Sierra Club and the Environment America Action Fund.

Where it stands: Markey was considered the underdog heading into the race against a challenger from a family that's legendary in Bay State politics, but has held a lead in recent polling.

What they're saying: Veteran Massachusetts political consultant Mary Anne Marsh tells Politico that backing from AOC, Sunrise and Justice Democrats has changed the race.


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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the government is ignoring genuine concerns raised by candidates of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and students who have appeared for other exams.

Modi Govt is jeopardising Indias future. Arrogance is making them ignore the genuine concerns of the JEE-NEET aspirants as well as the demands of those who took SSC and other exams. Give jobs, not empty slogans, Gandhi said in a tweet.

Modi Govt is jeopardising India's future.



Arrogance is making them ignore the genuine concerns of the JEE-NEET aspirants as well as the demands of those who took SSC and other exams.



Give jobs, not empty slogans.#SpeakUpForSSCRailwayStudents  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 1, 2020

Gandhis tweet comes on the day lakhs of students across the country took the JEE Main exam for admission to the countrys top engineering colleges amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The exam, which had been deferred twice in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, started on Tuesday and will be held until September 6. NEET, the entrance exam for medical courses, will be held on September 13.

The tweet by the former Congress president is in continuation with previous such instances where he had urged the government to take into account concerns of students, who have been demanding postponement of JEE and NEET.
The family members of Dr Kafeel Khan have said they will file a contempt plea in the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday if he was not released as per its orders. The court had ordered the release of the Gorakhpur doctor and quashed his detention under the stringent National Security Act (NSA). The doctor was arrested in January for an alleged provocative speech during an anti-CAA protest at Aligarh Muslim University.

Khan has been lodged in the Mathura jail for almost seven-and-a-half months on charges of making inflammatory speeches in Aligarh against the amended citizenship law (CAA) last year. After the order, his family reached the jail for his release but the authorities refused to release him, citing non-receipt of the order.

Mathura jail Senior Superintendent Shailendra Kumar Maitreya said he is yet to receive the court orders.

Mathura District Magistrate Sarvagya Ram Mishra said the orders of the court will be followed. Since, the NSA was imposed on Kafeel by the Aligarh district magistrate, he should be contacted," Mishra said.

Khans advocate, Irfan Ghazi, alleged Mishra is not giving him time on the pretext of attending a meeting or other, despite hours of efforts made by him.

Despite repeated efforts, Aligarh DM Chandra Bhushan Singh could not be contacted for comments.

Khans brother Adeel claimed the Mathura jail administration told them they will go by the order of the district magistrate and until the DM says, he will not be released.

Adeel claimed after the High Courts order, an email informing them about the release of Khan was sent to the Mathura jail administration and the DMs of Mathura and Aligarh, but the authorities are making an excuse of not getting the order.

If Khan is not released from the jail, then we will file a contempt appeal in the High Court on Wednesday, he said.
Embattled baked goods giant Aryzta has insisted that shareholders will be able to attend a crunch meeting in Switzerland later this month that promises a showdown between rebel investors and the company's board.

And activist shareholders again urged fellow shareholders yesterday to vote for their proposed chairman at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting (EGM).

Influential Swiss proxy advisory Ethos had stated last week that the pivotal EGM would be held on September 16 without the physical presence of shareholders.

But Aryzta, whose CEO is Kevin Toland, clarified yesterday that this is not the case.

"Shareholders are allowed to attend and vote," said a spokesman for the Cuisine de France owner. "This is inaccurately reported by Ethos."

Aryzta, which makes buns and products for companies including McDonald's, Walmart, Subway, Lidl and Dunnes Stores, was hammered by the Covid crisis as lockdowns, home working and reduced consumer activity hit its customers' demand.

Swiss activist group Veraison, with the support of Spanish activist investor Cobas, has nominated a new chairman to succeed Gary McGann, whom they originally wanted to oust at the EGM. However, Mr McGann said in July that he would step down from the role this month.

Veraison and Cobas control more than 20pc of Aryzta.

Aryzta wants to appoint Andreas Schmid as chairman, while rebels have nominated Urs Jordi. Mr Jordi is the former boss of Hiestand International, the company that was originally acquired by Irish group IAWS to create Aryzta.

However, Ethos and proxy advisory firm ISS have lent their support to Aryzta's nominee for chairman. But Ethos has also backed the appointment of Mr Jordi and another activist nomination to the baked goods firm's board. ISS has also said the activists have made a strong case for board changes at Aryzta.

"The shareholder group represented by Veraison is pleased that all proxy advisors support the need for a comprehensive renewal of the board of directors of Aryzta," said Veraison yesterday.

"At least two of the three shareholder group's candidates are supported by all proxy advisors," it added.

"The shareholder group is convinced that the new chairman must not only have a deep knowledge of the bakery industry, but also a broad network in the industry to put Aryzta back on the right track," it claimed. "Furthermore, he must have sufficient time to address the challenges immediately."

The activists have slammed Aryzta's financial performance over the past few years, arguing that the group has not recorded positive cash generation in the past two years.

They also argue that the group needs to sell 600m in assets in order to cut debt.

Mr McGann told Aryzta shareholders last month that the group is prepared to "accelerate an already extensive board refreshment and renewal process provided it is proportionate, measured and follows accepted governance".

Ex-Enterprise Ireland boss Dan Flinter will also step down as a non-executive director of Aryzta following this month's EGM, as will Rolf Watter.
Foreign minister's remarks come in the backdrop of a four-month-long border row between Indian and Chinese armies in eastern Ladakh, which has led to a major strain in overall ties

New Delhi: The ties between India and China are "extremely consequential" for both the countries and the rest of the world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday, observing that it was important for the two sides to reach some kind of "understanding or equilibrium".

In an interactive session at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Jaishankar said, like every other country in the world, India is also cognisant of the rise of China but added that India's rise has also been a global story.

The external affairs minister was answering questions relating to China's rise, its impact on India as well as ties between the two countries at the virtual event.

Jaishankar's remarks come in the backdrop of the four-month-long bitter border row between Indian and Chinese armies in eastern Ladakh which has led to a major strain in their overall ties including on trade and investment relationship. Both sides are engaged in talks to resolve the row.

"Obviously like every other country in the world, we are very cognisant of the rise of China. We are an immediate neighbour of China. So obviously if you are a neighbour, you are very directly impacted by the rise of what I say in my book a potential global power," he said, referring to his yet-to-be-released book ''The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World''.

The external affairs minister said India too has been rising but it may not be to the same degree and at the same pace as China.

"But if you look at the last 30 years, India's rise is also a major global story. If you have two countries, two societies with a billion people each with the history and culture that they have, it is very important that they reach some kind of understanding or equilibrium between them," he said, without referring to any contentious issue.

"And this is a practical world. If a country is going to get more powerful, we are going to see its influence in geographies we have not seen before, we are going to see activities and capabilities that we have not seen before," he added.

"We will see that from China and I dare say, in some areas, they will see it of us," he added.

Talking about what he called the "modus vivendi" between India and China, he said the relationship is "extremely consequential" for both the countries and "actually for the rest of the world"

Asked about the close ties between China and Pakistan, he said it is not something new as it goes back to the early 1960s.

"Aspects of it have been of concern to us before. Even that is not new and obviously, that is something we factor in our relationship with both countries," he said.

About India's ties with the US, he said the relationship has been on an upswing in various key areas like trade and investment, technology and defense and security, adding there has been a much stronger "convergence of interests" between the two sides.

"We look upon it not as something which is tailored to a particular situation or necessarily focused on some country," he said, noting that the two sides have interests that will result in the greater good for the world.

Talking about regional issues, he said India's growth has to be a lifting tide for the entire region. At the same time, he pitched for greater investment by India in the neighbourhood.

Jaishankar also highlighted India's focus on self-reliance to boost economic growth as well as efforts to improve the overall prosperity of the region.

"India''s growth has to be a lifting tide for the entire region," he said adding the country needs to invest in the neighbourhood and build more connectivity projects.

At the same time, he said, "we are actually doing it," he said.

Jaishankar said India has been a supplier of electricity to most of its neighbours in the last five years besides providing fuel to many of the countries.

He said India has been involved in developing waterways, ports, railway networks, and other projects in the region.

"There is a lot of regional investment which India is making today and our sense is that you are going to get a much better-integrated region, a much more connected region. But one needs to go beyond that," he said.

On India's focus on self-reliance, he said if the country is seeking to expand its manufacturing capabilities, there would be a whole lot of business opportunities for foreign investors.

"We are much more interested in global value chains now passing through India using India's production capacities as the path of the chain," he said.

Jaishankar said a more knowledge-driven world economy will require more "trusted talent" and that is an opportunity for India, adding immigration will be a win-win proposition for both sides.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday carried out a comprehensive review of the situation in eastern Ladakh in the wake of China's "provocative" military manoeuvres to change the status quo in the southern bank area of Pangong lake.

IMAGE: Indian Army truck movement on road, in Leh. Photograph: ANI Photo

It was decided at the nearly two-hour meeting that Indian Army will continue to maintain its aggressive posturing in all sensitive areas along the Line of Actual Control to effectively deal with any Chinese "misadventure", official sources said.

They said the Indian Army has further bolstered its presence around the Southern Bank area of Pangong lake by deploying additional troops and bringing in more weaponry including tanks and anti tank guided missiles.

"The Indian Army is now dominating all the strategic mountain heights around the Southern Bank of Pangong lake," said a source.

The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General M M Naravane, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria among others, they said.

Army Chief Gen Naravane briefed the meeting about the prevailing situation, operational preparedness of the Army and steps being taken to maintain the current strength of personnel and weaponry in the winter months, the sources said.

They said Chinese troops attempted to evict Indian troops from at least two hill tops on Monday but their attempt did not succeed.



On Monday, Indian Army said it foiled attempts by Chinese military to change the status quo in the Southern Bank area of Pangong lake on the intervening night of August 29 and 30.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Tuesday said Chinese military was again engaged in "provocative action" on Monday when ground commanders of the two sides were holding talks to ease the tension in the area following attempts by Chinese troops two days back.

A Brigade Commander-level meeting between the two sides took place on Tuesday too in Chushul on the Indian side of the LAC but it could not produce any tangible outcome, the sources said.

Following the Chinese attempts, the Indian Army significantly strengthened its presence on a number of "strategic heights" around the Pangong lake besides further bolstering its presence in the area.

A battalion of the Special Frontier Force was also deployed in the area.

The sources said the Indian Air Force has also been told to enhance its surveillance on increasing Chinese air activities along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

There have been reports that China has deployed J-20 long-range fighter jets and several other key assets in strategically located Hotan airbase which is around 310 km from eastern Ladakh.

In the last three 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 Ladakh and elsewhere along the LAC.

The fresh attempt by China to change the status quo in the Pangong lake area is the first major incident in the area after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

China also suffered casualties but is yet to make the details public. According to an American intelligence report it was 35.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.
The Delhi government on Monday again warned all private schools in the city against charging parents anything other than tuition fees during the lockdown and directed them to immediately refund or adjust money in case they have collected any other payment from parents in the period.

The Directorate of Educations (DoE) order is in continuation of its April 18 notification that said private schools would charge only tuition fee until the lockdown was in effect -- a move that made parents happy but upset schools.

Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia tweeted saying, Arvind Kejriwals governments big decision in the interest of parents of private school students. Private schools have been directed not to change fee under any other components other than tuition fees. Schools will have to adjust the money in the coming months in case they have already collected additional fees from parents.

In an order issued to all private schools on Monday, the DoE said they had received a number of complaints, not only from parents but also from other quarters, alleging that many private unaided recognised schools of Delhi had started charging the fees under many other heads other than the tuition such as like annual charge, development charge, etc.

The DOE said this was in contravention to the directions issued by Directorate of Education vide order dated 17/04/2020 & subsequently dated 18/04/2020. Such act of the schools is not only in the clear violation of the above directions issued vide order dated: 17/04/2020 & subsequently dated 18/04/2020 but also an inhumane act on their part, keeping in view the prevailing Covid-2019 pandemic conditions and long closure of schools.

The directorate said it received several representations from private schools, saying the lockdown period was over and now they could charge fee under all heads -- tuition, annual charge, development fee and some earmarked levies also.

This position as claimed by Private Unaided Recognised Schools is not correct as unlocking stage is still going on in a phased manner and hence, complete lockdown is yet to be over and schools are yet to be open for physical classroom learning, the DoE order stated.

The DoE has warned schools that action under Section 24 of the Delhi School Education Act and Rules would be taken against them in case of non-compliance. It said, ...The schools will not increase any fee in the academic session 2020-21 till further directions, the order said.

If any private unaided recognised school has charged fees/amount other than the tuition fees in contravention of order dated 18/04/2020, the same shall be refunded or adjusted immediately, it added.

The DoE asked schools not to deny access to online education to students who are unable to pay school fee due to the financial crisis arising out of closure of business activities during the lockdown. They have also been directed to give timely salaries to their staff.

Parents welcomed the fresh order while private schools termed it as injustice. SK Bhattacharya, president of the Action Committee of Private Unaided Recognised Schools -- an umbrella group of 400 schools -- said, How will schools survive without money? From where we will pay salaries to teachers? The annual charges and development fee are necessary to meet necessary expenses such as property tax, maintenance and also pay salary to the staff since tuition fee is not adequate. This is absolutely injustice with private schools.

Aparajitha Gautam, president of Delhi parents Association, said the order is a big relief for parents. We have been receiving a lot of complaints from parents against schools. The government should ensure the schools follow the order. Many schools have already violated the April 18 order by charging money under other components than the tuition fee and increasing fee.The government should take action against such schools as well, she said.

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The country's largest automaker Hyundai Motor India on Tuesday reported a 20 per cent year-on-year growth in domestic sales at 45,809 units in August. The South Korean company had sold a total of 38,205 units in the same month last year. Hyundai's exports declined by 61.8 per cent in August at 6,800 units compared to 17,800 units exported in August 2019. Cumulatively, Hyundai Motor sold 52,609 units in the month compared to 56,005 units sold in August 2019, recording a 6 per cent decline in sales for the month.

Also read: Hyundai remains cautiously optimistic about upcoming festive season amid coronavirus pandemic

The company said its new models raked in maximum sales, Creta, Verna, Tucson doing maximum business. "Good response to the all-new Creta, Verna, Tucson, Nios, Aura and the recently launched IMT Powertrain Hyundai Venue led to this performance," said Tarun Garg, Director ( sales, marketing and service), HMIL.

He added uncertainty still surrounds the COVID-19 pandemic and that the company would have to work with cautious optimism.

Also read: Mahindra & Mahindra auto sales decline 16% YoY in August, tractor sales up 65%

The South Korean auto major, which is the second-largest passenger vehicle player in the country after Maruti Suzuki, has seen its sales grow month after month since May after the nationwide lockdown ended and companies rebooted operations. From zero units in April to sales of 6,883 units in May, 21,320 units in June and 38,200 units in July, the automaker has seen sales grow in a robust manner over the past few months.

Meanwhile, India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has also reported a 21.3 per cent growth in sales in August 2020 over the previous year, signalling the rebound in demand in the domestic automobile industry is gaining momentum. The company sold 113,033 units against 93,173 units in August 2019.

Also read: Maruti sees 21.3% growth in August, wholesale dispatches cross 1 lakh for first time since February
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak attends a Cabinet meeting of senior government ministers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office FCO in London, 1 September 2020. Photo: Toby Melville/Pool via AP

Top economists have warned that the UK will likely face substantial tax increases in the coming years, as the government seeks to pay for the cost of its COVID-19 response and public services.

Leading economists told parliaments Treasury Select Committee on Tuesday that tax rises were likely, although they said increases would likely not happen for a few years.

Paul Johnson, a director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank, said it was probably true taxes would have to rise.

READ MORE: UK public debt breaks through 2tn for the first time

If you are looking to raise taxes, the likelihood is its going to have to be a fairly substantial increase, Johnson said, suggesting the government could seek to raise around 2% of GDP.

Income tax, VAT, and national insurance are the most likely targets for increases, Johnson said.

We have to raise taxes somehow, Mike Brewer, chief economist and deputy chief executive at the Resolution Foundation think tank, told MPs. Its really a question of finding the ones that do the least damage to the economy, rather than ones that are pro-growth.

READ MORE: Self-employed face tax hike after 9bn bailout

The four economists questioned by the Treasury Select Committee all called for the government to broaden the tax base, rather than simply increasing existing taxes.

Brewer said a wealth tax or land tax might be something that is sustainable throughout the next few decades.

But he added: That alone is not going to solve the problem we face at the moment.

The government has seen borrowing and debt explode in recent months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The crisis has halted economic growth and led to far higher state spending due to economic support programmes.

READ MORE: Triple lock risks pensions rising five times faster than earnings

Last month, UK national debt rose above 2tn ($2.7tn) for the first time in history and surpassed 100% of GDP for the first time since the 1960s. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said at the time: We must return our public finances to a sustainable footing over time, which will require taking difficult decisions.

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The economy will be smaller in four or five years time than we were expecting and therefore tax revenues will be less than expected, the IFSs Johnson told MPs on Tuesday.

At the same time, pressure on public services will be greater as a result of the UKs ageing population, Johnson said.

Sunak ordered a review into capital gains tax in July, prompting speculation that the chancellor may seek to raise taxes as soon as this autumn when he delivers the budget. Sources told the Sunday Times this weekend that the chancellor could launch a 20bn raid on capital gains and corporation tax in November.

READ MORE: Sunak mulls sweeping tax hikes to pay for recovery

However, both Johnson and Brewer said tax increases should not happen for at least another 18 months.

Were not very clear about where the economy is going to go but we are pretty clear its going to be weak for some period, Johnson said. I certainly dont think we should be looking at tax rises this year and quite honestly I think Id be surprised if we see significant tax rises next year.

If we do need higher taxes, then were probably looking at bringing them in two to three years hence.

Brewer said: If anything, the government should be spending more now to support the recovery.

We should not expect to see tax rises happening in the next year.
Mumbai, Sep 1 : Automobile major Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) on Tuesday reported a 16 per cent fall in its total sales during August, on a year-on-year basis.

In a statement, the company said that it sold 30,426 units, including exports, last month, compared to 36,085 vehicles sold during the same period last year.

M&M also reported a fall of 13 per cent in domestic sales last month.

It sold 29,257 units during the period under review from an off-take of 33,564 units in August 2019.

M&M exported 1,169 units in the month under review down from 2,521 vehicles which were shipped out in August last year.

Commenting on the performance, Veejay Nakra, Chief Executive Officer, Automotive Division, M&M, said: "At Mahindra, we continue to see good recovery in demand both for SUVs and pick-ups in the Small Commercial Vehicles segment." "For the month of August, we have registered growth in both SUVs and Pick-ups. We have been able to meet the uplift in demand by managing the supply chain challenges and going forward will continue to keep our focus on it."

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
China Insider Aug. 31: Media Exposes Names of Australians Recruited Under Chinas Thousand Talents Plan

A recent investigation done by Australian media revealed that the Chinese Communist Party is taking advantage of the loopholes of Australian laws. The CCP secretly recruited dozens of Australian top investigative scholars to join the Thousand Talents Plan or other recruitment programs. This news shocked the Australian government. Many federal members have called on the Australian Parliament to conduct an investigation.

On August 24, The Australian, a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia, revealed a list of 32 scientists, including four non-Chinese scientists, who were recruited by the CCP into the Thousand Talents Plan and other similar recruitment programs with high salaries. The research of these scholars covers highly sophisticated fields such as Artificial Intelligence and quantum technology. They are from the top Australian universities and research institutions. While being employed in Australia, they frequently returned to China and applied for patents in China. Some of them have as many as 30 patents.

Li Yuanhua, former associate professor at Capital Normal University, said: For instance, there are at least five people from the University of New South Wales on this list. Some of these professors receive 12 million AUD a year in funding from the Australian government. To the CCP, it is like spending a small amount of money to benefit individual researchers who will sell the results of their research for far more money than it offered. To Australia, having a group of scholars like these is simply equivalent to betraying national interests.
BAY CITY, MI  A woman accused of stabbing two people who took to a Bay County Walmart to shop has to spend six months in jail.

Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran on Monday, Aug. 31, sentenced 38-year-old Jessica L. Ayers to two concurrent terms of 182 days in jail. Sheeran also ordered Ayers to pay $190 in restitution to her victims.

Though Ayers had been incarcerated for 279 days, Sheeran gave her no credit for time served due to her parolee status.

Ayers in July pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault in exchange for prosecutors dismissal of two counts of assault with intent to cause great bodily harm less than murder and one count of unlawfully driving away a motor vehicle. In a separate matter, Ayers pleaded guilty to one count of larceny in a building.

Related to the larceny conviction, Sheeran on Monday sentenced Ayers to two years of probation and ordered her to pay $505 in restitution.

A man and a woman testified in a December preliminary examination that they had picked up Ayers from a Hampton Township residence on Nov. 25 to take her to the Bangor Township Walmart. Upon returning Ayers to the house, she attacked and stabbed the man and woman in the parked vehicle, witnesses said.

Both victims managed to get out of the vehicle and fled to a nearby Walgreens for help, they testified. While at the Walgreens, the male victim saw Ayers driving away in his vehicle, he testified.

The wounded man ended up walking to a friends house on McKinley Avenue in Bay City before police arrived at the Walgreens. He suffered a collapsed lung in the stabbing, while the woman with him required 20 stitches to mend her wounds, they testified.

The Michigan Department of Corrections paroled Ayers in July 2019 on a 2017 conviction of first-degree retail fraud out of Kent County.

Read more:

Victims testify they were stabbed without warning after taking woman grocery shopping

Woman charged with stabbing 2 people, stealing car in Bay County

Masked gunman holds up two Bay County gas stations within minutes
The spill was declared an ecological disaster for the Indian Ocean archipelago, and a massive clean-up operation was launched

The prime minister of Mauritius said Tuesday two sailors were dead and two others missing after a tugboat assisting in a major oil spill clean-up off the Indian Ocean island collided with a barge.

A search was under way for the missing crew after the accident late Monday as the boats returned from where a tanker crashed into a reef in late July, leaking more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into the island's picturesque waters.

"It is tragic that we lost two of the tugboat crew, while two others are still missing," Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said after visiting rescued sailors in hospital.

"We are doing everything we can to locate them, with all our means and with the help of fishermen in the area. On behalf of the government, I extend my sympathies to the family."

The spill was declared an ecological disaster for the Indian Ocean archipelago, and a massive clean-up operation was launched to scrub the pristine coastline and azure seas of thick sludge.

The collision between the tugboat and an unmanned barge which it was towing occurred off the northeast coast as the boats were returning from the spill site where the MV Wakashio ran aground, the barge operator Taylor Smith Group said.

The eight crew aboard the stricken tug abandoned ship, the Mauritius Ports Authority said, adding there were rough seas at the time.

Four were later rescued and taken to shore, officials said.

- 'No risk of a leak' -

Jugnauth said the tug was transporting some fuel at the time "but there is no risk of a leak". The prime minister promised an investigation into the accident.

He faces growing anger over his administration's handling of the oil spill, which has caused untold ecological damage to a protected coastline that sustains the island's economy.

An estimated 75,000 people marched at the weekend in the capital Port Louis, many dressed in black and demanding answers from the government in the biggest public demonstration in 40 years.

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The washing ashore of some 47 dead melon-headed whales in recent days only spurred further outrage, with environmental groups blaming the oil spill for their mysterious deaths.

Authorities have said no traces of hydrocarbons were found on the animals or in their respiratory system, however the results from autopsies have yet to be released.

It is still unclear why the Wakashio was so close to shore when the accident occurred. Jugnauth has commissioned a formal investigation and promised a full and transparent inquiry.

Critics say the government was too slow to act when the Japanese-owned ship carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel aboard ran aground off Pointe d'Esny, an ecological jewel fringed by idyllic beaches, colourful reefs and protected wetlands.

Mauritius and its 1.3 million inhabitants depend crucially on the sea for food and ecotourism.

The bulker later split in two and was towed to open waters and sunk, in a move criticised by some marine conservation groups.

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The funeral takes place on Wednesday of a Newtownabbey man who passed away after an 11-month battle with head injuries sustained in a workplace fall.

Allen Greer (47) passed away at Musgrave Park Hospital last Thursday following a lengthy period in intensive care.

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, his family shared their heartbreak over being unable to visit Allen in hospital during lockdown for many months. They were able to visit him again over the summer after the restrictions were relaxed.

His wife Jolene (41) said she was holding his hand as Allen slipped away last week.

"He'll be remembered by me and by the kids for the family man that he was and he will walk beside us every day. It's a big loss to us and we will never get over it," Jolene said.

The self-employed tradesman was carrying out a roof job on a house in Randalstown in October last year when he was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast after falling 13 feet off a ladder. He remained in a coma for more than three weeks, but was recovering slowly when the Covid-19 lockdown began.

Jolene and her children Alanna (17) and twins Jay and Amy-Nicole (12) were only able to see Allen by video call in the early days of the pandemic.

She says that in July he had improved enough to be moved to Musgrave Park Hospital to start his rehabilitation from his brain injuries and she was able to visit him wearing personal protection equipment (PPE).

"We thought our lottery ticket had come. The kids and I were crying happy tears because Musgrave was the golden ticket - this was him getting better and getting him home to us," she says.

Jolene spoke of the day shortly after Allen had moved into Musgrave when she told him she loved him.

"It was muffled, but he said 'I love you too'. It was the first time I'd heard his voice since the accident in October," she said.

However, several days later Allen suffered a chest infection and Jolene was warned that the injuries to his brain were such that it could no longer control his respiratory tract and he would be on oxygen for the rest of his life. He passed away last Thursday.

Jolene paid tribute to the staff at Musgrave Park Hospital and the care they gave.

He passed away with me at his side holding his hand. It was very peaceful and there was no drama. I'm so happy I got that time with him. The kids are broken-hearted but they have stepped up and looked after me Jolene Greer

"He got to see his children so that's what I am glad of," she added. "They were excellent with myself and Allen and the kids - they couldn't have done enough for us. I can't thank them enough - they were exceptional.

"He passed away with me at his side holding his hand. It was very peaceful and there was no drama. I'm so happy I got that time with him. The kids are broken-hearted but they have stepped up and looked after me."

Jolene described Allen as a family man.

"He was quiet but he loved to laugh. He was a joker - he would have been the one that hid behind the kitchen wall and jumped out at you," she added.

"I've been with him for the whole journey and I'll remember him for his big smile and his big bright blue eyes and keeping us going.

"My daddy died 10 years ago and my brother died nine years ago and he was there for me and my mummy. He was my mum's best friend."

Allen is survived by his wife Jolene, children Alanna, Jay and Amy-Nicole, and brothers Trevor, Victor, Gary and Harry.

A private family funeral will take place at Stephen McCosh Funeral Directors on Belfast's Shankill Road at 2.45pm followed by cremation at Roselawn.
Are there alternative ways to conduct or process tests that have led to faster results?

Theres a distinction between antigen tests and what are called PCR tests. The PCR test is the one that most people take. Antigen tests can give you a result in 15 minutes, but theres a lot of debate around how reliable those results are. Most public health experts will say theyre good for frequent screening, like if youre in the N.B.A. or going to the White House.

Some people think that testing should be so routine its just a part of your daily life and that this rapid testing is part of the future. But at this point, its not that widespread.

Why do quick test results matter?

The testing is basically worthless if you dont get a result within a few days. Part of that is for contact tracing. Someone whose test comes back positive after 10 days may not already be isolating themselves as they would if they got their results earlier, so the number of people who could have come into contact with that person will be higher.

How do delays further the inequalities seen during the pandemic?

Theyre another example of how, if you have money, there are ways to circumvent even the most complicated systems and barriers, like a national backlog of coronavirus testing. We saw it in the beginning of the pandemic  when it was hard to get a test, yet rich people were finding a way to get them. And weve seen it again here.

Whats being done to speed up turnaround times for all New Yorkers?

The city has been creating what it is calling express testing sites, and people who have gone to them often say theyre quite fast. The trouble is, its hard to scale that.

From The Times

N.Y.C. to Pay $5.9 Million in Death of Transgender Woman at Rikers

In Steve Bannon Case, Prosecutors Have Voluminous Emails
Cue the strings. Hilary Swank is headed to Mars for her latest drama, Away, coming to Netflix.

You may not need a box of tissues, but a slice of apple pie would go down well with this melodrama in space.

Swank plays Emma Green devoted mother of teenage daughter Alexis (Talitha Bateman) and wife to NASA astronaut Matt (Josh Charles). But as Emma leads an international team into the galaxies for a 3 year quest, hubby Matt must stay behind due to health concerns. Aww.

Poor Emma will do the brave modern thang and leave the family behind to conquer new frontiers. She reassures Alexis that she will return home, from beyond the rim.

Just remember the further away I get Im actually just getting closer to being back to you.

The space team includes Russian Misha (Mark Ivanir), Indian Ram (Ray Panthaki), Brit Kwesi (Ato Essandoh) and Chinese Yu (Vivian Wu). Leading the NASA base is Darlene (Gabrielle Rose) often opposed to colleague George (Brian Markinson) -at least some change from the usual middle-aged white men.

But as the crew stop at a moonbase (is this a space pit stop?) not everything goes as planned. The script by Andrew Hinderake (Penny Dreadful, Pure Genius) plays with linear storytelling, concealing a key incident which occurs. I quite liked an interrogation which takes place and presents different versions of said incident. Whilst not quite borrowing from the ground-breaking Rashomon, it did begin to suggest a crime procedural in space.

Alas, this was regularly interrupted by the schmaltzy melodrama back on Earth, especially when jeopardy hits Emmas family.

Theres also some tired conflict between the United Nations of astronauts, starting with abrasive Russia. I cant imagine NASA or any self-respecting space agency would send up a group so susceptible to clashes this early in their expedition. Who tested them for team skills?

Away is produced by Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Rise) and Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) amongst others. But with lines like you couldnt cure your moms cancer much of the opening episode packs the emotional weight of a good daytime drama.

If this were on the Hallmark channel (there I said it) it would be one of their better offerings. Right now its just too earnest and needs more gravity.

Away airs Friday September 4 on Netflix.
Manistee author James Goodwin released two books this year. "Stay Away from the Dogs is the sixth book in the Manitou series and was released in January, while Beyond Grenada" was released earlier this summer.

 "Beyond Grenada" is a love story spanning several decades. Ethan Taylor, the central character, thought he had his life all planned out. He married his high school sweetheart after the two had graduated from college.

Their marital life was everything he could dream of and then tragedy took it all away. Lost and depressed, Ethan took a paramedic job in Flint, a place he thought was as depressed as he was.

He did not expect to find love again  but he did.

This time it was with a married woman whose husband physically abused her. Confused over her decision to stay with the abusive man, Ethan chose to run again.

This time he decided to make a major change in his life and attend medical school in Grenada. He had no idea if love was still in his future since life continued throwing curves his way. It seems to all come down to what happens beyond Grenada.

 "Stay Away from the Dogs" is set in the fictitious town of Manitou. Located on the shore of Lake Michigan, Manitou looks to be an idyllic place, but as the six books in the Manitou series show, things aren't always perfect in small towns.

Goodwin created the Manitou series featuring a city much like Manistee, in appreciation for the people and beauty of the northwestern Michigan town.

Manitou is about an imagined place, but many of the locations will be familiar to local residents. In the series, people in difficult circumstances can and do overcome many trials and tribulations, because they are surrounded by good, supportive friends.

"Stay Away from the Dogs" follows the adventures of a straight-laced federal special agent as he tries to deal with a dog fighting ring in Manitou.

There is no region of the country exempt from this form of gambling  including the beautiful northwest Michigan county of Manitou.

When the sheriff is called out to a rural township to check on dogs running loose he had no idea what the rest of his day would be like. At an abandoned farm he finds a deceased woman, a 4-year-old boy in hiding and the remains of a huge dog fighting ring.

The case is assigned to a federal agent who forms a romantic relationship with a beautiful former MP interning at the mayors office. The two dont allow their budding romance to interfere with solving this challenging case. Along with characters from previous books in the Manitou Series they come together to solve the criminal case.

Both books are available at Happy Owl Bookstore in Manistee and in print and as an eBook through Amazon.

After retiring as president and CEO of a Flint-based childrens residential treatment, foster care and adoption agency, Goodwin paired with his wife Nancy Goodwin to open Goodys Juice and Java in Manistee. Goodwin is a longtime Manistee resident who has published 13 books.
(Newser)  If President Trump wants to win a second term, he will need what has come to be known as a "Sister Souljah moment," writes Jamelle Bouie in the New York Times. The reference goes back to the 1992 campaign, when Bill Clinton denounced the words of hip-hop artist Sister Souljah and her statements about white people. For Trump to have any hope, he must similarly denounce the "radical element" in his own partythose instigating violence, writes Bouie. Trump could win over swing voters by calling out "self-styled militias" as well as the type of policing that results in a Black man being shot multiple times in the back.

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"Not that Ill hold my breath," writes Bouie, who adds that Trump "speaks as if he approves of violence in the streets." But the president is playing a dangerous political game by attempting to pin the blame for such chaos on Joe Biden and the Democrats. "The public usually punishes those who preside over disorder, from Vice President Hubert Humphrey in 1968 to President George H.W. Bush in 1992," writes Bouie. Read the full column. (Trump defended the teen accused of fatally shooting two protesters in Wisconsin.)
President Donald Trump has suggested that more testing equals more positive results, but Virginias data shows otherwise when it comes to the positivity rate.

Residents of the populous Fairfax Health District have been tested the most of any health district in Virginia, with 189,173 tests. As of Monday, Fairfaxs positivity rate was 5.7 percent, the seventh lowest rate in Virginia. The Prince William Health District was second, with 98,616 tests given and a positivity rate of 8.8 percent.

By contrast, areas in the Tidewater area which have been recording high numbers of new cases this summer have done far fewer tests, but had much higher positivity rates. There have been 46,724 tests given to residents of the Chesapeake Health District, and its seven-day positivity rate is 12.2 percent. The rate of the Western Tidewater Health District is 11.8 percent, and it has administered 33,843 tests since March.

In addition to a higher rate of positive tests, the Rappahannock Area Health District closed out August with 30 people hospitalized with virus symptoms, according to Mondays report. Thats twice as many hospitalizations than the first three weekdays of the month, when there were 15 people in the areas three hospitals being treated for COVID-19.


Receives Revised Offers from Lenders

London, Sep 1, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Speedcast International Limited ( ASX:SDA ) ( FRA:7SC ) ( OTCMKTS:SPPDF ) today announced that it has received further recapitalisation proposals for the business from two of its largest lenders, Black Diamond Capital Management and Centerbridge Partners.The Company is currently evaluating the revised proposals with a view to maximising value for all creditors and certainty of outcome for all stakeholders. Speedcast has withdrawn a related motion that was due to be heard in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.The Chair of Speedcast International, Stephe Wilks commented "Black Diamond and Centerbridge are the two largest secured creditors of the Company and we are pleased that both have delivered compelling proposals for Speedcast. Our focus remains on evaluating both proposals to determine an agreed path that maximises value for all creditors and certainty for all stakeholders".Peter Shaper, Speedcast's Chief Executive Officer, is returning to the private equity firm he is affiliated with. Shaper has tendered his resignation to the Board, and the Board has accepted his resignation. Joe Spytek will continue in his role as President and Chief Commercial Officer, continuing to provide senior leadership to the Company.Stephe Wilks further commented, "The Board is incredibly appreciative of Peter's efforts in stabilising Speedcast through this challenging period."Speedcast announced its decision to recapitalise its business through voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings on April 23, 2020. More information about Speedcast's Chapter 11 case can be found at http://www.kccllc.net/speedcast Speedcast is advised by Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP as global legal counsel and Herbert Smith Freehills as co-counsel. Michael Healy of FTI Consulting, Inc. is Speedcast's Chief Restructuring Officer, and FTI Consulting, Inc. is Speedcast's financial and operational advisor. Moelis Australia Advisory Pty Ltd and Moelis & Company LLC are Speedcast's investment bankers. KCC is Speedcast's claims and noticing agent.About Speedcast International Ltd

Speedcast International Ltd (ASX:SDA) is the world's most trusted communications and IT services provider, delivering critical communications solutions to the Maritime, Energy, Mining, Media, Telecom, Cruise, NGO, Government, and Enterprise sectors. With more satellite capacity than any other provider, Speedcast enables faster, seamless pole-to-pole coverage from a global hybrid satellite, fiber, cellular, microwave, MPLS, and IP transport network with direct access to public cloud platforms. The company also integrates differentiated technology offerings that provide smarter ways to communicate and distribute content, manage network and remote operations, protect and secure investments, and improve the crew and guest experience. With a passionate customer focus and a strong safety culture, Speedcast serves more than 3,200 customers in over 140 countries. Learn more at www.speedcast.com.
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chinono, who has been constantly denied bail, is in poor health, according to his lawyers.

In a tweet, one of the lawyers, Doug Coltart , said there are looking for a private doctor to check him up at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. Chinono is facing charges of inciting public violence.

Coltart said, I have just visited Hopewell Chinono at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison and can confirm that he is unwell. We have alerted his private doctor who will be attending to him immediately and we will act accordingly based on the medical assessment and advice.

By Monday evening, it was not clear if the doctor had visited him in his cell following a report that was made to his lawyers by a politician detained at the same prison.

Social media is on fire following reports that Chinono is unwell. Pastor Evan Mawarire of #ThisFlag Campaign, said in a tweet, Receiving news about Hopewells health is extremely worrying. This man is facing the brutal brunt of a vindictive regime that refuses to be challenged by its own citizens. His only crime is reporting corruption.

London-based educator and political commentator, Dr. Alex Magaisa, also said in a tweet, Further to my earlier tweet concerning Hopewell Chinono. Im advised that the symptoms he is exhibiting include a fever, muscle aches, headache & distorted taste. Im advised that a swab was taken & relevant tests are being conducted.

Prison officials at Chikurubi Maximum Prison were not responding to calls and the Ministry of Information was tightlipped over Chinonos illness.

Chinono was arrested a month ago and denied bail following accusations that he incited Zimbabweans to stage public protests over corruption and other issues affecting the southern African nation.

He is detained with MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Job Sikala and Tranform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume, who are facing similar charges.
Austin is a thriving tech city that truly understands the value of digital marketing and SEO. Austin is very friendly to businesses where many new startups and small businesses are being formed.

SEOblog.com, a fast-growing website providing the latest SEO news, tips and resources and helping business owners connect with leading SEO agencies, has released its exclusive 2020 ratings naming the best SEO companies in Austin.

SEOblog analysts determined the 15 best SEO companies in Austin based on dozens of key quantitative and qualitative factors. SEOblog industry experts examined each digital marketing agencys website, industry experience, market presence, client list, portfolio, expert certifications and authorship among other factors in its ranking system.

SEOblog has provided an in-depth view of companies in a particular city or focus area on various directory pages to help business owners find the expert help they need to grow. This was a new, free offer added by SEOblog in 2019.

Austin has several of the nations top SEO agencies that provide a very competitive digital marketing landscape.

Austin is a thriving tech city that truly understands the value of digital marketing and SEO, said Justin Staples, founder of JS-Interactive. Austin is very friendly to businesses where many new startups and small businesses are being formed. Full of creatives and talent, SEO is a shared community where independents and small businesses work together to produce fruitful results for companies, bettering our local economy as a whole.

SEOblog.com rankings are updated regularly as the market shifts and new players emerge. SEOblog.com has published more than 2,300 agency listings with more added every day. There is no fee to participate, and the website welcomes all qualified agencies to apply.

SEOblog.coms 15 Best SEO Companies in Austin in 2020:

Logical Position, The Search Engine Guys, Insignia SEO, JS-Interactive, DIGITECH, Practice Cafe, Captive Nest, Local Web Leads, Big Gorilla Design, Fahrenheit Marketing, WEBii, Mighty Citizen, Monkee-Boy, Ysais SEO and Complete Web Resources.

Link: https://www.seoblog.com/best-seo-companies/austin/

About SEOblog.com

SEOblog.com is a leading thought leadership site with a rich history of publishing educational and informative articles about SEO and digital marketing topics. In early 2019, SEOblog.com answered the call from buyers of digital marketing services that lacked unbiased, informative online resources and launched a comprehensive directory to highlight the best SEO companies in the United States -- https://www.seoblog.com/best-seo-companies/. SEOblogs mission is to connect businesses with qualified digital marketing agencies while also offering further SEO education, best practices and industry trends.

SEOblog.com is a one-stop shop for educational SEO and digital marketing content, research, ratings and reviews for the best agencies in each local market across the United States. The website will be increasing its coverage of U.S. SEO agencies and accepting more guest blog posts in the coming months. Contact SEOblog if youre interested in getting involved.
A US-Israeli delegation led by White House advisor Jared Kushner arrived Monday in Abu Dhabi, on the historic first commercial flight from Tel Aviv to mark the normalisation of ties between the Jewish state and the UAE.

In another breakthrough, regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia allowed the flight to cross its airspace, halving what would otherwise have been a long trip around the Arabian peninsula.

"This is the first time this has ever happened. I would like to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for making that possible," Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, said on arrival in Abu Dhabi.

The word "peace" was written in Arabic, English and Hebrew on the cockpit of the El Al flight that landed in the Emirates capital, where US flags flew alongside the Star of David banner.

The landmark direct flight by Israel's national carrier, numbered LY971 in a nod to the UAE's international dialling code, is due to return on Tuesday with the number 972, matching Israel's dialling code.

"While this is a historic flight, we hope that it will start an even more historic journey in the Middle East and beyond," Kushner, a key architect of Trump's Middle East policy, said before boarding.

"The future does not have to be predetermined by the past. This is a very hopeful time."

Kushner urged the Palestinians, who have condemned the UAE deal as a betrayal of their cause, to come to the negotiating table.

"When they are ready, the whole region is very excited to help lift them up and move them forward. But they can't be stuck in the past, they have to come to the table," he said.

The accord was announced by Trump on August 13, making the UAE the first Gulf country and only the third Arab nation to establish relations with Israel.

Unlike Egypt, which made peace with its former battlefield enemy in 1979, and Jordan, which followed in 1994, the UAE has never fought a war with Israel.

Story continues

- Saudi next? -

Gulf Arab nations have had increasingly publicly ties with Israel in recent years, boosted by their shared rivalry with Iran and the advantages of linking their powerful economies.

Saudi Arabia, in keeping with decades of policy by most Arab nations, says it will not normalise ties until Israel has signed a peace deal establishing an independent Palestinian state.

But the overflight was a concrete sign of Saudi cooperation with Israel after years of behind-the-scenes overtures.

The plane however skirted the Gulf states of Qatar and Bahrain, who have declined so far to follow the UAE's move, also met with criticism elsewhere in the Arab world.

"Peace is not an empty word used to normalise crimes and oppression," Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, said Monday.

"Peace is the outcome of justice. Peace is not made by denying Palestine's right to exist."

- 'Sparks fly' -

The talks in Abu Dhabi aim to boost cooperation between the two regional economic powerhouses in areas including aviation, tourism, trade, health, energy and security.

The visit is also expected to include a meeting between Kushner and Israeli and Emirati national security advisors Meir Ben-Shabbat and Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed.

Ben-Shabbat, who was also on the flight to the UAE, said the delegation's goal was to make a plan to push ahead relations in a broad range of areas.

"We came here to transform a vision into a reality. There are no limits to cooperation... in education, innovation, health, aviation, agriculture, energy and many other fields," he said in Abu Dhabi.

Since the agreement between the UAE and Israel was unveiled, there have been phone calls between their ministers, and on Saturday the Emirates in a new milestone repealed a 1972 law boycotting Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking alongside Kushner in Jerusalem on Sunday, praised "the swift pace of normalisation" between his country and the UAE.

"You will see how the sparks fly on this. It's already happening," he said, predicting that "today's breakthroughs will become tomorrow's norms. It will pave the way for other countries to normalise their ties with Israel."

"There are many more unpublicised meetings with Arab and Muslim leaders to normalise relations with the State of Israel," Netanyahu said, without naming any countries.

As part of the normalisation agreement, Israel agreed to suspend its planned annexations in the occupied West Bank, although Netanyahu quickly insisted the plans remained on the table in the long run.

The Israeli leader has also denied reports that the accord hinges on the sale of US F-35 stealth fighter jets to the UAE, saying he opposes a move that could reduce Israel's strategic edge in the region.

Kushner said Monday that the US could maintain that edge "while also advancing our military relationship with the United Arab Emirates" and that the issue would be discussed further in "coming weeks and months".

burs-sls/dm/gw/par
By Online Desk

NEW DELHI: The year was 2004, the month May and the time 3.45 am.

Pranab Mukherjee returned to his Kolkata home after winning his first Lok Sabha election from Murshidabad in West Bengal to find jubilant supporters waiting to greet him, oblivious of the late hour.

Mukherjee had lost the Lok Sabha elections twice earlier and it was third time lucky for him, much to the delight of the Congress leader's supporters.

The veteran leader, who went on to become India's 13th president, recounted the anecdote in Rupa Publications' 'The Coalition Years', which released in 2017 and throws light on his extensive political journey and experiences.

Narrating the events preceding his first Lok Sabha win, Mukherjee said in the book that he was himself unsure of victory.

A five-time Rajya Sabha member, he had unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha elections twicefrom Malda in 1977 and from Bolpur in 1980.

ALSO READ | RIP Pranab Mukherjee: Bengal stalwart was Congress, UPA governments ace troubleshooter

He did not contest any Lok Sabha elections thereafter until 2004, the year Congress came to power.

In 1981, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat and got re-elected to the Upper House from West Bengal in 1993 and 1999.

He wrote that it was Congress colleague Adhir Chowdhury, along with other local leaders, who insisted that he contest from Jangipur, a rural constituency.

"There were a number of reasons why I contested these elections. One was the fact that I wanted to follow the principle espoused by Nehru that any Rajya Sabha member who becomes a minister should get himself elected to the Lok Sabha at the earliest opportunity. It is with this thought that I had contested earlier too," Mukherjee wrote in the book.

"Two, since 1984, I had been the chairman of every national campaign committee. This raised the pertinent question, at least in my mind, should the chairman of the campaign committee himself not face the court of the people? Third, while this question was burdening my mind, the state Congress workers became increasingly vocal in their demand that I contest the elections," he added.

Mukherjee said he was aware he "might not win" and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had assured him of re-nomination to the Rajya Sabha once his term expired.

But he said he was determined to be 'third time lucky' as he went campaigning village to village amid scorching heat.

"Nobody, including myself, had the confidence that I would win in 2004. My opponent was Abul Hasnat Khan, a two-term CPI (M) MP with strong influence over the beedi workers of the area, who were a significant support base."

After the exhaustive campaign, Mukherjee returned to Delhi.

He came back to Mushidabad for the counting of votes but was told by his party chief, "You need not wait till you are sure you've lost; return immediately."

ALSO READ | Pranab Das golden signature paved way for formation of Telangana

The counting took place on May 13 and the results poured in quickly because of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

By 1 pm, everybody, including Mukherjee, knew he was going to win.

The news of his lead and certain victory spread on the media, prompting congratulatory calls from party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Ahmed Patel.

Mukherjee was asked to return to Delhi soon but he told them he would reach there early the next morning as he was yet to receive his election victory certificate, according to the book.

"It so happened that I won by a margin of around 36,000 votes. The larger significance of it was that I had won from all seven Assembly segments. In one Assembly segment, my margin was only 1,900 and in another just 2,100 votes. But in the remaining five segments, it was 6,000-plus votes," he wrote.

ALSO READ | RIP Pranab Mukherjee: Poltudas first brush with political leadership was in Bengal school

"As my Lok Sabha constituency was spread over three subdivisions, it was almost 9 pm by the time official results could be declared. As I had promised to return to Delhi immediately, I left for Kolkata the very same night after receiving the certificate. Somen Mitra was with me as he had come to Jangipur to witness the counting, he had also decided to return with me. We reached Kolkata around 3 a. m. and were at my residence at 3.45 a.m. Even at that unearthly hour, I found people waiting to greet me!" he added.

Mukherjee met with the supporters, rested a little and boarded an early morning flight to Delhi.

"As soon as the plane took off, I went into deep slumber and did not wake up even after landing. The air hostess had to shake me vigorously to wake me up. I smiled at her half-asleep and deplaned. At my Delhi residence, there was a huge crowd as well. Many eminent people had also come to meet me. Eventually, I managed to take some rest and received a number of congratulatory calls," he added.

Bharat Ratna and veteran politician, "Citizen Mukherjee" passed away at a hospital in New Delhi on Monday.

He was 84.

(With PTI Inputs)
Espoir pulling the Iona along in August. The horse-drawn passenger boat company has been forced to shut after 33 years. (Godalming Packetbook Co)

An historic horse-drawn passenger boat company has been forced to shut after 33 years after its owner was labelled cruel by passers-by who expressed concern over the safety of the horses.

The Godalming Packet Boat Company had become famous over the years, offering two-hour trips down the River Wey on its 85-year-old barge called Iona, which is listed on the National Historic Boat List.

Jenny Roberts, who owns the barge, has now closed the Godalming Packetboat Company in Surrey because the towpath, which is used by the horses to pull the boat, was becoming increasingly overgrown and narrow.

Roberts says this annoyed impatient cyclists and runners who couldnt get past the horse and accused her of animal cruelty.

She said clashes with those who refused to step back to allow the horses to pass had made journeys too stressful.

The whole thing was no longer safe. People were getting crosser and crosser, she told Yahoo News UK.

The 70ft long and 7ft wide Iona, which features on the National Historic Boat List.

Walking on the towpath, trying to get past the horse and they're getting impatient and shouting what are you doing to that horse?

People on the towpath would get frustrated because the undergrowth was getting in the way and people couldnt get past the horse when it was pulling the boat along.

Read more: British horse racing suspended over coronavirus

The horses couldn't see the edge of the towpath because the undergrowth is making it unsafe. If you can't carry on a safe operation, you can't continue running and I cannot make it safe, she said.

Roberts also said that during lockdown she was able to gain some perspective and took the decision to shut up shop because the cruelty claims made it difficult to carry on the route.

Jenny Roberts has closed the Godalming Packetboat Company in Surrey because the towpath, where the horses pull the boat along the river, was getting too narrow. (Godalming Packetboat Company)

She said: They are heavy horses, that's what their built for.

I can pull the boat, it's much easier on a horse than being ridden.

The passers-by didn't understand the concept of heavy horses and that's what they're bred for. You couldnt get an animal that big to work if they didn't want to.

Story continues

The RSPCA have come out and said it's absolutely fine, she claimed.

Read more: Horse bolts through crowd as police and demonstrators clash at anti-racism rally

Roberts says that while one horse, Buddy, is retiring, she intends to do more things with the other two  Alizee and Espoir  who are still quite young.

There are now only three locations in Britain running horse-drawn barge trips  Llangollen in Denbighshire; Newbury in Berkshire, and Tiverton.

Tony Tyler, head of UK welfare at World Horse Welfare told Yahoo News: Pulling a size-appropriate boat through water is well within a working horses capabilities and, provided the animals are well looked after, fit for the job and given plenty of time to rest and socialise with other horses, then this traditional method of transport has no concerns for us.

Espoir, one of the younger horses. (Godalming Packetboat Co)

It does seem as if the increased human traffic on and in the canals was a significant factor in Ms Roberts decision to quit, but comments made by people that do not understand that horses are able, and willing, to do a job such as this would understandably have contributed in her decision to stop."

Steve Butler, who runs the Kennet House Boat Co, also a horse-drawn barge company, said that its a terrible shame that Robertss company is gone and that she will be missed.

Read more: Humans are about to wipe out an animal which has been unchanged for 170 million years

Iona, which featured in The Ronnie Barker film The Bargee (1960) and TV soap Coronation Street, will now be taken on by the Tiverton Canal Company.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK News
Diversified global property group Lendlease is embarking on a $1 billion-plus sale program of non-core assets and pivots its focus on ramping up the development platform and increased capital allocation to the funds management business.

In a once-in-a-decade strategy shift, the group unveiled a road map to its future growth which entails the recycling of capital from the sale of its US Telco assets, a sell down in the retirement living operations and the flagged exit from the service business.

Renders of One Melbourne Quarter, Two Melbourne Quarter and the Melbourne Quarter precinct being developed by Lendlease

That cash will be ploughed into other initiatives, including the $113 billion development pipeline and significant expansion to the burgeoning Australian build-to-rent sector.

"Lendlease confirms it has reached agreement with a major US infrastructure investor to acquire a controlling interest in our US telecom business. The transaction is continuing and we expect to disclose additional details in the future," a spokesman said.
California keeps going out of its way to drive residents to Texas or somewhere else.

We learned that California has set up a panel to study reparations. This is the story:

The panel would study the effects slavery had on California and recommend to the legislature no later than 2023 what type of compensation would be appropriate, how it might be dispersed and who could be eligible to receive it. The task force could also recommend other forms of redress besides money.

According to a state lawmaker, slavery is responsible for higher rates of incarceration, homelessness, and unemployment for African-Americans. No one asked the lawmaker about March 2020, when the African-American unemployment rate was the lowest ever. I guess that happened on another planet.

The lawmakers took this vote on the 57th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. My guess is that Dr. King would have a few things to say about incarceration and so many young African-American men growing up without fathers.

"Reparations" faces a big test, and it will be Hispanics. It's possible that many Hispanic legislators supported the creation of the panel, but it won't be so easy when they explain it to their constituents.

In other words, I have not met a single Hispanic who supports the idea. Maybe I'm hanging around with too many Cubans and Venezuelans, but I don't remember any Mexicans crazy about the idea. I do recall a fellow from Guatemala saying this: "Why do I have to pay taxes for something that happened centuries ago?"

We will wait for the panel's report. In the meantime, more people will leave California behind.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.

Image: {{PD-USGov}}.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 1 : With three national agencies all set to again question M. Sivasankar, former secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, it is going to be uneasy days ahead for the latter.

The Customs, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are now probing the case and have arrested around two dozen people, who were directly or indirectly involved in this case.

Since July 5, when Customs busted the gold smuggling case, Sivasankar has been questioned by these three agencies for long hours. The last time was on August 15, when he was questioned for five hours by the ED.

After that, these probe agencies have been on a massive probe collecting evidence and corroborating it with the arrested. According to sources, these agencies have found that there are some missing links and very soon Sivasankar and a chartered accountant, who has been close to him and prime accused Swapna Suresh, would be asked to appear before one or more of these probe agencies.

The gold smuggling case was unearthed when P. S.Sarith, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, was arrested by the customs department on July 5 when he was facilitating smuggling of 30 kg of gold in the diplomatic baggage to Thiruvananthapuram from Dubai.

It turned murkier when the name of Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the Consulate, and employed with the state's IT Department, surfaced and more so, when her links with Sivasankar, who held the dual posts of Principal Secretary to Vijayan and state IT Secretary, came out.

The IAS officer was subsequently removed from both the posts and then suspended by Vijayan.

What has added to the already beleaguered Vijayan is a fire in the secret section of the General Administration Department in the State Secretariat that took place last week.

With the BJP and Congress alleging that it was a 'created' fire, a team of NIA officials will soon visit the fire spot. Also, their demand for the CCTV visuals at the seat of power is also yet not to be handed over.

Though Vijayan has been saying that the buck stops with Sivasankar and action has been taken against him. The CPI-M, which often takes a position of high moral ground on issues like corruption and cheating seems to be on a sticky wicket now. With the Congress and the BJP breathing down on Vijayan's neck, it remains to be seen what strategy would the CPI-M take, if something untoward occurs during the course of the fresh round of Sivasankar's questioning.
The top two carmakers in India, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, led the recovery in the auto market in August with 20.2 per cent and 19.9 per cent increase in their respective domestic wholesales of passenger vehicles during the month.

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) also saw its domestic passenger vehicle sales grow by 1 per cent last month, while Toyota Kirloskar Motor witnessed a decline in its passenger vehicle sales, although there was improvement over the preceding months since the gradual reopening of the economy.

The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said its domestic sales increased by 20.2 per cent to 1,16,704 units last month, as against 97,061 units in August 2019.

The company's total sales grew by 17.1 per cent, an increase at 1,24,624 units in August as compared to 1,06,413 units in August last year.

MSI's sales of mini cars comprising Alto and S-Presso stood at 19,709 units as compared to 10,123 units in the same month last year, up 94.7 per cent.

Sales of compact segment, including models such as Swift, Celerio, Ignis, Baleno and Dzire, rose 14.2 per cent to 61,956 units as against 54,274 cars in August last year.

Similarly, sales of utility vehicles, including Vitara Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga, grew by 13.5 per cent to 21,030 units as compared to 18,522 units in the year-ago month, the company said.

Second-biggest carmaker Hyundai Motor India posted a 19.9 per cent increase in domestic wholesales at 45,809 units as against 38,205 units in August 2019.

Its total sales were, however, down 6.06 per cent at 52,609 units last month as against 56,005 units in August 2019.

"The company continues humbly to contribute to the recovery of Indian automobile industry by registering domestic sales volume of 45,809 units in August with positive growth of 19.9 per cent on a comparative low base of last year," HMIL Director (Sales, Marketing and Service) Tarun Garg said.

Good response to new Creta, Verna, Tucson, NIOS and Aura has resulted in this performance and the company would like to carry on with cautious optimism as uncertainty still surrounds the pandemic, he added.

M&M's passenger vehicles sales, including utility vehicles (UVs), cars and vans, in the domestic market stood at 13,651 units in August this year, against 13,507 units in the same month last year, up 1 per cent.

"At Mahindra, we continue to see good recovery in demand both for SUVs and pick-ups in the small commercial vehicles segment," M&M Automotive Division Chief Executive Officer Veejay Nakra said.

The company has been able to meet the uplift in demand by managing the supply chain challenges and going forward will continue to focus on it, he added.

On the other hand, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) said its sales declined by 48 per cent to 5,555 units in August. It had sold a total of10,701 units in August 2019.

The company, however, said its sales in August this year exceeded volumes in July 2020, when it had sold 5,386 units.

"We began August with a lot of apprehensions due to the skewed rise in COVID positive cases in the Karnataka state and throughout the country. It had a resultant impact on both the demand and supply scenarios," TKM Senior Vice President - Sales and Service Naveen Soni said in a statement.

Fortunately, August witnessed an increase in demand for most models, including customer enquiries and orders, he added.

New entrant MG Motor India reported a 41.2 per cent increase in retail sales at 2,851 units in August as compared to 2,018 units in the same month last year.

MG Motor India, Director - Sales, Rakesh Sidana said, "We have ramped up the overall production in August compared to July. We are working on fulfilling existing backorders for the Hector and prioritising vehicle deliveries for the ongoing festive season."



The country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp reported an 8.52 per cent increase in domestic sales at 5,68,674 units as against 5,24,003 units in August 2019.

Its total sales were up 7.55 per cent last month at 5,84,456 units as compared to 5,43,406 earlier.

Royal Enfield reported a 2 per cent decline in domestic sales at 47,571 units in August as compared to 48,752 units earlier.

Its total sales were down 5 per cent at 50,144 units as against 52,904 units in the same month last year.

Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) said its domestic sales last month stood at 53,142 units as compared to 62,785 units sold in August 2019, a decline of 15.35 per cent.

The company's total sales were down 19.15 per cent at 57,909 units as compared to 71,629 units in August last year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the ongoing preparation for the election in November, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will participate in a follow-up meeting with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Election Committee on Thursday, Sept. 17. This meeting follows an Aug. 26 conference call with NASS President and New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, NASS Elections Committee Co-Chairs Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State, and Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State, and Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

During the Aug. 26 call, DeJoy reiterated to the Secretaries of State that delivering ballots entrusted to the Postal Service is the organization's number one priority between now and Election Day, and that the Postal Service is ready, willing, and able to handle the nation's election mail. He underscored the Postal Service's commitment to partnering with state election officials as they work to ensure that those who choose to use the mail to vote will have their ballots counted in anticipation of the expected spike in Election Mail amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I look forward to continuing the close cooperation with our nation's Secretaries of State. We stand ready to assist states and look forward to partnering with them on educating voters who plan to vote by mail," said Postmaster General DeJoy, who is participating in the Sept. 17 committee meeting at the invitation of Secretary of State Benson. "I will reiterate to the American public that if you choose to use the mail to vote, be sure to request ballots early and mail them back early."

Please Note: For U.S. Postal Service media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom . Follow us on Twitter , Instagram , Pinterest , and LinkedIn . Subscribe to the USPS YouTube channel , like us on Facebook and enjoy our Postal Posts blog . For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com .

Contact: David Partenheimer

[email protected]

usps.com/news

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service

Related Links

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Charges consumers pay for digital payments continue to be a contentious issue and the latest Central Board of Direct Taxes notification on Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has only intensified the debate.

On August 30, CBDT issued a notification that not only barred banks from charging customers for UPI payments but also ordered a refund of charges collected since January 1, 2020.

While one segment of bankers say digital payments cannot be provided for free as banks have to bear a charge for these settlements, the other says the payments should be counted among many other free services that banks provide.

Banks are only charging beyond 20 transactions. The logic is beyond that the customer might be engaging in frivolous payments, said a senior banker with a private sector bank.

If the government wants digital to replace cash, then consumers cannot be asked to pay for every transaction they do, is the counter.

Also read: All about bank charges on UPI transactions

Why the debate?

The CBDT order came after several customer complaints and a recent research paper by Professor Ashish Das, who is with IIT-Bombays mathematics department, showed how banks were charging customers for fund transfers through UPI.

The CBDT order has split the bankers, with a section saying free services are possible to an extent beyond that they get expensive for banks and stress the system.

Another top banker Moneycontrol spoke to said it would affect merchant onboarding by banks, Who will bear the cost of adding merchants into the payments ecosystem, if everything is offered free? he asked.

The no-charge, or zero MDR (merchant discount rate) regime as it is officially known, kicked in from January 1 despite the payments industry pushing back against the governments decision.

MDR is the fee a merchant has to pay for accepting digital payments.

Also read: Payments industry reiterates demand for a stable MDR regime

At a recent global fintech event, top executive of NPCI Dilip Asbe, Visa India head TR Ramachandran and PhonePe chief executive Sameer Nigam highlighted how the zero MDR regime was affecting revenue.

Asbe pointed out that the Rs 500-crore Payments Infrastructure Development Fund was not sufficient if India wanted to grow payments volumes by five to ten times. The need is to have a stable MDR regime, he said.

The fund, announced by the Reserve Bank of India, is aimed at pushing digital payments by deploying points of sale (PoS) infrastructure, both physical and digital modes, in small cities and towns.

However, industry insiders say if the government is serious about its digital-payment push then it will have to make these payments free. There is no visible cost of paying each other in cash, if digital wants to replicate that experience how can there be charges imposed, they ask.

In case of cash, banks would incur cost only when the cash is withdrawn but for digital payments, the case is different. Banks have a cost to bear for every small transaction, Das told Moneycontrol.

For every transaction, be it person to person (P2P) or person to merchant (P2M), there is a cost for banksfrom paying settlement fees to National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which developed UPI, to processing successful notifications to interested parties to running the entire backend of the settlement system.

In case of cash, the major cost was borne by the regulator for printing currency notes and for changing soiled notes.

In his research paper, Das says about 160 crore UPI transactions are processed every month. Even if the number jumps to 300 crore a month, then annually banks will incur Rs 3,600 crore as cost.

He has taken a fair assumption that every UPI settlement costs banks Re 1. Das argues this is a very small sum paid by banks for increasing digitisation in the economy, which will have many cascading benefits.

Most of the merchant onboarding is being done by third-party applications and they were anyway offering these payments free of cost, said a top executive at a fintech startup.

Many startups in the payments space have spoken out about the need for digital payments to be made free.

For instance, Bengaluru-based PhonePe, a major player in the UPI space, has no plans to slow down its merchant onboarding business. It said on August 31 that it aims to onboard 25 million merchants across small towns over the next few years.

The business model on charging digital payments is obsolete. Now, payments are a means, this enables businesses to grow and payment players need to generate revenue through cross-sell, the fintech executive quoted above said.

Unlike card payments where there is a need for a PoS terminal, for UPI there is no such setting up cost. UPI payments can be processed through QR codes. Hence, banks should not be charging customers anything for such payments.

The government, as of now, has weighed in and clarified that banks cannot charge but the debate rages on.

The market perception is that there should be some charges on payments and MDR should be brought back. If not, then market-regulated but a stable and reasonable MDR regime is a must, say payment industry executives.
Patrick Burns, left, and Alex Khadiwala, who met each other virtually on the Lunchclub service, had dinner at Khadiwala's house in Los Angeles on Aug. 20, 2020. Alex Khadiwala

Patrick Burns wanted more human interaction after the pandemic sent him home from the start-up he was working for in Los Angeles. Then a friend invited him to Lunchclub, a start-up whose software introduces people to one another so they can interact virtually. "It fulfilled a lot of my deeper need to connect with new people in this very structured and professionally managed way," said Burns, who previously worked in product management at Amazon and Google and recently co-founded a start-up of his own called Grand View. "It kind of plays into the need to connect in a social dinner-party-type way," he said, taking him beyond the interaction he has with his wife at home. He even met one person who had similarly obscure musical tastes, which developed into real-life social interactions. Lunchclub is one of those companies, along with electronic signature software maker DocuSign and video calling service Zoom, that become more helpful after the coronavirus emerged. It's not as well known, nor does it have as much money to work with, but users are recognizing its value. While DocuSign and Zoom were available years before Covid-19, Lunchclub had to change direction in a way those companies didn't. When it was established in 2017, Lunchclub encouraged people to meet in person, in San Francisco, New York and other cities. Then, like so much else, it went virtual in March. Instead of recommending places where two people could have lunch or coffee when making introductions over email, it sent links for talking on Google Meet. The switch worked out. There are now tens of thousands of meetings happening each week, 10 times more than before the pandemic, Lunchclub's co-founder and CEO, Vlad Novakovski, said in an interview in July. The 15-person start-up recently raised $24.2 million at a valuation above $100 million in a round led by Coatue and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

How it works

You can sign up for the Lunchclub on the start-up's website. After you enter your name, email address and location, the system will ask you to pick a few objectives, such as meeting interesting people, investing or starting a company. The service tells you to pick some interests and asks some follow-up questions that can lead to better recommendations. You can add an image and links to your LinkedIn or Twitter profiles if you'd like. Then Lunchclub asks you to write a brief biography that it can use when it will introduce you to people it matches you with over email. You can also provide some information on a good way to start a conversation with you, which Lunchclub can also pass on to the people you meet. Lunchclub sends you an email to confirm your identity. From there, you decide how many meetings you'd like to have each week and select some convenient times. Then you wait for an invitation.

The hard part wasn't building a system to shoot out good-quality introductory emails to users. The hard part is predicting good matches using artificial-intelligence models. That's what the start-up is constantly working on. The service asks users for feedback after each meeting, and Novakovski said that as the service grows, the quality of matches improves. "If you could pick from anywhere in the world, the best possible match is a lot better," said Novakovski, who participated in math competitions and led the machine learning team at question-and-answer start-up Quora before he and Scott Wu began trying to build a sort of AI super-connector. Many users tell stories of surprisingly relevant matches. Nicole Quinn, a partner at Lightspeed, signed up for Lunchclub last year and became more interested once it went online. No longer did she have to worry about going to a meeting place only to receive a message saying the other person had accidentally scheduled the event on the wrong day. One meeting made a particularly strong impression, when Quinn found herself paired with another woman in San Francisco with an English accent. They figured out they had both grown up in the same small village and attended the same all-girls school. They were one year apart and had never met. The other woman had also worked at Snap, which Lightspeed had backed. "Oh, my God, we have a million things in common," Quinn said. Sometimes, coincidences like that just happen, Novakovski told her.

Lunchclub had nine employees before the start-up went remote because of the pandemic. Now it has 15 employees, said CEO Vlad Novakovski, bottom row, second from right. Lunchclub

Burns had a similar experience. Lunchclub matched him up with Alex Khadiwala, who is near his age and also works in the technology industry in Southern California. After talking about ways to have healthy communication with colleagues while physically spread out, they realized they had similar taste in music. Burns sent Khadiwala a track he had produced, and Khadiwala, who has experience as a DJ, said it reminded him of the work of the solo electronic music artist Four Tet. It turns out that Four Tet had been a major influence for the song. "The number of people in the world that have the same taste is probably in the tens of thousands, at most," Burns said. Following their initial conversation, Khadiwala attended a socially distant pool party at Burns' home, and Burns and his wife went over to Khadiwala's house for dinner one night. Anastasia Golovashkina, a social media director in Boston, also met a Lunchclub match in person during the pandemic. She and a Lunchclub user living in San Diego both had experience working in politics, and the woman met met up with Golovashkina during a visit to Boston. "We're going to be good friends for a while," Golovashkina said. Earlier this month Bjarne Christiansen, formerly co-founder of mobile database start-up Realm, which MongoDB acquired last year, used Lunchclub to get to know an investor. After a discussion about their locations, they soon realized that the investor had once lived in Christiansen's apartment building. It's unlikely Lunchclub could have known about the locations -- it does draw on information from social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, but it doesn't ask people where they've lived before. "It's funny. It's a small world," said Christiansen, who joined Lunchclub last year after a friend invited him.

Long runway
On Monday, United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that President Donald Trump wants to give coronavirus relief funds for jobs and young children. However, Democrats have been less than willing to move forward with the proposal.

Coronavirus relief funds for kids

Mnuchin told reporters that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were not willing to negotiate the proposal in good faith. He added that despite both sides agreeing on several details of relief packages, Democrats hard-capped the funds they would allow to push through.

According to Fox Business, Mnuchin said that President Trump wanted to help more American children and job opportunities by providing additional funding. The official added that they would be working to bring the proposal a reality because it would greatly help United States citizens.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows previously said on Friday that Trump was willing to sign a $1.3 trillion bill which was made as a compromise from the previous $1 trillion legislation proposed by the president's administration.

The decision came while some Republicans continued to argue for fewer funds. On the other hand, Democrats continue to support their proposal of providing a relief bill worth about $2.2 trillion.

Mnuchin and Meadows stated that Pelosi did not provide details on what would be included in the proposal. Mnuchin added that if the $1 trillion bill is found to be insufficient, the US government could come back and reassess the nation's needs and file another proposal.

Also Read: $1,200 Stimulus Checks Still Possible in 2020, IRS Plans to Send Out 50,000 Direct Payments Next Month

Earlier this month talks for a new coronavirus relief package collapsed due to disagreement between Republicans and Democrats for the amount of state and local funding as well as unemployment benefits.

Meadows revealed that Democrats have been unwilling to compromise on the proposed $915 billion worth of funding to be given to state and local governments. Despite Republicans and Democrats agreeing that a coronavirus relief package is a priority, the two sides have failed to agree on the specific details of the bill.

Additional support for families

In March, Mnuchin said that Trump planned to distribute $500 billion worth of payments to Americans, which would be given in two parts. The first part would be given to individuals and is worth $1,000 while the remaining would be split into $500 to be distributed to children, totaling to $3,000 for a family with four members, as reported by CNBC.

The official noted that if or when Congress passes the proposal, the government would be able to distribute the payments within three weeks. Mnuchin added if Trump declares that country is still in a state of national emergency after six weeks, the government will distribute an additional $3,000.

Mnuchin said that the government also planned to distribute $300 billion worth of funding to small businesses. He said that officials would be giving forgiving loans for employers who manage to keep paying their workers. The secretary added that another $200 billion would be given to the Federal Reserve and help airlines along with other critical industries severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Related Article: President Trump Scheduled to Visit Kenosha, Where Jacob Blake Was Shot, Amid Unrest

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Pham Phu Quoc has resigned as a National Assembly (NA) delegate from HCMC after he was found to have obtained Cypriot nationality.

In an August 25 letter submitted to the Ho Chi Minh City administration, Quoc, 52, said he also wants to resign as general director of the state-owned Tan Thuan Industrial Promotion Company (IPC) in District 7. The submission of his resignation letter was disclosed by the city's Department of Information and Communications at a press briefing Tuesday.

The citys NA delegates will hold a meeting within a week and submit a report to the parliament for considering the dismissal of Quoc as a lawmaker, said Ha Phuoc Thang, chief of office and spokesman of the city Peoples Committee.

Regarding Quoc's Communist Party status, the citys Party Committee will work directly with him this month, Thang said.

The municipal Home Affairs Department and the Peoples Committee will discuss this week the modalities for discharging the lawmaker as general director of the IPC, a position he was appointed to last December.

However, before accepting his resignations, they will verify his responsibilities at the IPC and also at the HCMC State-Owned Finance and Investment Company (HFIC), where he had previously worked as general director.

Thang said that when HCMC recommended Quoc as a NA delegate back in 2016, he had met all eligible criteria for the position.

But in February 2018, Quoc obtained another nationality in Cyprus without reporting it to the city in an act that "is deplorable, dishonest and disobeys the Party's regulations," he said.

Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue, head of the propaganda department of the city Partys Committee and deputy head of the city's NA delegation, said this is a disappointment for the delegation.

When reporters asked if the city has been tardy in handling Quocs issue, Khue said its not that the city administration was trying to get away from the problem, it was just being cautious because the information related to Quocs dual nationality appeared on a news site at first.

Authorities at different levels have to verify the information so that they can take the next step to handle the situation, Khue said.

Asked if appointing Quoc general director of IPC was correct and appropriate, given that disciplinary action was being considered against him by the Party for mistakes at HFIC, Khue said the Home Affairs Department was looking into details of that process to see if it has been done correctly or not.

Quoc, a native of the central province of Quang Tri, admitted last Tuesday to the press that he had acquired Cypriot citizenship in 2018, but it was due to "his family's petition, not him 'buying' the nationality as reported by Al Jazeera." He confirmed the information again in his resignation letter.

Al Jazeera had reported Monday last week that Cyprus's passport scheme allows people who have invested at least $2.5 million in the country to possess its passport, making individuals eligible to become EU citizens and travel and work freely in EU nations, as well as enter 174 countries without a visa.

Quoc's name was mentioned among the list of foreigners who possessed a Cypriot passport.

Khue also told the press: "We should respect Quocs confession that the Cypriot nationality was acquired because of his familys petition, instead of inferring and taking an unnecessary long step to find out where that money had come from."

He went on to say that the dual nationality should not be a reason to negate all efforts and contributions that Quoc has made so far as a national legislator and in previous positions he has held.

According to Vietnam Law on Nationality, Vietnam government recognizes that Vietnamese citizens have only one nationality, the Vietnamese nationality.
The Bisleri camels are back in a brand new avatar! Loved and awarded in equal measure, the Samajhdaar Jaante Hain campaign was an instant hit with one and all and culminated in Bisleri being voted as the most trusted brand in India across all categories. Since its launch in 2018, the campaign has garnered a lot of attention because of the unique and adorable brand ambassadors - camels - who insist on drinking only Bisleri!

In keeping with the need of the hour and the consumer, the latest campaign featuring Baadal, the camel, promotes the message of safe home delivery of Bisleri. Each video addresses a relevant problem or concern that people are facing during the pandemic with regard to safe drinking water. Designed exclusively for the digital medium, the videos talk of issues ranging from long queues outside shops to the concerns of impurities in drinking water in the monsoons.

Conceptualised by 82.5 Communications (Mumbai), an Ogilvy Group company, the campaign delivers the simple message of home delivery in a humorous, clever and creative way. Three more films conveying this message will be released in the coming week.

Anuraag Khandelwal, ECD and Creative Head (Mumbai), 82.5 Communications - India: The challenge of creating this campaign was that we could not shoot. And we did not want to sound opportunistic. The idea was to tell stories that inform and entertain in truly Bisleri style. And so, we came up with - Don't worry, ab ghar aayegi Bisleri. This was yet another satisfying and fun campaign to create."

Samrat Bedi, President (Mumbai), 82.5 Communications - India: "Consumers are increasingly evaluative of their consumption habits now more than ever. Besides, the promise of safety and purity have become front-of-pack conversations and non-negotiable too.

With the launch of Bisleri@Doorstep consumers can now just reach out for safe and pure drinking water from one of India's most trusted brands right from the comfort of their homes...for good!"

Anjana Ghosh, Director of Marketing and Business Development, Bisleri International: During these past few months, consumers have faced real constraints in accessing basic essentials on account of lockdown - the supply chain was disrupted, essential shops remained shut, people were required to wait in long queues with the risk of overcrowding, they were unable to manage work from home schedules as they had to step out to get their basic needs in place. Water being an essential need, Bisleri understood the challenges consumers were facing at a very early stage of the lockdown period and was able to offer solutions quickly by facilitating direct and safe home deliveries.

Our ecommerce platform is an extension of that reassurance that our consumers will continue to receive safe and uninterrupted supply of their most trusted brand at their doorstep. The digital campaign is created to reiterate the existing message around our contactless production and delivery practices as well as our commitment in facilitating safety and purity at the doorstep.

Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, 82.5 Communications, India:"When you have spokespersons that are this unique, they remain an effective mouthpiece whether in flesh and blood or as animated characters. May we present to you the Bisleri campaign sequel -- with Baadal the animated camel!"
Homeland Securitys Chad Wolf Responds to Portland Mayors Letter With Stern Warning

Homeland Security Departments Acting Secretary, Chad Wolf delivered a serious warning to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler in a letter Monday (pdf), writing that the federal government will have no choice but to protect our American citizens if rioting and destruction continue.

Due to a lack of action throughout the summer, Portland and its law-abiding residents continue to suffer from large-scale looting, arson, and vandalismeven killing. Businesses remain shuttered and Portlanders are held hostage by the daily violence that has gripped the city with no end in sight, Wolf wrote to Wheeler.

Wolfs letter, comes after Wheeler sent an open letter to President Donald Trump on Aug. 28, declining federal assistance to the city and blaming Trump for making things worse by sending federal law enforcement the first time.

When you sent the Feds to Portland last month, you made the situation far worse. Your offer to repeat that disaster is a cynical attempt to stoke fear and distract us from the real work of our city, Wheeler wrote.

Wheeler added, There is no place for looting, arson, or vandalism in our city.

In response to Wheelers statement, Wolf replied, Unfortunately, you have failed to back up that sentiment with any action. In fact, your inaction has fostered an environment that has fueled senseless violence and destruction night after night.

Wolf criticized Wheeler for allowing the violence to continue for over 3 months.

In his letter to Trump, Wheeler praised the protests as being mostly peaceful and standing up for the noble cause of racial justice.

At a press briefing on July 17, Wheeler revealed his plan to end the rioting, which included appeasing protestors and de-escalation, or having officers not engage with demonstrators.

We get rid of the feds. Number two, we contain and deescalate the situation. Number three, we clean up downtown. Number four, we open up for business. Thats the plan, he told reporters.

Wheeler said his plan was working until federal officers surged to the city last month to protect a U.S. courthouse that Trump administration officials said was nearly overwhelmed.

Mayor Wheelers office wrote in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, Mr. Wolfs letter is grandstanding. Yet again, the President and his appointees refuse to take accountability for their role in the divisiveness and violence occurring around our country. On Sunday, I asked the president to either stand with us against violence and for progress or to stay out of the way.

Also in his letter, Wheeler assured the President that, Those who commit criminal acts will be apprehended and prosecuted under the law.

Wolf urged Wheeler to honor that statement and added, To that end, I encourage you to work with and disabuse the District Attorney of Multnomah County of his refusal to prosecute individuals who have committed such crimes as interference with a law enforcement officer, rioting, criminal trespass, second-degree disorderly conduct, escape, or a city ordinance violation.

At an Aug. 6 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing on Oversight of DHS Personnel Deployments to Recent Protest, Wolf gave testimony (pdf) about the violence directed at law enforcement officers who have been deployed to handle the rioting and vandalism of federal property in Portland.

Instead, our law enforcement officers were assaulted with, among other weapons, mortar-style commercial-grade fireworks, accelerants, IEDs, sledgehammers, concrete, and slingshots. Officers have suffered chemical burns, bloody wounds, and attacks with blinding lasers, leaving some of our colleagues with eye injuries, Wolf said.

The Portland mayor has come under increasing pressure to bring in federal resources after more than 90 straight nights of demonstrations, arson incidents, looting, and unrest in the wake of George Floyds death in Minneapolis and is even facing calls to resign.
The Government of Ghana (GoG) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GIZ Ghana to enhance cooperation and development of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Component of the Program for Sustainable Economic Development (PSED) which implements the Ghana Skills Development Initiative (GSDI - IV).

The MoU, which was signed on 31st of August 2020 between the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) on behalf of the Government of Ghana and GIZ Ghana will extend the partnership between the two organizations to 30th September 2022.

According to a press statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr David Kweku Babayara, Communications Officer for PSED/TVET Project, the MoU was initiated by Dr Fred Asamoah, the Executive Director of COTVET and Mr Detlev Jahn Axel, the Head of Program for the PSED at GIZ Ghana on behalf of their respective organizations.

It said the major thrust of the MoU was to promote a mutually beneficial cooperation between the two organizations during the implementation of the fourth phase of the Ghana Skills Development Initiative (GSDI IV), a project which is being co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and

the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented in partnership with COTVET.

At the signing ceremony, Dr Fred Asamoah, the Executive Director of COTVET according to the statement stated that, In as much as we need to set some standards to guide our collaboration and relationship going forward, we can always be flexible to make sure that this MoU is implemented successfully, depending on the situation at every point in time."

GSDI IV started in October 2019 and is expected to be completed by September

2022. It aims to produce high-quality, standardized TVET to improve professional skills that meet the needs of the labour market, which is expected to promote the greater employability of young people in Ghana.

The statement said the project supports COTVETs innovative approach to introducing competency based training (CBT) standards and will focus more on a certain shift of interventions from the micro to the macro level with a stronger support on anchoring processes for the collaborative, competency-based training model within the Ghanaian public institutions, the TVET system and the private sector.

It said direct beneficiaries of GSDI IV Project include job-seeking youth, apprentices, workers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise owners in the formal and informal sectors. GSDI IV will also particularly motivate women to participate in training in TVET occupational fields that are predominantly dominated by men and vice-versa.

BACKGROUND OF GHANA SKILLS DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (GSDI IV)

The Ghana Skills Development Initiative (GSDI) is a project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) and other public and private sector stakeholders.

In Ghana, approximately 85% of the economically active population work in the informal sector. The traditional training of apprentices makes up for about 80 to 90% of the overall technical and vocational education and training (TVET). However, most TVET programmes and training providers do not meet the demands of the private sector.

The GSDI Project seeks to improve the quality of TVET in Ghana by enhancing the skills and qualifications of job-seeking youth, apprentices and workers as well as owners of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

GSDI IV is the fourth phase of the project. It was also commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) under the Programme for Sustainable Economic Development (PSED is being implemented from October 2019 until September 2022 with additional funding support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

The main objective of this phase of the project is to ensure that the Ghanaian TVET system produces standardized and high-quality education to improve the professional skills of the youth which will meet the needs of the labor market and lead to employment promotion.

GSDI IV will directly impact the activities of Ministry of Education, COTVET, COLTEK and other umbrella organizations such as FEPTAG, ASSI or AGI, TEU, Training Providers (TPs), Trade Associations (TAs) and other enterprises and other TVET Certificate awarding bodies.

The major areas of support for GSDI IV include but are not limited to the following.

1. Development of a system for the certification of master instructors and the piloting of a recognition of prior learning (RPL) system

2. Stronger focus on capacity development for COTVET in the areas of TVET coordination, registration and accreditation, curriculum development, quality assurance and M&E;

3. Capacity development for FEPTAG, ASSI, AGI and other umbrella trade organizations Support in conducting campaigns aimed at improving the image of vocational education and empowering women in future-oriented careers

5. Support to COTVETs organizational and institutional development in Accra as well as in planned regional offices

For more information about the GSDI Project kindly visit www.ghanaskills.org.
Passengers wear face masks on a tram in Lisbon, Portugal. (AP)

Travellers will face chaos and hardship if Portugal is put back on the UKs coronavirus quarantine list, an airline boss has warned.

Arrivals in the UK from Portugal may have to self-isolate for 14 days if restrictions are reimposed because of a rise in cases of COVID-19.

There were 21.1 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in Portugal in the seven days to 30 August, up from 19.4 in the seven days to 29 August.

A seven-day rate of 20 is the threshold above which the government considers triggering quarantine conditions.

Searches for flights to Portugal soared after the country was removed from the UKs quarantine list less than a fortnight ago.

Portugal was removed from it on 22 August after coronavirus cases lowered.

The boss of the parent company of British Airways warned against reimposing restrictions on arrivals from Portugal.

Passengers wearing protective face masks wait for a flight at Lisbon's airport in Portugal. (Reuters)

Writing in The Times, Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group, said: Another U-turn by the government, adding Portugal to the quarantine list, will cause further chaos and hardship for travellers.

He said the ever-shifting list of countries requiring quarantine means the UK has officially hung up the Closed sign.

Walsh said: The government is using arbitrary statistics to effectively ban 160 countries and in the process destroying the economy.

British Airways parent company boss Willie Walsh has warned against reimposing quarantine measures on arrivals from Portugal. (PA)

The government needs to introduce a testing regime to restore confidence.

Google search data showed a significant spike in searches for the term flights to Portugal by users in the UK at about 6pm on 20 August, the day the lifting of the quarantine was announced.

Travellers returning from Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic were the latest to be told they must quarantine for 14 days if they were arriving in the UK from Saturday following spikes in coronavirus infection rates.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa  Insurance adjusters who descended on Cedar Rapids after the Aug. 10 derecho storm are using drones to check roofs and asking homeowners with less severe damage to take their own photos.

Some of this is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reduced the number of experienced adjusters willing to travel. But the changes also help speed up claims and get repairs done sooner, company representatives said.

Drones or aerial imaging helps them estimate the claims, said Scott Hauptman, vice president for claims for Grange Insurance, of Columbus, Ohio, which is working with Integrity Insurance, of Appleton, Wis., to handle at least 500 storm-related claims in Cedar Rapids. Its as efficient as possible and helps them (adjusters) safeguard their health.

Cedar Rapids officials told The Gazette on Wednesday that 140 buildings are too damaged to be occupied. Several hundred more have non-structural or cosmetic damage.

Before buildings can be fixed and people can return to their homes, insurance companies must document the damage and determine how the loss will be covered.

Many insurance companies have sent catastrophic teams to Eastern Iowa. Nationwide Insurance, for example, stationed some at the Home Depot on First Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids.

Really the biggest thing weve found in Cedar Rapids, due to lack of internet and power, is they (homeowners) werent sure if they had a claim filed or not, said Courtney Kannas, property field claims manager for a Nationwide team that covers Iowa, Nebraska and parts of Kansas and Missouri. If they didnt have a claim filed, we could do that for them. We also could give them a high-level understanding of their policies.

Integrity adjusters sent a drone Wednesday afternoon over the Wired Production Groups building on N Towne Lane in Cedar Rapids to get a better look at a roof that was peeled off and a crumbled back wall.

This 12,000-square-foot building is a total loss, said Ron Rausch, Wired Production president and owner. They (Integrity) brought a structural engineer in here to document that was the case.

An adjuster also looked at millions of dollars in cameras and other equipment Wired Production uses to stage events for many Eastern Iowa companies, including The Gazette. When the roof was ripped off, rain and water from broken water mains flooded the offices and ruined much of the gear, Rausch said. The firm is setting up operations temporarily in Dubuque until the Cedar Rapids site is rebuilt.

They were very amenable to letting us start the cleanup process and work with people we want to, Rausch said of the insurance company.

State Farm, the first insurer to get Federal Aviation Administration approval to operate drones over people, has been using drones to gather information on Cedar Rapids claims, spokeswoman Tammi Estes said.

Nationwide hasnt been using drones in Cedar Rapids because of the challenges of photographing around fallen trees, Kannas said, but the company is encouraging policy holders with minor damage to photograph the property and submit claims online.

It gives us a better picture right away as to the extent of the damage they have to their home so we can get them emergency reimbursement or set them up with temporarily housing a little quicker, she said.

A Washington, D.C., law firm said in a news release that homeowners and businesses hit by the derecho will face challenges in getting adequate reimbursement.

Weisbrod Matteis & Copley, which represents homeowners in lawsuits against insurers, pointed to an Aug. 4 webinar with insurance executives who said many older adjusters were reluctant to go out in the field because of risk of contracting coronavirus.

Some insurance companies also have struggled to get adjusters into states that require quarantines for visitors.

After battling the insurance industry after Katrina, I fear that Iowans will be left at the mercy of a B team of insurance adjusters, Jim Hood, a former Mississippi Attorney General who now works for the law firm, said in a statement. Storm victims will need to quickly document their damages with drones, pictures and lists of damaged items.

One insurance executive on the webinar said he thought fewer adjusters in the field would increase fraud.

I do have some concerns we are going to have to do more virtual adjusting, said Jed Rhoads, president and chief underwriting officer for Markel Global Reinsurance, based in Virginia. If were adjusting claims through satellite imagery or drones or handheld devices, it could lead to new additional types of fraud.

People could doctor drone or cellphone images or charge a company additional costs to procure the photos.

Integrity Insurance has been allowing virtual adjusting for several years, Hauptman said, and has developed strategies for detecting fraud.

We have means on the back end to authenticate the pictures to make sure the time and location are appropriate, he said. The vast majority of our customers are great people. If there is fraud in an industry, that affects everyones rates.

About the photo: Cleanup continues around the area in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 21, 2020 following the Aug. 10 derecho, which left hundreds of thousands of Iowans without power and displaced many whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the heavy winds. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette via AP)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Available on Apple, Android, Apple TV and Roku with a cable subscription, the service offers family-based educational and cultural programming, reaching more than 44 million homes in the US and Puerto Rico via DISH Network, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast Xfinity, Charter Spectrum, Mediacom, CenturyLink Prism and Altice as well as DIRECTV, AT&T U-verse, AT&T TV and AT&T TV Now.DIRECTV and AT&T TV will now offer its subscribers the HITN GO app so they can access a library of hundreds of hours of VOD content, including educational and informational programmes, documentary spectaculars, and nature shows. The availability of content, channels, and offerings varies in each DIRECTV and AT&T TV market, depending on the video subscription package that has been selected.We are delighted HITN GOs digital content will be included on DIRECTV and AT&T TV, while reaffirming our commitment to offer value-added services that are well suited to current digital consumption patterns and have been made available in a timely manner to keep company with Hispanic families in the US during this new normal that we are living, commented HITN general manager Eric Turpin. AT&Ts integration of HITN GO on its TV services allows us to reach an audience of millions of Spanish speakers with the best content, so they can enjoy their favourite shows wherever and whenever they want.
A federal intelligence alert from the FBI field office in Chicago, Ill., warned that about 30 gangs in the city have made a pact to shoot police officers if they draw their weapons in public, ABC 7 reported on Monday.

Intelligence alerts are frequently distributed to law enforcement officials, especially if the alerts involve threats to an officers safety. This particular alert was based on a contact whose reporting is limited and whose reliability cannot be determined, meaning a street source, witness, or information obtained through surveillance.

The alert states that Chicago gangs have agreed to shoot on-sight any cop that has a weapon drawn on any subject in public.

Members of these gang factions have been actively searching for, and filming, police officers in performance of their official duties, the alert continues. The purpose of which is to catch on film an officer drawing his/her weapon on any subject and the subsequent shoot on-sight of said officer, in order to garner national media attention.

In early August, mobs of people staged what appeared to be a coordinated spate of looting and vandalism at Chicagos Magnificent Mile, a stretch of high-end businesses in the citys downtown. The looting occurred after police shot and arrested a suspect in the Englewood neighborhood. The looting was reportedly prompted by a rumor, which went viral on social media, that the cops had shot and killed a child, when in fact they had injured a 20-year-old man.

Chicago has seen a rise in murders and shootings since the death of George Floyd earlier this year, a surge in violence likely compounded by economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic and a rise in anti-police sentiment, which has reportedly led police in many cities to adopt less aggressive tactics. There were 2,749 shooting victims in the city as of Monday, up 917 from the same period last year.

Chicago police superintendent David Brown, who started his position several weeks before the Floyd protests, said on Monday that a sense of lawlessness has been observed by officers on the street. Brown also noted that the dangers for officers have dramatically increased.

Story continues

I think 51 officers being shot at or shot in one year, I think that quadruples any previous year in Chicagos history, Brown said. So I think its more than a suggestion that people are seeking to do harm to cops.

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSXV:YGT)(FRA:TX0)(OTCQX:TRXXF) ("Gold Terra" or the "Company) is pleased to announce that it has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Gold Terra upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB Venture Market.

Gold Terra begins trading today on OTCQX under the same symbol "TRXXF". U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

"With the resurgence of the gold market and the Company's recent exploration success on its YCG project, we are delighted to be trading on the OTCQX," said David Suda, President and CEO of the Company. "Trading on OTCQX is a reflection of our increased focus on growing our investor base in the U.S. as we continue to build awareness and unlock the potential of our gold project in Yellowknife."

About OTCQX

The OTCQX Market is designed for established, investor-focused U.S. and international companies. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Graduating to the OTCQX Market from the OTCQB Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among U.S. investors.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX:OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities.

About Gold Terra's Yellowknife City Gold Project

The Yellowknife City Gold ("YCG") project encompasses 790 sq. km of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, Gold Terra controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 kilometres of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople.

The YCG lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering nearly 70 kilometres of strike length along the main mineralized shear system that host the former-producing high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The Company's exploration programs have successfully identified significant zones of gold mineralization and multiple targets that remain to be tested which reinforces the Company's objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

Visit our website at www.goldterracorp.com.

For more information, please contact:

David Suda, President and CEO

Phone: 604-928-3101 | Toll-Free: 1-855-737-2684

dsuda@goldterracorp.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.

SOURCE: Gold Terra Resource Corp

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604164/Gold-Terra-Upgraded-to-the-OTCQX-Market
Donald Trump and his partisan sidekick William Barr have found a new secret ingredient to deflect attention from the coronavirus, economic depression and racist policing. No, not bleach or hydroxychloroquine or UV light  instead, it is pentobarbital, the lethal chemical being used to execute federal prisoners on death row after a 17-year hiatus on federal executions. Five men have been executed this summer; two more have been scheduled for September.

Violent crime has declined precipitously in the last 30 years. So has support for and use of the death penalty. This has been driven by effective advocacy in uncovering the frequent incidence of wrongful convictions, the disproportionate racial impact in the execution process and the reality of excruciating pain imposed by incompetently administered lethal injection protocols. Pharmaceutical companies do not want their products used to kill people. Even conservatives have stated to accept that the cost and timing of the execution process is hugely wasteful when weighed against life without parole.

So why has the Trump-Barr team decided now is the time to resume federal executions? The vast majority of capital cases are tried in the state court system, which has more than 2,500 of the 2,600 death row prisoners. As support for the death penalty wanes, only 15 state prisoners have been executed this year. Yet the Department of Justice, with a federal death row of fewer than 60 prisoners, appears committed to putting as many as possible to death between now and the election.

The US Code creates dozens of federal capital offenses that overlap state criminal laws. The existence of federal jurisdiction and prosecution in federal court is often based on random factors unrelated to federal interests  for example, whether the defendant crossed state lines. Certain cases are brought after a state homicide prosecution results in a life sentence and the federal government wants a second bite of the apple. The result is that DOJ has vast discretion over who to charge with a capital offense and against whom it will seek the death penalty.

The selections of federal prisoners have in no way been random, but rather the Trump-Barr administration has developed a cynical queue of the condemned to put through the process so that it will be able to speed into a lethal assembly line as the election approaches.

The first two men to die had white supremacist backgrounds, presumably not of the good people on both sides type. Attorney General Barr wanted to put a neutral frame around the process, stating that these were the worst of the worst, all child killers. As a symbolic device, it allows the death penalty to go forward without causing great moral anxiety about bias or just deserts. Both Barr and the Supreme Court ignored that of the five men executed, one was killed despite the strong objections of the victims family. The second prisoner executed was diagnosed with advanced dementia and it is not clear that he knew what was happening when he was strapped to the gurney. Keith Nelson, executed last Friday, had significant, diagnosed brain damage as a newborn, experienced repeated childhood sexual and physical abuse, and had a multigenerational family history of severe mental illness.

While four of the five men executed were white, a fifth  Lezmond Mitchell, executed last week  was a member of the Navajo Nation and was convicted of two homicides on tribal lands. The federal Major Crimes Act prohibits the government from seeking the death penalty against Native Americans for murders committed on tribal lands without the prior consent of the tribe, which the Navajo Nation officials declined to provide. So the federal government sought the death penalty under what the courts found to be a loophole a provision of the Federal Death Penalty Act that permitted federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty not for murder, but for a lesser crime resulting in death. The loophole worked and Lezmond Mitchell was executed over Navajo Nation objection.

The pentobarbitol protocol used for all five executions is, in the view of scientific experts, very likely to cause plaintiffs extreme pain and needless suffering during their executions. In each of the cases, a lower court judge granted an initial stay to address issues in particular cases as well as the cruelty of the lethal cocktail. The Supreme Court, in 5-4 rulings, with the two Trump appointees providing the deciding votes, vacated all the stays within hours and the executions went forward.

While 80 percent of the federal execution victims were white, that is about to change. A review by the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel found that, in over two-thirds of the more than 500 cases between 1988 and 2019 where the Attorney General authorized federal prosecutors to seek death, the defendant was Black or Latinx. The majority of people now on federal death row today are Black or Latinx. One of the two men scheduled in September is African-American.

The Trump-Barrs priming of the pump over the summer assures that a reliable Supreme Court majority will fast-track executions without much inquiry into underlying legal issues or racial disparities. There is little doubt that the fall line-up will be far more diverse, perhaps the only diversity program remaining in this administration.

In the midst of a pandemic, an economic crisis, and a criminal justice crisis, why was it a priority for President Trump and Attorney General Barr  aided by Trumps two conservative Supreme Court appointees  to make sure that men who have been on death row for two decades or more get executed now?

The answer is simple: this is the Law and Order President. He is running on American carnage. The symbolism of the death penalty is powerful, even if it has no discernible impact on crime rates. Capital punishment expresses the primacy of tribal values defining who is inside and outside the relevant moral community. The community that dominates the streets also can show that it has the power of life and death over those who transgress its values; who are vilified as anarchists, thugs and then criminals.

Make no mistake: this is a moral panic manufactured for political purposes and not based on facts on the ground. The Trump Administration is inviting fatal violence. That does not matter. Federal executions will continue; they will get faster and the victims will be more and more people of color as the election approaches, in an attempt to fan the flames of moral panic and disintegration.

This is not criminal justice. It is reality-show criminal justice, like so much else in the Trump presidency. But in the Trump-Barr reality show, real people die to serve as yet another prop in the Republican election year narrative of distraction, where the illusion of law and order disguises a crisis of lawlessness at the very top.

Eric Lewis is a New York-based human rights attorney and sits on the board of The Independent
Facebooks India team is dominated by people who belong to a particular political belief and have acted against users supportive of the right-of-centre ideology, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a letter to the social media companys founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, adding to allegations that the company was being partisan in tackling content.

The comments made by Prasad in his letter to Zuckerberg puts the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on the same side as opponent Congress in accusing Facebook of political bias, although both say the company acted in a manner that benefits the other.

Shortly after the letter was made public, Congress party and its MP Rahul Gandhi called for an investigation into Facebook.

I have been informed that in the run up to 2019 general elections in India, there was a concerted effort by Facebook India management to not just delete pages or substantially reduced to reach but also offer no records or right of appeal to affected people who are supportive of the right of the Centre ideology. Im also aware that dozens of emails written to Facebook management received no response, Prasad wrote.

Facebook, which also owns WhatsApp and Instagram, is the dominant social media website in India. Allegations of political bias first appeared on August 14 after a report by Wall Street Journal said the companys India policy head intervened to stop a ban on a Telangana BJP MLA for making Islamophobic posts citing commercial interests in India. Late on Sunday evening, the paper published a second report claiming the executive, Ankhi Das, expressed open support for Modi on earlier occasions and had worked on his campaign for the 2014 polls.

The company has denied the allegations of bias but did not offer any fresh comments on Prasads letter.

Interestingly, when Shashi Tharoor, the head of the Parliamentary panel of IT wanted to summon and question Facebook executives on the report, the move was strongly and vehemently opposed by a BJP member on the panel Nishikant Dubey.

With Prasad now airing his grievances against Facebook, the committee should be able to summon its executives so that they can be questioned.

Prasad did not specifically identify which Facebook pages or groups were taken down, but the company removed a page called The India Eye in April, 2019. In a blog post on April 1, the company said it had removed several pages for coordinated inauthentic behaviour -- the term it uses for organised misinformation operations -- including some by Congress IT cell. At the same time, it removed The India Eye, which had a following of 2.6 million people at the time, but did not name the BJP. A screenshot posted by the company then showed the page posting fake news that deprecated the opposition.

Following the WSJ report, the Congress also wrote to Zuckerberg seeking details on steps being taken to investigate allegations that the social media giant does not apply hate speech rules to posts by BJP members. International media have fully exposed Facebooks and WhatsApps brazen assault on Indias democracy and social harmony. No one, let alone a foreign company, can be allowed to interfere in our nations affairs. They must be investigated immediately and when found guilty, punished, Gandhi said in a tweet with screenshots of the latest WSJ article.

The party also issued a statement rebutting Prasads claim and detailing the number of pro-opposition pages that were pulled down and said Facebook reinstated pro-BJP pages are emails from BJPs IT cell head Amit Malviya to Das and other Facebook India executives. Casting aside democratic principles, BJP attempts to rule the nation by manipulating and coercing public opinion. The blasphemous nexus between the BJP and Facebook is for all to witness and must be investigated without delay, the party said in a statement.

Earlier, Congresss Randeep Singh Surjewala called Prasads letter a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

The IT minister made three specific points in his letter. In the second point, he said Facebook India was dominated by people from a particular predisposition. While he did not idenify what this ideology was, he called it one that has been overwhelmingly defeated by the people in successive free and fair elections.

The minister also said that it is problematic when Facebook employees are on record abusing the Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers of India while working in Facebook India and managing important positions. Alleging that employee bias could impact free speech, the letter adds: it is unacceptable when political bosses of individuals impinge on the freedom of speech of millions of people. Again, the letter was short on specifics on this front.

Prasad also appeared to refer to the recent WSJ report, saying the spate of recent anonymous, source-based reports is nothing but an internal power struggle within your company for an ideological hegemony. The WSJ report was based on internal emails and interviews with employees.

The other issues that the minister has flagged include the platform being used by anarchic and radical elements whose sole aim is to destroy social order, to recruit people and to assemble them for violence and outsourcing of fact checking to third-party fact checkers.

The political row over Facebook in India now mirrors a similar confrontation between political rivals in the United States. The Republican party of President Donald Trump accuses Facebook of censoring right-wing voices, while opponent Democrats have called on the company to do more to curb hate speech by right-wing politicians.

The social media website has been at the centre of allegations that it provided foreign adversaries of United States the platform for disinformation that influenced the 2016 elections, and similar electorate manipulation was carried out through targeting of people for United Kingdoms Brexit referendum that year.

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The 143 official COVID-19 cases reported by Nigerian authorities on Monday, one of the lowest in four months, dragged the total number of infections in the nation to over 54,000.

This is according to an update by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday night.

For the past one week, Nigeria has been reporting daily cases below 300. Nigerias total tally of about 1,822 cases last week was also the lowest in the past three months.

The update came as the federal government again warned states against hasty reopening of schools, saying that COVID-19 remains potent and very dangerous.

READ ALSO:

The new cases, according to the NCDC, were found in the following 18 states  Plateau (35), Kaduna (21), Lagos (19), FCT (13), Ebonyi (9), Adamawa (7), Enugu (7), Katsina (7), Edo (6), Kwara (5), Osun (3), Anambra (2), Kano (2), Niger (2), Ogun (2), Benue (1), Borno (1), Sokoto (1).

For the sixth consecutive day, Plateau had the highest number of new cases with 35 infections on Monday. Kaduna and Lagos followed with 21 and 19 cases respectively.

Lagos remains Nigerias COVID-19 hotspot with over 18,000 infections and 202 deaths.

Abuja, Nigerias capital, is the second most impacted with a total of over 5,000 cases and 50 deaths.

The number of deaths from the virus has also been minimal.

No deaths were recorded on Monday, meaning that the total number of deaths from the virus remains 1,013.

The NCDC in its daily update of the infection on its verified Twitter handle @NCDCgov stated that out of the over 54, 008 infections so far, 41,638 persons have recovered and have been discharged.

Nigeria has now tested more than 400,000 of its 200 million people.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 09:14:11|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The South African government on Monday launched an mechanism to help remove barriers for enterprises to export to other countries.

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition revealed the Export Barriers Monitoring Mechanism (EBMM), which aims to help companies facing barriers in their quest to export services and goods to other countries.

"From today, the EBMM is open to any firm that encounters an export barrier of any kind, whether locally or in any foreign market. We strongly encourage you to tell us whenever you encounter a challenge, no matter how big or small," said Lerato Mataboge, deputy director-general for Export Development, Promotion and Outward Investments at the department.

She said that in carrying out an initial pilot project, 28 key export barriers were processed by the EBMM amid the initial phase of the national lockdown.

"While our priority must be to work progressively to smooth these barriers, the experience of trade over the last decade has demonstrated that we need to be prepared to manage this growing complexity. A key component of global competitiveness will be how we manage a constantly changing global trading environment, she said, stressing the need for a close working partnership between the government and the private sector.

Chiboni Evans, chief executive officer of the South African Electrotechnical Export Council, welcomed the initiative, saying that the barriers reduce the region's competitiveness.

She called for the border efficiency to facilitate trade with other African countries. Enditem
Pune :

A bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued an interim stay order on any kind of construction of Pune Metro route passing through the Mula-Mutha river bed.

Today NGTs west zone bench comprising Justice U D Salavi and Dr Ajay Deshpande granted interim stay on any kind of construction of Pune Metro route of corridor between Vanaz and Ramwadi, passing through Mula-Mutha riverbed, said advocate Asim Sarode.

Sarode had filed an Environmental Interest Litigation (EIL) in the NGT on May 26 last year on behalf of a group of prominent personalities from the city.

He said directions have been given to add Maharashtra Metro Corporation in the array of respondents.

Meanwhile, Pune Municipal Corporation, which is the primary respondents, said during the argument the Government Resolution, passed by Maharashtras Urban Development Department, regarding the sanctions and establishment of Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (SPV) and direction to execute the Metro work, was placed before the Tribunal.

The Tribunal mentioned that since the process of registration of the SPV is currently being carried out and thus not yet registered under Companies Act, hence the SPV cannot be made a necessary party in the present application, the civic body said in a release.

PMCs advocate mentioned that process of registration would be completed in 15 days, it added.

It further stated that Tribunal directed PMC not to construct in the prohibited zone of 1.7 k.m. on the left bank of the river i.e. inside the Blue Line of the river bed of Mula-Mutha till January 25.

In the mean time, work of planning, designing and approval can be processed further, said the release.

Tribunal has not laid such restriction on presently ongoing geo-tech and topographical study being conducted on the other parts of the alignment including the river bed, it added.

A group of prominent personalities from the city have filed an EIL in the NGT against the Pune Metro Rail project, strongly objecting to the alignment of some portion of its route through river beds.

Member of Parliament Anu Aga, architect Sarang Yadwadkar and Aarti Kirloskar had filed the litigation through Sarode.

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MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Freedom Mortgage Corporation, one of the nation's largest full-service non-bank mortgage companies and a leader in VA and government-insured lending, announced it has been recognized as a Top Workplace for 2020 by The Philadelphia Inquirer. It marks the company's return to the Top Workplaces list, as Freedom Mortgage was last ranked a Philadelphia Top Workplace in 2017.

The Top Workplaces list is based on employee feedback gathered through an anonymous survey administered by Energage, which measures 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution, and connection.

The Philadelphia Inquirer Top Workplaces award comes on the heels of Freedom's recent recognition as a 2020 Top Workplace in central Indiana by The Indianapolis Star for the fifth year in a row. According to Freedom Mortgage CEO Stanley C. Middleman, both awards are the result of the company's vibrant culture and visionary leadership that nurtures employee success.

"Being recognized as a Top Workplace is an honor," said Middleman. "It means we are doing the right things internally to ensure our employees enjoy coming to work each day as well as enjoy what they do. We've always been focused on creating an environment where our people feel comfortable and can succeed, all while fostering the dream of homeownership."

Middleman added that he believes Freedom's commitment to serving communities through various philanthropic efforts and events helps employees feel more engaged. "We're always encouraging and challenging our team members to find ways to give back to their communities, especially today with the pandemic impacting many people across the country. Striving to be more socially conscious and helping where we can are part of who we are at Freedom."

Freedom is also dedicated to helping communities in which it operates. In May, employees collectively donated over $281,000 to support food banks around the country. Middleman added a personal contribution, bringing the total amount donated to $1 million. In July, the company held its annual USO back-to-school collection of backpacks and school supplies for children of military families, raising over $100,000.

"For more than a decade, the Top Workplaces award has helped organizations stand out among their competitors to attract talent," said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. "This differentiation is more important than ever in today's tight labor market. Establishing a continuous conversation with employees so you have a deep understanding of your unique culture is proven to help achieve higher referral rates, lower employee turnover, and double the employee engagement levels. No longer is recognition simply a much-deserved cause for celebration, but it's fast becoming mission-critical to establish a competitive advantage for recruitment and retention."

The award is particularly timely as Freedom Mortgage is growing and hiring. Job seekers are encouraged to visit Freedom Mortgage's brand-new careers website at www.freedommortgage.com/careers to see the latest job postings, new faces, stories, videos and more.

About Freedom Mortgage

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, Freedom Mortgage is a full-service mortgage company that provides mortgage loans through retail, wholesale, and correspondent channels. One of the nation's largest loan originators and servicers, the company is licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Freedom Mortgage is a leader in VA mortgage lending and one of the mortgage industry's largest philanthropic supporters of the USO and military families. The company is also renowned for its vibrant work environment where its team members can thrive. For more information, please visit FreedomMortgage.com.

CORPORATE CONTACT:

Audrey Shapiro

Freedom Mortgage Corporation

(856) 380-9073

[email protected]

PRESS CONTACT:

Henry Drennan

Strategic Vantage Marketing & Public Relations

(615) 497-8358

[email protected]

SOURCE Freedom Mortgage Corporation
Melburnians are being told to prepare for another blast of damaging wind on Wednesday with forecasters predicting 100km/h gusts will hit the city.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Michael Efron said a severe weather warning had been issued for much of the state, with the second day of spring set to reach 21 degrees in the city and as high as 29 degrees in Mildura.

The State Emergency Service has urged residents to secure loose items such as umbrellas and trampolines tonight and remove outdoor furniture from balconies.

Belgrave's Kaola Street on Friday after the storm. Credit:Luis Ascui

The warning comes less than a week after damaging winds tore through parts of the state on Thursday, leaving three people dead.
Indigenous art centres have been hit hard by COVID-19travel shutdowns, with art sales falling by more than 50 per cent in some locations and communities, a report has found.

Before the pandemic, Indigenous art centre sales had been growing for almost a decade. But since March, sales of artworks across the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Western Australia have slumped by between 46 and 52 per cent, according to the report by Desart, the peak body for Central Australian Aboriginal arts and crafts centres.

An artist painting a carving at Tiwi Design on Bathurst Island in the Northern Territory. Credit: Tourism NT

Arts Minister Paul Fletcher released a consultation paper on Wednesday, calling for input from artists, art centre directors, arts workers, art dealers and collectors to help the Indigenous art sector rebuild and recover.

Development of an Indigenous Visual Art Action Plan to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists pre-dated COVID-19 but its need had been underlined by the pandemic, Mr Fletcher said.
Jammu:

The Jammu and Kashmir Government suspended a senior doctor of the Government Medical College and Hospital for a week. The doctor had allegedly molested a girl, a final year MBBS student.

Sanction is hereby accorded to the placement of Dr Bhupesh Khajuria, Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Medical College, Jammu under suspension with immediate effect, a government order read.

The order said that the doctor will remain attached in the Directorate of Health Service, Jammu, during the period.

Dr Khajuria who was the Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine, was booked on December 27 last following a written complaint by the girl, a final year student of MBBS.

She had alleged that the doctor called her to his room for discussing the result of her examination and after sometime, he tried to molest her.

In her complaint she alleged that somehow she managed to run out of his room and then contacted her parents.

Soon after the complaint the administration of GMC had attached the accused doctor to the Principals office and had constituted a five members committee to look into the matter.

The Congress Legislative Party Leader Nawang Rigzin Jora raised the issue in the assembly on Tuesday and urged the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to look into the issue and take action against the accused doctor.
Bismah Malik By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: IT services giant, Infosys, will hire 12,000 more American workers by 2022 as a part of the firms commitment to create 25,000 employment opportunities in the US in next five years.

The company said that it will target experienced technology professionals as well as recent graduates from major universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges to create the best workforce for the future.

Utilizing the training and reskilling programs it has built with partners, including the recently launched Reskill and Restart initiative, Infosys will prepare workers for 21st-century careers, Infosys said in a statement.

The announcement comes at a time when Infosys topped the list of IT service providers whose H1-B visa applications were rejected by the US government in FY20.

According to the recent US government statistics, the rejection rate of Infosyss H1-B visa applications stood at 59%, the highest among its peers.

In June, 2020 US President, Donald Trump signed an executive order banning the entry of non-immigrant visa holders including H1-B into the US when unemployment had soared to record levels.

Many Indian IT service majors have picked up their local hirings in the US amidst the stricter visa regimes and are now substantially less reliant on the H1-B visa hires.

In 2017, Infosys committed to hiring 10,000 American workers over two years and has exceeded that goal by creating 13,000 jobs in the U.S. to date.

Infosys has been intensely focused on creating jobs in the U.S. for the past three years, and I am proud that this new commitment to hire 12,000 American workers by 2022 expands on that previous initiative. We are excited to grow our presence in the U.S. as the digital transformation journeys of our clients accelerate, Salil Parekh, CEO, Infosys said in a statement.

The Bengaluru headquartered IT firm has over the past three years launched six Technology and Innovation Centers in the U.S. across Indiana, North Carolina, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Texas, and Arizona.

Through these centres, the company is training the locals to support American businesses in an increasingly digital future.

While we continue to leverage our established university partnerships to strengthen our talent pool, our recently launched Reskill and Restart platform will play a crucial role in our growth as we meet this commitment.

"We will bring a specific focus on building pathways for those who have been impacted by the economic downturn and look forward to bringing on board individuals without traditional four-year degrees. Workers who have been left out of the digital economy will now have the opportunity to gain the skills needed for 21st-century careers, Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys said.
Previous studies have established land resource struggles and weather among the factors fuelling clashes between farming and herding communities in Nigeria. While these factors remain relevant to understanding the relationship between these two communities, contemporary triggers show the dynamic nature of the conflict and the unique nature of the crisis in different locations.

By 2016, such conflicts had claimed 2,500 lives, displaced thousands, destroyed properties worth billions of Naira and had several other humanitarian consequences .

A series of conflicts has been experienced in Obi, Doma, Keana and Awe local government areas of Nasarawa State starting from 2017. It has led to the displacement of communities and loss of lives and livelihoods. The conflict flared up after a new grazing regulation law took effect in neighbouring Benue State. Nasarawa, where the main economic activity is growing cash crops, received an influx of thousands of herders and about 2 million cows from Benue.

Against this background, our study examined contemporary conflict triggers between pastoralists and farmers in Nasarawa State.

We interviewed leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and farmers in camps for internally displaced people.

We found that the introduction of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law in Benue State had effects that spilled over into Nasarawa.

Local politics, rumour and the establishment of livestock guards triggered hostilities between nomadic pastoralists and farmers in Nasarawa State. Understanding and reducing conflict between these two communities is important to achieve food security and avoid a humanitarian crisis.

Backlash from the grazing law

The perennial conflicts between cattle herders and crop farmers in Benue State forced the government of that state to enact the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017, commonly called the anti-grazing law .

Its aim was to prevent clashes between farmers and herders, halt destruction of farms and the environment, prevent the spread of diseases caused by animals and create an enduring environment for large scale crop production. But what was designed to restore order in Benue State became the trigger of conflict in Nasarawa State.

Pastoralists criticised and rejected the ranching option. Thousands of them migrated into Nasarawa, which did not have such a law in place.

An additional element of the situation is ethnicity. The Tiv ethnic group is a majority in Benue but a minority in Nasarawa. Migrating Fulani pastoralists from Benue demanded that Tiv crop farmers in Nasarawa move out of their way.

As one cattle breeder in our study said:

If you want to meet any Fulani herder, they have moved to Taraba and far parts of Nasarawa, some to Plateau and other states.

One of the participants, a Tiv farmer, stated:

The Fulani people are chasing us. They are asking us to leave Nasarawa state, claiming that the Tiv people and their Governor are chasing them from Benue also. The Fulani people started attacking those of us in Nasarawa, killing us and taking over our houses, properties and farms.

Triggers of conflict

We found three new main triggers of conflict: politics, the livestock guard and rumours.

The tussle for electoral victory in the 2019 general elections was one trigger. Some participants alleged that the former governor of Nasarawa (now a Senator) was sponsoring the conflict or only reluctantly responding to it because the scenarios were playing out to his own advantage. They believed he was not likely to get the majority of votes from their location. With the crisis and their displacement, they are unlikely to vote and that may tilt victory in favour of the Governor. A farmer participant retorted:

We also believe the tussle for power between the Governor Al-Makura and the present serving Senator is also part of the problem. The governor is contesting for senator position and so we believe he is trying to chase us out using the Fulani because he believes that the Tiv people will not vote for him and also one of his wives is a Fulani woman.

The livestock guard is a special task force created to enforce the new law that prohibits open grazing in Benue. But the herders have accused them of cattle rustling. Cases of cattle rustling became more widespread after the implementation of the anti-grazing law.

Some believe one of the immediate causes of the conflict is rumour. Rumour can either be deliberately crafted for some form of propaganda or it may be simply false. One of the respondents observed:

Sometimes when there is a little misunderstanding between a Fulani man and a farmer and it happens that the Fulani man uses his machete on the farmer, causing a little cut, the rumour that will be carried to the town is that the Fulani have killed so many people and as such serious violent conflict will just erupt between farmers and herders.

Preventing conflict in future

The contemporary triggers of the conflict show the centrality of federal and state governments' taking proactive and responsive steps and decisions to prevent violent conflict which may threaten national peace and security.

Neighbouring states should consider the potential spill-over effects of a policy which could potentially harm the other. They need to be prepared for the consequences before any law is put in place.

It is also important to prepare communities that are likely to be affected by a policy. Farmers and herders should be informed about the law and the reasons it has been adopted.

The new law may also need to be reviewed to accommodate the concerns of the herding communities.

Oludayo Tade does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Oludayo Tade, Researcher in criminology, victimology, electronic frauds and cybercrime, University of Ibadan
Squirrel and early goose hunting season began in Connecticut on Tuesday, with archery deer season set to start again in two weeks, state officials said.

The leaves are beginning to change, the mornings have a crisp feeling in the air. You know what that means... a Facebook post from the states Environmental Conservation police said on Monday. No, not pumpkin spice time, but hunting season is upon us!

Hunting small game starts about half an hour before sunrise and continues until about half an hour before sunset, police said.

Small game hunters are reminded of the requirement to wear 400 inches of florescent orange above the waist that can be visible from all sides. Waterfowl hunters are exempt from this requirement only when hunting from a boat, blind or other stationary spot.

Hunters participating in the early goose season are allowed to have an unplugged shotgun in September. Lead shot is prohibited.

On Sept. 15, archery deer season reopens on Sundays for all zones on private land only.

Officials said archery hunters should remember it is prohibited to be in possession of a gun while archery hunting.

Archery hunters are exempt from wearing orange between Sept. 15 and Nov. 17, as well as from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31. Hunting hours run from half an hour before sunrise to sunset.

As hunting begins again across the state, police urged hikers to wear some type of orange during the hunting season. Any four-legged friends joining the hike should also wear an orange collar or bright bandanna.

Everyone, have fun and hunt safe, Environmental Conservation police said.

Additional details on hunting in Connecticut can be found online.

Anyone who sees hunting-related violations can call the 24/7 dispatch line at 860-424-333.
Emmanuel Macron has warned that Lebanese leaders could face sanctions if they do not push through much-needed reforms to pull the country back from the brink, following the explosion in Beirut and amid a crippling financial crisis.

Landing in Beirut this week for the second time in less than a month, the French president threatened to withhold a vital international financial bailout if there was no fundamental change.

Speaking to Politico magazine, Mr Macron said on Tuesday that now was the last chance for this system, acknowledging that he was a making a risky bet by working to stop political and economic collapse in the former French protectorate.

Mr Macron also said he was seeking credible commitments and a demanding follow-up mechanism from Lebanons leaders, including a legislative election within six to 12 months.

The day before he arrived, Lebanons president, Michel Aoun, appointed little-known diplomat Mustafa Adib as the new prime minister after he was nominated by a majority of the large political parties and leaders.

Mr Adib was the Lebanese ambassador to Germany and a key adviser and confidante of former prime minister Najib Mikati, a billionaire who was indicted in October on corruption charges, sparking concerns that the new leader would be no different to other premiers.

Protests, dubbed the rage against a nation, were called to coincide with Mr Macrons visit, with crowds gathering outside parliament in Beirut on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Adib, a dual Lebanese-French citizen, has promised to reach a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund and speedily build a new cabinet.

The IMF welcomed Mr Adibs nomination, saying it hoped that a new government would be formed shortly with a mandate to implement the policies and reforms that Lebanon needs to address the current crisis and restore sustainable growth.

Lebanese officials have warned that an IMF loan may be the countrys only lifeline.

Mr Macron, who was the first and only world leader to visit the damaged Beirut neighbourhoods, called for a serious audit of the Lebanese banking system, saying that judicial action can be taken only when the truth of the numbers is discovered.

Lebanese politicians, some of whom are former warlords, have overseen decades of industrial-scale state corruption. They now face a daunting task to save the crisis-stricken economy, rebuild Beirut and dampen rising sectarian tensions.

On Tuesday, gunfire broke out again in Khaldeh, a mixed coastal town just south of Beirut where deadly clashes erupted last week between Sunni and Shia residents, leaving two dead, including a 14-year-old boy.

Lebanons state news agency said that an army patrol had been deployed to Khaldeh but gave no further details.

Mr Macron warned last week that Lebanon could risk slipping into civil war if the situation was allowed to continue.

Lebanon is barely limping along after an enormous explosion tore through the capital last month, killing more than 190 people, injuring over 6500 and leaving some 250,000 people homeless. Although an investigation is still under way, experts have said the blast was likely caused by several thousand tonnes of poorly stored explosive materials catching fire in Beiruts port.

The entire Lebanese cabinet resigned in the wake of the explosion after it emerged that port officials, the security forces, the president and the prime minister knew of the dangerous explosives stockpile  but apparently did nothing to prevent disaster.

The country has also faced an unprecedented financial collapse, which was similarly anchored in corruption and mismanagement and has pushed more than half the country into poverty, according to the United Nations.

Lebanon, which has reimposed lockdown, is also struggling to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, an effort made only more difficult as the blast damaged at least nine hospitals, including major Covid-19 treatment and testing facilities.
The University of California, which has already stopped requiring applicants to take the SAT or ACT, must go further and prohibit campuses from allowing prospective students to submit their scores, a judge ruled Tuesday in a victory for students with disabilities.

The UC regents voted in May to drop the Scholastic Aptitude Test and American College Testing exam as admissions requirements, in response to complaints by low-income, minority and disabled students that the standardized tests were unfair to applicants who could not afford preparation classes and tutors, or whose first language was not English. The students sued in December.

But the regents allowed individual campuses to let students submit their SAT and ACT scores voluntarily in applications for 2021 and 2022, after which the university would no longer accept scores. So far, three campuses have declined  UC Berkeley, Santa Cruz and Irvine  but the other six have opted to allow voluntary submission of test scores.

Failing to submit scores would not penalize applicants, but good scores could help them, Regents Chair John Perez said in a public forum last week.

On Tuesday, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman said allowing some applicants to submit test scores tips the scales against disabled students, few of whom would have access to the tests during the COVID-19 pandemic because many testing sites have closed. He issued an injunction forbidding even voluntary use of the tests during current conditions.

Brittany Murphy / The Chronicle

Nondisabled, economically advantaged, and white test-takers have an inherent advantage in the testing process, Seligman said in his ruling. He said students with disabilities whose qualifications were otherwise the same as other applicants are denied a potential second chance at admission when test scores are taken into account.

The ruling followed the judges decision in May to allow students opposing the tests to move forward with their lawsuit under California discrimination laws. Seligman said allegations in the lawsuit, if proved, could show the university knew its testing mandate harmed disadvantaged and minority applicants. The regents repealed the mandate shortly afterward.

And in July, the students asked the court to enjoin UC from relying on the tests for any reason.

California State University has suspended use of the tests for admissions in the 2021-22 school year.

In Tuesdays ruling, Seligman cited the case of recent high school graduate Gary W., a plaintiff with learning disabilities who is eligible to apply to UC.

He has faced formidable barriers to taking the SAT and has been unable to do so, the judge wrote of Gary W., who needs accommodations  perhaps extra time  when taking tests.

But the pandemic, and a steep decline in colleges relying on the SAT and ACT in recent years, have led to fewer testing sites.

Because of that, Gary W. was unable to take the test with accommodations and is waiting another year before seeking admission. He told the court that if it werent for the testing requirement, he would apply this year.

Brittany Murphy/The Chronicle

In arguing against the injunction, UC said students with disabilities could not prove they would be harmed if the exams were made voluntary. But Seligman said they could show they would be denied equal access to the admission process.

In short, applicants with disabilities are denied meaningful access to the aid, benefit or service that test-takers have, he said. And cancellation of the tests will not harm the public, Seligman said, since UC does not seriously argue that (such a) test is a valid and effective means of determining admissions.

UC President Michael Drake and the regents are evaluating whether to take additional legal action, according to a joint statement issued Tuesday.

UC respectfully disagrees with the courts ruling, the statement said. An injunction may interfere with the universitys efforts to implement appropriate and comprehensive admissions policies, and its ability to attract and enroll students of diverse backgrounds and experiences.

The statement noted that for this fall  for which SAT and ACT tests were still required  UC admitted an historic increase in Latino students, the largest ethnic group among admitted freshmen, and increased the number of low-income and first-generation-to-college students.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

Meanwhile, the students lawyers cheered the decision.

Brittany Murphy/The Chronicle

There is no place at the University of California for (a) policy that denies students with disabilities the opportunity to fairly compete for admissions, said Marci Lerner Miller, one of the attorneys. The courts decision today is a monumental step towards removing barriers long faced by students with disabilities in higher education.

Katherine Farkas, another lawyer for the students, said: More than 170,000 students will apply to enter the University of California in fall 2021. For the first time in decades, the countrys preeminent public university system will not award admissions based on an exam that systematically discriminates on the basis of race, wealth and disability.

In January, Marten Roorda, then the chief executive of the ACT, wrote a strong warning to the regents against dropping the tests. Roorda said doing so would harm students by depriving them of an objective measure of their skills, among other negative consequences.

The ACT announced Roordas departure in May amid cost-cutting moves and a significant decline in state and district testing programs.

The College Board, which administers the SAT, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Responding to allegations around the country that the admissions exams tilt the scales toward wealthier, white students, more than 1,500 colleges have gone test-optional, according to the anti-testing organization FairTest.

Bob Egelko and Nanette Asimov are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com and nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko and @NanetteAsimov
Entries to the 2020 Business and Arts South Africa (Basa) Awards, held in partnership with Hollard, are now open. This year's awards, which shine a spotlight on the imaginative and diverse ways that business partners with creative projects, events and initiatives, will be held entirely online for the first time in the event's 23-year history.

Community Development: Recognises business support for arts and culture projects enhancing their communities, whether through education, skills development, contributing to livelihoods or employment, tourism or other growth opportunities in the community.





SMME: Awarded for vital support given to the arts by a micro, small or medium enterprise with up to 200 full-time employees and an annual turnover of no more than R10m.





Sponsorship-In-Kind: Acknowledging a business giving quantifiable and impactful non-monetary support to the arts. This may be through in-kind provision of equipment, materials, media or PR support, space, transportation or travel or any other products or services, as opposed to monetary sponsorship.





Innovation: Celebrating the most innovative, cutting-edge and progressive partnership that served all partners purposes effectively. These breakthrough projects and partnerships should demonstrate great creativity, originality, reinvention, new methodologies, or technological/digital innovation.





First-Time Sponsor: Awarded to a business supporting the arts for the first time, regardless of size, budget, whether it is CSI, marketing, HR, B-BBEE or other.





Beyond Borders: Awarded to a partnership that builds brand reputation and audience for both the business and arts partners across borders, through a project showcasing South Africa to the rest of the continent and/or overseas, or bringing international or intercontinental arts projects to South Africa.





Long-Term Partnership: Recognising outstanding initiative and commitment to the arts over a longer period (at least one year) as an integral part of the businesss strategy. The value to the arts project, the broader community and the business, must be apparent.

Basa Chairpersons Advocacy Award: In recognition of sustained and extraordinary commitment to the arts in South Africa, in the form of advocacy and awareness initiatives and/or direct support for the arts, whether in a personal or professional capacity at a local, national or international level.





Diplomacy In The Arts Award: Recognising foreign missions that contribute to the development and preservation of the arts in South Africa, as well as the continued prioritisation of cultural diplomacy between South Africa and the international community.

"What hasnt changed is the commitment of both Basa and Hollard to encourage excellence and innovation in the arts, as well as to promote those mutually beneficial partnerships between business and the arts," says Basa head of marketing Savannah Feeke-Fortune. The awards always strive to shine a spotlight on the diverse and imaginative relationships forged between the business partner and the creative projects, events and initiatives. The 2020 iteration is dedicated to its mandate of identifying artistic best practice, as well as recognising and celebrating these partnerships.This assurance is echoed by the continued support of the awards by partner Hollard. Heidi Brauer, Hollards chief marketing officer, says: Partnerships and the arts are in our DNA, which is why we are so excited to work with Basa again, during one of the most unprecedented times in our global history. Our purpose is to enable more people to create and secure a better future. This year, our support for Basa is not only at an awards sponsorship level, but we are passionate about ensuring that artists are able to continue creating and thus earning a livelihood. This is why we have donated a portion of the costs that would have been spent on this years event directly to the artists, via the Basa Artist Relief Fund, so that they are able to keep working on their craft and to also provide for their families.All creative mediums will be considered, including music, visual arts, dance, theatre, physical performance, architecture, fashion and design, as well as any other form of arts, culture and creativity. Where sponsorship of a project, event or organisation has been shared, each of the sponsoring companies is eligible to enter.This year, Basa has introduced a streamlined application process via its new digital platform at awards.basa.co.za . Applicants will need to register to enter, and then follow the steps outlined online. Registration and entry is free.The submission deadline is 5pm on Monday, 21 September 2020. The finalists and winners in each category will be announced in October and November 2020, respectively, the dates of which will be confirmed closer to the time.The awards will recognise work done in 2019 and reward partnerships in the following seven categories:In addition, two special awards will be made at the discretion of the Basa board of directors to celebrate remarkable contributions by individuals, businesses, and organisations to the sustainability of South Africas arts:Khanyi Mamba, Basa awards judge, says: The Basa Awards are not just sponsorship awards. The awards recognise engaged collaborations between businesses and the arts. Its easy to just hand over money. Building a sustainable, results-driven partnership is far more challenging and requires an elevated level of commitment from both parties. This is what we want to see.For further information about categories, eligibility and judging criteria, and entry guidelines, visit Basas website basa.co.za/awards/ . Interested applicants can also contact the awards support team at az.oc.asab@sdrawa or call 063 669 6281.Founded in 1997 as a joint initiative with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), mutually beneficial partnerships are hardwired into the DNA of Business and Arts South Africa NPC (Basa), and these are core to our founding ethos. Basa believes in the power that comes from deep collaboration between the right partners, and the transformational value of the arts to effect meaningful social change. For more information, please visit www.basa.co.za
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:25:06|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The issue of privacy involved in the checks on body temperature in the European Union (EU) institutions was raised on Tuesday by European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Wojciech Wiewiorowski.

Despite the fresh routine of body temperature checks that emerges in the fight against COVID-19, appropriate data protection safeguards are necessary, the EDPS stated in a media release.

According to Wiewiorowski, basic manual body temperature checks designed to measure body temperature only and do not involve any processing of individuals' personal data would in principle not be subject to EU personal data protection laws.

However, other systems of temperature checks followed by the processing of individuals' personal data, whether operated manually or automatically, are subject to the regulations, he noted.

Wiewiorowski advised that temperature checks in the EU institutions should be designed in such a way that the amount of collected personal data is minimised. He also said that any mandatory temperature checks should not be based solely on automated processing, but that human involvement should be available at relevant stages.

The EDPS is an independent supervisory authority with responsibility for monitoring the processing of personal data by the EU institutions and bodies, offices and agencies. Enditem
Photo: Contributed

About 5,762 wildlife collisions happen every year in B.C.

That's an 11-year average ending in 2017, according to the Wildlife Accident Reporting System, as reported by B.C.'s road maintenance contractors.

I suspect that this number is not the entire picture as some animals are able to struggle away from the collision scene and die unnoticed.

One estimate places this number at 12,000 annually.



The human cost is high as well. An average of four people die annually in crashes involving animals on B.C. highways.

Reported in 2019, ICBC says it sees about $41 million in claim costs annually in relation to motor-vehicle collisions involving animals.



November and May share the distinction of being the most likely month for you to run into wildlife on B.C.'s roads, literally.

Eighty per cent of wildlife collisions in this province involve deer and occur between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. However, moose, elk, bear and sheep are involved as well.



Deer whistles are useless. The animals have a narrower range of hearing than humans do, so if you can't hear it, they can't either.

Studies show that they have little or no impact on roadside animals and researchers suspect that if they did the startled animal has as much chance of moving onto the highway as they do away from it.



The BCSPCA advises that you should contact their cruelty hotline at 1-855-622-7722 or local animal control so that someone may be dispatched to assist the animal.

While the BCSPCA does not provide animal control services in all communities, their call centre operators have access to animal control agency numbers throughout B.C. and may be able to provide some assistance over the telephone.



The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure advises that the actions which can, and ideally should, be taken are set out in the Wildlife Collision Prevention Program website.

If you collide with and kill a wild or domestic animal, you can report this to DriveBC online as a non-emergency problem. They will notify the road maintenance contractor of the location and steps will be taken to remove the carcass on your behalf.



The Ministry of the Environment advises that it is a legal requirement to notify them of the killing or wounding of most larger wildlife.

The report may be made through the Conservation Officer Service's Report All Poachers and Polluters line at 1-877-952-7277.



Finally, the police are available at all times and may be available to assist you, particularly where the animal is injured and needs to be destroyed.

Story URL: https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/collisions/collision-animal-what-do
ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cordia Resources is pleased to announce and welcome Robert Kemp as Principal. Rob will be responsible for new business development and client management within the Washington, DC region, supporting all of Cordia's business verticals which include temporary staffing, permanent placements, executive search, technical accounting, and growth services. Read more about Rob Kemp here.

Don Olinger, Co-Managing Partner, commented: "Rob has a proven record of facilitating long-term business relationships with companies of all sizes. His deep knowledge of the recruiting industry, his success in managing and growing enterprise-level accounts, and his collaborative approach to driving sales initiatives are assets that complement Cordia's vision to further expand services in Maryland, DC, and Virginia."

"I am excited to join Cordia, a fast-growing company in the Washington, DC region, and work with the proven leadership team to grow Cordia's market share. Aligning myself with a company that offers a robust platform of services in the accounting, finance and human resources space, among others, provides a unique opportunity to help companies at all stages of business growth. I look forward to providing clients with the exceptional service Cordia is known for," stated Rob Kemp.

"We are excited to have Rob join our leadership team with a primary focus on new and strategic customer acquisition. I know Rob's efforts will be extremely helpful in enabling our Cordia team to continue its rapid growth. His prior industry experience and accounting/finance background make Rob uniquely qualified to help our team expand our services to clients of all sizes and industries," stated Joseph F. Greeves, Managing Partner.

About Cordia

Cordia is a leading provider of recruiting & staffing, executive retained search, outsourced accounting, technology consulting, technical accounting and business growth services in the Washington, DC Metropolitan region. Our team of experts has deep accounting, finance, contracts, human resources, and recruiting expertise, enabling us to support business growth across various industries including, commercial, not-for-profit, government contracting, technology, professional services, hospitality, real estate and more. Learn more about Cordia's recruiting and staffing services at www.cordiaresources.com and our portfolio of companies at www.cordia-us.com. Access this press release here.

Media Contact:

Veronica Vannoy

Principal, Marketing & Communications

Cordia

8330 Boone Boulevard, Suite 350

Vienna, VA 22182

703-962-9575

SOURCE Cordia

Related Links

https://www.cordiaresources.com


The latest war blockbuster in the making is "Sacrifice (Jin Gang Chuan)," directed by three critically acclaimed directors  Guan Hu, Frant Gwo and Lu Yang  and starring stellar cast including action star Wu Jing.

A conceptual poster of " Sacrifice " [Image courtesy of Maxtimes Culture]

According to the film's marketing company, it will tell a rarely-heard story from the Korean War and is designed to be a popular patriotic film to inspire the Chinese people on the 70th anniversary of the war.

The Korean War broke out in June 1950. When a multinational force led by the United States crossed the 38th parallel between North and South Korea, bringing imminent threat to China, the People's Volunteer Army joined the war that October, allied with the DPRK to secure the safety of the newly-founded People's Republic of China.

Guan Hu, director of critically-acclaimed "Mr. Six," took Chinese war films to another level with his recently released war epic "The Eight Hundred," which had grossed 2 billion yuan by Tuesday and become the most successful Chinese film of the year so far. He is on a tight schedule to shoot his "Sacrifice" in Dandong, northeast China's Liaoning province.

Photos of directors Guan Hu, Frant Gwo and Lu Yang [Photo courtesy of Maxtimes Culture]

At the same time, Frant Gwo, the director of one of China's highest-grossing films and the biggest sci-fi epic "The Wandering Earth," is shooting his part of the story in Beijing. Lu Yang, who earned his reputation for his new-style wuxia masterpiece "Brotherhood of Blades," is also working in Dandong, but on a different segment of the film from Guan.

The new film is set for release within this year and a conceptual poster was released last week. The producers include China Film Co. Ltd., Seventh Art Pictures, and Huaxia Film Distribution Co.

Shooting started at the end of July, according to sources speaking to China.org.cn, but the producers are still eager to release it in October to commemorate the Korean War anniversary, which means a lot of pressure, challenges, tight schedules, close cooperation, precise arrangements and stunning speed in filming and post-production when the directors are piecing together their different sections.
A delighted Michelle Hallahan, winner of the raffled cottage situated near Foxford Co Mayo, as she picks up the keys at the cottage. Photo: Conor McKeown

The winner of a holiday cottage raffled in aid of frontline healthcare workers has described her good luck as a dream come true.

Michelle Hallahan, a sustainability advisor at Trinity College Dublin, said she is overwhelmed with gratitude to the couple who raffled their country getaway for the benefit of frontline support workers.

Speaking at the cottage, which is nestled at the bottom of the Ox mountains, in Foxford, Co Mayo, Ms Hallahan said she looks forward to remote working.

I grew up in the countryside so this really is my dream. Ive had this dream for 20 years to have a cottage in the countryside.

It means that I will get out of the city and be able to work remotely and I will be able to share this with my family."

Read More

The cottage owners, Joan, a retired Anaesthetist, and Patrick, an international businessman who both survived Covid-19, decided to raffle the cottage in recognition of the sacrifice of non-professional frontline workers -care-assistants, cleaners and hospital porters.

Through the raffle Joan and Patrick managed to raise 968,750 which will be distributed through an educational fund.

Joan, who worked in Irish hospitals throughout her career, believes non-professional hospital staff often dont receive the thanks they deserve.

To me it is very heart-warming to see how delighted Michelle is.

But not only that, its wonderful to see all the people who entered and gave their money in the knowledge they had only a minor chance of winning.

Patrick and I are only the signposts, its the people who have given their money who are the heroes.

I worked in hospital theatres for many years and everybody has a job to do but support staff, cleaners and care workers, did their job without any complaint and always with a smile. They were essential to the team and were never recognised or thanked as they should have been.

This pandemic was even worse for them. They went in everyday knowing the risk to themselves and to their families, it was courageous.

One woman told us she wasnt able to see her very young child for six weeks.

Another lady said her daughter had started as an orderly in one of the acute hospitals and she said Its not right that a 20-year-old should have to bring so many bodies to the mortuary'.

Ms Hallahan also revealed that she has worked as a nurses aid in the past and this was partly why she invested 50 on raffle tickets.

I was a nurses aid for two summers while on a J1 over in Cape Cod.

I left college and went to London during a mini-recession so I sent out hundreds of resumes and got no replies.

So, I ended up working as a nurses aid in Hammersmith Hospital and did that for a year. I got the full experience of doing hard work and really not being acknowledged or recognised for it.

Im thrilled the money raised is going to non-medical staff because they dont get the recognition they deserve. Patrick and Joan are incredibly kind people and it has been a joy to get to know them over the past few days.
BOSTON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardiologs, a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) cardiology diagnostics, today announced an exclusive distribution agreement in France with MicroPort CRM, for the reselling of its cloud analysis solution for Holter ECGs. MicroPort CRM is a worldwide leader in the conception and distribution of implantable devices for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders and the leader in France of Holter ECG monitoring devices and software. This agreement marks the official launch, at a large scale, of Cardiologs' European business operations.

As a pioneer in AI-based healthcare, Cardiologs was the first company to obtain a CE mark for an AI-based medical device. Cardiologs' medical-grade AI automatically identifies cardiac rhythm disorders with a high level of accuracy and in a timely manner, cutting diagnosis and analysis time in half. Thanks to its secure cloud solution, which is General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) compliant and hosted onto a "Hebergeur de Donnees de Sante" (HDS)-certified server, the analysis is available in real-time, from everywhere, by all professionals involved in a patient's care, thus simplifying the logistics of ECG diagnostics.

Cardiologs is device-agnostic and can interpret data from a broad range of cardiac monitoring devices, a choice aligned with the evolution of health tech towards greater openness and interoperability. Already in use in several healthcare facilities, Cardiologs' solution has been immediately endorsed by the medical staff, as Dr. Laurent Fiorina, Electrophysiologist at Institut Cardiovasculaire de Paris-Sud (France) and medical expert at Cardiologs confirms, Cardiologs solution enabled us to be more efficient in our Holter analysis and to double diagnostic capacity. We can now deliver a faster ECG analysis with high confidence to our patients. The ease of use was a major reason for the team's fast endorsement of this new ECG analysis device."

Yann Fleureau, co-founder and CEO of Cardiologs, said, "We are extremely enthusiastic to partner with MicroPort CRM for the distribution of our unique technology in France. Its leading position in the Holter market combined with the expertise of its business teams, makes MicroPort CRM an ideal business partner to widely distribute Cardiologs' solution to all the French cardiologists in hospitals as well as in outpatient medical offices."

Benoit Clinchamps, President of MicroPort CRM, added, "We are very happy to launch this partnership with Cardiologs which perfectly reflects MicroPort CRM's strategy: to offer new unique and innovative services that enable healthcare facilities and cardiologists to optimize their time, resources and improve patient diagnostics."

France Schwarz, Director of Marketing Europe at Cardiologs added, "This agreement confirms our solution's attractiveness and marks the first phase of our European marketing strategy."

About Cardiologs

Cardiologs is a medical technology company committed to transforming cardiac diagnostics using medical-grade artificial intelligence and cloud technology. Developed in partnership with leading physicians, the Cardiologs ECG Analysis Solution empowers clinicians worldwide to deliver expert cardiac care faster and more efficiently. CE-Marked and FDA cleared for detection of 14 cardiac arrhythmias, the Cardiologs ECG Analysis Solution is built on a growing database of more than 5 million ECG recordings and is supported by a number of clinical publications.

For more information: https://cardiologs.com/

About MicroPort CRM

Pioneering physiological therapies in cardiac rhythm management. Driven by our expert R&D teams and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities across the globe, MicroPort CRM conceives, designs and develops solutions for the management of cardiac rhythm disorders and heart failure. Headquartered in Paris, our precise technologies are manufactured in France, Italy, the Dominican Republic; and for the Chinese market, in China. .

For more information visit www.crm.microport.com

Media Contacts for Cardiologs:

France and Europe

Anne REIN

Strategies & Image (S&I)

+33 6 03 35 92 05

[email protected]

United States

Andrea LePain

eMedia Junction

617-275-8112

[email protected]

SOURCE Cardiologs
MELBOURNE, Australia  Australias hot spot Victoria state on Wednesday extended its state of emergency for another six months as its weekly average of new COVID-10 infections dipped to 95.

The Victorian Parliaments upper chamber passed legislation by a 20-19 vote to extend the state of emergency, which enhances the governments powers to impose pandemic restrictions.

The government had wanted a 12-month extension.

The state health department reported 90 new infections and six deaths in the latest 24-hour period. There were only 70 new infections on Tuesday.

But the latest seven-day average has dropped into double-digits for the first time in weeks. The previous weeks average was 175 infections a day.

___

HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK

 US federal officials to ship rapid coronavirus tests for schools

 NYC delays start of school for more prep time for virus safety measures

 Virus or not, its time for class again across Europe

 Apple and Google want more U.S. states to adopt their phone-based approach for tracing and curbing the spread of the coronavirus, building more of the necessary technology directly into phones.

 The Big Ten Conference, already in court and under pressure from players and parents over its decision to cancel fall football, and its new commissioner are now hearing from President Donald Trump.

 Hungry and bored at home? A San Francisco nightclub will bring the food, booze and a drag show to you during the coronavirus pandemic.

___

Follow APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

HARRISONBURG, Va.  James Madison University in Virginias Shenandoah Valley will transition at least temporarily to primarily online instruction after experiencing a rapid increase in cases of COVID-19 among students, the schools president announced Tuesday night.

As a result of a rapid increase in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in our student population in a short period of time, the university is concerned about capacity in the number of isolation and quarantine spaces we can provide, JMU President Jonathan Alger wrote in a letter posted on the schools website Tuesday night.

The letter said in-person classes will shift online no later than Monday, by which time residential students will be asked to return home unless they seek an exemption to stay. University officials will notify the campus community by Sept. 25 about whether in-person instruction will resume on or after Oct. 5, according to the letter.

JMU, a public university, has about 20,000 undergraduate students. With Tuesdays announcement, it joined a growing number of colleges around the U.S. that have reversed course or altered plans for in-person instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic.

___ BILLINGS, Mont. __ The Trump administration is seeking to fast track environmental reviews of dozens of major energy and infrastructure projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, including oil and gas drilling, hazardous fuel pipelines, wind farms and highway projects in multiple states, according to documents provided to The Associated Press.

The plan to speed up project approvals comes after President Donald Trump in June ordered the Interior Department and other agencies to scale back environmental reviews under special powers he has during the coronavirus emergency.

More than 60 projects targeted for expedited environmental reviews were detailed in an attachment to a July 15 letter from Assistant Interior Secretary Katherine MacGregor to White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow.

The letter, obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity through a freedom of information lawsuit, does not specify how the review process would be hastened. It says the specified energy, environmental and natural resource projects are within the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to perform or advance.

Included on Interiors list are oil and gas industry proposals such as the 5,000-well Converse gas field in Wyoming, the Jordan Cove liquified natural gas terminal in Oregon, and the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline in Virginia.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A private liberal arts college in Colorado says it is moving to online classes after hundreds of students went into quarantine just days into the semester.

At least 10 students at Colorado College have tested positive for the coronavirus. And more than 500 entered self-isolation on campus since dormitories opened to freshmen on Aug. 24.

The Gazette reports that all students are being urged to leave the Colorado Springs campus by Sept. 20, with some exceptions such as international students.

The announcement comes as college and university towns across the country consider renewed shutdowns because of too many COVID-19 infections among students.

___

JUNEAU, Alaska -- The Alaska health department says a second resident of a state-supported elder-living centre in Anchorage who tested positive for COVID-19 has died.

The department, in early August, announced that three residents of the Anchorage Pioneer Home and one staff member had tested positive for COVID-19.

As of Monday, the department said three of the five staff members who had to that point tested positive had been released from isolation. And it says 10 of the 14 residents who had tested positive had recovered.

The department says a second resident who had tested positive recently died but did not provide further details.

___

UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. Security Council will hold a high-level summit during the annual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly later this month to discuss adjustments to the current international system after the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

Nigers U.N. Ambassador Abdou Abarry, who took over the rotating council presidency on Tuesday, told a virtual press conference that the virtual council meeting on Sept. 24 on post-COVID-19 global governance in relation to the maintenance of international peace and security will address traditional security threats such as conflicts but also crime and pandemics.

He said Nigers President Mahamadou Issoufou, who will chair the meeting, is sending invitations to the leaders of the 14 other countries on the Security Council. Some countries, which he didnt name, have already indicated their heads of state will attend, he said.

Abarry said a key issue after the coronavirus pandemic is: Are we going to be able to structure a more resilient, a more just, a more fair world with less destruction of the environment among others, and that can enable and facilitate humanity to live in harmony, and with nature?

___

CHARLESTON, W.Va.  The number of deaths from the coronavirus continues to surge in West Virginia while confirmed cases hit a new daily record during the pandemic.

Health officials announced eight more virus-related deaths Tuesday, pushing the states total to at least 222. Thats up 91% since Aug. 1.

Despite an indoor mask mandate for public places issued July 6 by Gov. Jim Justice, daily positive cases have skyrocketed since then. Officials have blamed the increase in part on out-of-state travel.

According to the Department of Health and Human Resources website, the state reported 225 confirmed cases Sunday, topping the one-day record of 180 set on July 30. The states daily positive rate of 6.85% on Monday was its highest since reaching 6.95% on May 26. The overall total is at least 10,320 confirmed cases.

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WASHINGTON -- A group of medical experts advising the National Institutes of Health says there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against the use of plasma therapy for patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

The non-endorsement by government advisers comes a week after the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency authorization to the treatment. That decision followed threats from President Donald Trump about the slow pace of FDAs review, raising concerns that the agency felt pressure to greenlight the therapy.

So-called convalescent plasma is taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus and is rich in disease-fighting antibodies. But its use against COVID-19 has not been studied in rigorous patient trials.

The NIH panel says the plasma shouldnt be considered standard of care treatment, due to the lack of data confirming its safety and effectiveness.

The FDA granted its emergency use based on preliminary results gathered from tens of thousands of patients tracked by the Mayo Clinic. The decision merely means that the treatments potential benefits outweigh its risks.

But the Mayo study doesnt have the type of controls needed to draw conclusions about clinical benefits, including overall survival. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn was forced to backtrack last week after he overstated the potential life-saving effect suggested by the data.

NIHs experts urged doctors and patients to enrol in proper studies of the plasma.

___

NEW YORK  A handful of the dozens of experimental coronavirus vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle -- looking for the needed proof they really work.

A U.S. advisory panel suggested Tuesday a way to ration the first limited doses once a vaccine wins approval. AstraZeneca announced Monday its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. The Cambridge, England-based company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups.

Two other vaccine candidates began final testing this summer in tens of thousands of people in the U.S. One was created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc., and the other developed by Pfizer Inc. and Germanys BioNTech.

NIH Director Francis Collins tweeted his agency is supporting several vaccine trials since more than one may be needed.

Theres no guarantee that any of the leading candidates will pan out  and the bar is higher than for COVID-19 treatments, because these vaccines will be given to healthy people. Final testing, experts stress, must be in large numbers of people to know if theyre safe enough for mass vaccinations.

The first vaccines that come out are probably not going to be the best vaccines, Dr. Nicole Lurie, who helped lead pandemic planning under the Obama administration, said at a University of Minnesota vaccine symposium.

___

WASHINGTON  A new member of the White House coronavirus task force says claims that hes pushing herd immunity as a response to the pandemic are an overt lie.

Dr. Scott Atlas says in an interview on SiriusXMs The Michael Smerconish Program that he has never advocated a herd immunity strategy to President Donald Trump or anyone in the administration or task force.

The Washington Post reported Monday that Atlas -- who recently was added to the task force -- has been urging Trumps top medical advisers to adopt herd immunity as a strategy for fighting the virus.

Herd immunity would involve allowing most Americans to become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 so people can build up their immunity to it.

___

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says hell lift the state ban on visiting nursing homes thats prevented seniors from seeing family since mid-March because of the coronavirus.

DeSantis says hes following recommendations from a nursing home task force thats met in recent weeks.

The task force recommends the nursing homes allow family members to visit no more than two at a time and wear protective gear that includes masks. Facilities would need to go 14 days without any new cases of coronavirus among staff or residents to allow the visits.

___

LONDON  Scotlands leader has announced new lockdown restrictions for the countrys most populous city, Glasgow, following a spike in coronavirus infections.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says people in Glasgow, and the nearby local authorities of West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire, shouldnt host people from other households for two weeks.

She says the Scottish government could go farther if people dont abide by the new limitations. The number of people affected is estimated at 250,000.

Sturgeon says in the three targeted areas, the infections have largely increased from household gatherings. She adds the new measures were proportionate with the impact on schools, jobs and the economy.

___

WASHINGTON  Federal officials will begin shipping tens of millions of rapid coronavirus tests to state governors this month for use in reopening schools.

The Trump administrations top testing official, Admiral Brett Giroir, laid out plans Tuesday to distribute some of the 150 million tests ordered from test maker Abbott Laboratories. The federal purchase was first announced last week.

Abbotts rapid test, the size of a credit card, is the first that doesnt require specialty computer equipment to develop. The test delivers results in about 15 minutes and is priced at $5, significantly lower than similar older tests.

Giroir says the great majority would go to U.S. governors for use in screening children at K-12 schools. The tests could be used to test first responders and other high-risk populations.

Tests will be shipped to 20,000 assisted living facilities. Unlike nursing homes, assisted living facilities are not overseen by Medicare. Because assisted living facilities also house a vulnerable population, they face some of the same risks as nursing homes.

Since the start of the pandemic, the U.S. testing has mainly relied on nasal swab tests sent to labs for processing. But supply shortages led to testing backlogs, delaying results and hindering efforts to track cases.

Health experts view rapid tests run outside the laboratory as key to expanding the number of tests ahead of the flu season. However, Abbotts new test still requires a nasal swab by a health worker. In general, rapid tests like Abbotts are less accurate than lab-developed tests. The FDA has said in some cases, negative results with Abbotts test may need to be confirmed with a lab test.

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LAWRENCE, Kan.  The University of Kansas is requiring no fans at athletic events and Kansas State University is battling four new coronavirus outbreaks.

Kansas Department of Health and Environment is reporting 19 clusters tied to colleges and five tied to schools with younger students.

At the University of Kansas, entrance testing uncovered 474 positive cases. Infections were particularly prevalent among sorority and fraternity members, with 270 positives among 2,698 members tested, for a rate of 10%.

In the Manhattan, Kansas, health officials say the four newest outbreaks include 10 positive cases among the Kansas State football team. There are several cases tied to a fraternity and sorority.

___

ROME  Italy registered fewer than 1,000 new coronavirus cases, even as the number of swab tests soared.

The Health Ministry says 978 coronavirus cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours, when some 81,000 tests were conducted. That is 22,500 more tests than the previous day when nearly the same number of cases were detected.

Health experts are encouraging Italy to boost testing and tracing of contacts of the newly infected ahead of schools opening on Sept. 14.

Italy has 270,189 confirmed cases, adding eight deaths to increase the known toll to nearly 35,500.

___

NEW YORK  New York City is delaying the start of its school year until Sept. 16 to give teachers more time to prepare for the return of students amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the deal struck with unions representing teachers, staff and administrators. Instruction was supposed to begin on Sept. 10. All students will spend the first few days learning from home online before in-person instruction begins for some students on Sept. 21.

The citys plan to restart schools includes mask-wearing, staggered schedules to reduce the number of students in rooms, supplying every school building with a nurse and asking all staffers to get tested shortly before school starts. A medical monitoring program will includes random virus testing for a sampling of students and staff each month.

The city used ventilation experts to check air flow in classrooms, and officials say theyll would work to make parks and streets available as teaching space, if needed.

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew says the unions independent medical experts signed off on the reopening plan. Delegates of the UFT were poised to vote on whether to authorize a strike.
INSPIRATIONAL Limerick campaigner Vicky Phelan gripped the nation in a powerful tell-all television interview about her life with cervical cancer and her mission to fight for a fairer health service.

In April 2018, Ms Phelan received a 2.5m High Court settlement after taking a case against the HSE and a US lab over incorrect smear tests. In January 2018, she was told she had just 12 months to live.

Her action in the High Court proved to be a watershed moment in Irish healthcare history, prompting a review of CervicalCheck.

In an emotional conversation with Ciara Doherty on Virgin Medias The Big Interview, the Annacotty mum spoke about her campaign to make euthanasiaassisted suicidelegal in Ireland.

I want to die at home in my own country, she told Virgin Media. I dont want to have to go somewhere else and have my poor family travel over and travel back with a coffin, Vicky told Ciara.

People should have the choice. I know from having witnessed and heard from other people who have gone before me with this disease its not a nice way to go. Ive young children, thats the thing, its different if in your 80s and youve lived your life, but if youre young and you have children watching you die, and Ive seen people die and its not a nice thing to witness, I dont want my childrens memories to be of me dying, she added.

THANK YOU @ciarathedoc for a lovely interview which you handled so sensitively. I feared I would lose it at one point but you gently guided me back. Thank you 



And thanks to your producer @SineadRyan52, to the camera crew and to @VirginMedia_One #TheBigInterview https://t.co/gHuXhA4aS4  Vicky Phelan (@PhelanVicky) August 31, 2020

Vicky, who received an honorary doctorate from the University of Limerick in June 2018, also spoke about the time she was told to get my affairs in order after her terminal diagnosis.

They basically told me to get my affairs in order and I know definitely if Id have gone for the palliative chemotherapy at the time I would have been dead in twelve months, so the fact Im still here two and a half years later is testament to me doing the research pushing to get on this drug, even though there was no real evidence that this was going to work.

Speaking after the broadcast, Dr Phelan said on Twitter: I chose to do The Big Interview because I fear that many of the issues raised by the CervicalCheck scandal which affect EVERY citizen in Ireland such as mandatory open disclosure and the need for patient advocates to sit on the Board of the HSE have been lost during Covid.

It all boils down, in the end, to one word - something which I have pushed for from the day I stood on the steps of the Four Courts: Accountability, she said, adding that we must push for change.
Danbury Fire Department

DANBURY  State police are searching for the driver who fled the scene of an early Friday morning crash on westbound Interstate 84, leaving their car behind.

First responders were called to the area of Exit 5 shortly before 4:30 a.m. after a 2009 Honda Civic Si rear-ended a 2017 Subaru Outback at a high rate of speed causing major damage, police said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The chemical in marijuana that makes people high may be effective in treating a potentially lethal coronavirus (COVID-19) complication, researchers at the University of South Carolina recently announced.

The researchers quoted studies, co-published by Prakash Nagarkatti, which found that the chemical THC, the most mind-altering chemical in marijuana, prevented a harmful immune response that causes Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in mice and caused a significant increase in healthy lung bacteria.

Three studies, published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, the British Journal of Pharmacology and the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, were conducted by giving mice a toxin that triggered the harmful immune reaction that causes ARDS and then injecting mice with THC, according to the studies abstracts, as reported in The State, the daily student newspaper at the University of South Carolina.

With ARDS, The underlying mechanism is your immune system goes haywire and starts destroying your lungs and all your other organs, Nagarkatti told The State.

Dozens of experiments were conducted in the three separate studies and 100% of the mice given THC survived, Nagarkatti told The State.

While the many differences between mice and humans mean lab results in mice dont always directly translate into real-life results for humans, Nagarkatti said he was blown away at the effectiveness of THC in treating ARDS.

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

There is no FDA-approved drug right now to treat ARDS, Nagarkatti said.

Nagarkatti has recommended that health officials begin human trials with THC, he told The State.

However, he said that doesnt mean its a good idea for people to smoke marijuana if they think they have coronavirus. Since THC suppresses the immune response, smoking marijuana recreationally can actually make a coronavirus infection worse.
TikTok has reportedly chosen a buyer for its US, Australian and New Zealand businesses and might announce the deal later today.

TikTok has been in talks with various companies in the hope to sell its US operations along with businesses in a few other countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada etc before the deadline (September 20) given by the Trump administration closes in. According to CNBC, TikTok has chosen a bidder for its US, Australian and New Zealand businesses and might announce the deal later today.

The top contenders for the deal are Microsoft in partnership with Walmart and Oracle and the sale price of the deal is expected to be anywhere between $20 billion to $30 billion, as per reports.

However, this deal is not expected to go down easy.

Even if TikTok has chosen a buyer, the deal could be entirely derailed or slowed down by the Chinese government. China updated its technology export list on Friday to include artificial intelligence technology used by TikTok. Parent company ByteDance said over the weekend that it would need a license from the Chinese government before it can sell its business to an American company.

While Microsoft and Oracle were the first names in the bidder pool, Walmart turned up as a surprise contender last week. The retail giant said that TikTok would augment its e-commerce efforts to explain why they wanted in.

According to reports, Walmart was looking to be the majority owner in the deal in a consortium that included Alphabet (Googles parent company) and SoftBank. However, the US government wanted a tech company to lead the deal, said sources. This lead to Alphabet and SoftBank dropping out and Walmart partnering up with Microsoft. Now, if this deal comes through for the two companies, Walmart will be the minority owner of TikTok.

In a build-up to TikTok selling its US operations, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned last week. He had joined the company only four months ago. TikToks current interim boss Vanessa Pappas told CNBC that she saw synergies with Walmart thanks to new e-commerce tools inside the TikTok app.

That given, perhaps it is not too hard to predict who TikToks buyer of choice is going to be. We just need to wait for the announcement now.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday said that former President Pranab Mukherjee's demise has "created a void".

"He (Mukherjee) helmed various posts and always worked as a 'Sankat Mochan'. Whenever there was a problem in the country, government or even Congress, he worked as a redresser. A void has been created with his demise," the former Haryana Chief Minister said in a statement.

Mukherjee, who had tested positive for Covid-19, passed away on Monday evening more than 20 days after undergoing a brain surgery and had been on a ventilator since.

He was the President of India from 2012 to 2017 and was conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, in 2019, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008.

The Home Ministry has declared a seven-day state mourning till September 6.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Tel Aviv, Sep 1 : Israel has said that it will ease restrictions imposed on the Gaza Strip, starting with the reopening of the main Kerem Shalom cargo crossing on Tuesday.

In addition, the zone permitted for fishing around the coastal Palestinian enclave will be returned to 15 nautical miles (about 27.8 km) and the transfer of fuels will be allowed, Xinhua news agency quoted an official statement as saying on Monday.

Lifting the restrictions "is conditioned with the preservation of calm and security stability", the statement read.

On August 11, Israel closed the Kerem Shalom crossing and later restricted the fishing zone around the besieged enclave in response to the incendiary balloons carrying explosives launched into southern Israel.

Also on Monday, the Islamic Hamas movement, that rules the Gaza Strip, confirmed in a statement that a truce with Israel was achieved "to contain the escalation and stop the Zionist aggression against our people".

In a statement, the office of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas chief in the Gaza Strip, said: "We reached an understanding after a round of dialogues and contacts, the latest of which was done by the Qatari Ambassador Mohammed Al-Emadi." The statement also said that the deal includes "the return of the situation to what it was before the escalation", referring to the recent escalation that started on August 6.

The latest tension between Israel and Hamas, which has been ruling the enclave since 2007, began on August 6 when masked young men launched the incendiary balloons.
A resident removes buckets of waters from the Blue Nile floods within the Al-Ikmayr area of Omdurman in Khartoum.  REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Heavy seasonal rains have caused flash floods and rivers to burst their banks, including the Nile in the capital Khartoum and its twin city Omdurman, and affected thousands of internally displaced people, refugees and host communities in Sudan.

Homes and community buildings have been badly damaged and destroyed leaving many in desperate need of shelter. Some have lost all their previous possessions and have been left facing the prospect of starting over again from scratch.

Hygiene and sanitary levels have plummeted due to flooded latrines and contaminated water supplies, preventing people from exercising necessary COVID19 prevention measures such as regular handwashing. Some health facilities have been damaged, hampering their abilities to treat patients should transmission of COVID19 or other viruses and diseases increase.

Many of those affected had been previously displaced by conflict and were already facing loss of income due to the economic challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are now struggling to meet even their most basic needs.

An estimated 125,000 refugees and internally displaced people have been affected in total, particularly in East Sudan, White Nile, Darfur and Khartoum, many in urgent need of shelter and other emergency assistance. Rains have been particularly heavy in North Darfur, leaving an estimated 35,000 IDPs, locals and refugees in need of help, and where 15 people have tragically died and a further 23 gone missing.

In Khartoums Open Areas on the outskirts of the city, many South Sudanese refugees were living in make-shift homes and are in dire need of shelter. UNHCR is deeply saddened at the death of an 18-month old refugee girl who drowned in a collapsed latrine.

The damage to infrastructure has been devastating. Roads have become too muddy for traffic to pass, making it extremely difficult or impossible to deliver humanitarian aid to some communities, particularly in Blue Nile where international humanitarian agencies are unable to reach some 5,700 people needing assistance.

UNHCR and partners, in collaboration with the Government of Sudan, are providing emergency aid to affected populations in White Nile, including plastic sheeting to 3,500 refugees in Al Jameya camp and 65,000 other displaced and host community in the state.To mitigate flooding in the camp, UNHCR, in partnership with the host community and refugees, unblocked some drainage channels with a tractor to restore the flow of water.

Further emergency assistance is set to be provided to communities in East Darfur, Khartoum, South Kordofan and East Sudan in the coming days and weeks.

Even before the floods, funding remained far from the levels needed to provide people with the support they require. This year, UNHCR has received just 38% of the US$ 274.9 million needed for our operations in Sudan, and we urge the international community to come forward with further financial support to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced communities in Sudan.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
SHOTLIST CASABLANCA, MOROCCOAUGUST 29, 2020SOURCE: AFPTV 1. Wide shot tires on fire during clashes between the police and young Moroccans due to the ban on Ashura commemorations2. Wide shot tires on fire during clashes between the police and young Moroccans due to the ban on Ashura commemorations3. Mid shot tires on fire during clashes between the police and young Moroccans due to the ban on Ashura commemorations4. Wide shot firefighters trying to put out burning tires after clashes between the police and young Moroccans over the ban on Ashura commemorations5. Tracking shot police car during clashes between the police and young Moroccans due to the ban on Ashura commemorations6. Mid shot firefighters trying to put out burning tires after clashes between the police and young Moroccans over the ban on Ashura commemorations
Yves here. Perhaps I am being parochial, but the struggle in New York City between teachers and the government over reopening public schools has been playing out in different forms all over the US. And even this compact piece makes clear that Covid-19 protection measures dont look adequate. To put it less politely, while some of the problem is the crowding of New York City schools and the old buildings having poor ventilation, its not hard to imagine that Mayor Bill de Blasios poor leadership is a big contributor to this mess.

By Alex Zimmerman. Originally published at Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization covering public education

A school worker at P.S. 149 in East New York Hiram Alejandro Duran/THE CITY

The citys teachers union will spend one more day negotiating with city officials in the hopes of beefing up safety measures before school buildings reopen. But if those talks fall short, the unions leadership plans to call a strike authorization vote Tuesday afternoon.

Threatening a strike vote is meant to ratchet up pressure on Mayor Bill de Blasio to come up with more rigorous safety measures or delay in-person learning.

Classes are scheduled to begin in just 10 days, and the unions leadership has said that is not enough time to ensure buildings will be safe. Still, if union members authorize the leadership to call a strike, that doesnt mean one will materialize.

Union officials say that coronavirus testing remains a key sticking point.

Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, said that the city should require testing for all staff and students before they attend classes in person. The mayor insists on voluntary testing, provided at no cost at about 200 sites across the city, is enough to ensure infections are properly identified and handled.

We cant afford to send students and staff back into any buildings until we have done everything possible  including a rigorous virus testing program  to see that they are safe, Mulgrew said in a statement Monday evening.

On Monday morning, de Blasio told reporters the city had considered and rejected that idea. Its something that weve looked at, but believe for a variety of reasons, it is not the best way to get to where we need to go, the mayor said. Were having ongoing conversations with the unions about the best way to do it.

Ventilation and PPE Concerns

The union is also worried about personal protective equipment, and problems with building ventilation, according to UFT spokesperson Dick Riley, who did not say what the UFTs specific demands on those issues are.

The unions roughly 100-member executive board unanimously approved a resolution Monday night that gives the unions leadership another day to negotiate, officials said.

The executive boards resolution paves the way for the unions 3,200-member delegate assembly, which includes representatives from every school, to vote Tuesday afternoon on authorizing a strike.

If the delegate assembly approves, the final decision to call a strike would typically be left to the unions leadership, Riley said, suggesting the entire unions membership  roughly 80,000 teachers and thousands of other staff members, including teachers aides, social workers, nurses, and speech therapists  would not vote directly on the issue.

Its not clear exactly what criteria the unions leadership would use to decide to permit a strike.

Even if union leaders authorize a strike, an actual work stoppage may not happen quickly: Top UFT officials have said they would likely go to court to halt the citys reopening plans before going on strike.

Stoppage Would Start Penalties

If the union decided to strike, it would be the first time since 1975 and would also likely be illegal under the states Taylor Law, which forces penalties on public sector union employees who participate in work stoppages.

The union could lose its ability to automatically collect dues, teachers could miss out on paychecks, and union leadership could even face jail time.

There could also be significant political repercussions if the union is seen as obstructing in-person learning for over 1 million students, nearly 73% of whom come from low-income families and whose educational experience and access to social services may take a significant hit if buildings dont reopen.

I dont think the people of this city ever feel good about public servants not being there when people need them, de Blasio told reporters Aug. 25.

Mayor Bill de Blasio visits a free food program at PS 1 in Manhattan, April 7, 2020. Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

The mere threat of a work stoppage has been a successful tactic in other cities, including Chicago, where the union appears to have played a role in the districts fully virtual start.

Calls to delay in-person learning in New York City have grown louder in recent weeks. Even the citys principals union, which is generally reluctant to criticize the mayor publicly, has said buildings are not yet safe to reopen on time.

Our conversations with UFT are ongoing and we remain committed to one thing above all: The safety and health of our students, teachers, and school staff, Avery Cohen, a mayoral spokesperson, wrote in a statement. Together, well continue to work towards the best possible plan to get our young people back to the classrooms where they learn best.
A young Scottish woman has been accused of spreading coronavirus by continuing to attend parties after holidaying with friends who fell ill with symptoms.

The unnamed 'superspreader' allegedly went to pubs and 'several parties' before herself testing positive.

A cluster of 22 cases has since sprang up in Ayrshire, which medical officials confirmed were linked to house parties.

A major contact tracing operation is now underway to stop the virus snowballing in the region.

A cluster of 22 cases have since sprang up in Ayrshire, which medical officials confirmed were linked to house parties

Angry locals have pointed the finger at a young woman who is believed to have ignored advice to self-isolate after returning from overseas on August 21 with two friends who suffered symptoms.

A parent told the Ayrshire Advertiser: 'She has been to several parties, one of them was in Kilmarnock.

'She knew that her other friends were self-isolating, it's disgusting.'

Another source told the paper the woman visited pubs in Ayr before testing positive for Covid-19 after taking a test on August 26.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran Test and Protect Team are starting to contact those connected to the house parties.

Another source told the paper the woman visited pubs in Ayr (file photo pictured) before testing positive for Covid-19 after taking a test on August 26

Dr Crawford McGuffie, Medical Director said: 'NHS Ayrshire & Arran's Health Protection Team is currently conducting a contact tracing exercise following a number of individuals who have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

'These positive cases have been linked to a number of house parties.'

Two staff members at Sainsbury's in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, are among those self-isolating after testing positive.

Coronavirus is waning in Scotland and the country has only reported three deaths in a month.
Since the Australian government slashed the international arrival cap from 6,500 per week to 4,000 per week in July, passenger culling has become the airline trend du jour.

On the one hand: carriers have a vested interest in keeping customers happy. On the other: they are trying to keep afloat during the most difficult period in commercial flyings history, amid strict government regulations.

This has led to the prioritisation of business class ticket holders, and a whole lot of bumping and shuffling.

Cue: chaos among returning Australian travellers and expats.

Australians like Jaynee Wehbe, global sales director at TRIANGL, who earlier this year was granted an exemption to leave the country to go to Ibiza and Italy on business, have been forced to book and rebook new tickets  at the pointy end  to ensure a flight home.

Jaynee told DMARGE in August: I think 90% of the flight on the way home was business. It was easier for me to use the economy toilets rather than business thats how empty economy was.

I only saw a handful of people in economy, mainly business and first class only.

Jaynee is far from alone. Australians like Jim Collins and his family, who in July had been trying to get home (to Australia) from the UK since March, told the ABC in July, Weve repeatedly tried to get flights  And every time weve been able to do that, the flights have been cancelled.

We were told that the flight had been cancelled But the flight actually went ahead.

Now it appears that its only if you can afford a first class ticket or a business class upgrade that youre being allowed in.

Last month, DMARGE reached out to Qatar Airways to seek comment on this phenomenon, after noticing a number of complaints (levelled at almost every airline still operating) on Twitter.

Just heard from a friend en route to Australia from U.S. that with flights limited to Sydney, Qatar Airways is only placing those who upgraded/paid for business class on those flights. Must be nice to be rich! Can you confirm this is your policy @qatarairways?  Mike Kalenderian (@ItsMikeKay) July 8, 2020

Qatar Airways told DMARGE: Due to the limitations on passengers travelling to Australian destinations, Qatar Airways analyses each flight on a case by case basis to ensure we facilitate onward travel to the final destination for as many passengers as possible.

The passenger list is continually assessed and based on a range of criteria, including compassionate and medical requests, connecting flights, booking class, party size etc. We continue to work closely with our passengers to find alternative flights if they are unable to travel on their original intended flight.

Qatar Airways last week added to this, with a public statement highlighting the challenges passenger caps bring, and explaining how the airline is tackling them.

Qatar Airways has been in regular communication with the Australian Government since the onset of the pandemic to provide, in addition to nine repatriation charters operated to/from Australia, extra capacity to help bring Australians home, Qatar Airways announced.

Due to the cap on international passengers, travelling to Australian destinations, based on limitations of quarantine facilities, Qatar Airways can only carry a limited number of passengers per day to all of its Australia destinations, resulting in thousands of Australian citizens and residents being unable to be accommodated on flights in the coming months.

Despite the challenges, Qatar Airways is operating a robust Australian network to five cities, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne (currently no inbound passengers permitted), Perth and Sydney to facilitate ongoing repatriation and is currently operating more flights than any other international airline.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) on Aug 30, 2020 at 9:04am PDT

Due to the dynamic nature of the pandemic, airlines operating flights to Australia have faced ever-changing restrictions, often imposed on short notice. Because of the continuous changes in restrictions as announced in Australia from time to time, passengers have experienced a cascading effect of restrictions affecting both previous existing bookings for flights scheduled during the first announced period of restrictions and new bookings that were made for flights scheduled for dates beyond the first announced restricted period, but are now included in the current extended restriction period, Qatar Airways added.

These combined restrictions have resulted in many passengers having their tickets rebooked onto later flights several times as demand exceeds the new caps announced.

With the recent extension of restrictions until late-October, Qatar Airways can only transport a maximum of approximately 4,500 passengers during this time. As a result, every day hundreds of people are advised that they cannot be accommodated on their booked flight and need to be rebooked for a later date where there may be availability. To further limit the impact of the restrictions, the airline has already stopped accepting any new bookings for flights to Australia until the current passenger cap is relaxed.

Qatar Airways remains disadvantaged in frequency and capacity in comparison to some airlines who have unrestricted or a large number of frequency and capacity and do not utilise in the time of need of the consumer causing further congestion and thus increasing the number of stranded consumers.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: Ensuring the continued repatriation of passengers to Australia is becoming increasingly challenging Given the restrictions, we cannot accommodate these passengers on an alternative flight the following day where we face the exact same issue so the problem continues to grow on a daily basis. We are working to prioritise cases that are emergencies or require urgent travel, but many cannot be immediately expedited.

While the airline realises the need for restrictions to limit the impact of any possible second wave of infections, many passengers will be unable to travel back to Australia for the foreseeable future.

Since April, we have been the leading airline carrying international traffic to and from Australia. While other airlines grounded operations, we kept flying, carrying almost 45% of international passengers in April and 34% in May, helping carry over 180,000 Australians and international travellers home. These flights have also helped maintain vital supply chains for Australian businesses with our airline carrying just over 15,000 tonnes of Australian goods since 1 March 2020. The continued operation of these flights is vital to the Australian economy as they maintain a much-needed link to the world and facilitate international exports, Mr. Akbar Al Baker added.

To conclude, here are the key facts.

Qatar Airways is allowed to carry a maximum of 30-50 passengers to Sydney, 40-45 to Perth, 25 to Brisbane and 60 to Adelaide each day while Melbourne remains closed to all inbound passengers.

While emergency cases are prioritised, thousands of passengers cannot be accommodated in the coming months due to the restrictions.

Despite other airlines suspending flights to Australia, Qatar Airways launched new services to Brisbane along with adding an extra 48,000 seats in April and May to help stranded passengers get home.

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A 26-year-old woman and her partner have been charged after they allegedly sneaked into New South Wales from Victoria illegally just days before she gave birth.

The woman, who was heavily pregnant, was part of a group of ten Malaysian nationals who were stopped a border checkpoint on the Murray Valley Highway, Euston, on August 17.

The group told police they intended to drive to Coffs Harbour, on the NSW Central Coast, from Victoria to find work as fruit pickers.

They were turned away and told they would need to fly into Sydney and quarantine in a hotel for 14 days at their own expense instead.

Two people, including a new mum, have been charged after they allegedly crossed the border illegally (pictured, the border checkpoint at Albury)

10 days after the crossing attempt, police in Coffs Harbour were alerted that the couple had presented at Coffs Harbour Hospital (pictured)

Australian state border restrictions Victoria: Completely open, but other states are banning residents from going there NSW: Border with Victoria is closed but others are open without restriction Queensland: Open to everywhere but Victoria, NSW, and the ACT Northern Territory: Open to everywhere but Victoria and Sydney, which must do hotel quarantine South Australia: Closed to Victoria, NSW arrivals must self-isolate, rest are open Tasmania: Closed to Victoria, everywhere else must do hotel quarantine Western Australia: Closed to everywhere without an exemption Advertisement

But just ten days later, police were alerted to a couple who allegedly crossed the border unlawfully - with the woman going to Coffs Harbour Hospital to give birth.

She was alleged accompanied by a 28-year-old man who had been with her during the failed border crossing attempt.

The woman was discharged from hospital on Monday and police issued the pair with Court Attendance Notices for not complying with noticed direction in regards to COVID-19.

The pair will appear in Coffs Harbour Local Court on September 14, 2020.

Eight other people were issued with fines in the last 24 hours.

One $1,000 fine was issued to a 25-year-old man who broke self-isolation directions after arriving to Sydney from Melbourne.

Two men, aged 22 and 25, were issued with $1,000 after police were called to a resort in Jindabyne on August 26.

Around 30 people are believed to have been partying inside the staff quarters of the resort.

More fines are expected to be issued in regards to this incident.

Fines were also issued in regards to parties in Lethbridge Park, Jerseyville and King Street Wharf, in Sydney's CBD.

The King Street Wharf incident involved a boat where at least 40 people were on board.

Officers determined the business's COVID Safety Plan was incomplete and the manager was fined $5,000.

The woman had told police she was going to pick fruit in Coffs Harbour, but gave birth in hospital just days later (stock image)

The NSW border with Victoria closed on July 7 at 11.59pm, meaning no one from Victoria can cross into the state without an exemption.

Exemptions include critical service providers such as miners, emergency service workers, anyone requiring medical treatment, children attending school and people who need to meet legal obligations.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced an easing of the border permit system with Victoria, as fierce debates rage on about the coronavirus closures.

Ms Berejiklian visited Albury on Tuesday to announce a 50km border buffer zone on either side to allow agricultural workers to cross into NSW more easily.

The permits are expected to be available for residents by Friday, making it easier to travel for work and ease 'angst and frustration' among locals.

But the same can't be said for Queensland, where premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed her state's border wouldn't open until at least October - despite the state economy hemorrhaging $17million a day.
Image courtesy: Unsplash

A migrant woman who tested positive to coronavirus has given birth to a baby on board a helicopter as she was flying to Sicily from the small southern Italian island of Lampedusa, the Sicilian regional government said on September 1.

The woman was staying at a migrant holding centre designed to hold about 100 people, which in recent days has been home to nearly 10 times as many due to a pickup in arrivals.

Since she was positive, health operators decided to transfer her to the Cervello hospital, in the Sicilian capital of Palermo, so that she could give birth in safety. Palermo is a one-hour flight from Lampedusa.

But there was no time. She gave birth on the helicopter as it was flying over the southern coast of Sicily, close to the city of Agrigento, a spokesman for the Sicilian government told Reuters.

The Sicilian and the national government have constantly been at loggerheads in the past weeks over the migrant issue, with Governor Nello Musumeci accusing Rome of not giving him enough help in dealing with the landings from Africa.

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

After a decline in recent years, those attempting the perilous journey to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy's shores increased again, despite Rome closing its ports to migrant boats because of the coronavirus.

Some 19,400 have landed so far in 2020, compared to around 5,200 in the same period last year, official data show.

Some 353 people rescued in the Mediterranean will soon arrive in Palermo and be transferred on a ship for quarantine, the Sea Watch charity said on Twitter, provoking the ire of right-wing League party leader Matteo Salvini.

"The League will sue the government for aiding and abetting illegal immigration if it allows these people to land," he wrote on Facebook.
An Indiana man is behind bars in Montgomery County, accused of sending an undercover detective more than 1,900 videos of child pornography.

James Lee Browning, 46, of Churobusco, Indiana, is being charged with promotion of child pornography, a second-degree felony, according to court records.

In May, a man identifying himself as Jim reached out to a Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constables detective who was conducting an investigation while posing as a Conroe woman on a popular social media app, a probable cause affidavit shows.

The conversation between Jim and the decoy, the affidavit details, quickly became sexually explicit.

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Love incest, Jim said in a message to the decoy, according to court records.

Then on May 18, Jim sent the decoy a cloud storage link containing 1,100 videos of child pornography. Three of these showed men making sexual contact with female toddlers, according to court documents.

The next day, Jim sent the decoy two more videos, one of which shows a man making sexual contact with a girl between 6 and 8 years. On May 22, Jim sent another six videos, one of which shows a woman making sexual contact with a boy between 4 and 6, according to the affidavit.

A batch of five child porn videos were sent four days later to the decoy by Jim, the affidavit continued.

MORE FROM JOSE R. GONZALEZ: 60-foot-long Lockheed jet seized by Montgomery County Pct. 2 Constables Office

Jim on June 10 sent the decoy another cloud storage link with several thousand images. Of these, 800 videos were viewed by the detective on the case, who determined they were child pornography. Additional child porn videos were sent to the decoy on June, 16, 20 and 23, according to court documents.

In one conversation with the decoy, Jim said he had made sexual contact with an infant, proceeding to send multiple photos of the baby, court records show.

Tying the social media user with the man in custody, were photo of Jim on the social media app and Brownings drivers license photo. The mans self-description  his nickname, employer, residential area, height and Zodiac sign  would later match up with public information available on Browning, according to court documents.

A couple of subpoenas sent between late May and mid June to the social media app and the internet provider Jim was using helped identify him as Browning, according to court records.

In early August, Browning was arrested in Allen County in Indiana. He is being held on a $50,000 bond at the Montgomery County Jail, according to jail records.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztx
Pakistan has blocked access to Tinder and other dating apps over allegedly 'immoral' and 'indecent' content

Pakistan on Tuesday blocked access to Tinder and several other dating apps in a bid to control "immoral" and "indecent" content, just days after regulators threatened to shut down YouTube for similar reasons.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said it had barred users from accessing Tinder, Grindr, SayHi, Tagged and Skout after the social networking apps failed to "moderate... content in accordance" with Pakistan's laws.

The PTA said the ban addressed the "negative effects of immoral/indecent content".

Shahzad Ahmad, director of digital rights group Bytes For All, slammed the PTA's "moral policing".

"If adults choose to be on an app, it is not for the state to dictate whether they should use it or not," Ahmad told AFP.

He described the ban as "a completely ridiculous move" that people would find ways to circumvent.

The PTA said the apps could request to have their blocks lifted if they show they are "moderating the indecent/immoral content through meaningful engagement".

The regulator did not specify what it meant by that engagement.

In a statement, Tinder said it would "welcome the opportunity to discuss our product and moderation efforts with the (PTA) and look forward to a meaningful conversation."

Last week, the PTA asked YouTube to immediately block all videos they consider "objectionable" from being accessed in the country.

The demand was criticised by rights campaigners who fear creeping censorship and control of Pakistan's internet and printed media.

And in July, authorities issued a final warning to Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, ordering it to filter any obscene content.

The Muslim-majority country has several existing or proposed restrictions that target free speech, usually in the name of Islam or national security.

wat-jf/ch
Unofficial Results In Montenegro's Parliamentary Elections Show Pro-Serbian Opposition Coalitions With Narrow Victory

By RFE/RL's Balkan Service August 31, 2020

PODGORICA -- A coalition led by the pro-Serbian Democratic Front (DF) and two other opposition coalitions have claimed victory over the ruling pro-Western party in parliamentary elections.

For the Future of Montenegro, together with the coalitions Peace is our Nation and Black and White, won 41 of 81 seats in the Balkan country's elections on August 30, according to preliminary unofficial results released by the Center for Monitoring and Research (CEMI) monitoring organization. The unofficial result is based on 88.4 percent of ballots from a sample of polling stations, CEMI said.

The preliminary unofficial results show the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the Bosniak and Albanian National Minority Party, the Social Democrat Ivan Brajovic, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) among the parties claiming the remaining seats.

CEMI Director Zlatko Vujovic noted that the results were unofficial but likely to be confirmed.

"Three opposition coalitions that have announced cooperation after the elections -- For the Future of Montenegro, Peace is our Nation, and Black and White -- will have at least 41 mandates," Vujovic said. "This is something that, most likely, will not be questioned, but we should wait for the State Election Commission."

That did not stop Zdravko Krivokapic, the leader of For the Future of Montenegro coalition, which wants closer ties with Serbia and Russia, from claiming victory.

"The regime has fallen," Krivokapic said. "People of Montenegro, freedom has happened!"

President Milo Djukanovic, leader of the DPS, which has governed Montenegro for 30 years, said his party will respect the results but did not concede.

"The struggle for the majority of parliamentary seats in the Montenegrin parliament is still going on," Djukanovic said. "We will wait for the final count and the official results to see which of the two political sides will have the decisive 41st mandate."

Djukanovic expressed hope that whoever forms the next government, Montenegro will remain on a path to join the European Union.

Election authorities said the turnout was nearly 75 percent.

The dominant theme of the campaign, which was mainly conducted online and on social media because of the coronavirus pandemic, was a religious law that the Serbian Orthodox Church says would strip the church of its property in the country.

The law, which came into force in January, says religious communities must prove property ownership from before 1918, the year when Montenegro joined the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and its church was subsumed by the Serbian Orthodox Church, losing all of its property in the process.

The Serbian Orthodox Church says the law is aimed at retaking its property and has held daily protests against it. Montenegrin officials have repeatedly denied the allegations.

Montenegro split from Serbia in a referendum in 2006 and further turned away from Belgrade and its Orthodox ally Russia, taking a pro-Western course and joining NATO in 2017.

The country has also been negotiating steps toward getting an official invitation from the EU for membership in the bloc.

Serbian nationalists in both countries have never fully recognized Serbia's separation from Montenegro, which they claim is a historic Serbian territory.

During the campaign, the support of the Serbian Orthodox Church was seen as a driving force behind some opposition parties, primarily the DF. The government directed the brunt of its campaign at the church and the opposition that supports it.

The political future of Djukanovic, who has overseen Montenegro's efforts to qualify for EU membership, could be at stake, though Djukanovic is not up for reelection for three more years.

The elections are the 11th since a multiparty system was established in Montenegro and the fifth since the country regained independence in 2006.

More than 2,000 observers, including 265 foreign monitors, followed the election. Some irregularities, such as voters lacking identification cards, were reported.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/30812282.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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Sylvester Hawk Francis, a chronicler of Black New Orleans life who as founder and curator of the Backstreet Cultural Museum became an important custodian of the city's culture, died Tuesday at Tulane Medical Center.

His death, confirmed by family members, was due to appendicitis. He was 73.

The two-room Treme museum that Francis founded in 1999 gave an inside look at the citys Black culture through resplendent Black-masking Indian suits, brightly colored second-line outfits and photos of musicians at work.

Until recent years, when he became hobbled by lung problems and a stroke, Francis could typically be found inside, climbing on ladders and moving around the contents of his collection. Outside, in the Treme neighborhood, he was a fast-moving blur who only had time for brief explanations, accompanied by his signature hand gestures.

Youd have to chase him to talk to him, said his old friend, the late Ronald Lewis, who used the Backstreet museum model, with Francis blessing, to found his own museum in the Lower 9th Ward, the House of Dance & Feathers.

His knowledge of the culture was encyclopedic. Hed come fast with the answer to anything, said snare drummer Renard Teedy Man Henry, 37, whose father, grand marshal, Osward Bo Monkey Jones, and uncle, Treme Brass Band leader Benny Jones were lifelong friends of Francis.

Starting in the late 1970s, Francis and his camera seemed to be present every time a grand marshal blew a whistle, an Indian shook a tambourine or a trumpeter and trombonist blew their horns. Between parades, he worked at Rhodes Funeral Home, washing cars and driving them whenever necessary.

The roots of the Backstreet began 40 years ago, after Francis paraded with Gentlemen of Leisure, a social aid and pleasure club. He didnt have a photo of himself in his outfit, but a photographer offered to sell him one for $35.

At that moment, he resolved that he would document the culture himself through video and photographs. He made two prints of every image, keeping one for his collection and giving the other to the person in the picture.

A gem in Treme, the Backstreet Cultural Museum honors African-American parading culture In a city with multiple world-class attractions and museums, there is an often overlooked gem on the edge of the French Quarter, that, accordi

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Not long afterward, he helped Victor Harris, Big Chief of the Spirit of Fi Yi Yi, to assemble a peacock-blue Indian suit, only to see the elaborate suit tossed into the backyard after Mardi Gras. It was a common practice at the time. But Francis salvaged it as his first museum item, in a two-car garage in the 2400 block of Frenchmen Street in the 7th Ward, where hed grown up. Neighbors began referring to it as the backstreet museum and his boss, Joan Rhodes, started sending tours there. When her family decided to get ride of the Blandin Funeral Home in Treme, they offered it to Francis.

The Backstreet may have been the only museum in town where the artists hung on the front steps and conversed with guests. On Tuesday evening, a brass band played for Francis and people danced near the makeshift shrine friends created in the museums porch.

Jerry Brock, who helped found WWOZ, watched from the street and recalled when Francis got the museum building from Rhodes and began to actively promote what is now called cultural tourism. Sylvester was a much-needed visionary presenting the art and artifacts of his culture.

He was a straight-up cool cat, said Lionel Nelson, 70, who comes from the musical Nelson family. He knew everyone, and the museum worked because of his connection to the community.

In paying respects to Francis and his family, Mayor LaToya Cantrell called Francis a culture bearer and historian for his neighborhood and the broader New Orleans community.

Our hearts are heavy today, said Cantrell in a prepared statement. We can thank 'Hawk' for maintaining the photographs, the costumes, the films, the memorabilia and the artifacts of New Orleans street culture, right in the heart of his beloved Treme neighborhood.

On Mardi Gras Day, Francis threw annual celebrations, with brass bands, Indians and baby dolls performing on his front porch. He also threw an annual All Saints Day parade, to pay respects to the recently deceased members of the citys cultural community. Though he was raised Catholic, Francis refused to pretend that the church owned the holiday.

It may be a Catholic holiday, but its a New Orleans tradition, he once said.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete. Among his survivors are his brother, Robert Francis, a daughter, Dominique and his son, Sylvester Jr.
US President Donald Trump has amplified his call for federal forces to help subdue protests in American cities, denouncing local Democratic leaders and fanning partisan tensions a day after a deadly clash between his supporters and social justice demonstrators in Oregon underscored the threat of politically motivated violence.

Scenes of Trump supporters firing paint and pellet guns at protesters during a "Trump cruise rally" caravan through downtown Portland, Oregon - a liberal bastion that has been the site of weeks of street demonstrations - raised the spectre that the summer of unrest had entered a new phase in which the president's backers are rallying to defend businesses and fight back against Black Lives Matter and other groups he has labelled "anarchists" and "terrorists".

One man, thought to be a member of a pro-Trump group, was shot and killed on Saturday night during the Portland unrest. In tweeting a video of the caravan on the move, Mr Trump called the participants "GREAT PATRIOTS!" The reaction marked a sharp contrast to his silence during a peaceful march on Friday in Washington, where some speakers denounced his leadership.

The violence has escalated as Mr Trump has seized on the social justice protests as a campaign wedge, attempting to tie Joe Biden to "radical" elements on the left. Eager to shift the political debate from the rising deaths and economic toll of the pandemic, Mr Trump has attacked Democratic mayors and governors for failing to quell protests, and he dispatched federal law enforcement authorities into cities to help arrest demonstrators.

This week, Mr Trump and Mr Biden will move to address the protests in a more prominent way. The police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black resident left paralysed, provoked street protests that culminated in the shooting deaths of two others.

Kyle Rittenhouse, a white 17-year-old who had illegally obtained a rifle, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the killings.

White House aides said Mr Trump will tour property damage and meet law enforcement officials, but they did not disclose any plans for the president to meet Mr Blake's family.

Meanwhile, Biden aides said the candidate, who had maintained a lean campaign schedule, was set to launch a more robust public presence last night with a speech to address Mr Trump's handling of the pandemic and his response to the social justice protests.

Trump aides, including White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, have asserted that the chaos will help his re-election bid. White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement: "This president has condemned violence in all its forms. Americans want peace in their streets and only President Trump has shown the courage and leadership to achieve law and order and deliver results." ( Washington Post)
SOFIA -- Prosecutors in Sofia confirm theyve suspended an investigation into the 2015 poisoning of a Bulgarian arms dealer that had been focusing on three suspected Russian agents.

The suspects include a Russian military intelligence general alleged to have commanded a team accused by Britain in the 2018 Novichok attack against former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

The suspension of the Bulgarian investigation comes after German doctors treating Aleksei Navalny in Berlin announced on August 23 that the Russian opposition leader had been poisoned with a substance similar to poison used in attacks against the Skripals and Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev.

Those charged in absentia in the Bulgaria case have been identified as Moscow residents Sergei Fedotov, Sergei Pavlov, and Georgy Gorshkov.

None have been questioned by the Bulgarian investigators.

The Britain-based open-source research group Bellingcat says it has confirmed that Sergei Fedotov is the false identity used by Denis Sergeyev -- a major general from an elite overseas clandestine-operations team that is part of Russias GRU military intelligence unit 29155.

Siika Mileva, a spokeswoman for the Prosecutor-General's Office in Sofia, told RFE/RL on September 1 that the suspension of the case does not mean the investigation has been terminated. She said it is possible for the investigation to be reopened in the future.

Bulgarian authorities have previously said they believe Gebrev, owner of the Bulgarian weapons firm EMCO Ltd.; his son, Hristo Gebrev; and company manager Valentin Takhchiev were targeted in a poisoning attack "by intoxication with an unidentified phosphorus-organic substance."

Gebrev and the two other victims fell ill after being poisoned in Bulgaria in 2015 but survived.

Gebrev told RFE/RL recently that he has a copy of an August 26 order from the Prosecutor-General's Office to suspend the case.

Gebrev quoted excerpts from the order that he said were "not right." But he did not provide RFE/RL with a copy of the entire document.
Two people are behind bars and others sought after police say they broke into a Pell City car dealership and made off with several new vehicles.

The suspects, said Pell City Police Chief Paul Irwin, then led officers on a two-county chase that began in St. Clair County and ended in Jefferson County.

The incident began about 8 a.m. Sunday when several people entered the parking lot of McSweeney Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram. Irwin said they broke into the dealership, took keys to vehicles and drove off with new Dodge Ram pickup trucks and a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

A suspect in a stolen 2020 Dodge Challenger from Georgia had dropped off the others at the dealership. When they left in the stolen vehicles, they headed westbound on Interstate 20. Pell City police and the St. Clair County Sheriffs Office responded to the crime.

Lawmen were able to stop the stolen Dodge Challenger as it, too, fled the scene. They took driver Timothy Floyd King, 50, of Birmingham, into custody. He is being held in the St. Clair County Jail on bonds totaling $150,000.

Irwin said officers continued to purse the stolen vehicles into Birmingham and Center Point, with assistance from Alabama State Troopers and Birmingham police. One of the vehicles was involved in an accident. The driver of that vehicle, 58-year-old Harold Lorenzo Carey, was also taken into custody. He is being held in the St. Clair County Jail on $150,000 bond.

Police were able to recover the two other stolen vehicles with the assistance of Birmingham police East Precinct officers. Several suspects remain at large.

When law enforcement agencies work together, as we did early on a Sunday morning, we can accomplish a lot towards removing these criminals from our streets,' Irwin said. These agencies worked together on what should have been a peaceful Sunday morning, pursuing criminals who came into our city and stole over $200,000 worth of vehicles which without the dedication and courage of these officers, we would not have recovered.

Anyone with information is asked to call Pell City Police at 205-884-3334.
Turkish troops parade atop armoured vehicles in the northern part of Nicosia, the capital of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on July 20, 2020, to mark the 46th anniversary of the Turkish invasion in 1974.

The United States announced Tuesday that it would lift for one year its three-decade-old arms embargo on Cyprus to allow "non-lethal" military goods to be sold to the Mediterranean island.

In a move which drew an immediate rebuke from Turkey, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades of the change in a phone call Tuesday.

From October 1, the US will remove blocks for one year on the sale or transfer of "non-lethal defense articles and defense services."

Pompeo also "reaffirmed US support for a comprehensive settlement to reunify the island," said State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus.

The announcement came amid a surge in tensions in the eastern Mediterranean between Turkey and Greece over maritime borders and gas drilling rights, which also involves Athens-allied Cyprus.

Both Greece and Turkey staged naval drills in the area to assert their sovereign claims, and the European Union warned Ankara Friday to pull back or face EU sanctions.

The United States imposed the arms embargo in 1987, in the hope that it could encourage the reunification of the island, about one-third of which is controlled by Turkey since a 1974 invasion.

But the embargo was counter-productive, simply pushing the Cypriot government to create alliances with other countries without making progress on reunification.

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez said the move recognized the importance of the US relationship with Cyprus, which he called "a reliable strategic partner for our nation."

"It is in our national security interest to lift these outdated decades-long arms restrictions and deepen our security relationship with the Republic of Cyprus," he said in a statement.

The Turkish foreign ministry said the US move "poisons the peace and stability environment in the region" and does "not comply with the spirit of alliance" between the United States and Turkey.

If Washington does not reverse course, the ministry said, "Turkey, as a guarantor country, will take the necessary decisive counter steps to guarantee the security of the Turkish Cypriot people, in line with its legal and historical responsibilities."

fff/pmh/jm
An era comes to an end with the demise of one of the greatest leader of the nations history - Pranab Kumar Mukherjee, the former President of India and stalwart of Indian politics. Pranab Da (Da means elder brother, as he was called, both affectionately and with respect) who was 84, breathed his last on Monday, 31st August 2020.

Early Life

Pranab Da was born as Pranab Kumar Mukherjee in Mirati, West Bengal in 11th December 1935. He was an Indian politician who served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until 2017. In a political career spanning five decades, Pranab Da was a senior leader in the Indian National Congress and occupied several ministerial portfolios in the Government of India. Prior to his election as President, Pranab Da was Union Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012. He was also awarded Indias highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna in 2019 by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.

Pranab Das father, Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee was deeply involved in Indias struggle for independence from Great Britain in the first half of the 20th century. A longtime member of the Indian National Congress (INC or Congress Party), Kamada Kinkar Mukherjee spent several years in prison as a result of his activities opposing British rule. However, after the independence of India, he held a seat in the state legislature of West Bengal. Pranab Da pursued his education from the Suri Vidyasagar College (then affiliated with the University of Calcutta). Later he earned an advanced degree in history and political science as well as a law degree from the university. In 1963 he accepted a teaching position at a small college near Calcutta (now Kolkata) that was associated with the university. He also became editor of a Bengali-language monthly periodical and, later, worked for a weekly publication.

Political Role & Stint in Politics

Pranab Da got his break in politics in 1969 when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi helped him get elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament of India, on a Congress ticket. Following a meteoric rise, he became one of Indira Gandhis most trusted lieutenants and a minister in her cabinet in 1973. Pranab Das service in a number of ministerial capacities culminated in his first stint as Finance Minister of India in 1982-84. He was also the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1985.

If Pranab Da had been the PM instead of Rajiv Gandhi, the country would have been a better place, this is what PM Narendra Modi quoted while rallying in Calcutta a few years back. PM Modi meant former president Pranab Kumar Mukherjee was sidelined from the Congress during the premiership of Rajiv Gandhi. That darkest reality will always be remembered as the nation mourns on the passing away of a great soul. In 1979, Pranab Da became the Deputy Leader of the INC in the Rajya Sabha, and in 1980 he was appointed Leader of the House. He was also considered as the top-ranking Indian cabinet minister and he presided over cabinet meetings in the absence of the Prime Minister. However, Pranab Da was sidelined from the INC following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Although Pranab Da was much more experienced in politics than Indira Gandhis son, Rajiv Gandhi, it was Rajiv who gained control. Also, it is widely believed that Pranab Da viewed himself (and not Rajiv Gandhi) as the rightful successor to Indira Gandhi following her assassination in 1984. This way, Pranab Da lost his position in the cabinet and was sent to manage the regional West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee. Thenceforth, he formed his party, the Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress, which merged with the Congress in 1989 after reaching a consensus with Rajiv Gandhi.

Under P.V. Narasimha Rao (who served until 1996) and the partys Manmohan Singh (who became prime minister in 2004), Pranab Da held most of the major ministerial portfolios in the cabinet: commerce (1993-95), external affairs (1995-96 and 2006-09), defence (2004-06), and finally back to finance (2009-12). He also occupied several important legislative posts, including leader of the Rajya Sabha (1980-84), Congress Party whip in the upper house (1996-2004), and leader of the Lok Sabha (2004-12). In addition to his government activities in India, Pranab Da was involved with a number of prominent international organizations, most notably occupying seats on the boards of governors of the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank during his two stints as finance minister. In June 2012 the Congress Party chose Mukherjee as its candidate for the Indian presidency. Because the office is nonpartisan, he resigned from the Lok Sabha and the party. He easily won the 19th July election and was sworn into office six days later. The presidency is viewed as a largely ceremonial post. However, observers noted that Pranab Da, with his decades of experience in government and politics, was more engaged in governance than most of his predecessors. In 2017 Pranab Das term as president ended, and he was succeeded by Ram Nath Kovind.

The nuclear agreement with the US

In the early 1980s, Pranab Da was the Finance Minister, and the grip over economic actors that he gained would remain handy for the rest of his life. He held the three of the four big portfolios - Defence, Finance and External Affairs. He signed the nuclear agreement with the United States in 2008. As the key interlocutor of the UPA with its allies on the issue, he carried the Left along until the last milestone. After the Left withdrew support to the government, the Samajwadi Party came to its rescue.

Bharat Ratna

In 2018, the Government of India announced Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honor of the country, for him. After being selected for India's highest civilian award, he expressed his gratitude on being conferred with the Bharat Ratna saying Ive received much more from the people and from this country than I have given to it.

Around the same time, he addressed a gathering of the RSS in Nagpur, in a stunning reincarnation of a man who had never let his intense religiosity impede his secular vision. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had pleaded with him to address the organizations conclave as President, but Pranab Da waited until after he left the office. He made a speech to RSS volunteers on nationalism that had a Rashomon effect on listeners - it was an endorsement of Hindutva nationalism and a critique of it at once. One could take what one wants.

Little about His Personal Life

Daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee lived with him in the last days. His wife Suvra Mukherjee had passed away in 2015. His son, Abhijit Mukherjee, was elected a Lok Sabha member once but his political career did not take off. Another son, Indrajit Mukherjee, has no public profile. A Bangla cultural aficionado, Pranab Da was extremely popular in Bangladesh also. He maintained close personal ties with Sheikh Hasina. Pranab Das ability and willingness to offer counsel to others extended to non-Congress leaders, including Narendra Modi when the latter was the Gujarat Chief Minister and after he became the Prime Minister too. Congress leaders have not been usually treated very kindly by PM Modi but Pranab Da was an exception.

Pranab Da once quoted As Indians, we must, of course, learn from the past; but we must remain focused on the future. In my views, education is the true alchemy that can bring India its next golden age. Though the nation has lost a true leader, there is still much left for us to learn from him.
Through the new-age labs of the future, it facilitates patients to have a lab at the comfort of their homes

DIVOC health has launched its first, one-of-a-kind, technologically advanced DIVOC laboratories in New Delhi to create the most advanced digital diagnostic laboratory network. Through the new-age labs of the future, it facilitates patients to have a lab at the comfort of their homes.

It has also introduced at-home, instant diagnostics which would allow phlebotomists to conduct testing and deliver results right away. The lab has collaborated with United Kingdom laboratories to bring 21st-century innovations into diagnostics. With faster results i.e within 20 minutes at home, DIVOC is also empowering and enabling the overall telemedicine segment in India.

This innovation will enable a new generation of medicine where the operations can extend into peoples homes and the diagnostic continuum can empower a truly connected, omnipresent vision of health. DIVOC laboratories offer more than 500 tests including Clinical Chemistry, Clinical Microbiology, Hematology, Serology, Clinical Microscopy, Cytopathology, and Molecular Biology.

DIVOC Laboratories offer more than 500 tests including Clinical Chemistry, Clinical Microbiology, Hematology, Serology, Clinical Microscopy, Cytopathology and Molecular Biology

DIVOC Laboratories has set up a state of the art facility in Okhla, New Delhi which can enable a variety of testing. Facilitating people with telemedicine, the lab of the future will provide Instant Home Kit, Drug Delivery and also, work with existing aggregators to provide Doctors. To bring the latest innovations, advanced concepts and technology for the benefit of clinics and patients, the Divoc labs focus on validation, knowledge management, new technology evaluation, new assay development, R&D and contract research.
During the Democratic Weekly Address, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) stated that the Senate must vote on the Houses Post Office bill to reverse changes made to the Post Office in order to save the Postal Service and protect our democracy.

Rosen was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are her words:

Hi, Im Senator Jacky Rosen, and Im proud to represent the great state of Nevada in our United States Senate.

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a devastating toll on our country. In every corner of America, people from all walks of life are struggling to get by.

However, as we work to address the viruss impacts, we cannot ignore the growing issues surrounding the Postmaster Generals actions at the United States Postal Service.

The USPS plays a critical role in the lives of countless Americans.

Our postal workers, they deliver life-saving VA medications to our veterans, they ensure that seniors receive their social security checks, they provide access to essential supplies in communities of color, including our tribal communities, and for our small businesses, especially those in our rural communities, the Postal Service may be the only way that they can conduct business.

Not to mention, we have an election quickly approaching where many Americans plan to vote by mail, making timely mail delivery critical, critical, for our democracy.

But under Postmaster General DeJoys leadership, we have seen a shocking mismanagement of this critical service. Across the country, weve seen mail delays, sorting machines removed from post offices, and postal workers whove had their overtime slashed. All of these changes are occurring under the Postmaster Generals watch.

Ive personally received thousands of letters from Nevadans who are outraged, outraged, at whats happening. One letter in particular stands out, its from a proud veteran of the United States Air Force who currently lives here in Las Vegas.

And just like other veterans, his medications, well they come through the mail. Any disruption in receiving them would put his health at risk. He says that the changes under the Postmaster Generals watch are an uncaring politically motivated move that puts the health and wellbeing of all veterans in jeopardy.

I took what this Veteran, my constituent, said to heart, and during a recent Senate hearing, I asked Mr. DeJoy to explain the reckless and dangerous changes that have occurred under his leadership.

When I asked him to provide any analysis regarding the impact his policies would have on veterans, seniors, and rural communities, he said NO.

When I asked him to provide details about board meetings in which these harmful decisions were made he said NO.

I asked him for transparency and he looked me and the American people watching in the eye, and he said NO. He said NO when I asked him to justify the destruction he has caused. And he said NO to ensuring that such problems never happen again.

If we want to fix these issues, then we need to know the data behind his decisions. The Democratic Caucus and I are demanding immediate transparency and the reversal of harmful operational changes. My constituents and all Americans deserve nothing less. The Senate must now vote on the House-passed USPS bill, which reverses Mr. DeJoys destructive changes, in order to save the Postal Service and protect our democracy.

Whether its confronting COVID-19 or the Postmaster General, we need leaders who will listen, who will take action, the American people depend on that, are depending on us, and thats what Im going to continue to do.

We will keep fighting for the truth and transparency, and we will keep fighting for the American people.

Thank you.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Health Minister Hala Zayed said that Egypt is in talks with six countries who are among the early candidates to produce a coronavirus vaccine

This week Egyptian government officials said that Egypt would make sure to provide any reliable vaccines against the new coronavirus once one is available, tested and proven.

Health Minister Hala Zayed said that Egypt is in talks with six countries who are among the early candidates to produce a coronavirus vaccine, to ensure that Egypt is among the first countries to access this vaccine.

A government official said that the vaccine that Russia had said that it has produced is on the list, but that Egypt would wait for sufficient confirmation that it works well enough and is safe enough before booking its batches.

Russia announced in August that it had created a two-phase vaccine that works well against COVID-19. The vaccine was registered prior to completing stage three of clinical trials, which raised some concerns about its potential safety.

At a press conference last week, the scientific research lab and the pharmaceutical company responsible for the adenovirus vaccine said they were confident that they are on the right track.

According to the information shared in the press conference, the new vaccine is a two-injection process, each taken 21 days apart. The basic idea of its technique is to better equip the human body to evenly produce the necessary antibodies to stop COVID-19 before it causes organ failure. This results if the vierus manages to trick the immune system to delay its response, which then causes an excessive release of antibodies that harms the organs without controlling the virus itself.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russias sovereign wealth fund, and the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, have dubbed their new product the Sputnik V vaccine.

This week, according to a press release, a previously planned post-registration, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre clinical study of the efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of the Sputnik V vaccine will begin in Russia, simultaneously with the vaccination of volunteers from risk groups. More than 40,000 people will take part in the study at more than 45 medical centres.

And while the researchers and producers defended their work against scepticism over the limited volume of clinical trials prior to the registration of the new vaccine, they said that, inevitably, the technique used in this new vaccine is an upgrade of previous work that has been adopted for other adenovirus vaccines.

They argued that the US army, from 1971 to the present day, has widely used human adenovirus vaccines, and that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved human adenovirus vaccines in 2011. They also said that an anti-cancer drug based on human adenoviral vectors has been used to treat more than 30,000 patients in China.

They argued that this new sophisticated technology would help produce vaccines for future viruses that might arise as a result of expanding contact between humans and wild animals.

According to the director of the Gamaleya institute, Alexander Gintsbrug, the institute used two human adenoviruses serotypes, number 5 (Ad5) and number 26 (Ad26), which has a clear advantage over the one-vector approach used by other developers.

He added that human adenoviral vectors are being used in the development of vaccines against the coronavirus by the world's leading pharmaceutical companies.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said that, in a response to a flurry of questions, the bodies have launched a website to provide information on the history and testing of the vaccine -- sputnikvaccine.com.

At a joint press conference conducted by Dmitriev and Gintsbrug via videoconference upon the registration of the vaccine, they indicated interest from several countries in the vaccine, and spoke of possible cooperation with several pharmaceutical companies around the world to produce and distribute it.

Meanwhile, in an interview on Egyptian channel DMC, Rana ElHaggie, a WHO official, said that the company that is producing the new vaccine has considerable pharmaceutical credibility but that the third level of testing on the vaccine is still underway and caution should still prevail.

On Monday, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko announced that the first batches of the vaccine will begin delivery in September.

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Gibson & Hetherington Luxury Properties is a property management and marketing company at heart. They manage and market over 150 Luxury Villas, Homes, and Boutique Resorts. They cover everything from check-in to check out so that their clients do not have to worry about their transactions. They can also completely set up and run their clients' marketing portfolio to let their clients focus on other aspects of their businesses.

Gibson & Hetherington prides itself on its tried and tested systems and processes that provide their clients with greatly improved net profits. They also guarantee that they will only accept payments when they have already delivered what they promise.

The company began at a small coffee shop meeting in Columbus, Ohio, between two like-minded individuals who shared one common vision. One of whom is Ryan Gibson, who came from the corporate management world, while the other one is Will Hetherington, who went from a real estate background with one of the top real estate sales teams in the area.

After that fateful meeting, they decided to take the leap in starting the best short term and corporate housing management company in the world. Thus, Gibson & Hetherington Luxury Properties was born. Today, Gibson & Hetherington consistently outperforms every competitor in each business sector that they expand into.

Gibson & Hetherington continually learns from other businesses in real estate and various other sectors in order to provide the best possible service to their clients. The company has managed to create an entire industry all on its own, becoming the first-ever Short Term Rental Agency out there. Their results are backed by the best statistics that any company has ever achieved in the industry. Not to mention, they also have the best relationships with their clients ensuring a smooth experience all throughout.

Property Managers, Real Estate Investors, Short Term Rental companies, and Hotels alike have greatly benefitted through the amazing services provided by Gibson & Hetherington. As they drive fantastic results for their clients, they not only focus on the monetary aspect of a transaction but also make sure to include the human aspect.

The company takes pride in the value that they have brought upon their many clients. Having helped various clients elevate their business to greater heights, Gibson & Hetherington have slowly eliminated negative connotations towards short-term rentals.

Eventually, Ryan and Will want to take the company in a different direction that allows them to give back to the community. They want to transition and expand into philanthropy while maintaining their steady expansion towards other business sectors. Their mission at its core has always been to serve others, which is why they want to help even more people through different means.

They are also focusing on a side business that helps other entrepreneurs get into real estate and the short-term rentals industry. Ryan and Will believe that the first step towards success starts with investing in oneself. It's never going to be easy, but with a shift in one's mindset, the greater purpose will eventually surface, and with it will come true success.

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Company: Gibson & Hetherington Luxury Properties

Email: Ryan@ghluxproperties.com

Phone Number: 614-551-0205

Website: www.ghluxproperties.com

SOURCE: Gibson & Hetherington Luxury Properties

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604232/Gibson-Hetherington-Luxury-Properties-A-Cut-Above-the-Rest
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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 17:36 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41fd9fc 1 National COVID-19-vaccine,Merah-Putih-vaccine,Joko-Widodo,Jokowi,Eijkman-Institute Free

Indonesia aims to begin producing its locally developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate by the middle of 2021, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said during a limited Cabinet meeting at the Bogor Palace, West Java, on Tuesday.

The President claimed the national consortium tasked with developing the potential vaccine was currently in the process of making "vaccine seeds".

"The process is 30 to 40 percent done," he said, expressing hope that clinical trials could begin early next year.

"God willing, the vaccine will be ready for production by the middle of 2021," Jokowi said.

Named after the color of Indonesia's flag, the Merah Putih (red and white) vaccine candidate is being developed by a national consortium under the Research and Technology Ministry, led by the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology.

Read also: Indonesia secures massive supply of potential COVID-19 vaccine until end of 2021

The team, comprising around 10 young researchers, is developing a vaccine specifically for the strain of the virus that has spread in Indonesia.

Eijkman director Amin Soebandrio said previously that the Merah Putih vaccine candidate was expected to cover at least 50 percent of Indonesia's vaccine needs.

Indonesia has also secured 290 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, to be delivered until the end of next year, following recent ministerial visits to China and the United Arab Emirates.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi previously revealed that the country had secured a commitment to be sent 20-30 million doses of potential vaccines by the end of this year, some 80-130 million doses in first quarter of next year and 210 million doses for the remainder of 2021.

Among the suppliers is China's pharmaceutical Sinovac Biotech, which has been closely cooperating with Indonesia to develop its vaccine candidate. Together, they began phase III clinical trials of the vaccine candidate in August, with tests being carried out on 1,620 volunteers in Bandung, West Java.
Nicola Sturgeon today vowed a fresh push for Scottish independence with a law laying out the timetable for a referendum.

The First Minister stoked the raging constitutional row as she unveiled her programme for government, including a Bill that will state the question that would be put to voters north of the border.

Ms Sturgeon said at next year's Holyrood election she will 'make the case for Scotland to become an independent country, and seek a clear endorsement of Scotland's right to choose our own future'.

But critics accused her of 'politics of division', insisting she should be focusing on the coronavirus crisis rather than trying to tear up the union.

Nicola Sturgeon (pictured on a visit to an NHS centre in Edinburgh today) has vowed a fresh push for Scottish independence with a law laying out the timetable for a referendum

The Bill will set out the question that would be asked if another referendum is signed off by Westminster - something Boris Johnson (pictured with Rishi Sunak in Downing Street today) has insisted will not happen

Announcing her legislative agenda, she said suppressing Covid-19 is 'our most immediate priority - and it will remain so for some time', but her Government would use the disruption of the pandemic to 'rethink how we do things'.

Addressing the 'self-sabotage' of Brexit, Ms Sturgeon said leaving the EU 'strengthens the case for Scotland becoming an independent country'.

Unveiling the Programme for Government, the First Minister told MSPs that if she had free reign it would also outline plans for an extension to the furlough scheme, more borrowing, a looser immigration system and a universal basic income.

She said a new draft Bill will be drawn up setting out the timing and terms for a new independence referendum, as well as the question to be asked to voters if it is given the green light by Westminster - something Boris Johnson has insisted will not happen.

She added: 'Then, at next year's election, we will make the case for Scotland to become an independent country and seek a clear endorsement of Scotland's right to choose our own future.'

The high-stakes battle over the future of the union has been escalating, with polls showing the coronavirus crisis has boosted support for independence north of the border.

Ms Sturgeon previously claimed she had put aside the issue during the chaos, with planning for a fresh vote 'paused', but has faced accusations of trying to use the situation for political advantage.

In the 2014 referendum - billed as a once-in-a-generation decision - Scots voted by a convincing margin of 55-45 per cent to stay in the UK.

But a Panelbase poll last month found the mirror opposite.

When undecided voters were excluded, 55 per cent favoured Scotland leaving the UK, with 45 per cent preferring to stay in the union.

Overall, 51 per cent of those questioned said they support independence, 42 per cent said they would vote to stay in the UK and 7 per cent of voters were undecided.

The traction for Ms Sturgeon's separatist cause has sparked growing alarm in Westminster.

A Panelbase poll last month found when undecided voters were excluded, 55 per cent favoured Scotland leaving the UK, with 45 per cent preferring to stay in the union

Rishi Sunak was dispatched to Scotland earlier this month to stress the scale of the financial support allocated by Westminster.

Figures published last week showed funding allocated to Scotland is much higher per person than that for England.

Spending on public services is equivalent to 14,829 per person there, some 1,633 per person higher than the UK average.

In another sign of the government's determination to strengthen the bonds of union, Mr Johnson spent his 'staycation' north of the border with fiancee Carrie Symonds and their baby Wilfred.

Ms Sturgeon was branded 'petty' yesterday for demanding the words 'UK' and 'Britain' are dropped from the branding for a nationwide festival.

The Scottish Government has objected to the working title of 'UK Festival 2022' for the event - aimed at celebrating the best of Britain.

Initially announced by former Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018, planning is well under way for the 120million celebration.

At the time, Mrs May said it would help to strengthen 'our precious Union' with events to take place across the four nations.
In the early stages of the pandemic, weekly spending at cafes in NSW slumped to 40 per cent lower than what was normal before the crisis.

Now demand has bounced back as people continue to work from home.

AlphaBeta's real-time 'spending tracker' shows cafe purchases across the state are now higher than before the coronavirus hit.

In this episode, senior journalist Jacqueline Maley is joined by senior economics journalist Matt Wade to discuss how the pandemic is shifting consumer behaviour and how it affects the economy.
In recent weeks, Turkish and Greek warships have shadowed each other in the eastern Mediterranean while the leaders from the two countries engaged in angry rhetoric. The armed forces of Greece and Turkey have also conducted exercises in the seas between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete.
Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz confirmed last night from Abu Dhabi that the Israeli and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) delegations are discussing the establishments of embassies. "Before arriving here [at the negotiation table] I met for over an hour with the foreign minister of the Emirates, and here we are with a team of their Foreign Ministry. We are talking mostly about two issues. We are discussing the signature of all of the agreements that will enhance cooperation between the two countries, and we are talking about the establishment of embassies."

Speaking to Israels public broadcaster Kan, Ushpiz said that the Israeli Embassy would be located in Abu Dhabi, and believes the UAE Embassy would probably be located in Tel Aviv. "The chemistry in these talks is completely different from other diplomatic discussions. What we have here are two sides that now meet officially, after more than 20 years of meetings behind closed doors. In my meeting with UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash, as in the meetings here inside the room, what keeps being repeated is that 'we want to wrap this up quickly.'"

According to reports in the Israeli press, flights from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi are expected to be established within a few months. Ushpiz told the press, Movement of people, goods and finance is the central key to realizing the great potential in the relations." An unnamed Emirati diplomat told the Israeli press she expects many locals to visit Israel when there are regular flights between the countries.

Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he extended an invitation for a UAE delegation to visit Israel. Well give them the same red carpet [greeting] they gave us, said Netanyahu, explaining that the invitation was extended by national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, who heads the Israeli delegation. Netanyahu did not say whether the UAE accepted the invitation, but noted, "I have asked the [Israeli] delegation to work as fast as possible to nail down the peace deal with the UAE.  [Peace] will be a different peace  this will be a warm peace, a peace that will bring the two peoples together.

The Israeli and American delegations that arrived to Abu Dhabi Aug. 31 are expected to return tonight, wrapping up talks in the fields of diplomacy, finances, health, space, science, investments, innovation and commerce. Ushpiz said that the word "weapons" had not come up in the talks.

UAE Foreign Ministry Director of Policy Planning Jamal al-Musharakh said today that normalization of ties between the two countries will not be reversed if Israel extends its sovereignty to parts of the West Bank.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle today urged MPs not to use parliamentary privilege to name a Tory MP arrested on suspicion of rape.

The Commons Speaker said that the MP in question had voluntarily agreed not to attend the House of Commons while he is on bail.

Sir Lindsay said it would be 'wholly inappropriate' for any MP to make an attempt to name the suspect while a police investigation is ongoing.

The alleged victim of the Tory MP arrested on suspicion of rape had called for his identity to be made public when Parliament returned today.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle today told MPs it would be 'wholly inappropriate' for an MP to name the Tory MP arrested on suspicion of rape

A former minister who is in his 50s was arrested earlier this month after the police received allegations of rape and sexual assault in four separate incidents.

A former Commons researcher, who is in her 20s, claimed she required hospital treatment after one alleged assault.

The Conservative Party has refused to suspend the MP whose identity has not been made public and who is currently on bail while police investigate. The MP denies the allegations made against him.

Tory chiefs have insisted the issue should be left to the police, saying that withdrawing the party whip would identify him.

In a statement to the Commons, Sir Lindsay discouraged MPs from using parliamentary privilege to name the senior Tory MP who was arrested.

Sir Lindsay said: 'The House will know that a member has been arrested in connection with an investigation into an allegation of a very serious criminal offence.

'I have received assurances from the member and the Government Chief Whip that the member has voluntarily agreed not to attend the House of Commons for the period of the bail.

'I, the House of Commons Commission and the House service take the safety of our staff and the parliamentary community as a whole very seriously, and ensuring any necessary measures are taken in respect of MPs and employers and staff.'

The Commons Speaker added: 'While the investigation is ongoing, I believe it would be wholly inappropriate for any further reference to be made to this matter in the House, including any attempt to name the member concerned.

'I would appreciate your co-operation on this matter.'

MPs and peers have previously used parliamentary privilege to identify high-profile individuals facing allegations of misconduct.
The Queensland government give thousands of metal mine and quarry workers free chest x-rays and restrict dust levels at mines in a bid to cut high levels of lung disease.

Mines and Natural Resources Minister Anthony Lynham says the mandatory measures implemented on Tuesday are aimed at protecting workers from illnesses like black lung disease and silicosis.

Queensland has recorded 169 cases of mine-dust lung disease since 1984, but only nine cases were recorded before 2014, according to state government data.

The Queensland government give thousands of metal mine and quarry workers free chest x-rays and restrict dust levels at mines in a bid to cut high levels of lung disease (file picture)

Another 36 people were diagnosed between February and July this year.

Mandatory lung screenings are already offered to 37,000 coal miners in the state. They are now being extended to 15,000 workers at quarries and metalliferous mines, where iron ore, copper, tin, nickel, gold, silver and zinc are extracted.

Miners' lungs will be screened when they start their careers and at least once every five years after that.

After they leave the industry, workers will be offered free respiratory health checks for life.

'The most important resource to come off a mine site every day is a worker,' Dr Lynham said in a statement.

'Queensland now has the toughest mine safety and health laws in the world - including the offence of industrial manslaughter.'

The state government has also slashed the amount of dust allowed at mines sites across Queensland.

The limit for respirable coal dust has been cut more than 60 per cent, from 2.5 to 1.5 milligrams per cubic metre.

The permissible level of silica dust has been slashed by 95 per cent to 0.005 milligrams per cubic metre.
A protester holds up an image of Chinese leader Xi Jinping printed on fake Chinese currency and urging the Philippines to cancel loans from Beijing, during a demonstration in Manila, April 9, 2019.

The Philippines is not a vassal state of any foreign power and wont cut business ties with Chinese firms that Washington has blacklisted for their roles in Beijings militarization of the South China Sea, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday.

The Philippine government will work with these Chinese companies because it is in the national interest to complete flagship infrastructure projects in the country involving these firms, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said during a virtual press briefing. Both the Philippines and China are among countries with contending territorial claims in the South China Sea.

I will be categorical. [The] Sangley project will continue [and] all other projects involving Chinese companies that are banned in the U.S. can continue in the Philippines, Roque said. We are not a vassal state of any foreign power and we will pursue our national interest.

The construction of an international airport in Sangley, a project valued at U.S. $10 billion, involves the Beijing-controlled China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), one of 24 Chinese firms and individuals that were placed on a list of sanctions by the United States on Aug. 26, for what Washington said was their role in constructing artificial islands in the South China Sea.

According to Roque, Duterte stated firmly at a cabinet meeting on Monday night that it was in the Philippines interest to complete the airport and other infrastructure projects.

[T]he president was clear, he will not follow the directive of the Americans because we are a free and independent country, and we need Chinese investments, Roque told reporters.

According to the Philippine government, in addition to the Sangley project, the CCCC has secured memorandums of understanding for five other local infrastructure projects in Davao, Cebu and the former Clark U.S. Air Force base north of Manila.

Dutertes decision to keep business relations intact with U.S.-blacklisted Chinese firms came after Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said on Friday he would strongly recommend that the government cut links with Chinese firms, if they were found to be linked to Beijings efforts to expand its military footprint in the South China Sea.

Apart from the Philippines and China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have territorial claims in the South China Sea.

In July, the U.S. declared that Beijings claims to nearly all of the South China Sea on the basis of historic rights were unlawful.

The Chinese firms and individuals that were blacklisted last week are involved in reclamation activities in the waterway, the U.S. said when announcing the sanctions.

American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the sanctioned firms and individuals were involved in Chinas extensive dredging campaign in the South China Sea. He also accused China of destroying the marine environment in parts of the sea through its efforts to build military bases.

Since 2013, the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] has used its state-owned enterprises to dredge and reclaim more than 3,000 acres on disputed features in the South China Sea, destabilizing the region, trampling on the sovereign rights of its neighbors, and causing untold environmental devastation, Pompeo said.

The PRC must not be allowed to use CCCC and other state-owned enterprises as weapons to impose an expansionist agenda. The United States will act until we see Beijing discontinue its coercive behavior in the South China Sea, and we will continue to stand with allies and partners in resisting this destabilizing activity.

Chinese takeover of Philippine waters

Pamalakaya, a group representing fishermen on Manila Bay, meanwhile has warned that the Sangley airport project threatens the livelihood of fishermen on the island of Cavite and could be a prelude to a Chinese takeover of Philippine waters.

The group also used strong words to describe the CCCC, saying its intentions are not honorable.

Dont compromise the sovereignty, environment, and most especially the socio-economic rights of tens of thousands of Caviteno fishermen to pave way for a mega project of an established Chinese plunderer and aggressor, Pamalakaya said in a statement.

We call on Governor [Jonvic] Remulla not to lay open Manila Bay to a Chinese firm that is involved in a massive reclamation and construction of military facilities in the West Philippine Sea, Pamalakaya head Fernando Hicap added, using the Filipino name for the South China Sea.

Hicap, who lives on the Cavite coast, said about 26,000 fishing families could be displaced by the airport project once it is completed.

We humbly appeal to the incumbent governor of Cavite to completely terminate the airport project, he said. The people of Cavite, most especially the fisherfolk, the coastal population, do not need an airport, but a coastal community integrated to a sustainable livelihood.

For now, though, the joint venture airport project between CCCC and Filipino firm MacroAsia is in its last stages and is scheduled to be finished soon, Remulla said last week.

He added that the local government would immediately end the project if Duterte or the defense department asked it to do so.

Opposition figure unhappy with Dutertes decision

Risa Hontiveros, a senator from the opposition in the Philippines, doesnt agree with Dutertes decision. She alleged that there might be collusion between the Beijing-run firms blacklisted by the U.S. and Filipino officials in Chinas construction of artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.

Hontiveros has asked the Senate to investigate these connections.

Its been recently revealed that Chinese companies that participate in the building of military islands in the West Philippine Sea have projects with the Philippine government, so it is not hard to suspect dubious engagement by either party, Hontiveros told reporters.

She said Chinas construction of artificial islands was a threat to the security of the Philippines, adding that intelligence officials had said these islands were being used as outposts of the Chinese maritime militia to allegedly harass Filipino fishermen.

It is alarming that the island bases have put the Philippine archipelago within range of Chinese combat aircraft and bombers, Hontiveros said. This is a clear threat to our national security.

Luis Liwanag and Jojo Rinoza contributed to this report from Manila and Dagupan, Philippines.
Interior minister says Mahmut Ozden had been receiving orders from Iraq and Syria to carry out an attack in Turkey.

Turkish police have arrested ISILs (ISIS) top figure in Turkey and suspect that the armed group planned to carry out attacks.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Tuesday said the operation to capture the suspect, identified as Mahmut Ozden, was launched after security forces recently detected an increase in activity by the groups fighters based in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

Daeshs so-called emir of Turkey was captured and remanded in custody with important plans, Soylu said on Twitter, using the Arabic acronym for the group.

He had been constantly receiving orders from both Iraq and Syria to carry out an attack in Turkey, Soylu later told reporters, adding that suspects linked to him were currently under interrogation.

Intelligence and counterterrorism police caught Ozden in an operation in the southern city of Adana and he was brought to Istanbul where he was formally arrested, Anadolu news agency reported.

That raid took place following the arrest of an ISIL suspect in Istanbul last week believed to have been carrying out reconnaissance for a potential attack, Anadolu said.

It said an assault rifle was found in a search of that suspects hotel room and it was determined that he received orders from Ozden, leading to the latest operation.

Soylu said seized digital materials also revealed there were plans to kidnap Turkish political and state figures and take them to Syria.

Turkish police sporadically carry out raids targeting ISIL. On July 19, they detained 27 people in Istanbul suspected of links to the group and of preparing an attack.

ISIL has conducted numerous attacks across Turkey, including on a nightclub in Istanbul on January 1, 2017, in which 39 people were killed, and a bombing in the citys historic heart that killed 12 in 2016.
A lack of accountability in the cases of journalists who disappear is chilling for press freedom and devastating for the journalists families, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today in launching the #MissingNotForgotten campaign .

Marking the International Day of the Disappeared yesterday, CPJ launched the campaign to pressure authorities to investigate the cases of at least 64 journalists missing globally, particularly those who have disappeared in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon during years of regional conflict  nearly one-third of the global total.

An interactive map features journalists who went missing in the Middle East, and each day of the 19-day campaign, CPJ will feature one of their stories . First to be featured is Samir Kassab , a Lebanese photographer who vanished in 2013 while reporting in the Syrian city of Aleppo. CPJ published a video interview with Kassabs siblings who describe how he was a role model.

The #MissingNotForgotten campaign will shine a light on brave journalists like Samir Kassab and pressure authorities with the power to investigate, because their families have a right to the truth, said Courtney Radsch, CPJs advocacy director. Journalists disappearances result in important stories going untold. And by leaving so many questions unanswered, governments send a clear message to the working press that they too can be silenced.

Conflict in Syria and Iraq has resulted in high numbers of journalists missing, imprisoned, or killed. Since 2011, at least 137 journalists have been killed in Syria, while since 2003, at least 189 have been killed in Iraq. Scores have also been forced into exile . While the majority of disappearances are journalists who go missing in their own country, Syria has the highest number of missing foreign journalists .

Persistent violent conflict is not the only backdrop for journalists disappearances. In November 2017, journalist Azory Gwanda disappeared while working in rural Tanzania. Haitian freelance photojournalist Vladjimir Legagneur was last seen by his wife on March 14, 2018, when he left their home in the capital of Port-au-Prince. Authorities have failed to complete credible investigations into either journalists fate.

CPJ has consistently called for investigations into these disappearances, including at the United Nations and during international missions. CPJ Emergencies provides safety advice and assists journalists in distress, recently helping around 60 Syrian journalists and their families escape dangerous conditions and resettle in Europe.
Description

GIS  1 September 2020: Mauritius is reopening its borders in three phases and the protection of the population remains the priority in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first phase comprises the repatriation of Mauritians stranded abroad which will continue until 30 September 2020. Arriving passengers will continue to be quarantined in the centers made available by the State.

The second phase will start on 01 October 2020 during which travel to and from certain destinations will be allowed. Access to the Mauritian territory will be authorised to passengers abiding by sanitary protocols. Online booking for airline tickets and hotel room reservations would be available. However, priority will be given to Mauritian nationals, licensed residents, those employed in Mauritius and other visitors wishing to travel to Mauritius.

The third phase of reopening the borders will be determined in the light of the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citizens who are directly affected by the restrictions, currently put in place, including hotel taxis and tourist operators, will continue to receive financial assistance from the Government.
The trespasser was eventually apprehended and identified as 42-year-old Alabama man Richard McGuire. He has now been charged and faces up to 12 months in jail

Police bodycam video shows cops searching Disney World's shuttered Discovery Island in search of a trespasser who was camped out there during the coronavirus lockdown.

Cops swarmed the 11-acre island on April 30 after the trespasser, who documented his adventure on Youtube, was captured on security camera wandering around the abandoned tourist attraction.

Discovery Island, which is located in the middle of Disney's Bay Lake and only accessible by boat, was closed to the public in 1999.

It was once home to animal exhibits and popular walking trails, but is now full of overgrown foliage, decaying buildings and rusted-out cages.

Footage shows the cops wandering around the island with their guns drawn as they yell out to the trespasser to surrender.

'This is the best game of hide-and-seek ever,' one officer can be heard saying as he looks through empty animal enclosures.

'Dude, this is sketchy,' his partner replies.

However, police failed to locate the trespasser on the island, but were waiting to apprehend him later that evening as he made his way back to the mainland.

He was identified as 42-year-old Alabama man Richard McGuire and was charged with trespassing at Disney. He faces up to 12 months in jail, according to Click Orlando.

Police bodycam video shows cops searching Disney World's shuttered Discovery Island in search of a trespasser who made it his home during the coronavirus lockdown

Discovery Island, which is located in the middle of Disney's Bay Lake and only accessible by boat, was closed to the public in 1999.

Given that the entire Disney World resort was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, McGuire was able to gain access to the empty theme park under the cover of darkness by using a small motorized boat to reach the island.

He even documented the adventure on his camera phone and posted several videos to his YouTube channel.

In one video, McGuire even claims he has been a frequent visitor to the abandoned island for more than a decade.

'You guys, if you all ever do this, be respectful to the next people who are explorers,' he states.

'If you have a fire, make sure you put it out the next day. I've been doing this since 2004 and I've never caught anything on fire.'

McGuire also recorded police searching for him on the morning of April 30, with helicopters heard hovering overhead as cops combed the island to apprehend him.

'The island is surrounded,' he whispers to viewers in that clip.

McGuire documented the adventure on his camera phone and posted several videos to his YouTube channel. One clip showed him hiding in overgrown foliage while cops searched for him close by (pictured)

Police pushed through overgrown foliage to search through decaying buildings and rusted-out cages on the 11-acre island

Treasure Island was a popular attraction at Disney World prior to its closure in 1999. An old map is pictured

Cops failed to find on the island, but he was detained late on the evening of April 30 after making his way back to the mainland, claiming he was 'flat wore out'.

McGuire claimed he planned to stay on the island 'for about a week' before his fatigue set in and he handed himself in.

He was taken into custody and charged with the misdemeanor offense before being released on bail.

McGuire is still taking to YouTube to talk to viewers about his time on the island.

In a recent clip uploaded late last month he stated: ''Luckily, I've already taken my daughter Disney World before I got a life ban.

'Who wouldn't want to go and have it all to themselves?'

He later told local news network WESH that the manhunt to find him 'felt like a scene from the movie 'The Fugitive.

'I never expected it to be that intense," he stated.

Disney World was forced to shutter back in mid-March amid the COVID-19 outbreak, before it reopened to visitors at a reduced capacity in July.

'This is the best game of hide-and-seek ever': Officers had their guns drawn as they searched the Disney property

There were numerous police combing the island, while a police helicopter hovered overhead
New Delhi must, however, be wary of Beijing which is trying to curtail our interests in the country, especially the Colombo Port





by G Parthasarathy





Amongst Indias South Asian neighbours, Sri Lanka alone has the unique distinction of being a vibrant and functioning democracy, ever since it became independent in 1948. It also has a significantly higher rate of literacy, and an unblemished record of free and fair elections, together with around three decades of ethnic peace. A long-time historical rivalry, however, prevailed between the majority, Buddhist dominated, Sinhala speaking population, and the Tamils, in the Northern and Eastern parts of the Island.









India got drawn into this rivalry, because of the emotional and other ties that linked Sri Lankas Northern Tamils, with Tamils in Tamil Nadu. India made the serious mistake of intervening directly in the Sinhala-Tamil ethnic conflict. Pressures for such intervention were accentuated, by political rivals in Tamil Nadu, backing one or another armed Tamil group, in the neighbouring Island. What followed was an ill-advised Indian military intervention, which led to the deaths of around 1,000 Indian soldiers and the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by the LTTE.





The Indian intervention did, however, lead to a political understanding and peace between the Sinhalas and Tamils. The conflict ended only after the decisive and bloody military defeat of the LTTE, by the then government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Tamils have since received a measure of Provincial Autonomy, with Colombo directly intervening primarily on issues having a separatist potential. Not surprisingly, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna Party, led by the Rajapaksa brothers  Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his younger brother President Gotabaya Rajapaksa  swept the recent Parliamentary Elections, winning 145 of the 225 Parliamentary seats.





The opposition United National Party (UNP), which ruled Sri Lanka for a number of years after independence in 1948, was virtually wiped out, winning just one seat. This debacle has been attributed to the lacklustre leadership of former Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe. Sajith Premadasa, the son of the former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, who quit the UNP and formed his own party, led an imaginative and aggressive election campaign, winning 54 seats. He has emerged as the Leader of the Opposition.





India has acted skilfully after the ethnic conflict ended, building bridges of cooperation with Sri Lanka, while providing massive financial assistance to the Tamil majority population, in the war-torn northern and eastern provinces. The turnout in Tamil majority areas was substantial in the recent elections. A positive development was a significant move by Tamils in the Northern Province voting for Sajith Premadasas SLPP, which campaigned on promises of employment and economic development, throughout the country.





India has played a remarkable role in restoring normalcy in the Tamil dominated Northern Province, with massive assistance for their rehabilitation, housing and development. India has committed $3.2 billion since 1995 for rehabilitation and relief of Tamils in Sri Lanka. It has built 37,000 houses for rehabilitation of Tamils in the north and north-east. It has also built medical facilities which have extended treatment to an estimated 53,000 people. It is now focussing on building 10,000 houses for the Indian Tamils resident in Southern Sri Lanka. The focus has thus been on housing and infrastructure, which has sought to ensure that the grievances of conflict do not lead to violence. The success of this effort has been reflected by the large Tamil participation in the recent elections.





Politically, the huge humanitarian assistance provided by India has ensured the return of normalcy and ethnic peace in Sri Lanka. It has resulted in greater participation of Tamils in the national life of the country. The salience of the Tamil issue, in Indias relations with Sri Lanka, is diminishing steadily. But, New Delhi should keep a close watch on ensuring that his trend continues. One cannot also ignore the geopolitical trends in the Indian Ocean Region, arising from Chinas growing determination to erode and undermine Indian influence, even as one keeps a watch on internal developments in Sri Lanka.





Like in other South Asian countries, China is following its policies of strategic containment of India and erosion of Indian influence, particularly in South Asia, by backing and funding parties it believes are anti-Indian, while using Pakistan as its principle instrument for reinforcing its efforts. This effort has now been widened, by seeking to undermine Indian interests, by destabilising governments headed by rulers friendly to India, and simultaneously promoting individuals and political parties given to being anti-Indian.





China will spare no effort to persuade the ruling Rajapaksa family to move in that direction. An important aim of such a Chinese effort will be to retain an exclusively Chinese presence in the Colombo Port, by raising anti-Indian sentiments against any Indian participation in the Colombo Port City Project.





India has a natural interest in having a significant presence in the Colombo Port. The overwhelming share of revenues for the port is generated by goods being transferred to and from Indian ports, including items, which have a bearing on Indias national security. An exclusive Chinese presence in the Port would, therefore, be matter of serious concern.





Indias involvement in the expansion of the Colombo Port City, together with a Japanese presence to improve the terms of funding, would make sense for Sri Lanka, given the exploitative terms of Chinese funding and aid, which led Sri Lanka into a debt trap. Taking control of the areas of projects that it undertakes across the world, as it did in Sri Lanka, following the construction of the Hambantota Port, in Southern Sri Lanka, is a Chinese speciality, whether in Sri Lanka, Kenya, Tanzania or Ethiopia. With SAARC now non-functional, New Delhi would be well advised to activate the BIMSTEC forum, bringing together its Eastern SAARC and ASEAN neighbours, to promote economic and security cooperation, across the Bay of Bengal.





As India prepares to expand security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific region through the Quad, where it partners the US, Japan and Australia, the time has come to promote greater cooperation between the members of the Quad and Sri Lanka. The US and its allies will have to be persuaded that they should end their counterproductive economic and other sanctions on Sri Lanka, imposed when the conflict with the LTTE, was drawing to an end.





Sri Lanka today needs assistance from the US and its European allies and multilateral organisations like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, to ensure that it does not land itself in another Chinese debt trap like it did, thanks to Chinese assistance, in the Hambantota Port project.





The writer is a former High Commissioner to Pakistan
A former nightclub owner whose quirky East London venue was a favourite of Prince Harry's has penned a racy new memoir charting her addiction to drugs and alcohol, her brushes with the law - and how her empire all came crashing down after she was conned out of 200,000 by an infamous billionaire property developer.

Tava O'Halloran, 41, from Sydney, ran The Bath House in Liverpool Street, and told how the Duke of Sussex, 35, was a 'perfect guest' who bought staff tequila shots and left generous tips.

Swept up in a work hard, play hard industry, Tava told how she'd take cocaine five nights a week and mingled with the famous artists, models and musicians that frequented her clubs.

She went on to own several other venues in London and Brighton, before she and husband Rich Pack, 44, 'lost everything' in a devastating con and were forced to sell up and start again in her native Australia.

Tava O'Halloran, 41, from Sydney, pictured, has penned a racy new memoir charting her addiction to drugs and alcohol, her brushes with the law - and how her empire all came crashing down after she was conned out of 200,000 by an infamous billionaire property developer

Tava ran The Bath House in Liverpool Street, pictured, and told how the Duke of Sussex, 35, was a 'perfect guest' who bought staff tequila shots and left generous tips

Speaking to FEMAIL, the mother-of-two - whose book Queen of Clubs is out this week - said: 'There were so many things where you think, I should have stopped then, but I didn't. Writing the book was a reflection on how tightly gripped I was on the lifestyle; it was so consuming.'

At 25 and a budding actress, Tara bought a one-way ticket to the UK at 25 following a break-up, and moved in with her sister in the East End.

It was there she 'found her people', and Tava recalls how she was thrust into the nightclub scene after landing a job on the door dealing with guest lists at a large venue in vibrant, gritty Shoreditch.

She quickly rose through the ranks and was booking big acts like Paloma Faith and Florence and the Machine for intimate basement gigs.

Tava procured a unique venue in a church yard near Liverpool Street station - a former 19th century Turkish bath house, which made choosing its name - The Bath House - easy. Pictured on opening night

Tava told how the Bath House was packed every night with an ecclectic mix of guests. Pictured: food writer Anna Barnett, presenter Nick Grimshaw, designer Henry Holland and model Alexa Chung

'It was intoxicating,' she recalled. 'From there I blindly and naively decided to open my own venue. I was in the industry at the right time, I made the right connections, scraped together a bit of money and the stars aligned. I ended up owning my own beautiful nightclub due to sheer balls and jumping in the deep end.'

Tava procured a unique venue in a church yard near Liverpool Street station - a former 19th century Turkish bath house, which made choosing its name easy.

Tava said Prince Harry (pictured) loved the club and was a 'perfect gentleman and ideal guest'

She gutted it and redecorated with a 'slightly macabre' vibe, lining the walls in red velvet, chandeliers and bespoke wallpaper designed from rubbings of the original tiles.

'This venue survived the Blitz bombing and I say it's a miracle it survived every weekend,' she said. 'It was packed. It was a word of mouth venue, with an ecclectic mix of guests.

'Prince Harry came down and he was a perfect gentleman - the ideal guest. He had drinks, had dinner, tipped the staff really well, bought the staff tequila shots, had a really cool time. The club filled up, they bounced into the crowd for a bit, and then they were gone.

'They were like dream customers, but super friendly, super into it, loved the atmosphere, loved the club. It was obviously really exciting for us - that same weekend we had David Schwimmer then Bill Murray. It was a huge celebrity culture but very much underground.

'Sophie Ellis-Bexter and her husband did a club night there, they would be singing, walking through the crowd. We did another amazing club night with an incredible crowd, it could be Bjork walking around or Matt Smith... the crowd was more interesting than the celebrities. It was Studio 54, everyone was dressed up living this wild, incredible life for an evening.'

As glamorous as it was, Tava told how the industry was 'very intense' and goes 'hand-in-hand with drinking and drugs'.

Tava gutted the club and redecorated with a 'slightly macabre' vibe, lining the walls in red velvet, chandeliers and bespoke wallpaper designed from rubbings of the original tiles. Pictured: DJ Jodie Harsh

Keen to move with the times, Tava went on to open the boutique Baby Bath House in Stoke Newington, a cocktail bar with an underground club venue. Pictured left: Paloma Faith at The Bath House

'It was a wild time which was fun, but equally debaucherous. We were working really hard and then unwinding harder,' she said.

'[We did cocaine] every night, five nights a week, with one night off and then one quiet night. It's a miracle I've survived.

'There are days when I passed out and woke up in A&E, I was arrested, there were nights when I was mugged, but you keep going.'

Keen to move with the times, Tava went on to open the boutique Baby Bath House in Stoke Newington, a cocktail bar with an underground club venue.

But after years of hard graft in the capital, Tava's priorities began to shift; she and Rich were keen to start a family, and the couple moved to Brighton where they took on an almost derelict underground club across the road from the old pier.

Tava said Sophie Ellis-Bexter and her husband did a club night at The Bath House and 'would be singing, walking through the crowd'

As glamorous as it was, Tava - pictured on a club night - told how the industry was 'very intense' and goes 'hand-in-hand with drinking and drugs'

'We wanted to move to the next phase in life - we were years behind our friends who were all getting married and buying houses, normal adulthood,' she said.

'Rich's ultimatum was that a family would never happen in these circumstances  if we moved to Brighton, we had to be financially stable, no drink or drugs, and have a good manager in the new club.

'We called it the Funfair Club. Before the days of Instagram photo booth trends, we had stylised rooms with interactive elements and live cutting-edge circus performers.'

After a few years of running the venue, Tava fell pregnant and had a daughter (now seven) - continuing to work right up until she gave birth.

But their happy time was tarnished when Tava received a call from the Brighton Chief of Police, accusing them of having a large number of underage customers.

After a few years of running the Brighton venue, Tava fell pregnant and had a daughter (now seven) - continuing to work right up until she gave birth. Pictured in Las Vegas in 2017 with Rich

'They sent us a dossier of A4 screen grabs of underage kids, circled in red pen. It turned out there was a guy in Brighton producing fake IDs, and he did a spectacular job. He was forging passports for thousands of people, and even managed to travel to Majorca on one,' Tava said.

'We worked with the police to save our licence. As a club owner, you follow the protocols around these things, but it was a real knock. As a mother, I didn't think I had the strength to carry on. It's a demanding 24-hour job, and I thought, for what?

'I'd made a lot of sacrifices. I'd worked in the club until I was eight months pregnant; when my waters broke I was on the phone to my manager, and for the first nine months of our daughter's life my partner took paternity leave while I went to work.'

Deciding they wanted out, Tava and her partner put the club up for sale - but on the brink of negotiating a lucrative sale, they received a letter out of the blue informing them they owed 200,000 in back rent.

Before the days of Instagram photo booth trends, the Funfair club had stylised rooms with interactive elements and live cutting-edge circus performers. Pictured: the entry queue at Funfair

Tava explained: 'The person I leased venue from had converted the upstairs into flats, holiday lets, without telling us, and then he sold the whole building.

'As I paid him rent each month, he didn't pay any of it to the new landlord. Then he filed for liquidation.

'I was devastated. We got really good lawyers but there was nothing we could do. He was so clever; turns out he's a very well known billionaire property developer and he does this to lots of people. There was nothing I could do except sell the club and hand over the money.'

With their financially stable future cruelly stripped away, Tava and Rich moved to Australia with less than 7,000 to their name, where they were forced to start again.

After working with the police to keep their licence following the problem with underage guests, Tava and Rich decided to sell up. Pictured: the ball pit at Funfair

With their financially stable future cruelly stripped away after they were conned by a billionaire property developer, Tava and Rich, pictured together in 2008, moved to Australia with less than 7,000 to their name, where they were forced to start again

But walking away from the industry that had shaped her adulthood took its toll on Tava, and she admitted she hit 'rock bottom'.

She became a highly functioning alcoholic, holding down a job as a creative director but finding solace in the evenings in a bottle of wine.

'It was very glamorised mum drinking,' she explained. 'It was very much wine every night - it was my way to deal with so much stuff that I hadn't dealt with.

Queen of Clubs by Tava O'Halloran (15.99) is published on September 3

'I wasn't able to deal with crashing disappointment. I didn't feel like I fit back in when we got to Australia; I had an ideal of what it was going to be like, and it wasn't.

'It crept up on me really slowly. I didn't realise I was really addicted because it was restaurants and Champagne and cocktails, it was around adults, dinner parties. I was a highly functioning alcoholic, no one would have known - to the point where I don't think my husband knew.

'I think the tipping point was when it affected for the first time my emotional abilities as a mother. I was too hungover to get up, make a packed lunch and drive my girl to kindergarten.'

Tava's battle with addiction is one of the central themes of the book - as is the 'once in lifetime love affair' that is her marriage to Rich - a freelancer designer and DJ.

'To this day I'm shocked he's still around,' she admitted. 'But it's a beautiful love story. We've both always been there for each other, and it's this partnership and resilience that has got us through each stage.'

Queen of Clubs by Tava O'Halloran (15.99) is published on September 3 and is available to purchase on Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08CXH7KQ5.

Join the Queen of Clubs virtual launch party via Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/qocbook/ For more information visit https://www.tavaohalloran.com/
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 21:13:16|Editor: huaxia

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A light show illuminates the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, Jan. 2, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang)

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday urged the United States to abide by the one-China principle, and to cease lifting its substantial relationship with Taiwan as well as any forms of official contact with Taiwan.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the comments in response to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell's announcement on Monday that the United States was establishing a new bilateral economic dialogue with Taiwan, aiming at strengthening "ties" with Taiwan.

Stressing that the Taiwan question concerns China's core interests, Hua said at a daily press briefing that nobody should underestimate China's firm resolve and determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The one-China principle is the political basis and fundamental precondition for the establishment and development of China-U.S. diplomatic ties," Hua said, adding that there is only one China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.

In response to Stilwell's announcement of the declassification of six Reagan-era security assurances given to Taiwan, Hua said the so-called Taiwan Relations Act unilaterally enacted by the United States and the so-called "Six Assurances" to Taiwan constitute gross interference in China's internal affairs.

They severely violate the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, as well as basic norms governing international relations, Hua said, adding that they are entirely wrong, illegal and invalid.

"The Chinese government voiced firm opposition from the very beginning," she said, calling on the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, rather than the so-called Taiwan Relations Act or "Six Assurances."

"We urge the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, to stop lifting its substantial relationship with Taiwan and to cease any forms of official contact with Taiwan, so as not stray further down an erroneous path," Hua said. 
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

A local television station in Texas is mourning the loss of a weekend weather forecaster who the station said died by suicide on Sunday, just over two years after her teen son took his own life.

Kelly Plasker, 42, was a member of the First Alert Forecast Team for KCBD, an NBC affiliate in Lubbock. She worked at the station for three years, where she became "a bright spot in our weekend mornings, and in our lives," according to a tribute by KCBD.

Kelly Plasker, a weather forecaster at an NBC affiliate in Lubbock, Texas, died by suicide on Sunday, the station said. (KCBD)

"Her sudden death early this morning has broken our heart," KCBD anchor Kase Wilbanks said before a video tribute that aired on Sunday night.

"In her three years on air, she showed us her passion for weather, which came through in her forecasts that kept us all safe and prepared for the day ahead," the video tribute said. "She showed her heart and her love, for which we will all be thankful for. From the KCBD family to Kelly, we share our sympathies. Were grateful for the time we shared with Kelly and the joy she shared with us."

Two years ago, Plasker shared on KCBD that her son, Thomas, had died by suicide at 19, just two weeks before his 20th birthday.

"It's very difficult for those of us who knew him to comprehend why," Plasker said at the time.

We will never forget you, Kelly. https://t.co/Qea4Bkf0nx  KCBD NewsChannel11 (@KCBD11) September 1, 2020

The station referenced her son's death as well as a Facebook post Plasker wrote shortly before her death.

"Now, this weekend, our sweet Kelly took her own life, a cry for help that she made very public on her Facebook page," KCBD wrote in its remembrance.

Story continues

KCBD vice president and general manager Dan Jackson issued a statement about the heartbreak over her death.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss of KCBD weekend morning forecaster Kelly Plasker," he said. "Kelly was a dedicated member of the KCBD weather staff, well-liked by viewers, and admired by her co-workers. Our deepest sympathies go out to Kelly's family in this time of great loss.

"We would like to thank the many viewers who have reached out through our social media channels in kindness and support to honor Kelly's memory. Grief counselors have been made available to all members of the KCBD family struggling with this heartbreaking news."

Plasker's KCBD colleague Sharon Maines also shared a tribute on Facebook.

"My friend (and co-worker) died this morning and Im absolutely heartbroken," she wrote. "Kelly Plasker had a smile as big as Texas and a heart of gold. She loved big and hurt deeply. Her heart was broken from the suicide death of her son Thomas, and then her fathers sudden death just months later. Her grief was a daily struggle but she put on that smile and persevered. If any of you are struggling please please please talk to someone. There are so many broken hearts today. Prayers for Kellys two children and her family and all of us who loved her."
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on September 1, 2020

2020/09/01

Xinhua News Agency: Statistics show that for the month of August, China's non-manufacturing PMI came in at 55.2, and readings of this index have been higher than the 50 mark for six consecutive months. The subindex measuring business activity in the service sector rose to 54.3 in August from July's 53.1. We noticed comments from Wall Street Journal and Financial Times that suggest China's measures to enhance domestic consumption are working. Some scholars believe that before the global economic cycle is recovered, China's domestic economic cycle is running, and China's growth is relying more on domestic consumption. Do you have any comment?

Hua Chunying: This is not a diplomatic matter, but it attracts a lot of attention from the international community. Despite the serious impact of COVID-19 this year, the Chinese economy has stayed strong and demonstrated great resilience and enormous potential. China's GDP expanded by 3.2 percent in the second quarter, making China the first economy to register positive growth. As you mentioned, the month of August saw growing demand in China's manufacturing sector and a recovering cycle of supply and demand. This indicates a brighter economic prospect as well as prominent outcomes in China's efforts to coordinate epidemic containment and socio-economic development. IMF forecasts put China as one of the few countries that will maintain positive growth in 2020. According to a latest survey, 99.1 percent of foreign companies in China will continue to invest and operate in China, and 89 percent of the surveyed EU businesses said they are not considering moving their industrial chains out of China. China remains one of the top three investment destinations for most European companies. All of these are, in a sense, a vote of confidence in China's development.

Given the changes in China's development stage, environment and conditions, we have set out the goal of fostering a new, dual-cycle development architecture with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and with domestic and international development reinforcing each other. This is not a closed domestic loop, but an open dual-cycle of both domestic and international growth. China will further tap into its domestic demand, expand opening-up and share more of its development dividends with the rest of the world. With lower level of tariffs, shorter negative lists, more convenient market access and a more attractive business environment, China will foster an open economy of a higher level, delivering more opportunities to the world.

Global Times: During an interview with a radio show on August 31, Pompeo said that "we will ban the Chinese Communist Party from stealing the information - your information, my information, your kids' information, whoever is using TikTok. We will prevent that information from being placed in the hands of the Chinese national security apparatus and the Chinese Communist Party...Our obligation is to make sure that our people's data doesn't end up in the wrong place...We're going to do everything we can to prevent them from having it." What is your comment?

Hua Chunying: Secretary of State Pompeo has indeed been practicing his own words "we lie, we cheat, we steal", which he blatantly said at a university in Texas. And he's a perfect example. He lies every day on issues of national security. How could TikTok, a social media app for young people to share light-hearted videos like singing and dancing, pose national security threats to the US? Pompeo has been playing up his "China threat" theory around the world, urging others to guard against China "stealing user data". But what about the track record of the US in this regard?

When it comes to telecom theft, the US always ranks the first in the world. In addition to pressuring the AT&T, Verizon and other carriers for data supplies, the National Security Agency (NSA) has been using fake base stations named Dirtbox in its wiretapping programs including the Boundless Informant since more than a decade ago. Through Dirtbox, they simulate signals of base stations to tap into and steal data from cell-phones. As Le Monde reported, thanks to Dirtbox, 62.5 million phone data were collected by the US in France.

Pompeo has been accusing TikTok, WeChat and other apps of being tools for the Chinese government's "infiltration". But in reality, the US is the one that is adept at turning apps into surveillance units. Leaked documents of PRISM have laid this bare. The NSA sees apps as "data mines" with huge reserves of data to be harvested and thus invests heavily to this end. Under the agency's pressure, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Skype, Google Map and even Angry Birds were forced to cooperate with it.

An "innovative move" by the US intelligence is to steal secrets through the app store. As revealed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the NSA and intelligence authorities of other Five Eyes countries initiated Project Irritant Horn, which hijacks Play Store to implant spyware on target smartphones or crack down on loopholes. With this program the Five Eyes managed to acquire massive amounts of data by stealing.

As for Clean Cloud, the US is the real gangster of "cloud theft". The Washington Post exposed that the NSA, along with the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) of the UK, launched a surveillance program called Muscular to frequently break into the cloud servers of Google and Yahoo. They even went so far as to intercept data and direct it to the agencies' own database. This was how hundreds of millions of personal information records were collected.

According to New Zealand Herald, the US had conspired with the New Zealand intelligence to tap the data flowing in the Chinese consulate general in Auckland. To crack into other countries' data, the US has just spared no wire in a Chinese consulate, not to mention the undersea cables, "the intelligence gold mine". It is only natural that the US will take full advantage of them. Der Spiegel, a German magazine, reported over the years that the NSA has tapped into the "SEA-ME-WE-4", the longest submarine fiber-optic cable system connecting Europe and Asia. The Washington Post exposed some of the US' own fiber-optic cable-tapping programs, known by the names Oakstar, Stormbrew, Blarney and Fairview. The Associated Press wrote that the US Navy went out of its way to repurpose a submarine called the USS Jimmy Carter so they could tap fiber-optic cables.

In the 2009 Quadrennial Intelligence Community Review disclosed by the media, the US blithely acknowledges that its intelligence agencies should "conduct cyber operations" and other means against "research facilities" in other countries to help American corporations secure competitive advantages. Documents leaked by Snowden show that the US surveillance program, codenamed Stateroom, ordered the installment of secret signals intelligence equipment in around 100 foreign diplomatic embassies and consulates in other countries for spying purpose. "The Filthy Hypocrisy of America's Clean China-Free Internet" on The Intercept points out that the US vision for a clean network means a China-free network. The policy statement on a clean network is nothing but a piece of xenophobic and nonsensical hypocrisy, and its message is clear: If there's going to be a world-spanning surveillance state, it is the US. Another case in point is the Crypto AG scandal. As you all know, the half-a-century-old Swiss company was proved to be working for the CIA, and the Crypto devices it sold to over 120 countries were ironically tapping equipment.

A basic sense of integrity and honor is necessary for anyone. Faced with the iron-clad facts, we hope these senior US officials will immediately stop slinging mud at China.

Shenzhen TV: The Australian government will launch an inquiry into foreign interference in Australian universities and how China has recruited scholars in the Thousand Talents Plan. Do you have any comment?

Hua Chunying: I read reports on that, but I need to verify if it's true.

China is committed to developing relations with other countries on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference. Interfering in other countries' domestic affairs is not in the "genes" of China's diplomacy. As Australia is a close ally of the US, certain Australian people and forces seem to be "infected" with paranoia, dominated by China-phobia and conjectures, to the extent of losing all sense of rationality and justice that they make various accusations against normal educational and people-to-people exchange between China and Australia.

If Australia really wants to conduct serious research on foreign interference, I believe there are many clues. For example, as disclosed by media multiple times, those Australian institutions and individuals taking the lead in fueling hostility towards China have received funding from the US government, and one of them is the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). Some in Australia revealed that it has long been receiving funds from the US government and arms dealers. Besides, according to ABC News, among the members of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, a body meant to strengthen engagement between the two countries, two have been funded by the US Department of State. This is a fact that is both enlightening and thought-provoking.

During the past 20 years, trade volume between China and Australia has grown from less than 10 billion to 235 billion Australian dollars last year. Over 12,000 Australian companies have set up branches in China. Last year, the number of Chinese students in Australia nearly hit 230,000. Every year over 1.4 million Chinese tourists travel to Australia. China has been Australia's biggest trade partner for 11 years in a row and is now Australia's largest source of international students and tourists. And more promisingly, China has been Australia's most important collaborator on scientific research on account of the number of university research papers and mentions in the top 1 percent of most-cited articles. These are eloquent facts.

As an Australian proverb goes, "Keep your eyes on the sun and you will not see the shadows." This fits so well with where we now stand. We hope the Australian government, politicians and all those with a rational mind in the country will keep their eyes on the bright future of China-Australia relations and on the sun, rather than on the dark clouds and disturbed by the shadows. We hope Australia will adopt a constructive China policy instead of a destructive one.

CNR: Reports say the University of North Texas decided to end its relationship with the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC), asked for the revoke of visas of visiting scholars who receive funding from the CSC, and required those scholars to leave the country within a month. I wonder if you have any comment?

Hua Chunying: I noticed reports on that. If it's true, it will be another example of the US undermining its people-to-people exchange with China. I also noticed some in the US have expressed concerns and criticism over this.

Since China and the US established diplomatic ties 41 years ago, exchange of students and other forms of people-to-people exchange has played an important role in enhancing mutual understanding and advancing stable development of relations between the two sides. Chinese students and scholars have contributed greatly to scientific and technological innovation and economic growth in the United States. Statistics from the US show that Chinese students, accounting for one third of all foreign students in the US, contribute over $15 billion to the country every year.

Regrettably, however, out of selfish gains and political motives, some extremist, anti-China forces have been suppressing China's strategic need of development, making numerous lies to stigmatize and demonize Chinese students, and even oppressing Chinese students in the US by abusing judicial power under baseless pretexts. Under such circumstances, I wonder how many Chinese parents can still see their children studying in the US without worrying.

Openness, inclusiveness and diversity were the basis of the US when it was founded. However, the US today is entirely different. It is filled with isolation, hatred and exclusion.

Openness brings progress, while self-seclusion leaves one behind. This is a harsh lesson learned from history. We hope the US can view China-US relations more rationally and do more things conducive to bilateral people-to-people exchange. If the US insists on going down the wrong path, its own interests will be hurt in the end.

Beijing Youth Daily: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that "We're going to distrust and then we're going to go verify, and we aim to induce change in the Chinese Communist Party's behavior. America's people deserve it and our national security demands it." Do you have any comment?

Hua Chunying: The US diplomacy today has stooped to intimidation, lies and sanctions. The top US diplomat is making a living on attacking and smearing China and spreading rumors day after day. With their focus placed on the wrong thing, I believe they are now walking on an erroneous and dangerous path.

Pompeo is ambitious but as a Chinese saying goes, "it is important to know one's own limitations". China has a splendid civilization that has run uninterrupted for 5,000 years, and the CPC will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. As a century-old party, it has 92 million members and nearly 20 million applicants for Party membership. According to independent polls conducted by Pew Research Center, Harvard University and other institutions worldwide, the Chinese people's overall support for the CPC and the Chinese government has been over 90% on average, ranking top in the world. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have united as one and achieved strategic success in the fight against COVID-19. As a survey by a Singapore-based research agency suggests, the Chinese people's support and satisfaction towards their government has hit a historical high amid the fight against COVID-19.

With regard to the US, I don't want to spend time talking about its epidemic response since there have been abundant American media reports on that. Eighty percent of Americans surveyed, which is an all-time high, say the country is heading in the wrong direction in surveys conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago. People in many countries, including US allies, believe that the current US foreign policy is essentially posing the biggest threat to the world. Renowned scholars worldwide note that it's arrogant and preposterous for a country with a history of less than 250 years to believe that it can change a major country with a political civilization of more than 4,000 years.

Now the world is watching the US with great concerns over its severe racial discrimination, social division, and epidemic response. If those US politicians spreading hatred and division still have the slightest sense of conscience and responsibility for the nation and the people, they should rush to refocus on saving more American lives, and listen to the desperate cries from Floyd, Blake and other ethnic minorities. Instead of talking about the trustworthiness of other countries, Pompeo should first make concrete efforts to earn the trust of the American people.

South China Morning Post: Australian Foreign Minister said Cheng Lei, a host of Australian nationality, was detained in Beijing. Can you confirm that? Also, Chen Xiaodong is no longer serving as Assistant Foreign Minister. Can you tell us what his new post is?

Hua Chunying: I have no specifics for you, but as you know, China is a country upholding the rule of law, and the relevant authorities deal with matters according to law.

Regarding your second question, I'd like to first thank you for your interest in Assistant Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong. As diplomats, our posts often change. I think you'll soon know what his new duty is.

Kyodo News: Czech Senate speaker who is on a visit to Taiwan delivered a speech at the "parliament", in which he claimed visiting Taiwan is a correct decision. What's your comment?

Hua Chunying: China's position on the visit by the President of the Czech Senate is very clear. Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang summoned the Czech Republic Ambassador to China and lodged stern representations over Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil's visit to Taiwan.

Tempted by the Taiwan authority, instigated by anti-China forces and driven by selfish gains, Vystrcil insists on visiting the Taiwan region regardless of China's firm opposition and solemn representations. This is open support for "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and their activities and has severely infringed upon China's sovereignty and flagrantly interfered in China's domestic affairs. China strongly condemns the move.

There is only one China in the world, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China, which is recognized by the international community. The one-China principle is the Czech Republic's foreign policy and the political basis for China-Czech ties. Vystrcil, as one of the country's leaders, has openly broken international consensus and breached the one-China principle which the Czech government has promised to uphold, severely violating international law and basic norms of international relations. China shall take necessary actions to safeguard its legitimate interests.

We urge those who openly challenge China's sovereignty out of selfish interest to heed China's solemn position and grave concerns, and not to underestimate the firm resolve of the 1.4 billion Chinese people to safeguard national sovereignty and security. We also call on the Czech people to jointly prevent further harm to China-Czech relations caused by Vystrcil's malicious and shortsighted behavior.

CCTV: US Assistant Secretary of State David R. Stilwell told a virtual forum hosted by the Heritage Foundation that for nearly four decades, US has been guided by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the three joint communiques between Washington and Beijing, and the Six Assurances provided by President Reagan to Taipei in 1982. The US has declassified the Reagan-era Six Assurances to Taiwan and they endure today. The latest US move is not a policy change, but significant adjustments well within the boundaries of the one-China policy. He added that the US and Taiwan are establishing a new bilateral economic dialogue to build on the momentum with Taiwan and support it in responding to the pressure from China. Do you have any comment?

Hua Chunying: There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The one-China principle is the political foundation and fundamental premise for the establishment and development of diplomatic relations between China and the US. The so-called Taiwan Relations Act unilaterally promulgated by the US and its so-called Six Assurances to Taiwan severely violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, seriously breach the basic norms governing international relations and grossly interfere in China's internal affairs. They are completely wrong, illegal, null and void, and the Chinese government is firmly opposed to them right from the start. The US should abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, rather than the Taiwan Relations Act or the Six Assurances.

I want to stress that the Taiwan question bears on China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and China's core interests. No one should underestimate China's firm determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. We urge the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the three joint communiques between China and the US, make no attempts to change the nature of its relationship with Taiwan, stop conducting any official exchange with Taiwan, and refrain from moving further down the wrong and dangerous path.

FSN: A question about Cheng Lei. There are lots of reports speculating that her detention may be in some way linked to her nationality and to Australia's relationship with the US. What would you say to that?

Hua Chunying: Like I said, I'm not aware of the specifics related to Cheng Lei and I refer you to the competent authorities. China values our relations with Australia. That said, the development of bilateral relations requires efforts made by both sides. I'd like to stress one more thing. China always upholds the rule of law. Unlike some other countries, we don't practice unlawful deeds in the name of the law.

China News Service: The World Bank said in a statement that it has suspended issuing this year's Doing Business report because a number of irregularities have been reported regarding changes to the data in the previous Doing Business reports. Media say the revised ranking involves China and other economies. What is China's comment on that?

Hua Chunying: China has noted the relevant statement issued by the World Bank. We urge the World Bank to conduct internal investigations in accordance with the principles of fairness, objectivity and transparency and the rules and procedures of multilateral institutions, so as to earnestly safeguard the reputation of the World Bank and its member states, as well as the professionalism and credibility of the Doing Business report.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to improving its business environment, adheres to world-class standards, and continuously deepens reforms to delegate power, streamline administration and optimize government services so as to stimulate the vitality of market players and the creativity of social sectors. Last year, China has seen on average a net increase of 10,000 Chinese companies per day, and annual foreign direct investment registered a 2.4 percent year-on-year increase to US $138.1 billion. These real achievements are recognized and applauded by the international community. China will remain committed to deepening reform and creating a market-oriented and law-based business environment that meets international standards so as to create a favorable environment for high-quality economic development.

Prasar Bharati: Both India and China are saying that they are in regular touch through military and diplomatic channels. Still, after three months, complete disengagement is nowhere in sight. India has been consistently demanding that status quo of April be restored. I wonder if there is any comment from your side?

Hua Chunying: On the boundary issue that is left over from history, China always believes that a fair and reasonable agreement can be reached by the two sides through peaceful and friendly consultations. For some time, the two sides have been in touch and in talks at various levels and making efforts to seek peaceful settlement to the boundary issue and jointly safeguard peace and stability of the border areas.

But on August 31, in violation of the consensus reached by China and India through talks and meetings at various levels, the Indian troops again illegally crossed the LAC at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Mountain, which are in the western sector of the China-India boundary. Their flagrant provocations again led to tensions. The Indian side has severely undermined China's territorial sovereignty, breached bilateral agreements and important consensus, and damaged peace and tranquility in the border areas, which runs counter to the recent efforts made by both sides for de-escalation of tensions on the ground. China firmly opposes such a move and has lodged stern representations with the Indian side. We urge India to immediately stop all provocations, withdraw its troops who illegally crossed the LAC, and refrain from any moves that may escalate tensions or complicate matters.

Prasar Bharati: Both the Indian and Chinese sides have been saying that the other side has taken provocative steps. To clear the confusion among us, can you throw some light on it?

Hua Chunying: What India said may differ from what China said, but there's only one simple truth.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China more than 70 years ago, we have never initiated a war or conflict, and never taken an inch of land that is not ours. In fact, China's border troops have been strictly abiding by the LAC and they've never trespassed. The Indian side should respect facts and take concrete actions with the good will of preserving China-India relations, so as to jointly preserve peace and tranquility of the border areas.

We've noted that some Indian media have reported extensively on India deploying more troops in the border areas. If proven true, such a move runs counter to the shared wish of the two peoples, which is to live in peace and ensure a sound and steady development of China-India relations. We hope that India will take China's concerns seriously and take concrete actions to ensure the peace and tranquility of the border areas and the sound development of China-India relations.

Beijing Daily: We have noted that US Assistant Secretary David Stilwell said in a video forum hosted by the Heritage Foundation yesterday that the recent changes in US policy are mainly due to the growing threat from Beijing. We have also noted that the Washington Post published an article yesterday criticizing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for manipulating US foreign policy to achieve his political ambitions, which has caused the most serious damage to US foreign policy in decades, making him the worst secretary of state in US history. What is China's comment?

Hua Chunying: The remarks by David Stilwell are meant to confuse right and wrong. The first duty of a diplomat should be to promote mutual understanding and friendly cooperation. Yet regrettably, the US foreign policy today has turned into diplomacy of coercion, sanctions, lying and scapegoating.

Some senior US diplomats are making their living by attacking and smearing China. They are busy fabricating lies, spreading hatred, interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, and even blatantly associating with separatists and terrorists for the purpose of suppressing other countries. They disregard international rules, trample on fairness and justice, and too often withdraw from international agreements and organizations. The US now becomes the biggest perpetrator undermining the existing international order. This is both a misfortune for the US and a threat to the world. I also read the report you mentioned. Even the American press has felt distressed about and been fed up with the administration's diplomatic performance.

A person should at least have some integrity and honor, and a country should at least have some sense of responsibility. We hope the US can behave like a major country and shoulder its due responsibilities. If it cannot step up to play a more positive role for world peace and stability, then the least it can do is to restrain itself from making trouble.

Reuters: The Pentagon said last Friday that another 11 Chinese firms have been added to a list of those that are owned or controlled by the Chinese military, potentially laying the ground for new sanctions on these firms. Do you have any comment on this?

Hua Chunying: This again proves that the US foreign policy becomes nothing but diplomacy of sanctions. It is pathetic that they are busy all day lying, cheating, shifting the blame, smearing China, threatening to impose sanctions, and announcing sanctions against other countries.

China has made clear our position on multiple occasions on the US unwarranted oppression against Chinese companies. The US identifying 11 Chinese companies as owned or controlled by the Chinese military lacks both legal basis and evidence. We firmly oppose that. The US has time and again stretched the concept of national security and abused national power to suppress certain Chinese companies, which is in serious violation of market principles and international trade rules, of which the US is a self-claimed champion.

I'd like to stress that Chinese companies that do business overseas have been strictly observing laws and regulations of their host countries, including the US. They are committed to market principles and the rule of law. With the respect for market rules and norms, Chinese companies are ready to continue conducting win-win cooperation with other countries. We hope the US will stop suppressing certain foreign businesses under the pretext of national security. I don't think such moves will do any good to the United States itself.

China Daily: Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee passed away on August 31 at the age of 85. How does China comment on his role in promoting the development of China-India relations during his tenure? Will China express its condolences to the Indian side?

Hua Chunying: Mr. Pranab Mukherjee was a veteran statesman and leader of India. He visited China multiple times and contributed to the development of China-India relations. As we recall, in 2014, he and Chinese leader announced the decision to build a closer developmental partnership. His death is a loss to the Indian people and to the friendly cause between China and India. We express our deep condolences over the passing of former President Pranab Mukherjee and our sincere sympathies to his loved ones.
Downing Street last night warned that striking a Brexit trade deal will now be very difficult unless Brussels drops its demands over fishing and state aid.

The EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier travelled to London yesterday for informal talks with UK counterpart David Frost amid growing gloom about the chances of a breakthrough.

Formal talks will resume next week, but ministers warn privately that, with the two sides still far apart, there is little sign of progress with only a month left to strike a deal.

Failure to reach an agreement by the beginning of October would mean the UK leaving without a deal when the Brexit transition period finishes at the end of this year.

The EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier (pictured right) travelled to London yesterday for informal talks with UK counterpart David Frost (pictured left) amid growing gloom about the chances of a breakthrough

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said a deal was still possible and still our goal, but added: It is clear that it will not be easy to achieve.

Talks are stalled over fishing rights and state aid  the rules which govern the subsidies governments can hand to struggling domestic industries.

In a further blow to hopes of a breakthrough, Germanys Europe minister Michael Roth yesterday sided with France, Spain and Holland in demanding continued access to British waters for EU trawlers.

Addressing the European Parliament, he referred to the fish in UK waters as common resources.

He insisted: Common resources need to be managed together in a sustainable way, which means we cannot accept that the UK would exclude EU fisheries efforts from its territorial waters altogether.

Brussels is also demanding that the UK continues to follow EU state aid rules as part of commitments to respect a level playing field.

Mr Barnier is refusing to discuss other matters until the two issues are settled in the EUs favour. British negotiators accuse Brussels of double standards, pointing out that the EU accepts annual fishing quotas in Norwegian waters and has not made similar demands over state aid when striking deals with countries like Canada.

The PMs spokesman yesterday rejected suggestions that the UK should publish its state aid plans, adding: After the transition period, the UK will have its own regime of subsidy control and will not be subject to the EUs state aid regime.

The UKs future subsidy arrangements are a matter for the British people and Parliament, not the European Union.

Ministers believe a flexible state aid regime will be essential as the UK tries to recover from the pandemic.

Mr Roth told Euro-MPs that no progress had been made for quite some time and accused the UK of moving away from what we had agreed on a long time ago as the basis for the negotiations.

He added: We fear we might be running out of time to some extent.

Ex-Australian PM Tony Abbott, who has spoken to ministers about a role in post-Brexit trade talks, yesterday told MPs in an online meeting he hoped the EU comes to its senses and offers at least a Canada-style free trade deal.

He said the UK should not fear a No Deal as it was already doing so much on a No Deal basis anyway.
RED PILL

By Hari Kunzru

There are no actual red pills in Red Pill, not even a cherry cough drop. The title of this novel, for those of us who are hopelessly behind on our memes, refers to the process of discovery that the books unnamed narrator undergoes  or thinks he undergoes. The term comes from The Matrix (a film I found so intellectually vapid that I couldnt finish watching, however brilliant its visuals), and has since gained currency with everyone from mens rights groups to the alt-right to Elon Musk. Keanu Reevess character faces a choice: Take the blue pill and continue his happy illusory life, or the red one and see the world as it actually is, in all its dizzying, violent, chaotic glory.

The narrator of Hari Kunzrus clever but exasperating sixth novel lives in cushioned Brooklyn safety, a progressive member of the creative classes, an essayist and teacher, a husband and a father. Yet he finds himself suffering from both writers block and a nameless dread, as though something profoundly but subtly wrong is about to happen in the world at large. Both conditions feed off each other, and make him believe that hell be unable to protect his family from any waiting malignity. He broods, and when hes offered a fellowship at a Berlin think tank his wife is happy to see him go. Each longs for a few months of peace; each hopes that hell not only write something but also get his head straight.

Image Hari Kunzru Credit... Clayton Cubitt

The think tank is on the Wannsee, a lake to the west of the city center, and looks across the water to the villa where the Nazis planned the Holocaust; in his authors note, Kunzru writes that hes borrowed the location of the American Academy in Berlin, while imagining a completely different set of living conditions. Nothing there goes as planned, and the narrator quickly begins to see the study center as oppressive. The visiting scholars are required to foster community by working in a shared space and sitting in assigned seats at meals; he refuses to do any of it. Their productivity is logged, and he soon begins to believe that his room is being searched and his every movement monitored by hidden surveillance cameras. Eventually he confronts the centers administration, and is then ordered to leave, well before his time is up.
(Natural News) In the dystopian, Orwellian world of the Left, up is down, right is wrong, wrong is right, bad is good, and criminal activity is the new justice.

Oh, and there is no good racism or class warfare unless the racism is directed against white people and the class warfare consumes the productive wealthy and middle class.

As noted by Newsbusters, National Public Radio (NPR) recently spoke favorably of a new book In Defense of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action, by transgender anarchist Vicky Osterweil, a Philadelphia-based writer who contributes mostly to Leninist/Stalinist publications like The Nation and The Baffler.

And yes, just as the title suggests, Osterweil argues in favor of looting because of her Marxist-informed thinking.

As Publishers Weekly notes favorably, according to reviews posted on Amazon (where else?), Osterweil debuts with a provocative, Marxist-informed defense of looting as a radical and effective protest tactica bracing rethink of the goals and methods of protest.

To be sure, its Marxist-informed alright: Anti-capitalist, anti-law and order, anti-civil society, and anti-property rights  pretty much everything that makes America America. (Related: Why should taxpayers keep paying the salaries of sex perverts and gropers at PBS and NPR?)

And why not? As independent journalist Andy Ngo posted on Twitter, Osterweil is Antifa all the way (fascists who claim to be anti-fascists by pretending that conservatives, constitutionalists, and supporters of President Trump are the new Nazis).

.@NPR interviewed & promoted an antifa writers new book, In Defense of Looting. @Vicky_ACAB says looting is moral & strikes at the heart of whiteness, capitalism and police. pic.twitter.com/kJu877JgB2  Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) August 29, 2020

According to NPRs Natalie Escobar:

Now, as protests and riots continue to grip cities, she argues that looting is a powerful tool to bring about real, lasting change in society. The rioters who smash windows and take items from stores, she says, are engaging in a powerful tactic that questions the justice of law and order, and the distribution of property and wealth in an unequal society.

This is insane, point-blank. But it gets worse.

In an interview highlighted by NewsBusters, Escobar asked Osterweil what justifies looting someone elses property.

It gets people what they need for free immediately It also attacks the very way in which food and things are distributed. It attacks the idea of property, and it attacks the idea that in order for someone to have a roof over their head or have a meal ticket, they have to work for a boss, in order to buy things that people just like them somewhere else in the world had to make under the same conditions, Osterweil notes further.

It points to the way in which thats unjust. And the reason that the world is organized that way, obviously, is for the profit of the people who own the stores and the factories. So you get to the heart of that property relation, and demonstrate that without police and without state oppression, we can have things for free, she continued.

Thats just nuts. For one, sure, you can loot  lets call it stealing, because thats what it is  and get stuff for free but only for a brief period. Once all the free stuff is stolen, there wont be anything left to take because people will simply stop making things. If there is no profit incentive, and thus no way to earn a living, why build computers, sneakers, cars, widgets, and whatnot? Why manufacture food for the masses? Why process drinking water or pick up trash or do anything else that a functioning society requires?

Not everyone has to work for a boss; many of the businesses that Osterweil claims are okay to be looted belong to people who use them to earn a living (they are their own bosses). But if their shops are destroyed and their property stolen, how are they supposed to live?

What Osterweil is advocating is that the human race turn into locusts who do nothing but consume and destroy rather than innovate, build, create and expand.

She and those who think as she does are the antithesis of order. They are chaos. They endorse the destruction of their political opposites  conservatives and especially Trump supporters.

And NPR, our tax-supported network, is promoting her. How long before they interview an author who justifies the elimination of political opponents? Because thats coming next. See more news about NPR at NPR.news

Sources include:

NewsBusters.org

NaturalNews.com
File resolution before UN asking for South China Sea demilitarization, Philippines President urged

by Ben Rosario

September 01,2020 | Source: Manila Bulletin

The Philippines may be an underdog in the ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea but can be expected to win the support of the United Nations if President Duterte will appeal for UN intervention for the demilitarization of the dispute area.



House Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate aired this optimism as he urged Duterte to heed the advise of former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio to file a resolution asking the UN to supervise complete demilitarization of the South China Sea.



It is almost certain that majority of the UN members will vote for the complete demilitarization of the South China Sea recognizing that China threatens international peace with its military expansionism in the region and will not allow for a peaceful resolution of the dispute if it maintains military superiority in the South China Sea, said Zarate.



Zarate, together with Bayan Muna chairman Neri Colmentares, said the Carpio proposal is an appeal for a peaceful resolution of the territorial dispute amid Chinas alleged continued bullying tactics on Philippines and other countries laying claim over areas of the oil-rich sea.



We strongly support the move of former acting Supreme Court Chief Justice Antonio Carpio that the Philippines submit the dispute to the United Nations. We also demand that President Duterte file a resolution with the UN General Assembly calling for the UN to supervise the complete demilitarization of the South China Sea, the partylist solon said.



In the proposed UN resolution, the Philippines will petition the brotherhood of nations to ask the Philippines, Vietnam, and China to dismantle any military installation and prohibit any military facility in the South China Sea.



We urge other disputant countries such as Vietnam to support the Philippine resolution and generate votes with the General Assembly, the opposition lawmaker said.



Under Article 35 of the UN Charter, any member of the United Nations may bring any dispute, or any situation which might lead to international friction or give rise to a dispute that may endanger international peace and security, as is happening now in the disputed South China Sea, he added.



Despite its claim that Chinese military have been harassing unarmed Filipino fishermen to leave Philippine held areas in the South China Sea, China has countered by claiming provocation on the part of Filipinos.



Once all military installations in the South China Sea, including those from Vietnam, Philippines, and China are dismantled, then all disputants can sit and discuss the peaceful resolution of the dispute said Zarate.



Colmenares explained that the proposed Philippine resolution merely asserts that, despite the Tribunal decision, the militarization of the South China Sea threatens peace and stability in the region and asks the United Nations General Assembly to supervise the demilitarization of the area.



The United Nations had recently supervised the demilitarization of various conflict areas such as Africa and demilitarizing the South China Sea will get the support of many countries, the former congressman said.

 2020 Manila Bulletin - Philippine News. All rights reserved.

Theme(s): Others.
North West and her dad Kanye West are two peas in a pod. Even though the oldest Kardashian West child is only 7, she does almost everything her dad does. Shes into fashion and has walked in his shows.

They make music together. When Kanye mentions his kids, hes usually talking about North. That has fans wondering what about Chicago, Saint, and Psalm? The three younger Kardashian West kids, 4, 2, and 1, are just as adorable as their older sister.

But fans think Kanye prefers his firstborn. There is evidence that supports that theory, although Kanye doesnt seem like he would ever emotionally harm his other children by admitting it.

Kanye West has rapped about his concern for North West

Kanye West and daughter North West | Arnold Jerocki/GC Images

Some fans think Kanye spends more time doing things with North because of her age. The younger three are still too little to do many of the activities that Kanye enjoys. When discussing the subject on Reddit, one fan wrote: I think North is older and more interactive, so youre going to have more stories about that.

North also looks a lot like Kanye, and fans think that many have something to do with it. As one fan wrote, I think there is some sort of psychology behind parents favoring the child that takes after them most. There is SO much Kanye in North in her features and personality.

One fan on reddit pointed out lyrics from one of Kanyes songs that may hold a hint as to why he seems more involved with North. On one of the songs in his Life of Pablo album, Kanye rapped: I be worried bout my daughter, I be worried bout Kim But Saint is baby Ye, I aint worried bout him.

It could be that Kanye isnt as involved with Saint because he sees him as more similar to himself. The younger children werent born at the time he wrote the song.

Kim Kardashian has said Saint West is her favorite child

RELATED: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West: Was Wyoming the Beginning of the End for Their Relationship?

Kris Jenner is notorious for picking favorites among her children. She plays it off like a joke, but fans think there may be some truth to it. Kris says that her favorite child is the one that makes her the most money. The KarJen girls make light of it, but fans think Kris goes too far.

Still, its possible Kim now thinks that kind of talk is normal. She called Saint her favorite on an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and Kanye wasnt having it. Fans remember well that Kanye called Kim out in a confessional. Its clear that even if North is Kanyes favorite child, he would never say it out loud.

Fans worry Kanye West might distance himself from his younger children for this reason

Although Kanye has four children, he seems to be focused more on his oldest daughter. Hes been known to talk about his second son, Saint, as well. But fans have noticed that Kanye doesnt seem to pay much attention to youngest two kids.

Chicago and Psalm are still little, so they dont interact as much as Saint and North. Still, some fans fear that Kanye doesnt feel as close to the littlest Kardashian West babies because of the way they were conceived.

One fan pointed out that sometimes people with extreme religious views dont agree with unnatural conception methods. Psalm and Chicago are both biologically Kim and Kanyes, but they used IVF and a surrogate.

Some fans think that may influence Kanyes view of them. I think with Kanyes newfound religiousness (I know hes always been religious, but its gotten more intense these past few years), he might resent/dislike the idea that Chicago and Psalm werent naturally conceived.
ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (1 September 2020) - IMCD N.V. ("IMCD" or "Company"), a leading distributor of speciality chemicals and ingredients, today announces that it has successfully signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in the South African distributor Siyeza Fine Chem Propriety Limited ("Siyeza").

Siyeza, based in Johannesburg, was founded in 2007 and is a leading distributor of pharmaceutical, veterinary, food, and personal care speciality chemical ingredients in South Africa. The company has 27 employees and generated a revenue of 11.7 million in 2019 through its representation of world-leading producers from Europe and Asia.



Ryan Harrison, Managing Director IMCD South Africa, comments: "For almost 15 years, IMCD South Africa has shown steady growth. As a leading speciality chemical company for the Sub-Saharan Africa market, we are focused on bringing added value to our customers and principals. I'm delighted with the acquisition of Siyeza as it solidifies IMCD's pharmaceutical business. It also places us in an ideal position to keep supporting our suppliers' growth and continue offering solutions to our customers."



Sungie Moodley, Managing Director Siyeza says: "We are very pleased to become part of the IMCD family and excited about the potential of combining our knowledge of the South African market with IMCD's global reach and strong formulation and technical know-how."



The company will continue with its present management and staff.

The closing of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory review and is expected in December 2020.

- xxx -

About IMCD N.V.

IMCD is a market leader in the sales, marketing, and distribution of speciality chemicals and food ingredients. Its result-driven professionals provide market-focused solutions to suppliers and customers across EMEA, Asia-Pacific, and Americas, offering a range of comprehensive product portfolios, including innovative formulations that embrace industry trends.



Listed at Euronext, Amsterdam (IMCD), IMCD realised revenues of EUR 2,690 million in 2019 with nearly 3,000 employees in over 50 countries on 6 continents. IMCD's dedicated team of technical and commercial experts work in close partnership to tailor best in class solutions and provide value through expertise for around 49,000 customers and a diverse range of world-class suppliers.

To find out more about IMCD, please visit www.imcdgroup.com .

Attached, please find the press release.

Media contact

IMCD Group

Maribel Rodriguez

Senior Group Communications Manager

+31 6 1479 6610

mediarelations@imcdgroup.com

Attachment
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The value of steel export from Turkey to Kazakhstan slumped by 46.76 percent from January through July 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, having stood at $18.4 million, the Turkish Trade Ministry told Trend.

Reportedly, in July 2020, Turkeys export of steel to Kazakhstan massively dropped by 65.73 percent compared to July 2019, making up $4 million.

Steel export from Turkey to international markets dropped by 16.4 percent from January through July 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, and amounted to $7 billion.

Meanwhile, Turkeys steel export made up 7.8 percent of the country's total export over this period.

In July 2020, Turkey exported the steel worth $1 billion to foreign markets, which is 15.4 percent less compared to the same month of 2019, the ministry said.

Turkeys steel export in July 2020 accounted for 7 percent of the country's total export.

Over the past 12 months (from July 2019 through July 2020, Turkey exported the steel worth $12.4 billion abroad.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
HOUSTON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Fintech startup Save announced today that they have signed a preliminary agreement with Radius Bank to power an FDIC-insured consumer checking account and the Save Debit Invest debit card for customers of Save's Savetech platform. The Save Debit Invest account will be managed as part of Save's first-of-its-kind savings platform, where Save provides customers with market investments that match their card signature spending on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Under the terms of the partnership, over $3 billion is expected in customer transactions and matching investments within the first 3 years.

As an example, if a customer were to spend $100,000 in a year on their card, Save expects to allocate $100,000 of equivalent portfolio investments in a portfolio matching their investment profile. Save customers get to keep the yield on the matching investments with the goal of earning average returns that are significantly higher than other card products, bank accounts, or other savings vehicles. The investments are professionally managed with Save's algorithmic portfolio technology using a diverse portfolio of ETFs.

"We are transforming the industry of investments and savings with an unparalleled customer proposition," said Michael Nelskyla, Founder & CEO of Save. "We work with the most innovative banks that are ready to move into the future with technology to drive better results for customers, and Radius has been at the top of that list."

Headquartered in Boston, MA, Radius operates in all 50 states and describes itself as a forward-thinking digital bank offering a full complement of leading-edge personal and business products and services. Radius is known for its award-winning, digital banking platform that combines state-of-the-art technology with the best checking and savings account features to provide a superior banking experience for consumers and small businesses. Its platform provides convenient features such as mobile check deposit, bill pay, card management, as well as a personal financial management dashboard, and access to the Radius Marketplace, a curated group of best-in-class financial products that help clients spend, save, and protect their money. LendingClub recently announced its intent to acquire Radius Bank, which is subject to regulatory approval.

"Save is on a mission to change the way people build wealth in a very innovative way and is an ideal partner for Radius," said Huma Usmani, Vice President, Emerging Technologies of Radius Bank. "In our conversations with Save, we feel like kindred spirits with a shared sense of mission. Save has developed a unique Savetech platform that has the potential to help savers achieve significantly higher yields on their savings using the Save Debit Invest card."

"We partner with key banks to support our aggressive growth plans, and Radius is truly one of the most technologically innovative and proactively customer-first banks in the industry," said Adam Watts, President and COO of Save. "Radius has exactly the right kind of company culture and customer-centric philosophy to partner with Save."

"The Radius Bank team is passionate about disrupting the banking industry with technology that really makes life better for customers, and that adds value for customers," said Radius EVP of Virtual Banking, Chris Tremont. "We believe that Save is an ideal partner for joining us in the mission of driving the next era of innovation in financial services. No one else in the banking industry is offering such a unique return potential. We're looking forward to helping Save customers keep their deposits safe with Radius, and we're excited to see the market returns Save can deliver."

Save invites new customers to sign up today at: joinsave.com

About Radius Bank

With assets of approximately $1.6 billion, Radius Bank is a forward-thinking digital bank committed to providing a full complement of accounts and services to meet the banking needs of consumers and businesses nationwide. Radius provides the product depth of a national brand, the technology of a fintech, and the personalized attention typically reserved for a local bank to consumers, small and middle market businesses, unions, government entities and non-profit organizations. The Bank's award-winning digital banking platform allows consumer clients to bank from anywhere with a computer or mobile device and provides convenient features such as check deposit, bill pay, card management, and a personal financial management dashboard. Business clients enjoy a wide array of award-winning deposit products, advanced treasury management services, and loan and payment solutions. In addition, Radius' suite of open APIs delivers a robust banking-as-a-service (Baas) platform for fintechs to quickly access core banking features and build best-in-class financial solutions. Radius specializes in partnering with forward-thinking fintechs to provide white-label deposit products, cards, digital onboarding, and account management. Radius Bank is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and is an Equal Housing/Equal Opportunity Lender. For further information, visit the Bank's website at radiusbank.com, or follow the Bank on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Save

Save was created by a team of financial industry veterans, fund managers, data scientists, software developers, and quantitative experts with experience at such well-respected financial firms and organizations as Goldman Sachs, UBS, and NASA. Save intends to bring the same types of sophisticated investments that usually would only be available to institutional investors to everyday people who want to get a higher return on their savings but without the risks of the stock market. Learn more at joinsave.com. Follow and connect with Save on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Save Advisers LLC ("Save Advisers") is an SEC-registered investment advisor. All brokerage and clearing services are provided by, and securities offered through Apex Clearing Corporation, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Save Advisers, which is not affiliated with Apex clearing Corporation. Save Advisers does not provide tax or legal advice and investors are encouraged to consult with their personal advisors.

Please see joinsave.com for full disclosure and important details.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Save Advisers

Related Links

https://www.joinsave.com


Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals (GNFC) tumbled 4.29% to Rs 194 after the company's net profit slumped 95.7% to Rs 2.97 crore on 42.1% decline in net sales to Rs 700.23 crore in Q1 FY21 over Q1 FY20.

Revenue from fertilizers segment stood at Rs 331.29 crore (down 21.9% YoY) and revenue from chemicals segment was at Rs 354.11 crore (down 53.7% YoY) in the first quarter.

Profit before tax in Q1 June 2020 stood at Rs 1.94 crore, down by 97.1% from Rs 66.73 crore in Q1 June 2019. Current tax expense were down by 88.6% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 1.55 crore during the quarter.

GNFC is engaged in operating businesses in the industrial chemicals, fertilizers and information technology (IT) products space.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two Central Virginia Republican candidates will appear on the November ballots after a Richmond judges decision upheld extensions granted by the Virginia Board of Elections.

Virginias Board of Elections was sued in July by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee after the Board voted on July 7 to allow eight congressional candidates, including 5th District Republican candidate Bob Good and 7th District Republican candidate Nick Freitas, to qualify for the November ballot despite not filing paperwork on time.

The DCCC asked that Good and Freitas not be allowed to appear on the November ballot, a decision which would substantially benefit Democrats in the 5th and 7th district races.

However, during a Aug. 17 telephonic hearing, a Richmond City Circuit Court judge found that the agency acted within its power and granted the defendants demurrer, effectively dismissing the case. The complaint was formally dismissed with prejudice via an order issued on Aug. 26.

According to a transcript of the hearing, counsel representing the DCCC argued that though the state Board of Elections has the ability to grant an extension for a 10-day period, the Board waited nearly a full month before granting the extension 39 days after the original statutory deadline.
A loving family who were falsely accused of evil sex crimes against children have spoken publicly for the first time since the case that turned their lives upside down was thrown out of court.

Seven members of the Cook family, who have run a circus school in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney since 2009, were charged with more than 120 offences in 2018, but the sickening allegations were completely untrue.

Theresa Cook, 60, her daughters Yyani, 35, and Clarissa, 25, two women aged 22 and 19, a 20-year-old man and 54-year-old Paul Cook were all cleared of any wrongdoing in Penrith Local Court almost two years later in February 2020.

Seven months on, the family will appear on 60 Minutes to break their silence on the false accusations, how their lives were torn apart while trying to clear their names - and their fear of being thrown in jail for life.

'I was just told when I was arrested that I'd be in prison for 25 years to life,' Theresa Cook said as she broke down in tears clutching her chest in a preview for the segment.

Therese's daughter Yyani-Rose Cook-Williams, 35, was falsely accused of 'inciting' a boy to rape another little boy

The alleged offences involved three boys under the age of ten between 2014 and 2016 and included false allegations of rape, assault and kidnapping.

It was also alleged the family took part in 'blood rituals', sticking needles in a person's eye, and tongue biting, while some boys were allegedly filmed to create pornographic material.

All allegations were false, with the Director of Public Prosecutions withdrawing all 127 charges, but the family was forced to hear them in court as the case played out in the public eye.

'I still get scared. Very, very scared,' Ms Cook said in the preview.

In a preview for the interview which will air on Sunday, Ms Cook sobbed as she explained the initial moments following her arrest

Therese Cook is pictured after an accident

Yyani Cook-Williams, her 30-year-old daughter, was wrongly accused of inciting two of the boys to have sex with each other.

She explained how she repeatedly insisted she was innocent during an initial police interview for 'what felt like an hour'.

Her brother explained that he'd 'never felt dread like that before in my life'.

'I was so afraid,' the young man said.

Paul Cook said he still carries 'pain, sadness, some days despair' following all charges being dropped.

Yyani Cook-Williams (pictured) explained how she repeatedly insisted she was innocent during an initial police interview for 'what felt like an hour'

The family (pictured) all maintained their innocence throughout the ordeal and were finally vindicated after nearly two years of hell

After all charges were dismissed, the family's defence layer Bryan Wrench said the prosecution's case was weak.

'Crucial evidence had been overlooked and the police had no leg to stand on,' he said at the time.

Mr Wrench reiterated his clients' innocence, and said he was pleased they could finally be reunited after were separated for the length of the court case as part of their bail conditions.

He said four of the accused spent 206 days behind bars.

'It was probably one of the greatest miscarriages of justice this state has seen,' he told 9News at the time.

'It was totally concocted, they are totally innocent, and it's been total vindication today.

'It's been a saga, it's finally over, it's been two years since they have seen their family and today will be reunited.'

Police falsely alleged in court Therese Cook was the ringleader and organised the 'systemic rape and detention of the boys'.

She was charged with 43 offences, including aggravated assault of a child, sexual intercourse with a child under 10 and holding children against their will. All charges were dropped.

Her brother Paul was wrongly accused of filming at least one encounter on his mobile phone and three counts of aggravated sexual assault in company.

The family-run Katoomba circus school is pictured

Therese Cook (left) and Yyani-Rose Cook-Williams (right), together in costume

Cook-Williams was wrongly accused of 'inciting' a boy to rape another little boy on Anzac Day in 2016 and raping both of the little boys in company with her mother.

Meredith, Cook's adopted daughter, was charged with rape, assaulting two of the boys and depriving a boy of his liberty.

They all maintained their innocence throughout the ordeal and were finally vindicated after nearly two years of hell.

The court was told one of the alleged victims penned a letter to his mother admitting the allegations were fabricated, but the confession was hidden from investigators.

NSW Police called for a review of the decision to withdraw the charges earlier this year, but it was rejected by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Timeline of events leading to dismissal of all charges February 5, 2018: All seven members of the Cook family were arrested on a property in Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, falsely accused of sexually assaulting three boys under the age of eight. February 9, 2018: Accused enter pleas of not guilty. Mid August, 2018: Therese Ann Cook, her daughter Yyani Cook-Williams and Clarissa Meredith were all granted bail. They were not allowed to contact each other or other members of the family during court proceedings. March 8, 2019: One of the boys who claimed he was a victim of the family wrote a letter to his mother admitting he had lied about being sexually assaulted. Defence solicitor Bryan Wrench told the court the boy had written a letter saying: 'Mum I'm really sorry I've been lying about the whole thing. Nobody hurt me, I've been lying to you.' He claimed the boy's mother had hidden the note from investigators. February 14, 2020: All charges against each of the seven members of the family were dropped. They had maintained their innocence throughout the court process. September 13, 2020: The family will break their silence to appear on 60 Minutes and discuss the trauma of the false accusations and wrong charges. Advertisement




SOUTH African President and African Union chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday said his special envoys to Zimbabwe must travel back to Harare soon and engage all stakeholders to fully appreciate the gravity of the crisis in Harare.





This comes as South Africas ruling African National Congress (ANC) party intensifies efforts to assist Zimbabwe emerge from its deepening crisis.





Ramaphosa last month dispatched former Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete and former Safety and Security minister Sydney Mufamadi as his special envoys to Zimbabwe, but the team sparked controversy after it only met President Emmerson Mnangagwa and snubbed other key stakeholders, including the main opposition MDC Alliance party.





The South African leader has been under pressure from within the ANC, South African opposition parties including the Economic Freedom Fighters, the Democratic Alliance and One South Africa, among many others, to act on the crisis in Zimbabwe.





Pressure has also been coming from the region and global community for South Africa to find a solution to the Harare crisis that has seen dozens of citizens, including activists, journalists, lawyers and civic society leaders under siege.





Several others have gone into hiding fearing arrests, abduction and torture at the hands of State security agents.





The ANC notes the work being done to continue silencing the guns in Mali and Libya and ensure stability in Mozambique, Sudan and Zimbabwe, Ramaphosa said.

But Mnangagwa has always denied that there is a crisis in the country.





Ramaphosa was speaking after a virtual national executive committee (NEC) meeting of the ANC.





The national executive committee welcomes government efforts to engage the situation in Zimbabwe, in particular the deployment of special envoys.





It emphasised the efforts of the envoys in engaging all the stakeholders in the country to assist in addressing the current situation. ANC and government processes must complement each other, he said.





The envoys, indeed, went and met President Mnangagwa and his delegation. They had extensive and quite lengthy discussions and in the course of the discussions, it became clear that we needed to have a process that they would engage other people there and we felt that we should give consideration to that and that is something we would obviously want to see happening.





Ramaphosa said the ANC was also arranging a meeting with Zanu PF on the Zimbabwean situation for a party-to-party discussion, but emphasised the need for the South African ruling party to engage all stakeholders as well





He said an ANC delegation would soon be dispatched to Zimbabwe.





The NEC also expressed the need to meet other stakeholders in Zimbabwe and clearly important that we get as broad a view of what is happening in Zimbabwe as we possibly can, Ramaphosa said.





Zanu PF and government last month said the special envoys were only sent to meet Mnangagwa over the Zimbabwean crisis, while the MDC Alliance said it was disappointed after the emissaries left without meeting other key stakeholders.





There were reports that Mnangagwa had personally blocked the special envoys from meeting other stakeholders.





However, NewsDay heard that Mnangagwa had lined up the Political Actors Dialogue (Polad) to meet the special envoys.





Ramaphosa said the ANC supported engagements with Zanu PF in trying to understand the challenges in Zimbabwe.





The NEC agreed also that the ANC must speak to all parties and all stakeholders as well, he said.





ANC chairperson for the international relations committee, Lindiwe Zulu, last week said Zimbabwe was in a crisis, adding that people must be open about it.





Her views echoed sentiments by Ace Magashule, the partys secretary-general, who said the country was indeed in a crisis and a solution was urgently needed, despite denials by the Zanu PF government.





Zimbabwe has been reeling under multifaceted crises, that include political, health and humanitarian.





The United States, the United Kingdom, European Union, The Elders, African Union Commission, church and civic society, among others, have called for inclusive dialogue to help resolve the logjam emanating from the disputed 2018 presidential elections.





But Mnangagwa insists he will not talk to his main challenger MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa until the opposition leader joins Polad.




N inety people have been arrested at the Extinction Rebellion protests in central London, Scotland Yard has said.

In a tweet, the force confirmed that officers have detained 90 people as of 6pm.

At least one was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, they said.

Others were arrested for breaching Public Order conditions, obstructing the highway and obstructing police, the Met Police added.

Extinction Rebellion: London demonstrations 1 /102 Extinction Rebellion: London demonstrations PA PA Extinction Rebellion UK AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images PA AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images PA AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images PA Getty Images Getty Images AFP via Getty Images PA AFP via Getty Images Jeremy Selwyn The environmental campaign group has planned events to be held at several landmarks in the capital PA Extinction Rebellion protesters in Parliament Square, London PA Extinction Rebellion protesters tussle with police officer in Parliament Square PA Extinction Rebellion protesters in Parliament Square PA Actor Juliet Stevenson speaks at an Extinction Rebellion protest PA PA AFP via Getty Images PA PA REUTERS AFP via Getty Images PA Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn PA AFP via Getty Images PA REUTERS PA Reuters AFP via Getty Images Reuters PA Jeremy Selwyn AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images Reuters PA Reuters Reuters PA AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images PA PA Reuters Getty Images Getty Images REUTERS AFP via Getty Images Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AP REUTERS AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images PA Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images

Thousands of campaigners descended on Parliament Square on Tuesday afternoon where they blocked roads, bringing traffic to a standstill, chanted, banged drums and made a range of speeches.

It comes as the environmental campaign group kicks off two weeks of civil disobedience and protests in Westminster.

At least ten people were carried away by police / PA

At least 10 people were carried away by officers after the group refused to move from the roads around Parliament Square.

Protesters chanted and cheered as the officers took them away to nearby police vans.

Four marches converged in Westminster after the Met had said the gatherings could only take place off the main roads at Parliament Square between 8am and 7pm.

Extintion Rebellion protests in central London / PA

Campaigners enjoyed a carnival-like atmosphere, waving flags and banners as they demanded the Government take the climate crisis seriously.

One protester, Karen Wildin, 56, a tutor from Leicester, said: Im here today because I have serious concerns about the future of the planet  we need to put this above anything else.

Never mind Covid, never mind A-levels, this is the biggest crisis facing us and we need to raise the message as loudly as possible.

Not a lot has been done on this issue, everyone needs to hear the message.

Sarah Lunnon, a prominent member of Extinction Rebellion, said: The failure to act on this issue will have a catastrophic impact on the future of us and the generations to come.

We want to occupy Parliament Square to make our voices heard. Of course were in the middle of a pandemic but were balancing the risk, this is the biggest issue facing us.

Last year, more than 1,700 arrests were made during Extinction Rebellions 10-day Autumn Uprising, which saw major disruption across the UK.
Border tensions with China have spiralled in the sensitive Ladakh sector after the Indian Army occupied key heights on the southern bank of Pangong Lake to prevent the Chinese People Liberations Army (PLA) from grabbing Indian territory in a stealthy midnight move on August 29, officials familiar with the developments said on Tuesday.

The PLA made a second provocative move on August 31 but the Indian Army took timely defensive action to thwart the Chinese attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo in the sector, the ministry of external affairs said on Tuesday.

The army is on high alert to deal with any adventurism by the PLA in the sector, where both armies have concentrated a significant number of soldiers, tanks and artillery pieces; and are within each others rifle range, said an official cited above, requesting anonymity.

While India said on Monday that it had pre-empted Chinas provocative military movements to change the status quo along the LAC on the lakes southern bank, China claimed that the Indian Army broke the consensus reached at talks and illegally crossed the line again near the south bank of Pangong Lake and Reqin Pass, making a blatant provocation and causing tension.

The Indian Army is holding a series of positions near Black Top (a hill feature) and on Rezang La and Reqin pass that are on the Indian side of the LAC and allow the army to completely dominate the area and keep an eye on Chinese military activity, said a second official. Specialist mountain troops played a key role in taking these heights and one of them was killed in a landmine blast.

The second provocative action by the PLA on August 31 was targeted at these heights held by the Indian Army, the official said.

The Indian Armys taking up positions on the lakes southern bank was the most befitting action to pre-empt what was seen as inevitable along this part of the LAC, said Lieutenant General AS Lamba (retd), a former army vice chief.

The latest developments have deepened the trust deficit between the two sides and dealt a blow to efforts to reduce tensions in the Ladakh sector, where both armies have deployed almost 100,000 soldiers and weaponry in their forward and depth areas.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with external affairs minister S Jaishankar, national security adviser Ajit Doval and the top military brass to review the latest developments in eastern Ladakh, with the focus on the volatile situation near the Pangong Lake following the Indian Armys pre-emptive military move and the counter-action by the PLA.

Indian troops pre-empted PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground, army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand said on Monday, without elaborating on the nature of the Chinese provocation and how Indian soldiers blocked PLAs actions.

Another flag meeting of brigade commanders was held at Chushul on Tuesday to de-escalate tensions but its outcome was not immediately known.

More than 200 Chinese soldiers were involved in the attempt to occupy Indian territory, but a sufficient number of Indian troops  armed with accurate intelligence about PLA movements in the area -- warded off the threat.

Until now, tensions in this sector were confined to the Finger Area on Pangong Lakes northern bank.

The army said on Monday that while it was committed to maintaining peace and tranquility along the LAC through dialogue, it was equally determined to protect the countrys territorial integrity.

Experts said the military and diplomatic talks or economic measures against China havent led to any change in PLAs behaviour in the Ladakh sector.

We need to review if these steps have had any impact at all. It is clear that China has no plans to restore status quo ante. On the contrary, it is constantly making efforts to change the status quo and continues to use the military option, said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd).

The PLA has sparked fresh tensions along the LAC at a time when military and diplomatic talks with China to implement a complex disengagement plan have hit a wall.

The sizeable Chinese troop presence at friction points, particularly the northern bank of Pangong Lake and Depsang, remains an area of key concern for the Indian Army. The Finger Area  a set of eight cliffs jutting out of Sirijap range overlooking Pangong Lake  has emerged as the hardest part of the disengagement process.

Disengagement has progressed somewhat smoothly at friction points in Galwan Valley and Hot Springs, but its pace remains sluggish in the Gogra area.

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For months, humanitarian organizations warned of a doomsday scenario: the novel coronavirus tearing through overcrowded camps for refugees and internally displaced people, where medical care and clean water are often scarce.

At first, these fears did not materialize, although the true extent of the virus's reach remains difficult to measure in places with limited testing. In March, as the virus spread around the world, camps and communities rife with displacement in Bangladesh, the Gaza Strip, Greece, Kenya, South Sudan, Syria and elsewhere imposed lockdowns and quarantines on arriving travelers. Many camps were already isolated by crises, which the pandemic compounded, and dependent on international aid, which it disrupted.

In the meantime, the virus found its victims elsewhere. But that has begun to change.

Nearly six months into the pandemic, advocates warn, the coronavirus has started to find new footholds in some camps, or in dangerous proximity, threatening some of the world's most vulnerable populations.

For the millions of people around the world displaced by economic collapse, violence and war, practices like social distancing, hand-washing and isolating the sick and most at risk are often impossible.

Last week, the Gaza Strip, one of the poorest and most densely populated places on Earth, reported its first official cases of community transmission. Within days, tens of patients and one death were confirmed in the blockaded coastal enclave, where clean water, electricity and medical care are in critically short supply.

Nearly 80% of Gaza's roughly 2 million residents depend on international assistance after decades of conflict, and nearly 600,000 Palestinians still live in urban, slum-like refugee camps. The territory had previously recorded around 100 cases among quarantined travelers, amid rumors of unconfirmed community spread.

On the Greek island of Lesbos, home to a massive camp for Europe-bound migrants and asylum seekers, cases have been climbing since the island's capital, Mytilene, recorded its first infection on Aug. 12, said Caroline Willemen, who coordinates the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) covid-19 response there. On Saturday, authorities tightened the island's coronavirus measures.

Just 10 miles from Mytilene, some 13,000 people live in Moria camp, which was built to house 3,000. The camp instated strict movement restrictions in February, and tests and quarantines all new arrivals.

But these measures only go so far. "Sooner or later someone who lives in Mytilene and works in the camp is going to bring [the virus] in," Willemen said.

In its density, she said, the camp is like "a festival that no one wants to be at" - and which would be banned under Greece's current virus-related restrictions.

Meanwhile, in northeast Syria, al-Hol refugee camp confirmed its first local coronavirus infection on Aug. 27, several weeks after three medical workers there tested positive. The northeast region has officially recorded 394 coronavirus cases as of Aug. 24. But tests are limited and about half have come back positive - suggesting a much wider spread, said Will Turner, the MSF emergency manager for Syria.

The number of medical facilities in al-Hol has declined, from 24 in May to five in August, in part due to coronavirus-related cuts, Turner said. The camp houses more than 65,000 people, mainly women and children.

In Syria's war-ravaged northwest - the country's last mainly rebel-held zone, where many residents have been displaced multiple times after years of fighting - testing and data are similarly scarce.

Six weeks ago the region's first coronavirus patient, a doctor, was confirmed. Since then, infections have proliferated, half among medical staff, said Sherine Ibrahim, the deputy director of Care in Syria.

"We were all quite surprised that we didn't see this exploding earlier on," said Misty Buswell, a Middle East regional director for the International Rescue Committee. "But I think now we are really starting to get to a tipping point."

In recent months, aid groups said donors by and large have shown less interest in funding covid-19 response work in places without major outbreaks, which has left groups pleading for resources to prevent potential catastrophes.

In camps, the strategy from the start has been to assume that outbreaks are inevitable and prepare accordingly, said Mohamed El Montassir Hussein, the IRC Kenya country director.

Since cases first emerged in Kenya in March, the country's two main refugee camps, Kakuma and Dadaab, have been largely sealed off. Health-care staff, already dealing with seasonal malaria and cholera outbreaks, have worked to educate residents about the coronavirus, prepare isolation areas and bolster stockpiles of protective gear.

Official numbers remain low: 76 cases in Kakuma and 44 in Dadaab as of Aug. 27, Hussein said. But testing remains minimal, and some 90 percent of infections have been asymptotic.

Kenya has still not reached its peak case numbers, said Hussein, who expects cases in the camps to keep rising as well. Mercy Laker, a deputy country director for Care in South Sudan, said IDP camps there are facing a similar situation.

"There is consensus that there is community transmission going on, but we don't know the extent to which people are getting infected," she said. "So its definitely a time bomb."

For those living in camps, months of isolation have come with costs.

In Bangladesh, around 1 million Rohingya refugees from neighboring Myanmar live in crowded encampments around the city of Cox's Bazar. One-third of them do not have access to soap, and more than a half live without enough water, said Shannon Scribner, who leads Oxfam America's humanitarian advocacy team. In an effort to prevent the spread of the virus, humanitarian staffing in the camps has been reduced by 80 percent and quarantines on newcomers are in place, she said. Officially, the camps have seen around 90 confirmed cases, and the surrounding community has recorded some 4,000.

"It's a double-edged sword," Scribner said. "You do need to control the spread. But the problem is that people living in these refugee camps already have so many protection threats they are facing every day."

In Moria, residents used to be able to leave the camp and spend a few hours in town. But while Greece's islands have welcomed back summer tourists, movement in and out of the camp remains highly restricted. As cases in Lesbos rose this month, Moria suspended activities considered nonessential, including school and sports.

"Opportunities to get yourself out of this hell for a few hours have been vastly reduced," which "has a very negative impact on peoples mental health," Willemen said. "Covid or no covid, the circumstances in which people live are completely unacceptable. It's just that covid adds another level to how unacceptable it is."
Prime Minister has expressed hope that "the history will one day expose the conspirators of the August 15, 1975 massacre" while stating that power, to her, is a responsibility towards the people.

Urging the student wing -- Chhatra League (BCL) -- of the ruling party to love the motherland first, she talked about the disappearance and killing of "Bangabandhu" Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Hasina also recalled the "horrible days" of the Ziaur Rahman regime. After the killing of the Father of the Nation (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman), Hasina said, Ziaur Rahman, HM Ershad and Begum Khaleda Zia made power as a tool to enjoy.

"To me, power is a responsibility towards people. The conspirators behind the scene couldn't be found yet... this information will definitely come out someday," the chief patron of BCL said.

She said the killers had tried to shatter the pride of the nation and the country by killing him (Bangabandhu).

The Prime Minister said this while delivering a speech at a programme of the student wing of the ruling party -- BCL, held at Awami League central office at 23 Bangabandhu Avenue, marking the National Mourning Day.

She joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

"We've held the trial of killers and with this, we've ensured that justice prevails in this country.... some killers still absconding," she said.

By killing Bangabandhu, Hasina said, the killers thought that they would be able to erase his name, the sacrifices of millions of martyrs and thousands of women, and would turn helpless without any direction and ideals.

"That means they tried to totally destroy the country's prospect of advancement in terms of education and economy, getting free from poverty and will stay in the world with its head high. They tried to demolish the ideals on which Bangabandhu liberated the country," Hasina said.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the sacrifice of her mother 'Bangamata' Fazilatunnesa Mujib, saying her mother was beside Bangabandhu throughout her life.

"My father could fully engage in the service of the country as he got such a companion beside him... this is very rare. Had my mother not stood beside him like that way, I wonder, whether Bangladesh would have been liberated or not," she said.

Hasina said her primary aim is to build "Golden Bengal" as dreamt by the Father of the Nation.

She asked the BCL activists and leaders to be imbued with patriotism and follow the ideals of the Father of the Nation.

At the beginning of the programme, a silence of one minute was observed as a mark of respect to the martyrs of the August 15 massacre.

--IANS

sumi/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.)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  Convicted former Mayor of Calauan, Laguna Antonio Sanchez is confined at the New Bilibid Prison Hospital, the Bureau of Corrections said Tuesday.

Sanchez is under observation and is waiting for an available room at the Philippine General Hospital, BuCor Spokesperson Gabriel Chaclag told CNN Philippines in a text message.

The high-profile inmate has diabetes mellitus, hypertension, kidney disease, and recently experienced shortness of breath, gastroenteritis, and electrolyte imbalance, Chaclag said.

"Ngayon, stable siya, (Sanchez is currently stable)," Chaclag added.

Sanchez and his henchmen were convicted in 1995 for the rape and murder of Mary Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez, students of the University of the Philippines Los Banos in Laguna, two years earlier.

Last year, reports of Sanchez's possible early release from prison drew public outrage, prompting the revision of the the implementing rules and regulations of the expanded Good Conduct Time Allowance law. Under the new rules, those convicted of heinous crimes are disqualified from having their jail sentence commuted for good behavior.
Tanzanias regulator has hit Liquid Telecom subsidiary Raha with a TZS11.8 billion (US$5.1 million) fine.

The TCRA (Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority) has accused the ISP of using spectrum in the 1452MHz-1482MHz band without a valid licence since March this year, according to TeleGeography.

Local newspaper The Citizen reported TCRA director James Kilaba as claiming that despite using the spectrum, Raha had failed to provide internet services and submit financial statements.

Raha has been given 90 days to pay the fine for contravening spectrum regulations, or it will be penalised further.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Travelling to India to write the medical entrance exam NEET is not only stressful but also impractical, several candidates in Gulf countries have said, citing the risk of contracting COVID-19 and the need to undergo a mandatory quarantine, among other issues.

Some of them have decided the skip the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) altogether this year.

"What choice do I have? It is impractical," said Royston Mendonca, who is based in Dubai.

Several Indian students like her said the Supreme Court's refusal to allow exam centres for the NEET in Gulf countries has left them the lurch.

Many of these students have their JEE Main exam in the Gulf and the NEET in India.

While exam centres have been set up abroad for JEE Main, there is no such plan for NEET.

Reaching India in time to be able to complete the mandatory quarantine period before the exam, arranging a stay before taking a flight back home, additional expenses, the risk of contracting COVID-19 and being quarantined again back home, are among several concerns on the mind of the aspirants.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts medical and engineering entrance exams, has decided to hold NEET on September 13 and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains from September 1 to 6.

Mendonca said, "Even if I take the next possible Vande Bharat flight, I will not be able to finish my quarantine period by then.

And how can one appear for such a crucial exam amid this much stress," he told PTI over phone from Dubai.

Shailaja Vishwanathan, a Doha-based candidate, said, "I had contacted the Indian embassy here and I have been told that though I had not applied earlier, I would be accommodated in the next Vande Bharat flight. But it is too much of a hassle right before an exam for which I have been preparing for two years. I wish I was able to take the exam in Doha, but I don't have much choice. I will go anyhow."

Jonathan Vergis, who resides in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has to write both these exams, the JEE-Main in Dubai on September 3 and the NEET in India 10 days later.

"If I leave after this exam (JEE Main), I will not be able to finish the quarantine period before September 13, when the NEET exam is scheduled," he said.

However NTA officials said the JEE exam centre in such cases can be shifted to India and the students should reach out to the agency.

NEET candidate Jasim, a resident of Saudi Arabia, said, "This is very impractical. I have not travelled alone before this. If my parents fly with me, we will have to bear extra cost which is an added burden at the moment. The time taken to complete the quarantine, appearing for exam and then completing quarantine here once back, will require a lot of leaves from work for them too. We are still working out what to do."

Another candidate based in Oman, who did not wish to be identified told PTI, she has decided not to appear for the exam this year.

"I think I will take the exam next year now. I know a year is precious but it is just not feasible to travel to India for the exam now. I was really hoping that they either postpone the exam or set up centres in Gulf countries too," she said.

On Monday, the Supreme Court of India declined to pass direction to the Central government to hold NEET in Gulf countries.

The court directed the government to allow students to come through Vande Bharat Mission flights to write the exams.

The SC was hearing a plea filed by parents of nearly 4,000 NEET candidates, who alternatively had sought to postpone the examination until the coronavirus pandemic subsides.

The parents of these candidates, who reside in Doha, Qatar, Oman and the UAE, had approached the apex court challenging the High Court of Kerala order which had dismissed their plea in June.

The NTA informed the Supreme Court that it had duly consulted the MCI (Medical Council of India) on the students' demand for overseas test centers.

However, the MCI had clarified that since the exam is conducted in pen and paper mode, it will not be feasible to have a different pattern for Gulf countries or establish a centre there amid the pandemic situation.

Among Indian states too, there has been a growing chorus for postponing the two exams in view of a spike in COVID-19 cases.

However, the Ministry of Education has clarified the exams will be conducted on schedule in September as any further delay now can lead to a zero academic year.

These exams have already been deferred twice in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The JEE-Main was originally scheduled to be held from April 7-11, but was postponed to July 18-23, the NEET-UG was originally scheduled for May 3, but pushed to July 26.

They were postponed again and are now scheduled in September.
Andrew Pollack, a parent whose daughter was shot in the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School attack in Florida, spoke to the Republican National Convention on August 24 about the role that restorative justice played in causing local school leaders to ignore the frequent threats from the gunman. Pollack pointed to the fact that the Biden-Harris team promises in its pact with the Sanders group in the Democratic party to bring back restorative justice as a federally promoted practice.

This practice began in the criminal justice sector during the 1970s and emphasized reconciliation between victims and nonviolent offenders instead of punishment. The Obama administration started pushing for restorative justice practices in schools a decade ago in response to statistics showing that African-American and Hispanic students were suspended and expelled at higher rates than other students.

Rather than investigate specific school districts, the U.S. Department of Education concluded in 2011 that "statistically disparate results create a presumption of discrimination." In a subsequent "Dear Colleague Letter," the department discouraged school districts from "relying on suspensions and expulsions" to maintain safe school environments and urged them to develop "alternative disciplinary approaches such as restorative justice."

This policy effectively institutionalized the notion that schools must sacrifice security to achieve equity, endangering students and teachers alike. St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is a case in point.

SPPS began limiting suspensions and expulsions and focused instead on what it considered teachers' "inherent bias" in 2011. In collaboration with the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers (SPFT), the district began using restorative justice practices in 2016 and expanded them two years later. One integral practice is the use of restorative "circles," which are teacher-led meetings where students discuss how a student's misbehavior has affected them and how to rectify it.

Over the next several years, violent incidents at SPPS made headlines, including brutal attacks on teachers, who feared retribution if they criticized the new discipline policies.

Despite such results, the union demanded continued expansion of restorative justice practices, including the hiring of a "a full-time circle keeper." Yet it dropped the requirement that schools "identify an evidence-informed and/or research-based restorative practice model"  perhaps because such models are almost nonexistent.

Not only does none of SPPS's annual restorative justice reports provide objective quantitative data to evaluate its programs' effects on school safety, but such evaluations are rare for any school-district program. U.S. civil rights commissioner Michael Yaki admitted as much during the Obama administration. While he noted that "culture-specific interventions" such as restorative justice might very well help reduce racially disparate discipline rates, Yaki cautioned that "there is little evidence-based research today on how" to do so and that "the research is still too thin."

There is still little evidence that restorative justice has mitigated racially disparate discipline rates, and the preponderance of credible research finds negative effects. Manhattan Institute senior fellow Max Eden has summarized the data from several large districts throughout the country showing that student achievement declines, teachers are discontented, and students feel unsafe at school.

Lenient interventions such as restorative justice circles may help improve behavior for some first-time, nonviolent students, but leniency toward repeated violent behavior puts everyone at risk. Just ask Pollack, who spoke at the Republican convention and is the co-author with Eden of Why Meadow Died. Pollack in the book blames not only the shooter, but also the Broward County school district's restorative justice program and what he calls a "culture of pathological unaccountability." Behavior "doesn't magically get better," Pollack points out, when you decide to "not punish mischief." What happens is that matters "get worse for students and teachers" but "look better on paper for bureaucrats and activists." This, in turn, leads to "a thousand tragedies a day" that we never learn of. And it means that troubled children just "slip through the cracks."

In a perverse irony, many of the minority students whom restorative justice practices were supposed to help are actually at greater risk. Classrooms are more chaotic, and schools are more dangerous because students realize that teachers are virtually powerless to impose discipline. When students feel unsafe, they may shut down or act out  making a bad situation even worse.

Scary schools devoid of serious penalties for violent behavior are neither what students need nor what parents want for their children  no matter how many "healing circles" schools hold.

Williamson M. Evers is a senior fellow and Vicki E. Alger is a research fellow at the Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif. Evers is a former U.S. assistant secretary of education and is the author of Victims' Rights, Restitution, and Retribution. Alger is the author of Failure: The Federal "Misedukation" of America's Children.

Image: Needpix.
By Trend





President of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad Bande expressed gratitude to Azerbaijan for the initiative to hold a special session on cooperation between countries in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, Trend reports referring to TASS News Agency.

The proposal to hold a special session on the pandemic by the General Assembly is a veritable platform to mobilize global efforts against the pandemic, Bande said at a special meeting on the sessions organization.

We thank Azerbaijan, as Chair of Non-Aligned Movement, for pushing for this important session, he stressed.

The assemblys president clarified that the session co-organizers have already produced the document draft which can be accepted at the end of the session.

We trust that the special session will ensure greater involvement of world leaders toward a result-oriented response to the pandemic, he added.

This will further strengthen the General Assembly as a global partner in the fight against the pandemic and its impact on peoples livelihood, Bande concluded.

The UN General Assembly's special session on the fight against the pandemic officially opened on July 10, but it took the countries time to agree on aspects of its conduct in conditions of remote work.

Earlier, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expressed its confidence that the special session will contribute to strengthening the solidarity of states in the fight against the pandemic, and reinforce international cooperation in finding an answer to this global threat.
Ordinary members of Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Party will be excluded from a September 14 vote to choose a successor to Shinzo Abe, the countrys longest-serving prime minister, who is resigning for health reasons, local media reported on Tuesday.

A decision on a shortened voting process that will exclude rank-and-file members has already been approved, and an official announcement from the LDP is expected either later on Tuesday or on Wednesday.

Abes chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, is also poised to announce his candidacy as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, making him the likely frontrunner.

Candidates will be required to register their run next Tuesday, September 8, with campaigning to start immediately afterwards.





A leadership contest would usually include ruling party lawmakers and LDP members nationwide.

But the LDP has opted for a constrained format, polling only its MPs and three representatives from each of the countrys 47 prefectures.

The decision has provoked some criticism, but party officials said it would take as long as two months to organise a broader vote, affecting discussions on the budget and coronavirus-related policy-making amid a health crisis that is also weighing down on the economy.

The prime minister is sick, his illness has re-emerged. He is working hard under very difficult conditions, Shunichi Suzuki, chairman of the partys general council, told reporters on Tuesday.

Suga as frontrunner

Several candidates have already emerged for the race.

Suga, 71, has held the powerful post of chief cabinet secretary for years  coordinating policy among ministries and agencies, and serving as the effective face of the government as its chief spokesman.

Considered a pragmatist without strong ideological positions, Suga is seen as being close to Abe. He encouraged Abe to run again after his disastrous first term as prime minister ended after just a year in 2007.





According to national broadcaster NHK, support for Suga is increasing among party members, with the largest faction, led by former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hosoda Hiroyuki, expressing its support for him.

The second-largest faction, led by Finance Minister Taro Aso, and the fourth-largest, headed by LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, have also confirmed that they will endorse Suga, NHK added.

Other candidates are expected to include former Minister of Defense Shigeru Ishiba, who polls well with the general public but is less popular among party members.

A military expert, Ishiba once left the LDP, spending time as both an independent and briefly joining another party.

Many within the LDP have not forgiven him.

LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida [right], a former foreign minister who is often described as Abes [left] favoured successor, is also expected to stand in the race [File: Steven Senne/AP]

LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida, a former foreign minister, is also expected to stand.

He is often described as Abes favoured successor, but his limited public profile and low-key persona are likely to pose obstacles.

Abe announced his shock decision to step down on August 28, explaining he was suffering a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, a chronic condition that has plagued him for years.

He is Japans longest-serving prime minister, but has seen his governments approval ratings sink in recent months with the public unimpressed by his handling of the coronavirus outbreak.
Man With Knife Dies After Being Shot by Anaheim Police

A 25-year-old man wielding a knife was shot by Anaheim police on Aug. 29 when they tried to arrest him on sexual assault charges.

The incident occurred in the 2500 block of East Ward Terrace in Anaheim, California. The victim was treated at the scene before being taken to a local hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

Police identified the victim as Anaheim resident Jesse David Nava.

Nava was wanted in connection with a sexual assault case from August 2019, according to Sgt. Shane Carringer, public information officer for the Anaheim Police Department.

Police officers had a warrant for his arrest from Anaheim detectives for felony sexual assault, and they went in search of Nava at around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 29.

Carringer told The Epoch Times that police were able to locate the suspectbut he approached the officers armed with a large kitchen knife, and they fired on Nava.

The knife allegedly wielded by suspect Jesse David Nava was recovered at the scene of a police shooting in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 29, 2020. (Courtesy of the Anaheim Police Department)

Its unclear how many times Nava was shot or how many officers were involved in the shooting.

Were not releasing any of these details right now on the officers, Carringer said.

Navas injuries were treated at the scene by the police officers and paramedics. He was then sent to the University of CaliforniaIrvine Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery.

Nava died the following morning, Aug. 30, at around 9:30 a.m.

Carringer said the police department is unable to provide any additional information regarding the sexual assault incident from 2019 due to the nature of the crime.

Police officers were wearing body cameras at the time of the Aug. 29 shooting. The footage was sent to the Orange County district attorneys office following the incident, according to an Anaheim Police Department press release.

The DAs office will conduct a criminal investigation of the incident, while the Anaheim Police Departments Major Incident Review Team will conduct an internal investigation supervised by the Office of Independent Review.

The City of Anaheims Police Review Board has been briefed on the circumstances of the shooting and they will continue to monitor developments, the release stated.

The Police Review Board is a civilian oversight board of local volunteers established in 2018 that works closely with the Office of Independent Review after all major incidents.

The board also makes suggestions to leaders within the police department and holds public meetings every month to engage with the community. Due to the recent pandemic, the meetings are now held via video conference.
David Byrne apologized in a series of tweets on Monday over a resurfaced clip of him wearing blackface.

The offensive clips were culled from a commercial in support of Stop Making Sense, a concert film documenting the band behind hits such as Burning Down the House, Psycho Killer and Once in a Lifetime.

'Recently a journalist pointed out something I did in a promo video skit in 1984 for the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense,' Byrne, 68, said. 'In the piece I appear as a number of different characters interviewing myself, and some of the characters portrayed are people of color.'

The latest: David Byrne, 68, apologized in a series of tweets on Monday over a resurfaced clip of him wearing blackface. He was snapped in New Orleans in 2018

Byrne said he had 'just about forgotten about this skit and [was] grateful that it has been brought to [his] attention.'

He said that he had made a 'major mistake' in composing the promotional clip.

'To watch myself in the various characters, including black and brown face, I acknowledge it was a major mistake in judgement that showed a lack of real understanding,' he said. 'Its like looking in a mirror and seeing someone else - youre not, or were not, the person you thought you were.'

He continued: 'We have huge blind spots about ourselves- well, I certainly do. Id like to think I am beyond making mistakes like this, but clearly at the time I was not.

Throwback: The rock stalwart was snapped in 1987 in a promotional shot

Growth: Byrne said that he hoped the public would understand the shift in sensibilities he's had since 1984. He was snapped in London in 2015

'Like I say at the end of our Broadway show American Utopia 'I need to change too'..and I believe I have changed since then.'

Byrne said that he hoped the public would understand the shift in sensibilities he's had since 1984.

'One hopes that folks have the grace and understanding to allow that someone like me, anyone really, can grow and change, and that the past can be examined with honesty and accountability,' he said.

Owning up: The Strange Overtones artist took responsibility for his past actions in a series of tweets

Byrne has collaborated with Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee on an HBO documentary about his 2019 Broadway show American Utopia.

The production, which was held at Hudson Theatre in New York from last October thru February, was slated to have a fall comeback until the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Broadway thru 2021.

American Utopia hits HBO Max on October 17.
With the rent due on Sept. 1, what is a small business hit hard by COVID-19 to do?

Its a question lingering in the air this week as the federal governments much-criticized rent subsidy program for small businesses came to an end without a clear commitment that it would be extended into September.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland suggested at a Monday news conference that work on improving rent relief for businesses is ongoing.

She said that she has been speaking with her provincial and territorial counterparts about financial assistance, acknowledging costs for small businesses.

Were working on it, and were going to have more to say about it very soon, she said.

At the same time, Freeland announced that the government would extend the application deadline for its small business loan program, the Canada Emergency Business Account, to the end of October.

CEBA provides eligible businesses with interest-free $40,000 loans, with up to $10,000 forgivable if the loan is repaid by the end of 2022.

Freeland said more than 730,000 loans have already been approved, to the tune of $29 billion.

While the CEBA extension was welcomed, the uncertainty around rent relief going into the fall is only exacerbating the stress of small business owners, said Laura Jones, executive vice-president at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

The anxiety about rent relief has been through the roof for months, so Im hoping that this is very high on (Freelands) list of priorities and that we will hear something very soon, Jones said.

Under the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program, property owners can receive forgivable loans to cover 50 per cent of the rent from April to August.

The loans are forgiven if the owner agrees to lower the rent by at least 75 per cent. The tenant business would pay the remaining 25 per cent.

Organizations representing businesses have complained that the programs major flaw is that it depends on the landlord to apply for it, and that not enough are doing so.

And in fact, the program has proven to be underutilized; the parliamentary budget office said Monday that it estimated the federal cost of the program in 2020-21 to be $931 million.

The government had budgeted $3 billion for the program, including contributions from the provinces who share the cost of CECRA.

Freeland wouldnt confirm on Monday that there has been a lack of applications to the program, but speaking directly to landlords, she said: We would also like to see you step up and play your part.

The challenge going forward is to get the rent relief directly into the hands of businesses, said Aleem Kanji, a spokesperson for SaveSmallBusiness.ca, a grassroots collective of 50,000 small businesses across Canada.

I think it was an acknowledgment that landlords need to embrace the program and participate, Kanji said of Freelands comment, adding that his organization believes landlord participation in the program should be mandatory.

They talked about change coming very soon, but businesses have to cut that (rent) cheque within hours, Kanji said on Monday, a day before the rent was due.

Is it going to be part of a throne speech? Or leaked before? Wed like to think its going to happen very soon, and get that money out the door that theyve already committed to small businesses.
The United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution related to foreign Islamic State (IS) fighters on Monday, saying it did not address the need to repatriate the fighters to their home countries. Repatriation of IS members is a contentious issue, including in northeast Syria where US-backed forces are detaining tens of thousands of them.

The draft resolution aimed to move along efforts to prosecute, rehabilitate and reintegrate foreign terrorist fighters and was put forward by Indonesia. It also sought to clarify that women associated with terrorists may have had different roles in such organizations, including as supporters and fighters themselves, according to a UN press release.

The vote failed when the United States, which has veto power as a permanent member of the Security Council, vetoed the resolution. The other 14 members of the council voted in favor, according to the UN.

The resolution did not mention repatriating terrorists, according to US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft.

It fails to even include reference to the crucial first step: repatriation to countries of origin or nationality, said Craft in a statement.

Krafts statement referred specifically to IS. The UN, like the United States, designates IS as a terrorist organization.

The US position is related to the detention of IS fighters and their families in northeast Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who fight IS with US support in the autonomous area, hold tens of thousands of IS fighters and women and children associates of the group in prisons and camps. The Security Council resolutions language on the role of women likely refers to the sometimes unknown roles wives of IS fighters played in the organization.

The SDF has repeatedly asked countries to take back their citizens from Syria, but repatriations have been limited. US President Donald Trump has made similar demands to European countries. Notably, Turkey helped get a Moldovan family out of the camp in July. Camp officials said Turkey smuggled them out.

The SDF has difficulties looking after IS affiliates, especially those who remain loyal to the group. Al-Hol camp for IS families in particular is contending with deaths of children and a potential COVID-19 outbreak amid the crowded living spaces and water access issues there. There are around 10,000 foreigners in al-Hol who are not from Syria or neighboring Iraq.

The SDF has not commented on the veto, and representatives from its political wing, the Syrian Democratic Council, did not respond to requests for comment. The pro-SDF Hawar News Agency reported the US vote.
28 August 2020, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duisburg: Steam comes from an extinguishing system on the site of the Thyssenkrupp steelworks. Photo: Jonas Guttler/picture alliance via Getty Images

The German government on Tuesday revised its economic forecast for 2020 and 2021, revealing a more optimistic prediction for the remainder of the year, but a gloomier outlook for the next year.

Economy minister Peter Altmaier said that the government expects a decline of 5.8% for this year, compared to its April forecast of a 6.3% contraction in 2020. The revision puts the 2020 GDP almost on par with the 5.7% GDP contraction in 2009, at the height of the financial crisis.

For 2021, the government predicts GDP growth of 4.4%, significantly lower than the 5.2% predicted in its Spring forecast.

The recession in the first half of the year was less severe than we had feared, Altmaier said at a press conference on Tuesday, in Berlin. He added that the economic recovery post-lockdown is going faster and more dynamically than we dared hope.

We have achieved a lot, Altmaier said. In comparison with many other European industrial countriesthink of Great Britain where the recession twice as bad as in Germany, think of many other countries around us with very serious collapses... in comparison to this we have succeeded in preserving the substance of our economy and keeping jobs.

Altmaier also said that Germany can and will avoid a second nationwide lockdown like in March and April, and would take targeted and regionally limited measures to combat rises in infection rates.

The German labour bureau said on Tuesday that number of unemployed had risen by 45,000 in August, from July, to 2.95 million.

While the bureau said that an increase in the number of jobless was normal for August due to some employment and apprenticeships ending before the summer vacation  ING analysts note that it is still the worst August performance since reunification and that the unemployment increase since the start of the coronavirus crisis is now higher than during the 2008/9 recession.

The labour office said that applications for the countrys short-time work scheme were to 170 000 in August, a peak of 8 million in April.

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READ MORE: Coronavirus: German firms slowly wean off short-hours scheme

The Ifo institute said this week that the number of companies still participating in the furlough schemes, known as Kurzarbeit, had declined to 37% in August, from 42% in July.

However, companies in the industrial sector was still in the doldrums, with 80% of metal producers still on short-time hours, and 65% of companies in the automotive industry.

The government recently agreed to extend the Kurzarbeit furlough scheme by an extra year, until December 2021, to help companies avoid layoffs and enable them to keep their staff on standby until the economy revives.

Europes largest economy contracted by 9.7% in the second quarter of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, as the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns drove economic activity to a record quarterly low.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: German economy shrank by 9.7% in second quarter as pandemic peaked

In the April to June quarter, investments excluding construction fell by 19.6%, exports by over 20%, and private consumption by 10.9%. The only growth was in government consumption, which saw an 1.5% quarter-on-quarter increase.

As a whole, Berlin has earmarked over 1tn to help Europes largest economy recover from the pandemic. As the pandemic took hold in Spring of this year, the government released its constitutional debt-brake law, and will borrow around 218bn this year.

The debt-averse government is set to keep borrowing next year too to help the economy weather the ongoing damage from the pandemic.

"Next year we will continue to be forced to suspend the debt rules and spend considerable funds to protect the health of citizens and stabilise the economy," Olaf Scholz, the finance minister and Angela Merkels vice-chancellor, said in an interview in August.
Russian President Vladimir Putin does not abandon his intentions to destroy Western liberal democracy, therefore, now is not the time to go soft on Russia.

This was said in an open letter signed by 40 foreign-policy experts, current and former officials, and public activists from Central and Eastern Europe.

"The hybrid war that Russia has imposed on Ukraine is now complemented by a full spectrum of other measures  from disinformation to financial corruption  that are designed to undermine liberal democracy and weaken transatlantic cohesion. These are matters of the utmost seriousness," reads the letter, initiated by the European Values Center for Security Policy (Prague), the Polish Institute of International Affairs (Warsaw), the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute (Tallinn).

The letter recalls that Russias attack on Georgia in 2008 and, with greater brazenness, on Ukraine six years later constituted a direct attack on European principles and security.

The authors of the open letter criticized the position of some former American statesmen, diplomats, experts, who called for a reassessment, revision and restart of relations between the West and Moscow.

Russia remains an existential threat in Ukraine and a potential threat to East-Central Europe, the letter says.

ish
A furious Piers Morgan clashed with Jeremy Corbyn's brother over his coronavirus conspiracy theories on Good Morning Britain today.

Piers Corbyn, sibling of the former Labour leader, appeared on the programme following his arrest at a demonstration against lockdown restrictions and vaccination programmes in Trafalgar Square, London.

Mr Corbyn today claimed the world was the subject of a 'psychological operation to close down the economy in the interest of mega corporations', who, he says, will see a 'massive gain' out of joblessness.

Presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid, along with the show's resident doctor Hilary Jones, each hit out at Mr Corbyn, with the latter calling the activist 'extremely dangerous'.

Mr Morgan said the guest was relying on 'conspiracy theorist whackjobs' to back up his positions, grilling him on his beliefs about vaccines, climate change and 5G towers.

Losing his temper, Piers Morgan said: 'What you're saying is an insult to the families of every single one of the 800,000 plus people who've died from a deadly virus that's swept this planet'

Jeremy Corbyn's brother Piers (right) is a well-known conspiracy theorist who has claimed that the coronavirus is linked to 5G mobile networks

Protesters march towards Westminster from Trafalgar Square during a demonstration against the Government's coronavirus prevention measures

'800,000 people have died from this virus, of course it exists,' Mr Morgan told Mr Corbyn, adding: 'Nobody's made up Covid-19.'

Piers Corbyn said: 'Well they have actually made up these figures and the government has been caught out in the counting, as you well know.'

Losing his temper, Mr Morgan said: 'What you're saying is an insult to the families of every single one of the 800,000 plus people who've died from a deadly virus that's swept this planet.

'For you to come on national television and tell those families what killed your relative doesn't exist is a slap in the teeth and a load of conspiracy theory whackjob nonsense.'

Piers Corbyn: Jeremy Corbyns conspiracy theorist brother who denies climate change and thinks Covid is a hoax Jeremy Corbyn's brother Piers was handed the first 10,000 fine in London for an illegal gathering after he organised a march claiming coronavirus is a hoax on the weekend. The 73-year-old meteorologist led more than 10,000 anti-lockdown protesters who believe coronavirus is a hoax at the 'Unite for Freedom' rally in Trafalgar Square on Saturday. Mr Corbyn, the older brother of the former Labour leader, was seen being hauled off by officers after the event and his Twitter account has since confirmed he was slapped with the colossal fine and 'held for ten hours.' The arrest of Mr Corbyn in Trafalgar Square was the third time the divisive anti-lockdown campaigner has been arrested since the pandemic started. Mr Corbyn was arrested on May 16 after he used a megaphone to say 'vaccination is not necessary' and '5G towers will be installed everywhere', adding: '5G enhances anyone who's got illness from Covid, so they work together.' Piers is thought to be in favour of a no deal Brexit and hold denialist views about climate change, The Telegraph reports. He once described teenage activist Greta Thunberg as 'an ignorant, brainwashed child'. Piers, with his brother, grew up in a seven-bedroom manor house in Shropshire and was privately educated at Castle House prep school. He is thought to be unmarried with no children, making money from weather prediction models while living in Southwark - his home of 40 years. He served as a Labour councillor there between 1986 and 1990, but quit the party in 2002 over its housing policies. Advertisement

The host asked Mr Corbyn if he believed Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was hospitalised with coronavirus, invented having the disease.

Mr Corbyn said: 'I don't know if anyone invented it or not, but I would say that the numbers of people getting whatever they're getting is declining rapidly and there is no justification whatsoever for continuing lockdown.'

Piers Morgan said 25 million people worldwide had tested positive for Covid-19, to which Mr Corbyn said: 'You know and I know that these tests don't work.'

Mr Morgan added: 'Over 800,000 people have now died from Covid-19, that is a demonstrable fact.'

Mr Corbyn replied: 'Well, 800,000 people have died, and they've been labelled Covid when it might have been completely something else.

'It is not a pandemic because the numbers dying are nothing different from a normal year of people dying, where they die all the time.

'Secondly, it is not a high consequence infectious disease, and that was decalred by the government and the World Health Operation on March 19.'

Susanna Reid said that more than 40,000 people in this country had died in Britain as a result of Covid.

'What an insult to their family, to say it's some kind of fiction to boost international pharmaceutical companies,' she said.

'Well, it is boosting pharmaceutical companies, and big telecom who are making billions and billions out of this while the ordinary British worker is going to the wall,' Mr Corbyn said.

He went on to say 'you don't need a vaccine, vaccines cause death', adding that there was already a 'cure' for Covid symptoms, namely 'chloroquine and zinc'.

Mr Morgan then said his guest was stating 'bold lies like hydroxychloroquine being a cure', telling Mr Corbyn he was 'relying on conspiracy theorist whackjobs'.

The host continued: 'What you're saying is an insult to the families of every single one of the people who've died from this virus.'

When asked his opinion on climate change, Mr Corbyn said: 'The sun rules weather and climate, and I can tell you Christmas will be very cold in Britain and we might even have snow here.'

Dr Hilary Jones said Mr Corbyn's statements were 'extremely dangerous' and 'littered with dangerous errors'.

He said hydroxychloroquine and zinc as a treatment had been 'completely dissed' by 'hundreds of different experts'.

Dr Hilary added that the virus had been identified by the electron microscope, and this has 'nothing to do' with other viruses we've seen in the last 40 years.

Demonstrators in the Unite for Freedom rally - which started at noon in the capital - called for an 'end to Government lies' and the restoration of all freedoms as they marched past Downing Street towards the Houses of Parliament (police pictured at the scene)
(Newser)  The death toll from Hurricane Laura has now reached the double digits, and in Louisiana, one family took an especially hard hit. Per the Advocate, the state's health department reports a family of four in Lake Charles succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, with Lake Charles Fire Chief Shawn Caldwell noting they'd set up a generator in an attached garage after losing power, leaving a door leading into the home partly ajar. Caldwell says there were actually five people in the home who died, though a rep for the health department says the coroner only informed it of four deaths from carbon monoxide. BuzzFeed IDs the family as that of 81-year-old Rosalie Lewis, said to be the first Black female USPS supervisor in Louisiana history.

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Even though their house made it through the storm itself on Thursday, the family members were dead just "hours later" from the generator fumes. The outlet reports Lewis' husband, John Lewis, also died, as did the couple's only daughter, Kim Lewis Evans; Evans' husband, Chris Evans; and Clyde Handy, Rosalie Lewis' brother. At least a dozen people have died in Louisiana as a result of the storm, many of them from carbon monoxide poisoning; meanwhile, three people are reported to have died in Texas of the same cause, per Fox News. On Friday, Caldwell warned people to keep generators far from the main residence. "Don't put it anywhere near a covered awning, a porch, a garage," he said. "Chain it to a tree if there's one left out in the yard. But don't let a generator cost you your life." (Read more carbon monoxide stories.)
Securing the internet

SMU Office of Research & Tech Transfer - While many people can name an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and describe what an ISP does, fewer people know the exchange of internet traffic that happens between different ISPs' networks, which are called Autonomous Systems (AS). Essentially a collection of connected Internet Protocol routing prefixes under the control of one or more network operators, an AS routes and exchanges traffic with other ASes following a common, clearly defined routing policy to the internet.

By studying how different ASes connect to and are interdependent on other ASes for routing traffic, SMU Assistant Professor of Information Systems Wang Qiuhong has sought to characterise the interdependence in terms of critical information infrastructure crossing organisational and national boundaries.

Interconnection and cybersecurity threats

A big part of the issue lies in the fact that an ISP or content provider cannot dictate its peering partners' other peering relationships. She wrote:

"We are able to identify the countries who unintendedly become the critical intermediary to an organisation's internet traffic but are not within the organisation's decision scope. For example, an organisation can choose its partners to transit or peer its internet traffic but cannot control the choices of its partners, which may result in unintended interdependence in internet traffic."

One of the focus areas of Professor Wang's project, which was awarded under the National Research Foundation (NRF) National Cybersecurity R&D Programme, is the peering relationship an AS establishes with other member ASes on an Internet Exchange Point (IXP), the physical infrastructure on which internet traffic is exchanged.

"Attack surface becomes broader while routing paths may become shorter when an organisation connects into an IXP, because its networks can directly reach more of other organisations' networks via an IXP," she notes. "So we try to identify what kind of interconnections attract more attacks. On the other hand, some connections can reduce security threats."

She further explains: "Organisations are connected to IXPs to save costs and increase efficiency in internet traffic exchange. Because of these business incentives, they have to exchange and share information to facilitate transactions. Some of the information exchanged can actually help in traffic monitoring and validation. And in turn, these will reduce attacks."

"When the incentives of sharing information align with the security, this could improve security. Otherwise, it may easily induce more attacks."

Most of her research was done using multiple-sourced data available on the internet. "We tried to measure cybersecurity risk because [if there is] no measurement, [there will be] no management," she says, referring to her three-year study "Deterring Cybersecurity Threats through Internet Topology, Law Enforcement and Technical Mitigation" which concluded at the beginning of the year.

White hat, black hat

Professor Wang's project also explored the "online sharing of hacking techniques, investigating its impact on cybersecurity threats and evaluating the policy implications related to online knowledge sharing of hacking techniques".

"Discussing hacking techniques bears the dual-use nature of technology. It discloses cybersecurity exploits, which may promote hacking activities or may be helpful to white hats," she explains, referring to ethical hackers who are often hired to help organisations close loopholes in cybersecurity systems. "Publically available forums become a good place for them to get updated information on new malicious techniques."

By comparing cybersecurity professionals' diaries with four million posts on popular hacker sites such as hackforum.net, Professor Wang found similar topics 10 percent of the time on average.

"This is four million as compared to only thousands of diaries from 2002 to 2019," she explains. "But if we look at the highest figure, some professionals' diaries reach 50 percent and even higher [in terms of similar topics discussed]. That means that security techniques are dual use."

Professor Wang cited Singapore's Computer Misuse Act, which discourages the online sharing of cybersecurity techniques due to the prosecution threat posed by the dual use of cybersecurity technology. But because white hats have less incentive and incur higher cost when attempting to learn hacking techniques through other channels or even the darknet, publically accessible hacker forums become extra valuable to white hats.

What is missing but urgent in the regulation to ensure cybersecurity, Professor Wang notes, is not stricter legislation, better technology, or more economic incentive; it is education.

"It's about social norms, awareness, and educating people," she urges. "The pioneer countries in security education are European countries like the United Kingdom. They push for security education in primary schools and secondary schools. They are now looking for security professionals who can provide education on security in these schools."

"Governments have the resources to do that. We shouldn't expect less risk in the future. Education and awareness are general matters, but they are actually the most important in cybersecurity."

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This story has been published on: 2020-09-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A nonprofit organization formed in memory of a longtime homeless man from Memphis, TN is helping many of the area's most vulnerable citizens fight the coronavirus pandemic.

A Lee Dog Story donated 20 portable hand-washing stations and soap to 10 Memphis-area nonprofits that serve homeless men, women and children.

Portable Hand Washing Stations donated by nonprofit, A Lee Dog Story set up across the city of Memphis for people experiencing homelessness. Portable Hand Washing Stations donated by nonprofit, A Lee Dog Story, set up across the city of Memphis for people experiencing homelessness.

The 20 stations, placed at various outdoor locations across the community, provide a much-needed service.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, those who are homeless are vulnerable to the coronavirus due to lack of access to hygiene products and healthcare.

"When stores and restaurants closed or restricted access because of the pandemic, many people experiencing homelessness had nowhere to go to wash their hands," said Zach Waters. "These simple stations make it easy."

"Our guests at Manna House are loving these washstands. The washstands are an integral part of our plan to reduce the likelihood of the spread of the coronavirus among our guests and volunteers," said Peter Gathje.

Here's a list of each nonprofit organization and how many portable hand-washing stations they received:

1 - Lisieux Community

1 - A Betor Way

2 - Room In The Inn - Memphis

4 - Manna House Memphis

2 - Burrito Ministries - Memphis First United Methodist Church

2 - First Congo Food Justice Ministry

2 - Catholic Charities of West Tennessee

2 - Constance Abbey

2 - Alpha Omega Veterans Services, Inc.

2 - St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral - Memphis

For more information, contact:

Dr. Peter Gathje, Manna House - 901-826-5318

Rev. Lisa Anderson, Room In the Inn - 901-246-8052

Barry Anderson - Burrito Ministry - 901-283-8062

Patrick Williams - St. Mary's Episcobal Cathedral - 646-709-8676

Zach Waters, Founder / CEO A Lee Dog Story & Homes for Hearts - 901-605-8345

A Lee Dog Story was founded in 2018 after the death of Lee Brown. Lee Thomas Brown, aka 'Lee Dog', lived on the streets of Memphis for almost 20 years, but in his last 15 years he was able to get off the streets and into stable, affordable housing with the help of the Memphis community.

A Lee Dog Story is committed to engaging the public with stories of life on the streets and recovery through the power of art, film and storytelling. Together with Homes for Hearts, they will build permanent supportive housing with quality, self-managed Cottage Courts, containing Tiny Homes within Memphis, thus establishing permanent affordable housing, in communities who want and need them, while also paving the way for people experiencing homelessness toward home ownership. Along the way, A Lee Dog Story will engage these communities and the greater Memphis community in the stories of those who experience homelessness through the form of a TV docuseries. Combined with A Lee Dog Story, their hope is that they can bring art and community, two fundamental elements of Memphis, together to create permanent community-driven change.

A Lee Dog Story is still raising money for more hand washing stations and gallons of soap for local churches and nonprofits within Memphis.

https://aleedogstory.org/

https://homesforhearts.org/

Media Contact:

Zachary Waters

303-859-8851

[email protected]

SOURCE A Lee Dog Story

Related Links

https://aleedogstory.org/


Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 21:37:02|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Stakeholders in Zambia on Tuesday called for the evaluation of the privatization of state-owned enterprises as they feel the country got a raw deal.

The government embarked on a privatization of state enterprises, including the mines in 1992 due to inefficiency and loss-making.

Stakeholders have raised concerns about how some of the firms were sold, adding that the government got a raw deal.

Andrew Ntewewe, president of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) said the organization will petition the chief justice and other relevant bodies to set up a Commission of Inquiry to look at how the firms were privatized.

He said the debate on the privatization program has been raging for years, adding that the matter will only rest with the establishment of a commission to probe on how the assets were disposed of.

Speaking at a press briefing, he said the organization was of the view that the privatization of the firms did not meet the required standards.

Edith Nawakwi, who was finance minister at the time of the privatization program and now an opposition leader said it was unfortunate that some of the people who were appointed as advisors to the government on the program benefited by becoming owners of some of the firms. Enditem
Powerful winds and heavy rain hit the Japanese island of Okinawa as Typhoon Mayask moved through the area on Tuesday, September 1.

Local media reported winds speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour being recorded on the island. Some gusts were strong enough to cause houses to collapse.

Japans Meteorological Agency issued warnings to local residents for flooding, high waves and high tides, particularly in the central and southern parts of Okinawa.

Typhoon Maysak was forecast to affect Japan overnight from Monday into Tuesday, and then to pass over the Korean peninsula from Tuesday into Wednesday. Credit: taemi_traveler via Storyful
The spirit of celebrating Ganesh Chathurthi lies in the fact that it brings everyone together. Hrithik Roshan is an avid believer in celebrating festivals with his full spirit. Even amidst this pandemic, the actor got Ganesha at home and celebrated him.

As Ganesha bids us adieu, Hrithik shares how this festival specially brought his childhood back and he believes that it's such festivals that bring friends and families together. Sharing a glimpse from this year's small celebration at home, Hrithik shared a sweet video on his social media and wrote, "Ganpati festival always brings back my childhood. Perhaps all our festivals are centered around making the child in us feel comforted , united, surrounded by friends and family showering love upon you for no specific reason . Atleast that's what it always was about for me . More than religion , it was about love . Ganpati especially has to be my dearest of them all . Haha as a child I really felt that he listened to me. Still do . ." He added the hashtag #GanpatiBappaMorya.

Watch the video that Hrithik posted on his Instagram handle here.

Hrithik was last seen in successful movies Super 30 and War. His movie Super 30 has been re-released in the US and Netherlands. We are excited to see what Hrithik's next announcement would be.

ALSO READ: Hrithik Roshan And His Family Bid Farewell To Lord Ganesha In An Eco-Friendly Way

ALSO READ: Hrithik Roshan, Ayushmann Khurrana & Others Pour Love On Rajkummar Rao On His Birthday


UK manufacturers ramped up job cuts in August despite reporting the fastest growth in output for more than six years.

Businesses reduced headcount for the seventh successive month, even as many fired up production lines after lockdown restrictions eased, according to IHS Markits purchasing managers index (PMI) survey.

Manufacturing employment slumped at one of the steepest rates during the past 11 years, with small, medium and large-sized firms all implementing cuts, the report said.

The poll asks managers about jobs, order numbers, production volumes and future prospects. It is seen as a useful early indicator of performance.

Augusts manufacturing PMI came in at 55.2, up from 53.3 in July, with anything above 50 indicating expansion compared to the month before.

However, while the index is comfortably into positive territory, growth has come from a low base during March, April and early May, when many businesses were shut down to halt the spread of Covid-19.

David Atkinson, a regional director at Lloyds Bank, said pain was being felt more acutely in some parts of the sector than others.

Food producers supplying grocers are still reporting strong sales, but the boost they enjoyed in lockdown appears to be wearing off as consumers return to more normal shopping habits, he said.

Unfortunately, there is no escaping the fact that aerospace and automotive  two of the UKs most important manufacturing industries  have been severely weakened by the pandemic, affecting both the larger groups and their supply chains. It may be years before they recover the lost ground.

Rob Dobson, director at IHS Markit, said the survey indicated that business optimism was encouragingly robust and close to Julys recent peak.

The recovery of the UK manufacturing sector gathered pace in August, he added.

Output expanded at the fastest rate in over six years as new work intakes rose to the greatest extent since November 2017, led by an upturn in domestic demand and signs of recovering exports.

Manufacturers reported export growth after improved demand from Europe and the Middle East, North America and Australia.

Duncan Brock, group director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, said: It seems the sector may be experiencing a V-shaped recovery with the fastest rate of growth in the manufacturing sector since May 2014.

However, amidst this positivity, the elephant in the room remains the poor employment figures.

The drop in job numbers in August makes this feel more of a rebalancing strategy than real recovery.
73% say health departments play an important role in keeping people healthy, up from 56% in 2018. The increase in recognition is particularly notable among Republicans and white men.

Highlights of a national poll on public health taken in July 2020 by Public Opinion Strategies for the de Beaumont Foundation. See detailed findings at debeaumont.org/2020poll.

Highlights of a national poll on public health taken in July 2020 by Public Opinion Strategies for the de Beaumont Foundation. See detailed findings at debeaumont.org/2020poll.

Bethesda, MD, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the nation transitions out of convention season, public health is an issue where voters find common ground.

Awareness and recognition of the role local health departments play has risen significantly since the last election season, according to a new national poll, suggesting that public health will be a key issue for voters this year. In the poll, conducted July 7-13, 73 percent of voters said public health departments play an important role in keeping people healthy, up from 56 percent in 2018. And after hearing a list of the types of services health departments provide, 6 in 10 voters said they'd be willing to pay more in state and local taxes to increase funding for local health departments.

The national poll was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies for the de Beaumont Foundation, following up on a similar poll before the 2018 elections. The increased recognition for public health departments cuts across age, gender, race, political party, education, and income. Among people who said public health is important or very important (rating 8-10 on a 1-10 scale of importance), some of the biggest increases were among:

White men (+27%)

Men with a college degree or higher (+26%)

Republican men (+25%)

Strong Republicans (+23%)

Independent women (+22%)

Voters living in the Midwest region (+21%)

Among all voters, 60 percent said they were somewhat or very familiar with their local health department (40% not too or not at all familiar), a net shift of 22 points from 2018 (49% very or somewhat familiar; 51% not too or not at all familiar).

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"If there was ever a year for candidates to show their support for local health departments, it's 2020," said Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation. "With this high level of support among all voters, community leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to make the case for more funding and support for public health. And voters should be asking candidates about their plans to keep communities healthy and safe."

Elizabeth Harrington, the principal researcher and a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, said, "The increased importance of public health departments is significant, but not surprising given the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the increase among Republicans, white voters, and males was particularly striking. On many issues, you see support clearly divided between Democrats and Republicans, but today voters in both parties recognize the importance public health departments have in creating healthy communities."

Not surprisingly because of the timing of the poll, voters indicated a higher level of support for public health preparedness and response. Among all services, voters most valued the following services (rated 8-10)

Helping to stop the spread of communicable diseases

Supporting womens and childrens health

Reaching out to people that are at greatest risk of poor health outcomes

Ensuring environmental health, such as clean air and water

Working together with the broader healthcare system to address problems before they become health crises

Providing critical, unbiased information on how to respond/what to do in a crisis to protect yourself and those close to you

Poll methodology: Public Opinion Strategies conducted a national telephone survey among N=800 registered voters July 7-13, 2020. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.46%.

See the detailed findings at debeaumont.org/2020poll.

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CONTACT: Mark Miller de Beaumont Foundation 301-802-6783 miller@debeaumont.org




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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1 2020

The Indonesian Military (TNI) is set to dismiss its personnel found to have been involved in a recent attack on the Ciracas Police station in East Jakarta, Army chief of staff Gen. Andika Perkasa has said.

A mob reportedly comprising TNI personnel burned down two vehicles at the police station and vandalized nearby stores along Jl. Raya Bogor on Saturday. Authorities believe the attack was triggered by misinformation. Two police personnel were injured in the attack.

The Military Police have questioned 31 TNI personnel as part of the investigation into the incident, including a low-ranking soldier identified as Second Pvt. MI, who was allegedly the provocateur of the attack, Andika said.

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Australian housing has weathered the coronavirus shock surprisingly well so far, avoiding the doomsday scenario of crashing prices in the largest cities.

However, the critical question now is whether this is the eye of the storm or if the resilience will continue, resulting in only moderate rather than extreme house price falls.

House prices have dropped in recent months, and expert predict COVID-19's economic impact will lead to more falls ahead. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Some fallout for property is inevitable when the economy plunges to the depths of its sharpest recession since the 1930s, but the falls in house prices so far this year have been relatively modest.

House values in Melbourne fell by 4 per cent through the past quarter and for the year so far are down by 2.5 per cent.
The criminal charges accuse Pasulka of sexually assaulting a female lawyer at his firm several times over a six-year period beginning in 2012. Prosecutors said Pasulka would call the women into his office and remind her that he had the power to hurt her career if she ever complained publicly.
The former president presented a detailed and candid account of the one-and-half after Indira's death, leading up to his expulsion, in his memoir

The second identity of former president Pranab Mukherjee was that of a veteran, staunch Congressman, who had steered the party away from many a roadblock in his five-decade-long career.

He was christened the Congress' consensus-builder by the press. He was born in a family of staunch Congress-supporters and had himself been associated with the party since pre-Independence days; his daughter, Sharmishtha, is also a Congresswoman and the chief of Delhi Mahila Congress.

Yet, few would recall that there was once a time when the veteran leader had such a fall out with the party leadership that he was expelled from Congress and had later created his own party in West Bengal.

The 'fiasco' when Pranab quit Congress

Pranab was considered inseparable from Indira Gandhi. She was his political mentor and a leader under whose aegis Pranab climbed the ladder quickly. She launched him in parliamentary politics in 1969 by nominating him to the Rajya Sabha. Pranab in return went on to become her most trusted lieutenant. He stood by Indira through thick and thin: When Indira Gandhi rode to power after the Bangladesh Liberation war, when she imposed the emergency in 1976, and later too to share the blames of her actions. Pranab was one of the few people who stood by her when the Congress split in 1978.

But things started to change for Pranab, arguably since the day Indira was assassinated. There are many accounts of what transpired between Rajiv Gandhi and Pranab that lead the latter to a point where he was first dropped from the Union cabinet, lost what had become his permanent seat at the Congress Working Committee, and was later shown the door.

One part of the story goes where Pranab had allegedly aired his ambitions to become prime minister in front of Rajiv. On 31 October 1984, the day Indira was assassinated, Pranab and Rajiv were campaigning together in West Bengal. The grim news reached them and they immediately headed back to Delhi on a flight together. As per one version, also quoted in Livemint, Pranab, in a discussion on Indira's likely successor had suggested that the senior-most minister in the cabinet should become caretaker prime minister  a suggestion Rajiv's inner coterie felt showed his own interest in the chair as he was the sitting finance minister at the time.

Both Rajiv and Pranab, in subsequent interactions with the media, denied having the said discussion onboard that flight. Rajiv in an interview to India Today's TN Ninan denied having ever discussed the succession "with any of them" on the flight from Kolkata. Meanwhile, Pranab said he was among the people who stood beside Rajiv and even supported his appointment as the prime minister.

According to Pranab's own account in his memoir The Turbulent Years: 1980-96, he was 'shell-shocked and flabbergasted' when Rajiv denied him a berth in his Cabinet.

As per excerpts of the book published in Hindustan Times: "On the morning of 31 December 1984, Rajiv was elected as leader of the CPP at 11 am in a meeting held in the Central Hall of Parliament. l chaired the meeting and stood next to him when he announced to the media that the swearing-in would be held at 3 p.m. Even then I was clueless about the manner in which the day would unfold. I kept waiting for the call. Being dropped from Rajivs Cabinet was not even peripherally in my mind. I had heard no rumours, nor had anyone in the party ever vaguely hinted at it."

The former president presented a detailed and candid account of the one-and-half after Indira's death, leading up to his expulsion, in his memoir. He hinted at 'Rajiv's friends' working against him, owned up to his own actions that he said could have been misread, and also admitted that his proximity to Kamalapati Tripathi (a known dissident and critic of Rajiv's policies) could have been misconstrued as rebellion. But he ultimately insisted that all his actions were without malice or ill-intent towards Rajiv.

Although he claimed he remained 'composed' and 'unruffled', the pain he felt at the gradual sidelining in his own party is expressed in his book.

"...To my utter shock and dismay, I was dropped from the CWC when it was reconstituted in January 1986. This was a blow which hurt even more than being dropped from the Cabinet. As a Congressman, I had always considered membership of the CWC as the highest recognition possible within the party. I had held that post uninterruptedly since 1978. I was also dropped from the CPB, the very body to which PV Narasimha Rao and I had recommended that Rajiv (as leader of the CPP) be invited by the President to form the government. However, this was to be anticipated, as the CPB is a sub-committee of the CWC."

Later he was summarily shown the door by Rajiv, the severance of ties unexpected and unceremonious.

"On 26 April 1986, I was at Kamalapati Tripathis residence when his daughter-in-law, Chandra, brought me the shocking news that I had been expelled from the party for six years. She had heard it as a newsflash. No one from the party leadership had bothered to inform me. Even so, I remained unruffled."

The last straw for Pranab was perhaps an interview given to Pritish Nandy of The Illustrated Weekly of India that journalists covering events at the time called "provocative", but Pranab deemed "mischievous".

In journalist Prabhu Chawla's words: "Indeed, they (dissidents ousted at the time including Pranab) may have underestimated Rajiv, whose government Pranab had termed weak and blundering in a provocative interview to The Illustrated Weekly of India. These remarks hardly called for such a harsh action against Mukherjee... The octogenarian (Kamalapati) Tripathi was similarly immobilised, pleading for time till he read the next day's newspapers before he reacted. He could hardly have been happy with the fact that the news of the action was brought to him by daughter-in-law Chandra even as he discussed strategy with Rajiv's targets."

After his dismissal, in 1986, Mukherjee founded another party, the Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress (RSC), in West Bengal. However, he agreed to merge the RSC with INC three years later after facing a poll fiasco and reaching a compromise with Rajiv.

In Rajivs own words, the reconciliation happened when he realised that "many things told to him about his mothers trusted men, such as Mukherjee and RK Dhawan, were untrue."

But although he was welcomed back into the party folds, Pranab's true rehabilitation into the Congress could only happen after Rajiv's assassination. Rao became the prime minister in 1991 and appointed Pranab as deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and subsequently as a Union cabinet minister.

In retrospect, however, at age 81, Pranab saw both Rajiv and himself in kinder light as he documented the whole episode in his memoir.

"To return to the question of why he dropped me from the Cabinet and expelled me from the party, all I can say is that he made mistakes and so did I. He let others influence him and listened to their calumnies against me. I let my frustration overtake my patience."

He even admitted that forming his own party was a mistake, a 'fiasco'

"I have candidly recognised in the book that I should not have ventured into this (forming a separate party) because I was never a mass leader and I did not have the type of following which rebels from Congress like Ajay Mukherjee in 1960s or recently Mamata and in one sense Indira ji herself had," Mukherjee was quoted as saying by The Economic Times.

The rise of Pranab Mukherjee

For someone who had such a fall out with Rajiv, Pranab's second-stint in Congress could have been short-lived given the fact that the former's widow (Sonia Gandhi) went on to assume full and total control of the party, and became its longest-serving president.

But Pranab's political fate only goes on to show what an astute politician he was. He did not let the animosity between him and Rajiv rub off on Sonia from the moment she assumed control. Perhaps the taste of defeat in the wake of RSC's poll debacle almost a decade ago was still fresh in Pranab's mind. Or, like he admitted in his memoir later, he had understood that he will never be the mass leader with a popular appeal -- something that members of the Nehru-Gandhi clan seemed to command naturally. Whatever may have guided Pranab's actions, but he reportedly went out of his way to build bridges with Sonia.

According to an article in The Indian Express, Pranab was one of the strongest architects of her ascendancy to the post of party president. "It is believed that Mukherjee played a key role in educating Sonia, mentoring her to tackle situations the way her mother-in-law had once done," the article said.

But despite Pranab's best efforts, he never could completely defeat the undercurrent of mistrust. He was the soldier that the Congress needed and hence could not dismiss. But the shadow of his so-called past ambition remained overcast on his political career.

Thus Pranab lost another chance to become the Prime Minister of India.

When Sonia, dogged by a campaign against her foreign origin, declined the prime ministership in 2004, there were rumblings that Pranab could be the party's pick given his vast experience in governance and in Parliament. Pranab, too, had come to anticipate the same.

"The prevalent expectation was that I would be the next choice for prime minister after Sonia Gandhi declined. This expectation was possibly based on the fact that I had extensive experience in government, while Singhs vast experience was as a civil servant with five years as a reformist finance minister," he wrote in his book The Coalition Years (1996-2012).

But history, as we know, had other things for him in store and Pranab lost out that battle to Manmohan Singh.

According to an article in The Week, , while Sonia has always been 'held responsible' for preferring Manmohan over Pranab, sources close to Pranab revealed that it was actually Rahul Gandhi who had openly batted for Manmohan. Pranab, instead, was destined to continue to remain the number 2 in the government.

Another report in Livemint details how the pall of Pranab's 'ambitions' troubled him in his ministerial years in the UPA government even as he became the party's go-to man to navigate complex manoeuvres of alliance politics.

"Close aides claim that Mukherjee believed he never really had the full trust of the prime minister (Manmohan); and neither Mukherjee nor other senior cabinet ministers such as the late Arjun Singh readily accepted Manmohan's authority, especially in cabinet meetings, despite Sonia Gandhis attempts to make sure the Prime Minister received due respect."

But these 'setbacks' never held back the master politician.

He remained cordial with Rahul despite an earlier rebuff, and Manmohan despite their obvious differences. This was remarkable for someone who held a reputation for his short temper.

Eventually, that patience paid off as after more than four decades of active work in the Indian political landscape, he was elected as the 13th President of the country in 2012.
University Challenge viewers tuning into the BBC quiz's latest first round match found themselves distracted from Jeremy Paxman's tricky questions by the broken eye-wear of one of the contestants.

Tom Sherlock, who uses the they/them pronoun, introduced themselves at the top of the show as an International Relations and Modern History student - but it was their beaten-up spectacles, rather than their intellect, that grabbed the attention of those watching at home.

The long-haired student wore a pair of clear, round-framed specs with strips of black tape holding said glasses together - leading some to compare Sherlock to Coronation Street's erstwhile character Jack Duckworth, who famously wore glasses held together with tape in the soap.

One viewer described Sherlock's appearance as 'Twitter gold' while many were concerned as to whether the glasses were still functioning.

Sherlock was part of the University of St Andrews team, where alumni include Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, which thrashed Darwin College, Cambridge by 255 to 90.

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Contestant Tom Sherlock, an International Relations and Modern History student at St Andrews University, Scotland, left viewers of the latest episode of the quiz distracted after they appeared with black tape holding the glasses together

Eye-eye! Sherlock, who uses the 'they/them' pronoun, tweeted that they were 'accepting donations' for a new pair of specs as the show aired

Didn't affect the brain cells! Sherlock's team thrashed Darwin College, Cambridge, beating them 255 to 90 in the first round match

One viewer suggested the specs donned by Sherlock, @partsublimated on Twitter, might be a lucky charm for the Scottish university team after their easy win.

@DeeDeeH72 wrote: 'What a performance! Those glasses need to remain for the full run. Think of them as your lucky socks.'

As the show aired, Sherlock took to Twitter after spotting their name appearing on Twitter, quipping: 'I don't have a PayPal but I'm accepting donations to fix my glasses.'

A new fan queried whether the glasses made it into round two. @LisaLewisWrites asked: 'Please say they at least made it to the next round. Never thought a pair of glasses could be the best bit of a University Challenge episode!'

However, Sherlock later admitted that the glasses didn't make it to the next round, such was the damage done to them. A friend of the university student then enlightened curious viewers that the specs had been damaged at a concert.

@pantiesinferno revealed: 'Would like to inform everyone that my dear friend @partsublimated is not only an incredibly smart genius of a person, but they also broke their glasses in a mosh pit #UniversityChallenge.'

It's already been a fascinating start to the latest series of the academic quiz.

Last week, Seoan Webb, who's studying Ancient and Modern History at Oxford's Corpus Christi College, wowed those watching with a 'thousand-yard stare' and a slew of correct answers - and was quickly tipped to be the star of this series.

Don't mess! Oxford student Seoan Webb blew the competition out of the water in the latest episode of University Challenge, which saw his team defeat Bristol 175 to 135

The history student sparked a storm on social media as he glared at host Jeremy Paxman - and proceeded to get many questions right

Webb gained most of his team's points after they conquered Bristol University 175 to 135.

Taking to Twitter, fans of the show hailed the 19-year-old as the 'stand-out' superbrain of the series - despite it only being the second round of the student quiz.

After some commented on his awkward body language and deeply intense stare, one of his former teachers, from Elthorne High School in Ealing, West London, asked viewers to 'be kind', saying her former student was a 'phenomenon'.

Webb gained 10 A* at GCSE at the state school comprehensive in 2017.

Despite his steely demeanour on the show, she added that he was 'the loveliest kid'.

London teacher @NikkiCDaniel wrote: 'Seoan Webb is a phenomenon. The brightest person both Mark and I have ever taught and the loveliest kid. He is the real deal. Please twitter, be nice. Good luck #CorpusChristi'

The school's library also tweeted, saying they were 'proud' of their former student.

Many were left in awe at Webb's dominance of the episode, with his team-mates frequently heard saying 'nominate Webb'.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackBook Publishing, Dr. Amir Marashi and LELO, the world's leading designer of intimate lifestyle products, are thrilled to announce the opening of A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO PLEASURE: THE EXHIBITION launching August 28 in partnership with Artsy. View iconic works by contributing artists like Marilyn Minter, Ghada Amer and Marina Abramovic, alongside photographs by Cass Bird and Renee Cox, and pieces by emerging talent including Amanda Charchian, Arvida Bystrom, Martine Gutierrez and Monica Kim Garza in this radical digital exhibition.

A Woman's Right to Pleasure (Front Cover) A Woman's Right to Pleasure (Alternate Cover)

The exhibition coincides with the global release of A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO PLEASURE ($75 USD): a 270-page large format coffee table art book featuring +75 of the most important female-identifying artists, writers and creative thinkers of the last century as they explore the idea of pleasure  and empowerment  in all its forms. Legendary works by Georgia O'Keeffe, Louise Bourgeois, Judy Chicago, Tracey Emin and Jenny Holzer run alongside contributions from photographers like Cindy Sherman, Carrie Mae Weems, and Sally Mann, as well as talent including Mickalene Thomas, Harley Weir and Nina Chanel Abney, plus an exclusive coloring book by RIP Bambi. With forewords by New York Times best-selling authors Erica Jong and Roxane Gay, and original essays and texts by Stoya, Erika Lust, Pussy Riot and the late cult author, Kathy Acker, among others.

[ PRE-ORDER AT BLACKBOOKPRESENTS.COM ]

For most of history, the female experience has been presented by and explored through the voices, views and laws of men. Whether it was John Cleland or Alfred Kinsey writing about it, Gustave Courbet painting it, or politicians passing legislation about it, the female body has often been dictated, controlled and censored by everyone but women. This has finally begun to change, with echoing global conversations about everything from masturbation to #MeToo. A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO PLEASURE presents an unapologetic look at female pleasure  direct from the bold and brave women who contribute to these groundbreaking dialogues through their work.

BlackBook worked with Dr. Marashi on this project because of his lifelong dedication to women through his practice. BlackBook also partnered with LELO due to their aligning ethos that sees female pleasure as a human right that should be celebrated. LELO has been a guiding and influential force in the sex toy industry for over a decade, with designs that blend pleasure with performance like no other brand. The company aims to empower and liberate women by normalizing conversations around sex and pleasure, and by bringing those dialogues to the mainstream. Given the cultural climate, it's time for A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO PLEASURE to be recognized.

Ten percent of the exhibition's proceeds will support Girls Inc, an organization dedicated to raising a strong generation of women. [VIEW THE EXHIBITION] The exhibition will also live on AWomansRightToPleasure.com.

A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO PLEASURE was curated exclusively by BlackBook and will be published by BlackBook Publishing in partnership with LELO, who has supported this project as part of their mission to destigmatize female pleasure. [FULL PRESS RELEASE + MORE ASSETS VIA LINK]

About BlackBook: BlackBook is a leading global media brand, art gallery, full service creative agency and publishers of the award-winning BlackBook Magazine since 1996.

About LELO: LELO is the world's leading designer brand for intimate lifestyle products. With their launch in 2003, LELO transformed the look, feel and function of personal massagers, thus changing the way they were perceived. They continue to apply the same commitment to quality and innovation through bedroom accessories and massage candles. LELOi AB is the Swedish company behind LELO, with offices from Stockholm to San Jose, and from Sydney to Shanghai. For more information on LELO please visit www.lelo.com.

About Dr. Marashi: Dr. Amir Marashi is a New York City OBGYN and vaginal surgeon whose revolutionary work in the US and internationally, along with his mission to help victims of genital mutilation, has led press to dub him 'The Vagina Whisperer.'

www.blackbookmag.com

www.blackbookpresents.com

Follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Follow #AWomansRighttoPleasure for more updates about the project, including live talks and a podcast  coming soon.

Media Contact:

Alexandra Weiss

607-232-2954

[email protected]

SOURCE BlackBook Media
At the start of and throughout his news conference Monday evening, President Donald Trump criticized Joe Biden for condemning violence but not specifically the left-wing perpetrators of it.

By the end of the news conference, Trump declined to condemn right-wing violence at the same demonstrations.

Trump offered his first public comments about Kyle Rittenhouse, a supporter who was charged with murder in Kenosha, Wis., and other Trump supporters who converged on Portland, Ore., and apparently fired paintball guns and pepper spray at protesters.

Trump found little fault with them. He noted that at least the paint balls were not bullets, and he called it a "peaceful protest."

"Well, I understand that had large numbers of people that were supporters, but that was a peaceful protest," Trump said. "And paint is not - and paint as a defensive mechanism, paint is not bullets. . . . These people, they protested peacefully. They went in very peacefully."

Trump then pointed to a man who identifies as an anti-fascist who is under investigation of killing a right-wing demonstrator after a Trump rally in Portland.

3 1 of 3 Anna Moneymaker/NYT Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Carlos Javier Ortiz/NYT Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Trump said the man "shot a young gentleman and killed him - not with paint, but with a bullet. And I think it's disgraceful."

Trump offered no such condemnation, though, when it was noted that a supporter of him, Rittenhouse, has been charged with killing, with actual bullets. In that case, Trump indicated that Rittenhouse's actions might be warranted.

"That was an interesting situation," Trump said. "You saw the same tape as I saw. And he was trying to get away from them. I guess it looks like he fell and then they very violently attacked him. And it was something that we're looking at right now, and it's under investigation. But I guess he was in very big trouble. He would have been I probably would have been killed, but it's under investigation."

The exchanges highlighted the similarities in and also the differences between Trump's and Biden's approaches to the unrest.

Biden has repeatedly condemned the violence that has occurred in cities across the country, often in broad terms. He has drawn criticism from Trump and his allies for not more specifically highlighting left-wing violence or mentioning antifa, a loosely linked group of anti-fascists, but he has referenced "anarchists" and said he condemns violence on both sides of the political spectrum. "I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right," Biden said Sunday.

Trump was given his own chance to acknowledge and condemn violence perpetrated by his supporters, and he took a pass - not even offering the broad type of denunciation that Biden has.

It bears noting that there is much we do not know about the Rittenhouse situation. Videos show him being chased by demonstrators, though it's not clear what preceded the videos, and prosecutors opted to charge Rittenhouse with two counts of murder and one of attempted homicide. Trump's comments echo the defense offered by the 17-year-old's attorneys, who said he "did nothing wrong" and "exercised his God-given, constitutional, common law and statutory law right to self-defense."

More for you Trump leans into his '180,000 deaths is a statistic' reelection strategy

The contrast between how Trump spoke about that situation and the others is telling. In that case, Trump called the actions of someone who has not been charged "disgraceful"; in the case of Rittenhouse and the supporters who apparently fired paintball guns and pepper spray at protesters, his first inclination was to defend them and suggest they were acting understandably under their circumstances.

Trump offered similar comments Sunday after videos surfaced showing his supporters in Portland.

"The big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching and [sic] incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing," Trump tweeted in response to a video posted by New York Times reporter Mike Baker, who said Trump backers "shot me too."

"The people of Portland won't put up with no safety any longer. The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard!" Trump wrote.

To some degree, this is how personal biases work. It's easier to sympathize with someone who agrees with you and with whom you associate. You're much more liable to question the motives of someone you do not align with, and you're much more liable to give the benefit of the doubt to someone you sympathize with.

But it's also evident to whom Trump gives the benefit of the doubt, from the Charlottesville, Va., Unite the Right rally in 2017 through today. And even in the course of a couple minutes on Monday night, that benefit of the doubt applied to one supporter who has been charged with a crime in a way it very much did not apply to another person who has not. Trump's comments about supporters who fire paintballs and pepper spray are also notably different from how he has talked about those who have used other nonlethal blunt instruments. Just because it's not deadly does not mean it's not violent.

It's one thing to decline to denounce someone more forcefully - particularly when there is an ongoing legal case; it's another to volunteer defenses for them. And for a president who has criticized his opponent for supposedly failing to condemn people on his political side specifically enough, it was instructive that Trump declined to provide a similarly broad statement.
COURTESY PHOTO

On Thursday, a Reddit user claimed that Texas State University students who had tested positive for COVID-19 were moved into a residential building without informing students living in the dorm.

The university clarified that the students shifting rooms had not tested positive. A spokesperson told The University Star that rooms had been designated on empty floors for students  who had no symptoms but were close contacts of a person who tested positive  to quarantine.
Liberal MP Tim Wilson has savaged airlines "gouging" Australians for tens of thousands of dollars as a result of the travel bans set by the national cabinet that have effectively locked tens of thousands of Australians out of the country.

Mr Wilson, formerly a Freedom Commissioner with the Human Rights Commission, said he had "real issues" with the travel bans when they were first imposed in March as a way of trying to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Liberal MP Tim Wilson has criticised airlines for the high prices some people are being charged to fly back to Australia. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"I remember when it was first discussed and I was flabbergasted at the prospect," he told Parliament on Monday.

"I believe that every Australian should have a right to return to their country and that limitations or barriers should not be unreasonable. But the practical reality is that, at this time, there are many Australians stranded in other parts of the world who want to get home and they can't."
A Bihar Military Police (BMP) constable shot dead a woman colleague and then turned the gun on himself in the BMP-1 campus Tuesday morning, police said.

The incident took place early in the morning at around 7:30 am on the premises of the armoury. The gunshots woke up others who rushed to the spot.

Police said that constable Amar Subba killed woman constable Varsha Tigga using his service rifle. Both the deceased were residents of Darjeeling in West Bengal. The incident occurred minutes after a change of guards in the BMP-1 headquarters. Both were in uniform.

A senior BMP official stated that the cause of the incident is yet to be known. He suspects that Subba shot the woman twice on her back before shooting himself.

According to the local police official, who is probing the case, there were issues between the two. We received a call and by that time everything had happened, a police official said.

Amar had an argument with Varsha earlier, police said.

Patnas senior superintendent of police Upendra Sharma said a FSL team was dispatched to the spot to collect evidence. A case has been registered at Airport police station and investigation is on.

Six policemen have died by suicide in Bihar this year.

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A black man was shot and killed by sheriffs deputies in South Los Angeles on Monday afternoon when he dropped a handgun shortly after punching an officer in the face, police said.

A crowd of around 100 protesters have since gathered at the scene of the fatal shooting in Westmont this evening to demonstrate against the LASD's lethal use of force.

The man, identified by family members online as Dijon Kizzee, was observed by deputies riding a bike down along 110th Street and Budlong Avenue, when they made a U-turn in their vehicle to approach him for apparently violating an unspecified vehicle code.

Lt. Brandon Dean said it was at this time that Kizzee jumped off of his bike and began running northbound toward 109th Place, when deputies briefly lost sight of him.

Kizzee, who is in his 30s, was found shortly afterwards a few blocks away, where Dean says the officers attempted to make contact with him once again.

The man jumped off of his bike and began running northbound toward 109th Place, when deputies briefly lost sight of him

The video then cuts to both of the officers aiming their firearms at the downed suspect having seemingly just shot him

The man, dressed in a white tank-top and pants, is seen lying face down in the road by the right-rear tire of a silver pick-up truck

A protester confronts a sheriff deputy during a face off in Los Angeles amid protests over the shooting of Dijon Kizzee

Protesters wearing masks face off with sheriff deputies as they stand guard next to the crime scene where a black man, identified by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles as Dijon Kizzee, was shot by two sheriff deputies

Protesters clash with deputies of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department during protests following the death of Dijon Kizzee

Protesters gather on the parking lot of the Westmont Sheriff Station as a police helicopter flies over following the police shooting of a black man, identified as Dijon Kizzee

Protesters clash with deputies of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department during protests following the death of Dijon Kizzee

Deputies with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department stand in formation during protests following the death of Dijon Kizzee

Black Lives Matter group protest in Los Angeles on Monday night following the shooting of Dijon Kizzee

Protesters hold signs reading 'Black Likes Matter' and 'No Justice, No Peace' after a police shooting in Los Angeles

Protesters hold signs demanding an end to racism in America (left) and honoring Dijon Kizzee (right), who was shot dead by cops in Los Angeles

As they approached, Dean said the man, who was clutching items of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face and then dropped the items he was carrying.

The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items that he dropped was a black semi-automatic handgun, Dean said during a Monday conference.

The two officers then both opened fire on the man, striking him several times and rendering him motionless in the street.

Dean was unable to confirm how many times the man was hit and where, as we have not been able to move the body yet as we were waiting for the coroners office,' he said early Monday evening.

Kizzee was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were injured during the incident.

We still have to conduct our interviews of the investigating officers to see exactly what happened and transpired during the deputy-involved-shooting, Dean told reporters when pressed about what prompted the deadly use of force.

But if this individual was reaching for a semi-automatic handgun, I would suggest that, you know, thats probably why deadly force was important, he continued.

A black semi-automatic handgun said to have been in the possession of Kizzee was recovered at the scene, officials said.

Investigators remain at the area investigating the scene of the shooting along the 200 block of West 109th Place, speaking with witnesses and canvassing the area for any surveillance cameras that may have recorded the incident.

Dean was unable to specify what vehicle code officers believed the man had violated when riding his bike, citing the ongoing investigation.

Give us time to conduct our investigation, Dean said. We will get all the facts of the case out and eventually present them.

A black semi-automatic handgun said to have been in the possession of Kizzee was recovered at the scene, officials said. Friends and family paid tribute to him online in the hours after

A large group of demonstrators have since gathered at the scene of the shooting at the behest of Black Lives Matter LA, who tentatively identified the victim as Dijon Kizzee

The demonstrators took to the streets to protest the shooting death

Protesters clash with deputies of the LA Sheriff's Department during protests after the death of Dijon Kizzee

The LA County Sheriffs Office say they are concerned about crowd control overnight as they hope to avoid the violent protests spurred in a number of states across the country following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha last weekend

A crowd of between 70 to 100 protesters have since gathered on the scene of the fatal shooting in Westmont to demonstrate against the lethal use of force

A large group of demonstrators have since gathered at the scene of the shooting at the behest of Black Lives Matter LA, who also identified the victim as Dijon Kizzee.

Los Angeles County Sheriffs killed a Black man...Dijon...on 109th and Budlong and left his body facedown in the dirt. We need all hands on deck. Please get here ASAP! the group tweeted just after 6pm local time.

The LA County Sheriffs Office say they are concerned about crowd control overnight as they hope to avoid the violent protests seen in a number of states across the country over the last eight days, spurred by the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha last weekend.

The sheriffs department station had set up a perimeter of tape around its South LA headquarters as of Monday evening as a precaution.

Officers in riot gear were also pictured at the scene of the demonstration.

Video from the protest showed a man addressing the crowd through a megaphone, urging them to 'Say his name', to which the crowd responded in chorus, 'Dijon Kizzee.'

No incidents have so far been reported. However, a video posted just after 11pm showed officers pushing members of the crowd back, with activists claiming officers were 'escalating' the situation.

Unlike the LAPD, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies are not equipped with body cameras.

However, in footage of the incident posted to social media, Kizzee is seen running away from two officers.

The video then cuts to both of the officers aiming their firearms at the downed suspect having seemingly just shot him.

Cries of bystanders heard in the background of the clip, with one woman heard screaming why would you do that? and Black Lives Matter.

Kizzee, dressed in a white tank-top and pants, is seen lying face down in the road by the right-rear tire of a silver pick-up truck. The officers are stood more than 12 feet away from his body, still aiming their weapons.

The man recording the footage claims the officer shot the man like twenty times.

A group of between 70 to 100 protesters wielding signs and chanted 'Black Lives Matter' late Monday

A woman films with her phone as sheriff deputies stand next to the crime scene where a black man, identified by Black Lives Matter Los Angeles as Dijon Kizzee, was shot by two sheriff deputies

A large group of demonstrators have since gathered at the scene of the shooting at the behest of Black Lives Matter LA

Officers in riot gear were also pictured at the scene of the demonstration. No incidents have so far been reported

Protesters wearing masks face off with the deputies

A protester holds a handmade sign that reads 'Rest in Power' after Kizzee's death

A demonstrator speaks with one of the sheriff's deputies in the street

One demonstrator dances in front of deputies

A deputy speaks to a protester at the scene of the demonstration

Tempers flared at the demonstration as protesters faced off with deputies

Investigators remain at the area investigating the scene of the shooting along the 200 block of West 109th Place, speaking with witnesses and canvassing the area for any surveillance cameras that may have caught the incident on camera

Bystanders continue to heckle the two officers. The man filming the video calls out asking why the officers who shot the man were still aiming their guns, insisting hes dead already.

The two officers make no attempt to approach the man to administer CPR until back-up arrives.

A group of four officers then move towards the man, with their weapons drawn, before handcuffing him and administering first aid.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards. His body remained in the street for several hours as an investigation was carried out.

Footage from above captured by KTLA5 showed a pink tarp had been used to partially shield the man's body from public views.

In addition to activists taking to the streets in anger over the shooting, thousands are making their voices heard online too, denouncing the LASD for shooting the man dead.

'So they are admitting that he dropped the weapon therefore he was no longer a threat and didnt need to be shot ... Pulled over for a vehicle code violation ON A F***ING BICYCLE,' one woman tweeted.

'So yet again another unarmed black man was murdered by cops in the great ole U.S. of A,' wrote El Williams. 'Theyll tell you he had a gun but #lapd has already admitted that it was on the ground BEFORE they shot him. #SayHisName'

No further information is currently available on the incident.

Dean was unable to specify what vehicle code officers believed the man had violated when riding his bike, citing the ongoing investigation

The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards

9 Sheriff deputies push protesters and inhabitants away from the crime scene, using police tape to establish a perimeter

No incidents have so far been reported. However, a video posted just after 11pm showed officers pushing members of the crowd back, with activist claiming officers were 'escalating' the situation

A man shouts at the sheriff deputies standing next to the crime scene on Monday evening
In what could further strain relations between Beijing and Canberra, an Australian television anchor working with CGTN, China's state-run news channel has been detained in Beijing in a highly sensitive case.

Canberra [Australia], August 31 (ANI): In what could further strain relations between Beijing and Canberra, an Australian television anchor working with CGTN, Chinas state-run news channel has been detained in Beijing in a highly sensitive case.



A statement from Foreign Minister Marise Payne confirmed Cheng Lei was being held by authorities in the Chinese capital and Australian diplomats were permitted to speak to her last week via video conference, reported ABC. The Australian Government has been informed that an Australian citizen, Ms Cheng Lei, has been detained in China, Payne was quoted as saying in a statement.



The statement informed that formal notification was received on 14th of August from Chinese authorities of her detention. Australian officials had an initial consular visit with Ms Cheng at a detention facility via video link on 27th of August and will continue to provide assistance and support to her and her family, the statement read.



Also read: Former President Pranab Mukherjee dies at 84: Prez Kovind, PM Modi share condolences

Also read: Didnt intend to disrespect SC: Prashant Bhushan responds to contempt case judgement

Relations between China and Australia have strained in recent times over several issues.



As per the report, friends became concerned when Cheng did not reply to messages in recent weeks, fuelling speculation among her Chinese state media colleagues.



She has not been charged but is being held under what is called residential surveillance at a designated location, a form of detention in which investigators can imprison and question a suspect for up to six months while cutting them off from lawyers and the outside world.

Her family in a statement said they are in touch with the Department of Foreign Affairs and trade and doing everything to support her.



Cheng has worked as an on-air anchor and reporter for CGTN for the past eight years. She was trusted to present coverage of some of the nations most politically sensitive events, including Chinas annual political congress, the report said.



She is the second Australian, after writer and former Chinese Government employee Yang Hengjun, to be detained in Beijing. Yang, who is under an espionage investigation was taken by authorities in January 2019.



The report stated that in July this year, the Australian Government updated its information for Australians travelling to China, warning they could be at increased risk of arbitrary detention. (ANI)

Also read: Big relief for Prashant Bhushan, SC lets off Bhushan with a token fine of Re 1
On a steep rise, India conducts more than 4.23 cr tests

India PIB

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

43% of Total Cases recorded in just 3 States-Maharashtra, AP, Karnataka

Posted On: 31 AUG 2020 12:24PM by PIB Delhi

India has exhibited determined resolve to expand the testing which has led to an exponential hike of COVID-19 testing. Starting from a single test in one lab in Pune in January 20202, the daily testing capacity has been scaled up to more than 10 lakh in August 2020.

The cumulative tests have crossed 4.23 cr today. 8,46,278 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours.

India has registered 78,512 cases in the last 24 hours (Sunday, 30th August 2020). Hence the report by certain Media Entities of about 80,000 cases in the last 24 hours is without any basis.

Seven States have contributed to 70% of these new cases in the last 24 hours. Of these, Maharashtra has contributed the maximum case load amounting to almost 21%, followed by Andhra Pradesh (13.5%), Karnataka (11.27%) and Tamil Nadu which stands at 8.27%. Uttar Pradesh with 8.27%, West Bengal with 3.85%, and Odisha with 3.84% are the remaining States contributing to the increased caseload.

Of the total cumulative number of cases, 43% are recorded in just three states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. While Tamil Nadu has contributed 11.66% of the total cases.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka also account for about 50% of the deaths added in the last 24 hours due to COVID-19, with Maharashtra leading with 30.48%.

The Union Government is regularly engaging with States/UTs that are reporting a spurt in cases and those with higher fatality rate. They have been advised to undertake aggressive measures to ensure higher testing, effective clinical management to lower fatality and save lives along with efficient monitoring at various levels.

For all authentic & updated information on COVID-19 related technical issues, guidelines & advisories please regularly visit: https://www.mohfw.gov.in/ and @MoHFW_INDIA.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be sent to technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and @CovidIndiaSeva .

In case of any queries on COVID-19, please call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). List of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf.

****

MV



(Release ID: 1649953)

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As New York City students and teachers prepare to return to school amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, back to school just wont look the same -- as some students will choose to learn remotely full-time, while others will learn under a blended learning model, going to school two to three days per week -- working remotely the other days.

Under the blended learning model, New York City public schools will operate at significantly reduced capacity for in-person instruction, with, on average, between half and one-third of the student population going to school at one time.
A Black jogger who was stopped by two San Antonio police officers and wrestled into a patrol vehicle against his will no longer is facing criminal charges, a resolution two top law enforcement officials in Bexar County hope will improve public trust in the criminal justice system.

Police Chief William McManus said Tuesday he welcomed the dismissal of charges against 33-year-old Mathias Ometu, who was accused of assaulting the officers. McManus said both officers agreed with the decision to drop the charges.

San Antonio police

They had detained Ometu, who they thought matched the description of a suspect in a nearby domestic violence assault, but Ometu would not identify himself. A struggle ensued when he was forced into a patrol vehicle.

Still, McManus said the officers acted appropriately in taking Ometu into custody to be identified  even after the family violence victim arrived at the scene and told officers that Ometu was not the man who had assaulted her.

They acted within their legal authority, and in a professional manner during the interaction with Mr. Ometu, McManus wrote in a memo released Tuesday.

Mike Fisher/ Staff artist

Unfortunately, the situation could have been resolved within minutes with any degree of information sharing with the police officers that would have helped them determine Mr. Ometu was not the suspect they were looking for in a domestic violence call.

Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said the incident illustrates two opposing but understandable viewpoints  that of the officers, who were trying to investigate a serious allegation of family violence, and that of Ometu, who was wary of police and refused to provide officers his name, as was his legal right.

Gonzales said he personally reviewed body-worn camera footage from the two officers. After reviewing the evidence, Gonzales asked a judge to dismiss the two felony assault charges, and Bexar County Judge Judge Kevin OConnell agreed.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio police wrestled a Black man into a squad car and took him to jail. He wasnt the suspect they were searching for.

I think its in the interest of justice to reject these cases, Gonzales said. Its an effort to bring some healing to the community. When you hear so much going on across the country, here are two officers who are willing to do the right thing and let this go, even though they could proceed to push for prosecution.

McManus and Gonzales said they both understood why Ometu, at University of Texas at San Antonio graduate and an insurance adjuster at USAA, was reluctant to speak with police.

Courtesy

Both said they reached out to Ometu through his lawyer and others to invite him to take part in a dialogue on policing in San Antonio. Both indicated Ometu had declined.

We understand the sensitivity that exists and why this happened, McManus said. By meeting with Mr. Ometu, we were hoping to close that gap between the two sides. Im sorry that wont happen, but I understand why Mr. Ometu was reluctant.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg said he was pleased a judge dropped the charges against Ometu, and that police officials had released the officers body-camera footage  an unusual move that Nirenberg pushed for.

Police officials dont typically release body-camera footage so soon after an incident, and at times deny such requests if an investigation is ongoing.

While portions of the video were inaudible  and the camera did not capture clear video when Ometu was being wrestled into the back of the police vehicle after the camera apparently fell to the ground  McManus said he doesnt intend to release any additional information.

Its a good resolution to a situation that illustrates the systemic racial justice challenges that we are facing in our society involving public trust and police community relations, Nirenberg said.

What the recording of the incident demonstrated to me was the complex and difficult environment that the Black community and police have to navigate on a daily basis, along with the amount of work we, as a society, have to do to change it.

What they are saying Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales: "This case is one of competing interests. It is the officer's duty to investigate and detain a person of interest that may be a suspect in a crime versus a citizen's right not to disclose their identification where no arrest has been made. In this case, the officers did have a description that led them to believe that Mr. Ometu may have been the suspect they were seeking. However, Mr. Ometu was not that person and did not have an obligation to identify himself or make a statement. Ultimately, the officers agree that dismissal is in the interest of justice." San Antonio Police Chief William McManus "Although the police officers were assaulted, they were not injured. As such, they have asked that the charges against Mr. Ometu be dismissed. They also do not want Mr. Ometu to suffer any adverse consequences from the incident. Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales has agreed to drop the charges. Both officers felt it important to use this incident as an opportunity for unity and understanding at a time when it is most needed. "It is clear that pursuing charges against Mr. Ometu would not bring us closer to our goals of building trust and creating partnerships with our community. We have invited Mr. Ometu to start a dialogue on policing in San Antonio, and that invitation will remain open." See More Collapse

Body camera video

Police were first called to the area near the Gunn Acura car dealership on the Interstate 10 access road around 1:45 p.m. Aug. 25 after a woman reported that her ex-husband had choked and assaulted her.

Officer Richard Serna later told supervisors that as he drove to the scene, he observed Ometu running from the apartment complex. Not knowing Ometu matched the description of the suspect, Serna got out of his car and spoke to the woman.

The woman told Serna that her ex-husband had just fled on foot, and that he was wearing a green T-shirt and athletic shorts, police officials said. She said he was Black and had a scruffy beard.

Serna remembered seeing Ometu just a few moments earlier. He was wearing a neon green T-shirt and athletic shorts. Serna relayed the description over the police radio.

Another officer driving to the scene saw Ometu, now walking along Woodstone Drive, and stopped him, a report states. Serna finished his conversation with the woman and rushed to the scene.

Hey, whats your name, brother? Serna asked Ometu, as the officer arrived on scene and got out of his vehicle. You kinda match the description of a suspect Im looking for.

Are you serious? Ometu asked, moments later. Im working out. Im doing a run.

For several minutes, the footage shows, the two men went back and forth. Throughout the ordeal, Ometu appears frustrated with the officers, at points throwing his hands in the air.

God damn, dude, Ometu said at one point.

I just want to be, he said later.

Serna also appeared to grow increasingly frustrated.

Youre going in the back of the car if youre going to be acting like this, Serna said, at one point. All I need to know is your name.

Moments later, Serna hopped into his patrol car and called the domestic violence victim. For several minutes, he asked her questions  though its not clear what her response was.

What was he wearing right now? Did he have a hat on? Serna said. What about facial hair? A full-grown beard?

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio mayor calls for release of body camera video as questions mount in arrest of Black jogger

As Serna spoke, he typed on his city-issued laptop, which was blurred out in the body-camera footage. (McManus said that officers can access a persons drivers license photo in their patrol vehicle, but that it often can be outdated.)

Serna finished his conversation with the woman. He then got on the radio and asked dispatchers to send another officer to the area to pick her up and bring her to the scene.

But soon, the officer called Serna to report that the woman couldnt leave her home. The two officers debated what to do.

In the background, the third officer can be heard asking the woman for additional details. The suspect, he tells Serna, had just a little scruff on his chin. He was wearing black basketball shorts and a green shirt, the color of grass.

Does anything match him? the officer asked.

Everything matches except for the basketball shorts, Serna responded. Theyre white with a black stripe. And he has a pretty good sized beard.

Situation escalates

The encounter escalated after Serna told Ometu he planned to take him to the womans apartment to see if he matched the description of the suspect.

Several times, Ometu refused. Serna insisted, placing his hands on Ometus stomach and arm and leading him toward the police SUV. His body stiffened and he appeared to push back, ever so slightly.

Get in the car, Serna began yelling. Get in the car! Quit making this difficult.

As the struggle ensued, Sernas body-worn camera went black. It appearsit was knocked off his body and fell into the grass face-down. The audio is still clear.

At one point, Ometu can be heard repeatedly screaming,Youre choking me. Each time, the officers responded that they werent.

Afterward, the officers wrote that Ometu had kicked both of them  including one blow to the face.

Shortly after Ometu was placed in the back of the car, the victim of the family violence incident arrived at the scene, a police report states. She told police Ometu was not the man who assaulted her.

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
When Hurricane Laura struck western Louisiana early Thursday morning with top sustained winds of 150 mph, it became one of the strongest recorded storms to hit the United States.

Water is still receding, people are combing through rubble and tabulations of losses will take months.

Here is a look at the impact through some of the key numbers so far.

- - -

1.5 million: Number of people under some sort of evacuation order across the northern Gulf Coast before the storm hit. Some stayed behind in an extremely vulnerable region ravaged by Hurricane Rita in 2005.

More than 910,000: Total number of customers who lost electricity during the storm.

65 mph: Intensity increase in the storm's maximum sustained winds during a 24-hour period. Hurricane Laura joined a growing list of storms to rapidly intensify, in this case straight through landfall. Colorado State University hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach told The Washington Post that Hurricane Laura was the fastest intensifying storm in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Karl in 2010.

938 millibars: Hurricane Laura's minimum central pressure at landfall. Hurricane Katrina, while weakening, came ashore with 920 millibars of central pressure (in general, the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm).

150 mph: Laura had exceptional winds for a storm of its pressure, having developed during the 24 hours before landfall. Its sustained winds of 150 mph, with faster gusts as it roared ashore, put Hurricane Laura in a tie for the top spot in Louisiana for wind and the top five for the country overall.

137 mph: Usually a hurricane's strongest winds are barely felt on land, though when they're shredding trees that fact can be largely academic. It's also true that getting the strongest winds to hit a sparse weather network is difficult, especially in the part of coastal Louisiana where Laura first landed. So much of that area is low-lying and sparsely populated, without reliable weather sensors such as those installed at airports, that there are not many firm indications of the winds experienced right where Laura came ashore.

Those factors make a gust of 137 mph in Lake Charles, La. Gusts faster than 100 mph were recorded in the region, most of them at stations maintained by the National Ocean Service, which is part of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Lake Charles also had sustained winds of 98 mph for a time.

$10 million: Even the infrastructure built to warn of severe weather could not withstand Laura's damage. One $10 million Doppler radar was left decapitated by the hurricane, its final image a relic of the storm.

This is not the first time a radar has been knocked out by a hurricane or other severe storm, but total removals of the radar unit are rare. One example was the destruction of the Doppler radar in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria.

12 to 21 feet: Peak storm surge based on the National Hurricane Center estimate. This compares with forecasts of "unsurvivable" water rise of 15 to 20 feet in advance of the storm. One observing station in southwest Louisiana indicated a surge of 13 to 15 feet, but the region is sparsely populated, with few gauges.

In a Federal Emergency Management Agency senior leadership briefing obtained by The Washington Post, the area just to the east of the landfall location of Cameron, La., is delineated as having seen a 12-to-21-foot surge, based on an analysis Thursday from the National Hurricane Center.

As the storm plowed into the swamps of southern Louisiana, it was feared that surge could move as far as 40 miles inland.

In many places near the coast, water is still receding. Scientists could have a better idea of the maximum surge in the days ahead as additional data is analyzed.

12-plus inches: Rain linked to Laura continues, and a risk for some flooding moves from the Mid-South to the Mid-Atlantic over the next two days.

Maximum rain totals are a foot or greater, with a sizable chunk of Louisiana and the Texas border area, then into Arkansas, picking up five to 10 inches. Unlike a number of hurricanes to affect the country in recent years, Laura moved at a fast clip, which limited the overall freshwater flooding.

Seven storms: There have been seven tropical storms and hurricanes that made landfall in the United States this year. That's a record to date and more than in an average season.

0.6 miles: The National Hurricane Center accurately predicted the time and location of the landfall within less than a mile, and it did so 87 hours in advance.

That increase in forecast track accuracy is part of a long-term trend of better forecasts year-to-year.

$25 to $30 billion: Early estimates of damage, per an analysis from AccuWeather. That range would make Laura high on the list of costliest storms on record to strike the United States.

It could have been much worse, had the track wobbled its way toward more populated areas. For instance, impacts on the Texas coast toward Houston were less than once feared, and even a jog of 10 miles to the west could've flooded the entire city of Lake Charles, which has a population of about 80,000.

Six Category 4-plus storms: Laura is the sixth Category 4 or bigger hurricane to hit the United States or its territories since Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. It's also the third to do so in the Gulf of Mexico. Five of the six occurred in an unprecedented 14 months from 2017 to 2018. Hurricane Dorian also threatened to become one in 2019, after ravaging the Bahamas as a Category 5.

Two weeks: The amount of time left until the statistical peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. That's more than enough time for numerous additional storms, which is what most forecasts suggest will be the case, given the expected to dip into the Greek alphabet for storm names this season.
Prof Karol Sikora has raised the prospect of the coronavirus 'fizzling out'. (BBC)

Seven months after the UKs first coronavirus cases were confirmed, and five months since the peak of the outbreak, attention is now turning to how the nation will cope in the winter months.

Scientists, in a government-commissioned report, have already modelled a worst-case scenario in which a winter outbreak causes 120,000 deaths.

On the other hand, with COVID-19 hospital admissions low even as the number of new infections begins to creep up again, some have argued the virus is becoming less lethal.

Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, one health expert said the virus could fizzle out in the coming months  a claim that has since been branded dangerous.

Prof Karol Sikora, a cancer specialist from the University of Buckingham, also told Politics Live that the virus wants to be nice to humans.

He said the fizzling out scenario is one of three possibilities, alongside more local spikes  such as those recently seen in Leicester and Oldham  and a second nationwide wave of infections.

Speaking to Yahoo News UK, however, Professor Ben Neuman, chair of biological sciences at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, countered: The virus isnt a teddy bear.

It grows wherever it can and doesnt have any sort of brain or external regulation to what we think or feel. All that is fairly obvious.

With the idea of the virus fizzling out, severe precautions are the only things that have lowered virus numbers so far in this outbreak. While we may hope the virus will go away on its own, there is rational scientific basis for that hope. Its just that, a wonderful dream.

It is [dangerous]. People are looking for an easy way out of this, they are looking for any option that doesnt involve hardship or wearing a mask. Unfortunately, the best public health advice is that we have to take the actions that we know have effects.

Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, also pointed to the World Health Organizations latest situation report which showed there were nearly 1.8 million new infections in a week, with just under 25 million in total since the beginning of the outbreak.

Story continues

It would be very dangerous to promote the idea that the virus is fizzling out, he said. The pandemic is accelerating globally.

There is also the emerging evidence base around long COVID, with health consequences in even relatively mild cases.

We are a long way from being anywhere near the concept of being able to say that COVID-19 is fizzling out.

Bill Hanage, an associate professor at Harvards Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, also wrote on Twitter: He's an oncologist so can be forgiven for not knowing about infectious disease and not understanding the pandemic, but not for promoting himself as an expert.

Read more: Moment minister breaks coronavirus rules with handshake before Boris Johnson meeting

Making the case for the virus reducing in potency, Prof Sikora had told Politics Live: Somethings changed. There is only two dancers in this dance: the virus and ourselves, so things have changed on both sides.

The virus has mutated, we know that. We dont know why its mutated. It mutated in about March time, globally. It just changed a single building block of its protein structure, which is amazing. Its probably changed again.

It wants to live with us, thats the problem. It wants to actually be nice to us and go on forever living with us, and killing us is not a good way to start a relationship.

Of peoples behavioural changes, he added: Weve certainly changed and what weve heard about schools trying to implement hand washing and social distancing, all the other things, thats a change in our behaviour and that will drive the infection down.

Prof Sikora has been an outspoken, and high-profile, commentator during the pandemic.

Branded professor positive over his outlook towards the virus, he has previously spoken out against ministers and media outlets for scaremongering.

As early as 8 April  two weeks after the nationwide lockdown was imposed and two days before 7,680 new cases were recorded in a single day  Prof Sikora was arguing for the lockdown to start being lifted on 27 April.

The government actually started lifting the lockdown six weeks later on 13 June, when social bubbles were introduced for single person households.

However, his claims about the virus mutating follow similar comments by prominent infectious diseases professor Paul Tambyah, who told Reuters last month that an increasingly common mutation of the virus may be more infectious yet less deadly.

He said: It is in the virus interest to infect more people but not to kill them because a virus depends on the host for food and for shelter.

On Sunday, the last day for which data was available, there were 32 hospitalisations in England, out of a total 113,640 since the outbreak began.

On the same day, 1,715 new cases were recorded in the UK, the highest daily number since 31 May.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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The county has been trying to unload this property for a long time. It will have to wait some more.
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), whose footprints are largely restricted to poll-bound Bihar, appears to have taken a cue from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and now seeks to make inroads into Uttarakhand.

The party has decided to contest on all 70 seats in 2022 assembly polls in the hill state.

The LJP has formed a core team that will look into the formation of all district and assembly-level segments in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state.

The LJP is a BJP ally in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.

Kedarnath Pundit, who heads the LJP in Uttarakhand, said the party is seriously considering making inroads into the hill state politics, as it seeks to emerge as an alternative to both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.

We are focusing on getting as many new members as possible in each one of the 70 assembly segments. Priority in ticket allocation will be given to those candidates, who get maximum members for the party in their respective constituencies. Besides our traditional vote bank of backward and minority community, we are focussing on hilly areas and rural cluster voters in the state, said Pundit.

Soon, a delegation of the party leaders will meet state chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and submit him a memorandum regarding local issues being faced by the public.

We want to play the role of a pro-active and constructive Opposition party. Issues related to both Kumaon and Garhwal regions will be effectively raised by our party in the coming days, said Raghunath Kumar, state general secretary, LJP.

Kumar said that the LJP would not enter any alliance with regional outfits such as the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) because the latter failed to realise the aspirations of the public.

It would not be a politically expedient move to forge a tie-up with the UKD, he added.
President Donald Trump has pulled most of his advertising from TV over the past week, ceding the airwaves to Democratic rival Joe Biden, who is currently outspending him by more than 10-to-1, advertising data shows.

The pullback comes as the first absentee ballots are being mailed to voters and as Labor Day weekend - the traditional kick off for the fall campaign season - approaches. More than 80 million people are expected to cast their ballots via the mail this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Though Trump has an outsized ability to command national attention, it is unusual for a White House contender to go mostly dark on TV the week after their presidential convention. The election is just over two months away.

President Donald Trump has pulled most of his advertising from TV over the past week

Joe Biden is outspending President Trump on airwaves in TV ads by 10-1, data shows

The move comes as Trump's campaign has burned through money almost as fast as it has taken it in. And after Biden drastically narrowed what was once an overwhelming cash advantage enjoyed by the president, campaign officials have acknowledged they were trying to conserve money.

That's allowed Biden an opportunity to communicate an unfiltered message to voters without competing advertising.

During the month of August, Biden doubled what Trump spent, dropping about $80 million in states that included key battlegrounds such as Wisconsin, Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to data from the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG.

Trump's limited spending targeted some of those states, but it was also directed to places like Iowa and Montana, which he won handily in 2016. This week he is spending about $1.6 million to Biden's $18.3 million. Most of Trump's ads are placed on Fox News Channel and CNN, as well as a smattering that will run in New Mexico and Washington, D.C., the data shows.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller said Monday that the campaign will be going back up on the air this week. Yet data from Kantar/CMAG shows it does not have an increase in advertising booked until Sept. 8.

'We have over $200 million worth of TV ads that are reserved (from) Labor Day until Election Day,' Miller said. 'Were speaking with voters in states as theyre starting to come online.'

In specific battleground states, Biden has committed more than $21 million to ads in Arizona, The Hill newspaper reported, citing data compiled by Advertising Analytics. Trump has spent almost $9 million in Arizona - a large amount to drop in a state that has traditionally gone red in presidential elections.

In Wisconsin, where Democrats where scheduled to hold their Democratic National Convention before the coronavirus turned it into a virtual event, Biden has spent $14 million, which is nearly 10 times as much as Hillary Clinton spent there in 2016. Clinton lost the state in an election night surprise that year, with Trump winning it by less than a point.

Trumps campaign is playing defense in some surprising areas, including Ohio and Iowa. His campaign has committed $18 million to Ohio this year and $5.8 million in Iowa - both twice as much as his campaign dropped in those states four years ago.

Both campaigns have committed large amounts to Florida, a large state with several media markets making it an expensive investment. Trumps campaign has committed $42 million while Biden's campaign has put in $35 million.

Biden is currently leading the president in the polls, with a six point advantage in the RealClearPolitics polling average.

The lack of advertising to drive home his message comes as Trump has sought shift the focus of the race from his handling of the coronavirus and the resulting economic collapse to the need for 'law and order' after recent unrest in some cities, including Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Nationwide, protests against police brutality have largely been peaceful, though there has been some violence, looting and property destruction, particularly in Portland.

A man affiliated with the right-wing group Patriot Prayer died in that city after he was shot Saturday amid skirmishes between Trump backers who led a car caravan through the city and Black Lives Matter protesters who had gathered for another night of demonstrations.

Trump's pullback comes as the first absentee ballots are being mailed to voters and as Labor Day weekend - the traditional kick off for the fall campaign season - approaches

In Kenosha, a 17-year-old Illinois teen is accused of shooting three people, killing two, during recent protests after a white officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, multiple times.

Trump will travel to Kenosha on Tuesday to address the unrest. While the data shows his campaign is not currently running TV ads there, ones it has placed on Facebook that target the state have focused on the protests.

A handful of those ads seek to tie Democrats to activists who have called for defunding the police in response to law enforcement brutality.

One ad, titled 'Democrats have lost their minds,' urges Trump supporters to come together 'to send a united message that we demand law and order.'

Biden has said he is against defunding the police and in a speech Monday decried the violence while blaming Trump for stoking division.

'He doesnt want to shed light, he wants to generate heat, and hes stoking violence in our cities,' Biden said. 'He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it.'
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth addressed recent speculation about whether the virus might be less transmitted during the summer months as influenza would be.

"We have to be clear that we do not yet know the impact of the seasons on COVID-19 - we absolutely cannot assume that because we're moving into the summer months, when other respiratory viruses traditionally decrease, that COVID-19 would also decrease," he said.

"What we do know about summer, though, is that Australians will get outside. And they should in the states where they're able to do so, and as restrictions are lifted in Victoria."

Dr Coatsworth said that would lead to two things: movement across cities, and an increase in crowds.

"If we can't assume that COVID-19 will be any less transmitted, we have to assume that ovement in crowds will potentially bring risk.

"We have seen in the Northern Hemisphere COVID running rampant across many nations during the summer months. As holiday-makers go to and from countries in Europe, bringing the disease back into their own country and sparking new outbreaks of COVID-19."

He urged people to treat the summer with as much caution as they've treated winter, keeping physical distance and being responsible if they feel unwell.

"Don't go to a family gathering down at the beach if you're unwell or the kids are unwell. Stay at home and get yourself tested. Wear a mask if you're on public transport going to and from those areas."
Room to roam: Some of the buffalo herd Johnny Lynch has established on his farm in Macroom, Co Cork

The first sale of buffalo in an Irish mart will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) in Thurles.

Due to social distancing measures a limited number of people will be able to attend the sale but it will be broadcast online on the online bidding service Mart Eye.

Mart Eyes Jamie Nolan says there has been huge interest in the buffalo sale from potential online buyers.

The interest has been massive, weve never seen anything like it before. Weve been inundated with calls. The calves will be sold in separate lots and are expected to reach over 1,000 each, he said.

The five-month-old calves are owned by Johnny Lynch of Macroom Buffalo Farm, who supplies Buffalo cheese to supermarkets across Ireland.

Mr Lynch says that while there a few Buffalo farms in the country that he sells bull calves to, he has had to find other outlets for calves as his farm grows.

Of our 200 calves every year around half are bulls, so we need to sell them. In the past most of our customers were other buffalo farms around the country, but as our numbers increased, we have to find more outlets for them.

There is a lot of interest from open farms that take in school tours and I also expect there to be more interest from marts in the future.

Increased demand means that Mr Lynch is developing the facilities on his farm so he can sell more bull calves as weanlings in the future.

Im building a new calf shed with automatic feeders so we can rear more of them, he said. It will be easier to sell them then once they are half reared at around three to six months of age.

"Well calve 30-40 over the winter and autumn months. We practically calve all year around, we take time off from calving in August and then again around Christmas.

Buffalo are reared to 20-30 months before slaughtering and according to Mr Lynch, their meat is very healthy.

Buffalo meat is quite good for you, its very low in cholesterol. Its well suited for mince and makes good burgers and steaks. We sell to all sorts of customers, from households to restaurants to hotels.
Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are losing mass at the 'worst case scenario' rate predicted by the UN - and could result in sea levels rising by 16 inches by 2100.

According to a new study by the University of Leeds, if these rates continue, an additional 16 million people could be exposed to repeated annual flooding.

If levels rise by 16 inches over the next 80 years as predicted, there will also be a increase in the number of destructive storm surges, the researchers claim.

Mass loss from 2007 to 2017 due to melt-water and crumbling ice has matched Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change's (IPCC) most extreme forecasts.

Study lead author, Thomas Slater, an expert in polar observations, said 'we need a new worst case scenario', adding that the sheets were melting faster than predicted.

Mass loss from 2007 to 2017 due to melt-water and crumbling ice has matched Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change's (IPCC) most extreme forecasts

Study lead author, Thomas Slater, an expert in polar observations, said 'we need a new worst case scenario', adding that the sheets were melting faster than predicted

There is a 'clear mismatch' between the observed reality of ice sheet disintegration and the models that are predicting what will happen in the future, the IPCC said.

A special IPCC report last year on the planet's frozen regions allowed for only a small increase from Antarctica under the highest greenhouse gas emissions scenario.

Climate scientists calculate average global temperature was 46F 20,000 years ago The average global temperature during the last Ice Age 20,000 years ago was 46F (7.7C)  11F (6C) colder than today  a study has reported. The average global temperature during the last Ice Age 20,000 years ago was 46F Researchers from the US combined data from tiny marine fossils with climate models to forecast the weather during the so-called Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). During this chilly period, the Earth's ice sheets and glaciers had spread to cover around half of Europe, North America and South America  and much of Asia. According to the researchers, the difference in the average temperatures between the last Ice Age and now represents a 'huge change'. The findings will help experts understand the link between changes in atmospheric carbon levels and global temperature shifts  and predict future climate change. Advertisement

Real world observations seem to show those models are no longer accurate as we're already on target to surpass the worst predictions, the team explained.

'Although we anticipated the ice sheets would lose increasing amounts of ice in response to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere, the rate at which they are melting has accelerated faster than we could have imagined,' said Dr Slater.

'We need to come up with a new worst-case scenario for the ice sheets because they are already melting at a rate in line with our current one,' he added.

Being able to properly predict sea level rises over long periods of time is 'critical in helping governments plan climate change mitigation policies', Slater explained.

'If we underestimate future sea level rise, then these measures may be inadequate and leave coastal communities vulnerable.'

Ice sheet losses at the upper end of the IPCC forecasts would by itself expose some 50 million people to annual coastal flooding worldwide by mid-century.

Total sea level rise of at least 3ft would likely require spending upward of 56 billion ($70bn) a year in sea walls and other defences against flooding, the IPCC said.

It looks like the current climate models didn't pay enough attention to ice sheets.

Several factors explain why the climate models underlying UN projections for sea level might have given short shrift to ice sheets, according to the new analysis.

Ice sheet models do well in describing the long-term impact of gradual global warming, which has seen temperatures at the poles rise far more quickly than for the planet as a whole.

But they have failed to account for short-term fluctuations in weather patterns that are, themselves, deeply influenced by climate change.

'For Greenland, much of the ice loss is now being driven by surface melt events during hot summers - processes not captured in the AR5 simulations,' said Slater, referring to the 2014 IPCC report, the fifth since 1992.

'We needs to understand these better to improve our sea level rise predictions.'

Until the turn of the 21st century, the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets generally accumulated as much mass as they shed.

Runoff, in other words, was compensated by fresh snowfall - but that changed 20 years ago due to the gathering pace of global warming.

Last year, Greenland lost a record 532 billion tonnes of ice - the equivalent of six Olympic pools of cold, fresh water flowing into the Atlantic every second.

According to a new study by the University of Leeds, if these rates continue, an additional 16 million people could be exposed to repeated annual flooding

This run-off accounted for 40 per cent of sea level rise in 2019.

A new generation of climate models that better reflects how ice sheets, the oceans and the atmosphere interact will underpin the IPCC's next major report, said Slater.

In another study published earlier this month in The Cryosphere, Slater and colleagues calculated that Earth's ice masses - imountain glaciers, Arctic ice cap, and both ice sheets - lost nearly 28 trillion tonnes of mass between 1994 and 2017.

Less than half of that amount contributed to sea level rise. The Arctic ice cap, for example, forms in the ocean, and thus does not increase sea level when it melts.

The rate of ice loss, they found, has increased nearly 60 per cent of that time period.

There is a 'clear mismatch' between the observed reality of ice sheet disintegration and the models that are predicting what will happen in the future, the IPCC said

So far, global sea levels have increased in the most part through a mechanism called thermal expansion, which means that volume of seawater expands as it gets warmer.

But in the last five years, ice melt from the ice sheets and mountain glaciers has overtaken global warming as the main cause of rising sea levels.

Dr Ruth Mottram, study co-author and climate researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute, said global glaciers need to be studied.

'It is not only Antarctica and Greenland that are causing the water to rise. In recent years, thousands of smaller glaciers have begun to melt or disappear altogether, as we saw with the glacier Ok in Iceland, which was declared 'dead' in 2014,' she said.

'This means that melting of ice has now taken over as the main contributor of sea level rise.'

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Every Sunday throughout August 2020, a church in Narayi, a suburb on the south eastern edge of Kaduna City in Nigeria, is holding a prayer and protest event in response to violence ravaging southern Kaduna.

Background to terrorism in Nigeria

Despite being resource-rich and having the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria has more people living in poverty than any country on earth. This poverty is fertile ground for helplessness and vulnerability. Many disenfranchised people may join radical groups to fight against their situation, resorting to violence to assert themselves in a semblance of power in their hopelessness.

The name Boko Haram comes from the Hausa word boko, which means animist, Western or simply un-Islamic education and culture, and the Arabic word haram, which means forbidden. For Boko Haram, boko is fitna: i.e. something that can shake the faith of Muslims and lead to apostasy. For this reason, boko must be haram.

The group was founded in 2002 in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, by a religious leader named Sheikh Mohammed Yusuf. When Sheikh Yusuf died in police custody on 31 July 2009 Boko Haram declared jihad against the government of Nigeria. In mid-June 2010 Boko Haram formalised its links to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). AQIM is seeking to gain 'strategic depth' in sub-Saharan Africa and the solid foothold in Nigeria required for operations in West.

Essentially Boko Haram is pursuing an Islamic freedom -- i.e. freedom from fitna (anything that could shake the faith of a Muslim) -- a freedom that is essentially no freedom at all.

Since 2010 Boko Haram has had a turbulent history with splits and disagreements, but while the factions may differ on strategy, they have a common goal: Christians are the enemy and Christianity is a problem to be eliminated. Fulani herdsmen and bandits have been recruited to participate in the jihad.

Attacks on Christians

Nigerias Kaduna State is divided into a predominantly Hausa-Fulani Muslim north with mainly Christian ethnic groups in the south.

In July 2020, Fulani militant attacks on villages in southern Kaduna have increased significantly. Many Christian villagers were killed - shot, hacked or burnt to death, often in their beds and many more wounded.

Thousands of villagers have been displaced and are now being cared for in church-run camps. Despite the southern regions being under a 24-hour curfew, Fulani militants move freely, murdering, terrorising and ethnically cleansing at will; nobody is ever arrested! Neither the government nor the security services seem willing or able to provide security.

Cameroon's Centre for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (launched 2019, in Extreme North region) reports that growing numbers of mostly-Nigerian ex-militants, children and women (sex-slaves) are escaping, surrendering and seeking rehabilitation. The Centre needs help to meet the growing demand.

Corruption is rife

The poverty of the Nigerian people is directly connected to massive corruption at the highest level of Government and Defence. Corruption is also why the government does not send troops to come to the aid of villagers being attacked and killed by terrorists.

Corruption is prolonging conflict and perpetuating the Christian crisis in Nigeria's North and Middle Belt. Government and military elites exploit the conflict with Boko Haram to enrich themselves while depriving rank and file soldiers of basic resources, including food and ammunition!

One example is when the Borno state governor Babagana Zulum set out in a heavily-armed convoy towards the town of Baga, in Borno's far north-east, to visit a camp for internally displaced persons and distribute food relief there. But the governor's convoy was attacked on the edge of the town. An army garrison was only 5km down the road, but it was the Nigerian armed forces carrying out the attack, contrary to army reports.

A massive fraud has been revealed in military procurement, whereby government funds have been secured on the basis of fake contracts for resources which were never delivered - 'everything from food and ammunition to firearms, helicopters and Alpha jets, totaling as much as US$15 billion'.

Corruption explains why Nigerian soldiers are deployed into conflict zones with insufficient rations and malfunctioning weapons and why those who survive return defeated and demoralised.

Corruption explains why insecurity has escalated to crisis levels and why Boko Haram has not been defeated but has instead grown stronger. Corruption explains why a catastrophic Christian crisis involving ethnic cleansing and genocide persists throughout Nigeria's North and Middle Belt, bringing untold suffering to multitudes.

The Barnabas Fund reports that Nigerian Christians have called on the International Criminal Court to act against the genocide perpetrated by Boko Haran, Fulani militants and other extremists.

Southern Kaduna's imperiled and traumatised Christians need our prayers

Let us bring our own prayers and protests to the Lord on behalf of the grieving Nigerian church. Let us ask God to intervene  to bless, empower and protect the Christians and others who bear the brunt of these attacks, and to overturn every evil and selfish plot.

Let us join with Jobs prayer: 'As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number ... He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success ... So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth' (From Job Chapter 5 verses 8-16 ESV).

Let us pray for God to protect Cameroon's Centre for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration and supply it with everything it needs to rehabilitate disillusioned and traumatised men, women and children who have risked their lives in search of new life.

Let us pray for blessing for all who risk their lives to share the Gospel with Muslims. And let us speak out in the name of Jesus, that violence and greed be replaced with peace, repentance and justice.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Some sleet may mix in. Low 27F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Showers early, then cloudy overnight. Some sleet may mix in. Low 27F. Winds N at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Britain slipped down the global broadband speed table, going from 34th place in 2019 to 47th this year - a result of a slow pure fibre network rollout, experts say.

The Worldwide Broadband Speed League gathers data from more than 570 million speed tests in 221 countries or territories around the world to create a comparison.

The 2020 table revealed that while the UK average speed had increased, from about 22 Megabits per second (Mbps) in 2019 to 37.82Mbps, its table place had dropped.

The UK has fallen 13 places because it hasn't been able to increase its broadband speeds as fast as other places due to a slower fibre optic network rollout.

The top three spots in the table were all taken by small nations including Liechtenstein, Jersey and Andorra - all with more than 200Mpbs average speeds.

The US is placed 20th with an average speed of 71.30Mbps and Australia is in 62nd place with an average speed of 25.65Mbps.

The 2020 table revealed that while the UK average speed had increased, from about 22 Megabits per second (Mbps) in 2019 to 37.82Mbps, its table place had dropped. Stock image

Pure fibre, also known as Fibre to the Premises, involves delivering broadband over fibre optic cables straight to the home or office.

In other types of fibre broadband delivery, the fibre goes to a location junction box and is then the internet is delivered to the home from there through copper cables.

Europe was the fastest region with a continent wide average speed of 81.9Mbps - that was more than three times the global average of 24.84Mbps.

According to Cable.co.uk, the company behind the research, the UK is 'dwindling' in 47th place due to the fact Openreach has been slow in rolling out pure fibre.

The UK still finds itself a long way behind many nations of equal or greater size.

'Ultimately, the UK, specifically Openreach, is comparatively late in its rollout of pure fibre networks, which is causing the UK to stagnate, while other nations gain ground,' according to Dan Howdle from Cable.co.uk.

Around 60 per cent of the UK has access to the Virgin Media network and can get speeds of up to 516Mbps, and there is limited availability of smaller networks such as Hyperoptic offering gigabit speeds, according to Cable.co.uk.

However, they said the Openreach network remains the anchor that keeps average speeds in the UK comparatively low.

Entry-level fibre packages and 'fast' fibre packages on Openreach have been set at around 30-35Mbps and 60-70Mbps respectively for more than five years now with no significant changes beyond how those speeds are advertised.

Catherine Colloms, MD for Corporate Affairs at Openreach said the UK has been prioritising delivering decent broadband to the vast majority of homes over superfast full fibre to a monitory of towns and cities.

'Today though, we're investing 12bn in the next big build and taking ultrafast, ultra-reliable full fibre broadband to 20m premises by the mid-to-late 2020s.'

Colloms said data like this league table should be considered in more detail and look at the difference between current and available speeds.

'Experts at Thinkbroadband have calculated that if everyone bought the fastest product available to them, the UK's national average broadband speed would be a whopping 385Mbps.

'That said, we'd always recommend considering a range of measures like pricing and quality of service  and not just speeds  when comparing the UK to other countries.'

Small territories have been able to more easily roll out full fibre to every home or office and Jersey was one of the first places in the world to make the switch.

Daragh McDermott, Managing Director of JT, the Jersey government owned telecom provider, said since completing their full fibre rollout - to replace all copper connections - they have quadrupled minimum speeds from 250Mbps to 1Gbps.

'This ensures the best possible experience as more and more of us are working and schooling from our homes,' McDermott told MailOnline.

'We are extremely proud that our network is able to deliver some of the fastest speeds in the world and that we have been able to support our island communities during these challenging times.'

Howdle, a consumer telecoms analyst, said there was an increase divide between the 'have and have nots' of global broadband.

'While global broadband speeds continue to trend upward, the truth is faster countries are the ones lifting the average, pulling away at speed and leaving the slowest to stagnate,' he explained.

'Last year, we measured the slowest five countries at 125 times slower than the five fastest. This year they are 276 times slower.

'The slowest countries are not slowing, they are simply not growing. While the fastest countries continue to accelerate year-on-year.'

The top three spots in the table were all taken by small nations including Liechtenstein (pictured), Jersey and Andorra - all with more than 200Mpbs average speeds. Stock image

Small territories have been able to more easily roll out full fibre to every home or office and Jersey (pictured) was one of the first places in the world to make the switch. Stock image

He said that in all cases, those countries ranking highest are those with a strong focus on pure fibre networks.

Those nations that are 'dawdling too much on pure fibre' and sticking to ADSL solutions such as the UK are 'slipping further down year-on-year'.

AVERAGE SPEED BY REGION: EUROPE COMES OUT ON TOP Researchers from Cable.co.uk also managed to breakdown data region by region and found Western Europe came out on top of the table. WESTERN EUROPE - 81.19Mbps

BALTICS - 59.5Mbps

NORTH AMERICA - 49.29Mbps

EASTERN EUROPE - 39.08Mbps

CARRIBEAN - 20.77Mbps

ASIA - 20.18Mbps

CENTRAL AMERICA - 14.01Mbps

OCEANIA - 12.59Mbps

NEAR EAST - 11.68Mbps

SOUTH AMERICA - 9.65Mbps

CIS - 9.16Mbps

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA - 4.51Mbps

NORTH AFRICA - 3.80Mbps Advertisement

Hong Kong at 105.32Mbps and Hungary with a speed of 99.74Mbps are the only two nations to make it into the top ten fastest in the world outside of Western Europe

Countries in Northern Africa collectively had the lowest average speed in the world at just 3.80Mbps - with South Sudan the slowest at 580Kbps (0.58Mbps).

The research was designed and compiled by Cable.co.uk, and the data gathered by M-Lab, an open source project with a range of contributors including civil society organisations, educational institutions, and private sector companies.

The UK manages to trump 174 other countries, yet falls behind 46 others, coming in behind 21 Western European countries.

This puts the UK among the slowest in the region when it comes to average broadband speed, losing ground since the measurements were taken last year.

Liechtenstein tops the table at 229.98Mbps, with the small island of Jersey coming in second at 218.37Mbps.

'Countries and territories with a heavier reliance on or ongoing investment in pure fibre networks, or are upgrading to fibre or LTE from even more aged technologies, continue to see their averages rise,' said Howdle.

'Those that are somewhat late to that particular party, however, the UK being a case in point when it comes to pure fibre networks, have slipped back.'

The researchers also looked at how long it takes to download a high definition movie of about 5GB in each of the countries listed.

Researchers claim Openreach has been 'too slow' at rolling out its fibre optic broadband network to the home - which has left the UK dwindling in 47th place. Stock image

In top place Liechtenstein it would take about three minutes to download - but in South Sudan it would take an average of 19 hours and 31 minutes.

According to Howdle, it is much easier to upgrade to full pure fibre in a smaller jurisdiction such as Jersey or Andorra.

'As shown by the domination of smaller countries and regions at the top of the table - Liechtenstein, Jersey, Andorra, Gibraltar - it is obviously far easier to upgrade a country or territory to full fibre the smaller it happens to be,' he said.

The sample size of nations in 2020 was 109 per cent larger than last year, according to Cable.co.uk, who say this is due to the tools they use in the study becoming more widely used.

Speaking of the UK dropping 13 places, a DCMS spokesperson said they're were determined to connect all of Britain with a faster broadband network.

'We have spent 2 billion connecting more than 96 per cent of the country with superfast speeds and are now focused on delivery of even quicker gigabit-capable broadband, mainly through full fibre to homes,' they said.

'More than 7.5 million properties can already access gigabit-capable broadband as a result of government and industry investment, with more people connected every week.

'We're supporting the telecoms industry's plans to deliver gigabit speeds to 80 per cent of the UK by 2025 and investing a further 5 billion so that the hardest-to-reach 20 per cent isn't left behind.'
A top Saudi military commander and his son were sacked on Monday over graft allegations, state media said, in the government's latest anti-corruption purge.

Joint forces commander Prince Fahad bin Turki -- a senior royal family member -- and Abdulaziz bin Fahad, the deputy emir of northern Al-Jouf region, were fired and placed under investigation for corruption, according to the report.

Several other officers and civilian employees of the defence ministry were also being probed for corruption, it added, citing a royal decree from King Salman.

Prince Fahad served as the commander of the Saudi-led military coalition fighting Iran-linked Huthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen.

He was replaced by Mutlaq bin Salim, the deputy chief of staff, on the recommendation of the kingdom's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, state media said.

The government decision to sack the commander was a "very public signal against corruption in the military", said Saudi author and analyst Ali Shihabi.

The announcement marks the latest government crackdown on what officials describe as endemic corruption in the kingdom.

Senior Saudi security commanders were among a string of officials sacked last month over graft allegations at tourism projects.

In March, Human Rights Watch voiced alarm over the arrest of 298 Saudi officials over corruption allegations, warning of possible "unfair legal proceedings" in an opaque judicial system.

Military and judicial officials were among those arrested over allegations of bribery and embezzlement amounting to a total of 379 million riyals ($101 million), according to the state anti-corruption watchdog.

The watchdog said the arrests came after it criminally investigated 674 state employees, but it neither named any of the suspects nor stated when its probe took place.

A campaign against graft launched in 2017 saw hundreds of elite princes, ministers and businessmen detained at the luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel in the capital Riyadh.

Story continues

Many were held there for weeks and most were subsequently released after agreeing to significant financial settlements. Authorities said they recovered more than 400 billion Saudi riyals ($107 billion).

The anti-graft sweep led by Prince Mohammed was labelled by many critics as a shakedown and a power grab.

(AFP)
DUBLIN, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Escherichia Coli Testing Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global Escherichia Coli Testing market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 8.1%, during the forecast period.



Most of the Escherichia coli strains are harmless but some strains such as Shiga toxin-producing E.coli, can cause severe foodborne disease and mostly transmitted through consumption of undercooked or raw ground meat products, raw milk, and contaminated raw vegetables and sprouts. Symptoms of the diseases caused by Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC) include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, bloody diarrhoea (haemorrhagic colitis), fever and vomiting.



In the case of water treatment plants, Escherichia coli is the test organism for finding out the effectiveness of the effluent disinfection treatment process. According to an article published in the Journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, Escherichia coli accounts for over 85% of all urinary tract infections. Increasing prevalence of diarrhoea and high government funding are the key factors that drive the growth of E. coli testing market.



Key Market Trends



Enzyme Substrate Expected to be a Major Segment



Enzyme substrate tests use hydrolyzable fluorogenic substrates to simultaneously detect enzymes produced by total Escherichia coli (E. coli). Most Escherichia coli strains produce enzyme - glucuronidase, which cleaves a fluorogenic substrate in the medium to release fluorogen and the release of fluorogen indicates that E. coli are present.



The demand for enzyme-substrate methods has increased in the past few years. Enzyme substrate methods are easy to perform and do not require any sophisticated laboratory equipment and skilled personnel. The enzyme-substrate method is also performed based on presence or absence (P/A) tests. P/A tests are qualitative tests that produce colored substrate indicating the presence of E.coli in the water sample and these P/A test is easy to perform wherein only a small or medium size incubator is required to store test bottles. Based on the same principle, the P/A tests have modified to provide a quantitative most probable number (MPN) count of E.coli in the water sample.



Therefore with the increasing government support and development of drug-resistant species of Escherichia coli (E. coli) are the major driving factor for the global Escherichia coli testing market.



North America Expected to Hold the Largest Market Share



North America is expected to hold the largest share globally in the Escherichia coli (E. coli) market in the year 2017. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, every year in the United States, infections caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) approximately 265,000 illnesses and about 100 deaths.



Approximately 40 percent of these infections are caused by the strain Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, part of the shiga toxin-producing group of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria (STEC) and other 60 percent of Escherichia coli (E. coli) cases are caused by non-0157:H7 shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) (STEC). Moreover, increasing awareness regarding the hygienic, the introduction of advanced testing technologies in this region is fueling the growth of the overall regional market to a large extent.



Competitive Landscape



The Escherichia coli Testing Market is moderately competitive and consists of of several major players. In terms of market share, few of the major players are currently dominating the market. Some of the companies which are currently domianting the market are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Alere Inc, Becton, Dickinson and Company, bioMerieux Inc, NanoLogix, Inc, Meridian Bioscience, Bio-Rad Laboratories, CPI International, Inc, Pro-Lab Diagnostics, Inc, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.



Key Topics Covered



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Assumptions

1.2 Scope of the Study



2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.2.1 Increasing Prevalence of Diarrhoea

4.2.2 New Technological Advancements

4.3 Market Restraints

4.3.1 High Cost of E. coli Treatment

4.4 Porter's Five Force Analysis



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 By Test

5.1.1 Clinical Testing

5.1.1.1 Polymerase Chain Reaction

5.1.1.2 Enzyme Immunoassays

5.1.2 Environmental Testing

5.1.2.1 Membrane Filtration

5.1.2.2 Multiple Tube Fermentation

5.1.2.3 Enzyme Substrate Method

5.2 Geography

5.2.1 North America

5.2.2 Europe

5.2.3 Asia-Pacific

5.2.4 Middle-East & Africa

5.2.5 South America



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 Becton, Dickinson and Company

6.1.2 Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.

6.1.3 Caisson Laboratories, Inc.

6.1.4 Cell Culture Technologies LLC

6.1.5 Corning Incorporated

6.1.6 Fujifilm Holdings Corporation

6.1.7 GE Healthcare

6.1.8 HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.

6.1.9 Lonza Group Ltd.

6.1.10 Merck & Co. Inc.



7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/oznl9k

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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Johnny Depp will stop at nothing to ruin his former wife's career, the same way she destroyed his.

The former "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor faces a new court claim that he initiated an online trolling campaign against Amber Heard during their domestic abuse battle in London's High Court.

According to legal documents filed by the "Aquaman" actress, her former husband tried to "foment a fantasy of online outrage and hatred" to discredit her and trick the movie studios into thinking that Depp is still relevant.

Last month, the court was told that the 57-year-old A-list actor abused her physically and verbally.

She alleges that Johnny Depp called her a "whore c---," "inhuman scum-filled sick fish," and a "disgusting pig."

In US documents, Heard's new claim states that Depp and his lawyer, Adam Waldman, tried to "harass and damage" her reputation during the three-week libel trial in London, on the actor's case against The Sun's publisher, NGN.

"Mr. Depp is attempting to defame Ms. Heard and interfere with her reputation, career, and livelihood through an online smear campaign he has organized and orchestrated."

They claimed that Depp used purchased authentic and fake accounts to ruin Heard, as Waldman is said to be publicly associated with Russian individuals who are capable of arranging such attacks.

These new allegations have been made against Johnny Depp's libel claim against Heard over domestic abuse accusations. They are allegedly part of a counter-claim that was filed in Virginia.

The blonde beauty's claim was that troll accounts regularly tweeted messages such as "I love you, Waldman," which only "shows the origin of Mr. Depp's unlawful campaign."

On Twitter, Waldman claims that Heard's claims were nothing but a hoax, saying, "The people demand facts and evidence. Not nonsense."

Aside from Heard, those close to the actress, whether they're individuals or groups, were also targeted by bots, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the UN Women.

Her legal team said, "Anyone publicly associated with Amber gets drowned with online attack, much of which is inauthentic."

"You could blame it on Depp fans and the life of a celebrity, but some of it is being cultivated professionally," they continued, "Reputation management companies are using it in a way that's hard to grapple."

Not only was Heard allegedly targeted by trolls, but she was also subject to being booed at outside.

Her lawyer claimed that Heard needed police protection during her three weeks in London for the case as people were "throwing things at the car," while "Depp walked in the front door."

Johnny Depp is suing The Sun over an article published in April 2018, which suggested that he was a "wife-beater."

Details of their turbulent marriage dominated headlines, including one that said Depp bashed Heard's head into a fridge and sent texts threatening to cut off Tesla CEO Elon Musk's manhood off.

The end of Johnny Depp vs. The Sun trial is set to significantly impact another high-profile case he is bringing against Heard.

In the US proceedings, the "Willy Wonka" star is suing Amber Heard for $50 million over a 2018 article she wrote in the Washington Post describing herself as a survivor of domestic abuse.

READ MORE: Bye Johnny Depp: Latest Movie Shows Depp No Longer Bankable?
KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Foreign companies have approached Indian CA firms to set up local units to meet new investment rules

Advisories have been issued to industry to gear up their capacities/capabilities to meet projected public procurement demand in line with the objectives of Atmanirbhar Bharat

In order to promote local manufacturing, DPIIT amended the public procurement rules to ensure that only items with minimum 20% local content can participate in government tenders

The government had earlier announced that no global tender will be issued for procurement of items worth less than Rs 200 crore

The tweaked public procurement order disqualifying companies with less than 20% domestic content from most government tenders has prompted foreign firms to set up their shops in India. The chartered accountancy (CA) firms have seen growing requests from various foreign companies to incorporate their wholly-owned subsidiaries in India to meet the revised tender criteria.

"Due to the amendment in PPP-MII (Public Procurement-Preference to Make in India) Order 2017, to provide that items with minimum 20% domestic value addition/local content can participate in public procurement, we have received certain requests from foreign suppliers to set up their organisations in India and provide them business support," said Vivek Jalan, Partner, Tax Connect Advisory Services.

"Doing business in India was never easier and with its huge market, the foreign suppliers are also taking this as an opportunity to expand their business with a local presence," he added. In order to promote local manufacturing, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) amended the public procurement rules to ensure that only items with minimum 20% local content can participate in tenders floated by the government or any of its entities.

Also read: Atmanirbhar Bharat! PM Modi wants India to increase defence manufacturing

Also, items with more than 50% local content will get purchase preference over other items. Following the change in the tender rules, DPIIT Secretary Guruprasad Mohapatra wrote to other ministers to advice all procuring entities to comply with the guidelines. "It is also requested to direct all procuring entities to interact with industry associations regarding the proposed changes, share their procurement projection with industry, and advise industry to gear up their capacities/capabilities to meet projected public procurement demand in accordance with Hon'ble Prime Minister's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat," Mohapatra wrote in a June 8 letter to his counterparts in other ministries.

The government has been pushing for local manufacturing, and numerous incentives have been announced to attract investment in sectors such as electronics and pharma. The push has particularly intensified following border tensions with China. "We were not expecting requests for setting up new companies during Covid time but we have been approached by an Australian firm to set up their unit in India. We don't know how big a factory they will set up, but they want direct presence here due to the change in procurement rules," said Rajat Mohan, senior partner at AMRG Associates.

Also read: Prime Minister Modi's Independence Day 2020 speech bolsters resolve of Atma Nirbhar Bharat, says Rajnath Singh

Rakesh Nangia, Chairman, Nangia Anderson India said, "We have received several enquiries for setting up Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies because to bid for contracts they would need an industrial company in India." The government had announced that no global tender will be issued for procurement of items worth less than Rs 200 crore. In a bid to support local manufacturing, the government has taken a slew of tariff and non-tariff measures especially to contain import of cheap items from China.
EXETER, Pa.  Vice President Mike Pence visited a pivotal region of Pennsylvania on Tuesday as the presidential campaign shifted from the parties national conventions to a hard-driving new tempo, with a heavy emphasis on the Keystone State.

Pence spoke in Northeast Pennsylvania at Kuharchik Construction in Luzerne County  a county that in 2016 delivered one of Trumps most significant victories, both politically and symbolically.

Luzerne, with a large white working-class population that had historically supported Democrats due to their labor union ties, swung sharply to Donald Trump  a 32,000-vote shift. Trump won the state by about 44,000 votes, less than 1% of the total.

It was the largest swing of any Pennsylvania county, and was emblematic of a wider realignment that repeated itself across many small-city and post-industrial regions  delivering Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and the White House to Trump.

Were not too far from our opponents boyhood home, but its Trump country now, Pence said in Exeter, a short drive from Scranton.

Both parties see the competition for such counties, and voters, in places like Northeast and Southwest Pennsylvania as critical to the election results. Even a small shift toward Biden, or a modestly larger turnout for Trump, could be decisive.

 READ MORE: Trumps path to winning Pa. runs through small Rust Belt towns  like one near Bidens hometown

Pences visit to Pennsylvania came after Monday stops by Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who went to Pittsburgh to speak about social unrest and rioting, and Lara Trump, the presidents daughter-in-law, who campaigned in Bucks County. Trump himself is scheduled to go to Latrobe, in Southwest Pennsylvania, on Thursday.

The vice president touted the countrys economic gains, before the coronavirus pandemic struck, and said the country needs Trump to lead a revival.

As our economy is beginning to stand back up, as were putting millions of Americans back to work, you need to ask yourself, who do you trust to rebuild this economy? Pence asked. A career politician who presided over the slowest recovery since the Great Depression? Or a proven leader who created the greatest economy in the world?

He spoke outside at an electrical contractors facility, standing before a huge American flag held up by two construction cranes and a banner reading Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

Despite Biden vowing he would not ban fracking, Pence also told the crowd to believe that the Democrat would do so, whatever you may hear. In fact, Biden has said he would ban new fracking permits on public land, but not stop existing fracking or projects on private property.

Hundreds of Trump supporters lined up across the two-lane highway from the event, many of them arriving hours before Pence spoke. Valerie Anne Ferlauto, 66, drove about an hour from Pike County to get a glimpse of the vice president.

He has respect not just for college-educated people, but people who keep America growing, like plumbers and other blue collar workers, Ferlauto said of Trump. She called the coronavirus a made-up disease.

A smaller contingent of Democrats showed up with Biden signs. We are standing with the real workers of Pennsylvania who have suffered hardship under Trump, said Mary Ann Velez, cofounder of United NEPA Alliance, an advocacy group.

Pence spoke shortly after Trump appeared in Kenosha, Wis., the city that has become one of the centers of the social upheaval rippling across the country. Protesters there have marched to express their outrage at the police shooting a Black man, Jacob Blake, in the back, while rioters have destroyed property and right-wing militiamen have joined the fray. One 17-year-old Trump supporter, Kyle Rittenhouse, is now accused of shooting and killing two protesters. His attorney has said Rittenhouse acted in self defense.

President Donald Trump is in Kenosha today to make it clear that we stand for law and order in every city in every town for every American, Pence said.

As violence in the streets of some cities has escalated, with clashes between protesters and right-wing groups, the debate over protests, and the destruction that has accompanied some of them, has in recent days overshadowed even the pandemic and Trumps pledges of economic revival.

 READ MORE: Trump makes a clear bet: Violence in Americas cities will help him beat Biden in states like Pennsylvania

Pence, discussing the unrest, spoke almost entirely about rioting, looting and violence, and supporting police, saying little about concerns over racism and police conduct that the protesters have raised. He did not mention Blake by name.

A day earlier, Biden criticized the looting and rioting around some protests, while blasting Trump as a toxin who has encouraged violence and failed to chastise far-right groups who support the president. Pence hit back Tuesday, questioning why Biden had not spoken up more frequently. (Biden actually criticized looting as early as June.)

Democrats assailed Trumps record on the economy and the coronavirus before Pences speech.

The least that we should have in a time like this, in a time of real crisis, is to have a president who would have not just care and concern about the virus and the job crisis, but would actually have a plan for both, said Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Lackawanna County, next door to Luzerne. The Trump-Pence administration has neither. Theres no jobs plan, and theres no plan for the virus.

Before the pandemic, Pennsylvania saw slow but steady job growth under Trump, continuing a trajectory he inherited from President Barack Obama  who won Luzerne County in 2012. The state added about 193,000 jobs from the month Trump took office to February 2020, about a 3% increase, according to federal data, before that number plummeted as the virus took hold. The Northeast region Pence was visiting Tuesday saw slower growth even before the pandemic  about 1.1%.

Overall, after the steep drop in February and more recent summer rebound, Pennsylvania lost 390,500 jobs compared with when Trump took office, including 32,000 in the region Pence visited.

Casey said the grim economic statistics show that Trump failed to stem the pandemic and ease the health and economic effects. Statewide unemployment was 13.7%, according to the most recent data, he said, but even higher in those Northeast Pennsylvania counties that voted so heavily for Trump. It was 16.1% in Luzerne County and 14.5% in Lackawanna in July.

We havent seen numbers like that in my lifetime in Pennsylvania, Casey said.

Pence pointed to recent figures that have shown some jobs returning after the historic lows earlier in the pandemic.
After plunging in July, activity in Texas beleaguered service industry steadied in August and executives perceptions of business conditions improved, a monthly survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas shows.

The revenue index, a key measure of the sectors health, increased from -8.5 in July to 1.5 in August. Positive readings indicate an expansion of activity.

We are pleased that our sales team has actually landed some new business for us, a retail leader told the Dallas Fed. While not substantial enough to return us to pre-COVID revenues, we feel we are moving in the right direction again.

On ExpressNews.com: Coronavirus slashes Texas hotels revenue more than the Great Recession did, report shows

An employment indicator also rose, reaching its highest level at -0.3 since February and suggesting no net change in jobs compared with July.

Activity stabilized in August after a decline in July, with the headline revenue index returning to positive territory and labor market indicators suggesting a leveling off in employment, said Christopher Slijk, an associate economist at the Dallas Fed.

The future general business activity index jumped to its highest reading since late 2018.

Firms were much more optimistic this month, with nearly a quarter of respondents indicating an improved outlook compared to July, Slijk said.

But business leaders also expressed concerns about the continuation of the coronavirus pandemic, finding qualified employees and how the upcoming election will affect business.

We are still in a state of confusion over the economy and COVID-19, an executive at an administrative and support services business told the Dallas Fed. Most of our customers are still trying to figure out where their customers have gone and when they will return.

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In the retail sector, activity decreased in August but at a slower pace than in July.

The retail sales index jumped from -26.7 to -9.9, and more than 35 percent of respondents reported lower sales compared with July. However, business leaders outlook also turned rosier.

It has been very good to see increased retail activity and in local malls, shopping centers and of course grocery stores, an executive at an educational services firm wrote.

I think the consumer is beginning to adjust to living life with a mask and going about their business, the executive added. It will be critical in the next six-to-eight-month period to see increased movement in the hotel and hospitality industry, which is still lagging in economic activity.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 1 - Italy backs the ceasefire deal reached between Libya's UN-backed government and the Speaker of the Tobruk parliament Aguila Saleh, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told the president of the Tripoli-based government of national accord, Fayez al- Sarraj, in Tripoli on Tuesday.

"Italy views favourably the accord reached with Saleh for the promotion of a ceasefire and we support it," Di Maio told Sarraj according to sources present at the meeting.

"We also think that, as we have always said, all external interference must stop".

Di Maio added that Libya was a crucial actor for the growth of the Mediterranean.

Sarraj told Di Maio the government wanted Italian businesses to come to Libya.

He said a commission on economic issues between Italy and Libya would be set up as soon as possible.

"We want Italian businesses to come here to us to support the development and growth of Libya," he said. (ANSA).


Canada has been forced to abandon the first proposed clinical trials for a Covid-19 vaccine in the country after Beijing blocked the shipment from a Chinese company involved in the collaboration.

The Canadian government has now turned to a couple of American drug companies, signing agreements for 114 million doses of potential candidates to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The Government had announced the partnership between the National Research Council of Canada or NRC and CanSino Biologics, headquartered in Tianjin, China, in May.

However, the NRC has said that CanSino no longer had the authority to ship the vaccine for trials to Canada. Those trials were to be held at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which had also shared its research expertise with the Chinese firm.

Subsequent to signing, the Government of China introduced process changes regarding shipping vaccines to other countries, the NRC said, in a statement.

It also noted that the agreement had been reviewed by CanSinos collaborators in the Chinese Government - the Beijing Institute of Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology. The vaccine is being tested on soldiers of the Peoples Liberation Army, while it was scheduled to have had human trials in Halifax.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has now announced that the country has inked deals with two American companies, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson to procure millions of doses of experimental Covid 19 vaccines. It had recently also signed similar agreements with two other companies, Pfizer and Moderna.

With these additional agreements in place, Canada has now secured access to four of the leading vaccine candidates, the Prime Ministers office (PMO) said in a statement.

Anita Anand, Canadas Minister of Public Services and Procurement, said, We are taking an aggressive approach in procuring a portfolio of the most promising vaccine candidates in order to ensure that Canadians will have access to them as quickly as possible once they have been approved.

The CanSino agreement had come under criticism at the time when it was announced, as it came while two Canadians, including a former diplomat, were being held captive in China, in what Canadian officials described as hostage diplomacy.

Several Canadians have also been sentenced to death in China after a senior executive of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Vancouver where she is facing trial for fraud related to a bank in attempting to bypass sanctions on Iran. Even as that case proceeds in Canada, relations with Beijing have hit a new low over the past two years, making the collaboration agreement particularly surprising.

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Donald Trump said he would not meet the family of Jacob Blake during his visit to Wisconsin on Tuesday because "lawyers would be involved".

When asked at a White House press conference on Monday why he wasn't meeting with the Blake family, Mr Trump said he had already spoken with the family's pastor but that it would be inappropriate to speak to their lawyer.

"I thought it would be better not to do anything where there are lawyers involved," Mr Trump said. "They wanted me to speak but they wanted to have lawyers involved and I thought that was inappropriate so I didn't do that."

Speaking on CNN late Monday, Jacob Blake Senior  father of Jacob Blake  and attorney Benjamin Crump confirmed the family wanted the legal team present during the call with the president.

"If he didn't talk to Benjamin Crump. Trump didn't talk to Crump. Man, there's nothing to talk about man. There's nothing to talk about. This is not politics. This is about the life of my son. And Benjamin Crump represents my family," Mr Blake said.

Mr Crump said the Blake family wanted their legal team involved in everything that happens, including any meetings with the president, as they had done when speaking to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

"Because while they're concentrating on their son's life they want us to concentrate on the fight for justice," Mr Crump said. "Clients want to have assurances that their lawyers are helping guide them through this very difficult process."

Mr Blake Sr also said that the family does not have a pastor so was unsure who Mr Trump had been talking to.

Earlier on Monday, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the president planned to meet with local law enforcement and business owners surveying the damage to Kenosha, while Mr Trump left the possibility of meeting with the Blake family open.

"And I may at some point, you know do that, but they did have a lawyer that wanted to be on the phone, and I said no that's inappropriate, but I just gave my best regards," Mr Trump said.

Wisconsin's Democrat governor Tony Evers has asked Mr Trump not to visit Kenosha, saying in a letter to the president that his presence would hinder the city's healing following the violence that followed Mr Blake's shooting.

When asked on Monday if he had any concerns the visit would exacerbate concerns and increase violence, Mr Trump said could have the opposite effect.

"It could also increase enthusiasm, and it could increase love and respect for our country. And that's why I'm going, because they did a fantastic job," Mr Trump said.
China on Tuesday paid rich tributes to former president Pranab Mukherjee, saying he was a veteran statesman and his death is a huge loss for India-China friendship.

The 84-year-old veteran politician died after he suffered a septic shock on Sunday. He died of a cardiac arrest on Monday evening in a hospital in New Delhi following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments.

Pranab Mukherjee News LIVE Updates

"Former President Mukherjee was a veteran statesman of India. In his 50 years in politics, he made positive contributions to China-India relations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing here, replying to a question.

Referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India in 2014 and his meeting with Mukherjee, she said after the meeting the two countries issued a joint statement on building closer development partnership.

"It is a heavy loss for China, India friendship and to India. We express deep condolences over his passing and extend sincere sympathies to the Indian government and his family," Hua said.
New Delhi:

Army chief General Bipin Rawat On Monday said his force is prepared for a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously but emphasised on the need to look at cooperation and not confrontation with Beijing.

His remarks came days after Beijing raised eyebrows over India testing 5000 km-range Agni 5 missile which has entire China within its reach.

As far as armed forces are concerned, we are tasked to be prepared for a two-front war and I think we are capable of carrying out our task in whatever manner that we may be asked to do by the political hierarchy, Gen Rawat told NewsX channel.

General Rawat said as far as the northern border is concerned, army has adopted certain mechanism to ensure that a harmonious relationship is maintained along the Line of Actual Control. He said that today four border personnel meetings took place at the LAC.

ALSO READ: (Army won't shy away from using power, says General Bipin Rawat)

This is to ensure that while we may be competing with each other for space, economic development, prosperity, there are also areas of cooperation. And I think that should be our focus area. Rather than looking at confrontation, we need to look at cooperation with China, he said.

Just before his retirement last month, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, who was also the Chairman, Chief of Staff Committee, had said India was only building its deterrent capability.

Referring to large-scale modernisation activities along the borders with China, purchase of Rafale fighter aircraft, new vessels and submarines, Raha had said India is obviously building up capability not to actually fight a conflict as it believes in peace and tranquility.

In a candid admission in March last year, Raha had said that given the IAFs depleting strength, it does not have the adequate numbers to fully execute an air campaign in case of a two-front war involving Pakistan and China simultaneously.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Gladys Berejiklian has announced an easing of NSW border permit system with Victoria, as fierce debates rage on about the coronavirus closures.

Ms Berejiklian visited Albury on Tuesday to announce a 50km border buffer zone on either side to allow agricultural workers to cross into NSW more easily.

The permits are expected to be available for residents by Friday, making it easier to travel for work and ease 'angst and frustration' among locals.

But the same can't be said for Queensland, where premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed her state's border wouldn't open until at least October - despite the state economy hemorrhaging $17million a day.

The new border region permit will allow residents to pass between Victoria and NSW for neccessary goods and services, care and compassionate reasons and going to work or school.

They are not allowed to leave the 50km border bubble.

Political leaders have been critical of premiers for keeping their borders closed amid the economic fallout of the coronavirus (pictured, traffic queues at the Albury border checkpoint)

Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) has announced Queensland will not open its border to NSW until at least October

The NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro has been vigorously calling for border restrictions to be relaxed after meeting with stakeholders in Albury-Wodonga last week.

On Monday, he called for a national code to allow agricultural workers such as fruit pickers to be designated 'essential service' workers like freight workers to be able to cross state borders without permits.

The announcement comes after political leaders have warned coronavirus dividing lines are dragging down the national economy.

Scott Morrison slammed 'provincial' state premiers who have refused to open their borders to areas with few or no cases of coronavirus.

In a speech at the annual bush summit in Cooma in New South Wales last week, the prime minister said border restrictions were hurting regional areas.

He said he has heard examples of farmers being unable to move around their properties because they cross state borders and teachers being unable to get to work in neighbouring states.

'Borders cost communities and their economies,' he said.

'They must be proportionate to the risks and they must only be there when health evidence transparently supports that position and only for as long as absolutely necessary.

'It is reasonable for Australians to have access to medical facilities, to get to work and have access to their own properties.'

Western Australia and Tasmania are closed to all states and Queensland is not letting anyone from NSW or the ACT cross the border, even if they are from areas with no cases.

Ms Palaszczuk told reporters in Cairns on Tuesday her hard stance on the border was not going to change.

'We said we would review at the end of the each month and there has been no advice from the chief health officer to change what we are doing,' she said.

'Ill tell you what were looking for - to keep Queenslanders safe, thats what were looking for.'

Queensland's extreme border restrictions were highlighted last week after Ballina woman Kimberley Brown lost her unborn baby girl after she was forced to travel 750km for an urgent operation because she was unable to enter the state.

Despite problems with hospital admissions, Ms Palaszczuk said she would not be changing her border closure policy.

Officials stop motorists at the NSW-Queensland border in Coolangatta. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she will not change her border closure policy

'Queensland will continue to have our borders closed to keep Queenslanders safe, Im not going to be moved on this,' she said.

'Fundamentally the health of Queenslanders is my number one concern.

'We know that people wanted to open our borders earlier. We would have seen a situation thats happening in Victoria happening in Queensland.'

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has warned the economic fallout from the pandemic will only get worse if borders remain closed.

He has been critical of state leaders keeping their borders closed and urged leaders to exercise more common sense in enforcing sanctions.

'Theres too much confusion and ultimately too much cruelty in the way that the borders have been closed. And what we need is more compassion,' Mr Frydenberg said.

'What we need is more common sense and its just inexplicable that a schoolteacher from Victoria which is 2km away from the South Australian border is deemed not to be an essential worker.

'Its inexplicable that a mother can lose their child because of confusion as to how they can access a hospital in Brisbane.

A medical professional takes a coronavirus test from a driver at the drive-through COVID-19 testing facility in Murarrie in Brisbane

Police speak with an airline passenger wearing a face mask and face shield after arriving in Sydney Airport from Melbourne on August 8 (pictured)

'Those jurisdictions have got questions to answer when it comes to the operation of their borders because what we cant see is people being denied medical treatment.'

Mr Morrison has been outspoken in his criticism of border closures, urging state premiers to reconsider their tough stances unless absolutely necessary.

The prime minister said he feared state premiers were forgetting the federation and 'retreating into provincialism.'

'Australia was not built to have internal borders. In fact the very point of federation was not to have them. That was the point of Australia,' he said.

'We must be one and indivisible as a nation. We must be Australians first and we must not allow this crisis to force us to retreat into provincialism. That's not the answer.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (pictured together) have urged premiers to reconsider tough stance on border closure policies
One of the images engraved in the memories of those who lived through the bloody July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Turkey was the attack on the Istanbul Police Department. In order to carry out this attack, some coup plotters were carried to the police department by a Sikorsky helicopter, Daily Sabah reports in its article What confidential information about Turkey did 8 fugitives give Athens?

When that helicopter arrived on Vatan Street, it opened fire civilians, killing one. That helicopter continued its operations throughout that night. After the Istanbul Police Department, it carried the putschists to then Dogan Media Center building to stop the broadcasting of private channels and prevent the public from receiving accurate information. The pilots flying this helicopter were identified as Maj. Ahmet Guzel and Maj. Gencay Boluk.

Many Sikorsky helicopters flew above Istanbul that night. The putschists were being deployed both by land and air. One of the helicopters was a Sikorsky with the tail number, 11308. The pilots flying this helicopter during the coup attempt were Abdullah Yetik and Suleyman Ozkaynakc, and the technician was Mesut Frat.

During the coup attempt, another Sikorsky with the tail number 11309 was in charge of carrying a group of coup plotters to the Kuleli Military High School and the First Army Command. The pilot in the cockpit of this helicopter was Feridun Coban. Coban carried the putschists to the area to seize the Istanbul Police Department and had to return to the base when his helicopter was damaged by fire.

The coup plotters also attempted to take control of Istanbul's Ataturk Airport in Yesilkoy. They carried some personnel there on a UH-1 helicopter. The pilot of the helicopter that landed at the airport and waited there was Ugur Ucan. After the security forces entered the airport, Ucan left the airport by helicopter with technician Bilal Kurugul and returned to the Command of the 66th Mechanized Brigade.

What these eight figures mentioned above have in common, is that they all knew about the coup attempt beforehand. They came together in a building in Istanbul before the coup attempt began. They actively participated in the coup attempt and fled to Greece when the coup attempt failed. These eight putschists, who were on a helicopter that landed at the Alexandroupoli (Dedeagac) airport by noon on July 16, requested asylum in Greece.

The extradition to Turkey of these eight individuals, who were clearly known to have attempted a coup in Turkey and for whom arrest warrants were issued, could have been a sign of goodwill from the neighboring country. However, the Greek authorities did not extradite them to Turkey, despite persistent demands.

This was against the extradition treaty between the two countries, as well as international rules and good neighborly relations. However, Greece did not take such a step. It only sent the helicopter back to Turkey. It was found that the helicopter had its friend or foe identification system dismantled and that night vision glasses worth $20,000 were stolen.

Well, why does Greece not extradite the putschists? Probably because it wants to access some information about Turkey through these soldiers. Of course, these putschists, who can open fire on their own people, can be expected to give up any confidential information they might have on Turkey to Greece. However, it is a legitimate question of how much information the low-ranking soldiers actually have.

Turkey has changed and revised all its military plans, just in case, considering other FETO-affiliated coup plotters who have fled abroad.

If Greece thinks it can defeat Turkey based on the information provided by these coup plotters, it is wrong. I do not know if you have seen the footage, but recently, six Greek F-16s entered the area where Turkey issued a navigational telex (Navtex) and was forced to leave the area by Turkish jets. If Greece underestimates Turkey, makes such attempts and continues to play with fire, it will receive a greater response than what those eight coup plotters could ever know.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 13:36:34|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Aug. 17, 2020 shows the temporary outdoor venue of China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Amid the global economic recession, the world should not give up but hold such fairs to try to promote trade and resist economic shrinking, "and this is what China is doing," said the head of the Cairo-based Arab Investors Union.



CAIRO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) to be held in Beijing in early September is a good move to help resist the global economic recession amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an Egyptian expert has said.

Gamal Bayoumi, head of the Cairo-based Arab Investors Union (AIU), described the upcoming fair as "a good step from China," which is the world's largest exporter and the second largest import market.

"In my opinion, we should encourage and take part in the fair, for it is beneficial for us as both exporters and importers," the Egyptian expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Bayoumi, also a former assistant foreign minister for economic affairs, noted that over the past months, the world has suffered massive losses as a result of the lockdowns and precautionary measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

"Most world economies are expected to shrink, except a few that will maintain lower growth rates," he said.

A worker monitors the transfer of steel plates at Handan international land port in north China's Hebei Province, July 16, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Hao)

Bayoumi said he believes China, as the world's second-largest economy, plays a good role in maintaining the global economy.

He said that amid the global economic recession, the world should not give up but hold such fairs to try to promote trade and resist economic shrinking, "and this is what China is doing."

"We praise China for trying to push forward trade, economy, and services in the world," said the AIU chief, adding that the idea of holding international trade fairs is a good one and Egypt is also experienced in this area.

With regards to the Egyptian-Chinese cooperation, Bayoumi said that the two countries have succeeded in developing their ties and opened new areas of cooperation over the years, such as potential joint investment in Africa.

Consumers select food at a market in Chang'an District, Shijiazhuang City, north China's Hebei Province, June 10, 2020. (Photo by Zhang Xiaofeng/Xinhua)

He mentioned that Egypt is one of the few countries that enjoy custom-free access to the African and Arab markets.

"If China exports through Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone, it will be closer to African and Arab markets. China will enjoy the custom exemption given to Egypt in these markets," he added.

"So, cooperation between Egypt and China in this area, whether related to the African or Arab markets, is a win-win situation," the expert said.

Many Chinese companies are currently carrying out major national projects in Egypt in the fields of infrastructure and industrialization.

The joint Chinese projects in Egypt are held under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that seeks common development via win-win partnerships among BRI states.

"Egyptian-Chinese diplomatic relations were among the first established in the developing world," Bayoumi said, stressing that Egypt has welcomed BRI from the start.

A man works on the construction site of China State Construction Engineering Corporation's Central Business District project in Egypt's New Administrative Capital, about 50 kilometers east of Cairo, on June 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

The policies of China and Egypt are respectable and far-sighted, and their relations are very deep-rooted and they always stand by one another, said the Egyptian expert.

Bayoumi also noted that the growth of the Egypt-China relations is attentively sponsored by the leaders of both countries.

"So, I expect greater cooperation between Egypt and China under the BRI that would lead to more success of the initiative, given that the bilateral relations have been elevated to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership," he said. 
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko casts his ballot at a polling station during the election in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 9, 2020. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

Belarus Poll Workers Describe Fraud in Aug. 9 Election

MINSK, BelarusEven before the Aug. 9 presidential election in Belarus ended, a poll worker in Minsk said she was asked to sign a document summing up its result, with the vote totals left blank.

Another worker who pointed out violations during the vote-counting was fired on the spot.

In the small city of Vitebsk, a poll worker signed a document with falsified results in favor of President Alexander Lukashenko and later was wracked with guilt for betraying the trust of the voters.

In the three weeks since the election that kept Lukashenko in power with a landslide win, hundreds of thousands of people have protested what they say was a rigged outcome. Demonstrations and strikes in the country have been met by a police crackdown including mass detentions, beatings, and criminal charges against organizers.

The Associated Press interviewed election workers who said they saw ballot fraud or were pressured to falsify results in favor of Lukashenko. In addition, other evidence has been posted online showing falsifications and other irregularities.

A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 9, 2020. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

To many in Belarus, where Lukashenko has ruled with an iron fist since 1994 and has been accused of rigging previous elections, his victory last month seemed clearly implausible.

His main opponent, former English teacher Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, drew crowds of tens of thousands of people after she entered the race in place of her husband, Sergei, a popular opposition blogger who was jailed before the election. She had managed to unite fractured opposition groups, channeling the growing frustration over the countrys weak economy and Lukashenkos swaggering dismissal of the coronavirus pandemic.

When the results were announced, however, the Central Election Commission said Lukashenko won 4.6 million votes or 80 percent, and Tsikhanouskaya got only 588,000, or 10 percent.

The opposition was prepared for such an outcomeallegations of rigged elections have surfaced in every vote in Belarus since Lukashenko took power in 1994. This time, it trained people to be independent monitors at polling stations, it encouraged poll workers to report violations, and it set up a website where voters could submit photos of their marked ballots to compare with the official count.

Activists monitoring the election said in a report that they received complaints about violations, irregularities, and incidents of some form of vote-rigging from at least 24 percent of the countrys 5,767 precincts.

Belarusian soldiers read about the candidates before voting at a polling station during the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 9, 2020. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

The report said that they studied just under one-fourth of the nations precincts and found that Tsikhanouskaya received over 471,000 votes in those areas alone.

Valeria Artikhovskaya, who worked at a polling station in Minsk, said she still doesnt know the official results of the vote at her precinct because they were never released.

Artikhovskaya said she was asked to sign the final protocola document summing up the vote totals each precinct must display after counting the ballotsbefore voting even ended, with the totals left blank. Artikhovskaya refused, and once the count started, she noticed other poll workers putting ballots for different candidates into a stack for Lukashenko.

I said I wouldnt sign the protocol because its a crime, its fraud. (I said,) Allow me to recount these ballots, and they refused. I didnt sign the protocol and left the precinct, the 30-year-old told the AP on Friday. My conscience is dearer to me.

Vadim Korzykov, who worked at another Minsk polling station, told AP he didnt even get to the signing stagea senior poll worker dismissed him after he pointed out violations during the count.

The 20-year-old student said his colleagues told him later that the number of votes for Tsikhanouskaya at the precinct was five times higher than what Lukashenko received there.

Belarusian opposition supporters rally in central Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 16, 2020. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

It was a travesty of justice. There is no other name I can call it, Korzykov said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

Andrei Gnidenko, who worked at a poll in Vitebsk, a small city in northeastern Belarus, said he gave in to the pressure and signed a document with falsified results.

According to the final protocol from the station, a photo of which Gnidenko showed AP, Tsikhanouskaya got a total of 156 votes, while Lukashenko received 488. But Gnidenko says he and other workers counted over 250 ballots for Tsikhanouskaya.

When the time came to sign the protocol late at night, everyone was exhausted, and a crowd of residents had gathered outside the polling station, demanding to see the results. Gnidenko felt sorry for everyone and decided to get it over with, a decision he now regrets.

For the next few days, we were all very severely depressed, the 29-year-old said Friday. I decided that since I betrayed the Belarusian people, since I took part in this rigging and put my signature on it, it was my duty to honestly tell it (to the public).

An audio recording from another polling station in Vitebsk was posted on YouTube in which poll workers are heard being told by an official to falsify the results in favor of Lukashenko. The official suggests that poll workers swap the numbers for Lukashenko and Tsikhanouskaya.

Im prepared to agree that a lot of people voted for Tsikhanouskaya  but we have other goals and other problems we need to solve, the official says. After some back and forth, poll workers swap the results.

Protesters carry a wounded man during clashes with police after the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 10, 2020. (via AP Photo)

Some of the workers later confirmed to Belarusian media the authenticity of the recording, which has received over 450,000 hits on YouTube.

Alexander Khomich, a spokesman for the activist group Honest People that monitored the election, said Tsikhanouskaya got significantly more votes and Lukashenko got significantly fewer votes.

Given the manner in which the vote has been rigged, I can vouch that no onenot us, not the Central Election Commissionknows the real result of the election, Khomich told the AP.

The Central Election Commission has refused all the candidates requests for a recount, and Lukashenko bristled at demands to rerun the vote.

In comments to the AP on Thursday, the commission again rejected the accusations of widespread rigging, saying complaints it received from monitors and voters mostly pointed to procedural violations.

Most complaints are about final protocols not being put out (for the public), said Galina Mkrtychyan, head of the commissions legal department.

The results were not recognized by the four candidates on the ballot with Lukashenko. Both the United States and the European Union have called the election neither free nor fair, and EU foreign ministers are preparing sanctions against senior Belarus officials suspected of election fraud and the subsequent crackdown on protesters.

The Belarus Supreme Court last week refused to overturn the vote, saying it could not rule after election authorities declared it valid.

Lawyer Maxim Znak, a member of the opposition Coordination Council, which was set up after the Aug. 9 election to try to negotiate a transition of power with the government of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 27, 2020. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

Maxim Znak, a lawyer and a member of the Coordination Council, which was set up after the election by the opposition to try to negotiate a transition of power with the Lukashenko government, said the court didnt even look at 26 folders of evidence from Tsikhanouskayas allies.

They did not investigate this evidence, they didnt check anything, they didnt call witnesses. They just said thats not possible, he told AP.

But activists believe the legal battle is far from over. Voters and independent monitors are submitting individual complaints and demanding that law enforcement agencies investigate rigging in their precincts, Znak said.

For each of those polling stations where people know that they have voted in one way and official results are different, they continue to fight for their votes. They go to the police. They ask to start a criminal investigation, he added.

Artikhovskaya, the Minsk poll worker, did just that last week, submitting a formal complaint to the prosecutors office about the rigging she saw.

We know that people will not forget about this. People will not forgive what happened, Znak said.

By Kostya Manenkov and Daria Litvinova
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 20:27:03|Editor: huaxia

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Vehicles wait to cross the border between Austria and Hungary in Nickelsdorf, Austria, on Sept. 1, 2020. Citizens of the fellow Visegrad Group (V4) countries were allowed into Hungary after Sept. 1, if they can show negative coronavirus test results not older than five days, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said. (Photo by Georges Schneider/Xinhua)



BUDAPEST, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Citizens of the fellow Visegrad Group (V4) countries will be allowed into Hungary after Sept. 1, if they can show negative coronavirus test results not older than five days, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto has said.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had talks on Monday, and agreed to exempt from the ban Czech citizens who had already booked their accommodation in Hungary for September, Szijjarto said in a post on Facebook.

Later in the day, Slovak and Polish citizens were also included in the exemption, as the V4 countries have cooperated closely in the fight against the coronavirus, the minister said on Facebook

The Hungarian government had decided to reintroduce the border controls that were in force during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Gergely Gulyas, head of the Prime Minister's Office, told the press on Aug. 28.

"From Sept. 1, foreign citizens will be barred from entering Hungary, with a few exceptions. Hungarian citizens returning from abroad must be quarantined for 14 days or have to present two negative (COVID-19) tests taken two days apart," Gulyas said.

According to official figures, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Hungary stood at 6,257 on Tuesday, with 3,821 recoveries and 616 fatalities. Enditem
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Republican President Donald Trump has a slight lead over Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in a tracking poll of Ohio likely voters following the national conventions.

The state is predictably split with rural voters backing Trump and urban voters backing Biden in the latest figures released Monday by Morning Consult. It is another marker that shows a competitive race in Ohio, which Trump won in 2016 by 8 percentage points.

Morning Consult polls daily and uses a 10-day rolling average for state-level head-to-head presidential race results. The sample size for the Ohio poll of likely voters ranges daily from 1,200 to 1,900, which was collected using online surveys they have been tracking since May 5. The daily margin of error ranges between plus-or-minus 2-3 percentage points. Results are weighted by age, gender, education, race, home ownership, marital status, population density and presidential vote history.

The latest figures from Ohio on Aug. 30 show Trump leading Biden 50% to 45%. A little more than 1% say they are supporting someone else while just more than 3% say they are undecided.

According to Morning Consults polling, the race  while close  has been very stable despite all the turbulence in the country since May. Trump led most of the time, carrying between 47% and 50% of the vote. Bidens support in the poll has varied slightly more, generally ranging between 43% and 47%.

A timeline of Morning Consult's daily tracking poll of Ohio likely voters for the presidential election, starting on May 5 and running through Aug. 30. (Seth Richardson)

Part of the reason for Trumps solid showing in the poll comes down to four Demographic groups Democrats are hoping to make gains with this year: suburban voters, college-educated white voters, independents and women.

According to the poll, suburban voters slightly prefer Trump at 50% compared to Biden at 45%. Urban voters skew heavily to Biden at 69% while rural voters skew heavily to Trump at 63%.

Among college-educated white Ohioans, likely voters are split at 48% for both candidates, according to the poll.

Trump had a strong showing with independents, 46% of whom said they supported the president. Only 40% of the same group said they supported Biden.

However, arguably the best news out of the survey for Trump was his support among women voters, expected to be a weak point in his presidential campaign. According to the survey, 54% of likely women voters backed Trump, while only 42% supported Biden. Biden performed better with men at 49% to Trump at 46%. This is a deviation from other polls, which consistently show Biden with more support among women than men and Trump having more support among men than women.

The Morning Consult polling is just one data point and likely will shift as the candidates are done with the conventions and head into the start of the traditional election season in September. The largest upcoming political event will be the first presidential debate slated for Cleveland on Sept. 29.

Read more politics coverage:

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Paul Rusesabagina appeared in front of media at the headquarters of the Rwanda Bureau of investigations building in Kigali, Rwanda, on Monday. Read more

JOHANNESBURG  The man portrayed in the film Hotel Rwanda as saving the lives of more than 1,200 people from genocide was kidnapped while in Dubai, his daughter asserts, while a video shared by Rwandan authorities allegedly backing his arrest on suspicion of terrorism was challenged by his foundation.

Paul Rusesabaginas appearance in handcuffs in Rwandas capital on Monday prompted concern among human rights activists that this was the latest example of the Rwandan government targeting critics beyond its borders. He had lived outside Rwanda since 1996, in Belgium and then in Texas.

Rwandan authorities said they issued an arrest warrant for Rusesabagina to answer charges of serious crimes including terrorism, arson, kidnap, and murder perpetrated against unarmed civilians. The authorities cited international cooperation and gave no details but suggested that Interpol was involved. They did not say where or how he was apprehended.

Rusesabaginas adopted daughter, Carine Kanimba, told The Associated Press she last spoke with him before he flew to Dubai last week but she didnt know the nature of his trip. She didnt provide evidence to support her claim that he was kidnapped.

She said the family has not been able to speak to him and is worried the 66-year-old may not be getting his hypertension medication. Rusesabagina is a Belgian citizen and U.S. permanent resident and has long been a target because of his criticism of Rwandas government, she said.

What theyre accusing him of is all made up, she said. There is no evidence to what theyre claiming  We know this is a wrongful arrest.

 READ MORE: Paul Rusesabagina, of Hotel Rwanda fame, arrested on terrorism charges

Rusesabagina has won numerous international honors including the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 and the Lantos Human Rights Prize in 2011.

Rusesabagina has denied the Rwandan governments charges that he financially supports Rwandan rebels. In 2010, he told the AP that the government was conducting a smear campaign against him for opposing Kagame. He has called Kagames government a dictatorship and urged Western countries to press the government to respect human rights.

I believe it is a travesty that a human rights champion like Paul Rusesabagina should be captured, detained and held in the way he is being held, said Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. This should raise a lot of deep concern and skepticism.

It was not clear when Rusesabagina would appear in court. Police called him the suspected founder, leader, sponsor and member of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits including the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD).

The MRCD condemned the arrest and called Rusesabagina one of its leaders. The group, which describes itself as an opposition political platform, did not respond to a request for comment.

An armed wing of the MRCD, the National Liberation Front, was accused of clashing with Rwandan soldiers in 2018 and 2019, and Rwanda arrested NLF spokesman Callixte Nsabimana last year.

In the video shared by Rwandan authorities, Rusesabagina said it is imperative that in 2019 we speed up the liberation struggle of the Rwandan people ... the time has come for us to use any means possible to bring about change in Rwanda, as all political means have been tried and failed. He expressed support for the NLF.

The video appeared to be a clip from one posted online in late 2018 as a New Years message.

But Kitty Kurth, spokeswoman for the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, asserted that the video appeared to be staged. Rusesabagina was wearing the same jacket and tie he was photographed in on Monday, she said, and the video was not filmed at Rusesabaginas homes in Texas or Belgium. She said he exclusively speaks off-the-cuff in recorded speeches, whereas in the video he seems to be reading from a script.

Its been recorded within the last couple days and, obviously, they made him read something, Kurth told the AP.

Michela Wrong, a British journalist researching a book about Rwanda, told the AP that Rusesabaginas group posed no real danger to Rwandan President Paul Kagames rule.

When you have a country where no genuine opposition is tolerated, theres no freedom of speech and elections are routinely rigged, challenges to the status quo inevitably end up taking guerrilla form, she said. Rwanda may be a donor darling, but it is probably the most repressive country in Africa today.

Rwandas government has been accused of previously hunting down dissidents overseas. South African investigators have said Rwanda was directly involved in the killing of Col. Patrick Karegeya, an outspoken critic, in Johannesburg in 2014.

Interpol declined to comment on Rusesabaginas arrest, saying it does not discuss its red notices for people wanted for prosecution unless they are public.

Police and authorities in Dubai, a city-state in the United Arab Emirates, did not respond to a request for comment. Kagame maintains a close relationship with Dubai.

In Belgium, authorities said they had no information about Rusesabaginas arrest and were not involved. The U.S. State Department said it was monitoring the situation and referred questions to the Rwandan government.

No country has broadly conceded that it arrested and handed over Mr. Rusesabagina to the Rwandan authorities. This is a clear indication that whatever happened was illegal and nobody wants to take responsibility for blatant illegal action, said Etienne Mutabazi, spokesman for the Washington-based opposition Rwanda National Congress.

The 2004 Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda showed Rusesabagina, a Hutu married to a Tutsi, as using his influence as a manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines to allow more than 1,200 Tutsis to shelter in the hotels rooms.

The Rwandan government disputes Rusesabaginas story about saving people during the 1994 genocide, in which more than 800,000 Tutsi and Hutus who tried to protect them were killed by Hutus. Officials accused him of seeking to profit from his experience.

Actor Don Cheadle, who played Rusesabagina in the film, told the AP it is my sincere hope that Paul is being treated humanely and fairly, and that a transparent and just legal process designed to reveal the veracity of these charges is advanced in a timely manner.

Bleiberg reported from Dallas, Texas. Jon Gambrell in Dubai; Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda; Ignatius Ssuuna in Kigali, Rwanda; Brooke Lefferts in New York; Raf Casert in Brussels and Matt Lee in Washington contributed.
Service to the capital city of Somalia will be operated by an Airbus A320 featuring 12 seats in Business class and 120 seats in Economy class.

The award-winning airline will operate this service as a tagged flight to its existing operations to Djibouti which resumed last month. The resumption of three-weekly flights to Mogadishu, Somalia, will see Qatar Airways network in Africa expand to nine destinations. With the addition of Mogadishu, the airline will operate 40 weekly flights to the continent across nine destinations including Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Nairobi, Tunis and Zanzibar.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker said: We are delighted to resume flights to the capital of Somalia. Mogadishu is considered to be the most populous city in Somalia and with our flights, passengers will be able to enjoy Qatar Airways wide network via our home and hub, Hamad International Airport, which was recently voted the Best Airport in the Middle East. Passengers flying Qatar Airways will benefit from our extensive international network in Asia, Australia, Europe and the U.S. as we lead the way in keeping Africa connected to the world.

Qatar Airways remains committed to providing global connectivity to markets across Africa through the launch of new destinations along with the rapid resumption of services suspended due to the pandemic. We look forward to welcoming our passengers back onboard to explore our growing network in Africa.
An Ocean County man was arrested Monday night and charged in the stabbing death of a 29-year-old man in downtown Lakewood, authorities said.

Jorge Santiago-Garcia, 32, of Lakewood, is charged with murder and weapons possession, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement.

The victim, Rodrigo Jimenez-Paz, of Lakewood, was stabbed at a business on Second Avenue, Billhimer said. The prosecutor did not name the business.

Paramedics took the victim to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he later died.

Santiago-Garcia was arrested after an investigation involving the prosecutors Major Crime Unit, the Ocean County Sheriffs Office and Lakewood police, Billhimer said.

The suspect was held Monday night at the Ocean County Jail to await a court hearing.

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
China strengthens COVID-19 testing capacity nationwide ahead of flu season

Global Times

By Shan Jie Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 22:53:40

China's virus prevention authority published a plan to further strengthen the country's capacity for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing by specifically deploying facilities in local regions, which experts said will fully prepare the country for any potential recurrence of the COVID-19 ahead of an upcoming flu season.

Every 1 million residents should have one hospital or medical institute that can carry out tests. Besides hospitals and other medical institutes, a total of 100 public test labs will be deployed across the country to add to the testing capacity, and each will be able to test 10,000 samples a day, according to the new plan by the State Council's joint prevention and control mechanism, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

The country will be managed in eight regions, and each will have testing capacity of 500,000 to 700,000 a day, so that in five to seven days, all people in a region could be tested, read the plan.

Staff training will be completed before October. A comprehensive, accurate and timely information management system for testing will also be established, according to the plan.

The plan was released ahead of the upcoming autumn and winter seasons as virus prevention work has been normalized, Wang Peiyu, deputy head of Peking University's School of Public Health, told the Global Times on Monday.

"During the flu season, many people might have symptoms similar to those of COVID-19, so all local regions should have the ability to distinguish between COVID-19 and flu."

It is also key to avoid outbreaks caused by imported cases. These may be different than those detected in China in terms of gene sequences, so it will be harder to test for them, Yang Zhanqiu, a professor at the pathogen biology department of Wuhan University, told the Global Times on Monday.

By the end of September, each region should have designated comprehensive hospitals and hospitals for infectious diseases, and all levels of disease control and prevention institutions should have the capacity to collect and test nucleic acid samples. Each county should have at least one hospital with this capacity as well, the plan said.

By the end of 2020, all secondary comprehensive hospitals should have this capacity and cities should complete the construction of testing bases and public test labs. A fast reaction mechanism should be built to respond to regional clustered outbreaks, allowing tests on a certain group of people to be completed in a short time.

Wang said that for big cities such as Beijing, these needs could be met as there are many qualified hospitals and specialized institutes. For smaller cities and counties, there will be at least one hospital that could ensure the tests are done, and the number of such hospitals and medical personnel who conduct the tests will be decided by the local population.

Mobile labs could support the work if needed, Wang added.

Wang and Yang said that with such measures and previous experience, China would be completely able to tackle potential outbreaks.

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Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, learns about efforts to strengthen ecological protection of the Yellow River at a section of the river in Wuzhong city, Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, June 8, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

Key Party meeting stresses conservation, development of water resources crucial

A key Party meeting on Monday stressed the need to promote the intensive and economical utilization of the water resources of the Yellow River to ensure its high-quality development.

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, reviewed a guideline on development planning for the Yellow River basin.

The ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River, known as China's Mother River, "concern the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation", read a statement released after the meeting.

Efforts should be made to improve its environment, optimize the allocation of water resources, facilitate high-quality development of the whole basin, improve people's lives and promote the inheritance of Yellow River culture, it said.

"It is important to respect natural laws and taking targeted measures according to local circumstances to improve the environment in the Yellow River basin," the statement read.

It mandated efforts to reduce floods and droughts along the Yellow River for the long run and to improve the country's capabilities in dealing with various kinds of natural disasters by strengthening scientific research.

To boost the high-quality development of the Yellow River basin, meeting participants decided that effective measures should be adopted to accelerate the transformation of driving forces, to establish the modern industrial system with distinctive local features and advantages and to advance rural vitalization.

The meeting also stressed the need to protect and carry forward Yellow River culture and explore its value in modern times to strengthen Chinese people's confidence in Chinese culture.

The 5,464-kilometer-long river feeds about 12 percent of China's population, irrigates about 15 percent of arable land, supports 14 percent of national GDP and supplies water to more than 60 cities.

The Yellow River basin has a drainage area of over 752,000 sq km and covers seven provinces and two autonomous regions.

Since Xi became general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, he has made many visits to inspect the environmental conservation and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin, with the most recent in June, when he inspected the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Monday's meeting also reviewed a report on the latest round of disciplinary inspections by the 19th CPC Central Committee.

It said that results of the inspections showed that central Party and government organs should be more consciously implementing various kinds of decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee on comprehensively deepening reform, thus pushing forward the country's modernization of its governance system and governance capabilities.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- At least 11 million students in the U.S.the majority of which are in lower income, predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoodshave been missing school during the Covid-19 pandemic because they don't have access to computers or tablets for distance learning*.

The world's first Zoom-filmed Children's Musical,Jean & The Wonderful Idea Machine, runs Sept. 19-20 and Sept. 26-27 on Zoom More than 11 million children from low-income households are falling behind in school during the pandemic because they don't have computer or internet access.

National youth empowerment speaker, author and songwriter Jenn August aims to change all that by adapting her growth mindset musical "Jean & the Wonderful Idea Machine" for Zoom. August, who premiered the musical last year with the Portland Musical Theater Company, shot the digital version via Zoomthe first of its kindand will donate 80 percent of proceeds to DonorsChoose.org , which helps classrooms in need.

Currently there are more than 5,000 schools asking for computers and tablets needed urgently for distance learning. The remaining 20 percent of donations will cover the production costs, which were modest given the Zoom format. August chose the charity for its impeccable reputation and involvement of trusted luminaries such as Stephen Colbert and Yvette Nicole Brown of CBS and Johnathan Alter of MSNBC.

The musical, based on her celebrated eponymous children's book , tells the story of Jean, who invents a machine that changes worried thoughts to wonderful ideas. Word of the invention earns her an invitation to the world peace summit to help solve global problems. August said the show's growth mindset message is exactly what the world needs right now.

"With a global pandemic and worldwide civil rights movement going on, everyone is wondering what the world will look like after COVID-19," August said. "I believe this is an opportunity for us to shift from a fixed, reactionary mindset into a progressive growth mindset. We're not going to get there unless everyone has equal access to education and equal rights. Our goal with the Zoom musical is to create a national platform to call attention to this critical issue and get all kids-access to the devices they need to learn. This is a historic time in America and we want to inspire kidsno matter what background they come fromto be the change they want to see in the world."

August admits that's not easy, in a world where skin color or disabilities can create opportunity barriersparticularly in educationcausing lack of self-esteem and hope. As a child battling dyslexia and ADHD, she struggled with self-worth. As she learned how to overcome her learning disabilities, she became passionate about teaching children and adults how to transform negative, self-limiting mindsets into positive, solution oriented ones. Through her growth mindset school assemblies and teacher trainings, she uses humor, stories, and music to inspire and empower students and educators. Her mission is to teach kids to use their powerful minds to create wonderful lives and be a force of positive change in the world.

Tickets to the 50-minute musical cost $20 per streaming device, to keep it as accessible as possible. The streamed performances take place on Zoom on the following dates and times:

Sept. 19 at 1pm Pacific/ 4 pm Eastern

at Pacific/ Eastern Sept. 20 at 1pm Pacific/ 4 pm Eastern

at Pacific/ Eastern Sept. 26 at 1pm Pacific/ 4 pm Eastern

at Pacific/ Eastern Sept. 27 at 1pm Pacific/ 4 pm Eastern

Tickets can be purchased at www.thewonderfulideamachine.com . Included with the donation is her free resource guide on how to encourage a growth mindset in the children in your life.

The musical stars actors from across the U.S. Learn more about Jenn August here .

*According to USAFacts

NOTE FOR EDITORS: Find images here.

Media contact:

Jeanne Sullivan

[email protected]

415-735-0511

SOURCE Jenn August
Roxy Jacenko is waging yet another war on Sydney City council after her staffer was hit with a parking fine near her Paddington office.

On Tuesday, the 40-year-old shared a photo to Instagram showing the $116 infringement along with a long caption ranting about the perceived injustice.

She wrote: 'This is just a disgrace. I've written to City of Sydney about the parking situation in Paddington - without even a reply some two months ago.

Anger: Roxy Jacenko (pictured) is waging yet another war on Sydney City council after her staffer was hit with a parking fine near her Paddington office

'Weekly my team who just try and come to work by means as directed by the government (driving not using public transport due to Covid-19) get parking fines - today's fines a mere 20 minutes over?

'Hard enough to keep business running let alone having to run out every hour on the hour. Interestingly this ticketing is targeted to two streets only by our office - enough is enough.

'Shame one has to stoop to using social media in order to get an answer as a land tax paying building owner in their area. As with others, I'll be covering this for my team, as why should they be penalised for getting up and going to work.'

Ouch: On Tuesday, the 40-year-old shared a photo to Instagram showing the $116 infringement along with a long caption ranting about the perceived injustice. She wrote, 'This is just a disgrace. I've written to City of Sydney about the parking situation in Paddington - without even a reply some two months ago'

Upset: Roxy also posted an earlier letter she sent to the council over a similar issue. 'Somethings got to change. @cityofsydney @clovermoore (my original letter is in my story)' she wrote

Roxy also posted an earlier letter she sent to the council over a similar issue.

'Somethings got to change. @cityofsydney @clovermoore (my original letter is in my story)' she wrote.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to City of Sydney for comment.

The Sydney PR queen is no stranger to the odd parking fine - nor is she known for backing down when there is roadblock in her way.

Roxy added: 'Weekly my team who just try and come to work by means as directed by the government (driving not using public transport due to Covid-19) get parking fines - today's fines a mere 20 minutes over?'

Fight club: The Sydney PR queen is no stranger to the odd parking fine - nor is she known for backing down when there is roadblock in her way

After Roxy's $250,000 Range Rover was pictured parked in a No Stopping zone outside her Paddington office in April last year, the unflappable entrepreneur was ready to wage war with the council.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Roxy said: 'It's ridiculous that the No Stopping zone is there when two cars can easily fit into this space by my garage'.

'I will be applying to have that No Stopping area re-zoned for parking. The Council has failed to provide parking spaces for all buildings and businesses in the area.'

Roxy went on to complain that lack of parking has negatively impacted businesses in the area other than her own.

Same issue: After Roxy's $250,000 Range Rover was pictured parked in a No Stopping zone outside her Paddington office in April last year, the unflappable entrepreneur was ready to wage war with the council. Pictured in a social media post

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Roxy said: 'It's ridiculous that the No Stopping zone is there when two cars can easily fit into this space by my garage'. Stock image

'People wonder why Oxford St Paddington has died and are quick to blame Westfield. Far from fact, maybe if people could park they would come to the area and the street and businesses would once again thrive!' she added.

The comments came after Roxy's $380,000 set of wheels was seen parked illegally outside her Sydney offices, which run alongside Oxford Street, for many months, Private Sydney reported in April 2019.

City of Sydney Council has confirmed parking in the stopping zone carries a fine of $263.

Fined: In March and November 2017 she received a fine for the same offences, with the latter hitting her for an eye-watering $257 (pictured)

In March and November 2017 she received a fine for the same offences, with the latter hitting her for an eye-watering $257.

The following year, The Daily Telegraph reported Roxy was handing out merchandise in front of a No Stopping sign at Bondi Beach.

Any fine copped by Roxy would likely be pocket money for her, given her purchase of a $6.5million in Sydney's Vaucluse.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 17:48:51|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar authorities seized a large haul of hydrochloric acid in Shan state, according to a release from the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) on Tuesday.

The seizure was made by the security force during their operation in Mong Kung township on Sunday.

A total of 12,000 liters of hydrochloric acid worth 120 million kyats (88,888 U.S. dollars) were confiscated from a 12-wheeled truck.

The township police filed a case against two suspects in connection with the case and further investigation is underway under the country's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law, the release said.

According to a latest release issued by the President's Office on Monday, a total of 1,309 drug-related cases were registered across Myanmar while 2,004 people were charged in connection with the cases as of August 29 this year, since the formation of the Drug Activity Special Complaint Department on June 26, 2018. Enditem
South Africa: Mamabolo dissolves taxi association interim committee

Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, has dissolved the Leratong-Bara-Lusaka Taxi Association (LERABALUTA) interim executive committee.

The taxi committee was dissolved following its failure to administer it affairs in the interest of its members.

Mamabolo said the provincial government is deeply concerned with the manner in which the LERABALUTA interim executive committee is conducting its business.

We believe the current operations might lead to undesirable consequences. To prevent the worst, we have decided to appoint an administrator to assist the association to elect new leadership that will take this organisation forward," Mamabolo said on Tuesday.

After consultation with the Gauteng National Taxi Alliance leadership, Mamabolo said he has appointed Ramilo Peter Johannes Moloto as the administrator of LERABALUTA with effect from 1 September 2020.

Mamabolo said Moloto, assisted by the United Taxi Associations Front (Utaf) as the advisory committee, will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the association, as well as the preparations for the election of the new executive committee.

Furthermore, Moloto will be tasked with ensuring that all operators are duly permitted to exercise their rights, and to use their valid operating licences to transport commuters on the association's demarcated routes, said Mamabolo.

On 11 August 2020, the North Gauteng High Court declared the resolution between the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO) Gauteng and the Gauteng National Taxi Alliance (GNTA) an order of the court.

Among the resolutions was that the MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure is empowered to intervene and restore order in the administration of unstable taxi associations.

The court also empowered the MEC to restore good administration in order to prevent infighting and disputes, which are at the root of violence in the taxi industry.

Furthermore, the MEC is empowered by this resolution to immediately place deviant taxi associations under administration.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the cases steadily on the rise in India, anxious students lined up in different parts of the country to take the engineering entrance exam JEE-Mains on Tuesday morning.

Earlier, Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhiyal Nishank appealed to the chief ministers of various states to support the students appearing for the exam. There has been a growing chorus for postponing JEE-Mains and medical entrance exam NEET amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

As many as 8.58 lakh candidates have registered for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main and 15.97 lakh have registered for NEET.

I appeal to chief ministers of all states that support our students in such unprecedented circumstances and make appropriate arrangements so the aspirants do not have to face any inconvenience. I also appeal to students to have faith in agencies behind conduct of the examination," the Education Minister said.

#WATCH: Candidates queue up outside TCS at Patto Plaza in Panaji, Goa - designated as an exam centre for #JEEMain. They are being made to discard their masks and are being provided fresh masks after their temperature is checked, in the wake of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/oekpUNmqlk ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Delhi: Candidates arrive at Arwachin Bharti Bhawan Sr Sec School in Vivek Vihar, designated as an examination centre for #JEEMain. The temperature of candidates being checked. A candidate, Pranjal says, I am carrying my own sanitiser and I had also undergone a full body checkup" pic.twitter.com/qwuUJmKkIr ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Gorakhpur: Candidates writing #JEEMain arrive at an examination centre in Nausar. Announcements being made for them to maintain social distancing and other measures in the wake of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/nzAauz1gAN ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 1, 2020

While the entrance exam is already considered as one of the toughest to crack in the world, netizens came out in support of students for appearing amid corona scare. Many shared their good wishes over microblogging site Twitter.

The NEET exam was held twice when I appeared for it. I couldnt give my best because of the news of changing patterns, postponement. You guys have to deal with corona too. Hats off to you guys. Youve already smashed the exam. Best of luck #JEEMain Kanika Nainwal (@KanikaKn) September 1, 2020

#JEEMainGuys this is my last attempt.(Today)I m very stressed out.Plss boost up me. Last motivation. pic.twitter.com/4Ik4TASa77  Spitfire (@Spitfir95289629) September 1, 2020

I convey my best wishes to the entire student community across the nation for the #JEEMain examination.May God bless you all with success.Stay calm. Stay focused.  Dr. Ashwathnarayan C. N. (@drashwathcn) September 1, 2020

All the best to everyone those who are appearing today for #JEEMAIN during these tough times. pic.twitter.com/RqhkYK1wzz DeepanS(TAY)H(OME)u (@The_Deepanshu_) September 1, 2020

more power to all f u no matter what happens you all have already won a battle by reaching the centre , the next one is questions trust me that will be very much easier . all the best  Bihar_se_hai (@Bihar_se_hai) September 1, 2020

There were memes too.

#JEEMain students telling their children how they gave exams in middle of a pandemicTheir kid pic.twitter.com/oBHmfecB5u Adolfina (@alpha_adolfina) September 1, 2020

#JEEMainMy family member prepare me to write JEE exam mujhe good luck bolo friends:.. pic.twitter.com/DPTXIxSWPD Hindustani (@Hindust21948172) September 1, 2020

#JEEMainIn this time students of JEE feel like that DHAK DHAK HORELA HAI  pic.twitter.com/YENvnKfygR Fuzail Khansaab (@WalaNeet) September 1, 2020

The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed a plea seeking postponement of the two exams (NEET and JEE) amid a spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases, saying a precious year" of students cannot be wasted and life has to go on.

(With PTI inputs)
President Donald Trump responds to questions from reporters during a news conference at the White House in Washington on Aug. 31, 2020. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

Trump to Visit Kenosha to Survey Damage From Riots, Speak to Business Owners

President Donald Trump is headed to Wisconsin on Tuesday to see in person the damage wrought by rioters in Kenosha following a police shooting there.

The Republican is also planning to meet with business owners affected by the rioting, and law enforcement officers, the White House said.

Trump is scheduled to leave Washington at 10:30 a.m. ET and touch down at Waukegan National Airport in Illinois at 11:55 a.m. Central Time.

From there, he will be driven to Kenosha to survey property affected by the recent riots, according to his daily schedule. Twenty minutes are allocated for the surveying.

If all goes as planned, Trump will then depart for Mary D. Bradford High School, in Kenosha, where he will tour the Emergency Operations Center before taking part in a roundtable on community safety in Wisconsin.

Trump is scheduled to leave Kenosha at 2:20 p.m. CT and touch down in Maryland, near Washington, at 5:40 p.m. ET.

The Bill of Rights, Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, and decorative balloon on a boarded up store in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)

Two cadet National Guardsmen stand outside the Kenosha Courthouse during curfew in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump told reporters on Monday night that the rioting in Kenosha ended because of the National Guard and federal forces that were sent there.

Tomorrow, Im going to a place where we moved very quicklyyou know thatin Wisconsin. And we moved very, very quickly. And as soon as we moved, that was the end of that. It was very well behaved, he said.

It should be very interesting. But were proud of it because, in six days, its been like a different world. And it took place immediately. As soon as we surged, as soon as we went in, it took place immediately, he added later.

Rioting ended after three days, following shootings that left two dead and one wounded. An Illinois teenager was arrested and faces multiple charges, but wont be extradited to Wisconsin until at least late September.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, both Democrats, were among the officials who urged Trump to not visit Kenosha.

Im concerned your presence will only hinder our healing. I am concerned your presence will only delay our work to overcome division and move forward together, Evers wrote in a letter to the president.

Trump said that Evers didnt want to send the National Guard to quell rioting but did so reluctantly.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (L) and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes speak to reporters in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 27, 2020. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

A police armored vehicle patrols an intersection while a building set afire by rioters burns in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 24, 2020. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

But I give him credit because, ultimately, he said yes. And as soon as he said yes, the problem ended, he said, adding: But I have to see the people that did such a good job for me. And were meeting with numerous people. And we have tremendous support in the state of Wisconsin. So I promised them, when it all gets taken care of, well go.

The visit could increase enthusiasm and it could increase love and respect for our country, Trump said.

Trumps margin of victory in Wisconsin in 2016 was the smallest of any state. He nearly won Minnesota, which sits to the west of Wisconsin. Trumps campaign has said they hope to win both states this year.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters in a separate briefing that Trump would meet with local law enforcement and some business owners, and survey the damage from riots.

Trump doesnt plan to meet with members of Jacob Blakes family, according to McEnany.

Trump said he spoke with the familys pastor over the phone but felt it would be inappropriate to speak with a lawyer representing them.

Blake, 29, was shot by a police officer in Kenosha on Aug. 23. Blake was wanted for sexual assault and was the subject of a 911 call regarding a boyfriend being at a home; his girlfriend said he was not supposed to be there.

After officers arrived, they tried arresting Blake, who fought with them through two tasers, Wisconsin Department of Justice investigators said. Blake then walked to the drivers side door of his vehicle and leaned inside, prompting one officer to shoot him in the back.

Blake was rushed to a hospital in Milwaukee via helicopter. The officers involved were placed on leave pending an investigation.

The shooting set off riots, as people claimed it was a sign of racial injustice.
Jeni Nape knows what its like to make a living by running an obstacle course balancing hot food and cold drinks, handling customer complaints, and hoping patrons generosity tides you over until your next paycheck. And that was before COVID-19 made her profession even more demanding.

Its now a lot more time-consuming because everything thats touched has to be sanitized  the tables, seats, menus, every wipe has do be thrown away, said Nape, who has been a server for a year and a half at the Olive Branch Cafe in Jerseyville. The mask also makes for a really hard work day because you cant really breathe.

We have hand sanitizer in every area of the restaurant. There is nothing on our tables; our customers dont touch anything, we take them everything, Nape said. Then of course we have to sanitize when theyre gone and start that whole process over.

As of Aug. 25, Illinois restaurant patrons must wear masks or face coverings over their nose and mouth when approached and serviced by establishment employees, including but not limited to when employees take patron orders, deliver food and beverages, and service tables, whether dining indoor or outdoor, according to the Restore Illinois COVID-19 website.

The new regulations also require face coverings when customers come into restaurants to pick up carry-out orders. And the state encourages  but doesnt yet require  mask-wearing even when picking up food at a drive-up window.

Despite these new restrictions for diners, Nape said customers have taken things in stride and their tipping has been very generous. Thats important for the Olive Branch, which has no outdoor seating and relies on just 16 socially-distanced tables for customers.

Most of them are pleased just because they are able to dine out, she said. And from the sound of it there arent many restaurants in town doing indoor social distancing. I guess diners have a lot of respect that we are abiding by the law.

Still, working closely with the general public is always a concern during the pandemic.

The only fear I have is getting sick, Nape said. I have grandkids, and I dont want to have to be secluded from them or risk the chance of giving it to anybody else in my family.

At Bakers & Hale in Godfrey, server Genie Ramsey said most customers are complying with the new guidelines and her tip revenue per customer remains about the same. But her job has definitely gotten more difficult with the COVID restrictions.

Weve seen so many changes since the end of March, said Ramsey, who has worked at Bakers & Hale for two years. Its been a complete yo-yo with the procedures we have to go through. We just try to keep up on the information we are given through the governor.

Ramsey said she always wears the required mask while working and hopes customers will continue to follow the guidelines as well to keep everyone safe. But the virus isnt the only concern among the people in her profession.

I fear for some of the people that if something changes this week, she said. There are a lot of places that dont have outside dining. So those servers are going to be out of work again.

Olivia Bromaghim has been a server at Bluff City Grill in Alton for two years.

Its definitely different now, she said.

Its not as busy. We are kind of hurting for money right now as servers, said Bromaghim, adding that the level of tips per customer has remained about the same as the pre-COVID level.

The diners have been pretty cool with the new guidelines, Bromaghim said. A lot of them are wearing their masks and asking if they need to wear them. They are trying to be respectful.

Bromaghim, a senior at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville working her way through college, said she appreciates her job and her customers. But she realizes how tenuous her employment can be during the pandemic.

I am worried about exposure with other people not wearing a mask, Bromaghim said. I am worried that if we have to go back on unemployment that we are not going to be getting the same as we were before, which would really hurt.

Socially distanced outdoor seating has been the norm at the Loading Dock in Grafton. But the new rules still apply for the restaurants customers the same as they do for establishments with indoor seating.

We are doing everything we can to comply with the rules, said Loading Dock owner Peter Allen.

Loading dock servers have noticed that for the most part, customers are following the rules.

Starting last week it was mandated that customers wear masks. So we have seen a spike in mask wearers, but it was about 50-50 prior to last week, said Kasey Demond of Godfrey, a Loading Dock server for 17 years.

Because we are all outside and all open air, people feel safe here, she said. Our whole staff is masked, so I know that puts everybody at ease.

Demond said Loading Dock servers noticed a big increase in tip income when the quarantine ended and people were happy to get out. But tip income has returned to normal levels now.

No one knows what the future guidelines will be for dining out, she said, but whatever they are, the Loading Dock will adapt as best as they can.

Were not scared up here, she said. We are abiding by all of the rules. We are keeping our employees safe. Everyones been super healthy.

We are just kind of going with the flow and doing what we have to do, she said.
France 24

As talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal proceed in fits and starts, China is trying to position itself as a key player in the region, and for good cause: It is in Beijing's interest to push for the lifting of US sanctions on Iran, with which it has signed a historic bilateral partnership. Talks to revive the 2005 Iranian nuclear deal are entering the tough stage of discussing substance. The Iranians set the scene before a weekend of consultations in Vienna, when Irna, the offi
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday wrote to the state director general of police over the deteriorating law and order in the state.

He said the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government, led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has unleashed a reign of terror in the state and all sections of society, including media, have been affected by it.

In his letter to DGP Gautam Sawang, Naidu held the administrations negligence responsible for the latest attack on a journalists house and the suspicious deaths of two Dalits in Punganur, a constituency represented by Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy.

He said the journalist was targetted only because was he was writing investigative articles against the sand mafia in the ministers constituency.

RELATED NEWS Andhra Pradesh Woman Used Her Savings to Buy Soft Drinks For Cops on Duty during Lockdown

Miscreants recently attacked the house of Venkat Narayana, a journalist with a Telugu daily, in Kanduru panchayat of Somala mandal in Punganuru. There are reports of police trying to cover up the role of some attackers as they are associated with the ruling camp.

The TDP chief said if such attacks on journalists continue unchecked, the countrys democratic framework would be affected soon. Naidu said the suspicious deaths of two Dalits, identified as M Narayana and Om Prathap, were also reported from the same constituency. The former chief minister urged the police chief to take strong action against the perpetrators and ensure that such attacks dont happen in future.
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Jubilant migrants picked up from a Banksy-funded rescue boat were seen celebrating as they learned they had been granted permission to land in Sicily.

Civil rescue boat Sea-Watch 4 pulled more than 150 migrants from the dangerously overcrowded charity rescue boat the Louise Michel, a vessel funded by street artist Banksy, on Saturday.

Images show the migrants cheering and clapping on Tuesday as they learned they would be able to run into the port of Palermo, Sicily, the next day.

Migrants onboard the Sea-Watch 4 civil sea rescue ship cheer with crew member Alessandro (left) on sea off the coast of Sicily, Italy, on Tuesday as they learn that they have permission to run into the port of Palermo the next day

A young migrant hugs doctor Aniek Combak (right) onboard the Sea-Watch 4 civil sea rescue ship on sea off the coast of Sicily

Migrants onboard the Sea-Watch 4 civil sea rescue ship celebrate as they learn they will be able to run into the port of Palermo

Sea-Watch 4 has some 350 migrants on board after 150 other passengers on that ship were transferred from Banksy's rescue boat late Saturday and had been looking for a port of disembarkation.

Sea-Watch 4, which had rescued 201 migrants before and was itself in search of a host port, decided to help the Louise Michel 'in the face of the lack of reaction' from the authorities, a spokesman for the German NGO Sea-Watch, which charters the boat with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), told AFP.

Earlier on Saturday, Italian coastguards had reached the Louise Michel  stranded in waters between Malta and the island of Lampedusa  but were only able to rescue 49 of the most vulnerable passenger, including 13 children.

The German-flagged Louise Michel had said it needed aid at the weekend after helping a boat carrying at least one dead migrant in the sea that divides Africa and Europe.

Its crew said the 101-foot ship had become overcrowded and unable to move, warning that some of the migrants had fuel burns and had been at sea for days.

Sea-Watch 4 has some 350 migrants on board after 150 other passengers on that ship were transferred late Saturday and had been looking for a port of disembarkation

Migrants onboard the Sea-Watch 4 civil sea rescue ship celebrate with Sea Watch 4 crew member Rebecca (centre) on sea off the coast of Sicily on Tuesday

Migrants onboard the Sea-Watch 4 civil sea rescue ship react on sea off the coast of Sicily, Italy, on Tuesday, as they learn that they have permission to run into the port of Palermo, Sicily, the next day

The former French navy vessel, named after a female anarchist, had been almost double its maximum safe capacity of 120 and was said to be 'losing its balance'.

In an earlier tweet its crew had asked for urgent help, posting: 'We repeat, #LouiseMichel is unable to safely move and nobody is coming to our aid.

'The people rescued have experienced extreme trauma, it's time for them to be brought to a #PlaceOfSafety. We need immediate assistance.'

Migration activists criticised Banksy for launching a rescue ship in the Mediterranean, saying it would only encourage people smugglers to put more migrants on small boats and send them towards Europe.

The German-flagged Louise Michel (pictured above) had said it needed aid at the weekend after helping a boat carrying at least one dead migrant in the sea that divides Africa and Europe

Crew members of civil sea rescue ship Sea-Watch 4 and medical Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on inflatable boats helped migrants to get off the rescue ship on Saturday

Sea-Watch 4 crew members and medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) helped migrants from the Louise Michel to board Sea Watch 4 on Saturday

The boat features some of Banksy's trademark work, including a girl in a life vest holding a heartshaped safety buoy.

Banksy, who keeps his identity a secret, explained in an online video that he had bought the boat to help migrants 'because EU authorities deliberately ignore distress calls from non-Europeans'.

Thousands of people are thought to have died making the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean to flee conflict, repression and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, attempts by migrant boats to cross the Mediterranean into Europe have increased this year, up 91 percent from January to July over last year's figures, to more than 14,000 people.
Children under 10 years old are almost 20 times more likely to die from an accidental injury than of Covid-19, a study has claimed.

The research adds to growing evidence that youngsters are not vulnerable to serious illness from the disease.

Scientists led by Newcastle University also found under-10s are twice as likely to die from flu than they are from the coronavirus.

When looking at the risk of Covid-19 deaths in those between the ages of 10 and 19, it was three times lower than the risk of dying from an injury.

However, Covid-19 deaths were estimated to be four times higher than flu in that group, the study found. This showed people should not ignore the coronavirus completely and should still be cautious, the researchers said.





A small number of Covid-19 deaths were among children in the UK - 12 in the 10-19 age group and three in the under-10 age group.





Most of these children would have had underlying health conditions, research has shown, which make them more vulnerable to serious illness.

Children under 10 years old are almost 20 times more likely to die from an injury than of Covid-19, a study claims (stock image)

Dr Sunil Bhopal, from Newcastle University's Population Health Sciences Institute, led the research.

He and colleagues compared Covid-19 deaths with other causes of death in children from seven countries - the UK, the US, Italy, Germany, Spain, France and South Korea.

They calculated how many deaths would typically occur from all causes, other than Covid-19, from March 1 to July 31.

Mortality data from all causes was taken from 2017, along with three years' worth of flu data from each country's official records.

CHILDREN ARE 'SIX TIMES LESS LIKELY TO SPREAD THE VIRUS THAN ADULTS' Children are six times less likely to spread coronavirus than adults, a study has claimed as children in England return to school today. The study was run by the Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona Children's Hospital and spanned over five weeks. Researchers looked at 1,905 people who have taken part in activities in a school-like environment at 22 summer camps across Barcelona. They were mixing in similar situations to schools but spent most of their time outdoors and not in classrooms, the researchers in Barcelona said. There were basic containment measures that will be commonplace in schools globally - frequent hand washing, small bubble groups, and face mask wearing. Swab testing every week found 30 infected children passed the virus on to just 12 others, despite having more than 250 close contacts in their 'bubble'. This gave the children an R rate of 0.3 - almost six times lower than that of the general population at the time of the study (1.7 to 2) in the areas where the camps were held. That means that for every 100 children who were infected, just 30 others would catch the disease from them. By comparison, in the general population 100 people would have infected between 170 and 200 others. Most of the paediatric index cases (22) detected did not transmit any infection in the camps, the researchers said. Five index cases transmitted the infection to one contact each, two of them infected two contacts and one gave it to three contacts, revealing that individuals are not equally contagious. The younger children under 12 years old spread the coronavirus at a similar rate to older children, aged between 13 and 17 years old. The findings give hope that schools will not be the source of Covid-19 outbreaks because spread is not more likely to occur there. Advertisement

Covid-19 mortality data was taken from The National Institute of Demographic Studies, which uses data from each country's statistical agencies.

In an estimated total population of 137million, there were 78 child deaths from Covid-19 compared with an estimated 21,966 deaths from all causes.

Covid-19 accounted for 0.35 per cent of deaths in children aged to 19 years old.

On the other hand, there were 1,755 caused by unintentional injury. Injuries were not described in the study but may include car accidents or burns. And there were 178 deaths caused by the flu.

The researchers said in their pre-print paper: 'Five months of data show that in these countries, children are at much greater risk of death from other elements of normal life, than from Covid-19.

'Our fears of increased virulence in children, so far, are unfounded. Nonetheless, vigilance is necessary as the pandemic may unfold differently.'

Looking at data specifically for England and Wales, 15 people under the age of 20 have died of Covid-19 during the entire outbreak up to July 10.

Covid-19 accounted for 0.17 per cent of all deaths in children under the age of 10 years old. There were three Covid-19 deaths in this age group compared with 57 for an injury and seven for the flu.

For children aged between 10 and 19, there were 12 Covid-19 deaths (2.38 per cent of the total) - three times lower than the 44 from an injury.

But there were only three deaths from flu in this group, four times lower than Covid-19.

Dr Bhopal told MailOnline: 'Im not able to easily explain the flu deaths versus Covid deaths except to speculate. Certainly something to keep an eye on and be careful about.

'We mustnt minimise the risks of this terrible virus but our message is aligned with that of the children's commissioner - that for children, the risks of being kept at home now outweigh the risks of letting them get back to normal life which is important for their development and progression.'

Although there were sadly 15 Covid-19 deaths in children, scientists have previously said none have been in healthy children.

A major government-funded study published last week looked at six children under the age of 15 who have died of Covid-19.

The researchers said they all had serious health problems such as cancer or cerebral palsy when they caught the virus.

Scientists led by the University of Liverpool found that one per cent of hospitalised children died, compared to a significantly higher 27 per cent of adults.

This means that while one in four adults who ended up in hospital with Covid-19 died of it, only one in 100 children did.

Deaths (green) and the proportion of them caused by injury (blue), Covid-19 (red), flu (yellow) and lower respiratory tract infections (orange) in seven countries studied

Parents should be reassured that their children will not be put in danger by returning to school, the scientists who led the study, published in the British Medical Journal, said.

Today's study found across the globe, Covid-19 never accounted for more than one per cent of deaths in under 10s in Italy (0.56 per cent), Germany (0.079 per cent), Spain (0.64 per cent), France (0.22 per cent) and South Korea (0 per cent).

For over 10s, the figures were more varied, with the highest in the UK (2.38 per cent) followed by Spain (two per cent), France (0.8 per cent) and Germany (0.35 per cent).

Covid-19 accounted for 0 per cent of deaths in those aged between 10 and 19 years old in Italy and South Korea.

In the US, the age brackets were different due to the way data is collected. In children under the age of four, Covid-19 caused 23 deaths, accounting for 0.21 per cent.

In those aged five to 14, Covid-19 caused 19 deaths - 0.83 per cent of the total.

Dr Bhopal said children were at 'minimal risk' from coronavirus, but had suffered greatly, as a result of lockdown and months without school.

He told The Telegraph: 'We continue to meet and hear from parents, carers, teachers and others who worry for their children's safety from coronavirus. We aim to continue to reassure them that this remains a predominantly adult-focussed disease.'

The study, which is due to be published in Public Health journal, follows a string of studies reassuring that children should be safe from catching the coronavirus when returning to school this week.

Public Health England have reassured that just 0.01 per cent of schools have suffered a Covid-19 outbreak since they re-opened for Year 1 and Year 6 in June.

Only 70 children out of 1.6million who had returned to school in June tested positive for Covid-19. Another 128 members of staff tested positive.

The analysis said the majority of cases linked to outbreaks were in staff and warned that school staff needed to be 'more vigilant for exposure outside the school setting to protect themselves, their families and the educational setting'.

Another study published last week found children are six times less likely to spread coronavirus than adults after tracking how the coronavirus spread in a group of 1,900 people, mostly children, who spent five weeks at summer camps in Spain.
Vector Informatik India, has undertaken initiatives to contribute and invest INR 55 Lakhs towards COVID-19 testing amongst citizens from weaker section of society residing in Pune and Mumbai.

Mumbai based Vector Informatik globally helps shape social values through its extensive involvement and attempts to reduce the social risks facing the general public. In line with its values Vector Informatik India, a 100% subsidiary of Vector Informatik GmbH has undertaken initiatives to contribute and invest Rs 55 Lakhs towards COVID-19 testing amongst citizens from weaker section of society residing in Pune and Mumbai.



Vector India has collaborated with Krsnaa Diagnostics in Pune and the testing will be done at identified sites for the people residing in low-income zones. In Mumbai, Vector India has partnered with voluntary organization, Be Human Foundation to facilitate testing at Brihan Mumbai Corporation (BMC) identified labs and a mobile vehicle is deployed for collection of samples which facilitates increased reach across the underprivileged sections of city.



The entire project was planned by Vector Indias Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) committee in collaboration with Krsnaa Diagnostics, Pune and Be Human Foundation, Mumbai. Vector India employees have also taken efforts at their personal level to support stranded people in various parts of our country by volunteering for food distribution and contributed to different non-profit foundations working towards helping people affected by the pandemic.


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) visited a San Francisco hair salon for a wash and blow-out on Monday, the salons owner told Fox News, despite a citywide closure on hairstyling businesses.

San Francisco only allowed hair salons to reopen with outdoor services on Tuesday, following a closure to combat the coronavirus pandemic. However, Pelosi apparently received indoor services at eSalon near the citys Marina district on Monday.

Owner Erica Kious criticized Pelosi in an interview with Fox, while security footage obtained by the network appeared to show Pelosi inside the premises. Kious said a stylist who rents a chair in the salon contacted her about the visit, and that she doesnt have control over whether the stylists bring customers to the salon because theyre currently not required to pay her.

It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I cant work, Kious said.

This business offered for the Speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business, Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement. The Speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment.

National Review has reached out to the speakers office for additional comment.

San Francisco implemented some of the strictest coronavirus lockdown measures in the country in March, issuing a shelter-in-place order for residents with exceptions only for exercise and visits to grocery markets and pharmacies. The city allowed hair and nail salons to reopen on Tuesday for outdoor services only, and will clear gyms to open outdoors next week.

More from National Review
KPMG in Bahrain has announced the appointment of an additional Tax Partner and new experienced resources to broaden the capabilities of the Tax and Corporate Services team and continue to provide businesses with innovative solutions for their critical business needs.

Effective September 1, 2020, Mubeen Khadir joins KPMG in Bahrain as Tax Partner leading the Tax and Corporate Services team along with KPMGs Head of Tax and Corporate Services, Philippe Norre.

With this expansion, KPMG in Bahrain continues to lead and optimise their offerings of value-added tax (VAT) outsourcing, tax technology solutions and address specific tax requirements at an industry and sector level including the banking, insurance, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, export & import and oil & gas industry. The growth includes the launch of an enhanced Managed Services Centre of Excellence (tax, accounting, payroll and back-office function support), catering to the growing needs of businesses as they recover and emerge through the pandemic.

Khadir previously led and managed the tax team at another Bahrain-based consulting firm. Prior to that, he was member of the KPMG family in Saudi Arabia. Mubeen is a seasoned expert in the field of tax, serving clients in Bahrain and across the GCC region for several years focused on corporate, international tax, transfer pricing and VAT advisory.

The team will also take on an additional eight experts making the team the largest, most diverse and experienced service provider in the kingdom. In addition to Arabic and English, the team can provide professional support to clients in an additional fifteen languages.

Khadir said: I am delighted to be re-joining KPMG as tax partner. A number of team members will also be coming across which cements KPMG as the unparalleled market leader for tax services in Bahrain. I am thrilled to join the dynamic team of talented partners and consultants at KPMG and look forward to driving the growth of the tax practice along with Philippe Norre and the largest tax team in Bahrain.

Jamal Fakhro, Managing Partner at KPMG in Bahrain, added: Mubeen is an astute professional, and a valuable addition to our firm. The industry expertise he brings along with his wider team, coupled with our existing competencies reinforces KPMGs commitment to quality and demonstrates our continuous investment to bring the best and most practical business advice and assistance to our clients.

Philippe Norre, Head of Tax and Corporate Services at KPMG in Bahrain concluded: I am thrilled to be working alongside Mubeen to assist businesses with their Tax requirements and challenges. As businesses work towards their recovery and are evolving towards the new reality, optimisation will be a key a requirement. We continue to enhance our tailored and cost-efficient tax technology innovations, including KPMG Enara, to support in-house compliance, reporting and data analytics.

Our team of lawyers, economists, accountants and technology specialists can support businesses with all their tax, corporate compliance and legal advisory needs. This includes technology-based solutions, outsourced services, board advisory services, while also providing them direct support from our Bahrain Centre of Excellence. Mubeen and his team are highly respected across the GCC and their enthusiasm and strategic insight will bolster our existing relationships and reputation in the marketplace. -- Tradearabia News Service
An image from a May 25 video shows Amy Cooper calling the police on Christian Cooper, a Black man who was watching birds in New York's Central Park. (Christian Cooper / Associated Press )

Calling 911 to harass or otherwise violate the rights of a person based only on their race would be classified as a hate crime that could lead to jail time and a fine under a bill passed by California lawmakers on Monday.

The legislation comes amid a nationwide reckoning on systemic racism and following confrontations across the country in which primarily white people have made discriminatory emergency calls to the police when encountering people of color bird watching and barbecuing in a park, among other everyday activities.

The problem has drawn widespread attention on social media, leading to memes coining the term "Karen," a label given to people  primarily white women  who make illegitimate 911 calls targeting people of color or, more broadly, who are caught on video exhibiting racist behavior.

You can make jokes about it. But its not a laughing matter. An individual could lose their life in the wrong situation, said Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), who introduced the bill. "I was watching more and more people being adversely affected by it as this [Trump] administration gave license for someone who was bigoted to target Blacks and Latinos."

Jones-Sawyer said the problem evoked memories of the murder of Emmett Till, the Black teenager who was kidnapped and beaten to death in Mississippi in 1955 after he was accused of whistling at a white woman. Two white men accused of killing Till were acquitted, and the woman who made the allegation later recanted some of her claims. The case helped galvanize the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The legislation, AB 1775, passed in both the Senate and Assembly and was supported by the California State Sheriffs' Assn. and League of California Cities. The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his consideration.

Approval of the measure comes just months after a video of a white woman calling the police about a Black man in New York City's Central Park went viral. Amy Cooper called to report that she was being threatened by "an African American man." The man, Christian Cooper, who birdwatching, videotaped the incident and it was posted on Twitter.

Story continues

Amy Cooper was charged in July with a misdemeanor for filing a false report.

That same month, San Francisco County Supervisor Shamann Walton introduced a measure called Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies  the CAREN Act  that would make discriminatory 911 calls a hate crime. Walton's measure was filed shortly after a person called the police to report a Filipino man stenciling "Black Lives Matter" in chalk on the wall of his own house in the city's Pacific Heights neighborhood.

The bill approved by state lawmakers on Monday states that a person who knowingly makes a false and harassing 911 call on another person in a protected class  which includes race, color, ethnicity, religion, nationality, country of origin, ancestry, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation  can be charged with a misdemeanor and punishable by up to one year in a county jail and a fine of not less than $500.

Calling 911 to harass other individuals would also be a misdemeanor punishable by a $250 fine or up to six months in a county jail. The legislation also expands the rights of someone targeted by discriminatory 911 calls to file a civil suit seeking damages.

"What this bill does is address the misuse of 911, when it is used specifically as a harassment tool, or to result in a false police report aimed at harassing, a person based on either their skin color or one of the other protected characteristics," said state Sen. Nancy Skinner, (D-Berkeley), one of the co-authors of the bill along with Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland).

The bill does not apply to 911 calls made by people who have an intellectual or developmental disability that makes it difficult for them to understand the consequences of their actions.
New Delhi: Bharti Infratel on Tuesday said its board has decided to proceed with the scheme for merger with Indus Towers, and that the cash consideration chosen by Vodafone Idea for its 11.15 per cent stake in Indus Towers is expected to be about Rs 4,000 crore.

The company said its board, in a meeting held on August 31, 2020, took note of the status of scheme of arrangement between Indus Towers and Bharti Infratel and the related agreements.

"After deliberations, the board has decided to authorise the chairman to proceed with the scheme and to comply with other procedural requirements for completion of the merger including approaching NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal) to make the scheme effective subject to certain procedural condition precedents," it said in a regulatory filing.

Bharti Airtel will hold 36.7 per cent stake in the merged entity, Vodafone UK (28.2 per cent), Providence Equity Partners (3.2 per cent) with public holding (31.6 per cent), according to a source.

Sources said that the earlier merger ratio (1,565 shares of Bharti Infratel for every Indus share) has changed to 1,519 shares of Bharti Infratel for each Indus share.

The likely shareholding structure of the merged entity "is basis cash consideration chosen by Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) for its 11.15 per cent shareholding in Indus..."

This will be based on 60 days volume weighted average price (VWAP) as at closing date and agreed closing adjustments.

"Based on today's (Tuesday) calculation the cash consideration comes to approximately Rs 4,000 crore," it said.

To secure the payment obligation of VIL under the master service agreement, VIL and Vodafone Group have entered into certain security arrangements with the company, for the benefit of the merged entity.

This includes a combination of a security deposit by Vodafone Idea, security via pledge of a certain number of shares of the merged company out of those issued to Vodafone Group (under the scheme) and a corporate guarantee by Vodafone Group which can get triggered in specific situations and events.

These security arrangements are subject to regulatory nods and any approval of Vodafone Group Plc's lenders, it said.

"The security arrangement will provide the merged company a payment cover of over one year for the operational payments due from VIL," it said.

The merger scheme shall become effective on the date on which certified copy of the order of NCLT is filed with Registrar of Companies.

"The effective date will be communicated to the stock exchanges for further public dissemination as and when the scheme becomes effective. While the parties have agreed to proceed to take appropriate steps to progress the approvals for the merger, the completion of the transaction shall be subject to receipt of all such approvals," the filing added.
Rioters smash windows at the Kenosha County Administration Building during unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 23, 2020. (Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY via Reuters)

Groups Behind Riots Being Investigated by Department of Justice: Top Official

The heads of organizations believed to be behind the recent riots in the United States are being probed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), a top law enforcement official said late Monday.

This is something that I have talked to the attorney general personally about. And I know that they are working on it, acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary (DHS) Chad Wolf said.

Wolf, responding to Fox News Tucker Carlson on the hosts show, didnt specify which groups, but Carlson had just asked why the leaders of Black Lives Matter and Antifa havent been charged.

DOJ officials are also targeting and investigating the head of these organizations, the individuals that are paying for these individuals to move across the country, Wolf added.

Groups and individuals have been moving from Portland, the nexus of the riots, to other parts of the country, the law enforcement official said, pointing to the fact that many of those arrested in Kenosha, Wisconsin were from outside the city.

So we know theyre moving around, weve seen them in D.C., in Sacramento, and elsewhere. We know theyre organized. We have seen similar tactics being used from Portland and other cities across the country as well, he said.

Wolf said he confers with William Barr, the attorney general, on almost a weekly basis about the investigations. DHS workers are providing any relevant information to the DOJ.

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf testifies at a Senate hearing in Washington on March 4, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

I wish that was in a little quicker fashion, well continue to see how that is, but, again, this administration, this president is committed to holding individuals accountable, Wolf said. I think that if folks start to realize, if you want to riot, you want to loot, you want to do some of these other criminal acts that we see around the country, there are going to be consequences for that.

The Department of Justice didnt respond to a request for comment.

Barr said in a statement on May 31, after rioters destroyed swaths of Minneapolis and other cities, that the voices of peaceful and legitimate protests have been hijacked by violent radical elements.

The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly, he said.

Task forces of officers are reviewing all available evidence from rioting dating back to May, Barr added in Wisconsin during a Sept. 1 roundtable.

When rioters are identified, they will be prosecuted, Barr vowed.

A DOJ spokeswoman said Monday that 300 have been arrested nationwide amid rioting and civil unrest, including 100 in Portland. Of the 302 people charged, 76 were in Portland, she said.

Questions about the organization behind the unrest have been put forth in recent days.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), center, and three women are escorted by police officers through a crowd in Washington on Aug. 28, 2020. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in an op-ed on Friday that some of the people who confronted attendees of President Donald Trumps White House speech were staying in the same hotel, on the same floor, as he and his wife.

My question is: Who are these people? Paul wrote. Who paid for their hotel rooms? Who flew them in? Law enforcement needs to look at the funding of violent criminal activity like this. And national Democrats need to confront it. Its organized. Its paid for. Its violent. Its not about Black lives or any lives; its about anarchy and destruction.

Paul was the subject of harassment and death threats last week.

Trump said in a separate interview with Fox News on Monday that a plane almost completely loaded with thugs wearing dark uniforms took off from a certain city this weekend.

Asked where the plane left from, Trump said: Ill tell you sometime, but its under investigation right now, but they came from a certain city, and this person was coming to the Republican National Convention, and there were like seven people on the plane like this person, and then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage.

A White House spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: The President is highlighting questions that need answers such as who may be funding travel and lodging for organized rioters. For example, violent rioters in Kenosha who were arrested hailed from 44 different cities. An investigation is underway to determine who is funding these organized riots happening across the country.

Trump told reporters while en route to Wisconsin on Tuesday that the plane was filled up with the looters, the anarchists the rioters except for one person, who felt uncomfortable being among them.

So I will see whether or not I can get that person. Ill let them know, and Ill see whether or not I can get that person to speak to you. But this was a firsthand account of a plane going from Washington to wherever, he said. And Ill see if I can get that information for you. Maybe theyll speak to you and maybe they wont.
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Appointment

1 September 2020

Today, leading hotel ownership, management and development firm, Hotel Equities (HE), announced the promotion of Bryan DeCort to the position of chief operating officer. In his role, DeCort will be responsible for enterprise-wide performance, profitability and corporate strategy for the firm's portfolio of 160+ hotels and resorts throughout the United States and Canada.

DeCort joined the firm in 2017 as senior vice president of operations and most recently served in the role of executive vice president. He was the architect for a comprehensive internal re-organization while the firm simultaneously added over 50 hotels, 1700 associates and opened 3 regional office locations. Under his guidance and leadership, HE's operational platform has consistently achieved award-winning, best-in-class performance results.

Since joining HE, DeCort has constructed an industry-leading team and implemented cutting edge technology to support the firm's portfolio. Excited about his new role, DeCort remains grounded in its significance and shared that preserving the company culture remains a key focus, and one of his most important functions.

While overseeing the organization's day to day operations, Bryan also plays a critical role in all owner, investor and brand relationships. With over 30 years of diverse hospitality experience, he has held progressive executive leadership positions with Marriott, Renaissance, Sheraton & Omni Hotels. DeCort holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida where he concentrated in Hospitality Management and Marketing.
Michel Barnier and the UK's David Frost are holding emergency talks today amid gathering misery about the prospects for a Brexit trade deal.

The EU negotiator is coming to London for the meeting as the hunt for a breakthrough becomes increasingly desperate.

With effectively just a month to thrash out trade terms in time for the end of the transition period, the bloc has been complaining that Britain is being 'intransigent and unrealistic'.

But angry UK sources point out that Mr Barnier is refusing even to discuss proposals on access to fishing waters - one of the key issues alongside whether the UK must follow Brussels rules.

Mr Frost is expected to confront his counterpart today on his policy of 'parallelism', which means he will not negotiate on an area until Britain has made significant concessions on others.

Tensions increased after Clement Beaune, France's Europe minister, suggested the UK's negotiating aims are not realistic.

He tweeted: 'Things are not moving forward, because the United Kingdom would like butter and butter money: to leave the European Union and have access to the European market.'

Downing Street said a deal with EU remains possible but 'it is clear that it will not be easy to achieve'.

The informal talks between Mr Frost and Mr Barnier come ahead of the start of the eighth round of formal negotiations next week.

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said: 'We will continue to work hard to reach an agreement and look forward to the next round (of talks) next week.

'We believe an agreement is still possible and it is still our goal but it is clear that will not be easy to achieve.'

Asked if there was any possibility of an extension to the transition period beyond the end of the year, the spokesman replied: 'No.'

A spokesman for Mr Barnier said the EU had 'shown flexibility' during talks but it had not seen 'reciprocal effort' from the UK, with the bloc now waiting for Britain to submit 'concrete and constructive proposals'.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier (right) will travel to London for the unscheduled talks with David Frost (left) in a bid to break the deadlock

A UK source told the Times that the EU team was not 'engaging' on so-called 'room papers' that could form the basis for a deal.

'The EU has always said that fishing is a key issue for resolution but has subsequently declined to discuss it,' they said.

'We had hoped to make progress and presented room papers but, unfortunately, the EU refused to engage due to their self-imposed requirements.'

Formal negotiations between the two sides will resume next week.

A Whitehall source said that although the UK's transition period from the EU is not due to finish until the end of the year, there is 'realistically only a month' to agree a deal in time for it to be ratified.

Both sides have become increasingly gloomy about the prospects for a deal in recent weeks after hopes of a summer breakthrough faded.

France yesterday accused Britain of deliberately stalling post-Brexit trade deal negotiations and having unreasonable expectations.

Speaking to his nation's ambassadors, French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: 'Negotiations are not advancing because of the intransigent and unrealistic attitude of the United Kingdom.'

But British sources said the deadlock was due to the EU's intransigence.

'They don't seem to be prepared to move on any of the big things,' one said.

Boris Johnson has said that from the end of this year, the UK will determine access for foreign trawlers in British waters, in common with other independent coastal states.

But the EU is demanding that its fishing fleet continues to enjoy its existing access rights indefinitely.

Brussels is also demanding to know details of the UK's state aid regime  the rules on bailouts of struggling companies and sectors  before moving on to other areas of negotiation.

The EU wants guarantees that the UK will not undercut its own industries.

Boris Johnson (pictured on a visit to a school last month) has said that from the end of this year, the UK will determine access for foreign trawlers in British waters, in common with other independent coastal states

But British ministers insist that as an independent country, the UK should be free to set its own industrial policy.

Mr Le Drian insisted yesterday the bloc of 27 will not buckle under pressure from London, adding: 'On Brexit we always showed unity and proved wrong those who saw signs of an overall implosion of Europe.

'It is in staying united that we can stick to our line of a global accord.'

But UK ministers are also confident Mr Johnson will not back down, raising the prospect of leaving without a trade deal at the end of this year unless negotiators can achieve a sudden breakthrough.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 10:27:49|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

WUHAN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- No new confirmed, asymptomatic or suspected cases of COVID-19 were reported in central China's Hubei Province Monday, the provincial health commission said Tuesday.

By Monday, Hubei had three close contacts under medical observation. The province cleared its confirmed cases on Sunday as one imported case was discharged from hospital after recovery.

Hubei has reported a total of 68,139 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 63,627 patients have been cured and discharged from hospitals. The disease claimed 4,512 lives in the province. Enditem
Sudan: Darfur deal a 'significant step', says head of UN-AU peacekeeping mission

31 August 2020 - A peace agreement between Sudanese authorities and key armed movements from Darfur could provide a path to national unity, the head of the joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said on Monday.

Sudan's transitional Government initialled the deal alongside the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) and Sudan Liberation MovementMinni Minnawi (SLM/MM), at a ceremony held in neighbouring South Sudan.

Determination, courage and commitment

"I would like to congratulate Sudanese people on this significant step and commend in particular the signatory parties for their determination, courage and commitment to lasting peace in Sudan", said Jeremiah Mamabolo, the UNAMID Joint Special Representative, who attended the ceremony.

It is expected that the peace agreement will end 17 years of often brutal conflict in Darfur.

Fighting between the forces of former President Omar al-Bashir, backed by allied militia, and various rebel movements, left around 300,000 dead, according to UN estimates, and millions displaced.

President al-Bashir was overthrown in April 2019 following unrest that began in December 2018.

"We hope that this agreement is perceived as the start of a process that includes all in a positive move towards peace, justice and national unity. This includes the full realization of the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all the people of Sudan, including Darfuris", said Mr. Mamabolo.

Praise for South Sudan mediation

At the ceremony, the UNAMID chief conveyed greetings from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the AU Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki.

He also applauded the South Sudanese mediation team for facilitating the negotiation process amidst challenges.

Mr. Mamabolo hoped that those parties who remain outside will soon join the peace process to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the Sudanese people and the objectives of the December 2018 Revolution.

"To that end, the United Nations and the African Union remain committed to supporting this process to the very last day of UNAMID's mandate", he said.

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A man blinded by a soldier as a child has described how he accepted his apology.

Charity chief Richard Moore, from Derry, was blinded at the age of 10 in 1972 after being struck by a rubber bullet fired by Charles Inness, then a captain with the Royal Artillery.

However, the two men went on to become close friends after meeting for the first time in 2006 for a documentary, a friendship that has been hailed by the Dalai Lama, whom they met in 2010.

Mr Inness, 78, from Whitsome in the Scottish Borders, went on to apologise this year.

Mr Moore, 59, said: Charles was of the opinion that, when you say sorry, it means that you didnt mean to fire the bullet. Hed say I meant to fire the bullet, but I never meant to cause the damage. He always said if hed known what was going to happen to me, he wouldnt have fired it.

To me that is semantics, but the more I talked with Charles and the more we got to know each other, I always felt that he was sorry. He just couldnt bring himself to say it.

And then, eventually, many years after we first met, we were talking about the sorry word one night and he said to me Richard, I am sorry.

When it came, it was really moving. I didnt need it, I didnt ask for it, but when it came it was really, really nice. It really was.

Mr Inness said: I was 30 at the time; 1972 was the most unpleasant year of the Troubles, the violence was unbelievable, almost on a daily basis a soldier, a police officer or a prison officer was killed or seriously injured.

Read More Two Dublin football clubs suspend activity as NPHET describe viral TikTok video as 'disappointing'

The intention of firing the rubber bullet was to get youths who were in the process of throwing stones and generally causing mayhem around a post, which was an RUC station.

We were there to protect it, and I fired a rubber bullet, one of thousands fired that year, the vast majority of which gave little more than a bruise, and unfortunately the one I fired horrifically nearly killed poor Richard.

Years later, when we met, we immediately got on exceptionally well, we had a bond and have formed a great friendship.

At some stage I certainly said to Richard I am awfully sorry this happened. As I say to other people, the intention of the rubber bullet was no more than to get the people who were causing the problem to go away.

That was the sole intention; the idea I had intended to damn nearly kill a 10-year-old child was never there.

I had children of a similar age myself, and the last thing in the world I wanted to do was damage a child. But the only means we had of trying to disperse people being violent was a rubber bullet gun.

The great regret remained with me for a long time.

The two men have given talks together, including at a community centre which now stands where the rubber bullet was fired.

Mr Inness added: Richard and I come from totally different backgrounds, our whole lives have been totally different, but from the moment I met him I felt I had known him all my life.

We have become really great friends. Somebody said to me to what level would I put that. I put it as succinctly as I can  when I die, there are two people who are going to speak at my funeral, one of them is Richard.

Mr Moore echoed his friends thoughts: As soon as I met him, I liked him, we got on very well and have remained friends.

The Derry man said he has never dwelt on losing his sight, and went on to form the charity Children In Crossfire, which has raised millions to help youngsters worldwide.

The charity was recently awarded a 250,000 grant through the Department For International Developments UK Aid Direct scheme to help provide 100,000 children in the Dodoma region of Tanzania with an education.

Mr Moore said his unique experience has helped him inspire people he meets in Africa.

I meet lots of disabled or disadvantaged people who are totally written off, but I hope, when they see the role I have as a person with a disability, they can see that there is a life to be had, he said.

I go to a lot of places where theres been conflict and people are suffering and I hope my story helps prove that forgiveness is the best way to move on.

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: Richard Moores inspirational story helps illustrate how UK aid is supporting charities like Children In Crossfire to help children fulfil their full potential and step out of poverty through education.

Through supporting projects like this, over the past year the UK Government has helped to build more than 3,000 primary classrooms in Tanzania, helped train almost 54,000 teachers in over 5,000 schools, and set up almost 1,900 community pre-schools.
New South Wales has recorded 13 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as the trendy inner-west Sydney suburb of Newtown finds itself at the centre of a new outbreak.

NSW Health has urged anyone who dined at It's Time for Thai restaurant in Newtown on August 28 between 5pm and 8pm to immediately get tested and self-isolate for 14 days - even if their test result is negative.

Alerts have also gone out to several other venues in Newtown, including BWS, the train station and Off Ya Tree clothing and body piercing store.

Of the 13 new cases to 8pm on Monday night, two are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

The other 11 cases are locally acquired and linked to known clusters, including seven connected to the Sydney CBD cluster associated with the City Tattersalls Gym.

Anyone who dined at It's Time for Thai restaurant (pictured) on King Street, Newtown on August 28 between 5-8pm must immediately get tested regardless of symptoms

The other 11 cases are locally acquired and linked to known clusters, including seven connected to the August CBD cluster - which has a total of 41 cases

Several shops at Warriewood Square shopping centre in the Northern Beaches have also formed a new cluster.

Anyone who visited Kmart, Aldi, Coles and the food court at the shopping complex on August 29 between 12pm and 2.30pm must monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately if they develop.

One of the new cases connected to the CBD cluster visited the City Tattersalls gym and two worked at Reddam Early Learning Centre in Lindfield.

All staff and children who attended the childcare centre are considered close contacts and are urged to get tested and isolate for 14 days.

Of the other cases reported on Tuesday, one is linked to Liverpool Hospital and three new cases attended St Paul's Catholic College in Greystanes.

All Year 10 students at the western Sydney school have been identified as close contacts and have been directed to get tested and isolate for 14 days. The school will remain closed for onsite learning while contact tracing is underway.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday announced the easing of restrictions on the NSW/Victoria border, with the re-establishment of a 50km border buffer zone from Friday.

'We hope restrictions in Victoria are eased and they're able to maintain that low level of cases because that will ensure we don't need to leave the border open a single day more than we have to,' she told reporters in Albury on Tuesday.

'Pandemics are far from perfection when it comes to having to make decisions quickly and can I tell you, hand on heart, that one of the most difficult decisions I've made personally, and the government has made during this pandemic, has been closing the NSW-Victorian border.

'It was a decision of last resort. One of the main reasons we didn't move earlier was because we knew the disruption and angst it would cause people in the border communities.'

Currently, Victorian border residents with permits to enter NSW must stay within a 2.5km zone but that will now be extended back to the original 50km either side.

The other 11 cases are locally acquired and linked to known clusters, including seven connected to the August CBD cluster

Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced the easing of restrictions on the state's border permit system with Victoria

Ms Berejiklian said the move was spurred on by a 'better flow of information' from border towns, while declaring communication with the Queensland Government hasn't been as smooth.

'We came to the mutual conclusion that this was the best thing to do all round and I have to say it's a different approach to what I've experienced on our northern border when I've still not had a conversation on the northern border,' she said.

Ms Berejiklian also says if the Sydney CBD cluster remains under control, she may reconsider the ban on visits to Sydney and Central Coast nursing homes in time for Father's Day on Sunday.

'We will update the aged care advice later in the week ahead of Father's Day and may be able to ease restrictions on aged care,' she said.

'We are not out of the woods in relation to that cluster, but it's pleasing to know our fears about the CBD cluster have not yet materialised, in that it's being contained.'

There are 73 coronavirus patients being treated by NSW Health with six in intensive care and three who are ventilated.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe noted that prosecutors news release only tracked the allegations in the indictment while Kolfage was attempting to send messages to his victims. Moe said that her office was not yet seeking to impose a gag order on Kolfage but that it would ask for a hearing to determine whether one is needed if Kolfage goes too far.
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Winston Gold Corporation (OTCQB: WGMCF) the "Company", a junior mining company focused on advancing high-grade, low cost mining opportunities into production. Executive Chairman of the Company, Joseph Carrabba, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by asking about Carrabba's background, "I'm a 40+ year veteran in the mining industry," explained Carrabba before elaborating on his extensive experience in this space. "I've done a lot of startup and turnarounds in my career."

"Did you ever expect to see gold at $2,000 per ounce?", asked Jolly. "No, I didn't," said Carrabba. "The predictions have always been around, Everett, but when I jumped into Winston our financial modelling was at $1,150 an ounce and the project stood up very well financially, even when we took all of the risk into consideration," he continued. "So, $2,000 per ounce is great. There's all kinds of predictions out there for it to move forward," said Carrabba. "It's nice to speculate about the future and gold going higher, but if it doesn't I think most of the gold miners are happy with where the prices are right now."

Jolly then asked about the progress of the Company's gold project located near Helena, Montana. "We are on ore; we are starting to haul the low-grade ore out," shared Carrabba, noting that they will continue this part of the process until they reach the richer depths of the veins. "We are bringing the gold out and have stockpiled it on the mine site," said Carrabba.

Carrabba then elaborated on the Company's lease agreement with Pardine Mill LLC located in Radersburg, Montana, "We are about 90% complete with the rehab that we had to do on the mill, which has been sitting idle," said Carrabba. "We're currently getting the crushing circuit in front of the mill put in place," he added. "It looks like if everything holds up from a shipping standpoint, by late September we should be producing the first concentrate."

"What is the upside potential of brownfield exploration and greenfield exploration opportunities?", asked Jolly. "We do have upside on the two veins that we are starting on first," said Carrabba, sharing that the Company has begun drilling the Custer vein system. "That is really our upside and where we can see moving into about 50,000 ounces of production per year within the next two years."

Jolly noted that the Company seems to be significantly undervalued and asked Carrabba to comment on their current valuation. Carrabba agreed that the Company remains undervalued, but expressed his confidence in their future. "We're a company that is actually going to go from drilling into production," said Carrabba. "I think there is still a little bit of disbelief as we continue to de-risk it, but when that first concentrate comes out I think it will put us in a whole different category of a producer versus a junior explorer," he continued. "We just need to be patient, separate ourselves from the pack, and continue to show people that we're going to do what we said we were going to do all along."

To hear Joseph Carrabba's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7672176-winston-gold-corporation-discusses-upcoming-production-potential-of-pardine-mill-with-the-stock-d.

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day", and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the Company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/.

About Winston Gold

Winston Gold is a junior mining company focused on advancing high-grade, low cost mining opportunities into production. Towards that end, the Corporation has acquired an underexplored and under-exploited gold/silver mining opportunity, being the Winston Gold project near Helena, Montana.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION

For further information, please contact:

Murray Nye, Chief Executive Officer

Suite 201-919 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 0M8 Canada

Telephone: (204) 989-2434 E-mail: murray@winstongold.com

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the information contained herein.

About The "Stock Day" Podcast

Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. Stock Day recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona.

SOURCE:

Stock Day Media

(602) 821-1102

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62982
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 21:29:15|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on Sept. 1, 2020 shows a view of the Miyun Reservoir in the northeast suburbs of Beijing, capital of China. The Miyun Reservoir with a capacity of around 4.4 billion cubic meters, marked its 60th anniversary on Tuesday. Over the past 60 years, Miyun Reservoir provided over 39 billion cubic meters of water to Beijing and neighboring areas. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
I watched Jaws recently. The choice was a deliberate one.

Recently, during Aunty Ronas long term visit to Australia, Jaws kept coming back to me. For a while I tried to ignore it and write articles without focusing too much on the situation. Keep my head down. Do the right things. Stay home. Wear a mask. Wash my hands.

Jaws kept on returning. Then a series of images from the movie Jaws appeared on my tumblr feed.

I realised something. I had to watch Jaws.

Great White Shark!

Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg was released in 1975. You may know the plot. Great White Shark appears in the waters of Amity Island and begins to feed on the population. The authorities try to hush up the shark attacks and tell the concerned Police Chief Brody to calm down.

Amity Islands big holiday weekend is coming up. No one would come if the attacks were made public. The islands economy would be devastated. A second attack takes the life of a young child. Alerted, the locals and others hunt for the shark. They catch a tiger shark and are quick to call it over.

Police Chief Brody calls for an expert on sharks. The expert, Hooper is not convinced that the tiger shark caught was responsible. Late at night they check the tiger sharks stomach and find no evidence of human consumption.

The local government is entrenched in the islands commercial and economic reality. The mayor of Amity Island runs a Real Estate business. Amitys biggest earning weekend is about to begin. Holiday dollars! the Mayor affirms with emphasis to Chief Brody.

Obviously Jaws attacks again. This time the attack is broadcast by the media who have turned up. Jaws strikes where Chief Brodys son is boating with his friends. Finally it is clear to all that this is no normal event. The islands big weekend is ruined.

Anyone Find This Familiar?

Any of this sound familiar to you? Threat to the population at large, elected officials weighing commercial needs over public safety, attempts to keep business as normal while a crisis looms. Eventual capitulation of elected officials in the face of the disaster they tried to cover up.

As someone who lives in Victoria, Australia, in August of Trash Fire 2020 Jaws is very familiar. There is a scene in Jaws that echoes how many people in Victoria feel. It is not the final death of the shark. Nor is it the moment where two kids with a cardboard fin scare those swimming with disastrous results.

This scene has the mourning mother of a child that was taken right in front of her confronting Chief Brody. She slaps him in the face. Why? Because Brody knew weeks before that the Shark was out there. He had been shushed by the Islands Mayor. There is no slap for the mayor, neither the doctor who changed the post mortem result.

Premiers and Prime Ministers

Dan Andrews is Victorias Chief Brody. As is Gladys Berejiklian in New South Wales and Annastacia Palaszczuk for Queensland. The health of the state dictates the perception of the Premier and its elected leaders. While the Prime Minister is for the Nation, public health is a state concern.

When Prime Ministers can go watch their team play it displays the health of the state and the nation. Meanwhile the MCG will be empty this September. No sport is being played across Melbourne. This does not mean that Aunty Rona will stay away, especially if its business as usual.

Business is National and Global. Our ability to travel rapidly is unprecedented in world history. Technology is such that we can move with speed and efficiency. The thing about technology is that it not only enhances our strengths. It magnifies our weaknesses.

In Melbourne the state government checked in on 500 people who had tested positive for Aunty Rona. One in four were not at home. They were out, mostly at work. Where? Well that could be anywhere across metropolitan Melbourne. All hopefully with masks on.

The response has been one of force. The threat of fines hangs heavily in the air. Melbournians are only allowed 5kms from home. If we can go to work we are required to have a permit from our employer. Why? Because of the weakness of human beings and the technology of travel. Though there is a third reason.

Casual Labour Pains

Casual labour is one of the main sources of infection. People who are paid little for short hours across multiple venues. People employed at Aged Care facilities, Hospitals, Abattoirs, Construction, Security, Fast Food and Retail.

Why? Age, language group, religion will change but the situation is the same. They are unable to afford the rent and bills one job cannot provide to pay. So they take work where they can get it. They get no sick leave, holiday pay or other benefits. Not working equals eviction or worse.

Our inability to control the population is related directly to the way in which we treat the lowest paid. We force on them a structure of debt which is exacerbated by a housing and rental market that is over priced.

Like Amity Island we are the ones who have manufactured our own calamity. The reality of work, housing and travel means that eventually unless other means are found to control the spread shutdowns are unavoidable. Welcome to the new reality. Next Jaws sighting, Bondi?
Among the 15 or so residents who spoke of the more than 150 who joined the Zoom meeting, Scheeringa family member Janille Scheeringa said the family originally didnt have the money to purchase the land themselves, but were able to sell one of their other properties and now have it. As such, they want the chance to buy the land from the landowners since theyve been leasing it from them and farming on it for more than 50 years.
Vice President Mike Pence warned November's election is about "whether America remains America" as Republicans used the third night of the nominating convention to push back on notions that Donald Trump disparages women and harbours racist views.

The Republican National Convention started rather flat, with a series of speeches that did little but defend the president in sometimes-personal but sometimes-banal ways. They made statements that contradicted his administration's record and compared him to former presidents like Abraham Lincoln, suggesting it is difficult to see where the 16th chief executive's record on race ends that of the 45th's begins.

"The choice in this election has never been clearer and the stakes have never been higher," Mr Pence said at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, where Mr Trump made a surprise appearance at the conclusion of his No. 2's remarks. "Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot, but the truth is ... our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order is on the ballot. But so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country.

"It's not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or more Democrat. The choice in this election is whether America remains America," the VP said, also falsely claiming of the coronavirus: "We are stopping the spread."

With his boss and running mate looking on from backstage, Mr Pence also went directly after former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president.

"President Trump and I know the men and women that put on the uniform of law enforcement are the best of us. They put their lives on the line every day," he said. "The American people know we don't have to choose between supporting law enforcement, and standing with African-American neighbours to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns."

Republicans again opted against acknowledging the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, by a white police officer. Instead, they criticised Democratic mayors and state officials for allegedly hindering police departments. "The violence and bloodshed we are seeing ... isn't happening by chance. It's the direct result of refusing to allow law enforcement to protect our communities," said Michael McHale, now with the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority Police Department. He contended that Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, as California state attorney general, cut police funding and training "and made our streets even more dangerous than they already are".

Mr Pence also did not directly acknowledge the shooting of Mr Blake, instead suggesting there would be even more violence under a Biden administration.

"Joe Biden says America is systemically racist. And that law enforcement in America has a quote, 'implicit bias' against minorities," the VP said. "And when asked whether he'd support cutting funding to law enforcement, and he replied, 'Yes, absolutely.' The hard truth is ... you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America."

Other speakers hailed the president as pro-woman, pro-life and pro-pre-existing conditions. The campaign and Republican National Committee appeared to feel a need to paint him as all three since he has said disparaging things about women and tried to dismantle part of the Affordable Care Act that protected those medical ailments. Just about every speaker used three words Mr Trump does daily: "far left" and "radical" when talking about Democrats.

Crises abound

As the vice president delivered the night's keynote address, cable news chyrons for most of the day painted a bleak picture of the state of the country. They, at once, gave details of ongoing violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after a black man was shot and paralysed by a white police officer; two hurricanes barrelling towards the Gulf Coast; and the usual political division and mud-slinging.

Even before Republicans kicked off the third night of their nominating event, one of their general election foes took umbrage with the tone of the convention. "Watching the Republican convention this week we've seen what they have to offer," Senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee said. "It's been about darkness and division and clearly no plan to lead our country."

The president and vice president appeared on the convention's third night on a day they received a mixed bag of news from new polls, with one survey showing the 2020 race narrowing in key battleground states.

On the negative side for the Trump-Pence campaign: two new polls showed Mr Trump garnering the support of under 40 per cent of voters. A HarrisX survey put Mr Biden up 47-38, and an Ispos poll put the former VP up 44-37. Another, from YouGov, gave Mr Biden a 9-point lead: 50-41.

But on the positive side, a Change Research survey of a list of swing states shows the race narrowing in the places that will decide the election. Mr Trump has pulled within 5 points in Wisconsin, 3 points in Pennsylvania, 3 points in Florida, and 2 points in Arizona. Mr Biden now leads by one point in North Carolina, where he and the president have traded the lead in a number of surveys  suggesting a dead heat there.

The same survey showed the race remaining a 6-point Biden advantage in Michigan.

The Trump-Pence ticket won each of those states in 2016.

'Who do you trust'?

The GOP duo headlined their re-election convention's third of four nights in prime time hours after the president made, without supporting evidence, a claim that Mr Biden was drugged during the final Democratic debate when he went one-on-one with Senator Bernie Sanders.

"Nobody thought that he was even going to win," Mr Trump told the Washington Examiner earlier in the day. "Because his debate performances were so bad. Frankly, his best performance was against Bernie.

"We're going to call for a drug test, by the way, because his best performance was against Bernie. It wasn't that he was Winston Churchill because he wasn't, but it was a normal, boring debate," he added. "You know, nothing amazing happened. And we are going to call for a drug test because there's no way  you can't do that."

Hours later, Mr Pence, like Republicans have since Mr Biden secured the Democratic nomination, tried linking the former VP to his final party debate foe, the party's progressive standard-bearer.

"Bernie Sanders did tell his followers that Joe Biden would be the most liberal president of modern times, and confirmed that, quote, 'Many of the ideas we fought for, that just a few years ago were considered radical, are now mainstream," Mr Pence said, adding with the kind of fawning praise for the president that has dominated the week: "On November 3rd, ask yourself: Who do you trust to rebuild this economy? A career politician who presided over the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression? Or a proven leader who created the greatest economy in the world?"
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chromologics, which is developing innovative natural food colorants, today announces it has raised 1.9 M in seed financing led by Novo Seeds and supported by Nordic FoodTech VC and Vkstfonden. Chromologics just recently won the Business Acceleration Academy Award from the BioInnovation Institute in Denmark.

Chromologics, a spin-out from the Technical University of Denmark, is set to change how natural colorants are produced. The company has developed a fermentation-based color platform for production of ChromoColors, its high-performing and sustainable food colorants. The funds will enable Chromologics to accelerate the development and regulatory approval of ChromoRed, its flagship food colorant.

ChromoRed has the potential to be the first natural colorant that is exclusively produced by sustainable fermentation processes, instead of being extracted from plants or animals. Consumer awareness over food ingredients, the rise in veganism and the importance of more sustainable eating habits, has led to a re-evaluation of food manufacturing. ChromoRed is targeting a very significant market opportunity in excess of $2 billion, in an area of high consumer and industry demand. ChromoRed's unique performance has been validated by leading players in the industry, and Chromologics is in ongoing discussions with a number of commercial partners to expand the collaboration.

Gerit Tolborg, Chief Executive Officer of Chromologics, said: "We are very pleased to welcome these strong and experienced investors to Chromologics. Their support provides validation for our strategy to develop better and more sustainable food colorants. They recognize the extraordinary economic opportunity in introducing lab-grown food colorants to the market at a time where alternative meats and food safety is a high consumer demand. This investment will allow us to accelerate the development of our flagship product ChromoRed and maximize the potential of our platform as we develop food colorants that meet the needs of industry and consumers."

Thomas Grotkjr, Principal at Novo Seeds, added: "Our mission at Novo Seeds is to identify disruptive technologies, enable entrepreneurs to build companies and bring them to real inflection points. Chromologics has an excellent team which has developed a truly innovative platform with the potential to transform how natural colorants are developed. There is enormous demand from industry and consumers for these high quality and sustainable products and we have already had significant commercial interest from partners."

Thomas Grotkjr, Principal at Novo Seeds, and Lauri Reuter, Founding Partner at Nordic FoodTech VC, have joined the Chromologics Board.

About Chromologics

Chromologics is a spin-out from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and was founded in 2017. Chromologics aims to change the natural color industry with innovative next generation food colors. Chromologics has developed a biotechnological color platform to introduce high-performing biobased food colorants to the market.

ChromoRed is a fermentation-derived natural colorant which has optimal pH-and temperature stability, allowing it to be used in a variety of different food products. As a lab-produced colorant, ChromoRed is also more sustainable than currently approved natural red colorants which require intensive farming. Unlike other existing natural colors, Chromologics' colorants are not extracted from high value raw materials like fruit and vegetables, but produced in a sustainable, scalable and cost-competitive process.

Find out more at Chromologics.com, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Novo Holdings

Novo Seeds is the early stage investment arm of Novo Holdings. Novo Holdings A/S is a Danish private limited liability company wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. It is the holding company of the Novo Group, comprising Novo Nordisk A/S, Novozymes A/S and NNIT A/S, and manages the Foundation's assets.

In addition to being the major shareholder in the Novo Group companies, Novo Holdings provides seed and venture capital to development-stage companies, takes significant ownership positions in well-established companies within life science and manages a broad portfolio of financial assets.

It is the vision of Novo Holdings to be recognized as a world-leading life science investor with a focus on creating long-term value. Read more at www.novoholdings.dk.

About Vkstfonden

In close collaboration with banks and domestic and international private investors, we discover and develop the companies that Denmark cannot afford to miss out on. We carry the experience and the expertise that make businesses grow  from digitalizing a carpenter's business in small town Sallingsund to the launching of a robotic arm in Silicon Valley. The power of innovation, yield to society and responsibility are the three signposts that guide us in finding and choosing new projects. Since 1992, Vaekstfonden has co-financed growth in over 8,500 companies for a total commitment of more than 3.7 B. Read more at https://vaekstfonden.com/.

About Nordic FoodTech VC

Nordic FoodTech VC is the first venture capital fund in the Nordics investing explicitly in the future of food. The fund invests in bold, early stage Nordic and Baltic tech companies that are creating a more sustainable and healthy global food system. Read more at www.nft.vc

SOURCE Chromologics
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / In the years of 2005 and 2006, RJ Pepino and Dave Payerchin individually began their career paths within the real estate investment industry, where they decided to unite forces in 2012 buying rental properties around the central Ohio region. To present, the two have purchased, renovated, and sold over 1000 properties for profit and currently own and manage over 100 properties producing a revenue of approximately $105,000 monthly. They specialize in affordable housing and finding off market opportunities. RJ and Dave are true

"boots on the ground" investors who live and operate in Columbus, Ohio where they have deepened their knowledge of central Ohio real estate.

Both growing their professional lives from the ground up, they embodied the work ethic and diligence in mastering their craft. RJ Pepino originally believed that the only path to success was found in attempting to climb the corporate ladder. As he continued to be passed up on promotions, RJ knew a change needed to happen to reach the success he longed for. Through conjoining forces with Dave, they accepted the challenge in their journey to become successful entrepreneurs among real estate investments. Although the entrepreneurial direction required a large time investment, the two were determined to learn the ins and outs of the market to cultivate long term success.

RJ Pepino and Dave Payerchin founded the company, Sell House Columbus which centrally focuses on the buy and hold strategy to maximize profits in investing. After RJ read Robert Kiyosaki's, "Rich Dad Poor Dad" and Dave reading, "How to Retire Young and Retire Rich," the two formulated a plan on how to grow a brand among the real estate industry. Through gradually building a solid network of mentors, they were able to create a foundation for the rest of their careers. RJ and Dave worked tirelessly to develop a worthy understanding of the market they desired to excel in and discovered a passion for low maintenance cash flowing properties.

Through their centralized focus on their problem solving standpoint, the mission of Sell House Columbus is to assure a return on investment. Whether it is a motivated seller who is in need of help to provide debt relief or an investor who is seeking a higher return in real estate rather than the stock market, Sell House Columbus is concentrated in upholding their clients' needs. With just seven members on their team, they focus on adding value to their needs before anything else to ultimately create a life long customer basis who will contribute referrals.

In the beginning of their real estate endeavor, building a solid capital to expand investments became a challenge for the two entrepreneurs. They managed to raise money by making sure every private investor who lent money even when they struggled to make ends meet. One key to the success of their company, the two attribute to sustaining frugality in the beginning of their career and reinvesting their money to build growth. Rebranding their company to mainly be a buy and hold organization to expand their portfolio was a major obstacle RJ Pepino and Dave Payerchin were faced to overcome. From the year of 2013 until 2018, their focus strategy was to buy, renovate, and manage rental properties for other investors whereas now they transformed their brand to expand their market.

RJ Pepino and Dave Payerchin advise anyone seeking to build a business that it is never too late to start and when one begins their venture, put forth 100 percent, fail fast, learn from your failures, and hire a mentor. The two attribute their fast growth to their network of professionals that are masters in the industry you strive to be in to learn their craft. When asked the meaning of success RJ and Dave responded, "Success is being able to do what I want, when I want, and with whomever I want. Success is freedom." Humans are inherently creators and once that is recognized, one must patiently develop their mind to eliminate any self-limiting beliefs that were engraved in the early years of childhood.

In terms of future plans, RJ Pepino and Dave Payerchin plan to build out their lending and consulting programs. They plan to provide the opportunity for others to learn the potential in the real estate industry to achieve financial freedom. Sell House Columbus has successfully raised $20 million from banks and private investors and in turn brought about their high level of success. They have achieved an 'A' rating with the Better Business Bureau and was nominated for a Torch Award in 2019. RJ and Dave thoroughly display the true work ethic of a successful entrepreneur and plan on continuing their speedy growth in the industry. To follow along RJ Pepino and Dave Payerchin's business and future endeavors, click here.

CONTACT:

Kiley Almy

Kiley@nextwavemktg.com

Next Wave Marketing

SOURCE: Sell House Columbus

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604280/Sell-House-Columbus-RJ-Pepino-and-Dave-Payerchins-Speedy-Path-to-Success-in-the-Real-Estate-Industry
Company Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Violation as Part of Scheme to Circumvent North Korean Sanctions and Deceive Banks, Agrees to Pay Forfeiture and Fine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, August 31, 2020



Yang Ban Corporation, a company established in the British Virgin Islands in 2014 that operated in South East Asia pleaded guilty today to conspiring to launder monetary instruments in connection with evading sanctions on North Korea and deceiving correspondent banks into processing U.S. dollar transactions. The company will pay a financial penalty totaling $673,714.04.

In pleading guilty, Yang Ban admitted and accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct. Yang Ban also agreed to implement rigorous internal controls and to cooperate fully with the Justice Department, including by reporting any criminal conduct by an employee.

"Evasion of U.S. sanctions laws allows North Korea to continue its dangerous and persistent proliferation activities and to develop weapons of mass destruction," said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. "This defendant utilized dual invoicing practices and provided false statements to conceal the ultimate destination of commodities it purchased for North Korea, duping U.S. correspondent banks into processing U.S. dollar transactions that they would not otherwise have authorized. The disruption of this activity demonstrates that the Justice Department will leverage its significant investigative assets to uncover and punish North Korean efforts to engage in fraud, money laundering, and sanctions violations all to bolster its oppressive regime."

"Yang Ban undermined the integrity of our financial system and harmed our national security by circumventing banks' sanction and anti-money laundering filters as part of a scheme to launder funds for North Korean customers," said Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin for the District of Columbia. "Today's action demonstrates this office's commitment to find and punish companies, no matter where they are located, whose actions illegally facilitate North Korean sanctions evasion."

"Once again, the Department of Justice has disrupted an effort by North Korea to covertly access the U.S. financial system in violation of U.S. sanctions," said Alan E. Kohler Jr, Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. "The FBI will aggressively investigate companies established for the sole purpose of evading U.S. sanctions on North Korea. The sanctity of the U.S. financial system will not be compromised."

"Companies making deliberate efforts to launder money through the United States will be shut down," said Michael F. Paul, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Minneapolis Division. "I commend the hard work of the agents and analysts who investigated this case."

"Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system, leveraging investigative assets in our combined efforts to expose the North Korean regime's attempt to evade U.S. sanctions," said Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) HSI Washington, D.C.

U.S. sanctions and banking regulations prevented correspondent banks in the United States from processing wire transfers on behalf of customers located in North Korea. According to admissions and court documents, beginning in at least February 2017 and continuing until at least May 2018, Yang Ban deceived banks in the U.S. into processing transactions for North Korean customers of Yang Ban. Yang Ban and its co-conspirators utilized financial cutouts and front companies to conceal the North Korean nexus. Yang Ban specifically admitted to conspiring with other, including SINSMS, a subsequently designated company, to falsify shipping records. For example, in May 2017, a North Korean co-conspirator notified Yang Ban and its co-conspirators of a company which would ship to Nampo, North Korea, but would require two separate sets of shipping documents. One set of documents would be free of any indication that the shipment was going to North Korea, and a second set of documents would contain the North Korea details for internal record keeping.

Yang Ban admitted that it was aware that it needed to distance itself from North Korean front companies in order to protect it from additional scrutiny from banks that process U.S. dollar transactions. For example, in September 2016, Yang Ban caused an employee to inform a North Korean customer that Yang Ban was unable to use a related company for further business with North Korea due to bank restrictions on such transactions

The investigation was conducted by the FBI's Minneapolis Field Office with support from HSI's Washington D.C. Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia M. Faruqui and Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers, Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, and Records Examiner Angela De Falco.

Topic(s): National Security

Component(s):

National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - District of Columbia

Press Release Number: 20-850

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She has just won huge praise for her new dark comedy, I Hate Suzie.

So Billie Piper certainly had plenty to smile about as she enjoyed a day out with her partner Johnny Lloyd and their daughter Tallulah, 20 months, on Tuesday.

The Doctor Who star, 38, was rocking her usual edgy style in an overcoat with a pair of boots while Johnny showcased his rock star worthy bleached locks.

Sweet: Billie Piper certainly had plenty to smile about as she enjoyed a day out with her partner Johnny Lloyd and their daughter Tallulah, 20 months, on Tuesday

Billie, who also has sons Winston James, 11, and Eugene Pip, eight, with ex-husband Laurence Fox, was going for her favoured off-duty style in the loose-fitting jeans and warm coat as the weather gets chillier.

Billie's outing comes after I Hate Suzie, a Sky Atlantic show, received widespread acclaim from fans since its debut.

The Swindon-born star was lauded for her brooding portrayal of former popstar Suzie Pickles, who has her life thrown into disarray when intimate photos of her in a compromising position with a man who isn't her husband, are leaked online.

Billie co-created the eight part drama with her Secret Diary of a Call Girl writer Lucy Prebble - with viewers praising the star's performance and the gripping storyline.

The happy couple: The Doctor Who star, 38, was rocking her usual edgy style in an overcoat with a pair of boots while Johnny showcased his rock star worthy bleached locks

Wow: She has just won huge praise for her new dark comedy, I Hate Suzie

Loose look: She wore her hair in a loose unkempt style

One fan wrote: 'Binge watched all but the last episode of I Hate Suzie and at 2:55am I have to be sensitive. Billie Piper is impeccable and I couldnt take my eyes off her, what an INCREDIBLE actress and BRILLIANTLY told story.'

Another wrote: 'The first part of #IHateSuzie is so intense. Billie Piper is so watchable - could be a good one. So far.'

The show follows Suzie as she slowly begins to unravel after the photos are published, the effects of which ricochet into every area of her life.

Out and about: Billie, who also has sons Winston James, 11, and Eugene Pip, eight, with ex-husband Laurence Fox, was going for her favoured off-duty style in the loose-fitting jeans and warm coat as the weather gets chillier

Starring role: :Billie co-created the eight part drama with her Secret Diary of a Call Girl writer Lucy Prebble - with viewers praising the star's performance and the gripping storyline

As the episodes go on, the audience follows Suzie as she goes through stages of shock, denial, fear, shame, guilt, anger and eventually, acceptance.

Suzie is seen in the programme enjoying family life with her husband and child before this is interspersed with the horror she feels when she learns the secret images of her have been made public.

As the fallout continues, Suzie and her best friend and manager Naomi (Leila Farzad) try to hold her life, career and marriage to Cob (Daniel Ings) together.
Students walk on campus at Princeton University in New Jersey on Feb. 4, 2020. (Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

Trump Looking at Further Actions to Stop Chinas Theft of US Research: Pompeo

U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo said in an interview on Monday that President Donald Trump is evaluating measures to prevent intellectual property theft by Chinese nationals and students that could be rolled out over the coming weeks and months.

The Trump administration is aware that the Chinese Communist Party has stolen hundreds of billions of dollars of intellectual property and with that tens and hundreds of thousands of American jobs,  either by taking it through cyber means or,  by their people actively working inside of our places of research, Pompeo said in an interview with the hosts of WMALs Morning On The Mall Radio Show.

For decades, prior administrations, both Republican and Democrat, have turned a blind eye to these practices, Pompeo said. No administration has taken this seriously until these last couple years when President Trump began to demand that we get this right.

When asked by a host about the possibility of prohibiting entry to the United States for all students and researchers from China for a certain number of years, Pompeo reminded them that not every Chinese student in America is spying for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

But he said it is absolutely the case that Chinese students are being subject to regular surveillance by the CCP to make sure theyre engaged in behavior thats consistent with what the Chinese Communist Party wants them to do.

But they cannot be considered spies in the most formal sense, he explained.

He added that the Trump administration is aware that many Chinese students who visit the United States or their families come under enormous pressure from the Chinese regime back home.

However, he said that Trump is determined to stop this.

For the first time in decades, you have an administration that is taking this threat from the Chinese Communist Party seriously.

The Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass., on March 23, 2020. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The CCP has used various methods to infiltrate American universities and research institutionsthe most prominent being its overseas Thousand Talents program that recruits international experts in a bid to acquire proprietary information and advanced technology.

The Chinese regime uses these stolen technologies and know-how to produce subsidized products to sell as competitors back in the United States, Pompeo said.

Products like Artificial Intelligence machine learning software or companies like a TikTok are examples of intellectual property theft by the CCP, he added.

The FBI, the Justice Department, and the State Department have joined efforts to combat such illicit activities and work toward the goal of establishing, for the first time, a reasonable, a reciprocal trade arrangement with China, Pompeo said.

On Friday, a researcher at the University of Virginia, Hu Haizhou, was arrested and charged with theft of trade secrets and computer intrusion. This came days after he was caught at a Chicago airport trying to transport back to China advanced computer codes that he allegedly stole from the university, prosecutors said.

Earlier this year, the former chair of Harvard Universitys chemistry department, Charles Lieber, was indicted on charges related to making false statements about his participation in the Thousand Talents program and receiving $2.25 million in funding from China over three years.

While participation in Chinese talent programs isnt in itself illegal, researchers are required to disclose foreign funding when applying for federal grants.

The Houston Chinese consulates ongoing work targeting local scientists for recruitment to Chinas talent program was a reason for the U. S. authorities ordering the consulates closure by in July.

Eva Fu and Cathy He contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  A Senate joint panel is seeking ways to extend the provision of lifeline rates to subsidize power consumption, only this time, it should exclusively benefit marginalized consumers.

The Senate Committee on Energy joint with the Committee on Public Services tackled Tuesday Senate Bill 1583 which seeks to extend lifeline rates up to 2041 to help out low income electricity consumers.

A lifeline rate is a subsidized rate given to low income users consuming electricity below 100 kilowatt-hours (kWh) who cannot afford to pay their bills at full cost. The Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001 covers this scheme, which was initially allowed for 20 years, or up to 2021 only.

However, the joint panel raised the need to provide a mechanism for a more accurate targeting of beneficiaries if the scheme will be extended, following certain loopholes in the current policy.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who presided the hearing, called out the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) for inaction on reports that even consumers owning condominiums and rest houses have also benefitted from the subsidy over the past 20 years.

He said that 1.6-billion worth of subsidies have been given annually, but at least 33 percent of households were given discounts in 2018 alone, even when the poverty incidence in the country was only at 12 percent at the time.

Gatchalian bared that there were leakages amounting to 937 million which covered the non-marginalized consumers.

"Condo units are getting subsidies and these are not marginalized end users. These are from condominiums, some of them are rest houses or condominiums that are owned by well-off families and well-off consumers," the senator said.

Senator Risa Hontiveros recommended that households under government programs such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program should be included in the lifeline scheme.

The lawmakers also pointed out lapses on the cross-subsidy system which serves as the source of funding of the lifeline rates. This means that other end users such as middle-income consumers have been subsidizing the lifeline rates worth 0.0604 per kWh for the past 20 years.

"It's very disheartening that every centavo that you earn is not going to the people that we intend to help over the last 20 years," Gatchalian noted.

Laban Konsyumer chief Vic Dimagiba suggested that subsidies for lifeline rates must come from the national government, instead of the consumers.

The DOE, ERC, and utility distributors were urged to submit their other proposals on other provisionary amendments to the measure prior to the next Senate hearing.
Press Release

September 1, 2020 Medical, financial expertise needed in PhilHealth, COVID response: Pangilinan PUBLIC HEALTH and financial expertise, not on law enforcement, is needed to solve the twin crisis of COVID and corruption that plagues the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and the government response to the pandemic, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Tuesday on the appointment of Dante Gierran as PhilHealth president and chief executive officer. "I have serious misgivings about the appointment given that we clearly need a more holistic rather than a simplistic law enforcement approach to the cancer confronting PhilHealth in particular and the COVID health crisis in general," Pangilinan said. Gierran, former National Bureau of Investigation director, himself admitted in a television interview Tuesday morning that he has no prior knowledge or experience on public health. "There is also a question regarding his qualifications considering his lack of experience in the field of public health that Malacanang chose to ignore. His predecessor too had no public health experience and that ended terribly for PhilHealth," Pangilinan said. "Hindi lang malaki ang problema ng PhilHealth at COVID, kailangan pa ng agarang solusyon. Mas makakabuti kung sa isang maalam na sa public health at finance binigay ang posisyon," he added. Section 14 of Republic Act 11223, the law instituting universal health care and reforms in the health-care system, the insurer's president and CEO "must have at least seven years of experience in the field of public health, management, finance, and health economics, or a combination of any of these expertise." At the same time, Pangilinan calls for a transparent audit of PhilHealth's records to show the public where the P15 billion in PhilHealth funds have gone. "Bilang institusyon na binubuhay ng mga kontribusyon at subsidiya ng gobyerno, ang mga mamamayan ay may karapatang malaman at makasiguro na kaya nilang lumapit sa ahensya kung sila man ay magkasakit. Sabi nga nila, health is wealth. Dapat magarantiya ito," Pangilinan said. In a Senate hearing, a resigned PhilHealth anti-fraud officer said a syndicate in the state-run health insurer pocketed about P15 billion PhilHealth funds in 2019 alone. Pangilinan said he supports a cleansing process in the agency which should hold to account past officials who have stolen the people's money and who have been remiss in their duties. "For the sake of PhilHealth and the health of all Filipinos, my serious misgivings notwithstanding, I hope he [Gierran] succeeds where others have failed," the senator said.
First published in The Sydney Morning Herald on September 1, 1928



A cathedral - an impression of St. Mary's

Father Cyril Martindale, S.J., one of the visitors to Sydney for the Eucharistic Congress, is, after Chesterton and Belloc, the outstanding literary figure in the Roman Catholic world today... He was one of the British chaplains during the war, and there met many of the Australian soldiers, of whom he speaks in deep affection... While Father Martindale was in New Zealand, travelling with Bishop Cleary, both were injured in a motor accident. Father Martindale has been obliged, as the result of these injuries, to remain a patient in the Lewisham Hospital, and there he has written the following interesting sketch for The Sydney Morning Herald.

I thought at first it would be too hard to write about a cathedral one had never seen. The angelic but inexorable ministry of hospital-sisters forbids my visiting it till Sunday's ceremony. From my bed, in fact, I see little save a sedative outlook on a graveyard. But so comfortable have I been made, in the best imaginable hospital, that I hardly even wanted to look at the cathedral. I became almost glad I was reduced to reflect on what it represented, not on its actual self. I was so afraid it might be a very good copy of something Gothic.

St Mary's Cathedral from under the trees of Hyde Park, Sydney, ca. 1928. Credit:Staff photographer

I feared it might possess the fatal uniformity of the Houses of Parliament in London or Budapest, for example. Then I saw some photographs. With delight I found that there were irregularities about it. Life is like that - a leaf, a spray, a tree have their exquisite balance, but there geometrical symmetries are disguised. Also, if I read the photographs aright, many of its lines rise uninterrupted to where the curve begins, without necklaces and other ornaments to disturb the pure upward jet.
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - The Securities and Exchange Commission's Investor Advisory Committee will hold a virtual public meeting on September 24, 2020. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. ET, is open to the public via live webcast, and will be archived on the Committee's website for later viewing.

The Committee will hold two panel discussions: a discussion regarding self-directed IRAs, and a discussion regarding minority community investor inclusion. The full agenda is available here.

Members of the Committee represent a wide variety of investor interests, including those of individual and institutional investors, senior citizens, and state securities commissions. For a full list of Committee members, see the Committee's webpage.

The Investor Advisory Committee was established to advise the SEC on regulatory priorities, the regulation of securities products, trading strategies, fee structures, the effectiveness of disclosure, and on initiatives to protect investor interests and to promote investor confidence and the integrity of the securities marketplace. The Committee is authorized to submit findings and recommendations to the Commission.
Deputy President William Ruto has commented on the contentious debate about reopening schools in Kenya.

Speaking during a church service at African Inland Church (AIC) Pipeline in Embakasi South, DP Ruto assured parents that the government would make necessary consultations before making a decision to resume learning.

I want to give assurances to parents that no decision will be made by the government of Kenya without extensive consultations with all the stakeholders; church leaders, school managers, parents, and all other stakeholders in our education sector because children are very sensitive to any nation, said Ruto.

No decision will be made until we are sure as a government that our children are safe. I assure all others across Kenya that we will consult extensively and ensure that our children will go to school only when we are sure that they are safe, he added.

This comes as the Ministry of Education mulls an early reopening due to the decreasing number of new Covid-19 infections.

Education CS Prof George Magoha last week said schools may reopen before the turn of the year should the Covid-19 curve flatten in the next two or three weeks.
Police searching for a 15-year-old girl who had not been seen since Sunday say they have found a body.

Seesha Dack vanished while out seeing friends at Fish Quay, in North Shields, North Tyneside, on Sunday evening.

Police launched a search for the missing teenager and were seen scouring a disused warehouse near to where she went missing.

Seesha's mother Victoria Dack, 33, had launched a desperate appeal to get her 'baby girl home safe'.

Northumbria Police revealed this evening that the body of a female was found near Tanners Bank in North Shields.

Seesha Dack was last sighted at the Fish Quay, in North Shields, North Tyneside, on Sunday evening. On Tuesday evening they announced a body had been discovered near Tanners Bank in North Shields

Officers believe it is Seesha's body, but formal identification is still due to take place.

Superintendent Barrie Joisce, of Northumbria Police, said: 'This is an extremely sad conclusion to an extensive investigation.

'Specialist officers are currently supporting Seeshas family during this incredibly difficult time and our thoughts are with them.

'I want to thank everyone who helped in our search by sharing our appeals, searching the area and those who have phoned us with possible sightings.

'We will continue to carry out enquiries to establish the circumstances around the death but at this stage we do not believe there to be any third party involvement.

Once formal identification has been completed a report will be prepared for the coroner.

Police have today been seen searching for Seesha Dack who has not been seen since Sunday

A police helicopter has today been seen circling the area where Seesha went missing, as part of the search

Seesha's mother described her as a 'confident, outgoing, happy, bubbly girl.

Victoria added: 'She means the world to us.'

The North Shields mother said her daughter was last seen at an area known as the 'quayside steps' leading to Howard Street, and then Saville Street, after becoming separated from two friends.

A specialist search team from North Tyneside Police have been seen searching the area with officers in the hunt for Seesha

A police boat was also seen on the river in the area as part of the search for the missing 15-year-old

Prior to the discovery, police said officers were growing increasingly concerned for her welfare.

Specialist search teams were this morning combing through a disused warehouse on an industrial estate on the Fish Quay.
She is the icy reality star who is known for her perfectly coiffed platinum locks.

But on Tuesday, former Married At First star Stacey Hampton crossed over to the dark side and debuted her new brunette tresses.

The 26-year-old mother-of-two showed off a stunning new balayage 'do in shades of rich brown on Instagram.

Going over to the dark side! On Tuesday, former Married At First Sight star Stacey Hampton ditched her blonde locks (left) and debuted her new brunette tresses (right)

'Insert inspirational quote here,' Stacey captioned the post, tagging her talented hairstylist.

As well as the hot new colour, Stacey was sporting a bouncy blow dry, which left her locks in loose curls that cascaded over her shoulders.

The former law student was also made up in glamorous makeup, featuring full coverage foundation, plenty of bronzer, defined brows and a soft pink lip.

New 'do, new you! As well as the fresh new colour, Stacey was sporting a bouncy blow dry which left her locks in loose curls that cascaded over her shoulders

The stunning new look for Stacey comes amid her latest legal drama.

Stacey was arrested in May and is now facing three charges of ignoring coronavirus restrictions on interstate trips.

Police arrested Stacey at Adelaide Airport on May 6 on her way back from Melbourne - after Instagram photos showed she was wasn't self-isolating.

Looking food! The former law student was also made up in glamorous makeup, featuring full coverage foundation, plenty of bronzer, defined brows and a soft pink lip

The TV star played down the incident as 'a little hiccup' with her essential worker paperwork, at the time.

However, Daily Mail Australia can reveal Stacey was actually locked up for several hours and charged with two counts of failing to comply with a direction.

Police are believed to have told Stacey to go straight home and self-isolate - before they followed her after she left the police station.

Charges: Stacey's new hairdo comes after she was arrested and is now facing three charges of ignoring coronavirus restrictions on interstate trips

They allegedly watched her pick up her her two sons, Kruz, two, and Kosta, four, who were separately staying at her mother and friend's homes.

Officers then arrived at her house to give her a summons to appear on a third failure to comply with a direction charge.

'Currently waiting for the cops to come to my house and abuse me. Probably give me another fine,' she wrote in a text to a friend at the time.

Out and about: Police arrested Hampton, 26, at Adelaide Airport on May 6 on her way back from Melbourne - after Instagram photos showed she was wasn't self-isolating. Pictured: One of many photos of Hampton with her friend Anthony Hess on shopping trips during her jaunts to Melbourne

She will face Adelaide Magistrates Court on October 30, facing fines of up to $20,000 and two years jail for each count.

At the time, essential travellers were allowed to enter SA and continue as normal. Non-essential travellers needed to self-isolate for 14 days.

When asked on May 6 about reports she was stopped at Adelaide Airport by police, Stacey claimed it was all a misunderstanding.

Issues: She will face Adelaide Magistrates Court on October 30, facing fines of up to $20,000 and two years jail for each count. Pictured: Anthony shared footage to his Instagram Stories of the law graduate entering Cartier

She told Daily Mail Australia there was 'a little hiccup' at the airport due to state border closures, but insisted everything was 'fine' in the end.

'I had an essential workers clearance form, which they didn't realise I had, so I was fine. They had to look into my clearance, which was fine,' she said.

'It was just over my form [and] whether or not it was essential. Then I proceeded to collect my son from school.'
Four activists, three of whom are related, were arrested June 24, 2020 for discussing January's violent Dong Tam protests on Facebook. From left to right: Trinh Ba Tu, his mother Can Thi Theu, his brother Trinh Ba Phuong and Nguyen Thi Tam, who was arrested on the same charge.

The wife of a Vietnamese activist is refusing to comply with a police summons to discuss the case of her husband, Trinh Ba Phuong, one of three detained members of the Trinh family who are awaiting trial over a deadly land rights clash outside Hanoi, her father-in-law told RFA Monday.

Trinh Ba Phuongs wife, Do Thi Thu, gave birth to their child around the time of his June 24 arrest along with his brother, Trinh Ba Tu, and mother, Can Thi Theu, for spreading information critical of a police raid early this year to quash a long-running dispute over a military airport construction site at Dong Tam.

Police arrived at Dos house in Hanois Duong Noi district on Sunday to deliver the summons.

The communist police yesterday summoned my daughter-in-law again, but she said she would not to go to police station. She refused to receive the summons, no matter what the communists want her to do, Dos father in law Trinh Ba Khiem told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

I think they want to investigate Trinh Ba Phuongs case. My daughter-in-law just gave birth two months ago around when her husband was arrested, thats why she decided not to go to police station, he said.

Dos interaction with the police Sunday was livestreamed on her Facebook account. The video showed police officers in plainclothes delivering the summons, which Do refused to sign for. She also told them she would not appear at the local police station on Sept. 3 as requested.

The three detained members of the Trinh family had been outspoken in social media postings about the Jan. 9 Dong Tam clash, in which 3,000 police stormed barricaded protesters homes at a construction site about 25 miles south of the capital, killing a village elder. Three police officers died in the battle.

The Trinhs openly offered information to foreign embassies and other international figures to try to raise awareness of the incident.

Bureaucratic runaround

Trinh Ba Khiem also told RFA Monday that he encountered yet another stumbling block in his attempt to visit his other detained son, Trinh Ba Tu, after the family was told he had begun a hunger strike in early August.

RFA previously reported that the Trinh family patriarch had attempted to meet his younger son at the Cham Mat detention center in Hoa Binh province where he and his mother are being held.

Joined by an entourage of residents from Hanois Duong Noi district, Trinh was last week turned away by camp police who threatened that they would be beaten by gangsters.

The group later visited the Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi, who told them to submit a letter to the police in Hoa Binh province to request an indirect meeting with his son, where they would be able to see each other through a glass window but would not be able to talk.

Trinh Ba Khiem told RFA Monday that the letter alone was not enough.

This morning around 10 a.m. I and several residents of Duong Noi district arrived at the Hoa Binh province police department. Two residents and I met with an officer named Dinh Le Hoa, who requested an official testimony from the police at the local commune station confirming that [I] and Trinh Ba Tu are in a father-son relationship, he said.

I went back home and then to the commune police, but they did not confirm [our relationship] so my letter was not sent to the detention camp and I could not meet with my son, he added.

The reason for Trinh Ba Tus hunger strike remains unclear. RFA first learned of the strike last week from Trinh Ba Tus sister Trinh Thi Thao, who said that an unknown person had told her that her brother had stopped eating.

RFA attempted to confirm the hunger strike with the detention camp, but officers there said they were not at liberty to provide information. The detention camps commissary records show that Trinh and his mother stopped buying food on Aug. 6.

In an earlier flare up of the Dong Tam dispute that goes back to 1980, farmers detained 38 police officers and local officials during a weeklong standoff in April 2017. Three months later, the Hanoi Inspectorate rejected the farmers claims that 47 hectares (116 acres) of their farmland was seized for the military-run Viettel GroupVietnams largest mobile phone operatorwithout adequate compensation.

While all land in Vietnam is ultimately held by the state, land confiscations have become a flashpoint as residents accuse the government of pushing small landholders aside in favor of lucrative real estate projects, and of paying too little in compensation.

International organizations have voiced concern about the Dong Tam case, calling on the Vietnamese government to hold an independent and transparent investigation.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huy Le. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
A human femur musical instrument from the Wiltshire Museum. (PA)

Bronze Age man kept human remains as relics and turned them into things such as musical instruments, according to researchers.

While the findings may appear macabre, academics said they showed how early man honoured their dead.

It follows a separate find last month by a metal detectorist who uncovered a hoard of Bronze Age artefacts in the Scottish Borders, which experts described as nationally significant.

Read more: Police shut down 30-hour long illegal rave

Radiocarbon dating and CT scanning was used to examine bones from 4,500 years ago and revealed a tradition of retaining and curating human remains as relics over several generations.

In one example from Wiltshire, a human thigh bone had been crafted to make a musical instrument and was included with the burial of a man found close to Stonehenge.

A skeleton from Windmill Fields, Stockton-upon-Tees, buried with skulls and long bones of three people who had died between several decades and a century earlier. (PA)

The carefully carved and polished artefact was found with other items  including stone and bronze axes, a bone plate and a tusk  and is now displayed in the Wiltshire Museum.

Radiocarbon dating of the instrument suggested it belonged to someone known to the person buried in the grave.

Professor Joanna Bruck, the principal investigator for the study, said: Although fragments of human bone were included as grave goods with the dead, they were also kept in the homes of the living, buried under house floors and even placed on display.

Read more: Portugal quarantine return 'would cause chaos'

This suggests that Bronze Age people did not view human remains with the sense of horror or disgust that we might feel today.

Dr Thomas Booth and Prof Bruck, who carried out the research at the University of Bristol, said that in modern secular societies human remains are seen as powerful objects, and this was also true of the Bronze Age.

A human thigh bone crafted to make a musical instrument was included with the burial of a man found close to Stonehenge. (PA)

However, they treated and interacted with the dead in ways which are inconceivably macabre to us today, Dr Booth said.

People seem to have curated the remains of people who had played an important role in their life or their communities, so they had a relic to remember and perhaps tell stories about them.

Story continues

They used a micro-CT scanner at the Natural History Museum to understand how the body was treated while it was decomposing.

Some had been cremated before being split up, some bones were exhumed after burial, and some had been de-fleshed by being left to decompose on the ground, Dr Booth said.

This suggests that there was no established protocol for the treatment of bodies whose remains were destined to be curated, and the decisions and rites leading to the curation of their remains took place afterwards.

There is already evidence that people living in Britain during the Bronze Age practised a range of funerary rites, including primary burial, excarnation, cremation and mummification.

The paper, Radiocarbon and histo-taphonomic evidence for the curation and excarnation of human remains in Bronze Age Britain, is published in the journal Antiquity.

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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Tue, September 1, 2020 09:37 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41d1c21 1 National Sumatran-tiger,critically-endangered-species,human-animal-conflict Free

The North Sumatra Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has evacuated a female Sumatran tiger from Tapus Sipagimbal village in Aek Bilah district, South Tapanuli regency, to the provinces Barumun Nagari Wildlife Sanctuary, following recurring conflicts with local residents.

The 3-year-old animal was captured on Aug. 22 by the BKSDA team as it kept preying on villagers livestock. The tigress' latest attack was on Aug. 15 when it caught a residents goat, BKSDA head Hotmauli Sianturi said.

He added that the tigress was weak when captured and suffering from dehydration and anemia.

The animal was malnourished. It only weighs 45.2 kilograms while the normal weight for a 3-year-old tiger is around 60 kg, Hotmauli said during a press conference at the North Sumatra BKSDA office on Monday.

The Sumatran tiger has been running out of food in their habitats due to continuous illegal logging and plantation development, causing an increase in human-tiger conflicts.

To make things worse, the tigers population has been shrinking due to illegal hunting, Hotmauli said.

Only 33 Sumatran tigers are left in North Sumatra, from a total population of 400 to 600 on the entire island of Sumatra, according to official estimates.

The Sumatran tiger is actually the only surviving species of the Sunda Islands tigers that once included the now-extinct Bali tiger and Javan tiger. It has been listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since 2008. (vny)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 19:49:53|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Dongdao Creative Branding Group was announced as the Official Brand Design Services Exclusive Supplier of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 at a press conference on Tuesday.

Since the launch of its marketing program, Beijing 2022 has been committed to a green, inclusive, open and clean approach to delivering the Beijing 2022 Games, with the goal of developing new marketing strategies to secure both economic and social benefits, and raise funds, supplies and technical support and services for the Beijing 2022 Games.

Beijing 2022 Culture and Ceremonies Department Director General Zhao Wei said that as a key element of the modern Olympic Movement, culture has always been an indispensable part of the Olympic Games.

Dongdao Chairman Xie Jianjun said, along with its 10 subsidiaries, Dongdao will spare no efforts in supporting Beijing 2022 to deliver a successful Games rich in Chinese style and design.

Dongdao is a leading enterprise in China's brand creativity industry. Since its founding 23 years ago, Dongdao has provided professional design and brand creativity services for many international and domestic events. In addition, Dongdao has already completed the Beijing 2022 Emblem Specification Manual and been involved in a series of brand design projects, such as core graphics and creating a color palette.

As of September 1, 2020, Beijing 2022 has signed 34 corporate sponsors. A total of 10 Official Partners have been signed, including Bank of China, Air China, Yili Group, ANTA, China Unicom, Shougang Group, CNPC, Sinopec Group, State Grid, and PICC Group.

A total of 10 Official Sponsors have been signed, including Tsingtao Beer, Yanjing Beer, Arawana, Shunxin, Cultural Investment Holdings, Beijing Beiao Group, HYX, Qi-Anxin, Yuanfudao Online Education, and YumChina.

Eight Official Exclusive Suppliers have been signed, including EF Education First, iFLYTEK, China Post, Hylink, Snickers, Hongyuan Group, 3TREES, and Dongdao. And six Official Suppliers have also been signed, namely, PWC, Suirui, Kingsoft, 1rock Technology, BGCTV, and HBTN. Enditem
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1) The newly-appointed chief of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation on Tuesday vowed to go straight to work, saying he will form a management committee and hire special investigators to help him tackle supposed irregularities and successfully revamp the embattled agency.

Dante Gierran, a retired director of the National Bureau of Investigation, told CNN Philippines he remains confident the reshuffle of Philhealth's regional offices would be finished in two to three days time one of his first major tasks as the new leader of the state health insurer.

Ill have to heed the directive of the President that we will reorganize PhilHealth, Gierran said in an interview with The Source when asked to detail the first order of his day as the new agency head. President Rodrigo Dutertes earlier directive was to reshuffle the regional offices of three major government agencies PhilHealth, NBI, and the Bureau of Customs. However, Malacanang later on clarified that the order did not cover the NBI.

While at that, I will be creating my own management committee. Im not from the PhilHealth, so I do not know what PhilHealth is, so with that, I will start making my way inside PhilHealth, he added.

Gierran refused to release the names of officials being eyed for the said panel, but noted he is considering around five individuals to join the group.

Gierrans appointment was formally announced on Monday five days after Ricardo Morales tendered his resignation as PhilHealth President and CEO. Morales, who earlier filed for medical leave amid ongoing treatment for lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes, was advised by the chief executive to step down due to his medical condition.

Lilinisin natin yung sa loob ng PhilHealth [We will clean-up Philhealth], Gierran said when asked about his target accomplishments in a years time. I will also hire or rehire special investigators to be conducting investigation on these disbursements made by PhilHealth.

Aside from the supposed anomalous disbursements, he promised to tackle other alleged irregularities  including ghost deliveries and controversies in PhilHealth's interim reimbursement mechanism or IRM.

Scared, but will give it a try

Gierran, however, was quick to admit that he had initial worries after accepting the post.

He said he did not apply for the job, which was initially offered by some officials including Senator Bong Go, a former longtime aide of the President.

I tell you, Im scared, Gierran said. Nakita ko na napakahirap pala ng misyon na ito. But sabi ko nga, since the President is appealing to us to help him Pwede pa naman ako mag-trabaho, thats why, sige, Ill give it a try.

[Translation: I saw how hard this mission is going to be. But as I said, since the President is appealing to us to help him I can still work, thats why I said Ill give it a try.]

Gierran, a certified public accountant-lawyer, was the first NBI Director appointed by Duterte after he won the 2016 presidential elections. The 65-year-old official stepped down in February for his mandatory retirement. Prior to his four year-stint as director, he was the NBI regional director for the Davao Region.

Under the Section 14 of Republic Act 11223 or Universal Health Care, upon the recommendation of the Board, the President must appoint a Filipino citizen who has at least seven years of experience in the field of public health, management, finance, and health economics or a combination of such expertise.

Good choice

While some netizens questioned the appointment due to Gierrans background, some lawmakers and officials expressed confidence that it was the right move.

Senate Presidente Vicente Tito Sotto III believes Gierran is a very good choice for the new PhilHealth chief, citing the latters clean record and investigative skills.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, on the other hand, said Gierrans legal and accounting background, investigative skills, administrative abilities, and fiscal prudence make him a good fit for the beleaguered agency.

He added these skills will equip the new PhilHealth chief well to pursue the cleansing process and reformation at PhilHealth to their logical conclusion.

Stability in the organization

PhilHealth, for its part, likewise welcomed the appointment of its new chief.

In a phone interview with CNN Philippines, PhilHealth Corporate Communications Manager Rey Balena said Gierran can greatly aid the organization particularly in gaining more "stability."

According to Balena, Gierran can lead the reforms needed in PhilHealth in light of the ongoing probes on its issues.

CNN Philippines' Alyssa Rola and Crissy Dimatulac contributed to this report.
Supreme leader says UAE allowed Zionist regime to enter region and forgot Palestine by normalising Israel ties.

The United Arab Emirates betrayed the Islamic world and the Palestinians by reaching a deal towards normalising ties with Israel, Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech.

The Palestinians have fiercely opposed the normalisation as weakening traditional Arab refusal to form ties with Israel before the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

That past Arab support was one of the Palestinians few advantages in moribund peace talks with Israel. Palestinians have held public protests and burned the UAE flag in anger.

Of course, the UAEs betrayal will not last long, but this stigma will always be remembered. They allowed the Zionist regime to enter the region and forgot Palestine, Khamenei said on Tuesday. The Emiratis will be disgraced forever I hope they wake up and compensate for what they did.





Iranian authorities have harshly criticised the United States-brokered deal between the UAE and Tehrans longtime foe Israel, with some officials warning the UAE and Israel fostering closer ties risks conflagration in the Middle East.

An Emirati official dismissed Khameneis comments.

The path to peace and prosperity is not through incitement and hate speech, foreign ministry official Jamal al-Musharakh said.

That kind of rhetoric is counterproductive to peace in the region.

Israel and the UAE expect economic benefits from the deal, the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years, which was forged largely through shared distrust of regional foe, Iran.





Palestinians were dismayed by the UAEs move, worried it would weaken a long-standing pan-Arab position that called for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories and acceptance of Palestinian statehood in return for normal relations with the Arab countries.

Emirati officials have attempted to spin the agreement as being struck in return for Israel suspending its plan to annex large parts of the illegally occupied West Bank, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said annexation was only temporarily off the table.

The UAEs foreign minister recorded a message for the Palestinian diaspora living there on Monday, the day of the first commercial flight between the Israel and the Emirates.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said he wanted to reassure the Palestinian community of his countrys commitment to establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

We will continue to support the Palestinian cause based on our historic stance that stems from a deeply rooted, unshakable belief that will never change as a result of any considerations, Sheikh Abdullah said.

Economic ties

On Saturday, the UAE announced it was scrapping its economic boycott of Israel, with officials from the two countries saying they are looking at cooperation in defence, medicine, agriculture, tourism and technology as part of the deal.





On Monday, the first direct flight by Israels flagship carrier El Al landed in Abu Dhabi, carrying US and Israeli officials including President Donald Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The UAE is the third Arab nation after Egypt and Jordan to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Unlike the two other countries, the Gulf state does not share a border with Israel.

In recent years, the UAE has held quiet talks with Israel and allowed Israelis with second passports into the country for trade and talks.

The Trump administration has tried to coax other Arab countries to engage with Israel. Israeli officials have publicly mentioned Oman, Bahrain and Sudan as countries who may follow suit.

But in a statement earlier this month, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that his government had no mandate to normalise ties with Israel at this time.
Former mining ministers Ian Macdonald, 71, and Eddie Obeid, 76, have pleaded not guilty to conspiring over a coal exploration licence issued over the Obeid family farm "Cherrydale Park" at Mount Penny in the Bylong Valley near Mudgee.

Eddie Obeid's farm Cherrydale Park, in the Bylong Valley, was where a controversial coal exploration licence was granted.

We will basically be set for life, Moses Obeids former Sydney neighbour recalled him saying of his familys potential $100 million windfall.

The family of Labor powerbroker Eddie Obeid stood to make $100 million from an allegedly rigged coal tender, a Sydney court has heard.

Moses Obeid said his family stood to make $100 million from a coal deal which is now the centre of a criminal trial. Credit:Rhett Wyman

The court heard that Moses and Nicole Obeid moved next door to Peter and Nicki Fitzhenry in Elizabeth Bay in around 2004. They were delightful people, said panel beater Mr Fitzhenry. The two families became good friends dining at each others houses several times a week.

Mr Fitzhenry told the NSW Supreme Court that Mosess father Eddie Obeid was looking for a rural retreat. My dad wants to cook goats and hang around the property, he said Moses told him.

The Obeids purchased Cherrydale Park, in the Bylong Valley near Mudgee with settlement taking place in November 2007. Moses told his neighbours it was a beautiful property that had been owned by Kerry Packers accountant.

Not long after the purchase Moses told Mr Fitzhenry there was coal underneath the property and if it was mined it would be a life-changing situation, it would be fantastic money wise.
A search team for a missing Lisburn man have confirmed the recovery of a body in Six Mile Water in Antrim.

It follows a police appeal last week to find former ambulance technician driver, 40-year-old Keith Carlisle, who was last seen entering the water on the evening of August 23.

On Sunday evening, Lough Neagh Coastguard rescue team posted an update on social media.

It read: Over the last seven days our team along with our partner agencies have been searching for a missing person in the Six Mile Water, Antrim. A body was recovered from the water this morning. Our thoughts go out to their family and friends. Rest in peace.

In an appeal last week, Inspector Julian Buchanan said the multi-agency rescue operation was launched immediately after the last sighting.

He had called the situation "a distressing and worrying time" for his family and loved ones, and urged anyone with information to call police on 101, quoting reference number 2034 for August 23.

In May, Mr Carlisle had appeared in court accused of defrauding a Dutch company of nearly 10,000 of medical equipment. He denied the charges.
Pearland ISD has removed a controversial question from a recent online quiz given to junior high science students that asked if the COVID-19 pandemic was a "scam," according to an email sent out to parents and community members.

Some Pearland ISD parents expressed outrage after a photo of the quiz question was posted to Facebook, with multiple commenters on the post claiming it is "unprofessional and unacceptable."

"This is not acceptable," one woman commented on the post. "As a healthcare worker, this infuriates me."

THE LATEST: Tracking COVID-19 cases at Houston-area school districts

When Pearland ISD parent Elizabeth Madrigal first posted the photo of the question to Facebook she said her main concern was that the teacher might be using his or her political opinions to spark debates on the virus. Madrigal said if the question had been worded in a different, less controversial way, she might have approved. The question was asked in a true or false format, with the correct answer stating that the virus is a scam.

"Had it been worded in a way that they could give their opinions and not be marked incorrect, it could have started a conversation that was relevant to todays news and been a great way to start the year in science class," Madrigal said. "It could have gauged the kids' understanding of the pandemic and really been a good opener to the science behind all of it."

The question was subsequently removed from the quiz. Pearland Junior High East Principal Dr. Charles Allen said in the email the question was meant to "spark conversation."

On HoustonChronicle.com: Coronavirus live updates: Houston's positivity rate falls, as Texas passes 633K COVID cases

"It was not to imply the virus is not serious or to make any political stance," Allen said.

Neither Pearland ISD nor PJHE did not immediately respond to request for comment.

As of Monday evening, the number of COVID-19 cases in the Houston region is currently at 153,869 cases and 2,891 deaths, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data.

rebecca.hennes@chron.com
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
CHEYENNE  Just a few months removed from a Supreme Court decision forced by heavy caseloads and understaffing for the agency, the Wyoming Public Defenders office could soon be thrust into another constitutional crisis, thanks to the 10% budget cut announced last week.

Last year, State Public Defender Diane Lozano warned the Legislature that her office had been overburdened by heavy caseloads and struggles to retain attorneys. The issue entered the spotlight in May 2019, when Lozano said her office could no longer accept misdemeanor cases in Campbell County due to those issues.

Earlier this year, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in favor of Lozano, determining her office may exercise some discretion on when it can represent defendants in misdemeanor cases.

But just a few months removed from that ruling, the states ability to provide public defenders will again be strained by the latest round of budget cuts, which total about $3 million for the office, according to a document submitted to the state Budget Division.

The Public Defender handles nearly 90% of all criminal cases in the Wyoming court system and has functioned on a minimal budget, being just one capital case or one big drug conspiracy case or an increase in caseloads from catastrophe, the document reads.

As we all learned in the spring of 2019, when the Public Defender is not adequately funded or staffed, a constitutional crisis ensues, as well as creating an ethical crisis for the State Public Defender and her assistants, it continues.

The cuts will impact the same region that was stretched thin last spring.

The field office in Newcastle, which covers both Crook and Weston counties, will lose its attorney and legal assistant. Essentially, all public defenders for residents of northeast Wyoming will now come from the Campbell County office in Gillette.

Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, who co-chairs the Joint Revenue Committee, said that cut really highlights the challenging situation in the northeast corner of the state, and particularly right now, adds fuel to that fire of being able to provide the right number of attorneys in that Campbell County area.

With that burden being shifted to Campbell County, I think it really takes us back to where we were before, Nethercott said. I am confident the Public Defenders Office will continue to find solutions  but I think were definitely going to need to hear from them and understand their fears about boots on the ground up there.

The reduced budget will also impact the Laramie County office, which will lost a part-time attorney. Though the local office is set to gain a full-time attorney, the position cut, coupled with the loss of another contracted public defender, will further add to the attorneys caseloads in Laramie County.

In essence, this office will have to handle an additional 70 or so cases, the document states. If this office experiences turnover or an increase in caseloads, the loss of position could become a crisis.

Any reduction of attorneys, whether part-time or full-time, increases the likelihood that the State Public Defender will have to refuse cases, the document states, and without the ability to compensate, court-appointed poor people could be without counsel.

Last year, when Lozano directed her Campbell County office to stop handling misdemeanors, 4.5 public defenders were handling the workload of 7.5 attorneys. In the related Supreme Court case, a local field officer testified that he often hadnt met his clients until five minutes before their court hearing.

As noted in the budget document, the cuts to staff in Crook, Weston and Laramie counties could lead to similar cycles, which would only create more court congestion.

Any case affected by lack of adequate counsel, or lack of counsel completely, would likely be returned to the courts after appeals, costing the state more money than it likely saves here, the document states.

With high turnover rates among staff in recent years, the cuts will also impact the ability of new public defenders to receive the training they need. The offices annual conference, which all Wyoming public defenders must attend to receive additional legal training, has been eliminated.

The inability to adequately train its attorneys in criminal case representation could result in unethical and unconstitutional representation of the indigent accused in the State of Wyoming, the document reads.

Without the annual conference, Wyoming public defenders will have to pay for their own training and will have to figure out each of their case schedules with each court moving forward.

The cuts will also impact the states Guardian Ad Litem office, which provides legal representation for children involved in abuse and neglect cases, among others. The office, which was formally separated from the public defenders office earlier this year due to the potential for conflicts of interest, had nearly $500,000 cut from its total budget.

Most of those eliminated funds were for contract attorneys to help serve in the office. The reductions, according to budget documents, increase the likelihood that the Office of Guardian ad Litem will not be able to function, and children will go without counsel.

Cuts to contracts will likely result in only being able to provide one GAL attorney in each county or multiple counties at caseloads of several hundred children, the document states.

In Laramie County, where $80,000 has been cut for the contracts, there are currently more than 250 open juvenile cases.

Lozano, who was appointed temporary director of the GAL office in July, had not responded to a request for comment by press time.

Along with its approval of a standalone Guardian Ad Litem office, the Wyoming Legislature took a few other steps earlier this year, aiming to help the states public defenders. One of those was approval of a bill more clearly outlining the income levels that allow a person to qualify for representation by a Wyoming public defender. Under the legislation, a person must earn less than 218% of the federal poverty guidelines, or about $28,000, to be eligible.

But its unclear whether that legislation will actually materialize in courtrooms. Nethercott noted the bill approved by lawmakers doesnt clearly state who within the judicial system must evaluate the affidavits claiming indigence.

The standard is there, but the mechanism to enforce it is not, Nethercott said.

Nethercott pointed to a bill passed last session that eliminated the possibility of prison time for minor traffic violations as one that could help reduce the public defenders workload more immediately. The senator also noted the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced some criminal procedures to be conducted virtually, could reduce travel times and make public defenders more accessible to their clients.

But ultimately, the viability of the State Public Defenders office will come down to one thing.

As far as anything else, I really think funding is the most important concept that we just dont have the resources for right now, Nethercott said.

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GOQii Smart Vital is a revolutionary device with an integrated Pulse Oximeter that will measure the rate of oxygen in your blood and will give real-time updates of variation in blood oxygen levels

Mumbai based GOQii has announced its entry into the smart watch category with GOQii Smart Vital. GOQii Smart Vital is a revolutionary device with an integrated Pulse Oximeter that will measure the rate of oxygen in your blood and will give real-time updates of variation in blood oxygen levels. According to medical experts, COVID-19 patients are found to have a lower oxygen rate, hence the device is crucial in diagnosing and monitoring COVID-19 symptoms.

With the smart watch, an individual can immediately get a sense of changes in their vitals and co-relate to a bigger health problem. Due to its unique features of detecting sleep, steps, calories, and heart rate, it also gives users a glimpse into various parameters that reflect the health and fitness of an individual. GOQii has been involved with several projects in the remote health monitoring space across the country.

GOQii has strived to be proactive in offering robust solutions for those working in the frontline. The company reached out to the Police when there were less than 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in Maharashtra. Now, GOQii counts the Mumbai, Jalandhar and Nashik Police as early users on the remote monitoring solution. The Police are using the solution to ensure that frontline corona warriors are removed from the frontline on the first sign of infection and are provided timely healthcare interventions.
Princess Diana died following a car crash in Paris more than two decades ago and to this day people are still fascinated with the Peoples Princess.

When Diana married Britains future king, Prince Charles, she entered a life few could ever relate to. But it wasnt all royal privilege and glamour, there were also plenty of rules and protocols she and other members of the family needed to follow because of specific threats.

Princess Diana | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

RELATED: What Was Princess Dianas Favorite Perfume and Is It Still Available?

Why Princess Diana traveled with a fridge full of blood

Dianas former private secretary Patrick Jephson, who worked for her from 1988 to 1996, revealed one of the stranger things the princess was required to carry when she was a member of the royal family.

Particularly when we were abroad or in the developing world, we would carry a little refrigerator full of spare supplies of Dianas blood, Jephson told the Daily Star.

He added that the rest of her team needed to have their blood tested and the measure was taken because as a member of the royal family, she was quite often under threat.

Each of us were tested so the doctors knew which of us could give her blood if she needed it, Jephson recalled. Diana was quite often under the threat of physical danger.

Princess Diana with her private secretary Patrick Jephson | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Other royals who travel with their own blood because of threats

And it wasnt just Diana. According to Jephson, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles have always traveled with their spare blood as well in case of an emergency.

That is added to the list of other things Charles still needs to bring on trips overseas today like his own alcohol.

According to reporter Gordon Rayner, who has covered nearly two dozen royal tours, when the prince drinks abroad its often with his own alcohol brought from home. Rayner said this is done for security reasons so he doesnt risk anyone tampering with his beverages.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall sometimes take their own alcohol so theres no danger of their drinks being spiked, Rayner told Conde Nast Traveler (per The Express).

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles | Sang Tan/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Diana believed Charles wanted to harm her

Regarding threats, Dianas former butler, Paul Burrell, claimed that she was very paranoid toward the end of her life and believed that the royals were out to harm her.

The Telegraph noted that Burrell insists that the princess wrote him a letter saying she felt she was in danger and thought that Prince Charles was plotting an accident so he could marry someone else. Burrell did not reveal the contents of the note he said Diana sent him until 2003.

This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous  my husband is planning an accident in my car, brake failure, and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for him to [remarry], the letter allegedly written by Diana read.

The princess died following a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997.
(Newser)  During the renovation of a fountain in the Belgian city of Verviers, officials discovered that the old rumors were true: Pierre David, the city's first mayor, had literally given his heart to Verviers. The organ was sealed in a jar of alcohol inside a small zinc casket entombed near a bust of the mayor, the BBC reports. "An urban legend has become reality," city official Maxime Degey told local media, adding that the casket renovation workers found in August was "in really impeccable condition." An engraving on the casket reads: "The heart of Pierre David was solemnly placed in the monument on 25 June 1883."

story continues below

David died in a fall from a hayloft in 1839, more than 40 years before the fountain was completed. He first started overseeing the city in 1798 and established Verviers' first fire service in 1802. During the tumultuous next few decades, Belgium passed from French rule to Dutch rule and finally became independent in 1830, when David was elected again and brought peace to the city after the Belgian Revolution. The heart will be on display at a local arts museum until mid-September, the Brussels Times reports. It's not clear whether the city plans to return it to the fountain. (Read more Belgium stories.)
Boris Johnson took part in training on sexual harassment and bullying last week, No 10 has confirmed.

The Prime Minister listened to the two-hour online course along with other MPs and peers on Thursday.

One participant told Sky News: 'I was quite surprised to see the Prime Minister taking part, given everything he has to deal with at the moment: Covid, exams and so on.

'He sat very still throughout the whole thing, barely moving, but at the end he said "most informative".'

Boris Johnson took part in a two-hour online training course on sexual harassment and bullying with other MPs and peers last week

Mr Johnson took part in the session after accusations that two of his closest allies, Home Secretary Priti Patel and controversial Downing Street aide Dominic Cummings, had bullied civil servants.

The course, called Valuing Everyone, was made compulsory for MPs and peers last year in the wake of abuse allegations and the so-called 'Pestminster' scandal.

Among the senior politicians taking part in the video conference were Attorney General Suella Braverman and Steve Barclay, Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

It began with a film about a male employer who began behaving inappropriately towards a young female employee, with his behaviour getting gradually worse until he eventually sacked her.

Mr Johnson had already arranged to take part after a Freedom of Information request revealed he was one of 159 MPs who had not done the training since it was created in May 2019.

Mr Johnson took part in the session after accusations that one of his closest allies, Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured), had bullied civil servants

They included 140 Tories, seven Labour, five Democratic Unionist, four Scottish National Party, two SDLP and one independent MP.

The training aims to ensure everyone is 'able to recognise bullying, harassment and sexual misconduct  and feels confident taking action to tackle and prevent it', according to Commons authorities.

It was launched after an independent probe by Dame Laura Cox found that bullying and harassment had been allowed to thrive in Parliament under a top-down culture of 'deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence'.

Westminster was rocked by a wave of sexual harassment allegations in autumn 2017, triggering the resignations of defence secretary Michael Fallon and Damian Green, who was Theresa May's de facto deputy at the time.

Former Tory MP Charlie Elphicke, who was suspended from the party, has since been found guilty of sexual assault.

Westminster was rocked by a wave of sexual harassment allegations and former Tory MP Charlie Elphicke (pictured), who was suspended from the party, has since been found guilty of sexual assault

Last month Mr Johnson defended his decision not to suspend a Tory MP arrested on suspicion of rape.

He faced calls from Labour politicians to withdraw the whip from the ex-minister, who has since been released on bail.

The Prime Minister said: 'I think it's very, very important that we take all these cases extremely seriously and we will continue to do so.

'I think we've got to wait for the police to decide whether they want to make charges and take a decision on that basis.'
The lawyer for Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse claims protesters were 'relentlessly hunting him as prey' and says the 17-year-old was acting in self-defense when he fired his gun at protesters, killing two and injuring another.

Rittenhouse has been charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide following the shootings on the third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber were killed and Gaige Grosskreutz was shot in the arm in a series of encounters that were captured on cellphone videos.

Rittenhouse's lawyer John Pierce has praised the teenager for his actions and argued that he was only defending himself against a mob trying to disarm and hurt him.

'This is 100 percent self defense,' Pierce told Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight.

'The only individuals Kyle shot were the three individuals attacking him and putting him at risk. This is a 17-year-old kid, this is amazing what he did.'

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, (above) has been charged as an adult with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide following the shootings on the third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake

It echoes comments made by President Donald Trump on Monday night who sided with the teenager, saying he was trying to get away and would have been killed by the protesters if he had not opened fire.

Rittenhouse, who lives in a nearby Illinois town, had traveled to Kenosha to help protect businesses from being torched or looted amid the Jacob Blake protests, according to his lawyer.

In addition to his AR-15-style rifle, Rittenhouse's lawyer said the teenager also had had a first aid kit with him to help treat injured protesters.

Pierce said the incident escalated when a shot was fired as Rittenhouse tried to retreat from a group of protesters who, he claims, became enraged that the teen was trying to put out fires.

'They began screaming that Kyle needed to be killed and they were going to kill him. They started relentlessly hunting him as prey as he ran down the street attempting to retreat,' Pierce said.

'Mr Rosenbaum, who was leading the attack on him, set upon him immediately... began to assault him from behind, attempted to take his weapon, take his firearm, and Kyle, when he turned, he instantaneously had no choice but to defend himself by firing because he was in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death.'

Rittenhouse's lawyer John Pierce praised the teenager for his actions in an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson and argued that he was only defending himself against a mob trying to disarm and hurt him

Pierce denied that Rittenhouse brought the AR-15 across state lines from Illinois to Wisconsin.

'That firearm never crossed state lines. It is a legal firearm in Wisconsin,' Pierce said, adding they would be arguing it is within his second amendment rights.

Witness accounts and cellphone video show that the shootings took place in two stages: Rittenhouse first shot Rosenbaum, then jogged away, stumbled and fell in the street, and opened fire again on Huber and Grosskreutz as members of the crowd closed in him.

After the gunfire, with his AR-15-style rifle over his shoulder and his hands in the air, Rittenhouse walked toward police vehicles that kept going past him, even as a witness shouted, 'He just shot them!'

Police Chief Daniel Miskinis has explained the response as officers dealing with a chaotic scene.

Rittenhouse, a sometime lifeguard, later turned himself in, his lawyers said, and is now jailed on homicide charges.

While prosecutors call his conduct criminal, his lawyers say he defended himself against a mob trying to disarm and hurt him. They and other supporters portray him as a hero who stood up to lawlessness.

The lawyer said the incident escalated when a shot was fired as Rittenhouse tried to retreat from a group of protesters who, he claims, became enraged that the teen was trying to put out fires. He said the protesters started hunting Rittenhouse (above on the ground) like prey

Rittenhouse is charged with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide following the shootings

After the gunfire, with his AR-15-style rifle over his shoulder and his hands in the air, Rittenhouse walked toward police vehicles that kept going past him, even as a witness shouted, 'He just shot them!'

Trump on Monday sided with the 17-year old on the eve of his visit to Kenosha.

'He was trying to get away from them,' Trump said of Rittenhouse.

'And then he fell and then they very violently attacked him. I guess he was in very big trouble... He probably would have been killed.'

Trump, who has made law and order a main theme of his re-election campaign, declined to condemn violent acts by his supporters and railed against what he called rioting and anarchy carried out by 'left-wing' protesters.

Former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden, Trump's opponent, accused the president of stoking violence with his rhetoric, while insisting that rioters and looters be prosecuted.

'Tonight, the president declined to rebuke violence. He wouldn't even repudiate one of his supporters who is charged with murder because of his attacks on others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it,' Biden said in a statement.

Trump suggested violence would increase if Biden won and accused the former vice president of surrendering to a left-wing mob.

'In America, we will never surrender to mob rule, because if the mob rules, democracy is indeed dead,' Trump said.
LONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Australia's former prime minister, Tony Abbott, declined on Tuesday to comment on reports he is being lined up to become a trade envoy for Britain, a possible appointment that has stirred criticism from opposition lawmakers.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Policy Exchange think tank, Abbott, a supporter of Brexit who was Australia's prime minister between 2013-2015, was asked about reports he had been appointed as a member of Britain's board of trade.

"Obviously I can't comment on any position which is not yet official," he said.

"But certainly I think that it's in Britain's interest and it's in Australia's interests that this particular free trade deal be done as quickly as possible." (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Estelle Shirbon; editing by Kate Holton)
Mrunal Thakur Says Media Also Treats Stars Differently

The Super 30 actress also said that media treats people differently and added, "I was at this event giving interview bytes and suddenly, the entire media ran away because a star kid arrived. That poor girl couldn't even handle her outfit properly and the media was just all over."

Mrunal Was Last Seen In Karan Johar's Segment In Ghost Stories

However, Mrunal does not blame the star kids for nepotism or the different treatment, she said, "It's not just the industry, it's also the audience and the media, no? After all, this is what the audience wants to see which is why the media is also giving it to them. I don't blame the starkids for this at all."

Thakur Will Be Seen In Jersey And Toofan

Thakur was last seen in Netflix film, Ghost Stories in the segment directed by Karan Johar. She has also been a part of John Abraham's Batla House and Hrithik Roshan's Super 30 in 2019. The actress will next be seen in Jersey alongside Shahid Kapoor and in Toofan with Farhan Akhtar, both set to release in 2020. Unfortunately, both the films have been postponed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Kuami Eugene was adjudged the Artiste of the Year at the just-ended Vodafone Ghana Music Awards and his win has been met with various remarks from a section of the public.

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The 2020 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) ended with Rockstar Kuami Eugene being announced as the Artiste of the Year.

So far in the history of Ghana music, Kuami Eugene is the youngest musician alive to win the topmost award of the VGMA.

Youngest alive because the first youngest person to have won that award is the late Ebony Reigns, who won it posthumously in 2018.

From R-L: Sarkodie, Kuami Eugene, and Diana Hamilton, three of the competitors for the topmost award. Photo credit: @sarkodie, @kuamieugene @dianahamilton. Source: Instagram.

Source: Instagram

READ ALSO: NAM1 in trouble as video of Benedicta Gafahs plush mansion drops online for the first time

Kuami Eugenes award, as expected, has been greeted with mixed reactions from the public.

Some people have praised him, while others have said that he did not deserve the award.

YEN.com.gh has gathered five matters arising from Kuami Eugenes victory for the reading pleasure of cherished readers.

1. Guru: The Lapaz Toyota hitmaker has said publicly that Kuami Eugene does not deserve that award.

He tipped Sarkodie and Kofi Kinaata as the suitable persons to have won. Guru maintained that gospel musician Diana Hamilton is even a better option.

2. Maame Serwaa: The young Kumawood actress is also not happy with Kuami Eugenes win. She tweeted after the awards ceremony that Ghanaians should no longer take the VGMA seriously. Maame Serwaa expected Sarkodie to win, indicating that Kuami Eugene did not deserve the award at all.

READ ALSO: Photo of Chris Attohs all-grown son drops; looks tall and fresh like daddy

3. Section of the public: Some in the public have also said Kuami Eugene did not deserve to win the Artiste of the Year.

One such person is Dan Lartey who betted with his hair over Sarkodie. Lartey promised that he was going to shave off his head and long beard if Sarkodie should lose the award, and he did just so.

He maintained in a programme on TV3 that he was very sure Sarkodie was going to win because Kuami Eugene did not deserve it.

4. He is arrogant: Some people have also called Kuami Eugene an arrogant person saying that his win was going to worsen matters.

5. Not worked hard enough: Others claimed Kuami Eugene has not worked hard enough to deserve that award.

However, the young musician has disputed that claim saying that he released two major songs  Obiato, and Ohemaa, under the year under review. He described those songs as songs that were all over Africa."

READ ALSO: Woes of divorce: Latest photo of Joyce Blessing after her husband left drops

6. Sarkodie and Diana Hamilton: Kuami Eugene has expressed sadness over the fact that his competitors in that category, Sarkodie, and Diana Hamilton, had not congratulated him as on Tuesday, September 1, 2020.

He said the only one who has congratulated him so far was Kofi Kinaata, who was also a competitor. Others are Medikal, and Keche, who had all congratulated the Rockstar.

Meanwhile, Kuami Eugene has replied to Gurus opinion that he did not deserve the award.

The musician underscored the fact that people are opinionated and he is not bothered about anyones view about his award.

READ ALSO: Tracey Boakye seems to have lost Papa No after brouhaha; new video drops

Have national and human interest issues to discuss?

Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition?

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Source: YEN.com.gh
Mr Eric Nana Nipah, the Receiver of the Microfinance Companies and Savings and Loans and Finance House Companies whose operating licences were revoked last year says he has no records of 35 of the affected companies who have depositor claims worth approximately GH252 million.



In a notice to the general public on Monday, August 31, 2020, Mr Nipah said he was working with the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to locate and retrieve the records in order to validate and settle depositor claims made on the 35 companies.

Resolved companies



Per the figures released by the Receiver, a total of 370 companies were resolved (comprising 347 Microfinance Companies and 23 Savings & Loans and Finance house Companies) with 157 of the affected companies non-operational with some having ceased operations long before the BoG revoked their licences.



"In the conduct of the resolution of these companies, a major challenge the Receiver has faced with some of the non-operational companies has been in the area of securing the books and records of these companies both manual and electronic," the receiver said in a notice.



Breakdown of depositor claims



"At the commencement of the resolution process, there were 157 non-operational companies whose books and records we were not able to locate and secure. Based on the collaborative arrangement we have with the Economic and Organised Crime Office ("EOCO") which includes assets tracing and investigations, over time, we have been able to retrieve books and records from 131 resolved entities which were not operational at the commencement of the resolution of these companies, thereby making it possible for us to be able to validate creditor claims on these institutions.



"Currently, there are 35 resolved companies with depositor claims worth approximately GHC252m which have no books or records available to us, to enable us to validate and settle these claims under the Depositor Payment Scheme. We are working with EOCO to locate and retrieve these companies records in order to be able to validate and settle depositor claims made on these companies".



Background



Pursuant to Section 123 (1) of the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act, 2016 (Act 930) ("the Act"), Bank of Ghana ("BOG") on 31 May 2019 and 16 August 2019 revoked the operating licences of 347 Microfinance Companies and 23 Savings and Loans and Finance House Companies respectively, and in accordance with Section 123(2) of the Act appointed Eric Nana Nipah, a Director of PricewaterhouseCoopers Ghana Limited ("PwC") as the Receiver for the purposes of winding down the affairs of these companies.



The mandate of the Receiver under Section 127(3) of Act 930 is to maximise asset realisations for the benefit of creditors, including Depositors, as well as settle the obligations of the company to its body of creditors to the extent possible.



In carrying out his duties, the Receiver took control over the premises of these resolved companies and in the process, secured the assets and liabilities of these companies, as well as their books and records to the extent possible.

Source: Graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
A man who lost seven family members to coronavirus has become the first American dosed in Oxford University's final stage testing for its vaccine.

Jacob Serrano, 23, and 31 others received either a placebo or the vaccine from Oxford and its partner AstraZeneca in Florida over the weekend.

Phase III looks at whether the vaccine is effective at preventing COVID-19 symptoms on a large-scale with thousands of volunteers.

Serrano says he wants to help be part of the solution to stop the deadly virus - which has killed more than 183,000 in the US so far.

'[I] look at the amount of lives that we lost and I just don't want that to keep occurring,' he told CBS News in an exclusive interview.

Jacob Serrano, 23, has become the first American dosed in the final phase of AstraZeneca and Oxford University's coronavirus vaccine trial

Serrano (left and right) has lost seven family members to COVID-19 and says he wants to help stop the pandemic in its tracks. He and 31 other volunteers were given either an immunization or a placebo over the weekend at Headlands Jem Research Institute in Lake Worth, Florida

It's not clear which family members Serrano has lost during the pandemic, but he says any risk of being part of the trial is worth it.

'I know there was a risk because it's like - it's a trial, but I'd rather have us one step closer, no matter what it takes' he said.

Serrano and others who were dosed at Headlands Jem Research Institute in Lake Worth, will be tracked over the next few weeks to see who builds up an immune response against the virus.

Lead principal investigator at the Florida site, Dr Larry Bush, an infectious disease Specialist in Wellington, told CBS News that previous stages of the trial indicate the jab is effective.

'The immune response is very encouraging,' he said.

In the trial's first and second phases, Bush said the vaccine induced 'robust neutralizing antibodies' as well as 'a T-cell responseto fight off the cells that do become infected. That's crucial in treating infections.'

On Tuesday, AstraZeneca, announced it had enrolled 30,000 American volunteers to take part in Phase III of the clinical trial.

This means 50,000 people around the world are part of the study to see if the inoculation- known as AZD1222 - prevents being infected with COVID-19.

Volunteers have already been tested in the UK, Brazil and South Africa with test sites planned in Japan and Russia.

Professor Sarah Gilbert, who is leading the Oxford team, says she expects preliminary data from the phase III trial will be presented to regulators soon.

More than 50,000 participants around the world have been recruited including 30,000 Americans. Pictured: Serrano

The immunization includes a genetically engineered virus that looks like the new coronavirus but can't cause an infection.

The immune system is trained to recognize the virus so that it can attack if someone is infected.

AstraZeneca claims it has the capability of manufacturing two billion doses by summer 2021.

The US has already ordered 300 million doses and the UK has pre-purchased 100 million doses.

AstraZeneca could supply the first doses of its vaccine to the US as soon as October, 'assuming FDA approval of safety and efficacy or emergency use authorization of the vaccine,' a company spokesman said in a statement to Reuters.

He declined to address whether AstraZeneca would have sufficient data to submit to the FDA by then.

'It is important to remember that - while the data so far is certainly encouraging -- there is no guarantee that this vaccine will ultimately be approved or granted an emergency use authorization,' the spokesman said.
In a first Hyderabad Metro creates special Green Corridor to transport heart for transplant

Tamil Nadu CM slashes metro rail fare by Rs 20; To come into effect from February 22

Unlock 4.0: Urban Affairs Ministry to issue SOPs for functioning of metro trains

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 01: The Union Housing and Urban Affairs (HUA) ministry is likely to issue detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) on Wednesday for the functioning of metro trains allowed under the ''Unlock 4'' guidelines, an official said.

Ministry secretary Durga Shanker Mishra held a meeting with all managing directors of metro rail corporations on Tuesday to finalise the SOPs.

Metro trains will be allowed to operated in a graded manner.

"We heard suggestions of metro managing directors, which will be considered. A draft of SOPs has been prepared and it will be discussed with the Union home ministry on Wednesday. In consultation with the home ministry, the SOPs will be finalised," the official said.

Officials said that wearing a mask and social distancing norms will be strictly followed once metro trains start operating.

Metro passengers will be encouraged to follow anti-COVID-19 measures, they said, adding fines will be imposed on those violating the guidelines.

There are 17 metro corporations in the country. Once the detailed SOPs are issued by the HUA ministry, they can issue their details keeping in mind local requirements, the official.

The Union home ministry had issued the Unlock 4 guidelines on Saturday under which metro trains would be allowed to resume services from September 7.

Last week, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation had said it would resume services for the public from September 7 in a calibrated manner.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said he was "glad" that the metro would resume operations in a phased manner.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 18:24 [IST]
(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

* GRAPHIC - India's seaborne coal imports vs. Indonesian price: https://tmsnrt.rs/3gJdqvD

By Clyde Russell

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Sept 1 (Reuters) - After posting a mild recovery in July, India's coal imports have stumbled in August as the South Asian nation battles to restart its economy amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

India's imports of both thermal coal, used in power stations, and coking coal, used to make steel, are estimated at around 12.2 million tonnes in August, according to Refinitiv vessel-tracking and port data.

The data includes seven ships that were discharging cargoes as of the last day of August, meaning there are likely to be minor revisions depending on whether these cargoes are assessed as having cleared in August or September.

Nonetheless, it appears the imports in August won't match July's 12.7 million tonnes, the strongest in three months.

India's coal imports were hit hard by the economic lockdowns imposed from March onwards to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in the world's second-most populous nation and second-biggest coal importer.

July's imports were a recovery from June's 8.8 million tonnes, the lowest since Refinitiv started assessing shipments in January 2015. It's worth noting, though, the July volume was still down 17% from the same month in 2019.

The same can be said for the estimated August figure, which is 24% below the 16.03 million tonnes recorded for the same month in 2019, indicating by how much import demand has been curtailed.

For the first eight months of the year, based on the estimated August volume, India's imports of 112.96 million tonnes were 18.9% below the level for the same period last year.

India's major suppliers, Indonesia and Australia, appear to be sharing the pain of the drop-off in imports.

India's imports from Indonesia, which supplies mainly thermal coal, fell 23% to 46.4 million tonnes in the first eight months of the year, from 60.25 million tonnes last year.

Australia, shipping mainly coking coal, also suffered a 23% drop, with India's year-to-date imports falling to 23.4 million tonnes from 30.5 million in the January-August period of 2019.

Story continues

PRICES SLUMP

The sharp fall in India's imports have had a deleterious impact on prices, with the weekly index for Indonesian coal with an energy value of 4,200 kilocalories per kg, as assessed by commodity price reporting agency Argus, falling to its lowest since assessments started in 2008.

The index ended at $22.86 a tonne in the week to Aug. 28, down 37% from a peak this year of $36.67 in the week to Feb. 14.

The price of coking coal has also fallen, with SGX futures , which mirror the free-on-board Australian price, ending at $107.06 a tonne on Monday, just above the four-year low of $106 hit on June 1.

Coking coal weakness, of course, is more than just an India story. Demand has suffered in other major Asian importers such as Japan and South Korea, while political tensions between Canberra and Beijing may be dragging on China's imports of the fuel.

The question is whether India's economy, and therefore its coal demand, is likely to experience a V-shaped recovery, as appears to be happening in rival China, or whether it will be slower and less even.

The economy shrank 23.9% in the second quarter from a year earlier, more than the 18.3% contraction forecast in a Reuters' poll of analysts.

While New Delhi is talking up hopes for a V-shaped recovery, there is scepticism this can happen without significant and sustained government stimulus.

India also reiterated its aim to reduce thermal coal imports in coming years to lower its import bill, and the coronavirus provides an opportunity to boost domestic output via stimulus spending.

This raises the risk for thermal coal imports that the pandemic-induced slump turns into a structural decline.

The picture may be slightly rosier for coking coal, given India's paucity of domestic reserves of the higher-grade fuel, and its plans to boost steel output. (Editing by Tom Hogue)
Patna, Sep 1 : A constable of Bihar Military Police (BMP) allegedly killed a woman constable and then shot himself dead in Patna on Tuesday. Both were from West Bengal's Darjeeling town.

Constable Amar went to the women personnel accommodation unit around 8 a.m., where a quarrel broke out between him and 26-year-old Varsha. He then shot her dead in a fit of rage.

Patna SSP Upendra Sharma said: "The accused fired the shot from close range and did not give his opponent much time to react. The victim was standing in between a big trunk and a bed. She collapsed on the floor immediately." Hearing the gun shots, other police personnel staying in the campus rushed to the crime scene. By then, the 36-year-old constable had shot himself in the head, too," Sharma said.

"The fellow police personnel rushed both to nearby hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead," Sharma said. "We have brought in forensic, as well as ballistic teams, to probe the crime scene. Five used cartridges were found from the spot," Sharma said.

"Amar and Varsha were both natives of Darjeeling," Sharma added.
Delta IV Heavy rocket with projection mapping

PaintScaping, a world leader in 3D mapping, made history this week by creating projection mapping on an operational rocket, prior to the scheduled launch.

The mapping took place Aug. 24 on United Launch Alliances Delta IV Heavy rocket. United Launch Alliance (ULA) is the nations premier launch services company and is sending a mission into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for the National Reconnaissance Office. This was the first time in history that a mapping was projected on an operational rocket.

The Los Angeles-based PaintScaping is no stranger to high-profile projects. Now the sky is no longer the limit, notes Philippe Bergeron with a smile, CEO of PaintScaping. In 2018, it partnered with Nationwide Video to create the largest USA mapping ever  on Park MGM in Las Vegas.

Having combined resources with Philippe and his elite team, we are very proud to be part of this monumental event,  says Bret Tracey, president of Nationwide Video. In the AV world, this will have historical relevance.

For the ULA mapping, PaintScaping used six Christie 45,000 ISO lumens pure RGB laser projectors, some of the strongest projectors ever for mapping.

PaintScaping is a virtuoso in 3D projection mapping storytelling, and we are thrilled PaintScaping chose Christie and Nationwide Video for this very special project, says Zoran Veselic, President and COO, Christie.

PaintScapings mapping for Rihanna and Calvin Harris, using seven Christie projectors, also teamed with Nationwide Video, has garnered 2.4 billion views on YouTube, making it the most viewed mapping ever on the online video platform.

PaintScapings other major projects include a giant storytelling mapping on nature, using 13 Christie 30,000 lumen projectors at the famed San Diego Zoo, voted #1 zoo in the world, as well as Rodeo Drive, Sony Pictures, Tiffany, Porsche, and Ritz-Carlton.

For high-rez photos, visit:

https://www.paintscaping.com/projects/cape-canaveral

And right-click on thumbnails to download.

You can also visit:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qpu611hgdiwj1co/AABUsG3cYkEFMUT-Cm7N7KIIa?dl=0

About Philippe Bergeron

Philippe Bergeron is founder and CEO of PaintScaping, a global leader in 3D projection mapping. PaintScaping has done mapping in the USA, Mexico, Canada, France, Ireland, and South Africa. Bergeron, a native of Montreal with a B.S. and M.S. degree in computer science from the University of Montreal, remains a 3D mapping innovator and invited presenter for numerous industry events. He is also an actor. His numerous film and TV credits include Iron Man 2, Mad Men, Rush Hour 3, Contact, E.R., and guest starred in the final season of The Sopranos.

About PaintScaping

PaintScaping is the industry leader in 3D mapping. Founded in 2009 by Philippe Bergeron, the Los Angeles-based company has produced unique 3D mapping shows across the U.S. including Orlando, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, and Chicago, and many places around the world. Among its many clients are MGM Resorts, Ritz-Carlton, Sony Pictures, Westin Hotels, Caruso, and Cirque du Soleil. It holds many records in the mapping world. The most viewed mapping ever on YouTube. The biggest USA mapping ever. And the longest throw ever at 1.1 km.

Philippe Bergeron is available for interviews. Video and photos are also available on request.

Media Contact:

Julia Bergeron  818-497-8762

marketing@paintscaping.com

Or

Ramesh Santanam  412-716-0918

harrylime1000@yahoo.com
Indian soldiers walk in the foothills of a mountain range near Leh on June 23, 2020. (TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP via Getty Images)

India, China Trade Blame Over New Border Activity as Tensions Remain High

The Indian government said that it preempted the movement of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army along the Pangong Tso Lake in the Ladakh region of the Himalayas and prevented Beijing from violating the agreed-upon border between the two countries, during a new standoff.

While the Chinese side blamed Indian troops for violating the border agreements and for escalating tensions overnight on Aug. 2930, Indias defense ministry pointed to the PLAs provocative military movements.

Indian Army Col. Aman Anand said in an Aug. 31 defense ministry statement, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo.

India and China have been locked in a conflict that started with fresh face-offs between the two militaries in May. While each side has accused the other of violating perceptions of the disputed territory called the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the conflict took a bloody turn in Galwan on June 15.

In that incident, 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers were killed in Galwan in a hand-to-hand clash, in which Indians accused the PLA of using medieval-style weapons such as nail-studded clubs.

Indian troops preempted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on the ground, Anand said about the latest occurrence.

Since the Galwan incident, the 70-year diplomatic relationship between the two countries has suffered a major setback. India has taken various economic and strategic postures against the Chinese, including banning TikTok and 59 other Chinese apps and reviewing the status of Confucius InstitutesChinese-language academies with funding from China.

An Indian army convoy moves on the Srinagar-Ladakh highway at Gagangeer, northeast of Srinagar, India, on June 17, 2020. (Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo)

In multiple official statements since Aug. 31, Beijing has accused the Indian side of illegal trespassing and provocative behavior at the site of the activity.

On Aug. 31st, Indian troops violated the consensus reached in previous multi-level engagements and negotiations between China and India, illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control again at the southern bank of the Pangong Tso Lake and near the Reqin Pass in the western sector of China-India border, and conducted flagrant provocations, which again stirred tension in the border areas, Counselor Ji Rong, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in India, stated on Sept. 1.

The border dispute goes back to the 1950s because of the absence of an international boundary between the two countries. The neighbors share over 2,500 miles of border after China annexed Tibet in 1949 and later had various agreements to normalize the LAC, the disputed western boundary.

Former Deputy Chief of Army Lt. Gen. Gurmeet Singh told The Epoch Times by telephone that India wants China to maintain the status quo that existed on May 5.

The Chinese, in the last talk, had said that, based on the mutual consensus and having discussed all the friction points on the eastern Ladakh, they suggested that mutual and equal disengagement should be done.  The Indian side had told them categorically, that [it] would require complete disengagement and restoration of status quo as on the 5th of May 2020, Singh said, adding that a delay in the talks has resulted in tension.

Singh said that on Aug. 29 at around 11 p.m. local time, the Indian army detected some activity on the Chinese side, and being on high alert since June 15, it took preventative measures. He said the Indian side also had intelligence about it.

Mountains rise over the Pangong Lake on Oct. 5, 2012, near Leh in Ladakh, India. (Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

Rong said China is resolutely opposed to what he termed as India having grossly violated Chinas territorial sovereignty, seriously violated relevant agreements, protocols and important consensus reached between the two countries, and severely damaged peace and tranquility along the China-India border areas.

China has made solemn representations to the Indian side, urged the Indian side to strictly control and restrain its frontline troops, earnestly honor its commitments, immediately stop all the provocative actions, immediately withdraw its troops illegally trespassing the Line of Actual Control, and immediately stop any actions leading to the escalation and complication of the situation, Rong said.

Meanwhile, James Carafano, a national security and foreign policy expert at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, told The Epoch Times over the phone that he doesnt expect the situation to escalate into a full-fledged war.

For the simple reason is neither side really has anything to gain through the tension, he said.

India has no interest or benefits from a more escalatory situation with China. So I dont think that this is where the two governments are going to really be looking to, to push this very far.




THE High Court has upheld a decision to suspend Zesa Holdings executive chairperson Sydney Gata, pending investigations into abuse of office allegations.





This comes after Zesa communicated the suspension to Gata in a letter dated July 30, which he rubbished and refused to comply with.





In a report allegedly sent to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, Gata faces a string of allegations, among them diversion of Zesa projects to entities associated with him, employment of ghost workers and unauthorised use of Zesa funds for his personal benefit, with reports that $10 million was spent on two lavish parties in Hwange and Kariba and $2 million alone spent on alcohol.





In a judgment delivered last Friday, Justice Tawanda Chitapi upheld Gatas suspension-on-paid-leave for 60 days and barred him from visiting the Zesa offices during the period.





The respondent is ordered to comply with the directive given to him by a letter dated July 30 placing him on mandatory leave on conditions that it will be for an initial 60 days and will be entitled to full pay and benefits, ruled Chitapi.





The respondent shall not be allowed access to his office and to any other offices and places of operation of the applicant wherever situated in Zimbabwe unless by authority of applicant.





Chitapi noted how Gata had monopolised Zesa operations by dismissing the suspension letter.





There was, therefore, a standoff between the respondent and the rest of the board. The respondent declared that he had to authorise all board meetings single-handedly. He unilaterally suspended board sub-committee meetings until he individually was satisfied as to their value, Chitapi said.





In other words as far as the board existence and function was concerned, only him would call the tuneit was more like treating the applicant as the personal property of the respondent.





He ruled that Gata had exhibited a propensity to impede investigations that were being done on his conduct.





The respondent has resolved to flex his muscles in a clear case of abuse of authority to trash and impede the boards ability to carry out lawful mandate. It is very disturbing that the board chairperson would confront and threaten other members instead of cooperating to clear the serious allegations made against him, he said.





The company at play in this matter is a public interest company There is irreparable harm if there is no resolution of the matters at play in that a successful organisation cannot be allowed to be headed by functionaries and operatives who are corrupt. It is important for the company to clean its house.





Gata claimed that he was appointed to the position by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and argued that being the executive chairperson it was a special appointment since his assumption of the role was in extraordinary circumstances.





He claimed that in his letters of appointment signed by then Energy minister Fortune Chasi, he was mandated to adopt a hands-on approach and address the power situation in the country.





The court heard it was also noted in the letter that the position would be temporary and a chief executive officer would be appointed to deal with areas of potential conflict.





However, Zesa disputed that Gata was appointed by Mnangagwa and argued that he was employed by them and received his salary and benefits directly from the company.




A class of primary school children in Dublin has been sent home after a youngster tested positive for Covid-19, a principal has confirmed.

The Dublin-based school principal told RTEs Today with Claire Byrne programme that the child tested positive for the virus. But the virus was not contracted in the school.

Most children are returning to the classroom this week for the first time in six months after schools closed due to the pandemic.

Asked about the case at a government briefing, Education Minister Norma Foley said it would not be appropriate for her to comment on an individual case.

But Ms Foley said where there is an incident in a school, the guidelines are very clear.

Where there is a confirmed case public health takes over, she said. They do all the contacting  I wouldnt place the burden on the principal or on any board of management or staff within the school environment.

Our guidelines are very clear and indeed the public health guidelines which have also been issued to schools are also very clear.

Separately, parents of a primary school in Jonesborough, Co Armagh near the Louth/Armagh border, were informed that a child in one of its primary classes tested positive for Covid-19.

In a letter to parents, Jonesborough Primary School principal Donal Keenan said children in primary 2/3 may be asked to self-isolate.

The child tested positive last Friday.

All children in Primary 2/3 will be shortly asked to self-isolate for 14 days from the last date of contact (in school, Friday 28th August), he wrote.

If you are contacted by PHA then your child was not in close contact with the positive case and your child is free to return to school.

Mr Keenan said the classroom has been closed and it would undergo an enhanced clean in the coming days. But he said the rest of the school remained unaffected.

Parents on both sides of the border have been urged not to send their children to school if they develop symptoms of Covid-19.

Dr Sumi Dunne told Irelands National Public Health Emergency Team briefing at the Department of Health on Monday that it was okay to send children to school if they only have a runny nose, but if they develop a high temperature or cough not to send them to school.

She asked parents not to dose their children with paracetamol or ibuprofen if they have Covid-19 symptoms and send them to school.

Instead she appealed for parents to keep children who are unwell at home and to contact their GPs to seek advice.

Asked about the Dublin school, the HSE said it could not comment on individual cases or outbreaks to protect the privacy and confidentiality of those involved.

When a case of Covid-19 is identified which is linked to an educational facility, public health professionals discuss directly with the person, or family as appropriate, and asks them about their contacts, said the HSE statement.

Public health professionals will also discuss the matter directly with the educational facility, undertaking a public health risk assessment.

Recommended measures, including any exclusions of other pupils or staff members, are made at this point.

Responses and recommendations for each facility may well differ, depending on the circumstances identified by public health.
Chennai: With the belief that theres nothing in this world that can be achieved by one gender alone, Veeralakshmi had been ferrying passengers as a cab driver since 2016. But now on, she has a bigger responsibility at hand--to ferry those in need of medical help to the nearest medical facility. Shes Tamil Nadus first woman ambulance driver and is said to be the only serving woman ambulance driver in India. She was officially appointed for the job, on August 31, at an event in the secretariat.

As the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu flagged-off 118 ambulances at the secretariat on Monday, Veeralakshmi was among the ambulance pilots who drove past. But her achievement towered above all, given that she had broken the gender barrier for many more women to follow suit. She drove past the podium on an Ambulance that was donated to the government by the ZEE group as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.

The vehicles are meant to bolster the states effort in the fight against the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. 18 of the ambulances that were flagged-off, were donated to the Government by the ZEE Group as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) initiative. These 18 are the first batch, among the total 45 ambulances that the media conglomerate would be handing over to the government.

A diploma holder in automobile engineering, Veeralakshmi took to driving with the support of an NGO that works for women empowerment. About 6 years ago, an NGO supported me in getting the license and since then Ive been driving different categories of vehicles and ferrying passengers. Ive driven an Indica and a Swift Dzire and later also got my heavy vehicle's license. Finally, it was this experience that also helped me land the new job, she said.

It was after the pandemic struck that she was forced to look for other jobs to support her family of four, as her cab-driver husband was also out of regular work amid the lockdown. That was what led her to apply for the ambulance-pilot job vacancy. With all relevant parameters being met, she was selected for the job and offered basic training, ambulance driving lessons, and first-aid lessons.

The ambulance provided by Zee, which was flagged off by the Chief Minister is the first one that I drove and am confident of handling the other variants as well. I am very happy about having been selected for the job. This is a new task and comes with a huge responsibility and challenge, but I am ready to work hard and deliver, she says confidently.

Veeralakshmi added that her son is too young to understand that shes an ambulance-pilot, whereas her daughter knows that she ferries passengers. People have always questioned me for having chosen to be a driver, but I believe that with adequate training and hard-work anyone can do it, irrespective of gender. When we can provide for our family and also motivate others by walking a different path, there's no reason to hesitate, she signs off, raring to go, save lives.
By Iain Withers, Tom Sims, Patricia Uhlig and Hans Seidenstuecker

LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to online banking in Europe, but it has also given some suburban branches an unexpected new purpose  as alternative office spaces for staff reluctant to commute to big HQs in city centres.

Lenders have been slowly cutting the number of often unprofitable branches for years, but opposition from unions and politicians over leaving people without access to a physical outlet meant many were unable to cut on the scale they wanted.

Some are now looking to speed up closures to cut costs and better weather the crisis, including Credit Suisse <CSGN.S> and Commerzbank <CBKG.DE>.

But others are changing tack. They are looking to take advantage of part of their networks of physical outposts to help adapt their businesses to the new reality.

"Banks will try to change them rather than just closing a huge number of unprofitable branches," said Daniel Dawson, an associate at banking research firm RBR.

In Britain, Virgin Money <VMUK.L> said it was identifying branches where office staff who live locally could work rather than travelling into city centre offices, while Santander's <SAN.MC> UK unit said it was exploring a similar approach.

Lloyds <LLOY.L>, the UK's biggest domestic bank, said it would launch "experiments" to test "how, where and when" its more than 60,000 employees could work from October.

"There's a lot of conversations (within banks) about wellbeing, particularly in the winter months. The branch network can play a really vital role if it's a safer environment to commute to," said Sarah-Jane Osborne, a partner at property consultancy Arcadis, who has been advising banks.

A MANAGED DECLINE

The number of bank branches in the European Union fell from around 238,000 in 2008 to 174,000 at the end of 2018 according to the European Banking Federation.

Story continues

The decline is likely to continue, as the overriding trend in banking is customers increasingly moving online - and this has only quickened during the pandemic.

Yet for some lenders, the new challenges posed by the pandemic are giving pause for thought.

"I think COVID-19 presents a new lease of life for branches specifically," said John Cronin, banking analyst at Goodbody, who said he knew of several British banks considering allowing office staff to work from branches.

In Britain, banks have disclosed plans to close around 265 branches so far this year, according to data from consumer group Which?, well short of the peak of 868 in 2017.

The COVID-19 crisis is also accelerating some banks' plans to remodel their branches.

RBR's Dawson predicts, for example, that other lenders could follow the example of TSB, part of Spanish bank Sabadell <SABE.MC>, in phasing out lower-grade frontline positions, and look instead to bring in more advisory services.

"Doing less basic transactions allows branch staff to concentrate on other things like advice and sales which are more profitable for the banks," said Dawson, adding banks could roll out more automated or video services that allow customers to withdraw large amounts of cash or get a replacement debit card.

GERMAN 'BRANCH OF FUTURE'

In Germany, regional lender Volksbank Stuttgart is now planning to repurpose eight - about a tenth - of its branches, with half offering only advisory services, and the others becoming self-service centres without any staff.

"Customers are changing their behaviour and it's an open secret that banks are making changes," said board member Michael Huppert.

Oldenburgische Landesbank in northern German has accelerated plans to bundle customer support services into larger locations, while transforming smaller branches into self-service facilities or closing them.

"The coronavirus pandemic has affected the timing of the conversion for a few branches," said Svenja-Marie Gnida, who sits on the bank's supervisory board.

In September, the bank is opening a new adviser centre in Oldenburg that will house several hundred staff for video, telephone, app and online services.

Andre Hasken of ZEB Consulting said the pandemic had focused lenders' minds on how to squeeze the most business out of branches.

"Banks are basically asking themselves how they want to design the branch of the future," he added.

(Reporting by Iain Withers in London, Tom Sims, Patricia Uhlig and Hans Seidenstuecker in Frankfurt; Editing by Pravin Char)
Several water rescues were undertaken in Salisbury, North Carolina, after heavy rainfall flooded the area on August 31.

Millers Ferry Fire Department reported responding to 12 calls for assistance. Local media also quoted officials who reported that six people were rescued from a condominium complex in the Wellington Hills area.

In a video posted to Twitter by local reporter Shavonne Potts, the horn of a vehicle submerged under water can be heard blaring while rescue crews prepare inflatable watercraft for use. Credit: Shavonne Potts/Salisbury Post via Storyful
Boris Johnson has joined jobs network LinkedIn - just a week after rubbishing rumours that he would be leaving Downing Street in six months.

Announcing his new profile on the professional networking site, the PM said he was using the platform to 'connect more directly' with British businesses.

The new profile lists the PM's previous jobs in politics such as Foreign Secretary and Mayor of London, but does not include his previous work as a journalist.

Last week Mr Johnson dismissed 'nonsense' claims from chief aide Dominic Cummings' father-in-law that he was planning to stand down early next year.

Sir Humphry Wakefield had reportedly suggested that Mr Johnson was on the way out because he was struggling with his health in the wake of his own recovery from Covid-19. However, the PM insisted: 'If anything, far better as I've lost some weight.

'Not enough, but I have lost at least a stone and a half.'

Announcing his new profile on the professional networking site, the PM said he was using the platform to 'connect more directly' with British businesses

The new profile lists the PM's previous jobs in politics such as Foreign Secretary and Mayor of London, but does not include his previous work as a journalist

Last week the PM dismissed as 'absolute nonsense' claims from chief aide Dominic Cummings' father-in-law that he was planning to leaving No 10 early next year

In a video launching the new account, Mr Johnson insisted he was 'trying to do right' for companies across the country amid fears the withdrawal of Rishi Sunak's massive furlough system could lead to a spike in job losses.

He said: 'I just wanted to let you know that I'm now on LinkedIn and that's because businesses of all sizes are vital to this country and I want to connect more directly with you as we build back better, stronger than ever before.'

On Twitter, Mr Johnson said: 'Throughout the pandemic, so many businesses have done amazing work to support their staff and their community.

'And were going to do right by them too. Follow my LinkedIn page for updates on the latest guidance and support for businesses.'

'Nonsense, I am feeling far better - I've lost weight!' Boris Johnson rubbishes claims he is planning to QUIT as PM in six months after Dominic Cummings' father-in-law Humphry Wakefield said he 'is struggling to recover from coronavirus' Sir Humphry Wakefield, whose daughter is married to Dominic Cummings, is said to have made the claim to a holidaymaker who visited his castle in Northumberland Boris Johnson insisted he was fighting fit today - after Dominic Cummings' father-in-law suggested he was planning to quit after struggling to recover from coronavirus. Downing Street blasted as 'total nonsense' a suggestion that Mr Johnson could hand over power in six months time, made by Sir Humphry Wakefield. He is said to have told a holidaymaker who visited his castle in Northumberland that the Prime Minister is still suffering longer-term ill effects of coronavirus and could resign. But speaking on a visit to Appledore shipyard in Devon today, Mr Johnson was asked about the claim, saying: 'It's absolute nonsense. 'I am feeling, if anything, far better as I've lost some weight.' Baronet Sir Humphry, 84, a former soldier and interior designer whose journalist daughter Mary is married to top aide Mr Cummings, likened the Prime Minister to a horse that is made to work while injured, leaving it permanently lame, according to the Times. 'If you put a horse back to work when it's injured it will never recover,' it reported him as saying. Advertisement

No 10 said the profile had been launched to enable Mr Johnson to 'engage directly with businesses and workers', adding that it was 'particularly important during the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic'.

'You can expect to see on there a mixture of written and video content from the PM which will promote UK businesses, jobs and economic announcements, and also detail some of the visits and engagements the PM has with business,' the PM's official spokesman added.

'I think a number of other leaders are on LinkedIn as well at the moment - I think President (Emmanuel) Macron and Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau are, for example.'

Despite him being seen as pro-business when he championed financial services as London mayor, Mr Johnson's record has been clouded by his widely reported dismissal of companies' concerns about Britain's exit from the EU.

By joining LinkedIn and its 700 million users worldwide, the PM is opening another route to bypassing traditional media outlets that have been sharply critical of his sometimes rocky, year-old administration, replete with U-turns on key policies including those dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.

Mr Johnson has already used Facebook to broadcast question and answer sessions with the public, and plans to televise daily briefing with reporters later this year.

This week the Government will launch a campaign to encourage employees back to the workplace after the coronavirus-enforced lockdown, seeking to prevent further damage to businesses in city centres that rely on passing trade.

Today the PM warned there is going to be 'more of this wretched Covid still to come' as he convened his Cabinet and told ministers 'bit by bit' the UK is 'getting back on its feet'.

Mr Johnson told his top team that 'we know there will be more outbreaks' but he is 'absolutely confident' the Government will be able to deal with them.

He also claimed that 'huge numbers' of people are now returning to offices and 'quite right too' amid fears that Professor Chris Whitty could quit over the Government's push to persuade workers to ditch working from home.

Mr Johnson met with his Cabinet in the grand Locarno Suite at the Foreign Office - chosen because it has more space than Number 10 so that ministers can socially distance.

The opulent setting will be used for the meetings for the foreseeable future after months of Mr Johnson having to speak to ministers via Zoom.

The Prime Minister will be hoping that the meeting, which came on the morning that Parliament returned from its summer break and as thousands of pupils finally returned to schools across England, will set an example to workers across the nation.

Mr Johnson is encouraging employees to head back to their offices but it was claimed today that ministers are holding back on the drive because of fears the Chief Medical Officer could resign.

Prof Whitty is said to be hampering the Government's efforts to get more workers back to their normal commutes and to physically return to their workplaces.

Cabinet sources told The Telegraph ministers are afraid that if they push too hard on the issue, resulting in a wave of staff returning to town and city centres, then Prof Whitty could opt to resign because of safety fears.

Such a move would likely cause massive damage to public trust in the Government.

On Twitter, Mr Johnson (pictured with Rishi Sunak) said: 'Throughout the pandemic, so many businesses have done amazing work to support their staff and their community'
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 770 new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus illness on Tuesday. The states total now stands at 134,795 across all 67 counties.

There was also an increase in the death toll, with an additional 18 reported deaths bringing the toll to 7,691 since March.

Your coronavirus updates:

(Cant see the map? Click here.)

Coronavirus in Pa.

The Department of Health on Tuesday reported a large increase in the states southeastern counties. Philadelphia County tallied 147 new cases, York County reported 74, Delaware County reported 72, and Lancaster and Montgomery Counties each reported 58. Those five counties account for more than half of Tuesdays reported cases.

York County, in particular, had a notable increase. Including its 74 new cases, it has 3,442, the 12th-most among Pennsylvanias counties. Its the biggest increase in York since July 10, when the county saw an increase in 77 cases.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

The state as a whole now has a seven-day rolling average of 680 new cases per day; 770 is the third-highest increase in the last week, which has resulted in an increasing average since Aug. 27, when the average was 602 new cases per day.

The last time the states rolling average measured this high was on Aug. 20. The average had been on a steady decline that bottomed out late last month at 602, and is now on the rise again.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley

The Lehigh Valley as of Tuesday saw an increase of 11 new positive cases, as well as one more death. The two-county regions total case count is now at 7,332 and its death toll is 644.

Lehigh County accounted for eight of those new cases, bringing its total count to 5,212. Northampton County had the other three cases as well as the death; its case count is now at 4,120 and its death toll at 301.

The Lehigh Valleys cumulative seven-day average is 18 new cases per day. Broken down into the two counties, Lehigh Countys is 11 new cases and Northampton Countys is seven new cases.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

Here is how the Lehigh Valleys neighboring Pennsylvania counties are faring with the coronavirus, from the states data on Tuesday:

Berks County has 6,095 total cases and 38 deaths, with 39 new cases and two new deaths reported in the last day.

Bucks County has 7,824 total cases and 586 deaths, with 19 new cases and no new deaths reported in the last day.

Carbon County has 423 total cases and 28 deaths, with one new case and no deaths reported in the last day.

Monroe County has 1,716 total cases and 127 deaths, with two new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.

Montgomery County has 11,093 total cases and 863 deaths, with 58 new cases and two new deaths reported in the last day.

Schuylkill County has 992 total cases and 51 deaths, with five new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.

Universal testing complete at long-term care facilities

State Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller and Department of Heath Secretary Rachel Levine at a news conference Tuesday announced the completion of universal testing in all long-term care facilities, which include assisted living residences, personal care homes and private intermediate care facilities.

Under orders from Levine, the testing was done by a July 24 deadline in all nursing facilities licensed by the Department of Health and by a deadline Monday at all 1,363 long-term care facilities licensed by the Department of Human Services.

Its because of this testing that weve been able to recognize cases and outbreaks early, Levine said.

Of the 7,691 coronavirus-caused deaths in Pennsylvania, 5,192 have been residents of long-term care facilities, according to the Department of Health.

Asked what group of people the state plans to test en masse next, Levine said the next priority is underserved minority groups.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
A teenage girl says she suffered serious burns and lasting injuries when Phoenix police officers pinned her to scalding hot asphalt during a heatwave last year, the latest brutality claim against a department that has faced growing backlash over its use of force.

On 20 August 2019, Phoenix police were responding to calls of a fight between a group of high school students when Roniah Trotter, 17, said a policeman grabbed her and held her face down on the sidewalk while trying to arrest her, placing his knee on her back. By the time officers allowed her to get off the ground, she had suffered second-degree burns across her shoulder and arm, her medical records show. There were record-breaking 113F (45C) temperatures that day.

My face was burning, Trotter, now 18, told the Guardian one year after the arrest left her with permanent scars. When they did eventually get me off the floor, the pavement had burned my skin off.

Trotter, then a junior in high school, was jailed and charged with assaulting an officer.

Related: I was kidnapped by police for nine hours for being a Black Lives Matter protester

The teenager, who filed a formal lawsuit against the department on Monday, is speaking out and sharing photos of her injuries at a time when police across the US are once again under scrutiny for the ways they assault, abuse and kill Black Americans.

In Phoenix, a 28-year-old man died in police custody last month after police held him down on hot asphalt for several minutes.

In July, the Guardian obtained footage of an officer in the city slamming a 23-year-old woman to the ground within seconds of a traffic stop, and in August, two women shared accounts of sexual abuse by police. An officer in another case is facing sexual assault charges.

Breonna Taylor lost her life. Thank God that wasnt me. But Im still hurting, said Trotter. The cops have to be held accountable for what they did to me.

Arrested on hot asphalt: I was going to pass out

Story continues

Brutal summer heat waves have created an annual and worsening public health crisis in Phoenix, which is considered Americas hottest city. The problem is so bad that homeless people living outside sometimes burn their feet, and the city has made it illegal to walk dogs on hiking trails when temperatures climb above 100F (37.8C) and encourages owners to put shoes on dogs.

On the day of Trotters arrest, the National Weather Service warned that excessive heat was creating rare, dangerous and deadly conditions. But the officers did not appear to have considered these hazards when they approached the girl, according to her complaint.

Trotter, a dancer who hopes to become a nurse, said she was riding the bus home from school when she got caught in an argument with a classmate, which escalated into shouts. The driver ordered a group of students off the bus and called dispatch. Once she got off the bus, Trotter said, she and another girl got into a physical fight. The altercation was relatively short and ended without any serious injuries, according to her complaint.

Then police arrived. There were several officers on the scene, and one of them handcuffed a girl who was shouting, Trotter recalled.

Then an officer grabbed Trotter. He brought her to the ground, and Trotter, who was wearing a sleeveless top, immediately felt the burning pavement on her skin. I have never felt nothing so hot, she recalled.

She begged the officer to get her off the ground before she started to feel faint, she said. I felt like no one could hear me, like I was really going to pass out. Trotter remembered she cried for her mother, who was not at the scene. I was just like, Mom, mom, saying my moms name.

After officers got her off the ground she became aware of her injuries: I was like, Is my skin gone? My skin was literally hanging off of my forearm.

Police called medics to the scene, who she said bandaged her with some type of gauze. She was not, however, seen by a doctor or given burn treatment, despite the fact that the sidewalk had burned through a layer of skin, leaving her arm with bright pink exposed flesh, photos show. I didnt get medical help, nothing.

Instead, police took her to the precinct, booking her for resisting arrest and assault against multiple officers on the scene. Her mother later took her to the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with second-degree burns.

In police reports, officers described Trotter as erratic and violent, saying they had to take her down to the ground due to her behavior and that she was kicking at them. Police said Trotter admitted to physically fighting another girl and that she later apologized for her behavior with police.

The reports did not document any injuries to the officers, and there were no allegations that the other girl suffered serious injuries.

In a 22-page incident report, there is only a single mention of Trotters injuries: It appeared Trotter sustained a scrape to her left shoulder as well as her right arm.

Phoenix police spokeswoman Mercedes Fortune said in a statement that Trotter was aggressive and refused to listen to the officer. Fortune said Trotter was taken down to the sidewalk and within 33 seconds was handcuffed.

Fortune also said fire personnel treated Trotter and officers were advised Trotter did not need to be hospitalized. Police completed a use of force report and found there were no policy violations, she said.

A pattern of sheer cruelty in arrests

Trotter is not the first Phoenix resident to be arrested in a questionable manner during a heatwave.

Last month, Phoenix police released body-camera footage showing the arrest of Ramon Timothy Lopez, 28, who died in custody after he was held on asphalt for several minutes in 100-degree heat. Police have not disclosed a cause of death. A 911 caller had said Lopez was acting kind of funny.

His brother told KNXV-TV, a local TV station, that he wasnt surprised he was resisting the officers as they held him down, saying, Who wouldnt be fighting? He was fighting for his life, and he lost.

Heather Hamel, a civil rights attorney representing Trotter, said the fact that Phoenix police allow civilians to suffer burns reflects the sheer cruelty of this department.

They have this idea that the ends justify the means, no matter how brutal those means are, she added.

There doesnt appear to be any policy to prevent these kinds of injuries, continued Hamel: In a city that is aware of the danger these temperatures pose to animals, its absurd to me that they havent also created specific policies within their department to protect residents.

Hamel said it was also hard to imagine this type of brutal arrest against white high schoolers: The response wouldve been to laugh it off and say, You guys are done now. I dont think it would escalate to violence  White youth are seen as innocent and in need of nurturing and care. All children should be seen that way.

Studies have repeatedly shown that Black youth are more likely to be criminalized for typical adolescent behavior, and a recent Arizona Republic analysis found that although Black residents make up 7% of the Phoenix population, they were subject to 19% of police force incidents. The department, one of the deadliest in the country, also disproportionately kills Black and Latino residents.

Hamel argued that the best way to minimize this kind of violence was to reduce interactions between police and civilians, which is a key part of the growing calls across the country to defund police agencies. A police officer shouldnt have been responding to a call of an after-school fight between teenagers.

Phoenix, however, has rejected calls to defund its department. In June, the city approved a $24m increase for police.

The recovery: Its never going to go away

It took about a month for Trotter to recover from her injuries, and the healing process was painful, requiring a procedure where doctors had to scrub off dead skin, she said.

The police assault charges also caused her significant stress: I was the victim  but I realized the cops can just make the story be what it really wasnt. She worried about her dreams of nursing school: No ones gonna wanna hire a nurse who beats the police. She was also put on juvenile probation for the fight with the other girl.

Court records show the charges of resisting arrest and assaulting police were dismissed in October. Fortune, the police spokeswoman, insisted the charges were not dropped, but did not provide further information. A spokesperson for the prosecutors office said it does not comment on juvenile charges.

But Trotter still lives with anxiety.

For a while, she didnt want to dance or wear clothes that showed her skin, at times even wearing turtlenecks in summer: It bothers me a lot. My family has been a big help, reminding me Im beautiful, [saying] Dont let that stop you from showing off your beautiful skin.

Some days, however, Trotter is plagued by memories and cant get out of bed. Anytime someone asks her about her arm, she relives it. And when she learned George Floyd was killed after an officer kneeled on him, she thought of the policemans knee on her back.

It replays and replays in my head all the time, she said. Its never going to go away.
Aurangabad : , Sep 1 (IANS) After hours of tension since morning, Aurangabad relaxed after AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel on Tuesday afternoon called off his agitation to re-open places of worship closed during the lockdown.

Last week, Jaleel had announced the agitation, starting with reopening a temple on Tuesday followed by a mosque on Wednesday.

Irked by this, scores of Shiv Sena activists led by local MLA Ambadas E. Danve came into an eyeball-to-eyeball position with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen workers as Jaleel planned to begin with the well-known Khadkeshwar Temple this afternoon.

With security forces deployed in full swing in the area, the police had a word with Jaleel on a potential law and order situation if he went ahead with the agitation, especially in view of the ruling Shiv Sena's staunch opposition.

Following the plea, Jaleel backtracked and withdrew his agitation, making the townsfolk breathed easy, especially since the 'visarjan' (immersion) of thousands of Lord Ganesh idols will begin at the end of the 10-day Ganeshotsav on Tuesday.

Jaleel has been demanding that the state government should immediately reopen all places of worship like temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, etc to enable devotees visit and offer prayers.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has, however, made it clear that the state government will take a decision at the opportune time, since the Covid-19 restrictions are still not eased for religious places.
In this article 3128-HK

An employee works on the production line of lithium battery at a factory of Tianneng Battery Group on July 20, 2020 in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province of China. Tan Yunfeng | Visual China Group | Getty Images

China will likely become the world's largest economy in a few years and it is preparing itself for major shifts in international trade. In a world rocked by the coronavirus pandemic and tensions with the U.S., the Chinese government has come out with yet another batch of policy terms to bolster its own economy, this time under the vague umbrella of "dual circulation." The phrase refers broadly to two circles of economic activity  internal and external  with greater emphasis than before on business at home. The jury is out on whether "dual circulation" reflects a major change in Beijing's economic policy, or how new the concept is at all. But notably, the high-level political talk comes just months before authorities plan to release China's economic blueprint for the next half decade  the 14th five-year plan. Increased public discussion in the last few weeks has also helped crystallize some of the implications for global trade.

For example, economists at ICBC International, the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of the giant state-owned Chinese bank, have put out a series of notes in the last few weeks on "dual circulation." One of the reports discussed the implications of the Chinese policy for the next round of globalization. The authors used two charts. The first showed an international economy focused on the U.S. as a global demand hub. The second painted a world divided into three parts  Europe, North America and Asia  which would interact with each other on a regional scale. China and its "internal circulation" stood at the center of Asia.

Prior round of globalization: 'The world is flat'

New round of globalization: 'Multi-modal structure'

Source: ICBC International, CNBC translation of Chinese text "The 'dual circulation' policy demonstrates China's recognition that it won't be able to rely on trade as much for the next two decades, as it did for the previous two," Stephen Olson, research fellow at the nonprofit Hinrich Foundation, said in an email last week. He also noted that: "The pursuit of deep economic integration with China is increasingly seen in the US as a strategic mistake, which worked out extremely well for China, but considerably less well for the US." Already, tariffs in China's trade dispute with the U.S. over the last two years have reduced the flow of goods between the two countries.

On an individual country basis, the U.S. is still China's largest destination for exports. But last year, amid escalating trade tensions, North America ceded the spot for top trading partner to the European Union, according to China Customs data accessed through the Wind Information database. This year, the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) became China's largest trading partner, the data showed. "My country's position in the world economy will continue to rise, our ties with the global economy will become closer, and the market opportunity we offer to other countries will broaden, and (we will) become a massive gravitational field for attracting international goods and key resources," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech last week, while hearing suggestions for China's upcoming five-year plan. That's according to a CNBC translation of the Chinese text carried by state media.

China's many domestic challenges

At home, China has its own litany of problems to deal with. Some of them are new, such as torrential floods in the southern part of the country this year that followed the shock of the coronavirus outbreak. Other long-standing issues have only become more pronounced, such as high reliance on debt for growth and an environment that favors state-owned enterprises to privately run businesses. The private sector generates most of the jobs in the country. From the perspective of Yan Se, chief economist at Founder Securities, greater policy emphasis on the Chinese market is partly a reminder to local governments about the work they must do to improve the domestic environment. He expects further policy support will come for foreign investment into China, and cross-border e-commerce. That's according to a CNBC translation of his Chinese statement. As the Chinese market has grown and the challenges of cross-border trade have increased, more foreign companies are adopting an "in China, for China" strategy. Beijing has welcomed the investment and made significant efforts to keep the businesses in the country despite geopolitical tensions. In July, China recorded 12.2% growth in foreign direct investment from a year ago to $9.05 billion, according to the Ministry of Commerce. That marked a fourth-straight month of increase since the height of the coronavirus outbreak in early February. In contrast, global foreign direct investment flows are expected to fall 30% amid the pandemic, according to a report in May from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. "Capital is king. If you offer more ... certainty than other (countries) there will be people coming to invest," Bruce Pang, head of macro and strategy research at China Renaissance, said in a phone interview, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. To Pang, these trends in foreign investment and changes in Chinese exports were already happening, and have only accelerated since the coronavirus outbreak. Authorities and companies are also trying to help Chinese businesses shift their focus to the domestic market. "Turning China's exports inward in reality is a good thing, so our economy can develop stably and grow," Xu Hongcai, deputy director of the Economics Policy Commission at the China Association of Policy Science, said in a phone interview last week, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. "This is good for the rest of the world."

Potentially painful transition
She announced her semi-retirement from the public relations industry in July, after losing many of her clients during the COVID-19 recession.

But on Tuesday, PR mogul Roxy Jacenko revealed her very surprising next career move.

The 40-year-old mother-of-two announced on Instagram she was becoming a 'teacher'.

'Who knew I would become a teacher!' On Tuesday, PR mogul Roxy Jacenko (pictured) revealed her shock new career after 'semi-retiring' three months ago due to losing many of her clients during the COVID-19 recession

Roxy shared a behind-the-scenes image of herself sitting in a chair with a laptop while she filmed a video.

'Today. Who knew I would become a teacher!!!' she captioned the fun photo.

Roxy looked sensational in a pair of jeans, which flaunted her trim pins and a smart navy blazer.

Sharing her experience! The successful businesswoman revealed she was sharing her many years of experience by putting together an online four-week marketing Boot Camp course.

She wore her blonde locks pulled back in a ponytail and glamorous makeup, with a full coverage foundation, touch of blush and a soft pink lip as she cheekily poked her tongue out at the camera.

The successful businesswoman then revealed she was sharing her many years of experience by putting together an online four-week marketing Boot Camp course.

'You asked so its coming,' she added.

Stepping back: The new venture comes after Roxy revealed in July that losing '85 per cent' of her clients due to COVID-19 made her reassess her job at PR Firm Sweaty Betty

The new venture comes after Roxy revealed in July that losing '85 per cent' of her clients due to COVID-19 made her reassess her job at PR Firm Sweaty Betty.

'It's been a realisation for me. I hated my job. I didn't like what I was doing,' she said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

'I'm now semi-retired,' she added, explaining that she wanted to focus on her family.

Family time: Semi-retirement meant Roxy has been able to spend more time with her husband, Oliver Curtis, and their children, Pixie, eight, and Hunter, six

However, Roxy has managed to keep busy launching a new business with her long-time friend, Inghams Chicken heiress Jessica Ingham, earlier this month.

The entrepreneurial pair have created an event brand called XRJ Celebrations, which will create fun and unique table settings and centrepieces for parties.

And, the mother of two is set to star on Channel Seven's upcoming reality series SAS Australia, which sees celebrities undergo rigorous SAS training reserved for the country's elite special forces.

New business: Roxy recently launched a new business with her long-time friend, Inghams Chicken heiress Jessica Ingham
US Passes 6 Million Cases of Coronavirus

By VOA News August 31, 2020

The United States on Monday surpassed 6 million confirmed coronavirus cases to go along with the world-leading 183,000 deaths the country has recorded, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Four Midwestern states recently reported record one-day increases in new cases: Iowa (about 785), North Dakota (about 375), South Dakota (about 425) and Minnesota (about 1,000), all according to Johns Hopkins.

Meanwhile, Montana and Idaho say their numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are also setting records.

While the Midwest is the newest coronavirus hot spot, the nation as a whole is seeing declines in deaths, hospitalizations, positivity rates and new cases.

The spike of new cases can be traced to large gatherings. In Iowa, the counties that are home to the University of Iowa and Iowa State University are reporting many of the new cases. Both schools are holding some in-person classes. Other infections have been traced to an annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, including 88 cases in South Dakota alone.

While the United States has the most recorded infections in the world, it ranks 10th based on cases per capita, with Brazil, Peru and Chile having higher rates of infection, according to a Reuters tally.

The United States also has the most deaths in the world at just over 183,000, but it ranks 11th for deaths per capita, exceeded by Sweden, Brazil, Italy, Chile, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Peru, according to Reuters.

On Tuesday, French children are to return to their classrooms, but the country's education minister said Sunday that a rise in coronavirus infections is putting those plans in jeopardy.

France is reporting several thousand new infections every day. With two days to go before classes begin, French doctors are calling for stricter measures, including masks for students as young as 6 and some online schooling.

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper that some classes will remain closed Tuesday, but "as few as possible."

The current plan is for French schools to resume classes with masks required all day for everyone 11 and older, and with some restrictions on movements and gatherings.

Other European countries, such as Denmark, and many school districts in the U.S. are fully revamping the school day, with smaller classes, more teachers, more separation between students and classes and a mix of in-class and online learning.

Italy, one of the early coronavirus hot spots, has seen the number of people hospitalized in intensive care units rise in recent weeks, with 86 COVID-19 patients on Sunday compared to 38 a month ago.

In New Zealand, which has worked to stamp out an outbreak in its largest city, Auckland, schools and businesses reopened Monday, while authorities mandated wearing face masks for public transit users across the country.

"We have a plan that we know will work," Ardern told reporters. "We just need everyone's compliance and help. If everyone sticks to those guidelines and rules, coupled together with all the public health measures that we have, we can make this work."

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The increasing number of blood donations and the growing amount of people suffering from blood disorders are driving the demand for the market.

Market Size - USD 7.00 Billion in 2019, Market Growth - CAGR of 7.1%, Market Trends - Increasing number of blood disorders.

NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market is forecast to reach USD 12.10 Billion by 2027, according to a new report by Reports and Data. The growing demand from emerging markets will help the Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market maintain a stable growth rate over the forecast period. The rise in disposable incomes and the growing adoption of automated hematology devices by clinical labs will provide strength to the Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market and will also help in its growth over the forecast period.

Due to the pandemic, there are high chances of disruption in the supply chain, which influences ingredients and raw material supplies. The financial crisis can let people shrink their expenses on treatments, which may lead to life risk. Apart from barriers, there are some drivers of the Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market, such as increasing blood donations, growing number of people affected by blood-related disorders, increasing investments in the research and development of hematology devices and usage of microfluidics technology in hematology instruments. The emerging economies of the world also provide a vast field of opportunities for the new players in the Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market.

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COVID-19 Impact Analysis:

After the outbreak of the coronavirus, WHO encouraged people to take more aggressive steps to prevent the virus from spreading and to abide by the rules and regulations created by the respective governments of each country. Experts predicted that COVID-19 would have a negative effect on patients with blood-related disorders. Due to the lack of resources, more emphasis is laid on patients suffering from COVID-19 compared to patients suffering from other diseases. Thus, patients suffering from blood-related disorders might face negative consequences if they do not receive proper treatment. A delay in treating a blood cancer patient might lead to loss of life in severe cases. To avoid the transmission of COVID-19, doctors are practicing telemedicine with the patients suffering from a blood disorder, though the implementation is challenging. Currently, COVID-19 has created a barrier for both patients suffering from blood-related diseases and Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market.

To identify the key trends in the industry, click on the link below:

https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/hematology-analyzers-and-reagents-market

Further key findings from the report suggest

The increasing number of blood donations arranged by different organizations worldwide are boosting the Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market. Additionally, the growing investment in the research and development of the hematology instrument made by the leading manufacturers are also acting as a driver for the Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market.

The hematology products held the largest share of about 40.4% of the Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market in 2019. The increasing production of technologically advanced devices and the growing adoption of Point of Care (POC) testing has generated revenue for the market.

Asia Pacific has the highest adoption rate in the market due to the increasing demand for Hematology Analyzers and Reagents in countries like China and India and recent developments in the healthcare infrastructure.

has the highest adoption rate in the market due to the increasing demand for Hematology Analyzers and Reagents in countries like and and recent developments in the healthcare infrastructure. Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market are adopting some wiser strategies to stay competitive in between the growing demand of the Hematology Analyzers and Reagents. Collaborations have been observed between prominent brands to increase their product portfolio and enter new markets. Companies adopt effective marketing and branding strategies to hold their position in the market.

Key participants include Abbott Laboratories, Roche Diagnostics, Siemens AG, Beckman Coulter , HORIBA Ltd, Nihon Kohden Corporation, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Sysmex Corporation, Boule Diagnostics AB, and Mindray Medical International Limited, among others.

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For the purpose of this report, Reports and Data has segmented the Global Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market on the basis of product, price range, end-users, application, and region:

Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

Hematology Analyzers

Hemostasis Analyzers

Plasma Protein Analyzers

Hemoglobin Analyzers

Immunohematology Analyzers

Others

Price range Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

High-end Hematology Analyzers

Mid-range Hematology Analyzers

Low-end Hematology Analyzers

End Users Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

Research & Academic Institutes

Blood Banks

Hospital laboratories

Commercial service Providers

Others

Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

Infection Related Conditions

Blood Cancers

Anemia

Hemorrhagic

Others

Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

Germany



U.K.



France



Benelux



Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China



Japan



South Korea



Rest of APAC

Latin America

Brazil



Rest of LATAM

MEA

Saudi Arabia



UAE



Rest of MEA

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PHILIPSBURG:--- The Pro Souliaga established on St. Maarten has filed a court injunction today Monday in the Court of First Instance against the country St. Maarten and the Dutch State. Secretary for the Pro Souliaga Renate Brison confirmed that the injunction was submitted on Monday morning.

Based on the court documents the Foundation is asking the court to prohibit St. Maarten and the Dutch State from using the Kingdom Charter to implement the Consensus Law and the Dutch Caribbean Entity.

The Foundation based its argument on three main factors and also determined that the Kingdom Charter in itself is invalid.

The court documents state that the United Nations has refused to declare 3 important points about the Kingdom Charter.

Those are:

1. UN refuses to state that the island exercise their rights to self-determination

2. UN refused to state that they (Islands) have achieved a full measure of government

3. UN refused to state that chapter 11 no longer applies the island.

The Foundation proposed that the Dutch Government establish a foundation on St Maarten to carry out the task of the Dutch Caribbean Entity.

The Foundation Pro Souliga further indicated in their plea that article 73 of the UN Charter is the same as Chapter 11 (decolonization article of the United Nations Charter. Without the 3 statements from the UN, the islands are not decolonized and the Kingdom Charter and Kingdom itself are not in compliance with international law.
TWO local businesses made the decision to close their doors temporarily due to a large number of Covid-19 cases in the area.

Rosewood Country Club in Ravensdale and McGeoughs petrol station and supermarket in Jonesborough shut temporarily to ensure the safety of staff and customers.

McGeoughs, which is on the border between Dundalk and Newry, reopened on Tuesday morning after carrying out a deep clean of their premises.

It comes as Jonesborough Primary School confirmed that one of its pupils had tested positive for Covid-19.

Rosewood bar and restaurant notified customers online on Monday that they were closing temporarily, and all their staff would be tested for the coronavirus as a precautionary measure.

The popular pub that serves food said on the Facebook page: Due to a large number of Covid 19 cases in the local area,we have taken the decision to close in the interest of safety of our customers and staff.

As a precautionary measure all our staff will be tested, we appreciate your understanding at this time and keep you updated as when we will reopen.

McGeoughs family run business which has a petrol station, supermarket, off license and sells home heating, also announced on Monday that they were closing on a temporary basis.

The business said on their Facebook page: Due to a large number of Covid 19 cases in the local area we have taken the difficult decision to close our business until all of our staff have been tested, and we will also be giving our premises a deep clean.

We will post further updates in due time and thank our customers for their continued support during these difficult times and we look forward to opening our doors again very soon.

The following day McGeoughs was ready to reopen their doors to their customers.

They said on their Facebook page on Tuesday: After all necessary measures and precautions we will be reopening our doors today from 9am.

We would like to thank all our customers for their understanding and continuing support.

Meanwhile, Jonesborough Primary School confirmed on Tuesday that one of their pupils had tested positive for Covid-19.

The school just north of the Louth/Armagh border is asking all children in the same second/third class to self-isolate for 14 days from last Friday.

Principal Donal Keenan said the classroom the pupils were in has also been closed and a deep-clean will be carried out.

Mr Keenan also said any pupils who were in close contact with the positive case will be contacted by Northern Ireland's Public Health Agency.

Mr Keenan in a letter to parents, which was also posted on the schools Facebook page said: "At this stage, the classroom has been closed and will undergo an enhanced clean in the coming days.

All other areas around the school remain unaffected.

"I do appreciate the concerns of parents, pupils and the wider school community and wish to reassure you that every precaution has been taken.

"Ensuring the safety of pupils and staff is my absolute priority and I will continue to monitor this situation carefully and keep you informed."
CLEVELAND, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Peak Nanosystems LLC, through its wholly-owned subsidiary PolymerPlus LLC, is partnering with Case Western Reserve University researchers and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory to develop new manufacturing approaches for cutting-edge, cost-effective production of high-performance, lightweight polymeric materials.

The Army's new five-year commitment awards $5.4 million (with the potential for up to $11 million) to Case Western with a portion subcontracted to PolymerPlus LLC. According to the Army's award notice, a portion of the funds will go to two other subcontractors.

PolymerPlus, recently acquired in a multi-million-dollar deal by Texas-based Peak Nanosystems LLC, is the primary industry partner for the project. The company will develop and scale-up processing techniques for ultra-tough layered plastics created in collaboration with the Case Western Reserve researchers.

"Our partnership with the U.S. Army and Case Western Reserve University to advance polymer research builds on a strong foundation of collaboration we have successfully developed with Case over the last few years," said Chad Lewis, president of Peak Nanosystems."

The teams will work with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Command's Army Research Laboratory, in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to help design components and new manufacturing approaches for high-performance composites that with potential applications in solider-borne and transportation protection systems and weapons.

"The ability of Peak Nanosystems to fabricate at scale promising polymeric materials combinations and processing conditions developed at Case Western Reserve University is key to delivering sufficient quantities for rigorous filed testing at ARL," says Gary E. Wnek, lead investigator on the project and Chair of the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering at CWRU.

Congressional support

The project was supported by two Ohio members of Congress, Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), and Rep. Tim Ryan (OH-13). Both are members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

Kaptur noted Ohio's "storied manufacturing legacy," especially in regards to "research and development of products that support our national defense.

"Partnerships such as this will carry that legacy forward," she said, adding that she applauded the ingenuity of the scientists involved "as exemplars for future generations to understand how science can improve our weapons and armor systems to keep our service members safe."

About PolymerPlus LLC

PolymerPlus was founded in 2010 by Dr. Eric Baer, Distinguished University Professor, founder of the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering and the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Layered Polymeric Systems and Dr. Michael Ponting, pioneer in the field of nanolayered films.

About Peak Nanosystems LLC

Nanotechnology can push the performance of commercial products well beyond what conventional wisdom says is possible, but until Peak Nano, much of its potential was unrealized. We're a turnkey commercialization engine for breakthrough nano-layered film technologies, making disruption real in multiple markets. Our Peak Nano system streamlines the entire process, from nanotechnology research and innovation to rapid prototyping, manufacturing, capital, executive leadership, and distribution. For more information, please visit peaknano.com.

CCDC Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army's corporate research laboratory, ARL discovers, innovates and transitions science and technology to ensure dominant strategic land power. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win the nation's wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.

SOURCE Peak Nanosystems

Related Links

https://www.polymerplus.net/


Dmitry Pavlichenko making a speech in Belarus last week - Twitter

A policeman accused of acting as chief hitman to Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has emerged from "retirement" to intimidate anti-government protesters.

Dmitri Pavlichenko, the former head of an elite police unit, was sanctioned by the European Union in 2004 for allegedly running a death squad that organised the killing of four of Mr Lukashenko's political opponents. He has denied involvement in the killings, said to have been carried out with a silenced pistol normally used for judicial executions in one of Belarus's jails.

After last month's disputed elections, he is understood to have been brought back into service, directing riot police who beat and arrested protesters in the days that followed. Last week, he also delivered a speech on the streets of the capital, Minsk, denouncing the opposition as "mercenaries and criminals".

"Sadly some of them, boozy and drugged up, began to destroy our city!" he declared. "Riot police and special forces came to the defence."

Belarusian students stage an anti-government protest on Tuesday, - Shutterstock

Mr Pavlichenko is among a number of senior Belarusian officials accused of involvement in the disappearance of opposition figures in the 1990s.

In 2004, a report to the Council of Europe's Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights linked him to the killings of Yuri Zakharenko, a former interior minister, Victor Gonchar, a former vice-president of the parliament, Anatoly Krasovski, a businessman who disappeared alongside Mr Gonchar, and Dmitri Zavadski, cameraman for the Russian TV channel.

It was claimed that three of the killings were carried out using the official execution pistol from the death row wing of Minsk's Pishchalauski Castle prison. The gun was said to have been signed out from the facility at the time of the murders.

A report into the disappearances by Belarus's own prosecutor general once described Mr Pavlichenko as the organiser and head of a criminal body engaged in abduction and physical elimination of people. However, Mr Pavlichenko was allegedly shielded from investigation on the personal orders of Mr Lukashenko, who in 2005 gave him an official award.

Story continues

Police and protesters clash in Belarus's capital, Minsk, yesterday - Shutterstock

"The fact that Mr Pavlichenko is present on the streets is worrying, because he is one of the bloodiest figures of Mr Lukashenko's rule," said Tadeusz Giczan, a PHD researcher on Belarus at University College London. "He isn't the most senior figure, but he's the one who does the dirty work, which is perhaps why he's been brought out of retirement."

The reappearance of Mr Pavlichenko comes as the Belarusian authorities intensify their crackdown on the opposition.

This week police arrested Lilia Vlasova, a member of the coordination council set up by opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya to oversee the peaceful transfer of power.

She is the third member of the councils executive committee to be detained since Belaruss prosecutor general launched a criminal probe into the group, accusing it of trying to seize power from Mr Lukashenko.

Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexeivich, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature for her studies of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Chernobyl disaster, has been questioned by police over her role on the committee.

The archbishop of Minsk, Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, was meanwhile barred from re-entering the country from Poland after speaking out against the brutal police crackdown on protesters.

Barred: Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz - AP

In peace-loving and tolerant Belarus...brother raised his hand against his brother, he said in a special address.

More and more one hears that the threat of a civil war is becoming real, which none of us could have imagined even a few months ago.

Authorities have also sought to suppress a wave of strikes that broke out in response to the election result, and on Monday sentenced the leader of a walk-out at the Belaruskali potash factory to 15 days in jail.

Belarusian television is employing Russian state news journalists, especially from the Kremlin-funded channel Russia Today, to fill the airwaves following walkouts from their own staff, according to media reports.
Update: Sen. Ed Markey, whos served the commonwealth on Capitol Hill for almost half a century, fended off the biggest primary fight of his congressional career on Tuesday, besting Rep. Joe Kennedy III after turning around a race that initially looked to swing in the young congressmans favor.

Just after 10 p.m., Kennedy staffers informed reporters that the congressman had called the senator and conceded. Read more here.

After a largely untraditional and increasingly tumultuous campaign, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III square off Tuesday in a Democratic Senate primary.

Markey, a longtime environmental champion who has been in Congress for more than 40 years, is looking to fend off a challenge from a four-term congressman who is part of Americas best known political dynasty.

The 74-year-old senator framed his campaign around his chops as a progressive and effective lawmaking on climate change, safer gun laws, health care and telecommunications. Kennedy, a 39-year-old former prosecutor, has targeted votes to highlight poor judgment, including Markeys support for the Iraq War and the 1994 crime bill.

Kennedy also made the case that hes got a better ground game, not only that he spends more time in Massachusetts but that hes more engaged with communities in need. Markey has disputed that argument, pointing to significant support from local leaders and federal dollars he helped secure for Massachusetts and many cities and towns.

The winner in the Democratic primary will face either Kevin OConnor, an attorney for more than 30 years and a small business owner, or Shiva Ayyadurai, a provocative scientist and engineer who ran as an independent against Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018.

OConnor, 58, says hes pushing to bring much needed change to the nations capital, noting in a recent video posted on Twitter that hes tired of the B.S. coming our way from Washington and that he would fight to stop the Democratic socialist agenda.

Born in India, Ayyadurai, 56, holds four degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An entrepreneur and self-proclaimed inventor of email, he has made headlines promoting medically inaccurate claims and conspiracy theories. He mocks Gov. Charlie Baker as a king and pilloried Warren as a fake Indian.

Related content:
Mongolians protest at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, against China's plan to introduce Mandarin-only classes at schools in the neighboring Chinese region of Inner Mongolia on Aug. 31, 2020. (Byambasuren Byamba-Ochir/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Plan to Replace Mongolian-Language Teaching Sparks Protests

Protests erupted across Chinas Inner Mongolia region with thousands of ethnic Mongols angry over the Chinese regimes new policy to require classes in primary and secondary schools be taught in Mandarinthe official dialect and language spoken by the majority Han ethnicityand eventually phase out Mongolian as the language of instruction.

Such scenes unfolded in recent days: Dozens of students in blue-and-white uniforms broke through police barricades to boycott school as their parents cheered from the other side. Teachers went on strike, ignoring threats of losing their contract. Artists put on traditional clothing and played traditional instruments on the streets, singing songs in their native tongue. Hundreds signed a petition calling for the policy to be scrapped.

Inner Mongolia, home to millions of Mongols, is one of six regions the Chinese regime has targeted for standardizing school curricula, with new rules coming into effect on Sept. 1.

An Aug. 28 announcement from the Inner Mongolia government stated that textbooks will reflect the will of the [Chinese Communist] Party and become a key medium for addressing the fundamental issue of who and how to nurture people.

Cultural Erosion

For decades, Chinas ruling Communist Party has issued policies such as bilingual education to bring ethnic minorities, especially Tibetans and Uyghurs, further under its political control.

While officials said that theyll phase in the measure over three years and that it will only affect three school subjectsliterature, politics, and historylocals fear that the change would enable authorities to gradually erase their language, and along with it, their unique cultural identity.

Bajnaa (alias) from the Xilingol League saw this in her own child, who attended a Mandarin-dominant school in the early years. Now in college, her child can understand and speak some basic Mongolian, but struggles with reading and writing.

Without the mother tongue, our ethnicity will become nonexistent, small-business owner Bayrmaa (alias) from Hulunbuir city, who is fluent in both Mandarin and Mongolian, told The Epoch Times. Studying Mongolian in Mandarin-oriented curricula would effectively render it a second language, impeding childrens understanding of their own history and culture, she said.

Mongolians protest at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, against Chinas plan to introduce Mandarin-only classes at schools in the neighboring Chinese region of Inner Mongolia on Aug. 31, 2020. (Byambasuren Byamba-Ochir/AFP via Getty Images)

She broke into tears as she pondered whether the Mongol community could survive through the continuous cultural erosion. What would become of our children?

Mongolians Until Death

Across the region, parents have been taking their kids home from school, saying they would not bring them back until the government responds to their requests. Some Mongolian teachers have resigned.

Videos shared on the internet showed Mongolian students shouting: Mongolian is our mother language. We are Mongolians until death! In another, a young girl declared that shed rather herd my cattle than go to a Chinese school.

Onon (alias), a student in Xinlingo League whos working toward a Ph.D. in the Mongolian language, said that most schools in the areafrom kindergartens to high schoolshave postponed opening for a week.

The attitude that we maintain is to not send our kids back, nor break the law, she said in an interview. We will try to preserve our language and culture, whatever the cost.

Learning about Mongolian history has made her more proud of her culture. Mongolian script is the only kind in the world that is written vertically, she said.

Hundreds have been arrested or placed under home surveillance for their activism, according to the New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center. Social media posts in China discussing the new education policy or expressing support for the Mongolian language also disappeared quickly after they emerged. Some also sustained injuries during scuffles with local police. Still, many seemed determined to keep up their fight.

Ms. Ulaantuyaa, a teacher from the Zaruud Banner, spent at least 11 hours at a police station. After she was released, she confronted plainclothes officers, who told her she was not promoting positive energy about bilingual education in her social media posts.

What is positive energy? The teacher retorted. Protecting our mother language is [promoting] positive energy.

Anaraa (alias), from Horqin Left Middle Banner, recently joined around 200 parents who gathered in front of the Shebotu No.1 Elementary School. He was there to bring his nephew home after the school refused to let students leave. He and a few others held a banner reading, We are Mongolians. We want to learn Mongolian. The police had arrested at least three, but later released them, he told The Epoch Times.

If this policy is carried out, within 10 years, our Mongolian ethnicity will exist in name only, he said.

Unless the government can communicate a reassuring policy to the public, sporadic protests will likely go on and students wont return to class, Bajnaa said, noting that Mongolian families could opt for home-schooling instead.

Those in their 40s or 50s all have sufficient education to homeschool their kids. It shouldnt be a problem in one or two years, she said, adding that new college graduates could also become private tutors.
Skeletal muscle tissue. Credit: University of Michigan Medical School

Minute differences in individual muscle cell contractions allow the entire muscle to flex with greater control and accuracy. Long dismissed as "noise" or error, experts now suspect that biological systems may have evolved to include unavoidable variation as a form of information in their communication channels. A team of experts from the University of Tokyo published these findings in the scientific journal Cell Reports.

"The differences between cells' responses to stimulation is actually another form of information," said Professor Shinya Kuroda, leader of the research lab that performed the experiments at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science and a co-author of the recent research publication.

Although robots might be designed to respond identically in unison, each cell in a natural system contains all manner of idiosyncrasies, such as unique patterns of gene expression. Each cell in a muscle receives the same nerve signal to contract or relax, but one cell might respond with a strong contraction while its neighbor responds with a weak contraction. The scientific community previously suspected that these variations were caused by information being lost along the communication channel.

In their new experiments, UTokyo researchers monitored the contractions of 551 individual mouse muscle cells grown in lab dishes, giving each cell 200 tiny electrical shocks to observe how different cells reacted to the same stimulation.

"Previously, no one had the technical ability to do these repeated measurements of single cells," said Project Research Associate Takumi Wada, first author of the recent research publication.

Regardless of whether a cell responded strongly or weakly to a particular stimulation, when any cell received a greater electrical shock, it reacted with a greater response. Moreover, individual cells were consistent; every time a cell received the same shock stimulation, it responded in the same way.

"We observed that each cell is quite good at responding to the stimulation accurately. They are simply different," said Kuroda.

Reliable and accurate responses to all levels of stimulation ensure that cells' differences remain consistent and therefore meaningful, rather than unpredictable and chaotic. The variation between cells means that, as a whole, the muscle tissue can detect a wider range of stimulation intensities and can respond with a corresponding wider range of control. If all cells responded identically, the whole muscle tissue could only perform on/off binary responses.

Researchers performed additional experiments using single fibers of mouse skeletal muscle and also analyzed recordings of facial muscle activity routinely collected during surgeries on human patients.

This concept of individual cell variability communicating essential information through biological systems may also be relevant to other processes where life requires a wide spectrum of responses, like hormone secretion. For example, the pancreas may be able to release different amounts of insulin hormone due to individual beta cells of the pancreas responding differently to blood sugar levels.

Explore further Muscle stem cells compiled in 'atlas'

More information: Single-cell information analysis reveals that skeletal muscles incorporate cell-to-cell variability as information not noise, Cell Reports (2020). Journal information: Cell Reports Single-cell information analysis reveals that skeletal muscles incorporate cell-to-cell variability as information not noise,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108051
MEXICO CITY  The Venezuelan government said Monday it would pardon more than 100 political opponents who had been targeted for prosecution in what would amount to the countrys largest political amnesty in almost a decade.

The move came as President Nicolas Maduro tries to break an opposition boycott of coming congressional elections.

But the initial reaction from many opposition figures was scathing.

Mr. Maduro issued a presidential decree that ends criminal cases against more than 20 jailed and exiled opposition politicians, as well dozens of political activists, the presidents spokesman, Jorge Rodriguez, said in a surprise national address Monday.

Many people on the list have never been formally charged or even presented to court, and rights activists urged caution until the measure is put into effect.
A French woman is facing years in jail after being arrested for stripping n.a.ked for a stunt video on a holy bridge in India.

The 27-year-old could be sentenced for a maximum three-years behind bars after her antics provoked outrage in the Indian city of Rishikesh.

Local police officials explained the backlash provoked by the Frenchwoman was partly due to the religious connections to the iconic Lakshman Jhula footbridge.

The woman was rumbled after she uploaded a video of herself cavorting n.a.ked on the bridge  which stretches over the river Ganges.

R.K. Saklani, head of the police station where the woman was taken said: Maybe in France these things are not considered objectionable.

But Rishikesh is a holy place and the Lakshman Jhula is the place where (Hindu gods) Ram, his brother Lakshman and wife Sita crossed the Ganges.

The woman, named only as Marie-Helene, is said to have been in India since being trapped there due to lockdown in March.

She has allegedly defended her decision to strip for the video as being a promotion for beaded necklaces that she has been selling.

Saklani explained: She told us she sells bead necklaces online and the shoot was aimed at promoting her business.

The business stunt clearly backfired as cops were alerted to the footage by angry locals after it was posted online.

The woman has been released on bail but the case could take months to proceed.

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has cautioned the National Assembly leadership against resurrecting or passing the Water Resources Bill into law because of the danger it portends to national unity.

The congress said the National Assembly should not ambush Nigerians by surreptitiously bringing back the bill, which seeks to vest the control of all water sources across the country in the President.

Recall that there was outrage over the bill in 2018 when the eighth National Assembly was divided over it.

But the bill resurfaced at the present National Assembly as that the House of Representatives on July 23, 2020, referred it to a committee of the whole, for third reading and passage.

A playwright and social critic, Prof Wole Soyinka; and organisations such as Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Middle Belt Forum, had on Thursday warned the Federal Government and the National Assembly against bringing back the bill.

Lending his voice to the national resistance to the bill, the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, noted that the bill was earlier rejected in 2018 with good reasons.

Wabba, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, titled, Do not ambush Nigerians, said the nation had enough challenges than to court fresh and costly controversy.

He stated, Information in the public domain has it that the National Assembly leadership is working surreptitiously with vested interests outside the assembly anxious to pass the bill without due legislative process.

Although the National Assembly is constitutionally vested with law-making, we warn against the National Assembly ambushing Nigerians.

We equally warn against legislative abuse or betrayal of Nigerians as this is what it will amount to if the bill is passed or caused to be passed without public engagement and scrutiny. Already, the sentiments expressed against this bill are too grave to be brushed off.

Against the backdrop of the strong sentiments expressed against the bill from nearly all sections of the country, the NLC president strongly advised that the bill should not be resurrected.

He said, In the light of this, we state unambiguously that the National Assembly should listen to the voice of reason by resting this bill.

As a pan-Nigerian organisation, we would continue to work assiduously for unity, development, justice and accountable leadership, the statement noted
PARIS - Tugging on their masks or dashing to hug long-unseen friends, millions of children returned to school across Europe and beyond Tuesday in a mass experiment aimed at bridging inequalities and resuscitating economies  despite the persistent pandemic.

The virus threat lurked in the shadows as children kissed their parents goodbye in France, shyly greeted their teachers in Israel, settled into spaced-out desks in England, and raised their hands in Russia.

While acknowledging a bit of fear, Jerome Continent brought his first-grader Baptiste to school Tuesday anyway in the Paris suburb of Roissy-en-Brie, where the buzz of first-day excitement was even more intense than usual after the coronavirus upended the previous school year.

I know we are being careful, he said. The children also have to live.

With France reporting thousands of new infections daily  more than any of its neighbours  all French schoolchildren 11 and over must wear masks all day, recess and music class included. Similar rules are in place in Balkan countries, while other countries are more lax about masks. Some classrooms look starkly different from previous years, with plastic shields around desks and virus warning signs plastered everywhere.

While many U.S. school districts started class online only and others introduced a mix of online and face-to-face learning, in-person class is the norm as Europe goes back to school. Governments are trying to show that life goes on despite a virus that has infected at least 25 million people worldwide and killed more than 800,000.

Frances prime minister sat with elementary school children at a school Tuesday, and the president wished kids well in an Instagram video. In Britain, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson sent an open letter to parents saying school really is the best place for them to be. Nothing can match being in a classroom with a real teacher to inspire them and their friends to share their discoveries.

Hundreds of thousands of British schoolchildren are heading back to classrooms, with parents facing fines if they refuse to send their kids back. Schools have introduced measures to reduce contact between children, such as staggering break times and keeping pupils in bubbles with their class or year group.

The World Health Organization is advising governments on how to resume in-person schooling safely, and acknowledged Monday that while the virus remains a real threat, school closures have hurt childrens mental health and social development, especially those from low-income families, with disabilities or in an abusive home environment.

We cannot let children become the hidden victims of this pandemic by denying them the opportunities they so fundamentally deserve, WHO Europe said in a statement.

Medical experts say the risk of opening schools depends on how widespread COVID-19 infections are in the community and what safety measures are taken. Evidence suggests young children dont spread the disease very easily, while kids aged 10 and up may transmit as easily as adults. But while children appear less likely to get infected than adults, severe cases and deaths have occurred.

The return to school isnt working smoothly everywhere. A middle school class in northern France ordered all its pupils into two-week quarantine after a student tested positive last week.

And in Serbia, the complicated reopening system has frustrated working parents. Still, about 95 per cent of parents have decided to send their children to schools anyway.

In Estonia, back-to-school day looked almost normal, with students wearing their finest dresses or neat school uniforms and donating flowers to teachers. As in many former Soviet republics, Sept. 1 marks a national day to celebrate education, with musical performances and speeches.

Schools remain closed in most of Africa and several Asian countries, but have resumed elsewhere - notably in China, where the last groups of students returned to regular classes Tuesday, following two weeks without new cases of local transmission in the country.

In the Belgian capital Brussels, anxious parents brought enthusiastic children back to primary school Tuesday.

I have a good feeling about today, said Faouzia Hariche, Brussels alderwoman in charge of education. I can see that children are happy to return to school, teachers are all present so we will try to organize things in the most natural way possible.

___

Jeffrey Schaeffer in Roissy-en-Brie, France, Sylvain Plazy in Brussels, Jill Lawless in London, Karel Janicek in Prague, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed.

Read more about:
The popular coronavirus refrain that "we're all in this together" is a call for everyone to pull together and be more conscious of the interests of others, not just our own. What it's not is a statement of fact.

Far from it. When you take a closer look, what you see is inequality and injustice  on many dimensions. Some of these have been created by the way our governments have decided who gets help to cope with the pandemic and who doesn't.

Illustration: Andrew Dyson Credit:

But others are the consequence of our politicians going for years pushing problems under the carpet because fixing them would just be too expensive for taxpayers.

You and I have generally been content for these problems to be kept out of our sight. But the virus has drawn these injustices to light. In some cases, the victims have continued to suffer in silence. In others, they've continued going about their business in ways that have undermined our efforts to limit the virus's spread.
Chinas land-grab tactics in violation of all mutual agreements and understandings is consistent with its deceptive policy of keeping up the pretence of talks and committing to dialogue mechanism only to buy time for its troops to launch more stealth operations and push the LAC further into Indias territory

There is something extremely curious about the latest  and by all accounts, serious  escalation in tensions over the ongoing standoff between India and China along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Certain incidents reportedly took place on and since the intervening night of 29 and 30 August to shatter the uneasy calm that followed the deadly 15 June clash at Galwan, bringing both sides again precariously close to a military conflict. The situation remains edgy and volatile.

From what we know so far, notwithstanding the ongoing military-diplomatic engagement and the consensus arrived at of gradual de-escalation and disengagement, the Chinese side under the cover of night on Saturday tried to execute another land grab to again shift the status quo. The site of the PLA's operation this time was some heights on the southern bank of Pangong Tso.

According to national security analyst Nitin Gokhale, Chinese troops were targeting the Chushul/Spanggur gap, south of Pangong Tso.

Chinese attempts at changing existing arrangements (status quo) around the Chushul/Spanggur gap, south of Pangong Tso thwarted by alert Indian troops. For the first time India has pro-actively preempted Chinese move. Currently no face off but situation dangerously tense  Nitin A. Gokhale (@nitingokhale) August 31, 2020

According to a report in The Print, the Chinese were trying to dominate some heights that would have given them operational advantage. Worth noting that unlike the northern bank that remains contentious and hotly contested, there has been no dispute in the past over the southern bank of Pangong Tso over which India exercises strong sovereign control. The latest incident, therefore, is Chinas attempt to open yet another front against India and change facts on the ground in a new, previously uncontested sector.

Chinas land-grab tactics in violation of all mutual agreements and understandings is consistent with its deceptive policy of keeping up the pretence of talks and committing to dialogue mechanism only to buy time for its troops to launch more stealth operations and push the LAC further into Indias territory. This time, however, the PLAs designs seem to have been foiled.

On Monday, a press statement released by the Indian army said China has escalated the border standoff with fresh provocations, forcing India to take appropriate countermeasures.

On the Night of 29/30 August 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo. Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground, read the statement.

It underlined that Indian Army is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility through dialogue, but is also equally determined to protect its territorial integrity. We were informed that a brigade commander-level flag meeting to resolve the latest issue is under way at Chushul.

At this stage, the narrative seemed pretty straightforward. Alert Indian troops had noticed some activities on southern bank of Pangong Tso on Saturday night and took preemptive steps to strengthen its position and foil Chinas latest misadventure. On Monday afternoon, Beijing denied that PLA had crossed the LAC and claimed that Chinese troops always strictly abide by the LAC. They never cross the line.

As ridiculous as the claim may sound, it indicates Beijings devious strategy. If the line itself can be shifted at will, there is no need to cross the line. The army statement refrained from releasing more details and the speculation remained restricted to the events of 29 August.

What make matters curious are the next set of leaks by the Indian establishment and Chinas reaction. Whereas an early briefing by Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian did not release any details of the latest clash and merely claimed that Chinese troops did not cross the LAC to refute Indias charge, by Monday evening, China came up with its own set of accusations.

Chinese media quoted Zhang Shuili, spokesperson of PLAs Western Theatre Command, to claim that Indian troops intruded in the China-controlled Galwan Valley on 31 August and broke the promises and consensus reached by two sides after rounds of dialogue.

Zhang accused India of doing exactly the same thing that India accused China of, except that the dates didnt match. According to the Indian Armys statement, Chinese provocations occurred on the intervening night of August 29 and 30, while PLA claimed that Indian troops have broken their promises and again crossed the LAC in the Galwan Valley region and provocatively attacked Chinese soldiers on 31 August. Also, for the first time since the current conflict broke out in April-May when the PLA unilaterally occupied Indian territory at several areas in the border regions of Ladakh, China sounded like the proverbial cat on a hot tin roof.

Indian troops are responsible for the latest escalation, Zhang said in the statement, adding, We demand India immediately withdraw troops that had illegally intruded the Chinese border, and urge the Indian side to stop all provocative actions and strictly control frontline troops to avoid further escalation The Chinese army is taking all necessary measures to cope with the situation and it will firmly defend China's sovereignty and territory.

Something does not add up. The Indian Army did not mention anything about 31 August, whereas the Chinese troops remained silent about Saturday night and breathed fire over what happened the next day. To add to the mismatch in timeline, there were contrasting claims over what happened between 29 and 31 August.

Some reports in Indian media claimed there were no physical clashes. According to The Hindu, around 25 PLA soldiers intruding across the LAC and were blocked by Indian troops. Around 100 PLA soldiers were also seen below Black Top hill just across the LAC. There was no physical clash.

The NDTV report notes that Chinese troops came in sufficient numbers. But the Indian army was aware of the Chinese move and established themselves in a move to block the Chinese advance. No physical clashes took place and there is no face-off situation at present

However, a report in British daily The Telegraph claims that Indian troops fought off an attempt by the PLA to occupy more Indian territory on Saturday night and then captured Chinese camps in a retaliatory procedure. And there were violent clashes. According to the report, on Saturday evening, around 500 Chinese troops had tried to cross into Spanggur, a narrow valley near the village of Chushul and three hours of hand-to-hand combat ensued. The report quoted a senior Indian police source to claim that the attack had been repulsed and a retaliatory special operations battalion seized a Chinese camp in the surrounding hills of Pangong Tso Lake in the early hours of this morning.

This special operations battalion of the Indian Army mentioned in this report seems to be commandoes from the Special Frontier Force (SFF). Ajai Shukla writes in Business Standard that the Indian counter-operation, launched on Sunday night by Vikas battalion, a part of the secretive SFF detachment that consists of soldiers recruited from the Tibetan refugee community in India, clashed with Chinese troops and inflicted significant casualties on them. One Tibetan SFF officer was reportedly killed and at least two injured in the operation.

Tweets also seem to confirm such a development.

Well, it seems SFF (7 Vikas) suffered some casualties in the operation. Below details from @TibetPeople pic.twitter.com/pNP0pQ18pJ  VatsRohit (@KesariDhwaj) August 31, 2020

Special Frontier Force (SFF) special force created on 14 Nov 62. Main role originally- Conduct covert operations behind Chinese lines in event of another Sino-Indian War. Vikas part of SFF, manned by sons of soil, Tibetans with offrs from Army.  Lt Gen K J Singh (@kayjay34350) August 31, 2020

Reqin, one of the areas identified by the Chinese as being under Indian Army control is a valley. By dominating the feature along its side and traversing the ridge, Indian Army soldiers could dominate the Chinese posts in Spanggur. We would be nearly 4 kms inside.  Vishnu Som (@VishnuNDTV) August 31, 2020

On details about the military post that India seems to have captured in a measure to strengthen its position, ANI reports that height occupied by Indian army troops including a special operations battalion is south of Southern bank of Pangong Tso near Thakung. Height was lying dormant and can give strategic advantage to the side which holds it for controlling the southern bank of the lake and areas around it.

Thakung referred to in the report is the Indian Armys company operating base (COB). Amid the fog of war and despite the differing accounts of what may have transpired, it seems reasonably clear that for the first time in the current standoff, Indian army has taken a proactive stance and created a fait accompli of its own, leaving the Chinese terribly upset and threatening military action. Having got a taste of its own medicine, China is feigning outrage and issuing incoherent threats.

China's Global Times says Indias reckless intention is a very dangerous miscalculation and warned that Indian side has not fully realised the gap of military capabilities between two countries, and how severe the consequences would be if India continues instigating border conflicts. Quoting analysts, the Global Times report says India should have a clear understanding that China is much stronger militarily than India. If New Delhi continues such provocative rhetoric, or launches large-scale attacks at the border region, it would face severe consequences.

Indian troops again pulled a stunt at border. They always think China will make concessions to provocative actions in consideration of overall situation. Don't misjudge the situation anymore. If there is a conflict in Pangong Lake, it will only end in new defeat of Indian army. pic.twitter.com/u3RyV7Slh8  Hu Xijin  (@HuXijin_GT) August 31, 2020

Chinas verbal virulence is not new. We saw it during the Doka La standoff when such threats were issued on a daily basis. In contrast, China had been preaching peace and tranquility during the current standoff as its troops remained in occupation of Indian territory, threatening Indias territorial and sovereign integrity. It indicates that as long as China perceives to be enjoying the territorial advantage over India, it wants to lock in that gain and create a new normal. The new normal consists of not only India accepting the loss of territory, but also normalising the possibility that China will conduct such operations from time to time.

India, of course, does not accept Chinese hierarchy in Asia, nor can Beijing expect India to normalise loss of territorial integrity. What we are seeing in the latest instance is a shift in Indias strategy. Instead of relying exclusively on talks and dialogue mechanism that seems to be going nowhere except presenting Beijing with more time to launch further offensives, India has evidently decided to create facts on the ground of its own, wrecking Chinas smugness.

What remains to be seen is whether China restricts itself to rhetorical flapping of wings, or escalates military conflict. India should be ready.
Nearly 90 per cent of Australians say they will get a COVID-19 vaccine but don't expect one to be available this year.

Ipsos surveyed nearly 20,000 adults from 27 countries on behalf of the World Economic Forum and found that globally, 74 per cent of respondents said they would get a vaccine for COVID-19 if it was available.

The most common reason given by those who would not get a vaccine were concerns about side effects (56 per cent) followed by doubt about its effectiveness (29 per cent).

Of the the 1000 Australians who took part in the survey, 88 per cent said they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if was available.

Nearly 90 per cent of Australians say they will get a COVID-19 vaccine if or when it becomes available (Prime Minister Scott Morrison pictured at Astra Zeneca laboratories)

Of those, 59 per cent strongly agreed and 28 per cent somewhat agreed they would get vaccinated.

Australians were among the most likely to indicate they would get vaccinated for COVID-19, behind only China (97 per cent) and Brazil (88 per cent).

Globally, only 37 per cent strongly agreed, whereas 64 per cent of Brazilian and 59 per cent of Australian adults surveyed strongly agreed. In China this figure was only 38 per cent.

While Australians are among the most likely to say they would get vaccinated, they are among the least likely to believe - 27 per cent - that a vaccine will be available before the end of the year, compared with the global average of 41 per cent.

The key reasons for declining a vaccine were worries about side effects (46 per cent), doubt about its effectiveness (24 per cent), the perception of not being sufficiently at risk from COVID-19 (18 per cent), and general opposition to vaccines (18 per cent).

Survey respondents also gave reasons why they wouldn't get a COVID-19 vaccine which included fear of side effects and doubt over its effectiveness (woman pictured exercising during Melbourne lockdown)

Ipsos Australia director David Elliott said health authorities could be optimistic that Australians would be keen to be inoculated when a vaccine was available.

'This has implications for the careful management of the rollout of the vaccine to cope with high levels of demand,' he said.

'Additionally, health authorities will need to pay particular focus to educating the public about the potential side effects of any vaccine to ensure maximum take-up. Reassuring them of its effectiveness will also be important.'

The survey was conducted by Ipsos between July 24 and August 7.
The United Arab Emirates has betrayed the Islamic world and the Palestinians by reaching a deal toward normalising ties with Israel, Irans top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech on Tuesday.

Of course, the UAEs betrayal will not last long, but this stigma will always be remembered. They allowed the Zionist regime to enter the region and forgot Palestine, Khamenei said.

The Emiratis will be disgraced forever ... I hope they wake up and compensate for what they did.

Also read: In US-brokered deal, UAE and Israel to normalise ties

Iranian authorities have harshly criticised the US- brokered deal between the UAE and Tehrans longtime foe Israel, with some officials warning that the UAE and Israel cosying up to one another risks conflagration in the Middle East.

Israel and the UAE expect economic benefits from the deal, the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years, which was forged largely through shared fears of Iran. It has dismayed Palestinian leaders, however, who believe it further erodes their struggle for an independent state.
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazils economy contracted a record 9.7% in the second quarter from the previous three-month period amid the coronavirus pandemic, the national statistics institute reported Tuesday.

It was the second consecutive quarter of a decline in the countrys gross domestic product, which is widely considered to be a recession.

The decrease in the April-June period was the largest quarterly drop since 1996. However, some economists and the president of the Central Bank of Brazil speculated weeks ago that the fall could be greater, even up to 11%.

The good part of the news is that although the fall is very large, it allows us to see possibilities of a rebound in the next quarter, said Gilberto Braga, an economist and professor at Ibmec, a private Brazilian research university.

Braga said trends indicate Brazil could see growth of around 0.5% in the third quarter.

Brazil has confirmed more than 3.9 million coronavirus infections, with 121,000 deaths. President Jair Bolsonaro has consistently argued that the economic impact of lockdowns and other measures during the pandemic would be more damaging for Brazil than COVID-19 itself.

Financial institutions surveyed by the Central Bank of Brazil projected Monday that the economy would have a 5.28% contraction for all of 2020. That is a more favorable outlook than a month earlier, when they forecast a drop of 6.5%.

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
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chris Missick, candidate for State Senate in the 55th District, announced his proposal to create a state infrastructure bank as a part of his multi-part plan for jobs and economic development in the Finger Lakes region. The plan, called RISE (Realigned Infrastructure Savings Enterprise) would authorize the creation of a "first in the nation" public-private bank along with a $3 billion bond act. The funding for the public side of the bank investment would come from defunding the $425 million Hollywood tax credit.

Chris Missick for New York Senate Launches NY RISE - an infrastructure bank initiative. Chris Missick - New York State Senate Candidate, Veteran, Lawyer, Small Business Owner

"By implementing my plan, we can invest $3.5 billion in our roads and bridges," said Chris Missick, Candidate for NY Senate (R-C-I-SAM, Victor). "According to the Federal Highway administration this will create over 81,000 new jobs."

The bank would be administered by an independent board made up of government and private sector appointees. Grants and loans would be specifically targeted to struggling urban and rural communities. This investment is desperately needed. According to the American Council of Engineering Companies, over 2,000 bridges in our state are in dire need of repair and 60% of our roads are in bad or mediocre condition. These poor conditions cost New Yorkers $19.5 billion a year in medical expenses and lost productivity.

Missick continued, "Safe and modern infrastructure isn't just limited to roads and bridges. Infrastructure projects including water treatment, hardening of the electrical grid, broadband, and affordable housing are vital parts of attracting new business and jobs to our region and our state. Hollywood does not need and should not receive one penny of taxpayer money. Let's take that money and invest it in ourselves and New York businesses through a dynamic and innovative infrastructure bank."

Missick pledged to introduce legislation to create and charter the bank and provide for a broad definition of infrastructure, authorize the bond act and defund Hollywood on his first day in office.

Chris Missick is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a lawyer, and a small businesses owner. He owns and operates a vineyard and winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York. To read more about Chris Missick's platform go to votemissick.com.

Contact: Erin Loftus, 585-478-2858

SOURCE Missick for Senate

Related Links

http://www.votemissick.com


The research report on global oxygen concentrator market offers detailed analysis of this business sphere. It comprises of information regarding growth factors, opportunities as well as limitations and restraints impacting the overall industry remuneration.

Selbyville, Delaware, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per reliable estimates, global oxygen concentrator market was valued at USD 1784.66 million in 2019 and is expected to grow significantly during 2020-2025, amassing massive revenues. The growth is primarily attributed to growing elderly population and rising prevalence of COPD, strokes, and lungs & respiratory disorders across the globe.

The study also provides crucial insights pertaining to various market segmentations and their individual growth estimations as well as contributions towards the overall industry outlook. Additionally, the report highlights the regional spectrum while providing a broad perspective of the competitive landscape of the market over 2020-2025. In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the report scrutinized the industry dynamics to suggest coping strategies for industry players.

Increased pervasiveness of COVID-19 has also augmented the adoption rates of oxygen concentrators. Additionally, various manufacturers are focusing on integrating advanced technologies in an effort to provide high-quality products and services to healthcare institutes, which in turn is aiding the market expansion.

Request Sample copy of this Report @ https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/2876128/

Highlighting the market segmentations

Global oxygen concentrator market is split into product type, flow level, end-user scope, and regional terrain.

Product Landscape

As per product type, worldwide oxygen concentrator market is bifurcated into portable and standing. According to estimates, portable oxygen concentrators market segment is expected to register substantial growth during the forecast period.

Rising number of COVID-19 patients has compelled major manufacturers to join hands with doctors and hospitals in a bid to meet the mounting demand for oxygen concentrators. Apart from this, easy availability and wide product rage are fueling the growth of the segment.

Story continues

Flow Level

In terms of flow level, the industry is segmented into above 10 LPM, 5-10 LPM, and 0-5 LPM. Estimates cite that 0-5 LMP segment is reckoned to witness high CAGR over the study duration, trailed by 5-10 LPM segment. Growing demand for oxygen concentrators with flow level of 0-5 LPM from hospitals to cure patients suffering from COVID-19 is favoring the market scenario. Moreover, increasing collaborations among public entities and manufacturers for providing oxygen concentrators in hospital settings and other healthcare institutes is positively impacting the segmental share.

End-user Analysis

Global oxygen concentrator industry is classified into homecare, clinics, hospitals, and others. Estimates claim that the market share from homecare segment is poised to register significant growth during the analysis timeframe.

Geographical Landscape

Global oxygen concentrator market is divided into Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America, with key focus on countries such as Japan, China, South Korea, India, France, Germany, U.K., Italy, Canada, and the U.S.

North America is expected to hold the largest market share by the year 2025, trailed by Europe and Asia-Pacific respectively. High concentration of manufacturers along with surging occurrence of COVID-19 in the United States are augmenting the regional demand for oxygen concentrators. Major companies in the region are focusing on expanding their product portfolio as well as their production capacities, thereby swaying the business dynamics in North America.

To access a sample copy or view this report in detail along with the table of contents, please click the link below:

https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-oxygen-concentrator-market-analysis-by-product-type-by-flow-level-by-end-user-by-region-and-by-country-2020-edition-market-insights-and-outlook-post-covid-19-pandemic-2020-2025

Summarizing the competitive scenario

The competitive landscape of global oxygen concentrator market is defined by companies such as Linde Plc, Teijin Ltd., GCE Holding AB, Invacare Corp., Inogen, Koninklijke Philips N.V., ResMed, Nidek Medical Products Inc., DeVilbiss Healthcare LLC, and Supera Anesthesia Innovations among others.

Global Oxygen Concentrator Market by Product Type (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2025)

Portable

Standing





Global Oxygen Concentrator Market by Flow Level (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2025)

0-5 LPM

5-10 LMP

Above 10 LMP





Global Oxygen Concentrator Market by End-user Scope (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2025)

Homecare

Clinics

Hospitals

Others





Global Oxygen Concentrator Market Regional Analysis (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2025)

North America

Canada

U.S.

Europe

Italy

U.K.

France

Germany

Asia-Pacific

South Korea

India

Japan

China





Global Oxygen Concentrator Market Competitive Scenario (Revenue, USD Million, 2015-2025)

Nidek Medical Products Inc.

Supera Anesthesia Innovations

Linde plc

DeVilbiss Healthcare LLC

GCE Holding AB

Inogen

Teijin Ltd.

ResMed

Invacare Corp.

Koninklijke Philips N.V.





Table of Content:

1. Research Methodology and Executive Summary

1.1 Research Methodology

1.2 Executive Summary

2. Strategic Recommendations

3. Oxygen Concentrator Market: Product Outlook

4. Global Oxygen Concentrator Market: Sizing and Forecast

4.1 Market Size, By Value, Year 2015-2025

5. Global Oxygen Concentrator Market Segmentation By Product Type, By Flow Level, By End User

5.1 Competitive Scenario of Global Oxygen Concentrator Market: By Product Type

5.1.1 Standing Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

5.1.2 Portable Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

5.2 Competitive Scenario of Global Oxygen Concentrator Market: By Flow Level

5.3 Competitive Scenario of Global Oxygen Concentrator Market: By End User

5.3.1 Hospitals Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

5.3.2 Clinics Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

6. Global Oxygen Concentrator Market: Regional Analysis

6.1 Competitive Scenario of Global Oxygen Concentrator Market: By Region

7. North America Oxygen Concentrator Market: Segmentation By Product Type, By Flow Level, and By End User (2015-2025)

7.1 North America Oxygen Concentrator Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025), By Value

7.2 North America Oxygen Concentrator Market Prominent Companies

7.3 Market Segmentation By Product Type (Standing, and Portable)

7.4 Market Segmentation By Flow Level (0 - 5 LPM, 5 - 10 LPM, Above 10 LPM)

7.5 Market Segmentation By End User (Hospitals, Clinics, Home Care and Others)

8. Europe Oxygen Concentrator Market: Segmentation By Product Type, By Flow Level, and By End User (2015-2025)

8.1 Europe Oxygen Concentrator Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025), By Value

8.2 Europe Oxygen Concentrator Market Prominent Companies

8.3 Market Segmentation By Product Type (Standing, and Portable)

8.4 Market Segmentation By Flow Level (0 - 5 LPM, 5 - 10 LPM, Above 10 LPM)

8.5 Market Segmentation By End User (Hospitals, Clinics, Home Care and Others)

9. Asia Pacific Oxygen Concentrator Market: Segmentation By Product Type, By Flow Level, and By End User (2015-2025)

9.1 Asia Pacific Oxygen Concentrator Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025), By Value

9.2 Asia Pacific Oxygen Concentrator Market Prominent Companies

9.3 Market Segmentation By Product Type (Standing, and Portable)

9.4 Market Segmentation By Flow Level (0 - 5 LPM, 5 - 10 LPM, Above 10 LPM)

9.5 Market Segmentation By End User (Hospitals, Clinics, Home Care and Others)

10. Global Oxygen Concentrator Market Dynamics

10.1 Drivers

10.2 Restraints

10.3 Trends

11. Market Attractiveness

11.1 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Oxygen Concentrator Market - By Product Type, 2025

11.2 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Oxygen Concentrator Market - By Flow Level, 2025

11.3 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Oxygen Concentrator Market - By End User, 2025

Related Report:

Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market Size, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2019  2025

Medical Oxygen Concentrators Market will reach USD 2.6 billion by 2025, as per a new research report. Growing emphasis on enhancing patients quality of life coupled with increasing healthcare expenditure in emerging countries will positively impact medical oxygen concentrators business growth. In addition, numerous developed and developing countries are facing rising levels of air pollution. Air pollution and high exposure to dust particles increases the risk of acquiring COPD. Thus, such factors are will increase the adoption of medical oxygen concentrators over the forecast timeframe.

High demand for oxygen concentrators in healthcare sector is mainly attributed to infections and chronic diseases affecting the respiratory health of individuals. With recent COVID-19 outbreak globally, the demand for medical oxygen concentrators is set to spur exponentially. Adoption of medical oxygen concentrators will be high, especially in hospitals to manage respiration among critical patients.

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The Tennessee Highway Patrol Criminal Investigations Division is seeking the publics assistance to identify individuals related to the vandalism of the Edward Carmack Statue atop of the state Capitol Motlow Tunnel entrance in Nashville on May 30.

During the protest, approximately three individuals can be seen toppling the statue, authorities said.

A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the offender(s).

If you have any information that will aid investigators in identifying the individual(s) involved with the vandalism of the Edward Carmack Statue, contact the THP Criminal Investigations Division at 615 251-5185 with attention to Sgt. Andrew Naylor.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  Turkey favors a dialogue with rival Greece that would lead to the fair sharing of resources in the eastern Mediterranean, the country's foreign minister said Tuesday about the tense standoff that other nations worry could spill into a military conflict.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also accused Greece of engaging in provocative acts in the region with the backing of the European Union, which has threatened sanctions against Ankara.

We favor a joint solution that involves sitting around the table to negotiate with all sides in the eastern Mediterranean, for everyone to benefit from the eastern Mediterranean resources in a just manner, Cavusoglu said, speaking at a news conference with his Algerian counterpart.

In recent weeks, Turkish and Greek warships have shadowed each other in the eastern Mediterranean while the leaders from the two countries engaged in angry rhetoric. The armed forces of Greece and Turkey have also conducted exercises in the seas between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete.

The standoff was sparked when Turkey sent its research vessel, Oruc Reis, accompanied by warships to search for gas and oil reserves. The Turkish government said Monday it was extending the drilling mission by another 10 days, until Sept. 12.

Greece responded by issuing a counter-notice, asking mariners to disregard Turkeys advisory about the extension of search activities in the area.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has threatened Greece with military action, described Turkeys activities in the eastern Mediterranean as the pursuit of (its) rights and justice and denounced what he said were Greek efforts to imprison Turkey to a small region surrounding its coast.

Efforts to descend on the riches of the Mediterranean, which are the rights of every country around it, is an example of modern-day colonialism, Erdogan said.

He also accused some nations he did not name of pushing Greece into a confrontation with Turkey.

Story continues

Greece, a member of the European Union, claims the waters are part of its continental shelf and has enlisted the support of the 27-nation bloc, which has condemned what it calls Turkeys illegal activities and plans to blacklist Turkish officials linked to energy exploration.

Turkey disputes Greeces claims that waters where its searching for hydrocarbons are part of Greeces continental shelf, insisting that Greek islands near Turkeys coast cannot be taken into account when delineating maritime boundaries. Ankara accuses Athens of trying to grab an unfair share of the eastern Mediterraneans resources.

On Tuesday, the European Union said it was very clear with its message to Turkey that it needs to deescalate regional tensions or face sanctions.

In Cyprus, President Nicos Anastasiades spoke by telephone with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss developments in the eastern Mediterranean. A Cypriot government statement said Pompeo reiterated Washingtons support for the sovereign rights of both Cyprus and Greece and underscored the need to focus on dialogue based on international law.

Pompeo also said the U.S. has partially lift a 33-year-old arms embargo against Cyprus, enabling the island nation to procure non-lethal equipment to buttress regional stability.

On Monday, Greece voiced hope that the threat of EU sanctions would persuade Turkey to stop its offshore energy prospecting.

It is in Turkeys interest above all, with its economy shaken and so many open fronts, to realize that right now Europe is offering it a way out ... (allowing) the peaceful settling of our differences to define maritime zones between the two countries, Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said.

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Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed.
There are many good reasons to root for Rep. Richard Neals political demise during Tuesdays Democratic primary in Massachusetts. As chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, he failed to aggressively pursue Donald Trumps tax returns last year, slow-walking the process and allowing it to get bogged down in court. Hes also a notorious corporate buckraker, who shamelessly carries water for industries like insurance and tax prep. His opponent, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, is a solid progressive who seems to have been the target of a bizarre ratfucking operation orchestrated by a local group of College Democrats, with an apparent assist from the state party, aimed at smearing him with allegations of sexual misconduct.

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But the most important reason why the congressman from Western Massachusetts needs to go really boils down to one issue: health care. If he remains on Capitol Hill, it will be more difficult for Democrats to pass any sort of meaningful reform under a Biden administration. Because he leads Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over key areas of health care policy, Neal would likely play a major role in shaping any legislative effort to expand insurance coverage. But his instincts on the issue tend toward tepid and outdated half-steps like letting seniors buy into Medicare at 55. Worse yet, hes quick to kill off legislation that threatens the profits of his donors.

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That much became clear late last year, when Neal used his committee perch to squash bipartisan legislation that would have ended the scourge of surprise medical bills, one of most grotesque and despised business practices in American medicine. Surprise bills occur when patients visit an in-network hospital and unknowingly receive care from an out-of-network doctor, such an anesthesiologist or radiologist they may have never met. These charges regularly amount to thousands of dollars, and in some nightmare situations can reach six figures. Theyve also become disturbingly common: A third of adults under 65 say their family has been hit with a surprise bill in the past two years.

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Just about everybody publicly agrees that surprise bills are a problem (emphasis on publicly). But finding a solution for them has been a daunting political challenge, mostly because there are heaps of money at stake and nobody wants their ox gored. When Congress finally set out to tackle the issue, it sparked a massive and expensive lobbying battle that pitted doctors and hospitals against insurance companies and patients. Private equity firms that have invested in physician staffing companies, and have made surprise-billing emergency room patients into a lucrative business model, also spent big on the fight.

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There are two basic strategies for ending surprise bills. Both of them require insurers to compensate doctors and hospitals for their services, and only ask patients to chip in what theyd normally owe for in-network care. But in one system, known as benchmarking, insurers pay a rate set by the government, based on the typical price of a procedure. Insurers and patient groups like it, because it keeps costs down. In the other system, the insurers and providers who cant agree on a payment settle their dispute in arbitration. Doctors, hospitals, and their Wall Street backers prefer this, because they think it usually ends in higher payouts.

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By late last year, it seemed Democrats and Republicans in both chambers of Congress had finally settled on compromise legislation that split the difference between each sides position, using benchmarking for small bills and arbitration for bigger ones. At the last minute, however, Neal and his Republican counterpart on the Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Kevin Brady, threw a grenade into the effort by announcing that they had a new proposal, one much closer to what the hospitals and private equity barons had sought. With Democrats suddenly at odds, House leaders dropped the bill from their end-of-the-year spending package, detonating the deal and punting the topic to 2020, at the earliest.

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Neal has claimed that he was simply attempting to offer a better piece of legislation. I wish every reporter would go back and take a look at who was on the other side of this issue, he told the Washington Post. I support the patient, the hospitals, the doctors, and the consumers. The insurance industrys on the other side of this, and I feel quite confident to say I dont think Alex Morse knew who was on the other side of this issue. But to anyone familiar with the ins and outs of the surprise billing debate, this excuse was transparently sillyhed broken up a painstaking legislative compromise by offering a proposal much more favorable to the hospitals and financiers who also happen to be some of his biggest donors. The private equity giant Blackstone Group, a major player in the physician staffing business, has handed him $32,000 in donations in the past two years. While hes long collected large amounts from provider groups, the American Hospital Associations political action committee has gone all out this year, spending $496,675 boosting Neals reelection campaign, according to Open Secrets. As Sludges Donald Shaw reports, the congressman was a featured speaker at the AHAs annual conference, where president Rick Pollack introduced him as the groups friend in Washington. (Neal has also accepted cash from health insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield, which gave $32,000 this cycle, and the pharmaceutical industry as well).

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To be blunt, it is very, very difficult to imagine a close buddy of the AHA, which also opposes ideas such as a Medicare-based public option, getting on board with any kind of ambitious health care reform agenda.

In the end, Neal cant stop a bill entirely on his own. Other House committees can write health care legislation, and Nancy Pelosi can bring pretty much whatever she wants to the floor, which is why the death of the surprise medical bills legislation raised questions about whether progressives could trust the speaker herself when it came to health care. Beyond that, if it does come time for a big insurance reform bill, its possible that anything passed by the House will just get big-footed by whatever the Senate produces.

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But Neals continued presence in Congress would almost certainly make the path of reform harder, both because of his formal influence and his informal sway within the caucus. At the moment, theres a quiet debate among Democrats in Congress about whether the party should pursue a strong public option like Joe Biden has proposed on the campaign trail, or take a much narrower approach perhaps focused on beefing up Obamacares subsidies and passing prescription drug reform. If Neal keeps his seat, hell almost certainly push for extreme incrementalism. It might be a slight exaggeration to suggest, as writers like Jon Walker and Ryan Cooper have in their good pieces about Neal, that his survival will be a death knell for any kind of serious reform. But it would send a signal to his colleagues like Pelosi, who has thrown all her support behind him in this race, that there might not be much of a price to pay for kowtowing to donors by pursuing moderate reforms at the expense of normal families. Lets hope Neal finally gets the boot.
The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation awarded an $800,000 grant to Hushabye Nursery  a nonprofit providing specialized care to opioid-exposed newborns and their families  to help establish a permanent facility to treat infants suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Hushabye Nursery will be the first medical center of this type in Arizona, and the third in the United States. The facility, located at 3003 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix, is scheduled to open in September 2020. The newly renovated space will include a dozen private rooms for babies and their caregivers, a nursing station, consultation space, and outpatient therapy areas. Once complete, the nursery will serve more than 100 babies and their families each year.

Opioid use disorder is a chronic illness  a brain disease. We intend to disrupt a system that often separates families due to a lack of appropriate and effective treatments. These families need a collaborative recovery process to be successful and the babies have a much better outlook if we can keep them in their biological home, said Tara Sundem, Hushabye Nursery executive director and founder. Because of people like Bob and Renee Parsons, we can continue to care for these innocent children and provide vital support for their families as well.

The number of children diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) has grown by more than 200 percent since 2008. Hushabye Nursery was founded by two neonatal nurse practitioners in response to the alarming increase in the number of babies they saw in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) who were suffering drug-related withdrawal symptoms. They also witnessed the intense family trauma caused when NAS babies were taken from their parents, often without explanation or notice, and by newly sober mothers facing difficult DCS situations and court battles.

It is heartbreaking that so many babies are born into the world experiencing pain and suffering because of the opioid epidemic sweeping our country, said businesswoman Renee Parsons. Hushabye Nursery is filling a critical need by treating opioid use disorder in both infants and their mothers.

Conventional healthcare facilities and training are not ideal for the complexity of caring for patients with opioid use disorder. Hushabye Nursery works to provide NAS infants with a quiet, therapeutic environment as they withdraw and offer ongoing behavioral health, recovery, and financial aid services to their families. Part of Hushabye Nurserys outreach is connecting with pregnant women at methadone clinics, where they are starting the first phase of recovery. The goal is to empower these mothers through education and invite them to join the Hushabye Opioid Pregnancy Preparation and Empowerment (HOPPE) Program.

Hushabye Nursery is providing two very important services  specialized care for opioid-exposed newborns and compassionate support for mothers in need, said businessman Bob Parsons. Both services work to build healthy families and improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable individuals in our community.

Provider partners like Dignity Health, Southwest Human Development, Community Medical Services, Phoenix Childrens Hospital, and Maricopa Integrated Health Services will allow the organization to incorporate new practices into their care and improve health. To learn more about the organization or how to get involved, please visit the Hushabye Nursery website at http://www.hushabyenursery.org.

About Hushabye Nursery

Hushabye Nursery is an intermediate residential medically observed recovery center for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Hushabye Nursery was formed in response to the emerging crisis of substance-exposed infants. Hushabye Nursery will provide these infants with a quiet, loving, therapeutic environment while they recover from intense withdrawal symptoms. Hushabye Nursery is committed to providing families with the support they need to successfully navigate the road of recovery. This work will include prenatal, postnatal care, and support after discharge for the transition to home.

About The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation

The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers support to nonprofit organizations successfully working to empower, educate, nurture, and nourish people during what is often the darkest time of their lives. Founded in 2012 by philanthropists and business leaders Bob and Renee Parsons to provide hope and life-changing assistance to the countrys most vulnerable populations, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers critical funding at critical times to those in need. The Foundations giving is driven by the core belief that all people  regardless of race, religion, roots, economic status, sexual orientation, or gender identity  deserve access to quality healthcare, education and a safe place to call home. Follow @WeDealInHope on social media or visit TBRPF.org to learn more about partner organizations and the important work being done in the community.

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Katie Aileen Murtagh and her boyfriend Patrick Earle are both charged with the serious assault of Oliver Solan

An Irish couple have been charged with stabbing a man in Australia on Saturday night, leaving him with a partially severed ear.

Dubliner Katie Aileen Murtagh (26) and her boyfriend Patrick Earle (23), from Kilkenny, are both charged with the serious assault of Oliver Solan, (30) in an apartment on Young Street in the eastern suburb of Randwick, Sydney.

Four other Irish men, believed to have been involved in the alleged assault, are central to the New South Wales police inquiry.

Police believe Earle and four other men, allegedly set upon Mr Solan as he lay motionless on the apartment floor.

Spleen

In a statement, they said a knife was used to sever part of his ear and inflict head wounds.

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Whatsapp Katie Aileen Murtagh and her boyfriend Patrick Earle are both charged with the serious assault of Oliver Solan

Mr Solan was also left with a ruptured spleen during the incident which took place at around 8.40pm.

Officers from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command attended the scene and found Mr Solan suffering with stab wounds.

He was treated by paramedics and taken to St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney where he has undergone surgery.

The victim remains in a serious but stable condition.

According to a NSW police statement, a second man, aged 23, was found nearby in Botany Street with an arm injury and was taken to Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment.

Earle and the victim, who are known to each other - were allegedly involved in a physical altercation following an argument, before the older man was allegedly stabbed.

The accused was taken into custody from Prince of Wales Hospital where he was treated for an injury to his arm.

"A crime scene was established with detectives commencing the investigation," added the police statement.

Following inquiries, Murtagh was arrested at the apartment and taken to Maroubra Police Station, along with the younger man after he was discharged from hospital.

The couple have been refused bail by Waverley Local Court and will remain in custody until October 27.

The court was told that Earle is facing a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted, with a standard non-parole period of seven years.

Police allege that Murtagh was aware of what would happen when she invited and let her boyfriend's group of friends inside their apartment.

According to Australian media reports, when Murtagh's boyfriend and the four men fled, CCTV footage allegedly shows her dragging Mr Solan's body into the hall.

Concerned neighbours called police when they discovered Mr Solan.

Hunt

As Mr Solan was being attended to by paramedics, police scoured the area hunting for Earle, Murtagh and the other alleged assailants.

Police are still looking for at least four other men they believe were involved in the alleged attack but it is understood they know their identity.

In a statement police said: "Following inquiries, police have obtained images of four men who they believe might be able to assist with the investigation. Detectives believe all four men are Irish nationals."
Americans are fleeing the nation's big cities and seeking greener pastures in spots like Texas, Florida, Vermont, and Oregon according to new data compiled by moving company United Van Lines and provided to Bloomberg News.

According to the data, New York and New Jersey have seen the most marked exodus. Destinations in Texas, Florida, California and North Carolina accounted for under half of the New Yorker relocations, the United Van Lines data shows.

BEST PLACES TO RETIRE: Two Texas cities make Forbes list of best places to retire in 2020

Vermont ranked at the top of the list of states that saw the strongest wave of new moves between March and August, according to the data.

What's driving this new migration is a palpable sense of fear of living in crowded cities, according to Chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics.

"We have seen increase mobility across the states--driven by a fear of living in densely populated areas, a realization that the 'old normal' of commuting into a city office is still but a distant possibility, and the realization that remote work can be an effective, long-term option," Daco said.

Tech entrepreneur, Peter Rex is moving his company to Texas and said the decision to do so comes down to three things.

"I want to provide my employees with a place that they can afford to buy a home...They can live abundantly, afford cost of schooling," Rex said in an interview with FOX News. "The second is that I want to be in a place where the American Dream can flourish, that includes being in a culture that is amenable to flourishing. The third is that I want to be where the the next big wave will be."

The top ten outbound states that people wish to flee include New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Kansas, North Dakota, California, Ohio, Maryland and Massachusetts, according to United Van Lines' parent company UniGroup. New Jersey won the dubious distinction of being the top state to exit.

The top five solid winners in terms of inbound states people wish to relocate to include Vermont, Idaho, Oregon, South Carolina, and Arizona, according to UniGroup. Vermont made it to the top of list, leading all states with 75 percent of inbound moves.

Although many Americans headed out for life in more rural states like Vermont and Idaho, residents in New York and New Jersey flocked to states like Texas and Florida, United Van Lines data shows.

According to the Pew Research Center's survey, about one in five Americans have pulled up stakes and relocated during the coronavirus pandemic.

Trust me, it doesn't surprise Texans that so many are headed to our friendly, affordable state. But here's one caveat--many think the move from New York is just passing phase, and the affinity for living in New York will be back.

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The men after they were caught

An Islamic teacher, Ismaila Saheed, 38, and his friend one Toliha Sabith, 20 have been apprehended for the alleged defilement of a 15-year-old girl (names withheld).

TheNation reported that they were arrested weekend by detectives attached to Redeemed Camp Police Station after the victim reported that the duo raped her on August 25, at Mowe.

According to the police, the victim reported that she was first raped by Sabith at Imedu_nla in Mowe and went confide in her Islamic teacher who also took advantage of her under the guise of helping her remove an imaginary pregnancy gotten from the first defilement.

She said she was raped by Sabith and she went to her Islamic and Arabic teacher to tell him about it. Having listened to her ordeal, the Arabic teacher Ismaila Saheed told her that she might have gotten pregnant as a result of the incident and he offered to help her remove the said pregnancy.

Surprisingly, instead of removing the imaginary pregnancy, he also had carnal knowledge of her, after which he inserted a sharp object into her private part causing her a serious vaginal injury, said police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi in a statement yesterday.

Consequent upon her report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Bala Yakubu was said to have detailed operatives to go after the culprits who were eventually apprehended on Friday.

They were said to have confessed to the crime and would be transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further action.

Oyeyemi said the victim has been admitted in a hospital for proper care.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a visit to Kenosha, Wis., to express his support for the local police department and his opposition to street demonstrators. Mr. Trump, who seeks re-election to a second term on Nov. 3, is promising to defend law and order in bedroom communities like Kenosha, which lies between Milwaukee and Chicago.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a visit to Kenosha, Wis., to express his support for the local police department and his opposition to street demonstrators. Mr. Trump, who seeks re-election to a second term on Nov. 3, is promising to defend law and order in bedroom communities like Kenosha, which lies between Milwaukee and Chicago.

Black Lives Matter supporters have been demonstrating in the streets since Aug. 23, when a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake, a black man, seven times in the back, paralyzing him. This was one of a series of police shootings of black civilians in U.S. cities, which have touched off recurring street protests.

Mr. Trump has steadily supported police action, sent federal officers to Portland, Ore., deployed riot squads around the White House for his own convenience and blamed Democratic Party officials for tolerating demonstrations.

Meanwhile in Minsk, capital of Belarus, beleaguered president Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday deployed his heavily armed police forces to block enormous throngs of demonstrators who were approaching one of his palaces. President Lukashenkos press officer distributed a photo of the president dressed in body armour and carrying an assault rifle.

Sergei Shelega, BelTA Pool / The Associated Press Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

Mr. Lukashenko claims he won the Aug. 9 election with an 80 per cent majority over Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran for election in place of her imprisoned husband, Sergey Tikhanovsky.

It has been obvious from the numbers of street demonstrators for and against Mr. Lukashenko that the election result he announced was unrelated to public sentiment. The people of Belarus want him out. The Aug. 9 election result that Mr. Lukashenkos government announced was obviously fraudulent.

The United States, which has two robust political parties and independent law courts, is in no danger of turning into a one-party dictatorship like Belarus. It is nonetheless illuminating to see both Mr. Trump and Mr. Lukashenko hiding behind phalanxes of riot police to keep themselves in office.

Mr. Trump will not win the election among Americas Black and Latino voters nor in its large cities. He may be able to scare white-skinned suburbanites into believing they are in danger from angry Black citizens. He is casting himself and the police forces of America as the line of defence that stands between the leafy suburbs and the criminal under-class.

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(AP PHOTO/DMITRI LOVETSKY, FILE) Crowds of up to 200,000 Belarusian opposition supporters rallied in the city of Minsk, Belarus.

In Belarus, the police are the line of defence that stands between the hated dictator and the people who want to be rid of him. The police have been grabbing people off the streets during anti-Lukashenko demonstrations, torturing them and then releasing them to spread fear among the people.

It hasnt worked yet: throngs once again filled the streets of Minsk on Sunday telling the dictator to quit.

Mr. Trump and his supporters should watch the news from Minsk. It shows that Mr. Lukashenko has already lost legitimacy and political authority. As long as he cultivates the loyalty of his police and keeps the option of calling in reinforcements from Moscow, he still has a fragile kind of power. His power rests on fear, however, and the people are showing they are no longer afraid.

Consent is a better basis for power, a more stable basis than fear.

If Mr. Trump and his Republican Party cannot win fearless consent from the American public, they would do better to lose this election and return to fight another day.
By equipping our Partners with critical data-driven insights, they can confidently make decisions and simulate strategies before taking on the risk," said Fred Weiss, President and CEO of Othot.

Othot, Inc., the leader in artificial intelligence and prescriptive analytics for higher education, is carrying its 2019 momentum into 2020, announcing new Partner Institutions, product updates, a successful Virtual Event, and a new Vice President of Marketing.

*Welcoming New Partners from Across the Nation*

Othot is pleased to welcome a diverse slate of higher ed institutions to its roster of Partner Institutions, including Bucknell University, Carlow University, Colorado State University, University of Michigan-Dearborn, and Wilkes University. Because Othot works closely with their customers to build their data models and provide guidance on next actions to take with the findings, Othot calls their customers Partners.

We are thrilled to add this group of institutions to Othots Partners, said Fred Weiss, President and CEO of Othot. They represent the diversity of higher education institutions that can benefit from the use of predictive and prescriptive analytics in driving successful outcomes.

*Innovative Product Features*

In 2020, as with every year, Othot has been heavily focused on listening to their Partners and adding functions and features in the Othot Platform that improve the user experience, deliver value, and move the market forward. Here are some of the innovative product features, new this year to the Othot Platform, that will better enable their Partners to manage through the impacts of the pandemic on higher ed:



Goal Predictions  Partners can determine if they are predicted to meet their most critical annual goals at any point in time. With the ability to create as many Goals in the Platform as needed, Othot Partners feel more confident in knowing which KPIs need their attention and when.

Admission Decision Simulations  Partners can use What-If analysis to predict if these admissions decisions could result in meeting enrollment, academic profile, and financial aid goals, and ultimately achieve yield.

Persona Groups  Partners need the ability to determine which students would benefit most from specific messaging to create targeted recruitment and marketing campaigns. The new Groups feature takes advantage of AI clustering methods to populate more advanced personas than any other product on the market.

Scenario Simulations  Partners are using the Othot Platform to simulate countless tactics, from new financial aid strategies, to high school visits from recruiters, to admissions decisions. Scenario Simulations enables Partners to feel more confident implementing multiple strategies by combining the impacts from these simulated tactics into one predicted outcome.

We have felt the pain of the higher ed market challenges brought on by the pandemic. These challenges have strengthened our commitment to help our Partners achieve their Fall 2020 Enrollment goals, and the new features in the Platform are demonstrative of that commitment to our Partners, said Weiss. By equipping our Partners with critical data-driven insights, they can confidently make decisions and simulate strategies before taking on the risk. Thats important because of the uncertainties that COVID-19 is having on higher ed, especially leading into the next enrollment cycle when test-optional admissions and virtual events will further disrupt the enrollment cycle.

*Record-breaking Virtual Partner Experience*

In August, Othot hosted its third annual conference for its Partner Institutions. One hundred higher ed leaders from 65 institutions attended Othots Virtual Partner Experience, breaking Othots previous attendance records. Participants attended eight sessions over two days with speakers from six institutions that represented different regions in the U.S, sizes, and institution types, and Othot leadership. Donald S. Burke, MD, Jonas Salk Chair in Population Health, Dean Emeritus, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, and Nathan Grawe, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Carleton College, were the keynote speakers, speaking, respectively, about Predicting the Pandemic and the future decline in the number of college-aged students.

*Enhancing Othots Growth Engine with New Talent*

Othot helps their Partners achieve and exceed their goals and has continued to deliver institution-changing results even during the COVID-19 pandemic. To help deepen awareness of Othots capabilities and its Partners successes, Amy Baker has joined the leadership team as Vice President of Marketing. Baker brings nearly 30 years of B2B technology marketing experience and success across several industries, including higher education.

Amy Baker brings a fresh perspective and approach to our marketing and leadership teams, said Weiss. She has demonstrated an ability to create strong brands, grow awareness, and create scalable growth. Shes a tremendous asset to the team, and Im thrilled to have her on board.

Baker was most recently head of marketing at Pittsburgh cybersecurity start-up Wombat Security (acquired by Proofpoint in 2018) where she led the marketing and product management team to grow from $110K to $38M annual revenue at acquisition.

For more information about Othot, Inc., please contact Karlye Rowles at knrowles@othot.com or visit othot.com.

About Othot, Inc.

Othot is the leader in artificial intelligence and prescriptive analytics solutions for higher education institutions across the United States. Together, Othot and its partner schools focus on each institutions specific enrollment, student success, and advancement goals. Othots cloud-based solution provides continuous intelligence in real time and empowers schools to engage each prospective, current, and former student with the right tactic at the right time. Othot is higher intelligence for higher education.
Googles Android TV products have never really been available at an affordable price before but that seems to be changing with the dongle. Eventually, the price of Android TV devices does drop.

In the case of the new Android TV device from Google though, the dongle codenamed Sabrina, the cost seems to be ridiculously inexpensive from the get-go considering what the dongle is essentially going to deliver to the user.

This also isnt Googles first dongle. It has the Chromecast Ultra. And older iterations of the Chromecast that you can no longer buy. Perhaps that plays a little bit into the suspected cost of this new dongle.

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Googles Android TV dongle price set at $50

Maybe $50 isnt exceedingly cheap, but its not $70 (the cost of the Chromecast Ultra when it launched) and its quite a bit cheaper than something like the NVIDIA SHIELD.

Which is currently the only remaining Android TV product that you can buy brand-new in the US.

The price of the dongle appears to have been listed on an internal system at Home Depot (via 9To5Google). This isnt typically the place youd expect to buy a piece of electronic equipment like this. So its strange that the price would leak from a store that generally sells home improvement gear and hardware.

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Regardless of location, though, the discovery is no doubt a good one for consumers who were interested in buying this. Because the cost was expected to be higher. So this could be seen as a nice surprise.

There will be multiple fun colors available

True to Google fashion, the Android TV dongle looks to be coming in some fun colors.

The listing on Home Depots internal system shows three different variants. One coming in Como Blue, one coming in Rock Candy, and one coming in Summer Melon.

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Summer Melon is likely the color seen in initial leaked promo images of this device. Which has been shown alongside white and black options. Como Blue as the name suggests is probably a light-shaded blue option. While Rock Candy could be the name of the white model thats been leaked before as well.

These three colors aside, there is likely to be at least one more color. The black model. As it doesnt really look like a Como Blue or Rock Candy. Theres no date listed along with the leaked pricing image, but that might not be too far off.

Google could very well unveil these officially at an upcoming event when it unveils the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G. Which is suspected to be this Fall.
PONTIAC, MI  Two arctic foxes, hundreds of grams of drugs, cash and weapons were seized in police raids of a Pontiac residence and an alleged underground rave club last week.

Three suspects were arrested and charged in the case: James Walker, Thomas Miller and Steven Robiadek, FOX 2 Detroit reports. They are accused of drug dealing, operating an illegal business and owning illegal exotic animals.

Owning an exotic animal is a status thing for some drug dealers, said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

Along with the arctic foxes, police found 125 grams of cocaine, 119 grams of ketamine and $8,000 in cash inside the residence, the report said. The alleged illegal club the men are suspected of operating is about a mile and a half from the residence. There, investigators found more cocaine and a 12-gauge shotgun, the report said. Police believe the club was used by the suspects to hold illegal parties during which they would sell drugs.

The suspects are scheduled to return to court on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Research News

UB neonatologists paper sets best delivery room practices when mom-to-be has COVID-19

Setup of a birthing room for a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 undergoing labor and delivery. A negative pressure room is preferred with limited number of providers in the room to limit exposure. Additional personnel may be outside the room and be available if extensive neonatal resuscitation is needed. COVID-19, novel coronavirus disease 2019; PAPR, powered air-purifying respirator. Image Courtesy: Satyan Lakshminrusimha

By BARBARA BRANNING

The importance of using personal protective equipment when resuscitating a newborn in the delivery room, and the concept of shared decision-making, are the most crucial aspects explained in our article. 

Childbirth is an emotional event, filled with both excitement and apprehension.

But when the mother-to-be tests positive for COVID-19, or is suspected of having the virus, the stakes get higher. Keeping mom, baby and the health care team as safe as possible adds another layer of concern for everyone involved. Taking steps to minimize risks becomes a priority.

In a paper published online this past spring in the American Journal of Perinatology, a UB faculty member and international co-authors have outlined the best approaches for handling the delivery of newborns in these cases.

The paper, titled Neonatal Resuscitation and Post-resuscitation Care of Infants Born to Mothers with Suspected or Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection, has attracted international attention. Since publication, it has been cited at least 38 times, notably in the European Resuscitation Council COVID-19 guidelines executive summary.

Praveen Chandrasekharan, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, authored the paper with colleagues from California, Italy and Spain.

The paper includes easy-to-follow infographics created at the University of California Davis Childrens Hospital. Chandrasekharan discusses the research with his co-authors in a podcast. A video abstract of the article is also available.

Chandrasekharan is a neonatologist with UBMD Pediatrics who focuses on neonatal resuscitation and practices at Oishei Childrens Hospital. He has received research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Resuscitation Program and the ZOLL Foundation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is unclear if pregnant women are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 or if they are more at risk for developing severe illness if they do contract it. In addition, it remains uncertain whether a COVID-positive woman can transmit the disease to her unborn baby.
The State continued failure to successfully prosecute those involved in violent acts could strengthen the resolve of terrorist and extremist formations. It will also help such elements to claim that the case filed against them were the vendetta of a secular' government against the 'faithful'.





by Giriraj Bhattacharjee





On August 8, 2020, Maldives Disappearances and Death Commission (DDC) announced that it is going to hire a foreign expert to assist it in completing its investigations by September 2020. Earlier, on December 8, 2019, the President of DDC, Uz. Husnu Al Suood, resigned from the Presidential Commission after his nomination to the Supreme Court as a Judge. A December 12, 2019, report mentions Presidents spokesperson Ibrahim Hood saying that Presidents Office was working on a replacement for Uz. Husnu Al Suood. However, no further updates are available. Another member, Adam Ibrahim, also resigned, citing personal reasons. DDC has just three members left, Misbah Abbas, Ahmed Nashid and Fareesha Abdulla.









President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had announced the establishment of the DDC on November 18, 2018. The Commission commenced its work officially on November 21, 2018, with a two-year deadline to investigate 27 cases of Disappearances and Death. On September 1, 2019, DDC revealed that, of the 27 cases being investigated, only 4 or 5 were 'currently pending'. Three of these were 'interlinked' cases, involving al Qaeda. These included:





Recovery of the dead body of Dr Afrasheem Ali bearing multiple stab wounds. The body was discovered in the stairwell of his home in Male in the early hours of October 1, 2012.

Status: Prosecutor General's (PG) Office has ordered the DDC to resubmit the charges against the accused.

Disappearance of Journalist Ahmed Rilwan: Ahmed Rilwan (28), a journalist with now discontinued Maldives Independent, was last seen on August 8, 2014.





Status: The case has yet to reach trial phase. The DDC on December 3, 2019, said that the case was forwarded to the Prosecutor General's Office, to press charges against Mohamed Mazeed and Smith Mohamed, suspected of masterminding Rilwan's enforced disappearance. Subsequently, the Prosecutor General's Office had rejected the case over procedural issues, and no charges were pressed against any suspects.





Killing of Blogger Yameen Rasheed: A local affiliate of al Qaeda killed blogger Yameen Rasheed, who had received repeated death threats for his 'anti-Islamic views', on April 23, 2017.





Status: PG office in January 2020, citing inadequate investigations, rejected the charges against the suspects. Further, the Prosecutor General sent the case back to DDC for further investigation, following which the commission stated they would resubmit the charges. DDC could not find any fresh leads in the case.





The al Qaeda is a major threat to the Maldives. On September 19, 2019, the Maldives Government made public the details of 17 terror organisations placed under its Anti-Terrorism Act on the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. Five of these were related al Qaeda: Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).





Meanwhile, since the formation of the DDC on November 18, 2018, another five terrorism cases have taken place in the country (data till August 30, 2020), though these have not resulted in any fatalities. These include:





April 15, 2020, arson attack at Mahibadhoo Harbour: On April 15, 2020, five government speedboats were damaged in an arson attack at Mahibadhoo Harbour on Ariatholhu Dhekunuburi. According to reports, the attack was a retaliation against Government investigations into extremism and drug trafficking.

March 22, 2020, Police boat attack: Unidentified attackers set ablaze a Police boat docked at the Harbour of Gan Island in Laamu Atoll on March 22, 2020.

March 21, 2020, arson attack: An arson incident occurred at Villa number 47 in Cheval Blanc Randheli, a luxury hotel located in Noonu Atoll.

February 4, 2020, stabbing incidents: Extremists, suspected to be inspired by the Islamic State, stabbed and injured three foreign nationals - two Chinese and one Australian - near Hulhumale Red Bull Park Futsal Ground in the Hulhumale city of Kaffu Atoll on February 4, 2020.

Attack on Turkish national: Extremists stabbed a Turkish national in Hulhumale city in December 2019.

Though all these cases are still under investigation, it is suspected that the Islamic State is behind each of them. Indeed, IS has claimed two of these incidents (April 15) and (March 21).





Though none of the cases reported since November 18, 2018, the date of establishment of the DDC, are under the purview of the DDC, other agencies investigating the cases have also failed to prosecute a single person in these cases, with the exception of the March 22, 2020, arson incident.





On August 2, 2020, the Office of the Prosecutor General filed an additional terror charge against terror accused Moosa Inaas, for setting ablaze a Police surveillance speedboat on March 22. The speedboat was docked in the harbour of Thundi District of Gan in Laamu Atoll. The Prosecutor Generals office disclosed that it has filed the charge of carrying out an act of terrorism under Article 6 (b) of the Counter-Terrorism Act, with reference to Article 6 (a) (i) of the Counter-Terrorism Act. Earlier, on July 29, 2020, the Prosecutor Generals Office had charged Moosa Inaas and Abdul Latheef Ibrahim for possession of material implying support for a terrorist organization under Article 6 (b) of the Counter-Terrorism Act.





The State continued failure to successfully prosecute those involved in violent acts could strengthen the resolve of terrorist and extremist formations. It will also help such elements to claim that the case filed against them were the vendetta of a secular' government against the 'faithful'.





In the meantime, there is a strong possibility of more arson attacks by the extremists, as evident from available online content. On July 30, 2020, the Australia-based scholar of Maldives, Azim Zahir, tweeted that the Maldivian IS group had released a video encouraging arson attacks. Further, the SITE Intelligence group, an organisation that monitors online activities of extremist groups, disclosed that the original 4-minute video version Incite the Believers was released in both English and Arabic by the IS-linked Al-Hayat Media Center on July 26, 2020. The SITE Intelligence group added further that the video asked supporters to use arson as a method to attack enemies across Africa, North and South America and Europe.





The outbreak of Novel Corona Virus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to massive financial losses for the State; the full extent of this is yet to be fully assessed. According to data published by the Ministry of Economic Development, Government of Maldives, and the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), the best-case scenario for the island nation would be a negative economic growth of -11.5 per cent, but at worst could go down to -29.7 per cent. A lethal combination of economic meltdown and poverty-led marginalisation could lead to heightened radicalisation, greatly destabilising the island nation. Lieutenant Colonel Amanulla A. Rasheed in his article 'Global Trends of Crime and Terror Nexus during COVID-19 Pandemic: Building Community Resilience to Prevent Violent Extremism' published in National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) Newsletter Volume 37: April 2020 observes,





crime and terror would transform, changing its ways and means to exploit the situation and target the vulnerable communities in order to create chaos and misconceptions amongst the public and hate towards the State Governments. Extremist sympathizers are covertly playing their role in spreading the Jihadist beliefs in the vulnerable communities, which is part of terror tactics, and yet the spread of violent extremism have been managed





There is need for greater synergy between various security agencies both at the level of intelligence sharing and investigation, so that cases that are registered can be brought to their natural conclusion. The capacities and capabilities of the Maldivian Security Forces need a boost, in order to effectively meet increasing challenges of terrorist groups and radical elements.





( The writer, Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management, where this piece first appeared )
Philippines Buys Japanese Radar System to Monitor South China Sea, Other Areas

2020-08-31 -- The Philippines has signed an agreement to purchase a radar system from Japan for aerial surveillance of its territorial interests including in the South China Sea, the defense department announced Friday, amid rising international tensions in the disputed waterway.

Meanwhile Manila's top diplomat said in a TV interview Friday that the government would consider following a move by the United States to blacklist Chinese businesses, if they were found to be involved in China's militarization of the sea and building of artificial islands in the region.

In a statement Friday, the Philippine Department of Defense said the government was buying the Horizon 2 Air Surveillance Radar System from Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp., a deal worth 5.5 billion pesos (U.S. $113.5 million). Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana signed the agreement on Aug. 14, officials said.

The radar will cover the Philippine Rise to the east of the nation, the southern region where Islamic State-linked militants operate, as well as the "the Southern portion of the West Philippine Sea," according to the statement. The West Philippine Sea is how the Philippines refers to the South China Sea.

"Operations from these strategically vital locations will enable the Philippine Air Force to provide optimal airspace monitoring, aircraft control, perform its air defense mission and enhance security," the department said.

The radar would "help detect, identify and correlate any threats and intrusions within the Philippine economic zone and deliver radar images" to operating units, it added.

The defense contract was the first between the Philippines and Japan since 2016, when President Rodrigo Duterte took power.

News of the deal came as Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. told CNN Philippines that he would "strongly recommend" that the government cut ties with Chinese firms sanctioned by the U.S. if it was determined they were linked to Beijing's efforts to expand its military footprint in the South China Sea.

"If I find that any of those companies are doing business with us, then I would strongly recommend we terminate that relationship with the company," Locsin said in the interview. "If they were in any way involved in the reclamation, then it becomes consistent on our part to terminate any contract with them."

In March 2019, Locsin's predecessor, Albert del Rosario, took Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other officials to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly putting in place a systematic plan to control the contested waterway.

Del Rosario, who did not hold a government post when he filed his complaint, argued that China's dredging activities to construct islands had destroyed sea life. Neither China nor the Philippines recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, which dismissed the complaint in December 2019, according to media reports.

US sanctions

Earlier this week, Washington said it had placed sanctions on 24 Chinese companies and individuals involved in the construction of artificial islands in the strategic waterway.

The U.S. sanctioned the China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC), a massive state-owned infrastructure-building conglomerate. Last month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell had called it out by name for its role in dredging sand to build up China's outposts.

Other companies named were Shanghai Cable Offshore Engineering Co., and four subsidiaries of China Electronics Technology Group Corp. (CETC).

The companies were placed on the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List, which restricts exports to businesses abroad because of their "activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States." The placement effectively kills any ability for American businesses to trade or interact with them, officials said.

The State Department simultaneously placed visa restrictions on individuals within some of those companies, and barred them from traveling to the U.S.

Last week, Locsin's department filed a diplomatic complaint against China for allegedly harassing Filipino patrol aircraft flying over the disputed region and for confiscating fishing devices owned by local fishermen on Scarborough Shoal, a reef claimed by both countries and that China seized during a standoff in 2012.

On Wednesday, Locsin said that the presence of U.S. forces in the region was necessary as he stressed that the Philippine military would not stop patrolling in the South China Sea, despite Beijing's protests against what it branded as an "illegal provocation" by the Philippines.

In recent weeks, the Philippines has grown annoyed with China's intrusions into waters that Manila claims in the maritime region, mostly by state-backed survey and research vessels.

On Aug. 10, the Philippine Navy asked both the defense and foreign affairs departments to file a diplomatic protest after two Chinese survey ships were spotted at Reed Bank, a submerged area in the Spratly Islands that is part of the Philippine continental shelf.

This came after Locsin ordered the navy to check for the survey vessels as evidence mounted that they were there and had escaped Philippine detection.

Ship-tracking data shows that another Chinese survey vessel, the Tan Suo 2, entered the Philippines' exclusive economic zone on Aug. 25 and was in the middle of a survey off the coast of Luzon Island as of 11 a.m. Friday (Manila time).

The Tan Suo 2 is one of China's newest survey ships, and has been operating in the South China Sea since at least June 30 according to Chinese state-media. The ship is owned and operated by Sanya-based Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China claims most of the mineral-rich South China Sea, including areas claimed by its smaller neighbors. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have their own claims to the region.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

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SD3IT ranks #284 on the Inc.500! SD3IT celebrates our continued growth made possible by our hard working employees, their ability to listen, keep the focus on our customers goals, and build a solid network with partners like Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Cisco, VMware, and more., Sara Dimlich, COO of SD3IT.

Inc. magazine today revealed that SD3IT, LLC is No. 284 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, and No. 2 in computer hardware, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Our passion is to drive and deliver new and exciting technology while supporting our community of system integrators and federal agencies., Dave Dimlich, President of SD3IT. "SD3IT is honored to have made the top 500 for the second year!"

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 12.

The companies on this years Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from October 23 to 27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation.

About SD3IT, LLC

Founded in 2014, SD3IT, LLC is a woman owned, HUBZone and ISO:9001 2015 certified company. SD3IT provides solution driven, designed and delivered technology for the Federal government and System Integrators. The company offers a wide range of Information Technology (IT) solutions, including hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence, and enhanced data management as well as other IT products optimizing a path to mission completion. Visit https://www.SD3IT.com to learn more.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Methodology

The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.

About Inc. Media

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

For more information on the Inc. 5000 Conference, visit http://conference.inc.com/.

Company, registered trademarks, and trademarks are owned by their respective owners.
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As the end of convention season brings with it the final stretch of a years-long presidential campaign, a hauntingly familiar feeling is in the air in Minnesota, slowly alarming Democrats as November approachesthe chill of 2016.

Four years ago, Minnesota was supposed to be a breezy, no-drama pickup for Hillary Clinton. Neither the Clinton nor Trump campaigns bothered investing any significant resources there, and certainly not much in-person timeTrump flew in for a last-minute rally days before Election Day; Clinton never set foot in the state as the Democratic nominee.

Clinton won Minnesotas 10 electoral votes by a mere 1.5 percent, or some 44,000 votes out of 2,944,813 cast. As Democrats were giddily investing precious resources to expand the map and compete in historically conservative states like Arizona and Texas, they nearly lost the state with historys longest streak of voting for a Democratic presidential candidate.

Part of what made Minnesota such a nail-biter was an unexpected surge of Trump votes from the states rural areas, among people who were not reliable GOP voters or not reliable voters to begin with.

This shift, similar to what happened in other statesneighboring Wisconsin most excruciatinglyhas not gone unnoticed by President Donald Trumps re-election campaign. Over the course of the 2020 presidential cycle, Trump has visited Minnesota several timesVice President Mike Pence visited Duluth just this weekendand his campaign has reserved over $14 million in TV ads through November so far. Former Vice President Joe Bidens campaign, meanwhile, has reserved roughly a quarter of that. A marquee ad from Biden meant to rebut Trumps convention speech on Thursday is running in a slate of key swing states. Minnesota wasnt one of them, though Biden is planning to hit the state, for the first time as a 2020 candidate, in an in-person campaign swing that Biden himself teased last week.

Now, among Democrats in Minnesota the concerned chatter is growing that Biden, like Clinton, might overlook the state as he focuses on recapturing ones Trump won in 2016, from Wisconsin and Michigan to more reach states like Arizona and Georgia. Of course, there are clear signs of Bidens strengths in Minnesota; most recent polls have shown Biden ahead anywhere from 3 to 10 points. Still, a scenario where Biden wins Wisconsins 10 electoral votes after heavy investment from the partybut loses Minnesotas 10has crossed the minds of more than a few Democrats here.

Story continues

Theres so much optimism bias in planning that only positive trends will happen, sighed a Democratic operative in Minnesota, who requested anonymity to discuss the presidential race candidly.

Weve looked at some people who voted in 2016, but didnt vote in 2018, and we have Biden underwater by double digits with those people, explained the operative. The same big-picture demographic trends that put Wisconsin in play for Trumpand that make the state worth fighting out and investing in for Bidenare undoubtedly at work in Minnesota too, they argued.

We know marginal effects are strongest when one side is spending a lot, and thats the kind of dynamic were looking at in Minnesota, where Trump is set to outspend Biden by a substantial sum of money, said the operative. There are definitely warning signs in here. Its not a for sure win without involvementthis isnt a gimme.

The president is going to be competitive in Minnesota. Hes spending enough to make sure of it, said another longtime Minnesota Democratic operative, who said the state could provide a chance for Trump to break a venerable Democratic coalition as he did in Wisconsin and Michigan four years ago. Biden has some work to do with the young progressive voters in the cities to make sure they turn out its not clear that the campaign understands that they still need to convince them to show up and cast a vote against President Trump.

Democrats in Minnesota arent the only ones trying to keep down rising anxiety that, despite unemployment rates skyrocketing in response to a pandemic thats on track to claim as many as a quarter-million American lives by Election Day, Trump might actually pull it off.

Biden Campaign Aims to Show Wisconsin Theyve Learned From Hillarys Mistake

In Nevada and New Hampshire, another pair of states Clinton narrowly won in 2016, Biden is considered the favorite. In New Hampshire, the average of his lead in polls is nearly 10 points. For Trump, adding a state he didnt win last time to his column this year is sure to be an uphill battle.

But 2020 may present new challenges for Democrats, giving pause to Biden backers in three states he absolutely must win.

Were just not as organized in 2020 as we were in 2016thats just a fact, an official with the influential Culinary Workers Union in Nevada told The Daily Beast, citing the devastation that the pandemic and economic shutdowns have had on union members. Four out of five Local 226 workers are still out of work due to coronavirus-related shutdowns, which the official said has hampered everything from raising funds for get-out-the-vote efforts to providing food assistance for members.

Nevada is another state that Democrats appear to be banking on, despite Clintons comparatively narrow margin of victorya mere 2.4 percent, a 4-point drop from President Barack Obamas margin of victory in 2012and the pandemics impact on the states most powerful political organizer.

The realities of the pandemic, which has halted in-person political outreach nationwide at the same time as it has affected the health and livelihoods of the workers that unions represent, has also hampered the ability of the states powerful labor unions to boost civic engagement among a loyal Democratic constituency.

We actually have members that we have to serve and we have to get contracts with them and so thats the priority, said one SEUI official. Obviously, normally we would do an extensive field program and be knocking on doors, we would be doing rallies, but with COVID-19 thats not going to happen.

But other union officials cautioned that while the pandemic has thrown the old political organizing rulebook out the window, Nevada Democrats can still expect organized labor to help.

This is a global pandemic. Everyone around the world has been deeply impacted, but Culinary Union members are resilient, said Bethany Khan, the Culinary Unions director of communications and digital strategy, who pointed to a COVID-19 safety bill passed with the unions support as proof that labor is still a force to be reckoned with in the state. The Culinary Union is 85 years old and we are the best positioned to continue the fight to protect Nevada workers.

In New Hampshire, the ghosts of 2016 arent quite haunting Democrats in the same way as out West, but they also havent been forgotten.

Biden finds himself facing a similar test in the Granite State, a state with few electoral votes but one that Trump has shown an eagerness to bring back into the red this election cycle. While county Democratic chairs were quick to sound at least cautiously optimistic about Biden holding the state, that hasnt stopped one county party leader in an area Trump won by 586 votes in 2016 from making it clear that she wants to see added effort from the Biden campaign.

I think they need to do more, said Judith Kaufman, the chair of the Sullivan County Democratic Committee. I think they need more visibility.

Trump lost New Hampshire to former Secretary of State Clinton in 2016 by around 2,700 votes, and held two major rallies in Manchester as the states 2020 Democratic primary played out.

That narrow margin however, has not helped make Trumps path in the state appear much easier. A late July poll by the Granite State Panel via the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found Biden with a 13-point lead on Trump.

And after abandoning a planned rally in Portsmouth last month, an in-person rally was held in the state on Friday. That same day, absentee ballot mailers that had been sent earlier by the state GOP led to a cease and desist order from the New Hampshire Department of Justice because they may cause voter confusion and frustration, in the lead-up to the states September primary, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.

New Hampshire GOP chairman Stephen Stepanek emphasized that Republicans are a united front in the state unlike in 2016. Trump suffered a major blow when then Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), who was running for re-election at the time, announced following Trumps infamous Access Hollywood tape that she wouldnt be voting for the GOP nominee. Ayotte would go on to lose her seat to Democrat Maggie Hassan the next month.

"The president is competitive, will be competitive and will win," Stepanek said.

But a Republican strategist in the state who worked for a different primary candidate in 2016 had less optimism for Trumps chances in the state, calling the president an underdog at the moment.

Smart Democrats that I know are running like their hair's on fire, the strategist said. They're not taking this for granted.

Following his 2016 loss in New Hampshire it appears that Trump has had the state in mind as one he can flip, the strategist said, and the campaign's activity in the state reflects that.

My perspective is that Trump's ground game here is strong, and even though he is unpopular here and even though his numbers are weak, Biden is a frontrunner who could cough up that lead at any time, they said.

Biden campaigned sporadically in the state ahead of its February primary, but fled New England to campaign in South Carolina on the night of the states primary. As he rallied with the southern voters that would come to resurrect his campaign, the former Vice President came in fifth in New Hampshire with around 8.5 percent of the vote.

Despite failing to be a significant force in the primary, Democrats in New Hampshire dont anticipate Bidens poor performance in February hurting his odds in November. But there is a sense that Biden is benefiting from an anti-Trump fervor that has further strengthened his chances.

There's both. There's people who are very enthusiastic for Biden and Harris and there's people who are just like, We can't stand four more years of this other guy, said Carl DeMatteo, the head of the Cheshire County Democratic Committee.

And from his view in Rockingham County, where Trump won in 2016 by more than 10,000 votes, the countys Democratic party chairman, Larry Drake, said the specter of the president has been even more of a driving factor.

There are certainly Biden supporters, and I think he's well-liked and everything, but I think the main thing is the opposition to Trump," Drake said. ...I think that's the strongest motivating thing for people to vote for Biden.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The Jharkhand administration is all geared up to hold the Joint Entrance Exams (JEE)-Main, beginning from Tuesday, across five cities-Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Hazaribag-amid the ongoing Covid pandemic, officials said on Monday.

Masks, thermal scanning, social distancing and sanitization would be mandatory at all examination centres. Besides, there will be an isolation room at every centre for those showing symptoms of Covid during health scanning at the centre, officials said.

As many as eight centres- two each in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad, and one each in Bokaro and Hazaribag- have been set up, where more than 23,000 students are supposed to take the examination in batches till September 6. The examination would be conducted in two shifts at most of the centres.

Meanwhile, examinees have given a mixed response to the holding of the examination amid a pandemic with a majority of them saying their primary motive would be to remain safe.

Rohit Kumar, an examinee from Dhanbads Bhuli Nagar area, said, My fear is if I get infected, I may not able to write JEE-Advance, which is scheduled on September 27.

Many students said their preparations got affected due to the recent controversy and doubt around the holding of these examinations. We thought the examination will be postponed, said Anshuman, an examinee from Ranchi.

Ranchi city coordinator for JEE-Main, Ram Singh, who is also the principal of Delhi Public School (DPS), said, In Ranchi, two centres have been set up at Tatisilwai and Tupudana. Around 8,000 students would appear at those centres in batches till September 6.

He said, On Tuesday, the examination will be held only at the Tupudana centre. From Wednesday, the examinations will be held at both the centres in two shifts. Around 1,500 students would write the examination in both the shifts.

Ranchi sub-divisional officer (SDO) Lokesh Mishra said, They are in constant touch with the centre superintendents in a bid to ensure free and fair examinations in a healthy atmosphere. All prescribed protocols for Covid-19, including thermal scanning, social distancing and wearing of masks, would be strictly followed. The centres have been asked to make separate arrangements for parents, keeping in mind Covid guidelines.

Mishra said, Every student will have to go through thermal scanning. Those who will show high temperature or any other symptoms of Covid would be shifted to a separate isolation room.

After the JEE-Main, the National Testing Authority (NTA), the nodal body to conduct the examinations, will hold the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) on September 13.

The DPS Ranchi principal, who is also the city coordinator for NEET, said, A total of 25 examination centres have been set up for the NEET exam, which will be conducted in one shift from 2pm to 5pm in one day.

A total of 40 centres have been set up for NEET exam in three cities-Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Bokaro-where more than 22,000 students would appear.

Ranchi deputy commissioner (DC) Chhavi Ranjan on Monday held a meeting regarding preparation for holding the NEET examinations. The DC asked the officials to design an entry and exit time slot for examinees and arrange a separate space for parents.

The DC also asked to set up a help-desk at every examination centre so that students do not face any problem related to transportation.

78% youth vote no difficulty in CMs poll on Twitter

Concerned over the rising Covid cases, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Sunday held a poll on his official Twitter handle, asking aspirants if they would face difficulty if the JEE-NEET exams are postponed, to which 78% people gave a negative response.

More than 1.87 lakh people responded to the poll, which concluded on Sunday late night. While 78% of them said they would face no difficulties, 21% respondents said they would. A mere one percent of the users responded with the I dont know option.

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The University of South Carolina took disciplinary action on Monday against more than a dozen students and several Greek life organizations that administrators said recently hosted parties or large gatherings, as the number of cases of the coronavirus on campus rises.

The university announced that 15 students had been placed under interim suspension and that six Greek houses had been charged with student conduct violations stemming from the parties, which officials said violated emergency orders in Columbia, S.C.

Administrators did not release the names of the students. They also did not say which fraternities or sororities had been reprimanded.

The action came as nearly half of the fraternity and sorority chapter houses in the universitys Greek Village  nine of 20  were placed under a 14-day quarantine after some students in those houses tested positive for the virus, administrators said.
A South Australian man has been jailed for nine months after sending child porn which included acts of bestiality to an undercover police officer.

Matthew Grant Kuchel, 46, faced the District Court on August 28 charged with dissemination of child exploitation material, one aggravated, after sending four disturbing videos to the detective in June, 2019.

One of the clips showed a boy under the age of six being sexually abused by a woman, two showed an adolescent girl engaged in acts of bestiality and the fourth showed an adolescent girl masturbating.

Kuchel argued he had a 'propensity for hyposexuality' and only sent the videos to trade for adult pornography over messaging app Kik.

South Australian man Matthew Grant Kuchel, 46, was jailed for nine months after sending child abuse material, including acts of bestiality, to an undercover cop in June of 2019 (stock image)

Judge Paul Cuthbertson accepted Kuchel's claim he had no interest in child porn but said his offending was still very serious, The Australian reported

'I think it probable that the offender does not have an interest in child sex or sex involving animals,' Judge Cuthbertson said.

'Nevertheless, it is a serious offence to perpetuate the type of offending which must have occurred in order to make the videos by trading them within the community.

'It involves serious sexual offences against minors committed by the persons responsible for the videos and perpetuated by the offender.'

The judge said a history of drug abuse had likely impacted Kuchel's inhibitions.

'He struggles with significant drug use during his adult life. The use of drugs disinhibited him and in addition, there was a propensity for hyposexuality,' he said.

Kuchel was sentenced to nine months jail, reduced to eight months and seven days to take into account time he has already served.
A Colombian refugee family in Heyleen in the Ecuadorian Andes receive UNHCR aid, 17 June 2020  UNHCR/Sebastian Narvaez

Refugee community networks are helping detect COVID-19 cases in Ecuador, as part of a Community Epidemiological Surveillance System (CESS) developed by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

The system is helping ensure the early detection and referral for treatment of COVID-19 cases among the countrys refugee population. Since the system was launched a month ago, more than 250 suspected cases have been referred to national health authorities.

Although Ecuador grants access to public health services to all, regardless of nationality or residency status, access is not always immediate in practice. Some refugees are hosted in isolated and remote parts of the country with limited services while others may lack awareness of their rights or fear being fined for their irregular status.

This innovative, community health referral strategy relies on UNHCRs pre-existing humanitarian and refugee community networks to help identify COVID-19 cases among refugee and migrant communities.

The network comprises partners, community organizations and civil society, complementing the Government's existing Epidemiological Surveillance System to better reach refugees and migrants, who tend to move continuously within the country.

Nationwide six refugee and migrant-led community organizations have now been trained by UNHCR to conduct epidemiological surveillance.

Through telephone hotlines, home visits and in the delivery of humanitarian assistance, UNHCR staff as well as those of 50 other humanitarian and community-based organizations help monitor and identify suspected cases of COVID-19 among the refugee and migrant population and their local host communities.

Once suspected cases are identified by the community network focal point, the information is logged on an online private database and an alert is sent to public health services to follow up on the case and provide clinical treatment or advice as appropriate.

To date, more than 113,000 confirmed COVID cases have been reported among Ecuadors 17 million inhabitants. Official figures record just over 500 COVID cases among refugees and migrants in the country.

Beyond the identification of symptoms, the Community Epidemiological Surveillance System also retrieves important information. It takes into account whether those referred have access to biosafety equipment, live in overcrowded accommodation, and have any other related needs or conditions that may require additional medical care  for example, pregnant women, older adults, and people with chronic diseases. This is key in enabling humanitarian organisations to provide tailored assistance.

UNHCR has also launched similar community health initiatives across Latin America, including in Colombia, Peru, Chile and Costa Rica.

Ecuador is home to nearly 70,000 recognized refugees, most from Colombia, in addition to some 400,000 refugees and migrants from Venezuela.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are now leaving many in dire conditions, without any sources of income, at risk of homelessness and with limited access to health and social services.

Data from the latest joint needs analysis run by Ecuadors Working Group on Refugees and Migrants  which forms part of the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V) - shows that 20 per cent of Venezuelans surveyed with medical problems could not access healthcare and 8 out of 10 surveyed households were unemployed.

UNHCR is calling for international support to help refugee-host countries, severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, respond to this emergency in an inclusive manner.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Protesters gathered in South Los Angeles on Monday night after sheriff's deputies shot and killed a Black man who they say had a handgun and was fighting with them.

The shooting occurred Monday afternoon after two deputies pulled over a man who was riding a bicycle in violation of vehicle laws, according to Lt. Brandon Dean of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The man got off the bike and ran off, Dean said, and the deputies chased him down.

"Our suspect was holding some items of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face, and then dropped the items in his hands," Dean told reporters late Monday. "The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items he dropped was a black semiautomatic handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred."

PHOTO: Police in South Los Angeles respond after Los Angeles sheriff's deputies shot and killed a Black man who they say had a handgun and was fighting with them, Aug. 31. 2020. (KABC)

The suspect was struck several times, with both officers firing their weapons, according to Dean.

Deputies recovered the handgun that the man had been carrying, he said. The investigation is ongoing.

Members of Black Lives Matter LA called on demonstrators to protest the deadly shooting at the site of the incident in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Westmont. Video of a demonstration overnight, which was posted on social media, shows tense scenes between protesters and police near where the shooting occurred.

ABC News' Will Gretsky, Marilyn Heck and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.

Protesters gather after LA sheriff's deputies shoot Black man during confrontation originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Dirty syringes, used masks and gloves are amoung the waste streaming into the Cisadane River, in Indonesia's city of Tangerang.

Medical waste has been piling high since the first cases of coronavirus in the country.

Then in May, the walls of a landfill beside the river collapsed, sending tons of garbage cascading into the river, doubling the threat for those down stream; families who bathe and wash their clothes in the river.

It's triggering fears that the coronavirus could spread, as the country still struggles to contain it.

39-year-old Astri Dewiyani is trying to keep her children away from the water:

"I worry about the kids getting infected with COVID-19 when they swim here. I'm anxious. That's why I always forbid my children from swimming in the river."

Indonesia has the highest COVID-19 death toll in Southeast Asia, and like many countries, it's also got a huge increase in medical waste.

The ministry of health has admitted the country lacked treatment facilities and said it was trying to find a solution.

Ade Yunus, founder of Cisadane River Rubbish Bank is working with volunteers to organize a clean up.

"We are concerned about the sustainability of this river. We don't want it polluted with any waste, including industrial waste, which is dangerous. Especially during this pandemic."

The health ministry said that up to 1,500 tons of COVID-19 medical waste was produced across the country each day from March until June.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday greeted the people of Uzbekistan on their Independence Day and the people of Slovakia on their Constitution Day.

In a tweet, Jaishankar said he looks forward to further strengthening strategic partnership with Uzbekistan. "On the occasion of Independence Day of Uzbekistan, convey my wishes to FM @a_h_kamilov and the Government and people of Uzbekistan. Look forward to further strengthening our Strategic Partnership," he said in a tweet.

In another tweet, Jaishankar greeted the people of Slovakia on their Constitution Day. "Congratulations to my colleague FM @IvanKorcok and the Government and people of Slovak Republic on the occasion of their Constitution Day," he said.

(Photo Credit: PTI)
The inaugural flight landed at BHX at 11:51 BST, helping reconnect people and businesses in the Midlands to the 74 cities currently on Emirates growing network.

Richard Jewsbury, divisional vice president UK at Emirates said: Our teams in Birmingham and Dubai are delighted to be resuming passenger flights, reconnecting the Midlands with Emirates global network. We have taken comprehensive steps to keep our passengers, colleagues and communities safe, and look forward to welcoming passengers once again.
WASHINGTON  Russian fighter jets repeatedly veered 100 feet in front of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber over the Black Sea. Six Russian warplanes flew close enough to Alaska that Air Force F-22s scrambled to intercept them. And seven U.S. soldiers were injured when a Russian armored vehicle deliberately rammed an American patrol in northeast Syria.

Within a few days last week, smoldering tensions between the United States and Russian militaries flared around the world. Already fraught with fresh evidence of election interference, the relationship between Washington and Moscow has grown even more tense after the recent military encounters.

Joseph R. Biden Jr., in a speech in Pennsylvania on Monday, rebuked President Trump for failing to publicly address the altercation in Syria: Did you hear the president say a single word? Did he lift one finger?

Mr. Biden, the Democratic Partys nominee for president, also criticized Mr. Trump for failing to raise the issue of suspected Russian bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan during multiple phone calls with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in recent months.
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 26, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi speaks during a press conference at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, on Feb. 26, 2019, after Indian warplanes violated the Line of Cont Image Source: IANS News

KUWAIT CITY, May 19, 2019 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi speaks at a press conference in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on May 19, 2019. Pakistan is ready to facilitate de-escalation of tension in the region and support peace and s Image Source: IANS News

Islamabad, Sep 1 : Pakistan is determined to further build up deep-rooted historic and fraternal ties with Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday.

Qureshi made the remarks during a meeting here with Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmed Al-Malki, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, reports Xinhua news agency.

The two sides exchanged views on important bilateral, regional and international developments during the meeting, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Qureshi reiterated Pakistan's support and solidarity with Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity, said the statement.

While highlighting the excellent relationship between the leadership of the two countries, the Ambassador underlined that his country would continue to work with Pakistan for further strengthening of bilateral relations, the statement added.
CHESHIRE  An elementary school teacher in the district has tested positive for COVID-19 and an administrator who has reported symptoms of the virus is awaiting test results, Superintendent of Schools Jeff Solan said Monday.

Solan said the teacher was asymptomatic but underwent testing after learning that a personal friend had tested positive for the virus. The teacher had also been in close contact with several school personnel, he said.

Its going to mean a little bit of juggling at the elementary level while those who were affected quarantine, Solan said. Students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade will be attending school full-time in person, he said.

The administrator was tested yesterday, he said, and should know the results within a couple of days. Solan said the administrator had been in close contact  defined as within six feet even when masked for, 15 minutes or longer  with several staff members from Cheshire High School and Dodd Middle School.

Classrooms and offices that the teacher and the administrator used will be specially disinfected, according to Solan.

A positive test does not require us to close the school nor an entire classroom, Solan said.

Solan notified staff, parents and students about the two educators health in an email Monday afternoon.

More News CT schools COVID-19 case tracker

The news came as teachers were engaged in both remote and in-person professional development sessions for the start of classes on Sept. 8. Although only one elementary school was affected, Solan said district officials decided to have all elementary personnel now work remotely to ensure uniform professional learning.

Solan said despite the news, there are no plans to change the staggered opening that is in place. The development sessions will be done remotely for the next two days before a resumption of in-person training later in the week, minus the elementary school teacher, the administrator and those with whom they came in contact .

Going in alphabetical order, the opening plan has one-third of the students attending the first day, another third starting on Sept. 9 and the final third the following day. Solan said those three days will serve as a orientation for the students on what is expected of them.

Solan said students will attend class in person two days a week and attend classes remotely three days per week.

The students will be split into two groups, Cohort A and Cohort B, with the first group attending school in person on Mondays and Thursdays, he said . Students in Cohort B will attend in person on Tuesdays and Fridays.

All students will engage in remote learning on Wednesdays, Solan said.

Members of the school community, including children, who come in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days, Solan said. The policy is based upon state Department of Public Health guidance, he said.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
More than 1.28 Cr PPEs and 10 cr HCQ distributed free of cost by Central Government

The government of India has been taking many measures to cure the pandemic effect of COVID-19 management. Along with augmenting COVID-19 facilities, recently the Union Government has been providing medical supplies free of cost to the State/UT governments to supplement their efforts.

Most of the products supplied by the Government of India were not being manufactured in the country in the beginning. The rising global demand due to the pandemic resulted in their scarce availability in the foreign markets.



With the combined efforts of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Ministry of Textiles and Ministry of Pharmaceuticals, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and others, the domestic industry has been encouraged and facilitated to manufacture and supply essential medical equipment like PPEs, N95 masks, ventilators etc., during this period.



As a result, resolve for Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India has been strengthened and most of the supplies made by the Union Government are domestically manufactured.



Since 11th March 2020, the Union Government has distributed more than 3.04 crore N95 masks and more than 1.28 crore PPE kits to States / UTs / Central Institutions, free of cost. Also, more than 10.83 crore HCQ tablets have been distributed to them.
More than 67,000 people have registered for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency since Hurricane Laura caused significant damage, according to the office of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Lauras death toll Monday was at least 19 in Texas and Louisiana  half of whom were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe operation of generators. The latest known death, reported Monday by Louisianas health department, was a 49-year-old man in Rapides Parish who died when a tree he was cutting fell on him.

Aid totaling $2.8 million has been given out to those affected as part of FEMAs Individuals and Households Program, which provides housing-related financial aid after disasters, according to Melissa Wilkins, an agency public affairs specialist.

With about 18,000 residents in and around the Port Arthur area still without power, that city started to bring residents back Monday.

The process is expected to take three days  the first two for general populations and the third for medical transport.

Residents will be received first at the Port Arthur Civic Center, where they can get transportation home along city bus routes or wait in a cool room for their own transportation.

The city and the American Red Cross also have stations set up to assess residents needs and to try to provide necessary supplies, such as diapers. Residents also will be given cans of water and meals before being taken home.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, visited the setup at the Robert Bob Bowers Civic Center before residents arrived Monday morning.

She said this was the first of several stops she planned to make around Port Arthur, Beaumont, Orange and Lake Charles, La., to get a better idea of how the federal government can respond.

The Texas Department of Transportation has started replacing 23 sections of concrete barrier along Interstate 10 in Orange and Chambers County to mitigate future flood impacts, according to a news release. Each section will be 300 feet long and installed along flood-prone areas of the interstate.

The project will occur in two phases. In the first phase, a temporary concrete barrier will be installed in place of the current barrier. In the second phase, which will begin early this year or next year, the temporary barrier will be replaced by the new concrete sections.

The new wall will include drainage openings, about 13 inches tall and 18 feet long, the release said.

In Louisiana, Gov.Edwards on Monday warned that residents were in for a long recovery, with 324,000 power outages across the state and 600,000 people without water or under boil water advisories. Meanwhile, stifling heat and humidity were adding to the trouble of clearing out debris, patching roofs and starting rebuilding work.

This is going to be a very difficult storm to recover from, Edwards said.

But Edwards praised the federal response so far, saying FEMA was quick to arrive with assistance and sent hundreds of workers for recovery efforts. On Monday, Edwards announced a temporary roofing program operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

In hard-hit Calcasieu Parish, some waited hours for tarps, water and other supplies at distribution sites, parish spokesperson Tom Hoefer said. The parish had been without power, and in many areas, including the parish seat of Lake Charles, which is home to more than 78,000 people, water had not been flowing from taps, he said.

Crews will have to rebuild hundreds of transmission towers and reset downed power poles and lines, said Scott Aaronson, vice president of security and preparedness for the Edison Electric Institute, an association of investor-owned electric companies in the U.S.

To register for FEMA assistance, visit disasterassistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362.

Kaitlin Bain contributed to this report, which contains material from the Associated Press.
Tuolumne County Public Health View Photo

Sonora, CA  Tuolumne County Public Health officials report one new case today and one recovery. They note that CalREDIE, the statewide infectious disease reporting system, is currently offline so they are unable to provide updated testing numbers.

As detailed here there is a new tiered system to replace the county data monitoring list. Tuolumne County Public Health says they have been advised that there is an error on the states new Blueprint for a Safer Economy website and based on the data, Tuolumne County is in Tier 3, the Orange and Moderate Risk category. The map on the state website shows Tuolumne as yellow, which may be confusing. The state informed Public Health they are working on correcting the issue for Tuolumne County and other counties.

The tiers will define the business sectors and activities that can open and the level of restrictions that can be viewed here. A new health order has been released including the States definitions of Orange Tier 3 restrictions which are not more restrictive than before as Tuolumne County remains off the monitoring list with the most restrictive measures. Currently hair salons, barbershops and all retail remain open and indoor with modifications, personal care services, museums, places of worship, movie theaters, hotels and lodging, gyms, restaurants, and wineries can all be open with modifications at 50% or 25% of their capacity. The full list is here and more detailed information for each business sector is on the states website here.

Known Tuolumne tests: 9,746 (same as last Friday), positive 182 (94 females and 87 males), hospitalized 0, active cases 10, total recovered 170.

Daily COVID-19 Cases County

Active Date New Today Hospital/

ICU Alpine 0 8/28 0 0 Amador 14 8/28 2 3 Calaveras 31 8/28 13 2 Mariposa 2 8/31 2 0 Madera 533 8/29 32 22 Merced 991 8/31 142 96 Mono 2 8/31 0 0 San Joaquin 1,337 8/31 584 102/30 Stanislaus 854 8/30 443 140/37 Tuolumne 10 8/31 1 0 Totals (Cumulative) COVID-19 Cases County

Recovered (increase) Total Positives Deaths Alpine 2 (+0) 2 0 Amador 206(+5) 234 14 Calaveras 203(+17) 236 2 Mariposa 69 (+2) 73 2 Madera 3,196(+202) 3,783 54 Merced 6,924(+262) 7,890 117 Mono 158(+0) 162 2 San Joaquin 15,832 (+573) 17,497 328 Stanislaus 13,435 (+446) 14,544 255 Tuolumne 170(+1) 182 2

In alignment with the new State Health Officer Order, Dr. Liza Ortiz, Interim Tuolumne County Health Officer has issued an updated Local Health Officer Order here.

If you are having COVID-like symptoms, self-isolate and contact your healthcare provider or the Adventist Health Triage Line at 209-536-5166 Mon-Fri, or 209-536-5000 after hours. If you need immediate medical attention, please call ahead and go to Rapid Care or the Emergency Department. You can also visit www.valleycovidhelp.com for more information.

The no-cost state testing site is open at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds Tuesday  Saturday 7am to 7pm. Appointments can be scheduled ahead of time at: https://lhi.care/covidtesting Appointments are recommended. The site offers to test children ages 3 and older (accompanied by a parent or guardian). Tuolumne County Public Health encourages anyone concerned about possible exposure to go get tested stating; Local COVID-19 testing sites have been processing and reporting their results more expediently lately.

It is important that people continue to follow prevention guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including:

Practice physical distancing at all times. Keep 6 feet space between yourself and others who are not part of your household. Stay in your household bubble!

Wear a face covering in public.

Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.

Avoid gatherings of any size with people who are not part of your household.

Stay home if you are sick.

Avoid unnecessary travel, and limit your outings to essential tasks.

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION & RESOURCES

Community Resources Portal: https://bit.ly/TCcovidPortal

Tuolumne County Public Health Website: www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/publichealth

Public Health COVID-19 Call Center: (209) 533-7440

California COVID-19 website: www.covid19.ca.gov

State Testing Site info and Appointments: https://lhi.care/covidtesting

Tuolumne County Business: www.tcdisasterassistance.com

CDC COVID-19 website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Thank you for your support and efforts to protect the safety and health of our community
Viral: This Animated video released in 2020 looks exactly the sequence of PM security breach

As polls near, ISI-Khalistan combo looks to worsen situation in Punjab

Punjab lockdown guidelines 4.0: Weekend lockdown, night curfew to remain

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Amritsar, Sep 01: The Punjab government on Monday said all existing restrictions imposed to combat COVID-19, including weekend lockdown, will be in place in all 167 municipal towns of the state till the end of September.

Night curfew will also continue in the cities from 7 pm to 5 am during the same period, it added.

The decision has been taken in due consultation with the Centre, as required by the ''Unlock 4.0'' guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, an official spokesperson said.

The Centre had on August 29 said that state governments should not impose any local lockdown outside containment zones without prior consultation with the central government.

The ban on all social, political and religious gatherings and protests and demonstrations will continue to remain in force throughout the state, while gatherings relating to weddings and funerals shall be limited to 30 and 20 people respectively, the spokesperson said.

There will be a lockdown on Saturdays and Sundays in the municipal areas, while movement of individuals for all non-essential activities shall remain prohibited between 7 pm and 5 am within municipal limits of all the cities of Punjab throughout the week, as per the orders of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Movement of students and others in connection with all kinds of examinations, admission/entrance tests conducted by universities, boards, public service commissions and other institutions has been excluded from the restrictions, the official said.

The Chief Minister has directed district authorities to facilitate the movement of such persons.

Religious places have been allowed to stay open on all days up to 6.30 pm, as have been restaurants (including those in malls) and liquor vends. Shops and malls, except those dealing in essential commodities, will be allowed to remain open till 6.30 pm from Monday to Friday but will be closed in all cities on Saturdays and Sundays.

Delhi Metro start date: Here is what we know

Shops dealing in essentials will be open even on the weekend till 6.30 pm, said the spokesperson. The restrictions on day and time do not apply to hotels.

The chief minister has directed district authorities to strictly comply with these guidelines, said the spokesperson.

He has asked the police to ensure strict action against violators.

The spokesperson said essential activities and services, movement of people and goods on national and state highways, inter-state and intra-state movement of people and unloading of cargo and travel of people to their destinations after disembarking from buses, trains and flights will be permitted.

Essential services include those related to health, agricultural and related activities, dairying and fishery activities, banks, ATMs, stock markets, insurance companies, on-line teaching, public utilities, public transport, industry in multiple-shifts, construction industry, offices both private and government etc.

The existing restrictions on passengers in vehicles will also continue to remain in force, with only three people, including the driver, allowed in four-wheelers, and all buses and public transport vehicles to allow sitting for only half (50 per cent) capacity with no one standing.

UP Guidelines For Unlock 4.0: What is allowed, what is not

Further, government and private offices shall operate with only 50 per cent staff present.

The state government, however, has also ordered relaxation with respect to opening of shops in the worst-affected cities of Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Mohali.

The condition of only 50 per cent shops dealing in non-essential items being open on a given day in these cities has now been removed, said the spokesperson.

Punjab has recorded 53,992 cases of COVID-19 infections and 1,453 fatalities.
WASHINGTON  President Trump won some breathing room Tuesday in his latest effort to keep his tax returns and financial records away from New York prosecutors.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit temporarily blocked enforcement of the Manhattan district attorney's subpoena to Mazars USA, the president's accounting firm, so it can decide on Trump's claim that it's a "fishing expedition."

But the court set up a brisk schedule, including oral argument on Sept. 25, that likely means it will rule in a matter of weeks. Unless it reverses a federal district court's decision upholding the subpoena, that would leave only the Supreme Court as a last resort for the president.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance is investigating hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential race to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump, allegations Trump has denied. But Vance recently suggested the probe goes further and involves the Trump Organization.

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero last month rejected Trump's efforts to keep his records from Manhattan prosecutors  another blow to the president, who has unsuccessfully fought the subpoena all the way to the Supreme Court once and is likely to wind up there again.

Trump's attorneys have claimed that he is immune from criminal investigations and that the subpoena was overly broad and was issued in bad faith. The president also has cast the Manhattan investigation as a political "witch hunt."

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is seeking to enforce a subpoena for tax returns and financial statements issued to Mazars USA, President Donald Trump's accounting firm.

The Supreme Court shot down Trump's claim of absolute immunity in a 7-2 ruling in July but said his lawyers could challenge the subpoena on other grounds in federal district court. For the time being, that means the public won't see Trump's financial documents because grand jury investigations are secret.

In his latest 103-page ruling, Marrero said the president isn't entitled to special privilege in the judicial process. He said Trump's broad claims of absolute immunity, which the Supreme Court rejected in July, could have adverse legal consequences.

Story continues

More: Supreme Court says President Trump cannot keep tax, financial records from prosecutors

"At its core, it amounts to absolute immunity through a back door, an entry point through which not only a president but also potentially other persons and entities, public and private, could effectively gain cover from judicial process," Marrero wrote.

Last month, Vance suggested that his office's investigation goes beyond the hush money payments and that prosecutors are looking broadly at the president's business. Prosecutors cited public reporting on "possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization."

During a brief hearing before a three-judge appeals court panel Tuesday, Trump attorney William Consovoy repeated his assertion that the subpoena represents a fishing expedition and a form of harassment.

"The president will be irreparably injured if those records are disclosed," Consovoy said.

President Donald Trump speaks during a news briefing at the White House, Thursday, July 2, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Judge John Walker, the lone panel member appointed by a Republican president, wondered whether the subpoena might be overly broad and "engage in some fishing."

But Carey Dunne, general counsel for the Manhattan district attorney's office, said Trump's attorneys have no reason to suspect that the investigation ever was limited to hush money payments.

The appeals court previously rejected Trump's first effort to quash the subpoena last December  an indication the president may fare no better this time.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's taxes: Appeals court stalls subpoena for financial records
The fight over mail-in ballots is getting ugly in Texas.

In a new legal twist, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit to prevent Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins from sending unsolicited mail-in ballot applications to more than two million registered voters, according to a Monday statement released by Paxton.

The mailings are a "blatant violation" of Texas election laws, Paxton said in the statement, because they are reserved for only few limited categories of voters.

"Under Texas election law, mail-in ballots are reserved for a few limited categories of qualified voters who are age 65 and older and voters who are disabled," the statement reads.

BEST PLACES TO RETIRE: Two Texas cities make Forbes list of best places to retire in 2020

If you think that "fear of contracting COVID-19" qualifies as disabled, that doesn't stand with the Texas Supreme Court. Earlier this year, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the fear of contracting COVID-19 does not qualify as a disability.

Paxton added that the move to mass mail ballots would "sow confusion" because applications would go to all registered voters, no matter whether they qualify for mail-in balloting or whether they even prefer to vote by mail.

"Election officials have a duty to reject mail-in ballot applications from voters who are not eligible to vote by mail," Paxton said in the statement "Unfortunately, instead of protecting the integrity of our democratic process, the Harris County Clerk decided to knowingly violate election laws by preparing to send over two million ballot applications to many Texans who do not qualify and have not requested to vote by mail."

In response to this growing legal fight, Hollins defended his actions, saying in an emailed statement "our lines of communication are open."

Read on HoustonChronicle.com: Paxton sues to halt Harris Countys plan to send all voters a mail ballot application

"If the Secretary of State would take the time to meet with us instead of jumping into court, they would see that the information we plan to share with voters provides clarity about voters' rights and eligibility to vote by mail," Hollins' said in the statement.

Gov. Greg Abbott echoed Ken Paxton's concerns about Harris County's mail-in balloting.

"Harris County's scheme can lead to voter fraud and compromise election results," Abbott tweeted.

Texans who are younger than 65 can normally apply for mail-in ballots if they're out of their home country or incarcerated during the voted period.

Texans, if you have not registered to vote, you still have until Oct. 5 to do so. Visit the VoteTexas website from the Office of the Texas Secretary of State for more information.

alison.medley@chron.com
Today, September 1, the Servant of the People faction was collecting signatures for his expulsion.

Ukrainian MP Geo Leros has been expelled from the Servant of the People parliamentary faction.

"We inform you that following the collection of signatures, a decision was made by a majority of votes to expel Leros Geo Bagratovych from the membership of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine," the Servant of the People Party wrote on Telegram.

Reasons for his expulsion

Today, September 1, MP from the Servant of the People faction Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk said the Servant of the People faction was collecting signatures for MP Leros's expulsion.

Read alsoParliament convenes for new sessionEarlier today, during the parliamentary session, Leros once again criticized the activities of Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak. In particular, he said today Ukraine is "moving into the abyss," there is no strategy for the development of the state.

Leros also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his personnel policy, as well as for failing to fulfill his election promises.

In turn, on August 31, speaking at the Servant of the People Party's congress, President Zelensky said there was a mono-majority in parliament, and much had been done for the development of Ukraine.

Who is Geo Leros

Geo Leros entered the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as member of the Servant of the People Party. He was a freelance advisor to Zelensky. He is a film director, art curator by occupation.
By PTI

COIMBATORE: There was no problem in BJP's alliance with the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, party's state unit president L Murugan said on Tuesday but wanted the Ministers to stop criticising the combine.

Even if his party fought the elections alone, at least 60 MLAs will represent BJP in the assembly after the polls, he said.

The BJP was gearing up for the polls and gaining strength in the state while steps were being taken to further strengthen the party, as youths have started supporting it, he told reporters here.

"There is no confusion or problem in the alliance (with the AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu. However, the ministers should stop talking and criticising the alliance," Murugan said.

READ| AIADMK will lead any alliance in all elections, insists Tamil Nadu CM

His comments come amid a debate surrounding who would lead the alliance in the 2021 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu after state BJP vice-president V P Duraisamy had asserted his party has the right to lead the combine in the polls.

AIADMK co-coordinator and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami had a few days ago asserted that his party will lead the alliance in "any polls" in the state and pointed out that the 2019 Lok Sabha elections were fought under its leadership.

To a question on cases being registered against BJP leaders, including himself for violation of COVID-19 protocols, Murugan quipped that cases should be registered against ministers, MPs and MLAs.

About Tamil film Superstar Rajinikanth, he said being a nationalist and spiritualist, his entry into politics will give more importance in the elections.

Queried about the seizure of properties belonging to V K Sasikala, aide of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Murugan said law was taking its own course, adding there was no political vendetta.

Earlier, Murugan, along with party vice-president, Vanathi Srinivasan and General Secretary, G K Selvakumar, paid floral tributes to the portrait of former President Pranab Mukherjee at the BJP's district office here.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 20:15:46|Editor: huaxia

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A signing ceremony of a railway luggage van procurement deal between Bangladesh Railway and a Chinese joint-venture firm is held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Aug. 31, 2020. Bangladesh Railway (BR) has signed a deal with a Chinese joint-venture firm to procure 125 railway luggage vans for bolstering its goods transportation services. Under the agreement, the joint venture firm of CNTIC (China National Technical Import and Export Corporation)-RAIL TECO (Jiangsu Railteco Equipment Co, Ltd)-JINXI (Jinxi Railway Vehicle Co Ltd) will supply 50 broad-gauge and 75 meter-gauge luggage vans at a cost of 42.74 million U.S. dollars (3.58 billion taka). (Xinhua)

DHAKA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh Railway (BR) has signed a deal with a Chinese joint-venture firm to procure 125 railway luggage vans for bolstering its goods transportation services.

Under the agreement, the joint venture firm of CNTIC (China National Technical Import and Export Corporation)-RAIL TECO (Jiangsu Railteco Equipment Co, Ltd)-JINXI (Jinxi Railway Vehicle Co Ltd) will supply 50 broad-gauge and 75 meter-gauge luggage vans at a cost of 42.74 million U.S. dollars (3.58 billion taka).

In collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, Bangladesh Railway has already launched the Rolling Stock Operation Improvement Project (Rolling Stock Procurement) to procure the luggage vans.

Bangladeshi Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan, among others, was present at the signing ceremony.

According to a project paper of the Bangladesh Railway, the Chinese firm will start supplying the vans within 20 months from the effective date of the contract and will finish the commissioning work within 27 months.

In his speech, Bangladeshi Railway Minister Sujan said the capacity of the country's rail services to transport goods, including perishable items, would improve significantly after commissioning of the vans.

Following Bangladesh's hefty economic growth in recent years, he further said the demand for luggage vans is on the rise largely.


UConn MS student Nicole Dahrouge, who maintained wood frog tadpoles under detailed temperature and salinity conditions during the spring of 2020. Credit: University of Connecticut

A virus affecting wood frog tadpoles throughout the eastern United States is offering scientists a rare opportunity to investigate the role of environmental factors in the spread of infectious disease.

An important aspect of controlling the spread of any virus is understanding how the virus, or agent, is transmitted through the environment to the host. Scientists refer to the trio of agent, host, and environment as the epidemiological triangle or triad. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the agent is the SARS-CoV-2 virus, humans are the host species, and the environment now includes ecosystems throughout the planet. Scientists have made strides in understanding the nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the infection it causes in its human hosts, and they have identified variables in the host population that can cause some individuals to be more severely affected by the virus than others. As researchers continue to learn about environmental factors that facilitate the spread of COVID-19, we practice social distancing and wear masks to contain airborne droplets from our mouths and noses.

The interrelationships among agent, host, and environment are complex, and possible variables in each of the three are limitless, making it impossible, when studying them as a system, to tease out the differential effects of the individual players. While agent and host can be studied in isolation and in direct relationship to each other within the laboratory, environmental factors also play a role in disease dynamics, meaning that any conclusions reached will not fully reflect that happens in natural systems. However, Associate Professor Tracy Rittenhouse has developed an experimental model where the focus is the effects of the environment in epidemics rather than the details of the agent and host interaction.

Several years ago, Rittenhouse, a faculty member in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, learned of wood frog tadpole dieoffs in northeastern Connecticut that had been found to be caused by Ranavirus Frog virus 3 (FV3). To measure the prevalence of FV3 in the area, Rittenhouse harvested tadpoles from numerous wetlands over a two-year period and found that the frog virus was much more widespread than previously known. But, the population of wood frogs, a species known to be particularly susceptible to FV3, did not appear to be declining, and some live tadpoles harvested from wetlands were found to be infected with the virus, both of which indicated that the virus was not always lethal.

From her surveys, Rittenhouse learned that when tadpole dieoffs did occur, it was often at the same developmental stage, just before metamorphosis. The carcasses would remain visible in the water for only one to three days. The tadpole carcasses decomposed so quickly it was if they had disappeared. Determining whether tadpoles died and decomposed or metamorphosed into frogs and left the wetland would have required simultaneously monitoring all wetlands where the virus was known to be present, which was not feasible.

Says Rittenhouse, "We don't have a good explanation for why we could have found the virus so commonly and not have dieoff events. I think there's some middle ground. I believe there are more dieoff events happening than we're detecting, but we don't yet know what triggers them. We're concerned that changes occurring in environmental conditions, such as salinity levels or temperature, might be increasing the likelihood of dieoffs." An additional question is whether the tadpoles are particularly susceptible at the stage when dieoffs have occurred, or if something occurs in the environment at that time.

A fruitful collaboration

The study of interactions among agent, host, and environment is best done with a collaborative approach incorporating a range of expertise. Says Rittenhouse, "I study populations. I know a lot about wood frogsI know where wood frogs live, what types of environments they live in, what causes high survival, and what causes low survival. But I'm not a disease expert." So, she teamed up with Jesse Brunner, a disease ecologist, and Erica Crespi, a physiologist, both at Washington State University, who have studied Ranavirus and its effects on individual tadpoles. Brunner specializes in the relationship between Ranavirus and its host, while Crespi is an expert on tadpole health.

Rittenhouse devised a set of experiments in which two environmental stress factorssalinity and temperatureare manipulated to identify what, if any role, they play in triggering dieoffs related to FV3. Says Rittenhouse, "Road salt and temperature are two environmental conditions that we're manipulating because they're common things in the environment, and they are both changing a lot, regionally and globally. Salinization of our fresh waters is a very hot topic because it's happening along our coastlines. As sea level rises, there's saltwater intrusion into freshwater systems and into terrestrial environments. But that's also happening in forests in terrestrial conditions when we add road salt to our roads, and it runs off into freshwater wetlands and streams."

During the spring of 2019, Rittenhouse built outdoor experimental systems called mesocosms, which simulate the natural environment but allow for the control of some factors. She set up 150 fifty-gallon tanks, each of which, when filled with water, leaf litter and tadpoles, represents a wetland. These wetlands received natural rainfall, nutrient inputs from the air (think oak tree pollen in the spring), and daily temperature fluctuations as the sun rose and set. She controlled for variables in the virus and host: Egg masses from different wetlands were mixed to create heterogeneous but similar populations for each tank, and Brunner isolated and extracted the virus from samples Rittenhouse collected in the wild. Finally, one tadpole infected with FV3 was added to each tank. In her experiments, Rittenhouse manipulated the temperature and salinity levels of some tanks and maintained some tanks as controls.

Rittenhouse, Brunner, and Crespi had developed hypotheses for expected mortality rates in response to the environmental manipulations. As the tadpoles matured, Rittenhouse and the students in her lab group monitored all the tadpoles in every tank, every day during May and June 2019. The result was more than twenty epidemiological curves for each temperature-salt combination.

"What our project brings is the ability to manipulate a population and see how changes to environmental conditions change how spiked or flat an epidemic curve is," Rittenhouse says. "And there really are not a lot of study systems where you can manipulate that epidemic curve. Much of what we know about disease epidemics is based on mathematical models. Our project uses a study system where we can manipulate a population and quantify an epidemic curve in a two-to-three-month period for 150 populations, but it's real data from real animals. It's a way to confirm that some of our mathematical models are correct."

Ironically, the studies Rittenhouse planned for continuing the FV3 research during the summer of 2020 had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The experiments would have required eight undergraduate student research assistants working together every day to monitor tadpole mortality. So, like everyone else, Rittenhouse pivoted. No frog virus was put into the tanks. Instead she and one graduate student focused their efforts on finely tuned manipulations of salt and temperature in the absence of the virus.

Next spring, when more is known about how people can work safely in a world with COVID, then Rittenhouse and her students will return to her NSF- funded research on Ranavirus epidemics.

Rittenhouse says, "Each spring in my population dynamics course, I teach students how to use data we collect in the wild, counting animals, to develop estimates of birth rates, death rates, survival rates. We take those estimates and build population-level models that predict if a population is going to increase or decrease over time and link that to trends we observe in the wild. But in this case, the cool thing is we can create all these experimental populations150 different populationsand we can measure the population response. How peaked was the curve? How flat was the curve? What's the timespan between the beginning and end of the epidemic? How do changes in environmental conditions that might be stressful for individuals or populations change the shape of an epidemic curve?"

Explore further Amphibian study shows stress increases vulnerability to virus
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hemp Traders announces today the launch of a new line of hemp knit fabrics. This will be the first time since before hemp prohibition that American made hemp fabrics will be made available to the general public. The fabrics will be produced and dyed in Los Angeles, California.

"Many customers want hemp textiles that are made in America," said Hemp Traders President and industry veteran Lawrence Serbin. "This is the first step in bringing the entire process back home. Not only does this help the American hemp industry to position hemp textiles for a larger share of the market and make hemp products more available; it does it at a cheaper price than the same Chinese imports."

The company, which was founded in 1994, will start by making 3 types of fabric. Jersey which is used for t-shirts, French Terry which is for sweatshirts and sweatpants, and Rib Knit which is used for accessories and apparel.

"While we currently still need to import hemp yarns from China since the machines literally don't exist in the US," continued Serbin, "this is a huge step towards building the market. The demand already exists. We are currently working with farmers and processors to bring decortication, processing, and spinning facilities online. The ultimate goal is to perform the entire process in the United States utilizing 100% American grown hemp. "

The first fabric is available today at HempTraders.Com with another set of 8 available within the next two weeks.

For more information please contact [email protected]

More About Hemp Traders:

Founded in Los Angeles in 1994, Hemp Traders is the largest supplier of hemp fiber products in the country. We supply hemp fabric, hemp boards, hemp twine, hemp rope, hemp webbing and more. Our mission is to help the environment by bringing hemp back into the mainstream and supplying the best quality hemp products at the lowest possible prices.

SOURCE Hemp Traders
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The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday said Taiwan authorities and anti-China forces cannot change the fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and any attempt to engage in political manipulation and separatist activities to create "Taiwan independence" will not succeed.

"We strongly condemn and are seriously concerned about the egregious practices of anti-China forces in the Czech Republic who deliberately violate China's sovereignty, and blatantly interfere in China's internal affairs," said the ministry's spokesperson Zhao Lijian when asked to comment on Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil's visit to Taiwan.

Zhao said that State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had made it clear that challenging the one-China principle on Taiwan question is an attempt to turn against the 1.4 billion Chinese people, and action of breaching international law and regulations.

Regarding Vystrcil's open provocation and the anti-China forces behind him, the Chinese government and Chinese people won't take a laissez-faire attitude and will make him pay a heavy price for his short-sighted behavior and political opportunism, Wang said Monday during his visit to Germany.

"We urge the relevant authorities of the Czech Republic to take immediate measures to eliminate the negative impact of this erroneous practice, so as to avoid damaging the overall situation of bilateral relations," Zhao said.

According to a release published on the Chinese foreign ministry's website on Monday, Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang has lodged solemn representations over Vystrcil's Taiwan visit to Vladimir Tomsik, Czech Ambassador to China.

Qin said the Czech side must pay earnest attention to China's solemn position and grave concern, and take concrete actions to abide by the one-China principle, which is the political foundation of the bilateral relations.
The nations largest school district is turning to a small business in Central New York to purify classroom air as students return after a pandemic that cut short the last school year.

HealthWay Family of Brands, of Pulaski, will supply 10,000 portable air purifiers that will be installed in New York City public schools to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus when students and teachers return this month.

The order for the companys Intellipure Compact air purifiers is the single largest deal in HealthWays history, said Vinny Lobdell, president of the family-owned business.

The sale will help HealthWay continue to add new production and engineering jobs, Lobdell said. The company has grown its Pulaski workforce from 34 employees to more than 100 since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States, prompting record demand for the companys air purifiers.

We have worked for a better part of four decades in this space, and its rewarding to see our hard work play a small role in getting kids back to school worldwide, Lobdell said.

Delos, a New York City-based firm that provides wellness programs that improve indoor environments, won the contract from the New York City Department of Education to improve air quality in the schools and supply the air purification systems, according to company and New York City officials.

In turn, Delos selected HealthWays Intellipure brand of air purifiers to install in each of the 1,800 New York City public schools.

Paul Scialla, the founder and CEO of Delos, said his company selected HealthWay as its partner because its patented air purification systems filter out tiny particles from airborne mold, bacteria and viruses at 99.97% efficiency.

HealthWays air purifiers have not been certified by U.S. regulators to filter out the virus that causes Covid-19. But independent testing shows the portable units filter out particles as small as .007 microns. Laboratory testing has found the coronavirus particles that cause Covid-19 are larger, between .06 and .14 microns, Scialla said.

He said scientists have found that small aerosolized particles that can carry the novel coronavirus can remain suspended in the indoor air for long periods.

Under the initial contract with New York City, Delos will install HealthWays air purifiers in about 1,800 school buildings used by the nations largest school district, said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Schools will receive an allocation of wall-mounted or standalone air purifiers that will be deployed in nurses offices, isolation rooms set up for students who show symptoms of the virus, and classrooms. De Blasio said more air purifiers will be purchased as needed.

New York City public schools will install HealthWay's portable Intellipure Compact air purifiers.Provided

New York City and Delos officials did not disclose the cost of their deal.

Lobdell, of HealthWay, declined to disclose the total value of the contract to his company, saying only that its a multimillion-dollar order. The Intellipure Compact air purifiers retail for between $550 and $650 per unit.

Scialla, a former Goldman Sachs partner who founded Delos in 2013, said the air purifiers are a good long-term investment for schools. He said the air purifiers will cost less than $10 per student per year.

Other school districts and colleges in New York have also installed HealthWays air purifiers in their buildings, Lobdell said.

The customers include Cornell University, SUNY Oswego, Manlius Pebble Hill School, Pulaski Academy, Sandy Creek Central Schools and Aquinas Institute in Rochester, which ordered a portable air purifier for each of its classrooms.

In May, the United Arab Emirates bought 3,000 medical-grade air cleaning systems from HealthWay for temporary field hospitals opened in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to handle coronavirus patients.

The surge in business comes after the companys business had taken a turn for the worse in January. The U.S. trade war with China led to a 25% tariff on some parts HealthWay imports to its Pulaski manufacturing plant.

HealthWay said it had to lay off eight employees because the tariffs cost the company an extra $700,000 per year.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

How do you bus kids to school in the middle of a pandemic? A look inside one districts plans

Educating CNY: Syracuse.com launches initiative to inform, connect community around school reopening

SUNY Oneonta to suspend in-person classes for 2 weeks after 105 coronavirus cases found

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
Instruction was supposed to begin on September 10 but now will be delayed until September 16.

New York City is delaying the start of its school year by several days to give teachers more time to prepare to have students back in classrooms amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday.

In a deal struck with unions representing teachers, staff and administrators, instruction that was supposed to begin on September 10 will be delayed until September 16. All students will spend the first few days learning from home, by computer, before in-person instruction begins for some students on September 21.

The development comes after de Blasio, a Democrat, emphasised for months that the citys 1.1 million public school students need schools to resume in-person instruction after the coronavirus abruptly forced a thorny plunge into remote learning in March.

Even as other big US school systems  including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston  decided to start the school year with students learning remotely, de Blasio stuck with a plan for a September 10 hybrid reopening that was intended to feature as much classroom time as possible while still allowing for social distancing.

Mayor Bill de Blasio listening as he meets with parents at Bronx Collaborative High School, following their visit to review health safeguards in advance of the reopening of schools in New York [AP Photo Pool/Bebeto Matthews]

De Blasio was joined at a news conference Tuesday by union leaders who said they do believe the city can welcome students back safely, they just need more time to get ready for their arrival.

New York suffered the deadliest coronavirus spike in the country before getting the virus spread in check earlier this year, even as it climbed anew in many other parts of the country.

The citys plan to restart schools includes mask-wearing, staggered schedules to reduce the number of students in rooms, supplying every school building with a nurse and asking all staffers to get tested shortly before school starts. The city dispatched ventilation experts to check out air flow in classrooms, and officials said they would work to make parks and streets available as teaching space if principals were interested.

Tuesdays deal to delay the start of class was announced in advance of a planned afternoon meeting by delegates of the United Federation of Teachers, which was poised to vote on whether to authorise a strike.

New York state bars teachers and other public employees from striking; unions can be fined if they do.

New York City students had their last day of in-class instruction March 13. All schools statewide were closed by March 18.

During the summer, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state would allow a return to in-person school 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 for several months.

The Democratic governor this month cleared schools to open around the state, while cautioning that they still needed to address parents and teachers safety concerns.
SHANGHAI, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HiPhi, Human Horizons' premium, smart, all-electric vehicle brand, is excited to announce the application of its world-first NT Door system on the HiPhi X. The innovative new entry to the premium automotive segment will debut at the 2020 Beijing Auto Show.

HiPhi X, the first model of the HiPhi brand, is positioned as a self-learning, supercar-inspired SUV, adopting the world's first Human Oriented Architecture (HOA) enabling a secure, developer-open software platform. HOA comprises of 6 "super brain" domain controllers, connected by 1G Ethernet, over 500 sensors, and a 5G-V2X technology network.

HiPhi X comes with 2 battery options, the larger being a 96 kWh unit. The battery technology, highly efficient electric drive system and a low drag coefficient of 0.27, delivers a range of 610 km (NEDC). The HiPhi X will accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.9s. The advanced vehicle has been developed with dual-redundant systems which is a key enabler for its Level 3 autonomous driving capability. The HiPhi X is equipped with the worlds-first NT Door system, Programmable Matrix Lighting (PML), Intelligent Signal Display (ISD), a theatre-style co-pilot screen and other leading technologies to bring users a truly new experience.

Review:

Touch-free NT Door system: The world's only touch-free entry, luxury SUV without door handles or mechanical lock cylinders

Six electronically controlled doors: All six doors in the NT Door system contain independent control modules, creating an intelligent system well beyond the simplicity of traditional mechanical structures typically seen in the automotive world. All six doors power-close with the push of a button. One need not crease their suit jacket or dinner gown whilst reaching to close the door.

Multiple methods of lock/unlock: Users can enter through facial recognition, smart key, smartphone ID and can also be unlocked remotely through the HiPhi app.

6 modes of ingress and egress: With multiple different combinations, the world's first NT Doors give users an original, unparalleled sense of occasion.

360 proximity sensing: With the omnidirectional intelligent sensing system made possible through both positioning and ultrasonic sensors, the HiPhi X can detect the user's position, or objects, that may be in the path of the doors and adjust the opening angle accordingly. With the gentle press of a button the doors swing out in a safe manner with purpose and precision for ultimate convenience.

Continuously evolving: The HOA electrical architecture will allow over-the-air updates for improved or additional control of all electronic features from vehicle performance to seat control and UX interfaces.

HiPhi X is now entering the final phase of development and launch ahead of production which is expected to commence by the end of this year, with official deliveries in 2021.

About the HiPhi Brand

HiPhi is a premium brand created by Human Horizons and enhanced by its users. HiPhi X is an EV with a lightweight hybrid aluminum-steel construction. It also embeds sustainability with the adoption of vegan leather and the use of recyclable materials to further increase the sustainable nature of Human Horizons' EV products.

About Human Horizons

Human Horizons is established for R&D in innovative and leading intelligent mobility technologies as well as the industrialisation of future-oriented smart vehicles. Furthermore, Human Horizons builds smart transportation technologies and contributes to the development of smart cities, which will redefine human mobility.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1246824/HiPhi_1.jpg

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People are unearthing new findings regarding the novel coronavirus which has ravaged all corners of the world. The latest findings conducted by researchers indicate that more so than women, men have displayed to be more susceptible to a COVID-19 infection.

Efforts to Gathering Data

Researchers are making attempts to lure out data behind why there are fewer women fatalities from the coronavirus than men and whether this edge makes them more susceptible to autoimmune illnesses.

Numerous aspects of COVID-19 still appear to be complex to scientists and clinicians particularly as information continues to evolve.

New York City's health department registered a rate of 11,389 COVID-19 fatalities in men in contrast to 7,646 women as of the 27th of August, reported Today.

Scientists continue to probe into the probable causes of the disparity.

60 Percent

Men account for an estimated 60 percent of COVID-19 fatalities across the globe with individual nations reporting a similar scenario.

In the United Kingdom, researchers examining 17 million adults discovered that men are more probable to face nearly twice the death risk than their female counterparts. China also showed data that at least two-thirds of their fatalities were male, reported Sound Health and Lasting Wealth.

Women Have a More Robust Immune Response

Women reportedly instigate a stronger immune response to the respiratory illness in contrast to men.

"What we found was that men and women indeed develop different types of immune responses to COVID-19," according to Akiko Iwasaki, a lead author in a study in the journal "Nature" and a professor at Yale University in the United States, reported Aljazeera.

American scientists detected that female patients instigated a more vigorous and sustained T-cell counter than male patients upon exposure to the respiratory illness, thus making men more susceptible to COVID-19.

Also Read: Coronavirus Cure Found? Is Animal Anti-Parasitic Ivermectin the Answer to End COVID-19?

T-cells are white blood cells that function to eradicate infected cells in the adjusting immune system.

The GenderSci Lab at Harvard University, which promotes the study of gender and biomedical sciences, has a data tracker on COVID-19 cases in the US is in operation including charts of cases and fatalities by gender. Many women in numerous states comprise a greater percentage of COVID-19 cases than men, but there are more fatalities of men.

Men develop severe manifestations of the respiratory illness irrespective of age or location.

Pre-existing Health Conditions

This is partly because of the disproportionate tally of men who have underlying conditions known to aggravate COVID-19 symptoms.

Freethink noted that if researchers could conclude that men are more susceptible to COVID-19, they may be able to use the data against COVID-19 though tailoring treatment plans to take gender into consideration to produce better COVID-19 patient outcomes.

A number of researchers believe that social and behavioral differences between the two genders are the prime cause of this discrepancy as, for example, men are more likely to smoke tobacco among underlying health conditions.

As of August 27, COVID-19 fatalities globally have reached an appalling figure of 822,000 with a large 15.6 million having been recovered.

According to researchers from Yale University, men and women require separate vaccine types and treatments because of the varying ways the respiratory illness affects the body as men are more susceptible to COVID-19.

Related Article: Work From Home Gadgets for the New Normal

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The first thing done on Lyons Farm is to quarantine the new arrivals.

The focus at UCD Lyons farm now is flock preparation for mating. A few years ago, we moved away from retaining our own female replacements, instead opting to purchase in our replacements as ewe lambs or hoggets.

As a result, we need to attend some of the breeding sales around the country each year. This year trade is particularly strong, with prices up 20-30 on last year. While no farmer wants to pay more than necessary for stock, it is good for the sellers to see a good return on their effort and investment in producing these sheep.
Mr. Soylu, speaking later in a televised address from Giresun  an area recently hit by deadly floods  said that Mr. Ozden had continuously received orders from Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. He was also leading groups of 10 to 12 people to formulate plans to carry out attacks against Turkey, according to information obtained from his computer and other digital material, Mr. Soylu said.

Image Mahmut Ozden was arrested in Adana, a city in southern Turkey. Credit... Istanbul Police Department

According to the state-run news agency, Anadolu, the security forces detained Mr. Ozden in Adana, a city in southern Turkey, after they had arrested another member of the Islamic State group who was also preparing an attack in Istanbul. Three others were also detained in the same operation over links to the militant group, the news agency said.

Mr. Soylu also said Mr. Ozden had been involved in a plot to abduct prominent figures and take them to Syria, and also intended to carry out an operation that would hurt Turkey economically.

Very clear orders and action plans were seized about the abduction of politicians and statesmen to Syria, he said, before noting the investigation into Mr. Ozden is ongoing.

The authorities in Turkey have conducted periodic raids aimed at members of the Islamic State, which has carried out a number of attacks in the country.
South Carolina lawmakers are in the process of reviewing all facets of criminal justice in the state, from how police operate to sentencing laws to prison reform. House Speaker Jay Lucas appointed subcommittees to begin such work after the national outcry over the May killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota who pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for several minutes as Floyd pleaded for air.

Since that time, other incidents, including the most recent one in Wisconsin in which a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot seven times in the back by a police officer, have increased calls for implementing reforms in policing. Changes are due, for the good of police and the people they are sworn to serve and protect.

Without any formal measurement, it is frequently stated that 99% of law enforcement officers do their jobs responsibility and adhere to professional standards. While there is surely disagreement over the number  and disagreement on what those standards should be  there is more than ever a need for ways to improve the way police and public interact.

In the world of 2020, the reality of cellphone video has made it such that just about any encounter can become the subject of social media posts. The videos can tell a misleading story in some instances but have been integral to exposing police abuses in cases such as Floyds in Minnesota and Blakes in Wisconsin.

There is a better way: All police wearing body cameras  and making the footage from the cameras available for public inspection.

A House subcommittee in Columbia will hear such a proposal and others on Tuesday when it meets on police reform.

The South Carolina Press Association, the organization of the states daily and weekly newspapers, is urging lawmakers to eliminate an exemption that makes body camera footage not subject to public disclosure. Video from dash cams and audio from 911 calls are available to the public under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act.

SCPA Executive Director Bill Rogers, who has been a key player in FOIA reforms over four decades, has sent a letter to members of the Law Enforcement Officer Training, Tactics, Standards and Accountability Subcommittee of the House Equitable Justice System and Law Enforcement Reform Committee proposing amendments to body-cam legislation.

"I think this is the time," Rogers told The Greenville News. "It's so important that police body cameras be made public. That's one of the most important things. You can't have oversight of police if they're hiding the video, and right now they're doing that."

Rogers, in his letter, argued that citizen video is the only reason the public knows about the deaths of Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis and Walter Scott from the police shooting in North Charleston in 2015.

The proposed amendments drafted by SCPA attorney Taylor Smith also include that body camera devices must be worn and activated when confronting citizens, and should not be de-activated until the officer has left the scene.

The SCPA proposal also includes language that footage may not be withheld from the public on the basis that it was compiled for law enforcement purposes or for an investigatory record.

Tuesday's hearing will not feature testimony but will include presentations from a wide array of law enforcement officers and representatives, who generally have opposed opening footage from police body cameras to public inspection. But times have changed and the need for change is real.

Rogers is right: "You face many issues but  one of the most important ones is the expeditious opening up to public view police body camera videos when violence is involved.

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to Russia visited on Monday a former U.S. Marine who has just started a nine-year sentence in a Moscow jail, and said the United States was pushing for his release.

A Russian court in July convicted Trevor Reed, a student at the University of North Texas, of endangering the lives of two police officers, a charge Reed denies.

"Trevor mentally seems to be doing as well as can be expected... It pains me to see him detained under these circumstances," said ambassador John Sullivan after a visit to Vodnik prison.

"It is important that he gets the medical treatment that he needs, and we will be advocating for that vigorously - and, of course, for his release," said Sullivan, who described the evidence against Reed as "laughable".

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun spoke to Russian officials about the case during a visit last week, demanding his release, the ambassador added.

Prosecutors accused Reed of grabbing a police officer who was behind the wheel of a car after the American was detained on Aug. 15 last year. That, they said, caused the vehicle to swerve dangerously. He was also accused of elbowing a second officer.

Reed, who said he traveled to Moscow in May, 2019, to learn Russian and visit his Russian girlfriend, has said he does not remember the events of that evening because he was drunk when he was detained after leaving a party in Moscow.

Sullivan said he also hopes to visit another former U.S. Marine, Paul Whelan, who was sentenced in June to 16 years in jail for espionage, a charge he denied.

"I will be planning to travel there at the earliest opportunity. To visit with Paul, see how he is doing, and discuss his situation," the ambassador said.

(Reporting by Mikhail Antonov; Writing by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Now in its eighth year, Canadian Mortgage Professionals annual Women of Influence feature is back to celebrate the women at the vanguard of the Canadian mortgage industry.

Readers are encouraged to nominate their picks by filling out this form. Self-nominations are also accepted.

Successful nominees will be featured in a special report this November. Its our way of recognizing and thanking the industrys fiercest females for the hard work, intelligence and dedication they bring to the mortgage space every single day.
Ligonier Ministries Releases a Full Spanish Translation of the Reformation Study Bible

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Ligonier Ministries

Sept. 1, 2020



ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 1, 2020 /Standard Newswire/ -- Ligonier Ministries, the teaching fellowship founded by Dr. R.C. Sproul, is pleased to announce the release of the Reformation Study Bible in Spanish, published in partnership with Poiema Publicaciones. This long-anticipated resource, La Biblia de Estudio de La Reforma, is now available in a variety of cover styles on Ligonier's website and Amazon.



Today, more than 400 million people around the world speak Spanish, and access to trustworthy biblical teaching is a relative rarity. Much of the Spanish-speaking world is steeped in Roman Catholicism, and the charismatic movement has made significant inroads over the last generation. The fruit of the Reformation has never taken root in many of these regions--until recently.



J.D. Bridges, Ligonier's vice president of global outreach, said:

"As I've traveled throughout Latin America with Ligonier's Spanish Outreach team, I've been encouraged to see a growing interest in Reformed theology. When local ministers share the key influences that have led them and their churches to embrace Reformed theology, oftentimes there's a reference to R.C. Sproul. The teaching of Dr. Sproul has left an incalculable impact on the Spanish-speaking church, and the Spanish Reformation Study Bible now provides a trustworthy theological library to help growing Christians become even more thoroughly settled in the biblical theology of the Reformation."

Dr. Burk Parsons, chief publishing officer of Ligonier Ministries, told of a visit he made to Colombia several years ago:

"When I was in Bogota, I spoke with a pastor who had very few Bible commentaries and nothing in the way of discipleship materials. He and three other pastors shared one study Bible between them to prepare all of their sermons. We have carefully translated the Reformation Study Bible so that the Spanish-speaking church may no longer suffer from a dearth of theological resources, but may rather have a wealth of trusted, faithful commentary that is accessible to every reader. We at Ligonier are praying that the Lord will use this study Bible to fan the flames of reformation throughout the Spanish-speaking world."

In addition to 1.1 million words of verse-by-verse and topical explanations in Spanish, translated commentary from 75 distinguished theologians, and 70 translated theological notes from Dr. Sproul, the Spanish edition of the Reformation Study Bible also includes historical creeds, confessions, and catechisms that have been newly translated into Spanish from the original languages. The Scripture text utilized in the study Bible is La Biblia de las Americas (LBLA), a translation from the Lockman Foundation, the publisher of the New American Standard Bible.



Pike Lambeth, Lockman's executive vice president, said:

"The pairing of La Biblia de las Americas with its accuracy to the original languages and the superior scholarship of the Reformation Study Bible creates an exciting Spanish language study tool that will quickly become a trusted and faithful resource for Bible reading and study. I'm certain that the LBLA Reformation Study Bible will enrich the lives of countless eager readers who desire to clearly understand the Word of God."

Chris Larson, president and CEO of Ligonier Ministries, expressed the significance of this completed resource:

"As Dr. Sproul explains in the introduction, the light of the Reformation was the light of the Bible. People need God's Word clearly taught to them if they are to know who God is, their need of a Savior and the redemption found in Christ alone. Praise God that millions of people in the Americas, Europe, and around the globe can now access an indispensable study tool to help them rightly divide the Word of truth in their own language, growing in the knowledge of God so they can bring His truth to bear on all of life. Yes, we call this book the Reformation Study Bible, but what we really want to see is a Bible study reformation. By God's grace, this landmark resource was developed through the support of many donors and we pray it will help ignite awakening throughout the Spanish-speaking world to His holiness and grace."

The Spanish edition of the Reformation Study Bible is available for purchase at Ligonier.org and Amazon.com. Ligonier's publishing partner Poiema Publicaciones is now fulfilling orders in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela.



For more information about the Spanish edition of the Reformation Study Bible, contact info@es.ligonier.org or call 800-435-4343. Bookstores and resellers, please contact sales@ligonier.org.



About Ligonier Ministries

Ligonier Ministries exists to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible. To that end, Ligonier's outreach today is manifold and worldwide. Founded by Dr. R.C. Sproul in 1971, Ligonier's teaching fellowship consists of theologians, pastors, and scholars. Ligonier publishes Renewing Your Mind broadcasts, the Reformation Study Bible, Tabletalk magazine, books through Reformation Trust, and hundreds of teaching series. The ministry also offers an undergraduate degree program through Reformation Bible College. In addition, Ligonier hosts national and regional conferences, provides an online learning community through Ligonier Connect, streams 24-hour Christian Internet radio through RefNet, answers biblical and theological questions with Ask Ligonier, pursues numerous translation efforts in other countries, and makes available thousands of unique educational resources online at Ligonier.org.



SOURCE Ligonier Ministries



CONTACT: Deborah Finnamore, Publicity Manager, 407-333-4244 ext. 1158, definnamore@ligonier.org


The stalemate in the process of preparing the Supreme Court-mandated National Register of Citizens in Assam has put the lives of 19 lakh-odd people who were excluded from it in serious trouble. The process mandates that each excluded person should be issued a rejection slip which can be challenged in the Foreigners Tribunal, empowered to declare a person non-citizen.

The failure to issue the slips has stalled the entire process. As a result, those affected face difficulties in matters of their normal life such as finding a job, getting married, going on a foreign tour and contesting polls.

The government blames it on Covid-19, which made most government departments other than those involved in the containment of the pandemic non-functional for months on end.

The very process of preparing the NRC was riddled with serious issues. It was at first perceived as an attempt to exclude Muslims who had migrated to Assam from other parts of the country. Serious discrepancies such as members of the same family getting different status were reported as soon as the list was published.

The BJP, which had all along called it a tool to eliminate infiltrators changed its stand after discovering that a third of those excluded were Hindus. The partys Assam unit called for the verification of the list but it looks next to impossible after reports said the basic data of the NRC has been lost.

Citizenship is the primary identity of a person, and its denial, rightly or wrongly, compromises the very right to life. No government has the right to keep a decision on it pending for long.

The government must admit that it had not thought through the process and hence the present mess. It must either cancel the entire exercise or fast-track it. This is not an issue for which it can blame an act of god.
Under the pretext of "significant threats" to its security and privacy of citizens of the United States, the Trump administration announced a new five-pronged "Clean Network" program involving Clean Carrier, Clean Store, Clean Apps, Clean Cable, and Clean Cloud policies to exclude Chinese companies.

"The so-called 'Clean Network' is aimed at purging Chinese technology from the U.S. market," according to Long Haibo, deputy director of Innovation and Development Department at the Development Research Center of the State Council, but even if the program is implemented, while inevitably affecting the overseas business of China's telecom and internet companies, the impact is likely to be limited.

Long said companies currently being hurt were mostly Chinese app developers and cloud service providers in the U.S. market; however, the chances of the Clean Network program developing in other countries was small.

He also noted that most of the tech companies being targeted are capable of weathering the storm to a certain extent with the support of the huge Chinese domestic market and new technologies.

Liu Zhengshan, a scholar at the Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, said: "The 'Clean Network' program is part of the U.S. government's strategy to contain China's technology development, but like the measures the U.S. has taken before, the program will not shake the foundation of our development."

"The 'Clean Network' clearly goes against the global trend of informatization. Most countries still adhere to open market, and the overall international environment is favorable for China's development," Liu said.

Long added that even in a worst-case scenario, when the U.S. cracks down on Chinese tech companies on all fronts, shaping the U.S. market and the Chinese market, China is still capable of keeping its information and communication networks safe.

Long analyzed that, with 1.319 billion mobile internet users, a digital economy with an added value of 35.8 trillion yuan, and relatively complete industry and supply chains, China's internet companies still have huge potential and competitive edge in the global market.

He also warned that the U.S. has taken aim at China's tech sector, both at the hardware and the software level, and the risk of China-U.S. technology decoupling had increased.

"China must further accelerate R&D of core technologies in key fields such as integrated circuits and artificial intelligence, so as to turn the tables and better safeguard China's 'digital sovereignty'," Long said.

Content created in partnership with Science and Technology Daily
With 78,512 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, India's case tally has gone past the 36-lakh mark, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) on Monday.

New Delhi [India], Aug 31 (ANI): With 78,512 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, Indias case tally has gone past the 36-lakh mark, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) on Monday.

With 971 new deaths, the cumulative toll reached 64,469. The coronavirus cases in the country mounted to 36,21,246 including 7,81,975 active cases, 27,74,802 cured/discharged/migrated cases.

In Maharashtra, 11,852 new cases, 11,158 discharges and 184 COVID-19 deaths were reported today. The total number of cases till date in the state is 7,92,541, There are 1,94,056 active cases in the state, while 5,73,559 COVID-19 patients were discharged after full recovery until today. The death toll is at 24,583, according to Maharashtras Health Department.

Also read: A ray of hope amid rising Covid cases, Health Minister says Covid cases will be under control by Diwali

Also read: Big relief for Prashant Bhushan, SC lets off Bhushan with a token fine of Re 1

Tamil Nadu reported 5,956 new COVID-19 cases, 6,008 discharges and 91 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 4,28,041 including 3,68,141 discharges and 7,322 deaths, according to the states Health Department.

Delhi reported 1,358 new cases,1,507 recoveries and 18 deaths. The total number of cases now is 1,74,748 including 14,626 active cases, 1,55,678 recovered/discharged/migrated cases and 4,444 deaths in the national capital.

In Karnataka, 6,495 new cases, 7,238 discharged cases and 113 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 3,42,423 including 2,49,467 discharges and 5,702 deaths, according to the states Health Department.

Punjab recorded 1,541 new coronavirus cases, 1,280 recoveries and 50 deaths, taking active cases to 15,512, recoveries to 37,027 and death toll to 1,453, as per Punjabs Health Department.

Kerala recorded 1,530 new cases and 1,693 recoveries, taking active cases to 23,488 and recoveries to 51,542, said Kerala Chief Ministers Office.

Andhra Pradesh reported 10,004 new coronavirus cases, 8,772 recoveries and 85 deaths, taking active cases to 1,00,276, recoveries to 3,30,526 and death toll to 3,969, as per the states Health Department.

West Bengal reported 2,993 new cases, 3,318 discharged cases and 52 deaths today. The total number of COVID cases stands at 1,62,778 in the state, including 25,280 active cases, 1,34,270 discharges and 3,228 deaths so far, as per the states Health Department.

Manipur reported 140 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 6,252 including 4,330 discharges and 28 deaths. The number of active cases stands at 1,894, according to Manipurs Health Department.

Chandigarh reported 191 new COVID-19 cases, 135 discharges and 4 deaths, taking active cases to 1,857, recoveries to 2,431 and death toll to 56, as per Chandigarh administration

In Jammu and Kashmir, 535 new COVID-19 cases, 505 recoveries and 9 deaths were reported today, taking total cases to 37,698 including 29,015 recoveries, 7,980 active cases and 703 deaths, according to Jammu and Kashmir administration.

Also read: Former President Pranab Mukherjee dies at 84: Prez Kovind, PM Modi share condolences
New Delhi: The release of GDP data for the corona-disrupted first quarter of 2020-21 on Monday came as a shocker despite the foreboding there had been for weeks earlier.

The steepest decline ever in GDP growth, despite efforts to prevent it by both government and Reserve Bank, signals that Indias economic recovery is bleak with millions of jobless and businesses on the path to bankruptcy.

According to the government data released on Monday, the GDP at constant (2011-12) prices in Q1 of 2020-21 is estimated at Rs 26.90 lakh crore as against Rs 35.35 lakh crore in Q1 of 2019-20.

That is a contraction of 23.9 per cent where there had been growth of 5.2 per cent in the same period last fiscal.

It is the sharpest contraction since India started publishing quarterly GDP figures in 1996. It basically says India's economic activities stand crippled following the nationwide lockdown that was imposed in March to tackle the spread of Covid-19.

Reacting to the data, chief economic adviser (CEA) K V Subramanian tried to put a spin on it. "We are witnessing a V-shaped recovery as the economy unlocks E-way bills at 99.9 per cent vs August last year despite local lockdowns. This will continue. Once the Unlock phase was undertaken, the decline has been progressively lower. The trend is one of a V-shaped recovery," he said.

As per the data, manufacturing has entered recession with output falling 39.3 per cent in the June quarter after falling 1.4 per cent in the previous quarter.

The positive news is that the annual growth of the farm sector stood at 3.4 per cent in the April-June quarter, giving some hope that the rural economy will be able to support millions of migrant workers who have returned to their villages during the lockdown period.

Manufacturing, construction and trade sectors reported a massive slump of 39.3 per cent, 50.3 per cent, 47 per cent, respectively. Government expenditure, as represented by public administration services, contracted by 10.3 per cent, while mining and electricity sector contracted by 23.3 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively.

Reacting to the data, economists said the numbers were in line with what was indicated. "Investment growth has been going down for quite some time and investment growth slowdown is understandable in this environment. The issue is what will revive first: investment or consumption. We assume investment will stay weak. We expect to see consumer behaviour changing," said senior economist DK Joshi of Crisil.

Even as the first half of the current fiscal is expected to remain weak, India Inc, however, expects a recovery in the second half led by supportive fiscal and monetary policies.

"We have already started to see a discernible improvement in many high-frequency indicators, which are expected to pick-up further, going forward. In this context, the localized lockdowns being imposed by state and district administrations may be avoided so that economic recovery can be kept on track," said Chandrajit Banerjee, director-general of CII.

Even before the pandemic struck, the Indian economy had been experiencing a slowdown, growing only 4.2 per cent in FY20. The government in May announced a Rs 21 lakh crore stimulus package to tackle the economic fallout of the pandemic. The steps attempted to minimise the economic impact of the pandemic and provide a cushion to deal with the lockdown.

Most of the announcements made so far, attempt at restarting the economy with reforms on the supply side. The relief package provided immediate relief in the form of tax deferrals, cash transfers for the poor, and regulatory forbearance. As part of the package, the government also announced credit guarantees for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), transfer of foodgrain to the poor, regulatory changes to prevent bankruptcies, among others.
Approval Will Enable the Leading Global Telehealth Company to Provide Australia's Health Organizations and Consumers with the Robust Telehealth Solution

NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Tyto Care, the healthcare industry's first all-in-one telehealth platform and modular device for AI-powered, on-demand remote medical exams, today announced the approval of its telehealth solution by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Tyto Care can now distribute its solution to health organizations and consumers across the country.

Tyto Care's TGA approval comes as the Australian Government has strengthened telehealth adoption, resulting in significant utilization increases: In the first month of the pandemic alone, care was delivered to more than three million Australian patients through telehealth reforms introduced by the government. Between March to June 2020, Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) saw 17.2 million telehealth consultations, and more than 57% of healthcare professionals are currently using a telehealth platform. Tyto Care will begin rolling out in Australia via partnerships with leading telehealth companies, health systems, and insurance providers.

"With government support in place, the Australian healthcare industry is accelerating telehealth adoption at a critical time for global health. We are proud to help pave a new path forward for healthcare delivery in Australia, providing care for as many patients as possible," said Dedi Gilad, CEO and Co-Founder of Tyto Care. "By enabling a physical examination that virtually replicates an in-person visit, Tyto Care will greatly enhance the ability of health organizations and consumers to connect for clinic-quality care from the comfort of home. We look forward to working with Australian care providers to deliver the best virtual solutions to their patients."

Tyto Care provides the critical missing link in the delivery of telehealth by going beyond audio and video capabilities. The handheld device and telehealth platform enable heart, lung, skin, ear, throat, and abdomen examinations, and measures body temperature and heart rate, allowing patients and clinicians to connect for primary and chronic care visits. The solution enables healthcare organizations to protect providers by reducing in-person visits, while allowing the general population to receive care without entering medical facilities, helping to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and significantly reducing the increased burden on already overworked health organizations.

About Tyto Care

Tyto Care is a telehealth company using AI to transform primary care by putting health in the hands of consumers. Tyto Care seamlessly connects people to clinicians to provide the best virtual home examination and diagnosis solutions. Its solutions are designed to enable a comprehensive medical exam from any location and include a hand-held, all-in-one tool for examining the heart, lungs, skin, ears, throat, abdomen, and body temperature; a complete telehealth platform for sharing exam data, conducting live video exams, and scheduling visits; a cloud-based data repository with analytics; and built-in guidance technology and machine learning algorithms to ensure accuracy and ease of use for patients and insights for healthcare providers. Co-founded by Dedi Gilad and Ofer Tzadik in 2012, Tyto Care has FDA and CE clearances and has partnered with over 100 major health systems, health plans, and strategic partners in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Israel. To watch a demo video, click here.

For more information, please visit www.tytocare.com.

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A low-income family that is paid by the state for taking care of a mentally disabled child at home does not have to count that pay as income when seeking housing benefits, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday in a Bay Area case.

Families should not be penalized for spending time and scarce resources to care for a mentally ill child or have to choose between placing the child in a hospital or losing their home, the court majority said in a 4-3 ruling. Dissenters, led by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, said the ruling will come at the cost of assistance to other families in need by reallocating millions of dollars from the already-underfunded Section 8 housing program.

Justice Ming Chin wrote the majority opinion on his last day before his retirement after 24 years on the court. His successor, not yet announced, will be Gov. Gavin Newsoms first appointee.

Section 8, part of a 1937 housing law, provides federal subsidies to property owners whose tenants have low incomes. Tenants rent levels, and eligibility for assistance, are based on their income levels.

Mondays case involved Kerrie Reilly, who moved into an apartment in Novato with her two daughters in 1998 and qualified for Section 8 benefits. When she failed to tell housing officials that one of her daughters had moved out, and later failed to make multiple payments, the Marin Housing Authority, which administers Section 8 with federal funds, said in 2015 that Reilly no longer qualified for the subsidies based on her income.

But Reillys other daughter was severely mentally ill, and her annual income of $52,000 included $41,000 the state paid her for the costs of caring for her daughter at home. Represented by disability-rights lawyers, she argued that the $41,000 should not be counted as income to disqualify her from federal benefits. A trial judge and a state appeals court rejected her arguments but were overruled by the states high court.

Now families do not have to choose between preserving their housing subsidy and having their family member with a developmental disability live at home with them, said attorney Autumn Elliott of Disability Rights California, which represents Reilly.

Under the rules, Chin said, if the state provides an in-home caretaker for a mentally ill family member, those costs are not added to the income that determines the familys Section 8 eligibility. He said Reilly should not be penalized for providing 24-hour personal care that subjects her to emotional stress and could also cost her opportunities for outside employment.

Counting her reimbursements as family income may cause the family to lose its Section 8 housing altogether because it is unable to pay an increased portion of rent, Chin said. Without such housing, a family may face having to institutionalize a developmentally disabled member.

Cantil-Sakauyes dissent, joined by Justices Carol Corrigan and Leondra Kruger, noted that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees Section 8, filed arguments saying Reillys caretaker payments must be treated as income, like any pay for employment.

The law allows caretaking deductions only to offset the cost of services and equipment, and not the reimbursements a parent claims for the costs of providing and caring for a child, Cantil-Sakauye said. She said the ruling will siphon scarce housing assistance from Californias other low-income families, inevitably reducing the number of families who will benefit.

The case is Reilly vs. Marin Housing Authority, S249593.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 15:56:41|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Monsoon session of the Indian parliament is scheduled to begin from Sept. 14 and continue until Oct. 1, officials said Tuesday.

A notification issued by Lok Sabha (lower house of the parliament) secretariat said President Ram Nath Kovind has summoned Lok Sabha to meet on Sept. 14 at 9:00 a.m. local time.

Officials said Rajya Sabha (upper house of the parliament) will also meet at a different time on the same day. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, it has been decided to stagger the sitting of the two houses.

In wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, hectic preparations are underway for the session with several first-time measures.

"The measures include COVID-19 testing of all lawmakers, staggered sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and the use of both chambers and galleries to accommodate members while strictly following norms of physical distancing," an official said.

The heads of both houses have issued directions seeking proper seating arrangement of the members during the session and meetings to be held with strict observance of safety norms.

The parliament was adjourned indefinitely in March days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the countrywide lockdown in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, India is in the grip of COVID-19 pandemic and caseload seems to be increasing day by day.

India on Tuesday said the number of COVID-19 cases in the country have reached 3,691,166, including 65,288 deaths. Enditem
Charleston police dropped charges against dozens of the protesters arrested May 31 during peaceful but tense demonstrations that followed a night of rioting along King Street.

Jack O'Toole, a city spokesman, confirmed on Tuesday that authorities dropped charges against 27 of 41 people arrested.

The charges were either for curfew violations or failure to disperse, O'Toole said. Cases for those accused of more serious crimes are still pending.

None of the protesters whose charges were dropped were involved in rioting or inciting violence the previous day, he said.

The announcement comes after renewed scrutiny of police actions following the arrest of several protesters during a march on Saturday in which people spoke out against the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.

Several people were arrested after a group of about 75 protesters left Marion Square and started walking down King Street. Police said the group had refused to walk on the sidewalk and was impeding traffic, and that one officer was assaulted while making an arrest.

Most protesters were charged with disobeying a lawful order. The group didn't have a permit to march.

On Sunday, civil rights groups met in North Charleston to decry the arrests, saying collectively that police tried to exacerbate tensions rather than deescalate.

For Latisha Imara, who helped launch the Black Liberation Fund  a grassroots initiative to raise bail money for those facing protest-related charges  hearing that at least some people will have their charges dropped is a step in the right direction.

But she is skeptical.

Imara said she plans to check the names of each person whose charge was dropped against the list of 28 people her organization has helped.

"I hope that they mean what they're saying," she said. "We've got to verify this is actually true."

Seeing questionable arrests continue to happen is disheartening, Imara said, speaking about the arrests over the weekend.

Behind each case and charge is a person whose life will be negatively impacted by incarceration, even if it is only brief, she said.

"This summer has just been one thing after another with the Charleston police or the sheriff's office criminalizing people who are already in danger," Imara said. "This is already affecting marginalized communities."
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. A monkeypox outbreak has killed at least 10 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the local Actualite news portal reported.

Most of the victims are children below the age of 5.

The outbreak began around 8 months ago and the number of infected people stands at 141.

Monkeypox is caused by monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.

It is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions, according to the World Health Organization.

Monkeypox typically presents clinically with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.

The virus is mostly transmitted to people from wild animals such as rodents and primates, but human-to-human transmission also occurs.

Monkeypox is transmitted from one person to another by contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.

Human monkeypox was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as Zaire).

Editing by Stepan Kocharyan
Terrys killing is the third homicide in Sauk Village in the past month and at least the fifth in the village this year, according to county coroner and medical examiner records.
For nearly 50 years, the flat-topped, red-brick building on West College Street in Florence has been a destination for locals and out-of-towners alike, who come to Bunyans Bar-B-Q to grab sackfuls of pulled pork sandwiches and Bunyans legendary hot dogs.

Its been my privilege to introduce (Bunyans) to batches of musicians who come to town over the years, says Muscle Shoals musician and producer Mac McAnally, whose photo is on the wall of fame near the front counter inside Bunyans.

In exchange for that, any time somebody from Nashville calls and Im in Muscle Shoals, they say, Well, youre bringing a big sack back up here when you come, right?

McAnally discovered Bunyans Bar-B-Q around the time he moved to Muscle Shoals in 1976, and hes been hooked on their barbecue and hot dogs ever since, also introducing such fellow musicians as Jimmy Buffett and the late Glen Campbell to Bunyans.

It was musicians that turned me on to it, and as a musician, Ive tried to turn other musicians on to it, McAnally says. Something about musicians connect to that place.

From the Ford plant to a barbecue joint

John Bunyan Cole, the founder and namesake of Bunyans Bar-B-Q, grew up in the small Lauderdale County town of Killen and learned the finer art of barbecuing at an early age.

When he was young, they used to cook a whole hog and several people would come over and eat, Coles youngest son, Malcolm Cole, says. Thats where it started, and I think it always stayed with him.

In 1972, while he was still working at the Ford Motor Company plant in neighboring Sheffield, John Cole turned his backyard hobby into a sideline business when he opened Bunyans Bar-B-Q in an old Dairy Queen across the street from the childhood home of Florence native and blues pioneer W.C. Handy.

My dad was a workaholic, Malcolm Cole says. He would work at the barbecue pit during the day, and then he would work at Ford at night. He worked the midnight shift. Sometimes, he would sleep here, and then he would go to work at the Ford plant.

John Coles wife, Rosie, had stayed at home to take care of their children when they were little, but after all their kids were old enough to go to school, she started working at Bunyans.

She didnt want to stay at home anymore; she wanted to start working again, Malcolm Cole says. My dad saw the opportunity to start a business, and she could work in it. That would be one way that she could be close to us and work at the same time.

Along with his older siblings  brothers Chris and Dwight and sister Felicia  Malcolm Cole started helping around his parents barbecue place when he was about 6 years old, he says.

Theyve always brought us up here, Malcolm says of his parents. They had us doing little menial things like taking out the trash, and as we got older, they allowed us to do more things. But Ive always been around it, practically all my life.

If you knew my dad, my dad believed in working,' Malcolm adds. He definitely worked all his life, and thats what he expected his kids to do, and thats what we did. We all grew up in the barbecue pit.

When the Ford plant closed in 1982, John Cole was able to devote his full attention to his and his wifes barbecue business, which by then had become a staple in the Shoals area.

He started out with a basic business plan, Malcolm Cole says. He worked it, and it was a success for him.

The ribs at Bunyan's Bar-B-Q are served with a sweet-and-tangy barbecue sauce.(Photo by Art Meripol, from the book "Alabama Barbecue: Delicious Road Trips")

One good turn deserves another

Rick Singleton, the former Florence police chief and current Lauderdale County sheriff, has been eating at Bunyans Bar-B-Q for decades, and he typically orders one of each -- a pulled pork sandwich and a hot dog.

Its a legendary place, Singleton says. I mean, anybody that comes to town, theyve got to go to Bunyans.

Singleton knows a little something about barbecue, too.

Before it closed five years ago, he was the second-generation owner of another Florence favorite, Singletons Bar-B-Que, which his father opened in 1960.

It was his father, A.L. Junior Singleton, in fact, who reached out to help John Cole after a fire damaged Bunyans Bar-B-Q many years ago.

When you are barbecuing and cooking with a wood fire, you are going to have flare-ups, and sometimes they get out of control, Rick Singleton says. And thats what happened with John. His pit caught on fire and they were having to rebuild it some.

So, during that time, instead of closing, my dad told him to come up here and cook on our pit, so that he could stay open, which he did. John Cole and my dad were just really good friends.

Many years later, after the elder Singleton retired and his son reopened the family barbecue business, Cole returned the favor.

When my wife and I opened our location in 1993, we hadnt been open but about four or five months and I had a pit fire, Rick Singleton says. Mr. Cole called and said, Look, your dad helped me out, and well cook whatever you need to cook.

So that enabled me to keep operating for a week or so until we got everything repaired.

The slaw that brings the heat

Florence has been blessed with much great barbecue over the years -- not only Bunyans and Singletons, but also Dick Howells Bar-B-Q Pit and Smokin on the Boulevard.

But Bunyans regulars, Rick Singleton included, will tell you that what sets Bunyans apart is its signature hot slaw -- a fiery, mustard-based coleslaw that heats up both the barbecue sandwiches and the hot dogs.

Its got that spiciness to it, and its good and juicy, Singleton says. You have to wear a bib or stick your neck way out if you dont want to get it on your shirt.

Dick Howells, which has been around since 1947, is believed to have first introduced the hot mustard slaw to the Shoals area, but many years later, John Cole came up with his own version and eventually passed the recipe along to his son.

He taught me the recipe, and Ive been making it for as long as I can remember, Malcolm Cole says. I never really asked how it came about. It was just something that we always did.

Bunyans hot slaw is available at a few local grocery stores in the Shoals area, and out-of-town customers often come by the restaurant to get large quantities to take home with them, Malcolm says.

They will buy it by the gallons, he says. They will buy four or five gallons of it to take back with them.

Bunyan's Bar-B-Q in Florence, Ala., is a favorite of many musicians who come to the Muscle Shoals area to record, as well as homegrown musical heroes such as Jason Isbell, John Paul White, Patterson Hood and David Hood.(Photo by Art Meripol, from the book "Alabama Barbecue: Delicious Road Trips")

The best hot dog in my life

That hot slaw also works its magic on Bunyans hot dogs, which are every bit as popular as the ribs and the pulled pork.

The Bunyans dog features an old-school red wiener served on a toasted bun and topped with the mustardy slaw -- a combination that is hard to beat and even more difficult to replicate.

After a trip to the Shoals three summers ago, Mississippi chef, restaurateur and food writer Robert St. John proclaimed the Bunyans dog the best hot dog in my life.

I own a burger joint that sells killer hot dogs, St. John wrote in his column. I have eaten bratwurst at Lambeau Field, chili dogs in Yankee Stadium, and dozens of other hot dogs in dozens of other noted locations and restaurants. None, I repeat, none, can hold a candle to the cheap little slaw dog at Bunyans.

Mac McAnally can certainly vouch for that.

Its not like anybody elses hot dog, he says. Its the reddest hot dog in the world -- you cant make it any redder than that. With that little bun that they use and their mixture of that barbecue slaw, its perfect, just perfect.

McAnally likes to tell the story about how he introduced his musician friend Jimmy Buffett -- with whom McAnally records and performs in Buffetts Coral Reefer Band -- to Bunyans hot dogs while Buffett was passing through the Shoals area several years ago.

He called me up and said, Man, tell me some place to go eat; Im kinda wanting a meat-and-three, McAnally recalls. And I said, Well, this is not a meat-and-three, but go to Bunyans Bar-B-Q and ever how many hot dogs you think you can eat, buy three times that many. . . .

He called me like three hours later and goes, Holy cow -- and a few deleted expletives -- and told me how many hot dogs he had eaten, which Im not going to say (how many), but it was more hot dogs than he thought he could eat.

Sound engineer Jerry Masters treated Paul Simon to some Bunyans barbecue when Simon recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in the early 1970s, and bass player Bob Wray picked up a sack of Bunyans sandwiches for Aerosmiths Steven Tyler when he recorded at FAME Studios a couple of years ago, according to Muscle Shoals music historian Bill Jarnigan.

Bunyans is also a go-to spot for such homegrown musical heroes as Jason Isbell, John Paul White and Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, as well as Hoods father, David Hood, of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.

Following in his fathers footsteps

Although beloved for his barbecue, John Bunyan Cole was also well respected throughout the Shoals area for all that he did to make his community a better place to live.

He served as a chairman of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, as well as on the board of the trustees at the University of North Alabama, where he established the John and Rosie Cole Endowed Scholarship.

When he died in 2014 at 76, it was a huge loss to the Shoals community.

He was obviously a very loved man, McAnally, who sang at Coles memorial service, says. And it made sense that somebody who would do something that well and keep that business going all that time would be a humanitarian and a good neighbor in a community like Florence.

Rosie Cole, who turned 80 earlier this year, has long been retired, so it is now up to Malcolm Cole to keep the fires burning at the little barbecue business his parents started almost 50 years ago.

It is both an opportunity and an honor, he says.

I wouldnt be able to do the things that I like to do if it werent for this business or my dad, so Im very thankful to have this opportunity, Malcolm Cole says. I think it is a responsibility to help carry out my dads legacy.

I plan to keep it going as long as I can, he adds, as long as my health will hold out and the Good Lord will continue to bless me.

Bunyans Bar-B-Q is at 901 West College St. in Florence. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The phone is 256-766-3522. For a menu and more information, go here.

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As the number of COVID-19 cases mount in southern Manitoba, the province is re-imposing travel restrictions to the North and warning that greater use of masks may be required in the future.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As the number of COVID-19 cases mount in southern Manitoba, the province is re-imposing travel restrictions to the North and warning that greater use of masks may be required in the future.

Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced Monday that the re-implementation of travel restrictions to northern Manitoba -- instituted in April and removed in June -- would take effect on Thursday. He also asked Manitobans to respect any travel restrictions First Nations have in place.

Public health officials announced 28 new cases of the novel coronavirus in Manitoba on Monday, on top of the 90 reported over the weekend.

Since Aug. 1, Manitoba has recorded 806 of its total 1,214 cases. Winnipeg has seen 179 new cases announced in August alone.

The province has seen a surge in cases in Prairie Mountain Health region, caused primarily by a growing cluster in Brandon and cases linked to Hutterite or communal living situations.

There have been 423 cases in Prairie Mountain Health region since July 1, 250 of which are currently active. So far, there have been 280 cases in communal living communities, with 115 still active.

Despite all the new cases, the province's five-day test positivity rate fell to 2.1 per cent on Monday after reaching a high of 3.1 per cent last week. A total of 5,414 lab tests were performed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

However, the amount of community spread of the virus continues to be a concern. In the past seven days, there have been 32 such cases, including 16 in Prairie Mountain Health, two in Southern Health and 14 in Winnipeg. Overall rates of community spread in Manitoba had hovered around 12 per cent but have since grown to 15 per cent, with spikes of 20 per cent in Winnipeg and Brandon in the past month or so.

Meanwhile, the number of Manitobans hospitalized by COVID-19 has grown to 11 (with one in intensive care) from five on Friday.

Roussin said that before reimposing more restrictions on Manitobans, the province is likely to turn to increased mask use as a control strategy, in case numbers keep pushing upwards.

"I think if we see case numbers continue to climb, if we start seeing indicators that are telling us we need to have another implementation of some sort of public health intervention, then our next step is likely to be masks," he said Monday without providing specifics.

In Prairie Mountain Health, the only region in Manitoba to be rated in the orange or restricted category, wearing a mask is required in all indoor public places and at all indoor and outdoor public gatherings.

On Tuesday, a previously announced order requiring that all hospital visitors wear masks takes effect.

Northern Manitoba First Nations, who had lobbied for the re-imposition of travel restrictions north of the 53rd parallel, welcomed Roussin's announcement.

"I want to commend Dr. Roussin for working closely with MKO and Northern First Nations in working to protect our citizens from the COVID-19 virus," Grand Chief Garrison Settee of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc., said in a prepared statement.

The new public health order, like the previous one, will include many exemptions, Roussin said. Unaffected will be folks who live in northern Manitoba or plan to set up residence there, and people who work for the federal or provincial governments or a Crown corporation or child and family services. Also excluded are health providers, people who are travelling to deliver goods, provide services or operate a business. Those who are travelling directly to lodges or campgrounds or directly to Churchill will also be exempt.

There are currently no active cases in the Northern Health region; the area has seen four cases in total, and all four have recovered.

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Of the 28 new cases announced on Monday, 13 are in Prairie Mountain Health, seven are in Winnipeg health region, six are in Southern Health region and two are in Interlake-Eastern health region.

Officials said an employee at a third Brandon personal care home has tested positive for COVID-19. The health worker at Fairview Personal Care Home is a close contact of a previously identified case. Hillcrest Place and Rideau Park care homes in Brandon have also seen staff test positive.

An outbreak at Bethesda Place personal care home in Steinbach has grown to 10 persons, including seven staff. Two of the three residents to have contracted the virus there have died.

Health officials are also warning of a possible exposure to COVID-19 at the Frederickson Performance Centre in Brandon on Aug. 17, from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and Aug. 23, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. While the risk of transmission is considered low, those affected should watch for symptoms, the province said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
- The group comprised about 1,600 participants who were asked about their compliance and attitude about mask wearing

- The group was divided into two in which about 400 people showed no empathy and care for the feelings of others

- Healthline defines a sociopath as someone who has antisocial personality disorder who cannot understand others feelings

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People who refuse to wear face masks as one of the government measures against global coronavirus may be sociopaths, a new study has found out.

Healthline defines a sociopath as someone who has antisocial personality disorder who cannot understand others feelings.

READ ALSO: TSC announces vacancies for 5,000 teachers

Samples of face masks. Researchers say people who refuse to wear masks have anti-social disorders. Photo: Kenya Airways.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Thirdway Alliance party leader Ekuru Aukot blocked from accessing offices

1,578 adult participating volunteers

Professor Fabiano Miguel and colleagues at Londrina State University discovered that people who do not wear masks exhibit similar traits as sociopaths, The Mirror reported.

The team asked 1,578 adult Brazilian volunteers to fill in two questionnaires often used by psychologists to assess empathy and expose personality disorders.

One of the things the researchers wanted to find out was the participants' compliance and attitude on rules and guidelines designed to contain the virus.

READ ALSO: Magoha defends shifting positions on schools reopening: "We're not flip-flopping"

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Kenya records 114 more cases, 318 recoveries and no new deaths

Anti-social disorders

The were also asked if the wearing face mask, keeping social distance and frequent hand washing were necessary to beat the COVID-19 virus.

The study groups were divided into two categories before taking several online personality tests between March and June, 2020.

The first group had about 1,200 people who had showed empathy and deeper interest in understanding other people's feelings and motivations.

The other group comprised about 400 participants who exhibited signs of antisocial personality disorder, this was considered the sociopath group.

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation recommended that people wear masks in public and when around people they do not live with.

This was one of the ways to help slow the spread of the virus.

However, masks should not be worn by children under age two or anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated, or unable to remove the mask without assistance.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

My wife abandoned me when I needed her most | Tuko TV.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
NYPD Unveils New Guidelines for Officer Discipline

The New York Police Department (NYPD) on Aug. 31 rolled out a draft of new disciplinary guidelines following a review of the departments disciplinary process.

The updated disciplinary guidelines (pdf) for the nations largest police force offer a more formal structure than before, and reportedly took over a year to develop. Described by lawmakers as a disciplinary matrix, they aim to make discipline rules within the department more transparent and less arbitrary.

New Yorkers were granted access to the guidelines online from Monday on the NYPDs website, where they are able to submit comments. The public review period will last 30 days.

It comes at a time when law enforcement agencies around the world are being pressed to be more transparent about officer discipline in the wake of protests and riots over the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.

Police reform goes beyond just changing policies. Thats what the Obama Pledge demands and thats what our city stands for. Improved transparency, increased accountability, and community engagement have driven crime to record lows in our city. Its time to go even further. https://t.co/XcxD5WrXHN  Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) August 31, 2020

News of the new draft guidelines was announced by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea during a press conference Monday. The mayor told reporters it is part of his administrations plan to fulfill The Obama Foundation pledge to address the use of force in policing, which he committed to in June.

Reform goes beyond just changing policies. It means improving transparency, increasing accountability, and ensuring community engagement is centered in our approach, de Blasio said.

Shea said he expects that the disciplinary guidelines will be finalized by January, and encouraged New Yorkers to visit the NYPDs website to read about the matrix.

There is a 30-day period where were asking for the publics comments on this. And thats something that seems intuitive but it hasnt always been done. But its something we truly believe in in terms of knowing who you work for and we work for the public.

Donovan Richards, a City Council member who chairs the public safety committee, said Monday the draft guidelines serve as a major step in ensuring the NYPD holds officers accountable for misconduct in a fair and consistent manner.

The NYPDs lack of a standard disciplinary system has long built mistrust between the department and the communities they serve, he said.

Shea will, by law, still have the final say over how officers are disciplined for misconduct.

New Yorkers deserve accountability in policing. By raising standards for discipline in law enforcement and establishing a transparent procedure that will make the NYPD more responsive to independent civilian oversight, the proposed disciplinary matrix serves as a significant first step to achieving greater accountability, Civilian Complain Review Board chair Fred Davie said of the guidelines.

#BREAKING PBA STATEMENT ON NYPD DISCIPLINARY MATRIX pic.twitter.com/j8CqrGMgpT  NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) August 31, 2020

The Police Benevolent Association (PBA) meanwhile described the move in a statement as an attempt to manipulate NYPD discipline.

Apparently mandatory minimums and sentencing guidelines are unfair to criminals but perfectly fine for cops. This matrix has nothing to do with fairness, PBA president Patrick J. Lynch said. Its an avenue for the City Councils policing expertsthe ones who brought chaos back to NYCto manipulate NYPD discipline to further their radical goals.

Just watch as the punishment guidelines are changed based on headlines and poll numbers, rather than any objective sense of justice or fairness, he added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump during a news conference at the White House on Monday. Read more

For all the trash President Donald Trump talks about voting by mail, he and his political allies sure want you to mail in your ballot for the election nine weeks from now.

A new dark-money group, Common Sense Voters of America LLC, last week sent Pennsylvania voters two unsolicited applications for mail ballots in election guide mailers also stuffed with language that makes clear the group favors Trump over former Vice President Joe Biden.

Who did this? Who paid for it? How many mail ballot applications were sent? Were they sent to voters in other states? These are some of Clouts questions the group refused to answer.

Im not authorized by my client to comment, said Chris Finney, a Cincinnati lawyer active in Republican and conservative politics who registered the group as a nonprofit in Ohio on June 29.

The mailers list a Pennsylvania Avenue address in Washington, D.C., that tracks back to a company offering virtual office space for tenants to show a powerful presence near the White House.

Trump, who votes by mail in Florida, last week railed on Twitter again about unsolicited mail ballot applications sent to voters. His central claim, which is false, is that mail ballots lead to widespread election fraud.

The mailers dont explicitly tell voters who to support for president. But they do ask: Are these your Pennsylvania values, with a photograph manipulated to look like Biden holding up news headlines saying he supports Sanctuary Cities, federal funding for abortions and LGBTQ rights.

 READ MORE: Everything you need to know about voting in Pennsylvania, by mail or in person

As Clout told you in May, Trumps reelection campaign, along with the Republican National Committee and the Pennsylvania Republican Party, have all urged voters to use mail ballots.

A Pew Research Center national poll in mid-August found a majority of Trump voters (80%) want to vote in person on Election Day, while a majority of Biden voters (58%) want to vote by mail.
New Delhi, Sep 1 (UNI) Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee, who passed away yesterday, was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi crematorium on Tuesday afternoon.

His last rites were performed by his son Abhijit Mukherjee following COVID-19 guidelines.

An Army contingent gave a guard of honour and a gun salute to the former president.

The mortal remains were brought from his official residence 10 Rajaji Marg to the crematorium in a hearse van instead of the ceremonial gun carriage due to the COVID-19 protocols.

Relatives, friends and personnel-- who shouldered his body from the van to the pyre-- were clad in PPE kits.

Mukherjee's mortal remains were brought to his official residence this morning from the Army Research and Referral Hospital, where he passed away after battling multiple ailments.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi , former PM Dr Man Mohan Singh, LS Speaker Om Birla, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the CDS, Tri-services chiefs and other dignitaries paid their last respects to the stalwart of Indian politics at his official residence.

Mukherjee(84) was admitted to the R & R hospital here on August 10 and underwent a life saving brain surgery after discovery of a clot.

He had also tested positive for the COVID-19 infection and battled for life in deep coma, till he suffered a septic shock due to the lung infection and succumbed.

UNI APS SB
European consumer electronic brand Thomson has forayed into premium affordable fully-automatic washing machine segment in India.

The company, which has reached exclusive partnership agreement with leading e-commerce major Flipkart, is aiming to have 15 per cent market share in online washing machine segment in the next three years, Thomson's India brand licensee Super Plastronics said in a statement.

Super Plastronics CEO Avneet Singh Marwah said, "Next 3 years we will be investing in the washing machine category, our aim will be to continue more launches in the premium affordable product category, while we endeavour to achieve 15 per cent market share in the online retail space."

Thomson's fully-automatic washing machine price range starts Rs 11,499 onwards.

* * * * Credai-Mchi to create 1 lakh jobs in a year

Realtors' body Credai-Mchi on Monday said it plans to create 1 lakh jobs in the next one year to give a boost to the sluggish real estate sector.

Credai-Mchi, the apex body of over 1,800 member developers present across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), also announced appointment of Dosti Realty Vice Chairman and MD Deepak Goradia as its new president.

"Given the current circumstances brought upon by the pandemic, and subject to a conducive business environment, we aim to create one lakh new jobs, with a potential cascading effect of generating thousands of more jobs in the allied industries in the next 1 year, further strengthening our commitment towards MMR stakeholders and the growth of Maharashtra's economy," Goradia said.
Two Dublin men have been charged in connection with the ramming of three patrol cars on the M1 and a raid on a filling station in Northern Ireland.

The vacation court sitting of Trim District court heard last Tuesday that the arrests were made following a 23 minute Garda pursuit .

Judge Bernadette Owens was also told the DPP has given a direction that the robbery charge can be dealt with in this jurisdiction under the Criminal Law Jurisdiction Act 1976.

Alan Melia (26) of Cherry Orchard Avenue, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10 and Ross Ellis (25) of Claddagh Road, Ballyfermot, both appeared before the court charged with robbery at Applegreen, Tullynacross, Lisburn on Sunday August 23rd last.

Mr. Melia is further accused of endangerment at Newtownbalregan, Dundalk and three counts of dangerous driving on the M1 at Drumleck and Braganstown, Castlebellingham, and three counts of criminal damage to each of the Garda vehicles on the same date.

Following a contested bail hearing, Judge Owens remanded both men in custody with consent to bail to Cloverhill district court last Friday - subject to strict bail terms including a curfew, a daily signing on condition and surrendering their passports.
The father of a 13-year-old girl has issued a desperate plea for her to come home after she vanished while visiting a boy she met online.

Steven Pickford took his daughter, Gabbriela Pickford, to her mother's house in Kuraby, in Brisbane's south, on August 28 before she snuck out in the dead of night.

Mr Pickford said Gabbriela's mother had seen social media messages between her daughter and a 17-year-old Logan boy.

'Shes met a stranger off Instagram,' he told news.com.au.

'They don't know this guy, they can't find where she is.'

Queensland father Steven Pickford is pleading for his 13-year-old daughter Gabbriela Pickford (pictured) to come home after she vanished while visiting a boy she met on Instagram

Mr Pickford said Gabbriela left her mother's house at about 10pm without money or her phone, shortly after downloading Instagram on her sibling's iPad.

The family hasn't heard from the 13-year-old since Friday and she didn't show up for class at Runcorn State High School on Monday or Tuesday.

'Come home, just come home. Where are you? Come home,' Mr Pickford pleaded.

He said his daughter had never spent more than a night away from home by herself and it was out of character for her not to contact the family.

Queensland Police have also put out an alert for information on Gabbriela's whereabouts.

If you have any information, you can contact Policelink 24 on 131 444.
Hyderabad, Sep 1 : The upcoming Telugu biggie, V, starring Nani and Sudheer Babu was shot across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Thailand, making it quite a challenge for the makers.

"The film was shot in five states and one international location. Our intent was to create a consistent visual experience and colour palette for our viewers -- generally you will see inconsistencies in the colour palette. From night to day shots we wanted the entire grid to be consistent," said director Mohana Krishna.

"We therefore took a lot of care in the costume designing, in production design, the kind of clothes we want to avoid, the kind of colours we want to avoid, and it had to match with completely different locations. Goa is completely warm, and Mumbai is both humid and warm, and Thailand is tropical while Manali which is extremely cold -- across these many locations and climates, we wanted to create a visually seamless experience for our viewers," he added.

The team had to match all these looks and make it a consistent grid, which was "a creative challenge".

"But it also lent the story a certain skin and tone which it demanded. The story unravels over a long period of time. I wanted people to feel that they have read a novel and experienced these locations and experiences vividly. Shooting across these widely different locations helped us do that," he said.

The film is a romantic thriller where a cop falls in love with a crime writer and everything is perfect until a killer challenges the cop with a puzzle to solve. Taking through the ups and downs, Nani will be seen as an antagonist for the first time.

Also starring Nivetha Thomas, Aditi Rao Hydari and Jagapathi Babu, the film will stream on Amazon Prime Video from September 5.
Amazon drivers have devised a plan to increases their chances of grabbing new delivery orders at a Whole Foods Store  hanging smartphones in trees.

Bloomberg spotted at least a dozen phones connected to branches outside a location in Chicago.

The devices belong to contractors of the Amazon Flex app, which chooses drivers to carry out deliveries based on proximity to the grocery store.

Drivers reportedly sync their own phone to one in the tree  giving them first dibs at a new order even if they're not physically the closest person to the store.

There are a handful of drivers in on the scheme, as multiple devices will receive the same alert making it difficult for the tech giant to uncover the system, sources said.

Another person familiar with the matter said the setup is a work around for certain requirements, like having a drivers license - a Flex contractor will pay some one a small amount to take the route, while still taking a portion of the fee.

A driver who has observed the phones hanging in trees said Amazon knows about it, 'but does nothing.'

Amazon drivers have devised a plan to increases their chances of grabbing new delivery orders at a Whole Foods Store  hanging smartphones in trees. Bloomberg spotted at least a dozen phones connected to branches outside a location in Chicago

DailyMail.com has reached out to Amazon for comment and has yet to receive a response.

Some may look at this setup as cheating, but many drivers have been laid off as the coronavirus has kept Americans home for months  Uber laid off 3,700 in June alone.

And many have turned to Amazon Flex to generate an income.

Amazon advertises the job as an opportunity to 'be your own boss' with drivers able to clock on and off whenever they please - and drives can make $18 to $25 an hour.

The devices belong to contractors of the Amazon Flex app, which chooses drivers to carry out deliveries based on proximity to the grocery store  giving those with a device in the tree first dibs at a new order

Another person familiar with the matter said the setup is a work around for certain requirements, like having a drivers license - a Flex contractor will pay some one a small amount to take the route, while still taking a portion of the fee

Contractors wait for a new delivery to go through the app, accept it and deliver it to the customer's destination within 14 to 45 minutes.

This service, however requires them to accept the new order immediately or someone else may snatch it.

Drivers told Bloomberg that the phones in the trees coordinate as one device that dispatches delivery routes to multiple drivers in the surrounding location.

These Amazon Flex workers who have seen the setup in the past believe there is someone acting as an intermediary between Amazon and the drivers, which is charging them a fee to obtain more deliveries  a process that is against Amazon's policies.

Chetan Sharma, a wireless industry consultant, told Bloomberg that the 'perpetrators' are using these phones in the tree to spread around work to a number of Amazon Flex apps, in a bid to slide under Amazon's radar.

'They're gaming the system in a way that makes it harder for Amazon to figure it out,' Sharma said. 'They're just a step ahead of Amazon's algorithm and its developers.'

A driver who has observed the phones hanging in trees said Amazon knows about it, 'but does nothing'

Contractors wait for a new delivery to go through the app, accept it and deliver it to the customer's destination withing 14 to 45 minutes. This service, however requires them to accept the new order immediately or someone else may snatch it.

A person familiar with the matter said that the plan helps those without a license still make deliveries and get paid doing so.

Those working for Amazon Flex typically make $18 hour, so someone else can pay a third person $10 an hour to take the route and still make a small profit on the side.

However, a Flex driver who has been observing the smartphone in the tree trick said Amazon is well aware of the activity, 'but does nothing.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 05:49:17|Editor: huaxia

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STOCKHOLM, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Umea University in northern Sweden launched on Monday a mass testing experiment with the aim of finding out whether on-campus teaching increases the COVID-19 contamination rate.

"It is a large, reality-based experiment," Anders Johansson, a researcher on infectious diseases at Umea University, told Swedish Television on Monday.

Johansson explained that the study is the largest of its kind ever to be conducted in Sweden and will involve around 20,000 students and staff members over a two-week period.

In the first week, participants will be tested at three different testing stations across campus to see how many of them carry the virus. They will be allowed to continue taking part in lessons and all 20,000 participants will then be tested a second time a week later to see how many in the group have been infected.

Sweden's Public Health Agency, the National Pandemic Center and the Swedish Armed Forces will help carry out the study, which aims to establish how the virus spreads at universities and colleges conducting on-campus, rather than remote, teaching.

"This is a way of finding an answer to the question of whether or not it is OK to begin having regular physical classes on campuses or if that, in fact, increases the rate of infection," Johansson told Swedish Television.

Johansson insisted there is a plan in place to break a potential infection chain as several volunteer doctors are at hand to conduct contact tracing on behalf of study participants who test positive for the coronavirus.

Even if the infection rate has been relatively low in Umea, Johansson believed that the findings of his study will be of interest both in Sweden and abroad as several countries have seen a spike in cases among young people and there is widespread concern that they may spread to the elderly and other vulnerable individuals, the report said. Enditem
Representative image

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on September 1 said China engaged in provocative action on the intervening night of August 29 and August 30, in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of the Pangong Tso. The Indian Army, however, responded and took appropriate defensive measures along the Line of Actual Control to thwart the attempted incursion.

The MEA said the Chinese troops engaged in provocative action yet again on August 31, even as discussions to de-escalate the situation were underway between the ground commanders of the two sides. The unilateral move by China was yet again prevented by the Indian Army that took timely defensive action, the statement said.

"The actions and behaviour of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the LAC has been in clear violation of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquility on the border. Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two foreign ministers as also the special representatives," MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in response to a media query on the recent developments along the India-China border areas.

Also Read | India-China Border tension: Where is Pangong Tso, the site of the latest clash

The fresh attempt by China to change the status quo in the Pangong lake area is the first major incident in the region after the Galwan Valley clash between Indian and Chinese troops on June 15, in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in action. The border tension has escalated manifold following the standoff. The Chinese side also reportedly suffered casualties but is yet to give out the details.

India and China have held several rounds of military and diplomatic talks in the last two-and-half months but no significant headway has been made for a resolution to the border row in eastern Ladakh.
Will the Taliban takeover of Kabul play out in Kashmir?

Teachers' Day 2020: Govt School teacher from Kashmir selected for National Teachers Award

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

New Delhi, Sep 01: The year 2020 has been a huge setback for the academics as the nations are imposed lockdowns to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Schools, colleges are closed and students and teachers are advised to be at home to be safe. Teachers these days are teaching their students through online media and organising exams too through online.

This tough time makes us realize the importance of teachers in society and we should applaud to inspire them for taking care of the nation's future generation.

Every year, on the day of Teachers' Day some selected teachers are provided public recognition who made thier names in primary, middle, and secondary school work, which encourages them on others too.

Roohi Sultana from Kashmir is one of those who has been acclaimed for her dedication towards the students.

Roohi Sultana, a government based school teacher who uses 'play way method' to teach her students has been selected for National Teachers Award 2020 to be given away on Teachers Day on September 5, 2020, by President Ram Nath Kovind.

Roohi dedicated the award to her students and the education department of the country.

Roohi originally belongs to Nowshera area of Srinagar and has been working in the Government Primary School Danger Pora, Tailbal Srinagar.

Speaking to TNN reporters she said, "I have received my education from government institutes as I have completed my Masters in Urdu and Kashmiri languages, I have done B. Ed (Bachelor of Education), also a degree course in calligraphy and a certificate course in Hindi. I wanted to become a teacher since I was a child. I feel happy when around my students as they inspire me."

Roohi has completed her Masters in Urdu and Kashmiri followed by B.Ed. She also has done a three years degree course in calligraphy.

Sultana refers to herself as a facilitator for students. She said, "I am connected with board of school education as a content creator for the subjects Urdu and Kashmiri. I work in Diksha as e-content creator and I also provide online classes to students through all India radio broadcast in Srinagar."

She is famous for her play way of teaching among students. "I use a play-way method to teach my students. I teach them with innovative methods so that students could have all concepts cleared while learning in the classroom," she added.

Suhail Bhat, Sultana's husband was delighted over the news of his wife getting the National Award from the President of India. The award will be given away by President Ram Nath Kovind on September 5, 2020.

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 14:48 [IST]
As part of the deal, A1 will tap into Edgewares OTT CDN technology and the segmentation and packaging functionality within StreamBuilder to meet the demand for multiscreen viewing across multiple devices.Launched in March 2020, A1 Xplore TV offers a unified content and streaming platform across IPTV and DVB-C networks, iOS and Android apps, and Google Chromecast in multiple Central and Eastern European markets.Alexander Stock, CTO at A1, said: As we make the move from IPTV to OTT, weve chosen to extend our partnership with Edgeware as our trusted CDN technology provider and repackaging supplier. StreamBuilders rich support for each individual formats multiple variations makes it an essential component of the A1 Xplore TV content delivery workflow and, together with Edgewares OTT CDN, allows us to deliver glitch-free streaming to any device and boost our market reach.Karl Thedeen, CEO at Edgeware , added: In todays competitive streaming marketplace where audiences require on-the-go TV viewing and compatibility across various devices, our OTT CDN and StreamBuilder platform are key enablers and important prerequisites for the next generation of online TV. As we evolve from our IPTV CDN business, were excited to continue supporting A1 Telekom Austria Group on its mission to grow its brand across Central and Eastern Europe.
The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
A protester marches with the L.A. Tenants Union in downtown Los Angeles in calling for rent cancellation, protections against landlord harassment and shelter for homeless people in June. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles plans to spend nearly $10 million on a new program to help tenants threatened with eviction defend themselves in court, along with an additional $50 million to help poor residents amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City Council voted Tuesday to create an "emergency eviction defense" program in the face of warnings that renters could be at risk of losing their homes as state courts go back to processing eviction cases.

Although California lawmakers just passed new protections for tenants, L.A. officials said they were still untangling how those state rules affect local eviction restrictions passed months earlier by the city. City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell said his staff and city attorneys were still examining the implications of the state law, but said he was concerned that it could override some local protections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued its own order Tuesday blocking evictions for tenants earning under $99,000 annually, which city lawyers are analyzing as well.

Housing officials are supposed to report back in a week with more details on the planned L.A. program, which will be funded with up to $8 million from federal block grants and nearly $2 million previously set aside for a renters relief program.

Long before the pandemic, tenant activists had pushed for L.A. to put millions of dollars into a "right to counsel" program that would include legal aid, education, outreach and emergency payments to keep renters in their homes. The city identified roughly $3 million last year to launch such a program, but had yet to move forward with those plans.

Ahead of the vote, some Angelenos expressed frustration the council had not moved sooner.

"You've waited until the last minute to slap something together," said Rob Quan, an organizer with the anticorruption group Unrig LA. "It's really just kind of consistent with City Council's pattern of doing enough to get the headlines, getting none of the details right  and it all taking a year or two too long."

Story continues

Councilman Paul Koretz, who had proposed establishing a right to counsel ordinance two years ago, said that years of work on the eviction defense program "makes being able to launch an emergency version immediately possible."

Tuesday's decision "will allow the program to be jump-started" while L.A. continues to work on a broader program for providing legal assistance to tenants beyond the pandemic, Koretz said.

Javier Beltran, deputy director of the Housing Rights Center, urged the council to treat the $10 million as "a down payment to greater and more permanent tenant protections," warning that hundreds of thousands of households could be facing eviction and likely homelessness across L.A. County as renters face the economic effects of the pandemic.

After COVID-19 hit, Los Angeles officials imposed restrictions on evicting tenants affected by the pandemic. Council members narrowly voted against a broader ban on evictions after the city attorney's office argued it was legally dicey. Critics complained that tenants affected by the pandemic would still have to prove that defense against an eviction in court.

For months, state courts had stopped processing eviction cases, but are slated to start again this week.

California lawmakers passed a measure Monday to protect some tenants through January, but advocates said struggling renters could still need help from attorneys even if they are covered by its protections.

"We are likely to see confusion both on the part of landlords and tenants about what protections apply to them  and likely to see some group of landlords trying to circumvent" the new law, said Sasha Harnden, a public policy advocate with Inner City Law Center.

L.A. officials also raised concerns about whether some of the city's specific restrictions on evictions could be undermined by the state law. During the Tuesday meeting, O'Farrell listed key parts of the L.A. ordinance  including the amount of time that tenants have to repay their landlords  and concluded, "All of these protections are now in question."

The council voted 12-0 to allocate the money for the eviction defense program, with Councilmen Paul Krekorian and Curren Price recused from the vote. Housing department officials estimated that between 5,000 and 7,000 households would initially benefit from legal representation, but said they expected the program to assist additional people as the city expanded its education and outreach.

Council members also voted Tuesday to devote up to $50 million in federal funds to new programs meant to assist poor households, including a "right to recover" program that would replace wages for people who test positive for COVID-19 and need financial aid. San Francisco launched such a program earlier this summer.

In addition, L.A. is exploring a broader "paycheck assistance" program that would provide supplemental income to poor households left out of federal programs. City staffers are supposed to report back with more details on both programs, which will be funded by federal money earmarked for COVID-19 relief.
The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) announced today that startup company Metalmark has licensed their catalytic nanoarchitecture technology, and plans to develop it into a proprietary air purification system for effectively removing pollutants and pathogens, including viruses like SARS-CoV-2, from indoor and in-cabin air.

The all-fields exclusive license, granted to the company by Harvard's Office of Technology Development (OTD), will allow Metalmark to expand the platform technology's reach by incorporating different types of catalysts for multiple functions and applications.

"Existing air purification systems can typically filter out particles down to about one micron in size. Recent research has shown that smaller particles like volatile organic compounds [VOCs], ultrafine particulate matter, and airborne viruses can slip through and contaminate indoor air," said Sissi Liu, CEO and co-founder of Metalmark. "Our approach to air purification is completely different: rather than filtering substances out, our system uses catalysts to actually break down toxic pollutants and inactivate viruses. We are using this technology to solve the problem of dirty air both inside and outside, to make all environments safer for humans and animals."

The technology was developed by a team of researchers in the lab of Wyss Associate Faculty member Joanna Aizenberg, Ph.D., who is also the the Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Material Sciences at SEAS. The co-inventors include former Wyss and SEAS Postdoctoral Fellows Tanya Shirman, Ph.D. and Elijah Shirman, Ph.D., former Wyss Advanced Technology Team member Michael Aizenberg, Ph.D., and SEAS Postdoctoral Fellows Mathias Kolle, Ph.D. and Nicolas Vogel, Ph.D. Joanna and Michael Aizenberg and Tanya and Elijah Shirman are co-founders of Metalmark along with Liu.

Aizenberg's lab is interested in unraveling the mysteries of how Nature controls the chemistry and morphology of its biological building blocks. Inspired by the honeycomb-like structure of butterfly wings, the team built a porous, nanoscale architecture into which catalytic nanoparticles can be precisely embedded to maximize their exposure to polluted air. The result is a highly efficient catalytic system that needs minimal materials to clean air.

Based on fundamental research conducted at SEAS, the technology was refined, optimized, and shepherded by the Wyss Institute through a de-risking and validation process in preparation for commercialization. The technology is covered by several pending patent applications and an issued patent, and is described in papers recently published in Advanced Functional Materials and Catalysis Today.

"Catalytic converters have been used for decades to remove pollutants from factory smokestacks and cars, but they have never been used for indoor air purification because they are expensive, require high temperatures and controlled operating conditions to work well, and are vulnerable to loss of activity over time," said Tanya Shirman, now VP of Material Design at Metalmark. "Now that smaller indoor air particles have been linked to heart attacks, pulmonary diseases, neurological disorders, and even cancer, it is clear that the problem of air purification needs to be addressed. Metalmark aims to provide a unique solution that overcomes the challenges of indoor air purification and avoids the shortcomings of traditional catalysts."

The company has completed a pre-seed round of funding and is currently raising its seed round. It was also awarded research grants from the NSF and NIH, and has signed contracts with major multinational corporate customers. Its current prototype has been designed to integrate with the equipment currently used for air handling in buildings, and Metalmark plans to deploy it in real-world environments in the near future.

"Removing specific pollutants from smokestack or car exhaust is pretty straightforward and our technology offers significant advantages for those applications. Indoor air is much more complex, but our lab tests have been excellent and we now intend to prove that our system works similarly well in uncontrolled environments," said Elijah Shirman, who is now VP of Technology at Metalmark.

Following validation that its system can successfully remove VOCs, aerosols, and live viruses from indoor air, Metalmark's long-term plan includes expanding its scope to produce multifunctional coatings and other catalytic materials to not only reduce emissions from factories and vehicles, but also perform chemical transformations, such as converting the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into useable materials.

"This powerful platform is a rare example of a technology that is highly customizable, can reduce cost, save rare metals, operate at benign conditions, save energy, improve the environment and human health, and provide a sorely needed service that was previously impossible, all at the same time," said Joanna Aizenberg.

"Watching this project evolve over the last few years from its original biological inspiration into a product that is poised for commercialization has been enormously exciting for all of us at the Wyss Institute, and we look forward to seeing how this technology can help in the global battle for sustainability," said the Wyss Institute's Founding Director Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., who is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, and Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's clarion call urging Indians to adopt desi breeds has struck a chord with animal rights activists and animal lovers across the country. In the latest edition of Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi said, Next time when you think of keeping a pet dog, then you must bring one of the Indian breed dogs home."

PM Modi also named several Indian breeds such as Mudhol Hound, Himachali Hound, Rajapalayam, Kanni, Chippiparai and Combai.

The cost of their upkeep is also quite less, and they are also accustomed to Indian conditions, Modi said.

Praising the role of rescue dogs in security and police forces, he added that security forces have also inducted and trained Indian breeds in their dog squads.

Activists praise PM's appeal

Modi's request to adopt Indian dog breeds - both to the citizens and the armed forces - is encouraging. Indie breeds have been tremendously neglected. Perhaps this will prompt people to take notice of the Indie breeds that are neglected in favour of breeds like Labradors and Retrievers.

Indian dogs are well suited for Indian climate. They are sturdy, dont fall ill easily and are low-maintenance. And Indian dog breeds are diverse, you have Mudhol Hound, Rajapalayam, a german shepherd-like breed Himalayan Mastiff, but they are best-suited for the mountains, and nor for places like Delhi and Mumbai, says Harrish Iyer, a Mumbai-based animal rights activist.

Harish added that people should love strays as much as they love pedigree dogs. If people start adopting strays, it will definitely mean more dogs in homes and less burden on animal lovers and activists, he told Indiatimes.

File Photo

Ratty P Javeri, Honorary Secretary at Indian National Kennel Club said, "People are not aware about the pure-bred dogs because breeders do not bring them forth. Besides this, people should opt for them only if they have ample open space. Those living in flats or small houses should go for street dogs."

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightfully reminded people how wonderful and smart Indian dogs are, and that includes those we see on every street. People with time, resources, patience, and love should opt to adopt dogs in need from local animal shelters," said Sachin Bangera of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Why we need to love the strays

Every time someone buys an exotic dog from a breeder or a pet store, the dogs in animal shelters and roads lose a chance to have a loving home.

When choosing a stray dog, people actually make a contribution to the society by taking a stand against illegal breeders.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, many found company in dogs to counter the loneliness inflicted by the pandemic.

India has an estimated 30 million stray dogs, and animal activists have long encouraged people to adopt mixed-breed street mutts.

But while a growing middle class is becoming open to having dogs as pets, many still prefer pedigrees, which are more of a status symbol.

However, the dynamics are changing. There is a visible cultural shift in younger people, who are more keen on adopting strays, Indian breeds and mixed-breeds.
The eyes of ambitious Labour wannabes are focusing on Bootle, on Merseyside, where the long-serving MP, Joe Benton, has hit a spot of bother with his local party. He is over 80 years old. Incredibly, that would make him only the fourth oldest Labour MP in the post 2015 Parliament, but in Bootle they think that it is old enough, and have decided to hold a contest to select their next candidate.

Bootle was the seat Liverpool-born Cherie Blair thought suitable for her first born son, Euan, but Blair junior has yet to give any indication he is interested. Peter Dowd, leader of Sefton Council, has his eye on the prize, but some locals are saying it is time to look outside for someone who might have an impact on the national scene.

A name heard on the grapevine is Darren Murphy, one of a hardly little band of former Downing Street advisers who have stayed undeviatingly loyal to their old boss, Tony Blair. His firm, Centreground Political Communications, has given employment to a battalion of diehard Blairites.

Unlike other uber-Blairites, Murphy has a subversive sense of humour. Once, when Blair was due to address EU leaders, he asked his advisers for suggestions for things to say. Murphys was: If it wasnt for the British, you lot would all be speaking German.

Paul Nuttall, the Bootle-born Deputy Leader of UKIP, nibbled away at Labours vote when he stood against Joe Benton in 2010  not that it made much difference. In 1997 Benton hoovered up 83 per cent of the vote, making it the safest seat in the land. Last time he just about managed twice as many votes as all the other candidates combined. It is still a job for life for whoever wins selection.

Burley still in the chase

I had almost forgotten Aiden Burley, the Tory MP who torpedoed his own career by taking part in a Nazi-themed stag party in France, but he is still a feature on the political landscape of his constituency, Cannock Chase. The Tories now make up the third largest group on the local council, behind Ukip, since one of their councillors, Jodie Jones, left the party. She is Burleys fiancee.

The councils Tory leader, Peter Snape, says he and the MP have not spoken since 3 February, but Burley told the Express and Star: This isboth false and defamatory, it is over a month and a half incorrect  meaning they actually spoke in March. Cllr Snape admits to wishing Burley good luck at his wedding, but says that is not the same as speaking.

Over the hill? Not quite

Baroness Trumpington  famous for giving a fellow Tory the two fingered salute during a televised session in the House of Lords  has been asked by Total Politics whether there are any men in the Lords she fancies. The lady, who once had to ward off the unwelcome sexual advances of David Lloyd George, replied: I dont think theres anybody  isnt that awful! Well, our leader, but hes so young. And I cant even think of what his name is. His name is Jonathan Hill, or Baron Hill of Oareford. He is 53. She is 91.

Mandelson goes all modest

Peter is the soul really of plain living  frugality  compared to Tony Blair, the author Robert Harris said of his old friend Peter Mandelson, in the now notorious Total Politics interview in which he wrote Blair off as a narcissist.

Lord Mandelson was once so intent on owning an expensive London home that it set off a scandal that cost him his first Cabinet job; but now I see he is returning to earth. Writing for The Spectator magazine, he reveals: I am going to rent a modest dwelling in deepest Wiltshire next door to the herdsman and his family. As my Wiltshire aunt used to say, Ooh-arr.
Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has said Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang put her credibility on the line when she wrote the foreword of Prof Kwamena Ahwois book, Working with Rawlings.

Mr Amidu, who has said in earlier critiques that the book is riddled with factual errors, said in his third epistle on the book that Prof Opoku-Agyemang should have known better than write the foreword when the book was full of factual inaccuracies.

Mr Amidu wrote: Professor (Mrs.) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, Chancellor-Womens University in Africa, President and Africa Board Chair  FAWE, Minister of Education under President John Dramani Mahama and Ghanas first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university was enjoined as an editor of Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings to have asked the author to make available to her the data he used in writing his manuscript for verification on the accuracy of the reports or narratives contained in the book.

The obviously deliberate factual inaccuracies I pointed out in the introduction to this critique, are clear demonstrations that she was either an unqualified editor, reviewer, foreword writer or she was knowingly participating in a grand conspiracy to present the unsuspecting reading public with twisted narratives against the subject victims of the narratives in the book. She knew or ought to have known that as an editor of the book she could not be a reviewer at the same time because in the field of scholarship it is the reviewers who provide the editor with an evaluation of the manuscripts quality and appropriateness for publication. The decision to accept the manuscript, or to reject it, or to ask for revision is the responsibility of the editor and the editors decision may differ from the recommendation of any or all reviewers.

But she was also a reviewer and should have considered whether she had any potential conflict of interest that (a) would or could compromise her objective judgment, (b) would or could appear to compromise her objectivity and judgment, and therefore compromise the value of the review, or (c) would or could appear to compromise her objectivity and might place her reputation at risk if this conflict were discovered and questioned after review. She should have considered whether she had other institutional affiliations with the author that might create more subtle conflicts of interest.

Professor (Mrs.) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, Chancellor-Womens University in Africa, President and Africa Board Chair  FAWE, Minister of Education under President John Dramani Mahama and Ghanas first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university threw all the considerations for ethical conduct in being an editor or reviewer or writing the foreword to Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings to the wind and played all the above roles without compunctions.

Below is Mr Amidus full write up:

KWAMENA AHWOIS WORKING WITH RAWLINGS  AMIDUS CRITIQUE III

The Ethical Problems With The Foreword, Co-authors, Factual Collaborators, Reviewers, and Editors of Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings

Naana J. Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, As Foreword Writer, Editor, Reviewer of Working with Rawlings And Interviewer of Radio Golds 1996 Mother Of All Interviews

The writer of the foreword to a scholarly work based on participant observation and experiential learning should ethically not be the author, co-author, editor, reviewer, or collaborator of the author of the book for which she writes the foreword. She must also not have a conflict of interest that will make her foreword deceitful and misleading to the consuming public. The foreword which is normally placed at the beginning of the book and paged in roman numerals is intended to urge most prospective purchasers and readers on to perform the dramaturgical action of purchasing and reading the book. This is why the writer of the foreword to Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings, Naana J. Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, Chancellor-Womens University in Africa, President and Africa Board Chair  FAWE who put her credentials and integrity at stake in marketing the book was enjoined to exhibit utmost candour, transparency, and accountability is disclosing her vested interest or role in writing the book to which she was writing the foreword. By writing the foreword she invites the public to look at her qualifications and to trust her based on her credentials of writing an ethical and honest foreword to the books which she recommends to them to invest in.

Naana J. Opoku-Agyemang states in her foreword to the book, amongst other things, that the content of the narrative as honestly delivered and further states conclusively that: The vivid, engaging and deeply reflective eye witness account couched in unencumbered prose, brings to the fore events narrated with open honesty and transparency. She also stakes her honour on the accuracy of the authors narrative when she states that: This is especially so as the text grounds it content in verifiable fact, at times seeking and receiving the approval of non-fictive persons. The foregoing unqualified statements by the writer of the foreword who flaunts her credentials in our faces for credibility vouches for the accuracy, truth, and factual basis of everything written by the Author in his supposedly scholarly discourse in Working with Rawlings, including the reliability of rumours as a dependable scholarly source of authority.

Most readers of scholarly books do not have time to read the authors acknowledgements which may be placed at the beginning of the book after the foreword or at the back of the book. But if one reads Kwamena Ahwois acknowledgement at page xxvi, paragraph 4 of his book, one cannot miss what the writer of the foreword Naana J. Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, Chancellor-Womens University in Africa, President and Africa Board Chair  FAWE wittingly failed or refused to disclose to the reading public.

Kwamena Ahwoi, the author, acknowledges that Professor (Mrs.) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Minister of Education under President John Dramani Mahama and Ghanas first female Vice Chancellor of a public university is not a neutral writer of the foreword to his book. She is also a reviewer and editor of Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings. In the words of the author, she did a yeo-womans job of reading through the entire manuscript and reviewing the contents, reading through and paying particular attention to editorial and grammatical details. The author appreciates the writer of the forewords review and editorial judgment of his book when he states that she adjudged it publishable.

Professor (Mrs.) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, Chancellor-Womens University in Africa, President and Africa Board Chair  FAWE, Minister of Education under President John Dramani Mahama and Ghanas first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university, knew or should have known with her long credentials that her collaboration in the writing of Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings ethically disqualified her from staking her integrity and honour in writing the deceptive, non-transparent and unaccountable foreword to the book. Any Publication Manual for a scholarly or professional association forbids such gross unethical conduct displayed with impunity as exhibited by Professor (Mrs.) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, Chancellor-Womens University in Africa, President and Africa Board Chair  FAWE, Minister of Education under President John Dramani Mahama and Ghanas first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university in Ghana.

Professor (Mrs.) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, Chancellor-Womens University in Africa, President and Africa Board Chair  FAWE, Minister of Education under President John Dramani Mahama and Ghanas first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university was enjoined as an editor of Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings to have asked the author to make available to her the data he used in writing his manuscript for verification on the accuracy of the reports or narratives contained in the book. The obviously deliberate factual inaccuracies I pointed out in the introduction to this critique, are clear demonstrations that she was either an unqualified editor, reviewer, foreword writer or she was knowingly participating in a grand conspiracy to present the unsuspecting reading public with twisted narratives against the subject victims of the narratives in the book. She knew or ought to have known that as an editor of the book she could not be a reviewer at the same time because in the field of scholarship it is the reviewers who provide the editor with an evaluation of the manuscripts quality and appropriateness for publication. The decision to accept the manuscript, or to reject it, or to ask for revision is the responsibility of the editor and the editors decision may differ from the recommendation of any or all reviewers.

But she was also a reviewer and should have considered whether she had any potential conflict of interest that (a) would or could compromise her objective judgment, (b) would or could appear to compromise her objectivity and judgment, and therefore compromise the value of the review, or (c) would or could appear to compromise her objectivity and might place her reputation at risk if this conflict were discovered and questioned after review. She should have considered whether she had other institutional affiliations with the author that might create more subtle conflicts of interest.

Professor (Mrs.) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, Chancellor-Womens University in Africa, President and Africa Board Chair  FAWE, Minister of Education under President John Dramani Mahama and Ghanas first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university threw all the considerations for ethical conduct in being an editor or reviewer or writing the foreword to Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings to the wind and played all the above roles without compunctions.

Rawlings, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang and the Radio Gold Interview

A patient reader who reads the authors work up to page 126 will come across the narration on Rawlings, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang and the Radio Gold Interview which narrates clearly how the writer of the foreword, who was also a reviewer and editor of Working with Rawlings was a co-conspirator with Messrs. Ato Ahwoi, the Board Chairman of Network Broadcasting Company Limited, owner of Radio Gold, Kofi Totobi-Quakyi, Minister of Information, and the author to use the medium of Radio Gold to doctor an interview for Rawlings electoral victory in 1996. The author names the conspiratorial and doctored interview as the mother of all interviews granted to Radio Gold by Rawlings, which was conducted by one of the greatest interviewer of all time, Dr. (now Professor) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman. (See pages 126 to 128 for the full narration).

Professor (Mrs.) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, Chancellor-Womens University in Africa, President and Africa Board Chair  FAWE , Minister of Education under President John Dramani Mahama and Ghanas first female Vice-Chancellor of a public university who became the editor, reviewer and foreword writer of Working with Rawlings and its author should, as the scholars they profess to be, have realised that their previous institutional affiliations and on-going affiliations prevented her from being an ethical editor, reviewer or writer of the books foreword.

It is a pity that Ghanas first female Vice-Chancellor of a Public University who reviewed and edited the book did not realize how negatively she and the author were portraying their integrity and high moral character to the public by publishing the confession that as the interviewer of Rawlings she also dishonourably permitted her Platform on Radio Gold to be used for a doctored interview. Maybe that is why as an editor, and reviewer of the authors book she agreed with him to describe the doctored interview as the mother of all interviews. An interview which the public believed was a spontaneous one which unbeknown to them had indeed already been rehearsed with the interviewee by the interviewer truly passes for the mother of all interviews in the fraud perpetrated on the innocent and defrauded public. Instead of Professor (Mrs.) Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, her collaborators at Radio Gold and the author apologizing to the public for their degenerate, and unethical conduct she rather stoops so low as to review, edit, write the foreword and adjudge the book publishable in exchange for the author awarding her with the title: one of the greatest interviewers of all time. Scholarly ethics indeed!

I have just watched the Ghana Presidential Debate 2012, Accra on YouTube, read a Ghana Web news item of 22nd November 2012 on the Presidential debate with the source as Peace FM, a Ghana Web news item on Leaked 2012 Presidential Debate IEA Capo Admits  To being source of rumour of 19th May 2016, with the source as al-hAJJ, and also read two publications on 3news.com and Ghanaweb both dated 28th October 2018 on the vetting of Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah in Parliament and have been wondering whether there are any confessions awaiting Ghanaians in the authors next book on the father of all Presidential debates  in which another Ghanaian President will be victimized by Mrs. Opoku-Agyemang and the authors Radio Gold cabal. Ghanaians can search for answers by endeavouring to answer the question posed in the Holy Bible in Jeremiah 13: 23: Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spot? I think but dare not speak!

The victim of the narration of the Radio Gold interview who is President Emeritus Rawlings and other victims of the many other fabricated narratives in Working with Rawlings were not given any chance to consent to or comment on the grave falsehoods narrated by the author and adjudged publishable by the editor, reviewer and writer of the foreword of the book -one of the greatest interviewer of all time! My interactions and continued interactions with President Emeritus Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings leaves me in no doubt that the narrative is either doctored or that the author upon whom he unknowingly relied for professional legal advice did not explain the implications of the scam to him for an informed consent to participate in such mother of all interviews by one of the greatest interviewers of all time. In any case the President Emeritus, Flt. Lt. J. J. Rawlings would have still won the 1996 elections, anyway without the doctored interview.

Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan As Reviewer And Editor Of Working with Rawlings

The author casts Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, as one of the reviewers and editors of Working with Rawlings. He is described by the author as:

Ghanas longest-serving Chairman of the Electoral Commission and the man that I discovered and who ultimately climbed to that position (the story of which discovered is recounted in this book), also reviewed the entire manuscript. He paid particular attention to the factual presentation, especially in the areas that he was involved in such as the Committee of Experts (Constitution), the INEC and the EC as well as the other sections dealing with elections. But he also had time for grammatical and editorial corrections. (See pages xxvi to xxvii of the book).

As a reviewer and/or editor of the entire manuscript he was also under the same ethical obligation as Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman to have declined to be a reviewer of the authors book on grounds of conflict of interest and potential or real likelihood of bias. A reader who has the patience to endure the fabricated narratives contained in Working with Rawlings would read about the significant role played by the author in the establishment of the Committee of Experts (Constitution) in his discovery of Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan in the process who not only became a member of the Committee but who subsequently also turned out to be the longest-serving Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana (see pages 85 to 86 of the book).

The chilling narrative of how the author who was on a confidential state assignment commissioned by Captain Kojo Tsikata to make contact with Mr. Kofi Drah, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science to interest him in the work of the proposed Committee, branched into a drinking spot in the Achimota Forest area where a number of Legon lecturers including the author who lived in that area used to meet for the occasional social drink met Dr. Afari-Gyan there drinking alone and after some drinks shamefully sold the benefit of the assignment his superior had commissioned him to undertake in recruiting Mr. Kofi Drah to his drinking mate, Dr. Afari-Gyan (see pages 85 to 86). How could Dr. Afari-Gyan who had been patronized and groomed by the author over the years be an impartial reviewer and/or editor of the scholarly work the author seeks to portray in Working with Rawlings in his retirement? I am not a scholar, so how dare I point these out? But herds also have their Benjamin the donkey and Muriel the wise old goat portrayed in George Orwells Animal Farm who reason beyond the form to the substance.

Nana Ato Dadzie And Kofi Totobi-Quakyi, Collaborators And Co-authors?

The author also gives credit to two long-standing friends and collaborators in the following words:

Nana Ato Dadzie, Secretary, PNDC Secretariat and Chief of Staff to President Rawlings, and Kofi Totobi-Quakye, variously Minister of Information and Minister for National Security, were two other reviewers. I walked the entire nineteen years working with Rawlings with them, so what I know, they know. They provided me with facts and figures and dates and names of places and reminded me of many of Rawlings foibles. This book would not have seen the light of day but for their support, assistance and advice. (See page xxvii thereof).

The author describes his close friendship and association with Nana Ato Dadzie and Kofi Totobi-Quakyi over the years who were nonetheless permitted to be ethical reviewers of his book by his editors. These two friends and associates of the author upon close reading of Working with Rawlings are really not only reviewers but also answer to the description of co-authors of the book with the author as the primary author.

In my view the two close friends and associates of the author deserve publication credit in accordance with scholarly authorship principles to be found in any Publication Manual for any scholarly or professional association. I have come to this conclusion after reviewing the literature in this field on scholarly or professional publications on the ethics of publication credit. Authorship covers not only those who do the actual writing but also those who have made substantial professional contribution such as formulating the problem or hypothesis, structuring the design, organizing and conducting the qualitative analysis, interpreting the results, or contributing to a major portion of the book.

Nana Ato Dadzie and Kofi Totobi-Quakyi for no apparent reason were not listed in the byline as substantial contributors without whose contribution the book would not have seen the light of day because of their support, assistance and advice. They are instead listed as lesser contributors, not constituting authorship, and acknowledged in the acknowledgement. The substance of the book when read thoroughly shows otherwise and defeats the form of their contribution in the acknowledgement.

Acknowledged Others Who Helped With The Historical Facts

The author also acknowledges persons such as Naval Captain Baffour Assasie-Gyimah (Rtd.) of the National Security Secretariat and Ambassador to Burkina Faso in the PNDC/NDC eras; Justice Victor Ofoe, Justice of the Court of Appeal; Solomon Quandzie, Head of Chambers of Quandzie & Associates; Larry Adjetey, Private Legal Practitioner, Bright Akwetey private legal practitioner and formerly of the Attorney Generals Department and Office of the Special Public Prosecutor in the PNDC era; and Mr Kofi Portuphy, one- time acting Metropolitan Chief Executive for Accra and former National Chairman of the NDC as having helped the author with historical facts which the author had lost track of. (See pages xxvii to xxviii of the book).

The historical facts which those persons helped the author with are hidden by non-disclosure. Any person who played any significant role in the 31st December Revolution who reads the book and comes across the narrations on the CVC, NIC, PUBLIC TRIBUNALS and all that, Stop the Executions! and The Public Tribunals: The Doctrine of Autrofois Acquit and Autrofois Convict sidestepped will appreciate the reasons from the bank of my knowledge why I treat some of the named contributors to the authors historical facts as reviewers or collaborators or co-authors of the author in writing his book. I will be returning to some of the above topics enumerated by the author in his narrative in other future critique of the book.

Suffice it now to say how difficult any of the persons acknowledged for supplying the author with historical facts to enable him twist the narratives he presents in his book could to have done so without reading the manuscript, or galley proof of the book or portions of it and reviewed them before supplying those historical facts. The author himself admits this when he said that Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata read the book to help the author out particularly in the area of any possible infractions of defamation laws and for factual accuracy and linguistic correctness but exonerates him from being a real reviewer. It is left to the discerning reader to make his or her candid opinion of the foregoing in spite of what the untrustworthy author has written.

Conclusions

The author comes out as an unethical scholar/author colluding again with another equally unethical scholar/foreword writer, reviewer, and editor of his book, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, PhD/FGA, described as a former Minister of Education to whom his manuscript was her education on politics to sell his unscholarly book to the unsuspecting public for profit as a scholarly work. Ghana be doomed with such scholars as its leaders!

It is on the foregoing basis that I have questioned and continue to question the inability of the authors many reviewers, editors, collaborators, and co-authors to have corrected the wrong historical facts such as who was the Chief Justice of Ghana on 7th January 1993 and narratives concerning the judgments in the case of City and Country Waste Limited v Accra Metropolitan Assembly, presided over and heard in High Court, Accra, by Mr. Justice Victor D. Ofoe when his friend and mentor, the author was a witness in the case.

In reading Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings several times, making notes and researching for this critique one question has been nagging at the back of my inquisitive mind. Is the Kwamena Ahwois love of glorifying himself with big names and long titles, and of associating himself with people with long titles and big names in the writing of his otherwise unethical and unscholarly work not a cry for help from an infected mind lacking in confidence in his own professional abilities and psychologically seeking pleasure in the destruction of the reputations of the numerous victims he targeted in his book with the unwitting or witting assistance of his surrogates? Luke 14:10 guides unassuming eminent scholars and professionals!

There are so many narrations in Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings which do not add up upon deeper scrutiny and makes one wonder why he and his surrogates targeted and victimized President Emeritus J. J. Rawlings, someones testicles, acted upon mere rumours, and disclosed otherwise confidential information to the public without any compunctions. I have demonstrated in the foregoing analysis and critique that when an alleged scholarly project is unethically conducted and executed by any scholar with surrogates who do not respect the basic ethics of scholarly writing and publication the results of his work cannot stand the test of logic, repetition and replication required by the rigours of qualitative analysis and critique. Kwamena Ahwois Working with Rawlings is one such unscholarly work.

MARTIN A. B. K. AMIDU

POSTSCRIPT: This post scriptum has been read and approved by the subject it affects.

I have known and worked with Naval Captain Baffour Assasie-Gyimah (rtd.) in very challenging circumstances in the revolutionary process. I, therefore, had my doubts about his involvement with the authors book. Coincidentally, Naval Captain Baffour Assasie-Gyimah called me a number of times and missed me after I had completed writing this third critique. I returned his call. He had apparently read my second critique online that morning but not Kwamena Ahwois manuscript or book. I read to him portions of Kwamenas book at page 13 acknowledging him and from pages 34 to 36 narrating how he became the advocate for a group of PNDC operatives who went and pleaded with Chairman Rawlings to stop the executions. He denied being part of any such group, let alone being their lead advocate. He recalled that even though Kwamena Ahwoi had called him on the telephone about four months previously, Kwamena never told him he was writing a book neither did they discuss the events concerning the alleged advocacy role attributed to him in the book. The ethics of professional writers enjoins me to inform the public about this post scriptum conversation to aid their assessment of this critique and the authors credibility as the ethical scholar he claims to be.

----classfmonline
Ongwediva  A 41-year-old man, who initially faced charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, had his charges changed to murder after his victim succumbed to his injuries.

The 61-year-old victim was allegedly stabbed with a knife in the ribs and sustained an open wound.

The alleged assault happened on 18 August 2020 at Omindamba border post in the Onesi constituency.

The victim died four days later.

Police regional crime investigations coordinator in Omusati region Deputy Commissioner Moses Simaho said the victim was initially treated the same day at the Outapi district hospital and was discharged the same day.

"He later went back for a follow up and was transferred to Oshakati Intermediate Hospital and was admitted at the intensive care unit in a critical condition," said Simaho.

The suspect Paulus Shiwedha was arrested and appeared in the Outapi Magistrate's Court on Friday.

On Thursday afternoon, the police in Omusati registered a case of attempted murder after a 21-year-old was stabbed with a knife in the rib.

The incident happened at a shebeen at Oshikuku.

According to Simaho, the victim sustained serious injury and was transported to Oshikuku hospital.

He was later transferred to the Oshakati hospital, where he is reported to be in a critical condition. The suspect, an Angolan national, is a vendor at Oshikuku and is still at large.

The police in Omusati last week also reported two cases of suicide.

On Thursday, a 17-year-old boy hanged himself with a tie at Onaanda.

A 20-year-old also hanged himself with a wire in his sleeping room.

The incident happened at Oshikuyu village in the Otamanzi constituency.
Oneonta, N.Y.  The state is setting up three new rapid testing tests in Oneonta to help address the spike in coronavirus cases at the State University of New York campus located there.

The sites will open Wednesday at 11 a.m. and will then be open Thursday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Testing at the temporary sites will be open to all members of the community and provide results within 15 minutes. The fast results will allow contacts of infected individuals to be traced quickly, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomos office.

The sites will offer tests free of charge, but require an appointment. Anyone interested can call 833-NYSTRNG to schedule a test.

The sites will be located at:

Oneonta Armory, 4 Academy St. in Oneonta

Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center, 24 Market St. in Oneonta

St. James Church, 305 Main St. in Oneonta

SUNY Oneonta suspended in-person classes for two weeks over the weekend after cases at the school spiked. Cuomo said the actions taken after the increase were aggressive and appropriate.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

How do you bus kids to school in the middle of a pandemic? A look inside one districts plans

Educating CNY: Syracuse.com launches initiative to inform, connect community around school reopening

SUNY Oneonta to suspend in-person classes for 2 weeks after 105 coronavirus cases found

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 04:23:28|Editor: huaxia

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MEXICO CITY, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Mexican army seized a 1.3 tons of cocaine from a plane that landed at the airport in Palenque, a small town in Mexico's southeast Chiapas state, the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday.

The seizure was carried out on Saturday after authorities began monitoring the flight of the aircraft, which lost its way while trying to land near Chiapas' border with neighboring Guatemala.

Soldiers arrested two people in the operation, the ministry said, releasing images of the plane on airport grounds.

The cocaine was estimated to have a street value of more than 368 million pesos (about 16.7 million U.S. dollars).

"The seized drugs and the detainees were handed over to the corresponding authorities," added the ministry.

Drug cartels frequently smuggle cocaine into Mexico aboard illegal flights from South or Central America, before shipping the cargo to the United States, according to Mexican law enforcement agencies.

From Jan. 1 to Aug. 20, Mexico's armed forces seized more than 9.7 tons of cocaine during different operations around the country, according to a report released by the security cabinet last week. Enditem
Health Ministry to rush Central teams to UP, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha

India PIB

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Central teams to assist in strengthening Containment, Surveillance, Testing and efficient Clinical management

Posted On: 31 AUG 2020 5:18PM by PIB Delhi

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to deploy high level Central teams to four States of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. These States are seeing a sudden surge in the number of COVID cases and some of them are also reporting high mortality.

The teams will support the State efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing and efficient clinical management of the positive cases. They shall also guide the States in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and follow up.

Each of the multi-sectoral teams will comprise of an epidemiologist and a public health expert.

Of these four States, Uttar Pradesh has the maximum number of active cases pegged at 54,666, followed by Odisha (27,219), Chhattisgarh (13,520) and Jharkhand which has 11,577 active cases. In terms of total/cumulative cases till date, Uttar Pradesh has 2,25,632, Odisha (1,00,934), Jharkhand (38,435) and Chhattisgarh has 30,092 cases. The most number of deaths are reported in Uttar Pradesh (3423) while Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are reporting 482, 410 and 269 deaths cumulatively.

As an ongoing effort, the Central Government has been deputing Central teams from time to time to visit various States to interact with the authorities and get a first hand understanding of the challenges and issues being faced by them so as to strengthen their ongoing activities and remove bottlenecks, if any.

****

MV

HFW/COVID Central Teams/31Aug2020/3



(Release ID: 1650011)

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Police have raided two homes and charged two men with inciting protest activity as part of an investigation into a march planned for the Melbourne CBD on Saturday.

A total of three men have now been arrested and charged with incitement over allegedly co-ordinating Saturday's"Freedom Day" protest, including a 76-year-old Windsor man who was arrested on Friday.

Victoria Police said in a statement that a 28-year-old Coburg man and a 38-year-old Epping man were both arrested and charged with incitement on Tuesday.

Police presence in Altona North on Monday evening. Credit:Paul Jeffers

They have been bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on February 4 next year.
Quarantine has made chefs of us all. That might not be a good thing. Some of the new cooking videos popping up on YouTube and TikTok are downright terrifying. But TikToks Pasta Queen isnt one of them. Her recipes are legit, and shes well on her way to social media celeb status. Since the video platforms shes on are somewhat anonymous, fans dont know much about this carb-loving chef. Heres everything there is to know about the Pasta Queen, so far.

The Pasta Queen is Italian, of course

RELATED: Who Is Vegan TikTok Star Tabitha Brown?

The Pasta Queens real name is Nadia Caterina Munno. Shes Italian, which is why her recipes are so authentic and delicious.

She really knows what shes doing when it comes to Italian food. She promotes her brand across a lot of different social media platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. She has a website dedicated to her cooking brand as well, but its not live yet.

Although shes from Rome, Italy originally, Munno currently lives in Florida. Thats where she cooks and records her videos.

Her Instagram is verified, which is a big deal for any internet celeb. She has more than 300,000 followers on the platform, in addition to hundreds of thousands on TikTok. Her YouTube channel has a little over 40,000 subscribers. Murros brand is based on cooking delicious food while looking good.

She made her first pasta when she was just six and has a special relationship with the dish. Her great-great-grandparents owned a pasta factory, so cooking it runs in her family.

The Pasta Queens reaction videos may be more popular than her recipes

Pasta Queen | Facebook/The Pasta Queen

Although Murros recipes taste as good as they look, her reaction videos are just as popular with social media users as her cooking videos are. In one reaction video thats gone viral, Murro watches another chefs tutorial on how to prepare chicken. In the video, the cook uses frozen onions, and throws them on a raw chicken. Murro, who uses fresh ingredients, is incensed. She and her fellow reactors complain about Frozen onions on albino chicken!

Murro and her friends really feel for the chicken. As they repeat in the video: He didnt wanna be there guys, he didnt wanna be there. Murro doesnt think the chicken deserved to be covered in frozen vegetables, which says a lot about how she feels about food.

Despite the fact that the video is meant to be funny, it shows that Murro reveres the food she cooks. She wants to do it justice, and do right by her ingredients. Thats what makes her such a good chef.

Twitter loves the Pasta Queen

This GIF can now be found in the twitter GIF library. Somehow I am still honored #thepastaqueen pic.twitter.com/XFrvHZj9uV  The Pasta Queen (@the_pastaqueen) August 17, 2020

Social media users loved her viral chicken reaction video. Twitter fans were especially taken with the Italian American cooking personality. Like her recipes, Murros reaction video is authentically Italian. Someone even screams Mamma Mia! at one point, which fans went nuts over. As one user posted, Lmaoooooo the mamma mia finished me off.

Although the Pasta Queen doesnt have the same following on Twitter as she does on other social media platforms, shes still internet famous over there as well. In fact, one of her famous reaction GIFs is in the GIF library.

The Food Network should get the Pasta Queen and her hilarious reactions on the air as soon as possible. Although they dont seem to know about Murro yet, her star is rising fast. She already seems more likable than some of the personalities on the Food Network now.

Plus, she would bring a big audience with her. Her personal brand is on point. Her food is delicious, she looks good, and shes funny to boot.
BAD AXE  With the Trump Unity Bridge appearing in Bad Axe on Wednesday, a protest against the event will happen nearby around the same time.

The protest, called Silent Solidarity Against Authoritarianism, will be a semi-silent protest going from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 2 along the right of way near the Franklin Inn, where the Trump Unity Bridge event will take place.

Kelly Krager, who is organizing the protest with her daughter Taylor Grieve, said the people attending plan on listening to civil rights speeches and playing keyword bingo while listening to them. Homemade paper plate masks will also be provided to help if any attendees of the Unity Bridge rally get aggressive with the protestors.

I really believe Donald Trump is the greatest threat to our democracy this country has faced ever, Krager said. I dont think hes joking when he says he wants to be president for 8 or 12 more years or Don Jr. saying he is going to be president. People are saying they want a dynasty, and thats not what democracy is about.

Related Story: Trump Unity Bridge to appear in Bad Axe

Krager added that the people attending are concerned about the future of the United States and how the fears of middle-class white Americans allowed Donald Trump to take office.

If we dont stand up for the values this country pretends to have, we could lose everything, Krager said.

A member of the Black Lives Matter allyship Michigan, Krager did attend the Black Lives Matter demonstration this past June in front of the Huron County Building in Bad Axe. She also said she attended other Black Lives Matter events across the state.

Krager has been planning this protest since this past Saturday after hearing about the upcoming rally, as she was worried that whatever protests happen would be leaderless and that people would just be holding signs and yelling at each other.

The protest will work to maintain social distancing between attendees and keep a microphone clean for anyone who wants to speak.

The paper plate masks will have emojis on them and sayings such as Respect my space," "please, leave me in peace," and "Im playing bingo.

This is something positive, so people can educate themselves on issues instead of believing what their neighbor tells them, Krager said. There will be less violence and yelling, so they can feel like theyre standing up and speaking out.

More information can be found on the events Facebook page. If anyone wishes to speak during the event, Krager would like to be notified so that she can schedule that in as part of the days events.
The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported 40 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, significantly down from the 110 new cases it confirmed on Sunday.

Thats the lowest number in weeks, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at the daily city-county coronavirus briefing.

Even better news: The positivity rate  the percentage of coronavirus tests that came back positive over the last seven days  has dropped to 7.8 percent, down from 9.9 percent a week ago.

On ExpressNews.com: The COVID-19 positivity rate previously dropped significantly

That means the rate is moving ever closer to 5 percent or less, the goal Nirenberg and health officials have been shooting for, and an indicator that the viral spread has slowed dramatically.

Were not that very far away from what will be the first day of (in-person) school on Sept. 8, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. Hopefully, well all hang together to do this. With Labor Day coming up, were all going to have to be careful, or well see the numbers jump right back up, and well be in bad shape again.

Even more than during the July 4th holiday, its critical for people to observe safety precautions over Labor Day  masks, physical distancing, no large gatherings, hand-sanitizing and so on  since school districts plan to bring students back to campuses the next day, he said.

The new total of cases in Bexar County is 46,441 since the novel coronavirus pandemic began in March, according to numbers released at the briefing.

On ExpressNews.com: COVID in kids is so super-scary, parent says

The seven-day average of cases is 154.

Seven more deaths were reported on Monday, bringing the total in Bexar County to 809. Those occurred between July 2 and July 29 and were verified by Metro Health from a state death certificate database.

There were 386 COVID patients hospitalized as of Monday, an increase of 20, which Nirenberg described as concerning. He called it a reminder that the virus is out there and is making people sick.

Of those in hospitals, 47 were newly admitted, a slight uptick from Sunday.

We dont want to see (the higher hospital numbers) as a trend, and were going to be watching that very closely this week, Nirenberg said.

There were 155 patients in intensive care units, down from 162 the day before, and 95 on ventilators to help them breathe, down from 111 and below 100, a benchmark noted by Nirenberg.

The mayor said Bexar County still has five times the testing capacity relative to demand, and has the personnel to continue to investigate and do contact tracing for more than 1,400 cases per day  all good metrics.

Wolff said the COVID outbreak at the Applewhite Recovery Center, a state-run substance abuse and mental health treatment center for adults on probation, is being addressed.

As of Monday, the center had 36 positive cases, six of whom are staff. The facility, which currently has 82 residents, is actively working to spread out residents, confine all symptomatic residents to one wing and conduct more testing, Wolff said.

The county will provide more funding for the center to get on top of testing, he said.

Were moving in the right direction there, he said. At one time, we had a high of 40 cases, but we still have a lot of work to do.

Metro Health is helping staff at Applewhite conduct testing, utilize personal protective equipment and quarantine those who are symptomatic, said Anita Kurian, the health districts chief epidemiologist.

Kurian also said Metro Health is working with area school districts in table-top exercises to work through all the various scenarios of what could happen once on-campus schooling resumes.

Schools need to keep doing those everyday preventive measures that we know works, she said. We all just need to stay the course.

Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news, cultural trends and interesting people and goings-on around San Antonio and Bexar County, as well as all across South Texas. To read more from Melissa , become a subscriber. mstoeltje@express-news.net | Twitter: @mstoeltje
Customers enter the South Coast Plaza shopping mall on the first day of reopening following a shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Largest Mall in Orange County Reopens After COVID-19 Shutdown

COSTA MESA, Calif.South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesathe largest shopping mall in Orange Countyreopened on Aug. 31 after the state of California relaxed restrictions on indoor businesses in counties with lower case counts of COVID-19.

Over 100 different shops, along with 20 restaurants, reopened on the first day allowed by law. Many businesses opted to remain closed in light of ongoing state restrictions, including mandatory face coverings and customer limits.

A moderate number of customers had arrived shortly after the malls 11 a.m. opening time, but the crowd steadily grew.

Soon lines of people could be seen standing outside of many popular stores, including clothing outfitter Zara, because mandatory social-distancing requirements limit how many customers can be in a store at any given time.

Many amenities that the mall normally offers have been temporarily paused as part of the reopening, including valet parking, package check, stroller and wheelchair rentals, and drinking fountains.

South Coast Plaza shopping mall in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The parking lot of South Coast Plaza is full on the first day the mall reopened, as COVID-related restrictions eased, in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The mall is scheduled to be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Many stores inside, however, have opted for shorter hours for the present, and the mall has asked customers to reserve the first two hours for vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens or those with health-related issues.

South Coast Plaza has implemented various measures as a precaution against the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, according to its website. The measures include a new state-of-the-art air filtration system, increased percentage of outside air, touch free access to many areas, and stringent cleaning protocols that call for regularly disinfecting high-touch surfaces.

We will open for shopping and dining with higher than ever standards for cleanliness based on advice from public health officials and top industrial hygienists, the website stated.

The mall has also started something called The Pavilion, where customers can make an appointment with participating boutiques to have a temporary store set up underneath a tent on top of the malls parking structures in order to view, try on, or buy items that customers are interested in.

South Coast Plazas reopening comes after months of closure due to frequently tightening California state restrictions on how certain types of businesses open and operate. The mall was closed near the beginning of the pandemic on March 16, then reopened briefly on June 11, but had to close again soon after because of worsening COVID-19 cases in the surrounding areas.

Doors at an entrance to the South Coast Plaza shopping mall in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Though malls in Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties have all been given the green light to operate with modifications in place, malls in Los Angeles County remain shut due to higher COVID-19 case counts.

Indoor shopping malls throughout the state have been allowed to reopen this week after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 28 released a new four-tier, color-coded opening framework.

Aug. 31 was Orange Countys ninth day off the states monitoring list. The new system focuses more on case positivity rates and benefits counties with larger populations by no longer concentrating on overall case rates.

Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said the new system encourages more testing and contact tracing, but also includes a vague third criterion beyond case and positivity rates that hasnt been clearly defined.

Bartlett said indoor malls were allowed to open at 25 percent capacity, and indoor hair salons were also authorized to reopen on Aug. 31.

Currently, Orange County is in the purple tier, according to the new color-coded guidelines. If the countys downward positivity rates continue, the county could elevate to the red tier. If so, indoor dining could open at 25 percent capacity as early as next week, Bartlett said.

When they define the third criteria more, that should bring more clarity to the counties on how they can operate within the guidelines, and which business sectors can open and to what capacity, she said.
Very few people get the kind of acceptance that Pranab Mukherjee received during his 50-year journey in Indian politics. That is why not only Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but even Manmohan Singh looked at him as a guardian, and for the rest of the country he was the famous Pranab da.

Pranab da is no more. For the past several days, news about his worrying health situation kept coming. But his well-wishers believed this time too he would overcome it, just like he did with most of the political challenges he faced in his career. But that was not to be. At 85, Pranab da has left us and a bright star has just faded from the sky of Indian politics.

Though Pranab da spent most of his political career in the Congress, he had his well-wishers in all parties and his personal equations were great. When Narendra Modi became Prime Minister for the first time in 2014, Pranab Mukherjee administered to him the oath of office. Three years later, when his tenure was to end as President in 2017, Modi wrote him a letter which Mukherjee himself shared on his Twitter handle.

Modi had written: Pranab da, our political journeys took shape in different political parties. Our ideologies, at times, have been differentYet, such is the strength of your intellect and wisdom that we were able to work together with synergyThree years ago, I came to New Delhi as an outsider. The task before me was huge. In these times, you have always been a father figure and a mentor to me."

This letter from Modi says it all about Pranab Mukherjees personality. Ideologies could be different, but Mukherjee was never found lacking while keeping in mind the constitutional dignity and personal relationships  not even with his arch rivals. It was well known about him that when he wished to eat fish, he would head towards LK Advanis house.

Pranab Mukherjee had achieved that stature in Indian politics that nobody, neither a politician nor a journalist, ever felt any inconvenience in calling him Pranab da. For this precise reason, even after his death, it is easier to call him Pranab da and it does not seem to be a forced informality. The country honoured him in another way in 2019 when he was conferred the Bharat Ratna by PM Modi. It was strong evidence of his personality that even a PM from a different political stream saw him as a father figure and he was called by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to Nagpur to deliver a lecture.

Pranab das stature in politics and his expanse of knowledge was so huge that when he became defence minister in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2004, he was addressed as sir by the PM during some of his cabinet meetings in the beginning. How could Manmohan Singh forget that he was made the governor of the Reserve Bank of India in 1982 when Pranab Mukherjee was the finance minister under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. This too was a coincidence that when Pranab da became finance minister for the second time in January 2009, Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, and he remained on this post till 2012 when he was made President.

A visibly stern-looking Pranab Mukherjee was very soft on the inside. Not only leaders and officials, even journalists were not comfortable meeting him without any preparation. It was unbearable for Pranab da to converse with a person who talked silly. He allowed people to ask any question, but he always answered the ones he liked. But if you tried to corner him on any question, it was not acceptable to him and he would admonish you. Many high-profile journalists of the country have experienced this on several occasions.

It was Indira Gandhi to whom he owed his rise in politics. After her assassination, Mukherjee was considered the most deserving successor. As was natural, he could not be on good terms with Rajiv Gandhi who became Prime Minister after his mothers assassination. Mukherjee had to leave the party that sent him to the Rajya Sabha in 1969 for the first time. He had been like a shadow of Indira Gandhi and figured in each of her cabinets and was with her through thick and thin of Indian politics. In 1986, he formed his own regional party called Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress, which he merged with the Congress three years later and returned to the fold.

Once again, Pranab das political career was back on track. When Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 during the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, this brought PV Narasimha Rao to the post of PM. Rao and Pranab Mukherjee were great friends. Mukherjee would always tell this story to journalists who were close to him that it was only Rao who addressed him as Pranab. Sonia Gandhi, like any other leader, called him Pranab da and, after he got soft admonishment from Mukherjee, PM Manmohan Singh started calling him Pranab ji.

Narasimha Rao made Pranab da deputy chairman of the Planning Commission in the beginning and then, at the fag end of his tenure as PM, inducted him as external affairs minister in his cabinet. He occupied the ministry a second time in 2006 under Manmohan Singh. Be it as defence minister, finance minister or external affairs minister, he had a firm grip on the portfolio he held. It was famous about him that he even remembered what note he put on a particular file. Under Manmohan Singh when the Left parties were lending support to the government, Mukherjee headed most of the groups of ministers. It was left to him to keep leaders of the Left parties mollified.

Pranab das parliamentary career was a lengthy one. He entered the Rajya Sabha in 1969 for the first time and barring a few years of interregnum, he remained part of one of the Houses till 2012. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1969, 1975, 1981, 1993 and 1998, and fought two parliamentary elections from Jangipur and won. In 2012, after becoming President, he had a formal relationship with Parliament, as the Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and President are key constituents of Parliament. He had been the leader of both the Houses and, as President, he got the opportunity to address the joint session of the Houses. In Indian politics, this is a unique achievement that Pranab da has.

Pranab da was the symbol of constitutional dignity. A smoking pipe dangling from his lips used to mark most of his photographs in the early days of his politics. His mentor Indira Gandhi used to say that Pranab Babu inhabits lots of secrets, but even if you press him hard, what will come out of his mouth is the smoke and not a secret". That is how much she trusted Pranab da.

Pranab Mukherjee harboured innumerable secrets and his mind was full of all kinds of information and files. It was said about him that when he was finance minister, he used to analyse the days of the previous finance ministers by taking into account the days and dates of their tenure in the ministry. He used to burn the midnight oil. In the party also, most of the political resolutions were left to him to write. He was probably the only leader who could tell what was present in each of the political resolutions of the party in the past six decades.

With his head always buried in files and the challenges the country faced, he found little time to watch films. It was famous about him that in his Budget speech, he quoted nuggets about films such as Raja Harishchandra to Ra.One, but he wasnt aware that Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan had anything to do with the latter. When he was conversing with Bengali journalists, such anecdotes used to cross his lips. Journalist Bijendra Singh recollects one such occasion  Pranab Da had watched the screening of the film Rang De Basanti arranged by his ministry when he was defence minister. There was some controversy about some of the scenes, particularly about the army. At that time, he had watched the film with the-then chairperson of the Censor Board, Sharmila Tagore, and actor Aamir Khan. Such occasions were very rare in his life as it was difficult for him to steal some time from his busy schedule.

Pranab da was not artificial in any way. He did not trumpet any fake love for secularism despite being a great practitioner of it. For him, secularism was not about keeping distance from his faith which many leaders of his party did just for the public. That was precisely the reason why every year during Durga Puja, he used to travel a thousand kilometres to his native place Mirati which is in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. There he used to perform Chandi Path for many days, dressed in traditional attire. This continued even when he was President of the country. He was a deeply religious person in his private life and performing daily puja was a routine he religiously followed.

In politics, people usually fall prey to astrology. But for Pranab da, his being religious had nothing to do with blind faith. That was the reason why he was a resident of the 13, Talkatora Road government bungalow during most of his five-decade-long political career, and he had the number 13 chamber allotted to him as minister in Parliament. Most of the people consider the number 13 inauspicious but not Pranab da; it was a lucky number for him. So much so that he was the 13th President of India.

In his long political career, Pranab da had very good relations with journalists. He never allowed anybody to take any liberty, but he used to talk freely about his political life when he had time. There were some very fortunate journalists, who got the opportunity to enjoy eating fish with him and shared some personal moments. Even after he became President, he kept meeting with journalists. He knew about the practical compulsions that journalists faced and used to break some big news to them without keeping in mind their status or seniority. But he lost his cool if anyone intruded.

Pranab da has left us and only his memories remain. But few in Indian politics could claim the kind of acceptance that he commanded. How many people can one find in the cut-throat competitive world of Indian politics who is called Dada by his arch rivals and that too till the end? Perhaps this was the biggest capital that Pranab da had  the capacity to make everyone his own. That was the reason why, despite being a diabetic, he accepted rosogolla offered by PM Modi on his birthday. Pranab das sweet memories and his huge achievements as a practitioner of Indian politics will waft in the air for a long, long time.
New Delhi, Sep 2 : US President Donald Trump has expressed his condolence over the death of former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee who passed away at a hospital here on Monday.

In a tweet on Tuesday, the US President said: "I was saddened to learn of the passing of India's former President, #PranabMukherjee. I send my condolences to his family and the people of India as they grieve the loss of a great leader." Mukherjee, a Congress veteran, was admitted to the hospital on August 10. He was hospitalised for over 20 days. His condition turned critical following brain surgery.

Mukherjee was the President of India from 2012 to 2017.

He was conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, in 2019, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2008.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A 17-year-old Niagara resident who fondled several young boys at a school has been placed on probation for two years.

The youth, who cannot be named under provisions the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was sentenced Tuesday in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines on a charge of sexual interference.

Court was told the teen is a sexualized young man with cognitive delays which may have impacted his offending.

The Crown told the judge the young man, who has several conditions which can affect behaviour and social interactions, has a past history of engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviour.

A psychological report indicated the young man is of low to moderate risk to reoffend.

Im just sorry about everything that happened and I dont want it to happen again, the teen told Judge Lynn Robinson.

The judge ordered the teen to undergo counselling recommended by his youth worker such as for psychological issues and sexual appropriateness.
The four-day sixth edition of the Bucharest International Dance Film Festival (BIDFF), which begins on Thursday, will be offering screenings, workshops, short film competitions and conferences featuring renowned guests.

According to a press statement from the organisers released on Tuesday, the theme of the sixth edition of the festival - utopia/dystopia - calls for a reflection on the present and exploration of a possible future."Ema," the latest film by Chilean director Pablo Larrain, will run for the national premiere at the opening of the festival, on Thursday at 20:30hrs at Mercato Kultur and at 21:00hrs, at Elvire Popesco Cinema Hall, in the open air.The film, which ran in the 2019 Venice Film Festival competition, stars Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael Garcia Bernal; the soundtrack is provided by the famous electronic music producer Nicolas Jaar.In addition to 32 short films from 14 countries form around the world that have entered the three competitions - international, national and musicals - a series of events dedicated to the film and dance industry will be offered as part of the festival:* Maria Tanjala, co-founder of FilmChain and a film producer will hold a conference on Friday, at 16:00hrs, to offer an overview of the filmmaking process and the importance of collaborative work.* Jassem Hindi, an artist who explores the physical relationship between poetry and performance, will hold an online conference on Saturday, an online conference on editing techniques related to the texture of utopias and dystopias that have the power to manipulate time.* On Sunday, at 16:00hrs, online, Pavle Heidler will tell the story of dystopia at a conference based on Descartes' theory of the mind-body dualism, which has influenced the standards of values that the West has established and promoted so much.* Independent choreographer Chrysanthi Badeka will hold a dance film workshop on Thursday, Friday and Saturday that will explore, for three days, with selected participants, the art of dance film as a practice for interdisciplinary artistic development.In addition, the Saturday night will see the national debut of the film "Being Jerome Bel," a 2019 French documentary directed by Aldo Lee and Sima Khatami, which will run at 21:00hrs, at the Elvire Popesco Cinema Hall, outdoor.The festival ends on Sunday, at 20:30hrs, at the Cinema Hall of the Museum of the Romanian Peasant, with the screening supported by Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim of Hungarian documentary "The Euphoria of Being," directed by Reka Szabo.The screenings of the festival will take place outdoors, at Mercato Kultur, the Elvira Popesco Cinema Hall and the Cinema Hall of the Museum of the Romanian Peasant. Tickets are available on Eventbook.
White House advisor Jared Kushner visited a UAE air base Tuesday where the US operates F-35 fighter jets coveted by Abu Dhabi -- the thorniest issue in the Emirates' newly established ties with Israel.

Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, is in Abu Dhabi as part of a US-Israeli delegation that arrived on a historic direct flight from Tel Aviv Monday, to mark an accord struck last month to normalise relations between the Jewish state and the UAE.

Israel has denied reports that the deal hinges on the sale of US F-35 stealth fighter jets to the UAE, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he opposes a move that could reduce its strategic edge in the region.

Kushner said Monday that the US could maintain that edge "while also advancing our military relationship with the United Arab Emirates" and that the issue would be discussed further in coming weeks.

He signed a guest book at Al Dhafra with the message: "May the relationship with America continue to grow and together, through strength, ... benefit as we bring more peace and prosperity to the Middle East and beyond!"

Gulf Arab nations have had increasingly public ties with Israel in recent years, seeking to link their powerful economies but also to join forces in their shared rivalry with Iran.

Major General Falah Al Qahtani, assistant undersecretary at the defence ministry, cast the UAE as a reliable partner in a dangerous region, as he welcomed Kushner and US national security adviser Robert O'Brien to the Al Dhafra air base.

"Our relationship is based on a common view on the threat to our common interests. We are friends. We are strategic partners. We are alike," he said.

"Both our nations seek peace, security and stability that will bring prosperity to this region, a region that it is, as you know, complex and unstable and beset by... regional powers seeking dominance."

Qahtani, speaking at the air base which the US uses for joint training purposes, said the countries had "stood together to fight extremism in all its forms in the region" for the past three decades.

Story continues

He listed its arsenal of military hardware, including Apache helicopters and the F-16 fighter jet, but unmentioned was the F-35, long coveted by Gulf powers including the UAE.

The US military deployed the F-35 at Al Dhafra in 2019, in the first Middle East basing for the jet.

- Israeli edge -

Ever since the 1960s, the United States has guaranteed to maintain Israel's "qualitative military edge" in the region.

The policy was enhanced two years ago with a law that Washington must ensure, when selling weapons to another country in the Middle East, that Israel retains the ability to defend itself if the arms were to fall into the wrong hands.

A wrangle over the jet, which could upset the balance of power in the region, could be the first hiccup in the Israel-UAE accord.

Israel has already received a first consignment of the jets and Netanyahu has made clear his opposition to the UAE being next in line.

"This deal did not include Israel's acceptance of any arms deal," he said last week.

The UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, has noted that Abu Dhabi first indicated it wanted the planes six years ago, "so this is something on the table".

"Now the whole idea of, you know, a state of belligerency or war with Israel will no longer exist. So I think it should be... easier," he told the US think tank the Atlantic Council.

Yoel Guzansky, a senior analyst at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, said the issue is central to the historic rapprochement which is being billed as a key achievement of Trump's administration.

"I absolutely think that without the F-35, the possibility of buying it, they (the Emiratis) wouldn't sign the agreement" on a normalisation of ties, he told AFP.

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insurgents launched a complex attack on Tuesday morning against a military base in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least three public protection forces, an official said.

Five other forces were wounded in the attack, said Abdul Rahman Mangal, a spokesman for the governor in Paktia province.

A suicide car bomber targeted the entrance gate of the base in the provincial capital Gardez then two gunmen started shooting at the Afghan security forces, Mangal said.

Security forces killed both attackers in a gunbattle lasting almost 10 minutes and the area is now under control, he added.

A spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the group claimed responsibility for the attack in Gardez.

The attack comes after Afghanistan's president appointed 46 members to a council for national reconciliation, which will have final say on whether the government will sign a peace deal with the after what are expected to be protracted and uncertain negotiations with the insurgents.

The negotiations were envisaged under a US-Taliban peace agreement signed in February as intra-Afghan talks to decide the country's future. A series of delays have hampered the start of the negotiations, which some had expected to begin late last month.

There are also other obstacles in the way of the negotiations. The Afghan government has reversed a decision to release the last 320 Taliban prisoners it is holding until the insurgents free more captured soldiers.

The US-Taliban deal called on the Taliban to free 1,000 government and military personnel they hold captive while the government was to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, in an exchange meant as a goodwill gesture ahead of the intra-Afghan negotiations.

(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.)
Michigan has suspended the licenses of two paramedics after a woman declared dead was discovered alive at a funeral home hours later.

The paramedics, who have not been named publicly, were called to the Detroit-area home of 20-year-old Timesha Beauchamp, who has cerebral palsy, on August 23.

They tried to revive her but found no signs of life, so they contacted a doctor who officially declared her dead over the phone.

More than two hours later, Beauchamp was found breathing at the James H Cole funeral home as an undertaker began the process of embalming her.

A spokesperson for the city of Southfield, Michael Manion, confirmed that the paramedics' licenses were suspended on Friday.

He said Michigan regulators were also taking steps to suspend the licenses of two emergency medical technicians who also responded to Beauchamp's home.

All four officers, who also serve as Southfield firefighters, are on paid leave while the city investigates the bizarre incident.

'They feel terrible. They can't imagine how this possibly had happened. They're emotionally upset,' Fire Chief Johnny Menifee said last Wednesday.

Michigan suspended the licenses of two paramedics after 20-year-old Timesha Beauchamp (pictured) was declared dead on August 23 and before being discovered alive at a funeral home hours later. Beauchamp, who has cerebral palsy, is hospitalized in critical condition

Beauchamp was said to be in critical condition at Sinai-Grace Hospital on Friday. The family's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, said the young woman was on a ventilator and described her prognosis for recovery as 'touch and go.'

Fieger said the family is conducting their own investigation into what happened.

TIMELINE OF TIMESHA BEAUCHAMP CASE: August 23, 7.27am: A 911 call comes in about a 20-year-old female who's unconscious, unknown if breathing 7.34am: Southfield firefighters arrive on scene to find an unresponsive, non-breathing woman 7.35am: Paramedics begin life-saving procedures and spend about 30 minutes trying to revive the patient 8.07am: Southfield police arrive on the scene 8.09am: Southfield firefighters contact Providence Hospital emergency room physician and report their findings 8.38am: Southfield Fire Department paramedics leave the scene 8.53am: Southfield police leaves the scene after contacting the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office 11.25am: Beauchamp is picked up by staff from James H Cole Home for Funerals 11.45am: Mortuary worker discovers the woman is alive and breathing Advertisement

Beauchamp's mother had called 911 to report that her daughter - who suffered from lifelong medical issues due to cerebral palsy - was unconscious and possibly not breathing just before 7.30am on August 23.

Fieger alleged that the paramedics dismissed a relative's assertion that she had seen Beauchamp breathing and felt a pulse, and that the family were handed a body bag for the 20-year-old to be zipped into for her trip to the funeral home.

Menifee vehemently denied Fieger's claims of misconduct at a press conference last week, describing the first responders as good paramedics who never faced any disciplinary issues.

They included a lieutenant with 18 years of experience, a paramedic who has been on the job for seven years, and two EMTs with two years and six months of experience, respectively.

Menifee said the medics performed life-saving procedures for 30 minutes and checked Beauchamp's vital signs on three separate occasions.

'Each time, Ms Beauchamp didn't show any signs of life,' he stressed.

The official acknowledged that as the first responders were about to leave, they were approached by a relative, saying that they heard Beauchamp breathing.

'The fire department immediately grabbed their equipment, went in and reassessed her,' Menifee stated. 'At no time did they find her breathing.'

A short time later, a family member approached a police officer on the scene and said they thought they had felt a heartbeat on Beauchamp.

The patient was checked a third time, but again no signs of life were detected, according to the chief.

'What transpired with Ms Beauchamp is unique and unsettling, we know there is evidence out there that this sort of thing happened before,' Menifee said.

Beauchamp (right) had been found non-responsive at her home on the morning of August 23. After paramedics worked on her for half an hour, they declared her dead

Southfield Fire Chief Johnny Menifee (pictured) held a press conference last Wednesday to address some of the claims related to Beauchamp's case. He vehemently denied claims by her family's lawyers that the first responders failed to follow proper protocol

The chief then took time to refute the family attorney's narrative, accusing Fieger of making 'grossly inaccurate statements'.

'The most alarming inaccurate statement is that a Southfield police officer or firefighter placed Ms Beauchamp in a body bag. That is absolutely untrue,' he argued. 'It is not part of our standard operating procedures, nor do we carry that equipment.'

Menifee also denied Fieger's claims that the fire department failed to contact a physician, and that the local police department did not contact the medical examiner.

'That is not true,' he stressed.

WHAT IS THE LAZARUS SYNDROME? Timesha Beauchamp, 20, is not the first person who has come back to life after being proclaimed dead. There have been several similar cases reported around the world, most recently in Russia earlier this month, when an 81-year-old woman woke up after spending a night in a morgue. In 2014 in Mississippi, a 78-year-old man who had been declared dead woke up in a funeral home in a body bag, reported The Guardian. Such instances are known as Lazarus syndrome or phenomenon, when circulation spontaneously returns to the body long after CPR has stopped. The syndrome is in reference to Lazarus, the man that Jesus Christ allegedly rose from the dead, according to the New Testament. According to Medical News Today, Lazarus syndrome was first reported in medical literature in 1982 and there have now been at least 40 reported cases. Doctors are unsure of why the rare phenomenon occurs, but there are some theories. One is that CPR builds up pressure in the chest and, when CPR stops, it goes down and give the heart a reboot, according to a 2016 article. Another is that the dead person merely looks dead and is actually suffering from catalepsy, a neurological disorder in which the muscles become stiff and remain whatever position they are placed, breathing slows and a heartbeat is at nearly undetectable levels. Advertisement

While Menifee declined to speculate how Beachamps was revived after showing no signs of life, he invoked the so-called Lazarus syndrome or phenomenon, which is defined as a delayed return of spontaneous circulation after CPR has stopped. It is named after Lazarus of Bethany, who according to the Bible was resurrected by Jesus Christ four days after his death.

Fieger said during his own news conference via video on Tuesday afternoon that Beauchamp spent more than two hours in a body bag - a claim Chief Menifee repeatedly and fiercely denied - before a mortuary worker found her looking at him as he was getting ready to embalm her.

Beauchamp was pronounced dead after fire department paramedics and police were summoned to her family's home in Southfield on a medical emergency call. More than two hours later, the 20-year-old woman was brought to James H Cole Home for Funerals.

According to Fieger, a staffer was getting ready to embalm Beauchamp when he discovered that the woman was far from dead.

'Timesha was alive,' the lawyer said. 'Her eyes were open and she was breathing. My recollection is that the embalmer was actually there and was the person who opened the body bag.'

Fieger, who has been retained by Erica Lattimore, Beauchamp's mother, to investigate what he called the 'negligence' that led to Timesha being declared dead, explained that the woman was born with cerebral palsy and requires constant care and breathing treatments three times a day.

On Sunday morning, Beauchamp's mother and brother, who are in charge of changing, dressing and feeding her, noticed that she had difficulty breathing, and that her lips were pale and surrounded by secretions. The lawyer said she had apparently suffered a seizure.

The family called 911 and within 15 minutes four Southfield Fire Department paramedics arrived, along with police officers.

According to a statement from Menifee, the first responders performed CPR and other 'life reviving methods' for 30 minutes.

Fieger said the medical responders were told of Timesha's medical history, the medications she receives and about her daily breathing treatments.

He said what happened next is unclear but Timesha was declared to be dead, even though he said her godmother, who he said is a registered nurse, told the paramedics she had seen Timesha breathing and she felt that she had a pulse.

During a press conference on August 25, family attorney Geoffrey Fieger (pictured) said paramedics dismissed a relative's assertion that she had seen Beauchamp breathing

Fieger said the paramedics dismissed the godmother's concerns, telling her drugs they had given Timesha were causing those movements.

'The godmother felt that she saw chest movements and felt that she had a pulse. She told the paramedics and the paramedics told her that the movements were involuntary and were the result of the medication. And they went, according to the family, a total of three times to Timesha's room to look at her,' he said.

Oakland County spokesperson William Mullan told DailyMail.com over the phone that after determining that the woman has died, the EMTs followed standard operating procedure and contacted an emergency room physician at an area hospital, who reviewed the patient's medical data and declared her deceased.

The Southfield Police Department then called the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office, saying that an official death declaration has been made for the patient and there was no suspicion of foul play that would have called for an autopsy.

Based on the information from the police and the ER doctor, a forensic pathologist released Beauchamp, who was still at home, directly to her family to make funeral arrangements.

'The Southfield Fire and Police Departments followed all appropriate city, county and state protocols and procedures in this case,' an updated statement from the fire department read.

'The City of Southfield is currently conducting a thorough internal investigation in addition to the Oakland County Medical Control Authority (OCMCA) which will be reporting their findings to the State of Michigan Bureau of EMS, Trauma and Preparedness (BETP).'

Fiegler said Beauchamp was zipped into a body bag that was provided by the first responders and was left at home for two-and-a-half hours, until a vehicle from the funeral home arrived to pick her up at around 11.25am.

Chief Menifee stressed to reporters on Wednesday that neither firefighters nor police officers carry body bags.

Funeral home employees 'were about to embalm her which is most frightening had she not had her eyes open. They would have begun draining her blood, to be very, very frank about it,' Fieger told WXYZ on Monday.

Beauchamp's body was released to the family who arranged for her to be picked up by James H Cole Home for Funerals that afternoon. Staffer there discovered she was still breathing

When asked during Tuesday's conference whether Beauchamp's disability played a role in the erroneous declaration of death, Fieger said it was very likely.

'She's been disabled since birth. She requires constant care,' the attorney said. 'I believe her relatively fragile condition probably contributed to the false belief by the authorities she had deceased. My guess is it certainly played some role.'

Menifee pushed back against Fieger's claim, saying that his firefighters are 'very professional.'

He continued: 'I've never had an issue with any firefighter looking at any diversity issued with a patient.. we pride ourselves on delivering the best service for every citizen.'

Lattimore, Beauchamp's mother, said she's 'devastated' by the ordeal her daughter went through.

'I'm devastated that my daughter is going through what she's going through,' she told Click on Detroit Monday morning. 'My family, her twin brother, her older brother - it's just, I don't even have words. I haven't slept all night. I just don't know what to do. My heart is so heavy.'

Beauchamp's mother told the news station that when the paramedics were at her home Sunday morning, 'They said: "Ma'am, she's gone." I told them: "Are you absolutely, 100 per cent sure that she's gone?" They said: "Yes, ma'am, she's gone."'

A few hours later, however, she said that someone from the funeral home called her with news she was alive.

Lattimore said the funeral home staffer told her: 'Ma'am, your daughter is on her way to Sinai Grace Hospital. She is breathing. She is alive.'

The statement 'devastated my life,' Beauchamp's mother said, adding she responded, 'What do you mean? What do you mean she's breathing?'

The funeral home staffer said, 'Ma'am, she's in the hospital,' Lattimore recalled.

Beauchamp's mother said Monday that she isn't sure if her daughter will be able to recover and survive from the ordeal she suffered. She wants answers about what happened, as well.

The management of the mortuary confirmed the facts of the case in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying that staff summoned Detroit Fire Department paramedics, who arrived and transported Beauchamp to a hospital.

'We couldn't believe it,' said Dave Fornell, deputy commissioner of the Detroit Fire Department, who added that her heart rate was 80.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Innovators from Purdue University hope their new technology can help transform paper sheets from a notebook into a music player interface and make food packaging interactive.

Purdue engineers developed a simple printing process that renders any paper or cardboard packaging into a keyboard, keypad or other easy-to-use human-machine interfaces. This technology is published in the Aug. 23 edition of Nano Energy. Videos showing this technology are available at https://youtu.be/TfA0d8IpjWU, https://youtu.be/J0iCxjicJIQ and https://youtu.be/c9E6vXYtIw0.

This is the first time a self-powered paper-based electronic device is demonstrated, said Ramses Martinez, an assistant professor in Purdues School of Industrial Engineering and in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering in Purdues College of Engineering. We developed a method to render paper repellent to water, oil and dust by coating it with highly fluorinated molecules. This omniphobic coating allows us to print multiple layers of circuits onto paper without getting the ink to smear from one layer to the next one.

Martinez said this innovation facilitates the fabrication of vertical pressure sensors that do not require any external battery, since they harvest the energy from their contact with the user.

This technology is compatible with conventional large-scale printing processes and could easily be implemented to rapidly convert conventional cardboard packaging or paper into smart packaging or a smart human-machine interface.

I envision this technology to facilitate the user interaction with food packaging, to verify if the food is safe to be consumed, or enabling users to sign the package that arrives at home by dragging their finger over the box to properly identify themselves as the owner of the package, Martinez said. Additionally, our group demonstrated that simple paper sheets from a notebook can be transformed into music player interfaces for users to choose songs, play them and change their volume.

Martinez and his team have worked with the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization to patent some of his technologies related to robots and other design innovations. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org.

About Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university's academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. The office recently moved into the Convergence Center for Innovation and Collaboration in Discovery Park District, adjacent to the Purdue campus. In fiscal year 2020, the office reported 148 deals finalized with 225 technologies signed, 408 disclosures received and 180 issued U.S. patents. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.

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.

Writer: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org

Sources: Ramses V. Martinez, rmartinez@purdue.edu

Marina Sala de Medeiros

Abstract

Moisture-insensitive, Self-powered Paper-based Flexible Electronics

Marina Sala de Medeiros, Daniela Chanci and Ramses V. Martinez

The fabrication of multifunctional electronic devices on ubiquitous paper substrates is gaining considerable attention due to their low cost, environmental friendliness, light weight, and flexibility. Unfortunately, the development of paper-based electronics is subject to significant challenges, such as rapid degradation with moisture, battery dependence, and limited compatibility with existing mass production technologies. This work describes omniphobic, self-powered paper-based electronics (RF SPEs), completely wireless paper-based electronic devices insensitive to moisture, liquid stains, and dust. RF SPEs can be rapidly fabricated through the sequential spray-deposition of alkylated organosilanes, conductive nanoparticles, polytetrafluoroethylene (strong electron affinity), and ethyl cellulose (weak electron affinity) over the surface of cellulose paper. RF SPEs are lightweight, inexpensive to print (<$0.25 per device), and capable of generating power densities up to 300 W/cm2. Additionally, RF SPEs are flexible and exhibit excellent stability upon folding (0.3 mm radius of curvature). The simple printing process and relative low cost of RF SPEs enable the large-scale production of self-powered paper-based electronics towards the ubiquitous integration of human-machine interfaces.
San Leon Energy PLC - oil & gas exploration company - Provides funding for development of Oza Field, Nigeria. San Leon Energy agreed to invest USD7.5 million by way of a loan to Decklar Petroleum Ltd, the local subsidiary of Asian Mineral Resources Ltd. Decklar is the holder of a risk service agreement with Millenium Oil & Gas Co Ltd on the Oza field in Nigeria. Until the loan and its interest are repaid, 100% of the available funds that can be distributed from Decklar's risk services agreement proceeds will be paid to San Leon in satisfaction of those payments. San Leon will also subscribe for a 15% equity interest in Decklar, with an option to increase to 30% equity interest based on drilling results.

Current stock price: 26.51 pence

Year-to-date change: down 4.6%

By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC and CHAPEL HILL, NC, September 1, 2020 - BASF and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill today announced the signing of a Master Research Agreement. It will facilitate easier collaboration between industry and academia on the journey to jointly address global challenges such as climate change, food security and scarcity of resources. The interdisciplinary approach will draw on the strengths of each organization to accelerate scientific discovery. By connecting its deep scientific expertise to UNC-Chapel Hill's fundamental research capabilities, initially focused on biomedical, health and pharma applications, BASF expects to find new innovations for its customers in agriculture, health and personal care.

"Teaming up with UNC-Chapel Hill, a leading global university located in close proximity to us in Research Triangle Park, NC, will not only improve the impact of our research activities, but also give us more access to technologies beyond our in-house expertise to solve societal challenges," said Peter Eckes, President, Bioscience Research and Regional Research Representative North America at BASF. "We are eager to see the results of our partnership with the Master Research Agreement in place that will enable us to collaborate more quickly across areas of common interest to drive innovation."

The Master Research Agreement containing pre-agreed terms for intellectual property, publication and confidentiality will enable open scientific discussions and speed up the process of starting collaborations. Several research projects focused on plant science are already under way.

"Our partnership with BASF is a great example of the culture of collaboration that we have fostered at Carolina," said UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz. "Combining our scientific expertise and research capabilities through the Master Research Agreement will enable Carolina and BASF to solve the grand challenges of our time and produce results that will benefit the people of North Carolina, the nation and the world."

###

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 18,800 employees in North America and had sales of $18.4 billion in 2019. For more information about BASF's North American operations, visit http://www.basf.com/us.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 117,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of 59 billion in 2019. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at http://www.basf.com.

About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation's first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 77 bachelor's, 107 master's, 65 doctorate and seven professional degree programs through 14 schools, including the College of Arts & Sciences. Every day, faculty, staff and students shape their teaching, research and public service to meet North Carolina's most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina's 341,972 alumni live in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Territories and 159 countries. More than 185,118 live in North Carolina.
Picking a fight on social media is now just another day at the office for political partisans.

Picking a fight with social media, however, is a more perilous exercise, as Australia learned this week when Facebook announced it was ready to pull the plug on all that countrys news content on its platform.

Justin Trudeaus government is paying close attention, saying in no unclear terms on Tuesday that it is standing with Australia  which may be a little bit like unfriending Facebook.

The Canadian government stands with our Australian partners and denounces any form of threats, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said in an emailed statement.

Canada is siding with Australia in large part, we can assume, because its been hoping to go down a similar road in making the social-media giants pay for the news they reproduce on their platforms.

Facebooks response to Australia is going to make that a bit more complicated.

Late on Monday, Facebook announced that it would be pulling all Australian news content off its platform if Scott Morrisons government goes ahead with its legislation to charge social-media companies for the journalism content they distribute on their platforms.

The long-standing argument, also made by this very newspaper, is that it is unfair for Facebook to reap all the clicks and advertising dollars that should go to the people and businesses who produce the content being shared on social media.

Facebooks vice-president of global news partnerships, Campbell Brown, explained in a statement that the company isnt unsympathetic to journalism, but that Australias solution is the wrong one. Removing news in Australia is not the outcome weve been working towards; it is our last choice. We remain committed to helping the long-term sustainability of news businesses, which we dont believe the proposed legislation would achieve.

The Australian government is saying it is unbowed by Facebooks blowback.

We dont respond to coercion or heavy-handed threats wherever they come from,Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told Reuters, arguing that the law was in the national interest, which goes hand in hand with a healthy local media industry.

For a while there, Australias bold bid to charge social-media companies for the news they reproduce was looking like the silver bullet to the economic woes of the journalism industry, including those in Canada.

As recently as June, Guilbeault said he was planning to talk to officials in Australia before unveiling plans this fall to give long-term assistance to the news and information industries. He is also talking to his counterparts in France, where the government has taken a different approach  more like copyright law  to charge tech giants for the news they distribute.

Guilbeaults office said on Tuesday that the minister is looking for a made-in-Canada solution, but offered no hints of what that would look like, or whether the Australia-Facebook spat has sent Canada back to the drawing board.

Facebook, for its part, has been arguing that its relationship with news organizations is more of a symbiotic one. Yes, it gets to circulate news  and more and more Canadians get their news from Facebook  but it also argues that the media gets to tap into a huge distribution network at no cost.

Will Easton, Facebooks managing director for Australia and New Zealand also issued a blog post, laying out this line of argument, as well as what Australian news companies stand to lose when their content is pulled.

News stories are thrown up on Facebook to encourage readers to share news across social platforms, to increase readership of their stories, Easton wrote. This in turn allows them to sell more subscriptions and advertising. Over the first five months of 2020 we sent 2.3 billion clicks from Facebooks newsfeed back to Australian news websites at no charge  additional traffic worth an estimated $200 million (AUD) to Australian publishers.

Similar figures are not available for Canada  I asked  but one assumes they would emerge if Guilbeaults plans resemble what Australia has been proposing.

Facebook has been arguing that it is not anti-journalism and that it is in fact in the midst of all kind of initiatives to help this ailing industry  fellowships for journalists, for instance, and a news licensing program being unveiled in other countries. That licensing agreement has put not-insignificant dollars in the pockets of U.S. media organizations such as the New York Times and Washington Post  according to some reports, an estimated cash infusion of as much as $3 million annually for big media players.

Similar deals for Canadian news organizations are not yet in the works and Guilbeault is still promising that some sort of plan to help the media business is coming before the end of this year. Arguing with Facebook, though, now looks a little more high-risk than arguing on Facebook.

Susan Delacourt is an Ottawa-based columnist covering national politics for the Star. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt

Read more about:
PHOENIX  The Republican nominee for sheriff in metro Phoenix spoke Monday to a group of conservative Arizona State University students who have been criticized for their fundraising efforts for the legal defense of a 17-year-old who authorities said had fatally shot two protesters last week in Wisconsin.

Jerry Sheridan said he isnt worried about creating an unfavorable appearance by speaking at the online fundraiser by the College Republicans United, though he made it clear he wasnt endorsing or criticizing the groups fundraising.

Sheridan said he spoke to the group twice last year and agreed to his latest appearance two weeks ago, before authorities say Kyle Rittenhouse fatally shot two people and severely wounded a third person during an Aug. 25 anti-racism demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

I have no opinion on what they are doing, Sheridan said. But I am a man of my word, and I told them I would speak to their group. And I am a strong enough person where I am not going to shy away from controversy.

College Republicans United has said half of any funds it raises during the semester would go toward Rittenhouses legal defense fund, saying the 17-year-old didnt deserve to have his life destroyed.

The group was denounced by another student Republican organization as a radical, far-right extremist group. The university said it cant bar College Republicans United from raising money, but it doesnt endorse the fundraiser.

Last year, the co-founders of College Republicans United, which split from the ASU College Republicans in 2018, had apologized after documents surfaced showing some group leaders making racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic comments online.

The victims in the shooting involving Rittenhouse were demonstrating against racism in the wake of the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, who is Black, by a white police officer. Blake was paralyzed after being shot seven times. Rittenhouse told police he was trying to protect businesses and people and acted in self-defense.

Law enforcement leaders should be honest, transparent and accountable, Sheridans Democratic opponent, Sheriff Paul Penzone, said in a statement. Promoting fear and using a tragedy to invoke support for a person accused of a horrific crime is abhorrent,

College Republicans United said the criticism of the fundraising effort overlooks Rittenhouses due process rights. Kyle is innocent until proven this wasnt self-defense, the group said in a statement.

Sheridan said he doesnt know the details of what happened in Rittenhouses case, but insisted he wasnt going to rely on news stories or social media postings to judge someone. He declined to say whether he supported the groups fundraising effort.

Whatever happened to (the presumption of) innocence before guilt? Sheridan said. People have already found him guilty. Let the process  the due process  work its way.
(Newser)  Former employees of a Michigan nursing home say it had a strict mask policy in the weeks after the pandemic hit the state: No masks allowed. Three ex-employees are suing the the Villages of Lapeer Nursing and Rehabilitation in Lapeer, along with relatives of Wanda Parker, one of 19 residents who died of COVID-19. Taylor Minifield, a former certified nursing assistant at Villages of Lapeer, says bosses told them they weren't allowed to wear masks because it would scare the patients. Minifield says that she told director of nursing Jill Vankerschaver toward the end of March that she was wearing a mask to work because her mother's cancer doctor had said she needed to. "She snatched it off my face and threw it in the trash," Minifield tells WXYZ. Vankerschaver abruptly resigned on April 7.

story continues below

Minifield and Tasha Harden, another former CNA at the facility, say masks and other protective equipment were donated by the community, but Vankerschaver kept them in her office, saying they were for "emergencies." Harden and Minifield, who both became ill with COVID-19, say in their lawsuit that they warned authorities in late March that numerous residents had symptoms, but were told there were no plans to test residents "because they could not possibly have it," reports the Detroit Free Press. Dave Williams, whose 68-year-old mother, Wanda Parker, died in early April after becoming infected at Villages of Lapeer, is also suing. He says other nursing homes in the area had far fewer cases than Villages of Lapeer, which accounted for more than half of the county's COVID deaths. "She was taken from us for no good reason," he says. (Read more coronavirus stories.)
I certainly though want to let Chicagoans know that we have concerns about Indiana, Arwady said. If we dont see improvement across the state, we will then add them next Tuesday, so were keeping an eye on it, really hoping that that is more of a data reporting anomaly, but we have some real concern.
According to the lawsuit, the chase started around 2 a.m. March 26. Hendrick was in the front passenger seat, and the driver was Charles Justin Boothe, who is facing criminal charges stemming from the chase. In the back seat was 18-year-old Deven McKay Mathis.

The lawsuit says that Boothe had just dropped off Mathis' girlfriend and was driving on Lewisville-Clemmons Road toward Peace Haven Road in Clemmons. Boothe ran through a yellow light, and a Forsyth County sheriff's deputy turned on his blue lights in an attempt to stop the SUV.

Boothe did not stop, and the sheriff's deputy gave chase. According to the lawsuit, Hendrick and Mathis begged Boothe to pull over and let them out. Boothe refused, saying he would not be going back to prison, according to the lawsuit.

"They continued to ask him to stop and let them out but Boothe refused, turning onto Highway 421 and traveling East toward Guilford and eventually Davidson County," according to the lawsuit.
Another blow to North Wales economy with 71 jobs set to be lost at meat and poultry manufacturer in Wrexham

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2020

More than 70 jobs at a meat and poultry manufacturer in Wrexham are set to be in lost in what a union has today described as another blow to North Wales economy.

Tyson Foods Wrexham Limited, located on the Llay Industrial Estate, is to close at the end of September according to Unite the Union.

The company had acquired the business 12 months ago from BRF Wrexham Limited.

Unite have been in consultation with Tyson Foods for the last month and it was hoped that a buyer for the site could be found.

However the union say that today the business has confirmed that is is proceeding with the closure of the site, resulting in the loss of 71 jobs.

Jo Goodchild, Unite Wales regional officer, said: This is devastating news for a loyal and dedicated workforce.

The economy of North East Wales has seen a succession of large scale redundancies in recent months and todays news is more bad news for the local area.

This site was first opened in 1962 under Frimbo Foods and is one of the main employers for individuals in the locality of Llay in Wrexham.

Some employees have worked at the site in excess of 40 years, it is the only job they have ever had.

Unite will do everything it can to support our members affected through these challenging times. We will assist them to access all available help with retraining through our Wales Union Learning Fund project.
An ancient species of dog, the New Guinea singing dog, has been rediscovered and may help scientists better understand human vocalization. (Photo : Pexels)

An ancient dog species, the New Guinea singing dog, has been rediscovered and may help scientists better understand human vocalization.









New Study

A new study published in the journal PNAS utilized genomics and conservation biology of wild and captive-bred populations. It was considered extinct for the last half-century. The study involved researchers from the National Institutes of Health's NHGRI or National Human Genome Research Institute in Cenderawasih University, Indonesia, and other academic institutions.

Researchers found a population still wandering the New Guinea Highlands, providing opportunities for its protection.

READ: Cats and Dogs: Five Things You Should Know About Colorblindness and Other Senses





Usefulness in Research

This dog species is remarkable because it can help biologists discover insights into human vocalization. The singing dog is a unique and valuable animal model studying the causes of human vocal disorders and creating potential treatments.

Studies on Singing Dogs

This dog breed is known for having a characteristic and unique vocalization. It can create harmonic and pleasing sounds that have tonal quality. There are a mere 200 to 300 captive specimens in conservation institutions. Since the 1970s, no wild individual has been seen.

According to senior study author and NIH Distinguished Investigator Dr. Elaine Ostrander, this New Guinea species is an artificial breed created by captive breeding. They came from an original stock of eight individuals bred together in the US.

As such, Ostrander says that the captive population has undergone significant inbreeding, enough for their genomic character to be changed. There is now reduced variation in the DNA of the group.

This inbreeding has likely caused the loss of many of the species' genomic variants, which is still present in wild populations. This reduction in variation threatens their survival.

READ ALSO: Big Dogs at Higher Risk of Joint Problems If Neutered Early





Highland Wild Dog Field Studies

The Highland Wild Dog is a wild breed of New Guinea singing dogs. It has the same physical characteristics and is the most ancient and rarest dogs in existence.

The lack of Highland Wild Dog information on its genomes and its reclusiveness made it challenging to determine its relation to New Guinea singing dogs.

Field studies in 2016 and 2018 allowed for the collection of blood samples and behavioral, physiologic, and demographic data from the Highland Wild Dog.

According to Dr. Heidi Parker, NHGRI scientist, through genomic analyses, they discovered that the two groups of dogs have striking similarities in their genomes. They are more closely related to one another than to other canine breeds.

Generating a New Population

The researchers believe that their genomic similarities may mean that the Highland Wild Dogs comprise the New Guinea singing dogs' original wild population. They are essentially one breed, which proves that wild New Guinea singing dogs are still extant.

Thus, the researchers suggest that breeding wild Highland Wild Dogs with captive New Guinea singing dogs will spawn a new singing dog population, preserving it and expanding the captive singing dog population.

Proto-Dogs

These two dog breeds still belong to the Canis lupus familiaris species, although they have genomic variants that are absent in other dog breeds.

Dr. Ostrander says this proto-dogs will help provide a better history of dogs' domestication and new information on dog breeds.

Future Studies

Researchers plan to study the New Guinea singing dog's genomics on vocalization to help treat human vocalization deficits.

READ NEXT: Brave Six-Year-Old Protects His Younger Sister From Vicious Dog Attack





Check out more news and information on Cats and Dogs on Nature World News.
The tornado that hit last Saturday destroyed the home of Jimmy and Victoria Bova, residents of Schaghticoke, which is the couples second home that has been lost to a tornado (Photo : Pexels)

The tornado that hit last Saturday destroyed the home of Jimmy and Victoria Bova, residents of Schaghticoke, the couple's second home that has been lost to a tornado.



Picking up the Broken Pieces

After the severe storm last Saturday, the Schaghticoke couple started picking up their home's broken pieces on Sunday, as their house was left in ruins.

Jimmy and his wife Victoria were staying at home during the time the tornado arrived. Victoria says she was standing right by their door when their room was blown apart by the tornado.

Within mere minutes, Jimmy and Victoria's home have been ripped apart.



Tornado Reports

According to the National Weather Service, they confirmed that two tornadoes have touched down in Rensselaer and Saratoga Counties.

In Stillwater, an EF-1 scale tornado touched down just before 5:30 AM, bringing up to 100 miles per hour. Shortly afterward, another tornado of the same EF-1 level touched down as well in Schaghticoke, having winds of up to 110 miles per hour.



Tornado on the Bova Residence

According to the National Weather Service's reported coordinates, the tornado had touched down at the cornfield right at the front of the Bova couple's residence located on Verbeck Avenue.

They were caught completely by surprise when the tornado struck their home, with wind speeds of 110 miles per hour already barreling in their direction.

STAY UPDATED: The Coming Storms: 4 Tropical Systems May Potentially Develop This Week



The Bovas' Latest Tornado Experience

According to what Victoria told Briana Supardi of CBS6, they ran towards their basement to cover the tornado. However, one of their dogs had gotten loose. When Jimmy went down to the basement with one of their dogs, she tried to grab their other little white dog.

When she got back out, the room suddenly blew up while she was closing down their basement as she started going down into it. She said that the tornado landed right upon their house.



Second Encounter

This was not the first time that home of Jimmy and Victoria Bova was devastated by the passing of a tornado. Victoria says that this was already the second time.

Their first encounter was with the tornado that hit in Mechanicville in 1998. This one ripped their roof off. They needed to rebuild their home from the disaster as well. The tornado also killed one of their horses.

Victoria says that the tornado that hit their home last Saturday cause much worse damage. This time, Victoria says that it took out all they had, including their house and garage. She says they have no choice but to rebuild again.

READ: Climate Change: The Negative Effects on Human Health



Their Current Condition

Jimmy has multiple sclerosis; the storm damaged the motorized wheelchair he was using. The couple will be temporarily living in a camper for the next coming few days. It was lent to them by a friend while they are looking for a better place to stay.

As they try to move forward with their life, Victoria is determined to keep staying positive and focus on the brighter days ahead instead of dwelling on their present dark condition.

An online GoFundMe page was set up for those willing to help Jimmy and Victoria Bova rebuild their lives after their encounter with a tornado in Schaghticoke.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Hurricane Laura, Among the Most Powerful Storms in US History, Ravages Louisiana, Kills Six and Causes Massive Damage

Check out more news and information on Natural Disasters on Nature World News.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: Bihars Minister of Water Resource Department (WRD) Sanjay Kumar Jha called on the External Affairs minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Monday to discuss issues related to erosion, flood-prevention works, and Nepal's non-cooperation in carrying out flood-related works.

Jha, concerned by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar's request regarding the long-term solution for flood, also discussed Nepal's non-cooperation shown recently in carrying out the flood protection works along the Indo-Nepal border.

At present, Bihar is reeling under the devastation wreaked by the flood which has affected more than 84 lakh people in 16 districts of the northern part of the state.

"I, carrying on the Bihar CM Nitish Kumars request of finding long term solutions to floods in north Bihar, have requested the External Affairs Minister to expedite the task of construction of high dams on Koshi, Kamla and Baghmati rivers, Jha said.

He said that both India and Nepal have long agreed on the need for these high dams but no discernible progress has been made so far in this regard.

As a result of it, Bihar has to suffer damages and devastation every year owing to the recurring floods brought by rivers originating from major catchments in the Himalaya in Nepal, he said.

Citing figures, Jha said that 28 out of 38 districts of Bihar are flood-prone.

Nearly, 68.80 lakh hectares that is, 73 per cent of the states total area, suffers chronic floods per year causing a heavy loss of human lives, infrastructure, agriculture and future prospects of development, Jha said.

If the flood problems are sorted out technically with the cooperation of the neighbouring country, thousands of crores of rupees that go into rehabilitation and rescue missions every year during floods could be used in development works for the state.

CM Nitish Kumar had recently apprised the Prime Minister of non-cooperation from Nepal with the officials of Bihar, during a video conferencing meeting with CMs.

He had earlier requested for diplomatic intervention from the center.

The External Affairs Minister had then assured to look into the issues and offered to help.

Flood-prevention schemes

Bihars WRD department has proposed 28 flood-protection schemes to be completed on the Nepal side this year.

The Bihar CM had visited Jainagar in Madhubani on the Indo-Nepal border in June to oversee flood protection work on river Kamla and directed the officials to expedite the progress.

The WRD carries out anti-erosion and flood protection works in the Nepal side of the border areas in Kosi, Gandak, Kamla, and other river basins as per agreement between India and Nepal government, the minister said.

Nepal's non-cooperation

The execution of the strengthening of the right marginal embankment of the Lalvekiya River on the Indo-Nepal border was hampered by the Nepalese administration.

The works of breach-closures and the anti-erosion the right guide embankments of Kamla were also were disrupted by the Nepal side as it was allegedly located in No-Mans land.

In another important move, Bihar WRD Minister also put forth Bihars demand yet again to include a representative of Government of Bihar in the Joint Project Office (JPO), at Biratnagar.

Jha requested to include a representative of the Bihar government in the inter-governmental agency that is entrusted with the task of developing the PPR and DPR for constructing high dams in Nepal side on the rivers Kosi, Kamla, and Baghmati in which currently have only the representatives from the governments of India and Nepal.
Adeptus Solutions, Inc. Logo We recognize that modern IT solutions require an agile and adaptive approach to integrating automated tools, technology, and efficient processes. Past News Releases RSS

Inc. magazine today revealed that Adeptus Solutions, Inc, a leading technology and management consulting company, has been featured in Inc. magazine for the 2nd consecutive year. Adeptus Solutions is an ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified firm, and is appraised for its federal division at CMMI Level III for Services. We are ranked number 1321 on Inc. magazine annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economys most dynamic segmentits independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.

Our growth is built on the achievements of our employees and their dedication, says Erica Robertson, President and CEO of Adeptus Solutions. We recognize that modern IT solutions require an agile and adaptive approach to integrating automated tools, technology, and efficient processes.

This achievement is a result of internal improvements that allowed us to focus on adding value and quality during this challenging economy. Our focused decision making, quality process, and strategic planning meet our customers needs. However, our growth is a testament to our employees, clients, and our leadership team.

As a small business owner, it is important to establish a strong support system. On a personal note, I want to recognize my team. From the beginning, we set out to put our clients first  what we call a concierge approach to IT service delivery and management. Adeptus is extremely grateful to our employees, clients, and partners who helped us achieve this ranking!

Again, congratulations to all our employees for a job well done!

Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are also being featured in the September issue of Inc., available on newsstands August 18.

About Adeptus Solutions, Inc.

Established in 2008, Adeptus Solutions, Inc. is a management and information technology company. We are a Certified Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business SBA 8(a), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), HUBZone company serving both commercial clients and federal government agencies. We provide the most qualified staff at competitive rates while effectively serving our customers and embracing their challenges as our own. We increase delivered value by ensuring our employees maintain a proactive, technical training schedule combined with the necessary tools to be successful. We specialize in the following areas: Enterprise software testing, data analytics, Application and Software Integration and Deployment, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Solutions, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Training and Curriculum Development, and Program and Project Management. For more information, please visit http://www.adeptusasi.com.

CONTACT:

Erica H. Robertson MHSA, MPH, PMP

President and CEO,

(703) 579-1101

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The future of Belfast city centre traders is at risk if office workers don't return to their desks soon, with one economist saying it could cost at least 200m.

According to Belfast Chamber, which interviewed 500 of its city-based members for a survey, just 5% of the Belfast office workforce has returned to company premises full time.

It said the drop in office workers has hit both sales and footfall in the city by 50% in recent months.

The survey also lays bare the raw concerns among those businesses reliant on the office worker, particularly those in the hospitality and retail trade. They believe the worst hit to business is still to come, with concerns mounting over an increase in business closures and job losses.

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Belfast Chamber says only 5% of city centre office workers are back full-time and 35% are still working from home full-time. And 40% of businesses don't anticipate a full return to the office until the end of the year at least. However, one-quarter of respondents said it will be early 2021 before staff return on a full-time basis.

Simon Hamilton, chief executive of Belfast Chamber, said: "We have already witnessed some of the devastation that the coronavirus pandemic has brought on our city centre with closures of stores like DW and Easons and job losses at Marks and Spencer, Debenhams and many others. These survey results show that the situation is likely to get far worse before it gets better.

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"Achieving the safe return of office based workers to Belfast is an essential ingredient in the recovery of our city's economy that will assist in maintaining jobs and ensure that Belfast remains an attractive place to visit and invest in when the pandemic has passed."

If Belfast mirrors a general NI-wide 10% output fall then the city economy loses about 14bn in total for all reasons, lack of office workers being just one of these Esmond Birnie

Esmond Birnie, senior economist at Ulster University, said the loss of the office worker would cost those trading in the centre "at least 200m".

Dr Birnie said: Weve faced years of change in a matter of months and the economy has been given a tremendous kick.

This is a massive acceleration in change, some for the good but much for the worse.

If Belfast mirrors a general NI-wide 10% output fall then the city economy loses about 14bn in total for all reasons, lack of office workers being just one of these.

Mr Hamilton said the Executive must act now to contain further damage.

The guidance from the Executive currently provides that employers should make every effort to help people work from home where they can.

And in the rest of the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been urging workers to start returning to their places of work.

However, last week Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he didnt care how many of his officials were working from home. What I care about is how effectively people work and obviously people should come back to the office if that is what they need to do their job.

Mr Hamilton said the survey showed the serious and sustained impact the pandemic has had. It is positive that after seeing so much of the citys economy shut down back in March, that only 4% of businesses remain closed but it is clear from these results that those who have reopened have done so in a very different environment than before Covid-19 struck.

The Executives current guidance on the matter is also cited as one of the biggest barriers to a return to the office. I have spoken with many members who have staff that want to return to the office for a whole host of reasons, whilst others who have a customer or client facing aspect to their work are keen to get back. But they have stated clearly to me that the Executives guidance which remains at step 1 on their pathway to recovery, remains a stumbling block.

We would encourage the Executive to move to step three on its pathway and permit a phased return to the office where this is safe and has been subject to the necessary risk assessments.

These survey results should also prompt our Executive to establish its proposed high street task force as soon as possible and also consider how they can continue to support businesses in our city and town centres.

Retail NI chief Glyn Roberts has described Covid-19s impact on the high street as not a crisis, but an emergency.
Pritzker and many state health officials have credited the March 21 stay-at-home order with slowing the growth of COVID-19 in Illinois earlier this year, and have said it helped prevent most area hospitals from becoming overwhelmed at the height of the illness here. Pritzker had decried the lack of a national stay-at-home order early in the pandemic.
Harris County has been sued by the Texas attorney general on Monday after it refused to drop plans to send mail-in ballot applications to more than 2 million registered voters.

Attorney General Ken Paxton acted at the request of the secretary of state. He asked a state district court to bar Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins from providing the mail-in ballot applications to every registered voter in the county.

Paxton alleged that Hollins does not have the power to carry out such a plan in Harris County, Texas Tribune said in a report.

The lawsuit marks the latest development on mail-in ballot voting debates in Texas.

The fight first focused on which voters can cast absentee ballots, but it has grown now. It now includes a legal spat between the state and its most populous county by over who can apply for a mail-in ballot.

An Associated Press report said the plans to send all registered voters the application were announced by the county this month.

It was also announced that mail-in ballots would be sent whether or not a person is qualified to vote by mail. This is generally restricted in Texas to voters who are 65 years old or older, disabled, or outside the county on Election Day, as noted by Texas Public Radio.

Texas Supreme Court had ruled earlier this year that fear of catching COVID-19 does not qualify as a disability under Texas law.

Texas GOP Leaders Resist Mail-in Ballots

Restrictions on mail-in voting had been loosened be several states due to COVID-19 concerns. But Texas' GOP leaders have opposed calls to expand it.

This stand is aligned with President Donald Trump. He claimed that widespread use of this method would increase election fraud and uncertainty.

Yet, there is no proof of widespread voter fraud that can be done through mail-in voting.

The Monday action is the most prominent time that the state had gone in between local election practices. No state law clearly bans election officials from sending out the applications to all voters.

But Paxton argued that county clerks are only "expressly empowered" by Texas Election Code to send out applications for those who request it. He pointed out that there is no statute letting them send vote by mail applications to voters who did not ask for it.

He said Hollins's plans to send vote-by-mail applications to all registered voters are not part of his duties as the county clerk.

Local Election Officials Look On

Until now, local election officials and county clerks had merely looked on as Texas GOP leaders fought with state Democrats and civil rights groups. They are the ones in charge of carrying out the elections.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Twitter that Harris County's plans could lead to voter fraud and "compromise election results."

Hollins did counter the accusations said by Paxton. He said they only plan to provide clarity on voters' rights.

He said the county would only shed light on who is eligible to apply for a mail-in ballot.

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(Newser)  After Ron Jeremy was charged in June with sexually assaulting four women, dozens of women contacted investigators with accusations of their own. The result is 20 more charges against the porn star, involving crimes against another 13 women, Rolling Stone reports. The charges cover allegations between 2004 and Jan. 1 of this year; Los Angeles County prosecutors said the victims ranged in age from 15 to 54. Six assaults took place at a bar in West Hollywood, they said, and one in the bar's parking lot. Jeremy has pleaded not guilty on the first group of charges.

story continues below

Investigators said Jeremy, 67, was a regular on the Sunset Strip, victimizing drunk women, per the Los Angeles Times. In 2017, Rolling Stone interviewed women who said had capitalized on his fame to get close to potential victims, some of them in the adult film business, and then assaulted them. Around the same time, a video listing allegations against him collected more than 200,000 views on YouTube. His lawyer had no immediate comment Monday. Conviction on all 28 counts could bring a maximum sentence of more than 250 years. Jeremy remains in custody in Los Angeles, per NBC. (Read more Ron Jeremy stories.)
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: As we progress further into the lockdown, children have been bearing the negative impact of being constrained inside the four walls of their houses for too long. As COVID- 19 continues to unleash its wrath across the globe, it has inadvertently turned the lives of children upside down. With a sudden transition to online learning and prolonged screen time with no outdoor play and limited social interaction, the long term impact on childrens mental and physical health remains dubious.

According to Kids Under Covid, a research study and survey by SP Robotic Works, 78 per cent of Indian parents are unwilling to send their wards to school immediately post lockdown, even if that entails repeating an academic year. The survey was done among 3,600 parents and an equal number of children, between the age group of 7-17 years.

Safety of their wards the topmost priority for parents

Parents from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai and mini-metros are sceptical about sending their children to school, even if it is declared safe, with 82-86 per cent unwilling to take any risk with the children. However, Chennai and Kolkata are the only exceptions among the major cities where the ratio of parents that are willing to take chances with sending their children to school is higher than the national average. The salaried guardians are the most protective, with only 17 per cent willing to send their children to school as soon as the schools reopen as against 30 per cent of self-employed and 56 per cent of freelance workers.

Parents and students reject online schooling

While most schools have successfully transitioned to online, the model is found to be less effective with over two third of children preferring to learn in the classroom. Interestingly, children, as well as parents in smaller cities and non-metros, seem to prefer online learning compared to those in metros, except Bangalore.

Mental health of children

The sleeping pattern of nearly 50 per cent of the kids has been disturbed with 13 per cent of kids having no regular pattern of sleeping. While children with siblings have managed to stay less impacted, however, the older child still is exposed to ruptures in the pattern, teenagers acquiring the lions share. Understandably, 67 per cent of parents think that their childs screen time has gone up by at least 50 per cent during the lockdown, impacting their concentration levels and leading to sleep disorders. The fear of pandemic has affected 40 per cent of the children surveyed, causing unaddressed anxiety issues.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 23:04:53|Editor: huaxia

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WUHAN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Like many in Wuhan, Liu Ni, a 46-year-old florist, had to close her shop for months due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but with the city's reviving nightlife, her business has picked up now.

The city once hit the hardest by the COVID-19 epidemic in China has attracted global attention -- water parks, beer festival, and night bazaars are breathing new life into the city that saw a 76-day lockdown.

LIFE BLOOMING WITH FLOWERS

After closing her shop at 4 p.m., Liu Ni and her two nieces headed for the Star City Plaza night bazaar where they run a flower stall.

The bazaar opened in July for the first time and has been since bustling with visitors every day after dusk. Even with masks on, the eyes of the visitors emanate their joyous smile.

Around 100 stands have been erected in the bazaars, with vendors and peddlers selling T-shirts, trinkets, toys and a variety of food and snacks. People can also enjoy recreational activities such as quoits, balloon shooting and fishing.

Under a green canopy, Liu exhibited some 20 buckets of flowers, including roses, daisies and lilies, priced 9.9 yuan (around 1.45 U.S. dollars) for each bunch.

"I was heavily burdened in the first half of the year. The epidemic rendered me to suspend business, while I still had to pay the housing loan," Liu said, who rushed to rent a stall three days after the opening of the bazaar.

"Compared with my shop in the back street, there are more passersby here. I can earn hundreds of yuan every night, which greatly adds to my family income," she said.

JOINING HANDS TO RELISH LIFE

As night drew in, foodies in Wuhan crowded into the Wansongyuan Road, a well-known food street where hundreds of restaurants and food stalls are located.

Fang Bokai, 28, owner of a restaurant named "Only Selling Oysters," was busy placing mushed garlic and vermicelli noodles on tens of oysters before putting them in ovens, as waiters stood by to serve the delicacy to customers.

Nearly all the tables in the restaurant were occupied by customers, and several people were waiting on the doorstep to grab takeaways.

Together with five staff members, Fang can sell more than 1,000 oysters every day, up 30 percent from the same period in the last two years.

But, a few months back the situation was different. In the first half of the year, Fang incurred a loss of over 100,000 yuan due to the epidemic. His restaurant couldn't be opened until April 11, three days after Wuhan lifted its outbound traffic restriction which had lasted for 76 days.

"Our business slumped in the first two months after resumption of work, as many people did not dare to leave their home or dine out," Fang said, adding that the turn came in July when more consumers began to dine in restaurants.

Meanwhile, instead of manual handling of bills by a cashier, Fang put QR codes on each table so people can order food by themselves using their phones. "It is not only more convenient but can also reduce unnecessary direct contact among people," Fang said.

Fang has been cooperating with restaurants nearby to promote each other's menus. "We are trying to help each other to generate more sales. My customers can order food from other restaurants and our waiters will fetch dishes for them," he said.

According to a survey conducted by Wuhan's restaurant and catering association, as of Aug. 30, nearly all fast food, barbecue and hotpot restaurants in the city had resumed operation, and 81 percent of customers had chosen to dine in.

COOLING DOWN, CHEERING UP

After an early dinner outside, Xiong Liang drove his wife and son to the Playa Maya Water Park to relieve the summer heat. It was their first swim of the year.

"My son has been talking about swimming for two months, and sometimes he even held the inflatable ring under the showerhead at home, but I was afraid to visit pools where people may gather without masks," said Xiong, who then changed his mind after learning that the water park has adopted strict epidemic prevention measures.

Visitors must wear masks while entering the park and are required to show health codes before entry. Besides, mandatory temperature screening is also in place. Though visitors can take off their masks inside the park; however, all staff members, no matter in water or onshore, would prefer to keep wearing their masks.

Besides swimming, Xiong and his family drifted down a 750-meter waterway by a rented dinghy and tried some water slides and amusement facilities in the water park. Xiong said the queuing time has far shortened now.

"I am so excited that I feel the same summer joy as I did before," said Xiong, who had volunteered to work in his community during Wuhan's lockdown, taking temperatures, delivering vegetables and buying medicine for residents.

"I can remember the difficult days we endured, so I know this joy did not come easy," Xiong said. "Since the epidemic, such everyday happiness in life seems more precious." Enditem
A Chinese flag flies over a court in the northeastern city of Tianjin, in a file photo.

A sexual assault case in April involving a licensed lawyer who was also a senior executive of a Shandong province oil enterprise prompted China's Ministry of Justice to launch a mass purge of lawyers that has removed more than 660 lawyers in Hunan province, legal sources said.

The accusations against Bao Yuming  vice president and chief legal officer of Shandong Yantai Jereh Group, China's largest oilfield services company  were serious: He had sexually assaulted his adopted daughter since 2015. Jereh and the ZTE Corporation, where he was an independent non-executive director, announced his resignation as soon as the case was exposed.

It was not Baos alleged sexual misdeeds that China's Ministry of Justice was targeting, however, when it launched a large-scale purge of lawyers, an unfolding nationwide campaign that led to the revocation of the law licenses of more than 660 lawyers in central Hunan province in August alone.

The purge of commercial and other lawyers, which comes three years after Beijing targeted human rights attorneys, is targeting full-time lawyers violating rules on holding two or more positions concurrently, signing labor contracts with firms other than law firms, and practicing as full-time lawyers while holding foreign passports and concealing the revocation of Chinese nationality, lawyers said

"The legal profession must be given time to carry this work properly. The requirements should be more stringent. The lawyer management department has issued a lot of licenses that should not have been issued, especially in out-of-the-way places where exams were not administered before issuing licenses, said attorney Wu Kuiming.

Many were Chinese nationals, who were licensed after passing the exam, but now they are foreign nationals," he said, describing chaos in the legal profession in China.

According to the judicial notification, the affected lawyers must take the initiative to report to violations of bans on part-time employment or the loss of Chinese nationality.

On August 20, 2020, the Hunan Province Justice Department revoked the law licenses of 467 lawyers. From April 7 to August 27, 2020, 1,267 lawyers licenses have been revoked for doing part-time work and holding foreign passports, in a pool of more than 16,000 lawyers in the province

A notice that the Hunan Province Justice Department in central China has revoked the law licenses of 467 lawyers, Aug. 20, 2020. Credit: Hunan Province Justice Department 'Forced to act and forced to be quoted'

Beyond Hunan, all provinces and cities across the country have conducted similar large-scale purges, law sources say.

Authorities claim these lawyers had their licenses revoked on their own initiative, but Hunan human rights lawyer Xie Yang said he believes that most of them were forced to comply.

"The Chinese Communist Party monopolizes all social resources in China. If you don't comply with license revocation, you will bear consequences that you are unwilling to bear. The authorities will impose harsh blows on you from other angles. These so-called 'initiators' are forced to act and forced to be quoted," Xie said.

Xie was among 300 lawyers, law firm staff and rights activists detained, questioned and otherwise harassed during a July 2015 crackdown on human rights defenders. He was accused of "inciting subversion of state power," and recently disbarred on the grounds that he disrupted court order while trying his case.

In an era when many Chinese lawyers  especially those who practice from Hong Kong  have qualifications to practice abroad, and even have foreign passports, Xie says holding a foreign passport or doing part-time work does not run counter to the professional ethics of lawyers.

"Attorneys are knowledge professionals. As long as you have the ability to obtain a law license from the People's Republic of China without violating the law, then no one should revoke this license, he told RFA.

This is the Ministry of Justice exceeding its authority, even going so far as to revoke the licenses of lawyers holding more than one position at the same time," Xie added.

He said that the authorities' rectification of the national legal profession will inevitably affect human rights lawyers.

Purging human rights lawyers is not the starting point. But in the rectification process, it will definitely affect lawyers who support human rights, even if they are not prominent, and revoke their law licenses, said Xie.

July 9 marked marked the fifth anniversary of a nationwide crackdown targeting more than 300 law firms, human rights attorneys and associated activists that began with the arrest of lawyers Wang Yu and Bao Longjun and colleagues at the now-shuttered Beijing Fengrui law firm on July 9, 2015.

More than 200 people were detained as part of the 2015 crackdown, and China Human Rights Lawyers Group lists at least nine rights lawyers who remain behind bars, including Li Yuhan, Yu Wensheng and Qin Yongpei. Detentions and harassment of lawyers continue across China, the group says.

Reported by Gao Feng for RFAs Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Scott Savitt.
The Great British Bake Off has released a first look trailer ahead of the new series.

The topical 40-second video is set in the height of lockdown and even pokes fun at the flour shortage.

The trailer sees the nation frantically searching for the key baking staple as a young boy cycles to his grandmother's house to deliver the precious ingredient.

IT'S BACK! The Great British Bake Off has released a first look trailer ahead of the new series

The two then sit down, at a social distance, as they tuck into a decadent two-tier decorated cake with the words 'Bake Offs Back'.

Zaid Al-Qassab, chief marketing officer at Channel 4, said: 'This year's Great British Bake Off campaign highlights that baking is about so much more than sustenance - it's a gift.

'The film illustrates the nation's joyous love of baking, inspired by our shared experience of lockdown in a typically Channel 4 way, and we hope it gets viewers as excited as we are for the return of our biggest show!'

The trailer is set to debut on Channel 4 television screens at 8pm on Tuesday evening.

Memories! The topical 40-second video is set in the height of lockdown and even pokes fun at the flour shortage

Hilarious: The trailer sees the nation frantically searching for the key baking staple as a young boy cycles to his grandmother's house to deliver the precious ingredient

GBBO revealed just last week they had finished filming for the upcoming series. Posting a picture of the iconic kitchen to Instagram, they penned: 'Filming has wrapped on the new series of The Great British Bake Off. More news soon...'

Filming for the next season began last month at a private location in Essex, just a stone's throw from judge Paul Hollywood's home.

Despite being considered a high-risk candidate for coronavirus, his co-host, Judge Prue Leith, 80, will still be presenting on this year's show.

Kelly Webb-Lamb, deputy director of programmes and head of popular factual for Channel 4, recently admitted it was an 'enormous' feat getting the show back on air.

Tea and cake at a social distance! The two then sit down, at a social distance, as they tuck into a decadent two-tier decorated cake with the words 'Bake Offs Back'

She credited stringent health and safety measures, testing and quarantine regimes for the return of the hit baking series.

Meanwhile it has been reported that judge Paul wants to continue using his trademark move in the upcoming Great British Bake Off season, despite fears of spreading coronavirus.

The baking maestro, 54, intends on defying social-distancing rules as the Channel 4 program clarified they will follow strict safety protocol so that all parties are free to handshake to their heart's content.

According to a report in The Sun, Paul has been given the green light to handshake cast members as producers believe the show wouldn't be the same without his signature move.

Exciting! The trailer is set to debut on Channel 4 television screens at 9pm on Tuesday evening (former presenter Sandi Toksvig, judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, and host Noel Fielding L-R)

News: GBBO revealed just last week they had finished filming for the upcoming series. Posting a picture of the iconic kitchen to Instagram

Teasers! They penned: 'Filming has wrapped on the new series of The Great British Bake Off. More news soon...'

To ensure safety at all times, the upcoming season is being filmed in an isolation bubble, with all cast and crew members undergoing regular COVID-19 testing.

A source said: 'In these strange times, producers want the 2020 series to be as close to normal as possible and they feel that it wouldnt be the same without a Hollywood handshake.

'The judges and hosts  and the contestants  have all been deemed clear because of the bio-secure bubble and regular testing.

'So if the baking is up to scratch, well see some handshakes, and not elbow bumps, being dished out before long.'

Green light: Meanwhile it has been reported that judge Paul wants to continue using his trademark move in the upcoming Great British Bake Off season, despite fears of spreading coronavirus

Paul's handshake is widely regarded as the golden ticket for bakers who aim to meet his high expectations or win Star Baker of the week.

The first time that fans witnessed Paul's congratulatory move was in series three of the former BBC show.

The program was relaunched on Channel 4 in 2017 and saw him dish out another seven handshakes in just one run.

Fellow Bake Off presenter Sandi Toksvig revealed that she had left the show earlier this year and was replaced by Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas

Matt will partner up with fellow funnyman, Noel Fielding, 47, who originally joined the Great British Bake Off Cast in 2017.
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Linkedin Sunil Verma with Ammu Kannampilly in Mumbai (Agence France-Presse) Jodhpur, India  Tue, September 1, 2020 10:03 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41d50a9 2 Art & Culture India,Dancer,dancing,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,zoom,tradition Free

As a blackout plunged her desert dwelling into darkness, Suwa Devi, a dancer belonging to India's Kalbeliya gypsy community, asked her neighbor to turn on his jeep's headlights so she could continue teaching her Zoom class, outside.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many people to go online, but the largely nomadic, marginalized Kalbeliya face bigger challenges than most, with several living in mud huts or tents with patchy electricity and non-existent WiFi.

"In the beginning, I had no idea how to make this work," dancer Aasha Sapera told AFP, describing her early forays into hosting classes on Zoom.

"We had so many internet problems. Lessons would often get cancelled because the connection was terrible," said Sapera, whose students span the globe from Japan to Brazil.

Virus restrictions wiped out the 26-year-old single mother's livelihood as a performer in tourism-dependent Rajasthan state. Like others in the community, she has received no financial aid from the government.

The struggle to survive is not new to the Kalbeliya. Although they have not faced persecution and slaughter on the scale of Europe's Sinti and Roma gypsies, they have long been condemned to living on the fringes of Indian society.

British colonial rulers designated the group as a "criminal tribe" in the 1800s and they continue to be stigmatized as thieves and prostitutes in independent India.

A 1972 ban on snake charming -- their traditional economic pursuit -- pushed them to eke out a living as dancers, with many learning the art from their mothers and grandmothers, as Sapera did.

Read also: Belly dancer keeps Tunisians entertained through coronavirus lockdown

Sway like a snake

The dance, which is meant to mimic the swaying movements of a serpent, with performers usually dressed in black, was classified as "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO in 2010 and has attracted a steady stream of global artists and researchers to Rajasthan.

Such access to international collaborators played a key role in their evolution as digital entrepreneurs, said Sapera, who is one of 11 dancers on Kalbeliya World, an online platform offering classes for a $10 fee that goes directly to the performers.

"They were very enthusiastic. They were also intimidated", said Belgian anthropologist Ayla Joncheere, one of the co-founders of Kalbeliya World, describing the dancers' initial response to the idea.

Joncheere and the group's other co-founders Aakansha Maheshwari and Christina Gomes set up a "buddy system", partnering each dancer with an overseas counterpart who could help navigate the administrative and technological challenges.

Since its launch in mid-May, some 600 students from 20 countries including Chile, Morocco, France and Finland have logged on to learn dance from the Kalbeliya.

The lessons, and the income they bring in, have been a lifesaver for the women, many of whom are the sole breadwinners for their large extended families.

The group's success has prompted other Kalbeliya dancers to follow in their footsteps, but with mixed results.

'Too difficult'

When Binu Sapera -- members of the tribe often use the same last name meaning snake-charmer in Hindi -- first ventured into the world of online classes, she hosted a few lessons on Instagram, inviting students to pay what they wanted.

None of the people who signed up contributed.

"It was so upsetting. I had spent so much money getting my mobile data recharged so I could host those lessons, and it was all for nothing," she told AFP.

A British backpacker friend then helped her set up classes on Zoom, where she now teaches a small pool of students and earns around 11,000 rupees ($150) a month, barely half of what she used to make before the pandemic.

The loss of her livelihood coupled with a 20,000-rupee debt has left the 23-year-old mother-of-two, who lives in a mud hut with no electricity, deeply ambivalent about the Kalbeliya's future as rapid change comes to India.

"I desperately want my children to study and pursue other jobs, away from dance," she said.

"I used to love our way of life but now I feel that it's all just too difficult. You can't depend on it for anything."

Read also: Bolshoi ballet soloists limber up in lockdown

Female breadwinners

Yet other Kalbeliya performers like Aasha Sapera believe dance may well be the key to empowering women and ending widespread discrimination against the community.

Dance gave Sapera the confidence to leave an unhappy marriage -- divorce is a rarity in the conservative community -- because she could easily out-earn her musician husband and raise their six-year-old daughter on her own.

Such financial freedom is a watershed for women in a community that high-profile dancer Gulabo Sapera says used to bury baby girls alive, reflecting India's longstanding gender bias in favor of men.

Gulabo, who has spoken of how she was rescued from such a fate, is one of a handful of dancers to enjoy international success -- helping to further ease the stigma.

Online classes, and the global reach they offer, could expand those possibilities, with Kalbeliya World planning to continue hosting lessons long after pandemic restrictions are relaxed.

With so much uncertainty still in the air, her devotion to dance has kept Aasha Sapera going.

"Dance has given me an identity.... I never want it to fade away," she said.

"I want my daughter to finish school. But I also want her to learn how to dance."
Photo: Google Street View

A Richmond McDonalds has closed its doors after a case of COVID-19 was confirmed with one of its employees.

The McDonalds at 8191 Alderbridge Way was shut down immediately on Monday after an employee reported they tested positive for the virus, according to a statement.

The employees last shift was on Thursday, Aug. 27, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All crew members who may have been in close contact with the employee have been asked to self-quarantine until further information is available, said McDonalds Canada.

McDonalds Canada is also asking any guests who may have visited the restaurant on Aug. 27 to seek directions from the BC Centre for Disease Control through their website.

Maintaining the health and well-being of our crew and guests is our top priority, and we will continue to monitor and adapt measures, where necessary.

The restaurant has closed its doors for further sanitizing and cleaning by a certified third party.

Since COVID-19, McDonalds Canada said it has added extra safety measures including:
MILWAUKEE, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW), a statewide health philanthropy based at the Medical College of Wisconsin, has announced the availability of up to $6 million in funding to support projects focused on improving health and advancing health equity in Wisconsin.

"At the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment, we are working to create a healthier state for residents today, and for the generations to come," said Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH, director of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment and senior associate dean at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "Through these funding opportunities we are seeking out Wisconsin's innovators, collaborators, and problem-solvers who share our goal of making positive changes in health possible across the state."

Since 2004, AHW has invested more than $273 million in nearly 470 projects that are taking on Wisconsin's health challenges. AHW issues funding awards and capacity-building programming through four dedicated pathways aimed at supporting those working to improve health statewide.

"The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment is driven by a goal to make Wisconsin the healthiest state in the nation," said Joy Tapper, MPA, chair of AHW's public oversight body, the MCW Consortium on Public and Community Health. "Today, we are pleased to announce a new set of funding opportunities to improve health and advance health equity by supporting innovative and impactful work statewide."

Interested applicants are invited to explore these four new funding opportunities:

Call for Collaborative Research for Improved Health: Up to $1 million available to advance collaborative MCW-led biomedical research

Up to available to advance collaborative MCW-led biomedical research Call for Population & Community Health Studies: Up to $1.5 million available to support community-led population health studies

Up to available to support community-led population health studies Call for Policy & Systems Changes for Improved Health: Up to $1.5 million to advance community-led systems changes for improved health

Up to to advance community-led systems changes for improved health Call for Innovations to Advance Wisconsin's Health Workforce: Up to $2 million to support both community- and MCW-led innovations in health care and public health education and workforce development

All funding applications are due by 5 p.m. (CST) on November 16, 2020. Interested applicants are invited to register for a funding overview webinar. Find the schedule of webinars and registration information for each funding opportunity at ahwendowment.org.

SOURCE Medical College of Wisconsin

Related Links

http://www.mcw.edu


Paragon Financials funding program assists with FEMA contract financing and those companies awarded FEMA contracts such as time and material contracts.

Paragon Financial Group, Inc., specializing in accounts receivable factoring with guaranteed risk-free credit protection and purchase order financing, is immediately offering fast, affordable funding for disaster recovery clean-up companies working in conjunction with FEMA in the aftermath of the damaging Category 4 Hurricane Laura. This includes responders including storm debris clean-up crews, telecom/cable repair, and other government contractors associated with Hurricane Laura.

Tony Robinson of FEMA, states, Emergency declarations have also been approved for Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas () They authorize FEMA to provide assistance, including reimbursement for mass care, evacuation and shelter support.

FEMA uses government contractors to assist and fulfill the needs of the emergency declaration. Paragons assistance program provides non-recourse invoice factoring, credit protected working capital for these companies working with FEMA in states such as Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas and others that are affected by Hurricane Laura. These working capital options help disaster clean-up companies stay cash positive by receiving immediate working capital vs waiting for government payment weeks or months after the job has been completed. Paragons funding program assists with FEMA contract financing and those companies awarded FEMA contracts such as time and material contracts.

Jon Anselma, Paragon Financials CEO and President, As a Floridian and direct funder for over 26 years, I know full well the impact and urgency of funding FEMA government contractors in a fast, efficient, and affordable manner. Disaster relief efforts through government contractors is essential for fast debris removal, life-saving protective measures, and restoring infrastructure.

Call 888-400-5931 ext 1 or e-mail us at helpdesk@paragonfinancial.net for more information on this funding program.

ABOUT PARAGON FINANCIAL GROUP

Paragon Financial Group, Inc., specializing in business growth debt-free funding to supply chain industries and staffing services, provides non-recourse invoice factoring with guaranteed risk-free credit protection (aka, accounts receivable funding), purchase order financing, and government contract financing solutions. Serving the needs of new and growing companies with B2B or B2G sales of $500,000-$50,000,000 per annum. Paragon Financial Group is an eCapital company. For more information, visit https://www.paragonfinancial.net/
Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain died on July 30. So it naturally came as a surprise when, two weeks later, his Twitter account tweeted a link to an anti-Joe Biden video with the caption, "Just in case you thought Biden's candidacy was going to be anything other than completely nuts, team Trump has released a new video. #JoeBiden #KamalaHarris."

It was the account's first tweet since announcing Cain's funeral services on Aug. 7.

At the time, the account still bore Cain's name and photograph. It looked as if the man himself had tweeted. He began trending, with outrage appearing alongside the many "Weekend at Bernie's" jokes.

"Come on @Twitter @jack!" tweeted journalist Lois Romano, referring to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. "You're ok with dead people attacking others?"

The account soon changed its name to the Cain Gang and changed its bio to "Official Twitter for Team Cain. Formerly run by Herman Cain, now supervised by his team and family. The mission continues."

After the initial bout of confusion, the account continued tweeting generally about politics, to little fanfare. On Sunday, however, it again made headlines, for sending out a tweet, which has since been deleted, reading, "It looks like the virus is not as deadly as the mainstream media first made it out to be," with a link to the conservative political website the Western Journal.

Many users quickly noted the irony of the tweet, given that covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, caused Cain's death. Others wondered if someone else tweeting under Cain's former account violated Twitter's terms.

"Is it against Twitter TOS for the staff of a dead man to tweet from his verified account?" one Democrat-supporting user tweeted. " . . . Disgusting given that Herman Cain died of COVID." University College London professor Brian Klaas called the tweet Act IV of "a tragedy in four acts."

Cain's estate did not respond to The Washington Post's request for comment by press time. His daughter Melanie Cain Gallo wrote a blog post on Aug. 11 stating that the newly named "Cain Gang" would anchor his website and all his social media accounts.

"This is a timely reminder: The Cain Gang consists of different writers who have their own opinions. We all lean right, but we're also individuals," Cain's account tweeted on Aug. 13. "Each piece reflects the opinions of that writer. That's how Herman wanted it to work. But we agree on this: We love you all!"

More for you Cain mourned, celebrated at funeral

Not everyone thought the new posts were a good idea. "People were mostly careful and respectful when Herman Cain passed away from COVID-19, and boy that is going to disappear quickly now that his family and comms team have decided to keep tweeting out new political content under his name," tweeted Donald Moynihan, a professor of public policy at Georgetown University.

Twitter spokesperson Trenton Kennedy told The Post, "The account you referenced is currently not in violation of the Twitter Rules," and pointed to "the updated profile information and profile image indicating who is managing the account." In other words, since the name and the bio changed, the account could keep on tweeting - and remain verified.

The story of Cain's Twitter account isn't unusual in the social media age. Roger Ebert's wife Chaz, for example, took over his account following his death.

Many, though, find it unethical for an account run by someone other than the original account holder to remain "verified" - as depicted by a blue check mark - which, according to Twitter, "lets people know that an account of public interest is authentic." Novelist Michael Marshall Smith tweeted at Twitter Support and Dorsey, "People are using a dead person's verified account to talk trash. This place has some standards, right? A little bit?"

But even living celebrities and politicians often have a team tweeting on their behalf. As Slate's Tamara Kneese put it, "Death exposes the networks of people behind singular social media presences. A celebrity or influencer, just like a corporate brand, may have a rotating group of people, or in some cases bots, running the account."

Many people already know this, but the responses to Cain's continued tweeting suggest some don't like it. "Herman Cain got the coronavirus after attending Trump's indoor Tulsa rally without wearing a mask nor social distancing. Then he died. Now people are using his Twitter account" to claim the virus isn't very deadly, tweeted physician and scientist Eugene Gu. "This is just so wrong."
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Calling it an "historic opportunity" to jumpstart the City's economy in the wake of COVID while also offering unprecedented job and investment opportunities for Black and Brown communities, a coalition of leading minority business, civic and faith leaders today urged the Delaware River Waterfront Commission and the City to select the Philadelphia 76ers' plan to redevelop the Penn's Landing waterfront.

The Urban League of Philadelphia, the Urban Affairs Coalition, the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity and the African-American Chamber of Commerce collectively endorsed the Sixers project based on the urgent need to recover from the pandemic and change the trajectory of the racial wealth and income gap, by unlocking a more prosperous future for our communities, the City, and the state of Pennsylvania as a whole.

At a crucial time for the residents of Philadelphia, the 76ers' proposal would provide billions of dollars in net new revenue to the City and School District at a site that currently provides no tax revenue whatsoever. And the Sixers' commitment to devote approximately $1 billion of the development investment to Black and Brown communities creates a transformational opportunity to ensure that all citizens of Philadelphia will share in the project's benefits.

"This proposal  which in addition to constructing a new, world-class arena would create schools, parks and museums for public use  follows a historic commitment from the 76ers to champion equality and fight systemic racism, showing that they continue to be leaders in our region for driving positive change in our communities," said Reverend Robert Collier, President of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity.

The coalition believes that the Sixers' proposal would also create jobs that a wide range of Philadelphians can take advantage of, including returning citizens and those without a college degree.

"It is clear that we as a country are becoming more serious about righting the wrongs of racial discrimination. It's the responsibility of our City and its leaders to use projects such as Penn's Landing as tools to continue to move in that direction and to do so with urgency  people's livelihoods depend on it," said Sharmain Matlock-Turner, President and CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition.

"We need new job creation and employment for black people to be lifted out of poverty in the city. I welcome this development," said Andrea Custis, President and CEO of the Urban League of Philadelphia.

"We would enthusiastically welcome any project, such as the 76ers proposal, that provides these benefits to our communities and urge others to do the same," said Steven Bradley, Chairman of the Board of the African American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ, and DE.

SOURCE Philadelphia 76ers
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - I-Minerals Inc. (TSXV: IMA) (OTC Pink: IMAHF) ("the Company") is pleased to announce that it has submitted its amended Operations and Reclamation Plan (the "ORP") for its halloysite - kaolin Bovill Project to the Idaho Department of Lands (the"IDL") for approval. I-Minerals mineral tenure is through State of Idaho Mineral leases administered through the IDL and accordingly the IDL is the primary permitting agency.

As announced in the Company's press release of March 3, 2020, the Pre-Feasibility Study (US$48 million initial CAPEX; 18% after tax IRR; US$34 million after tax NPV10; the "PFS"), envisages an operation focused on the annual production of up to 10,000 tons of halloysite and 20,000 tons of metakaolin.

It is the Company's intention to complete a Feasibility Study upon the IDL's approval of the ORP amendments.

A. Lamar Long, CPG, is a qualified person ("QP") for I-Minerals Inc. and has reviewed and approved the contents of this release

I-Minerals Inc.

per: "John Theobald"

John Theobald,

President & CEO

About I-Minerals Inc.

I-Minerals is an exploration and development company that is advancing the Bovill kaolin-halloysite property in north central Idaho. A March 2020 Prefeasibility Study on the Bovill Property envisaging annual production of 20,000 tons of kaolin and 10,000 tons of halloysite estimated initial CAPEX at US$48 million with a 20% pre-tax, 18% after tax IRR and a US$ 48 million pre-tax, US$34 million after tax NPV10%. The Company intends to complete certain amendments to its permit and then undertake a Feasibility Study.

Contact:

I-Minerals Inc.

Barry Girling

877-303-6573 or 604-303-6573

Email: info@imineralsinc.com

Or visit our website at www.imineralsinc.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 NEWS RELEASE.

This News Release includes certain "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization and resources, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various risks. Actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of the following factors, among others: changes in the world wide price of mineral market conditions, risks inherent in mineral exploration, risk associated with development, construction and mining operations, the uncertainty of future profitability and uncertainty of access to additional capital.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62966
No fewer than 13 notorious bandits terrorizing Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States have been apprehended by troops of Operation SAHEL SANITY in the ongoing onslaught against the marauding hoodlums in North-west region of the country.

The Acting Director, Defence Media Operation, Nigerian Army, Brig. General Benard Onyeuko, disclosed this on Monday in a statement issued to journalists in Katsina.

He reiterated that two of the bandits were killed and 10 kidnapped victims were rescued, while one AK 47 rifle, one Dane gun, amongst other dangerous weapons were recovered from the bandits.

He said the Nigerian Army's quest of eliminating banditry and other nefarious activities in the North-west region by troops of the anti-banditry operation was yielding tremendous successes.

Onyeuko, in the statement, said: "On 28 August, 2020, troops conducted a raid operation at some identified bandits' hideouts at Gamji Village. During the operation, six suspects were apprehended, while troops recovered one Dane gun, one motorcycle and two cutlasses from the suspects.

"On same day, troops deployed at Zakka, acting on credible intelligence, arrested three suspected armed bandits namely Sagar Garba, Hafisu Mato and Suleiman Sada. Suspects were identified by locals to be members of a syndicate terrorizing the general area."

The Defence spokesman said after preliminary investigation, the suspects confessed their involvements in recent cattle rustling activities at Kwaya, Sabon Birni and Baure villages of Sokoto and Zamfara States.

He further explained that the arrested suspects were undergoing investigation, while effort was ongoing to apprehend other criminals launching deadly attacks on communities within the affected areas.
A Dutch man who was dragged from his tent by a polar bear and mauled to death on a Norwegian island in the Arctic has been pictured for the first time.

Johan Jacobus Kootte was killed during the night while he was lying in his tent in a camping area near the town Longyearbyen, on the island of Svalbard, which is 800 miles from the North Pole.

The 38-year-old was seriously wounded during the attack and died soon after, the local governor's office said in a statement.

It is the sixth fatal attack in almost 50 years in the region.

Johan Jacobus Kootte was killed during the night while he was lying in his tent in a camping area near the town Longyearbyen

Mr Kootee, a seasonal worker on the island, was ripped from his tent as he slept at around 4am on Friday

The bear was then found dead in a car park near the airport having been shot by locals

Mr Kootee, a seasonal worker on the island, was ripped from his tent as he slept at around 4am on Friday.

The bear was then found dead in a car park near the airport having been shot by locals.

Pictures have also emerged of the animal's body and also Mr Kootee's crumpled tent, which shows the aftermath of the devastating attack.

Blood splatters were seen close to the camp site, where six other people were sleeping, but not injured in the tragedy, according to local reports.

They have been offered counselling after being checked over at hospital and released a statement paying tribute to the victim, The Sun reports.

They wrote: 'We now need peace and that we are allowed to mourn our friend who is dead.

'We would like to thank the people of Longyearbyen and the Governor for their efforts and support during this difficult day.'

Dutch national Johan Jacobus Kootte was killed during the night while he was lying in his tent in a camping area (pictured today) near the town Longyearbyen, which is 800 miles from the North Pole, local officials said on Friday

The attack happened in a camp site near the town Longyearbyen, which is 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) from the North Pole

In Svalbard, which is also known as Spitzberg, people are advised to carry a weapon when outside urban areas.

According to a tally from 2015, the archipelago is home to about 1,000 polar bears, a protected species since 1973.

Until now, five deadly attacks on people had been recorded since 1971.

The most recent one occurred in 2011 when a bear attacked a group of 14 people camping as part of a British school trip.

A 17-year-old British student was killed and four others were injured before the animal was killed.

According to experts, the shrinking icecap has reduced the polar bears' preferred hunting grounds, where they eat seals, pushing them to approach populated areas in their hunt for food.
There is no end to the coronavirus pandemic in sight yet and the world is already staring at another health crisis: the Covid-19 aftermath. They call it the post-Covid syndrome.

Post-Covid-19 analysis by top American scientific bodies the National Center for Biotechnology Information and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found that many patients who recovered from the coronavirus infection are facing milder to life-threatening symptoms. Hospitals across the world are witnessing deadly health issues like heart damage, stroke, neurological problems, lung damage or pulmonary fibrosis, chronic fatigue syndrome and multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children.

India, so far, is not tracing down post-Covid syndrome cases, says union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, but other countries are already preparing for an emerging health crisis. They are scientifically recording the post-Covid syndrome cases to know further about SARS-CoV-2, a totally unknown virus just eight months ago.

A sample study by the Journal of American Medical Association conducted in Frankfurt, Germany found 78% of the recovered Covid-19 respondents developed heart-related problems. These were healthy individuals, aged 40 to 50 before the novel coronavirus infection. A study by the UKs Edinburgh University, in 69 countries across six continents, found heart abnormality in 55% patients while 15% patients showed severe abnormalities. All such recovered cases never had had related issues in the past.

Many recovered Covid-19 patients are also being re-hospitalised for pulmonary fibrosis, with damaged lung tissues. They may need oxygen support from time to time for the rest of their lives

Life-threatening Health Issues Post Covid-19 Recovery

Heart - Sample studies have found 80% healthy people facing heart problems post Covid recovery. Life-long disease, may result in multiple organ disability

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - 10% recovered Covid-19 cases may develop it, say research studies

Breathlessness - Patient may require oxygen support for life

Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children - Severe illness in children, multiple organs show inflammatory response

According to a research paper posted by Americas National Institute of Health and similar papers published by other health-science entities, post-Covid syndrome can cause patients even to have nervous, immune, and metabolic system abnormalities, all affecting the body in sync, similar to a health illness known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), that was identified 70 years ago. ME is a long-term-effect health problem that deteriorates our strength and body.

Hospitals and doctors say many recovered patients are complaining about and being re-hospitalised for severe fatigue, brain fog, body ache and pain and immune aberrations, all ME symptoms. In severe cases, ME can also disable the whole body.

According to Dr Anthony Fauci, top American infectious disease expert, countries need to consider seriously that what many patients are facing is strikingly similar to ME. This is not a virus to take lightly, even with young people, Fauci said in an interview with Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.

Oved Amitay, CEO of the non-profit Solve ME/CFS Initiative, says 80% of ME cases are due to infections, mostly viral. And with Covid cases now touching the 2.5-crore mark, we are looking at an absolutely dark possibility.

SARS, MERS and Epstein-Barr virus triggered ME in many patients but if the same happens with SARS-CoV-2 or Covid-19 virus, we cannot imagine the problems associated with it, seeing the global pandemic caused by it. There is no test available so far for ME, no scientific details on its origin, no cure available so far, no approved drugs and too few experts to talk about it. A 2015 study by the National Medicine in the US estimated that up to 2.5 million Americans suffered from ME.

There is no information on how many Covid-19 patients may end up having ME. According to Leonard Jason, a professor and an ME researcher at DePaul University in Chicago, said based on older research, 10% or an even larger number of Covid-19 patients may develop ME if they feel symptoms even after six months. That means a possibility of 2.5 million ME cases globally or 3.5 lakh cases in India, if we go by the current Covid-19 numbers.

Professor Jason adds that though the threshold is six months to see if post-recovery symptoms were shorter-lived viral syndrome or ME, the same cannot be applied if it is after Covid-19 recovery as very little is known about the novel coronavirus and there are more questions than answers.

Post-Covid-19 syndrome is also affecting children. Kawasaki-like disease or multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare but life-threatening Covid-19 effect. It is a new syndrome observed in children that makes them very ill with signs of inflammation from multiple organs and severe organ damage.

According to the CDC, most MIS-C cases are being observed in children between 1 to 14 years of age. MIS-C cases have been reported from many parts of India and from across the globe. A CDC update on MIS-C says, the US so far has seen 694 cases and 11 deaths. 
Tran Trung Hieu, deputy director of the Hanoi Tourism Department, talks on his departments plan to attract tourists to the city in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visitors at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. The biggest challenge the Hanoi tourism sector has faced is the poor quality services in some tourist sites or hotel services. VNA/VNS Photo

Can you tell us what are the seven mission groups to promote the development of Hanoi's tourism sector?

Resolution No 6 of the Party Central Committee has listed seven mission groups for the Hanois tourism sector from 2016-2020. They are as follows.

1. To develop strategies to further expand tourists activities.

2. To develop an overall plan on the citys tourism development.

3. To develop more high-quality tourism products while developing the Hanoi tourism trademark.

4. To invest more money to upgrade the citys infrastructure.

5. To have high-quality human resources.

6. To have an appropriate investment budget in the tourism sector.

7. To have good policies serving as a firm foundation for the tourism sector to fly high.

What are the major achievements of the Hanoi tourism sector in the last four years?

From 2016-2019, on average, the number of tourists that came to Hanoi saw an increase of 10.2 per cent per year. For foreign tourists, the annual increase was about 21.2 per cent.

In 2019, Hanoi welcomed 28.9 million visitors, of which more than 7 million were foreigners. In 2019, the Hanoi tourism sector contributed 12.54 per cent to the citys gross regional domestic product.

More importantly, Hanoi has been selected as one of the worlds top tourist sites with its beautiful attractions and good service.

Can you talk a bit more about the new tourist products Hanoi has offered?

The guiding principles for the Hanoi tourism products are unique, attractive and professional, yet they must be sustainable and accountable to the environment and society.

Many of Hanoi's tourism products have been highly rated by the tourists like the Van Phuc silk or the Bat Trang ceramics and others.

There are quite a lot of tourist attraction sites for visitors to visit, such as Thang Long Citadel, Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam- the first university in Vietnam or the Hoa Lo prison relics where many Vietnamese patriots were detained, including Tran Phu, the first Party General Secretary.

What are the challenges the Hanoi tourism sector has faced in its course of development?

The biggest challenge the Hanoi tourism sector has faced is the poor quality services in some tourist sites or hotel services. Last but not least, the quality of some tourist guides are not yet up to the visitors expectation, particularly foreign tourists due to their poor foreign language skills.

What have been the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Vietnamese tourism sector?

The year 2020 has really been a crisis for the Vietnamese tourism sector, including that of Hanoi. For example, in the first four months of 2020, some 1,190 tourist hotels, 1,364 tourist companies and 120 transport companies had to close. As a result, almost 41,000 people lost their jobs. The Hanoi tourism sector has set a target to welcome some 14 million tourists to the city in 2020 (about half of the number that came to the city in 2019), yet Hanoi tourism authorities are not sure if this target will be achieved or not.

Can you talk a little bit about the Hanoi tourism sector's plans for the next five years?

We have set a target that in 2021, the number of domestic tourists that come to Hanoi will be the same as that of the year 2019 while the foreign visitors will be about 70 per cent compared to 2019. We hope in the year 2022, the number of domestic visitors will increase by 8 per cent compared to that of the year 2021. And from 2023-2025, the number of tourists coming to Hanoi will be increased annually from 8-9 per cent. VNS/Hanoimoi

Hanoi promoted as safe and stable destination To really set free its tremendous potential for investment, trade, and tourism, Hanoi has been actively implementing different measures to promote itself domestically and abroad in a bid to become a safer and more stable destination.
supporters and members of Patriot Prayer and Peoples Rights Washington rally against the Washington state mask mandate on June 26, 2020 in Vancouver, Washington. Karen Ducey/Getty Images

Patriot Prayer is a small group of right-wing activists with a membership that overlaps with the Proud Boys, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The group shows up in progressive West coast cities to protest movements calling for social justice or anti-racism.

On Saturday, Aaron Danielson, reportedly a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, was killed while taking part in a counter-protest in Portland.

Vegas Tenold, an investigative researcher for the ADL's Center on Extremism, fears that Danielson's killing will spark more bloodshed.

"This was just a matter of time," he told Insider.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A skirmish between conservative and Black Lives Matters protesters ended Saturday night with the shooting death of Aaron "Jay" Danielson, a supporter of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, according to the Associated Press.

Patriot Prayer, a small group of conservative activists based in Washington state, is known for gathering progressive cities in the Pacific Northwest to host provocative events.

Danielson was wearing a Patriot Prayer hat at the time of his death. On Sunday, President Trump tweeted "rest in peace Jay," and retweeted a message claiming that Danielson had been "murdered in Portland by ANTIFA."

"This was just a matter of time," Vegas Tenold, an investigative researcher for the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, told Insider Monday. "These kind of movements have been at odds and just sort of fiercely fighting for a long time."

Tenold has been tracking extremist hate groups and white supremacy for 10 years, first as a journalist and now at ADL.

He became familiar with Patriot Prayer a few years ago, he told Insider.

A man is treated after being shot Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020, in Portland, Ore. AP Photo/Paula Bronstein

The group is led by Joey Gibson, a right-wing activist who has held pro-Trump rallies in Portland and other cities since 2016. Supporters are often armed, and the events have drawn counterprotesters from around the region.

Story continues

"Their ideology is extremely vague. They're pretty much just pro-God, pro-first amendment. That's their whole thing," Tenold told Insider. "There is a lot of member overlap with Proud Boys."

The Proud Boys are a white nationalist activist group, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has classified it as a hate group. According to Tenold, membership can be fluid between the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer.

"There are a lot of people who used to be with Joey Gibson who are now with Proud Boys, and I think vice versa," he said.

Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys have a lot in common

Unlike Patriot Prayer, the Proud Boys has many chapters around the country which operate  for the most part  independently from one another, Tenold said.

Patriot Prayer is a much smaller, regional group. But Tenold said the groups attract the same kind of person.

"It's just the kind of guy who wants to go out into the street and square-off with protesters," Tenold said. "These guys just kind of exist to antagonize protesters."

"Aside from the religious aspect, the way they operate is pretty similar," he added. "It's just sort of: 'We're against communism.'"

Patriot Prayer members will attend most large alt-right demonstrations hosted by Proud Boys, but most of their own gatherings are smaller, Tenold said. The events sometimes consist of skirmishes with members of Antifa, a broad term that refers to groups identifying as anti-fascist.

"Most of the time it's Joey Gibson and three dudes on a corner shouting stuff about the Bible," Tenold said. "They tend to face off against Antifa quite a lot."

The Proud Boys, an alt-right group, faces off against Black Lives Matters protesters using mace and a paint ball gun on August 15, 2020 in downtown Portland, Oregon. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

Gibson honored Danielson in a Facebook post and shared a GoFundMe to raise money for his family. It had raised more than $25,000 by Monday afternoon.

"We love Jay and he had such a huge heart," he posted on Facebook. "God bless him and the life he lived."

In the same post, he encouraged supporters to attend a boating event in support of President Donald Trump.

"I know that Jay would love to look down from heaven and see tons of American flags on the Columbia River today," he wrote. "I will not be attending but I hope all of you enjoy yourselves out there. Fly them high for Jay."

Last year, Gibson pleaded not guilty to a charge of inciting a riot after a street brawl outside Cider Riot, a cider house in Portland, Oregon Live reported at the time. The charges stemmed from a fight that broke out in May of that year, when left-wing activists met at the cider house to celebrate the May Day rallies of 2014. The Patriot Prayer group  six of whom were charged  fought with customers and injured at least one person.

"There's always been violence. They've taken part in most of the Proud Boys-led protests and riots out there," Tenold said. "Wherever they've gone, violence often follows."

Street violence has ramped up in reaction to Black Lives Matter protests

The recent police violence against Black Americans like George Floyd and Jacob Blake has sparked protests  a handful of which have included violence  around the country.

Last week, three anti-racism protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, were shot by a teenager carrying an AR-15. Two of them died.

Federal officers deploy huge quantities of CS tear gas in Portland, Oregon on July 21, 2020. John Rudoff/Getty Images

Andrew Duncomb, a conservative activist, was stabbed during a downtown Portland demonstration July 29, Oregon Live reported.

Danielson's death, though, is the first time a supporter of the group has been killed, Tenold said.

"Quite frankly, I wasn't surprised," Tenold said of Danielson's killing. "I wasn't that surprised about the murders in Kenosha either."

As counter-protesters show up to these heated environments, violent conflicts are bound to happen, Tenold said, calling the unrest a "perfect storm" for violence.

"I don't really know how authorities are going to step in to do anything about this," Tenold said. "As long as people are allowed to both carry guns and also brawl in the streets  and now that so much blood has been shed  I fear that there's going to be more."

Read the original article on Insider
The Trump administration said it will not join a global effort to develop, manufacture and equitably distribute a coronavirus vaccine, in part because the World Health Organization is involved, a decision that could shape the course of the pandemic and the country's role in health diplomacy.

More than 170 countries are in talks to participate in the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax) Facility, which aims to speed vaccine development and secure doses for all countries and distribute them to the most high-risk segment of each population.

The plan, which is co-led by the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi, the vaccine alliance, was of interest to some members of the Trump administration and is backed by traditional U.S. allies, including Japan, Germany and the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union.

But the United States will not participate, in part because the White House does not want to work with the WHO, which President Donald Trump has criticized over what he characterized as its "China-centric" response to the pandemic.

"The United States will continue to engage our international partners to ensure we defeat this virus, but we will not be constrained by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China," said Judd Deere, a spokesman for the White House.

The Covax decision, which has not been previously reported, is effectively a doubling down by the administration on its bet that the United States will win the vaccine race. It eliminates the chance to secure doses from a pool of promising vaccine candidates - a potentially risky strategy.

"America is taking a huge gamble by taking a go-it-alone strategy," said Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University.

Kendall Hoyt, an assistant professor at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, said it was akin to opting out of an insurance policy.

The United States could be pursuing bilateral deals with drug companies and simultaneously participating in Covax, she said, increasing its odds of getting some doses of the first safe vaccine. "Just from a simple risk management perspective, this [Covax decision] is shortsighted, she said.

The U.S. move will also shape what happens elsewhere. The idea behind Covax is to discourage hoarding and focus on vaccinating high-risk people in every country first, a strategy that could lead to better health outcomes and lower costs, experts said.

U.S. nonparticipation makes that harder. "When the U.S. says it is not going to participate in any sort of multilateral effort to secure vaccines, it's a real blow," said Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Center at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.

"The behavior of countries when it comes to vaccines in this pandemic will have political repercussions beyond public health," she added. "It's about, are you a reliable partner, or, at the end of the day, are you going to keep all your toys for yourself?"

Some members of the Trump administration were interested in a more cooperative approach but were ultimately overruled.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun had interest in exploring some type of role in Covax, a senior administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the decision-making.

But there was resistance in some corners of the government and a belief that the United States has enough coronavirus vaccine candidates in advanced clinical trials that it can go it alone, according to the official and a former senior administration official who learned about it in private discussions.

The question of who wins the race for a safe vaccine will largely influence how the administration's "America first" approach to the issue plays out.

An unlikely worst-case scenario, experts said, is that none of the U.S. vaccine candidates are viable, leaving the United States with no option since it has shunned the Covax effort.

Another possibility is that a U.S. vaccine does pan out, but the country hoards doses, vaccinating a large number of Americans, including those at low risk, while leaving other countries without.

Experts in health security see at least two problems with this strategy: The first is that a new vaccine is unlikely to offer complete protection to all people, meaning that a portion of the U.S. population will still be vulnerable to imported cases - especially as tourism and trade resume.

The second, related problem is that a U.S. recovery depends on economic recovery elsewhere. If large parts of the world are still in lockdown, the global economy is smarting and supply chains are disrupted, the United States will not be able to bounce back.

"We will continue to suffer the economic consequences - lost U.S. jobs - if the pandemic rages unabated in allies and trading partners," said Thomas J. Bollyky, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and the director of its global health program.

Proponents of a multilateral approach to global public health would like to see all countries coordinate through Covax. Perhaps unsurprisingly, interest is strongest from poor countries, while some larger economies are cutting deals directly with drugmakers.

WHO officials have argued that countries need not choose - they can pursue both strategies by signing bilateral deals and also joining Covax.

"By joining the facility at the same time that you do bilateral deals, you're actually betting on a larger number of vaccine candidates," Mariangela Simao, a WHO assistant director for drug and vaccine access, said at an Aug. 17 briefing.

If nothing else, the United States could pledge surplus vaccine doses to Covax to ensure they are distributed in a rational and equitable way, experts said.

Some cautioned against a focus on "winning" the race. Given the complexity of supply chains, vaccine development will necessarily be a global effort, regardless of whether countries want to cooperate.

The decision to steer clear of Covax comes at a time of tremendous change for health diplomacy.

The United States has long been the biggest donor to the WHO and a major funder of vaccine initiatives.

In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump praised both China and the WHO for their handling of the outbreak. But as the crisis intensified in the United States, he turned on the U.N. health agency.

In April, he announced a freeze on new U.S. funding. Not long after, the State Department started stripping references to the WHO from fact sheets and rerouting funds to other programs.

By July, the administration had sent a letter signaling its intent to withdraw from the WHO.

But untangling the United States from the agency it helped found and shape is not simple - and the terms of the separation are still being assessed.

It is not yet clear, for instance, whether a U.S. withdrawal means the United States will just stop its contributions to the WHO or whether it will stop funding any initiative linked to the agency in any way.

For instance, the White House no longer wants to work with the WHO, but the United States is a major supporter of Gavi, which co-leads the Covax project.

Asked to comment on the Covax decision, a State Department spokeswoman pointed to U.S. funding for Gavi, as well as money for such programs as UNICEF and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the White House could still reverse course and join Covax, or at least let the Senate fund through Gavi - a political workaround.

"This just shows how awkward, contradictory and self-defeating all of this," he said. "For the U.S. to terminate its relationship with the WHO in the middle of a pandemic is going to create an endless stream of self-defeating moments."
Congress Will Likely Have to Pass a Stopgap Funding Measure to Avoid Shutdown: Hoyer

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told lawmakers on Monday that Congress will likely need to pass a continuing resolution when it returns in mid-September to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year.

By September 30th, Congress must complete our work on appropriations and other expiring items, such as flood insurance and surface transportation. In July, the Democratic-led House passed legislation to fund nearly all of the government, yet to date, the Senate has not held even a single markup of an appropriations bill, Hoyer wrote in a letter.

At this rate, it is likely that we will have to pass a continuing resolution to keep government open past the end of this fiscal year. While that is not ideal, the House will do its job to avert a shutdown that would only further damage our economy.

Washington lawmakers have an obligation each year to pass the twelve annual discretionary spending bills for the upcoming year before Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year begins. These twelve pieces of legislation fund most defense, education, energy, transportation, and environmental programs, along with a number of key social services like medical care for veterans, mental health programs, and some low-income food programs. Failing to pass these measures can lead to the shuttering of federal agencies.

The House has been able to keep up the fast pace of passing most of the 12 appropriation bills because the lower chamber can pass legislation with a simple majority vote.

While the Senate began this years appropriations process with the same intention, a dispute between Republicans and Democrats over amendments in committees quickly stopped forward progress. In addition, the Senate needs a supermajority of senators to bring the bills to the floor. Both of these factors have stalled the progress in the upper chamber.

The continuing resolution Hoyer referred to will fund the government into December, when Congress will face another possible shutdown during the lame-duck sessionthe time period when Congress is in session after a November election and before the beginning of the new Congress.

Hoyer, who controls the floor schedule, said that upon returning in mid-September, the House will take up legislation from Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadlers (D-N.Y.) MORE Act, which would decriminalize cannabis and erase nonviolent federal marijuana convictions. In addition, Democrats will also take up a resolution by Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) which would condemn anti-Asian bias and bigotry related to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

Talks between Democrats and Republicans on a stimulus package came to a halt over differences about the size and scope of the relief package. Democrats in the House passed a $3.4 trillion bill in May, while Republicans proposed a bill worth about $1 trillion.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said the White House might again take executive action if no stimulus deal is made.

While we have all been waiting for the Senate to take action on the Heroes Act, it appears that the Republicans who control that chamber are not in a hurry to do their jobs and pass an emergency assistance package to help American workers and their families get through this economic and public health crisis, Hoyer wrote.

If that changes, the House will return immediately to ensure that emergency assistance is delayed no further.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report




File photo

Members of the Irri Community Vigilante Group in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State are in serious trouble for allegedly torturing a 26-year-old man to death.

According to Punch, the victim was tortured to death on Friday over the disappearance of N70,000 belonging to his uncle, who is a member of the vigilante outfit.

A source in the community told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that the victim, who hailed from the Emede community, visited his uncle in Irri.

The source stated, In the course of his stay, he was accused of stealing N70,000 kept in the custody of his uncle, which he later confessed to after severe torture.

Though the boy was not the only person in the house when the money got missing, but the uncles suspicion towards his nephew was because he was the only one who heard the phone conversation the uncle had with a friend over the N70, 000 kept in the house.

When the uncle discovered that the money had been stolen, he summoned the nephew for interrogation and had him severely beaten up, but didnt get any positive response from the victim; he consequently invited other members of his group.

The vigilantes came and brutally tortured the victim; before the intervention of neighbours, he was already unconscious and finally died before they could rushed him to hospital.

It was learnt that the deceaseds family paid back the N70,000 and demanded that their son must be brought to them alive.
Navalny's Team Publishes Siberian Investigation Conducted Just Prior To Poisoning

By RFE/RL August 31, 2020

Aleksei Navalny's team has published its investigative report about corruption in Siberia, where the Russian opposition politician was apparently poisoned earlier this month while conducting research.

The report, published on Navalny's website on August 31, claims 18 out of 50 lawmakers in Novosibirsk, Russia's third-largest city, are owners or represent owners of construction companies.

The report also gives detailed information about properties and assets of the lawmakers and their relatives and calls on people in Novosibirsk to vote for opposition candidates supported by Navalny's Smart Voting project.

Novosibirsk and the surrounding region is experiencing a building boom, including government-funded projects, raising questions about conflicts of interest among the lawmakers.

Navalny was touring Siberia, including Novosibirsk and Tomsk, where municipal elections will be held in September, when he suddenly felt sick aboard a plane flying from Tomsk to Moscow on August 20.

The 44-year-old spent two days in a hospital in the city of Omsk before being transferred to Germany, where he remains in an intensive-care unit in a medically induced coma.

Doctors at the Charite Hospital in Berlin have concluded that Navalny was poisoned by a group of active substances called cholinesterase inhibitors, which are found in several drugs as well as in some pesticides and nerve agents.

Navalny's team claims he was deliberately poisoned and have blamed the Kremlin. The Russian doctors in Omsk who treated Navalny said their tests did not find any trace of poison in Navalny.

The German doctors' conclusion has prompted Western governments to demand Russia fully investigate how Navalny was poisoned.

So far, Russian officials have brushed aside allegations Navalny was deliberately poisoned and shown little indication they plan to fully investigate the case.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/navalny-s-team- publishes-siberian-investigation-conducted-just- prior-to-poisoning/30813342.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| 2020-09-01 18:22:33|Editor: huaxia

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Naan, a type of flatbread and a staple food in Xinjiang, has been exported to Central Asia. Watch how Xinjiang develops the naan industry to help creat jobs and cut poverty.
Canada reached an agreement in principle on Monday with both Novavax Inc and Johnson & Johnson for millions of doses of their experimental coronavirus vaccines, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. Canada's two agreements follow separate deals with Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc announced weeks ago, and are the latest example of countries rushing to secure access to vaccines.

Canada is also in "the final stages of negotiations" to secure AstraZeneca's potential vaccine and is in talks to secure more doses of the Pfizer vaccine candidate, Procurement Minister Anita Anand said. "What we are trying to do is make sure that when a vaccine is developed, we are at the front of the line," Anand told reporters.

Also read: Coronavirus vaccine: Sanofi more confident about its vaccines; trials next month

Canada has a population of about 38 million, and the four vaccine agreements signed so far "give Canada at least 88 million doses with options to obtain tens of millions more," Trudeau said when he announced the deals in Montreal. All four agreements announced so far have options to purchase further doses if needed, officials said.

Trudeau also said the government will invest C$126 million ($96.7 million) over two years to build a biomanufacturing facility at the Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre in Montreal capable of producing up to 2 million doses of a vaccine per month by next year. Last week, Canada's National Research Council said it had ended its partnership on a coronavirus vaccine with China's CanSino Biologics because the company lacked the authority to ship the vaccine.

Also read: COVID-19: UK to permit emergency use of any effective coronavirus vaccine

Separately, Canada extended to the end of October a program to provide loans of up to C$40,000, a quarter of which is forgivable, to small businesses struggling amid the pandemic. It had been due to expire on Monday. Novavax said it expects to finalize an advance purchase agreement to supply doses of the vaccine, beginning as early as the second quarter of next year.

Novavax has agreed to supply up to 76 million doses of its experimental vaccine, while Johnson & Johnson will supply up to 38 million doses of its vaccine candidate. Both agreements are subject to the vaccines obtaining licenses from Health Canada. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Shares of Novavax were up 1.7% at $109.59 and Johnson & Johnson shares were little changed at $153.72 on Monday afternoon.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine distribution under special emergency use a bad idea: Anthony Fauci
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Cheetah Girls star Sabrina Bryan is a new mom.

The 35-year-old actress and her husband Jordan Lundberg welcomed baby girl Comillia Monroe, on August 31st, according to People Magazine on Tuesday.

Sabrina and Jordan revealed the happy news that they were expecting their first child together back in March.

It's a girl: Cheetah Girls star Sabrina Bryan and her husband Jordan Lundberg welcomed baby girl Comillia Monroe, on August 31st, according to People Magazine on Tuesday

While moving into a new house on Saturday night, Sabrina went into labor and her water broke, a rep for the actress told People.

A few hours later, the baby made her first appearance into the world at 2:03 a.m. in Newport Beach, California.

A tiny newborn, she weighed in at 6 lbs., 13 oz. and measured just shy under 20 inches long. The rep added that Sabrina was lucky and pushed for just 30 minutes.

The Dancing With the Stars alum reportedly chose the name Comillia after her mom but in following with her family tradition, the baby will go by her middle name Monroe.

Wow: While moving into a new house on Saturday night, Sabrina went into labor and her water broke, a rep for the actress told People and the baby was born at 2:03 a.m. in Newport Beach, California early on Sunday

Sabrina also goes by her middle name - she was born Reba Sabrina Hinojosa - and uses the surname Bryan professionally.

'We are all enjoying our new little love,' the new parents told Us Weekly in a brief statement on Tuesday.

Sabrina and Jordan tied the knot in 2018 in a lavish wedding at the Las Vegas home of Wayne Newton. The couple had dated for six years before getting engaged.

Then, the duo revealed that they were expecting a baby back in March and the actress has been documenting her pregnancy on social media.

'We are all enjoying our new little love,' the new parents told Us Weekly in a brief statement on Tuesday

Recently, the star has been anxiously awaiting the arrival of her bundle of joy.

'I cant wait to hold you in my arms baby girl! Well see you so so soon,' she wrote on social media last week.

Bryan rose to fame in the mid-2000s as Do Thomas in Disney's ultra popular Cheetah Girls film franchise and the subsequent pop music group of the same name.

She competed in season five of Dancing With the Stars with partner Mark Ballas and then returned to compete again in season 15. She was eliminated in week six both seasons.
SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Oucica, the subsidiary brand of Huntkey, recently introduces its new mini photocatalystic air purifier DJ010 to the global market.

Oucica DJ010 is only cup-size (160mm*108mm) but contains a strong filter screen + photocatalystic UVA decomposition technology + million level of anion. It is professional in disinfection, sterilization, odor-removal, and formaldehyde-removal. Oucica DJ010 has a pure white body the pale green grille.

Users can place DJ010 in the car or on the desk. It is a very convenient and demanded product for white-collar workers, students, and individuals who want to have a clean car-environment. Different from other normal air purifiers utilizing adsorption method, Oucica DJ010 can thoroughly clean the air, and decompose the harmful substances into carbon dioxide and water, avoiding secondary pollution which upsets most users who have normal adsorbing-method air purifiers.

Oucica photocatalystic Air Purifier DJ010 will soon be available globally.

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He said he doesnt support the Democrats position for $2.2 trillion in spending in the next package, which contrasts with Republicans stance of $1 trillion. He added, however: Whats more important is ... getting money to American workers, American families, kids. There are tremendous areas of agreement, and thats what we should be doing right away.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Long before COVID-19 had us rethinking just about every aspect of how we live, demographers and experts on aging were already considering what the future will look like for the world's cities.

A decade from now, roughly three of every five people on the planet will live in cities, and that population is getting older than the urban dwellers of the past. On top of that, aging populations will double between now and the end of the century.

Add lower birth rates and longer lives to the mix, and it's undeniable: Cities are fundamentally changing.

"Population aging will literally change everything," said Paul Irving, distinguished scholar in residence at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. "And cities are the first line in a rapidly changing country."

In response to this demographic shift, city leaders have begun to reconsider the fundamentals. And USC researchers are at the forefront of studying this shift, with a deep well of knowledge in planning, demographics and gerontology.

Urban housing, transportation must evolve for older adults

One big area that cities have to face is housing. Research shows that a significant majority of adults want to age in place, but most homes aren't ready for the reality of older residents, Irving said. Only a tiny percentage of U.S. homes include the basic access for people with limited mobilityfeatures like single-floor living with no steps and extra-wide doors and ramps to accommodate wheelchairs.

"Relatively small inexpensive changes can make a huge differencelever-style doors, curbless showers with handheld shower nozzles," Irvine said. As chairman of the Milken Institute's Center for the Future of Aging, he recently co-authored a report on "Age-Forward Cities for 2030."

The number of baby boomers living across Southern California is huge, says Caroline Cicero, associate professor of gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School and director of the USC Age-Friendly University Initiative.

"There is an assumption that older people are going to move out and move into retirement communities," she said. "But most people want to stay in their own houses." That means that houses have to adapt to the needs of older residentsand could mean more multi-generational housing, where older adults live with younger people.

Another housing problem is the cost: People who have been lifelong renters don't have a nest egg to fall back on in order to move, Cicero said.

"They have few choices if they lose their affordable housing," she said. That has a knock-on effect because people aren't willing to move out of their homes if they don't have other assets, essentially freezing them in place. The number of low-income senior rental buildings is declining in Southern California, and the Los Angeles Aging Advocacy Coalition estimated that 200,000 older adults were at risk of falling into homelessnesseven before the pandemic.

Cities have to think about new models for transporting seniors, too. Many places have embraced ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft, allowing older adults to give up their keys and still get around in places that don't have particularly robust public transit.

But that requires older people to use technology and also to be willing to hop in the back of a stranger's carboth of which may take some training.

Aging adults need places in cities to work, communicate

As people live longer, they also need ways to engage and connect with their communities, building links between generations to reduce the chances of isolation and loneliness. Workforces depend on older workers, yet nearly two-thirds of U.S. workers say they have seen or personally faced discrimination based on age. But older adults make significant contributions to workforces, especially when they combine their knowledge with that of younger people.

"Intergenerational workforces combine the risk-taking and imagination of younger people with older cross-sector problem solving," Irving said. "Employers who can capitalize on both are employers that will be more successful in years to come because intergenerational teams outperform others."

Communities of faith can play a role in bringing seniors into contact with younger people, Cicero added.

"Churches and other faith communities are supposed to serve people of all ages without an age limit," she said. Intergenerational programming can help: Older people are a big asset to young families. "They're not in competition," she said.

What's good for older adults is good for communities in general

Higher education institutions also have an opportunity to open their arms to a diverse student bodyincluding many older learners.

"Universities and colleges have an incredibly important role to playwith the change in the way people work, the need to enable and encourage lifelong learning has never been more important," Irving said. Whether it's learning new skills online or on campus, more than ever, people of all ages need to apply new proficiencies.

"Schools should not just be the provenance of the young. Education is something that is enjoyed across life, and people should be encouraged to learn across life," he added.

For major institutions, that represents a new way to think about the education force and workforce of the 21st century.

"It's happened with women, people of color, the LGBTQ communities and otherscampuses look different today compared with 30 years ago, and that diversity is powerful and exciting," Irving said. "The next step in that process is including age in the diversity matrix."

Irving added that there is opportunity in longer lives but society will need to question its own practices to keep up with the change.

"At a high level, much like climate change, population aging will change everything: lives, families, institutions, companies, health and cultural institutions," he said. "We have a world with norms and practices that are derived from times when lives were much shorter, and we have to change some of those assumptions."

But in the end, things that are good for seniorswalkable cities, good transit, the opportunity to work and connectare also good for younger people.

"These things are sometimes framed as things that are only good for older people," he said, "but they are common sense for everyone."

More information: Servat et al., Age-forward cities for 2030. (2020). Servat et al., Age-forward cities for 2030. (2020). milkeninstitute.org/reports/ag  -forward-cities-2030
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A picture of the Amazon ablaze and a very muddy hippo are among images which have scored highly with judges of this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

Highly commended images chosen from almost 50,000 entries to the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 competition have been revealed.

The images include hard-hitting depictions of the devastating impact climate change and the wildlife is having on the environment, among other more playful images of animals spotted in their natural habitats.

The overall winners of the competition will be announced on October 13, with the awards ceremony conducted virtually, for the first time, from the museum's Hintze Hall.

The highly commended images include 13-year-old Arshdeep Singh's image of a douc, a critically-endangered primate, and Charlie Hamilton James's image of a lone tree surrounded by forest fire in the Amazon.

Possums peeking out in the urban environment, the tar sands landscape of Alberta, Canada, a close-up of a spider and an underwater night scene are also among the highly commended shots.

Amazon burning by Charlie Hamilton James: A lone tree rises above the canopy of the Amazon rainforest in Maranhao state in north-eastern Brazil, while the trees below burn as a wildfire spreads. Such fires are common in the Amazon, and it is likely it was started deliberately to clear an area for agriculture or farming. Deforestation causes huge damage to the habitat of the animals of the rainforest, but illegal loggers and land-grabbers have been emboldened in recent years by Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro, and his commitment to open the Amazon to businesses

Eye of the drought by Jose Fragozo: A hippo's eye blinks open in Kenya as the large animal bathes in a mud pool. The shape of the hippo's head is just visible beneath the surface as it emerges to take a breath. Hippos bathe in mud pools to keep cool, and to protect their skin from the sun. At night, they leave the mud pools to graze on the flood plains. Hippos, vital to their local ecosystems, are a vulnerable species due to increasing levels of water extraction and climate change

Peeking possums by Gary Meredith: Two common brushtail possums peek out from under a roof in Yallingup, Western Australia. These small, adaptable marsupials (mammals with pouches) naturally occur in Australias forests and woodlands, taking shelter in tree hollows, but in more urban areas, they may use roof spaces. The animals, pictured at a campsite, will often wait until dark to head for the trees to feed on the leaves of a peppermint tree

The spider's supper by Jaime Culebras: A large wandering spider feasts on the egg of a giant glass frog. The spider pierces the egg with digestive juices before sucking out the liquefied innards. There are eleven known species of wandering spiders, all of which are thought to be predators of the amphibian's eggs. The spiders shelter in plants in the rainforest during the day, and then come out at night to hunt - ambushing prey that dares to come too close

Chairwoman of the judging panel, Roz Kidman Cox, said: 'Several of my favourite images from the competition - the ones that I can look at again and again - are among the commended pictures.

'But then all the commended images are effectively winners, being among the top 100 awarded by the jury out of more than 49,000.

'The diversity of subjects and styles this year is memorable, with more than 25 different nationalities represented.

'But what especially stands out are the images from the young photographers - the next generation of image-makers passionate about the natural world.'

The perfect catch by Hannah Vijayan: A female brown bear is pictured pulling a sockeye salmon from a river in Alaska's Katmai National Park. While bears often catch fish that are leaping out the water or by standing on them, this bear took a more cafeul approach by putting her head under water and waiting for one to swim by. Alaskan brown bears are among the largest bears in the world, with males eating up to 30 salmon a day and can weigh almost 1,000 lbs. Females are typically smaller

Paired up puffins by Evie Easterbook: A pair of puffins pictured near their nest on the Farne Islands, a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland. The islands attract more than 100,000 breeding pairs of seabirds every spring, with puffins nesting in burrows on grassy slopes. When wintering at sea, their plumage is dull and grey, but when they return to breed, they have look to have eye-liner and brightly coloured bill plates, giving them their distinctive look. Puffins are in decline, with more frequent storms and warmer weather making them vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which has reduced availability of their food

Treetop Douc by Arshdeep Singh: A critically endangered red-shanked douc langur is pictured sitting in a tree. The monkey is a species of Old World monkey, native to Indochina, Vietnam and Southern Laos, and was completely unstudied until 1967. The species is among the most colourful of all primates, and eats and sleeps in the trees of the forest, only making its way to the ground when it needs to drink water or eat dirt that contains vital minerals

The rat game by Matthew Maran: A young fox guards her trophy - a dead brown rat that was likely found dead on an allotment in North London. Her brother (left) prowls in front of her, ready to snatch the prize from her mouth. Photographer Matthew Maran had been taking pictures of the foxes that lived around the allotment for years, and caught the moment when the young fox burst out of the bushes with the dead rate, her siblings in hot-pursuit, before a game of tug-of-war broke out

Surprise! by Makoto Ando: A red squirrel runs down a branch away from a pair of Ural owls in a forest on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Owls prey on small mammals - including red squirrels. This one, with characteristic tufted ears, bushy tail and grey-tinged winter coat, is a subspecies of the Eurasian red squirrel endemic to Hokkaido, but could be endangered by the introduction of mainland red squirrels, thought have first been brought to the island as pets

Head start by Dhritiman Mukherjee: A 13-foot gharial crocodile swims with his numerous offspring on his back in the National Chambal Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, northern India. The crocodile's name is influenced by the Hindhi word 'ghara' which means 'round pot,' in reference to the bulbous tip of its snout. Population of the crocodile once exceeded 20,000, but there are now an estimated 650 left - 500 of which are cared for in sanctuaries

Dr Tim Littlewood, executive director of science at the Natural History Museum and member of the judging panel, said: 'This competition has an outstanding reputation in attracting the world's very best photographers, naturalists and young photographers.

'But there has never been a more vital time for audiences all over the world to re-engage with the natural world, and what better way than this inspiring and provocative exhibition.

'Photography's unique ability to spark conversation and curiosity is certainly special.

'We hope that this year's exhibition will provide an opportunity for audiences to pause, reflect and ignite a passion of advocating for the natural world.'

After being unveiled at the Natural History Museum, the images will go on a UK and international tour.

The night shift by Laurent Ballesta: A group of molluscs are pictured on the remote coral of Fakarava Atoll, in French Polynesia, as a grey reef shark, nearly six and a half feet long, swims past in the background. The molluscs - along with their thick, cone-shaped shells, shown encrusted with algae - were so sought after to make mother-of-pearl buttons, jewellery and other handicrafts that the species was once the worlds most traded invertebrate. The shark behind them can travel of speeds of almost 30 miles per hour, and hunts at night

Wind birds by Alessandra Meniconzi: Yellow-billed choughs fly high on the Alpstein Massif of the Swiss Alps. The birds nest in rocky ravines of the cliff faces, staying with their partners throughout the year. They feed mostly on insects in summer, and berries, seeds and human food waste in winter  boldly scavenging in flocks around ski resorts

Memorial to the albatrosses by Thomas P Peschak: Several seabirds in South Africa are pictured, killed by Japanese tuna-fishing boats of the coast of the country. While it may not appear to be the case, the photograph from South Africa represents a conservation success story, with the number of seabirds caught on longlines has reduced from tens of thousands to hundreds as more seabird-friendly fishing practices become more widely adopted

The forest born of fire by Andrea Pozzi: Araucana trees are native to central and southern Chile and western Argentina, and are higly prized for their distinctive appearance - spiky leaves around angular branches and trunks. The trees grow to withstand harsh conditions, often growing on volcanic slopes. Their thick bark and specially adapted buds that can withstand fire mean they can survive volcanic eruptions and fires. The trees can grow up to 50 meters and live more than 1,000 years

A risky business by Quentin Martinez: A man is seen cutting up fruit bats in Tomohon Market, northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Wild animals along with domestic dogs and cats are brought to the market by local hunters to trade. Some are brought dead, while others are slaughtered on site for their meat after being kept in cruel conditions. Following the outbreak of Covid-19 believed to have stemmed from a wet-market, there have been calls for such markets to be shut down
A senior advisor to Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi was last week arraigned in court for damaging a car belonging to his wifes lover.

Appearing at the Kibera Law Courts Thursday, Mr Isaac Githuku was charged with malicious damage to property. He was accused of wilfully and unlawfully damaging the front windscreen and left passenger window of a car belonging to UN staffer Raymond Brandes on August 8.

The court heard that Githukus wife had just arrived from shopping with Brandes car and parked it outside their home at Venice Court in Kilimani, Nairobi.

Githuku reportedly went out and smashed the vehicle, causing Sh40,000 worth of damage. Githukus wife reported the incident at the Kilimani police station.

The two, who separated in March, were meeting to make plans on how to co-parent their children. Reportedly, they separated after Githuku discovered she was having an affair with Brandes.

Their children had informed Githuku that Brandes was a regular visitor to their house and had been taking them out.

Appearing before senior principal magistrate Derrick Kuto, Githuku denied the charges. He was released on a Sh50,000 bond with a surety of similar amount and an alternative cash bail of Sh20,000.

The case will be mentioned on September 24 for pre-trial.
CompaQ, the then-popular company known for its personal computers and notebooks, has re-entered the Indian market with its new Smart TV lineup. An Indian startup named Ossify Industries has purchased the CompaQ brand licence and has introduced new televisions in partnership with Flipkart.

The CompaQ Smart Television lineup consists of a 55-inch and 65-inch 4K QLED Smart Android TV. Both the models sport a sleek design with an all-metal body, bezel-less display, and the 55-inch model is 6.4mm thick while the 65-inch model is 7.9mm thick. These come with CompaQs Experience Stabilisation Engine and the company says that the Stabilisation Engine delivers picture-perfect visuals seamlessly.

Further, the 60Hz display on both the models support HDR10 with Wide-Color Gamut Plus and Super Brightness. These are powered by a 64-bit Quad-Core MediaTek Processor paired with 2.5GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. It has 24W bottom-firing box speakers with Mimi Sound Personalisation and on the software front, these run on the Android TV Platform with support for Google Play Store, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, NetFlix, Disney+ Hotstar, ZEE5, and other apps out-of-the-box.

As for the connectivity and ports, there is support for 2.4GHz WiFi, Bluetooth, 2x HDMI, 2x USB, 3.5mm jack on the 55-inch model, and 3x HDMI, 2x USB ports on the 65-inch model. Lastly, as it is a certified Android TV, there is support for built-in Chromecast and Google Assistant as well.

Pricing and availability

CompaQ 55-inch 4K QLED Smart TV is priced at Rs. 59,999 and the 65-inch 4K QLED TV is priced at Rs. 89,999, and the company says that this is an introductory price. Both models will be available on Flipkart starting today.

The company will also launch 32-inch HD, 40-inch and 43-inch Full HD and 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch 4K TVs in the country starting from Rs. 12,499.
MUMBAI: In a major breakthrough in the drug angle related to Sushant Sinigh Rajput, the Narcotics Control Bureau officials on Tuesday (September 1) conducted multiple raids based on information related to drug supplying and arrested a drug peddler.

According to sources, the NCB sleuths have also detained two more alleged drug suppliers and brought them to its Mumbai office for questioning.

The team has been conducting raids at multiple locations including Film City area of Mumbai.

On August 26, the NCB had registered a case against Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Arya, Rhea's talent manager Jaya Saha and others under several sections of the NDPS Act. The agency has also booked hotelier Gaurav Arya after the Enforcement Directorate recovered some mobile phone messages reportedly sent by Rhea to him in 2017 and they purportedly indicated discussion of certain banned narcotics.

Gaurav Arya, who runs two hotels in Goa, had earlier told news channels that he has never dealt in narcotics and his last interaction with Rhea was about three years ago, adding he will comply with all legal procedures.

The ED then intimated the NCB about these 'purported drugs-linked chats' which it recovered after cloning two mobile phones of Rhea.

The NCB, the third federal agency probing the circumstances surrounding the death of the actor, is investigating the overall network of drug syndicates, suppliers and couriers who operate in Mumbai and some adjoining western India states like Goa.

The NCB is mandated with an overarching charter to check narcotics cartels and suppliers. Hence, it is probing a larger 'criminal conspiracy and contravention of anti-narcotics laws' that includes the present case where Rhea and others have been allegedly found messaging about procurement and consumption of certain banned drugs.
Ministers did not take responsibility for decisions made during the initial response to the coronavirus pandemic, a think tank has claimed.

A report by the Institute for Government said leaders 'lacked a wider sense of strategy' at times and relied too heavily on scientific advice.

It concluded that the Government should have been prepared to act in the 'absence of scientific certainty' about the disease which, at the time, was shrouded in mystery.

Ministers repeatedly claimed they were being 'led by the science' after making tough and controversial decisions from closing schools to advising against face masks.

One which cost thousands of lives was the decision not to test 25,000 hospital patients who were discharged into care homes.

The Government said it did not test them because the 'scientific advice' was that asymptomatic transmission was uncommon.

But critics accused the Government of trying to shift blame and abdicate their political duty.

Other questionable moves include the decision not to restrict travel from high-risk countries in Europe in February or test travellers at UK airports.

An immeasurable number of cases were imported to British shores from Spain and Italy - which were the first countries in Europe to be battered by the disease - in that time.

Ministers did not take responsibility for decisions made during the initial response to the coronavirus pandemic, a think tank has claimed (file)

The lfG accused Health Secretary Matt Hancock of making the testing commitment 'without a strong enough sense of how the Government would use additional capacity'

The report said: 'Ministers made much of "following the science", but it is not enough to use evidence.

'Ministers and civil servants also need to understand the limitations of both the evidence base and the forums through which it is channelled, and, difficult as it might be, ministers must be prepared to act in the absence of scientific certainty.

'Failure to do so now seems likely to have cost a significant number of additional lives, and contributed to the UK suffering the highest excess death rate in Europe over the period to the end of May.'

BORIS BLAMED CARE HOME CRISIS ON SCIENTIFIC ADVICE NHS hospitals discharged 25,000 people into care homes during the peak of Britain's Covid-19 crisis without testing them for the coronavirus, a report has revealed. Critics say the move, ordered to free up beds for an anticipated surge in seriously ill virus patients, was 'extraordinary' and shows care homes were an 'afterthought'. The National Audit Office (NAO) report - the first independent review of preparations for the pandemic - said care homes were overlooked in order to protect the NHS. It counted the 25,000 patients discharged between March 17 and April 15. The peak of coronavirus deaths in hospitals in England was on April 8. Boris Johnson said the decision was made based on current scientific advice at the time. He claimed the extent of asymptomatic transmission was not known in March and April. Advertisement

The report also said that while school closures and social distancing measures were contemplated in February, some 'key aspects of making them work  like remote learning arrangements for schools and guidance for police  were not considered until after decisions had been made'.

The IfG also criticised the Government's ambition to reach 100,000 tests per day by the end of April.

It said ministers had not been well thought through as the diagnostics industry and the NHS were not consulted before the decision was made.

The lfG accused Health Secretary Matt Hancock of making the testing commitment 'without a strong enough sense of how the Government would use additional capacity'.

However, the report praised the successful rollout of economic support measures.

It said the furlough scheme showed that ministers and officials 'can find fast ways to consult those who will be affected by a policy or programme and think through how it will be carried out, before making a decision'.

Sarah Nickson, researcher at the IfG, said: 'Poor decision making is not an inevitable consequence of a crisis. But in a fast-moving situation, there may be little time or opportunity to fix early mistakes.

'That means that consulting fast and considering implementation at the outset are all the more crucial.'

Alex Thomas, programme director at the body, said: 'The best decisions are made when the Government knows not just what it wants to do, but why it wants to do it.

'At times, during its early response to the pandemic, the Government lacked a wider sense of strategy. Greater focus on why it was taking decisions  ultimately to save lives  would have led to better outcomes all round.'

It is the second big report into the Government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis.

The National Audit Office published its findings in June and was heavily critical of ministers' handling of the pandemic.

It found that NHS hospitals discharged 25,000 people into care homes during the peak of Britain's Covid-19 crisis without testing them for the coronavirus.

The NAO said care homes were overlooked in order to protect the NHS.

The NAO's report also revealed that plans to distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) were hampered because officials ignored warnings in 2019 to stockpile gowns and visors - and didn't have enough of them when the need arose.

This resulted in less than half of the necessary equipment being available to healthcare workers on the frontlines of the crisis.
P arts of the London restaurants sector have cheered the impact of the governments Eat Out to Help Out scheme which ended last night.

Firms welcomed trade in August that came via the discounting scheme, which last month offered people a discount of up to 50% on Mondays to Wednesdays on food and soft drinks in a participating restaurant, pub or cafe. A maximum of 10 discount per diner is available.

Renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi, who co-founded Ottolenghi in 2002, said the initiative brought people out to restaurants that may have not come otherwise.

Eat Out to Help Out was aimed at boosting the hospitality sector which was hammered by the coronavirus crisis.

Restaurants had to close in March for the lockdown here, and could only reopen from July 4, with social distancing measures in place.

Ottolenghi said: August is normally our quietest month of the year and having the restaurants full Monday to Wednesday was a fantastic boost to staff's morale. It also brought to people's consciousness how fragile our industry is at the moment and how important it is to support it.

He added: I am feeling very cautiously confident that trade will improve further but it will take time. We are in for a rough time, especially in central London, but there's a clear appetite to resume normal life, particularly the joy of going out and sharing meals with friends.

Harsh Joshi, general manager of the Benares restaurant in Mayfair estimates diners bought more than 850 dishes using the Eat Out to Help Out discount. He said the scheme has definitely encouraged more reservations and has helped to reinstate public confidence to dine out, which will be a key factor moving forward.

Itsu saw over 50% more transactions during the Eat Out to Help Out period each week, without negatively impacting trade during the rest of the week.

A number of companies plan to implement their own version of Eat Out to Help Out in September.
Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), the government hub supporting private sector investment in the emirate, and Invest in Israel have opened discussions following a landmark meeting yesterday (August 31).

The meeting took place virtually between Invest in Israel CEO Ziva Eger and Monira Hisham Al Kuttab who leads ADIOs international promotional activity which set out a plan for establishing formal cooperation between the two organisations over the coming months, said the statement from ADIO.

The organisations will explore mutually beneficial areas of collaboration to unlock investment and partnership opportunities for companies in Israel and Abu Dhabi with a strong focus on innovation and technology, it stated.

ADIO Director-General Dr Tariq bin Hendi said: "As a leading centre for R&D in the region, home to the thriving tech industry and the Middle Easts first Advanced Technology Research Council, Abu Dhabi is well-positioned to partner with Israeli organisations at the forefront of innovation."

"ADIO is committed to helping companies from across the world, establish and grow in Abu Dhabi. We want to ensure Israeli firms can tap into everything that Abu Dhabi has to offer as a vibrant global business centre," remarked Dr Hendi.

"Our Investor Care team is on hand to facilitate connections throughout Abu Dhabis ecosystem and over the coming months, we look forward to working with Invest in Israel to explore opportunities that will benefit companies in Israel and Abu Dhabi," he added.

Invest in Israel CEO Ziva Eger said: "We are delighted to announce a historic collaboration between the Israeli investment promotion unit - Invest in Israel  and its parallel in Abu Dhabi - Abu Dhabi Investment Office. Both organisations share a mutual vision of leading international trade relations and investments between Israel and the UAE."

Eger pointed out that Israels ecosystem had a lot to offer to the UAEs economy in terms of innovation, specifically in the Life Sciences, CleanTech, Agtech and Energy sectors.

"We are thrilled by these developments and confident that together we will move forward towards a better common future for Israel and the UAE," she stated.

Discussions between the two entities will continue with future meetings scheduled throughout September, she added.-TradeArabia News Service
PHOENIX

Aug. 31, 2020

Phoenix, Arizona

Greg Cook

Robert Blankenship

Arizona

Phoenix

Austin

Prescott

Arizona

Phoenix

Miami, Florida

Atlanta

Jeff Gill

Arizona

Phoenix

Roscoe M. Moore, Jr

Arizona

/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Continuing on its rapid national expansion - Germinator Mobile Sanitizing and Disinfecting - a broad-spectrum sanitization, disinfection and deodorization provider - is proud to announce it has opened doors in. The company will offer door-to-door sanitizing and disinfecting services for businesses and residents throughout the area.Germinator provides a 100% safe and non-toxic sanitizing and disinfecting process, utilizing breakthrough technology scientifically proven to help reduce the threat of harmful bacteria and viruses similar to the novel coronavirus.Best friends since childhood,andwill own and operate Germinator Phoenix. Anresident of nearly 30 years, Cook resides inwith his wife Annette; their four children Kelsey, Kylie, Dylan, and; and his parents, who live a short drive away in. He was motivated to open a Germinator franchise as a way to play a front-line role in helping to keep the community safe."I've spent most of my life inand it's where I've built my family and career," said Cook. "I've developed a true love for the community and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Now, more than ever, businesses and residents are relying on high-quality sanitizing and disinfecting services to keep their homes and businesses safe as we try our best to go about our daily lives. I wanted to do my part in restoring confidence to the community by helping create comfortable environments."Having previously lived in, Blankenship  who now resides in- has ties to the community and a passion for the Germinator brand. He is the founder and CEO of WebFindYou, the first All-In-One Digital Marketing Technology that provides companies, agencies, and freelancers with a more streamlined and efficient way to maximize a company's online visibility and grow their brand, leads, and sales with less hassle, reduced costs and increased revenues. Through WebFindYou, Blankenship has spearheaded the successful launch of all 21 Germinator franchises. His passion for the brand led him to embark on the opening of Germinator Phoenix."I truly believe in the Germinator brand and have witnessed firsthand how big of a role these franchises have played in helping to keep communities across the country safe during these difficult times, especially without the use of harsh and toxic chemicals," said Blankenship. "Germinator Phoenix allows us to fill a void in the market, giving the community access to a top-notch sanitizing and disinfecting process that is followed with an application of long-lasting protection from mold, mildew, and odor causing bacteria."Germinator - which is headquartered in- was founded byin 2015, with the vision of providing a safe, effective and non-toxic method of proper sanitizing and disinfecting for businesses and households. Since February, the company has launched Germinator locations in major cities across the U.S."We're excited to welcome Robert and Greg to the Germinator family to spearhead our launch into themarket," said Gill. "I've worked with Robert for eight years now, and he has a true understanding of the vision and mission of the company. We're confident that thefranchise is going to be extremely successful."Germinator utilizes a two-step process to sanitize and disinfect surfaces as well as provide long-lasting protection against odor-causing bacteria, bacteria which cause stains and discoloration and fungi such as mold and mildew, and algae. The first step - Genesis - harnesses the power of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) to destroy bacteria, mold, mildew, viruses and odors caused by bacteria. HOCI is a non-toxic, near-neutral pH, hospital-grade sanitizer and disinfectant. The second step applies the Germinator's Shield - an invisible microbial coating that protects surfaces for an extended period of time against the growth of mold, mildew and odor-causing bacteria. Both products are EPA registered and safe for humans, pets and the environment. The company's highly trained field specialists employ best practices using electrostatic sprayers and wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as appropriate.Upholding the highest standards of sanitizing and disinfecting, Germinator makes claims that are scientifically supported and within EPA regulations. In an effort to research and further validate its practice of sanitizing and disinfecting surfaces, the company recently created the Germinator Scientific Advisory Board. The board is made up of key leaders such as Dr.- who was an Assistant to the United States Surgeon General for five administrations."During these unprecedented times, the need to focus on sterilizing agents within our country's airports, public spaces, and offices in order to decrease the spread of viral pathogens such as Coronavirus is essential," states Dr. Moore. "I am extremely happy to be a part of the Germinator team and lend my expertise in public health and regulatory affairs to what I feel is an immense asset to the containment effort."The company continues to expand across the country, providing communities with a proactive solution to help free environments from harmful germs, bacteria, and viruses. With Germinator, society can now have peace of mind and the freedom to live or work in a sanitized and disinfected environment.businesses and residents can learn more by visiting https://www.germinatorphoenix.com or calling (602) 932-7406.SOURCE Germinator Mobile Sanitizing & Disinfecting
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The Square Mile is preparing to scrap statues and other landmarks with historic links to slavery and racism, following the Black Lives Matter movement.

City of London Corporation bosses, who run the area home to some of the world's biggest banks, has now launched a three-month consultation that could see the sculptures felled for good.

The London's financial district is considering options including relocating the memorials, reinterpreting or retaining them, depending on the responses collected.

They have not suggested any cases themselves, but want members of the public to propose them and suggest a plan of action.

Andrien Meyers, co-chair of the City's Tackling Racism Taskforce, said street and building names could also be changed.

There are currently monuments and buildings named after William Beckford and Sir John Cass, who made their fortunes from the slave trade.

He added: 'We know that historical symbols continue to have an impact today and we want to understand how people feel about this aspect of our cultural history.

A statue of Sir John Cass is a fibreglass copy of the original one in the Guildhall in the City of London which could be removed

The statue is on Jewry Street and is above the John Cass Foundation, a facility named after the man, who is linked to slavery

'We want to hear as broad a range of opinions as possible from City residents, workers, learners, visitors and other stakeholders before any decision is made on how we should deal with this issue.'

Statues and memorials with links to slavery and racism have been targeted globally, with some toppled by protesters and others removed by civic authorities or property owners.

Black Lives Matter protests have forced UK authorities and companies to begin reckoning with racism and the country's past links to slavery, which brought vast wealth in the 17th and 18th centuries.

William Beckford's statue in the Guildhall has been the subject of a petition to get it removed twice already but still remains

Sir John Cass Foundation Primary School had removed a bust and memorial and has now said it will change its name

Memorials to politicians, war heroes and authors all targeted due to links to slavery and racist beliefs Since Edward Colston's statue was thrown into Bristol Harbour, there has been a wave of attacks from vandals on various monuments across Britain. A statue to Winston Churchill was defaced with the words 'was a racist' and 'f*** your agenda' written underneath the memorial to the war time PM in Westminster Square, London. Slave trader Robert Milligan's was covered with a shord and the message 'Black Lives Matter' was placed on it in West India Docks amid calls for it to be taken down. It was later removed by Tower Hamlets Council. Tower Hamlets Council removed a statue of slave trader Robert Milligan after it was covered and displayed the message 'Black Lives Matter' during last month's protests Less than a year after it was erected, 'Nazi' was scrawled underneath a statue of Nancy Astor, the first woman to take a seat in Parliament, in Plymouth. A monument to 19th-century politician Henry Vassall-Fox, the third Baron Holland, was left splattered with red paint in Holland Park. A cardboard sign reading 'I owned 401 slaves' was perched in the bronze statue's arms, with the number painted on the plinth alongside red handprints. A Grade II-listed monument to Admiral Lord Nelson, Britain's foremost naval hero, which stands in the grounds of Norwich Cathedral, was sprayed with a black 'V' in the middle of a circle - an anarchist symbol. Red paint spattered another stature of Lord Nelson at Deptford Town Hall in South London. In Kent, a former councillor wrote 'Dickens Racist' outside a museum dedicated to the beloved 19th century author. Letters sent by the Oliver Twist author showed he wished to 'exterminate' Indian citizens after a failed uprising. A statue of Civil War leader Oliver Cromwell in Wythenshawe Park, Manchester, had the words 'Cromwell is a cockroach,' 'f*** racist' and the Black Lives Matter acronym 'BLM' scrawled across it last month. Thousands of people were massacred during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. BLM was also scrawled across the Worcester Civil War memorial in Royal Park. Advertisement

The Lloyd's of London insurance market and Bank of England are among City organisations that have apologised for past links to slavery.

One City statue targeted for removal by a petition in June is a huge monument to William Beckford, twice Lord Mayor of London in the 1760s and the largest slave owner of his time.

His statue stands in the Guildhall, the ornate seat of the City of London Corporation. The government rejected the petition on the grounds it was a matter for the local authority.

It also houses the original statue of Sir John Cass, who built his fortune through slavery.

A copy of the memorial is also in place elsewhere in the City on Jewry Street at the John Cass Institute.

The only primary school in the Square Mile has already announced it will change its name because of his reputation.

Sir John Cass's Foundation Primary School is now set to change its name, despite him founding the building.

They removed a bust and statue of Sir John were removed from the primary school back in June when his links to the slave trade were highlighted.

Chair of Governors Matt Piper said: 'Our governors are deeply troubled by these links and determined to take appropriate action.

'We will be working closely on this response with our Foundation. They have already recognised the need for change and for greater discussion of the history of the slave trade.

'Our working group will also be considering how our school can better educate its community on matters of human exploitation, both historic and in the present day.'

The BLM movement was sparked by the killing of George Floyd in the US where he was arrested by police.

Protesters tore down a statue of Edward Colston on Sunday, June 7, on the same day a memorial to Winston Churchill in London was defaced with the words 'was a racist' written on a plinth underneath.

It prompted a wave of statues being targeted with graffiti or being attacked during protests, culminating in some statues, including ones of Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill, being covered up to be protected from vandals.

The Topple the Racists campaign launched a comprehensive list of statues it wanted to see removed as it believed the names behind the monuments held racist beliefs.

It led to Oriel College at Oxford University voting to remove a statue of Cecil Rhodes, a colonialist politician in southern Africa in the 19th century.

Boris Johnson wrote last month: 'We cannot now try to edit or censor our past. We cannot pretend to have a different history. The statues in our cities and towns were put up by previous generations.

'They had different perspectives, different understandings of right and wrong. But those statues teach us about our past, with all its faults. To tear them down would be to lie about our history, and impoverish the education of generations to come.'

Black Lives Matter protests have been taking place in London in the wake of the death of American George Floyd

Caroline Addy, Co-Chair of the City of London Corporation's Tackling Racism Taskforce, said it was important to look at whether the monuments were still appropriate.

She added: 'Like many areas of the country, the City of London has a number of statues and other landmarks with links to the slave trade and historic racism.

'It's important that we acknowledge and address this legacy with openness and honesty, and carefully consider what should be done.

'We are committed to equality, inclusivity and diversity, and to ensuring the Square Mile remains a place where people of all ethnicities and backgrounds feel safe and welcome.'
Natalie Portman arrived in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday to begin filming the highly anticipated Marvel Studios movie Thor: Love and Thunder.

The actress exited a luxury private jet and disembarked onto the tarmac, flanked by her children, daughter Amalia, three, and son, Aleph, nine.

First off the plane was little Aleph, who appeared to be carrying a box or suitcase of some sort.

Busy bee: Natalie Portman (pictured) arrived in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday to begin filming the highly anticipated Marvel Studios movie, Thor: Love and Thunder

Next was Natalie, weighed down with a large tote bag and a pink carry-on case.

The 39-year-old dutifully hoisted small suitcases, seemingly belonging to her little ones, down the stairway.

Amalia trotted after her mother, with Natalie reaching her hand out to help the toddler, who was dressed in bright pink.

Mum duty: The actress exited a luxury private jet and disembarked onto the tarmac, flanked by her her children, daughter Amalia, three, and son, Aleph, nine

Working it: Natalie was weighed down with a large tote bag and a pink carry on case

Helpful: The 39-year-old dutifully hoisted small suitcases, seemingly belonging to her little ones, down the stairway

Lastly an unidentified male, perhaps a security staffer, carried a number of bags down to a waiting van, which the family entered.

The family were helped by staff at the airport, who wore face masks while assisting them.

Natalie will be playing The Mighty Thor in the highly anticipated Marvel Studios movie, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Children on board: Amalia trotted after her mother, with Natalie reaching her hand out to help the toddler, who was dressed in bright pink

Help: The family were helped by staff at the airport, who wore face masks while assisting them

Off they go: An unidentified male, perhaps a security staffer, carried a number of bags down to a waiting van, which the family entered

The actress revealed at San Diego Comic-Con last year that she will return as Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder.

She will become The Mighty Thor, following a 2015 comic book arc where Foster wields the mystical hammer Mjolnir and becomes The Mighty Thor.

The star made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2011's Thor as Jane Foster, a scientist who became Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) love interest.

She returned in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, though she did not star in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok.

Love interest: Natalie made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2011's Thor as Jane Foster, a scientist who became the love interest Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth (pictured)

Taking over: The actress revealed at San Diego Comic-Con last year that she will return as Jane Foster in Thor: Love and Thunder. She will become The Mighty Thor, following a 2015 comic book arc where Foster wields the mystical hammer Mjolnir and becomes The Mighty Thor

Last month, the Black Swan actress also celebrated eight years of marriage with Benjamin Millepied, 43.

In a sweet Instagram post shared to mark their eighth anniversary she posted a fuzzy image from their nuptials, showing her smiling with her arms around the handsome Frenchman.

'Still my favorite dance partner. #8years,' Portman captioned the throwback snap.

Benjamin and Natalie met on the set of Darren Aronofsky's searing psychological dance drama Black Swan in 2010.
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. TRUMP HEADS TO KENOSHA

The president  over the objection of local leaders  is visiting the protest-riven Wisconsin city where Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by police.

2. SHERIFFS SLAM PLAN TO CURB PORTLAND UNREST

Law enforcement officials say the governors plan to mobilize units from surrounding counties wouldnt end the violence thats approaching 100 consecutive nights of protests.

3. IT WAS A TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE

Poll workers in Belarus are providing details to the AP of vote-rigging in the Aug. 9 election that kept authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko in power.

4. WHY HONG KONG IS WARY OF VIRUS TESTING

The voluntary program has become a flash point of political debate, with many distrustful over resources and staff being provided by Beijing and fears that the residents DNA could be collected.

5. VENICE RECLAIMS CINEMA SPOTLIGHT

But not without changes as the public will be barred from the red carpet, Hollywood stars and films will be largely absent and face masks will be required.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Leading epidemiologists warned on Monday that Midwest regions in the United States, which saw sharp increase of COVID-19 infections recently, might be another "hotspot" for the pandemic.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 6 million on Monday, with national death toll reaching over 183,400, according to a tally of Johns Hopkins University.

"Nationwide, metrics on new cases, deaths, hospitalizations and the positivity rates of tests are all declining, but there are emerging hotspots in the Midwest," Zhang Zuofeng, professor of epidemiology and associate dean for research with the school of public health at University of California, Los Angeles, told Xinhua.

"Moreover, the back-to-school season has brought new challenges to the control of the pandemic," he added.

Indicators that track influenza-like illness and COVID-19-like illness and the percentage of laboratory tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 have continued to decrease nationally since mid-July, according to a latest report of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Weekly hospitalization rates and mortality attributed to COVID-19 declined over last week, said the report.

In the Midwest, however, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have recently reported record one-day increases in new cases, while Montana and Idaho are seeing record numbers of currently hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Many of the new cases in Iowa are in the counties that are home to universities, which are holding some in-person classes.

Colleges and universities across the United States have seen increasing outbreaks as students are returning to campus, forcing some to switch in-person instruction to online courses.

Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus coordinator, recently said that universities should implement entry tests and be prepared to test up to 10,000 people a day, the Center for Public Integrity reported.

"We have already seen that if schools do not do testing and quarantining, the number of cases will spike at universities," Stanley Perlman, professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa, told Xinhua.

"The same could happen in younger children, although they are generally asymptomatic and schools are often online in the country now," he added.

Some midwestern states never locked down and others opened up perhaps too early, Perlman said, adding he fears that there will be hotspots in other places when fall and winter come.
The Zendy Digital Library Seeks to Build a More Knowledgeable World



It seems pretty obvious that coronavirus would be the most-searched term on many digital library platforms lately. The need for evidence-backed information about the pandemic is causing a new entry into the digital library space to double down on its mission to make scholarly information accessible to all. Although it is currently available in only the Middle East and North Africa, its approach is relevant the world over.

Knowledge E

Knowledge E, founded in 2012 by Kamran R. Kardan, is an educational technology startup from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that has grown to serve 100-plus clients from 29 countries, including organizations and government entities in the research and education sector. The E in the name stands for words that can be associated with knowledge, such as empowering or economies. Our vision is a more knowledgeable world, and we have always wanted to show that even small companies can make a big difference, says Kardan.

Knowledge E provides expertise, information resources, and software under its three Ds approach: Discover (e.g., its tailored content packages), Develop (e.g., its training programs), and Disseminate (e.g., its OA publishing program). The newest Discover solution is a subscription-based digital research library platform called Zendy. Kardan shares that the name was inspired by the Arabic word Zednee, which means enrich me.

Zendy

A Zendy spokesperson notes that after officially launching on March 1, 2020, the platform now has more than 7,000 subscribers in the Middle East and North Africa. Designed to give individualsall kinds of researchers, students, business professionals, and knowledge enthusiasts, as Kardan puts itaccess to scholarly research, it offers 120,000-plus scientific publications (including ejournals and ebooks) in all major disciplines for a monthly or annual subscription.

Content comes from contributors such as EBSCO Information Services, Emerald Publishing, SAGE, and Wiley. Its website notes, The average cost of a single research paper is 3x the monthly subscription to Zendy. And its About page confirms, Zendy originates from the notion of building a more knowledgeable world, as there has never been a time where easy, affordable access to content has been more needed.

Zendys News section lists the platforms features as they roll out, including the following:

All articles have permanent links ( similar to DOIs) that can be copied and shared via email or on social media.

( DOIs) that can be copied and shared via email or on social media. Users can populate their profiles with their role, main area of interest, and country of residence, allowing Zendy to provide relevant recommendations for content.

with their role, main area of interest, and country of residence, allowing Zendy to provide relevant recommendations for content. Author names are displayed next to titles in the search result list . In the expanded view, the display includes author affiliations, subject categories, and the journals ISSN. Search queries can be limited to several fields, such as journal title and an e-resources ISSN or ISBN.

. In the expanded view, the display includes author affiliations, subject categories, and the journals ISSN. Search queries can be limited to several fields, such as journal title and an e-resources ISSN or ISBN. Users can click Save Search to save any combination of search terms and filters to reuse certain criteria. There is no limit for how many combinations can be saved, and users can go to View Saved Searches to access them.

to save any combination of search terms and filters to reuse certain criteria. There is no limit for how many combinations can be saved, and users can go to View Saved Searches to access them. Any references can be exported in BibTeX format so they can be added to reference managers such as Mendeley, RefWorks, and EndNote. References can also be exported in common citation formats, including APA and MLA.

So far, Zendy is only available in Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and the UAEareas where, the About page notes, many universities cannot afford the subscription databases required for advancing research and studies. The press release announcing the Tunisian launch states, Tunisia has the highest number of researchers per million of the population among the North African countries with a growing number of women researchers. Texts for these researchers are available in French, Arabic, and English.

Kardan says that when even the most prestigious education institutions dont have access to all scientific literature, researchers gravitate more and more towards Google or even pirated sites. Their popularity among users across the globe also indicates that scholars and researchers are looking for easy ways to access content under a unified platform. Users are mostly agnostic to the source or the publisher platform and require trusted (usually measured by impact and citations) and relevant articles.

Zendys path hasnt been completely smooth. After more than a year of development, Kardan says that the team had to discard the work and start over. Luckily, he had the financial stability of Knowledge E to lean on. That took away the sense of urgency and priority you feel in bootstrapped start-ups which is big driver to get things done. Signing up publishers was also a challenge. Although all of the ones Zendy has approached have been supportive, Kardan says, publishers have large existing revenues in many markets and do not feel comfortable in adopting new business models that can undermine that revenue. Finding that balance is very important. Of course, there is always this tough initial phase that you have to go through before reaching the magical tipping point. Thats why Zendy uses a regionally focused strategy before expanding into new markets.

Zendy and COVID-19

According to a Zendy press release, coronavirus was the platforms most-searched term in the UAE during April, May, and June. The term made up 15% of overall searches. Kardan says in the press release, The threat of the pandemic has raised interest in the quality of scientific information available and questions about sources. The search results confirm our belief that people are starting to wise up to fake news and now more than ever want to verify what they read and hear with credible, fact-based literature. COVID-19 has made people more aware of other global threats, such as climate change, he notes. For innovation to happen in these areas, science, medical and research professionals need to be able to access all available academic literature.  In the future, if we are going to find solutions to some of the worlds greatest problems, we need to remove barriers to information and democratise access to research.

The Future

Kardan says that Zendy is currently concentrating on expanding into more countries and building up its list of publishers. It has big plans. We are aiming to launch a free version of the platform globally and subsequently build an app. Eventually, we will launch the subscription option worldwide, says Kardan. In the meantime, we are also working towards adding magazines, summaries, making content more accessible and applicable to a wider audience to make the platform more appealing and trigger further use. Eventually, we would also like to move [Knowledge Es] training programmes into the digital world and make them accessible to individuals. There is a lot planned in the pipeline and we have an extensive road map in hand.

Photo of Kamran R. Kardan courtesy of Knowledge E
Jemima Khan, daughter of Sir James Goldsmith, who was arguably the stroppiest multi-millionaire of his generation, has met a lot of characters, from Nick Clegg to Julian Assange, but her encounter with Peter Mandelson, the old Labour spin master, was evidently of a different order.

She tweeted: Peter Mandelson is one of the most odious, self-satisfied, misogynistic men I have ever met. Compellingly, fascinatingly horrible. She added: So toxic, I have a Mandyover.

Too many fruitcakes at the UKIP picnic

If Nigel Farage is at all superstitious, he must now be wishing he had never uttered those words at a Press Gallery lunch on Wednesday about the UK Independence Party attracting the odd fruitcake. Almost at once, Godfrey Bloom MEP popped up to remind every of his weird views on women. Next out of the woodwork was Anna-Marie Crampton, who was due to stand on Thursday as a UKIP candidate for East Sussex County Council, until the Brighton Argus spotted comments appearing to come from her Facebook page, alongside pictures of her with Nigel Farage. The comments included this shocking claim: The Second World War was engineered by the Zionist jews and financed by the banksters (sic) to make the general public all over the world to feel so guilty and outraged by the Holocaust that a treaty would be signed to create the State of IsraelOnly the Zionists could sacrifice their own in the gas chambers.

Crampton has been struck off the official list of UKIP candidates and faces possible expulsion from the party, though to judge by her comments on Twitter today, she is a wronged woman. Im NOT antisemetic, she wrote (her spelling, not mine) I NEVER said i do not believe in the holocaust. I've clearly been trolled. I do post on Zionism as a political movement. Further, my great grandmother was Jewish on my mother's side. She probably thinks the final comment is the clincher.

Christine Hamilton's 'enthusiastic' young friend goes it alone for the Tories

It is 14 years since Christine Hamilton, feisty wife of the scandal-hit former Tory MP Neil Hamilton, was pictured on the front of The Sun, engaged in what looked like a passionate embrace with an Oxford undergraduate. By all accounts, it was more innocent than it appeared: the student, Will Goodhand says that it was just a mildly enthusiastic greeting. He has resurfaced as prospective Tory candidate for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. It is not impossible that the Tories could take that seat in 2015, because they came within less than 1,700 votes of winning last time, but it is unlikely. And the Hamilton will not be there to help, because they are now in UKIP

Government demands action of ex-con coppers (while two sit in the Lords with previous convictions)

I see the Lords have been asking pertinent questions about police officers who are convicted of serious offences but keep their jobs. In the Met., there are currently 15 serving coppers with criminal records, of whom 10 have been convicted of serious traffic convictions such as drink driving. The Government should do something about it, was the general view in their lordships house. Meanwhile, those convicted expenses fiddlers, Lord Hanningfield and Lord Taylor of Warwick, continue to be serving members of the House of Lords, receiving their 300 a day attendance allowances.

Love scandal Leveson lawyer gets back to work

David Sherborne, one of the lawyers prominently involved in the Leveson Inquiry into newspaper ethics has had a difficult week after his extramarital with another Leveson lawyer, Carine Patsy Hoskins, was plastered all over the tabloid press. He was back in court today, representing complainants who believe their phones were hacked by Mirror Group newspaper journalists. Desmond Browne QC, representing MGN, seemed to find something funny in his colleagues plight. According to the transcript, he remarked: I of course accept that Mr Sherborne had other matters to deal with in the past few days than this, and I sympathise with him on that account, but
Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra has suggested an eco-friendly idea for highway construction, in which both development and nature can co-exist. The ace industrialist shared a picture of a green bridge over a highway, which provides a safe crossing path for wildlife amidst the danger of highways. The wildlife bridge, also known as ecoduct is in Netherland. The picture was initially tweeted by Erik Solheim, Executive Director-UN Environment.



Isnt this beautiful?

Development can coexist with Nature!

This is a wildlife bridge known as ecoduct in Netherlands which provides a safe crossing path for wildlife amidst the danger of highways. pic.twitter.com/WAbTwGIbpQ Erik Solheim (@ErikSolheim) August 29, 2020 Later, Mahindra shared Erik's tweet and urged Union Roads Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to make such 'ecoduct' in India as well. "The perfect way to coexist. Niti Gadkari ji if you can make this a standard feature when building highways through particular zones," he wrote. The 65-year-old business tycoon added that he will give a standing ovation to Gadkari for building such bridges in the country. The perfect way to coexist. @nitin_gadkari ji if you can make this a standard feature when building highways through particular zones, we will give you a standing ovation! https://t.co/vEN0FeIcLN anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 29, 2020

In response to Mahindra, Gadkari highlighted how an animal corridor was made on NH44 between Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) and Nagpur (Maharashtra) with 'good results.' "We tried developing an animal corridor on NH44 between Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) & Nagpur (Maharashtra) that gave us good results. Nevertheless, we shall continue striving towards our goal for peaceful coexistence between man and animal," Gadkari tweeted.

The minister added, "Thank you for your suggestion Anand Mahindra ji. Yes, we need to look at similar innovations. Ecological balance has to be maintained."

Also read: AGR verdict: SC allows telcos 10 years to clear dues, but with conditions

Also read: Loan moratorium 'extendable' up to 2 years: Govt to SC
TORONTO, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQX: MEDIF) (FSE:MLZ) (MediPharm Labs or the Company) a global leader in specialized, research-driven pharmaceutical-quality cannabis extraction, distillation and derivative products, today announced it will supply cannabis concentrate products in Denmark to two new medical cannabis customers under two separate white-label agreements. These customers will be serviced by both GMP approved facilities, MediPharm Labs Inc. and MediPharm Labs Australia Pty Ltd (MediPharm Labs Australia). This marks MediPharm Labs first supply agreements for the export of finished products to Denmark.



Denmark granted patients legal access to cannabis-based medicinal products two years ago as part of a four-year pilot program. The program provides patients with safe product access and national health authorities with patient data that they can use to understand usage and efficacy. According to information complied by New Frontier Data and the Danish Ministry of Health, over 2,100 patients (primarily women between the ages of 42-64) received cannabis-based medicinal products from 429 prescribing doctors under this program in 2019.

The express purpose of establishing a multi-jurisdictional, GMP-certified production capability is to lead the global cannabis market for medicinal, wellness and adult use applications and these agreements represent another step forward in realizing our ambitions, said Pat McCutcheon, CEO, MediPharm Labs. Getting in on the ground floor of the Danish medical market with new and innovative medical cannabis focused products positions us for additional growth in Europe and adds to MediPharm Labs all-important body of knowledge that we are leveraging to enhance the design of our formulations for patients and consumers everywhere.

Under the agreements, one which has an initial two-year term and the second a one-year term - both subject to renewal, MediPharm Labs will supply a full range of specially formulated CBD and THC cannabis oil products that will be white-labeled for distribution.

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MediPharm Labs anticipates delivery to its customers to begin in October 2020, pending regulatory approval by applicable health authorities.

GMP Certification Ignites Growth for MediPharm Labs Australia

Since the beginning of 2020, MediPharm Labs Australia has secured several very attractive domestic and international supply agreements with high quality partners, now including new customers in Denmark, said Warren Everitt, CEO, MediPharm Labs Australia. This volume and the pace of new business wins are a clear and important validation of our decision to build a GMP certified cannabis extraction facility supply chain for world markets and a testament to MediPharm Labs growing profile and reputation. We look forward to ramping up production under all of these agreements.

MediPharm Labs Australia received its Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificate from the Therapeutic Goods Association in May 2020, which enables it to sell cannabis APIs and finished products to countries across the EU, including Denmark. The Company entered into its first European white-label cannabis supply agreement that same month with Therismos Limited.

About Denmarks Medical Cannabis Market

Denmark launched its four-year medical cannabis pilot program on January 1st, 20181. Post-harvest Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) is required for distribution of medical cannabis products in Denmark2.

Through the program, physicians can prescribe medical cannabis for all purposes and are guided by recommendations in four areas: pain caused by multiple sclerosis, pain caused by spinal cord damage, side effects from chemotherapy treatment and neuropathic pain that is due to brain, spinal cord or nerve damage3. The guidelines published by the Danish Medicines Agency are based on an extensive review of literature as well as assessments of: cannabis schemes in the Netherlands, Canada and Israel; previous cannabis drug approvals in Europe and the US; and scientific evidence by the National Academy of Sciences (USA, 2017).

About MediPharm Labs Corp.

Founded in 2015, MediPharm Labs specializes in the production of purified, pharmaceutical quality cannabis oil and concentrates and advanced derivative products utilizing a Good Manufacturing Practices certified facility with ISO standard built clean rooms. MediPharm Labs has invested in an expert, research-driven team, state-of-the-art technology, downstream purification methodologies and purpose-built facilities with five primary extraction lines for delivery of pure, trusted and precision -dosed cannabis products for its customers. Through its wholesale and white label platforms, they formulate, consumer-test, process, package and distribute cannabis extracts and advanced cannabinoid-based products to domestic and international markets. As a global leader, MediPharm Labs has completed commercial exports to Australia and is nearing commercialization of its Australian Extraction facility. MediPharm Labs Australia was established in 2017.

For further information, please contact:

Laura Lepore, VP, Investor Relations

Telephone: 705-719-7425 ext 1525

Email: investors@medipharmlabs.com

Website: www.medipharmlabs.com

______________________________

1 Medicinal Cannabis Pilot Program. Retrieved: https://laegemiddelstyrelsen.dk/en/special/medicinal-cannabis/citizens/medicinal-cannabis-pilot-programme/

2 The Medical Cannabis Market in Denmark & Europe. Retrieved: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/the-medical-cannabis-market-in-denmark-europe/80721/

3 The Danish Medical Cannabis Pilot Programme: Putting the Patient First. Retrieved: https://www.healtheuropa.eu/the-danish-medical-cannabis-pilot-programme-putting-the-patient-first/92991/

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:

This news release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the successful performance of the agreements and shipping of products thereunder as planned; additional growth in Europe; and enhancing the design of formulations. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the inability of MediPharm Labs to obtain adequate financing; the delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; and other factors discussed in MediPharm Labs filings, available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, MediPharm Labs assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change.




The man who was fatally shot Saturday night during a skirmish with counterprotesters in Portland, Oregon, was a supporter of a far-right group that participated in a pro-Trump caravan, the group said Monday.

IMAGE: Aaron 'Jay' Danielson and Joey Gibson (Courtesy Joey Gibson)

Joey Gibson, founder of the group, which is called Patriot Prayer, said the shooting victim was a resident of Portland who was part of the motorcade that clashed with crowds of Black Lives Matter demonstrators and other protesters on city streets.

The Portland Police Bureau identified him Monday as Aaron "Jay" Danielson, 39. An autopsy listed his cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest, the department said.

"Jay's one of the nicest guys that you'll ever meet," Gibson said of Danielson, who was photographed in a Patriot Prayer hat at the scene of the shooting. "Anyone that knows him ... no one would ever want to hurt this guy."

In an interview near his home in Vancouver, Washington, Gibson added that he has regrets about Danielson's shooting.

"Jay was in his hometown walking around, and he got attacked," he said. "So I don't know what else we could have done differently."

Image: Far-right activists in Portland (Nathan Howard / Getty Images)

The caravan of hundreds of vehicles  many flying flags in support of President Donald Trump  began Saturday night in Clackamas, a suburb of Portland, a city that has been a hub of anti-police brutality protests for weeks since the death of George Floyd.

Gibson said the planned route, as organized by police, was to have driven around Portland  but a key off-ramp had mistakenly been blocked off, forcing the fleet of trucks and cars onto city streets. Chief Chuck Lovell said Sunday that Portland police tried to take "precautionary measures" to prevent the caravan from reaching downtown but were unsuccessful.

"All the trucks, no one knew where to go, so everyone was just going into random places," Gibson said. "They split us up into small groups, which actually put more people in danger."

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Asked whether anyone in the caravan fired pepper spray or paintballs into crowds of counterprotesters, Gibson said there were instances of self-defense.

"I think they had a right to defend themselves," Gibson said. "You should have the right to be able to drive through the city of Portland, and you should have the right to defend yourself, also."

There were more protests Sunday night, and at least 29 people were arrested, police said Monday.

Mayor Ted Wheeler on Sunday denounced the violence and blamed Trump for creating the "hate and the division" that led to the unrest. Wheeler also called on those who might "seek retribution" to stay out of the city.

Trump continued to seize on the turmoil Monday in Portland, offering to send federal forces into the city.

"Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years," Trump tweeted. "If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!"

Cassie Miller, a senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that Patriot Prayers primary focus is to instigate acts of violence with leftists, which they then use as a recruiting tool  and an excuse to hold another rally."

Patriot Prayer was founded in 2016 by Joey Gibson and has made de facto alliances with other far-right extremist groups, like the misogynist pro-Trump group the Proud Boys, which Miller calls their most loyal partners.

The group counterprotests leftist rallies in cities across the Pacific Northwest, specifically Portland, and posts videos of skirmishes on social media with the hope of going viral among right-wing commentators, politicians, and, eventually, news organizations.

What Patriot Prayer really does is create propaganda and pose the idea that antifascists pose an existential threat to the nation, and theyve been very successful at that. Their goal for years was to get the attention of right-wing media, and the president in particular, said Miller.

President Trump tweeted GREAT PATRIOTS! in response to a video of a caravan of Trump supporters heading into Portland on Saturday night.

Theyve been looking for legitimization from the president and his administration more broadly for a long time. [The presidents tweets this weekend] are a huge signal from him that he endorses what theyre doing, said Miller. Theyve helped create this sort of fascistic propaganda, that its order versus chaos, that its up to them.

Gibson cast Patriot Prayer as a faith-based grassroots group that is particularly focused on First and Second Amendment protections. He denied that the group engages in "hate speech," saying he will pay anyone $3,000 if they can find an example of him saying "racist things."

"What we do is promote freedom and God," Gibson said.

While warning about the perils of government overreach, Gibson also backed efforts by Trump to pressure local leaders to bring in federal forces.

"I also think it's smart that he's forcing Ted Wheeler to ask him to bring him in help instead of forcing it in the city," he said.

Last year, Gibson and five other men were charged with rioting outside a Portland bar on May Day.

The case against Gibson is still pending, and he is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing Oct. 23, a spokesperson for the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office said Monday.
JERSEYVILLE  Two women face multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after an incident on Aug. 21.

Tina M. Cox, 54, of the 400 block of Minard, Jerseyville; and Kendra Sue Booth, 31, of the 15600 block of Bartlett Road, Dow, were both charged Aug. 24 with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony; unlawful possession of hypodermic syringe or needle, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, all Class A misdemeanors.

In addition, Cox was charged with unlawful possession with intent to deliver controlled substance, a Class 1 felony; and Booth was charged with three counts of unlawful possession of controlled substance, all Class 4 felonies.

According to court documents, on Aug. 21 the two were found to be in possession of less than five grams of methamphetamine, a syringe and other drug paraphernalia. In addition, Cox was found to be3 in possession of less than 15 grams of heroin with the intent to deliver. Booth was also found to be in possession of less than 15 grams of heroin/fentanyl, buprenorphine and naloxone, and Eszopiclone.

Bail was set at $25,000 for Cox and $10,000 for Booth.

In an unrelated case, Wyatt A. Goheen, 23, of the 22200 block of Illinois State Route 3, Grafton, was charged Aug. 26 with two counts of unlawful possession of controlled substance, and unlawful possession of certificate of title without complete assignment, all Class 4 felonies; and possession of cannabis less than 10 grams.

According to court documents, on Aug. 25 Goheen was found to be in possession of less than 15 grams of Oxycodone, and less than 15 grams of Clonazepan. He also had possession of the title of a 2000 Buick Century, without complete assignment, and had less than 10 grams of cannabis.

Bail was set at $5,000.
Portland Police declared a riot Monday evening after about 200 demonstrators marched to Mayor Ted Wheelers residence to demand that he resign.

Police reported that an arson fire was started in the area. Rioters also broke windows and attempted to set a store on the ground floor of the Democratic mayors condominium building on fire.

It was critical to secure the area to allow firefighters to respond to this dangerous situation, police said.

Oregon State Police were also sent to Portland on Monday after a weekend of violence that saw one pro-Trump demonstrator fatally shot as Black Lives Matter protesters clashed with Trump supporters downtown.

Democratic Governor Kate Brown on Sunday announced a plan to quell the nightly violence while still allowing peaceful protests, saying state police troopers and officers from several surrounding areas will be called in to assist Portlands police force. Meanwhile, the FBI and federal prosecutors will commit more resources to prosecute criminal offenses that arise from the demonstrations, she said.

We all must come togetherelected officials, community leaders, all of usto stop the cycle of violence, Brown said in a statement. But this is only the first step. Real change will come from the hard work to achieve racial justice.

A pro-Trump demonstrator was shot and killed Saturday night during clashes in Portland between Black Lives Matter protesters and a caravan of Trump supporters who drove trucks through the downtown streets. The man wore a hat with the logo for the right-wing group Patriot Prayer. The male suspect reportedly under investigation for the fatal shooting declared his allegiance to Antifa on social media before the incident.

Every Oregonian has the right to freely express their views without fear of deadly violence. I will not allow Patriot Prayer and armed white supremacists to bring more bloodshed to our streets, Brown said. Time and again, from Charlottesville to Kenosha to Portland, we have seen the tragic outcome when armed right-wing vigilantes take matters into their own hands.

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Protests and rioting have been ongoing in Portland for more than 90 days since the police custody death of George Floyd in May.

More from National Review
By Azernews





By Akbar Mammadov

Armenias provocative moves nullify negotiations and hamper the peace process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said in a presser on September 1.

Abdullayev said that Armenias actions in the past one and half month were sufficient to understand the provocative nature of this country.

She reminded that Armenia launched a pre-planned attack on Azerbaijans border Tovuz district on July 12-16. The attack was thwarted by the Azerbaijani army.

She also said that Armenia used the recent deadly explosion in Lebanese capital Beirut for its goal to strengthen the result of occupation by announcing its plan to settle Lebanese Armenians in Azerbaijans occupied territories.

Furthermore, Abdullayeva said that after the failure in Tovuz, the Armenian military-political leadership resorted to another provocation by staging a sabotage attempt on the line of contact in Azerbaijans Goranboy region on August 23. The Armenian sabotage group's leader was captured by the Azerbaijani army.

Lastly, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Azerbaijans occupied Khankendi city on August 29 and met representatives of the puppet regime created there, Abdullayeva said.

She stressed the Pashinyan visited the Armenian military units in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which openly demonstrates that Armenia is an aggressor country and pursues annexation policy.

Commenting on Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyans earlier comments on the importance of political will for the settlement of the conflict, Abdullayeva said: After all these, I wonder what peace and what proposals and initiatives to reduce tensions in the region Mnatsakanyan is talking about.

Furthermore, Abdullayeva said that Armenia is bringing up its youth in line with the racist ideology and fascist values of Nzhdeizm and supports terrorism on the state level. She reminded vandalism and hate crimes committed by Armenians against Azerbaijani civilians in a number of countries recently.

The views of the Armenian minister, who connects the prevention of ethnic clashes in foreign countries to demonstration of political will in resolving the conflict, are nonsense. Because Armenia has not been able to demonstrate such political will for years, Abdullayeva said.

The spokesperson noted that the withdrawal of the Armenian occupying forces from the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan and restoration of the rights of the displaced people from these lands is key to ensure lasting peace in the region.

Armenia must eventually show political will and take concrete steps in this direction, she concluded.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
San Francisco, Sep 1 : Information tecnology company Cognizant on Tuesday said it has entered into an agreement to acquire Chicago-based 10th Magnitude, a Cloud specialist focused exclusively on the Microsoft Azure platform.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition will expand the Microsoft Azure expertise within Cognizant's new Microsoft Business Group, adding development and managed services hubs in major cities throughout the US.

This will be Cognizant's sixth Cloud-related acquisition in 2020.

10th Magnitude offers advisory and managed services, including data centre transformation, application modernisation, and data intelligence with AI-driven analytics and insights.

"Modernising business platforms by shifting to the Cloud is a key priority for our clients," Greg Hyttenrauch, President, Cognizant Digital Systems and Technology, said in a statement.

"The acquisition of 10th Magnitude underscores our commitment to Microsoft, one of our leading strategic partners, and will further strengthen our ability to provide Azure expertise to our clients as they embrace the Cloud." Upon the close of the acquisition, 10th Magnitude's Azure experts will join Cognizant as part of the Microsoft Business Group.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020, subject to the satisfaction of closing conditions, including regulatory clearance.
You'd better savour every last crumb of this swanky sandwich.

Chicago restaurant PB&J is offering what it claims to be the world's most expensive peanut butter and jelly sandwich with an eye-watering $350 (261) price tag.

The luxury version of the American classic includes gold leaf-dusted bread, a special redcurrant jam imported from France, all-natural peanut butter and a rare Manuka honey from New Zealand.

Chicago restaurant PB&J has a peanut and butter sandwich on the menu fit for the upper crust with an eye-watering $350 (261) price tag

PB&J's owners, brothers Matthew and Josh McCahill, told MailOnline Travel that they originally had the idea after stumbling across a $200 (149) dollar PB&J sandwich on their travels that only featured a gold toothpick.

They decided that they could top that idea at their new family-friendly restaurant in Chicago's West Loop.

Matthew says that the sandwich, listed on the menu as the 'Golden Goose', is quite unlike one he's had before.

Restaurant owner Matthew McCahill says that the sandwich, listed on the menu as the 'Golden Goose', is quite unlike one he's had before

The luxury version of the American classic includes gold leaf-dusted bread, a special redcurrant jam imported from France, all-natural peanut butter and a rare Manuka honey from New Zealand

He selected a special jam from French company, Maison Dutriez that he found while travelling through Europe.

For more than 600 years, the condiment brand has employed a painstaking technique which sees red and white currants carefully de-seeded using a feather quill.

Matthew said: 'The redcurrant berries burst with flavour and the honey is delicious and decadent. It's hedonism in the mouth. '

Diners who purchase the 'Golden Goose' can also take home the remainder of the jam and honey jars

The PB&J restaurant is located on Chicago's West Loop. The restaurant's acronym PB&J stands for 'Pizza, Beer & Jukebox'

The expensive sandwich must be ordered by guests 24 hours in advance of their visit. Diners who purchase the 'Golden Goose' can also take home the remainder of the jam and honey jars.

A percentage of the sandwich proceeds are donated to Chicago Hopes for Kids, a charity which provides educational support for children living in homeless shelters.

And although the peanut butter sandwich has become the star attraction of PB&J, the restaurant's acronym PB&J actually stands for 'Pizza, Beer & Jukebox'.
Protesters hold portraits of fatal victims of police brutality, Breonna Taylor and Layleen Polanco, in New York City on August 28, 2020. Erik McGregor/LightRocket/Getty Images

Layleen Cubilette-Polanco died in solitary confinement at Rikers Island in June 2019 after having an epileptic seizure.

According to a report by the city's Board of Correction, Polanco was placed in solitary confinement and experienced at least two seizures while in custody.

Her family settled with the City of New York for $5.9 million on Monday, the largest settlement amount of its kind.

"I have no faith in the city, I have no faith in anything that they do, besides them paying people out, that's all they do," Polanco's sister Melania Brown told The New York Times.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco, a 27-year-old transgender woman, died in a jail cell in June of last year.

She was being held at at Rikers Island after not being able to afford her $500 bail.

The City of New York has now reached a settlement of $5.9 million with her family  the largest of its kind, The City reported on Sunday.

"This settlement will allow Layleen's family to move forward without enduring years of protracted litigation and reliving their trauma," the family's lawyer, David Shanies, told The City in a statement.

Polanco was arrested in April last year on misdemeanor charges of assault and harassment, then taken into custody after she missed court dates, CNN reported, citing court records.

Layleen Polanco was found unresponsive in her cell after having an epileptic seizure, which an autopsy later confirmed was the cause of her death.

In June, the New York City Board of Correction published a report detailing the failures that led up to Polanco's death. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced 17 officers with the New York City Department of Correction would be disciplined.

The entrance to the City of New York Rikers Island Correction Department facility is seen in the Queens borough of New York May 16, 2011. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Polanco had a history of being medicated for epilepsy, but was placed in solitary confinement and experienced at least two seizures while in custody, the report said. Officers did not check on Polanco as required and after she was found unresponsive, they waited 90 minutes before calling for medical assistance.

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"I have no faith in the city, I have no faith in anything that they do, besides them paying people out, that's all they do," Melania Brown, Polanco's sister, told The New York Times on Monday. "That's their way of saying sorry. I do hope this settlement makes a powerful statement that Black trans lives do matter and that we need a change moving forward."

"The death of Ms. Polanco was an absolute tragedy and our thoughts remain with her family and loved ones," the City Law Department said in a statement on Monday. "The city will continue to do everything it can to make reforms towards a correction system that is fundamentally safer, fairer, and more humane."

The same month Polanco was arrested, New York state passed bail reform legislation that ended cash bail for most misdemeanors. The legislation took effect this January.

"This is just the beginning of justice for my sister; this is not even close to being justice for her," Brown told The City. "Justice would be holding those people who had something to do with my sister's death accountable for their actions."

Read the original article on Insider
(Reuters) - Thousands of students boycotted the start of the school year in Belarus on Tuesday and signs of a possible rift appeared in an opposition alliance that has led weeks of rallies and protests against veteran President Alexander Lukashenko.

Lukashenko faces the biggest challenge of his 26-year rule since claiming victory in an election last month that opponents say was rigged. Lukashenko denies electoral fraud and shows no sign of backing down despite the threat of Western sanctions.

The United States is considering sanctions on seven individuals it says were involved in falsifying the election and in violence against protesters, a senior U.S. State Department official told Reuters.

"It is a minimal effort to ... not just name and shame but to show that when people both steal elections and commit violence against peaceful protesters exercising fundamental freedoms of assembly and speech that there needs to be some accountability," the official said.

In a rare public reproach, Lukashenko's main challenger, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, issued a statement criticising the strategy of another opposition group with which she formed an alliance during the election campaign.

Tsikhanouskaya fled into exile two days after the Aug. 9 election. From her new base in Lithuania, she declared herself the rightful winner and launched an opposition council with the stated aim of ensuring a peaceful transfer of power.

Tsikhanouskaya said the council "should not be dominated by any political party", after opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova and the team of jailed presidential candidate Viktor Babariko announced the creation of a party called 'Together'.

The declared aim of Babariko and Kolesnikova's camp to enact constitutional reform was a distraction from the goal of removing Lukashenko and holding new elections, Tsikhanouskaya said.

Kolesnikova's camp later said it did not wish to disrupt the council's work, and that it backed Tsikhanouskaya's call for new elections and her electoral programme.

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"Not a single Belarusian doubts Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's victory, and that her victory was stolen," it said.

'EVENTFUL SUMMER IS OVER'

Many state-run schools were used as polling stations and teachers helped count ballots in the election, which the election commission said Lukashenko won with an 80% vote share.

Answering a call from Tsikhanouskaya, students waving opposition flags staged marches and collected signatures outside several colleges in Minsk calling for Lukashenko to step down.

Video footage showed students, some wearing rucksacks, being dragged away from a crowd and detained by masked security forces. Police also detained seven journalists covering the protests for what the government said were document checks.

There were also new protests at two of the large industrial plants that underpin Lukashenko's Soviet-style economic model, the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant and the Minsk Tractor Works, local media reported. Workers at the Belarus Hi-Tech Park on the outskirts of the capital also protested.

Thousands of people were detained after the election and United Nations human rights investigators said on Tuesday they had received reports of hundreds of cases of torture, beatings and mistreatment.

The government has denied abusing detainees.

Lukashenko sought to draw a line under the protests as he visited a vocational training college.

"The president emphasized that the eventful summer is over," the official Belta news agency said.

Lukashenko has described the protesters as "rats" backed from abroad. On Monday, a third member of the opposition council was detained.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia has imposed travel bans on Lukashenko and 29 other officials. The European Union has been working on a list of individuals to target with sanctions but is expected to exclude Lukashenko.

Belarus is Russia's closest ally among former Soviet states, and its territory is integral to Moscow's European defence strategy.

Russia has signalled its willingness to prop up Lukashenko's government and the two countries are discussing the refinancing of Belarusian debt, Interfax news agency reported.

(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Landay in Washington, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Maria Kiselyova in Moscow and Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; writing by Matthias Williams, Editing by Peter Graff and Timothy Heritage)
Ben & Jerry's is taking another step in the fight for racial justice in America.

The ice cream maker's latest project is a podcast on Americas history of racism and white supremacy. Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America will premiere September 15 and it will be hosted by Carvell Wallace with Jeffery Robinson of the ACLU serving as a legal expert.

Robinson, who is working on the documentary "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America," gave a presentation to several leaders at Ben & Jerry's and that led to a monetary commitment to finish the film and partnering with Vox for a six-part podcast.

More: Ben & Jerry's calls for the dismantling of 'culture of white supremacy'

More: Ben & Jerry's to stop product ads on social media, to support racial justice

After protests over the killing of George Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota erupted around the nation in June, Ben & Jerry's posted on Twitter, "The murder of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy."

The company expanded on the issue on its website requesting that President Donald Trump and elected officials disavow white supremacists.

"Ben & Jerry's have been leaders in demonstrating how corporate America can behave responsibly and put their values to work in their business," said Jeffrey Robinson, deputy legal director and the director of the ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality to USA TODAY.

Jeffery Robinson is a deputy legal director and the director of the ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality.

The podcast is expected to shed light on objective facts about how hiring practices, investment practices and corporate behavior can demonstrate the problem of racism was created, Robinson explained.

"If companies made it one of their primary goals to invest in and develop economic success in Black America I am very confident that they could figure out a way to do so. Universities have engaged in reparations programs. Companies can do the same, added Robinson. "Maybe a clear, unvarnished look at our true history will motivate people and companies to act."

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Ben & Jerrys has a long history of social justice work and commitment.

In 2005, it protested oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2011, it supported the Occupy Wall Street movement. And in 2018, Ben & Jerry's launched its "Pecan Resist" flavor supporting organizations working on peaceful resistance against the Trump administration.

Last month, the company suspended all paid advertising for products on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the rest of 2020. In turn, Ben & Jerry's is running paid advertising in support of its activism campaigns that focus on racial justice and equity, and its 2020 election work around racial justice, voting rights and others.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ben & Jerry's tackles racism in America with new podcast
NEW YORK  A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a New York prosecutor from obtaining Donald Trumps tax returns while his lawyers continue to fight a subpoena seeking the records. The three-judge panel ruled after hearing brief arguments from both sides.

Trumps lawyers had asked for a temporary stay while they appeal a lower-court ruling that granted Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.s office access to Trumps tax returns. A lawyer for Vances office had argued that further delays would only impede their investigation.

The question at this juncture is quite simple but also quite important, Trump lawyer William Consovoy said. Will the president be given an opportunity to appeal that ruling before his personal records are disclosed to the grand jury and the status quo is irrevocably changed?

Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said they were pleased with the ruling. A message seeking comment was left with Vances spokesperson.

A hearing on the merits of Trumps latest appeal will be held on Sept. 25 after both sides agreed to an expedited schedule.

Trumps lawyers appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month after a district court judge rejected their renewed efforts to invalidate a subpoena issued to his accounting firm. Judge John M. Walker Jr. said at Tuesdays hearing that the subpoenas cover 11 entities engaged in business dealings as far away as Europe and Dubai.

Trump has blasted the long-running quest for his financial records as a continuation of the most disgusting witch hunt in the history of our country and predicted the case would again end up before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the presidency in itself doesnt shield Trump from Vances investigation, but the high court returned the case to U.S. District Judge Victor Marreros courtroom to allow Trumps lawyers to raise other concerns about the subpoena.

Trumps lawyers then argued that the subpoena was issued in bad faith and overly broad, might have been politically motivated and amounted to harassment. Marrero rejected those claims. Consovoy told the judges Tuesday that the investigation was an arbitrary fishing expedition.

Carey Dunne, of the district attorneys office, said Trump and his lawyers have long misrepresented the scope of the investigation as focusing primarily on hush money payments that were paid to protect Trump from adultery allegations. Vances lawyers have said they are legally entitled to extensive records to aid a complex financial investigation.

The president has complained at every turn that weve not announced what the grand jury is looking at as if that itself is bad faith, Dunne said. But of course, what the grand jury is looking at is secret. Were not allowed to make that public, which is what has led to his speculation about the grand jury scope. But none of this speculation is plausible.

Even if Vance does get Trumps tax records, those would be part of a confidential grand jury investigation and not automatically be made public.

Vance, a Democrat, began seeking the Republican presidents tax returns from his longtime accounting firm over a year ago, after Trumps former personal lawyer Michael Cohen told Congress that the president had misled tax officials, insurers and business associates about the value of his assets.

Congress is also pursuing Trumps financial records, though the Supreme Court last month kept a hold on the banking and other documents that Congress has been seeking and returned the case to a lower court.

Trump is the only modern president who has refused to release his tax returns. Before he was elected, he had promised to do so.
Theater executives are betting that a Covid-19 vaccine will arrive and that studios will soon return to their decades-old system of releasing movies. There is significant pent-up demand for the theater experience, one executive said.

The New Mutants is the most expensive Hollywood film to be released since March and is trial balloon for whether people are ready for theatrical releases. Its reception suggests that the road ahead for Hollywood will be anything but easy, Brooks Barnes reports.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Perhaps youve already noticed it; watching the days in lockdown run together or criss-crossing between time zones on Zoom calls. Time has moved differently in this pandemic. No doubt many of us have wanted to fast-forward through the past year altogether. But US physicist Ron Mallett has been wanting to turn time back around since he was 10. That was the year he lost his young, clever father to a sudden heart attack. And the year he read H.G. Wells novel The Time Machine. I decided I had to build a time machine so I could go back and see my father, Mallett says. In the opening pages of that edition, he found a phrase that has never left him: Scientific people know very well that time is just a kind of space... and we can move forward and backward in time just as we can move forward and backward in space." US physicist Ron Mallett (front) with his parents, Dorothy and Boyd Mallett, and baby brother Jason in 1948. After his father's sudden death, Mallett dedicated his life to the study of time and space. Credit:Courtesy Ron Mallett It said scientific people, Mallett says. We were plunged into poverty after dad died ... and I went from being a really happy kid to really depressed, it just shattered me. But I knew I had to get to university, I had to become one of these scientific people if I was ever going to find a way to go back. Time travel might still sound like fiction, a problem for the likes of Marty McFly perhaps, not the worlds scientists. But ever since Albert Einstein showed it was at least theoretically possible, in a series of equations that changed how we understand the universe, researchers have been giving the concept serious thought.

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Now, after a long academic career studying black holes and lasers, Mallett thinks he has found a way to bend time. It came from solving some of Einsteins field equations. Einstein died the same year as my father: 1955. They were the two giants of my life. So what would time travel look like if it was cooked up in a lab rather than Hollywood? Is it logically possible to return to the past  or change it? And what does all this have to do with space travel and wormholes? Theoretical physicist Ron Mallett of the University of Connecticut says the secret to time travel lies in Einstein's equations. Credit:Courtesy Ron Mallett What is time? You are travelling in time right now but at the same boring old clip: second by second. Reality has a direction, things change from one moment to the next, ice melts, trees grow, and so we measure that passage by keeping time with clocks. Our experience of time is subjective. Sometimes it seems to speed up. At other times, perhaps even now while reading this article, it feels punishingly slow, each moment dragging out longer than the next. But its not always just in our heads  under the right conditions, time can change speed. Ten years after Wells wrote The Time Machine in 1895, Einstein's seminal theory of relativity ruled that time and space really are part of the same fabric of the universe: spacetime. You can move in three dimensions in space (up/down, left/right and forwards/backwards) but there is a fourth dimension you need to locate yourself in too: time. And as with space, time is malleable. In the words of one of televisions most famous time travellers, Dr Who, this is where it all gets a bit wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey.

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Time has a beginning, Mallett says; the birth of the universe in that first cosmic explosion known as the Big Bang billions of years ago. But scientists (and philosophers) are split over whether there is already an end  a future stretching out in front of us as real as the present and the past. Your death may already exist somewhere in spacetime, the theory goes. It imagines all of time and space as a block with no global or fixed present, where the difference between Cleopatras reality back in ancient Egypt and yours in 2020 is just a matter of perspective. Time machines have captured our imaginations; but if humans did build a time machine it's likely we could only travel back as far as it had been switched on. Credit:Shutterstock, Holtermann collection at State Library of NSW From the halls of the University of Sydneys Centre for Time, philosopher Kristie Miller explains: Its like one big Persian rug, there might be dinosaurs up one end and sentient robots down the other, but its all woven in already. And if the past and the future are both as real as the present, with plottable co-ordinates in spacetime, then why couldnt you change where you are in the block? If the past really is a foreign country, as the saying goes, couldnt we visit? The block theory of the universe makes time travel theoretically possible, Miller says. TV character Dr Who uses a police box called the Tardis to travel back and forwards in time. Credit:Getty Images Of course, our intuition also rails against this idea. We know there is something inherently different about the past, the future and the present. We experience the present, it is what we see and feel and smell right now, we have memories of the past, ghost impressions of a former present, and we have none at all of the future. Doesnt that suggest it hasnt happened yet?

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To account for this, some theorise the block of time is unfinished, that it grows from one moment to the next and has done so since the Big Bang. But the slippery science of trying to pin down any kind of universal present, a cliff on which the bridge of reality is then built over, renders this surprisingly inelegant. Scientists have largely given up on finding the cut-off point, Miller says. But in looking for it, they found the first kind of time travel  forward. Star Trek stars William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock stand before a time and space portal known as the Guardian of Forever. Credit:Getty Images Can you travel fast enough to reach the future? To travel to the future, we typically imagine time speeding up. Night again, day again, faster and faster still, Wells wrote, as the years whizzed by outside his fictional time machine. But to skip ahead, you actually want time to move more slowly for you, relative to everything else. Einstein showed that two things can slow down the usual flow of time: high speed and high gravity. In the case of speed, the rule goes like this: the closer an object comes to travelling at the speed of light (299,792 kilometres per second), the slower time will pass for it. In 1971, scientists flew atomic clocks, the worlds most accurate timekeepers, around the Earth twice in passenger planes and compared their time with that of identical clocks on the ground. The travelling clocks had slowed, if only by a tiny fraction.

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This strange dilation of time means space travellers could become time travellers, Mallett says, journeying vast distances but ageing far fewer years than those awaiting their return on Earth. Your heart is a clock, it will keep time for you, and it will slow down too once you hit high enough speeds, Mallett says. He points to the classic film Planet of the Apes, where our heroes land thousands of years into the future on an Earth ruled by super-intelligent apes, after a lightspeed space flight of just two years. To get to some of the distant planets now being studied through telescopes by astronomers, spaceflight will have to get much, much faster. Careful what you wish for: in the 1968 film Planet of the Apes, an astronaut played by Charlton Heston succeeds in travelling into the future only to be detained by a judicial council of orangutans. Credit:Getty Images But nothing can break the speed of light. Photons or light particles can travel this fast because they have no mass  at light speed, time itself falls away and the journey seems instantaneous. But for something with mass, such as a spaceship, to travel that fast would require an infinite (and so impossible) amount of energy. And our technology is still a long way off moving humans anywhere close to light speed. If we need to move faster through space, perhaps we could design a way to move space itself, instead of just us. But who knows what we will build in the future, Mallett says. If we need to move faster through space, perhaps we could design a way to move space itself, instead of just us. In the subatomic world, where there is considerably less baggage slowing things down, scientists can already accelerate particles hair-raisingly close to light speed. For a tiny proton in the sprawling Large Hadron Collider beneath the Franco-Swiss border, for example, 11 months of Earth time will seem like just one second.

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Will Smith will be reuniting with the co-stars he worked with THREE decades ago.

"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" reunion is given the green light and fans who have technically grown up watching Smith are surely rejoicing.

Reboots and reunions are taking over Hollywood right now, as people are overridden by nostalgia for the good ol' days. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of "The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air," the show's original cast is set to reunite for a special show.

What makes the reunion unique and exciting is that it will be an unscripted special will be shown on the streaming platform HBO Max.

Fans who had been missing the show will be able to see Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid and Alfonso Ribeiro once more! Not to mention the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff.

It must be noted that this is the show that launched Will Smith to stardom, and for it to have a reunion special 30 years later is quite surreal. After all, Smith is already the "Will Smith" now, and a reunion special will certainly have some of the audience remember how he was at first.

This projected will be directed by Marcus Raboy and will be produced by Smith's Westbrook Media. it is already designed to be taped on September 10 before its mass release on HBO Max come November or Thanksgiving holiday.

In HBO Max's official press release, it was stated that the cast of the show will be reuniting "for a funny and heartfelt night full of music, dancing, and special surprise guests, in honor of the series that ran for six seasons and 148 episodes."

Apart from the reunion, there had been talks of a reboot -- a drama called "Bel-Air." Smith is reportedly going to produce it under Westbrook Media.

It will be a "Fresh Prince" reboot, but it will no longer be giving that after-school sitcom feels. Instead, it will have more drama involved. Since it's 2020 and the cast has all grown up, maybe that is more appropriate. It's also going to be more poignant instead of funny.

Smith himself is said to be enamored with the idea of a darker reunion special. This concept for the reboot was provided by the director, Morgan Cooper -- who uploaded a fan trailer of his short film "Bel-Air," whose style caught the attention of Will.

Before seeing it himself, though, the trailer already excited millions of the director's followers, signifying that there are many who want darker and grittier dramas.

Smith himself said on his YouTube channel that Fresh Prince was never just a teen comedy or as lighthearted as everyone remembers it to be.

"For me, I moved to LA and started the Fresh Prince and all of my friends started getting killed and going to jail," he shared. "The escape that I made from it in real life was the escape that Will made in the show."

HBO Max is really keen on reunion specials these days. A "Friends" reunion special has already been given a go and announced, but the pandemic stalled filming. The other is "The West Wing," which will be brought back mainly to increase voter awareness.

READ MORE: COVID-19 Headache: Jennifer Garner Reveals Real Struggle Amid Pandemic
A new study suggests that kids with coronavirus may be asymptomatic, and could carry the virus for more than two weeks. Pictured above, a first grade student heading back to school on Aug. 27 in Pennsylvania. (Photo: Getty Images)

In the wake of a recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics revealing that cases of the coronavirus are increasing faster among kids than adults, new research is shedding light on how it manifests in young people  and whats needed to ensure that theyre not silently spreading the virus.

The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Friday, followed 91 kids in South Korea with confirmed cases of the infection from Feb. 18 to March 31. Much like reports showing that 40 percent of adults may not show any symptoms, a significant number of kids tested positive without showing any signs of the virus. Of the 91 total, 20 were completely asymptomatic (i.e., showed no symptoms of the virus), 18 were presymptomatic (i.e., developed symptoms later) and 53 had symptoms, most of which were mild or moderate.

The data, collected from 22 health centers, relied heavily on South Koreas aggressive contact tracing program, and subsequent testing of those in exposed households (including those without symptoms). Relying only on symptomatic testing, the authors write, would have led them to miss 93 percent of the cases. Its a conclusion that could have implications for transmission. Infected children may be more likely to go unnoticed either with or without symptoms and continue on with their usual activities, which may contribute to viral circulation within their community, the authors conclude.

In an accompanying editorial to the study, Dr. Meghan Delaney, chief of pathology and laboratory medicine at Childrens National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., notes that the U.S. is not set up to identify asymptomatic kids  which may be making the pandemic worse. A surveillance strategy that tests only symptomatic children will fail to identify children who are silently shedding virus while moving about their community and schools, say Delaney and her co-author, pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Roberta L. DeBiasi. In regions where use of face masks is not widely accepted or used by the general public, asymptomatic carriers may serve as an important reservoir that may facilitate silent spread through a community.

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Delaney  who has been testing kids at Childrens National since March  says that the lack of focus on kids and coronavirus has perpetuated dangerous myths, such as the belief early on that they are somehow immune. The previous oversimplification was that [kids] werent impacted when the truth is they are, Delaney tells Yahoo Life. However, when you compare a group of children to a group of adults, we do find that the adults are more likely to have serious disease, whereas children seem less likely.

While she finds the lack of severe illness in kids promising, she echoes the researchers from South Korea in noting the potential implications of a high number of asymptomatic and presymptomatic kids. They were able to see kids living in the home who were probably acting just fine ... but some of them actually had the virus, says Delaney. Some of them became symptomatic and some of them didnt.

This could affect how the virus spreads through schools, especially in light of updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggesting individuals who have no symptoms dont need a test. This [study] might mean that there are children in the community here in the United States who are not symptomatic, who have the virus, and are not either not sick at all or [have] very mild illness, says Delaney.

Dr. Dara Kass, Yahoo Life medical contributor, says that schools should take note of the findings. Children in school, because of the prevalence of asymptomatic and presymptomatic cases, are good candidates for surveillance, she says. But if youre not doing surveillance, you certainly need to [have] mask wearing.

Kass notes that another important aspect of the study is its focus on the viral shedding  meaning how long the body may be releasing the virus (through sneezing and coughing, for example). As a final data point, the researchers measured the number of days of viral shedding and found an overall average of 17. The number was lower for asymptomatic kids (a mean of 14.1 days) and higher in symptomatic kids, with at least half that demographic still showing the presence of the virus at 21 days.

The finding is an important window into how long the coronavirus may linger in kids respiratory systems, but Delaney points out an important distinction: Even though someone may still be shedding a virus, that doesnt mean its enough virus to actually be contagious. The tests that were doing here, what we're looking for are the genes of the virus ... so if we detect any viral genes, the test is going to be positive, says Delaney. What we do think is that over time your bodys immune system is fighting that virus and what we might be detecting at the end of an infection ... are just remnants. The virus has been activated and the immune system has destroyed it, but yet theres still viral kind of junk around in your body.

Delaney is hopeful that areas of the U.S. can ramp up contact tracing in order to perform similar studies, and cautions against oversimplifying the results in the meantime. Kass agrees and stresses the need for universal mask wearing until surveillance is being regularly performed. If we dont know enough about how long youre contagious  and theres a period of time by which youre not symptomatic but contagious then the best defense we have right now is mask wearing, says Kass. This article reiterates that point.

For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDCs and WHOs resource guides.

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The mother of a Co Fermanagh teenager murdered by the IRA alongside Lord Louis Mountbatten has said Martin McGuinness left behind "many broken hearts, maimed bodies, minds in turmoil as well as peace".

Paul Maxwell (15), from Enniskillen, was working as a boat boy in the Co Sligo village of Mullaghmore when an IRA bomb exploded on Lord Mountbatten's Shadow V fishing boat on August 27, 1979.

Paul's mother Mary Hornsey makes her comments in a new documentary on the life and legacy of the former Deputy First Minister and IRA commander, to be screened on RTE on Wednesday night.

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Lord Mountbatten's 14-year-old grandson Nicholas Knatchbull was also killed, with the Dowager Lady Brabourne (83) dying of injuries the next day.

McGuinness died in March 2017 at the age of 66.

Three years on, the programme explores the late Sinn Fein figure's iconic status within republicanism, his dedication to the peace process and lays out his complexities and contradictions.

Former IRA intelligence director Kieran Conway, who appears in the documentary, previously claimed that Mr McGuinness directed the assassination 41 years ago.

Journalist Ed Moloney tells the programme: "To say that Martin McGuinness had no knowledge of the operation to assassinate Mountbatten would be a bit like saying that General Eisenhower didn't know about the D-Day landings until they had happened.

"He was intimately involved and he had to be. He was the IRA's commander-in-chief."

The documentary also includes candid assessments of McGuinness from some of the major political figures who knew, encountered and negotiated with him, including former US President Bill Clinton, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and the DUP's Gregory Campbell .

"He proved that someone who had spent a lifetime fighting could accept a victory that was shared," Mr Clinton said.

"I felt that he had changed in quite a fundamental way his attitude to those with whom he had been at war," Mr Blair added.

Former priest and vice-chairman of the Policing Board Denis Bradley said: "You either admired him or you thought he was the devil incarnate."

Baroness Eileen Paisley, the widow of former DUP leader Ian Paisley, with whom McGuinness formed an unlikely friendship, said he "did his best to bring peace and reconciliation and succeeded in a large measure".

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She recalled how he had been "tearful" as he paid his respects to her husband following his death in September 2014.

"He bowed his head over the coffin and said to me that he had lost a friend," she said.

"I thought that said more than anything else that could be said."

The warmth and jocularity of the rapport that developed between the two men during their time in charge of Stormont led to them being dubbed 'the Chuckle Brothers'.

"They both laughed at the name and so did we, but their laughing was just the joy in both their hearts to think that 'Well, the past is past and we've got to make a new future'," Baroness Paisley said.

The programme also features contributions from journalists Kathryn Johnston and Eamonn McCann alongside Belfast Telegraph's political editor Suzanne Breen.

McGuinness will be broadcast on RTE One at 9.35pm on Wednesday night.
Photo credit: NurPhoto - Getty Images

From Delish

More than 50 Black former franchisees are suing McDonald's, accusing the chain of racial discrimination and saying that McDonald's "knowingly discriminated" against them.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in Illinois court this week, the plaintiffs claim that they were "misled and denied equal opportunity to economic success" by McDonald's and that the company led them to open restaurants "in locations that are destined to fail, with low-volume sales and high operating costs." This resulted, according to the lawsuit, in the plaintiffs earning at least $700,000 less than McDonalds national average. They characterized taking on these locations as a "financial suicide mission."

The lawsuit claims that these franchisees were pushed into buying up these locations with McDonald's using tactics like "rushing Plaintiffs, and requiring same-day inspections and saying "that it could take months, if not years, to be offered another restaurant if they turned down a site." They also said the chain "continued to deny Plaintiffs the opportunity to own and operate franchises in more profitable locations, unless these more profitable locations were packaged with low-volume, high-cost locations."

Revenue, at McDonalds, is based on one factor and one factor only: location, the plaintiffs attorney James Ferraro told CNBC: It has nothing to do with the taste of a Big Mac. You dont go to a different McDonalds because the Big Macs are better. You go to the closest McDonalds, period.

The 52 former franchisees, who operated stores between 2010 and 2020, are seeking more than $1 billion collectively in damages. In response to the lawsuit, McDonald's said that it does not place franchisees in locations and though it may recommend locations, franchisees ultimately select the which ones they want to purchase. They also issued the follow statement to Delish in relation to the case:

Story continues

These allegations fly in the face of everything we stand for as an organization and as a partner to communities and small business owners around the world. Not only do we categorically deny the allegations that these franchisees were unable to succeed because of any form of discrimination by McDonalds, we are confident that the facts will show how committed we are to the diversity and equal opportunity of the McDonalds System, including across our franchisees, suppliers and employees.

This lawsuit comes following a Business Insider report late last year that explored accusations of discrimination from Black franchisees. According to CNBC, this is at least the third racial discrimination lawsuit filed against the company this year.

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PPP kept 75% of churches, Christian organizations that took loans fully staffed: survey

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Some 75% of Christian churches and organizations that applied for and received forgivable loans under the federal governments coronavirus relief program for small businesses, known as the Paycheck Protection Program, say the loans helped keep their operations fully staffed and many of them have already been forgiven.

A recent survey by Vanderbloeman citing data collected over several months from 900 churches and Christian organizations reveals how crucial the relief program has been for the survival of Christian operations.

The survey found that 76.09% of the churches in the survey had service attendance below 1,000 while 58.85% attracted less than 500. A majority of the churches (74%) also had annual budgets of less than $2 million.

More than half of the Christian churches and organizations (61%) received less than $150,000 and 85% of them received less than $349,000.

The government hoped that the economic impact of COVID-19 would be temporary and wanted to improve job stability by enabling organizations to continue paying their employees, rather than having the government pay for unemployment, Vanderbloemen reported. This definitely worked out for everyone involved. With very little turnover in Christian organizations, they were able to maintain staff and continue to help their communities during a time of crisis.

Under the PPP, which closed on Aug. 8, as long as a church employed 500 people or fewer, it could request a federal loan for an amount 2.5 times its average monthly payroll. The loans, along with a 1% interest, would be forgiven by the government as long as 75% of the funds are used to cover payroll expenses in the eight weeks after the house of worship receives the funds. The remaining 25% can be spent on rent, utilities, insurance and other operating costs.

A recent report highlighted that churches of all denominations received an estimated $6 to $10 billion of the $659 billion that funded the PPP over two rounds under the CARES Act.

The U.S. Catholic Church reportedly received at least $1.4 billion in funding and possibly as much as $3.5 billion, according to an analysis by the Associated Press. An analysis by Ministry Watch, estimated that churches and other religious nonprofits as a whole received between $6 and $10 billion.

More than 400 evangelical ministries and churches were identified as each receiving at least $1 million in PPP funds while seven each received $5-10 million.

Recipients of multi-million dollar forgivable loans included First Baptist Church of Dallas, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois, and the headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Despite the aid accessed by churches through the PPP, The Christian Post recently reported that as many as one in five churches could permanently close as a result of shutdowns stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

David Kinnaman, president of the prominent Christian research organization Barna Group, explained that although churches were handling things pretty swimmingly at the beginning of the pandemic, circumstances have changed for some.

Theyre recognizing that the relationships that they thought were much deeper with people were actually not as deep as they expected, Kinnaman told NPR.

Smaller churches in low-income urban areas, meanwhile, have been helped with $3,000 grants through the Churches Helping Churches Challenge. Faith organizations helped raise over $1.2 million to distribute to at-risk churches during the pandemic. The initiative is also providing $5,000 grants to help churches continue community service projects.
ARISS telebridge contact with school in Poland

An ARISS educational school contact is planned for Chris Cassidy KF5KDR with students at the KMO Kolska Wyspa, KoAo, Poland.

The contact is scheduled on Wednesday September 2, 2020 at approximately 12.58 UTC, which is 14.58 CEST.

The link to the ISS will be operated by the amateur radio ground station VK6MJ, located in western Australia.

The contact will be web-streamed:

https://batc.org.uk/live/vk6mj

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DUBAI, U.A.E, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market study by Future Market Insights (FMI), the global nurse call systems market is forecasted to witness strong growth in terms of value between 2020 and 2030.

Nurse call systems have become an essential part of communication in healthcare institutions, aiding patients in seeking care from nurses when required. Healthcare institutions and clinics are significantly spending to ensure seamless communication between patients and nurses, thus increasing the adoption of these systems.

Installation of nurse call systems bolsters nurses in prioritizing their tasks based on the emergency and types of requests raised by patients. Moreover, the nurse calls systems enhance the productivity of inexperienced nurses as patients directly seek aid from them.

Along similar lines, the growing geriatric population and a subsequent surge in in-patient rates are pushing healthcare institutions to seek nurse call systems to ease communication. Likewise, the integration of smart technologies is invigorating the efficiency of these systems in day-to-day operations, thereby propelling the demand for these systems.

"With the emergence of novel technologies, manufacturers are working on integrating advanced technologies such as real-time location detection, radio frequency identification (RFID), and security systems with nurse call system devices" opines FMI analyst.

Download a Sample Report with Table of Contents and Figures: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-12404

Nurse Call Systems Market - Key Takeaways

The global nurse call systems market is forecasted to progress at an excellent CAGR of 9.8% through the assessment period and will attain a valuation of US$ 4 Bn by 2030.

by 2030. Based on equipment types, integrated communication systems are expected to account for the majority of market share due to the high efficiency they offer.

Alarms & communication will remain the primary application of nurse call systems, holding the largest share in the application segment.

Based on technology, wireless systems are forecasted to gain prominence in the years to come among healthcare facilities owing to their efficiency and convenience.

Among end-users, the adoption of nurse call systems will remain majorly concentrated in long-term care centers owing to the widening base of the aging population.

Nurse Call Systems Market - Key Trends

The integration of artificial intelligence and digitalization has emerged as the most lucrative trend in the manufacturing side as market players leverage the advent of technologies to offer highly advanced solutions.

COVID-19 is catalyzing the growth of the market as the patient flow rises at an alarming level, especially in the US, Brazil , and India , thus asserting healthcare providers to adopt systems to ease communication.

Nurse Call Systems Market - Regional Analysis

North America and Europe are projected to collectively accumulate a share of 3/4ths in global market value.

and are projected to collectively accumulate a share of 3/4ths in global market value. The hegemony of these regions is attributed to the implementation of stringent government regulations and proliferating expenditure by healthcare providers to enhance services.

Asia is expected to metamorphose into a lucrative region as numerous nations in the region - including India , China , Thailand , Malaysia , and Indonesia - upscale expenditure on healthcare infrastructure.

For any Queries Linked with the Report, Ask an Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-12404

Nurse Call Systems Market - Competitive Landscape

Some of the key players operating in the market include Hill-Rom Holdings Inc., Ascom, Honeywell International Inc., Johnson Controls International Plc, Rauland-Borg Corporation, Jeron Electronic Systems, Inc., Azure, Schrack Seconet AG, Intercall Systems Inc., Stanley Black & Decker Inc., Tunstall Group, Tektone Sound & Signal Mfg. Inc. and Igeacare Solutions Inc. Market players are focusing on launching new solutions, entering collaborations, and procuring approvals from regulatory authorities to further their expansion.

In July 2020 , Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. announced a collaboration with Aiva to develop a voice-based hands-free communication device to enable caregiver-to-patient and caregiver-to-caregiver assistance.

Nurse Call Systems Market - Taxonomy

Equipment Type

Button-based Systems

Integrated Communication Systems

Mobile Systems

Intercom Systems

Application:

Alarms & Communications

Workflow Optimization

Wanderer Control

Fall Detection & Prevention

Technology

Wired Nurse Call Systems

Wireless Nurse Call Systems

End-user

Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Clinics

Long-term Care Centers

Region

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia

Oceania

Middle East & Africa

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Get Valuable Insights into the Nurse Call Systems Market

Future Market Insights, in its new offering, provides an unbiased analysis of the global nurse call systems market, presenting historical demand data and forecast statistics for the period from 2020-2030. The study divulges compelling insights on the nurse call systems market, allowing readers to glean qualitative and quantitative information which will enable them to make informed market decisions in the upcoming forecast period.

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Tip Location Devices Market The tip location devices market is anticipated to surpass an impressive revenue threshold by the end of the forecast period ranging from 2020 to 2030, concludes FMI's recently published research report on the market.

About Future Market Insights (FMI)

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

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Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators.

In response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and strict safety guidelines required by the state, many school districts in New Jersey have drafted plans to reopen in September with all-remote learning instead of in-person classroom instruction.

As of Monday, more than 190 school districts across the state have indicated they want to begin the 2020-2021 school year with all-remote learning, while 59 districts plan to fully reopen and the remaining districts want to start the new school year with a hybrid mix of in-person and remote learning, according to state officials.

All school reopening plans need to be reviewed and approved by the state Department of Education before they can be implemented. After weeks of waiting for guidance from the state, school districts learned earlier this month that they may now officially ask the education department to approve their all-remote reopening plans.

Districts have to submit their requests within seven days of the first day of school, or as soon as practicable, according to the state guidelines. The late announcement of those guidelines has some school superintendents expressing frustration, because they have been unable to get approval for their all-remote plans as the first days of school are quickly approaching.

Keep up with the latest in N.J. schools coverage. Sign up with your email here:



For many school districts, the push to reopen with all-virtual instruction was prompted by lingering concerns over the coronavirus and questions over whether schools can guarantee a safe environment for students and teachers.

NJ Advance Media has been able to confirm the following districts are seeking state approval to start with all-remote classes for the 2020-2021 school year. NJ Advance Media will add to the list as more districts announce their plans. (For the very latest reopening plans, and additional details about specific schools, please contact your school district.)

ATLANTIC COUNTY

Atlantic City (remote at start of school year)

Atlantic County Vocational (remote until Oct. 5)

Brigantine (remote start, with re-entry on or before Nov. 11, the end of the first marking period)

Egg Harbor Township (virtual starting Sept. 8; plan to start hybrid schedule Oct. 26)

Greater Egg Harbor Regional (9th grade virtual until Oct. 6; 10th, 11th and 12th grade return Oct. 12)

Hamilton Township (remote at start of school year)

Pleasantville (remote at start of school year)

Somers Point (Jordan Road School to go all-remote at start of the year; New York Avenue and Dawes Avenue schools reopening on hybrid schedule to start.

BERGEN COUNTY

Bergen County Technical Schools and Special Services (remote through Oct. 19)

Bergenfield (remote start, until Oct. 16)

Bogota (remote until Oct. 19)

Dumont (virtual until Sept. 22)

Edgewater (remote for the month of September; district expects to re-evaluate in the middle of September)

Elmwood Park (through Oct. 19)

Fair Lawn (remote through Oct. 19)

Fort Lee (remote through Oct. 16)

Garfield (plan submitted to state Department of Education to start all-remote and transition to hybrid)

Hasbrouck Heights (remote until Oct. 5)

Hackensack (remote start, schools plan to reopen Nov. 2)

Lodi (remote start, through at least Oct. 19)

Lyndhurst (remote learning until Oct. 16; in-person instruction scheduled to begin Oct. 19)

North Arlington (remote through Oct. 16)

Paramus (remote through Nov. 9)

Palisades Park (remote through at least Oct. 13)

Ramapo-Indian Hills (remote until Sept. 24)

Ridgefield (remote through first marking period)

River Dell (remote until Oct. 5)

Rochelle Park (remote through Oct. 5)

Teaneck (remote through first marking period)

Tenafly (remote instruction for all students, district-wide)

Wallington (remote through Oct. 13)

Wyckoff (remote through Sept. 24)

BURLINGTON COUNTY

Bordentown (remote Sept. 3 through at least Oct. 9)

Burlington City (remote through at least Oct. 13)

Burlington Township (remote through first marking period)

Chesterfield (schools plan to reopen Oct. 19 with remote learning)

Eastampton (remote through first marking period)

Florence (remote through Sept 18, hybrid plan to start Sept. 21)

Lumberton (remote learning Sept. 8 to Sept. 18, hybrid learning starting Sept. 21)

Northern Burlington County Regional (students to begin 2 weeks of all-remote instruction on Sept 14, then report for in-person instruction Sept. 28 with a hybrid model)

Palmyra (remote)

Pemberton Township (remote through at least Oct. 13)

Rancocas Valley (remote Sept. 8 through Sept. 25)

Westampton (remote)

Willingboro (remote through Nov. 18)

CAMDEN COUNTY

Audubon (remote through Nov. 4)

Barrington (remote through at least Nov. 9)

Brooklawn (remote to start the school year)

Camden (remote through Jan. 31)

Cherry Hill (remote until Nov. 9)

Clementon

Collingswood/Oaklyn (remote through mid-October)

Eastern Regional (remote start, return to school Oct. 5)

Gloucester City (through Oct. 16)

Haddon Heights (through Oct. 30)

Lindenwold

Winslow Township (through Jan. 1)

CAPE MAY COUNTY

No public school districts confirmed for planning all-virtual instruction.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Bridgeton (remote through Oct. 13)

Commercial Township (remote through Oct. 13)

Cumberland County Technical Education Center (remote start, plans to move to hybrid model Oct. 13)

Cumberland Regional (remote start)

Deerfield Township (remote through Oct. 13)

Downe Township (remote through Oct. 13)

Fairfield (remote through Nov. 2)

Greenwich/Stow Creek (through Oct. 13)

Hopewell Township (through Oct. 12)

Lawrence Township (through Oct. 12)

Maurice River (through Oct. 12)

Millville (through Oct. 13)

Upper Deerfield (fully remote through at least Oct. 12)

Vineland (remote through Oct. 13)

ESSEX COUNTY

Bloomfield (remote through September)

Caldwell-West Caldwell (remote to Oct. 7 except for a group of self-contained special education classes)

Cedar Grove (remote to start; district to reevaluate by end of September and look to go hybrid by Oct. 19)

East Orange (remote through September)

Glen Ridge (high school remote-only through Oct. 5)

Irvington (remote start)

Livingston (school year to start all remote)

Millburn-Short Hills (rrmote through first quarter of school year)

Montclair (remote start)

Newark (remote through first marking period)

Nutley (remote through first marking period)

Orange (remote learning through Nov. 25; hybrid begins Nov. 29)

South Orange-Maplewood (remote through first marking period)

Verona (most students will start with remote learning except for pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, ESL and certain other students)

West Essex (remote to Oct. 2)

West Orange (remote start)

GLOUCESTER COUNTY

Delsea Regional (remote start

Deptford (remote through Sept. 30)

Gateway Regional (remote through at least Oct. 13)

Glassboro (starting fully remote, through Nov. 12)

Logan (remote for first marking period)

Monroe (remote through at least Nov. 16)

National Park Schools (remote through at least Oct. 13)

Pitman (remote through Oct. 5)

Washington Township (through Sept. 21)

West Deptford (all-virtual from Sept. 8 to Nov. 9)

Woodbury City (remote start, hybrid starting Nov. 9)

HUDSON COUNTY

Bayonne (remote start)

East Newark (remote until Nov. 13)

Guttenberg (remote start)

Harrison (remote through Nov. 13)

Hoboken (all virtual Sept. 14 to Sept. 19, optional in-person after that)

Hudson County Schools of Technology (remote through Sept. 28)

Jersey City (remote start)

Kearny (remote start)

North Bergen (remote through the end of September)

Union City (remote for at least the month of September)

Weehawken School District (remote to start with students moving to a hybrid schedule between Sept. 28-Oct. 14)

West New York (remote start)

HUNTERDON COUNTY

Flemington-Raritan (remote through Oct. 30)

Lebanon Township (remote start)

Readington (remote to at least Oct. 19)

MERCER COUNTY

East Windsor: (remote instruction from Sep. 9 to Nov. 9)

Ewing (remote start, return to in-person learning for those who have signed up for it: Grades K-2/SE - Sept. 9; Grades 3-5: Sept. 29; Fisher Middle School: Oct. 12; Ewing High School: Oct. 26)

Hamilton (remote through first marking period)

Lawrence Township (all students will start remote)

Mercer County Special Services (remote start)

Mercer County Technical Schools (remote through Nov. 9)

Princeton Charter School (remote start)

Princeton (remote start)

Robbinsville (students in grades 6-12 fully remote until Oct. 12. Pk-5 will remain in the hybrid or 100% remote model)

Trenton (remote start)

MIDDLESEX COUNTY

Carteret (remote until Oct. 9; plans to begin hybrid learning on Oct. 13)

Cranbury (remote through Oct. 16)

Dunellen (remote through the Thanksgiving holiday)

Edison (remote at least until Oct. 16)

Highland Park (remote until Oct. 5 for some students)

Jamesburg (remote until Nov. 1)

Metuchen (at least until Oct. 1)

Middlesex Borough (remote start)

Middlesex Regional Education Services Commission of New Jersey (remote start)

Milltown (remote in September; district to reassess for October)

Monroe (remote learning until Nov. 13 and reassess for hybrid learning to start on Nov. 16)

New Brunswick (remote during first two marking periods)

North Brunswick (remote during first marking period)

Old Bridge (remote until Oct. 12)

Perth Amboy (remote until at least Nov. 18, the end of first marking period)

Piscataway (remote until at least Nov. 13)

Sayreville (remote until at least Nov. 12)

South Amboy (remote until Nov. 13)

South Brunswick (remote start)

South Plainfield (remote start)

South River (plans for in-person instruction on Oct. 1)

Spotswood (remote until at least Sept. 18)

Woodbridge (remote until at least Oct. 12)

MONMOUTH COUNTY

Asbury Park (remote for first 30 instructional days; return to school Oct. 21)

Freehold Borough (remote start, will re-evaluate by Nov. 13)

Freehold Township (students in self-contained classes attend school in person beginning Sept. 8; first 2 weeks of school remain virtual for all other students, who return to school Sept. 21)

Freehold Regional High School District (through Oct. 19)

Long Branch (remote start)

Manalapan-Englishtown (remote at least the first two weeks of school for some schools)

Monmouth County Vocational School District (starting all-remote)

Neptune Township (remote start, will re-evaluate by the end of October)

Ocean Township (remote until Sept. 11)

MORRIS COUNTY

Boonton (remote at the start of the school year)

Butler (remote for most students; in person instruction for specific students

Dover (remote through first marking period)

Jefferson (remote through Sep. 30)

Montville (middle and high school students to start remote)

Mount Olive (district will start in-person on alternating weekly schedule or remote for grades K-3 while grades 4-12 will be synchronous full-day remote)

Mountain Lakes (high school to begin all-remote; other schools on a hybrid schedule)

OCEAN COUNTY

Lacey (remote to start, on Sept. 8, and then a hybrid model from Sept. 21)

Toms River (remote through first marking period)

PASSAIC COUNTY

Bloomingdale (remote start, with a review on Oct. 15 and a target date of Nov. 16 or sooner to reopen schools in a hybrid instructional program)

Clifton (remote to start year; district to reevaluate conditions on Oct. 1, with possible reopening for in-person instruction on Oct. 12.

Manchester Regional High School District (school year to begin remote)

Passaic (remote through September)

Paterson (remote through at least Nov. 1)

Prospect Park (remote through Nov. 11)

Ringwood (starting all-remote)

West Milford (remote until Oct. 1)

SALEM COUNTY

Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District (remote to start; may go hybrid on Oct. 19)

SOMERSET COUNTY

Bedminster (all virtual starting Sept. 10, phase-in hybrid learning model set to begin Sept. 29 through mid-October, depending on the cohort or small group the child is in. All cohorting students will be phased in no later than Oct. 15.)

Bernards (remote through Oct. 1)

Bridgewater-Raritan (remote through Oct. 12)

Franklin Township (remote start)

Hillsborough (virtual until Sept. 28, with plans to start hybrid option later)

Montgomery (virtual for September, then re-evaluating plans for in-person on Oct. 12)

North Plainfield (virtual at least through the first marking period)

SUSSEX COUNTY

Newton (remote until Oct. 2)

Sparta (remote through Oct. 30; in person instruction for students with IEPs in specialized programs)

UNION COUNTY

Berkeley Heights (Governor Livingston High School will begin remote only after a single day of hybrid instruction; remote only plan will be revisited monthly)

Cranford (virtual the first four days, starting Sept. 8, then hybrid starting Sept. 14)

Elizabeth (remote start)

Hillside (remote start, will reassess three weeks before the end of the first marking period)

Linden (remote start, will reassess the end of each month)

Plainfield (remote through at least Nov. 1)

Rahway (remote start)

Roselle (remote through first marking period)

Roselle Park (remote start)

Scotch Plains-Fanwood (remote start)

Springfield (remote through Nov. 2)

Union Township (remote start, will reassess on Oct. 15 for targeted return date of Nov. 1)

WARREN COUNTY

Phillipsburg (all remote through Oct. 5)

Warren County Technical School (all remote through first marking period)

Do you know of a school district thats planning to start remotely? Tell us about it here.

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NJ Advance Media staff writers Len Melisurgo and Casey Roland contributed to this report. Evan Slavit may be reached at eslavit@njadvancemedia.com. Nestor Sebastian may be reached at nsebastian@njadvancemedia.com.
For decades, thousands of revelers have flocked to La Villita for A Night in Old San Antonio, a celebration of the citys cultural heritage.

Visitors eat, drink and dance their way through Frontier Town, French Quarter, Froggy Bottom and other sections with hundreds of booths and activities.

The signature Fiesta event, disrupted this year by the coronavirus pandemic, is also a major fundraiser for the Conservation Society of San Antonio.

The roughly $2 million to $2.5 million it grosses annually is used for the organizations preservation work and education programs, maintenance of La Villita and costs associated with putting on the event, President Patti Zaiontz said.

On ExpressNews.com: Skyline: Coronavirus pandemic throws wrench into East Side project

So it makes sense why plans to scale back the public space at Maverick Plaza as part of a $12 million makeover have raised the societys hackles.

Change come and activation is good, if its good for all of the tenants in the village, Zaiontz said. Any time public space is privatized, it is concerning.

Renovations at the site will include adding three restaurants, kiosks and a demonstration kitchen along with new parking, and removing existing walls enclosing the plaza. Chef Johnny Hernandezs Grupo La Gloria is spearheading the restaurant aspect. City Council members approved a 49-year lease with the group in 2017.

The changes mean the public space in Maverick Plaza will be reduced by about 35 percent, from 27,300 square feet to 17,750 square feet. About 8.5 percent more square footage will be added along South Alamo Street.

The public improvements portion of the project was recently presented to the Historic and Design Review Commission. More than 50 people voiced concerns to the panel in written or recorded comments and live calls, many of them members of the Conservation Society.

On ExpressNews.com: Skyline: Developer Steve Yndo was an early arrival in some of San Antonios hottest residential markets

Rhea Roberts with the citys managers office said the city worked with NIOSA organizers to keep the restaurants patio footprints small and to create more flexible space along South Alamo.

Maverick Plaza will always remain open to the public, that was never a question, she said. We do anticipate that itll be programmed on a daily and weekly basis with different forms of activity to be coordinated with Chef Johnny Hernandez and Grupo La Gloria as well as other stakeholders and La Villita.

The city has made multiple commitments that NIOSA will continue and will work with them in the future, Roberts said, referring to the Conservation Society.

Zaiontz said the group would have liked to have had more input in the plans.

An operating and programming agreement between the city and Grupo La Gloria still is being ironed out.

The city will work with the group on a plan for how revenue from events will be allocated, said Kelly Saunders, a spokeswoman for the center city development and operations department.

SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox

Most of the programming will be free and open to the public, and the city will handle rentals of the space for the public and outside organizations, Saunders added. Under the lease agreement, the city and Grupo La Gloria can use the plaza for private events eight times a year.

At the design commission meeting, the La Villita Tenants Association asked for more signage at Villita Street, a primary entry point to the village. Some area residents also told the panel the designs dont reflect the plazas historical significance, a concern echoed by a commissioner.

Its a very good design  pretty and would beautify any place, Commissioner Gabriel Velasquez said. But Im looking for what design elements, what architecture, ties the proposal to San Antonio, or more importantly, to La Villita.

What I see is a design that only takes into consideration the creation of a place; but in no way, shape or form do I see it respecting a place with dramatic history, he said.

The architects overseeing the project said the designs are intended to reflect the area.

Mark Navarro, president of Fisher Heck Architects, said residents who attended a public meeting about the plaza plans recalled relatives who were artisans and had shops at La Villita.

That art element is something that were trying to incorporate in all the different elements, including in the metalwork, lighting and paving, he said.

The goal is to activate Maverick Plaza and energize it on a daily basis, not just for large events but for everyday users, said Mark Padilla, a principal at MP Studio.

On ExpressNews.com: City OKs controversial rezoning of Government Hill site

The panel ultimately OKd the public improvements portion of the project in a 4-3 vote. Construction is expected to start later this year.

Maverick Plazas makeover has been in the works for several years.

The city put out a request for information for a culinary concept and operator to energize the space there in 2016, and a proposal by Hernandezs Grupo La Gloria was selected.

Under the proposal, the eateries were to include a Mexican restaurant operated by Hernandez and establishments by two other prominent chefs. The Gissi House was to be rehabilitated for a German restaurant by Steve McHugh of Cured, and the Faville House renovated for a native Texas/Spanish heritage restaurant by Elizabeth Johnson of Pharm Table.

Grupo La Gloria would invest $7.6 million and the city would kick in another $4.4 million from the Inner City Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. Under the lease agreement, rent is set initially at $100,000 per year.

Renderings presented to the design commission show Spanish, German and Mexican restaurants, but one of the operators has changed.

Simone Rathle, who leads a public relations firm that represents Cured, said McHugh ended his involvement in the project a year ago for many reasons, from timing to financial and what that concept would be as to not conflict with other projects he is working on now and in the future.

News of McHugh no longer being involved in the project was first reported by the San Antonio Heron.

As for Johnson, she suggested a reporter contact Hernandez. In an email, he said he has no updates to report. Hernandez didnt respond to specific questions.

The restaurant portion will be presented to the commission at a later date.

With Fiesta canceled, Zaiontz said the Conservation Society is considering alternative fundraisers.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
OTTAWA, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Wi-LAN Inc. ("WiLAN"), today announced that it has signed a multi-year license agreement with Corning Optical Communications, LLC. The licensed patents relate to wireless technology.

The consideration payable to WiLAN and all other terms of the license agreement are confidential.

About WiLAN

WiLAN, a Quarterhill Inc. company, is one of the most successful patent monetization companies in the world and partners with its customers to unlock the value of intellectual property through various patent monetization models. WiLAN operates in a variety of markets including automotive, digital television, Internet, medical, semiconductor and wireless communication technologies. For more information: www.wilan.com .

All trademarks and brands mentioned in this release are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Wi-LAN Inc.

Related Links

http://www.wilan.com


SANTA FE  The Democratic Party of New Mexico hopes to broaden participation in the Nov. 3 election as it launches a daytime telephone hotline and online resources about balloting.

State Democratic Party Executive Director Chelsey Evans said the initiative, which began Monday, aims to inform voters about new options and deadlines for requesting and casting absentee ballots.

The coronavirus pandemic has already reshaped voting in New Mexico, with absentee voting by mail or drop-off delivery soaring in popularity during the June primary. Temporary election reforms adopted in June by the Legislature and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham have altered ballot request deadlines, added a new signature requirement and provided for ballot tracking by postal bar codes.

Evans said the voter education project sponsored by Democrats will publicize such key deadlines as Oct. 20, the last date when absentee ballot requests can be received by county clerks. Hotline operators wont ask callers about party affiliation and are available to help anyone with voting questions, she said.

The hotline, 1-833-NM4-DEMS, is available in English and Spanish.

Prominent Democratic officials are concerned that President Donald Trump may be trying to undermine the U.S. Postal Service ahead of the election. Evans said voters can limit the impact of mail delays by requesting an absentee ballot online, and then using drop-boxes or going to election offices directly to turn them in.

We see a lot of enthusiasm and we want to make sure that that enthusiasm is captured and that people can access the ballot, she said.

The party has scrapped door-to-door canvassing operations in response to COVID-19, and is focusing more resources on providing answers about voting procedures via telephone and online.

Registered New Mexico voters can request an absentee ballot for any reason. Ballots can be turned in from Oct. 6 through Election Day.
SAN MATEO, California, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Theator, the Surgical Intelligence platform leveraging advanced AI and computer vision to improve surgeon performance, today announced a new partnership with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital)  the largest acute care facility in Israel, treating about 400,000 patients and hosting 1.8M patients visits per year. This marks the first time that an Israeli hospital will implement a Surgical Intelligence platform in its operating rooms, and Theator's AI-powered technology will be the first to enable smart surgical video capture and improved surgeon performance and training.

Theator's innovative Surgical Intelligence platform is streamlining surgical video capture and metric-oriented education training. Powered by advanced AI and computer vision technology, the platform extracts and annotates every key moment from real-world surgical procedures, allowing surgeons to gain deep scientific insight into their own performance and those of surgeons worldwide. Theator improves surgeon performance from every angle  pre-operative preparation and post-operative analysis and debrief  enabling deeper department-wide visibility and a more seamless and intuitive metric-oriented resident education model. Running on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Theator's technology will equip the surgeons and surgical residents of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center's general surgery departments with the tools needed to continually sharpen their craft  raising standards and performance and making routine video capture and analysis the new standard of care in surgery.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, leaders in innovative healthcare and surgical practices," said Dr. Tamir Wolf, CEO and Co-founder of Theator. "The integration of Theator's Surgical Intelligence platform in Ichilov's operating rooms will not only enable the capture and analysis of every procedure performed, but it will also support the coming shift from a time-based educational model to a competency-based model for surgical residents Hospitals and medical schools worldwide are realizing the importance of adapting a new surgical training regimen, and Ichilov is pioneering this revolution."

"As part of our commitment to harness innovative technology, we're honored to be the first hospital in Israel to implement Theator's Surgical Intelligence platform," said Dr. Guy Lahat, Chief of Surgery of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. "Integrating the latest proven technologies is central to our commitment to providing medical excellence and patient-centered care. Theator's platform will not only enable us to capture and analyze surgical procedures for the first time, but it will also allow us to objectively review and continuously improve our surgical performance, significantly improving patient care."

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center is a 1500-bed world-class governmental academic medical center and one of the most progressive full-service healthcare treatment and research institutions in Israel. The Center serves a population of one million people, including residents from the greater Tel Aviv area and visitors to the metropolis.

"The Theator project is an example of our ongoing efforts to promote innovative solutions that drive medical excellence and enhance patient care," continued Dr. Ahuva Weiss-Meilik, Head of I-Medata AI Center at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.

This collaboration comes on the heels of the Israel Ministry of Health's declaration of intent (in Hebrew) to start capturing every procedure performed in the operating room. In addition, the Israeli Medical Association (in Hebrew), among other major global healthcare industry players, are considering shifting from the traditional time-based residency education model to a more objective and metric-oriented training system. Senior surgeons have limited time to provide residents with detailed, structured feedback, and Theator resolves this issue by facilitating intuitive and seamless evaluation and education capabilities as part of its platform.

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center is joining other renowned hospitals across the world, including McGill University and others in implementing Theator's platform.

About Theator

Theator is pioneering the Surgical Intelligence revolution, with an innovative platform built for surgeons by surgeons designed to address the variability and disparity in surgical care. Combining highly sophisticated artificial intelligence and computer vision technologies, Theator puts defining intraoperative moments in the hands of surgeons so that they can continuously perfect their surgical craft. Theator is partnering with visionary surgeons, hospitals, professional societies, and research institutions to help create a smarter, more transparent operating room, while empowering surgeons to raise their expertise to the highest possible level. Based in San Mateo, California, the company is paving the path for real-time surgery decision-support, helping to create a stronger healthier world. For more information visit https://theator.io/.

Theator Media Contact

Gavriella Weinreb

Headline Media

[email protected]

+1 914 775 5135

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center Media Contact

Dr. Gad Levy

Clinical Lead at I-Medata AI Center

[email protected]

SOURCE Theator
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and liberal Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez put their political clout to the test in Tuesday's Massachusetts Democratic primary that flips the usual battle lines between the party's establishment and left wings.

Adding to the drama in Massachusetts, the challenge by Rep. Joe Kennedy to incumbent Sen. Ed Markey invokes the mystique of a family name long and proudly associated with political power in the state.

Pelosi, D-Calif., herself part of a family political dynasty with deep ties to the Kennedy clan, is endorsing the 39-year-old House lawmaker's bid to unseat the incumbent senator. Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is backing Markey, 74, her partner on the Green New Deal proposal that is central to the liberal agenda.

In a switch from the usual script, Pelosi promoted Kennedy as an exemplar of the party's new generation of leaders - typically a battle cry for liberals - while Ocasio-Cortez is seeking to keep in office a man who had been in Congress for more than a decade before she was born.

Also in Massachusetts, Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez are on opposite and more typical sides in a House primary, with the speaker supporting House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, 71, over the liberal favorite, 31-year-old Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse.

The winner of the primary in both cases is all but assured of election in November in the solidly Democratic state.

After announcing that he would challenge Markey in September 2019, Kennedy initially led in polls, and some suggested that Markey might bow out. But he's fought back aggressively, and recent polls have Markey with a significant lead.

An Aug. 25-27 Emerson College/WHDH poll of likely Massachusetts voters had the incumbent senator leading Kennedy, 56% to 44%. And Markey was leading Kennedy 51%-41% in an Aug. 23-25 Suffolk University poll of likely voters.

There's been scant public polling in the western Massachusetts district represented by Neal for the past 32 years. An Aug. 23-24 poll conducted for Jewish Insider put the incumbent ahead with 49% against 40% for Morse.

Democratic strategist Joe Trippi said both contests are hard to predict because votes can break late against incumbents, and expanded vote-by-mail and early voting spurred by the pandemic could affect the election in erratic ways. There also is the impact of heightened interest in the race, particularly among more liberal voters, with national political figures weighing in.

"I don't think anyone can tell you how either of these races will turn out," said Trippi, who advised now-Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., in his surprise 2014 primary win over incumbent John Tierney.

Liberals have ousted three Democratic incumbents in this year's primaries, including Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel in New York. But it's unclear whether that energy is being carried into Tuesday's primary.

"Massachusetts is not really a throw-the-bums-out state," said Raymond La Raja, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and associate director of the UMass Poll, which had Markey up by 15 points over Kennedy.

Voters in the Senate primary will be choosing between two candidates with liberal voting records. Markey and Kennedy agree on many policies, including the Green New Deal to combat greenhouse gas emissions, a single-payer health care system and overhauling policing practices in the U.S. In August debates, they argued more about outside spending in the race and the increasingly bitter tone of the contest.

Markey called Kennedy at one debate "a progressive in name only."

In his advertising, Kennedy accused Markey of forgetting about the working-class residents of his home town of Malden and focusing more on Washington than Massachusetts. The grandson of Robert F. Kennedy also has played up the family dynasty, with an ad that featured footage of John F. Kennedy and his late grandfather, who served as U.S. attorney general. He said he has the fight for racial justice "in his blood."

The contest has divided senior House Democrats. Some committee chairs - including Carolyn Maloney, the head of the Oversight panel who fended off a liberal challenge in New York's primary - are backing Markey, a former colleague who served almost 37 years in the House. Others are lined up behind Kennedy, including House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif. The co-leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Mark Pocan, D-Wis., also is backing Kennedy.

- - -

In the House primary, Neal had the advantage of advance warning about the dangers of ignoring a primary threat from the left and the lessons from Engel's defeat in July, as well as Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 upset of then-House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley. Closer to home, liberal Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., gained her seat by upsetting an incumbent in 2018. Pressley is unopposed in the Democratic primary this year.

Neal has been traveling through the district to meet with voters and run ads promoting how he's used his seniority for the good of the area. In addition to the backing of Pelosi and other influential Democrats, he got a cross-party endorsement from the state's Republican governor, Charlie Baker.

Morse, the openly gay mayor of Holyoke, has drawn heavily from the liberal playbook, criticizing Neal for taking corporate PAC donations and arguing that he would better represent the district in Washington.

In early August, Morse was accused by College Democrats of Massachusetts in a letter of "dangerous and inappropriate" behavior by having "sexual contact" with University of Massachusetts at Amherst students. Morse has said the relationships were consensual. In a debate he called the allegations a "backroom coordinated political smear" by Neal supporters. Neal has denied having anything to do with the allegations.

Despite the heavy national interest in the Massachusetts races, local influences and conditions probably will be more important, said Matt Barron, a Massachusetts-based Democratic political consultant.

"This is good old fashioned Bay State Democrats infighting among themselves," he said. Markey, Barron said, has secured the baby-boomer liberals "who still listen to Carole King and Jackson Browne and live in the leafy suburbs," and now might have the youth vote as well.

"Kennedy has the White working class and more of the communities of color. But the levels of apathy in African-American and Latino precincts in many of the Commonwealth's cities, like Springfield, is off the charts," Barron said. "If Kennedy can't pull enough minority votes he'll likely lose."
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After the slump the IT sector saw in retail in the first quarter, coming quarters might see the sector revenues improve. For, the US retailers are spending in tech to improve their online presence and prepare for the post-pandemic shopping experience, say experts.

Though analysts caution that the demand might not be what it was in the pre-COVID-19 levels, IT firms working with large US retailers will gain, they added.

US retailers are one of the large customers for IT companies. At the back of the pandemic, non-essential retail was one of the worst hit as shops were shut and demand came down. Large retailers like JCPenney, Neiman Marcus, and J Crew filed for bankruptcy. Others had to cut down their operations to keep afloat.

According to reports, retail sales in the US could fall more than 6 percent in 2020. Store closures in the US reached an all time high 2020 with 11,000 closed till date compared to 9300 in 2019, according to a HSBC report.

For IT firms, who support their brick and mortar functions like billing, warehouse management and enterprise functions, their revenues were impacted.

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

On quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) basis revenues from retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG) declined by 9.9 percent for Infosys and 15.5 percent for TCS for the quarter ending June 2020. For both the companies, the segment accounts for about 15 percent of their revenues.

For HCL Tech, close to 10 percent of its revenues come from retail and CPG and it declined by 9.2 percent q-o-q for the June 2020 quarter. Wipros fell by 12.3 percent on q-o-q basis.

However, coming quarters might see these numbers improve, as retailers tech spending looks more or less sustainable.

Pareekh Jain, founder, Pareekh Consulting, a tech consultancy firm, said that unlike a couple of months back when the outlook was bleak for retail, things are looking better for a couple of reasons.

Economy has opened up and shops are open. However, large retailers have realised that they cannot go back to what they were doing earlier to get shoppers back.

So they are investing in contactless shopping experience and omnichannel retail in the true sense to get people back into the shops and safe at the same time, he added.

Case in point is the increasing tech investment the sector saw in the recent times. Large retailers like Walmart, Target, Home Depot and Lowes, which are also large retail clients for IT firms, saw their mean technology investment increase in customer experience, order management and supply chain, a HSBC report on the US retail said.

These firms have been significantly investing in technology over the last couple of years and this would now accelerate, the report added.

A Kotak Institutional Equities report pointed out that some retailers like Inditex have indicated their plan to increase their online sales to 25 percent by 2022 from 14 percent currently. The company is also investing $1 billion in capex for digital platform initiatives.

These investments are likely to be in the areas of improving in-store technology, increased use of robotics, and addition of more value-added services such as customer tech support.

The IT sector will obviously gain from all these.

Yes, some of these investments might go to cloud players or Software-as-a-Service providers. But retailers would still need IT services companies to help integrate products and solutions, Jain added.

IT firms will also gain from vendor consolidation in the sector, he added.

Of course, this does not mean that the retail sector is out of the woods. Retail shop closures would continue to increase and mid and small retailers might not have the bandwidth to invest in technology.

But, HSBC report said that for most IT firms exposure to small retailers are limited and these closures are not indicative of cut in IT spends. Yugal Joshi, Vice President, Everest Group, an IT consultancy firm, pointed out that the outsourcing will be able to offset cut in IT spend by retailers. "Net of it, the proportion of outsourcing pie will increase in the total IT services spend of a retail enterprise," he added.
With the November elections in the United States creeping closer, US President Donald Trump has frequently been criticized for his lack of decisive plans for a potential second term. One quote has been going viral that claims to have come from one of the Republican's addresses.

One post features an image with a quote allegedly stated by the president himself when he was asked of his plans for the next four years if he was re-elected.

Trump's second-term agenda

Trump said that "I think, I think it would be, I think it would be very very, I think we'd have a very very solid, we would continue what we're doing and we have other things on our plate."

According to Snopes, the statement was announced during a 40-minute interview with The New York Times over the telephone on August 26. The discussion consisted of questions related to his previous three years in office and the possibility of re-election.

The media outlet later published an article based on the interview claiming Trump has recently found it challenging to deliver concrete plans for a second term and his Republican allies.

The inadequacy suggests Trump and his administration and relies heavily on voters' loyalty to the Republican for his chances of being re-elected.

Also Read: President Trump Scheduled to Visit Kenosha, Where Jacob Blake Was Shot, Amid Unrest

Several senior administration officials said that Trump's second-term agenda would lean towards continuing the president's previous promises rather than proposing new ideas. Experts see the move as a risky play by the president as he tries to appeal to his loyal supporters and respond to criticisms within his own administration.

The coronavirus pandemic has continued to loom over Trump's presidency in its last year. The global crisis has severely affected the United States' public life and economy. The Republican had frequently boasted of his capability to put the economy back on its feet but has continued to avoid the issue of rising coronavirus cases in the country, as reported by Politico.

Chances of re-election

A former senior adviser to former President George W. Bush, Karl Rove, said that no president has ever been re-elected on the notion that they could do an excellent job during their term. The official noted that a candidate should show supporters that he or she still has a second act.

For months, Rove and former Governor Chris Christie, both informal Trump advisers, have told Trumpworld publicly and privately that the Republican must create committed and more serious plans for his second term to get the support he needs to be re-elected.

Critics of the president view his lackluster plans as a spotlight of his flaws as a politician that they have frequently expressed. They claim that Trump has always been more focused on marketing and salesmanship than governing the nation.

The chief strategist for former US President Barack Obama's two presidential campaigns, David Axelrod, said that Trump was a reality show producer. The official added that the Republican who was on the lookout for wedges.

Trump officials and his allies previously said that the delays in building a plan for his second term result from the coronavirus pandemic and its adverse on the economy of the United States.

Related Article: Fact Check: Is First Lady Melania Trump Fluent in Five Languages?

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Prasad has written the letter in the backdrop of growing criticism against the Centre over two recent reports in the Wall Street Journal

Facebook's management in India deleted pages supportive of right-of-centre ideologies and did not offer the right to recourse for affected people, Union Minister for Information and Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday alleged in a letter to the social media giant's CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Prasad has written the letter in the backdrop of growing criticism against the Centre over two recent reports in the Wall Street Journal and a Delhi Assembly panel recording depositions of expert witnesses over complaints about Facebook's alleged "intentional inaction to contain hateful content" in India and a possible role in the Delhi riots.

While one report detailed alleged efforts made by Facebook's policy director for India and South and Central Asia Ankhi Das to help the BJP win the 2014 national election, another report said she had opposed applying hate-speech rules to some Hindu nationalist individuals and groups, as well as posts by a BJP politician.

Referring to these allegations, Prasad said in the letter on Tuesday, "The spate of recent anonymous, source-based reports is nothing but an internal power struggle within your company for an ideological hegemony... No other logic can explain how facts are being spun by the selective leaks from within your company to portray an alternate reality. This interference in India's political process through gossip, whispers and innuendo is condemnable."

As reported by Bar & Bench, the letter further contended, "As a transactional digital platform, Facebook must not only be fair and neutral, but also (be) visibly seen to be so, to users of diverse beliefs and ideologies. Individuals working in any organisation may have their individual likes and dislikes, but that must not have any bearing on the public policies and performance of the organisation."

Prasad also alleged, "I have been informed that in the run up to the 2019 General Elections in India, there was a concerted effort by Facebook India management to not just delete pages or substantially reduce their reach but also offer no recourse or right of appeal to affected people who are supportive of the right-of-centre ideology. I am also aware that dozens of emails written to Facebook management received no response. The above documented cases of bias and inaction are seemingly a direct outcome of the dominant political beliefs of individuals in your Facebook India team.

The Union minister said that Facebook should not be "hijacked by a vested lobby that abhors free speech, tries to enforce one worldview and rejects diversity."

Opposition raises the heat against Facebook

Opposition leaders have severely castigated Facebook in recent days over the Wall Street Journal reports.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed that international media has "exposed" Facebook and WhatsApp's "brazen assault" on India's democracy and social harmony, as he demanded an investigation into the allegations against them.

A Delhi Assembly panel Monday recorded depositions of expert witnesses over these complaints and decided to summon Facebook officials in its next meeting.

"The committee through its Chairman Raghav Chadha has prima facie found Facebook complicit in Delhi riots of February 2020 on the premise of incriminatory material produced on record by the witnesses as well as their scathing depositions before the Committee, and thus deciding to summon the Facebook officials in its next meeting in order to examine them on oath and determine on their culpability," an official statement said.

With inputs from PTI
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat and Facebook on August 31 launched a collaboration initiative to provide early flood alert and drought monitoring information to riparian communities and governments in the Lower Mekong region.

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat and Facebook on August 31 launch a collaboration initiative to provide early flood alert and drought monitoring information to riparian communities and governments in the Lower Mekong region. (Photo: mrcmekong.org)

The collaboration, the first of its kind, aims to raise awareness among the general public in the four MRC member countries  Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam  about the MRCs flood and drought information systems and to build capacity for relevant officials on the use of online digital systems during 2020-2021.

According to a United Nations report on Economic Losses, Poverty and Disasters, the last two decades have seen direct economic losses from climate-related disasters increase by up to 250 percent. In the Mekong region during 1998-2017, Thailand was worst hit, suffering losses estimated at 52.4 billion USD.

The MRC estimates that while seasonal flooding brings diverse benefits to the region, the average annual cost of flood in the Lower Mekong Basin is approximately 60-70 million USD. Cambodia and Vietnam alone account for approximately two-thirds of the Mekong regions total annual flood damage.

Recent MRC studies also show that drought in the Lower Mekong Basin has increased in frequency and severity in the past decades and this trend is set to continue. The basin is also vulnerable to additional climate change impacts that include a predicted mean temperature rise of approximately 0.8 degrees Celsius by 2030.

We see the utmost importance of providing timely and reliable information on water levels to Mekong countries and communities exposed to flood and drought and an ever changing climate so that they can take action in time to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare an effective response, said Dr Anoulak Kittikhoun, MRCS Chief Strategy and Partnership Officer.

The MRC has installed 22 hydrological stations along the main channel of the Mekong River in the Lower Mekong Basin to monitor and collect river water level and rainfall data, which feeds into its Mekong Flood and Drought Forecasting System. The system provides the public and riparian governments with data on daily river water levels, including flood alerts and drought forecasting, throughout the year. The system will be explained through a 3D animated video, which will be shared on Facebooks platform to reach communities across the region.

Facebook will also train relevant officials from the four MRC member countries on how to use different digital tools to communicate effectively and quickly during and after a disaster. This will include training on Facebooks Population Density Maps, an application that uses state-of-the-art computer visual techniques to combine publicly and commercially available datasets with Facebooks AI capabilities. The maps are three times more detailed than available sources./.VNA

Vietnam proposes audit on water resources in Mekong River basin The State Audit of Vietnam (SAV) proposed that an audit on water resources in the Mekong River basin be conducted by the agency called "ASOSAI's cooperative environmental audit in Southeast Asia in the 2020-2021 period",
A Lancaster County man convicted of exposing himself to a child and having sexual contact with a teenager is going to prison after failing to seek court-ordered counseling, prosecutors said.

Robert Flerx Jr. was sentenced in November 2019 to two to five years in prison for failing to attend and complete treatment  one of the parole requirements stemming from 2016 and 2018 convictions for sexual contact with children.

Pennsylvania Superior Court recently upheld Flerxs sentencing, shutting down his arguments that the term was excessive and the sentencing judge did not consider his history, character, and rehabilitative needs, according to a news release from the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office.

Flerx was convicted in 2016 of exposing himself to a 7-year-old, prosecutors said. They said he was found guilty two years later of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old.

Prosecutors said this is not the first time Flerx broke the terms of his parole. In October 2018, they said he admitted to viewing pornography, masturbating in public, engaging in sexual intercourse in public, continued contact with minors and having photos of minors in his possession.

Authorities said Flerx was kicked out of one treatment program and has shown a desire to have sexual contact with children even after his convictions.

The appeal judges took these factor into consideration while recently denying his request for a new sentencing over the latest parole violation, prosecutors said.

During the November sentencing, Lancaster County Judge Howard Knisely told Flerx it just continues. It doesnt matter what we tell you you cannot do, you just continue to do whatever you please.

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Life imitates art? Jude Law in "Contagion." (Claudette Barius / Warner Bros.)

We live in an increasingly dystopian society. I hate to sound hyperbolic, but I see more and more similarities to The Handmaids Tale, to Contagion, to Elysium, to Children of Men.

Americans are hidden behind masks, or in many cases confined to their homes, to avoid a deadly pandemic. The economy is in sweeping decline. Dark conspiracy theories are taking root. Spiraling income inequality has left cities like L.A. with billionaires living in $100-million homes while tens of thousands of homeless people are sprawled out in Dickensian disorder on the sidewalks.

The national government, under the control of a rich and irresponsible TV reality show star with authoritarian tendencies, is in over its head. Congress is dysfunctional, and the people its members represent are deeply polarized. Elements of the left and the right, meeting at protests around the country, are turning increasingly to guns or other violence. Police fire tear gas and swing batons. The president, instead of standing for unity, begs to send federal troops into Democrat-run cities.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that our country is being slammed by record-setting hurricanes, burned by record-setting wildfires, imperiled by rising oceans and invaded by disease-carrying mosquitoes that could never live in our climate before?

Thats the straight-from-Hollywood backdrop against which the hugely consequential 2020 presidential election campaign is unfolding.

Of course the movies and television shows listed above are fictional. Were not there. We dont have dead bodies in the streets like the ones Matt Damon faced in the pandemic in Contagion. Our rich are not living in a separate space habitat from our poor, as in Elysium. We dont live under totalitarian control, as Elisabeth Moss does in The Handmaids Tale.

But am I wrong to think that just a decade ago, the conditions under which were living today would have been unthinkable?

Our friends and allies around the world are asking what has happened to the United States and what can be done to fix it.

Story continues

And thats why Joe Bidens speech Monday in Pittsburgh, was so heartening: He held out the hope of normalcy to those of us who fear dystopia.

Im not a particularly big Joe Biden fan, but I was so relieved to hear him talk about turning down the temperature, rather than turning it up. I was especially pleased that he found the proper (and relatively obvious) middle ground when calling for racial justice, defending peaceful protest, speaking out against violence on all sides, and stressing the need for safety. Was that really so hard to do?

Of course, wed be nuts to think that simply booting out Donald Trump and voting in Joe Biden will be sufficient to solve our countrys problems. Our divisions and dysfunctions predate our current president. From the Bork nomination fight to Bush-vs.-Gore to the Merrick Garland fiasco and the repeated government shutdowns of recent years, it is obvious that Trump is as much a reflection of our existing problems as he is a creator of new ones.

But his removal is absolutely essential for any kind of progress. Because, as Biden said Monday, Trump sows chaos and is a toxic presence who has forfeited moral leadership. If anything, those descriptions were understatements. Trump is an unmitigated catastrophe, and all Americans must rouse themselves from their slumbers to vote him out on Nov. 3.

No moderate Democrat will be able to wave a wand and wish away problems of the size and scope of climate change or racial injustice. The COVID-19 pandemic wont go away just because Democrats hold the White House. Were in for hard times and hard choices in the years ahead.

But problems of this magnitude require deliberation, they require compromise, they require straight talk rather than lies and obfuscation. They require leadership and, yes, empathy. They require more than simple assertions that the virus will go away or that the economy will rebound bigger and better and more beautifully than ever  they require actual policies and plans created in consultation with experts.

Donald Trump is not up to the task.

And since Matt Damons not in the race, that leaves Joe Biden, who I suspect will do a far better job than the current president.

@Nick_Goldberg


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - FirstGroup plc. (FGROY.PK, FGROF.PK, FGP.L) said Tuesday that the U.K.'s Department for Transport or 'DfT' has exercised its option to extend the Emergency Measures Agreement or 'EMA' for Great Western Railway or 'GWR' until at least 26 June 2021.



The company said in March that it had signed an agreement with the DfT to continue operating GWR until March 2023, with a possible one-year extension.



The company also announced in March that the franchise would run under EMA terms for at least the first six months in response to the coronavirus outbreak. That time period is now expiring and therefore the DfT has exercised its option for the EMA to continue under the same terms and conditions as previously.



As per the Emergency Measures Agreement, the Transport department waive the company's revenue, cost and contingent capital risk and GWR are paid a fixed management fee with the potential for a small performance-based fee.



The Transport department has an option to further extend the EMA, before the end of the EMA period in June 2021.



GWR also has the right to revert to operating with revenue risk but with protection provided though the Forecast Revenue Mechanism until at least 2023. The franchise agreement also makes provision to agree a revenue rebasing which would apply at the end of the EMA term.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Acerta Analytics, a Kitchener, Ontario-based Automotive Intelligence company, raised USD $7m (CAD $9m) in Series A funding.

The round was led by Omers Ventures, with participation from M12  Microsofts venture fund, StandUp Ventures, Radical Ventures, EDC and Techstars.

The company intends to use the funds to launch into new markets, expand its team, and extend the capabilities of its platform to generate insights into automotive production and vehicle data.

Led by Greta Cutulenco, CEO and Co-Founder, Acerta provides a platform that uses artificial intelligence to allow automakers to leverage their data for insights into vehicle assembly or on-road performance and detection of earliest indicators of future product failures. The company currently operates in Canada and the United States in North America, as well as Europe and Japan, with plans to expand further into the European and Japanese markets within the next year.

FinSMEs

01/09/2020
Macropodia czernjawskii in the wild, Bugazskaya kosa (near Anapa), Caucasus, Black Sea. Credit: Sergey Anosov

Even though recognised in the Mediterranean Sea, the Macropodia czernjawskii spider crab was ignored by scientists (even by its namesake Vladimir Czernyavsky) in the regional faunal accounts of the Black Sea for more than a century. At the same time, although other species of the genus have been listed as Black Sea fauna, those listings are mostly wrong and occurred either due to historical circumstances or misidentifications.

Now, scientists re-describe this, most likely, only species of the genus occurring in the Black Sea in the open-access journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.

The spider crab genus Macropodia was discovered in 1814 and currently includes 18 species, mostly occurring in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The marine fauna of the Black Sea is predominantly of Mediterranean origin and Macropodia czernjawskii was firstly discovered in the Black Sea in 1880, but afterwards, its presence there was largely ignored by the scientists.

After the revision of available type specimens from all available collections in the Russian museums and the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt-on-Main, as well as newly collected material in the Black Sea and the North-East Atlantic, a research team of scientists, led by Dr. Vassily Spiridonov from Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of Russian Academy of Sciences, re-described Macropodia czernjawskii and provided the new data on its records and updated its ecological characteristics.

"The analysis of the molecular genetic barcode (COI) of the available material of Macropodia species indicated that M. czernjawskii is a very distinct species while M. parva should be synonimised with M. rostrata, and M. longipes is a synonym of M. tenuirostris", states Dr. Spiridonov sharing the details of the genus analysis.

Macropodia czernjawskii in wild, Tuaphat (near Gelendzhik), Caucasus, Black Sea. Credit: Sergey Anosov

All Macropodia species have epibiosis and M. czernjawskii is no exception: almost all examined crabs in 2008-2018 collections had significant epibiosis. It normally consists of algae and cyanobacteria and, particularly, a non-indigenous species of red alga Bonnemaisonia hamifera, officially reported in 2015 at the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea, was found in the epibiosis of M. czernjawskii four years earlier.

Macropodia czernjawskii spider crab in the wild, Tuaphat (near Gelendzhik), Caucasus, Black Sea Credit: Sergey Anosov

"It improves our understanding of its invasion history. Museum and monitoring collections of species with abundant epibiosis (in particular inachid crabs) can be used as an additional tool to record and monitor introduction and establishments of sessile non-indigenous species," suggests Dr. Spiridonov.

Explore further New spider crab named 50 years after its discovery

More information: Bee Yan Lee et al, Revision of the deep-water spider crab genus, Scyramathia A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, with the description of a new species from the Mediterranean and notes on Rochinia A. Milne-Edwards, 1875, and Anamathia Smith, 1885 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Epialtidae), Zoosystematics and Evolution (2020). Bee Yan Lee et al, Revision of the deep-water spider crab genus, Scyramathia A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, with the description of a new species from the Mediterranean and notes on Rochinia A. Milne-Edwards, 1875, and Anamathia Smith, 1885 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Epialtidae),(2020). DOI: 10.3897/zse.96.48041
An impeachment hearing will be held in September after the president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe was accused of having inappropriate contact with a 17-year-old boy.

The complaint against Julian Bear Runner was sent to the Secretarys Office on Aug. 19, said Secretary Jennifer Spotted Bear.

She then forwarded the complaint  written and signed by the father of the alleged victim, who is now 18  to the tribal council.

The council voted at a special Aug. 24 meeting to suspend Bear Runner without pay and to hold an impeachment hearing, Spotted Bear said. Those decisions were based solely on the complaint, not any testimony from Bear Runner or the 18-year-old. Spotted Bear did not have the vote count available with her.

The hearing  which will be overseen by a tribal judge  is set for 10 a.m. on Sept. 14 at the Prairie Wind Casino near Oglala, Spotted Bear said. The 18-year-old, Bear Runner and others can choose to testify and will have to answer questions by the judge and council. But Bear Runner and the 18-year-old wont have lawyers to cross examine witnesses.

Elected officials can be impeached if two thirds of the council finds they committed crimes, gross incompetency, corruption or malfeasance, a judge explained during the impeachment hearing of Bear Runners former vice president.

Robert Ecoffey, chief of the Oglala Sioux police, said he can't comment on whether the 18-year-old has also filed a criminal complaint.

Bear Runner did not return messages asking for comment.

The complaint

The Journal obtained a copy of the complaint that redacted the names of the 18-year-old and his father. The father wrote that he sent the secretary a copy of the allegations his son made in a Facebook post. The Journal has seen the post but is not naming the son since he is an alleged victim of sexual misconduct.

The father accused Bear Runner  who is in his 30s  of grooming his 17-year-old son by contacting him over social media and once rubbing his thigh. The father said Bear Runner groomed his son in order to prepare him for inappropriate sexual touching in a motel room once his son turned 18.

The father said his son delayed sharing what happened to him when he was 17 because he only recently gained the confidence to speak up after attending therapy. He will be available to testify at the hearing.

Bear Runner spoke out against the harms of child sexual abuse during the February sentencing hearing of a pediatrician who was convicted of abusing children on the reservation.

Bear Runner was suspended in July after some council members were upset they couldnt reach him after he issued a 72-hour coronavirus lockdown. That 30-day suspension was paid and did not involve a vote about whether to set an impeachment hearing.

The president also faced criticism from council and tribal members when he was arrested in May for allegedly driving while drunk and threatening a man. Bear Runner has pleaded not guilty. The tribes attorney general did not respond to questions about the status of Bear Runner's case.

Bear Runner is the second elected Oglala Sioux official to face impeachment in recent years. Darla Black, Bear Runners former vice president, was impeached in November 2019 after three former employees accused her of creating an abusive and hostile workplace environment.

The council then voted to install Tom Poor Bear  who ran against Black in 2018 after being ousted by her in 2016  as vice president. Poor Bear is currently serving as president during Bear Runners suspension.

 Contact Arielle Zionts at arielle.zionts@rapidcityjournal.com.

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(TNS)  As 12,000 lightning strikes pummeled the Bay Area this month, igniting hundreds of fires, fire spotters sprang into action.Their arsenal of tools includes thermal imagery collected by space satellites; real-time feeds from hundreds of mountaintop cameras; a far-flung array of weather stations monitoring temperature, humidity and winds; and artificial intelligence to munch and crunch the vast data troves to pinpoint hot spots.For decades, wildfires in remote regions were spotted by people in lookout towers who scanned the horizon with binoculars for smoke  a tough and tedious job. They reported potential danger by telephone, carrier pigeon or Morse code signals with a mirror.Now, fire spotting has gone high tech. And the technology to address it is getting exponentially better and faster, trained by a growing body of data about wildfires. Its making firefighters more nimble and keeping them safer. The only question is whether silicon-powered progress can keep up with the climate change-fueled flames.Tech has also made fire spotting more democratic. Anyone can go online to see the satellite and camera images, while interactive maps display the conflagrations locations. Footage from some of the mountaintop cameras went viral this month as they transmitted apocalyptic images of the raging flames that ultimately burned them in the CZU Lightning Complex fires.Its Netflix for fire, said Graham Kent, who runs the AlertWildfire.org system, which has about 550 cameras in California, a number he hopes to double by 2022. The cameras capture a still image every second to make time-lapse videos, using near-infrared technology for nighttime viewing. They give an intimate sense of whats going on. Theres a primal sense like were still living in caves; everyone fears fire.The network of cameras, backed by a consortium of the University of Nevada at Reno, UC San Diego and the University of Oregon, allows authorized personnel such as fire command teams to rotate, pan and zoom to zero in on suspicious plumes of smoke. The AlertWildfire system is adding some mobile cameras  a trailer with a 30-foot tower that can be positioned anywhere its needed.The images from the cameras and satellites, along with footage captured by piloted and unpiloted aircraft, and weather station data, are vital components in the rapidly advancing technology for fire spotting.The new technology is helping us fight more-aggressive fires more aggressively with a calculated level of safety, said Brice Bennett, a spokesman for Cal Fire. Fire-line commanders utilize intelligence from all these different inputs. Situational awareness is paramount  fully understanding the events unfolding around you, not just whats directly in front of your face but what will occur in the next 12 hours.The boots on the ground crews use the detailed data to get information even while theyre en route, he said. The digital maps can show where the hottest spots are, for instance, so they know what areas to avoid and where to construct fire lines.We can use this information to understand where fires are spreading, where theyre most active and to get rapid alerts for wildfires, said Scott Strenfel, manager of meteorology and fire science at PG&E. Its pretty exciting with all this technology coming together. The earlier you can spot a fire, the earlier you can take suppression action.During fire season, PG&E staffs its new Wildfire Safety Operations Center around the clock. Analysts in the room at the companys San Francisco headquarters monitor big-screen monitors displaying data-packed maps and information flowing in from a variety of sources.The company used to spend a couple of million dollars a year on a smoke patrol program. Every afternoon during fire season, seven pilots would fly in set patterns (similar to a lawn-mowers path) over heavily forested areas in its service territory, looking for smoke. But satellite advances meant it could get similar information for a tenth of the cost  and have continuous coverage, Strenfel said.Even in a test version last year, the satellite system detected an early-morning grass fire on Mount Diablo in July 2019 about 15 minutes before the first 911 calls came in, he said. PG&E now has systems in place to notify local fire agencies when its technology spots fires.Technology comes into play after fires as well. We map burn severity to see how much damage resulted from the fire, so resource management can stabilize the landscape and mitigate hazards like flash floods, said Brad Quayle, a program manager at the Forest Services Geospatial Technology and Applications Center , which uses satellites and other technologies to detect and monitor fire activity.Technology also helps authorities decide whether and when to evacuate locals.A fire is a dynamic situation with high winds, dry fuels, proximity to populations, especially in California, said Everett Hinkley, national remote sensing program manager at the Forest Service. We can provide rapid updates to infer the direction and speed of those wildfires to help people calling the evacuation orders.Although satellites have been used in fire spotting for about 20 years, a new generation of satellites and onboard tools have dramatically improved their aptitude for the task.Weather satellites have thermal channels that can be used for fires, but theyre optimized to look at cloud temperatures (which are) very cold, not for very high temperatures, said Vincent Ambrosia, associate program manager for wildfires at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View. Newer satellites with spectral sensors and advanced optics technology now provide finer spatial resolution and data processing.There are two types of satellites: Polar orbiter satellites are closer to Earth and provide higher-resolution images, but capture them only twice a day. Geosynchronous or geostationary satellites stay over a specific geographic area, providing images about every five minutes, but must fly about 22,000 miles above the Earth to synchronize with its orbit, so the images are more coarse.Researchers have lengthy lists of tech improvements they hope to see in the near future.One is unpiloted aircraft that can stay aloft for months at a time, perhaps 100,000 feet above the ground, providing persistent surveillance of a fire event, allowing (firefighters) to make real-time decisions, Ambrosia said. Its the same as the resources that support troops on the ground in battle scenarios.Quayle likewise said hed like to see long endurance, high-altitude platforms that can serve the purpose of a satellite but fly in the atmosphere.Several private companies are working on options such as solar-powered aircraft or high-altitude airships like dirigibles, he said, estimating that deployment is between one and five years out.Hed also like to see satellites built specifically for fire detection, something now being developed in Canada, which is replete with remote, fire-prone forests. That satellite system is probably five years out from completion and launch, he said, noting that the rest of the world can share it.While some have speculated that the smaller drones flown by hobbyists could be deployed, they lack the power and range to fly high enough to usefully spot fires. But their technology, too, could improve over time.Another future upgrade is for computers to get even better at reading the data via improved artificial intelligence, to cut down on false positives. We need better machine learning to process this data overload, because you cant put enough analysts in front of screens to handle it all, Hinkley said.Despite all the high-tech wizardry, many fires are initially reported through a traditional system: 911 calls. Blazes increasingly occur near populated areas so there are essentially millions of potential spotters on the ground.The 911 calls in many places will be the first notification, Strenfel said.But calls to 911 can mean a deluge of information without the specifics that firefighters need  so the satellites and cameras come into play to home in on exact locations.In cases like we just went through, with the lightning causing 500 fires all at once, and many people calling, that information can be overwhelming, Strenfel said. The satellite detection systems (show) where these fires are in real time.Kent from AlertWildfire said similar things about his camera network.When a 911 call comes in, authorities can turn to a camera and see the ignition phase of that fire, he said. Cameras can also triangulate a fires exact location. Under normal circumstances, they can see 20 miles in daytime; 40 miles at night if there arent obstacles. But hes seen fires caught by cameras as far away as 100 miles in the daytime and 160 miles at night.Sometimes traditional ways reemerge.Cal Fires Amador-El Dorado Unit recently refurbished two dilapidated lookout towers and now staffs them during fire season with community volunteers.Armed with a two-way radio, binoculars and an Osborne Fire Finder  a topographic paper map with sighting apertures to help gauge a fires distance and location  the volunteers have spotted 85 smokes since June 1, with seven of them being first reports, said Diana Swart, a spokeswoman for the unit.These human volunteers get up in that tower with their old-fashioned Fire Finders from the early 1900s, she said. In these very rural wooded areas, fires otherwise may not be noticed until they get very large. Having a person out there whos actively looking is key.
KCBD in Lubbock, Texas honored late weather forecaster Kelly Plasker on Sunday night, calling her a "bright spot in our weekend mornings, and in our lives."

Plasker, 42, was with KCBD, an NBC affiliate, for three years before her death, according to the station.

News anchor Kase Wilbanks said that Plasker's "sudden death early this morning has broken our hearts."

Though the cause of death has yet to be released, Wilbanks urged viewers during the tribute to "ask for help if you're struggling or had thoughts of suicide" and shared contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Plasker's death comes two years after her 19-year-old son, Thomas Locke, who died by suicide.

Rosalie Drake, market president for Townsquare Media also made a statement saying, "We are all mourning the loss of Kelly Plasker. Not just her family, and not just her work family. Everyone in Lubbock who knew her knows we've lost someone special, and the world is now a little less bright."

The Twitter community mourned the forecasters unexpected passing on social media.

"Kelly Plasker had a smile as big as Texas and a heart of gold. She loved big and hurt deeply. Her heart was broken from the suicide death of her son Thomas, and then her fathers sudden death just months later," journalist Sharon Maines wrote on Facebook.

"Her grief was a daily struggle but she put on that smile and persevered," she continued. "If any of you are strugglingplease, please, please talk to someone. There are so many broken hearts today. Prayers for Kellys two children and her family and all of us who loved her."

KCBD vice president and general manager Dan Jackson said in a statement, "we are deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss of KCBD weekend morning forecaster Kelly Plasker. Kelly was a dedicated member of the KCBD weather staff, well-liked by viewers and admired by her co-workers. Our deepest sympathies go out to Kelly's family in this time of great loss."

Among the kind words and condolences on social media following Plasker's tragic passing, the call to action to seek help was widespread.

"People you know are experiencing pain you will never understand. Consider kindness and empathy," meteorologist James Spann wrote on Twitter. "Getting help is not a sign of weakness, but a show of strength."
By Associated Press

SINGAPORE: A total of 62,000 workers in Singapore, mostly foreigners employed in labour-intensive industries, have yet to be scheduled for their mandatory rostered routine testing for COVID-19 ahead of the screening deadline on Saturday, authorities warned on Tuesday.

Those who fail to do so will not be able to return to work, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Economic Development Board (EDB) and Health Promotion Board (HPB) said in a joint press release.

To date, about 1,500 employers have yet to log into HPB's swab registration system to schedule their workers for their rostered routine testing.

This is about 8 per cent of the total number of employers who have to do so, said the release.

As part of the safeguards to ensure the safe restart of work, workers, many of them from India, staying in dormitories, workers in the construction, marine and process sectors and personnel who go into the work sites are required to undergo rostered routine testing every 14 days.

Employers are reminded that these workers must have completed a swab test in the preceding 14 days and started their 14-day rostered routine testing cycle, reported Channel News Asia, citing the release.

Workers who have not done so will have their AccessCode Status reflected as Red under the "Health Status" and will not be able to return to work, the press release stated.

"We remind these employers to quickly schedule appointment slots for their workers to avoid disruption to their business operations. They can view the available test locations in the swab registration system when booking appointment dates.

"This comprises 18 Regional Screening Centres across the island," added the press release.

Once workers have been scheduled under the swab registration system for the first time, they will be automatically assigned new dates for future rostered routine testing swabs.

Employers should log in to the swab registration system regularly to check if there are new workers whom they need to schedule appointments for.

The authorities said employers who behave irresponsibly and persistently fail to schedule workers for rostered routine testing may have their work pass privileges curtailed.

BCA has taken action against a group of companies and their workers who have failed to undergo rostered routine testing for a prolonged period of time, despite multiple reminders to their employers.

BCA said it has rescinded the approval to resume work for 1,148 workers thus far.

These workers will be allowed to return to work once they have undergone their rostered routine testing.

Meanwhile, Singapore reported 40 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including one in the community and seven imported infections.

This brings the national total to 56,852.

The single community infection is a foreign worker on work pass here, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in its daily preliminary update.

All seven imported cases had been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore, said MOH.

The rest of the infections is among foreign workers.

The seven imported cases reported on Monday had returned from India and Malaysia on Aug 17 and 19.

With 72 cases discharged on Monday, 55,658 patients have fully recovered from the disease and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities.

A total of 78 patients remain in hospital, while 1,049 are recuperating in community facilities.
Leaders of the Oodua Progressive Union(OPU) in Canada have reacted to the online publications that there was raging crisis within the group.

Speaking against the backdrop of the stories in the media that some members of the Canada chapter had exited the group in their numbers.

Publicity Secretary of the group, Chief Timothy Adeyanju, said the story was untrue,saying enemies of the Yoruba socio-cultural group were actually behind the story.

Narrating the situation surrounding the purported crisis,Adeyanju also stated that the story was blown out of proportion. He maintained that OPU Canada is always intact, with committed members across board.

It is sad that such issue was blown out of proportion.It was a minor issue that revolved around election into the board of directors of the Canada chapter. Our former coordinator, Prince Julius Ojo, had planned for an election into such sensitive position of the board of directors without recourse to the rules guiding such procedure

It was a situation whereby 116 eligible members of the group were to participate in the election and 18 of them were disenfranchised from participating without no reason. The disenfranchised members later wrote a petition to the North American continent executive, which is also the second highest decision making hierarchy in OPU structure alleging Prince Ojo of his failure to hold a free and fair election,and a calculated plot to disenfranchise some of the eligible members in order to foist his loyalists on the organization

The North America executive got wind of the imminent crisis,through the petition and wrote a letter seeking proper investigation into the electoral process.They also directed that the election be postponed for a period of one or two weeks for proper investigation into the petition raised by members 

But Prince Ojo, rather than agreed to the directives and the two letters written by the North American executive and that of the OPU Worldwide Headquarters through the Secretary General,Prince Olanrewaju Sunmonu, ordered his loyalists to ignore the directives, saying the election must be held as planned, even when the Chairman of the Electoral body had resigned. It was in the midst of this issue that 92 eligible members out the 98 in the plenary platform passed a vote of no confidence in his leadership as the coordinator

Various issues were raised about his leadership on the general platform, for over 24-hours before it was put to a vote.And the teeming members passed a vote of no confidence in his leadership,before he voluntary exited himself from the platform.

This happened a few minutes to the deadline given to him. The elders and Stakeholders reinstated the dissolved board of directors, while the board also installed the General Secretary to take charge of the organisation structure in acting capacity based on the constitution of the group.

That was what actually transpired, and the issue had been resolved. At the moment,over 50 new members have been admitted into the group and we are on top of the new development .

 So the story that OPU Canada had crumbled was a figment of our enemies idea, and We knew that a former aide of our global convener, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, that was dismissed two years ago, that is presently residing in Canada, was actually behind the false story, he said.

 Being the global convener of our formidable group, Aare Gani Adams is always an advocate of peace and very accommodating, nobody had left the organisation and ended up being harmed or threatened. There is freedom of association globally and OPU as a socio cultural group stands for peace and unity of Yoruba people in the Diaspora .

So, Prince Ojo should stay away from issues that can drag his name to the mud and desist from anything that can soil his image, as a former coordinator of our group, we wish him well in his future endeavours.

Adeyanju eulogied the commitment of all members of the group, saying OPU Canada will continue to grow from strength to strength.
Hong Kong police have made three more arrests as part of their probe into a suspected smuggling racket with possible links to the carcasses of 15 dogs and cats found washed up on beaches and reports from dozens of mainland China pet owners of dead or missing animal companions.

The pet owners had entrusted agents to ship their animals from overseas to the mainland via the entrepot of Hong Kong after completing studies or postings abroad.

A man and two women, aged 44 to 56, were detained on Monday when officers from police, customs, the animal welfare authority and a charity raided an animal hotel, PetPet360, in Mong Kok and two village flats in Yuen Long which might have provided pet care, the Post has learned. No animals were seized.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

The latest arrests came after authorities swooped on Pet Oasis in Tuen Mun on Friday and detained a 29-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man, while removing 22 pet dogs and 26 cats. Pet Oasis and PetPet360 have denied any involvement in smuggling activities.

Police arrested the five suspects on suspicion of animal cruelty and conspiracy to smuggle.

The animals at Pet Oasis were thought to belong to mainland owners who on their return home engaged the services of transport agents  who say they run legal businesses  to retrieve their pets from abroad.

The raids were launched after 12 surviving pet dogs in four crates were seized among goods worth HK$37 million (US$4.8 million) on a speedboat in Mui Wo on Lantau Island on August 21. Two mainland men were arrested.

The saga took a morbid turn last Wednesday when a crate containing the badly decomposed bodies of three microchipped dogs was found washed ashore near St Stephens Beach in Stanley, in southern Hong Kong Island.

On Thursday, another two crates holding 12 dead cats were found on a Lamma Island beach. Law enforcement officers suspected the animals were either thrown overboard by smugglers to destroy evidence or fell out of the boat as officers gave chase.

Story continues

It is thought parties involved in the pet repatriation process may be resorting to illegally transporting pets over the border into the mainland. Owners were believed to have paid 30,000 yuan (US$4,378) to 60,000 yuan for shipping.

Pet owners raised complaints against some of the raided venues to Hong Kong police or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The Post found that more than 40 mainland pet owners who had been studying or working in the United States, Britain, Australia or New Zealand had made such reports.

Police have already told some of them that their pets had been found dead, with the number of people affected climbing daily, according to a mainland owner who gave her name as Rachel.

PetPet360, one of the targets of the authorities on Monday, was said to be housing the pets belonging to some of those owners while awaiting customs clearance so they could be legally transported over the border.

Rachel said earlier an agent called Jessie she met on WeChat recently in the United States, where she had been studying, had urged other owners to ask friends in Hong Kong to collect their pets on Saturday morning, warning that authorities could soon move in and seize the animals.

A visit to the Kowloon venue by the Post on Saturday found the hotel appeared to be operating normally. A Hongkonger sent by a friend was on the site to pick up a cat transported from Britain.

The male operator of PetPet360 said on Tuesday it had housed a number of pets in the case. Mainland pet owners had contacted him directly and arranged delivery themselves for when the animals were checked out and he was not involved.

Superintendent Dickey Kwan Chun-ting, of the marine police regional crime unit, said the venues raided had suspected connections to the animals, both living and dead, in the case. How much they were connected, and whether they worked as a syndicate will be our direction of investigation, he said.

Investigators had yet to find out how long they had been operating and the number of local agencies that might be involved, he added.

Kwan said his team would also find out whether the pets were smuggled to the mainland for sale but the information collected had shown no such signs.

He said further arrests were possible.

On Monday night, the Post contacted a woman assigned to retrieve the animals when they reached Hong Kong, according to information from owners.

Teresa, from Nam Hang Tsuen in Yuen Long, repeatedly denied she was involved in animal transport before quickly hanging up.

Hong Kong authorities load up a van with cats seized from Pet Oasis in Tuen Mun. Photo: Dickson Lee

The agent commissioned by Rachel to handle the shipping from Hong Kong to the mainland for 10,000 yuan could not be reached for comment.

An animal transporter in Hong Kong said mainland policy required pet owners to fly with their animals if they wanted to import them, but the pandemic had made it harder for both humans and their pets to travel on the same aircraft.

It is likely pet owners had spoken with agencies which suggested they first send their pets to Hong Kong, which had no such requirements. But securing the correct paperwork to take animals from the city to the mainland could take several weeks.

Some parties involved in the process might have sought the services of smugglers to speed up the process and save on costs.

Police urged pet owners to use transport agencies with a good reputation and to try to travel with their animals.

Owners in the case were urged to come to Hong Kong as soon as possible to claim their pets which could be stressed by their separation.

This article Hong Kong police arrest three more in latest swoop linked to grisly pet-smuggling racket first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
Another shocking police shooting has set off a new wave of protests against police brutality across the United States. This has become an all-too-common occurrence in the US, but in an election year like this, with a President like Donald Trump, things are different  and, once again, Facebook is right in the middle of it all.

In Kenosha, Wisconsin, a 17-year-old showed up to protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake to defend Kenosha from what he believed to be the throes of anarchy. He brought an assault rifle, killed two people and maimed another, and is now being charged with murder. A few days earlier, Blake was shot seven times in the back by police at point-blank range, in front of his children.

A Facebook group run by a self-described militia had been encouraging conservatives to go to Kenosha to defend it from the Black Lives Matter protesters. Right this second, there are posts all over Facebook praising the shooter as a hero. Beyond being truly vile, their very existence on the platform, now several days after the shooting, shows a certain level of negligence.

Its the same story in Portland, Oregon, where protests have been ongoing for more than three months. The last weekend in August saw a Trump-supporting caravan drive through the city  and through Black Lives Matter protests, literally  that had been both organised on Facebook and had several posts encouraging people to come locked and loaded. Some did, and someone got killed.

There is plenty of blame to go around, but between this, the companys handling of misinformation globally, and its myriad issues around the world, its hard to see how Facebook can continue to slide by.

If this all sounds familiar for people in India, it should. Company executives in Facebooks largest market (by user) are embroiled in controversy around content moderation, accusations of censorship of certain political views, and questionable handling of political content more broadly  and it is not doing well.

All of this is heightened in the US because of COVID-19-related restrictions on events. There will be a few in-person political rallies between now and November 3, but the fall off from any normal election year is stark. That means digital-first campaigns  and that means Facebook is even more important than it would be in a normal election cycle.

Reporting on internal memo leaks from Facebook do not inspire confidence. At an all-hands meeting after the Kenosha shootings, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg called what was happening in Wisconsin painful and really discouraging. He acknowledged that the militia group page and event should have been removed sooner, but he also went on to essentially blame contract employees for somehow missing on this one. The militia groups event had been reported by users as harmful close to 500 times, but no action was taken.

Now, the headlines  especially in conservative, Trump-supporting media  all say some version of the same thing: Lawless cities, riots, and chaos are what happens when the Democrats and liberals are in charge. At last weeks Republican National Convention, law and order was the running theme from a party keen to keep the focus away from its incompetence during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be the narrative from the Trump campaign, and one can be sure that they will never once mention or try to grasp the reasons for the protests they so despise.

One can also be sure that the tactics Right-wing groups have used in Wisconsin and Oregon will be repeated elsewhere, and they will put lives at risk.

Facebook is not the only gatekeeper here  not by a long shot  but the platform has never been so important to society.

The platform is massive, global, and remains something crucial for millions of businesses  large and small  around the world. Whats more, I truly believe Facebook is generally a good thing. We hold the generally good things in our lives  including the US itself  to higher standards. The toxicity shines so brightly because it should  it should be in the headlines, it should be talked about. These are crucial matters that get to the heart of our society. However, most Facebook users just post banal things, follow things theyre interested in, and chat with people, and thats about it.

The question is whether the platform will actually start paying a price for its repeated misses on issues of hate, racism, misinformation, election tampering, and more. The PR will continue, calls to break up the company are getting louder, some advertisers are boycotting, and I know a lot of people in my orbit simply refuse to use the platform or use it very sparingly.

I use Facebook and, on the whole, it makes my life better, and I see so many positive things there. That said, the company is doing a terrible job at the things we are pointing out and its high time to hire real, full-time editors and moderators. Thousands of out-of-work journalists in these roles would make a real difference.

In other news, Facebooks stock price is up roughly 50 percent over the last six months.

Sree Sreenivasan is Marshall Loeb Visiting Professor of Digital Innovation at Stony Brook Journalism School in New York, and cofounder of Digimentors, a social, digital and virtual events consultancy. Twitter: @sree. Views are personal.

(Lookout for Sree Sreenivasans take on the upcoming US presidential elections every fortnight.)
The deal was initiated by Sudans transitional government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, along with many of the rebel groups in Darfur and elsewhere

Egypts deputy foreign minister for Sudan and South Sudanese affairs, Osama Shaltout, has called on Sudanese parties that have not joined the peace agreement initiated on Monday in Juba to catch up with the convoy of peace and engage in negotiations as soon as possible, a statement by the Egyptian ministry read.

The deal, initiated in the South Sudanese capital by Sudans transitional government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, along with many of the rebel groups in Darfur and elsewhere, is set to end violence that has lasted for almost two decades and caused hundreds of thousands of deaths.

The deal was initiated by nine armed movements grouped under Sudan's Revolutionary Front after ten months of mediation in South Sudan. A faction from the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdelwahid Nour and a wing of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) headed by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu refused to take part.

Shaltout hailed the political will and strong determination of all parties involved in the agreement, affirming that Egypt will always support Sudanese stability and the implementation of peace in the African country.

The diplomat conveyed the greetings of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and the Egyptian government and people to South Sudans President Salva Kiir Mayardit, hailing the role he and his countrys mediation team has played to host negotiations rounds for more than a year.

He also reviewed Egypts efforts supporting peace in Sudan, including hosting a number of meetings in Cairo and Ain Sokhna with the aim of ensuring continuous communication between parties to the conflict in Sudan.

Shaltout hailed the Sudanese efforts to build a nation on the basis of democracy, justice, equality and freedom.

Sudans Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, sovereign council head Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and deputy council head Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, attended the signing ceremony, along with the leaders of the rebel groups.

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President Donald Trump slammed Matt Drudge for his website, the Drudge Report, leading with the story of how the president denied he had a 'mini-stroke' that links readers to a video where Trump is purportedly dragging his right leg.

'Drudge didn't support me in 2016, and I hear he doesn't support me now. Maybe that's why he is doing poorly,' Trump tweeted Tuesday evening. 'His Fake News report on Mini-Strokes is incorrect. Possibly thinking about himself, of the other party's "candidate,"' Trump wrote.

Trump's comments on Drudge came after his campaign demanded that CNN fire Democratic pundit Joe Lockhart, who served as White House press secretary under President Bill Clinton, for floating in a tweet that Trump was covering up a stroke.

'CNN should fire Joe Lockhart, a lifetime failure who thought it was a great idea for fellow loser Michael Dukakis to put on that stupid helmet, for knowingly pushing a conspiracy theory about President Trump's health,' a campaign statement read.

It went on to say Lockhart 'single-handedly sank the John Kerry campaign' and now hes doing the same to Joe Biden from a distance.

'If another CNN employee said similar things about Barack Obama theyd be fired immediately, so the same standard should be applied here,' the campaign said. 'That is, of course, unless CNN is complicit in the smear campaign in order to level the playing field against Joe Biden, somebody who truly has lost a step.'

President Donald Trump slammed Matt Drudge for the Drudge Report leading with a story on his denial that he had a series of mini strokes

President Trump tweeted that Matt Drudge is doing 'poorly' and called his 'Fake News' report on mini strokes to be 'incorrect' and possibly about 'the other party's candidate,' taking a veiled swipe at Democratic nominee Joe Biden

The Drudge Report homepage linked to a video that allegedly showed President Trump dragging his right leg

The right-leaning Matt Drudge was in the crosshairs of President Trump Tuesday, after the Drudge Report linked to a video purportedly showing Trump dragging his right foot

Also on Tuesday, the Trump campaign called on Democratic pundit Joe Lockhart (pictured), President Bill Clinton's former press secretary, to be fired by CNN for floating that Trump was hiding that he suffered a stroke

New York Times author Michael Schmidt noted his book, which examines the November 2019 Walter Reed trip, does not mention 'mini-strokes'

Former Bill Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart tweeted the unproven theory that Trump had suffered a stroke

Author Don Winslow tweeted Trump slurring his words and claimed to have whistleblower sources tell him Trump suffered 'mini-strokes'

WHAT ARE WARNING SIGNS OF A MINI STROKE? A transient ischemic attack (or, TIA) involves a temporary lack of blood flow to the brain, which causes momentary dizziness, confusion, tingling, and numbness in the arms. You should call 911 if you suspect you are suffering a TIA. Symptoms include: vision changes

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confusion

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dizziness

passing out

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weakness or numbness on just one side of the body or face, determined by the location of the blood clot in the brain Advertisement

Lockhart's tweet had gotten little attention among mainstream reporters until the president brought up those claims Tuesday morning.

'It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate - FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!' Trump wrote  making the suggested that Biden had suffered a stroke without offering evidence.

A new book offered explosive revalations that Vice President Mike Pence was on standby during the president's unscheduled 2019 trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which the White House said at the time was because Trump had a 'free weekend.'

Pence has since denied that he was ever on-call.

As the book's author, New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt noted online, his book's dive into the Walter Reed trip included nothing about mini-strokes.

After setting off new rounds of speculation by bringing up the issue, Trump directed the White House physician to release a statement stating that he had never been treated for a 'cerebrovascular accident.'

'President Donald J Trump has asked that I, Dr. Sean Conley, Physician to the President, address the recent public comments regarding his health,' said Dr. Sean P. Conley, physician to the president, in a statement released by the White House.

'I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media.'

He continued: 'The President remains healthy and I have no concerns about his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule ahead of him. As stated in my last report, I expect him to remain fit to execute the duties of the Presidency.'

On Monday Lockhart had tweeted, 'Did @realDonaldTrump have a stroke which he is hiding from the American public?'

On August 1, crime author Don Winslow tweeted out a video clip of Trump repeatedly slurring his words during a December 2017 speech on Israel.

Winslow claimed to have heard from 'whistleblowers' inside the Trump administration about the president's health.

'I've received three communications saying that during his term Trump has suffered a 'series' of 'mini-strokes,' Winslow wrote.

'Let us rethink old assumptions and open our hearts and minds to possible and possibilities,' Trump says in the clip, flubbing a prepared line. He even slurred his closing line when he said 'God Bless the United States.'

Then-White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said at the time when questioned about Trump's performance: 'The presidents throat was dry, nothing more than that.'

Winslow tweeted Tuesday afternoon following Trump's denial: 'More than a dozen Secret Service agents are aware of Donald Trump's medical condition and mini-strokes.'

Trump was seen on video during a July video of his trip to a laboratory in North Carolina dragging his right foot while touring the facility.

This was the video that the Drudge Report shared.

In January, Trump could be seen shuffling his feet as he moved to his right while clapping at the March for Live in Washington, D.C.

In November 2019, the president made an unannounced trip to the hospital for 'quick exam and labs' as part of his annual physical exam out of anticipation of a 'very busy 2020,' the White House said at the time.

But the surprise nature of the trip lead to questions about the president's medical condition.

And in Michael Schmidt's 'Donald Trump v. the United States,' out on Tuesday, the author writes Pence was on standby if the president had to undergo a procedure that would have required anesthesia.

It is the job of the vice president to assume executive powers should the president be incapacitated in some way, according to the 25th amendment to the Constitution.

Schmidt writes, according to a New York Times review of his book: The White House wanted Mike Pence 'on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized.'

Pence obviously never had to step in.

The last time a vice president took such a step was Dick Cheney in July 2007 when George W. Bush underwent a colonoscopy and was under sedation.

In a statement at the time of Trump's hospital visit, then-White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said that Trump had undergone a 'quick exam and labs' and that he 'remains healthy and energetic without complaints.'

She also said that the president had taken advantage of a 'free weekend' in Washington to 'begin portions of his routine annual physical exam.'

The White House had Vice President Mike Pence on stand by in November last year when President Donald Trump made an unplanned visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

President Trump in route to Walter Reed on Saturday, November 16, 2019, for a visit the White House said was part of his routine physical

Section Three of 25th Amendment Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President. Advertisement

But Trump's trip raised so many questions about the then 73-year-old's health that the White House released a memo a few days later denying 'speculation' that he had been treated for a medical emergency.

Dr. Sean Conley, the president's personal physician, wrote that Trump's 'interim checkup' had been 'routine,' and was only kept secret because of 'scheduling uncertainties.'

'Despite some speculation, the President has not had any chest pain, nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues,' Conley wrote in the memo. 'Specifically, he did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurologic evaluations.'

The full results of the president's physical were released in June and he was reported to be 'healthy.'

Schmidt's book, meanwhile, 'tells the dramatic, high-stakes story of those who felt compelled to confront and try to contain the most powerful man in the world as he shredded norms and sought to expand his power,' according to its Amazon.com description.

It is the latest in a spat of books to come about the Trump administration, including Bob Woodward's upcoming book 'Rage' and Michael Cohen's upcoming 'Disloyalty.'

There are also recently published books from Mary Trump, about her uncle's upbringing, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton about his White House tenure. Even the first lady has not been immune. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's memoir about her work with Melania Trump, the two were long time friends, comes out Tuesday.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  The Senate Committee of the Whole is pushing for active involvement of the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Governance Commission for GOCC (GCG) to ensure efficient operations and performance of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

During his presentation of the committee report on Tuesday, Senate President Tito Sotto recommended to the state-owned health insurer to increase involvement of state auditors in its operations even at the regional level to ensure that public funds are being utilized properly.

The COA revealed during one of the Senate hearings that PhilHealth is not giving the commission full access to financial statements and other documents needed, which are important to countercheck adjustments made in the agency's financial statements.

Sotto noted that in a 2017 COA report, PhilHealth reported a loss of 4.75 billion, which was later restated to a net income of 237.17 million the following year.

The accuracy of such adjustment is questionable since the data source used to derive the amount of the benefit payments expenses is not the most accurate source of information, he explained.

Net income for 2018 was also adjusted from 11.6 billon to 21.02 billion, which PhilHealth said was due to reduction in benefit claims expenses.

However, Sotto said this has no recorded basis or disclose of nature and reason that hindered COA to validate such adjustment.

As for the GCG, Sotto said the central policy-making and monitoring body should set skills and qualification required for appointive directors of the agency, and to consider suitability of candidates prior to submission of list of candidates to the President.

The GCG should also proactively evaluate officers performance, periodically assess performance of the agency as a whole, and to recommend measures to improve the agencys performance when it comes to attaining its mandate of providing social health insurance coverage to all Filipinos.

Lawmakers questioned qualifications of several PhilHealth top officials, like former senior vice president (SVP) for legal sector Rodolfo del Rosario who was appointed his position barely five years after passing the bar examination.

It was also revealed by the Civil Service Commission before the House committees of public accounts and good government and public accountability that PhilHealth indeed used minimum standard qualifications in appointing SVPs.

Meanwhile, Senators also ordered the Anti-Money Laundering Council to immediately look into bank accounts of PhilHealth officials and private entities that are possibly involved in the malversation of PhilHealth funds."

Some of the agencys top officials have been named as members of the so-callled mafia within the agency, who allegedly stole P15 billion in alleged fraud schemes, as well as executives involved in the diversion of members premium benefits to private accounts.

The Senate committee has recommended filing criminal and administrative charges against Health Secretary and PhilHealth board chair Francisco Duque III, former PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales, and other top officials due to corruption controversies.
If you were watching "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" on August 30, you would've seen a little boy roasting John Oliver over his scathing comments against Danbury.

That little boy happens to be 8-year-old Danbury resident Caio P. Leaf, who has been the face of Caio Ninja News on YouTube.

On the August 21 edition of the show, Caio addressed Oliver's comments on his hometown and even offered to go head-to-head with the comedian for a hosting competition.

"I was so mad at him that I invited him to a duel," said Leaf in an interview, alongside his mother Emanuela Palmares, with Hearst Connecticut Media. "I'll take the duel anytime, any place."
The US is working to put together a deal that would recognise the region east of the Euphrates and allow administration reports Basnews.

A well-informed Syrian source revealed that the eastern Euphrates region in Syria is moving towards recognizing the Jazira region, a step that is being enabled through American planning and Arab support.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Basnews that, the United States of America, in coordination with the Arab tribes and representatives of the Syrian Kurdish parties and Christian forces, is heading in a direction to recognize the Jazira region east of the Euphrates.

The source added that, US officials recently met with influential Arab tribal sheikhs who represent the region as well as representatives of the Syrian and Christian Kurdish parties, and they agreed with them to recognize the Jazira region east of the Euphrates, with the participation of all components of the region.

The source pointed out that, each component of the Jazira region (the areas east of the Euphrates) will administer its respective region by itself, with American and Arab support (Saudi, Emirati, and Egyptian).

The source indicated that the American side is in a hurry to achieve Kurdish unity in Syria by uniting the National Council in Syria (ENKS) and the Kurdish national unity parties (the largest of which is the PYD) as soon as possible so they become a part of the region.

Russia has invited the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) and its forces to visit Moscow recently, as it wants to beat the US to winning SDC over, the source added.

Russian officials recently met SDF commander, Mazloum Abdi, and a spokesperson for the Kurdish units at the Qamishli airport, Nuri Mahmoud, and invited them to an official meeting in Moscow.

The source added, The SDF is forced to go along with Russia and will hold talks in Moscow with Russian officials, but it [SDF] already knows its position and will be part of the American project.

On Thursday, an informed Syrian-Kurdish source confirmed that the US is seeking to form a unified Syrian opposition that is against the Syrian regime through and through, to be based in the east of the Euphrates.

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.
STOCKHOLM, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ASSA ABLOY has closed the sale to Italy based FAAC Group of certain agta record and ASSA ABLOY businesses, as part of the commitments to address the competition concerns of the EU Commission in connection with the acquisition of the Swiss company agta record (the "Divestiture").

The divested business includes the agta record operations in the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary and Slovenia, as well as the ASSA ABLOY automatic pedestrian door business in France and the UK. In addition, agta record's high-speed door business located mainly in France is also included.

The divested business had a turnover in 2019 of approximately MEUR 93, representing about 20% of total initial added revenue. The selling price for the Divestiture is MEUR 100 on a cash and debt free basis.

The Divestiture will be de-consolidated from ASSA ABLOY as of August 31, 2020.

For more information, please contact:

Nico Delvaux, President and CEO, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 82

Erik Pieder, CFO and Executive Vice President, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 72

Bjorn Tibell, Head of Investor Relations, tel. no: +46 70 275 67 68

About ASSA ABLOY

The ASSA ABLOY Group is the global leader in access solutions. The Group operates worldwide with 49,000 employees and sales of SEK 94 billion. The Group has leading positions in areas such as efficient door openings, trusted identities and entrance automation. ASSA ABLOY's innovations enable safe, secure and convenient access to physical and digital places. Every day, we help billions of people experience a more open world.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/assa-abloy/r/assa-abloy-s-divestiture-of-certain-businesses-in-relation-to-the-acquisition-of-agta-record-complet,c3186256

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/7333/3186256/1300393.pdf Press release (PDF)

SOURCE ASSA ABLOY
Every high school student in California would be required to take a course on the contributions of racial and ethnic groups that have been oppressed and exploited through U.S. history, under a bill now on Gov. Gavin Newsoms desk.

The Assembly gave final legislative approval Monday to AB331 by Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside, which would add a one-semester ethnic studies course to the states high school graduation requirement, starting with the 2029-30 academic year.

Ethnic studies courses empower students and help build culturally competent citizens, Medina said in a statement. Requiring ethnic studies will help ensure that all students learn a more holistic and representative history of the United States.

Medina shelved the bill last year because of a backlash over a draft of Californias Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, the manual on which the course would be based.

But controversy surrounding the bill dwindled after the California Department of Education released a new draft model curriculum in July. The draft still has critics, who say it is too politically charged or excludes some ethnic groups.

Still, the latest version eased many legislators concerns. The Assembly approved the bill, 53-10, with all Democrats in support and the no votes coming from Republicans. It now heads to Newsom, who has until Sept. 30 to decide whether to sign it.

Medina agreed to delay the graduation requirement by four years beyond the original target of the 2024-25 academic year. However, schools must offer an elective ethnic studies course by the 2025-26 year.

Last month, Newsom signed a related bill that requires every undergraduate in the California State University system to take an ethnic studies course, starting in the 2024-25 year. The bill passed over the objection of CSUs Board of Trustees.

Supporters said the killing of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis police custody as an officer knelt on his neck, and subsequent protests over racial inequality showed that students in high school and college need a deeper understanding of race.

Critics of the states high-school curriculum have said it leaves out the history of some marginalized ethnic and religious groups, such as Armenians and Muslims.

The revised curriculum encourages teachers to add lessons that emphasize the history of ethnic groups in their community. But it keeps the focus on four groups that ethnic studies courses traditionally emphasize: African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Aniyah Story, a junior at Oakland High School, was part of a group of students and educators who advocated for the bill. As a person of person of Black and Filipina descent, she said shes often felt lost in history class.

The lack of representation in the history books made me feel like an outsider, Story said. Almost every year, we learn about the same Eurocentric history.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will be the sole entity responsible for regulating and establishing standards for the set up and operation of tourist camps in Dubai, according to a new Dubai Executive Council Resolution.

The Resolution, issued by Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai H H Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, seeks to reinforce Dubais status as a global holiday destination, regulate the set up and operation of tourist camps and enhance services offered by operators, said a Wam news agency report.

It outlines the terms and conditions to operate tourist camps. These can be established in Dubai only after obtaining a permit from the Department.

Tourist camp operators must abide by Dubai legislations applicable to them and the terms, conditions and standards specified in the permit issued by the DTCM. The obligations of operators include adhering to the occupancy limit for the camp stated in the permit, not changing the camps location without obtaining a permit, respecting contractual obligations to customers, documenting all the services offered within the camp and following all health, sanitation, safety and security requirements.

Tourist camp operators must abide by this Resolution within six months of the date of its activation. The Director-General of DTCM will issue the bylaws required to implement this Resolution.

This Resolution annuls Bylaw No. (4) of 2006 on Overland Tourist Camps and any other legislation that contradicts or challenges its articles, the report said.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The largest school district in Alaska to open for in-person classes has shifted to online learning only for three schools after five new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed.

The new infections emerged among three schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, Alaska Public Media reported.

Colony middle and high schools plan distance learning until next Tuesday, while the district said an update is pending on how long Pioneer Peak Elementary will be closed to in-person classes.

The schools will be cleaned, and public health officials will notify any families with children who are considered close contacts of those who tested positive for COVID-19.

Another school, Wasillas Machetanz Elementary, has resumed in-person learning after a student tested positive. District spokeswoman Jillian Morrissey said 36 people, including staff and students, were identified as close contacts in that case and are under quarantine.

She said the contact tracing investigation found another positive case, but it wasnt immediately clear if that involved a student or staff member.

Meanwhile, a second resident of a state-supported elder-living centre in Anchorage who tested positive for COVID-19 has died, according to the Alaska health department.

The department announced in early August that three residents of the Anchorage Pioneer Home and one staff member had tested positive for COVID-19. By Monday, five staffers and 14 residents had tested positive. Three staffers have been released from isolation, while 10 residents have recovered, the department said in a news release.

Two residents with COVID-19 have died, including one announced Monday that health officials say happened recently. They did not provide further details.

Testing at the facility is occurring with varying frequency, based on whether there have been recent positive test results, the department said. Staff and residents in areas of the facility with recent positive cases are tested every three to four days, while those in areas with two weeks of negative results will have weekly testing, the department said.

When the first cases at the facility were announced, the department said residents who tested positive were placed into isolation and would have dedicated staffing as much as possible. It said the home has been closed to visitors since March.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.
Earlier this month, the board of directors of GEO Next Generation High School cut the ribbon to celebrate the official opening of Indys newest high school on the eastside. The school, located at 4002 N. Franklin Road, serves students in grades 9-11 this year and will grow to serve 12th grade next year.

Tanya Mckinzie, president of Indiana Black Expo, is the founding board chair for the school and major reason the school opened. In 2019, Mckinzie traveled to Gary, Indiana, to visit the highly successful 21st Century Charter School and witnessed more than 50% of the students going to real college courses at Ivy Tech, Indiana University Northwest and Purdue Northwest. She also met one of the alums who earned a full bachelors degree at Purdue while attending 21st Century Charter School and at no cost to her. She returned convinced that Indy needs such a school, too. She convinced the local nonprofit GEO Foundation to start a similar school here in Indianapolis.

GEO Next Generation High School provides a launching pad to area high school students and immerses them in real college and career classes on area college campuses at no cost to them. The school pays for all the college tuition and textbooks and provides staff support and transportation. It has partnerships with IUPUI, Ivy Tech and Marian University.

GEO Next Generation High Schools sister school in Gary has a college and career readiness rating of 72.6%, beating the state average and many of the states richest school districts. Students at 21st Century Charter School regularly earn full associate degrees, career certifications, and one even earned a full bachelors degree from Purdue in 2017.

We are grateful to Indiana Black Expo and Ivy Tech for taking the lead on bringing this model to Indianapolis. Students are capable of doing so much more than traditional high school work these days, said Kelli Marshall, school leader for GEO Next Generation High School. With the COVID-19 crisis facing us and everyone talking about the widening achievement gap, GEO Next Generation High School will provide students the opportunity to jump the gap, not close it. We provided our students the opportunity to take the entrance exam at Ivy Tech yesterday and 30% of our inaugural students passed the test. We began enrolling our students in college level two weeks ago.

Marshall served as superintendent for the Tindley Network prior to taking over GEO Next Gen High School. The school opened to nearly 100 enrolled students and is expected to grow to 600 over the coming years.

As we continue to look at pathways for upward mobility in our city and state while narrowing the opportunity gap for children of color, innovative educational models like GEO Next Gen High School are critical, said Tanya Mckinzie, board president for GEO Next Gen. Im looking forward to working with GEO and Kelli Marshall, our school leader, to ensure our students success.

Students at Next Gen will earn at least six college credits this semester. The goal is for them to earn at least a full associate degree before graduating from high school.

The school is currently providing inperson classes and it is still accepting students for this semester, too. Students can enroll today and start real college courses as soon as Sept. 8 and in mid-October. The school has partnerships with area schools, too, such as Paramount, Circle City Classic, Andrew J. Brown Academy and Avondale Meadows, that allow families with students in elementary, middle or high school to drop off all their students at one location and GEO Next Gen either picks them up or takes them to the appropriate locations.

To consider enrolling in GEO Next Generation High School, check out the website.
Jamie Foxx and Netflix are teaming up for the new show Dad Stop Embarrassing Me.

Foxx, 52, is taking inspiration from his own relationship with daughter Corinne, 26, who will help produce the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Oscar-winner will act and executive produce the project, which will mark his first regular role on a scripted TV programs since his own Jamie Foxx Show ended in 2001.

Family matters: Jamie Foxx is teaming up with Netflix to produce and star in a show inspired by his relationship with daughter Corinne, together in 2019 above

Jamie can be seen on the small screen as the host of the Fox game show Beat Shazam, which he also executive produces.

He appeared on primetime last year when he stepped into the iconic role of George Jefferson in ABC's Live In Front Of A Studio Audience recreations of classic All In The Family and The Jeffersons episodes.

Dad Stop Embarrassing Me has recruited Bentley Kyle Evans as showrunner.

He and Foxx already have a working relationship from Evans' time behind the scenes on Jamie's self-titled WB sitcom in the 1990s.

Just like dad: Corinne, 26, is on board as a producer for her 52-year-old father's new project

Comeback kid! The new show, Dad Stop Embarrassing Me, will be his first time as a regular on a scripted show since his own sitcom ended in 2001

Casting notes: In addition to Jamie, the cast will include the star's former In Living Color co-star David Alan Grier (above), as well as actors Kyla-Drew, Porscha Coleman and Jonathan Kite

Ken Whittingham of Modern Family and Blackish fame will direct the entire first season.

In addition to Jamie, the cast will include the star's former In Living Color co-star David Alan Grier, as well as actors Kyla-Drew, Porscha Coleman and Jonathan Kite. Heather Hemmens and Valente Rodriguez will appear in recurring roles.

Corinne Fox celebrated her new part as producer on Instagram Tuesday, telling fans how thrilled she was to bring the show to life.

'Weve been sharing our stories for years and now we can finally share bring them to television!' she wrote to her 432k Instagram followers.

Story time! Corinne Fox celebrated her new part as producer on Instagram Tuesday, telling fans 'Weve been sharing our stories for years and now we can finally share bring them to television!'

'Thank you @netflix for giving my literal diary a place to live and breathe. @iamjamiefoxx , even though you embarrass the hell out of me, I wouldnt have it any other way 

'We can make this show because you care so much about our relationship and have gone to (sometimes over the top) measures to keep it strong  Be prepared to get a glimpse into the last 26 years of our lives together. This is also my first time (but not my last time) producing! Lets do this!'

This Foxx/Netflix collaboration comes after the talent and streaming site teamed up on Project Power, which premiered August 14.

It was the top-streamed film on the platform in its first two weekends, before finishing in second place in its third.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 11:30:09|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export fell for the sixth straight month to August, but it kept a single-digit slide for two months, a government report showed Tuesday.

Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, shrank 9.9 percent from a year earlier to 39.66 billion U.S. dollars in August, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The outbound shipment continued to fall for six straight months since March, but it slowed down from declines of 25.6 percent in April, 23.8 percent in May, 10.8 percent in June and 7.1 percent in July respectively.

It came as global demand partially recovered amid the reopening of businesses in major economies after shutdowns on worry about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Import slipped 16.3 percent over the year to 35.54 billion dollars in August, sending the trade surplus to 4.12 billion dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for the fourth consecutive month. Enditem
There are 675 million people on LinkedIn but only 4 or 5 million are utilizing it to its fullest potential. Jessica can help empower people with this resource to take control of their careers and position themselves as an expert online with the following expertise:

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Thousands of terrorists might have been airlifted out of Kabul: Trump slams Biden

Never in history has withdrawal from war been handled so badly: Trump

'A great leader': Trump condoles demise of former President Pranab Mukherjee

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 01: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday condoled the death of former Indian president Pranab Mukherjee who died at the age of 84.

"I was saddened to learn of the passing of India's former President, Pranab Mukherjee. I send my condolences to his family and the people of India as they grieve the loss of a great leader," Trump said in a tweet.

Trump's tweet came hours after the US administration expressed grief and sorrow over Mukherjee's demise.

"In a distinguished career spanning more than half a century, President Mukherjee worked tirelessly on behalf of the people of India as a parliamentarian, cabinet minister, and as President of the world's largest democracy. His visionary leadership helped drive India's rise as a global power and paved the way for a stronger US-India partnership," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

Mukherjee, who had tested positive for coronavirus and had been in coma after a brain surgery earlier this month, passed away on Monday evening at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi. He was 84. He was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi road electric crematorium in the national capital on Tuesday afternoon.

Pranab Mukherjee's death huge loss for Sino-India friendship: China

The long-time Congress leader and seven-time parliamentarian had tested positive for Covid-19 at the time of his admission and was being treated for a lung infection. He suffered a septic shock on Sunday due to it. Doctors said he died of a cardiac arrest.

The US government said that Mukherjee's many accomplishments resulted in a more prosperous and secure India. "As Minister of External Affairs and Defense, he championed the landmark US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement, a foundation of the US-India strategic partnership, and signed the Defense Framework Agreement to enable the US-India security relationship we witness today. Few Indian statesman played a more vital role in preparing India for the mantle of global leadership in the 21st century," it added.

The statement said that on behalf of the American people, they extend their deepest condolences to the people of India and to President Mukherjee's family during this time of mourning.

Mukherjee is survived by two sons and a daughter. His son Abhijit Mukherjee was the first to break the news of the death of the veteran politician.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 23:35 [IST]
Wage subsidies and increases to welfare during the coronavirus pandemic have largely held any increase in inequality at bay, research reveals, but the gap is expected to blow out once JobKeeper and boosted JobSeeker payments are wound back.

Without the income support measures, the number of Australians living in poverty would have almost doubled during the recession to nearly 5.8 million people, the Australian Council of Social Service and University of NSW poverty and inequality partnership report states.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia will be successful in its economic battle when businesses no longer need coronavirus payments to survive. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

But Australian National University research cited in the report says the government's massive outlays led to a 13 per cent drop in the number of people living in poverty to 2.6 million in June.

Lead researcher Bruce Bradbury said unemployed people and single parents who were poor before the crisis had received substantial increases in their payments.
Yesterday, it was reported that a number of UK airports are bidding for two Aer Lingus Airbus A321 long-range aircraft, which are currently based in Shannon for their New York, Boston and London Heathrow routes.

The Limerick Chamber is urging Mr Ryan to meet with them to discuss the impact the loss of these transatlantic routes would have on the Shannon region.

Yesterday, CEO of Ennis Chamber, Margaret O'Brien said over 40 per cent of foreign-direct investment from the US is based in the Shannon catchment area due to its connectivity.

Limerick Chamber CEO, Dee Ryan said: Aviation here has, because of public health advice, ground to a standstill almost but we must look beyond that to the recovery and ensure that these services are in place and airports are primed for that.

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Making sure that Shannon, Cork, Knock, etc. retain services they currently have is only one aspect and must be accompanied by a review of national aviation policy. We must create an environment where these airports can generate the growth thats so badly needed to re-balance the national economy," Ms Ryan added.

This comes as Ryanair has warned that it will move capacity out of Ireland during the winter season due to the Government's green list.

Passengers arriving into Ireland from countries on the green list, the make up of which is decided by Government, do not have to quarantine for two weeks as is the case for countries not on the list.

Ryanair says that Ireland is a "laughing stock" as the current green list is discouraging travel to countries which have a lower Covid-19 incidence rate than here.

The airline wants countries like the UK and Germany added to the list to facilitate business and tourism.
Assam: Dams and embankments worsen floods

by Joydeep Gupta, Karmistha Bhimwal

September 01,2020 | Source: India Climate Dialogue

In the second half of August, the waters have started receding after the latest round of floods in Assam. After killing over a hundred, displacing millions and damaging crops and property worth billions, they leave behind a deposit of sand rather than fertile silt on farmland. All residents know they will struggle to make ends meet before the inevitable next round of floods. For centuries, people living close to the many rivers of the Brahmaputra basin have learnt to live with minor floods. They built their houses on stilts to let the floodwaters flow below and they profited from the fertile silt left behind when the floodwaters receded. But in recent decades, floods have become a cycle of disasters due to a combination of climate change, ill-planned dam building and embankments that stop minor floods but fail with the bigger ones.



The most important effect of climate change that affects the flood cycle is fewer rainy days during the monsoon, but heavier rainfall in those days. Add to this faster snow melt due to higher temperature in the glacier region where most of the rivers originate, either in Tibet or in India. This combination means all the rivers are already carrying more water during the summer due to snow melt, and then come the huge water pulses caused by very heavy rainfall over a short period of time.



This year, the problem started even before the monsoon reached Assam. After devastating the southern districts of West Bengal  including Kolkata  and adjoining parts of Bangladesh on May 20, Cyclone Amphan petered out in the Brahmaputra valley that takes up most of Assam. That means all the moisture the cyclone retained fell as rain in the valley. The flooding started at once. Heavy early monsoon rains that added to woes were expected, but the flooding became disastrous  as it has been doing every year in recent memory  due to two kinds of ill-planned engineering, dams and embankments. Dams hold back or divert almost all the water in almost all the rivers of the basin now. Flood control is one of the stated reasons for building dams. But in recent years, dam managers have been forced to open the gates every monsoon to save the structures  and that leads to a more ruinous flood pulse than would have occurred otherwise.



Stopping silt



The other huge problem with dams is that they stop silt. Being the youngest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas are still crumbling, and rivers flowing down from this range carry the crumbling rocks in the form of very fertile silt that used to rejuvenate the farmlands of south, southeast and east Asia for centuries. This is why the floodplains of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna, Aerawaddy, Chaophraya, Mekong, Pearl and Yangtze rivers have provided the worlds most fertile farmlands.



Not any more. With the silt stopped behind dam walls, floodwaters only scour out the riverbanks without building fresh land with the silt. On top of this erosion, the rushing floodwaters scoop out sand from the riverbeds and spread them over farmland, making the soil infertile when the water recedes. See: Brahmaputra leaves a desert behind. This imbalance between erosion and silt deposition in recent decades has now been documented from 1988 to 2015, through satellite imagery analysed by the Assam governments Brahmaputra Board. It found 798 sq. km had been eroded, while 208 sq. km of fresh farmland had formed through deposition. The Chinese government has built and is building four hydropower projects on the Yarlung Zangbo, as the Brahmaputra is called in China. It claims that three of the four are run-of-the-river projects that dont hold back any water. But they do hold back silt.



On the Indian side, the big dams on the anvil right now are the Dibang valley and Lower Subansiri projects. Plus, at least 168 agreements have been signed between the state government of Arunachal Pradesh and dam building companies. This in a situation where floods have been significantly worsened by release of water from Ranganadi, Kopili and Doyand projects. Engineers from Indias Central Water Commission, who manage the Kurichu dam in Bhutan, have also opened the floodgates, resulting in submergence in western Assam.



Unkept promises



The current Assam government vowed to oppose big dams just after it was voted to power. But since then, it has done nothing to keep that promise. See: New Assam government vows to oppose big dams. In 1980, the government started planning big dams. Earlier, the animals knew how to escape the floods and the people knew how the river behaves, said Mirza Zulfiqur Rahman, visiting research associate at the New Delhi-based Institute of Chinese Studies. Now, the government has invested so much into interventions that the people have lost their traditional methods to cope with the river.



These infrastructures dont improve the situation because the people continue to suffer; this is just a political play. The core problem with the government is that it does not have a holistic understanding of the ecological landscape. Any solution you introduce to the river basin without studying the ecology of the area will be unsuccessful. Add to the dams the ad hoc building of embankments in an effort to control floods. For decades now, Assam has suffered because embankments keep getting damaged or washed away altogether whenever a large flood occurs. Allegations of poor planning, corruption and shoddy construction are as old as the embankments. Still, the authorities default option every year is to build more embankments while they repair and strengthen old ones, only to see them washed away again. And again.



Rahman points to another negative effect of embankments  they cannot stop the floodwaters from submerging the land, but they do stop the floodwaters from receding back into the rivers. So the land remains waterlogged much longer than it did earlier. Before the embankments were built, the floodwater had space to come and go, he said. But now it cannot go back. This waterlogging means more diseases and a loss of farmland. Overall, Rahman says, In the past 60 years due to the embankments, the floods have become worse. The Assam government feels it has a solution for everything and does not require consultation or advice. The government only talks to engineers and not to social scientists. The local communities have no environmental democracy. They cannot make any decision on the river.



There are successful ways to control floods. The commonest is to drop boulders at an angle next to the riverbank, so that the flow is diverted. When done properly, it works, reduced erosion along the town of Dibrugarh and Dhubri are proof. Another way is to drop permeable screens. They trap silt, which prevents erosion. In some of the smaller rivers of the basin, residents have traditionally used bamboo fences as permeable screens.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) said it will invest 650 million euros into the construction of Kanpur's first metro line, enabling about three million people in the city to benefit from green, fast and affordable public transport. The EIB, in a statement, said the new metro rail system will reduce commuting hours and unlock new employment and education opportunities in Kanpur, the industrial capital of Uttar Pradesh.

The EIB is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its member states. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals. This is the second metro rail project supported by the EIB in Uttar Pradesh, following the 450 million euros investment in the development of a metro rail system in the city of Lucknow.

The second biggest EIB operation outside the EU to date will finance the construction of a 32.4 km urban rail line, with 18 elevated and 12 underground stations, the statement said. Once completed, Kanpur metro rail will create 1,100 new jobs and enable around 116 million more affordable commutes each year, it said.

Also read: 90-km long Tripura-Bangladesh inland waterways route to be functional on Sept 5

This is the fifth EIB investment in green infrastructure and connectivity in India. The EU bank has invested in metro rail systems in Bhopal, Pune, Bangalore and Lucknow. With the Kanpur investment, the total amount of the EIB's approved support for metro rail systems in India has reached 2.65 billion euros, more than half of the entire EIB investment portfolio in India, the statement said.

In addition to creating an affordable and accessible public transport network and a reliable alternative to heavily congested streets, the new metro will reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality across the city, it said. Andrew McDowell, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, said: "Kanpur is the fifth metro rail project to receive EIB funds in India and the biggest investment made by the Bank outside the EU."

Also read: India to set up solar manufacturing zones; impose 15-20% duty to discourage imports from China

"The metro will have a positive impact on quality of life and doing business in the city through access to affordable transport, creating new employment and education opportunities. It will be a safe, green and affordable transport alternative for Kanpur and its visitors," McDowell said.

"We are also glad to see this project is contributing to global climate action while strengthening EU-India relations," he said. EU Ambassador to India Ugo Astuto said at the last EU-India summit on July 15, the EU and India discussed how to put climate action and the green transition at the heart of our economic recovery post COVID.

Also read: Goods worth hundreds of crores stuck in factories; MSMEs complain Centre, states not on same page

Sustainable mobility is a key component of this strategy, towards modern, clean and healthy economies, he said. "The Kanpur project is an important investment in making public transport efficient, safe and sustainable. I am happy to see the European Investment Bank fully engaged in this transformational process," he said.

Kumar Keshav, Managing Director of Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation, said, "UPMRC is extremely thankful to European Investment Bank for their continued support for the development of metro rail projects in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Comfortable, fast, safe, energy efficient and affordable public transport systems like metros are needed for cities to become the engines of growth in our country."
In a file photo, kindergarten teacher Adriana Rosas is shown with her students, who are having fun and learning at Aloha Health Medical Academy in Lakewood. Her school district, ABC Unified, is dealing with enrollment loss that may be related to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Kindergarten enrollment is down sharply in Los Angeles public schools and elsewhere, signaling that many parents of the states youngest students face heavy burdens with online learning and may be opting out of traditional public schools or moving out of L.A. amid the coronavirus crisis.

The drop of 6,000 kindergarten students in the nations second-largest school district represents a 14% decline since last year. When combined with anecdotal reports of inconsistent kindergarten attendance in live online classes, some virtual classrooms appear to be at about 50% to 75% capacity.

Since campuses shut in mid-March, experts have expressed particular concern over 4-, 5- and 6-year-old students, who are missing out on critical socialization skills with other children, may be struggling to form important bonds with teachers and lack the developmental stamina to stay engaged for extended periods of computer learning.

Educators worry that the most disadvantaged children will be left further behind.

"If these families are disproportionately losing access to kindergarten, then it is likely that there will be downstream impacts on their learning when they have to catch up to children who both began school with greater advantages and had that opportunity for formal learning in kindergarten," said Anna Markowitz, an assistant professor of education at UCLA.

It's too early for a precise picture of why kindergarten enrollment has dropped so dramatically. But L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner said there's a correlation in L.A. Unified between enrollment decline and communities already hard hit by coronavirus illness and economic hardship. The L.A. Unified student population is 80% Latino, with nearly the same percentage of children in need of free or reduced-price meals.

"The biggest drops in kindergarten enrollment are generally in neighborhoods with the lowest household incomes," Beutner said during a pre-recorded Monday online briefing. "We suspect some of this is because families may lack the ability to provide full-time support at home for online learning, which is necessary for very young learners."

Story continues

Parents' struggles can become intense.

Isabel Lopez  mother to a toddler, a first-grader, a fifth-grader and an eighth-grader  spends the entire school day guiding children through classes from her home in downtown L.A.

First-grader Rosie sometimes breaks down in tears. She gets frustrated when she cant tell if her teacher sees when she raises her hand to answer a question.

Alyssa McGregor, the mother of seven children, six in school, said its been especially challenging keeping her twin girls, in transitional kindergarten, focused. Transitional kindergarten serves 4-year-olds who turn 5 during the fall semester.

McGregor, who lives in South LA, said the girls need help using their tablets and she often finds them wandering around, hoping to see what their siblings are doing.

I have to constantly tell them: Stay out of your sisters class, said McGregor, who also has to manage a 5-month-old. If they were in the classroom setting, I think it would be a lot different."

Under state law, parents do not have to enroll their children in kindergarten. Starting in first grade, however, schooling is mandatory, although parents are allowed to homeschool their children.

Katie Pace, a parent leader at Gardner Elementary in Hollywood, said early tallies put attendance down 10% to 15%, despite a well-regarded principal and a stable, veteran staff.

"Everyone just left the city mostly" for economic reasons, Pace said of the departures she knew about.

Other parents seem to be opting out.

One said he moved his daughter  who is starting first grade  from an L.A. Unified school on the Westside to a private school in the expectation that it would reopen sooner. The parent asked that his name not be used out of respect for his daughters privacy.

A principal in southwest L.A. said her enrollment drop is related to serving a low-income minority community slammed by COVID-19.

"It doesnt surprise me that parents are unwilling to take the risk of putting a 5-year-old on a campus and also are not comfortable with a 5-year-old sitting in front of a computer for a half or a full day," said the principal, who requested anonymity because she was not authorized to speak.

"Honestly, I probably wouldnt enroll my children in kindergarten right now," she said. "Or, if I had to work, I would look at private options." She added that L.A. Unified is treating kindergartners too much like 12th-graders in terms of time spent online.

In addition to the drop in kindergarten, some principals are reporting declines in enrollment  and in meaningful student participation  in transitional kindergarten and first grade.

"The average class size is approximately 12 to 15 students per grade level," said Juan Flecha, president of the union that represents principals, who based his estimate on feedback from his members. "I think parents are finding it extraordinarily difficult to manage their personal and professional lives while somehow keeping the tykes engaged on a device."

Some parents have formed learning co-ops with other families, sometimes pooling money to hire a private teacher.

The issue of vanished students is far from unique to L.A. Unified.

Las Virgenes Unified Supt. Dan Stepenosky said his school district is down 490 students  including about 100 kindergartners  to an enrollment of 10,329. The drop was 230 greater than projections for the school system, which straddles the border of L.A. and Ventura counties and serves an enrollment that is more prosperous on average than that of L.A. Unified.

"We're hearing that lots of preschools added kinder so the families are staying there," Stepenosky said. "We're also hearing about a lot of 'camps' that are mostly like classroom instruction. I also think we have had families move. Some moved because of the Woolsey fire  we still have 400 homes that have not been replaced. People are tired of California."

He said he's hopeful that families put off by excessive "Zoom time" will return once campuses reopen, an optimism shared by Burbank Supt. Matt Hill, where kindergarten enrollment also is down.

In Pomona, where about 9 in 10 students are part of low-income households, some families are moving east to reduce their living costs, even while holding on to poverty-wage jobs in Los Angeles that are now more difficult to get to.

"But now, instead of driving from Pomona, theyre driving from Ontario or Fontana or further down the road, said district spokesman Oliver Unaka.

Audrey Smith, a teacher at Gonsalves Elementary in ABC Unified, said her southeast L.A. County school is down to two kindergarten classrooms from three. And her transitional kindergarten class, normally full, is down four students. High housing costs in Cerritos are largely the reason for the school's ongoing enrollment decline, but online learning has exacerbated the trend.

Some parents question the worth of online education versus "what youd find in a classroom where children are socializing, playing with blocks, learning how to take turns and sharing and making friends, Smith said.

In L.A. Unified, overall enrollment has been trending downward for years and the drop across all grades is not far from projections. This year's pre-COVID predicted enrollment was 463,539. The current number is 461,105  and that figure could rise before the district's official "census" day, about five weeks into the year.

But the 6,000-student drop in kindergarten was three times as large as projected.

L.A. Unified publicly released some enrollment figures Monday after The Times repeatedly requested them  and the district repeatedly refused to supply them, suggesting that the newspaper wait until the district officially compiled data later in the year.

For the moment it's difficult to track meaningful student attendance and engagement from the outside because L.A. Unified has taken full advantage of the state's liberal attendance guidelines. Students are to be counted as present for a day of school no matter how minimal the contact between a teacher and student  as long as that interaction occurs on the day that attendance is taken.

McGregor, the mother of the 4-year-old twins, doesn't fault the school for the challenges she faces keeping small children online and on task. Unlike many parents, she hasn't opted out, moved out or given up, but there are limits.

I dont plan to take them out unless they say this is going to be a lifestyle forever, she said. Then, yeah, I would take them out.

Times staff writer Julia Barajas contributed to this report.
A man who claims to be a member of the British royal family is accused of setting a Brisbane crime figure alight and trapping him in a room while he screamed in agony.

David Charles 'Yankee' Edgerley, 34, is facing a committal hearing in Brisbane Magistrate Court on Tuesday charged with murdering underworld figure Victor Graveson in September 2017.

Mr Graveson, 65, was a convicted drug trafficker before he was set alight as he slept at his Alexandra Hills home.

David Charles 'Yankee' Edgerley, 34, is facing a committal hearing in Brisbane Magistrate Court on Tuesday charged with murdering underworld figure Victor Graveson (pictured) in September 2017

Witness Bronwyn Hocking told the court she spotted the smoke and ran toward Mr Graveson's home.

'I saw Yankee standing out the front at the front sliding door,' Ms Hocking told the hearing.

'I came through the gates, paused, and I saw what I saw.'

Ms Hocking said Edgerley was on the verandah, standing at Mr Graveson's door and holding it closed with two hands.

'Victor was on the other side screaming - he was pulling at the door and the curtains and trying to get out.

'I hit Yankee with something, he turned and looked at me, and then ran off.

'I did not give him a second thought. It all happened very quickly.'

Mr Graveson suffered burns to 80 per cent of his body and was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but died later that day

Mr Graveson suffered burns to 80 per cent of his body and was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but died later that day.

He had a lengthy criminal history, having been jailed for 10 years in 1996 for his role in the sale of a cannabis crop worth almost $2million.

Ms Hocking and her partner Joshua Campbell were regulars at Mr Graveson's home and told the court drug use was common there.

'It was well known that Victor sold drugs,' Mr Campbell said.

'Most people that were at Victor's place used drugs or knew of people who used drugs.'

Mr Graveson, 65, was a convicted drug trafficker before he was set alight as he slept at his Alexandra Hills home (pictured)

Several witnesses said Edgerley's behaviour had been erratic in the weeks and months leading up to Mr Graveson's death, including saying the Queen was his grandmother.

Witness Todd Sell told the court by telephone link that Edgerley told him he was the last surviving member of the British royal family.

'He said he was the last royal and I cracked up, I pissed myself laughing. He really believed that,' Mr Sell said.

'He goes 'I am related to the royal family - I am the last royal' and I was like 'righto then'.'

The hearing before magistrate Noel Nunan continues.
Mumbai, Sep 1 : Brookfield Infrastructure along with its partners have completed the acquisition of Reliance Jio's telecom tower assets with an investment of Rs 25,215 crore as the transaction has received all the regulatory approvals.

The development comes after the Department of Telecommunications in August approved the deal.

"The aforesaid transaction has been completed after obtaining all regulatory approvals, fulfilling other completion requirements, and further to subscription of units of the Tower Infrastructure Trust ("Trust") by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), alongside its institutional partners, for an investment of Rs 25,215 crore," RIL said on a regulatory filing on Tuesday on the deal.

A SEBI filing last week said: "The DoT through its letter dated August 11, 2020 has approved Rs 1,053.50 million downstream foreign investment for acquisition of the remaining 49 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital of Tower Co. from RIL by the Trust." Further, the department has also approved the increase in foreign investment in TowerCo. to 100 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital.

In December last year, Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Limited (RIIHL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) entered into an agreement under which it will receive Rs 25,215 crore investment by Canadian entity Brookfield Infrastructure and its institutional partners in its tower infrastructure trust.

As per the deal at the closing of the transaction, the trust will own 100 per cent of the issued and paid up equity share capital of Reliance Jio lnfratel Private Limited (RJIPL).

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Taliban militants attacked a military base in Afghanistan's eastern Paktia Province, killing at least three Afghan soldiers. An official said that at least five other members of the security forces were wounded in the September 1 assault.
Fake pastors scam churchgoers out of $28M in Ponzi scheme

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U.S. authorities have charged three Maryland men, who presented themselves as pastors to defraud more than 1,000 church members and other investors in a $28 million Ponzi scheme.

The three  identified as Dennis Mbongeni Jali, 35; John Erasmus Frimpong, 40; and Arley Ray Johnson, 61  allegedly recruited investors at churches, presenting themselves as pastors concerned about the investors financial freedom, U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur said in a statement.

The indictment alleges that instead, the defendants used new investments to further their Ponzi scheme and to fund their lavish lifestyles, including luxury vehicles and private jets."

FBI Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Boone said in the same statement issued by the Justice Department that the accused allegedly preyed on their victims with false hope of financial security at a time when a sense of financial insecurity is prevalent.

They used the victims hard-earned money for luxury cars, private jets and family vacations while the victims ended up with false promises and empty hopes, Boone said.

The three men were indicted on July 27 but it was unsealed Friday. The charges include wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering.

The accused raised millions of dollars from approximately 1,200 investors, many of them African immigrants working in the medical field, according to NBC Washington. The indictment identifies nine of the victims, including nurses, an accountant, an engineer and a car dealership manager and residents of Maryland, Indiana and Texas.

A civil action filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against the three says Jali, who posed as a pastor, spoke in many churches, presenting himself as a self-made millionaire who was an expert trader, NBC reported.

Jali preached at local churches, including the church Frimpong attended, and solicited investments from parishioners during church services, at times giving certain parishioners cash as a sign of his purported wealth and success as a trader, the lawsuit says.

Johnson, a self-claimed Christian minister, knew about Jalis previous alleged fraudulent scam in South Africa but accepted Jalis denial of the allegations and solicited investors, the lawsuit points out.

The third accused, Frimpong, also preached at a church in the Bowie area, posing as a trader in the foreign exchange and cryptocurrency markets.

Jali was the sole owner of The Smart Partners LLC, organized in Delaware on January 12, 2017, and was doing business as 1st Million Dollars, or 1st Million, which was registered as a limited liability company with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation on January 17, 2019, the indictment says.

The three men allegedly recruited victims to invest in 1st Million by holding promotional events at upscale hotels and event spaces, attending church-sponsored events intended to target investments from churchgoers, and representing themselves as religious men more interested in the philanthropic financial freedom of others than personal financial gain.

The defendants allegedly presented themselves as pastors, and told prospective investors that 1st Millions work was in furtherance of Gods mission as it helped churches and their members achieve personal wealth and financial freedom, the indictment says.

The accused face a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for a wire fraud conspiracy and for each count of wire fraud; a maximum of five years in federal prison for a securities fraud conspiracy and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for each count of securities fraud.

Jali additionally faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each of three counts of money laundering.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : As floods wreak havoc in South Asian countries, Google on Tuesday said it is expanding its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered flood forecasting to all of India and Bangladesh that will provide greater details on timing and water depths in alerts in nine new local languages.

Google launched a new forecasting model that will allow it to double the lead time of many of its alerts - providing more notice to governments in India and Bangladesh and giving tens of millions of people an extra day or so to prepare.

For several years, the Google Flood Forecasting Initiative has been working with governments to develop systems that predict when and where flooding will occur-and keep people safe and informed.

The company said it has been expanding its forecasting models and services in partnership with the Indian Central Water Commission.

"In June, just in time for the monsoon season, we reached an important milestone: our systems now extend to the whole of India, with Google technology being used to improve the targeting of every alert the government sends," the company said in a blog post.

It means more than 200 million people across more than 250,000 square kilometers can be benefitted.

"To date, we've sent out around 30 million notifications to people in flood-affected areas," in India, Google said.

As many as 17 people died while over 14 lakh people in 20 districts were affected due to floods in Odisha, the state government said on Sunday.

In addition to expanding in India, said Google, it has partnered with the Bangladesh Water Development Board to bring our warnings and services to that country.

"We currently cover more than 40 million people in Bangladesh, and we're working to extend this to the whole country," the company said.

In addition to improving its alerts, Google.org has started a collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

"This partnership aims to build local networks that can get disaster alert information to people who wouldn't otherwise receive smartphone alerts directly," Google said.
Smart investors are always looking for a reliable sign that will indicate a stocks likely movement. The key is making the right moves at the right time.

Following the insiders is popular strategy, and for good reason. Insider traders are simply corporate officers, whose position inside their company gives them access to information that may not be available to the general public  yet. Its only natural for them to trade on that information, and only fair that regulatory bodies require them to make those trades public.

So, investors looking for stocks that may be flying under the radar, but with potential to climb fast, watching for insider purchases identify some sweet market plays. To make that search easier, the TipRanks Insiders Hot Stocks tool gets the footwork started  identifying stocks that have seen informative moves by insiders, highlighting several common strategies used by the insiders, and collecting the data all in one place.

Fresh from that database, here are the details on three stocks showing informative buys in recent days.

Vonage Holdings Corporation (VG)

Well start in the technology sector, with Vonage Holdings. This company combines high tech and telecom, offering VOIP, cloud communications, contact center applications, and communications APIs. Vonage boasts a market cap of nearly $2.8 billion, and finished 2019 with over 1.1 subscribers and $1.2 billion in top-line revenue. Vonage works with both individual and business customers.

The dramatic shift toward virtual offices and remote work put a premium on networking and internet-based communications, so it is no surprise that, despite a dip in EPS, Vonage reported solidly profitable quarters in 1H20. Q1 showed earnings of 5 cents per share, well above the 2-cent forecast, while Q2s 4-cent EPS matched the estimates.

The stocks share price has also gained, reflecting the strength of the product in the current climate. Looking at VG's performance year-to-date, the stock is up an impressive 55%.

Story continues

Given the strong foundation and the upward trend, its no wonder that insiders are buying VG shares. In two significant buys this month, CEO and President Rory Read added 34,805 shares to his holdings; he spent over $402,000 on the stock. Reads holdings in Vonage now exceed $17 million.

Wall Street finds generally agrees that VG stock is worth buying. Writing for Oppenheimer, 5-star analyst Timothy Horan says, VG delivered a solid quarter with revenue and adj. EBITDA beating our estimates. The company has built high-quality UCaaS and CPaaS services on its cloud platform but needs to refine and invest in its go-to-market strategy to drive future growth Looking ahead, Horan adds, Vonage is transforming to an enterprise-focused communications provider with a unique bundle of services. The company is integrating unified communications with enterprise productivity tools including CPaaS and Contact Center.

Backing his optimistic stance, Horan rates the stock an Outperform (i.e. Buy), and his $14 price target suggests a 22% upside potential from current levels. (To watch Horans track record, click here)

Overall, the Moderate Buy consensus rating on VG is based on 6 Buys and 3 Holds. The stock is selling for $11.45; the average price target of $13.88 is only slightly lower than Horans, and implies room for 21% upside growth in the coming year. (See VG stock analysis on TipRanks)

Kennedy-Wilson Holdings (KW)

Kennedy-Wilson, the next stock on our list, is an REIT with a diverse portfolio. The companys investments include office and multi-family residential properties in the American West and Hawaii, the UK and Ireland, and in Italy and Spain. Kennedy -Wilson boasts $19 billion in assets under management.

The coronavirus crisis 1H20 has been hard on Kennedy-Wilson, and the company has seen earnings and share price both fall. Earnings dropped in Q1, and Q2s results showed only 6 cents EPS against a 28-cent forecast.

Even with heavy pressure on earnings, KW has maintained its dividend payments. The next one is scheduled for October 8, at 22 cents per common share. At that rate, the annual yield is 6.1%, more than triple the average dividend yield found among S&P-listed companies. KWs commitment to the dividend is clear from its 9-year history of consistent payments and regular increases.

While KW shares are down 34% year-to-date, managements confidence is made clear by informative buys from two company officers. Stanley Zax, of the Board of Directors, bought 15,000 shares for almost $216,000; a few days earlier, CEO William McMorrow spent $1.06 million on 75,000 shares. Their purchases swung the insider sentiment on KW strongly positive.

Covering the stock for JPMorgan, 5-star analyst Anthony Paolone details some of strengths behind KW shares: KW reported 2Q results that showed some impacts from COVID-19, but overall the business remains on track, and the stock is cheap The companys collections are running solidly at 92% overall: 98% for apartments, 96% for office, 54% for retail, and 76% for industrial. The companys development pipeline saw a marginal amount of yield diminution, but we still think this pipeline should add about $2/share in value and is a compelling part of the story.

Paolones $20 price target implies a 40% upside to the stock, and supports his Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating on the shares. (To watch Paolones track record, click here)

Overall, Kennedy-Wilson gets a Moderate Buy from the analyst consensus rating based on 2 recent Buy reviews. Meanwhile, the average price target of the stock, $20.50, suggests a 43% potential upside from the current $14.29 share price. (See KW stock analysis on TipRanks)

CNB Financial Corporation (CCNE)

The last stock on our list is a small-cap bank holding company with subsidiaries operating in the American Midwest: Western Pennsylvania and New York State, and central Ohio. CNB Financial operates several subsidiaries offering a full range of banking services to retail and business customers.

CNB Financials revenues in Q1 and Q2 were in line with the prior quarters; Q1s dipped slightly from $35 million to $34 million, while Q2s top line rose to $37 million. CNB Financial was confident enough during the crisis to maintain its regular dividend of 17 cents per share. The payment ,annualized to 68 cents, gives a yield of nearly 4.2%.

Even better, for investors, no fewer than 12 company officers have been buying shares in recent days. The two largest purchases came from Board members Peter Smith and Francis Straub. Smith bought 12,000 shares for $300K, while Straub picked up 8,000 shares for $200K. Other board members, as well as the CEO and five EVPs, made lesser purchases.

Jake Civiello, 4-star analyst with Janney, sees a clear path forward for CCNE, so long as the pandemic recedes. He writes, Assuming the current pandemic-related economic slowdown has a near-term end-date, higher than peer organic loan growth should materialize through expanded penetration in markets not only with better customer demographics than the historical franchise, but also dominated by large bank competitors and a dearth of community banks

In line with his comments, Civiello rates the stock a Buy, and his $22 price target implies a 38% one-year upside potential. (To watch Civiellos track record, click here)

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.
The Carter Center's dynamic conflict maps of Syria provide mediators and humanitarian responders with up-to-date information on developments throughout the country. Read the most recent report .

Even as conflict in many areas of Syria subsides, dangers still remain  including abandoned or unexploded weapons that could kill or maim unsuspecting civilians as they try to rebuild their lives.

The Carter Centers Syria conflict mapping team is helping to identify communities that are likely to be home to large numbers of explosive remnants of war, as they are called, and sharing that information with humanitarian organizations planning to clear these weapons.

Since 2012, the team has been gathering data about conflict events in Syria using open-source information, such as tweets, YouTube videos, Facebook posts, and traditional news stories. When compiled and analyzed, it helped paint a more accurate picture of what was happening on the ground. The Center shared this information with the U.N., official and unofficial mediators, and humanitarian groups to help them with their work.

Now the team is crunching the numbers again to help demining organizations.

We learned that these organizations often lacked information about the size or nature of a conflict event, which is important when youre trying to figure out how many explosive remnants might still be around, explained Kate Keator, manager of the mapping project. Our data often tells us exactly how many of each specific type of weapon was used during a particular conflict event, allowing us to more accurately predict the likely scope of the problem.

For example, Center researchers know that in Southern Syria, at least 31,542 individual munitions were used in the Daraa Governate, compared with 4,075 in Quneitra Governorate. They know what percentage of those were rockets, what percentage barrel bombs, what percentage landmines.

Most experts say the failure rate of these sorts of weapons is somewhere between 10 and 30 percent, Keator said, so theres likely to be between 3,150 and 9,460 unexploded weapons in Daraa Governate compared with 400 to 1,220 in Quneitra Governate.

Demining organizations can use this information to help figure out where their efforts are most needed.

The numbers are also helpful to organizations working on refugee return  after all, how can you return home if your community may still be full of explosive devices?

The team published its third report  a look at weapons used in northwest Syria  this week and hopes to finish mapping all of Syria by the end of the year. It is sharing data directly with humanitarian organizations even before the reports are published.

So far, Keator said, weve documented a minimum of 244,103 uses of explosive weapons in 1,987 different communities, and weve still got more of the country to review. Clearing these weapons is likely to take decades and tens of millions of dollars.

The good news is that in other conflicts, demining and peacebuilding have been intertwined. In Somaliland, Afghanistan, and Colombia, for example, ex-combatants were given jobs in demining, providing them with a nonviolent way to make a living. In Western Sahara, discussions on clearance helped keep peace talks alive. The same sort of thing could happen in Syria, but it will require all parties to work together to find a holistic solution to the problem.

In January, the Center organized a meeting that brought together demining organization staff, U.N. officials, and international donors to talk about the issue.

It was a beautiful example of using data to bring together people from disparate groups for a common purpose, Keator said. We hope to do it again.

Related Resources

Read Syria Conflict Mapping and Analysis Reports

Carter Center Support for Peace in Syria Project

Carter Center Conflict Resolution Program
In a surprising turn of events, Pakistans foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a very blunt and public statement, criticised Saudi Arabia over its aloofness and inability to conduct a meeting on Kashmir in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Qureshi pushed Riyadh, and the kingdoms de-facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), to either lead the Muslim ummah from the front by standing up for Kashmir after Indias constitutional changes of August 2019, or let those Islamic countries act which are ready to confront New Delhi. A damage control trip to Riyadh by Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chiefs yielded little results.

The gulf between Pakistan and its long-term ally, Saudi Arabia, has been growing for some time. The major blow, arguably, for Islamabad, came when, in March 2019, India was invited as a guest of honour by OIC, and the late former external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj, gave a strong speech to the grouping, as she led the delegation to Abu Dhabi. Pakistan attempted to stall Indias participation, but to no effect, and ultimately boycotted the speech by withdrawing its representation from the round table. The fact that Islamabad later on tried to create a parallel OIC, with Turkey, Malaysia and Iran, turned its differences with Saudi into a deeper political divide, leading to Riyadh withholding funds, pushing Pakistan to pay debts, and holding back the renewal of an oil supply pact.

This moment was not sudden, but the culmination of the ever-growing ties between New Delhi and the Arab capitals in the backdrop of significant changes taking place in the region. These changes are led by a much more inclusive and outward-looking United Arab Emirates (UAE), and a change-driven Saudi Arabia under MbS. The churn is also driven by the need to break from the economic reliance on petro-dollars and an oil-related economic ecosystem, which has suffered recently with consumption and prices having crashed due to the pandemic.

However, the geopolitical shifts and requirements of the Gulf do not necessarily feature Pakistan beyond a certain point, with its GDP still smaller than that of the Indian state of Maharashtra, where both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have plans to invest heavily in hydrocarbons and related infrastructure. While Riyadh had already designed major changes to its vision of how it intends to power the kingdom financially in the future, taking cues from its neighbour, the UAE and its successes, these shifts will largely rely on eastern economies, with India and China leading the pack.

Even though Pakistan may publicly showcase China as its available alternative to everything, there must be concern in the country over this eventuality. It is important to remember here that China also has robust relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council region, including through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It makes little sense for Beijing to aggressively internationalise Kashmir on behalf of Pakistan, especially in the Gulf, when supporting Islamabads stance on the same regionally in South Asia including via United Nations is more than enough for its requirements. Chinas plan include involving Saudi in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) itself, with a $20 billion plan which now stands at an interesting inflection point. Furthermore, CPEC is only a small part of BRI, which forces Chinas hand to play its political deck of cards very carefully in the Middle East.

Pakistans absolutist approach towards China may work against India. But the Gulf region is going to be a different play, and Islamabads lack of any hedging room against iron brother Beijing is going to become a challenge. This is an outcome of myopic State building, where an entire military, economic and political system is designed around one political and geographic agenda.

As Pakistan and Saudi clash, New Delhi is in a comfortable position, having made strong political and economic inroads into the Gulf capitals, which realise realpolitiks strong reliance on economics in modern diplomacy designs, giving a second-tier seat to issues such as religion. The SaudiPakistan kerfuffle is not a zero-sum game, and relations between the two will reconcile, led by deep defence and political roots. However, this relationship will look different from what it has historically been.

This is the time for New Delhi to make some critical moves, such as rapidly clearing Saudi- and UAE-backed infrastructure projects, cementing itself as a premier investment destination for the Gulf to park its money. Pakistans attempt to make Kashmir a big issue in the Islamic world has failed, and the time is opportune for Indian diplomacy and economy to continue to capitalise on this in a restrained yet tactful manner.

Kabir Taneja is Fellow and head of the West Asia Initiative, Strategic Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.

The views expressed are personal
In the days of pre-independent India, young Poltu from the small village of Mirati in Birbhum District of West Bengal loved playing a game of politics. A group of his friends would dress up as Indians and other group as Britishers for this game, in which, the Indian side would always win. Son of Kamada K Mukherjee, a freedom fighter who spent more than 10 years in British jails, for Poltu, everything was political from an early age.

The evening discussions at Poltus house always revolved around politics, and he would swallow every word of Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mahatma Gandhi, even though he didnt understand them. What is communalism, baba, young Poltu would ask his revolutionary father. His primary school was a long walk from home and Poltu did not like walking those long miles. He would whine and complain to his mother and insist on not going to school, to which she would retort by saying, If you do not study, what will you do?" So, he studied and although he wasnt an extraordinary student, he worked very hard, and eventually, graduated with a MA in Political Science and History, as well as an LLB degree from the University of Calcutta.

Many decades later, he also held one of the highest political ranks in India and became the 13th President of the country. We have known Poltu as Shri Pranab Mukherjee  a seasoned politician, Mr dependable of Congress, a man of sharp wit and great scholarly acumen  whose death we collective mourn as a nation today.

Mukherjee fought a brave battle against COVID-19 in the past few weeks and succumbed to the virus on Monday evening. He was 84 at the time of his death. In life, Mukherjee had come out victorious from many fights in almost fifty year-long political career and has received many accolades, including the prestigious Padma Vibhushan, (Indias second-highest civilian award) and Bharat Ratna (Indias highest civilian award), as well as, over a dozen of academic honours from universities across the world.

Although he had been dubbed as the prime minister that India never had, Mukherjee did fulfill his childhood dream of working for the Congress. In his book The Coalition Years, he had said, As a child, I nurtured the ambition to be a member of the CWC one day after reading biographical sketches of CWC members in my Rapid Reader textbook in school in 1945," and he had become one of the most well-known members of the Congress party.

Forever a Congress Loyalist

Since his father was an active member of the Congress party from 1920, Mukherjee naturally followed his footsteps and joined the grand party. However, his loyalty went through a litmus test during the emergency, when many abandoned Indira Gandhi, but he stood firm in support of her on advice of his father, who had told him, It is when you stand by a person in his or her hour of crisis that you reveal your own humanity."

Needless to say, his loyalty was rewarded by Indira Gandhi. Post emergency, when Mrs Gandhi won the election and came back in power, Mukherjee faced a terrible defeat against the CPI(M) in Bolpur and was rebuked by her badly because he had gone against her wishes and fought the election. Due to his defeat, he had thought he wouldnt get any position in the new cabinet, but Gandhi had in the last moment added his name in her own handwriting on a typed list with names of ministers who were getting new portfolios during the swearing-in ceremony.

However, after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, things did not go well with her son Rajiv Gandhi. Mukherjee was not only dropped from the cabinet when Rajiv Gandhi became the prime minister, but was also removed from the Congress Working Committee. There had been many speculative reports, which said that Mukherjee was so unceremoniously dropped from the party because he revealed his political ambition to become the prime minister. But, neither Mukherjee nor Rajiv Gandhi ever confirmed those reports.

The two patched things up almost three years later, after Mukherjees the Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress in West Bengal merged with Indian National Congress and when the both reached a compromise. Years later, in 1998, Mukherjee, being the senior-most member of the CWC, presided over a meeting that would resolve in ousting Congress President Sitaram Kesri and incorporating Rajiv Gandhis wife Sonia, as the party president.

Financial matters

In his illustrious career, Mukherjee has held many roles and portfolios  from the ministry of defence to that of external affairs, as well as, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and union minister of Commerce  to name a few. However, the one job profile for which he is often remembered is his role as the finance minister in 1982-84. In fact, in 1984, Mukherjee was dubbed as one of the best finance ministers of the world by a survey conducted by Euro Money journal. His biggest accomplishment during this tenure was repaying the International Monetary Funds (IMF) loans. He also focussed on the health of rural and regional banking and was instrumental in setting up National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

His second stint as the Finance minister during 2009-2012, however, did not go well. After the high growth phase during the UPA-I, the Indian economy was already lagging, with an average GDP of 8 percent, when Mukherjee was in-charge. During this time, he introduced the retrospective tax policy for which Mukherjee was heavily criticised. The policy not only irked industrialists and growth lobbyists, but also the high command of his own party. His relationship with the RBI was also not good during this phase. However, a few of his proposals like tax exemption for women and elderlies, and not for the corporates, made him win popularity.

His last political stint came, of course, as the President of India, which was also marked as a personal loss, since his wife died during his tenure as the President. In his book The Coalition Years, Mukherjee wrote, I had spent almost 17 years at 13 Talkatora Road, the longest I had ever stayed in government accommodation in Delhi. I had changed ministerial bungalows in 1973, 1974, 1980, 1985, 1995, and 1996. In 2004, Sonia Gandhi insisted that I shift my residence to a house near 10 Janpath. However, my wife strongly resisted this idea. She had said, I am tired of changing residences according to the change in your political fortunes. Now, I will only shift when you become either the prime minister or the president. And so, she had to move house one more time when I became the President of India. It is my lasting regret that she didnt stay with me till my last day at the Rashtrapati Bhavan."

Always a teacher at heart

While politics ran in Mukherjees veins, he was forever a teacher at heart. Mukherjee started out his career as a teacher of political science. In an old interview, the politician had said that the classes he taught were quite big, with almost 100 kids together, so talking from a platform and engaging so many people was a challenge. It was this challenge that honed his oratory skill and came handy during his political career.

During an interaction with school children, the ex-President had also revealed, I left teaching when I joined the parliament because I felt that I couldnt do justice to my students. But I felt bad, I still miss it and even today when I give my speeches in the parliament, I act as if I am trying to teach a class, trying to convince my students, even though the members of parliament are seasoned politicians."
Gov't officials eye universal COVID-19 testing to help Hong Kong return normal

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 11:27, August 31, 2020

HONG KONG, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government called on residents to actively participate in the upcoming universal community testing of COVID-19 and expected the testing will help Hong Kong return normal at an early date.

The more people participate in the testing, the faster will Hong Kong contain the epidemic, Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung said Sunday in an online article.

Cheung said the testing program is aimed at screening asymptomatic patients and cutting the transmission chains of the virus as soon as possible.

The massive testing due to start on Tuesday will be launched for free and on a voluntary basis, and the government has reiterated the personal data of participants will be well protected. As far, more than 400,000 residents have registered for the testing.

Financial Secretary of the HKSAR government Paul Chan also appealed to businesses and commerce chambers to encourage their employees to take the coronavirus tests in his online blog on Sunday.

Only after the invisible transmission chains are stopped, the HKSAR government will be able to focus on reviving the economy and helping improve people's incomes, as well as resuming normal travels of Hong Kong residents to the mainland and Macao, Chan said.

In the face of the COVID-19 challenges, economic stimulus and relief measures of the HKSAR government has boosted the deficit by nearly 290 billion Hong Kong dollars (37.41 billion U.S. dollars) and the fiscal reserves have dropped to about 800 billion Hong Kong dollars.

Chan said the deficit increase is unsustainable and the HKSAR government has to save energy for economic and financial uncertainties ahead, as well as possible another round of epidemic outbreak in the future.

Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection reported 15 new cases on Sunday, bringing the total confirmed cases to 4,801. As far, COVID-19 has caused 88 deaths in Hong Kong, and 351 patients are still hospitalized.

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Jennifer Hawkins and her husband Jake Wall have reportedly purchased a renovation project in Whale Beach, just weeks after selling their $20million Sydney mansion.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the supermodel, 36, and her property developer husband Jake Wall, 37, purchased the 1950s home in Sydney's Northern Beaches for $6.95million.

The property, known as Rocca Bella, was previously owned by Dame Joan Sutherland and is the peninsula's largest oceanfront estate.

New project: Jennifer Hawkins and her husband Jake Wall 'purchased a $6.95m oceanfront renovation project' on Sydney's northern beaches

It was listed in 2018 for $8million, but failed to sell and returned to the market earlier this year.

The spacious home is set on 3,100sqm of land with expansive ocean and coastal views.

Daily Mail Australia have contacted Jennifer Hawkins for comment.

Ocean views: The property, known as Rocca Bella, was previously owned by Dame Joan Sutherland and is the peninsula's largest oceanfront estate

Land: The spacious property is set on 3,100sqm of land with expansive ocean and coastal views

In June, Jennifer and Jake finally sold their stunning mansion in Newport, Sydney, six months after listing it on the market.

Billionaire software tycoon Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie purchased the mansion for a record $24.5million.

The four-level waterfront home, located at Newport in Sydney's exclusive northern beaches, beat the previous record for a house sale in the area set in February by half a million dollars.

On the market: It was listed in 2018 for $8million but failed to sell and returned to the market earlier this year

It's a deal! The couple purchased the 1950s home in Sydney's Northern Beaches for $6.95million

Jennifer and Jake had listed the palatial home for sale back in November, just weeks after they welcomed their first child, daughter Frankie Violet.

The glamorous couple took eight months to secure the property before the June 28 sale with interest from local, interstate, and international buyers pushing the price up in the closing weeks, according to The Australian.

The former Miss Universe had hoped to move closer to her family in northern NSW, but her plans were put on hold after she and Jake initially struggled to find a buyer.

Going, going, gone! In June, Jennifer and Jake finally sold their stunning $20million mansion in Newport, Sydney, six months after listing it on the market

Sold: Billionaire software tycoon Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie purchased the mansion for a record $24.5million

The property's listing agent, Ken Jacobs told The Daily Telegraph in April the COVID-19 restrictions had made it difficult for the couple to sell.

It's in a holding pattern of sorts,' Mr Jacobs told the publication.

He added: 'It's an issue of getting access. We would normally do inspections by appointment only anyway, but there is now the question of verifying with buyers where they have travelled.'
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Corcoran Group, LLC today announced the launch of its newest affiliate, Corcoran Legends Realty  based in New York's Westchester County. The announcement was made via virtual appearance by Pamela Liebman, president and CEO of The Corcoran Group. This is the seventh Corcoran affiliate to launch in the U.S. since the start of the year, and the fourth affiliate to be launched in a virtual fashion since the start of remote work.

Corcoran Legends Realty (CLR), formerly known as William Raveis Legends Realty Group, specializes in locations all across Westchester County. The addition of CLR further establishes Corcoran's presence in its home state of New York  and with more than 75 agents across three offices, Corcoran Legends Realty is led by Marcene Hedayati, managing partner and principal broker, along with partners Elvira Aloia, Mary Case Friedner, Phyllis Lerner, and Karen Stroub.

"I'm thrilled that we've grown our Corcoran family in New York even more with Corcoran Legends Realty," said Corcoran President & CEO Pamela Liebman. "Westchester County is such a key area in the state and is another direct line to the city. Having top-notch agents joining us who have existing knowledge and expertise in the area, and who are able to provide our New York City and East End agents another opportunity to expand their business, is terrific."

The creation of Corcoran Legends Realty represents a natural expansion for the firm into what is a top second-home market for many. Started in 2007 by the five aforementioned partners, Corcoran Legends Realty prides itself on personalized client service tailored to its local communities.

"We are so excited and very fortunate to be given an opportunity to take this next step with Corcoran  such an admired and formidable brand in the real estate industry," said Corcoran Legends Realty managing partner and principal broker, Marcene Hedayati. "I look forward to extending the use of Corcoran's technology, tools and network to better the consumer experience and ultimately ensure that we are able to best live up to our clients' expectations."

About The Corcoran Group

The Corcoran Group is a leading residential real estate brand with more than 50 offices and more than 3,300 sales associates serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Hamptons, the North Fork of Long Island and Shelter Island, N.Y., Delray Beach, Miami Beach, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Bal Harbour, 30A, Surfside, Windermere and Dr. Phillips, FL; San Francisco, CA, Lake Tahoe and Reno, NV, and Chicago, IL. The Corcoran Brand is comprised of company owned offices, which are owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC, and franchised offices, which are independently owned and operated. For more information about The Corcoran Group, please visit www.corcoran.com.

SOURCE The Corcoran Group

Related Links

https://www.corcoran.com


Now, with the infection map still glowing red, we've started hearing another dire word: twindemic.

"Even a mild flu season could stagger hospitals already coping with COVID-19 cases," warned a story in The New York Times a couple of weeks ago. Public health officials, it went on, "are worried large numbers of people could forgo flu shots, increasing the risk of widespread outbreaks."

We know.

Family physicians, always serving on the flu-shot front lines (while ensuring that patients adhere to other immunization recommendations), work every year to combat misconceptions and protect as many patients as possible.

And you'll be crucial to providing whatever COVID-19 vaccine emerges from the trials now taking place, having also been on the front lines of the pandemic from the start.

That's why the Academy's Government Relations team recently took advantage of the chance to help draft legislation meant to move the vaccination needle in the right direction. The resulting bill -- the Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act (H.R. 8061) -- is good for family physicians and patients.

It's also a good example of how we build relationships to advance our advocacy.

Earlier this year, having met with U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., when the nurse and freshman lawmaker was first elected, we supported her Black Maternal Health Momnibus legislation. Not long after that, AAFP member Natalie Choi, M.D., of Geneva. Ill., participated in a COVID-19 Facebook live event with Underwood. So the Academy was a natural touch point for the congresswoman's staff as work progressed on writing policy to prepare for an eventual COVID-19 vaccine.

Reflecting our advocacy on immunizations, H.R. 8061 would

provide $560 million to state and local public health organizations to encourage partnerships with health care professionals, including primary care physicians;

support efforts to raise awareness about insurance coverage options for people who need vaccinations; and

require the CDC to issue evidence-based patient counseling guidance to physicians.

Because we were in the room, Underwood and co-sponsoring Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., understood that AAFP members will be at the fore of delivering the COVID-19 vaccine, and that regaining lost immunization ground is now a whole other campaign in the pandemic fight. Their legislation recognizes the importance of the patient-centered medical home and the physician-patient relationship. And it has already earned broad support among medical and health care professionals.

Historically, vaccine issues have stayed in the background, with policymakers looking annually at how to deal with the flu and occasionally throwing headline-grabbing money at, say, fighting influenza H1N2. But COVID-19 has recalibrated that conversation, and we're working to make sure primary care is at the center of it.

It's a big advocacy target, and the Academy was already aiming at it from several directions. We were in on setting the CDC's 2020 immunization schedules, and we've lobbied for policy to prevent vaccination recordkeeping from gouging or otherwise burdening physicians.

AAFP Medical Director for Quality and Science Amy Mullins, M.D., has been part of these efforts, and she joined Underwood and Schrier for a national press briefing to promote the legislation when it was introduced. She told me last week that the bill's goal of improving vaccine confidence is in step with the Academy's push to help members educate their patients.

"We have patients who feel hesitant about getting their needed vaccines," she said, "and we work to address that and build their confidence so they get what's prescribed and necessary -- especially this fall as we have overlapping threats.

"We need to encourage our patients to trust the science. That's a piece that's been under attack lately -- the Academy, with the Group of Six, spoke out in July to urge support for the CDC and evidence-based medicine. We must convey to our patients that vaccines are rooted in science."

More than 90% of family physicians give immunizations in their practices, she added, making them key to rebuilding, well, community immunity.

"There's a lot of vaccines that are required, especially in kids," Mullins said. "In a time when we know that vaccination rates are down by about 40%, catching up is not a simple process. You need a trusted partner. Your family physician knows what immunizations you need and what you've had. I don't know that you can get that from a retail clinic, which doesn't know where you are in your vaccination schedule."

Academy Board Chair John Cullen, M.D., of Valdez, Alaska, signed a similar message in the AAFP's Aug. 19 letter supporting H.R. 8061.

"The legislation recognizes that a patient-centered medical home is an ideal setting for outreach activities and for discussing each persons unique health status," the Academy wrote to Underwood. "This is especially vital when considering the needs of individuals with chronic conditions, those who are pregnant, or older adults who may be at high risk for both traditional infectious diseases, like influenza, as well as for contracting severe COVID-19."

This, then, is how we're doing our part to guard against a twindemic.

Underwood has said she wants to bundle H.R. 8061 into the next COVID-19 relief package. We expect to see other immunization initiatives in separate legislation this year. And, as never before, we expect to see our advocacy -- and yours -- in the policies that rebuild the country's public health.

Stephanie Quinn is senior vice president of advocacy, practice advancement and policy.
By Anna J. Park





Industrial Bank of Korea CEO Yoon Jong-won / Korea Times file
OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned vandalism by protesters who toppled a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Montreal Saturday, saying no small group of people should unilaterally decide how historical figures who made mistakes should or should not be recognized.

But in his first public comments on the destruction of the Macdonald memorial, Trudeau trod carefully Monday, avoided using words like mob as Conservative Leader Erin OToole and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney did over the weekend.

Trudeau said he understands there are many who are frustrated and impatient for change, but cautioned against oversimplification and said the country needs a mature conversation about how to address systemic racism, and how to acknowledge the actions of important historical figures of the past.

Macdonald was our first prime minister and I think its important to recognize the role he played in the creation of this country, compared to the world we live in now, said Trudeau. But at the same time, we must acknowledge where there were comments or perspectives, or certain actions that were unacceptable thats part of recognizing our history as a country.

Macdonalds government initiated and defended the residential school system in the 19th century  which was why Trudeaus government, in its first mandate, stripped the name of a senior Macdonald-era administrator from the building that houses the prime ministers office  as an act of reconciliation.

Trudeau said questions could be raised about the records of most former prime ministers including my own father, but said it is up to communities and elected officials to decide how to recognize the mistakes of historical figures.

Then he took aim at unnamed people on the political right and left who he said are trying to use those debates to promote divisions among Canadians.

Unfortunately, on both sides there are people who are using this as a political argument. The right wants to use that for its ends, the left as well. So I think the vast majority of Canadians absolutely want us to act and in concrete ways to address this, but not using vandalism.

Asked by reporters to be more specific, Trudeau said I think that were seeing particularly on the extreme right that theyre trying to create culture wars and divide Canadians on these issues, he said.

On Saturday, Kenney in a series of tweets expressed outrage over the Montreal mob actions, and said if the city of Montreal doesnt decide to restore it, we would be happy to receive it for installation on the grounds of Albertas Legislature.

This vandalism of our history and heroes must stop, said Kenney, who pointed a finger at the extreme left.

Many of those on the extreme left responsible for this kind of violence claim that Canada is an illegitimate state, all the while enjoying Canadas rights, freedoms, privileges & prosperity. None of those things were created by accident. They come from the vision & sacrifice of those who went before us, particularly Macdonald himself, Kenney tweeted.

He was an immigrant who suffered unimaginable personal trauma throughout his life, which he overcame to forge an enormous country out of divided factions. Its right to debate his legacy and life. But it is wrong to allow roving bands of thugs to vandalize our history with impunity.

OToole posted on Twitter just after noon on Sunday, also criticizing the mob that destroyed the statue of the former Conservative prime minister.

Canada wouldnt exist without Sir John A. Macdonald, he wrote. We will not build a better future with violence and mob rule. We will not build a better future by defacing our past. Its time politicians grow a backbone and start standing up for Canada.

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh reacted early Sunday evening, saying public spaces should inspire us and bring us together.

Sir John A. Macdonald was the first PM of Canada but he was also a key figure in the attempt to brutally wipe out Indigenous peoples. Taking down a statue of him doesnt erase him from history any more than honouring him out of context erases the horrors he caused. At the end of the day, we should all remember there is more that unites us than divides us. We still have a long way to go, but together, we can keep building a better and more inclusive Canada for everyone.

Speaking in Montreal Monday, where he announced new spending on future vaccine production and distribution, Trudeau said he was deeply disappointed by the acts of vandalism that took place over the weekend.

He said he understands the impatience and frustration of Canadians who faced systemic discrimination and racism throughout their lives and their concern that we act quickly on that.

I myself am impatient. We need to move forward in the right ways on countering systemic discrimination and our government will do just that.

But we are a country of laws and we are a country that needs to respect those laws even as we seek to improve and change them and those kinds of acts of vandalism are not advancing the path towards greater justice and equality in this country.

Trudeaus government promised earlier this summer to present a comprehensive plan to address anti-Black racism but has yet to unveil it. He made reconciliation with Indigenous communities a central plank of his governing platform in 2015, and has yet to implement many recommendations of the truth and reconciliation commission, or to unveil an action plan for how it will address recommendations from its own inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  Lawmakers are pushing the state-owned health insurer to require healthcare institutions that received allotments under its cash advance program to liquidate used and return unutilized amounts immediately.

Senate President Tito Sotto presented on Tuesday the recommendations of the Senate Committee of the Whole regarding corruption issues of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation officials, one of which is immediate liquidation of utilized Interim Reimbursement Mechanism funds by HCIs, and to return excess amounts.

He noted that PhilHealth should set a definite deadline and to strictly implement it.

Sotto addded that PhilHealth should immediately pay claims of private institutions, priotizing those that are considered COVID-19 referral hospitals and those that have a high number of admissions.

IRM is a prepayment that aims to assist hospitals affected by a fortuitous event, in this case the COVID-19 pandemic.

The lawmakers noted that there are inconsistencies in the system, with some private institutions seemingly are being favored by the state-owned health insurer, one of which is B. Braun Avitum Dialysis Center that was reportedly given 45 million from April 23 to May 5 despite not having isolation areas and only caters to out-patients.

There is also the case of PhilHealth in Western Visayas that claimed that IRM funds worth 521 million were not yet given to their local hospitals even after receiving followup letters.

Senators also questioned the release of funds to HCIs that are not accredited by PhilHealth and still have pending cases, as well as the fast release of funds to hospitals in the regions of Bicol and Eastern Visayas that have low number of COVID-19 cases.

Another issue is the lack of definite guidelines as to how IRM will be liquidated. PhilHealth officials have conflicting memorandum orders issues regarding this, with one deferring fund liquidation, while another allows optional liquidation.

Former PhilHealth SVP for legal sector Rodolfo del Rosario Jr. has admitted in a House of Representatives hearing on August 20 that early disbursement from the fund prior to its effectivity in June was illegal.

Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta noted that based on the agencys circular this will take effect from its publication in a newspaper in general circulation, which was on March 21, and three copies to have been submitted to the Office of the National Administrative Register of the UP Law Center, which was on June 11.

On August 13, PhilHealth suspended the release of the remaining funds pending the review of the system.

As of June 9, total IRM released amounted to 14 billion, of which only 2.7 billion have been liquidated.
Just a few years after the West was consumed with the #MeToo movement, a similar movement has finally emerged among Iranians, sending shockwaves across Persian language social media. Over the past week, many women and men have come forward to talk about their experiences of rape and sexual assault by dozens of high-profile figures in the country. Despite the fact the official media inside Iran remains indifferent to the story, this MeToo wave has stirred public uproar to the point that the police in Tehran arrested a well-known bookshop owner who was accused of rape by several women.

Within any social context, talking about these experiences is not easy. So no one can doubt the bravery and courage of those individuals who break the taboos and talk about their personal experiences of sexual harassment in a country where patriarchal values are reproduced and reinforced by the state.

Although breaking the silence is the first step to address the problem, Iran does not have the right legal infrastructure to deal with this multifaceted challenge constructively. Without clear legal definitions for rape and sexual assault in Irans criminal laws, victims who come forward actually put themselves at risk of being accused of criminal conduct.

What I have seen in recent days has brought back the bitter memory of a client I was representing as a lawyer over a decade ago in Tehran. The young woman claimed to have been raped by her father repeatedly between the ages of 14 to 18. She was traumatized by this experience, and it cast a shadow on most aspects of her life. Even after she got married, she never could establish a healthy emotional and sexual relationship with her husband. After seeking medical treatment unsuccessfully, she realized what she needed was closure and for her father to admit what he had done. But when her father refused, she came to me hoping the law could help her get what she wanted. But this was not an easy path.

Under Irans penal code, most sexual crimes extend from the crime of zena, which covers adultery and premarital fornication between a man and a woman. Under zena, both parties are engaged in a criminal act. Rape is not a standalone crime in the penal code. Instead, rape is classified as zena by force that is done without the consent of the victim. In other words, the line between zena, where both parties are criminally liable, and zena by force, where only the assailant is liable, is a thin one. And if the element of force cant be established, then a victim could be seen as a criminal.

I told my client about the 2004 case of Leila Mafi who was sentenced to death and accused of zena with one of her maharem (close blood relatives). Leila had consistently accused her brother of rape. The brother denied the charges of rape or even having intercourse with her. He was sentenced to 74 lashes on the lesser charge of practicing an immoral act. But Leila, who had in reality been a victim of rape, was sentenced to death because she stated that there was intercourse, effectively confessing zena.

Cases of rape are hard enough to prove and often come down to he-said-she-said testimonies. Womens testimonies are not even granted the same evidentiary value as mens under the law. In most cases, victims must present proof that is beyond their abilities. Zena and rape are the act of illicit intercourse and involve similar proof. But if the female victim cant prove the act was not consensual, she leaves herself open to becoming a criminal suspect accused of committing zena. Adding to risks victims face when coming forward, making a false claim of zena is a crime itself, which is punishable by lashings. This overlap between rape and consensual zena is one of the biggest shortcomings of the Iranian criminal justice system and is one of the reasons why victims often do not file a court case when a crime takes place. The law does even less to address marital rape or forms of rape and sexual assault short of intercourse.

Adding another obstacle to proving rape, Irans Criminal Procedure Code effectively prohibits prosecutors and law enforcement from investigating most cases of zena, sodomy and other crimes against morality, with a few exceptions. Morality crimes such as zena and zena by force are directly referred to court. The lack of a full investigation led by the prosecutors office often means evidence is thin and makes it easier for the accused to be acquitted.

Cases of rape are dealt with in provincial criminal courts. These courts consist of five male judges, and many victims refrain from sharing the details of the crime they suffered as they feel too shy or respectful of moral and ethical norms to speak candidly to a room of male authority figures. No attention is given to the security and privacy of the victims during the prosecution and court sessions, which makes it even harder for them to tell their stories.

If matters are not complex enough, if zena by force is proven, the punishment could include stoning to death, hanging or lashings. These extreme sentences discourage some victims from seeking justice because they do not want to pave the way for such cruel punishment, even for a rapist.

Given all these hurdles, often the victims are left no good choices. Whatever they do, there will be either legal or emotional consequences. Not surprisingly, I could not do much for my client who was raped by her father. Although we wanted to file a case, there were far too many challenges. Her father even threatened to press counter-charges, so in the end, she left the case even more traumatized.

My clients disappointment with the legal system was nothing unusual because many victims of rape in Iran face similar challenges. The new movement that has started on social media to confront sexual harassment in any shape and form is very good news. It is great that many victims  despite social and cultural challenges  are breaking their silence and talking about their experiences. But unfortunately, in the absence of a fair and rigorous legal system, one cannot expect meaningful change, at least in the short term. Although having a national conversation about rape and sexual assault is a very good start, the biggest challenge for progress is drastic legal reform.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee was perhaps the Prime Minister India never had. In fact even after becoming the President of India, he never gave up his dream of becoming the Prime Minister. Fate, however, willed otherwise. He worked ably under three prime ministers - Indira Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Dr Manmohan Singh. While they all depended on his expertise and talent, he remained only number two to them all through. In fact he was the casualty of his own intelligence, talent and experience because these prime ministers feared he might overshadow them.

Pranab Mukherjees political journey started in West Bengal in the 1969 by-election in Midnapore when he was the poll agent for VK Krishna Menon. Chief minister Siddhartha Shankar Ray recommended him to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who gave him a Rajya Sabha berth. Within a short period he had gained Mrs Gandhis confidence and became a minister of state in her government. He was loyal to her and in 1978, when the party split, he sided with her. He was rewarded with the finance portfolio when she returned to power. He was her trusted aide. It was not without reason that Indira frequently referred to Mukherjee as the man for all seasons".

When Indira Gandhi was assassinated, Pranab thought that he would automatically succeed her because it was the tradition. To his great disappointment, Rajiv Gandhi was chosen. And once Rajiv became the Prime Minister in 1984 after elections, Pranab was denied a cabinet berth. When I learned of my ouster from the Cabinet, I was shell-shocked and flabbergasted. I could not believe it. But I composed myself and sat alongside my wife as she watched the swearing-in ceremony on television, he wrote in his autobiography. Upset by this neglect, Pranab launched his own party in 1986 only to come back three years later after reaching a compromise with Rajiv Gandhi. He was on the sidelines throughout the Rajiv era.

Then came Rajiv Gandhis assassination in 1991. While Sonia Gandhi refused to become Prime Minister, her first choice was the-then President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, and when he declined the choice fell on PV Narasimha Rao who was not even a member of the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Pranab again missed the bus. During cabinet formation, Rao consulted Pranab, as they were old colleagues from Indiras time. But he was shocked to find again that his name was missing from the cabinet list. Rao brought Manmohan Singh as his finance minister when the country was going through its worst- ever financial crisis. Pranab was made the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, which was a retirement job. Later, Rao made him commerce minister, external affairs minister, etc, during his term, but he never got the finance portfolio. Pranab, with his seniority and his closeness to Rao, became number two.

In 2004, when Sonia Gandhi chose Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister, Mukherjee was shocked again. The prevalent expectation was that I would be the next choice for prime minister after Sonia Gandhi declined. This expectation was possibly based on the fact that I had extensive experience in government, while Singhs vast experience was as a civil servant with five years as a reformist finance minister, he wrote in his book The Coalition Years (1996-2012).

Though he was number two and had held many important portfolios including finance, defence and home, and was heading so many groups of ministers (GoMs) he was still craving for the PM post. Sonia Gandhi and Singh had utilised his talent in administration and the party during the next eight years until he became the President of India. Singh used his closeness to the communist parties for dialogue on the Indo-US nuclear treaty though the Left withdrew support on the deal.

While he did not become the Prime Minister, Pranab was elected the President after APJ Abdul Kalam with a lot of goodwill from many parties. This was perhaps a consolation. He was one of the competent presidents who served with dignity. Mukherjees term was by and large non-controversial. The 2014 Lok Sabha polls would have been his first test but the BJP emerged with a majority, which made his job easier. He was able to get along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government conferred the Bharat Ratna on Mukherjee.

The man who survived five decades of politics was not a mass leader, which Pranab himself admitted. His survival skills in politics are indeed remarkable. Despite all the ups and downs, he always bounced back. During the Rajiv era, Pranab s political career had clearly stalled but within two years, he was back in favour and merged his party with the Congress. Because of his excellent command over the English language, drafting skills, elephantine memory, vast knowledge of national and international affairs and mastery of parliamentary procedures, he was indispensable in the cabinet and the party.

He was a man who had had a chequered political career, whose name will be written in golden letters in Indias history. When he left the presidency, he said in a media interview, I dont want to leave legacy because it is democracy. Democracy is a mass and I am a part of the mass. I will melt into the mass. Melt into thin air. I would like to be in the midst of the people. I wont leave any legacy.
Gulden Mesara

City of Hope, an independent cancer and diabetes research and treatment center, is bringing on Gulden Mesara as senior vice president and chief communications and marketing officer, effective Sept. 15. Mesara was previously group vice president of communications at Walgreens Boots Alliance. Before that, she spent 13 years at Pfizer, where her posts included regional head of communications across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America and top emerging markets throughout the world. At City of Hope, Mesara will work with the centers administrative leadership and faculty to increase engagement among current and potential patients, physicians, researchers, donors, industry partners and the general public. Gulden is an accomplished leader who will help advance City of Hopes commitment to delivering new models for highest quality, personalized care delivery and accelerating our translational, said City of Hope executive vice president and chief transformation officer Debra Fields.

Xi Qing and Pru Bennett

Brunswick Group has named Xi Qing and Pru Bennett partners. Xi comes to Brunswick from Pfizer, where he was most recently vice president of government affairs, market access and communications. He has also served as director of public relations at Wyeth China and public relations manager at Intel. In his new post, based in Shanghai, Xi will focus on the healthcare and life sciences sector. Before joining Brunswick as a senior advisor in 2019, Bennett was managing director at BlackRock and head of its investment stewardship team for the Asia Pacific region. Based in Sydney, she will focus on corporate governance. Qing and Pru add significant weight to our capabilities in healthcare and life sciences and corporate governance, respectively, and will put Brunswick in an even stronger position to capitalize on growth opportunities in the region, said Brunwick CEO Neal Wolin.

Andrea Fuller

LEWIS has appointed Andrea Fuller to its advisory board, which forecasts business, economic and cultural trends. Fuller has most recently served as vice president of communications at Citrine Informatics. Her previous positions include head of global corporate communications and brand at Recommind and director of marketing communciations at Genworth Financial. At LEWIS, she will provide advice and share insight on an ongoing basis. Andrea is a passionate communicator and a deeply respected business leader with tremendous marketing acumen, said CEO Chris Lewis.
Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain
Park Seong-min, 24, former spokeswoman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) who represented young members of the party, was appointed as a member of the party's Supreme Council by the party's new leader Rep. Lee Nak-yon, the party announced Monday. Screen capture from Facebook



Park tasked with helping party reflect opinion of women, younger generation



By Jung Da-min



A female college student has been appointed as a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Supreme Council by the party's new leader Rep. Lee Nak-yon.



The exceptional appointment reflects Lee's pledge to listen more to opinions from young people and women in drawing up policies. Attention is on whether she can really help the party come up with better policies appealing to the younger generations and women, who used to be a strong support base for the DPK and President Moon Jae-in but have been expressing disappointment following multiple gender- and employment-related issues.



The party announced, Monday, that Park Seong-min, who was one of the party's spokespeople and represented young members, had joined the Supreme Council.



"Park has performed her role as the youth spokeswoman admirably, which has been highly recognized from within and outside the party," Rep. Choi In-ho, the party's new top spokesman also appointed by Lee, said during a press briefing. "The party leadership thinks Park is the right person who can swiftly respond to gender-related issues as a woman and a young member, while actively seeking to communicate with the people and proposing solutions to the party to resolve such issues."



Park's appointment has brought attention as she would be the youngest Supreme Council member ever in the party's history.



Born in 1996, the 24-year-old Korea University student first joined the DPK last September as a youth spokeswoman, selected through the party's open interview for the role in a part of its efforts to appeal to the younger generation.



But critics remained skeptical whether the symbolic appointment would bring an actual policy reform of the DPK or merely remain as a political show pretending to care about the younger generations without specific practical plans to support them.



In fact, the DPK has been losing support from younger generations due to its failing economic and job policies as well as controversies over the unfair policies of the Moon government and abuses of power by prominent figures.



The employment of subcontracted workers at Incheon International Airport Corp. in June, in particular, brought criticism from young people as the government only focused on realizing Moon's pledge for "zero irregular workers," aimed at providing employees job security, while depriving many jobseekers of opportunities.



The controversy last year surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, who allegedly used his influence to help his children in admissions to prestigious universities, was also among the factors that triggered young voters to turn their backs on the ruling bloc.



This year, sexual harassment allegations against former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don and the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon have put the ruling bloc under criticism that its leadership lacks gender sensitivity, resulting in decreasing support from women in opinion polls.
Bobby Goodson describes how logging is essentially farming with harvesting trees as an agricultural commodity. "Given the fact that wool, cut flowers, aloe leaves, and upland cotton are included in the USDA's Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) it is a reasonable request to ask that timber and logging be covered under the program as well.

Countless businesses across the spectrum of industries have been impacted by COVID-19 and now can tell stories about how government assistance rescued them from the brink of collapse; but there are some stories left untold.

A recent analysis generated for the American Loggers Council (ALC) shows that this years decrease in raw wood material consumption has led to a $1.83 billion reduction in the value of logger/trucker-delivered wood. The report, conducted by the analytics firm Forests2Market, found that raw wood material consumption between January-July 2020 was 6.7% less than the same period in 2019  dropping 21.4 million tons of material. This resulted in a 13% reduction ($1.83 billion) in value of the delivered wood.

While Congress and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have provided funding for numerous agricultural categories, they have not yet classified timber within the category that qualifies for COVID-19 assistance. According to 7 U.S.C1518.; timber and forest are described as an agricultural commodity along with fruits, vegetables, and other common agricultural goods.(7 U.S.C Section 1518) Danny Dructor, Executive Vice-President of the American Loggers Council, stated that, Given the fact that wool, cut flowers, aloe leaves, and upland cotton are included in the USDAs Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) it is a reasonable request to ask that timber and logging be covered under the program as well.

The USDAs Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) received $16 billion to provide direct support to certain agricultural producers based on actual losses where prices and market supply chains have been affected. The program will assist producers with additional adjustments and changes in marketing costs that result from oversaturated markets and lack of demand for the 2020 marketing year as a result of COVID-19.

The ALC created SaveOurLoggers.com as a new website to highlight the impact of COVID-19 on the logging and wood products industry. The website features testimonial stories and videos directly from those who have experienced difficult circumstances.

The current conditions loggers are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic have left them in dire economic straits. Many loggers have shared their stories of how COVID-19 is affecting their businesses on SaveOurLoggers.com.(Logger Stories)

Bobby Goodson, star of the Discovery Channels hit show Swamp Loggers, describes how, as a fourth generation logger with over 35 years in the business, his company has never experienced a situation as threatening to their existence as an industry as during the COVID-19 pandemic. He describes how logging is essentially farming with harvesting trees as an agricultural commodity.

Dale Heil of Stratford, Wisconsin gives one example of how the pandemic is bleeding out a vital American industry, The closing of the Verso mill caused by Covid 19 took away 70 percent of my market.

Justin Yale of Gwinn, Michigan, who has provided trucking services for the logging industry for ten years, gives further insight into the peril the pandemic has sent the industry into, I provide trucking services to the raw timber product producers. Tonnage hauled so far this year is down 72% from this time last year.

Without assistance from the CFAP program loggers have turned to Congress and the Administration seeking help from the next COVID relief package through the Logger Relief Act.

Bipartisan Logger Relief bills were introduced in the Senate (S.4233) by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), and in the House (H.R. 7690) by Representative Jared Golden (D-ME) and Representative David Rouzer (R-NC). Specifically, the bills would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make economic relief payments to logging and log trucking businesses who experienced losses of greater than 10% in the first two quarters of 2020 (as compared to 2019). The program would be similar to others already enacted by Congress for agricultural producers such as CFAP. Members of Congress from 13 states have co-sponsored the Logger Relief Act.

Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqpEq8MYzPg&feature=youtu.be
A treason investigation was opened in late July after the defence ministry alerted the Paris prosecutor's office to suspect activity n

Paris: A senior French army officer based abroad has been arrested and handed preliminary treason charges for sharing highly sensitive intelligence with a foreign power, authorities said Sunday.

Europe-1 radio reported that the lieutenant colonel is accused of passing ultra-sensitive information to Russian secret services. It reported that the officer served on a NATO base in Italy, and was arrested while on vacation in France.

French authorities would not confirm which foreign power the senior officer is suspected of spying for.

Defence minister Florence Parly said the officer is under investigation for serious security breaches. Speaking on Europe-1 on Sunday, Parly said the French military has taken necessary protective measures as a result.

A treason investigation was opened in late July after the defence ministry alerted the Paris prosecutor's office to suspect activity, according to a judicial official.

The officer was arrested and given preliminary charges 21 August of compromising national defence secrets, sharing intelligence with a foreign power that threatens the nation's fundamental interests and other counts, the official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorised to be publicly identified discussing an ongoing investigation.

NATO said the organisation does not comment on intelligence issues, noted that there is a judicial process underway and referred questions to French authorities.

The Russian Embassy in France did not comment.

The French defense minister also said Sunday that France is putting massive investment into military activities in space  notably after a 2018 incident in which a Russian satellite cozied up to a French one in an apparent effort to eavesdrop on secure military communications.
Red tape should be slashed to help Welsh farmers undertake innovative hydroelectricity projects on their land, a shadow minister has said.

The Welsh Conservatives Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, said such projects had the potential to 'revolutionise a farmer's income'.

Energy experts say that hydroelectricity can be an effective source of power without large reservoirs and dams.

As the technology is often specially tailored to each project, officials say that its use should be considered more widely on lowland as well as upland farms.

Ms Finch-Saunders explained that hydro projects also had the potential to manage growing agronomic risks.

"This is important as increasingly unpredictable weather, as a result of global climate change, has merely added to market volatility in recent years.

However, whilst the rhetoric emanating from Cardiff Bay is well-meaning, the actions of the Welsh government have been to only construct barriers of red tape, preventing a farmers journey towards an environmentally sustainable and conscious business."

The shadow minister urged the Welsh government to review the 'bureaucratic barriers' which prevented farmers from undertaking such projects.

She said there were legitimate concerns over the potential legal and planning costs that would be incurred.

Whilst hydro is far from a straightforward technology, it has great potential for the right rural sites in Wales."
Barbara Smith

ATLANTA (Sept. 1, 2020)  Barbara Smith, principal and founder of the international development consulting firm Mountain Time Development and a senior associate at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, has been named vice president of the Carter Centers peace programs, effective Sept. 21.

Barbara Smiths international policy and peacebuilding experience spans United Nations, U.S. government, academic, and nonprofit organizations, making her a great fit for The Carter Center, said the Centers CEO, Paige Alexander. We are excited to welcome her not just because she is an expert in matters of human rights, democracy, and governance but also a strategic thinker and a proven leader.

In her new role, Smith will oversee the Centers democracy, human rights, conflict resolution, and rule of law programs, which operate projects in countries across the globe. Peace program staff have observed 111 elections in 39 countries and helped develop international election standards. They also are working to resolve conflict and build sustainable peace in Syria, Mali, Sudan, and Israel-Palestine, among other places; leading innovative projects to improve the rule of law and access to information in Liberia, Guatemala, and Bangladesh; and supporting human rights defenders around the world, with a special focus on West Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At the Center for Strategic & International Studies, she was a senior associate (non-resident) for the Human Rights Initiative, conducting field work and research on civil society. Her wide-ranging career also includes assignments at the United States Agency for International Development and with the National Security Council in the White House. At USAID, she held a number of positions, most recently as deputy assistant to the administrator in the Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Learning. She also co-led the team that created the seminal USAID 2013 Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Strategy, which is applied across the approximately 100 countries where USAID works. Other positions at USAID include senior policy analyst, deputy coordinator for Middle East Transition Response during the Arab Spring, and senior field advisor for democracy and governance.

Smith served on the National Security Council as a director for Afghanistan and Pakistan affairs and as senior director for governance and law at the Asia Foundation. She has also held senior positions overseas. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, she was a spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. And in Afghanistan, she was assistant country representative for the Asia Foundation, where she also directed the Foundations efforts to assist Afghanistan in holding its first post-Taliban elections.

Smith earned a bachelors degree in government from the University of Texas and a masters degree in political science from Texas State University.

###

Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org

The Carter Center

Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
For the nations largest school system to come together in unity and say, we are going to get it right, and it wont always be easy and therell be tough moments along the way, but were going to get it right  thats a statement, Mr. de Blasio said during a morning news conference.

Seated beside the mayor was Michael Mulgrew, the influential leader of the United Federation of Teachers, who just a few hours earlier had been publicly warning of a strike. With a deal in place, Mr. Mulgrew considerably shifted his tone, declaring that the New York City public schools system has the most aggressive policies and safeguards of any school system in America.

But Tuesdays announcement did not ease the difficulties Mr. de Blasio and the unions still face.

While the city has made progress in distributing personal protective equipment to schools, hiring nurses for every school building and upgrading ventilation systems in classrooms, that work is far from complete. And even with the extra time, principals will need to scramble to address the staffing issues necessary to create two complementary versions of school, one in-person and one online.

Now that the city has agreed to a number of union demands, the onus will fall again on the citys educators to actually make the reopening plan work. Many principals have spent the last few weeks inside their school buildings, preparing for students.

The announcement followed weeks of escalating pressure from union leaders, elected officials, teachers and principals who said they would not be ready to reopen as planned on Sept. 10. The citys teachers union, which has not staged a strike in nearly half a century, was poised to authorize its 75,000 members to walk off the job.
Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Tuesday gave a "last chance" to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to surrender and appear before it on September 10 for hearing in a corruption case against him, according to media reports. Sharif, 70, has been in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treating a heart disease and an immune system disorder. The three-time premier was sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case.

A two-member special bench of the Islamabad High Court -- comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani -- on Tuesday heard the petitions against the sentences of Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia Steel Mills cases, Dawn News reported.

Avefiled case was about having properties in London which were allegedly purchased by ill-gotten wealth. "We are not passing the final verdict as of yet. We are giving you [Nawaz] last chance to surrender before the next hearing. Nawaz Sharif should appear before the court in any case," the bench said.

Sharif's lawyer, Khawaja Harris, said the former premier was not medically fit to return to Pakistan and a related petition was pending in the Lahore High Court. Further hearing of the case was adjourned till September 10. Appeals of Maryam and Captain Safdar would be heard on September 23, the Express Tribune reported.

The Pakistan government has already declared Sharif an absconder and approached the UK government for his extradition. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar last week said Sharif's four-week bail on medical grounds had expired in December last year.

Akbar said the government would task the National Accountability Bureau to pursue Sharif's extradition In a recent interview with ARY News, Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government "regretted" the decision to lift the ban on Sharif. In May, a picture of Sharif having tea at a London cafe along with his family went viral on social media, sparking a debate on the seriousness of his health condition.

The government came under further criticism when last week Sharif's photos surfaced online, showing him strolling in a street, prompting calls from within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf to bring him back.
Coronavirus has taken many things from us. Loved ones, job opportunities, the comfort of regular human contact. Cumulatively, it has been devastating. And this weekend, for those of us who grew up with the revelry, sense of community (and, for many, revenue) that comes with Notting Hill Carnival, the loss of the event is a similarly bitter pill to swallow.

According to Ishmahil Blagrove, writer, filmmaker and author of Carnival: A Photographic and Testimonial History of the Notting Hill Carnival, the only other time Notting Hill Carnival has been cancelled was in 1970, after Rhaune Laslett, one of the founders of the annual celebration, stepped away from managing the event as a result of the tensions that were brewing in the area because of continual raids on the Mangrove Restaurant that led to the Mangrove Nine trials.

Clearly, from its creation through the efforts of Laslett and separately, Claudia Jones, to its initial cancellation, carnival has always been steeped in political and social resistance. Even if its not taking place this year in the way that were used to  ever-flowing rum, pounding music, streets sticky with urine in that way you only appreciate if Notting Hill Carnival feels, to you, like home  that spirit is still very much alive, not just in the neighbourhoods surrounding the parade route, undoubtedly planning on holding their own contained celebrations, but nation, and hopefully worldwide too. Because this Sunday, hours after the March on Washington in the US, theres a similar push against the tyranny of unchecked racism and prejudice in the UK: the Million People March.

Founded as a way of putting further pressure on the UK government over its seeming indifference towards racism, and in particular, anti-black racism, the demonstration (taking place from 1pm, from the very heart of carnival to Hyde Park) is a poetic echo of the circumstances that led to carnival in the first place.

In the aftermath of the 1958 Notting Hill race riots and the racist murder of Kelso Cochrane in 1959, there were similar anti-racism efforts. Cochrane, an Antiguan carpenter, was killed at the hands of a group of white men at the climax of rising anxieties over violence and intimidation from fascist groups including Oswald Mosleys British Union of Fascists and offshoots such as the White Defence League. People were angry. And not solely because of the tragedy that had just unfolded, but also because of the coverage it received in the press, and crucially, the treatment of the case by the police, who initially dismissed it as a simple robbery.

Recommended Commercialisation is ruining Notting Hill Carnival

Like Stephen Lawrences case some 34 years later, there would be no conclusion to the investigation. And there would be few answers provided for his family either. It was only in 2007 that Cochranes daughter knew who he was and how hed died, travelling to London for the first time last year to learn more about his story.

In the face of that systemic racism, however, local activists resisted, organising through groups such as the Coloured Peoples Progressive Association and figures like Claudia Jones, the Trinidadian activist, newspaper editor and organiser of the first Caribbean carnival at St Pancras Town Hall (now Camden Town Hall). There were protests in Whitehall. Cochranes funeral  the funds raised by the Interracial Friendship Coordinating Council founded by Jones and Amy Ashwood Garvey  was said to have been attended by hundreds in a very public message against the violence and intimidation tactics of local racist groups. If you take a walk to Kensal Green cemetery, as I did a couple of days ago, you can still see Cochranes grave and a fading mosaic of his spectacled face staring up at you.

 Notting Hill Carnival: Police given extra powers after 97 arrests

Everything were doing today because of similar gaslighting, violence, police brutality, negligence and the refusal from the government to sincerely engage with ousting anti-black racism, has been done before. I say that not out of hopelessness, but out of a sense of duty to keep this often ignored history alive, and crucially, to show that everything were seeing today has an acute connection to so many things weve been taught to think of as before our time.

Though things have changed, we are battling the same beast these activists were blasting around 60 years ago. The eagerness in some sections of the press to excuse the heartless acts of white racist murders, terrorists  you name it  is still very much present. Similar anti-immigration laws and tactics that figures such as Jones challenged in the early 1960s are being intensified to inhumane degrees today. And through it all, black people and people of colour are still screaming out for support  not only from individuals whove shied away from anti-racist action but from the state and other powerful British institutions.

These are the bare bones of Notting Hill Carnival. Its a brilliant thing that, even in a pandemic, the appetite for protest in the face of injustice has not faltered. After the Million People March, if ever we see a return to carnival as so many of us know it, I hope thats not forgotten.
Stonnington Council has backflipped at the 11th hour on a plan to lift its rates, while other Melbourne municipalities have held firm on a 2 per cent increase.

A backlash by traders and residents forced the inner-city council, which takes in well-heeled suburbs Toorak, South Yarra and Prahran, to offer a 2 per cent rebate in its revised budget.

Melissa Glentis, owner of Dilly Daly cafe in South Yarra, says the rate rebate is a relief. Credit:Joe Armao

There were a record 96 of submissions to the draft budget, with 87 opposing a rate increase and many arguing for a reduction, due to the economic impact of coronavirus.

The Chapel Street Precinct Association had been incensed at Stonningtons proposed hike, with a survey finding all of its 2200 members opposed it.
John Standley, the former longtime CEO of East Pennsboro Township-based Rite Aid, who led the company when it was planning to merge with Walgreens Boots Alliance will now join Walgreens Boots Alliance as its president.

Standley, who was CEO of Rite Aid for nine years will lead all of Walgreens operations.

Back in 2015, Walgreens and Rite Aid announced that the two companies would merge but, the merger was never approved by the Federal Trade Commission. After the merger was halted, Walgreens purchased 1,932 stores, three distribution centers and related inventory for $4.3 billion from Rite Aid in 2017.

Standley was also at the helm when Rite Aid was set to merge with Albertsons Companies, an Idaho grocery company. But both companies agreed to terminate the agreement the night before Rite Aid shareholders were slated to vote on the $24 billion merger with Albertsons back in 2018. Had the merger with Albertsons been completed, Standley was expected to be named the CEO of the combined company following the merger.

Standley left Rite Aid last year and was replaced by current CEO Heyward Donigan.

Prior to Rite Aid, Standley was also the chief executive officer of Pathmark Stores Inc. He was also a former chair of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. He had also worked for Rite Aid before he worked for Pathmark.

Im very excited to join the team and lead the iconic Walgreens brand, said Standley. Im looking forward to accelerating execution of the strategic vision for the future of Walgreens. My top priorities will be meeting and exceeding the needs of our customers, patients, team members and the communities we serve during these challenging times, and ensuring that Walgreens fulfills its full potential as one of Americas most admired and trusted companies.

Walgreens Boots Alliance has a presence in more than 25 countries, employs more than 440,000 people and has more than 18,750 stores.

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New Delhi: Chief Minister CM Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday (September 1) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to states. The letter said that the two options given by the Ministry of Finance, which require the states to borrow loans and then meet the repayment liabilities, will put an onerous burden on the states.

Kejriwal wrote the letter following deliberations on the options given by the central government to the states at the 41st GST Council meet on August 27. The Council had offered states with two options to tide over their GST revenue shortfall as the GST cess collected from items such as cars and tobacco was not adequate to compensate them this financial year.

Appealing to the Prime Minister, Delhi CM said the GST Council should consider authorising the Centre to borrow on its behalf and extend the period of collection of cess beyond 2022.

Terming the GST reform as a landmark reform in the indirect tax structure of India, Kejriwal stated that the assurance of the GST compensation to states to meet the shortfall in GST collections is one of the pillars on which the entire GST edifice rests.

He further said that all the states will overcome the unprecedented situation that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought before the country by working collectively, adding that the GST Act, 2017, very clearly provides for compensation to the states for the loss of revenue arising on account of the implementation of the GST in pursuance of the provision of the Constitution (101st Amendment Act, 2016).

Kejriwal said, "To create an artificial distinction between loss occurring due to the implementation of the GST and those occurring due to COVID-19 pandemic goes against the very spirit of the Compensation Act and will lead to a creation of a trust deficit between the Centre and the states, wherein in future, the states will be hesitant in coming together to achieve more such larger common national goals, as was done through the implementation of GST."

The Centre specified that the state governments could borrow either via a special window it will facilitate through the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or raise debt from the market.

He requested the Prime Minister for a more sustainable and viable option, and said, "Considering the above situation, it is my humble submission that the Government of India may like to consider a much more simpler and legally sustainable option of borrowing by the Government of India to the full extent of the requirement of compensation in the year 2021 and 2022, to be serviced and repaid by the future collection of cess with effect from 2022."

Notably, the Centre and non BJP-ruled states are at loggerheads over the financing of the Rs 2.35 lakh crore GST shortfall in the current fiscal. Of this, as per Centre's calculation, about Rs 97,000 crore is on account of GST implementation and rest Rs 1.38 lakh crore is the impact of COVID-19 on states' revenues.

Earlier on Monday, five states -- Punjab, Delhi, Kerala, Telangana and West Bengal -- that are not ruled by the BJP rejected the Centre's proposal at the GST Council meeting.

Last week, the Centre gave two options to states to borrow either from a special window facilitated by the Reserve Bank of India or from the market and has also proposed extending the compensation cess levied on luxury, demerit and sin goods beyond 2022.
The Inspector General of Registrations and Controller of Stamps Office has reported a significant drop in documents registration and earnings due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, thereof.

The Pune District Conveyancing Association claimed that due to the lockdown, the state was losing revenues estimated to be worth Rs 16 crore daily by way of stamp duty. Besides, it was losing Rs 2 crore which comes through registration, the organisation pointed out.

According to data released by the Inspector General of Registrations (IGR) the office recorded a registration of four lakh-plus (4,13,843) documents from April to August 2020, as compared to 12 lakh-plus (12,95,062) registrations during the same period in 2019.

Earning stood at Rs 2,067 crore as compared to Rs 9,382 crore last year during the same period.

The categories of documents registered are conveyance, agreements, gift, mortgage deeds and power of attorney documents. The official data shows that there has been a nearly 70 per cent dip in property registrations and revenue earnings for the IGR department during the last six months.

The top five articles registered comprised conveyance, leave and license (e-registration), mortgage, gift, power of attorney and other categories.

Suhas Merchant, president, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai), Pune chapter, The property market faced business losses in the last six months, but I see the demand rising from here on. Because of the stamp duty concession, smaller flats are in demand.

We see to it that developers complete the project on time. If there are complaints of buyers, we ensure that they are solved. The effects of restarting of the property market are likely to be seen from next month, he said.

With more new schemes we are confident that the property market will rebound. Money has slowly started flowing in the property market and there are a lot of inquiries for small-sized flats. It will take more than a month for things to settle down, he said.

The Pune District Conveyancing Association (PDCA) in April had urged the IGR office to resume property registration after undertaking necessary precautions like wearing safety gear and maintaining the district collector specified safety guidelines.

Balasaheb Thorat, state revenue minister, had ordered the reopening of all the IGR offices in the state post-May 17 and ordered that proper social distancing norms and safety guidelines were followed.

Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Nagpur IGR offices witness a maximum number of property registrations and the IGR department is the maximum revenue generator for the state.

Meanwhile, the state government has also stayed the ready reckoner review rate for six months taking into account the deteriorating Covid-19 situation and rise of Covid patients in the state. The RR rates are published as part of state policy on March 31 every year.

Thorat has said that it would be practically not possible to review and assess the ready reckoner rates and the situation improves in the state of Maharashtra.
President Donald Trump on Monday urged a federal appeals court not to let Manhattans top prosecutor have his tax returns, saying the deck was clearly stacked against him, and said he would ask the Supreme Court to intervene if necessary.

The argument was made in a filing with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, which on Tuesday will hear arguments on Trumps bid to delay Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vances subpoena for the tax returns during Trumps appeal.

Absent a delay, Trump requested a stay to give the Supreme Court time to consider his request. A spokesman for Vance declined to comment.

The district attorney is seeking eight years of tax returns from Trumps longtime accounting firm Mazars USA in connection with a criminal probe of the presidents business practices.

Trump has fought the subpoena for a year. He suffered a defeat in July when the Supreme Court rejected his claim of immunity from criminal probes while in the White House.

The tax returns are unlikely to become public before the Nov. 3 presidential election. Vance has said the continued litigation has effectively given Trump the temporary absolute immunity that courts have rejected.

On Aug. 20, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero refused for a second time to block the subpoena, saying justice requires an end to this controversy.

But Mondays filing said Trump was not resurrecting his broad immunity claim, arguing instead that the subpoena was overbroad and issued in bad faith, and that Vance should have to show why its contents were relevant to his probe.

The District Attorney should not have been allowed to run roughshod over the President in his pursuit of claims that the Supreme Court held he could raise, the filing said.

The filing said enforcing the subpoena would cause Trump irreparable harm.

It is disclosure of these records to the governmentnot just to the publicthat causes injury, it said.




Military prosecutors indicted a master sergeant and a lieutenant colonel of the Defense Intelligence Command on charges of raping a female North Korean defector, officials said Tuesday.







The two were accused of abusing their authority to rape the victim between May 2018 and February last year while she was under their protection and supervision for espionage operations, officials at the military prosecution said.







The master sergeant allegedly had the victim drink alcohol before raping her in May 2018, and had since habitually committed sexual crimes against her, while the lieutenant colonel also raped her after she asked him for help, officials said.







The victim filed a criminal complaint against the two last year. A lawyer for the victim said at the time that she became pregnant twice and was even pressured to have abortions.







The two have since been under investigation after being removed from their duties.







Military authorities plan to launch a disciplinary process as soon as a court verdict is finalized. (Yonhap)


NEW YORK - A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked the immediate release of President Donald Trump's tax returns and other financial records to the Manhattan district attorney - a temporary win for the president in his legal battle to prevent the local prosecutor's office from obtaining a trove of documents in connection with his ongoing criminal probe.

The ruling came as one judge on the court's three-member panel pressed a lawyer for District Attorney Cyrus Vance about the scope of Vance's grand-jury investigation of the president's private business activities, saying a subpoena for eight years of Trump's tax returns appears to be "really very broad," as his lawyers have argued.

Tuesday's order establishes the timeline for Trump's broader appeal of a lower-court ruling last month that said the district attorney is entitled to request the president's personal financial records from his accounting firm. Arguments are set for Sept. 25, and the court's order will remain active pending the outcome of that hearing, it said in announcing the decision.

Vance's office is investigating hush money paid before the 2016 election to two women who said they had affairs with Trump several years prior, assertions the president has denied. The district attorney's team - buoyed by a major Supreme Court ruling in July rejecting Trump's initial claim that, as president, he is immune from such investigations - has suggested it is also looking at potential bank and insurance fraud related to Trump's company.

Trump's new position is that Vance's request is politically motivated harassment, a fishing expedition that reaches too far and therefore is invalid.

Earlier Tuesday, John Walker, one of panel's three judges, asked a lawyer for Vance's office how one would determine whether its request for Trump's records is "very broad and might engage in some fishing."

"It seems to me it's really very broad when you're asking for activities in New York, Dubai and so forth," the judge said.

Carey Dunne, general counsel for the district attorney's office, said the investigation of Trump's business activities is secret and should remain so, but he suggested it was common for Vance's team to make such wide-reaching requests.

"There's nothing unusual about an office like ours asking for information about out-of-state or foreign transactions," Dunne told the panel, because many major banks and financial institutions are located in New York. "The company at the center has headquarters in Manhattan; that's why we have jurisdiction," he added, apparently referring to the Trump Organization.

A spokesman for Vance declined to comment.

Trump has predicted that the case will land back at the Supreme Court. In rejecting his initial argument this summer, the high court invited the president's legal team to challenge Vance's records request on other grounds.

The district attorney's office, citing impending statutes of limitations that risk hindering its pursuit of criminal charges if warranted, has sought expedited review from the courts. Vance's team has argued that Trump's new arguments are a delay tactic and that he's attempting to impede its investigation from moving forward.

During arguments Tuesday morning, the president's lawyer William Consovoy said "irreparable harm" for Trump would result should the subpoena be enforced before the case is fully litigated and the appeals process is exhausted.

The case arrived at the appeals court last month, after U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ruled in favor of Vance, saying the law presumes subpoenas are issued for a valid purpose, unless proved otherwise. "Justice," the judge wrote in his opinion, "requires an end to this controversy."

Even if Vance's subpoena is enforced and the district attorney's office receives Trump's financial records, there is no guarantee that the public will see them, because the documents would be subject to secrecy rules governing grand-jury investigations. It's possible that they might emerge as evidence should the district attorney move to charge someone with a crime. Trump's accounting firm, Mazars USA, has said it would comply with its legal obligations.
Relatives of victims of alleged extrajudicial killings in the Duterte administrations crackdown on illegal drugs take part in a demonstration in Manila to mark International Justice Day, July 17, 2019.

President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed his customs chief to shoot dead anyone caught smuggling narcotics  just days after dozens of human rights groups urged the United Nations to investigate the killing of thousands of drug suspects in the Philippines since 2016.

During a televised meeting with his cabinet late Monday  a transcript of which was released on Tuesday  the president said he met with Rey Leonardo Guerrero, commissioner of the Bureau of Customs, and ordered him to shape up and not be manipulated by corrupt employees at his agency.

I told him straight, drugs are still flowing inside the country through customs, Duterte said in Tagalog, according to the transcript. Id like you to kill there. Anyway, Ill back you up and you wont get jailed. If its drugs, you shoot and kill. Thats the arrangement.

The president gave the order after more than 60 human rights groups urged the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva last week to open an independent international investigation into thousands of extrajudicial killings of drug suspects in the Philippines during the four years since Duterte came to power.

The groups, including the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said that only an independent probe could hold violators accountable for the killings of more than 8,000 people allegedly by police and security personnel.

The Philippine national police, however, have put the death toll from the drug war at about 5,700, saying these were suspects who had fought arresting officers.

The several dozen Philippine and international groups calling for an investigation into the Philippines is a remarkable show of solidarity that members of the U.N. Human Rights Council should not ignore, said Laila Matar, deputy director of the Geneva office at Human Rights Watch.

The extrajudicial killings and other severe rights abuses in the Philippines continue unabated, and the groups endorsing this letter are saying enough is enough.

Duterte, 74, is currently facing two complaints for mass murder before The Hague-based International Criminal Court over the killings in his administrations drug war.

Last year, the U.N. Human Rights Council voted to approve a resolution calling for an investigation into the killings.

In June 2020, a year-long investigation by Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, found near-total impunity for perpetrators of extrajudicial killings that took place during the Duterte administrations crackdown on illegal drugs.

The campaign against illegal drugs is being carried out without due regard for the rule of law, due process and the human rights of people who may be using or selling drugs. The report finds that the killings have been widespread and systematic  and they are ongoing, Bachelet said in releasing her report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Philippine Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra rejected the criticism as he delivered the governments rebuttal to the U.N. report. He said the Southeast Asian country was a democracy where all opposing voices were heard.

In the Philippine situation, where the option of righting every possible wrong evidently and vigorously exists, there is no reasonable basis to allege impunity or lack of accountability for human rights violations, Guevarra said.
ATLANTA, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power today announced that the typical residential customer using 1,000-kilowatt hours will receive an estimated $12 credit on their October Georgia Power bill. This reflects implementation of a one-time $61.6 million credit for customers, approved today by the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), as a result of Georgia Power's 2019 financial results.

Pairing the October credit with lower fuel rates implemented at the start of summer, the typical residential customer will see a reduction of more than $17 next month.

The amount each customer receives will vary based on their 2019 usage. Georgia Power will apply the credit to October bills for customers who had active accounts as of December 31, 2019, and are still active or receiving a final bill as of October 2020. This is the third credit that customers will receive this year, totaling more than $45 for the typical residential customer.

Relief on summer bills

In June, the typical residential customer using 1,000-kilowatt hours received an $11.29 credit on their June Georgia Power bill. This credit reflected the implementation of a $51.5 million credit for customers, approved by the Georgia PSC, as a result of Georgia Power's 2018 financial results.

Additionally, the Georgia PSC approved in May Georgia Power's plan to reduce its fuel rates by 17.2 percent and total billings by approximately $740 million over a two-year period, and lower the total monthly bill by approximately $5.32 for the typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month beginning June 1, 2020. Customers received a special interim reduction to provide additional relief during the COVID-19 pandemic through even lower fuel rates over the 2020 summer months. The lower fuel rate and special interim reduction lowered the total bill of a typical residential customer using an average of 1,000-kilowatt hours by a total of $10.26 per month from June through September 2020.

February bill credit due to 2017 tax law savings

Customers also received a credit of approximately $22 on their February Georgia Power bill as a result of the third and final bill credit associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, resulting in credits totaling $106 million.

To learn more about how Georgia Power delivers rates below the national average, cultivates a diverse energy mix to ensure reliable and affordable power, as well as free energy services and programs available for customers, visit www.georgiapower.com.

About Georgia Power

Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

SOURCE Georgia Power

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People tour the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States, Aug. 16, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank touted heir contribution to stabilizing the global economy, but the United States  the country that underpins multilateralism  has lost interest in the idea, according to the East Asia Forum Wednesday.

Although the World Bank pledged it would lend 160 billion U.S. dollars to help the developing countries weather through the crisis, it turns out to be all money the Bank would have paid anyway, it said.

"Another problem worths noting is that the World Bank's capital is down to 22 percent of its loan book and, for prudential reasons, it cannot fall below 20 percent."

Besides, President Donald Trump believes "the future does not belong to the globalists. The future belongs to patriots", which indicates U.S. influence in some institutions is too small to justify the cheques written by the U.S. to keep them going.

"The U.S. would rather keep the IMF dependent on resources that it has to borrow from rich countries, enhancing U.S. leverage and keeping the Fund on a short leash," according to the forum.

The forum also believes multilateralism since the Second World War has only ever been a set of institutions, including the IMF and the World Bank, underpinned by U.S. power in that they serve its interests.

A counter case in point is U.S. withdrawal from WHO out of the U.N. agency's "mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic."

But it's generally held that the move undermines the global effort to fight the pandemic. As the largest contributor to the WHO funding, the U.S. withdrawal would undoubtedly hurt the organization's capacity and expertise.

President Trump even talks about creating an alternative health institution to the WHO, which would also hurt global unity and morale.
Authorities are working to facilitate foreign investors while keeping the nation safe

Facilitating the entry of foreign investors to Vietnam was an important issue raised at the meeting of the Standing Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

In addition, it is necessary to simplify administrative procedures to decrease the entry time for experts and skilled workers, including documents relating to flights and health certificates.

The prime minister approved the Ministry of Planning and Investments proposal to allow senior personnel of South Korean enterprises to enter Vietnam for long stays and short-term business trips alike. In addition, the authorities will consider applications from investors interested in entering Vietnam to look for investment opportunities.

Since the pandemic broke out in Vietnam, about 8,500 foreign experts and employees are waiting to enter Vietnam to resume work, 2,000 of whom are working on key national projects.

As of March 15, based on statistics submitted by locals, a total of 8,459 foreign experts and employees were looking to enter Vietnam, 2,000 of whom are working on key projects such as the Cat Linh-Hadong Metro Line (100 people), Vinh Tan 1 thermal power plant (76 people), the LG Display project in Haiphong city (200 people), Samsung Display Vietnam in Bac Ninh province (700 people), and Texhong Co., Ltd. (77 people). Besides, Samsung Electro-Mechanics Vietnam Co., Ltd. and its partner in Thai Nguyen province are waiting for 150 experts and senior employees.

As of now, experts, skilled workers, business managers, and officials are allowed to enter the nation but they must comply with the nations quarantine regulations. Previously, at the peak of the pandemic in early April, 700 South Korean engineers of Samsung Display, a supplier of Samsung Electronics and Apple, were exempted from the mandatory quarantine requirement to allow the urgent preparation for the production of screens for new smartphones.
Ahead of the September 19, 2020 gubernatorial election in Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, took his reelection campaign to Uhunmwode Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

Obaseki led his deputy and running mate, Philip Shaibu and other members of the Edo PDP Campaign Council to the LGA, in continuation of his ward-to-ward campaign rally in Edo South Senatorial District.

The governor charged electorate to come out en masse to vote for the PDP and stay back to ensure that their votes count.

He said, Vote and make sure your vote counts. Stay back in your polling units to ensure they count your vote in your presence.

Disregard APCs Boast Of Prepared Election Result, Come Out En Masse And Vote  PDP To Electorate

Voters in Edo State have been urged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to come out en masse on September 19, 2020 and cast their ballots for the partys candidate, Governor Obaseki.

The party advised of supporters to disregard underhand tactics being deployed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to discourage them from coming out to vote on election day.

In a statement issued on Monday in Benin City, Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, said: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has been boasting that it already has in its kitty, the written results of the September 19 gubernatorial election, even before the election is conducted.

This old tactic of the APC is meant to discourage voters who are very enthusiastic about coming out to vote for Governor Godwin Obaseki, come September 19.

The truth however is that the APC does not have any written result of the September 19, 2020 poll. The only result the APC has, is that of the partys disapproval rating in the state.

We are aware that the APC has carried out several mock polls and rounds of simulations with disappointing outcomes.

Its gubernatorial candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and the sacked national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole have supervised mass thumb printing of ballot papers in some hotels in Kogi State.

They have also presided over rehearsals on how to snatch ballot boxes and compromise officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who rebuffed them.

In all of these desperate tactics of the APC, its leaders have been confronted with the hard fact that Obaseki remains Edo voters preferred candidate.
T he UK manufacturing sector grew at its fastest rate for over six years, as companies and their clients restarted operations following coronavirus lockdowns.

Data from research firm IHS showed that industry performance rose to a 30 month high of 55.2 in August, up from 53.3 in July. Anything above 50 indicates growth.

The figures means the sector is on course for a full recovery.

Underpinning the growth was the fastest increase in new orders since November 2017.

The domestic market remained the prime source of new contract wins, although manufacturers also mentioned improved demand from the EMEA region, North America and Australia.

Duncan Brock, director at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply said: "Domestically, customers are playing their part in the recovery of the UK economy, with an upswing in new orders accelerating to the fastest rate since November 2017.

"A smidgen of good news from overseas too with a small uplift in export orders for the first time in almost a year as optimism across the board was maintained that business could only get better.

"It seems the sector may be experiencing a V shaped recovery with the fastest rate of growth in the manufacturing sector since May 2014.

"However, amidst this positivity the elephant in the room remains the poor employment figures. The drop in job numbers in August makes this feel more of a rebalancing strategy than real recovery.

"Companies are looking at how to stay in business for the rest of the year as challenges from the pandemic retreat a little only to be replaced by an imminent Brexit."

Despite the figures economists warned it will still take several months to fully recoup the output lost since the start of the pandemic.
By Akbar Mammadov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that specific parameters have been formulated to be agreed upon to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Lavrov made this remark during his speech at the Moscow State Foreign Relations Institute on September 1, Trend reported.

"Russia participates in the international efforts to create conditions for the settlement of various conflicts, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, for the consideration of which the OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by Russia, the US, and France, respectively, was set up, Lavrov said.

The minister noted that the group also consists of several other countries, including Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and Turkey, although by the decision of this group, the co-chairs - Russia, the USA, and France were empowered to work daily to create the necessary atmosphere in which the parties themselves could find generally acceptable agreements.

We dont write scenarios for solving the problem, but we create conditions so that the parties could agree among themselves, added Lavrov.

He pointed out that over the past 18 years, the first such documents have been developed between the parties, and great work has been done.

The documents formulated principles that reflect both the principles of the UN Charter and the principles of the Helsinki Final Act. They also formulated specific parameters to be agreed for this settlement to take place, the minister said.

Lavrov highlighted that recently several incidents took place which has seriously increased tensions and didnt contribute to a positive role for the efforts of the co-chairs to be successful in creating the proper atmosphere.

Furthermore, the minister touched upon the documents on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said that these documents contain a denouement that will ensure justice.

Our line is based on the set of documents that have been developed over almost 18 years. There are the so-called Madrid principles, and also updated versions of documents that were approved by the parties as a basis for further work.

Lavrov noted that these documents have been deposited in the OSCE Secretariat, and added that suggestions are voiced that it is necessary to abandon these documents and start from scratch, or even launch some kind of plan "B.

We believe that this will be a big mistake and are convinced that what has been achieved over these years should remain the basis of our future efforts. I will not describe in detail what is agreed there, Lavrov said.

He noted that this is a fairly confidential part of the job.

But I can assure you that there is a denouement that will ensure justice for both the Armenian and the Azerbaijani representatives.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Groups efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Education Minister says Wales is ready to go back to school and together we will keep Wales learning

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2020

Today the Education Minister Kirsty Williams was asked a range of questions, some with answers available on a huge Q&A list on the Welsh Government website as she looked ahead to the reopening of schools.

The Minister opened by paying tribute to the work taking place, saying: This week is a very big week for children, young people, parents and carers and teaching staff right the way across Wales.

Staff are busy right now working on the final touches to ensure that schools and colleges are safe, secure, welcoming and ready for the return of learners this week.

Since going into lockdown in March, the education family in Wales has demonstrated its ability to adapt safely and has shown its resilience.

Im incredibly proud of how everyone has acted in response to this pandemic, and what has been achieved and Id like to take this opportunity once again to say a massive thank you.

From this week, children and young people all over Wales will be able to see more of their friends, have that crucial time with their teachers and progress in their education.

Wales is ready, ready to go back to school, ready to go back to college and together, we will keep Wales learning.

The minister said that discussions are ongoing about future exam timetables, with no outcome or decisions as of yet.

Matching the advice on the Welsh Government website, the Ms Williams spoke about school uniform policy, adding: Our expectations are is that where at all possible as much normality should be resumed.

We would expect children to return to school, in school uniforms. It would be helpful if the majority of those items can be washed on a regular basis rather than the necessity for instance of having them dry cleaned, and also to ensure that people are remain comfortable.

Its important to recognise also that despite financial pressures Welsh Government still has assistance available to certain year groups for the cost associated not only with school uniform but other items of school kit as well.

If parents are interested there is more information available via the Welsh Government website about assistance with the cost of uniform at this time.

The minister was also asked about behaviour policy, with other parts of the UK policies put to her where they have suggested that students could be suspended for coughing maliciously or making inappropriate jokes.

She said: Clearly, as we return to school, behaviour policies will be in place in schools as they are in normal circumstances.

Schools may have taken the decision to update those behaviour policies but as always in Wales, exclusion from school, whether that be temporary or permanent should always be a last resort.

We would expect schools as they return for the staggered period for teachers be able to have those conversations with their pupils about their expectations and communicate that to parents again about the conversations we can have at home with our children to ensure that children are doing the right thing when they get back to school, but exclusion should always be a last resort in Welsh education.

Today we asked about testing policy, and notification periods if there are school based issues.

We pointed to Welsh Government guidance that says pupils and staff should only request a test if they are symptomatic, not if they suspect contact with a potentially positive case. We asked the education why they had that policy when coronavirus appears to be asymptomatic in many cases?

The minister replied: At this time with community transmission rates as low as they are because of the massive efforts of the Welsh people, it is appropriate that people seek a test when they are showing symptoms, however mild those symptoms may be, testing asymptomatic people isnt without its challenges in producing false positive and false negative results.

So that is an issue and when community levels are low, but clearly we keep our testing policy under review, and well amend it if necessary, but even if your symptoms are mild, then please dont just shrug it off and think maybe youll be better tomorrow, any symptoms however mild, please get yourself tested.

Locally we have seen an issue at the town centre Wetherspoons that saw a Public Health Wales statement advising vigilance from 12 days before the warning itself was issued. We pointed to the Welsh Government guidance that says it is not appropriate for schools to share information on potential Covid-19 cases in a school to wider staff, pupils or parents due to GDPR.

We asked if there are clusters and outbreaks associated with schools how will Welsh Government ensure prompt communication of the issue to the public.

The minister replied: It is absolutely correct that we respect peoples privacy but where information needs to be shared to ensure public health measures can be taken, then that appropriate information will be shared.

We will be keeping a very close eye on on the return to school. We have seen unfortunately cases in Scotland and Northern Ireland, although it does seem that those cases have been brought into the school by perhaps community contact.

I think whats really important for me to say is, quite understandably, theres a great deal of focus on children transmitting the disease to adults, but it is really important in the school context that adults maintain that social distancing from one another.

I can assure you that all necessary information and TTP arrangements will be in place should we see an outbreak at school, or whether we have an outbreak in a community that potentially could have an impact on schools.

You can view the quite short briefing and Q&A session on the below video:

Join us live at 12:30pm with @wgmin_education on the return to school  pic.twitter.com/o6VFdqdlLf  Welsh Government (@WelshGovernment) September 1, 2020

Below is an index of the current Q&As on the Welsh Government Coronavirus subsite:
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Linkedin Naomi Tajitsu and Makiko Yamazaki (Reuters) Tokyo, Japan  Tue, September 1, 2020 09:02 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41ce7a3 2 Science & Tech Japan,artificial-intelligence,AI,coronavirus,COVID-19,technology,robot Free

At a factory south of Japan's Toyota City, robots have started sharing the work of quality-control inspectors, as the pandemic accelerates a shift from Toyota's vaunted "go and see" system which helped revolutionize mass production in the 20th century.

Inside the auto-parts plant of Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co Ltd, a robotic arm picks up and spins a bevel gear, scanning its teeth against a light in search of surface flaws. The inspection takes about two seconds - similar to that of highly trained employees who check around 1,000 units per shift.

"Inspecting 1,000 of the exact same thing day-in day-out requires a lot of skill and expertise, but it's not very creative," chief executive Hiroshi Otsuka told Reuters. "We'd like to release workers from those tasks."

Global manufacturers have long used robots in production while leaving the knotty work of spotting flaws mainly to humans. But social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have prompted a rethink of the factory floor.

That has spurred the increased use of robots and other technology for quality control, including remote monitoring which was already being adopted before the pandemic.

For a chart on global installations of manufacturing robots, click here.

In Japan, such approaches represent an acute departure from the "genchi genbutsu", go-and-see methodology developed as part of the Toyota Production System and embraced by Japanese manufacturers for decades with almost religious zeal.

That process tasks workers with constantly monitoring all aspects of the production line to spot irregularities, and has made quality control one of the last human hold-outs in otherwise automated factories.

Yet even at Toyota Motor Corp itself, when asked about automating more genchi genbutsu procedures, a spokesman said: "We are always looking at ways to improve our manufacturing processes, including automating processes where it makes sense to do so."

Read also: Artificial intelligence has role to play in enforcing COVID-19 health protocol

Quality demands

Improvements in artificial intelligence (AI) have come in tandem with increasingly affordable equipment but also stricter quality requirements from customers. However, automating inspections is challenging, given the need to teach robots to identify tens of thousands of possible defects for a specific product and apply that learning instantly.

Musashi Seimitsu's low defect rate of one per 50,000 units left the firm without enough defective examples to develop an efficient AI algorithm.

But a solution came from Israeli entrepreneur Ran Poliakine, who applied AI and optics technology he had used in medical diagnostics to the production line.

His idea was to teach the machine to spot the good, rather than the bad, by basing the algorithm on up to 100 perfect or near-perfect units - a modification of the so-called golden sample.

"If you look at human tissue, you are teaching an algorithm what is good and what is not good, and you only have one second to perform the diagnostic," he said.

Read also: AI opportunities: Made in Indonesia by Indonesians for Indonesians

'On steroids'

Since the breakthrough, Poliakine's startup SixAI and Musashi Seimitsu have established MusashiAI, a joint venture which develops and hires out quality control robots - a first in the field.

Enquiries from automakers, parts suppliers and other firms in Japan, India, the United States and Europe have quadrupled since March when the novel coronavirus went global, Poliakine said.

"COVID-19 has accelerated the move. Everything is on steroids now, because working from home is showing that remote work can work," he said.

For a chart on the five biggest users of manufacturing robots, click here.

Earlier this year auto parts maker Marelli, which has operational headquarters in Japan and Italy, also began using AI quality inspection robots at a plant in Japan, and told Reuters last month that it wanted AI to play a bigger role in quality inspections in the coming years.

Printer maker Ricoh Co Ltd, plans to automate all of the production processes for drum units and toner cartridges at one of its Japan plants by March 2023. Robots perform most of the processes already, and since April, technicians have been monitoring equipment on the factory floor from home.

"Of course, you need to be on site to assess and execute solutions when issues come up, but identifying and confirming are tasks we can now do from home," said Kazuhiro Kanno, general manager at Ricoh's printer manufacturing unit.

Musashi Seimitsu will not say when it envisions its factory floors to be fully automated, but Otsuka said AI stands to complement, not threaten, the go-and-see system.

"AI doesn't ask 'Why? Why?' but humans do. We're hoping to free them up to ask why and how defects occur," he said. "This will enable more people to look for ways to constantly improve production, which is the purpose of 'genchi genbutsu'."
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1, 2020 15:57 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41f9233 4 City COVID-19-in-Indonesia,COVID-19,tangerang-selatan,South-Tangerang,school,COVID-19-cluster,coronavirus,virus-korona-indonesia,virus-corona Free

The South Tangerang administration announced that a new COVID-19 cluster has emerged after a number of staff members and teachers in one school in the city tested positive for the disease.

It is safe to say that a new cluster in the education sector has emerged, even though the school in question has not reopened, South Tangerang Deputy Mayor Benyamin Davnie said on Monday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Benyamin said 15 staff members and teachers had tested positive for COVID-19, two of whom had recovered after receiving treatment.

However, Benyamin refused to disclose the exact location of the infected staff and teachers.

Read also: Smart city initiatives aid COVID-19 response

He ensured that no students had contracted the disease since the facility had yet to be reopened for in-class instruction.

We have to observe [the new cluster] carefully, he said.

South Tangerang recorded 782 COVID-19 infections as of Sunday, with 45 known cases to have turned fatal. Some 636 patients have recovered from the disease.

Some 101 COVID-19 positive patients are under treatment or in self-isolation, according to official data.

Cipayung subdistrict in Ciputat is the only area without a COVID-19 case in South Tangerang, while Pondok Benda subdistrict in Pamulang has become the area with highest number of COVID-19 cases in the city with 49 positive cases. (dpk)
https://www.aish.com/jw/me/El-Als-Historic-Flight-Over-Saudi-Arabia.html

It's encouraging to see prominent Arab thinkers  and the first Arab government in more than 25 years  rejecting the old rancor, and enumerating the gains peace can make possible.

In a historic milestone, an Israeli passenger plane flew through Saudi Arabian airspace Monday on the first direct non-cargo flight between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, The Times of Israel reports yesterday. El Al Flight 971, carrying high-level Israeli and US delegations, flew southeast down almost the entire length of Saudi Arabia to reach its destination in Abu Dhabi. It was the first time an Israeli plane was given permission by the kingdom to use its airspace.

The times, they are a-changing.

Coverage of the agreement to normalize ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates has focused largely on the historic demarche of a Gulf Arab country making peace with the Jewish state, and on the irrelevance of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to the deal. Not enough attention has been paid to what the UAE expects to gain out of establishing normal ties with Israel. Abu Dhabi, after all, isnt breaking with the decades-long Arab refusal to accept Israels legitimacy merely to make a point about the brotherhood of mankind.

To be sure, there is interest in drawing closer to Israel because of its resistance to Iranian aggression, which is a threat to the Sunni states on the Arabian peninsula just as it is to Israel. But dont lose sight of the economic factors at play.

Since petroleum prices crashed in 2014, the Gulfs oil riches havent been nearly as fabulous as they once were. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated oils decline; the UAE is looking at a fall of 30% or more in its petro-revenues this year. The world will eventually get back to normal, but oil revenues in a world increasingly reliant on natural gas and renewable energy are likely never to reach the heights they once did.

The Gulf oil states know their future lies beyond oil, and are making a concerted push to expand tourism and technology. Dubai, which has been running low on oil for a long time, is the furthest along of all, reports the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. It gets only a tiny percentage of its GDP from petroleum; the rest comes from serving as a global logistics, financial, and aviation hub, as well as property development.

Especially when it comes to high tech, science, and defense, no country in the region can provide the UAE with the scientific know-how and research sophistication that Israel can. And leading voices in the Emirati media are saying so, as a recent dispatch by MEMRI, the Middle East Media Research Institute, makes clear.

We have much to learn from the Israeli experience, wrote Yousuf Al-Sharif in Al-Bayan, a popular Arabic newspaper in Dubai. His admiration for Israel borders on fulsome:

In the 70 years since it declared its independence, Israel has faced many challenges: the challenges of establishing a state . . . and of maintaining its security amid this historic conflict. This is experience we can benefit from and study in depth, putting aside our emotions and sympathy for one side at the expense of the other. The fact is that Israel has excelled at [maintaining its security]. . . . Israel has strategic military and defense plans that allowed it to stand fast throughout this period, despite wars . . . which almost threatened its existence. We should benefit from this experience and plumb the secrets that led to its [successful] outcomes. In recent years, the world has suffered continent-spanning terror, with bombings and terror attacks reaching many countries across the globe. Many advanced countries in Europe failed to protect their cities and citizens. . . . Israel's general and military intelligence apparatus is one of the strongest in the world, and it possesses military technology that it developed extensively over the years. . . . But this technology never reached our Arab countries and we did not benefit from it, although we desperately need it in light of the ongoing threats. . . . We must be realistic and [acknowledge] that Israel and the Israeli companies working in this field are more advanced than other companies around the world and are several steps ahead of them. This means that we can derive a lot of benefit from [ties with Israel] in the coming years.

Even more enthusiastic is Manahel Thabet, a economist and consultant from Yemen who lives in the UAE. She also writes in Al-Bayan:

Israel spends about 4.7% of its national income on scientific research, and its universities score high in global rankings It has 55 institutions of higher education, including eight universities Scientific research in Israel focuses on the fields of computers, the information industry, the software industry, nuclear science and technology, the study of space and its applications, and biological and medical technology. . . . Israel leads the world in production and research. Israeli researchers have published 138,881 well-conducted studies in scientific journals. . . . As for [Israeli] patents, they are the most blatant indication of the gap between the Arabs and Israel, which has registered about 16,805 patents.

Thabet hails the wise leadership of the UAE for overcoming the anti-Israel complex that still plagues much of Arab society.

Special boarding passes were printed to commemorate El Al's first direct flight today between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi

Plainly, attitudes are evolving. An Arab boycott of Israel that for decades seemed implacable is increasingly falling out of favor with Arab thinkers, diplomats, and journalists who have come to see it as counterproductive. In the New York Times last November, correspondent David Halbfinger reported on a new group of liberal-minded Arab thinkers from across the Middle East who are pushing to engage with Israel on the theory that it would aid their societies and further the Palestinian cause. Members of the group share a view that isolating and demonizing Israel has cost Arab nations billions in trade. They say it has also undercut Palestinian efforts to build institutions for a future state, and torn at the Arab social fabric, as rival ethnic, religious, and national leaders increasingly apply tactics that were first tested against Israel.

Arabs are the boycotts first  and only  victims, Eglal Gheita, an Egyptian-British lawyer, declared.

Among the groups organizers is someone with a famous name: Anwar Sadat, the nephew and namesake of the Egyptian president who signed the first Arab peace treaty with Israel. Another organizer, Mustafa el-Dessouki, is the managing editor of an influential Saudi-funded newsmagazine. He told Halbfinger that he meets more and more Arabs who share his view that their governments hostility to the Jewish state is primitive and passe and who actually want to connect with Israelis. Granted, that is still a minority view in the Arab world. It will take a while for it to spread widely among the Arab and Muslim grassroots. But the UAEs rulers, attuned to the benefits closer ties with Israel can generate, arent waiting for grassroots approval  and other Arab leaders, if they are wise, will follow suit.

The British historian Paul Johnson suggested once that antisemitism  which has fueled the Arabs commercial and diplomatic animus toward Israel  should be seen as a kind of intellectual disease , fundamentally irrational and highly infectious. It exerts great self-destructive force, Johnson argued, severely harming countries and societies that engage in it. In a pattern that has recurred so predictably that he dubbed it a historical law, nations that make Jewish life untenable condemn themselves to decline and weakness.

Antisemitism exerts great self-destructive force, Johnson argued, severely harming countries and societies that engage in it.

It was true of Spain after it expelled the Jews in 1492, wrote Johnson, true of czarist Russias anti-Jewish repression, and true of Nazi Germanys descent into demonic Jew-hatred under the Nazis, which led to a cataclysmic military defeat and a Cold War rupture that lasted half a century.

It has likewise been true of the 100 million or more Arabs, marching under the banner of antisemitism all these years. Long steeped in Jew-hatred and obsessed with Israel, the Arabs squandered vast oil riches on weapons of war and propaganda In their flight from reason, they have failed to modernize or civilize their societies, to introduce democracy, or to consolidate the rule of law. Arab culture once led the world in learning, innovation, and pluralism. Today it is a world leader in almost nothing, save fratricidal violence and Islamist fanaticism.

Shunning and demonizing Israel for so long gained the Arab world little. It is wonderfully encouraging to see prominent Arab thinkers  and the first Arab government in more than a quarter-century  rejecting the old rancor, and enumerating the gains peace can make possible. May those gains proliferate and become evident to all, and may Abu Dhabis leadership in making peace with Jerusalem be emulated across the Middle East.

This op-ed originally appeared in Arguable, a weekly newsletter written by Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby.
The controversy over WE Charity and the Canada Student Service Grant may be on pause during this Parliamentary break, but its fallout is by no means over. Nor should it be.

We now know that ministerial staff apparently nudged the public service toward WE Charity to administer the $543-million CSSG, which helps explain why so little due diligence was conducted. More than the role of political admirers of Canadas only celebrity charity is at the heart of the issue, however. The deeper problem is that the federal government lacks understanding and regular means of engagement with the charitable sector  a sector as important economically as Canadas extractive industries. This is not a new problem. The sector has tried to fix this for two decades.

The CSSG might have been well-intentioned, but it was so fundamentally flawed that no organization, including the public service, could have successfully delivered it. The CSSG planned to do the impossible: provide financial support, meaningful volunteer experiences and enhanced, labour-market skills for up to 100,000 students, as well as provide help to charities and nonprofits during the COVID-19 crisis, all within a few months.

In June alone, the CSSG was to create opportunities for 10,000 students with at least 50 nonprofits. If the recruitment were to be wildly successfully, with 500 nonprofits participating, each would have had to host 20 students working as much as 30 to 60 hours a week to receive the maximum grant. Thats fantasy. The plan for August was even more unrealistic.

To put this in perspective, keep in mind that 90 per cent of charities have 10 or fewer employees, and due to the pandemic, one in five was already in financial trouble. The CSSG did not consider the needs and capacities in the charitable sector. Nor did it anticipate the implications of putting a monetary value on volunteering. The CSSG would not have helped the charities that needed it. At worst, it would have taken resources from them.

A key lesson from the WE controversy is that government needs a more informed relationship with the charitable sector. Here are four possibilities.

Create a charitable-sector cabinet  a cross-sector roundtable that enables policy-makers to have candid conversations with sector leaders, as occur in other vital industries. If this had existed, the public service would have quickly learned that the CSSG was a balmy idea, and perhaps pushed back more vigorously.

Institutionalize a voice for the sector within government. This presence needs to be embedded across departments and have sufficient political clout so that others take it seriously.

Develop a policy framework for why and how government works with the sector, and give real attention to the sector in the throne speech. Perhaps dust off the accord that it signed with the sector in 2001?

Make better use of Imagine Canadas Standards Program, one of the worlds most rigorous certification systems for charities and nonprofits. A ready means of due diligence would have been to check if any of the WE charities had been certified by the standards program (they had not, for the record). Many small charities may not have the capacity to go through the certification process, although many already have because its the right thing to do, but large organizations seeking major public funding could be expected to. The corporate sponsors that have fled WE might consider supporting the standards program.

At the very least, government must avoid making things worse for charities by imposing new heavy-handed rules on funding agreements. While the contribution agreement with the WE Charity Foundation seemed to have sailed through the approval process with few checks, a new morass of rules is not the answer. We learned this from the over-reaction to scandals in the early 2000s, which took years to untangle, with limited success. Rather, genuine funding reform is still needed, as the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector recommended in its 2018 report.

The WE controversy is an opportunity to think creatively about how to modernize the policy framework and government relationships with the charitable sector, as the Trudeau Liberals promised to do when first elected. They now have another chance.
Seventeen-year-old Kyla Murries obsession with socks is well known among friends and family.

She often gives unusual, weird or funny socks as gifts and recently her friends reciprocated. I have more than 20 pairs now, after my friends decided to take revenge, she says.

No surprise then, that she chose sock-making for her Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) business as part of her Whangaparaoa College Year 12 studies.

It was important to Kyla that her business raises money for charity, and is environmentally sustainable. She also wants to help wildlife.

She designed the koala image for her socks on her iPad and then searched high and low for a company that could make them out of 100 percent bamboo fabric.

A very small business in China was the only one she could find for the job.

I chose koalas because I am half Australian and grew up there, she says. Not only are they super cute, but they are very vulnerable, particularly after the recent bushfires.

Fifteen percent of profits will go to the Wildlife Warriors charity, originally called the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, which aims to involve and educate others globally in the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife.

So far, Kyla has sold around 60 pairs, with her first shipment due to arrive soon from China.

I would love to continue with YES, especially as I want to study business when I leave school, Kyla says. Im thinking about a whale shark for my next sock design.

Orders and info: wild.mystorbie.com/ or @wild.socksnz on Instagram.
01.09.2020 LISTEN

The NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Sunyani East constituency, Allan Sekyere, says he plans to establish a permanent secretariat to serve as the linkage between the constituents and the Member of Parliament if elected as the MP for the area.

The proposed Secretariat, which will primarily serve as the office of the Sunyani East MP, will have Job & Placement Unit, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Unit, Research & Development Unit and Counselling Unit, among several others.

All these are to bridge the gap between the MP and the constituents and to ensure that the work of the MP is properly felt by the people on the ground, he said in an interview in Sunyani.

The job centre unit will also offer direction to graduate unemployed youth who wish to start something that would earn them their daily meal. The centre will also look for all available vacancies and assist the Youth secure employment. There are some of the youths who are illiterates, the centre will empower them to secure a skillfully trained job.

In the area of education, Mr Allan Sekyere, who is a Lecturer at the Sunyani Technical University, said he would institute an annual Science and Maths quiz competition among the various schools in the constituency to whip up interest in Maths, Science and Technology in the area.

Ill also see to the setting-up of a science innovation center to tap into the scientific acumen of the constituents and develop appropriate technologies to fast track the development of the constituency and also establish an educational fund to cater for brilliant but needy children in the constituency.

On Agriculture, Mr Allan Sekyere said farmers will be encouraged to form cooperatives to receive technical and logistical support to increase productivity and make the district a food basket in the middle belt of Ghana while abattoirs will be established or improved to process meat for export.
George Mdivanian/EyeEm/Getty Images

En espanol | Many types of travel have collapsed during the coronavirus pandemic, but no sector has been hit harder than cruise lines. The industry suffered a public relations calamity when the virus exploded last February on big ships like the Diamond Princess, spurring ports to turn others away out of fear that passengers might transmit it.

Between March 1 and July 10, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered nearly 3,000 cases of COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19 and 34 deaths across 123 ships.



But at some point in 2021, cruising is poised to return. The CDC lifted its no-sail order in October, laying out new guidelines for big-ship cruising to resume operations in U.S. waters. The new Framework for Conditional Sailing Order applies to ships carrying at least 250 people, including crew, and requires cruise lines to demonstrate their infection control measures as well as run simulated voyages without paying passengers. (Cruise lines have been swamped with volunteers hoping to come aboard on those test cruises.)

As a consequence, the big lines have pushed their tentative restart dates into the spring; Royal Caribbean says it wont sail until May. Norwegian Cruise Line has canceled all sailings through March 31.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents 95 percent of the industry, said its members will return when the time is right, and that timing will be based on a number of factors, including, most importantly, input from scientists and medical experts.

The companies are booking cruises departing later in the year. For instance, you can book a three-day voyage to the Bahamas with Norwegian Cruise Line that departs Miami on July 30, starting at $1,054.33 for a couple, including taxes and fees. Note, though, that due to COVID-19, the State Department has a Reconsider Travel advisory for the Bahamas  and the country is requiring visitors to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test and apply for a Bahamas health travel visa. Its an example of how passengers and cruise lines will need to stay up on different countries COVID-19-related requirements, depending on their ports of call.

Here are just a few ways cruising  when it comes back  will be different during the pandemic (and maybe beyond).
There is a void right now in America. What has happened here in Kenosha leads directly to Donald Trumps door, and he will own this, Martin said. He must take responsibility for these actions that we are seeing across our television screens, across our devices every single day. The racism is ramping up, therefore the violence is ramping up across America. We must stand together and say, No more.
Inmates at a Wacol prison have escaped their cells, started fires, destroyed window louvres and smashed security cameras in the past 24 hours.

The unrest is a protest against the COVID-enforced lockdown at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, according to Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Martin.

All prisons from the NSW border to Rockhampton are locked down under stage four restrictions because of the COVID-19 risk. This includes the Arthur Gorrie facility on Ipswich Road in Darra, south-west of Brisbane.

An estimated 7000 inmates are affected and the restrictions mean inmates' time out of their cells and opportunities for activity are suspended, while face masks and virus testing are mandatory.
Facebook has issued a major threat to Australian news publishers. Image: Getty

Social media giant Facebook has escalated tensions between itself and Australian news publishers, threatening to ban users from sharing news content.

Facebook would prevent Australian users from sharing news stories if it and Google are forced to compensate publishers for holding their stories on the platform.

As it stands, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions (ACCC) draft code aims to address acute bargaining power imbalances and is intended to be reviewed after a year, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the details are yet to be ironed out, in terms of how much content is worth and how Facebook and Google would pay. Fletcher said the code would also support smaller publishers through the ability to collective bargain, and also said there would be penalties of up to 10 per cent of Australian turnover for companies that refused to engage.

However, Facebook Australia and New Zealand managing director Will Easton said the draft code will hurt Facebook.

"Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram," Easton said on Tuesday.

"This is not our first choice  it is our last.

"But it is the only way to protect against an outcome that defies logic and will hurt, not help, the long-term vibrancy of Australia's news and media sector."

In the year to May, Facebook shares of news content generated $200 million in revenue for publishers, he added.

"When crafting this new legislation, the commission overseeing the process ignored important facts, most critically the relationship between the news media and social media and which one benefits most from the other," Easton said.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg responded by saying the government doesnt respond to coercion or heavy handed threats. He said the reforms are world leading and will create a more sustainable landscape.

Story continues

The Australias Institutes Centre for Responsibility director Peter Lewis said Facebook has a pattern of behaviour of treating democracy with contempt.

Rather than working with the Federal Government to give effect to the ACCC to build a sustainable model for the Australian media, Facebook is threatening to block it from its platform, Lewis said.

This builds on Facebooks refusal to ensure truth in political advertising or proactively moderate divisive and destructive content on its site.

In fact, if they follow through on this threat Facebook will removing trusted journalism from its site allowing disinformation and conspiracy theories to flourish.

Facebooks statement comes weeks after Google said the plan to force it to share ad revenue, would affect all Australian users.

Google said the code favours big media companies and would allow them to make enormous and unreasonable demands.

However, the ACCC said this was misinformation from Google.

"The draft code will allow Australian news businesses to negotiate for fair payment for their journalists work that is included on Google services.

This will address a significant bargaining power imbalance between Australian news media businesses and Google and Facebook," it said, adding: "A healthy news media sector is essential to a well-functioning democracy."

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New Delhi, Sep 1 : Amid severe criticism of Facebook and the BJP-led Union Government over the reported collusion of Facebook India executive Ankhi Das and the ruling party, the Union Minister for IT and Electronics has written a hard-hitting letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg blaming the Facebook India management of alleged bias against people supporting the right-of-centre ideology.

He wrote that as a transnational digital platform, Facebook must not only be fair and neutral, but also "visibly seen to be so, to users of diverse beliefs and ideologies".

Prasad, who also holds the Communications portfolio, said: "I have been informed that in the run-up to 2019 General Elections in India, there was a concerted effort by Facebook India management to not just delete pages of substantially reduce their reach but also offer no recourse or right of appeal to affected people who are supportive of the right-of-centre ideology." He said that dozens of emails written to Facebook management received no response.

Describing the instances as bias and inaction, the minister said that it is the outcome of the "dominating political beliefs of individuals in Facebook India team".

Interestingly, the development comes a day after the Opposition Congress attacked the Centre citing a media report which claimed that the Facebook executive Ankhi Das had expressed support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2014 general election results.

The Congress on Monday demanded a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and a criminal investigation against the company's executives in India. The party said the interference by the social media giant 'is an assault on India's electoral democracy'.

Prasad, on the other hand, wrote to the Facebook CEO that individuals working in an organisation may have their individual likes or dislikes, but that must not have any bearing on the public policies and performance of the organisation.

Citing "credible" media reports, Prasad, who is also India's Law Minister, said that Facebook India team, right from the India Managing Director to other senior officials, is dominated by people who belong to a "particular" political belief.

Pointing towards the Indian National Congress, he wrote: "People from this political predisposition have been overwhelmingly defeated by the people in successive free and fair elections." He suggested that the Opposition is trying to discredit India's democratic process by dominating the decision-making apparatus of important social media platforms.

Facebook is the "latest tool in their arsenal" to stoke internal division and social disturbances, alleged the Union Minister.

He also said that it is problematic when Facebook employees are on record abusing the Prime Minister and senior cabinet ministers while still working with India at important positions.

Saying that a certain act may be acceptable as per social norms in a particular country but may not be conducive to the social norms of another country, he advised that the Facebook Community Guidelines acknowledge this aspect of diversity and respect it.

"To respect the social, religious, cultural and linguistic diversity of India, Facebook should put in place country-specific Community Guidelines," the letter said.
ASML is a top priority for the U.S. because of its world-leading technology, according to a person familiar with the case. Persuade the Dutch not to sell to China, and you dont have to worry about China going elsewhere for the technology, the person said, adding that it would be very surprising if Wang hadnt brought up ASML during his visit.
Varo Bank, N.A. ("Varo") supported by Temenos core banking technology provides innovative digital banking services aimed at the 180 million Americans currently underserved by the traditional system

Temenos cloud-native and API technology enables Varo to bring products to market faster and scale to meet the surge in digital banking adoption

Temenos' technology supports Varo's lower cost/income ratio compared to traditional banks, allowing Varo to offer digital banking services at a lower cost and expand financial inclusion for millions

Temenos (SIX: TEMN), the banking software company, today announced that its cloud-native technology platform has gone live with Varo Bank, N.A. ("Varo"). Varo, the first consumer fintech granted a national bank charter in the US, is using Temenos Transact as its core banking technology. Temenos Transact makes it possible to rapidly innovate and offer a full range of digital banking products, from deposit and saving accounts to credit and loans, at a lower cost supporting Varo's mission to advance the financial wellbeing of millions of Americans underserved by traditional banks.

Colin Walsh, Founder and CEO of Varo Bank, commented: "Varo was founded with a clear vision to deploy a more efficient business model and cutting-edge technology in order to create a new kind of bank one that is wholly designed around the financial health and wellbeing of the everyday American consumer. From the start, we knew this vision needed to be supported by having a national bank charter and an innovative technology partner like Temenos. After a three and a half year journey, I'm thrilled that Varo has made history as the first US consumer fintech to receive a national bank charter. Varo Bank is now live using our new industry-leading technology stack, developed in partnership with Temenos. Varo now has a historic opportunity to deliver the tech-driven banking products and services that will help millions of Americans make progress in their financial lives.

Varo's trailblazing, all-digital banking services are supported by Temenos Transact core banking technology hosted in the cloud. Temenos' advanced cloud-native platform enables Varo to continuously deploy new features and products and rapidly innovate. Temenos' platform also allows the bank to automate its back office, reduce costs and benefit from lower cost/income ratio. This supports Varo's ability to rapidly scale based on customer demand and offer an expanded portfolio of services at a lower cost such as checking and saving accounts with no monthly fees. Temenos US model bank approach also helped Varo meet the specific business and regulatory needs of the market in an efficient and cost-effective way. Varo is currently implementing Temenos Infinity Origination, a solution tailored to support loan and account origination in North America for banks and credit unions.

The national bank charter allows Varo to expand its offering of comprehensive, FDIC-insured banking services and accelerate the pace of product innovation, supported by Temenos' APIs Temenos technology will help Varo to bring its next generation of new banking products and features to market faster and at a lower cost.

Max Chuard, Chief Executive Officer, Temenos, said: "Congratulations to Varo for achieving this unprecedented banking charter milestone. This marks a new beginning for digital banking in the US and Temenos is proud to have supported Varo on this exciting journey. Temenos cloud technology will help Varo accelerate its impressive track record of growth, innovation and social impact. We are pleased to see strong traction in the US market across all our products as we continue to support banks to deliver value to their customers. We're delighted to have accomplished this revolutionary milestone with Varo and look forward to supporting their continued growth in this next exciting phase."

Join Temenos' leading digital event Synergy Online on 23 September to listen to Colin Walsh's keynote "The Future of Digital Banking" on how Varo, became the first consumer fintech, to receive a national bank charter in US history and is able to launch new products at an unprecedented pace through the speed of the cloud.

Ends

About Temenos

Temenos AG (SIX: TEMN) is the world's leader in banking software. Over 3,000 banks across the globe, including 41 of the top 50 banks, rely on Temenos to process both the daily transactions and client interactions of more than 500 million banking customers. Temenos offers cloud-native, cloud-agnostic and AI-driven front office, core banking, payments and fund administration software enabling banks to deliver frictionless, omnichannel customer experiences and gain operational excellence.

Temenos software is proven to enable its top-performing clients to achieve cost-income ratios of 26.8% half the industry average and returns on equity of 29%, three times the industry average. These clients also invest 51% of their IT budget on growth and innovation versus maintenance, which is double the industry average, proving the banks' IT investment is adding tangible value to their business.

For more information, please visit www.temenos.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005026/en/

Contacts:

Media Contacts

Jessica Wolfe Scott Rowe

Temenos Global Public Relations

Tel: +1 610 232 2793 +442074233857

Email: press@temenos.com



Alistair Kellie Andrew Adie

Newgate Communications on behalf of Temenos

Tel: +44 20 7680 6550

Email: allnewgatetemenos@newgatecomms.com
NOAA/NASA's Suomi NPP satellite captured two images that tell the story about the smoke coming off the fires in California. One instrument on the provided a visible image of the smoke, while another analyzed the aerosol content within. The images were captured on August 30, 2020.

The first image captured by the Suomi NPP satellite using the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) Corrected Reflectance imagery shows a true-color image (called true-color or natural color because this combination of wavelengths is similar to what the human eye would see) of the wildfires still burning across large swaths of the state. Smoke is pouring off the fires and traveling in two different directions. Some of the smoke is traveling northeast into Nevada and as far east (in this image) as Salt Lake City, Utah, and some is traveling west into the Pacific Ocean.

The second image was captured by Suomi NPP with the OMPS Aerosol Indexer and shows not only the direction of the smoke's travel but the thickness of the aerosol layer that has moved outward from the fires. The OMPS (Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite) Aerosol Indexer on Suomi NPP is an instrument that indicates the presence of ultraviolet-absorbing particles in the air coming from dust (desert) or, as in this case, soot from fires. The Aerosol Indexer found on the image as a scale is unitless, that is, the lowest and highest range do not relate directly to each other. It just indicates whether the scale is low or high. In this image of smoke coming off the California fires, the aerosols found were mostly in the moderate range (yellow) with some higher range areas (red). Higher concentrations can reduce visibility and impact human health. The Aerosol index is also useful for tracking long-range transport of these aerosols that move along jet streams.

NASA's satellite instruments are often the first to detect wildfires burning in remote regions, and the locations of new fires are sent directly to land managers worldwide within hours of the satellite overpass. Together, NASA instruments detect actively burning fires, track the transport of smoke from fires, provide information for fire management, and map the extent of changes to ecosystems, based on the extent and severity of burn scars. NASA has a fleet of Earth-observing instruments, many of which contribute to our understanding of fire in the Earth system. Satellites in orbit around the poles provide observations of the entire planet several times per day, whereas satellites in a geostationary orbit provide coarse-resolution imagery of fires, smoke and clouds every five to 15 minutes. For more information visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/fires/main/missions/index.html

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now." Actively burning fires, detected by thermal bands, are shown as red points. Image Courtesy: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS).

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PNC Infratech has signed the concession agreement for the following national highway project with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on 31 August 2020:

Four-laning of Meerut - Nazibabad section of NH-119 (New NH-34) from design chainage Km 11+500 (Meerut) to 39.250 (Behsuma) and from km 79.500 (Bijnor) to 105.700 (Jalalabad), in the state of Uttar Pradesh under Bharatmala Pariyojna on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM)

The bid project cost is Rs 1412 crore.

In the current financial year, the Company has executed concession agreements for four (4) national highway projects including the above project, to be executed on HAM model with NHAI for an aggregate Bid Project Cost of Rs. 6596.0 crore.

The Company has also executed agreements for two national highway projects on EPC mode with NHAI for a total contract value of Rs. 1547.8 crore, in the current financial yea

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Kanye West has claimed he spent $50 million on his Sunday Service last year.

The 43-year-old rapper made the claim during an interview with Nick Cannon on his podcast, Cannon's Class, on Tuesday.

'I spent every dime that I have for marketing from Yeezy on Sunday Service. Every dollar I had,' said the Gold Digger hitmaker.

Big bucks: Kanye West has claimed he spent $50 million on his Sunday Service last year

The father-of-four continued, 'I spent $50 million last year on Sunday Service if you add up the operas, if you add up the flights. It was 120 people going to Jamaica.'

'The Yeezys, they were selling themselves. So instead of paying for ads, I invested it in the church. I invested in spreading gospel. I invested in saying Jesus' name on high.'

West began his weekly religious ceremonies-cum-concerts in January 2019, and soon moved the invitation-only events from the Calabasas property he shares with wife Kim Kardashian to a US and later international tour.

Shoe dollars: 'I spent every dime that I have for marketing from Yeezy on Sunday Service. Every dollar I had,' said the Gold Digger hitmaker

Pricey: The father-of-four continued, 'I spent $50 million last year on Sunday Service if you add up the operas, if you add up the flights. It was 120 people going to Jamaica'

In the same interview, West denied speculation he is running for president in an effort to help Donald Trump gain re-election and insisted that no one is bankrolling his campaign.

In a preview clip of the interview, West brought up rumors that he is in 'cahoots' with Republicans.

'They're saying that they're paying you to do what you're doing to be a distraction,' Cannon said in reply.

West quickly quashed that suggestion, saying: 'Bro, can't nobody pay me! I got more money than Trump!'

West also denied speculation he is running for president in an effort to help Donald Trump gain re-election and insisted that no one is bankrolling his campaign

West discussed his unlikely presidential bid in an interview with Nick Cannon's Cannon Class podcast airing Tuesday. Cannon shared a preview of the interview on Instagram on Monday

The pair shared a hearty laugh before Cannon said: 'But people are saying that you're a distraction, and because they don't want four more years of Trump, maybe you might.

'You want an alternative of four years of Ye. Is that realistic right now in 2020?'

'I'm not running for president - I'm walking,' West replied.

The interview recorded at the West Mountain Ranch in Cody, Wyoming, will be released in full on Tuesday.

West's claim that he's richer than Trump appears to be untrue, as Forbes lists the former's net worth at $1.3billion and the latter's at $2.1billion.

But the rapper disputed Forbes' estimate when it came out back in April, saying that his true worth exceeds $3billion.

West got a big laugh from Cannon when he said: 'I'm not running for president - I'm walking'

West announced his presidential candidacy in early July - just four months before election day.

'We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION,' he tweeted on Independence Day.

The announcement was met with with mixed reactions of skepticism and excitement, as online bookmakers placed his odds of winning at 50/1 - or two percent.

Since entering the race, West has done little to promote his candidacy and has only managed to get his name on the ballot in ten states so far, per CNN: Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont.

His ballot status is still under review in Virginia and he still has time to file in Arizona, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Rhode Island.

In the remaining 33 states, West either missed the deadline to file for a ballot application or was denied because he didn't have enough signatures.

West celebrated Independence Day by announcing his presidential candidacy on Twitter

Trouble within West's campaign has fueled speculation about his motives for staying in the race - including claims that Trump and the GOP may be bankrolling him in an effort to siphon black votes from Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Concern among Democrats ratcheted up earlier this month after Jared Kushner, the senior White House adviser who also has a hand in Trump's re-election campaign, confirmed that he had spoken with West several times, along with other members of the billionaire's long-shot presidential campaign.

'Kanye's been a friend of mine for  I've known him for about 10 years,' the president's senior adviser said during a White House press briefing.

'There's a lot of issues that the president has championed that he admires,' Kushner said of him.

West publicly aligned with Trump in a series of tweets in October 2018 that sparked concerns over the rapper's mental state.

Soon after, he paid a visit to Trump at the White House - while wearing the president's trademark MAGA hat - and delivered a rambling, profanity-laden speech in which he discussed alternate universes and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which he said was actually sleep deprivation.

Speaking to a crowd of reporters in the Oval Office he said the hat was like a Superman cape and said that Trump made him a billionaire.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- With the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic exacerbating existing food insecurity issues throughout the city, state and country, federal lawmakers from New York are looking to ensure that no families go hungry due to lack of food.

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was joined Tuesday by Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) and representatives from Catholic Charities of Staten Island and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York to call for expanded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Pandemic EBT benefits.

This pandemic and economic crisis have left people sick and scared, hurting and hungry. Through no fault of their own, people have lost their jobs, their paychecks, and their ability to put food on the table. Thats why its critical that the next relief package prioritizes expanding SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Pandemic EBT benefits, said Gillibrand.

Between the economic fallout from this pandemic, and the school closures that have made it harder for children to get free or reduced-price meals, the work of our food pantries has never been more important. Fortunately, we have an incredible network of food pantries here on Staten Island, but we cant ask them to do it alone. We have to make sure they have the resources they need to make sure no families fall through the cracks, said Rose.

In addition to calling for the expansion of benefits in the next federal relief package, Gillibrand announced a new bill she has introduced, the Ensuring Nutrition for Americas Students Act, which is focused on providing additional nutritional assistance to families who have lost access to free or reduced lunches due to pandemic-related school closures.

The incredible community leaders I met with today cant do it alone. They need our federal government to step up and find ways to catch the kids slipping through the cracks. Passing the Ensuring Nutrition for Americas Student Act will help us do that by extending Pandemic-EBT through the next academic school year, at the very least. I will keep working with my colleagues and reaching across the aisle to enact this program, Gillibrand said.

Tuesdays press conference was held outside the CYO Community Services Center in Port Richmond, where this afternoons food pantry line stretched around the block, with dozens of Staten Island families clearly demonstrating the need for additional nutritional assistance within the community.

Here on Staten Island, Catholic Charities operates multiple emergency food service programs in order to combat hunger and food insecurity among Staten Islanders. Since the pandemic, weve seen an increase in the demand for emergency food services and as a result, we have increased our services to the public. We have seen at least quadruple the need, said Michelle LaVignera, Director of Social Services at Catholic Charities of Staten Island.

Catholic Charities will do our part, but its not enough. We need our federal government to step up to the plate, said Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at this hour. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

China in 70 years has not occupied an inch of foreign land: Beijing

Beijing on Tuesday again blamed India for the latest bout of tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, saying China has never occupied an inch of territory belonging to another country and New Delhi should take its concerns seriously and contribute to peace and tranquillity at the border.

Read more.

The curious link behind Chinas Ladakh moves and a looming food crisis | Analysis

President Xi Jinping launched Operation Clean Plate last fortnight to prepare China for a potential food crisis, contributed in part by the diplomatic muscle-flexing he has pursued abroad to bolster his standing at home. But Beijings aggressive manoeuvres in Ladakh, the South China Sea and beyond - seen to have been prompted by a design to divert attention from domestic troubles - have cratered Chinas relations with its neighbours and soured relations with its three important food suppliers - the United States, Canada and Australia.

Read more.

Nation bids tearful adieu to Pranab Mukherjee

Former President and Bharat Ratna Pranab Mukherjees last rites were performed with full military honour at the Lodhi Road crematorium in south Delhi on Tuesday amid strict adherence to social distancing norms because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak that forced a limited presence of family and his friends.

Read more.

India China border row: Situation critical in Ladakh after PLA aggression in Chushul

The situation in East Ladakh continues to remain tense with the Indian Army matching the heavy weapon posturing of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday after pre-empting China from moving into the dominating heights south of Pangong Tso on August 29-30 night, people familiar with the development said.

Read more.

JEE Mains 2020: What students across India said after the exams

JEE Mains 2020: The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2020 commenced on Tuesday, September 1 at 489 Centres across the country for B.Arch. and B.Planning aspirants. The B.Tech./B.E Joint Entrance Examination JEE(Main) will be conducted from September 2 to 6 at 605 Cent res across India.

Read more.

Honda announces realigned variant line-up of fourth-generation City

Honda Cars India on Tuesday announced the two variants - SV MT Petrol and V MT Petrol - that the fourth-generation City will continue to be sold in. The car will be available alongside the latest fifth-generation City that was launched earlier this year.

Read more.

Watch: After provoking at LAC, now China accuses India of violating consensus

After trying to change the status quo in the southern bank of the Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh, now the Chinese embassy in India has accused the Indian Army of violating the consensus reached during the talks between two sides. Responding to a media query by the Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, Counselor Ji Rong said that India troops illegally trespassed the Line of Actual Control and conducted violations which stirred tension in the border areas.

Read more.

National Nutrition Week 2020: Different diets and how they facilitate your nutritional intake

The first week of September marks the National Nutrition Week in India. It is an annual event which was launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Developments Food and Nutrition Board in 1982.

Read more.
Businesses should be made to publish data about how much they pay employees of different ethnicities, Labour has said, in order to help stamp out discrimination in the workplace.

Black, Asian and minority ethnic workers are paid less on average than their white counterparts, and the opposition argues that requiring companies to publish their ethnicity pay gaps would help bring about real action to reduce racial pay inequality.

Since 2017, companies with more than 250 employees have had to report their so-called gender pay gap  the difference between what they pay men and women.

In October 2018, the government launched a consultation on whether ethnicity pay-gap reporting should also be introduced, but there has been little movement on the policy side since then. In March this year, ministers suspended gender pay-gap reporting because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The latest call from the opposition comes on the 43rd anniversary of the passing of the Race Relations Act 1976, and nearly two years since the government launched its original consultation.

Introducing mandatory ethnicity pay-gap reporting would make a significant difference to hundreds of thousands of people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, helping to bring about real action to reduce racial pay inequality. But this government seems unwilling to take action to make this a reality, said Marsha de Cordova, the shadow secretary of state for women and equalities.

Over the last few years, people have grown tired of consultation after consultation around racial inequalities that never come to any tangible change.

It really is not hard to find support from bodies representing both employers and employees for this call today: the government has a golden opportunity to show us that it will take action to address the race pay gap in the UK, and that it really does want to support black, Asian and minority ethnic workers.

This is why I am calling on the prime minister today to set a date for the introduction of mandatory ethnicity pay reporting of April 2021.

I cannot find anyone  whether in or outside of government  with a single good reason why the government has not moved immediately to deliver this small but significant intervention Marsha De Cordova, Labour shadow secretary of state for women and equalities.

Ms De Cordova wrote directly to Boris Johnson on Tuesday, urging him to push forward with the reform. In the letter, seen by The Independent, she said she could not find anyone  whether in or outside of government  with a single good reason why the government has not moved immediately to deliver this small but significant intervention.

In 2016, research by the Trades Union Congress found that black workers with degrees earn nearly a quarter less on average than their white counterparts. In 2019, a Bank of England study identified that minority ethnic workers earn 10 per cent less than white workers.

In June, the chair of the governments Equality and Human Rights Commission, David Isaac, said the commission supported the introduction of mandatory reporting. He also suggested that the bar for companies to report could eventually be lowered from 250 employees to 50 for both gender and ethnicity pay-gap reporting.

A handful of businesses already voluntarily publish their ethnicity pay-gap data. Zurich Insurance, which was the first insurer to do so, says it fully supports calls for mandatory reporting. The organisations head of HR, Steve Collinson, said in a statement that the firm recognised that reporting was unlikely to be enough on its own to force the change that is needed and that firms needed to understand and address underlying prejudices.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 January 2022 Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast PA UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA

Sandra Kerr, race director at Business in the Community, said: The Labour Party has recognised that its the moment to act on ethnicity pay-gap reporting and now its time for the government to do the same.

The issue of race inequality in our workplaces goes beyond party politics; its a fundamental rebalancing of our society which is long overdue.

As the responsible business network, we know that businesses are ready for the government to step in  unless reporting is mandatory, it cannot reach the scale or consistency we need. Pay-gap reporting may not be a silver bullet, but making sure that conversations about ethnicity, progression and pay transparency take place in boardrooms across the UK is a pretty good place to start.
UK may make at-home medical abortions permanent; some 90K performed during shutdown

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The United Kingdom is seriously considering making permanent a temporary measure allowing for women to do medical abortions at home without going to a clinic.

Earlier this year, in response to shutdowns aimed at curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, the British government temporarily lifted a rule requiring women taking mifepristone and misoprostol to end a pregnancy to visit a clinic.

However, according to Nigel Nelson of The Mirror, the government may consider making the temporary rule suspension permanent, as about 90,000 at-home medical abortions have occurred since March.

While the temporary rule suspension was set to expire after 18 months, Health Minister Lord James Bethell said that there will be a public consultation on permanent home use of both pills for early medical abortion," according to The Mirror.

Dr. Jonathan Lord, of the prominent abortion provider Marie Stopes UK, expressed support for the decision, arguing that it was a step forward for womens health.

Thanks to telemedicine, women have been able to access the timely, high-quality care they deserve, stated Lord, as reported by the Mirror. Had this not been available the consequences could have been catastrophic.

In March, the U.K. Department of Health and Social Care temporarily changed abortion regulations, allowing women seeking an abortion before the 10th week of pregnancy to take abortion-inducing pills at home.

The policy says a medical abortion can only be carried out at home if the patient had a consultation with an approved place via video link, telephone conference or other electronic means or had consultation with a registered medical practitioner via video link, telephone conference or other electronic means.

Critics, among them Dr. Helen Watt is Senior Research Fellow at the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, a Roman Catholic organization, denounced the temporary suspension.

In a column published by The Tablet before Bethell's comments, Watt argued that the governments decision came in the teeth of opposition from those pointing out the dangers to women: severe bleeding and infection, undiagnosed ectopics, inability to check the stage of gestation, inability to check for the presence of coercion.

The location of a baby does not change its moral status, she argued. Even in normal cases, medical abortion is painful, bloody and distressing."
Last week, a Russian armored personnel carrier rammed a U.S. Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle in Syria. China test-fired "carrier killer" missiles into the South China Sea. A massive Russian nuclear submarine surfaced off Alaska, and Russia fighters hit the afterburners to come within 100 feet of a B-52 Stratofortress bomber.

The U.S. has warned that the recent spike in incidents exceeds the usual tit-for-tat testing of defenses and readiness that has gone on for decades and poses the risk of escalation into open conflict.

Read next: Fort Bragg Investigating Army Officer for Crass Holocaust Joke on TikTok

According to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the number of Russian warplanes entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) has increased this year.

F-22 Raptor fighters were scrambled to intercept three groups of two Tu-142 Russian maritime patrol aircraft that entered the ADIZ on Aug. 27, NORAD said in a statement.

The Russian aircraft loitered within the ADIZ for approximately five hours and came within 50 nautical miles of Alaskan shores but remained in international airspace, according to NORAD.

"Our northern approaches have had an increase in foreign military activity as our competitors continue to expand their military presence and probe our defenses," said Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the NORAD commander.

"This year, we've conducted more than a dozen intercepts, the most in recent years," he said. "The importance of our continued efforts to project air defense operations in and through the north has never been more apparent."

The NORAD statement came on the same day that U.S. Northern Command said it was "closely monitoring the Russian submarine that surfaced near Alaska" in waters where a Russian official said its warships had never operated before.

The submarine, which appeared to be the Omsk -- a 500-foot, nuclear cruise missile sub -- was part of war games by more than 50 warships and about 40 aircraft in the Bering Sea, Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov, Russia's navy chief, said in a statement to the Russian Defense Ministry.

"We are holding such massive drills there for the first time ever," Yevmenov said.

In a blunt warning over the U.S. Navy's continuing freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, China last week test-fired at least four land-based, medium-range missiles dubbed "carrier killers" as part of wide-ranging military exercises.

In an Aug. 27 statement, the Defense Department said, "Conducting military exercises over disputed territory in the South China Sea is counterproductive to easing tensions and maintaining stability."

The statement noted "the firing of ballistic missiles around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea."

China's state-run media said the missiles were DF-21D and DF-26 missiles, both of which have been touted in Chinese propaganda as highly accurate, maneuverable in flight and able to hit ships moving at sea.

"China's DF-26 and DF-21D are the world's first ballistic missiles capable of targeting large and medium-sized vessels, earning them the title of 'aircraft carrier killers,'" the state-run Global Times said.

The level of provocation in the incidents also appears to be increasing. Last Friday, two Russian Su-27 Flanker fighters flew alongside a B-52 conducting "routine operations" over the Black Sea and then hit the afterburners to pass repeatedly within 100 feet of the bomber's nose, according to video of the incident and a Defense Department statement.

Air Force Gen. Jeff Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa, said in the statement, "While the Russian aircraft were operating in international airspace, they jeopardized the safety of flight of the aircraft involved. We expect them to operate within international standards set to ensure safety and prevent accidents."

Military analysts agree that incidents in which the Russian and Chinese militaries appear to challenge the U.S. presence are increasing, but differ on what they indicate.

Russia has taken more aggressive actions, but "we're seeing the same behavior from China," said retired Adm. James Stavridis, the former NATO commander.

Both Russia and China are seeking to take advantage "as America turns inward" under the "America first" policy of President Donald Trump, Stavridis said Sunday on MSNBC.

"It is definitely an escalation" in provocative actions, he added.

Most of the recent incidents "have been relatively routine, but some have been new and dangerous," said Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

He cited as particularly concerning the incident in northeast Syria last week in which an armored personnel carrier in a Russian military patrol allegedly rammed a U.S. vehicle, injuring at least four troops.

The U.S. and Russian militaries coming into direct contact on the ground is "especially worrying" and poses the most risk of getting out of control, Cancian said.

"Unsafe and unprofessional actions like this represent a breach of deconfliction protocols, committed to by the United States and Russia in December 2019," John Ullyot, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said in a statement at the time.

"There's a long history of these kinds of incidents" in which the militaries of the U.S., Russia and China come in close contact, but there are procedures in place to prevent them from escalating, Cancian said.

The latest incidents, however, reflect Russia and China's intentions to demonstrate that they are military powers capable of confronting the U.S., he added.

Cancian disagreed with Stavridis on whether the incidents suggest that Russia and China are taking advantage of a U.S. retreat from the world stage, saying that such an interpretation amounts to "trying to read domestic politics into international incidents."

"I don't see them connected to Trump and 'America First.' That's not what I'm seeing," Cancian said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Related: US Military Video Shows Russian Fighter Jets Crossing in Front of a B-52 Bomber During 'Unsafe' Intercept
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Eyeing her 60-year-old husband's wealth, a 28-year-old woman staged a "robbery" at her own apartment within a month of their marriage, police said on Tuesday after arresting her along with her male accomplice.

The accused duo robbed Rs 2.18 lakh and gold jewellery from the flat.

The woman also inflicted an injury on herself and tied herself up to mislead both her husband and the investigators, police said.

The police claimed to have recovered the stolen cash and jewellery from the house of the woman's associate, identified as Jitender (30).

The accused woman was a widow and her mother worked as a maid at the house of the man named Ramesh Kumar, aged 65 years.

Just a month ago, she got married to Kumar.

She was his third wife of Kumar, who had a five-year-old son from his previous marriage, police said.

Kumar had a fan manufacturing unit here in Delhi but due to losses in business, he had to shut down his factory.

However, he was making good money by renting out several of his properties, police said.

The incident took place on August 30 in Shastri Nagar in north Delhi's Sarai Rohilla, police said.

After reaching the flat, the police were told by the woman that some unidentified men had entered her house "forcefully" and after injuring her with a hammer, they robbed all the cash and jewellery and tied her hands and legs before fleeing.

It was her husband who called the police after seeing his wife tied up and injured.

The accused woman was then taken to Acharya Bhikshu hospital by the police where she received treatment.

An investigation was initiated immediately soon after a case was registered on the statement of her husband, said Anto Alphonse, deputy commissioner of police (north).

During investigation, it was found that the woman's husband had married thrice.

After his first wife expired in 2010, he married another lady who later left him.

Thereafter, he married the accused woman, he said.

The crime team was called to the spot and the site was inspected in detail.

All the relatives were questioned and CCTV footage of the rooms were scanned.

After she returned from hospital, the accused woman was questioned in detail during which police noticed contradictions in her statements.

So the entire sequence of the crime was recreated, he said.

During interrogation, the woman confessed to staging the robbery with Jitender.

The team immediately raided his house and recovered the robbed items, he added.

delhJitender told the police that he is married and had met the accused woman earlier. Both Jitender and the accused woman hatched a conspiracy to stage the robbery at her husband's flat.

"In order to mislead her husband and the police, she injured herself on the forehead and tied her hands and legs while her associate took away the cash and jewellery and hid it at his house," the DCP said.
Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has revealed her fear that the US is 'descending into a race war' as violence across the country continues and the FBI probes a potential network of domestic terrorists who may be traveling to protest hotspots.

Bowser, a Democrat, was speaking at a press conference on Monday after a weekend of chaos in the nation's capital which saw demonstrators clash with police outside Black Lives Matter Plaza.

'What Im worried about is this country descending into a race war,' she said, adding that intensified police forces in some cities - like Portland and Seattle - has created more anger among protesters.

DC Police Chief Peter Newsham also said there was evidence that groups of people are driving to various protest hotspot cities, like tourists, to participate or even provoke the violence.

He said that the same van had been spotted at the riots in Kenosha, Portland and DC, and that the FBI is now investigating potential domestic terror groups. It was driven by Jeremy Vajko, 27.

Police in Washington DC on Saturday night used tear gas to disperse the crowds of rioters

According to an incident report, he plowed the van into a crowd of more than 100 people. Vajko was arrested for reckless driving but charges are not being pursued.

He claims he was only driving at 5mph and that he has been in Portland and Kenosha to give out medical supplies. He was previously arrested in June and July in Portland for disrupting the peace.

Chief Newsham said of him: 'There was a van that was driving recklessly potentially could have hit pedestrians and officers.

'That vehicle was a van - it was registered on the West Coast, in Washington State. We have intelligence to suggest that van was also at some of the violence we saw in Portland an Kenosha.'

He said later: 'This isnt just Washington, D.C. Weve seen violence in other cities, and to the extent that that is coordinated, us in law enforcement, we have a responsibility to find out if it is.'

'Theres a potential that it could be domestic terrorism,' he said.

The FBI has not released any information about the van or any other potential domestic terror groups.

An incident report by Metropolitan Police Department said he plowed the vehicle into crowds of protesters outside the Hay Adams hotel at around 1.15am.

Newsham went on to say that the police force's response in Washington over the weekend was warranted, and that the crowds are who are inciting violence - not law enforcement.

'Police officers are human beings too. When you throw bricks and rocks and bottles and urine, and you set fires, there is going to a police reaction.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump tweeted warning Mayor Bowser to arrest the rioters or he will send in the National Guard

A woman confronts a line of riot police in Washington DC at BLM Plaza on Saturday night

'So folks who want to suggest or paint the picture that this was somehow peaceful, and the police indiscriminately used munitions against them, theyre not being honest,' he said.

Since Thursday night, police in DC have arrested 69 people in relation to the protests.

Newsham said on Monday that '70 percent' of them had come from other cities but he did not give specifics.

Trump on Sunday told Bowser to start arresting people or have the National Guard sent in.

'Mayor Bowser should arrest these agitators and thugs! Clean up D.C. or the Federal Government will do it for you. Enough!!' he tweeted.

She complained on Monday that even when the police do arrest people, prosecutors do not bring charges.

It came as Trump tweeted that Democrat mayors and governors of cities and states where there is ongoing unrest have 'lost control'.

'The Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their Movement.

'It wasnt supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and dont listen anymore - even forced Slow Joe out of basement!' he tweeted on Monday.
American-Colombian DJ & producer Erick Morillo has today been found dead in his Miami Beach apartment according to reports from TMZ.

Morillo was 49 years old, with circumstances surrounding his death still unclear.

Morillo had recently been arrested on charges of sexual battery, turning himself in on August 6.

Musically, he is best known for 1993 track 'I Like To Move It', released under the pseudonym Reel 2 Real.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said that India 'wholeheartedly' endorses the broad concept of working towards ensuring a trustworthy, dependable and reliable supply chain in the Indo-Pacific region.

Speaking at the Australia-India-Japan Ministers' meeting on 'Supply Chains Resilience' held via videoconference, he said the diversification of the supply chain is critical for managing the risks associated with the supply of inputs including disciplining price volatility.

"We could provide the core pathway for linking value chains in the region by creating a network of reliable long term supplies and appropriate capacities," Goyal said.

The meet was held in the backdrop of the Covid-19 crisis and the recent global-scale changes in the economic and technological landscape.

It was attended by Australia's Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Senator Simon Birmingham, and Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kajiyama Hiroshi.

The Ministers' underscored the necessity and potential to enhance the resiliency of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region.

Recognising the pressing need for regional cooperation on supply chain resilience in the Indo-Pacific, the ministers shared their intention to work towards the launch of a new initiative to achieve the objective through cooperation.

Addressing the trilateral meet, Goyal said that the initiative also dwells on improving the competitiveness of sectors.

"For this, we may need to identify the manufacturing and services sectors which contribute most to the domestic value addition in the region," Goyal said.

"We support the need for specific activities listed for enhancing the resilience of the supply chains which include those related to promotion and facilitating trade and investment as well as diversification of production base." He said that the digitisation of trade procedures is a very important step for facilitating trade and thereby maintaining resilience in supply chains.
Taiwan, Czech choose to live in democracy: Czech senate president

ROC Central News Agency

08/31/2020 07:10 PM

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) Visiting Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil said on Monday that the biggest feature shared by Taiwanese and Czechs is that they both choose to live in democratic and free societies.

Vystrcil praised Taiwan as beautiful, free and democratic during a speech at National Chengchi University in Taipei one day after his arrival heading an 89-member delegation.

"I am convinced the most important common denominator of the people of Taiwan and the Czech Republic and their biggest strength at the same time is the fact they chose to live in democracy, freely and voluntarily," Vystrcil said.

Both Taiwan and the Czech Republic have endured difficult paths to win their democracy and freedom, with both paths sharing certain similarities, Vystrcil said.

The Czech Republic gained freedom and democracy in 1989 in the Velvet Revolution after 40 years of oppression, Vystrcil said, adding that the late former President Vaclav Havel is their father of modern democracy and freedom, just like the late President Lee Teng-hui () is for Taiwan.

Vystrcil also praised the youth of both countries for playing an instrumental role in upholding democracy.

"In a symbolic way on Nov. 17, 1989, International Students Day, young people and students in particular, found the courage and, together with a handful of dissidents -- one of whom was Havel -- gave us the energy and strength that allowed us to gain our freedom in the Velvet Revolution," Vystrcil said.

Taiwanese students played a similar role in the Wild Lily movement of 1990, in which they demanded true democratic parliamentary elections, as well as direct presidential elections, Vystrcil said.

Vystrcil stressed the importance of upholding the hard-earned democracy and that he would never be passive against protecting freedom.

"I would never obey or accept a recommendation even if presented by the highest ranking and most powerful representatives that would weaken our independence, sovereignty and distinctiveness, while damaging freedom and democracy anywhere in the world," Vystrcil said.

Prior to winning their freedom and democracy in 1989, many in what used to be called Cechoslovakia did not protest against the oppressive communist regime, where people waited in long lines to buy goods that were in short supply, Vystrcil said.

"We were dissatisfied, we were unfree, but with the exception of domestic criticism in matters that were safe to criticize, we remained silent," Vystrcil said. "As we commonly say, almost everyone just shut up and kept up their pace."

Hence, Vystrcil said, he supports Taiwan's protection of its democracy and freedom.

"Believe me when I say that we know very well in the Czech Republic what it is like to live with a Big Brother behind your back. Because the Big Brother never forgives weakness and mistakes," Vystrcil said.

Vystrcil was referring to China, who has expressed strong objections to the trip to Taiwan by the Czech Republic's second-highest ranking official.

"Democratic countries should also support each other while supporting other countries that are actually fighting for their democracy or that may be threatened by the strong and powerful," Vystrcil said.

Vystrcil's delegation, which includes Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib and representatives of the country's political, business, scientific and cultural sectors, will be in Taiwan until Sept. 4.

(By William Yen)

Enditem/J

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TOKYO: Japans top steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp is seeking overseas mergers and acquisitions (M&As) but not for further M&A deals at home, its president, Eiji Hashimoto, said on Tuesday.

We are not considering to proceed with any further M&As in Japan, but we want to seek M&As overseas," Hashimoto told a news conference, the key growth markets for Nippon Steel being India, the United States and ASEAN countries.

The worlds third-biggest steelmaker wants to boost its group-wide crude steel output to 100 million tonnes from about 65 million tonnes to become a leading global steelmaker", he said, without giving a timeline.

We still aim to become the worlds top steelmaker by market capitalization, but our first aim is to be the top steelmaker (by capitalization) excluding Chinese rivals," he said.

Nippon Steel said in August, after posting its biggest first-quarter loss since 2012, that it could hasten and extend restructuring measures to contend with the tough business environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hashimoto reiterated that additional restructuring measures are necessary", but did not give any further details. The company will announce such measures when finalised, he said.

To cope with slumping demand amid the coronavirus pandemic, Nippon Steel has temporarily idled about 30% of its furnace volume, suspending six blast furnaces out of 15 in total in Japan.

Hashimoto said Nippon Steel may resume operation at one of the six suspended furnaces by end-March if a faster-than-expected recovery in demand in China and Japan continues.

Nippon Steel plans to announce its carbon reduction plans to 2030 and 2050 during the financial year to end-March 2021, Hashimoto said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks in Pittsburgh on Monday (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

On Monday in Pittsburgh, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden denounced violence that has attended some recent protests, even as he accused President Trump of fanning the flames.

I want to make it absolutely clear, so Im going to be very clear about all of this, Biden said. Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting. None of this is protesting. Its lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted.

But the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal wasn't satisfied. "Surely Biden knows that the protests and riots since Memorial Day are overwhelmingly led by Black Lives Matter and antifa," the Journal's editorial board said. "Mr. Biden didnt mention those groups in his prepared remarks, and he never used the words left-wing to describe those who are burning businesses and attacking police precincts.

So what? Its clear from Bidens remarks that he was denouncing violence by people aligning themselves with what the Journal apparently would call a left-wing agenda  protesting police brutality and asserting that Black lives matter.

Besides, on Sunday  the day before the Pittsburgh speech  Biden said in reference to violence in Portland that I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right.

The Journal is in bad company in fixating on Biden's failure to say the magic word "antifa."

On Sunday night, six hours after Biden denounced violence "whether on the left or on the right," Trump tweeted: "When is Slow Joe Biden going to criticize the Anarchists, Thugs & Agitators in ANTIFA? On Monday, after Biden's speech, Trump complained at the White House that "I dont believe he mentioned the word 'antifa.' Antifa is a criminal organization, and he didnt mention antifa thugs, but mostly seemed to blame the police and law enforcement."

It's bizarre to suggest that Biden must specifically condemn antifa and that his failure to do so reflects favoritism or cowardice.

Story continues

As the Los Angeles Times' Melissa Etehad explained last week, the antifa label was embraced in the early 2000s by left-wing activists who said they were inspired by an organization called Antifaschistische Aktion founded during the 1930s in Germany to oppose Nazism.

But antifa isn't the sort of behemoth Trump seems to imagine, and still less one that Biden has any reason to placate. As Zack Beauchamp wrote in Vox earlier this year, antifa "is not a unified organization, but rather a loose ideological label for a subset of left-wing radicals who believe in using street-level force to prevent the rise of what they see as fascist movements."

Demanding that Biden condemn antifa by name is nitpicking, and it invites him to embrace Trump's exaggerated characterization of its importance in the protests against racism and police brutality. Biden has credibly denounced violence "whether on the left or the right." Can the same be said of Trump?
Vietnam has become one of the worlds fastest growing economies since the country first opened up to foreign trade and investment more than three decades ago,

with GDP last year being 12.5 times higher than in 2001 and growth averaging 7.26 percent from 2001 to 2010.

Smartphone production at Samsung Electronics Vietnam.

The countrys success has been largely attributed to the effective attraction and use of FDI, which has helped its economy create large numbers of jobs, boost State budget revenue, foster restructuring, and improve competitiveness.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said FDI attraction laid the foundation for the development of key industries such as telecommunications, oil and gas, electronics, chemicals, steel, automobiles, information technology, footwear, textiles and garments, and food processing.

It has also played a vital role in boosting productivity and exports, he said, adding that the foreign-invested sector contributes more than 70 percent of Vietnams total exports.

The country has so far attracted more than 370 billion USD in FDI, of which 58 percent has been disbursed, since the Law on Foreign Investment took effect in December 1987, paving the way for FDI attraction around the country.

FDI inflows exceeded 38 billion USD in 2019, the highest in 10 years and up 7.2 percent against 2018. FDI disbursement stood at 20.38 billion USD, up 6.7 percent year-on-year and a new record.

Due to COVID-19, FDI in the first eight months of this year stood at 19.54 billion USD, down 13.7 percent year-on-year, a report from the Ministry of Planning and Investments Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) revealed.

FDI committed to newly-licensed projects, meanwhile, rose nearly 7 percent to 9.73 billion USD. The FIA attributed the increase in fresh FDI commitments in the period to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant project in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu with capital of 4 billion USD, which accounted for 41.1 percent.

Additional capital to the tune of 4.87 billion USD went to 718 existing projects, up 22.2 percent in capital but down 21 percent in project numbers.

According to the FIA, additional investment of 1.38 billion USD to a petrochemical complex in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and 774 million USD to the West Lake urban area project in Hanoi contributed to the higher capital amount added to existing projects.

This is acceptable against a backdrop of sharply weakening global investment and economic de-growths in many countries induced by the pandemic, FIA Director Do Nhat Hoang said.

The report showed that, in the first eight months of the year, Singapore retained its position as Vietnam's largest foreign investor, with 6.54 billion USD, followed by the Republic of Korea (2.97 billion USD, or 15.2 percent) and China (1.75 billion USD, or nearly 9 percent).

A new wave of investment has emerged, bringing Vietnam fresh opportunities, Hoang continued, and the country must be fully prepared and have a comprehensive set of measures to translate these opportunities into reality.

Professor Nguyen Mai, Chairman of the Association of Foreign Invested Enterprises (VAFIE), said Vietnam must work even harder to improve its business climate and help enterprises weather the COVID-19 crisis. He also advised the country to accelerate promotional campaigns to attract FDI from internationally-renowned conglomerates, especially those with high-tech and financial strength from the US, the EU, and Japan.

Former FIA Director Phan Huu Thang suggested that, to attract FDI faster, Vietnam could promote foreign investment attraction via its network of diplomatic representative offices overseas. At the same time, the Government should streamline public administrative procedures for major projects and actively support foreign-invested enterprises by removing barriers to the capital disbursement process, he noted.

A working group on promoting foreign investment was founded in June under a decision from the Prime Minister, led by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.

It will be in charge of advising the Prime Minister on mechanisms, policies, and standards in investment cooperation as well as solutions to capture investment cooperation opportunities. It will act proactively in approaching and negotiating with large and hi-tech corporations for cooperative projects for mutual benefit.

Investment promotion activities will also be carried out to attract quality, large, hi-tech, and innovative projects that could create positive spillover effects and favourable conditions for Vietnamese companies to participate in value chains, increase added value, and improve human resources quality./. VNA

WB expert advises Vietnam to think about FDI role A World Bank experts advice about attracting FDI deserves consideration, according to Bui Trinh, a respected economist.
Public computer access is returning to Niagara Falls libraries.

Starting Sept. 11, people can book computer time at the Victoria Avenue branch. Computer access at the MacBain Community Centre branch resumes Sept. 18.

Computer time can be booked online at my.nflibrary.ca/Services/Internet or by phone at 905-356-8080.

Walk-ins will be allowed but reserved appointments will be given priority.

All customers will be asked general COVID-19 screening questions and will be required to wear a mask or face covering before entering the library.

We are excited to be moving into our next phase of reopening, said Alicia Subnaik Kilgour, Niagara Falls Public Library chief executive officer.

Computer access is essential to our community, with over 62,500 computer and 122,000 Wi-Fi sessions in 2019.

The librarys Browse, Borrow & Go program begins Sept. 28.

Customers will be able to schedule time to come into the library to browse the shelves and discover their next favourite read.

For further information, visit my.nflibrary.ca.
Fans of two-year-old trotters will be turning into Thursday evenings card of racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park as the oval hosts eliminations for this years Peaceful Way and William Wellwood Memorial.

Fourteen fillies will spar in a set of $30,000 Peaceful Way eliminations, with Dicentra figuring to be one of the main threats in the first elimination.

The Luc Blais trainee will be teamed up with driver Bob McClure, and together theyll start from Post 6 in Race 1. From six starts this season the daughter of Muscle Mass-Dicent No has manufactured a 3-1-0 record while banking more than $110,000 for Determination of Montreal, QC. Shell look to double up following her 1:57.2 triumph in a recent division of the Champlain Stakes.

Blais will send out the undefeated Donna Soprano in the second elimination, and again it will be Bob McClure to team the trotting lass. Shell start from Post 3 in Race 6 for owner Determination of Montreal, QC. Three starts have translated into three wins for the daughter of Donato Hanover-Windsong Soprano who has racked up more than $95,000 in earnings to date.

Canadian fans will get their first live look at Southwind Tyrion, who totes a perfect record into the first $30,000 elimination of the William Wellwood Memorial. Ake Svanstedt trains the son of Muscle Hill-Taylor Jean who is perfect in his first three starts. Yannick Gingras has been recruited to drive the colt from Post 2 in Race 2. Hes banked over $122,000 to date.

The team of trainer Luc Blais, driver Bob McClure and owner Determination will be front and centre in the second William Wellwood Memorial elimination thanks to the presence of the undefeated Macho Martini, who will start from Post 6 in Race 5. The son of Muscle Mass-Peach Martini has faced the gate six times in his freshman season, and the competition has yet to find the chink in his armour.

Winning the William Wellwood Memorial earns not only a great payday, but it also earns a ticket to the inaugural edition of the Mohawk Million  an event that could turn out to be a co-ed classic considering the depth in this years filly division.

To view entries for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Entries  Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Warning: graphic image.

Moscow: Prominent Russian blogger Yegor Zhukov was beaten near his Moscow home late on Sunday in the latest attack on a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin.

Zhukov was beaten on the head and face by two people waiting near his apartment. They escaped on scooters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit:AP

The attack came weeks after opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned during a trip to Siberia, falling ill on an August 20 flight, before being flown to Germany two days later for medical treatment. He is in a coma and expected to survive, although doctors have said the long-term effects are not yet clear. German doctors have confirmed that Navalny had symptoms of poisoning, likely by a cholinesterase inhibitor, examples of which include chemical nerve agents and pesticides. German tests have not identified the poison.
SANTA ANA, Calif., Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The brightest planes in the sky are soaring over Southern California. Today Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) announced daily nonstop flights from John Wayne Airport (SNA) to Las Vegas and Oakland beginning Nov. 17.



Spirit touched down in California more than 20 years ago with its first flight to Los Angeles (LAX), launching two decades of growth across the Golden State. In the years that followed, the airline expanded its options for Guests in the L.A. basin with service to Burbank (BUR), and grew to serve Sacramento (SMF), Oakland (OAK) and San Diego (SAN) as well.

Spirit Airlines in California* Airport: Flights Available: John Wayne (SNA) 3x daily Los Angeles (LAX) Up to 25x daily San Diego (SAN) up to 5x daily Oakland (OAK) up to 5x daily Sacramento (SMF) up to 3x daily Burbank (BUR) up to 2x daily

*Flight Information for November 2020

We are excited to bring more low-cost options to our Southern California Guests with new service to John Wayne Airport, said John Kirby, Spirit Airlines Vice President of Network Planning. Whether its a quick trip to Las Vegas or to the Bay Area, Los Angeles area residents will love our low fares, signature service and on-time performance.

Spirits arrival at SNA opens one-stop access to cities across the country. The airline will offer Guests two daily flights from SNA to Oakland International Airport (OAK) along with daily service to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS). The flight to LAS comes with convenient connections to another 15 major U.S. cities. Vacationers arriving at SNA will find themselves closer to Disneyland than ever, thanks to the airports magical location.

We are excited to welcome a new airline partner, Spirit Airlines, to John Wayne Airport, said Barry Rondinella, Airport Director. Spirit Airlines joins our diverse group of carriers with routes servicing Las Vegas and Oakland, providing additional travel options for our passengers.

Guest Safety

Spirits commitment to Safe Travels includes a multi-layered safety approach that requires all Guests and Team Members to wear face coverings. Each passenger agrees to that policy as part of a health and safety acknowledgement prior to boarding the aircraft. Every plane in our Fit Fleet uses state-of-the-art, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters that capture 99.97% of particles and filter the air for contaminants every 3 minutes.

Between each flight, enhanced cleaning procedures focus on high-touch areas such as tray tables and armrests using hospital-grade disinfectants. Spirit also uses two EPA-registered fogging treatments. The first applies a safe, high-grade disinfectant thats effective against coronaviruses. The second uses an antimicrobial product that forms an invisible barrier on all surfaces that kills bacteria and viruses on contact for 30 days. Please visit Spirits COVID-19 Information Center for more information on safety enhancements.

About Spirit Airlines:

Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is committed to delivering the best value in the sky. We are the leader in providing customizable travel options starting with an unbundled fare. This allows our Guests to pay only for the options they choose  like bags, seat assignments and refreshments  something we call A La Smarte. We make it possible for our Guests to venture further and discover more than ever before. Our Fit Fleet is one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient in the U.S. We serve destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, and are dedicated to giving back and improving those communities. Come save with us at spirit.com. At Spirit Airlines, we go. We go for you.
Too Hot to Handle winner Francesca 'Frankie' Farago cuddled with The Bachelorette #8 winner Jeffrey 'Jef' Holm on his parents' boat while on vacation with a group at Lake Powell on Monday.

The 36-year-old Utah native kissed the shoulder of the Canadian 26-year-old alongside her fluffy Pomeranian, Romeo 'Romii' Jonathan Webb.

Jef made sure to bond with Frankie's little Romii as well as another precious pup Riggy while soaking up the sunshine.

New couple alert! Too Hot to Handle winner Francesca 'Frankie' Farago (R) cuddled with The Bachelorette #8 winner Jeffrey 'Jef' Holm (L) on his parents' boat while on vacation with a group at Lake Powell on Monday

PDA pair: The 36-year-old Utah native (L) kissed the shoulder of the Canadian 26-year-old (R) alongside her fluffy Pomeranian, Romeo 'Romii' Jonathan Webb

Farago has been 'pretty inseparable' from Holm for the last month after meeting through their mutual friend Casey Boonstra in Los Angeles where they both live, according to TMZ.

And it's not just a vacation either as the swimwear designer has staged Farago the Label photo shoots with her gal pals Casey, Kelly Lauren, Violet Benson, Cassidy Napolitano, and Sheila.

Frankie got especially close to Boonstra during a twinsy shot in matching leopard-print string bikinis.

The RiSE Festival managing partner seems to be Farago's first promising relationship since her reported flings with YouTuber Tana Mongeau and Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino.

'Romi has a new gf!' Jef made sure to bond with Frankie's little Romii as well as another precious pup Riggy while soaking up the sunshine

Still new: Farago has been 'pretty inseparable' from Holm for the last month after meeting through their mutual friend Casey Boonstra (L) in Los Angeles where they both live

Pose! It's not just a vacation as the swimwear designer has staged Farago the Label photo shoots with her gal pals Casey (R), Kelly Lauren, Violet Benson, Cassidy Napolitano, and Sheila

'My chicken!' Frankie got especially close to Boonstra during a twinsy shot in matching leopard-print string bikinis

'No service needed': The RiSE Festival managing partner seems to be Farago's first promising relationship since her reported flings with YouTuber Tana Mongeau and Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino

In June, the vegan influencer suffered a bitter break up with fellow Too Hot to Handle winner, Harry Jowsey.

Meanwhile, Jef has been publicly single since ending his five-month engagement to Bachelorette #8 Emily Maynard in 2012.

Just two years later, the West Virginia-born 34-year-old tied the knot with car dealership manager Tyler Johnson, and they share four children.

It's over: In June, the vegan influencer suffered a bitter break up with fellow Too Hot to Handle winner, Harry Jowsey (L)
LISBON (dpa-AFX) - Portugal's industrial production declined at a softer rate in July, figures from Statistics Portugal showed on Tuesday. Industrial production fell 9.6 percent year-on-year in July, following a 14.6 percent decrease in June. Output fell for the fifth month in a row. Manufacturing output declined 9.1 percent on a yearly basis in July, following a 15.7 percent drop in the previous month. Energy output declined 11.3 percent annually in July. Production of intermediate and investment goods decreased by 9.6 percent and 14.4 percent, respectively. On a monthly basis, industrial production rose 11.9 percent in July, following an 11.0 percent growth 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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:21:38|Editor: huaxia

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ZAGREB, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The presidency of Croatian Parliament on Tuesday passed a decision that its members (MPs) will have to wear masks at all parliamentary sessions, given the current epidemiological situation of COVID-19.

The decision was made unanimously, and if anyone refuses, the speaker of parliament will ask the member to leave the hall, and disobeying the rule will induce a warning and forced eviction by security staff.

According to the Croatian Institute of Public Health, there have been 145 new COVID-19 infections in the country in the last 24 hours, and 2,492 cases remain active. A total of 10,414 cases have been confirmed since late February when the outbreak started here.

It was also decided that during the parliament sessions, there will be a smaller number of MPs in the main hall, a maximum of 41 out of the total of 151 seats, and voting will take place in more halls. The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) will be entitled to have 16 MPs present, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) nine, the Homeland Movement three, the Bridge Party and the green-left bloc two each, and the other groups one each.

After Tuesday's session of the parliamentary presidency, the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandrokovic, told the press that electronic voting would be possible, which would enable MPs who are ill or in self-isolation to vote.

The ruling HDZ won the most seats in the parliamentary elections on July 5. After the summer break, the work of the parliament will begin on Wednesday. The adoption of the Law on the Reconstruction of Zagreb after the earthquake will be a priority of the first parliamentary session. Enditem
As San Antonio remains under a heat advisory for the fifth day in a row, CPS Energy is asking the community to reduce energy demand from 3 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

During that period, the local energy company wrote in a tweet on Monday that users should minimize large appliance use, enjoy unplugged activities and charge their electronic devices before 3 p.m.

READ ALSO: Airbnb named Fredericksburg as one of the top destinations for travelers over Labor Day weekend

High energy demand days are a few days each summer when electricity demand is at its highest, and they typically occur from 3 to 7 p.m. on very hot days, according to CPS Energy's website. For more tips on how to reduce energy, click here.

According to the National Weather Service, Tuesday is predicted to have a high of 101 with a heat index of up to 110. Wednesday may break the streak and be just cool enough not to trigger another advisory, however, the heat index is still anticipated to reach 108.

Some relief may come by the end of the week with possible precipitation Wednesday through the weekend that may bring temperatures down to the mid-90s, meteorologists say.

Showers and thunderstorms could also move into San Antonio late Tuesday night and continue through early Wednesday morning. These storms could bring damaging winds, weather data show.

Additionally, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts show conditions in the Hill Country this evening and overnight could quickly produce rain between 1 and 3 inches.

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre

Teresa Velasco is a digital producer for mySA and the San Antonio Express-News. She has a bachelors degree in broadcast meteorology. She uses data provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others for her forecasts.
HARRISBURG  Pennsylvanias highest court said Tuesday that it will take up another election-related lawsuit, this one filed by the state Democratic Party amid a partisan fight over fixing glitches and gray areas in the battleground states fledgling mail-voting law.

Briefs are due next Tuesday, the state Supreme Court said.

The Democratic Partys lawsuit asks the court to order an extension of Pennsylvanias Election Day deadline to count mailed ballots, a request similar to one in a lawsuit already taken up by the court.

It also asks the court to allow mailed ballots to be counted if they are returned without a secrecy envelope, to allow voters to fix problems with their mail ballot instead of having to discard it, and to uphold the requirement that poll watchers be registered voters from the county.

In addition, it asks the court to allow the use of drop boxes  which Philadelphia and its heavily populated suburbs used in the primary to help relieve the pressure from an avalanche of mailed ballots  as well as satellite election offices.

Philadelphia and its surrounding counties are planning to use satellite election offices and drop boxes in the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled legislature are at a stalemate over some of the issues, just two months before the election and barely two weeks before counties can begin sending ballots to voters.

To a great extent, they are clashing over how to prevent vast numbers of ballots from being discarded and how to head off the specter of a presidential election result hanging in limbo on a drawn-out vote count in Pennsylvania.

The lawsuit was filed last month by the party and had been pending in a lower court. The defendant, Wolfs top election official, asked the high court last month to take over the case.

In many ways, the suit is asking state courts to rule the opposite of what President Donald Trumps campaign and the national Republican Party are seeking in federal court in Pittsburgh. That case is in front of a federal judge appointed by Trump.

Trumps campaign and the national Republican Party opposed the Wolf administrations move to get the Democratic Partys case in front of the state Supreme Court, calling it in a court filing nothing less than a transparent attempt to shop for a favorable forum.

Trumps campaign and the national GOP also said the request exceeds the courts authority to grant and would risk invalidating Pennsylvanias 10-month-old law that allowed every voter to vote by mail, not just those who met a narrow set of requirements in the state constitution.

The state Supreme Court has a 5-2 Democratic majority. In Tuesdays decision, the two Republicans on the court dissented.

The Trump campaigns lawsuit in federal court is halted until Oct. 5 under an order issued last week.

However, Trumps campaign has asked the judge to change that date to Sept. 14 and, while the case is pending, to prevent Pennsylvania election officials from counting certain mail ballots, including those that are returned through drop boxes or without a secrecy envelope.

In 2016, Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes, or less than 1 percentage point, but he lost badly in the states most heavily populated counties, which are the ones largely planning to use drop boxes to help collect mail ballots.
The Railway Protection Force of the South Western Railways on Tuesday claimed a major breakthrough in busting a cross border criminal gang involved in illegal software for e-tickets by arresting the kingpin and over 100-panel developers.

According to the Chief Public Relations Officer of South Western Railway, Hubballi, the illegal operators and hackers used Pakistani software to compromise the IRCTC Tatkal system to book reserved tickets, bypassing the Indian Railways as well as the bank security systems.

An official said in September 2019 intelligence agencies had alerted the use of illegal software for bypassing the IRCTC and Bank security systems deployed in booking tatkal tickets throughout India. After multiple raids by SWR RPF sleuths a criminal was arrested who provided lead about a mastermind of illegal software business who would deployed software to bypass the IRCTC Tatkal system and even bank OTP and directly book tickets extorting premium (four to five times the Railway ticket price) from passengers.

The criminal had fled to Bangalore and was on the run from October 2019. In January 2020, his whereabouts were tracked to Odisha's Kenderpara where he was arrested and brought to Bangalore for further investigation by Bangalore RPF team.

During the interrogation, it was understood that he was having Pakistani based software of high-level hacking Linux based systems for hacking devices applications to ISRO, Railways and other government organizations, 3,000 bank account details, Bitcoins and other Cryptocurrency links.

He was further interrogated and the entire black market of 25,000 hackers and touts with high command in India and abroad were detected. The black money generated from this illegal activity amounted in hundreds of crores and it was linked to various other anti-national and criminal activities throughout the country and abroad.

As a result of this activity, unauthorized tickets were booked and genuine passengers could not book e-tickets through IRCTC personal IDs as in seconds of opening the tickets would vanish as the gang was using powerful software.

There were around 25,000 hackers involved all India with a cadre-based hierarchy where touts would generate demand bring it to sellers who used the software to compromise the system. These sellers, in turn, reported to panel developers who would give them access to the software for monthly charges.

These panel developers would report to financial and technical Admins whose main job was to maintain the servers hosted in foreign countries and then the illegal money generated is suspected to be used in terror funding making illegal documents for hostile foreign nations money laundering through cryptocurrency etc.

An All India racket of hackers and touts using various high-level illegal softwares which compromised the entire e-ticketing system of IRCTC and banks too was unearthed by RPF SWR. With the top-level intervention by DG/RPF who personally co-ordinated through DIG Railway Board, various raids throughout India were conducted and subsequently over 100-panel developers and software sellers were arrested throughout India. The software codes were seized and destroyed.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has pulled most of his advertising from TV over the past week, ceding the airwaves to Democratic rival Joe Biden, who is currently outspending him by more than 10-to-1, advertising data shows.

Though Trump has an outsized ability to command national attention, it is unusual for a White House contender to go mostly dark on TV the week after their presidential convention. The election is just over two months away and early voting will begin in September in some states.

The move comes as Trumps campaign has burned through money almost as fast as it has taken it in. And after Biden drastically narrowed what was once an overwhelming cash advantage enjoyed by the president, campaign officials have acknowledged they were trying to conserve money.

Thats allowed Biden an opportunity to communicate an unfiltered message to voters without competing advertising.

During the month of August, Biden doubled what Trump spent, dropping about $80 million in states that included key battlegrounds such as Wisconsin, Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan, according to data from the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG.

Trumps limited spending targeted some of those states, but it was also directed to places like Iowa and Montana, which he won handily in 2016. This week he is spending about $1.6 million to Bidens $18.3 million. Most of Trumps ads are placed on Fox News Channel and CNN, as well as a smattering that will run in New Mexico and Washington, D.C., the data shows.

Trump spokesman Jason Miller said Monday that the campaign will be going back up on the air this week. Yet data from Kantar/CMAG shows it does not have an increase in advertising booked until Sept. 8.

We have over $200 million worth of TV ads that are reserved (from) Labor Day until Election Day, Miller said. Were speaking with voters in states as theyre starting to come online.

The lack of advertising to drive home his message comes as Trump has sought shift the focus of the race from his handling of the coronavirus and the resulting economic collapse to the need for law and order after recent unrest in some cities, including Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Nationwide, protests against police brutality have largely been peaceful, though there has been some violence, looting and property destruction, particularly in Portland.

A man affiliated with the right-wing group Patriot Prayer died in that city after he was shot Saturday amid skirmishes between Trump backers who led a car caravan through the city and Black Lives Matter protesters who had gathered for another night of demonstrations.

In Kenosha, a 17-year-old Illinois teen is accused of shooting three people, killing two, during recent protests after a white officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, multiple times.

Trump will travel to Kenosha on Tuesday to address the unrest. While the data shows his campaign is not currently running TV ads there, ones it has placed on Facebook that target the state have focused on the protests.

A handful of those ads seek to tie Democrats to activists who have called for defunding the police in response to law enforcement brutality.

One ad, titled Democrats have lost their minds, urges Trump supporters to come together to send a united message that we demand law and order.

Biden has said he is against defunding the police and in a speech Monday decried the violence while blaming Trump for stoking division.

He doesnt want to shed light, he wants to generate heat, and hes stoking violence in our cities," Biden said. He cant stop the violence because for years hes fomented it.

___

Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.

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
At first glance, the Roanoke College Poll that came out last week seemed one of those nothing to see here polls. It showed Joe Biden with a commanding, 53%-39% lead over Donald Trump in Virginia, no surprise in a state thats now voted Democratic in three consecutive presidential elections. It likewise showed Democrat Mark Warner with a 55%-34% lead over Republican challenger Daniel Gade in the U.S. Senate race  again, no surprise, considering that Warner is consistently the states favorite politician and Gade is barely known (although Warner did have a shockingly close call six years ago).

Dig a little deeper, though, and youll find some far more interesting numbers  which ought to give Republicans some hope and Democrats some pause.

Those come in response to the two questions about whether Virginians think the state and the country are generally going in the right direction or do you think things have gotten off on the wrong track?

These right track/wrong track questions are a favorite of pollsters, because they help get at peoples underlying feelings  which often inform how they will ultimately feel about specific candidates.

If things are on the wrong track, thats probably not likely to inspire people to vote for an incumbent. On the other hand, we seem a perpetually unhappy people. We looked back through a decades worth of Roanoke College Polls  and every time the question was asked, most Virginians said the country was on the wrong track.

Sharp-eyed readers will notice that despite that, most Virginians went ahead and voted for the incumbent party for president in 2012 and 2016, so the right track/wrong track question only takes you so far. After all, people on the left and right may think the country is on the wrong track for very different reasons.

Too many Confederate statues coming down! Too many Confederate statues still standing! In any case, we do notice this:{/span} This latest poll found that only 16% of respondents said the country was on the right track, while 79% said it was on the wrong track. Thats the biggest right track/wrong track disparity the Roanoke College Poll has ever recorded in the state since it started asking the question in 2010. Until now, the unhappiest we were was in December 2010  shortly after the mid-term elections of Barack Obamas first term  when 21% said we were on the right track while 72% said we were on the wrong track. Make America Great Again? Something has definitely made Virginians unhappier again  and more unhappy than theyve been in the past decade.

Now heres the thing: While the poll shows that Virginians have always thought the country was on the wrong track (just not as much as it is now), theyve This latest poll found that only 16% of respondents said the country was on the right track, while 79% said it was on the wrong track. Thats the biggest right track/wrong track disparity the Roanoke College Poll has recorded since 2010.

Until now, the unhappiest we were was in December 2010 when 21% said we were on the right track while 72% said we were on the wrong track. Make America Great Again?

Now heres the thing: While the poll shows that Virginians have always thought the country was on the wrong track (just not as much as it is now), theyve almost always thought the state was on the right track. Washington bad, Richmond good.

But this time, the Roanoke College Poll finds that 45% think the state is on the right track while 49% think the state is going in the wrong direction.

This is a major turnaround from May, when the same poll found 57% thought the state was on the right track and 37% thought it was on the wrong track.

We can guess lots of possible reasons: The pandemic. Social justice. Rioting in the streets. Again, people have may have different ideas of the track Virginia ought to be taking so may have different ideas of why its on the wrong track.

Still, the change from May to August is striking. The May figure was the second-highest right track percentage the Roanoke College Poll has found in Virginia. The only poll higher was August 2018, when 58% thought we were on the right track.

When more Virginians felt we were on the wrong track than the right track back in 2012, they responded the next year by changing the party that controlled the states highest offices. Republicans were out as governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Next year, Virginians once again elect those offices.

Republicans have an opportunity next year, but only under the right conditions. Democrats might provide one of those by going further to the left than suburban voters are comfortable with. But Republicans have to create the second condition on their own  they need to move back closer to the center than they have been in recent years with candidates such as Ken Cuccinelli, Corey Stewart and, yes, Donald Trump.

Regardless, the Roanoke College Poll shows that Virginians have just gone through a significant mood change this summer. If that bad mood persists, then voters might be  key phrase: might be  more receptive to a Republican candidate for governor than they have been in more than a decade.

thought the state was on the right track. Washington bad, Richmond good.

But not this time. This time the Roanoke College Poll finds that 45% think the state is on the right track while 49% think the state is going in the wrong direction.

This is a major turnaround from May, when the same poll found 57% thought the state was on the right track and 37% thought it was on the wrong track.

Why the change? The poll doesnt say, but we can guess lots of possible reasons: The pandemic. Social justice. Rioting in the streets. Again, people have may have different ideas of the track Virginia ought to be taking so may have different ideas of why its on the wrong track.

Still, the change from May to August is striking. The May figure was the second-highest right track percentage the Roanoke College Poll has found in Virginia in the past decade. The only poll higher was August 2018, when 58% thought we were on the right track and 30% thought we were on the wrong track.

Its been six years since a plurality of Virginians thought we were on the wrong track. In October 2014 the figure was 41% right track and 45% wrong track. Before that you have to go back to 2012, when three polls found us in a funk  ranging from 41% right track / 45% wrong track to 32% right / 56% wrong. So this isnt the unhappiest weve been  but it is the second unhappiest.

Whats all this mean? Well, maybe nothing. Maybe this is just our summer of discontent  an inversion of Shakespeares winter of discontent  and well snap back to where we were. Scientists will develop a vaccine for the virus. Well achieve some higher plane of social justice. People wont be rioting. Or maybe this is a sign of something deeper shifting in the public mood. If it is, its quite likely thats a mood that might benefit Republicans more than Democrats.

When more Virginians felt we were on the wrong track than the right track back in 2012, they responded the next year by changing the party that controlled the states highest offices. Republicans were out as governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, and Democrats were in. Next year, Virginians once again elect those offices. If youre a Democrat, you hope this is just a temporary blip. If youre a Republican, you look this sudden shift  plummeting from one of our biggest right track-over-wrong track rates to a slight wrong track-over-right track margin  and think that might help your candidates next year.

The question is how much? The recent passing of former Lt. Gov. John Hager provides a useful measure of how much Virginia has changed. In 1997, he was part of the first Republican sweep of the top state offices  and presided over the first GOP-controlled state Senate. In the years since, Virginia has moved left while Republicans have moved right. The result: Hager lived to see his party shut out of power in a way it hasnt been in 50 years. Republicans have an opportunity next year, but only under the right conditions. Democrats might provide one of those by going further to the left than suburban voters are comfortable with. But Republicans have to create the second condition on their own  they need to move back closer to the center than they have been in recent years with candidates such as Ken Cuccinelli, Corey Stewart and, yes, Donald Trump. Are they capable of that kind of makeover? The recent ouster of Denver Riggleman in the 5th District in favor of Bob Good provides evidence to the contrary.

Regardless, the Roanoke College Poll shows that Virginians have just gone through a significant mood change this summer. If that bad mood persists, then voters might be  key phrase: might be  more receptive to a Republican candidate for governor than they have been in more than a decade.

THE ROANOKE TIMES
AKRON, Ohio  Police pulled over a car that was driving erratically only to discover that the teen driver had multiple gunshot wounds.

According to police, officers stopped the car at about 8:30 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Cuyahoga Falls Avenue and Berwin Street in the North Hill neighborhood. The car reportedly had caused multiple accidents.

The 18-year-old male driving the car had been shot, police say. The male told officers that two men in another vehicle pulled up next to his car and opened fire. Police did not specify where the shooting occurred.

The victim was taken to Summa Health Akron City Hospital for treatment. His wounds were not life-threatening police say.

No arrests have been reported and no information on possible suspects was released.

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Mayor John Antaramian has said the city will request $30 million in aid from the state to help rebuild in the aftermath of the unrest. Some of the citys garbage trucks, which were parked downtown to provide security and limit movement by protesters, were set on fire during the demonstrations.
A mosque coming up outside Uttar Pradeshs Ayodhya town will be designed in the Indo-Islamic style and aim to bridge communal differences, said the projects main architect whose name was announced on Tuesday.

SM Akhtar, a Lucknow architect-cum-town planner and founder dean, faculty of architecture, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, will design the whole complex being built on five acres of land in Dhannipur village -- in compliance with the Supreme Court order in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit last year.

We have appointed professor SM Akhtar as consultant architect and hence he will design the entire masjid complex that would come up on the five-acre land in Dhannipur, said Athar Hussian, spokesperson of Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), the trust overseeing the construction of the complex.

Other than the mosque, Akhtar will also design public utility establishments, including a hospital, an Indo-Islamic Research Centre, community kitchen and a museum.

Akhtar,64, said the mosque will come up on around 15,000 square feet land and have an amalgamation of Indo-Islamic architecture.

Through this project we have immense opportunities to reunite communities. The Masjid will just be a part of the complex. We can come up with holistic ideas to achieve three values ie human values, Indianness and Islamic, he said. We do not want it to become a complex for just one community, he said.

Akhtar said because of the coronavirus pandemic, no tentative date has been decided for construction to start. We cant replicate anything . But we are planning to go for the contemporary form of architecture, he said.

The Uttar Pradesh government handed the plot, currently occupied by rice fields 20km from Ayodhya town, to the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) last month in accordance with the Supreme Courts November 2019 verdict that cleared the way for the construction of a Ram temple at the 2.77 acre site in Ayodhya. The court also ordered the government to award five acres of land at an alternative site for the construction of a mosque.
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise has refused to apologise for sharing a video on Sunday to his social media accounts that included a manipulated clip falsely suggesting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden supports defunding US police departments.

Instead, he has defended the substance of the video as true, even if the clip of Mr Biden's July interview with progressive activist Ady Barkan was partially doctored.

Look, it shouldn't have been edited, Mr Scalise said in an interview with Fox & Friends on Monday, after nearly a day of outrage on social media over his media shop's editing of the original video.

But at the same time, the comments were always about  in fact, twice in that interview [Mr Barkan] asked Joe Biden if he was for redirecting money away from police. And in both times, Joe Biden said yes, Mr Scalise said.

The video reel accuses Democrats of inciting violence in American cities in the wake of police shootings and includes clips of liberal politicians making statements on policing reform.

One such clip captures Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar at a rally promoting calls to "defund the police."

Another clip from the original video  which Mr Scalise has taken down and re-posted without the manipulated editing  showed Mr Biden being interviewed by Mr Barkan, who speaks with a computerised voice after losing the ability to speak as he fights the degenerative nerve disease ALS.

In the actual interview, Mr Barkan asks Mr Biden if they can "agree that we can redirect some of the funding" for law enforcement to civilian mental health and social services units that partner with police departments to respond to non-violent emergencies, a proposal to which Mr Biden assents with a "yes."

But in the video originally posted by Mr Scalise on Sunday, his team had altered the clip to tack on the words "for police" from earlier in the interview to the end of the question in Mr Barkan's computerised voice.

In a tweet later in the day, Mr Scalise posted the same video, but instead of the doctored clip of Mr Biden's interview with Mr Barkan, it only included a comment from Mr Biden that he wanted to "fundamentally transform the country."

Mr Barkan tweeted to Mr Scalise on Sunday demanding he apologise for manipulating the video of his interview with Mr Biden.

"These are not my words. I have lost my ability to speak, but not my agency or my thoughts. You and your team have doctored my words for your own political gain. Please remove this video immediately. You owe the entire disability community an apology," Mr Barkan wrote.

Mr Biden's platform on policing reform is more nuanced than Mr Scalise's blanket assertion that he supports defunding police departments.

The former vice president has in fact proposed surging federal funding for law enforcement primarily to increase resources for social services.

The criminal justice unity task force Mr Biden created with former Democratic presidential rival Bernie Sanders issued several policy recommendations last month to fundamentally alter police department operations around the country.

The list of Biden-Sanders policy recommendations call for:

"federal funding to create a civilian corps of unarmed first responders such as social workers, EMTs, and trained mental health professionals, who can handle nonviolent emergencies including order maintenance violations, mental health emergencies, and low-level conflicts outside the criminal justice system, freeing police officers to concentrate on the most serious crimes," and

an effort to "fund initiatives to partner mental health professionals, substance use disorder experts, social workers, and disability advocates with police departments to respond to calls with police officers to better de-escalate interactions with citizens and when appropriate, to divert individuals to the social services they need."

Several government ethics observers pointed out that Mr Scalise's manipulative use of video editing could expose him to an ethics investigation.

A memo to all congressional offices from January warns members and their staff not to post "deep fakes" on their media accounts.

"Members have a duty, and First Amendment right, to contribute to the public discourse, including through parody and satire. However, manipulation of images and videos that are intended to mislead the public can harm that discourse and reflect discreditably on the House," that memo reads.

"Moreover, Members or the staff posting deep fakes could erode public trust, affect public discourse, or sway an election. Accordingly, Members, officers, and employees posting deep fakes or other audio-visual distortions intended to mislead the public may be in violation of the Code of Official Conduct. Prior to disseminating any image, video, or audio file by electronic means, including social media, Members and staff are expected to take reasonable efforts to consider whether such representation are deep fakes or are intentionally distorted to mislead the public, the memo concludes.

Leaders on the House Ethics Committee have not indicated whether they would pursue an inquiry into Mr Scalise's office.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on him to "apologise immediately" for "lying" about Mr Barkan's interview with Mr Biden.
As Kenosha authorities were preparing for a not completely welcome visit from President Donald Trump, the president took credit for the continued existence of the city.

If I didnt INSIST on having the National Guard activate and go into Kenosha Wisconsin, there would be no Kenosha right now. Also, there would have been great death and injury, Trump tweeted Monday morning. I want to thank Law Enforcement and the National Guard. I will see you on Tuesday.

At a news conference Monday, Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser reacted to the presidents tweet.

That is a false statement, Kreuser said.

Kenosha is a strong community, we were going to come back regardless, Kreuser added. We went from 1988 when the assembly plant closed and rebuilt, and we went through the great recession in 2008 and rebuilt and were the hot spot of the Midwest. ... Kenoshas going to be on the comeback, and for someone to say that we wouldnt exist but for their actions, I believe it to be false.

Kreuser and Mayor John Antaramian also reiterated that they felt the timing for the presidents visit was wrong, saying it would put stress on a community trying to recover.

The timing on this we felt was not good. We did make a request for him to do it at a different time, Antaramian said. There are so many things that have gone on in this community, and it just seemed to me, and I think to others, that it would be better for us to be able to pull together and let the community get together and heal up from what has been going on.

The mayor and county executives sentiments were not universal among local elected officials. Seven members of the Kenosha County Board put out a statement saying they were pleased Trump was coming and asked that he not postpone his visit.

Residents of the city are struggling to regain footing after unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha Police officer on Aug. 23. The shooting was followed by two days of protest that unraveled into rioting, including fires and looting in the Uptown neighborhood on Monday. On Tuesday, people calling themselves private militia arrived in the city, with highly armed men walking the streets and standing outside businesses in town. Three people were shot, two fatally, by one of the militia members. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Ill., has been charged with homicide.

Since then, peaceful protests have continued as residents have come together to clean up and to paint murals on boarded windows while businesses downtown begin to reopen.

Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, adjutant general of the Wisconsin National Guard, said he did not want to comment on the veracity of the presidents tweet.

It wouldnt be appropriate for me to comment, he said.

However, Knapp said that Gov. Tony Evers activated the National Guard in the pre-dawn hours of Monday, Aug. 24.

The Blake shooting occurred at about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Soon after, video of the shooting began to circulate on social media.

Shortly thereafter when the unrest started to occur, local authorities here made contact with the governors office as early as that evening, Knapp said.

The general said local officials began to talk to the governors office, the National Guard and the state emergency operations center shortly after unrest began following the shooting.

We received the official request at 3 a.m. (for aid from the National Guard), at 3:09 a.m. is when I received verbal direction from the governor to activate the Quick Reaction Force, Knapp said.

The Quick Reaction Force, Knapp said, is a force of 125 soldiers who can mobilize within 12 hours of a request. That group was in Kenosha on Monday, he said. By Tuesday, there were 250 guard members in the city, a number that continued to increase throughout the week.

Knapp said Kenosha County officials also requested emergency police services, armored vehicles and additional emergency radios. Two Wisconsin State Patrol Strike Teams and 125 law enforcement officers from neighboring jurisdictions from around the state also arrived to help city and county law enforcement Monday, he said.

Trump had tweeted on Wednesday, Aug. 26, TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!

The president first spoke to Evers about the situation in Kenosha on Tuesday afternoon, after the Guard had been deployed and the number of Guard members doubled. The federal response at the request of the state has been to send additional FBI and U.S. Marshall support.

While Knapp said he had previously declined to say how many National Guard troops were in the city, he said at Mondays press conference that troop numbers continued to rise throughout last week. By Friday, Knapp said, there were more than 1,000 Wisconsin National Guard troops and more than 500 National Guard troops from Michigan, Alabama and Arizona were already in town.

Knapp said those troops are not authorized to make arrests but work to support local law enforcement.

Were grateful that this weekend remained peaceful in Kenosha, I cant say that enough, Knapp said.

He also said guard members would remain in the city as long as needed.

Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth warned that rumors spreading on social media and targeted phone calls to businesses and churches appear to be aimed and spreading fear and unrest in the community.

There are people from outside Kenosha, from outside Wisconsin and in some cases outside the United States, trying to scare people, Beth said.

He said law enforcement has been receiving calls and tips about caravans of people coming to attack neighborhoods and communities in western Kenosha County, and that rumors have been false.

Dont pass along social media that has been created to scare people, Beth said. Most all of it has been false.

However, Beth said, a group of people coming from northern Wisconsin were arrested that he said had made death threats to Police Chief Daniel Miskinis and himself.

Antaramian and Kreuser said they did not know what Trumps schedule would be and said they had not been contacted to meet the president. The mayor said he got no response from the White House when he requested that the president delay his visit.

Asked whether the city was being used as a political prop, Antaramian declined to comment.

At this point in time I care about my community and I care about the people in my community, and thats what my focus is and thats what I want to focus on, he said.

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'Eventually, when the pandemic is behind us, demand will limp back.'

'That's because there is enough money lying in the system, in the hands of people.'

The Indian economy has contracted by a shocking 23.9%!

Profssor Ananth Narayan, a faculty member at the S P Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai, is the RBI nominee director on the Yes Bank board.

"If you look at money supply M3, which is the total amount of currency in circulation and the total amount of deposits lying with banks, they are growing by almost 13% year on year. And this is happening at a time when GDP is contracting. It means the actual amount of money lying with people is growing. It also means once the medical crisis is over, people will start spending," Professor Narayan, below, tells Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com. The first of a two-part interview:

Were we on a slowdown path even before the coronavirus pandemic?

Or is it because the measures taken by the government to tide over the crisis were inadequate and insufficient that the economy is experiencing a contraction of this magnitude?

It is true that our economy was slowing down and was in a weak state even before COVID-19 hit us. But the contraction in GDP both for this quarter as well as the full financial year is largely the result of COVID-19, including the lockdown.

And India had a fairly strong lockdown. In comparison to the strenuity of the lockdown, our fiscal relief package also was limited because we don't have the luxury the developed economies have.

So, a combination of these two have caused an immediate contraction.

I fear we will see a double-digit contraction in GDP in the full year FY21. While this entails deep and immediate distress, our economy can still recover well from this, eventually.

Why do you think the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package did not have any impact on the economy?

When the lockdown started on March 25, practically 65% of the economy shut down. Till April 20, the economy was in that state. Even now, it doesn't feel like more than 85% of the economy is operating.

Think of the impact. We have four months of the fiscal already gone by. It means one-third of the full year is gone with much reduced economic activity.

We know that a large part of the economy, particularly aviation, tourism, hospitality, transport, real estate, construction, anything to do with discretionary spending and MSMEs, were badly impacted.

Let's say if for one-third of the year, one-third of the economy was not functioning, it is a contraction of 11% for the full year! So, mathematically we are looking at a very large contraction.

It doesn't feel that the economy will recover to 100% anytime soon because the impact of the lockdown is still being felt.

It is not that the entire economy is in a bad shape. Agriculture is doing very well, as is healthcare and pharma.

The rural economy on the whole is much less impacted by the pandemic than the urban economy.

But the extent and impact of the shutdown is so tremendous that no amount of government package can truly alleviate it.

Regarding the Rs 20 lakh crore package, much of it was a liquidity package, rather than true relief.

The actual relief in terms of what was made fiscally available was around 1.5% of GDP.

There has been good work as far as people's front has been concerned. There was a humanitarian crisis to start with, but thereafter, relief came by eventually.

Both central and state governments significantly stepped up use of schemes like MNREGA and activated the PMGKY.

MNREGA spend this year has already amounted to the spending of the full year last year.

Of course, MNREGA pays much lower than what cities offered workers. But at least, some job was made available. Because the FCI had procured record level of food grains from farmers, food security has been provided to all till November.

The genuine shortfall in relief even today is relief for businesses, particularly for MSMEs.

Giving a Rs 3 lakh crore of funding line for MSMEs is lending money to businesses that do not have any sales and are suffering from a strained bottom line.

When you have cash losses, giving loans alone will not help.

A lot of MSMEs are struggling even today. Reports suggest that many of them will not survive the pandemic. I don't think the relief given to them is enough at all.

It is said that when liquidity is not the issue, banks offering loans without collateral is not going to help as the struggling MSMEs are not going to invest more when there is no demand in the market. Do you think so?

Yes, there is enough liquidity.

What businesses require right now is some kind of bottom line relief. They have severe cash losses, and their sales have come down sharply in many cases.

Many of them still have people costs, rental costs and interest costs which means in the last 4-5 months, they are enduring severe losses.

Now, giving liquidity and loan to cover the cash flow problem is not sufficient because you are essentially increasing the debt of many of these companies. And they might not be able to bear the burden.

Who will use the loan to invest when the inventories have piled up?

There is no question of investing at all. It is currently all about survival.

Some of the companies are running good businesses, but once the pandemic is gone after a year or two, they will be overburdened with so much of debt because of the shutdown, and hence may not survive at all.

So, what they need is some kind of bottom line relief.

What kind of relief should be given so that at least the good businesses survive?

There is plenty which can be done.

I will give you an example. The total loans of MSMEs across banks and NBFCs is around Rs 20 lakh crores. So, one thing that can be done is, giving them interest subvention completely.

Let's say that at 12% per annum, the interest they have to pay for Rs 20 lakh crores is Rs.2.4 lakh crore for the full year, or Rs 1.2 lakh crores for six months.

What the government can do is, it can pay the entire Rs 1.2 lakh crores on behalf of the MSMEs.

The fiscal package can be like the government paying half year's interest which the MSME has to pay. Rs 1.2 lakh crore is 0.6% of the GDP.

It is a small fiscal burden, but totally worth it, in terms of the relief it offers to the economy.

Because you are giving this to all MSMEs, you will not be accused of being a 'Suit Boot ki Sarkar'!

And not impacting the NPA of the banks...

Yes, not impacting the banks also. Even if it helps those that don't really need the help, it would increase bank or MSME profits, and a part of that will come back as taxes.

Relief of this sort, that is, giving them interest relief, which gives them cash in hand, not as loan but as handout, will be very useful.

Even before the pandemic, it was said that a lack of demand in the market was the reason behind the sluggish economy. Now, many experts suggest that direct cash transfer can create demand. Do you think so?

Two thoughts around this. First, on the timing of a demand stimulus. Second, on what needs to accompany any demand stimulus.

I think there is a problem with attempting demand stimulation at a time like this, when the pandemic is still underway.

Why is there no demand? Why has consumption fallen off the cliff?

Because of the pandemic we are not going out, traveling, shopping, watching movies or indulging in discretionary spending.

We are only spending on essentials. Even if we are given extra money now, we will not go and spend, we will just leave the money in the bank.

The CEA has been saying the Jan Dhan accounts have lots of money, but people are not spending it.

The primary problem is, we need to get over with the pandemic health hazard for people to go out and start consuming.

Eventually, when the pandemic is behind us, demand will limp back anyway. That's because there is enough money lying in the system, in the hands of people.

If you look at money supply M3, which is the total amount of currency in circulation and the total amount of deposits lying with banks, they are growing by almost 13% year on year. And this is happening at a time when GDP is contracting.

It means the actual amount of money lying with people is growing.

It also means once the medical crisis is over, people will start spending.
WELLSTON  A Louisiana developer is partnering with the city to rehab nearly 200 public housing units that 18 months ago seemed destined for the wrecking ball.

Wellston Mayor Nathaniel Griffin announced the selection of BGC Advantage, of Ruston, Louisiana, in an email to area officials Monday, writing that BGCs commitment to eventually hand over ownership of the public housing to a new city-controlled nonprofit persuaded him.

Because BGC has so clearly shown it is willing to keep Wellston as an equal partner throughout the development process, I am sure this selection is the right choice for Wellston and that diversity, equity, and inclusion will be priorities in this redevelopment, Griffin wrote.

The fate of the 186 public housing units scattered throughout the low-income, inner-ring suburb became a cause celebre among housing advocates and local politicians last year.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which managed the units for over 20 years after taking them over from Wellston Housing Authority for poor governance and property conditions, in late 2018 moved to tear down the units that once housed as much as a fifth of the citys just more than 2,000 residents. It would have given the residents housing vouchers to find other apartments in the market.

The plan appeared all but final until St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, who took office unexpectedly following the resignation of former Executive Steve Stenger for bribery, refused to sign off. HUD agreed to let Wellston and other local officials try to find a developer to rehab the units, which had deteriorated over the years. The Housing Authority of St. Louis County, which is their current owner, issued a request for proposals to rehab the properties earlier this year.

Griffin said BGC will partner with a soon-to-be-incorporated nonprofit controlled by Wellston, granting the nonprofit 30% equity in the housing development and splitting the development fee, something he said the other two bidders did not explicitly offer. After 15 years, BGC will turn over the real estate to the Wellston nonprofit, Griffin said, adding that the firm sees Wellston as a partner.

As everyone knows, Wellston hasnt been a partner at the table for over 50 years, he said.

BGC has experience working with public housing agencies and nonprofits.

Only about 43 units of the Wellston housing remain occupied, down from about 131 at the beginning of the year. HUDs January agreement to not demolish the housing also gave residents vouchers to use on the open market, and many families have since moved out because of the conditions at some of the units. Another 25 families are looking for new housing, according to the county housing authority.

Griffin said many of the residents would consider coming back once the units are rehabbed and remodeled.

BGC next plans to apply to the Missouri Housing Development Commission for low-income housing tax credits to help finance the rehab of the housing. Applications for those credits are due by the end of October.

The other two bidders were local firms  Lewis McKinneys LMAC Holdings and a team led by Kevin Buchek of Roanoke Construction, according to the St. Louis County Councilwoman who represents the area, Rita Heard Days, D-1st District. She said she had some reservations that a local firm wasnt tapped for the project.

I dont know anything about them, she said of BGC.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abacus Mining & Exploration Corporation (Abacus or the Company) (TSXV:AME) wishes to provide an update to its shareholders on the Ajax copper-gold project, located near Kamloops, British Columbia. Abacus holds a 20% ownership interest in the project, which is managed by base metal major KGHM Polska Miedz S.A., who hold the remaining 80%.



Abacus is pleased to report that KGHM has hired a new Ajax Superintendent, whose duties will initially be focused on First Nations, community and governmental engagement in order to advance the project towards a potential resubmission of the environmental application. Mr. Michal Wypych is a current resident of Kamloops, and he had prior involvement in the Ajax project. KGHM is currently looking for office space in Kamloops, in order to provide the project with an increased community presence.

Ajax remains a priority for both Abacus and for our partner, and we are pleased to see that the Ajax project will once again have a community-based presence, commented Paul G. Anderson, President of Abacus. We understand that our partner has work to do in order to revitalize the project, and we welcome this first step.

The Ajax Project underwent a joint provincial and federal environmental review starting in 2011, which culminated in the decision by the B.C. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources to decline to issue an environmental assessment certificate for the Project in December of 2017. Despite this setback, KGHM in consultation with Abacus has continued to work to advance the project, including evaluating various strategies geared toward potentially resubmitting the environmental application.

The Ajax Project contains significant quantities of copper and gold, within a NI 43-101 Proven and Probable Mineral Reserve of 426 Mt at 0.29% Cu, 0.19 g/t Au and 0.39 g/t Ag. Contained metal is in the order of 2.7 Bil lbs Cu, 2.6 Moz Au and 5.3 Moz Ag. (Wardrop Engineering Inc. 2012. Ajax Copper/Gold Project, Kamloops, British Columbia  Feasibility Study Technical Report. Doc. No. 1054610300-REP-R0004-02. January 2012).

Story continues

Besides Ajax, the Company holds options and leases on the Willow and adjacent Nev-Lorraine copper-molybdenum properties in the Yerington copper camp, southeast of Reno, Nevada. Drilling by the Company in 2018 intersected a key intrusive rock unit on Willow that hosts all known porphyry Cu-Mo deposits at Yerington. This rock unit was not previously known to exist on the Companys property, and it represents a key new discovery. The target is large and robust, and it remains essentially untested.

The Yerington copper camp contains several past producing porphyry and skarn deposits, including the Yerington Mine that produced approximately 1.6 billion pounds of copper for Anaconda between 1952 until 1978. Advanced projects in the camp include Ann Mason (M&I of 1.4BT at 0.32% Cu), owned by Hudbay Mining, Nevada Coppers Pumpkin Hollow (P&P of 572 MT at 0.4% Cu) which is in mine construction, and Quaterra Resources MacArthur oxide project (M&I of 159MT at 0.212% Cu) which is in prefeasibility.

Abacus also holds the Jersey Valley gold property, prospective for both intrusion-related sediment hosted, and for epithermal precious metal mineralization, within the Battle Mountain trend of north-central Nevada. Jersey Valley is in close proximity to both the Phoenix/Fortitude mine complex (approximately 14 Moz gold plus significant Ag and Cu past production and a proposed mine life to 2063) and the Cove/McCoy Mine: 3.4 Moz gold and 110 Moz Ag past production. (Data is from the Newmont Mines and Premier Gold Mines websites. The reader is cautioned that the mineralization hosted on nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Companys Jersey Valley gold property). The Jersey Valley property has a well-maintained sealed road running through it, which provides access to a 15 MW geothermal power plant located on the edge of the claim group.

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Paul G. Anderson, M.Sc., P.Geo., a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

On Behalf of the Board,

ABACUS MINING & EXPLORATION CORPORATION

Paul G. Anderson

President and COO

About Abacus

Abacus is a mineral exploration and mine development company currently focused on its optioned Willow copper-gold property located near Yerington, Nevada in which it can acquire up to a 75% ownership interest, and the contiguous Nev-Lorraine claims subject to a ten-year lease agreement. The Company also holds a 20% ownership interest, together with KGHM Polska MiedzS.A. (80%), in the proposed copper-gold Ajax Mine located southwest of Kamloops, B.C., which has recently undergone a joint provincial and federal environmental assessment process. On December 14, 2017, a decision was made by the B.C. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy and the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources to decline to issue an environmental assessment certificate for the Project. For the latest reports and information on Abacus projects, please refer to the Companys website at www.amemining.com .

Forward-Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that are deemed forward-looking statements. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Abacus expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, projects, potential and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could or should occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include changes to commodity prices, mine and metallurgical recovery, operating and capital costs, foreign exchange rates, ability to obtain required permits on a timely basis, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

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.

CONTACT: Tel: 604.682.0301 email: info@amemining.com website: www.amemining.com




Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko votes at a polling station during the presidential election in Minsk on Aug. 9, 2020. ( Sergei Gapon/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Baltic States Impose Sanctions on Lukashenko and Other Belarus Officials

VILNIUSLithuania, Latvia, and Estonia imposed travel bans on President Alexander Lukashenko and 29 other Belarusian officials on Aug. 31, signaling impatience with the Wests cautious approach by announcing sanctions without waiting for the rest of the EU.

The three small Baltic states have led calls for firm measures against Lukashenko, who is accused by opponents and the West of rigging an Aug. 9 election to prolong his 26-year rule.

The sanctions target officials they accuse of having a role in vote-rigging and in violence against protesters since the election. The inclusion of Lukashenko was a prod to other European countries, so far reluctant to back measures against him personally.

Belarus expressed sincere disappointment and signaled it would retaliate in kind to what it called hasty steps.

We said that we need peaceful dialogue and agreement between the regime and society, but we see that the regime is not ready for that, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said. We see that we need to move forward and to show an example to other countries.

The European Union has been working on a list of individuals in Belarus to target with similar sanctions, expected to exclude Lukashenko. Western countries have mostly been cautious, wary of provoking intervention from Russia.

We have said before that Belarus will need to take adequate measures to respond to the initiators of these steps. This will be done, Anatoly Glaz, spokesman of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, told RIA news agency.

The three Baltic states are all members of the EU and NATO, and Lithuania and Latvia border Belarus. Lithuania has been hosting Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled there after the election her supporters say she won.

Tsikhanouskaya will speak to the U.N. Security Council on Sept. 4 at Estonias invitation, her spokesman said.

Seeking to keep pressure on Lukashenko to step down, Tsikhanouskayas team called for students to hold a one-day nationwide boycott of schools and universities on Sept. 1 to coincide with the start of the new school year.

Huge Demonstrations

Three weeks into a mass demonstration movement that has peaked on the weekends, tens of thousands of protesters again took to the streets in central Minsk on Aug. 30.

Lukashenko has shown no sign of bowing to the protests. The former Soviet collective farm boss has denied rigging the election but on Aug. 31 referred to Belarusian public life being governed by a somewhat authoritarian system.

Lukashenko has threatened to cut off European transit routes across his country in retaliation against any sanctions. Goods from landlocked Belarus account for almost a third of Lithuanias rail traffic and port volume, and Belarus is also an overland route for European goods bound for Russia.

Belarus is Russias closest ally among former Soviet states, and its territory is integral to Moscows European defense strategy. President Vladimir Putin has invited Lukashenko to Moscow, a sign of Kremlin support, and the two countries foreign ministers will hold talks on Sept. 2 in Moscow.

Last week, the Kremlin announced that it had set up a reserve force able to intervene in Belarus, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated on Aug. 31 that Moscow still sees no need for action.

During the three weeks of protests, Lukashenko has lost the support of a range of public figures, from actors to sportsmen.

On Aug. 31, the Catholic Church in Belarus, which has criticized the harsh treatment of protesters by the security forces, said its head, Tadeush Kondrusevich, had been barred from reentering the country after a trip to Poland. The border guards declined to comment.

By Andrius Sytas
The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed an emergency action charging investment adviser Matthew O. Clason, of Cheshire, Connecticut, with stealing thousands of dollars from an advisory client. In its action, the SEC seeks an asset freeze and other relief.

The SEC alleges that, beginning in February 2019, Clason stole over $300,000 from a retired 73-year-old advisory client. According to the SEC's complaint, Clason perpetrated the fraud by liquidating securities in the client's accounts, transferring the proceeds from the sales to a bank account held jointly with the client for investment purposes and to facilitate the payment of miscellaneous monthly expenses, and withdrawing cash from the account on numerous occasions and at different bank locations. The complaint alleges that the client did not know of or approve the withdrawals and did not receive the cash that Clason withdrew.

The SEC's complaint, filed in federal court in Connecticut, alleges that Clason violated the antifraud provisions of Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The SEC is requesting that the court enter an order freezing Clason's assets and requiring an accounting. The SEC also seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

The SEC's case is being handled by Susan Cooke Anderson, Alfred A. Day, Patrick J. Noone, and Michele T. Perillo of the Boston Regional Office. An examination conducted by MaryKate Kelley, Paul A. D'Amico, Mark Gera, Joshua S. Grinspoon, and Raymond Tan of the Boston Regional Office led to the investigation.
The Goa governments decision to lift all restrictions on the movement of people across the state borders under Unlock 4 has offered hope to the states tourism industry that it will encourage people to consider vacationing later this year.

But the decision also drew flak from locals who said that it was too soon to life restrictions that were put in place to fight the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced that there would be no restrictions on the movement of people in and out of the state, which he said was in tune with the central governments directives.

In response, the Goa Airport too announced that screening and the testing were being lifted.

As per the announcements by the Govt of Goa restrictions on interstate travel have been removed in line with guidelines of Govt of India. No more requirements of Covid19 -ve report and no more test requirements for domestic travellers, the Airports Authority of India, which runs the civilian terminal at the Goa airport, said.

The airport handled 34,700 passengers in August, the highest since April and significantly higher than the around 20,000 passengers the airport handled in the months of June and July.

The states tourism department had said that the need for quarantine upon arrival as well as quarantine upon return to their respective states was an additional deterrent to tourists as well as to business travellers many of whom arrive only for a short stay.

The tourism stakeholders hope that with the travel guidelines now clearer, it will help people plan their holidays if not now, then for later this year.

An added filip was the reopening of bars, which the industry says will also give the restaurant industry a boost.

According to an per an order issued by the Excise Department on Monday all valid licence holders whose licences are not otherwise suspended and are already renewed for this financial year are permitted to commence the sale of liquor for consumption on premises except in containment zones provided that they make mandatory arrangements for social distancing distancing between workers, adequate gaps between shifts, staggering lunch breaks of staff, etc.

The government has also mandated that no liquor be sold without a mask or face cover... and that customers maintain six feet distance from each other among other conditions.

We are also worried about the virus, because we do not know how fast it is spreading. We have to inspire confidence in people if they are to come back. It will take some time, Michael Carrasco, the president of the All Goa Bar and Restaurant Association, said.

Goas economy is heavily reliant on tourism and while the return of the tourists is still some months away, stakeholders are hopeful that with the path now clearer things will turn a corner by November-December.

However, many have cautioned that the decision is premature. The Goa unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the chief minister seems to have given up all efforts to control the spread of Covdi-19.

The breakneck speed at which the BJP government has opened up the state, shows that CM Pramod Sawant, having given up all efforts to either control the spread or ensure treatment of the infected, is only waiting for herd immunity to develop in Goa. The CM has thrown open the borders to everyone, with no testing required. He says this is as per MHA guidelines. But MHA guidelines have only removed the requirement of an e-pass and the guidelines dated 29/08/20 expressly state that movement of people is still to be regulated as per SOPs in place, the AAP said.
COLONIE  I pulled my car into the parking lot along a stretch of warehouses on Karner Road and Michael Lizzi sprang into action.

He hustled from his glass-enclosed security office inside the lobby and out the front door.

He greeted me with a friendly wave and motioned me to a visitors parking spot. It felt like concierge service.

Lizzi is extremely attentive, anticipates whatever needs to be done and makes visitors feel like VIPs. Those are a few of the reasons why Lizzi was named 2019 Employee of the Year by the New York State Industries for the Disabled, or NYSID, a not-for-profit organization.

Instead of elation, Lizzi is feeling sadness and a twinge of survivors guilt these days because he remains employed after 20 of his developmentally disabled coworkers at the Center for Disability Services printing and mail fulfillment center were let go last month.

I miss their smiles, Lizzi said of the laid-off employees. It makes me sad not to have them here. They did amazing work. We were like a family. I hope they get to come back.

The state Division of Budget abruptly canceled a $55 million, five-year contract recently for the Center to provide mail services for the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance following a lengthy vetting process and approval in February. Budget officials now contend the state can save money by doing the work in-house. The last-minute contract cancelation was unorthodox and caused the layoffs of Lizzis coworkers and an abrupt end of plans to hire 30 more disabled people.

One official with the Center for Disability Services likened the highly unusual move to being left at the altar by a runaway bride.

Lizzi is upset because he views the states decision as a grave loss of human potential and the dignity, self-worth and sense of purpose those jobs would have provided to 50 disabled people. He knows. He speaks from personal experience, as someone who traveled the hard road from client to revered employee.

I dont know where I would be today without the Center for Disability Services, Lizzi said. They gave me my life back. I was a client for nine years and now I have a job I love and I provide for my family.

Lizzi, 55, was severely injured in a car crash in the summer of 1967, at age 2, while returning from a family vacation. It had started to rain and his father raised the roof on their convertible. His mother rode in the passenger seat. Lizzi was in a car seat in the back. A driving rainstorm slickened the roadways outside New Haven, Conn. and made driving treacherous. An oil tanker truck overturned on a steep hill ahead and Lizzis father lost control on the oil spill. Their car plunged down a 35-foot embankment.

Lizzi was ejected through the canvas convertible roof and his body was hurled 20 feet. When an emergency crew found him, he had no pulse. I was clinically dead, Lizzi said. He spent 21 days in a coma in the intensive care unit at Yale New Haven Hospital. He suffered a traumatic brain injury. His parents were seriously injured, as well, and both recovered.

Lizzi had to re-learn how to walk and talk. His parents, who settled in Clifton Park after his father was relocated to GE Plastics in Selkirk, brought their son to the Center for Disability Services in Albany for intensive therapy.

At school, bullies teased him about his heavy brace and mimicked his halting gait, caused by paralysis on his left side as a result of the traumatic brain injury. He also was diagnosed with a mild form of cerebral palsy. Lizzi struggled academically and was held back to repeat first grade in order to catch up from learning delays.

I ignored the nasty kids and was grateful for the nice ones who tried to help, Lizzi said.

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

He worked hard and, with the help of caring teachers and a private math tutor, he succeeded at school. He graduated in 1984 from Lenox Memorial High School in Lenox, Mass.  where the family moved for his fathers job at GE Plastics in Pittsfield.

He completed an associate degree in hotel and restaurant management at Schenectady County Community College and credited the kindness of his mentor, the late Toby Strianese. Lizzi earned a bachelors degree in the same field at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1991 and worked at the Desmond Hotel in Colonie for a year. He switched jobs and spent the past 26 years with the Center for Disability Services, the past six at the mail fulfillment center.

Lizzi and his wife, Melissa, have two children, Genevieve, 15, and Josephine, 13. Their son, Nehemiah, died one day after birth from complications of Patau syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. The couple lives in Colonie. He drives a Dodge Caravan mini-van and serves as a deacon at Albany Church of Christ. He visits shut-ins or hospitalized members and helps seniors with home improvement projects.

Mikes work ethic is unmatched, said Dennis Riley, director of finance for commercial services at the Center for Disability Services and a 29-year veteran of the organization. He goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Riley said Lizzi is one of the earliest to arrive for work, at 6:30 a.m., and he often is one of the last to leave  sticking around until the job is finished, even after his regular end of shift.

As we spoke, Lizzi looked at notes he had scrawled on the back of an envelope so he would not forget the points he wanted to make. He looked down at his notes and remembered he wanted to make a direct appeal to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

I know you have a difficult job, governor, Lizzi said. These people were my friends. They were excellent workers. Can you please reconsider? Having a job means the world to a disabled person.

Paul Grondahl is director of the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany and a former Times Union reporter. He can be reached at grondahlpaul@gmail.com
PARIS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged China and the European Union (EU) to jointly uphold the trend of peace and development, while calling for solidarity, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness.

In his speech at the French Institute of International Relations here on Sunday, Wang said that China's development has not only benefited the Chinese people, but also the whole world.

Commitment to peace and harmony, he added, is deeply rooted in the mindset of the Chinese and has also been the cultural inspiration behind China's active pursuit of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Over the past more than 70 years since the People's Republic of China was founded, especially the past over 40 years since the country's reform and opening up, the Chinese people have made remarkable achievements along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

China has accomplished leapfrog development with its comprehensive national strength growing continuously, and the Chinese people have become the true masters of their country with their livelihoods improving incessantly, Wang said.

Wang said that China has always been a constructor of world peace, constantly injecting positive energy into the evolution of the international situation, a defender of the international order, constantly adding stability to the global governance system, and a promoter of globalization, making important contributions to building an open world.

The development path chosen by the Chinese people, Wang said, meets their aspirations and the trend of peaceful development, which is beneficial not only to China but also to the world.

China will stick to it unswervingly, he added.

Facing an ever-changing international environment, China has decided to give full play to the advantages of its super-large market and the potential of its domestic demand, so as to build a new development pattern marked by the domestic cycle as the main body and the mutual reinforcing of both the domestic and international cycles, said Wang.

China will further expand domestic demand and open up wider, share more of China's development dividends with the world so as to drive the world's common recovery with China's recovery and drive the world's common development with China's development, he said.

China will continue to adhere to the path of peaceful development, Wang said.

Adhering to the new model of state-to-state relations featuring dialogue and partnership, not confrontation or alliance, China will build more extensive global partnerships, he said.

On open development, Wang said that China will build an open economy of a higher level with all-range, multi-level, diversified patterns of open cooperation.

Also, on cooperative development, Wang said that China will pursue greater security, better development and meet common challenges through cooperation.

On win-win development, Wang noted that China has always adhered to the global governance concept based on the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

China, he added, will work with other countries to make the pie of cooperation bigger and turn the vision of common development into reality.

On inclusive development, Wang said China does not seek to export its system or model of development, and has no interest in ideological confrontation with any country.

With concrete actions, China will continue to safeguard the diversity of civilizations in the world and promote exchanges and mutual learning between development models, he added.

With the world facing changes unseen in a century and also a raging pandemic, humanity needs to once again make a crucial choice, a choice between progress and regression, between solidarity and division, and between openness and seclusion, he said.

China and the EU, he said, should take a responsible attitude toward the future of mankind, take the fundamental interests of the people of both sides into consideration, jointly resist the adverse tides of hatred and confrontation instigation and stand firm on the right side of history, so as to provide more stability for the complex and fluid world.

Firstly, China and the EU should resolutely safeguard peaceful development and oppose global division, he said.

He stressed that China opposes firmly any attempt to start a new "Cold War" and will never allow any force to deprive the Chinese people and the people of the world of the right to seek development and a good life.

Wang said that China hopes to send a strong message together with Europe: a message for solidarity and against division, for progress and against regression, for peace and development and against conflict and confrontation.

Secondly, China and the EU, he added, should strongly uphold multilateralism and jointly oppose unilateral bullying.

Wang pledged that China will uphold firmly multilateralism, and advocate and implement global governance based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, no matter how the international situation changes.

China regards the EU as an important force in the process of multi-polarization and stands ready to work with the EU to safeguard the effectiveness and authority of the multilateral system, and a fair and just international order, Wang said.

Thirdly, China and the EU should continue to promote mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly oppose seclusion and decoupling, said the Chinese foreign minister.

China and the world today have long been intertwined, and that trying to decouple with China means to decouple with development opportunities and the most dynamic market, he said.

As two major economies of the world, China and the EU should stick to free trade and jointly protect the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, so as to play a key role in promoting global development and prosperity in the post-pandemic era, Wang said.

Fourthly, China and the EU should jointly respond to global challenges and oppose the "beggar-thy-neighbor" strategy, Wang added.

China and the EU should set an example for promoting global governance, work together to enhance the coordinating role of the United Nations in international affairs, oppose the practice of putting one's own country first at the expense of others, and join hands to build a community with a shared future for mankind, he said.

Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties, Wang said that over the past 45 years, an important message from the development of China-EU relations is that there is no conflict of fundamental interests between the two sides, cooperation is far greater than competition, and consensus is far greater than difference.

During the past 45 years, the growth of China-EU relations has shown that it is entirely possible for the two sides to enhance mutual trust through equal dialogue, to achieve win-win results through mutually beneficial cooperation, to properly handle differences through constructive communication, and to jointly meet global challenges through enhanced coordination.

Wang said that China always attaches importance to the status and role of the EU and supports Europe in playing a bigger role in international affairs.

He noted that China and the EU should further strengthen solidarity and cooperation, press the "reset button" for dialogue and cooperation in various fields, give full play to the "twin engines," inject a strong impetus into international solidarity and cooperation, and strive to build a partnership from the following four areas.

First, China and the EU, he said, need to build a partnership against COVID-19.

China and the EU should strengthen cooperation in the research, development and production of vaccines, drugs and testing reagents, and jointly support the active role of the World Health Organization, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization and other international agencies, he said.

China, Wang added, stands ready to speed up the construction of a "fast track" for personnel exchanges and a "green track" for the exchange of goods to boost the EU's economic recovery.

Second, China and the EU should strengthen their investment partnership, he said.

China and the EU, Wang said, should follow the principle of flexibility and pragmatism and meet each other halfway to reach a comprehensive, balanced and high-level investment agreement within this year.

He added that it is necessary for the two sides to conduct a joint feasibility study on a free trade agreement as soon as possible and conclude the China-EU Cooperation 2025 Strategic Plan at an early date.

Third, China and the EU should build a green and digital partnership, Wang said, adding that the two sides are highly complementary in green and digital fields and enjoy broad prospects for cooperation.

Both sides should deepen cooperation in environmental technology, circular economy, clean energy, sustainable finance and other areas, and strengthen cooperation in information and communication technology, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, big data, cloud computing and other fields, so as to expand new growth areas for bilateral cooperation.

Fourth, China and the EU should deepen multilateral cooperative partnership, Wang said.

China and the EU should step up dialogue and cooperation on climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development, Wang said, adding that the two sides should also work together to uphold the Iranian nuclear agreement, promote political settlement of international and regional hotspot issues, strengthen trilateral cooperation with Africa, and make greater contributions to building a more sustainable and safer world.
EAST HAVEN  A group of more than 20 school parents asked the Board of Education and the East Haven Public Schools administration Tuesday to reconsider its scheduled Sept. 8 full reopening of the towns schools, saying they were acting collectively because their individual concerns drew limited or no response.

The letter follows by six days a rally by teachers, who submitted petitions which at the time had been signed by about 800 people calling for the Board of Education to delay the reopening of schools and consider a hybrid reopening plan. The petitions now have been signed by more than 900 people.

Our buildings are not ready, the teachers are afraid for their health and safety and that of the students and our state is still only in the reopen plan of Phase 2, the letter said.

We still have hair salons, restaurants, bars and movie theatres that have not been approved for full reopening. How can we risk the lives of our children, teachers and our community if the State of Connecticut doesnt even think it is safe to fully reopen all businesses? the parents asked

The letter, dated Aug. 30, was emailed Tuesday to Superintendent of Schools Erica Forti and other school officials, Mayor Joe Carfora, the full Board of Education, the Town Council, state Rep. Joe Zullo, R-East Haven, state Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona and several media outlets, including the New Haven Register.

It was signed by 20 school parents who called themselves the East Haven Parents Committee. Many other names were left off the letter due to parents wishes to remain anonymous, the letter said.

We are writing as a collective group of very concerned parents regarding the full re-opening of East Haven Public Schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, the letter states. We have reached out individually to our Board of Education Department with extremely limited, or in many cases, no responses. Several parents have directly reached out to Superintendent Erica Forti, and she has not replied or followed up. Since our concerns and those of our teachers are not being addressed or even considered, we have no option other than to escalate these issues.

In a written response drafted Tuesday night by Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Murrihy with input from Forti and Board of Education Chairwoman Michele DeLucia, the East Haven Public Schools said, We always appreciate and welcome feedback from families who work proactively to communicate their needs and concerns. Our team is striving to respond to this unprecedented crisis by crafting safety, remote and in-person instruction plans that meet our high academic and operational standards.

We are committed to using the state guidelines and indicator data to drive decisions on the leaning model, Murrihy wrote. Over the course of the summer, we created spaces such as zoom community circles to capture feedback from our teachers and families on planning for reopening and drafted our plans with this feedback and input in mind.

We are monitoring the data on the key metrics developed by the Connecticut Department of Health (DPH) and the Department of Education (CSDE) to support local district decision-making on the level of in-person, hybrid (blended), and virtual learning model for Pre K-12 education, she wrote. The key leading indicator to support decision-making on the level of in-person education recommended by DPH and CSDE is: The number of new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population per day (7-day average).

Additionally, we monitor and consider three secondary indicators: 1. Percent test positivity (# of positive tests/# of total tests, 7-day average), 2. Number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 population (7-day average), 3. COVID-like and Influenza-like Illness (CLI and ILI) Syndromic Surveillance, Murrihy wrote.

The superintendent in collaboration with East Shore Health will be monitoring very closely what is happening in schools and use this information as an additional metric for decision making on the need to shift to an alternative learning model, Murrihy wrote.

(For the complete response from the school administration, see below.)

The parents letter made it clear that they are not satisfied.

The East Haven Public Schools mission statement is to provide a variety of learning experience and a rigorous comprehensive education in a safe and nurturing environment to prepare all students to be college and career ready, the letter reads. This mission statement could not be further from the events that are taking place amid such an unprecedented time. Our teachers have voiced their concerns over our schools fully opening ... and their concerns have fallen upon deaf ears.

According to BOE Chairwoman Michele DeLucia, the decision to fully reopen was made based on 78 percent of children returning to school by the Superintendents office, the letter says. The full reopening plan was announced to families on July 24th. That percentage was said to have been obtained from the mandatory survey responses that was sent out over 3 weeks after the decision had been already made. Since parents did not receive much of the information after the survey results were due, we find these surveys to be inaccurate.

During a school board meeting on August 25, the YouTube video clearly shows one of the board members asking why everyone is so upset with them over the reopening plan since they had nothing to do with it and it came down from the state, the letter states.

If the state had mandated a full reopening, every single school in Connecticut would be doing the same thing, it says. The Governor did advise a full reopening, but ultimately left it up to each district to choose what is best for them. It is very disturbing that out of the nine board members, not one questioned a decision that puts our entire community at risk.

The letter lists a number of other concerns, including that it was never communicated that AP and Honors classes would not be available to the families that chose the districts state-mandated online distance-learning option  and by the time parents learned that was the case, it was too late to register their children for AP/Honors classes offered online through Southern Connecticut State University, which is what the school administration recommended.

Students should have the same rights to the educational and mental development whether they are choosing to come back to school in person, or the remote learning option, it says.

Overall, Many parents feel as though they are being forced into sending their kids back to school, the letter says. We should not feel this way. If we do not feel 100 percent comfortable and confident in the reopening plan, we should be able to keep our kids at home safely, without giving up their education, sports, extracurricular activities and 504 plans.

In addition, Many parents have children in multiple schools, so there is concern of spread from school to school, the letter states. The elementary and middle schools do not have proper ventilation, they are window units. We have had teachers resign and opt for an early retirement due to this unsafe working conditions. Teachers who are high risk have asked specifically to teach remotely for the students who opted distance learning and were told to either fully return or resign.

East Haven teachers are asking for a slow and safe reopening with a hybrid learning plan, the letter says. This will allow our students and teachers to slowly integrate back to school, with being around 50 percent of the number of people that they would be if they returned to school full time. If the BOE is so opposed to the hybrid option, they could have opted for the distance learning option for the first few weeks of schools. Either the hybrid or full remote option would allow our students access to live teachers during normal school hours, and allow for a slower opening.

But while classrooms will be limited to 25 people under East Havens full reopening plan, they are not large enough to allow for the 6 feet social distancing recommendation, the letter states. They have advised that there will be social distancing whenever possible. Our buses will be filled to its normal capacity, with its usual routes.

The BOE has continued to state that they are against the hybrid option due to cohorting and want to keep the same kids together as much as possible, but on full and crowded school buses, our children with be among children from many other classrooms which is not cohorting. No additional buses or routes have been added to limit the number of students that will be crammed together to and from school.

Some parents do not have the option to drive their children to school, it says. ... The BOE should be providing a safer transportation option for all families in need.

COMPLETE RESPONSE FROM EAST HAVEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO ISSUES RAISED IN PARENT LETTER:

We always appreciate and welcome feedback from families who work proactively to communicate their needs and concerns. Our team is striving to respond to this unprecedented crisis by crafting safety, remote and in-person instruction plans that meet our high academic and operational standards. We are committed to using the state guidelines and indicator data to drive decisions on the leaning model. Over the course of the summer, we created spaces such as zoom "community circles" to capture feedback from our teachers and families on planning for reopening and drafted our plans with this feedback and input in mind.

We are monitoring the Data on the key metrics developed by the Connecticut Department of Health (DPH) and the Department of Education (CSDE) to support local district decision-making on the level of in-person, hybrid (blended), and virtual learning model for Pre K-12 education

The key leading indicator to support decision-making on the level of in-person education recommended by DPH and CSDE is: The number of new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population per day (7-day average).

Additionally, we monitor and consider three secondary indicators: 1. Percent test positivity (# of positive tests/# of total tests, 7-day average), 2. Number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 population (7-day average), 3. COVID-like and Influenza-like Illness (CLI and ILI) Syndromic Surveillance.

The superintendent in collaboration with East Shore Health will be monitoring very closely what is happening in schools and use this information as an additional metric for decision making on the need to shift to an alternative learning model

Data provided by East Shore Health Department indicates that there were zero cases in 18 out of 25 days in August. We get updated data from our local health department weekly to monitor and inform our decision making.

Our district does not currently have 55 unfilled classroom teaching positions. There may have been 55 positions posted since the start of the summer and we posted some anticipated positions recently in the event we need a pool of candidates to draw from at some point moving forward.

Remote programs are taught by East Haven teachers in alignment with our existing curriculum. We recognize that design for learning to maximize student understanding may be different for teachers instructing students in person when compared to planning for virtual instruction, and designed our plan to make sure students had access to their teachers for lessons specifically designed for digital spaces. We are committed to providing remote learners access to learning while providing teachers with appropriate supports to design learning experiences for both face-to-face and virtual students.

East Haven High School teachers will be able to offer the following AP and ECE courses via livestream or remote learning extended day for students who meet the requirements for the course. Students also have options for honors extensions.

Modern European History (S2) (ECE)

AP Calculus

AP Statistics

AP English

Writing for College (S1) (ECE)

Born or Created (S2) (ECE)

Literature of War (S2) (ECE)

The following AP courses will be offered via remote learning with additional live sessions scheduled for students:

AP US Government and Politics

AP US History

AP Psychology

We provided information via our website, public presentations at our board meetings, school messenger notifications and informational zoom meetings designed to present our model, including its limitations, in alignment with CSDE addendum 1 .

We continue to enhance the original model as more funding sources are released to support school districts. At this point, the only funding we have been able to apply for expenditures is the original ESSER funds which have been dedicated to securing adequate PPE, sanitation attendants, bus Attendants, technology and expansion of paraprofessional hours.

We received notification that CRF funds would be made available to East Haven via an application process that has not yet been communicated or released, and therefore we have not applied or received any CRF funding at this point.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
The Oak Park Police Department was able to recover video from one of these incidents and, with the assistance and partnership of the Chicago Police Department and the FBI violent crimes unit, Henyard was identified, Oak Park police sergeant Angelo Episcopo said. Henyard was stopped by the Chicago Police Department on Aug. 29 and taken into custody on an original Oak Park warrant.
Doug Fords public embrace of Justin Trudeaus Liberals seems impassioned.

But his public distancing from Erin OTooles Conservatives seems improbable.

Not to be confused with social distancing, nor political dissing, it is a calculated dance: Ford isnt so much refusing OTooles overtures as he is pleading that his dance card is full  and that he already has a partner who provides for him.

Explaining why he wouldnt campaign alongside his newly crowned federal political cousin, Ford said he couldnt possibly find the time: I cant take my eye off the ball for an election or anything else.

Yet in the same breath, he once again showered praise on the prime minister and deputy PM Chrystia Freeland, erstwhile enemies who are now his closest COVID-19 collaborators:

We have a phenomenal relationship. I think the world of the deputy prime minister, we are able to get a lot accomplished just by communicating and collaborating  and along with the prime minister as well.

How to explain the premiers penchant for federal-provincial footsie? The politics of pandemics have stayed his hand.

Pre-COVID-19, Ford and OToole were joined at the hip  figuratively and politically if not quite genetically. Both were reared in the party family as sons of Ontario PC backbenchers (Doug Ford Sr. and John OToole), and they share many of the same ideological supporters (such as Alberta Premier Jason Kenney).

But Tory fraternity and paternity only go so far. Personal popularity and federal cash flow count for more than Conservative comity.

A year ago, Trudeau spent most of his time on the campaign trail in Ontario badmouthing his performance, while the federal Conservatives pretended Ford didnt exist. That makes two federal elections in a row in which an Ontario premier has helped Trudeau win votes  first in 2015 when Kathleen Wynne campaigned for him up close, and again in 2019 when Ford conveniently served as a long distance foil.

What a difference a year makes. Back then, Ford was in free fall, written off by pollsters and booed off the stage at public events.

This week, the Angus Reid Institute reconfirmed what most public opinion polls have been showing all summer, even if not all pundits have noticed: Fords popularity is through the roof, with two out of every three Ontarians approving of his performance.

At 66 per cent, Ford is within a hair (and within the margin of error) of B.C. Premier John Horgan, who topped the list at 69 per cent. His turnaround cannot simply be explained by voter insecurity in a pandemic, because other politicians have declined steadily.

Part of Fords rise comes from rising to the occasion  he exceeded expectations by ultimately taking COVID-19 seriously and reaching out for help. Not just from experts, but enemies.

By making peace with the prime minister, Ford opened the door not only to a flurry of federal-provincial co-operation but a gusher of federal cash flow  while spending by the provincial treasury has been measured. Thanks to Ottawa bankrolling massive wage subsidies and spending programs in the tens of billions of dollars  most recently $2 billion in education subsidies for the provinces  Ontarios premier has been able to appear generous while keeping his own outlays more modest.

Little wonder Fords gratitude to the federal Liberals is limitless, while his fidelity for the federal Conservatives is sharply delineated. Ford can count.

To be clear, its both the budgetary numbers and polling numbers that are flowing in Fords favour under federal Liberal suzerainty. The last thing an Ontario premier needs now is to align himself with OTooles rhetoric of fiscal discipline, tighter wage subsidies, and other penny-pinching policies that even hint of a return to the Stephen Harper era (such as his call to defund the CBC).

As the newly neutral Ford explains, I dont care what political stripe youre from, if you get elected Ill work with you. He just wont work to get OToole elected.

They say that politics makes strange bedfellows. But pandemics can also makes strangers out of fellows who once bedded (or were wedded) together politically.

Former PM Brian Mulroney famously fetishized (and profited from) party loyalty by publicly proclaiming, You dance with the one that brung ya.

In declining to dance with OToole in the next federal campaign  distancing himself from a fellow Tory while aligning himself with the federal Liberals  Ford appears to be mindful of Mulroneys maxim. Yes, appearances count and allegiances add up, but money and popularity cant be discounted.

Read more about:
US oil giant Chevron has taken local fuel and service station operator Ampol to court over alleged misuse of Chevron's Caltex brand, claiming the local company misused the branding at 177 service stations across Australia.

In a statement to the market on Tuesday morning, Ampol said Chevron had initiated proceedings in the Federal Court against the $6.5 billion company, seeking a court injunction to remove the signage along with unspecified damages.

US oil giant Chevron has taken local service station operator Ampol to court over the use of its Caltex trademark. Credit:

Ampol was formerly called Caltex in Australia under a longstanding licensing agreement with Chevron, which owns the brand. The agreement fell apart late last year, with Ampol currently undertaking a $165 million rebrand to transition away from the Caltex name.

Chevron's complaints allege Ampol breached the two companies' trademark licensing agreement (TMLA) at 177 sites and at an unspecified number of third-party sites operating under a sub-licensing agreement with Ampol.
North Korean hackers are tapping into banks around the globe to make fraudulent money transfers and cause ATMs to spit out cash, the U.S. government warned on Wednesday.

A technical cybersecurity alert jointly written by four different federal agencies, including the Treasury Department and FBI, said there had been a resurgence in financially motivated hacking efforts by the North Korean regime this year after a lull in activity.

Since February 2020, North Korea has resumed targeting banks in multiple countries to initiate fraudulent international money transfers and ATM cash outs, the warning reads.

U.S. law enforcement titled the hacking campaign Fast Cash and blamed North Koreas Reconnaissance General Bureau, a spy agency, for it. They described the operation as going on since at least 2016 but ramping up in sophistication and volume recently.

Over the last several years, North Korea has been blamed by U.S. authorities and private sector cybersecurity companies for hacking numerous banks in Asia, South America and Africa.

North Korean cyber actors have demonstrated an imaginative knack for adjusting their tactics to exploit the financial sector as well as any other sector through illicit cyber operations, Bryan Ware, a senior cybersecurity official at the U.S. Homeland Security Department, said in a prepared statement.

Cybersecurity experts and foreign policy analysts have said these types of hacking operations are conducted to help fund the North Korean government, which is cash-strapped due to expansive sanctions continuously placed on it by the U.S. and other western countries.

The continued attacks are proof of the reliance the regime has on these funds, along with being a testament to their technical ability and determination, said Vikram Thakur, a technical director for U.S. cybersecurity firm Symantec.

(Reporting by Christopher Bing; Editing by Tom Brown)

Topics Cyber USA
Russian forces in Syria are seeking to escalate tensions with U.S. forces there at the same time as Iranian-backed proxy groups in Iraq continue to fire rockets at U.S. facilities. This puts the White House and Pentagon in a bind. With an election looming and domestic crises on the agenda, the Trump administration has indicated it may make a decision about the U.S. mission in Syria fairly soon as some U.S. forces are withdrawn from Iraq. In the wake of Secretary of State Mike Pompeos successful trip to the region in August, its essential that Russia and Iran dont come away looking like winners in Syria and Iraq. Threading this needle by maintaining a small U.S. footprint and keeping Iran and Russia deterred will be a difficult task.

Russian armored vehicles in Syria clashed with a U.S. patrol on August 25, injuring the crew of an American mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicle. The incident happened in northeast Syria. This is a complex landscape where the U.S. withdrew from some bases and posts in October 2019 during a Turkish invasion. That crisis saw U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who have been fighting ISIS, withdraw while a RussiaTurkey agreement partitioned a border area. However, the U.S. remained in many parts of eastern Syria, with the White House saying soldiers would secure oil fields.

The Russians, backed by the Syrian regime, have sought to undermine the U.S. role in Syria. Russia, Iran, and Turkey have condemned an illegal deal between a U.S. oil company and the SDF in Syria. To confront American forces, the Russians use propaganda in media and incite pro-Syrian-regime locals to protest U.S. forces. Russian patrols frequently monitor American patrols, sometimes playing cat-and-mouse on local roads, with the Russians following U.S. vehicles around or harassing them. On August 25, Moscow went one step further. Backed by two helicopters, the Russians struck a U.S. vehicle with one of their own. The helicopters buzzed the U.S. patrol at low altitude, kicking up dust, which the U.S. coalition says was abnormally aggressive behavior.

Story continues

The White House said the incident was unsafe and unprofessional and called for deconfliction. American soldiers have a right to defend themselves, the National Security Council reiterated. Joint Chiefs head General Mark Milley spoke to Russian general Valery Gerasimov, his Russian counterpart, about the incident. Clearly the White House and Pentagon are taking this seriously, because previous incidents with the Russians havent reached this level of condemnation and phone calls to Moscow.

As Russian patrols harass the U.S. near Derik and Qamishli in Syria, 250 miles southwest, U.S. forces and their partners are being challenged by Iran and ISIS sleeper cells near Deir Ezzor in Syria. This is a large area, spanning roughly the distance from New York City to Washington, D.C. Irans goal is to infiltrate tribal areas near the Euphrates River and get tribes to protest the U.S. and SDF presence. Meanwhile, across the border in Iraq, there are weekly rocket attacks by Iranian-backed militant groups on areas where Americans are present, such as the embassy in Baghdad. In the past, when U.S. forces were killed at Camp Taji by a rocket attack, U.S. Central Command responded with airstrikes. On August 23, U.S. forces left Taji and handed it over to the Iraqi army, one of half a dozen bases handed over in the last six months.

The Russians and Iranians know that the U.S. is leaving bases in Iraq, and Russia unsurprisingly sought to end an arms embargo on Iran while Tehran brags about defeating the U.S. at the United Nations. Put it all together and it looks like a full-court press to harass the U.S. across Iraq and Syria. Does Moscow think that if it ups the cost for Washington to remain in Syria, America might pull back, as the U.S. did after Turkeys invasion in October 2019? Certainly Iran and Russia know U.S. elections are coming up and that the administration has vowed to stop fighting endless wars in  faraway places .

Pompeos trip to the Middle East in late August, during which he visited Israel, Sudan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, was intended to shore up U.S. allies and show Iran that Americas commitment is not in doubt. As the Pentagon repositions troops in Iraq, consolidating bases, moving air defense to defend against pro-Iranian attacks, and placing troops in the friendlier Kurdish region, it is essential not to let Iran or Russia think it has won in Iraq and Syria. Russia and Iran look like they are working in concert, sometimes even coordinating statements with Turkey, to undermine the U.S. presence. Keeping them guessing about Washingtons next moves and maintaining U.S. deterrence is essential to avoid eroding confidence in the U.S. in Iraq, Syria, and the wider region.

More from National Review
I have gone out on a limb and predicted that President Trump will carry Minnesota in November, and my friend Jason Lewis will win the states Senate seat against the lazy, faceless incumbent, Tina Smith. In recent days, a number of others have written that Minnesota will be in play in November. Today, the liberal site FiveThirtyEight weighed in with a surprisingly fair account of what is going on here: Why Minnesota Could Be The Next Midwestern State To Go Red.

The Democratic candidate has won Minnesota in 11 straight presidential elections, the longest active streak in the country. Whats more, no Republican has won any statewide election in Minnesota since 2006  not for Senate, not for governor, not even for state auditor.

Sad but true.

Its tempting to conclude from this that Minnesota is a safe Democratic state. But Minnesota is much more evenly divided than that record suggests: For example, it came within a couple percentage points of voting for now-President Trump in 2016.

A point and a half, to be precise.

Most ominously for Democrats, there is evidence that Minnesota is becoming redder over time, with 2016 being a particular inflection point. In 1984, the state was 18.2 points more Democratic than the nation as a whole.

To be fair, that is when native son Walter Mondale was mounting his futile challenge against President Reagan.

But in 2016, for the first time since 1952, Minnesota voted more Republican than the rest of the U.S.

Much more on this at the link.

What explains Minnesotas rightward shift? Fifty-three percent of the population age 25 and older are non-Hispanic white and lack a bachelors degree, a demographic with which Republicans  and especially Trump  have been gaining ground.

A lot of those folks used to vote Democrat, but that is a thing of the past.

[I]n recent elections, Democrats pro-environment and anti-gun positions have alienated these voters in places like the Iron Range, an ancestrally Democratic mining region, and in 2016 Trump was able to tap into their racial and economic grievances as well. Democrats went from carrying Minnesota by 7.7 points in 2012 to carrying it by just 1.5 in 2016.

That reference to racial grievances is bullshit, but it is true that Greater Minnesota has turned bright red. In Minnesota, as everywhere else, rural areas have gone conservative Republican:

One of the most important divides in Minnesota politics is between the diverse, cosmopolitan Twin Cities metro area and Greater Minnesota, whose residents often feel short-changed relative to the metro. In 2016, every county in Greater Minnesota got redder, and 19 of them flipped from Barack Obama to Trump.

Greater Minnesota is now Republican territory, as I have written about a number of times. At the same time, as in many other states, the Twin Cities suburbs have been trending toward the Democrats:

However, there is a silver lining for Democrats: Several counties in the metro actually got bluer in 2016, powered by formerly Republican suburbs like Eden Prairie, Edina and Chanhassen. Still, it wasnt enough to counterbalance Democrats losses in Greater Minnesota, so the state shifted toward Republicans overall.

That blue suburban trend continued in the off-year election of 2018, a bad year for Republicans in Minnesota. Nevertheless, FiveThirtyEight scents trouble:

Democrats are now in serious danger of losing Minnesota for the first time since 1972. It might not happen this year: Biden, after all, leads by 4.2 points in our forecast there. But that is more about Bidens strength nationally than Minnesota being blue.

You might buy this if you believe in Bidens strength nationally, but I dont know anyone who does believe in that. My own optimistic prediction is based on two convictions: 1) Greater Minnesota has gotten considerably redder since 2016, a fact for which there is evidence of all kinds, and 2) the suburbs leftward swingespecially the leftward swing among suburban womenhas been superficial and can be turned around by the issue of crime, violence, rioting, arson and looting. I have said for years that conservatives need an issue that suburban women really care about to counter the vague leftward, feel-good voting patterns that have emerged in the last few cycles. I am betting that crime is that issue.

Will President Trump and the Republicans sweep Minnesota in 2020? We have a long way to go, but for now, I say Yes.

UPDATE: I should add that there is a major joker in the deck, in the form of the Democrats voter fraud strategy. In Minnesota, it will be a vote-by-junk-mail election, with possibly hundreds of thousands of ballots mailed out to people who have died, or moved away, or are not legal voters. The Democrats believe that many of these ballots will be fraudulently filled out and returned by their own partisansthe Democrats have eliminated the legal requirement of a witness signature for vote-by-mail ballotswhile Republicans will follow the law. I think their calculation is correct, which means that any Republican will probably need a margin of thousands of votes statewide to overcome the Democrats voter fraud. In other words, voter fraud could well make the difference this year.
Stomach-churning footage has revealed the moment a doctor removed a huge growth resembling 'a little bald man' off a patient's foot in My Feet Are Killing Me!

Tonight's episode of the Quest Red show features Paul Wright, 30, from California, who at face value, is like your average guy. Tall, handsome, holds down a good job and has a loving girlfriend.

Things, from the outside-in at least, look perfectly normal for Paul - but since he was a teenager, he's been hiding a painful secret on the bottom of his foot.

Since he was in Middle School, Paul has been living with a giant, round growth on the underside of his left foot and, despite visiting several doctors, he has no idea what it is.

Paul Wright, 30, from California, has a huge growth resembling 'a little bald man' removed off his foot in tonight's episode of My Feet Are Killing Me!

Paul explains that the growth started out as a small pimple which grew over time. Pictured, Lauren looks on as Dr. Ebonie continues to examine the nub

'A lot of people have been weirded out by it,' he explains. 'It could be a growth, it could be a toe, it could be a strange cyst that protruded out of my foot. It kind of looks like the most grotesque bald headed man popping out!'

Starting out as a small pimple, the lump grew over time before turning into, as Paul puts it, a 'giant monstrosity. It's like its own appendage.'

While an eyesore, the lump also causes Paul a great deal of pain and discomfort, forcing him to walk on the side of his foot.

'It's painful, it's almost like there's pressure on the inside underneath it,' he says. 'There's actually a sort of burning sensation as well. Everyday I feel that pain, so I have to walk on the side of my foot, and as a result of that it hurts my knees.'

After leaving the lump undiagnosed and untreated for so long, Paul's started to develop concerns that it might be more sinister than meets the eye.

'The older I've gotten and the more painful that it's become, I've started to worry that it could be something serious,' he explains. 'I'm terrified that this is cancerous, I guess there's the potential that I could lose my foot. That's terrifying to me.'

After leaving the lump undiagnosed and untreated for so long, Paul explains he started to develop concerns that it might be more sinister than meets the eye. Pictured, Paul and his girlfriend Lauren smile at each other as they wait for Dr. Ebonie in the consultation room

Paul explains the lump causes him a great deal of pain and discomfort - and forces him to walk on the side of his foot. Pictured, the expert looks at Paul's foot

With his health on his mind, Paul decides to bite the bullet and travels to Orange County, California, to see foot and ankle surgeon Dr Ebonie Vincent for some answers.

'I actually have no idea what this thing is,' she says, startled. 'For the majority of it, it did feel pretty soft, like skin, but it did have this calcification or possibly even bone that I could feel that was very hard.'

A perplexed Dr Vincent explains Paul's options to him, suggesting that excising the lump and testing it would be their best shot of diagnosing the lump.

'We won't know for sure what it is unless we take it off and send it to pathology, but you cannot rule out any type of cancers without for sure knowing what this is,' she explains.

Bravely agreeing to go through with surgery, Paul's ready to say goodbye to the little bald man growing out of his foot.

'If it gets this thing off my foot, then I feel great about it,' he smiles.

Fast forward several weeks, and it's the day of Paul's surgery. Ever the joker, Paul cheekily puts in a requests to keep the lump once its removed.

'I've always threatened to my sister and nieces that if I got it back I would cook it up in a skillet and serve it to them! They're not too amused by that!'

After putting Paul under general anaesthetic, the expert gets to work, carefully snipping and cutting around the lump.

During his follow-up appointment, Paul is relieved to hear that the results came back showing the lump is benign. Pictured, Paul and his girlfriend Lauren smile at each other as they wait for Dr. Ebonie in the consultation room

'I don't believe anything is a stalk or anything going out of it, so there's nothing there that I can see that would be a source of regrowth,' she says, delivering some positive news.

After some more slicing and dicing, Dr Vincent successfully removes the growth, and quickly sends sit off to pathology for testing.

Closing up the wound, it's job done until Paul's follow-up appointment - where Dr Vincent takes off his bandages and is pleased with the results of her surgery.

'It looks like it's healing really, really good,' she says. 'We sent in the skin tag to pathology to see whether or not it was cancerous, that was the biggest thing we wanted to rule out. The pathology report came back and everything is benign!'

'There was no bone in there, unfortunately I can't say it was a toe, it's just a benign skin tag.'

After years of waiting, Paul finally has the answers he's been looking for, and he's now keen to get on with the rest of his life.

He adds: 'It just feels great to be able to walk around, this has been the best medical experience of my life!'

My Feet Are Killing Me airs 10pm on Tuesday exclusively on Quest Red, or stream on dplay
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The Parliament of Armenia will convene an extraordinary session on September 4 at the initiative of the government.

The agenda of the session is not available yet.

The session will begin at 11:00.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
People have been warned to be on the look out for an invasive species is extremely damaging to trees but the spines of its larva (caterpillars) are also harmful to people.

The Oak Processionary Moth pest can cause skin rashes, conjunctivitis and respiratory problems such as pharyngitis and asthma.

The spines are especially dangerous for those with allergies and can be deadly in some cases.

The first nest of caterpillars in Ireland was identified in June after it was spotted on an oak tree by a member of the public in a small park in south Dublin.

The Department of Agriculture said that after the single nest was identified through contact with its Horticulture and Plant Health Division, "swift action was taken to eradicate the pest traced to a recent import of oak trees from Belgium including the removal and destruction of the single nest found on the solitary tree as well as all associated trees linked to the imported consignment."

A wider intensified survey has not yielded any additional findings of the pest in Ireland. Information posters have been put in the park to alert the public and a trader notice has been issued to the horticulture industry.

The pest is established in central and southern Europe and surrounding areas and the range of this moth has expanded northwards possibly in response to climate change, according to the Department of Agriculture.

It is firmly established in northern France and the Netherlands, and has been reported in southern Sweden.

Since 2006, colonies of larvae have been found in parts of the UK. This is the first finding in Ireland.

Ireland is designated a Protected Zone since 2014, which means it is free from the pest. Northern Ireland and most of Britain also have Protected Zone status.

Measures are taken like prohibition or restriction of movement of commodities and annual surveys to avoid the introduction of these pests into the protected zones and to ensure their eradication if found present in these zones.

Oak trees and plants are a host for this pest and it is unlikely to be found on any other tree than oak.

The nest was removed by Department of Agriculture staff (pic: Dept of Agriculture)

The caterpillars have black heads and bodies covered in long white hairs, and have a distinctive habit of moving in nose-to-tail processions, hence their name.

When the caterpillars develop into moths, they then then fly into other host oak trees and lay their eggs for the next year.

The Department of Agriculture said they should not be touched under any circumstances and suspected sightings should be notified immediately to them by emailing plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie.
Paul Rusesabagina, an alleged denier of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and leader of a terrorist group responsible for civilian deaths in Rwanda, was on Monday, August 31, paraded before the media in the capital Kigali.

According to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), Rusesabagina has been the subject of an International Arrest Warrant for multiple charges, including terrorism, arson, kidnap and murder.

Thierry Murangira, acting RIB Spokesperson, told reporters that the crimes were allegedly perpetrated against unarmed, innocent Rwandan civilians on Rwandan territory, including in Nyabimata, Nyaruguru District in June 2018 and in Nyungwe, Nyamagabe District in December 2018.

Rusesabagina has largely been living in western capitals, while his MRCD and PDR-Ihumure terror groups have a presence in and outside the region.

He is detained at Remera Police Station "while his case file is being processed in accordance with Rwandan criminal procedure."

Murangira declined to discuss details of the operation that resulted into Rusesabagina's arrest, only saying it was conducted through international cooperation.

Rusesabagina "has been subject of an International Arrest Warrant," he said.

His case file is being prepared before he is handed to the National Public Prosecution Authority.

"We want the public to know that it is a matter of time. All the others (terror suspects) too will be arrested. No one will kill Rwandans and go scot free," Murangira said.

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Rusesabagina is a leader - along with Belgium-based former Rwandan Prime Minister FaustinTwagiramungu - of the MRCD Ubumwe-FLN, a militia group based mainly in the east of neighbouring DR Congo.

His foundation - Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation (HRRF) - has been accused of collecting money from well-wishers it uses to fund terrorist activities of FLN, the armed wing of MRCD which is commanded by 'Gen' Wilson Irategeka, formerly with FDLR.

The FDLR is largely comprised of elements blamed for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, which claimed the lives of over a million people in three months.

The FLN first raided a Rwandan village near the border with Burundi in June 2018, before carrying out another attack in December 2018 when they ambushed three passenger service vehicles inside Nyungwe forest.

As a result, several people lost their lives while others lost limbs. The group, which has often attacked Rwanda from Burundi, has also been blamed for kidnapping civilians.

The public learnt much of the details of the terror group's activities during the trial of Callixte Nsabimana, a former FLN spokesperson, in May last year. Nsabimana pleaded guilty.
Empty maternal care hallway at Asokoro district hospital as a result of the health workers strike in 2018.

Abuja  Medical doctors in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, under the aegis of Association of Resident Doctors, ARD-FCTA, declared Monday that they will begin strike on September 1, over non-payment of COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowance.

They also said non-implementation of the variation of the 2018 promotion exercise amongst other issues were other reasons for the pending industrial action.

The strike action follows the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum earlier given to the FCT Administration over the non-payment of COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowance to health workers in the various FCT Hospitals and the COVID-19 isolation and treatment centres, and other pending issues as contained in the communique submitted to the administration dated 14th August 2020.

A fresh communique issued at the end of its emergency meeting held both virtually and physically and co-signed by President of the Association, Dr Roland Aigbovo and the General Secretary, Dr Mustapha Ibrahim on Monday in Abuja, said the strike would only be called off when the demands of the doctors were met.

While lambasting the insensitivity of the Permanent Secretary's office to the issues under contention, the Resident Doctors expressed dismay over the inability of the FCTA to fulfil its promises within the period of the issued ultimatum.

The communique reads in part: "Due to the insensitivity displayed by the Office of the Permanent Secretary, FCT and widespread agitations among our members in the various FCT Hospitals and isolation/treatment centres, we sadly regret to notify the administration and by extension, the general public that the association would embark on an indefinite strike action with effect from 8 am, 1st September 2020 until the payment of the COVID-19 hazard and inducement allowance is received and the variation of the 2018 promotion exercise implemented.

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"We regret any inconveniences this might cause the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the general public needing healthcare delivery during this period.

"We implore the FCT Administration to also look into the other myriads of problems raised in our earlier communication to the administration dated 14th August 2020 with a view to resolving all pending issues so as to maintain industrial harmony.

"The other pending issues include: Non-payment of promotion arrears of 2016, 2017 and 2018 promotion exercise, non-payment of rural allowances, non-remittance of 3rd party deductions; (pensions, National Housing Fund and Association Dues), non-payment of outstanding 1st 28 days allowance, non-payment of the balance of skipping arrears.

"As an association, we believe in dialogue as a means of dispute resolution and we have always stood by this principle in all our dealings with the FCTA management even in the face of financial burden but we note with dismay the carefree approach exhibited by the office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory in handling this issue.

"The congress observes with enthusiasm, the magnanimity and goodwill of the Honourable Minister in addressing the welfare of staffs of the administration and look forward to cementing an already very promising harmonious working relationship."

Vanguard News Nigeria.
Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday quashed the detention of Dr Kafeel Khan under the National Security Act and ordered his immediate release.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh, passed the order on a petition filed by Khan's mother Nuzhat Parveen.

The petition alleged that Khan was granted bail in February by a competent court and he was supposed to be released on bail. However, he was not released for four days and the NSA was subsequently invoked against him. Hence, his detention was illegal, the petition argued.

Khan has been in jail since January after a speech he delivered at the Aligarh Muslim University during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests in December.
In a year in which everyday life has been transformed into a terrifying but also incredibly dreary dystopia, Netflix has just taken the Orwellian biscuit. The company is trying out a hugely creepy new "shuffle" option, which allows the viewer to sit back and let the streaming service decide what they should watch. The robot uprising is here  and coming for your remote control.

Shuffle Play is being rolled out for smart televisions, though the presumption is that it will eventually be available wherever you access Netflix. And when the company says that it is doing the choosing, what it really means is that its mysterious algorithms are gazing beadily at your viewing habits and reducing them  and you  to a string of data.

The antics of Netflix's game show The Floor is Lava. Credit:Patrick Wymore/Netflix

Having crunched the numbers, Netflix's machine intelligence then selects a program calibrated to chime with your tastes. It's like the worst imaginable remake of The Terminator, in which a Teutonic android travels back through time, knocks at your front door  and then insists you sit through Floor Is Lava for five hours straight.

Netflix isn't alone in embracing the almighty algorithm. BBC's iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube likewise use mathematical-based recommendation. However, Netflix has been in the numbers game far longer than its broadcasting rivals and has built its entire business model around computational breakdowns of subscriber viewing habits.
UPDATE: The Trump administration announced Tuesday it is implementing a national moratorium on residential evictions through the end of the year.

ANN ARBOR, MI  Four days after staging a protest to hold off the eviction of a 65-year-old Ann Arbor man, activists were back at the scene, bracing for another eviction attempt.

Nearly two dozen activists gathered Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 1, outside the apartment of Craig Teschendorf, a disabled retiree who uses a wheelchair.

They called on the management of the Orion MainStreet apartment complex to call off his eviction, but so far they havent gotten a response.

Our only message to the landlord is that you have the power to not do what youre doing, said Tee Jay of the Washtenaw General Defense Committee, a grassroots group that fights for working-class people. And our message in general is that were here to stand with Craig, to carry out his wishes and defend his home as best we can.

Julia Goode of the Ann Arbor Tenants Union, another group campaigning to keep Teschendorf in his apartment, said the activists have had no communication with the landlord since last week, though they heard rumblings there could be another eviction attempt Tuesday, so they showed up.

As of shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, more than three hours after activists arrived, there had been no eviction attempt, though Ann Arbor police did stop by and told the protesters they were on private property, Goode said.

Teschendorf, who received a 24-hour eviction notice last Thursday, is a valued member of the community and putting him out on the street amid the COVID-19 pandemic is not safe for him or the community, Goode said.

We want it to be recognized that an elderly, disabled wheelchair user being on the street in a pandemic is a death sentence, she said, characterizing Teschendorf as an innocent person caught up in the middle of what may have been either a scam or a paperwork snafu.

Either way, it was out of his control and its outrageous to put him to the curb.

Crowd rallies to hold off eviction of disabled Ann Arbor retiree amid pandemic

Teschendorf previously struggled with homelessness and was receiving assistance from AdvisaCare, a home health care company hired by his disability insurance to take care of his needs, including rent, according to the Tenants Union.

AdvisaCare accrued a roughly $7,000 rental debt to Teschendorfs landlord, Orion MainStreet, and Teschendorf was denied the ability to speak at the eviction hearing in the case between the two parties because hes not on the lease and not a party in the case, the group said.

Orion MainStreet and AdvisaCare have declined to comment on the situation.

Teschendorf previously said AdvisaCare dropped him as a client in February, deciding they could not staff me.

Things snowballed from there, but evictions were on hold until July due to the pandemic.

Court records show Orion MainStreet filed a civil case against AdvisaCare on March 2 in Ann Arbors 15th District Court and it went before Judge Karen Quinlan Valvo in July. Hearings were held and Valvo ordered the eviction Aug. 18.

Wed like the landlord to put Craig on the lease so that he can have a say in court if a problem ever arises again, Goode said on Tuesday.

We are willing to work with the landlord. We will even help fundraise for Craig, if needed. Were willing to work with lawyers and housing discrimination advocates and the protective services on standby to help defend Craigs rights, but we need the landlord to be a leader and to show Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County and the entire country that landlords can come to the table and be part of the solution.

Jen Eyer, 4th Ward Democratic nominee for City Council, was at Tuesdays demonstration and said she planned to make calls to various entities about the situation.

Its a mistake that the states eviction moratorium was lifted, she said, though she questioned whether Teschendorfs landlord tried taking advantage of an eviction diversion program using aid available under the federal CARES Act.

Ann Arbor council urges Gov. Whitmer to reinstate eviction moratorium in Michigan

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, said last week she was looking into the case. The office of state Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, also has been working on it, Goode said.

Craigs becoming a rallying cry to defend the elderly and disabled renters against abuse and exploitation, Goode said, adding the landlord can play a positive role here. They can change the story. We want the landlord to take a stand against the eviction that they have initiated. We want them to call off the bailiff and contact the judge, offer Craig a payment plan until he has a new home care company in place.

Sitting in his wheelchair with a God Bless America poster behind him, Teschendorf spoke outside his apartment Tuesday, saying its been a hard time.

Im usually a pretty quiet guy, but you dont want to ruffle my feathers, he said.

Hes still unsure whats going to happen to him, but hes not giving up the fight.

I think this cause is bigger than me. I know it is, he said. Ive got a few friends who need this help, too. Not everybodys aware that you can just get dumped on the sidewalk. This is an awful thing to face.

Officials hope to prevent evictions in Washtenaw County with program

Teschendorf said hes been in contact with a lot of people and has lined up a new home care company that will pay his rent and take care of him, as long as he can find caregivers.

What Im up against right this second is just getting a short list, maybe five people, to be my staff, he said. You dont have to be a nurse ... but you get paid for your time and Im an easy guy to get along with. I like to play Backgammon.

He said hes trying to keep a positive attitude and he doesnt want anybody to feel sorry for him. He considers his fight against evictions amid the pandemic his purpose now.

The only reason Im still here is because the Lord wants me here, he said. Ive got the Lord on my side.

The Tenants Union has been trying to line up an attorney for Teschendorf, Goode said Tuesday.

Local officials said last week nonprofit Legal Services of South Central Michigan was assisting him.

Ann Arbor prides itself on good values, tolerance and diversity, Goode said, adding she hopes theyre not just empty words and the community stands up.

When you evict people during a pandemic, you are endangering the health of all of Washtenaw County, she said. When people are forced to double up, it will spread the virus. We know that.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

3 Ann Arbor administrator finalists to present visions for city, virtually meet with residents

A closer look at the proposed Gelman plume cleanup plan. Is it enough?

How they voted: Ann Arbor City Council vote breakdown for August 2020
Khan has been in jail since January after he was detained under NSA over a speech at Aligarh Muslim University during an anti-CAA protest

Gorakhpur: Hours after the Allahabad High Court quashed the detention of Dr Kafeel Khan under the stringent NSA and ordered his immediate release, his elated mother Nuzhat Parveen said it will be after a long time that she will be able to "see, touch and feel" him.

Khan has been in jail since January after he delivered an alleged provocative speech at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) during an anti-CAA protests in December last year. He is currently lodged in a Mathura jail.

His mother had filed a petition in the court arguing that he was granted bail in February and was supposed to be released.

However, he was not released and the National Security Act (NSA) was invoked against him.

On Tuesday, while on her way to the Mathura jail, Nuzhat Parveen told PTI over the phone, "I am very happy that my son is coming out of the jail. I will be able to see him, touch him and feel him after a long time. My son is a good person and he is never against the country or society. Today is my daughter-in-law's birthday as well, and we are carrying a cake with us as she is in Mathura."

Khan's elder brother, who accompanied her mother, said, "I am happy over the victory of truth. We are on the way to Mathura as today is his wife Dr Shabistan Khan's birthday and we thought of celebrating it together. We are carrying cake with us and hope that today we'll celebrate the day together."

He said there was nothing anti-national or provocative in his brother's speech.

He tried to bring everyone together in his speech but police lodged an FIR against him and the NSA was imposed on him," he said.

Khan had hit the headlines for the first time in 2017 after the deaths of several kids due to lack of oxygen at Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College, where he worked as a paediatrician.

Initially, he was hailed as a saviour for arranging emergency oxygen cylinders.

However, later he faced action along with nine other doctors and staff members of the hospital, all of whom were released on bail.

A state government probe had cleared Khan of all major charges, prompting him to seek an apology from the Yogi Adityanath government.

The doctor had alleged that an institutional failure had led to the deaths.

He subsequently faced threats, cases and even his family members were attacked, which the doctor dubbed as political vendetta on the part of the state government.
Moving vehicles and U-Haul trucks crowded the Upper West Side of Manhattan this weekend after several residents have decided to leave the area citing fears for their safety.

It what seemed like an exodus, people have decided to leave the place following the announcement that residents have planned to file a lawsuit against the city government after thousands of homeless people were housed in luxury hotels in the area.

According to Daily Mail, the move to accommodate the homeless was an attempt by the city to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the streets.

The exodus of New York. Big lines this morning at UHAUL. CATASTROPHIC setbacks in quality of life -people have had enough. pic.twitter.com/5StqXtKWQO  Greg Kelly (@gregkellyusa) August 29, 2020

However, the decision of the government did not go well with the residents of the upscale neighborhood. The citizens have argued that there has been an increase in crime, drug use, open prostitution, public urination, and random violence in the neighborhood following the arrival of the homeless people. There have also been claims that sex offenders have made it inside their neighborhood.

Over the weekend, U-Haul stations were packed with clients who waited in long lines. Moving trucks also lined up outside residences, blocking most of the streets, as furniture was being moved out of homes. Some have also left their furniture and other belongings on the sidewalk as they sought other places to live.

Read also: Fact Check: Did Trump Reveal THIS as His Plans for His Second Term?

Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa also stated that the 'mass evacuation' of the Upper Wast Side residents from the Big Apple in the aftermath of the decision by the city to give accommodations for recovering addicts and emotionally disturbed homeless people.

He also stated that he asked residents who we removing out on their destination and most of them stated that they were leaving the state.

The mayoral candidate also confirmed that many tenants in his building have decided to move out and only three out of the 12 units are currently occupied. He also noted that in the past week at least eight moving trucks have been seen in his block alone.

Moreover, Sliwa narrated that upon talking to several operators of the trucks, he gathered that some families were moving to South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Tennessee.

As of the moment, 139 hotels across NYC are serving as homes to more than 13,000 homeless people. These hotels included luxury hotels, The Lucerne, The Belleclaire, and The Belnord which are all located in the Upper West Side.

According to the International Business Times, the residents in the area have hired lawyers to sue the city in order to force them to move the homeless back to shelters where they can have access to the help that they need.

In a Zoom meeting held on Monday, residents, the community board, and homeless advocates convened to discuss keeping the streets safe. Around 1100 people attended the meeting.

In a statement by Randy Mastro, the attorney representing the West Side Community Organization, he said that what the city has to do is to make sure that the vulnerable population is housed in proper shelters. These shelters should be able to provide them with their needs and give them proper supervision.

According to Mastro, it is still unclear when the suit against NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city government will be filed.



Related article: Trump Visits States Battered by Hurricane Laura, Promises Aid from Federal Government

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A former All Ireland club champion today became the fifth man charged in relation to the theft and attempted theft of ATMs in Cavan and Monaghan last year.

Daniel O'Callaghan (30) appeared before the Special Criminal Court this afternoon charged with five offences relating to the theft of an ATM in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, in April and the attempted theft of an ATM in Virginia, Co Cavan, in August.

Detective Garda Jim Matthews of Bailieborough Garda Station said that he arrested Mr O'Callaghan, of Monog Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, on foot of a warrant at Cavan District Court at 11.55 this morning.

Mr O'Callaghan, who has three All Ireland Club Championship medals for Crossmaglen Rangers, is charged with offences under Sections 72 and 73 of the Criminal Justice Act.
BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ICU patients in a study by Queen's University Belfast had their zinc plasma levels measured and 58% were found on admission to the ICU to have a zinc deficiency, measurements were taken 7 days after admission and found that still 50% were suffering from zinc deficiency. Severity scores and inflammation were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with zinc plasma levels, and zinc transporters ZIP3, ZIP4, ZIP8, ZnT6, ZnT7. Expression of 11 out of 24 zinc transporters was analyzed, and ZnT1, ZnT4, ZnT5 and ZIP4, which were down regulated by more than 3-fold in whole blood of patients.

Patent Pending Mouth Sanitiser + Zinc Ionophore

This study may show it necessary for patients coming into the ICU to be treated for Zinc deficiency and action taken to restore the number of zinc transporters. Perhaps through the use of a natural Zinc ionophore such as Hinokitiol.

Zinc deficiency every year may result in approximately 0.8 Million Deaths and 16 million years of life lost because of premature death and years lived with disability. Adequate Zinc intake is crucial for adaptive and innate immunity, with zinc deficiency manifesting in cell-mediated immune dysfunctions. Zinc is vital for the healthy development and functioning of cells mediating innate immunity, neutrophils and natural killer cells. Zinc deficiency negatively impacts the growth and function of B and T cells, central effectors of the adaptive immune system.

HINOKITIOL AS ZINC IONOPHORE:

The potent synergistic interaction of Zinc and Hinokitiol has been demonstrated to inhibit the replication of RNA viruses in vitro. Zinc ions interfere with viral replication machinery, and processing of the viral polyprotein. However, under standard conditions the intracellular Zinc concentration is insufficient to exert an antiviral effect. Hinokitiol acts as a Zinc ionophore, rapidly increasing the import of extracellular Zinc into cells, thus inhibiting viral replication.

The Zinc Ionophore Hinokitiol is now available on Amazon in the EU; buy here. For more information visit www.drzinx.com

Media Contact: [email protected]

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Dr ZinX Mouth Sanitiser

Patent Pending Mouth Sanitiser + Zinc Ionophore

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SOURCE Dr ZinX

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Donald Trump set out for Kenosha today, and spoke at a well-attended press conference  but he didnt make his journey to comfort the family of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man left paralyzed after police shot him seven times in the back. (He couldnt have anyway, since Blakes father said that he didnt want to play politics and meet with the president while his sons life remained on the line. Trump, for his part, claimed that he was the one who refused the visit because the family wanted to involve lawyers.)

No, there would be no comfort for the Blake family in the wake of their relatives shocking injuries. Instead, the commander-in-chief came to lecture.

This afternoon, Trump publicly bemoaned the kind of violence weve seen in Portland and [Kenosha] and other places, ignoring the fact that Kenoshas protests were peaceful until a 17-year-old gunman named Kyle Rittenhouse traveled across state lines to kill two protesters and wound a third. Indeed, Trump had already defended Rittenhouse at an earlier press conference, saying that Rittenhouse probably wouldve been killed if he didnt shoot the protesters he clashed with.

Responding to a reporter at an event alongside law enforcement officials earlier today, the president refused to even acknowledge the existence of systemic racism, saying only that people want law and order."

After days of silence that saw President Donald Trump initially refuse to condemn Rittenhouses premeditated violence against peaceful protesters and then eventually equivocate about it, it may seem strange that Trump would spend a day blaming protesters for their own deaths. But that shouldnt be surprising  as Trumps dissent-free press conference made clear, the White House isnt interested in representing those Americans.

It was an event billed as a discussion of Americas racial justice protests, but Trump refused to include a single voice from any racial justice organization. Speaking to a panel almost entirely made up of police officials, he barely discussed the shooting that left Blake paralyzed, except to acknowledge that he has yet to reach out to anyone in Blakes family.

For alt-right hate groups like the Proud Boys, Trumps public remarks are the clearest sign yet that the White House views violent pro-Trump mobs as valuable political allies. Trumps mishandling of Kenosha and Portland reveals a president who mourns the deaths of his supporters while justifying the murders of his critics. In Trumpworld, two dead racial justice activists means two fewer threats against the unceasing march of Trumpism.

In the twisted world of vigilantes like Rittenhouse or the Proud Boys, opposition to Trumps agenda is equivalent to sedition. Protesters and journalists are tarred as Marxists and globalists, enemies of the state, and lugenpresse  the lying press. Violence against them is excused at the highest levels of government.

And unlike past Nixonian efforts to demonize protesters through coded language and whisper campaigns, the most heated rhetoric today comes from Trump himself.

Trumps attempts to stir the pot comes with real-world consequences. When the FBI compiled their 2019 year-end report on hate crimes in America, they were shocked to find attacks against religious and racial minorities hit a 16-year high under the Trump administration. Latinos, singled out by Trump since the moment his campaign launched in 2015, are disproportionately bearing the bloody cost of those hate crimes.

Gone are the empty condemnations of politically motivated violence deployed by the White House after the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville left Heather Heyer dead and an out-of-state neo-Nazi in jail. Now, more assured than ever of his lockstep support among Washington Republicans, Trump has launched the entire GOP down the grim path of enabling open-air political violence to terrify and suppress opposition. Even those once regarded as Trump skeptics have fallen in line with the GOPs open embrace of extrajudicial political murder.

It is a tragedy," Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson told CNNs Dana Bash days after Rittenhouses motivations became public knowledge. Over several painful minutes of live television, Johnson repeatedly refused to condemn Rittenhouse or his actions directly.

Tucker Carlson, Americas highest-rated and most-watched conservative commentator, went a step further, celebrating Rittenhouses act of terrorism for maintain[ing] order when no one else would. Just yesterday, Carlson devoted an extended segment to gaming out possible excuses for Rittenhouses premeditated assassination campaign. Not a word was said in condolence to the victims families.

Anyone hoping for an emergency brake on the GOPs express train to strongman thuggery ought to look elsewhere. After four years, the Trump administration has regressed from dismissing the legitimacy of racial justice protests to refusing to acknowledge their existence at all. Wittingly or not, voters have given Trumps white supremacist contingent an inch of political rope. Now were all at risk of swinging.

Fortunately the power rests with regular Americans to steer their government away from the darkest impulses of state impunity. The United States cannot endure four more years of a president and a political party who turn the forces of violence and brutality against political opponents. In their effort to preserve electoral dominance at all costs, Republicans have brought about a great moment of national moral reckoning.

Americans witnessing unprecedented, Trump-amplified violence in the streets of Kenosha and Portland understand how easily that violence could be turned on anyone who publicly bruises the presidential ego. If Trumps supporters are gleefully willing to engage in violence against peaceful protesters, they are equally willing to engage in violence against any protest.

We dont need to imagine such a nightmare scenario: four years ago, the idea of an American president justifying violence against his critics would have seemed the stuff of an alternate reality. But it is our reality, and our actions in November alone determine whether the United States returns to the structures of democracy or plunges headlong into authoritarian unrest.
...I am not surprised by the outpouring of support from neighborhood bridal shops across the country wanting to help replace dresses for her brides so she can focus on her family and rebuilding.

Brick and mortar bridal stores nationwide join forces to help Vows by Victoria and owner Victoria Huber from Lake Charles, LA, whose bridal salon and inventory was completely devastated by Category 4 Hurricane Laura. Through its network of independent bridal shop owners, NBRA is reaching out to the nearly 3,000 independently-owned bridal gown stores in the U.S. to coordinate efforts and help replace weddings gowns lost to brides of Vows by Victoria.

Local bridal shop owners across the US are heartbroken for Victoria and her brides. So I am not surprised by the outpouring of support from neighborhood bridal shops across the country wanting to help replace dresses for her brides so she can focus on her family and rebuilding. We are all locally owned bridal salons and understand how important her shop is to brides in her community, states Ann Campeau, Director. Logistical planning is underway to coordinate the identification of dresses needed including style, size and color. Campeau continues, This is a nationwide effort, we are all pulling from our individual store inventory to ship dresses to designated locations so they can be handled with care, sorted, packaged, labeled and then delivered to Victoria and her brides. Our goal is to make this national industry effort as smooth and efficient as possible for Vows by Victoria, her family and her brides.

Any locally-owned bridal salons interested in contributing dresses are encouraged to email

info@nationalbridalretailersassociation.com to be added to the outreach list.

NBRA is a media resource for journalists, researchers and social media influencers seeking bridal retailer industry data and information. We work to strengthen the public image of shopping in brick and mortar bridal stores by providing education, services and support that encourages brides to visit their local bridal retailers.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on September 1 said the Centre has ignored "genuine concerns" of JEE and NEET students, who have been demanding postponement of the entrance exam, and those who have appeared for other exams.



Modi Govt is jeopardising India's future. Arrogance is making them ignore the genuine concerns of the JEE-NEET aspirants as well as the demands of those who took SSC and other exams. Give jobs, not empty slogans.#SpeakUpForSSCRailwayStudents

 Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 1, 2020

Taking to Twitter Gandhi accused Modi government of "arrogance" and said that it is jeopardising India's future. The leader also used the hashtag "SpeakUpForSSCRailwayStudents" while raising the cause of students who have taken the Staff Selection Commission exams but their results are yet to be out.

Gandhi's attack came on a day the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)-Mains for admission to engineering colleges began amid stringent precautions and social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Congress party and Gandhi have been supporting the demand by a section of students for postponement of JEE and NEET exams in the wake of the rising number of coronavirus cases.

The JEE exam which has been postponed twice in view of the COVID-19 pandemic will be held between September 1 and 6.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also raised the issue.

"The SSC and Railways have withheld the results of many examinations for years. Someone's result is stuck, while someone else's exams are delayed," she said.

"Till when will the government test the patience of youth, for how long? The government should listen to the youth. The youth need jobs, not speeches," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

She called for the declaration of Combined Graduate Level Examination (CGLE) results held by the Staff Selection Commission.

With inputs from PTI.
At this particular point in time, it is obvious that China is not a safe and trustworthy partner, certainly not for Canadian governments and maybe not for our private sector, either.

The latest demonstration of that sad reality came when a partnership on COVID-19 vaccine development imploded thanks to Chinas unwillingness to do its part. The deal between CanSino Biologics Inc. and the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University in Halifax sounded promising when it was first announced in May by the National Research Council. It would have been a solid international partnership as well as ensuring Canadian expertise played a key role in development and testing of the vaccine. The NRC said at the time the deal would make Canadians among the first in the world to have access to a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19.

Fast forward to a week or so ago, when the NRC pulled the plug on the partnership. The Chinese government refused to allow samples of the vaccine samples to be shipped to Canada for testing.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne isnt willing to state the obvious, that Beijing reneged as another part of its ongoing campaign to punish Canada for detaining Chinese telecommunications executive Meng Wanzhou. But thats the only logical conclusion.

Had the Chinese government lived up to its commitment, testing would have started weeks ago. The collapsed partnership means vaccine testing and development will be delayed in this country.

Canada has already found a new partner in Maryland-based biotech company Novovax. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week announced a contract to secure 76 million doses of the Novovax vaccine currently being tested in the U.S. and Australia. That is nearly two doses for every Canadian.

Thats the good news. But its clear China is not to be trusted in this or other business dealings. Just as it is clearly time Canadas strategy for dealing with Beijing got a complete makeover.

The Trudeau Liberals came to power with a platform calling for closer ties with China. That, in part, reflected sentiments in much of the Canadian corporate community, which has sought closer ties with the worlds most important manufacturing centre.

But through no fault of Canadas, that approach has not worked. Chinas long temper tantrum over Wanzhous entirely legal detention, and its increasing belligerence and aggression around the world are proof of that.

But what does a new approach look like? What can a small economic and political power do to effectively message and manage a superpower?

New Conservative Leader Erin OToole has some suggestions the government should consider. OToole says we should adopt a much more skeptical view of China, a position supported by specific actions. Say no to Huaweis attempt to be part of 5G internet technology in this country. Work with allies  the U.S., Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France and Japan are examples  to press the Chinese for change. Begin the process of Canada decoupling its economy from China and develop new markets and trading partners. Apply more and tougher screening to international students and professors seeking to study and work here.

Not all of OTooles approach makes sense. Its not clear, for example, what reducing economic ties would mean for the two Michaels China is holding, or for other Canadian interests there. But it is clear the status quo isnt working. Therefore, part of the governments upcoming Speech from the Throne should be the unveiling of a new China policy.

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Photo taken in Arlington, Virginia, the United States on Aug. 20, 2020 shows screens displaying images of former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaking in a video feed of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Joe Biden criticized recent violence in U.S. cities, while Donald Trump accused Biden of "blaming the Police far more than he's blaming the Rioters."

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Democratic 2020 presidential nominee Joe Biden and his Republican rival, sitting President Donald Trump, traded blame on Monday over violence in U.S. cities.

"He's supposed to be protecting this country. But instead he's rooting for chaos and violence," Biden said in a speech from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, referring to Trump. "He can't stop the violence - because for years he has fomented it."

The former U.S. vice president went on to criticize violence in cities like Portland in Oregon, and Kenosha in Wisconsin, which came amid protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

"I want to be clear about this: Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting," Biden stressed. "None of this is protesting - it's lawlessness - plain and simple."

"And those who do it should be prosecuted. Violence will not bring change, only destruction. It's wrong in every way. It divides instead of unites," he added.

Trump, in a tweet, said he has tuned in for Biden's remarks, while accusing him of "blaming the Police far more than he's blaming the Rioters, Anarchists, Agitators, and Looters."

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Tim Murtaugh, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, issued a statement and claimed that people "won't be safe in Joe Biden's America."

The remarks came two days after a motorcade of Trump's supporters drove through downtown Portland, and confronted with people opposing racism and excessive use of force by police. Local police said they were investigating a deadly shooting of reportedly one of the pro-Trump protesters amid the skirmishes.

In Kenosha, protests have erupted after 29-year-old African American man Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a police officer during an arrest a week ago, which grew chaotic and violent at times when a teenager opened fire and killed two of the protesters.

Earlier this year, 46-year-old African American man George Floyd died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His death sparked nationwide protests as well as social unrest in some U.S. cities.

Trump has largely focused on violent aspects of the protests and sought to highlight his "law and order" message in days leading to the November election by blaming the chaos and violence on Democratic governors and mayors and doubling down on his support of police officers.

Biden, who has made improving race relations a pillar of his White House bid, has accused Trump of fanning the flames of hate and division and using the politics of fear to whip up his supporters.

Trump will visit Kenosha on Tuesday "to meet with local law enforcement and survey damage from the recent riots." Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian said on Monday, adding he hoped the president could reconsider his trip because "the timing on this we felt was not good."
September is Campus Fire Safety Month

STOW, Mass. State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey reminds us that September is Campus Fire Safety Month.

Massachusetts has a large population of college students that fire officials and college leaders want to be fire safe whether they live on-campus, in Greek housing, or in private off-campus housing.

"Students come to Massachusetts to learn from around the country and the world, and not all of them have received the same great level of fire education in elementary and high school as our students do through the Student Awareness of Fire Education or S.A.F.E. Program," Ostroskey said.

With COVID-19 related issues, fewer students will be arriving this year, but fire officials want every student to be safe and live to graduate.

Make Fire Safety a Priority When Selecting Housing

Keeping College Students Safe in On- and Off-Campus Housing

"We need the help of both students and their parents to make sure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are still working and exits are still clear three months from now," Ostroskey said. "If you're old enough to live on your own, you're old enough to take responsibility for the fire safety of everyone in the building."

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms may be working on move-in day, but disabled later by tenants, putting everyone at risk.

It Could Happen to You

In the last five years (2015-2019) there have been 3,019 fires in Massachusetts student dormitories, fraternities, and sororities, with two student deaths, five civilian injuries, five fire service injuries, and an estimated $1.4 million in damages. These tragic deaths occurred in substandard and illegal off-campus housing where there were no working smoke alarms, no working carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, and victims were trapped in rooms that had only one way out.

"Parents, talk to your adult children about fire safety, and look at their housing choices, especially if you are footing the bill," Ostroskey said. "Contact the local fire department about any safety issues the landlord won't address immediately, but don't leave your child in a home without working smoke alarms for a single night."

Best Roommates Evah! Smoke Alarms and Two Ways Out

In 2016, a group of fire chiefs, building officials, college safety officials and campus fire safety advocates met to share strategies for enforcing fire and building codes in off-campus housing. They launched a public awareness campaign about the importance of working smoke alarms and two ways out, called "Best Roommates Evah!" Go to www.BestRoommatesEvah.org for more information.

In a Fire Seconds Count

"In a fire, seconds count," says Ostroskey. "Working smoke alarms can alert students to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out, if they have two ways out and a practiced escaped plan."

"Remember," Ostroskey said. "Best Roommates Evah! Smoke Alarms and Two Ways Out."
A former underground ammunition bunker used during World War II has been turned into a cosy 12-metre-long house.

David and Julie Hinds purchased several old concrete-lined sheds at RAAF Kowguran in Miles, 337km north-west of Brisbane, in 1986.

The base had been abandoned for 30 years when the couple purchased the land and moved in to one of the sheds, converting it into their dream home.

They have since turned the area into holiday homes called Possum Park, where people can park their caravans or stay in one of the bunkers.

'I think I must have said, "wouldn't it be good to live in here", and the rest is history,' Mrs Hinds told the ABC.

David and Julie Hinds purchased the property in 1986 and moved into one of the concrete bunkers (pictured, the cosy kitchen)

The bunkers, 337km north-west of Brisbane, (pictured) were used as an ammunition storage facility during World War II

She explained that while the renovation has been an adventure, they were met with a spate of problems including minimal mobile phone reception and issues with securing plumbing.

The couple had previously lived in a large farm house, meaning small cupboards and curved walls took some getting used to - and made it impossible to hang paintings.

Mr Hinds said the property was regarded as a secret base at the time.

'The townspeople would not have known what exactly what was going on, although the servicemen probably talked about it, and word gets around a small town,' he said.

The couple said they have had several vistors who served on the base between 1946, when it was founded, and 1956.

The men who served on the base used to live in wooden barracks, which were cool in winter and warm in summer.

Mr Hinds said the concrete bunkers have the opposite effect.

They have since turned the area into an accommodation called Possum Park, where people can park their caravans or stay in one of the bunkers (pictured)

The couple said they have had visitors from people who served on the base between 1946, when it was founded, and 1956 (pictured, a double bedroom at the base)

Many of the bunkers (pictured) had hay inside of them when Mr and Mrs Hinds first purchased the property

'They complimented us saying "we should have thrown the bombs outside and lived inside the bunkers ourselves",' he said.

Many of the bunkers had hay inside of them when Mr and Mrs Hinds first purchased the property.

The curved, concrete walls are ten inches thick and have a metre of earth on top of them, while the bunkers are 3m in radius and 12m long.

The former explosive storage facility had 20 reinforced concrete storage bunkers that housed up to 2,500 tonnes of explosives.

Mrs Hinds said the bunkers (pictured in 1985) are perfect for two people to stay inside of with sound bouncing off of the walls

The area was seen as the 'last stand' if Australia was invaded through the northern part of the country, but the ammunition reserve was never needed.

The former base sits on a whopping 360-ache block of land.

Several people who have stayed at the accommodation have raved about their experience.

'Pity we were only staying one night. The owners are wonderful people and have a very friendly dog who thinks he is the boss,' one social media user said.

Another said: 'Heard about this place through friends and after staying here we will be recommending it to our friends in the future.

'The place is not just accommodation, it is an experience. We stayed in the bunkers which (despite being dated as was renovated in the 80s) were very homely.'
Installation of ball mills and other major equipment for Kakula's first 3.8-million-tonne-per-annum processing plant well underway

Second mining crew added at the Kansoko Mine, increasing the pace of underground development at Kamoa-Kakula's second mine

Pre-production surface stockpiles at Kakula North, Kakula South and Kansoko now contain an estimated 671,000 tonnes of ore

Ivanhoe Mines to issue independent definitive feasibility study and expansion studies for the entire Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project on September 8, 2020; host Investor Day on September 10, 2020

Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) -Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF) Co-Chairs Robert Friedland and Yufeng "Miles" Sun announced today that underground development at the Kakula Copper Mine totalled 1,842 metres in August, bringing the cumulative total underground development completed to date to more than 20.6 kilometres - approximately 6.0 kilometres ahead of schedule.

The majority of the underground development headings at the Kakula Mine currently are traversing medium-grade sections of the orebody, with average grades ranging between 3% and 5% copper. A concentrated effort was made in August to complete the ledging development in the room-and-pillar section of the mine to accommodate critical infrastructure, such as piping and electrical cabling, for the mine's permanent water-handling system.

The ledging development work will be completed early this month and will allow the mining teams to begin highly-productive stoping operations; however, the development work was in lower-grade ore and resulted in a temporary, modest decrease in overall stockpile grade in August and early September.

The stockpile grade is expected to improve, as planned, beginning this month as the majority of the working areas will transition to the higher-grade ore zones near the centre of the deposit that have copper grades approximately +5% to +8%.

The beneficial handover of the high-capacity ore conveyor system at the Kakula North declines was achieved at the end of July. All of the ore being mined in the northern portion of the Kakula Mine now is transported to surface via the conveyor system and placed on a blended, run-of-mine surface stockpile. The blended stockpile contains 483,000 tonnes grading an estimated 3.76% copper; comprised of 116,000 tonnes of high-grade ore grading 6.08% copper and 367,000 tonnes of medium-grade ore grading 3.02% copper.

Two additional, pre-production ore stockpiles are located at the Kakula South decline (approximately 121,000 tonnes grading 2.36% copper) and the Kansoko decline (approximately 68,000 tonnes grading 2.21% copper). More than 109,000 tonnes of ore was added to the project's pre-production stockpiles in August.

Surface conveyor systems to transport the ore from the Kakula North stockpile to the processing plant are under construction.

First copper production expected in less than a year

Initial production at the Kakula Mine is scheduled for Q3 2021. Kakula is projected to be the world's highest-grade major copper mine, with an initial mining rate of 3.8 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) at an estimated average feed grade well in excess of 6% copper over the first five years of operation.

The Kakula Mine will have one of the most favourable environmental footprints of any tier-one copper mine anywhere in the world. The mine will be powered by clean, renewable hydroelectricity and be among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of copper produced. Kakula also will have a relatively small surface footprint as approximately 55% of the mine's tailings will be pumped back into underground workings.

The Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines (39.6%), Zijin Mining Group (39.6%), Crystal River Global Limited (0.8%) and the DRC government (20%).

"Together with our joint-venture partners, we look forward to sharing the independently verified engineering and economic studies on September 8th that will showcase why Kamoa-Kakula is, without question, the world's best new copper project," said Mr. Friedland. "Kamoa-Kakula is unique as it combines ultra-high-copper grades with thick, shallow, flat-lying ore zones, providing the economies of scale and low mining costs of large, open-pit mining operations, but without the visual environmental impact associated with open-pit mining."

"We also plan to soon announce the appointment of a leading environmental consulting firm to audit Kamoa-Kakula's greenhouse gas intensity metrics, providing Environmental, Social and Governance investors with independent and transparent verification of the project's achievements towards our goal of producing the world's greenest copper," Mr. Friedland added.





Aerial view of the Kakula Mine showing the tonnes and grade of the main pre-production stockpiles at the northern declines. The stockpile currently contains approximately 483,000 tonnes grading 3.76% copper; comprised of approximately 116,000 tonnes at 6.08% copper and 367,000 at 3.02% copper.



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Kakula southern decline medium-grade ore stockpile currently containing approximately 121,000 tonnes grading 2.36% copper.



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Kansoko decline medium-grade ore stockpile currently containing approximately 68,000 tonnes grading 2.21% copper.

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Kakula Mine development progressing towards zone of +8% copper in centre of deposit

Underground development of the Kakula Mine - the first of multiple, near-surface copper deposits that are planned to be put into production on the 400-square-kilometre Kamoa-Kakula mining licence - is now significantly ahead of schedule. Mine access drives 1 and 2 (interconnected, parallel tunnels that will provide access to ore zones) being driven from the Kakula northern declines continue to advance towards the southern portion of the orebody.

Development of the eastern perimeter drives also is well advanced as are the access drives to the room-and-pillar mining area. Development of twin access drives being driven from Kakula's southern portal has reached the +5% copper mining zone, with mining crews working to establish the connection of these drives with mine access drives 1 and 2 from the northern side of the orebody. The northern and southern access drives are expected to join in November 2020, which will be a major milestone in the development of the Kakula orebody.

Once the northern and southern access drives are connected, the majority of mining activities will focus on the initial drift-and-fill mining blocks in the centre of the Kakula deposit, where the average grade is higher than 8% copper. Drift-and-fill stoping is a highly-efficient form of underground mechanized mining and will allow the operation to efficiently recover significantly more tonnes from the orebody.

Underground mining with two mining crews also is taking place at the Kansoko Mine, located at the Kamoa deposit, approximately 10 kilometres north of the Kakula Mine.

The construction of Kakula's second permanent underground water-handling system is nearing completion with the first of four pump trains commissioned in early August; the second pump train was commissioned in the last week of August. The new system adds 800 litres per second of underground pumping capacity, bringing the total installed capacity to 1,400 litres per second. Two additional underground water dams are under construction; one at bottom of the southern declines, and one along the north eastern perimeter drifts.

Ivanhoe plans to issue the independent definitive feasibility study for the development of the 6 Mtpa Kakula Mine on September 8, 2020. The company also will issue a pre-feasibility study, including mining 1.6 Mtpa from the Kansoko Mine, to take full advantage of an expanded plant capacity of 7.6 Mtpa at Kakula. In addition, the company will issue an updated, expanded preliminary economic assessment for the overall development plan of up to 19 Mtpa for all of the copper discoveries made to date at the Kamoa-Kakula Project.





Martin Nkulu, conveyor belt attendant, monitoring high-grade copper ore being delivered to surface via the Kakula North decline conveyor, which has the capacity to transport 2,000 tonnes of ore an hour.

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A load of copper ore being transported up the Kakula South decline. One of the two southern access drives has entered the +5%-copper mining zone, while the other will enter it shortly. The southern access drives are expected to join the northern access drives in November.

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Kasongo Mahji at a surface settling pond for Kakula's second permanent underground dewatering pipe system that was commissioned in early August.

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Figure 1: The eastern portion of Kakula Mine - representing less than half of the overall 13.3-kilometre-long Kakula Deposit - overlain on southern Manhattan Island to give a sense of the scale of the underground operations.



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Figure 2: Underground development completed to the end of July (in black) and scheduled development (green, brown, blue & black) until September 30, 2020. Shown are the 3%, 5% and 8% copper contours and the location where the northern and southern access drives are scheduled to join in November 2020 (red circle).

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Figure 3: Underground development completed to the end of July (in black) and scheduled mine development over the three months ending December 31, 2020. Majority of the development during this period will be in the

initial drift-and-fill mining area within Kakula's high-grade zone (+8% copper).

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Construction on the processing plant and other surface infrastructure rapidly progressing



Construction of Kakula's initial, 3.8-Mtpa concentrator plant is progressing well, with approximately 20,000 cubic metres of concrete being poured to date. Concrete bases for the ball mills, flotation plant and the concentrate thickener have been partially handed over to the mechanical contractor to commence installation work, and mechanical erection and installation is underway in most of the plant areas. Structural steel fabrication is complete with more than half of the approximately 6,000 tonnes of structural steel already delivered to site. Fabrication of platework and piping is progressing according to schedule with the first deliveries already on site; platework installation has started.

Total steel prefabricated or installed is approximately 2,000 tonnes. All floor and sidewall plates for the concentrate thickener now are in position, and welding is 40% complete.

Installation of the tailings thickener has commenced, with the centre column being placed in position and welding of the floor plates underway. Pre-assembly of the high-pressure grinding rolls feed bin #1 conveyor has started. Both secondary crushers have been assembled and placed in position. Installation of the first ball mill shell has been completed.

All 21 oversized truck loads of equipment for the processing plant's primary ball mill - measuring 9.75 metres (32 feet) long and 6.1 metres (20 feet) in diameter - have arrived on site. The final shipments of the ball mill components are scheduled to arrive at site this month, which will be the final deliveries of long-lead plant equipment.

Beijing-based CITIC Construction is building Kakula's first-phase, backfill paste plant. The backfill plant will be used to blend tailings from the processing plant with cement to produce paste backfill. The backfill will be pumped back into the mine and used to help support mined-out areas. Approximately 55% of the mine's tailings will be sent back underground, significantly reducing the surface tailings storage.

Construction of the tailings dam has commenced and is progressing well; with the aim to complete most of the earthworks before the rainy season starts in November.





Led by the 400-tonne crane, a convoy of trucks carrying steel and equipment en route to the Kamoa-Kakula Project. The last truckloads of long-lead items for the processing plant are expected to arrive at site before the end of September.

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Ongoing construction of Kakula's 3.8-Mtpa processing plant. Members of Kamoa-Kakula's construction team in front of one of the ball mill shells prior to it being lifted into place by a 400-tonne crane (picture below).

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The 400-tonne crane lifts a platform section for the flotation cells into position.

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Installation of the discharge end and trunnion for the primary ball mill.

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Installation of the secondary crushers at the processing plant.

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Contract employees assembling the processing plant's concentrate thickener.

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Discussions underway for the marketing of Kakula's copper concentrates

Kamoa-Kakula is in detailed discussions with a number of parties with respect to the marketing and smelting of its copper concentrates. Kakula is expected to produce an extremely high-grade and clean copper concentrate that will be highly coveted by copper smelters around the world. Metallurgical test work indicates that the Kakula concentrates contain extremely low arsenic levels by world standards - approximately 0.01%.

Clean, sustainable hydro-electric power for Kamoa-Kakula

Construction activities at the Mwadingusha hydro-electric power plant, where all six turbines are being replaced, is progressing well; as is the associated 220-kilovolt (kV) infrastructure to supply Kamoa-Kakula with clean hydro-power. The mine is scheduled to be energized with permanent 220kV hydro-generated power in early 2021, well in time for first copper production.

The temporary construction power supply for the Kakula Mine was recently upgraded, including the commissioning of six 2-megawatt (MW) generators to provide back-up power, and the installation of an 18 MW/120-kilovolt (kV) mobile substation to increase the capacity of grid power available at the mine. This will provide sufficient power until the main 220kV power supply is energized. An additional six new 2MW generators have arrived at the port of Durban from China, and are en route to site. The twelve generators will supply the full back-up power requirements for the mine.

Construction of the 220kV supply infrastructure is in progress, including a new 220kV distribution sub-station for the power utility (SNEL); a new 35-kilometre, 220kV power line; and a consumer substation at Kakula with two 80 MW/220kV transformers.





Installing a new alternator in the Mwadingusha hydro-electric power plant. Mwadingusha will soon be delivering 72 MW of clean, sustainable hydroelectricity to the national grid.



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Kamoa-Kakula's COVID-19 readiness initiatives focused on risk mitigation

In accordance with new health guidelines from the DRC government, and in line with the country's lifting of restrictions, Kamoa-Kakula lowered its quarantine and lockdown measures from level 3 to level 2 on July 27th. The mine's Congolese workforce have gone back to normal rotation. Rigorous testing, physical distancing, wearing face masks, frequent hand washing and contact tracing measures are still in place to protect the safety and health of the workforce and community members. All expatriate employees are still required to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival at Kamoa-Kakula.

The project has established a COVID-19 isolation facility at the Kamoa camp. Any potential symptomatic patients are moved to this facility, where they will be isolated, tested and treated. Once the patient has recovered and is deemed no longer infectious, they can return to work only after an additional quarantine period determined by the project's medical staff in dedicated quarantine.

As the pandemic evolves, the medical team at Kamoa-Kakula is purposefully reviewing and updating its risk mitigation protocols. The project's preventative measures are at the highest international standards and, if there was a case internally, the risk of spreading or cross-contamination is very low.





Members of a community women's group that owns and operates a banana plantation near the Kamoa-Kakula Project. The plantation is one of Kamoa-Kakula's initiatives to enhance food security in nearby communities.



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Qualified Persons

Disclosures of a scientific or technical nature regarding development scenarios at the Kamoa-Kakula Project in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Steve Amos, who is considered, by virtue of his education, experience and professional association, a Qualified Person under the terms of NI 43-101. Mr. Amos is not considered independent under NI 43-101 as he is the Head of the Kamoa Project. Mr. Amos has verified the technical data disclosed in this news release.

Other disclosures of a scientific or technical nature in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Stephen Torr, who is considered, by virtue of his education, experience and professional association, a Qualified Person under the terms of NI 43-101. Mr. Torr is not considered independent under NI 43-101 as he is the Vice President, Project Geology and Evaluation. Mr. Torr has verified the other technical data disclosed in this news release.

The stockpile grade estimates contained in this release are based upon bulk ore sampling from underground headings. Sampling is done on each heading every second blast and three 5-kilogram samples are taken. The samples are pulverized at the project's onsite laboratory and analyzed used using a portable XRF (pXRF) instrument. Kamoa Copper has routinely analyzed its exploration drill core for copper using pXRF, in addition to analysis at a commercial laboratory using four acid digest and ICP-OES. This data has demonstrated that pXRF results can be relied upon for grade control and run-of-mine sampling.

Ivanhoe has prepared a current, independent, NI 43-101-compliant technical report for the Kamoa-Kakula Project, which is available on the company's website and under the company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com:

The Kamoa-Kakula 2020 Resource Update dated March 25, 2020, prepared by OreWin Pty Ltd., Wood plc, DRA Global, SRK Consulting (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd and Stantec Consulting International LLC.

The technical report includes relevant information regarding the assumptions, parameters and methods of the mineral resource estimates on the Kamoa-Kakula Project cited in this news release, as well as information regarding data verification, exploration procedures and other matters relevant to the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release.

Information contacts

Investors: Bill Trenaman +1.604.331.9834 / Media: Matthew Keevil +1.604. 558.1034

Forward-looking statements

Certain statements in this release constitute "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company, its projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "estimate", "scheduled", "forecast", "predict" and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the company's current expectations regarding future events, performance and results and speak only as of the date of this release.

Such statements include without limitation, the timing and results of: (i) statements regarding the Definitive Feasibility Study for the Kakula Mine, and an updated Integrated Development Plan for multiple expansions of the entire Kamoa-Kakula mining licence, planned to be issued on September 8, 2020; (ii) statements regarding as Kakula's underground development progresses over the next few months, the majority of the working areas are expected to transition into the higher-grade ore zones near the centre of the deposit that have copper grades approximately 5% to 8%; (iii) statements regarding initial production at the Kakula Mine is scheduled for Q3 2021; (iv) statements regarding Kakula is projected to be the world's highest-grade major copper mine with an initial mining rate of 3.8 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) at an estimated average feed grade in excess of 6% copper over the first five years of operation; (v) statements regarding the Kakula Mine will have one of the most favourable environmental footprints of any tier-one copper mine; (vi) statements regarding the Kakula Mine will be powered by clean, renewable hydroelectricity and be among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of copper produced; (vii) statements regarding Kakula will have a relatively tiny surface footprint as approximately 55% of the mine's tailings will be pumped back into underground workings; (viii) statements regarding the last truckloads of long-lead items for the processing plant are expected to arrive at site before the end of September; (ix) statements regarding as underground development progresses at the Kakula and Kansoko mines over the next few months, the grade of the project's three medium-grade stockpiles is forecast to increase to between 3% - 5% copper; (x) statements regarding the northern and southern access drives at Kakula are expected to be joined in November 2020; (xi) statements regarding in roughly one year, the Kakula Mine will be producing extremely high-grade concentrate containing over 55% copper with essentially zero arsenic; (xii) statements regarding Kamoa-Kakula is unique as it combines ultra-high-copper grades with thick, shallow, flat-lying ore zones, providing the economies of scale and low mining costs of large, open-pit mining operations, but without the environmental scarring often associated with open-pit mining; and (xiii) statements regarding the Kakula mine is scheduled to be energized with permanent 220kV hydro-generated power in early 2021.

As well, all of the results of the pre-feasibility study for the Kakula copper mine and the updated and expanded Kamoa-Kakula Project preliminary economic assessment constitute forward-looking statements or information, and include future estimates of internal rates of return, net present value, future production, estimates of cash cost, proposed mining plans and methods, mine life estimates, cash flow forecasts, metal recoveries, estimates of capital and operating costs and the size and timing of phased development of the projects. Furthermore, with respect to this specific forward-looking information concerning the development of the Kamoa-Kakula Project, the company has based its assumptions and analysis on certain factors that are inherently uncertain. Uncertainties include: (i) the adequacy of infrastructure; (ii) geological characteristics; (iii) metallurgical characteristics of the mineralization; (iv) the ability to develop adequate processing capacity; (v) the price of copper; (vi) the availability of equipment and facilities necessary to complete development; (vii) the cost of consumables and mining and processing equipment; (viii) unforeseen technological and engineering problems; (ix) accidents or acts of sabotage or terrorism; (x) currency fluctuations; (xi) changes in regulations; (xii) the compliance by joint venture partners with terms of agreements; (xiii) the availability and productivity of skilled labour; (xiv) the regulation of the mining industry by various governmental agencies; (xv) the ability to raise sufficient capital to develop such projects; (xiv) changes in project scope or design, and (xv) political factors.

Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indicators of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to, the factors discussed below and under "Risk Factors", and elsewhere in this release, as well as unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this release are based upon what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this release.

The company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the factors set forth below in the "Risk Factors" section in the company's Q1 2020 MD&A and its current annual information form.

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Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is planning to build a 200-bed infectious diseases hospital on the newly acquired land in Sarangpur here.

Officials at the institute who are working on the project said several pandemics had time and again stressed the healthcare system, and there was a need to have a separate facility to manage patients suffering from contagious diseases.

The hospital is expected to have a high-level isolation unit which will be equipped to deal with infectious disease outbreaks.

PGIMER director Dr Jagat Ram said such facilities do not exist in many hospitals, especially in resource-limited settings. If we have learnt anything from Covid-19 it is to have a hospital which is always prepared for such emergencies. There are special requirements for such hospitals such as maintaining negative pressure in the buildings, which is generally not the case, and a trained workforce, Dr Ram said.

He added that the institute had expressed their desire to the central government and had received a positive response. We have started working on the project and we will take it through various high-level bodies of the institute.

The PGIMER had converted a general building into an infectious disease hospital after the UT administration had requested for the same. The Nehru Hospital Extension Block that was prepared to deal with the pandemic has now treated close to 900 Covid-19 patients from across the region.
Prosecutors say Kyle Rittenhouse, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, killed two people and injured another person on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, when he opened fire Aug. 25 during protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Wisconsin law stipulates that the minimum age for legal armed carry is 18. Even though Rittenhouse is just 17, he stood that night with other armed civilians who declared that they were out protecting property.

It remains unclear whether he was part of a formal militia group. In an interview with the conservative news website the Daily Caller earlier that day, Rittenhouse, who is from Illinois, laid out why he was in Kenosha. "So people are getting injured, and our job is to protect this business, and a part of my job is to also help people," Rittenhouse said, without specifying any authority to do so. "If there's somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way. That's why I have my rifle because I need to protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit."

Within hours, the patrolling turned deadly. Rittenhouse is charged with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide.

Image: Kyle Rittenhouse (Adam Rogan / The Journal Times via AP)

His attorney said Rittenhouse was exercising his right to defend the community.

"Kyle and all able-bodied males between the ages of 17 and 45 are part of the unorganized United States Militia," the lawyer, John Pierce, said in an email. "He was in Kenosha as part of his right and duty to protect his community where the state and local government had totally failed in their most basic responsibility to provide law and order.

"Specifically, he was there to protect the people and property of Kenosha from rioters bent on destroying it and burning it to the ground," Pierce continued. "All United States citizens have this right and obligation where government fails. No American is too young to possess a rifle when state and local government refuses to protect them."

Story continues

Unorganized militias are not a new phenomenon, but they have gained increasing attention and support over the last few decades. Modern militias and individual vigilantes appeared in the early 1990s positioning themselves as contrary to the federal government. After a period of relative quiet, they re-emerged over the last decade in a more visible role not only in several high-profile protests, including those by Black Lives Matter supporters, but also in less-known local disputes in towns around the country from Utah to New Mexico. The groups are self-anointed, weapons-bearing so-called enforcers of order with very little stopping them, experts who study militias say.

"They consider themselves part and parcel of the enforcement regime," said Robert Futrell, a professor of sociology who researches far-right extremism at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "They are self-appointed groups of local citizens who become law enforcement in their community. They may not have legal authority, but that does not matter, because, to them, they have moral authority.

"But militia means military, and militia also means a capacity for violence," he said.

Two waves

In 2019, the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center documented 181 active anti-government militias operating across the U.S. The groups cover a wide spectrum of ideologies but historically center on stopping the overreach of government.

The modern militia movement largely flowed in two waves, experts say. The first came in the early 1990s with anti-government standoffs like those in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and then in Waco, Texas  when a standoff between the Branch Davidians and federal authorities turned deadly. A second wave occurred with the election of President Barack Obama, whom militia groups saw as a significant threat, particularly to their Second Amendment right to bear arms, Futrell said.

But the election of Donald Trump flipped the script, he said.

Some of the anti-government groups saw a sympathizer leading the country, prompting many members to shift their target to new enemies: immigrants, Muslims, anti-fascist protesters and other "armies of the deep state," including Black Lives Matter, he said.

Howard Graves, a senior research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said, "A major piece of the narrative that's been circulated in anti-government militia circles since the killing of George Floyd has been the idea that Black Lives Matter is a 'terrorist' organization.

"For the most part, militias have focused on the instances of looting and fires to advance the narrative that all BLM events are dangerous," he said, "and modern militias have responded by trying to spin the narrative that it's their constitutional duty to help local law enforcement and, therefore, their presence is needed in order to keep communities safe."

Since the spring, militias have shown up at Black Lives Matter protests at least 55 times, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

One of the largest militia groups, the Oath Keepers, a group of thousands of current and former law enforcement and military members, went to Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 after the police killing of Michael Brown, a Black teenager, and the ensuing protests. Members showed up armed and wearing camouflage gear, standing on rooftops to declare that they were there to protect private property. Their presence, the St. Louis County police chief at the time, Jon Belmar, said, was "both unnecessary and inflammatory." Police eventually ordered them off the rooftops.

The Oath Keepers did not reply to a request for comment.

A different militia group was front and center in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 during the Unite the Right rally, which turned deadly when a far-right extremist drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one and leaving 19 others injured.

"At that rally, the Light Foot Militia claimed it was helping to keep the peace, but members primarily acted as security for various right-wing extremist factions present that day," Graves said.

Jeff Stankiewicz, founder of the Light Foot Militia, who heads the Idaho branch, said in an email that he was not involved in Charlottesville and that each branch is independently operated. He said that the faction that attended was trying to "maintain peace at what was supposed to be a rally in support of American history" and that it "in no way had anything to do with any violence that occurred that day."

Alex Friedfeld, an investigative researcher for the Anti-Defamation League, a civil rights watchdog group that tracks the far right, said militias often attend protests and rallies because "in their mind, they are trying to even the playing field."

"What animates these groups is anti-government, but it's also anti-left," he said. "Not only are they not trained and don't have the same restraint as law enforcement, they also have their own agenda, so they are more likely to clash."

'Fever pitch'

In Wisconsin, the Kenosha Guard, a self-identified militia, set up an event on Facebook calling for people to take weapons into the streets, asking: "Any patriots willing to take up arms and defend [our] City tonight from the evil thugs? No doubt they are currently planning on the next part of the City to burn tonight!"

Kevin Mathewson, leader of the Kenosha Guard, who wrote the post, said in an email: "Just like many other citizens of Kenosha, I watched businesses and homes burn to the ground 5 blocks from where my wife and I raised my two children. Our Mayor, County Executive, and Governor, all democrats, failed to keep us safe  filled with too much pride to ask for help. The police were extremely outnumbered. Our only option was to take up arms and defend our families and homes. The second amendment was written for this very circumstance."

It is not known whether Rittenhouse saw the original Facebook message or is connected to the group, but the post got 300 RSVPs, with 2,300 people more interested in attending, according to a report by the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, which tracks online extremism. Facebook took down the Kenosha Guard page a day after the shootings, saying it was in violation of a new policy rolled out by the company to remove posts connected to violence.

"It's a long-held fantasy of right-wing militia groups," said Megan Squire, a computer science professor at Elon University in North Carolina who tracks online extremism. "They are inventing a scenario in which they can put their gun collections to use by showing up, unbidden, to 'protect' businesses that in many cases aren't theirs and don't want that service.

"The online rhetoric among armed militias and other right-wing gun enthusiasts is really at a fever pitch this whole summer," Squire said. "Now, we're seeing that come to bear in real life."

Earlier this year, armed militias stormed statehouses in Michigan and Ohio to demand "freedom" from COVID-19 lockdowns.

Image: Lansing, Michigan, protest (Seth Herald / Reuters)

For a long time, militia activity was largely associated with a small fringe population, but in recent times, it is becoming more common to see militia groups forming and self-activating not only in high-profile controversies but also in local conflicts. They have shown up to protect Confederate statues, detain migrants and patrol high school students protesting racial injustice.

While most militias are constitutionalist and anti-government-centered, some factions commingle the ideology with white supremacy and neo-Nazism, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. "It's not that every militia member is white supremacist. They aren't. But there is a lot of overlap with white supremacy and anti-government groups for a variety of reasons," said Futrell, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, professor. "In fact, a part of the re-emergence, that second wave, was charged by that ideological position."

Mary McCord, a law professor at Georgetown University who is legal director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, agreed that the ideology of many groups may not be outwardly associated with white supremacy, but she said comments can be found from them online that are racist, xenophobic and disparaging of people of color and immigrants.

It may not be universal, but the trope appeared in comment threads made after the initial Facebook call to go to Kenosha.

Asked about the racist tone some comments took, Mathewson, of the Kenosha Guard, said: "As to the racist comments, neither I nor Facebook had the resources to remove any inflammatory comments. The page gained too much support too quickly to be moderated."

A fundamental misunderstanding of the Second Amendment

All 50 states have some legal provisions prohibiting private militias from operating outside of governmental authority, but the statutes are largely unenforced, McCord said. That may be because of a fundamental misunderstanding of the Second Amendment, particularly in open carry states.

Many local officials, including some in law enforcement, do not understand what is protected under the amendment, and they think these people are exercising constitutional rights, she said.

McCord said that in 2008, the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment protects a person's right to bear arms for one's self-protection but that it does not prevent states from prohibiting paramilitary organizations.

She said police and local officials should make it clear to militias, which often reach out to them before they arrive, that not only do they not want their help, but also that their help is illegal. They should also make it clear that they will enforce any laws that prohibit their actions.

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Surveillance video analyzed by The New York Times showed that less than 20 minutes before Rittenhouse is alleged to have fired shots, police officers drove past him and the other armed civilians and offered water out of appreciation.

Police did not respond to a phone call and an email request for comment. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told The Associated Press on Friday that the officer seen giving out water was not one of his deputies and that the person who said he appreciated what the armed civilians were doing "doesn't mirror all of law enforcement's perspective on what happened."

Friedfeld, of the Anti-Defamation League, who has long studied militias, said that when police do not actively discourage militias and vigilantes, "there is almost this tacit condoning of this behavior."

"Even if police aren't singing their praises," he said, "the lack of telling people to go home sends a message, and these guys are taking the message that they are allowed to be there."
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Britain is not entering a second wave of coronavirus infections and rising numbers of cases are a result of increased, more accurate testing picking up infections among younger people, experts say.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday warned that the UK 'must do everything in our power' to stop a second surge of people going into hospital with the coronavirus, which he said was starting to happen in Europe.

Another 1,295 people were diagnosed with the virus in Britain yesterday, following 1,406 the day before, and the seven-day average number of daily cases is now 1,339  a 27 per cent increase on last Tuesday and the highest since June 11.

While cases are clearly rising in the UK, scientists have given an alternative view to Mr Hancock's doom-and-gloom, saying instead that younger people are the ones driving up infections and they are less likely to get seriously ill and end up in hospital. For that reason, hospital cases and deaths will not necessarily follow higher cases.

There are currently only 764 people in hospital with Covid-19 in the UK, just 60 of whom are in intensive care. This is a sharp drop from a peak of 19,872 hospitalised patients on April 12.

Professor Carl Heneghan, a medicine expert at the University of Oxford, said: 'There is currently no second wave. What we are seeing is a sharp rise in the number of healthy people who are carrying the virus, but exhibiting no symptoms. Almost all of them are young. They are being spotted because  finally  a comprehensive system of national test and trace is in place.'

But Mr Hancock said in the Commons yesterday that he feared this rise in infections in healthy people would creep into vulnerable groups if allowed to continue, saying it was a pattern seen in the US where cases are out of control again.

The Government will soon launch a new campaign to remind people that the virus remains a danger, Mr Hancock said, hinting at another slogan, 'hands, face, space and get a test', in reference to encouraging members of the public to remember to keep washing their hands, not touching their face, maintaining social distancing and getting tested if they develop symptoms.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today said although death figures for the UK are low, 'we must remain vigilant' and 'do everything in our power to prevent a second wave' in the UK similar to that seen in Spain and France while protecting the NHS this winter. He is pictured arriving to attend a Cabinet meeting today

The positivity rate of coronavirus tests in the UK has remained flat since June, showing that the proportion of people testing positive is not changing drastically - this suggests the rising number of cases is strongly linked to the rising number of tests

CHANCE OF CATCHING COVID-19 IS 'ONE IN 44MILLION' The Office for National Statistics say around 2,200 people are catching the coronavirus every day, based on surveillance swabbing in random households. It means the odds of catching Covid-19 in England are on in 44million every day, according to economist Tim Harford, who examined the numbers collated by the ONS to assess the current risk. He told The Sun: 'Covid-19 currently presents a background risk of a one in a million chance of death or lasting harm, every day. 'The risk of death alone is one in two million.' Tim, who presents the BBC Radio 4 statistics programme More or Less, added: 'Simply existing in a country where the virus is suppressed but circulating is not so risky. 'It depends on age, gender, geography, behaviour and much else. 'But on average it is similar to taking a bath, going skiing, or a short motorbike ride, and considerably less risky than a scuba dive or a skydive. 'The risk to most individuals in the UK seems modest, for now.' Advertisement

Mr Hancock said yesterday: 'I said in July that a second wave was rolling across Europe and sadly were now seeing an exponential rise in the number of cases in France and Spain. And the number of hospitalisations is sadly rising there too.

'We must do everything in our power to protect against a second wave here in the UK.'

France recently recorded its biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections since March. Some 7,379 new cases were diagnosed on August 28 compared with the 7,578 cases recorded on March 31 - amid the peak of the pandemic in Europe.

In Spain, cases are continuing to snowball with 23,500 new infections over the weekend. Between Friday and Monday, hospitalisations rose by more than 700 and deaths by 83.

Graphs show that the numbers of people being hospitalised in the two countries has started to tick upwards as well.

Deaths are currently low for the UK, with just two on Monday and three on Wednesday, yesterday. The most up-to-date government coronavirus death toll for the UK stands at 41,504. It takes into account victims who have died within 28 days of testing positive.

Government fears that Britain is staring down the barrel of a second wave of hospitalisations and deaths like the one that devastated the nation in April and May have not been shared by all scientists.

Experts say a rise in cases was always expected when the country reopened and young people returned to work and social environments. It may even be safe to let the virus spread among those at the lowest risk of the death  the young and healthy  while still protecting the elderly.

Professor Carl Heneghan, who has followed Government statistics closely during the outbreak, wrote in an editorial for the Daily Mail yesterday that he believes it is safe for much of normal life to return carefully.

'The Government urgently needs to send out a clear, concise message that the risk from Covid-19 is currently low,' Professor Heneghan said.

Calling for schools and universities to reopen, Professor Heneghan said the first lockdown was only necessary because the country was overwhelmed with a new virus than nobody understood.

He said that it is now a 'different virus' in the way we deal with it, and that drastic measures like that shouldn't be needed again.

He added: 'The alarmists will say that such asymptomatic people are just as likely to spread the coronavirus  and are perhaps even more dangerous, because they don't know they have it. That fear simply is not borne out by the experience of the past six months.

'On the contrary, when the whole country was locked down, it was the younger people who remained free of the infection. And while everyone stayed home, it spread like wildfire in our hospitals and, most deadly of all, in care homes for the elderly.

'Care home cases have now fallen sharply, though we have yet to eradicate the danger. We know that infection rates have risen among the young, but we are not seeing any subsequent infections among the elderly.

'The evidence is becoming clearer. Young people provide no protection to older members of society by staying away from school, university and work. But they wreak terrible long-term damage in other ways by maintaining their social isolation.'

Elaborating on his point in an article in The Spectator, Professor Heneghan added that other reasons hospital cases and deaths are coming down could be that doctors are better at treating the disease now or that the virus has changed, but he also raised the issue of test accuracy, suggesting some of the results are false positives.

He said: 'A very high number of cycles may detect fragments and give a positive result but a lower number of cycles is far more likely to identify infected and infectious individuals requiring quarantine...

'Evidence is mounting that a good proportion of "new" mild cases and people re-testing positives after quarantine or discharge from hospital are not infectious, but are simply clearing harmless virus particles which their immune system has efficiently dealt with.

'Those whose immunity is more active are exactly in the age group of observed "positives" and least likely to end with severe disease.'

Professor Rowland Kao, the Sir Timothy OShea Professor of veterinary epidemiology and data science, University of Edinburgh, said there could be a number of reasons why cases crept up last week.

He said: 'Releases of restrictions, increased numbers of imports due to people travelling overseas, and evidence of poor adherence in some cases to such restrictions that remain, all have the potential to contribute to increased transmission. This trend also reflects patterns seen in other European countries which released restrictions earlier and therefore saw a case resurgence earlier.'

He admitted that looking at diagnosed cases alone, there is a 'general trend towards larger numbers of cases'.

'Whether or not this represents the beginning of a second wave of a national epidemic will depend on the ability of the test and trace system to respond effectively by stamping out as many local outbreaks as possible, quickly,' he added.

Dr Simon Clarke, an associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said the number are 'moving in the wrong after plateauing'.

He added: 'It should be remembered that we have not yet seen corresponding increases in hospital admissions, let alone deaths and it seems likely that wed need to see sustained increases in the daily numbers of fresh diagnoses and hospital admissions before the authorities move towards any significant tightening of restrictions on our lives.'

Although diagnosed cases - published by the Department of Health and Social Care each day - are rising, testing data suggests this is not a concern.

Testing capacity has rapidly increased over the course of the pandemic in order to reach more people. But on closer inspection of the data, less people are actually getting a positive result.

A significantly higher number of people are being tested since July - when diagnosed cases were at their lowest, NHS Test and Trace data shows.

Some 442,392 people were tested between 13 August and 19 August - an almost 20 per cent increase on the 355,597 tested between July 9 and 15.

However, the positive result rate only slightly went up, from 1.12 per cent to 1.4 per cent in the same period. This shows there are not more people testing positive in August than in July.

A significantly higher number of people are being tested in August compared with July - when diagnosed cases were at their lowest, NHS Test and Trace data shows (pictured). However, the positive result rate only slightly went up, from 1.12 per cent to 1.4 per cent in the same period

Commenting on these figures, Dr Duncan Young, a professor of intensive care medicine at University of Oxford, said: 'It is therefore very possible that the increase in cases is mostly related to increased testing, but will a small additional effect from the increased prevalence.'

Other Government data backs this, with the Office for National Statistics reporting last week that 'there is some evidence of a small increase in the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 in July, following a low point in June, but this continues to level off'.

An estimated 2,200 people are catching the coronavirus every day - in stark contrast to the 100,000 per day in March.

Professor Kevin McConway, an emeritus professor of applied statistics, The Open University, said: 'Im sure everyone would be happier if we could be reasonably confident that the infection rate is falling. It may well be falling, but at least these estimates indicate that it is not rising fast, nationally, and even if there is a slow rise, that doesnt mean that it will continue to rise. We just cant be sure.'

Meanwhile, updated estimates on the R number - how many people an infected individual passes the coronavirus on to - show the R number has risen in all regions of England and is now between 0.9 and 1.1.

And the growth rate - which reflects how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day - has also slightly increased. It estimates the number of new infections is somewhere between shrinking by 2 per cent and growing by 1 per cent every day.

But looking at both sets of data, Professor McConway said: 'My interpretation is that both of them indicate that the rate of new infections is approximately stable at the national level.'

He added: 'There are outbreaks in some places, and when outbreaks occur, actions are being taken and the rates of infection in those places generally decrease again. Its more important to keep local outbreaks in check than to worry unduly about whether the national R number is just above or just below 1.

'The daily published figures for confirmed new cases [from the Department of Health] are rather more up to date, but they are affected by quite large fluctuations from day to day in the numbers and type of people tested.'

Professor McConway said although cases have gone up, it did 'not unduly concern me'.

Deaths being announced each day by the Department of Health have tumbled since the peak of Britain's Covid-19 crisis, with more than 1,000 patients killed some days in April.

Health officials in Northern Ireland yesterday said there have been no new Covid-19 deaths for the fifth day in a row, with the toll standing at 560.

And no new coronavirus deaths were reported in Scotland in the last 24 hours, the latest Scottish Government figures show. It means Scotland's death figure has stood at 2,494 for six days in a row.

Wales reported one death across all settings after a four-day streak with zero new deaths, while NHS England reported nine. But not all were included in the Department of Health's release because the two agencies have different time cut-offs.

Mr Hancock said that although death figures for the UK are low, 'we must remain vigilant', adding it was 'vital' everyone played their part in the defences against Covid-19, including social distancing, hand washing, and contact tracing.

Data shows that hospitalisations in France have started to rise gradually since mid-July as the number of people testing positive has increased

There has been an uptick in hospital admissions for Covid-19 in Spain, according to official European data

He said that 'best case scenario' is for a Covid-19 vaccine to be found before the end of this year, following the announcement that Oxford's vaccine, one of the global front runners, is going into its final stages of testing.

Until then, contact tracing is one of the most important lines of defence against the coronavirus. However, MPs slammed the failures of the NHS Test and Trace system while 'rewarding' the private sector for extending contracts.

Mr Hancock claimed the UK is in the 'top tranche' of test and trace systems that are in place around the world, despite official figures showing consistently fewer positive cases and their contacts are being tracked down, and defended ties with private companies.

BORIS JOHNSON WARNS THERE IS 'MORE COVID TO COME' Boris Johnson today warned there is going to be 'more of this wretched Covid still to come' as he convened his Cabinet and told ministers 'bit by bit' the UK is 'getting back on its feet'. The Prime Minister told his top team that 'we know there will be more outbreaks' but he is 'absolutely confident' the Government will be able to deal with them. He also claimed that 'huge numbers' of people are now returning to offices and 'quite right too' amid fears that Professor Chris Whitty could quit over the Government's push to persuade workers to ditch working from home. Mr Johnson met with his Cabinet in the grand Locarno Suite at the Foreign Office - chosen because it has more space than Number 10 so that ministers can socially distance. The opulent setting will be used for the meetings for the foreseeable future after months of Mr Johnson having to speak to ministers via Zoom. The Prime Minister will be hoping that the meeting, which came on the morning that Parliament returned from its summer break and as thousands of pupils finally returned to schools across England, will set an example to workers across the nation. Mr Johnson is encouraging employees to head back to their offices but it was claimed today that ministers are holding back on the drive because of fears the Chief Medical Officer could resign. Prof Whitty is said to be hampering the Government's efforts to get more workers back to their normal commutes and to physically return to their workplaces. Cabinet sources told The Telegraph ministers are afraid that if they push too hard on the issue, resulting in a wave of staff returning to town and city centres, then Prof Whitty could opt to resign because of safety fears. Such a move would likely cause massive damage to public trust in the Government. Advertisement

MPs quizzed the Health Secretary in the House of Commons yesterday about the failures of the critical NHS Test and Trace system, with Ilford South MP Sam Terry asking if contracts with private companies, which include Serco, Sitel and Capita, 'with no track record in this instance', would be continued.

An obviously irritated Mr Hancock said: 'I will absolutely defend to all ends the teams who work on our NHS Test and Trace system, the private sector companies without whom this would be impossible.'

He stressed that the latest figures show 84.3 per cent of close contacts of Covid-19 cases were reached and told to self isolate, above the 80 per cent recommended by scientists for contact tracing to be successful.

Since the launch of Test and Trace, 80.6 per cent of close contacts of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 have now been reached through the system and asked to self-isolate.

However, the most recent data, published on Friday, shows only 75.5 per cent of close contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate in the week August 13 to 19.

Week-on-week data shows the system is getting worse, with call handlers reaching a record low of just 72.6 per cent of infected patients last week.

It's the fifth week in a row the number of Covid-19 cases tracked has fallen, dropping from the best performance of 82.8 per cent in the week ending July 22.

Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth questioned the Governments track and trace figures given by Mr Hancock, telling the Commons: 'I listened carefully to the figures (Matt Hancock) outlined but he didnt tell the House that of the numbers actually going into the system, they have fallen in the last week  down from 79 per cent to 72 per cent. This system is not yet world-beating.'

Last week Mr Hancock acknowledged the system was 'not quite there', telling LBC radio on Thursday: 'One of the challenges is we want to get NHS Test and Trace up to over 80 per cent of contacts, getting them to self-isolate  were at just over 75 per cent, so were nearly there but not quite there.'

Mr Hancock said testing is set to be ramped up with new rapid Covid-19 tests that can give 'on the spot results' in 90 minutes and do not need to be conducted by a healthcare professional.

He told the Commons about the new 'rapid test for coronavirus and other winter viruses' that will help to 'break chains of transmission quickly'.

'These tests do not require a trained health professional to operate them, so they can be rolled out in more non-clinical settings,' he said.

The Health Secretary also outlined details of the 'pay to isolate' scheme, which came following the criticism there was not enough financial support for people being told to self isolate for 14 days, potentially losing pay.

He said: 'Today we also launch our new system of pay to isolate. We want to support people on low incomes in areas with a high incidence of Covid-19 who need to self-isolate and are unable to work from home.

'Under the scheme, people who test positive for the virus will receive 130 for the 10-day period they have to stay at home. Other contacts including, for instance, members of their own household who have to self-isolate for 14-days will be entitled to a payment of 182.'

Also in the Commons, Health minister Helen Whately said care homes looking after older residents can now access repeat testing - but said there are delays in getting these tests for staff.

Labours shadow health minister Liz Kendall called for every care home to test its staff for Covid-19 on a weekly basis, and said: 'Ministers initially promised weekly testing for care home staff by July 6. They then abandoned that pledge and said routine tests wouldnt happen until September 7.

'With more than 15,000 deaths from Covid-19 in care homes so far, and winter and the flu season fast approaching, regular weekly testing of care homes is critical.'

Responding during health questions, Ms Whately said: 'There has been a delay to our repeat testing of care homes because of particular issues with some of the test kits.

'We are now able to offer repeat testing to all care homes for older people and weve been able to open up the (testing) portal to those with working-age adults as residents, and weve initiated our second round of repeat testing for the elderly sector.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned there is going to be 'more of this wretched Covid still to come' as he convened his Cabinet and told ministers 'bit by bit' the UK is 'getting back on its feet'. Pictured: A meeting of his Cabinet this morning as Parliament returned from its summer recess

YOUNG PARTYING WOMAN ACCUSED OF BEING AT THE CENTRE OF AYRSHIRE OUTBREAK A young Scottish woman has been accused of spreading coronavirus by continuing to attend parties after holidaying with friends who fell ill with symptoms. The unnamed 'superspreader' allegedly went to pubs and 'several parties' before herself testing positive. A cluster of 22 cases has since sprang up in Ayrshire, which medical officials confirmed were linked to house parties. A major contact tracing operation is now underway to stop the virus snowballing in the region. Angry locals have pointed the finger at a young woman who is believed to have ignored advice to self-isolate after returning from overseas on August 21 with two friends who suffered symptoms. A parent told the Ayrshire Advertiser: 'She has been to several parties, one of them was in Kilmarnock. 'She knew that her other friends were self-isolating, it's disgusting.' Another source told the paper the woman visited pubs in Ayr before testing positive for Covid-19 after taking a test on August 26. NHS Ayrshire and Arran Test and Protect Team are starting to contact those connected to the house parties. Dr Crawford McGuffie, Medical Director said: 'NHS Ayrshire & Arran's Health Protection Team is currently conducting a contact tracing exercise following a number of individuals who have tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. 'These positive cases have been linked to a number of house parties.' Two staff members at Sainsbury's in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, are among those self-isolating after testing positive. Coronavirus is waning in Scotland and the country has only reported three deaths in a month. Advertisement

It comes as Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO's Europe chief, said he 'wouldn't be surprised' if hospital admissions surged this November to levels seen during the worst days of the pandemic.

Speaking on the Radio 4 Today programme, he warned Britain was facing 'three phenomena' in the colder months on top of coronavirus - including children picking up the disease at school, an uptick in influenza cases and excess deaths among elderly people.

It follows the revelation that Government documents say most people won't get the flu jab until December despite a Government drive to get everyone vaccinated to protect the NHS this winter.

Cases have already shown to be rising across the UK, with Scotland seeing record numbers of positive tests since May, with 154 discovered in the past 24 hours.

The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this week that she feels 'a greater sense of anxiety today' than at any time 'probably for the last couple of months'.

But although the numbers of coronavirus cases is rising again there is no evidence of this leading to more people ending up in hospital or dying, as had been feared.

Experts suggest that cases are now being picked up more often in younger people, who almost never die of the disease, and that hospitals are now better at treating Covid-19 than they were at the start of the pandemic.

However, a member of SAGE said last week that there may be a delayed uptick in hospitalisations and deaths in the coming weeks if younger adults pass the virus onto older relatives.

Officials have already been planning ahead for a potential second wave, and have been organising the biggest ever flu vaccination programme for the UK.

The Government pledged to reach 30million people including everyone over the age of 50 and 11-year-olds.

The plan was to cover more of the at-risk groups so that fewer people get seriously ill with the seasonal flu, which will relieve pressure on hospitals that are in danger of facing a resurgence of Covid-19 cases this winter.

But leaked documents, seen by The Telegraph, reveal services aim to 'extend the vaccine programme in November and December to include the 50-64 year old age group'.

It is recommended to get the flu jab in the autumn before flu starts circulating, therefore millions could be at risk of catching it before they can get vaccinated.

The documents say healthy patients aged 50 to 64 may not receive the jab at all, despite Health Secretary Matt Hancock boasting that the UK had 'the biggest flu jab programme ever this autumn'.

The vaccinations 'might' be offered 'following prioritisation of other eligible groups and subject to vaccine supply'.

Last year 15million people in England were vaccinated, but this was less than half of eligible people. It suggests if everyone in these groups took up their free jab this year, there would not be enough for additional people.

Increased flu vaccinations are planned to help reduce pressure on the NHS this winter by preventing flu-sickness which can cause hospitalisation and even death.

PORTUGAL'S COVID-19 CASES CONTINUE TO RISE PUTTING 75,000 BRITONS AT RISK OF QUARANTINE Portugal's Covid cases are continuing to rise - putting it on the brink of quarantine with 75,000 Britons still in the country - as BA boss Willie Walsh said the UK had 'put up a closed sign' with 15 nations on the list. There were 22.3 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the country over the seven days up to yesterday, versus 22.1 up to Monday. It came as Mr Walsh, the CEO of BA owner International Airlines Group accused the government of causing 'further chaos and hardship' for travellers based on 'arbitrary' statistics. He wrote in The Times: 'Another U-turn by the Government, adding Portugal to the quarantine list, will cause further chaos and hardship for travellers. 'The Government is using arbitrary statistics to effectively ban 160 countries and in the process destroying the economy. The Government needs to introduce a testing regime to restore confidence.' He added that the 'ever-shifting list' of countries requiring two weeks of quarantine means 'the UK has officially hung up the 'Closed' sign'. Ryanair flights from Portugal have rocketed to 302 today from 20 two weeks ago as up to 75,000 Britons faced having to rush back home with the holiday hotspot on the brink of being re-added to the UK quarantine list. A rate of 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period is the level ministers look at to trigger isolation rules. Advertisement

An bad flu season with a second wave of coronavirus will cripple the NHS and cause chaos figuring out which patients have flu and which have Covid-19, as the symptoms are similar.

But the world may be one step closer to getting a coronavirus jab after Oxford University's vaccine candidate entered its final stage of tests in the US.

UK drug giant AstraZeneca, which owns the rights to the vaccine, said it had enrolled 30,000 American volunteers to take part in its phase three clinical trial.

It now means 50,000 people worldwide are taking part in studies to see whether the jab - known as AZD1222 - can actually prevent people getting infected with Covid-19.

Thousands of volunteers have already been injected with the experimental drug in the UK, Brazil and South Africa and are being monitored by scientists.

Studies had to be moved abroad over the summer  to South Africa and Brazil where Covid-19 is still rife  to speed up the trials.

There are not enough people catching the virus in the UK anymore to be able to reliably test whether the jab is working.

Oxford's Professor Sarah Gilbert, the brains behind the jab, said preliminary data from trials in these countries could be expected in the coming weeks.

Cambridge-based AstraZeneca said further trials are planned in Japan, where there has been a deadly second wave, and Russia, where there have been a million cases.

AstraZeneca and Oxford scientists have repeatedly promised to deliver the vaccine to the most vulnerable groups to Covid-19 by the end of the year.

AstraZeneca has also struck deals with manufacturers in China, the US, and across Europe as it looks to supply the entire world with the Oxford jab.

Meanwhile, the British drugmaker yesterday struck a deal with Oxford Biomedica to mass-produce the vaccine if it is proven to be effective.

The company says it will receive 15m as a capacity reservation fee, plus as much as 35m to make multiple large-scale batches of the vaccine if it works.

Gene and cell therapy firm Oxford Biomedica will be the sole manufacturer of the vaccine in Britain for 18 months.

Early trials have shown promising results, with tests showing the vaccine is safe to use in humans and appears to provoke an immune response. But data that proves it protects people is not expected until later this year.

To prove without doubt that it protects people from infection, vaccines need to go through rigorous phase three trials.

In these tests the vaccine is being given to tens of thousands of people in real-world environments to see if it stops them from catching Covid-19 in the community.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock says frontline health and care workers, and those at an increased risk of serious disease, including elderly care homes residents, will be first in line to get access to a vaccine.

Over-50s and those with heart and kidney disease will be next, according to Mr Hancock, who said health bosses were also considering fast-tracking access for people from BAME backgrounds, who are disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

It's more likely the average person will get their hands on a Covid-19 sometime in early 2021, according to the UK's vaccine tsar, Kate Bingham.

Mass-manufacturing is already under way, however, so that the vaccine can be produced as quickly as possible.

AstraZeneca claims it can manufacture two billion doses by summer 2021. The US has already ordered 300million doses and the UK has pre-purchased 100million.

Millions of pupils in England this week return to school for the first time in almost six months, but will be faced with strict new rules to control the spread of the coronavirus

Thousands of school children have returned to the classroom in Northern Ireland following lockdown. Primary 7 children and sixth formers returned last week, but the full school population were back on Tuesday. Pictured: Pupils in Year 11 at Hazelwood Integrated College, Belfast

Meanwhile, millions of pupils in England return to school for the first time in almost six months, but will be faced with strict new rules to control the spread of the coronavirus.

But two studies published recently should reassure parents that their child will be safe from the virus, after months of fiery debate between ministers and teachers' unions.

One study found that children in the UK under the age of 10 years old are almost 20 times more likely to die from an accidental injury than of Covid-19.

Scientists led by Newcastle University also found under-10s are twice as likely to die from flu than they are from the coronavirus.

When looking at the risk of Covid-19 deaths in those between the ages of 10 and 19, it was three times lower than the risk of dying from an injury.

However, Covid-19 deaths were estimated to be four times higher than flu in that group, the study found. This showed people should not ignore the coronavirus completely and should still be cautious, the researchers said.

A small number of Covid-19 deaths were among children in the UK - 12 in the 10-19 age group and three in the under-10 age group.

Most of these children would have had underlying health conditions, research has shown, which make them more vulnerable to serious illness.

Another study revealed that children are six times less likely to spread coronavirus than adults.

The research tracked how the coronavirus spread in a group of 1,900 people, mostly children, who spent five weeks at summer camps in Spain.

They were mixing in similar situations to schools but spent most of their time outdoors and not in classrooms, the researchers in Barcelona said.

Swab testing every week found 30 infected children passed the virus on to just 12 others, despite having more than 250 close contacts in their 'bubble'.

The children's R rate - the number of people an infected person transmits the virus to - was 0.3. In comparison, the R rate of the local area was 1.7 to 2, meaning the children were six times less infectious than the general population.

Professor Heneghan called for the Government to put out clear and concise messaging that schools were very safe, criticising the 'alarmist' view that schools could be breeding grounds for the virus, saying there is no evidence to back it up.

He said: 'We need to reassure parents that it's safe for children to return to school this week.

'School-age pupils are the least likely to display any Covid-19 symptoms, and it will be a tragedy if they are denied the chance to restart their education by ill-founded fears.

'We need our children to be smarter than ourselves to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of our current generation  we need them to be in class.

'The alarmists will say that such asymptomatic people are just as likely to spread the coronavirus  and are perhaps even more dangerous, because they don't know they have it. That fear simply is not borne out by the experience of the past six months.'

'School-age pupils are the least likely to display any Covid-19 symptoms, and it will be a tragedy if they are denied the chance to restart their education by ill-founded fears.

'We need our children to be smarter than ourselves to ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of our current generation  we need them to be in class.'
Three people - including a young girl - died after a multi-vehicle crash Sunday night in downtown Newark, officials said Monday.

The crash at Broad Street and Central Avenue also left five other people seriously hurt, according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II and city Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose.

A Honda was traveling south on Broad Street when it hit a Mazda, which was headed north, causing it to crash into a Toyota around 7 p.m., the prosecutors office said in a statement, citing a preliminary investigation.

Elba Galarza, 77, of Glen Ridge, a passenger in the Honda, died Sunday night at an area hospital, according to authorities.

Clarise Pizcha, 11, a backseat passenger in the Mazda, also died Sunday night, the prosecutors office said.

The Mazda driver, identified as Rosa Lojalema, 35, was pronounced dead around 1:20 a.m. Monday, officials said.

Three other people from the Mazda and two others in the Honda suffered unspecified injuries, according to the prosecutors office. The Toyota driver and two passengers were not hurt.

Authorities said no charges were filed Monday as the investigation continued.

The prosecutors office asked anyone with information to call its tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.
By PTI

PATNA: Two constables, a man and a woman, allegedly shot themselves dead on the Bihar Military Police (BMP-I) campus in Patna on Tuesday, a senior police officer said.

The deceased have been identified as Amar Subba (36) and Varsha Sidung (26), Patna Central Range Inspector General of Police, Sanjay Singh, said, adding an investigation is on to ascertain the reason behind the incident.

Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Upendra Kumar Sharma said only one service rifle was used in the suspected suicide and five empty cartridge shells were found at the spot.

A forensic team has reached the spot to collect samples, the IG added.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA's 24x7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance.
MIAMI, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Black McDonald's franchise owners filed a federal lawsuit today demanding economic justice from McDonald's for denying them the same opportunities as White franchisees and steering them to economically depressed and dangerous areas where low-volume sales, high rent and operating costs guaranteed failure.

The 52 plaintiffs allege that McDonald's sold itself as a recruiter and developer of Black talent, profited from its Black consumer base and maintained a two-tier system that sent unsuspecting Black owners on "financial suicide missions" from which there was little chance of success.

The claims include over 200 stores with compensatory damages that average between $4 million and $5 million per store, exclusive of punitive damages.

James L. Ferraro, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said in early February, when his firm first started investigating the case, it was clear his clients experienced serious racial injustice.

"The notion that McDonald's is a friend of the Black entrepreneur is complete fiction," said Ferraro. "McDonald's has been hemorrhaging Black franchisees for decades due to blatant and implicit racial discrimination. The company will now be held accountable."

The historic high of 377 Black McDonald's franchisees in 1998 has been more than cut in half. Today, there are only 186 Black franchisees left standing. Meanwhile, over the same period, from 1998 to 2019, McDonald's has increased its stores from 15,086 to 36,059. The cash flow gap for Black franchisees more than tripled from 2010 to 2019, per National Black McDonald's Operators Association ("NBMOA") data.

Plaintiffs' average annual sales of $2 million was more than $700,000 under McDonald's national average of $2.7 million between 2011 and 2016 and $2.9 million in 2019.

The complaint alleges that McDonald's history of discrimination began in Chicago in 1968, after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. McDonald's denied Blacks entry into its system until the doors were pried open in 1969, after a boycott in Cleveland that led to some of the first Black-owned franchises in the McDonald's system.

In 1984, Rev. Jesse Jackson wrote to McDonald's on behalf of Operation PUSH to complain that Black franchisees felt they were "being subjected to a double standard" in that they were confined to inner-city areas with high maintenance and security costs. Blacks were usually offered only recycled stores, which are generally more expensive and less profitable than new ones.

In the late 90s, McDonald's candidly acknowledged it has excluded Blacks from the same opportunities afforded to Whites. Executive Vice President Thomas S. Dentice conceded in 1996 the "company has placed many Black Franchisees in restaurants that have not allowed them to achieve the same level of economic success as their peers."

For decades, McDonald's ruthless, one-sided bargaining steered Blacks toward the oldest, most decrepit stores in the toughest neighborhoods routinely rejected by Whites franchisees. This severely limited opportunities for expansion and growth, and far too often set in place a chain of events  low cash flow, decreased equity, debt and bankruptcy  that led to financial ruin.

Ferraro said today's filing tells 52 different heartbreaking stories of Black men and women who were employers, philanthropists and community leaders before they were forced out of business through McDonald's gross violations of federal law by:

Steering Black franchisees to inner city neighborhoods with low volume sales, high security and insurance costs and constant employee turnover.





Retaliating against Black franchisees for rejecting strong-arm offers to continue operations in crime-ridden neighborhoods.





Denying Black franchisees meaningful assistance during financial hardships while White franchisees were routinely given such support.





Excluding Black franchisees from the same growth opportunities found at safer, higher-volume, lower-cost stores offered to Whites.





Failing to provide any legitimate business reasons for repeated denials of franchise opportunities over many years.





Unfairly grading the operations of Black restaurants, which resulted in poor internal reviews, effectively pushing Black franchisees out of the McDonald's system by denying them the eligibility for growth and favorable franchise terms.





system by denying them the eligibility for growth and favorable franchise terms. Providing misleading projections which induced Black franchisees to purchase undesirable franchises.

"Each and every one of these businessmen and women tell a story of dashed hopes and lost dreams," Ferraro said. "The world will soon see how these 52 people of color risked everything on the Golden Arches only to be kept down, marginalized and driven to ruin."

Ferraro added, "Black lives matter on the streets, in our communities and they matter in Corporate America."

The lawsuit was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division. To download the complaint, click here.

Direct media inquiries to [email protected]

www.ferrarolaw.com

SOURCE The Ferraro Law Firm

Related Links

http://www.ferrarolaw.com




BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks were mostly higher on Tuesday, though financials dragged London's FTSE 100 to a near one-month low.



Investors were reacting to a slew of economic data from China and the Eurozone.



The pan European Stoxx 600 rose 0.3 percent to 367.45 after declining 0.6 percent in the previous session.



The German DAX climbed 0.8 percent and France's CAC 40 index edged up 0.2 percent, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down 1.2 percent as traders returned to their desks after a holiday weekend.



Apple suppliers were moving up after reports that Apple is aiming to launch four new iPhone models next month with 5G wireless speeds.



Dialog Semiconductor rallied 3.2 percent, Infineon Technologies gained 1.8 percent and ASML Holding advanced 2.4 percent.



Freenet AG gained nearly 2 percent. The telecommunications and web content provider said that it has planned to buy back up to 5 million shares of the company.



Telecom Italia shed 0.8 percent after its board approved the sale of a minority stake in its secondary network to U.S. investment firm KKR.



Asia-focused lender HSBC Holdings and Barclays both fell over 3 percent in London.



Oxford Biomedica, a gene and cell therapy group, rose over 1 percent. The company has signed a supply agreement with AstraZeneca to expand manufacturing support of Covid-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222. AstraZeneca shares were little changed.



Miner Anglo American advanced 1.6 percent, Antofagasta gained 1.4 percent and Glencore added 2.6 percent, thanks to strong readings on China's manufacturing sector.



Dunelm Group jumped 2.7 percent. The home furnishings retailer said sales have been strong in the last two months.



FirstGroup slumped 5.6 percent. The transport service provider said that the U.K.'s Department for Transport has exercised its option to extend the Emergency Measures Agreement for Great Western Railway until at least 26 June 2021.



In economic releases, a private survey showed China's factory activity expanded at the fastest clip in nearly a decade in August.



Closer home, the euro area manufacturing Purchasing Managers' index fell slightly to 51.7 in August from 51.8 in July. The reading matched the flash estimate.



Manufacturing output growth reached its highest level for over two years while new orders increased for the second month but eased slightly on July's near two-and-a-half-year peak.



Survey data showed that British factory output rose in August at its fastest pace in more than six years, albeit from a low level.



Eurozone consumer prices fell 0.2 percent year-on-year in August, reversing a 0.4 percent rise in July, preliminary data from Eurostat revealed. Prices were expected to climb 0.2 percent.



The euro area jobless rate rose to 7.9 percent in July from 7.7 percent in June. The rate was marginally below the expected level of 8 percent. The number of people out of work increased by 344,000 from June to 12.793 million in July.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has warned the ruling government that a future NDC government will not honour terms of the Agyapa Royalties deal.

It can be recalled that Parliament recently in line with the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act, 2018 (Act 978), approved agreements to allow the country to derive maximum value from its mineral resources while monetizing the mineral income accruing to Ghana sustainably and responsibly.

The controversial Agyapa Royalties agreement has in the past week been opposed not only by the Minority in parliament but 15 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).

At a press conference in Accra, the NDC insist that the Minister of Finance in presenting the deal clearly breaches and violates the law and is required to have reported this deal with full disclosure in his 2020 Supplementary budget to Parliament.

According to Hon. Haruna Iddrisu who addressed journalists, his party will not work with the terms of the agreement when they finally kick out the NPP government in the December 7 elections.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Minority in Parliament would like to state unequivocally that a future NDC government will not honour the terms of this unconscionable agreement as described by the current Attorney-General, the law-maker emphasized.

According to him, the NDC is of the strong view that the decision to mortgage Ghanas future mineral royalties in perpetuity is grossly inimical to the interest of the people of Ghana and runs contrary to the constitutional imperative that governmental power is exercised for the welfare of the people of Ghana.

This deal fails to enhance public welfare. Our analysis shows clearly that Ghana stands to lose billions of United States Dollars in revenue as a consequence of this illegal transaction. This is because annual gold royalties from the mining sector amounts to about USD200 Million on the average. It makes no economic sense, therefore, to mortgage these receivables to an opaque Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in exchange for an upfront amount of just USD500 million, the MP for Tamale South Constituency added.

Read the full speech below:

MINORITY PRESS STATEMENT ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AGYAPA ROYALTIES READ BY HON. HARUNA IDDRISSU, MINORITY LEADER OF PARLIAMENT

Colleague MPs,

Invited guests,

Ladies and gentlemen of the media,

Good Morning.

Thank you for responding to our call, once again, at such a short notice.

INTRODUCTION

1. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, you will recall that on Friday, August 14, 2020, the last day of the second meeting of the fourth (4th) session of the 7th Parliament, President Akufo-Addo caused seven (7) agreements relating to the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) to be laid before Parliament for approval.

2. The Agreements seek to mortgage Ghanas future mineral royalties and long term national assets in perpetuity without any regard to its implication on future national revenue streams. Through this transaction, the Akufo Addo government intends to use a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Agyapa Royalties, incorporated as an offshore company in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, a known tax haven, in exchange for an upfront amount of USD500 million, under the Mineral Development Fund Act, 2018 (Act 978) and its amendment Act, which strangely, was yet to be assented to by the President in accordance with article 106 of the 1992 Constitution to make it law. The Government of Ghana will own 51 percent of the shares of the company and remaining 49 percent floated on the London Stock Exchange.

3. Let me state emphatically, that Members of Parliament had less than 4 hours to scrutinize these agreements, and ascertain the extent to which they would enhance the welfare of the people of Ghana and in particular its ramifications on national revenue into the future. Paradoxically, the Akufo Addo-government claims to have used two (2) years to prepare these agreements and yet, the peoples representatives in Parliament were required to peruse and approve same in less than four (4) hours.

4. The NDC Minority in Parliament, took a strong position in the national interest that the indecent haste with which these high-stakes agreements were being rushed through the parliamentary approval process does not augur well for the important exercise of Parliamentary oversight on an issue as critical as the mortgaging of the gold royalties of the country in perpetuity.

5. As representatives of the people of Ghana, it is our duty to ensure that such agreements meet key legal legal and constitutional requirements before approval. The Minority therefore requested for the full complement of requisite documents to guide and facilitate a thorough scrutiny and due diligence of the proposed deal in accordance with article 185 of the 1992 constitution.

6. Key amongst these requisite documents were:

 the prospectus for the eventual sale of shares in Agyapa through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange. The prospectus would contain more important details of the deal such as projected cashflows, underlying assumptions and the dividend policy.

 incorporation details for the SPV, Agyapa Royalties

 detailed justification for the choice of Jersey, a known tax haven

 fiscal impact assessment

7. Ladies and gentlemen, to our utter dismay, the Minister of Finance refused to make these key documents available to us on the excuse that they were in draft form and for reasons of confidentiality, could not to be shared even with the elected representatives of the people of Ghana. This decision of the Finance Minister is in clear violation of Article 181(5) of the Constitution which requires that such documents together with the agreements be laid before Parliament for approval.

8. As a direct consequence of this concealment of vital information from the people of Ghana, the debate on the floor of Parliament was extremely acrimonious, and eventually, the Members of the Minority in Parliament were compelled to stage a walk out as a clear statement of our intent to protect the national interest at all cost.

THE MINORITYS POSITION

9. Ladies and gentlemen, the Minority in Parliament would like to state unequivocally that a future NDC Government will not honour the terms of this unconscionable agreement as described by the current Attorney-General.

Pursuant to this, we wish to state as follows:

a) The NDC is of the strong view that the decision to mortgage Ghanas future mineral royalties in perpetuity is grossly inimical to the interest of the people of Ghana and runs contrary to the constitutional imperative that governmental power be exercised for the welfare of the people of Ghana. This deal fails to enhance public welfare. Our analysis shows clearly that Ghana stands to lose billions of United States Dollars in revenue as a consequence of this illegal transaction. This is because annual gold royalties from the mining sector amounts to about USD200 Million on the average. It makes no economic sense, therefore, to mortgage these receivables to an opaque Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in exchange for an upfront amount of just USD500 million.

b) To ensure the deal meets best international practices, the Minority demanded that Parliament be furnished with periodic reports on the activities of the SPV in the spirit of accountability and transparency. These legitimate demands were vehemently opposed by the government and the majority side in parliament.

c) Minoritys specific concerns on the offshore entity (Agyapa Royalties)

i. The incorporation of Agyapa as an offshore company in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, a known tax haven, is worrying. Tax havens are generally known for their lack of transparency in matters of corporate governance such as disclosure of the beneficial ownership of the shares of companies.

ii. Tax havens are susceptible to money-laundering and thus elevate the risk of Ghana being listed as a money-laundering jurisdiction by international bodies such as the European Union and the United Nations.

iii. Ghanaians will recall that in May 2020, the European Union placed Ghana on its Anti-Money Laundering List (AML) but deferred the implementation date to October 1, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. By setting up a sovereign wealth fund in a tax haven, the Government of the NPP significantly elevates the risk of Ghana being considered as a money-laundering jurisdiction. This is because individuals and businesses use tax havens such as Jersey to hide their income and wealth so as to avoid payment of taxes and general regulatory scrutiny of their business deals.

iv. The European Union, the OECD and the United Nations use evidence of these offshore deals to rate countries on the effectiveness of their anti-money laundering regimes, including laws, regulations, policies, and other governmental actions.

d) Minoritys concerns on off-budget transaction. The deal is intended to monetize gold royalties to fund the Budget and ought to have been reflected in the Budget Statements tabled for approval and subsequently enacted in the various Appropriation Acts for the 2020 Fiscal Year. The deal did not reflect in the Budget Statement for the 2020 Fiscal Year.

e) In reviewing the 2020 Substantive and Supplementary Budgets, the Government did not disclose any of the following fiscal measures to Parliament.

i. That the MIIF will substantively replace the Mineral Development Fund (MDF) from 2020, as the Government noted;

ii. There was no policy on how current MDF beneficiaries, including traditional authorities, will continue to get their share of mineral royalties; and

iii. There were no explicit provisions in Financing (or borrowing) and Public Debt in the Budgets from 2020 onwards, besides the International Monetary Fund (IMF) COVID Loan.

iv. The Government showed the mineral (gold) monetization explicitly in December 2019 as a potential source of financing the Budget in the IMF Article IV Reportbut did not do so in the 2019 Budget approved by Parliament in the same December 2020.

v. In March 2020, in applying for the IMF COVID-19 Loan (approved in May 2020), GOG took the opposite step in excluding the minerals (gold) royalty monetization from the financing sources.

vi. The Government also excluded mineral royalty monetization from its COVID-19 Statements to Parliament in March and May as well as Supplementary Budget in July 2020.

f) Minoritys Concerns on Family and Friends transaction. This transaction is yet another classical case of family and friends transaction. The good people of this country need to know the following. Ghanaians are demanding answers.

i. We need to know the procurement processes used in selecting Africa Legal Associates (ALA) as legal advisors. ALA is owned by Gabby Otchere Darko, the cousin of both President Akufo-Addo and Ken Ofori Atta, the Finance Minister.

ii. We also need to know the cost of the transaction and how much has been paid to the lawyers, and brokers including Gabby's company.

iii. We need to know whether the amount of money paid to Gabby's company was at arms length.

iv. Considering Gabby's relationship with the finance minister and the president we also need to satisfy ourselves that he did not use his influence with decision makers to secure this lucrative deal.

v. Why the choice of Kofi Osafo Marfo, son of Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Marfo? Was he subjected to a credible international competitive selection process?

vi. What considerations went into determining the remuneration for Mr. Osafo Mafo's son? Did his father (the senior minister) influence the selection process? Ghanaians deserve to know.

vii. Why is he, together with other board members guaranteed employment for the foreseeable future irrespective of their output?

g) Minoritys concerns on conflict of Interest.

Gabby Otchere-Darko's law firm advising on this shady Agyapa deal is similar to the objectionable practice of Databank serving as a book runner on government bonds or co-manager of Eurobonds. All these transactions are motivated by fees which are certain and paid upfront. These fees partly explain the rapid growth in public debt. A key driver of the ballooning public debt under the Akufo-Addo government is the fees earned by the Finance Ministers company, Databank.

The selection of Databank Brokerage Limited as a book runner means that Databank profits every time the Government issues bonds on the domestic market. The actual commission is not based on the debt stock but on gross issuance (including refinancing) on the domestic market which in 2019 alone amounted to whopping GHc64.0 billion. Since 2017, Databank has also been a Co-Manager of Ghanas Eurobond transactions. During this period, Ghana has issued $5 billion in Eurobonds, with commissions and fees paid to Lead Managers and Co-Managers.

It is difficult to see how the Minister can be restrained from borrowing for Ghana if his firm benefits on a commission each time the government issues domestic bonds or Eurobonds. Indeed in 2018 when CHRAJ investigated conflict of interest allegations against the Minister of Finance in the matter of the issuance of $2.25 billion of bonds, the Commission observed that the respondent is either a director, the former director, the shareholder, or beneficial owner, of several companies whose objects relate to the securities market sector. The companies were Databank and EGL. As such, Respondents interests in the growth and wellbeing of those companies, have the potential to conflict with the interests of the state in relation to the securities market such as the issuance of bonds.

h) Minoritys concerns on the secrecy of information on the company (Agyapa).

i. The Government has failed to give us information on the value of the company.

ii. We were not given information on how they arrived at the value of the company.

iii. We were also not given cashflow forecast for the duration of the project and its assumptions.

iv. Neither do we have the prospectus for us to know the cost of the transaction. We are reliable informed that they have spent $5 million even though the minister of finance claimed to have spent about $2 million as fees.

i) Minoritys concerns on Fiscal issues. This current NPP administration has mortgaged all our major revenue streams, and this has serious fiscal implications.

i. They have mortgaged Getfund receivables.

ii. They have mortgaged Energy sector levies

iii. They have mortgaged Bauxite with synohydro.

iv. They have mortgaged the Road Fund, and as if this is not enough, they now want to mortgage mineral royalties.

THE ASSET IS GROSSLY UNDERVALUED PER CURRENT VALUATION.

10. According to the government, the total royalties from the concessions is about US$150m per annum (very conservative figure). Agyapa is assigned 75.6% of this amount. Thats over US$113m per annum. The deal is structured such that it can run into perpetuity. Using the conventional discount rate (DR) of 5%, the Present Value (PV) of the cash flow is over US$2b. If a DR of 3% is used, the PV is over US$3.7b. Even if the transaction has the purported tenor of 15 years, the PV of the cash flow is nearly US$1.7b. So where is the government getting the US$1b valuation of Agyapa from? Is the difference the result of transactional and/or other hidden costs? If this transaction goes on in its current form, we are going to see an oversubscription at the IPO because it promises unreasonably high returns to investors.

CONCLUSION

 The use of a tax haven as location for an investment fund, while under AML scrutiny, is risky for Ghana.

 We will, after todays press conference, put the London Stock Exchange and the Financial Conduct Authority on notice that this agreement does not meet the required due diligence and transparency, and a substantial level of conflict of interest runs through the structuring of the agreement. The Agreement, is therefore, tainted with some corrupt acts.

 The Minority wish to state emphatically that the SPV and its accompanying agreements as structured by the current Government is not just opaque but inimical to the interest of the Republic of Ghana. We therefore wish to completely disassociate ourselves with the proposed relationship agreement and subsequent flotation of shares on the London Stock Exchange and further serve notice that a future NDC Government will have no choice but to review the Relationship Agreement and the other accompanying approvals.

Thank you.
Results of a private survey on Tuesday showed China's manufacturing activity expanded in August at the fastest pace in nearly a decade.

The Caixin/Markit manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) came in at 53.1 for August, compared to 52.8 in July.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI to come in at 52.7.

PMI readings above 50 indicate expansion, while those below that level signal contraction. The readings are sequential and indicate on-month expansion or contraction.

The expansion in August was the fastest since January 2011, Caixin and IHS Markit said in their joint report.

"Manufacturing demand and supply continued to recover, and overseas demand started to pick up," wrote Wang Zhe, a senior economist at Caixin Insight Group.

In August, "the subindices for output and total new orders again hit their highest levels since January 2011," the report said. The gauge for new export orders also entered expansionary territory for the first time this year, as the coronavirus outbreak slowed overseas, added Wang.

China's manufacturing sector has been battered as factories temporarily shut earlier this year due to large-scale lockdowns to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Global demand was also hit as the virus spread around the world.

But recent data show signs of China's economy recovering from the pandemic.

On Monday, China's National Bureau of Statistics reported that official manufacturing PMI for the month of August came in at 51.0, slightly missing analysts expectations for a 51.2 reading.

Strong investment into real estate and into infrastructure projects likely boosted manufacturing activity, said Helen Qiao, chief Greater China economist at Bank of America Securities. Consumer demand also seems to be swinging back as indicated by the expansion in export orders in August, she added.

The official PMI survey typically polls a large proportion of big businesses and state-owned companies. In comparison, the private Caixin and IHS Markit survey features a bigger mix of small- and medium-sized firms.
For the Ministry of Education, this donation is an opportunity to strengthen the educational community. "Now, some schools will have cooking supplies to prepare meals in a safer way to fortify food security and nutrition of children," said Casasola.

Supplies will be deployed to schools prior to the end of the Guatemalan school year in October, so that they are ready to be utilized should schools re-open in January. This donation, a first from Amazon, includes supplies such as blenders, mixing bowls, pans, measuring cups, and pitchers.

"This donation is a great example of how the private sector and WFP can work together for the benefit of children of Guatemala," said Laura Melo, U.N. World Food Programme Country Director in Guatemala. "School lunches are extremely important for millions of children in a country where so many families do not have enough to eat due to drought, erratic climate and poverty."

The Guatemalan government's school feeding program is one of several social protection initiatives to support vulnerable families. With 46 percent of Guatemalan children under 5 stunted, school feeding programs promote better nutrition for school children. Guatemala's prevalence of stunting in children under 5 is one of the highest in the world  and the highest in Latin American and the Caribbean. The U.N. World Food Programme's operations in Guatemala focus on food assistance, school feeding programs, and resilience building to protect vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate-related shocks such as drought.

"We are grateful for Amazon's donation, which bolsters critical school feeding initiatives for Guatemala's most vulnerable school children," said Barron Segar, President and CEO of World Food Program USA. "By helping to feed Guatemala's children, Amazon's support together with that of our long-term partner UPS, is creating a future of resilience and stability for the next generation."

"Collaboration is critical to address the daunting challenge of food insecurity among our most vulnerable populations," said Eduardo Martinez, President of The UPS Foundation and UPS Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. "We're honored to partner with WFP and Amazon to bring our logistics expertise to the frontline to help bring this life-sustaining support to the people of Guatemala."

In 2017, the Guatemalan government approved a school feeding law that requires schools to buy 50 percent of products for school meals from family farming. However, this does not include costs incurred in the preparation of school meals, such as kitchen utensils and gear. School parents' associations are largely responsible for obtaining such items, which present challenges in the poorest and most remote regions of Guatemala.

Guatemala is among the world's ten countries most vulnerable to climate change and one of the most exposed to natural hazards in the region. Two-thirds of Guatemalans live on less than $2 per day, and among indigenous people, poverty averages 79 percent, with 40 percent living in extreme poverty. For more information on WFP's programs in Guatemala, visit www.wfp.org/countries/guatemala .

World Food Program USA (WFP USA) is the recognized leader in America's pursuit to end global hunger, inspiring citizens to do everything in their power to create a zero-hunger world. We work with U.S. policymakers, corporations, foundations and individuals to generate financial and in-kind resources for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to feed families in need around the world and to develop policies necessary to alleviate global hunger. To learn more about our mission, please visit us at www.wfpusa.org .

SOURCE World Food Program US

Related Links

http://wfpusa.org/


Experts in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) will gather virtually this week to discuss how the constantly growing field can be harnessed for the benefit of society, through an event hosted by RDI Hub in Killorglin, Co Kerry.

The event is the inaugural two-day virtual summer school jointly hosted by RDI Hub, Adapt Research Centre, and Microsoft and runs Thursday and Friday.

The RDI Hub building is named in honour of Irish-American John McCarthy who is considered one of the founding fathers of the discipline of AI after he coined the term in the mid-1950s.

Through the event, thought leaders and experts in the field of AI will focus on how AI will change ways of working and its impact post-Covid-19. The inaugural event is aiming to create a community which will share best practice and foster the development of the conversation around AI which, according to estimates by PwC, has the potential to boost Irelands GDP by 48bn in 2030.

Liam Cronin, CEO of RDI Hub, said AI will have a truly transformative effect on our lives over the coming years.

"Already, it is a discipline which has risen to prominence recently with applications in the battle against Covid-19 but there is so much more to AI than in healthcare and we are looking forward to discussing its diversity with our speaker panel," said Mr Cronin.

"Our aim is that the John McCarthy AI Summer School will become a calendar moment for the development of AI and sharing of knowledge and we look forward to our first event in partnership with Adapt and Microsoft."

Contributions to the seminar will include speakers from the Institute of Technology Tralee, Trinity College Dublin, and Universite Laval in Canada.
Pakistan blocked access to Tinder and several other dating apps on Tuesday in a bid to control 'immoral' and 'indecent' content.

The bans come just days after regulators threatened to shut down YouTube for similar reasons.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said it had barred users from accessing Tinder, Grindr, SayHi, Tagged and Skout after the social networking apps failed to 'moderate... content in accordance' with Pakistan's laws.

The PTA said the ban addressed the 'negative effects of immoral/indecent content'.

Shahzad Ahmad, director of digital rights group Bytes For All, slammed the PTA's 'moral policing'.

'If adults choose to be on an app, it is not for the state to dictate whether they should use it or not,' Ahmad told the AFP news agency.

He described the ban as 'a completely ridiculous move' that people would find ways to circumvent.

Tinder did not immediately return a request for comment from AFP.

Tinder (pictured, stock image), along with other dating apps, has been banned in Pakistan by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in a bid to control 'immoral' and 'indecent' content

The PTA said the apps could request to have their blocks lifted if they show they are 'moderating the indecent/immoral content through meaningful engagement'.

The regulator did not specify what it meant by that engagement, and added that the dating platforms did not respond to the PTA within a deadline set by the organisation.

It said 'since the platforms did not respond to the notices within the stipulated time therefore the Authority issued order for blocking the said applications'.

Pictured: A statement from the PTA said that the platforms did not respond to the regulator by the deadline that was set, and therefore they had been banned. The PTA said that if the platforms take the necessary steps to 'moderate the indecent/immoral content'

Last week, the PTA asked YouTube to immediately block all videos they consider 'objectionable' from being accessed in the country.

In a statement on Thursday, the PTA said it has asked YouTube to 'immediately block vulgar, indecent, immoral, nude and hate speech content for viewing in Pakistan'.

The PTA claimed that viewing such content has 'extremely negative effects' and leads to 'repugnant discord'.

The demand was criticised by rights campaigners who fear creeping censorship and control of Pakistan's internet and printed media.

And in July, authorities issued a final warning to Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, ordering it to filter any obscene content.

The Muslim-majority country has several existing or proposed restrictions that target free speech, usually in the name of Islam or national security.
ADELPHI, Md. -- A new, miniature, low-frequency antenna with enhanced bandwidth will enable robust networking among compact, mobile robots in complex environments.

In a collaborative effort between the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command's Army Research Laboratory and the University of Michigan, researchers developed a novel design approach that improves upon limitations of conventional antennas operating at low frequencies--demonstrating smaller antennas that maintain performance.

Impedance matching is a key aspect of antenna design, ensuring that the radio transmits power through the antenna with minimal reflections while in transmit mode--and that when the antenna is in receive mode, it captures power to efficiently couple to the radio over all frequencies within the operational bandwidth.

"Conventional impedance matching techniques with passive components--such as resistors, inductors and capacitors--have a fundamental limit, known as the Chu-Wheeler limit, which defines a bound for the maximum achievable bandwidth-efficiency product for a given antenna size," said Army researcher Dr. Fikadu Dagefu. "In general, low-frequency antennas are physically large, or their miniaturized counterparts have very limited bandwidth and efficiency, resulting in higher power requirement."

With those challenges in mind, the researchers developed a novel approach that improves bandwidth and efficiency without increasing size or changing the topology of the antenna.

"The proposed impedance matching approach applies a modular active circuit to a highly miniaturized, efficient, lightweight antenna--overcoming the aforementioned Chu-Wheeler performance limit," said Army postdoctoral researcher Dr. Jihun Choi. "This miniature, actively matched antenna enables the integration of power-efficient, low-frequency radio systems on compact mobile agents such as unmanned ground and aerial vehicles."

The researchers said this approach could create new opportunities for networking in the Army.

The ability to integrate low-frequency radio systems with low size, weight, and power--or SWAP--opens the door for the exploitation of this underutilized and underexplored frequency band as part of the heterogeneous autonomous networking paradigm. In this paradigm, agents equipped with complementary communications modalities must adapt their approaches based on challenges in the environment for that specific mission. Specifically, the lower frequencies are suitable for reliable communications in complex propagation environments and terrain due to their improved penetration and reduced multipath.

"We integrated the developed antenna on small, unmanned ground vehicles and demonstrated reliable, real-time digital video streaming between UGVs, which has not been done before with such compact low-frequency radio systems," Dagefu said. "By exploiting this technology, the robotic agents could coordinate and form teams, enabling unique capabilities such as distributed on-demand beamforming for directional and secure battlefield networking."

With more than 80 percent of the world's population expected to live in dense urban environments by 2050, innovative Army networking capabilities are necessary to create and maintain transformational overmatch, the researchers said. Lack of fixed infrastructure coupled with the increasing need for a competitive advantage over near-peer adversaries imposes further challenges on Army networks, a top modernization priority for multi-domain operations.

While previous experimental studies demonstrated bandwidth enhancement with active matching applied to a small non-resonant antenna (e.g., a short metallic wire), no previous work simultaneously ensures bandwidth and radiation efficiency enhancement compared to small, resonant antennas with performance near the Chu-Wheeler limit.

The Army-led active matching design approach addresses these key challenges stemming from the trade-off among bandwidth, efficiency and stability. The researchers built a 15-centimeter prototype (2 percent of the operating wavelength) and demonstrated that the new design achieves more than threefold bandwidth enhancement compared to the same antenna without applying active matching, while also improving the transmission efficiency 10 times compared to the state-of-the-art actively matched antennas with the same size.

"In the design, a highly accurate model captures sharp impedance variation of the highly miniaturized resonant antenna" Choi said. "Based on the model, we develop an active matching circuit that enhances bandwidth and efficiency simultaneously while ensuring the circuit is fully stable."

The team published their research, A Miniature Actively Matched Antenna for Power-Efficient and Bandwidth-Enhanced Operation at Low VHF, authored by Drs. Jihun Choi, Fikadu Dagefu, Brian Sadler, and Prof. Kamal Sarabandi, in the peer-reviewed journal Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

"This technology is ripe for future development and transition to our various partners within the Army," Dagefu said. "We are optimistic that with the integration of aspects of our heterogeneous networking research, this technology will further develop and will be integrated into future Army communications systems."

###

CCDC Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army's corporate research laboratory, ARL is operationalizing science to achieve transformational overmatch. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more successful at winning the nation's wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the Army Futures Command.
Britain's most senior paediatrician claims children are at a greater risk of contracting measles than coronavirus.

President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Professor Russell Viner advised parents to send their children back to school, claiming he's 'far more worried about the risk to children of measles than of Covid'.

Later today, Boris Johnson will tell his Cabinet that the reopening of schools should act as a springboard for 'more normality' for the whole country.

Millions of children return to classrooms this week, with many heading back for the first time in almost six months.

Professor Viner told The Sun: 'If your job is about the care of children, and if you know that the risk of them getting ill with Covid is incredibly small, you want to see schools reopen.

Britain's most senior paediatrician Professor Russell Viner (pictured) claims children are at a greater risk of contracting measles than coronavirus

One-year-old Alba Moss was left critically ill after catching measles from someone who was not vaccinated

'Last week saw yet another scientific paper telling us very, very few children become seriously ill with Covid-19.'

He urged parents to make sure their children are up to date with their vaccinations.

This includes MMR, which some youngsters have missed out while doctors' offices have remained shut or as parents have been too concerned about the virus to take them to see medics.

One-year-old Alba Moss was left critically ill after catching measles from someone who was not vaccinated.

Little Alba, who was too young to have her first jab, became unwell with a high temperature this April and was admitted to hospital.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF MEASLES AND HOW CAN YOU CATCH IT? Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads easily from an infected person by coughing, sneezing or even just breathing. Symptoms develop between six and 19 days after infection, and include a runny nose, cough, sore eyes, a fever and a rash. The rash appears as red and blotchy marks on the hairline that travel down over several days, turning brown and eventually fading. Some children complain of disliking bright lights or develop white spots with red backgrounds on their tongue. In one in 15 cases, measles can cause life-threatening complications including pneumonia, convulsions and encephalitis. Dr Ava Easton, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society told MailOnline: 'Measles can be very serious. '[It] can cause encephalitis which is inflammation of the brain. 'Encephalitis can result in death or disability.' Treatment focuses on staying hydrated, resting and taking painkillers, if necessary. Measles can be prevented by receiving two vaccinations, the first at 13 months old and the second at three years and four months to five years old. Source: Great Ormond Street Hospital Advertisement

Doctors diagnosed her with measles, which made her so poorly her eyes fused shut.

Alba spent eight days at Chelsea and Westminster hospital, London, but she has since recovered.

Around 40 per cent of schools in England are expected to open today, with the rest following later in the week.

They were closed by Covid-19 on March 20, with only vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers allowed to continue classes.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England Dr Jenny Harries told Sky News Every time a parent sends their children to school, [even] pre-Covid, they may have been involved in a road traffic accident  there are all sorts of things.

That risk, or the risk of seasonal flu, we think is probably higher than the current risk of coronavirus.

Union leader Geoff Barton said reopening schools would be a vital step in the process of national recovery.

The general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders praised staff for their meticulous planning, saying: They have done a fantastic job in putting in place a complex set of safety measures to minimise the risks associated with coronavirus.

Schools will be focusing on the task of identifying where pupils have fallen behind with their learning during the lockdown period, and tailoring support to bring these young people back up to speed as quickly as possible.

A Government source said the Prime Minister will set out his priorities for the autumn during a meeting with ministers this morning as the first lessons of the new school year take place. He wants to gradually get back to more normality, and the return of schools plays a big part in that, the source said.

As children go back more parents will be freed up to return to work. At the same time, [Mr Johnson] wants to get further down the track to recovery on Covid  getting the test-and-trace regime improved and getting the local lockdown process beefed up, so that we never have to have a return to national lockdown.

And you will see a doubling down on the agenda from the election  levelling up opportunity across the country.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith called on bosses to show some backbone and start getting their people back to work now that children are returning to school, adding: If we dont get this right, the economy will suffer, people will lose their jobs and more people will die.

Fellow Conservative MP Steve Baker added: The return of schools holds out the hope that parents will start to return to the office. With that, our town centres can be rescued from ruin. The future is bleak indeed if parents stay at home.

While ministers are confident that the new term will go ahead as planned, their biggest fear is families refusing to send their children back to school.

Millions of children return to classrooms this week, with many heading back for the first time in almost six months. Pictured: Students at St Columba's High School, Gourock, disinfecting their hands

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined a class of year 11 pupils at Castle Rock school, Coalville, on their the pupils' first day back

The Education Secretary made a final bid to win over sceptical parents yesterday. Gavin Williamson  who is due to be grilled in the Commons over the summer exams fiasco today  stressed that children returning to classrooms is crucial not only for their education but for their development and wellbeing too.

His plea came as a report warned that pupils may have fallen as much as three months behind, with boys faring worse than girls.

Teachers in the most deprived schools were more than three times more likely to report that their pupils are even further behind, the National Foundation for Educational Research said.

Parents can be fined as a last resort if they keep their children away from school without good reason.

Local authorities may issue penalties of 120  cut to 60 if settled within 21 days  with parents facing the threat of prosecution if they fail to pay up. However, the NAHT, which represents head teachers, has called for this threat to be lifted as a fine is unlikely to make you feel any safer.

General secretary Paul Whiteman said: We can see few circumstances in which a fine would be appropriate in this Covid term.

Schools also fear that anti-virus measures will have a serious impact on stretched budgets. An estimated 2.4billion in extra funding may be required to help them cope, The Guardian reported.
The Ghana Union of Traders' Association (GUTA) says the Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana (NUTAG) is deliberately feeding Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari with false information concerning their trade in Ghana.



The Association is not happy with the development after describing the allegation by NUTAG as unfortunate.



NUTAG had earlier complained that its members had over time endured a series of progressive acts of hostility allegedly meted out to them by Ghanaian authorities and traders, which include the closure of their shops.



This compelled the Government of Nigeria to issue a strong warning to the Government of Ghana, stating that it will no longer tolerate any form of alleged harassment of its citizens residing in Ghana.



Speaking on NEAT FMs morning show 'Ghana Montie', GUTA President, Joseph Kweku Obeng insisted that the Nigerian traders are flouting the government of Ghana laws on trade, hence, they have to be checked.



According to him, the association has penned President Muhammadu Buhari to call his traders to order.



The Ghana Union of Traders' Associations (GUTA) has noticed with great concern the numerous misinformation being carried out by the Nigerian Union of Traders' Association in Ghana through press releases and petitions to their government and ECOWAS Commission about the retail trade law in Ghana and wish to respond appropriately, to clear the air of any misconception about Ghana," their statement reads.



Find below the letter addressed to President Buhari:



HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI



FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA



ASO ROCK VILLA, ABUJA



NIGERIA.



Your Excellency,



GUTA STATES ITS CASE ON THE MISINFORMATION CARRIED OUT BY THE NIGERIAN UNION OF TRADERS ASSOCIATION GHANA (NUTAG) TO THEIR GOVERNMENT



The Ghana Union of Traders' Associations (GUTA) has noticed with great concern about the numerous misinformation being carried out by the Nigerian Union of Traders' Association in Ghana through press releases and petitions to their government and ECOWAS Commission about the retail trade law in Ghana and wish to respond appropriately, to clear the air of any misconception about Ghana.



GUTA trusts in the judgment of authorities and hereby outlined some pertinent issues for your urgent perusal.



They are as follows:



 That the free movement of people, goods, and services are being strictly observed and respected in Ghana



 That the ECOWAS protocol does not permit dumping under any circumstance; like any other local or international treaty.



 That Nigeria short-listed over forty (40) products from entering her country in order to protect her local industries.



 That Nigeria again closed her borders citing the abuse of ECOWAS protocol on the rules of origin, which resulted in dumping and insecurity to her country and, of course, very justifiable.



 That Ghana's retail market has always been open to all ECOWAS citizen



 That Ghana has never targeted any ECOWAS citizen who deals in goods and services produced in a member country.



 That no particular country is a target in the enforcement of the law. However, it should be noted that Nigerians form about eighty percent (80%) of those who engage in the illegal retail trade.



 That the Ghana investment law does not drive or encourage foreign investment into retail and petty trading. The law is mainly to discourage dumping of goods from countries outside the ECOWAS Community, so as to boost local production and better the lot for the local manufacturer, as well as grow and develop our local economy. Therefore, the one million dollar requirement and the employment of, at least, twenty skilled Ghanaians are not only deterrent to investment in retail trade but also to drive investment to a more formalized trading sector in the form of Supermarkets and Big Wholesales, to ensure employment creation, security and stability in our economy.



 That any ECOWAS citizen who may want to engage in the trading of goods other than those produced in their home countries is required to comply with the Ghana investment law, which is the sovereign law of Ghana.



 That all ECOWAS member states have been enforcing their immigration and investment laws. All member countries also arrest and repatriate citizens of member countries who may have infractions of their laws.



 That our immigration, investment and other laws as a community are not harmonized.



 That law of member states should be respected and strictly enforced to bring orderliness, peace and security to the nation and citizens alike.



 That treaties and protocols are signed primarily for the general wellbeing of the citizenry; and



 That Ghanaians should not be made to suffer under any treaty or protocol, especially when our sovereign laws do not contravene any treaty, in this case the ECOWAS protocol and this should apply to citizens of all member states.



It is important to state herein that, all that GUTA is seeking is to call the attention of our government to its responsibility of enforcing our laws, to bring peace, stability as well as security not only to Ghana but to the sub-regional bloc at that.



However, GUTA has noticed with much concern the behavior of A SECTION OF NIGERIAN TRADERS IN GHANA by the name NUTAG, who anytime the authorities in Ghana want to enforce our sovereign laws, resort to weird allegations and other highly dubious tactics of disinformation.



The attitude of these Nigerians, if not checked and handled well, will strain the already existing cordial relations between our two sister countries and adversely affect the integration of the sub-regional bloc. They need to be called to order.



Sir, have our highest regards.



Yours faithfully,



Dr. Joseph Obeng



President



CC: THE HON. MINISTER



MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION



AIRPORT CITY, ACCRA-GHANA

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
A young man from Michigan is going viral after showing off his mother's very creative  and fairly ridiculous  use for his old braces.

Austin, 22, shared a video on TikTok on August 18 in which he recalled getting his braces off as a teenager, explaining that his mom refused to let the dentist throw out the metal brackets once they'd been removed from teeth because they'd cost a fortune.

His mother took the discarded braces home, turning them into a kitschy Christmas ornament for their tree.

Orthodontia: Austin, 22, shared a video on TikTok about how his mom refused to let the dentist throw out his old braces when they came off in 2014

Memento: She turned the $6,000 pieces of metal into faux-lights for a Christmas tree ornament

'So, I had braces when I was a kid, and after four and a half years, I finally went to have them taken off,' Austin says in the video, remembering the day in 2014 when his teeth were finally brace-free.

'And the dentist, like, popped them all off and then put the braces on the tray. And when we were done, she, like, picks up the tray and starts to walk away, and my mom stops her and she goes, "Uh, no."'

Confused and embarrassed, Austin asked his mom what she was doing.

'Austin,' she told him, 'we paid $6,000 for those braces. I'm not letting her throw them away.'

Fast-forward to Christmas, and his mother had used the tiny metal pieces to decorate a green tree-shaped ornament, using the little brackets to create a string of lights on the decoration.

'So now I have this Christmas ornament,' he says in the video, which has been viewed 1.4 million times.

'I bet a lot of people dont do this.'' So he made a TikTok about it.

Speaking to Buzzfeed, Austin said that he just found the ornament in storage and imagined that social media users would find it unusual.

Cute! He said his mom presented him with the ornament as a gift, and it still hands on the tree every year

The dentist certainly did, though she let Austin's mom take them.

'The dentist thought it was kind of weird but had no problem putting them in a bag for us,' he said 'In all honesty, I wasnt as embarrassed as I claim to be in the video. Our family isnt shy to speak up  not in a Karen sort of way  but by being respectful and speaking up.'

He said his mom presented him with the ornament as a gift, and it still hands on the tree every year.

Austin said that since he has shared the video, he's has 'about 3,000 moms comment' that they want to do this for their own kids.

One person commented: 'Omg I work in orthodontics and Ive never had someone ask me to keep their braces. Maybe I'll start giving them away in December for ornaments.'

'I think it mainly went viral because its just a strange idea that most people dont think about doing,' Austin said. 'But Gen X moms love keepsakes, and getting your braces off is somewhat of a milestone in kids' lives... which is the point of a Christmas ornament.'
New Delhi : Pranab Mukherjee's funeral took place today with full military honours. The former President, who had tested positive for the coronavirus, died on Monday, weeks after he had an emergency surgery for blood clot in his brain. He was 84.

Pranab Mukherjee's body was taken to his home in Delhi. Various leaders like President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited his residence and paid their last respects.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders also paid homage.

#WATCH Delhi: Former President #PranabMukherjee laid to rest with full military honours.



His last rites were performed at Lodhi crematorium today, under restrictions for #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/VbwzZG1xX9  ANI (@ANI) September 1, 2020

Yesterday, PM Modi posted a photo of him touching Pranab Mukherjee's feet in reverence. "He has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation," PM Modi said in a series of tweets.

India grieves the passing away of Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He has left an indelible mark on the development trajectory of our nation. A scholar par excellence, a towering statesman, he was admired across the political spectrum and by all sections of society. pic.twitter.com/gz6rwQbxi6  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 31, 2020

I was new to Delhi in 2014. From Day 1, I was blessed to have the guidance, support and blessings of Shri Pranab Mukherjee. I will always cherish my interactions with him. Condolences to his family, friends, admirers and supporters across India. Om Shanti. pic.twitter.com/cz9eqd4sDZ  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 31, 2020

"A scholar par excellence, a towering statesman, he was admired across the political spectrum and by all sections of society," he wrote.

India's 13th President, Pranab Mukherjee was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour, in August last year.

"My passion has been the service of the people of India," Pranab Mukherjee, widely known as "Pranab-Da", said in a speech as he signed off as President in the year 2017.
(Newser)  A new book by a New York Times reporter adds a twist to an unscheduled visit Trump made to a hospital last year. In Donald Trump v. The United States, Michael Schmidt writes about the president's surprise visit in November to Walter Reed Medical Center. At the time, the White House said it was all perfectly normal and that Trump was splitting his annual physical into two visits. But Schmidt writes this, per Axios:

"In reporting for this book, I learned that in the hours leading up to Trumps trip to the hospital, word went out in the West Wing for the vice president to be on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized. Pence never assumed the powers of the presidency, and the reason for Trumps trip to the doctor remains a mystery."

story continues below

The White House has not responded to a request for commentbut Trump has, and his tweeted response is generating even more interest in the claim. He wrote on Tuesday, "It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate - FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!"

To be clear, the book never mentions mini-strokes. Forbes sheds some light on the rumor, saying that false reports were circulating online that the book mentioned another visit involving a "cerebral event." Schmidt himself took to Twitter to clarify that the book never mentions that.

CNN also obtained a copy of the book, and the outlet notes that Trump's visit appeared to catch Walter Reed staffers by surprise because they received no advance notice. Typically, a presidential visit is announced well ahead of time so security protocols can be put into place.

"The White House account never added up," writes Mike Allen of Axios. "This reporting suggests there was more to it."

(Read more Mike Pence stories.)
NEW HAVEN  It is designed as a socially distanced place to play games, meet friends and safely eat outdoors while patronizing the established and new restaurants on a portion of Orange Street.

Its also a car-free promenade, one of two the city has built in conjunction with the business community.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media

The newest extends along Orange Street from Crown to Center streets in the 9th Square District, outside apartments owned and being renovated by Beacon Communities, where more than half of the 335 units are market price and half are affordable housing.

It is a project that was rescued from a precarious financial state when it was purchased by Beacon a year-and-a-half ago for $62.5 million with the old debt settled in an agreement with the city, state and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

You see lots of energy creating street vibrancy, new places for retail ... all of this not only contributing to the downtown, but to this great neighborhood within the downtown, Michael Piscitelli, economic development administrator, said at a press conference Tuesday of the build-out and Beacons influence.

He said there is a confidence in New Haven with established businesses reopening, and new ones, such as Somos Handcrafted Arepas, a Venezuelan restaurant, setting up shop in late June. On the construction front, 690 housing permits have been issued in the last year in the city, as building continues despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The other new businesses are Life Bowls and Lezeez.

Piscitelli said the event was as much a celebration of the new promenade as it was of the citys resiliency.

Still, he reminded people that 10,000 city residents, with 500 just added to the rolls, are on unemployment, an indication that much more work needs to be done.

The New Haven Innovation Collaborative, a local agency that directs state grants from CT Next into projects that help economic opportunity, has funded the establishment of terrasses in other neighborhoods, which are similar to the promenades, on a smaller scale, where protected barriers allow restaurants to extend their outdoor dining options safely into the street.

Originally established in recent years outside multiple restaurants downtown, Michael Harris, executive head of the collaborative, said he took the proven downtown model and had 56 bollards distributed to businesses including Salsas on Grand Avenue, with new installations planned for Whalley Avenue and already showing up on State Street, where they create more public spaces.

Last week the Orange Street block was opened up to a Black Lives Matter arts program. It showed when you create the space, people will fill it, Harris said. He wants to continue the momentum, the creativity that made this space and spread that out into commercial districts and neighborhoods across the city.

Avangrid, parent company of UI and Southern Connecticut Gas, provided a $20,000 grant that was matched by New Haven Innovation Collaborative with the Economic Development Corporation awarding $40,000 in grants to the businesses to create the outdoor spaces.

Somos, which sells arepas, cornmeal cakes, and salads, is run by brothers Andres and Alejandro Cordidos. They have been open for about two months, doing a to-go business, but now patrons can sit outside.

Since they started closing (the street) down a lot of people have been coming here, Alejandro Cordidos said. It is definitely helping us out. We would love to have this permanent, he said of the promenade.

Mayor Justin Elicker said the 9th Square is a metaphor for New Haven as a whole. The 9th Square for over 30 years has struggled to really pop, but it has also been quiet resilient in making it through and the change in particular with Beacon taking over a year ago.

We are making things happen despite all the odds, Elicker said.

Dara Kovel CEO of Beacon and a native of New Haven, came to the city first in 2009 to redevelop Monterey Place in the Dixwell neighborhood, which is 100 percent affordable. She said Beacon is expected to renovate 95 units of deeply affordable senior housing there for a total of 2,000 units of housing it owns in the state.

She said its 9th Square property is an great example of downtown redevelopment, post urban renewal. Beacon is investing $15 million in renovations into the project.

It also has bought property at State and Chapel streets, where it will build 60 affordable housing units; 12 permanent supportive housing units and 48 units affordable housing to households with up to 60 percent of the area median income.

Some of the longer-term businesses on the block include: Baoboa Tree Studio, a digital media creation studio, run by Kevin Ewing, that is focusing on podcasting and on livestreaming both audio and video. We are helping people tell their stories, Ewing said.

Matthew Fantastic is co-owner of Elm City Games, which reopened in early July for retail.

It sells all types of games and people can buy memberships as part of its large game library. With its outside tables, people can borrow specific games at no charge.

It is a neighborhood kind of thing, to create energy, Fantastic said. They then sanitize the tables and games. When it is fully open, people can play games inside.

This closure has been great to bring people to the street, Fantastic said.

Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Dara Kovels name. mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com 203-641-2577
WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday that a new stimulus package is still needed to help the economy recover from the ravages of the coronavirus, and he committed to calling Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., right away to try to restart talks.

Mnuchin's comments came in testimony before the select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis, which convened on Capitol Hill in the final week of Congress's summer recess. Mnuchin and the panel's chairman, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., appeared in person along with a handful of lawmakers, while others spoke through a video link.

"While we continue to see signs of a strong economic recovery, we are sensitive to the fact that there is more work to be done, and certain areas of the economy require additional relief," Mnuchin testified in his opening statement. "I believe a bipartisan agreement still should be reached and would provide substantial funds" for areas including schools, testing, vaccines, small businesses, enhanced unemployment benefits and the U.S. Postal Service. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that the struggling airline industry would also need more assistance.

Clyburn chided Mnuchin for not making a deal with Democrats months after the House passed a sweeping $3.4 trillion bill in May called the Heroes Act.

"Additional economic stimulus is urgently needed . . . as the pandemic drags on, states, cities and businesses are warning that more layoffs may be coming," Clyburn said. "Secretary Mnuchin, I hope you will return to the negotiating table prepared to find common cause."

Mnuchin was involved in talks last month with Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows aimed at producing a new economic relief package. But those talks collapsed amid partisan rancor, and Trump moved forward on his own with executive actions aimed at providing some relief in areas including unemployment assistance.

Those executive actions have had limited impact, but Meadows reiterated in a television interview Tuesday that more such unilateral moves were under consideration.

Efforts at restarting the talks have sputtered. Pelosi and Meadows spoke last week, with Pelosi saying Democrats would agree to a $2.2 trillion package. But that figure is still too high for Republicans.

"I do not support $2.2 trillion," Mnuchin said Tuesday. "But what is more important is what is the breakdown of getting money to American workers, American families, kids . . . there are tremendous areas of agreement and that's what we should be doing right away."

"I don't think the right outcome is zero. No one thinks the right outcome is zero," Mnuchin said.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., asked Mnuchin if he would commit to calling Pelosi on Tuesday to restart talks.

"Can I tell her you suggested I call her right after the hearing?" Mnuchin asked.

"Yes, yes, yes," Waters said.

"Done, I will call her right after the hearing," Mnuchin said.

The treasury secretary did reach out to the House speaker following the hearing, according to a person familiar with the call who requested anonymity to discuss private communications. However, it was unclear if they actually connected, and there was no public sign of movement in the negotiations.

The administration has pushed Democrats to agree to a slimmed-down package addressing areas of common ground, but Democrats have refused to abandon their goal of a comprehensive package.

Senate Republicans have been working to agree on what they're calling a "skinny" or "targeted" package with a price tag under $1 trillion that they may try to move forward on the Senate floor as soon as next week. Democrats would probably block this, but Republicans have been trying to put the focus on what they view as Democrats' unreasonable refusal to compromise in the talks. Senate GOP incumbents in tight races are also eager to be able to vote on some additional recovery measures.

Some 27 million Americans are receiving some form of unemployment aid. On Thursday, the Labor Department said another 1 million Americans filed jobless claims the prior week.

The stock market has made strong gains, and the economy has recovered slightly less than half of the jobs that were initially lost during the pandemic in March and April. Trump has been talking bullishly about the economy's revival, focusing on things like the stock market, as he and some other White House advisers insist that the economy is poised for a strong "V-shaped" recovery.

Democrats and some liberal economists, however, have expressed concerns about a "K-shaped" recovery, in which the economically advantaged bounce back, while people who are on the lower levels of the income scale fare poorly.

Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asked Mnuchin if he agreed the economy was poised for a strong "V-shaped" recovery.

"I think we are set for a very strong recovery but let me just say, there are many businesses, many industries that have been destroyed by this, and that's why I urge Congress, the House and the Senate, to move forward and let us provide help especially for those hardest-hit businesses," Mnuchin said.

"Let's not get lost on different letters of the alphabet, let's move forward in a bipartisan basis on areas we can agree on," he said.

Some House Democrats in tough reelection races have also grown uneasy about the inaction on additional coronavirus aid, as the stimulus checks, enhanced unemployment aid and other programs Congress agreed to in a $3 trillion spate of spending in March and April expire. Even as Pelosi has held out for a comprehensive package, some in her caucus have sounded open to the incremental approach pushed by Mnuchin.

At Tuesday's hearing, Kim, a freshman Democrat up for reelection in a contested race, told Mnuchin that moving forward on areas of agreement was "a great sentiment" - although he went on to highlight some Democratic priorities such as health insurance assistance that Republicans have not embraced.

Ahead of the hearing, Democrats on the subcommittee released a report showing the potential for significant waste in the small-business Paycheck Protection Program Congress created in March. The program distributed $530 billion to small businesses in an effort to keep their workers on payroll. The report found that more than $1 billion went to companies that may have improperly received multiple loans, nearly $100 million went to companies that have been barred from doing business with the government, and nearly $200 million went to companies that staffers found had been previously flagged by the federal government for performance or integrity issues.

The amount of potential waste identified in the report still constitutes a small fraction of the entire program, and Treasury and Small Business Administration officials have committed to auditing loans of more than $2 million. But the staffers behind the report said the loans to be audited constitute less than 1 percent of the total and wrote that "the Administration appears to lack the appropriate oversight mechanisms to identify and root out these problems."

Mnuchin disputed this allegation in his testimony Tuesday, and Republicans on the subcommittee issued a competing report that praised the administration for demonstrating "how the government can work with the private sector to quickly and efficiently get aid to those in need" by dispensing an unprecedented volume of loans in a short period of time to prevent catastrophic job losses at small businesses.

There continues to be disagreement over how effective the program has been in reducing unemployment. Trump and other administration officials still claim that the program helped small businesses retain or support 50 million jobs - something Trump again boasted during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention - despite agreement among many experts that the number was likely far smaller due to the government's faulty data collection methods.

A Post analysis of data on 4.9 million PPP loans released shows that many companies are reported to have "retained" far more workers than they employ. In other cases, the SBA's jobs claim for entire industries surpasses the total number of workers in those sectors.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.31

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Carpet exports from Turkey to France dipped by 20.75 percent in the first 7 months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, and made up $8.9 million, Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend on Aug.31.

In July 2020, carpet exports from Turkey to France grew by 17.03 percent compared to July 2019 and amounted to over $1.8 million.

In the period from January through July 2020, carpet exports from Turkey to worldwide market decreased by 7.3 percent compared to the same period of 2019 and amounted to $1.2 billion.

Carpet export accounts for 1.4 percent of the country's total exports for the mentioned period.

In July 2020, Turkey exported $249 million worth of carpets to world markets, which is 12 percent more than in the same month in 2019.

Carpets exports in July 2020 accounted for 1.7 percent of the country's total exports. For the last 12 months (July 2019 - July 2020) Turkey exported carpets worth $2.4 billion.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Shots were fired at Western Hills Mall Monday afternoon, injuring at least one person.

Jefferson County sheriffs deputies responded to the shopping center about 1 p.m. It was reported that a male victim was shot in the parking lot of the mall and had been transported to a local hospital by private vehicle.

Once on the scene, deputies found multiple shell casings near an entrance to the mall. Detectives were able to locate witnesses who stated that a verbal altercation had occurred in the parking lot of the mall between two males, said Sgt. Joni Money. One of the males was shot in the hip. A third male fired at the original shooter from a location near the mall entrance, appearing to fire in defense of the victim.

The 23 year old victim remains in a local hospital. His injuries are thought to be non-life threatening.

Moments later, deputies then responded to the Demetrius C Newton public housing community in Fairfield where residents say more shots were fired. Deputy Chief David Agee said investigators were able to determine that the two shootings were not linked as initially believed.

One person was shot at the housing community, also receiving minor injuries. The two shootings happened just six minutes apart.

Agee said theyve received a lot of information from witnesses and the investigations are ongoing. No arrests have been announced.
The mother of a woman murdered by a pub landlord more than 30 years ago has today failed in her bid to send her daughter's killer back to jail.

Marie McCourt says that Ian Simms should not be released from prison until he reveals where Helen McCourt's body is hidden.

The pensioner claims that a November 2019 Parole Board decision to release Simms on licence was wrong and should be reviewed.

She also said his refusal to disclose Helen's location should have been central to whether to free him, and that he remained a risk to the public.

But today two judges ruled against her after considering Mrs McCourt's judicial review application at a virtual High Court in July, saying that the Parole Board's decision 'involved no arguable public law error'.

It comes after five years of campaigning by Mrs McCourt for legislation dubbed Helen's Law - supported by the Mail - to force the Parole Board to consider a killer's failure to reveal where their victim's body is before release.

Marie McCourt says Ian Simms should not be released from prison until he reveals where Helen McCourt's body is hidden. But today two judges ruled against her after considering Mrs McCourt's judicial review application at a virtual High Court in July

Ian Simms (right), 63, served 30 years for the murder of 22-year-old insurance clerk Helen McCourt (left) in 1988. He has repeatedly refused to disclose Helen's body

Speaking after the ruling, Mrs McCourt said that she is 'very very disappointed' and does not have the 'energy, stamina or money' to lodge an appeal.

'I am very very disappointed. I think we had a good case and I did my best,' she said.

'Unfortunately the appeal judges agreed with the Parole Board decision and that means that Ian Simms will not be sent back to prison.

'I have seven days to lodge an appeal but at the moment I don't think I have the energy, stamina or money to do that.

'It is sad that Helen's Law - which would stop a killer who doesn't reveal the whereabouts of a victim's remains - has not come soon enough to prevent Simms's release but I hope it will bring justice for other families in future.

'Meanwhile I will never give up my search for Helen.'

Lady Justice Macur and Mr Justice Chamberlain heard that Helen was murdered in Billinge, Merseyside, in February 1988, while on her way home.

Mrs McCourt holding a photo of her daughter Helen after she gave evidence last November

Simms was convicted of abduction and murder after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court in March 1989 and given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 16 years. The remains of the 22-year-old insurance clerk have never been found.

The case is a rare example where a murder conviction has been obtained without the presence of a body, and was one of the first in the UK to use DNA fingerprinting.

In a written ruling today, the judges said: 'The panel were acutely aware of the sensitivities in this case and adopted a careful and balanced approach both to the procedure to be adopted and to the assessment of Simms' current risk.'

A Parole Board spokesman said after the ruling: 'The Parole Board notes the decision of the court in the judicial review proceedings brought by Marie McCourt.

'The Parole Board has immense sympathy for families of victims who have never been found and recognises the pain and anguish they have endured.

'The board remains absolutely committed to ensuring that victims and their families are treated with the utmost respect and dignity during the parole process and appreciates the distress that a parole review of the offender is likely to cause.

'The Parole Board is however required by law to focus on whether a prisoner's continued detention remains necessary for the protection of the public.

'As a body making judicial decisions, the Parole Board does not ordinarily defend its decisions when they are reviewed by a senior court and took a neutral stance on the challenge to its decision in this judicial review.

'The court, in this case, found the Parole Board panel's decision and its approach was legally sound. The underlying legal issues raised in this case are complex and emotive and the board will keep its guidance under review.

'It is not for the Parole Board to publicly defend the decisions of its members, who are entirely independent, and it would be inappropriate to get into the rights and wrongs of any particular decision.'

Marie McCourt holding a photo portrait of her murdered 22-year-old daughter, Helen

Convicted murderer Simms, now 63, was released in February after the Parole Board said he was no longer a danger to the public.

Tom Little QC, representing Mrs McCourt, told the court in July that this decision was 'unreasonable' and had asked the judges to quash it.

'He must have known, and still knows, the location of Helen's body. Despite this, he has refused to disclose this for over three decades,' he said at the time.

The Government has committed to introducing a 'Helen's Law' to keep killers who stay silent about where they concealed their victims' bodies in prison for longer.

Under the plans, the Parole Board would have a legal duty to reflect a convict's failure to speak up when considering if they should be freed from jail.

Former Justice Secretary David Gauke had been determined to bring in a law to end the injustice, which leaves tormented families in a cruel emotional limbo.

Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary, told the Mail in October last year that he was committed to getting the law on the statute book as quickly as possible.

'I'm very committed to Helen's Law. I met Marie when David was Secretary of State and her ordeal is harrowing,' Mr Buckland said.

Current guidelines state the Parole Board should take into account the fact that a killer has not disclosed the site of their victim's body but Helen's Law will make it a legal requirement for the first time.

Helen's Law, officially called the Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Bill, was passed unopposed by MPs in March.
BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AdvisorShares, a leading sponsor of actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs), today announced that the AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (Ticker: MSOS) will begin trading on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. MSOS becomes the first U.S.-listed active ETF to deliver exposure dedicated solely to American cannabis companies, including multi-state operators (MSOs). MSOs are U.S. companies directly involved in the legal production and distribution of cannabis in states where approved.

MSOS becomes AdvisorShares second dedicated cannabis investment strategy alongside the AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF (Ticker: YOLO). When YOLO launched on April 18, 2019, it became the first U.S.-listed active ETF dedicated to cannabis exposure  investing in both domestic and foreign cannabis equity securities. MSOS joins YOLO as the only U.S.-listed cannabis ETFs that maintain an established, Federal bank as fund custodian.

MSOS seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing entirely in legal, domestic cannabis equity securities. MSOS' domestic equity strategy allows this active ETF to allocate its underlying portfolio among multi-state operator (MSO) companies as well as other U.S.-based cannabis-focused areas such a REITs, cannabidiol (CBD), pharmaceutical and hydroponics.

The portfolio manager of MSOS is Dan Ahrens, AdvisorShares chief operating officer, who also serves as portfolio manager of YOLO and the AdvisorShares Vice ETF (Ticker: ACT). Ahrens carries a well-established expertise of investing in cannabis and other highly regulated areas of the market.

"We are pleased to offer MSOS in addition to YOLO which we believe responds further to meeting investors' demands for more U.S. cannabis investment exposure," said Ahrens. "We believe that the U.S. clearly represents the most attractive opportunity for cannabis investment and remains an exponentially larger market than the Canadian cannabis market. We feel strongly that our active portfolio management serves as the most advantageous way to invest in the emerging cannabis space."

AdvisorShares will host a series of investor webinars this week which will provide an overview of their cannabis investment strategies, detailed discussions about MSOS, and feature additional industry guests. The following dates include registration links to attend each session.

About AdvisorShares

AdvisorShares is a leading provider of actively managed ETFs. For financial professionals and investors requesting more information, call 1-877-843-3831 or visit www.advisorshares.com. Follow @AdvisorShares on Twitter and Facebook for more insights.

Before investing you should carefully consider the Fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other information are in the prospectus, a copy of which may be obtained by visiting the Fund's website at www.advisorshares.com. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before you invest.

Foreside Fund Services, LLC, distributor.

The Fund is subject to a number of risks that may affect the value of its shares. This section provides additional information about the Fund's principal risks. The degree to which a risk applies to the Fund varies according to its investment allocation. Each investor should review the complete description of the principal risks before investing in the Fund. As with investing in other securities whose prices increase and decrease in market value, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.

Cannabis-Related Company Risk. Cannabis-related companies are subject to various laws and regulations that may differ at the state/local and federal level. These laws and regulations may (i) significantly affect a cannabis-related company's ability to secure financing, (ii) impact the market for marijuana industry sales and services, and (iii) set limitations on marijuana use, production, transportation, and storage. Cannabis-related companies may also be required to secure permits and authorizations from government agencies to cultivate or research marijuana. In addition, cannabis-related companies are subject to the risks associated with the greater agricultural industry, including changes to or trends that affect commodity prices, labor costs, weather conditions, and laws and regulations related to environmental protection, health and safety. Cannabis-related companies may also be subject to risks associated with the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. These risks include increased government regulation, the use and enforcement of intellectual property rights and patents, technological change and obsolescence, product liability lawsuits, and the risk that research and development may not necessarily lead to commercially successful products.

Shares are bought and sold at market price not net asset value (NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Market price returns are based on the midpoint of the bid/ask spread at 4:00 pm Eastern Time (when NAV is normally determined) and do not represent the return you would receive if you traded at other times.

SOURCE AdvisorShares

Related Links

http://www.advisorshares.com


Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China and Indonesia should seize the new industries and models created by the COVID-19 pandemic and open up new cooperation areas to boost their respective development and give impetus to the regional and global economy. Xi made the remarks in a phone conversation in the night with his Indonesian counterpart, Joko Widodo. Pointing out that both China and Indonesia have a large population and face an arduous task of fighting the coronavirus disease, Xi noted that both countries have spared no effort in relevant work on the principles of putting people first and putting life first. China is fully confident that Indonesia will eventually prevail over the epidemic, Xi said, adding that China will continue to offer Indonesia firm support, provide it with as much material and technical assistance as China's capacity allows, and share Chinese experience in COVID-19 control, diagnosis and treatment. Xi stressed that Indonesia is a friendly neighbor and important partner of China, and that China attaches great importance to Indonesia's concerns and needs in vaccine cooperation. Currently, China and Indonesia have been actively engaged in vaccine cooperation, which has become a new highlight in bilateral cooperation against the epidemic, he said. China supports companies of the two countries in carrying out cooperation on vaccine development, procurement and production, so as to help improve the availability and affordability of vaccines both in the two countries and around the globe, Xi said, calling on the two sides to continue fighting the epidemic with solidarity and jointly push forward the building of a global community of health for all. Stressing that promoting economic recovery and growth against the background of a protracted pandemic and regular epidemic control measures is a major task for all countries, Xi said China will continue to deepen reform and raise the level of opening up in an all-round way, so as to establish a new development pattern that allows domestic and foreign markets to boost each other, which will provide broader market opportunities for the world. The first half of this year witnessed both China's investment in Indonesia and Indonesia's exports to China rise against the trend, which has fully demonstrated that cooperation between the two countries enjoys a deep foundation and a strong momentum, said the Chinese president. China, he added, stands ready to work with Indonesia to further synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and Indonesia's vision of Global Maritime Fulcrum, earnestly implement such key projects as the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway and the regional comprehensive economic corridor, and make full use of the "fast lane" for personnel exchanges to speed up the resumption of work and production in both countries. China attaches great importance to Indonesia's status and role in international and regional affairs, he said, adding that his country is ready to work with Indonesia to uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, help improve global governance, safeguard international equity and justice, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. For his part, Widodo noted that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and China, adding that the two countries have maintained close contacts amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Widodo also expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for supporting his country's fight against the novel coronavirus, especially for carrying out vaccine cooperation with Indonesia. Indonesia hopes to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Chinese side in trade, investment, people-to-people exchanges and other fields, and will continue to actively advance the construction of Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, he said. Indonesia is ready to work with the Chinese side to safeguard the basic norms of international relations as well as regional peace and stability, and build a community with a shared future for mankind, he said. Enditem


Despite wildlife trading restrictions, and laws put in place to deter poaching and selling, the illegal wildlife industry is still prevalent in many countries. All around the world, animals are being poached, killed and endangered for profit. Some of the most prominent wares on the black market include ivory from elephants, rhino horns, tiger bones and pelts, pangolin scales, shark fins and bear bile. Many of these animals are classified as endangered or vulnerable species, and the continued slaughter of these creatures is, in many cases, threatening their global population.

Animals are hunted and traded for a variety of reasons. Some are captured alive, and traded into zoos, petting farms or as exotic pets. The animals often suffer trauma during this experience, leading to illnesses or death, or, in cases of survival, a cruel life in captivity. In other cases, the animals are killed or maimed. Items like elephant tusks are carved for jewelry or decorative purposes while big cats are hunted for pelts, claws and fur. Various animal parts, such as scales, horns and bones are used for homeopathic healing, and certain animals are simply hunted as edible delicacies.

From the Americas, to Asia, to Africa; wildlife trade is unfortunately still common in many continents. It is a big business, bringing in estimated billions of dollars of illegal revenue. While facts can be hard to quantify due to the black market nature of illegal trade, one thing is very clear. Illegal animal trade continues world wide, and it is not slowing down. Here is a list of some countries where illegal wildlife trade is a major threat to their wildlife.

South Africa

Kruger National Park, South Africa, White SUV of the Anti Poach Unit. Image credit: Tom Jastram/Shutterstock.com

South Africa has an abundant population of wildlife. From lions to rhinos, and monkeys to giraffes, the number of local species are vast and beautiful. Because of this, South Africa has found itself high on the list of illegal wildlife trade. Due to the accessibility to wildlife, as well as South Africa's location within Africa, trade between surrounding African countries is extremely common, and large cats like lions and cheetahs, are easily moved across borders and worldwide. The most rampant form of wildlife trade in South Africa is that of the rhinoceros. These endangered animals are poached and captured for their horns, which are used in various traditional Chinese remedies and Asian medicines, as well as simply as a symbol of status in many countries. Rhinoceros poaching is still a large problem today. The rhinos are poached and killed, all for the purpose of obtaining their horn. For this reason, black rhinos are still considered a species highly at risk.

Mozambique

Mozambique, like many southern African countries, is still very much involved in the illegal trafficking of wildlife. Here, it is elephants as well as rhinoceroses, that are the primary target. Elephants make up the largest single-species category for illegally poached wildlife. They are the most commonly hunted and traded animals, as they are sought after worldwide for their ivory horns. While many people are ignorant to the fact that elephants usually die in order to provide ivory, major education programs have gone on to enlightening the public, and would be consumers. Still, poaching persists, and Mozambique is considered to be failing on key aspects of compliance and enforcement in both the rhinoceros and elephant categories according to a World Wildlife Fund data system.

Kenya

Borana Conservancy, Kenya, Africa: Rhinos in an orphanage, rangers keeping an eye on them. Image credit: Marcel Brekelmans/Shutterstock.com

Kenya is also a big player in the ivory trade business. Like many countries in Southern Africa, rhinoceroses and elephants are targeted for their horns and tusks. Sometimes poachers are Kenyan natives, but it is not uncommon for foreign poachers from surrounding countries such as Somalia to hunt and trade these animals, trafficking and smuggling them from port harbours and across borders. Because of this, Kenya has some of the harshest laws and punishments for smugglers. Animals such as elephants, rhinos and big cats play a major role in Kenyas tourism, so the government has been stepping up conservation efforts in order to preserve the countrys natural wildlife.

Uganda

Rangers on patrol at the Mount Elgon National Park, Uganda. Image credit: Stephen Butler/Shutterstock.com

Uganda is also home to wild elephants, and like so many African countries, sees persistent poaching of these majestic animals. Additionally, though, Uganda sees a great deal of hippopotamus trading. Hippos are hunted specifically for their teeth, and a steady stream of trade exists between Uganda and Hong Kong, despite the trade of hippo teeth being banned in 2014. Uganda is also one of the countries that deals heavily in pangolin trade. Considered the most illegally traded mammal in the world, all species of pangolin are at risk, and Uganda has seen a huge spike in capture, poaching and trade of these unique creatures.

China

Guangzhou, China: Chinese Police and Customs officers destroy confiscated ivory. Image credit: Plavevski/Shutterstock.com

China has the worlds largest wildlife markets, and a booming industry of wildlife trade - both legal and illegal. From open markets to international trade, it is one of the most well known countries to take part in animal trading. This is in part due to the continued prevalence of traditional Chinese medicines, and homeopathic practices which use various animal parts and byproducts. Everything from bear bile to rhino horns, tiger bones and pangolin scales can be found across Chinese markets. Poaching of local animals is just as much of an issue as trade, as China imports a large number of endangered or vulnerable species from the global underground market.

Myanmar

Myanmar is unfortunately known for being a dominate global hub of illegal trade. Forming one third of the notorious illegal wildlife market the golden triangle, it is a high traffic area for smugglers and wildlife trade. Myanmar also has large forested regions which tend to be more intact than many of its more developed neighbouring countries, meaning wildlife is found more readily and abundantly. Tigers are a big part of Myanmars illegal trade, as are Asian elephants which are hunted for their ivory, and the increasingly popular pangolins, which are traded for meat, skins and scales.

Thailand

Thailand is a country where many things that are otherwise illegal are either not prohibited, or laws are loosely enforced. This is very evident when it comes to wildlife trading. There are a large number of animals, either endangered or vulnerable, the trade of which is either not protected or not monitored in Thailand. It has a booming trade business, and is also a popular transit point for smugglers to route their wares and animals through, in order to avoid laws and limitations found in many other countries. Pet tigers, elephants, pangolin scales, exotic birds and mammals, and so many other species have travelled through Thailand, reinforcing this trafficking trade.

Laos

Elephant bathing at Tad Lo waterfall of the southern Laos. Image credit: Supertam/Shutterstock.com

Laos, one of the three countries in the so called golden triangle, is also a global hub of wildlife trade. On a WWF scoreboard, Laos received the worst possible rating in terms of its efforts to protect both tigers and elephants. Tigers are one of the most trafficked animals in Laos. It is not uncommon to see tiger farms, or zoos that are really fronts for tiger and big cat breeding. Many of these tigers are breed, much like livestock, for the soul purpose of slaughter. Tigers are killed for their skins, tails, bones - and any number of other parts - and sold globally. Enforcements are trying to crack down on this illegal farming and trading, but more tigers still exist in captivity today than in the wild, a statistic to which Laos contributes greatly.

Vietnam

Vietnam is the top importer of rhinoceros horn in the world. These horns are usually ground for medicinal uses and are thought to have healing powers. Because of this, Vietnam is directly effecting poaching rates. South Africa saw a huge spike in rhino poaching as Vietnams demands grew. Vietnam is also known for keeping poor regulations on tiger raising and trading. Like Laos, Thailand, and other South Asian countries, regulations on big cat trade is lax or often overlooked. This means these majestic creatures are often kept in captivity, traded globally, or raised on farms for slaughter.

India

India also has a significant role to play in the global wildlife trade. While there are wildlife markets in various Indian cities, the biggest problem for India is the demand for its animals by other countries. Over the last few decades, India has received significant pressure from China to export many of their big cats and megafauna. Tigers, leopards and other big cats are in high demand for their claws, skins and bones in various Asian countries. This has driven up the poaching and trading rates of many endangered wild cats. Indian elephants have also felt the pressure, and have been known to be poached all across India.

Curbing The Illegal Trade Is Vital To Surivival Of Wildlife

Ivory demands have continued to be steady world wide, despite efforts to educate and decrease consumption of these products. Overall, organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic, and various governments have been working towards highlighting these high traffic areas and non compliant countries. Efforts to preserve endangered species and reduce the illegal wildlife market have seen improvements in some areas, but the capture, killing and selling of wild animals continues to be a billion dollar industry that itself is adapting and changing to evade capture and punishment. It is only through continued education and lack of consumption of prohibited products that we can begin to reduce this rampant and violent industry.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A new state law requires private employers in New York to provide at least 40 hours of sick leave each year to all their workers, including part-timers.

The sick leave requirement, modeled after one in place in New York City since 2014, guarantees for the first time that the vast majority of workers in the state have the right to paid sick time when they or a family member is ill. It also prohibits employers from firing workers for taking sick time.

Many employers in New York provide sick time for full-time employees, but part-time workers are much less likely to receive the benefit.

The Community Service Society, a New York City organization that advocates for low-income New Yorkers, estimates that the new law will benefit 1.3 million workers  many of them low-wage, part-time employees  who are not now provided sick time by their employers.

Nancy Rankin, vice president for policy research and advocacy for the Community Service Society, said providing sick leave is especially important during the coronavirus pandemic.

You dont want people who are sick going into work, she said. A lot of these people with part-time jobs are working as cashiers, in food service and retail, and theyre coming into a lot of close contact with the public.

The legislation was passed earlier this year as part of the states 2020 budget and signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on April 3. It does not apply to government agencies.

Anyone working for a private employer in New York will be entitled to begin accruing sick leave time starting Sept. 30, 2020, for use starting Jan. 1, 2021.

Private employers are required to provide up to 40 hours or 56 hours of sick leave annually, depending on the employers size:

Employers with four or fewer employees and a net income of $1 million or less must provide 40 hours of unpaid sick time.

Employers with four or fewer employees and a net income greater than $1 million must provide 40 hours of paid sick time.

Employers with five to 99 employees must provide 40 hours of paid sick time, regardless of the companys net income.

Employers with 100 or more workers must provide up to 56 hours of paid sick time.

Andrew Bobrek, an attorney with the Bond Schoeneck & King law firm in Syracuse, said the new law contains no exceptions for part-time, temporary, casual, student or seasonal employees.

Its very general, said Bobrek, who recently hosted a webinar on the law for employers.

Companies should update their existing sick time policies to make sure they comply with the new law, he said.

Workers are entitled to accrue the sick time at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, but employers may front load 40 or 56 hours of sick time for its workers at the start of the year if they wish, Bobrek said.

Some companies provide employees with paid time off that can be used as either vacation or sick time. Those hours count toward the laws sick time requirements, but companies must make sure their PTO policies also meet the laws accrual, carryover and use requirements, Bobrek said.

Employers must allow workers to carry over unused sick time (up to 40 or 56 hours) to the following year, but they do not have to pay them for unused sick time once they leave the companys employment.

An employer may set a minimum increment at which leave must be used, but the minimum may not exceed four hours.

Workers may use the sick time for any mental or physical illness, injury or health condition of the employee or an employees family member, regardless of whether the illness has been diagnosed or requires immediate medical care.

In addition, the sick time can be used when an employee or a family member has been the victim of domestic violence, a family offense, sexual offense, stalking or human trafficking.

Companies cannot require an employee to reveal details of their illness or require a doctors note or documentation.

New York joins 12 other states and the District of Columbia in requiring employers to provide sick leave. (The other states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.)

Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
The Lockdown Has Gone From a Mistake to a Crime

Commentary

Four months ago, I wrote a column titled The Worldwide Lockdown May Be the Greatest Mistake in History. I explained that mistake and evil are not synonyms. The lockdown is a mistake; the Holocaust, slavery, communism, fascism, and so on, were evils. Massive mistakes are made by arrogant fools; massive evils are committed by evil people.

Regarding the economic catastrophe in America and around the worldespecially among the worlds poor who are dependent upon America and other first-world countries for their income through exports and tourismI wrote, It is panic and hysteria, not the coronavirus, that created this catastrophe.

Unfortunately, I was right.

The world should have followed Swedens example. That country never locked down and has even kept children under 16 in school the entire time. As Reuters reported on July 15, the number of Swedish children between 1 and 19 years of age who have died of COVID-19 is zero. And the percentage of children who contracted the illness was the exact same in Sweden as it was in Finland, which locked down its schools.

As regards teachers, Swedens Public Health Agency reported that a comparison of the incidence of COVID-19 in different professions suggested no increased risk for teachers. Nevertheless, with few exceptions, teachers in Los Angeles and elsewhere refuse to enter a classroom that has students in it. Their disdain for their profession has been superseded only by that of the Los Angeles teachers union, which announced that teachers will not resume teaching until the police are defunded.

People who defend lockdowns and closing schools point out that Sweden has the eighth-highest death rate per million in the Western world. But, needless to say, this has no bearing at all on the issue of whether Sweden was right to keep schools open or whether our country was wrong to close them, let alone keep them closed now. The overwhelming majority of deaths from COVID-19 in Sweden were among people over 70 years of age, and most of those were people over 80 and with compromised immune systems.

Reuters reported that three separate studies, including one by UNICEF, showed that Swedish children fared better than children in other countries during the pandemic, both in terms of education and mental health.

For more than a month, Sweden has had almost no deaths from COVID-19 while the entire society remains open and almost no one wears masks. (In Holland, too, almost no one wears masks.) For all intents and purposes, the virus is over in Sweden.

I live in California, a state governed by that most dangerous of leaders: a fool with unlimited power. Despite the fact that California ranks 28th among the 50 states in deaths per million, Gov. Gavin Newsom has destroyed and continues to destroy tens of thousands of small businesses and untold numbers of livelihoods. His continuing to forbida half-year after the onset of the pandemicindoor dining in restaurants is leading to a projected permanent closure of approximately 1 in every 3 restaurants in the state. The same catastrophic destruction will likely affect retail businesses and services such as hair and nail salons. But all this human tragedynot to mention increased depression and suicides among the young and increased abuse of children and partnersmeans nothing to Newsom, to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, or to the Los Angeles Times, whose editors and columnists continue to advocate for the lockdown while they receive their salaries.

Why can people eat with no mask in an airplaneinches, not six feet, from strangersbut cannot eat in a California restaurant, which is so much bigger than the inside of an airplane, while sitting six feet from others? Because Newsom ordered it, the Los Angeles Times supports it and, like sheep, Californians have accepted it.

According to the California Association of Museums: Museums are losing over $22 million a day due to the statewide quarantine. As of August 1, 2020, California museums have lost more than $2.9 billion in revenue. Museums have a $6.55 billion financial impact on Californias economy, support 80,722 jobs, and generated $492 million in tax revenues for the State of California in 2017 and over $1 billion in federal taxes.

And the American Alliance of Museums issued results from a survey on July 22 that warned 1 out of every 3 museums may shutter forever as funding sources and financial reserves run dry.

On Aug. 3, The Wall Street Journal wrote, In March  There was broad public support for the prudent goals of preventing hospitals from being overwhelmed and buying scientists time to develop therapies. But the leftthe media and Democratic governors and mayorsimmediately moved the goal posts to bending the curve and saving one life, enabling them to get away with destroying lives and livelihoods.

I conclude with the words of a Swedish medical doctor, Sebastian Rushworth:

Covid is over in Sweden. People have gone back to their normal lives and barely anyone is getting infected any more. I am willing to bet that the countries that have shut down completely will see rates spike when they open up. If that is the case, then there wont have been any point in shutting down in the first place  Shutting down completely in order to decrease the total number of deaths only makes sense if you are willing to stay shut down until a vaccine is available. That could take years. No country is willing to wait that long.

The lockdown is a crime. But even more upsetting is that it is supported by so many Americans. This country is unrecognizable to those of us who lived through the 19681970 pandemic, which killed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 100,000 Americansthe 2020 equivalent of 170,000 Americans. Nothing shut down. Not one mask was worn.

Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid made their triumphant return to screens on Tuesday morning, following their two month summer break.

The duo took their seats back on Good Morning Britain, and Piers began the show by regaling listeners with stories of his eventful break in St Tropez.

On Piers' final night of his summer holiday, thieves raided his villa, stealing valuables including jewellery and cash while the star and his family were sleeping inside.

They're back! Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid made their triumphant return to screens on Tuesday morning, following their two month summer break

Piers, who holidayed with his wife Celia Walden and their children, was keen to tell the story on GMB, revealing to Susanna: 'I got burgled on the last night a bunch of thieves in the house in the bedroom as we slept.

'Disgusting scumbag burglars creeping around my villa at night. I'm going to find you. Like Taken. We're on to you.'

'A flying squad London detective contacted me and some of his family got robbed in Cannes the same week, and he thought it was the same gang.'

Piers also explained a frightening detail, saying the detective told him in his family's case that thieves had used the tactic of putting gas canisters in the air conditioning to knock them out with no regard for the three-month-old baby who was staying in the villa.

Summer: On Piers' final night of his summer holiday, thieves raided his villa, stealing valuables including jewellery and cash while the star and his family were sleeping inside

Burglary: Piers, called the thieves 'disgusting scumbag burglars creeping around my villa at night.,; telling them 'I'm going to find you'

He added that he believed the thieves had deliberately targeted his villa, saying: 'I can remember a few days before it happened a drone comes over,' he said. 'They were working out who was in the villa, where to go.'

The burglary wasn't the only event to put a dampener on Piers' summer fun as on the first night of his trip he chipped a bone in his feet, leaving him on crutches for two weeks.

'Night one,' he explained. 'Part of the fitness regime, I frogmarched down a half mile hill to a local restaurant, came out, badly sprained my ankle and then spent two weeks on crutches and five weeks drinking and eating and putting my foot in ice and trying to have conversations with french doctors.'

Ouch: On the first night of his holiday Piers chipped a bone in his feet, leaving him on crutches for two weeks (pictured with his sons)

'I was driven for an hour to have ultrasound to find out what's going on and he would only do my achilles, called it fine and point blank refused to do the rest of the ankle,' he complained of his treatment.

At the end of Piers' summer tales, Susanna teased her co-star for hogging the limelight, telling him he had been talking about himself for 'seven minutes'.

The duo's GMB return didn't go quite to plan as Charlotte Hawkins began the show solo, explaining to viewers that the duo would be joining her from 6:30am.

Charlotte also revealed Piers had arrived late to the studio, arriving just three minutes before he was due to go live.

Piers and his family arrived in the UK from Saint Tropez before tightening travel restrictions demanded visitors to France quarantine for 14 days upon their return, spending the final couple of weeks of their summer at their Sussex home.
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Paris, France  Tue, September 1, 2020 12:30 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41e0cb7 2 World France,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

France's new COVID-19 infections surged by almost 50% in August, which recorded the highest monthly tally since the beginning of the outbreak earlier this year, while hospitalizations for the disease seem to be creeping up again.

The country's health authorities reported 3,082 additional cases over the past 24 hours, sharply down from a caseload of above 5,000 each on the two previous days, but the Monday figure always tends to dip as there are less tests conducted on Sundays.

The seven-day moving average of new infections, which smoothes out reporting irregularities, stood at 5,167, reaching a new record for a fourth day in a row, versus a low of 272 on May 27, two weeks after the country ended its two-month long lockdown.

France's cumulative total of COVID-19 infections has reached 281,025 versus 187,919 at the end of July. In August, new cases increased on average by a record 3,003 every day, a figure four times higher than July's average increase of 746 per day.

The surge of new cases has led authorities to re-impose some containment measures, such as making face masks mandatory in the streets, shops and public transportation of almost all the country's main cities.

And, as of Tuesday, masks will also be compulsory in workplaces.

But, as the new school year starts this week, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jean Castex have been saying they will do everything to avoid a new national lockdown.

The number of people in hospital for the disease has declined by 14% in August versus July as the virus is now mainly circulating among young people, who typically do not develop serious symptoms.

But that figure has risen for the second day running on Monday, at 4,582, after going down for almost two weeks. And the number of people in intensive care units was up for a fourth day in a row, at 409.

Those figures are still very low compared to their respective peaks of 32,292 and 7,148 seen in April but health experts are following the trends closely.

France reported 29 new deaths from COVID-19 on Monday, meaning the average daily fatalities fell to a new low of 12 in August, versus 14 in July and of peak of 695 in April.
SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nanosys, the industry pioneer and leading supplier of quantum dot light emitting materials and technology, today released a statement on the August 18th decision by the U.S. Patent Office to review the validity of U.S. Patent No. 7,105,051.

NajingTech Co., Ltd. (NajingTech) has stumbled and suffered a major setback in their attempt to weaponize and assert a U.S. taxpayer-funded patent through a shell subsidiary against Nanosys.

Silicon Valley-based Nanosys has worked hard over the past two decades to create a vibrant, growing marketplace for its proprietary quantum dot technology. Employing more than 120 scientists and technicians, and manufacturing this advanced nanotechnology in the USA, the company's light emitting quantum dots can be found in hundreds of unique models of consumer electronic products around the world ranging from tablets to monitors to TVs. Leading industry research firms including DSCC expect consumer electronic brands will ship more than 10 million of these devices in 2020.1

NajingTech, unable to compete with its inferior products and technology, resorted to desperate measures. In 2011, NajingTech acquired NN-Labs through its subsidiary NNCrystal, a US company created by the founder of NajingTech, Dr. Xiaogang Peng, a former professor at the University of Arkansas. NN-Labs had previously obtained the patent rights to U.S. Patent 7,105,051 ('051 patent) owned by The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas, which was created with the help of a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars. In July 2019 NajingTech, through its subsidiary NNCrystal, brought suit against Nanosys for allegedly infringing the '051 patent, and in so doing attempted to destroy the market for quantum dots created by Nanosysthe only domestic manufacturer of quantum dots.

On August 25, 2020, the trial court brought this lawsuit to a halt because the U.S. Patent Office had decided to review the validity of the '051 patent. In particular, on August 18, 2020, the Patent Office instituted an Inter Partes Review of the '051 patent, which is special proceeding for the Office to assess the validity of issued patents. In instituting this proceeding, the Patent Office found that Nanosys "has established a reasonable likelihood of prevailing in showing that claims 111 and 1323 of the '051 patent are unpatentable."

"This decision by the Patent Office validates our position that NajingTech lacks any valid Intellectual Property assets to enable it to participate in the market we have created. It is a critical step towards the ultimate dismissal of the case against us," said Jason Hartlove, President and CEO of Nanosys. "Our technology has a rich history of being developed in the research labs of MIT, UC Berkeley, Berkeley National Labs, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and many others. We have licensed our technology from these institutions and pay fair and reasonable royalties to them for the use of their inventions, to which we have added many of our own. When our customers buy products from us, they can be assured that we have secured the legal rights to practice our technology and our business. We will continue to defend these rights, and we urge the industry and our customers to not be deceived by NajingTech's attempt to disrupt the market for their own gain."

Nanosys has multi-tier IP coverage including over 650 patents and pre-grant applications on key materials, processing techniques, surface chemistry and quantum dot devices including QDEF, the industry's #1 selling quantum dot component which has been used in over 400 unique display products to date.

About Nanosys

Nanosys, Inc. is the leader in developing and delivering state-of-the-art heavy metal free quantum dot technology to the display industry. As of 2020, industry leading consumer electronics brands have shipped more than 25 million devices from tablets to monitors and TVs based on Nanosys' proprietary quantum dot technology. Founded in 2001, the company is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California where it operates the world's largest quantum dot nanomaterials fab. Nanosys currently owns or has exclusive license rights to more than 650 issued and pending patents worldwide.

For more information, visit http://www.nanosysinc.com/.

1 DSCC's Annual Quantum Dot Display Technology & Market Outlook report

SOURCE Nanosys
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 17:44:24|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- An intelligent monitoring system at the Miyun Reservoir in the northeast suburbs of Beijing is near completion, as it marks its 60th anniversary on Tuesday, according to the reservoir's law enforcement team.

The system will be put into use after the docking of equipment and debugging. It integrates functions of intelligent identification, fire prevention, broadcasting and illegal evidence collection, with one command center and eight sub-platforms, said Yu Xingping, head of the team.

"With over 390 cameras, the system can achieve full coverage of monitoring around the reservoir," Yu said, adding that when suspicious acts happen, the staff at the command center can immediately give feedback to the eight sub-platforms to improve the efficiency of handling illegal acts.

To protect the water, a 300 km-long fence has been installed around the reservoir for closed-off management, and more than 2,000 farmers have been employed to join the patrol.

The construction of the reservoir, with a capacity of around 4.4 billion cubic meters, started in 1958 and was completed in 1960. Since 1985, the reservoir has changed its main function from flood control to supplying water to Beijing. Enditem
The scientists believe that by identifying the most important components in the healthy blood, it would be easy for doctors to target these to either reduce or increase their levels in the blood of the mice

According to the World Health Organisation, 1.5 crore people suffer a stroke every year. Of these, fifty lakh end up permanently disabled and another 50 lakh million die. A stroke occurs when the brain does not get enough blood supply either due to a blood clot or due to the bursting of a blood vessel, which results in lack of oxygen and other nutrients in the brain. If not treated early, it can be life-threatening, but managing the complications of stroke can be difficult.

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications on 25 August 2020, it was found that after a stroke, if the existing blood is replaced by the blood of a healthy donor, the damage to the brain can be reduced significantly.

What happens after a stroke?

After a stroke occurs, the bodys immune system gets activated and starts sending messenger molecules across the blood-brain barrier. These molecules then deploy the immune cells to the damaged area. Most of the time, the first cells to arrive the site of damage are neutrophils, which increase the levels of an enzyme called MMP-9. The enzyme MMP-9 destroys the blood-brain barrier a little more so that more immune cells and signalling molecules can enter the brain. But in some cases, the body releases too many immune cells including the cytokines (inflammation-causing immune cells) into the blood. This results in a cytokine storm which damages the brain tissue surrounding the blood clot, ultimately resulting in more inflammation and brain damage.

The stroke study

In order to find the link between the brain and the blood, scientists from the West Virginia University conducted a study on a group of mice. The scientists simulated an ischemic stroke in these mice and cleared the stroke after 90 minutes. The scientists then divided the mice into two categories: one group went under blood replacement while the other one was a control group, so it didnt get a blood replacement.

Six to seven hours after the stroke, the scientists replaced 250 to 500 microliters of the mices blood with blood from healthy donor mice, which accounts for 10 percent to 20 percent of a mouses total blood volume. After an hour, the scientists examined the amount of the blood-brain barrier degraded in the brain of the mice. The scientists further examined the amount of brain tissue damaged 24 hours after the treatment was given.

The results of the study showed that the mice who received healthy blood showed lesser ill effects and lesser cognitive defects as compared to the control mice. It was found that the amount of brain damage around the clot was reduced by 70 percent to 80 percent in the mice who got blood replacements.

Finding the stroke clearing part in the blood

To confirm their findings, scientists also replaced the blood with that of other stroke-suffering mice but did not find any benefit. They concluded that healthy blood was the key element. After the fact was established that blood from a healthy donor can reduce the ill effects of stroke, the doctors were keen on finding the exact components of the blood that were responsible for this.

On further investigation, scientists found that the replaced blood weakens the immune response in the body of the mice. After the blood replacement, the authors measured the levels of leukocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, T cells and B cells that were circulating in the mices blood and they were found to be comparatively low. There were also low levels of chemokines, cytokines and MMP-9 in the blood and brain of the treated mice, which resulted in lesser degeneration of the blood-brain barrier.

Hope for the future

The scientists believe that by identifying the most important components in the healthy blood, it would be easy for the doctors to target these to either reduce or increase their levels in the blood of the mice. For instance, if the neutrophils were found to deteriorate the blood-brain barrier, they can be reduced in the blood after a stroke. Similarly, if there is any beneficial component, it can be increased.

More studies are to be done in different groups of mice before commencing the study in humans.

For more information, read our article on Stroke.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.
WASHINGTON - Joe Biden excoriated President Donald Trump on Monday as a threat to the safety of all Americans, saying he was a "toxic presence" who has encouraged violence in the nation's streets even as he has faltered in handling the coronavirus pandemic.

The direct repudiation of Trump came as Biden and the president launched into a caustic debate over violent protests that have escalated across the country in recent days, thrusting the presidential campaign into a new and more combustible phase centered on which man represents the biggest danger to America.

For his most extensive remarks since violence has broken out in recent days, Biden traveled to Pittsburgh and struck a centrist note, condemning both the destruction in the streets and Trump for creating a culture that he said has exacerbated it.

Speaking in a crucial electoral battleground, the Democratic presidential nominee appeared to aim his remarks at anxious members of his party, as well as voters who may have reconsidered their support of him in light of Trump's relentless effort to paint Biden as a candidate willing to tolerate lawlessness.

"I want to be very clear about all of this: Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting," Biden said. "It's lawlessness, plain and simple. And those who do it should be prosecuted."

The former vice president also rejected the caricature that Trump and his allies have crafted of him as someone who holds extremist views and has helped fuel the anger in urban centers across the country. "You know me. You know my heart. You know my story, my family's story," Biden said. "Ask yourself: Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?"

"I want a safe America," he said. "Safe from covid, safe from crime and looting, safe from racially motivated violence, safe from bad cops. Let me be crystal clear - safe from four more years of Donald Trump."

A few hours later, speaking at the White House, Trump sought to place the blame on Biden, ridiculing his "strange speech" because he did not specifically repudiate leftist protesters. (Biden on Sunday said in a statement, "I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right.")

At the same time, Trump refused to criticize his own supporters, defending Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old Trump supporter who is accused of killing two people and injuring a third with an AR-15-style rifle after he traveled to a protest in Kenosha, Wis. "He was trying to get away," Trump said, echoing the argument of Rittenhouse's defense attorneys. "He probably would've been killed."

The president similarly defended members of a Trump-backing caravan of trucks and cars that took on protesters Saturday night in Portland, Ore., firing paintballs and other projectiles at them as they roared past. "Paint is a defensive mechanism," Trump said. "Paint is not bullets." A member of a right-wing group was fatally shot later that night.

The president also seemed to express sympathy with police officers who kill unarmed civilians, many of them Black, in the line of duty, saying they have just a split second to make a decision and sometimes "choke."

The back-and-forth between Trump and Biden, seething with animosity, seemed to launch the general-election campaign in earnest, following two weeks of conventions in which each party separately seized the spotlight to showcase its candidate. The outbreak of harsh rhetoric comes at a crucial stretch before the first presidential debates a month from now, and at a moment when Biden is attempting to focus on the coronavirus and Trump is searching for a diversion from his management of the pandemic.

Biden did not outline new policies during his Pittsburgh speech, instead focusing on making a broader condemnation of Trump. He called the president a danger to those suffering from the coronavirus pandemic, to anyone in search of a job or struggling to pay rent, to voters worried about Russian interference in the upcoming election and to those worried about their own safety amid unrest.

"Donald Trump wants to ask the question: Who will keep you safer as president? Let's answer that question," Biden said. "When I was vice president, violent crime fell 15% in this country. We did it without chaos and disorder."

Pointing to a nationwide homicide rate rising 26% this year, Biden asked, "Do you really feel safer under Donald Trump?"

He went on: "If I were president today, the country would be safer. And we'd be seeing a lot less violence."

For Biden, it was a marked shift from his convention speech less than two weeks ago, when he never named Trump in his remarks. During his speech Monday, he mentioned Trump's name 32 times. "Donald Trump has been a toxic presence in our nation for four years," Biden said. "Will we rid ourselves of this toxin? Or will we make it a permanent part of our nation's character?"

Although Biden's speech forced him to veer from discussing the coronavirus, the challenger repeatedly attempted to tie the crises together as markers of presidential mismanagement.

"More cops have died from covid this year than have been killed on patrol," Biden said.

Biden added that he was not criticizing police wholesale. "I know most cops are good and decent people," he said.

He also went out of his way to restate his position on fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, a drilling technique used in Pennsylvania and elsewhere to access underground natural gas and oil reserves.

"I am not banning fracking," Biden said. "Let me say that again: I am not banning fracking - no matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me." Biden, who in the past has occasionally muddied his own position, opposes any new fracking permits for federal lands or water but would allow existing operations to continue.

Trump, over the objections of Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, is planning to travel Tuesday to Kenosha, where sporadic protests and unrest have occurred since the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, on Aug. 23. The president is not planning to meet with Blake's family. Trump said the family of Blake, who was shot seven times by police, wanted a lawyer present.

Trump's campaign envisions the trip as a chance to support small-business owners and local law enforcement personnel who have been threatened by the protests, but local officials said they wanted him to delay coming to their city.

"You have a community that's in the process of trying to heal," Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, a Democrat, said at a news briefing Monday. "It would've been nice if it had waited a while . . . but it is what it is."

Kenosha County Executive Jim Kreuser, a Democrat, echoed Antaramian, saying it was "not the ideal time" for a presidential visit. He noted that if Biden had wanted to visit, he would take the same view.

"Things have been relatively calm, so let's just hope it stays that way," Kreuser said.

In focusing on the unrest, Trump is hoping to expose tensions between Biden's coalition of White suburban voters in the Upper Midwest and the Black Lives Matters protesters in the urban streets. Some of Biden's allies want him to talk more about the underlying reasons for the protest movement, while others fear that could alienate some of the suburban voters they believe are needed to defeat Trump.

Trump has used social media to deepen the country's divisions - often with misleading statements - rather than playing the more traditional role of uniter in chief during times of civil unrest. Casting himself as a "LAW & ORDER" leader, Trump has taken to Twitter to accuse Democratic mayors and governors of losing control of their cities; to warn that the only way to "stop the violence in high crime Democrat run cities is through strength"; and to lambaste Biden as being "weak on CRIME" in an effort to appease the "Radical Left voter."

On Sunday, Trump retweeted a video of a Black man violently pushing a woman on a subway platform. The video was falsely labeled "Black Lives Matters/Antifa," the latter a reference to the loose anti-fascist views associated with some on the far left. In fact, the video was from nearly a year ago, and the offender had no known ties to the Black Lives Matters or antifa movements.

Others in Trump's orbit - including the president's son Donald Trump Jr. - have also sought to cast the protests and violence as a preview of what is to come if Biden wins in November, tweeting out links to stories on the unrest with the hashtag #BidenRiots.

That, Biden and his supporters argue, is a bit of messaging jiujitsu, since the unrest is roiling Trump's America. But a senior administration official said Trump and his team believe they can transform Biden into a totem for far-left protesters and pin what they say is Democratic inaction on him.

Biden's remarks Monday, in which he castigated looting and arson - not for the first time - appeared to be an effort to inoculate him against those claims.

On a call with reporters Monday morning, Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller repeatedly said Biden and his campaign had been "taken over" by "the radical left-wing mob."

"This is a political deal that Biden's cut with his radical left-wing mob that has taken over his campaign, and he's too weak to do anything about it," Miller said on the call. In an interview, Miller said that theme will be part of the focus of the ads the campaign is running. In one 30-second spot, called "Takeover," a narrator warns ominously: "The radical left has taken over Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. Don't let them take over America."

"People do not want to see these radical left-wing groups like antifa run amok on Democrat-run urban centers," Miller said.

Some Democrats have grown anxious over Biden's dispassionate approach over the past week, in which he released several statements but did not fully channel the outrage that sparked the protests or the indignation they felt was needed to respond to Trump.

"I've been encouraged listening to the vice president's words - calming, unifying, while at the same time speaking to the truth of the challenges of systemic racism and police violence," Steve Benjamin, the Democratic mayor of Columbia, S.C., said after Biden's speech. "He's struck the right tone."

Khary Penebaker, a Democratic National Committee member from Wisconsin, said he largely agreed with Biden but wished that national leaders would do more to expose the underlying reasons for the looting.

"Instead of worrying about property damage, worry about why people are hurt, angry and pissed off," Penebaker said. "We can rebuild a building. We can't rebuild Jacob Blake's spine."

- - -

The Washington Post's Toluse Olorunnipa and Mark Berman contributed to this report.
Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Carl Michael

checks the effect of Belt and Road Initiative on world order in his ninth blog post for our

program.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the APF or its other members.

The theme of this scenario is: The BRI Impedes Globalisation  A Continuing World Order. The key drivers are continuing support for globalisation, coupled with the BRI working as an impediment in the global order, which is how it is viewed by the international community. In this scenario the dominant themes are continuity, multipolarity, business-as-usual, and a weakening of a universal approach to the international order.

In this scenario, states form blocs with those in geographical proximity or with similar civilisational foundations. They coordinate within blocs, though blocs compete with each other. The US and China as the leaders of the largest blocs, have not quite escaped the Thucydides trap; with conflict addressed through a long peace approach. Disconnection, distrust and antagonism are rife. The heightened potential for conflict raises military expenditure although actual conflict remains limited.

By 2050 the Chinese economy is the largest but that of the US is dominant. Intra-bloc trade is limited by barriers and actual international institutions are given little attention. The economies of Africa, ASEAN, India and China continue to grow but with an internal prosperity divide. Economic growth is strongly viewed through a resilience lens and long-term planning is viewed as crucial.

From a social perspective, cohesion is emphasized in most advanced regions and the provision of welfare and social services is controlled. Values and lifestyles are less given to trends because of an emphasis on discipline. Developed countries experience a collective decline in population but migration is highly controlled, leading to economic and social pressures being alleviated through growing levels of personal augmentation.

Technology and information remain a critical driver of growth, but the drivers for technological innovation are the military and security. Technology availability is constrained by a lack of international cooperation and is poorly regulated in social and ethical terms. Most states or blocs prioritise locking-down and securing their information environments in order to defend them, but this has an inadvertent effect on the free flow of people, knowledge and material.

Governance is characterised by the lack of global initiatives to address global problems because of a lack of respected multilateral institutions. This leads to stronger intra-bloc frameworks further undermining global institutions. Low-intensity hybrid conflict is commonplace, which strengthens the hands of bloc leaders as they manage their states, the governance of which is strongly impacted by technological advancements. The megacity rules the day with high levels of intra-urban connectivity within blocs but not between them.

In the context of protecting and managing the global natural environment, there are few international initiatives to provide mitigation for environmental stress arising from the changing climate. Access to water, energy, mineral and food resources is regulated at the bloc level, in order to manage both short-term shocks as well as long-term resilience structures. There is strong global competition for key mineral resources. The result is inconsistency, disconnection, and a lack of coordination for environmental management.

In this scenario, in 2050, the BRI has hindered globalisation and instead upheld the continuing of the current world order. Despite the BRI being designed to be multilateral and geo-economic, its perception as an instrument of hegemony enhanced polarisation, and the challenges it created engendered distrust among many powerful nations. As a result, China did not increase its soft-power, and this added to the perception that it was different from the rest of the world. Taiwan, the South China Sea and North Korea will continue to be flashpoints, but a pre-emptive strike remains unlikely. The emphasis will be on deterrence and ambiguity rather than overt provocation since all parties know that any counterproductive moves would upset the ongoing balance of the prevailing multipolar world order.

 Carl Michael 2020
KABUL -- Taliban insurgents launched a complex attack on the morning of September 1 against a military base in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least three public protection forces, an official said.

Five other forces were wounded in the attack, said Abdul Rahman Mangal, a spokesman for the governor in Paktia Province.

A suicide car bomber targeted the entrance gate of the base in the provincial capital, Gardez, and two gunmen started shooting at the Afghan security forces, Mangal said.

Security forces killed both attackers in a gunbattle lasting almost 10 minutes and the area is now under control, he added.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujhid, said the group claimed responsibility for the attack in Gardez.

The attack comes after Afghanistans president appointed 46 members to a council for national reconciliation that will have final say on whether the government will sign a peace deal with the Taliban after what are expected to be protracted and uncertain negotiations with the insurgents.

The negotiations were envisaged under a U.S.-Taliban peace agreement signed in February as intra-Afghan talks to decide the countrys future. A series of delays have hampered the start of the negotiations, which some had expected to begin late last month.

There are also other obstacles in the way of the negotiations. The Afghan government has reversed a decision to release the last 320 Taliban prisoners it is holding until the insurgents free more captured soldiers.

The U.S.-Taliban deal called on the Taliban to free 1,000 government and military personnel they hold captive while the government was to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, in an exchange meant as a goodwill gesture ahead of the intra-Afghan negotiations.
All Saints Catholic School on Tuesday became the first Norwalk school to reopen for the new year. All Saints students in grades six to eight returned to the classroom for the first time since schools closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school is staggering the first day of classes for each grade this week. All grades will return for in-person classes on Sept. 8.
Not for the first time, I find myself a victim of nominative determinism. It actually happens to a lot of journalists, dont worry, its very common. Yes, thats really the reviewers surname. Full solidarity with The Times erstwhile Vatican correspondent, Roger Boyes, and the Financial Times investment writer Attracta Mooney. We ought to unionise.

It happened to me before, with Sex Box (Channel 4), in which Mariella Frostrup sent couples to shag in a kind of studio portacabin while she waited outside to debrief them. The comments section was something else. Now Im being sent in again, for Me and My Penis (Channel 4 again, fulfilling its quota of agonising bodily shame?). Its the first time an erect penis has been shown on British television. I know what youre thinking: should it be my penis and I? My penis and me? I think the latter. When it comes to this kind of material, where you put the I is crucial.

This one-hour documentary, based on the work of the Huddersfield artist Ajamu X, aims to reclaim the penis from snark and snigger, by inviting men to speak openly about their complicated and beautiful relationship with their penises. At the start he says: In this film, men will talk openly about their penises and how it makes them feel to be a man and challenge the beauty and power of the erection. In between candid interviews shot in a tastefully gloomy old swimming pool, we see penises galore. Naked men floating in water, erections in steamy showers, men grabbing and prodding and generally manipulating their members.

For all its aspiration to high art, the first half of the film cant resist giving into tee-hee prurience when it suits, which I suppose counts as having your cock and eating it. One of the models poses with his knob poking through a bunch of foliage, ostensibly for art but looking more like an obscene Christmas wreath. A discussion about the approach to orgasm comes with footage of pistons and cars driving through tunnels and rockets lifting off, to a soundtrack of heavy breathing and porny moans. A missing Austin Powers scene masquerading as Channel 4 documentary.

This isnt to criticise the interviewees, who do an admirable job in trying conditions. Its no easy thing to go on one of the main channels and discuss your penile anguish and anxiety, especially not on one of the coldest August bank holidays in memory. Once the formative masturbation memories and flustered descriptions of erectile pride are over, the second half of the film grows into something larger and more sensitive.

One of the interviewees, who are unnamed, recounts the moment he was told he was sterile. [Finding out] broke me, to be honest, completely, and still does, he says, fighting tears. Another speaks heartbreakingly about the childhood rape that led him to a violent adolescence and eventually prison. A public schoolboy talks about the abuse he endured at the hands of his teachers. A strict Muslim who self-harms, feeling trapped between his religion and his sexuality. A man who was bullied at school for his surname, and who became an army bomb disposal expert who served in Afghanistan, puts the glib opening to this review into rather stark contrast.

There is a moving, thoughtful film in here, about masculinity, sex, sexuality, gender, race, abuse, but its all about the I. The penis is a distraction.
VIENNA, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Allergy and Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP) and its member organisations are partnering with AstraZeneca to launch a global public health awareness campaign to educate asthma patients on the risks associated with over-reliance on short-acting beta2 agonist (SABA) 'blue' reliever inhalers. There are 339 million people living with asthma around the world and 176 million asthma attacks occur every year.1,2 Evidence shows that over-reliance on reliever inhalers for symptom management  defined as using this type of inhaler three or more times a week  is an indicator of increased risk of asthma attacks.3,4

As we continue to face the global pandemic, medical experts agree that for people with asthma, the best way of staying healthy and recovering if infected with COVID-19, is to ensure their asthma is as stable as possible.5 Now, more than ever, is the time to rethink the way asthma is managed, as the current approach could be increasing people's risk of asthma attacks and putting their lives at risk. To address this problem, the campaign encourages patients to review how they manage their asthma. Whilst their SABA reliever inhaler helps to relieve symptoms, when used alone it does not treat the underlying inflammation that causes asthma.6

The 'Break Over-Reliance' campaign is launching internationally in September 2020. At the heart of the campaign is an educational website featuring information that helps patients to take action, supports healthcare professionals to conduct ongoing treatment reviews, and encourages policymakers to identify mechanisms of change at the policy level to improve national standards of asthma management.

The campaign provides an evidence-based digital tool, the Reliever Reliance Test at www.rateyourreliance.com, to assess a patient's reliance on their SABA. The five-item questionnaire is adapted from the validated SABA Risk Questionnaire.7 The first-of-its-kind patient-friendly tool is aimed at helping patients have relevant consultations with health professionals about how to best control their asthma.

"GAAPP is pleased to partner with AstraZeneca on the Break Over-Reliance campaign, an important public health initiative that will help bring to light the issue of SABA over-reliance and the need for a fundamental rethink of the way asthma is managed among patients, healthcare professionals and policymakers. A core element of the campaign  the Reliever Reliance Test, will help patients identify whether they are over-reliant on their SABA inhaler and support discussions about their asthma management with their healthcare providers," said Tonya Winders, President, GAAPP.

"In recent years, there has been a growing body of evidence and a groundswell of support among respiratory experts who have increasingly called for a new approach to the treatment of asthma, given the now widely acknowledged link between SABA overuse and an increased risk of asthma attacks. As a leader in respiratory care, AstraZeneca is proud to be partnering with the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform on this important campaign, which aims to break the cycle of SABA over-reliance by providing tools for patients and healthcare providers that will help to improve asthma management and fundamentally transform asthma care," said Gonzalo de Miquel, Vice President, Global Medical Affairs, Respiratory & Immunology, AstraZeneca.

More information

Visit GAAPP.org.

This material was originally produced and funded by AstraZeneca in partnership with the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform.

References

The Global Asthma Network. The Global Asthma Report 2018. [Online]. Available at: http://www.globalasthmanetwork.org/publications/Global_Asthma_Report_2018.pdf. [Last accessed: July 2020 ]. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. Data on file. Annual Rate of Exacerbations Globally (ID:SD-3010-ALL-0017). REF-51980. Global Initiative for Asthma. Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention. 2020 Update. https://ginasthma.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GINA-2020-report_20_06_04-1-wms.pdf [Last accessed: July 2020 ]. Asthma UK: Reducing prescribing errors in asthma care. Available at: https://www.asthma.org.uk/support-us/campaigns/publications/nrad-one-year-on/ [Last accessed July 2020 ]. Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Asthma and COVID-19: risks and management considerations. Available at: https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/asthma-and-covid-19-risks-and-management-considerations/. [Last accessed July 2020 ]. O'Byrne PM, Jenkins C, Bateman ED. The paradoxes of asthma management: time for a new approach? Eur Respir J. 2017; 50 (3): 1701103. Chan AHY, Katzer C, Kaplan A, et al. SABA Reliance Questionnaire (SRQ): identifying patient beliefs underpinning reliever over-reliance in asthma [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jul 20]. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020; S2213-2198(20)30722-4. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2020.07.014.

Contact:

Tonya Winder, President

Global Allergy and Airways Patient Platform

800-878-4403

[email protected]

SOURCE Global Allergy and Airways Patient Platform

Related Links

http://GAAPP.org


South Africa: KZN Premier calls for action in Normandien farm murders

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has urged law enforcement agencies to work around the clock to ensure that criminals involved in the murder of a couple on their farm in Normandien are brought to book.

Glen and Vida Rafferty were murdered on their farm in Normandien, near Newcastle, on Sunday evening.

The couple were shot and killed allegedly by a group of attackers who overpowered them, soon after they had arrived home.

They have been described as a farming couple that was admired by the local community for their contribution to the betterment of the lives of other people.

Zikalala has strongly condemned the senseless murder, and has called for law enforcement agencies to work around the clock to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.

"Farm killings remain a serious concern in the province. We condemn this murder of the farming couple in the strongest terms possible.

"The ongoing killing of farmers goes against the spirit of Ubuntu. It is an indictment on the significant contribution made by the farming community in the uplifment of our rural people," Zikalala said.

Zikalala also called on people from the province to stand up against the killing of farmers and to protect farmers from criminal elements.

The Premier has conveyed condolences on behalf of the provincial government to the family of the couple and the entire farming fraternity.

Visit to families of women killed in Mthwalume

Meanwhile, Zikalala, together with the KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza, is today visiting the families of five women, who were found murdered in Mthwalume in the South Coast.

The Premier has laid a wreath where the bodies of the women were found, before proceeding to the families of the victims.

After his visit to the families, the Premier will meet all stakeholders in the area, including the Community Policing Forum, community, and religious and traditional leaders to come up with a comprehensive plan to deal with the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV).

Zikala will also receive a comprehensive report from police authorities on the ongoing investigation into the murder of women in the area.

The Premier's visit follows another incident on Saturday, where the charred remains of a woman were found on the sugarcane farm where some of the bodies were found. However, authorities say this appears to be an isolated incident.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-01. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Nokia 2.4 renders have been posted online giving us a glimpse at the upcoming successor to the Nokia 2.3 from 2019. The Nokia 2.4 to come with dual cameras and launch at IFA 2020.

Nokia 2.4 renders have been posted online, giving us a glimpse at the upcoming successor to the Nokia 2.3 from 2019. The Nokia 2.3 was launched in India at Rs 8,199 and so we expect the Nokia 2.4 to retail around the same price range.

The alleged press render of the Nokia 2.4 has been posted online by noted leakster Evan Blass that gives us a glimpse of the phone, its design and confirms certain features.

As per the renders, the Nokia 2.4 looks likely to come with dual cameras on the back accompanied by the LED flash. Theres a fingerprint sensor on the back panel that is slightly recessed. The rear panel has a textured design with the Nokia logo placed in the centre.

On the front, one will notice the waterdrop notch cutout that houses the selfie camera and the relatively thick bottom bezel. Going by the picture, one can also see the dedicated button for Google Assistant along with power button and volume control buttons.

Going by the Nokia 2.3, we can expect the 2.4 to feature an HD+ display, an octa-core processor that is paired with decent RAM and storage options to choose from. The phone is expected to run on stock Android 10 out-of-the-box and likely comes with a high capacity battery.

The Nokia 2.3 features dual cameras just as we can see in the leaked renders of the Nokia 2.4 above. On the 2.3, the dual cameras consist of a primary 13MP camera along with 2MP depth sensor for portrait mode and bokeh effects.

The Nokia 2.4 is rumoured to be powered by the MediaTek Helio P22 processor that could be paired with 2GB/3GB RAM and 32GB/64GB storage options to choose from. The phone could feature a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio.

There are rumours that the Nokia 2.4 will launch alongside the Nokia 6.3 and Nokia 7.3 at IFA 2020 that begins on September 3 in Berlin.
A London teenager who disappeared in a Malaysian jungle was not sexually assaulted before her death, an inquest has been told.

Nora Quoirin's naked body was discovered in a stream at the bottom of a rocky slope last summer and had been dead for four days before rescuers found her.

A sexual assault was today ruled out by a forensic expert, with a post-mortem ruling the 15-year-old had died from internal bleeding in her intestine, through stress and starvation.

Nora Quoirin (pictured) was not sexually assaulted prior to her death, an inquest has heard

Nora vanished from the Dusun rainforest resort, around 45 miles from Kuala Lumpur, where she had been staying with her parents and siblings on August 3 last year.

A huge rescue operation was launched involving more than 350 searchers, including volunteers, sniffer dogs and a shaman before she was found dead ten days later.

Noor Aidora Saedon, head of forensics, told the coroner today the schoolgirl had died four days before her body was discovered by hikers.

An autopsy took place less than an hour after her body was airlifted from the water, the inquest heard.

Last week, the court was told how the girl was approached by a stranger at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Father Sebastien had left Nora, who had learning difficulties, with her two younger siblings - aged 12 and eight - for less then five minutes while he went to meet his wife, Meabh, who was flying in separately, at the arrival gate.

A female police office told the inquest that as Sebastien walked away, despite only taking around 30 steps, the siblings were approached by an unknown male.

Police believe Nora simply wandered off and that there is no 'criminal element' involved.

Officers say she was able to leave the resort by herself by getting out of a window which had a faulty latch.

A map shows the Dusun Resort near Seremban in Malaysia where Nora disappeared last year

Parents Meabh and Sebastien (pictured calling for their daughter with a megaphone last year) demanded an inquest after arguing their daughter would not have wandered off

DNA analysis established no evidence of penetration prior to her death.

The Mirror reports the expert telling the court: 'The body may have been exposed to the elements, differing night-and-day temperatures, partially submerged in a flowing stream... these are conditions which are also taken into consideration when analysing samples and preparing the report.

'There was no foreign matter lifted or found on the outside of the body to indicate a foreign DNA.

'In short, we have done the analysis as thoroughly as I could and we could not find any foreign DNA on the body.'

The hearing continues.
UAE has betrayed the Islamic world along with Palestinians by reaching a deal to normalising ties with Israel, said Irans Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as per a Reuters report.

"Of course, the UAEs betrayal will not last long, but this stigma will always be remembered. They allowed the Zionist regime to enter the region and forgot Palestine, he said.



Top aides to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the United Arab Emirates on a historic flight from Tel Aviv on Monday to finalise a pact marking open relations between the Gulf power and Israel.

History being made

Even before discussions start in Abu Dhabi, the delegates made aviation history when the Israeli commercial airliner flew over Saudi territory on the direct flight from Tel Aviv to the UAE capital.



AP

"That's what peace for peace looks like," Netanyahu tweeted, describing a deal for formal ties with an Arab state that does not entail handover of land that Israel captured in a 1967 war.



Announced on August 13, the normalisation deal is the first such accommodation between an Arab country and Israel in more than 20 years and was catalysed largely by shared fears of Iran.



Palestinians were dismayed by the UAE's move, worried that it would weaken a long-standing pan-Arab position that called for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory - and acceptance of Palestinian statehood - in return for normal relations with Arab countries.



Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and national security adviser Robert O'Brien head the U.S. delegation. The Israeli team is led by O'Brien's counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat. Officials will explore bilateral cooperation in areas such as commerce and tourism, and Israeli defence envoys are due to visit the UAE separately.



A new way forward

"I prayed yesterday at the (Western) Wall that Muslims and Arabs throughout the world will be watching this flight, recognising that we are all children of God, and that the future does not have to be pre-determined by the past," Kushner told reporters on the tarmac at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport.



Israeli officials hope the two-day trip will produce a date for a Washington signing ceremony, perhaps as early as September, between Netanyahu and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.



That could give Trump a foreign policy boost ahead of his re-election bid in November.



ANI

The Trump administration has tried to coax other Sunni Arab countries concerned about Iran to engage with Israel. The most powerful of those, Saudi Arabia, while opening its airspace to the El Al flight, has signalled it is not ready.



Not everyone is happy

Hours before the plane landed three people were killed and several others were injured in two separate explosions in Abu Dhabi and UAE tourism hub Dubai, police and local media said.



The Abu Dhabi government media office said two people were killed in the blast in the capital, which the National daily reported had hit KFC and Hardee's restaurants.



In a second incident, one person was killed when a gas cylinder exploded in a Dubai restaurant, local media reported.



AFP

Like all El Al 737s, the aircraft was equipped with an anti-missile system, an Israeli spokesman said, and carried security agents of the US Secret Service and the Israeli Shin Bet to guard the delegations.



On board the packed airliner, passengers were welcomed in Arabic as well as English and Hebrew, a gesture marking the historic flight.



"Wishing us all salaam, peace and shalom, have a safe flight," the pilot, Captain Tal Becker, said on the intercom, in Arabic, English and Hebrew, using all three languages to also announce the flight number and destination.



Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's executive committee, said Kushner and his team were "scrambling to convince as many Arab and Muslim leaders as possible" to give Trump an election boost.



"They will be a prop at the backdrop of a meaningless spectacle for a ridiculous agreement that will not bring peace to the region," she said.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has received two significant donations of sanitisers to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Energy and chemical company, Sasol and Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister, Thoko Didiza, on behalf of Ondersterpoort Biological Products, donated the sanitisers.

The donation, which took place on Monday, coincides with the return of the final group of learners, as part of the phased reopening of schools.

"I want to sincerely thank Sasol for this donation because it has allowed us to open schools safely. Education is very important and a lifeline for poor children. We are a very big system and every donation makes a huge difference," said the Minister.

The handover of 80 000 litres of hand sanitisers from Sasol took place at Sasol Bowling in Johannesburg, followed by the donation from Ondersterpoort Biological Products in Pretoria.

With limited resources within government, Motshekga said her department had to reprioritise its budget from key areas to combat the safety challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"COVID-19 has brought a new dynamic, which is not only disrupting our schooling time but also our resources. The money that we were supposed to use for sanitation infrastructure had to be used for sanitisers, masks and all sorts of things, which were not part of our plan.

"Treasury said to us there is no new money, reprioritise within your budget. We had to take money from other budgets to deal with this main factor of safety in our schools," Motshekga said.

Sasol Vice President for Social Investment, Gao Mothoagae, said the initiative was the energy company's way of contributing to the fight against COVID-19.

"This sanitiser initiative has been running for the last four months. We are so proud about what we have been able to do in collaboration with our base energy team and Sasol energy team, and all our teams to be able to deliver solutions that impact and protect the right to life for so many," said Mothoagae.
The WININ application allows the user the opportunity to win special prizes by downloading the application and selecting the desired brand. WININ has wide variety of more than 30 brands, such as Noon, Careem, Talabat, Shoe Mart, Max, Home Center, Lifestyle, Babyshop, Let's Tango, Jarir Bookstore, Dumyah, Jamalon, PlayStation and others. Once the user/player chooses the brand, the application's system quickly scans the area around them for prizes. The player must then go to the location of these prizes and capture them via the phone camera. Merging the technology of augmented reality within the player's phone camera; the player will be able to see the prizes before their eyes as if they're actually around them.

On this occasion, the CEO of A.R.E.A Mrs. Dabia Ebbini, has expressed her excitement launching A.R.E.A. She said: "I am extremely optimistic about the new application and the levels of success it will achieve. I strongly believe it will create a unique environment that will provide new advertising opportunities for many brands while granting its users special prizes."

The idea of WININ has stemmed from the current wave of creativity in the advertisement industry, as A.R.E.A has noticed the importance of virtual advertising in the current world, it decided to utilize this feature to create new virtual realities around the player and revolutionize the field of marketing.

The WININ application offers prizes and gifts in all countries where the application is available; with around 50,000 prizes. In mid-June of this year, the company has celebrated the launch of the application for the first time, where it had accumulated more than 200,000 downloads. The app currently has more than 25,000 winners from different countries.

It is also worth mentioning that the application provides a wide range of new advertising opportunities that differ from what's other advertisements websites offer. It promises its clients fast results in real-time and provides them with the necessary steps to successful sales flow by attracting the specified targeted audience, among many other services. WININ also plans to create an advertising plan that will make it able to reach countries like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.

About Mrs. Dabia Ebbini

Founder and CEO of A.R.E.A., Mrs. Dabia believes that determination, confidence, and unbridled vision are exactly what it takes to change the world. Her professional beginnings were mired in the advertisement world. She started by producing live TV programs and commercials, which led her to establish and manage VAS company to facilitate her own live TV programs. Moreover, her insightful future vision pushed her towards finding new technology, where she can employ and use her accumulated experience in the field of advertisement and communication in the best possible way. And here came the idea of THE APP, where she was able to transform one wild idea into a well-established company that would revolutionize the market and makes history a witness to it; making a difference to the world through one application.

Who we are?

A.R.E.A was founded in 2019 as the first Arab application for augmented reality company. A.R.E.A is a global company registered in the Cayman Islands and headquartered in Jordan. It is available in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, and Kuwait, and aims to achieve 4 million users, with about 850,000 gifts.

What we do?

A.R.E.A provides its clients with the latest programming, development, and marketing techniques for their products and services, aiming to achieve prosperity using the best technology.

How do we work and how do we make a difference?

All members of A.R.E.A adhere to professional standards, where A.R.E.A aims to achieve efficiency for its clients by providing its team with exceptional training.

For more information, please visit: www.wininapp.com or follow us on our social media pages:

Instagram: @WininApp

Twitter: @WWINApp

Facebook: @WininApp

YouTube: @WininApp

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1247219/AREA_Winin_App_Team.jpg

Contact:

Bashir Mraish

Email: [email protected]

+962796020000

SOURCE A.R.E.A

Related Links

http://www.wininapp.com


"At Tillamook, our purpose is to nourish lives in a growing world, and we want to support all farmers who share that mission," said Patrick Criteser, TCCA president and CEO. "We are launching the Tillamook ' All For Farmers ' campaign and grant program by partnering with American Farmland Trust (AFT) and farmworker advocate, Eva Longoria, to raise awareness and dollars to help farmers survive a multi-year downturn and thrive in the future."

An award-winning actor, producer, director and activist, Eva Longoria brings her star power and passion for American agriculture and the farmworker community to the Tillamook 'All For Farmers' effort. Longoria is a longtime advocate for farmers and farmworkers and is committed to doing her part to address the challenges facing agriculture today.

"I am thrilled to join forces with Tillamook and American Farmland Trust to support this new initiative and continue to advocate on behalf of farmers and farmworkers," said Longoria. "While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the fact that farmers and farmworkers are now 'essential,' they have always been essential to our food supply and they deserve our continued support and protection."

AFT is a not-for-profit national organization with a mission to protect farmland, promote sound farming practices and keep farmers on the land. About half of the Tillamook 'All For Farmers' Grants will go to preserve land on at-risk farms. The remainder of the funds will be used to award grants directly to farmers to help them access land that is ready for farming, improve land security, enhance farm viability, and/or adopt new farming practices.

"An average 2,000 acres of rich farmland is being lost each day to commercial development," said Beth C. Sauerhaft, PhD, Vice President, Programs, American Farmland Trust. "An important step in supporting farmers and preserving the farming way of life in America is to protect the land itself. The financial commitment from TCCA will help to do just that and so much more."

American Agriculture in Financial Peril

The COVID-19 pandemic is placing a spotlight on a complex U.S. food system that disconnects consumers and farmers and worsens the plight for many who raise crops and livestock. It also comes at a time when many farmers were already financially struggling.

An estimated 580 farmers filed for Chapter 12 bankruptcy protection in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2020, translating into an 8% increase from a year earlier. Additionally, U.S. farm debt has grown to more than $425 billion  the largest since the farm crisis in the 1980s.

Criteser explains that when the pandemic forced restaurants, hotels and schools to close, the rigid multi-stage food supply chain made it difficult for farmers who supply those foodservice sectors to pivot and get their products directly to people. In many parts of the country, farmers were forced to give away or even destroy the goods they produced.

The U.S. government is providing billions of dollars to farmers this year to help those financially hurt by the coronavirus, but more has to be done and more have to step up to fight for the future of farming.

"The unpredictability of the pandemic and the complexities of the supply chain are squeezing the economics for many producers and putting many multi-generational farms at risk," said Criteser. "This year's unique challenges have accelerated and intensified the hardships that many farmers across the country were already facing."

Tillamook Gives Back

Being a farmer-owned and farmer-led co-op gives TCCA a resilient edge. TCCA farmer-owners direct the entire production chain and are accountable to consumers. In other words, the business model brings farmers and people closer together, while the opposite typically happens with corporate food production where farmers simply supply goods and are then removed from the decision-making process.

"Our business model enables responsible growth, sustains the farming way of life for our owners, and allows us to give back with initiatives like All For Farmers," said Criteser.

Five years ago, people would have found Tillamook cheese, ice cream and other premium dairy products primarily in the Pacific Northwest. Today, Tillamook products can be found throughout the country.

Dairy Lovers Can Take Action

This fall, Tillamook is encouraging people everywhere to help support farmers from across the country in three easy ways.

Buy Tillamook . Every Tillamook product purchased at grocery retail locations in September will support America's farmers, with 10% of all sales being donated to AFT.*

Every product purchased at grocery retail locations in September will support America's farmers, with 10% of all sales being donated to AFT.* Get Informed. Everyone should educate themselves about farming and those who produce food today. All month long, Tillamook will share farmer profiles at AllForFarmers.com and at @ Tillamook on social media. The unique stories and interviews will demonstrate that farmers are: Technologically and business savvy. The original environmentalists, committed to protecting the air, land and water. Diverse in age, gender, ethnicity and in size of farm  because all types of farmers and farms are needed to provide a robust and sustainable food supply.

Everyone should educate themselves about farming and those who produce food today. All month long, will share farmer profiles at AllForFarmers.com and at @ on social media. The unique stories and interviews will demonstrate that farmers are: Say Thanks. Tillamook is inviting consumers to join in thanking farmers this harvest season by using the hashtag #AllForFarmers on social media. Tillamook will award free ice cream for a year to 10 randomly selected consumers who share their thanks for farmers using both the #AllForFarmers and #Sweepstakes hashtags September 1 through September 30 .

Tillamook will announce its total donation to AFT on October 12, National Farmers' Day. On the same day, AFT will open the grant application to farmer applicants. More details about the TCCA 'All For Farmers' initiative can be found at AllForFarmers.com.

*Tillamook will donate 10% of sales, up to $1.6 million.

About Tillamook County Creamery Association

Founded in 1909 as a farmer-owned cooperative, the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA) prides itself on its commitment to bringing to market the most consistent, best tasting, highest quality dairy products made in the most natural way possible. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves real food that makes them feel good every day, Tillamook has earned top awards for their cheese, ice cream, sour cream, butter and yogurt products made with unwavering values that never sacrifice or compromise quality for profit. The TCCA is owned by almost 80 farming families, primarily based in Tillamook County, Oregon. Tillamook operates production facilities in Tillamook and Boardman, Oregon and employs more than 900 people throughout the state. The Tillamook Creamery is the largest tourist attraction on the coast of Oregon and one of the most popular in the state, attracting more than one million visitors each year. For more information on Tillamook, visit Tillamook.com.

About American Farmland Trust

American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through its No Farms, No Food message. Since its founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and supported thousands of farm families. Learn more at https://farmland.org/.

Media Contacts:

Liz Conant

[email protected]

Bridget Ryan, TCCA

[email protected]

SOURCE Tillamook County Creamery Association

Related Links

https://www.tillamook.com


A British drugmaker become the third company this week to begin the third phase of trials for its coronavirus vaccine in the United States.

AstraZeneca, a biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, England, announced Monday the start of its large-scale, Phase 3 clinical trail for its COVID-19 vaccine, named AZD1222.

In July, results from the Phase 1 and 2 trials, published in The Lancet, showed the vaccine was tolerated and generated robust immune responses against the coronavirus in all individuals who participated in the trials, according to a statement from AstraZeneca.

We are pleased that AZD1222 demonstrated safety and immunogenicity across all adult age groups, said Mene Pangalos, a member of the companys senior executive team. Should clinical trials demonstrate the vaccine protects against COVID-19 disease and is approved for use, we will work hard to make it globally available in a fair and equitable manner as rapidly as possible.

Both Moderna, Inc., a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Pfizer and BioNTech have already started the third phases of their coronavirus vaccine trials. The two companies, like AstraZeneca, have received millions in federal funds to develop their vaccines.

AstraZenecas U.S. trial, called D8110C00001, is funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is being run by the drugmaker in partnership with Oxford University.

Thirty-thousand adults who are healthy or have stable underlying medical conditions from across the country are being recruited for the trial.

A total of 50,000 individuals, though, will participate in late-stage trials for the vaccine across multiple countries, including in the U.K., Brazil and South Africa. Trials are planned to start in Japan and Russia as well.

As part of the U.S. study, participants will randomly receive two doses of either AZD1222 or a saline control four weeks apart, with twice as many participants receiving the potential vaccine than the saline control, according to AstraZeneca.

Results from the late-stage trials are anticipated later this year, depending on the rate of infection within the clinical trial communities, AstraZeneca said in its statement.

The British drugmaker is working with governments and other partners to ensure there is broad and equitable access to the vaccine if clinical trials prove successful, the company said.

The global supply capacity of the AZD1222 vaccine stands at roughly 3 billion doses given recent announcements out of Brazil, China, Japan, Latin America, Russia and South Korea, according to AstraZeneca.

The companys announcement Monday comes the same week that top officials at the World Health Organization said that authorizing the use of any coronavirus vaccine candidate is a decision that should not be done lightly.

WHO Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan pointed out the emergency use authorization or licensing of a vaccine has to be done with a great deal of seriousness and reflection, Newsweek reported.

The same day of Swaminathans comments, AstraZeneca released a statement emphasizing its commitment to high safety standards and broad access to its COVID-19 vaccine.

At the heart of AstraZenecas core values is to follow the science and adhere to the highest scientific and clinical standards, making the safety and efficacy of the vaccine of paramount importance, the statement said. The companys submissions for market authorization will meet the stringent requirements established by regulators everywhere around the world.

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Business leaders have warned that the Chancellor's job retention bonuses will not stop them from laying off staff.

Rishi Sunak is offering employers a 1,000 grant for every furloughed employee they keep on when the job retention scheme winds down at the end of October.

But fewer than one in five business leaders who have furloughed staff say these payouts will actually help them keep hold of their workers, according to a poll carried out by the Institute of Directors.

Rishi bonus: Chancellor Rishi Sunak is offering employers a 1,000 grant for every furloughed employee they keep on when the job retention scheme winds down at the end of October

And just 3 per cent said they will have a 'substantial effect' on their ability to retain workers.

With the Treasury considering plans to raise corporation tax from 19 per cent to 24 per cent to help pay for the Covid crisis, the IoD described the job retention bonus as a 'sticking plaster' and urged Sunak to cut taxes including employer's national insurance contributions to prevent a 'surge in unemployment'.

An audit by the Mail has revealed that top British firms have already announced plans to lay off more than a quarter of a million workers since the Covid crisis began.

But the threat of more lay-offs increases from today when employers will be forced to contribute to the wages of furloughed staff for the first time.

The Government will reduce its contribution to 70 per cent of wages up to 2,500 per month, down from 80 per cent.

Firms will have to top up salaries to 80 per cent, and continue to pay national insurance contributions and pension contributions.

Just over half the 730 business directors who took part in the IoD's poll said they were confident about being able to start contributing to the wages of furloughed staff.

But 28 per cent said that they were pessimistic about being able to meet these additional costs.

Tej Parikh, chief economist at the IoD, said: 'As the furlough scheme winds down, job losses are starting to mount.

'The job retention bonus is just a sticking plaster, and is unlikely to give many businesses the support needed to retain staff.'

The IoD's hard-hitting intervention came as accountancy giant KPMG warned that the UK economy is unlikely to recover until early 2023 as it slashed its growth forecasts.

It now expects the economy to shrink by 10.3 per cent this year, compared with the 7.2 per cent fall it predicted in June.
BRUSSELS: A draft EU ban on microplastics would allow industry to use even smaller particles in cosmetics, detergents and paints, which could be more damaging than the tiny pieces of plastic already clogging up the natural world, campaigners and some EU advisers say.

The Commission, the EU executive, will next year seek a ban following a proposal from EU agency the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to prevent the addition of microplastics to certain products sold in Europe.

ECHA originally sought to prohibit microplastics with a minimum size of 1 nanometre (nm) for particles and 3 nm for fibres. But after input from expert groups and industry, it increased the minimum size for particles by 100 times to 100 nm.

Analysis by the non-profit network European Environmental Bureau (EEB), published on Tuesday, said this would allow companies to use smaller nanoplastic particles.

It gives manufacturers a perverse incentive to switch production from micro to nano plastic, which may be more harmful to human and animal health because it can more easily get inside and harm living cells," the EEB said.

ECHA told Reuters it increased the size limit to ensure the restriction could be enforced, after industry groups said it is not possible to monitor the smallest particles.

European chemicals industry group CEFIC is among those seeking the exclusion of smaller nanoplastics from the ban.

In many cases, the lower sizes are impossible to measure, which compromises the ability to implement and enforce the restriction," CEFIC told Reuters in an email.

Most intentionally added microplastics are bigger than 100 nm, although smaller particles are added to some cosmetics and laundry detergents.

The Committee for Risk Assessment, an expert group advising the Commission, said there is a significant knowledge gap," but research suggests smaller particles are more toxic and can penetrate deeply into the cells of marine life.

Not banning these smaller particles may lead to regrettable substitution to particles with smaller size," it said.

In Europe, around 42,000 tonnes of intentionally-added microplastics are released into the environment annually.

Microplastics, which are also created when bigger pieces of plastic litter break up over time, have been found in almost all environments investigated, including polar sea ice and the deepest ocean trenches.

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
Baylor College of Medicine has launched an initiative, the culmination of campus discussions since the killing of George Floyd, aimed at overcoming public health disparities that cause minorities to shoulder a greater burden of COVID-19 and other diseases.

The initiative, touted as a strengthening of its commitment to racial justice as a means to improve public health, calls for the elite Houston college to better recruit and retain minorities, bring STEM education to more minorities, educate staff about structural racism and develop strategies to enroll more minorities in clinical trials.

We are hopeful that this commitment really galvanizes our community, said Dr. Toi Harris, Baylor associate provost of institutional diversity, inclusion and equity. Its a significant step across the college, coming together in this moment of national unrest to make an impact.

The initiative follows statements by a number of national medical groups, such as the Association of American Medical Colleges, about racisms adverse impact on the health of Black Americans and others across (similar) socioeconomic lines.

In addition, Baylor President Dr. Paul Klotman has made racism and health care the subject of a number of the weekly video messages he has taped since the pandemic changed life in Houston. In one, he drew parallels between the threat posed by the two forces.

Systemic injustice and racism is equally a problem, Klotman said after talking about the coronavirus. Its just as likely to wipe us out as a society as COVID-19 is to wipe us out as a species. We have to take both equally seriously. These are existential threats to us and our way of life.

Klotman made those comments soon after the police killing of Floyd, a longtime Houstonian whose May death at the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis triggered global outrage. A few days later, more than 1,000 Houston healthcare professionals and students gathered for a vigil at Hermann Park Reflection Pool  White Coats for Black Lives  where they stood in silence to protest police violence.

The new Baylor initiative was put together by its Office of Institutional Diversity, Inclusion and Equity and Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, then approved by the colleges leadership and board of trustees.

In a position paper about the initiative, the authors wrote that Black and Hispanic doctors and scientists do not have the same access to quality mentoring, successful research opportunities or pathways to promotion that their white counterparts do, and they face more structural barrier.

They also wrote that evidence suggests a correlation between implicit racial bias and disparities in healthcare due to the influence of negative racial bias on physician clinical decision making, quality of patient care, patient health outcomes and patient satisfaction.

todd.ackerman@chron.com
The Cumberland County Democratic Committee is calling for the resignation of the countys district attorney following a social media comment they say casts doubt on his ability to ensure fair trials and the safety of the Black community.

But Cumberland County District Attorney Skip Ebert, a Republican, said the committee is taking out of context his Facebook comment on the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, adding he was trying to shed some light onto a negative thread, which has since been removed.

Ebert had written, What was (Blakes) criminal record? What was he being arrested for? Why was he unable to comply with police requests?

Ebert said he was telling posters on the thread that these questions remain in a case that is under investigation.

Blake, a Black man who was shot multiple times by police while his back was turned in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was left paralyzed, and the shooting, captured on cellphone video, ignited new protests over racial injustice in several cities.

The Cumberland County Democratic Committee released a statement on Facebook Monday saying, Mr. Ebert believes that Jacob Blake may have deserved to be shot and killed, despite never having a chance to defend himself in court or be tried by a jury of his peers.

The committee further says To ensure fair trials for all Cumberland County residents and for the safety of Black members of our community, we are calling for the resignation of District Attorney Skip Ebert.

Carlisle for Justice Transparency posted a screenshot of Eberts comment and part of the original post, which you can see here:

We are appalled at the recent Facebook comment made by our District Attorney Skip Ebert. For the past three months, we... Posted by Carlisle for Justice Transparency on Monday, August 31, 2020

But Ebert said Tuesday his comment was taken out of context by the two groups.

I was trying to say, why dont we wait to see what the facts are? Ebert said.

He noted he has been working as either a prosecutor or a judge since 1982, and he knows there are many factors to take into consideration when investigating a police shooting. A suspects background, criminal record and the degree of the crime they are accused of committing are all factors police officers have to consider in a potentially dangerous situation, as do investigators after the fact, which is what he said he was trying to point out with his questions.

And he takes issue with the committees statement expressing concern about the safety of Black people in the community under his watch.

I would never say an innocent African-American deserved to be shot in the back, Ebert said.

He said there has to be a full and complete investigation because, in many cases, police shootings have turned out to be justified. He added during his career, he has also prosecuted police officers who have been accused of crimes.

Carlisle for Justice Transparency has been holding demonstrations each weekday in front of the courthouse in Carlisle since the death of George Floyd, group member Mary Smith said Tuesday, and since then, they have been engaging with the borough council, police department and other public figures.

We just want more information. We want to know where our tax dollars are going, Smith said.

Group member John Werner added, We are concerned with transparency. Were not interested in making programmatic statements about defunding the police or reforming the police. Were not interested in calling for any course of action beyond greater public engagement from our elected officials.

And in their quest for information about justice reform and investigations into police activities, Smith said Ebert only sent them one email in response. The email states the district attorneys office has a mission to ensure that justice is done in a fair, effective and efficient manner for all citizens, regardless of race, religion, politics, gender and social or economic status.

Group members called the letter absolutely unsatisfactory and failing to acknowledge racism in the criminal justice system. They said they did not get a follow-up response, making Eberts comments on the Facebook post his only other public statements on a national movement, she added.

If your district attorney is comfortable with backing up the police over Facebook and not answering constituent concerns about how he handles police violence, it makes it easy to question whose side Skip Ebert would be on, she added.

Werner said the group has nothing to add to the Democratic Committees calls for resignation, but he said such calls wouldnt be necessary if Ebert was more transparent with them.

But Ebert said Tuesday the questions he posed in the Facebook are something he would reconsider after seeing how they were misconstrued.

I should have taken into consideration the political climate in this country, he said. I thought it would be helpful to tell people lets wait until we get the facts.

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Coronavirus infections continue to be registered, with many looking at the Iranians in the city and their actions reports SY 24.

One hundred fifty-six new cases of coronavirus were recorded in governmental hospitals in the Syrian capital Damascus during the past hours and dozens of foreign nationals were quarantined.

The SY 24 correspondent in Damascus, quoting medical sources, said that al-Mouwasat Hospital admitted 37 coronavirus cases on Sunday and 30 cases on Monday, while Assad University Hospital received 89 patients on Sunday and Monday.

The sources confirmed to SY 24 that more than five foreign families were quarantined in the al-Jameel Plaza Hotel in the al-Sayeda Zainab region, which is the designated place to quarantine Iranian nationals who test positive for the virus.

According to the sources, all of the people who tested positive had attended the religious celebrations held by Irans militia in the al-Sayeda Zainab region on the occasion of Ashura. Hundreds of people gathered without taking preventive measures.

Pro-Iranian militia pages published pictures they said depicted the burning tent ceremony, a part of the reenactment of the Karbala battle.

At an earlier stage, the people of Aleppo accused the Iranian militias of spreading the coronavirus due to their lack of commitment to any kind of prevention and deliberately wandering around the markets, touching goods, which prompted them to demand their expulsion from the city.

The Syrian regime insists on not disclosing the accurate number of people with coronavirus in its areas of control. Yesterday, the regimes intelligence services arrested two nurses from the al-Mahaini Hospital in Damascus because they revealed information about the number of infections, according to the SY 24 correspondent in Damascus.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
In a major revelation in India-China border clash, the Chinese People`s Liberation Army troops with help of ropes and other climbing equipment started climbing at a table-top area between Black Top and Thakung Heights at Pangong Tso`s south bank. At least 500 Chinese soldiers gathered in Thakung area of Pangong with tanks.

The Indian Army was already ready and China had to kneel before the might of the Indian soldiers. The attempt was thwarted by the Indian troops, the Army said on Monday.

However, no gunshot was fired during the retaliation by the Indian army and no soldiers were killed during the clash. This comes more than two and a half months after the Galwan Valley clashes.

Earlier, Indian intelligence agencies had alerted the Indian Army about the Chinese`s PLA plans to change the status quo in other areas along the Line of Actual Control. Thereafter, skirmishes erupted between both sides but things did not escalate. When Chinese troops saw the strength of Indian troops, the skirmishes stopped.

Meanwhile, the two sides resumed brigade commander-level talk to resolve all contentious issues on Tuesday (September 1, 2020). According to the sources, the talks began around 10 AM in Chushul on the Indian side of the border.

Also Read: India-China Brigade Commander level talks begin in Chushul after PLA's alleged infiltration bid in Pangong Lake

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, along with top officials, reviewed the situation at the India-China border, sources said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is also likely to call another high-level meeting later today, they added.

"On the night of August 29/30, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo," said Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand in a statement on Monday.

On the contrary, the Chinese embassy in India on Tuesday (September 1, 2020) issued a fresh statement on the latest skirmish with the Indian troops and blamed the latter for violating the consensus and crossing the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Also Read: Chinese troops entered Pangong with ropes, trekking tools; know inside story

The Chinese military had on Monday demanded India to withdraw its troops from the China-India border in order to avoid escalation of tension.
HOUSTON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Apollo Chamber Players (Apollo) announces that it is among a select group of regional artists and organizations to receive a Mid-America Arts Alliance ARTISTIC INNOVATIONS grant. Apollo, in partnership with Documentary Alliance, will produce a multidisciplinary project titled "Before the Decade is Out" featuring a film documentary with live musical performance and lecture centered around Apollo's 202020 project, inspired by President John F. Kennedy's famous Moonshot initiative. 12 organizations were funded from an applicant pool of 96.

MAAA Innovations Grant "Before the Decade is Out..." MoonStrike Concert (Sept. 2019) with astronaut John Herrington, narrator

Funding for Apollo's Mid-America grant is drawn from generous underwriting by the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and foundations, corporations, and individuals throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Mid-America Arts Alliance, the nation's oldest regional arts organization, was founded in 1972 to foster cultural growth in heartland communities.

Todd Stein, Mid-America's CEO said, "Apollo Chamber Players is to be commended for their commitment to serving their community with this distinctive project. Audiences in the Houston and SE Texas will have the opportunity to see the exciting work of Apollo."

Launched in 2014, 202020 is a vanguard initiative to commission 20 new multicultural works by 2020. The project roster includes new works for string quartet and larger instrumentation configurations by Pulitzer Prize, Grammy and Emmy-winning composers such as Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Theofanidis, Libby Larsen and Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate. The thirty-minute documentary, filmed by award-winning documentarian Jeffrey Mills, will follow the commissioning process from beginning to end, capturing a behind-the-scenes look at Apollo and project composers/guests.

"20x2020 has raised Apollo's profile in Houston and internationally, as we've explored a myriad of cultures the world over," states Apollo founder and Artistic & Executive Director Matthew J. Detrick. "We are excited to collaborate with Jeffrey Mills and Documentary Alliance on this synergistic project to tell the story of Houston through the lens of Apollo and our bold project."

For more information about Apollo Chamber Players, visit www.apollochamberplayers.org

For information about Mid American Arts Alliance, visit www.maaa.org

For a complete roster of composers and artists, and information about 20x2020 Project and Festival 20x2020: https://www.apollochamberplayers.org/20x2020/#whatis20x2020

High-Resolution Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5k6zv6ygqqo16v1/Apollo%20Chamber%20Players%20in%20concert%2C%20Credit%3A%20Ben%20Doyle.jpg?dl=0

For more high-resolution images and video footage, contact

Admin and PR Manager Jessica Gonzalez at 254-231-7525 or [email protected]

Apollo Chamber Players

www.apollochamberplayers.org

3400 Main St. STE 297

Houston, Texas 77002

Phone: 832-496-9943

Media Contact:

Matthew J. Detrick, Executive & Artistic Director | 832-496-9943 | [email protected]

Jessica Gonzalez, Administrative & PR Manager | 254-231-7525 | [email protected]

SOURCE Apollo Chamber Players

Related Links

http://www.apollochamberplayers.org


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Michael Kerr thought he would be back to work by now. When the 52-year-old from Reading, Pa., was put on furlough from his retail manager position in mid-March, he figured the business would reopen by April, reinstating him and other employees.

But as his furlough dragged on into June, he realized his job loss would become permanent, leaving him without income or his employer-sponsored health insurance.

"I felt like I needed to cover myself in bubble wrap and stay in the house," he said. "Every ache and pain got a little bit more scary."

Kerr is one of millions of American workers who have lost their job-based health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kaiser Family Foundation has estimated that 27 million Americans could lose their employer-sponsored insurance and become uninsured due to the pandemic. Older workers under age 65 are among the most vulnerable.

Those numbers are staggering to people such as Kerr, who not only have to pay higher premiums for health insurance as they get older but may also have a harder time finding a new job, even when the economy isn't in a recession. "The closer you get to 60, the more difficult and scary it gets," he said. "Even by then, you've still got five more years to muddle through before getting government assistance."

Stan Dorn, director of the National Center for Coverage Innovation for the consumer group Families U.S., says that loss of insurance among people in the age range of 45 to 64 can be dire, as they often have greater health costs in medications or chronic conditions. "These folks are more expensive for an employer than younger adults because the average cost of health insurance is more for them," he said. And that added cost could be "an extra incentive to get rid of them."

The loss of health insurance for this group and others could also have a severe impact on the economy, Dorn said.

"When patients don't come to the hospital because they don't have insurance anymore, that means revenue dries up," he noted. "And those hospitals, clinics, and other providers would have to lay off staff."

Dorn also fears that the economy will continue to see more layoffs into the fall, and with it, more people losing their job-based health insurance. He thinks that could lead some people to delay or go without the care they need simply because they can no longer afford it.

"Patients with chronic conditions won't be able to afford their prescriptions, or they'll cut their pills in half," he said. "We'll see more people playing Russian roulette with their lives."

When the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, it increased coverage in two ways: by expanding Medicaid for the poor and improving plans for individuals. For the latter, the act set up a system so that nearly 90% of applicants received subsidies that reduced monthly premiums. The act also increased insurance protections for consumers, by banning plans that had lifetime caps on coverage or didn't cover preexisting conditions. More than 20 million people were able to get insurance. But over time, the law's regulations have been weakened, making room for new and cheaper plans with lesser coverage to enter the marketplace.

When Kerr realized that his furlough would turn into a permanent layoff and that his benefits would come to an end, he tried to navigate the health insurance marketplace on his own. But he quickly grew confused by the discrepancies in cost and coverage between all the available options.

"I almost made a bad decision on a plan that would've been more expensive and the coverage a lot less," he said of a plan through Oscar Health, which started providing coverage in the Philadelphia region only this year. "Health care really should be simplified somehow."

Kerr sought out the help of Young's Insurance Services, a health and life insurance brokerage agency based in Norristown. James Long, an agent there who frequently works with people in Kerr's age group, says that people in similar situations often have only two options: extend their employer-sponsored coverage by enrolling in COBRA, or find a plan through the marketplace and hope for discounts through subsidies. Long and agents like him are paid on commission, through marketing dollars incorporated into all policies.

Fortunately, Kerr qualified for some subsidies and was able to get an affordable plan through the marketplace, saving him from a COBRA option that was beyond his price range. But Long says that for people who are unable to receive subsidies, COBRA tends to be the better option.

Long often sees confusion among clients about how COBRA works. "Lots of people think it's its own health plan," he said. "But they're actually continuing on the same plan from their former employer, just now paying full price for it" without their employer's contribution.

That full price can lead to sticker shock, as Long notes that COBRA often falls in the range of $600 to $800 a month. Despite that jump in monthly cost, Long says that "equivalent plans on the marketplace without subsidies could be double that price."

David Grande, director of policy at the University of Pennsylvania's Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, agrees with Long that COBRA might be the best choice for some people. For a person to qualify for subsidies, he notes that a person's household income needs to be below 400% of the poverty level, or $86,880 for a family of three. "If you have the financial resources for COBRA, that's probably the best option."

Still, Grande bemoans the lack of federal intervention on health care, especially as pandemic-related economic damage grows more permanent. He thinks, like Kerr, that navigating the health-care marketplace is too confusing, and that there's a lot of misunderstanding around who qualifies for subsidies and what the different options are.

"There needs to be a strong national effort to make subsidized coverage advertised, available, and easy to access," he said. "We're seeing the limits of the Affordable Care Act through individuals who don't qualify for subsidies, who probably should be subsidized at a point like this."

Some of the solutions Grande sees for these problems would be to expand Medicaid in states that haven't already done so, increasing the number of people who are able to enroll. (Pennsylvania and New Jersey have both expanded Medicaid.)

State-based exchanges, which Pennsylvania is set to begin in 2021, could help cut costs for individuals, as well, but he says that bigger issues surround who qualifies for subsidies. Those regulations can be changed only by the federal government, he noted.

Ellen Grubawsky, another client of Young's Insurance Services, also had to find new coverage after her furlough became a permanent layoff at a company where she had worked for 30 years. But at age 62, the Perkiomenville resident is more worried about securing a new job before becoming eligible for Medicare at 65.

"I'm uneasy about finding a job when the time comes, but I just have to wait and see what happens," she said.

Though Grubawsky qualified for subsidies that gave her discounted options, she says, the final added cost of almost $300 a month on her new plan is one more bill that's increasingly difficult to pay without a steady income. Worse yet, she has concerns that her new insurance has less coverage than her job-based plan. "I'm not even sure the plan I picked is the best one."

While enrolling in a new plan has made Grubawsky feel more secure about her situation, she still feels uncertain about her finances for the future. She hasn't ruled out collecting her Social Security early or considering a reverse mortgage (a loan that allows homeowners over 62 to draw out part of their home's equity as income) if the economy doesn't improve. Though she's still able to support herself through her severance package, Grubawsky acknowledged "that money only goes so far."

"It's very scary," she said. "I feel very uneasy about the whole situation."

2020 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Tero Vesalainen/Getty Images/iStockphoto

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is warning the community of a contact tracing scam that has been occurring recently during the coronavirus pandemic, the department announced in a news release on Tuesday.

According to Metro Health, the scammers may call and pose as a contract tracer for Metro Health and will try to obtain personal information such as a social security number and a credit card number.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Tue, September 1, 2020 09:18 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41cfe87 2 World Brazil,narcotics,gang Free

Police launched what they called Brazil's biggest-ever anti-narcotics operation Monday against the country's largest gang, the First Capital Command (PCC), seeking to arrest hundreds of people.

More than 1,000 officers aimed to arrest 422 suspects and execute search and seizure warrants at 201 properties across 19 states, federal police said in a statement.

The operation targeted the Sao Paulo-based gang's financial infrastructure, blocking $46.6 million in bank deposits and seizing $1.1 million in cash, they said.

Investigators said they had identified the network responsible for laundering the gang's drug trafficking proceeds by following the money trail of payments made to 210 gang members in maximum-security prisons.

The payments were for holding "high-ranking posts in the criminal organization" and carrying out orders such as "executing public officials," they said.

Formed in 1993, the PCC is estimated to have more than 30,000 members.

It operates across most of Brazil and is involved in the international drug trade to Europe, Africa and Asia.

It is led by Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho, alias "Marcola," currently serving a more than 200-year sentence in a maximum-security prison in Brasilia.

The gang's turf wars and flare-ups have unleashed brutal violence at times, including a record crime wave in 2006, when members attacked hundreds of police stations and patrol cars.

The attacks, which left 90 people dead, were believed to have been triggered by plans to transfer Camacho and hundreds of other jailed gang leaders to maximum-security prisons.

Topics : Brazil narcotics gang
Troika Statement on the Peace Agreement Between Sudan Armed Opposition Groups

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

August 31, 2020



The United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway (the Troika) welcome the peace agreement between the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) and the Civilian-led Transitional Government of Sudan, initialed on 28 August 2020 as the first step in a long process to rebuild hope and stability for conflict-affected communities in Sudan. The peace agreement lays a foundation for sustainable peace and stability in Darfur and other conflict-affected areas that is critical for Sudan's democratic transition.

We recognize the concessions all have made to conclude these negotiations and call on all parties to implement the agreement in good faith, with the same spirit of partnership and compromise, and in a way that complement the ongoing talks with other groups. The agreement demonstrates the commitment of the parties to prioritize peace as called for in the August 2019 Constitutional Decree. It is an important step in restoring security, dignity, and development to the population of Sudan's conflict-affected and marginalized areas. We believe the formal agreement must be followed up with local peace and reconciliation efforts in the conflict-affected areas.

The Troika urges the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North-Abdelaziz al-Hilu and the Sudan Liberation Movement-Abdulwahid Al Nur to build on this achievement and to engage in serious negotiations with the Government of Sudan in order to achieve the promise of a comprehensive peace called for by the Sudanese people in the revolution of December 2018. All Sudanese have the right to live in peace and enjoy the same privileges and responsibilities. Only a fully inclusive national process can address fundamental questions relating to the identity of the state.

The non-violent December 2018 Revolution provided a once-in-a generation opportunity to transform Sudan into an inclusive, peaceful, and just state. The recent increase in violence in in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, and Port Sudan highlights the challenges to achieving sustainable peace. We urge the government and its partners to establish the Peace Commission and the Transitional Legislative Council and begin to bring accountable administration and justice to all of Sudan. A just Sudan requires neutral and professional security services that protect and safeguard all Sudanese equally. We urge the SRF, other opposition groups, and political parties to put aside differences and personal ambitions for the good of their entire country. The Troika urges Sudan's diverse communities to overcome old enmities and to unite to support this singular opportunity for lasting peace.

We commend the Government of South Sudan for its role in mediating the peace negotiations, and recognize the valuable support provided by the United Nations and regional and bilateral partners that helped make the peace agreement possible.

The Troika will continue to support the Sudanese people in their quest for freedom, peace, and justice.

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KITCHENER  A Kitchener woman who was turned away in her car at the American border has successfully completed the same trip by plane.

Liz Burch was on her way to Ann Arbor, Mich., to look after her two grandchildren when American border agents deemed her trip non-essential and asked her to turn around.

After driving three hours back to Kitchener, she booked a flight on Delta Air Lines and flew to Detroit just days later. She returned after two weeks this past weekend and is now self-isolating in her home.

It does seem rather ridiculous now that Im back, she said of being denied entry at the land border. I understand the government has to make big blanket decisions, but I still contend that its time for the next step to allow certain people the opportunity to drive and fly as they wish.

On March 21, U.S. Customs and Border Protection implemented temporary restrictions that limit entry at the U.S. northern and southern land borders.

The Canada-United States border will remain closed until at least Sept. 21.

Cross-border travel for the purpose of visiting family members in the United States is generally not allowed under the current travel restrictions, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson Kristoffer Grogan.

Limited exceptions may be granted for individuals who serve as caretakers or who are providing transport to a medical appointment.

Burch, as it turned out, did not fit the criteria to be granted acceptance by land.

But with Canadians able to freely fly to the United States during the pandemic, she questions why the two governments havent looked harder at introducing more exceptions for land travel.

She calls her flying experience safe and painless, moving through the airport without any major setbacks. Delta Air Lines is flying at 60 per cent capacity, with no two passengers sitting beside each other, and Burch wore a mask the entire time she was in the airport and on the plane.

The terminal felt nearly deserted, she said. Going through security was easy and distanced, and I did not feel crowded or unsafe at any point.

The lines were small, security enforced proper social distancing, and Burch faced no questions during immigration about whether her trip was essential or non-essential.

As per Canadian regulations for entrance back into the country, she and the rest of the passengers on her flight had their temperature taken to show they werent flying into the country with a fever.

Once she returned, she had the option of filling in paperwork or answering questions from the Canadian government on an app, and she received a confirmation message on her drive home she was in the system and would need to self-isolate for 14 days.

If the protocols remain in place long-term, Burch said she expects to continue to make the trip by air once every three months instead of once a month like she originally wanted to do.

Ill do it for necessary travel, and I consider looking after my grandchildren necessary, she said.

But the risk of contracting the virus and two weeks of self-isolation are her biggest deterrents for more consistent travel, she said. With a 69-year-old husband, she is completely isolating in their home, using a separate bathroom and living area.

It was safe and easy, but expensive and unnecessary compared to driving, she said. And when you think about it in terms risk, driving in a car is undoubtedly the better option.
Various initiatives were launched to raise awareness of the issues that many young people can confront in considering marriage in the interest of maintaining stable families, writes Mai Samih

With financial burdens increasing for many in Egypt due to circumstances that began earlier with the floatation of the Egyptian pound and then extended to the Covid-19 pandemic, getting married has become more complicated even for the countrys middle classes.

In a bid to help out, seat of Islamic learning Al-Azhar in Cairo has launched an initiative called Yasero wa la Toasero (Facilitate and Dont Complicate) that aims at facilitating marriage through raising the awareness of young people about to be married and their families about decreasing its costs, especially the dowries that are necessary in order to think about matrimony.

A shabka, or present of jewellery, usually gold, from the bridegroom to the bride, can reach LE25,000 to LE50,000, and the more precious the stones or diamonds that are used, the more one costs. The bridegroom pays a dowry that ranges from LE50,000 to LE70,000 in middle-class families, while it could be hundreds of thousands or even millions in the upper classes.

If a girls parents decide to organise an engagement party, it could cost them an average of LE10,000. However, most families do not organise engagement parties, but instead decide to split the costs of the wedding, which could cost from LE50,000 to LE120,000. The cost of the flat the bridegroom is required to buy could range from LE500,000 to LE800,000. It is the brides family that usually furnishes the flat, spending about LE100,000.

The bridegroom usually buys the wedding dress for his bride, which could cost from about LE50,000 to LE70,000. Renting one could cost LE500 for a simple dress to LE2,000 for a more elaborate one.

All these costs can add up, and as a result, various initiatives are working on raising peoples awareness about decreasing them and on helping young people considering marriage to understand it better.

Yasero wa la Toasero is an initiative promoted by the Islamic Research Academy (IRA) at Al-Azhar University related to the real-life experiences of people and concerned with causes directly related to their lives. This is in line with directions given by Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, IRA Secretary-General Nazeer Ayad said.

The main idea behind it is to build a strong and cohesive society that is able to upgrade the status of the Muslim family, focusing on the Muslim household and with the aim of social unity. This starts with facing the problem of expensive dowries that has prevailed for some time, resulting in many people being unwilling to marry because of increasing financial demands by both parties, Ayad said.

He added that there were other problems that could appear, like issues in the relationships between couples after marriage because of financial burdens. The family is the core from which an ideal society is built. It should be built using a moderate method without either excess or renunciation, so that there should not be too much attention paid to the financial side of marriage and neglect of the moral side of it, he said.

The Al-Azhar initiative is being carried out through preachers of both genders in government institutions, mosques, clubs, and youth centres and is based on solidarity between families.

Advice is given to young people and their families from people they know. It is suitable for all educational, cultural, financial, and intellectual levels, Ayad said, adding that social-media campaigns have reached a large number of people, especially young people, with these being addressed always in the language they know. The campaign takes into consideration the social reality of people and their personal interests.

The Islamic Sharia [law] and all its judgements are based on moderation without extravagance or renunciation. Islamic jurisprudence demands a bridegroom to pay a dowry to his future wife but not a sum that puts his household under pressure or that could result in consequences that may negatively affect the couple before or after their marriage in terms of dealing with life only through a materialistic perspective. This could affect the personalities of the generations to come, since it could make money their only goal in such a relationship, with the marriage then not taking into account the Sharia, he said.

Assistant IRC Secretary-General for female preachers Elham Shahine said that the initiative started last January as part of Al-Azhars plans for awareness campaigns aiming at tackling different family issues to obtain domestic and social security and peace and to eliminate negative habits such as the high dowries sometimes demanded by the parents of brides.

The initiative was the idea of Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, who directed that there must be more social awareness about this important issue. He stressed that it is very important for the family to be cohesive, and for all of us to return to the sound habits and behaviour of our forefathers and those we were brought up on in our deeply-rooted Eastern societies. We should put an end to the wrong actions that have been spreading lately, like attempts to copy many negative Western customs that do not match our values and traditions, she said.

Shahine said the main aims of the initiative were to raise peoples awareness about marriage costs in general as well as solve the problem of the expensive dowries that has been growing in society.

The initiative teaches people to apply the teachings of the Prophet Mohamed, which facilitate marriage as well as take into account the current expensive dowries that prevent the formation of families in legal form and could drive young people towards actions that are against the Sharia and proper social life, she said.

Yasero wa la Toasero aims at solving problems that could become dangerous issues and social problems that threaten the welfare of Muslim families and society in general. It also aims at stressing that an ideal family is one built on facilitation in matters of marriage by applying the teachings of the Prophet Mohamed, which guarantee building families on a sound basis around the concepts of affection and compassion between family members.

According to Shahine, the initiative operates by showing people practical examples. It works through preachers who visit the different governorates to meet people face-to-face, as well as preachers who use online platforms to talk to the public via videos to raise awareness. Around 3,000 preachers are participating in the initiative, presenting many religious and psychological guidelines about marital life. Due to the current coronavirus outbreak, they are using the Internet as a platform to talk to the targeted groups and raise awareness.

UNDERSTANDING MARRIAGE: There were around 200,000 divorces in Egypt in 2017, according to a study conducted by the Ministry of Social Solidarity, or more than 500 a day, the majority, over 80 per cent, being among newlyweds.

This is a huge number, said Ayman Abdel-Aziz, coordinator of the Mawada (Cordiality) initiative launched by the ministry to raise awareness and educate young people about marriage in a bid to lower divorce rates.

The idea is to give those who are about to get married the skills they need to form stable families. As for those who are already divorced, Abdel-Aziz said there were 200 conflict-resolution offices affiliated to the family courts of the Ministry of Justice to help.

The awareness and training of those as yet unmarried or divorced cover the social, health, and religious aspects of family life and divorce. Staff in the marriage process, such as registrars, are also given courses to be able to deal with trainees.

Last December, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi launched the Mawada online platform during the Youth Conference in Egypt, Abdel-Aziz commented. This is the first online platform in the Middle East specialising in raising the awareness of young people considering marriage and providing married couples with consultations open to everyone.

The platform is monitored by experts in the fields of sociology, psychology, and religion, as well as celebrities like actor Rashwan Tawfik, actress Nashwa Mustafa, and TV presenter Shafki Al-Moneyeri. Because of the current coronavirus pandemic, we are currently organising training sessions online. Last March, the number of applications we received was 695,472. This month, the site had over a million participants or views, he said.

We have launched 17 videos by psychologists teaching participants how members of a family should deal with each other and become a team and how a father and mother can make a positive atmosphere for their children at home. If children are brought up in an atmosphere full of conflicts, this can have a negative impact on their personalities and their ability to make decisions in the future, he added.

According to Abdel-Aziz, studies have shown that the largest number of divorcees who participated on the platform were from the three governorates of Cairo, Giza, and Alexandria.

The training courses have been accredited by the Higher Education Council, and the awareness lectures are now a precondition for graduating, so students are required to study subjects to raise their awareness about building a family before getting a degree, he explained. These new graduates will then be the nucleus of new and happy families.

Each student is given a certificate from Mawada, and thus far we have trained over 100,000 university students, and the percentage of applicants for training through our online platform is 200 per cent, he added.

The projects initial phase is now in full swing in Cairo, Helwan, and Ain Shams Universities in Cairo, as well as at the Universities of Port Said and Alexandria. So far, we have organised 30 training courses for young people and have already trained 884 trainees during the pandemic from 27 governorates, Abdel-Aziz said.

Participating in the process are trainers from the frontier governorates and the governorates of Upper Egypt, which was not easy before the platform started operating. They are mostly young people themselves, so they are able to convey the messages of the initiative to participants who are mostly also from the younger generations. The percentage of females is 63.6 per cent and the rest are males, he added.

Evaluation is important in order to find out how much a participant has learnt after finishing the course, with this feedback helping to develop the platform. For instance, we have had participants asking for sessions that can prepare them for changes that occur to a partner after marriage, as well as videos that raise awareness about superstitions about marriage, like the more children you have, the closer your husband will be, he said. Other materials help participants to learn how to financially organise their households, which can be another cause of trouble between a husband and wife.

Before the beginning of the lockdown, we thought that one of two scenarios could occur: either the percentage of divorces would increase, or partners would have a chance to become closer. So, we prepared for the worst by preparing 17 videos that teach couples how to respect one another and how to put themselves into each others shoes in order to avoid problems, he said.

The projects Facebook page has been viewed by 3.5 million people, and it also has a YouTube channel and a radio programme, Bil-Mawada Nekamel Hayatna (With cordiality we go on with our lives), Abdel-Aziz said.

A BRIGHTER FUTURE: I think the work that initiatives such as Yasero wa la Toasero and Mawada is doing is good in terms of raising peoples awareness about issues like the dowries that a bridegroom has to pay, which are more than any young man can afford, commented Cairo resident Gamila Mohamed, the mother of two sons.

It is very important for young couples to understand what marriage is before rushing into it. If our young people want a brighter future, they should not focus only on money when choosing a partner for themselves, but on ethics as well.

In a months time, we will be organising a course for engaged couples to teach them how to respect each other better and how to communicate effectively with each other, commented Abdel-Aziz.

We will work on raising the awareness of the community in two ways. The first is concerned with building the individual, who is the building block of the family. As for the second, it is about dealing with any issues that can appear, such as rumours and destructive thoughts, including indifference, Ayad said, adding that the initiative will be working with government institutions to reach all sectors of society to provide them with essential needs after the coronavirus pandemic ends.

We also have plans to expand our social-media activities and to reach a larger audience on the local and international level. We have designed an English-language website to address those who do not speak Arabic, in addition to an Arabic website that was designed many years ago as part of plans to support the local and international message of Al-Azhar, he concluded.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Investors look at a property project. Prices in this market have levelled off after a period of high prices but not reduced.- Photo batdongsan.com.vn

Most property experts said the real estate market would be able to recover after the pandemic.

According to them, investors do not want to invest in the real estate market amid difficulties but have faith it will rebound at a certain point.

Experienced investors would see the business opportunity in the difficult period while small investors would wait for market recovery, they said.

Ha Van Thien, deputy general director of real estate firm Tran Anh Group, said in the previous real estate market crisis, investors that researched carefully found opportunities with reputable property developers.

Pham Thanh Hung, vice chairman of Cen Group, also said like many other economic sectors, the real estate sector was affected by the pandemic, so prices in this market have levelled off after a period of high prices but not reduced.

Viet Nam looks set to have a golden period in the real estate market next 3-10 years. At that time, the property market will meet the basic demand for housing and people will have good financial conditions so they will invest in housing products to improve their quality of life, according to Hung. Therefore, the market is expected to have a new price level higher than that at present. Investors need to enhance investment in the property market.

The real estate market is entering a new period only for medium and long term investors. Some projects in regions with infrastructure projects, in urban areas with full facilities and in industrial zones have growth potential, according to Hung.

Also assessing real estate prices will increase sharply in the medium and long term, Duong Duc Hien, former Director of Sales Department of Savills Vietnam, said in the past 40 years, real estate prices on the domestic market had not once decreased.

Although the market had fluctuated depending on each period, in the long term, real estate prices would always go up because the population would always be increasing while land would not expand. "People always need housing products and in addition, costs related to land are on the rise," he said.

"We can see that in difficult economic times, many projects still have good liquidity. I still advise investors to only aim at medium or long term investment. Unfortunately, currently, Vietnamese investors still prefer short-term investments but forget that to gain high profits from real estate, they must invest long-term, "Hien told toquoc.vn.

Nguyen Xuan Thanh, a lecturer at the Fulbright University Vietnam, said investors who have spare cash should invest in the real estate market and accept a lower profit ratio than expected. But in the medium-long term, investment in the real estate market is still profitable.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, CEO of Dai Phuc Land, said in the short term, prices on the real estate market might slow sometimes, but in the long term the property market would still be a channel that brings good profits.

Investing depends on the needs and budget of each individual investor. Particularly for investment organisations, they will analyse and evaluate very carefully before entering the market, Huong said.

According to the experts, the difficulties in the property market this year will contribute to market purification for sustainable development in the future. At present, the market opens up business opportunities for property investors and buyers that have real demand. The market's challenge is temporary in the short term, while opportunities on this market are in the long term.
Colombo, Sep 1 : All functions of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) will be digitalised from September 17 to provide a smooth and more efficient service, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officials has informed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Prime Minister's Media Division said the SEC officials met Rajapaksa on Monday to inform him about the completion of the CSE's digitalisation process, reports the Daily Mirror newspaper.

SEC Chairman Viraj Dayaratne and Director General Chinthaka Mendis said the move was a great achievement considering the setback it suffered for 52 days due to Covid-19 pandemic.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Coral Gold Resources Ltd. (TSXV:CLH)(OTCQX:CLHRF) ("Coral" or the "Company") reports that Nevada Gold Mines ("NGM") continues to advance the Robertson Project in the Cortez region of Nevada where Coral retains a net smelter returns royalty (NSR).

NGM recently delivered its summary of work completed in Q2 2020 at Robertson. In terms of drilling activities at Robertson, NGM reported that the following was completed:

2,195 meters of resource drilling;

927 meters of geotechnical drilling;

354 meters of metallurgical drilling.

NGM is also progressing the evaluation and other pre-development activities at Robertson including:

Evaluating several processing scenarios for the Robertson Resource (see discussion on resource below);

Locating major infrastructure items such as crushing plant, CIC plan, heap leach pad, waste dump and haul roads;

Constructing test well drill pad for upcoming aquifer test; and

Continuing ongoing study work, including waste/ore and material characterization work and biological/archaeological baseline work.

As announced in Coral's news release dated March 16, 2020, Barrick included an inferred mineral resource at the Robertson project in their 2019 reserve and resource statement, included in the Cortez operation within Nevada Gold Mines.

Coral Gold Management is encouraged by the progress made during Q2 2020 on the Robertson Project, specifically with the evaluation of several processing scenarios and work to locate key infrastructure that, which signals progress in the development of Robertson.

Coral's NSR at Robertson

After the sale of the Robertson Project to Barrick in 2017 (now held within NGM), Coral retains a life of mine sliding scale, 1% to 2.25% NSR on the project. Coral's NSR is subject to potential advance royalty payments as well as a right of first refusal enabling NGM to acquire the NSR if the Company wishes to sell the NSR to any third party. The royalty increases with an increase in the price of gold. Details of the NSR are available on Coral's website.

Qualified Person

The technical data in this press release was reviewed and approved by Alan Morris, P.Geo, who is a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101.

About Coral Gold Resources Ltd.

Coral Gold Resources is a precious metals exploration company operating in Nevada, where it has explored one of the world's richest gold districts for over 30 years. The Company's primary asset is a sliding scale net smelter returns production royalty on Nevada Gold Mines' Robertson Property in Nevada. The Company also holds a portfolio of strategically-located exploration projects near Nevada Gold Mine's Pipeline/Cortez Mine Complex on Nevada's Battle Mountain/Cortez Trend. Coral remains debt free with a strong balance sheet. Our overall objective is to generate long-term wealth for shareholders.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"David Wolfin"

__________________________________________

David Wolfin

President & Chief Executive Officer

Coral Gold Resources Ltd.

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 release contains statements that are forward-looking statements and are based on numerous assumptions, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including risks inherent in mineral exploration and development, which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any projected future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such information contained herein represents management's best judgment as of the date hereof based on information currently available. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

SOURCE: Coral Gold Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604174/Coral-Gold-Provides-Q2-Report-on-Nevada-Gold-Mines-Progress-at-Robertson-Project-in-Nevada
David Frost, the UK's chief negotiator, and Michel Barnier, the EU's top Brexit official, in Brussels last week. - Yves Herman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Downing Street has said that it will be difficult to finalise a free trade agreement with the European Union before the no deal deadline at the end of this year.

France and Germany also warned that time was running out to avoid no deal, which would mean the UK and EU trading on less lucrative WTO terms and with tariffs from January 1.

The Prime Ministers spokesman blamed Brussels for the deadlocked negotiations, accusing the EU of blocking talks until the UK made concessions on fishing rights and level playing field guarantees for state aid, which govern subsidies and bailouts.

We would instead like to settle the simplest issues first in order to build momentum in the talks as time is short on both sides, he said after describing last weeks round of talks as yielding little progress.

An agreement is still possible and it is still our goal, but it is clear it will not be easy to achieve, he added.

David Frost and Michel Barnier, the UK and EUs chief negotiators, met in London on Tuesday for preparatory negotiations ahead of next weeks full round of trade talks in Britain.

It is important that the UK starts to engage with Michel Barnier in a more realistic and pragmatic way, an EU diplomat told The Telegraph.

If Brexit ideology were to trump Brexit pragmatism in the UK government, we would clearly be heading into no-deal territory.

The diplomat added, The next negotiation round in September will be crucial. If it ends without any progress as well, the window to clinch a deal will close quickly.

France has taken one of the hardest lines on Brexit but Clement Beaune, Emmanuel Macrons Europe minister, admitted yesterday that it was in Paris' interest to curb the economic damage of no deal.

He said, The no deal is a risk. This does not prevent trade, but there are a number of barriers, such as customs duties. It is in our interest to limit friction, but we will not do so at the price of not respecting the rules".

Story continues

Things are not progressing very well, he said, The United Kingdom would like to have its cake and eat it too; get out of the European Union and have access to the European market.

Michael Roth, Germany's Europe minister, told the European Parliament that the EU could not accept being shut out of British fishing waters.

We fear we might be running out of time, he said in the same week Angela Merkel suggested the talks could go to the end of 2020 rather than the EU's preferred deadline of the end of October.

The UK side is now moving away from what we had agreed on a long time ago as a basis for negotiations. Now that doesnt mean the EU is changing its negotiation stance, he added.

A European Commission spokesman said that EU officials were conducting a "virtual tour of the capitals" to get the EU ready for the end of the Brexit transition period, whether or not there is a deal.

"Whether or not there's an agreement, at the end of the year, the UK decision to leave the single market in the customs union will inevitably create barriers to trade, and cross border exchanges that simply do not exist today. These changes are unavoidable," the spokesman said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla said he will explore the next steps in the Sangley airport project after President Rodrigo Duterte said it will push through despite issues with its Chinese contractor.

"I believe that for progress and development, the Philippines deserves a new airport," Remulla said in a statement on Tuesday.

"I want it to happen but without contradicting national policy," he told CNN Philippines when pressed further.

Last week, the 500-billion contract was in danger of being revoked after Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Locsin, Jr. said he will recommend ending contracts with Chinese firms found to be behind incursions in the South China Sea, similar to sanctions imposed by the United States.

Washington's ban covers subsidiaries of China Communications Construction Company, which includes China Airport Construction Corporation, the partner firm of billionaire Lucio Tan's MacroAsia Corporation. Tan also owns flag carrier Philippine Airlines.

"I have met with the CACC officials and I believe in their sincere desire to invest and construct a world-class premiere gateway to our beloved country," Remulla said. "I believe that we should not get caught up in the middle of a superpower tug-of-war between the United States and China."

On Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Sangley airport and all other infrastructure projects with Chinese developers will proceed, saying Duterte will not follow the actions taken by the US.

"Malinaw po ang sinabi ni Presidente, hindi po siya susunod sa direktiba ng mga Amerikano dahil tayo po ay malaya at independiyenteng bansa at kinakailangan po natin ang mga namumuhunan galing po sa bansang Tsina [The President said it clearly: he will not follow America's directive since we are a free and independent country and we need the investments coming from China]," Roque said in a press briefing.

The Sangley airport project is a rare public-private partnership deal initiated by a local government, as most deals for big-ticket construction projects are executed by national government agencies.

MacroAsia said it is completing qualification documents for the award but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Remulla said separately that the provincial government has not yet signed the "final binding agreement" for the project, adding that he now needs to discuss with board members their next steps.

Prior to Malacanang's pronouncements, both Remulla and MacroAsia said they are leaving the decision whether or not to terminate the contract to the national government.

"I have met with the CACC officials and I believe in their sincere desire to invest and construct a world-class premiere gateway to our beloved country," Remulla added. "I believe that we should not get caught up in the middle of a superpower tug-of-war between the United States and China."

CCCC, a state-owned construction firm in China, was blacklisted by the World Bank from 2011 to 2017 for engaging in "fraudulent practices" in building the Philippines National Roads Improvement and Management Project. The company built the Macau International Airport on reclaimed land and expanded Hong Kongs new airport, according to its website.

Duterte first floated the use of Sangley Point in June 2019 as an alternative gateway for the greater Manila area, amid growing frustration over congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The port is also known as the Danilo Atienza Air Base in Cavite City and is a 15-minute ferry ride from the CCP Bay Terminal in Manila.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers will take out Ramshila poojan rath yatra in 27 assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh where bypolls are expected to be held next month, party leaders said.

The first such rath yatra will be taken out in Surakhi state assembly constituency of Sagar district in Bundelkhand on Wednesday and will be led by revenue and transport minister Govind Singh Rajput.

Rajput represented Surakhi assembly constituency till March this year before he along with 21 Congress MLAs resigned from the state assembly to join the BJP. The rath yatra will be held over 10 days.

Some religious people were of the view that we should send Ramshila (bricks) to Ayodhya for construction of the temple. Ramshilas will be taken in five directions in the constituencies for its worship from September 2 to September 11 after which the same would be carried to Ayodhya, he said.

Rajput who was inducted in the state cabinet on April 21 without being a member of the state assembly is likely to contest the bypoll from the constituency on a BJP ticket to retain his position as a minister, party leaders said.

The bypoll will decide the fate of the BJP government as well. The party which replaced Congress in power on March 23 this year has 107 MLAs in the 230-member state assembly, nine short of the majority mark. The Congress has 89 MLAs and there are 2 BSP, 1 SP and 4 independent MLAs in the assembly. BJP needs to win 9 seats out of 27 to retain the power.

According to convener of the Rathyatra Anil Tiwari there are five vehicles which will be used as Rath (chariot) which will carry bricks made of eight metals including silver. We have got permission from the district administration for the Ramshila poojan rathyatra. The police and our party workers will ensure compliance of all the safety norms against Covid-19, he added.

But BJPs former member of Parliament Alok Sanjar who was present in Sagar when the announcement was made denied that the exercise was connected with the bypolls.

The programme has nothing to do with the bypolls and it has been organised in view of sentiments of people who want to contribute to construction of the Ram temple which could be possible with a firm stand on the issue and able leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

State BJP media in charge Lokendra Parashar said, The party has not taken any formal decision to take out any rath yatra for worship of Ramshila. However, if any party worker or leader in any district wishes to hold any programme for such a worship given his faith in Lord Ram he is free do so.
A protest planned by a section of drivers of application (app)-based ride-hailing taxi services at Mandi House in central Delhi on Tuesday morning evoked a lukewarm response, as vehicles were largely available for commuters in the national capital.

The protesting cab drivers are demanding an extension of the moratorium on loan repayment of their cars, which lapsed on August 31 (Monday) and also a hike in fare because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

Though the stir was planned at 10 am on Tuesday, no cab driver or taxi union leader were present at the scheduled protest site outside Himachal Bhawan in Mandi House until 11.30 am.

Kamaljeet Singh Gill, president of Sarvodaya Drivers Association of Delhi, said the union is trying to convince cab drivers to join the protest.

The cab drivers tepid response to the protest was a blessing in disguise for commuters.

Puneet Sachdeva, who arrived at Arwachin Public School in east Delhis Vivek Vihar for his Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main that started at 7:30 am on Tuesday, said he had pre-booked the cab through the ride-hailing app aggregator Uber and it arrived on time.

I had read about Tuesdays cab strike in the media. I was worried that my cab booking would get cancelled. But, fortunately, the driver turned up on time for the pick up, he said.

Devika Kashyap, another commuter, said she was able to book a cab to go to her office in Green Park in south Delhi. But the fare was a little higher than usual. I paid around Rs 50 more than what I usually pay for the same distance, she said.

Gill, a leader of one of the cab drivers associations, said, Drivers are unable to pay their EMIs (equated monthly installments) because of the acute financial crisis caused due to the Covid-19-induced 68-day lockdown restrictions. The moratorium of loan repayment lapsed on August 31 and the banks are putting pressure on us to pay EMIs. Drivers are scared that banks will tow away their vehicles for default in the payment of their EMIs.

Tuesdays protest, which some cab drivers claimed could turn into a strike, had also found support from the Delhi Taxi, Tourist Transporters and Tour Operators Association.

Sanjay Samrat, president of the association, said cab drivers have also demanded the withdrawal of heavy penalties against them for the violation of the maximum speed limit.

The cab drivers will assemble near Himachal Bhawan at Mandi House on Tuesday to seek the Central governments action on their demands, he said.

The ride-hailing app aggregators such as Ola and Uber refused to comment on the protest.

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The rupee saw its biggest single-day gain in 21 months on Tuesday, while bond yields fell to their lowest in two weeks following RBIs new measures to stabilize markets. The RBI on Monday had said it will sell short-term and buy long-term sovereign bonds. This resulted in a decline in government debt yields, based on which corporate bonds are priced. Lower borrowing costs will come as a boost for companies reeling from the pandemic and an economy thats suffered its worst quarterly contraction on record. For more updates on the national and world news, heres Mint Lite.

Its back to the classroom

View Full Image Schools and colleges are still shut in India, but masked students filled exam centres on Tuesday as the JEE engineering entrance exams began despite protests and pleas for postpone-ment

Schools and colleges are still shut in India, but masked students filled exam centres on Tuesday as the JEE engineering entrance exams began despite protests and pleas for postpone-ment. More than 850,000 students will take the exam at 660 centres till 6 September. The NEET for medical admissions will start on 13 September. Globally, students have returned to their classrooms. Over 1.4 million started school on Tuesday in Chinas Wuhan, where the covid-19 outbreak originated. Authorities have emphasized handwashing, maintaining a safe distance and wearing masks. Schools in France also reopened on 1 September despite a recent rise in infections, as did those in Russia and Poland, with strict safety measures. All classes are back full time from this week in the UK as well. In Italy, schools are set to reopen on 14 September, around the same time when Spain is planning to start primary and secondary schools.

Zoom profits surge 3,300%

View Full Image Zoom's revenues in the quarter were $663.5 million, up 355%, topping analysts estimates of $500 million

The pandemic and the large-scale shift to working and schooling from home has been benefitting videoconferencing apps. Zooms revenue surged over 350% for the quarter ended July. It reported a net profit of $185.7 million for the quarter, up 3,300% compared with a year earlier. Revenues in the quarter were $663.5 million, up 355%, topping analysts estimates of $500 million. Shares rose over 32% in early trading on Tuesday. Zooms large customers, those generating over $100,000 in revenue in the past year, more than doubled to 988 in Q2. When the pandemic hit early 2020, Zoom was a relative upstart that had gone public on a promise to make videoconferencing software easier to use. The sudden surge in users led to security and privacy concerns, which Zoom tried to address with a 90-day plan. It began testing end-to-end encryption in July but has not yet implemented the feature for most users.

WFH has changed us

View Full Image Coffee, ketchup drives covid consumer economy

Instant coffee, ketchup, Lululemon yoga pants and Nike Air Max sneakers are in. Bottled water, pricey diapers and Burberry luxury trench coats are out as the pandemic shifts consumer habits in the US. A Reuters analysis of a varied basket of goods shows how the covid-19 crisis has upturned a decades-old consumer model for everything, from clothing to food (see chart). Many of the new trends can be attributed to one factor: working from home. Americans are now shelling out more than a year before for coffee, eggs, ketchup and cheese as they cook and work at home and companies have raised prices in view of the demand. Sales of bottled water and disposable diapers have fallen as people are unwilling to pay extra when they can drink their own water at home, and opt for reusable diapers.

Ozone levels on the rise

View Full Image Ozone pollution levels have increased over the past 20 years, says a new study, which is the first to use data collected by commercial international flights

Ozone pollution levels have increased over the past 20 years, says a new study, which is the first to use data collected by commercial international flights. From 1994-2016, commercial aircraft captured 34,600 ozone profiles, more consistently than satellite data. Researchers at University of Colorado Boulder found the most striking increases in areas where ozone levels were once lowest: India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Southeast Asia. These regions had very low ozone values in 1994-2004, and very high levels in 2011-2016. Ozone is a greenhouse gas that, at high levels, can harm peoples lungs and damage plants. It says ozone levels have been rising over many countries in North America and Europe, which have tight controls on emissions, indicating that local level regulation is not enough to limit pollution as ozone from the tropics may be causing rises in the northern hemisphere. The study was published in Science Advances.

Venice film fest goes real

View Full Image Italy was one of the first and the worst affected by the virus in Europe, and the film festival is being seen as a step towards revival

Top-tier festivals such as Cannes have been forced online, but the most prestigious of them all, the Venice Film Festival, will go ahead in the real world from Wednesday, though masks, distancing, temperature checks and other covid-era rules will be enforced. There will be no fans as a smaller contingent of stars walk the red carpet at the first such internat-ional event since March when covid-19 affected most nations. It will be a mostly-European affair as restrictions on travel from the US to Europe have meant that Hollywood films, which often use Venice as a springboard for other festivals and ultimately the Oscars, are essentially no-shows this year. Venice has had a hard year since the 2019 floods, followed by the virus outbreak, which has hit both the tourism and cruise industries. Italy was one of the first and the worst affected by the virus in Europe, and the film festival is being seen as a step towards revival.

Curated by Shalini Umachandran and Pooja Singh. Have something to share with us? Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com or tweet to @shalinimb

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Hong Kong tested thousands of people for coronavirus Tuesday at the start of a mass-testing effort thats become another political flash point in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

Volunteers stood in lines at some of the more than 100 testing centres, though many residents are distrustful over the resources and staff being provided by Chinas central government and some have expressed fear DNA could be collected.

The Hong Kong government has dismissed such concerns, and leader Carrie Lam urged the public to see the program in a fair and objective light and appealed to critics to stop discouraging people from being tested since participation was crucial to the programs success.

Priscilla Pun, a sales manager, got tested to give herself peace of mind. I dont see any reason not to do it, and this way I can let my family in Canada know that I am safe, said Pun, who was tested at a centre in the eastern Quarry Bay neighbourhood.

Others, like Giselle Ming, said that she decided to take part to support the Hong Kong governments initiative even though she was not worried that she might be a carrier of the coronavirus. In this bad situation of the coronavirus, I hope I can do something to help the society, she said.

Lam said at her weekly news conference that over 10,000 people, including most of Hong Kongs government ministers, had been tested by Tuesday morning.

This large-scale universal community testing program is beneficial to fighting the epidemic and beneficial to our society. It will also help Hong Kong come out of the pandemic unscathed and is conducive to the resumption of daily activities, Lam said.

More than 500,000 people in the city of 7.5 million signed up in advance for the program, which will last at least a week. It is aimed at identifying silent carriers of the virus  those without symptoms  who could be spreading the disease.

The government expects 5 million people will take part in the program, which could be extended to two weeks depending on demand.

Hong Kongs worst outbreak in early July was blamed in part on an exemption from quarantine requirements for airline staff, truck drivers from mainland China and sailors on cargo ships.

At its peak, Hong Kong recorded more than 100 locally transmitted cases a day, after going weeks without any in June.

The outbreak has slowed, with the city reporting just nine cases on Monday, the first time in two weeks that daily infections had fallen to single digits. However, the government and some experts say that community testing can help detect asymptomatic carriers to further stop the spread of the virus.

Respiratory medicine expert professor David Hui that even though infections have dwindled, the proportion of cases with untraceable sources of infection remain between 30% and 40%.

That means there must be some silent transmission going on, so community testing has some role in picking up these silent transmitters, said Hui, who is a public health adviser to the citys government. Hopefully if we can identify these people and isolate them for a period of time that may help to break the transmission chain in the community.

The program is more effective if most of the population takes part, Hui said.

If only 1 or 2 million people take part, then we may not be able to achieve that objective, he said.

Other experts, such as Dr. Leung Chi-chiu, a respiratory specialist and a member of the Medical Council of Hong Kong, said that the testing program plays only a supplementary role in controlling the pandemic in the city, due to the long and variable incubation period of the coronavirus.

Leung said that mass-testing may not be the most cost-effective method, as it is not easy to pick up the disease in its early development, especially if a person is not having symptoms or have not had recent exposure to an infected patient.

Even if mass-testing could identify infected patients, they may already be past the infectious stage, he said.

Leung said that large-scale testing will not be able to replace traditional methods of social distancing and contact tracing measures, and should only be used as a complementary measure.

Some pro-democracy activists, such as Joshua Wong, have publicly opposed the program. Wong called for a boycott, citing Swedish media reports that some test kits being used had high rates of false-positive results.

Lam noted that while false-positives can happen, the tests used in the program have passed quality assurance procedures.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 20:25:41|Editor: huaxia

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Chen Xi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), gives a speech while attending the opening ceremony of the school's 2020 autumn semester in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Chen Xi on Tuesday stressed the importance of officials upholding a people-centered approach to strive toward the people's aspirations to live better lives.

Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), made the statement while attending the opening ceremony of the school's 2020 autumn semester.

Leading officials should put the people first, rely on the people, work for the people's wellbeing, said Chen, adding that officials should be loyal servants to the people.

Chen also urged officials to maintain close ties with the people, and guard against bureaucratism in their work and the practice of formality for formality's sake. Enditem
Moscow clinics last week began receiving supplies of the vaccine, which has been approved for use inside Russia even though the final Phase III tests, involving 40,000 people, began only last Wednesday.



Image For Representation/Reuters

According to a Moscow Times report, the country now plans to begin the first mass delivery of its coronavirus vaccine in September.

First deliveries in large quantities will begin in September, Health Minister, Mikhail Murashko, was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency.

Also Read: Russia's Gamaleya Research Centre Given Green Light For Post-Registration Trials Of Sputnik V Vaccine



The health minister said production was underway in parallel with post-registration monitoring of the vaccines effectiveness, reports Moscow Times.

A mass vaccination campaign will begin among Russian volunteers in October, a month after industrial production is expected to launch, according to the head of the national sovereign fund paying for the vaccination project.

From September, doctors and teachers will be among the first to be offered the vaccine on a voluntary basis, officials have said - an arrangement President Vladimir Putin supports.

Image For Representation/Reuters

Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, has said shots of the vaccine will be made mandatory for military personnel.

Also Read: Ministry Of Health Confirms Being In Touch With Russia Over Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine

Russia says more than 20 countries have requested over 1 billion doses of the Sputnik V vaccine despite safety concerns.

Russia is the first country to license a COVID-19 vaccine, calling it "Sputnik V" in homage to the world's first satellite, launched by the Soviet Union. Western experts have warned against its use until all internationally-approved testing and regulatory steps have been taken. Moscow has dismissed such criticism as information war.



Also Read: After Russia's 'Sputnik V,' Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine Provokes Immune Response
Elon Musk gave the first look of Neuralink's 'Link' device Friday, saying 'it will blow your mind'  but many who tuned into the livestream are saying just the opposite.

Leading up to the demonstration, Musk promised to show neurons firing in a living brain, leading many to believe a human would be the subject  but instead viewers saw the brain activity of a pig.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO also made claims that the device will one-day cure debilitating illnesses and mental disorders, along with creating a brain-computer interface.

MIT Review released its take on Neuralink's unveiling saying that although Musk proposes a long list of medical applications, the firm did not show it is ready to take on such a feat nor did it specify any plans for clinical trials.

Neuroscientists also criticized the technology because recording neural signals is 'decades old,' while the public is sure the billionaire is taking Netflix's series 'Black Mirror' too seriously.

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Elon Musk gave the first look of Neuralink's Link device Friday, saying 'it will blow your mind'  but many who tuned into the livestream are saying just the opposite

Musk has been hyping up August 28 for weeks, sharing a tweet that reads Neuralink 'will show neurons firing in real-time. The matrix in the matrix.'

The cryptic text led much of the public to anticipate a human implanted with a Link walking across the stage, but instead, the world was given Gertrude.

Musk pulled a sheet off three pens inside the demo room, each with a pig inside.

One, named Gertrude, had a Link implanted into her brain, allowing the public to see the animal's neurons firing off in real-time.

Leading up to the demonstration, Musk promised to show neurons firing in a living brain, leading many to believe a human would be the subject  but instead viewers saw the brain activity of a pig

Although the CEO did exactly what he had promised, neuroscientists have long heard the pinging of animal brain activity echoing throughout their labs for years - and some decades.

Professor Thomas Nowotny, professor of informatics in the School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex, said: 'Recording from neurons in live and behaving animals is a standard procedure in Neuroscience and is decades old.'

'The most modern incarnations of advanced system for invasive recordings include miniaturized head stages with wireless interfaces that can be worn by animals for prolonged times of months if not years.'

'Similarly, invasive recordings with extracellular electrodes are also done in humans in a clinical context, in particular in the context of epilepsy with either acute electrode placements for on the order of days to identify the focus of seizures before brain surgery or permanent implants to provide deep brain stimulation.'

MIT Review released its take on Neuralink's unveiling saying that although Musk proposes a long list of medical applications, the firm did not show it is ready to take on the feat nor did it specify any plans for clinical trials

Neuroscientists also criticized the technology, as recording neural signals is 'decades old,' while the public is sure the billionaire is taking Netflix's series 'Black Mirror' too seriously. Musk revealed a redesigned device at the event saying it lays flush on the skull

The livestream also gave the first look of the redesigned chip, which is the size of a large coin attached to wires that replace a piece of skull when connected to the brain.

'It's like a Fitbit in your skull, Musk said during the event.

'It goes flush on your skull. I could have a Link right now and you wouldn't know. Maybe I do.'

Musk had said that there were 1,024 electrodes, connected to a Link, implanted in Gertrude's brain.

The public also seem to be unimpressed by Musk's demo, saying he may have taken an episode of Netflix's Black Mirror series too serious when designing the plans for Neuralink

'This shows the beats of Link on the screen and you can see each of the spikes from the 1,024 electrodes implanted in the pigs brain,' Musk said pointing at a large screen over the pen.

'When she touches her snout to the ground, the neurons will fire and that is what makes the sound.'

The screen showed the pig's brain activity and pings were heard that represented her neurons.

However, Andrew Jackson, professor of neural interfaces at Newcastle University, said that although Musk showed solid engineering in designing Links, but it is 'mediocre neuroscience.'

Andrew Jackson, professor of neural interfaces at Newcastle University, said that although Musk showed solid engineering, it is 'mediocre neuroscience

The livestream also gave the first look of the redesigned chip, which is the size of a large coin attached to wires that replace a piece of skull when connected to the brain. 'It's like a Fitbit in your skull, Musk said during the event. 'It goes flush on your skull. I could have a Link right now and you wouldn't know. Maybe I do'

'I don't think there was anything revolutionary in the presentation, but they are working through the engineering challenges of placing multiple electrodes into the brain.'

'In terms of their technology, 1024 channels is not that impressive these days, but the electronics to relay them wirelessly is state-of-the-art, and the robotic implantation is nice.'

'The demonstrations were quite underwhelming in this regard, and doesn't show anything that hasn't been done before.'

'There is a big difference recording brain cells and 'reading thoughts.'

Jackson's statement surfaced on Twitter, which had gained much attention over the past three days.

So much, Musk himself even replied to the tweet.

'It is unfortunately common for many in academia to overweight the value of ideas & underweight bringing them to fruition,' he wrote in a reply.

'For example, the idea of going to the moon is trivial, but going to the moon is hard.'
Maxonrow Launches Asset Tokenization Service True Asset Issuing (TAI) and Announces Partnership with KYC-Chain

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maxonrow today announced the launch of its asset tokenization serviceTrue Asset Issuing (TAI), available starting Sep 1. As a leading technology company committed to helping businesses and governments improve security and efficiency in digital processes, Maxonrow launched its Maxonrow Blockchain and MAX-Wallet on the same date in 2019. One year later, the company is proud to share another milestone.

With TAI, Maxonrow aims to optimize financial services and connect the world economy by making value exchange effortless, efficient and transparent. Through the service, users with genuine and verified identity can issue digital assets backed in real life. Maxonrow does not accept anonymous or pseudonymous submissions, ensuring that only real people supported by verified identities who can provide valid proof of ownership can issue digital assets. In the Maxonrow ecosystem, all identities are verifiable.

To ensure a great user experience and utmost security, Maxonrow joined forces with KYC-Chain, a global compliance solution and KYC onboarding platform. With the collaboration, Maxonrow can offer users added safety and comply with regulations without sacrificing convenience or comfort.

Announcing the partnership, Edmund Lowell, CEO of KYC-Chain, said, "We at KYC-Chain are thrilled about the collaboration with Maxonrow, with KYC-Chain's state-of-the-art technology repertoire, we will be able to support Maxonrow with a secure and smooth onboarding experience". Carlo Chung, CTO of Maxonrow, commented, "We are excited to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of Maxonrow Blockchain/ MAX-Wallet launch with this new partnership. As we at Maxonrow continue to help our clients develop safer and smarter solutions, we are grateful for partners like KYC-Chain who protect our users' security while maintaining a seamless user experience."

About Maxonrow

Maxonrow is a leading technology company committed to building a safe and efficient digital world. The company develops an array of products and services powered by blockchain technology, focusing on increasing security and efficiency in digital processes, including document management system, asset tokenization services, and digital identity wallet solutions.

Learn More

Official Website www.maxonrow.com

Telegram https://t.me/MXWOfficial

Twitter https://twitter.com/Maxonrow

About KYC-Chain

KYC-Chain provides state of the art compliance solutions for businesses of all sizes. Since 2014, KYC-Chain has helped service providers cost-effectively process millions of KYC applications.

(Disclaimer--Features may vary depending on the regions; subject to change without notice.)
The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed DocVitas evolution into a telemedicine platform from its core of Practice Management for Clinics

With the spread of COVID-19, global healthcare has come under considerable stress. To assist people in meeting their medical needs in the ongoing pandemic, Bengaluru based DocVita is now live with a unique service offering - a virtual consultation which includes an in-person follow-up at no extra cost, if needed. Online services are accessible pan India, and in-person services are currently available in Indore.

The company has plans to launch these in-person services in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi by September 2020. DocVita is gaining overwhelming response from users and has been successful in assisting patients to connect with Indias top doctors.

Talking about the launch, Anmol Arora, CEO, DocVita said, I am excited to announce the launch of our mobile app on Android & iOS platforms. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us realize the gaps in our healthcare system, as well as the importance of early identification of diseases. To remove the barriers for people to seek timely medical help, we need to make healthcare more accessible and people-centric.

He also added, Our technology allows us to partner with the patients and help them manage their health better and support their healthcare goals. We expect telehealth to play a significant role in care delivery during the pandemic and the time thereafter.

Patients on telemedicine platforms in India are often left with the impression that doctors dont spend quality time with them in virtual consultations. As a result, the patient ends up feeling that their issues were neglected. We aim to provide the highest standards of virtual care, said Dr. Amish Pathak, DocVita.
An accused paedophile dragged out of his house in a dawn raid allegedly drugged at least one child and raped them four times.

Jason Andrew Green, 41, was one of 18 people, including 11 alleged paedophiles, arrested in a police operation against online predators in Perth.

The alleged paedophile ring is accused of using Facebook and Instagram to groom 140 teenagers, aged as young as 13, - 23 of whom were allegedly abused.

Green, who has a long criminal history but no other previous sex charges, first faced Fremantle Magistrates' Court on July 1 on 14 charges.

At least 11 people have been arrested (pictured) after WA Police launched a four-month-long investigation into an alleged paedophile ring grooming teenagers through social media

His alleged crimes against four girls include four counts of rape, one count of sexual penetration of a child between 13 and 16, and one of indecent assault.

Two other charges allege he administered drugs to procure unlawful sex, and another two that he encouraged a child aged 13 to 16 to engage in sexual activity.

There were also three possession of stolen property charges and one drug charge.

Police on the weekend released footage of the Green's arrest at his home on Hossack Avenue in Parkwood, in Perth's south.

He is the oldest of the people aged 18 to 41 who have so far been charged in Operation Timing Belt, aiming to smash alleged paedophile rings in Perth.

Detectives from the sex offender management squad launched the operation in April, resulting in 79 sexual offence charges being laid.

The alleged predators (WA Police raid pictured) are accused of utilising popular social media apps like Facebook and Instagram to contact their victims

WA Police (pictured) seized computer equipment as evidence alongside the arrests

It is understood at least four of the accused offenders, but not Green, had previous convictions for child sex offences.

The operation identified 140 teenagers aged between 13 and 19 who were allegedly targeted by the group, and 23 of them were found to be victims of sexual abuse.

WA Police said some of the accused offenders would compare information about their victims and share the targets.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Matt Daly said the accused predators allegedly contacted the teenagers through social media to 'ultimately engage in sexual contact with them'.

'The majority of offences are non-physical communication via popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and via mobile phones,' he explained.

WA Police also confiscated computer equipment in connection with the alleged abuse as part of the series of raids.

At least 18 accused people have been arrested and charged as part of the police operation

In all, 18 alleged offenders have so far been charged as part of Operation Timing Belt, with 135 charges laid for non-sexual offences including drug, trespass and animal cruelty offences.

State Crime Assistant Commissioner Brad Royce said Timing Belt showed that parents and children must be vigilant in terms of cyber safety.

WA Police are continuing the investigation.
Basically nobody in liberal circles is taking seriously the consequences of the fact that the exiled cadre of the Republican Party are building a massive power base in the Democratic Party.

By Marshall Auerback and James Carden and cross-posted from Counterpunch.org.

The emergence in recent weeks of a coalition of neocon Republicans and former national security officials who have thrown their support behind the candidacy of Joe Biden is an ominous development to those who believe U.S. foreign policy should be guided by the principles of realism and military restraint, rather than perpetual wars of choice.

In early June, a group of former officials from the George W. Bush administration launched a PAC in support of Joe Bidens candidacy. The group, 43 Alumni for Biden, boasts nearly 300 former Bush officials and is seeking to mobilize disaffected Republicans nationwide.

The mobilization appears to be having an impact: More recently, more than 100 former staff of [recently deceased Senator John] McCains congressional offices and campaigns also endorsed Biden for president, according to NBC News, as well as dozens of former staffers from Senator Mitt Romneys 2012 presidential campaign.

That GOP support comes in addition to the more than 70 former U.S. national security officials, who teamed up and issued a statementurging Bidens election in November. Citing what they believe is the grave damage Trump has done to U.S. national security, the group does include some mainstream Republicans like Richard Armitage and Chuck Hagel, but also features notable neocon hardliners like Eliot Cohen, John Negroponte and David Kramer, who, perhaps not incidentally, played a leading role in disseminating the utterly discredited Steele dossier prior to Trumps inauguration.

These are not merely grifters or desperate bids for attention by unscrupulous and avaricious Beltway swamp creatures. Though there are those too: the so-called Lincoln Project, helmed by neocon operative Rick Wilson, which is an outside group of Republicans (including former RNC Chair Michael Steele) devoted to defeating Trump in November.

As the historian David Sessions recently tweeted, Basically nobody in liberal circles is taking seriously the consequences of the fact that the exiled cadre of the Republican Party are building a massive power base in the Democratic Party.

The merger between Democrats and neocons is not merely confined to the world of electoral politics; it is already affecting policy as well. Over the summer, in response to the New York Times dubious Russia bounty story, Democratic Congressman Jason Crow teamed up with Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney (daughter of the former vice president) to prohibit the president from withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and the House Armed Services Committee also collaborated to pass an amendment that imposed restrictions on Trumps plan to withdraw troops from Germany, showing, if nothing else, that the bipartisan commitment to the new cold war is alive and well

Continue reading the article
The RAV4 has long been my go-to recommendation for friends and family on the hunt for a reliable vehicle and safe bet on which to spend their hard-earned cash. Hardy, practical, and best of all, drama-free, Toyotas RAV4 is not only the bestselling compact crossover in Canada, its the top non-truck passenger vehicle in North America, period.

And now Toyota has upped the ante by introducing what will surely be the most sought-after new hybrid in the country. The 2021 RAV4 Prime is a plug-in version of its popular crossover offering 68 kilometres of electric-only driving.

But Toyota already offers a RAV4 Hybrid capable of 2 km of pure electric driving, and whats more, it starts at only $32,350  compared to the new Prime, whose base price is $44,900 and tops out at $51,900 to $57,300 if you opt for the tech package.

Unlike the existing RAV4 Hybrid, which tops up its stored electricity with regenerated energy derived from braking, the RAV4 Prime has an 18.1-kWh battery that can be fully recharged in two and a half hours using a 240-volt home or public charger, or 12 hours on a 120-volt household current. The RAV4 Hybrid can travel up to 2 km on electric power only, but the engine kicks in under hard acceleration and it generally runs on a combination of both. Its total range is 767 km combined, using 7.3L/100 km.

By comparison, the RAV4 Primes 68 km of pure EV travel is available up to 135 km/h and has a total combined range of 979 km while averaging 6.0L 100/km of fuel consumption.

Why then, are we predicting such a high demand for the new RAV4 Prime? Aside from it being such a compelling package (more on that later), its all in the numbers. There are fewer than 1,000 vehicles allotted to Canada this year, and most of those have been allocated to Quebec, where its on sale now. The rest will arrive in British Columbia before the end of the year.

Which means most of us wont see the RAV4 Prime in local dealerships until 2021, and even then, their limited numbers, probably between 3,000-4,000, means theyll be snapped up quickly. This is largely due to a lag in battery production. A joint venture between Toyota and a supplier theyre reluctant to name, the 18.1-kWh battery is a new technology hamstrung by current manufacturing constraints. Then theres the vehicle itself, which is produced solely in Japan. Gasoline and hybrid versions of the RAV4 are already being built here at the Cambridge and Woodstock plants, but theyre already operating at capacity and would require enormous investment to add the RAV4 Prime to their output.

Whether that happens depends entirely on demand. And that demand depends on an entirely different set of numbers. The RAV4 Primes base price of $44,900 squeaks in just under the $45,000 limit for the $5,000 federal electric vehicle incentive. Add Quebecs whopping $8,000 rebate for a combined total of $13,000, and you can see why most of the available vehicles will be heading Quebec. That means you could conceivably pick up a plug-in Prime for only $3,000 more than a regular, base RAV4. The Prime gets you nearly 1,000 km of range at 6.0L average fuel cost. It also boasts a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of under six-seconds  making it the second fastest Toyota off the line after the BMW-powered Toyota Supra.

We spent a day behind the wheel of a RAV4 Prime XSE, starting out from Kingstons historic limestone district waterfront, and cruising the vineyards of Prince Edward County.

The RAV4 Primes default drive mode is EV mode, or electric-only, which it can maintain up to 135 km/h. The driver can also select hybrid-only mode to conserve battery power for later or Auto EV to maximize electric range with the gas motor kicking in under hard acceleration. Bridging the gap between Kingston and Belleville were several kilometres of 401 highway, where I was able to confirm the electric powertrains upper limit. Exiting the highway and gliding to a stop at the first set of lights, I can also sheepishly attest that the RAV4 Prime will chirp its tires off the line with an over exuberant application of the throttle.

The 1,920 kg Prime feels a lot more powerful than its 2.5L, 177 hp four-cylinder engine would suggest, thanks to a trio of electric motors  two in the front transaxle and one in the rear  that bring the total power up to 302 horsepower. The rear electric motor also drives the on-demand all-wheel-drive  another item in the RAV4 Primes plus column over some of its front-wheel-drive only competitors.

To differentiate the RAV4 Prime from its conventionally powered siblings, Toyota has given it a unique grille and chrome metallic lip, vertical driving lights, blue-trimmed badging and a painted diffuser. For the first time on a RAV4, the Prime introduces adaptive headlights.

While $44,900 SE models come with cloth upholstery, 18-inch wheels and choice of three colours, the XSE offers five two-tone paint schemes with black roof, new 19-inch black rims, height adjustable power lift gated and faux leather upholstery with unique red stitching and ventilated front seating.

Standard for the first time are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on an eight-inch touchscreen, or optional nine-inch screen on upper trims. Also new for RAV4 is an adjustable head-up display, and a one-year free trial of Toyotas $9.99/monthly connected services that use a smartphone app to monitor charging, set climate controls for remote start, or find information about available local charging stations.

The RAV4 Prime is a comfortable place to spend the day, with nicely bolstered, eight-way adjustable drivers seat, great visibility, and simple ergonomics that feature prominent, easy-to use control knobs instead of needlessly complex graphics. It offers plenty of head and leg room for all four passengers, although cargo space drops from 1,064 litres to 949 litres thanks to the battery pack.

Like the rest of Toyotas lineup, the RAV4 Prime comes with the now-standard safety suite of drivers aids, which includes dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, pre-collision system with Pedestrian detection, and Lane Tracing assist. Also available are full-speed-range radar cruise control, steering assist and road edge detection, and a digital-display rear view mirror and birds eye view monitor.

In EV mode the RAV4 Prime is, of course, very quiet and helps showcase the optional JBL sound system. When the four-cylinder engine eventually kicks in, it does so fairly smoothly. The driver can opt to gear down using the paddle shifters, or just let the continuously variable transmission handle it. Under gasoline power, I regularly saw 4.9 L of fuel consumption on the highway and finished with an average of 6.2 L/100 km overall. Electric-only travel slightly exceeded the claimed 68 km at nearly 70 km, and a more careful driver could conceivably do a lot better. Of course, those numbers will change during the winter, where cold weather seriously compromises overall battery range. Then theres the additional drain of cabin heat, though a frugal driver could extend range using seat and steering-wheel heaters with only minimal draw.

With incentives, the Toyota RAV4 Prime is an extremely compelling offering with the Ford Escape, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Subaru Crosstrek its only plug-in competitors. Its closest rival is the Escape PHEV, offered in front-wheel drive only.

Going strictly by the numbers, the RAV4 Prime is one of the most impressive new vehicles on the market today, and one of the most frustratingly unobtainable  unless youre one of the lucky buyers able to snap up one of the first available models.

2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime

Body Style: Compact Crossover

Drive Method: Plug-in hybrid, on-demand all-wheel drive, continuously variable transmission

Engine: 2.5L 176 hp/163 lb-ft 4-cylinder; 179 hp/199 lb-ft (Front) + 53 hp/89 lb-ft (rear) electric motors. 302 horsepower combined.

Fuel Economy: 2.6 L/100 km; 4.5L/100 km

Cargo Volume: 949 litres

Tow Rating: 2,500 lb.

Price: $44,990-$51,590

Website: www.toyota.ca
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 07:27:08|Editor: huaxia

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A teacher gives a lecture in a classroom in the new campus of the central school in Huagang school district in Feixi County of Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, on Aug. 31, 2020. The school opened its new campus as students returned to school for the new semester. The new campus, which is scheduled to set up 48 classes and accept an addition of over 1,000 students, will greatly improve the overall conditions of the school. (Xinhua/Liu Junxi)
Pranab Mukherjee caught my imagination when he shared the stage with late Gundu Rao during the Rashtriya Samajwadi Party congress. Rao hailed from my home district Kodagu in Karnataka.

Sitting next to the burly former Karnataka CM, Mukherjee appeared to be a different breed of politician, exuding intellectual charm and the confidence of a winner. This pipe smoking, thin-built maverick politician from West Bengal had an aura of his own. He was young, energetic, mercurial and charming, while also possessing a razor-sharp intellect and the finest attributes of heart that one day, would take him to the pinnacle of glory.

After joining the Congress party in 1969, he had a meteoric rise and became the most trusted colleague of Indira Gandhi, holding several important portfolios and playing a crucial role during the Emergency. When Indira Gandhi, the then PM was assassinated in 1984, he was a strong contender to become the next PM which he felt was denied to him after a reluctant and politically inexperienced Rajiv Gandhi was chosen by his party.

Caught under the web of power struggle within the Congress, Rajiv Gandhi unceremoniously expelled him along with other dissidents from the party in 1986.

He formed his party, Rashtriya Samajwadi Party that did not last long, compelling him to return to the Congress fold in 1989. Thereafter, his grasp over party politics was strong and he had a smooth sail, serving in various capacities under Congress government headed by Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. He remained a key player in the Congress government before he became the 13th President of India.

While he was the defence minister, I happened to visit him at his Talkotora residence for certifying his fitness to go to Antarctica. I came to know later that he preferred this modest house over the more spacious and attractive Lutyens bungalow. After all, in this very house bearing the unlucky number 13, he witnessed a rapid ascendency in his political career after he moved to Delhi.

It was 8am and as I entered his living room, he got up and greeted me making me feel at ease. After initial pleasantries, I had a detailed medical history in front of me to analyse and decide about his health status.

He appeared calm, humble, courteous, profound and scholarly. He was full of energy exuding warmth without any palpable tension. I learnt that his daily routine was rigorous lasting almost 18 hours, making me wonder how his fragile body, with multiple ailments, could withstand such a punishing schedule on a daily basis.

At that time, he was the most sought after politician for tackling the many troubles affecting not only his own party but also of the nation which earned him the moniker of troubleshooter.

I then realised that behind his thin physical exterior, there lies a strong inner-self that has withstood all the upheaval in his chequered career, thanks to his disciplined life and religious bent of mind. I was more than certain that owing to his simple living, high thinking lifestyle, his physical body was capable of surmounting many more hurdles, making my job of declaring him fit for embarking a tough journey to visit the Indian base located in the icy continent, simple.

While he was the President, I had seen him many times and for the last time in 2016, while presenting my credentials on my appointment as the Presidents Honorary Surgeon.

In all such meetings, my impression about him remained unchanged and respect for him became more with each day. Although he was at the pinnacle of his public life, power and glory did not corrupt him. I found in him the same Pranab Da- down to earth, simple and easy to communicate as he was when I met him for the first time. My meeting which was scheduled for 15 minutes went on for an hour and I discussed many things including the life and times of Shri Aurobindo whom he was very fond of.

Before I left Rashtrapati Bhavan, I gave him a collection of my articles which he accepted with a smile on his face and a sense of gratitude. While returning home with my wife and son, I was cherishing those fine moments with the President and thanking God for such a wonderful interaction with a gentleman, a scholar and a statesman. His versatility reflected his transcendental personality that was sublimated by deep religiosity and selfless service.

When I learnt that he was Covid-19 positive and being treated for the blood clot at Army Hospital (R&R) where his late wife Mrs Surva Mukherjee was treated by me for her respiratory ailment, I felt for a while that he may sail through as he has done in the past, under most turbulent conditions.

I knew for certain that he would receive the best treatment in this hospital, with experts in the field attending to him round the clock and doing their best. His preference for Army Hospital (R&R) was natural as he considered it to be the best in the country- highly professional with state of the art facilities, during his long association with Armed Forces- initially as defence minister and later as the supreme commander.

Considering his advancing age and long-standing co-morbidities with a deadly combination of coronavirus and brain clot, I felt anxious and many recent experiences of Covid-19 infections in the elderly made me jittery.

I knew that with coronavirus and cerebral clot, leading to coma and lung failure, the prognosis appeared grim. I was praying, like millions across the country, hoping for the best and expecting a miracle.

Destiny denied him the PM post, yet he became President and was awarded the Bharat Ratna. Now, death has robbed him from us, liberating him from prangs of physical misery and transcending him into higher planes of existence, much higher than what he scaled in his life. The legacy that he has left is sure to endure for a long time while the void by his absence is hard to fill.

Lt Gen Dr BNBM Prasad, SM, VSM(Retd) is former physician and honorary surgeon to the President.
California's legislative year ended on Aug. 31, a session shortened by more than seven weeks due to coronavirus fears. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

So many storylines could have prevailed as the California Legislature adjourned for the year on Monday  the response to a public health emergency, demands for racial justice, progress toward easing the state's homelessness and housing crises.

But what was most notable as the final gavel fell in the two houses just before midnight was an unmistakable feeling of absence.

It went beyond the 10 senators forced to quarantine after possible COVID-19 exposure and the empty offices and hallways of the state Capitol, where lobbyists and advocates usually provide rhythm and tempo to the governing process.

The feeling of absence that lingered on the last day of the legislative session was more about what didn't happen, and the unshakable sense that lawmakers are headed home with accomplishments outmatched by the deep troubles facing communities across California.

"I'm feeling unsatisfied," Assemblywoman Sydney Kamlager (D-Los Angeles) said. "On the one hand, were having existential conversations about the work and the zeitgeist, the cultural zeitgeist. On the other hand, were looking at very real and tangible issues that have yet to be solved."

Some level of dissatisfaction seemed to be unavoidable, given the enormity of the crisis and the public health imperatives that limited the pace of activity in Sacramento. But in conversations with elected officials, staff members and policy advocates, a portrait emerges of a legislative year in which even a deadly pandemic didn't change the fundamentals of partisan politics. Others pointed, too, to a Legislature twice relegated to the sidelines  in March and again in July  as Gov. Gavin Newsom acted unilaterally.

"We did not rise to the occasion of being a co-equal branch of government," Assemblyman Chad Mayes (I-Yucca Valley) said. "But you cant blame the administration for that. Its our responsibility."

Perhaps the most telling sign of a year that had come up short was the persistent chatter about whether Newsom should convene a special session of the Legislature between Labor Day and election day on Nov. 3 to cover some of the state's most pressing topics.

Story continues

Republicans went so far as to formally ask Newsom on Monday to keep them in town, while Democratic leaders of the two houses stayed silent on the request. Though the governor could still summon lawmakers back to Sacramento, there is no indication he will do so.

It was not, of course, the year anyone expected. Newsom devoted his entire State of the State address in February to a call for swift and sweeping action to stem California's homelessness crisis. That same week, legislators introduced the last of 2,203 proposed laws.

Everything changed two weeks later when Newsom declared a statewide emergency in response to the coronavirus. By month's end, the state Senate and Assembly took the advice of public health officials and suspended all in-person proceedings in Sacramento  but not before authorizing Newsom to spend $1 billion as he saw fit to combat the spread of the virus.

The governor's wide-reaching actions soon became a source of friction with legislators. Democrats and Republicans alike balked at his use of emergency powers. They criticized Newsom for too little transparency in a nearly $1-billion deal to purchase protective masks and gear from a Chinese electric car company retrofitted to manufacture pandemic supplies. They bristled when Newsom asked for additional spending power, and they questioned dozens of executive orders issued while they were told to stay away from the state Capitol.

Lawmakers came back 45 days later, but the die was already cast. Having lost weeks to vet ideas and gather public input, the vast majority of bills were abandoned. New proposals to address the COVID-19 crisis were introduced, but then another emergency appeared: a projected $54.3-billion budget deficit, unlike any financial crisis in state history, that had to be erased before the end of June.

"When we did come back, the environment to get anything done was very challenging," Mayes said.

And they weren't back for long. After two members of the Assembly tested positive for COVID-19 in early July, both houses again suspended their Capitol activities. Once legislators returned, with even less time to craft policy and under strict public health rules, lawmakers and advocates alike found it hard to make progress under the new constraints.

"We are in disarray," state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) said in mid-August, weeks before term limits brought her 14 years in the Legislature to an end. "Complex legislation needs sunlight and needs to be reviewed multiple times," she said. "This [year] has a frantic feel to it."

The frenzy seemed to work against broad-based efforts to offer economic assistance.

In May, Senate Democrats unveiled a $25-billion blueprint relying on tax vouchers and renter eviction relief that failed to gain traction, and the full proposal never materialized as legislation. The portion that did move forward  an effort to provide far-reaching protection to renters facing eviction  was quietly killed by the Assembly last month while a more modest renter assistance bill was sent to Newsom on Monday, the very last day before a court-ordered moratorium on evictions was set to expire. Their idea of tax vouchers, meanwhile, was delayed for additional study.

In July, the Assembly touted its own plan, building on the Senate's effort by offering $100 billion in economic assistance. But most of that proposal faded away, too. Its call for extending the state's earned income tax credit to more immigrants without legal status was adopted, but its most consequential promise, a state-funded expansion of unemployment benefits to replace the expired federal cash, quietly faded away.

While lawmakers frequently discussed the plight of workers out of a job, representatives of business owners wondered whether anyone cared about employers.

"The Legislature loves to say they want to help small business," said Jot Condie, president of the California Restaurant Assn. "But it becomes irksome after a while when you see no follow up."

Condie said he found little appetite from legislative leaders to extend eviction protections to small businesses such as restaurants. His organization's recent survey of restaurant owners found most will run out of federal Paycheck Protection Program loan funds before the end of September.

"They will absolutely see it" in their legislative districts when they go home this week, Condie said of the looming collapse of dining spots. "There is an ecosystem around a restaurant. Youre seeing this crisis cascade outward."

Liberal activists also criticized the limits of what the Legislature was willing to do. Last week, a group called Commit to Equity used lights to project "Countdown to catastrophe" on the outside of the state Capitol at night. They had demanded, with little response, that lawmakers impose new taxes on California's multi-millionaires. Two bills on the subject never had a committee vote.

Kamlager counted among her own frustrations the need to do more on economic issues as well as more substantive social justice efforts and the need for significant work to ease California's housing crisis. And she noted how hard it is for lawmakers to step away from governing by "owning" an issue and reaping the political praise in favor of a more collaborative approach.

"People want direction," she said. "And they want to know that were listening."

Mayes, a former leader of the Republican caucus in the Assembly who re-registered without a party preference in 2019, said the costs of inaction are often outweighed by the political consequences of taking the wrong action.

"Fear is a powerful motivator," he said. "And what ends up happening is everybody falls back to the easiest thing."
A teacher at Yung Wing Elementary School moves desks and chairs in her classroom to socially distance desks for the 2020-21 school year in New York City, N.Y., on Aug. 17, 2020. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

NYC Mayor Strikes Deal With Teachers Union, Delays School Reopening

New York Citys public schools will reopen more than 10 days later than originally planned, as part of the latest deal between city hall and powerful unions representing teachers and principals.

The only major school system in the United States that has opted to offer in-person classes this fall, the NYC Public Schools, was set to reopen school buildings next week on Sept. 10. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Tuesday that the reopening date has been pushed back to Sept. 21 in an effort to meet the unions demands and prevent a potential strike.

A lot was on the line here to work through, but Im pleased to report that weve come to an agreement to move forward, to address real concerns that have been raised about how to do things the right way, de Blasio, a Democrat, said during his daily press briefing.

School staff are expected to use Sept. 10-15 as preparation days, according to de Blasio. The following two days will serve as a transitional period during which only online learning will take place. Schools will bring students back on Sept. 21 for blended learning, with most students attending classes in person for two or three days each week and learning remotely for the rest of the week.

Under the blended learning plan, schools need to have three different groups of teachersone teaching students at school, another teaching the same students when theyre remote, and a third group teaching students who wish to take their classes entirely online. De Blasio said last week that he would deploy thousands of extra teachers to meet the staffing shortage.

What would have happened on Sept. 10 will now happen on Sept. 21, de Blasio said. He also promised to make monthly COVID-19 testing available to all schools, in which a random sample of 10 to 20 percent of students and staff members will be tested for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), joined de Blasio for the announcement. The UFT, which represents nearly 200,000 NYC Public Schools employees, is reportedly moving toward a strike, following months of threats that the organization would take action to halt the reopening until its many demandsnotably screening and testing of every person who enters a school buildingwere met for each of the citys 1,700 schools.

We now can say that New York City Public School Systems has the most aggressive policies and greatest safeguards of any school system in the United States of America, Mulgrew said.

The teachers union had said it may vote as early as Tuesday to authorize a potential strike over safety concerns. The delegates will meet Tuesday afternoon.
Besides hanging out with their friends and talking cars, theres one other thing the car culture enjoys doing and thats raising money for worthy causes.

The Downriver Wanderers Car Club, along with Tim Hortons, are reaching out to the public to help them raise money for Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, which support kids between the ages of 12 and 16 from disadvantaged circumstances.

According to the company, through a multi-year, camp-based program young people learn skills such as leadership, resilience and responsibility, allowing them to believe in their own potential and change their stories for the better.

The program is supported by Tim Hortons restaurant owners and their customers, and by such groups as the Downriver Wanderers.

Terry Barrett, the clubs president, said the club normally holds its fund-raising car show at the Tim Hortons store in Flat Rock, but this year, because of issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, the group is holding it at a different location.

Club members didnt have to look far, choosing a place theyve held car shows throughout the summer.

The event takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 5 at Blue Sky Ice Cream & Hamburgers, 15155 South Huron River Drive, at Eureka Road in Romulus.

The show is for classic cars and motorcycles.

The entry fee to the event is $10. The show will feature gift cards and a 50/50 raffle. Food and drinks will be available and music will be provided by DJ Danny.

All proceeds will be donated to Tims Camp.

For further information, call Barrett at 734-558-3665
The Abraham Lincoln Statue, erected in 1879, by Thomas Ball, is viewed in Park Square in Boston, Mass., on June 16, 2020. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Ignorance, Malice, and Racism Assault the Reminders of Past Greatness

Commentary

The recent and current practice of overturning, decapitating, and defacing statues of famous men and women, requiring their removal, is a dangerous symptom of nihilistic tendencies, and without putting on the airs of the psychiatrist, implies the presence of collective suicidal impulses.

Statues of famous figures of the past in every field not only honor the individuals celebrated and promote pride among the living for the distinction of their forebears, but convey a reassuring hint of immortality. People die but their reputations dont, and in many cases, they flourish, are reinterpreted, and the attainments and aptitudes that prompted people to put up statues to such individuals in the first place, are debated and often magnified.

Albert Camus, in his famous book The Plague, which was a metaphor for the Nazi occupation of France, wrote, Only the mute effigies of great figures of the past remind the present of what man had been.

Such Paris statues as those of Georges Clemenceau, Napoleon, and George Washington must have given some heart to Parisians in the dark days of the occupation.

When British Prime Minister Boris Johnson entered politics in 1997, he answered the questions of some of his fellow journalists, They dont build statues to journalists, do they? He couldnt imagine that statues could be taken down more easily than they could be put up.

Even Hitler, when he removed Marshal Fochs famous railway carriage in Compiegne, where the armistice ending World War I was signed, and blew up the statues around it celebrating the defeat of Germany, ordered that the statue honoring Foch, the supreme commander of the Allied armies, be left undisturbed.

The French, he said, are entitled to revere their heroes. Hitlers one act of kindness to France was to order that the coffin of Napoleons son, the so-called King of Rome, be moved from Vienna and reinterred at Napoleons tomb in the Invalides. Even he had some respect for the memorials and remains of the honored dead.

Honored Soldiers

It is, in the abstract, especially barbarous for people to destroy and vent their contempt upon statues of symbolic or unknown soldiers of past wars.

When Gen. Grant, immediately following Gen. Lees surrender at Appomattox, halted a 100-gun salute of victory, he said that there can be no celebration of the defeat of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse.

The South fought for a society which they revered and romanticized (as in Gone With the Wind); unfortunately, slavery was at the heart of it, and as Britain and France and other advanced countries had already recognized, the whole concept of people owning other people as property is so repugnant that today, its practically unimaginable.

But as President Reagan said in his famous address at the German cemetery at Bitburg on May 6, 1985, young men drafted into the service of their country for which they gave their lives were also victims of Nazi oppression; and the sons of the South who died defending slavery were also, in some measure, its victims.

Their courage, though misplaced, shouldnt be dishonored. The generals who commanded them have less excuse, but Lee, a former commandant of West Point, strongly recommended against secession.

It was then only 71 years since the former American colonies united to form a more perfect Union and it wasnt uncommon for gentlemen from the older states such as Virginia and Pennsylvania and Massachusetts still to put the interests of their states ahead of those of the country.

Lee agonized over the decision and the consequences of the decision. Morally as well as strategically, he was mistaken, but he was a great general and a conscientious man, and an immensely important figure in U.S. history. He and Stonewall Jackson and others werent regarded by Lincoln as traitors; Lee wasnt treated as a traitor, and doesnt deserve to be reviled as one now.

Negative Discrimination

Theres no conceivable argument for attacking the statues of Grant, Christopher Columbus, Frederick Douglass, or Abraham Lincoln. The statue of Lincoln with an African American kneeling before him captures the moment when Lincoln went to take possession of the Confederate capital, from which Grant had chased Confederate leaders a few days before.

Lincolns security was provided by an African American battalion, and as he walked two miles into Richmond, Virginia, many newly emancipated slaves knelt to thank him and, in each case, he helped raise them to their feet and said they must no longer kneel to anyone except God.

Its not only ignorance and malice that possessed radical members and sympathizers of Black Lives Matter (BLM) to seek to remove and destroy that statue of Lincoln in Washington.

What we are now dealing with isnt any semblance of Martin Luther King Jr. and his collaborators and followers demanding the civil and human rights that had been withheld from the emancipated slaves for a century of segregation. We have anti-white racism, just as malignant, just as insolent, just as violent, as the evils of Jim Crow and the Klan, no less so when the perpetrators are themselves white.

There are now frequent anecdotal reports of what is now called negative discrimination, meaning, in the South, African Americans in stores, restaurants, and elsewhere declining to serve whites on racial grounds.

As Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told the Republican convention last week, in one lifetime, his family had gone from baling cotton as black tenant farmers to his membership in the U.S. Congress; the negative side of that is that some of the descendants of those African Americans who had to sit at the back of the bus and couldnt get service in diners and cafeterias now withhold that service from descendants of those who denied it to their ancestors.

There is some vindictive logic in this, but it quickly comes up against the demographic reality that African Americans comprise only 12 percent of the entire U.S. population.

King learned from Gandhi that among a people steeped in Judeo-Christian tradition, gross mistreatment of ethnic minorities could only be conscientiously endured if the minorities resorted to force to take what they were owed.

In India, though the British could technically have clung to their possession and generated a terrible bloodbath among the population, they recognized that they had no ultimate right to govern there, and withdrew, powerless against mass nonviolent noncooperation.

In the United States, former segregationist President Lyndon Johnson saw that segregation was the evil legacy of the greater evil of slavery. He was sincere when he told the Congress in 1965, It is not just blacks but all of us who are the victims of racial prejudice and bigotry  and we shall overcome.

Figuring It Out

The country has now recognized that BLM isnt principally an organization that mourns the fate of victims of mistreatment such as George Floyd; its more notably an anti-white racist and urban guerrilla movement that is going to have to be dealt with as a threat to the elemental rights of all citizens of every pigmentation and to public security.

Destroying statues is symbolic; burning down and trashing cities is a premeditated assault on American civilization, not hot-headed and aggrieved impetuosity. The Democrats, to judge from Joe Bidens address in Pittsburgh on Aug. 31, seem to be having a poll-driven grace of hasty conversion, but if they dont put some real and explicit distance between themselves and BLM, they will pay a heavy price at the polls for sitting at the back of the wrong bus.

Their two chief allies in this campaign, black radicals and the COVID hysteria that they and their media lackeys have generated, are becoming serious handicaps.

Every week, BLM is more clearly seen as the infestation of looters and arsonists and rioters that it chiefly is, and as COVID fatalities decline, the masked, self-distanced, virtual-school cowardice and silliness of the Democrats becomes more obvious. In racial as in public health matters, the country, including all ethnic components of the country, are figuring it out more quickly than the Biden-Sanders Democrats.

Conrad Black has been one of Canadas most prominent financiers for 40 years, and was one of the leading newspaper publishers in the world. Hes the author of authoritative biographies of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, and, most recently, Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other, which is about to be republished in updated form.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
No comment on Pranab Mukherjee book before reading it: Former Union Minister

RIP Pranab Mukherjee: President, VP, Prime Minister pay last respects to former president

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Sep 01: President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chiefs of three defence services were among the dignitaries who paid their last respects to former president Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday morning.

Mukherjee's mortal remains were brought to his residence, 10, Rajaji Marg, earlier today from the army hospital where he breathed his last on Monday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh were among others who paid homage to him.

Country has lost one of its greatest leaders: Congress pays rich tributes to Pranab Mukherjee

Cremation is scheduled in the afternoon. The union government had on Monday announced a seven-day state mourning as a mark of respect for the former president. Mukherjee, one of India's most respected politicians, died following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments. He was 84.

A seven-time parliamentarian and recipient of Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, he was one of the most admired and respected political figures.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 10:41 [IST]
KYIV, Ukraine - Authorities in Belarus detained scores of university students who took to the streets Tuesday to demand that authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko resign after an election the opposition has denounced as rigged.

Hundreds of students gathered outside universities across the Belarusian capital, Minsk, and then marched across the city centre to the Education Ministry, continuing a fourth straight week of mass post-election protests. The demonstrators chanted for Lukashenko to Go away! and held banners demanding freedom for political prisoners.

Police cordons forced the demonstrators to change their route, and they detained dozens of them, according to the Viasna human rights centre. Viasnas Valiantsin Stefanovich said that some of the detainees were beaten by police.

Students and universities in general are a highly explosive group, Stefanovich said in a telephone interview. The authorities are really scared of strikes starting in universities and are carrying out demonstrative intimidation acts.

Viasna said at least 62 people were detained, including eight journalists.

One protester, Tatyana Ivanova, said that students from the Minsk State Linguistics University ran into a campus building to avoid being detained, but police tracked them down there.

It only fuels protest sentiments, she said. The more they beat and detain people, the more people understand that Lukashenko has lost.

As evening fell, several hundred protesters marched through Minsk and gathered on the main Independence Square. Police let the rally go on but detained several people on the fringes of the square.

Hundreds also rallied in several other districts, forming solidarity chains.

Lukashenko, who has run the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for 26 years, has dismissed protesters as Western puppets.

After a ferocious crackdown on demonstrators immediately after the Aug. 9 election that drew international outrage, the government has avoided large-scale violence and sought to end the protests with threats and the selective jailing of activists.

Several organizers of strikes at top industrial plants have been detained. On Tuesday, dozens of demonstrators rallied outside the Minsk Tractor Plant to encourage workers to strike, but they were quickly dispersed by police.

Prosecutors have opened a criminal probe of the oppositions Coordination Council set up after the election to try to negotiate a transition of power. Two of its members were given 10-day jail sentences on charges of staging unsanctioned protests, and several others were summoned for questioning.

Amid the official pressure, some opposition activists announced the creation of a new party, Together.

Maria Kolesnikova, a member of the Coordination Council, said the move will help overcome the current crisis. However, the party founders call for constitutional changes has stunned some other opposition council members, who argued that it could divert attention from the main goal of pushing for Lukashenko to step down.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition challenger in the election, who fled to Lithuania under pressure from authorities, welcomed the new party but criticized its call for constitutional reform.

Its a good idea, just maybe not at the right time, she said in an interview with The Associated Press, noting that the demands for the release of political prisoners, Lukashenkos resignation and a new election must now top the protesters agenda. The new party agenda is constitutional changes and I think this should be done after the elections.

She warned that Lukashenkos government shouldnt hope the protests will lose steam.

This government must understand that things will never be the same. People want changes, Tsikhanouskaya said in Lithuanias capital, Vilnius.They will not live with this president. They will not obey his orders any longer.

Observers said the emergence of a new party erodes the oppositions unity at a crucial moment.

The creation of a parallel party de facto weakens the opposition, bringing chaos and bewilderment in protesters ranks and causing a split among the already-weak leaders, said Alexander Klaskousky, an independent Minsk-based political analyst. The party lacks program and its goals look vague. It looks more like an attempt to take the leadership over protests and get rid of political competitors.

Klaskousky noted that the new partys call for constitutional reform echoes Lukashenkos proposals to draft a new version of the constitution  an initiative widely seen as an attempt to win time and steal the protesters thunder.

The Belarusian leader has alternated vague promises of reforms with threats and pressure.

On Monday, the authorities denied entry to the Roman Catholic archbishop of Minsk and Mohilev, who was returning to Belarus from Poland. Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz strongly criticized the Belarusian police last week.

Lukashenko on Tuesday accused Konrdusiewicz of delving into politics and dragging believers, Catholics into it and receiving orders from Poland.

The United States and the European Union have criticized the Aug. 9 election that gave Lukashenko a sixth term as neither free nor fair and urged Belarusian authorities to begin a dialogue with the opposition.

Facing Western pressure, Lukashenko has vowed to cement ties with Russia, which has a union treaty with Belarus envisaging close political, economic and military ties. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week he stands ready to send police to Belarus at Lukashenkos request if the demonstrations turn violent, but added that there is no need for that yet.

We will preserve our common Fatherland of two peoples that share one root, the Fatherland that spreads from Brest to Vladivostok, Lukashenko said, referring to the Belarusian city on the border with Poland, and the Russian Pacific port.

The president bristled at the idea and alleged the opposition would wage a massacre on his allies if it takes power in Belarus.

It wouldnt be a purge, like some say. It would be a massacre, he said Tuesday.

The police crackdown immediately after the election left nearly 7,000 people detained, hundreds injured by rubber bullets, stun grenades and beatings, and at least three protesters dead. Police then stopped interfering with the demonstrations, but last week they cranked up the pressure and again started to break up rallies and detain scores of participants.

The government also cracked down on the media, deporting some foreign journalists and revoking the accreditation of many Belarusian journalists. Two Moscow-based Associated Press journalists who were covering the protests were deported to Russia on Saturday. In addition, the APs Belarusian journalists were told by the government that their press credentials had been revoked.

U.S. and EU officials have strongly condemned the media crackdown.

-

Associated Press writers Daria Litvinova and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania, contributed.

-

Follow APs coverage of the political crisis in Belarus at https://apnews.com/Belarus

Read more about:
Bengaluru, Sep 1 : Noted Sandalwood producer Indrajit Lankesh on Tuesday alleged that at least a dozen Kannada film actors had links with narcotic drugs and were involved in drug abuse.

"I told the central crime branch police about the alleged involvement of a dozen Kannada film actors in drug trafficking and use of narcotics in the sandalwood (film) industry," Lankesh told reporters here in Kannada.

The police on Monday summoned Lankesh for sharing details and names of actors who were involved in drug trafficking and use of banned drugs like ganja, hashish, charas and cocaine in the film industry.

"I have given names of a dozen actors and some documents in support of my claim on their links to drugs to investigate and crack the racket," said Lankesh.

Lankesh (43) is the son of late noted editor P. Lankesh, who launched the popular "Lankesh pathrika" (weekly tabloid) in Kannada in the 1980s.

He is also the elder brother of eminent journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead at her house in the city's southwest suburb on September 5, 2017 by unidentified assailants.

Lankesh's sensational revelations came after the New Delhi-based Narcotics Control Bureau busted a drug trafficking racket in the southern state and arrested former Kannada television actress D. Anikha and two of her accomplices, R. Ravindran and M. Anoop from the city on August 26.

The central agency also seized huge cache of drugs from the accused, including 145 ecstasies or MDMA pills and Rs 2.2 lakh in cash from Royal Suites Hotel Apartment in the city's northeast suburb on August 21 and more pills in a follow-up raid last week.

The drug racket is suspected of supplying recreational and party drugs to sandalwood actors, children of VIPs, students and others.

"Noted musicians and actors in the Kannada film industry are under the scanner after their links to drugs came to light," a NCB official earlier said.

"As I am associated with the film industry as a producer, director and writer, I came to know that some of the parties in the sandalwood circle are hosted by drug mafias in the state," recalled Lankesh.

Bengaluru joint police commissioner Sandeep Patil told reporters that the anti-narcotics wing of the crime branch would investigate the case based on details Lankesh shared with it on the alleged nexus between drug dealers and Kannada film actors.

Though Lankesh claimed he also submitted photos and videos of a Kannada actress misbehaving at a night party under the influence of drugs, Patil said the police were yet to check them.

"Lankesh shared some information on use of banned drugs in the Kannada film industry. We will investigate the allegations and take action against the accused. We are collecting more details about the actors' drug links," Patil added.
France and the international community have said they will not provide financial assistance to Lebanon unless it implements reforms to fight widespread corruption and mismanagement that have brought the tiny nation to the brink of bankruptcy. Adib, a dual Lebanese-French citizen, promised to carry out the mission as he prepared to form a new Cabinet, saying he will work on reaching a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund.
Malaysia closed to tourists until December

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has announced that the countrys Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO), which maintains strict travel restrictions, will remain in place until Dec 31, 2020.

tourismimmigrationCOVID-19

By TTR Weekly

Tuesday 1 September 2020, 12:51PM

Image: via TTR Weekly

Initially, the RMCO was due to expire on Aug 31, reports TTR Weekly.

As long as the RMCO is in place, foreigners who have a social visit pass (tourist visa) that expired after Jan 1, 2020 will be permitted to leave Malaysia without incurring any fines or penalties. The concession does not apply to social visit passes that expired before Jan 1, 2020.

Thailand has given foreigners a much shorter grace period that ends on Sept 26. Foreigners will need to apply for a visa extension or leave Thailand to avoid penalties by the deadline.

Travel to Malaysia will continue to have strict controls with foreigners needing to obtain a Letter of Undertaking and Indemnity approved by the nearest Malaysian consulate or embassy in addition to an appropriate visa. However, leisure travellers will not be permitted to visit Malaysia as long as the RMCO is in place. Entry is limited to travellers who have families in Malaysia and for essential travel linked to business and investment activities.

All travellers who are permitted to enter Malaysia must undertake mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Thailand follows similar protocols, strictly applying the 14-quarantine rule but offering travellers arriving in Bangkok what it calls alternative state quarantine in certified hotels that are linked to hospitals. They charge around B50,000 to B70,000 for the 14-day stay, including three meals a day and COVID-19 tests.

Thailand is currently confusing overseas tour operators with contradictory statements by leaders who in the space of a few days suggest they are opening the borders gradually to limited travel and then contradict themselves just days later by suggesting the opposite, noted the TTR Weekly report.

There are various programmes bandied about by the media, but due to the 14-day quarantine rule, they would appeal only to long-stay visitors (six months or more) repeat travellers who are prepared to buy into expensive schemes to return to Thailand.
(ANSA) - VATICAN CITY, SEP 1 - Pope Francis on Tuesday warned of the threat to the climate and the COVID emergency from the "avidity" of consumerism, in a message on today's World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

"Today the voice of creation urges us, alarmed, to return to the right place in the natural order, to remember that we are part and not masters of the interconnected network of life," Francis said.

"The disintegration of biodiversity, the vertiginous increase in climate disasters, the unequal impact of the ongoing pandemic on the poorest and most fragile are alarm bells in the face of the relentless avidity of consumerism".

The pope urged all nations to respect climate change accords and reduce emissions.

"Everything possible must be done to limit the growth in average global temperature to below the threshold of 1.5 degrees centigrade, as is laid down in the Paris Climate Accord," he said.

"Going beyond that will prove to be catastrophic, above all for the poorest communities all over the world".

"In this critical moment it is necessary to promote intra-generational and inter-generational solidarity.

"In preparation for the important Summit on Climate in Glasgow, in the United Kingdom (COP 26), I urge each country to adopt more ambitious national targets to reduce emissions".

The pope added: "I renew my appeal to cancel the debt of the most fragile countries in light of the grave impacts of the health, social and economic crises they must face following COVOD-19".

"We must also ensure that the incentives for recovery, in the process of elaboration and implementation at a global, regional and national level, are actually effective, with policies, legislations and investments focused on the common good and with the guarantee that global social and environmental objectives re met". (ANSA).


He is advising his firms 475 corporate clients not to offer the deferral in part because it could be a paperwork nightmare. Some employees might decide to defer, and others will not. Additionally, offering it will affect employers quarterly tax filings.
Bangladesh has extended the shutdown of educational institutions, except madrasas, till October 3 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the education ministry has said.

Schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions were ordered to close since the first cases of Covid-19 appeared in March. The shutdown has been extended several times since then.

"The ongoing holiday for all educational institutions, except Qawmi madrasas, has been extended to Oct 3 because of the global coronavirus pandemic," bdnews24 quoted the education ministry as saying on Thursday.

Qawmi madrasas operate without any government monitoring, supervision or support. They run with private donations mostly.

The government has also suspended the primary education completion and equivalent examinations this year due to the coronavirus crisis, the bdnews24 report said.

According to a report in Dhaka Tribune, the government has been running a distance-learning program through TV for schools and colleges. Classes are taking place on Facebook and YouTube for primary and secondary-level students as well.
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One of the unfortunate side effects of social media is the dangerous trends it brings about. While we love TikTok for showing us cute cat videos and celebrity dance-offs, the dark side of the video-based app includes things like the Benadryl Challenge. This new challenge targets young people who are looking to get high but is, obviously, incredibly dangerous. In fact, the FDA issued a warning about the serious problems associated with overdosing on the allergy medication. While teens are looking for the common side effect of Benadryl - drowsiness or loopiness - taking more than the recommended amount can lead to serious health issues. Too much Benadryl can make your heart race and even cause seizures. Here's everything you need to know about this dangerous new challenge.

Related:

What Is the Tide Pod Challenge?

The Latest Teen Participating in the "Tide Pod Challenge" Was Just Hospitalized

What Is the Benadryl Challenge?

According to Newsweek, the Benadryl Challenge encourages participants to take a dozen or so Benadryl pills to get high. The diphenhydramine in the Benadryl, the active ingredient that makes you drowsy, can also give you a high feeling if taken in excess. However, taking it in excess can also be incredibly dangerous. While some young people might think that taking a bunch of Benadryl pills will just give them a high and make them loopy, it can have severe side effects, including seizures and even death.

Where Did the Benadryl Challenge Start?

It's unclear where exactly this challenge originated, but it was cited in May as the cause of three Texas teens being taken to the hospital. Newsweek reported that one of the teens was brought in with a heart rate of 199, much higher than normal, as a result of taking Benadryl. The teens told the doctors that they'd taken the Bendaryl as part of a social media challenge to trip out and hallucinate.

Have People Died From the Benadryl Challenge?

The TikTok Benadryl Challenge is blamed for the August death of a 15-year-old in Oklahoma. "The dose that can cause a hallucination is very close to the dose that can cause something potentially life-threatening," said Scott Schaeffer, director of the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information to local news station KFOR.

What Has the FDA Said About the Benadryl Challenge?

The US Food and Drug Administration warns that taking high doses of the allergy medication can lead to "serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or even death." They are also investigating reports of teens who have ended up in the ER or have died from participating, and have reached out to TikTok to urge them to take down any videos that feature the challenge. The FDA recommends that parents and caregivers store these kind of medications out of reach of children, and that healthcare providers be aware of the challenge and remind teens and caregivers to follow information on the Drug Facts label.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.Hustler magazine's September 2020 issue has been released online and is available on newsstands nationwide today. Septembers Cover Honey is Ukrainian Mila Azul, who graces a 12-page centerfold spread shot by Davide Esposito. The issue also revisits the 2004 Hustler layout Fill Her Up, starring then-Vivid Girl Monique Alexander and Lolana, shot by famed photographer Matti Klatt, as well as pictorials of Eufrat, Maya Bijou, Abby Cross, Kalina Ryu and more.

Stand-up comic Fortune Feimster hooks up with Hustler over cocktails to tell about her Netflix special, the role Hooters played in her upbringing and how she joined the Groundlings and launched a successful stand-up comedy career mostly just to make friends. Also on hand: real-deal rock and roll band Dirty Honeythink Aerosmith meets Led Zeppelinfor a candid conversation about meet-and-greet girls and achieving fame without a major record label. And in an in-depth exclusive interview, John Nichols, one of America's foremost left-leaning journalists and national affairs correspondent for The Nation, explores what he terms "the fight for the soul of the Democratic Party" and its future.

In their columns, publisher Larry Flynt discusses the importance of securing our voting system in time for the election, and political commentator Brad Friedman details voter fraud and its main perpetrator: President Trump.
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on Monday met with Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai in Beijing.

Noting that bilateral relations have maintained stable development, Wei said China is ready to work with Vietnam to carry forward the special friendship forged by the old revolutionaries of the two Parties and countries.

China is prepared to strengthen solidarity and deepen cooperation with Vietnam to handle differences appropriately and jointly oppose hegemonism, interventionism and unilateralism, in order to make contributions to regional and global peace and stability, said Wei.

Pham Sao Mai noted that Vietnam is ready for joint efforts with China to promote traditional friendship and in-depth strategic cooperation between the two countries in the face of complex international and regional situations.
On the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances, people were seen protesting outside the Pakistan consulate in New York against the forceful kidnapping of people belonging to the minority class by Pakistan's military and intelligence. One of the protestors Najeeb Khan, who lives in Balochistan, said," Today, we are here to protest against all those disappearances which the Pakistani Army has enforced and the Pakistani intelligence has been carrying out for a long time. There are thousands of people including politicians, political workers, and journalists who have been forcefully disappeared."

People protest against Pak's forceful abductions

READ | Pakistan National Married To Indian Man Booked For Visa Violation; Released On Bail

The protestors accused Pakistan of committing atrocities on the minority communities of the country since the last 20 years and the no. of such cases is increasing. A person standing outside the Pakistan consulate in New York on Sunday said that Pakistan has turned into a huge prison for all the minority religions. The year 2020 marked the 40th anniversary of the Declaration for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances and the 10th anniversary of the Convention for the Protection of All Persons against Enforced Disappearances.

READ | Pakistan Reveals Dawood Ibrahim's Karachi Home 'White House'; 88 Terrorists Sanctioned

One of the Anti-Pakistan protestors said, "Before it was Balochistan, but now they have started in other regions of Pakistan. One of the major problems that we are facing is that we don't have any access to information about the enforced disappearance happening in Pakistan." He also said that approximately 50,000 people have been disappeared by Pakistani forces and kidnapping & cruel killing of people was happening daily in Balochistan.



READ | Sorry Pakistan, Dominica Says Dawood Ibrahim Isn't Its Citizen; Now Hand Him Over

A Pakistani journalist present in the anti-Pakistan protest to meet the protestors said, "There is a complete media blackout in Pakistan regarding these issues. The reporters are afraid to report on critical human rights issue which has been going on in the last 20 years, especially in the tribal areas. Its high time Pakistan should take notice of this situation because the world is taking notice."

READ | Desperate Imran Khan Now Makes Excuses To Pak Terrorists; Admits Loss To India's Diplomacy

READ | Pakistan Team Becomes Subject Of Jokes On Social Media After Five-wicket Loss To England
By PTI

MUMBAI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday detained an alleged contraband dealer who has "links" with its probe in the drugs trafficking case pertaining to the death case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, officials said.

The man, who has not been identified, apprehended by the federal anti-narcotics agency is understood to be involved in the supply of narcotics in the high-end party circles of Mumbai.

He is expected to be arrested by the NCB on Wednesday after his questioning gave the agency sleuths some "vital leads" into the narcotics case registered against Rajput's live-partner Rhea Chakraborty and others, they said.

The agency last week arrested two men for alleged drug trafficking in the western metropolis and it is understood that the leads against the detained man came after questioning them.

A special NCB team from Delhi, headed by deputy director (operations) K P S Malhotra, is camping in the city to take forward this probe.

The team also includes agency officers from Mumbai and has been constituted by NCB Director General Rakesh Asthana.

The agency filed a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) after the Enforcement Directorate, also probing the death case of the 34-year-old actor, shared with it a report after it cloned two mobile phones of Rhea.

As per officials, the mobile phone chats and messages indicated procurement and consumption of drugs and these leads were shared by the ED with the NCB and the CBI.

The NCB, as part of a linked operation, also seized about 3.

5 kgs of bud or curated marijuana from foreign post offices in Delhi and Mumbai.

Officials said the operation in Mumbai led them to a Goa-based man identified as F Ahmed who works as a driver at a prominent resort in the coastal state.

"Ahmed was supplying bud to some prominent receiver at Bangalore who has linkages with page 3 celebrities," an NCB officer said.

An intensive operation has been conducted against the illegal import of curated marijuana (bud), which is primarily sourced from USA and Canada, and has huge market demand in Mumbai, he said.

While the seizure made in Delhi was destined for Mumbai, the one made in Mumbai was sourced from Canada and destined for Goa, the officer said.

"The widespread use and demand of bud in Mumbai region has jacked up the prices in the grey market and it has huge pecuniary gains in the trafficking.

The sourcing of the bud is primarily through the darknet and cryptocurrency which provides layers of anonymity to buyers and sellers," the NCB officer said.

In the Delhi seizure, he said, the source of the bud was found to be the US.

"The consignee of the contraband was based in Delhi but was misguided by his contact at Mumbai that some legal stuff was being procured from the US and it was to be collected by Mumbai-based persons, whose search is underway," the officer said.

PTI NES RDM RDM 09012101 NNNN
A recent explosion in Beirut captured headlines all over the world. It killed hundreds of residents and injured thousands more, and it has led to to yet another round of calls for political and economic reforms in Lebanon. While such reforms are long overdue, it is hard to see how Lebanon, on its own, can repair the problems deepened by this latest catastrophe. A donor conference organized by French President Emmanuel Macron drew pledges for much-needed short-term assistance. But sustained global investment is also necessary if the country is to recover over the long run.

The situation in Lebanon was already explosive. Its economy was in shambles, corruption was endemic, job opportunities were scarce, and a brain drain sapped the country of skill and human resources. Government profligacy in an era of low growth and capital inflows left the countrys national debt at 150% of its GDP, the third highest in the world. All the while, Lebanons confessional system, which divides the exercise of power among the countrys religious groups, has furthered the damage of sectarian divides.

Add to this volatile mix an influx of 1.5 million Syrian refugeesthe largest number per capita in the worldand social tensions and economic anxiety had already escalated in recent years. When we visited Lebanon to study how labor markets were coping with the refugee influx, a U.S. official we interviewed likened the situation to a population the size of Texas suddenly moving into the United States. The Lebanese experts we spoke with saw the country providing a public good to the world by hosting this many refugees. They hoped the global community would, in return, invest in Lebanese industries and infrastructure to create jobs and growth. Indeed, despite tensions including sharpened competition for jobs, there were no systematic reprisals against refugees, and all 150 firms we surveyed had employed Syrian refugees.

Protests broke out in October 2019 with demands for political, social, and economic change resulting in the resignation of then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri. They were quelled only by the powerful force of a pandemic that wrought even more economic devastation. The IMF forecast that COVID-19 would cause Lebanons economy to shrink by 12% in 2020. Poverty has increased, with three-quarters of the population estimated to need aid. With these crises dealing one blow after another, the explosion effectively delivered a knockout punch. Predictably, Lebanese have reacted with anger, bringing down another prime minister and the entire government.

Few disagree with the need for economic and political reforms. European officials we spoke with warned it was highly unlikely that private investment would arrive without substantive reforms, and even assistance conditional on improvements over time was unrealistic. Given the current frustration and anger directed at politicians of all stripes, sudden and sweeping structural changes may well be possible. However, it is difficult to see how an economy in such dire straits that has been so badly managed for years can reform overnight and fulfill the preconditions set by global investors and multilateral institutions.

Governance and economic performance are intertwined, and investors and donors do need to maintain the pressure for meaningful reforms. However, the global community also needs to think creatively about getting much-needed investment to Lebanon with speed, perhaps learning from past experiences in managing aid. For instance, a neutral, multinational body could be set up in cooperation with the next Lebanese government to oversee the disbursement of foreign funds and ensure accountability and speedy implementation. Such a body would increase the confidence of global investors, who could provide investment in tranches upon completion of implementation milestones.

The foundations of such a mechanism exists within CEDRE, the $11 billion pledge made in Paris in 2018, which is linked to Lebanons capital investment plan. Recommendations for improvement include conducting public investment assessments, strengthening the High Council for Privatization and Partnership to oversee public-private partnerships, and establishing a National Anti-Corruption Commission, which has already been legislated. A cautionary note emphasizes the limited capacity of the government to enact some of the tougher tenets of CEDRE, and pressures ministries to pass laws and enact policies rather than pursue changes requiring multi-party consensus. Our study also identified a need for building government capacity in planning and execution  a need made more acute by recent developments.

Waiting for Lebanon to completely reform before investing in the country could push it further into chaos, increasing regional instability. As we discovered, the need for livelihoods is as urgent as humanitarian assistance, which investment in large scale infrastructure and construction projects can provide. The people of a country that provided a timely and much-needed public good, to the world as well as to the refugees they host, might deserve the same kind of support from the global community.

Krishna B. Kumar is director of international research at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and director of the Initiative for Global Human Progress at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Louay Constant is a senior policy Researcher at RAND.
Czech Senate president witnesses MOU signings in Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

08/31/2020 02:09 PM

Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil on Monday witnessed the signing of three documents on smart industry cooperation during an economic forum, the first official activity of his six-day visit to Taiwan.

Government and business representatives from both sides signed three memoranda of agreement involving cooperation in smart cities and the Artificial Intelligence of Things (AITO), start-up ecosystems and smart manufacturing.

Kung Ming-hsin (), head of Taiwan's National Development Council, and Vystrcil witnessed the signing of the first two memoranda of agreement while Taiwan's Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua () and Vystrcil were present at the signing of the third.

Details of the MOUs have not been made public. However, Wang told reporters before the signing that the agreements are expected to deepen cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech Republic with global supply chains facing disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The signing ceremony was held during a Taiwan-Czech Republic Economic, Trade and Investment Forum, attended by Taiwanese and Czech entrepreneurs to discuss business opportunities in the post-pandemic era.

The discussions involved artificial intelligence, internet of things, green economy, startups, automobiles, information communication technology (ICT) and aerospace industries, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), which organized the forum.

"Although Taiwan and the Czech Republic are far from each other geographically, both countries enjoy close relations," Wang said in her opening remarks, citing investment by several Taiwanese ICT companies in Czechia as long as 25 years ago.

A few years ago, Taiwanese technology firm Foxconn and Czechia's KKCG set up a joint venture and opened a data center in Prague, she added.

Wang went on to say that aside from closer relations in business and trade, Taiwan and Czechia share universal values such as democracy, freedom and human rights. Hence, both sides will adhere to these values while pursuing economic growth, she added.

Meanwhile, Vystrcil reiterated that a primary task of any politician is to create a good environment for business through legislation and this is one of the goals for his visit.

Vystrcil said he sees great potential for Czechia-Taiwan cooperation and urged both sides to work to realize that potential through action.

A business matching activity will be held in the afternoon, which is expected to be attended by around 100 business representatives from Taiwan and Czechia. However, the event is not open for media coverage.

The 89-member delegation led by Vystrcil arrived in Taipei on Sunday, with all of them testing negative for COVID-19 on Monday. They will stay in Taiwan until Sept. 4.

According to MOEA, Czechia is Taiwan's fourth largest investment destination in Europe, and Taiwanese businesses in the country have created about 23,000 employment opportunities there.

An agreement between Taiwan and Czechia on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion, signed in December 2017, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

(By Liang Pei-chi and Emerson Lim)

Enditem/AW

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KENOSHA, Wis.: Damage to city-owned property from violence that erupted over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha is estimated at nearly $2 million so far, a city official said.

The citys public works director, Shelly Billingsley, provided the estimate to local leaders Monday night on what it would cost to replace garbage trucks, street lights and traffic signals, among other things that were destroyed or damaged in the unrest over the last week.

The estimate was made as some Kenosha residents fear Tuesdays planned visit by President Donald Trump may stir more emotions and cause more violence and destruction in the southeastern Wisconsin city after several days of peace. Others, however, welcomed the presidents trip.

Trumps visit comes as demonstrators are calling for the Kenosha officer who shot Blake seven times in the back Aug. 23 to be fired and face attempted murder charges, and more than a week after authorities say a 17-year-old from northern Illinois shot and killed two protesters.

Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was shot while police responded to a call about a domestic dispute. His family on Tuesday plans to hold a community gathering at the site where he was shot that is to include a community clean-up, food drive and voter registration effort.

Mayor John Antaramian has said the city will request $30 million in aid from the state to help rebuild in the aftermath of the unrest. Some of the citys garbage trucks, which were parked downtown to provide security and limit movement by protesters, were set on fire during the demonstrations.

Billingsley said they were insured and that city staff is working with the insurance company to log damage information, the Kenosha News reported. Some of the trucks, which had functioned as snow-plow vehicles in the winter, were also destroyed.

Billingsley said she hoped that the setback would not affect snow plow operations this winter. She told the Public Works Committee the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors could affect the timeline in obtaining the new trucks.

City staff continues to compile numbers from the damage, Billingsley said.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Facebook is threatening to ban its users in Australia from sharing news on its main app and Instagram after Australia's consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission or ACCC, came out with a draft News Media Bargaining Code.



'Australia is drafting a new regulation that misunderstands the dynamics of the internet and will do damage to the very news organisations the government is trying to protect,' said Will Easton, Managing Director, Facebook Australia & New Zealand.



He added that Facebook will be left with a choice of either removing news entirely or accepting a system that lets publishers charge it for as much content as they want at a price with no clear limits.



Easton noted that the ACCC is ignoring important facts, most critically the relationship between the news media and social media, while drafting this new legislation.



'Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram. This is not our first choice - it is our last,' Easton added.



However, Facebook confirmed that its products and services in Australia that allow family and friends to connect will not be impacted by this decision.



Meanwhile, the ACCC reacted to this move by Facebook by saying, 'Facebook's threat today to prevent any sharing of news on its services in Australia is ill-timed and misconceived.'



The ACCC added, 'The draft media bargaining code aims to ensure Australian news businesses, including independent, community and regional media, can get a seat at the table for fair negotiations with Facebook and Google.'



Facebook's move comes close on the heels of search giant Google warning its users in Australia that new government regulation would force it to provide customers with a 'dramatically worse' Google Search and YouTube.



The social media giant has engaged extensively with the ACCC to aid the Australian Government's goal of supporting struggling news organisations, particularly local newspapers. Facebook has invested millions of dollars in Australian news businesses and offered to invest millions more.



Easton said 'the ACCC presumes that Facebook benefits most in its relationship with publishers, when in fact the reverse is true.'



Facebook has been postponing the introduction of its new Facebook News feature to Australia due to due to the ongoing regulatory stalemate and the release of the draft News Media Bargaining Code.



Facebook News is a feature on the platform exclusively for news, where Facebook pays publishers for their content. Since its launch in the U.S. last year, publisher partners have seen the benefit of additional traffic and new audiences.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
18:15 | Lima, Sep. 1.

"In addition, the Development and Social Inclusion Ministry programs have been enhanced. Putting all this together, the investment to support vulnerable families entails S/6.49 billion (US$1.83 billion)," he announced at a press conference.

Additionally, he said there are programs that provide grants for the construction of houses on owned land, as well as the maintenance of water inlets managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (Minagri ) and Trabaja Peru.

"All these programs required an investment of S/4 billion (around US$1.12 billion)," he said.

The Head of State affirmed that, together, the initiatives totaled more than S/14 billion (around US$3.94 billion) in investment.

"We are making a great effort. We recorded S/30 billion (around US$8.45 billion) less revenue this year and we must increase spending by S/14 billion (US$3.94 billion) to address the health needs, vulnerable families and all the programs that we have enhanced," he pointed out.

The top official explained that the economy had to be revived with some programs that were not included in the initial 2020 budget in order to provide this support for families.

"Thus, we launched the Arranca Peru (Get off the Ground, Peru) Program for the maintenance of over 5,000 kilometers of roads in all provinces across the country. There is not a single province in Peru without a road maintenance program," he added.
In a speech to supporters in South Carolina, Donald Trump praised a 'fake' story about a US general executing 49 Muslims using bullets dripped in pigs blood.

Trump alleged General John Pershing ordered the shooting of Filipino Muslim resistance fighters in the "early 1900s", MSNBC reports.

The Republican front runner said: "He took fifty bullets, and he dipped them in pigs blood

"And he had his men load his rifles and he lined up the fifty people, and they shot 49 of those people.

"And the fiftieth person he said: You go back to your people and you tell them what happened. And for 25 years there wasnt a problem, okay?"

General Pershing was an US military leader in the early 20th century who led US forces in the First World War.

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

This recurring myth about Pershing's tenure as military governor of the Moros region in the Philippines between 1909 and 1913 has been rebuffed by rumour busting website, Snopes.

According to Snopes, this story has been circulated widely in different forms on the internet since the 9/11 attacks.

To loud applause, Trump added: "We better start getting tough and we better start getting vigilant, and we better start using our heads or were not gonna have a country, folks.

"By the way, this is something you can read in the history books. Not a lot of history books, because they dont like teaching this."

A member of the crowd told reporters: "We need someone who can lead the country because people are scared to death.

"Its only a matter of time before terrorists come and start chopping Christian heads off in the United States."
A worker sanitises public transportation buses after the government eased a nationwide lockdown imposed as a preventive measure against the the Covid-19 coronavirus, in Chennai. AFP Photo

From MoS Finance Anurag Thakurs no COVID-19 impact on Indian economy on March 18 to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamans Act of God metaphor at the recent GST council meeting, Indias economy has now found itself in dire straits.

Not that Indias economy was any better when the year began. It was already being held responsible for pulling down the overall global economic forecast, with the IMF revising its growth forecast for 2020 from 7 per cent to 5.8 per cent. The IMF blamed the downward trend in domestic demand for the revision in the growth figure. In addition, the two-year low in credit growth and the poor state of the construction sector continued to hurt the economy.

Given the less-than-ideal economic scenario, a nationwide complete lockdown was bound to have a considerable impact on the economy. However, Thakurs statement on March 18 only highlighted the Centres obliviousness to the quagmire that lay ahead for the economy.

Corona hit India at wrong time

The Indian economy contracted 23.9 per cent in June quarter vs March quarters 3.1 per cent growth. The quarterly slump is said to be the worst in Independent India. Among the G-7 nations too, no economy has contracted more than India, with the UK being the worst affected after a -20.4% decline.

This is significant as the period coincided with two rounds of complete lockdown periods and the first phase of the gradual relaxation of norms to enable economic activities. This was also the period when coronavirus went out of control in India, with guest workers acting as the virus vector. Between April 1 and June 30, the number of coronavirus cases increased by 28,350 per cent  2,059 to 5,85,792.

It can thus be inferred that the complete lockdown and the gradual relaxation of rules to kickstart economic activities did two things  increase the number of corona cases and accelerate the economic decline.

As per the Reserve Bank of Indias latest report, Indias economy will contract by 4.5 per cent in 2020-21 (April-March fiscal year). The RBI report observed that there was some uptick in some economic indictors in May and June, when the lockdown was eased, pointing towards the existing pent-up demand. However, it added, (The upticks) lost strength in July and August, mainly due to re-imposition or stricter imposition of lockdowns, suggesting that contraction in economic activity will likely prolong into Q2.

The RBI report highlighted the COVID-19 impact using an important indicator: The e-way bills issuance  an indicator of domestic trading activity. The issuances increased by 70.3 per cent in June 2020 on a month-on-month basis but in July it increased by only 11.4 per cent month-on-month and remained 7.3 per cent lower than a year ago.

Moreover, the Google Mobility Trend, which tracks movement of people as a reflection of underlying economic activity, picked up in June but stagnated in July  coinciding with individual states re-imposing stricter lockdowns. This also showed that the confusing timelines imposed by the states and the Centre not only failed to stop the rampage of coronavirus but also jeopardised normal economic functioning.

Other indices falter amid lockdown

The Index of Industrial Production shows the real production output. Eight core industries that constitute 40 per cent of the total weight of IIP. The production in the eight core sectors -- coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity -- showed a slight improvement in July, contracting to 9.6 per cent as against -12.9 per cent that was witnessed in the month of June.

However, it is not something to be happy about as this is the fifth consecutive month of contraction  four of the months covering the whole lockdown period.

Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector  the focus of PM Modis Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat scheme  performed badly, with the gross value added (GVA) growth in the manufacturing sector contracting by 39.3 per cent, from 3 per cent expansion a year ago.

The GVA is a measure of economic productivity to check the contribution of an entity to the economy, while accounting for the impact of subsidies and tariffs on products.

While the indices and GDP growth numbers provide a macro-economic picture of the state of affairs, the real impact of the economic downturn due to the prolonged lockdown and unlocks can be seen from the sordid tale of unemployment numbers and steep decline in consumption.

As per the RBI report, consumption  accounting for some 60 per cent of GDP  in transport services, hospitality, recreation, and cultural activities fell considerably in during the pandemic.

During an emergency, households would generally focus on essential goods than anything else. Household consumption of FMCG products in April-June 2020 was the highest in the last two years, as per one report. While the latest data is unavailable, COVID-19 will definitely have a sharper impact on household incomes due to the spate of job losses and salary cuts.

Coming to job losses, the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy estimated that at least 1.89 crore salaried people lost their jobs between April and August. However, the real impact of the crisis will be in the informal sector, which is the source of income for over 90 per cent of work force.

As per one report, at least 12 crore people have lost their jobs since the lockdown. However, the impact has been more profound on wage labourers and small traders, who constitute 75 per cent of the unemployed.

The way forward now

There are some bright spots even in the gloom of coronavirus-induced lockdown. Rural India is seemingly untouched by the impact of the lockdown, highlighted by the fact that fertiliser segment, which continued to grow for the third straight month in July. In addition, tractor sales picked up by 38.5 per cent in July, while motorcycle sales eased out in July.

However, there are two issues that rural India could face in the coming days: The surge in rural corona cases leading to stress on health infra and muted wage growth due to migrant crisis.

With the private sector under stress to restructure their businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19-induced lockdown, the public sector would have to take the lead in capital investments.

However, the states and Centre are already reeling under fiscal deficit, aggravated by the costs of fighting COVID-19-related crises. India's fiscal deficit in the April-July stood at Rs 8.21 lakh crore as against Rs 5.47 crore year-on-year.

The rise in fiscal deficit has to be seen in connection with the shortfall in GST receipts and the tussle for compensation between states and Centre. The GST shortfall in the current fiscal (April to March) is Rs 2.35 lakh crore, while Rs 1.38 lakh crore is the impact of COVID-19 on states revenues.

The compensation issue has put fiscal federalism at stake, with the Centre seemingly abandoning its Constitutional responsibility to pay. Instead, the Centre has put the onus of raising the deficit income on the states. This development could either turn out to be a gamechanger or an unmitigated disaster.

Considerable economic restructuring would be the way forward for India to get out of this unending chakravyuh. The RBI report said, Public investment funded by the monetisation of assets in steel, coal, power, land, railways and privatisation of major ports by central and state governments could revive private investment. In fact, GST Council type of apex authorities can be set up in respect of land, labour and power to drive structural reforms.

A McKinsey & Co report urged the government to focus on generating jobs, indicating that the COVID-19 crisis is the moment India could reboot itself. However, its suggestion hinged on the point that India must first resolve pre-COVID-19 issues like slowing growth and flat unemployment.

If India undertakes required reforms like by 2023, the report said, India could create 90 million non-farm jobs by 2030. In the absence of any meaningful reforms, the third decade of the 21st Century could end up becoming Indias missing decade.
NORRISTOWN  An Upper Dublin man accused of the fatal stabbing of his mothers boyfriend is severely mentally disabled, in need of further mental health treatment and not competent to proceed to trial at this time, a judge has ruled.

Jules Demetris Ross Jr., 28, of the 100 block of Girard Avenue, will be committed for involuntary treatment services, under the Pennsylvania Mental Health Procedures Act, to the Norristown State Hospital forensic unit for a period not to exceed 180 days, Montgomery County Judge William R. Carpenter ruled.

The judge issued the order after defense lawyer Gregory Nester and Assistant District Attorney Cara McMenamin said Ross was evaluated by a psychiatrist and a psychologist for both the defense and prosecution and each determined Ross was incompetent at this time to face court proceedings.

From a legal perspective, that will put his case on hold, its a stay of prosecution for the next 180 days, Nester explained after the hearing. Its also a commitment to the Norristown State Hospital for competency restoration treatment.

During the 180-day treatment period, Ross will be re-evaluated to determine if he has regained competence or is in need of additional mental health treatment. The re-evaluation will address Ross progress toward regaining competency.

The judge will hold a competency review hearing, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 17, 2021.

Then well see where we go from there. If hes incompetent, still, we can extend the treatment. If hes restored to competency, then the case will come back to an active case and be litigated, Nester said. And if at any time during that 180 days, his situation changes where hes restored to competency then we can always advance that on the courts calendar as necessary.

Ross is still awaiting a preliminary hearing before District Court Judge Patricia Zaffarano on charges of first- and third-degree murder and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the alleged Feb. 2, 2019, fatal stabbing of Johnny Johnson, 49, inside the residence they shared in the North Hills section of Upper Dublin.

The investigation began about 5:06 a.m. when Upper Dublin police were dispatched to the Girard Avenue residence for a reported stabbing.

Arriving officers found Chiquita Brown trying to help Johnson, her boyfriend, who had a stab wound to the neck, according to the criminal complaint. Brown told the police her son, Ross, had stabbed Johnson, detectives alleged.

Johnson was transported to Jefferson Healths Abington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined Johnson died as a result of multiple cuts and stab wounds, according to the arrest affidavit.

Court documents revealed Browns version of what occurred and an alleged differing account of events by Ross.

Brown allegedly told police she and Johnson were having a verbal argument in their bedroom during the early hours of Feb. 2 when Ross knocked on the door and told Johnson to cut the noise, according to the criminal complaint. Brown told her son they were fine and just arguing, but after several minutes, as she was leaving the bedroom, Ross charged past her and accused Johnson of hitting my mom, according to the arrest affidavit.

According to Browns account to investigators, Johnson was heard asking for help and then she observed him bleeding from the neck and Ross holding a knife.

Detectives found blood inside the bedroom and a bloodstained knife inside a kitchen drawer, according to court papers.

In an interview by Upper Dublin and county detectives, Ross, who admitted stabbing Johnson, said he kicked the bedroom door open and saw Johnson standing over his mother, who was seated on the bed. Ross claimed after Johnson, who was unarmed, started swinging on me, he stabbed him and then put the knife inside a kitchen drawer, according to court documents.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 20:08:13|Editor: huaxia

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The photo, taken on Aug. 25, 2020, shows screens displaying U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo giving a speech to the Republican National Convention (RNC) from Jerusalem. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

An article run by The Washington Post says:

- Pompeo is "the worst secretary of state in history."

- The State Department's morale is at a historic, all-time low.

- Pompeo has defied many legal mandates from the U.S. Congress.

BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been widely denounced by domestic media for his egregious performance in office, most recently on Monday with The Washington Post calling him "the worst secretary of state in history."

In an opinion piece published Monday, Deputy Editorial Page Editor of the newspaper Jackson Diehl pointed out that the top diplomat in Washington "has failed to fill dozens of senior positions at the State Department, and hundreds of career diplomats have left or been driven out in political purges."

Diehl wrote that the State Department's morale is at a historic, all-time low, citing surveys which showed that people who think senior leaders of the State Department "did not maintain high levels of honesty and integrity" grew by 34 percent between 2016 and 2019.

He noted the reason might be that Pompeo has defied legal mandates from Congress, ordered staffers to carry out errands for himself and his family, and fired the State Department's inspector general who was investigating Pompeo's violations, according to the report.

Diehl also wrote in late March that "Pompeo's pandemic performance will ensure his place among the worst ever." 
The Nigerian Community in the Eastern Region has called the bluff of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) threats to lock down retail shops of Nigerians in the Region.

GUTA has served notice a taskforce will storm Eastern region on September 1st to 3rd, to close down shops of foreigners engaging in retail trade.

This follows agitation by the Regional Executives of GUTA who have threatened to take the laws into their own hands to deal with the Nigerians if their request is not heeded.

However speaking to Starr News, President of the All Nigerian Community in Eastern Region Rev. Paul Olabisi James, stated that Weve not received any notice from anyone though there may be speculations going round that the shops will be locked .

He added that but one thing I want you to understand is that the people who are doing that are matured, they are learned, they have also travelled wide and near and they know the right thing to do. If at all anything ought to be done I believe we being the leaders of the Nigerians need to be notified and again before the notice come up there should be a forum or reason why those things will be done.

According to Rev. Paul Olabisi James, it is not possible therefore for GUTA to close any Nigerian shop in the Eastern Region since no Nigerian is operating retail business.

If they say they want to start locking shops, fine, there may be need for documentation to be checked. There may be a need for issues to be looked into but not actually locking shops. It is not possible. I believe my Ghanaians, I know they will not do that.

He continued those who are owing shops, none of them is a retailer. They are all not going on retails. I can bet you because personally I have monitored their events. There is no shop of a Nigerian that have not lived up to expectation-is it their immigration documents, their passports, their residents permit and what have you. They pay all things they need to pay. The only thing is the GIPC which is the one million dollars.

GIPC Act

Section 27(1) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC) Act 865 generally lays out activities that foreign investors are not permitted to invest or participate in.These activities include the sale of goods or provision of services in a market, petty trading or hawking or selling of goods in a stall at any place among others.

Section 28(2) of Act 865 expressly provides for the conditions under which a person who is not a citizen can engage in trading activities. The provision provides as follows:

A person who is not a citizen may engage in a trading enterprise if that person invests in the enterprise, not less than One Million United States Dollars in cash or goods and services relevant to the investments. Section 28(3) of Act 865 further provides that trading includes the purchasing and selling of imported goods and services. A further condition imposed on foreign enterprises that intend to engage in trading by Section 28(4) is that such an enterprise must employ at least twenty (20) skilled Ghanaians.

According to Section 28(5) of Act 865, the minimum foreign capital requirements to invest in Ghana including for engaging in trading, do not apply to the foreign spouse of a citizen of Ghana to the extent that the foreign spouse is or has been married to a citizen of Ghana for a minimum period of five years continuously or holds an indefinite resident permit prior to registration of an enterprise;vthe marriage has been duly verified as having been validly conducted; the foreign spouse is ordinarily resident in Ghana.

---starrfmonline
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the tearing down of a statue of the countrys first PM Sir John A MacDonald in Montreal last week. At a media interaction in that city, Trudeau said he was disappointed and actions such as that have no place in a society that abides by the rule of law.

His criticism of activists tearing down the statue of MacDonald came even as Francois Legault, Premier of the province of Quebec where Montreal is located, said the statue will be restored to its place in the park square. Trudeau was in the city on Monday and castigated those behind toppling the statue, as he said, Choices like this, to rely on vandalism to advance causes, is not going to help anyone move forward the right way.

Protestors in Montreal supporting a movement to defund the police toppled and defaced the statue on Saturday. While no group took responsibility for the act at Place du Canada in Quebecs largest city, there was a march in Montreal that afternoon featuring activists seeking defunding the police, and in support of Black Lives Matter and Indigenous peoples.

According to a video of the incident, a cluster of people scaled the monument where the statue was prominently featured and then pulled it down using ropes after unbolting it from its pedestal. The statue was also decapitated and defaced with graffiti.

According to the national broadcaster CBC, a leaflet found at the site read, in part: Sir John A. Macdonald was a white supremacist who orchestrated the genocide of Indigenous peoples with the creation of the brutal residential schools system, as well as promoting other measures that attacked Indigenous peoples and traditions.

Statues of MacDonald have been attacked in various parts of the country in the past but this was the first time one was brought down. Canada witnessed demonstrations in several cities including Toronto, Calgary and Montreal on Saturday.

The vandalism came in for criticism from leaders. Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante condemned the vandalism leading to the tearing down of the statue and said such acts cannot be accepted nor tolerated. She added, I understand and share the motivation of citizens who want to live in a more just and inclusive society. The discussion and the actions that are required must be done in a peaceful manner, without ever resorting to vandalism.

The Premier of Quebec Francoise Legault described the act as unacceptable and added, We must fight racism, but destroying parts of our history is not the solution. Vandalism has no place in our democracy and the statue must be restored. The vandalism also faced growing criticism from national and provincial leaders across the country. Plante said Montreals public art office will secure the perimeter of the area where the statue stood and coordinate its conservation.

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BEIRUT - Keep Lebanon close to your heart. Thats the concept behind a golden pin given to French President Emmanuel Macron by an 11-year-old Beirut girl that adorned his lapel during meetings with Lebanese officials Tuesday.

The pin was a gift from the daughter of Hala Tayah, one of 190 victims of the Beirut explosion that pulverized the Port of Beirut, destroyed parts of the city and hurt more than 6,000.

Tamara Tayah was one of a few relatives of victims of the blast to meet Macron. She met him during a ceremony to plant a cedar tree in a forest outside of Beirut to mark 100 years since the creation of the State of Greater Lebanon.

Her mother, a jeweler, created the pendant shaped like the map of Lebanon. She created 10,452 golden maps, a reference to the size of the country in square kilometres. Her keep Lebanon close to your heart collection was a tribute to Lebanon, a country plagued by crises. Her opening show in 2006 for instance was postponed because it coincided with Israels attack on Lebanon that summer.

Hala Tayah dedicated profits from the collection to the education of disadvantaged children in a country often plagued with crisis, and another part to children with special needs.

Tayah, 49, was in an apartment close to the port at the time of the explosion that was badly destroyed.

French actress Isabelle Adjani mourned Tayah on her social media, posting a picture of them hugging. I am devastated for my Lebanese friends, Adjani posted on her Instagram page after the Aug. 4 explosion.

In a visit big on gestures, Macron wore the pin to his meetings with the Lebanese officials he is pressing for radical changes to save Lebanon as it faces some of its most complex challenges since independence all at once.

At the cedar planting ceremony, Tamara Tayah also handed Macron a letter which she said she penned on behalf of her mother and other victims of the tragedy, her father said.

In the letter, the younger Tayah said that on Lebanons centenary, she would like to have peace and prosperity back. One hundred years ago on Sept. 1, France created the State of Greater Lebanon, the countrys original name, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. It remained under a French mandate for some two decades before the Republic of Lebanon declared its independence.

Tarek Tayah said he discussed the letter with his daughter, but she wrote it. In it, she said that those killed in the explosion are victims who would only be considered martyrs if a new Lebanon develops from the tragedy.

It is an expression of hope that they wont be lost for nothing, said Tarek Tayah. He said Macron was emotional and he reached over and hugged Tamara.

Hala is definitely proud, even from above, she is making things possible for her children, and for her country, said Twiggy Tayah, the jewelers best friend who is also a distant relative.
People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers march next to the entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing

The Chinese military is pressing to double its 200-plus nuclear warheads within a decade with the ability to launch them aboard ballistic missiles by land, sea and air, the Pentagon said in a report Tuesday.

Aside from aiming for technological parity with the United States, the People's Liberation Army is also focused on conducting joint operations, to be able to deter or defeat any US effort to intervene on Taiwan's behalf, the report said.

It said that PLA has already matched or surpassed the US military in several areas, including shipbuilding, land-based ballistic and cruise missiles, and air defense systems.

And in its first public estimate of China's nuclear capacity, the annual report said the country has warheads numbering "in the low 200s" in its nuclear stockpile, fewer than the 300 or more estimated by independent analysts.

The report says that number is expected to double over 10 years. China can already launch nuclear weapons by ballistic missile from land and sea, and is developing the capacity to do develop an air-launched ballistic missile as well, the report said.

"It is likely that Beijing will seek to develop a military by mid-century that is equal to -- or in some cases superior to -- the US military, or that of any other great power that the PRC views as a threat," the report said.

If China achieves that goal and the United States fails to address it, the report said, it "will have serious implications for US national interests and the security of the international rules-based order."

A Pentagon official said that although China remains far behind the United States in terms of nuclear warheads, the acceleration shows Beijing moving from its traditional "minimum deterrence posture" to full-fledged competition.

"Combined with a near-complete lack of transparency regarding their strategic intent and the perceived need for a much larger, more diverse nuclear force, these developments pose a significant concern for the United States," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Chad Sbragia.

Story continues

He said the military expansion is part of China's overall strategy for a sweeping modernization and to establish itself as a leading global power by 2049.

China has made clear it sees the United States as seeking to maintain military supremacy globally, and says Washington, with military bases on the western Pacific rim and a potent naval presence throughout the region, is the source of tensions in Asia.

The report noted that China already has the world's largest navy, with 350 ships and submarines, compared to 293 for the US Navy.

The Pentagon has highlighted that deficit as it seeks to expand its fleet to 355 vessels.

The report also highlights China's advantage, unrestricted by arms agreements that the US and Russia have, in ground-launched ballistic missiles.

However, the United States leads in submarine-launched and air-launched ballistic missiles; China is still working to develop the latter.

The report described China as determined to project its power eastward into the Pacific beyond Taiwan, and to pressure the United States out of the region.

The report said that as China seeks to bring Washington-ally Taiwan under its control, Beijing is seeking the ability to win a possible war with the US over the island.

pmh/jm
MPI Foundation launches ONE MILLION TO MEET fundraising campaign with IMEX donation

Dallas, TX, USA, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide representing over 15,000 members, recently announced that long-time strategic partner, IMEX Group, has generously donated US$250,000 to mirror ongoing efforts towards assisting distressed members. The donation serves as a call to the industry to join the MPI Foundation's "One Million to Meet" campaign. The two organizations have partnered together on a variety of industry initiatives for almost twenty years and hold a formal strategic alliance in its fifth year.

Since February, when the pandemic created international alarm, the global tourism, meetings and live events industry has been inordinately affected through layoffs and furloughs. The ripple effect and compounded crisis made sustaining professional education, networks and membership an economic hardship.

"Covid-19's abruptness made face to face interactions an unfathomable situation. To watch our community and our members struggle when these are the individuals representing a top ten global economic driver is heart wrenching," said Paul Van Deventer, President and CEO of MPI. "Unsolicited support, like this, demonstrates how acts of generosity and kindness between organizations can aid in a united mission towards recovery. Our members, our industry and our world benefit from gracious people like those at IMEX Group; we don't take this for granted and know that we are indeed stronger together."

Most of the donation has been offered as a grant to the MPI Foundation, which will immediately direct funds to distressed members and non-members. The news was eagerly received by the MPI Foundation, which itself has contributed more than US$250,000 in support April through August, benefiting more than 1,200 members. With this donation, the MPI Foundation is launching One Million to Meet, a campaign to raise $1 million by the end of 2020 to accelerate the recovery of meeting and event professionals around the world.

"We're over halfway there," shared Kevin Kirby, Executive Director of the MPI Foundation. "Never has robust member and community engagement been more essential to assuring career support and economic recovery. One Million to Meet starts with coming together from across the globe to support and build a path to recovery. Every donation helps!"

Funds from the IMEX donation will also provide relief to the eleven European MPI chapters for initiatives to help sustain education and country-specific programs that can reengage industry awareness and commence recovery.

"Our partnership means a tremendous amount to the entire IMEX family and, being incredibly close with our friends at MPI, we know the value of its membership is critical to our global community," said Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group. "We see this not only as a donation to MPI, but to the recovery of our global economy, because the guidance and facilitation of their passionate members will pave our way forward."

In recognition of their donation, MPI is providing "Industry Champion" credentials to both Carina Bauer and Ray Bloom, Chairman of IMEX.

Members facing financial distress have the ability to renew by contacting MPI through their engagement team at help@mpi.orgto confirm eligibility.

For those corporations and individuals interested in helping the industry and MPI community recover, donations toward One Million to Meet are gratefully accepted at www.mpifoundation.org/milliontomeet. The campaign will also use milliontomeet on social.

About MPI

Meeting Professionals International

About IMEX



IMEX in Frankfurt 2021 will take place at Messe Frankfurt from 25 - 27 May, with EduMonday, its pre-show day of learning and insights on Monday 24 May. www.imex-frankfurt.com

IMEX America 2021, America's worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings & events, will take place November 9 - 11 at its new home - Mandalay Bay. Smart Monday, powered by MPI, precedes the show on November 8. www.imexamerica.com

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In Retrospect: News from the Jan. 20, 1922 and Jan. 19, 1972 Souderton Independent
A pair of Offaly siblings originally from Clara but living in New York have discovered their long-lost relatives by chance thanks to a simple Facebook post.

Danny Price and Mary Willis are the children of Joe and Phyllis Price and have lived in New York for 11 and 8 years respectively. Their father Joe, being an only child, lost contact with his aunt Nelly and uncle Davy when they emigrated to New York. Davy moved in 1926 and although he wrote home to his sister for a time, communication stopped in the 1960s.

PICTURED: Davy Snr and Nelly who both emigrated from Clara to New York

It was a mystery Danny and Mary were intrigued by, especially when they moved to New York themselves many decades later. They had even tried to find Davy having located their aunt Nelly's grave a few years ago. She never married and lived in New Haven, Connecticut until her death.

"We could never find Davy," Mary told the Offaly Express this week, "even though now and then wed look online."

"We knew he had been in touch with our granny, his sister, by mail but for some reason, they stopped communicating around the sixties. His last name was McDonald so there were always a lot of results. Dad even tried ringing McDonalds in Richmond Hill, New York where Davy had lived but there were so many. His son Davy Jnr had spent a year in Ireland as a teenager so dad remembered him well but had no more information," Mary explained.

PICTURED: Davy Jnr with Mary and Danny's grandmother Molly in Ireland

"Dad always wondered if we had relatives here we didnt know about," Mary added. He is turning 72 this year and is still living in Clara with his wife Phyllis.

The trail had run cold for many years with Mary and Danny unable to track down Davy and his family. Roll forward to 2020 in the middle of a global pandemic and something extraordinary happened. Mary takes up the story:

"My brother Danny is opening a bar in a few weeks time in East Meadow, Long Island called The Noon Inn. He joined a neighbourhood Facebook page to plug it and a woman called Kathy asked him where in Ireland he was from.

"She said that she had Irish heritage, her family being from Offaly. Danny said that his grand-uncle Davy had moved here, explaining that he was a bus driver in Manhattan but lived in Jamaica, Queens. He said he might as well ask," Mary said.

Her reply absolutely stunned Danny and Mary. "She replied that her grandfather was Davy McDonald, who drove a bus in Manhattan and lived in Jamaica, Queens. He had a sister called Molly, our granny, and she had married a Joe Price (Snr), our grandfather."

The long-lost relatives began exchanging Facebook messages to trace the family tree from Clara to New York. Davy himself died in 1966, explaining the lost contact with his sister around that time. He had five children, three of whom are still alive - Davy Jnr RIP, Mike, Helen, Susan and Dianne RIP.

"Helen and Susan live in Florida but Mike turned out to live in Merrick, Long Island, the town where my brother's wife Kelly is from, five minutes away from where he and his family live," Mary told us.

Mary and Danny shared the news with their father at home in Clara. "Hes still in shock I think," Mary said of her Dad. "Hes always wondered about them, especially Davy Jnr who spent the year living with them. He would have been around 15 or 16 at the time, my Dad around six.

"Hes delighted that weve made contact. Being an only child and with his aunt and uncle moving to the US before he was even born, he has had no brothers, sisters or cousins up to this," she said. He was sad to learn that Davy Jnr who had spent time with his family all those years ago had passed away.

"Davy Jnr lived close by in Levittown, although he died two years ago at the age of 80," Mary said. Speaking about her father possibly meeting these relations after all these years, Mary explained: "Hes in Kerry right now and that alone took a lot of persuasion. Hes a homebird but hopefully, he will come out to meet them all when its safe."

Back in New York, Danny met with Mike and his family, including Davy Jnrs widow Betty earlier this week. "It was tough with the Covid-19 restrictions but a small group of them went for dinner. Were still figuring out the relations we have and all that through messages back and forth but it was so lovely to find them," Mary concluded.

ABOVE: Danny Price meets Davy Snr's son Mike in New York
Rapper Akon has set his sights on building a sprawling $6 billion city in his Senegal homeland to welcome Africans of the diaspora to their "home back home".

The R&B star boasting two multi-platinum albums told a news conference Monday he had laid the first stone for the city in the Atlantic Ocean village of Mbodiene around 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of the Senegalese capital Dakar.

As he was growing up in the US state of New Jersey, where his family moved when he was seven, Akon "ran into a lot of African-Americans that didn't really understand their culture," the 47-year-old said.

"So I wanted to build a city or a project like this that will give them the motivation to know that there is a home back home," he said, adding that he had received the blessing -- and advice -- of Mbodiene's elders.

Akon City will offer hotels, a university, hospitals, business and leisure centres including a casino, as well as movie studios, all featuring futuristic designs by architect Hussein Bakri, with African sculptures for inspiration.

Wakanda, the fictional African city of the "Black Panther" comic book series, served as additional inspiration, Akon acknowledged, in answer to a question.

Speaking alternately in English and Wolof, the dominant language in Senegal, the talent with hits including "Locked Up" and "Smack That" said that Akon City would also include a "village of African cultures".

"As you come in from America, or Europe or anywhere in the diaspora, and you feel like you want to visit Africa, we want Senegal to be your first stop," said Akon, whose real name is Alioune Badara Thiam.

The musician and green entrepreneur who set up Akon Lighting Africa to boost solar power on the continent said the new city would be built using renewable materials of African origin to the extent possible.

He said the project would cost an overall $6 billion but could not name the principal investors because of confidentiality clauses.

"We are still talking with partners and investors," Akon said, adding that local investment "no matter how small or how big" would be welcome.

Akon said he told Bakri -- who accompanied him at the press conference -- "I need a building that looks like a statue that you can take home... like real African sculptures that they make in the villages."

He added: "The shapes might be weird, but they are African."

Work will start early next year, with completion of the first phase set for 2023.

The town will initially cover some 55 hectares (135 acres) but grow to 500 hectares by the end of the decade, with plans for artificial islands and a marina that can accommodate cruise ships.

Bakri said the city's population would eventually reach 300,000.

Senegal's Tourism Minister Alioune Sarr hailed the project, saying he hoped it would give the lie to "Cassandras... who always view new projects as pipe dreams" and vowing to help see that it is completed on schedule.

Akon, who said the project would benefit the local people, notably young Senegalese, is not the only international star with West African roots involved in such investments.

British actor Idris Elba -- son of a Ghanaian mother and Sierra Leonean father -- plans to build an eco-tourism complex on an island off Sierra Leone.

Elba visited the former British colony in December last year.
opinion

... he quickly interjected by saying that he was grossly misunderstood and attacked in the media, and that he was not even aware of some of the actions being attributed to him. He ended by saying that, "Surprisingly, I hold in high esteem and respect, some of the officers behind these reports." Yet, I could sense his feelings about the unfair attacks on his person by the media...

It was almost late into the night when the calls came in. Since I didn't have the number in my phone's list of contact, I was initially reluctant to answer it. But when the call came again, this time with the ID Caller displaying 'Isa Pantami', my heart skipped a beat.

The quite critical article I did on Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, the minister of Communication and Digital Economy quickly flashed back to my mind.

I had received different comments on the said article, with some friends saying I was not fair to the notable Islamic scholar and digital worldview professional.

Prior to the publishing of the said article, I had only seen him at a distance when he served as a guest speaker at the book presentation of a childhood friend and forensic detective, Dr. Abdullahi Bello, and also at the conference of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), both in Abuja.

Still, on the two occasions, one thing I found impressive was Pantami's promptness to the events, even arriving earlier than some of the organisers, and then the extempore manner of delivery of his remarks, in which he spoke to subjects and issues that he displayed a captivating command of.

Meanwhile, on October 17, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari had approved Pantami's submission for the expansion of Ministry of Communication's mandate to cover the novel and future-looking area of an encompassing digital economy that captures the direction of the global economy, which the Nigerian one seeks greater participation in, particularly as anticipated in the strategy laid out in the National Economic Growth and Recovery Plan. As such, he is the first driver of the Nigerian economy in this regard.

I am equally aware that apart from preaching against terrorism for over a decade as an Islamic scholar, Pantami as a digital professional has been in the forefront of advocating for the implementation of ICT-based solutions to tackle insecurity in Nigeria. I with his bosom friends, Jaafar Jaafar of the Gandollar fame and award-winning investigative journalist, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, had causes to discuss, analyse and report the incessant threats of Boko Haram to the minister in our different media platforms.

With all these running through my mind within a span of seconds, I picked the phone that night hoping it could however be one of those scam calls by the growing legion of increasingly sophisticated con artists, known as yahoo-yahoo boys, looking to another victim.

"Assalam alaikum. My name is Isa Pantami. Am I speaking to Mallam Yushau Shuaib?"

Immediately, I recognised the soft voice and responded in the affirmative, "Yes, Sheikh Pantami."

"I have been reading you for a very long time and I am impressed by some of your contributions to national discourses," he continued.

I was quite flattered, but being fairly familiar with this sort of ritual, I knew that such praises at the beginning of a conversation could easily take a sharp turn and nosedive into accusations and abuse.

Surprisingly, rather than expressing any reservation, he commended the efforts of our media platforms in the objective reporting being carried out. As he went on, the news instincts of the journalist in me sought some quick responses from him to certain media reports about his alleged conflict with other public officials.

However, he quickly interjected by saying that he was grossly misunderstood and attacked in the media, and that he was not even aware of some of the actions being attributed to him. He ended by saying that, "Surprisingly, I hold in high esteem and respect, some of the officers behind these reports." Yet, I could sense his feelings about the unfair attacks on his person by the media, as we rounded up the call, with his promise to see me soon.

Weeks later I received an invitation from the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa to attend virtual commissioning of ICT projects in the first year of President Buhari's second tenure in office.

I was amazed at the unveiling of dozens of ICT projects across the country within a few hours. In attendance at the virtual commissioning of the projects in Abuja were the Ministers of Information, Lai Mohammed; Interior, Ogeni Aregbesola; Aviation, Hadi Sirika and the Minister of State for Works, Abubakar Aliyu. Governors Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, Hope Uzodinma of Imo and Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa State were equally present at the unique event.

The two phases of the event were beamed live on big screens. Gracing the occasion at the other end on different locations were university Vice-Chancellors, public officers, religious leaders, traditional rulers and security chiefs, among others.

Some of the digital projects commissioned during the two phases of the event included the School Knowledge Centres (SKC), Tertiary Institution Knowledge Centre (TIKCs), ICT Innovation Hubs, Digital Skills for Entrepreneurs and Innovators, Community IT Training Centres, Virtual Examination Centres, and the newly completed Emergency Communication Centres (ECC).

More significant is the E-Health Centre, which aims to improve access to healthcare service delivery at medical facilities and the E-Accessibility Project that promotes digital inclusion of persons with disabilities through the provision of ICT and assistive technologies for institutions catering for their needs

All the facilities were delivered with adequate infrastructure and tools for ICT teaching and learning, including the Virtual Academy, which provides digital skills to citizens for economic empowerment (digitalnigeria.gov.ng).

Apart from these facilities provided within a year of Pantami's tenure, his Ministry has also developed many policies to address concerns in the sector. These include the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030 (NDEPS); Roadmap for the Implementation of the NDEPS; the National Broadband Plan 2020-2025; SIM Card Registration Policy; and the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Telecommunications Sector (Draft). Also, the National Policy on Virtual Meeting in the Federal Public Institutions (Draft); National Dig-Once Policy; and the National Policy on Internet.

Meanwhile, concerned about efficient productivity, the minister also commissioned the Computer Emergency Response and Readiness Centre, the Digital Media Studio for Virtual Learning and the Digital Conference Centre for Remote Collaboration at the Nigeria Information and Technology Agency (NITDA).

NITDA's IT Project Clearance (ITPC) also successfully cleared the Unique IT Projects of the ministries, departments and agencies of government (MDAs) and saved the government N5 billion, while it commenced enforcement action against MDAs that flout the Local Content Policy of the Buhari administration.

Presently, the structures of the Emergency Communication Centres (ECCs), a project under the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) are now available in 34 states of the federation, with the toll-free emergency number, 112, activated in 19 of these states.

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In the attempt to improve the efficiency and modernisation of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), the minister has approved the unbundling of the service into five companies, to cover Banking and Insurance, Property Development, Logistics Transportation, E-Government Service, and the E-Commerce Service. He also suspended cash payment for the services offered by NIPOST to promote the entrenchment of a national digital economy, while also fighting corruption.

Similarly, in a deliberate commercialisation effort to encourage private sector investment, Pantami endorsed the creation of Strategic Business Units within the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), which now operates the Satellite Infrastructure Company and the Satellite Broadband and Broadcast Company. Also, the Galaxy backbone, another agency under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, has securely hosted the Open Treasury Portal to track all government expenditure above a certain threshold.

In accomplishing these tasks, the minister ensured a synergy across the different parastatals under the Ministry, which now work together as a team and complement each another in their respective mandates. It is therefore not surprising that the broadband penetration in the country has hit over 40 per cent, while the contribution of ICT to the Nigerian GDP reached 14.07 per cent within a year.

I must admit that in remarks, Dr. Pantami gives credit to President Muhammadu Buhari for providing him with the enablement for the projects. I won't be wrong to describe him as one of the keenest supporters of the president in the cabinet.

Yushau A. Shuaib is the Publisher PRNigeria and Economic Confidential.
Representative Image

The GDP data for the April-June quarter of 2020 showed that the Indian economy contracted 23.9 percent year-on-year due to the lockdowns imposed in March to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Ministry of Corporate Affairs data would come which would have all registered companies, including the unlisted. That's where I suspect the damage would really come out because that data would include the smaller companies that I think have been worse affected than the larger ones that are currently included in the sample. And then after that comes the informal sector," Pronab Sen, former chief statistician of India, said in an exclusive interview to Moneycontrol.

Sen said the Q1 GDP data doesn't capture the whole extent of the damage that the lockdown did to the economy. He said that this data sample includes data from only the larger companies that were affected due to the lockdown and not the unlisted and smaller companies.

Edited excerpts:

To what extent does Q1 GDP data reflect the damage to the Indian economy?

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Well, this is only the first step because what the QI data reflects is essentially the effect of the lockdown. It doesn't really give us an indication of what the dynamics would be going forward. That will come later. The lockdown effects will persist a little longer because we have these localised lockdowns happening. So the data is going to be in a sense affected by that. But when you have damage of this magnitude because of the lockdown, it takes time for it to play out through the economy. Those effects would be starting now and go on possibly for a year, year-and-a-half. So this is only an indication of the initial shock that the economy has faced.

It's not just the informal sector. Other than agriculture, there is no data whatsoever in the informal sector. However, that's only a part of the story. First, the first quarterly estimate is largely based on corporate data. Even in that, it is limited to listed companies, those which have to submit quarterly reports to the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Second, as far as the companies are concerned, because of the lockdown, SEBI had extended the time within which the returns have to be filed. So, a lot of the companies have filed the returns yet. When those come in, then the estimate would have to be revised again. Because you'd then have all the listed companies' data available as against the partial data they have at the moment. Third, like I said, this is only listed companies. Then the Ministry of Corporate Affairs data would come which would have all registered companies, including the unlisted. That's where I suspect the damage would really come out because that data would include the smaller companies that I think have been worse affected than the larger ones that are currently included in the sample. And after that comes the informal sector.

The confusion lies in thinking about it in terms of the normal dynamics of an economic slowdown. We know that the lockdown in India was more severe than in most other countries. What this data is saying is that the lockdown was effective; that economic activities came to a grinding halt. It is really a reflection of the success of the lockdown, that people obeyed the lockdown. There should be no confusion that if we had the most severe lockdown in the world, we should expect the economic damage arising out of it to be also one of the worst in the world.

Except for agriculture, the employment-heavy sectors like manufacturing, construction, real estate and hospitality were all badly hit. Where does the government's narrative of green shoots go from here? Also, by when do you see India return to their pre-outbreak levels?

Revival should not surprise anybody because once you have lifted the national lockdown, then units which have not died will come back into production. And that is happening. It gets a little complicated with the localised lockdowns but by and large, activities have restarted. Now whether they will go back to the levels they had last year really depends upon two things. One, how many production units have died, because by now, particularly among the smaller units who have very little staying power, a fair number would have collapsed. Second is what happens to demand. Will demand reach last year's levels? And if you have got a 24 percent negative growth in the first quarter, then incomes available to people have gone down. If that has happened, then you should not expect demand to go back to that level. Now how long that while is, is the question.

Do you think once the storm is behind us, it will set the stage for deeper and more accelerated economic reforms?

It depends on what the objectives of the economic reforms are. A lot of these reforms can be done anyway, whether or not this whole COVID business happened. It hasn't been that, hasn't been done in six years, hasn't been done in 20. A lot of them have been on the table for decades and has not happened. But these economic reforms as response to COVID need to be seen in the context of whether they would revive investment or not. And the short answer is that investments will not revive unless investors see demand. Once investors come back, then these reforms will help things along. But just because you are doing the reforms, investors won't be putting money in ventures if they are not confident of being able to sell their output once it comes into production.

Do you think it is time for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to press the reset button and present Budget 2020 2.0 as almost every component in the annual accounting exercise, and every element of assumption and projection now require a second look?

Yes, they should because a budget is ultimately about the fiscal response happening to the economy. Now when the economy has got a jolt of this magnitude, your original calculations become invalid. Because those were based on a particular expectation of how the economy would be in the coming year. All of those calculations have gone out of the window and should go out of the window. Now, if that is the case, then you have to revisit the budget. So then you have to have a take on what you expect the economy to be doing and therefore what the government needs to do to improve things.

The Rs 20.97 lakh crore economic revival package that the government had announced in May is a mix of structural reforms, fiscal support and loan guarantees. Critics, however, say the package ignored the plight of millions of internal migrants. Whats your view?

As far as the internal migrants are concerned, the initial step that was taken, which is prior to the Atmanirbhar package, it was the Garib Kalyan Yojna, that was actually towards the migrant labour. So the transfers into the Jan Dhan accounts, the free rations, were supposed to take care of that problem. The issue there is, was it enough? The simple answer is no, it wasn't. Firstly, the government really has no way of identifying and reaching out to the migrants. So what they have to do is more of a blanket coverage. So you are spreading your resources thin, so to think about it, you are giving Rs 500 per month. To a person who has lost his job, that amount doesn't even cover one person's survival for a month, forget about the family. So, the amount was very small. Subsequent to that, all that has been done is to extend the period over which the free rations would be given. And that's about it.

The government has given money to small enterprises (MSMEs) through loans to restart operations. But when there is hardly any demand for their products because of the lockdown effect, what, why and for whom shall they produce? The economic revival package skirts the demand-side problem significantly. Isnt it?

Completely. There is very little to support demand. And more importantly, there is very little to give people the confidence that within a reasonable period of time, demand will return because the government is going to be supportive. Even that indication we don't have. So the problem continues. You are getting into a chicken-and-egg problem. Producers are not going to open up production until they see demand, or at least an assurance of demand. And if producers don't start, income streams don't happen. Employment doesn't happen, wage earnings don't happen and therefore demand doesn't start. It's a classic chicken-and-egg problem.

Is there, then, a need to speed up fiscal intervention?

Yes, there is. As the lockdown weakens, that is when the fiscal intervention has to happen and it should happen relatively early. But even more important than that is for the government to give an assurance that the demand support would stay for some time and not be pulled abruptly. It should not be a one-time package. We should be looking at at least a one-year time horizon over which fiscal support would exist.

Targeted financial support versus universal open-ended support: which one will you vote for and why?

As far as the demand side is concerned, it is very difficult to do targeted support. Britain has done things like subsidising eating out at restaurants. That is a demand side support. But those are relatively limited. And much more importantly you have no real way of reaching out to the MSMEs. The corporates, yes you still can. But the MSMEs no. For the MSMEs what is important is generic, general, economy-wide demand support. So in a sense it is much more macro rather than sectoral reforms and I think the concern should be really the MSMEs.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted 10 years to telecom operators to clear their AGR dues, while barring them from raising any dispute or seeking reassessment of the demand raised by the Department of Telecom in respect of the dues, based on its judgment.

A bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra, S. Abdul Nazeer and M.R. Shah, laying down seven directions in the matter, said: "That for the demand raised by the Department of Telecom in respect of the AGR dues based on the judgment of this court, there shall not be any dispute raised by any of the Telecom Operators and that there shall not be any reassessment.

"That, at the first instance, the respective Telecom Operators shall make the payment of 10 per cent of the total dues as demanded by DoT by March 31, 2021. TSPs have to make payment in yearly instalments commencing from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2031 payable by March 31 of every succeeding financial year."

The bench said various companies, through their Managing Director/Chairman or other authorised officer, will furnish an undertaking within four weeks, to make payment of arrears as per the order. "The existing bank guarantees that have been submitted regarding the spectrum shall be kept alive by TSPs until the payment is made," added the bench.

The Union Cabinet had favoured a 20-year period for repayment of AGR dues, but, the top court said that this period is excessive. The bench, however, did not interfere with the Cabinet decision concerning the discounted rate of 8 percent, which is based on one marginal MCLR rate of the SBI which is currently at 7.75 percent, and modified the time schedule for making payment of arrears.

"Considering the various factors taken into account and the letters written by the Indian Banks Association, we are of the opinion that the decision of the Cabinet is based on the various factors, and in the interest of the economy and the consumers," observed the top court.

But, at the same time, the bench said, it is to be ensured that the dues are paid in toto.

"The concession is granted only on the condition that the dues shall be paid punctually within the time stipulated by this court. Even a single default will attract the dues along with interest, penalty and interest on penalty at the rate specified in the agreement," added the bench.

The top court also said that in the event of any defaults, interest along with penalty and interest on penalty would automatically become payable without reference to the court.

"Besides, it would be punishable for contempt of court. Let compliance of order be reported by all TSPs and DoT every year by April 7 of each succeeding year," added the top court.
On 17 August, the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea seeking the postponement of JEE Main 2020 and NEET UG 2020 entrance exams

Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to stay the JEE-Main examination, but said any student residing in flood-hit parts of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region who cannot reach the exam centre or reaches late can apply to the National Testing Agency to seek a re-examination.

A division bench of Justices Ravi Deshpande and Pushpa Ganediwala said the National Testing Agency (NTA) shall consider such applications and decide accordingly, after checking the veracity of the same.

The engineering Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main began at 9 am across the country on Tuesday. "The situation is grim in several districts due to flood. Students should not suffer for no fault on their part, the bench said.

The court said any aggrieved student can file an application to the NTA via their centre coordinator. "The National Testing Agency shall then decide on the application after consulting with the district collector concerned within a period of 15 days, the court ordered.

Earlier, the High Court on Monday took cognisance of a letter written to it by Nitesh Bawankar, a resident of Bhandara district, raising concern over how students will reach the exam centres to appear for the JEE amid the flood situation.

Bawankar sought postponement of the exam for students residing in flood-hit parts of Nagpur, Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur, Gondia and Gadchiroli districts.

Due to floods, students from these areas will find it difficult to appear for the JEE-Main examination, he said.

The court on Monday directed the Union government, Maharashtra government, National Testing Agency and collectors of these districts to consider postponing the JEE-Main for students from flood-affected areas who would be unable to reach the centres to appear for the exam.
Prabhas is all set to give a special treat to fans on his 41st birthday (October 23). As per a report published in a leading portal, the Rebel Star is likely to launch the teaser of his upcoming film, Radhe Shyam on his birthday which is coming next month.

The report states that the makers of Radhe Shyam have decided to make Prabhas' fans happy on his 41st birthday. After all, his fans were expecting to watch the film in theatres in 2020, but due to the Coronavirus pandemic, director Radha Krishna Kumar couldn't finish the shoot. The official confirmation about the same is yet to come.

For the unversed, Radhe Shyam team was filming in Georgia ahead of the lockdown that was imposed in March. After which, the makers had to keep the shooting on hold. But now, as per reports, Prabhas and Radhe Shyam team will be flying to Italy to shoot the remaining portions of the film.

Radhe Shyam also stars Pooja Hegde as the female lead. The makers have already released the first look poster of the film. The intense love story which is set against the backdrop of Europe, also stars Bhagyashree, Murli Sharma and Kunaal Roy Kapur in pivotal roles. Radhe Shyam is expected to hit the screens in 2021 in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.

Apart from Radhe Shyam, Prabhas has also announced two more pan-India projects in the last couple of months. The Rebel Star will be seen in Nag Ashwin's untitled sci-fi film which features Deepika Padukone as the female lead. Moreover, Prabhas will also be featuring in Om Raut's magnum opus Adipurush which is based on the Indian epic, Ramayana.

Also Read : Prabhas To Join Hands With KGF Director Prashanth Neel For A Pan-India Project?

Adipurush is considered to be the most expensive film of Prabhas' career. It is reportedly being made on the budget of Rs 500 crore and producer Bhushan Kumar is planning to invest Rs 250 crore out of it for VFX.

Also Read : Did Prabhas Pick Om Raut's Adipurush Over Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Next?

Now, after this news, Prabhas fans are eagerly waiting for Radhe Shyam teaser.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Incessant rains lashed Pakistan on Tuesday, killing 13 more people while the water level increased in the rivers across the country, creating a flood like situation.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported widespread rains across the country while the Met Office forecast showed more downpour in the next 24 hours.

The NDMA data showed that 13 more people died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 176 since June 15 when the monsoon season started in the country.

Another 101 have been injured.

So far 72 people have been killed in Sindh, 48 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 19 in Balochistan, 16 in Punjab, 11 in Gilgit-Baltistan region and 10 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, according to the NDMA data.

The NDMA reported that 1,307 houses were fully damaged due to rains, floods and landslides while another 853 were partially damaged.

The rescue and relief activities were going on and the Army troops were helping the civilian administration.

Due to the unremitting rain for the past several days, water swelled in rivers, creating a low flood like situation.

"River Indus at Taunsa is in medium flood level. River Indus at Guddu Sukkur and River Chenab at Trimmu are in low flood level. All other major rivers are at below low flood level," reported the NDMA.

The situation in Karachi remained volatile as the mega city of over 20 million people faced the worst urban flooding in its recent history.

TV footage showed all major areas inundated and efforts have been going on to pump the water out of low-lying areas.

Several posh areas like Defence Housing Authority and Clifton also could not escape flooding.

The Army and civil administration are working to restore the civic network.

The Meteorological Office of the country in its forecast warned of more rains.

"Widespread thunderstorm/rain with heavy to very heavy falls is expected over the upper catchments of rivers Kabul and Indus along with Peshawar and Rawalpindi divisions," it said.

"Scattered wind-thunderstorm/rain with isolated heavy fall is expected over the upper catchments of rivers Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej," it said, adding that rain was also expected in Bannu, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan administrative divisions.

However, on the positive note, the Met Office said that the "rainfall activity is likely to decrease significantly from 5 September".

Monsoon rains hit the sub-continent every year in the summer, bringing heavy downpour and floods that displace hundreds and thousands of people.
Prominent cyber/data/privacy lawyer Patrick Van Eecke has joined Cooley as a partner in its Brussels office. Van Eecke arrives from DLA Piper, where he was co-chair of the firm's global data privacy and cybersecurity practice. Joining him is a multinational team of data protection professionals from France, Spain and Latvia.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005991/en/

Leading cyber/data/privacy partner Patrick Van Eecke joins Cooley in the firm's Brussels office. (Photo: Business Wire)

"Patrick is one of the outstanding European cyber/data/privacy lawyers of his generation, and he has a significant market reputation for deftly working across various European jurisdictions," said Michael Rhodes, chair of Cooley's global cyber/data/privacy practice. "His skills will be a significant asset to our team and to our clients, particularly as we continue expanding our Brussels office and our capabilities across Europe."

Van Eecke has more than 25 years of experience guiding clients through complex issues spanning data protection, cyber, consumer protection, advertising and electronic signatures. He advises startups, scaleups and multinationals in diverse industry sectors, including telecommunication companies, internet service providers, software developers and companies using IT-related services. Van Eecke is also involved in diverse consulting projects for the European Commission, national governments and multinational global corporations. He becomes head of Cooley's European cyber/data/privacy practice and vice chair of its global c/d/p practice.

"Cooley has earned its standing as a cyber/data/privacy powerhouse, and I've long been impressed by the complex and high-value matters it handles, as well as its unique, collaborative culture," said Van Eecke. "I'm eager to leverage the firm's platform and join my new colleagues in delivering exceptional results for clients as they navigate increasingly complex and cutting-edge challenges."

Van Eecke is ranked Tier 1 in Legal 500 and Chambers for his data protection work. He is a regular speaker at national and international conferences and is often asked to comment on internet law related issues in the press. Van Eecke is also a professor at the University of Antwerp, teaching European information and communications law, and a frequent guest lecturer on internet law at various other universities.

Following the 2015 opening of its multi-award-winning London location, Cooley launched in Brussels last year, marking its first entry into continental Europe. The Brussels office recently moved into Spectrum, a state-of-the-art new building in the heart of the capital, strengthening Cooley's commitment to the region and market.

Cooley's global cyber/data/privacy practice consists of a large team of lawyers focusing on all aspects of privacy, cybersecurity and data governance. A six-time Law360 Privacy Practice Group of the Year and a two-time Recorder Privacy Litigation Department of the Year, its integrated practice is comprised of four pillars: compliance and strategy, transactional support, breach preparedness and response, and privacy and data security litigation and investigations.

About Cooley LLP

Clients partner with Cooley on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation, where innovation meets the law.

Cooley has 1,100+ lawyers across 16 offices in the United States, Asia and Europe.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005991/en/

Contacts:

Cooley LLP

Andrea Orzehoski, aorzehoski@cooley.com, +1 858 550 6259
Due to an unprecedented number of people opting to vote by mail this year, Americans could be waiting for days after the election to find out who won the presidency. Yahoo News Senior Political Correspondent Jon Ward explains how laws in many states  including the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania  restrict the validation and tabulation of mail-in ballots and could lead to a fiasco on Election Day.

Video Transcript

JON WARD: We all know that mail-in ballots are going to play a big role in the 2020 election. Voting by mail is not perfect, but states have ways of ensuring that each voter gets a unique ballot and is able to track their ballot and make sure it arrives and is counted. Due to the sheer number of people opting to vote by mail this year, however, it's possible that it might take a few days, maybe even longer, after the November 3rd election to know who won the presidency.

With regular, old fashioned, in-person voting, you show up to your polling place on election day, or early in states that allow it, you verify your registration, and then you cast your vote. Disputes are rare, ballots are usually ready to be counted and reported that same day. Now, there are some differences between states on things like voter ID laws, paper ballots versus electronic voting machines, and the availability of polling places, but otherwise, it's pretty straightforward. But differences in state law are going to play a huge role in how long mail-in ballots take to be counted.

When a ballot is returned by mail or through a drop box or elections office in counties that allow it, they first half to be validated. In many states, that's done through a signature match. Basically, an election official looks at the signature on the ballot and then cross-references it with one that they have on file.

This is a key part of actually making sure that cheating doesn't happen, and they also make sure that all of the required fields are filled in correctly. In some states, if there is a dispute, the person who cast the ballot is supposed to be given a chance to fix the mistake. That process, which is known as curing, takes time.

Story continues

Luckily, many states allow for that validation process to start prior to Election Day. 12 states even allow for validation and tabulation to start as soon as ballots arrive. However, some states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, don't allow validation or tabulation to begin until Election Day. And that's where things get tricky, because those states may well end up deciding the election, and they have the most restrictive rules that could create the longest delays in counting mail-in votes.

Election experts have warned for months of a nightmare scenario where because of these restrictive mail ballot rules, Trump may have a lead in votes on election night if most Republican voters cast ballots in person while most Democratic voters cast ballots by mail. If that happens, and polling suggests that it might, Trump could claim victory before mail ballots have been fully counted and then accuse election officials of stealing the election if mail ballots give Joe Biden a lead.

Now, there are efforts on the state level to change these laws. Ohio had similar rules to those other three states, and in 2019, Ohio allowed clerks to start validating ballots early. But Republican controlled legislatures in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania have yet to act on this issue, and time is running short. Even if neither candidate claims victory on the night of the election, a lengthy delay in reporting results could test this country's resolve to stay united.

The country is on edge already, and the nation needs leadership that is steady, calm, and unifying. That starts with every one of us being thoughtful, engaged citizens and includes fact based mature behavior from those seeking elected office. We'll continue to do our part at Yahoo News to keep you informed in the days and weeks ahead.
Hyderabad/Raipur: Top Maoist commander Muppalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathi, 72, who led the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) for over one-and-a-half decades, offered to surrender to the Telangana police, officials in the state intelligence department said on Tuesday.

According to the officials, Ganapathi conveyed the message to the police through some Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders. The surrender is likely to materialise in a couple of days.

The Maoist commander carries a reward of 1.50 crore on his head. Telangana police department confirmed the report that Ganapathi was willing to surrender. We have reliable information that along with Ganapathi, his close associate Mallojula Venugopal Rao is also contemplating surrendering to the government. We welcome, even if any other Maoist leaders join them to surrender, a statement from the police department said.

Mallojula Venugopal Rao, also known by other names like Bhupathi, Sonu and Abhay, is a member of the politburo of CPI (Maoist) and Central Military Commission.

Stating that the Maoist leaders willing to surrender could approach the police through their relatives or well-wishers, the department said the police would extend all cooperation to them as was given to other Maoist party central committee members like Jampanna and Sudhakar in the past.

The officials quoted above said Ganapathi decided to surrender owing to ill-health and that he was suffering from asthma, diabetes and also severe joint pains.
Donald Trump has suggested that the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement is discriminatory towards black people and "bad for everybody" because of its name.

The US president, who has stirred racial tensions amid months of demonstrations against systemic racism and police violence, made the comments in an interview on Monday.

Speaking with Fox News host Laura Ingraham about protests in Portland and Wisconsin last week, Mr Trump described the first time he heard the name of the movement, Black Lives Matter.

He said the group, who have been routinely attacked by president Trump amid protests, have a terrible name that was discriminatory towards black people.

He told reporter host Ingraham: The first time I ever heard of Black Lives Matter, I said, thats a terrible name. Its so discriminatory.

Its bad for Black people, its bad for everybody, he added, before describing the movements members as thugs. In July he described LM murals as denigrating.

Those comments come after he defended the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, a white teenager accused of fatally shooting two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, amid protests against the police shooting of a black man, Jacob Blake.

Speaking during a White House briefing ahead of visiting the city on Tuesday, Mr Trump said the 17-year-old was being very violently attacked before he allegedly opened fire on protesters.

Wisconsins Democratic governor, Tony Evers, meanwhile warned Mr Trump that visiting the site of protests would hinder our healing.
The team from Marien Hospital and the department of Virology of Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (RUB) as well as the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, the Clinic of Anesthesiology and the Institute for Virology of University Medicine Essen studied specific antibodies and T cells occurring in recovered, seriously ill and deceased Covid-19 patients. The researchers identified comparable immune reactions in clinical follow up. They report their findings in the journal Cell Reports Medicine from 29 August 2020.

How the immune system fights viruses

Antibodies and T lymphocytes are among the most important elements of the immune defence against viruses. The antibodies prevent viruses from entering the host cell by binding to certain virus receptors. They also mark the infected cells for other players in the immune system, which are able to kill the infected cells. Virus-specific T lymphocytes, on the other hand, can kill infected cells directly and highly efficiently.

During the last weeks, some studies have been published on the analysis of these cell-killing Sars-Cov-2 specific T cells in patients with Covid-19. The studies demonstrated detection of such cells in patients recovered from Covid-19 suggesting their protective antiviral effect. On the other hand, some studies indicate that an excessive immune response might be the cause of severe Covid-19. The role of Sars-Cov-2 specific T-cells in this exaggerated immune response is unclear.

Critically ill patients have the same or stronger immunity as recovered patients

In the current study, the research team analysed immune responses in Covid-19 patients during the disease progress. "This is how we wanted to investigate the role of T cells and antibodies in controlling the infection and the disease," explains Nina Babel, who headed the study. "The novel aspect of our study is that we analysed Sars-Cov-2 specific T-cells and antibodies in relation to disease progression and viral clearance. We found that a strong T-cell and antibody response could be detected not only in patients with mild Covid-19 patients who had recovered from the virus infection." Similar or even stronger immunity to Sars-Cov-2 was found in patients who had been critically ill and who suffered Covid-19-related lung failure.

"The total number of specific immune cells as well as their functionality was not better in patients who survived Covid-19 than in those who died from it," says Dr. Ulrik Stervbo, head of laboratory at the Centre for Translational Medicine. There was also no difference in the strength and functionality of the immune response between patients who still suffered from and those who had cleared a Sars-Cov-2 infection.

Excessive immune response plays an important role

"Even though further studies will be necessary to understand the specific mechanism of Covid-19 development, our data suggest that excessive Sars-Cov-2-specific T cell response can cause immunopathogenesis leading to Covid-19-related lung failure," points out Nina Babel. "The results of current studies on the successful application of immunosuppressive therapies in Covid-19 support this hypothesis," concludes Professor Timm Westhoff, Director of Medical Clinic I at Marien Hospital Herne.

###

Original publication

Constantin J. Thieme, Moritz Anft et al.: A robust T cell immunity towards spike, membrane, and nucleocapsid Sars-Cov-2 proteins is not associated with recovery in critical Covid-19 patients, in: Cell Reports Medicine, 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2020.100092

Press contact

Prof. Dr. Nina Babel

Centrum fur Translationale Medizin

Medizinische Klinik I

Marien Hospital Herne

University clinic of Ruhr-Universitat Bochum

Germany

Phone: +49 2323 4995141

Email: nina.babel@elisabethgruppe.de
Heather Murphy

In April, more than three months before any coronavirus vaccine would enter large clinical trials, the mayor of a picturesque island town in the Pacific Northwest invited a microbiologist friend to vaccinate him.

The exchange occurred on the mayors Facebook page, to the horror of several Friday Harbor residents following it.

Should I pop up and get your vaccine started?????, wrote Johnny Stine, who runs North Coast Biologics, a Seattle biotech company with a focus on antibodies. Dont worry  Im immune  I have boosted myself five times with my vaccine.

Sounds good, Farhad Ghatan, the mayor, wrote after a few follow-up questions.

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

Several residents interjected skepticism in the exchange. They were swatted down by the mayor, who defended his friend of 25 years as a pharmaceutical scientist on the forefront. When residents raised additional concerns  about Stines credentials and the unfairness of encouraging him to visit San Juan Island despite travel restrictions  Stine lobbed back vulgar insults. (The geekiest and least R-rated: I hope your lung epithelial cells over express ACE2 so you die more expeditiously from nCoV19.)

Several residents reported all of this to a variety of law enforcement and regulatory agencies. In June, the Washington attorney general filed a lawsuit against Stine not only for pitching the mayor with unsupported claims but also for administering his unproven vaccine to about 30 people, charging each $400. In May, the Food and Drug Administration sent a letter warning Stine to stop misleadingly representing his product.

Although his promotional tactics were unusual, Stine was far from the only scientist creating experimental coronavirus vaccines for themselves, family, friends and other interested parties. Dozens of scientists around the world have done it, with wildly varying methods, affiliations and claims.

Follow our LIVE Updates on the coronavirus pandemic here

The most impressively credentialed effort is the Rapid Deployment Vaccine Collaborative, or RaDVaC, which boasts famous Harvard geneticist George Church among its 23 listed collaborators. (The research, however, is not happening on Harvards campus: While professor Churchs lab works on a number of COVID-19 research projects, he has assured Harvard Medical School that work related to the RaDVaC vaccine is not being done in his lab, a spokeswoman for Harvard Medical School said.)

Among the most tight-lipped projects is CoroNope, which refuses to name anyone involved because, according to the person responding to messages sent to the groups anonymous email account, the less than half a dozen biologists dont want to risk getting in trouble with the FDA or with their employers.

Each do-it-yourself effort is motivated, at least in part, by the same idea: Exceptional times demand exceptional actions. If scientists have the skills and gumption to assemble a vaccine on their own, the logic goes, they should do it. Defenders say that as long as they are measured about their claims and transparent about their process, we could all benefit from what they learn.

But critics say that no matter how well-intentioned, these scientists arent likely to learn anything useful because their vaccines are not being put to the true test of randomized and placebo-controlled studies. Whats more, taking these vaccines could cause harm  whether from serious immune reactions and other side effects, or offering a false sense of protection.

Take it yourself, and there is not much anyone can or should do, said Jeffrey Kahn, director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. But once a person starts encouraging other people to try an unproven vaccine, youre headed right back to the days of patent medicine and quackery, he said, referring to a time when remedies were widely sold with colorful but misleading promises.

We Are the Animals

The RaDVac vaccine effort, first reported on by MIT Technology Review, is different from Stines project in two important ways. No one involved plans to charge for the vaccine. And unlike Stines expletive-laden Facebook rants, RaDVaC has a 59-page scientific document to explain how it works and to guide others who might want to mix up the vaccine formulation on their own.

The white paper is quite impressive, said Avery August, an immunologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who is not involved with RaDVaC.

But the impetus of both projects is similar. In March, as Preston Estep, a genome scientist who lives in the Boston area, was reading about people dying amid the pandemic, he vowed not to sit complacently on the sidelines. He emailed some chemists, biologists, professors and doctors he knew to see whether any were interested in creating their own vaccine. Soon they had devised a formula for a peptide vaccine that could be administered through a spritz in the nose.

Its very simple, Estep said. It consists of five ingredients you could mix together in a physicians office.

The key ingredient: tiny bits of viral proteins, or peptides, which the scientists ordered online. If all went well, the peptides would train the immune system to defend against the coronavirus, even with no actual virus present.

In late April, Estep joined several collaborators in a lab as they stirred the concoction and sprayed it in their nostrils. Church, a longtime mentor to Estep, said he took it alone in his bathroom to maintain social-distancing precautions.

Estep soon gave the vaccine to his 23-year-old son, and other collaborators also shared it with their family members. So far, no one has reported anything worse than a stuffy nose and a mild headache, Estep said. He has also refined the recipe, removing and adding peptides as new coronavirus research has emerged. So far, he has sprayed eight versions into his nose.

A traditional drug development workflow begins with mouse or other animal studies. For RaDVaC, Estep said, we are the animals.

But without rigorous clinical trials, August said, theres no reliable way to know if it is safe or effective. He said he feared that the scientists prestigious credentials might imply otherwise.

Church said that he respected the traditional evaluation process but that there should also be room for pre-research, and that most of what he had been involved with throughout his career  including editing genes in human cells  was considered fringe at first.

As of last week, Estep said, about 30 people in the United States, Sweden, Germany, China and Britain had taken the vaccine. He said a university professor in Brazil had told him he was considering making it in his lab and distributing it for free.

Vaccine via Facebook

There is a long history of scientists openly testing vaccines on themselves and their children, but in recent decades it has become less common, according to Susan E. Lederer, a medical historian at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Whats ethically and legally acceptable for testing and distributing your own medical product varies by institution and by country.

In August, the Scientific Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems, a government institution in Kazakhstan, announced that seven employees had become the first people to try the COVID-19 vaccine they were developing. Russian and Chinese scientists affiliated with government and academic institutions have made similar pronouncements amid the pandemic.

The problem with Stines product, according to Attorney General Bob Ferguson of Washington, is not that he took it. Its that he sold this so-called vaccine to people in Washington who are frightened and more apt to look for a miracle cure in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, Ferguson said in a statement. The lawsuit also cites Stines unsupported safety and effectiveness claims.

In March, a few months after he said he vaccinated himself and his two teenage sons, he posted an ad on the Facebook page for North Coast Biologics. After decades of working with antibodies, Stine said in an interview, he knew that making a vaccine should be pretty goddamn easy.

He described a job that sounded a bit like writing Hollywood screenplays that never become movies. He makes antibodies that could be used against various pathogens and sells them to companies that could use them to develop drugs, but they probably wont. According to the Washington attorney generals suit, Stines company was administratively dissolved in 2012.

To make his vaccine, he used a genetic sequence for the spike protein on the outside of the coronavirus to make a synthetic version. He put it in a saline solution, injected himself just under the surface of the skin of his upper arm and then took a so-called titer test to look for antibodies in his bloodstream. It took me 12 days from downloading the sequence to being titer positive, he said.

In his Facebook ad, he claimed that this left him immune to the virus and offered interested parties the opportunity to pay $400/person.

As part of an agreement that Stine eventually struck with prosecutors, he must refund all 30 people who had taken his vaccine.

Stine seemed amused by this, insisting that few people are likely to apply for a refund. His fee, he said, barely covered travel costs, and often he didnt charge.

A man in his 60s in Montana, who asked to remain anonymous for privacy concerns, said he flew Stine out to inoculate him and his family. Now, he said, they have been able to return to normal behavior, such as having lunch with friends whose jobs put them at high risk for exposure. The man even joined Stine to visit a police officer friend in Washington state who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and was on deaths door. According to all three who were present, no one wore a mask. And Stine sat close to the sick officer in an enclosed space as he gave him a treatment.

Stine says his vaccine is similar to a recombinant vaccine being developed by the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. He also claims that a shot will not only protect people against the virus, but also treat those who have it. Dr. Louis Falo, a lead researcher on University of Pittsburghs effort, said he was skeptical that Stines vaccine could be safe or effective based on how it was assembled. Even if it was, he said, its unlikely it would help sick people.

In the 1990s, Stine worked for Patrick Gray, a molecular biologist who contributed to the discovery of a hepatitis B vaccine and is now the chief executive of a biotech company.

Gray said in an interview that the science Stine published at Icos, the biotech company where they worked together, was sound but that the young scientist had a penchant for making too much of too little. Johnny was in a hurry to publish his work and advance his career, he said. We often insisted on more confirmation and more controls.

Regarding his current scientific efforts, I dont believe Johnny is a scam artist, but he has ignored FDA regulations necessary for drug development, he wrote in an email. Its just not possible for an individual like Johnny to create a viable vaccine.

The mayor of Friday Harbor said he regretted responding to Stines message on his Facebook wall, instead of privately. But he does not see why he should apologize for accepting his friends formulation for free. Id rather have the chance of having some protection than no protection at all and waiting and waiting, Ghatan said.

The controversy, however, has derailed their plans to meet, he said. But if another opportunity arises to get the jab, he said, I would.

c.2020 The New York Times Company
Scientists of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU University) get started studying the formation and survival mechanisms of the brain malignant tumors cells, i.e. glioma, to reveal new ways for diagnosis and therapy for this fatal disease. This research was supported by the grant from Russian Science Foundation (RSF).

Scientists of the School of Biomedicine (FEFU University) plan to reveal new markers to improve the efficacy of diagnosis of glioma, most common type of brain cancer. Understanding molecular mechanisms behind the tumor growth promises to point to new targets for the personalized therapy in the near future.

Researchers will design genetically modified models of brain tumors (gliomas), with and without most typical according to medical practice primary mutations of the IDH1 and TP53 genes. Scientists are also interested in the role of these mutations in the subsequent molecular changes and in the overall tumor development.

This research project uses glioma cells isolated from real patients. Scientists plan correcting IDH1 and TP53 genes mutated in tumors back into "wild", unaltered genes, as well as introducing mutations into the these normal genes to mimic the tumor situation.

Our ultimate goal is to identify new potential drug targets in tumor genes mutated and to establish new markers for more precise diagnostics. To do this, we will create laboratory models of the most frequent mutations in gliomas occurring in real life. Using such models, we hope not only to understand roles of mutations in the IDH1 and TP53 genes in tumor development but also to effectively test new antitumor compounds that can suppress the mechanisms of tumor cell survival triggered by mutations. If the study succeeds that willbe a huge step towards personalized therapy of gliomas based on the patient's individual mutation profile." Alexander Kagansky, head of the grant research, Center for Genomic and Regenerative Medicine at FEFU School of Biomedicine

The study supported by Russian Science Foundation (RSF) will be carried out within 3 years in the frame of the priority area of the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation, i.e. personalized medicine and high-tech healthcare. The project will be done in collaboration with Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Man Draws Cartoon Faces On His Expressionless Cats Animal Rescue (David L). Better than the headline.

Humans construction footprint on ocean quantified for first time PhysOrg (Kevin W)

Fossil Fuels Are Here To Stay OilPrice. Resilc: People who think well all drive Teslas soon havent been to Guatemala or Liberia.

Interactive map lets you track the location of your hometown on the Earth as the planet changes over 750 million years Daily Mail

#COVID-19

Coronavirus live news: India adds nearly 2m cases in August, France cases rise 50% in one month Guardian

Japans Shinzo Abe Was an Uninspiring Leader Who Prospered by Default Jacobin. PlutoniumKun: A very good take on Abes ultimate political failures (although its pretty bad on economics)

Frances Macron calls on Lebanon to form new government BBC

New Cold War

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Trump Transition

2020

Innocent Florida inmate released after 37 years Orlando Sentinel (UserFriendly)

Mob justice: How one feminists simple Tweet enraged transgender activists and saw her sacked from her dream job RT (MW)

America Divided

As a former health insurance exec, I know how rich corporations rake in billions by blocking life-saving procedures, hiking premiums & now exploiting a public health emergency. I often get asked what folks can do to help expose, shame & stop these swindlers. Heres what: (1/4)  Wendell Potter (@wendellpotter) August 31, 2020

What Apples landmark court win against the EU means for Ireland CNBC. UserFriendly: :-(

Facebook and Google Serve As Vectors For Misinformation While Hobbling Local Journalism and Collecting Taxpayer Subsidies, Group Says Axios

Facebook is threatening to block Australians from sharing news on its platforms if planned government regulation goes ahead Business Insider (Kevin W)

CalPERS board member calls for no new private equity investments until CIO probe over Axios

Hotel Industry Remains On Brink of Collapse AHLA. Read the boldfaced headers. Grim.

Teslas nickel quest highlights metals environmental burden Financial Times

Mission Creep at the Federal Reserve? Or Mission Focus? Nathan Tankus

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Furzy: My sisters new llama, Harvey, on left, 10 months old:

And a bonus (Samuel C). As a kid, I always liked raking leaves. But this sort of thing would motivate just about anyone:

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Manisha (name changed), conceived her first baby at the age of 25. Amid the pandemic, she paid her first visit to the gynaecologist in the eighth week of pregnancy, only when she faced a complication of bleeding. She was dismayed to know that the child in her womb had stopped growing. It was a case of missed abortion.

A missed abortion is a nonviable intrauterine pregnancy that has been retained within the uterus without spontaneous abortion.

She is not the only one in Lucknow to have gone through this situation. Doctors said at least 150 such cases had come to fore here in the last 90 days.

Dr Apeksha Vishnoi, a gynaecologist in Gomti Nagar, said: In the past one month, I have come across four to five such cases, where women came after they developed complications.

Gynaecologists in different areas of the state capital said many other women suffered missed abortions as they avoided visiting a clinic during the pandemic to avoid being infected by coronavirus.

I have come across at least 20 such cases in the past one and a half months. The women never visited a doctor until complications made them apprehensive about losing pregnancy. And by the time they reached, the damage had been done, said Dr Amita Shukla, senior gynaecologist at the late SC Trivedi Memorial Mother and Child Care Trust.

A visit to the doctor is advised as soon as a woman conceives. But during the pandemic, when small clinics were shut due to lockdown, many women avoided visiting clinics even as the first trimester (3 months) got over, ending up with complications, the most common being bleeding, said Dr Priyanka Singh, a practicing gynaecologist near PGI.

Several such cases came up, particularly in July and August. Family members said they were apprehensive about the women being more vulnerable to infection during pregnancy, hence they avoided even contacting the doctor, said Singh.

Asked if these missed abortions could be avoided, Dr Rama Srivastava, president of the Indian Medical Association, Lucknow said, Certain medicines are necessary to sustain pregnancy after a woman conceives, particularly among those who are not adequately healthy.

The gynaecologists said families should ensure at least one personal or virtual interaction between the women and the doctors. Even if immediate appointment is not available, as doctors are not attending too many patients in the OPD, the women may see a doctor in a week or even in 10 days. But one visit will actually guide her to safe pregnancy, said Shukla.

Many gynaecologists are now offering consultancy over video calls and telemedicine facilities have been started at some hospitals for patients of the gynaecology department.

Patients are contacting us through telemedicine, said Dr Malvika Mishra, of the women and child hospital at the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences.

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A Cypriot-flagged cargo vessel has been fined for anchoring illegally in Vietnams inland waters.

On Monday, border guard officers in Cua Dai Ward, Hoi An City, located in the central province of Quang Nam, confirmed that the Cypriot ship had been booked for the offense.

According to preliminary information, officers detected a foreign ship anchoring in a maritime area about four nautical miles southeast of the checkpoint for the Cua Dai Border Guard Office at 11:00 am on Saturday.

They decided to perform an administrative inspection as the vessel showed signs of violating Vietnams inland waters.

Results of the examination showed that the ship was registered in Cyprus and the captain was Zaremba Damia Marek, a 39-year-old Polish citizen.

The vessel has 21 crew members, including 12 Polish and nine Filipino nationals.

The ships captain failed to present a permit granted by Vietnamese authorities, which is required if a foreign ship wants to anchor in Vietnam's inland waters.

The violation was reported to authorities in Quang Nam Province later the same day, and a VND25 million (US$1,085) fine was imposed upon the vessel.

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Following a five-month suspension, Ghana finally decided to join other African countries such as Egypt, Nigeria, and Senegal and resume international flights in and out of the country. Ghana is preparing to welcome arriving passengers at its airports from 1 September.

Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo believes that his country is now able to resume international travel without fearing the risk posed by the potential Covid-19 further spread in the country and feels that its right time for Ghana to open its air borders.

President Akufo-Addo stated in an address to his nations I am glad to announce that KIA will reopen and resume operations from Tuesday, September 1, 2020. This decision has been communicated to international airlines across the world. After weeks of thorough work, I am satisfied that it is safe to do so.

Follow all the latest coronavirus-related news in Africa via our dedicated live blog.

Ghana has imposed preventative protocol for all arriving passengers such as wearing face masks when leaving the aircraft as well as holding a negative PCR test before undergoing another test at the airport terminal.

Despite the return of international flights, Ghana's land and sea borders will remain closed until further notice.

Since the start of the pandemic, Ghana has reported 44,398 confirmed cases but only 1,159 cases are presently active. 276 people out of the case tally have succumbed to the infection.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - SKRR Exploration Inc. (TSXV: SKRR) (FSE: B04Q) ("SKRR" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has entered into an acquisition agreement (the "EPL Agreement") to acquire a 100% interest in Eagle Plains Resources Ltd.'s ("EPL") Manson Bay South Property consisting of nine (9) mineral claims compromising a total of approximately 4,228 hectares dated August 31, 2020 and a non-arm's length acquisition agreement (the "Edge Agreement") to acquire a 100% interest in Edge Geological Consulting Inc.'s ("Edge") adjacent Manson Bay Property consisting of four (4) mineral claims compromising a total of 64.537 hectares dated August 31, 2020 (the EPL Agreement and the Edge Agreement, together the "Acquisition Agreements"). The claims to be acquired pursuant to the Acquisition Agreements are located in the Trans Hudson Corridor in east-central Saskatchewan, approximately 40km northwest of the historic mining center of Flin Flon, on the Manitoba border.

Terms of the Acquisition Agreements

Under the terms of the Acquisition Agreements, SKRR will acquire a 100% interest in the Manson Bay South Property and the Manson Bay Property by making a cash payments of CAD$10,000 and issuing 750,000 common shares of SKRR to each of EPL and Edge (for aggregate consideration of CAD$20,000 of cash and 1,500,000 common shares) upon Exchange approval of the Acquisition Agreements. The Acquisition Agreements provide for an over-riding 2% net smelter return royalty in favour of EPL and Edge, respectively (subject to a buy down to 1% for CAD$1,000,000). Pursuant to the Acquisition Agreements, EPL will be the initial operator on both the Manson Bay and Manson Bay South claim packages, and EPL and Edge will alternate as operator every two years thereafter.

The Acquisition Agreements are subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued pursuant to the Acquisition Agreements are subject to a four month hold period from the closing date in accordance with applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The acquisition agreement with Edge is not an "Arm's Length Transaction" as such term is defined in the Exchange's Policy 1.1 and therefore constituted a "related party transaction" as such term is defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions. Ross McElroy is a director of SKRR and is also a director of Edge.

The Manson Bay and Manson Bay South Property Highlights (see map below)

The Manson Bay Property covers 64.537 ha and covers all of the known drill holes outlining the historic Manson Bay Gold Zone. Manson Bay Gold Zone (SMDI #2280): Preliminary drilling on the Manson Bay Gold Zone was conducted in 1985 by HudBay Minerals (3 holes) and followed up in 1987-88 by Mingold Resources with a 44-hole, 4,607m program. Mingold estimated a historic resource of 660,000 tons grading 0.1 oz / ton (3.4 g/t) Au* to a depth of 122m down-dip (66,000 ounces gold) with good potential for expansion of depth and strike extent. This historical estimate used a classification scheme other than those set out in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. SKRR is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource estimate.



Highlights from drilling include:

Hole MBO-15 intersected 15.39 g/t Au over 10.03m (85.98m to 96.01m) including 23.13 g/t Au over 6.40m (86.56m - 92.96m), including 219.02 g/t Au over 0.61m (87.29m - 87.90m)

intersected (85.98m to 96.01m) including Hole MBO-37 intersected 2.91 g/t Au over 12.44m (from 84.16m to 96.59m) including 16.11 g/t Au over 0.24m.

The 4,228 ha Manson Bay South Property surrounds and is contiguous with the Manson Bay Property and contains significant historic mineral showings including: Nest Group Gold-Silver-Copper-Zinc showing (SMDI #0319) located ~3km south-east of the Manson Bay Gold Zone. Four zones of mineralization encountered; The Showing, and A, B and C Zones. Three trenches totaling 286.5m were completed on The Showing, with Trench 1 including a 6.7m interval returning 0.93 g/t Au, 37.6 g/t Ag, 1.38% Cu and 7.6% Zn. MAN Claim Copper-Gold showing (SMDI #0318) located ~2km south-west of the Manson Bay Gold Zone where surface mineralization in a 30.5m x 4.6m gossan zone returned 1.0% Cu over 0.6m. Cunningham Lake located 2km south of Manson Bay Gold Zone where Homestake Mineral Development Company obtained a grab sample (Sample ID #15854) on the west side of Cunningham Lake, which returned an assay value of 5,680 ppb Au.



*SKRR considers these estimates to be historical in nature and cautions that a Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves in accordance with National Instrument 43-101. SKRR is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource estimate. The location of drill holes completed to produce these estimates have not been confirmed. These estimates do not comply with current definitions prescribed by National Instrument 43-101 or the Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM), and are disclosed only as indications of the presence of mineralization and are considered to be a guide for additional work. The historical models and data sets used to prepare these historical estimates are not available to management, nor are any more recent resource estimates or drill information on the Property.





Manson Bay Gold Zone Map

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6952/63006_a2df8f3ef4842916_002full.jpg

Manson Bay Gold Zone Details

The mineral occurrence located on the Manson Bay Property referred to as the Manson Bay Gold Zone is documented in the Saskatchewan Mineral Deposit Index ("SMDI") as occurrence #2280. Staking and exploration on the Manson Bay and Manson Bay South properties dates back to 1953. Kay Lake Mines Ltd. acquired the property in 1955 and conducted an electromagnetic survey in 1955, and in 1956 followed up with a diamond drill program to test the anomalies along the northeast shore of Manson Bay. Hudson Bay Exploration optioned the property in 1983 and completed 3 drill holes. Drill holes MBO-1 and 2 intersected the mineralization described by this showing. Discovery drill hole MBO-1 encountered an 0.8 ft intersection that returned 0.04 oz./ton Au, 4.38 oz./ton Ag, 5.81% Cu and 0.60% Zn. Between 1987 and 1988, Mingold Resources Limited completed a further 43 drill holes (MBO-4 to MBO-46) to outline a gold-copper rich zone of mineralization. Mingold estimated reserves for this ore shoot of 660,000 tons grading 0.10 oz/ton (3.4 g/t) Au* to a depth of 400 feet (down dip) at the end of this drill program.

Geologically, the area straddles the transition zone between the highly metamorphosed (upper amphibolite facies) Amisk Group interlayered volcanics and metasediments to the south and the Kisseynew gneiss belt derived wackes (garnetiferous quartz-feldspar-biotite-hornblende gneiss, quartz-feldspar- hornblende-garnet biotite gneiss, biotite migmatite, and sericitic quartz- feldspar-biotite schist) to the north and to the east. Pegmatite and calc-silicate gneiss are found in almost all drill holes.

Structurally, the showing area occupies the core of the Schotts Lake anticline. The host rocks have a northeast strike and dip 20to 30SE. Lineations indicate a plunge of 21 to 40NE.

The Manson Bay Gold Zone showing consists of a silicified horizon within a northeast-trending shear zone. Mineralization has been traced over a strike length of 2400 ft (731.5 m) within this silicified shear zone. The mineralized horizon is a quartz-rich gneiss that contains hornblende-feldspar-biotite and locally chlorite and tourmaline crystals. Minerals present include trace to 15% pyrite, trace to 20% pyrrhotite, up to 10% graphite, trace to 12% chalcopyrite, trace to 10% sphalerite, trace galena and associated gold mineralization.

Delineation drilling, at 100 to 200 ft (30.5 to 61.0 m) centers, has outlined an area approximately 300 ft by 500 ft (91.4 m by 152.4 m) where an average 12 ft 3.65 m) width grades between 0.092 and 0.679 oz./ton Au (11 intersections). Other zones of less significant Cu-Au mineralization have been located along strike.

The above results were summarized from the SMDI descriptions and assessment reports filed with the Saskatchewan government. SKRR cautions that historical results were collected and reported by past operators and have not been verified nor confirmed by a Qualified Person, but form a basis for ongoing work in the Manson Lake and Manson Lake South property area. Further work (including drilling) is required by SKRR in order to verify the historical work on the Manson Bay Property. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on proximate land are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved on the subject properties.

Sherman Dahl, CEO states:

"The Manson Bay Project is something of real significance to the entire team of SKRR. This represents one of our most advanced projects with high grade mineralization and impressive blue sky potential. Our success requires us to passionately plan and execute with a focus on detail in all that we do. We will work to deliver results by finding new opportunities and finding the very best people and projects in Saskatchewan."

Irving Lake Property Amendment

SKRR also announces that it entered into a non-arm's length amendment agreement dated August 31, 2020 (the "Amendment Agreement") in respect of its option agreement dated April 26, 2020, as amended May 13, 2020 (see news release dated April 27, 2020 and May 14, 2020) (the "Option Agreement") with Edge to acquire from Edge 100% of the Irving Lake property, consisting of fifteen (15) mineral claims encompassing approximately 12,820.04 hectares, located in the province of Saskatchewan, approximately 120 km northeast of the town of La Ronge (the "Property"). Edge holds 100% unencumbered title rights to fifteen non-contiguous mineral claims encompassing the Property.



Pursuant to the terms of the Amendment Agreement, three additional claims encompassing approximately 2,507 hectares have been added to the Property (for a total of 18 mineral claims) of which Edge owns 100% unencumbered title rights.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ross McElroy P.Geo, a director of the Company and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. McElroy verified the data disclosed which includes a review of the analytical and test data underlying the information and opinions contained therein.

About SKRR Exploration Inc.:

SKRR is a Canadian-based precious metal explorer with properties in Saskatchewan - one of the world's highest ranked mining jurisdictions. The primary exploration focus is on the Trans-Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan in search of world class precious metal deposits. The Trans-Hudson Orogen - although extremely well known in geological terms has been significantly under-explored in Saskatchewan. SKRR is committed to all stakeholders including shareholders, all its partners and the environment in which it operates.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Sherman Dahl

President & CEO

Tel: 250-558-8340

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 Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information or statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, statements that address the TSX Venture Exchange approval of the Acquisition Agreements, the Irving Lake Amendment Agreement, the Company conducting exploration work on the Property, finding new projects and personnel, other statements relating to the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its projects and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of metals, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather conditions, equipment failures, failure to maintain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, decrease in the price of gold and other metals, the impact of Covid-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate, failure to maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/63006




Haiti - Social : A bus carrying 20 Haitians intercepted in Bolivia





On Saturday, August 30, the General Directorate of Migration (DGM) of Bolivia informed that the Bolivian authorities had intercepted in the town of Pailon (eastern region of Santa Cruz) a bus belonging to a private transport company with 20 Haitians on board (5 men, 12 women and 3 children) whose final destination was Chile.



The DGM reported the event as a possible case of smuggling of migrants in transit to neighboring countries, the 6th to occur in August...



The bus driver and his assistant were arrested and placed at the disposal of the Special Crime Force (FELCC) and the vehicle was also seized.



The group entered Bolivia from Brazil through the Puerto Quijarro border post and headed for the town of Pisiga on the border with Chile.



All Haitians had a passport, even if one of the minors traveled without his parents...



Migration has issued each Haitian an order to leave the territory which will become effective once a 21-day quarantine has been completed in an isolation refuge against Covid-19 in Santa Cruz.



S/ HaitiLibre


















Pelosi, House Dems vow to push for taxpayer-funding of abortion in 2021

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Nearly half a century after the passage of the Hyde Amendment, House Democrats have set their sights on removing the long-standing ban on taxpayer funding of abortions from government funding bills as early as next year.

The debate about repealing the Hyde Amendment, first passed in 1976, has loomed large in the 2020 presidential election. While Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden had long supported the Hyde Amendment, he reversed his support for the ban on taxpayer-funded abortions shortly after announcing his presidential bid last year.

Ilyse Hogue, the president of the pro-abortion organization NARAL Pro-Choice America, praised the candidates evolution on the Hyde Amendment as deeply compassionate.

Bidens position change reflects the position of many Democratic leaders in Congress and the Democratic Party's platform that calls for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment.

The Hyde Amendment is renewed annually by Congress as a stipulation in funding bills for the Department of Health and Human Services, which are crafted by the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chairs that subcommittee.

The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that DeLauro, as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told a small group of lawmakers last month that they would not add the prohibition to any government funding bill beginning next year.

While DeLauro indicated a desire to remove the Hyde Amendment from an HHS spending bill this year, she abandoned that effort after recognizing that the Republican-led Senate would not agree to a bill that did not include the ban on taxpayer-funded abortions.

The discussion about the repeal of the Hyde Amendment comes as Democrats are eyeing complete control of the federal government for the first time in 10 years. Democrats already control the House of Representatives and they hope to gain control of the Senate and White House following the elections in November.

Because the Hyde Amendment prevents Medicaid from covering abortions, top House Democrats are portraying the debate about the taxpayer funding of abortions as a race and class issue. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., a close ally of Pelosi, told The Los Angeles Times: Its an issue of racial justice and its an issue of discrimination against low-income women, women of color, (and) women who dont have access to what middle- and upper-income women have in terms of the choice to have an abortion.

The Democrats promise to repeal the Hyde Amendment would likely not come to fruition should Republicans control one or all three branches of the federal government following the election. Even if Democrats take control of the Senate, they would likely lack the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster.

While Democrats have a comfortable majority in the House, they have yet to secure enough support for repealing the Hyde Amendment. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., who co-chairs the House Pro-Choice Caucus along with Lee, admitted that while more than 200 House Democrats support repealing the Hyde Amendment, support remains short of the 218 required to pass legislation.

As Democrats appear to be forming a consensus in favor of repealing the Hyde Amendment, public opinion polling has consistently demonstrated that a majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding for abortions. A 2019 Marist survey found that 54% of respondents opposed using tax dollars to pay for a womans abortion. In 2017, a Marist survey found that 58% of Americans opposed taxpayer funding of abortions.
Oregon Republicans announced Monday afternoon they had not collected enough signatures to pursue a recall of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown.

Its the second time in a year the Oregon Republican Party attempted to initiate a recall of the governor and came up short. Organizers needed to turn in 280,050 valid signatures by Monday to trigger a vote.

To our great disappointment, the Stop The Abuse - Recall Kate Brown campaign has fallen 2,796 signatures or less than 1% short, said Oregon GOP Chairman and recall chief petitioner Bill Currier in a news release. It is the highest bar for petition signature gathering in our states Constitution and has definitely been an uphill struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with other obstacles.

The campaigns signature deficit is likely larger than 2,800 since signature gathering efforts typically wind up with some invalid signatures from people who signed more than once or are not active registered voters. No independent group verified the groups claim of more than 277,000 signatures.

Signature gathering has indeed proven challenging during the pandemic, since fewer people are gathering in places where petition circulators often worked, such as public transportation lines and large events. Currier said recall supporters gathered roughly a quarter of the signatures last year at the state and county fairs, as well as festivals, so the cancellation of those events in order to slow the spread of coronavirus hampered this years effort.

Of course, it must also be remembered that several of our volunteers faced harassment, destruction of petitions, and physical assault, including a Democrat volunteer who has been recovering in the hospital these past couple of weeks, Currier said in the news release. It is hard to estimate what effect these acts of intimidation had on suppressing signature gathering efforts across the state.

As The Oregonian/OregonLive reported, a man was assaulted in Happy Valley Aug. 22 while gathering signatures to recall Brown by another man who said the volunteer should instead be gathering signatures to recall President Donald Trump.

Thomas Wheatley, a political consultant who serves as an adviser to the governor, dismissed the recall effort as a Republican political tactic rather than a serious effort to change Oregons top elected leader.

This recall attempt was just the latest political ploy to divert attention away from Trumps floundering presidency by pitting Oregonians against each other, Wheatley wrote in an email. But the people of Oregon are smarter than that. We know we get a lot more done when we come together to resolve our differences. Thats what Gov. Brown promised our state when she won reelection by more than 100,000 votes and thats what she will continue to do as she guides our state through the COVID-19 pandemic.

-- Hillary Borrud: hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
The president is working many angles to deny citizens the right to vote by mail, including having already removed automated machines in post offices that make the process of delivering mail more effective. (The postmaster general said he will stop this until after the election, but I will wait to see if that happens).

The BidenHarris team and the Democratic leadership in Congress also need to get on the same page regarding the passage of another stimulus bill and how funding for the U.S. Postal Service may or may not be included in such a bill. This is not a task for generals; this is a task for a team of conductors to orchestrate this incredibly complex process.

This is just the beginning of what is going to be the most challenging, intricate, bizarre final stretch of a presidential election in American history.

The BidenHarris campaign must be sure not to put too much of their money on winning the traditional swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, because Trump could lose these states and win other states in their place and still win reelection.

Maybe this time it is not his Rust Belt victories, but some other set of victories that yields a win, which this time might be a victory by three electoral votes.
NEW DELHI: India along with Japan, Germany and Brazil, part of the G4 countries on Monday (August 31) called out China and the 'coffee group' bluff on United Nation Security Council (UNSC) reforms as the United Nations decided on the next steps for reforms at the high table. The coffee group of Uniting for Consensus (UFC) group, led by Italy has Pakistan, Turkey as its members and aims to counter bids by G4 countries.

India shot off two letters, one on a standalone basis and another as part of G4 grouping to United Nations General assembly (UNGA) President highlighting 2 aspects  one backing Common African position, and another and more importantly on those who, on the pretext of negotiations, are stalling reforms  which clearly pointed to China.

The letter by India's deputy permanent representative to UN, Ambassador Nagaraj Naidu to the President of the United Nations General assembly (UNGA) Tijjani Muhammad-Bande said, "After more than a decade towards text-based negotiations, the inter-government negotiations process has become a convenient smokescreen to hide behind for those who do not wish to see any reforms in the Security Council."

UNSC reforms: India led G4________ groups calls China__ & Coffee club's bluff. India says, "inter govt negotiations process has become a convenient smokescreen to hide" as China says "why the haste on negotiations". Coffee club is led by Italy__ & includes____ pic.twitter.com/rK9kXSX5vy  Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) September 1, 2020

"There is a need to ensure that the inter-governmental negotiations (IGN) process is not held hostage, procedurally and substantially, by those who do not wish to bring about reforms to the security council. Those who demand reform will be forced to look for other ways to finally make progress, including potentially outside the" IGN process.

Inter-governmental Negotiations framework (IGN) is a group within the United Nations that is looking into UNSC reforms but has made no progress since 2009 when it was formed. The group's conversation is considered 'informal' in nature and thus UNGA rule of procedure done apply.

Also, no attempts have been made to put talks into the consolidated text to begin formal negotiations due to resistance by certain countries like China opposed to the expansion of UNSC membership. G4 have also called for 'urgent need for transparency and application of general assembly's rules of procedure to the intergovernmental negotiations.'

On Africa, the letter said, "it is only correct and fair that the growing support expressed for the common African position in the 2 meetings of the IGN earlier this year are captured" in discussions.

The 'Common African position' for UNSC expansion has been stipulated under Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration, both of which call for at least 2 permanent and 5 to 2 non-permanent UNSC seats to be given to African countries at the high table.

What is interesting is, the Chinese mission to the UN was quick to react and questioned the need for reforms in 'haste'. This is when informal negotiations for reforms are underway for the last 10 year, thus bringing out Bejing's mischief on reforms at UNSC. The Chinese mission in a statement said, "To start text-based negotiations in a haste or to impose a single document is not conducive to building consensus and promoting unity."

The Italian mission to UN, chair to the coffee group, also reacted and in a letter called for 'necessary political will and flexibility'. Both the Chinese letter and the coffee club's letter made no mention of Common African position.

Earlier this year, two IGN meetings happened, but the other remaining meetings are yet to happen. The developments of Monday will be part of the UN record and will be raised by countries calling for reforms during the further negotiation process.
A South Dublin general practitioner has been referred to the Medical Council after he refused to provide a letter of dispensation to a patient who does not wish to wear a mask in places where their use is mandated by Government.

Dr William Behan, who operates his practice out of Walkinstown on the citys south side, said that the patient in question, who is not a frequent user of his services, had said that she felt that she couldnt wear masks and that they werent for her.

He said the woman in question has no significant medical history, no history of psychiatric illness, and no learning disabilities.

The remote consultation which led to Dr Behans refusal had been held for a separate medical reason before the request for the letter of dispensation was presented.

She said she was anxious about it. She wasnt really engaging with the science, she just wanted the letter, which she felt that she was entitled to, he said.

I felt that she could engage a bit more and learn a bit more about the benefit of masks.

If most people knew of the risks they would be happy to wear one I feel. There is a lot of patient learning needed on masks, they could reduce the mix of Covid by 75%.

"If Im wearing a mask its stopping me from giving you my Covid, he added.

Upon Dr Behans refusal, the patient initially complained to the local HSE office.

However, an officer there, having consulted with Dr Behan, told the complainant that the issue was going around in circles, and suggested that she escalate the problem to the Medical Council, which is charged with holding physicians to account over malpractice.

A spokesperson for the Medical Council said that, while the Council cannot comment on individual complaints or confirm if a complaint has been received, it must investigate all complaints received about a registered medical practitioner.

When a complaint is first received by the Council it is handled by its Preliminary Proceedings Committee, which, as well as recommending fitness to practise inquiries, can also determine that no further action is necessary.

Dr Behan said that he doesnt expect the complaint, which will be considered this month, to succeed.

But I will still have to take a day to document the incident and defend myself, he said.

Im not going to spend my whole summer holidays using solicitors to respond to this. Regarding his own referral to the Council, he said: At the high levels the HSE are very good, but when you get to a local level they just wont engage with you.

The HSE referred a query from the Irish Examiner regarding this matter to its local office in Tallaght. A response had not been received at the time of publication.

While we dont know the full details of this case, the key thing here is that the wearing of face masks reflects national public health policy and it behoves everyone to adhere to this policy whenever possible, said Dr Padraig McGarry, president of the Irish Medical Organisation.

To quote the HSE: We are all in this together, he said, adding, I think the GP in this instance reflected that approach and should be commended for it.
The Centre may soon announce more special trains in addition to the 230 trains that are currently operating in a bid to cater to demand, the discussion for which is currently underway with state governments, the railway ministry said on Tuesday.

More special trains are being planned. We are consulting state governments. We will soon announce and let everyone know as and when they are started, a railway ministry spokesperson said. The ministry did not provide details on how many special trains are being planned.

The home ministry on Saturday issued guidelines for the fourth phase of an exercise to lift restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), announcing that metro rail services can resume in a graded manner from September 7.

The Railways have currently suspended all regular passenger trains indefinitely. Regular trains have remained suspended since March 22. Earlier in June, the ministry had said passenger trains, including express and suburban services that were earlier suspended till June 30, will not operate till August 12. The 15 pairs of premium Rajdhani trains connecting Delhi with different parts of the country, which began on May 12, and 100 pairs of long-distance trains, which began on June 1, will continue to function.

On August 11, the ministry had clarified that all regular trains will continue to remain suspended but additional special trains will be operated based on the requirement.

This is to bring to the notice of all concerned that, as decided and informed earlier on as well, regular passenger and suburban train services will continue to remain suspended till further notice. It may be noted that 230 Special Trains, which are running at present, will continue to operateThe occupancy of special trains is being monitored on a regular basis. Additional special trains may be run based on the requirement. However, all other regular trains and suburban trains run before lockdown, will remain suspended for the time being, the ministry had said.

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the country's top customs official to shoot and kill drug smugglers, AP reported.

Duterte vehemently denied sanctioning extrajudicial executions, but repeatedly openly threatened drug dealers with death. He and the police leading his anti-drug campaign said most of the suspects killed by the police resisted and threatened the lives of law enforcement officials.

Duterte gave the order to the Bureau of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero at a cabinet meeting. Guerrero, a retired general and former chief of military staff, was not present when Duterte spoke, but the president said he met with Guerrero and two other officials earlier at the presidential palace in Manila.

"I told him straight, 'Drugs is still flowing in. I'd like you to kill there ... anyway, I'll back you up and you won't get jailed. If it's drugs, you shoot and kill. That's the arrangement," Duterte said without elaborating.

Over 5,700 suspected drug users and traffickers have been killed as a result of Duterte's anti-drug efforts, alarming human rights groups and Western governments and prompting the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged crimes against humanity. Duterte promised to continue similar methods in the remaining two years in power.
Although they comprise a tiny minority of those protesting police misconduct, those who engage in arson, looting and vandalism must be clearly and forcefully denounced by the Democratic Party.

Understandable though their response may be, it is still criminal behavior, pure and simple, and failure to condemn it plays right into Trumps dainty little hands by providing him with the lurid images of the Reichstag fire he so desperately needs if he is to prevail.

Richard Seiden, Oakland

Belligerent president

At the end of Time for calm and leadership (Editorial, Aug. 31), which notes that President Trump has been conflating civil rights protests with anarchy and lawlessness, this question is asked: Will he be a leader or provocateur at this critical moment in his presidency?

My response is this: When has Trump ever been a leader during his presidency? Great leaders seek to unite the people they have been elected to serve. They also try to offer calm and rational words during times of crisis. Since his first day in office, Trump has been divisive, belligerent, unable and unwilling to accept criticism, and most importantly, dishonest.

He also cannot offer what America truly needs during this time of a health pandemic and civil unrest: basic human empathy.

Charles Carrington, San Francisco

Reconsider support

I was flabbergasted to read that John Dennis, chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party, supports re-electing the current White House resident. Dennis is a libertarian (more or less) who ran for Congress against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on an anti-war platform.

At that time, Dennis spoke in an anti-war assembly organized by the San Francisco Unitarians at which I was the emcee.

Surely, Dennis knows that President Trump is not in any sense of the word a libertarian  not a civil libertarian or an economic one. Trump is an would-be dictator who routinely ignores the Constitution and, if re-elected, would shred it completely. Those who support him in the name of liberty are making a grave mistake. Dennis, and others who support Trump, please reconsider. Its not too late!

Jeff Johnson, San Francisco

Nation needs healing

Regarding Trump supporters try to rescue S.F. (Aug. 31): How can supporters of the president, who marched across the Golden Gate Bridge, chant U.S.A.! and profess to be in favor of American liberty, while also (as a photo shows) claiming Black Lies Matter? All of these flag-waving and MAGA hat-wearing marchers seem to have forgotten that we are a multiethnic nation, and that tolerating opposing viewpoints is what makes us a democracy.

San Francisco and the rest of this country doesnt need rescuing. Rather, we need healing from nearly four years of lies and name-calling by an egomaniacal president and his cult-like followers.

Jeremy Davidoff, Novato

Deepening inequality

Regarding Judge rejects DeVos bid to redirect funds for schools (Aug. 28.): Theres not much that can elicit a chuckle from me these days, but this one did: U.S. District Judge James Donatos description of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos attempt to steer COVID-19 funds toward private schools as interpretive jiggery-pokery.

I like jiggery-pokery even more than flim-flam, skullduggery or hocus-pocus, but all could be used to describe the Trump administrations efforts to deepen inequality  including attacks on transgender people, voter suppression (including removing mailboxes) in low-income areas, limiting access to food stamps, reducing Native Americans lands and obstructing access to health care, to name a few.

Kristin Anundsen, San Francisco

A lesson in civics

So, according to Racial injustice (News of the Day, Aug. 31), the mayor of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., sent a bill of $2,500 to a high school senior for police overtime, necessitated by her having organized a Black Lives Matter protest?

Whats next, trying to get local teenagers to pay fines for texting about their contempt for a petty and vindictive politician?

Mayor Mario Kranjac needs a refresher course in civics so he can understand citizens basic constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and assembly.

Sochi Yamamoto, Cupertino

Think of the landlords

Regarding New bill would halt evictions for 5 months (Aug. 29): Im frustrated reading about so-called greedy landlords not wanting to forgive rents and evicting renters because they have lost their jobs and therefore cant pay.

Rarely, if ever, is there a mention about how landlords would meet their own financial obligations to the banks for mortgage payments. As rental property owners, we care about our tenants. They are not just rent payer but people we have gotten to know and care about.

In addition, evicting them would be foolish, because who would be there to take their place? We count on the rents to make our financial obligations and maintain the properties. I havent seen any mention of the banks forgiving our payments.

Geri Spieler, Palo Alto

End the grandstanding

In regards to Becerra filing 100th lawsuit against Trump (Aug. 29), how much better off we citizens of California would be if Attorney General Xavier Becerra would redirect some of the resources from this stream of lawsuits to holding police departments within our state accountable for wrongdoing, particularly the shooting and killing of our fellow citizens.

Or, like his predecessor, Sen. Kamala Harris, will he only discover the importance of police accountability once he has left the one office that could really make it happen? Please, Becerra, stop the political grandstanding, and do your job!

Bernie Corace, San Francisco

Judging leaders

Can you imagine Herbert Hoover running for re-election in 1932 and only talking about the economy before the stock market crash of 1929, as if his response to the Great Depression shouldnt count when Americans vote? Its absurd on its face, but that is what President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence did at the Republican National Convention.

The assumption is that we should not judge a president on his ability to handle an extraordinary crisis from which we are all still suffering.

Thats exactly why we need an extraordinary leader or at least a leader who can see people suffering and take meaningful action to alleviate that suffering.

Adam Michels, San Francisco

Dont be distracted

During this time of fire, smoke, floods, political unrest and COVID-19, and as Californians and others are struggling to breathe or simply survive, I was chagrined to discover family and friends in far-flung places like Vermont, Georgia and Arizona who had only vaguely heard about the fires in California.

This may be an example of how the distractions of the internet age and the fatigue of living in a violent and uncivil society have caused us to disassociate from a common sense of reality. If we are not all paying attention to the same news, how can we walk in each others shoes?
D onald Trump has said he will not meet with the family of Jacob Blake because it is "inappropriate" for the family to have involved lawyers.

Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot multiple times in the back by officers in Wisconsin. Mr Blake was left paralysed and "fighting for his life," his family and lawyers have said.

Mr Trump is due to visit on Kenosha today, but the US President told reporters on Monday that he will not meet with the family because of their desire to have lawyers included in the meeting.

"I thought it would be better not to do anything where there were lawyers involved," said Mr Trump.

"They wanted me to speak. They wanted to have lawyers involved and I thought that was inappropriate, so I didn't do that. But I did speak with the pastor of the family."

Wisconsin, Kenosha: Jacob Blake Protests - In pictures 1 /21 Wisconsin, Kenosha: Jacob Blake Protests - In pictures REUTERS Law enforcement officers walk amidst tear gas during a protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS Protestors run for cover as police shoots tear gas in an effort to disperse the crowd during the demonstrations AFP via Getty Images Police clash with protesters in Kenosha on Monday night AP Flames roar from cars torched by protestors a few blocks from the County Court House AFP via Getty Images Protesters clash with officers during demonstrations against the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha AFP via Getty Images Kenosha County Sherriff and police officers in riot gear form a line behind a burning truck during demonstrations against the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin AFP via Getty Images A protester stands in a cloud of tear gas near a burning garbage truck outside the Kenosha County Court House AP AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AP AP

Speaking about holding a phone conversation with the family, Mr Trump added: "I may at some point do that, but they did have a lawyer that wanted to be on the phone and I said no. That's inappropriate, but I did just give my best regards."

Mr Blake's father, Jacob Blake Senior told CNN the family does not have a pastor.

"I'm not going to play politics. This is my son's life we're talking about," he said.

Jacob Blake's uncle, James Blake, added that Mr Blake Sr has "no interest in speaking with President Trump".

Jacob Blake Sr, father of Jacob Blake, looks on during a rally against racism and police brutality in Kenosha / AFP via Getty Images

"President Trump is a racist who stokes racial tensions," he said. "He has been stirring racial tensions since he got in the White House.

"Why, as Jacob's uncle, would I want to talk to him? Our focus is on Jacob and healing the community."

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Blake family, has said it is routine practice for his clients to have legal counsel with them when they speak to someone in the Government.

Speaking on CNN's The Situation Room, Mr Crump said his clients have adopted the same practice when speaking with Barack Obama during his presidency and with former Vice President Joe Biden.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told CNN: "Currently the plans are to meet with local law enforcement and some business owners, and he'll survey the damage. But there will be more detailed plans forthcoming when they're announced."

Thousands march on Washington in wake of Jacob Blake shooting

The shooting has sparked a wave of protests against police brutality in Kenosha, resulting in the deployment of the National Guard to quell demonstrations that have resulted in some looting and vandalism.

It comes as of Mr Trumps supporters was shot at a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, prompting multiple tweets from Mr Trump himself, including one late on Sunday erroneously accusing Mr Biden of failing to criticise the agitators at the protests.

During a third night of unrest, Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, allegedly shot three protesters, two fatally, with an assault rifle.

Mr Trump's rival for the presidency, Joe Biden, denounced the violence on both sides and challenged Mr Trump to do the same.

Joe Biden called on Donald Trump to denounce the violence on both sides of the protests / AFP via Getty Images

Instead, Mr Trump defended the actions of Mr Rittenhouse. He said the accused gunman was trying to get away and would have been killed by demonstrators if he had not opened fire.

"He was trying to get away from them ... And then he fell and then they very violently attacked him," Mr Trump said at a briefing on Monday evening.

"I guess he was in very big trouble ... He probably would have been killed."

The president said on Twitter on Monday: The Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their Movement. It wasnt supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and dont listen anymore  even forced Slow Joe out of basement!

In Pittsburgh, Mr Biden hit back and said of Mr Trump: He may believe mouthing the words law and order makes him strong, but his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows you how weak he is.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 09:48:35|Editor: huaxia

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LJUBLJANA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The 15th Bled Strategic Forum (BSF), one of the biggest foreign policy gatherings at international level in Central and Southeastern Europe, was held at the lakeside resort of northern city Bled, Slovenia on Monday.

Organized by Slovenia's Foreign Ministry, this year the forum focused on the future of Central and Southeastern Europe, regional cooperation in the European Union (EU) and security issues.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the forum attracted a number of state leaders, top officials and high-profile panelists from Central and Eastern European countries, with many attending in person and others participating online.

Apart from such topics as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, the main panel discussed the growing influence of Central and Southeastern Europe in the EU, the region's position in the bloc, and the importance of solidarity between all member states, according to Slovenian Press Agency (STA).

Meanwhile, the need for close cooperation and communication, as well as relaxation of restrictive EU state aid rules in the face of the pandemic were the center of discussion during a panel attended by foreign ministers.

Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau noted that only strong member states can make for a strong EU while Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic Radman said member states and the EU need each other.

Digitalization and cyberspace were also among key topics during the forum.

The role of digitalization as the driver of economic recovery in the region of Central and Eastern Europe as well as the world in general was highlighted at a panel on digital transformation.

At another panel on the future of cyberspace, consensus was reached that common cyber security should be boosted in order to protect individual countries from attacks, and that public-private cooperation should also be strengthened.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa also held a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the forum, including with his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki, Croatia's Andrej Plenkovic and Bulgaria's Boyko Borissov. Enditem
- US$620m secured from a consortium of five banks for 630 MW of wind and solar assets

- One of the largest renewable energy debt financing deals undertaken in the world this year

- Deal underlines Mainstream's commitment to renewable power build-out in Chile and its track record in delivering gigawatt-scale renewable energy platforms

- Full 1.3 GW Andes Renovables platform continues to make excellent progress despite COVID-19 impact due to strict internal safety protocols

DUBLIN, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global wind and solar development company, Mainstream Renewable Power ("Mainstream" or "The Company"), has reached financial close for the second phase of its wholly-owned and fully-contracted 1.3 gigawatt "Andes Renovables" wind and solar power generation platform in Chile.

The Company has successfully raised US$620 million in debt to fund construction of phase two of what is one of Latin American's biggest wind and solar generation platforms. This brings to US$1.25bn raised to date by the Andes Renovables platform.

The Senior financing has been provided by a consortium of five banks: IDB Invest, KfW IPEX-Bank, DNB, CaixaBank and MUFG, and is one of the largest renewable energy debt financing deals undertaken in the world this year. A sixth bank, Santander, provided a VAT facility.

The 630 megawatt (MW) second phase of Andes Renovables - called "Huemul" - is comprised of three onshore wind and two solar PV generation assets. All five assets are in pre-construction and will reach commercial operation between 2021 and 2022. They will generate enough sustainable electricity to power 781,000 Chilean homes and will displace 744,200 metric tonnes of CO2 each year.

Andes Renovables is a c.US$1.8 billion, three phase wind and solar generation platform comprised of seven onshore wind and three solar PV generation assets. The first phase, Condor reached financial close in November 2019 and is already over 30% complete. The build-out has created nearly 1,200 jobs across three regions of the country and has safely continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic under strict sanitary and social distancing protocols. The next and final phase, "Copihue", is comprised of one further wind asset with a 100 MW capacity and is on track to reach financial close in H1 2021.

Vestas, Nordex Group and Siemens Gamesa are supplying the wind turbines and the wind farm assets will be built by Sacyr Industrial, SEMI and Elecnor. The solar PV assets will be built by Sterling & Wilson and Metka-Egn. All five main power transformers for the projects will be supplied by Hitachi ABB Power Grids. Grid connection works will be carried out by Transelec, Inprolec and Isotron-Siemens consortium.

Mary Quaney, Mainstream's Group Chief Executive said:

"Reaching financial close on the second phase of our Andes Renovables platform is a further positive step on Mainstream's journey to delivering Latin America's number one wind and solar PV power generation platform.

"Despite the uncertain economic environment caused by COVID-19, today's announcement is testament to the support of the banking consortium of Mainstream as the world's leading independent developer of renewable energy.

"Mainstream is building something much bigger than the sum of its many parts - the Andes Renovables platform is evidence of renewable energy infrastructure on a massive scale and comes at a vital time for Chile as the country looks to invest in a green and sustainable recovery from COVID-19 by decarbonising its electricity system, as well as lowering the price of power generation nationwide."

Manuel Tagle, Mainstream's General Manager for Latin America said:

"This latest milestone comes as we are making excellent progress on the construction of the first phase of the platform and I have been delighted by the response of our teams on the ground to the challenging conditions that the pandemic has created.

"The economic and environmental impact of the platform is very significant and with a development pipeline of 2.7 gigawatts of wind and solar assets in addition to the Andes Renovables platform, Mainstream remains committed to making an even greater contribution to Chile for the foreseeable future."

Notes to Editors:

About Mainstream Renewable Power in Chile

In 2016, Mainstream was the biggest winner in Chile's largest ever technology-neutral electricity auction, taking 27% of the total allocated capacity. Chile's National Energy Commission awarded Mainstream a 20-year index-linked, US dollar denominated contract, to supply 3,366 Gigawatt Hours of firm power starting in 2021. Mainstream has also delivered an additional 332 MW of wind generation in Chile via the Aela Platform with its joint venture partner Actis, delivering its first wind farm into commercial operation in 2014. Mainstream has an additional 2,700 MW of wind and solar PV generation assets under development in Chile.

Detailed Project information

Andes Renovables Platform Phase Name MW onshore wind MW Solar PV Commercial Operation 1 Condor 3 assets (426MW) 1 asset (145MW) 2021 2 Huemul 3 assets (425 MW) 2 assets (205 MW) 2021 - 2022 3 Copihue 1 asset (100 MW) n/a 2022

951 MW (onshore wind) 350 MW (solar PV)



Phase two - Huemul assets Asset

Name Technology MW

capacity Region Commercial

Operation Equipment

supplier Construction

contractor Puelche

Sur Onshore

Wind 156 Los Lagos 2022 Nordex

Group SEMI Llanos del

Viento Onshore

Wind 160 Antofagasta 2022 Siemens

Gamesa Elecnor Ckani Onshore

Wind 109 Antofagasta 2022 Vestas Sacyr

Industrial Pampa

Tigre Solar PV 100 Antofagasta 2021 Full EPC contract Metka-Egn Valle

Escondido Solar PV 105 Atacama 2021 Full EPC contract Sterling & Wilson TOTAL 630



Contact:

Emmet Curley, Head of Communications & Positioning

Phone: +353 86 2411 690

Email: emmet.curley@mainstreamrp.com

About Mainstream Renewable Power

Mainstream Renewable Power is the world's only independent developer of utility-scale wind and solar power assets with a global footprint. The company is focused on delivering a high-quality portfolio of more than 9 GW of wind and solar assets across Latin America, Africa, Asia Pacific as well as the Offshore wind sector globally.

Mainstream has delivered more than 1.1 GW of wind and solar assets into commercial operation and is currently constructing a further 1.9 GW across Latin America and Africa.

In Chile, Mainstream's wholly-owned 1.3 GW of fully contracted wind and solar assets are on track to reach commercial operation from 2021. In Africa, the company has delivered 600 MW of wind and solar assets into commercial operation in South Africa and currently has 250 MW of wind assets in construction there. Through its Lekela Power joint venture in Africa, it has 410 MW of wind assets in construction in Senegal and Egypt.

Mainstream is the most successful independent developer of offshore wind at scale globally. It has successfully consented Hornsea One (1.2 GW), the largest operational offshore wind plant in the world today; and developed the Hornsea 2 project (1.4 GW) before selling these projects and the entire Zone in 2015. Mainstream fully consented the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind project in Scotland, 450 MW, currently under construction.

Mainstream's Soc Trang 800MW offshore wind development in Vietnam is one of South East Asia's largest renewable energy developments. The Company signed an agreement with Eni, the global energy company, to collaborate on potential renewable energy developments across Africa and Southeast Asia, with an initial focus on the UK's offshore Round 4.

Mainstream has raised more than EUR3.0bn in project finance to date and employs more than 300 staff across five continents.

www.mainstreamrp.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/686512/Mainstream_Renewable_Power_Logo.jpg
Khan has been in jail since 29 January, when he was arrested for an anti-CAA speech he delivered at Aligarh Muslim University on 12 December, 2019

The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday revoked the National Security Act (NSA) charges against Gorakhpur doctor Kafeel Khan, and asked the state government to release him immediately.

As per LiveLaw, the order came after the doctors mother, Nuzhat Parween, filed a habeas corpus plea, alleging that her son was detained illegally.

According to The Print.in, the judgment was delivered by a bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh, who said that the speech for which he was detained prima facie does not disclose any effort to promote hatred or violence.

The high court also said that the government order extending Khan's detention was illegal. Khan is currently lodged in a Mathura jail.

The extension of the period of detention of detenuee Dr Kafeel Khan is also declared illegal, the order said, according to Bar and Bench. A writ in the nature of habeas corpus is hereby issued to release Dr Kafeel Khan, the detenue from State custody forthwith.

Dr Kafeel Khan's plea against detention has been allowed by a Division Bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Fatal Singh of the Allahabad High Court. #kafeelkhan pic.twitter.com/PAaoroQIHw  Bar & Bench (@barandbench) September 1, 2020

Quoting the high court order, The Quint report said:

No doubt, some part of the phrases used in the grounds for detention are there in speech, but apparently in different context. The speaker was certainly opposing the policies of the government and while doing so certain illustration are given by him, but that no where reflects the eventualities demanding detention.

Under the NSA, people can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if authorities are satisfied that they are a threat to national security or law and order.

Khan has been in jail since 29 January, when he was arrested for an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) speech he delivered at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on 12 December, 2019. The NSA charges were invoked against him on 13 February, 2020, on the orders of the Aligarh District Magistrate. On 16 August, his detention under NSA was extended for the second time by three months.

Khan had earlier hit the headlines after the 2017 tragedy at Gorakhpurs Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, where he worked as a pediatrician, in which several kids died due to lack of oxygen cylinders. Though he was later given a clean chit in a departmental probe, the government did not reinstate him.

With inputs from agencies
- A beautiful Saffa lady has taken to Twitter to show off her wedding photos

- @ItsNthabiseng_N shared the pictures to celebrate her first wedding anniversary

- The Twitter thread has since gone viral with over 5 000 likes

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

A beautiful South African lady has taken to social media to share her wedding pictures. Twitter user @ItsNthabiseng_N shared a Twitter thread of images of her gorgeous traditional wedding this morning.

The thread has since gone viral with over 5 000 likes on the first tweet. The images display @ItsNthabiseng_N in absolutely stunning traditional wear. She shared images of herself, her bridesmaids and her husband.

The happiness of the couple are clearly visible in the images and are definitely contagious. The images are from their wedding last year but it has definitely lifted spirits as they celebrate their first anniversary.

READ ALSO: Pretty Ghanaian ladies heat up Twitter with photos as they all graduated as medical doctors

READ ALSO: Stunning self-taught artist, 20, wows the internet with realistic paintings

A twitter user has shared her gorgeous wedding pictures on her first anniversary. Source: @ItsNthabiseng_N / Twitter

Source: UGC

The replies section under the Twitter thread is full of hope and positivity as Mzansi tweeps share their well-wishes on the couple's anniversary.

@sibumabena replied:

"My goodness!!! YOU LOOK SO HAPPY! Ive seen many weddings but of all of them... this is the happiest Ive seen a bride and her party look. So unstressed... so beautiful... so peaceful. Yoh wow!"

@ThandoNtuli_ said:

"The visuals, the dresses, quality, facebeat, the joy. Chile!"

@Afrikanwolf wrote:

"Marriage is an achievement & this maam, is a great achievement.... no cap."

@Lihle_Ithemba_ added:

"This whole thread is absolutely beautiful."

@I_Am_King_Zoe quote tweeted:

"I love the colours. You guys looked beautiful."

In other news, a talented artist from Senegal, who is popularly known on Instagram as Bouboudesign, has paid a massive tribute to the late Black Panther star, Chadwick Boseman.

In a video sighted by on the verified Instagram handle of the renowned artist, Boubou drew Chadwick upside-down with two flowers.

The one-minute video was themed with an official song from the Black Panther movie, and at the end of the art, Boubou crossed his arms in respect, as is done in the movie.

Enjoy reading our stories? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

Kofi Kinaata's full performance at VGMA21 | #Yencomgh

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Source: YEN.com.gh
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A frail 92-year-old Extinction Rebellion protester was among 90 activists arrested in central London today after a 3,000-strong eco-mob flooded the capital.

John Lynes, the elderly demonstrator who used a walking stick, was surrounded by officers who escorted him to a waiting police van amid chaotic scenes in the capital.

Earlier a wheelchair user ended up collapsed on the road and officers helped her back into her chair before wheeling her away from the road outside Westminster Abbey.

The Metropolitan Police said 90 people had been arrested as of 6pm for offences including assaulting an emergency worker, obstructing police and public order breaches.

At least 10 people were carried away by officers after the group refused to move from the roads around Parliament Square.

Protesters chanted and cheered as the officers took them away to nearby police vans.

Demonstrators enjoyed a carnival-like atmosphere during the protest today, waving flags and banners including 'Make Earth Great Again' on their march down the Mall and into Parliament Square - with limited social distancing despite current Covid restrictions.

Similar rallies took place in Cardiff and Manchester, and come after XR protests planned for earlier in the year were cancelled due to the spread of the coronavirus.

John Lynes, the elderly demonstrator who used a walking stick, was surrounded by officers who escorted him to a waiting police van amid chaotic scenes in the capital

Police were seen speaking with a woman on a wheelchair near Parliament Square before they moved her away along with another protester

A group of officers wearing masks and gloves were seen moving the woman from the road outside Parliament

At one point the woman was lying on the road as officers continued speaking to her. It is not clear what led up to her being on the road

The woman was eventually moved away by officers during the protests outside Parliament this afternoon

Another protester is carried away by police after blocking traffic. Extinction Rebellion regularly uses the tactic to increase disruption

MPs returned to Westminster today after a summer recess, and protesters (pictured) are lobbying them to support a 'Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill' and a citizens' assembly to discuss new approaches to tackling climate change

A climate protester lies down in the street directly behind police officers who try to move others on

Police officers arrest an Extinction Rebellion protester taking part in the demonstration in Parliament Square on Tuesday

Officers are seen lifting an Extinction Rebellion protester as they arrest him during a demonstration on September 1

Mask-wearing Extinction Rebellion protesters gather in Parliament Square on September 1 in a protest timed for the return of government officials from the summer holiday

A man wearing an Extinction Rebellion - also known as XR - badge is carried away by police officers during a protest in London

A demonstrator lies on the floor next to a flag reading 'Extinction Rebellion Southwark' and 'disobey' during the London protest today

Police officers detain a mask-wearing protester during a 'peaceful disruption' of British Parliament in London today

Demonstrators gather - some standing and some seated - in Parliament Square on September 1 as part of an Extinction Rebellion protest

A huge crowd of police officers were seen moving into Parliament Square during an Extinction Rebellion demonstration on Tuesday

Police officers are seen carrying away an Extinction Rebellion protester who took part in a demonstration in Parliament Square in London

One group of police officers were seen carrying a demonstrator during an arrest in Parlaiment Square. An onlooker filmed

An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by police officers during an arrest in Parliament Square. Two officers hold the protester's arms while another grabs their feet

One mask-clad protester is carried away by police officers in Parliament Square on Tuesday during the protest

Police officers arrest an Extinction Rebellion protester who is lying on the floor during a demonstration in Parliament Square in London

Extinction Rebellion protesters lie down across a street during a demonstration in Parliament Square on Tuesday

Demonstrators clutch signs reading 'hug more trees, save the bees' and 'what I stand for is what I stand on' while forming a makeshift train

A demonstrator is lead away by police during the protest in London today. Extinction Rebellion called for MPs to support The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

Police prepare to pick up and remove a demonstrator lying down in the road during the Extinction Rebellion climate change protest

Five police officers are seen carrying a demonstrator away during a protest in Parliament Square in London today

Extinction Rebellion protesters lie down across a street during a demonstration in Parliament Square. Police officers form a line along the pavement

Police officers were photographed putting handcuffs on an Extinction Rebellion protester as they arrested him in Parliament Square

The Metropolitan Police said 90 people had been arrested as of 6pm for offences including assaulting an emergency worker, obstructing police and public order breaches

One woman is carried away by four police officers during the 'peaceful disruption' of British Parliament as lawmakers return from the summer recess

A demonstrator clutches a sign reading 'back the bill Boris'. It urges the Prime Minister to 'divest from fossil fuels' and 'invest in green energy'

Police officers were seen standing in front of a sign reading 'this is change'. The Extinction Rebellion protesters demonstrated in Parliament Square

A group of hippies out protesting as part of the Extinction Rebellion rally in London this afternoon

Women taking part in the Extinction Rebellion protests in central London on Tuesday

A woman in a multi-coloured hat and wearing a pink face mask is carried away by police after blocking a road by Parliament today

A police officer speaking to a climate protester in central London on Tuesday

Four police had to carry this protester away from where he was blocking a road outside Parliament during today's protests

Protesters marched in large numbers down the Mall and into Parliament Square - with limited social distancing despite current Covid restrictions

Extinction Rebellion protesters sitting outside The Houses of Parliament during this afternoon's protests in central London

Protesters today waved flags and banners as they marched in large numbers down the Mall - with limited social distancing despite current Covid restrictions, although many wore masks

One of the group's activists being carried away by mask-wearing police during the protests in central London today

This woman smiled as she was carried away by Met Police officers after she was blocking a road by Parliament Square

Another woman is moved away by officers during the first major protests on what XR says will be a two-week campaign

Police speak to a woman pretesting near Parliament. She is wearing an Extinction Rebellion logo on her t-shirt

A protester is carried away by mask-wearing police officers in London this afternoon

There were limited XR protests yesterday, including outside banks in Essex over the financial industry's investment in fossil fuels, but few activists turned out.

MPs returned to Westminster today after a summer recess, and protesters are lobbying them to support a 'Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill' and a citizens' assembly to discuss new approaches to tackling climate change.

'The government is failing to do what's necessary to keep people safe. We are here, taking action, because their criminal negligence is putting lives at risk,' the group said on its website.

'We refuse to be bystanders and wait for this emergency to push beyond the point of no return.'

Four marches converged in Westminster after the Met had said the gatherings could only take place off the main roads at Parliament Square between 8am and 7pm.

The force said on Tuesday night that the same conditions would be imposed on further demonstrations planned for Wednesday.

One protester, Karen Wildin, 56 - a tutor from Leicester - said: 'I'm here today because I have serious concerns about the future of the planet - we need to put this above anything else.

'Never mind Covid, never mind A-levels, this is the biggest crisis facing us and we need to raise the message as loudly as possible.

'Not a lot has been done on this issue, everyone needs to hear the message.'

Sarah Lunnon, a prominent member of Extinction Rebellion, said: 'The failure to act on this issue will have a catastrophic impact on the future of us and the generations to come.

'We want to occupy Parliament Square to make our voices heard. Of course we're in the middle of a pandemic but we're balancing the risk, this is the biggest issue facing us.'

Responding images of the wheelchair user being escorted away, a Met Police spokesperson said: 'On Tuesday, 1 September, officers noticed a female protester was sat next to her wheelchair at a protest in Parliament Square.

'Officers spoke to her, checked on her welfare and offered assistance back into her chair, but she refused to move.

'She was told she was breaching the conditions imposed on the protests and that if she did not allow officers to assist her back into her chair, enabling her to leave the area, she would be arrested for breaching the conditions.

'She refused to leave the area and was arrested for breach of conditions. She was taken to a south London police station where officers continue to provide appropriate support.'

Last week organisers said that other 'institutions of power' would be targeted in the coming days, adding that they would encourage protesters to respect social distancing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Activists marched around Parliament Square waving flags with the Extinction Rebellion logo and banging on drums

The group are hoping to use the two weeks of protest to refocus the political agenda on global warming

Protesters holding

Protesters held banners including 'Make Earth Great Again' while another read 'the only thing we should be burning is safe' in an apparent reference to the government's Covid advisory group

Demonstrations also took place at St Peter's Square in Manchester, where banners bore slogans including 'planet over profit'

MPs returned to Westminster today after a summer recess, and protesters are lobbying them to support a 'Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill' and a citizens' assembly to discuss new approaches to tackling climate change. Pictured are protesters in London

Last week organisers said that other 'institutions of power' would be targeted in the coming days, adding that they would encourage protesters to respect social distancing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Many of the banners in London included references to Prime Minister Boris Johnson - who today defended his climate record

An XR protester kneeling on the street as police officers stand close by in the capital on Tuesday

Police have placed restrictions on where protestors could gather and said they must follow the rules or be liable to arrest.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that climate activists should be 'jumping for joy' at the government's climate record, and today said new policy announcements would be made in the autumn.

'From this crisis we will build back better in this country, we will build back faster and we will build back greener,' Johnson told senior ministers ahead of a cabinet meeting.

'And there will be a lot to more to come about the way in which this government is going to lead a new green industrial revolution for the UK.'

Police have placed restrictions on where protestors could gather and said they must follow the rules or be liable to arrest. Pictured are protesters in Manchester

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that climate activists - seen here in London - should be 'jumping for joy' at the government's climate record, and today said new policy announcements would be made in the autumn
Owing to the unpredictable circumstances evolving from the coronavirus pandemic, Carnival Corporation & Plcs CCL Seabourn has halted cruise operations for three of its ships, namely, Seabourn Ovation, Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Quest.



Notably, operations for Seabourn Ovation, Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Quest have been effectively paused through Jan 3, Jan 6 and May 10, 2021, respectively.



Earlier, Seabourn had announced to pause its global ship operations from Mar 14 through May 2021. Depending on the ship, the company had cancelled all voyages for ships scheduled to operate during that timeframe.



President of Seabourn, Josh Leibowitz stated, "Our utmost priority is the health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew and the people in destinations. We recognize the long lead time for planning an ultra-luxury Seabourn experience and with that in mind, we proactively announce the cancellation of these additional voyages.



Apart from operations, the company has revised its delivery date for its new ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition ship  Seabourn Venture  due to disruptions in overall construction and finishing process. However, delivery for the same is now scheduled for Dec 1, 2021.

Compensation Updates

Seabourn is offering re-accommodations and future cruise credits for its cancelled voyages.



Notably, for the affected voyages on Seabourn Quest's Antarctica, Amazon, Panama Canal, South America and Transatlantic cruises (scheduled between Nov 7, 2020 and Apr 25, 2021), the company is offering re-accommodation in the same suite as well as shipboard credit based upon the voyage length. The shipboard credit ranges from $300 per suite (for voyages up to 20 days in length) to $500 per suite (for voyages of 21 days or more).



For bookings on impacted cruises on Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation, guests are entitled to 125% future cruise credits, depending on the type of the payment. With a validity of 12 months, the credits can also be used to book sailings departing through Dec 31, 2022. Nonetheless, guests can also avail for a refund, upon request.



Carnival  which shares space with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL in the Zacks Leisure and Recreation Services industry  has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) at present.



So far this year, shares of the company have plummeted 67.6% compared with the industrys fall of 41%.

Story continues

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An Iranian wrestling champion has been sentenced to death for taking part in protests against the regime in 2018.

Iran's Supreme Court confirmed two death sentences for Navid Afkari along with six years and six months in prison and 74 lashes, according to Persian-language broadcaster Iran International.

His brother, Vahid Afkari, received a prison sentence of 54 years, while a third brother, Habib, was given 27 years and both will receive 74 lashes.

Iran's judiciary charged the brothers with 20 different crimes including 'attending illegal gatherings, assembly and conspiracy to commit crimes against national security, and insulting the supreme leader.'

Iran's Supreme Court confirmed two death sentences for wrestler Navid Afkari (pictured) along with six years and six months in prison and 74 lashes

Navid (left) and his brother Vahid (right) were sentenced by Iran's supreme court along with a third brother, Habib

A source close to the brothers said Navid, a wrestling champion with no criminal record, and his siblings had joined in the protests 'so the judiciary deemed the participation of all three brothers as the organisation of a group'.

It is not clear why two death sentences were handed down to the same person.

Iran International reported that Navid and Vahid Afkari were severely tortured to give confessions.

The US government made similar claims, alleging that 'Khamenei's thugs tortured Navid to the point that he confessed to fake crimes'.

'Those who were not satisfied with trampling on Navid's human dignity have now sentenced him to death,' a Persian-language statement said.

The court even heard testimony from witnesses who described the beatings and torture, it is claimed, but judges ignored it.

An Iranian opposition group quoted their mother Bahieh Namjou as saying the brothers had been arrested by plain-clothes officers without a warrant.

British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi pleaded with Iran not to execute the brothers, saying: 'Champion wrestler Navid Afkari has been sentenced to death for participating in anti-government protests in Iran.

'Those close to him have said he was subjected to a forced confession under torture. Stop executions in Iran.'

According to Amnesty International, Iran is already the world's second-most prolific user of the death penalty after China, with at least 251 executions in 2019.

Amnesty said some people were executed in public, while several of the condemned prisoners were under 18 at the time of the alleged crime.

The human rights charity also alleged there were 'systematic violations of fair trial rights' in Iran.

Last month Iran's judiciary halted the executions of three young men convicted in connection with November's mass anti-government protests.

The #Don'tExecute campaign erupted after three men - Amirhossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi - were sentenced to death on charges of taking part in arson and vandalism during the 2019 protests.

An Iranian opposition group quoted their mother Bahieh Namjou (pictured) as saying the brothers had been arrested by plain-clothes officers without a warrant

Sadeq Saba, the editor of Iran International, said: 'The Islamic Republic has witnessed many protest movements over the years, most recently in mid-November over petrol price rises.

'Security forces brutally killed hundreds of people and detained thousands more. These movements have become more radical, more frequent and have spread across Iran.'

He added: 'In response to internal and external pressures, the regime has adopted a bunker mentality, evolving into an authoritarian-theocratic centralised state presided over by an all-powerful supreme leader with no respect for constitutionalism.'

Many of the recent protests have been set off by economic hardships, in a country where many people have struggled to make ends meet because of US sanctions.

Further protests erupted last year after an announcement that gas prices would rise by as much as 200 per cent.

The US drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in January 2020 initially led to an outpouring of grief and nationalism in Iran.

But the public anger turned against the regime after blundering Revolutionary Guards shot down a passenger plane with dozens of Iranians on board.

The stand-off with the US eventually calmed, and political tensions were soon superseded by the coronavirus crisis in which Iran was an early hotspot.
Bexar County Sheriff's Office

A Kirby firefighter was arrested after police say he punched a coworker in the face, sending him to the hospital, an arrest affidavit said.

On Aug. 26, Kirby police were called to the San Antonio Military Medical Center to speak with 26-year-old Carl Warren who said he was on shift when he said "something smart" to his coworker, 29-year-old Joshua Gonzales, who turned around and "clocked" Warren in the face, the affidavit said.
China summons Czech envoy, warns Czech officials of paying 'heavy price' for Taiwan visit

Global Times

By Zhang Hui and Xu Keyue Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 23:18:48

Countries playing with Taiwan will 'pay heavy price'

China has summoned Czech Ambassador to China to protest over Czech senate speaker's visit to Taiwan while Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his ongoing visit to Europe made a rare strongly worded response to the speaker's act, sending a strong message to other European countries that playing tricks with Taiwan island will pay a heavy price.

Analysts believe that the Czech Republic's move was extremely bad in nature as Vystrcil was the first senate speaker of a European country with diplomatic relations with Beijing visited the island. However, it will not be followed by other European countries, as some media in the island expect, analysts said.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Qin Gang summoned Czech Ambassador to China Vladimir Tomsik to lodge stern representation and strong protest against Czech Senate Speaker Milos Vystrcil's visit to Taiwan, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Qin said that regardless of China's firm opposition and solemn representation, for his own personal gains, Vystrcil is visiting Taiwan island tempted by the Taiwan authority and instigated by anti-China forces.

This is a blatant support to the separatists on the island and has severely violated China's sovereignty and interfered in China's domestic affairs. China strongly condemns the move, the statement said.

China urges the Czech Republic to take seriously China's stern stance and concerns, and not to underestimate the firm resolve and willingness of the 1.4 billion Chinese people to safeguard the nation's sovereignty and integrity.

Meanwhile Wang said during his visit in Germany on Monday that anyone who challenges the one-China principle over the Taiwan question is to make an enemy of 1.4 billion Chinese people and is a violation of international trust and conduct.

Wang stressed that the Chinese government and Chinese people will not sit idly by when challenged by the Czech politician's blatant provocation and the anti-China power behind the politician, and will let him pay a heavy price for the short-sighted move and political speculation.

Vystrcil started his visit to the island of Taiwan on Sunday, seeking business cooperation with the island. He was due to meet Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen.

Chinese analysts said Wang's response, made when he was in Europe, was tougher than previous ones, and sent a warning to European politicians that China will never allow them to challenge China's core interests.

By mentioning the 1.4 billion Chinese people, the remarks by both Wang and Qin were also a response to the US' repeated provocation aimed at separating the Chinese people from the Communist Party of China, and sent a warning to Europe that following the US will complicate China-Europe relations, and that Europe will not like to see it, Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Monday.

Cui said the Czech Republic's move is an isolated case in Europe, and was the result of following the US in its China containment policy. But it will not spread to other European countries.

Major countries in Europe, such as Germany and France, uphold strategic independence and multilateralism amid mounting US pressure, that has led the EU to deepen relations with China on bilateral and international levels, and they will not undermine the basis for cooperation, analysts said.

The Czech Republic has more frequently challenged China on sensitive issues involving Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet, and had a strong domestic political anti-China basis, but this was not the case in other European countries, Cui said.

However, some European countries have played small tricks with the island in recent years, and Chinese senior diplomats' response served as a strong warning to them, he said.

The Netherlands changed its trade and investment office in Taiwan island to the Netherlands Office Taipei in April, aimed at lifting its political relations with the island, and it irritated Chinese netizens who called on the Chinese companies to stop selling medical supplies to the country.

For the Czech Republic, China is likely to exert pressure on the Czech government and urge it to publicly and formally oppose the visit and take measures to compensate for the mistake, Yang Lixian, a research fellow at the Beijing-based Research Center of Cross-Straits Relations, told the Global Times on Monday.

China is the second biggest trading partner of the Czech Republic, and 50 Chinese companies invested in the country as of the end of 2018, creating 6,000 domestic jobs.

On Chinese social media, some netizens called on China to not resume air travel to the country even after the pandemic ebbs, and called on others not to travel or do business with the Czech government and companies.

For some Taiwan media, Vystrcil's visit was very exciting news, with some even opening a special channel to cover his visit. DPP authorities hyped "democracy", claiming both the Czech Republic and the island have the same democratic values.

Cui said the island hyped democracy to chime in with the US in urging European countries to isolate from China. But it's futile.

And interaction between the island and a small European country can hardly shake the foundations of China-Europe relations, analysts said.

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Nyairee Jenkins, right, reads a book in an outdoor class under a canopy at Freedom Schools, a six-week summer literacy and cultural enrichment program designed for youth in grades K-12 in communities where quality academic enrichment is limited. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

The lesson that July day told of a slave who taught himself how to read, then became such an accomplished poet that young white men paid him to write verses to their girlfriends.

If the slave, George Moses Horton, charged 25 cents a poem and sold 12 poems in a week, how much did he earn? Itzel Gama asked a small group of third- to fifth-graders after they had read a book about Horton.

The students called out their answers through masks under a white tent in the Pueblo del Rio public housing development in South Los Angeles. After the math exercise, they would pen their own poems.

For Gamas students and the 30 or so others in the Freedom Schools program at Pueblo del Rio, it has been a summer like no other, amid a surging coronavirus crisis and a national movement against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd.

Since 1995, Freedom Schools have filled the summers of mostly Black and Latino children from low-income households around the country providing lessons and books about people who look like them  a boy of Puerto Rican heritage trying to make friends, a Black boy in Chicago making sense of his classmates death by gang violence.

While strengthening their reading, writing and math skills in the six-week program, the students learn that they, too, can change the world  an especially relevant lesson given the ongoing upheaval.

Over the summer, weve basically been teaching the kids a lot about their history and the barriers we have to go through, said Cory Butler, site coordinator for Pueblo del Rios Freedom School. Getting them to understand where we come from will better help them understand where we are going.

Founded by the Childrens Defense Fund, the Freedom Schools were modeled after schools of the same name established in Mississippi in the summer of 1964 to teach Black history, leadership skills and the tenets of the civil rights movement, as well as basic literacy. The fund oversees the program, which operates at more than 180 sites around the country, but each school pays its own way.

Story continues

It is the pedagogy of empowerment. That is what Black and brown children need, said L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, a longtime proponent of the program. They need a sense of affirmation that causes them to know that they can do it in spite of adversity.

Freedom School teachers are college students or recent graduates from the area. They get summer jobs and teaching experience, while the students get role models.

The students pay no fees and receive free meals while attending classes. This year, the Pueblo del Rio program, which mostly served students who live in the housing development, struggled to pay its expenses, despite a grant from L.A. County that covered books and training.

Alfredo Gama, a volunteer with the program, started a GoFundMe for basics such as meals, teacher salaries and coronavirus hygiene supplies.

COVID-19 also forced the cancellation of many summer programs and hit Black and Latino families especially hard with job losses and illness.

This summer gap is very crucial, especially for our children that are in low-income environments, said Clarke Patterson, a teacher at the Pueblo del Rio site. Its important that we can close that gap a little bit, so that for the upcoming year, theyre not behind.

Because of coronavirus concerns midway through the program, the Freedom School had to move out of a recreation center at Pueblo del Rio to a smaller outdoor location under two tents. The classes had to be staggered, with kindergartners to second-graders meeting in the mornings and third- to eighth-graders in the afternoons. Noise from the nearby train tracks was a distraction. Some students dropped out, and its 35-student attendance dropped by about half.

The program wrapped up days before the first day of online classes in the L.A. school district. To further support students, two Freedom School teachers are looking for funding for a mentoring center at Pueblo del Rio that would provide internet access and help students with online homework during the school year.

For now, Freedom School graduates are heading into their online schooling with a newfound sense of themselves and their history.

Alex, 9, enjoyed reading Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty," a graphic novel by author G. Neri and illustrator Randy DuBurke based on a true story of an 11-year-old boy whose classmate was killed in a gang shooting.

Assigned to create his own comic book, Alex decided to write a more hopeful ending and portray the shooting victim more positively.

I made drawings that made him nicer, and that was better than just having anything to do with gun violence, said Alex, whose guardian asked that his last name not be used because he is in foster care.

Some students are reflecting about what they learned in the context of this summers protests against police treatment of Black and Latino people.

Freedom Schools is helping people learn about their equal rights, and now, since stuff has been happening, Freedom Schools is even more into it, said Marina Delavega, 13.

For Cherish Purnell, 14, the program itself is a form of protest, rooted in understanding each other better rather than marching in the streets.

I feel like Freedom Schools is a protest to bring all colors together to help us learn about each persons background and experiences, she said.

Frank Rojas is an editorial assistant with The Times. He was a Freedom Schools teacher in 2017.
A mosque coming up outside Uttar Pradeshs Ayodhya town will be designed in the Indo-Islamic style and aim to bridge communal differences, said the projects main architect whose name was announced on Tuesday.



SM Akhtar, a Lucknow architect-cum-town planner and founder dean, faculty of architecture, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, will design the complex being built on five acres of land in Dhannipur village  in compliance with the Supreme Court order in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit last year.

We have appointed professor SM Akhtar as consultant architect and hence he will design the entire masjid complex said Athar Hussian, spokesperson of Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), the trust overseeing the construction of the complex.

Other than the mosque, Akhtar will also design public utility establishments, including a hospital, an Indo-Islamic Research Centre, community kitchen and a museum. Akhtar said the mosque will come up on around 15,000 square feet land and have an amalgamation of Indo-Islamic architecture.

Through this project we have immense opportunities to reunite communities. The Masjid will just be a part of the complex. We can come up with holistic ideas to achieve three values ie human values, Indianness and Islamic, he said. We do not want it to become a complex for just one community, he said.
Lockdown restrictions have been tightened in Glasgow after a spike in coronavirus cases in the area, Scotlands first minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

Residents will not be allowed to visit other households from 12am on Wednesday.

It comes after 66 new positive tests were recorded in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

The new restrictions will apply to people living in Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire.

They will be in place for two weeks, but will be reviewed after one week.

Ms Sturgeon said: I have just chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) which met to discuss the rising number of new Covid-19 cases across Scotland but particularly the rising number of cases in recent days in Glasgow and the west of Scotland.

Over the past two days, we have seen 314 new cases in Scotland and 135 of these in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

If these numbers continue or  and this is the fear  they rise further, then more people will fall ill from Covid-19 and more people will enter hospital and intensive care.

She added: Covid continues to be a dangerous and, sometimes, deadly virus.

It is spreading again, particularly in these three local authority areas and we believe that, in these areas, it is spreading primarily as a result of household gatherings.

Having carefully considered the data and consulted with local public health officials, local authorities and Police Scotland  all of whom were involved in the resilience meeting discussion that has just taken place  I can therefore confirm this evening that we have decided to take the following action.

From midnight tonight, if you live in local authority areas of East Renfrewshire, the city of Glasgow or West Dunbartonshire you should not host people from other households in your home and you should not visit someone elses home  no matter where that is.

Exceptions were given  on top of emergency circumstances or providing care to a vulnerable person  for extended households which were established during lockdown.

This includes people who live alone, couples who do not reside together and parents who live alone with children under 18.
SEOUL, South Korea  Lee Jae-yong, the heir to the South Korean tech and industrial giant Samsung, was indicted on Tuesday on charges of engaging in stock price manipulation, unfair trading and other illegal means to tighten his control over the countrys biggest conglomerate.

But prosecutors could not arrest him because the Seoul Central District Court had earlier refused to issue a warrant allowing prosecutors to arrest Mr. Lee, who has been running Samsung since a heart attack incapacitated his father, Lee Kun-hee, in 2014. Samsung has denied the allegations.

Prosecutors may not have a slam-dunk case. The courts refusal to issue an arrest warrant raised doubts in South Korea about the strength the prosecutions cause, particularly after a review panel in June recommended against indicting Mr. Lee because of a lack of incriminating evidence. Mr. Lee requested the outside review of the governments investigation, invoking a regulation prosecutors introduced in 2018 to enhance the neutrality and fairness of their inquiries.

Successive leaders of South Korea, including President Moon Jae-in, have taken office vowing to eradicate corruption at the chaebol, or family-controlled conglomerates, that dominate their countrys economy.
A long line in the parking lot of the Philadelphia School District building as people wait to pick up laptops in advance of the first day of school for 125,000 students. Read more

Launching a school year fully remotely will without doubt be a challenge, Philadelphias schools chief said.

How will students and teachers build community? How will they overcome technology challenges? What about parents who lack child care, and kids starved for socialization and face time with educators?

But as 125,000 Philadelphia School District students prepare to return to class Wednesday, theres still a level of excitement and optimism with the launch of a new term, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said Tuesday.

The district will not hold in-person classes at least until mid-November, though Hite said the school systems most vulnerable students could return earlier if building and health conditions permit.

One major question mark is the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers contract, which expired Monday with no new agreement reached.

 READ MORE: Philly teacher contract expires without a new deal; district trying to shake down teachers, union chief says

PFT president Jerry Jordan has said the district is linking teacher raises to the unions agreeing to a school reopening plan, blasting what he called a move to make teachers choose between a modest wage increase and their lives.

Jordan said he is asking for a one-year contract extension in line with deals signed this spring by city police officers and municipal workers, who received pay bumps of about 2%.

Hite declined to detail specifics Tuesday, but said both sides will continue to meet regularly in hopes of getting to some resolution.

The superintendent did push back on the PFT narrative that the district, facing $60 million in unexpected COVID-19-related costs, has enough money to pay for raises. The districts fund balance will carry it through the upcoming school year, but it will soon hit a wall and projects major long-term deficits without an infusion of new aid from the city and state.

Philadelphias school board is the only such entity in Pennsylvania that cannot raise its own revenue.

Were really not in a position to pay for anything, Hite said. The district does not have the money next year, the city does not have the money next year, and the state is probably worse than both of us combined.

The PFTs 13,000 teachers, counselors, nurses, secretaries and other workers on Monday night gave Jordan the authority to negotiate for two more weeks, and Hite said he was optimistic a deal would be reached in that time.

Remote instruction will look and feel differently than it did in the spring, when students were marked present if they made contact with teachers in any way, even if they did no work. Children will be expected to show up on time, turn in work, and participate in class, Hite said.

These will be full days of lessons, where young people will be moved from one lesson to another, Hite said. They will have breaks, they will have time to eat lunch. But nonetheless, they will be in lessons, albeit digital, that will take the vast majority of the day.

Hite expects students to be behind; Philadelphia pupils missed weeks of instruction in the coronavirus shift to remote learning. But the focus at first will be on community building, addressing trauma not just from COVID-19 but from the cumulative effects of gun violence and racial injustice, and on mental health.

I wish I could say that on Day One were going to engage on math and English, Hite said. But we have to rebuild communities, because our young people have been through a lot.

 READ MORE: Hite says as many as 18,000 Philly district students still need internet access, with days to go until the start of school

Though the goal is to connect every family that needs internet access, up to 18,000 Philadelphia students will begin the year without it, Hite said. The superintendent said district, city, and Comcast Corp. officials would work as quickly as they could to get those families online.

Hite said he was cheered by some indicators leading into the school year, including having nearly 100% of all school-based vacancies filled. In the past, the district has struggled to have classrooms fully staffed. Another plus is that for the first time, each of the districts 200-plus schools will have its own dedicated behavioral health worker, provided through a partnership with the city.

He said hed like to limit the impact of leveling  the process of reassigning teachers, usually in October, to reflect actual school enrollment. But the financial reality is that the district will have to shuffle people around, he said.

Resource reallocation will be a consequence of who enrolls where, said Hite.

With a few exceptions, most city schools are following the districts lead and opening virtually, but the superintendent said he would be watching closely what happens in private and Catholic schools that are opting to reopen in person.

Once buildings are deemed safe  a public checklist of school readiness will be available in October, Hite said  the school system will begin thinking about granting the requests of some teachers who have asked to work from their classrooms or meet individually with students at school on occasion. Hed also like to bring back students with complex special needs, possibly sooner than the general population.

Hite said hes keenly aware of the impact no face-to-face school has on students and families.

I think its so important for our young people to be engaged with educators, the superintendent said. Its really important for many of our families who are essential workers, who must have a place for their children to go to support their learning activities.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the five-day annual Indian Science Congress at the Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati.

Highlights of PM Modi's speech at Indian Science Congress in Tirupati-

# Empowering factor for scientific delivery is Ease of Doing Science. If we want science to deliver, we must not constrain it.



# Science must meet rising aspirations of our people.



# Need to keep an eye on rise of disruptive technologies and leverage them for growth.



# Government is committed to supporting different streams of scientific knowledge.



# Nation will always be grateful to scientists who've worked tirelessly to empower our society.



# One important area that needs to be addressed is the rapid global rise of Cyber-Physical Systems.



# There is a need to develop and exploit these technologies in services and manufacturing sectors.



# Oceans give us a 7.5k km long coastline. They contain enormous opportunities in energy, medicine, food.



# Ministry of Earth Sciences is working to launch a deep ocean mission to harness these resources in a responsible way.



# Our best science and technology institutions should further strengthen their basic research in line with leading global standards.



# India now ranks 6th in world w.r.t. scientific publications, growing at rate of 14% as against the world average rate of 4%.



# By 2030, India will be among the top 3 countries in science and technology.



# We must address problems of urban rural divide, work for inclusive development.



# Our ministries, scientists, R&D institutions, start-ups, universities, IITs all should work together seamlessly.



# We should involve foreign and NRI PHD students in post doctoral research in our projects.



# We need to address the problems of ease of access, maintenance, redundancy in our scientific institutions.



# Scientific Social Responsibility needs to be inculcated to connect leading institutions to stakeholders, including schools, and colleges.



# The brightest and best in every corner of India should have the opportunity to excel in science.



# College teachers with research background can be connected to neighbouring universities, R&D institutions.



# Seeding the power of ideas & innovation in schoolchildren will broaden the base of our innovation pyramid & secure future of our nation.



# We must provide equal opportunities to girl child in science, engineering and ensure continued participation of trained women scientists.



# While we excel globally, we need to develop local solutions.



# The role of science in planning, decision making and governance has never been more important.



# Role of science in planning, governance has never been more important.



# We need to develop and deploy geo-info systems to meet development goals of states, cities, gram panchayats.



# Can we find farmer-centric solutions to the problem of crop burning?



# Science and technology is a key factor in the start-up India programme.



# We have achieved a high degree of self sufficiency in space technology, payload and satellite building.



# We are placing special emphasis on building strong relationship with neighbouring countries.



# Last year, we developed 3.6m optical telescope in Uttarakhand made with Indo-Belgian collaboration.



# To reiterate, the govt remains committed to provide to our scientist and scientific institutions.

# I am happy to inaugurate this 104th session of the Indian Science Congress.

# The nation will always be grateful to the scientists who have worked to empower the society. In November 2016, the country lost one such eminent scientist, Dr MGK Menon.

# Tomorrow's experts will come from investments we make today in our people and infrastructure.

# Govt is committed to supporting diff streams of scientific knowledge from fundamental science to applied sc with emphasis on innovations.

# Our best science and technology institutions should further strengthen their basic research in line with leading global standards.

# There is a need to develop and exploit these technologies in services and manufacturing sectors.

# Translating this basic knowledge into innovations, start-ups and industry will help us achieve inclusive and sustainable growth.

# Another empowering factor for scientific delivery is the Ease of Doing Science. If we want science to deliver, we must not constrain it.

Tirupati: PM Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the 104th Indian Science Congress at the Sri Venkateswara University pic.twitter.com/KEBgDz0Nec a ANI (@ANI_news) January 3, 2017

The Prime Minister also felicitated Nobel laureates at the conclave. Prime Minister Modi will also inaugurate aPride of Indiaa exhibition coinciding the event.

With a huge participation of 12,000 scientists from across the country, 200 scientists from abroad and Nobel laureates from the US, Japan, France, Israel and Bangladesh, the mega event is expected to prepare a road map for the country.

A





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BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Monday urged Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority to take responsibility for their COVID-19 response, handle the epidemic professionally and cut the chain of transmission.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to a question on imported COVID-19 cases from the island to the mainland.

In less than two weeks, Shanghai reported three imported COVID-19 cases from Taiwan.

Ma said the high frequency of imported cases from Taiwan to Shanghai has made people across the Taiwan Strait very concerned, with fears over the real COVID-19 containment situation on the island.

Many people are questioning the loophole in the DPP authority's epidemic control measures and the real number of infections, he said, warning the public would pay the price for the DPP's negligence and insincerity.

The life and health of people in Taiwan is not a trifling matter, and should not fall victim to a political whitewash, according to Ma.
WASHINGTON: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has decided to endorse 23 freshmen House Democrats in this falls elections, a bipartisanship move by an organization that has long leaned strongly toward Republicans.

The countrys largest business group is also endorsing 29 freshmen House Republicans, said a person familiar with the organizations decision who described the actions. Even so, the decision has prompted internal divisions, with some state chamber officials criticizing the national groups decision to back freshmen Democrats in their areas.

The House freshmen the chamber is endorsing include several who face tough reelections, such as Reps. Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne of Iowa, Andy Kim of New Jersey, Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico, Anthony Brindisi of New York, Kendra Horn of Oklahoma, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina and Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia.

The chamber has a long track record of using most of its political might to back Republican candidates, especially with money. But the organization has had to recalibrate its tactics as the once-reliably pro-business GOP has taken a more populist, conservative hue on issues like immigration and trade, reflecting the views of President Donald Trump and hard-right tea party adherents whose numbers in Congress have grown.

In earlier indications of the chambers more bipartisan approach, it has boosted some campaign contributions to Democrats and changed how it assigns publicly released scores about whether lawmakers help business, now factoring in whether they try reaching across party lines.

The moves come as Democrats seem all but certain to continue running the House after Novembers elections. Any support for Democrats helps the chamber maintain lines of communication with them, especially as growing numbers of progressive Democrats in Congress makes it harder for business groups to find allies in the party.

Democrats in tough reelection fights can cite the chambers backing as a sort of Good Housekeeping seal of approval, said Liam Donovan, a lobbyist and former GOP political operative.

The chamber is also endorsing freshmen Democratic Reps. Greg Stanton of Arizona; Josh Harder, TJ Cox and Harley Rouda of California; Sharice Davids of Kansas; David Trone of Maryland; Haley Stevens of Michigan; Angie Craig and Dean Phillips of Minnesota; Susie Lee of Nevada; Antonio Delgado of New York; Colin Allred and Lizzie Fletcher of Texas and Ben McAdams of Utah.

The person describing the chambers endorsements would only do so on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the moves publicly. The decision by the chamber, which issued no statement about the matter, was first reported by The Hill newspaper.

Earlier this year, the chamber said it spent six figures on digital ads opposing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in a primary that the progressive lawmaker won easily.

Otherwise, all of the chambers $2 million so far in the 2020 campaign on outside spending money spent without coordinating with candidates went to helping Republicans, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. So did all of the $40 million in outside spending by the chamber during the 2018 and 2016 campaigns.

Yet the chambers much smaller, direct contributions to candidates have been more evenhanded, if politically pragmatic.

The $210,000 the chambers political action committee has donated directly to 2020 candidates campaigns has been split about evenly between Democrats and Republicans, the centers data shows. In 2018, about 2-in-3 dollars it gave to House candidates went to Republicans.

The chamber has also contributed $168,000 this year to GOP candidates for the Senate and nothing to Democrats. Since it is unclear if Republicans will continue running the Senate, the chambers contributions to Senate GOP candidates have more political weight than spending on the House, where control isnt in serious doubt.

Some state chambers complained to U.S. chamber officials about the expected endorsements, arguing that the Democratic lawmakers did not have sufficiently pro-business records.

Chad Warmington, president of the Oklahoma state chamber, opposed the expected endorsement of Horn, who was narrowly elected in 2018 to a district centered on Oklahoma City. Warmington said he believes Horn hasnt been supportive enough of the states oil and gas industry.

A U.S. chamber endorsement can be persuasive in convincing voters that shes pro-business," Warmington said in an interview last week. And I dont believe there is enough evidence to say she is. I was saying to them, Stay out and dont endorse anyone.

Alan Cobb, president of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, said he objected to the U.S. organizations expected endorsement of Davids, from the Kansas City area. Cobb said he prefers Davids GOP opponent, Amanda Adkins, a businesswoman and former member of the state chambers board.

Warmington and Cobb both said theyd not been consulted by the national chamber about the endorsements.

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
Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko has suggested that former President John Dramani Mahama is hypocritical over the trending Agyapa scandal because the Atta-Mills administration, under which Mahama was Vice President, set up the Ghana Gold Company.



According to him, the Ghana Gold Company was set up under the Finance Ministry in 2010-11 to hold and monetize Ghanas gold royalties.



It will be interesting to know what Vice President @JDMahamas position was when his government set up the Ghana Gold Company (Committee) under the Minister of Finance in 2010/11 to hold and monetize our gold royalties. Does he remember the 2011 budget which proposed this? he asked on his Twitter timeline.



On November 18, 2010, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the then Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, when he presented the 2011 budget stated: Currently, Ghana has shares and carried interest in a number of mining companies that enables [the] government to receive significant cash flows from royalties and dividends. The current increases in gold prices, increased demand for gold exposure by investors, and the appreciation in the equity interests in the gold-mining companies present a unique opportunity for the government to consider the monetization of all or portions of its gold interests to deliver a significant capital sum to support the nations growth and development."



Beginning in [the] fiscal year 2011 therefore, [the] government will commence discussions on the establishment of a national vehicle, the Ghana Gold Company (GGC), which will hold the countrys gold royalties and equity interest. The GGC will be a newly incorporated company that will be 100 per cent owned by the government and into which the government will transfer its gold equity and interests.



Former President Mahama has stated that when he wins the presidential election in December, his government will not respect the [Agyapa] deal which, according to him, was shrouded in secrecy.



John Dramani Mahama argued: The Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) could have played the same role as Agyapa if the Akufo-Addo led government wanted to be transparent."



This President is not willing to fight corruption. Depending on whom you are in his administration, you can do whatever you want and get away with it because he will personally clear you and say that nothing untoward has happened."



Agyapa Minerals Royalties deal



Parliament of Ghana on Friday, August 14, 2020, approved five agreements that allow the country to derive maximum value from its mineral resources and monetize its mineral income sustainably and responsibly, in line with the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act of 2018 (Act 978).



The act enables the country to use Agyapa Royalties Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle, as a conduit for securing about $1 billion to finance large infrastructural projects.



In line with that, Agyapa, which will operate as an independent private sector entity, will be able to raise funds from the capital market, both locally and internationally, as an alternative to the conventional debt capital market transactions.



The funds are expected to be raised from the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

















It will be interesting to know what Vice President @JDMahamas position was when his government set up the Ghana Gold Company (Committee) under the Minister of Finance in 2010/11 to hold and monetize our gold royalties? Does he remember the 2011 budget which proposed this?

 Gabby Otchere-Darko (@GabbyDarko) August 31, 2020

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.

Featured Video
Na Moon-hee, left, and Lee Hee-jun in a scene from the film "Oh! My Gran" / Courtesy of CGV Arthouse



By Kwak Yeon-soo



Comedy drama "Oh! My Gran" is not rolling-in-the-aisles funny, but has something eloquent to say about the meaning of family.



In the film, veteran actor Na Moon-hee plays Mun-hui, a woman who suffers from Alzheimer's disease and lives with her son Du-won (played by Lee Hee-jun) and granddaughter Bo-mi (Lee Jin-joo). She slips between the present and the past, sometimes fully aware of her precarious condition and sometimes completely oblivious.



Due to the symptoms associated with dementia, Mun-hui causes stress for the family and Du-won's devastated wife leaves home.



One night, Mun-hui takes Bo-mi out for a night walk and the child becomes the victim in a hit-and-run incident, which leaves her in a coma.



Mun-hui is the only witness but she mumbles nonsense and the police do not even care to look into the case so Du-won has to track down the culprit with the little evidence that his mother collected from the scene of the accident while she was temporarily lucid.



"Oh! My Gran" presents authentic observations of a family's life when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Although there are occasional flashes of humor, it centers on the mother-son relationship and how the two join forces to find the culprit behind the hit-and-run.



Credit goes to the cast for adding substance. Na's intense performance as a woman with Alzheimer's shines throughout "Oh! My Gran," but it is Lee's performance that triumphs in the film. He projects resentment toward his ailing mother, but is simultaneously caring and true to his heart.



Director Jung Se-kyo said he wanted Na to play the role of Mun-hui, and shouted "bravo" when she accepted the role. He also thought Lee would be perfect for Du-won's character because the actor is well-known for immersing himself in the characters he plays.



The 79-year-old actress said she learned to drive a tractor for a month to flip it upside down when chasing after the offender. She also performs wire-flying in "Oh! My Gran."



"Mun-hui lives with dementia, but has excellent insight. Her character has double sidedness," Na explained about her character at the online press event held in Seoul, Aug. 5.



Despite the great cast and heartfelt message, the exaggerated settings  like the appearance of wild boar in the junk yard strewn with wrecked cars  may not resonate with many viewers. The forced and clunky dialogue used to get viewers to understand what is going on with the plot take away from the tension and humor.



CGV Arthouse, distributor of comedy "Oh! My Gran," held a media screening Monday as planned, but canceled its press conference initially scheduled for after the screening due to concerns about possible COVID-19 infection.



"Oh! My Gran" opens in theaters, Sept. 2.


<p>Typhoon jets were scrambled to intercept the <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/ryanair-7019" target="_blank"><strong>Ryanair</strong></a> flight from Vienna to <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/london-5860" target="_blank"><strong>London</strong></a> on Sunday after the object sparked concern.</p><p>The pair - a 34-year-old man from <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/kuwait-6192" target="_blank"><strong>Kuwait</strong></a> and a 48-year-old man from <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/italy-7435" target="_blank"><strong>Italy</strong></a> - were detained at Stansted Airport shortly after 7pm under the Terrorism Act.</p><p>They have been released without charge after officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) found neither had committed any offence.</p><p>An ERSOU spokesperson confirmed the "suspicious" object was a mobile phone.</p><p>Detective Superintendent Andy Waldie, head of ERSOU's counter terrorism policing unit, said: "We understandably take any reports of suspicious objects or behaviour on flights very seriously and thankfully on this occasion there was no cause for concern.</p><p>"I'd like to thank those on the flight for their cooperation and understanding while officers conducted their enquiries."</p><p>Ryanair said in an earlier statement: "The crew of a Ryanair flight from Vienna to London Stansted this evening (30 Aug) were alerted of a potential security threat on board.</p><p>"In line with procedures, the captain informed UK authorities and continued to London Stansted, where the aircraft landed normally and taxied to a remote stand where passengers disembarked safely.</p><p>"Passengers in London Stansted waiting to depart to Vienna were transferred to a spare aircraft to minimise the delay to their flight."</p>
In Attorney General Bill Barrs America, justice isnt blind. Rather, it sees all too clearly who is connected to the president.

It has been nearly three years since Michael Flynn, who served for less than a month as President Donald Trumps first national security adviser, pleaded guilty to having lied to the FBI. Why, one might reasonably wonder, hasnt he yet been sent to prison?

The answer, sadly, appears plain: because Trump and Barr have been doing their utmost to protect him.

With Barr at the head of the Department of Justice, the administration of law has had little to do with fairness, and everything to do with ones connection to Trump. And since Flynn had been Trumps guy, hes also Barrs guy.

So much so, in fact, that the attorney general in May moved suddenly to drop the case against Flynn -- for no obvious reason. Thankfully, on Monday, a federal appeals court ruled, 8-2, that the judge who had stepped in to counter Barrs move could proceed with his review.

This is as it should be.

U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan is not Barrs rubber stamp. Hes got a real job to do, and that entails weighing the facts of the various cases that come before him. And when he looked at Barrs move to dismiss the case against Flynn, something smelled rotten to the core. As such, he rightly put up a stop sign.

On appeal, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with Barr, But Sullivan wasnt satisfied, and asked that the full court hear the case. That led to the 8-2 decision on Monday. (Yes, the pair in dissent were the two on the panel who earlier ruled in Barrs favor.)

A couple of things worth noting:

First, Flynn lied to the FBI and to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Think hed have been untruthful if his dealings with the Russian had been above board?

Also, back in December 2017, after Flynn pleaded guilty, Trump said, I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the vice president and the FBI.

Even Trump understood that lying to the FBI is a problem. And it should still be, even in Bill Barrs America. We look forward to Sullivans review.
Data analysts working for the Democratic party have warned that Donald Trump could appear to have won on election night, only for him to lose days later.

Describing a possible scenario for the night of 3 November, Josh Mendelsohn, who heads the Michael Bloomberg-funded data analytics agency Hawkfish, said voters would see a red mirage with early results.

The political and technology analyst, speaking to Axios on HBO, explained that the counting of all votes  including mail-in ballots  would likely see a different outcome than those on election night.

The data is going to show on election night, an incredible victory for Donald Trump. That is likely what to be what we see, said Mr Mendelsohn.

When every legitimate vote is counted, and we get to that final day, which will be the Sunday after election day, it will in fact show that what happened on election night was exactly that, a mirage.

It comes as Hawkfish, who have worked on behalf of the Democratic National Committee and its presidential nominee, Joe Biden, predicts how mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic will change the nature of the 2020 presidential election.

Some 40 per cent of American voters are projected to cast their vote with a mail-in ballot, according to Hawkfish, in what is traditionally a method more associated with Democrat supporters.

That could see Mr Trump holding a projected lead of 408-130 electoral votes on election night, with only 15 per cent of mail votes counted, before that slips away some days later.

Mr Biden, according to Hawkfish analysis, is projected to win with a significant lead of 334-204 electoral college votes, once all mail-ballots are included.

That analysis follows multiple attacks made against mail-voting by the US president, who admitted earlier this year that universal mail-in ballots would ensure that youd never have a Republican elected in this country again.

Campaign communications director for Mr Trump, Tim Murtaugh, told Axios in response that the news media should get out of the business of predicting the future.

The incumbent has so far trailed his Democratic opponent in almost all nationwide polls, amid multiple crises.
Planet Fitness said Monday it will not require that members provide proof of a medical provider's prescription or order. Some fitness centers have cited HIPAA privacy protocols for not requesting proof of a medical exemption.

The YMCA said that "while we are anxiously awaiting Gov. Roy Cooper to ease Phase Two restrictions and to fully open our indoor wellness facilities, we are moving ahead with allowing members to take care of their spirit, mind and body with medically prescribed wellness at our Robinhood Road Family YMCA."

The YMCA acknowledged the executive orders and DHHS statement "clearly states that the person must be 'prescribed or directed' by a medical professional and must present a note or other written communication stating this fact."

"Individual privacy is always of the utmost concern ... While this medical note is required by the government, we will not document anything in our operations system," the YMCA said.

Limited number

The number of people using the medical services exception in an indoor fitness center "may not exceed  in any room or other single confined space  the indoor mass gathering limit" of 25 individuals," according to DHHS.
Toronto police are seeking the publics help in identifying a dead man found at a building near Stanley Park last year.

His body was found at a stairwell at 901 King Street West, close to the corner of Strachan Avenue, on July 18, 2019.

Police described him as white, between the ages of 32 and 52, and between five foot eight and six foot two. He had an average build, short grey and black hair, short facial hair, and good teeth, police said in a news release Tuesday.

An artists rendition of the man has been released with the help of the Ontario pathologists office. The man also had extensive tattoos on his arms and upper back.

It is hoped that someone may recognize him and bring resolution for his family as well as the investigation, police said.

Miriam Lafontaine is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @mirilafontaine
Chip Somodevilla/Getty

Top White House officials rang the alarm bell during a call with the nations governors on Monday, pleading with them to advise college presidents in their states to keep COVID-infected students on campus or risk another major outbreak.

We know that what happened across the South [in June] was primarily driven by 18-to-25 year olds, across the South, with asymptomatic spread, said Dr. Deborah Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Sending these individuals back home in their asymptomatic state to spread the virus in their home town or among their vulnerable households could really recreate what we experienced over the June time frame in the South. So I think every university president should have a plan for not only testing but caring for their students that need to isolate.

The comments represent one of the most explicit acknowledgments to date that the White Houses aggressive push to bring students back to campus this fall has created serious risks for increased COVID transmission. It also underscores just how fragile the current situation is at college campuses across the country.

Emails Show Chaos and Confusion at Ole Miss Over Coronavirus Exposure

According to a New York Times tracker of COVID-19 at American colleges and universities, some 26,000 cases have emerged at over 750 institutions since the novel coronavirus hit the United States early this year. At the University of Alabama system alone, over 1,300 cases have been reported, according to the schools own coronavirus case tracker.

Those spikes in infections have put college and university officials in a difficult position over how to manage community spread on their campuses.

On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that students and professors at the University of Mississippia state where GOP Gov. Tate Reeves explicitly cited saving college football to justify a mask mandatefelt the administration was pressuring exposed (if not infected) students to return home to their families. Transparency concerns about outbreaks, and the prospect of students bringing coronavirus back to their older, possibly immunocompromised relatives, have also followed outbreaks at other major southern colleges like Alabama. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, meanwhile, shut down in-person instruction for undergrads just one week into the semester last month, and at least some students were reportedly set to head home without being tested for COVID-19. The University of Notre Dame, in Indiana, and Michigan State University also quickly pivoted to online learning last month.

Story continues

Despite these cases, the White House has been adamant that schools not only open their doors to on-campus learning this fall but that fall sportsspecifically footballproceed as usual. Justifying this stance, top administration officials have downplayed the severity of transmission and infection among younger populations. President Donald Trump himself has insisteddespite inconclusive evidence, at best, to support his claimthat healthy college athletes are "not going to have a problem with the disease. In fact, powerhouse college football programs like Texas Tech and Oklahoma have reported recent outbreaks among their active players.

University of Alabama to Profs: Dont Tell Students About COVID-Infected Classmates

Speaking to governors on the call Monday, Vice President Mike Pence echoed Birxs admonition that infected students remain isolated on campus for fear that asymptomatic transmission could impact wider populations.

In general, we want to encourage, even when you have test positivity on campuses, we want to encourage universities to have students remain on or near campus and minimize the potential exposure to the larger community, said Pence. We really believeand I spoke to a university president just the other dayin suspending classes for a few weeks, have people study in their rooms, and... that kind of isolation.

We believe, lets have the testing, lets have the mitigation efforts, good practices in place, Pence added. But we really believe that remaining on or near campus is the best course possible for the overall health and well-being [of the community].

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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By Brian Christine, MD, a surgeon living in Birmingham

In the United States, health-care accounts for 18% of the economy. Its not cheap, and its not free; nothing of value ever is. Health-care offered in the U.S. is outstanding, with many fields of medicine being the finest in the world. The access to technological advances and diagnostic testing enjoyed by Americans saves lives. I know. I am a surgeon practicing in Alabama, and while our system is not perfect it is very, very good. It does not need to be radically dismembered, zipped in a bag, and dumped in the morgue.

I dont suggest that we cannot improve our health-care system. But... it seems in every election cycle the call rings out for more governmental intrusion into our ability to choose our insurance plans, our hospitals, and our doctors. This year is different, though. Never before has there been such an aggressive push for a single, government controlled, Washington D.C.-directed, universal health-care system. While a few candidates say they support an overhaul where private insurance remains alongside the government monolith, many on the political left want to eliminate immediately, or over a few short years, private insurance plans completely.

The voices of those who want an immediate or coming soon elimination of private insurance are more influential than ever; their ability to control legislation is growing. Health-care where the federal government controls access to specialists, disincentivizes practitioners, and creates a backlog to care resulting in patients waiting months for life changing therapy, is not an improvement. Its a mistake for America. A big mistake. An avoidable mistake.

You might ask, How do you, an Alabama doctor, know what happens in other countrys hospitals?. The answer is that I have experienced, firsthand, health-care systems controlled by the government. My practice, as a urologic surgeon, is focused on mens health and issues faced by prostate cancer survivors. I have the privilege of being actively involved in surgical education of physicians in the United States and globally; I have operated on patients in England, Spain, Italy, Australia, and the Middle East. While abroad I have personally cared for prostate cancer survivors who needed surgery that allowed them to return to full, active life surgery they had waited 6 months to have done through a government run hospital.

My own father-in-law, a citizen of the United Kingdom living in England, needed knee replacement. The orthopedist given to him by the National Health System (no, he could not choose his surgeon) told him that it would be over a year wait. So, this WWII veteran, a former prisoner of war held for 3 years in Germany, was forced to go outside the NHS, just so he could walk. Understand my point: the problem is not the doctors, nurses and their competence; the problem is the high level of government control, bureaucracy, and intrusion.

Our health-care system is not perfect. It should be improved allowing free market forces to encourage competition, efficiency, and a better product for the patient. In this election year, when we in Alabama choose our President and a U.S. Senator, think long and hard about what happens when Washington limits and controls access to doctors and care. Think long and hard about where Alabamas candidates say they stand on health-care, and where their Party actually stands: the Party will determine their votes. Right now there are bills before the House and Senate that establish a Medicare for all system.

One of these bills (H.R. 1384) sponsored by Seattle liberal and co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Democrat Pramila Jaapal, contains a provision that citizenship status may not be used to exclude access to the system. Former presidential candidate and self-described socialist, Senator Bernie Sanders, has sponsored S. 1129 which makes it illegal for private health insurers to sell coverage that duplicates services covered by the government system, dramatically limiting competition to the government plan.

Both of these laws would limit choices of every American and would increase wait time to care. So think long. Think hard. And then vote as if your life depended on it because it might.
London: Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) pledged to publish draft legislation for a new Scottish independence referendum, including the question and timing of the vote, before the country's parliamentary election next year.

Sturgeon, who heads Edinburgh's pro-independence devolved government, put on hold plans for a second referendum in March to concentrate on the coronavirus crisis.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Credit:Getty

However, the most sustained support for Scottish independence in the modern era has prompted nationalists to renew their push for another vote.

In a 2014 referendum on independence, Scots voted 55 per cent to 45 per cent to stay in the United Kingdom.
ASHEBORO  Dava Foundation Inc. has finalized an agreement with Randolph Health to purchase all of Randolph Health's operating assets. The agreement was finalized on Friday.

The asset purchase agreement was filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of North Carolina that day. It is subject to the approval of the bankruptcy court and is expected to go through the normal bankruptcy proceedings.

"We are encouraged by the progress we are making toward preserving access to local, high-quality health care for years to come," said Angela Orth, chief executive officer at Randolph Health. "It has been a long journey, but our commitment to find a solution that ensures access to local health care for our residents has never wavered."
The Midland ISD board has put Superintendent Orlando Riddick on administrative leave and named Chief Financial Officer Darrell Dodds as the acting superintendent.

Both decisions came during a special meeting held Monday. It was the third special meeting related to the districts superintendent position since the Aug. 17 regular board meeting when trustees were expected to perform an evaluation on Riddick, who had completed his third year with Midland ISD.

However, that meeting ended with the superintendents contract not being extended and a special meeting set for Aug. 21. During that meeting, it was decided to begin termination proceedings on Aug. 25. At that meeting, the board unanimously voted on the termination of Riddicks contract, which continues until June 2022. The most recent vote by board, before Monday, set in place a termination process that could last 3  months.

Now that we have provided Superintendent Riddick with notice of intent to terminate his contract, theres a process which takes place whenever that happens, Board President Rick Davis said at the meeting Monday night. There are options available to Mr. Riddick to contest that action or not contest that action. Because that's going to be his focus, obviously, we don't believe it's either in his best interest nor the district's best interest for him to continue his duties as superintendent. So, the motion has been made to place him on administrative leave, so that process may play out.

Davis said an acting superintendent refers to someone who's already existing on the staff, an MISD employee who in addition to their regular duties, assumes duties of acting superintendent. Meanwhile, an interim superintendent is a non-existing staff person, a third party, that you ask to come in and act as superintendent until such time as you (find) your permanent superintendent replacement.

Davis said the current dynamics  especially with COVID-19  make this an especially challenging time, and the academic directors and other potential candidates for the acting superintendent position will continue to be focused on their academic responsibilities for the district.

Dodds was selected to be acting superintendent, according to Davis, because we believe that in our search for an interim superintendent, the most pressing needs we will have for the acting superintendent is to sign contracts, review other financial matters and require the attention that Mr. Dodds is already giving to those things. So, we think it makes sense for him to assume this role as an acting superintendent until such time as we find an interim superintendent, while everyone else can remain completely focused on their existing job responsibilities, particularly on the academic front.

The Midland ISD board passed both items unanimously.

The potential naming of an acting superintendent sets up the district to move forward in finding an interim superintendent -- the second in four years. In 2016, that board selected former Amarillo ISD Superintendent Rod Schroder to be the interim superintendent after Ryder Warren left Midland ISD for a district in the Metroplex.

Davis referenced Schroders time in a leadership position with the district in an opinion article in Mondays Reporter-Telegram.

A few weeks after Mr. Riddick began in the summer of 2017, we received exciting news from the Texas Education Agency: the number of MISD improvement required campuses had been reduced from nine to four in a single school year even though TEAs criteria to be a non-IR campus had actually been increased from the previous year, Davis wrote. We believed such dramatic improvement in one year had much to do with the leadership of our then interim superintendent, Rod Schroder.
T ravellers from Greece will be required to self-isolate at home for 14 days on arrival in Scotland from Thursday.

It comes after a significant rise in cases of coronavirus being imported from the Mediterranean country, the Scottish Government said.

The measures will take effect at 4am on Thursday.

It came as the Welsh Government announced that passengers on a flight from Zante to Cardiff International Airport tonight will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days due to the risk of spreading coronavirus.

Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: We are in the midst of a global pandemic and the situation in many countries can change suddenly. Therefore, people should think very hard before committing to non-essential travel abroad.

With Scotlands relatively low infection rate, importation of new cases from Greece is a significant risk to public health.

We continue to closely monitor the situation in all parts of the world and base the decisions we make on the scientific evidence available.

Regular discussions continue with the other three governments in the UK.

Requiring travellers arriving from a non-exempt country to quarantine for 14 days on arrival is vital to helping prevent transmission of the virus and to suppress it.

The Scottish Government said evidence of virus importation, especially from the Greek islands, has led to the country being removed from the exemption list on public health grounds.

It is believed prevalence of Covid-19 in Greece remains lower than 20 per 100,000, but a number of cases in Scotland can be traced back to travel to the Mediterranean country.

Countries tend to be added to the quarantine list when the figure rises above 20 per 100,000.

Nicola Sturgeon / BBC News Live

Scotlands chief medical officer Gregor Smith said: There is a compelling public health risk around importation of the virus, especially given the number of imported cases linked to the Greek islands.

The flow of travel between Scotland and Greece, and the behaviour we have seen from some of those travellers, means that on public health grounds there is a strong case  supported by public health directors  to remove Greece from the exemption list.

All international travellers coming into Scotland, apart from a very limited number of individual exemptions, must complete a passenger locator form.

Those who do not complete it and present it when asked on arrival may be fined 60.

This can be doubled for each subsequent offence up to a maximum of 480.

Failure to comply with the requirement to quarantine may result in a fine of 480.

In a written statement, Welsh health and social services minister Vaughan Gething said: In the last week our NHS Wales Test Trace Protect service has identified multiple separate clusters linked to the Greek island of Zante which currently has no returning quarantine restrictions.

REUTERS

There are currently six clusters amounting to over 30 cases in the last week from four flights, of which two of these flights landed in England.

There are concerns from our public health teams that the current advice and control measures for returning travellers are insufficient.

Unfortunately our consultants in communicable disease control have several examples of Covid-19 positive travellers who have not self-isolated on return to Wales. That is a real concern for all of us.

Public Health Wales have expressed direct concerns about the public health risk posed by passengers returning to Cardiff this evening from Zante.

I share that concern. It is almost certain that travellers returning to Wales from areas of higher Covid-19 incidence will lead to further seeding of infections within Wales.

Travel into Wales from mainland Europe drove the first wave of Covid-19.

With reporting by Press Association
A pro-life spokeswoman quit her job rather than endorse Donald Trump for another term in the White House.

Trump has called himself the most pro-life president in history. But Stephanie Ranade Krider, executive director for Ohio Right to Life, decided she couldnt support him and couldnt keep working for the prominent pro-life group as it prepared to help him win re-election.

She resigned June 30. The next morning, she woke up and felt like she could finally breathe again.

You learn to hold certain things in tension, and for me it came to a point where I couldnt anymore, Krider said. Ive been grateful for the things Trump has accomplished and skeptical of his pro-life views.

Always, there has been this undercurrent where he just does not respect women and he does not like black and brown people. I cant look at any of his behavior and see evidence of the Holy Spirit in his life. Nothing about his words or actions are kind or gentle or faithful or full of self-control.

It wasnt an easy decision to quit. Krider started working at Ohio Right to Life in 2009. She can still remember how thrilled she was. As a 26-year-old evangelical with a passion for politics, she was ready to advocate for the unborn. She was ready to fight the people who could look at an ultrasound and say, Thats just a blob of tissue. She imagined herself bringing together pro-life Republicans and Democrats with bold moral arguments and how she would say, Women deserve better than abortion.

She still believes that. Shes still passionate about protecting the unborn. But Krider thinks the politics of abortion in 2020 would require her to compromise some ...

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Rambling. Wildly incoherent. Those beardy weirdies from Extinction Rebellion were out in Parliament Square again yesterday, subjecting all of us to hours of indecipherable gibberish.

Despite being supposedly educated, theyre a decidedly inarticulate rabble. Their speakers were about as stirring as the cider-fuelled Morris dancers at my local summer fete.

Mind you, things were no more inspiring inside the Commons, where MPs were returning from their summer hols.

Following weeks of lip-chewing ineptitude, that prize bungler Gavin Williamson was treating us to a statement on schools.

Yes, hes still in his job. Amazing isnt it? Perhaps he knows something about Boris that we dont.

Those beardy weirdies from Extinction Rebellion were out in Parliament Square again yesterday, subjecting all of us to hours of indecipherable gibberish.

If so, all I can say is that it must be dynamite. The Education Secretary arrived in the chamber at 4.42pm, collapsing into his seat in an awkwardly arranged pile of limbs.

His face bore the anxious look of a child outside the head masters study, awaiting an inevitable rollicking.

Over on the SNP benches, Pete Wishart (Perth and N Perthshire) and Patrick Grady (Glasgow N) pointed and giggled excitedly.

Williamson kicked off by regurgitating the whole A-levels fiasco.

He was deeply sorry for what students had gone through last month. Once again, he seemed happy to lay the blame at Ofquals door.

Though that didnt prevent him offering a short, nakedly insincere tribute to the education quangos departing chief Sally Collier.

Gavin Williamson arrived in the chamber at 4.42pm, collapsing into his seat in an awkwardly arranged pile of limbs

That clothes peg-over-the-nose drawl of Williamsons really is quite a thing. It could zap energy from the Large Hadron Collider.

Barely 30 seconds into his statement, faces around the chamber were already beginning to droop. It was as if someone had just flicked on a two-bar heater at Madame Tussauds.

Opposition benches were predictably unimpressed. Labours shadow education secretary Kate Green, in snazzy zebra stripes, was furious shed only received a copy of Williamsons statement several minutes before.

Not sure why. Others might have been grateful at being spared having to read it.

She accused Williamson of overseeing a summer of chaos, incompetence and confusion.

The SNPs Carol Monaghan was also snippy about getting her copy of the statement so late. I almost had time to read it, she deadpanned.

Lucy Powell (Lab, Manchester C) accused Williamson of worse than incompetence, he couldnt just wash his hands of responsibility for these farcical past weeks.

Williamson stood there sopping it all up, as best he could, delivering his usual jargonistic, nonsensical answers.

Occasionally he would rest his entire body weight against the dispatch box to feign nonchalance.

You do wonder how many more of these sessions he can endure. Compare his demeanour to Matt Hancock, who had earlier updated the House on the Governments Covid-19 strategy.

Unlike Williamson, the tribulations of high office have no bearing on the Health Secretarys wellbeing.

Extinction Rebellion's speakers in Parliament Square were about as stirring as the cider-fuelled Morris dancers at Henry Deedes' local summer fete - and things were no more exciting in the Commons

Not even a poorly received interview over the weekend, in which he needlessly blathered on about a second lockdown, seems to have zapped his enthusiasm.

Yesterday he was zestier and zingier than a pitcher of Aperol spritz. What a clever boy Matt had been: numbers being admitted to hospital were down, patients requiring ventilators were down and the latest coronavirus deaths stood at just two.

The track and trace system is supposedly whizz-bang (Im not sure it is).

His predecessor Jeremy Hunt, who now chairs the Health Select Committee, congratulated him on his impressive progress.

Jim Shannon (DUP, Strangford) announced he had not been found wanting during the crisis.

Even Hancocks opposite number, Jon Ashworth, gave him an easy ride.

The only sharp surprise he got came from his own side, when Sir Edward Leigh (Con, Gainsborough) demanded the Government get back to being a proper Conservative government and stop with all the nannyish restrictions.

Sir Edward complained that the man in Whitehall doesnt know best. Especially as he changes his mind every two minutes.

Hancock endured two hours at the despatch box since he also had to host a session of departmental questions.

He looked like he could have happily stayed in the chamber right until suppertime.

His colleague in the Department for Education, by contrast, could not have bolted out of there fast enough
India and China need to manage and control their differences and not allow them to become conflicts, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has told a foreign audience, adding that Beijing is committed to maintaining stability along the disputed Sino-India border.

China is also willing to resolve differences with New Delhi through dialogue, Wang said, adding, at the same time, that India is to blame for the tension at the border.

The problems between the two countries should be placed in appropriate places in bilateral ties, the Chinese foreign minister further said.

Wang was speaking at the prestigious French Institute of International Relations in Paris on Monday, hours after the Indian army and the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) had accused each other of triggering a new bout of tension at the south bank of Pangong Tso and the Reqin pass near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

India said on Monday that it had pre-empted provocative military movements by China to change the status quo along the LAC on the southern bank of Pangong Lake, a development that widened the trust deficit between the two sides and dealt a blow to efforts to reduce tensions.

The incident followed the lack of forward movement in the disengagement and de-escalation process even after several rounds of diplomatic and military talks.

Meanwhile, Wang, who is on a week-long five-country Europe tour, including stops in France and Germany, gave a speech and took questions from senior European politicians and executives on China, India and the world.

China-India relations have recently attracted the attention of all parties. What I want to tell you is that China has always been committed to maintaining stability in the Sino-Indian border areas, Wang said according to a Mandarin transcript of the interaction released by the Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday.

We will not take the initiative to complicate and expand the situation. Of course, we must also firmly safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said in the lengthy response.

The border between China and India has not been demarcated, so there will always be problems of this kind. We are willing to manage various problems through dialogue with the Indian side. At the same time, these issues should be placed in appropriate places in bilateral relations, Wang, who is also the state councilor, told his audience at the institute.

Wang mentioned the meetings between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the consensus they had reached.

For example, instead of dragon and elephant fighting, dragon and elephant dancing together, 1 plus 1 is not equal to 2, but equal to 11 and so on. These are all philosophical views, he said.

For another example, the leaders of the two countries agree that cooperation between the two sides is greater than differences, and common interests are greater than contradictions. Differences must be managed and controlled, especially not allowing differences to become conflicts.

Wang said the two governments should implement the consensus reached between Xi and Modi.

The two countries are highly complementary to each other, he said, adding: China is willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries to help India accelerate its own development.

If both China and India can develop, 2.7 billion people will move towards modernisation together. This will be an unprecedented and spectacular sight in the cause of human progress. I hope India can also view and deal with problems from this perspective, Wang said.

Disengagement between border troops had begun after a conversation between Wang and national security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on July 6  both are also the special representatives for the ongoing border talks.

Despite several rounds of diplomatic and military talks following the Wang-Doval conversation, differences have remained, mirroring the trust deficit between the neighbours.
Public transit agencies may soon be able to fast-track construction projects after a bill to let them bypass some lengthy and costly environmental reviews passed the California Legislature and headed to the governors desk Monday.

SB288, the Sustainable Transportation COVID-19 Recovery Act, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, exempts sustainable transit projects from stricter review under CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires environmental consideration in construction.

The goal of the bill is to both promote projects that could cut down driving and reduce carbon emissions, and offer a boost to struggling public transit agencies that have hemorrhaged money during COVID-19.

SB 288 will help us recover from COVID-19s economic impacts and will support sustainable transportation projects across California, Wiener said in a statement Monday. As wildfires continue to rage across our state, its clear that climate change is having immediate and serious impacts on California. We need to act quickly to cut down on carbon emissions and improve our air quality. SB 288 will help get our economy back on track, create jobs, and improve our sustainable transportation infrastructure.

Bus lines, transit stations, biking and walking projects, facility repairs and electric-vehicle charging stations would benefit. Construction projects not meeting minimum parking requirements would also bypass stricter review. The exemptions will last two years, except for bicycle plans.

The CEQA review process can take years and face lawsuits that increase time and cost, Wiener told The Chronicle in June. Under this bill, exempted construction plans would still require CEQA approval, but specific projects in those plans could get fast-track authorization. Projects must pass certain criteria to win exemptions, including being located on a public right of way in a city.

The bill was sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, or SPUR, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and the Bay Area Council, of which BART is a member.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed sent a letter in support of the bill to Wiener in July.

If these time-sensitive projects are granted a CEQA statutory exemption, it will help the City avoid costly litigation and potentially years of delay at exactly the time when we need it the most, Breeds letter read. Stalling these projects is not an option if we want a successful transportation recovery. If people turn to driving rather than returning to Muni, walking, or biking, we could see a drastic increase in congestion on City streets.

Jason Baker, the Silicon Valley Leadership Groups vice president of transportation, housing and community development, said the bill was important to the businesses he represents because of three things: more jobs on the street sooner rather than later, reducing traffic and reducing pollution.

The would-be law is also critical to getting people back on public transit, said Gwen Litvak, senior vice president of public policy at the Bay Area Council.

This bill is really a no-cost stimulus to get projects moving during this economic recession, Litvak said. Its important to get people back on transit in order to create the revenue to invest again in transit.

The goal is to make sure that projects that were in the pipeline are built so that people will continue to feel safe and confident using public transit, she added.

In San Francisco, the bill could help the Fulton Street Safety & Transit Project, Embarcadero Enhancement Project, and the Excelsior Neighborhood Traffic Calming Project. It could also make permanent the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agencys temporary emergency transit lanes, which were created during the pandemic to make quicker and more efficient bus routes.

The agency feared, as ridership plummeted on public transit, that more people would take to their cars, clogging streets and slowing Muni service, its website read. The lanes focused on neighborhoods with high percentages of people of color and low-income households.

As of last week, there were four approved lanes on Mission Street, Laguna Honda Boulevard/Woodside Avenue/OShaughnessy Boulevard/Bosworth Street, Masonic Avenue/Presidio Avenue, and Seventh and Eighth streets. Nearly two dozen more have been proposed.

The temporary lanes were authorized by the SFMTA Board of Directors in June, but if they wanted to make them permanent, they would have to go through the CEQA review process. If the new bill is signed into law, they would be able to more easily cement the lanes to keep buses moving for those who need them.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Carolyn Said contributed to this report.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench
Isabella Abbate, owner of Simply Bella's, demonstrates making a peach vodka lemonade cocktail using her peach simple syrup at her parents' restaurant, Villari's Lakeside, in Sicklerville, N.J., on July 30, 2020. Restaurants in New Jersey can resume indoor dining at 25% capacity on Friday. Read more

Economic relief came for some while anxiety worsened for others on Monday, as owners of New Jersey restaurants, movie theaters, and performance venues were cleared to resume indoor operations starting Friday, but some Pennsylvanians braced to lose their homes or apartments as the states moratorium on evictions and foreclosures expired.

As about two dozen protesters in Philadelphia called on state officials to extend the moratorium on evictions as the coronavirus pandemic continues, Gov. Tom Wolfs office confirmed Monday that he does not have the legal authority to do so.

The ban on evictions and foreclosures, put in place to help renters and homeowners struggling due to the economic impacts of the pandemic, can only be extended if the legislature acts, a spokesperson for the governor said.

Democrats in the state House of Representatives on Monday introduced a package of bills they say would help renters and homeowners, including a proposal to grant Wolf the ability to further extend the moratorium. For now, its expiration clears the way for thousands of eviction proceedings that were put on hold to resume.

What did they give you? Kayla Watkins, 24, asked fellow demonstrators outside Philadelphia Municipal Court, referring to politicians. They gave you $1,200 and a prayer. I dont know about you, but that doesnt pay rent for months.

 READ MORE: Pennsylvania residents prepare for the statewide eviction moratorium to end Monday

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphys announcement brought long-awaited news. Along with movie theaters and indoor dining, indoor concert venues and performing arts centers can reopen on Friday.

Restaurants are permitted to operate at 25% capacity; movie theaters and performance venues will be capped at 25% capacity or 150 patrons, whichever is less. Moviegoers who buy tickets together may sit together, but otherwise patrons must be distanced.

Lets get back to gyms tomorrow, some amount of indoor dining on Friday, back to school next week, Murphy said. Again, none of that may be totally, completely, like-it-was-in-the-old-days normal. But those are big steps that were going to take together.

Restaurants must adhere to strict disinfection practices, maintain robust ventilation systems, and post informational signs. Diners will have to remain at their tables except when going to bathrooms and wear masks when not seated, and people who dont feel well should stay home, Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said.

Murphy also increased the capacity limits for weddings, religious celebrations, funerals and political activities from 100 people to the lesser of either 25% capacity or 150 people.

There is no room for error and no excuse for being a knucklehead, Murphy said. Lets enjoy eating indoors again, or going to a movie, or celebrating with friends  safely and responsibly.

The United States surpassed six million confirmed cases on Sunday.
The government has shared a video on social media thanking farmers for feeding the UK during the Covid-19 crisis.

The video was posted on the UK Prime Minister Twitter and Facebook accounts on 30 August.

"Across the UK our farmers have united to feed and support all four nations," the post said, "When we work together, we make great progress.

"Thank you to all our farmers and growers for helping us combat coronavirus."

The video went on to highlight how farmers and growers had to adapt to help the nation get through the pandemic.

"Together, they have picked for Britain, replenished supermarkets shelves, and together, they have fed all four nations," the post added.

Across the UK our farmers have united to feed and support all four nations. When we work together, we make great progress.



Thank you to all our farmers and growers for helping us combat coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/4wa4VlKF4x  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 30, 2020

"Together, we are making progress. Together, we are stronger. Share to support our farmers"

The video has been watched by tens of thousands of people on both social media platforms.

Some users responded by urging others to buy British, particularly during the pandemic and with the end of the Brexit transition period looming.

It comes as the NFU invites MPs and farmers to throw their weight behind Back British Farming Day, which takes place on 9 September.

The annual initiative provides a focus to celebrate agriculture and its importance to the UK economy.

British food and farming contributes over 120 billion to the UK economy each year and employs four million people.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:09:18|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Tuesday granted a 300-million-euro (354-million-U.S.-dollar) loan to Morocco to help finance three state companies to withstand the COVID-19 impact.

The loan will be provided to Morocco's National Airports Office, National Highways Company, and National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water, according to a joint statement by the EBRD and Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance.

This loan will help the three public enterprises to counter the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, through the mobilization of funding for their cash flow needs, the statement said.

The EBRD support also includes technical assistance to help modernize and consolidate good governance and increase the quality of public services by the three companies, it added.

The loan deal was initialed on Tuesday by Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance Mohamed Benchaaboun and Vice-President of the EBRD Alain Pilloux during a video conference.

On Monday, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the release of 100 million euros (119 million U.S. dollars) to Morocco to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Enditem
Despite opposition from students, activists and political parties to conduct the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Mains exam amid pandemic, the test got underway this morning. With masks, gloves and sanitisers, students lined up in socially distanced queues at exam centres to be taken into examination halls where again they were made to sit as per staggered seating arrangements. Students and activists had expressed apprehension over the decision to hold exams and flood situation in several states. 

ALSO READ: JEE-Mains Aspirants Showered With Blessings and Memes as They Appear for Entrance Exam

Meanwhile, images of exam centres inundated in flood waters have surfaced on social media and are being circulated as images of NEEt centres. People on social media are expressing anguish over the situation under which students are writing the exam, However, the images are old and not from NEET exam centres. As many as 8.58 lakh candidates have registered for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main and 15.97 lakh have registered for NEET.

This is the condition of examination centres and govt. wants to conduct exam's #SpeakUpForStudentSafety pic.twitter.com/tSGUaN9y78 Political____Dr (@Political___dr) August 28, 2020

Interestingly, the set of images were shared by several social media handles and with exactly the same caption. This is the condition of examination centres and govt. wants to conduct exams (sic)."

This is the condition of examination centres and govt. wants to conduct exam's #SpeakUpForStudentSafety pic.twitter.com/ognUn7lZb2    (@RBaiplawat1) August 28, 2020

This is the condition of examination centres and govt. wants to conduct exam's #SpeakUpForStudentSafety pic.twitter.com/9xEZtMtLVm Ryan (@blue2oot) August 28, 2020

#SpeakUpForStudentSafetyThis is the condition of examination centres and govt. wants to conduct exam's #SpeakUpForStudentSafety pic.twitter.com/iaMJugEfjc Praveen Mishra (@Praveen17258094) August 28, 2020

#SpeakUpForStudentSafetyThis is the condition of examination centres and govt. wants to conduct exam's #SpeakUpForStudentSafety pic.twitter.com/iaMJugEfjc Praveen Mishra (@Praveen17258094) August 28, 2020

A reverse image search shows that the first image from outside a school dates back to 2016 in Allahabad after rains had lashed the town in Uttar Pradesh. The second photo showing bus wading through flooded road is from 2017 when Mumbai had been lashed by heavy rains and roads were water-logged.

The third image is from Uttrakhands Haridwar captured in 2019, while the fourth image too is from 2019 and shows water-logged streets in Patna after torrential rains.

Earlier, Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhiyal Nishank appealed to the chief ministers of various states to support the students appearing for the exam. There has been a growing chorus for postponing JEE-Mains and medical entrance exam NEET amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.

I appeal to chief ministers of all states that support our students in such unprecedented circumstances and make appropriate arrangements so the aspirants do not have to face any inconvenience. I also appeal to students to have faith in agencies behind conduct of the examination," the Education Minister said.

Meanwhile, netizens came out in support of students appearing for the toughest exam of the country amid corona scare. Many shared their good wishes over microblogging site Twitter.
CARACAS, Venezuela - The Trump administration said Tuesday that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should not be praised for releasing a few political opponents ahead of a congressional election, when many more opposition activists remain in jail.

Restoring constitutional rights that were illegally taken away should not be applauded, the U.S. State Department said in a statement. All of these prisoners should be released immediately and unconditionally.

The Venezuelan government a day earlier said it was pardoning 110 people, including opposition politicians jailed, living in foreign embassies in Caracas or driven into exile. Prisoner rights groups say that just 50 of them are what the opposition considers politically motivated cases.

According to the Caracas-based prisoner rights group Foro Penal, Venezuelan jails hold more than 330 people the opposition considers political prisoners.

Venezuelan officials framed the presidential decree pardoning political occupants as a goodwill gesture to boost participation in a congressional election set for Dec. 6. An opposition coalition led by U.S.-backed politician Juan Guaido is mounting a boycott, calling the vote rigged.

Maduro in a Tuesday address on state TV accused President Donald Trump of leading a campaign to topple and even kill him. Maduro defended his pardons, saying he assumed full responsibility for the decision done in the spirit of peace and dialogue.

Im a warrior, not a coward or traitor, Maduro said. As a warrior I wage battles in the name of the people.

The U.S. leads a coalition of more than 50 nations that backed Guaido as Venezuelas legitimate leader, pressuring Maduro to leave power.

The State Department described the pardons as token actions and said conditions required for free and fair elections are clear.

Maduro must lift the ban on political parties and candidates, respect Venezuelans freedom of speech and the press, end censorship, disband his death squads, provide for an honest and independent electoral commission, and welcome independent international election observers, the statement said.

The list of people pardoned didnt include prominent opposition leaders such as Leopoldo Lopez, who remains inside a foreign ambassadors residence in Caracas, or Julio Borges, a powerful opposition lawmaker who is in neighbouring Colombia.

Guaido said the Venezuelan governments list included 26 lawmakers either charged with crimes or jailed. He said Maduros dictatorship is using them as pawns, while continuing to persecute opponents.

Among opposition lawmakers and politicians released from jail late Monday were Renzo Prieto, Gilber Caro and Antonio Geara. Guaidos chief of staff Roberto Marrero was also freed.

The list of pardons also doesnt mention six executives of Venezuelas Houston-based Citgo refineries detained in Caracas on corruption charges for more than two years on charges that their attorneys and relatives say are trumped up.

Two of them are held on house arrest in Caracas while four others remain in jail as their trial plays out.

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The Tuesday took note of the deterioration and erosion of Shivalingam at the ancient Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain and directed that devotees should do no rubbing of the lingam.

The apex court directed the temple committee to ensure that the pH value, which is used to specify the acidity or basicity, of Bhasma' during Bhasma Aarti' is improved and the Shivalingam is preserved from further deterioration.

Passing a slew of directions to preserve the Shivalingam at the ancient temple, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra directed the temple committee to implement the best methodology to prevent any further damage.

The top court said it should be ensured that no visitor or devotee rub the Shivalingam at any cost.

If it is done by any devotee, accompanying Poojari or Purohit shall be responsible for not stopping the rubbing. No rubbing of Shivalingam to be done by anyone except during traditional puja and archana performed on behalf of the temple, said the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari.

The bench, which delivered its judgement on the issue related to the temple, referred to reports of a committee consisting of experts of Archaeological Survey of India and Geological Survey of India and also that of the temple committee.

To preserve the Shivalingam, we direct that: (a) any devotee should do no rubbing of the Shivalingam, it said.

The bench noted that expert team had visited Ujjain on January 19 last year and its report indicated that there was erosion of Shivalinga after the last inspection and it is a continuing process.

It directed that expert committee shall visit the temple and submit a report by December 15, 2020, as to the steps to be taken to prevent deterioration of Shivlinga and the steps to be taken to preserve the temple structure, including Chandranageshwar Temple.

It directed the committee to do a yearly survey and submit a report in the court.

The temple committee to find out a way and consider whether it is necessary to use the metal mund mala on the Shivalingam, or there can be a way out to use mund mala and Serpakarnahas without touching the Shivalingam. Possibility of further reducing weight may also be found out to prevent mechanical abrasion, it said.

The bench said rubbing of curd, ghee and honey on Shivalingam by devotees is also a cause of erosion and it would be appropriate that only pouring of a limited quantity of pure milk is allowed by the temple committee.

Whereas in the traditional puja to be done on behalf of the temple, all pure materials can be used, it said.

The bench said that entire proceedings of puja' and archana' in the Garbh Griha' (sanctum sanctorum) be video recorded 24 hours and preserved for at least six months.

It said that temple committee shall provide pure milk from its resources to the visitors and devotees for offering and should ensure that no impure or adulterated milk is offered.

The temple committee shall provide water from Koti Thirth Kund' filtered and purified and further maintain the required pH value, it said.

The bench noted that the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee had visited the temple in September 2019 and submitted a structural assessment proposal.

Let the CBRI, Roorkee visit the temple, if necessary, and submit a project report as per its proposal dated September 17, 2019. CBRI, Roorkee, is directed to submit a project report regarding structural stability within six months. A sum of Rs 41.30 Lakhs, as required by it, shall be paid by the Central Government as early as possible, it said.

The bench also dealt with the issue of plan prepared by the Ujjain Smart City Limited for comprehensive development of the temple and its surrounding areas.

It directed Ujjain Smart City Ltd to undertake Mahakaal



Rudrasagar Integrated Development Approach' (Phase I and Phase II) forthwith and submit a detailed project report and time frame within six weeks in the court.

Let the details of necessary repairs, maintenance, and improvement be worked out and carried out forthwith. Let the Collector prepare a comprehensive plan for this purpose with the help of the superintendent engineer and available architect. The state government shall sanction fund immediately, it said.

It said that original work in the temple is required to be restored.

As assured by the committee, let restoration work be done concerning eyesore painting by December 15, 2020, it said.

The apex court directed the collector and superintendent of Police of Ujjain to ensure that encroachment within 500 metre of the area of the temple premises are removed.

It said that a comprehensive plan be prepared and implemented regarding preservation and maintenance of the Chandranageshwar Temple.

The bench has posted the matter for further monitoring and consideration of the compliance report in the second week of January 2021.

It noted that the temple committee is regulating the entry into the garbh griha' and during the COVID-19 pandemic, no access is permitted.

Of late, it is seen that unfortunately the performance of necessary rituals is the most neglected aspect in the temples, and new Poojaries do not understand them; the same should not be the state of affairs. There is no scope for commercialization, it said.

It said that the court cannot direct what kind of poojaarchana rituals should be performed.

(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.)
I was in class 9 and only fourteen years old when I realised how important sex education was during my biology class," says 26-year-old Priyanka*. Priyanka recalled that in the co-educational school that she went to boys in her class would often poke fun at their female classmates for carrying sanitary napkins.

Its as if they had no idea how womens bodies work. In high school biology, were taught about female and male reproductive organs. I remember how many would giggle and chuckle in class when the teacher taught us the chapter. Even today, many men I meet feel awkward talking about periods or female hygiene. Why? This would not happen if they received a gender-sensitive education," said Priyanka.

Sex education in India is still a hush-hush topic. Sigmund Freud, while explaining the multiple stages of psychosexual development in human beings, had said that sexuality in children is natural; for a child to be curious about sex and sexuality is normal. But not in India.

A few weeks ago, India released its new National Education Policy; the policy was being updated after more than three decades and some big changes were expected.

A single regulator for higher education institutions, multiple entries and exit options in degree courses, discontinuation of MPhil programmes, low stakes board exams, common entrance exams for universities are among the highlights of the NEP.

Yet, there was one major chapter missing - sex education.

According to T S Sathyanarayana Rao, a renowned psychiatrist, sex education is deemed unnecessary because people feel it comes naturally. Many think that sex comes to people naturally. They think it is unnecessary to be taught separately or for it to be included in the curriculum," he said.

Many tend to take the idea of sex education at face value. But heres the thing, sex education does not teach people how to have sex! On the contrary, these are some of the areas covered under sex education - gender identity, gender sensitivity, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual problems, a healthy way of sexual expression, consent and awareness about sexual abuse.

The main purpose of sex education is to educate children and young adults and equip them with the knowledge they require to navigate through their own sexuality and sexual relationships.

Men in India are not sensitised about womens issues. With no idea of how sexuality works, two individuals are forced into a room and expected to procreate. Without sex education, human beings fail to learn about how to respect the opposite gender. Of course, this leads to an increase in domestic violence," said Rao.

In India, over 100 children, both boys and girls, are sexually abused every day. And the number only seems to be increasing.

For long, the link between sexual violence and lack of sex education has been studied. A study published in the UK says that very few children receive adequate preparation for a functional and satisfactory sexual adult life. Detailed and informative discussion with adults about sexuality and matters related to sex is almost absent among adolescents when they need it the most.

This, in turn, leads to very conflicted notions about what sexuality is supposed to be and how one should express it. Consequently, repression of ones sexuality could lead to coercion, abuse and exploitation."

Rao explained that the major issue with sex education in India is the source of information. There is a clear gap in communication between children, who might have some very valid questions and their trusted guardians who might dismiss the question altogether or reprimand the child for even bringing it up.

Girls still get some information from their mothers, when they enter puberty or before their marriage. But boys dont have anyone. Instead, they get their information from their peers, who are just as clueless, and from the internet. More often than not, the information will be inaccurate leading to further problems," said Rao.

According to Rao, boys are more likely to open up to their teachers with whom they share a camaraderie. Since boys are more likely to speak to teachers, it is extremely important to train the teachers and equip them with at least basic information," he said.

Rao also explained that at least 50% Indians suffer from some form of sexual problems, but are completely unaware of it. Worse, they are ashamed to open up about it. Erectile dysfunction, which is the most common issue among Indian men, is easily curable. Yet, without proper information or awareness, thousands of men in India fail to do the needful.

Dr. Ranjan Bhonsle, a consultant in Sexual Medicine and counsellor, feels that the main reason why the National Education Policy chose to exclude sex education was because of a misconception surrounding the topic.

They think well teach them how to have sex," he said.

Years ago, the Maharashtra government had proposed to make sex education a part of the curriculum in schools. The order had been passed as well. But eventually, it never materialised because of a lack in infrastructure," recalled Bhonsle.

According to a 2008 report by Indian Express, then Education Minister of Maharashtra Vasant Purkhe had proposed to make sex education compulsory for students from Class 9. However, following a furore and severe opposition from other MLAs, the proposal was put on hold.

You see, even if the proposal had been passed, it would have been impossible to implement that in schools on the ground level. Who would teach the students? No teacher was comfortable talking about this to their students. Teachers need to be taught what to say, how to say it and how much to say," explained Bhonsle.

Bhonsle took it upon himself to open up a dialogue about birds and bees.

He told News18 that he had started an initiative to train educators who would volunteer to go to educational institutions and talk about sex education to students and teachers. One such educator he trained was Mithila Dalvi, who is a sex educator and counsellor.

Dalvi mainly works with parents and teachers. On being asked about their approach to the subject, she said, Teachers are a little apprehensive at first because they are not sure what this is. Parents are also a little reluctant in the beginning, but once they understand what it is, theyre all in. It is important to train teachers. That reduces stress and improves communication with students."

As per Bhonsles recommendation, sex education in schools and other educational institutions needs to be age-appropriate.

Nilima Achwal, who started an initiative Iesha Learning to deliver sex education to thousands of Indian students, agrees. Achwal, too, has a set of recommendations on what the Indian government should include as part of sex education and one of them is consent.

Teenagers need to learn that both love and friendship must be based on consent, not on pressure or fear, and are able to be critical about popular media portrayals of romantic relationships," Achwal said.

Its not very difficult to understand the need for educating children on consent in a country where one woman was raped every fifteen minutes in 2018, according to NCRB data.

Consent, in sex, refers to the agreement by involved parties to participate in sexual activity. Sex education goes beyond knowledge and awareness about sexuality, gender, teen pregnancies and so on - it also helps individuals navigate through healthy relationships. Everyone has urges, but many do not know how to channel it. If these urges get repressed, they can manifest in aggression and lead to more cases of rapes and sexual assault," explained Rao.

Swati*, a 27-year-old woman living in Kolkata, narrated an incident where she had to explain what consent" was to her ex-boyfriend during her college days. I was 20 and fresh into college. Like most healthy couples, my boyfriend and I had been intimate. But I was not ready to have sex. It took me quite a while to make him understand that it is absolutely normal for someone to not want to have sex; he used to think it was absurd. If hed attended sex education classes in school, maybe I wouldnt have had to explain what consent means to a 24-year-old," she said.

There is an inherent tendency to assume that sex education in schools might corrupt" young minds and lead them astray. A study shows that introducing the subject early on in a persons life had no effect whatsoever on when they begin to have sex; instead, it led to a healthier, safer and an overall positive sexual life in the long run.

It took more than thirty years to bring about a radical change in the Indian education system. It is 2020, why is it still so difficult to talk about sex and sexuality?

(*Some names have been changed to protect identities.)

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.
OSLO (Reuters) - It's cost him more than $1 billion and he's moved into a higher tax bracket, but hedge fund veteran Nicolai Tangen said on Tuesday he had no regrets about giving up his old job to manage Norway's oil fund.

Arriving by electric scooter on his first day, Tangen declined to say what might change as he took charge of the country's $1.2 trillion of national savings after months of public scrutiny of his private wealth and connections.

"I intend to tell you in due course, when I've sat down with the new management team," he told independent broadcaster TV2.

Tangen's appointment to manage Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which runs the world's largest sovereign wealth fund - owning 1.5% of globally listed stocks and vast portfolios of bonds and real estate - was announced in March.

News that he would become a civil servant in charge of NBIM while maintaining a 43% stake in London-based hedge fund AKO Capital, set off a political storm in Norway over potential conflict of interest.

Forced by parliament to choose between his life's work - AKO - and what he said was his dream job, Tangen last week agreed to donate his AKO stake to a charitable foundation, clearing the path to the oil fund position.

Tangen estimated the value of his forfeited hedge fund holdings at some 10 billion crowns (850.18 million pounds). He also agreed to sell off private investments, and said that left him with about 7 billion crowns in cash in personal bank accounts.

"I want to be CEO of the oil fund, and have only one objective: creating wealth for future generations," the 54-year-old said at the time.

His new job pays 6.65 million crowns ($760,000) a year and he is contracted to serve a five-year term, renewable once, and work the Norwegian standard of 37-1/2 hours per week.

While the salary is high compared with most public positions, Tangen will be paying far more in annual wealth tax after moving back to his native Norway from Britain.

Saving petroleum revenue for future generations, the fund owns stakes in 9,200 companies and has grown from nothing in 1996 to a value of around three times that of Norway's annual gross domestic product, or $217,000 for each Norwegian.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche and John Stonestreet)
(Natural News) Democrats in the Virginia Senate passed a bill lowering the penalty for assaulting pretty much everyone associated with maintaining law and order, including cops and judges.

(Article by John Nolte republished from Breitbart.com)

The Virginia Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would demote assaulting a police officer from a felony to a misdemeanor and would remove a mandatory jail sentence for the crime, Breitbart News reported last week.

You might not go to jail if you assault a cop in Virginia.

The bill has not yet been signed into law. But does anyone doubt Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA), a guy whos so enamored with the violent Democrat-created Ku Klux Klan he honored them in his college yearbook, is uncomfortable with political violence?

It gets worse

Its not just police officers on whom Virginia Democrats declared open season. It is law and order itself.

With my emphasis added, according to the bills own summary, it

Eliminates the mandatory minimum term of confinement for an assault and battery committed against a judge; magistrate; law-enforcement officer; correctional officer; person directly involved in the care, treatment, or supervision of inmates; firefighter; or volunteer firefighter or any emergency medical services personnel and provides that such crime can no longer be committed as a simple assault and must result in a bodily injury.

Democrats on a Virginia Senate Committee also voted down a bill outlawing CHOP zones, like the one in downtown Seattle, where a mob of Black Lives Matter and Antifa terrorists chased away the police and occupied a chunk of the city  a number of square blocks that are home to countless small businesses and hundreds of residential homes. So

It would appear Virginia Democrats have also declared open season on Virginias residents.

But back to the removing penalties for assaulting pretty much everyone associated with maintaining law and order in Virginia  judges, cops, firefighters, prison guards, wardens, and medical personnel  what does that mean must result in bodily injury?

The bill says as long as theres no bodily injury its not a felony.

So you can push and shove a judge, no problem?

You can spit on a cop, no problem?

You can throw human feces at firemen, no problem?

You can throw water balloons filled with urine at paramedics, no problem?

You can grab a prison guard, or even the warden, by the front of his shirt, pull him close, and lick his entire face, no problem?

No bodily injury in any of that, right?

Do you see whats happening here?

Virginia Democrats are literally paving the way to end to law and order.

Thats not hyperbole.

Making it a petty misdemeanor to assault the people who keep the peace, who put out our fires, who guard the prisoners, who preside over our courts, who save our lives, is a clear and deliberate act of encouraging assaults against the very people who maintain law and order  which is a clear and deliberate act of encouraging anarchy.

Once you essentially authorize, once you essentially say its okay to shove a judge around or to throw poop at a firefighter or put a police officer in a bear hug  Its over. Especially in this climate. A climate where 90 percent of the media and one of Americas two major political parties are firmly on the side of the domestic terrorists in Black Lives Matter and Antifa, the terrorists who are literally burning down our cities.

I think too many of us fail to grasp how serious this is.

The domestic terrorists are not just in the streets. Theyre all over the media, theyre all over the Democrat Party, and they hold positions of power in our government.

Countless Democrat-run cities are under siege because elected Democrats have sided with the terrorists. And elected Democrats are comfortable siding with the terrorists because billions of corporate dollars are being spent through the establishment media to give them cover.

It works like this

In order to keep the riots going, Democrat prosecutors have deliberately created a revolving door through their refusal to charge the terrorists. The rioters are released so they can go back to rioting. The message is obvious.

I promise you this is unprecedented. We have never seen this before in our country.

Democrat mayors and governors are choosing to not send in enough National Guard troops to calm the streets. Never in modern America has rioting lasted more than a few days. Wanna know why? Because eventually state and local governments took back control of the streets. If Democrats wanted to put an end to the ravaging of Seattle and Kenosha and elsewhere, they could. They are choosing not to because they want the rioting to continue.

I promise you this is unprecedented. We have never before seen this in our country.

And now you have Democrats in Virginia, in the middle of an unprecedented wave of riots where countless police officers have been attacked, passing a bill that is a deliberate call for more assaults and riots, a bill that encourages the terrorists to widen their assaults to prison guards, judges, firemen, and paramedics.

Whos next, the mailman?

Now ask yourself Whos the real target here?

Think about that.

If Virginia Democrats say it is basically okay to assault cops and firefighters and prison guards and judges, whos the real target?

You and I are.

Dont you understand that?

Cant you see that in order to get to us Democrats first have to get the people who protect us out of the way.

This is not a drill.

Prepare yourselves.

Prepare yourselves before its too late to prepare yourselves.

Read more at: Breitbart.com
United Nation: The main opposition challenger in Belarus' disputed presidential election, which has triggered mass protests, will address an informal meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday.

Estonia's UN ambassador, Sven Jurgenson, said on Tuesday that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to Lithuania under pressure from Belarus authorities, will speak to the UN's most powerful body at a meeting focusing on attacks on human rights in the former Soviet nation.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, former candidate for the Belarus presidential elections, will speak at a meeting of the UN Security Council. Credit:AP

Belarus' opposition has called the August 9 election that gave Alexander Lukashenko a sixth term as President rigged. The United States and European Union have criticised the vote as neither free nor fair and urged Belarusian authorities to begin a dialogue with the opposition.

Lukashenko, who has run the nation of 9.5 million people with an iron fist for 26 years, has dismissed opposition protesters as Western puppets and is pursuing a tough response to demonstrators. Over the weekend, he cracked down on independent media and his government has been jailing activists.
Fragments of bone from a human hand, arm and jaw were recovered from a box of ashes found in the home of a Cumberland County woman whose husband is accused of murdering her eight years ago, an FBI expert testified Tuesday morning.

Dr. Angi Christensen, a forensic anthropologist, told a county jury that other bone shards consistent with human origin, but which were too tiny to be positively identified also were in those ashes seized during an April 2012 police search of the Silver Spring Township house of Hap Seiders.

Numerous other bone fragments found among those ashes were from chickens, Christensen said.

The bone segments Christensen identified as human were only a few centimeters long. Five of those were from a hand, one was part of a forearm bone and another came from an upper right jaw, she said.

Another FBI expert, Lara Adams, said the charred bone pieces believed to be human did not yield DNA that would have identified the person to whom they belonged. The shards had been exposed to high heat which would have destroyed any DNA, Adams said.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Courtney Hair LaRue is contending that Hap Seiders, 66, killed his 53-year-old wife Rabihan in late March 2012 and then incinerated her body in the fireplace of the couples home on Willow Mill Park Road.

Defense attorney George Matangos has raised the theory that Rabihan might still be alive and that the native of the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan could have deliberately disappeared with $3 million of her husbands property, including a cache of gold coins.

The testimony of the FBI experts opened the fifth day of the homicide trial of Hap Seiders, who was arrested for his wifes murder in 2019.
SMU Office of Research & Tech Transfer - Four days before Singapore implemented its 'circuit breaker' to stem the spread of COVID-19 on April 7, SMU Associate Professor of Information Systems Rajesh Balan and NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Professor Michael Chee launched the Singapore Spacer project. The Singapore Spacer is a tool that uses Wi-Fi signal strength to identify places with high concentration of human traffic.

By creating software using the Perl language, Professor Balan was able to capture the Wi-Fi signals from the thousands of mobile devices across the NUS campus, thereby solving a problem Professor Chee had fretted over at the start of 2020.

"I thought about pre-symptomatic transmission in March before the data emerged [and] I envisaged a crowd detecting system that could passively and anonymously collect information about people concentration," Professor Chee tells the Office of Research and Tech Transfer.

He had been thinking about what a colleague, Professor Wang Linfa at the Duke-NUS Medical School, had told him following a trip to China in January. Professor Wang, who led research in identifying bats as the natural host of the SARS virus back in 2003, had warned about a disease that was less lethal than SARS "but would spread more widely".

"I contacted someone I knew and he suggested I speak to Rajesh. We assembled a team of people who were complete strangers in a very short time and created a system in NUS to map people density."

COVID-19 in schools and the commercial space(r)

The system aggregates and maps over time when and where people congregate, which helps inform decision-makers on the effectiveness of policies: "When lecture halls effectively shut as a result of the implementation of e-learning, are students amassing at some other location?"

"What we are trying to do is help our universities who are facing the same problem, which is 'How will we provide safe environments for our students?'" explains Professor Balan. "Through systems like this, we will provide insights as to how the spaces are being used, how social distancing is being maintained, where people are going, and whether the flow of people is effective."

"I'm supplying the technology for this project while Michael focuses on the engagement with end users, insights, policies, and access to key people. It works well."

Professor Balan had been working on the Perl scripts gratis until July when he applied for and was awarded a grant under the National Research Foundation (NRF) Central Gap Fund. Essentially a proof-of-concept (POC) grant, Professor Balan will run the project for two months until September as the first step towards commercialising the underlying technology.

"NRF has decided that this project has the opportunity to produce something tangible in two months that will be of use country-wide. That's why they awarded us the grant."

Beyond tracking people - anonymously - for the purpose of restricting disease spread, the underlying technology can be applied to any situation involving large numbers of people. Professor Balan points out that malls, hospitals, and F&B establishments can use the technology so long as the purpose is identified, be it crowd control, traffic flow, or something else.

As Institutes of Higher Learning have recently started Academic Year 2020/21, Professor Balan is collecting data to iron out the kinks in the system to achieve dual goals: provide insights to improve social distancing measures, and create a more robust product for commercialisation.

"We are building it so that we can show that it's actually useful, and that will be proven once the school semester is out," he observes. "We'll demonstrate it at SMU and NUS and maybe someone will show interest.

"We're going to use the grant money and harden some of the prototypes. It's not really commercially ready yet. This is an opportunity to come up with some improvements."

Unusual beginnings

While the project could prove to be an invaluable social distancing and crowd management tool beyond COVID-19, its genesis was atypical of the projects that constitute the bulk of academic research.

"Usually projects come about because somebody has a great research idea, or they have a paper they want to publish, et cetera," observes Professor Balan. "This came out without talk of papers or anything like that. This was about knowing something needs to be done, and we have the opportunity to do something."

"This was not a 'research project' as such," offers Professor Chee, echoing Professor Balan. "The idea from the start was how to help people by reducing risk of transmission by social distancing.

"The project was an excellent illustration of how a technically and logistically complicated project could be pulled off by strangers with different skill sets working together for a common goal. I think this speaks volumes about the ability of Singaporeans to get together to solve challenges. I personally was encouraged by the level of co-operation and camaraderie experienced when the project was most active."

###
Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS is a hormonal disorder that occurs due to an excess of male hormones in the female body, which causes the ovaries to not function properly. With a global prevalence of 6-20 percent - and Indian prevalence of 9.13 percent to 22.5 percent according to the National Health Portal - PCOS is also the most common cause of infertility among women.

Many studies have shown that women with PCOS have more difficulties getting pregnant and have a higher incidence of miscarriages, apart from other health issues like hirsutism, acne, obesity and diabetes. A new study published in the journal Human Reproduction is the first to show that children born to women with PCOS may be at an increased risk of developing a wide range of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.

The study, conducted by researchers in Sweden, China and Finland, found that such increased risks existed not only for babies born to mothers with PCOS but also that these risks were further increased if the mother also had complications like obesity, gestational diabetes, caesarean delivery and others.

Maternal PCOS and psychiatric disorders in offspring

The largest of its kind, this study included over a million babies born in Finland between 1996 and 2014. Data of 24,682 children born to mothers with PCOS and 1,073,071 children born to mothers without PCOS was collected. All children were then followed up with until 31 December 2018, which is roughly till the time the kids turned 22 years old.

Stratified analyses were performed on all data to test the independent role of PCOS, as well as the joint effects of PCOS with maternal obesity, perinatal problems, caesarean delivery, gestational diabetes, use of fertility treatments, etc. The analyses were also adjusted for factors like maternal age, smoking, psychiatric disorders, use of drugs during pregnancy and systemic inflammatory diseases wherever applicable.

Higher prevalence of mental health issues

During the follow-up period, the researchers reportedly found that of the total 1,097,753 children included in the study, 9.8% were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental or psychiatric disorder. The risk of being diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder was reportedly 1.3 times higher among children born to mothers with PCOS. Among these children, the following disorders had a higher prevalence:

Sleep disorders - 1.5 times increased prevalence

ADHD, conduct and tic disorders - 1.4 times increased prevalence

Intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders - 1.4 times increased prevalence

Developmental and eating disorders - nearly 1.4 times increased prevalence

Anxiety disorders - 1.3 times increased prevalence

Mood disorders - nearly 1.3 times increased prevalence

Other behavioural and emotional disorders - nearly 1.5 times increased prevalence

Severe obesity among mothers with PCOS was observed to be a huge contributing factor to psychiatric disorder prevalence in the children and perinatal complications - particularly gestational diabetes and caesarean delivery - increased the risk of this prevalence by 1.7 times.

These findings indicate that healthcare providers across the world have to understand that children born to mothers with PCOS are at a higher risk of mental health problems, and are in need of psychological support and mental health follow-ups for longer periods of time. This also underlines the need for proper counselling for women with PCOS so that they are aware of the risks involved and have the resources and foreknowledge to monitor their offsprings mental health better.

For more information, read our article on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.
LONDON and DALLAS, September 1, 2020  Thomson Reuters today announced an expansion of its alliance with KPMG in the UK, which will become an implementation partner for the Thomson Reuters HighQ platform for corporate legal departments. This alliance aligns Thomson Reuters leading legal technology and knowledge with KPMGs expertise in delivering legal solutions, providing customers with enhanced capabilities that will generate more efficiencies, lower costs, improve accuracy and reduce risk.

HighQ is the leading cloud-based platform for business collaboration, workflow automation and client engagement in the legal and regulatory market, acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2019 to expand its software offering and to meet the growing technology needs of legal professionals. Through its Legal Technology team, KPMG will use its multi-disciplinary professional, consulting and technical services to configure the HighQ platform for corporate legal departments.

This relationship brings together two leaders in the legal space, said Carol Fox, general manager, Global Accounting Firms, Corporates at Thomson Reuters. We will provide the technology and technical implementation of HighQ, and KPMG will offer customization around this technology to help drive the digital transformation programs within in-house legal teams.

Increasingly, legal departments are being asked to do more with less. According to the recent edition of the Thomson Reuters Legal Tracker Legal Department Operations (LDO) Index Report, 70 percent of departments said that using technology to automate and reduce manual work is a high priority and 51 percent of departments increased the number of technology tools utilized in the last 12 months.

In-house legal departments continue to face the pressures of an ever-increasing workload, and they are exploring ways in which technology can have a positive impact on these pressures, said Nick Roome, partner and head of KPMG Law in the UK. We are heavy users of HighQ and have some of the best technology architects in the world. This alliance with Thomson Reuters allows us to further leverage the advantage of that for the benefit of our respective clients.

HighQs software platform is flexible, user-friendly and integrates with other leading-edge technology, allowing legal professionals and in-house corporate legal departments to collaborate on projects, matters and transactions to provide a seamless user experience.

At KPMG, we use the HighQ platform to power client-facing legal technology products and services, said James Thomas, head of Legal Technology & Innovation at KPMG Law. We have built a team with significant technical and commercial expertise, which allows us to bring market-leading configuration and customization services to in-house legal teams.

This alliance expands on the successful partnership between the two companies. In the tax space, KPMG has been designated Diamond Tier status for Thomson Reuters ONESOURCE Certified Implementer Program, with the firm previously recognised as Thomson Reuters Taxologist of the Year for the same program in 2017.

Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is a leading provider of business information services. Our products include highly specialized information-enabled software and tools for legal, tax, accounting and compliance professionals combined with the worlds most global news service  Reuters. For more information on Thomson Reuters, visit tr.com and for the latest world news, reuters.com.

KPMG in the UK

KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, operates from 21 offices across the UK with approximately 17,600 partners and staff. The UK firm recorded a revenue of 2.40 billion in the year ended 30 September 2019. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax, Legal and Advisory services. It operates in 154 countries and has 200,000 professionals working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.

About KPMG Law

KPMG Law provides clients with legal business solutions by combining strong legal capabilities with insight and expertise from across KPMG  its about the value to clients of legal plus tax, accounting, consulting and deal advisory. Enabled by technology and with global scale, we seamlessly support clients in 80 countries with more than 2,700 legal professionals. Visit the website.

CONTACTS

Thomson Reuters

Tina Allen

+44(0) 207 542 3789

tina.allen@tr.com

Mark D. Harrop

+1 347 803 5575

mark.harrop@thomsonreuters.com

KPMG LLP

Helen Jackson

+44(0) 790 111 5649

helen.jackson@kpmg.co.uk
A summer like no other is fading into fall.

There is a cool bite to the morning, an earlier twilight in the evening, and you wonder whether the fallen dominoes of pandemic-disrupted events over the past few months somehow made the days go faster.

Next Monday is Labour Day and it, too, will be mutated because of the coronavirus. Rather than unionists marching by foot, a caravan of vehicles will gather in the city hall parking lot and travel east on Main Street, before heading up Centennial Parkway to end up at the Starlite Drive-in on Green Mountain Road.

But even with a vastly different format, the Hamilton and District Labour Council parade will still serve as an annual reminder about the key role the city has played in union history.

To better understand this, I reached out to two prominent labour experts  McMaster Universitys Wayne Lewchuk and York Universitys Craig Heron.

Both say that Hamilton was a major battleground for workers rights in Canada and each believe there were three pivotal events in the city  the 1872 Nine Hour March, the 1906 HSR strike and the 1946 Stelco strike  that changed the course of local history.

THE NINE HOUR MARCH

WHEN: May 15, 1872

WHAT: Industrial workers in the mid-1800s were expected to work 10 to 12 hours a day, usually six days per week. And Hamilton became the epicentre to press for better working conditions in a campaign known as the Nine Hour Movement. In 1872, rotating strikes were scheduled in different Ontario cities, with Hamiltons taking place on May 15.

More than 1,500 workers at various workplaces walked off the job and took to the streets of Hamilton. They were led by a machinist named James Ryan in a peaceful protest that ended up at the Crystal Palace grounds on King Street West where Victoria Park is today.

IMPORTANCE: The goal of a reduced workday was not achieved in the immediate aftermath. But Heron says it was the first time that individual unions had come together for a big cause for all workers ... In terms of Canadian history and working class history, that was a big moment for working people. Out of the fray, John A. Macdonalds government passed the Trade Unions Act laying the groundwork for unions of the future. Lewchuk says, It led to the legalization of unions and it started right here in Hamilton. It was an important moment in our history. Some argue that Nine Hour protests inspired Labour Day being declared a national holiday in Canada in 1894.

HSR TRANSIT STRIKE

WHEN: November, 1906

WHAT: The most violent strike in Hamiltons history began on Nov. 5, 1906, with HSR managers determined to keep the system running. But strikers fought back with escalating violence that saw streetcars and other transit property severely damaged. Then on Nov. 24, the citys mayor and sheriff read the riot act from the steps of City Hall on James Street North, unleashing a force of 15 officers and 162 cavalry members with swinging clubs and fixed bayonets into the crowd. Scores of people were injured and 32 people were arrested. Amazingly, no one was killed.

IMPORTANCE: Heron says it was violent and vicious and it backfired on the company. Calling in the military, he says, was like Donald Trump did in the U.S. during the George Floyd protests. There public support for the transit strikers, Heron says, because the HSR was not popular because of poor service. In the end, the strikers got most of what they wanted. Another outcome was that one of the strike leaders rode the wave of public support to win a provincial byelection in Hamilton East later that year. Allan Studholme became the first Labour MLA in the Ontario legislature and served for 13 years at Queens Park until his death in 1919.

STELCO STRIKE

WHEN: July to October 1946.

WHAT: Thousands of Stelco steelworkers walked off the job on July 15, 1946 demanding wage increases, a 40-hour work week and recognition of their union, the United Steelworkers of America, Local 1005. For 81 days, a bitter strike tore the city apart with major clashes between strikers and replacement workers. Virtually everyone in the city was either directly caught up in the struggle or closely knew someone who was.

IMPORTANCE: The strike was an epic battle that pitted a management that wanted to break the union against workers who refused to return to working conditions that existed before the Second World War. It was part of a wider working class revolt in Hamilton and elsewhere to determine what the post-war world was going to look like. Stelco was one of the big strikes that everyone was watching, says Heron.

Union members at Westinghouse, Firestone, The Spectator also took to the streets reaching a point that nearly 20 per cent of the citys industrial workforce was off the job.

Post script

After last weeks column about Bayfront Park, and its transition from the contaminated mess known as the Lax Lands, a couple of readers emailed me with an amusing piece of information.

It seems that after the city took over the land in the 1980s  before it was cleaned up to be turned into a park in 1993  the property was temporarily dubbed the Ex-Lax Lands.

I guess there must have been some relief when they purged themselves of that name.
Uzbek state television has launched an attack on feminism and homosexuality, saying they don't belong in the predominantly Muslim Central Asian country.

In the 90-minute live program known as Munosabat (Attitude), the station -- which serves as a mouthpiece for the government -- targeted a social-media flash mob held by young Uzbek women who were protesting violence against women and domestic abuse.



The flash mob was organized in July after a 17-year-old girl was physically assaulted by a man as she walked her dog in a Ferghana city park. Police are investigating the incident.



The program's presenter, Quddus Azamov, and six guests -- three of them from the Defense Ministry -- failed to condemn the attack on the girl. Instead, they criticized the slogans used by the flash mob and the Western-style clothes worn by the women in it, unanimously describing them as a "shameful" display.



The women in the flash mob posted photos on social media of themselves holding banners with slogans such as "A Woman isn't an incubator"; "My body, my own business"; "A daughter-in-law is not a maid"; and "My shorts aren't an invitation to catcall."

The guests on the TV program were infuriated by the slogans, calling them a dangerous trend that leads to women not wanting to have children or respect their in-laws.



In traditional Uzbek families, new daughters-in-law are expected to do most of the family's housework and to bear children.



"The women should see it as being a maid of their own future...because they set an example for their own children," said Omonbek Botayorov, the head of the Defense Ministry's Department for Spirituality and Enlightenment and a guest on the program.



Fellow guest Jamila Shermuhammedova from the Marifat (Enlightenment) society said feminism was being taken to a new level that will ultimately undermine the man's traditional role in the family.



Some Uzbek women "no longer want to breastfeed their babies" and "even hire babysitters" instead of raising their children themselves, she said.



Shermuhammedova and others criticized the women for holding banners written in Russian as yet another sign of young Uzbeks' disrespect for their own mother tongue and culture in general.



They also agreed that one banner -- "My body, my own business" -- literally meant "selling one's body" and therefore promoted prostitution.



How To Spot Homosexuals



While the main focus of the program was to attack the flash mob, the guests also warned against the dangers of same-sex marriages and gender-reassignment surgery, with some transgender people "having already come to Russia."

They urged young Uzbeks not to fall under the influence of homosexuals and to not copy -- intentionally or inadvertently  "gay people's fashion."



According to the TV guests, gay men display styles that signal their sexual orientation. For example, they wear very short or no socks and shave the hair on their temples. "This is how gay people in Europe recognize each other," said Mansur Musaev, an official from the Department of Spirituality and Enlightenment.



Shermuhammedova boasted that she had once shamed two young Uzbek twins who had such a hairstyle. She said she stopped them -- complete strangers -- on the street and asked if they knew "what their hairstyles meant."



Program host Azamov, meanwhile, said he found it difficult to "even pronounce the dirty word 'lesbian.'"



'Fight Before It's Too Late'



The TV guests suggested taking certain measures to fight the threats of the cultural and spiritual "virus" that they claimed were more dangerous to Uzbekistan than the COVID-19 pandemic.



The flash mob and feminist campaigns were organized by certain forces from abroad, the guests insisted. "There are invisible, powerful forces behind it," they warned, without naming any person, group, or country.



Shermuhammedova and Botayorov repeatedly spoke about the need to adopt an unspecified "law" to fight these threats to Uzbek society, mentality, and moral values. Shermuhammedova also called for the "monitoring of families" to ensure parents are meeting their responsibilities in raising their children.



They all said that it was a "historic moment" to fight these threats before they ultimately destroy society. "If we don't stop it, our future will be ruined. Our children will no longer listen to us, they will tell us, 'I'm a grown-up person now,'" veteran actor Yodgor Sadiev said.



"We still have time," he said. "We must preserve our Uzbek traditions, our nation's wisdom."

While the Munosabat program resulted in some angry criticism on social media sites, it appears that the majority of Uzbeks remain wary of the "cultural influence" of the West.



Uzbek society remains very strictly family-oriented, with traditional, well-defined roles for men and women.



Uzbek women enjoy equal rights to work and study, but at home are expected to adhere to their traditional role of obeying their husbands and in-laws, doing housework, and taking care of the children.



In Uzbekistan, homosexuality among men is still defined in the legal code as a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison.



Same-sex relations among women are not mentioned in the law.
Melania Trump announced on Tuesday that public tours of the White House will resume next Saturday with face coverings and social distancing required.

That is in marked contrast to President Donald Trump's acceptance speech to the Republican National Convention last Thursday when nearly 2,000 people crowded the South Lawn of the White House with little social distancing, few face masks and few COVID tests administered.

Tours of the state rooms of the White House will begin on Saturday, September 12, and the number of people able to take them cut down drastically.

Melania Trump announced public tours of the White House will resume on Saturday, September 12, with face masks and social distancing required; above the first lady is seen in front of the White House last week to announce an exhibit on the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment

The resumed White House tours will run at 18 per cent capacity and only two days a week

Not all tours have resumed at popular tourist destinations in the nation's capitol - the U.S. Capitol building, for example, remains closed to the public.

Additional safety measures were announced by the first lady's office - which oversees tours - to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus during the White House tours.

Tours will be hosted two days a week instead of five, on Friday and Saturday, from 8:00AM to 11:00AM.

Number of guests is limited to 18% of normal capacity.

All guests (ages 2 years and over) are required to wear a face covering and practice social distancing during their visit to the White House complex.

Social distancing dots will be placed on the ground for guests during the check-in process.

National Park Service, U.S. Secret Service Officers, and Visitors Office staff working the tour route will wear face coverings, gloves, and encourage social distancing when engaging with guests on complex.

Hand sanitizer will be available in multiple locations.

Melania Trump was early to embrace the recommended restrictions to help combat the pandemic.

She encouraged people to wear face masks and was photographer wearing one. She also had her staff and the staff she oversees - including those in the White House residence - wear masks and work from home when possible.

Her announcement about the tours comes after the president's speech last week, which the first lady attended, where few of the guests were seen sporting face masks and were crowded together on the White House lawn.

Row after row of white folding chairs were set up on the south lawn with a bottle of water with a red elephant logo on the seats. The chairs were only inches apart.

Row after row of white folding chairs were set up on the South Lawn, with no social distancing during President Trump's speech to the Republican National Convention last week

Very few guests in the crowd of nearly 2,000 people wore face masks to hear the president's remarks

Melania Trump was on hand last Thursday to listen to the president accept the Republican nomination for a second term

The first lady was early to encourage people to wear face masks, posting to social media

Guests on the South Lawn last week take photos of the firework show that took place to celebrate Trump's renomination

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said a 'number' of people at the invitation-only event would be tested, which he said was 'pretty safe' given the 'circumstances.'

'There are a number of folks that'll be tested. A number of folks that'll be encouraged to wear masks. And to that extent, I think it's a pretty safe environment given the circumstances,' he told reporters at the White House on Thursday evening before the event.

Asked whether that means some, but not all, attendees will be tested, Meadows replied: 'I didn't say that. ... I chose my words carefully.'

Washington D.C. limits gatherings to 50 people but, because the White House is the property of the federal government, it is not subject to those restrictions.
Bengaluru: Violent protests broke out in eastern Bengaluru late on Tuesday night over a "derogatory message' posted by a politician's relative on social media. A mob gathered outside Congress legislator Akanda Srinivas Murthy's house where they shout Image Source: IANS News

B'luru riots at breakneck speed, within 3 hours of FB post: Police Image Source: IANS News

Bengaluru, Sep 1 : The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru police has raided three offices of Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in the city as part of the investigation into the recent riots, an official said on Tuesday.

CCB carried out the raids in DJ Halli, KG Halli and Halasuru Gate offices of SDPI.

"The Crime Branch obtained a search warrant in the riots case and three teams raided SDPI offices in KG Halli, DJ Halli and Halasuru Gate," said an official.

The raids are a follow up action of Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai's statement that the investigation will go deeper.

Already, 400 people have been arrested in the case.

On August 11, hundreds of people ran amok after P. Naveen, nephew of Pulikeshinagar Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, posted a derogatory message on social media.

Police resorted to firing to control the mobs, leading to the death of three youths.

The rioters burnt a part of DJ Halli police station, Naveen's home and also his uncle Murthy's home.

The mobs pelted stones, injuring 60 policemen, and committed acts of vandalism and arson.

More than 200 two-wheelers and several cars were set ablaze during the riots.
Your organizations culture is the core of the employee experience. While many try to define it on paper, it takes real effort from leadership as well as buy-in from employees to transform your idea of culture into reality. Your physical building, as well as the way your workplace extends into remote settings, is a reflection of your culture, and the decisions you make can support or contradict your messaging. This is the way that you demonstrate your support for your employees and empower them to carry out your mission.

Cultural buy-in not only engages employees, it can also function as a powerful recruiting and engagement tool when they share it beyond the workplace. And during this pandemic especially, your culture is what ties your team together and keeps them connected in spite of physical separation.

Our recent workplace research with data from more than 1,200 credit union employees, featured in our recent whitepaper and upcoming webinar A Study of Credit Union Workplaces and the Future of Work, reveals a disconnect between cultural ideals and how they are reflected in the workplace.

Pride in ones workplace is a reflection of a strong culture that is reflected in the working environment. Yet only 55% of employees are proud of their workplaces, and only 56% feel that their workplace contributes to a sense of community.
By Express News Service

Drama, theatre or acting never crossed her mind, says actor Reba Monica John, adding that destiny, however, had other plans. Since her entry into the tinsel town, she has established herself intwo languages and is now all set to make her mark in Kannada. The self-confessed true blue Bengaluru hudugi had been part of a reality show, and the face of popular commercial ads, before her film career took off with a Malayalam film, Jacobinte Swargarajyam in which she starred opposite Nivin Pauly. She later made her mark in Tamil films as well.

Reba came to limelight with Tamil actor Vijays latest film, Bigil, and is now geared up to get noticed in Sandalwood too. While her Kannada debut with Jacob Vergheses directorial Sakalakala Vallabha, starring Rishi, is yet to see its release, Reba has bagged her second Kannada project  Ratnan Prapancha. The film, directed by Rohit Padaki, is the first production venture of KRG Studios. It has her paired opposite actor Dhananjay. An official announcement about the project took place at the films mahurat on Aug. 31.

Reba, who is happy to have her foot in more than one Indian film industry, is looking forward to gaining the spotlight here too. I am very academically oriented, and my main aim was always to get good grades. I used to dance and sing, and had good leadership qualities, but the film world was never on my mind. However, I took a chance when I got an offer opposite Nivin Pauly at a time when the actor was at his peak, after his Premam had released.

I wanted to give it a shot. If it hadnt worked, I always had a backup, because I had my Masters degree. But right now the story is different. It has been a lovely journey. With time, I have also realised that I have talent. I also work hard because, in the end, all that matters is good work. Moreover, irrespective of the language I speak at home, I am glad to establish myself in three different regions, says Reba, who is also in talks for a Telugu film.

She was drawn towards Ratnan Prapancha, jointly produced by Karthik Gowda and Yogi G Raj, when the first look-poster caught her attention, and that happened even before she was approached for the project. I just loved the look, and I felt the poster had a story, which was intriguing. Call it a coincidence, but I was approached by the team for the same project, and after a few rounds of discussions, it was finalised, says Reba, adding that a couple of factors made her accept the film.

Ratnan Prapancha doesnt come with a cliched story, or with typical characters. Moreover, the film directed by Rohit Padaki is backed by a good production house, and a brilliant technical team (music director B Ajaneesh Lokanath, and cinematographer Sreesha Kuduvalli). I looked at these while choosing any project, and I am glad to have made a good choice, where everything fit the bill, she says.
It was truly heartbreaking to hear of the death of Black Panther and biopic star Chadwick Boseman. Not just because he famously played the first black superhero to get his own standalone film, but also because the 43-year old spent four years suffering with colon cancer.

As I scrolled through the communal outpouring of tweets and Instagram posts that now come to symbolise a celebrity death, I noticed that well-worn military cliches  such as fight and battle  were most commonly used to describe Bosemans life with the disease.

While its great that social media has really opened up the dialogue around death and dying, I long for the day well-wishers stop the war talk around cancer.

I received 18 months of cancer treatment during my twenties. Amid the long weeks of pain, nausea and daytime TV, Id inevitably see motivational stories about the warriors and heroes who had courageously fought the disease.

But despite the good intentions, this army-inspired language made me feel worse than ever. Im not a fighter. In fact, I wont even attend boxercise at the local gym  as its too aggressive for me. Instead, it meant that I felt guilty for feeling scared and embarrassed about my anxiety.

I was relieved to discover Im not the only person to feel this way. Last year, a Macmillan survey showed that many patients dislike the fighting cliches used to describe cancer  with 44 per cent of respondents disempowered by the phrase lost their battle.

These warlike descriptions increase the pressure on cancer patients to act or feel a certain way, with many of us feeling were letting people down if we cant stay permanently positive, or even worrying we dont have what it takes to return to health.

And while I wasnt offended by well-intended comments, they inadvertently made me feel more alone  as if none of my family and friends actually knew how I felt.

I hated being told I was brave, as I was absolutely terrified of dying, and it was all I could think about. I found the phrase you can fight this to be complete rubbish  thats not how disease works. If survival was just about fighting, then wed all survive. Thats why I prefer to use factual words to describe people with cancer, their diagnosis, treatment and the subsequent outcomes.

I spoke to Jessica French, an oncology psychotherapist from Devon. Shes worked closely with cancer patients and their families for over a decade, and she told me: Its important not to make assumptions about a persons cancer experience, as statements  such as youre so brave and you can fight this  can upset and anger people. After all, getting cancer wasnt a choice they actively made.

She explained that many people feel more frightened than courageous and that such statements can inadvertently minimise emotions  such as fear or anxiety. Theres nothing wrong with not feeling brave, she said.

I feel that as a society, we dont discuss cancer and death nearly enough  and this means we unintentionally say some pretty awful things to sick people and bereaved relatives.

With the support of our government and NHS, there really needs to be a national conversation around these taboo topics, so we can better support cancer patients and their loved ones.

Julie Parker, the CEO of Penhaligons Friends  a Cornwall-based childrens bereavement charity  told me: Talking openly and honestly about death and dying can aid our emotional wellbeing  as it encourages us to discuss our feelings, and may take away some of the fear and avoidance often associated with death.

We can promote this dialogue nationally by holding death cafes, where people gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death  thus learning how to support people affected by terminal illness, and also prepare for their own.

Our government should also invest in public awareness campaigns, and better education in schools  it would ultimately mean we become better at discussing cancer, illness and death, and stop shying away from these conversations in fear of saying the wrong thing.

And when it comes to the fight talk surrounding cancer, its important to remember that though many people recover from the disease, others are learning to live with it instead  in many cases it may be more of a process of acceptance, rather than winning a fight.
WILMINGTON, Del., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Intercollegiate Studies Institute's Board of Trustees announced that John A. Burtka IV has been appointed as ISI's new President.

ISI Chairman of the Board Thomas Lynch said: "Johnny Burtka is a proven leader in the conservative intellectual movement. An ISI alumnus and a Hillsdale College graduate, Johnny has been a tireless advocate for the people and ideas that ISI holds dear. I have every confidence that Johnny will be an outstanding leader of ISI, and the entire Board looks forward to working alongside him."

Johnny Burtka is the new president of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute

Burtka returns to ISI after four years at The American Conservative magazine, where he served as Executive Director and Acting Editor. He graduated from Hillsdale College with degrees in French and Christian Studies and earned a graduate degree in theology from La Faculte Jean Calvin in Aix-en-Provence, France. He was a Lincoln Fellow at the Claremont Institute in 2018. He has appeared on Fox News and Fox Business and written for the Washington Post, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, First Things, the American Mind, and the Intercollegiate Review, among others. Previously, he participated in academic fellowships at Washington College and the Trinity Forum.

Burtka succeeds Charlie Copeland, who became President of ISI in November 2016. "Charlie leaves ISI after nearly a decade of service to ISI as a Board member and most recently as President," Lynch said. "The Board is thankful for all his contributions in support of ISI's mission to advance the principles and virtues of a free society."

Johnny Burtka said: "I am honored by the opportunity to become the eighth President in ISI's 67-year history. Simply put, ISI is the Oxford of American conservatism. It's the place where conservative students, alumni, and thought leaders go to do their thinking about the most pressing challenges of the day. As cancel culture and identity politics consume mainstream discourse on campuses and in the media, ISI keeps the flame of memory alive in a revolutionary age. By educating students in the principles of ordered liberty, ISI is ensuring that future generations of American leaders embody the best traditions of Western thought and culture. I couldn't be more thrilled to help build on the important work that the ISI team is doing to defend American institutions and ideals."

Burtka will become ISI's President on September 21.

ABOUT THE INTERCOLLEGIATE STUDIES INSTITUTE

Too many college students feel isolated or attacked for questioning the ever-narrowing range of debate on campus. ISI introduces them to the American tradition of liberty and to a vibrant community of students and scholars. ISI students get an education and a community they don't find at their universities. And in the process they become articulate voices for the principles that made America free and prosperous. ISI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, visit isi.org.

To interview Johnny Burtka, please contact Jed Donahue at [email protected] or 302-524-6165.

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The Canadian Transportation Agency says it has received more than 8,000 complaints about airlines since mid-March, an unprecedented figure for the five-and-a-half-month period that has created a massive backlog, delaying the watchdog's response time.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A plane is silhouetted as it takes off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Monday, May 13, 2019. The Canadian Transportation Agency says it has received more than 8,000 complaints about airlines since mid-March, an unprecedented figure for the five-and-a-half-month period. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

The Canadian Transportation Agency says it has received more than 8,000 complaints about airlines since mid-March, an unprecedented figure for the five-and-a-half-month period that has created a massive backlog, delaying the watchdog's response time.

The number exceeds the total complaints from the entire 2018-19 fiscal year and comes amid a prolonged customer backlash over a move by airlines to offer flight credit or vouchers rather than refunds for most trips cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Given that we are in the process of reviewing those complaints, it is not possible to identify specific issues raised in these complaints or to provide any kind of breakdown at this time. However, we expect a portion of these will relate to vouchers and refunds," the agency said in an email providing the figures to The Canadian Press.

The surge in complaints lines up directly with a more than 90 per cent plunge in passenger volume at Canadian carriers, suggesting reimbursements or flight cancellations rather than in-flight experiences play a prominent role.

Since March, Canadian airlines have typically offered flight credit valid for two years after they cancel a trip, leaving many customers concerned they will not feel comfortable flying for health or financial reasons within that time.

Passengers have filed a handful of proposed class-action lawsuits and three petitions garnering more than 109,000 signatures that call for customer reimbursement.

The deluge of complaints to the Canadian Transportation Agency has led to delays in handling them, the agency said Tuesday in a statement.

It is working as efficiently as possible, the agency said, but the backlog is such that cases received prior to the pandemic's start on March 11 are still being processed.

In contrast to Canadian authorities, the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Transportation have required airlines to refund passengers for cancelled flights. The U.S. and European countries including France and Germany have also offered billions in financial relief to struggling carriers. Ottawa has provided no industry-specific bailout to airlines.

The pandemic has devastated the airline industry, with billions of dollars in losses for Canadian carriers amid grounded flights and tight international borders.

Canadian airline revenues in 2020 will fall by $14.6 billion or 43 per cent from last year, according to estimates in May from the International Air Transport Association.

The complaints span mid-March  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a travel advisory on March 13 warning Canadians against trips abroad  to Aug. 26.

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The agency did not specify an exact number of complaints.

CTA chairman Scott Streiner said in a June the agency was set to receive additional funding and would hire 34 new staff to its current team of 50 dealing with air travel complaints.

It had also streamlined its complaints process earlier in the year, introducing a more user-friendly complaint form online along with increased automation.

The agency initially suspended adjudications on air travel complaints to allow airlines to concentrate their resources on a pandemic response, but hearings resumed in early July.

Streiner said in June that customers are entitled to refunds where stipulated in the contract of carriage or "tariff" but identified "ambiguity" in the contracts as an issue.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2020.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 1

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter To Nguyen Phu Trong, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

"Dear Mister President,

I convey my sincerest congratulations to you and your entire people on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of independence of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The relations between Azerbaijan and Vietnam enjoy rich history and good traditions. Our expanding political, economic, and cultural bonds, mutually beneficial cooperation are among those factors that ensure the dynamic development of our bilateral ties.

I believe that the current high level of our interstate relations will be a strong foundation for further broadening our cooperation in all areas.

On this pleasant day, I wish you good health, happiness, success in your work, and everlasting prosperity and welfare to the friendly people of Vietnam," the head of state wrote.
Members of the public and organisations across Northern Ireland are being asked for their views on the relocation of Ulster Universitys School of Health Sciences, as the consultation re-opens.

These courses could potentially add hundreds of additional students to the Magee campus.

They include physiotherapy, radiography, occupational therapy, podiatry and speech & language therapy.

Now that the medical school has been approved and the school of nursing is based at Magee, it is believed that these courses would be complementary.

In February 2020, Ulster University launched a public consultation on the future location of its School of Health Sciences. The consultation was paused in April when the University reviewed its decision to conduct a full Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA).

The augmented consultation will re-open on 1st September, with the EQIA open for 12 weeks until 24th November and the location consultation running concurrently, but remaining open for a further two weeks, closing on 6th December.

The Health Sciences appraisal document identifies the Magee as the preferred option for undergraduate courses.

It says: "Based on the evidence gathered and presented, the Magee option maximises subject alignment and synergies,

bolstering the potential for interprofessional learning.

"The Magee campus will be the location of the School of Medicine, now recruiting staff and students for 2021 opening following NI Executive approval and ring-fenced funding, and successful progression through the next steps of the General Medical Councils (GMC) rigorous quality assurance process for new medical schools.

"It is also home for the delivery of undergraduate nursing. Such a mix of disciplines creates the opportunity not only for an

enriched student experience, but also provides the basis for educational interventions designed to enhance clinical outcomes.

"The use of shared infrastructure also provides opportunities and efficiencies across Schools allowing for investment in high-end equipment which will have a positive impact on the quality of the student learning experience and provide staff with the very best teaching equipment.

"This option has the potential to achieve campus sustainability by maximising capital investment in Magee, particularly, with the establishment of the Graduate Entry Medical School .

"This is particularly pertinent given recent pronouncements from Northern Irish politicians in support of the GEMS initiative at the Magee campus.

"There are other synergies with Personalised Medicine and C-TRIC both based in Magee and Altnagelvin.

"The move to the Magee campus will also support economic growth in the North West and fostering of healthy communities within the City and wider environs."

Professor Carol Curran, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences at Ulster University explained: We take seriously the role that we play in providing the skilled health professionals so urgently required to meet the needs of the healthcare workforce and patients.

"Since we first began gathering the views of stakeholders, the landscape for our colleagues, partners and graduates in the health service has changed beyond all recognition.

"Now, more than ever, we are acutely aware of the contribution of our allied health professionals in the context of a health service that faces such enormous challenge in response to COVID-19.

"We sincerely value the perspectives of our many healthcare stakeholders, partners and colleagues and remain committed to gathering as much input as possible through the re-opened public consultation and EQIA process to enable a fully informed and final decision to be made.

The Universitys Coleraine, Magee and Belfast campuses are all potential options under consideration and this consultation is seeking the views of staff, current and prospective students, health service practitioners, education providers, local government representatives and the voluntary and charity sectors.

The University expects to reach and confirm a decision by the end of January 2021. Health Sciences will remain at Jordanstown for the 21/22 academic year to enable sufficient time for transition arrangements to the new location.

Previous submissions made between February and April will be retained as part of the re-opened process. Updated or new submissions can be made by email and online, and in line with public health guidelines, online engagement opportunities will be offered in the autumn.

Full details can be found at https://www.ulster.ac.uk/consultations
Nguyen Ngoc Khanh from the High School for the Gifted under the Hanoi University of Education scored first in the D-exam group at the high school finals.

She got a 29 score for mathematics, literature and English to become the highest scorer among D-exam group students. The excellent student got a maximum score of 10/10 for mathematics and English, and 9 for literature.

Nguyen Ngoc Khanh





She was also good at other exam subjects: 8.5 for geography, 7 for history, and 9 for citizen education, which means an average mark of 8.17 for social science tests.



I was so happy when hearing that I got 29 for three subjects, but I did not think that I would be the highest scorer. I think my learning aptitude is not very good, she said.



When preparing for the high school finals, Khanh was most worried about literature. However, she got 9/10 for the test.



Khanh actually did not have real pressure when taking the high school finals, because she had been informed that she had been admitted to the Accounting  Auditing Faculty of Hanoi Foreign Trade University thanks to her academic achievements shown in school reports.

When doing literature test, Khanh followed the strategy she set before, i.e. the 20-20-80 strategy. The first 20 minutes were spent on reading, 20 minutes on the essay about social issues and the remaining 80 minutes on literary discourse.

However, Khanh said that she still tried her best to solve exam questions.



With multiple-choice questions, I always reminded myself to be careful when solving the questions to avoid the traps, she said.



As for mathematics test, I paid high attention to the first 40 questions before I came to the next questions to avoid making regrettable mistakes, she said.



When doing literature test, Khanh followed the strategy she set before, i.e. the 20-20-80 strategy. The first 20 minutes were spent on reading, 20 minutes on the essay about social issues and the remaining 80 minutes on literary discourse.



Khanh was most confident when doing the English test because she is an English major student at the school and has been learning English for many years. She scored 10 on the English test.



She revealed that she does not study late at night. She said the key to her success is that she always concentrates when studying.



Khanh can sing and dance well. She also participates in many extracurricular activities and is a member of a media club.



Khanh had a traffic accident last October, and had to be home for one month. However, she engaged in self study and was able to catch up with her classmates.

Thuy Nga

Student from Hai Phong places first in A-exam group at high school finals With a 29.75 score, Nguyen Trung Hai from Hai Phong, has gained the highest score among A-group students at the high school finals.
At the same time, expelled former Zanu PF youth leader Godfrey Tsenengamu also agreed that Mnangagwa was being sabotaged  adding that he now needed to go back to the drawing board and to come up with a winning Cabinet line-up made up of ministers who understood and supported his vision for the country.
Plans formally submitted for extension and redevelopment works at Wrexham primary school

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Sep 1st, 2020

Plans to extend a local primary school have been formally submitted.

Last summer members of Wrexham Councils executive board gave the go ahead to increase the capacity of Barkers Lane Community School, in Borras, by a further 105 pupils.

The annual admission number will increase by 15 places (from 30 to 45) for nursery and reception places and these classes will eventually feed through the school until the maximum capacity of 315 (plus 45 nursery places) has been reached.

At the time it was noted that the proposals will help reduce infant class sizes at Barkers Lane CP and also alleviate the current pressures on town centre schools.

However concerns were raised at the time by local residents over the environmental impact of the works along with increased pressure on traffic and parking in the area.

Now an application for the redevelopment have been formally submitted to Wrexham Councils planning department for consideration.

The proposals include an extension which would house a new nursery and reception area with associated ancillary facilities to the north west of the school.

A smaller extension is proposed to the south east, with the school also undergoing both a refurbishment and internal remodelling. External works are also planned to create a new area of car parking along with enhanced play areas.

In terms of access to the site, details submitted by TACP Architects Ltd, state: Current access to the site is from Barkers Lane with vehicular access via the main gate to the school.

Pedestrian access is either via the main gate or via three secondary pedestrian entrances, which are located in the vicinity of the junction between Barkers Lane and Lisburne Grove and adjacent to Fernham Drive, respectively.

The school will retain the main gate as an access point as well the other pedestrian entrances present on the site. Under this proposal all vehicular access is proposed to be via Lisburne Grove.

This will require a new vehicular access point to be created. This new access will provide for both vehicles and pedestrians along with service access for deliveries and refuse collection.

The new entrance will also be the sole access point for a new staff car park. The existing footpath on the site is also proposed to be enhanced and linked into this new access point.

The applicants add: This proposal provides enhanced school facilities along with additional provision to suit current and future needs. The proposed development is considered appropriate for the site and wider area.

The proposals will be considered for approval by the local authority at a later date.
Marine leaders want every male recruit arriving at boot camp to train alongside women in the same company, putting an end to the longstanding tradition of separating trainees by gender, according to newly released plans to make both of the services recruit depots coed.

All-male recruit companies trained solely by men will be made obsolete, according to a memo the Marine Corps submitted to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. That includes boot camp at the Marine Corps West Coast training depot in San Diego, which currently doesnt accept female trainees.

Gender integration at Marine Corps Recruit Training remains a top priority, the memo states. The outcome the Marine Corps desires for gender integration is for every male recruit to train alongside a female recruit within the same company.

Read Next: Air Force Authorizes Time Off from PT for More Women Who Miscarry

The Marine Corps was tasked with explaining its short- and long-term plans for integrating recruit training, which was mandated by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. Signed into law in December, the NDAA requires the Marine Corps to stop separating trainees by gender at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina within five years and in San Diego within eight.

The memo says officials from Training and Education Command are now working with Marine Corps Installations Command to identify the requirements, shortfalls, and cost estimates to meet the NDAA requirements.

The biggest limitation, officials added, is the need for new facilities to house coed training companies. Several coed companies have completed training at Parris Island since early 2019, but the East Coast recruit depot doesnt have the space to accommodate that setup during certain months. The number of recruits shipping to boot camp spikes between June and September, when many new high-school graduates head off to training.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, which currently only trains men, needs new facilities not only for female recruits, but also for women drill instructors.

Once the infrastructure conditions have been set at MCRD San Diego (MCRD SD) for integrated training, the memo states, then MCRD SD Drill Instructor School will begin training female Drill Instructors.

Parris Island has a staffing goal of 116 female drill instructors. Officials said in the memo that the number of female drill instructors at both recruit depots would depend on the number of women that train at each in the years to come.

The ratio of female to male DIs is proportionate to the number of female and male recruits, the memo states. The Marine Corps focuses on the importance of having four DIs assigned to each platoon.  Platoons and the assigned DIs are gender specific.

The Marine Corps has been slow to adopt gender-integrated entry-level training for new enlistees. The service has faced increasing pressure from lawmakers in recent years to make boot camp training coed after combat arms jobs opened to women and a high-profile scandal highlighted the troubling way some male Marines treated their female colleagues.

Last year, the first-ever coed company graduated from Parris Island. The 50-person company included one female platoon and five male platoons. The male and female platoons lived in separate squad bays, but otherwise completed much of their training together after the first phase of boot camp, which runs about four weeks.

Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger has said that model would continue at Parris Island after the first company performed very well. Eight more coed companies have followed, but the effort has been slowed during the coronavirus pandemic due to more restrictive social distancing requirements, officials wrote in the memo to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.

These iterations demonstrated the strength of the Marine Corps' platoon training model, as it transformed young women and men into U.S. Marines, it states. The Marine Corps is continuously assessing and refining recruit training and is identifying opportunities in FY21 to utilize the fully integrated company structure with future recruit training companies to best combine the strength of our platoon model with the logistical benefits of integrated companies.

The Marine Corps plans to continue studying how best to train men and women together at boot camp. By Oct. 1, the service plans to award an academic institution access to its recruit depots to conduct a third-party review on the way Marine recruits are trained.

The findings of that study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal after its completed in fiscal 2022, which runs from Oct. 1, 2021, through September of the following year.

The Marine Corps originally wanted the study back by Feb. 1, 2021, but no one applied to the original solicitation to complete the review. Maj. Gen. Bill Mullen, the former head of Training and Education Command who recently retired, said he directed the study to see if the service had their entry-level training model right.

"We think we have it right ... but how much of that is our own biases?" Mullen told Military.com in a 2019 interview. "How much of that is a 'we invented it here' kind of thing? ... If an independent study, not affiliated with the Marine Corps, comes in and takes a hard, honest look at things in an unbiased way, how do you argue with that?"

The academic study will examine four areas: alternative boot camp training models; costs for those alternatives; costs for the traditional model of separating male and female recruits; and how perceptions about coed training influences a person's decision to join the service.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Related: The Marines Wanted a University to Study Co-ed Boot Camp. No One Applied
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 16:56:40|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian authorities have arrested 14,038 drug-related suspects in 7,025 cases in the first eight months of this year, said an Interior Ministry's anti-drug department report on Tuesday.

From January to August 2020, some 8,485 people were nabbed for alleged drug trafficking and 5,553 were caught for drug use, the report said, adding that 201 of them are foreigners.

"A total of 687.6 kg of illicit drugs, 287 kg of dry marijuana, and 191,292 marijuana plants were seized from those suspects," the report said.

The authorities have also confiscated 17 rifles, 17 pistols, 87 cars, 17,777 motorbikes, 5,068 telephones and 324 scales from them, it added.

In 2019, the Southeast Asian country arrested 20,113 drug suspects, including 401 foreigners, seizing about 720 kg of illicit drugs.

Cambodia has no death sentence for drug traffickers. Under its law, anyone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drug could be jailed for life. Enditem
A six-episode documentary on China's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic will be aired by the country's state broadcaster, according to producers.

The documentary is jointly produced by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the China Media Group.

It will feature how the CPC has led the epidemic response and how Party members and medical workers have braved the virus to make their contributions to the fight. Solidarity of the common people in the endeavor will also be highlighted in the documentary.

China's cooperation with other countries in battling the pandemic will be depicted in the documentary, said the producers.
EU Wants Hong Kongs Rights to Be Respected: German Foreign Minister

The European Union remains concerned about the Hong Kong national security law and wants Hongkongers rights promised in the Basic Law to be respected, Germanys foreign minister told his Chinese counterpart on Tuesday.

The Basic Law refers to Hong Kongs mini-constitution, drafted upon the citys transfer of sovereignty from Britain to China. The document guarantees Hong Kongs autonomy and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas made the remarks during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was visiting Berlin amid local protests over the Chinese regimes human rights abuses not only in Hong Kong, but also in Xinjiang and other parts of the country.

Beijing enacted a national security law, which went into effect on June 30, criminalizing any acts Beijing determines to be subversion, secession, and collusion with foreign forces, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (R) and Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) leave after a joint press conference in Berlin on Sept. 1, 2020. (Michael Sohn  Pool / Getty Images)

The new security law in Hong Kong was an important topic when we last spoke, and you know from your visit to the other European capitals that our concerns about the effects of the security law have not yet been allayed, Maas told Wang, who was wrapping up his European tour which also included Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and France.

We want the principle of One Country, Two Systems to be fully applied and the rights guaranteed in the Basic Law to be respected, he said at a joint press conference. We in the EU are agreed that this will remain our benchmark for developments in Hong Kong.

Riot police detain a man as they clear protesters taking part in a rally against a new national security law in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020. (Dale De La Rey/AFP via Getty Images)

The Hong Kong government recently postponed the 2020 Hong Kong Legislative Council election for a year, citing a local surge in CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases as the reason. But it is widely believed to be a desperate move to prevent the pro-democracy camp from winning a majority of seats in the legislature.

The German foreign minister called on Beijing to reverse the restrictions imposed under the national security law and allow the postponed elections to take place quickly and unhindered.

People march on Queens Road in Central, Hong Kong, on June 9, 2020. (Song Bilong/The Epoch Times)

Maas also spoke to Wang about Beijings oppression of Uyghur Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region in northwestern China, where over a million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims are believed to be incarcerated in detention camps.

We would very much like to see China grant an independent United Nations observer mission access to the camps, said Maas.

Wang Yi rejected all criticisms of Beijings policies, saying these were all Chinas internal affairs.

Falun Gong practitioners protest in front of the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, where Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was meeting his German counterpart Heiko Maas, on Sept. 1, 2020. (The Epoch Times).

German Industry Must Not Be Indifferent

Before the meeting, German politicians from both the ruling coalition and the opposition had demanded that the foreign minister criticize the Chinese regimes human rights violations in terms other than the consistently reserved language toward China.

Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock demanded that further negotiations on an EU-China investment agreement be linked to human rights guarantees.

Margarete Bause (Greens), chairwoman of the German Parliaments Human Rights Committee, urged the German industry not to be indifferent to what is happening in Hong Kong.

Margarete Bause, chairwoman of the Human Rights Committee of the German Parliament, speaks at a rally outside the Federal Foreign Ministry on Sept. 1, 2020. (The Epoch Times)

It is in the very best interests of German business to show solidarity with the democracy movement, because free trade presupposes a free society, she said at a rally outside the Foreign Ministry. I expect German business to take a clear stand on the side of human and civil rights.

We have to act before its too late, said Nathan Law, a former Hong Kong legislator and current activist-in-exile, at the rally.

Hong Kong democracy activist Nathan Law attends a rally in front of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin on Sept. 1, 2020. (The Epoch Times)

Law, 27, who fled to London after the security law was enacted, called on the German government to consider sanctions against officials of the governments in Beijing and Hong Kong.

The rally was attended by hundreds, including representatives of Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Falun Gong practitioners.

Isabel van Brugen, Yinyin Liao, and the German edition of The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
GBP/USD Exchange Rate Edges Higher as Strong Chinese Manufacturing PMI Weakens Safe-Haven Greenback

The Pound to US Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate rose by 0.4% today, with the pairing currently trading around $1.342.

The US Dollar (USD) suffered today after China posted an uptick in its Manufacturing PMI for September, buoying demand for riskier assets as the worlds second largest economy continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Daniel Gerard, senior multi asset strategist at State Street Global Markets, Singapore, commented on the data:

What we are seeing here is the slow but choppy export recovery that is taking a bit longer than maybe some market participants thought it would  and thats because markets remain largely out of sync.

Chinas recovery is helping with the improvement of regional Asia exports, but Europe and North America imports lag.

In US economic data, today will see the release of the US ISM manufacturing PMI for August.

Any marked improvement in the American manufacturing sector could buoy demand for the safe-haven Greenback.

Pound (GBP) Rises as UK Manufacturing PMI Remains Strong in August

The Pound (GBP) rose against the US Dollar (USD) today following the release of the US manufacturing PMI for August, which dipped slightly from 55.3 to 55.2. However, as the UK manufacturing sector remains relatively robust, this buoyed confidence in Sterling.

Rob Dobson, the Director at IHS Markit, commented on the report:

The recovery of the UK manufacturing sector gathered pace in August. Output expanded at the fastest rate in over six years as new work intakes rose to the greatest extent since November 2017, led by an upturn in domestic demand and signs of recovering exports. Business optimism also remained encouragingly robust and close to July's recent peak.

However, concerns over a possible Brexit no-deal this month has held back some of Sterlings gains. This follows news that Michel Barnier, the EUs Chief Negotiator, will be in London today to hold informal UK-EU trade talks.

Nevertheless, UK officials have accused the EU of deliberately complicated trade talks, which has left GBP investors concerned of a possible no-deal scenario.

A UK official spokesperson said:

However, the EU is still insisting not only that we must accept continuity with EU state aid and fisheries policy, but also that this must be agreed before any further substantive work can be done in any other area of the negotiation, including on legal texts, making it unnecessarily difficult to make progress.

GBP/USD Outlook: Could Lack of Progress in Brexit Talks Drag Down Sterling This Week?

Pound (GBP) investors will be awaiting tomorrows speech from the Bank of Englands (BoE) Chief Economist, Andrew Haldane. Any dovishness about the British economy, however, would prove GBP-negative.

US Dollar (USD) traders will be awaiting tomorrows release of the US factory orders figure for July. However, if these underperform, we could see the Greenback continue to struggle.

US employment change data for August will also be in focus tomorrow. If US unemployment levels remain high, then we could see the GBP/USD exchange rate edge higher.

The GBP/USD exchange rate will continue to be driven by Brexit developments this week. As a result, we could see Sterling suffer if informal UK-EU trade talks fail to show any signs of progress towards a post-Brexit trade deal.
The Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations said rescuers sent by it there by needed about an hour to extinguish a fire caused by the explosion, which blew up a large reservoir filled with alcohol. They then recovered the dead bodies of the two victims.

One of the victims was the executive director of the distillery located in Armavir province west of Yerevan while the other managed a construction team working at its premises.

Four other people suffered severe burns and were rushed to a provincial hospital. They were transferred to Yerevan later in the day. The Armenian Ministry of Health described their condition as critical.

The Armavir distillery employing more than 200 people is a local division of the Proshian Cognac Factory, a major Armenian brandy producer. Its owner, Armen Gasparian, told RFE/RLs Armenian service that the blast was likely caused by welding carried out dangerously close to the alcohol reservoir.

Armenias Investigative Committee echoed that explanation, saying that the welders appear to have violated safety rules. The law-enforcement body said it has launched an inquiry into criminal negligence.
Its been three years since a wildfire tore through Susan Gorins Santa Rosa neighborhood, destroying her home, but her house is still a skeleton of studs and her sleep still uneasy.

I still have dreams of rescuing something from my house, the Sonoma County supervisor said. The trauma of the fire never leaves you.

But, neither does the knowledge and experience that grows out of the ash in the months and years that follow, hard-earned information that Gorin, and thousands like her, are now sharing with yet another year of California wildfire survivors.

They counsel the newest members of a tragic club on the shock, the sadness, anger, frustration and bureaucracy that they face  a roller-coaster ride that lasts at least a year, usually more.

Its members include the nearly 5,000 left homeless in Sonoma, Lake and Napa counties by the Tubbs Fire in 2017, who then counseled the 13,000 families who lost homes in the Camp Fire that destroyed Paradise in 2018.

This year, so far, more than 1,500 homes have been destroyed in the fires burning in the North Bay, East Bay and the South Bay coastal mountains and beach communities, dozens of blazes sparked by lightning in mid-August.

Each home lost in the current fires is now a statistic, a little red home on a Cal Fire property loss map, an icon that represents countless family photos lost, heirlooms destroyed, charred toys, closets full of clothes and a long road to recovery ahead.

But its not one they will travel alone.

We are not happy we are providing this experience, Gorin said of the exclusive and tragic club. We wish we never had this experience.

Sara Gobets / Special to The Chronicle

But boy, do I have the personal experience to lend any fire survivor.

She anticipates her knowledge will be in demand this year again as families are slowly allowed to go back into neighborhoods to check on the status of their homes.

Across the Bay Area, Gorin and other survivors have formed neighborhood groups that counsel on community rebuilding plans. They organized informal student groups that gather pajamas for teens whove lost everything. There are politicians guiding other elected officials on fast-tracking building permits. Some teachers and principals are holding the hands of their peers.

Eric Gross, the superintendent and principal of the small Pacific Elementary School District in Davenport, a small coastal town in Santa Cruz County, was trying to wrap his head around the loss piling up around him. Two of three school board members lost their homes in the wildfires as did some of the 140 students and at least one teachers aide.

He still didnt know where all his students and staff were after evacuations forced them to scatter when the the CZU Lightning Complex fires drew near.

Thats when his phone rang. Casey Taylor was calling from Paradise.

Taylor, executive director of Achieve Charter School in the Butte County town, wanted to help. She had been in his shoes nearly two years ago, when the Camp Fire burned down the homes of all her students as well as the schools high school campus.

You are not alone, she told the Davenport administrator. Gross has a hard time talking about the call without choking up.

Its sad and its also pretty amazing how when things get tough people reach out and help each other, he said. Theres going to be a million questions that come up and theyre going to give me the answers.

Taylor and Paradise schools Superintendent Tom Taylor, not related, drove five hours to see Gross and Mike Heffner, principal and superintendent of the Bonny Doon school district Wednesday. They answered questions and offered much of the same advice they got from Santa Rosa education officials who reached out to share the knowledge they gleaned from the aftermath of the Tubbs and Nuns fires.

Nic Coury / Special to The Chronicle

Its a long haul, Casey Taylor said she told them. Take turns being strong. Take turns grabbing a break when you need to.

The trauma and the emotion and the fire brain, as we call it, lasts a whole year, she said, referring to the inability to focus or remember everything in the months after the catastrophe.

You will make it through, she told them.

Taylor advised getting everyone together as soon as possible, even if via video, to laugh, and say hello and cry. She urged them to recognize that people will expect recovery to be fast, but everything will take a long time.

She told them to spend whatever it takes to get families what they need and eventually disaster relief will come through from federal or state funds.

Gross took notes, nodded, but he had a hard time comprehending that less than two years ago, the Paradise teachers and administrators were shoving kids into cars and buses and jumping into the back of pickup trucks to escape the flames.

Now here they are, wearing a tie and sitting in an office saying youre going to make it through this and were going to help you, he said.

In Santa Rosa, Gorin calls the growing wildfire support chain an informal resilience network.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

She personally has counseled dozens of individuals on what it will take to rebuild, even though shes still in the process herself.

I absolutely understand the challenge of the debris cleanup, she said. Then the months-long inventory process, listing each item lost with details of value and date acquired, following by sheer frustration dealing with the insurance companies. Like many homeowners, she was underinsured, she said.

She urged elected officials to rethink local laws, as well as the permitting process to speed up construction and make exceptions so people can live in trailers on their property, which local regulations often ban.

She advises survivors to breathe, she said. Take care of your family. Find a place to live and then reach around and grab every bit of information you can glean from any other person that can help you navigate the journey.

Laughing doesnt hurt.

Fire survivors quickly learn the gallows humor, she said of those whove lost everything. We say, Great outfit. Is that new?

Its a testament to peoples determined ruggedness to get through this, she said.

Back in Santa Cruz last week, Gross was trying to figure out when the power and Wi-Fi would be restored at his schools while waiting for word on when evacuations might be lifted for Davenport. He needed to figure out how he was going to replace district computers needed for distance learning that teachers and students left behind before homes burned.

He didnt know which teachers were back in their homes and which were still at the county fairground shelter or somewhere far away with family. He needed to unravel how to address the trauma and mental health issues mounting from a pandemic and now wildfires. School had only been in session for a few days before they had to cancel classes and evacuate.

Students need something normal, as close to normal as we can get, he said.

Its overwhelming, he said, his voice shaky.

And yet, even in the midst of the shock, fatigue and tears, Gross knows that someday  a day that he cant quite imagine yet  hell be making that phone call to someone who is reeling like he is now, offering support, knowledge and what will be hard-earned experience.

For now, he said, hes counting on that light at the end of the tunnel.

I cant see it, Gross said. Its like someone else saw it and theyre letting me know its there.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
The Trump White House and campaign are leaning into social unrest in Kenosha, Wis., and Portland, Ore., as the presidents most potent case for reelection, viewing the violence as a pivotal opportunity to tighten the race and quickly gain ground on Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Trump and his aides have long wanted to change the subject from the ravages of the coronavirus  and now, amid deadly unrest in Wisconsin and Oregon, much of Trump world feels like its finally found a new target.

The recent events give President Donald Trump the opportunity to broadly reframe the election in terms he and his aides feel will be far more favorable to him. They hope to make it a referendum on public safety  a topic that tends to energize the Republican base  rather than an up-or-down vote on Trumps handling of a devastating pandemic or still-crippled economy, according to interviews with a half-dozen senior administration officials, campaign officials and Trump advisers.

The mob will leave you alone if you give them what you want, Trump warned Monday night during a White House briefing that at times sounded more like a campaign speech. It doesn't work that way. Because you give and give and give, and you take and they no longer respect you. And that's what's happening with the Democrats.

The Trump orbit intends to keep hammering its emerging law-and-order message on Tuesday when Trump visits Kenosha, the city where a white police officer recently shot a Black 29-year-old, Jacob Blake, in the back seven times in front of his three children, ages 3 to 8. Since that shooting, violence has plagued the city  from arson to looting to an armed white vigilante accused of killing two people during a protest.

The president himself on Monday defended that shooting suspect and declined to criticize his own supporters who fired paintball guns on protesters in Portland  calling their actions a peaceful protest.

President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

In Kenosha, the president plans to meet with local law enforcement and business owners and examine the damage from recent riots. Trump said he does not plan to meet with Blakes family.

Story continues

Although White House aides had been considering a visit to Kenosha in recent days, a firm plan was not yet in place until a reporter asked Trump about it on Saturday as he surveyed hurricane damage in Texas, and he said he would probably go. Aides rushed to make the visit happen, even as the Democratic governor of Wisconsin pleaded with Trump to stay away and wrote in a letter that the presidents presence would only hinder our healing.

Trump and his team were not deterred. The president on Monday dismissed concerns his visit could exacerbate tensions in the area, claiming it will increase enthusiasm and it could increase love and respect for our country.

Many aides believe zeroing in on public safety is a winning message in key swing states such as Wisconsin and among key demographic groups including suburban, female and independent voters.

Polling conducted Aug. 17-20 by the pro-Trump group America First Policies showed that messaging saying Democrats are to blame for the unrest would resonate with Republican, independent and male voters and residents of closely contested states in this election cycle, according to a copy of the poll results obtained by POLITICO.

The majority of independent voters in that groups polling were also receptive to the idea that the protests are no longer about racial injustice and instead have morphed into a platform for those who want to tear down the government  themes the Trump campaign and White House have latched on to in recent days.

The presidents tweets suggest he is not going to Kenosha to be a hero, said presidential historian Timothy Naftali. Donald Trump has signaled that he wants to politicize the anger in our streets and the question in this election is whether Americans would prefer, as they used to prefer, a candidate who seeks to calm the streets or who can look for a middle way.

Typically, incumbent presidents who oversee such tumult  in this case, from a pandemic and social unrest  do not win reelection nor do they visit troubled cities they oversee, added Naftali, a professor at New York University.

The Trump campaign has been seeking to cast the violence, looting and arson as examples of failed leadership at the local level in blue cities and states rather than a byproduct of the president style, his incendiary approach to politics or his aggressive tweeting.

Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told reporters Monday that the president has reacted to the violence by offering to send in the National Guard to cities, or by supporting proposed legislation on police reform from Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Murtaugh sought to make the unrest an issue seemingly separate from the White House by saying the president did not condone violence in any city.

But Trumps Twitter feed reached a fever pitch in recent days over the issue. The Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their Movement. It wasnt supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and dont listen anymore  even forced Slow Joe out of basement! Trump wrote on Twitter midmorning Monday.

A recent spate of nonpartisan polls before the GOP convention, however, show the issue of public safety and law order does not necessarily give Trump an advantage over Biden.

A CNN poll from mid-August showed voters narrowly preferred Biden, 50 to 47 percent, when asked which candidate would keep Americans safe from harm. Roughly the same result showed up in a Fox News poll from mid-August in which Biden led Trump, 48 percent to 42 percent, on policing and criminal justice issues.

An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed voters giving Trump a slight preference when asked which candidate was better equipped to deal with crime. That polling occurred before the riots in Kenosha and Portland.

To Trump aides, advisers and allies, the unrest in cities gives Trump a way to contrast his leadership style with Biden. But most important, it gives them a break from a pandemic that has killed more than 180,000 Americans. In Mondays press briefing, Trump briefly touched on coronavirus before turning his attention to cities, social unrest and the Democrats.

And the Trump campaign on Monday succeeded in forcing Biden to respond to their charges that the violence is happening primarily in liberal-run cities. Trump aides say its a byproduct of Democratic leadership and foreshadowing of a Biden presidency.

Biden sought to shut down the emerging campaign theme. Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? he said during an appearance in Pittsburgh, where he condemned violence and lawlessness. These are the images of Donald Trumps America today.

At one point, Biden noted that more police officers have died of Covid-19 in 2020 than they have on patrol.

Matthew Choi contributed to this report.
New York, Sep 1 : The Covid-19 vaccine candidate developed by Oxford University in partnership with the UK-based global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has reached Phase-3 trial in the US.

The trial will enroll approximately 30,000 adult volunteers at 80 sites in the US to evaluate if the candidate vaccine, known as AZD1222, can prevent symptomatic Covid-19, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Monday.

"Positive results from preclinical research led by NIH scientists supported the rapid development of this vaccine candidate, which has also showed promise in early-stage clinical trials," Anthony Fauci, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH, said in a statement.

The Phase 3 trial is being implemented as part of Operation Warp Speed, a multi-agency collaboration led by the US Department of Health and Human Services that aims to accelerate the development, manufacturing and distribution of medical countermeasures for Covid-19.

The trial primarily is designed to determine if AZD1222 can prevent symptomatic Covid-19 after two doses. It also will evaluate if the vaccine candidate can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection regardless of symptoms and if it can prevent severe Covid-19.

It also will assess if the experimental vaccine can reduce the incidence of emergency department visits due to Covid-19.

Participants are being randomised to receive two doses of either AZD1222 or a saline control, four weeks apart, with twice as many participants receiving the potential vaccine than the saline control.

Oxford University's Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group developed AZD1222. The candidate vaccine was licensed to AstraZeneca for further development.

The vaccine uses a non-replicating chimpanzee adenovirus to deliver a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to induce an immune response.

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes Covid-19.

AstraZeneca said it continues to engage with governments, multilateral organisations and partners around the world to ensure broad and equitable access to the vaccine, should clinical trials prove successful.

Recent supply announcements with Russia, South Korea, Japan, China, Latin America and Brazil take the global supply capacity towards three billion doses of the vaccine.

US President Donald Trump is pushing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fast-track approval for Covid-19 treatments and vaccines.

In an interview with the Financial Times published on Sunday, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said emergency authorisation of Covid-19 vaccine could be the right decision if the benefits outweigh the risks

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
On the day that President Donald Trump visited Kenosha with a focus on law and order, the 
Finding: Indication of intention to kill in Boss hit-and-run case

THAILAND: The PMs panel investigating the failed hit-and-run case against Red Bull scion Vorayuth Yoovidhya has found evidence of conspiracy and recommended a new investigation and charges against the officials involved.

corruptioncrime

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 1 September 2020, 05:45PM

Vicha Mahakhun announces the findings of his committees investigation into the fatal hit-and-run case involving Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya, at Government House in Bangkok today (Sept 1). Photo: Chanat Katanyu.

The report also raises the possibility of an intention to kill in Mr Vorayuths failure to stop after the accident, and the police officers body being dragged more than 100 metres along the road beneath his Ferrari.

Vicha Mahakhun, former member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission who heads the committee, announced its findings at Government House today (Sept 1).

He said that it was unusual that the body of Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert had been dragged for more 100 metres beneath Mr Vorayuths Ferrari without it stopping after hitting his motorcycle.

There was information and remarks indicating that the failure to stop the car at once, and the fact that the dead person was dragged that far, might be an indication of an intention to kill, Mr Vicha said.

He said that later photos showing the Ferrari and the dead policemans motorcycle placed together clearly showed that the car crashed directly into the rear of the bike, not into the side of it.

Mr Vicha also pointed to many other irregularities in the handling of the case by police and the Office of the Attorney-General.

The dead policeman was treated as a suspect in the crash, being accused of abruptly changing lanes. That was an illegal and unfair charge to lay against the dead man because he had no chance to defend himself, Mr Vicha said.

Defining the dead victim as the wrongdoer severely ruined the case and could result in a suspect being freed from charges or not, he said.

Mr Vicha also held interrogators at fault for failing to include a charge of drink driving, even though the question was raised.

In addition, there was the failure to bring Mr Vorayuth to indictment as originally decided by prosecutors. Six months passed, giving the suspect the opportunity to file petitions, he said.

As many as 14 petitions were filed. The first 13 were rejected by a former attorney-general and several deputy attorneys-general.

But the last petition was accepted by a deputy attorney-general supervising petitions for justice, Mr Vicha said, an apparent reference to deputy attorney-general Nate Naksuk.

The deputy attorney-general gave credence to old evidence that had always been rejected, Mr Vicha said. Then the charge of reckless driving causing death was dropped, and police did not oppose the decision by the deputy attorney-general, Mr Vicha said.

He referred to the assumption that the Ferrari had not been speeding made by Pol Col Thanasit Taengchan of the Office of Police Forensic Science, and Saiprasit Kerdniyom, head of the Automotive Safety and Assessment Engineering Centre at King Mongkuts Institute of Technology North Bangkok.

Conspiracy

Mr Vicha said that Pol Col Thanasit had originally estimated the Ferrari was going at 177 kilometres per hour, but later reduced the figure to less than 80kph. Mr Vicha said Pol Col Thanasit told his committee that he had been pressured.

Mr Saiprasit admitted to the committee that he had not examined the crash site and made his calculation on paper without using factual data that Pol Col Thanasit had originally used, Mr Vicha said.

Both Pol Col Thanasit and Mr Saiprasit had already sought witness protection because they fear, Mr Vicha said.

A previous interrogation report falsely claimed that Pol Col Thanasit and Mr Saiprasit had been questioned on Feb 26 and March 2, 2016, but actually they had been questioned on Feb 29, 2016, Mr Vicha said.

There was conspiracy among government officials. The committee unanimously sees the interrogation process as a dishonest compromise and conspiracy that ruined the interrogation report from the start, Mr Vicha said.

His committee proposed to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that the case be totally re-investigated and legal action be taken against officials responsible. High-level officials might not face criminal or disciplinary actions due to lack of evidence, but could be removed from their positions under the morality law, Mr Vicha said.

Mr Vicha also mentioned late witness Jaruchart Maadthong, who changed his testimony on the Ferraris speed from high to low.

He said the witness had a connection with Mr Vorayuth and police were investigating why the witnesss mobile phone was intentionally destroyed after his fatal crash in Chiang Mai.

Mr Vicha also proposed that the Department of Special Investigation take over the hit-and-run case and said that about 10 government officials should face legal action over irregularities in the case.

Mr Vorayuth, now 35 and also known as Boss, drove the Ferrari that hit and killed Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian, 47, in the early morning of Sept 3, 2012.

He crashed into the rear of the police motorcycle on Sukhumvit Road. He then fled the scene to his home nearby.

He delayed hearing charges seven times. It was not until April 27, 2017, that prosecutors finally charged him with reckless driving causing death and failing to help a crash victim.

He fled on a private plane two days before he was due to face the charges.

A speeding charge was later dropped when the one-year statute of limitation expired. A second charge, failing to stop and help a crash victim, expired on Sept 3, 2017.

The third and most serious charge, reckless driving causing death, would have remained on the books until 2027, but in June the charge had been dropped.

Mr Vicha said re-investigation could cover any charge, the statute of limitation remained valid.

Mr Vorayuth is the son of Chalerm Yoovidhya, whose family co-owns the energy drink megabrand Red Bull and ranks second on Thailands richest list, with a net worth estimated at US$20 billion (about B617 billion).
An anti-masker dubbed 'Bunnings Karen' has claimed she has summoned the spirit of Princess Diana in a seance, saying she feels the late royal's 'energy'.

Lizzy Rose posted a Facebook update on Monday where she claimed to have had a spiritual encounter with the late princess to ask questions of her life and secrets of the coronavirus pandemic.

The self-declared priestess said she asked Diana 33 questions in their meeting, including if she is still alive, what she thinks of Meghan Markle and whether Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was 'unsound'.

'I have worked with her energy most of my life whilst she was living and since her public death,' Ms Rose's post reads.

'Bunnings Karen' Lizzy Rose (pictured) has claimed to have had a spiritual encounter with Princess Diana

Ms Rose claimed to have asked Princess Diana (pictured) questions of her life and secrets of COVID-19

She also claimed to have asked the late princess what she thought of Meghan Markle (pictured)

'I am working with her energy and essence to gain the answers that we seek.'

Other questions included whether or not the Freedom Day March would go ahead on September 5, and what measures it will take to end the 'tyranny' in Victoria.

'Is there a matrix hack we can use to unbind the police from the dark magic so they stand with the people on the day of the protest?' one of Ms Rose's questions reads.

Ms Rose said her seance with the princess was 'lengthy' with the 'psychic channellings' set to be released on video on Tuesday evening.

Ms Rose was dubbed 'Bunnings Karen' after she made headlines last month when she filmed herself clashing with staff at the hardware giant over mandatory face masks.

She uses her social media platform to spread dangerous conspiracy theories, including a video of a 'vaccination burn' to cast out Mr Andrews and the Victorian government.

'Cast you and your agenda out. We say no to mandatory vaccinations against our will,' she said in the footage.

'We burn away your evil agenda. We, the awakened people, say no to mandatory vaccinations. We cast you out.'

Ms Rose has also uploaded footage burning face masks.

Melbourne is currently under Stage Four coronavirus restrictions, which includes the mandatory wearing of face masks to stop the spread of the disease.

Police have the power to issue $200 on the spot fines for anyone who breaches the face mask mandate.

Face masks help to cut the transmission of coronavirus by catching droplets of saliva at the mouth and nose, and they can also help stop people from becoming infected from the aerosolised droplet of others.

Medical research published in the medical journal The Lancet last month found face masks were 77 per cent effective at stopping infection, while respirators were 96 per cent effective.

Victoria recorded 70 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and five deaths.
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
Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have penalized more than 3,700 people for not wearing face masks in public since last month, collecting over VND756 million (US$32,800) in fines.

The figures were reported by the municipal Department of Industry and Trade on Monday afternoon.

As one of its COVID-19 prevention and control measures, Ho Chi Minh City has imposed a fine of VND100,000-300,000 ($4.25-12.80) on those without face masks in public since August 5.

After nearly four weeks of implementing the rule, authorities found over 11,000 cases without face masks in public.

Among them, 7,420 cases were given a reminder to obey the rule and let go without a fine, while 3,769 were penalized for their violation.

The money collected from violators totaled over VND756 million.

People must strictly follow the mandatory face mask order while in public, keep their homes well-ventilated, and avoid crowds, said Le Thanh Liem, vice-chairman of the Peoples Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.

Liem asked municipal authorities to implement stringent COVID-19 safety measures to tackle large gatherings amid the upcoming National Day holiday (September 2).

Ho Chi Minh has registered 78 infections of COVID-19 since the pandemic first hit Vietnam in January.

Vietnams COVID-19 tally stood at 1,044, with 707 recoveries and 34 fatalities as of Tuesday morning.

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Vega, the father of two, had no record of gun charges. He was the oldest of four and lived with his parents in Calumet City, though he grew up in the Pilsen area on the same block where he was killed, his family said.
A Marshall County man faces several charges of child abuse following his arrest today.

The Marshall County Sheriffs Office says Eric Alan Lewis of Langston has been charged with two counts of domestic violence of a minor by strangulation, child abuse and aggravated child abuse.

Lewis is currently being held in the Marshall County Jail on $30,000 bond.

The Alabama Dept. of Human Resources and the Child Advocacy Center of Marshall County assisted in the case.
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County is preparing to buy 250,000 pens for voter to use on Election Day.

Madison County Clerk Debra Ming-Mendoza has requested the purchase to allow each voter on Nov. 3 to receive their own pen to mark ballots. The basic ball-point pens would have the words I voted on them, and voters would be able to take them home with them when they leave their polling places.

The pens will cost about 8 cents each, or a total of $20,519.28. Their purchase was unanimously approved during a special Madison County Finance and Government Operations Committee meeting on Monday.

According to Ming-Mendoza, the pen purchase is an effort to cut down on possible coronavirus contamination. She note that, in the March primary, one of the major complaints from voters, and some election judges, was they had to reuse pens someone else also had touched.

The alternative for Nov. 3, she said, would have been to require election judges to wipe down the pens at each polling station after each use.

Wipes are much more expensive, Ming-Mendoza said.

She noted there were concerns that a new wipe would have to be used each time is cleaned, something medical doctors at Mondays meeting confirmed. Ming-Mendoza added that, because of national shortages, the county could not guarantee they would have enough disinfectant wipes for use during the election.

The wipes also present a higher cost, accoring to Madison County Board Member Chris Guy, R-Maryville. He said a wipe costs about 25 cents, compared to the 8-cent pens.

Its bizarre to be having this conversation, Guy said. But we want our voters to feel safe.

During this COVID pandemic that were in, the sharing of a pen may not be the wisest thing to do at this time, said Madison County Board Member Gussie Glasper, D-Madison. This would be one way of reassuring our voters.

Dr. Ray Weber, a member of the Madison County Health Advisory Committee, said it was important for county officials to follow safety protocols. Thoroughly wiping each individual pen used by voters in the election, he said, would be difficult.

You have to take significant precautions, and this is probably the safest thing to do, he said. When you figure the extra time involved, at 8 cents per pen it makes a lot of sense.

The pen purchase must be approved by the full Madison County Board in September.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has recenty issued guidance on safety protocols for the fall election.

While the safest way to cast a ballot this year is voting by mail, we are and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure that Illinoisans can exercise their right to vote in person, in the safest possible environments during this COVID-19 pandemic, IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a released statement.

The state is strongly encouraging local election authorities to move polling places from long-term care and senior living facilities, to offer masks to voters not wearing masks one and to maintain social distancing.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

He had been in Poland for a few days to participate in some Marian celebrations in Czestochowa. The Belarus State Border Commission gives no reasons for the ban. Suspicions that Lukashenko did not like the archbishops gestures and comments on the elections and his closeness to the prisoners. The Orthodox Metropolitan of Minsk, Pavel, is transferred to Russia. The new Orthodox Metropolitan of Minsk is Venjamin Tupeko.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - The Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Minsk-Mogilev, Mgr. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, was blocked yesterday at the Belarusian border, returning from Poland where he had participated in some celebrations in honor of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Kondrusiewicz himself told Radio Svoboda that he was stopped at the border post of Kuznitsa Belostokskaja, a few kilometers from his hometown of Grodno, where border guards prevented him from returning to his homeland.

Yesterday evening, the official car of the prelate with the driver crossed the border and arrived in Minsk, while the metropolitan returned to Poland, awaiting developments. The press office explains that the prelate trusts in article 30 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, which states: "Every citizen of the Republic has the right to move freely, and choose his residence throughout the territory of the Republic of Belarus, of leave the territory and go back without obstacles ". The right to return to one's homeland is also guaranteed by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Belarus.

Questioned by journalists, the Belarus State Border Commission replied with a "No comment".

Through the catholic.by site, local Catholics ask for prayers for their metropolitan: "In a difficult time for all of us, let's mobilize in prayer, show special solidarity and support each other in every situation, because we are one big family ".

Some Catholics speculate that the ban is caused by the prelate's interventions and appeals to dialogue, in addition to the initiative to assist those arrested in the latest demonstrations. Although Kondrusiewicz had good relations with President Alexandr Lukashenko in the past, his latest comments were not welcomed by the Belarusian leader.

In recent days, the archbishop gave an extensive interview to the Polish religious television channel TV Trwam, defending the rights of the Belarusian population.

On the same day, the Orthodox Metropolitan Pavel (Ponomarev, photo 3) was transferred from Minsk to a southern Russian seat in Kuban, together with a group of priests among those closest to him. The prelate thanked the many faithful present at the morning farewell liturgy, assuring that "he never made distinctions between people for political reasons, indeed, woe to the priests who get involved in politics ... we must speak only in church, not in the press or on the internet, there are already people in charge of this.

In the evening, the new Metropolitan of Minsk, Venjamin (Tupeko, photo 4), presided over a moleben to the Mother of God. In his homily he observed that "the Belarusian people have had a great trial, precisely in the year of the coronavirus pandemic, with the social unrest of these days ... when a building falls apart, you don't argue about how it was built, but you work together to put it back on its feet. Venjamin proposed that everyone commit themselves to "great and fruitful prayer, the only work that gives real results".
Travellers from Greece will be required to self-isolate at home for 14 days on arrival into Scotland as of Thursday morning, the nation's government has said after data showed a significant rise in coronvirus cases being imported from the Mediterranean nation.

While cases in Greece remain lower than 20 per 100,000 people - compared to the UK's 25 per 100,000 - a number of infections north of the border have been linked to the Greek islands in particular, officials said.

The measures, which will come into effect as of 4am on Thursday, are also being implemented by Welsh officials - with arrivals from Zante being asked to self isolate.

However England is yet to follow suit, with the Department for Transport saying it had made no changes in light of announcements from Cardiff and Holyrood.

Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: "We are in the midst of a global pandemic and the situation in many countries can change suddenly. Therefore, people should think very hard before committing to non-essential travel abroad.

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"With Scotland's relatively low infection rate, importation of new cases from Greece is a significant risk to public health.

"We continue to closely monitor the situation in all parts of the world and base the decisions we make on the scientific evidence available.

"Regular discussions continue with the other three governments in the UK.

"Requiring travellers arriving from a non-exempt country to quarantine for 14 days on arrival is vital to helping prevent transmission of the virus and to suppress it."

The majority of international travellers arriving in Scotland are required to complete a passenger locator form - with those who do not facing a potential 60 fine.

And a failure to comply with quarantine rules can be met with a 480 punishment under Scottish law.

The nation's chief medical officer Gregor Smith said: "There is a compelling public health risk around importation of the virus, especially given the number of imported cases linked to the Greek islands.

"The flow of travel between Scotland and Greece, and the behaviour we have seen from some of those travellers, means that on public health grounds there is a strong case - supported by public health directors - to remove Greece from the exemption list."

All international travellers coming into Scotland, apart from a very limited number of individual exemptions, must complete a passenger locator form.

Additional reporting by agencies
A former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has written to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, urging the National Assembly to reject any new loan requests that are not for income-generating projects.

Mr Abubakar said in the letter dated August 19, a copy of which was seen by this newspaper, that the federal lawmakers should not sit back and watch the nation teeter towards financial peril.

Nigeria risks insolvency if it continues to borrow money, adding that previous loans were spent on non-viable projects, the 2019 presidential hopeful of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said.

As of March 2020, Nigerias total public debt stands at 28.6 trillion ($79.3 billion), of which about 10 trillion ($27.6 billion) is external debt, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO).

On May 29, 2015, Nigerias total national debt stood approximately at N12 trillion. As of August 2020, our national debt has tripled to N28.63 trillion, Mr Abubakar noted.

Even more alarming is the fact that the foreign debt portion of our national debt has risen from less than $10 billion on May 29, 2015, to almost $30 billion in August 2020, he added.

A further cause for concern is the fact that not all of these debts are necessary. A study of the use to which these monies have been put to will show that much of it has gone towards items or projects that are non-productive or viable.

He urged the National Assembly to check on the excesses of other arms of government by refusing to approve any new loan requests to be spent on projects or items that are not income-generating or production-based, or indeed viable.

Both Houses of the National Assembly have assented all three loan requests from President Muhammadu Buhari.

In June the $5.513 billion foreign loan request by the president got legislative nod, a week after another $22.7 billion foreign loan was approved by both Houses.

The approval was preceded by the approval of another 850 billion borrowing request made by the president, which is to be sourced from domestic markets.
The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya to be present before it on October 5 at 2 pm, asking the home ministry to ensure his appearance in the courtroom that day.

The SC also rejected his appeal seeking review of the 2017 ruling, which held him guilty of contempt for transferring $40 million to his children's accounts in contravention of court orders.

Mallya, who is an accused in a bank loan default case of around Rs 9,000 crore involving his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, is in the United Kingdom (UK).

A two-judge bench of justices, UU Lalit and Ashok Bhushan, while dismissing Mallya's review petitions against May 9, 2017, judgement said, "Now that the Review Petitions are dismissed, we direct respondent No.3 to appear before this Court on 05.10.2020 at 2:00 pm and also direct the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi to facilitate and ensure the presence of respondent No.3 before dis Court on that day. A copy of this judgement be sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs for facility and compliance."

Also Read: Vijay Mallya says ready to settle Rs 14,518 crore liabilities with creditors

The top court had asked Mallya to appear on October 5 to hear him with regard to the proposed punishment in the contempt case.

The bench recorded in its order that $40 million, part of a $75 million payment, was received in the account of Mallya on February 25, 2016, and within a few days, on February 26 and February 29, 2016, it was transferred out of that account by Mallya.

Despite repeated orders passed by this Court, no clear disclosure of his assets was made by respondent No. 3, nor any details of in-flow and out-flow of the said amount of $40 million were disclosed by him. As a matter of fact, the existence of the concerned bank account itself was not disclosed, the top court said.

Mallya had contended that in terms of the directions issued by the top court, he was required to disclose his assets as of March 31, 2016, and as such, no direction issued by the court was violated.

He said that the violation, if any, was of the orders passed by the Karnataka High Court and, therefore, the top court ought not to proceed in contempt jurisdiction.

The bench said its order of January 11, 2017, had given liberty to Mallya to file a reply to the banks' response in the case and it appears from the record that a reply was filed by him on January 30, 2017; however, the May 9, 2017 verdict mentioned that no reply was filed.

From these facts it is clear that it was an error on part of this Court to have observed and proceeded on the premise that no reply was filed by respondent No.3 to the response filed by the banks, the bench said.

Also Read: Bad Boy Billionaires India: Netflix show looks into Mallya, Nirav Modi, Subrata Roy, Ramalinga Raju's transgressions

The bench said that during the hearing of the review plea it had asked Mallya's counsel whether in its January 30, 2017 reply, was there anything which contradicted or contested the banks' submission that funds were transferred despite the orders of the Debt Recovery Tribunal and Karnataka High Court.

It had asked whether any explanation was forthcoming in the reply of Mallya to support the stand that he was not guilty of a violation of said orders.

The bench said that his counsel was unable to refer to any such portion from the reply filed on January 30, 2017, but touched upon the questions whether the directions issued by the Court were violated and whether the court ought to have proceeded to exercise contempt jurisdiction.

The bench said the scope of the review was limited and that all submissions made by his counsel have already been dealt with and rejected by the court in its May 9, 2017 verdict.

The apex court had in June directed its registry to explain as to why Mallya's review petition had not been listed before the concerned court for the last three years.

It had directed the registry to furnish all the details including names of officials who had dealt with the file concerning the review petition over the last three years.

The apex court's 2017 order had come on a plea by a consortium of banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI), which had said that Mallya had allegedly transferred $40 million received from British firm Diageo to his children in "flagrant violation" of various judicial orders.

Also Read: Vijay Mallya extradition: Liquor baron to be brought to Mumbai, will lodge in Arthur Road jail

It was dealing with pleas of lending banks seeking contempt action and a direction to Mallya to deposit $40 million received from offshore firm Diageo respectively.

The banks had then alleged that Mallya concealed the facts and diverted the money to his son Siddharth Mallya and daughters Leanna Mallya and Tanya Mallya in "flagrant violation" of the orders passed by the Karnataka High Court.

Mallya had in May lost his application seeking leave to appeal his extradition to India in the UK Supreme Court, setting a 28-day clock on his removal from the UK.

The UK top court's decision marks a big legal setback to the 64-year-old flamboyant businessman, who had earlier lost his high court appeal against an extradition order to India on charges of alleged fraud and money laundering related to unrecovered loans to his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

Mallya has been based in the UK since March 2016 and remains on bail on an extradition warrant executed three years ago by Scotland Yard on April 18, 2017.

(With inputs from PTI)
Opposition parties in Guinea on Tuesday announced the restart of protests against a third term for President Alpha Conde, following the announcement of his candidacy by his party for polls expect on 18 October.

The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), a collective of political parties, trade unions and members of civil society, said in a statement on Tuesday that their movement against Conde third term had reached a decisive phase, AFP news agency reported.

Condes party, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG), said on Monday that the 82-year-old Guinean leader had accepted the partys nomination for the October elections.

The FNDC called Conde a ferocious dictator, describing a potential third term in office as illegitimate and criticising the cowardly way the announcement was made, according to a communique shared on social media.

The opposition movement urged people to prepare themselves for up and coming demonstrations for which a date would soon be announced.

The FNDC has already staged several mass demonstrations against Condes bid for a third term, including the constitutional reform which enabled him standing. Protests previously faced a crackdown by Guinea security forces with dozens of people killed.

Conde enacted a new constitution in April following a referendum on changes to the text that was overwhelming backed by voters.

The constitution has a two term limit, however, supporters of the incumbent president argue that putting in place a new constitution effectively resets the counter, enabling him to stand for a third term.

Conde was originally elected in 2010, becoming the countrys first democratically elected president after decades of authoritarian regimes. He was re-elected in 2015 and his opponents accuse him of a slide into authoritarianism.
The new discount scheme will start in Indiana and Tennessee from October 14, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Texas and Virginia for policy renewals after October 19.

Indeed, Elephant staff may well be able to benefit from this saving  the company has allowed most staff to work from home for rest of the year.

Thanks to the planning across all departments, we were able to move over 650 employees to working from home eight weeks ago. The teams are working so well that we have decided to extend the option to the end of the year, said Alberto Schiavon, in late May. We feel this offers everyone the opportunity to be safer at home without affecting our service standards.

Elephant Insurance was established in 2009 and is part of the Wales-based Admiral Insurance Group, one of the largest auto insurers in the UK. Admirals international results had been struggling, with European profits dragged down by Elephants claims volume, but in its most recent results the international arm as a whole contributed 6.5 million ($8.7 million) to the groups bottom line.
The Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD), the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Bulk Oil Storage & Transportation Company (BOST) and Ghana Gas joined heads to sponsor the construction of a two-unit Kindergarten school block for the people of New Adjena in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region.

The school block project including an auxiliary unit was commissioned by the Volta River Authority Resettlement Trust Fund on Thursday, August 27, 2020.

The VRA is required to provide the Trust Fund with an annual grant for developmental project for tens of resettlement townships surrounding.

Executive Director of the VRA Trust Fund Richard Twum Barimah said the Fund sought external help due to budgetary constraints in order to complete the all-important project for the people of New Adjena, particularly school children.

VRA Trust fund at a retreat in Ho pleaded with some of the sister orgnaisations to assist us since our grant is a bit overstretched.

He commended the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CBOD Senyo Hosi for making the first pledge and pulling along other donors to raise about GHS150,000, a part of which went into the school block.

The Deputy Minister of Energy (Power) William Owireku Aidoo in his address asked that the people of Adjena them to be hopeful of more projects in the future.

President Akufo-Addo has promised he will do whatever it takes to take the Trust Fund out of financial difficulties so it can be more beneficial to the community. It is our prayer that in future university education will be free]and these children would also benefit.

The chairman of the commissioning ceremony, the Chief of Akwamu Adumasa, Nana Ansah Kwao IV in his brief remarks thanked all the sponsors for their support. He charged the VRA Trust Fund to take up more developmental projects for the township.

The VRA Resettlement Trust Fund was set up in 1996 to cater for the needs of resettlement communities which had been affected by the formation of the Volta Lake as part of the Akosombo hydro-electric power project through displacements, poor roads and drainage and low incomes of inhabitants.
Botswana says a string of mysterious elephant deaths has come to a halt since June, after at least 281 carcasses were found.

Experts in the southern African country, with the world's largest elephant population, said there were no signs of poaching or predators. Most of the blood samples sent abroad for testing indicate a toxin caused the deaths.

However, it is not clear if the toxin is man-made or natural, says Botswana's Ministry of Wildlife and Environment Permanent Secretary Oduetse Koboto.

"We have received most of the results. A lot of variables that we suspected had tested negative. We ruled out any virus, no bacteria. Pathogens (are) also negative," he said. "The only thing that we are waiting for is toxicology. What is evident is that we are now dealing with a poison."

Koboto says they are waiting on one last batch of test results from the United States before reaching a conclusion.

Veterinarian Dr. Mbatshi Mazwinduma says a naturally occurring toxin would explain why no more elephants appear to be dying in Botswana's Okavango panhandle.

"In the period leading to June, remember this is a dry period, the amount of water is in low quantities. If it is because of a naturally occurring toxin, they would be in high concentration in the waters and those elephants that drink in particular spots get affected. With the rising waters of the Okavango in the last couple of weeks, the toxins are diluted and then washed out," Mazwinduma said.

Conservationist Neil Fitt agrees that changes in weather conditions could have diluted a natural toxin.

"If it is an environmental toxin, they come and go depending on weather conditions," he said. "Obviously, the conditions, if that's the case, have now changed and that's the reason why the deaths have stopped, which is a good thing. But until we get the results, which are extremely long in coming, we cannot say much more."

Koboto says getting quick results on the investigations and test samples was not possible due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"There were lockdowns everywhere, even internationally," he said. "Mostly, we are dependent on air transport. If there are no flights going outside the country even (to) South Africa here, how could we have taken them (samples) out?"

Botswana's neighbor, Zimbabwe, recorded its first mysterious deaths last week, with the loss of at least 11 elephants. Wildlife authorities there say the cause appears to be a bacterial infection.

The two countries have the world's combined largest elephant population at more than 200,000 animals  most of them in Botswana.

Conservationists estimate the number of wild, African elephants has dropped by almost a third in the last decade due to drought, loss of habitat, and poaching.


The cab drivers will assemble near Himachal Bhawan at Mandi House on Tuesday to seek government action on their demands

New Delhi: A section of drivers working with cab aggregators Ola and Uber went on strike on Tuesday affecting services in some parts of Delhi-NCR as they demanded a fare hike and moratorium on loan repayment.

The striking cab drivers will assemble at Mandi House later in the day to press for their demands, including extension of moratorium on EMI payment till December, an increase in fares and withdrawal of speeding violation penalties, said Kamaljeet Singh Gill, the president of the Sarvodaya Drivers Association of Delhi.

"The strike has led to unavailability of cabs in many parts of the Delhi-NCR including Greater Noida, Dwarka and Uttam Nagar," Gill said.

The strike may pose challenges for commuters, including students who are to appear in the IIT-JEE Mains exam beginning on Tuesday.

Taxi drivers of various associations in Delhi-NCR, who work with Ola and Uber, decided to go on strike from Tuesday as their appeals for help did not lead to any action by the government, Gill said.

"Due to the acute financial crisis caused by the coronavirus-induced lockdown, drivers are unable to pay their EMIs. The moratorium of loan repayment ended and the banks are already putting pressure on us. Drivers are scared that banks will tow away their vehicles for not paying EMIs," he said.

The drivers have also demanded that fares should be hiked and their commission increased by the cab aggregators. Gill said the fare should be fixed by the government instead of the cab aggregators.

No reaction was immediately available from Ola or Uber about the impact of the strike on their services.

Amid the pandemic, the strike may cause hardships to commuters as Metro train services are yet to resume and public transport buses are running at reduced capacity in view of social distancing norms.
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Sign-up for COVID-19 tests beyond expectations in HK, defying opposition's politicization

Global Times

By Liu Caiyu and Fan Anqi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 0:38:39 Last Updated: 2020/8/31 0:26:39

HK has long road before return to normalcy

Two days before Hong Kong activates a mass nucleic acid testing program on Tuesday, the city has seen at least 400,000 sign up for the free COVID-19 tests with some testing centers already fully booked, a slap in the face of some opposition forces who are trying to discourage residents to register and politicize the issue.

Since the online appointment service was open to the public on Saturday, the number of those registering for testing has risen, with at least 48 out of 141 testing centers in communities now fully booked on the first day of testing. Some are booked out for the first three days.

Upon facing defamation on the mainland's aid to help the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) combat the COVID-19 epidemic from a number of troublemakers with ulterior motives, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of China's State Council, the Liaison Office of the Central Government in HKSAR and the HKSAR government issued statements on Sunday, condemning them for being vicious with no regard for the safety and health of Hong Kong residents.

The number of new cases in Hong Kong has been hovering around 10-20 per day, but more than one-third of these cases are of unknown origin and a hidden chain of transmission in the community continues to pose challenges.

Beyond expectations

The naysayers have not stopped residents from registering with the scheme as they are eager to see the city return to normality.

In the past days, Victor Chan Chi-ho, a community official from the New People's Party in Hong Kong has helped hundreds of residents to access the registration website and sign up online as some had trouble logging in.

Soon after the website was open to the public, the response has exceeded expectations as many test centers have been overwhelmed, Chan told the Global Times.

With the support of the central government, the HKSAR government has greatly boosted its testing capability and the mass testing program will start from Tuesday, September 1 and last for at least seven days. A total of 141 community testing centers have been set up in 18 districts in Hong Kong. More than 6,000 medical staff in Hong Kong are involved in the scheme.

Residents said they hoped that more people would get tested in order to find asymptomatic virus carriers as soon as possible and cut off community transmission, Chan said.

"It's better than nothing right? I'd like to know if I or my family members have contracted the virus," said Kevin Choy, who added he is freeing up his schedule so he can register for a test.

"If my parents want to go, I'll also make an appointment for them," Choy said. Choy is among the many residents in Hong Kong who are aware of the importance of the tests but he also said he wondered if the scheme will be effective as some people are not participating.

Choy told the Global Times that the testing itself has been politicized and there are a lot of conspiracy theories such as whether the medical staff had been properly trained or how will the government deal with their personal data. It is hard for a citizen not to think about the pros and cons, he said.

Some political activists claimed that the government would collect the DNA of Hong Kong residents under the guise of the testing program and that information would be sent to the mainland to establish a comprehensive scientific and technological monitoring system.

Some have expressed worries about the potential of contracting the virus at the testing spots and others have questioned the cost-efficiency of the tests, quoting local media reports on the HK$2.58 million ($330,000) that government had spent on the community testing program.

While the HKSAR government and central government have made huge efforts to arrange the citywide scheme which aims to help the city cut off community transmission, some in the opposition camp are trying to dampen the motivation of Hong Kong residents with a variety of plausible reasons.

"They are only trying to achieve their political purposes, rather than acting for the sake of public health," Chan told the Global Times on Sunday. It is absurd to see the opposition questioning the effectiveness of the mass testing program as the testing has received an unexpected welcome among Hong Kong residents, Chan said.

It is the tricks of some forces to undermine the prestige of the HKSAR government in governance, tarnish the image of the central government, discredit the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and sow discord among the Hong Kong people towards the motherland, a spokesperson of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said.

The Liaison Office of the Central Government in HKSAR also said some people with ulterior motives who politicize the fight against COVID-19 and create and spread vicious rumors are disregarding social interests and public health.

A spokesperson for the HKSAR government expressed deep disappointment and regret at the misinformation posted online and through social media about the testing program, calling on more residents to sign up.

The HKSAR spokesperson assured the public on Sunday that the tests will be carried out in Hong Kong and samples will not be sent out of the city. Residents should not worry about the leakage of personal information as the government will delete testing results and personal data once the tests are complete.

Well paid for city revitalization

Mass nucleic acid testing schemes have proven effective in many Chinese cities.

Citywide testing in Wuhan, the hardest-hit city in China in the early stages of the pandemic, helped revive its economy. In Wuhan now, people are able to gather in night clubs, dine out and walk on the streets without mandatory requirement of wearing a mask.

Hong Kong has eased some of its social distancing restrictions where restaurants and shopping malls have seen customers coming in and out and people are lining up to enter some public venues. But the international business hub has a long way to go before returning to normalcy, observers said, as people have to wear masks everywhere and always be on their guard to avoid crowds for their own safety.

As some experts in Hong Kong are questioning the effectiveness of the testing, Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the scheme, which is a good effort of the HKSAR government to bring the livelihood and economy of Hong Kong back on track, will help decision-makers have a thorough understanding of the number of asymptomatic carriers within communities before adopting the next round measures to revive the city.

The advantages of mass nucleic acid testing outweigh the disadvantages, Zeng told the Global Times. Although Hong Kong is only seeing sporadic infections nowadays, the social and financial cost of controlling sporadic infections is much higher than that of the mass testing program.

There could be more asymptomatic carriers out there, Zeng said. Only by taking this crucial step of finding hidden transmission, will the Hong Kong government be able to focus on preventing a resurgence of the epidemic and revitalizing the economy, experts said.

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Twitter said Tuesday that it would add more context to topics that trend on its service, an effort to clean up a feature that has often been used to amplify hate and disinformation.

The change comes as Twitter and other social media companies struggle to respond to disinformation surrounding the U.S. presidential election. But it stops short of a solution that some Twitter employees and external activists have proposed: eradicating Trending Topics altogether.

Twitter offers trends as a way for users to identify which topics are most popular. The trends serve as an on-ramp for new users who are learning how to find information on Twitter and to help all users navigate news topics. They can be curated according to personal interests or geographic location.

But the system has often been gamed by bots and internet trolls to spread false, hateful or misleading information.
In a nutshell: Battery life isnt always the biggest priority for smartphone makers, but a handset that lasts up to three days without requiring a charge is something many consumers crave. Now, Samsung has launched a device that meets those wishes: the Galaxy M51, which features a monstrous 7,000 mAh battery.

After teasing the phone last week, Samsungs latest entry in its mid-range M series has just landed on the companys German website. It comes with a 6.7-inch AMOLED Plus display and a 1,080 x 2,340 resolution. As its not a flagship, the M51 is powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 730. Theres also 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 32MP hole-punch selfie cam with a four-lens rear camera setup 64MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro, and a depth sensor.

The standout feature, of course, is that 7,000 mAh battery, which should last around three days of average use. In addition to its vast battery capacity, the M51 comes with a 25W fast charger in the box.

Elsewhere, theres 4K video recording at 30 fps, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, USB Type C, a single speaker, a 3.5mm jack, and Bluetooth 5.

The Galaxy M51 is available in black or white and is costs 360 (around $429). Preorders start shipping on October 11, and while availability will expand to other countries beyond Germany, theres no word on a US release just yet.

Massive battery life doesnt guarantee success, of course. Last year saw an Indiegogo campaign for the Power Max P18K Pop, a phone with an 18,000 mAh battery, raise just over $11,000 from 15 backers, falling slightly short of its $1.2 million target.
Community activism is hardly new to Toni Abernathy. The East Carolina University biology graduate describes herself as an educator and environmentalist. I was chairman, and before that, vice chairman, of the Hickory Youth Council, she said, referring to her leadership in 2013-14 on the municipal body comprised of 30 high school students charged with representing youths in the city. That was a great experience. Activism has always been a thing for me. So, just having a voice in the community as a young person, I really enjoyed that.

Eternity Mitchell, 17, a student at Challenger Early College High School, is determined to not have the current wave of protests ebb into a historical footnote. Its going to take our generation, the newer generation, to continue this, she said. Our grandparents have been doing this since they were our age, and we still have stuff we want to see changed.

But if we dont do anything, if we just do one thing, if someone were to go to just one march and say, Ive done my part, or sign one petition and say, I did my part, of course it will not continue, she added. Because thats one step of thousands we need to take as individuals.
Winnipeg, Manitoba--(Newsfile Corp. - September 1, 2020) - Gossan Resources Limited (TSXV: GSS) (FSE: GSR) has entered into a mineral property acquisition agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Gander Gold Property located just outside Gander, NL.

The 9,050-hectare Gander Gold Property is immediately adjacent to the Queensway property along the Central Newfoundland Gold Belt owned by New Found Gold Corp., where discovery hole 19-01 recently intercepted 19.0 metres of 92.86 gpt gold, including 6.0 metres of 285.2 gpt gold (New Found Gold Corp. Final Prospectus, page 65, dated July 31, 2020). Gossan's Gander Gold Property is approximately 10 km east and northeast of the NFG discovery hole and hosts both parallel and cross-cutting structures. Management cautions that mineralization on properties in proximity to the Gander Gold Property is not necessarily indicative to the presence of mineralization that may be hosted on the company's property.

Douglas Reeson, President of Gossan stated, "We are pleased to get our new gold initiative out of the gate with a highly prospective gold project in Newfoundland near the recent discovery hole by New Found Gold. Management is formulating a work program for the property this Fall."

The Gander Gold Property has excellent infrastructure. The Trans-Canada Highway and Route 330 transect the property and within the property there are a number of gravel roads and logging trails that provide access.

Pursuant to the acquisition agreement, dated August 31, 2020, to acquire a 100-per-cent interest in the Gander Gold Property from an arm's-length party, the Company will issue, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, 2.1 million common shares of the Company; reimburse staking costs of $21,125; and grant a 2% net smelter returns royalty, subject to re-purchase of 1% of the NSR for $1,000,000. The completion of the acquisition remains subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals.

The property area is situated along a major geological contact between the Dunnage zone to the west and the Gander zone to the east. The Gander River Complex and Davidsville Group make up the eastern part of the Dunnage Zone and the Gander Group makes up the western portion of the Gander Zone. This region is located within the Central Newfoundland Mobile Belt and part of the Appalachian tectonic zone, which had numerous orogenic events.

Deformation in the Silurian to Devonian periods resulted in crustal thickening through imbricated thrust fault slices, regional greenschist and amphibolite grade metamorphism, and crustal melting resulting in widespread structural deformation and plutonism. Gold mineralization is related to these orogenic events.

Gold is associated with quartz veins and alterations superimposed on a sequence of dominantly sedimentary rocks. The major suture between the two tectonostratigraphic zones of the Dunnage and the Gander zones is known as the Gander River Ultramafic Belt, or GRUB line, and is made up of mafic volcanics, ultramafics and gabbro intrusions. This area was actively explored in the past for base metals. Till sampling work by Noranda in the 1980's helped show the gold potential of the area.

Most of the gold exploration in the region has been undertaken in the Dunnage zone. Some companies are also exploring in the Gander Group for gold.

Historic information on the Gander Gold Project, particularly in regard to historical exploration, neighbouring companies, and government geological work provides an indication of the exploration potential of the property but may not be representative of expected results.

Hamid Mumin, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Gossan Director, is the Company's Qualified Person and he has reviewed and approved the technical information of the mineral properties in this news release.







Gossan NFLD Fault Map

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2380/62967_gossan1enhanced.jpg

Gossan Resources Limited continues to seek new financeable resource projects in Newfoundland, Manitoba, Ontario, and throughout North America. The Company is launching a new gold initiative with this acquisition of the 9,050-hectare Gander Gold Property in Newfoundland. The Company holds a broadly diversified portfolio of multi-element properties prospective for hosting base metals and platinum group elements, as well as specialty "green-battery metals", vanadium, titanium, tantalum, lithium and chromium. Gossan also has a deposit of high-purity, magnesium-rich dolomite, and holds a $100,000-per-annum advance and production royalty interest in a silica frac sand deposit. All of Gossan's mineral exploration and development properties are located in Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario and now, Newfoundland. The Company's most recent focus is the exploration of its Sturgeon Lake Property, located in the zinc-copper-silver rich polymetallic Sturgeon Lake Greenstone Belt of Northwestern Ontario. The Company trades on the TSX Venture and the Frankfurt/Freiverkehr & Xetra Exchanges and currently has 37,908,900 common shares outstanding.

For further information, please visit www.gossanresources.ca or contact:

Douglas Reeson, Chairman & CEO

Gossan Resources Limited

Tel: 416-533-9664

E-Mail: info@gossan.ca

Kathy Ringland, Office Manager

Tel: 204-943-1990



James Doyle

Generic Capital

Tel: 647-988-8757

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62967
Ontarios post-secondary students are appealing to the provincial government for $1,000 in tuition relief after many lost out on summer jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, along with the Canadian Federation of Students and the College Student Alliance are asking that part-time students also receive a rebate of $500, and that federal pandemic-related emergency benefits for students not be used to calculate provincial student loan amounts.

Across the board, the sentiment remains the same: Students across the province are extremely worried about the financial barriers to access equitable post-secondary education, which has been furthered by the uncertainty of COVID-19, said Mackenzy Metcalfe of the undergraduate alliance, adding that the province also needs to boost OSAP student aid.

The government has provided some funding to post-secondary institutions to help cover the extra costs of COVID-19, and in 2019 cut tuition fees by 10 per cent, and froze them at that level for the 2020-21 school year.

I have heard from students across the province that the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified their financial burdens, causing job losses for many of them and their families, and making it that much harder to afford tuition, said NDP Post-Secondary Critic Chris Glover, the MPP for Spadina-Fort York and former York University professor and Toronto school board trustee.

Students are also unhappy about paying full fees for online learning this fall, as most in-person classes are cancelled because of the pandemic, he added.

It is unfair to expect post-secondary students reeling from months of financial hardship and facing a limited campus and in-class learning experience this fall to pay the same hefty tuition fees that were too high to begin with, Glover also said.

Providing a rebate gives students a bit of pandemic relief, he also said.

He also said the government must exempt federal emergency benefit payouts from OSAP calculations, otherwise the federal government is giving money to students and the provincial government is scooping it out from under them.

Polling done by Campaign Research for the Star has shown that the public is onside with tuition relief for students, and a number of online petitions have sprung up asking the same.

In July, about 75 per cent of Ontarians said universities should provide a discount if students are learning online, and just 13 per cent said tuition should remain at current levels.

Campaign Research principal Nick Kouvalis said online learning is not popular among the public and if people think they are not going to get the full experience of being on campus, spending thousands on tuition doesnt seem fair.
A demonstrator wrapped in a flag of the former German empire stands opposite riot policemen in front of the Reichstag building, after protesters tried to storm it at the end of a demonstration on 29 August. Photo: John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany rose by 1,218 on Tuesday according to the countrys Robert Koch Institute (RKI), which monitors the coronavirus. This brings the total confirmed number of infections to 243,599 to date.

Like many EU countries, Germany saw a surge in new cases last month, with a lot of new cases attributed to people coming back from summer vacations and a rise in parties and other gatherings.

However, the government has ruled out another nationwide lockdown, but said it will not loosen regulations any further, and large events remain banned through to the end of the year.

Europes largest economy contracted by 9.7% in the second quarter of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, as coronavirus lockdowns drove economic activity to a record quarterly low.

The government in Berlin waived its constitutional rule against taking on no new debt earlier this year as the pandemic spread rapidly and restrictions were imposed on all sectors of the economy and social life.

Chancellor Angela Merkel warned during her annual summer press conference last week (28 August) that the pandemic was likely to get worse again in the coming months, as people cant be outside in the fresh air as much.

READ MORE: Angela Merkel warns COVID-19 pandemic likely to get worse in coming months

Merkel described the rise in infections as worrying, adding: It is serious, it remains serious, and please keep taking it seriously.

Sat 22 August saw 1,737 new infections recorded, the highest daily spike since April.

Spain, France, Hungary and Turkey have also recorded their highest numbers of daily cases since the spring in recent days, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a resurgence of the disease in Europe.

UK health secretary Matt Hancock claimed Britain was managing to keep the number of new cases flat through the test and trace system and local lockdowns. He told The Times that countries in other parts of the world were already experiencing a second spike, adding it was a very serious threat.

Story continues

Official government data released on Friday revealed the UK recorded 1,276 daily confirmed cases of COVID-19, compared with 1,522 a day earlier.

In Germany, Berlin is reeling from mass demonstrations against coronavirus measures over the weekend, when some 38,000 people gathered in the city centre, a mixture of peaceful protestors, conspiracy theorists, and thousands of far-right supporters.

READ MORE: AstraZeneca signs 18-month vaccine deal with Oxford Biomedica

Several hundred of the right-wingers, many from the extremist Reichsburger movement and carrying former German empire flags, tried to storm the Reichstag, the seat of the lower house of parliament in Berlin.

Merkels spokesman Steffen Seibert on Monday condemned the attempt to storm the parliament as shameful.

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier called them a right-wing extremist rabble and said the attempt to break into the Reichstag was an unbearable attack on the heart of our democracy.

We will not tolerate any anti-democratic vilification of the Federal Republic of Germany, said Steinmeier. The violent riots on Saturday again made clear that right-wing extremism has deep roots in our society.
Pakistani Christian girl flees after court orders her to live with Muslim rapist

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A 14-year-old Christian girl, who was ordered by a court to return to the Muslim man who had abducted her and forcibly married and converted her to Islam, has escaped and is in hiding in Pakistans Faisalabad area, according to reports.

Catholic teenager Maira Shahbaz has fled the home of her alleged husband, Mohamad Nakash, weeks after the Lahore High Court ruled that Shahbaz was legally married to her abductor and ordered her to be returned to his custody, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported.

Judge Raja Muhammad Shahid Abbasi ruled earlier this month that Shahbaz must return to the home of the married man who had kidnapped her at gunpoint during the COVID-19 lockdown and whom the judge referred to as her husband, on the basis that she had converted to Islam.

With this ruling, no Christian girl in Pakistan is safe, a family friend and advocate, Lala Robin Daniel, was quoted as saying at the time.

The order is unprecedented and will likely mean Maria will never return to her family, Shazia George, a Pakistani human rights activist, told ICC after the ruling.

Judge Abbasi overruled a lower courts decision that she be allowed to leave her captors home and stay at a womens shelter until her case was heard by the Lahore High Court.

The Christian girl was abducted by Nakash and two accomplices while she was walking home in the Madina Town area in Faisalabad District. According to witnesses, the abductors forced Shahbaz into a car and fired gunshots into the air as they fled the scene, ICC reported earlier.

Nakash, a married man, was accused of presenting a false marriage certificate to the lower court that said Maira was 19 years old and they had wed in October 2019. The document not only failed to provide proof of consent from Nakashs first wife, with whom he has two children, but the Muslim cleric whose name is listed on the certificate had denied involvement in the sham marriage.

Lawyer Daniel earlier said that if Maira stayed in Nakashs home, she might be forced to become a sex worker.

This case has highlighted the wicked tactics used to force victims to make statements in favor of their abductors before the courts in Pakistan, Suneel Malik, a human rights defender in Pakistan, told ICC. Victims are threatened with dire consequences if they speak the truth in court.

William Stark, ICCs regional manager for South Asia, said, The threats that Mairas abductor has issued against Maira and her family are very real and must be taken seriously. We are also deeply disappointed by the High Courts decision to return Maira to the custody of her abductor. This has placed Mairas safety at risk and is likely why she and her family have gone into hiding.

Stark added that Pakistan must do more to combat the issue of abductions, forced marriages and forced conversions to Islam. For too long perpetrators have used the issue of religion to justify their crimes against Pakistans religious minorities, he said.

A 2014 study by The Movement for Solidarity and Peace Pakistan estimated that about 1,000 women and girls from Pakistans Hindu and Christian community were abducted, forcibly married to their captor, and forcibly converted to Islam every year.

The issue of religion is also often injected into cases of sexual assault to place religious minority victims at a disadvantage, ICC said. Playing upon religious biases, perpetrators know they can cover up and justify their crimes by introducing an element of religion.
Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac sparked a controversy with a tweet saying Vamana, one of the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishu, was a cheat.

Many saints and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have asked the Marxist minister to withdraw his tweet and apologize for hurting sentiments of Hindus.

We celebrate Mahabali who did not discriminate by caste or creed, not Vamana who cheated him, the minister had tweeted on Monday.

After his tweet triggered a row the minister, also an economist, re-tweeted saying he was only explaining a narrative from the scriptures.

To all those who have been upset about my Onam tweet: Accept there can be many narratives. I was referring to the one by Sahodaran Ayyappan, an ardent disciple of Sree Narayana Guru. If you are not convinced, read his Onapattu, the minister tweeted.

But many saints and BJP leaders did not accept his clarifications.

Issac has defamed Hindus. What right has he got to insult Hindu Gods like this? He should withdraw his tweet and tender an apology, said Swami Chidanandapuri, seer of Adviatha Ashram.

I dont know who gave him licence to insult Hindu gods. He should tender an apology, said BJP state president K Surendran.

Meanwhile Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal also found himself in a controversy with a tweet on the occasion of Vamana Jayanthi.

Vamana Jayanti is celebrated to mark the occasion of Lord Vishnu taking the form of Lord Vamana to defeat king Mahabali.

The festival of Onam celebrates the yearly home-coming of mythical demon king Mahabali and his tweet glorifying Vamana hasnt gone down well with Malayalis who flooded social media with memes and trolls targeting Kejriwal.

For the people of Kerala, Mahabali remains an icon of equality, justice and honesty. They vouch they cant rewrite tradition and history with the changing times.

According to legend, after being checkmated by Vamana, Mahabali asked Lord Vishnu a boon to visit his people once a year. The boon was granted and people believe Mahabali visits them on Thiruvonam day.

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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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T he Defence Secretary has apologised for slipping up after he shook a mans hand on his way to a cabinet meeting this morning.

Ben Wallace was pictured shaking hands with someone on his way to a socially distanced meeting of Boris Johnson's top table.

The meeting was held in the Foreign Office because there is more space for all the cabinet ministers to socially distance than Downing Street.

Asked if hand shaking was now permissible, the PMs spokesman said: No. the Defence Secretary recognises the mistake and apologises for slipping up.

He knows the importance of social distancing and will be extra careful in future.

The Governments latest Covid-19 slogan is: Wash hands, cover face, make space.

Official Government guidance says: Whilst recognising this will not always be possible, it is important to be aware that the risk of infection increases the closer you are to another person with the virus, and the amount of time you spend in close contact with them.

The Government recommends people keep two metres away from each other as a precaution or one metre when you can mitigate risks with precautions such as face masks.
Burma New City on Thai-Myanmar Border Part of BRI Despite Chinas Denials, Developer Claims

BGF leader Gen. Saw Chit Thu (right, in military uniform) and Yatai IHG officials (center, with plastic garlands) donate money to Karen State Chief Minister Daw Nan Khin Htwe Myint (left in red shawl) for state development during the BGFs 9th anniversary celebration at Shwe Kokko in August 2019. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

YANGONThe Chinese developer of a shady new city project on the Myanmar-Thai bordera company with links to illicit cryptocurrency and casino operationshas insisted the project is part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, despite an assertion to the contrary by the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar.

The project in Karen State, known locally as the Shwe Kokko New City after the village where it is located, was launched in 2017 by Yatai International Holdings Group (YIHG) after the firm signed an agreement with a local ethnic Karen armed group, the Border Guard Force (BGF).

The project has drawn criticism from locals over what they see as a lack of transparency, as well as confusion over the scale of construction and a growing influx of Chinese migrants. In addition, suspicions have been aroused over possible illicit activity and concerns about the social impacts of casino businesses.

From the beginning, the developer has claimed that the US$15-billion (about 20 trillion kyats) project along the Myanmar-Thai border was part of the BRI, Bejings huge international infrastructure development scheme, which includes many projects in Myanmar.

However, the Chinese Embassy in Yangon said in a statement that the project is a third-country investment and has nothing to do with the BRI.

Following the embassys announcement, YIHG on Sunday released a bizarre statement on its WeChat Public Account providing an update on the status of the project, saying, This project is not the act of the Chinese government, but is still in service of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Apart from the BRI claim, YIHG said the company was not involved in gambling or related industries, although the investors are accused of engaging in illegal casino activities in Cambodia and the Philippines. However, the statement then goes on to say that the company has determined to give the casino sector a try, after the Myanmar government recently completed the process of legalizing foreign investment in the gambling industry.

YIHGs statement comes after the Myanmar governments establishment of a tribunal to investigate the project in response to local complaints of irregularities, such as the fact that the project now exceeds its approved scale. The tribunal team has been unable to visit the site, however, due to COVID-19.

Furthermore, Shwe Kokko is among three Chinese-backed projects in Karen State that represent a major challenge to US interests, according to the US Institute of Peace. The think tank alleges the Chinese enterprises involved include individuals with a deep history of involvement in known triadsChinese organized crime groupsactive in the US and now expanding into Myanmars Karen State, bringing criminal activity to the heart of Myanmars peace process. Former US Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel even told The Irrawaddy before his departure from the country that some Chinese projects, such as Shwe Kokko, needed careful analysis and local consultation, as they seemed to be bringing a lot of social ills.

In its statement, YIHG didnt deny the existence of gambling at its new city project. However, it blamed others, saying the company leased some properties to other enterprises and did not monitor their activities and business operations because it lack[s] experience.

It may be that some companies got involved in inappropriate activities without the approval of the Yatai IHG, the statement reads, claiming that this activity was immediately brought to an end once detected.

The company reluctantly admitted that it may have introduced some criminals into the Yatai City, but as we perfect our platform, we will remain resolute in our respect for local laws and regulations, and crush all illegal activity so that the Yatai New City can better serve even more law-abiding companies.

YIHG also said nearly 300 companies from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Myanmar are operating in the city.

Apparently not content to confine its interests to Myanmar, the company also revealed in its statement plans for a future project in Mae Sot, across the border in Thailand, where it will construct a twin city.

This new city in Mae Sot will incorporate a large-scale industrial park for the medical industry, which will bring together technology, capital, medicine, medical resources, and establish a comprehensive platform for the incubation of pharmaceutical technology companies, the statement reads.

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VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - TAG Oil Ltd. (TSXV: TAO) (OTCQX: TAOIF) is pleased to announce the following corporate updates.

Management and Board of Directors

Mr. Abdel (Abby) Badwi has joined the Company as Executive Chairman of the board of directors, along with Mr. Suneel Gupta who has been appointed as VP and COO of the Company. Messrs. Shawn Reynolds and Thomas Hickey have also been appointed to TAG's board of directors as non-executive directors.

Mr. Toby Pierce commented "On behalf of TAG's management and board of directors, I would like to welcome Mr. Badwi and Mr. Gupta to the management team of the Company. They both bring a wealth of experience in leading and growing many successful energy companies. Mr. Badwi's strong background and proven track record of increasing corporate performance and enhancing shareholder value will be a significant asset to our Company. The Company's board would also like to welcome Mr. Reynolds with his extensive experience in the capital markets energy sector and Mr. Hickey with his legal and corporate governance expertise. We are looking forward to working with the new members of our management and board to develop our next strategic business plan and lead our Company on its exciting new chapter of pursuing consolidation opportunities through the acquisition of assets and/or companies in our initial focus area of Middle East and North Africa where the expanded management team bring a wealth of expertise and established relationships with a range of host government officials and industry partners."

To facilitate these new appointments to TAG's board, Messrs. Ken Vidalin, David Bennett, and Brad Holland have resigned from their positions as non-executive directors. The Company's management and board would like to sincerely thank Messrs. Vidalin, Bennett, and Holland for their many contributions and commitment during their time with TAG.

The remaining members of TAG's management and board will continue in their respective positions, with the board of directors now consisting of Messrs. Abdel (Abby) Badwi (Executive Chairman), Toby Pierce (CEO), Shawn Reynolds, Thomas Hickey, Keith Hill, Peter Loretto, and Gavin Wilson.

The following sets out the names and backgrounds of the newly appointed officers and directors of TAG:

Mr. Abdel (Abby) Badwi, Executive Chairman

Mr. Badwi is a geologist and petroleum industry executive with more than 40 years of international upstream experience, leading public and private energy companies with oil and gas assets in many international jurisdictions. During this period, Mr. Badwi has completed several corporate mergers and numerous corporate and asset acquisitions and has a strong capital markets following in North America and Europe. Mr. Badwi has been a corporate board member of several public and private companies including Verano Energy in Colombia and Arpetrol Corp. in Argentina; both companies were successfully sold in 2014 and 2016.

Mr. Badwi most recently served as President and CEO of Kuwait Energy, an E&P company with operations in Egypt, Iraq and Oman and successfully led the sale of the company in 2019. Mr. Badwi has previously served as President and CEO of Bankers Petroleum Ltd. with oil production operations in Albania from 2008 to 2013 (and Vice Chairman until 2016), and the company was sold in 2016. Mr. Badwi has also served as President, CEO and a director of Rally Energy from 2005 to 2007, a company with oil production in Egypt and natural gas in Pakistan; he successfully led the sale of the company in 2007.

Mr. Badwi was the Recipient of Albania's high distinction Presidential Award for Special Civil Merits and the Recipient of the Atlantic Council of Canada's Award for Corporate Social Responsibility and Economic Sustainability. Mr. Badwi is also a member of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors.

Mr. Suneel Gupta, VP and COO

Mr. Gupta is a senior executive in the international petroleum oil and gas industry with over 30 years of experience and a successful track record of value creation in oil and gas.

Mr. Gupta joined Bankers Petroleum Ltd. in July 2004 as a founder and held several key roles with the company including President and CEO, Executive VP and COO, VP Production & Operations, VP Business Development and General Manager for Albania. Mr. Gupta has been directly involved in growing the company from 500 bopd in 2004 to over 22,000 bopd by 2014 and more than doubling booked reserves for the assets in Albania. Mr. Gupta introduced and oversaw many key western Canadian operational practices over his tenure at Bankers Petroleum that included horizontal drilling, polymer flooding, and an institutional grade health and safety/field operations program that set international standards for excellence and performance.

Prior to joining Bankers Petroleum, Mr. Gupta held senior positions with several petroleum companies where he was integral to the development of oil properties in international countries as well as in Canada including Husky Energy Inc., Renaissance Energy Ltd., Pinnacle Resources Ltd. and Chevron Canada Resources Ltd.

Mr. Gupta holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in chemical engineering both from the University of Calgary.

Mr. Shawn Reynolds, Non-Executive Director

Mr. Reynolds is Portfolio Manager of Van Eck Securities Corporation which he joined in 2005. He currently serves as Portfolio Manager for Van Eck's Global Hard Assets Strategy where he is responsible for company research and portfolio construction. Prior to joining Van Eck, he was employed as an energy equity analyst covering North American, European, and global energy companies out of New York, Denver, London and Australia with Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse First Boston, Lehman Brothers and Petrie Parkman.

Prior to his career in finance, Mr. Reynolds worked as an exploration geologist for Tenneco Oil Company. Mr. Reynolds was previously Vice Chairman of Kuwait Energy Company, and a board member of several private Latin American oil and gas exploration companies. He is a member of the board of trustees at Hackensack Meridian Health Hospitals Corp., the Riverview Medical Center Foundation, Trinity Hall, and Former President and current member of the board of trustees at the Rumson Country Day School.

Mr. Reynolds received an M.B.A. in finance from Columbia University, an M.A. in petroleum geology from the University of Texas, Austin, and a B.S. in engineering from Cornell University.

Mr. Thomas Hickey, Non-Executive Director

Mr. Hickey is an attorney of the State of California and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. Mr. Hickey brings to TAG over 20 years' international oil and gas sector experience in M&A, corporate governance, compliance & ethics, and group restructuring and consolidation during his time with the operators Hess Corporation and Kuwait Energy and the service contractors Transocean and Subsea 7.

Beginning his career in London, England, Mr. Hickey has since been expatriated to Houston, New York, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait City and Paris to support growth strategies and implement fit-for-purpose and effective corporate governance and compliance. Currently, Mr. Hickey is Head of Corporate Legal for Roquette Freres S.A. and based in France.

Mr. Hickey received an MBA from Strathclyde University (distinction) and is a certified CEDR mediator.

Private Placement and Stock Options

In connection with the above appointments, Messrs. Badwi, Reynolds, Hickey and Gupta, along with a consultant, have agreed to purchase, on a non-brokered private placement basis, 6.25 million units ("Units") at a price of C$0.16 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of C$1.0 million. Each Unit consists of one common share ("Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share in the capital of the Company at a price of C$0.16 per Common Share for a period of three years from the date of closing. The private placement is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The proceeds from the private placement will be used for working capital purposes and added to TAG's current cash balance of ~C$14.5 million, with no debt on the balance sheet. This is supplemented by the quarterly royalty payments and ESP payments receivables from Tamarind Resources Pte. Ltd. as part of the sale of substantially all of TAG's Taranaki Basin assets and operations in New Zealand.

In the Surat Basin of Australia, TAG will continue to assess all available opportunities to maximize value for its shareholders, including exploring strategic partnerships and opportunities for its three 100% controlled blocks (PL17, ATP 2037 and ATP 2038) covering over 275,000 acres.

TAG also announces the grant of 4.85 million stock options exercisable for a period of five years at a price of C$0.25 per share to the newly appointed officers, directors, and consultant. The options will be subject to deferred vesting over three years. This is part of TAG's ongoing strategy of granting share options to attract and retain talent, as well as motivating its team to work towards ensuring the success and value creation at TAG.

About TAG Oil Ltd.

TAG Oil Ltd. (http://www.tagoil.com/) is a Canadian based international oil and gas explorer with exploration and production assets in Australia.

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements with regard to the Company's operations, and receiving royalty and milestone payments. These statements address future events and conditions and are reliant on assumptions made by the Company's management, and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, and the assumptions underlying the forward-looking information, actual results could differ from those currently projected. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE TAG Oil Ltd.

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www.tagoil.com


Abuja  The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has cleared the air that it is not a ban on maize importation alone that is the sole cause of the price increase of the commodity as believed in the industry.

This was stated by the Principal Manager, Anchor Borrowers Unit, Team Lead, Poultry Working Group, CBN, Okunola Abiodun, on Webinar organised by Wandieville Media on the topic, 'Nigeria's Ban on Maize Importation: Implication on the Poultry Industry and Opportunities for Alternative Feed'.

According to Abiodun the policy is not the sole contributor to the increase in maize price, but the dynamics of food prices coupled with the effect of the lockdown and change in weather conditions have also led to an increase in the price of commodities.

He also called for the protection of smallholder farmers in the industry as about 30 per cent of maize production is wasted due to lack of storage facilities. However, urged stakeholders to build processing centers for smallholder farmers as a panacea to address the protracted challenge of post-harvest losses in order to increase the supply of maize as a way to mitigate.

It has been a challenge in Nigeria's poultry industry since CBN revised the forex policy that banned importers of maize from accessing forex from the apex bank. Stakeholders are currently nervous due to the negative impact it has made on their business.

Currently, stakeholders are calling for urgent solutions and strategies to tackle the pressure the policy has placed the industry as far as the high cost of poultry feed is concerned.

Wandieville, organizer of the virtual meeting deemed it fit to put a series of webinars involving relevant stakeholders to discuss the new policy; the second day of the webinar which held on Thursday, August 27, 2020, focused on 'Nigeria's Ban on Maize Importation: Implication on the Poultry Industry and Opportunities for Alternative Feed' with stakeholders from the poultry industry and the CBN.

The panelists for the session include Principal Manager, Anchor Borrowers Unit/Team Lead, Poultry Working Group, CBN Abuja Okunola Abiodun; Director-General, Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, Onallo Akpa; Country Representative for the International Livestock Research Institution, ILRI, Nigeria, Dr Tunde Amole; Chief Executive Officer, Farmkart Foods, Jesse Osiobe; Chief Executive Officer, Demirs Farms/Chairperson, Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, Oyo Chapter, Blessing Alawode, CEO, Terudee Farms Ltd/ All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Oyo Chapter, Engr John Oluwoye Olateru; and Financial Journalist (Macroeconomy and Development), Stears Business, the moderator of the discussion, Gbemisola Alonge.

He said: "Relevant stakeholders need to join forces to create alternatives sources of carbohydrate for the production of poultry feed.

"The policy is not the sole contributor to the increase in maize price; the dynamics of food prices coupled with the effect of the lockdown and change in weather conditions have also led to an increase in the price of commodities.

"There are no fast routes to economic development. There is no silver bullet to this. We should collaborate and come together to sort out ways. You cannot leave the power to produce food for your people in the hands of strangers."

He further stated that poultry farmers could create more sources of income for themselves from their farms, which he pointed that manure can be converted to biogas as an energy source to cut down operational costs within the farm while eggs can be processed into powder to secure the patronage of institutional buyers.

He added that these technological innovations when pitched with good business plans will be financed by the CBN through various schemes and stakeholders should come together to seek viable solutions for the poultry industry.

In a reaction, the Chief Executive Officer of Demris Farms/Chairperson, Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, Oyo Chapter, Blessing Alawode, lamented while explaining the inelastic nature of the demand for eggs, which has led to a loss on investment in the industry.

Alawode pointed out that the success and sustainability of any poultry business lie in the ability to "restock farm produce", which the policy has further made it difficult for farmers to do the needful in their businesses.

"The poultry farmer is having a hard time because he is unable to replace his stock and this means downsizing which will lead to unemployment for a few hands the farmer engages and loss of investments", she stated.

Also reacting to the policy Country Representative for the International Livestock Research Institution, ILRI, Nigeria, Dr Tunde Adegoke Amole, decried the move by the CBN, which he alleged that the apex bank did not carry out wide consultation before coming up with the policy to ban maize importation.

Amole said, "Solving a problem to create another one has always been a mode of operation in this country. To what extent did the CBN work with other stakeholders before bringing this out?"

He also asserted that maize is not a commodity consumed only by the livestock industry, but also largely consumed by humans as a major staple food in most households, hence the price increase of maize is affecting the nutrition of Nigerians as it has become highly unaffordable in the market.

He also added that cassava is an alternative for feed mills, but it is also a source of food for humans, therefore focus has to be shifted to cassava peels.

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"Let us look beyond cassava and look into the peels, if we accept this, we will solve the problem of environmental pollution, increase in maize price and challenges we have with livestock", he said.

Meanwhile, the Director-General, PAN, Onallo Akpa, said there has to be a development plan at all levels with working systems to properly harness the potentials in the sector.

He added that other crops such as palm oil, sorghum, and others can serve as substitutes for maize in the feed mills and the government can engage stakeholders in commercial agriculture to meet the demand for maize.

However, the CEO, Terudee Farms Ltd/ All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Oyo Chapter, Engr John Oluwoye Olateru, asked for the government's support and intervention for price stability and also the price of cassava peels when the demand for it increases.

Olateru maintained that cassava peels remain a viable alternative, which needs attention, and according to him accessing funds to finance technological innovations is faced with a myriad of challenges that have to be addressed to make sure that the initiative benefits players in the industry.

Vanguard
New Delhi/Chennai, Sep 1 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has named Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and two hardline preachers of Pakistan origin as accused in an FIR pertaining to a high-profile "love jihad" case.

The high-profile case involves the daughter of a Chennai-based businessman and the son of a top Bangladesh politician, belonging to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The NIA is probing the Indian businessman's daughter and Bangladesh politician son's marriage in London. Zakir Naik, who is wanted by Indian enforcement agencies, and the hardline preachers of Pakistani-origin based in the US have been named as accused in the case, according to information accessed by IANS.

The girl's father had initially lodged a complaint with the Chennai Central Crime Branch in May, alleging his daughter who was studying in London was radicalised and was forced to covert to Islam.

He had also alleged that his daughter was abducted from London and taken to Bangladesh by some Bangladeshis.

"The matter involved investigation in foreign countries. And hence the case was transferred to National Investigation Agency (NIA)," Chennai Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal told IANS. He said it is not possible to share further details on the case.

The persons named in the NIA's FIR are Zakir Naik, as well as Yasir Qadhi and Nauman Ali Khan, both US-based Islamic preachers.

Qadhi had put a video of Naik where he was seen making sensational claims on safe passage from India when he was being pursued by Indian enforcement agencies.

The prime accused is Nafees, son of Shakhawat Hossain Bakul, a BNP leader and former Member of Parliament. Bakul was elected to parliament from Narsingdi-4 as a BNP candidate in 1991 and 2001.

Bakul had been arrested from Khaleda Zia's residence in December 2013 and in June 2017, he was sued by a businessman for extortion.

As per the summary of allegations being investigated by NIA, the Central government had received information from the Tamil Nadu government of regarding the registration of case on May 28, 2020, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, relating to the complaint filed against Nafees, a Bangladeshi citizen, who had allegedly indulged in kidnapping and trafficking of an Indian citizen.

The case revealed the commission of offence specified under the scheduled offences in the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008.
Under pressure from its citizens and Western powers, the leaders of multi-confessional Lebanon have vowed to abandon a power-sharing system that is widely seen to plague political life.

The so-called confessional system divides power between Christian and Muslim communities in the Mediterranean country that is formally a parliamentary republic.

Under a decades-old arrangement, Lebanon's president must always be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shiite.

To its many critics, the system has paralysed the state and fuelled graft and inertia by cementing the power of sectarian former warlords and party barons who hail from a handful of powerful families.

The system was once praised as a pillar of coexistence. But after multiple political and economic crises, under-fire politicians have now joined activists in labelling it "the cause of all ills".

The massive explosion at Beirut's port on August 4 that killed at least 188 people, wounded thousands and devastated much of the capital has renewed calls for radical systemic change.

But entrenched vested interests make it unlikely that Lebanon will quickly say farewell to a system that has been the foundation of all political life for many turbulent decades.

- Patchwork of religions -

Lebanon recognises 18 official religious sects, and its 128 parliamentary seats are divided equally between Muslims and Christians, an arrangement unique in the region.

The aim is for political representation to reflect the demographic balance, even though there has been no official census since 1932 -- largely because the relative size of communities has changed considerably, to the detriment of some.

According to the latest unofficial estimates, Christians now account for about one third of Lebanon's estimated population of 4.6 million, while Muslims make up most of the rest.

The power-sharing agreement between Christians and Muslims was first consecrated in the 1943 "National Pact" -- an unwritten agreement reached after Lebanon gained independence from French mandate authorities.

It granted greater representation to Christians, before simmering tensions exploded in Lebanon's civil war from 1975 to 1990.

Warring parties agreed to end hostilities after the Saudi-brokered Taif agreement established parity in parliament between Christians and Muslims, who had demanded greater representation.

The deal also shifted some powers of the Christian president to the prime minister and parliament.

According to the agreement, Lebanon's confessional system was only meant to be provisional and temporary.

But in practise it has enshrined the control of former warlords who have swapped their military fatigues for suits and now share between them senior public sector positions on the basis of religious affiliation.

It also laid the foundation for a consensus-based system that requires agreement between the so-called troika of the president, prime minister and speaker over any major issue.

As a result, political differences regularly cause prolonged crises, with no mechanism in place to settle disputes.

- Street pressure -

Lebanese have criticised their power-sharing systems for almost as long as they have existed -- but the cascading crises of recent months have amplified calls to scrap it.

An unprecedented cross-sectarian protest movement hit the streets from last October to demand a complete overhaul of a political system widely seen as broken.

The Beirut explosion of a huge pile of ammonium nitrate further fuelled the anger, because it was widely blamed on decades of negligence and corruption by the ruling elite.

French President Emanuel Macron, on a visit to disaster-hit Beirut, told Lebanese leaders they now faced the responsibility of forging "a revamped pact with the Lebanese people".

Just before Macron returned on Monday for another visit, Lebanese leaders also adopted the call.

The head of the powerful Muslim Shiite group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said his movement was "open" to the idea of a new political pact.

President Michel Aoun and parliament speaker Nabih Berri followed suit, backing calls for the formation of a "secular" state.

Despite such pledges, however, suspicion has been rife as ever that Lebanon's political heavyweights were only paying lip service to reform ahead of Macron's visit.

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Starting Tuesday, Japan is set to lift its entry restrictions on foreign residents, allowing those who left before the strict coronavirus curbs were imposed to return, and those planning to leave temporarily to proceed without fear of being locked out.

But the announcement last Friday sparked concerns that even legal residents may face deportation due to unclear and strict requirements that differ from those applied to residents with Japanese passports.

The revision came amid intensifying claims of unequal treatment from the international community and business groups, who say the restrictions have left hundreds of thousands of people unable to resume their livelihoods or travel to work or study.

Following the most recent update on Sunday, Japanas entry restrictions now cover 159 countries and regions. Until August, foreign nationals could only return if they had permission from immigration authorities and were leaving under special circumstances, such as pressing family issues or a health emergency.

Starting Tuesday, everyone with valid resident statuses regardless of visa type will be allowed to re-enter Japan. Officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry who announced the changes Friday also said residents will no longer need special circumstances to do so either.

Even so, entry procedures will differ for those abroad who are seeking re-entry and residents in Japan who are planning to leave.

Non-Japanese who left Japan by the end of August will need to contact the nearest Japanese Embassy or diplomatic office to acquire a letter confirming they have valid visas and are allowed to return. Those who left as early as April 3 or after travel restrictions were imposed on their destinations, and were denied the right to return as their circumstances did not qualify for exceptional treatment, will also be able to obtain such certificates.

People who are planning to leave Japan after Sept.1 are required to give the Immigration Services Agency detailed plans on their itinerary and will be allowed to travel as soon as they receive a document confirming the request has been accepted. They will not need to apply for additional documents from an embassy or consular office.

The ISA has warned, however, that they may suspend document issuance for applicants seeking re-entry if testing capacity at airports is insufficient to handle all foreign travelers. Japan was planning to boost its testing capacity to 10,000 per day at the major international airports a Haneda, Narita and Kansai.
Judge Phyllis Chu suffered a swollen lip and was treated at hospital

A New York judge was punched in the face by a stranger on a Citi Bike as she walked to work in Manhattan Monday, police said.

Judge Phyllis Chu, 56, was heading to a downtown courthouse from the Staten Island ferry at around 9:30am when law enforcement say she was randomly attacked.

The incident came just hours before two more people were shot in the Bronx.

New York City has been reeling from a crime wave this year that has forced the police department to increase weekend patrols citywide.

On Saturday a New York City man was arrested after he was caught on camera allegedly attempting to rape a 25-year-old woman on an Upper East Side subway platform.

Chu, who has dealt with the recent case involving actor Cuba Gooding Jr., suffered a swollen lip and was treated at hospital. She was released later that afternoon.

Lucian Chalfen, spokesman for the citys Office of Court Administration, told The New York Post: 'With no words exchanged, a bicyclist riding in the opposite direction as the one she was walking in just punched her in the face and kept going.

'The individual who may have been emotionally disturbed was nowhere to be found.'

Hours later in the Bronx two men, aged 26 and 28, were shot by an unidentified suspect. The younger man was shot in the chest; the older victim in the leg and arm.

The motive of the shooting is unknown but it comes on the back of a rise in crime officials are linking to the pandemic, a surge in unemployment, civil unrest, and protests.

Chu, 56, was heading to this downtown courthouse from the Staten Island ferry at around 9:30am when police say she was randomly attacked

Hours later in the Bronx two men, aged 26 and 28, were shot by an unidentified suspect. The younger man was shot in the chest; the older victim in the leg and arm

The motive of the shooting is unknown but it comes on the back of a rise in crime officials are linking to the pandemic, a surge in unemployment, civil unrest, and protests

There was a 162 per cent increase in the number of shooting victims and a 166 per cent increase in the number of shooting incidents during the four-week period that ended on August 23 compared to the same period last year, police data shows.

During the four-week period ending on August 23, the city recorded 48 homicides - a 50 per cent increase from the 32 homicides that were recorded during the same period last year.

Between January 1 and August 23, the city recorded 280 homicides - a 35 per cent increase from 208 homicides that were recorded during the same period of 2019.

In July, murders were up 58.8 percent when compared to the same month last year. Shootings were up a staggering 177 per cent.

In Manhattan's Upper West Side residents have complained and threatened to sue the Mayor after homeless people were moved into three luxury hotels in the area to protect them from COVID-19

Residents of the upscale neighborhood complain that the move-in of the vagrants has brought with it increased crime , random violence, drugs, public urination and open prostitution

In Manhattan's Upper West Side residents have complained and threatened to sue the Mayor after homeless people were moved into three luxury hotels in the area to protect them from COVID-19.

Residents of the upscale neighborhood complain that the move-in of the vagrants has brought with it increased crime, random violence, drugs, public urination and open prostitution.

At the moment more than 13,000 homeless people are being housed in 139 hotels across the Big Apple, including three luxury hotels  The Belleclaire, The Lucerne and The Belnord  on the Upper West Side.

On Saturday a New York City man was arrested after he was caught on camera allegedly attempting to rape a 25-year-old woman on an Upper East Side subway platform

And on Saturday Jose Reyes, a Bronx resident, was arrested after he was caught on camera allegedly attempting to rape a woman on a subway platform. He has been charged with attempted rape, assault and harassment.

The uptick in crime comes as protests have unfolded across the country denouncing police brutality and seeking to defund police departments.

New York City announced it will slash the police budget by $1billion in July. The department budget was almost $6billion for the 2020 fiscal year.
A Hoover apartment complex has sold for $26.67 million to a Tampa, Fla.-based real estate investment group.

Carter Multifamily has bought Summerchase at Riverchase, a 240-unit apartment complex built in 1988 in Hoover.

Jimmy Adams and Andrew Brown of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, TriBridge Residential, in the deal.

Adams said the transaction represents the onset of a higher number of capital market trades coming in the third quarter of the year, after a relatively slow second quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The local economy has fared well during the pandemic with healthy apartment fundamentals in recent months, he said. New owners are excited to capitalize on the communitys Riverchase location and invest in the asset.

Cushman & Wakefields Sunbelt Multifamily Advisory Group had $7 billion in multifamily and land investment sales in 2019.
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Linkedin Charlotte Van Ouwerkerk (Agence France-Presse) The Hague, Netherlands  Tue, September 1, 2020 08:35 506 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c41cadd1 2 World Qatar,Gulf-crisis,UN,extremism Free

The United Arab Emirates accused Qatar on Monday of backing "terrorism and extremism" as the three-year-old Gulf diplomatic crisis returned to the UN's top court.

Abu Dhabi urged the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) to throw out a case brought by Doha claiming measures taken against Qatar amounted to racial discrimination.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and several other allies severed ties with Qatar in a shock move in 2017, accusing Doha of backing terrorism and siding with their regional rival Iran.

They imposed an effective blockade by land, air and sea, and ordered the expulsion of Qatari nationals. Qatar dragged the UAE to the ICJ a year later seeking to get the measures lifted.

The allies faced a "grave threat brought by Qatar's support for terrorism and extremism," Abdallah al-Naqbi, director of the international law department at the UAE foreign ministry, told the court via videolink.

"This has nothing to do with racial discrimination."

Qatar's case at the ICJ says that the UAE's actions breached the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

'Gulf rift'

Qatar is due to give its response on Wednesday, with the rest of the hearings -- which are all taking place by videolink due to the coronavirus pandemic -- due on Friday and Monday.

But a final ruling by the ICJ, which was set up in 1946 after World War II to rule in disputes between member states of the United Nations, could take years.

The court issues binding judgments but has no means of enforcing them.

The crisis between Qatar and the Saudi-led blockading nations shows no sign of relenting despite rising international pressure to end the feud.

The alliance has issued a raft of terms Qatar must accept before it will lift the embargo that includes a ban on direct air, land or sea trade.

Doha strongly denies the allegations and has refused to meet the demands that also stipulate the closure of its flagship state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera.

The UAE's Al-Naqbi said that his country and Qatar "share historical bonds dating back to ancient times", and that Abu Dhabi was "open to close the Gulf rift" with the help of third parties.

'Build bridges'

Doha had already acted to address "imperfections" in its initial response, such as holding off any deportations and allowing Qataris to enter the UAE "subject only to an application process and security screening," he said.

In an apparent reference to the UAE's historic normalization of ties with Israel, al-Naqbi said that "as the court will have noted from other recent events, the UAE's aspiration as a nation is to be open and to build bridges."

The case has gone Qatar's way so far, with the ICJ in 2018 ordering the UAE to take emergency measures to protect the rights of Qatari citizens, pending the start of full hearings in the case.

In that year Qatar accused the UAE of creating a "climate of fear" for Qataris living there.

The legal ping-pong continued when the United Arab Emirates last year filed its own case seeking emergency measures to stop Qatar "aggravating" the dispute, only to have the court reject it.

Qatar then won a separate but related case at the ICJ in July that is specifically about the air blockade. Its rivals had appealed a decision by the world civil aviation body in favor of Qatar over sovereign airspace.
DIDCOT, UK / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / Altus Strategies Plc (AIM:ALS & TSX-V:ALTS) announces that it has granted share options ("Share Options") to acquire an aggregate of 5,100,000 ordinary shares of 0.05 each in the Company ("Ordinary Shares") to certain directors and employees of the Company. The exercise price of the Share Options is 0.7315 per Ordinary Share, representing a 10% premium to the closing price of the Ordinary Shares as at the close of AIM on 28 August 2020. The Share Options are exercisable for five years. Details of the grants are set out in Tables 1 and 2 below.

Table 1. Share Option Summary

Date of grant 28 August 2020 Exercise price 0.7315 Closing (AIM) market price on date of grant 0.6650 Number of Ordinary Shares subject to Share Options granted 5,100,000 Option validity period 5 years Option vesting period Up to 18 months

The Share Options have been granted under the Company's 2019 Enterprise Management Incentive ("EMI") Share Option scheme and its 2019 Non-EMI Share Option Scheme as adopted by shareholders at its Annual General Meeting in June 2020. Included within the Share Options are Share Options to purchase 4,500,000 Ordinary Shares granted to Directors and Person Discharging Managerial Responsibilities ("PDMR"). The balance of the Share Options (to purchase 600,000 Ordinary Shares) were granted to Company employees.

Table 2: Share Options Granted to Directors and PDMRs

PDRM Position Number of Ordinary Shares subject to Share Options granted Number of Ordinary Shares subject to Share Options granted as a percentage of the Company's current issued share capital David Netherway Non-Executive Chairman 400,000 0.57% Steven Poulton Chief Executive Officer & Director 1,000,000 1.43% Matthew Grainger Executive Director 800,000 1.14% Robert Milroy* Non-Executive Director 300,000 0.43% Michael Winn Non-Executive Director 250,000 0.36% Karim Nasr Non-Executive Director 250,000 0.36% Martin Keylock Chief Financial Officer 300,000 0.43% Alister Hume Business Development Manager 300,000 0.43% Sandra Bates General Counsel 300,000 0.43% William Slater VP Operations 300,000 0.43% Richard Belcher VP Exploration 300,000 0.43% Total 4,500,000 6.42% Notes: * granted in the name of Milroy Capital Ltd Percentages subject to rounding

Share Option Vesting Conditions

For executive directors and employees, the Share Options vest in two equal tranches after 12 months and after 18 months. For non-executive directors, the Share Options vest in two equal tranches immediately and after 12 months.

The information set out below is provided in accordance with the requirements of Article 19(3) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation No. 596/2014.

Notification and public disclosure of transactions by PMDRS and persons closely associated with them.

1 Details of the person discharging managerial responsibilities / person closely associated a) Name 1. David Netherway 2. Steven Poulton 3. Matthew Grainger 4. Robert Milroy (Milroy Capital Ltd) 5. Michael Winn 6. Karim Nasr 7. Martin Keylock 8. Alister Hume 9. Sandra Bates 10. William Slater 11. Richard Belcher 2 Reason for the notification a) Position/status Chairman Chief Executive Officer Executive Director Non-executive Director Non-executive Director Non-executive Director Chief Financial Officer Business Development Manager Legal Counsel VP Operations VP Exploration b) Initial notification/ Amendment Initial notification 3 Details of the issuer emission allowance market participant, auction platform, auctioneer or auction monitor a) Name Altus Strategies plc b) LEI 2138001P93D9LMFIUA28 4 Details of the transaction(s): section to be repeated for (i) each type of instrument; (ii each type of transaction; (iii each date; and (iv) each place where transactions have been conducted a) Description of the financial instrument, type of instrument Ordinary shares of 0.05 pence each b) Identification code GB00BJ9TYB96 c) Nature of the transaction Grant of Share Options d) Price(s) and volume(s) Price for all grants 0.7315 Volumes 1. 400,000 2. 1,000,000 3. 800,000 4. 300,000 5. 250,000 6. 250,000 7. 300,000 8. 300,000 9. 300,000 10. 300,000 11. 300,000 e) Aggregated information Aggregated volume Price Share Options: 5,100,000 Exercise price: 0.7315 f) Date of the transactions 28 August 2020 g) Place of the transactions Off market

For further information you are invited to visit the Company's website www.altus-strategies.com or contact:

Altus Strategies Plc Steven Poulton, Chief Executive Tel: +44 (0) 1235 511 767 E: info@altus-strategies.com SP Angel (Nominated Adviser) Richard Morrison / Soltan Tagiev Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0470 SP Angel (Broker) Abigail Wayne / Richard Parlons Tel: +44 (0) 20 3470 0471 Yellow Jersey PR (Financial PR & IR) Georgia Colkin / Charles Goodwin / Henry Wilkinson Tel: +44 (0) 20 3004 9512 E: altus@yellowjerseypr.com

About Altus Strategies Plc

Altus Strategies is a London (AIM: ALS) and Toronto (TSX-V: ALTS) listed mining royalty company generating a diversified and precious metal focused portfolio of assets. The Company's focus on Africa and differentiated approach, of generating royalties on its own discoveries as well as through financings and acquisitions with third parties, has attracted key institutional investor backing. The Company engages constructively with all stakeholders, working diligently to minimise its environmental impact and to promote positive economic and social outcomes in the communities where it operates. For further information, please visit www.altus-strategies.com.

TSX Venture Exchange Disclaimer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Market Abuse Regulation Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 ("MAR") until the release of this announcement.

**END**

SOURCE: Altus Strategies Plc

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604235/Grant-of-Share-Options-and-PDMR-Notification
By Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway is relaunching cod farms in Europe's ice-cold northern waters after mass escapes and failure to thrive condemned its earlier attempt to become the first country to try large-scale breeding of a species declining in the wild.

The handful of companies raising Atlantic cod in pens in Norwegian fjords say they have learned lessons from a wave of bankruptcies of cod farms earlier in the millennium as well as the success of Norway's multi-billion-dollar salmon business.

They are hoping to emulate that success with cod at a time when wild Atlantic cod are seeing mixed fortunes.

While stocks off Iceland and in the Barents Sea are sustainable, those off Canada, the United States, Ireland and Britain are low, as are those in the Baltic Sea and the non-British part of the North Sea.

Norcod, the biggest of the new farms, is raising 1.8 million fish along the craggy Norwegian seacoast and plans to begin sales in the second quarter of 2021.

"We are targeting northern and western Europe first," said Christian Riber, Norcod's commercial director, adding the firm had also seen interest in their product from U.S. customers.

The company aims to produce an initial 6,500 tonnes in 2021, rising to 25,000 tonnes in 2025. That would exceed the high of 21,000 tonnes recorded in official statistics across the country in 2010 before the industry collapsed.

"They used wild fish for breeding and the cod was escaping by biting into the nets," said Oeyvind Hansen, who heads the national cod breeding programme at Nofima, the only research institute that works with the selective breeding of cod.

Around half of all the fish raised in a pen died, including from cannibalism, he said. Growth rates were also slow and the 2008-2009 financial crisis starved companies of credit. By 2015, Norway produced no farmed cod at all.

Norway's production of farmed salmon and cod Norway's production https://graphics.reuters.com/NORWAY-COD/jbyvrqlkype/chart.png

Story continues

WHAT CHANGED?

Nofima continued the research into cod breeding it had conducted since 2002-2003 thanks to public funding from a ministry of fisheries keen to develop new industries around fish. It has now bred five generations of farmed cod.

"Through selective breeding, the fish has adapted to farm life. It has become more domesticated," said Hansen. "We have learned a lot about the biology and we have selected the fish best suited for fish farming."

Mortality rates in the pens are down to roughly 15%, there is less cannibalism, faster growth and the fish no longer try to escape, he said. Norcod says its mortality rates were much lower.

"We are benefiting from the huge improvements in equipment for the salmon farming industry in the last decade," said Norcod's Riber.

Salmon farming has grown in two decades into a $8-billion dollar industry that exports 1.1 million tonnes of fish and is now Norway's third-largest export after crude oil and natural gas, with logistics to match.

Norway's top exports in 2019 https://graphics.reuters.com/NORWAY-COD/gjnvwawelvw/chart.png

WILD COD VS FARMED COD?

Not everyone is pleased about the revival of cod farming.

"We have sustainable cod stocks in the wild in many areas in Norway that are thriving," said Arnold Haapnes, who heads the biodiversity programme at green group Friends of the Earth Norway. "So why should we use (public) money to compete with the wild cod?"

Farmed salmon regularly escape during storms and mate with the wild salmon, he said, causing introgression, the mixing of genes between wild fish and farm fish. This eventually lowers the amount of genes available in the wild population and makes it more vulnerable to disease and environmental changes, which are on the increase. https://reut.rs/3hNcSGn

Norcod said it was able to prevent escapes, including in bad weather, by using suitable equipment and with good routines, with frequent inspections of the nets to ensure there are no holes.

Authorities say cod farming can be developed sustainably with appropriate regulation and helps to provide healthy protein to a growing world population, especially since climate change is affecting wild fish stocks.

Fishing rights are a major issue within the European Union, and non-EU member Norway negotiates quotas and access with the bloc each year. It is also negotiating a bilateral trade deal with Britain -- its biggest trading partner, as London negotiates its exit from the European Union.

In 2018, Norway exported close to 200,000 tonnes of cod globally, valued at 9.5 billion crowns ($1.1 billion), according to the Norwegian Seafood Council, a trade body, which said the largest markets were Portugal, Britain and France.

"We need to produce more healthy seafood," said Fisheries Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, "And farmed cod can provide a regular source."

(Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro believes the cancellation of Sydney's famous New Year's Eve celebrations is inevitable, with police also not confident they could prevent people gathering on the foreshore.

The City of Sydney, which runs the fireworks event, on Tuesday conceded it may not be responsible to encourage large crowds for health and safety reasons.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro believes the cancellation of the New Year's Eve fireworks is inevitable. Credit:Wolter Peeters

"We're currently working with the NSW government to determine the future of the event for 2020," the council said in a statement.

Mr Barilaro told The Sydney Morning Herald if the regions were being forced to axe events like the Tamworth Country Music festival, which attracts 40,000 people, then Sydney's major events would be left with no choice.
SpaceX, the other company servicing NASA for astronaut transport, completed both of its uncrewed and crewed test flights already. The Demo-2 mission took astronauts Doug Hurly and Bob Behnken to the ISS in May and returned them on board the Dragon capsule the duo dubbed Endeavour for a safe splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida on Aug. 2.
U.S. Border Patrol agents rescued several individuals hidden inside a grain hopper train car as they attempted to further enter the country near Bruni, authorities said.

Early Saturday, the railroad company notified agents from the Hebbronville Station about several people illegally traveling in a cargo train. Agents said they responded and located 23 individuals in a grain hopper train car and noticed that none were wearing any personal protective equipment in close quarters.
A major Canadian retailer founded in Niagara more than a century ago is providing relief to a Port Colborne charity.

Leons Furniture Ltd., established in Welland in 1909, has donated $10,000 to Port Cares.

The agency will use the donation to keep its food bank, meal program and family support programs operating at its Reach Out Centre on Nickel Street.

Port Cares provides social services such as its food bank and lunch kits for school children, which do not receive government funding.

Many members of the Leon family continue to live in Niagara, including in Port Colborne, according to a news release from Port Cares.

Port Cares food bank assists more than 1,500 individuals, a third of them children, said the agency.
Venezuela once considered one of Latin Americas prosperous countries has plunged into the abyss. Years of economic mismanagement, cronyism and corruption have sparked a monumental economic collapse which saw the oil rich country become one of the poorest in South America. There are emerging signs that Venezuela is on the verge of becoming a failed state. Oil plays a dominant role in Venezuela being responsible for almost all export income and a significant proportion of gross domestic product. The oil rich Latin American countrys once mighty petroleum industry, which long ago was responsible for producing a tenth the worlds oil, has virtually collapsed. This has cast Venezuelas economy into the abyss, triggering a crisis of immense proportions which has forced nearly five million Venezuelans to flee their homes for neighboring countries as they struggle to find a means to survive. It is also applying considerable pressure to the administration of socialist president Nicolas Maduro and seen Caracas lose control of vast swathes of territory. Just over two decades ago, Venezuelas Bolivarian Revolution commenced when Hugo Chavez won the 1998 presidential elections and was formally sworn into office in February 1999. He immediately introduced a new constitution focused on establishing a state-run economy, land reform, the redistribution of wealth and using the countrys vast oil wealth to fund extensive social programs. When Chavez took power Venezuela, which has the worlds largest oil reserves totaling 298 billion barrels, was one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America.

World Bank data shows for 1999 that Venezuela had real gross domestic product of $98 billion, ranking it fourth in Latin America behind Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. Venezuela was also one of the regions wealthiest countries with GDP per capita of $4,127 placing it sixth. The oil rich countrys 1999 GDP per capita was significantly higher than many current regional economic powerhouses, being 19% greater than Brazil and almost double neighboring strife-torn Colombia.

Since then Venezuelas economy has collapsed with it estimated that 2019 GDP was a mere $70 billion or 29% lower than it had been two decades earlier, yet Colombias GDP has almost quadrupled over that period to $324 billion. The outlook for the deeply impoverished country is austere. The IMF predicts Venezuelas GDP will contract by 15% during 2020 and shrink another 5% in 2021. The key reasons for this rapid disintegration are the collapse of Venezuelas economically vital petroleum industry, sharply lower oil prices and progressively more severe U.S. sanctions.

Oil is responsible for 25% of Venezuelas GDP and according to OPEC accounts for 99% or almost all exports by value. It was in 2015 when Venezuelas economically vital petroleum production started spiraling downwards. Related: Oil Prices Rise As U.S. Dollar Index Drops To 2-Year Low

Source: OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR).

* For 2020 average daily output for 1 January to 31 July.

This was initially triggered by the oil price collapse which began in mid-2014 as global supply expanded at a rapid clip because of booming U.S. production, waning geopolitical risks and growing OPEC oil output. By 2016, as oil prices weakened further and Venezuelas economic crisis snowballed, vital spending on crucial maintenance of oil infrastructure and operations plunged.

When combined with a massive outflow of skilled labor because of poor management, politically motivated layoffs and an ever-worsening economic climate it became clear that Venezuelas petroleum industry was in terminal decline. This is being exacerbated by steadily growing U.S. sanctions aimed at cutting Caracas off from global capital markets and preventing access to assets to force regime change. The economic fallout is immense causing Venezuela to spiral deeper into crisis and causing Caracas to default on its foreign debt in November 2017.

It was at the start of 2019, when Juan Guaido declared himself interim president with U.S. backing, that the end game for Venezuelas beaten-down oil industry had arrived. Washington imposed further sanctions on Caracas with the most significant specifically targeting Venezuelas oil industry and PDVSA. These are aimed at preventing Maduros regime from accessing Venezuelan assets held in foreign jurisdictions as well as international financial markets. Those crippling U.S. sanctions are also preventing offshore oil majors from operating in Venezuela, recently forcing Chevron to wind down operations, and preventing Caracas from selling its oil abroad. This prevents Maduros regime from accessing urgently needed capital to repair and maintain vital oil infrastructure and perform the necessary development activities to maintain oil production. Even Russian intervention, including the provision of loans, technical expertise and other crucial resources, has failed to revitalize operations. This essentially signals the death knell for Venezuelas economically crucial but stricken petroleum industry.

Related: Where Will The Worlds Next Giant Gold Discovery Be Made?

By July 2020, Venezuela produced a daily average of 339,000 barrels of crude compared to 755,000 a year earlier and almost a seventh of a decade earlier.

Source: OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR).

The outlook remains poor, particularly if the domestic rig count is used as a proxy measure of oil industry activity. At the end of July 2020, according to Baker Hughes, there were no active oil rigs in Venezuela and only one operational natural gas rig. That is compared to a total of 25 operational rigs for the same period a year ago and 70 rigs a decade earlier.

Source: Baker Hughes.

It is important to note that there are still rigs operating in Venezuela which are not captured by Baker Hughes because their count excludes cable tool rigs, very small truck mounted rigs or rigs that cannot operate without a permit. For this reason, national oil company PDVSA regularly contests the accuracy of the Baker Hughes data and will keep pumping crude, although likely at miniscule levels.

Analysts predict Venezuelas oil production could fall to zero by 2021. Industry consultancy IHS Markit estimates that Venezuela is pumping around 100,000 to 200,000 barrels daily and that production will keep falling. The perfect storm of sharply weaker oil prices, economic breakdown and U.S. sanctions could very well see the unthinkable occur, the fall of a major global oil producer and founding OPEC member. While an oil production recovery is possible, it is someway off because of the immense capital, skilled labor and infrastructure required.

The impact on Venezuelas already failed economy will be immense, leading to greater starvation in a country already reeling from a major economic crisis. It is feared that the Venezuelan state could implode, creating further instability in a region marred for decades by asymmetric conflict between various state and armed non-state actors. Already, Caracas has lost control of vast swathes of territory which is under the control of non-state armed groups including leftist Venezuelan collectives (colectivos in Spanish) and Colombian guerillas, notably the ELN, and paramilitaries.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Nhan Dan had an interview with Nguyen Duc Kien, head of the Prime Ministers economic advisory group on the matter.

Q: The new wave of Covid-19 in Vietnam is very different from the previous one. What has the government been doing in response?

A: In the previous wave, Vietnam managed to contain the outbreak by tracing the sources of infection and preventing community transmission by putting social distancing measures in place.

Economic policies and targets were also adapted to the outbreaks developments, moving from the dual goals of curbing the virus and ensuring economic growth to preventing slowdown and ensuring the restoration of growth once the disease was brought under control in June.

But unfortunately the virus re-emerged on July 24 in Da Nang just as the economy was showing signs of recovery. Due to this development, Vietnam is unlikely to see a V-shaped recovery but rather a W-shaped recovery.

Perhaps this year is the first time in history when growth is not considered the main target in our economic governance. Instead, the current targets are ensuring social security, macroeconomic stability and preventing economic downturn so that when the global economy recovers in 2021, Vietnams economy can benefit immediately.

Q: What is the current state of the business community?

A: Vietnamese enterprises have never faced such great difficulty. During the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 and the global economic crisis in 2008, as long as they ramped up exports, they could bring in cash to improve their financial position and workers incomes.

But this time is different. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused disruption to global demand and if enterprises try to maintain production, they will face high inventory levels because what they produce cannot be exported. The pandemic has thrown enterprises into a state of desperation but also opened golden opportunities for digital transformation, corporate restructuring and overall economic realignment.

Previously, logistics was thought of as air, maritime and road transport only but now it is present in everyday life thanks to a change in consumer habits as a result of Covid-19.

For example, food businesses must carry out their transactions online through mobile apps if they want to sell their products. This new form forces business owners to streamline their staff and connect with delivery services and packaging providers to ensure food safety. On the other hand, the government is facing the difficult task of upgrading the digital infrastructure.

Q: Does this new wave of Covid-19 change the key measures previously set out by the government to revive the economy?

A: The second wave is dangerous in that it is dealing a severe blow to a weak economy which was just beginning to recover. The immediate impact is a domestic market contracting to a minimum, causing all manufacturing and service sectors to shrink because of falling demand. In the meantime, exports are facing stricter conditions from importing countries.

But now the government has more information about the virus and its transmission mechanism so localised isolation is mostly adequate to contain the virus and keep the economy running without too much of an impact.

Among the main policies, public investment remains the most crucial since there is still much flexibility and it can be proactively administered. When the economy slows down, as the largest spender, the government must bolster spending on infrastructure in order to create jobs and income, which in turn will drive consumption and production activities. Only when the economy returns to a situation of stability should the government retreat and let the market play its role.

Q: The pandemic is expected to continue for a long time while the resiliency of the people and enterprises is limited. What measures are needed to make the governments support packages reach them faster and more effectively?

A: We all want the support to reach those in needed as soon as possible but there is always a lag from the introduction of a policy to its full implementation. Such packages are being implemented across 63 provinces and cities and 24 ministries and agencies and each has their own specifics.

After four months, the PM has now asked the ministries concerned to assess the strength of implementation in order to work out the appropriate orientation for the remaining months of the year.

Q: Amidst the current uncertainty, what has the government done to prepare for even worse scenarios?

A: Firstly I want to affirm that the government has sufficient resources and tools to support enterprises and ensure social security. With the second outbreak, the government formulated a new scenario with the goal of cushioning the economy against shocks by proactively controlling the rate of slowdown. The scenario has been prepared so that the government can ask for a raise in the spending deficit when necessary.

Concerning tax policies, it is not very effective to carry out tax exemption and reduction as normal because enterprises will not have the revenue to pay taxes if they do not operate. Therefore a stronger measure is needed and we are looking into a plan under which tax refunds in 2020 will be lent in advance to support enterprises liquidity. This is an unprecedented measure and its feasibility and impact need more evaluation. The measures coverage may not be extensive but the support will be more focused. It is still under examination in advance of a final solution being worked out and it will be truly revolutionary if it can be implemented.

Thank you very much.
Alstom, a global leader in rail transport and sustainable mobility, continues to reaffirm its commitment to supporting local communities through various CSR initiatives - ensuring its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts are deeply rooted in its strategy, said a senior official.

As a socially-responsible company, Alstom which has several key urban projects such as Dubai Tram (the first tramway in the GCC) and Dubai Metro Route 2020, is striving to improve the lives of the local communities it operates in.

In addition to distributing CSR Kits containing Covid-19 essentials to its team-members, Alstom recently provided less privileged families across the UAE with pandemic essentials.

As part of the initiative, Alstom partnered with Rafawed Development & Learning Centre to donate various gift items, including groceries and sanitisers, to 50 families, following the outbreak of the global pandemic.

Alstom is always on the lookout for positive ways to socially impact the communities it operates in and has consequently participated in numerous community support initiatives across the emirates, remarked Tamer Salama, the Managing Director of Alstom GCC.

As a socially responsible company, we are committed to helping the communities we operate in through our ongoing CSR initiatives. Im proud of the great progress weve made growing our CSR efforts in the UAE, he stated.

These initiatives have included Beach Clean-up Day, Dubai Tram Experience & Gift Giving for students of determination, Joy of Eid Ramadan initiative, volunteering with children of determination at the Al Marmoom Equine Therapy Centre, DiabetesAwarenessDay, SustainableMobilityDay, a blood donation drive, and more.

In April, Alstom had organised a Run & Cycle for a Cause campaign to raise proceeds for the Rashid Centre for the Determined Ones. It encouraged Alstom team-members to walk, run or cycle, and Alstom then matched their efforts with a Dh1 donation for each kilometre covered.

The team raised and subsequently donated AED 50,000 ($13,610) to provide 14 wheelchairs for people of determination at the Rashid Centre, stated Salama.

In line with its commitment to empowering UAE students, Alstom recruited Ajman University (AU) students who successfully completed a special railway system training in Dubai.

The recruitment followed an agreement signed by Alstom and Ajman University in 2019 to provide technical training for AU students and develop their expertise in the railway industry, he noted.

After the training, two AU students were invited to become part of Alstoms Dubai team.

Salama pointed out that Alstom was a dedicated and long-standing partner of Dubais transportation and mobility development.

As well as delivering the Dubai tramway, the first fully integrated tramway system in the Middle East and the worlds first 100% catenary-free line, which was opened in November 2014, the company has been tasked with the maintenance of Dubai Tram for a period of 13 years, he noted.

The Alstom-led Consortium, ExpoLink, is also responsible for delivering the worlds fastest-built turnkey driverless metro project, Dubai Route 2020 Metro, which was inaugurated in June 2020.-TradeArabia News Service
(Natural News) In a bid to speed up the deployment of vaccines meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now floating the idea of skipping a standard testing phase for existing vaccine candidates.

It is up to the sponsor [vaccine developer] to apply for authorization or approval, and we make an adjudication of their application, stated FDA Commissioner Stephen Han in an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday. If they do that before the end of Phase III, we may find that appropriate. We may find that inappropriate, we will make a determination.

Vaccines to be given emergency authorization

Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) guidelines, vaccines are usually trialed in three phases before theyre approved.

During Phase I, small groups of people receive the trial vaccine, the CDC explains on its website. In Phase II, the clinical study is expanded and vaccine is given to people who have characteristics (such as age and physical health) similar to those for whom the new vaccine is intended. In Phase III, the vaccine is given to thousands of people and tested for efficacy and safety.

After he made his statement, Hahn clarified that the FDA would not actually approve any vaccine that still hasnt undergone Phase Three testing. Instead, the agency would issue what is called an emergency authorization.

Our emergency use authorization is not the same as a full approval, he explained. The legal, medical and scientific standard for that is that the benefit outweighs the risk in a public health emergency.

Hahn, however, did not specify how the benefits and risks of a vaccine that hasnt undergone Phase III trials would be assessed.

Hahns predecessor casts doubt

On CBS Face The Nation Sunday, former FDA chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb stated that he was unsure about what Hahn meant.

Im not sure what he means by approving it earlier than when the trials are completed, Gottlieb said. They are going to wait for these trials to read out before they can make a decision around the efficacy of these vaccines.

Gottlieb said that it was likely that data from phase three trials would come out in November. That said, should the trials show that the vaccine is very effective, that could move up to October.

Nevertheless, the former FDA chief expects the first approvals to be done on an emergency basis and only targeted at groups that may be at greater risk of infection.

A full approval for the general population  when people can go to CVS and get a shot  thats really a 2021 event, Gottlieb said.

Other countries approved vaccines without Phase III trials

Should the U.S. give emergency authorization to deploy coronavirus vaccines even if Phase III trials are not yet complete, it will not be the first country to do so.

Both China and Russia have already approved their own coronavirus vaccines without waiting for the completion of Phase III trials.

Russias vaccine, called Sputnik V, represents the first coronavirus vaccine approved for civilian use. The vaccine comes with the endorsement of none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I know that it works quite effectively, it forms a stable immunity. I repeat: it has passed all the necessary tests, he claimed, adding that his daughter has already been injected with it.

Scientists, however, have cast doubts on these claims, especially in light of the lack of data from the Russians on their vaccine.

Everyone else in the world is publishing details of their vaccines and clinical trial protocols but it has been very hard to find out much about the Russian vaccine, said Imperial College London immunology professor Danny Altmann. We need a completely open, global assessment of different vaccine candidates.

The same can also be said of Chinas vaccine candidates. Beijing has been even more secretive than Moscow when it comes to its vaccine. In fact, it was only recently that it was confirmed that China had been secretly testing the vaccines on key public workers since last month.

And even with the secret tests, experts are not expecting the Chinese vaccines to be widely available until next year.

I think there could be a few vaccines that come to market by December, stated Professor Ben Cowling of the Hong Kong University Public School of Health to the BBC. But Im not sure if they will be available in large quantities.

Follow Pandemic.news for more updates on the fight against the Wuhan coronavirus.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

FT.com

CDC.gov

CNBC.com

BBC.com
Blog

Secretary Pompeo's stopover in Sudan last week marked another momentous step forward in the rapidly warming bilateral relationship between Sudan and the United States--the first visit to Sudan's capital, Khartoum, by a US Secretary of State in fifteen years. Unlike Condoleezza Rice's stopover in 2005, aimed at heaping pressure and opprobrium on the country's then-autocratic ruler, Omar al-Bashir, for unleashing hell in Sudan's far-western Darfur region, Pompeo's stop, on its surface, appeared intended to confer praise and legitimacy on the year-old, civilian-led transitional government. Upon reflection, it will hopefully be looked back upon as the penultimate step in Sudan's multidecade-long journey to be removed from the US State Sponsor of Terrorism List.

As much as there remains obstacles to Sudan's ultimate de-listing, coming primarily from victim groups of Sudan's past terror-related crimes and their allies in Congress, the tenor and substance of the conversation in Washington around Sudan has fundamentally changed this year. Reduced, though not eliminated, are the doubts that recidivist military and Islamist factions are waiting in the wings to overthrow or undermine civilian rule as soon as Washington's ultimate sanction is removed. Indeed, prior to Pompeo's visit, Washington had seemed to finally recognize that the best way to weaken the potential spoilers in Sudan is to bet big on civilian leaders and the transitional government. Sudan's removal from the terror list had begun to no longer appear a question of whether it should happen, but rather how and when it will happen. Sadly, Pompeo's visit last week did little to provide needed responses to these questions.

To his credit, Pompeo has invested some precious diplomatic capital in his relationship with Sudan and its affable Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok. The historic and highly successful visit of Hamdok to Washington last December, which Pompeo missed due to his own travel, was followed up by the briefest of exchanges between them on the margins of the Munich Security Conference in February. However, through a series of regular phone calls, Pompeo has followed the positive reform efforts out of Sudan and the country's multiple efforts to resolve terror claims against it, implement painful economic reforms, and work with the country's military to present a united front through the transition. Following each call, Pompeo has sounded the right tone in his tweets and press statements, taking great care to repeatedly praise "the civilian-led transitional government."

This all led to Pompeo's historic trip this week and the something of a surprise outcome where the topic of Israel's normalization of relations with Sudan emerged as the big ask by the United States and what some now fear is a new requirement for Sudan's removal from the terror list. After all, since the Chairman of Sudan's Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, made the first secret contact with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in February (a meeting explicitly encouraged by Pompeo in a call with Burhan), many in the Trump foreign policy orbit have been tempted by the notion that Sudan could move from terrorist state to friend of Israel with the guided hand of Washington.

When the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced earlier this month that it had achieved a historic peace deal with Israel with the help of Washington, it breathed new life into the Administration's Middle East peace proposal, which had seemingly been languishing for months. It also lit a fire under Pompeo and his team that they had a limited window to replicate the UAE success with other Arab states. Pompeo's hastily announced Middle East tour this week appears to have been an effort to do just that.

But by adding Sudan to the list of other Arab stops, like Bahrain and Oman, the established logic behind removing Sudan from the terror list began to morph as well. No longer does de-listing appear to be part of the US leverage to further encourage and support the transitional government and their efforts to reform and transform the Sudanese state. Instead, de-listing seemingly has become the leverage to achieve a Middle East foreign policy coup in the waning days before the November election.

On its surface, it is perhaps understandable that Pompeo's team saw this as a win-win. After all, Sudan has been clear that its top priority with Washington is being removed from the terror list and it has demonstrated a willingness to do almost anything to satisfy Washington's demands; namely, settling the terror-related legal judgments against it. Sudan has done this, reportedly scraping together nearly $350 million to be distributed to American and African victims of the US Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Sudan's civilian leaders have also repeatedly emphasized their intention to establish a "balanced foreign policy" and deepen their relations with established democracies. Viewed from Washington, what better example of both and demonstration that Sudan truly belongs off the terror list than normalizing relations with the Middle East's only true democracy?

But in their haste to get something for nothing, Pompeo and his team ignored both the deep sensitivities in Sudan around the United States seemingly "moving the goalposts" on sanctions removal, but perhaps more importantly, the very fragile state of the transition in Sudan that SST removal is ostensibly intended to support. As much as both Hamdok and Pompeo have sought to rebuild relations based upon mutual respect, distrust and misunderstanding in official bilateral relations still run deep. From the US bombing of the al-Shifa pharmaceutical plant outside Khartoum in 1998 to US support for South Sudanese independence in 2011, US policy is still viewed by many as not just anti-Bashir, but anti-Sudan.

But beyond the reputational deficit the United States faces, pressing for normalized relations with Israel, a country which an entire generation of politicians in Sudan swore to never "recognize, cooperate, or negotiate with," belies Pompeo's repeated claims that US policy now seeks to strengthen the bonds of the transitional government and promote productive relations between its military and civilian wings. Indeed, the request completely ignored the fragile moment the transitional government is in. With the Forces of Freedom and Change officially split on relations with Israel and with civilian leaders facing their harshest criticism yet from internal constituencies whose patience is running low one year into a transition that has yet to see institutionalized political reform or the beginnings of an economic recovery, now is not the moment to introduce such a politically charged issue into Sudan's body politic.

Importantly too, the request also risks undermining the very delicate balance of power that exists between military and civilian leaders. In the end, security and intelligence forces would likely be the first and most significant beneficiaries of Israeli largesse through improved access to intelligence and defense equipment (like sought-after Israeli software for cracking the WhatsApp messaging platform), training, and information sharing. Meanwhile, civilians would be left to manage the plight of more than 30,000 Sudanese refugees stranded in Israel that Tel Aviv has been anxious to see repatriated, but who would only add to Sudan's internal economic burden.

In the end, Sudan appears to have escaped a moment of reckoning as both civilian and military leaders rebuffed Pompeo's Hail Mary. But the normalization issue has not gone away and is likely to re-emerge before the November Presidential elections in the United States. With an invitation to Sudan to attend an upcoming and ill-defined Middle East Peace Summit somewhere in the region, pressure will remain on Sudan to quicken its rapprochement with Israel. Washington, in turn, could choose to slow roll the final administrative steps needed to remove Sudan from the terror list in a last bid effort to pluck what it thinks is low hanging fruit in Khartoum. There is, however, a middle ground.

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It remains in Sudan's interest to explore a relationship with Israel, to allow it to be debated publicly, and to explore a broader potential set of benefits in areas like development, investment, and trade that would benefit all Sudanese. A visit by Hamdok to Tel Aviv to initiate that discussion could deliver high symbolic value and demonstrate good faith to interested US audiences but would come at reduced political cost to the transition domestically. Trade delegations, student exchanges, and cooperative arrangements in public health are some intermediate steps that could ultimately test the potential of improved relations without crossing the point of no return that normalization represents.

For its part, Washington should not hesitate in its privately stated commitment to remove Sudan's terror label. There is still work to be done to engage Congress around outstanding issues regarding restoring Sudan's sovereign immunity and providing it "legal peace," which would importantly ensure that it could not be held liable for any additional terror-related lawsuits. These talks will take time and could well involve political bargaining in Washington--at a moment when US bipartisanship is ebbing. Delaying further, in the hopes of driving Sudan into the arms of a domestically fraught suitor like Israel, would ignore the fragility of the moment Sudan is in and undervalue the important changes that have already occurred.

Cameron Hudson is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Councils Africa Center. Previously he served as the chief of staff to the special envoy for Sudan and as director for African Affairs on the National Security Council in the George W. Bush administration. Follow him on Twitter @_hudsonc.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown reacts during a press conference in Roseburg, Oreg., on Oct. 2, 2015. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)

Sheriffs Wont Send Deputies to Portland

Two county sheriffs said they will not be sending their police officers to Portland after Oregon Governor Kate Brown requested support from the two counties and a city police department to help quell riots in the troubled city.

Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett and Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts said in separate statements on Monday that they would not send police officers to Portland because the liability for their officers would be too great.

A spokesperson for the Gresham Police Department told The Epoch Times via email: Governor Brown released her plan without consultation with the listed agencies. At this time, Gresham Police Department will not be assisting our colleagues at Portland Police Bureau.

The Oregon Association Chiefs of Police and Oregon State Sheriffs Association said later on Monday in a joint statement that they could not send officers into Portland, saying they cannot dedicate our limited resources away from the communities we serve.

Related Coverage Oregon Governor Sending State Police Back to Portland in Bid to Quell Riots

Brown, a Democrat, in a plan announced on Sunday requested that the sheriffs offices of the two counties, as well as the City of Gresham Police Department, support the Portland Police Bureau with personnel and resources to keep the peace and protect free speech.

In response, Garrett called the bureau a partner and said he sympathizes with what officers are enduring.

However, the lack of political support for public safety, the uncertain legal landscape, the current volatility combined with intense scrutiny on use of force presents an unacceptable risk if deputies were deployed directly, Garrett said.

Roberts said that increasing law enforcement in the city would not work because Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt recently changed policy to presumptively dismiss charges against many demonstrators.

Increasing law enforcement resources in Portland will not solve the nightly violence and now, murder, Roberts said in a statement. The only way to make Portland safe again, is to support a policy that holds offenders accountable for their destruction and violence.

A man is treated after being shot in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 29, 2020. (Paula Bronstein/AP Photo)

That will require the DA to charge offenders appropriately and a decision by the Multnomah County Presiding Judge not to allow offenders released on their own recognizance, and instead require bail with conditions, he added.

Charles Boyle, the governors chief-of-staff, told the Associated Press, It is up to each county to determine the personnel and resources they have available to volunteer for this effort.

Boyle said that the governor appreciated Clackamas Countys willingness to backfill calls normally taken by state police while troopers are in Portland.

Brown has repeatedly rejected offers from President Donald Trump for federal help in quelling the riots.

She released her new plan on Sunday, after a Patriot Prayer supporter was shot dead.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Patriotic Gents, a youth group of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has charged the youth to support the candidature of President Akufo-Addo in the December 7 elections.



According to the group's Communications Director, Kwabena Berrima Pobi, a vote for President Akufo Addo is a vote for the continuation of Free SHS, NABCO, and other great policies for the youth.



His comments came as the group launched its branch at Amenfi West Constituency in the Western Region.



The main purpose of the group is to canvass votes for the NPP government led by His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo.



Addressing the youth made up of various volunteer groups like Patriotic Gents, Loyal Ladies, and Staunch Queens, Mr. Berima Pobi also called for support for the Parliamentary Candidate of Amenfi West Constituency, Kofi Asante, to claim the seat for the NPP.



The the credibility of the party is equally good as the credibility of its candidate and a vote for Nana Addo and the PC Hon Kofi Asante is a vote for the continuation of Free SHS, NABCO, 1D1F, Planting for Food and jobs, Automatic registration of NHIS and many others, he said.



He was accompanied by Patriotic Gents grassroots mobilization Director Eric Odeneho Yeboah, Ashanti Regional Chairman and Secretary of Patriotic Gents as well as the youth at Amenfi West.

Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









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Cromwell Property Group has lodged an amended development application for 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, Sydney Credit:

Cromwell Property Group and partner Blackrock have lodged new plans incorporating a third office tower into its $123 million project at Chatswood, in Sydney's north.

The revised vision for the 475 Victoria Avenue precinct now includes an 11-storey tower. This will see floor space more than double from 3148 square metres to about 6500 sq m and will include a new entrance and outdoor space.

The 475 Victoria Avenue project currently comprises two 14-level office buildings with a total net lettable area of 22,000 sq m and a 4.5-star, 156-room hotel.

The expansion plans come as Cromwell is locked in a heated takeover battle with the Singapore-based ARA Asset Management led by chairman Dr Gary Weiss. Cromwell has told shareholders to vote against any move by Dr Weiss to gain a seat on the board and to reject the 92-a share offer.
New Delhi:

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) will meet today at 11AM to take a call on advancing the Budget Session of Parliament to the last week of January.



The Budget Session is normally convened in the last week of February but this year the government is looking set to convene the longest session of Parliament in the last week of January.



The presentation of the Budget is expected to take place on February 1.



The Budget Session is being advanced as the government wants early allocation of funds for various schemesfrom April 1, the beginning of the financial year.The CCPA meeting has been convened to decide the date for the commencement of the Budget Session, a source said.



Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair the meeting.



Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar are the members of CCPA, among others.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beijing on Tuesday again blamed India for the latest bout of tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, saying China has never occupied an inch of territory belonging to another country and New Delhi should take its concerns seriously and contribute to peace and tranquillity at the border.

Seventy-odd years since the founding of new China, China never provoked any war or conflict and never occupied an inch of other countrys territory. China border troops always strictly abide by the LAC and never crossed the line, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying.

India on Monday said that it had pre-empted provocative military movements by China to change the status quo along the LAC on the southern bank of the Pangong Lake.

Also Read: Satellite imagery shows PLA building heliport at tri-junction of India, Bhutan,China

The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) troops violated the consensus reached during military and diplomatic engagements and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo on the night of August 29-30, Indian Army spokesperson Col Aman Anand said in a statement on Monday.

Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the southern bank of Pangong Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground, he said.

The Chinese military refuted the Indian Army statement on Monday evening, claiming that its troops had not crossed the LAC.

Also Read: Forget disengagement, China opens new front along LAC

On Tuesday, Hua reiterated the view.

The Indian sides statement may be different from the Chinese but there is only one truth and fact, she said.

Responding to question on the differences in the two statements, she said: Perhaps there are some communication issues. I think both sides should stick to facts and have goodwill in maintaining the overall bilateral relations and take concrete measures to jointly safeguard peace and tranquillity along the border.

Hua also referred to the Indian militarys strengthening of deployment along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. We noticed that for some time in India there have been many media reports about increased military along the border. I think people of the two countries want to live peacefully together and such Indian media reports are not consistent with peoples aspirations, she said.

The spokesperson added that for some time China and India have held multilevel engagement and talks and made active efforts to peacefully resolve differences on the border and possibly disputes to safeguard peace and tranquillity along the border.

But on August 31st, the Indian troops broke earlier consensus reached at meetings and talks, and on the southern bank of Pangong Lake and near the Reqin mountain, Indian troops illegally crossed the line, open provocation causing renewed tensions.

The Indian troops, she alleged, violated Chinas territorial sovereignty and the two sides agreements and consensus and undermined the peace and tranquillity. It goes against the two sides efforts for some time to ease the situation. China expressed firm opposition and lodged solemn representations, she said. We asked the Indian side to immediately stop all provocations, pull back the trespassing personnel, stop actions that might complicate or escalate the situation.

She said China hopes the Indian side will take Beijings concerns seriously and make concrete contributions to peace and tranquillity and development of bilateral relations.
Scientists have developed a new theory as to how hearing loss may cause dementia and believe that tackling this sensory impairment early may help to prevent the disease.

Hearing loss has been shown to be linked to dementia in epidemiological studies and may be responsible for a tenth of the 47 million cases worldwide.

Now, published in the journal Neuron, a team at Newcastle University, UK, provide a new theory to explain how a disorder of the ear can lead to Alzheimer's disease - a concept never looked at before.

It is hoped that this new understanding may be a significant step towards advancing research into Alzheimer's disease and how to prevent the illness for future generations.

Newcastle experts considered three key aspects; a common underlying cause for hearing loss and dementia; lack of sound-related input leading to brain shrinking; and cognitive impairment resulting in people having to engage more brain resources to compensate for hearing loss, which then become unavailable for other tasks.

The team propose a new angle which focuses on the memory centres deep in the temporal lobe. Their recent work indicates that this part of the brain, typically associated with long-term memory for places and events, is also involved in short-term storage and manipulation of auditory information.

They consider explanations for how changes in brain activity due to hearing loss might directly promote the presence of abnormal proteins that cause Alzheimer's disease, therefore triggering the disease.

Professor Tim Griffiths, from Newcastle University's Faculty of Medical Sciences, said: "The challenge has been to explain how a disorder of the ear can lead to a degenerative problem in the brain.

"We suggest a new theory based on how we use what is generally considered to be the memory system in the brain when we have difficulty listening in real-world environments."

Work on mechanisms for difficult listening is a central theme for the research group, including members in Newcastle, UCL and Iowa University, that has been supported by a Medical Research Council programme grant.

Dr Will Sedley, from Newcastle University's Faculty of Medical Sciences, said: "This memory system engaged in difficult listening is the most common site for the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

"We propose that altered activity in the memory system caused by hearing loss and the Alzheimer's disease process trigger each other.

"Researchers now need to examine this mechanism in models of the pathological process to test if this new theory is right."

The experts developed the theory of this important link with hearing loss by bringing together findings from a variety of human studies and animal models. Future work will continue to look at this area.

###

REFERENCE: How can hearing loss cause dementia? TD Griffiths, M Lad, S Kumar, E Holmes, B McMurray, EA Maguire, AJ Billig, W Sedley. Neuron (2020)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.08.003
The Nifty50 bounced back to reclaim the 11,500-mark intraday as the bulls made a comeback after being mauled by the bears in the previous session.

It was a volatile session as the Supreme Court gave telecom companies 10 years to telecom companies to pay the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues and the markets reacted to the GDP data that was released after the hours the previous day.

The index opened higher at 11,464.30 following positive global cues and climbed to 11,553.55, but witnessed a roller coaster ride and saw some selling pressure at higher levels. The index showed a good recovery in last hour of trade to close 83 points higher at 11,470.30.

The index closed near opening levels and formed long-legged Doji pattern on the daily charts.

A typical long-legged Doji pattern is formed when the opening price is almost equal to the closing price but with a lot of intraday movement on either side.

It is critical for the Nifty to sustain above 11,325 levels for a couple of sessions to retain bullish bias as bounces in the near term may remain vulnerable for a selloff," Mazhar Mohammad, Chief StrategistTechnical Research & Trading Advisory at Chartviewindia.in told Moneycontrol.

In case 11,325 is breached on a closing basis, it will signal the resumption of the downswing with initial targets placed around 11,100, he said.

Considering the sharp reversal seen on August 31, the index can eventually lead to bigger downswing with targets placed around 10,900.

Any pull-back attempt into the 11,55011,600 zone shall be encountered with selling pressure, he said.

Traders should make use of rallies to short this market with a stop above 11,700 on a closing basis, Mohammad said.

The fall in volatility after the spike on August 31 also supported the markets. India VIX fell by 4.55 percent from 22.83 to 21.80 levels.

"A spike in volatility from lower levels suggests a volatile swings but overall lower VIX on weekly basis could provide support to the market at key levels," Chandan Taparia, Vice President | Analyst-Derivatives at Motilal Oswal Financial Services told Moneycontrol.

The options data indicated that the positional wider trading range for the Nifty can remain at the 11,200-11,800 level in the coming days.

On the options front, maximum Put open interest was at 11,000 followed by 10,500 strike, while maximum Call open interest was at 12,000 followed by 11,500 strike. Marginal Call writing was seen in 12,100 and 11,800 strike while Put writing was seen at 11,000 then 11,200 strike.

The Bank Nifty opened positive but failed to move above 24,200 and drifted towards 23,500. It respected the immediate support of 23,400-23,500 and closed at 23,812, up 57.65 points

It formed a high-wave candle on the daily scale but remained in the lower part of the trading range of the last session.

"It formed an Inside Bar but bounces are being sold with capped upside momentum. Now it has to cross and hold above 24,000 levels for a move towards 24,500 and 25,200 while on the downside now key support exists at 23,200 levels," Taparia said.

Positive setup was seen in Biocon, Bharti Airtel, JSW Steel, PVR, Hindalco Industries, Tata Steel, Divis Labs, Asian Paints, Tata Consumer and Vedanta while weak structure was seen in Bharti Infratel, MGL, ONGC, IOC, L&T Finance Holdings, etc, he added.
While the Palestinians say they feel betrayed, the UAE has touted the deal as a tool to force Israel into halting its contentious plan to annex parts of the West Bank sought by the Palestinians for a future state. It is also expected to help them acquire advanced U.S. weapons systems that have been previously unattainable, such as the F-35 fighter jet. Israel currently is the only country in the region to fly the stealth warplane.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : An art exhibition showcasing works by American born photographer Waswo X. Waswo, in collaboration with Rajasthani miniaturist Rajesh Soni and traditional terracotta sculptor Shyam Lal Kumhar, is open for viewing at a Delhi-based gallery.

Part portraiture from Waswo and Soni's well-known Studio in Rajasthan series, and part spoof on both the studio process and the photographer himself - this exhibition by Gallery Latitude 28 will call attention to the place of performance, or the "stage", upon which studio photography is enacted.

The title, 'We Are Always Working', references the ongoing process Waswo and his studio engage in, both physically, as well as in a wider philosophical discourse concerning his practice and methods. The exhibition is curated by Bhavna Kakar.

Waswo X. Waswo's career in India has spanned almost two decades, utilizing the medium of studio photography is a method of self-discovery, navigating between personal revelation and inspired fantasy. With traditionally hand-painted backdrops, the photographic studio became a quasi-diorama in which Waswo and his models playfully devised a series of tableaux. His elaborate processes, involving casting local people as 'models' in the photo shoots, are akin to co-operative theatre performances.

Waswo's sepia photographs, hand painted by Udaipur based photo hand colourist Rajesh Soni, take on a dream-like quality, which harks back to ethnographic photography of bygone eras while maintaining temporal roots in the contemporary. Interplay develops between the villagers who populate his work, the caricature of Waswo himself and 'artefacts', which he inspects under a magnifying glass.

As the protagonist of many of the photographs, dressed incongruously in a white suit and fedora hat, he takes on the role of 'The Orientalist', interspersed throughout the exhibition.

The origins of 'The Orientalist' caricature can be found in previous collaboration between Waswo and miniaturist R. Vijay, as Waswo himself states, "He created a character which was supposed to represent me, and my adventures in India, but as time went on he became sort of an 'everyman'. I stopped thinking of him being explicitly myself, or specifically myself. Now [the character] has leaped back into the photographs. He's literally become me, I now find myself acting the role of the little man in the miniatures. I've adopted the very character that I've created and now personify him in some of the photographs." 'The Orientalist' as a concept plays with the notions of otherness, ethnic stereotyping and Western fetishisation of the developing world, however the driving force is that in this day and age a stereotype has been made of 'The Orientalist' himself. He is now encapsulated in the very same diorama as his subjects, playing out scenes in which the symbolic figure offers itself up for scrutiny, generalisation, categorisation, and questioning.

The exhibition runs from August 28-September 28. Visitation is by appointment only.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State council, on Monday, ordered its members to boycott a press conference allegedly called by a former minister of aviation, Femi Kani-Kayode.

The union gave this directive on Monday in Ibadan, the state capital.

Mr Fani-Kayode was recently seen in a viral video, while addressing a press conference, verbally assaulting a journalist in Calabar, Cross Rivers State.

Mr Fani-Kayode, who said he was in Calabar to inspect some projects built by the state government, called Charles Eyo, the Daily Trust correspondent in Cross Rivers, "stupid".

The former minister has, however, apologised to the journalist, the NUJ, Daily Trust and any affected parties. In an apology letter sent to the national president of the NUJ, the former minister said he regretted his actions, and promised to have a better relationship with the union.

"I wish to convey my regrets to the reporter for my response to him and I also wish to express my regrets to the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and members of the Nigerian media, whom I hold in high esteem," he wrote in the letter.

"I believe that my reaction was disproportionate and unduly harsh even though I felt deeply provoked by the fact that the reporter asserted that I was being bankrolled by somebody for something that I was funding entirely on my own.I do hope that our relationship will continue as it has always been," he continued.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the former minister had arrived in Ibadan on Sunday to continue his tour and organised a press conference for Monday.

However, the Oyo State chapter of the union ordered its members to boycott the press conference.

The NUJ state chairperson, Ademola Babalola, in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES, added that he gave the directive in view of Mr Fani-Kayode's action.

"It was about two hours ago that we learnt that FFK in his usual junketing across the nation allegedly landed in Ibadan last night. We heard that he has invited some of our colleagues to a press conference.

"As I am talking to you now, we have not gotten any circular, any contrary position from the NUJ in Abuja to henceforth forgive him or attend any of his programme forthwith.

"As a journalist, I expect a kind of sober reflection on the part of FFK. I had expected that he would pay a visit to the NUJ president, Chris Iziguso and possibly the management of Daily Trust Newspaper to atone for his many 'sins' against the journalists in the country. So, for now Oyo NUJ position is still very clear that we are boycotting this press conference today in Ibadan."

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Mr Babalola added that the former minister remains blacklisted by the journalists' union, until otherwise stated by the national secretariat of the union.

"For now, NUJ has not sent a circular down to various state councils in Nigeria to tell us the update; though we read on social media and newspapers that he has sent an apology letter.

Mr Babalola, also wondered why the former minister is on a tour, visiting projects across the nation.

"He had in the letter said he disappointed himself, friends and family over his attack on Eyo Charles. The reason for FFK's ongoing tour is still strange to all. This is what our colleague, Charles, was trying to unravel in Cross River, when FFK attacked him.

"We wonder why he is travelling all about when he is not the PDP national chairman or assigned such duty by the PDP."

The head of the journalists union in the state, however, left the door open for some sort of reconciliation with Fani-Kayode

"As a human being, to err is human but to forgive is divine. I agree but he should at least be more circumspect and allow the heat to go down."
The Uganda Network on Law, Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET) and its partners have launched My body is not a democracy, a campaign peddled at supporting National Advocacy on Bodily Autonomy and Integrity in Uganda.

It was launched by UGANET in conjunction with Uganda Key Populations Consortium (UKPC), Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV/AIDS (UNYPA) and the AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA).

Speaking at the launch Ms Dorah Kiconco Musingunzi the Executive Director UGANET said the program will ensure everybodys voice is hard and respected in order to promote and protect everyones human right and community engagement and inclusion.

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There is denial of SRHR services and information due to age, race. HIV status and gender norms/stereotype have influenced the increased incidence of violence on AGYWs (Teenage pregnancies, Forced marriages, FGM etc.), She said at the Naguru Skyz Hotel

Ms Musinguzi stressed that UGANET in this partnership with UNYPA, UKPC, ARASA and other Civil Society Organizations will continue working with the government to advocate for ones body as integrity and autonomy.

Today we ask the policy makers gathered here to ensure that they bridge the gaps of inequality, revise the HIV/AIDs criminalization law, and repeal every policy and law that marginalizes human rights.

The criminal justice system needs to bring to book the perpetrators, and more than magnify what makes us different, lets us celebrate what makes the same, our humanity, our human rights. She added.

The program also aims at providing possible solutions for young people to get awareness on the basic concept of bodily autonomy and integrity and also help them acknowledge and understand the fact that bodily autonomy and integrity are a basic human right.

That project that will run for the next two years to help young people acknowledge the fact that the right to bodily autonomy and integrity in Uganda is not respected where there are harsh realities.

It will also foster, nurture and remind this generation about Teenage pregnancies which is obviously and evidently still reoccurring, child and forced marriages plus HIV/AIDs related stigma and discrimination in communities

Bruce Tushabe who represented the Executive Director of Uganda Network of Young People Living with HIV/AIDs said that this program will help to achieve a number of things, singularly the coalition among Civil Society Organizations will help bring together young people in protection of ones body autonomy with self-independence and Integrity.

Asuma Basalirwa, a Member of Parliament Bugiri Municipality stressed that there are fundamental problems that should be addressed even when there is a broken justice system.

Its important to take keen interest in broadening our interests in advocating for human rights especially the freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

Dr. Daniel Byamukama Executive Director Uganda Aids Commission implored UGANET and other Civil Society Organizations for attracting and lobbying for international support and asked them to continue demanding for accountability.

He said he had the government to partner and support them on such programs and that they will always provide avenues for NGOs to continue pushing for such campaigns.

Byamukama added that Uganda AIDs Commission as a prevention center would like to hear that everyones rights are respected and promoted and they will provide an avenue for this.
Michigan reported 718 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, Sept. 1, as well as 15 deaths.

Eight of the deaths reported Tuesday occurred outside the last 24 hours and were late additions discovered through regular vital records reviews.

Health officials recommend looking at seven-day moving averages to evaluate data trends during the pandemic. The state is averaging 678 new cases, and 11 new deaths per day.

(The above chart shows Michigans 7-day rolling average of new confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new cases reported by day.)

Since the start of the pandemic, Michigan has tallied 103,186 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

There are currently 6,495 deaths attributed to COVID-19, in which patients tested positive for the virus. There also are 272 probable deaths, based on symptoms.

(The above chart shows Michigans 7-day rolling average of deaths involving confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new deaths reported by day.)

As of Sept. 1, there are 646 adult in-patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus, which includes 434 with confirmed COVID-19. There also is one child in a pediatric unit with confirmed coronavirus and nine children hospitalized with suspected COVID.

Of tests included in Tuesdays report, 796 -- or 3.3% -- of 24,133 came back positive for the virus.

Thirty of the states 83 counties reported no new cases on Tuesday.

Wayne County topped Mondays report with 117 new cases. Other counties in the top 10: Oakland (100), Macomb (98), Ottawa (52), Kent (43), Lenawee (29), Washtenaw (25), Isabella (18), Jackson (16) and Livingston (14).

Of the deaths, Wayne County reported six deaths; Oakland County reported two; and there was one death each in Macomb, Kent, Shiawassee, Muskegon, Eaton, Grand Traverse, Emmet and Ogemaw counties.

Tuesday, Sept. 1, coronavirus data by Michigan county: 9 counties havent had single case in past week

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here. To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS:

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued 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/.

More on MLive:

These 100 Michigan schools will start the year with remote learning

Laid-off Portage teachers recalled, middle school sports reinstated amid better budget outlook

These are the pros and cons for Michigan parents still looking at education options for the fall

Grand Valley students moving back to campus amid pandemic excited to be here while it lasts

First day of school looks much different this year in Jackson Public Schools
On Tuesday, 25 August, the Jordanian capital, Amman, hosted the third summit of the tripartite mechanism of cooperation among Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. The first summit had taken place in Cairo in March of last year, and the second took place in New York City during the ordinary session of the UN General Assembly in September 2019.

In the two previous summits, Iraq was represented by the former Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi. This time, Iraq was represented by the new Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadmi.

A few days earlier, Al-Kadmi was the guest of US President Donald Trump in what was considered a successful visit that took place in the context of the strategic dialogue between Iraq and the United States.

In an interview with The Washington Post, the Iraqi prime minister proposed the creation of a new Mashreq or a new East in the Levant that would include Egypt. He explained that the idea is to cooperate to stabilise the region, and to find political solutions to the conflicts that are still raging in the Middle East. In addition, the new bloc of nations would work together to achieve economic prosperity for the people of the region.

Trilateral cooperation among Egypt, Jordan and Iraq is not new. Back in 1989, the three countries plus Yemen had set up what was called the Arab Cooperation Council, and saw the signing of various agreements that had covered economic, commercial, social and cultural aspects of the relationships among the member countries. However, the experiment was short-lived. Less than a year after its establishment, Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2 August 1990, and that was the end of the newly-established council.

Before the signing of the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel on 24 October 1994, Iraq, Jordan and Syria had formed what was called the Eastern Front. It was a group of countries that had been in a state of war with Israel, and provided for a certain strategic equilibrium in the Middle East. It worked as a relative deterrent against Israeli expansionism in the Middle East, even after Egypt had signed the first peace treaty between an Arab state and Israel, on 26 March 1979. The front provided security and stability for the three countries, Jordan, Syria and Iraq. The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait dealt it a death sentence.

Of course, the strategic context in the Middle East has dramatically changed, and neither Iraq nor Syria are in situation that would allow them to breathe new life into an old concept. Times have changed. However, the idea of a new East has its merits given the insecurity and instability reigning in the Middle East, a deplorable situation that has gone far too long, and opened the door wide to regional intervention in the Levant, and in Iraq in particular after the American invasion of Iraq in March 2003, combined with the disastrous impact of the Arab Spring.

If the three countries that have launched the tripartite mechanism of cooperation would work seriously for the creation of such a bloc, that would be a welcome move on their part. As explained by the Iraqi prime minister, such a bloc would work for peace, security and stability in the Middle East and would provide a counterweight to regional intervention in the Levant and in Iraq. The bloc would be defensive in nature with no war designs against any country in the region.

The idea of such a bloc is geared to the future rather than the past. Actually, we bear witness to the slow and gradual emergence of a different Middle East  a region that would live under a Pax Americana, where Israel would be the lead partner of the United States, after the latter withdraws from the Middle East, a strategy initiated by the present US administration, and would continue, albeit in a much slower pace, in case Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden becomes the 46th US president in November.

The bloc, once it becomes a reality, would defend the national interests of its founding members in the Middle East of tomorrow, that could see very close cooperation among the Gulf countries and Israel, once the former follow in the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates in normalising relations with the Hebrew state. The US strategy of forming an alliance between Israel and the Sunni Arab states  namely, the Gulf countries, Egypt and Jordan  is difficult to materialise in the way both the United States and Israel want. The tripartite bloc would be an insurance policy for the member countries against Israeli hegemony in the region in the medium and long term.

The idea caused the Iraqi prime minister some trouble back home, especially among pro-Iranian political forces and armed militias. Al-Kadmi assured them his ideas are not meant to target Iran, stressing that Iraq wants to have good relations with all neighbouring countries without exception.

The emerging Middle East will be full of cross currents and odd alliances that would impinge on the security and stability of major Arab powers in case they decline to become full-time partners in the Pax Americana in the region.

If the tripartite bloc is formed, it would provide a bulwark against a nation or a group of nations from within the Middle East and the Gulf  under American leadership  that would attempt to reorder the region according to their own visions and national interests.



*The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump will travel Tuesday to Kenosha, Wisconsin, despite accusations from Democrats that he's trying to take advantage of the turmoil there to rally supporters around his law-and-order campaign message.

Kenosha is the latest flashpoint in violent protests after the police shooting Aug. 23 of Jacob Blake, a Black father who was left paralyzed from the waist down. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, part of a self-proclaimed militia group, was charged with shooting to death two people during the ensuing protests.

On the eve of the visit, Trump defended Rittenhouse, embracing the argument from the suspect's attorney that he was acting in self-defense. The president also disputed claims his visit would exacerbate deadly tensions, telling reporters it "could also increase enthusiasm and it could increase love and respect for our country."

'It's Trump vs. not-Trump': After conventions, Biden looks to excite his base while Trump tries to expand his

The president "surveys property affected by recent riots" on his Kenosha trip, according to his schedule. Trump also plans to visit an emergency operations center and host "a roundtable on Wisconsin Community Safety."

Meanwhile, Trump has no plans to meet with Blake or his family.

The president also previewed by his trip by questioning police officers who shoot suspects in the back  comparing them to golfers who "choke" by missing a short putt.

In a discussion with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday, Trump appeared to criticize the Kenosha officer who shot Blake by saying, "shooting a guy in the back many times  I mean, couldnt you have done something different?" He also defended the officer, saying the victim "might have been going for a weapon."

Trump then added, speaking of police officers: "But they choke, just like in a golf tournament  they miss a three-foot putt."

In formally accepting the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday, Trump laid out a central attack line for his campaign: accusing the Democratic Party of standing with "anarchists, agitators, rioters, looters and flag burners."

Story continues

Trump claimed that a victory Nov. 3 by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden would usher in an era of lawlessness. "No one will be safe in Biden's America," the president said.

President Donald Trump plans to visit Kenosha, Wis., on Sept. 1.

Biden, meanwhile, accused Trump of "rooting for chaos and violence," and said his trip to Kenosha is a classic example.

Fires are burning, and we have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames, Biden said Monday in Pittsburgh. Donald Trump looks at this violence, and he sees a political lifeline.

Democratic state and local leaders urged Trump not to come to Kenosha. In a letter to the president, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said, "I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing."

Evers wrote he is concerned the visit "will require a massive redirection" of resources to support the president's visit "when it is critical that we continue to remain focused on keeping the people of Kenosha safe and supporting the community's response."

Trump's Kenosha visit: President has no plans to meet with Jacob Blake's family

More: Thousands march with Jacob Blake family in Kenosha: 'Well walk hand in hand'

Political analysts described the Wisconsin trip as risky, especially if Trump says or does something that is seen as inciting counterdemonstrators.

"People are watching and waiting for Trump to make a mistake," pollster Frank Luntz said. "The pressure is definitely on him.

More: Trump defends Kyle Rittenhouse on eve of visit to Kenosha

Trump has already drawn criticism for his defense of Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused in the shooting deaths of two protesters. Referring to cell phone video of the incident, Trump told reporters that it looked like protesters "violently attacked" Rittenhouse and that he responded.

Trump's backers said it is Biden who uses the protests for political advantage.

In a phone call organized by the Trump campaign, Michael Slupe, the sheriff in Butler County, Pennsylvania, told reporters that Biden turned his back on law enforcement and blames police officers for the country's problems.

"The people that are protesting now are not President Trump supporters  they are Joe Biden supporters," Slupe said. "They are ruining America."

Pat Lynch, president of New York City's Police Benevolent Association, accused Biden "of siding with the rioters" because "he needs to cozy up to everyone on the left wing."

'It's surreal in the worst possible way:'Kenosha reels after Jacob Blake shooting, unrest

Portland protests: State police return to Portland after protest shooting; Trump plans to visit Kenosha

Trump needs to be careful about how he frames the police-and-protester issues, analysts said, both in Kenosha and in the two months remaining before Election Day.

If the president talks about the challenges in terms of "public safety," Luntz said, he will probably benefit because that's what voters want.

But Trump has too often cast events as "law and order" issues, Luntz said, and that could help Biden because "that says to the public that the police can operate with impunity, and that's not what the public wants."

Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, noted that Trump has made the protests an issue all summer and it does not seem to have moved the polls much.

The evidence indicates that the police-and-protester issues are more important to Republican voters than Democrats or independents, he said, and could help only with his base.

It's too early to say whether events in Kenosha will affect things in Wisconsin, an important state to both campaigns.

"As always," he said, "it remains to be seen."

Blame game: Biden, Trump campaigns spar over blame for violent protests

Four years ago, Trump became the first Republican since 1988 to carry Wisconsin, and the state is one of a handful of battlegrounds that could decide the election this year.

A Marquette Law School poll in early August  before the conventions  gave Biden a 49%-44% lead over Trump.

The shooting of Blake was the latest in a string of police shootings that have roiled the nation in recent months.

Protests in Kenosha included window-smashing and vandalism of businesses, which drew criticism from Trump and others.

A person who appears to be Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged with the shooting deaths of two protesters in Kenosha, described himself in a video as a part of a citizen militia dedicated to protecting the city.

Referring to cell phone video of the shooting, Trump told reporters on Monday that Rittenhouse was "trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like" and said that protesters "violently attacked him." Trump repeatedly noted the shooting remained under investigation but also appeared to lean into Rittenhouse's self-defense argument.

Several former classmates of Rittenhouse at Lakes Community High School in Antioch told VICE News they remembered him as short-tempered and easily offended. He was known for his love of the police, guns and Trump, they said.

More: State police return to Portland after protest shooting; Trump plans to visit Kenosha

More: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers asks Donald Trump to 'reconsider' planned visit to Kenosha after Jacob Blake shooting

In seeking to make urban unrest a political issue, Trump has criticized Democratic leaders in Portland, Oregon, and other cities, threatening to send federal forces into those places.

Trump supporters mounted their own demonstrations over the weekend in Portland. One man, believed to be a Trump supporter, was killed after a series of melees.

'That's the shooter': Witnesses describe the night Kyle Rittenhouse opened fire in Kenosha

Trump picked up the support of another law enforcement group Monday when the National Troopers Coalition, which represents state troopers and highway patrol officers, endorsed his reelection.

The organization's chairman, Jimmy Chavez, praised Trump in an endorsement letter for taking an "unwavering stance against those who attack the very men and women that are willing to give their lives to protect others."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump to visit Kenosha, seeking support amid racial unrest
Dirty toilets can potentially spread coronavirus to returned travellers who are forced to stay in hotels.

Like other coronaviruses, COVID-19 can survive on surfaces for several days.

New South Wales Health lists the hazards of this disease on its website but despite that warning, the state government housed returned travellers in unhygienic conditions.

Lauren Farmer, 38, has spoken out about being initially quarantined early last week in a Travelodge Hotel at Surry Hills in Sydney.

Dirty toilets can potentially spread coronavirus to returned travellers who are forced to stay in hotels. Like other coronaviruses, COVID-19 can survive on surfaces for several days. Pictured are unclean bathroom tiles at the Travelodge Hotel in Sydney

Lauren Farmer, 38, has spoken out about being initially quarantined early last week in a Travelodge Hotel at Surry Hills in Sydney

'Hi everyone, not super happy right now because got to the hotel and it's, like, the worst one that was an option,' she said on social media.

How long does COVID-19 stay on surfaces? New South Wales Health said COVID-19 behaved like other coronaviruses and 'may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days' This varied depending on temperature, humidity and the type of surface Common household disinfectants are recommended to kill the virus Alcohol-based hand santisers and soap are also recommended Avoid touching your mouth, eyes or nose Advertisement

She then documented her concerns and relayed them to the NSW Police Force, who are in charge of hotel quarantining.

On Tuesday night last week, the remaining 366 guests at the Sydney Travelodge were moved to other hotels, in a military-style operation designed to minimise the prospect of COVID-19 spreading.

Ms Farmer told the ABC's 7.30 program the bathroom was unclean, after videoing mould on the shower tiles.

'I am just shocked. The bathroom was the worst,' she said.

'I started making calls to nurses to see if there was any way I could be moved.'

Professor Raina MacIntyre, the head of biosecurity research at the University of New South Wales' Kirby Institute, said dirty hotel toilets could potentially spread coronavirus if bathrooms weren't properly cleaned for the next set of quarantined travellers.

'The bathroom is probably the highest risk setting and that is because the virus is shared in the faeces,' she told the ABC.

'Studies show that just flushing the toilet can cause massive aerosolization of the virus so it can be all over the bathroom surfaces.'

While NSW Police is in charge of hotel quarantining, the cleaning is left to third-party cleaning companies.

On Tuesday night last week, the remaining 366 guests at the Travelodge in Sydney to other hotels, in a military-style operation designed to minimise the prospect of COVID-19 spreading

Professor Raina MacIntyre, the head of biosecurity research at the University of New South Wales' Kirby Institute, said dirty toilets could potentially spread coronavirus if bathrooms weren't properly cleaned for the next set of quarantined travellers

Travelodge said it had hosted more than 2,000 guests in hotel quarantine since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared March, insisting rooms had been cleaned thoroughly before and after travellers had been accommodated.

Returned traveller Kelsey Burrows arrived landed in Sydney from Ireland in late August.

The 30-year-old travel agent, who lost her job in Dublin in March before making the tough decision to fly home, was feeling jet-lagged and 'fragile' when she arrived at Travelodge and saw cockroaches in her room.

'I went into panic mode when I saw them,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Returned traveller Kelsey Burrows arrived landed in Sydney from Ireland in late August. The 30-year-old travel agent, who lost her job in Dublin in March before making the tough decision to fly home, was feeling jet-lagged and 'fragile' when she arrived at Travelodge and saw cockroaches in her room
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DENVER  I remember the thrill I felt in the summer of 2004 when I finally got hired as a career employee by the U.S. Postal Service. After decades of low-end jobs in day care and hospitality it was a dream come true. I hoped that getting hired as a regular would lift me from the working poor into the middle class.

Incredibly, it did. I had a job with security, humane benefits and a good living wage. I am always surprised when people talk about those blessings as though they are bad things for the country. Because of my job, I was able to take in and help my brothers when they lost their less-secure jobs.

I have worked hard for those blessings, as we all do. I always wanted to become a mechanic and, after two years of study both on and off the clock, I finally had an entry level position at a post office as a maintenance mechanic, working on the machines that process the mail.

In those early few years, my post office often led our district in output. We were rewarded with praise and items like a T-shirt or cap. We, and the Postal Service, were doing an excellent job and we were even making a profit, financially. Every day, as I drove to work, I felt a thrill of pride to be part of the team.

An impossible task

And we were a team! There was a sense of camaraderie that Ive never felt in any other workplace. There are not many female mechanics, but I was always treated with respect, because I could do the job and do it well. We liked that we were serving and helping people in an organization that had been around for over 200 years. We were a proud mix  a true cross-section and representation of the American people.

Letter carriers load mail trucks for deliveries at a U.S. Postal Service facility in McLean, Virginia, on July 31, 2020.

I still feel that thrill, but now it is mixed with sadness.

The Postal Service in which I take such pride has been charged to do almost impossible tasks in ways that no other business in the country has been required to do. In 2006, the Postal Service was singled out by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), as the only government agency or business in history required to fund the health care costs post-retirement for every employee for the next 75 years, and do it all in an immediate 10-year window.

Story continues

Postal Service reform: USPS badly needs an overhaul, but not smack in the middle of the Trump-Biden campaign

The once financially stable, profitable and proud Postal Service began to suffer  which means people began to suffer. Over the years up to today, jobs were cut or left unfilled, overtime was cut, hiring was frozen. Eventually, they began closing both plants and post offices. The hardest part to swallow, and the part that broke my heart, was that the supporters who passed the PAEA began to point out how the Postal Service was losing money, as though it was the workers' fault.

Machines dismantled

The carriers are the beloved face of the Postal Service, as they should be, and an icon of our proud history. But as a mechanic working to keep them on their routes, in August I witnessed a scene I never could have imagined. My co-workers on another shift began dismantling at least three mail processing machines. They didn't want to do this, they told me; they just had to follow orders.

Muriel Ponder in August 2019 in Denver.

While there is less mail being delivered this year, those machines process over a million pieces of mail a day at my post office alone and were always in use. When I asked them what they were doing, they told me that the area was going to be rearranged. I later found the machines behind the processing plant, dismantled,in a huge scrap metal dumpster  uncovered in the rain. Later, Postal Service leaders said they paused these changes, but I don't expect the machines to ever come back. Thats a hard thing for a mechanic, or any caring person, to see.

I still count my blessings. I am still grateful that we currently can still get things to the people of our country that they need to survive and thrive, wherever they are  at every single dwelling in America. It will be a lot harder now, but weve done hard before.

My dad, the mailman: For mail carriers, neighborhoods and my family, the US Postal Service is personal.

I fear what will happen if the Postal Service is dismantled, like the machines, so that only the certain few benefit. The Constitution empowers Congress to "establish post offices and post roads" for all the people.

I hope all the people will work to keep the Postal Service alive and be proud of the decent living it gives workers and the valuable work it does.

Muriel Ponder has worked at the U.S. Postal Service's Denver, Colorado, Processing and Distribution Center for the last 16 years.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Postal Service worker: I saw mail processing machines dismantled
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided a nighttime view of the Atlantic Ocean hurricane season's latest tropical cyclone off the coast of North Carolina. Ocean swells from the depression are affecting coastal North Carolina today, Sept. 1.

Tropical Depression 15 formed by 5 p.m. EDT off the coast of North Carolina and showed organized convection (rising air that forms the thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone). The storm has been battling vertical wind shear since its formation, which has kept it from intensifying into a tropical storm.

NASA's Night-Time View

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a nighttime image of 15 during the early morning hours of Sept 1 when it flew over the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Infrared data showed the most powerful thunderstorms east of center where cloud top temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep convection remains displaced to the east and southeast of the depression's low-level center due to increasing west-northwesterly wind shear.

The image was created using the NASA Worldview application at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

TD15's Status

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported the center of Tropical Depression 15 (TD 15) was located near latitude 34.7 degrees north and longitude 73.1 degrees west. TD 15 is centered about 140 miles (225 km) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The depression is moving toward the east-northeast near 14 mph (22 kph). This general motion is forecast today, followed by a turn toward the east by Thursday. On the forecast track, the center of the depression will continue to move away from the North Carolina coast today.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 35 mph (55 kph) with higher gusts. The depression could become a tropical storm later today or tonight. Gradual weakening is anticipated by late Wednesday. The system is forecast to become a remnant low on Thursday.

TD15's Effects Along the U.S. Coast

Although the depression is off the coast of North Carolina it is generating ocean swells that are affecting the U.S. coast. NHC said, "Swells generated by the depression will continue to affect portions of the Outer Banks of North Carolina through this evening, causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions." There are no other watches or warnings in effect and the storm is forecast to move away from the coast.

About NASA's EOSDIS Worldview

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now."

NASA Researches Earth from Space

For more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration.

###

For updated forecasts, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

By Rob Gutro

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Jarred Cinman, CEO of VMLY&R South Africa talks through the genesis of VMLY&R's Live from the Edge event series, born from the agency's Digital Edge podcast.

Jarred Cinman, CEO of VMLY&R South Africa

Tell us about the theme of the upcoming edition, From Cultural Cliches to Brand Authenticity, taking place on Thursday, 3 September?

Every agency (and most brands) bandy around the word culture these days. Everyone is connecting with culture except that most of it is appropriated, misapplied or weighed down by stereotypes. We agree that cultural relevance is key to breaking through to consumers but it only works if its driven by authentic insights and a sincere regard for peoples own perspectives.

The event will investigate how marketers build brands that get noticed amid intense competition from global and local competitors. What are some key talking points around this that we can expect to learn more about?

What is the format of the event?

Youve been able to host international guests like Barack Obamas CTO Harper Reed and Hollywood director Spike Lee and other global industry thinkers lined up for the upcoming event, such as; Jocelyn Cooper, co-founder of AfroPunk; Cesar Melo, former president at PepsiCo, Mondelez, Colgate-Palmolive and Foster Grant, and Neil Davidson, CEO of London-based HeyHuman, who is experienced in successfully bringing global brands to the African mass market. How do you go about attracting this level of international thought leadership?

And comment on the importance of a global mindset, especially now given the global crisis and how it has impacted our industry.

What has been the response to the series?

What are you most looking forward to for the next event and going forward?

And then comment on the timing aspect, why you think a series such as this is particularly relevant at the moment?

What would you say to encourage marketers to attend?

When I was much younger, about eight years ago, I worked with someone called Saul Kropman to start one of the first South African podcasts, The Digital Edge. It was a weekly news, analysis and interview show that focused on the broader digital advertising industry. What was radical at the time was we interviewed our competitors and gave profile to businesses other than our direct clients as a way to grow the entire industry. After a year or two, the podcast evolved into a live event  starting small and ultimately exploding into a 1,000-person show with Spike Lee headlining in 2015.The podcast or Digital Edge brand has been dormant for several years, but with the arrival of Covid-19 and a burgeoning demand for good quality virtual conferences, Cinman says he decided to revive it in its new incarnation The Edge  a show about the future of marketing, as he describes it.Our lineup of market leaders will help to map out how agencies and brands can do that.We have global and African experts sharing their knowledge. Our topics vary, so theres something for everyone.MTN and Unilever, both highly regarded brands on the continent, are sharing two very different success stories.Some of our global speakers include London-based Neil Davidson from HeyHuman, who is giving a behavioural perspective on connecting London to Lagos.Cesar Melo is the former president of multiple big brands, including PepsiCo, Mondelez and Colgate. Hes worked across the globe so is sharing his lessons learned from marketing to diverse audiences and verticals.Jocelyn Cooper, who co-founded Afropunk, the number one destination for alternative Black culture is coming to us from NYC.Local speakers include a panel conversation between Siya Metane, MasterKG and Focalistic about what it takes to make local music that is globally relevant - between them they have millions of stream downloads and YouTube views, so they know what theyre talking aboutI can neither confirm nor deny whether MasterKG will be teaching us the moves to his 10-million view Jerusalema dance.And because its important to keep it real, African business analyst, Dianna Games will provide the economic and business context for us.Like everything these days, its virtual. We are using Bluejeans Events if you want to get technical. Following from our live shows of old, we will have really short (10 minutes or so) interviews, panels and presentations, mixed together with some fun surprises.Well, in the case of Harper Reed or Spike Lee we paid them a small fortune  so no magic there. But that was back in the day when we could sell tickets to live events. These days its a combination of networking via the mighty VMLY&R network as well as just asking. Because everything is virtual, its much easier for people to say yes.The internet and its many applications are fundamentally global and always have been. To us benchmarking against the best in the world is something weve been doing since we started working 25 years ago. The pandemic has been a strange kind of leveller  regardless of where you are on the planet, you are facing some of the same challenges. That makes stories from the US or China relevant in our market despite all of our differences.We had two events this year during lockdown. The first was full of novelty and felt surreal. The second was at a point when people were grappling with the realities of remote work and amateur schoolrooms. Overall, weve been happy with the response and feedback  albeit we know we are asking people to sit on yet another video call. This time around were going to try and shake people out of their monotony.For this event, its all about the multi-national nature of our speakers and topics and a celebration in particular of our own continent. I hope people come and find value. Beyond that, we intend to keep going but obviously keeping a beady eye on whether virtual events remain in vogue. With the currency where it is, we wont be bringing Spike Lee back out anytime soon.Apart from the virtual aspect, which Ive addressed, I think people are always looking for well made, concise and inspiring business content. So much of what we need to know comes packaged in so much bumpf that it doesnt reward time spent. We try and remove the padding and just leave the good stuff.Id hope the programme sells itself. I honestly believe the schedule is jam-packed with diverse and interesting stuff and theres a lot of bang to be had for your buck.Register to attend for free here , taking place on Thursday, 3 September at 8:30am, and follow Cinman on Twitter and Instagram
NORWALK  The Independent Party of Connecticut on Tuesday endorsed five Republican candidates to represent Norwalk in the state legislature.

The Independent Party endorsed Republican newcomer candidates Ellie Kousidis, Ellen Wink and Patrizia Zucaro, as well as incumbent state Rep. Terrie Wood and former state Rep. Fred Wilms.

Kousidis, a long-time Norwalk resident, parental rights advocate and educator, is running against Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff for the 25th Senate District. Duff has held the office since 2005.

Our state government must serve the needs of every resident in our community. As I accept the generous endorsement of Connecticuts Independent Party, I pledge to my constituents that I will maintain an open dialogue about the important issues we face, Kousidis said.

Wink, a former city clerk who ran unsuccessfully for Common Council in 2017, is running in the 137th State Representative District against Democratic state Rep. Chris Perone, who is up for a ninth two-year term.

I sincerely appreciate endorsement by the Independent Party of Connecticut. My candidacy is centered around representing all citizens of the 137th. District. The endorsement acknowledges my respect for independent thought and legislative responsibility to work for the interests of everyone  not just connected special interest groups, Wink said.

Zucaro is running for the 143rd state Representative District seat that will be vacated by Republican state Rep. Gail Lavielle, who has held the position since 2011.

Im very pleased to have received the endorsement of the Independent Party, because it reflects my commitment to taking a balanced approach to the complex public health, educational, employment, public safety, and infrastructure issues that have so profoundly affected the lives of everyone in Connecticut this year, Zucaro said.

Wilms, a former two-term state representative, is vying for the 142nd state Representative District seat that he lost to Democrat Lucy Dathan in 2018.

Connecticuts economic and fiscal problems transcend party labels. To put us on the path to success, I am willing to work with all like-minded organizations. I appreciate the Independent Partys vote of confidence in my approach, Wilms said.

Wood, who has served the 141st state Representative District since 2009, is running unopposed in this years election.

I'm grateful to be endorsed by the Independent Party of Connecticut. They recognize my dedication of putting people and good policy over politics ... a good idea is a good idea regardless of party. I've always served  and will continue to serve  putting constituent interests and needs first and not the agenda of a political party, Wood said.
Amid the talks about Kim Jong Un's worsening health condition, the woman in his life have now caught the attention of the public eye.

Following talks about the dictator's sister's possible ascend in the regime, heads have turned into the members of Kim Jong Un's immediate family, particularly his wife. The dictator's wife Ri Sol-ju has lived her life in secret, which is not unusual for North Korea's secretive ruling class.

However, despite her private life, the first lady of the Hermit Kingdom recently gained attention after defectors in South Korea used provocative images of her in the leaflet campaign that they launched against Pyongyang.

After photos of his wife surfaced, the dictator was reportedly angered due to the insulting and dirty representation of his partner. It was also cited as one of the reasons why the liaison office with Seoul was blown up and the threat of military action was announced.

Who is Ri Sol-Ju?

According to The Daily Beast, there is very little information about the wife of the rogue nation's leaders. Many experts even believe that her name is only a pseudonym.

Ri is reportedly around 30 to 35 years old with her birth year estimated between 1985-1989.

Based on reports, Ri came from a family of the political elite. Her father was said to be a university professor, while her mother is the head of a local hospital's gynecology unit. However, there are also reports that claim that she came from a military family.

Meanwhile, Ri and the North Korean Dictator reportedly tied the knot in 2009, but their wedding was not officially announced by the North Korean media until three years later.

Read also: North Korea State Media Releases Photos of Kim Jong Un in a Meeting Amid Comatose Rumors

Ri Sol-Ju's Secret life

The Hermit Kingdom is known to be the world's most secretive state; thus, it is very common for the wives of its leaders to stay in the dark.

In the past, the spouses and consorts of the previous dictators, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong Il, the current dictator's grandfather and father, respectively have never appeared in public. The wives have also been rarely mentioned in the news from the state media.

However, according to the New York Post, Ri has lived differently than her predecessors. She has acted more like a first lady in the Western nations.

Kim's wife was first seen in an official event during the burial of Kim's father and predecessor.

After which, Ri has appeared in other public events. In 2018, she attended a banquet that followed Kim's summit with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in. In the same years, she also accompanied her husband in a state visit to China where they had dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife.

During her rare appearances, Ri became a hit in the fashion scene after being seen wearing designer outfits and luxury bags.

Ri Sol-Ju's standing and Kim Jong Un's health

As of the moment, what happens to Ri if Kim dies or becomes incapable of ruling still remains a mystery.

Based on reports, the couple has at least one male child who could be Kim's heir. However, Business Insider noted that Kim's son is reportedly too young to assume the leadership, thus, Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong has been named as his "de facto second-in-command."



Related article: Kim Yo Jong's Life in Danger? Fears Grow as Talks of Regime Take Over Surfaces

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Will Green believes Midland College leadership has been effective during his time on the board and is asking voters for another six years to represent them.

Green is one of three people on the ballot of Midland College, Place 7; the others are Adrian Carrasco and R. Shaun Rainey. Midland Colleges seats are at-large positions, so a person can run for any seat, and all eligible voters within the college district vote on each place.

The election is set for Nov. 3. Early voting begins Oct. 19.

Green, who has been on the board since 1996, told the Reporter-Telegram recently that hes never had an opponent.

Green, a retired geologist, said he is a strong proponent of education at all levels and has three college degrees  two from Texas A&M and another from the University of Texas at Austin.

Highlights of his last 15 years on the board include the overwhelming passage of a $41.8 million bond for campus improvements, dedication of the Fox Science Building, acquisition of the Petroleum Professional Development Center in downtown Midland, creation of Early College High School at Midland College, approval of a new baccalaureate degree -- a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree in Health Services Management and form the Concho-Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Midland College.

Other partnerships with Midland ISD include one for dual credit career and technology courses and the establishing of a pre-kindergarten program.

I have seen a lot of changes and helped participate in a lot of those changes, Green said. (Education) is key to people being able to have a better life. I have always been very impressed with Midland College and the way the administration takes care of business.

Green said everyone on the board has an opportunity to express their opinions on any issue. There were never any huge disagreements we couldnt resolve, he said.

Green said that experience tells him projects are sure to come up, just like the Frank and June Cowden Dining Hall that opened last month.

We have things that come up all the time, Green said.
...Im incredibly proud of the resilience, ingenuity, and compassion for patients that our team has shown through it all. Azalea has been a big help along the way, providing us with the health IT infrastructure to adapt to this new normal and enabling us to come out of this even stronger..."

Azalea Health, a leading provider of cloud-based patient management and health IT solutions, today announced that DeWitt Hospital, which serves Southeast Arkansas, successfully implemented Azaleas EHR platform this year. The EHR system integrates revenue cycle management (RCM), health information exchange (HIE), and telehealth under a one patient, one record EHR platform. This digital transformation has helped DeWitt secure their revenue, extend their reach, and rise to the challenges of COVID-19.

The pandemic has challenged rural hospitals like never before, said DeWitt Hospital CEO Brian Miller. However, Im incredibly proud of the resilience, ingenuity, and compassion for patients that our team has shown through it all. Azalea has been a big help along the way, providing us with the health IT infrastructure to adapt to this new normal and enabling us to come out of this even stronger and more equipped to care for our community.

As COVID-19 cases rose in Arkansas, DeWitt became one of the only providers authorized to perform testing in their community. Thanks to the efficiency gains and cloud data storage of their new EHR system, DeWitt has been able to conduct more tests and share results faster, helping regional employers like a local fertilizer plant test all of their employees, symptomatic or not.

Thanks to the API-enabled interoperability of Azaleas EHR, DeWitt was also able to connect to the SHARE statewide HIE. The free flow of patient data between health systems is especially critical now, both for tracking COVID-19 outbreaks and for ensuring the medical data of patients travels with them when they are transferred between hospitals, which happens frequently in rural areas where hospital capacity is limited.

Were proud to support DeWitt Hospitals digital transformation as they support the health of their community during this challenging time, said Baha Zeidan, CEO of Azalea Health. Small hospitals like DeWitt are the beating heart of the rural communities they serve, and we built our health IT solutions with their needs in mind, with a SaaS model that makes all our solutions quick to deploy and intuitive to use. At Azalea, were committed to closing the digital divide so every hospital can reap the benefits of a cloud-based, interoperable EHR system.

The digital divide has left many small, rural hospitals without the same advanced EHR capabilities that enable larger hospitals to meet the CDC's Meaningful Use requirements and optimize their revenue, at a time when they need these capabilities most. One in four rural hospitals were at risk of closure before the pandemic, and the loss of revenue from elective procedures has squeezed providers even further. Azaleas EHR has given DeWitt the agility and efficiency to improve outcomes under value-based care models and protect their revenue from risk.

Azalea has been committed to supporting its providers since the start of the pandemic. In March, following the National Emergency Declaration, Azalea Health announced that it would offer free telehealth services for one year to the 800+ community-based healthcare providers using Azaleas EHR. Telehealth sessions increased by 6,500% between February and April, representing $2.3M in reimbursements  a valuable new source of revenue for hospitals reeling from the loss of in-person visits due to COVID-19.

About Azalea Health:

Azalea Health (Azalea) is changing the way health IT platforms connect community-based healthcare providers and patients across the care continuum. Offering a 100% cloud-based, interoperable solution, Azalea delivers electronic health records, revenue cycle management, and telehealth services designed for rural, community and urban practices and hospitals, especially those focused on underserved populations. Quick to deploy and intuitive to use, Azalea solutions ensure better care coordination and communication, and the one patient, one record approach provides care teams the agility to achieve better outcomes. The Azalea platform also delivers tools and resources to help providers meet their Meaningful Use requirements, and informs their strategies to navigate accountable care and alternative payment models. For more information, visit http://www.azaleahealth.com.

Azalea PR Contact:

Sara DeMoranville

sara@scratchmm.com
A Syrian military official said Israel's military fired missiles Monday night on areas south of the capital

The unnamed military official gave no further details adding that Syrian air defenses opened fire on hostile targets. It was not clear what the targets were but state TV said the strikes were carried by warplanes flying Syria's Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The air raids started shortly before 11 p.m. (2000 GMT).

Residents of the capital said they heard explosions south of the city. An opposition war monitor said Israel's military targeted military posts south of The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian air defenses were responding to the attack.

rarely comments on such reports, but is believed to have carried out scores of raids targeting Iran's military presence in In the past three months alone, has accused of carrying out at least eight air raids on its territory. The last reported strikes came on July 20.

Iran is a key ally of the Syrian government in the nearly decade-long civil war. views Iran as a regional menace and has vowed to prevent any permanent Iranian military buildup in Syria, particularly near the frontier.

In recent months, Israeli officials have also expressed concern that Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Lebanese militant group that operates in Syria, is trying to establish facilities to produce precision-guided missiles. Tensions have also risen along the Israel-Lebanon border.

During last month's strikes on Syria, a Hezbollah member was killed and the Lebanese militant group vowed to retaliate against Israel. On Sunday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to kill Israeli soldiers whenever they kill Hezbobllah fighters in

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Radio waves, or spectrum, can be imagined as strings in a piano. Each string, or section of spectrum, may produce slightly stronger or weaker signals that are able to reach varying distances. If too many carriers try to send data across the same section of spectrum, or piano string, interference can occur and delivery speeds can slow dramatically. Thats one of the reasons cellphone signals can falter in large crowds.
Kids who test positive for the coronavirus but show no symptoms can be infectious for up to three weeks, according to a new study by two Washington-based scientists.

The findings could have major implications for teachers and staff at schools that have reopened for fall classes, and for daycare centers.

In the paper published Aug. 28, in JAMA Pediatrics, two Washington-based scientists, Robeta L. DeBiasi and Meghan Delaney, analyzed 91 COVID-19 cases among children at 22 hospitals in South Korea. They found that half the kids with symptoms and a fifth of those without symptoms shed the virus from three days to three weeks.

About 22% of the cases were asymptomatic and another 20% initially asymptomatic but developed symptoms later. Those amounts roughly correspond to the estimated percentage of COVID-19-positive adults who are asymptomatic or presymptomatic (40%). A total of 58% of the South Korean children exhibited symptoms at the time of their first test.

Previously scientists thought children who contracted COVID-19 mostly experienced mild symptoms that quickly disappear.

Another study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics on Aug. 19, examined the respiratory secretions of 192 children, adolescents and young adults who came to the hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 or suspected exposure to the disease.

Harvard Medical School researchers based at at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mass General Hospital for Children showed that the children and young adults had higher levels of the virus, or viral load, than adults fighting COVID-19 in intensive care units.

I was not expecting the viral load to be so high, said Lael Yonker, Harvard Medical School assistant professor of pediatrics at Mass General. You think of a hospital, and of all of the precautions taken to treat severely ill adults, but the viral loads of these hospitalized patients are significantly lower than a healthy child who is walking around with a high SARS-CoV-2 viral load.

In addition, the scientists found the younger children had far lower levels of ACE-2 receptors, the protein that provides the entry point for the coronavirus to attach itself and infect a wide range of human cells, than older children and adults. That contradicted previous assumptions that kids are less likely to become infected or seriously ill because they possess fewer ACE-2 proteins.

The studys authors concluded that children may be a potential source of contagion in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in spite of milder disease or lack of symptoms.

While children with COVID-19 are not likely to become as seriously ill as adults, they can spread infection and bring the virus into their homes if they attend school as asymptomatic carriers or carriers with few symptoms, the scientists wrote.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE:

Sign up for 'The Daily' newsletter for the latest on coronavirus here.

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How worried should the Bay Area be about a 'third spike' of COVID-19 in the fall?

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Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate
The Syrian government reported that Israel struck southern Syria late Monday evening local time.

Israel fired missiles and the Syrian military deployed its air defense systems, the state-run SANA reported. The head of the Muraselon news outlet, which is pro-Syrian government, tweeted a video of an aerial explosion in the countryside of the capital Damascus. SANA shared a similar video, saying only that it was from southern Syria. Damascus is in the south.

The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Israeli missiles targeted military sites south of Damascus.

Israel rarely comments on its military actions abroad, but it is suspected of carrying out regular airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria. Iranian forces fight alongside the Syrian government and the Lebanese group Hezbollah in Syria. Hezbollah in particular is seen by Israel as a threat, and the two have clashed near their border in recent weeks.

In late June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not allow Iran to keep its military in Syria. Israeli politicians do not make statements beyond that regarding their suspected actions in Syria.

Both SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights last reported Israeli airstrikes in the country in late July.
Military members and veterans can get up to four free months of Apple Music through the Apple Music military discount -- but...
Amid a deepening domestic political crisis made all the more explosive by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the United States has over the past week carried out a simultaneous escalation of its conflicts with Russia and China.

In a dizzying array of standoffs, escalatory gestures and open clashes, the US has inflamed, on an almost daily basis, conflicts involving the worlds major nuclear powers that could rapidly spiral out of control.

In the most direct clash, a vehicle forming part of a Russian convoy in Syria rammed an American armored vehicle, which the Russian military said was attempting to block the Russian patrol, leaving American personnel injured.

The incident was the most direct acknowledged clash between US and Russian military forces in the history of the nearly decade-long Syrian war. (In 2018, US soldiers engaged in a four-hour-long firefight with Syrian government forces, including Russian military contractors, but no Russian government troops were involved.)

The clash prompted calls for retaliation from within the US political establishment, and in particular from Trumps ostensible political opponents in the Democratic Party. On Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden declared that the American president should make clear that thered be a heavy price to pay if they dare touch an American soldier.

He added, Its been reported that Russian forces just attacked American troops in Syria, injuring our service members. Did you hear the president say a single word? Did he lift one finger? Never before has an American president played such a subservient role to a Russian leader.

On Monday, the US military announced that over the next 10 days it will be conducting live-fire exercises just 70 miles from the Russian border.

Last Friday, the US Air Force flew six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers over 30 NATO countries in a major show of force. Two of the bombers carried out a flyover of the United States and Canada, while four more flew over the European NATO states.

While two of the bombers were flying over the Black Sea, they were intercepted by two Russian fighter jets, which crossed within 100 feet of the nose of one of the bombers, reportedly disrupting its ability to maintain its bearing.

The day before, the Russian guided missile submarine Omsk surfaced off the coast of Alaska. The Omsk had been one of 50 Russian vessels participating in live-fire exercises in the Bering Sea. On August 27, the Russian military published a video of the submarine firing one of its missiles.

Also on Thursday, NORAD sent two F-22 jets to intercept three groups of Russian military maritime patrol aircraft off the Alaskan coast.

Even as it is ramping up tensions with Russia, Washington is escalating its conflict with China. On August 24, the Wall Street Journal published an article by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper headlined The Pentagon Is Prepared for China, in which he denounced the Chinese military as the instrument of the Chinese Communist Party.

Esper went on to participate in the Rim of the Pacific 2020 military exercises, which included over 16,000 rounds of small arms munitions shot, over 1,000 large caliber weapons fired, 13 missiles expended, according to the Pentagon.

Last Wednesday, as the exercises were ongoing, China launched a series of so-called carrier-killer missiles into the South China Sea. These missiles are reputedly able to sink US aircraft carriers, potentially sending billions of dollars worth of military hardware and thousands of US sailors and airmen to the bottom of the ocean.

The missile launches were accompanied by a belligerent editorial in China's Global Times declaring, We can tell the US military that the PLA [People's Liberation Army] will not fire the first shot, but the DF-21D and DF-26B may be the second.

The next day, Esper tweeted, and then deleted without explanation, a video of himself watching a missile launch at sea. In response to the Chinese missile launches, the United States carried out yet another freedom of navigation operation in waters claimed by Beijing. These developments follow the assertion by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on July 14 that all of Chinas claims in the South China Sea are unlawful.

This latest round of military brinksmanship directly targeting Russia and China, the most aggressive in recent memory, follow the US withdrawal from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty last year, setting off a major new nuclear arms race with Russia and China. The Trump administration has continued and escalated the Obama White Houses multi-trillion-dollar nuclear buildup, emphasizing the need to build usable small nuclear weapons.

The systematic escalation of tensions with Russia and China is in keeping with Washingtons doctrine of great power conflict, spelled out in the 2018 National Defense Strategy, which declares that Inter-state strategic competition, not terrorism, is now the primary concern in US national security.

While the US has been preparing to fight a hot war with Russia and China for years, these conflicts have been dramatically intensified by the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US ruling class, confronting a social disaster at home, with 180,000 people dead and tens of millions unemployed, is desperately lashing out. With millions of people having participated in demonstrations against police violence, and a growing mood of militant struggle in the working class, there is a very real danger that the Trump administration, acting for the ruling class as a whole, may see in war the means to divert internal social tensions outward.

As workers throughout the country enter into struggle against the ruling classs drive to force them back on the job under unsafe conditions, they must take up political demands. Among the most critical is the fight against war through the mobilization of the global working class in a common struggle the capitalist system.
ALTON  Three people have been charge in relation to a Saturday morning incident that seriously injured an Alton Police officer.

Alton Police Chief Jason Simmons announced Monday that Deandre C. Jones, 20 of Alton; Jaylynn A. Barnes, 19 of St. Louis; and Tyronn R. Edwards, 18 of St. Louis have all been charged in the incident.

At about 1:45 a.m. Saturday, Alton Police witnessed vehicles driving recklessly and chasing each other. Simmons said the vehicles subsequently collided after swerving at each other near the 800 block of Oakwood Avenue.

When the officers attempted to stop one of the vehicles leaving the scene, the vehicle began to flee from police. The police pursuit continued to the 800 block of Washington Avenue where assisting officers attempted to deploy stop sticks which are used to deflate a vehicles tires and end a vehicle pursuit safely.

As the assisting officers were deploying the stop sticks, the driver of the suspect vehicle veered across the oncoming lane, onto the shoulder area and off of the roadway, striking one of the Alton Police officers. Another officer at the scene applied a tourniquet and called for medical assistance.

The suspect vehicle continued fleeing from police into Missouri until the vehicle became disabled. Simmons said the occupants of the vehicle were observed running from the suspect vehicle. Alton Police, with the help of the St. Louis County Police Department, checked the area but did not find the suspects.

The Illinois State Police Traffic Crash Reconstruction Unit assisted the Alton Police Traffic Division in investigating the traffic crash scene in the 800 block of Washington Avenue. Detectives from the Alton Police Criminal Investigations Division followed up on several leads and, ultimately, the occupants of the suspect vehicle were identified and taken into custody.

On Monday, the details of the case were presented to the Madison County States Attorneys Office.

Barnes was charged with failure to report an accident involving personal injury or death, aggravated battery, aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, aggravated reckless driving and aggravated unlawful use of weapons.

Edwards was charged with aggravated battery and aggravated unlawful use of weapons.

Jones was charged with obstructing justice and disorderly conduct.

Judge Rihard Tognarelli set bail for Barnes and Edwards at $500,000, and bail for Jones at $50,000.

On Monday night, Barnes, Edwards and Jones remained in police custody.

Simmons said the injured officer had been on the Alton Police force for less than one year and remains in a St. Louis area hospital. He also said the Alton Police Department wishes to thank the community for their outpouring of support for the injured officer.

The Alton Police Department would like to thank the community for their outpouring of support for the injured officer.
Martin Gugino (pictured) broke his silence over the June 4 attack by two officers that left him lying in a pool of his own blood

The 75-year-old peace activist who cracked his head open and was left with a brain injury after he was shoved to the ground by cops during a Black Lies Matter rally in Buffalo has called the incident 'a turning point' in his life and vowed to carry on protesting.

Martin Gugino, of Amherst, New York, broke his silence over the June 4 attack by two officers that left him lying in a pool of his own blood in the street in an interview with USA Today last week.

He said the night was a 'turning point' that sent his life in a 'new direction'.

'My life is headed in a new direction,' Gugino said. 'How is it different? I'm not really sure yet.'

The longtime activist, who spent almost a month in hospital following the attack, insisted the incident will not stop him from exercising his right to protest and participate in grassroots activism.

Gugino hit out at the government and the police who he said disregard the First Amendment right of all Americans to assemble and to petition the government for change.

'You're going to the White House and you're saying, "Stop the war",' he said as an example.

'That means the United States should come out and say, "Thank you so much, and we're writing down all your complaints".'

Gugino said he hoped law enforcement and the federal government will return to its roots in democracy and listen to protesters calling for change.

'People are going to get together and start complaining, and realizing how they're being treated. Are you going to invite them in?' he said.

'Are you going to understand what they're up to? That's what democracy does.'

Gugino, who suffered a skull fracture and brain injury in the unprovoked June attack, recounted how he was terrorized by nightmares and couldn't stand or walk in the weeks following the incident.

The 75-year-old peace activist who cracked his head open and was left with a brain injury after he was shoved to the ground by cops during a Black Lies Matter rally in Buffalo has called the incident 'a turning point' in his life and vowed to carry on protesting. Gugino is pictured lying in a pool of blood after the June 4 attack

He said he was terrorized by nightmares and couldn't stand or walk for weeks after the unprovoked attack and needed help to even get out of bed

He said he had to endure numerous tests and physical therapy in hospital before he could get back on his feet and couldn't even get out of bed or go to the bathroom without the help of medical staff.

'Every time you'd sit up, you would get dizzy,' he said. 'It was like you were on a boat all the time.'

The elderly cancer sufferer said he has been left with gaps in his memory of the attack and has pieced the events together by watching footage of the night.

Gugino told USA Today he had turned up to the Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Buffalo on June 4 at around 7:45 p.m., 15 minutes before the 8 p.m. curfew kicked in.

He said he remembers being shocked to see cops dressed in riot gear given that, just 24 hours earlier, Buffalo cops had taken a knee in solidarity with protesters.

'I thought, "Why are they carrying batons?"' Gugino recalled.

The wall of cops began marching toward the protesters at around 8:10 p.m., as seen in video footage, and Gugino approached the officers.

He told USA Today he was alarmed to see them moving toward the crowd but 'has no idea' what happened next or what he said to the officers.

'I thought, "Oh my God" and that's all I can remember,' he said.

Footage of the attack went viral on social media and sparked outrage over police brutality at a peaceful protest where demonstrators had gathered to demand an end to police brutality

What happened next was captured on cellphone footage that went viral and caused national and international outcry.

Two cops were caught on camera pushing Gugino to the ground, causing him to fall backwards, crack his head open on the sidewalk and leaving him lying in a pool of blood.

The incident and charges divided the nation, with calls for the cops to do jail time and for widespread police reform on one side while their law enforcement colleagues and Donald Trump came out in defense of the officers on the other.

Gugino told USA Today he encountered this divide from his hospital bed.

While cards, letters and messages of support flooded in from people wishing him well, he said his lawyers were sent angry emails calling him 'a faker'.

'I was like, "Go ahead, take your best shot," the 75-year-old said.

However despite his own injuries at the hands of cops, he said he believes it is the system that is broken not the officers.

The activist insisted it will not stop him exercising his First Amendment right to protest and slammed the government and police who disregard this right. Gugino pictured third from right holding a banner at a protest over the 2014 killing of 12 year-old African American Tamir Rice

'I come from the suburbs, and there's no problem with police in a white neighborhood,' he said.

'I'm not scared of the policemen, but the system is screwed up.'

However, the 75-year-old added that 'a lot of people are injured, and a lot of people are killed' and nothing is done about it, especially if the incidents have not been caught on camera.

Officers Robert McCabe and Aaron Torgalski were arrested and charged with second degree assault following the incident.

McCabe and Torgalski were suspended without pay and each face up to seven years in prison if convicted of the class D felony.

They both pleaded not guilty and were released without bail.

Footage of the attack went viral on social media and sparked outrage over police brutality at a peaceful protest where demonstrators had gathered to demand an end to police brutality and systemic racism following the Memorial Day 'murder' of black man George Floyd at the hands of a white cop.

Buffalo DA John Flynn slammed the two cops saying they 'crossed the line' and 'violated the law' when they injured the 'harmless 75-year-old man', as he announced the charges against them.

Flynn said the severity of the charges was necessary because the law in New York states that if the victim is 65 years or older and the perpetrator is 10 years younger than them then it is classed as a felony charge.

Aaron Torgalski (left) and Robert McCabe (right) pictured in their mugs. They were each charged with one count of assault in the second degree

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also welcomed the charges against the cops after saying the footage had made him 'physically sick'.

'I was sick to my stomach... it was the same feeling I had for 90 of the past nights when I got the death tolls for coronavirus. I was physically sick to my stomach,' he said of the footage back in June.

It marked just one of many shocking incidents where cops have been caught on camera violently attacking peaceful protesters in recent months, fueling mounting calls for police reform and for departments to be defunded across America.

However, Trump waded in on the incident and leveled criticism at Gugino himself.

The president made the unsubstantiated claims that Gugino is an Antifa 'provocateur' and even went as far as claiming the elderly victim staged the incident.

'Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment,' the president said in a Tweet on June 9.

At McCabe and Torgalski's initial court hearing on June 6, hundreds of non-uniformed colleagues gathered outside the city court in a show of solidarity for the cops and greeted them with a hero's welcome when they were released (pictured)

Trump has been slammed for his remarks and was accused of floating a 'baseless conspiracy theory'.

The elderly man's lawyer said he received death threats while he lay in his hospital bed for several weeks.

Law enforcement officers also sided with their two colleagues.

At McCabe and Torgalski's initial court hearing on June 6, hundreds of non-uniformed colleagues gathered outside the city court in a show of solidarity for the cops and greeted them with a hero's welcome when they were released.

This came after the entire Buffalo Police Department's Emergency Response Team resigned in outrage at the two cops' suspension without pay.

All 57 officers in the Emergency Response Team resigned from their positions the day after the incident.

The Buffalo Police Benevolent Association said the resignations came as a show of 'disgust' at the treatment of their two colleagues but some cops later cast doubt on those claims.
(Natural News) The Knowledge is Power Program, also known as KIPP, has officially dropped the motto work hard, be nice from its charter school network because the innocuous phrase supposedly contributes to the fictional concept known as systemic racism.

This national slogan, KIPP claims, ignores the significant effort required to dismantle systemic racism and places value on being compliant and submissive. The phrase is also problematic because it supposedly supports the illusion of meritocracy and does not align with [KIPPs] vision of students being free to create the future they want.

Katherine Birbalsingh, the headteacher of an experimental school in London for underprivileged students, objects to these changes. She has indicated that, contrary to the social justice agenda of KIPP, her school, known as the Michaela Community School, will remain as-is.

In a tweet, Birbalsingh did not beat around the bush in declaring, I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL. Her plan is to preserve both the motto and ethic of work hard, be nice because it serves all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, well in life.

Working hard and being kind is NOT racist! Birbalsingh added. We have all lost our minds. (RELATED: Read The time is NOW to close the useless and wasteful Department of Education to learn more about how the public education model turns students into drones who are unable to think for themselves and only know how to obey the state).

You can read other stories like this one about the destruction of education at the hands of social justice-oriented liberals at Libtards.news.

Classical education has helped countless underprivileged students soar to great heights in their lives

Birbalsingh is an outspoken proponent of encouraging students to do their best while also allowing them to thrive in an environment where they are not having to live in a constant state of fear about being assaulted. At the same time, she wants them to succeed in life, which requires discipline, working hard, and yes, being nice when appropriate.

This does not mean capitulating to tyranny, however, nor does it imply that students should accept being conformed into compliant drones. This is what KIPP claims the work hard, be nice concept promotes when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Classical education, it turns out, has created some of the most free-thinking people in history. They were not mere followers of whatever they were taught, but rather soared to great heights, challenging the status quo and using the resources they were afforded at school to do good in the world.

Abolishing all this in the name of fighting racism will only hurt the children who are forced into this new curriculum paradigm, leaving them helpless and defenseless in an already exceptionally cruel and hate-filled world.

I dont think this is a conscious attempt by the elite to keep the underclass in its place, but if it were, it would be pretty effective, writes Joseph Shaw for LifeSiteNews.

Is old-fashioned school discipline a training in deference to the existing order? History does not suggest this, he adds. Great revolutionaries, both intellectual and political, usually had good, classical educations  in many cases, in fact, at the hands of Catholic teachers.

Another misnomer about the classical education model is that it turns people into mindless robots all running the same program, to further quote Shaw. It instead equips students with the resources and skills they need to forge their own paths in life with the least amount of resistance along the way.

Cooperation with it, inasmuch as it is still being offered in schools, is not a matter of conceding to structures of injustice, but of encountering cultural artifacts that, while always imperfect, are good in themselves, and gaining the tools necessary to do anything useful in life, including dismantling structures of injustice, Shaw says.

In the words of Katherine Birbalsingh, I will die on this hill!'

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Montenegrin Election Produces No Clear Winner

By VOA News August 31, 2020

In Montenegro, pollster CEMI forecast that the pro-Western Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of President Milo Djukanovic is narrowly ahead of the pro-Serbian and pro-Russian alliance For the Future of Montenegro after Sunday's parliamentary election.

As neither of the two main political parties will secure the necessary simple majority of 41 deputies in the 81-seat parliament to govern alone, they each will need to seek the support of smaller parties in hopes of forming a coalition government.

Speaking to supporters, Djukanovic said the DPS remains the strongest party in the parliament.

"Such a result means that the Democratic Party of Socialists is the strongest party in Montenegro and in these elections (supporters cheering and applauding)  not only in terms of votes, but also in terms of the mandates," he said.

Djukanovic said the DPS is waiting for the official results and will "unconditionally comply" with the outcome.

Meanwhile, the leader of For the Future of Montenegro alliance, Zdravko Krivokapic, claimed victory.

"People of Montenegro, freedom has happened!" Krivokapic said. "Good things come to those who wait. After 31 years of an absolute power, this had to happen.

The state election commission is expected to announce the results of Sunday's parliamentary elections in the coming days.

Montenegro, under the DPS and Djukanovic, broke with Serbia and Russia to join NATO in 2017 after declaring independence from Serbia in 2006.

Internally, DPS and Djukanovic, have faced accusations of an autocratic rule, as well as of widespread graft and criminal links.

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The trial in the United States will be enrolling 30,000 adult volunteers at 8 sites and the AstraZenecas vaccine will be administered. I am pleased to announce that AstraZenecas vaccine has reached Phase 3 clinical trials and has joined various vaccines that are very close to the end. In the United States, we are doing things that people thought were not possible, US President Donald Trump was quoted saying in a press conference on Monday, by ANI.

Trial centres across the US are recruiting up to 30,000 adults aged 18 years or over from diverse racial, ethnic and geographic groups who are healthy or have stable underlying medical conditions, including those living with HIV, and who are at increased risk of infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, AstraZeneca said in a statement.

Trump has also said that this paves way for the vaccine to be ready before the presidential elections which is scheduled for November 3.

The US has made arrangements with Operation Warp Seed to accelerate the manufacturing and distribution of the vaccine once it is proven to be safe and effective. The US aims to deliver 300 million doses by January 2021.

Similarly, Canada has also signed agreements with Novavax, Johson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer to secure millions of doses. Weve looked to sign agreements with many different companies because we really dont know who will be first to develop a vaccine, and where it will come from, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a news conference. He also added we need to be able to immunize as many Canadians as possible.
A US-Israeli delegation left Abu Dhabi on Tuesday after a visit aimed at charting the relationship between the UAE and the Jewish state after their landmark deal to establish diplomatic ties.

The United Arab Emirates and Israel are expected to sign the US-brokered accord, Israel's first with a Gulf nation and only its third with an Arab state, at the White House in coming weeks.

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House advisor, led the delegation, which arrived in the Emirati capital Monday on the first-ever commercial flight from Tel Aviv.

The Israeli press celebrated the direct flight, laden with symbolism, which in another breakthrough was also allowed to cross the airspace of Saudi Arabia.

US Presidential adviser Jared Kushner (C-R) and US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien (C-L) met with Emirati military officials at the UAE's Al-Dhafra air base /  AFP

"The flight of peace" ran the front-page headline of top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily, saying that "no matter how we look at it... this is a fascinating historic event".

The US is on a diplomacy drive to push more Arab nations to strike deals with Israel. Although none have yet announced such moves, Kushner said he hoped another would emerge soon.

"Let's hope it's months" as opposed to years, he said when asked by the Emirati official news agency WAM when he expected a breakthrough, adding it was "logical" that all 22 Arab states could one day follow suit.

- Balance of power -

The Palestinians have condemned the deal as a stab in the back by a major Arab player while they still lack a state of their own. Israel's arch-rival Iran has been scathing in its criticism.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei tweeted Tuesday that "the UAE betrayed the world of Islam, the Arab nations, the region's countries, and Palestine".

Before leaving on Tuesday, Kushner visited a UAE air base where the US operates F-35 stealth fighter jets coveted by Abu Dhabi -- the thorniest issue in the establishment of ties, which was motivated in part by the need to combine forces against Iran.

An Emirati official stands near the El Al plane that flew the first-ever direct commercial service from Israel to the UAE /  AFP

Israel has denied reports that the deal hinges on the sale of US F-35s to the UAE. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he opposes a move that could blunt the Jewish state's strategic edge.

Kushner said Monday that the US could maintain that edge "while also advancing our military relationship with the United Arab Emirates" and that the issue would be discussed further in the coming weeks.

The two countries' national security advisors, Israel's Meir Ben-Shabbat and the UAE's Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, joined Kushner for the talks on cooperation between the two highly developed Middle East economies.

During the visit they discussed cooperation in investment, finance, health, space exploration, civil aviation, foreign policy and tourism and culture.

Israel and the UAE on Tuesday signed their first protocol in banking and finance, according to Netanyahu's office.

"We will soon announce additional agreements in aviation, tourism, trade and others," the prime minister in a statement.

Israel also said that the two sides on Tuesday held their first meeting on the "possibility of the mutual opening of embassies", and that direct commercial flights between the Jewish state and the UAE will likely take off by the end of the year.

A screen displays a map showing the route of Monday's maiden flight from Israel across Saudi Arabia to UAE /  AFP

"It wouldn't be a surprise if by the end of 2020 there will be direct flights between Israel and the UAE," foreign ministry spokesman Lior Haiat told the English website of Al-Arabiya, a Saudi-owned broadcaster.

- 'Pains us deeply' -

Kushner headed to Bahrain on Tuesday, a week after a visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as the US tries to seize on the momentum of the UAE's move.

He met with King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, who said stability in the region relied on Saudi Arabia, according to the official Bahrain News Agency -- underlining expectations that it will not strike a deal with Israel before the region's heavyweight acts.

Demonstrators chant slogans with signs depicting Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock and flags of Palestine during a protest in Yemen on August 21 against the US-brokered deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalise relations /  AFP/File

Saudi Arabia has said it will not normalise relations until Israel agrees on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, in keeping with the decades-old stance of most Arab nations.

Under the accord, Israel agreed to suspend its planned annexations in the occupied West Bank -- but Netanyahu has insisted the plans remain on the table.

Kushner later met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia's northwest Neom region.

The pair discussed "the need to resume negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to achieve a just and lasting peace", according to the Saudi government news agency SPA.

They also discussed how to bolster the US-Saudi partnership "in all fields" in order to boost regional and international security and stability.
Ride-sharing giant Uber has urged states to back off from regulating the gig economy, arguing the issue is a national one and should be dealt with by the federal government.

In a submission to a NSW parliamentary inquiry into the future of work, Uber also calls for all gig economy companies to be forced to give their workers insurance, which Uber already provides, as does food delivery giant Deliveroo.

Uber wants any regulation of the gig economy to come from the federal government. Credit:Bloomberg

Uber is facing the threat of regulation in Victoria where the Andrews government has vowed to strike out on its own if the federal government does not act on the gig economy, in which workers are typically classified as contractors and don't get the same protections of employees, such as minimum wage.

Australia's largest ride-sharing company argues state-based regulation would be confusing and add red tape to companies trying to help people earn a living. It points to a 2009 Labor federal government boast that its industrial relations overhaul would "end the overlap and duplication" of state and federal laws.
DGAP Post-admission Duties announcement: Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act]

Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd.: Release according to Article 50 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution



01.09.2020 / 16:31

Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



Announcement pursuant to Section 50 para. 1 no. 2 German Securities Trading Act (WpHG) Indicative Announcement on the Joint Announcement Issued by the Company and Haier Electronics Group Co., Ltd.



Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt, 1 September 2020 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the 'Company', D-Share ISIN CNE1000031C1, A-Share ISIN CNE000000CG9) published an indicative announcement on the Shanghai Stock Exchange with regard to the joint announcement issued by the Company and Haier Electronics Group Co., Ltd. (the 'HEG', 01169.HK) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange website. The Company and HEG issued a joint announcement (the 'Joint Announcement') regarding the proposed privatization of HEG (the 'Privatization Proposal') on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange website (http://www.hkexnews.hk) on 1 September 2020. The main contents of the Joint Announcement include: I. The shareholders meeting, A-shareholders class meeting and D-shareholders class meeting approved the Privatization Proposal The Company's shareholders meeting, A-shareholders class meeting and D-shareholders class meeting have approved the relevant proposals in relation to the Privatization Proposal. For relevant information, please refer to the Announcement on the Resolutions of Second Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders 2020, First Class Meeting of A-Shareholders 2020 and First Class Meeting of D-Shareholders 2020 (Announcement No.: L2020-062) published on the same day on the Shanghai Stock Exchange website. Accordingly, the Pre-condition of the approval of the requisite resolution at the Company's shareholders meeting, A-shareholders class meeting and D-shareholders class meeting has been fulfilled. II. The shareholders meeting, A-shareholders class meeting and D-shareholders class meeting approved the EB-to-CB (Exchangeable Bonds-to-Convertible Bonds) proposal The Company's shareholders meeting, A-shareholders class meeting and D-shareholders class meeting have approved the EB-to-CB proposal. For relevant information, please refer to the Announcement on the Resolutions of Second Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders 2020, First Class Meeting of A-Shareholders 2020 and First Class Meeting of D-Shareholders 2020 (Announcement No.: L2020-062) published on the same day on the Shanghai Stock Exchange website. III. Extension of time for dispatch of the scheme document Pursuant to Rule 8.2 of the Hong Kong Code on Takeovers and Mergers, unless the consent from the Executive Director of the Corporate Finance Division of the Securities and Futures Commission or any delegate thereof (the 'Executive') is obtained, the scheme document (the 'Scheme Document') containing, among other things, further details about the Scheme, a letter of advice from the HEG's independent financial adviser to the independent board committee of HEG, the recommendations of the independent board committee of HEG, notices to convene the Bermuda Supreme Court (the 'Court') Meeting (the 'Court Meeting') and the SGM of HEG, and the listing document to be published by the Company in connection with the H-share introduction listing, should normally be despatched to the HEG Shareholders within 35 days of the 3.5 Announcement (the '3.5 Announcement', jointly announced by the Company and HEG in relation the Privatization Proposal on 31 July 2020) (in this case being on or before 4 September 2020). According to the 3.5 Announcement, the making of the Privatisation Proposal is conditional upon the satisfaction of the Pre-conditions and the implementation of the Privatisation Proposal is also subject to the satisfaction of, among other things, the approval of the scheme by the Scheme Shareholders at the Court Meeting. The Company need more time for the satisfaction of the Pre-Conditions and accommodating the Court timetable. The Executive has indicated that it is minded to grant, the extension of the latest date for despatching the Scheme Document to 30 November 2020. For more information about the Joint Announcement, please refer to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange website. The Company will perform its information disclosure obligations in a timely manner in accordance with relevant regulations. Investors are requested to invest rationally and pay attention to investment risks. Board of Directors

Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.

About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.:

Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized mass production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as smaller household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience. IR contact:

Yao Sun (Sophie) - Haier Smart Home Germany

T: +49 6172 9454 143

F: +49 6172 9454 42143

M: +49 160 9469 3601

Email: y.sun@haier.de

01.09.2020 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.dgap.de


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  Police Lieutenant General Camilo Cascolan will be the next chief of the Philippine National Police.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano confirmed to CNN Philippines on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte has chosen Cascolan, who currently holds the second highest position in the police force as PNP Deputy Chief for Administration.

He was earlier announced to serve as officer-in-charge when PNP Chief Police General Archie Gamboa retires on Wednesday.

In an interview with News Night, Cascolan said he still has to see the appointment papers, but thanked the President for "having the trust and confidence" in him.

Cascolan only has two months to lead the PNP since he will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on November 10, unless Duterte extends his term. Cascolan explained that his appointment is lawful under Republic Act 8551, which allows the country's top cop to be promoted to a higher rank or given another position even with less than a year before retirement.

"We have to continue our job most especially with this COVID pandemic. We need to sustain and maintain what we are doing, most especially for the Joint Task Force COVID Shield," Cascolan said, referring to the joint police task force enforcing quarantine measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the anti-drug operations, internal cleansing, and other flagship programs will continue under his watch.

Cascolan is a member of the the Philippine Military Academy's "Sinagtala" Class of 1986  similar to his predecessors Gamboa, Oscar Albayalde, and Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who is now a senator.

CNN Philippines' Gerg Cahiles contributed to this report.
Further boost to 'Make in India'; MoD signs contracts worth Rs 2580 Cr with Indian Companies for supply of Pinaka Regiments to Indian Army

India - Press Information Bureau

Ministry of Defence

Posted On: 31 AUG 2020 6:08PM by PIB Delhi

Providing further boost to the 'Make in India' initiative of Government of India in the Defence Sector, Acquisition Wing of Ministry of Defence (MoD) has today signed contracts with M/s. Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML), M/s. Tata Power Company Ltd. (TPCL) and M/s. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for supply of Six Pinaka Regiments to the Regiment of Artillery of the Indian Army at an approximate cost of Rs. 2580 Crores. These Six Pinaka Regiments comprise 114 Launchers with Automated Gun Aiming & Positioning System (AGAPS) and 45 Command Posts to be procured from M/s TPCL and M/s L&T and 330 Vehicles to be procured from M/s BEML. These Six Pinaka Regiments will be operationalised along the Northern and Eastern Borders of our country further enhancing the operation preparedness of our Armed Forces. Induction of Six Pinaka Regiments is planned to be completed by 2024.

This project under Buy (Indian) categorisation, with 70% Indigenous Content, has been approved by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Pinaka Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) has been indigenously designed and developed by DRDO and productionised by the above mentioned defence industries. This is a flagship project showcasing public private partnership under the aegis of Government of India (DRDO & MoD) enabling "Aatmnirbharta" in cutting edge Defence t technologies.

*****

ABB/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA



(Release ID: 1650038)

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US President on Tuesday expressed grief over the demise of former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, and said he was saddened to learn about his passing.

"I was saddened to learn of the passing of India's former President, I send my condolences to his family and the people of India as they grieve the loss of a great leader," Trump tweeted.

Earlier, US Secretary of State, condoled the demise of former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, saying his visionary leadership was instrumental in bringing the two countries together.

"Saddened to hear of the passing of former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, whose visionary leadership was instrumental in bringing the United States and India closer together. We extend our deepest condolences to the people of India during this difficult time," Pompeo said in a tweet.

Mukherjee, who had tested positive for coronavirus, breathed his last on Monday, weeks after his brain surgery.

In his long political career, he held several top posts including that of External Affairs Minister, Defence Minister and Finance Minister.

The Government of India has announced seven-day official mourning.



(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.)
Several local law enforcement agencies said they will deny Gov. Kate Browns request to have outside agencies staff ongoing protests in Portland, citing hostility and lack of public support for law enforcement.

The sheriffs of both Clackamas and Washington counties released written statements on Monday afternoon saying they would not be sending deputies to Portland.

The statements came less than 24 hours after Brown released a statement saying she would authorize more police at protests and more arrests in the wake of a shooting on Saturday that left one dead. In her statement, Brown mentioned both Clackamas and Washington county sheriffs offices by name, as well as the Gresham Police Department.

Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts on Monday said he was never contacted about Governor Kate Browns plan to mobilize local law enforcement agencies in Portland protests, and said he has no plans to send his staff to nightly demonstrations.

Had Governor Brown discussed her plan with my office, I would have told her its about changing policy, not adding resources, he said. Increasing law enforcement resources in Portland will not solve the nightly violence and now, murder.

Roberts said his staff would assist Oregon State Police with service calls that they normally handle in Clackamas County, but might not be able to while state police troopers are staffing Portland protests.

Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett also released a statement on Monday, saying he would support Portland police in indirect ways, like analyzing risks associated with social media, air support, assisting with a specific criminal investigation, etc.

But he too said he would not be sending deputies to staff protests.

The lack of political support for public safety, the uncertain legal landscape, the current volatility combined with intense scrutiny on use of force presents an unacceptable risk if deputies were deployed directly, he said.

In addition to the two statements from Roberts and Garrett, a Gresham police spokesperson told The Oregonian/OregonLive via text, We are in agreement with the other agencies.

Both Washington and Clackamas counties previously pulled out of a a mutual aid pact with Portland police, citing similar concerns. The decision came after a million-dollar judgment against Washington County and Hillsboro awarded after their officers wounded a man while helping Portland police with a search warrant.

Roberts on Monday criticized the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office for not prosecuting people who have been arrested night after night and are endangering the lives of law enforcement. Court and jail records show that few people have been arrested multiple times at protests and that the majority of arrests have been for non-violent crimes.

District Attorney Mike Schmidt has previously said his office will decline to prosecute many arrests related to the protests, but that it would continue to charge those accused of serious and deliberate property damage, as well as use or threat of force.

On Monday, DAs office spokesman Brent Weisberg said the governor reached out to Schmidt before announcing the plan.

We are supportive of Governor Browns efforts and we join her and others focused on bringing an end to the violence occurring in Portland while supporting the constitutional rights of everyone, Weisberg said. Our office always remains committed to prosecuting criminal offenses such as arson and physical violence.

In her plan, Brown said she would call on several local agencies to assist Portland Police Bureau with protests. She mentioned the Clackamas and Washington County sheriffs offices by name, as well as Gresham Police Department.

The Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police and the Oregon State Sheriffs Association released a joint statement, saying that members of several police agencies were asked to assist with policing the Portland protests, but that they would not be sending staff.

The two agencies called for increased  and vocal  community support for law enforcement, and for elected leaders to denounce criminal acts at protests.

A spokesperson for Portland Mayor Ted Wheelers office said they were disappointed that law enforcement agencies had rejected the governors request.

We need regional collaboration because safety in Portland is an issue of regional importance, said Kristin Dennis, Wheelers chief of staff. The mayor looks forward to continuing the conversations with our valued regional partners and will continue to work with stakeholders to address these and other public safety needs.

Charles Boyle, a spokesperson for the Governors office, said Browns plan was meant to allow for local flexibility.

It is up to each county to determine the personnel and resources they have available to volunteer for this effort, Boyle said.

As shes clearly stated, the Governor believes that individuals should be held accountable for their actions, and they should be charged and booked if they have committed serious criminal offenses. Thats why shes been working today with the Multnomah County District Attorney, the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office and the Presiding Judge of Multnomah County to ensure this happens, Boyle said.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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PARIS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Following is the full text of the speech by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris on Sunday:

Upholding the Trend of Peace and Development of Our World with Unity, Cooperation, Openness and Inclusiveness

Speech by H.E. Wang Yi

State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of The People's Republic of China

Executive Chairman Thierry de Montbrial,

Distinguished Guests,

Friends,

It is such a pleasure to come back to Europe. In the past six months, the world was swept up in an unexpected coronavirus epidemic. The disease has held up a mirror to a complex international scene where heartwarming acts of partnership and collaboration such as those between China and Europe are juxtaposed with the undertows of blame games, unilateralism and bullying.

Yet, what is even more alarming than the coronavirus is a political virus that is stoking hatred and confrontation. Politicizing and attaching a geographical label to the epidemic, and even stigmatizing a specific country will not solve one's own problems. It will only erode international solidarity and cooperation.

Like Europe, China is one of the oldest and most respected civilizations in the world. As President Xi Jinping said, realizing national rejuvenation has been the greatest dream of the Chinese nation since modern times. Only nations that once achieved greatness could appreciate the meaning of rejuvenation. Only peoples that survived so many trials and tribulations would yearn for rejuvenation.

What China's rejuvenation is about is achieving the prosperity of the country, revitalization of the nation and happiness of the people. It is about bringing the Chinese civilization back to the forefront of human progress and starting a new era of openness and integration with the world.

The assertion that China's rejuvenation is to remake or conquer the world only reveals a lack of knowledge about Chinese history and the Chinese civilization.

Aggression never flows in the veins of the Chinese nation. For a long time in history, China was one of the world's most powerful countries, yet it never sought expansion or global dominance.

Among the traditional tenets of the Chinese civilization are phrases such as the "paramount importance of peace," "seeking harmony without uniformity," "fostering amity with one's neighbors" and "promoting harmony among all nations," to name a few.

Commitment to peace and harmony is deeply rooted in the mindset of the Chinese. It has also been the cultural inspiration behind China's active pursuit of a community with a shared future for mankind.

The Chinese civilization has a proud history stretching uninterrupted for several millennia, a rare achievement among the mega civilizations in the world. Today's China has creatively adapted its ancient civilization to seek new progress. Led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people have forged ahead against all odds, and embarked on a successful path of development leading toward national rejuvenation. It is the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Following this path, China has achieved leapfrog development and seen continued rise of its comprehensive national strength. Once an impoverished country, China has grown into the world's second largest economy.

Once a shortage economy, China has developed into a manufacturing giant, the only one equipped with a complete range of industries.

Once a semi-colonial country subjected to repeated aggression, China has emerged as a major country with a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.

Following this path, we the Chinese people have mastered our own fate and enjoyed a better life. In the past seven decades, more than 850 million Chinese people were lifted out of poverty; average life expectancy more than doubled from 35 to 77 years; nearly 1.4 billion Chinese people have made a historic leap from destitution to subsistence and to a life of moderate prosperity. A report by Boston Consulting Group on citizen welfare found that China jumped 25 spots in the last decade, the most impressive advance among the 152 countries polled globally.

Under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people are on course to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and win a decisive victory against poverty this year. This means that China will eliminate absolute poverty for the first time in its history and meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals on poverty ten years ahead of schedule.

Friends,

China owes its development achievements, first and foremost, to the hard work, wisdom and courage of the Chinese people. It has also benefited from a peaceful and amicable international environment and win-win cooperation with the rest of the world. At the same time, China's development has not only benefited its own people, but also the whole world.

China has all along been a promoter of world peace, injecting positive energy into the evolving international architecture. Soon after the founding of the People's Republic, China adopted an independent foreign policy of peace. We incorporated "to safeguard world peace" into our first constitution, making China the first country in the world to make such a weighty commitment.

Over the past seven decades, China has never provoked a war or conflict, and has never occupied an inch of others' land.

Today, China is the second largest contributor to the UN regular budget and the peacekeeping budget, and has sent more peacekeepers to UN missions than any other permanent member of the Security Council. We are involved in the settlement of all the major international and regional hotspot issues.

China has all along been a defender of the international order, bringing stability to the global governance system. China has joined almost all the universal inter-governmental organizations and acceded to more than 500 international conventions. We have taken an active part in the reform and development of the global governance system. We have resolutely upheld the international system centered around the United Nations, the international order based on international law, and the multilateral trading regime represented by the WTO.

China has all along been a facilitator of globalization, making major contributions to building an open world. Today, China is one of the most open economies in the world. As of 2019, overall tariffs were brought down to less than 7.5 percent, lower than most countries in the world.

We have kept expanding market access. For two years running, China has been among the major economies that have made the biggest improvement in their business environment. We are the number one trading partner for 130-plus countries and regions and one of the most important markets for multinational companies.

In view of the new developments in globalization seven years ago, President Xi Jinping put forward the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for international cooperation. Since then, we have signed cooperation documents with 138 countries. Trade in goods with partner countries has exceeded 7.8 trillion U.S. dollars, and direct investment surpassed 110 billion dollars, providing a strong boost to local employment and social and economic development.

In the first half of this year, China's investment in BRI countries increased by 19.4 percent. China-Europe railway express, dubbed as "steel camel fleets," ran 5,122 cargo trips, up by 36 percent year on year. Bringing hope wherever it goes, the railway express has played an important role in maintaining smooth logistics and stable supplies between China, Europe and other BRI partners under the COVID-19 situation.

China has all along been a contributor to world development, providing sustained driving force for global growth. In the past four decades since reform and opening-up, China has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world, contributing over 30 percent to global growth for the past ten-plus years and over 70 percent to global poverty reduction. In both the 1997 Asian financial crisis and the 2008 global financial crisis, China weathered the storms with its well-calibrated policies and solid economic fundamentals and served as a major engine driving regional and global economic recovery.

Over the past few months, in the face of the pandemic, China launched a global campaign of emergency humanitarian assistance at a scale unseen in the history of the People's Republic. China has provided timely medical supplies assistance to over 150 countries and international organizations in response to their needs. We have organized thematic video conferences between Chinese health experts and their counterparts in more than 180 countries. We have sent 33 medical teams to 31 countries badly in need.

These telling facts and figures all serve to show that the development path chosen by the Chinese people meets the aspirations of the 1.4 billion Chinese people and conforms with the trend of peace and development of our times. It is a path that serves the interests of not only China but also the entire world. Since it has been proven right, we have every reason to keep following this path.

Friends,

Despite the serious impact of COVID-19, the Chinese economy has stayed strong and demonstrated a robust momentum of recovery, great resilience and enormous potential. China's GDP expanded by 3.2 percent in the second quarter, back into positive territory, making China the first economy to register positive growth. IMF forecasts put China as one of the few countries that will maintain positive growth in 2020.

According to a latest survey, 99.1 percent of foreign companies in China will continue to invest and operate in China, and 89 percent of the surveyed EU businesses said they are not considering moving their industrial chains out of China. China remains one of the top three investment destinations for most European companies. All of these are, in a sense, a vote of confidence in China's development.

Given the evolving global environment, we have set out the goal of fostering a new, dual-cycle development architecture with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and with domestic and international development reinforcing each other. Such a development structure draws from the strengths of China's mega-sized market and the huge potential of domestic demand.

China will further tap into its domestic demand, expand opening-up and share more of its development dividends with the rest of the world. We hope our recovery and development will fuel common recovery and development of the world.

China will stay committed to peaceful development. China is not the former Soviet Union, still less will it or can it be another United States. No matter how developed China becomes, it will never seek hegemony or expansion. What China pursues is a new model of state-to-state relations featuring dialogue and partnership, not confrontation or alliance. We hope to forge broader partnerships and further expand our circle of friendship in the world.

China will stay committed to open development. China will not shut its door to the outside world, but only open it wider. We will further lower tariffs, shorten the negative list for foreign investment, ease market access, and make market rules more transparent and the business environment more attractive. We will upgrade our open economy and pursue openness and cooperation in all directions, at all levels and in all forms to create more opportunities for the world.

China will stay committed to cooperative development. China's development has benefited from cooperation with other countries. We will continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation with other major countries, increase friendship with our neighbors and enhance solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries. We will work closely with all countries to pursue greater security, better development and meet common challenges together.

China will stay committed to win-win development. China is against the zero-sum or winner-takes-all approach of development. We will never go down the beaten path of grabbing others' resources or sacrificing others' interests. We believe that global governance should be based on consultation, cooperation and shared benefits. By following a win-win strategy of opening-up, we will make the pie of cooperation bigger and pursue common development with all countries.

China is committed to inclusive development. We respect the right of other peoples to choose their own development path. We do not seek to export our system or model of development, nor are we interested in ideological confrontation. We will continue to take concrete actions to protect the diversity of civilizations and promote exchanges and mutual learning between development models.

Friends,

The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century, accelerated by the sudden onslaught of COVID-19. Faced with changes and a pandemic unseen in a century, humanity needs to once again make a crucial choice, a choice between progress and regression, between solidarity and division, and between openness and seclusion.

In modern history, the progress of human civilization had been halted several times by radical forces. What we are seeing now is that some are again maneuvering to draw a new Iron Curtain, erect another Berlin Wall, and start a second Cold War.

The China-U.S. relationship is in its most testing time since the establishment of diplomatic relations. It has come to this stage because some hardliners in the U.S. have gone to great lengths to portray China as a major rival. They have resorted to every possible means to suppress China's development. They have also been stoking ideological confrontation internationally, and publicly coercing countries into choosing sides, trying to drag China-U.S. relations into confrontation and conflict, and hijack other countries onto their chariot of major-country rivalry. These acts are threatening to push the world as we know it to the brink of turmoil and division.

The tide of history always moves forward. No attempt to turn it back will find support, nor will it last. At this crossroads in human history, China and Europe should and must keep in mind our responsibilities for mankind's future and the fundamental interests of our people. We must say no to hatred and confrontation. We must stand firm on the right side of history. Together, China and Europe can bring more stability to this complex and fluid world.

First, we need to resolutely safeguard peace and development and oppose global divisions. As a responsible major country, China firmly opposes any schemes to create a new Cold War, and will not allow any force to deny the right of the Chinese people and people around the world to pursue development and a better life. China hopes to join hands with Europe to send a strong message of our times, a message for solidarity and against division, for progress and against regression, for peace and development and against conflict or confrontation.

Second, we need to firmly uphold multilateralism and oppose unilateral acts of bullying. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China will always stand firmly for multilateralism, and advocate extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits in global governance. China regards the European Union as a major force for a multi-polar world. We are prepared to work with the EU to uphold the effectiveness and authority of the multilateral system, promote fairness and justice and maintain the international order.

Third, we need to further expand mutually beneficial cooperation and oppose seclusion and decoupling. With China deeply interconnected with the world, decoupling from China means decoupling from development opportunities and from the most dynamic market. As two major economies in the world, China and Europe must stay committed to free trade, safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and play a key role in promoting development and prosperity in the post-COVID-19 world.

Fourth, we need to join hands to tackle global challenges and oppose the beggar-thy-neighbor approach. Humanity has never faced more frequent and unpredictable risks. Climate change, cyber security, terrorism, transnational crimes and other non-traditional security issues pose real threats to the world. Challenges of a global scale, such as COVID-19, could still emerge in the future. China and Europe need to set an example of advancing global governance by jointly strengthening the UN's coordinating role in international affairs. We need to reject the practices of putting one's own country first at the expense of others. We need to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Friends,

This year marks the 45th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations. The development of our relations over the past 45 years tells us that there is no fundamental conflict of interests between China and the EU; our cooperation far outweighs competition, and there are far more areas of common understanding than disagreements. Despite the difference in social systems, China and the EU are meant to be comprehensive strategic partners, not systemic rivals.

Over the 45 years, an important experience we have gained is: China and the EU are entirely able to enhance trust through dialogues on an equal footing, achieve win-win outcomes through mutually beneficial cooperation, properly address differences through constructive communications, and jointly tackle global challenges through stronger coordination.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Europe are two major forces, two big markets and two great civilizations. What we stand for, what we oppose and what we work together on can make a difference for the world.

At this crucial moment of fighting COVID-19 and pursuing post-COVID-19 recovery, China and Europe should strengthen solidarity and cooperation. We should press the "continue button" to resume dialogue and cooperation across the board and act as twin engines of the world economy, to inject strong impetus to international solidarity and cooperation. To that end, I propose that we develop our partnership in the following four areas.

First, we need to build an anti-COVID-19 partnership, and promote cooperation on post-COVID-19 economic recovery. Nothing matters more than containing the virus and saving lives. China and the EU should strengthen cooperation on the development and production of vaccines, medicines and testing kits and support the WHO, Gavi and other international institutions in playing their roles.

Second, we need to enhance our investment partnership, and work for win-win results. China and the EU should take a cooperative approach in the negotiations on the bilateral investment agreement, find a solution to the outstanding issues as early as possible, and conclude a comprehensive, balanced and high-standard agreement within this year. On that basis, the two sides need to conduct a joint feasibility study at an early date to kick-start the FTA process.

China and the EU should also strengthen coordination on macro-economic policies, and conclude the China-EU 2025 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation as early as possible, to provide an institutional framework for all-round dialogue and cooperation.

Third, we need to foster a green and digital partnership, and create new growth areas of China-EU cooperation. We should deepen cooperation in such areas as environmental technology, circular economy, clean energy, and sustainable finance to develop a China-EU green partnership.

We should strengthen cooperation in areas like information and communications technology, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, big data, and cloud computing to forge a China-EU digital partnership, and make joint contributions to global standards and rules in the digital domain.

Fourth, we need to deepen our international partnership, and work closer in multilateral affairs. We should further strengthen dialogue and cooperation on climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development, and work together to tackle global challenges.

We should also jointly uphold the JCPOA, promote political settlement of regional and international hotspot issues, strengthen third-party cooperation with Africa, and contribute more to a safer and more sustainable world.
The following editorial was published in the Quad-City Times on Aug. 24:

About half a million students in Iowa are heading back to school this week, and many of their parents are worried sick.

Rightfully so.

The state has shown its metrics for returning to classrooms are arbitrary. Its misled the public about errors in its system for tracking COVID-19. And now the states teachers union is suing to block the governor from forcing students back into schools.

State leaders are losing the publics trust.

As this newspaper reported last week, Iowas per-capita cases are now the highest in the Midwest. More than 1,000 Iowans have died of COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the public learned the states system for tracking coronavirus cases turns out to have reported flawed data  information leaders used to determine whether its safe to return to school. The states medical director knew of the flaws two weeks ago but didnt bother to say anything until after a health care worker in Iowa City noticed the errors, got a state worker to admit to the errors in an email, and shared the correspondence with reporters.

Meanwhile, medical experts from across the state, including the University of Iowa, say Gov. Kim Reynolds is unnecessarily putting students and teachers in jeopardy by requiring at least 50% in-class learning. Thats unless 15% of the coronavirus tests in a district are positive over the prior 14 days  a figure three times higher than what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say is safe; the surgeon general recommends 10%.

Locally, public health leaders issued a new round of stark warnings. COVID-19 is spreading in our community, and our schools will not be immune, Ed Rivers, director of the Scott County Health Department, said Thursday.

In the Quad-Cities, weve already seen how quickly COVID-19 can spread when people are in close quarters like nursing homes, jails and factories. Who is to think school environments, no matter the precautions taken, will be any different?

We think districts and parents would be much better served if they had more flexibility to determine whats right for local kids. Illinois, for example, has given its districts more freedoms, and is issuing better guidance backed by science and recommendations from health experts.

Even then, the virus has found its way into schools. Geneseo students were sent home Monday after a student and teacher tested positive. Rockridge postponed the start to its schoolyear after 13 staff members reported isolating at home and four others tested positive.

Districts ought to have the freedoms to make these kinds of decisions.

The State of Iowa is overstepping. These are unprecedented times. The state is not making decisions based on good science, its not been transparent with the public, and its refusing to listen to its teachers.

Its time to let local people make local decisions. At least then, parents might have some peace of mind that the people making decisions truly have their best interests at heart.
The has said the authorities can share information with scheduled commercial banks, a move that would ease the lenders' hassle of deciding TDS deductibility on various payments to their customers.

In a notification dated August 31, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) included 'scheduled commercial banks', listed in the second schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, under Section 138 of Act for sharing of information.

is the apex tax body on personal and corporate tax.

Section 138 of the Income Tax Act empowers income tax authorities to share information/ details of its taxpayers with other agencies.

Nangia Andersen LLP Partner Sandeep Jhunjhunwala said the addition of these banks in the list of bodies with which the tax authorities can share information received from the taxpayers should ease a lot of administrative hassles currently faced by the banking industry in the country.

"This addition to Section 138 of Income Tax Act would surely ease the burden of scheduled commercial banks for deciding TDS deductibility on various payments to its customers," he said. The move will especially help in cases such as TDS under Section 194N, which requires multiple income tax related information and declaration from customers making withdrawal, Jhunjhunwala added.

He also said the sharing of information by the tax department would also enable banks to validate Forms 15G and 15H submitted by the customers, matching the details with tax return of earlier years.

(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.)
France's Charlie Hebdo magazine is reprinting its controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to mark the start of a trial over the 2015 terror attack at the paper's offices.

'We will never lie down. We will never give up,' Charlie Hebdo director Laurent Sourisseau wrote in an editorial to go with the cartoons today.

Twelve people were killed in the gun rampage in January 2015, before a policewoman and four Jewish shoppers died in related attacks over the following two days.

The trial of 14 alleged accomplices, who are charged with various crimes including supplying weapons and putting the killers in contact with ISIS, begins in Paris tomorrow.

Police and emergency vehicles at the scene after the gun rampage at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris in 2015 which left 12 people dead

The cover of the latest Charlie Hebdo issue shows a dozen cartoons first published by Charlie Hebdo in 2006 which unleashed a storm of anger in the Muslim world.

In the centre of the Charlie Hebdo cover is a cartoon of the prophet drawn by its cartoonist Jean Cabut, known as Cabu, who was killed in the massacre.

'All of this, just for that,' the front-page headline says.

Its editorial team wrote that now was the right time to republish the cartoons, saying it was 'essential' as the trial opens.

'We have often been asked since January 2015 to print other caricatures of Mohammed,' it said.

'We have always refused to do so, not because it is prohibited - the law allows us to do so - but because there was a need for a good reason to do it, a reason which has meaning and which brings something to the debate.'

Charlie Hebdo is now published in conditions of utmost secrecy, and its staff are surrounded by armed guards and other security measures.

One said earlier this year that its new offices were 'like Fort Knox...with numerous special doors...lifts, stairs, airlock passages and a code word signifying a serious threat that would send everyone to the panic room.'

Some of France's most celebrated cartoonists were killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack on January 7, 2015, when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi opened fire at the paper's offices.

The attackers killed building maintenance worker Frederic Boisseau before forcing cartoonist Corinne Rey to give them access to the building.

Within a few minutes, editor-in-chief Stephane 'Charb' Charbonnier and cartoonists Cabut, Bernard Verlhac, Georges Wolinski and Philippe Honore were all dead, as well as economist Bernard Maris, columnist Elsa Cayat, Charb's bodyguard Franck Brinsolaro, visitor Michel Renaud and proof-reader Mustapha Ourrad.

As they fled, the terrorists were heard shouting: 'We have killed Charlie Hebdo. We have taken revenge for the sake of the Prophet Mohammed.'

Once outside, they opened fire again and killed their 12th victim, police officer Ahmed Merabet, before fleeing to the Paris suburbs.

Two masked gunmen brandishing Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers attack the headquarters of French satricial newspaper Charlie Hebdo

With France still in shock, the attacks continued the next day when Amedy Coulibaly, an acquaintance of Cherif Kouachi, killed a female police officer, Clarissa Jean-Philippe.

On January 9, Coulibaly killed four Jewish men at a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris after taking hostages and demanding that the Kouachi brothers go free.

French special forces eventually stormed the Hyper Cacher store, killing Coulibaly and freeing 15 surviving hostages.

The Kouachi brothers were killed by police in a separate stand-off at a printworks where they had taken refuge.

In a video recording, Coulibaly said the attacks were co-ordinated and carried out in the name of the so-called Islamic State.

However, Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch also said its leadership had ordered the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices.

Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly, had long tested the limits of what society would accept in the name of free speech, including with its depictions of Mohammed.

But the attacks led to a global outpouring of solidarity with the magazine, symbolised by the slogan 'Je suis Charlie', meaning 'I am Charlie'.

A message of solidarity with Charlie Hebdo - containing the popular slogan 'je suis Charlie' (meaning 'I am Charlie') - is laid out in Paris after the attack in 2015

The magazine's first edition after the attack featured a cartoon of a tearful Prophet Mohammed holding a 'Je suis Charlie' sign under the headline 'All is forgiven'.

Millions of copies of the so-called 'survivors' edition' were printed, dwarfing the usual 60,000 print run.

Later in 2015, another wave of Islamist attacks killed 130 people in co-ordinated bombings and shootings at the Bataclan theatre and other locations in Paris.

The following year, a Tunisian who pledged allegiance to ISIS ploughed his truck through a crowd in the Mediterranean city of Nice, killing 86 people.

The Charlie Hebdo trial - which was delayed by several months because of coronavirus - will be held in Paris and is due to run until November 10.

The alleged accomplices have been charged with crimes including supplying weapons, membership of a terrorist organisation and financing terrorism.

In a first for a terror trial, the proceedings will be filmed for archival purposes given the public interest in the case.

A mural depicting victims of the deadly attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper near its offices in Paris

Of the 14 defendants, three will be tried in absentia and may be dead.

Hayat Boumedienne, Coulibaly's partner at the time of the attack, and brothers Mohamed and Mehdi Belhoucine are believed to have travelled to areas of Syria under the control of ISIS just before the attacks.

Mohamed Belhoucine is accused of being the ideological mentor of Coulibaly after meeting him in jail and opening up channels of communication for him to ISIS.

Among those in the dock will be Ali Riza Polat who investigators allege helped the three attackers amass their weapons. He faces life in jail if found guilty.

Just after the attacks, he repeatedly tried to leave France for Syria but has been held since March 2015.

People who escaped the massacres are set to give testimony at a trial into one of the darkest chapters in modern French history.

'This trial is an important moment for them,' Marie-Laure Barre and Nathalie Senyk, lawyers for victims at Charlie Hebdo, said in a statement.

'They are waiting for justice to be done to find out who did what, knowing that those who pulled the trigger are no longer there,' they added.

The trial comes amid a fresh controversy in the media after a black female politician was depicted as a chained slave in a leading conservative magazine.

Valeurs Actuelles (Current Values) could is facing a probe by Paris prosecutors for the seven-page illustrated feature on French MP Daniele Obono, 40.
(Newser)  A Detroit island park was transformed Monday into a drive-thru COVID-19 victims memorial, as hearses led processions around Belle Isle Park. More than 900 large photos of local coronavirus victims provided by relatives were turned into posters and staked into the ground, the AP reports. The pictures in the island park, which is in the Detroit River, showed those who died of COVID-19: Darrin Adams at his college graduation, Daniel Aldape catching a fish, Shirley Frank with an Elvis impersonator, and Veronica Davis crossing the finish line at a race.

story continues below

They had "dreams and plans and a story," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at the park. "They weren't finished yet." The regions classical music station added gospel music to its playlist and read the names of the deceased. Rochelle Riley, Detroit's director of arts and culture, said officials hope the memorial will "wake people up to the devastating effect of the pandemic," as well as "bring some peace to families whose loved ones didn't have the funerals they deserved."

(Read more coronavirus stories.)
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Independence Day, the PMs Office told Armenpress.

Dear Shavkat Miromonovich,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the Independence Day of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Since declaring its independence, Uzbekistan has made significant progress in the political and socio-economic spheres, as well as in terms of enhancing its international standing.

I am convinced that as underpinned by mutual trust, the friendly relations between our two nations will lead to enhanced efficiency in interstate cooperation to the benefit of our countries and peoples.

Dear Shavkat Miromonovich,

I wish you robust health and wellbeing, as well as peace and prosperity  to the friendly people of Uzbekistan, the congratulatory message reads.


SPRINGFIELD  For fewer than 400 COVID-19-related deaths in Illinois since the beginning of the pandemic, the virus was the only contributing cause, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The rest of the COVID-19 deaths in the state had other comorbidities with COVID-19 as the primary cause.

As of Tuesdays report from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois has recorded 8,064 deaths from COVID-19. IDPH does not provide the breakdown of how many COVID-19 related deaths were COVID-19 only or deaths involving other health-related factors.

The CDC published data on Friday that broke down each states COVID-19 deaths through Aug 15.

For 6% of the deaths [nationwide], COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned, the CDC reported. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death.

Illinois matches up with the national average.

For Illinois, of the 7,175 total COVID-19 related deaths the CDC reported through Aug. 15, the IDPH said 94 percent of the deaths  or 6,779  COVID-19 was the main cause of death among other comorbidities. COVID-19 was the contributing cause of death in 6 percent, or 396 of the deaths.

Illinois has 7,175 deaths that mention COVID-19 as the underlying cause or a contributing cause of death, CDC mortality statistician Farida Ahmad said via email. For 396 of those deaths, COVID-19 was not the underlying cause of death, but was a contributing cause of death. The underlying cause of death is the condition that began the chain of events that ultimately led to the decedents demise. For deaths where COVID-19 is the underlying cause of death, it is possible (and likely) that there were also other conditions listed as contributing causes of death.

On Monday the IDPH said the number it compiles is the underlying cause of death or a contributing cause of death.

Normally, public health officials investigate and gather additional information before reporting a death, an IDPH spokesperson said. With COVID-19, as IDPH investigates and learns more information about each death, the total number of deaths are adjusted.

The department also said that people who tested positive for COVID-19 at the time of death but died from something else  such as a car crash, homicide, or suicide  were not included in the states COVID-19 death tally.
A convicted rapist who exposed himself repeatedly to women at bus stops in south London was branded a very dangerous man as he was locked up for three years.

Leslie Malcolm, 57, carried out a campaign of flashing offences between December 2019 and May this year, often making eye contact with his victims while touching himself.

Inner London crown court heard today that Malcolm has two previous convictions for rape, including a 1996 attack on a woman at a bus stop.

This is a very dangerous man in my view, said Recorder Stuart Trimmer QC, sentencing Malcolm to 36 months in prison.

This defendant has been convicted twice of the offence of rape, and at the time of these offences he was on licence.

The offences are those that distress women, they distress all sorts of people, in particular those he targeted.

It seems he was targeting particular individuals, he chose  as he has chosen before when he committed an offence of rape in 1996  to approach women at bus stops.

That appears to be something plainly fixed in his mind.

Malcolm targeted his victims in Brixton, as they waited near to KFC, H&M, and the Prince of Wales pub.

When he was caught by officers from the Mets Roads and Transport Policing Command on June 1, he told them: You know, its not like I werent expecting you.

The judge said Malcolm must be sentenced for the offences he committed rather than what he might have done, but urged the probation service to watch him when he is freed from prison.

Given his last previous conviction and the circumstances of these offences, it would be a very brave licensing supervising officer that released him unsupervised into the community, he said.

The judge added that he believed it was important details of the case were made public through the media.

Detective Sergeant Okikiola Okunola said: I would firstly like to thank each victim for reporting Malcolms quite frankly disgusting and perverse behaviour to police. Because of them and the support theyve have shown the investigation, we were able to bring Malcolm to justice.

Thanks to some of the victims evidence as well as the forensic evidence left at one scene by Malcolm, he had no choice but to plead guilty to the eight offences.

Malcolm, from Catford, pleaded guilty to outraging public decency and seven counts of exposure.
Cheng Lei, a presenter on Chinese state TV CGTN, is in custody without formal charges. In January 2019, Chinese authorities arrested another Australian reporter. China imprisons the most journalists at a global level. Analysts: Cheng's arrest is a weapon of blackmail to obtain concessions from Canberra. The precedent of the two Canadian citizens imprisoned by Beijing.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - An Australian television journalist was arrested in China. This was revealed yesterday by Marise Payne, Canberra's foreign minister. Cheng Lei, a presenter of the Chinese state television CGTN, was stopped on August 14 by the police. On 27 August she had consular contact with the diplomatic staff of her country. The Australian government said it did not know what the allegations were against her. So far the Chinese authorities have not commented on the incident.

Cheng is now "under surveillance in a designated residence". Under Chinese law, a suspect can be held in custody for six months without a formal charge and without the possibility of meeting a lawyer.

Chengs friends and colleagues believe she was arrested because of her independence of mind. It is not the first time that Beijing has targeted an Australian journalist of Chinese origin: in January 2019 it was the turn of Yang Hengjun, accused of espionage.

The New York based Committee to Protect Journalists comments that globally China has the highest record for arresting journalists. One of the most striking cases is that of Gui Minhai, a Hong Kong publisher with Swedish citizenship, sentenced in February by the Ningbo (Zhejiang) court to 10 years in prison on charges of "having provided intelligence abroad". In 2015, Gui was arrested in Thailand along with four of his associates by Chinese agents. He was targeted by the Beijing authorities for publishing and selling texts that recount personal aspects of the lives of some members of the Chinese Communist Party.

Analysts argue that the arrest of Cheng Lei - like that of Yang Hengjun - is a retaliation by the Chinese government against Australia. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in the last period. Canberra accuses Beijing of spying, unfair business practices, violating international norms in the South China Sea, cracking down on dissent in Hong Kong and lying about the coronavirus pandemic.

The Australian authorities fear that the Chinese regime will use the arrests of Australian citizens in China as a form of blackmail to extort concessions in the various bilateral disputes between the two countries. For several observers, it is the same system that Beijing is using to obtain the release of Meng Wanzhou, the financial director of Huawei, arrested in Canada in December 2018 at the request of the US.

Immediately after the arrest of Meng, daughter of Ren Zhengfei, founder of the Chinese telecommunications giant, the Chinese police arrested and imprisoned Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadian citizens.
New Delhi: Indias economic response against Chinese border transgressions is playing out in the solar space, with certification and testing approvals for imported solar equipment from China hanging fire due to inordinate delays by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), said two people aware of the development.

This approval is necessary to be eligible to sell here after India made it mandatory for all imported solar equipment to meet stringent quality norms, following instances of poor-quality solar modules being sold.

This assumes significance, given that 80% of the solar cells and modules used here are bought from China and accounted for around $2.16 billion of imports in 2018-19. Major Chinese solar module manufacturers, such as Trina Solar Ltd, Jinko Solar, JA Solar Holdings, ET Solar, Chint Solar and GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd, have been supplying to India for what will become the worlds largest clean energy programme.

Clean energy projects now account for more than a fifth of Indias installed power generation capacity. India now has 34.6GW of solar power and seeks to produce 100GW from solar projects by March 2022.

While the Chinese manufacturers have BIS certification, for every new model to be exported here, it has to be first tested and certified by the BIS. That is getting delayed," said the chief executive of a New Delhi-based green energy firm cited above, requesting anonymity.

Chinese modules are not being approved. This is happening for the first time," said a second person cited above, who also did not want to be named.

This hardening of stand comes in the backdrop of fresh tensions between India and China, even as the earlier issues that led to clashes along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China in Ladakh, which left 20 Indian soldiers dead, remains unresolved.

Any change in materials has to be approved by BIS. Apart from the geo-political issue that may or may not be the reason behind such delays, the testing capacity is woefully inadequate. As a result latest technology is not getting used in India," said the head of a second New Delhi-based clean energy firm, cited above who also did not want to be named.

More tariff barriers, subsidized financing for encouraging domestic equipment usage, rigorous testing of foreign equipment and prior permission requirements for imports from adversary countries, are some of the focus areas of Indias proposed power sector overhaul that have been announced as part of an economic response by India to the recent violent face-off with China.

Queries emailed to the Indias ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) spokesperson and BIS officials on Tuesday morning remained unanswered.

Queries emailed to Trina Solar Ltd, Jinko Solar, JA Solar Holdings, ET Solar, Chint Solar and GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd also remained unanswered.

India is working on a plan to impose tariff and non-tariff barriers to put a check on imported solar equipment that will make their sourcing from China costlier. Facilitating local manufacturing in sectors, such as solar equipment, is expected to help Indias goals of playing a larger role in global supply chains, in the backdrop of the disruption caused by covid-19 that originated in Wuhan, China. It also plans to offer land near its ports to companies for building solar equipment factories.

As part of decoupling exercise with China, the safeguard duty has also now been extended to help boost Indias push for domestic manufacturing as part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, with the government plans to also shortly impose a basic customs duty (BCD) on imported solar cells, modules and inverters.

According to the latest government order, the safeguard duty is to be paid on these items at a rate of 14.9% for the first six months and at 14.5% for the remaining six months. The duty also applies to imports from Thailand and Vietnam but excludes imports from any other developing nation.

The government is also working on a plan for allowing only those manufacturers who are approved by the BIS and the MNRE for government-supported schemes, including projects from where electricity distribution companies procure electricity for supply to their consumers. A similar approved list of modules and manufacturers (ALMM) is being worked out for the conventional power space.

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(TNS)  With the fall semester in full swing, schools across the nation continue to struggle with the new technology issues that distance learning brings, including ransomware attacks and downed fiber lines.Selma Unified took down its entire network Friday after a ransomware attack, according to a message sent to parents.The District IT team is working with a cyber security consultant to take immediate steps to bring the network back to normal operation, the message read.Afternoon classes were canceled Friday, and students were encouraged to work independently.Most systems were back up on Monday, according to Rachel Starbuck, a teacher and engagement coordinator with the Selma Unified Teachers Association.At Madera Unified School District, teachers were told they could work from home Wednesday and Thursday after a fiber line was damaged in northern Madera County, causing an internet outage.The outage lasted about 15 hours, according to Madera Unified spokesperson George Garnica.Everyone is back to normal work schedules today and teachers are again doing distance learning from their classrooms, he said on Monday.Schools across the country are facing many of the same technology problems.Zoombombing, when an unauthorized person enters a live session, sometimes yelling profanities or dropping pornography, has also been a problem for some California districts.During the first week at Clovis Unified, a young person entered a Kastner Intermediate School class and yelled something inappropriate and held up a picture of some kind before being removed from the session.A similar incident happened to a fifth grade class in San Leandro, according to a report from the East Bay Times Fresno Unified began its first week of learning with lower-than-usual attendance compared to previous years, but it is steadily increasing, according to Superintendent Bob Nelson.Things arent quite perfect still, but we continue to get better and better every day, and thats something to celebrate, Nelson said on Friday. Were proud to see student attendance is actually increasing, and more technology fixes are getting to our families, and our staff of teachers are getting more and more experienced at distance learning every day.Those improvements include getting second monitors and headsets to teachers and fixing tablet problems with students, he said.As the central San Joaquin Valley comes out of the deadliest month to date during the coronavirus pandemic, schools face hurdles to reopening. Hospitalizations and average daily case rates are trending down, according to the health department, but more people died in August than any other month since the COVID-19 outbreak in March.Gov. Gavin Newsom last week announced that small groups of students could return for in-person learning, including those enrolled in special education classes, English learners, and homeless or other at-risk students.The state also made minor changes to reopening guidelines , replacing the county watchlist with a new colored tiers system. Fresno, Madera, Kings, and Tulare counties are colored purple, meaning schools cannot open. Once counties reach a lower tier and remain there for at least two weeks, schools are allowed to open campuses, following guidelines Elementary schools can apply for reopening waivers from local health departments, which would allow the schools to open before the state allows. So far, two schools have applied in Fresno County, but the health department has not yet granted the waivers.
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Linkedin Budi Sutrisno (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, September 2 2020

Several medical and health organizations have urged the Health Ministry to accelerate revisions to Government Regulation (PP) No. 109/2012 on the safety of addictive ingredients in tobacco products.

The organizations said during a webinar on Monday that the draft revision that began in May 2018 should have been completed in a year, but that the drafting process seemed to have slowed down after eight interministerial meetings.

In accordance with Presidential Decree No. 9/2018, the draft revision targets the pictographic health warnings on tobacco products.

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(Natural News) Over the last several months, it has become trendy in independent media circles to now claim the coronavirus is a hoax that killed no one. The virus doesnt even exist, many conservative-leaning pundits now claim, and no one died from COVID-19, they insist.

But the CDC tracks actual deaths from all causes, regardless of whats listed on death certificates. And so far this year, America has seen over 223,000 excess deaths above and beyond what would normally be expected (yes, from all causes). This number is sourced from county-level death statistics which are aggregated into national numbers by the CDC via its National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) database, which tracks birth and deaths across the country. You can see the excess deaths numbers at this link at CDC.gov.

According to the data, over two hundred thousand Americans extra people died this year so far.

So then, what killed them if not the Wuhan coronavirus?



The COVID-19 denialists  those who continue to call the virus a hoax  have no explanation for the 223,000 excess deaths. I know this because Ive asked them. And their answers demonstrate a shocking level of self-delusion and denialism.

I asked one person I know about their explanation for the 223,000 deaths, and they answered, Those deaths were all faked.

Actually, those are real deaths with body bags, funerals, burials and everything. You can verify them county by county if you want, but theyre quite real. The CDC didnt fabricate the numbers; theyre sourced from the county morgues.

Another person told me, Those are just people dying from the flu.

Except its not flu season, and even during a typical U.S. flu season, we only see about 35,000 deaths from the flu. The aggregate death numbers from the CDC already take flu deaths into account, by the way. The 223,000+ excess deaths is above normal deaths from all causes, including the flu.

Another popular answer Ive been getting is that, People were killed by 5G.

So then why did the 5G deaths stop, then? Because the excess deaths peaked in mid-April and have been steadily falling ever since. If 5G is whats killing people, why wouldnt it keep killing people at the same rate? Did the 5G murderers suddenly decide to kill fewer people? That makes no sense if the purpose of 5G is to kill people, does it?

Misleading with statistics

Ultimately, when it comes to statistics and COVID-19, most people just decide to tune out whatever data dont fit their current narrative. So they pretend that 223,000 extra people havent died in the United States this year. This is how you end up with headlines like Watts Up With That claiming Stunning CDC  US deaths overestimated by 17 times. The story goes on to falsely claim, weve had about 9,680 people who died of Coronavirus-19.

Thats not true at all. Weve actually had 223,000 deaths that would not have otherwise occurred if the coronavirus hadnt been released by China.

Paul Joseph Watson from Summit.news has a far more accurate and honest headline and assessment, explaining, CDC: COVID-19 Only Cause Mentioned in 6 Per Cent of Total Coronavirus Deaths. This is a far more intellectually honest and informative headline.

But staffers of Alex Jones of InfoWars ran with a highly misleading video headline and title in his video segment posted to Brighteon.com, misleadingly claiming, CDC Officially Calls Covid-19 a Hysteria-Driven Hoax. Thats not true at all.

Watson got it right; Jones got it wrong. Covid-19 deaths arent a hoax, and the CDC didnt officially admit to any hoax at all.

Almost everyone who dies has secondary health conditions because very few people die in perfect health

In truth, as I pointed out in an earlier article, almost every person who dies in America dies with secondary illnesses, regardless of the immediate cause of death. If a bomb exploded in a mall, most of the people who die would also show underlying diseases and chronic health conditions. Does that mean they didnt die from the bomb?

According to much of the independent media, bomb deaths dont count if the people bombed to death already had heart disease. (And that makes no sense at all.)

Apparently, we are told by the indy media that the only covid-19 deaths which should be counted are deaths among perfectly healthy people who had no other health problems at all. But those people arent likely to die from infectious disease, are they?

Its a catch-22, you see: No deaths are real unless the people who died were perfectly healthy. Thats what much of the alternative media is now telling us, and it smacks of the crazed doublespeak of Leftists who claim rioting is mostly peaceful.

Heres what the CDC numbers actually reveal

The CDC reveals all the numbers at this link, by the way.

Heres a snapshot of the excess deaths around April of 2020. The red plus signs indicate excess deaths above expected norms:

And heres a short table of CDC data comparing expected deaths to actual deaths for several key weeks surrounding the coronavirus pandemic surge in America:

Week Actual Deaths Expected Deaths 15-Aug-20 55,344 51,651 8-Aug-20 60,640 51,695 1-Aug-20 61,749 51,751 25-Jul-20 62,177 51,912 18-Jul-20 61,321 52,076 11-Jul-20 61,145 52,204 4-Jul-20 59,924 52,331 27-Jun-20 58,956 52,513 20-Jun-20 58,349 52,670 13-Jun-20 58,432 52,710 6-Jun-20 59,252 52,890 30-May-20 60,071 53,054 23-May-20 62,049 53,254 16-May-20 64,953 53,564 9-May-20 67,278 53,950 2-May-20 69,688 54,420 25-Apr-20 74,186 55,076 18-Apr-20 77,086 55,683 11-Apr-20 79,360 56,258 4-Apr-20 72,525 56,809 28-Mar-20 63,222 57,361

If you do the math on these, between March 20th and August 20th, over 223,000 excess deaths were recorded in the United States.

Thats a lot of deaths for a virus that people claim is a hoax, isnt it?

All lives may matter to them, but all deaths certainly dont

How can so many independent media outlets just dismiss 223,000 deaths in America and call them all a hoax? It seems intellectually dishonest for media publishers that obsess over one death of a patriot prayer individual who was shot in Portland (by radical left-wing Antifa terrorists, no less) while these same media publishers completely dismiss 223,000 excess deaths that have taken place in America since March of this year.

If these 223,000 deaths can be ignored, then why cant a million deaths also be dismissed as a hoax? Or six million deaths in a modern-day bioweapons holocaust?

Is there any number of deaths that will break the spell of indy medias cult-like obedience demands and shake peoples consciousness back to the real world where viruses actually do exist and people should take sensible precautions to protect their health?

Indy media has a responsibility to get the story right

The indy media performs a very important function in our society by countering the coordinated corporate propaganda of the globalist-run left-wing media, but thats exactly why the independent media has a responsibility to get these stories right. Theres no room for lazy thinking or taking wild leaps into unjustified conclusions based on misinterpretations of public data. By releasing comorbidity data, the CDC didnt admit that COVID-19 is a total hoax; they simply confirmed that most Americans are diseased all the time, every single day. And when they die, they die with many underlying illnesses and health conditions.

Thats not a conspiracy. Its just the sad state of health across the American people. And using those data to claim that no one died from the coronavirus is just really bad  and highly irresponsible  journalism.

To my friends across the independent media, dont leap to false conclusions because you want them to be true. The coronavirus is quite real and it managed to kill hundreds of thousands of Americans already. Yes, elements of the pandemic are being wildly exaggerated and weaponized by the left-wing media (and left-wing mayors and governors), but dont make the mistake of thinking the virus doesnt exist just because Gov. Newsom is using the virus to destroy Californias economy and accelerate the collapse of the U.S. food supply.

The virus is real and Democrats are exploiting it to push false narratives that are nowhere near justified by the real science. Both of these things are true at the same time.

And perfectly healthy people, by the way, rarely die from anything. Thats why nearly all deaths  from all causes  usually have underlying health conditions. This point should be self-evident.
interview

September is the African Union-designated month when civilians in possession of illegally-owned weapons are urged to hand them in to authorities without facing arrest or prosecution. Mr. Ivor Richard Fung, Deputy Chief of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), Conventional Arms Branch, spoke with Africa Renewal's Zipporah Musau on the significance of Amnesty Month and the activities planned. Here are excerpts:

We want to send a message that it's not a matter of blaming or accusing you for carrying a weapon illegally. That is why it's called an amnesty programme: no blaming, no prosecution, no charges, no penalties. Just an opportunity for greater security. This amnesty programme is really an opportunity for people to come forward, to increase the number of registered weapons. So, if you cannot register it, just surrender it - this is the message. Mr. Ivor Richard Fung, Deputy Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch, UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)

What is Africa Amnesty Month all about, when it will be held and who is involved?

The Africa Amnesty Month is a complementary initiative of the African Union's (AU's) 'Silencing the Guns' flagship programme to end conflict in Africa by 2020 and aims to involve citizens in helping governments to reduce the illicit flow of weapons on the continent.

In 2017, through Decision 645 (XXIX) the AU Assembly declared the month of September of each year until 2020 the "Africa Amnesty Month" for the surrender and collection of illicit small arms and light weapons in line with African and international best practices, in a coherent and sustainable manner.

Most current small arms control activities focus on military and police-owned weapons. But worldwide, some 85 per cent of small arms and light weapons (SALW) are in civilian hands. In Africa, citizens own more than 40 million small arms, and only a few civilian owners are licensed.

"Amnesty Month" is seen as a contribution to the AU Master Roadmap of Practical Steps to Silence the Guns by 2020, also known as the "Lusaka Roadmap", which is an AU Commission priority initiative to "fast track" achievement of the AU's commitment.

Why is it celebrated in September?

September is symbolic because each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

What kind of weapons are you targeting to collect?

We are targeting to collect small arms and light weapons; especially the small arms class of weapons. These include: handguns (revolvers, pistols, derringers and machine pistols), muskets/rifled muskets, shotguns, rifles (assault rifles, battle rifles, carbines, designated marksman rifles, short-barreled rifles, sniper rifles, etc.) and their ammunition. It should also be noted that some of these weapons have been imitated in many African countries where weapon craft production has substantially evolved technologically.

What is the role of the UN in this programme?

The role the UN is playing with regard to the September Amnesty Month, specifically for the 2020 edition, is to launch a project in seven African countries - Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Kenya.

What was the criteria used in picking the seven countries?

First, the AU Commission has sponsored past editions of the September Amnesty Month and maintains contact with countries interested the programme.

Another criterion was the active participation of these countries in the UN's Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, as well as in implementation of regional instruments relating to the control of illicit flows of weapons; the control of small arms and light weapons.

Of course, we would have loved to have many more participating countries, but the funding at our disposal could only accommodate the number we have now.

What activities have you lined up for the September Amnesty Month in the seven countries?

We will implement four activities, in line with national laws and regulations and with commitments by States to international, regional and sub-regional agreements on small arms.

In close partnership, UNODA together with the AU, the implementing partners that include the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA), and representatives of the national commissions and national focal points on Small Arms Control (as nationally designated focal points for the project) developed national country-level action and communication plans for the project.

The first is a huge campaign to mobilize and sensitize people on the dangers of illicit trafficking in small arms, and to involve them, especially those who are bearing weapons illegally, to come forward to surrender them.

Governments of these participating countries, just like governments of other countries backing this AU decision, have pledged to not prosecute during the month of September, anyone with weapons illegally who has opted to come forward and surrender them. That is why it is called the 'Amnesty Month'.

The second activity is the collection of illicit weapons, while the third is the destruction of all the weapons that will be collected.

The fourth activity is community policing training workshops. This is because of the realization that when you decide to carry a weapon it's usually for security. Since the programme doesn't have material compensation for those who would be surrendering these weapons, the project partners - the AU Commission and the donors - decided that something must be given back to the communities. The means that community policing or security would be increased, and people would also have a role to play.

Are there activities targeting the youth and what role would they play?

Yes, in the context of the first activity domain, which is broad mobilization, sensitization, and media events of all types including musical concerts. There will also be a youth contest to develop national slogans for the programme, and they are also encouraged to write stories about these events.

The youth constitute the majority of Africa's population, and have a major role to play in implementing this initiative. They will be involved in all the activities including aspects related to, for instance, the destruction of weapons.

Young people should also be involved in the search for solutions. We really want to involve them, especially in the dimension of arms control and disarmament and help create a culture of responsible gun-control and peace.

Enlisting their support in the destruction activities would contribute to the process of demystifying the bargaining power of the gun in the emerging African society. It is a strong cultural message.

How can people interested in participating be involved?

It is very easy. Through the media sensitization, with the slogans which we will be broadcasting, people will get to know the activities taking place in their communities. Even where there will be no physical project activities, the radio, television, written press and social media broadcasts will enable everyone to listen and to take action on illegal gun ownership within their neighbourhood or community.

Activities could be radio programmes, discussion roundtables, concerts, etc. to really motivate people, especially the civil society, grassroots communities, faith-based groups, the churches, the traditional leaders. We are also thinking of working with the traditional chiefs to see how they can mobilize people in local languages. Everyone to play a role in this programme.

We invite all these communities to own these events in accordance with their community/national realities.

What role can women play in this exercise?

Well, women have a big role to play. We are looking at women's groups in the participating countries to be involved in the legislative and policy work that each country has to undertake.

The second area is women's participation in the institutional and operational activities relating to small arms and light weapons such as weapons collection. Women can be involved through membership in the national coordinating body, like national focal point or national commission, depending on the country. Women have to play formal roles in these institutions.

There are also informal roles that women can play. They can agitate in the rural areas, in the cities, roundtable discussions, even in their local languages to pass the message, and also how they see the issue as women, from their personal experiences.

Men are, by far, the largest casualty when the trigger of the gun is pulled. But woman, especially in our African society, suffer the impact much longer and more severely. It would be good that they come forward to tell their stories. This is also the moment for them to showcase what they do in their various communities.

Africa Amnesty month has been held since 2017. Are there any successes so far?

Yes, there have been successes. For example, in 2017 the programme was held in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Madagascar, Sudan and Zambia. The message has spread far and wide in these countries to mobilize people around the issue of small arms.

Second, weapons have been collected in these countries. People came forward to surrender their weapons, and these weapons were destroyed.

Governments have also moved ahead with improving legislation. However, it's not enough to have good legislation, you have to implement it. And so, it is the implementation phase, and especially the role that law enforcement officers can play, that is very important, and where we are also placing emphasis.

More positive things have been happening on the continent.

For instance, South Africa has since December 2019 launched a six-month amnesty on small arms and light weapons and collected more than 46,000 weapons. This is really an inspiration from the Amnesty Month.

These are the positive things we need to be showcasing and creating the momentum around. They can be replicated by many other countries, including those that have just emerged from conflict, those experiencing conflict, and even those that know relative peace. Because even when and where there is relative peace, we still have crime, we still have transnational organized criminal activities.

What challenges are encountered in collecting these illegal weapons?

First, there is always reluctance on the part of those carrying the weapons to come forward. And that is why we are emphasising the strength of the messages that need to go out on this amnesty.

We want to send a message that it's not a matter of blaming or accusing you for carrying a weapon illegally. That is why it's called an amnesty programme: no blaming, no prosecution, no charges, no penalties. Just an opportunity for greater security.

This amnesty programme is really an opportunity for people to come forward, to increase the number of registered weapons. So, if you cannot register it, just surrender it - this is the message.

We had also included the possibility of a 'grace period' within which those who have weapons illegally and cannot for one reason or another, legalize the situation, they should simply go to the authorities even after the project period and hand over the guns.

The other challenge is that, even when we encourage citizens to surrender the weapons, usually the best thing is that these weapons are destroyed. But some governments prefer to undertake what we call selective destruction: disposal of the unserviceable weapons and preserving those weapons that are in good shape for the national arsenals.

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Nevertheless, we are encouraged by the fact that many countries are increasingly embarking on destruction. You will remember the Karamojong programme in Uganda, which is one of the most cited programmes. There was one in Congo Brazzaville, another one in Mali, Niger and others in the 1990s and 2000s.

Probably the most daunting challenge is the fact that these weapons mostly come from outside the continent, and sometimes they are recycled from one conflict area to another.

What would be your final message?

My message is to the African governments, the youth and the women:

To the governments: They have embarked on a very noble 'silencing the guns' programme. Noble because it is an expression of political will to end conflict on the continent. It's a daunting challenge, but worth the fight, and an inspirational goal: A conflict-free Africa.

This also requires putting in place programmes that focus on the root causes of these conflicts.

Sound governance programmes are the way to minimize conflicts to a very large extent. And this would undermine the use of weapons. This would be the best way to silence the guns in Africa.

My message to the youth of Africa: They have a major part to play in this programme. It is theirs, as they are very often at the vanguard of these fights for their own survival, for their life, for their future, etc. In doing so, sometimes they take the wrong path, the path of conflict. Guns do not solve the problem, there are better alternatives for claiming what is yours. Dialogue, hard work and patience are the solution.

My message to the women, I would like to say that we respect the noble and humane role you have been playing when times are tough, and when your loved ones are wounded or killed by guns. This project is an opportunity for you to also play a role to bring an end to the scourge of uncontrolled gun-ownership. Reach out and let your voice be heard.

We, as the UN, are only there to assist the governments to do what is right. And this programme is theirs, they have developed it according to their national realities and capacities. We are just providing the requisite technical support.

Donors of the Africa Amnesty Month

Government of Germany

Government of Japan

Silencing the Guns by 2020 is a flagship project of the African Union's Agenda 2063.

Aim: Ending all wars, civil conflicts, gender-based violence, violent conflicts and preventing genocide in the continent by 2020.

Source: African Union Commission
[Follow our daily updates on the latest presidential election polls.]

WASHINGTON  President Trump has seized on the response in the streets to police brutality against Black men and women to bolster his re-election campaign, employing provocative and sometimes incendiary language and images to incite his followers, demonize his opponents or both.

He has sought to conflate all protesters with the small minority of people who have looted stores, started fires and engaged in violence against police officers. He has blamed street unrest on Democratic mayors and governors and even former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., his fall challenger.

He has also repeatedly threatened to deploy federal forces. And especially since a man affiliated with a right-wing group was shot and killed in Portland, Ore., on Saturday night, he has seemed to encourage freelance action by his own supporters who have showed up as well in places like Kenosha, Wis., eager to counter the protesters and sometimes engaging in violence themselves.

Mr. Trumps approach, intended to divert attention from the human and economic costs of the pandemic, is consistent with a career of combative politics that play to racial animosities, going back to his time in business.
01.09.2020 LISTEN

New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate (PC) for Manhyia South constituency, Dr. Hon. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has targeted a staggering 95 percent of valid votes cast in his constituency to help renew the mandate of the NPP during the December 7 polls.

This, according to the PC, will be 5 percent more of the 90 percent of votes target in the constituency, a task giving to the constituency by the Ashanti Regional NPP, because he is confident that the teeming NPP members in the constituency can make it happen.

Napo, as he is being called in the political circles, gave the assurance when speaking during the official inauguration of the Manhyia South NPP Election Campaign Team on Sunday, August 30, 2020.

The campaign committee, which is made up of 30 active NPP members in the constituency, is co-chaired by Napo and the Manhyia South Constituency NPP Chairman, Gabriel Anane.

The committee has been mainly tasked to lead the party to win an avalanche of votes on December 7.

Our Party has tasked us to win 90 percent of votes on December 7 but I know we can do better than that by winning a whopping 95 percent of the valid votes cast, NAPO confidently said.

Napo, who is the incumbent NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South and seeking a renewal of his tenure in December, stated emphatically that the NPP government has done a yeomans job in political office, for which reason the party should easily win the polls.

He admonished the NPP members to campaign on the numerous positive achievements of the President Nana Akufo-Addos administration in political office in order to woo more voters, especially the undecided voters, to cast their ballot for the NPP to retain political power.

This year we shall be going on a house-to-house to campaign for votes and I am urging you to campaign on our achievements because they are many so we can win the floating voters. Let the people know that voting for NPP would be of immense benefit to them, he charged the supporters.

When you go to campaign just to tell them to vote four more years for Nana Addo to continue free SHS, for better roads, hospitals, schools, infrastructure, jobs and all the other positive programmes you can think of, Napo, who is the Minister of Education advised the NPP members.

Napo, who sounded very confident, announced that the party would immediately form other campaign teams among the polling station and electoral area coordinators, saying this campaign teams are very important because they live among the grassroot members in society.

The Ashanti Regional NPP Organizer, Francis Adomako aka Francois, in his succinct remarks, said he believes in the able leadership style of Napo, therefore he is confident that the Manhyia South NPP as usual, would be the pace setters in the journey for NPP victory on December 7.

The Ashanti Regional NPP Deputy Youth Organizer, Yahaya Salifu, who inaugurated the campaign committee, entreated the NPP members to unite as one family, with a common destiny, so that they could campaign assiduously to amass more votes for the party during the polls.

Gabriel Anane, the Manhyia South NPP Chairman and Nana Kwaku Duah, the Council of Elders Chairman, in their separate addresses, called for hard work and unity in the party to help secure victory in December. Haruna Alhassan, the NPP Secretary for Manhyia South, also highlighted Napos massive achievements in the constituency so far.

Free SHS Policy

Napo, who is credited for the introduction of the free SHS policy, which has increased enrolment in Senior High Schools, sternly warned that ex-President Mahama and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) hates the free SHS policy so the electorates should reject the NDC.

Any mistake to vote for the NDC would result in the cancellation of the free SHS programme, which is benefiting virtually every household in the country. The NDC doesnt have Ghana at heart so dont fall for their blatant lies. Vote to retain the NPP in political office.

---OtecfmGhana.com
New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Pinjra Tod activist Devangana Kalita in a case related to to the riots and violence that broke out in northeast Delhi earlier this year.

"She did not try to evade arrest or even file for anticipatory bail because she had no reason to believe that she ought to be in custody. The petitioner is a student pursuing her higher education and sufficient standing in society without any possibility of fleeing from justice," said a single judge bench presided by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Kalita challenging a trial court's order which had dismissed her bail application.

It further observed that Kalita was arrested even without a notice under Section 41A of the Cr.P.C.

Moreover, she remained at her home on May 23, provided her phone to the Respondent (Delhi Police) previously, and even joined the investigation.

The bench also noted that the evidence in relation to the participation of the petitioner in the protests in question, are available with the Investigating Agency, and there is no documentation/evidence of any other nature in her possession.

"Regarding third test i.e. influencing witnesses are concerned, the petitioner is not in position to influence witnesses in the FIR, which in any event appears to relate to public servants/ police officials, and in any case she came to be arrested almost three months after the registration of the FIR," the court said.

Following these observations, the court granted bail to Kalita on her furnishing a personal bond of Rs 25,000 with one surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of Trial Court.

Justice Kait also directed Kalita not to directly or indirectly influence any witness or tamper with the evidence.

"The petitioner shall not leave country without permission of the Trial Court," the bench said.

As per the prosecution, Kalita's role in the present case has emerged as that of the main conspirator, inasmuch as, she with an intention to flare communal passion and to instigate a section of people to indulge in rioting, did all the preparatory work such as organising and mobilisation of crowd, sustaining the mobilised mob of a particular community at the protest site, and thereafter, to instigate them.

The petitioner and another member Natasha Narwal were arrested in the case in May by the Crime Branch of the Delhi police and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including rioting, unlawful assembly and attempt to murder.

The two women were also booked under the stringent sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in a separate case related to the communal violence.

Inititally, Kalita was arrested on March 23 in an anti-CAA protest case related to Jafrabad in northeast Delhi but was granted bail thereafter.

But soon after getting bail, she was arrested by Delhi Police on March 24 in another case and now undergoing judicial custody.

The police said that both Narwal and Kalita were actively involved in hatching the conspiracy to cause riots near Jafrabad Metro Station in Delhi.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Sometimes the little guy with the better mousetrap can beat the tech Goliaths. That is certainly the case with upstart Zoom Video Communications Inc. this year.

Late Monday, the video-conferencing company posted strong July-quarter sales results that handily beat Wall Street estimates. Zoom reported second-quarter revenue of $663.5 million, up 355% from a year earlier, versus the $500 million Bloomberg consensus. It also projected a sales range of $685 million to $690 million for the current quarter, which is higher than the $493 million average analyst estimate. Zoom shares rose in after-hours trading, adding to their more than fourfold gains year to date.

Zoom got a big boost this year as the Covid-19 pandemic forced governments to institute lockdown orders, which in turn attracted customers from corporations to schools and other organizations to sign on to its easy-to-use and reliable video-conferencing service as a way to stay connected and productive. Even as restrictions have loosened, these stay-at-home behaviors have taken hold and may become more ingrained in professional life and elsewhere.

Many companies are planning to permanently embrace the new paradigm. For example, Pinterest Inc. revealed last week it will pay $89.5 million to cancel an office lease it signed in 2019. Chief Financial Officer Todd Morgenfeld said the company is rethinking its workforce strategy and will move toward a more distributed model in the post-Covid-19 world. If more companies do likewise, it will obviously benefit remote-working cloud-software leaders such as Zoom.

And there are other signals that show how important Zooms service has become. Earlier this month, the company announced both Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.s Google will add Zoom support on their respective hardware devices  Portal from Facebook and Google Nest Hub Max. These tech giants have their own video-conferencing offerings, and yet still felt compelled to add Zoom capability to their products, a sign of the companys strong market position.

Story continues

Zooms shares have soared this year. Its impressive performance and outlook for growth shows the company could be worth it. By all measures, the Zoom boom has a lot further to go.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Tae Kim is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. He previously covered technology for Barron's, following an earlier career as an equity analyst.

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.
The importance and effectiveness of the law enforcement anti-bias training were discussed in a virtual panel discussion dubbed as the "Spotlight On Law Enforcement Anti-Bias Programs" hosted by the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum on August 10.

The virtual panel discussion examined the effectiveness and influences of anti-bias training programs in law enforcement and communities across the U.S.

It drew a positive response from the 3,000 attendees, both from law enforcement and civilian sectors.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a non-profit organization established in 1984 and dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve.

Marcia Ferranto, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund CEO, said, "solution-based programs are especially critical during this time of increased tensions between law enforcement and communities they serve."

"Providing a platform for dialogue so that we can help strengthen those relationships is a key component of our mission," added Ferranto.

Anti-bias training is part of an officer's training in many jurisdictions, including Minneapolis and New York City, among others.

However, independent studies, news outlets, and police organizations have questioned the effectiveness of this training.

"One of the things we understand about biases is that we all have them," noted Retired Chief Fabienne Brooks, Co-Director of the Law Enforcement Division, National Coalition Building Institute Brooks.

"People may think you don't, but you all have them. The anti-bias training is a way to acknowledge and recognize what those biases are," Brooks further explained.

All panelists agree that there is a difference between race and bias; however, they often intersect.

They also agree that culture, including the police culture, has an impact on anti-bias training programs.

"It's not just about the broader culture, said Dr. Tracie Keesee, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Justice Initiatives, Center for Policing Equity. He added that "It's about this culture of policing inside those buildings and what happens in there."

Dwayne Crawford, Executive Director of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), noted, "Sadly enough, at least here in the United States, a significant amount of our American institutions have systemic racism. Because they weren't necessarily designed for African-Americans, Latinos, or people of color."

National Fraternal Order of Police National President Patrick Yoes addressed the police and community culture saying that "It's all about the relationships we build. As law enforcement, we're granted a certain amount of power, but those powers don't come without a responsibility to be able to have that community support and trust."

Panelists agreed that anti-bias training programs must be on-going to be effective.

Director of Museum Programs Thomas Canavan said that they had created a schedule of programs for the remainder of 2020 that face today's issues head-on with great thought diversity.

"Police Chiefs have alerted us that they've made watching the replay of this program compulsory for their officers. And many others reached out to let us know that they are relieved to see collaboration on the horizon as it pertains to law enforcement and the communities they serve."

The full program is available for viewing here.

To see a list of all upcoming panel discussions planned by the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum, click here.

Check these out:

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Solar storms and other space weather events have the potential to impact society on a national or global scale, and University of Michigan researchers lead two multimillion-dollar projects to improve forecasting.

These torrents of charged particles and electromagnetic fields from the sun can damage power lines and satellites, and even astronauts. The National Science Foundation and NASA are investing $17 million in a program to develop next-generation space weather modeling software, NSF announced today.

U-M faculty members lead two $2.9 million projects. NextGen Space Weather Modeling Framework project, funded by NSF, aims to accurately predict solar storms and coronal mass ejections a full day in advance. And Aether, funded by NASA, aims to improve models of Earth's upper atmosphere.

"Other than a pandemic, a space weather-caused disruption is the only natural threat that would have nationwide impacts," said Gabor Toth, U-M research professor of climate and space sciences and engineering and principal investigator on the space weather modeling framework project. "All other natural disasters--hurricanes, earthquakes, volcano eruptions--are localized. So it's imperative that we prepare and improve our warning systems.

"If we know what to expect and when, most consequences of space weather can be avoided. The power grid can be shut down, for example. Satellites can be put into safe mode. Spacewalks can be delayed. Sensitive electronic equipment can be switched off. GPS-reliant technology can be switched off or not used."

The one-day advance forecasts Toth and his team are working on will be a dramatic improvement from the one-hour or 30-minute warning we receive today. To accomplish this, the team is developing a model that starts at the sun itself, rather than much closer to Earth. Most of today's models start about a million miles from our planet's surface at what's called the first Lagrangian point.

While models starting from the sun do exist today, they're not very accurate and they provide a binary, black-and-white outlook, with no probabilities. The U-M approach will show the likelihood of storms.

"We will provide probability distribution to aid decision makers--similar to how terrestrial weather forecasts say that there is a 30% chance of rain tomorrow, as opposed to simply 'no rain tomorrow,'" Toth said.

The Aether project, which involves researchers from several other institutions, is led by Aaron Ridley, U-M professor of climate and space sciences and engineering. Its aim is to make a better model of the Earth's upper atmosphere that lets scientists see simultaneously what's happening on both a broad scale and in more granular detail.

It will be able to incorporate data from disparate sources such as constellations of satellites. The team also is working to reduce the barriers for students and postdocs to learn how to use the models by hosting summer schools and making lessons.

"There are some fundamental limitations with current models," Ridley said.

He pointed to various structures in the aurora that are narrow or intense and add a lot of energy to the atmosphere, heating it up. It's difficult to capture how this affects the atmosphere in current models. Ridley's team will design a new model grid system to change that.

"This is sort of analogous to trying to model hurricanes in a global weather model," he said. "It can be done, but needs a huge amount of computer resources. It is better to have a nested grid that can capture the hurricane, embedded within the global-scale model."

U-M is a leader in the study of the sun and space weather. An earlier model developed by Toth and others in the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering is currently used by the national Space Weather Prediction Center to provide regional forecasts for 350-square-mile plots of Earth's surface.

"U-M has a long tradition of developing high quality computational models and software for space and plasma physics," said Vyacheslav Lukin, NSF program director in the Division of Physics. "These awards will enable U-M research groups to both reimagine the software for tomorrow's supercomputing hardware, and make the new codes widely available to be used and further improved upon by the global space weather modeling community."

###

NSF news release

Gabor Toth

Aaron Ridley
Over the past 15 years, ties between India and the United States (US) have scaled new heights in almost every imaginable area. The annual bilateral trade in goods and services today is in the region of $150 billion. The two countries are now natural allies. And they conduct a fair number of joint military exercises annually.

But despite this deepening partnership, trade in defence is a weak spot. As India celebrated the arrival of the first five of 36 Dassault Rafale jets from France late last month, in the middle of a border standoff with China in Ladakh, Washingtons strategic community and stakeholders in the defence industrial base watched with a mixture of dismay and disappointment. For the US government and the countrys defence industry, the Rafale induction at once offered a glimpse into the potential of the Indian defence market and the challenges they face in getting a foothold in the same market.

India was expected to spend over $100 billion over the next decade. But now, post-Ladakh, the country will be forced to upgrade the defence systems more substantially. As part of a buying spree, earlier this month, the government announced buying equipment worth more than $1.16 billion. Prior to that, in the immediate aftermath of the border clashes, the government had approved a purchase of $5.55 billion worth of weapons and equipment.

US companies have also made some inroads. In February, at the Namaste Trump event in Ahmedabad, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump announced a $3.5 billion deal for India to buy US- made helicopters. That was a small step forward for the US. But the fact remains that when it comes to shopping for military equipment, India routinely prefers countries such as Russia and France.

Why is India hesitant to buy US defence equipment in spite of having a good and growing strategic relationship? There are a number of reasons.

One, India has not been a traditional customer of US military equipment. Once major modern defence equipment is inducted into the military, it requires continuous maintenance, which deepens ties with existing suppliers.

Two, India has been traditionally reluctant to purchase US hardware due to the apprehension that Pakistan, which has a huge stockpile of American equipment, may be familiar with the weapons. So, the concern that the enemy in the neighbourhood may have intelligence on your weapons gives New Delhi pause.

Three, unlike countries such as Russia, Israel and France, the US has a lot of congressional regulatory hurdles to cross before selling military equipment.

The president has to notify Congress before selling major defence equipment, articles and services to other countries. Congress can block deals if it is not satisfied with them. In addition, the Arms Export Control Act prohibits defence manufacturers from selling sensitive technologies to certain countries.

But none of these are insurmountable. Its worth remembering that India and the US signed a civil nuclear deal 12 years ago, overcoming intense opposition from both US domestic political forces and the global non-proliferation community.

In this case, all that the two sides have to do is to negotiate in good faith to put a plan and process in place to minimise obstacles, and maximise the opportunities for collaboration. With the strategic goals of the worlds two largest democracies more aligned than ever before, that should not be too difficult. With India hoping to meet most of its defence needs locally, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the US and its companies are ideally positioned to be the best partners and allies for India in that campaign. This is the time for the US and India to create a defining defence trade relationship for the 21st century.

Frank F. Islam is an entrepreneur, civic leader, and thought leader

The views expressed here are personal
The man portrayed in the film Hotel Rwanda as saving the lives of more than 1,200 people from genocide was 'kidnapped' while in Dubai, his daughter has claimed.

The appearance of Paul Rusesabagina, 66, in handcuffs in Rwanda's capital on Monday prompted concern among some human rights activists who worried that the outspoken critic of Rwanda's government was the latest example of the government targeting dissidents beyond its borders.

He had been living outside Rwanda since 1996, first in Belgium and then in Texas in the US.

Rwandan authorities have said they issued an arrest warrant for Rusesabagina to answer charges of serious crimes including terrorism, arson, kidnap, and murder, perpetrated against unarmed, innocent Rwandan civilians on Rwandan territory.

The authorities cited 'international co-operation' but gave no details. They did not say where or how he was apprehended.

Rusesabagina's adopted daughter, Carine Kanimba, told the Associated Press she last spoke to him before he flew to Dubai last week but she did not know the exact nature of his trip.

Mr Rusesabagina, was shown to the press in Rwanda's capital, Kigali, on Monday by police wearing handcuffs and a face mask

Rusesabagina is pictured being escorted by officers of the Rwanda Investigation Bureau yesterday while in handcuffs

Pictured: Anaise Kanimba, the daughter of Paul Rusesabagina , who has been arrested on terror charges and is in custody in Rwanda

She did not provide evidence to support her claim that he had been kidnapped.

Ms Kanimba said his family was informed early on Monday that he was being held in Rwanda but they have not been able to speak to him.

They are worried the 66-year-old may not be getting his hypertension medication.

Rusesabagina is a Belgian citizen and a permanent resident of the United States.

Ms Kanimba said: 'We're hoping to secure his release quickly and safely.'

She said her father has long been a target because of his criticism of the Rwandan government.

'What they're accusing him of is all made up,' she said.

'There is no evidence to what they're claiming ... We know this is a wrongful arrest.'

It was not clear when Rusesabagina would appear in court or what evidence Rwandan authorities have to support their charges.

Police said Rusesabagina is 'suspected to be the founder, leader, sponsor and member of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits including the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD) operating out of various places in the region and abroad'.

The MRCD in a statement on Monday condemned the arrest of Rusesabagina, which it identified as one of its leaders.

It describes itself as a political platform.

Interpol did not immediately respond to questions from the AP.

In the 2004 film 'Hotel Rwanda', Mr Rusesabagina used his influence as a manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines, to shelter more than 1,200 Tutsis in the hotel's rooms

A hero who saved 1,200 lives during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and was played by Don Cheadle in the film Hotel Rwanda is arrested on terror charges

Police and authorities in Dubai, a city-state in the United Arab Emirates, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, Rwandan President Paul Kagame maintains a close relationship with Dubai, turning up often to the World Government Summit it hosts and other events in which moderators largely avoid discussing his government's targeting of dissidents.

The state-owned RwandAir has direct flights between Dubai and Kigali.

While experts believe Dubai is among the most surveillance heavy cities in the world, state organised kidnappings have happened there.

Most recently, the family of an Iranian leader of a militant dissident group says Iran kidnapped him from a Dubai airport hotel just weeks ago and brought him back to Tehran to face charges that carry the death penalty.

In Belgium, authorities had no information about the circumstances of Rusesabagina's arrest and said they were not involved.

In Washington, the State Department said that 'we are aware of the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina, and we are monitoring the situation. We refer you to the Rwandan government for additional information'.

Rwanda's government has in the past been accused of hunting down dissidents overseas.

South African investigators have said the government was directly involved in the killing of Colonel Patrick Karegeya, an outspoken critic, in Johannesburg in 2014.

'Any person still alive who may be plotting against Rwanda, whoever they are, will pay the price,' Mr Kagame said after the killing.

Rusesabagina has previously denied the Rwandan government's charges that he financially supports Rwandan rebels.

He has called Mr Kagame's government a dictatorship and urged Western countries to press the government to respect human rights.

Government supporters reject Rusesabagina's criticism, saying Mr Kagame's leadership supports democracy and economic growth.

Rusesabagina has won numerous international honours including the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom, which president George W Bush awarded him in 2005, and the Lantos Human Rights Prize in 2011.

'I believe it is a travesty that a human rights champion like Paul Rusesabagina should be captured, detained and held in the way he is being held,' said Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.

'This should raise a lot of deep concern and scepticism on behalf of a lot of people.'

The 2004 Oscar-nominated film Hotel Rwanda showed Rusesabagina, a Hutu married to a Tutsi, as using his influence as a manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines to allow more than 1,200 Tutsis to shelter in the hotel's rooms.

But the Rwandan government disputes Rusesabagina's story about saving people during the genocide, in which more than 800,000 Tutsi and Hutus who tried to protect them were killed by Hutus.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : While Delhi's healthcare is overwhelmed with tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, another epidemic of vector-borne diseases are knocking at its door. A whopping rise of 24 per cent in Dengue, Malaria, and Chikungunya cases were recorded in the last one week.

With 69 new Dengue, Malaria and Chikungunya cases reported in the last week, the totally tally has gone up to 277 this year.

The latest report reveals 24 fresh cases of Dengue, 38 cases of Malaria, and 7 cases of Chikungunya were reported in Delhi between August 23 to 29. While the total incidents of Dengue have reached 105 this year, 128 people have been infected with Malaria, and the tally for Chikungunya is 44 till August 29.

The corporations stated that they reported incidents of mosquito-breeding at 44,259 households and served 35,103 legal notices to the violators. Meanwhile, 1,512 prosecutions were launched against the violations.

"Mosquito-breeding has been reported in at least 44,259 households, and 35,103 legal notices have been issued this year. The Dengue breeding checkers have checked 12,666,665 houses and also issued challans to 1,512 numbers of office and residential premises," mentioned the latest report by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), which publishes infection data from all municipal corporations of Delhi.

The report also reveals that the major prevalence of vector-borne diseases was reported from the areas under the jurisdiction of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). The corporation recorded 56 per cent cases of Dengue and 57 per cent of Chikungunya cases from the total. In numbers, it reported 59 out of 105 cases of Dengue, and 25 out of 44 cases of Chikungunya.

The officials claimed that the situation is under control. "We have comparatively less cases from last year. Also, we have roped traders' associations and RWAs to spot and cover the uncovered drains. The cleaning of drains is also done regularly," a senior official claimed.

While the corporations claimed that everything is hunky-dory, the resident welfare associations contradicted their claim. Atul Goel, president of United Residents Joint Action (URJA), an apex body of over 2,500 RWAs in Delhi, said that sanitization, door to door checking, and removal of stagnant water in low lying areas are not being done "There is very little work happening on the ground. What we frequently see is fogging by the corporation workers. While it kills the mosquitoes, the major source of their breeding, which is stagnant water in potholes and waterlogging-prone areas, is still not worked by the corporations," he complained.

IANS contacted municipal commissioners of all three corporations, but they remained incommunicado.

The doctors said that people need to stay more cautious as the combination of vector-borne diseases with COVID-19 can be catastrophic. "As we are grappling with COVID-19 pandemic, we should not let our guard down against our regular enemies- in the form of mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya & malaria prevalent during this season, as the combination of either of them with COVID-19 can be catastrophic. Regular measures for preventing mosquito breeding, using repellents, and full sleeves clothes to ward off Malaria or Dengue must always be kept in mind. Lastly, all the fevers during this pandemic are not because of COVID-19 alone. So one should seek health advice from experts rather than self-medication," said Dr. Manoj Sharma, Senior Consultant, Medicine and Incharge at Medeor Hospital in Delhi.

Besides, the Delhi government has planned to launch a mega Dengue prevention awareness campaign from this month. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced during his address on 'Independence Day' that the government would launch a mega Dengue prevention awareness campaign from next month to combat vector-borne diseases.
We should still be thinking about picnics and paddling pools, not conkers and bonfires. But yesterday's weather felt more like autumn than summer.

England saw the coldest start to an August Bank Holiday Monday in nearly 40 years, with most places struggling to reach temperatures in the high teens despite widespread sunshine.

And as the unseasonal chill settles over the country, there's another dark cloud on the horizon: forecasters have already given names to a crop of autumn storms set to hit the UK  and one of them is called Gavin.

Luckily, Storm Gavin is yet to make an appearance in the UK  but the gale-force furore surrounding Mr Williamson (pictured) still rages as he continues to face calls to resign

Britons could be forgiven for thinking they had already faced enough havoc caused by somebody with that name after the exams chaos wreaked by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.

Luckily, Storm Gavin is yet to make an appearance in the UK  but the gale-force furore surrounding Mr Williamson still rages as he continues to face calls to resign.

Other storm names, picked by the Met Office and the Irish and Dutch equivalents from the public's suggestions, include Evert  a popular Dutch name  the ancient Irish name Saidhbhin, pronounced Sigh-veen.

A more immediate prospect is the remnants of Hurricane Laura (pictured) set to hit British shores tomorrow after leaving a trail of devastation through the southern US

An Austen-sounding Darcy is also on the list  although in this case it's the girl's name rather than the Pride and Prejudice character.

Storms are allocated names in alphabetical order, meaning the first of the autumn will be Aiden, followed by Bella and Christoph with Gavin in seventh place.

THE NAMES TO WATCH OUT FOR Aiden Bella Christoph Darcy Evert Fleur Gavin Heulwen ('Hail-wen') Iain Julia Klaas Lilah Minne ('Min') Naia ('N-eye-a') Oscar Phoebe Ravi Saidhbhin ('Sigh-veen') Tobias Veronica Advertisement

A more immediate prospect is the remnants of Hurricane Laura, set to hit British shores tomorrow after leaving a trail of devastation through the southern US.

It will bring with it gale-force winds and heavy rain, though temperatures will nudge upwards.

Many wondered where summer had got to yesterday, when Ravensworth, North Yorkshire, saw a low of just 0.6C (33F)  a stark difference to last year's record-breaking highs of 33C (91F) and the coldest start to an August Bank Holiday Monday since 0.2C (32.5F) was recorded in Kielder Castle in Northumberland in 1983.

A Met Office spokesman said: 'While it's not been anything like as warm as last August Bank Holiday, for most of us temperatures have only been a couple of degrees cooler than we would expect for this time of year, so it's felt very pleasant in the sunshine.'

Today will see the largely dry, sunny weather continue, while sunshine and showers will return in the wake of Hurricane Laura.

High pressure next weekend is expected to bring drier, brighter conditions. Confusingly, not all storms are necessarily named from the Met Office's list as they may arrive with monikers from other weather units.

For example last September's Storm Lorenzo retained the name it was given by the US National Hurricane Center, while Storm Jorge in March was named by Spanish forecasters.
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The 'Global Chlorosulfuric Acid (Chlorosulfonic Acid, CAS 7790-94-5) Market Outlook 2019-2024' offers detailed coverage of chlorosulfuric acid industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading chlorosulfuric acid producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for chlorosulfuric acid. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography.

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Key Questions Answered in This Report

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Dublin, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "South Korea Telecoms Industry Report - 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



This report provides analyses of revenue and market forecasts as well as statistics of the South Korea telecoms industry including market sizing, 5-year forecasts, market insights, key telecom trends and 5G.



It also features the following:

Overall Telecommunications Market by Major Operators

Telco Operators Profile, Revenue and EBITDA Mix

Mobile Subscribers & Revenue Market Overview and Forecasts

Spectrum Holdings

IoT Market Overview

Broadband Subscribers & Revenue Market Overview and Forecasts

National Broadband Network Detailed Market Overview and Forecasts

Thematics / Opportunities relating to 5G, M&A and e-Commerce

Telecoms Infrastructure Review

Telco M&A Transaction Database

Reasons to Buy

Benefit from the latest market opportunities

Understand the threats to your operations and investments and protect your company against future risks

Gain insights on emerging trends supporting, enhancing or disrupting your activities in the market

Get a full view of the competitive landscape to assess your market position.

Forecasts as a key input for successful budgeting and strategic business planning in the telecoms market

Target business opportunities and risks in the telecoms sector through our reviews of latest industry trends, regulatory changes and major deals, projects and investments

Assess the activities, strategy and market position of your competitors, partners and clients via our Operators Profiles

The report includes a comprehensive review of the South Korean market dynamics, market sizing, market forecasts, analysis, insights and key trends.

South Korea Telecoms Industry Report at a Glance



Globally, the telecommunications sector is proving to be a core and essential infrastructure service to national economies, with data infrastructure becoming critical in a connected world and will likely increasingly attract a new class of investors such as large infrastructure funds. The publisher expects the South Korean telecommunications industry to remain steady thanks to the defensiveness nature of the industry, amid the political uncertainties and an uncertain economic outlook due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



The South Korean telecommunications market is the third-largest market in the world by revenue with three large fixed and mobile network operators that invested heavily in towers and fibre infrastructure over the past two decades despite an overall market underpinned by low economic and population growth.



To support the government's Korean New Deal (K-New Deal) objectives, the three operators agreed to invest a combined US$2.1 billion in the period to 2022, initially rolling out 5G in the capital, Seoul, and six other metropolitan areas, before moving on to extending coverage nationwide.



Growing mobile phone penetration and high fixed broadband take-up among households will fuel future growth over the next five years.



Following the market expansion over the last 5 years, the publisher forecasts subdued revenue growth growing to 2025, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the diminishing impact of declining legacy voice and SMS revenue and low population growth.



Overall revenue share shifted to LG Uplus at the expense of SK Telecom over the 2014-2019 period, while KT remaining stable. IThe publisher forecasts market growth will pick up in 2021 and start tapering off by the end of our forecast with South Korea's expected population decline starting to impact our forecast. South Korea exhibits a well-performing, well-funded three-player market with a low level of debts, rational pricing with the quasi status-quo likely to remain no new mobile entrant expected during the 2020-25 forecast period.



The strategic and economic competition between South Korea and China is at the centre of advanced technology competition and the future of global data and communications. For most developed countries in the region, gaining strategic and economic power depends heavily on having technological ascendancy, especially in data and communications.



Capex Investments



The Capex from South Korean operators is cyclical with mobile rollout leading to investments in line with the operators' top-line growth. Capex investments peaked between 2012 and 2014 while all three operators built their respective 4G mobile network. Capex investments increased again in 2019 and will continue through to 2025, as mobile operators invest in 5G. South Korea sees 5G as the backbone of a wide range of technological advances including autonomous vehicles, smart cities and Internet of Things. All three mobile operators launched 5G services in 2019 and as of April 2020, over 10% of mobile users are already using 5G. The Capex to GDP ratio spiked between 2012 and 2014 and started to slide downwards and growing from 2019 onwards.



The publisher projects an increase in Capex spend throughout 2020 alone by installing more 5G base stations across all cities, ramping up South Korea's 5G rollout nationwide and consolidating its 5G network leadership in terms of subscribers and availability in the country.



Operator Profiles



The South Korean three-player mobile market is a remarkably stable market, however with mobile revenue pressure, all operators are broadening their range of services from e-commerce (SK Telecom), smart home (LG Uplus) to real estate (KT) and digital payments.



Between 2014 and 2019, both SK Telecom lost revenue and EBITDA share to LG Uplus over the last six years, KT heals its revenue share steady but managed to take share from the telecom market EBITDA pool.



Mobile Subscribers and Revenue



Average annual mobile revenue growth was lower (-.04%) than mobile service subscriptions growth (3.9%) during the period 2014-2019, highlighting the structural challenges faced by mobile operators. Declining voice & SMS revenue only partially offset by wireless data monetisation is putting pressure on ARPU, compounded by bundling discounts to stem churn.



IoT connections is a major growth driver for mobile operators, a slowdown in mobile subscriptions growth will put long term pressure, dialling up competition for the three mobile operators fighting for fewer new customers.



According to our benchmark study of mobile data pricing, South Korea had among the biggest cost reduction per GB over the last 3 years, while India has the lowest rate in the world with just a few cents per GB.



The South Korean mobile market rapidly transformed from a voice and SMS to a mobile Internet-dominated market. With a continued drive to convert smartphones users to digital shoppers and therefore increasing mobile operators' consumers share of wallet. Mobile operators are increasing market segmentation and deliver innovative offerings targeting households with digital services such as music, video streaming, digital payments and bundles of other services such as home automation, IPTV and fixed broadband.



Broadband Subscribers - FTTH Push to Gigabit Speeds



After over 20 years of investments in fibre infrastructure, South Korea boasts one of the highest FTTH penetration in the world as well as one of the most advanced, consumer broadband products offering speeds up to 10Gbps. Most people use above 100Mbps packages which are mostly bundled with mobile services by the three dominant players, KT, SK Telecom and LG Uplus.



Fixed broadband penetration is forecasted to grow modestly as South Korea's investments in full-fibre networks are now reaching maturity with affordable packages and increased broadband household penetration growing towards saturation.



Thematics - Telecoms Infrastructure / 5G / M&A / Infrastructure



Infrastructure funds, pension funds and government funds are assigning high valuation multiples to telecommunications infrastructure assets such as mobile towers, data centres, submarine cable and fibre infrastructure.



Investment funds are assigning high valuation multiples to telecommunications infrastructure assets such as mobile towers, data centres, submarine cable and fibre infrastructure. This report outlines some real market examples of how investors view and value these investments with real industry examples and EV/EBITDA comparatives and benchmarks.



Our South Korea Telecoms Industry Report transactions database analysis highlights the dearth of inbound (domestic) transactions in the South Korea telecommunications services market, with the largest transactions from SK Telcom and LG Uplus bulking up their fixed broadband and IPTV business units and consolidating their position by acquiring smaller operators. Most other transactions are expected in the data centre, IoT and cloud computing sector with SK Telcom and LG Uplus investing in e-Commerce and enterprise services.



The arrival of 4G moved the Internet off our desktops into our palms and pockets, 5G could transform the network from something we carry around to something taking us around either virtually (augmented reality or virtual reality) or in reality (autonomous vehicles), the 5G outcome and benefits beyond fast connectivity remain largely unknown in terms of business models, investments required and timeline.

Story continues

Key Topics Covered



1 Key Statistics

1.1 South Korea Population

1.2 South Korea Households

1.3 South Korea's GDP



2 COVID-19 Impact



3 Overall Telecommunications Market, 2014-2025

3.1 Market Overview

3.2 South Korea's Race to Lead in 5G and Beyond

3.3 Historical Telecommunications Market Revenue, 2014-2019

3.4 Overall Telecommunications Market Forecast, 2018-2025

3.5 Telecommunications Market Capital Expenditure, 2014-2025

3.5.1 Historical Telecommunications Capex Spend, 2014-2019

3.5.2 Capex to Revenue Country Benchmark

3.5.3 Capex to GDP Benchmark

3.5.4 Telecommunications Capex Spend Forecast, 2019-2025



4 Telecommunications Operators Profile

4.1 SK Telecom Profile

4.1.1 SK Telecom Revenue and EBITDA Mix

4.2 KT Profile

4.2.1 KT Revenue and EBITDA Mix

4.3 LG Uplus Profile

4.3.1 LG Uplus Corporation Revenue and EBITDA Mix



5 Mobile Market

5.1 Mobile Subscribers Historical and Forecast, 2014-2025

5.1.1 Mobile Subscribers Historical, 2014-2019

5.1.2 Mobile Subscribers Market Share, 2014-2019

5.1.3 South Korea Smartphone Share, 2019

5.1.4 South Korea Mobile Subscribers Forecast, 2019-2025

5.2 Mobile Revenue Historical and Forecast, 2014-2025

5.2.1 Historical South Korea Mobile Service Revenue, 2014-2019

5.2.2 Mobile Service Revenue Forecast, 2018-2025

5.2.3 Mobile Subscribers ARPU, 2014-2019

5.3 Spectrum Holdings

5.3.1 Spectrum Pricing and Regulation

5.3.2 5G Development and Launches

5.3.3 Mobile Frequencies Portfolios Analysis

5.3.1 Spectrum Depth Benchmark by Country

5.4 Mobile Download Data and Pricing Trends

5.5 Mobile Speed Tests

5.5.1 Ookla Mobile Speed Tests

5.5.2 OpenSignal

5.6 Internet of Things (IoT)



6 Broadband Market

6.1 Fixed Broadband Subscribers Historical, 2014-2019

6.2 Fixed Broadband Subscribers Forecast, 2018-2025



7 Telecommunications Infrastructure Investments

7.1 The Success of Korea ICT Policies

7.1.1 Government ICT Plans

7.1.2 Submarine Cables

7.2 Mobile Tower Infrastructure Landscape

7.2.1 Getting Ready for 5G

7.2.2 Tower Density Benchmark

7.3 Telco Infrastructure Comparative



8 Thematics / Opportunities

8.1 Increasing Scale - Consolidation

8.2 Growing Scope - Cross-Industry

8.2.1 e-Commerce

8.2.2 Content and IPTV

8.3 New Telecoms Operating Model

8.3.1 The Attraction of Infrastructure Multiples

8.4 5G Developments

8.4.1 5G Overview

8.4.2 5G - Relative Capex Investments and Frequency Range

8.4.3 5G OpenRAN

8.4.4 Beyond 5G



9 Telco M&A Transaction Database

Companies Mentioned



CMB

Dreamline

D'Live

Hyundai CNS

KT

LG Uplus

SK Telecom

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qvpc8d

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Multimillion Pound Prize for First Carbon Free Commercial Flight across the Atlantic

LONDON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sustainability expert Carbon Footprint Ltd carbonfootprint.com has launched the world's first Freedom Flight Prize freedomflightprize.org. The competition is open to manufacturers, research/academic groups and inventors to design and fly a 100+ seater passenger aircraft powered by 100% renewable energy. The plane must complete a return trip from London to New York; each leg of the trip in under 10 hours and must finish the return leg within 24 hours of starting out on the round trip. The first to complete this historic flight will win the Freedom Flight Prize, which is expected to be in the millions by the time the prize is won.

The Freedom Flight Prize gives anyone the opportunity to support and encourage this historic venture freedomflightprize.org/sponsors. Businesses, organisations, philanthropists and the general public are being urged to get involved and support the legacy-forming project through different promotion, sponsorship and donation opportunities.

Said John Buckley, MD of Carbon Footprint Ltd, Aerospace Engineer and founder of the Freedom Flight Prize, "This is the revolution that I have been waiting my whole career for - the Freedom Flight Prize puts 100% renewable flights right in the spotlight in order to address the climate emergency we face. The Prize does not accept the compromise that long haul travel produces a high carbon footprint - in fact it recognises that the technologies to power flights solely on sustainable renewable energy are available. We anticipate that the Freedom Flight Prize will propel the travel industry to deliver on the needs of the people and the planet."

About Freedom Flight Prize:

Freedom Flight Prize awards and recognises the 1st truly renewable energy powered 100+ seater return flight across the Atlantic. The Prize was conceived and is being led by Carbon Footprint Ltd, the climate change solution business carbonfootprint.com.

Press Information:

Sharon Corrigan

Westmount360 Ltd

scorrigan@westmount360.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 22:35:44|Editor: huaxia

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TASHKENT, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan has reopened its border with neighboring Kyrgyzstan and will further ease COVID-19 lockdown measures starting from Sept. 5, the country's coronavirus commission announced Tuesday.

In addition, theaters, cinema halls, restaurants and cafes can reopen from Sept. 5 with strict sanitary rules, the commission said, adding that weddings and other family ceremonies can only be held at home with no more than 30 guests.

A ban on mass gatherings, beauty salons and nightclubs will remain in place.

The central Asian nation previously said it would reopen schools beginning mid-September, with variations based on the regional coronavirus threat level.

Uzbekistan has so far registered 42,127 COVID-19 cases, with 323 deaths and 39,538 recoveries. Enditem
ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions have begun their march toward the new roster limit by cutting receiver Geremy Davis. That leaves the roster at 78 players, not including defensive lineman Austin Bryant (PUP).

They have until 4 p.m. Saturday to make their way to the 53-man limit for the regular season.

Davis signed with Detroit this offseason, ending a four-year run with the Chargers. He is a big receiver, at 6-foot-3, and made some nice plays in camp. But there might not be a deeper group of wideouts in the league, and he always faced long odds of cracking a rotation that returns Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola in the starting lineup.

Marvin Hall, who averaged 37 yards per catch off the bench last year, looks even better too. Detroit has also moved All-Pro return man Jamal Agnew to the position, plus drafted Quintez Cephus in the fifth round, and Cephus just might have been Detroits best rookie in training camp.

I think weve given ourselves an opportunity with some depth there, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said this week. I like the way the competition is shaping up, I think theres a good nucleus of (reserves) with Marvin Hall, with Agnew, with Vic Bolden. Those guys, with Cephus as well, those guys have really done a nice job. Weve moved some of them around, weve given them some opportunities, weve tried to give them some chances to make plays, and at different moments, guys have shown up.

I think its shaking out. At the end, were going to be really comfortable with the guys we end up going with on the roster.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 14:04:54|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security forces on Monday killed a commander of a banned organization in southwestern Balochistan province, local media reported on Tuesday.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police and security forces conducted a joint operation on a tip-off about the presence of the commander in Mastung district of Balochistan, the reports said, quoting a spokesman for the CTD.

The militant was believed to be the mastermind of a deadly terrorist attack in Mastung in 2018, which had claimed nearly 150 lives.

The CTD spokesman said the commander had opened fire on the raiding party and was killed when the forces returned fire. He said arms and explosives were also recovered from the area where the militant was hiding.

On Friday, a senior police officer said that the police in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province had arrested three Islamic State militants and recovered weapons from their custody. Enditem
(Natural News) A speaker at a Black Lives Matter rally in Washington, D.C exploded into a violent rant when he spoke on a megaphone to a mob of protestors and rioters.

(Article by Richard Moorhead republished from BigLeaguePolitics.com)

The New York man, who is yet to be identified, made it clear he not only endorses violence but is enthusiastic about its use in pursuit of his political agenda.

Domestic terrorists are now threatening the White House and police lives pic.twitter.com/DC7DWtXc7T  Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) August 30, 2020

Im at the point where Im ready to put these police in the f****** grave. Im at the point where Im ready to burn the White House down At the end of the day, if they [Congress] wont hear us, we burn them the f*** down! The same way I f*** police up in New York I f*** cops up in here in DC. The same way I bust police head in New York, I bust police head in DC!

The agitator went on to demand that his fellow rioters fight against the authorities and police.

When the police push up, you push back! If the racist, nasty ass, punk ass push up, you push the f*** up!

The man was speaking to a mob of protestors who had congregated at D.C.s recently named Black Lives Matter plaza. Black Lives Matter mobs went on to attack helicopter pilots with high-intensity lasers, demonstrating the commitment to violence the thug speaking had demanded of them. Such criminal conduct couldve led to a crash of the aircraft and a true mass casualty event.

I have on good account that Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters shined blinding lasers at MPDC helicopter pilots in Washington DC tonight. Stay safe out there, officers.  Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 30, 2020

You lose any claim to be even a nominally patriotic and moral American the second you call to burn the White House down to advance your own ethnic agenda. These criminals should be arrested.

Read more at: BigLeaguePolitics.com
A 53-year-old man has been found dead on the roof of a vet surgery in Redland City, south-east of Brisbane.

Emergency services were called to the business on Old Cleveland Road in Capalaba about 5.30pm on Tuesday in response to the workplace incident.

FILE IMAGE: Workplace Health & Safety Queensland is leading the inquiry and will prepare a report for the coroner. Credit:Tamara Voninski

It is believed the victim was a professional tradesman. Police and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland investigators suspect he was electrocuted.

A WHSQ inspector started an investigation on Tuesday and was expected to return to the scene on Wednesday, with a report to be prepared for the coroner.
The federal agency embroiled in a lawsuit over the Dakota Access Pipeline is evaluating whether to continue allowing the line to pump oil following a court order revoking a key permit, and it plans to begin a lengthy environmental review this week.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicated its plans in a court filing Monday. Because U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg revoked the pipelines easement in a July ruling, the pipeline is now considered an encroachment on federal property managed by the Corps, the agency wrote in a status report.

While the Corps weighs its options, its allowing Energy Transfer to continue operating the pipeline under the terms of that easement. The easement allows the line to cross under the Missouri River just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

The Corps general policy is to require removal of encroachments, but it can make exceptions, the agency said. The two most plausible options involve removing the pipeline or giving it permission to continue using the property through a method such as granting a new easement.

The Corps acknowledged that the latter option would be subject to the National Environmental Policy Act, which is at the heart of the lawsuit filed by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other tribes over the pipeline. The agencys procedures state that complying with that law might require an Environmental Impact Statement, which is the lengthy environmental review it plans to begin this week after Boasberg ordered it earlier this year.

Theres something truly upside down about the situation were in, said Jan Hasselman, an attorney representing Standing Rock.

Issuing a new easement after the first was found to be in violation of the law doesnt make any sense, he said.

The Corps indicated it might make a decision within 60 days, or it could decline to act. Its seeking input from other federal agencies, including the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Department of Energy.

The tribes would challenge a decision that allows the pipeline to continue operating, Hasselman said. They could pursue the matter through the courts or through the Corps, again, if former Vice President Joe Biden wins the presidential election. The Democrat has not publicly indicated his stance on the pipeline, but his pick for vice president, California Sen. Kamala Harris, signed onto a legal brief earlier this year backing the tribes effort to shut down the line.

The Corps said Monday that it plans to finalize a notice of its intent to prepare an EIS, the environmental review, by the end of the week. The EIS process is expected to take at least 13 months.

In ordering the study, Boasberg concluded that too many questions remain unanswered after the Corps' effort to address lingering concerns raised by the tribes following a previous, shorter environmental analysis. Standing Rock tribal members are concerned about the risk the pipeline poses to its water supply should an oil leak occur at its Missouri River crossing.

While the Corps begins the EIS and considers its easement options, its also fighting both those steps before a higher court.

In separate court filings last week, both the Corps and Energy Transfer asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to reverse Boasbergs rulings requiring an EIS and revoking the easement during the review process.

After extensive oil spill modeling, the Corps found that the risk of an oil spill is low and that its effects would be limited because the pipeline was built with many safety features and is buried 92 feet below the Missouri River. Its actions do not require the preparation of a more thorough EIS, the agency said.

The Corps also said its actions should not have been considered highly controversial simply because of consistent and strenuous opposition by the tribes.

This was the error: the law requires the court to review the Corps reasoned analysis, not merely whether opposition exists, the agency said.

The tribes are expected to file a response with the court in mid-September.

The case reached the appeals court this summer following Boasberg's July order revoking the easement. He also ordered Energy Transfer to shut down the line and empty it of oil within a month, but a panel of appeals judges rejected that part of the ruling, saying that the lower court "did not make the findings necessary for injunctive relief."

Meanwhile, the parties have been in communication after Boasberg in early August ordered them to discuss mitigation measures that could lessen the likelihood and severity of any oil leak at the Missouri River.

Energy Transfer, in a letter to the tribes, reiterated safety measures in place already and said it is willing to discuss other steps with the tribes if they have suggestions.

The tribes responded, saying that the only way to ensure the safety of the pipeline is to shut it down pending a full environmental review. They added that additional technical information is needed to have any meaningful discussion about further safety measures.

The tribes are requesting a number of documents containing that information, such as an environmental inspection report, a spill model for the lines Missouri River crossing, and the companys safety and spill response policies. The tribes have unsuccessfully requested some of that information in previous pipeline proceedings.

Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com.

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Kushner reached UAE on Monday on an El Al plane, the first-ever commercial flight between Israel and the Gulf state.

President Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and other US officials have visited a major US airbase in the United Arab Emirates.

Kushner on Tuesday also spoke to Emirati pilots on the tarmac, near the advanced F-35 fighter jets the UAE hopes to buy from the US as it normalises relations with Israel.

His visit to al-Dhafra airbase came just before the El Al flight that had brought the US-Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi was set to return.

The US delegation arrived in the UAE on Monday in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight between Israel and the Gulf state.

The flight followed an agreement brokered by the Trump administration last month that saw the two countries establish diplomatic relations.

While at the base near Abu Dhabi, Kushner and US National Security Advisor Robert OBrien met Emirati Major-General Falah al-Qahtani, a top defence official.

The reputation of the Emirati armed forces has gone worldwide, OBrien said. It is one of the most capable forces in the world and we are proud to partner with you and serve side by side with you.

Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat, US presidents senior adviser Jared Kushner and UAEs National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan meet in Abu Dhabi [Ministry of Presidential Affairs/WAM/Reuters]

OBrien added that the US expected a significant security aspect in the Israel-UAE normalisation, without elaborating. Journalists also toured a joint command centre run by both the US and the UAE at the site.

Kusher, not wearing a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic, shook hands with the US and Emirati pilots gathered for the event. He also left a written message at the base.

May the relationship with America continue to grow and together, through strength, will benefit as we bring more peace and prosperity to the Middle East and beyond! he wrote.

The journalists visit to Al-Dhafra indicates a change in the relationship between the two countries as the UAE has become more willing to acknowledge the US presence in a country that hosts some 5,000 US troops.

Despite long cooperation, the US military for years had only vaguely referred to al-Dhafra as a base in southwest Asia.

The US established defence deals with the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, amid the 1991 Gulf War.

Emirati special forces were deployed to Afghanistan after the 2001 US-led invasion that followed the September 11 attacks.

Dubais Jebel Ali port is also the US Navys busiest overseas port of call.





Al-Dhafra has hosted the F-35 for years, as well as surveillance aircraft, armed drones and refuelling planes.

The US delegations visit to the base during this tour suggests the F-35 sale remains a key part of the deal.

The UAE has touted the normalisation deal as having included an agreement by Israel to suspend its contentious plan to annex parts of the West Bank sought by the Palestinians for their future state.

It may also help the UAE acquire advanced US weapons systems that have been previously unattainable, such as the F-35 fighter jet.

Currently, Israel is the only country in the region with the stealth warplanes.

The Palestinians, however, have fiercely opposed the normalisation as peeling away one of their few advantages in talks with Israel.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 23:26:44|Editor: huaxia

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DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least five people have been killed after a saloon car collided head-on with a bus in Kishapu district in Tanzania's northwestern region of Shinyanga, police said on Friday.

Deborah Magiligimba, Shinyanga regional police commander, said the two vehicles collided along the Shinyanga-Mwanza highway on Thursday at about 3 p.m. after the salon car lost control.

Magiligimba told a news conference that all the victims who were males, including the driver of the salon car, died on the spot.

On Aug. 21, eight people, including a one-year-old baby, were killed and 27 others were injured after a bus overturned on a steep slope in Tanzania's northwestern region of Kagera. Enditem
A federal judge is moving forward with Michael Flynn's criminal case after an appeals court rejected the effort from President Donald Trump's former national security advisor to have the case quickly dismissed.

Judge Emmet Sullivan on Tuesday ordered lawyers for Flynn, the Department of Justice and a court-appointed lawyer to file a joint status report later this month outlining their suggestions for the next steps.

Those steps must include a proposal for holding oral arguments on the Justice Department's request to drop its prosecution of Flynn, who pleaded guilty in 2017 of lying to FBI agents before seeking to withdraw that plea early this year.

The judge's order in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., came a day after a federal appeals court overwhelmingly rejected Flynn's bid to force Sullivan to quickly grant the DOJ's request to dismiss its case.

The Justice Department in May had moved to drop the prosecution, following the release of previously undisclosed documents in the case that had also led Flynn's legal team to seek a withdrawal of his guilty plea.

But rather than grant the motion, Sullivan appointed retired federal Judge John Gleeson to make arguments against dismissal, and allowed outside parties to weigh in on the matter. Flynn's lawyers blasted that appointment  and Gleeson's argument that the DOJ committed a "gross abuse" of power in seeking to drop its case  and accused Sullivan of bias.

Before Sullivan had ruled on the bid to dismiss, Flynn's lawyers petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for a "writ of mandamus," which would force the lower-court judge to grant the motion to drop the case. The lawyers also asked the appeals court to assign any additional proceedings in Flynn's case to another judge.

Earlier this summer, a three-judge appeals panel ruled in Flynn's favor, saying the case had to be dismissed.

But Sullivan then asked that the entire lineup of judges on the appeals court rehear the case.

In an 8-2 ruling on Monday, that court found that none of the judge's actions came close to meeting the "very high standard" of "conduct . . . so extreme as to display clear inability to render fair judgment."

The decision also said Flynn had failed to show that he had a clear right to have a different judge handle his case.

On Tuesday, Sullivan ordered the parties to file the joint status report by Sept. 21. In addition to providing a plan for oral arguments, the parties must propose a schedule for the DOJ and Flynn to file briefs, as well as for a response to any briefs from outsiders, known as amicus curiae.
Prof. punished for not using trans pronouns slams assault on his free speech

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A Christian professor at a southern Ohio university who was punished for refusing to address a male student as female has opened up about why his plight is an affront to free speech.

In an essay published by The Daily Signal on Friday, Shawnee State University philosophy professor Nicholas Meriwether detailed the day when a male student approached him after class and told him that he identified as a female and that he expected to be addressed with feminine pronouns.

When the professor hesitated, the student threatened that he would make sure the professor lost his job.

"So far, that hasnt happened, but I do have a letter of discipline in my file now that says I treated this particular student differently than other students by referring to him by his given name rather than as 'Ms.' and 'she,'" Meriwether explained.

"Consequently, I found it necessary to file a grievance against the university for violating my First Amendment protections of speech and religious freedom. My objections to the students request were based on my own philosophical and religious convictions, which the university blithely ignored."

Meriwether went on to explain that he agreed to call the student by his given name instead of Mr. or Ms. Yet that was not sufficient in the eyes of the student or the university administrators that sided with him, the professor claims.

In response to the argument that some make that students should have the right to identify as male or female, Meriwether maintained that he, too, has the right not "to identify his student as something I do not believe he is.

Meriwether stated that that the university has no right to compel him to speak something he does not believe.

"[A]s a philosophy professor who regularly teaches ethics, I have a professional as well as a personal responsibility to honor the truth for what it is  not for what some of us might want it to be," Meriwether wrote.

"I am a Christian, and we, too, set particular stock by the truth. We also put a premium on compassion, which is why I would never deliberately mistreat the student in question by mocking his point of view, or making my class more difficult for him, or adjusting his grade based on how closely his views align with my own.

The professor said the student earned and received a high grade and that the two had no other difficult interactions.

Earlier this year, Meriwether appealed a federal court decision dismissing his lawsuit against the school.

He argued that the university unlawfully disciplined him after he refused to agree to speak in accordance with gender ideology and use the student's preferred pronouns.

Professors dont give up their First Amendment freedoms simply by choosing to teach, said Travis Barham, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing Meriwether, in a March statement.

Public universities have no business trying to force people to express ideological beliefs that they do not hold," the lawyer added. "Dr. Meriwether remains committed to serving all students with respect, but he cannot express all messages or endorse all ideologies. When the university tried to force him to do this and then punished him for exercising his rights, it violated the First Amendment.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz argued that speech by a government employee is only protected under the First Amendment if the speech was made as a citizen while addressing a matter of public concern.

A government employees speech is made as a citizen and is protected under the First Amendment only when the speech is not pursuant to [the employees] duties, the magistrate wrote last September.

In 2018, a high school French teacher in Virginia was fired for a similar reason. The teacher, Peter Vlaming, who is also represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, sued the West Point School Board.
KATIE GLUECK: I had this moment last fall where Id been with him for quite a long time in Iowa, and the speeches were a little low on energy. He is someone who tries so hard to connect with audiences, and for a variety of reasons it was not working for him there. And then I went with him to North Carolina. He was speaking to a crowd there, and he was a different candidate. He was so energetic. The crowd was responding to him, and it was a reminder that, depending on the environment, he absolutely can bring that energy.

Matt, you wrote about why this campaign worked for Biden  it was his third run for president over more than 30 years. Why was this the moment?

MATT FLEGENHEIMER: In 88, he ran on a personal integrity message, despite his relative youth. In 08, as the kind of elder statesman senator, he ran on experience and foreign policy knowledge. That didnt work, either.

In some ways hes marrying those two in this campaign. There is the steady-hand statesman who has seen it and done it and knows all the players. And theres this dominant frame around his own integrity, all the losses he has suffered, all the resiliency hes demonstrated.

Thats all for todays briefing. Looking forward to seeing you next time.  Natasha

Thank you

To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.

 Were listening to The Daily. Our latest episode features a Black police officer in Flint, Mich., talking about what it means to be part of the police force in his hometown.

 Heres our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Ace of clubs? (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.

 On Sept. 4, watch The New York Times Presents, our documentary series, as our reporters investigate what happened in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.
India at the UN has called for permanently removing the issue of Jammu and Kashmir under the outdated agenda item of the India-Pakistan question from the Security Councils agenda, saying such irrational exuberance" has no takers in a dignified world. In a veiled attack on Pakistan, India said that there is a delegation that repeatedly attempts to rebrand itself as contributing to international peace, but unfortunately fails to recognise that it is globally known for being the fountainhead of international terror and the hub for terror syndicates.

During a virtual informal meeting of the plenary on the annual report of the Security Council, Pakistans UN envoy Munir Akram had raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and said that the Security Council has also been found lacking in implementing its own resolutions and decisions on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He added that the Council has met thrice during the last one year to consider the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

India, without naming Pakistan, said in a statement on Monday that there is a delegation that repeatedly attempts to rebrand itself as contributing to international peace, but unfortunately fails to recognise that it is globally known for being the fountainhead of international terror and the hub for terror syndicates. This delegation keeps pushing for discussions on an outdated agenda item in the Council, which for all matter needs to be removed from the Councils agenda permanently. Such irrational exuberance has no takers in a dignified world, India said on the Report of the Security Council for 2019.

An August 3, 2020 summary statement by the Secretary-General of matters of which the Security Council is seized listed The India-Pakistan question among those items that have not been considered by the Council at a formal meeting during the period from January 1, 2017 to August 1, 2020. The agenda item India-Pakistan question was first taken up by the Council at a formal meeting on January 6, 1948 and was last considered on November 5, 1965.

Pakistan, backed by its all-weather ally China, has been repeatedly seeking to have a discussion on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the Security Council. The Council had held closed consultations on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir on August 16 last year after China asked for the closed consultations" to discuss the matter. That meeting had ended without any outcome.

In January this year, China, on behalf of Pakistan, had again made an attempt to raise the Kashmir issue under other matters" during closed consultations in the Security Council Consultations Room. Then too, China stood alone in the Pakistani corner to get the Security Council to focus on the Kashmir issue. Last month, as India marked the first anniversary of ending the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation into two union territories  Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Beijing again called for a discussion on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the Security Council under Any Other Business.

All these meetings ended without any outcome, as many other members of the Security Council have underlined that Jammu and Kashmir is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan. Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti had told.
Black people are losing hope and patience. If nothing changes, we may run out of time, Aug. 29

I agree with Royson James assessment on the current state of racial inequality in North America. When police commit violence against Black people, it is not the bad apple that is the problem. It is the system. A system that protects police officers no matter the offence. A system that is allowed to investigate itself. These offences should be investigated independently with civilian oversight. There is always an excuse to justify the brutal treatment of Black offenders. This has to stop. There is no justification for it to continue. Officers who commit these homicides and beatings need to treated in the same way the rest of society is treated when they commit these crimes. Charged, tried and sentenced.
The deadline for submitting applications in Cote d'Ivoire's October presidential election expires Monday at midnight, with 36 bids officially confirmed. Opponents have challenged the legality of President Alassane Ouattara's decision to run again.

With only two months to go before Ivorians head to the polls to choose their new president, the picture is far from clear about whether the incumbent leader Alassane Ouattara is eligible to run for a third term.

Technically, the constitution limits the president to two terms, but Ouattara and his supporters argue that a 2016 constitutional tweak reset the clock. His opponents beg to differ.

"Article 55 of the constitution is very clear," says Alexandre Didier, coordinator of the non-governmental organisation Tournons La Page or Let's Turn The Page.

"The President of the Republic is elected for a five year-term by direct universal suffrage. He can only be reelected once. That excludes a third mandate," he told RFI.

Constitutional ambiguity

The confusion emanates from each side's interpretation of the new constitution explains Alex Vines, director of the Africa programme at Chatham House.

"It's ambiguous, possibly deliberately so, so that it's open to interpretation," he told RFI on the line from London.

The new constitution retains the two-term limit, but says nothing regarding terms served prior to its adoption.

"Therefore depending on what political position you stand, you will interpret it in a particular direction. It's that ambiguity that is not helpful," Vines said.

For Didier, there is no ambiguity about it. He showed RFI a 2016 tweet posted during the constitutional reform, stipulating that the "new constitution would not break with the old constitution's two-term presidential limit." The tweet has since been removed.

The president's dithering over whether to run again has also not helped.

"It's clear that Mr. Ouattara has been thinking about whether he should or should not run again for a while," continues Vines, pointing to the immense pressure on the 78-year-old not to seek a third term, notably from France.

Ouattara, who has governed since 2011, said in March he would not stand for re-election on 31 October.

Tense climate

But his preferred successor, then-prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, died in July, leading the ruling Houphouetist Rally for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) party to ask Ouattara to reconsider.

"That has thrown things up in the air," comments Vines. "It is a worrying time for Cote d'Ivoire, there is a history, a tradition of electoral violence."

That history, which saw some 3,000 people killed following the 2010 election, is at risk of repeating itself.

"The climate is very, very tense," reckons Didier of Tournons La Page or Let's turn the page.

Talk of Ouattara's running again sparked clashes earlier this month in the town of Divo, about 200 kilometers northwest of the capital Abidjan, and in Bonoua, some 80 kilometers from the capital. Eight people were killed and more than 100 injured.

"There were reports of armed youths attacking civilians in conjunction with law enforcement officers," Didier told RFI from Abidjan.

Democracy shrinking

On Friday, Amnesty International issued a statement condemning the crackdown on protesters opposed to Ouattara's decision to run for a third term in office.

For Didier, it is a sign that democratic space in Cote d'Ivoire is shrinking.

"Today, there are people who have the right to demonstrate without being stopped by police and those who are barred. Everyone should be allowed to demonstrate freely."

Ouattara has defended his third term bid, which he says was provoked by an "act of God" after the sudden death of his successor.

Still, his efforts to stay in power have raised concerns that Cote d'Ivoire will go the way of other African countries in repeating a practice whereby presidents remain for life.

Constitutional Council under scrutiny

If unchallenged, Ouattara will square off against 35 other candidates on 31 October, including 86-year-old former President Henri Konan Bedie and 67-year-old former Premier Pascal Affi N'Guessa.

Election authorities rejected the candidacies of former President, Laurent Gbagbo, and ex-rebel leader Guillaume Soro, who helped bring Ouattara to power before falling foul of him.

Nonetheless, on Monday Gbagbo filed his application for presidency, months after being acquitted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

Gbagbo's refusal to cede power to Ouattara in 2010 triggered a post-electoral crisis that claimed 3,000 lives.

"The constitutional council played a role in that crisis from the moment it declared Gbagbo the winner," reckons Didier.

End bloodshed

For the NGO coordinator, institutions like the constitutional council must be strengthened to avoid a political vacuum. The body is yet to rule on whether Ouattara's third term bid is valid.

Opponents doubt the council's president, Mamadou Kone, who was handpicked by Ouattara, will rule against him.

That puts the onus squarely on Ouattara.

"We want the president to keep his word," insists Didier. "We want him to withdraw to avoid any further bloodshed."
By Jan Wolfe

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday, in a victory for the Trump administration, ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a Democratic-led House of Representatives panel seeking to enforce a subpoena issued to former White House Counsel Donald McGahn.

In a 2-1 decision that Democrats vowed to appeal, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the House Judiciary Committee's lawsuit had to be dismissed because Congress had never passed a law authorizing such litigation.

"Because the Committee lacks a cause of action to enforce its subpoena, this lawsuit must be dismissed," Circuit Judge Thomas Griffith wrote for the majority.

The committee had sought testimony from McGahn, who left his post in October 2018, about President Donald Trumps efforts to impede former Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation that documented Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

McGahn declined to testify before the committee after the Justice Department advised him to defy the subpoena. The Trump administration has sought to block congressional investigations into the president.

"We note that this decision does not preclude Congress (or one of its chambers) from ever enforcing a subpoena in federal court; it simply precludes it from doing so without first enacting a statute authorizing such a suit," Griffith added.

The ruling did not address an argument by the Trump administration that senior presidential advisers could not be forced to testify to Congress about official acts.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that the committee would ask a larger panel of D.C. Circuit judges to rehear arguments and reconsider the decision.

Pelosi said the ruling "threatens to strike a grave blow to one of the most fundamental Constitutional roles of the Congress: to conduct oversight on behalf of the American people, including by issuing our lawful and legitimate subpoenas."

Story continues

The lawsuit to force McGahn to testify has bounced around in the courts for a year.

On Aug. 7, a larger panel of D.C. Circuit judges ruled that the House panel had "standing" to sue, but sent the case back to a three-judge panel to address other issues.

Under U.S. law, standing is just one requirement for filing a lawsuit. A litigant must also point to a "cause of action," or recognized legal theory.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Additional reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Peter Cooney)
A ustralians could soon be blocked from sharing news stories on Facebook, the social media giant has threatened.

The company warned of a possible ban  which would include Instagram, its other major social network  if Australia goes ahead with a new law that would see Facebook and other Internet publishers pay news organisations for using their content.

Facebook said the sums it would be forced to pay under the new law would be arbitrary and theoretically unlimited.

Facebook's managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Will Easton, said that the company would have to choose between "either removing news entirely or accepting a system that lets publishers charge us for as much content as they want at a price with no clear limits.

Peter Da Silva/EPA

"No business can operate in this way," he added in a blog post.

Campbell Brown, Facebooks vice president of global news partnerships and a former news anchor at CNN and NBC, said the company's threat has nothing to do with our ongoing global commitment to journalism.

Google, which would also be affected by the proposed new law, sent out an open letter implying that the rule would threaten individual privacy and reduce the quality of search and YouTube  but did not threaten a cut-off.

John Stanton, co-founder of the Save Journalism Project, said: Mark Zuckerberg is happy to let Facebook be a tool to spread misinformation and fake news, but is apparently fine with Facebook dropping real news altogether.

Facebook has threatened to block Australian users from sharing news if the law goes ahead (file image) / Niall Carson/PA

Regulators need to reign in the tech giants total domination of the online marketplace before its too late.

As well as making publishers like Facebook and Google bargain with media companies for the right to publish their stories, the law would give Australian users access to more information about how their data is being used.

And Australian treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Facebook's threats would have no impact on the new law.

"Australia makes laws that advance our national interest," he said in a statement. "We don't respond to coercion or heavy handed threats wherever they come from.

"These reforms will help create a more sustainable media landscape and see payment for original content."
NEW DELHI: Many Indian states eased lockdown restrictions on Tuesday, allowing more businesses and public areas to reopen to reduce economic pain caused by the coronavirus, even as the countrys new daily infections remain the highest in the world and its confirmed cases near 3.7 million.

A day earlier, the government reported that the economy contracted by 23.9% in the April-June quarter, its worst performance in at least 24 years. Unemployment is soaring, with millions left jobless. Hoping to avoid more economic damage, India is gradually relaxing restrictions and has announced that urban metro trains can resume service next Monday.

India has been reporting the highest single-day caseload in the world for nearly three weeks. On Tuesday it recorded 69,921 new coronavirus infections. More than 65,000 people have died.

Experts say India, the worlds third most affected country, is fast becoming the new coronavirus epicenter and its case total is likely to soon pass Brazil and ultimately the United States.

Most of Indias cases are in western Maharashtra state and the four southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, but new surges are being recorded in the countrys vast hinterlands, overwhelming the poorly equipped healthcare system. In poorer states, the federal government has deployed special teams to monitor the situation.

This was to be expected, said Dr. Gagandeep Kang, an infectious diseases expert at the Christian Medical College at Vellore in southern India. It was inevitable that the numbers would climb.

Indian authorities have pointed to the recovery rate of virus patients in the country, now at more than 76%, as evidence of the success of its policy. India is also doing more tests nearly 100,000 per day but its testing rate at around 32,000 per million is still far lower than in the U.S.

Kang said insufficient data still hampers public health efforts.

A case becomes a case because you detected an infection. It doesnt actually tell you about the disease, said Kang. What we really need to be concerned about is the disease, whom is it affecting and how are we handling it.

Indias initial strategy in controlling the virus was an abrupt, risky gamble: the lockdown of its entire population of 1.4 billion people at the cost of hollowing out its economy.

It worked for some time. While other large countries struggled with the pandemic, Indias cases remained low, although testing was limited.

The general sense of a looming health crisis in March and April was largely missing. By May and June, cases began to gradually increase, with megacity Mumbai and the capital, New Delhi, faring the worst.

The virus has now spread even to remote areas such as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where members of a tribe tested positive last week.

Some government decisions to reopen the economy and society have met sharp criticism.

On Tuesday, India held competitive college exams despite demands from students that they be postponed because of the pandemic. Students and many opposition parties say they fear the exams will result in a surge in infections. The exams were earlier postponed twice.

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
In the run-up to the Assembly elections due next year, the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal is planning to hand over freehold land title deeds to over 20,000 people residing in 119 refugee colonies in the state. The state government is preparing a database and an initial list of 15,000 residents is ready, while another one of around 6,500 people is being made, a senior state government official said.

Most of the residents of the 119 refugee colonies are immigrants, and their descendants, from areas in present-day Bangladesh. Banerjee had announced a scheme in this regard in March, in a bid to counter the BJP's aggressive attempts to woo Hindu voters through the proposed implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The chief minister had distributed freehold land title deeds to the residents of 94 refugee colonies in March. She had announced similar measures for another 119 such colonies. Around 3,500 new beneficiaries are from Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas and Nadia districts of south Bengal, the official said.

A large number of beneficiaries are also from the north Bengal districts of Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur districts, he said. "A freehold land deed owner will not be able to sell his/her land for the first 10 years," the official said.

The entire survey was conducted by officials of the state Land and Land Reforms and Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Department amid the COVID-19 outbreak, he said. The decision was taken apparently to deny political benefits to the BJP, which was hoping to cash in on the CAA to woo the refugees, including members of the Matua community who had migrated to West Bengal from erstwhile East Pakistan, TMC sources said.

A section of the refugees in West Bengal are from the Scheduled Caste communities. Banerjee has been vehemently opposing both the NRC and the CAA.

Accusing the TMC of "protecting illegal immigrants from Bangladesh as they are the party's vote bank", BJP leaders have asserted that NRC will be implemented in the state. "The TMC is trying to fool the refugees. Under the CAA, citizenship would be granted so what is the meaning of this land deed? This is nothing but an attempt to mislead the people," BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha said.

A section of the people in the state had panicked following the publication of updated final NRC in BJP-ruled Assam on August 31 last year, which had left out 19.6 lakh people, of whom around 12 lakh are reportedly Hindus. At least 12 people had died by suicide in West Bengal allegedly due to fears over the proposed implementation of NRC in the state.

Millions of people had fled East Pakistan to seek shelter in West Bengal and the northeastern states during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. West Bengal has a huge refugee population in border districts such as North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Uttar Dinajpur, Coochbehar and Malda.

The refugees, who hold sway in many seats in these districts, are being wooed by all the political parties in the state.

.
Dr. Muge Cevik, an expert on infectious diseases and virology at the University of St. Andrews School of Medicine in Scotland, said that the outbreak was likely caused by a combination of factors: a long trip, a confined environment, a crowded bus and an individual who was probably extremely contagious because she was in the early stages of the infection.

There isnt really a dichotomy between aerosol and droplet transmission, Dr. Cevik said. There have to be multiple things happening at the same time for this type of high risk transmission to occur. This was the wrong place, the wrong time, the wrong person.

The studys authors, who are physicians with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, concluded that future efforts at prevention and control should consider the potential for airborne spread of Covid-19. The study was published previously online as a preprint.

The outing to the Buddhist temple was what scientists refer to as a natural experiment. It took place on Jan. 19, when there were still no confirmed Covid-19 cases reported in Ningbo. The circumstances conveniently allowed for a comparison between similar passengers on two different buses.

Some 300 people attended the temple ceremony, but only 128 made the 50-minute trip by bus. One bus carried 68 passengers, including the individual who was infected, while the second bus carried 60 people. None of the worshipers wore masks.

The paper in JAMA Internal Medicine does not describe the infected individual and says the person did not have symptoms until after returning from the temple. But a version of the study published in China says the individual was a 64-year-old woman and that she developed symptoms on Jan. 18, a day after dining with guests from Hubei and a day before going to the temple. She took medicine but did not see a doctor.

[Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.]

The Chinese paper says the index case was unwell the day before going to the temple, so she was probably very infectious, because we know that viral load is really high around the time of symptom onset, Dr. Cevik said.
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It may come as a surprise but breast milk not only contains fats, proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins but also various other elements which cannot be replicated. Some of these elements include white blood cells and immunoglobulin A that help in providing immunity, more than 200 oligosaccharides that act as prebiotics and various hormones such as leptin, adiponectin, IGF-I, ghrelin, obestatin and resistin necessary for the growth and development of a baby.

It is already an established fact that breast milk helps in improving the immune system of the newborn but the reason behind this was unknown until the scientists from the University of Bonn found that a protein in breast milk can protect the baby from various intestinal disorders.

Why is breast milk nutritious?

Breast milk contains different nutrients in different stages. The colostrum, which is the first milk produced by the mother, is rich in IgA, lactoferrin, leukocytes and other growth factors which are required by the newborn to improve their immunity and for development. Then, after five days to two weeks postpartum, the breastmilk gets converted into transitional, which contains 0.81.0 grams of protein per 100 ml of milk.

Four to six weeks after delivery, the milk matures and comprises of foremilk and hindmilk. Foremilk is the milk which comes first in each feeding session and is rich in lactose. Hindmilk comes after foremilk, is creamier and has a high content of fat which is required by the babys body.

The presence of alarmins in newborns

In recent research, published in the journal Gastroenterology, scientists from the RESIST Cluster of Excellence at Hannover Medical School (MHH) found that after birth, the intestinal flora and mucosa mature by having interactions with the bacteria in the environment. This encounter helps in developing intestinal immunity by giving rise to bacterial diversity, thus protecting against many diseases.

The scientists found that newborns can fight against bacteria with the help of alarmins. Alarmins are the peptides and proteins which are received from breast milk and are found in the childs intestinal tract.

In this study, scientists collected stool samples from 72 babies who were born after full-term and 49 pre-term infants. The samples were collected at different time periods over the first year of life which was at Days 1, 3, 10, 30, 90, 180 and 360. The doctors measured the levels of two types of alarmins, S100A8 and S100A9, in those samples with the help of ELISA, while the faecal microorganisms are examined with the help of gene sequencing.

The results of the study showed that alarmins were produced more in vaginally-born infants and less in those who were born via planned C-section. Similarly, premature infants were less capable of producing alarmins themselves as compared to full-term infants. This made these babies more prone to suffer from chronic inflammatory diseases.

The beneficial effect of alarmins

The scientists then conducted a study on newborn mice who lack S100A8. They divided the mice into two groups; one group was either fed orally or were intraperitoneally (through walls of the abdomen) injected with S100A8 while the other group was only given subcutaneous injections of Staphylococcus aureus (infection-causing bacteria). The scientists then collected samples from the blood, intestine, peritoneum and celiac lymph nodes of the mice.

The results of the study showed that mice who were fed S100A8 showed protection against the bacterial colonies and other associated diseases.

The conclusion

The result of the study showed that both S100A8 and S100A9 help in regulating the development of the microorganisms present in the intestinal microbiota and also improve the immune system in neonates.

The scientists concluded that supplementations made by using these proteins can help in the development of newborns who either do not produce enough alarmins or get enough alarmins in the breast milk. By providing alarmins to these babies, it would be possible to prevent various intestinal-bacteria related long-term conditions such as chronic intestinal inflammation and even obesity.

For more information, read our article on Alarmins in breast milk.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:32:54|Editor: huaxia

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NEW YORK, Sep. 1 (Xinhua) -- After reopening in late February and early March, China's factories began an export surge that is still accelerating. Exports soared in July to their second-highest level ever, nearly matching the record peak last December, according to an article "Pandemic only fueled China's export machine" published on The New York Times on Tuesday.

According to the article, China has seized a much larger share of global markets this summer from other manufacturing countries, consolidating a dominance in trade that could last long after the world begins to recover from the pandemic.

With low-cost, skilled labor and efficient infrastructure, as well as state-owned banks' lending extra loans to cope with the pandemic to small and large businesses, China is showing strong export capacity, which has not been affected by the COVID-19 and American tariffs, the article said.

According to the article, most economies except China are currently in recession. China is making what the world's hospitals and housebound families need right now: personal protection gear, home improvement products and lots of consumer electronics. Consumers around the world have been buying everything from computer screens and stereo systems to power tools and home saunas, many of which are made in China.

The article gives examples. Hongyuan Furniture in the southern city of Guangzhou has hired 50 extra workers after export orders for its home saunas more than doubled this year. Hongyuan said it has not yet encountered any new competition from home sauna manufacturers based elsewhere despite facing 25 percent American tariffs for the past two years.

Trueanalog in the southern city of Zhongshan has ruled out moving production of its top-end stereo speakers to the United States, its main market, or to Vietnam, where wages can be even lower. Whether it is magnets, paper cones or rubber foam, China dominates the world's production of the components that go into the speakers they are putting together.

"China has the largest supply chain of the parts you need to make a speaker, and China has the most stable, affordable labor force," the article quoted Philip Richardson, the American owner of Trueanalog, as saying.

Rajiv Biswas, the chief Asia economist at IHS Markit, a global data and consulting firm, said that China's share of world exports rose to nearly 20 percent in the second quarter of this year, up from 12.8 percent in 2018 and 13.1 percent last year, according to the article. China now appears strong in exports across many sectors. China's trade surplus has increased sharply this summer, especially in July. Enditem
The field of candidates in this year's Democratic primaries have responded to the popularity of the party's Leftists, such as firebrand socialist Bernie Sanders and liberal policy wonk Elizabeth Warren. Ultimately Democratic voters opted for a candidate who they believe is best-placed to defeat Trump - electability was a top concern, polling suggests - but the race has left its mark on Biden's platform. Perhaps most important for the economy has been the former vice president's promise to do "whatever it takes" to tackle COVID-19. "I would shut it down. I would listen to the scientists," he said last month. States rather than the president ultimately have the power to shut down and reopen their economies, as Trump has found to his frustration. But a new Oval Office stance on the virus could still be significant for the economy. Beyond COVID, Biden has a number of Leftist policies he claims will help America "build back better".

He wants to almost double the federal minimum wage to $US15 an hour, up from $US7.25. Many states already have a higher minimum wage but Biden is seeking to bring the US closer to pay floors seen elsewhere. "It's going to hurt more rural populations where the minimum wage is not nearly that high and it would be an abrupt change," says Gallagher. If Biden gets a clean sweep and the Democrats win the House and Senate, we are going to see a very significant shift in policy. Much more taxation, more spending and more regulation of energy, financial services and big tech James Knightley, ING chief international economist Workers will also be bolstered by his plans to make it easier to organise unions and collectively bargain, although some voters are likely to fear this will hit the country's famously dynamic labour market. He wants universal paid sick days and 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, while social security payments will be $US200 higher per month. Biden has promised to create 5 million new jobs in manufacturing and innovation and has vowed to spend $US2 trillion over four years on clean energy infrastructure, aiming for a carbon-zero power industry by 2035. He has promised no new taxes on those earning less than $US400,000, while Trump's corporate tax cuts will be partially reversed. The corporate tax rate will rise from 21 per cent to 28 per cent. "It's going to be the wealthy that are going to be paying the tax rises and you get more income for the poorer people," says James Knightley, ING chief international economist.

Trade policy is likely to become less combative while experts say the tech titans could face a clampdown amid rising competition worries. Biden has not made tech regulation a key plank of his campaign as rivals such as Warren did, but the Democratic party has decisively shifted towards stricter rules on Silicon Valley behemoths. Americans still trust Trump to run their economy. Credit:AP Sam McGowan of Beacon Policy Advisors, a research firm focused on Washington, says a Biden administration is likely to reflect a growing scepticism of Silicon Valley. "If Biden wins, there's going to be a lot of influences out there that are going to shape the kinds of the policy that they're going to put in place. And I really think the conversation will shift towards more stringent enforcement." McGowan says that even if a Biden administration does not aim to break up Big Tech, it will certainly make predatory acquisitions harder and enforce competition.

However, Biden's Left-leaning agenda faces key hurdles. The 77-year old needs to win big against Trump to push through the most radical parts of his agenda. The Democrats currently hold the House of Representatives but the other half of Congress, the Senate, is controlled by the Republicans. Many of Biden's economic plans would be scuppered unless the Democrats win the three or more seats needed to take the Senate. "One question is whether he might be limited by Congressional opposition. The battle for Senate control looks tight," says Philip Shaw, Investec economist. Knightley says: "If Biden gets a clean sweep and the Democrats win the House and Senate, we are going to see a very significant shift in policy. Much more taxation, more spending and more regulation of energy, financial services and big tech." His ambitions could also be limited by the state of public finances he inherits. Trump was running high deficits at close to 5 per cent even before COVID struck and sent debt soaring.

"When we get in, the pantry is going to be bare," warned Ted Kaufman, a leading figure in Biden's transition team. Economists also argue that his platform could be harmful for the economy in the longer term. Loading Gallagher says Biden's policies would slow the economy or limit its potential, despite rising in popularity among voters. "It's not until the economy slows that these voters will abandon their support for all these changes," he says, highlighting Biden's healthcare and energy plans. Shaw adds that Biden's tax pledges could have a significant impact on investor confidence, while the roaring recovery on the US sharemarket could be derailed by an antitrust crackdown. Biden has framed the 2020 election as a "battle for the soul of the nation". His plans would be transformative for the world's largest economy - but polling suggests Americans may be reluctant to give up on Trump's vision just yet.
A teacher at a Muslim religious school, or madrassa, instructs his students in Dhaka, April 19, 2019.

Updated at 2:24 p.m. ET on 2020-09-03

The Bangladesh government has banned a novel about the sexual abuse of an orphan boy in a residential Islamic school because it could offend religious teachers and may be a threat to public security, officials said.

Saiful Baten Tito, author of the novel Bishfora (Carbuncle), told BenarNews that his work, which details abuse at such schools, was based on interviews of students and teachers at qwami madrassas. Qwami madrassas are unregulated, traditional Islamic schools that provide religious education for free. The novel isnt against Islam or qwami madrassa education, Tito added.

The government didnt give him a chance to present his case, he said, and on Aug. 24, it published a government notice banning the book, which was launched at the annual Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka in February.

The content of the novel Bishfora is against peace and quiet in the country. The book is prohibited as [it] has been considered to be a threat to public security, said the gazette.

Abu Bakr Siddique, an additional secretary at the ministry of home affairs, told BenarNews the government was informed about the book by security agencies.

Intelligence officials alerted us that the book could hurt the sentiment of madrasa teachers, Siddique said. We have gone through the book, and it seemed to us the alert has some justification.

The ban comes even as the number of cases of sexual abuse of boys at madrasass is rising, said Mahmuda Akhther, a prosecutor at the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Dhaka. She did not immediately provide numbers to support her claim.

The number of cases relating to abuse of boys has been on the rise, and a significant number of such incidents has been taking place at the qwami madrassas. Most of the victims are either boys from poor families, or orphans, Akhther told BenarNews.

Child abuse is a criminal offense. In the past, the guardian kept mum on child abuse. Now, they have been filing cases.

About 1.5 million students study at qwami madrasas, Nurul Islam Nahid, former education minister, told parliament in September 2018. Sexual assault cases are widespread at such schools, according to an Aug. 2019 report by the French news agency AFP.

"For years these crimes eluded the spotlight due to sensitivity of the subject," AFP quoted Abdus Shahid, the head of child rights group Bangladesh Shishu Odhikar Forum, as saying.

"Devout Muslims send children to madrasas, but they don't speak up about these crimes as they feel it would harm these key religious institutions.

Manusher Jonno Foundation, a Dhaka-based NGO working with poor and marginalized communities, documented at least 433 cases of sexual violence against children in 2018, reported AsiaNews last year. Most of the victims were aged 7 to 12, it said. The data was not linked to religious schools.

The government, for its part, said it dealt alike with all complaints about the abuse of children.

The law is for everyone. If the police get formal complaints about abuse of children, they arrest people, no matter whether the abusers are from madrassa or [non-religious] schools, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told BenarNews.

Appeasing fundamentalists?

Mosharraf Matubbar, the publisher of the novel, said he would contest the ban.

The book highlights the injustice done to madrasa students, Matubbar told BenarNews. We will appeal to the courts to vacate the government ban on the book.

Author Tito likewise said the book contained nothing malicious and didnt warrant prohibition.

The novel is about fanaticism, backwardness and inconsistencies inside the qwami madrasa education, he said. This book is neither against Islam nor qwami madrassa education.

Matubber, the publisher, said that when the book was launched at the Dhaka book fair, police checked its contents and had no objections.

They did not oppose selling the book after concluding that it contained nothing sensitive, said the publisher. But some people launched a smear campaign against the book.

Civil society group Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee group has alleged that the ban was a move to appease religious fundamentalists.

The group on Friday issued a statement demanding the ban be immediately lifted.

The book has been prohibited to appease the fundamentalist forces, the group said. In the past, writings of many famous authors were dropped from text books  Thus, the fundamentalist forces have been indulged.

Over the last 30 years, Bangladesh has banned at least five books saying they defamed Islam. Police have also arrested publishers and shut book stalls for publishing and selling books they claim criticized Islam.

In 1988, Bangladesh banned the sale and circulation of British author Salman Rushdies controversial novel The Satanic Verses.

Novelist Humayun Azads collection of feminist essays Nari (Women) and a novel on Islamist militancy, named after Pakistans national anthem Pak Sar Zamin Saad Baad, were prohibited by the Bangladesh government in 1992.

In 1993, feminist author Taslima Nasrins book Lajja (Shame) was banned for allegedly defaming Islam. The book is about a riot in Bangladesh following the demolition of a 16th century mosque, the Babri Masjid, in northern India.

Nasrin had her literary work proscribed a second time, when the government banned her autobiographical novel Amar Meyebela (My Girlhood) in 1999, again on the grounds that it defamed Islam. The author has been in exile for more than 20 years.

In 2016, police shut the stall of a publishing house called Badwip and arrested its publisher Shamsuzzoha Manik and two others. A case was filed against them under the Information and Communication Technology Act for publishing a book that police said defamed Islam.

In February, Bangladeshs high court also ordered organizers of the Dhaka book fair to remove two books whose content it said was harmful to the religious sentiment.

Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka contributed to this report. This updated version replaces an earlier photo.


The small room of Future Point Computer Horoscope is open for business. And so is Kakoo Kachori Wale, the snack shop beside it.

The other establishments here are more makeshift in naturestalls are set up under the trees or by the pedestrian walkways.

In fact, it looks like a fair ground. It is late evening, the sky is dark, and since the place isnt lit up generously with lamps, there lingers a sense of candle light atmosphere. The moving bodies of people look like silhouettes.

And its shocking to see so many people collected together in these times of pandemic.

But worry not.

The feeling of dense crowd is an illusion, probably arising from the fact that one is hardly used to seeing people in large groups any more. Actually, this open plaza outside Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place would be peopled with 10 times this number during the pre-corona era.

Here, one can feel the attempts of the metropolis to find its footing after many many months of corona-driven hibernation.

Old landmarks are back to functioning. Netaji chai stall is decked up with a wall of earthen cups, the stall owner is wearing a Gandhi cap, with his customers (masked, most of them) sitting in a semi-circle with their glasses of steaming hot adrak chai.

Some distance away the person manning the Sri Banke Bihari litti chokha stall is trying to hand over a fresh plate of his littis to a customer having a heated conversation on her mobile phone.

A mehendi walla is crying out to the passersby to dye their hands with henna.

And the air is filled up with the hushed sounds of various people. Everyone seems to be talking in a low whisper, as if being loud might shatter this fragile normalcy.

The raison detre of the plaza, the Hanuman Mandir, is open to worshippers again. The sound of bells and prayers are streaming out from the temple and wafting across the place.

Meanwhile, here and there one can spot the solitary people in various stages of emotional and material despair. Each of them silent, sheltered in their own private refuges. In the BC (before corona) days, many would depend on donations by devotees heading to the temple. Many would sleep at night in the plaza itself. How has the life altered for them during these trying months, one wonders.

Suddenly, an elderly woman in white sari, who was so far sitting quietly on a bench, starts to shout. It is not clear what she is saying. Tattoo stall owners nearby look at her indulgently, without offering any word themselves, as if they were used to her rages.

Not far away stands a multiplex. The wall beside the closed ticket window is decked with a poster of the yet-to-be-released James Bond film. It was originally supposed to be screened in April. It is called No Time to Die.
Trilliums latest double IPA acts as a reminder to all those families moving students into Boston: Storrow Drive is a low-clearance bridge.

Storrowed announced by Trillium Monday night is a Vic Secret and Citra-hopped double IPA named after the moving trucks that become wedged under Storrow Drive.

Each year, September 1st marks the annual move-in season for the citys colleges and universities, simultaneously kicking off the countdown for the first moving truck to be lodged underneath one of the low clearance overpasses on Storrow Drive, the brewery said on social media.

LOW CLEARANCE AHEAD Each year, September 1st marks the annual move-in season for the city's colleges and universities,... Posted by Trillium Brewing Company on Monday, August 31, 2020

Storrowed will be available for curbside pickup Wednesday at Trilliums Canton, Fort Point and Fenway locations. The brew will also be available as part of Trilliums Marthas Vineyard delivery.

Residents on the island can order Trillium and have it delivered to their door.

We're coming prepared for our first-ever Martha's Vineyard delivery route! This incredible selection is now available to order direct to your door at the link below. Online delivery ordering is open until 1 PM or until we hit our capacity for the day.https://t.co/8mPpTjtTpM pic.twitter.com/BRK61OH4fY  Trillium Brewing (@trilliumbrewing) September 1, 2020

Last month, under new outdoor gathering guidelines implemented by Massachusetts, Trillium closed its patio and suspend draft service at its Fenway Location. Retail sales of cans and bottles to-go will continue to be available for online ordering.

Breweries across the state have tried to implement innovative strategies to stay afloat amid the pandemic.

White Lion Brewery Co. in Springfield plans to open a taproom in the fall. In Worcester, Redemption Rock Brewing Co. and 3Cross Fermentation are expanding distribution both east and west of Central Massachusetts.

Bay State Brewing Co. even introduced a new hard seltzer to attract a more diverse audience.

Some breweries in the state have become success stories as well. Rustic Brewing Company in Indian Orchard has struggled keeping up with demand for its 21 different varieties of drinks.

During the pandemic, the brewery has doubled its output.

Related Content:
US intends to force China to 'fire first shot' over Taiwan

Global Times

By Yang Sheng Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/31 23:53:40

PLA focuses on US, island's military not a concern at all: expert

A US military aircraft appeared in the skies over Taiwan on Sunday, which was suspected of taking off from a Taiwan-based airfield and flew to Japan, although the Taiwan "air force" said it was against the facts. The incident took place as the island's military claims that the Chinese mainland does not possess "enough capabilities" to launch an all-out attack on Taiwan.

Mainland experts warn that Washington is provoking Beijing to fire the first shot, and that current tensions could further escalate.

An EP-3E reconnaissance aircraft has been spotted in the northern "airspace" of Taiwan and flew to Japan over the East China Sea on Sunday and this unusual flight-path showed that the aircraft potentially took off from an airport on the island, according to information released by the website of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a Beijing based think tank.

According to the SCSPI, the aircraft was spotted in the south of the island conducting a reconnaissance mission in the South China Sea a day earlier, but with no landing signals showing it returned to the US' Kadena air force base in Okinawa, which means that the US aircraft may have not returned to Okinawa but landed on Taiwan island instead. The Chinese mainland warned this incident could be a serious provocation toward China and may escalate tensions.

However, Taiwan "air force command" responded on Monday that the information released by the SCSPI is "totally against the facts," Taiwan media cna.com reported.

The SCSPI uses an Automatic identification system and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) to track vessels and aircraft. Information in these two systems is open source commercial data, and accessible via multiple routes in China and abroad.

Hu Bo, director of the SCSPI, told the Global Times on Monday the ADS-B signal that the US military aircraft broadcast is incomplete, so the flight-path of the aircraft showed on the system is also incomplete, as the pilots of that EP-3E could choose to turn off broadcasting with no signal being released from it.

"Or, signal interference could also make the ADS-B of that aircraft show deviation, and it is also possible that the US military aircraft has fabricated the ADS-B signal, which means that EP-3E wasn't in fact there," Hu noted.

But if that EP-3E really landed and took off from a Taiwan-based military airport, no matter for what reason, it could be a serious provocation toward the Chinese mainland, Hu stressed, adding that even if it didn't land or take off from an airport on the island, it's appearance in the sky over Taiwan is also a serious provocation toward China's sovereignty.

That's why Taiwan military officials have to deny the incident as they know how serious this could get if US military aircraft really landed on the island, said Chinese mainland experts.

On the other hand, if the US fabricated the signal to increase the chances for miscalculation, then it means the US doesn't want to avoid conflict with China at all, and it intends to create tensions and even provoke China into firing the first shot, potentially making it more terrifying and dangerous, Chinese experts warned.

On August 18, Taiwan media also reported that an EP-3E from the US Air Force was suspected of landing at the Taipei Songshan Airport, but later, Taiwan military officers "privately" denied the speculation.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert, told the Global Times on Monday that using Taiwan-based airports as bases for intelligence-gathering aircraft makes US reconnaissance missions against the Chinese mainland much easier and more efficient as Taiwan is closer to the mainland than Okinawa, so "regardless if the incident is real or not, the US does have motivation to engage in risky military cooperation with the separatist authorities on the island."

Chinese mainland military analysts said if military cooperation between the US and the island was discovered and poses real threats to the mainland and challenges the sovereignty of China, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) will be forced to take effective action to eliminate that threat and may even realize reunification by force once and for all, although the mainland does not wish to escalate tensions.

Focusing on the US

Taiwan island's military is attempting to downplay the combat capabilities of the PLA to encourage the separatist authorities and forces on the island to keep up the risky provocations.

According to Taiwan media on Monday, the island's military released a report of the mainland's military power, and said that although the mainland is strengthening its military drills, "military tactics against Taiwan are still restricted by the geographic environment of the Taiwan Straits, and it doesn't have enough capability for landing and logistics," so the mainland "doesn't have the conventional combat capability to launch an all-out attack against Taiwan."

Song said the Taiwan military is boosting its morale facing overwhelming military advantage of the mainland, just like "whistling when walking alone in the darkness."

"The Taiwan military is not even a concern for the PLA at all. The PLA is focusing on fighting a tough enemy, or the most powerful military force on the planet, in a potential war in the region, so the PLA could even realize a military advantage against the US in the region, and the conclusion made by the Taiwan military is just nonsense," Song further said.

For the mainland, the best response to provocative moves made by the US military and the nonsense remarks made by the island's military is to be comprehensively prepared for military operations against Taiwan, especially preparing for a military conflict with the US, Song noted.

Jin Canrong, associate dean of Renmin University of China's School of International Studies, told the Global Times previously that the mainland should make its military deterrence more visible and build up enough deterrence to intimidate the US and the separatists of Taiwan, effectively eliminating their motivation of challenging China's bottom line.

This kind of thinking has also been reflected in the reality of the PLA's drills in the region amid tensions with the US. China launched a series of ballistic missiles into the South China Sea this week, according to US defense officials, CNN reported on Saturday, and some of these missiles are "aircraft carrier killers" like the DF-21D and DF-26, but the Chinese military and other relevant departments didn't confirm the launches.

The Maritime Safety Administration of Liaoning Province released a notice on Monday that from Tuesday to September 22, there will be "military missions" in the waters of the Bohai Sea. Some military analysts said this area is normally used for testing submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), and this could be a test for a new generation SLBM and possibly mean that China wants to employ a strategic-level of deterrence toward the US, as the latter is becoming increasingly provocative.



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Global tech giant Facebook is to ban users in Australia from sharing news on its platforms if a proposed regulatory code to make them pay for news content becomes law. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Media Entertainment Arts Alliance (MEAA) have condemned the company's threats and called on lawmakers to ensure Facebook and other tech giants pay a fair share for the content they are exploiting for free.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) code, released on July 31 would require tech giants to pay news media for sharing their content. Under the proposal, digital companies like Google and Facebook would have three months to negotiate an agreement with media. After that period, an independent body would impose a deal.

The MEAA has made submissions at different stages of the consultation process calling for a fair share for creators.

Facebook Australia managing director Will Easton rejected the proposed code arguing they already drive traffic to Austrlian media to the benefit of the news organisations and threatened to prohibit users sharing news on Facebook and Instagram.

"The response from Facebook and Google is not unexpected and should not deter the Government from continuing to implement the mandatory code," MEAA's Chief Executive and IFJ Executive Committee Member Paul Murphy said.

A vital plan to save journalism and democracy

The proposed code comes at a critical moment for Australian local, regional, and national media. According to the MEAA, since January 2019, more than 200 broadcast and print newsrooms have closed temporarily or for good. So far, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the media economy, causing the suspension or permanent closure of more than 100 newspapers.

In some cases, media closures have created news deserts, with communities losing access to all local news coverage, threatening the right to be informed.

In this context, Google and Facebook have increased their revenues by exploiting news articles for free. According to a University of Canberra report, 39% of Australians use Facebook for general news, and 49% use Facebook for information about COVID-19.

The ACCC draft proposal seeks to balance these inequalities and help the whole Australian industry relieve the impact of the current crisis, save jobs, and avoid creating news deserts in Australia.

While welcoming the step forward, the IFJ and the MEAA have expressed concerns over how this new revenue will be distributed among the media, media workers, freelancers and emerging sustainable journalism projects.

IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: "For decades, Google and Facebook have built a fortune upon media workers all over the world. Now they must pay their fair share. Their profits should be taxed and funds raised used to support journalism. Australia's draft code is a first step towards addressing the imbalance between global tech giants and local media and should inspire other countries to develop laws to ensure these companies cannot simply rip of content and profit off the backs of media workers".
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday said the Chinese side resorted to aggression on Monday at the south bank of the Pangong Tso along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) even as commander-level talks were on to resolve the fresh face-off.

On August 31, even as the ground commanders of the two sides were in discussions to de-escalate the situation, the Chinese troops again engaged in provocative action. Due to the timely defensive action, the Indian side was able to prevent these attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

Amid fresh tensions, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the Army top brass.

The meeting chaired by Singh went for about two hours. Jaishankar, Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Genral Bipin Rawat and Army Chief M M Naravane participated.

The Director General Military Operations, the operations head of the Army, too, attended the meeting, according to an officer.

The meeting was held to analyse the current situation and discuss the future course of all military and diplomatic options, he said.

ALSO READ | India further strengthens presence in southern bank area of Pangong lake: Sources

India has consolidated its position by occupying the heights on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso. It was a preemptive move after we observed Chinese movement towards the area accompanied with the heavy machinery to create infrastructure, sources said.

The second brigade commander-level meeting in as many days on Tuesday was inconclusive with China accusing India of entering Chinese territory, an allegation the Indian side rejected.

Meanwhile, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Ji Rong accused India of flagrant provocations on August 31.

Indias move has grossly violated Chinas territorial sovereignty, seriously violated relevant agreements, protocols and important consensus reached between the two countries, and severely damaged peace and tranquillity along the China-India border areas."

Similar accusations of trespassing the LAC were made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is on a trip to Europe, said that the problem has arisen as the two countries do not have a clearly demarcated border.

Appropriate defensive measures taken: MEA

In response to provocative military maneuvers by China in the late night of August 29 and 30, the Indian side took appropriate defensive measures along the LAC in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity, MEA spokesperson Srivastava said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 13:08:06|Editor: huaxia

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SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's export kept a single-digit fall for two straight months on a partial recovery of global demand despite the continued export slide for six months, a government report showed Tuesday.

Export, which accounts for about half of the export-driven economy, shrank 9.9 percent from a year earlier to 39.66 billion U.S. dollars in August, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

The outbound shipment continued to fall for six straight months since March, but it slowed down from declines of 25.6 percent in April, 23.8 percent in May, 10.8 percent in June and 7.1 percent in July respectively.

It came as global demand partially recovered amid the reopening of businesses in major economies after shutdowns on worry about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The daily average export shed 3.8 percent in August from a year earlier, lower than falls of 12.5 percent in February, 18.8 percent in April, 18.4 percent in June and 7.1 percent in July each.

Export to China, South Korea's biggest trading partner, was down 3.0 percent in August from a year earlier, but the daily average shipment to China increased 3.6 percent.

Shipment to the United States and the European Union (EU) dipped 0.4 percent and 2.5 percent respectively in the month, but the daily average export to the United States and the EU grew 6.4 percent and 4.1 percent each.

Export to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) retreated 17.8 percent in August from a year earlier on weak demand for display panels, general machinery and oil products.

Shipment to Japan and the Middle East tumbled over 20 percent, with export to India and Latin America dropping over 30 percent last month.

Semiconductor export kept growing for two straight months. The daily average chip shipment advanced 9.9 percent in August, after rising 5.6 percent in the previous month.

Computer shipment more than doubled in August from a year earlier, continuing to expand for the 11th consecutive month. Computer demand increased as the higher number of people preferred to work at home and attend online classes on the fear of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Export for general machinery, cars, auto parts, steels, display panels and textiles all declined in double figures.

Shipment of oil products and petrochemicals tumbled 44.0 percent and 21.4 percent each amid the global economic slump.

Shipment for biopharmaceutical and medical products continued to expand for 12 months in a row on demand for medical supplies, caused by the COVID-19 outbreak across the world.

Meanwhile, import dived 16.3 percent over the year to 35.54 billion dollars in August, sending the trade surplus to 4.12 billion dollars. The trade balance stayed in black for the fourth consecutive month.

Raw material import plunged 38.7 percent in August from a year earlier, while intermediary goods import reduced 15.4 percent on soft demand for mobile phone components.

Capital goods import expanded 8.6 percent on robust demand for semiconductor equipment, but consumer goods import fell 2.0 percent last month. Enditem
A woman who died in a horror car accident on the Sydney Harbour Bridge last week was due to face a court trial later this year over a spate of petty crimes.

Nicole Green, 35, died instantly when her Mitsubishi Mirage crashed head on into a black BMW sedan about 7.15am on Thursday, August 28.

Police believe Ms Green's car veered onto the wrong side of the road in the moments prior to the collision.

In the wake of the tragedy friends and family paid tribute to Ms Green who had faced a tough few years personally with a number of run-ins with the law.

Nicole Green, 35, died instantly when her Mitsubishi Mirage crashed head on into a black BMW sedan about 7.15am last Thursday, August 28

In the wake of the tragedy friends and family paid tribute to Ms Green who had faced a tough few years personally with a number of run-ins with the law and was due to face a trial later in 2020 for charges of stealing a $3,000 handbag

Police believe Ms Green's car veered onto the wrong side of the road in the moments prior to the collision. Two passengers in the car with her - men both in their 20s - were taken to hospital

Ms Green was due to face trial in late 2020 for trying to steal a $3000 Louis Vuitton bag in 2018.

The Daily Telegraph reported she was accused of attempting to snatch the bag from its 62-year-old owner near Wollongong.

Ms Green also recently pleaded guilty to helping another man rob a car owned by a university student.

She zapped the car owner with a Taser prior to the December 2018 robbery.

Despite her chequered history friends remembered Ms Green as an 'angel'.

'Nic Green another angel taken from us way too soon, may you fly high in heaven you beautiful angel,' her friend Bronwyn Robinson posted on Facebook.

'I'll treasure every single memory we got to share together always in our hears. Gone but never forgotten.'

Two passengers - both reportedly aged in their 20s - who were in Ms Green's car at the time of the crash were taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for urgent treatment.

Ms Green was due to face trial in late 2020 for trying to steal a $3000 Louis Vuitton bag in 2018

Emergency crews swarmed the Sydney Harbour Bridge after the fatal crash during peak hour last Thursday, August 28

A helicopter landed on the bridge to to assist with transporting injured passengers to hospital

The wrecked BMW (pictured), which had its roof completely torn off, was later taken away on a truck after police had finished investigating the crash scene

The driver of the BMW, a woman in her 40s, was cut out of her car after she was trapped for two hours.

She was taken to hospital with a fractured leg and spinal injuries. Her passenger, 40, escaped virtually unscathed.

Acting Superintendent Paul Dunstan said he has watched 'confronting' CCTV vision of the crash, which is currently being reviewed by investigators and has not been released.

'It would appear at this stage that the vehicle travelling in the northbound direction has crossed two lanes of traffic and collided with the vehicle travelling south which was in its correct lane,' Mr Dunstan said.

'I have seen footage of the incident, and that's how it appears in the early stages.'

A spokesman for NSW Ambulance revealed first responders were confronted with a devastating scenario when they arrived at the crash.

They split into separate rescue teams to work on survivors in each car.

Despite her chequered history friends remembered Ms Green (pictured leaving Wollongong Local Court in July 2019) as an 'angel'

The crash sparked chaos during the morning commute with hundreds of cars backed-up along the bridge

One woman died and another had to fight for her life after a red Mitsubishi Mirage (pictured left) travelling north crashed head on into a BMW travelling south on the Harbour Bridge at 7:15am on Thursday

Fire crews and paramedics surround a car involved in a fatal crash in Sydney on Thursday, a woman in her 40s was trapped inside for up to two hours

A witness, who had been on a bus heading into the city at the time, described the scene as 'chaotic' as footage showed dozens of rescuers trying to free the trapped motorist.

She said it looked as though the black BMW had been 'completely destroyed'.

'I saw the whole roof of the black car had been sliced off, there were still people in the car, it looked they were trying to get them out,' she told Daily Mail Australia

'There was also a stretcher on the side of the road and there was a blanket over someone.'

Initial reports suggest speed may have been a factor in the crash.

Traffic was brought to a standstill for several hours, meaning firefighters from nearby The Rocks fire station had to make their way to the scene on foot.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - After a relatively calm and mild day, some showers could move back into Northeast Ohio Tuesday night.

The National Weather Services forecast calls for partly sunny skies and highs in the low 80s on Tuesday with a chance for showers after 8:00 p.m. Overnight lows will fall into the upper 60s for most of the area.

Shower chances continue throughout the day on Wednesday with highs again in the 80s.

Cleveland sunrise - 6:53 a.m.

Cleveland sunset - 7:59 p.m.

Extended forecast for Northeast Ohio

Rain chances on Wednesday will stick around on Thursday before things clear and temperatures fall for the first half of the weekend.

Northeast Ohio regional radar
Beirut :

Syrias ceasefire appeared under threat as government forces intensified their attacks near Damascus and around 10 rebel groups said they were suspending talks about planned peace negotiations this month.

The talks are due to take place in the Kazakh capital Astana in late January but the rebels said they were pulling out of discussions due to violations by Damascus of a four-day old truce.

The talks are being organised by Russia, which supports the Syrian regime, and Turkey and Iran, which back the rebels.

As these violations are continuing, the rebel factions announce... the freezing of all discussion linked to the Astana negotiations, they said in a joint statement.

The rebels said they respected the ceasefire across the whole of Syria... but the regime and its allies have not stopped shooting and have launched major and frequent violations, notably in the (rebel) regions of Wadi Barada and Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, they said.

For the past two weeks, even before the start of a nationwide truce brokered by Ankara and Moscow, Syrias air force has launched almost daily bombing raids on Wadi Barada, some 15 kilometres from Damascus.

Any (advance) on the ground goes against the (ceasefire) agreement and if things dont return to how they were before, the accord will be considered null and void, the rebel statement added.

Yesterday, the Syrian army backed by air strikes and artillery fire advanced as it battles to capture the area, which is key to the capitals water supply, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Regime forces and fighters from Lebanons Hezbollah group are advancing in the region and are now on the outskirts of Ain al-Fijeh, the primary water source in the area, said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the monitoring group.

He said government troops and allied fighters were engaged in fierce clashes with rebels, including former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, a claim denied by opposition fighters.

Two civilians were shot dead by snipers and two other civilians were killed in regime bombardment of the town of Rastan in central Homs province, the Observatory added.

Government forces have surrounded Wadi Barada since mid-2015, but the siege was tightened in December as the army piled on the pressure.

The Syrian government says rebels have targeted key water infrastructure, causing leaking fuel to poison water supplies and then cutting it off altogether.

The United Nations says at least four million people in Damascus have been without water since December 22.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
President Donald Trump signs executive orders extending CCP virus economic relief, during a news conference in Bedminster, N.J., on Aug. 8, 2020. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

41 States Approved for Trumps Enhanced Unemployment Payments

The 41st state was approved this week for enhanced unemployment payments made possible by President Donald Trumps August executive order.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is approving applications for the enhanced payments, announced Tuesday that North Dakota was accepted into the program.

Like most state leaders, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, opted for the lower payment of $300 per week.

Governors could decide to apply for the lower payment for the unemployed, which will be paid in full by the federal government. Another option would give the jobless $400 more a week, but that requires states to put up a quarter of the funds.

Only two states have so far opted for the higher option, Kentucky and Montana.

I believe that extra $100 is critically important, Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters last month.

West Virginia officials said they would choose the higher amount but later decided to go with the lower amount.

South Dakota is the only state to officially decline both options laid out by the Trump administration. South Dakota is in the fortunate position of not needing to accept it, Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, said in a statement.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, left, President Donald Trump, second from left, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis, third from left, during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on May 13, 2020. (Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images)

The other eight states that havent been approved are Delaware, Kansas, Illinois, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Officials in Delaware, Nevada, South Carolina, and Wisconsin said recently that they were applying for the program, as did Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat.

Deciding whether or not it was in the states best interest to apply for these funds was not an easy decision, Dan Ellzey, executive director of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, said in a statement. Taking the time to weigh the options in order to best mitigate the states risk and ensure it wouldnt cost South Carolina taxpayers was the right thing for the governor and legislators to do.

The Illinois Department of Economic Security submitted an application despite serious concerns about the unfairness of this new federal unemployment program, Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts told The Epoch Times via email that he is still reviewing Trumps order.
A brattish banker has copped a mere $1,000 fine after ignoring flight crew instructions and attempting to kick police officers.

Citibank Sydney managing director Thomas Hasan Dunmore Cribb, 39, threw his mid-air tantrum on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Auckland on February 21.

He pleaded guilty to the obstruction of a Commonwealth officer and failing to comply with crew instructions on Tuesday, The Australian Financial Review reported.

Citibank Sydney managing director Thomas Cribb (pictured above) faced court in Sydney on Tuesday after disruptive behaviour on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Auckland on February 21

Cribb repeatedly ignored cabin crew instructions and attempted to kick at police officers who were called to Sydney Airport (NSW Police officers pictured at Sydney Airport)

The executive, who was dubbed part of 'generation next' at the US bank, faced Sydney's Downing Centre Court over his outburst.

The court heard how Cribb became a nuisance after asking for another scotch an hour before the plane was due to land.

Cribb introduced himself twice to the man sitting in front of him and had a loud conversation on his phone when electronic devices weren't allowed.

He then got up to use the bathroom despite at least five requests from a flight attendant to return to his seat.

The plane's captain called Australian Federal Police officers to meet the flight at the gate and remove Cribb.

Cribb, a single father from Surry Hills, whined as he left the flight and launched a tirade of abuse at officers.

'How dare you. I can't believe this is Australia, am I under arrest?

'You have no idea who I am. You don't realise how big a mistake you've just made. You're gone. I'm taking your badge. You've just f****d up,' Cribb told police.

Cribb later apologised for lashing out at police and the court heard the Citibank executive would be receiving a salary cut (Citibank headquarters pictured in New York city)

Cribb demanded to see a Qantas staff member and a scuffle broke out as police attempted to arrest the banker.

The 39-year-old then tried to kick at two of the officers as he was tackled to the ground.

Cribb told police he wouldn't say anything until he could call speak to his lawyer but later apologised to an officer for injuring his thumb.

'Yeah, I f****d up. I'm really sorry. I had a few drinks,' he told officers at the AFP's Sydney police station.

Cribb's lawyer said the banker had faced the Citibank board and would have his salary reduced after the incident.

His lawyer also noted Cribb had provided multiple 'glowing' character references that described him as 'a gentle soul'.

Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson said she had taken into account Cribb's remorse, his lack of prior offences and the character references.

She ordered Cribb to continue seeing his psychologist and placed him on a two years good behaviour bond without conviction.
Board Chairman of the National Theatre, Nana Fredua Agyeman Ofori-Atta has advised travelers entering Ghana as a result of the reopening of the country's air border not to misconduct themselves.



The Kotoka International Airport (KIA) commenced operations today, September 1 following President Nana Akufo-Addo's announcement on Sunday, August 30, 2020.



The President, delivering his 16th nation address on COVID-19, expressed satisfaction with the reopening of the airport.



I am glad to announce that KIA will reopen and resume operations from Tuesday, September 1, 2020. This decision has been communicated to international airlines across the world. After weeks of thorough work, I am satisfied that it is safe to do so, he said.



However, the reopening comes with instructions.



All travelers are supposed to provide a 72-hour negative COVID-19 medical report upon arriving at the KIA and will further undergo a test for 30 minutes to confirm his or her status.



Those who will test positive will immediately be isolated and taken for medical treatment.



Also, the travelers are mandated to pay a fee of $150 (GHC864.71) for instant testing.



Addressing the issue on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Nana Fredua commended the President for taking all precautionary measures to avoid importation of the virus into the country.



He urged the travelers to avail themselves and undergo the test as well as comply with all protocols laid out to safeguard them and Ghanaians against the spread of the pandemic disease.



"You must comply with all the protocols. Don't create issues; make sure that you conform to the rules and not cause any trouble. As you're coming to Ghana, have it in your mind that we are protecting Ghanaians," he said.



On the fee payment for testing, Nana Fredua noted that although the amount sounds huge, the travelers should bear with the government and pay the fee.



To him, it is in the interest of the travelers and the nation that every person takes the test.



He however was hopeful the government might reduce the fee if there is absolute compliance with the protocols.





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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President Donald J. Trump defends and claims that the teen gunman involved in shooting two protesters acted in self-defense.

Ahead of Trump's trip to Wisconsin, the President claims that Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, accused last week of fatally shooting two Kenosha protesters and injuring another was just self-defense. The President also tore into the Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, and other Democrats. Trump accused them of stoking "left-wing political violence," as per Fox News.

Trump supported the claim that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense during a White House press briefing. Trump said that the teen gunman tripped, and he possibly would have been killed if he didn't use his weapon. "He was in huge trouble," President Trump said. "He probably would have been killed."

As the White House media briefing started today, Trump reiterated the "law and order" message the President has been pushing over the past fortnight. "I want to provide an update on left-wing political violence that we're seeing in Democrat-run cities," Trump said.

The President argued that violence in American cities is the fruit of weak leadership of the Democratic Party politicians. As per Trump, violence will worsen if his election opponent, Joe Biden, defeats him. Last week on President Trump's speech to the Republican National Convention, he warned that no one would be safe in "Biden's America."

The President also sought to tie Biden and his party to the unrest across the country amid protests regarding racial injustice and police brutality, saying that the turmoil is happening in the "Democrat-run cities."

On the other hand, Biden released a statement after the press conference that highlights Trump's comments on Rittenhouse" "Tonight, the President declined to rebuke violence. Trump wouldn't even repudiate one of his supporters charged with murder because he attacks others. He is too weak, too scared of the hatred he has stirred to put an end to it."

According to NZHerald, Kyle Rittenhouse showed up at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with a semi-automatic rifle. On the video footage, Rittenhouse was caught being chased by demonstrators, and he proceeded to open fire on them.

The teen Illinois resident has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, and two counts of first- degree reckless engagement. Rittenhouse intends to argue that what he did was self-defense.

Prosecutors identify Rittenhouse in shooting his first victim, Joseph Rosenbaum, in a used car lot after Rosenbaum threw a plastic bag at Rittenhouse. The victim allegedly tried to get the weapon of Rittenhouse from him.

On the other hand, during violent confrontations between a caravan of pro-Trump demonstrators and Black Lives Matter protesters, one supporter of Trump was shot dead in Portland, Oregon over the weekend.

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By Dave Larsen

The National Science Foundation awarded University of Dayton chemists Jeremy Erb and Vladimir Benin $240,379 and the Ohio Department of Higher Education Ohio Action Fund provided an additional $50,233 for the purchase of a Bruker 400 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer to support faculty research and student research training in chemistry and the biological sciences.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) award is supported by the agencys Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) and Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs. It represents Erbs first federal sponsored research grant and the first NSF MRI award for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy allows scientists to determine the chemical structure of a compound by bombarding molecules with radio waves while under the influence of a magnetic field. The new instrument will replace the Department of Chemistrys outdated model, and provide state-of-the-art technology to enhance faculty research capabilities and expand student engagement in research.

This may be the most important instrument in any given chemistry department, because so many faculty and students use it, said Erb, associate professor of chemistry and principal investigator on the grant. It is an indispensable tool in multiple fields of chemistry and also can be used quite heavily in other disciplines, like biology.

He said some 2,500 undergraduate chemistry majors will use the instrument during the next 10 years, along with faculty and graduate students from the chemistry and biology departments. In addition, the instrument will be used to analyze compounds for students at Sinclair Community College in Dayton and Central State University, a public historically black institution in Wilberforce, Ohio.

Erb uses an NMR spectrometer heavily in his organic synthesis research, which focuses on developing new methods to build organophosphorus molecules.

This instrument will have greater sensitivity and greater ease to detect different atom types, he said. What that will mean is I can run experiments faster and my data will look better, and I can probably get more information out of the data, because it will be clearer to examine and analyze.

The new spectrometer will be equipped with an automation system to allow faculty and students to run multiple samples at any time of day or night, without someone monitoring the instrument. The resulting data will be loaded onto a network drive so users will be able to access their data remotely.

Previously, a faculty or student researcher would have to sit in front of the instrument, insert their compound, run the experiment and then collect their sample. The next person in line would wait their turn and then repeat the same 10- to 15-minute process.

The autosampler will allow all 250 undergraduate students enrolled in sophomore organic chemistry courses to run samples during lab classes. There are smaller versions of the NMR in the students lab space, but their capabilities are significantly reduced compared to the large, research-grade instrument.

Students will be able to do more and they will be able to get better-looking data that is more closely aligned with actual research data, Erb said. It is moving closer to what they would actually experience in a research setting.

In 2018, 64% of chemistry majors went on to pursue graduate school or professional programs. In the past five years, 44% of chemistry degrees were conferred to women.

The NMR spectrometer also will encourage research collaborations across academic disciplines. For example, biology doctoral student Elizabeth Evans will use the instrument to study cell membrane composition in Copes gray tree frogs, which can tolerate their bodies being frozen and survive.

Part of that phenomenon has to do with how cells behave, said Carissa Krane, professor of biology and Evans doctoral adviser. Jeremy, as a chemist, was very willing to collaborate with us, using the NMR to start to think about ways to characterize the membranes of cells and how they behave and are able to recover.

In April, Krane and Erb were recognized as 2020 honorees of the Universitys STEM Catalyst grant program for their proposal, Frozen Alive: How the Biochemistry and Biophysics of Cellular Membranes Enhance Freeze Tolerance. However, grants were not issued for this funding cycle because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pair also submitted an NSF grant proposal related to their transdisciplinary work.

Im not a chemist and Jeremys not a biologist, but together we are able to ask questions about a biological system, using this instrument, Krane said. It opens up a whole new avenue of addressing questions that I wouldnt be able to do with the things in my lab. From the scientific perspective, it brought two of us together to address a question in a new and different way that we wouldnt have been able to address alone.

The spectrometer is expected to be in full operation by the fall 2021 semester, after delivery, installation and training for Erb and Benin, professor of chemistry and co-principal investigator on the grant.

For more information, visit the Department of Chemistry website.

Spectrometer image courtesy of Bruker BioSpin Corporation.
A 12-year-old boy was caught taking his fathers SUV on an overnight joyride before he was safely pulled over on the QEW, Toronto police say.

A driver first contacted police after spotting the boy in a burgundy SUV near Albion Road and Islington Avenue around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Police were then called to the Albion and Weston roads area at around 2:30 a.m. by a caller who thought the driver might be impaired.

After failing to locate the boy, Toronto police called in the Ontario Provincial Police, who were able to locate him about half an hour later on Highway 401 near Dixon Road.

They followed him for 10 more minutes until he was stopped on the QEW near Hurontario.

There were no collisions, and the car wasnt damaged.

The father was called to pick up the boy a short time afterwards, police said. No charges were laid.

Miriam Lafontaine is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @mirilafontaine
Kuozeu Vizo remembers finding the sight of her village, burned and blackened during World War II, as spellbinding as a rice field, golden and ripe for harvest.

I still wonder how they even knew which land belonged to whom when they started rebuilding the village, said Vizo, 98, a member of the fiercely independent Angamis, a Naga tribe.

She and fellow Naga people in the northeastern Indian state of Nagaland commemorated the end of World War II ahead of the anniversary of Japans surrender on September 2.

In April 1944, 15,000 men from the 31st Division of Japans Imperial Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Kotoku Sato, arrived with the aim of taking over Kohima, a hill town that was also the British headquarters in the Naga Hills.

The face-off that ensued has been called Stalingrad of the East because it was a decisive turn in the war. Between April and June 1944, Japanese and Allied forces battled across Kohima and the villages around it.

The Kohima War Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 1,420 British Commonwealth soldiers and memorials for 917 Sikh soldiers who were cremated in accordance with their faith.

Kuou Kesiezie, 108, vividly remembers being a British army porter. One day she had hurried home after dropping off a load of supplies only to realise she still had an ammunition belt on her shoulder, she recalled with a chuckle.

A population that had never been exposed to life beyond the village saw tanks and fighter planes dropping bombs over their beloved land, but it was war and they had no choice, said Visakuolie Suokhrie, 83.

They had to burn our village down to chase the Japanese out, he said.

They returned home to total barrenness  there were no seeds even that they could plant  relying on the British for supplies to rebuild.

While many Nagas supported the Allied forces, others backed the Japanese in the hope that they would help the Nagas achieve independence from Britain.

BK Sachu, 86, recalled the kindness of a Japanese doctor who could not watch children suffer, he would treat them. From him, I understood how good the Japanese were, he said.

But Japanese troops were low on supplies  some say it hunger cost them the battle of Kohima. Anger toward the Japanese grew as the starved soldiers forcibly took what the villagers had.

I was carrying a loaded basket with a chicken placed on top. Japanese soldiers just lifted the chicken and took it away without even saying anything, Vizo said.

The war and soldiers are long gone. But reminders of the devastation remain. A small burial plot holds the remains of eight children who were killed in 1976 when a war-era bomb exploded where they played.

For the Naga, World War II was a conflict brought to their quiet lands by outsiders, and along with it, immeasurable loss.

We really suffered during the war, 101-year-old Vichuzo Rutsa said softly from his bed.
OAK BROOK (dpa-AFX) - McDonald's Corp. has been sued by 52 Black former franchise owners for alleged racial discriminatory practices. They reportedly seek up to $1 billion of damages. As per the filing in a Chicago federal court, the fast-food giant is accused of pushing black franchisees to depressed, crime-ridden areas, and of denying financial help given to white franchisees. The suit alleged that McDonald's did not offer profitable restaurant locations and growth opportunities to Black franchisees on the same terms as white franchisees. They accused that the company steered them to inner-city and urban areas with low-volume sales, and high security and insurance costs. The black franchisees also were refused favorable franchise terms because McDonald's unfairly graded their performance. In the filing, the franchisees are seeking as much as $5 million in damages for each of more than 200 stores they operated. McDonald's, in response to the filing, denied the accusation that the franchisees were unable to succeed due to discrimination. The company said, 'We are confident that the facts will show how committed we are to the diversity and equal opportunity of the McDonald's System, including across our franchisees, suppliers and employees.' McDonald's recently had updated its corporate values, pledging a greater focus on diversity. In May, a group of McDonald's employees in Chicago had filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging that it failed to take adequate safety measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic. 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.
OMAHA, Neb., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Triage, LLC, a national medical staffing firm headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is excited to announce their partnership with national medical staffing firm TaleMed, LLC. The resulting partnership brings together two award-winning, highly respected companies with shared values and passions for improving the experiences of their travelers, clients, and internal employees. Combined, Triage and TaleMed create one of the nation's largest dual-threat Nursing and Allied Health recruitment agencies.

The partnership is built on the long-standing relationship between Triage CEO, John Maaske and TaleMed President, Ken Tracy. "We could not be more excited to join forces with TaleMed," said Triage CEO John Maaske. "TaleMed is a top-notch company. They have great values and impeccable leadership. Our combined companies create something really special and sets us up for strong future growth. We believe there is no limit to what we will achieve together."

TaleMed's President Ken Tracy shares Maaske's excitement. Tracy said, "Triage is a company that has made a positive impact in the industry through excellent service and innovative ideas. We both saw incredible opportunity in working together and we are optimistic about how this will positively impact our field staff and client base. Ultimately, both companies have done well on our own, but with the demands facing the market today we will be better together for tomorrow."

Founded in 2006, Triage began with a singular focus on Radiology staffing, with the desire to do medical staffing differently. Founders John Maaske and Tyler Pieper anchored their model to the mission of 'Building Trust and Going After It'. This mission, along with their spirit of being real and telling it like it is with clients and candidates, provided a refreshing differentiator that propelled the business forward. They quickly grew and expanded to staff Nursing, Laboratory, Rehab Therapy and Cardiopulmonary departments, in addition to Radiology. Triage provides staffing services to hospitals through direct contract relationships but is also a top-tier provider with many prominent Managed Service Providers (MSP). In recent years, Triage has experienced accelerated growth and sees the TaleMed partnership as a key driver for continued momentum.

Also founded in 2006, TaleMed began with a vision of delivering cost-effective, efficient staffing solutions for hospitals across the country. Under the direction of founders Ken and Elizabeth Tracy, TaleMed has been an industry leader in healthcare staffing, working with some of the most prestigious public and private health systems in all 50 states. They predominately staff Nursing specialties but also offer solutions in Allied Health. TaleMed's strong commitment to the core values of respect, innovation, consistency, humility, excellence, and resilience has been modeled from the top down over the last 14 years. TaleMed brings to the partnership a rock-solid foundation and track record of success that will be felt day one.

Both Triage and TaleMed will maintain their Nebraska and Ohio offices and will continue to operate under their current brands. Over time they will unify brands and operational functions, but clients and travelers alike can expect to see the benefits of this partnership more immediately, most notably will be a merging of the companies' Leadership teams. Maaske will lead as CEO with Tracy serving in the role of President. In addition, TaleMed's CFO, Dave Buffenbarger, will join as Chief Administrative Officer, as current Triage CAO Jason Gilbreath takes on the role of Chief Innovation Officer.

CEO John Maaske is excited for the upcoming opportunities. "Adding rock stars like Ken and Dave to the senior leadership team is a no-brainer. The added talent creates an environment for us to scale and focus on innovative solutions that are long-overdue in our industry."

About Triage

Triage is an award-winning, top-ranked medical staffing agency that places the best and brightest traveling Nursing, Laboratory, Radiology, Cardiopulmonary and Rehab Therapy professionals in facilities across the country. Our staff is committed to building lasting, long-term relationships and that starts with being Real, so candidates can be Ready. Triage recruiters work tirelessly to create the right placement with facilities, never sending candidates with qualifiers, only qualified candidates. The company is proud to have been recognized by Inc. Magazine five times as one of the fast-growing companies in America and a top-ranked Travel Company by BluePipes for the fourth consecutive year. Triage has also received top rankings from Highway Hypodermics and Gypsy Nurse. Triage was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. www.triagestaff.com

About TaleMed

TaleMed's purpose is to positively impact the lives of healthcare professionals, hospital staff and everyone in their care. Healthcare professionals consistently rate TaleMed as one of the top travel healthcare companies. The company provides contingent staffing solutions to healthcare systems and hospitals nationwide. TaleMed is dedicated to partnering with nurses and allied health professionals to help them achieve their personal and career goals and supporting them throughout their temporary travel assignments. For more information, visit www.talemed.com

SOURCE Triage Staffing

Related Links

https://www.triagestaff.com


President Donald Trump delivers his acceptance speech as the 2020 Republican presidential nominee on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Aug. 27. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

It's the first official day of President Trump's payroll tax holiday, and plenty of uncertainty is swirling around employers and their workers over how it will work. The president handed down the payroll tax deferral for employees via executive order in early August. The holiday applies to workers whose biweekly pay is below $4,000 on a pretax basis, and it runs from Sept. 1 until the end of the year. Workers and their employers split the responsibility for the payroll tax: a 12.4% levy that funds Social Security, plus 2.9% to cover Medicare. More from Personal Finance:

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'Super savers' make sacrifices to help reach goals The Social Security tax is subject to an annually adjusted wage cap ($137,700 in 2020), but the Medicare tax continues to apply beyond that amount. Even as the effective date of the holiday has arrived, not all employees can necessarily anticipate a temporary bump in their paycheck. "It doesn't explicitly say the employer must participate," said Ed Zollars, CPA at Zollars & Lynch in Phoenix. "There will be lots of businesses that won't do it  some because they don't have the software that will let them do it, or their payroll service has no method to do it." Above all, remember that this deferral is only temporary. It will take an act of Congress to forgive the taxes. Here are a few questions weighing on the minds of employees, and answers from the experts.

What might I see on my paycheck?

Employees pay a 6.2% tax toward Social Security. This is the portion of the tax that can be deferred during the holiday. The savings in the short term for employees could be sizable. A worker earning $50,000 could see an increase of $119 in each bi-weekly pay period, which adds up to $1,073 over nine pay periods. The catch is that employers will essentially "double withhold" these employees' paychecks for the first four months of 2021. This way, they recoup and pay the deferred taxes to the IRS ratably, or proportionally over time  and they cover the ongoing withholding that would otherwise be taking place.

The conversations I've had with most employers is if they go down the path of offering it, they want employee input on that. Robert Delgado principal at KPMG

Employers must pay the deferred taxes by April 30, or else they'll face penalties, interest and additional taxes. Meanwhile, workers will see a dip in their pay early next year, due to that double withholding. "The employees are going to get a shock," said Nicole Davis, CPA and founder of Butler-Davis Tax and Accounting in Conyers, Georgia. "Most people live paycheck to paycheck," she said "They will find themselves between a rock and a hard place when their paycheck is less."

Will my employer offer the deferral?

Kathrin Ziegler | DigitalVision | Getty Images

The IRS's guidance doesn't say that firms must participate, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested in an interview with Fox Business last month that it would be optional for employers. Ultimately, the decision to participate is up to the employer, said said Pete Isberg, vice president of government affairs at ADP. Federal workers will be facing the deferral, as the National Finance Center  which processes payroll for more than 600,000 federal employees  has said it was gearing up for implementation. Be aware that payroll companies also need to get their systems up and running to roll out the deferral to employer clients. This could mean employers that opt in may not begin applying the deferral until a pay period later this month.

Can I opt out of the deferral?

It depends. Employers taking on the deferral may ask their workers if they want to participate. "The conversations I've had with most employers is if they go down the path of offering it, they want employee input on that," said Robert Delgado, principal at KPMG in San Diego. Here's where things get complicated. While it may be easy for a small shop with five employees to determine whether workers would be onboard with a deferral, larger firms with thousands of employees may ask each one whether they want to participate. In that sense, it may be easier for larger firms to either skip the deferral altogether or default all workers into it  as opposed to asking each employee what they want to do. "It becomes a practical matter  the more layers you offer, it puts the deferral off to a future period of time," said Delgado. The more data collection takes place, the longer it will take to implement the deferral.

My payroll taxes are being deferred. How do I plan ahead?

10'000 Hours
Dear People in charge of building NEW experiences Disney Land and World, we dont really need another Frozen land BUT what we could use is Wakonda [sic], please Disneyworld Disneyland PLEASE build in Chadwick Bosemans name WAKONDA, the comedian and View host tweeted Sunday.
Whistles made by dolphins have been recorded by researchers for the first time as a way to help them estimate population sizes and track their movements.

Biologists from the Stellenbosch University monitored the unique signature whistles of bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Namibia in southern Africa.

Instead of using capturing the dolphins then releasing them to count their population size, the team used underwater placed four hydrophones along parts of the Namibian coastline and recorded 4,000 hours of acoustics.

This allowed them to capture and count the individually distinct signature whistles made by each dolphin to estimate the population size of the local dolphins.

The marine biologists, whose study is published in the Journal of Mammalogy, identified more than 200 sounds, 50 of which contained signature whistle types.

Researchers are working on improving their technique to learn more about the dolphins in future - including details on their movements and feeding patterns.

Namibia's common bottlenose dolphins, consisting of between 82 to 100 individuals, is the only inshore population of common bottlenose dolphins along the southern African coastline

Study author Dr Tess Gridley, a researcher at and co-director of the Namibian Dolphin Project, said it was the first time this had been attempted.

'The dolphins use these sounds throughout life and each has its own unique whistle and so by recording them over time - and in different places - they could calculate where animals were moving and how many there were.

From these recordings, 53 signature whistle types were identified, 40 were in an existing catalogue developed in 2014, and 13 were newly identified.

Of the 53 signature whistle types identified, the majority - 57 per cent were recaptured twice or more, and the rest were captured only once.

Namibia's common bottlenose dolphin population near Namibia is the only inshore population of common bottlenose dolphins along the southern African coastline.

Their range stretches from about 600 miles along the coastline between Mowe Bay to the north of Walvis Bay and Luderitz to the south

This allowed them to capture and count the individually distinct signature whistles made by each dolphin to estimate the population size of the local dolphins. Stock image

The researchers say they are excited by the potential of their method, as the number of dolphins estimated was almost exactly the same as estimated through the traditional method which involves disturbing the mammals.

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS HAVE A 'SIGNATURE' WHISTLE From the day they are born, bottlenose dolphins produce high frequency whistles. During learning and practice in the first year of life, these whistles develop into individually distinct signature whistles and each animal has its own unique call throughout life. Once learned, signature whistles act like a name and are used to help animals stay in contact and to address each other when communicating under the water. These signature whistles help animals keep in contact if they become separated, they are exchanged before groups meet. They can copy each other's whistles to address each other - in the same way humans use names. They are therefore friendly sounds and used between animals that are well acquainted - such as group members and mothers to their calves. Advertisement

Project supervisor, Dr Clare Embling, of the University of Plymouth, said it was an important development in monitoring the marine mammals

'One of the great things about bioacoustics is that you can leave a hydrophone in the water for weeks at a time and collect so much data without interfering with the lives of the animals you are studying,' she said.

'This work is incredibly important as it allows us to track and count the number of dolphins in small vulnerable populations.

'It builds on our previous research looking at the impacts of noise on marine organisms and monitoring vulnerable marine mammal populations.'

The team are refining the technique, which they hope can be used to track other species - such as the endangered humpback dolphins.

Plymouth University's Emma Longden led the project which she began during an internship on her undergraduate degree.

She analysed more than 4,000 hours of acoustic data from four hydrophones positioned along the coast south and north of Walvis Bay, Namibia, during the first six months of 2016.

The project involved Dr Simon Elwen, of Stellenbosch University, who has been researching Namibia's resident bottlenose dolphins for the past 12 years.

Through the Namibian Dolphin Project she has built a catalogue of more than 55 signature whistles dating back to 2009.

Future research includes the work undertaken by PhD student Sasha Dines from Stellenbosch University to further refine the technique to better understand the population of endangered humpback dolphins in South Africa.

Another PhD student, Jack Fearey from the University of Cape Town, is continuing to conduct research along the Namibian Coast.
T wo Metropolitan Police officers have been accused of failing to protect a teenage girl when she tried to report domestic abuse claims weeks before she was killed by her boyfriend.

Katrina Makunova, 17, was stabbed through the heart during a tussle with county lines drug dealer Oluwaseyi Dada as their two-year romance was about to end.

The trainee beautician was knocked to the ground by Dada, falling on to the knife in her Versace handbag which she herself had brought to the confrontation in Camberwell on July 12, 2018.

Miss Makunova had reported Dada  nicknamed Capone - repeatedly to police in the weeks before her death, but no criminal charges were brought over the domestic abuse allegations.

Two officers, PC Kerry Lynham and PC Sophie Dennis, are now facing a public disciplinary hearing over allegations that they failed to respond adequately to a complaint on June 23, 2018.

It is claimed both officers failed to acknowledge a member of the public was reporting criminal allegations of harassment and offences under the Public Order Act, and did not take any action over the claims.

Oluwaseyi Dada pleaded guilty on Wednesday / Metropolitan Police

They are accused of not doing a risk assessment relating to a vulnerable victim of domestic abuse, as well as not completing a mandatory Merlin safeguarding report as Miss Makunova was a child who had become known to police.

It is alleged the failings happened both at Lewisham Police station and when called out to an address in Forest Hill, southeast London.

PC Dennis is further accused of providing false and misleading information on a crime report, including wrongly suggesting Miss Makunova had refused to answer questions about domestic abuse and did not want to make a statement where in fact she had not been asked to provide one.

Dada met Miss Makunova through Instagram shortly after he was released from a 30-month prison sentence for county lines drug dealing, but their relationship had hit the rocks by February 2018.

Among the reports to police was an allegation of Dada threatening her sister with a knife and claims he had pinned down Miss Makunova on the bed with his knee on her neck.

At his sentencing hearing, Southwark crown court heard Dada was accused of threatening Miss Makunova at work, punching her friend in the face during a row, and he had previously tried to take back the Versace handbag which he had given her as a gift.

As the relationship failed, Dada was also said to have demanded the return of a gold chain, a pet dog, and Miss Makunovas mobile phone which he said were gifts he had paid for.

He was sentenced in January last year to two years and three months in prison for manslaughter.

The court heard police had been called out six times in the space of five months as the relationship crumbled, while Dada had been accused of pushing his girlfriend into the road outside a police station in a row over the t-shirt she was wearing.

Katerina Makunova, 17, was found slumped by the ground-floor lift in a block of flats in Brisbane Street, Camberwell, just after midday on Thursday / Facebook

A pre-inquest review hearing earlier this month was told Miss Makunova warned police Dada may be capable of murder, and he sent her a text saying: "I'm going to f*** you up. I'm going to do you. You must think I'm joking."

The teenagers family believe proper police investigations could have saved her life, if officers had viewed text messages and undertaken risk assessments.

The pre-inquest hearing was also told that a total of 12 Met Police officers have been subjected to misconduct proceedings in the wake of Miss Makunovas death.

The misconduct hearing for PCs Lynham and Dennis is due to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
A Manitoba physician in the Prairie Mountain Health region is causing a stir in the medical community after criticizing governments response to the COVID-19 crisis on social media, including the mandatory use of masks.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba physician in the Prairie Mountain Health region is causing a stir in the medical community after criticizing governments response to the COVID-19 crisis on social media, including the mandatory use of masks.

Dr. Blair Hrabarchuk, an internal medicine physician who practices in Dauphin, says the use of masks does not help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. In a number of posts on his Facebook page, Hrabarchuk  who refers to himself as a doctor in the posts  makes a number of controversial claims, including allegations that governments response to the pandemic is an effort to radically alter society.

Dr. Blair Hrabarchuk, an internal medicine physician who practices in Dauphin, makes a number of controversial claims on Facebook, including allegations that governments response to the pandemic is an effort to radically alter society. (Facebook photo)

"This is not about a virus," wrote Hrabarchuk in an Aug. 18 post. "It's never been about a virus. We are experiencing the first steps toward creating a totalitarian society."

Hrabarchuk also posted links to several YouTube videos that promote conspiracy theories, including some that claim masks do not help reduce the transmission of viruses. One of those videos has since been fact-checked by Facebook and labelled "false information."

"Wearing a mask is up to the individual and should not be socially forced on anyone... violation of human rights," wrote Hrabarchuk, who practises in the Prairie Mountain Health region, where masks are now mandatory in indoor public places. The public doesnt understand the "true science" behind masks and shouldnt be forced to wear them "given that masks dont stop transmission," he said.

"Joe Public listens to mainstream media and the heads of three-letter health agencies that are completely corrupted and promoting science in a tainted and biased manner," wrote Hrabarchuk. "Even the major medical journals are not something to be trusted."

Hrabarchuk, who also works at the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, says he no longer trusts reputable medical journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of American Medical Association. Mainstream media is not reporting the "truth" about the pandemic, he wrote, adding if they did, people would see "how small this crisis really is."

"The powers that be want to control us with fear," wrote Hrabarchuk. "I for one WILL NOT BE CONTROLLED WITH FEAR!!!"

Dr. Alan Drummond, co-chair of public affairs for the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, says while people are entitled to their opinions on how governments respond to the pandemic, physicians have a responsibility to support public health orders. He fears some may be swayed by Hrabarchuks claims and ignore public health advice. Many of Hrabarchuks followers on Facebook praise him for speaking out.

In August, Hrabarchuk shared a post that Facebook fact-checkers flagged as false information about the pandemic. (Facebook)

"Any of your writing, any of your postings, any of your thoughts, have the potential to be taken very seriously if youre a physician," said Drummond, who works as a family doctor and an emergency room physician in Perth, Ont. "You need to be very careful what you say because it may impact or harm others if you influence somebody contrary to what public health measures dictate."

While there is a healthy debate around the use of masks, including how they should be used, there is an abundance of medical evidence that shows face coverings help reduce the spread of the virus, said Drummond.

"A physician would, I think, find himself open to both criticism and possible sanction by the regulatory authorities should his advice not reflect the best medical evidence available to us," said Drummond.

Hrabarchuk did not return phone calls from the Free Press. He said in several posts hes prepared to accept whatever consequences he may face for speaking out.

Prairie Mountain Health CEO Penny Gilson said in a statement that all health facilities in the region are following public health orders, including the mandatory use of masks.

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This is not about a virus, wrote Hrabarchuk in an Aug. 18 post. It's never been about a virus. We are experiencing the first steps toward creating a totalitarian society.

"These statements  made by an individual  on social media do not reflect the position of the (regional health authority), nor are they endorsed by the health region," said Gilson.

The RHA did not reply when asked if the health authority will request the posts be removed.

The College of Physician and Surgeons of Manitoba had no immediate comment. An official at the college said they will review the matter.

Dr. Joel Kettner, who served as Manitobas chief public health officer during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, says much of what Hrabarchuk is saying is "problematic." However, there is room for a healthy dialogue around governments response to the pandemic, including mask use.

"I am not suggesting in any way that people not follow the advice or the orders of public health officials," said Kettner, now an associate professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. "But these are controversial issues  theyre hotly debated among scientists and experts."

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
Just days after the calendar flipped to September, many across the central United States will get their first taste of fall weather late this week or early next week. While Sept. 1 marked the official start of meteorological fall, the first tease of cooler weather to come will arrive by Thursday for many residents of the north-central U.S.

A cold front blew through the northern Rockies and northern Plains Wednesday night. By Thursday, this front will stretch from the central Plains to the Great Lakes. Unlike other cold fronts to impact these same areas the past few weeks, atmospheric conditions will not be primed to facilitate stormy weather as the front glides through the central U.S. at midweek.

Wind gusts will be significant in absence of thunderstorms, however. Gusts ahead of and immediately behind the cold push can frequent 40-50 mph over the northern Rockies and Plains and could get as high as 65 mph along the eastern slopes of the northern Rockies for a time from into Thursday.

With the passage of the cold front through Wednesday night, cooler air filtered south from Canada and will overspread many of the North-Central states on Thursday.

The difference in high temperatures over the course of 24 hours will be dramatic for much of the area. Generally, high temperatures on Thursday will end up 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit lower than Wednesday's highest mercury readings.

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"Locations like International Falls, Minnesota, while no stranger to the cold, could see their coldest daytime high since May 13 with a high of just 59 on Thursday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said.

Thursday will only be a brief preview of cooler weather to come as temperatures will be able to creep back up to above-normal levels for the north-central U.S. on Friday and Saturday. A strong area of high pressure will build over the southwestern U.S. through late week and allow warmer air to expand farther north and east into the first half of the Labor Day weekend.

Story continues

Cities like Bismarck, North Dakota, that only top out near 75 on Thursday, will bounce back into the lower 80s on Friday and even the upper 80s on Saturday. A typical daytime high for Bismarck in early September is 77 degrees.

After a brief return to temperatures 5-8 degrees above-normal levels, a much more prolonged surge of cooler, more comfortable air will overspread much of the central U.S. beginning late in the weekend.

"A more potent cold front is set to sweep across most of the central and eastern U.S. by the second half of this Labor Day weekend," Benz said. "This second cold front will help to cool many areas by Sunday and Monday."

Behind this second cold front next week, a deep dip in the jet stream will develop and allow colder Canadian air to seep much farther south than the previous week. Refreshing air will be able to reach even as far south as Oklahoma next week.

"We may have a 40-50 degree temperature drop from Monday to Tuesday in Denver and that will be quite a shocker," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.

Temperatures are forecast to drop from the middle to upper 90s to the middle 50s in Denver during the first half of next week.

Temperatures across the nation's midsection next week will plummet to levels that will have many residents reaching for flannels and pumpkin spice lattes. Generally, high temperatures across much of the Midwest, northern and central Plains, as well as the northern Rockies will only be able to reach levels 10-20 degrees below normal for early September.

By Tuesday, high temperatures from Montana and Wyoming to Minnesota, will be in the upper 50s to middle 60s, while temperatures across the central Plains will struggle to reach the upper 60s. Even as far south as Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, daytime highs will have to work hard to reach the middle 70s, rather than the normal upper 80s.

"This refreshing air mass is expected to linger right through the middle of next week," Benz added.

The prolonged break from above-normal temperatures next week, will allow many residents across the region to finally turn off their air conditioners. Unseasonably cool daytime highs and very cold overnight lows will allow homes and other buildings to cool off naturally, leading to less of a strain on both power grids and wallets.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Before the novel coronavirus hit, the worlds bling behemoths were pulling out the stops to sell experiences where their jet-setting customers could indulge in opulent lodging and dining, all while posting photos of themselves on Instagram. Between 2010 and 2019 demand for experience-based luxury, including fine wines and gourmet food, outstripped that for personal goods, such as watches and handbags.

Then Covid-19 upended the trend. Few are crossing oceans to stay at a Bulgari hotel or dine at a Gucci restaurant right now.

But companies from Giorgio Armani Spa to Capri Holdings Ltd.s Versace and LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton SE could still turn the strategy of tapping into luxury as a broader lifestyle to their benefit. They could offer extravagant getaways to high spenders happy to pay extra to dine, shop and relax in a safe and secluded environment. Or coax more potential local customers out for exclusive home-town retreats given people arent splurging on long-haul airfare. And they could expand their offering with a broader push into health and wellness, where spending was already booming before the pandemic.

LVMH, the worlds biggest luxury group, is probably the most advanced on this frontier. It acquired Belmond, owner of Venices Hotel Cipriani, to complement its exclusive Cheval Blanc hotel chain. Prada SpA owns the historic Milanese pastry shop Marchesi, Ralph Lauren Corp. has chichi bars and Kering SAs Gucci has opened Osteria restaurants in Florence and Los Angeles with three-Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura.

The investments were meant to cater to rich globetrotters, particularly from China. But while consumers around the world are prepared to travel domestically, or to nearby countries, demand for luxury lodging catering to international clients and long-haul flights remains severely depressed. Its not clear when the number of big-spending tourists snapping up Hermes scarves and Chanel handbags will bounce back.

When it does, LVMH will be able to offer its affluent customers everything from breakfast in bed to the dress they wear to dinner. It could throw in a visit to one of it vineyards in France or a distillery in Scotland for a truly personalized experience.

In the meantime, with sales of top-end goods set to fall by as much as 35% this year, luxury adviser Mario Ortelli says stronger brands may get opportunities to acquire assets that wouldnt otherwise come onto the market. When it comes to hospitality, that could include trophy hotels.

Offering unique culinary experiences could also be a way for groups to pull in a hip local crowd in the U.S. or European markets. Some luxury brand restaurants are adapting to the new reality: Ralph Laurens Polo Bar in New York is offering home delivery.

While social-distancing measures may mean fewer diners, this is less of a worry for the big luxury groups. Hospitality is more about creating an aura around their collections than making money.

And if fewer Chinese are coming to Europe, there may be opportunities in exporting branded experiences to China. Luxury spending is recovering there as travelers stay home. While Burberry Group Plc hasnt reopened its Thomass cafe in London yet, theres one in its new Shenzhen store opened in partnership with Tencent Holdings Ltd. Gucci plans another restaurant in Tokyo, but there is no reason why its Osteria collaboration with Bottura couldnt be expanded to other Asian cities.

At home or abroad, health and wellness offers another area for experimentation. This could include beauty spas, but also wellness services in flagship stores, such as the vitamin infusions offered by Londons Harrods. With many consumers still nervous about hitting the gym, helping wealthy customers get in shape is worth exploring, particularly given the increasing fusion between fitness and fashion.

There are still risks. Running restaurants, hotels and health spas is very different to selling shoes and handbags. For hotels, it requires a distinctive aesthetic, not to mention pockets deep enough to ride out the current travel slump. Even before the pandemic, a bad stay, meal or skin peel risked alienating those who would buy clothing and jewelry. Now any brand offering services faces the additional peril of its premises becoming a source of infection.

No wonder LVMH has appointed an experienced executive to lead its charge. Andrea Guerra, formerly of Eataly and Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica SA, will soon take up the role of chief executive of LVMH Hospitality Excellence. Partnerships with restaurants, hotel operators or high-end fitness chains are another option. For example, Marriott International Inc. operates the Bulgari hotels.

Either way, expanding into new categories amid the worst luxury downturn in modern history is not for the fainthearted. But the biggest players take a long-term view. Offering extravagant experiences is one area where this approach could pay off.

(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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High-profile COVID-19 vaccines developed in Russia and China share a potential shortcoming: They are based on a common cold virus that many people have been exposed to, potentially limiting their effectiveness, some experts say. "The Ad5 concerns me just because a lot of people have immunity," said Anna Durbin, a vaccine researcher at Johns Hopkins University. "I'm not sure what their strategy is ... maybe it won't have 70% efficacy. It might have 40% efficacy, and that's better than nothing, until something else comes along."

Vaccines are seen as essential to ending the pandemic that has claimed over 845,000 lives worldwide. Gamaleya has said its two-virus approach will address Ad5 immunity issues. Both developers have years of experience and approved Ebola vaccines based on Ad5. Neither CanSino nor Gamaleya responded to requests for comment.

Researchers have experimented with Ad5-based vaccines against a variety of infections for decades, but none are widely used. They employ harmless viruses as "vectors" to ferry genes from the target virus - in this case the novel coronavirus - into human cells, prompting an immune response to fight the actual virus.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: Canada inks deals with Novavax, Johnson & Johnson for millions of doses

But many people already have antibodies against Ad5, which could cause the immune system to attack the vector instead of responding to the coronavirus, making these vaccines less effective. Several researchers have chosen alternative adenoviruses or delivery mechanisms. Oxford University and AstraZeneca based their COVID-19 vaccine on a chimpanzee adenovirus, avoiding the Ad5 issue. Johnson & Johnson's candidate uses Ad26, a comparatively rare strain.

Dr. Zhou Xing, from Canada's McMaster University, worked with CanSino on its first Ad5-based vaccine, for tuberculosis, in 2011. His team is developing an inhaled Ad5 COVID-19 vaccine, theorizing it could circumvent pre-existing immunity issues. "The Oxford vaccine candidate has quite an advantage" over the injected CanSino vaccine, he said.

Xing also worries that high doses of the Ad5 vector in the CanSino vaccine could induce fever, fueling vaccine skepticism. "I think they will get good immunity in people that don't have antibodies to the vaccine, but a lot of people do," said Dr. Hildegund Ertl, director of the Wistar Institute Vaccine Center in Philadelphia. In China and the United States, about 40% of people have high levels of antibodies from prior Ad5 exposure. In Africa, it could be has high as 80%, experts said.

Also read: Who will get coronavirus vaccine shots in India first? Centre working on priority list

HIV RISK

Some scientists also worry an Ad5-based vaccine could increase chances of contracting HIV. In a 2004 trial of a Merck & Co Ad5-based HIV vaccine, people with pre-existing immunity became more, not less, susceptible to the virus that causes AIDS. Researchers, including top U.S. infectious diseases expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, in a 2015 paper, said the side effect was likely unique to HIV vaccines. But they cautioned that HIV incidence should be monitored during and after trials of all Ad5-based vaccines in at-risk populations.

"I would be worried about the use of those vaccines in any country or any population that was at risk of HIV, and I put our country as one of them," said Dr. Larry Corey, co-leader of the U.S. Coronavirus Vaccine Prevention Network, who was a lead researcher on the Merck trial.

Also read: US, UK gear up to produce coronavirus vaccine by 2020-end

Gamaleya's vaccine will be administered in two doses: The first based on Ad26, similar to J&J's candidate, and the second on Ad5. Alexander Gintsburg, Gamaleya's director, has said the two-vector approach addresses the immunity issue. Ertl said it might work well enough in individuals who have been exposed to one of the two adenoviruses.

Many experts expressed skepticism about the Russian vaccine after the government declared its intention to give it to high-risk groups in October without data from large pivotal trials. "Demonstrating safety and efficacy of a vaccine is very important," said Dr. Dan Barouch, a Harvard vaccine researcher who helped design J&J's COVID-19 vaccine. Often, he noted, large-scale trials "do not give the result that is expected or required."
Draft law states that Australian news outlets can negotiate with Facebook and Google over payment for content used.

Facebook Inc says it will block news sharing on its platforms in Australia if the government goes ahead with a law to force it, and Alphabet Incs Google, to pay local media outlets for featuring their content on its platforms.

The matter is being watched closely around the world as it represents the biggest challenge so far to the way the United States tech giants use news on some of the worlds biggest websites.

What does the proposed legislation say?

The draft law states that Australian news outlets can negotiate individually or collectively with Facebook and Google over payment for content used on the tech firms sites. Other tech firms may be added if they are deemed big enough.

If the parties cannot reach an agreement, an arbitrator will decide whose offer is more reasonable. If Facebook or Google break any resulting agreements, they can be fined up to 10 million Australian dollars ($7.4m) in civil penalties.

The draft also requires tech firms to give media outlets notice when they change search algorithms in a way affecting the order in which content appears. They must also share their use of consumer data extracted from news content on their sites.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission began investigating big tech in 2017 and sought feedback on the draft until August 28. It now hopes to work with government and industry to redraft the law before it goes before Parliament.

While internet and media companies have battled in other jurisdictions  notably in Germany  over the copyright of news snippets and other items published by Google, Australias proposal represents the most expansive reform.

Why was the law proposed?

In recent years, traditional media companies operating in Australia have suffered huge hits to income streams, such as subscriptions and advertising. For every 100 Australian dollars ($74) spent on online advertising in Australia, excluding classifieds, nearly a third goes to Google and Facebook, the competition regulator said.

Last year, the regulator published a report stating news outlets lacked bargaining power when negotiating with digital firms over compensation for content posted on online platforms. It said this was a problem because those same publishers relied on Facebook and Google to reach many of their consumers.

The government wanted the tech giants to abide by a voluntary code. Citing a lack of progress in discussions, it decided earlier this year that legislation was necessary.

What has the response been?

The local arm of News Corp is a vocal supporter of the legislation. It partly blamed the tech companies for the closure of dozens of mastheads earlier this year.

Facebook and Google said they help connect media outlets with consumers, boosting their subscriptions and enabling them to charge advertisers more. Facebook said in the first five months of 2020 it sent 2.3 billion clicks worth about 200 million Australian dollars ($147m) to Australian news websites via articles appearing on Facebook users pages. Google has said it would pay for content, though no major media organisation has agreed to its terms.

Australia previously engaged in lengthy battles with major corporations. In 2012, the then centre-left government became the first in the world to prohibit cigarette companies from using designs on their packaging to attract consumers. Tobacco companies mounted legal challenges but the courts ultimately upheld the law.
The U.S. Senate could go a long way toward reducing racial tension in places like Kenosha, Wis., and Portland, Ore., if it would just take up a police reform bill that has been stalled for months, key members of Congress from Texas said Monday.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, said with one vote on a reform bill named for the late George Floyd, the Senate could extend hope to the protesters and ease the dismay and disappointment that has led them to the streets.

There is nothing like giving them hope that their nation not only responded to their outcry, but listened, Jackson Lee said.

Jackson Lee and other Democrats used a press conference on Tuesday to put more public pressure on the Republican-led Senate and on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow a vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

That bill, which passed the House in June, would, among other things, ban chokeholds, create a federal registry of police misconduct complaints, and take away qualified immunity protections for police who act knowingly or with reckless disregard to violate a suspects constitutional rights.

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But Republicans have instead pushed a narrower bill that Democrats say falls short of the reforms needed. The Republican Senate bill would use incentives to get local police to end chokeholds, but would not change to the qualified immunity statutes that shield officers from civil lawsuits as a result of their actions.

To our dismay, the United States Senate majority (Republicans) refused to take this bill in a responsible and serious manner, Jackson Lee said.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, responded on Twitter saying it was Democrats in the Senate who are to blame for the Republican version, which he co-sponsored, not getting to the floor for a vote. The Senate voted 55-44 to bring the Republican bill to the floor, short of the 60 votes needed to get a vote on the legislation, with most Democrats in the chamber voting against it.

Guess they prefer to use this as a campaign issue, Cornyn said. How is that working?

But other Democratic House members say Republicans could have an impact on the protests if they would just allow the tougher reform package to get a vote in the Senate.

I absolutely think it would help, said U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth. I think the people would have hope.

U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, said the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is no silver bullet, but it would be a powerful message to the protesters that their government is listening to them. Floyd, a longtime Houston resident, was killed in Minnesota on May 25 sparking a summer of protests and rallies against racial injustice and police brutality.

Its because the bill is doing what they are requesting, Green said. The bill is addressing the issues that they are raising.

In advocating for the bill, Green talked about how the reforms are personal for so many people of color, including himself.

Ive been stopped. Ive had my hands on the car, Green said of an incident in which police pulled him over when he was in law school at Texas Southern University in the 1970s. I know what it is like to have the officers speak to you in the tone and tenor that is indicative of a person being displeased with you when youve done nothing.
TDT | Manama

Bahrain has strongly condemned the Houthi militias targetting of Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia while also commending the efforts of the Egyptian armys anti-terror efforts in Sinai. These were expressed in separate statements yesterday from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the statement related to the attempted attack on Saudi, the ministry said: Bahrain strongly condemns and denounces the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi militias attempt to target Abha International Airport in the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through booby-trapped drones, in a cowardly terrorist act that targetted the lives of safe civilians and aimed to destroy civilian facilities, which is considered a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

It continued: The ministry praises the vigilance and readiness of the coalition forces that intercepted and destroyed the drone, and renews the firm supportive position of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the efforts of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to confront all those who attempt to destabilise its security and stability and threaten the lives of civilians, citizens and residents.

The ministry also reiterates its full stance in support of the deterrent measures Saudi Arabia takes to address such terrorist aggressive acts in all forms. Meanwhile, in the statement issued on the Egyptian efforts, Bahrain has commended the efforts of the army of the brotherly Arab Republic of Egypt in eliminating dozens of terrorists and destroying hundreds of their dens, shelters and stores of explosive materials in North Sinai Governorate.
More than 10,000 professionals expected to be on board as part of the initiative

ECHO India, a healthcare non-profit, in association with Naukri.com has virtually launched a unique initiative- COVID Healthcare Professionals (CHP). The initiative aims to bridge the demand and access gap between highly skilled health professionals and healthcare facilities to manage and contain increasing COVID cases across India.

The COVID Healthcare Professionals initiative is committed to playing a vital role in the countrys battle against the coronavirus outbreak by deploying trained healthcare professionals at healthcare facilities that are facing a shortage of skilled professionals to meet the several challenges emerging out of COVID -19. ECHO India joined hands with Naukri.com to create a unified platform connecting both parties in an expeditious manner.

A purely philanthropic and voluntary activity, the sole intention of this endeavor was to strengthen the preparedness and response measure of the nation's healthcare infrastructure. The program was initiated with a mission to connect healthcare volunteers with hospitals requiring the services towards managing and containing COVID-19 cases. The initiative has since then expanded its scope to recruit skilled healthcare professionals with healthcare facilities to meet the demands of the healthcare sector in distressing times.

The CHP initiative is built on an advanced algorithm, designed to match the skills of the professionals via a simple five-step process  Register, Match, Shortlist, Train and Deploy  handled by an expert team of ECHO India and Naukri.com. With a singular mission of serving the nation, CHP initiative is committed to playing a vital role in the country's battle against the coronavirus outbreak.
By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

Pakistan is keen to strengthen bilateral relations with Azerbaijan in the areas of tourism, trade, defense and energy, Pakistan President Arif Alvi said in a conversation with the newly appointed Azerbaijan Ambassador Bilal Hayee in Islamabad, Pakistani media has reported.

The president noted that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Azerbaijan.

Moreover, he stressed that Pakistan and Azerbaijan have deep economic, political, military and cultural ties and called on the ambassador to play his role in increasing bilateral trade.

Furthermore, president expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijani government for supporting Pakistan during the coronavirus pandemic, in particular for the repatriation of 533 Pakistani citizens.

Likewise, Alvi highlighted the regular high-level bilateral meetings held between Pakistan and Azerbaijan to explore the potential in various areas for mutual benefit.

Additionally, the president expressed his hope that the new ambassador to Azerbaijan would contribute to further strengthening relations between two countries.

Bilal Hayee was appointed Pakistans Ambassador to Azerbaijan on June 23, 2020.

It should be noted that Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the two countries have always supported each other in the international arena. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on June 9, 1992.


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New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chiefs of three defence services were among the dignitaries who paid their last respects to former president Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday morning.

Pranab MukherjeeMukherjee's mortal remains were brought to his residence, 10, Rajaji Marg, earlier today from the army hospital where he breathed his last on Monday.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh were among others who paid homage to him.

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Cremation is scheduled in the afternoon. The union government had on Monday announced a seven-day state mourning as a mark of respect for the former president.

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Mukherjee, one of India's most respected politicians, died following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments. He was 84.
Sohum Shah puts an end to speculations around Tummbad 2, says he's working on another project
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP ("Scott+Scott"), an international securities and consumer rights litigation firm, is investigating whether certain directors and officers of CenturyLink, Inc. ("CenturyLink") (NYSE: CTL) breached their fiduciary duties to CenturyLink and its shareholders. If you are a CenturyLink shareholder, you may contact attorney Joe Pettigrew for additional information toll-free at 844-818-6982 or [email protected].

Scott+Scott is investigating whether CenturyLink's board of directors or senior management failed to manage CenturyLink in an acceptable manner, in breach of their fiduciary duties to CenturyLink, and whether CenturyLink has suffered damages as a result.

On August 14, 2020, the United States Department of Justice announced a settlement agreement with CenturyLink based on allegations that CenturyLink violated the terms of its acquisition of Level 3 Communications Inc., by soliciting customers in the Boise, Idaho area. CenturyLink agreed to extend the ban on such solicitations, to appoint an independent monitor, and to reimburse the government $250,000 for the costs of the investigation.

What You Can Do

If you are a CenturyLink shareholder, you may have legal claims against CenturyLink's directors and officers. If you wish to discuss this investigation, or have questions about this notice or your legal rights, please contact attorney Joe Pettigrew toll-free at 844-818-6982 or [email protected].

About Scott+Scott

Scott+Scott has significant experience in prosecuting major securities, antitrust, and consumer rights actions throughout the United States. The firm represents pension funds, foundations, individuals, and other entities worldwide with offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Connecticut, California, and Ohio.

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Both, Real Madrid and easyMarkets, are leaders in their sector and share common values. We are looking forward to start working with them as Official Global Trading Partner beginning with the 20/21 season - Emilio Butragueno, Institutional Relations Director

easyMarkets is excited to announce its future partnership with one of the most recognizable teams in the world and 2020 La Liga Champion: Real Madrid.

The company has announced that it will be the Clubs Official Online Trading Partner for the next three years, starting from the beginning of the 2020/21 season. This has the potential to add incredible value to the easyMarkets branding efforts and bring an unprecedented level of recognition to the well-established financial service provider.

Mr. Ohad Golan, Chief Marketing Officer, commented on the sponsorship, easyMarkets was looking to partner with a team that has instant recognizability, a rich history and a loyal, dedicated fan base.

We sought to sign with an organization that has global appeal, with millions of eyes on it each match  and Real Madrid was the obvious choice.

We look forward to leveraging Real Madrids immense popularity and global appeal strategically as we move forward.

Emilio Butragueno, Institutional Relations Director at Real Madrid commented, Both, Real Madrid and easyMarkets, are leaders in their sector and share common values. We are looking forward to start working with them as Official Online Trading Partner beginning with the 20/21 season.

About easyMarkets

easyMarkets is an award-winning global broker with full market access, innovative trading platforms, a commitment to easy trading and price transparency.

easyMarkets was founded on the idea of democratizing trading. Back in 2001 when easyMarkets was founded, the only way to trade was through a physical trading room as a wealthy individual or an institutional client. If you didnt have an initial investment of tens of thousands of dollars or more it was impossible to trade.

Our purpose was to give market access to anyone that wanted it. We ended up fundamentally changing the online trading industry  which only offered Forex at the time. In 2001 we accepted initial deposits from $25, that could be funded online via credit card  instead of lengthy bank transfer. Our customers responded with loyalty and helped us grow.

Over the years we expanded our CFD offerings to include global indices, energy, metals, and more. In 2016 we rebranded from easy-forex to easyMarkets. We managed to democratize trading, make it accessible, and easier  but there is always more we can offer our customers.

We were the first to offer a true online trading platform that you could not lose more than what you invested. We continued innovating - offering valuable trading tools and conditions such as free guaranteed stop loss, insideViewer, Freeze Rate  and our most innovative tool yet: dealCancellation which allows traders to undo losing trades within an hour for a small fee.


Published in the medRxiv preprint repository, the yet-to-be peer reviewed study analysed whole genome sequence data of virus samples from 210 patients in and around Hyderabad in Telangana

New Delhi: Indian scientists have observed a higher association between asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and viral load, or the amount of virus in an infected person's bodily fluid, in a study of over 200 patients with SARS-CoV-2 virus in Telangana, a "surprise" finding that may better inform the policymakers about the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.

The researchers, including those from the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) in Hyderabad, advise testing asymptomatic primary and secondary contacts followed by surveillance.

"It is important to consider the possibility of infection from asymptomatic patients  presumably harbouring good immunity  spreading into individuals possessing not so robust immunity leading to increased morbidity and mortality," Murali Dharan Bashyam, from CDFD's Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, told PTI.

Reacting to the findings of the study, immunologist Satyajit Rath said he is quite surprised by the finding of higher viral loads in asymptomatic individuals.

"Other studies, as the authors note, report an association the other way round, if at all," Rath, from the National Institute of Immunology (NII) in New Delhi, told PTI.

The main goal of the yet-to-be peer reviewed study, published in the medRxiv preprint repository, was to identify dominant viral lineages circulating among the population of Telangana, especially in Hyderabad.

The researchers noted that Telangana has seen an unusually high rate of infection with a sharp spike observed in the number of cases beginning from the second half of April, with 2,734 new cases and nine fatalities reported just on Tuesday, taking the caseload in the state to 1.27 lakh.

The study analysed whole genome sequence data of virus samples from 210 patients in and around Hyderabad, and determined the highly frequent mutations in the viral genome.

"We observed that a majority of the population under study (over 95 per cent) was infected with the 20B clade (or strain), while a few samples belonged to other clades and subclades," Bashyam told PTI.

"More importantly, 100 per cent of the virus from period May to July belongs to the 20B clade," he said.

The scientist noted that while initial entry of the virus in the state came from 2-3 different viral clades, 20B was able to establish itself as the majority strain starting from May.

"We also observed a very high predominance of D614G spike protein mutation, which now has been shown to be associated with higher infection rates of the virus," Bashyam noted.

The researchers were also able to identify a few unique mutations not identified from other studies in India, in a functionally critical region of the non-structural protein 3 (nsp3) of the virus, which is responsible for replication of the viral genome.

According to the scientists, the samples collected from late May till July represented a higher proportion of asymptomatic cases when compared to samples collected earlier.

A majority of the samples belonged to the age group between 15-62 years, with males (61 per cent) dominating the profile distribution over females (39 per cent), they said.

The scientists compared the distribution of cases with respect to cycle threshold (Ct) values, which is a proxy for viral load.

Symptomatic cases appeared to be associated with higher Ct values, thus lower viral load, compared to asymptomatic ones, which was unexpected, the study found.

In a real time PCR test, a positive reaction is detected by accumulation of a fluorescent signal, and the Ct value is the number of cycles required for the fluorescent signal to cross the threshold or exceed the background level.

There was a reduction in the Ct values in samples analysed near the end of June, implying that more recent samples seemed to carry a higher viral load than earlier samples, according to the scientists.

"We have observed a relatively higher association between asymptomatic cases and viral load. However, this association is greatly dependent on multiple factors including the sample demography as well as overall immune health of the patient during sample collection," Bashyam said.

He noted that the data pertains to samples collected up to July first week, adding that it will be interesting to check whether the trend continued in August-September.

"Viral transmission is based on several factors but based on our results, it is now important to initiate studies on possible transmission of virus from asymptomatic patients," Bashyam noted.

He said another interesting finding of the study was that most samples belonged to the age group of 20-50 years, and one would expect this age group to have robust immunity.

Bashyam noted scientists and clinicians all over the world are learning continuously and advising respective governments based on which they can take informed public health decisions.

"In this context, it is important to continue work similar to the one we have performed so that the state government can be better informed about the spread of the infection," said Bashyam.

"We will definitely advise testing asymptomatic primary and secondary contacts followed by surveillance," he said.

Given the wide range of genetic heterogeneity in the Indian population, the scientists said it is difficult to extrapolate the findings to other Indian states.

"All it tells us for public policy regarding COVID-19, I think, is what we already should know, namely, that all infections have some potential for transmission," Rath added.
With Labor planning another attempt to censure Richard Colbeck on Thursday, it seems that things couldnt get any worse for the hapless Aged Care Minister. Actually, they could.

CBD has learnt that the $20 billion aged care sector has had enough of the disastrous past couple of years and is about to flex its muscles. Big time. The sector, which includes religious, not-for-profit and private operators, has banded together to devise a massive PR campaign to "change the conversation" about aged care and "win the hearts and minds of middle Australia". And if that involves swatting aside an incompetent minister and making the federal government look stingy, well, so be it.

Minister for Aged Care Richard Colbeck on Monday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The sector reckons it has found the ideal team for the job, after a competitive pitch that involved big names such as Newgate Australia and Essential Media.

CBD hears that Senator Colbeck has been less than impressed to learn that the job is going to Apollo Communications, the shop run by Adam Connolly, former Daily Telegraph political reporter and senior media adviser to John Howard.
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FACEBOOK PAGE LINK FOUND FACEBOOK PAGE www.facebook.com/ademirate DESCRIPTION Abu Dhabi - UAE     LIKES 867 PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT 65 PAGE TYPE Local business TIMELINE PAGE TIMELINE

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Things to do in order to optimize Social Media Factor Be sure social media are well visible on your page: you can use our widget You can add the Cool Social snippet If you have no twitter account create a new one. If you have specify it as explained here Incorage your visitors in expressing their opinion in social media Other info about slamoon.com DOMAIN FIRST REGISTERED ON Tuesday 17 November 2009 DOMAIN AGE 12 years, 2 months and 7 days NEXT DOMAIN EXPIRATION DATE Sunday 17 November 2013 (in 2986 days) SERVER LOCATION United States, Provo United States, Provo SERVER IP 74.220.215.237 REGISTRAR FASTDOMAIN, INC. FASTDOMAIN, INC. HOSTNAME host237.hostmonster.com The date slamoon.com was registered for the first time. The next date slamoon.com will expire. The owner usually renews every year its domain, but some prefer buying more than a year only. The IP of a server identifies it. It can be unique or shared between multiple sites. Domain age is a measure of how much a site is old. Older sites have normally more importance and are more trustworthy than young ones. The registar is the authority where slamoon.com is registered. Server location specifies where it is physically.

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Rome, Sep 1 : Italy's new coronavirus cases fell below the 1,000 mark as the country reported a total of 996 infections in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said.

New cases jumped over the 1,000 mark on August 26 (1,367) and continued until August 30 (1,365), reports Xinhua news agency.

With the 996 new cases reported on Monday, the overall tally now stands at 269,214 since the pandemic began in Italy in February.

Six new deaths were also reported, which increased the death toll to 35,483.

In its weekly Covid--19 monitoring report for August 17-23, the Ministry noted that "an increase is confirmed in new cases reported in Italy for the fourth consecutive week, the majority of cases continue to be contracted on the national territory" while 20.8 per cent of the new cases were imported.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte wrote on Twitter on Monday that "once again, Italy is on the frontlines to elaborate useful strategies to combat the coronavirus.

"Thanks to (Health) Minister Roberto Speranza, today 53 countries in dialogue with (the World Health Organization) WHO on safe reopening of schools. This is our priority today."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have added to evidence that a gene responsible for turning off a cell's natural "suicide" signals may also be the culprit in making breast cancer and melanoma cells resistant to therapies that use the immune system to fight cancer. A summary of the research, conducted with mice and human cells, appeared Aug. 25 in Cell Reports.

When the gene, called BIRC2, is sent into overdrive, it makes too much, or an "overexpression," of protein levels. This occurs in about 40% of breast cancers, particularly the more lethal type called triple negative, and it is not known how often the gene is overexpressed in melanomas.

If further studies affirm and refine the new findings, the researchers say, BIRC2 overexpression could be a key marker for immunotherapy resistance, further advancing precision medicine efforts in this area of cancer treatment. A marker of this kind could alert clinicians to the potential need for using drugs that block the gene's activity in combination with immunotherapy drugs to form a potent cocktail to kill cancer in some treatment-resistant patients."Cancer cells use many pathways to evade the immune system, so our goal is to find additional drugs in our toolbox to complement the immunotherapy drugs currently in use," says Gregg Semenza, M.D., Ph.D., the C. Michael Armstrong Professor of Genetic Medicine, Pediatrics, Oncology, Medicine, Radiation Oncology and Biological Chemistry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and director of the Vascular Program at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering.

Semenza shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of the gene that guides how cells adapt to low oxygen levels, a condition called hypoxia.

In 2018, Semenza's team showed that hypoxia essentially molds cancer cells into survival machines. Hypoxia prompts cancer cells to turn on three genes to help them evade the immune system by inactivating either the identification system or the "eat me" signal on immune cells. A cell surface protein called CD47 is the only "don't eat me" signal that blocks killing of cancer cells by immune cells called macrophages. Other cell surface proteins, PDL1 and CD73, block killing of cancer cells by immune cells called T lymphocytes.

These super-survivor cancer cells could explain, in part, Semenza says, why only 20% to 30% of cancer patients respond to drugs that boost the immune system's ability to target cancer cells.

For the current study, building on his basic science discoveries, Semenza and his team sorted through 325 human genes identified by researchers at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston whose protein products were overexpressed in melanoma cells and linked to processes that help cancer cells evade the immune system.

Semenza's team found that 38 of the genes are influenced by the transcription factor HIF-1, which regulates how cells adapt to hypoxia; among the 38 was BIRC2 (baculoviral IAP repeat-containing 2), already known to prevent cell "suicide," or apoptosis, in essence a form of programmed cell death that is a brake on the kind of unchecked cell growth characteristic of cancer.

BIRC2 also blocks cells from secreting proteins that attract immune cells, such as T-cells and natural killer cells.

First, by studying the BIRC2 genome in human breast cancer cells, Semenza's team found that hypoxia proteins HIF1 and HIF2 bind directly to a portion of the BIRC2 gene under low oxygen conditions, identifying a direct mechanism for boosting the BIRC2 gene's protein production.

Then, the research team examined how tumors developed in mice when they were injected with human breast cancer or melanoma cells genetically engineered to contain little or no BIRC2 gene expression. In mice injected with cancer cells lacking BIRC2 expression, tumors took longer to form, about three to four weeks, compared with the typical two weeks it takes to form tumors in mice.

The tumors formed by BIRC2-free cancer cells also had up to five times the level of a protein called CXCL9, the substance that attracts immune system T-cells and natural killer cells to the tumor location. The longer the tumor took to form, the more T-cells and natural killer cells were found inside the tumor.

Semenza notes that finding a plentiful number of immune cells within a tumor is a key indicator of immunotherapy success.

Next, to determine whether the immune system was critical to the stalled tumor growth they saw, Semenza's team injected the BIRC2-free melanoma and breast cancer cells into mice bred to have no functioning immune system. They found that tumors grew at the same rate, in about two weeks, as typical tumors. "This suggests that the decreased tumor growth rate associated with loss of BIRC2 is dependent on recruiting T-cells and natural killer cells into the tumor," says Semenza.

Finally, Semenza and his team analyzed mice implanted with human breast cancer or melanoma tumors that either produced BIRC2 or were engineered to lack BIRC2. They gave the mice with melanoma tumors two types of immunotherapy FDA-approved for human use, and treated mice with breast tumors with one of the immunotherapy drugs. In both tumor types, the immunotherapy drugs were effective only against the tumors that lacked BIRC2.

Experimental drugs called SMAC mimetics that inactivate BIRC2 and other anti-cell suicide proteins are currently in clinical trials for certain types of cancers, but Semenza says that the drugs have not been very effective when used on their own.

"These drugs might be very useful to improve the response to immunotherapy drugs in people with tumors that have high BIRC2 levels," says Semenza.

###>

Scientists who contributed to the research include Debangshu Samanta, Tina Yi-Ting Huang, Rima Shah, Yongkang Yang and Fan Pan of Johns Hopkins.

This research was supported by grants from the Emerson Collective Cancer Research Fund, American Cancer Society, Armstrong Family Foundation, the Cindy Rosencrans Fund for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, the C. Michael Armstrong Professorship of Genetic Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a Career Catalyst Research grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
ALBANY  A Saratoga Springs drug dealer who supplied a powerful synthethic opioid that caused a mans deadly overdose in 2017 is headed to federal prison for 20 years.

Steven Boice sold 50 small glassine envelopes of furanyl fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid considered 30 to 40 times stronger than heroin, to the 30-year-old Gansevoort man on Feb. 3, 2017. The man, who ingested the drug, overdosed at his parents home in Galway. He died at Saratoga Hospital.

Boice, now 30, a native of Schuylerville, was arrested a week later and was later charged in federal court.

On Nov. 26, a month before Boice was scheduled for trial, Boice pleaded guilty to distribution of controlled substances resulting in death. It was the first time a defendant pleaded guilty to the crime within the federal court systems 32-county Northern District of New York (past defendants had admitted they sold drugs that resulted in an overdose but pleaded to other charges).

On Monday, Senior U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe imposed a sentence of 20 years and three years of supervised release. The defense asked that Boice receive 307 days jail credit for time served between his arrest and federal charges. The judge said no.

Boice was the victim's principal drug dealer. An autopsy showed the man died of cardiac arrhythmia caused by an overdose on the synthetic opioid, federal prosecutors in Albany said.

The case was connected to at least five deadly overdoses, including those of Boices co-defendant and a woman who allegedly sold product supplied by Boice, court papers show.

Boice also admitted having a loaded shotgun and semi-automatic rifle to protect his drugs and proceeds inside his home on Cherry Street in Saratoga Springs.

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

In a pre-sentencing memorandum, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Barnett asked the judge to sentence Boice to 20 years in prison. Boices lawyer, Lawrence Elmen, asked for the same.He told the judge in a pre-sentencing memo that his client was using 30 bags of fentanyl a day and would likely have died of an overdose if he was not arrested.

Before his client had graduated high school, the lawyer explained, he used cocaine, cocaine base, LSD, marijuana, ecstasy, Molly, and prescription opiates such as Hydrocodone. While in college in New York City, he used Xanax, Klonopin Oxycotin, DMT, mushrooms and ketamine, among others, he said. He said Boice started using heroin at 23 and became hooked on fentanyl at 27.

More fentanyl use required more money. More money was obtained by Steven selling fentanyl, which Steven had to do to cover the ballooning costs of his addiction, Elmen stated.

In sentencing Boice, the judge ordered he participate in drug and alcohol treatment programs and to place defendant in a facility as close to Queensbury as possible.
A WestJet aircraft taking off from Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., Canada on May 13, 2019. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

WestJet Raising Prices Due to Air Traffic Control Costs

Canadas air traffic operator raises rates 29.5 percent due to cash flow collapse amid COVID-19

WestJet will raise its domestic traveller surcharges because of an increase in air traffic control service rate, says the airline.

Starting Sept. 5, WestJet will increase its surcharge for air traffic control services that travellers pay on their domestic flights.

The increase will range from $4 to $7 per passenger depending on the flight duration, the airline says in its press release.

It comes as a result of NAV Canada, Canadas air traffic operator that is responsible for the civil air navigation system, raised their service charges by almost 30 percent on Sept. 1 due to ongoing financial issues arising from COVID-19.

This means that WestJet has to pay NAV Canada an estimated $6 to $9 per passenger.

WestJet president and CEO Ed Sims addresses the airlines annual meeting in Calgary, Canada, on May 7, 2019. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

In order to recover part of the airline costs, WestJet has to raise the surcharge, the airline explains.

However, WestJet is concerned the price increase will impact the aviation sector negatively.

We are deeply concerned the NAV CANADA rate increase will lead to a further reduction in the number of travellers, said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO.

NAV Canada announced in May. 20, that its revenues and cash inflows were significantly reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic that decreased the number of air passenger traffic in the aviation industry.

Because of that, NAV Canada said it had to seek debt financing to sustain its liquidity. But, in order to meet the criteria of minimum revenue level for the debt, the company has to increase the price of its air navigation system services it charges to the airlines.

NAV CANADA is proposing this rate action only after having actively pursued all available alternatives, including government assistance, said Neil Wilson, NAV Canada President and CEO. All available alternatives, including further government assistance will continue to be explored and utilized in order to minimize or avoid the proposed rate increase.

WestJet self service check-in kiosks are seen at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, on July 31, 2020. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)

WestJet, in response to NAV Canadas rate increase, said the federal government has not done enough to provide specific support to the sector.

We are sympathetic to their situation, like ours, where a lack of sector-specific federal support has hindered their ability to recover, Sims said. Burdening travellers who have been severely impacted by this pandemic with incremental costs will only serve to undermine Canadas economic recovery.

Sims also added the price hike the airline is facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic is beyond their control.

Countries around the world have taken action to limit or defer costs to the aviation industry, yet our situation remains exacerbated by double-digit increases that are beyond our control.

Some airports have indicated they are increasing their Airport Improvement Fees (AIF) by as much as 52 per cent which doesnt help this challenging situation, he continued.

The surcharge increase is the second change that WestJet introduced that will come into effect this month.

The airline announced its zero tolerance mask policy last Friday that will penalise passengers who dont wear masks and face coverings starting Tuesday, Sept. 1. Penalties include denied boarding, being removed from the plane, and suspension of travelling with WestJet for up to a year.

WestJet will appeal the rate increase and if the appeal is successful, it will remove the additional surcharge to the travellers.
Organizers of Big Brother Naija, BBNaija reality show have been told to disqualify Erica from the lockdown eviction for canvassing for vot...

Organizers of Big Brother Naija, BBNaija reality show have been told to disqualify Erica from the lockdown eviction for canvassing for votes.

This followed her conversation with Kiddwaya on Monday night after he was put up for possible eviction.

Erica was heard telling Kiddwaya that her fans will vote for him and would not let her down.

She said: Dont worry, I know my fans will vote for you and save you because they know youre important to me.

They will vote for you. This nomination process is even different from previous years where they picked just two people up for eviction.

Some viewers took to Twitter pages, describing her conversation with Kiddwaya as a way of campaigning for votes from her fans which is against the house rules and should get her a third strike from Big Brother.

Recall that Erica was issued a second strike and stern warning from Biggie. Another act of disobedience of the house rules will get her disqualified from the reality show just like Tacha of Pepper Dem season.

Here are some comments from viewers demanding Ericas disqualification;

@Jennygodswill Erica to Kidd : If you leave, I wont remain the same, so dont worry, my fans will vote for you. Biggie its time for one more strike. This lady is a clown.

@Bimsbaby It will definitely earn her the 3rd strike. You are not allowed to talk about your fans and Erica saying that her fans will vote for Kiddwaya is totally against the rule.

@MrFisher Sometimes, she is just too annoying, imagine discussing the nomination process with Kiddwaya after Big Brothers warning.

@Nengi_Ninja Erica was seriously campaigning for votes and its against the rules @BBNaija they were specifically warned after praise did the same thing the last time.

@SirAdult  Erica just campaigned for kiddwaya. This is wrong @Ebuka wetin they sup with BBNaija. Na Erica and Kiddwaya don get the house now?

@Ifylxo She is not supposed to be indirectly telling fans to vote for Kiddwaya. This is where Big brother is always watching should come to play o.

@Jenevive She just canvassed votes for Kiddwaya and she knows the rules.

@Eomatthew Its definitely an infringement that must not go unpunished.

@Audrey10042 They need to check this o!! How can she be using style to campaign @BBNaija.

@Roselyn It is against the rules. This should earn Erica a disqualification.

@Pearlkarenice Sounded like soliciting for votes for Kiddwaya. Erica just wan chop disqualification unconsciously.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov hopes that the parliament will approve the 2021 national budget of Ukraine in time.

"You and I will face a big challenge during this session, this is the national budget of Ukraine for 2021. I really hope that both we and the government, in the first place, will do everything in our power to ensure that the budget is adopted and the state enters the new year with worthy budget," Razumkov said at a plenary session of parliament on Tuesday.

He said that in order to prepare the draft national budget, it is necessary to involve not only the profile committee, but also all other committees.

According to the speaker, among the challenges facing the Verkhovna Rada is the second wave of coronavirus (COVID-19) disease. "You all see the number of cases... In this regard, without the Verkhovna Rada, it will also be difficult to get out of the crisis," Razumkov said.

The speaker also said that local elections will become a serious challenge for the Verkhovna Rada.

"I am not talking about the legislation that we have adopted and the amendments that still need to be made. I am talking about politics. The Verkhovna Rada has always been, is and will be a political agency, and there will be a political aspect in its decisions, but I would really like so that even during the election campaign everyone understands well that the elections are taking place, and the respect of people will or will not stay with us. Therefore, politics is right, this is important, ratings are 100% important, but the state position should prevail over them," Razumkov said.
Paul Rusesabagina, whose story of heroism during the 1994 Rwandan genocide was made into the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda  and who has lived off and on in San Antonio for a decade  was arrested Monday by Rwandan authorities on charges of terrorism.

His family and supporters say they have been unable to contact him and that they fear for his safety.

In 1994, Rusesabagina, an ethnic Hutu and manager of a hotel in Kigali, the capital, helped shelter more than 1,200 people fleeing the violence that eventually killed as many as 1 million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 by George W. Bush.

More for you African hero, now living in S.A., will run for Rwanda presidency

Rusesabagina and his family have had a home in San Antonio since 2009. He had been in Dubai and was flying to Europe or back to the U.S. when he was arrested, his daughter Anaise Kanimba said, but the family has no idea how or by whom.

A video posted on YouTube on Monday shows Rusesabagina in handcuffs standing in front of a Rwanda Investigation Bureau banner, and the bureau said in a statement posted on Twitter on Monday that Rusesabagina was arrested and is in the custody of RIB, detained at Remera Police Station in Kigali.

He has been charged with being the founder, leader, sponsor and member of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits, the statement said, groups that include the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change and the Party for Democracy in Rwanda. Both organizations oppose the government of Paul Kagame, who has run the central African country since 2000.

Shaminder Dulai /San Antonio Express-News

Rusesabagina has been a longtime critic of Kagame, who, while ushering in a period of progress and stability in the country, also has been charged by human rights groups with torturing and assassinating opponents, according to the New York Times.

We dont have a lot of information, said Kanimba, who lives in Washington, D.C., where she works in international development as a global health expert. We havent talked to him or had any contact with him since last Thursday. He doesnt have any lawyers, and theres no one in Rwanda who can help him. Were very scared for him.

She said her father, 66, suffers from hypertension, has a heart condition and had a bout with colon cancer about 10 years ago.

If the situation wasnt so serious, Id laugh at those (terrorism) charges, said Kathleen Tobin Krueger, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Bob Krueger, D-Texas, who served as U.S. ambassador to Burundi in the 1990s. We want President Kagame to know that the world is watching. And that this was a kidnapping of a global hero, not the arrest of a terrorist.

The Kruegers are longtime friends of Rusesabagina and his wife Taciana. Kathleen Krueger said she has been in touch with the State Departments Bureau of African Affairs and has spoken to former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings in hopes of contacting former President Bush.

She said shes also arranged for security for Rusesabagina family members, including his wife, who has been stranded in Europe because of the coronavirus pandemic. Paul Rusesabinga has six adult children  two in Europe and four in the U.S.

We believe he was kidnapped and taken by extraordinary rendition to Rwanda, said Kitty Kurth, a spokeswoman for the Chicago-based Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, the Times reported. He is a regular critic of human rights violations in Rwanda, and the Rwandan government regularly brings false charges against all critics in order to try to silence them.

On ExpressNews.com: African hero, now living in S.A., will run for Rwanda presidency

Courtesy Kathleen Tobin Krueger /

Rusesabaginas family and supporters spent all day Monday contacting U.S. and European officials, including the State Department, as well as human rights organizations, journalists and others.

Kanimba said the family has not heard back from the State Department but that theyve been told someone there is working on the case.

The Rusesabaginas bought a home in San Antonio because they thought it would be safer and to be closer to the Kruegers, she said. The couple also maintain a home in Belgium.

The two couples met in the mid-2000s and have become such good friends that Taciana Rusesabagina asked Kathleen Krueger to be her new godmother, to serve in place of her first godmother, who was killed in the genocide.

Shes my age and we laugh about that, and she calls me Marraine, which means godmother in French, Krueger said.

Richard A. Marini is a features writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Richard A., become a subscriber. rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini
Frontline workers have lots to contend with - now they have a new problem to face: 'maskne'.

Dermatologists are seeing frontline workers who wear masks for long periods of time, such as healthcare or retail workers, battle breakouts of spots - being referred to as 'maskne' - on their chins, cheeks and noses.

According to skin therapist Eavanna Breen, who owns Akina Beauty Clinic in Lower Leeson Street, people who have never suffered with acne or oily skin are suddenly battling breakouts.

"The natural barrier on the skin which has lots of natural bacteria on it - good or bad bacteria - it's been aggravated," she told the Herald.

"That aggravation, the extra warmth and moisture in a heated environment with the mask, is causing a build-up of bacteria which is causing the problem.

"It's not just people who have had acne before who are getting it, it's clients who never had problems with their skin before.

"It seems to be more the people who are wearing their masks for long periods of time.

"The person who's just putting the mask on to go to the shop, it doesn't seem to be that much of a problem," she said.

To battle the new skincare nightmare, the skin therapist says that choosing a mask that is cotton-based and changing it every two to four hours will help prevent conditions the bacteria thrive in.

"I would say changing it every two to four hours would be fine."

She added that there were a number of things to look out for.

Tips

"The usual things, like when wearing a cloth mask, don't wear it on a regular basis.

"Also make sure you're changing them up and washing them properly. Try to find one that suits your own skin.

"Ideally, the mask should be cotton-based, but even those ones can be quite heavy on the skin. The disposable ones are more ideal from that point of view, but then you have the issue of the environment.

"I think using the disposable ones and changing them more frequently is a good thing to do, until the skin settles down," she explained.

Eavanna also advises people to follow a few other steps, such as putting in place a mild skincare routine, wearing sunscreen and not picking at spots.

"For this kind of acne, I think it's better to strip back all the active ingredients and go back to a very gentle skin care routine," she said.

"Don't pick at the spots because it can cause long-term damage and even scarring."
By Ayya Lmahamad

The volume of Azerbaijans export amounted to $9.1 billion during the first seven months of 2020, the Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication of Azerbaijan reported in its "Export Review" of August.

According to the report, export of non-oil sector amounted to $1.3 million, with a decline by 8.6 percent or $98 million, compared to the same period of 2019 due to COVID-19.

During the reporting period, non-oil goods worth $418.6 million were exported to Russia, $205 million to Turkey, $107.6 million to Switzerland, $84.2 million to Georgia and $31.7 to China.

Compared to the same period of 2019, non-oil exports to Russia increased by 5.7 percent, to Switzerland by 21.9 percent and to China by 60.9 percent.

In the list of non-oil exports, tomatoes ranked first with $166.5 million, followed by gold, with $96.5 million, and cotton products, with $70.6 million.

Likewise, during the first seven months of the year, exports of fruits and vegetables amounted to $359.6 million, cotton fiber to $71.6 million, aluminum and its products to $51.3 million, chemical products to $46.5 million, ferrous metals and its products to $27.4 million, cotton yarn to $10.6 million, alcoholic and soft drinks to $7.3 million, sugar to $9.3 million, vegetable oil to $13.7 million and tea to $5.5 million.

Earlier it was reported that exports in the non-oil sector amounted to $123 million in July 2020. Top five countries in terms of export were Russia with $48.3 million, Turkey with 27.8 million, Switzerland with $11.5 million, Georgia with $7.5 million and China with $3.4 million. In addition, the largest amount of exports accounted for cherries with $16.4 million, followed by cotton products with $12.1 million, and for the third place gold with $10.7 million.

Furthermore, Export Review provides information on the export of services.

Thus, during the reporting period, Azercosmos OJSC exported services worth $28.1 million to 27 countries, which is by 10.2 percent more than in the same period of 2019. In addition, the companys income from service exports made up 90 percent of its total income.

Additionally, the volume of transactions carried out by foreigners on bank cards in Azerbaijan amounted to AZN 23 million ($13.5M).

The "Export Review" also provided information on export orders received by the Azexport.az portal in January-July 2020. Thus, during the reporting period, the portal received exports orders in the amount of $374.5 million, which is an increase by 8 percent compared to the same period last year.

Moreover, the value of non-oil exports through the Single Window Export Support Center amounted to $19.5 million in August 2020. In addition, during the first eight months of the years, the Single Window Export Support Center issued relevant export certificates to hundreds of entrepreneurs, resulting in non-oil exports worth $312.8 million.

It should be noted that the purpose of "Export Review" is to familiarize entrepreneurs with export issues, expand opportunities for exporting local goods to traditional and new markets and accelerate the process of integration into international markets.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff says he was recently intimidated by as many as 30 Norwalk police officers, who after a meeting in police headquarters verbally harassed him, then approached his car in a threatening manner as part of their opposition to a controversial law enforcement accountability bill that passed days later in the General Assembly.

Duffs visit to headquarters included what he called aggressive expletives from police officers, one of whom, the veteran lawmaker claims, spat toward him before he was escorted from the building by a lieutenant.

Duff says that for two weeks afterward, a motorist drove by his home shouting more expletives that were heard by his family.

The incident at the Norwalk police headquarters occurred on July 24, Duff said, the day after the state House of Representatives approved the bill, which bans choke holds, opens up police disciplinary records for public inspection, and makes it easier for rogue cops to lose their jobs. The Senate approved the legislation early on July 29 and Gov. Ned Lamont signed the bill into law.

Police Chief Thomas E. Kulhawik on Tuesday said he planned to soon meet with Duff about the allegations. I know he was here to speak with union representatives a few weeks back and felt disrespected by some officers who were upset following the vote on the police bill, Kulhawik said.I am meeting with him later this week to discuss in detail.

Kulhawik said no formal complaint has been made.

I was made aware of what occurred from my officers perspectives by several of my officers shortly afterward, he said, adding that a meeting with Duff was delayed because of scheduling conflicts.

Other Senate Democrats said they too, have been subject to various degrees of harassment over the bill.

Sen. Christine Cohen of Guilford said her familys Madison restaurant has been targeted for a boycott, but stressed that she has kept open lines of communication with police departments in her six-town district. There was concern about controversial sections of the bill, but we did our due diligence and talked to interested parties, police chiefs and union presidents and we negotiated the bill to a better place, Cohen recalled Tuesday.

Still, the day of the Senate vote there were a few people within the law enforcement community leading the charge to boycott, Cohen said, adding that next week she will be observing a training session for Madison police officers. There were some bad apples out there and there were people who had no interest in any law on accountability, Cohen said. When everybody comes to the table, we get to a better place.

The Connecticut State Police Union, which is challenging the accountability law in federal court, on Tuesday released the results of recent votes of no confidence, indicating overwhelming opposition to Lamont and his top public-safety brass. The vote against Lamont was 687-18.

Sen. Marilyn Moore, whose district includes Bridgeport, Trumbull and Monroe, said that she was also subjected to aggressive emails over the accountability issue, but mostly from people outside her district. She said Tuesday that local Bridgeport police never responded to her request to talk about the bill when it was pending, and police from the two nearby towns never contacted her.

All the threatening emails that I got were from Northeastern Connecticut, saying things like theyll remember me in November, but theyre outside my district anyway, Moore said.

Duff, a real estate agent and 18-year veteran of the General Assembly, No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said that if he is subject to such overt abuse by local law enforcement, he fears for what under-served communities may face.

I still believe that the majority of the Norwalk police do their job and do it well, but what keeps me up at night is the fact that if they treat somebody like me whos white, has privilege, is elected and is the Senate majority leader, how are they treating others who dont have that same platform and dont have the ability to speak up like I do? Duff said in an interview.

In his August 20 letter to the Norwalk Police Union President David OConnor, Duff did not name any of the police officers he said confronted him. Copies of the letter were sent to Kulhawik and Mayor Harry Rilling, a former city police chief.

Duff said he was invited to speak to the unions executive board on that early Friday afternoon July 24, two days after he hosted union leaders in his home.

After arriving in headquarters, officers using expletives demanded to know what Duff was doing there, he said. While discussing the pending legislation with the union leaders, others  rank-and-file members  entered the room in what Duff said was a show of force.

Neither of those actions achieved their goal of intimidating me, but I was surprised your officers would engage in that type of behavior, and shocked that you would allow it to occur, Duff wrote. After the meeting ended, I was asked by an officer not on the executive board for a few minutes of my time. As we were talking, the single door opened and I saw one of your officers, and about twenty other officers behind him. He then looked at me in a menacing manner, and spit at me. Yes, spit at me. I was shocked and could not believe this was the Department I have supported my entire legislative career.

At that moment, around 3 p.m., a lieutenant said that the officers were angry and suggested Duff leave, accompanying him to the public parking lot. An estimated 30 officers then emerged from a rear entrance. As I was driving away, it looked as if they were going to surround my car. Whether that was their intention or not, I dont know, but it appeared to be another bullying and intimidation tactic.

OConnor, a sergeant on the local force, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Rilling also did not return a request for comment.

Jody Barr, executive director of, AFSCME Council 4, the umbrella union that includes the Norwalk police local, said Tuesday that union leaders had multiple conversations with Duff about the bill.

The police accountability bill generated strong emotions on the part of every stakeholder, Barr said in a written statement. Our union is committed to maintaining open and constructive communication with legislators and our police locals as we move forward and continue advocating for the more than 2,000 police officers we represent.

Barr said that discussions on the bill were respectful and productive, despite differences over the legislation.

Hundreds of police officers and supporters rallied against the bill on the day when the House gathered in special sessions to adopt it and other, unrelated measures. There were much fewer police outside the Capitol when Duff introduced the bill during the one-day special session of the Senate that started on July 28 and stretched until Wednesday morning July 29, when it finally passed in a mostly party-line vote.

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
Arnold Schwarzenegger was spotted having a casual day in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The 73-year-old veteran Hollywood actor of The Terminator and True Lies fame looked youthful in a California surfer T-shirt and shorts with black sunglasses as he added sensible shoes.

Later, the former governor was spotted in his door-less green Hummer with a male friend.

A wave hello to his fans: Arnold Schwarzenegger was spotted having a casual day in Los Angeles on Tuesday

When in the large vehicle, he slipped on a black face mask as protection against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The face covering featured the line in white, 'We'll be back'.

It's a riff on Schwarzenegger's timeless phrase, I'll be back, from the Terminator franchise.

The actor sported a healthy grey beard as he waved to the shutterbugs.

Casual Tuesday: The father-of-five also donned a grey t-shirt featuring a surfboard print, blue shorts and tan slip-on shoes

On Instagram on Monday, Arnie shared an impressive clip to his Instagram feed.

It showed him bent over in a blue Powerhouse Gym t-shirt as he lifted what looked to be an incredibly heavy weight with a rowing motion.

The septuagenarian looked to be in his personal study, which was outfitted with gym equipment.

Out for spin: The former bodybuilder was going for a ride in his khaki green military-style hummer with a friend

Timeless phrase: The star was wearing a black face mask as protection against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, featuring the tagline in white, 'We'll be back'

He captioned the clip, 'Old, but not obsolete. T-bar rows are one of my favorite exercises. Heres some Monday motivation!'

And his son Patrick hilariously called out Arnold's selection of soundtrack for the snippet, commenting, 'Nothing like crushing a gym session to Taylor Swift. Feel you pops' along with some strong arm emojis.

At the end of last month, the Predator actor made headlines when it was reported that he has signed on for his first-ever lead role in a scripted TV series.

Schwarzenegger will play the main character in a dramatic global spy adventure series, being developed in conjunction with Skydance Television.

On Instagram on Monday: Arnie shared an impressive clip to his Instagram feed, showing him bent over as he lifted what looked to be an incredibly heavy weight with a rowing motion
With France reporting thousands of new infections daily  more than any of its neighbors  all French schoolchildren 11 and over must wear masks all day, recess and music class included. Similar rules are in place in Balkan countries, while other countries are more lax about masks. Some classrooms look starkly different from previous years, with plastic shields around desks and virus warning signs plastered everywhere.
BOSTON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rich Lesser, CEO of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), today announced a major new climate commitment for the firm that will deliver net-zero climate impact by 2030. To reach this goal, BCG will take significant action to reduce its footprint and neutralize its remaining climate impact by investing in leading-edge carbon removal projects.

The firm will reduce direct energy and electricity emissions (Scopes 1 and 2)against its baseline year of 2018by 90% per full-time-equivalent employee by 2025. BCG transitioned to purchasing 100% renewable electricity in 2019 and will continue to pursue efforts to increase energy efficiency across its operations to achieve the remainder of this target.

BCG will also reduce its climate impact from business travel, which represents more than 80% of its total footprint, by at least 30% per FTE by 2025, with expected further improvements to follow. While the mobility of its people is important to delivering services to clients, BCG began making changes to reduce the climate impact of business travel prior to COVID-19 and will build upon lessons learned during the pandemic to further transform its approach.

Neutralizing the Remaining Climate Impact

To neutralize the climate impact of its remaining footprint, BCG will remove carbon from the atmosphere by scaling investments in carbon removal projects and technologies. For every remaining tonne (CO 2 equivalent) that it emits, the firm will remove a tonne of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, thereby achieving net-zero climate impact by 2030.

BCG is committed to removing carbon with the most effective nature-based and engineered solutions at an expected cost of $35 per tonne in 2025, rising to $80 per tonne in 2030. This marks a significant increase against the current voluntary carbon offset market average of $3 to $6 per tonne. This major investment will enable BCG to work collaboratively with leading organizations around the world in developing and deploying the most advanced removal approaches, essential to meeting the goals of the Paris Accord.

Beyond 2030, the firm is committed to being climate positive by removing more CO 2 than the amount of CO 2 equivalent that it emits.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for global efforts to develop solutions to the world's biggest problems," said Lesser. "True to our values and purpose, we have a responsibility to show leadership in this new reality. The greatest impact BCG can have is to help our clients tackle their climate challenges and accelerate their transition to a lower-carbon economy. But to stand confidently and proudly behind our work, we also have to change the way we ourselves operate and invest substantially. Like every company, we must step up."

Helping to Shape and Deliver the Global Climate Agenda

Beyond transforming its own operations and investments in carbon removal, BCG is announcing a $400 million commitment over the next decade to enable its teams to drive climate and environmental impact across governments, industries, NGOs, and coalitions in order to advance global progress toward the net-zero ambition.

The firm deeply believes that broad and collective action is required to create a sustainable future, and it is already delivering more than 350 climate and environment projects with over 250 organizations each year.

BCG teams support the realization of the global climate agenda through the development of innovative research, high-impact climate strategies, and new climate ventures. BCG delivers transformations that directly reduce climate impact and shape environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) programs that influence global climate action and the advanced analytics and digital tools that contribute to solutions.

Through BCG's global partnerships with the World Economic Forum, WWF, TED Countdown, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, BCG is helping these organizations develop capabilities, improve effectiveness, and better deliver on their climate missions.

In addition, BCG is supporting the UK government and the UN High-Level Champion for Climate Action to prepare for and organize the UN COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland. BCG is especially focused on the role of nonstate actors in achieving the Paris ambition. This will be a decisive moment for climate action, and BCG will be working tirelessly to ensure a positive outcome.

Through this broad set of actions and investments and additional climate engagement, BCG will pursue Science Based Target initiative participation and will look to continually advance its leadership role in helping the world address the existential climate and environment challenges we are facing.

For more information about BCG's net-zero ambition, please visit: https://www.bcg.com/about/about-bcg/net-zero.

To arrange an interview, please contact Eric Gregoire at +1 617 850 3783 or [email protected].

About Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we help clients with total transformationinspiring complex change, enabling organizations to grow, building competitive advantage, and driving bottom-line impact.

To succeed, organizations must blend digital and human capabilities. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives to spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting along with technology and design, corporate and digital venturesand business purpose. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, generating results that allow our clients to thrive.

SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

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Why a 10-year-old child has reignited the debate on abortion in Brazil.

Brazil has imposed new rules for rape victims seeking an abortion, requiring them to look at the fetus before the procedure.

Doctors are also obligated to report their cases to the police.

This comes two weeks after anti-abortion rights activists surrounded a hospital to stop a 10-year-old girl from terminating her pregnancy.

Al Jazeeras Monica Yanakiew reports from Rio de Janeiro.
PARIS  The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has republished the same cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad and Islam that prompted a deadly attack on the magazine in 2015, an act that will be seen by some as a commitment to free speech and by others as reckless provocation.

The publication coincides with the start on Wednesday of the long-awaited terrorism trial of people accused as accomplices in the attack  potentially cathartic for a nation that was deeply scarred by that act of brutality. The magazine posted the cartoons online on Tuesday and they will appear in print on Wednesday.

The trial and the reappearance of cartoons that are seen by many as offensive come as France is seeing protests against racism and calls for reflection on the treatment of minorities in its society, past and present.

The growing sensitivity to race, ethnicity and religion has clashed with Frances traditionally forceful commitment to freedom of expression and secularism. Many traditionalists have expressed concern that the country is yielding to American-style identity politics, long widely rejected in France.
By Nancy Eshelman

Once again, Im with Gov. Tom Wolf.

Hes got the right idea: The state should legalize the use of recreational marijuana.

Wolf says if the Legislature would follow his plan, revenues from the sale of marijuana could help businesses and residents recover from the recession caused by COVID-19. Thats a good idea.

Wouldnt it be better, after all, to have revenues from a legal product benefit the common good rather than watch them disappear into the pockets of illegal drug dealers?

But my reasons for supporting Wolf have less to do with revenue and more with what people want. Opinion polls show that Pennsylvanians want recreational marijuana use legalized for adults.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman held meetings across Pennsylvania last year and heard repeatedly that this is what people want. Frankly, a lot of them want it legalized because they are already using it.

A 2017 survey found that more than half of American adults have tried marijuana at least once in their lives, and 22 percent currently use it. And a Franklin & Marshall poll the same year found that 56 percent of registered voters would support legislation to legalize the drug.

Ill admit to my use. In my younger years, I used marijuana, Not often, but occasionally. And when I say younger, Im referring to my 20s, 30s and 40s.

I didnt become addicted or suffer from Reefer Madness. I didnt move on to more potent drugs.

In those days, smoking with a friend or friends was not unlike meeting for drinks, although the outcome could have been a lot different.

As Fetterman has noted, being arrested for smoking a joint or having a personal stash can have serious side effects.

Its deeply concerning that we spend so much time, money and other resources prosecuting something that most Pennsylvanians dont even think should be illegal, Fetterman said. Having a marijuana conviction on your record can mean a lifetime of consequences, including possible employment and housing problems, or even being barred from volunteering to chaperone your kids field trip.

Smoking a joint is really no different than enjoying an alcoholic beverage, with one exception. People who smoke become mellow and relaxed. People who drink often become aggressive, nasty and mean.

Bar fights and domestic violence are fueled by alcohol, not marijuana.

Of course, common sense isnt something often present where legislators gather.

The leadership in the Republican-controlled state House and Senate opposes the legalization of marijuana. Mix that with their feelings about Wolf, and public opinion be damned.

Dont look for Pennsylvania to accomplish whats been done in 11 states and Washington, D.C.

That was pretty clear when I read reporter Charles Thompsons article on Wolfs plan. He spoke with Jake Smeltz, chief of staff to Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster County.

I could hear the sarcasm drip as Smeltz said of his boss, One priority he does not have is to make sure that people can get high legally.

Thats when it came to me. Maybe Smeltz, Cutler and a few of their Republican friends ought to have a toke or two.

That ought to mellow them out.

Columnist Nancy Eshelman can be reached at columnist1@verizon.net
Every Child Counts School

Rebuilding continues at the Every Child Counts school after it was destroyed by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.

Rebuilding continues at the Every Child Counts school after it was destroyed by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.

TORONTO, Aug. 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One year after Hurricane Dorian tore through the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama in the Bahamas, one special school is preparing to re-open in September, thanks in part to the generosity of committed Canadians and Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC).



Every Child Counts (ECC) school in Abaco, provides quality special education to students with mental and physical disabilities. But on September 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian became the strongest hurricane to strike the Bahamas, and ECC was not spared.

The hurricane damaged all of the schools buildings, including some just recently completed, and left contents under 23 feet of water. The ECC community also lost a dedicated, Canadian teacher, Alishia Liolli, who lost her life in the hurricane.

Despite setbacks and delays caused by the global pandemic, ECC is almost ready to welcome back teachers in September and students in October. Undoubtedly this return to school will look different with some hybrid classes offered to keep students engaged while safe.

"We are very grateful to all who have supported our efforts to restore our school and to be at the point of gathering our ECC community back together in the Fall." Lyn Major, principal and founder of Every Child Counts.

Canadians raised over $100,000 to aid with emergency relief and rebuilding efforts. Food For The Poor Canada deployed 1000 tarpaulins as temporary shelter to families left homeless. Solar panels were also provided to support the school with a source of energy even in the event of a power outage. FFPC worked with All Hands And Hearts to help rebuild the school, and the work continues.

Hurricane season 2020 is in full swing and Food For The Poor Canada is committed to respond and support affected communities when needed. FFPC works with a vast network of local partners to build prosperous communities and to respond effectively and efficiently when natural disasters occur.

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As we prepare for another potentially devastating hurricane season, we are working with partners to have supplies ready; we currently have several million water purification tablets on hand to deploy, and are raising funds to purchase tarpaulins or other supplies so that our response is timely, adds Samantha Mahfood, Executive Director of Food For The Poor Canada.

Please help prepare by donating at www.FoodForThePoor.ca

Food For The Poor Canada

Food For The Poor Canada (FFPC) empowers communities in the Caribbean and Latin America through five areas of programming: food, housing, education, health and livelihood. FFPC responds to urgent needs while building community and social infrastructure. FFPC utilizes the pre-existing infrastructure of local affiliated organizations to better sustain and grow the communities they serve and responds effectively to emergencies and natural disasters when they occur. Over the last 12 years, FFPC and its Canadian donors have built 124 homes and 32 schools, as well as shipped and distributed $32 million worth of food, educational and medical supplies. FFPC is part of the Food For The Poor family of charities; the founding organization in the USA is Food For The Poor, an interdenominational Christian organization that works in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

For interviews or more information, contact:

Samantha Mahfood

Executive Director

(416) 921-4008

Samantham@foodforthepoor.ca

www.foodforthepoor.ca

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6aee2851-3d54-40f5-aa9d-2d07a2e15f8c




The number of COVID-19 cases associated with CMUs return to campus increased by 22 Tuesday, more than the number of cases the state of Michigan announced for Isabella County.

Central Michigan District Health Department announced Tuesday afternoon that the total number of cases from the outbreak surrounding CMU increased to 205, with 190 confirmed and 15 probable. The number Monday was 178, 163 confirmed and 15 probable.

Central Michigan University announced that it owned eight new cases in its first daily update, bringing the number of COVID-19 cases it acknowledges as being in the university community since the outbreak started in early August as 130.

The university has announced numbers weekly since June 15 and was 142 Monday, but the current outbreak related to students returning didnt start until around Aug. 10, and the universitys acknowledged cases in that time is 122. In its population of roughly 15,000 people, that means a little less than 1 percent of the campus community has tested positive for the disease, also a new number the university is reporting.

The two numbers are different in that CMDHD counts all cases related to CMUs return to campus, including former students and community members who are infected through contact with a COVID-positive member of the CMU community. CMUs numbers more narrowly focus on just people  they dont break numbers down by students and staff  within the university community who test positive.

Overall, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced an additional 18 cases for Isabella County, four fewer that CMDHDs number.

The discrepancy is a result of the way and timing of test results, said Melissa DeRoche, spokeswoman for CMDHD. The state assigns positive cases based on the county of residence. As an example, test results for a CMU student who calls a Macomb County community their home will be included in Macombs case counts.

In addition, while the states results are entered into the database by 10 a.m. for the afternoon announcement, she said. Test results come in to the health department all day.

Isabella County has had a total of 453 confirmed cases and 54 probable cases for a total of 507. Nine Isabella residents have died from the disease.

Elsewhere in mid-Michigan, another two cases were announced in Clare County for a total of 92 cases and four deaths, one more in Gratiot for 170 cases and 15 deaths, five in Midland for 334 cases and 11 deaths, one in Mecosta for 83 cases and two deaths, six in Montcalm for 210 cases and four deaths. Gladwin County remained at 71 cases and two deaths.

Statewide, another 718 cases were announced for a cumulative total of 103,186, and another 15 deaths for 6,495 deaths. Of those 15, eight were discovered during a review of death certificates.

READ MORE:
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA is looking for leaders for one of the best jobs on Earth for human spaceflight  including missions to the Moon  the position of flight director in mission control at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA will accept applications for new flight directors Thursday, Sept. 3, through Thursday, Sept. 10. U.S. citizens can apply at:

http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/577699400

Those chosen as NASA flight directors will lead human spaceflight missions to the International Space Station, as American astronauts once again are launching on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil to the orbiting laboratory.

For almost 20 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth that will enable long-duration human and robotic exploration into deep space. Flight directors also will lead upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon, and eventually the first human missions to Mars.

Flight directors are responsible for leading teams of flight controllers, research and engineering experts, and support personnel around the world, and making the real-time decisions critical to keeping NASA astronauts safe in space.

"NASA flight directors need a unique mixture of confidence and humility, innovation and organization," said Holly Ridings, chief flight director at Johnson. "The situations you have to deal with are occasionally very tough, and the stakes are always very high. But if you are able to handle that responsibility, there is nothing like knowing that you played a key role in the historic work that NASA does on a day-to-day basis."

To be considered, flight director candidates must be U.S. citizens with a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics. They also will need substantial related, progressively responsible professional experience, including time-critical decision-making experience in high-stress, high-risk environments. Many flight directors have previously been NASA flight controllers, though it is not a prerequisite to apply.

NASA will announce selections later this fall. The new flight directors then will receive extensive training on flight control and spacecraft systems, as well as operational leadership and risk management.

Learn more about NASA careers at:

http://www.nasa.gov/careers

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


Officials said the man had not immediately told medical staff that he was feeling sick.

Three housing units were put on quarantine status Thursday after the mans test came back positive, and testing was offered to about 600 inmates in those three units on Friday. Frakes said 332 inmates agreed to be tested.

The whole prison was quarantined Sunday after results of those tests came back, meaning that prisoners have been confined to their cells or housing space and that medical staff are to check temperatures and general health daily. Inmates who have tested positive will be checked more often.

Officials said that the quarantine will be in place for at least two weeks and that testing is being offered to the remaining 680 or so prisoners in the penitentiary. The testing is voluntary.

Ricketts said officials have not performed any analysis to determine how the infection got into the prison.

Officials suspended volunteer programs and visitation with inmates in early August when the number of community cases started ticking upward again. New admissions to the prison system are quarantined for at least two weeks.
Two weeks after a military coup toppled Malis president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the conflict-riven West African nation is teetering on the precipice of change, with calls for a swift transitional rule and deep reforms to flush out corruption, nepotism and bad governance.

Civilians are still reeling from the protests of July 10-11, which left dozens dead after soldiers opened fire on demonstrators assembled in the capital Bamako to rally against rising violence, extremism and crippling poverty.

"The biggest problem in Mali is impunity," said Mohamed Kassoum, a surgeon who participated in July's protests. "We must fight injustice.

"Our second problem is corruption. Our dream is to change the system, to give Malians an opportunity to live a better life, to be able to educate our children in school," he added.

FRANCE 24's reporters Nadia Massih, Mohamed Farhat and Alexandra Renard met with Kassoum and others to ask why they took part in the protest movement and what Mali's future might hold, now that Keita has been deposed and the army is in control.

Click on the video above to watch their report.
OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio -- After spending nearly the entire COVID-19 summer expecting to be in fully remote learning mode to begin the 2020-2021 school year, Olmsted Falls City School District Superintendent Jim Lloyd announced yesterday (Aug. 31) that the district would start classes Sept. 8 in a hybrid fashion.

Our team of administrators decided to go hybrid, Lloyd said. What Im trying to communicate to my community is there was never a decision to go remote. The recommendation to the board was based on the data that we have when we need to make the call.

That data dictating the districts decision -- which goes against the Cuyahoga County Board of Healths recommendation that schools starts remotely -- included the positivity rate of area tests, the number of new cases in Cuyahoga County and the inability to test kids.

Because there was improvement on actually all three of those metrics, weve now had back-to-back weeks of Level 2 in Cuyahoga County and the number of new cases has gone down, with the positivity under 5 percent. Thats why we made the decision we would be starting hybrid, Lloyd said.

The districts Pathway A plan is tied to the states four-tiered public health advisory system, which is currently at Level 2 for Cuyahoga County. Olmsted Falls City Schools plan calls for fully in-person instruction taking place during Level 1 (yellow), with the hybrid model for Level 2 and Level 3 (orange and red), and remote learning in Level 4 (purple).

During a normal week of hybrid instruction, students in Pathway A are divided into the blue group attending school Mondays and Tuesdays, while the gold group is in class on Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesday would be a virtual day for everyone.

Due to Labor Day weekend shortening the normal week, Lloyd said students in the blue group will start in hybrid mode on Sept. 8 and 9, with the gold group attending in-person classes Sept. 10 and 11.

Were providing an a.m./p.m. kindergarten program this year in order to have our youngest students with us five days per week, Lloyd said.

While 2,730 students are in Pathway A, Olmsted Falls City Schools is also offering Pathway B -- or Distance eLearning 2.0. Currently, the latter involves 596 students opting for fully remote learning during the entire first semester.

The district is employing teachers dedicated strictly to Pathway B.

Because youre pulling your staff out of the classrooms and putting them into a virtual environment to teach those students, you cant have them do that and then teach kids in the classroom at the same time, Lloyd said. It would overwhelm them.

Yet another remote learning option for students is Pathway B (Edmentum), which is 100 percent virtual and powered by an online learning platform that offers the most flexibility for students and families.

Considering that the district spent nearly the entire summer expecting to be in a fully remote learning mode, Lloyd said the hybrid model has teachers and administrators excited to start the school year.

There isnt a person in our school district who doesnt want our kids to come back to school full-time, Lloyd said.

Wed love for the world to go back to normal, but we have to take what it is that we get and move forward with our student and staff safety in mind. Were really happy to be able to get to this particular point.

Read more news from the Sun Post Herald.
COLUMBIA  The University of South Carolina has opened a second quarantine dorm as the number of COVID-19 cases at the state's largest college rises.

The school also announced Monday plans for mobile saliva testing of students in university housing hotspots found by testing wastewater.

Three more Greek Village houses were placed under quarantine. The total has reached nine  or close to half of all the Greek houses in the neighborhood off Blossom Street.

USC has now issued interim suspensions of six Greek houses for hosting parties with alcohol and to 15 students for hosting large parties and breaking quarantine.

The school with more than 30,000 students has filled all the quarantine beds at the Bates West down and is sending students to residences at the National Advocacy Center, spokesman Jeff Stensland said.

Roughly one in three of USC's quarantine beds were filled as of Thursday, the latest data available. The school has not released how many beds are being used to house infected or exposed students.

USC reported 557 active COVID-19 cases as of Thursday, nearly a 500 percent increase from the previous weekend, the first since fall semester classes resumed with some in-person instruction.

Student cases have been either asymptomatic or involving minor COVID-19 symptoms before testing, the school said. No students have required hospitalization.

The school's outbreak has begun showing up in the state's daily COVID-19 reports. Richland County posted nearly four times more positive tests than the county with the next highest number of cases over the weekend. Some of USC's coronavirus testing data was not submitted until the weekend because of a technical glitch.

Still, the school's alert level remains "low" on the 11 criteria, including testing and supplies, it is following to see if the school needs to end in-person classes and close dorms. USC was the only major public college in the state to resume with some in-person classes.

USC President Bob Caslen remains hopeful to keep open the campus, but he asked his staff to prepare closing plans as more than 450 students were infected last week.

USC hopes to stop large outbreaks by having teams ready to visit hotspots in dorms and offer saliva tests quickly to find students infected. Before, students near people who became infected were told to go out and get tests. The hotspots will be detected with wastewater testing the school is conducting that can show spikes in infections.

Off-campus parties continue to be a concern, but a new Columbia city ordinance will punish landlords who allow large gatherings during the pandemic. Still, the school is seeing fewer large off-campus parties this year than in the past, a sign that some students are listening to safety concerns, Stensland said.
Tuesday on National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, Secretary of State Tre Hargett encourages Tennesseans to serve as poll officials for the Nov. 3 state and federal general election.



Thousands of Tennesseans, especially students and young adults, stepped up to serve as poll officials for the August election, said Secretary Hargett. With tremendous interest in the presidential election, we anticipate a robust turnout requiring additional workers in November. That is why I encourage Tennesseans to apply today.



Established by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, National Poll Worker Recruitment Day aims to "raise awareness about the important role poll officials play in elections and to help communities across the nation."



In Tennessee, safe and secure elections are not possible without the many dedicated people who serve their communities as poll officials, said Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins.



Most Tennesseans are eligible to work as poll officials, regardless of political affiliation. The minimum age to work as a poll official is 16 years old. Anyone over 18 must be a registered voter in the county they are serving in. County or municipal government employees can serve if they dont work directly under the supervision of an elected official who is on the ballot.



Poll officials will be supplied with face coverings, gowns, face shields, gloves and other personal protective equipment. All poll officials are required to wear a face covering and will be trained in social distancing protocols.



In Tennessee, poll officials are compensated for working on Election Day and for attending required training sessions.



For the latest information on the Nov. 3 election, follow the Secretary of States social media channels Twitter: @SecTreHargett, Facebook: Tennessee Secretary of State and Instagram: @tnsecofstate.

For more information and to apply to become a poll official, visit pollworkers.govotetn.com.
COLUMBIA, Md., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Merkle ( www.merkleinc.com ), a leading technology-enabled, data-driven performance marketing agency, announces the introduction of its B2B group, a collective of five industry-leading B2B companies. Merkle B2B embodies a strategic integration that delivers B2B brand creation and activation on a global scale, making it easier for marketers to enable end-to-end business marketing solutions.

B2B represents a large ($120 billion) and rapidly growing (25% YOY) sector. With this move, Dentsu Aegis Network and Merkle bring together top B2B talent from five of its network brands to serve this largely untapped and underserved market:

Merkle leads the marketing industry in B2B technology integration, data, and analytics with a deep heritage in leveraging customer data to deliver growth to clients.

leads the marketing industry in B2B technology integration, data, and analytics with a deep heritage in leveraging customer data to deliver growth to clients. Merkle | DWA is the fastest-growing B2B media agency globally and brings breakthrough thinking and approaches to media implementation through the application of data and technology.

is the fastest-growing B2B media agency globally and brings breakthrough thinking and approaches to media implementation through the application of data and technology. gyro is the global B2B leader in strategy and humanly relevant creative. Building compelling B2B brand narratives through strategic power, gyro is the most awarded B2B agency in the world.

is the global B2B leader in strategy and humanly relevant creative. Building compelling B2B brand narratives through strategic power, gyro is the most awarded B2B agency in the world. B2B International delivers deep audience insight and understanding as the largest, dedicated B2B market research company globally.

delivers deep audience insight and understanding as the largest, dedicated B2B market research company globally. Digital Pi, a Merkle Company, is a leading digital marketing agency focused on marketing automation consulting services in the B2B sector.

By combining the collective strength of these five brands, Merkle B2B possesses the knowledge, expertise, and vision to deliver world-class integrated customer experiences and become an indispensable growth partner to the world's leading B2B brands.

"The modern B2B marketer needs to execute programs that anticipate and respond to dynamic customer needs," said Michael McLaren, Global CEO of Merkle B2B. "The only way to accomplish this is by leveraging the world's best B2B marketing solutions and talent. By offering world-class creative, data, media, and insights, we enable B2B marketers to surpass customer expectations."

B2B marketing has changed dramatically over the past several years. The importance of engaging business decision makers with the same level of sophistication, relevancy, and precision as B2C is critical, especially as decision-making units comprise higher percentages of Millennials.

The new agency brings together over a thousand artists, data scientists, media gurus, technologists, and innovators, who already serve more than one hundred B2B clients. It spans five continents, manages over $16 billion in global billings, and is backed by Dentsu Aegis Network, comprising ten global network brands with best-in-class expertise and capabilities in media, digital, and creative communications services.

Merkle B2B will serve as the global center of excellence for Dentsu Aegis Network's B2B practice and is yet another example of the company's Integrated by Design philosophy, which organizes best-in-class talent around client needs.

"We are excited to expand our B2B marketing capabilities by partnering with Merkle B2B," said Jamie Poston, Head of Enterprise Marketing at Transamerica. "This opportunity brings all the ingredients of a successful B2B marketing practice under one roof."

To learn more about Merkle B2B visit our website.

About Dentsu Aegis Network

Part of Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Aegis Network is made up of ten global network brands - Carat, Dentsu, Dentsu X, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, Merkle, MKTG, Posterscope and Vizeum and supported by its specialist/multi-market brands. Dentsu Aegis Network is Innovating the Way Brands Are Built for its clients through its best-in-class expertise and capabilities in media, digital and creative communications services. Offering a distinctive and innovative range of products and services, Dentsu Aegis Network is headquartered in London and operates in 145 countries worldwide with more than 42,000 dedicated specialists. www.dentsuaegisnetwork.com

About Merkle

Merkle is a leading data-driven, technology-enabled, global performance marketing agency that specializes in the delivery of unique, personalized customer experiences across platforms and devices. For more than 30 years, Fortune 1000 companies and leading nonprofit organizations have partnered with Merkle to maximize the value of their customer portfolios. The agency's heritage in data, technology, and analytics forms the foundation for its unmatched skills in understanding consumer insights that drive people-based marketing strategies. Its combined strengths in performance media, customer experience, customer relationship management, loyalty, and enterprise marketing technology drive improved marketing results and competitive advantage. With 9,600+ employees, Merkle is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, with 50+ additional offices throughout the US, EMEA, and APAC. In 2016, the agency joined the Dentsu Aegis Network. For more information, contact Merkle at 1-877-9-Merkle or visit www.merkleinc.com.

SOURCE Merkle B2B

Related Links

https://www.merkleinc.com


"GMA" is launching our very own book club.

Welcome to the "GMA" Book Club where we'll be showcasing diverse and compelling authors telling both fiction and nonfiction stories.

Robin Roberts kicked things off, announcing that the first book pick is "Dominicana," a novel by Angie Cruz.

(MORE: Michelle Obama's 'Becoming' could be 'most successful memoir in history': Publisher)

So many of our staffers behind the scenes love to read -- and when we were looking for the perfect book to kick things off, "Dominicana" really stood out. It's been named one of the most anticipated books of the year and critics are calling it "an essential read for our times."

PHOTO: GMA Book Club ( Flatiron Books)

Inspired by her own mother, Cruz tells the harrowing and poignant story of a 15-year-old girl who immigrates to New York City in the 1960s from the Dominican Republic, leaving her entire family behind in hopes of building a life for them here in the U.S. It's a story about strength, sacrifice and finding your voice, and it's the perfect novel to kick off our new series and to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month this October.

"Hola 'GMA'! I'm so excited that my book 'Dominicana' was chosen as your 'GMA' book club pick," Cruz said in a message that aired on "GMA" Wednesday. "The book is so important to me because it was inspired by my mother. I can't wait to meet you all and see what you think. Espero que disfrutes."

Read along with us and join the conversation all month long on our Instagram account  GMA Book Club and #GMABookClub. Listen to songs mentioned in the book while you read on our "Dominicana" Spotify playlist. At the end of each month, we'll invite the author on "GMA" to answer your questions.

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More about 'Dominicana,' by Angie Cruz

"Dominicana" is one of those novels that will linger in your mind long after you've turned the last page. It's story of 15-year-old Ana Ruiz, who's living in New York City in the 1960s after leaving her home in the Dominican Republic. She's marrying a man twice her age in hopes of helping her family come to the U.S. someday.

A coming of age story that's also a raw portrait of the immigrant experience, "Dominicana" is filled with heart and intensity and is sprinkled with some moments of humor. Author Angie Cruz delivers a knock-out novel that critics are calling "an essential read for our times."

PHOTO: 'Dominicana,' by Angie Cruz. (Flatiron Books)

After Ana's husband, Juan, shows his true colors, she is ready to forget her promise to her family to help them immigrate to America and hatches a reckless plan to escape her new home in New York City. Juan's younger brother, the free-spirited Cesar, manages to stop her and convinces her to stay.

As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, she's free to take English lessons, lie on the beach at Coney Island, go dancing with Cesar, and, most importantly, imagine a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.

(MORE: 5 book picks from 'Little Fires Everywhere' author Celeste Ng)

Inspired by her own mother's story, "Dominicana" is the story of one woman's journey to America and to finding herself.

Start reading now with an excerpt

One kiss and suddenly I'm una mujer. Not a nina or jovencita but a woman. I touch the mirror to understand how it happened without warning, but with the hot-pink dress on, the girl who had never been kissed is gone. I am Ana, about to be married and to travel to America. Juan Ruiz is expected before noon. I look into the distorted mirror at the white lace ruffles around the neckline over and around my shoulders. The dress cinches at the waist and barely covers my knees. Juanita has blown out my hair and tied it back into a bun at the crown with ribbon upon curly ribbon, in white and pink. I put one hand on my waist, shift my hip to one side. Is that really me?

In New York I'll have a closet full of dresses and jewelry. All kinds of purses and shoes. And Juan will pay for me to go to the salon every week and get my nails done. And he'll take me to see shows and we'll go dancing with live bands. And our house will be full of his friends and family. Every day will feel like a party.

Mama walks into the room carrying her pouch of makeup. Come by the window. The light is better, she says.

I kneel on the floor and lean against her knees. Hold myself up nice and tall so she can study my face.

Look up, she says, and brushes mascara on my eyelashes, then blows into them to dry. She pulls the sides of my eyes and draws a line above them, leaning back for a better look.

I want to see, I want to see, I say, and jump over to the mirror.

Surprise! My eyes are twice as big. My lashes twice as long.

Mama pats pink cream on my cheeks and curses how dark my skin has become. Even darker after spending time with Gabriel in the pool.

What if Gabriel sees me now? He'd probably think I'm too much woman for him.

Mama pats red lipstick on my lips and asks me to lick and spread. But Juan won't like it, I say. Just for the photo, she says. So your lips don't get lost on your face.

She takes a tissue to blot them. A trick she recently learned from a magazine. So it won't get on your teeth, she says.

I go back to the mirror, thinking of all those times Teresa stole my mother's makeup and put it on to sneak out at night to meet El Guardia. I smile to show Mama that no lipstick got on my teeth. We all need some kind of mask.

Mama makes me sit outside on a wooden bench, under the shade of an almond tree, where it's much cooler than our housea real furnace. Teresa, Yohnny, Juanita, and Lenny are off to the beach.

Ana, get out of that dress, Teresa insists. El Guardia will be here any second. She's in her bathing suit, a sausage casing, under the oversize men's shirt she uses for cover.

My little brother, Lenny, already in his cutoff shorts, slaps his sweaty arm against mine. Gabriel will be there, Teresa eggs me on as if she knows about the kiss.

Oh the fun I will miss, I say, thinking about Mama's warning.

Not a hair out of place. Not a speck on the dress or else.

Ooh Gabriel, Lenny teases.

I try not to blush.

When he gave me a lift home on his bike, the feeling my mother calls the devil who steals reason came up between my legs. Without reason is how women make mistakes. Big ones, like Teresa, who got caught by the devil the day El Guardia stuck his cucumber inside her and gave her a baby Mama has to care for.

Go, already, I tell them. Mama'll kill me if I get up from this bench.

One time, Yohnny spoke back to her and she hit him with a broomstick so hard he lost consciousness. She did cry afterward for those three, maybe five minutes when we all thought he was dead.

You really want to go away with that old man? Teresa asks.

Her tits sit on her chest like hand grenades.

It's true, Juan's old and hasn't married and has no children. This worries my mother, but he comes from hardworking people who can be trusted. And he's tall and fair, and his shoes are always polished. Besides, out of all the girls Juan could marry and take to America, he picked me.

Look, Teresa, I finally say, when one's hungry no bread is too hard to eat. I have no choice.

Teresa takes a small towel from her bag and pats the sweat from around my hairline and neck, her breath fresh from chewing on fennel.

You're a ghost with all this powder. And this ridiculous dress?

Poor little thing.

I like the dress, I mumble. All my life I wore Teresa's hand-me-downs although she is wider and shorter than me. She's probably jealous. The dress smells new, all starchy and crisp.

C'mon, Ana, if the old man wants you he'll wait until we get back from the beach.

El Guardia's clunker pulls up. One of the doors has fallen off, but he has temporarily duct-taped it back to the car. Merengue blasts from his radio. He honks on the horn.

You don't have to marry him, Teresa says, extending her hands. As El Guardia revs the engine she reminds me that Gabriel is waiting for me at the beach.

I touch my lips. Underneath the lipstick, I can still taste his kiss.

Mama, a real mind reader, rushes out of the house and swats Teresa away with a kitchen towel.

Get away from her. Why do you want to ruin Ana's life the way you ruined yours?

Mama turns to me and asks, Do you want to stay here and end up with a good-for-nothing, pigeon-toed, backward man like El Guardia, who can't even feed his own child? Or do you want to go to New York with a respectable, hardworking man so you can make something out of yourself and help your family?

At least El Guardia loves me, Teresa shouts back, loud enough to cut through the music blasting from the car.

Ay, love, love, love. You children don't know anything about love or survival. You live in the clouds.

I can't look at either of them, so I stare at Yohnny, who's tying a goat to a tree. If he lets her loose she'll run. She looks at me with longing. I want to pet her.

Teresa's feet cut the ground, her nostrils prepared to hold Mama back so I can make a run for it.

I bite the inside of my cheek and breathe in the fresh-mown grass, the scent of lilacs and manure, of decayed mangoes fallen from the tree. I listen beyond the arguing and music for the hum- mingbirds that their wings, for the gravel under Lenny's feet, for Gabriel's breath in my ear. At least I kissed him when I had the chance.

El Guardia honks again. He knows not to step out of his car when Mama's home. When she caught his devil eyes on Teresa, she warned El Guardia, if he stuck it into her daughter she would chop off his dick. Everyone knows Mama can carve a chicken blind.

C'mon, Ana, stand up for yourself.

Teresa pushes, although she knows my marriage agreement was sealed with hard liquor.

Leave her alone! Yohnny calls out to Teresa.

Bully me, and I transform into an ant. I'm not like Mama and Teresa, who fight for every inch of land and man.

Yeah, leave her alone, Lenny says, and stands in front of me with his arms crossed high on his chest, knowing full well Teresa can flick him away with her pinkie.

Don't worry, I say. We'll all be together in New York one day.

You'll see.

And we'll ride the subways? Yohnny chimes in. And spickee inglis, Lenny says.

Over there you'll have no one, Teresa says. No family. No one to protect you. She presses her forehead against mine, our sweat gluing us to each other.

Yohnny karate-kicks the air and splits us apart.

I'll protect you, he says. I'll fly there and kick whoever's ass. A man's heart in a child's body, that's Yohnny.

I hold back from laughing, to not upset Mama. She counts on me to follow through on this.

Stop it, Teresa. I don't want to go to the beach, okay!

Teresa rolls her eyes and hugs me as if it's the last time I'll ever see her.

Mama's so proud of me. Finally I've accepted what she knows is the only answer for me.

Enough already. Mama waves them away. Leave now. I'd rather Juan not see you hooligans being such a bad influence on Ana, Mama says.

Lenny and Yohnny whoop and holler their way back to El Guardia's car. They slide into the backseat through the open window and stick their arms out, waving good-bye.

You're just like Papa, Teresa says, who lets Mama boss him around.

But even she knows this marriage is bigger than me. Juan is the ticket for all of us to eventually go to America.

The sun bites hard into one side of my face. I try to think of the beach, of the way the waves crash against the rocks, the fun to be had. Of Gabriel and the keys he carries in his pocket. The way he traced my body, his eyes like fingers. I had memorized the ends of his tight curls, his skin an orange-brown glow, as if someone had lit a candle inside of him.

All morning, my father rocks on his chair and smokes his pipe. My mother pokes her head out the kitchen window checking on me, smiling and waving. All her hopes and dreams tie into me. And as if to show me my good fortuneto sit, do nothing in my new dressshe bosses Juanita and Betty to fetch some yucca and batata out back, to wash the sheets, to feed the chickens, and to mop the floors, muddied from yesterday's thundershower.

You so lucky, they say. Unlike them, I've never fantasized about going to New York. They track every dollar bill mentioned in passing conversation and gossip about every American hair clip, pair of shoes, or dresses worn by girls in the area who tease men like Juan in exchange for gifts and opportunity. They all hope for a proper proposal to get to a place where even country girls like us become glamorous and rich.

If there was time Papa would've killed a goat and invited everyone in the area to celebrate my departure. Mama would've piled the platanos and chayote on one serving tray, yucca covered in red onions on another. Yohnny would've shared his brew of mamajuana to get everyone loose. The house would've been full with neighbors and family. One sip of mamajuana, and I'd be digging my feet into the dirt in my backyard to the beats of the drum and the scraping of the guira. And Gabriel would've tried to keep his distance out of respect for Juan. But Teresa would've made him dance with me.

What could a kid like Gabriel ever do for me?

And yet we would spin and spin around as if we could turn back time. Stop it somehow.

Oh, I want to be grateful for my fortune. But I don't want to leave our house in Los Guayacanes painted the color of buttercups by my late grandfather, the only house for miles that has survived all the hurricanes. Our house, the one I share with my parents, Yohnny, Lenny, Teresa, Juanita, and Betty, where there is everything I know and can imagine, for all of my life.

From "Dominicana" by Angie Cruz. Copyright (c) 2019 by the author and reprinted by permission of Flatiron Books.

Read along with us and join the conversation all month long on our Instagram account  GMA Book Club and #GMABookClub. Listen to songs mentioned in the book while you read with our Spotify playlist:



Editor's Note: This story was updated on Sept. 1, 2020.

'GMA' Book Club launches with 'Dominicana' by Angie Cruz originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Tehran, Sep 1 : Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that the recent move by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to normalize ties with Israel was an act of "betrayal".

"The UAE betrayed the Islamic world, Arab nations and the regional countries, as well as the cause of Palestine," Xinhua news agency quoted Khamenei as saying.

"They (the UAE officials) opened the region to the Zionists (Israelis) and put the cause of Palestine, which is a usurpation of a country, into oblivion," he said.

Iran has strongly condemned the August 13 agreement, brokered by the US, between Israel and the UAE to work towards a "full normalization of relations".

As part of the deal, Israel will suspend the annexation of Palestinian lands in the occupied West Bank, while it focuses on expanding ties with other Arab countries with other nations in the Muslim world.

The UAE and Israel will also immediately expand and accelerate cooperation regarding the treatment of and the development of a vaccine for coronavirus.

According to reports, this is the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country in 25 years.

Khamenei's remarks came a day after an Israeli-US delegation, including American President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, left for the UAE on Monday on board the first commercial flight from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi.

On August 29, the UAE issued a decree to formally end its boycott of Israel.
Manchester United are set to sign their first player of the summer transfer window with a 40million capture of Ajax star Donny van de Beek nearing completion.

The Old Trafford club are hopeful of wrapping up a deal for the midfielder in the coming days having offered him a five-year contract.

He was also heavily linked with Real Madrid before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic but now looks set for a move to the Premier League.

But where will the Dutch international fit in at United? Here, Sportsmail examines the options available to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he attempts to build a side capable of challenging for the Premier League title.

Manchester United are set complete the 40million capture of Ajax star Donny van de Beek

The Netherlands midfielder looks a perfect fit in United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first XI

Where would Van de Beek fit in at Manchester United?

Simply put, the 23-year-old plays in a position that for many would not have been a priority at the start of the transfer window.

But that does not mean his signing does not come with a plethora of perks that could be used to United's advantage in Solskjaer's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.

Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba formed an excellent understanding in United's midfield after the Premier League restart in June.

The versatile Van de Beek - described as a classic box-to-box midfielder - is almost certainly likely to enter that midfield trio now as a player who can can operate in a central or attacking role.

The 23-year-old could operate in a midfield two with Paul Pogba with Bruno Fernandes as no.10

Nemanja Matic could therefore be the biggest victim of the Dutchman's arrival, with Van de Beek more than capable of playing the creative outlet in a pivot, with Pogba functioning in his usual box-to-box role and with Fernandes playing as the No 10.

While also possessing the ability to play anywhere across the middle, the Netherlands international could be the link between the defence and the forward line as well as the man to trouble the best of defences by making late runs into the box to score goals himself.

He managed to net on 10 occasions across all competitions last season, including eight in the Eredivisie and one apiece in the Champions League and Europa League, and could therefore improve United's productivity in attacking areas.

The Dutchman scored 10 goals and recorded 11 assists for the Eredivisie side last season

So why have United decided to sign him?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is well aware that a fantastic first XI will not be sufficient in challenging Liverpool and Manchester City in the Premier League this season.

The Norwegian will expect younger stars like Mason Greenwood to drop off at some point this season and its one of the many reasons United have publicly pursued the signing of Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho.

Whether Sancho will end up at Old Trafford before the October 5 deadline has yet to be officially decided but regardless of that, Van de Beek adds some much-needed squad depth at United.

Serbian Nemanja Matic could be the biggest victim of Van de Beek's arrival at Old Trafford

Age is not on Matic's side with the Serbian having turned 32 at the beginning of August, while persistent ankle injuries kept Pogba from featuring heavily last season, particularly in the first half of the campaign.

Fred and academy graduate Scott McTominay have shown in flashes that they are capable of making up part of Solskjaer's squad but lack the consistency currently to become regulars.

With a heavy fixture list in all competitions in a reduced period of time this season, Solskjaer will need to keep legs fresh in midfield and with Champions League experience under his belt, Van de Beek appears to be a midfielder they can ill-afford to turn down.

The 23-year-old old could also ease the physical demand on United star Paul Pogba

Could he ease the burden on Pogba and Fernandes?

Most definitely, and the statistics from his final season in his native Netherlands before it was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic appear to back it up.

Possessing incredible versatility, he managed 11 assists for Ajax last season, and with United often too reliant on Fernandes for creativity, Van de Beek looks to be the perfect player to help serve the club's deadly forward trio.

Of those assists, five came in last season's Eredivisie, in which the 23-year-old created six goal-scoring chances for his team-mates in 23 games.

Van de Beek has even received praise from former Arsenal and Netherlands great Dennis Bergkamp in the past as a seal of approval.

United will also have another creative outlet besides star January signing Bruno Fernandes

When Frank de Boer became Ajax boss in 2010, Bergkamp, promoted to his assistant, almost immediately told him about Van de Beek: 'Dennis started talking enthusiastically about a talent in his youth team.

'It was a boy who reminded Dennis of himself at that age. That was the signal for me to keep an eye on that guy. That was Donny.'

However, given that he will likely be given a central role he will be required to work back the other way, but it appears he excels in that area too.

According to Whoscored.com, Van de Beek made an average of two tackles per game in the Eredivisie.

Van de Beek has already showcased his talent to English opposition this season at Chelsea

That figure is the same as Matic in the Premier League last season and should ally fears that United could be easily exposed at the back ahead of the upcoming season.

Van de Beek therefore looks extremely competent and can help out the United defence by sitting back and putting the hard graft in when necessary.

A complete midfielder who has already showcased his talent against English opposition against Chelsea and Tottenham in the last two Champions League campaigns, Van de Beek looks destined to be a hit in the Premier League.
Twitter users have flooded Twitter with hilarious memes about the JEE main exam being held in the country even during the coronavirus pandemic.

On September 1st, students appeared at various exam centres throughout the country for the Joint Entrance Exam-Main (JEE-Mains) engineering entrance exam. Memers have flooded Twitter with hilarious memes about the JEE main exam being held in the country even during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Union Minister at the Ministry of Education (previously the Ministry of Human Resources Development), Ramesh Pokhiyal Nishank requested the chief ministers of different states that they provide aid to the students as they appear for the examination. There have bee plenty of petitions for delaying the JEE-Mains and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) medical exam given the rapidly increasing number of coronavirus.

Around 8.58 lakh students had applied for the (JEE)-Mains exam and 15.97 lakh for NEET. Pokhriyal appealed to chief ministers of each state to support the students in these unprecedented times and make proper arrangements so the candidates do not go through any inconvenience. He also asked students to trust the authorities conducting the exam.

Also read: UPSC Civil Services Prelims admit card 2020 released, heres how to download

#MannKiBaat#___ is trending in India

Meanwhile JEE & NEET students to other Yuvas : pic.twitter.com/ZyvZQCr6eT    (@rishabh_memes) August 30, 2020

#SpeakUpForStudentSafety #neetJEE2020

.

I think a few students might demanded postponement and CLAT POSTPONED

.

.

JEE AND NEET students who are getting WORLDWIDE support still after getting no postponement : pic.twitter.com/HIAEaGOkbr  Ani_meme123 (@ani_meme123) August 28, 2020

If u can conduct JEE_NEET_final yr exam amid this pandemic,u can conduct RRB NTPC N SSC EXAM also. Students to Govt@PMOIndia @RailMinIndia #speakupforSSCRaliwaystudents pic.twitter.com/AF6u80R8MK  Memes For You (@abhi_k_memes) September 1, 2020

The NEET exam was held twice when I appeared for it. I couldn't give my best because of the news of changing patterns, postponement. You guys have to deal with corona too. Hats off to you guys. You've already smashed the exam. Best of luck #JEEMain  Kanika Nainwal (@KanikaKn) September 1, 2020

Also read: JEE main 2020: Exam begins across India with Covid-19 precautions

The entrance exam is regarded as one of the most difficult to pass in the world. Many on social media praised the students courage to come to the exam centres during the coronavirus crisis and expressed their wishes.

Although several students were reclusive to arrive at the exam centres due to the hazards involved, appropriate measures are said to have been taken to minimise the risk of transmission of coronavirus. The National Testing Agency (NTA) had also released guidelines as to how students must behave during the exam.

NTA is responsible for conducting the JEE-Mains exam. Authorities tried to enforce social distancing and the wearing of face covers/masks was mandatory. Candidates were also recommended to carry a hand sanitiser on their person.

Also read: OPSC OCS Main Written Exam 2019-20 delayed: Check OPSC OCS 2020 new exam date and other related details here

This is not a meme only ,it can be us, please postpone JEE and NEET#PostponeExams_Or_ResignModi @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/hsHWzfVi2a  Ashley (@Matt7832) August 29, 2020
The family of the former petroleum minister, Rilwanu Lukman, has denied claims that their late patriarch approved the controversial gas supply processing agreement with Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID) P&ID for personal gain.

Mr Lukmans daughter, Ramatu Lukman, who wrote on behalf of the family, demanded an apology from the attorney-general, Abubakar Malami, who testified before a British court over the botched gas supply contract that resulted in the recent $9.6 billion arbitral award against Nigeria by a UK court.

It is despicable that you have engaged your witness statements to call into question our fathers integrity, years after his passing, on what appears to be only an ill-founded and opportunistic suspicion, Ms Lukman wrote in her letter to Mr Malami.

She further said Mr Malami made false accusations of reprehensible criminal conduct because our father cannot defend himself.

Please convey a second to think about what youve done to the Rilwanu Lukmans family, you owe us an apology. If this is something you think you are not up to then I am sorry to remind you of the divine curse and the anger of Allah (S.W.T.) against liars mentioned in SURAH AZZUMAR 39:3:

Surely Allah will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But Allah guide not such as are false and ungrateful.

Mr Lukman was petroleum minister under late President Musa YarAdua. He died in 2014 after battling cancer.

Allegation

In what he termed a witness statement, Mr Malami cited an EFCC affidavit before the Business and Property Courts of England and the Wales, alleging that Mr Lukman ordered his aide, Taofiq Tijani, to deliberately overlook P&IDs shortcomings and push the deal through.

The affidavit cited by Mr Malami before the court further said Mr Tijani told EFCC investigators that Mr Lukman instructed him to contract with P&ID even though it was a sole-purpose company that had no track record in the oil and gas sector.

As a result, EFCC determined that Mr Lukman broke the law by signing the P&ID contract, and that he lacked authority to approve the deal and did no due diligence on the company which lacked legally required approvals relevant procurement agencies.

Though Mr Lukman was then minister of petroleum, then minister of state, Odein Ajumogobia, was responsible for all gas deals. But he said he was not consulted and had no knowledge of the deal.

Mr Malami further said British Virgin Islands-based firm P&ID allegedly paid over $390,000 in bribes in 2012 to land a natural gas processing plant construction contract in 2009.

But the engineering and project management company told a UK arbitration judge they invested $40 million in the plants construction but never broke ground because the Nigerian government failed to build promised infrastructure.

In 2019, the British court authorised P&ID to seize more than $9.6 billion of Nigerias foreign assets  an amount more than the countrys annual health and education budgets combined, tallied from two decades of presumed profits plus $1.2 million per day in interest since the project went bust.

The award was stayed last November after Nigeria appealed, alleging that P&ID was unqualified for the work and won the contract through bribery.

False accusations

The family of Mr Lukman rejected all allegations of wrongdoing against the late oil minister, who was a two-time OPEC secretary-general.

Ms Lukman, who signed the letter also said Mr Lukman accepted the ministerial job despite his ill-health, and as a two-time OPEC secretary-general, he did not need to line his pockets.

Having regard to his principles and standing locally and internationally, we are certain our father would never take or instigate any bribe, or exercise any discretion given to him in the GSPA for his benefit, the letter read.

We, thus, state in the strongest terms that the claims made against our father by you are false, disreputable, speculative, and an example of unprofessional and destructive conduct aimed at damaging the memory and public reputation of a diligent public servant. with an unblemished international reputation as a two termed OPEC Secretary-General who spent some of his final years whilst battling cancer, serving the Nigerian people as the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

While we remain dedicated to transparency in public office, the public has a right to know that our father Rilwanu Lukman was an honest. principled man who tried to do his best for the Nigerian people and certain that he was not involved in any corrupt dealings. It is unfortunate when public officers resort to personal and unfounded attacks on people whom they know for reasons of death cannot defend themselves against such distortions and misinformation.
MOORESVILLE, N.C., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lowe's today announced it will donate $1 million to support relief efforts after Hurricane Laura hammered the Gulf Coast, causing catastrophic flooding and destruction. As part of today's announcement, Lowe's has immediately donated $500,000 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, helping the organization provide emergency shelter, food relief supplies and comfort to those affected by disasters like storms, wildfires and countless other crises  all needs compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During COVID-19, for extra safety measures, the Red Cross is providing hotel rooms in lieu of traditional shelters where possible. On Sunday night, the Red Cross supported more than 20,000 overnight shelter and hotel stays. Lowe's will continue to work closely with nonprofit partners and government agencies to determine immediate and long-term support needed in local communities.

"Lowe's works to make homes better for all every day, and our donations will help the American Red Cross and other nonprofits respond to critical needs in communities impacted by recent natural disasters, including funds to provide shelter and housing," said Lowe's President and CEO Marvin R. Ellison. "We're thankful for the hard work by the American Red Cross as they quickly provide relief in Texas, Louisiana, California and Iowa, and our stores are committed to providing relief for associates and customers in a time when we know our neighbors need us now more than ever."

"The Red Cross is proud to count Lowe's as a partner to continue to provide people with much needed support during this pandemic as we help communities impacted by disasters big and small, and countless other crises," said Don Herring, chief development officer at the American Red Cross.

In immediate response to Hurricane Laura, seven Lowe's stores in the most impacted areas will host bucket brigade events this week to distribute supplies to residents who are continuing cleanup efforts. Each store will distribute 500 buckets, which include supplies such as dust masks, goggles, bug spray, bottled water and mold remover. Associates at Lowe's distribution centers in North Carolina, Texas and Florida assembled the buckets earlier this summer. Visit Lowe's Newsroom for updates on events and additional support.

Lowe's Emergency Command Center activated virtually to prepare for Hurricane Laura on Friday, Aug. 21, and its leaders continue to manage through other crises, including the Iowa derecho, California wildfires and the global COVID-19 pandemic.

By Tuesday, Sept. 1, Lowe's has shipped more than 3,000 truckloads of product and emergency supplies to the more than 450 stores in areas across Hurricane Laura's path. Approximately 200 Emergency Response Team (ERT) members will deploy this week to impacted areas. These associates are specially trained and voluntarily leave their home stores to serve at stores affected by storms. They will provide additional customer support and give fellow associates impacted by the hurricane a chance to focus on their families. The Emergency Response Teams are deploying from stores located in Florida, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana to support those hardest hit by Hurricane Laura. Another 100 ERT members will deploy the week of September 14.

Lowe's has supported the American Red Cross for decades, helping to repair homes and lives ravaged by hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes and other natural disasters. In 2020, Lowe's has contributed more than $100 million to communities impacted by the pandemic. Visit Lowe's Newsroom for updates on Lowe's continued support of communities.

About Lowe's

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE 50 home improvement company serving approximately 18 million customers a week in the United States and Canada. With fiscal year 2019 sales of $72.1 billion, Lowe's and its related businesses operate or service more than 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and employ approximately 300,000 associates. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing and helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

SOURCE Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.lowes.com


Dawn Porter directed and produced the doc, which was produced by Laura Dern. The Way I See It will have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 11. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this years gathering will be a mix of physical events and virtual screenings, with many including drive-ins as a way to limit social interactions. The doc is also part of Telluride Film Festivals official selection.
Samsung has introduced its latest folding smartphone, which will set customers back $1,999 (1,799).

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is Samsungs successor to its original flexible screen smartphone, the Fold, which suffered a delayed release last year following issues with its folding mechanism.

The South Korean company used an online event to reveal new details about the upcoming device, including the introduction of a larger, 6.2-inch screen on the front of the device, up from 4.6-inches on the original Fold, as well as for the folding display which opens out from within the phone.

That flexible internal display is now 7.6-inches, compared to the 7.3-inch on last years device.

Last year, the original Fold was delayed after a flaw which allowed dirt into the hinge and could damage the screen was uncovered by early reviewers, and while Samsung made updates to that device at the time, the tech giant has upgraded its hinge system again on the Fold 2 to further prevent dust and dirt from getting into the phone.

The company says its hideaway hinge uses sweeper technology to repel dust particles from getting into the device, a system which has also been used in the firms Galaxy Z Flip earlier this year.

The improved hinge also allows the foldable screen to be opened up to multiple viewing angles for the first time on a Fold device.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

In further upgrades, Samsungs Infinity-O display, where a cut-out in the screen is used to house a camera lens rather than using a notch to house the cameras and taking up more of the screen.

The device will also support 5G and will go on sale on 18 September.

The journey to reach the next generation of smartphones is full of originality and innovation, said Samsung UK and Ireland corporate vice president Conor Pierce.

With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G, we listened closely to customers feedback to ensure we were bringing meaningful improvements to the device, while also developing new innovations to enhance the user experience.

Further strengthened by our industry-leading partnerships with Google and Microsoft, were reshaping and redefining the possibilities of the mobile device experience.

Industry expert Thomas Husson, a principal analyst at Forrester, said the Fold 2 was a noticeable evolution of Samsungs existing foldable product line but that Apple is unlikely to follow Samsung into folding phones when it unveils its new line of iPhones later this month.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is a technology jewel that seems to erase all initial defects of Samsungs first foldable phone, he told The Independent.

Its high price means this new flagship product will remain niche and a way to showcase Samsungs tech innovation. The consumer benefits of a flex screen and of an all-in-one hybrid product are not strong enough to establish a new product category yet.

Additional reporting from agencies
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin rejected congressional Democrats' latest offer of a $2.2trn coronavirus relief package on live TV on Tuesday, as lawmakers grilled him on the pandemic economy and the status of government programmes funded in previous packages.

I do not support $2.2 trillion, Mr Mnuchin said in response to a question from House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters. But what is more important is what is the breakdown of getting money to American workers, American families, kids. ... There [are] tremendous areas of agreement, and thats what we should be doing right away.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have adamantly opposed passing "piecemeal" legislation instead of a comprehensive package.

Mr Mnuchin acknowledged in his opening remarks at the oversight hearing before the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis that "certain areas of the economy require additional relief," and he urged Democrats to help strike a "bipartisan agreement" to stem the flow of economic woes facing renters and people who have lost there jobs this year due to Covid-19.

I dont think the right outcome is zero. No one thinks the right outcome is zero, Mr Mnuchin said.

The US has now surpassed 6m confirmed cases of Covid-19, with more than 184,000 Americans dying from the disease.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics will release unemployment figures for the month of August later this week or early next week. The unemployment rate was 10.2 per cent in July, with 16.3m people in the labour force out of work.

Congress green lighted more than $2.7trn on coronavirus relief this spring on programmes to provide relief to small business, send $1,200 checks to most American taxpayers, and substantially increase federal unemployment benefits.

But the money for the Small Business Association's paycheck protection programme (PPP) has run dry, and the federal unemployment boost has expired. The federal moratorium on rent collection from previous legislation has also ended, leaving millions of unemployed renters in limbo as evictions loom.

Last Thursday, Ms Pelosi spoke via telephone with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to revive negotiations on a coronavirus relief bill, but that conversation went nowhere.

The speaker huddled with the Democratic chairs of relevant House committees, who concluded that the party could shave more than $1trn from their demands in August that mirrored the $3.4trn so-called Heroes Act they passed in the House on a party-line basis in May.

"We have now said we would be willing to go down to $2.2 trillion. These investments are needed both to save lives and to boost the economy," Ms Pelosi wrote last Friday in a Dear Colleague letter to House Democrats.

In an effort to keep negotiations on life support, Ms Waters pressed Mr Mnuchin at the oversight hearing on Tuesday to call Ms Pelosi to resume discussions.

Can I tell her you suggested I call her right after the hearing? Mr Mnuchin asked the chairwoman from California.

Yes, yes, yes, Ms Waters said.

Done. I will call her right after the hearing, Mr Mnuchin said.
Samsung has officially unveiled its new foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, with a bigger 7.6-inch display, 27 per cent smaller bezels and a 'smoother' folding mechanism, retailing for a whopping 1,799.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2, unveiled at a virtual event today, is the Korean company's third foldable phone and an update of the original Galaxy Fold, released last year.

When unfolded, the phone's screen is bigger and more square in shape than its predecessor, and provides a more cinematic and 'immersive' viewing experience thanks to thinner bezels  the borders between the display and the frame.

The device, which supports 5G, also comes with a Infinity-O display, which covers the entire face of the phone and features a small 'hole punch' style camera.

Samsung revealed a sneak peak of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 at its virtual Unpacked event for the Galaxy Note 20 smartphone last month but has only just released full details.

The phone goes on sale on September 18, with pre-orders starting on the Samsung website from today.

Scroll down for video

The new Galaxy Z Fold 2. The outer cover screen, which acts as the display when the phone is folded, is 6.2-inches, while the massive main screen when unfolded is 7.6-inches, making both larger than the original Galaxy Fold

Samsung has already released two foldable devices  the Galaxy Z Fold and the Galaxy Z Flip, which flips open like a retro 90s phone thanks to a hinge through the middle of the screen.

'Last year Samsung pioneered a new mobile category with the launch of the Galaxy Fold,' said Gina Suk, manager of Marketing Relations at Samsung Electronics.

'Now, our innovation journey continues with the Galaxy Z Fold 2.'

The new Galaxy Z Fold 2 has been redesigned based on consumer feedback and smartphone user behaviours, according to Samsung.

The company surveyed 476 Galaxy Fold users in the US and Korea late last year and found a 71 per cent surge in watching video clips and a 35 per cent increase in gaming compared to on their previous smartphones.

The device's 'free stand' capability allows it to stand from anywhere between a 75 to 115 degree angle for hands-free use, such as watching videos while exercising

The biggest difference between the original Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 2 is the two screens  the outer screen and the larger main screen that's revealed when unfolded.

The cover screen is 1.63 times the size of the cover screen on last year's model  6.2 inches across compared with 4.6 inches on the original.

The main screen, meanwhile, is an impressive 7.6 inches across, bigger than the original Galaxy Fold's 7.3 inches.

Dimensions of the device when unfolded measure slightly larger in width than the original  5.04 inches, compared with 4.64 inches  and around the same length.

But the extra screen space for enjoying content is also thanks to smaller bezels and the Infinity O display.

Infinity-O, which is the closest thing to an all-screen design, has a tiny circular cut-out at the top of the display for the front camera.

Comparison with the original Galaxy Fold (left) released last year and the new Galaxy Z Fold 2 (right)

Galaxy Fold (left) and Galaxy Z Fold 2 (right). Despite the larger screen size and bigger dimensions generally, the new phone is slimmer in the user's pocket thanks to a less chunky body

The main screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 2 now also features a 120Hz default refresh rate for smoother scrolling and better gameplay  twice that of the Galaxy Fold.

Dual speakers on either side of the screen also provide a balanced stereo effect for a more immersive sound experience without the need for Bluetooth speakers.

Both the main and cover screen have 10 megapixel cameras designed for selfies, while the back of the device features a triple camera system  12 megapixel ultra wide, 12 megapixel wide-angle and a 12 megapixel telephoto camera with up to 10 times digital zoom.

The device's 'free stand' capability allows it to stand from anywhere between a 75 to 115 degree angle for hands-free use, such as watching videos while exercising.

By placing the phone on a level surface, users can record video clips without 'ever having to worry about the effects of shaky hands', Samsung said.

When completely folded, the new device is also slimmer than its predecessor for a better fit in the owner's pocket, thanks to less chunky components.

Samsung has touted more 'seamless transitions' when users want to switch between folded and unfolded mode while using apps.

'Multi-active window' lets users open multiple files from the same app at the same time, viewing them side by side on the main screen when the phone is unfolded.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 also has a 4500mAh dual battery, fast wireless charging, 12GB RAM with 256GB internal storage and runs Android 10.

One industry expert has praised the larger exterior screen and the phone overall - despite its sizeable price tag

Industry expert Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, said the new phone addresses all the major shortcomings of its predecessor, most notably the 6.2-inch external display.

'On the last version, it was extremely tricky to use the device as a one-handed smartphone so you ended up having to constantly open the phone to do simple tasks such as send text messages,' he said.

'The Galaxy Fold 2 is a significantly refined version of this flagship device.

'The larger external display lends itself to one-handed use in a similar manner to a normal smartphone but you still have the benefit of the tablet-like 7.6-inch internal screen which is only marginally smaller than an iPad Mini.

'Add to that the new hinge which allows you to have the screen open at different angles and its a major step forward as the previous device was only really viable when it was fully open or closed.'

Galaxy Z Fold 2 is available in two colours - mystic black and mystic bronze - although customers can pick the colour of the hinge

The original Galaxy Fold was released in September 2019, following technical troubles that held up its worldwide launch, including reports of broken displays after only a few days of use when the device was released to reviewers in April.

Some of the damage was caused by impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge, the company said.

Among the issues were dust and particles finding their way underneath the display and causing bumps and blemished in addition to interfering with the hinge mechanism.

The phone initially appears similar to the original Galaxy Fold. Both devices feature an outer screen and a giant inner screen that appears when unfolded

The main screen now features a 120Hz default refresh rate for smoother scrolling and better gameplay, twice that of the Galaxy Fold

Galaxy Z Fold 2 overcomes these issues with sweeper technology that makes it more difficult for dust to infiltrate the folding mechanism.

Its design is 'anchored' by a new 'hideaway hinge' mechanism, which fits into the device body and makes standing the device upright easier.

The hinge has two components that lock into each other like a jigsaw, allowing it to keep open at various angles.

Galaxy Z Fold 2 is available in two colours  mystic black and mystic bronze.

But consumers have the option of customising the colour of the hideaway hinge to fit their tastes  either metallic silver, metallic red, metallic blue or metallic gold.

The phone also comes as a limited edition as part of a partnership with American clothes retailer Thom Browne, which goes on general sale in the UK on September 25 for a mind-numbing 2,999, exclusively on Samsung.com and Harrods.

Each Thom Browne Edition Package also includes the Galaxy Watch3, Galaxy Buds Live and customised accessories.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former friend and adviser to first lady Melania Trump, describes in her new book what it was like when they met for lunch on the day the Access Hollywood tape with President Trump bragging about grabbing women went public.

The recording was leaked in October 2016, ahead of the presidential election. Winston Wolkoff writes in Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady that she thought Trump would be "in tears" when she arrived at lunch, but instead she was "radiant" and "smiling. It was as if nothing happened." Winston Wolkoff said she tried to lighten the mood by saying, "How many times have you heard the word 'p---y' and 'president' in the same sentence," and together they "burst out laughing."

The first lady "knows who she married," Winston Wolkoff said, and "knew what she was getting into." The Trump family runs on "deceit" and "deception," she said, and it's "amateur hour" at the White House, which is "really frightening for the country."

In her book, Winston Wolkoff writes that Melania Trump made derogatory remarks about Ivanka Trump and other members of the family, calling them "snakes." When asked by ABC News, Winston Wolkoff would not confirm or deny reports that she surreptitiously recorded conversations with the first lady, but did assert that she "can back up everything that's in the book 100 percent ... and Donald and Melania know that."

More stories from theweek.com

Trump's 'dark shadows' conspiracy theory is evolving, but CNN still calls it 'almost too dumb to fact-check'

60 percent of Americans say federal government's coronavirus response is making the pandemic worse

Fauci shoots down false claim only 6 percent of coronavirus deaths are legitimate: 'They are real deaths from COVID-19'


As nursing homes fight to keep COVID out, a seemingly small decision has turned out to be critical to success or failure.

The labs they use to test workers can give them an early warning of the virus or tell them about infections so late that the virus could have spread widely.

In July, Lab Corp. began to get overwhelmed with COVID tests. Results that used to arrive in no more than three days were now taking more than a week.

At Fort Hudson, officials took action. They complained to the lab, which said it was no longer going to take any nursing home tests. So Fort Hudson got a list of other labs from the state Department of Health and transferred to one in Boston.

The whole process took about two weeks.

Centers Health Care was also using Lab Corp. It switched to Med Labs, which is owned by Centers. But Med Lab couldnt keep up with the number of tests.

That lab couldnt handle the volume, so they outsourced to someone who could handle part of the volume, said Centers Regional Director Grace Pfordresher.

The last batch of tests before the switch included tests from two Essex Center employees who did not know they had the virus. For 19 days, those employees continued to work without symptoms. By the time the test results came back  positive  the facility had a full-blown outbreak.

Now, most of the Centers-owned nursing homes are getting results within 72 hours. But that is still not happening everywhere.

The Landing in Queensbury, which just had two workers test positive, is getting tests back in about seven days. Glens Falls Center, which is not using Med Labs, was getting quick results for weeks but now is at a wait of about 12 days, because the lab took on contracts to test for local colleges and cant get Glens Falls Centers tests back as quickly as usual.

Administrators said the delays can be disastrous.

Until we get to a 24-hour turnaround, were not going to be able to keep COVID away, Pfordresher said.

At Fort Hudson, which had an outbreak in April, CEO Andy Cruikshank is frustrated the state seems unwilling to regulate labs to make sure they get results out quickly.

The nursing home is the highest-risk environment, he said. Turnaround time with testing is of paramount importance. It is useless to get tests back after seven days. And its not helpful to get it past even a couple days.

Cruikshank first turned to Lab Corps., to no avail.

They were up to seven, eight, nine days. We had pushed to them: Listen, this is not good, he said. Its unacceptable to wait that long.

When Lab Corps. responded by asking nursing homes to find new labs, Cruikshank asked the state Department of Health for help. The agency gave him a list of five labs. One told him it could not take on any more customers. The second said it would only take customers within 40 miles of New Jersey. Two others never responded. But the last lab on the list, Boston Heart Diagnostics, said if he could FedEx the tests daily, he could get results in 48 hours.

Quickly, workers entered employee information for 250 people into the new labs electronic system. The lab has been providing results for five weeks, usually hitting the 48-hour goal, occasionally taking 72 hours, Cruikshank said.

Pfordresher wants results even faster. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services called her to ask what she needed in the outbreak at Essex Center. She told them she needed a machine that can give results quickly. Those are now at many labs.

I want on-site machines, she said. Up north, we have to package up and overnight our tests. That adds to the delay. I want to process our tests on-site.

CMS didnt give her one of the machines, which are in short supply. Until she can test people immediately, she said, she wont know who is truly safe.

Remember a COVID test is only that moment in time, she said. You could take a COVID test today and be negative and take it tomorrow and be positive.

State officials said there was no problem with testing delays, telling nursing homes to split up their tests if necessary.

Based on the Departments weekly monitoring of lab testing capacity there is clearly testing capacity available for specimens collected throughout the state, even though a particular nursing home might have needs that may limit the number of labs that can carry out testing for them, spokeswoman Jill Montag said.

You can reach Kathleen Moore at 742-3247 or kmoore@poststar.com. Follow her on Twitter @ByKathleenMoore or at her blog on www.poststar.com.

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Black former franchisees of the McDonald's corporation are suing the burger brand, claiming it racially discriminated against them for decades, according to reports by Business Insider and USA Today.



Fifty two former franchisees, who collectively operated stores between 1988 and 2018, filed a complaint Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleging they were steered to open establishments in economically depressed communities and dangerous locations.

The complaint seeks to collect more than $1 billion in damages from McDonald's.

One franchisee said in the complaint that the discrimination Black franchisees faced was so significant that acquiring a location from McDonald's was a "financial suicide mission."



In the complaint, franchisees claimed there was "systematic and covert racial discrimination" from McDonald's by not providing the same opportunities as white franchisees. The company must approve all new franchisees, and in the process it had, according to the lawsuit, "systematically steered" franchisees of color to buy locations in Black areas.

Related video: McDonalds Sues Former CEO Easterbrook After Allegedly Discovering Other Relationships With Employees

The franchisees say because of this they lost more than 200 McDonald's locations over the last decade, and they are seeking compensatory damages in return, averaging around $4 - $5 million per location. Collectively, the damages amount to more than $1 billion.

The complaint, according to Business Insider and USA Today, also levies that over the last two decades dozens of other Black franchisees were forced out of the chain. In 1998, the complaint alleges, Black McDonald's franchisees operated 377 stores in the U.S., but by 2020 that number had shrunk to 186.

Statements from the McDonald's Corporation and the company deny the allegations included in the complaint.

"These allegations fly in the face of everything we stand for as an organization and as a partner to communities and small business owners around the world," a statement from the McDonald's Corporation says. "Not only do we categorically deny the allegations that these franchisees were unable to succeed because of any form of discrimination by McDonalds, we are confident that the facts will show how committed we are to the diversity and equal opportunity of the McDonalds System, including across our franchisees, suppliers and employees."



The company statement also said it's "highly inaccurate to suggest that McDonald's limits opportunities for Black franchisees to operate in certain communities."

"McDonald's does not place franchisees into franchises; while McDonald's may recommend locations, franchisees ultimately select the locations they wish to purchase," the statement says. "It is also highly inaccurate to suggest that McDonalds evaluates Black franchisees differently than other franchisees or offers Black franchisees different financial terms than other franchisees. The evidence will show that those allegations are categorically false."
DALLAS, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dallas-based IT consulting firm, Cyber Group, has proudly announced its latest commitment to support North Texas Giving Day and the DFW Alliance of Technology and Women. The company hopes to bring attention and support to two causes that they are passionate about through committing a $12,500 donation match to donations made to DFW*ATW during North Texas Giving Day. Donations can be made here: https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/dfwatwcybermatch through midnight on September 17th.

Cyber Group specializes in the development of solutions ranging from application development to systems integration, production support, business intelligence and Salesforce. Cyber Group is a sponsor and proud supporter of DFW*ATW and all the good work that they do to promote women in STEM. DFW*ATW is a vital nonprofit organization committed to increasing the number of women in leadership and strengthening the pipeline of girls entering technology fields.

In eleven years, the North Texas Giving Day online event has transformed from an idea to help raise awareness of nonprofits to a movement that has ignited a broad culture of community-wide giving. During North Texas Giving Day, everyone has the opportunity to be a philanthropist to build a stronger and more vibrant community.

In support of this time of giving, Cyber Group will also be hosting a panel discussion online on Wednesday, September 9th, with leaders from Communities Foundation of Texas, the North Texas Food Bank, and DFW*ATW to discuss the importance of giving back. Details on how to attend this discussion can be found at cygrp.com/news-and-events.

SOURCE Cyber Group

Related Links

https://www.cygrp.com/


Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 19:04:09|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Over 400 prisoners were released from Sri Lankan prisons on a presidential pardon on Tuesday with the intention of minimizing congestion within prisons, the Prisons Department said.

Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya said 444 inmates including 18 females received the special Presidential pardon and they were all above 65 years old. These prisoners had been convicted of minor offenses for failing to pay fines and had served half their sentence.

"Those inmates who were convicted of murder, theft, rape, child abuse and other serious crimes were not granted the Presidential pardon under any circumstances," Upuldeniya said.

Sri Lanka's prisons are highly congested, with the government recently saying that there were more than 26,000 inmates while the normal capacity does not exceed 10,000. Enditem
India: Fisheries scientists call for antibiotic tests on fish and its products

September 01,2020 | Source: The Hindu Business Line

Scientists in the fisheries sector has called upon state governments to adopt stringent checks against antibiotic residues in aquaculture and fish products. M M Prasad, Principal Scientist, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and Devika Pillai, Director of Research of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies pointed out that the presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in fishes, shell fishes including shrimps and fish products are increasing in an unhealthy manner. They attributed the reason for this to the effluent release to water bodies and increasing organic load.



They were speaking at a webinar on aquatic animal health management for sustainable aquaculture, jointly organised by Kufos and the State Fisheries Department. The webinar suggested adopting quality testing practices for domestic fish and fish products before distribution against antibiotic residues and other contaminants as implemented in the shrimp export segment. The export-oriented shrimp industry has stringent quality checks and management practices in terms of antibiotic residues, but the same has not been instituted on fish and shellfish products meant for domestic consumption.



According to K.Riji John, Dean of Fisheries Faculty, Kufos, the requirement of antibiotic residues check on fish seed and feed is more relevant in Kerala since the State Government is promoting aquaculture in all potential water bodies as part of Subikshakeralam project. Proper antibiotic residues check on fish seed and feed is a matter of public health concern.



The webinar also recommended making mandatory the inclusion of seed and feed testing for antibiotic residues at state and national levels to ensure quality by enacting and strictly implementing the Fish Seed and Feed Act. Around 50 fisheries scientists from various research institutes participated in the webinar, which was inaugurated by the State Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan through video conference. The State Fisheries Minister J Mercykutti Amma presided. J K Jena, Deputy Director General, ICAR (Fisheries) delivered the keynote address.
Iconic wrestler Hulk Hogan has had some legendary tag team partners over the years.

Randy Savage. Brutus (The Barber) Beefcake. Mr. T.

But for an online auction held last week, his partner was Niagara Falls artist Jaswinder Singh. Through his Hogans Beach Shop Facebook page, Hogan auctioned off for $400 a portrait of himself that Singh painted, with the funds going to a charity of Singhs choice.

In return, Singh donated the funds to Niagara Childrens Centre, which he attended as a child.

I wanted to donate and give back to them for all they have done for me, said Singh, who lives with spina bifida and hydrocephalus and is bound to a wheelchair.

I was once a shy, struggling student at the centre and they took me in and helped me cope (and) learn to adapt to the point where I was able to integrate into high school, follow and develop my passion for art.

As a kid struggling to speak English and fit in, Singh said professional wrestling was his escape. And Hogan was his hero.

As he developed his art, he managed to meet Hogan at Fan Expo in Toronto six years ago. He would visit Hogans Beach Shop the following year, and this year was prompted by a friend to mail a portrait to Hogan in the hopes hed auction it off for charity.

In a video message, Hogan called it a really special painting, brother.

It is one of many celebrity/athlete portraits Singh has done over the years. He was scheduled to be one of the featured artists at this years Niagara Falls Comic Con before the show was postponed because of the pandemic.

Niagara Childrens Centre offers rehabilitation and support services for Niagara children and youths with physical, developmental and communicative delays and disabilities.

Singh said the centre helped give him the confidence to show his work in galleries and public shows, which led to sending his work to his favourite wrestler.

I feel blessed he took a chance on me and gave me the most valuable thing in the world  time.
Delhi on Monday recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 41 -- the lowest since 2015 since when AQI monitoring records are being maintained in the national capital.

According to the Central Pollution Control Boards (CPCB) 4pm bulletin, the average AQI in Delhi was 41 in the good category. This was also the fourth good air day recorded over a month since 2015.

Board officials said the good air quality was because of a combination of factors, including incessant rainfall, good winds and already reduced levels of pollution during the lockdown months. The CPCB data says while 2015 and 2016 did not record any good days, two were recorded in 2017 on July 30 and 31, with AQI readings of 43 and 47, respectively.

The year 2018 did not record any good air day as well. In 2019, two consecutive days were recorded on August 18 and 19, with AQI readings of 49 on both of those days.

So far, five good air days have been recorded this year.

There were two good air days in 2017 followed by two in 2019. This year we already have five good air days, and 41 is the lowest AQI. Its good news for residents, said a senior CPCB official who asked not to be named.

The first such day was on March 28 (during the first week of the Covid-19-induced lockdown) with an AQI reading of 45.

Then on August 13, after heavy rain, the AQI was recorded at 50. On August 20, again, when Delhi received very heavy rainfall, the AQI was again 50. On August 24, an AQI of 45 was recorded.

On a scale of 0-500, a value of 0-50, the air quality is considered good (minimal health risk), 51 -100 is satisfactory (minor discomfort to sensitive people), 100-200 is moderate (breathing discomfort to people with lungs and heart disease), 200-300 is poor (breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure), 300-400 is very poor (respiratory illness on prolonged exposure) and 400-500 is severe (affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases).

Usually, the monsoon months are cleaner than the rest of the year. This month, as well as this year so far, has been exceptionally good because of intense and continuous rainfall as well as good winds over the past few days, which cleansed the air of all the pollutants. Besides, the overall pollution levels have been low as an impact of the lockdown imposed to curb Covid, said a second senior CPCB official who also asked not to be named.

HT had earlier reported that this August recorded only good and satisfactory days with not a single poor air quality day being recorded.

According to officials in the India Meteorological Department (IMD), with incessant rainfall over the past two weeks, this August has been the second wettest in 12 years. The Capital received 364.8 mm rainfall this August, 30% above the normal mark.

Vivek Chattopadhyay, senior program manager, clean air programme, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said, The air quality analysis for this year in comparison to previous years reveals the air has been much cleaner because of a combination of factors. The good meteorological conditions combined with low emission because of the lockdown and reduced economic activity even after the reopening together resulted in good air.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vatsala Shrangi Vatsala Shrangi joined HT Editorial team on July 2, 2018 as Principal Correspondent. She covers Environment, Civic bodies and the Social Sector. ...view detail
Virginia health officials are warning of increasing spread of COVID-19 in the region stretching from the Tri-Cities to the North Carolina line.

Prince George County, bordering the Tri-Cities, has confirmed 48 cases of COVID-19 since Friday and 222 since Aug. 1  or 40% of all cases since the coronavirus pandemic began  according to the Virginia Department of Health daily COVID-19 online dashboard.

Greensville County, in Southside Virginia along the North Carolina border, recorded 36 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, less than a week after confirmed 40 cases in one day. The county, with a population of about 12,000 people, including 3,200 inmates at two state correctional facilities, has confirmed 289 cases of COVID-19 since Aug. 1, or about 41% of total coronavirus cases.

The Crater Health District, based in Petersburg, warned of an increase in community transmission cases as well as new cases related to facility outbreaks. Community transmission represents the spread of the virus in the general population, rather than congregate settings such as nursing homes and prisons.

The department said residents in the region should assume risk of exposure is everywhere.
New Delhi, Sep 1 : Bharti Infratel's board has decided to proceed with the long-delayed merger with Indus Towers.

In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, Bharti Infratel said that shareholders of Infratel will be the majority shareholders in the merged entity with a likely stake of 68.6 per cent. Vodafone is likely to have 28.2 per cent.

"After deliberations the Board has decided to authorize the Chairman to proceed with the Scheme and to comply with other procedural requirements for completion of the merger including approaching NCLT to make the Scheme effective subject to certain procedural condition precedents," it said.

Vodafone Idea has decided to cash out by selling its 11.15 per cent stake in Indus Towers.

"The above is basis cash consideration chosen by Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) for its 11.15 per cent shareholding in Indus which will be based on 60 days VWAP as at Closing date (and agreed closing adjustments). Based on today's calculation the cash consideration comes to approx. Rs 4,000 crore," it said.

The filing said that to secure the payment obligation of VIL under the MSAs, VIL and Vodafone Group Plc (V Plc) have entered into certain security arrangements with the company for the benefit of the merged company.

This includes a combination of a security deposit by VIL, security via pledge of acertain number of shares of the merged company out of those issued to V Plc as part of the scheme and a corporate guarantee by V Plc. which can get triggered in certain situations and events.

These security arrangements remain subject to all applicable regulatory approvals and any approval of V Plc's lenders. The security arrangement will provide the merged company a payment cover of over one year for the operational payments due from VIL.

The scheme shall become effective on the date on which certified copy of the order of NCLT is filed with Registrar of Companies. The effective date will be communicated to the stock exchanges for further public dissemination as and when the scheme becomes effective.

"While the parties have agreed to proceed to take appropriate steps to progress theapprovals for the merger, the completion of the transaction shall be subject to receipt of all such approvals," the filing said.

Earlier, the long stop date of the merger was extended five times. The merger was expected to complete by March 2019.
AstraZeneca plc AZN announced the start of a late-stage study in the United States on its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, AZD1222, which it is developing in partnership with Oxford University. The phase III study (D8110C00001) will include 30,000 adult participants and will assess the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of AZD1222 across all adult age groups and various racial, ethnic and geographic populations. The study is funded by Biomedical Advanced Development Authority (BARDA) and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The study participants will be administered two doses of either AZD1222 or a saline control, four weeks apart

AstraZeneca shares have risen 12.3% so far this year compared with the industrys increase of 1.4%.

AZD1222 is also being evaluated in late-stage studies in the UK, Brazil and South Africa with studies due to start in Japan and Russia shortly. Data from the late-stage studies are expected later this year. Data from the phase I/II study on AZD1222 announced in July showed that the vaccine candidate generated strong antibody and T-cell responses in the majority of patients.

Moreover, the company has signed supply deals with several countries under which it has committed to supply almost 3 billion doses of the vaccine, if it is successfully developed. Meanwhile, it has received more than $1 billion in funding from BARDA for the development, production and delivery of the AZD1222 vaccine. The company targets to file a regulatory application with the FDA later this year. Last week, a Financial Times report stated that the FDA may grant emergency use authorization (EUA) to AZD1222. The EUA is not a full approval and is granted when the FDA believes that the known and potential benefits of the treatment outweigh its risks.

AstraZeneca is one of the dozen companies developing a vaccine for the deadly coronavirus disease. Of these, other than AstraZeneca/Oxford University, Moderna MRNA and Pfizer PFE and its Germany-based partner, BioNTech have initiated phase III studies on a coronavirus vaccine. J&J JNJ expects to initiate a pivotal phase III study this month.

Story continues

Last week, AstraZeneca also initiated a phase I study on AZD7442, a monoclonal-antibody combination for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. AZD7442 is a combination of two monoclonal antibodies, AZD8895 and AZD1061, which were derived from convalescent patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, which AstraZeneca licensed from Vanderbilt University, in the United States in June 2020.

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A third case of COVID-19 has been detected at a school south-west of Brisbane as Queensland added more cases to a growing cluster.

The student at Staines Memorial College in Redbank Plains and a healthcare worker in her 30s were the two new cases reported in the state on Wednesday, Health Minister Steven Miles said in a social media update on Wednesday morning.

Barriers on the Queensland-NSW border. Credit:

On Sunday, a senior student at the school was confirmed to be carrying the virus, with an announcement the campus would close for two weeks for cleaning and testing to take place.

The new cases are close contacts of previous patients and grow the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre cluster to 28 cases.
President Xi stresses advancing integrated, high-quality development of Yangtze River Delta

2020/09/01

Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed efforts to seek continuous results in the integration of the Yangtze River Delta through focusing on major work of integrated and high-quality development at a symposium held in Hefei, capital city of East China's Anhui province on August 20, 2020.

The integration mechanism and interconnected infrastructure have played a role in epidemic prevention and control as well as economic recovery, President Xi said in a speech delivered at the symposium.

In general, a new development pattern for the integration of the Yangtze River Delta is taking shape, President Xi said.

He called for a deeper understanding of the delta's status and function in China's economic and social development, so as to better promote the region's integrated development amid grave and complex circumstances.

President Xi urged the delta region to take the lead in forming a new development pattern that takes the domestic market as the mainstay and allows the domestic and foreign markets to boost each other.

Noting that the region should also rise to assume the role of the trail-blazer of China's technological and industrial innovations, President Xi said Shanghai and the entire delta region should not only provide quality products but also serve as a source of high-level technologies to support China's high-quality development.

President Xi underscored achieving faster progress in developing the region into a new high ground of reform and opening up.

Efforts should be made to improve the business environment in line with world-class standards, and attract talent and enterprises from home and abroad with a development environment scoring high in openness, services, innovation and efficiency, President Xi said.

He also called for efforts to promote trade and investment facilitation and strive to make the delta region an important bridge between the international and domestic markets.

President Xi stressed focusing on the keywords of integration and high quality to push forward integrated development of the delta. Integrated approach and measures should be taken to break administrative barriers, enhance policy coordination, and enable the smooth flow of production factors on a larger scale.

He underlined promoting high-quality economic development of the Yangtze River Delta, intensifying efforts to achieve scientific and technological breakthroughs, boosting quality development of cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, fostering the momentum of high-quality development in underdeveloped regions, and promoting high-standard reform and opening-up of Pudong.

President Xi urged the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang as well as Shanghai to prioritize key areas and major fields including integrated circuit, biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and called for efforts to foster the innovative development of micro, small and medium-sized technology companies.

He said the high-standard reform and opening-up of Pudong is of strategic significance to the development of Shanghai, the integrated and high-quality development of the Yangtze River Delta, as well as the socialist modernization in China.

President Xi called for continued efforts to develop the Lingang area, a newly-launched section of the Shanghai pilot free trade zone, and boosting development of Shanghai as an international financial center to support the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Delta and the country.

Meanwhile, Xi demanded efforts to consolidate the foundation for the green development of the Yangtze River Delta, stressing that priority should be given to the protection and restoration of the Yangtze River's ecological environment, and measures must be taken to fix prominent environmental problems.

He underscored the need to enhance the access to basic public services in the region, so as to shore up weak links in people's livelihood while pursuing regional integration.

The integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta will not be achieved overnight, Xi said, calling on people to remain patient, think long term but act with a sense of urgency.

To deliver more fruitful outcomes, the plans for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) should be drawn up in a practical way, he said. (Source: Chinadaily)
Votorantim Cimentos awards Aumund pan conveyor contract

ICR Newsroom By 01 September 2020

Brazil-based Votorantim Cimentos has awarded Aumund the contract for the replacement of a pan conveyor at its Xambioa plant in Tocantins, Brazil.



The new Aumund Bucket Apron Conveyor type BZB will replace the existing pan conveyor used to transport clinker from the cooler to the silo. It has a centre distance of 92m and a conveying capacity of up to 170tph.



A key benefit of the conveyor is the reduction of dust emissions and the prevention of wasteful spillage of dusty material into the environment, says Aumund.



Supply and commissioning of the new bucket apron conveyor is expected to take place in October.

Published under
Netanyahu says Israel has secret talks with Arab, Muslim leaders

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 09:39, August 31, 2020

JERUSALEM, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel has secret talks with several Arab countries to normalize their relations, a day before Israel's first commercial flight to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"There are many more unpublicized meetings with Arab and Muslim leaders," Netanyahu said during joint remarks in Jerusalem alongside U.S. President Donald Trump's senior advisor Jared Kushner and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien.

Netanyahu said these Arab leaders "recognize that their true interests are to normalize relations with Israel."

Kushner referred to the so-called Abraham Accord, a U.S.-brokered peace agreement between Israel and the UAE to normalize their ties, as a "historic breakthrough," saying "the stage is set" for other Arab states to follow the UAE.

The Aug. 13 announcement has paved the way to "previously unthinkable" economic, security and religious cooperation between Israel and the UAE, Kushner added.

Kushner and O'Brien will join on Monday an official Israeli delegation that will fly to Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE. The flight, by Israel's national airliner El Al, marks the first commercial flight between the two states.

The Israeli delegation will be headed by the chief of the National Security Council Meir Ben Shabbat.

According to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, the talks will focus on "ways to promote cooperation in a variety of fields such as aviation and tourism, trade, economy and finance, health, energy, security and more."

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SARS-CoV-2 is thought to have originated in bats and spread to humans via a yet-to-be identified intermediate mammalian host. Almost two dozen animal species are known to be susceptible to infection, and there have been numerous reports of infected people transmitting the virus to their pet cats and dogs, to farm animals and even to lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo. Instances of people catching SARS-CoV-2 from animals, however, are extremely rare. At least two people probably caught it from minks -- semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals raised for their soft pelts -- in the Netherlands, where outbreaks occurred on about a dozen farms. Still, health authorities say theres no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus, and consider the risk of them doing so to be low.
A Portland police officer was filmed appearing to punch a detained man in the face multiple times, after he was arrested during Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend.

In the footage, that was shared to social media by journalist Laura Jedeed, several officers were shown holding a protester face down to the road in Portland, Oregon.

One of the officers detaining the man then appeared to hit him several times as colleagues shouted at other demonstrators to get out of the street.

The Portland Police Bureau said in a statement on Monday that an unlawful assembly was called on Sunday night, after rocks and eggs were thrown at officers, as demonstrators blocked traffic during Black Lives Matter protests.

The bureau said that officers repeatedly told demonstrators to leave the area, but shortly before 11pm they declared an unlawful assembly and arrested people for offences including resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Ms Jedeed told ABC News that after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly, officers told the crowd to disperse and started arresting any demonstrators who remained in the area.

They kept saying things like, You! Not press! Youre going to jail! They were basically grabbing anyone without a press pass, the journalist tweeted on Sunday evening.

The bureau also announced on Monday that officers arrested 29 people during rallies on Sunday, as Black Lives Matter protests continued in the city that has been gripped by demonstrations for more than three months.

Black Lives Matter protests have been taking place in Portland for more than 100 days, 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.

Some protests have ended in violence and vandalism in recent weeks, including a man being fatally shot on Saturday, and last month the Trump administration deployed federal agents to the city, after the federal courthouse became a target of nightly violence.

After some demonstrators started a fire outside the Police Bureaus East Precinct building, Mr Wheeler pleaded for violence to stop 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.

On Sunday, amid the ongoing protests, Oregon governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, announced a plan to bring the violence to an end in the city, and said she will convene a forum with protesters and community leaders to discuss racial justice and police reform in the city of Portland.

The governor told reporters: We all must come together  elected officials, community leaders, all of us  to stop the cycle of violence, and added: But this is only the first step.

Real change will come from the hard work to achieve racial justice. And it starts with all of us listening to each other, and working together.
Protesters in Portland gathered outside Democrat mayor Ted Wheeler's apartment Monday night to 'celebrate' his birthday by letting off fireworks and singing 'happy tear gas to you'.

A fire was lit in the street outside the 58-year-old's apartment block in an upmarket area in the north of the city, as around 200 people gathered while blasting music, sounding horns, banging pots and pans, and playing drums.

Activists - some of whom were carrying balloons and wearing party hats - danced to the Macarena and were heard shouting slogans including 'Black Lives Matter'.

Protesters in Portland gathered outside mayor Ted Wheeler's apartment building on Monday night to 'celebrate' his birthday by starting a fire in the street and letting off fireworks

Police moved in after looters broke into a business and started a fire in the lobby, which was underneath an occupied apartment building

Protesters blared music, let off fireworks, sounded horns and banged drums before officers moved in and dispersed them

Police arrived around 11pm after fires were started in the street, declared the scene a riot, and ordered the demonstrators to leave, KOIN reported.

When they refused, officers charged at the crowd and made arrests. It is unclear exactly how many people were arrested.

Videos showed a trash can and picnic table were set on fire, with other pieces of furniture from outside nearby businesses added to the flames.

Marchers stood nearby holding a large sign that said 'resign'.

Additional footage showed windows had been smashed at several nearby businesses, including what appeared to be a dentist's office.

The building had also been daubed with graffiti while a small fire had been started in the lobby.

Activists also danced to the 'Macarena' and sang 'Happy tear gas, war crimes Wheeler/Happy tear gas to you,' to the tune of 'Happy Birthday', KATU reported.

Monday marked the 95th consecutive day of demonstrations in Portland, which began after the killing of George Floyd during his arrest in Minneapolis.

Protesters had started gathering in the north of Portland around 8pm before making their way to the mayor's apartment, where fires were lit shortly before 11pm

Police arrived on the scene at 11pm, declared the gathering a riot, and were then filmed charging the crowd and making arrests

Some of the demonstrators carried party balloons and wore birthday hats, while others carried large signs telling the mayor to 'resign'

A man with a megaphone and clutching something in his left hand speaks to the crowd, which had blocked a street in the north of Portland

On Sunday night, activists had targeted a police building at the Penubra Kelly Building, with the gathering quickly declared unlawful after projectiles were thrown.

Police said that 29 arrests were made after the crowd refused to disperse. One was charged with illegal possession of a firearm, while most were charged with disorderly conduct or interfering with an officer.

Tensions ratcheted up in the city after 39-year-old Aaron 'Jay' Bishop, a member of the right-wing pro-Trump group Patriot Prayer, was shot dead overnight Saturday.

Video showed what appeared to be a man following Bishop down the street before gunshots rang out, leaving him sprawled on the floor.

A person of interest to the investigation has since been identified as Michael Forest Reinoehl, a 48-year-old father-of-two who described himself online as '100% antifa'.

Reinoehl's estranged sister said she confirmed to police that she recognised her brother in screenshots from the night in question.

Police have yet to confirm the man's identity, and he has not been formally arrested.

'On the one hand, this whole thing surprises the daylights out of us, because we always thought he is a lot of bark, not a lot of bite. But he's also been very impulsive and irrational,' she said.

Police said they moved in to clear the crowd after a business was burgled and furniture dragged into the street where it was set on fire (remains of the fire above)

In total police say 19 people were arrested, some of whom were carrying knives and a collapsible baton, after vandals attacked a nearby business

Walls were daubed with graffiti by some members of the protest group, prompting police to declare the gathering a riot and move in

'Violence begets violence and hatred begets hatred. This is not the solution. My heart goes out to the victim. It always has, before I even knew my brother was involved.'

She claimed her brother is troubled and that they have not been in touch for three years.

In the past, she said he'd stolen their mother's seizure medication and is in debt.

He has a son and daughter from a previous relationship but is no longer involved with the mother.

President Trump has since weighed in on the situation, threatening to send the National Guard to Portland to quell the violence.

'Rest in peace Jay!', he said, after learning of Danielson's death.

He then tweeted: 'Portland is a mess, and it has been for many years. If this joke of a mayor doesn't clean it up, we will go in and do it for them!' he wrote.

'The Radical Left Mayors & Governors of Cities where this crazy violence is taking place have lost control of their 'movement'.

'It wasn't supposed to be like this, but the Anarchists & Agitators got carried away and don't listen anymore - even force Slow Joe out of basement!'
1) The JEE (Main) exam for entrance to engineering colleges began on Tuesday. The computer-based exam is conduct in two shifts from September 1 to 6. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is scheduled on September 13. As many as 8.58 lakh candidates have registered for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main and 15.97 lakh have registered for NEET. Over 7.7 lakh students had already downloaded the admit cards for the exams by Monday evening.

2) Ahead of the exam Union Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank reached out to chief ministers of various states and sought their help in conducting the exam. The decision to hold the two tests, for which over 25 lakh students have registered, in the midst of a pandemic has been a contentious one. Several opposition-ruled states had questioned the move.

3) Several states have taken steps to help the students reach exam centres. Railways permitted candidates and their guardians to travel by special suburban trains in Mumbai on exam days. The entry into stations would be on the basis of JEE and NEET admit cards. Railway minister Piyush Goyal has requested other general passengers not to commute. States like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have also said they will provide transportation to candidates. A group of IIT alumni and students have also launched a portal to provide transport facilities to exam centres for the candidates in need.

4) The National Testing Agency (NTA) has drawn an elaborate protocol to ensure the two tests are held in the most touchless manner as possible. Entire premises would be sanitized. Crowding would be avoided. Sanitisers, masks etc would be allowed.

5) The NEET and JEE exams are among several others that the NTA has to conduct in month of September. The Delhi University Entrance Test (DUET) which continues from September 6 to 11. Another exam that the premier testing is the entrance to under-graduate programme of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR). The tests are to be held on September 7 and 8. On September 15 is scheduled the entrance test to the MBA course of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). From September 16 to 18 and again from September 21 to 25 another important test, the UGC-NET exam will be conducted. According to a circular issued by the NTA, the All India Ayush Post Graduate Entrance Test is scheduled on September 28.
Estimates for insured property losses associated with Hurricane Laura by catastrophe risk modeling firms Air Worldwide and Karen Clark and Co. (KCC) are similar  both fall into the $8 billion range  but they are not exactly the same.

Boston-based AIR Worldwide has estimated that insured losses to onshore property resulting from Hurricane Lauras winds and storm surge will range from $4 billion to $8 billion.

KCC reported that insured onshore property losses from wind and storm surge will likely amount to $8.7 billion in the U.S. and $200 million in the Caribbean. KCC said its estimate includes the privately insured wind and storm surge damage to residential, commercial, and industrial properties and automobiles. It does not include NFIP losses or losses to offshore assets.

Packing winds of up to 150 mph, Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, around 1 am on Aug. 27. The storm had quickly intensified from a Cat 1 storm into a Cat 4 throughout the day on Aug. 26 as it progressed at a rapid pace northward through the Gulf of Mexico after having pummeled the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and to a lesser extent, Cuba.

AIR said despite its major hurricane status at landfall, the combination of Lauras track through relatively lower populated areas and its Rmax on the smaller side likely worked to keep insured losses down somewhat.

The Associated Press has reported that18 deaths in Texas and Louisiana have been attributed to the storm; more than half of those people were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe operation of generators.

Nearly two dozen people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic were killed by the hurricane, according to various media reports.

Upon landfall in the U.S., Lauras winds diminished. However, the storms 150 mph maximum sustained winds at landfall in the U.S. were the strongest in Louisiana since the 1856 Last Island Hurricane, according to KCC.

The storm surge was not as severe as had been predicted. According to Air Worldwide, highest storm surge was recorded around 15 feet in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. In advance of the storm, the National Hurricane Center had warned that the storm surge could rise to as high as 20 feet.

The coastal town of Cameron, in Cameron Parish, and the town of Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, 30 miles from the coast, bore the brunt of the storm, which cause widespread destruction to buildings of all types, AIR Worldwide reported.

Residential buildings in and around Lake Charles saw significant damage to roofs of all geometries and with various roof cover types. Residential building envelopes were breached due to debris impacts and the damage was further exacerbated in many cases due to the impacts of storm surge. Residential homes in Louisiana are founded primarily on crawlspace and slab foundations, both of which are vulnerable when it comes to flood damage, Dr. Cagdas Kafali, senior vice president of research, AIR Worldwide, said in a prepared statement.

Property information, analytics and data provider, CoreLogic, previously estimated residential and commercial insured losses from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana and Texas will come in at between $8 billion and $12 billion.

CoreLogics estimate includes losses from storm surge and wind, with losses from storm surge contributing less than $0.5 billion to that amount. The analysis includes losses impacting residential homes and commercial properties, including contents and business interruption, but does not include broader economic loss from the storm.

Sources: AIR Worldwide, KCC, CoreLogic

Topics Catastrophe Louisiana Profit Loss Hurricane Risk Management
En el Dia Internacional de la Obstetra, el presidente @MartinVizcarraC asistio al Colegio @DeObstetrasPeru para reconocer la valiosa labor que realizan en el cuidado de las mujeres durante la etapa de embarazo, parto y postparto, especialmente en estas circunstancias. pic.twitter.com/C1FZrWCLqb
By Ayya Lmahamad

State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan sold funds in the amount of $478 million at foreign currency auctions in August 2020, funds press service has reported.

According to the statement, there was a decrease in the volume of foreign currency sales by 7.2 percent compared to July. It should be noted that SOFAZ sold funds in the amount of $ 515.5 million at foreign currency auctions in July 2020.

Moreover, the fund sold funds in the amount of around $5 billion at foreign currency auctions during the period of January-August 2020, which is an annual increase by 24 percent.

It should be noted that, SOFAZ is currently the main source of currency sale at currency auctions.

Revenues of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan from oil and gas sales amounted to AZN 4.1 billion ($2.4bn) in 2020. In the first half of 2020, the volume of transfers from SOFAZ to the state budget amounted to AZN 5.7 billion ($3.3bn).

It should be noted that during the period of 2003-2019, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan transferred $99.7 billion to the state budget.

SOFAZ was established in December 1999 by the Presidential Decree and is a sovereign wealth fund of Azerbaijan, which accumulates and preserves the nation's oil and gas revenues for future generations. The fundamental mission of SOFAZ is to ensure intergenerational equality with regard to the country's oil wealth and to accumulate and safeguard the oil revenues for generations to come.

The Fund accumulates income from the sale of oil contracts, and in 2003 it started to make transfers to the state budget of Azerbaijan. As for now, SOFAZ contribution to the countrys GDP is over 80 percent.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (C), U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff US army general Mark A. Milley (R) speak on stage during a briefing on the past 72 hours events in Mar a Lago, Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 29, 2019. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

House Democrats Demand Trump Administration Provide Witnesses for Afghan Hearing

The U.S. Department of Defense and the State Department must voluntarily provide witnesses to Congress on the war in Afghanistan and the process of withdrawing troops or face subpoenas, House Democrats say.

In a letter sent Monday to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Democrats demanded the two Republican officials send witnesses to testify at a Sept. 9 hearing before the subcommittee of the House Oversight and Reform Committee.

We are writing for the final time to request that your departments make witnesses available to testify voluntarily before the Subcommittee on National Security on September 9, 2020, about the United States strategy in Afghanistan, reads the letter, which was signed by 15 Democrat members of the Committee. Should your departments refuse to appear voluntarily, the (National Security) Subcommittee will have no other choice but to receive testimony through compulsory process.

The State and Defense departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The letter continued by criticizing the Trump administration of obstructing the committees oversight process by not providing an adequate or complete response to the committees requests for witnesses, beginning in August 2019, then in December 2019, February, 2020, and most recently in July.

Lawmakers who signed the letter also raised concerns about the Trump administrations agreement with the Taliban. The Feb. 29 accord would reduce U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan in exchange for concessions by the terror group.

At a March press briefing by Department of Defense Secretary Esper and Joint Chiefs Of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley on the Afghan accord, Esper said the withdrawal of troops would be conditional and can change based on the situation.

Our commitment under the agreement was to enable us to facilitate that exchange of persons between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan, Esper told reporters. And as Ive said over and over, its all conditions-based. But we are going to show good faith and begin withdrawing our troops, and we can stop that at any moment. We can pause it based on, again, changing circumstances.

The Democrats want the administrations to justify the reduction in troop numbers and accused the president of reducing troops to score political points before the November election.

While we all want our troops to return home, we are also concerned that U.S. force levels in Afghanistan are being determined by the November 2020 election rather than the future stability of Afghanistan and our national security interests, the Democrats wrote.

Lawmakers questioned the move in light of what they said was an increase in violence toward Afghan national defense and security forces. They also noted that the Defense Department estimates that the Taliban has sustained levels of violence five times higher than those observed during a reduction-in-violence period in February 2020.

In addition, the letter called for answers on the role Russia and Iran are playing in the region, and which lawmakers say are seeking to expand their influence in Afghanistan, citing recent media reports.

The American people have the right to hear directly from their government about the prospects for peace in Afghanistan after nearly two decades of conflict, or whether it once again may become a haven for terrorists that could threaten us here at home, the lawmakers letter said.

The Democrats concluded their letter to Esper and Pompeo by cautioning the pair that if they did not comply with the request to appear or send designees before the committee Sept. 9, the committee would start the compulsory process of subpoenaing them.
Mevion Medical Systems and Proton International announced today that they have signed a two-system contract to bring Mevion's compact proton therapy solution to new centers in locations to be announced in South Texas and the Southeast United States.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005396/en/

The MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System with HYPERSCAN Pencil Beam Scanning. (Photo: Business Wire)

The new centers will feature the MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System with HYPERSCAN Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS). HYPERSCAN enables faster and sharper delivery of therapeutic radiation to tumors. The system's leading-edge clinical capabilities, combined with its compact, affordable design, and industry-leading ramp-up time, has changed the landscape of proton therapy. Today, more cancer centers are considering providing compact proton therapy to their patients because of the technology Mevion has advanced.

"We selected Mevion's compact system because it has the ability to offer an efficient clinical solution adopted by many major cancer programs while minimizing costs," said Chris Chandler, chief executive officer of Proton International. "PI specializes in providing custom single-room proton therapy solutions to our clinical providers, and this technology will be a powerful addition to their cancer treatment arsenal."

"Proton International's successful approach to proton therapy by focusing on building and operating centers that support their customer's goals made them a natural partner," said Tina Yu, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Mevion. "We look forward to collaborating closely with Proton International on these new centers and providing greater access to this lifesaving technology to patients in Texas and the Southeast."

As the leading supplier of compact proton therapy systems in the United States, Mevion has been selected by more NCI-Designated Cancer Centers than any other manufacturer. In July, another MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System began treating patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO, and Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah will be clinically operational at the end of 2020.

About Mevion Medical Systems

Since 2004, Mevion Medical Systems has been the leading provider of compact proton therapy systems for cancer care. Dedicated to advancing the design and accessibility of proton therapy worldwide, Mevion was the first company to innovate this new single-room platform and continues to further the science and application of proton therapy. Mevion's flagship product, the MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System with HYPERSCAN pencil beam scanning, is the world's smallest proton therapy system that eliminates the obstacles of size, complexity, and cost that exists with other proton therapy systems. Mevion is headquartered in Littleton, Massachusetts, with a presence in Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.mevion.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @MevionMedical

Connect with us on LinkedIn: Mevion Medical Systems

Like Us on Facebook: MevionMedical

About Proton International

Proton International, www.protonintl.com, has an experienced team dedicated to bringing proton therapy to patients. The company works with hospitals and physician groups to develop one- and two-room proton therapy facilities on a turnkey basis. The PI team has developed and operated multiple centers and is currently active on several projects.

Proton International completed proton centers at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan University Medical Center in Groningen, The Netherlands, University of Alabama Birmingham, and Delray Beach, Florida; where the centers are currently treating patients. The company has several additional centers under design and construction. PI's business model ensures that projects are completed on time, on budget, and within the scope and needs of the institution. Services include business planning, organizational structure, financing, building design and construction, installation and commissioning, equipment, staff training, and more.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005396/en/

Contacts:

Melanie Benton

Mevion Medical Systems

Mbenton@mevion.com 1-978-540-1551

Kristen Chandler Powers

Proton International 502-939-3323

kchandler@protonintl.com
Flynn Case to Be Prolonged Beyond Election, Judges Order Indicates

The court process for Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a former Trump adviser, will likely carry on beyond Election Day after a court order indicated that a schedule for a further process wont be set for at least another three weeks.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped the case nearly four months ago, but District Judge Emmet Sullivan, whos presiding over it, has refused to accept the dismissal and has insisted on further proceedings.

Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to FBI agents during an interview early that year. But he withdrew his plea before sentencing. The prosecutors moved to dismiss the case after discovering evidence indicating the bureau didnt have a legitimate reason to interview Flynn.

Sullivan responded to the motion by appointing former federal Judge John Gleeson to argue against the dismissal and determine whether Flynn should be charged with contempt of court for walking back his plea.

A three-judge panel of the District of Columbia appeals court ordered Sullivan to accept the dismissal in June, but Sullivan asked the full court to rehear the case. The court reversed the intervention and sent the case back to Sullivan on Aug. 31.

On Sept. 1, Sullivan ordered Flynn, the DOJ, and Gleeson to come back to him by Sept. 21 with a proposed schedule for further proceedings, including for further written briefs and three proposed dates for an oral argument. He also ordered the parties to submit a consolidated response to other third parties that have sounded off on the case.

With only two months left, its unlikely the case will be resolved by Election Day.

Since the beginning, Flynns case has been politically charged. He served as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency during the Obama administration and briefly as President Donald Trumps national security adviser.

His case was central to the unsubstantiated narrative that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 election. The charge against Flynn was that he lied about his calls with then-Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. The DOJ later acknowledged that the calls were legitimate and that the FBI had no reason to question him about them, other than trying to catch him in a lie, which isnt a proper investigative purpose.

Other than submitting to further delays, Flynn can also ask the Supreme Court to look into the case, though it isnt clear how expedient any potential review might be or if the court would even take on the case.

Flynns lead lawyer, former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell, indicated the defense may have further steps to take.

Stay tuned. We are not done, she told The Epoch Times in an emailed response.
Reuters

LOS ANGELES, EEUU, 20 ene (Reuters) - Netflix Inc no cumplio con las previsiones de Wall Street de nuevos suscriptores y ofrecio una prevision mas debil de lo esperado para principios de 2022, ya que sus rivales encendieron una disputa por los espectadores de television. El mayor servicio de streaming del mundo sumo 8,3 millones de clientes de octubre a diciembre, cuando lanzo nueva programacion que incluyo peliculas repletas de estrellas como "Red Notice" y "Don't Look Up" y una nueva temporada
The government of Donald Trump says it has recovered about 70% of those $1200 federal pandemic relief checks that were mistakenly sent to dead people.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said Monday the Treasury Department told GAO that roughly 70% of the $1.6 billion in economic stimulus checks mailed to dead people has now been recovered.

From AP:

The GAO said it could not immediately verify that amount but said its auditors were working with Treasury to determine the exact number of payments that have been recovered. Treasury is also considering sending letters to request the return of the remaining outstanding payments, but has not moved forward with that effort yet, GAO said. Treasury said it was delaying that move because Congress is considering legislation that would clarify or make changes to payment eligibility requirements.

MORE at the Associated Press: Administration: 70% of relief payments to the dead recovered
C Shivakumar By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The dormant office spaces and shopping malls are now bustling with activity. The strength in offices which have been functioning with meagre staff has increased.

This has resulted in developers hoping for positive signs in the revival of the office space sector in the second half of next quarter.

"The office space in Chennai which was hit hard by the lockdown witnessed 2.1 million square feet of office space leasing activity, which translates to approximately one-fifth of the all India activity.

"In terms of area, there has been a 16 per cent reduction in absorption, the least in the top six cities of the country," says India Market Watch H1-2020 released by International Property Consultants, Savills India.

Anup Vasanth, managing director of Chennai Savills India, says that during the first quarter of the financial year many of the firms like Cognizant, realised its plans to move to Mount Poonamallee in 4.7 lakh square feet of office space and Bank of New York moving to a new site in Pallavaram Thoraipakkam.

"These are the deals which happened in the first quarter where in 1.5 million square feet of office space deals happened," says Anup while adding that in the second half this dwindled to 500 million square feet office space was absorbed," he says.

However, this could not be a rosier picture. The reason being the notice period many of the firms are serving. A clearer picture is to emerge in the next six months.

S Sridharan, CREDAI chairman, Tamil Nadu Chapter, told Express that he is positive that the office space activity will improve once the lockdown is eased. He says that work from the office is not that productive.

A Shankar, Chief Operating Officer, Strategic Consulting, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) says things will improve in the next six months.

"The office work culture is set to undergo a change. There will be changes in the design of office space with thrust on social distancing," he says.

He says there will be demand for office space but a clearer picture will emerge in the next one month.

Meanwhile, real estate consultants claim that the work from home concept will still continue.

"Although it has declined from 100 per cent in the initial phase of lockdown to around 50 to 60 per cent now, I hope at least 12 to 15 percent of workforce will continue to work from home," says Shanking while belittling the claims that IT enabled services and many IT companies will continue to work from home.

Vasanth says that this could also result in a hub and spoke model where IT offices may do away with some of the office space and lease it near the residences of workers.

"There has already been some activity in this regard," says Vasanth.

According to data available from Savills, during January-June 2020 period, office absorption in six major cities which include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, National Capital Region, Pune and Bangalore, stood at approximately 13.7 million sq. ft. as compared to 32 million in the corresponding months a year ago.

While this pattern may change during the second half, if the pandemic led crisis persists, Indias focus on its traditional sectors may need to increase, necessitating vital policy initiatives as well, according to the report.

Rangarajan committee report to be submitted next week

The high-level committee headed by former Reserve Bank of India governor C Rangarajan to assess the overall immediate impact of Covid-19 pandemic on different sectors of Tamil Nadu economy is set to submit its report next week.

This comes as the state is slowly trying to get back on its feet after relaxing the lockdown and allowing free movement of goods and transport.

"The committee will submit its report to the government next week," said an official source. The panel will also assess the impact of the lockdown, additional costs and implications due to social distancing and their precautionary measures.

Besides assessing the opportunities and threats in the short and medium term, the committee will come out with measures required to help the important sectors of the economy to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
Any mobile game that captures in-game player achievements can now reward players in cash on the acQyr eXchange platform without the need for blockchain, cryptocurrency, or NFTs.
Investigators seek to prolong detention of ex-Khabarovsk Region Governor in murder case

 Moskva city news agency, Sergey Vedyashkin

14:33 01/09/2020

MOSCOW, September 1 (RAPSI)  Investigators have filed a motion to extend detention of the former Khabarovsk Region Governor Sergey Furgal charged with organized murders of businessmen in 2004-2005 until December 9, according to the courts press service.

The petition will be heard in the Basmanny District Court of Moscow on September 3.

On July 10, Moscows Basmanny District Court placed Furgal charged with killing and attempted murders of businessmen in detention. The hearing was held behind closed doors. A judge took the decision granting a motion of investigators who said about threats against other defendants in the case.

Furgal denied his guilt and political nature of the case.

Governor of the Khabarovsk Region Sergey Furgal was arrested on July 9. According to investigators, crimes were committed by an organized criminal group allegedly led by Furgal in Russias Khabarovsk and Amur Regions in 2004-2005. Earlier, four alleged members of the gang were arrested and placed in detention.

Born in the Amur Region, Furgal worked as general physician at a hospital more than 6 years before the start of his political career. After being discharged from healthcare in 1999, he went in for business, according to his biography on the Khabarovsk Krai governments website. He was elected as the State Duma lawmaker three times.

In September 2018, he was elected as a Khabarovsk Region governor by popular vote.




(Reuters) - AstraZeneca Plc said on Monday it has begun enrolling adults for a U.S.-funded, 30,000-subject late-stage study of its high profile COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Trial participants will receive either two doses of the experimental vaccine, dubbed AZD1222, four weeks apart, or a placebo, the company said. The trial is being conducted under U.S. government's Operation Warp Speed program, which aims to accelerate development, manufacturing and distribution of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. U.S. President Donald Trump has said a vaccine for the novel ...
An ardent Trump supporter who has made a name for himself by organizing boat parades in honor of the president is facing a felony charge for sending a fellow member of a Florida country club a threatening text message following a political argument.

But Carlos Gavidia says that he never threatened to kill anyone, and that he sent the expletive-filled text in the heat of the moment after enduring months of harassment - some of it racially charged - from his neighbors.

Gavidia's attorney, Stuart Kaplan, told local media outlets that his client planned to surrender at the Palm Beach County Jail on Tuesday morning to be charged with written threats to kill or do bodily injury, which is a felony.

Carlos Gavidia, who has made a name for himself by organizing boat parades in honor of President Trump, is facing a felony charge for sending a threatening text

Carlos and Laura Gavidia met the president (pictured) after hosting multiple boating events in his honor

Last week, Gavidia sent this text to a former friend after being mocked by him at dinner

The friend went to the police and pressed charges against Gavidia, accusing him of threatening his life

As of 1pm, Gavidia's name has not appeared on the jail's list of inmates.

Gavidia, a former resident of the high-end Admiral's Cove country club community in Jupiter, Florida, has gained notoriety by renaming his 42-foot boat 'Trump' in honor of President Donald Trump and hosting a series of splashy, star-spangled boat parades dubbed 'Trumptillas.'

One of Gavidia's early events held in May caught the attention of the president himself, who shared a video from the nautical display on Twitter and commented: 'Thank you very much to our beautiful boaters. I will never let you down!'

Gavidia and his wife had recently met and took pictures with President Trump, and attended a boat parade in Montauk, New York, last month with Donald Trump Jr, his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle and a Trump impersonator.

Last month, Gavidia (far left) partied on a boat in Montauk, New York, with Donald Trump Jr (second left), his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle (far right) and a Trump impersonator

The Gavidias attended Trump's RNC acceptance speech at the White House last week

Last week, Gavidia shared photos on his Instagram page showing himself and his wife happily posing on the White House lawn ahead of Trump's RNC nomination acceptance speech.

Kaplan told WPBF Gavidia has faced an 'onslaught of harassing behavior' and taunting from his neighbors to the point where his client was driven out of the Jupiter community.

According to an interview with WPBF, Gavidia's neighbors turned on him last spring for failing to remove his Trump flag from his boat in violation of a community rule.

Defiant, Gavidia wrapped his boat with a Trump banner and organized his first boat parade in honor of the commander-in-chief.

That only made his neighbors angrier, prompting some of them to send him hate mail.

Gavidia said his neighbors' harassing behavior had led him to sell his house in the Admiral's Cover country club community in Jupiter, Florida

Gavidia hosted the first 'Trumptilla' in May after being harangued about his Trump flag by his neighbors

Trump himself expressed gratitude for the 'boaters' in a tweet

'America does not need showy, trashy, brown people like you,' Gavidia, a native of Peru who was brought to the US as a young child, read from a handwritten note he said he had received in the mail. 'So go back to your country, Mr. Brownie.'

Gavidia said things came to a head last week when he and wife Laura were at dinner at Marina Cafe in Admiral's Cove on one of the final nights before their departure from Jupiter and saw a group of people who used to be their friends mocking them by making vomiting noises and laughing.

Laura Gavidia said she became upset, which angered her husband and led him to send a threatening text to one of the people who were poking fun at the couple.

The note stated in part: 'You [expletive] with the wrong guy Im coming for youIve got nothing to lose but you have plenty like your life, you have no idea who I am...I play for keeps your (sic) [expletive] done.'

The recipient of the text went to the police, which then had a warrant issued for Gavidia's arrest.

Gavidia explained that he wrote the message in a 'fit of anger' - a decision he now regrets. He stressed that he never meant to harm anyone.

'I didnt say I was going to kill him,' Gavidia said. 'Never. I said you mess with my life, Ill mess with yours.'

Gavidia reportedly has offered to apologize to the recipient of the note, but the man rejected his overtures. If convicted as charged, Gavidia could face up to 15 years in prison.

Gavidia on Monday shared this photo of himself posing with Roger Stone

This is not the first time that the avid Trump supporter has been in trouble with the law: In the late 1990s he served six months in prison on a marijuana-trafficking charge in Virginia, reported Palm Beach Post.

Not long after his first Trump flotilla in May, Gavidia crashed his Porsche in his neighborhood and left the scene of the accident. He got off with a citation after his wife told police he suffered a medical episode.

In an interview with the Palm Beach Post, Gavidia said his flip flops became lodged under the accelerator, causing the crash.

On the eve of his anticipated arrest, Gavidia took to Facebook to post a lengthy screed, detailing what happened and railing against 'bogus' charges.

'Liberals can taunt, harass, curse and make life miserable for me and my family, but god forbid I yell back, stand up for myself and my family; and yes, our President,' he wrote.

If convicted of written threats to kill or do bodily injury, Gavidia, pictured above modeling his 'MAGA' hat, could be looking at up to 15 years in prison

In his written rant, Gavidia also took a swipe at Black Lives Matter protesters, calling them 'radical Left thugs' and accusing them of spitting and yelling threats at him and other RNC attendees outside the White House.

'I will continue my Patriotism and unwavering support for President Trump, continue the Nationwide TRUMP Boat MOVEMENT!!' Gavidia pledged. 'Its our only way of doing Trump rallies peacefully, safely and they are highly effective demonstrating our unwavering support for the President.'

Gavidia's post was accompanied by a photo of himself posing up with notorious Trump adviser Roger Stone, whose 40-month sentence for lying to federal investigators was commuted by the president in July.

'I feel his pain,' Gavidia wrote of Stone.
We have reached the point at which there is no reason to frame the 2020 elections in terms of politics. There is not even really a reason to think of this in terms of voting. While it is comforting to think that Nov. 3 will simply come down to which side gets out the vote or who phone-banks or postcards most effectively, its also the case that so much of the apparatus of voting is newly unrecognizable this year. The ways we vote have changed, due to COVID and federal interference with the U.S. Postal Service. What will be permitted as poll watching has now changed as a result of an expired 1982 consent decree that prohibited Republicans from harassing and intimidating voters on the way to the polls. And the ways in which votes are counted and tabulated have changed due to well-funded and systematic efforts throughout the states to reject ballots that have been cast in minority precincts and Democratic strongholds, under bogus claims of fraud. Also, the ways in which the Justice Department ordinarily comports itself in advance of a federal election has also been quietly changed, with Attorney General Bill Barr already making false claims about mail-in ballots and cheerfully helping to midwife an October surprise.

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Despite heroic efforts by voting rights lawyers who are killing themselves to expand and protect the franchise, the fact remains that so much of what has functioned as an elections system in the United States has functioned because of a fundamental national compact of acceptance, if not good faith, that allowed us to make the best of a flawed, decentralized, and inherently unjust system. With a handful of egregious exceptions that forced us to really look, the nation has largely maintained the tradition of agreeing that, despite the fact that the elections system has never truly been free or fair, and has certainly never been structured to allow everyone to vote or for every vote to be weighted equally, everyone would nevertheless squint a bit, and shrug a bit, and come together to conclude that someone had in fact won, someone else had lost, and that for the good of the nation, some kind of an orderly transition of power should follow. But that collective agreementmuch like the fact that presidents do not accept foreign or domestic emoluments, or the fact that Cabinet members dont give convention speeches, or the fact that the president doesnt use the White House or the Washington Monument as campaign propswas always more of a norm, even if it was carved into the Constitution or required by statute. And just as the norms around presidential behavior have collapsed in the past three years, so too have the norms around elections. What emoluments clause, they can shrug, three years after we committed it to memory? What Hatch Act, they can claim? This president is just different.

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Yes, he is indeed different. Franklin Foer noted this week in the Atlantic that this administration has declared an all-out war on politics. As he observes, Although [Trump] goes through the motions of pursuing an outright victory, much of his rhetoric is now focused on discrediting the political process itself. He disparages the rules that govern politics and the institutions that facilitate it. He seems to want his supporters to believe that their electoral participation will be rendered meaningless. Trump, who refused to say he would concede if he lost the election in 2016, is now saying outright that the election will be invalid if he loses, because mail-in voting is inherently fraudulent; or because if the results are unknown on the night of Nov. 3, they wont count; or because, as he and his attorney general continue to insist, foreign entities are interfering with any ballots that come by mail. Trump is promising to conscript law enforcement personnel to act as poll watchers who will be on standby to intimidate voters at their polling places (this is not lawful either). And the culmination of all these efforts to muddy the voting waters and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election results has come this week, as Trump complacently approves of lawless convoys of Trump supporters bent on performing what they believe to be law enforcement functions without any legal authority.

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Trump has now spoken out in defense of a supporter who killed protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The president has claimed that the 17-year-old shooter, who crossed state lines with a weapon that was not his own, found himself in a very interesting situation. As Aaron Blake noted in the Washington Post, the president did not condemn the violence and instead echoed Rittenhouses lawyers, who said the 17-year-old did nothing wrong and exercised his God-given, constitutional, common law and statutory law right to self-defense.* Trump has now defended crowds of his supporters who took it upon themselves to shoot paintballs and pepper spray on protesters in Portland, Oregon, because, as he tweeted, the big backlash going on in Portland cannot be unexpected after 95 days of watching [an] incompetent Mayor admit that he has no idea what he is doing. The people of Portland wont put up with no safety any longer. The Mayor is a FOOL. Bring in the National Guard!

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The president, who defended the attack by federal officials on lawful protesters at Lafayette Square only a few months ago, is now defending armed militiamen stepping in to quell racial justice protests around the country after he himself sees fit to describe them as rioting and looting. Trump is, in short, encouraging his supporters to do the work of local police, federal officials, and the National Guard, ifin their frustration with those entitiesthey feel the work isnt being done. (Within hours, that message has been taken up by Republican leadership.) He is not just declaring war on government. He is declaring war on how government is chosen. And he is suggesting that his own followers dedication might be the only remedy to broken trust in voting, after spending four years breaking trust in voting.

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Back in 2000 in Florida, disputes over voting resulted in a so-called Brooks Brothers Riot, in which GOP lawyers swarmed into local elections disputes, demanding close monitoring of recounts and alleging improprieties. That felt like an inevitable endpoint for the 2020 election as well: lawyers on both sides jostling to make their case for the votes they represent. But in a matter of one short week, Trump has seeded the terrifying notion that this riot does not come dressed in natty suits and good haircuts. He is implying, if not stating outright, that the legal work need not be conducted by lawyers at all, and that the conduct itself need not be lawful, so long as the ends are just. His supporters, he insists, day after day, are the only true Americans, and he keeps telling them that as patriots they are free from whatever norms once governed how we protest, how we enforce the law, and also how we vote. And as gun-toting countrymen, he says, aloud, they are well within their rights to decide when actual law enforcement is not doing its job correctly, and they can cross state lines with weapons of war to pick up the slack themselves. None of this is surprising for a man who could not bring himself to disavow Nazis marching in the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, three years ago, but it is a tectonic shift in absolution, and also in incitement. Its also a red flag for anyone who thinks this type of rhetoric wont be directed at voters, voting, and ballot counting, in a few short weeks.

Correction, Sept. 1, 2020: This piece originally misattributed a quote from Kyle Rittenhouses lawyers to Donald Trump.

For more of Slates news coverage, subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts or listen below.
Response coordinator for White House Coronavirus Task Force Deborah Birx speaks during the daily briefing on the CCP virus at the White House on March 24, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Partisan Rift Emerges Over Private COVID-19 Task Force Briefings to States

The Trump administration warned states in private briefings that they were becoming COVID-19 hotspots while publicly striking a less alarmist tone, a Democrat-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis revealed.

On Monday, eight weeks of reports were obtained from the Trump administrations task force, showing how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus spread across states.

Democrats have accused the administration of downplaying the severity of the outbreak, but Republicans have dismissed the claims as another phony scandal.

The Task Force reports released today show the White House has known since June that coronavirus cases were surging across the country and many states were becoming dangerous red zones where the virus was spreading fast, said the chairman of the subcommittee, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), in a statement.

A red zone designation is where there are more than 100 new cases per 100,000 population and/or where more than 10 percent of new tests come in positive. Regions with between 10 and 100 new cases per 100,000 population and/or test positivity between 5 and 10 percent are defined by the task force as a yellow zone.

Clayburn accused the Trump administration of neglecting to provide these alarming reports to the public and therefore putting Americans at risk.

Rather than being straight with the American people and creating a national plan to fix the problem, the President and his enablers kept these alarming reports private while publicly downplaying the threat to millions of Americans, Clayburn added.

As an example of the claimed contradiction, the House Committee pointed to a June 29 task force report (pdf), which showed that 10 states were in the red zone, with significant increases in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Yet on June 26, Vice President Mike Pence stated: All 50 states are opening up safely and responsibly.

The subcommittee found another supposed contradiction between an Aug. 2 report (pdf), which showed that 23 states were in the red zone, and said that the virus is spreading deeper into the rural areas of Oklahoma, and a statement by President Donald Trump in a July 28 interview with Axios, in which he said that [T[hey are dying, thats true. And you have  it is what it is. But that doesnt mean we arent doing everything we can. Its under control as much as you can control it.

The Trump administration has taken a range of measures in response to the outbreak, including taking early action to cut off travel from China, the origin of the virus, mobilizing public and private sectors to secure supplies in the face of a shortage, enacting the Defense Production Act over 30 times, and fast-tracking the development of a CCP virus vaccine.

White House spokesman Judd Deere, in a statement to The Center for Public Integrity, called the subcommittee action a partisan report completely for the purpose of falsely distorting the Presidents record to protect the health and safety of the American people and save millions of lives.

The Coronavirus Task Force has been providing tailored recommendations to individual states for months encouraging Governors and local health officials to act immediately while at the same time President Trump and the entire administration has reminded Americans to follow CDC recommendations and best practices to slow the spread as we work to reopen, Deere added.

The committees top-ranking Republican, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, denied the Trump administration was withholding data on the pandemic and dismissed Democrat claims as the latest fake news.

Democrats again have created another phony scandal, this time claiming theyve unearthed individual state coronavirus data when in fact the data was publicly available all along, he said in a statement. Data on cases, positivity rates, hospitalizations, and deaths are widely available and have never been hidden from the American people nor from state and local governments.

The White House has insisted that the pandemic response be led by states and while it has issued guidance on recommended precautions like wearing facial coverings, it has not imposed measures like nationwide mask-wearing mandates.
New Delhi: China on Tuesday paid rich tributes to former president Pranab Mukherjee, saying he was a veteran statesman and his death is a huge loss for India-China friendship.

The 84-year-old veteran politician died after he suffered a septic shock on Sunday.

He died of a cardiac arrest on Monday evening in a hospital in New Delhi following a 21-day battle with multiple ailments.
WARSAW  It is easy to admire the courage and determination of the Belarusian people, but the free world shouldnt expect too much from the protests that recently filled Belaruss streets in anger at the latest of many fixed elections. If this movement follows the path that Poland, Belaruss next-door neighbor, took some 40 years ago, the free world is seeing just the first steps on a long, bumpy road toward democracy.

Until now, Poles had underestimated Belarusians and their desire for freedom, convinced that after 26 years of dictatorship, any resistance to their president, Alexander Lukashenko, had long been subdued. Opposition protests were simply too weak to have effect, and the government was reported to have taken ruthless revenge on Mr. Lukashenkos opponents. Some ended up in prison. Others disappeared.

Will this time be different? Starting three weeks ago, the police, true to form, brutally beat up protesters, detained their leaders and thousands of others, and tortured many in prisons. According to unconfirmed reports reaching Gazeta Wyborcza, the newspaper where I work, at least five people died in Belarus and dozens are missing. But not only did people defiantly return to the streets; workers in many factories important to the Belarusian economy went on strike. And some police officers quit their jobs after refusing to carry out orders to use violence against their own people. They were followed by journalists for the state media who refused to continue broadcasting pro-Lukashenko propaganda. Mr. Lukashenko seemed to have been driven into a corner.

Those events inspired comparisons to what happened some 40 years ago in August 1980, in the Polish port city of Gdansk. There, workers at the Lenin Shipyard challenged the Communist regime, went on strike and were quickly followed by people in the rest of the country. Then Solidarity, the first free trade union in the entire Eastern Bloc, was founded.
(Natural News) Two days after Jacob Blake was reportedly shot in the back by police officers while suspiciously entering his vehicle, white Black Lives Matter (BLM) activist Shaun King took to Twitter with threats against the entire Kenosha, Wisconsin, police department, which Twitter says align with its community standards.

In his tweet, King addressed the Kenosha Police Department directly, demanding that the identity of the officer closest to Blake  there were two officers present, the rear one also appearing to carelessly fire shots, which is completely outside normal safety protocol  be publicly released.

If you do not name the officer who brutally shot Jacob Blake on Sunday, we will simply begin naming officers from your department who may or may not be him, King threatened, adding that the agencys protection of his identity is unethical.

Going on three days of extreme violence and chaos throughout the city, this threat by King to dox the entire Kenosha Police Department would likely result in officers and their families being targeted by the BLM mob  meaning it is a direct call for violence. But according to Twitter, it is no big deal.

Twitter has indicated that threatening to publicize the names of police officers without their permission in order for angry protesters to potentially injure or kill them is not a violation of its community standards. Tweeting pictures of Goya salsa cans, on the other hand, is impermissible.

Sick of this amoeba, wrote one Breitbart News commenter about King, who has an extensive legacy of trying to undermine Americas institutions and incite violence and chaos. He should be in prison for incitement to riot, yet he gets his own platform from which he can spew his misdirected hatred.

Armed Kenosha citizens having to defend homes, businesses against rioters because Gov. Evers refuses to help them

The situation has become so bad in Kenosha that armed citizens are having to take matters into their own hands by patrolling the streets of the town against BLM and Antifa protesters who are torching homes and businesses and committing random acts of violence.

At least two people have lost their lives in the melee, which is showing no signs of stopping anytime soon, especially since Gov. Tony Evers has offered little help in restoring law and order.

The White House reportedly offered to deploy 500 National Guardsmen to Kenosha to help restore the peace, but Gov. Evers turned him down, at least initially.

Local law enforcement in Wisconsin have told the White House they need at least 750 National Guard tonight, indicated White House senior comms advisor Ben Williamson on Wednesday.

Today, Mark Meadows called the Governor and offered 500 additional guard to meet the police needs. Governor Evers declined.

On Thursday, however, Gov. Evers changed his mind and accepted Trumps offer after realizing that the violence and chaos is only continuing to escalate with no end in sight.

We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets, President Trump tweeted after Gov. Evers decided to cooperate. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!)

Meanwhile at Target, protesters were caught shopping for bread, or at least that is what Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) would have us all believe.

Someone should dox Shaun King, wrote another Breitbart commenter, receiving additional responses about how Jack Dorsey and other Twitter employees should likewise be doxed.

The twits who run Twitter need to be investigated, and their monopoly needs to be broken up, added another.

For more news about BLM terrorism in Kenosha, be sure to check out Chaos.news.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

Twitter.com
Midland County recorded five new confirmed and three probable coronavirus cases Tuesday, bringing the pandemic total to 334 cases, 91 probable cases and 11 deaths.

There were no deaths in the five-county region  Midland, Bay, Gladwin, Isabella and Saginaw counties  that the Daily News has been chronicling since the start of the pandemic.

Midland County Department of Public Health Director/Health Officer Fred Yanoski said his office is not aware of any issues regarding the return to school Monday for many Midland County students.

We were not aware of any issues regarding COVID from yesterday, and we will continue to have an open line of communication with our schools," he said. "Each school has designated a COVID contact person for our department to work directly with in order to ensure efficient communication. I strongly believe our relationship with the schools will be a positive moving forward.

Yanoski commended the schools on their ability to adapt to mitigation practices.

"First, I believe that all of our schools have done a tremendous job of preparing for the return of students," he said. "School facilities are not necessarily designed for social distancing and other COVID prevention practices, so schools have to be very creative and use the resources that they have available."

Also, the Central Michigan District Health Department has identified 205 coronavirus cases (190 confirmed and 15 probable) related to Central Michigan University students returning to the Mount Pleasant area. Case counts include current students, former students and those living both inside and outside of the community who were identified as being associated with other cases related to return to school.

Health officials attribute the cases to large social gatherings and the infection transmitted among roommates. Classes resumed at CMU on Aug. 17.

Tuesday, Sept. 1 daily numbers

Bay County: One case was added; pandemic total stands at 744 cases, 87 probable, 41 deaths.

Gladwin County: No cases were added; pandemic total stands at 71 cases, eight probable, two deaths.

Isabella County: 18 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 453 cases, 54 probable, nine deaths.

Saginaw County: 10 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 2,380 cases, 159 probable, 129 deaths and three probable deaths.

The state on Tuesday added 718 new cases and 15 deaths, eight of them from vital records review.

Overall, Michigan is at 103,186 cases and 6,495 deaths.

Testing

The state report shows as of Sept. 1, Midland County has performed 11,150 diagnostic tests and 766 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 11,916 tests. Gladwin County is listed as having administered 4,250 diagnostic tests and 131 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 4,381 tests.

Midland Countys seven-day rolling positivity rate on Aug. 29 was listed at 3.4%, and medium risk of spread. Gladwin County was listed at 0% and low risk. The 12-county Saginaw region, which includes Midland, Gladwin, Bay and Saginaw counties, was listed at 2.8% and low risk, and the state of Michigan at 3% and medium risk. A positivity rate of less than 3% indicates a lack of community spread, according to Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, State Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive.

As of Aug. 31, MidMichigan Health  which covers a 23-county region and has medical centers at seven sites, including Midland  has completed a total of 20,503 tests. Of those, 19,430 were negative, 237 positive and 836 are pending.

Nursing Homes

Brittany Manor in Midland is listed in the state report as having four cumulative cases and one death among residents as of Aug. 31, and five cumulative cases and no deaths among staff. Midland Kings Daughters is reporting one cumulative case among staff and Medilodge of Midland is reporting two cumulative cases among staff. The other reporting facility, Stratford Pines, is reporting no cases.

Gladwin Pines Nursing Home is listed as having two cumulative confirmed cases and no deaths among residents as of Aug. 31, and one confirmed case and no deaths among staff. Gladwin Nursing & Rehabilitation Community, the other long-term health facility reporting to the state, is reporting one cumulative confirmed case among residents and three cumulative cases among staff.

Recovered

As of Aug. 27, the Midland County health department website lists 284 recovered cases and 29 hospitalizations since the pandemic start.

The state lists the total recovered at 76,151 cases, as of Aug. 28, which represents COVID-19 confirmed individuals with an onset date on or prior to July 29, according to the state website, mich.gov.

Midland County Health Department data

People younger than 40 make up 56.1% of total Midland County cases, confirmed and probable, as of Aug. 27.

Of Midland Countys 403 confirmed and probable cases, 85 cases are in 0-19 age range; 79 in 20-29 age range; 61 in 30-39 age range; 60 in 40-49 age range; 57 in 50-59 age range; 25 in 60-69 age range; 20 in 70-79 age range, and 14 in 80+ age range, as of Aug. 27.

Of Midlands 11 deaths, five have been female and six male. One was between the ages of 50-59; four were between ages of 70-79, and six were 80 years and older.

As of Aug. 27, 82.1% of cases have fallen within the 48640 and 48642 (mostly Midland) zip codes. Next highest were 48657 (Sanford) with 6.5% of cases and 48618 (Coleman) with 5.7% of cases.

Cases by race, as of Aug. 27: 86.2% were listed as caucasian; 2.6% as Black; 3.6% as Asian; 1% as two or more races; and 7% were unknown.

MidMichigan Health statistics

Patient census: MidMichigan Health system is listed as having 18 COVID-19 patients, including one COVID-19 patient in ICU, and 59.9% bed occupancy, as of Aug. 31.

PPE days on hand as of Aug. 31: The health system reported 7-14 days for N95 masks; 0-6 days for surgical masks; 7-14 days for surgical gowns; 21+ days for shields and 0-6 days for gloves.

Recommendations for public

 Socially distance at least 6 feet from non-household members.

 Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

 Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.

 If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

 Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

 Wear face coverings in public.

 Stay home when sick.

 Covering coughs and sneezes.

 Throw used tissues in the trash right after use.

 Routinely clean frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning wipe or spray.

Where to get help

If you think you've been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your health care provider for medical advice. If he/she isn't available, call MidMichigan Urgent Care in Midland at 989-633-1350 or MidMichigan Medical Center's Emergency Department in Midland at 989-839-3100.

MidMichigan Health has a COVID-19 informational hotline with a reminder of CDC guidelines and recommendations. The hotline can be reached toll-free at 800-445-7356 or 989-794-7600. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also has a hotline number for Michigan residents for questions about COVID-19. The number is 1-888-535-6136 and is available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can also e-mail COVID19@michigan.gov. E-mails will be answered seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

If you are feeling anxious, stressed, depressed and feel you need to talk to someone, reach out to Community Mental Health for Central Michigan by calling 800-317-0708.
Bethlehem Township Committeemen Paul Muir and Jose Medeiros were each censured and admonished by Mayor Walter Baumgarten and two other committee members in resolutions issued in late August in part because of their refusal to participate in an investigation launched after workplace complaints were filed against them, according to the mayor of the Hunterdon County community.

One of the contentions by the mayor and committee members Steve Keefe and Arthur Randolph is that Muir posted unredacted legal bills on social media that publicly identified by job title the employees who brought the workplace complaints, despite being advised to keep this information confidential, according to one of the resolutions passed on Aug. 20.

Township Clerk Christine Dispenza and Tax Clerk Mary Knapp filed harassment complaints earlier this year against Muir and Medeiros. Baumgarten and fellow committee members Randolph and Keefe hired an outside law firm, Apruzzese, McDermott, Mastro & Murphy, to investigate the allegations.

In a letter shared with NJ Advance Media titled Investigation of Workplace Complaints, attorney Neha Patel said she made multiple attempts to schedule interviews with both committee members, who retained legal counsel of their own and insisted they receive copies of the pending workplace complaints and some knowledge of the interview topics to be explored before they would agree to sit for interviews.

After Patels office declined the request in their reasoning that requested materials are not shared with witnesses prior to an interview in non-criminal investigations, they refused to participate and cooperate in the investigation process, the letter states.

At no point during the investigation process did Committeemen Paul Muir and Jose Medeiros, through their legal counsel or otherwise, provide me with verbal statements, written statements, documents, or any other investigation-related information, the letter reads.

Medeiros said it is absolutely untrue that he refused to cooperate with the investigation.

My attorney did try to set up an appointment with Ms. Patel, but as soon as there were attorneys involved, she did not want to get involved, Medeiros said.

Muir described the investigation as a weak attempt to slander Jose and I that resulted in vindication for himself and Medeiros.

He (the mayor) spent $10,000 on legal fees that found nothing, Muir said. So the only thing he could do was censure us for not participating, and we wouldnt participate because they wouldnt tell us what the complaints were about.

Knapp and Dispenza both declined to comment about the matter, but Knapp disputed Muirs contention that he and Medeiros were vindicated. That was not what the report indicated, Knapp said.

The next Bethlehem Township Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Sept. 3.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com.
TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Prospective college students from across the United States and the world continue to take note of the University of South Florida's growing reputation as one of the nation's top public universities and one of Florida's three Preeminent research universities.

This fall, USF welcomes its most academically accomplished incoming freshman class with an average SAT score of 1312 (up from 1286 last year), placing USF in the 87th percentile, and a high school GPA of 4.18 (up from 4.13 last year). Included in this year's class are more than 705 freshmen entering the Judy Genshaft Honors College, who averaged a 1409 SAT and a high school GPA of 4.37, representing significant increases over the prior year.

Combined, the summer and fall entering freshman cohort is 5,848, or 4.6% larger than last year, and includes 36 National Merit Scholars and 14 National Hispanic Scholars enrolled across campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee. USF's summer 2020 term achieved the highest summer enrollment in USF's history as the university welcomed a total of 33,326 students (up 1,914 or 6.1% from summer 2019), with 50,830 students (down by 97 or 0.2% from fall 2019) enrolled in fall 2020.

Consistent with USF's deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, Black freshman enrollment is up by 1.3% from last year, Asian student enrollment has grown by nearly 8.8% and Hispanic student enrollment is up by almost 18%, with 5.5% more international freshmen enrolled. USF currently leads all state universities in performance-based funding metrics and continues to receive national recognition as a leader in student success, including graduating under-represented minority and limited-income students at rates equal to or higher than white and higher income students. USF President Steve Currall recently announced a series of actions, including additional initiatives to support future recruitment of minority students.

"USF's national reputation for meaningful research, academic excellence and student success continues to attract exceptionally talented students," Currall said. "This is a challenging time, but USF is working hard to provide our students with a transformative educational experience that addresses current needs and helps our students achieve their academic and career goals."

While COVID-19 has led to significant enrollment declines at many other colleges and universities across the country, USF's fall 2020 total credit hour enrollment increased 1.2% over last year. With summer 2020 credit hours increasing 9.9% from the prior year, USF is off to a strong start to the academic year with summer and fall enrollment running 3.4% ahead of last year.

One innovative approach USF used to encourage new and continuing students to enroll full-time and stay on a timely path to graduation was an unprecedented $20 million scholarship and tuition waiver program. In recognition of the financial hardships brought on by COVID-19, this investment of institutional funds was designed to help students avoid having to make difficult decisions about their educational futures.

"USF is honored that the best and the brightest students from across the nation and around the globe are selecting the University of South Florida as their academic home," said Ralph Wilcox, USF provost and executive vice president. "During these uncertain and challenging times, it has taken an extraordinary effort on the part of many dedicated professionals to arrive where we are today. We have adopted flexible approaches to meet our talented students where they are and we remain committed to our principles of student access and success, while providing a rigorous and relevant academic experience delivered by world-class faculty and supported by an outstanding team of higher education professionals."

The fall enrollment data included are as of the end of the first week of classes, which is the deadline to drop/add courses for the semester, and the preliminary benchmark for summer 2020.

About the University of South Florida

The University of South Florida is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past 10 years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News and World Report's national university rankings than USF. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, USF is designated as a Preeminent State Research University by the Florida Board of Governors, placing it in the most elite category among the state's 12 public universities. USF has earned widespread national recognition for its success graduating under-represented minority and limited-income students at rates equal to or higher than white and higher income students. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

SOURCE University of South Florida

Related Links

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Workers at the construction site on Dien Bien Phu Street in Binh Thanh District, August 2020. Photos by VnExpress/Gia Minh.

More than 100 construction sites on HCMC roads are not just wreaking traffic havoc and disrupting daily lives, they are destroying local businesses.

The last three months have been bad for business, but restaurant owner Thai Kim Phung is not blaming the Covid-19 pandemic.

Phungs street front restaurant has a good location, close to the intersection of Dien Bien Phu and Nguyen Huu Canh Streets, close to Landmark 81, Vietnams tallest building, and several colleges.

Phung, who had opened her restaurant at such a prime location in October last year, was not prepared for workers coming and setting up barriers around an area of Nguyen Huu Canh.

Several months later, the barriers stretched to the section right in front of her restaurant, blocking its facade and delivering noise and dust in huge quantities.

Phung has seen her customer numbers drop steeply over the past three months. There have been days when patrons could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The restaurant owner cannot afford the rent anymore.

"I spend VND35 million (more than $1,500) each month to stay here and run the restaurant at the same time, but in recent months, my earnings have dropped by more than 50 percent. Im thinking about renting another venue because I am unable to earn enough to cover the rent here."

Looking at the metal sheets rising two meters high in front of her restaurant, Phung said the construction unit has removed barriers and cleaned up the street once they finished fixing a section, but because the restaurant sits way too close to the construction site, there is no way it can escape the dust and the noise.

She said its not just her business that has been affected but her familys daily activities as well.

"The real misery comes when it rains heavily. This area is seriously flooded and along with the barriers and building materials, things get really messy."

Just three kilometers away from Phungs restaurant, vehicles stay in line and move inch by inch to pass another construction site stretching more than 300 meters on Luong Dinh Cua Street in District 2.

The barrier splits the street by half and the work has caused part of it to subside, creating a puddle that stinks. And to avoid it, cars and motorbikes squeeze into the part with no water, worsening the traffic jam, causing some to fall down on the street.

Traffic congestion next to a barrier erected by a construction site on Luong Dinh Cua Street of District 2.

Loan, a resident of Luong Dinh Cua Street, said: "When it is sunny, dust is all over the place and when it rains, the street gets all muddy, and stays that way for days. It is not just a problem for traffic flow but for people doing business in this area. Some have had to shut down due to a lack of customers."

Chaos, death

On Tran Nao Street that crosses Luong Dinh Cua, a construction site takes up a lot of space. At many sections, barriers make up more than half of the street, leaving just enough space for one car to move, including the area near the intersection of both streets.

Mai, owner of a grocery store on Tran Nao, said that the "bunker" forces vehicles to constantly change lanes and turn around, creating chaos.

In March, a man riding a motorbike tried to avoid the barrier and ended up killing himself by crashing into a truck, she recalled.

Official data shows that as of end of July, Ho Chi Minh City had 123 construction sites scattered around 60 streets, an increase of 37 over June.

District 2 alone has 30 such sites to carry out large-scale projects that have been going on for years, including the metro line No.1 and another to fix water pollution and drainage in the city.

In District 7, four construction sites have just come up at the intersection of Nguyen Van Linh and Nguyen Huu Tho Streets and on Huynh Tan Phat Street to upgrade a sewer system.

District 8 has as many as 18 sites, eight of them on Pham The Hien Street.

Working as a guard at a store on the street, Nguyen Trung Hieu, 58, said the construction site at the crossroads of Pham The Hien and Cao Lo has existed for two years and no one can tell when it will be removed.

Traffic is squeezed and all vehicles struggle, he said.

"Residents here are really upset, but weve had no choice but to get along with these construction sites somehow," he said, adding he has seen inspectors come and fine contractors for their carelessness many times.

Motorbikes and cars squeeze past a construction site on Pham The Hien Street in District 8.

Tran Quoc Khanh, chief inspector of HCMC Transport Department, said that in the first six months this year, his department had handled 279 violations and fined contractors more than VND1.7 billion (over $73,100) for errors in the construction process.

In July alone, inspectors had warned contractors at 113 sites about the shoddy work they were doing. In most cases, the barriers they erect do not meet required safety standards. Khanh said repeat violations will attract the strictest punishment including revoking of the projects license.

Apart from violations, some projects have fallen way behind schedule, subjecting residents and commuters to prolonged misery.

Khanh said that to try and reduce the impacts of street construction sites on daily life, the department has since 2018 issued licenses in a way that avoids the situation of a street section being fenced up for a new project when it has just been freed from one.

This has not brought much relief, though.

Grocery owner Mai gave voice to the residents and commuters affected by the construction sites on the citys roads when she said people were just desperate for the projects to be completed soon so that traffic can flow normally again and their daily lives can return to normal, too.
Physicist Nigel Goldenfeld, who has helped develop models of the coronavirus on campus, said there were 367 cases identified by the entry screening from Aug. 15-24, which includes last Monday when more than 17,000 people were tested and 79 cases were found.
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The 'Global Copper Nitrate Basic (CAS 12158-75-7) Market Outlook 2019-2024' offers detailed coverage of copper nitrate basic industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand, end-use details, price trends, and company shares of the leading copper nitrate basic producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the market for copper nitrate basic. The report segments the market and forecasts its size, by volume and value, on the basis of application, by products, and by geography.

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" " Hillary Clinton has been blamed at times for being too masculine, as well as too feminine. Brian Ach/ Getty Images

One of most debilitating stereotypes that women running for office must overcome is that men are better at critical decision-making. The electorate values seemingly feminine traits of honesty and compassion, but when it comes time to defend the nation, levy taxes or sign controversial legislation into law, it's the masculine-aligned decisiveness that's required. For that reason, political commentators have often claimed that female politicians must walk a tightrope of abandoning behaviors linked to their XX chromosomes but not becoming overtly masculine, either; they should be firm, but not aggressive; pleasant, but not emotional [source: Washington Post]. Just ask Hillary Clinton, a prime example of a prominent female politician who has been scrutinized for everything from her pantsuits appearing too harsh to her crying at a 2008 New Hampshire campaign event appearing too weak [source: Breslau].

As more women become engaged in modern politics, the more apparent gendered expectations like these have become. For instance, a 2010 study from Yale University concluded that people view a female politician advancing through the ranks as an unsavory form of power-seeking, whereas a man in the same position doesn't receive any backlash [source: Okimoto and Brescoll]. In another Yale study published in 2008, the researchers found that based on facial appearance alone, potential voters identify male faces as being more competent and dominant, whereas female candidates were labeled as attractive and approachable [source: Chiao and Bowman]. However, other studies have also unturned evidence that there's more than some sort of inherent sex-bias going on at the polls.

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While gendered expectations exist in voters' minds, they actually don't make a significant dent on Election Day. Statistically, in fact, female candidates are just as likely to win as male candidates [source: Lawless and Fox]. But reaching that victory podium may also demand above-average fortitude and determination to shirk off political obstacles, carve out the additional time to manage a campaign and hit the streets for donors who may not be as familiar with a female candidate's name and platforms. And that, Stanford researchers have proposed, is the very reason why the women in Washington tend to outperform the men on paper; it takes an especially high caliber of woman to charge into the minority and stake her claim [source: Anzia and Berry]. They also project that as politics becomes more gender equal that performance gap also will narrow since the field will attract a wider range of contenders.

In the meantime, the important lesson for women in politics isn't that voters judge them differently from men on the ballot but that their participation can have a positive ripple effect. In a 2006 case study conducted among Indian villages that had enforced quotas for women in leadership positions, the researchers noticed that the longer the villagers witnessed women in power, the fewer gendered biases they expressed [source: Beaman]. Politicians are often called up to lead by example, and for women, that duty is especially pertinent for the future of their roles in governing around the world.
(Newser)  President Trump visited protest-wracked Kenosha, Wis. Tuesday, despite objections from local leaders, and blamed the unrest on "domestic terror." The president surveyed parts of the city damaged in protests after the police shooting of Jacob Blake and spoke to law enforcement officers, the Washington Post reports. "You have to be decisive, and you have to be tough, and you have to be strong, and you have to be willing to bring people in," the president told officers, claiming that the protests ended as soon as the White House announced that he would visit the city. "These are not acts of peaceful protest but, really, domestic terror," said Trump, who slammed Democratic leaders and described police violence as the result of "bad apples," not any systemic problem.

story continues below

There was a massive police presence as Trump's motorcade passed groups of demonstrators, some cheering and others jeering, the AP reports. Trump didn't meet with Blake's family, who attended a community festival near where the 29-year-old was shot. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was also in attendance, said he had discussed strategy with protest organizers, the New York Times reports. "If they demonstrate, it would be a big mistake. Trump would use it as a commercial." Before he traveled to Wisconsin, Trump called Kenosha mayor John Antaramian a "fool" and a "very stupid mayor" and claimed to have seen TV footage of mobs trying to break into his house, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The mayor said nothing of the kind had happened. (Trump has declined to condemn the actions of the teen charged with fatally shooting two protesters.)
New Delhi: Former President Pranab Mukherjee was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi road electric crematorium on Tuesday (September 1) afternoon following COVID-19 guideline. His son Abhijit Mukherjee performed his last rites at the Lodhi Road crematorium.

Mukherjee's family and relatives paid their last respects clad in PPE kits while conforming to COVID-19 safeguards. An Army contingent gave a guard of honour and a gun salute to the former president.

The mortal remains of former President Pranab Mukherjee arrived at the crematorium in a hearse van instead of the gun carriage in the wake of ongoing restrictions due to COVID-19. The Defense Ministry in a release said that all protocols and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Home Affairs are being followed during the funeral, they said.

Prior to this Pranab Mukherjee's wreath-laying ceremony was held at his residence at 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi. The wreath-laying was scheduled in three phases - for official dignitaries from 9:15 am to 10:15 am, for other dignitaries 10:15 am to 11 am and an hour`s time was kept for the general public from 11 am to 12 noon.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mukherjee's residence to pay tributes to former President Pranab Mukherjee.

Following COVID-19 protocols such as maintaining social distancing and wearing masks, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, BJP chief J P Nadda, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and several Union ministers such as Nirmala Sitharaman and Harsh Vardhan were among those who paid homage to him. Leaders paid floral tributes to a photo of Mukherjee, while his remains were kept in another room.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane, Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh visited the late president's home to condole his death.

Mukherjee passed away on Monday at the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) Hospital where he was admitted earlier this month and had undergone surgery for the removal of a clot in his brain. He was 84.

He was admitted to the Army Hospital in Delhi on August 10 and had also tested positive for COVID-19.The government has announced seven-day state mourning from August 31 to September 6.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the police to provide the entire charge sheet, after it has been filed, to Pinjra Tod member Natasha Narwal, who has been arrested for spreading communal violence in north-east Delhi during the anti-CAA protests in February this year.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru directed the police to also provide all the statements, including those of protected witnesses, that it was relying upon, to Narwal.

The statements of the protected witnesses can be suitably redacted to protect their identity, the court said, noting that a statement to this effect was made earlier by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who was representing the police.

The court also noted that the police have assured it will file the charge sheet on or before September 17.

The order came after Narwals counsel said that her bail application was being withdrawn from the high court and it will be moved before the appropriate trial court after the filing of the charge sheet.

On Monday, August 31, the high court had asked Narwal to consider if she wishes her bail application to be heard after two weeks when a charge sheet is likely to be filed in the case against her. The high court had said that after filing of the charge sheet before the concerned trial court, the bail plea can be filed there.

Narwal, who was arrested in May, had challenged a trial courts order denying her bail. She is an accused in three cases under various sections of the IPC and UAPA.

Meanwhile, the court sought the response of the Delhi Police on a plea by an accused, booked under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA, challenging extension of time to complete investigation in a case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi in February.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru issued notice to the Delhi Police on the petition by Khalid, who is a member of campaign group -- United Against Hate -- and is lodged in judicial custody in the case.

United Against Hate was a citizens campaign launched in 2017 to protest against series of lynching in the country and was allegedly involved in the violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in which financial support was provided by the the PFI, formed in 2006 in Kerala as a successor to the National Democratic Front (NDF).

The accused has sought to set aside the trial courts August 13 order by which police was granted extension till September 17 to complete investigation against 10 people booked under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case.
Austria has caught a person spying for Turkey on its soil, the interior minister said today, in a revelation that threatens to further strain relations between Ankara and Vienna.

During a televised news conference, Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said that an individual had been recruited by the Turkish secret service to spy on other Turkish citizens or Austrian citizens with a Turkish migration background to then report them to the Turkish security authorities.

We have a clear message to the Turkish Republic: Turkish espionage and Turkish interference with civil liberties have no place in Austria, Nehammer said, adding that he had informed EU Council President Horst Seehofer about the investigation.

"We will also work at the European level to ensure that Turkey does not interfere in the internal affairs of the EU states," Nehammer said in a statement.

No further information was given about the alleged spy, who was discovered during Austrias investigation into clashes that broke out between Turkish and Kurdish protesters in Vienna in late June. According to the Interior Ministry, investigators were probing whether the Turkish secret service had a hand in the riots.

At the time, Austrian police said that extremist groups had confronted a peaceful Kurdish demonstration protesting Turkeys attacks on Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq. Police issued fines to some of the Turkish counter-protesters who were allegedly using a banned hand gesture associated with an ultranationalist group in Turkey called the Grey Wolves.

But Turkey said the protesters themselves were the extremists and accused them of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long violent insurgency on Turkish soil. The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

Both Ankara and Vienna summoned each others envoys following the clashes.

Some 300,000 people of Turkish origin live in Austria. Relations between the two countries have soured since the attempted coup in July 2016 and President Recep Tayyip Erdogans subsequent crackdown on dissent.

On Tuesday, Integration Minister Susanne Raab said that Austria is now a target of Turkish espionage, with Ankara's secret service exerting influence on individuals, associations and mosques.

"Erdogan's long arm reaches as far as Vienna," Raab said. We will fight all these influences that try to drive a wedge into Austrian society and the Turkish community in Austria."

There was no immediate comment from the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
One of Ireland's biggest companies has again been shot down over its plans to open a 24-hour filling station in Derry.

Lissan Coal Company Limited, which has an annual turnover of more than 1 billion, wants to build a filling station on a plot of land at the junction of Rossdowney Road and Crescent Link in the Waterside.

The Cookstown-based energy company, which was set up in 1986 and owns the GO chains of fuel stations, first applied for planning permission for the filling station in 2014.

However, planning permission was refused by Derry City and Strabane District Council's planning committee.

The committee said the station would result in road safety issues.

Following the refusal to grant planning permission, Lissan Coal Company took the matter to the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC).

The commission is an independent organisation which rules on planning matters.

Despite arguments from Lissan Coal Company, the Derry News has learned that the PAC has turned down the appeal and the decision to refuse planning permission for the filling station remains in place.

The company had wanted to open the filling station at a site close to Ballyoan cemetery.

The unattended station would have incorporated eight fuel pumps, underground fuel tanks, a cash and carry sales building and a car wash.

After examining all the issues involved in the proposal, the PAC published a report earlier this month.

In the report, the PAC said the reasons given by the council committee for refusing planning permission were traffic-related.

The planning authority considered that the intensification of the use of the existing access at Rossdowney Road/Crescent Link junction would likely both significantly prejudice road safety and inconvenience the flow of traffic on the public road network as it would significantly increase the risk of collision and so would prejudice both road safety and traffic progression.

As this would be a self-self service petrol station without a convenience retail store it was accepted by the planning authority that pedestrians and cyclists would not be attracted to the development.

Due to the weight and bulk of the cash and carry home fuel sale, this would require vehicle transport.

Therefore, virtually all customer trips to and from the site would be via a vehicle.

The PAC report stated that a study in 2014 found that an average of 25,000 vehicles were using the Crescent Link road beside the proposed site of the filling station every day.

Fourteen thousand of these vehicles were travelling southbound from the direction of the Foyle Bridge to the Crescent Link round about, with 11,000 vehicles travelling in the opposite direction towards the Foyle Bridge.

The report noted that any vehicles wishing to access the proposed filling station from the northbound section of the Crescent Link road would have to enter a right-turn lane and cross two lanes of 'a considerable volume of moving traffic'.

The intensification of vehicles carrying out the crossover manoeuvre moving from the Crescent Link to Rossdowney Road would prove a significant safety hazard.

The PAC report concluded: As the development would significantly prejudice road safety and inconvenience the flow of traffic on the public road network the council's and objectors concerns in relation to this matter are sustained.
VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 1, 2020 /CNW/ - The governments of Canada and British Columbia are investing in infrastructure to get projects under way that meet people's needs, address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and help communities restart their economies.

Strategic investments in green infrastructure are key to creating clean healthy communities, making life more affordable, and building a sustainable future.

Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Member of Parliament for North Vancouver, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, and the Honourable George Heyman, B.C. Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, announced funding for 11 projects to help B.C. communities save energy and reduce pollution.

In Vancouver, the Sewage Heat Recovery Expansion Project will increase the capacity of the Neighbourhood Energy Utility (NEU) to provide buildings in the False Creek area with low-carbon heat and hot water. The NEU recycles waste heat and uses a mix of renewable and conventional natural gas to reduce harmful emissions.

Funding is also going towards expanding the network of Level-2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the province. More than 80 new stations will be installed in communities across mid-Vancouver Island, as well as northern and central B.C., making clean transportation options more viable for more people.

These, along with the other projects announced today, will create jobs and strengthen local economies now while promoting sustainable growth and residents' long-term health and well-being.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $28.5 million in these projects through the Green Infrastructure Stream (GIS) of the Investing in Canada plan, and local and Indigenous communities are contributing more than $13 million. The Government of British Columbia is contributing nearly $18 million through the CleanBC Communities Fund, part of the federal Investing in Canada plan's Green Infrastructure Stream.

Quotes

"Expanding electric vehicle charging stations across Vancouver Island will make clean transportation more viable for more people. Encouraging green energy solutions like this is essential to building strong resilient communities. Canada's Infrastructure plan invests in thousands of projects, creates jobs across the country, and builds stronger communities."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Member of Parliament for North Vancouver, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

"This investment through the Green Infrastructure Stream is a great example of how federal partnerships with all levels of government can ensure a sustainable future for generations. Amidst COVID-19, we can rebuild better with a green recovery."

Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre



"People deserve access to clean air, clean energy and clean economic opportunities and by investing in new clean infrastructure projects, we will reduce pollution, build better buildings, improve transportation options and make life more affordable for people. By working together with the City of Vancouver and other B.C. communities, along with the federal government, we're helping build back a stronger, better B.C. for everyone following the impacts of COVID-19 through our CleanBC plan."

The Honourable George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy Government

"This is an important investment when it comes to addressing the climate emergency our city is facing. Nearly 60 per cent of carbon pollution created in Vancouver comes from burning natural gas to heat our buildings and provide hot water. This investment from our provincial and federal partners will help us greatly expand the Neighbourhood Energy Utility to reduce our carbon footprint even further."

His Worship, Kennedy Stewart, Mayor of Vancouver

Quick facts

Through the Investing in Canada 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.

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. The Government of Canada has invested $4.2 billion in 525 infrastructure projects across British Columbia under the Investing in Canada plan.

has invested in 525 infrastructure projects across under the Investing in plan. To support Canadians and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new stream has been added to the over $33-billion Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to help fund pandemic-resilient infrastructure. Existing program streams have also been adapted to include more eligible project categories.

Investing in Infrastructure Program to help fund pandemic-resilient infrastructure. Existing program streams have also been adapted to include more eligible project categories. The new Canada Healthy Communities Initiative will provide up to $31 million in existing federal funding to support communities as they deploy innovative ways to adapt spaces and services to respond to immediate and ongoing needs arising from COVID-19 over the next two years.

The 11 projects are part of the first intake of the CleanBC Communities Fund, which committed more than $63 million in joint federal-provincial funding. Additional projects from the first intake will be announced soon.

million in joint federal-provincial funding. Additional projects from the first intake will be announced soon. The second intake for the CleanBC Communities Fund is now open for applications from local governments, Indigenous groups, not-for-profits and for-profit organizations in B.C.

Related products



Backgrounder: Canada and British Columbia invest in green energy solutions

Associated links

Investing in COVID-19 Community Resilience: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/covid-19-resilience-eng.html

Canada Healthy Communities Initiative: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/chci-iccs/index-eng.html

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html

Federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/investments-2002-investissements/bc-eng.html

Government of British Columbia's CleanBC plan: https://cleanbc.gov.bc.ca/

CleanBC Communities Fund for the second intake: www.gov.bc.ca/cleanbc-communities-fund

Investing in Canada infrastructure program in B.C.: www.gov.bc.ca/Investing-in-Canada-Infrastructure-Program



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Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

For further information: Chantalle Aubertin, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, 613-941-0660, [email protected]; Media Relations, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Media Relations, 250-953-3834; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]

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Linkedin Sebastian Partogi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1 2020

People with autoimmune diseases, conditions in which their own antibodies attack their cells, have had to make extra efforts to avoid health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to various research studies summarized by nature.com, when people with autoimmune diseases lapse, they need to take immunosuppressants to prevent their immune system from attacking their own cells.

The suppressed immunity caused by the medications can make them more vulnerable to COVID-19.

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A heavily pregnant woman who conned well-wishers out of $55,000 by pretending to be battling cancer has appealed against her two-year jail sentence, claiming it is far too severe.

Lucy Victoria Wieland, 28, scammed her kind victims, including her ex-boyfriend, Australian Defence Force soldier Bradley Congerton, posing as a cancer victim.

The eight-months-pregnant fraudster was sentenced to two years in prison on August 4 after pleading guilty to six fraud charges and one count of possessing a restricted drug.

Wieland last Friday appealed her sentence by submitting documents to to the Townsville District Court contesting the 'manifestly excessive' ruling.

Lucy Victoria Wieland, 28, (pictured) was given a two-year prison sentence after faking she had ovarian cancer and pleading guilty to six fraud charges

Lucy Victoria Wieland (pictured, right) even conned her doting boyfriend Bradley James Congerton (left)

Her barrister had told the court Wieland had a rare mental health illness, The Townsville Bulletin reported.

The defence barrister Michael Hibble told the court an assessment found his client was suffering from a rare factitious mental disorder known as Munchausen syndrome and the scam 'snowballed' out of control as community sympathy grew.

'She had no control of how generous the Townsville community would be in relation to the donations,' Mr Hibble told the court.

The convicted conwoman had told police she could not even remember deceiving her family and friends, who she told she had ovarian cancer in 2018.

So committed was Wieland to the scam that she went as far as shaving her head, posted photos of herself receiving treatment on social media and set up a Go FundMe page.

The court also heard Wieland forged a doctor's letter and lied about her illness on medical forms when she donated blood several times.

Lucy Victoria Wieland (pictured) posted photos of herself receiving treatment on social media to convince family and friends she had ovarian cancer in 2018

Wieland (pictured) went to great lengths to convince family and friends of her ovarian cancer diagnosis

Weiland (pictured) has said her prison sentence is 'manifestly excessive' and formally appealed the ruling

In sentencing, Magistrate Viviana Keegan described Wieland's deception as 'beyond significant', the ABC reported.

'There's also an extraordinary breach of trust to members of the public, who were empathetic towards you  and gave up money to try and help you when it was all just a lie,' she told Wieland.

The court also heard Wieland forged a doctor's letter and lied about her illness on medical forms when she donated blood several times.

Wieland will give birth to her first child in October and will be eligible for parole in February next year.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in the person of Judge Emmet Sullivan, refused to grant the Department of Justice's request that he dismiss the case against Gen. Michael Flynn. A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted a writ of mandate and ordered Flynn's dismissal. Judge Sullivan appealed, and the appellate court, sitting en banc (meaning the whole court), reversed that earlier ruling and said Sullivan has the right to hold a full evidentiary hearing of the motion to dismiss.

If you've read the above paragraph, you know all the major facts. Now for some helpful details.

When Bill Barr took over as attorney general, he assigned an attorney to review the facts surrounding Flynn's case, including exculpatory evidence that previous prosecutors had withheld. Based upon the result of that review, the DOJ determined that the case against Flynn should be dismissed. Flynn agreed to the dismissal, which meant that his counsel was confident that it was a good faith dismissal, rather than game-playing with the defendant.

Under ordinary circumstances, when the prosecutor brings a good faith motion to dismiss, the trial judge grants it. Indeed, there is controlling case authority in the D.C. Circuit holding that the trial judge lacks the power to deny such a motion.

Sullivan, however, did not automatically grant the motion. Instead, he appointed a third party  a former judge known to despise Trump  and asked him to write a brief explaining why Sullivan should deny the motion to dismiss. He also ordered everyone to produce evidence.

Flynn filed a writ of mandamus with the appellate court, stating that the judge had no discretion to deny the motion. This meant that his decision to hold a full evidentiary hearing, complete with a brief from a third party, abused discretion and, additionally, wrongly usurped power that lies solely with the executive; namely, the power to determine which cases to prosecute.

The original three-judge appellate panel allowed Sullivan to brief his position and then ruled in Flynn's favor. It remanded the matter to Sullivan's court, instructing him to dismiss the case. Sullivan, who is not a party to the litigation, nevertheless requested a review of the matter from the entire D.C. appellate bench, which is heavily weighted with leftist judges.

On Monday, the en banc appellate court, headed by an Obama-appointed chief justice, issued its ruling. It held that the mandamus request was premature, pending an actual ruling from Sullivan. Put another way, it held that even though Sullivan lacked authority to rule against the motion to dismiss and was infringing on the separation of powers doctrine, he could still hold a full evidentiary hearing provided that he reached the correct outcome. In theory, the only allowable outcome is an order granting the dismissal. In fact, if Trump loses, the outcome will be whatever the heck the Biden Department of Justice wants.

The appellate court justified its decision by holding that Flynn has ways other than a petition for writ of mandate to obtain the dismissal. Again, fact and theory differ. The only other way for Flynn to get relief from Sullivan's overreach is to wait for Sullivan to rule against him and then file for an appeal. Because Flynn must inevitably be dismissed (assuming a Trump victory), the process itself has become part of his punishment for having the temerity to oppose Obama's Iran deal and to support Trump.

The appellate panel also rejected the claim that any time the judiciary infringes on an area of executive authority, the Executive Branch of the government is harmed. It made a risible argument that pretends the trial court's appointing an amicus is business as usual. I already shot down this utterly dishonest argument, but I am not surprised that a left-leaning appellate court would rely upon it. That's what they do.

Here's the bottom line: if the trial court lacks discretion under the separation of powers to rule against the motion to dismiss, it must lack discretion to have a full evidentiary hearing and amicus briefing on that same motion. Again, one senses that the appellate court is essentially saying, "When it comes to determining harm to the Executive Branch, let's just wait and see which executive is in the White House."

There's more in the 21-page opinion, which you can read here, but there simply isn't room in a post to cover it. However, there are two ancient maxims of jurisprudence that govern here (and that California helpfully codified more than 100 years ago): "The law respects form less than substance" (Calif. Civ. Code  3528) and "The law neither does nor requires idle acts" (Calif. Civ. Code  3532). An evidentiary hearing is an idle act here, and General Flynn should not forever be trapped in the illegal spider web that a corrupt FBI and DOJ spun to trap him.

Image: Michael Flynn and Emmet Sullivan. The Flynn picture is cropped from an image by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0; the Sullivan picture is from the public domain.
We're definitely into long term investing, but some companies are simply bad investments over any time frame. It hits us in the gut when we see fellow investors suffer a loss. Imagine if you held Core Laboratories N.V. (NYSE:CLB) for half a decade as the share price tanked 82%. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 48%. And the share price decline continued over the last week, dropping some 7.1%.

We really hope anyone holding through that price crash has a diversified portfolio. Even when you lose money, you don't have to lose the lesson.

Check out our latest analysis for Core Laboratories

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

In the last half decade Core Laboratories saw its share price fall as its EPS declined below zero. The recent extraordinary items contributed to this situation. Since the company has fallen to a loss making position, it's hard to compare the change in EPS with the share price change. However, we can say we'd expect to see a falling share price in this scenario.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Core Laboratories' earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, Core Laboratories' TSR for the last 5 years was -80%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

Story continues

A Different Perspective

Core Laboratories shareholders are down 47% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 25%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 12% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Core Laboratories better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Core Laboratories (of which 1 can't be ignored!) you should know about.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
The COVID-19 isolation at home special package for Capgemini includes doctor teleconsultation, follow-up calls, nutrition consultation and planning, and more.

Portea Medical, Indias largest outside-of-hospital consumer healthcare brand, announced its collaboration with Capgemini in India to provide various healthcare services during the pandemic. The highlight of this initiative is that Capgemini is covering the medical cost of the home care for both its employees and their dependents for 10 days isolation and additional 7 days extension if there is a prevalence of further symptoms. The COVID-19 isolation at the home special package for Capgemini includes doctor teleconsultation, follow-up calls, nutrition consultation and planning, and more.

In addition to this at home special package, Capgemini employees can choose to avail additional services on a pay-per-use basis that includes renting or buying medical equipment, nurse or doctor visits, investigations and other home care services through the end of the year.

Portea has been delivering consistent, high-quality patient care in various parts of the country. The company has catered to over 1.5 million patients in their home environment offering an extensive range of services for chronic diseases, elderly care, post-surgery care, diabetes management, chemotherapy at home, and other diseases or injuries requiring long-term care.

Under Porteas Home Isolation Programme with state governments, 50,000 patients have been monitored, and over 45,000 patients have been successfully discharged with less than 3% shifted to hospitals from home isolation. Portea has been experiencing a 97% recovery rate at home and has also done over 15,000 doctor consultations for patients in the last few months.
Beijing says in talks with India to solve border dispute amid latest accusation

PLA Daily

Source: CGTN.COM

Editor: Chen Zhuo

2020-08-31 20:13:39

Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday that its troops have never crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) amid a China-India border standoff, after the Indian army alleged that China's troops violated the previous consensus.

Indian army said in a statement on Monday that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) "violated the previous consensus reached in previous military and diplomatic engagements and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo" in the disputed eastern Ladakh region on the night of August 29/30.

It said Indian soldiers foiled the Chinese attempt.

The Galwan Valley, which is part of the disputed region, is located on the Chinese side of the actual control line in the western section of the Sino-Indian border. And Chinese soldiers have patrolled the area for many years, according to China's Defense Ministry.

During Monday's daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian denied the latest accusation from India, saying Chinese troops always abide by the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Zhao said the two sides are maintaining diplomatic and military communications on the border dispute but he didn't give more details on the talks.

China blames India for escalation in the Galwan Valley, and it has called on the Indian side to settle the dispute through military and diplomatic dialogue.

On May 6, Indian soldiers' first intrusion in the China-controlled Galwan Valley. Despite bilateral diplomatic efforts, Indian troops violated the newly-reached consensus and trespassed China's border and launched provocative attacks against Chinese personnel, leading to bloody conflicts between soldiers from both countries, according to a release by Beijing.

China has repeated that it hopes the Indian side can eventually meet China halfway and fully implement the consensus reached by the two sides and settle the dispute through dialogue and diplomatic ways.

After political negotiation, troops from both countries have disengaged from front-line contact in the Galwan Valley since early July.

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A tv weather forecaster in Texas has died suddenly after publishing a heartbreaking social media post.

Kelly Plasker passed away at the age of 42, on Sunday August 30.

KCBD 11's weekend morning forecaster, who was born in 1978, had posted to Facebook earlier in the day to say that 'my brain is broken and I cannot take it anymore.'

Kelly Plasker, 42, (pictured) KCBD 11's weekend morning forecaster had died suddenly after posting a heartbreaking message on Facebook saying 'my brain is broken and I cannot take it anymore'

In a statement, Dan Jackson, KCBD's Vice President, said: 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss of KCBD weekend morning forecaster Kelly Plasker.

'Kelly was a dedicated member of the KCBD weather staff, well-liked by viewers, and admired by her co-workers.

'Our deepest sympathies go out to Kelly's family in this time of great loss.

'We would like to thank the many viewers who have reached out through our social media channels in kindness and support to honor Kelly's memory.

'Grief counselors have been made available to all members of the KCBD family struggling with this heartbreaking news.'

In a statement, Dan Jackson, KCBD's Vice President, said: 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss of KCBD weekend morning forecaster Kelly Plasker'

This is the post Kelly Plasker uploaded on Facebook on Sunday. In it she claims her High School band director was a predator and ends by saying: 'My brain is broken and I cannot take it anymore'

The Facebook post Kelly published on the day of her death talked about her high school band director who she claimed was a predator.

She finished the post by saying: 'Thanks all I needed to get out there as my final confession for the sins I am responsible for adding to the cross.

'I love you my friends. My brain is broken and I cannot take it anymore.'

Kelly's death comes almost three years after her son died by suicide, before his 20th birthday.

Her father died a few months later.

Thomas Locke died two weeks before he turned 20 and in an interview in 2018 with KCBD Kelly said: 'With somebody in the house, he still felt so alone that he made that choice.'

Kelly's death comes almost three years after her son Thomas (right) died by suicide, before his 20th birthday

Lubbock's Rock Station FMX 94.4's host Wes was a friend and co-worker of Kelly's and said that he wished they had had a few more years of laughter

She had previously credited the Lubbock Police Departments crisis team for having helped her through the traumatic experience.

Lubbock's Rock Station FMX 94.4's host Wes was a friend and co-worker of Kelly's and the Sun reports that the last time he talked to her was about work.

He said: 'The last time we talked, she was in great spirits. The last time she texted, I thought she was having physical problems.

He said that her passing was still too raw for him to speak more personally but did say that they had made each other laugh for years and he wished they had had a few more years of laughter.

Other people took to Twitter in tribute of Kelly.

Lauren Linahan of WTV Msaid: 'My heart is heavy. Thinking of Kelly Plaskers family, friends, and coworkers tonight.'

Tributes were paid on Twitter by other people, with condolences being paid to her family and her co-workers at KCBD11

Bryanna Gallagher of Fox23 provided details for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and tweeted: 'Heartbreaking, my thoughts & prayers are with her family during this extremely difficult time.'

WKRN's Elizabeth Lane tweeted: 'Kelly Plasker was a staple in Lubbock and will be missed. So sad to hear this news and for the @KCBD11 family.'

While WJHL's Sydney Kessler said in a tweet: 'Its hard to lose such an amazing friend. Kelly Plasker, Im missing you more and more every minute. You were the best co-worker, work wife & friend a girl could ask for. I love you so much and Ill always wish I would have done more. #SuicideSucks

KCBD ran a news report tribute to Kelly on Sunday night which described her as 'a bright spot in our weekend mornings and in our lives'.

Although Kelly's cause of death has not yet been revealed, KCBD's tribute report ended by talking about National Suicide Prevention.

Ann Marie Casiraghi, who leads the Lubbock Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has warned: 'This is a real time where our entire nation and even the world is under a lot of stress, never seen before. So, we're asking that people, make connections with others.'

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
The Ranking Member of Parliament on the Select Committee on Education, Dr. Clement Apaak has stated that the Akufo-Addo government is not being sincere on the issue of consulting relevant stakeholders on the decision to postpone nursery, kindergarten, primary, JHS1, and SHS1 academic calendar to 2021.



The 2019/2020 academic calendar for Nursery, Primary, JHS 1, and SHS 1 has been postponed to 2021.



The next academic calender will resume January 2021, according to President Akufo-Addo in his 16th address to the nation.



"The Ghana Education Service, after further consultations, has decided to postpone the remainder of the academic year for all nursery, kindergarten, primary, JHS 1 and SHS 1 students. The next academic year will resume in January 2021, with appropriate adjustments made to the curriculum, to ensure that nothing is lost from the previous year."



Second-year Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS) students, are to resume 5th October, according to President Akufo-Addo.



Akufo-Addo not being sincere



But commenting on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South insisted that the claim of President Akufo-Addo to have consulted relevant stakeholders in the Education sector cannot be true.



He added that debates have been ongoing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as to whether to allow the children go back to school or remain at home to allow the academic year to elapse in order to start afresh in the next academic year in 2021.



According to him President Akufo-Addo delivering his 15th address to the nation called for a thorough and detailed debate; thus, the Minister of Education Dr. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh on that score unveiled a 10-member committee, comprising representatives of private schools, GES and others with the mandate to hold consultations with stakeholders to provide recommendation and report ostensibly to the Minister and eventually to the President.



To him, the committee was given by the 21st of September to finish the consultation and bring the final decision; thus, the announcement by the President to have finished a consultation with relevant stakeholders to decide to make SHS1 and JHS1 students resume school cannot be true as some of the relevant stakeholders have come out to deny any consultation with the government.



He hinted that some of the members of the 10-member committee who were supposed to hold the consultation are alleged to have said that the announcement by President Akufo-Addo claiming to have consulted relevant stakeholders have caught them unaware.



The committee also had a membership of the Ghana Council of Private Schools but they have said they were never invited to any matter indicating that the decisions were being made on the basis of consultation regarding the announcing reopening, he claimed.



NAGRAT is a key stakeholder when it comes matters to do with pre-tertiary education and I believe that GNAT is also a key stakeholder and I have not heard GNAT but NAGRAT President Angel Kabonu has said that NAGRAT was never consulted; their views were never sought . . . They were taken by surprise by the announcement of the President . . .  he disclosed.



Watch Video Below





Reopening Committee inaugurated

The Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh called for collaboration with all stakeholders ahead of governments plans to reopen schools following the shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.



Dr. Prempeh made this call on August 20 when he inaugurated a 10-member committee in Accra to deliberate and advise on modalities for the re-opening of schools in the pre-tertiary subsector for the approval of the President.



He told the committee that in its deliberations, it must ensure that all stakeholders are brought on board in drawing up its recommendations for transmission to the President and thanked them for accepting this important national assignment.



In reply, the chairman of the Committee, Prof. Dominic Fobih, a former Minister of Education and currently the Chairman of the GETFund Board of Trustees, thanked the Minister for entrusting them with this responsibility and assured him that the committee would be diligent in all its deliberations and learn lessons from the recent limited reopening for final year students.



The committee was expected to report to the Minister on Monday, 21st September 2020 on its recommendations.









Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:42:27|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations is working to increase life-saving assistance to beleaguered northwest Syria residents, limited by the Security Council to one cross-border route from Turkey, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

"We are taking steps to mitigate the impacts of losing one crossing point, including in expanding the size of the transshipment hub, and engaging in humanitarian access negotiations with parties to the conflict," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"Today (Tuesday), 24 trucks of the World Food Programme, which included supplies for 74,000 people in Idlib, crossed at the only crossing point of Bab al-Hawa," Dujarric said. "The secretary-general, as he said in his last report to the Council, operations have proven to be more risky, costly and time consuming, resulting in less efficiency."

He said the United Nations continues to reach people in need throughout the northwest despite the removal of one of the border crossing points by the Security Council in their latest Syria resolution, approved in July. Enditem
The Durban International Festival (DIFF) has unveiled the programme for its 2020 edition, which will be hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) from 10 to 20 September 2020. The festival curated a film programme that speaks to the historical injustices and the different ways in which healing and redress are sought through the 21st-century lens under the theme 'shifting paradigms'.

The film programme consists of 60 shorts, documentaries and feature films. The plots in the selected films, through different lenses, show contemporary relevance to the challenges currently faced by the world, which has, over the last years, progressively begun to interrogate history to right wrongs and restore human dignity to previously disenfranchised populaces.Some of the films that highlight these themes include Our Lady of the Nile, directed by Atiq Rahimi, which takes us on a journey that juxtaposes religion and mythology in a beautiful tale set on the backdrop of the Tutsi and Hutu conflict that ravaged Rwanda for decades.Ouvertures, directed by Louis Henderson and Olivier Marboeuf, explores the social abundance and history of Haiti, where the brutal legacy is slavery and how the world has begun to collectively revisit the past to try and heal the wounds that are still globally felt. In the film Beanpole by Kantemir Balagov, two young women, in the aftermath of World War II, search for meaning and hope as they struggle to rebuild their lives among the ruins.

Ouvertures Official Trailer 2020 from louis henderson on Vimeo.



The documentary In Your Eyes, I See my Country where Neta Elkayam and Amit Hai Cohen live in Jerusalem where they created a band that revisits and reshapes their common Jewish-Moroccan musical heritage. They grapple with this identity duality; an attempt to heal the wounds of exile carried by their parents. A captivating narrative musically driven, they reshape their perception of who they are and want to become, along with aspirations to consolidate bridges with the homeland of their ancestors.



A Rifle and a Bag, a documentary by Isabella Rinaldi, Cristina Hanes and first-time feature-length director, Arya Rothe is an insightful love story that survives a decade of armed struggle and violence. A search for a new identity in the aftermath of a violent past. Bereka, a short film directed by Nesanet Teshager Abegaze exquisitely explores similar themes of memory, migration and rebirth.







The DIFF prides itself on discovering and nurturing new talent, and each year we select films from a diverse number of first-time feature-length directors. The 41st edition is no exception with almost 30% directorial debut feature-length productions on showcase, which we are very excited about, says Head of programming Chipo Zhou.

Instilling confidence in young aspirant filmmakers

The idea is to link the film community virtually in these trying times where the Covid-19 pandemic threatens not just our lives but the arts in general, says Isiphethu curator Sakhile Gumede.

Some of these directors include Arya Rothe, the director of A Rifle and a Bag; Sam Soko, director of Softie; Aslaug Aarsther, director of The Art of Fallism; Amine Hattou, director of Janitou; Carla Fonseca, director of Burkinabe, Ena Sendijarevic, director of Take Me Somewhere Nice; Louw Venter, director of Stam (The Tree); and Kislay Kislay, director of Just Like That.At the heart of the University of KwaZulu Natal is a mission to redress the imbalances of the past, and its contribution to this mission through the Centre for Creative Arts is emphasised through a robust community engagement programme titled isiPhethu. This year, in addition to drive-in screenings in the greater KwaZulu-Natal, the programme will host various online workshops and seminars.isiPhethu aims to entertain, educate, train and up-skill, instil confidence to young aspirant filmmakers and share information that is relevant to the film industry to empower young people.A range of top facilitators and guest speakers are featured, under which multi-award-winning filmmaker Shirley Bruno and producer and actor Michal Birnbaum. DIFF is also proud to host the New York-based writer, producer and director of Equal Standard, which tackles the issue of police brutality in the US. Taheim will be joined by a few of his colleagues to give the DIFF audiences an in-depth insight into his work.South African-born documentary filmmaker Jessie Zinn now based in the US, will be joined by award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer Simon Wood to discuss new approaches to documentary filmmaking.Many young people will undergo training through these programmes. The video production and scriptwriting workshops both aimed at the development of young makers. This year we have opted to engage in virtual workshops, and this allowed us to bring many players on board from across the globe. Some of the highlights include speakers from the San Francisco Black Film Festival, Swift, Visual Network SA, George Mason University, Coastal-conferences, added Gumede.The full programme, alongside all the films that will be screening, will be accessible on ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za . Tickets for the virtual screenings are only available from South Africa and free, and accessible through a booking system, which will open in the next week. Tickets for the drive-in screenings and workshops will be free and available on a booking system, however, at limited capacity.On 10 September DIFF 2020 opens with a virtual and a drive-in screening of the film, This is not a Burial, but a Resurrection by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese. From 11 September all other films will be available for online screenings. Closing film Dust by Pierre de Villiers will be screening during a drive-in screening on 19 September alongside the annual DIFF Award Ceremony. Dust will also be available online on 19 and 20 September.
The rap superstar announced he was running for the White House in July, though doubts remain over how seriously to take his campaign.

West, who is running as an independent candidate, has missed the cut-off to be included on Novembers ballot in many states.

This led to rumours his bid was a distraction and an attempt to lure voters from Mr Trumps rival, Joe Biden.

But during an appearance on Nick Cannons podcast, teased on Instagram, footwear mogul West dismissed the rumours and said the Republican Party cannot afford to pay him.

West said: People keep on saying, I think that yall -you and Republicans  are in cahoots.

Bro, cant nobody pay me. Ive got more money than Trump,

Cannon replied: But people are saying that youre a distraction, and because they dont want four more years of Trump, maybe you might.

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You want an alternative of four years of Ye. Is that realistic right now in 2020?

Im not running for president  Im walking, West replied. West is said by Forbes magazine to be a billionaire, largely thanks to his Yeezy line of trainers.

His presidential bid has been hobbled by a failure to make the ballot in several states.

West has sued Ohios election chief in an effort to be placed on the ballot after the Secretary of State deemed him unqualified as an independent candidate.

He has also failed to make the ballot in his home state of Illinois, Wisconsin and Montana, among others.
WASHINGTON  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had her hair shampooed and blow-dried indoors at a San Francisco hair salon Monday, although city rules do not allow for such care during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report.

Fox News reported the visit Tuesday and obtained security footage of the styling treatment.

San Francisco began allowing salons to operate outdoors starting Tuesday, with a plan to open indoor operations in October, but such services were not allowed Monday.

Fox identified the hair salon as eSalon. It is unclear whether the salon made an exception for Pelosi or was allowing other clients to get their hair done despite the shutdown order. The Chronicle has left messages for the salon owner, Erica Kious.

Kious told Fox that a stylist who rents a chair at the salon texted her about the impending visit from the San Francisco Democrat on Sunday night.

The salon owner criticized Pelosi over the visit but did not explain why she allowed the stylist to use the salon during the shutdown.

She told Fox that Pelosis visit was a slap in the face, given that local rules have kept salons closed for six months.

Security video footage from inside the salon posted by the news network shows Pelosi moving through the salon with wet hair, wearing a robe, and with what appears to be a face covering around her neck. The attendant with her is wearing a mask.

The story was quickly seized upon by conservative media and emailed out to reporters by a spokesman for House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield.

Pelosis spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement, The speaker always wears a mask and complies with local COVID requirements. This business offered for the speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business. The speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment.

John Cote, a spokesman for the San Francisco City Attorneys Office, had no immediate comment.

Pelosi has been an outspoken advocate of mask wearing and following scientific advice on physical distancing during the pandemic, as well as a critic of President Trumps response to the crisis. She requires that masks be worn on the House side of the Capitol and in House office buildings, and wears a mask herself when moving through the Capitol. She removes it to speak for interviews or news conferences.

On Monday, before her reported hair appointment, Pelosi criticized Trump for his Republican nomination acceptance speech in which hundreds of attendees sat close together on the White House South Lawn, with few of them wearing masks.

The president made a statement of his contempt for science when he invited 1,500 people to sit in close proximity without distancing and masks, Pelosi said.  This was a bad example for the rest of the country that was made in defiance of science.

San Francisco Chronicle

staff writer Steve Rubenstein contributed to this report.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
Extinction Rebellion activists shut down several roads outside parliament to demand Boris Johnsons government backs legislation that tackles the climate emergency  kicking off a new wave of disruptive protests over the next two weeks.

More than 300 arrests were made as thousands of people attended rallies in central London, with over 200 of those linked to a demonstration which closed Lambeth Bridge off to traffic on Tuesday.

Protests also took place in Cardiff and Manchester, after actions planned for earlier in the year were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Stunts planned for the days ahead include a carnival of corruption outside the Treasury, a walk of shame near the Bank of England and a silent protest outside Buckingham Palace.

Activists told The Independent the scale of the crisis meant it was necessary to take to the streets and use methods of civil disobedience  despite concerns about the spread of Covid-19.

Cat Savage protests outside parliament (The Independent)

Every time someone finds a reason why we shouldnt be doing this, but we cant ignore the scale of the crisis  the crisis is here now, said 17-year-old Cat Savage, who starts sixth-form college in Herefordshire in a few days time.

We have very limited time left and we have to get on with creating a new world, right now. I should not have to be here  children shouldnt have to do this. But we seem to be taking the lead because our political leaders are not taking it seriously.

She added: The government has shown it can change things during the pandemic. So we need them to do the same for the climate crisis.

Recommended Extinction Rebellion plans 10 days of climate protests in London

Davina Malcolm, 73, travelled to London from rural Hertfordshire to join the mostly young protesters  the very first time she had left her village since lockdown began.

I thought it was so important to send a message to government that they need to start taking the crisis seriously, she said from behind a plastic face visor. The government is not treating this like the emergency it is. I have two young grandchildren and I want things to change for them.

Activists are urging MPs to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill set to be tabled by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas on Wednesday.

The legislation would toughen targets set in the 2008 Climate Change Act by including carbon emissions from international trade, aviation and shipping in the UKs net zero goals. It would also meet XRs demands for Citizens Assemblies to be set to give the public a greater say in how the country tackles the crisis.

A young activist holds a placard at Parliament Square (AFP/Getty) (AFP via Getty Images)

Mother of two Miranda Irwin brought along her four-year-old daughter and six-year-old son  who doesnt start school until Monday. Its too important to miss, said the 35-year-old Londoner, who lost her job as a part-time teacher during the pandemic.

We need to think of the next generation as well as the people round the world suffering from climate-related crises right now, she added.

People used to say, You cant stop flying, you cant just stop doing things. But the pandemic has shown that we absolutely can stop doing things. And we should stop doing the most harmful and destructive things.

XR protesters gather in Manchester city centre (Getty) (Getty Images)

Metropolitan Police limited the central London protest to the particular roads around Parliament Square between 9.30am and 7pm on Tuesday  and also told XR not to use boats, vehicles or other structures as part of their procession.

Met Commander Jane Connors warned that anyone taking part who knowingly fails to comply with the conditions in the days ahead may be liable to arrest.

Amelia Halls, a 22-year-old archaeology graduate from London, said she would keep coming back out to protest in the days ahead if the government failed to support Ms Lucas bill.

The coronavirus is terrifying but so is the climate crisis, she said. We cant wait for the virus to be over to act. Young people are here because were really, really scared about our future  and we need action now from the government.

Recommended Campaigners call for climate crisis to be enshrined in law

Sit-ins are expected to be held around Parliament Square, outside City Hall in Cardiff and St Peters Square in Manchester for at least 10 days.

Rebels will choose to sit in the streets  overnight if necessary  to maintain a constant presence and pressure until our voices are truly heard, XR organisers wrote in a Facebook post.

Clare Farrell, one of the founders of the movement, defended holding protests during a public health crisis, saying organisers had encouraged social distancing and the wearing of masks.

Time doesnt stop  we cant let 2020 go by, she said. This is the ideal time to give the parliamentarians a message. Its an emergency and we have push for change right now.
The mission of High Country Humane is to transform lives by providing exceptional animal care and adoption services, supporting and strengthening the bond between pets and people, and advocating for the well-being of all animals.

When reading that statement, most of us think about the pets in our world who need help. However, an often overlooked segment of the pet world is the community cat. These cats are sometimes called feral, can give the impression of a ferocious beast; however, most cat lovers and feline experts recognize them for who they are: cats whove been abandoned by their owners to fend for themselves and now belong to the community.

Typically, the offspring of these (usually unfixed) domestic cats (now considered feral or wild) have never been handled by people and become terrified. Most experts say these cats can not be tamed and adopted into homes.

In the past, these cats were trapped and euthanized. Now we know this is not only inhumane, it is also not effective at solving the problem.

Today, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs have been implemented by most shelters to humanely deal with community cats; here is how the HCH program works.

After the cat is identified as needing help, a trap is set with food to entice the cat into the trap. When caught, the cat is transported to the shelter where it is examined by the HCH veterinarian. After being deemed healthy, the cat is spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and a small notch is made in its left ear to identify it as sterilized. After recovery, it is returned to its original location to live out its life as a healthy, non-reproducing animal.

Here is what a few community members have to say about the program.

The High Country Humane TNR program helped me with the feral cats on my property. I had two feral cats that became pregnant and all of a sudden I went from two to eight cats. I was able to catch and tame some of the kittens who were then adopted through HCH. I feel fortunate to have had their help, guidance and support every step of the way, and was impressed by the care and concern for the animals and the professionalism I saw from both the TNR volunteers and the HCH staff. -- Ricardo Pereira

When we moved into the Timberline area we had people dropping off cats in the forest. We rescued four kittens but we didnt know what to do with the adult cats. Soon there were more kittens having kittens. We didnt want these healthy, beautiful cats trapped and killed, but we needed a way to control the feral cat population in our neighborhood. HCH referred us to their volunteer TNR program, and it is the perfect solution!

"So far, weve trapped 18 cats in less than a year. Weve fostered the kittens and they found loving homes through HCH. With TNR, adult cats - spayed or neutered, vaccinated and ear tipped - are returned to our neighborhood where neighbors work together by feeding and providing shelter for the cats. The neutered male cats are healthier because they dont get beat up fighting over the females and the female cats are no longer kitten factories. We used to have mice, pack rats and gophers in our yard but the cats have all but eliminated these pests. Its a win-win solution for us and the cats! -- Debbie and Chuck Lyon

Trapping the community cats on our property was a meaningful learning experience for our entire family. The TNR volunteers were extremely helpful and showed us exactly what to do. The shelter staff was amazing, very attentive to detail, and they gave each of the animals the care they needed. Our sincere thanks and appreciation to all. -- Dave Brown

So far this year, HCH has spayed or neutered and vaccinated 154 cats and adopted out 23 community kittens who wont become community cats.

A new grant from the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff will help extend the program into a targeted area within the Flagstaff city limits, and will pay for the spay or neuter and vaccination of 75 cats.

If youd like more information about the TNR program at High Country Humane, please call 928-773-1330.

Written by Pam Tharp, a member of the High Country Humane Advisory Board.

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Thousands of items suspected of being imported unlawfully from China were seized after authorities raided a warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, the municipal market surveillance unit said on Monday.

The raid was conducted on a warehouse at number 12 Phu Dinh Street in District 8.

At that time of the inspection, officials caught a shipping container from which goods prepared to be unloaded into the warehouse.

A follow-up examination showed the premises stored around 8,000 items including cosmetics, perfume bottles, soap, household appliances, and packaged foods.

No proof of purchase was available for the items, which are valued at around VND800 million (US$34,600).

The authority continued to inspect the container, which had an import declaration, and another site on the premises and discovered roughly 5,000 items including toys, cosmetics, household appliances and phone accessories, and 80,000 face masks from China without any invoices.

Their total value is estimated to be VND2 billion ($86,700).

The goods are now sealed for further investigation as per regulations.

Medical face masks without invoices are seized from a warehouse on Phu Dinh Street in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre

Market surveillance officers inspect a warehouse on Phu Dinh Street in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre

Market surveillance officers inspect a warehouse on Phu Dinh Street in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre

Market surveillance officers inspect a warehouse on Phu Dinh Street in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre

Market surveillance officers inspect a warehouse on Phu Dinh Street in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre

Cosmetics without invoices are seized from a warehouse on Phu Dinh Street in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Tri / Tuoi Tre

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JEE Mains 2020:

The day-1 of the Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) Mains 2020 passed off peacefully in five cities of Jharkhand on Tuesday, The exam had been earlier opposed by the JMM-Congress led Jharkhand government and some student organisations.

The examinations were held with all the precautionary measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic. At Ranchis Tupudana-based examination centre where examinations were held in two shifts, students were being given a reminder about social distancing on loudspeakers. Circles were also marked to help maintain social distance at the entry point of the exam hall.

The temperature of the students was checked before allowing them to enter the exam halls. The students were asked to remove the masks they were wearing and were given new masks at the examination centre. The students also underwent sanitisation.

However, as many as 190 students were absent in the first sitting of the examination. A total of 220 students were present, while 190 students were absent in the first sitting of the examination at Tupudana centre, said a JEE-Main city coordinator Ram Singh, who is also the principal of Delhi Public School (DPS), Ranchi.

Explaining the reasons behind the absence of students, Singh said, Two rounds are conducted in JEE-Main. The students who are not satisfied with the first round of JEE-Mains appear for the second round. So, the number generally declines in the second round, Singh said.

He further said that Covid-19 and transportation issues could also be a reason behind it. But the number of such cases would be very less. If any examinee or his/her any family member were suffering from Covid-19, he/she might have escaped the examination, he said.

An examinee from Jharkhands Gumla district Puja Kumari, who appeared for the examination at Ranchis Tupudana-based centre, said, I was scared initially due to rise in case of the Coronavirus. But then thought, we have to appear for the examination either this month or next month. There is no guarantee that Covid cases would fall down after a month or two. So, I took the examination strongly.

She said the papers were as per her expectation. However, the paper of mathematics was a little tough, she said.

Another examinee, Aditya Kumar from Ranchis Bariatu locality, said, I was scared seeing the Covid check-up at the centre. However, I got a sigh of relief when entered the exam hall, as I was confirmed that I am not infected with the virus. Kumar said he was happy that the examination was not postponed. Career is most important for me than Covid.

Over facing transportation problems, he said, I have my personal vehicle. So, I didnt face any trouble. But, the examinees, who dont have personal vehicle might have faced problem in Covid period as there was less number of vehicles on road today.

Jharkhand government has allowed intra-state bus movement from Tuesday with 50% passenger capacity.

A parent, Manish Singh, who came from Khunti around 45-km from Ranchi for his sons examination, said, I have no personal vehicle. So, I faced huge trouble. I have to hire a private car, which charged almost double the actual fare.

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September 1, 2020 Villar chides PCC official for not implementing P450-million dairy project Sen. Cynthia Villar today presided over a committee hearing to inquire into the status of the country's dairy industry and the non-implementation of P450-million worth of dairy projects designed to help improve the dairy production and to provide livelihood opportunities in farming communities. Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, authored Proposed Senate Resolution No. 504 directing an inquiry on the state of the dairy industry as implemented by the National Dairy Authority (NDA) and the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) under the Department of Agriculture. "The NDA and the PCC have been in existence for 25 years and 28 years, respectively, and we continue to import more than 99 percent of our demand for dairy. This means we have been missing the opportunity to make our kababayan, especially the farmers, benefit from the dairy industry as a source of additional income and for our children to have access to affordable milk," Villar said. Villar also inquired from PCC Executive Arnel del Barrio why the P450-million worth of projects that will build dairy processing centers to 28 locations and provide intercropping opportunities to coconut farmers in different parts of the country was not implemented. The lady senator has allocated P10 million each to 28 locations or a total of P280 million for the project aside from the budget of PCC. She had also asked the Philippine Coconut Authority to allocate P170 million for 17 coconut producing provinces to make a total of P450 million. Villar said the total milk production in 2018 is 23,690,000 liters while the demand is 2.345 billion liters, showing that local production is only at 0.6966%, even less than 1% of the total demand of milk by Filipinos. She also cited the Commission on Audit (COA) Report released in January 2020, saying that the dairy program that cost P2.85 billion to implement appears to have achieved only "minimal improvement" in increasing the number of dairy animals In the Philippines. The Herd Build-Up Program ran for 6 years, from 2012 to 2018. It Started with 39,069 dairy animals but ended up with only 47,600 animals at the most recent count in 2018 and included cattle and carabaos. The program aimed to increase the local supply contribution for milk to 10% from a 2012 local supply figure of 1%. COA attributed the failure to the lack of coordination among key agencies, the lack of well-defined roles and responsibilities for the dairy Industry's stakeholders, operational issues, and significant cattle and buffalo mortality rates which led to the non-attainment of Dairy Road Map targets. "We are holding this inquiry in order to find out why the dairy industry has not been contributing as expected in increasing the milk production and the increase in the number of dairy animals. This is despite having two government agencies assisting farmers. More than 23 years have passed for the country's dairy program to fly but it has remained on the ground," Villar said. "The objective is to improve dairy production to ultimately make an Impact on reducing poverty and improving child nutrition in many rural households," she added. During the hearing, among the issues raised is the non-delivery or incomplete delivery in some areas of dairy animals. The absence of processing centers and training program for forage production are also among the problems identified. Since last year, Villar has been working on a project establishing Carabao-Based Enterprise Development Centers all over the country after her encounter with a local housewife in Ubay, Bohol, who raised one milking carabaos and sells the milk to the dairy processing center. This model provided an opportunity for the housewife to earn Php 300 a day or Php 9,000 a month. Villar wants to give the same opportunity to other people in the country and has identified 28 areas where the model will be replicated. These areas include Abra, La Union, Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur, Nueva Vizacaya, Bataan, Bulacan, Laguna, Tarlac, Palawan, Albay, Masbate, Negros Oriental, Iloilo, Cebu, Siquijor, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Compostela Valley, North Cotabato, and South Cotabato. Villar also introduced the amendment in Republic Act 11037 or the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act, which requires the sourcing of fresh milk and fresh milk-based products from local dairy farmers and cooperatives. "With this provision, the law institutionalizing a national feeding program will not only address undernourishment among children, but will also create a market for local dairy which, if sustained, will eventually develop our local dairy industry," Villar said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-02 05:11:03|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday evening that he expects Lebanese officials to deliver on their promises regarding reforms within 8 weeks, al-Jadeed local TV channel reported.

"If by the end of October, the Lebanese authorities do not deliver on their promises, we will not offer help to Lebanon. I will explain to the Lebanese that we wanted to help but cannot do it due to lack of reforms," Macron said during a press conference before he ended a visit to Lebanon.

Macron did not rule out the possibility of imposing sanctions on Lebanese authorities if they fail to implement reforms.

"We will reach the sanctions level when we become able to hold specific people responsible for corruption and the lack of reforms in addition to identifying those responsible for illegal financial practices or other malpractices," he said.

The French president said that he has agreed with Lebanese authorities to follow a roadmap which was approved by all political parties during the visit.

The roadmap, according to Macron, includes reforms in electricity, banking and judicial sectors, in addition to conducting a forensic audit for the Central Bank of Lebanon.

Macron said that France will focus on four priorities in Lebanon in the coming period including offering 7 million euros (8.34 million U.S. dollars) to fight against COVID-19, enhancing food security, providing funds and books to schools, and the reconstruction of Beirut's port.

He arrived in Beirut on Monday and then met with Lebanese senior officials and civil society representatives, as well as attending several local activities.

Macron also visited Beirut's port to follow up on the work at the site after huge explosions rocked the port on Aug. 4 and destroyed around 8,000 buildings in the city, leading to the homelessness of around 300,000 people.

This is his second visit to Lebanon in less than one month. Enditem
Marking a new beginning in its brand journey, ASUS,a Taiwan-based, multinational computer hardware and consumer electronics and the fastest-growing consumer laptop brand in India, today announced its foraying into the commercial PC segment. As a highly backward integrated player in the PC industry with unmatched expertise in motherboards and high-tech Gaming PCs, this move comes as the next strategic step for the brand.

ASUSs foray into the commercial PC segment comes at a time when companies across industries are encouraging their employees to work from home and they need robust working solutions. Catering to businesses of all sizes, including micro businesses, SMBs and large enterprise customers, ASUS will provide comprehensive solutions to their respective technology needs. The brand will be launching products across all key segments covering Notebooks, Desktops, All in Ones and Mobile Workstations. It will also be closely working with Microsoft and Intel to introduce the product range with the latest processors. In addition to products, ASUS will also offer value-added services for enterprises such as Warranty Extension options, Accidental Damage Protection, Hard Disk Retention Service, and Priority Service.

Speaking on the development, Leon Yu  Regional Director, System Business Group, ASUS India & South Asia, India is the key focus country for Asus. With high focus on Indian consumer needs and utilising our cutting edge backward integrated technology experience in Computingproducts we have emerged as the fastest growing brand in the Indian PC market. In the consumer PC segment we have already achieved top 3 position in the Indian market. We want to introduce the same amount of consumer centricity for Businesses in India by leveraging the experience to introduce a wide array of innovative, cutting-edge products tailored for enterprises and establish ASUS as the best-in-class technology solution provider for enterprise customers.

The depth and breadth of our technologyalong with our best in class Service Solutions will help position Asus as the best choice for businesses of all sizes.

The strong foray in the Commercial PC Business is backed by a dedicated robust team and infrastructure setup at both Taiwan Headquater and Country Offices.

To drive our Commercial PC Business in India am happy to confirm that we have assigned the business head position for Commercial PC to Mr. Dinesh Sharma, who will now head both the Commercial PC and Mobile Business for Asus India

Dinesh joined ASUS India in 2016 and has played a key role in propelling the smartphone business of ASUS India. His rich industry knowledge combined with his strong business acumen makes him the perfect person to lead the commercial PC segment. Under the new role, Dinesh will continues to be responsible for the Smartphone category as well head the Commercial PC category in India. I have every confidence in Dinesh and his strong team.

Mr. Dinesh Sharma comes with two decades plus of extensive experience in Sales and Distribution,Brand Management,Product Management and Strategy.With over 15 years of experience in Mobile and Telecom, under his able guidance, ASUS went on to become one of the top five smartphone brands in the online market of India. ROG Phone series has become the No. 1 Gaming Flagship Phone series and among the top preferred flagship phones in India. Prior to joining ASUS, Dinesh had long stints at Vodafone India, Samsung India, Morphy Richards and Bajaj Electricals.

Speaking about his new role Dinesh Sharma, Business Head, Commercial PC and Smartphone, System Business Group, ASUS India, ASUS overwhelming growth over the last few years is a testimony to our Made for India, customer centric effort. In the coming month, we will be sharing details of our holistic approach to Commercial PC market - encompassing robust Commercial PC product portfolio across product categories and segments, sales and service infrastructure and wide channel availability.

Our products, services and solutions have been customised to meet the needs ot all Industry verticals and Industry Scales covering the entire range of customer segments.

As a top global tech brand, ASUS has a legacy of being the No.1 motherboard brand in the world. It is also known for manufacturing the worlds best PCs, monitors, graphics cards and routers. Passionate about technology and driven by innovation, the company is an experienced leading industry player, ranking No.1 in consumer notebook brand in Asia Pacific and No.3 in worldwide sales. It was also the first global IT company in the world to achieve EU Ecolabel certification for laptops, and achieved 72,477 similar labels globally. ASUS has also been named as the top 10 Worlds Most Admired Companies by Fortune Magazine in 2019 for its contribution to the computer industry. The company currently has more than 17,000 employees, including 5000 employees working in the R&D team.
Facebook has threatened to block Australian publishers and individuals from sharing news stories on its platform in reaction to an Australian measure that could require it to compensate media organizations for its use of their stories.

The social network said the Australian move would force it to pay arbitrary and theoretically unlimited sums for information that makes up only a small fraction of its service.

The measure would force Facebook to choose between either removing news entirely or accepting a system that lets publishers charge us for as much content as they want at a price with no clear limits, the company's managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Will Easton, wrote in a blog post. No business can operate that way.

Campbell Brown, a former NBC and CNN anchor who now serves as Facebook's vice president of global news partnerships, said the cutoff threat has nothing to do with our ongoing global commitment to journalism.

Brown's post, which cited a variety of individual Facebook programs intended to support news organizations, was titled Our Continued Commitment to Journalism.

Australia to make Google and Facebook pay for news content

Google, meanwhile, issued an open letter that cast the proposed Australian law as a potential threat to individual privacy and a burden that would degrade the quality of its search and YouTube video services but did not threaten a cutoff.

Mark Zuckerberg is happy to let Facebook be a tool to spread misinformation and fake news, but is apparently fine with Facebook dropping real news altogether, John Stanton, co-founder of the Save Journalism Project, said in a statement. Regulators need to reign in the tech giants total domination of the online marketplace before its too late.

The Australian government said in July it would require tech giants Facebook and Alphabet Inc's Google to pay for news provided by media companies under a royalty-style system that is scheduled to become law this year. The Australian government had said that it plans to give Google and Facebook three months to negotiate with Australian media businesses fair pay for news content.

The government had released a draft mandatory code of conduct that aims to succeed where other countries have failed in making the global digital giants pay for news siphoned from commercial media companies.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Google and Facebook would be the first digital platforms targeted by the proposed legislation but others could follow. "It's about a fair go for Australian news media businesses, it's about ensuring that we have increased competition, increased consumer protection and a sustainable media landscape," Frydenberg said.
Irish backpacker Katie Murtagh was enjoying a dream trip around the world before it ended with her being charged over a Sydney stabbing that left a man with a partially severed ear.

Murtagh's social media pages paint a glamorous life of festivals, trips to Asia and beach days.

But the 26-year-old's adventure was dramatically cut short when she and boyfriend Patrick Earle, 23, were charged over the brutal attack on Oliver Solan, 30, in a unit on Young Street at Randwick, in Sydney's east on Saturday night.

Police allege Earle and four other men set upon Solan as he lay motionless on the floor of the apartment, using a knife to sever part of his ear and leaving him with a ruptured spleen.

Officers claim Murtagh allegedly sent a Facebook message to Earle's friends asking them to come over, at which point she let them in to the unit and hid in her room as they attacked Solan with a knife.

Katie Murtagh's dream trip around the world has ended in chaos after she was charged alongside her boyfriend over the alleged stabbing of a man that left him with a partially severed ear

Young Irish couple Katie Murtagh and Patrick Earle (pictured together) have been charged over the alleged stabbing of a man that left him stranded in a unit block hallway with a partially severed ear

Other images show the couple dressed up with friends and going to festivals while living in Sydney

Neighbours found victim Oliver Solan, 30, barely conscious in a hallway at a Young Street apartment block in Randwick, in Sydney's east, about 8.40pm on Sunday

Before her arrest Murtagh had lived a glamorous life travelling across Asia after leaving her home in Dublin in 2017.

Photos show the Irish woman's travels through Thailand, soaking in the sun in Phuket and lounging on a boat in the pristine waters of Ban Thai in Krabi.

Murtagh is seen alongside friends at beach parties in Kathu and swimming in the clear beaches on Koh Phi Phi.

She is also pictured at full moon parties with groups of fellow Irish nationals and riding elephants through the Asian jungle.

When Murtagh finished her travels in she settled in her new home in Sydney and moved into the Young Street unit block with Earle, from Kilkenny in Ireland. It was there the attack took place.

Daily Mail Australia revealed on Monday Earle, Murtagh and Solan had been drinking together at an eastern suburbs pub before returning to the couple's apartment on Saturday night.

While there an argument between the two men ensued.

Solan was allegedly the first to attack his friend, causing injuries to Earle's arm.

It was then that Murtagh allegedly sent a Facebook message to Earle's friends asking them to come over, at which point she let them in to the unit and hid in her room as they attacked Solan with a knife, severing part of an ear.

The glamorous Irish couple were arrested shortly after while four other men went on the run.

Photos show the glamorous Irish woman's escapades through Thailand, soaking in the sun in Phuket and lounging on a boat in the pristine waters of Ban Thai in Krabi

Before her sudden arrest on Saturday Murtagh left her home in Dublin to travel through Asia

NSW Police said the men they wish to speak to are all originally from Ireland.

A 34-year-old man was charged late Monday night with wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He handed himself in at Maroubra Police Station after NSW Police released pictures of four men in the hopes they could assist with the investigation.

The Waterloo man is believed to be involved in the altercation at the unit and was granted strict bail to appear at Waverley Local Court on September 23.

Earle, from Kilkenny, and Murtagh both faced Waverley Local Court on Monday where they were refused bail.

Appearing in court via video link, Earle sat quietly wearing a hospital gown and with a bandage over his left ear.

He was taken into custody from Prince of Wales Hospital where he was treated for an injury to his arm on Saturday night.

The unit block was splattered with blood after Oliver Solan was in the hallway after the alleged attack

Earle's girlfriend, 26-year-old Katie Murtagh, let them in before going to hide in a bedroom as the alleged fight ensued

Murtagh and Earle are seen lounging at waterfalls and going on hikes exploring nature surrounding the harbour city together

Murtagh pictured on a boat in Krabi while travelling Thailand before coming to Australia

The court was told he is facing a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted, with a standard non-parole period of seven years.

Murtagh chose not to appear on screen in court and along with her boyfriend will be held in custody until October 27.

During that time the lovers turned co-accused will not be able to talk.

Police allege that Murtagh was aware of what would happen when she invited and let her boyfriend's backup inside their apartment.

When her boyfriend and the four men fled, CCTV footage allegedly shows her using her strength to drag Solan's bloodied body into the hall.

Footage shows Earle being handcuffed and put into the back of an ambulance

Paramedics rushed the 30-year-old to St Vincent's Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and remains in a serious but stable condition

Distressed neighbours called police, who found Mr Solan with multiple stab wounds to his head and body and a chunk of his ear missing.

Paramedics rushed the 30-year-old to St Vincent's Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and remains in a serious but stable condition.

As Mr Solan was being attended to by paramedics, police scoured the area hunting for Earle, Murtagh and the other alleged assailants.
Anna Heinrich is expecting her first child, a daughter, with husband Tim Robards in the coming months.

And on Tuesday, the soon-to-be mum flaunted her growing baby bump on Instagram as she soaked up the sun.

The radiant 33-year-old looked happy and relaxed while sunbaking in a skimpy white bikini.

Bumping along: On Tuesday, Anna Heinrich (pictured) flaunted her growing baby bump on Instagram as she soaked up the sun

'SPEED BUMP AHEAD #babybump #babyonboard #speedbumpahead,' she captioned the picture.

In the photo, Anna was shading her eyes from the sun as she lay on her side showing off her baby belly.

She flaunted her natural beauty with minimal makeup and was sporting a white manicure that matched her swimsuit.

Simply glowing! 'SPEED BUMP AHEAD #babybump #babyonboard #speedbumpahead,' she captioned the picture

Anna and Tim recently enjoyed a luxurious holiday at Byron Bay's Blackbird resort.

Last week, The Bachelor star shared a stunning photo, as well as video footage, to Instagram of their picturesque surroundings.

'Getting out of Sydney is a luxury these days and I'm certainly not taking it for granted. Good to finally spend time with my hubby,' Anna wrote.

Relaxing: Last week, The Bachelor star shared a stunning photo, as well as video footage, to Instagram of their picturesque surroundings

The trip comes after Anna spoke to The Sunday Telegraph's Stellar magazine about the stress of being separated from Tim, who until recently was working in Melbourne on Neighbours.

Tim made the 'gut-wrenching decision' to leave Melbourne and quit his job on the soap, in order to be with Anna in Sydney, amid COVID-19 travel restrictions.

'It's been so stressful for him. For both of us. We're both really struggling with the decision. I know how hard he's worked,' she said.

'The past six weeks have been really stressful, it's been one curveball after another, and when hotel quarantine came in, we realised it meant that if there was an emergency, Tim would not be able to get back to me,' Anna said.
In a statement, Apple and Google called the changes a next step in our work with public health authorities. They said the shifts would help public health authorities to supplement their existing contact tracing operations with technology without compromising on the projects core tenets of user privacy and security.

In April, Apple and Google announced they were developing the technology, which uses Bluetooth signals to enable iPhones and Android devices to detect nearby phones. If someone using the technology tests positive for the virus, that person can enter the positive result into the system using a unique authentication code. An automatic notification would then go to other phones that had opted in and had been in close contact.

As the pandemic took hold this spring, countries around the world raced to deploy virus apps to help track and quarantine people. But some of the apps were mandatory and invasive, sending users locations and health details to their governments. Many apps were also rife with security flaws.

The Apple-Google technology, by contrast, does not collect personal health details or track users locations. That has made the system attractive in Europe and elsewhere. Germany, Denmark and Ireland have already released apps using the technology, and millions of people in Europe have downloaded them.

In the United States, public health agencies in Virginia, Arizona, Nevada, Alabama, North Dakota and Wyoming have also created such apps, although the uptake has been slower. The Alabama app, released in mid-August, has had about 44,000 downloads.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1)  It is too late for Zara Alvarez, but her fellow human rights defenders hope the protection she was deprived of would be given to them now, the group Karapatan told the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Alvarez, community health worker and paralegal for Karapatan, was among the supposed witnesses in the groups petition for writ of amparo and habeas data  a bid to protect them from what they call state-sponsored red-tagging that put their lives and liberty at risk.

However, the Court of Appeals dismissed the case in June without hearing witness testimonies. Two months later, Alvarez died of multiple gunshot wounds from an unidentified assailant while on her way home in Bacolod City. She was 39.

Alvarezs untimely demise is precisely what petitioners sought to prevent by coming to court, Karapatan said in a 12-page manifestation filed at the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, they continue to hope that the protection she was never given be extended to them  especially at a time when the promotion and defense of human rights is susceptible to being wrongfully interpreted, suppressed and punished by the State as terrorism, the petitioners added.

They argued that Alvarezs killing proves that being tagged as a communist rebel or terrorist is an actual threat  contrary to the Court of Appeals ruling that there was no evidence that the alleged killings and disappearances are on account of the victims membership in organizations tagged as legal fronts.

Alvarez had been red-tagged by the military and police since 2004, the human rights watchdog said, until she was detained in 2012 for nine months. The court dismissed her murder charge for lack of evidence.

I fear that it may happen again or I might be killed like what happened to the many farmers of Negros as well as Tatay Toto and Atty. Ben Ramos, Alvarez said in her judicial affidavit.

Karapatan said 13 of its human rights workers have been killed under the Duterte administration. A total of 185 human rights defenders and activists died in the government's counterinsurgency program, the group added.

Alvarez, along with slain peace consultants Randy Malayao and Randal Echanis, were also among the 649 individuals whom the government, through the Department of Justice, sought to be proscribed as terrorists for having links to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, New Peoples Army. A Manila court later trimmed down the list to just two individuals, while the petition to tag the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group is still pending.

READ: With new law, Court of Appeals to now handle govt bid to tag CPP-NPA as a terrorist group  Lacson

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights raised concerns with the Philippine government over the recent killings of Echanis and Alvarez and called for "independent, thorough and transparent investigations."
Sudans transitional government and the revolutionary front initialled on Monday a peace accord in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The move has put an end to 17 years of civil war and conflicts that have torn the country since the 1950s.

Sudans Revolutionary Front comprises four armed movements that have been fighting in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in the south, and in Darfur, in the west. The movements in Darfur include Sudans Liberation Army, spearheaded by Arko Minnawi, and the Justice and Equality Movement, led by Jibril Ibrahim, brother of founder Khalil Ibrahim, a former minister in Al-Bashirs government.

The two parties that initialled the agreement have resolved issues pertaining to power division, security arrangements, compensations to the families of the victims of war, among other key issues.

The accord grants autonomous rule to the Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Revenues and resources of the two states shall be divided between the federal authority, which will receive 60 per cent, and local authorities, that will be given 40 per cent.

According to the agreement, Sudans Revolutionary Front shall be allocated 25 per cent of cabinet and parliamentary seats and three seats in the sovereign council. The countrys transitional period will be extended for 39 months starting 1 September, as per the accord, during which time the armed movements forces should be disbanded and legally re-integrated as part of several security arrangements.

Sudans transitional period was slated for 39 months starting in the second half of 2019, a few months after a popular revolution toppled the Omar Al-Bashir regime in April.

The pact follows 10 months of negotiations in Juba. Absent from the accord, however, were the Sudan Liberation Army, led by Abdel-Wahed Mohamed Nour, that controls strategic locations in Darfurs Marrah Mountains, and a faction of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement-North, headed by Abdel-Aziz Al-Helw, whose forces are engaged in South Kordofan conflicts.

For over a year now, Sudans transitional government has been prioritising negotiations with rebel forces to seal peace deals in regions wretched by conflicts since Al-Bashirs rule. Mondays pact is a vital accomplishment for a government that is strenuously trying to revivify the economy and redraw foreign relations severely damaged under Al-Bashir.

The success of the new pact is a challenge, particularly after previous peace deals had crumbled, such as the Darfur Peace Agreement, sealed in Abuja in 2006.

Comprehensive peace in Sudan is the priority of Abdalla Hamdoks government, which focuses on resuming peace negotiations in the nearest time possible with the Sudans Peoples Liberation Movement-North and the Sudan Liberation Movement. The governments reform programme strongly depends on spreading peace across the corners of Sudan.

Abdallas government is hoping once comprehensive peace is reached in Sudan the refugees and the displaced will go back to their villages and construction and development operations will kick-start in Darfur and war-torn regions.

Peacemaking is difficult, albeit not as much as peacebuilding, which requires a political will. The Sudan government will not be able to spread peace without tangible support from the international community, especially influential countries and international financial institutions.

Regional powers, including Egypt and the Gulf, have supported the new accord that shall contribute to Sudans stability and help Khartoum focus on pressing issues, foremost among which is the plummeting economy, and launch local development programmes, the absence of which has resulted in the lack of peace and stability for decades.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 3 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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ATLANTA, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Republic Bank of Chicago partners with Atlanta-based Fintech DataSeers for their innovative fraud and compliance management solution. The bank will be using the latest and most advanced version of FinanSeer, an artificially intelligent solution specifically designed for the banking and payments space.



DataSeers has an extensive experience focused within the prepaid space and helping businesses with their most vital back-office operations such as compliance, reconciliation, fraud, and analytics. The comprehensiveness nature of the solution is what makes it truly unique.



"We are excited to have Republic Bank of Chicago as a client and are looking forward to this relationship as we build some unique tools as a part of FinanSeer," commented Adwait Joshi, CEO and Chief Seer at DataSeers.



"The DataSeers solution will play an integral role in Republic Bank's rapidly growing sponsorship and BaaS solutions, and we are excited to start realizing the benefits of all the system has to offer" stated Cami Cantrell, SVP/Bank Sponsorship Program, of Republic Bank of Chicago.



About Republic Bank of Chicago



Founded in 1964, Republic Bank is home to 19 locations in the Chicagoland area. Known as Chicago's hard-working bank, Republic is proud of its local roots and commitment to community. We recognize the importance of being a fiscally sound bank, especially in this current economic environment. With over $2 billion in assets, $230 million in capital strength and a capital-to-asset ratio of over 10.00%, we exceed the federal definition for a "well capitalized" bank. We expect to work hard for the next 55 years, and beyond, to help our customers meet their goals. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. NMLS ID# 40588.



More information is available at www.republicEbank.com, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter.



About DataSeers



Atlanta-based DataSeers has engineered a unique solution for effectively harnessing complex data. Its FinanSeer software is AI-powered and specifically designed to help banks and payments companies greatly improve their reconciliation, compliance, fraud detection and analytics. DataSeers was recognized by the Technology Association of Georgia as one of its "Top 40 Technology Companies" two years in a row. The company has also received the LexisNexis Risk Solutions HPCC Systems Community Recognition Award for creating a "Truly Unique Solution" leveraging the HPCC Systems open source, data lake platform. DataSeers was among Atlanta Inno's 2019 "50 on Fire" companies in Georgia. The company was also a winner in the New to Export category at the 2019 GLOBE Awards presented by the Georgia Department of Economic Development.



For more information, visit www.dataseers.ai or follow it on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.



Contact:

[email protected]



Photo(s):

https://www.prlog.org/12836454



Press release distributed by PRLog

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United States government agencies will remain active in the information technology market, despite the impact of COVID-19 on agency operations. In fact, there is some evidence that the occurrence of the virus has spurred agencies to improve IT resources.

For example, the General Services Administration (GSA) in early July launched a new contracting vehicle offering a potential US$50 billion in federal acquisition of IT products and services. IT providers will have until Aug. 5, 2020 to apply for participation in the program.

In addition, GSA extended an existing IT procurement program and added $7 billion to the programs potential contract coverage. Both programs are directed to small and disadvantaged IT providers with a Small Business Administration status known as 8-A companies.

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present new challenges and obstacles to many of GSAs partners in the small business community, we are doing all we can to help keep this important part of the federal IT ecosystem vibrant and successful, said Laura Stanton, GSAs acting assistant commissioner of the Office of IT Category, in a recent blog posting.

As we all navigate new realities and requirements, GSA is working to ensure small businesses have the opportunities to thrive, she said.

Streamlined Contracting Promised

Both the current and new information technology contracting programs are classified as Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) vehicles.

Under the GWAC concept, vendors register as qualified information technology providers for the relevant contract vehicle. To quality, companies must go through a rigorous evaluation process which includes meeting standards for technical competency and demonstrating that a vendor is responsible and responsive.

Additionally, the company must be able to show why its pricing should be considered fair and reasonable, according to Larry Allen, managing director of the federal market access practice at BDO-USA, which provides contract advisory services.

The one-time vendor qualification process makes contracting more efficient for both agencies and IT providers. Once qualified, vendors become eligible to compete for separate specific task order projects from multiple federal agencies, with awards made on the basis of project requirements.

However, vendors who qualify for a GWAC program are not guaranteed any real business. What theyve really won is the right to compete for business that federal agencies wish to place, Allen told the E-Commerce Times.

Vendors Look to the STARS for Business

The total of $57 billion in potential GWAC contracts will be administered through two procurement vehicles designated as Streamlined Technology Application Resource for Services (STARS) programs. GSA sets funding ceilings for each program indicating the total value of eligible contracts. Actual funding for a specific task order is provided by the federal agency using the contract vehicle.

Here is how the additional contract opportunities will work:

GSA STARS II Contract: Since the beginning of this program in 2011, GSA has made $15 billion worth of contracts eligible for participation. More than 50 federal agencies have used the vehicle. In late June the agency once again raised the ceiling for the program by $7 billion worth of eligible contracting while extending the duration of the program.

As a result of the extension, new STARS II task order contracts may be awarded through Aug. 30, 2021. Work may continue through June 30, 2022. The type of IT work generally is limited to custom programming, system design, facilities management, and other computer related services.

GSA noted that 787 industry partners (i.e. eligible vendors) will remain on the STARS II contractor roster during the procurement extension period.

GSA STARS III Contract: When this new, $50 billion program opens later this year, it will be operated in similar fashion to STARS II. But in addition to a significant boost in the funding level, the scope of work will be broadened. The program will support customized IT services-based solutions which can be tailored to meet an agencys unique mission needs, GSA said.

Project scope will include new and emerging technologies which may evolve over the life of the contract, such as artificial intelligence, robotic process automation and virtual reality.

A significant element is that the program will be open to a wide swath of potential vendors. Current vendors for STARS II will need to re-qualify for STARS III. STARS III will offer updated technology solutions, like a greater range of cloud-based offerings, cybersecurity solutions, and newer commercial IT products. It may also feature new contractors, Allen noted.

GSA went through an internal business case process to determine whether the creation of STARS III was justified. The business case was approved, and on July 6, 2020 GSA issued a request for proposals (RFP) for IT vendors to submit their qualifications.

Disappointing Issue Emerges

The good news for vendors related to the STARS programs is somewhat offset by GSAs recent decision to terminate another GWAC program. After reviewing the Alliant 2 Small Business vehicle, which also covered IT procurements, GSA closed the program.

According to industry sources, the administration of the program led to a significant number of challenges, or protests of contract awards. GSAs explanation for the cancellation was that since the program was launched in 2018, the federal governments requirements have evolved.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The Alliant small business program and both STARS programs address different types of small businesses, and are different programs, said Allen Hill, GSAs acting deputy assistant commissioner, in the Office of IT Category at GSA.

Each GWAC is a separate entity and program. While the Alliant-2 GWAC had a $15 billion ceiling, no funds were obligated on the program. GSA is working on a new approach for small business GWACs to strengthen, innovate, and better respond to changing technology needs and security threats, Hill told the E-Commerce Times.

I think GSA did make the right decision. While there are few public details around the protests, they dragged on for considerably more time than most. The costs and time invested were considerable. This had the net effect of making the pricing and solutions offered under the original RFP stale and obsolete. GSA would have had to scrap everything and start over anyway, said BDOs Allen.

More Is Needed

The recent changes GSA has made are part of a major effort to revise and upgrade the agencys information technology contract process for small and disadvantaged providers.

GSA is committed to finding ways for our GWACs to reflect the current IT marketplace so that we can maximize the opportunities, for such companies, said GSAs Stanton. One goal is to create opportunities in such areas as cybersecurity, emerging technology, and IT supply chain risk management.

As salutary as these proposed changes might be, GSA still has more work to do according to Roger Waldron, president of the Coalition for Government Procurement. GSA needs to be more specific on why it cancelled Alliant-2 for small business contract, and to publicly and proactively engage with the small business community on the content and timing of the agencys future plans, he said.

The current uncertainty about GSAs contract portfolio is already roiling the market, Waldron said in a recent blog posting. The Coalition offered to work with the agency to address continuing contracting issues.
We are so excited to be able to support the youth of Virginia through this partnership says Tom Truitt, CEO of MidAtlantic Farm Credit. The building will be available year-round to hold ag-related activities for the community and opportunities for our youth to compete."

Local agricultural lender, MidAtlantic Farm Credit, in conjunction with Colonial Farm Credit and Farm Credit of the Virginias, announced they are partnering with the State Fair of Virginia to construct a modern livestock show facility at the Meadow Event Park in Caroline County, Virginia.

We are so excited to be able to support the youth of Virginia through this partnership, says Tom Truitt, CEO of MidAtlantic Farm Credit. The building will be available year-round to hold ag-related activities for the community and opportunities for our youth to compete.

Construction has already begun on the facility with an October completion anticipated in time for a youth livestock show. The 42,000 square foot facility, which will be called the Farm Credit Pavilion, is partially enclosed with a (dirt) concrete floor, climate control, and 675 square feet of climate controlled office and restroom facilities.

To learn more about how MidAtlantic Farm Credit supports youth and livestock shows, visit mafc.com/showcase to check out our Virtual Livestock Showcase.

About MidAtlantic Farm Credit

MidAtlantic Farm Credit is an agricultural lending cooperative owned by its memberborrowers. It provides farm loans for land, equipment, livestock and production; crop insurance; and rural home mortgages. The co-op has over 11,800 members and over $2.8 billion in loans outstanding. MidAtlantic has branches serving Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. It is part of the national Farm Credit System, a network of financial cooperatives established in 1916 to provide a dependable source of credit to farmers and rural America.

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The $50 million defamation case was filed by Johnny Depp back in March, 2019, after Amber Heard wrote an opinion piece hinting at his alleged violence against her.

Actor Johnny Depp has filed documents in a Virginia court to delay the defamation trial against his former wife actress Amber Heard, media reports said.

He took the step to accommodate the filming of the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, where Depp plays the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

Variety reported that Depp has requested the court to delay the hearing to a period between March and June of 2021. The current trial period starts from 11 January, 2021, to go on through 28 January, 2021. This is in a clash with the shooting schedule of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3 in London that starts from October this year and will continue till February, 2021.

The $50 million defamation case was filed by the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actor back in March, 2019, after Heard wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post. The article - I spoke up against sexual violence  and faced our cultures wrath. That has to change - did not mention Depp by his name but as Variety states, plaintiffs can sue for defamation by inference in Virginia, where Post was published.

According to the court papers, when the court had set the current trial date, Depp understood that Warner Bros planned to shoot Fantastic Beasts 3 in London long before January 11, 2021. However, the dates had to be postponed due to the pandemic. With conditions in London having improved somewhat, Warner Bros. has now set a shooting schedule that conflicts with the trial date in this case, added the papers.

Deadline reported court papers stated that the Aquaman actress has agreed to meet on 11 September to discuss the potential delay of the case.
What to do about Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls?

Think of all the places across Niagara that are potential hot spots for a COVID-19 explosion  beaches, big retail stores, schools once they reopen  and Clifton Hill is the Mount Everest of them all.

Weekends and most weeknights, thousands of people are drawn to its lights, rides, stores, tourist traps and fast food. To a lot of outsiders it is the face of Niagara.

But geez, it makes us nervous these days.

We are not suggesting it be closed during the pandemic (though it is easy to imagine a scenario, albeit extreme, where that might be necessary).

But can we at least agree that having so-called volunteer ambassadors roaming around wearing brightly coloured T-shirts and offering masks and hand sanitizer is a weak response?

For months we have all been told and told and told to wear masks, keep our hands clean and cover our coughs.

Yet each night many people there are not wearing masks, even in areas such as arcades and some attractions which, while they might have an open entrance are really still indoor venues where a face covering should be worn.

Clifton Hill remains an outdoor attraction  but its an outdoor attraction like no other.

Unlike Canadas Wonderland or some other amusement park that is privately owned and where mask-wearing can be required and enforced, Clifton Hill is largely public property.

Mask-wearing can only be mandated indoors there, yet most of the thousands of people visiting spend a majority of their time mingling on the sidewalks and sometimes the street itself.

Is there some legal way, at some level of government, where Clifton Hill could receive a special designation requiring masks everywhere, indoors and out, from the top of the hill to the bottom?

How about limiting the number of people allowed on Clifton Hill? It might require fencing at the top and bottom, with security guards controlling foot traffic.

At the same time  and we have suggested this previously  eliminate vehicle traffic on Clifton Hill so it can be used like a pedestrian mall.

When things are hopping, that street is much too busy with people anyway to allow cars and trucks to also use it.

Why not make it pedestrian-only on Friday nights and weekends, when its at its busiest?

Heck, instead of festive T-shirts, dressing the ambassadors in lab coats might be a better way to remind people we are still in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.

This week, Niagaras public health department said so far no large COVID-19 outbreaks have been linked to Clifton Hill. But it absolutely remains a concern, said Dr. Mustafa Hirji.

I think we have gotten lucky, and if you look at what is happening in Western Canada, where they are not doing anything drastically different than we are here, they are into a second wave of infections.

Yet, the risk Clifton Hill presents  with its crowds, hands-on games and attractions, tight spaces, long lineups  would make effective contact-tracing nearly impossible when people are infected.

A majority of visitors there come from out of town, around the GTA and farther out across the province.

While the potential for spread on the Hill cannot be eliminated, every step possible must be taken to reduce it so visitors dont take COVID-19 home with them and spread it around the province.

There is still another good month or so, mostly weekends, when Clifton Hill will likely be packed.

Weve been fortunate so far, but we shouldnt rely on luck to see us the rest of the way.
Top academic publisher Springer Nature has once more sparked concerns over its censorship of topics regarded as politically sensitive by Beijing.



A Taiwanese doctor, Wu Jo-hsuan, recently reported via Facebook that she had been asked by the editorial team at Eye and Vision, a medical journal published by the group, to add the word "China" after "Taiwan" in her paper, or have her article rejected for publication.



Editors at Eye and Vision wrote to Wu telling her that the change was required under the journal's editorial policies.



Wu is the first author of the paper on retinopathy with her mentor at National Taiwan University, and said she was shocked by the level of political censorship she encountered.



She told RFA in a recent interview that she and her colleague have now decided to find another publisher.



"We're not planning to get back to them," she said. "We thought we'd look for another journal that is a bit more friendly."



Catherine Chou, assistant professor of history at Grinnell College, said such problems aren't uncommon for academics from Taiwan, a democratic island that has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, nor formed part of the People's Republic of China.



"This highlights the plight of Taiwanese scholars, who are forced to make choices in their professional careers between an honest account of their national identity and academic opportunities," Chou told RFA.



RFA contacted Springer Nature to ask whether there are indeed editorial restrictions on the use of "Taiwan" as a nationality for an author.



In a written reply dated Aug. 25, the publisher said it wouldn't put pressure on authors to change the name of their country of origin.



It said the policy stemmed instead from Eye and Vision, which it publishes in partnership with Wenzhou Medical University in China, and operates under a separate set of editorial guidelines.



Springer Nature said its relationship with Eye and Vision was simply that of "co-publisher."



Springer Nature is the world's largest academic publisher, publishing more than 3,000 journals including Nature and the Scientific American.



Politically sensitive articles blocked



However, this isn't the first time that the publisher has been linked to Chinese censorship.



In November 2017, Springer Nature confirmed that it had blocked access to some 1,000 journal articles to Chinese internet users because they contained banned keywords relating to political topics such as Tibet, Taiwan, or the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).



Requests to Eye and Vision and the eye hospital linked to the Wenzhou Medical University for comment had met with no response by the time of writing.



The eye hospital's official website describes Eye and Vision as "an international English-language journal under the aegis of Wenzhou Medical University."



Launched in October 2014, it is edited by Qu Jia, director of the eye hospital, and receives funding from the ruling Chinese Communist Party to boost China's international influence.



The program is jointly implemented by the government-backed Chinese Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as the ministries of finance and education, and the state media regulator -- the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT).



The initiative is part of a long-running policy under Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping to "take Chinese technology and culture global."



In November 2019, France-based scientific publisher EDP Sciences was acquired by a holding company under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Science Publishing & Media, or Science Press.



State news agency Xinhua reported at the time that this was "an important step in China Science's internationalization strategy."



Wen Liu, assistant research fellow at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, said China's acquisition of such publishers is a serious threat to international academic freedom.



"China's overseas acquisitions program targeting international academic journals, as well as its censorship of researchers' institutional identities and the content of papers is a serious violation of the principle of academic freedom," Liu told RFA.



She said she was also asked in August 2020 not to include the word "Taiwan" in her byline in a psychology paper for a SAGE journal.



She said her two authors from the United States and South Africa experienced no such restriction.



Austin Wang, assistant professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said some Taiwanese scholars have had their country of origin changed to "China" or editorial changes suggested that describe Taiwan as a "province of China."



"Sometimes you can appeal to the editor to reject the proposed modification, but sometimes you get rejected by the journal because of this," Wang told RFA.



"This is quite common, so complaints need to be loud enough to force journals to change," he said.



Controlling the global narrative



Jessica Drun, a guest researcher at the Washington think tank Project 2049 Institute, said China's censorship of Taiwan scholars also relates to Beijing's policy of extending its official narratives far beyond its borders.



"This isn't just about Taiwan, but also China's attempt to control the global narrative and shape it into a view that is more in line with the interests of the Chinese Communist Party," Drun said.



She said China's growing influence at the World Health Organization (WHO) was also a case in point.



People working in all fields should be aware that the price of Chinese political censorship entering the scientific domain doesn't just stop Taiwanese academics from making a contribution: it runs counter to global public health interests, she warned.



Taiwan was ruled as a Japanese colony in the 50 years prior to the end of World War II, before being occupied by the Kuomintang (KMT)'s 1911 Republic of China as part of Tokyo's post-war reparation deal with the allies. It remains a sovereign state using the name Republic of China.



The island began a transition to democracy following the death of President Chiang Ching-kuo in January 1988, starting with direct elections to the legislature in the early 1990s and culminating in the first direct election of a president, Lee Teng-hui, in 1996.



Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in a Jan. 2, 2019 speech that Taiwan must be "unified" with China. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) echoed the sentiment in a military white paper later that year.



But Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen has repeatedly responded that Taiwan's 23 million population have no wish to give up their sovereignty, or democratic way of life.



Reported by Jane Tang for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) on Tuesday launched two petrol variants of the fourth generation of its popular sedan Honda City with price starting at Rs 9.29 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The company, which had recently launched an all-new 5th generation version of the Honda City sedan, said it will continue selling the 4th generation of the car in two variants SV and V grade with BS-VI compliant 1.5-litre petrol engine in manual transmission.

While the SV variant is priced at Rs 9,29,900, the V grade is tagged at Rs 9,99,900 (all prices ex-showroom Delhi), the company added.

Commenting on the launch, HCIL Senior Vice-President and Director, Marketing & Sales, Rajesh Goel said the company had decided to continue selling the 4th generation Honda City as it continues to be a popular model with its contemporary styling and is also BS-VI compliant.

"With continuation of 4th generation Honda City in SV and V grade, we have ensured that the City brand is available to a wider set of customers in terms of trims and different price points in the mid-size sedan segment," he added.

HCIL said the 4th generation Honda City has cumulatively sold over 3.5 lakh units since its launch in January 2014 in India.

The all-new 5th generation Honda City sedan is available at a price range of Rs 10.90 lakh to Rs 14.65 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
There are a few key ways that female consumers of marijuana differentiate themselves from their male counterparts. A 2017 consumer report by New Frontier Data revealed that women are much more likely than men to use marijuana for its health and wellness-related properties. In fact, women tend to use marijuana to reduce stress (45%), relieve anxiety (38%), manage chronic pain (31%), enhance sleep quality (35%), and prevent nausea (14%), while men will typically use marijuana to enhance social experiences and to relax. Women also use marijuana to help relieve gynecological issues and improve sexual health, according to a study in the journal Sexual Medicine.

Moreover, women are more likely than men to try different types of marijuana products, such as capsules, topical creams, and sprays, revealed a 2019 report by Headset. In the same study, the majority of women surveyed said they were more interested in how CBD could help them with various health and wellness issues than in the psychoactive effects of THC.

Besides their unique reasons for consuming cannabis products, women have already had a hand in helping to grow this burgeoning industry. In 2019, the total number of women in California purchasing cannabis almost doubled from the previous year, according to a report by the San Francisco-based marijuana-delivery software platform Eaze, which used data from 450,000 customers and 4,000 survey respondents.

However, to get women interested in buying cannabis, companies have to use different marketing tactics. The Journal of Business and Management reported that these consumers arent driven to buy cannabis through hard-sell tactics, and are more likely to respond to advertising messaging that has more of a conversational dialogue. This messaging then helps them to better understand how the drug can address key issues, and to decide on which product will meet their needs.

Finally, women are more than just users of cannabis products, making up 36% of the cannabis industry workforce  and their presence in this sector continues to rise. Their contributions are in turn helping to guide important strategies on marketing cannabis products to their own demographic.

Insurance clients in the cannabis industry can take advantage of this powerful group of consumers and grow their business, in part by working with an experienced wholesale broker who knows the ins and outs of the cannabis space.

If you are a retail agent or broker with clients in the cannabis, hemp or nutraceutical industry, it is important to work with a wholesaler that has expertise in this space and stays on top of current trends, said Ives. At NutraRisk, a division of Worldwide Facilities, we have liability insurance programs serving a wide range of business types and target markets.
A federal judge in Washington has issued a preliminary injunction against a major e-book piracy operation known as the KISS Library, after the operators of the site failed to answer a lawsuit filed in July by the Authors Guild, Amazon Publishing, Penguin Random House, and a number of bestselling authors.

The sweeping order effectively shuts down the operation in its current iteration, and seeks to block the defendants and any of their service providersincluding payment processors, banks, ISPs, back-end service providers, and search engine or ad-word providersfrom collaborating to distribute the plaintiffs copyrighted works in the future.

"Despite having received notice of the hearing time, date, and call in numbers, Defendants did not appear at the hearing or file any response to Plaintiffs papers or the Courts Order," the court noted in issuing its relief.

In addition to shutting down the affiliated sites, the court ordered expedited discovery in the case, and a temporary freeze on all assets and accounts connected to the operation. Financial institutions associated with the operation are now required to "immediately locate all accounts connected to Defendants or the Websites," and to stop funds from being transferred or withdrawn.

In a notable passage in her 10-page order, Judge Marsha J. Pechman acknowledged the difficulty in holding such online pirate operations accountable.

"Defendants have gone to great lengths to conceal their identities, locations,and proceeds from Plaintiffs and this Courts detection, including using multiple false identities and addresses associated with their operations and purposely-deceptive contact information," Pechman acknowledged. She also noted that "at least some of the Defendants are likely overseas," and that the defendants will likely "seek to destroy, move, hide, or otherwise make inaccessible the proceeds of their infringement, copies of infringed Works, and the Websites used to display and distribute those Works."

The order comes after the plaintiffs filed suit on July 8 in federal court in Washington State seeking to shut down the KISS Library, believed to be a Ukraine-based piracy site that operates under a number of different domain names using a sophisticated, legitimate-looking site designed to deceive consumers by selling illegally pirated e-books to U.S. readers.

Over the last several years, we have worked through various channels to curtail the proliferation of e-book piracy sites, but KISS Library has been a challenge since it is a particularly egregious criminal enterprise, said Mary Rasenberger, executive director of the Authors Guild, in announcing the suit. While the main culprits are the KISS Library websites and operators, it doesnt help that sites devoted to e-book piracy are readily available through U.S. search engines, added Authors Guild president Douglas Preston.

Named plaintiffs from the Authors Guild include its president Preston, and members Lee Child, Sylvia Day, John Grisham, C.J. Lyons, Jim Rasenberger, T.J. Stiles, R.L. Stine, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Nicholas Weinstock, and Stuart Woods.
After two weeks of steady criticism about the wrongheadedness of its COVID-19 advertising campaign, Premier Brian Pallister has decided to make changes.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 31/8/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After two weeks of steady criticism about the wrongheadedness of its COVID-19 advertising campaign, Premier Brian Pallister has decided to make changes.

Gone is the preposterous "Ready, Safe, Grow" slogan that was featured on billboards and other advertisements. In its place, there is a more sober message that urges Manitobans to "Know the Facts" about the Pallister government's new pandemic response system.

Revealed a week ago, the new system assigns different colours (red, orange, yellow and green) and pandemic control measures to communities based on the prevalence of COVID-19. Green would allow us to live with very few restrictions; red would represent a return to near-complete economic shutdown.

JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES In early August, the Manitoba government launched Restart MB, an advertising campaign promoting the reopening of the province's economy.

The premier deserves credit for making the change, which could not have come easily given his legendary stubborn streak. However, there were very few people outside the Tory caucus and cabinet willing to defend the original campaign, which clearly implied that it was safe to get out and start priming the pump of the provincial economy. And for good reason.

Even as Pallister was unveiling the advertising campaign in mid-July, Manitoba's COVID-19 situation had begun to turn from arguably the best in the country to genuinely worrisome. A surge in infections, many tied to a series of clusters in Western Manitoba, put the premier's feel-good ad campaign at odds with the increasingly concerned tones of Dr. Brent Roussin, the province's chief public health officer.

As is his style, Pallister remained steadfast in his refusal to admit the campaign was inappropriate despite overwhelming public condemnation. He claimed the advertisements were designed as a way of "educating and reminding people of the fundamentals" of combating COVID-19. Hardly anyone believed that he believed what he was saying.

Although the decision to change course on the advertisements is a good one, it does come at a price. The original $250,000 price tag has nearly doubled to $425,000.

The question left hanging in the air is why the premier went ahead with the original advertising campaign in the first place? The message was inappropriate, and the $250,000 price tag opened Pallister up to a resumption of criticism about his refusal to address the suffocating eligibility requirements that have left hundreds of millions of dollars in economic supports unspent.

Although the decision to change course on the advertisements is a good one, it does come at a price. The original $250,000 price tag has nearly doubled to $425,000. In politics, no good deed  even a genuine effort to remedy a mistake  seems to go unpunished.

Notwithstanding the issue of cost, the revamped advertising campaign still largely misses the mark. The colour-coded pandemic response system is an excellent idea, and explaining it to Manitobans is a worthy goal.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/STEVE LAMBERT A billboard showing the Manitoba government's reworked advertising campaign following a rise in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

But explaining how the colour-codes work is still not as important as what Roussin continually describes as "the fundamentals" of pandemic control: hand hygiene; social distancing; wearing a mask in any indoor public space; isolating for 14 days if you are returning from a trip outside Manitoba.

The hard truth is that whether we're in a green state or an orange state, we have to diligently practise the fundamentals, at least until a vaccine is developed.

Will a declaration that Winnipeg has entered an orange or (heaven help us) red state convince us to double-down on cleaning our hands, wearing masks and keeping our distance? That is most definitely the $425,000 question. For now, it's clear that Roussin's briefings are not enough, on their own, to ensure compliance.

Self-isolation delinquents risk $486 fine under new public health order Click to Expand Manitoba chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin speaks during the daily briefing at the Manitoba Legislative Building, in Winnipeg, Thursday Aug. 27, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski Posted: 7:00 PM Aug. 27, 2020 A new public health order that takes effect Friday will allow the province to levy fines of up to $486 per day against anyone infected with COVID-19  or their close contacts  who do not self-isolate for 14 days, as directed. Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said the order follows reports that people testing positive for the coronavirus had attended large gatherings in Brandon, where some of Manitoba's largest case clusters are located. Read Full Story

Late last week, a clearly exasperated Roussin issued a public health order authorizing a fine of up to $486 per day for anyone who ignores the 14-day self-isolation requirement. For a public health official who has been reluctant to over-react to any aspect of the pandemic, this was a particularly strong gesture.

The reality, confirmed with every daily COVID-19 bulletin, is that we're just not living up to the good doctor's expectations. And that raises some significant questions about why this iteration of the province's advertising campaign isn't more explicit.

There is an argument here that we need to be shocked into compliance on the fundamentals and "know the facts" just isn't as detailed and as impactful as it should be. We need to be told that if we don't wash our hands and wear a mask, we are at risk of plunging the province back into shelter-at-home restrictions.

However, many Manitobans, including the premier, suffer from a profound misconception about the pandemic: namely, that the novel coronavirus is something we can "control."

Back in June, when new infections were rare, the premier talked openly and often about the success Manitoba had in "controlling" the virus. The reality is that we do not control COVID-19; it will continue to control all aspects of our lives until a vaccine is available.

Dan Lett | Not for Attribution A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world that is sent every Tuesday. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Suggesting that we are "winning" the battle against COVID-19 just because we haven't had a surge in new infections is scientifically dishonest. And arguing that we can, through sheer will and positive thought, eliminate the threat before a vaccine appears is flat out irresponsible.

It's like telling someone that if they run instead of walk, they can make it through a rain storm without getting wet.

COVID-19 is going to be here for a very long time, perhaps to stay. And when the Pallister government urges us to "know the facts," they might start with that.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
You are here: Business

The Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Monday launched an anti-dumping probe into imports from the United States of certain monoalkyl ethers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, or glycol ethers.

The probe is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 31, 2021, but may extend to Feb. 28, 2022, under special circumstances, the MOC said.
A S businesses go, AA and Saga have much in common.

Both are old affairs  the AA goes back 115 years, Saga 70. Which is about the average age of the customers.

A marriage of the two ended when Saga sought divorce and listed itself on the London Stock Exchange six years ago at 185p a share.

Things have not gone well for either party since with Sagas stock now at 19p, but there remains hope of happier times ahead.

The loyalty the brands inspire is a great strength. They provide solid income streams and if they can deal with their debts would have a better than average chance to motor away from the Covid crisis.

Both are also subject to private equity bids, but here the approach differs.

Saga has told its American bidders to move on, preferring to bet on a cash call led by former chairman Sir Roger De Haan, the son of the founder, and the leadership of chief executive Euan Sutherland. Sutherlands track record at Superdry and the Co-op is patchy, but we wish him well.

At a positively youthful 51, perhaps his time has come.

AA meanwhile is running a dual process. It is happy to see if the interest from private equity turns into something solid and is asking the Takeover Panel for an extension to the usual takeover deadlines. It is also pursuing its own debt refinancing in case that turns out to be the better deal.

As the older business, perhaps it isnt coincidence that AAs approach seems more adult.

Saga painted the bids it has received as highly conditional as it moved to dismiss them, but that seems to suit Sir Roger more than other shareholders, who face significant dilution under his terms as opposed to a premium from private equity.

A third of those shareholders are customers who have come to the shares via the AA. They might appreciate the chance to have their say on the future of a business in which they are invested in more ways than one.

If older brother AA can run a dual process, why cant its younger sibling do the same?

The Saga saga should turn onto a dual carriageway.
Just over two years ago in the landmark case South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., 138 S. Ct. 2080 (2018), the U.S. Supreme Court reversed over 50 years of precedent to get to the result many states wanted  the ability to require out-of-state companies to collect sales tax in another state (called economic nexus). Most jurisdictions have jumped on the economic nexus train to increase their revenues. This article discusses how jurisdictions are implementing economic nexus policies, how states are being particularly aggressive toward businesses in the wake of Wayfair, and how businesses should implement appropriate procedures to limit their exposure when the train stops at their door.

AN AGGRESSIVE HUNT TO ENFORCE SALES TAX COLLECTION

Since Wayfair, jurisdictions have been instituting economic nexus thresholds. These thresholds vary. For instance, California has a sales threshold of $500,000 in the previous or current calendar year, effective April 1, 2019 (Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code 6203(c)(4)(A)). Wisconsin has a threshold of $100,000 or 200 transactions in the previous or current calendar year, effective Oct. 1, 2018 (Wis. Stat. 77.51(13gm)). The states take differing views of what sales should be counted toward the threshold (i.e., all sales, all sales minus all exempt sales, all sales minus sales for resale, etc.).

Even if all sales into a state are exempt, some states take the position the burden is on the business to prove the sales are exempt. If the business cannot prove an exemption, then the default position of many states is that the sales are taxable and the business has nexus, assuming the law removes exempt sales from the threshold. To make things even more complicated, there could be different criteria for meeting the same exemption in various states.

To identify businesses that might have a sales tax collection and reporting obligation, some states are sending letters to business owners asking them to fill out a nexus questionnaire. In some cases, the business is presumed to have nexus until it proves otherwise via the questionnaire and any supporting documentation the state demands.

These questionnaires generally attempt to extract as much information from businesses as possible, with the states' goal being to determine what taxes can be assessed and how far back the liability goes, and to make an assessment based on this determination. When a nexus questionnaire is haphazardly filled out, this is only the beginning of numerous problems. Even when there is credible evidence to the contrary, a state will inevitably go back to the answers provided in the nexus questionnaire when those answers support an assessment. That is why a careful, well-thought-out response is critical to mitigating exposure.

In some instances, audit staff for the state simply wish to make an assessment and force the company to fight the assessment in appeals if the business disagrees. Even in cases of full cooperation, some states have taken a position to impose the maximum penalties and are willing to maintain penalties through litigation. Businesses often do not expect such punitive measures to be taken against them when they cooperate with a state's taxing authorities.

Many business owners are faced with a difficult decision  pay to fight an assessment, pay an assessment they do not owe, or go out of business. However, it is critical to remember that even after going out of business, personal liability potentially endures. States will sometimes pursue the owners, officers, directors, and/or responsible persons in their individual capacity for unpaid taxes. The unfortunate bottom line is the states may not be concerned whether a business goes under. Another consideration is future business registrations. If the state determines who the owners, officers, directors, and/or responsible persons are, it may not allow another business registration to go through if one of those individuals is listed on the application.

INVENTORY AND FULFILLMENT SERVICES

Numerous states are pursuing businesses of all sizes if they use Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service or other similar fulfillment services. The FBA service allows a seller to provide inventory to Amazon, which then takes the inventory and moves it to whichever warehouses it deems appropriate without the business knowing beforehand where the inventory is going. When a sale by the business is made on Amazon, Amazon removes the inventory in the warehouse and ships it to the customer.

States are potentially obtaining from Amazon lists of businesses that have inventory in an Amazon warehouse located within the state. This is one way in which the states are targeting businesses. Sometimes, states will find out about inventory being stored in the state before the business does, as Amazon can change where inventory is stored daily. Therefore, it is often not a question of if, but only a matter of when, the business will be contacted by the state with a nexus inquiry letter.

The position of the states on FBA services is simple  if a business has inventory in the state, the business has nexus via a physical presence in the state and is required to collect sales taxes. The states behave as if clients can dictate to Amazon where it stores inventory; however, nothing is further from the truth. Under Amazon's FBA standard agreement, inventory is moved wholly subject to Amazon's discretion.

The states' aggressive stance on this issue seems to disregard federal constitutional principles, which usually require businesses to have some minimal contact with a state before the state can assert its taxing power. In fact, it has been our firm's experience that after pointing to recent federal court cases discussing this type of issue and the unconstitutional nature of the states' actions, the states say those cases do not apply and the tax assessment stands. To say the least, many states have been emboldened by Wayfair, but not as much as one state (Florida) that has argued Wayfair applies retroactively or another state (Kansas; see the discussion below) that asserts no minimum sales threshold must be met to require collection of sales taxes. Keep in mind that applying Wayfair retroactively may raise separate constitutional issues.

EXTREME INTERPRETATIONS OF WAYFAIR

When the states were urging the Supreme Court to rule in favor of South Dakota in Wayfair, one argument they made to persuade the Court to overrule Quill v. North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298 (1992), was that there would be sufficient protections to limit retroactive application of Wayfair. In other words, the states argued it was not their intent to retroactively apply Wayfair. In total, 41 states, including Florida, took this position.

However, once the Court ruled in favor of South Dakota in June 2018, Florida summarily changed its position. This involved a tax case our firm was arguing  Global Hookah Distributors, Inc. v. Department of Business and Professional Regulation, No. 2017-CA-1623 (Fla. Cir. Ct. 1/31/20) (order on parties' cross-motion for summary judgment). Florida unequivocally stated there was no reason Wayfair should not be applied retroactively to the case (Defendant's response to plaintiff's motion for final summary judgment (8/9/18)). The Florida state circuit court granted the state's motion for summary judgment and, as of this writing, Global Hookah will soon appeal the case.

If Florida can change its position, how long will it be before other states begin doing the same thing? The largest concern in this type of situation involves how far back a state may make a tax assessment. Normally, a state may go back only three or four years on average, due to the state's statute of limitation. However, the statute of limitation normally applies in instances where a sales tax return has been filed in the state. If no sales tax return has been filed, most states allow for the possibility of a sales tax assessment going back to the very beginning of when the company first allegedly had nexus with the state.

Another offshoot in the Wayfair saga involves Kansas. Like many other states, Kansas has adopted economic nexus with an effective date of Oct. 1, 2019. What distinguishes Kansas from every other state is its economic nexus threshold. The Kansas Department of Revenue's position is that a single sale of any amount constitutes economic nexus and the seller is therefore required to register, collect, and remit sales tax (Kan. Dep't of Rev., Notice 19-04 (Aug. 1, 2019)).

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt disagrees with this position. Specifically, Schmidt stated in an opinion that the Kansas Department of Revenue lacks authority to adopt such a policy, especially on the grounds that a single sale of any amount creates economic nexus (see Kan. Atty. Gen. Opinion No. 2019-8 (Sept. 30, 2019)). Schmidt's opinion also cited a lack of state legislative authority for the Department of Revenue's position.

In response to the attorney general's opinion, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Mark A. Burghart, the secretary of the Department of Revenue, said they believe they have the authority to unilaterally implement economic nexus in Kansas without any legislative action and to enforce a threshold of a single sale of any amount (Kan. Dep't of Rev., "Secretary Burghart's Statement on Attorney General Derek Schmidt's Opinion of the Collection of Taxes From Out-of-State Retailers" (Sept. 30, 2019)). Kansas is a state that clients must keep a careful eye on based on its aggressive posture.

MITIGATING COMPANY LIABILITIES

In light of how states are reacting to Wayfair, what can a company do? Companies need to understand their risk among the states with potential exposure. To do so, a company must know the amount of sales into states as well as the number of transactions into the state for a given time frame. Just because all sales into a state are exempt does not mean the company does not have a filing requirement and potential exposure, as there may be failure-to-file penalties imposed despite the return showing no tax liability. Remember, how to qualify for certain exemptions can vary from state to state. Companies should understand what information must be kept for when they are audited. If the requirements for the exemption are not met, companies may be left responsible for the disallowed exempt sales.

Next is decision time. Once the company has an understanding of where potential exposure lies, it must decide whether it can register prospectively, register through the voluntary disclosure process and pay the back taxes but limit the lookback, or do nothing, potentially threatening the overall survival of the business as exposure continues to rise into the future. Not every company will feel the same way about the options.

A company may not have a choice on what to do if the business is being purchased or if the owner plans on selling in the future. The reason is that more and more buyers are integrating a sales tax analysis into their due diligence for acquisitions  whether asset or stock. Buyers understand the acquisition of the assets of a business or of the business itself may carry sales tax exposure. A savvy buyer will do everything in its power to ensure it mitigates the likelihood of acquiring sales tax liabilities in multiple states. Handling the exposure now could prove to be significantly cheaper than years later, and it could make the company's business more attractive to prospective purchasers.

WARN COMPANIES

With states taking an expansive view of economic nexus in the wake of Wayfair, ensuring clients have a clear understanding of the risks to their business and livelihood is a must for the prudent practitioner. Armed with the knowledge that many states consider everyone liable until proven otherwise, companies can take immediate action to mitigate their exposure in the 10,000-plus taxing jurisdictions across the United States. Time is of the essence. The longer a company fails to act, the more potential liabilities will grow. Worse yet, practitioners who do not raise the issue early on may be blamed in the end.
(Natural News) A former Tesla employee-turned-whistleblower has shared further details on his experiences with the company before and after his expose, including how company CEO Elon Musk confronted him directly.

Karl Hansen, who first exposed Teslas supposed covering up and spying on its employees back in 2018, appeared on the TCs Chartcast podcast, where he shared further details on the theft that was happening in the factory and managements efforts to cover it up.

In addition, Hansen also talks about his investigation into a possible drug cartel operation inside the Gigafactory  Teslas huge battery plant in Nevada  as well how his access to the companys internal data systems became restricted the more further he tried to investigate the drug operation.

Spying on employees and drug dealing

Karl Hansen first made news in 2018 when he filed a whistleblower complaint against Tesla with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). At the time, he was the second ex-Tesla employee to come forward, following former technician Martin Tripp.

In his whistleblower filing, Hansen made several serious accusations against Tesla. Chief among these was that $37 million worth of copper and other raw materials had been stolen from the Nevada Gigafactory during the first half of 2018 alone  thefts that were never reported to Tesla shareholders.

He also accused the company of spying on their employees. Specifically, he stated that Tesla was involved in wiretapping and hacking employees cellphones and computers, respectively.

On top of this, Hansen also shares how a tip from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) led him to discover evidence of a widespread drug cartel operation in the Gigafactory  something the company failed to disclose to both local law enforcement and the DEA even after it was uncovered.

Finally, he also accused the company of retaliating against him for raising the issues internally, culminating in his termination in July of 2018.

Personally confronted by Musk

In the podcast, Hansen goes into further detail on his experiences working as part of security at Tesla, as well as on what happened after he left the company and turned whistleblower. He detailed how Musk himself had hired a team of former Uber security experts, all reporting directly to him, and hacked the devices of several employees. These included the personal phone of Martin Tripp, the Tesla-employee who turned whistleblower before Hansen.

In addition, Hansen also discussed his experiences after turning whistleblower himself. He recalls how he was personally confronted by Musk after he filed his own complaint with the SEC.

Beyond that, he also goes on about how he had been collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for several months after leaving Tesla, only to find out that the investigation had been killed despite it turning up significant evidence of probable cause.

Tesla has treated other whistleblowers even worse

Tesla and Musks treatment of Hansen reflects how the company and its multi-billionaire owner have approached whistleblowers who tried to expose wrongdoings at the formers Gigafactory. (Related: Now you cant even criticize ELECTRIC CARS on YouTube without getting banned.)

When Tripp, a former Tesla engineer, first leaked details on how Tesla was scrapping or reworking up to 40 percent of the raw materials at the Gigafactory, Musk immediately went on the attack. In a staff memo, Musk accused Tripp of engaging in extensive and damaging sabotage, implying that the latter had shared the data not only with the press but also with unknown third parties.

At the same time, Teslas PR department had spread rumors about Tripp, claiming that he was homicidal. This culminated on June 20, 2019  the same day the company sued Tripp for $120 million  when Tripp heard a tip from the Story County, NV, sheriffs department that Teslas security had tipped off the police, claiming that he was planning a mass shooting at the Gigafactory.

In addition to Tripp, Tesla also retaliated aginst whistleblowers following an April 2019 investigation by the Centre for Investigative Reporting (CIR) into Tesla workplace safety. The CIR report claimed that Tesla had under-reported injuries, ostensibly to improve its safety statistics.

One of the reports sources later claimed that, shortly after the investigation, a complaint against her was lodged to the relevant Medical Board and that an anonymous call was placed to state Child Protection Services claiming she neglected her children.

Meanwhile, in June of 2019, a lawsuit was filed in a Nevada District Court in which the plaintiff, a former Tesla employee, alleged that sexual assault had taken place on company premises and that these issues were escalated to no avail. In the suit, the plaintiff alleges that they were terminated the day after they had sent a text to Musk explaining what had happened to them at the workplace.

These and other stories paint a disturbing picture of the culture inside Tesla. It illustrates a company where any form of bad news is frowned upon, and those who bear it are punished severely.

For more on Elon Musk and his increasingly tyrannical treatment of his employees, follow ElonMuskWatch.com.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

CNBC.com

Bloomberg.com

TheDrive.com
Saudi Arabia has postponed an annual Davos-style investment forum until January as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt global travel, organisers said Tuesday.

Initially scheduled for October, the Future Investment Initiative (FII), which seeks to showcase the insular kingdom as a dynamic investment destination, will now take place from January 26-28.

"After careful consideration and assessment of the global travel and airline outlook, as well as the regulations imposed by a significant number of countries... we have decided to postpone the 4th edition of the FII," the organisers said.

The summit, dubbed "Davos in the desert", was launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017 to woo foreign investors and promote his Vision 2030 diversification plan to wean the economy off its dependence on petro-dollars.

But the following year, the fallout over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder by Saudi agents in Istanbul prompted a wave of business and political leaders to pull out of the glitzy conference at the last minute.

The murder at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul triggered one of the top crude exporter's worst ever diplomatic crises.

The conference saw a reboot last year as global outrage over the murder subsided.

Thousands of delegates, including world leaders, Wall Street titans and policy-makers from dozens of countries, packed into Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, whose countries are key emerging markets, were among the key speakers at last year's event.

ac/par
BENGALURU (dpa-AFX) - Infosys (INFY) said Tuesday that it plans to hire 12,000 American workers over the next two years, bringing its hiring commitment in the country to 25,000 over five years. The company said it will target experienced technology professionals as well as recent graduates from major universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges to create the best workforce for the future. In 2017, the company committed to hiring 10,000 American workers over two years and has exceeded that goal by creating 13,000 jobs in the U.S. to date, Infosys said in a statement. 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.
Anti-epidemic efforts demonstrate China's great strength

People's Daily Online

(People's Daily Online) 13:16, August 31, 2020

While the world continues to struggle with the impact of the sudden COVID-19 epidemic, China has taken the lead in controlling the outbreak, achieving economic recovery and advancing international anti-epidemic cooperation.

China's efforts have injected confidence and strength into the international community.

The country's success comes from its 1.4 billion Chinese people being united as one under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the resilience and bright prospects of China's economy, as well as the concrete actions the country took to safeguard international fairness and justice and to support multilateralism.

January 23, 2020 will go down in the annals of history as the day that Wuhan, a city of 10 million people in central China's Hubei province, was locked down, and a war against the virus was declared.

For months, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, who is also Chinese president, took personal command of the situation and planned the response, while the Chinese people displayed solidarity in putting up a defensive wall against the epidemic.

China identified the pathogen in eight days and developed testing reagents in 16 days. A new melt-blown non-woven fabric plant was built in 12 days, producing more than 1,000 masks per second. The first batch of makeshift hospitals with 4,000 beds for COVID-19 patients was set up in only 29 hours.

The country immediately rallied 346 national medical teams consisting of 42,600 medical workers and more than 900 public health professionals to the aid of Hubei in the largest medical assistance operation since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Construction of the 1,000-bed Huoshenshan Hospital was completed in just 10 days and the 1,600-bed Leishenshan Hospital was built in just 12 days.

The high speed, massive scale and efficiency of China's epidemic response all demonstrate the country's great strength. As Xi put it, "It is all the Chinese people who gave us the strength and confidence to overcome this epidemic. The people are the real heroes."

The Chinese people are the main source of confidence and strength of China's fight against the epidemic. Relying on its institutional strength in mobilizing resources for major undertakings and overall national strength, China pooled all its strength in the shortest period of time and halted the spread of the epidemic. Its strength was fully revealed in its response to the epidemic.

China's response is something that has rarely been seen in the world, demonstrating its speed, scale and efficiency, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that China's experience is worth learning for other countries.

At the same time, China has seen ongoing economic recovery in the midst of the epidemic. The country's GDP expanded by 3.2 percent year on year in the second quarter, reversing a 6.8-percent contraction in the previous quarter and becoming the first economy to see a recovery in growth after the COVID-19 outbreak.

While maintaining regular epidemic prevention and control measures, China has made decisions and arrangements to ensure stability in employment, financial operations, foreign trade, foreign investment, domestic investment, and expectations, and has managed to ensure job security, basic living needs, operations of market entities, food and energy security, stable industrial and supply chains, and the normal functioning of primary-level governments.

With the World Bank expecting the global economy to shrink by 5.2 percent this year, China's steady economic recovery has injected positive energy into the international community.

According to the latest World Economic Outlook update from the International Monetary Fund, China is the only major economy expected to achieve positive growth in 2020.

China always supports and adheres to multilateralism, and pursues development with the rest of the world in the spirit of openness and mutually-beneficial cooperation, Xi said at the opening ceremony of the fifth Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank via video link on July 28. This is the country's solemn commitment to the world as a responsible major power, providing stability to the global economy during a highly uncertain time.

China has also contributed to global efforts in fighting the pandemic. The country released the relevant information to the international community at the earliest possible time, and unreservedly shared its experience in containing the spread of the virus and treating the infected.

In a message of sympathy to French President Emmanuel Macron in March, President Xi proposed the building of a community of common health for mankind for the first time.

By the end of May, China had shipped medical supplies to nearly 150 countries and four international organizations, sent expert teams to 27 countries and held over 180 video conferences with health experts from more than 170 countries and international organizations.

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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump both spoke about the Jacob Blake police shooting and resulting protests on August 31, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis; REUTERS/Alan Freed; Insider

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and President Donald Trump painted two opposing perspectives on the issue of racial injustice in light of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

The president has largely praised law enforcement policing the ongoing protests sparked by Blake's shooting, condemned "rioters" and "looters," and sought to paint Biden as a proponent of the "radical left."

In a campaign speech in Pittsburgh on Monday, Biden said "Donald Trump adds fuel to every fire" because he overlooks that "there's a racial justice problem in America."

"You know me. You know my heart, and you know my story, my family's story," Biden said. "Ask yourself: Do I look to you like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?"

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that he will not meet with the family of Jacob Blake during his Tuesday visit to Wisconsin, where protests have erupted after a Kenosha police officer shot Blake last week.

Hours earlier, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden accused Trump of refusing to "even acknowledge" the issue of racial injustice in the US.

In a campaign speech in Pennsylvania, Biden countered the Trump campaign's attacks against him that people "won't be safe in Joe Biden's America," referencing violence that has emerged amid predominantly peaceful protests. Biden asked, "And what's their proof? The violence we're seeing in Donald Trump's America."

"He keeps telling us that if he was president, you'd feel safe. Well, he is president, whether he knows it or not," Biden said, adding, "Trump adds fuel to every fire because he refuses to even acknowledge that there's a racial justice problem in America because he won't stand up to any form of violence."

Story continues

Trump hasn't spoken with the Blake family. Biden and Harris did last week.

The president told reporters at the White House that he attempted to reach out to the Blake's family but "thought it would be best not to do anything where there are lawyers involved."

In a statement, Crump confirmed that Trump had reached out to arrange a phone call, but "he declined to have a call if Ms. Jackson's legal team monitored the call."

"The family's primary objectives are to support Jacob's recovery and to ensure justice for him," the statement read. "If the call had occurred, Ms. Jackson was prepared to ask President Trump to watch the video of Mr. Blake's shooting and to do what she has asked all of America to do  examine your heart."

Family of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot several times in the back by a police officer, arrive at a news conference outside the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 25, 2020. Reuters/Stephen Maturen

Jacob Blake's father told CNN on Friday that he spoke with Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris for an hour, describing the conversation as "so comforting."

"I appreciate everything that they've done and everything that they're doing, because they keep my son in mind, and President Biden kept telling me his own issues with his family that he identifies with what I'm going through," Blake Sr. said, referring to Biden as the president. "I didn't have to keep telling him, he knew it."

'Do I look to you like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?'

During his campaign speech on Monday, Biden recalled his conversations with the Blake family and the family of George Floyd, saying, "I know their pain. And so do you. I know the justice they seek and so do you."

"They've told us, 'None of this violence respects or honors George [Floyd] or Jacob,'" Biden said. "I believe we can bring these folks fighting for racial justice to the table."

Trump has consistently sought to lump Biden in with some violent agitators amid mostly peaceful protests against police brutality and racism in the US.

"For months, Joe Biden has given moral aid and comfort to the vandals repeating the monstrous lie that these were peaceful protests," Trump said at the White House on Monday. "They're not peaceful protests. That's anarchy. That's  you look at the agitators, you look at the looters, you look at the rioters  that's not a peaceful protest."

During his speech earlier on Monday, Biden again expressed his disdain for rioting and looting, saying "those who do it should be prosecuted."

"You know me. You know my heart, and you know my story, my family's story," Biden said. "Ask yourself: Do I look to you like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?"

Read the original article on Business Insider
As Murphy reacted to mass shooting after mass shooting in Washington, he learned not to blanch at the criticism that would come his way suggesting he was politicizing such tragedies. He was politicizing them, albeit in an effort to mobilize support for lifesaving public policies.

The mayhem on the streets of Charlottesville bruised the idealism of Signer, who had grand ambitions of remaking the normally tranquil college town into a capital of the resistance against the politics of President Trump. Signer was a novice politician, though one with a law degree and a Ph.D. in political science, when the alt-right targeted both him and the city he led. What he lacked in political smarts, he made up for in erudition.

His book is a defense of sorts against the criticism that he and others in the city mishandled the crisis. An independent investigation into what went wrong on the streets of Charlottesville found some of Signers actions lacking. And he came under blistering attack on social media, often in a threatening manner. One Facebook post accused the mayor of complicity with the racists: YOU HAVE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF THAT WOMAN.

That is absurd. But Signer comes off as ill prepared for the tragedy his city endured, so focused on the trees (like the time limit on speakers he strictly enforced in City Council meetings) that he became lost in the free speech forest.

Neither politician has a Twitter habit on the order of the man in the White House  who does?  but both learned the hard way the importance of thinking twice, three times even, before free-associating on social media and, cue the ominous music, pushing send.
Google is honoring Jackie Ormes, the late Black cartoonist and activist who challenged stereotypical portrayals of Black female characters, with her own Google Doodle on Tuesday.

Ormes, who was the first Black female newspaper cartoonist, is featured in a colorful tribute on Google's search website. Clicking on the interactive cartoon sends viewers to a comic strip slideshow celebrating Ormes' life and contributions.

"Across all of her work, Ormess heroines faced real-life issues like romantic heartbreak, environmental justice, and gender inequality, mirroring the issues Ormes encountered in her own life and those around her," Google said in a blog post. "Her characters were all independent women  confident, intelligent, attractive, and brave, who persevered against adversity to reach their next adventure."

Jackie Ormes, the first Black female newspaper cartoonist in the United States, is honored in the Google Doodle on Tuesday. (Google)

Google chose Sept. 1 to honor Ormes since her single-panel cartoon "Patty-Jo 'n' Ginger" debuted on this day in 1945 in the Pittsburgh Courier. The cartoon introduced "the world to the smart and fashionable Ginger and her precocious 6-year-old sister Patty-Jo," Google explained.

Ormes is widely regarded as the first and only Black female newspaper cartoonist of her time. Born Zelda Mavin Jackson on Aug. 1, 1911, in Pittsburgh, Ormes took a liking to art at an early age, the Google blog post noted. She taught herself to draw and published cartoons in her high school yearbook. After she graduated, she worked as a reporter and proofreader at the Pittsburgh Courier, a nationally circulated Black newspaper.

Her first comic strip, "Torchy Brown in 'Dixie to Harlem,'" was published in 1937. It focused on the struggles Black people faced leaving the South to find new opportunities. The cartoon launched her remarkable career and left a lasting legacy that endures to this day.

Google put it best, writing, "Thank you, Jackie Ormes, for helping to strip away negative stereotypes one panel at a time."
Paul Rusesabagina, whose story of heroism during the 1994 Rwandan genocide was made into the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda  and who has lived off and on in San Antonio for a decade  was arrested Monday by Rwandan authorities on charges of terrorism.

His family and supporters say they have been unable to contact him and that they fear for his safety.

In 1994, Rusesabagina, an ethnic Hutu and manager of a hotel in Kigali, the capital, helped shelter more than 1,200 people fleeing the violence that eventually killed as many as 1 million ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 by George W. Bush.

Rusesabagina and his family have had a home in San Antonio since 2009. He had been in Dubai and was flying to Europe or back to the U.S. when he was arrested, his daughter Anaise Kanimba said, but the family has no idea how or by whom.

A video posted on YouTube on Monday shows Rusesabagina in handcuffs standing in front of a Rwanda Investigation Bureau banner, and the bureau said in a statement posted on Twitter on Monday that Rusesabagina was arrested and is in the custody of RIB, detained at Remera Police Station in Kigali.

He has been charged with being the founder, leader, sponsor and member of violent, armed, extremist terror outfits, the statement said, groups that include the Rwanda Movement for Democratic Change and the Party for Democracy in Rwanda. Both organizations oppose the government of Paul Kagame, who has run the central African country since 2000.

Shaminder Dulai /San Antonio Express-News

Rusesabagina has been a longtime critic of Kagame, who, while ushering in a period of progress and stability in the country, also has been charged by human rights groups with torturing and assassinating opponents, according to the New York Times.

We dont have a lot of information, said Kanimba, who lives in Washington, D.C., where she works in international development as a global health expert. We havent talked to him or had any contact with him since last Thursday. He doesnt have any lawyers, and theres no one in Rwanda who can help him. Were very scared for him.

She said her father, 66, suffers from hypertension, has a heart condition and had a bout with colon cancer about 10 years ago.

If the situation wasnt so serious, Id laugh at those (terrorism) charges, said Kathleen Tobin Krueger, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Bob Krueger, D-Texas, who served as U.S. ambassador to Burundi in the 1990s. We want President Kagame to know that the world is watching. And that this was a kidnapping of a global hero, not the arrest of a terrorist.

The Kruegers are longtime friends of Rusesabagina and his wife Taciana. Kathleen Krueger said she has been in touch with the State Departments Bureau of African Affairs and has spoken to former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings in hopes of contacting former President Bush.

She said shes also arranged for security for Rusesabagina family members, including his wife, who has been stranded in Europe because of the coronavirus pandemic. Paul Rusesabinga has six adult children  two in Europe and four in the U.S.

We believe he was kidnapped and taken by extraordinary rendition to Rwanda, said Kitty Kurth, a spokeswoman for the Chicago-based Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, the Times reported. He is a regular critic of human rights violations in Rwanda, and the Rwandan government regularly brings false charges against all critics in order to try to silence them.

On ExpressNews.com: African hero, now living in S.A., will run for Rwanda presidency

Courtesy Kathleen Tobin Krueger /

Rusesabaginas family and supporters spent all day Monday contacting U.S. and European officials, including the State Department, as well as human rights organizations, journalists and others.

Kanimba said the family has not heard back from the State Department but that theyve been told someone there is working on the case.

The Rusesabaginas bought a home in San Antonio because they thought it would be safer and to be closer to the Kruegers, she said. The couple also maintain a home in Belgium.

The two couples met in the mid-2000s and have become such good friends that Taciana Rusesabagina asked Kathleen Krueger to be her new godmother, to serve in place of her first godmother, who was killed in the genocide.

More for you African hero, now living in S.A., will run for Rwanda presidency

Shes my age and we laugh about that, and she calls me Marraine, which means godmother in French, Krueger said.

Richard A. Marini is a features writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Richard A., become a subscriber. rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 08: An attendee walks by the Kodak booth at CES 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 11 and features about 4,500 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 180,000 attendees. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

Eastman Kodak's recent roller-coaster ride continued on Tuesday with shares jumping as much as 65% on the back of D.E. Shaw establishing a position in the company.

A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday night showed that the hedge fund has a 5.2% passive stake in Kodak. However, D.E. Shaw is a quantitative trading firm meaning the stocks they buy and sell are not necessarily aligned with the company's long-term view of a particular stock. In other words, their new position could simply be a short-term trading bet.

During early trading Kodak jumped 65% to hit a session high of $9.87. But the stock retreated from that level throughout the day and wound up closing at $7.30 for a gain of 22.07%.

Shares of Kodak have been highly volatile over the last month  rising dramatically after the Trump administration said it would loan the company $765 million to pivot into drug production, and then cratering after the loan was sidelined following regulatory and congressional scrutiny. Prior to the announcement shares traded around $2.10. Just three days later, they touched $60. Since then they've moved steadily lower, and on Monday closed at $5.98.

The $765 million lifeline for the onetime photography pioneer was officially announced on Tuesday, July 28. But the stock jumped more than 20% the prior day on heavy trading volume, leading some on the Street to question how the letter of interest between Kodak and the DFC was disclosed. Additionally, securities filings show that company executives were granted stock options prior to the announcement when discussions were already underway.

Kodak is now under investigation by the SEC, and the DFC said in August that the "recent allegations of wrongdoing raise serious concerns." The governmental agency said it would "not proceed any further unless these allegations are cleared."

Senator Elizabeth Warren has called for an investigation into why the loan was granted to Kodak in the first place.

"The fiasco surrounding the decision to offer, then revoke, the Kodak loan also raises larger questions about corruption, nepotism, and mismanagement in the Trump Administration's response to COVID-19," Warren wrote to Michael Horowitz, acting chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee on August 20.

"It is not at all clear why President Trump, in his Executive Order, chose to give the DFC ... this new loan authority  but the mismanagement of the Kodak loan raises new concerns that it may be fundamentally unsuited to the task," it added.

The democratic senator from Massachusetts previously called for an insider trading investigation. "There were several instances of unusual trading activity prior to the announcement, raising questions about whether one or more individuals may have engaged in insider trading or in the unauthorized disclosure of material, nonpublic information regarding the forthcoming $765 million loan awarded under the Defense Production Act," she wrote in an open letter dated Aug. 3.

Condemnation of the dubious trading and executive purchases isn't confined to Democrats. White House trade advisor Peter Navarro blasted Kodak executives on for their handling of the loan announcement.

"Based on what I'm seeing, what happened at Kodak was probably the dumbest decisions made by executives in corporate history," Navarro said Aug. 17 on CNBC's "Squawk Box."

During the company's second quarter earnings call Kodak executives reiterated that the deal was a letter of interest, meaning it had not been finalized. Executive Chairman Jim Continenza said that the deal needed more work.

In August Kodak announced an internal investigation.

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"Integrity has always been an important mission for law enforcement, but it matters today more than ever. Specifically, agencies need a way to thoroughly and transparently document, review and investigate use of force incidents that protects the concerns of citizens, officers and the entire agency. The robust workflow included in our professional standards software does just that," said Randy Gluck, business development manager, CrimeCenter Software.

CrimeCenter professional standards software is one of five other solutions that make up the CrimeCenter platform. From incident reporting to mission support, CrimeCenter modernizes every phase of police operations and investigations. Certified agencies can sign up for the platform at three different levels, with straightforward pricing and no hardware or implementation costs:

Free: Include the community in the public safety conversation with a Citizen Interaction website.

Include the community in the public safety conversation with a Citizen Interaction website. Basic : Allow field support users to intake investigation and reporting information.

: Allow field support users to intake investigation and reporting information. Advanced: Upgrade for full oversight of incidents and complete case management for supervisors and investigators  including solutions for investigations, intelligence and, most recently, integrity.

"Police have to manage much more than just incident reports and case files," said Gluck. "Personnel, equipment, evidence and professional standards are equally important to support the overall mission. CrimeCenter was built to modernize these functions and replace legacy paper-based systems across the board."

CrimeCenter's Azure government cloud-hosted tools can be accessed 24/7 from any authorized device. The platform allows for unlimited configurations, data protection and user security clearances to prevent unauthorized personnel from viewing confidential information or accessing functions that they do not require.



Learn more by exploring CrimeCenter's brand new website, crimecenter.com.

About CrimeCenter Software

CrimeCenter Software is the leading provider of cloud-based software for police departments and law enforcement agencies. Built by law enforcement experts, the platform helps agencies modernize every phase of police operations and investigations with easy-to-use, CJIS-compliant software tools. Unlike legacy systems, CrimeCenter is accessible 24/7 from any authorized mobile or desktop device and can integrate with third-party law enforcement applications through open API architecture. Headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, CrimeCenter Software is strategically located just west of New York City.

To learn more, visit crimecenter.com or follow @crimecenter on Twitter , LinkedIn , Facebook and YouTube .

Contact: Claire Herndon, (908) 334-6410, [email protected]

SOURCE CrimeCenter Software

Related Links

https://crimecenter.com


Course credit loss can hinder success among transfer students by increasing the time to degree and the costs of completing a degree, so having access to tools for unifying the transfer experience and preserving credits is critical - NEBHE President and CEO Michael K. Thomas

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) and CollegeSource today announced a partnership to give area institutions and students increased access to CollegeSources industry-leading transfer solutions  TES and Transferology. Established as part of NEBHEs Cost Savings Programs, the new partnership enables efficient student transfer, mitigates course credit loss and increases overall transparency across the full transfer process for all education institutions in New England.

Today, more than one third of students  or approximately 1.38 million  transfer on their path to degree achievement; however, a significant number of credits are often lost in the transfer process. A 2017 national report from the U.S. General Accounting Office found that transfer students to four-year institutions lost an average of 43% of their credits while community college transfers to four-year institutions lost 26 percent of their credits.

One of the effects of the pandemic will be a dramatic increase in student transfer rates over the next few years. Course credit loss can hinder success among transfer students by increasing the time to degree and the costs of completing a degree, so having access to tools for unifying the transfer experience and preserving credits is critical, said NEBHE President and CEO Michael K. Thomas. TES and Transferology are valuable transfer navigation tools for our higher education institutions and students alike.

TES and Transferology are also complementary tools for institutions participating in NEBHEs grant-funded initiative, the New England Independent College Transfer Guarantee (the Guarantee). The Guarantee is developing systematic pathways from community colleges into independent institutions in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for students who hold associate degrees. Both TES and Transferology are beneficial for participating institutions and increase access to transfer information, strengthen efficacy of transcript evaluation and streamline the transfer process. This new partnership supports NEBHEs goal to increase higher education access, opportunity and degree attainment irrespective of a student's, socioeconomic status, race or zip code and buttresses other transfer initiatives currently underway.

Now more than ever, institutions, students and parents need the right technology at their fingertips to make informed decisions about their degree path and enable mobility between institutions, said Troy Holaday, president, CollegeSource. We are proud to join forces with NEBHE to offer New Englands institutions and students easier access to solutions that support transfer and degree achievement.

An all-in-one institution-facing solution, TES enables researching transfer credit, tracking evaluations and managing equivalencies for registrars, enrollment managers and transfer coordinators. Using TES, staff are able to quickly locate course descriptions, route and track the evaluation process, store, manage, group and publicize the resulting equivalencies, and employ powerful algorithms to generate lists of equivalencies between institutions.

Transferology  the only nationwide open transfer network with comprehensive transfer data  is a cloud-based solution that provides student access to millions of course-to-course and program-to-program transfer equivalencies. This information helps college advisors, students and parents in making informed decisions when transferring higher education credit.

Both TES and Transferology can be fully integrated to allow credit evaluators to make decisions based on real student usage data, thus creating a seamless and holistic transfer solution.

For more on NEBHEs Cost Savings Programs, visit here.

About NEBHE

Founded in 1955 by six visionary New England governors, NEBHE brings together leaders of education, higher education, government, business and labor to forge partnerships and advance ideas that enhance the economy and quality of life in the six-state region and around the world. NEBHE works to increase the education opportunities for New England residents and to promote collaboration among the region's colleges and universities to expand access, success, affordability and the economic impact of higher education.

About CollegeSource

CollegeSource is the higher education industrys trusted SaaS provider of transfer and degree achievement solutions. For nearly 50 years, CollegeSource has led market-changing transformation by re-investing in its solutions to aid university and college registrar, advising, and admissions staff as well as students in their quest to plan and complete their academic careers. As the archiver of the nations extensive higher education course catalogs, CollegeSources degree audit, academic planning, and transfer credit evaluation and articulation solutions are depended on by more than 2,000 institutions globally and millions of individuals worldwide. Founded and led by higher education and technology veterans, CollegeSource is a privately-held company based in San Diego with offices in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, please visit collegesource.com.

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China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has already surpassed the U.S. in missile development and its number of warships and air defense systems under the Chinese Communist Party's plan to achieve dominance by 2049, the Defense Department said in a sobering report Tuesday.

The ultimate goal of the People's Republic of China, or PRC, is to "develop a military by mid-Century that is equal to -- or in some cases superior to -- the U.S. military, or that of any other great power that the PRC views as a threat," the DoD's annual report to Congress said.

Read Next: Here's the Marine Corps' Plan to End Gender Segregation at Boot Camp

To that end, the PRC has "marshalled the resources, technology, and political will over the past two decades to strengthen and modernize the PLA in nearly every respect," the report said.

Under the national strategy pressed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the result has been that "China is already ahead of the United States in certain areas" essential to its overall aim of progressing from homeland and periphery defense to global power projection, the report said.

"The PRC has the largest navy in the world, with an overall battle force of approximately 350 ships and submarines, including over 130 major surface combatants," the report said.

That's compared to the U.S. Navy's current battle force of 295 ships.

In addition, "the PRC has more than 1,250 ground-launched ballistic missiles (GLBMs) and ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers," while the U.S. currently fields one type of conventional GLBM with a range of 70 to 300 kilometers and no GLCMs, the report said.

In some respects, China is also ahead on integrated air defense systems with a mix of Russian-built and homegrown systems, the report said.

"The PRC has one of the world's largest forces of advanced long-range surface-to-air systems" -- including Russian-built S-400, S-300, and domestically-produced anti-air systems -- making up "part of its robust and redundant integrated air defense system," the report said.

Despite the advances, the PLA "remains in a position of inferiority" to the U.S. in overall military strength, said Chad Sbragia, the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for China.

The 173-page DoD report "does not claim that China's military is 10 feet tall," but the Chinese Communist Party wants it to be, and has the plan and resources to reach that goal, Sbragia, a retired Marine officer, said at an American Enterprise Institute forum on China's military.

At an earlier Pentagon briefing on the report, Sbragia said Beijing's military strategy was driven by the view that the U.S. has decided upon a long period of confrontation to counter the global spread of China's influence.

He said that China "increasingly views the United States as more willing to confront Beijing on matters where the U.S. and PRC interests are inimical."

"The CCP leaders view the United States' security alliances and partnerships -- especially those in the Indo-Pacific region -- as destabilizing and irreconcilable with China's interests," Sbragia said.

The DoD report, titled "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China" comes about two weeks before Congress is set to return from recess to convene a Senate-House Conference Committee on the National Defense Authorization Act and the defense budget for Fiscal Year 2021.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper has acknowledged downward pressures on the defense budget to offset the enormous costs of the COVID-19 response while arguing for sustained increases of 3-5% in defense spending in future years to maintain U.S. superiority and readiness.

The 20th annual report on China by DoD noted the "staggering" improvements in China's ability to build, coordinate and project power since the first report was issued.

"DoD's first annual report to Congress in 2000 assessed the PRC's armed forces at that time to be a sizable but mostly archaic military that was poorly suited to the CCP's long-term ambitions," the report said.

In 2000, "the PLA lacked the capabilities, organization, and readiness for modern warfare," the report said. But the CCP, it added, recognized the shortcomings and set about with determination to "strengthen and transform its armed forces in a manner commensurate with its aspirations to strengthen and transform China."

"More striking than the PLA's staggering amounts of new military hardware are the recent sweeping efforts taken by CCP leaders that include completely restructuring the PLA into a force better suited for joint operations" and for "expanding the PRC's overseas military footprint."

The PLA has already established its first overseas military base in Djibouti, about a mile from U.S. Africa Command's main base on the Horn of Africa.

In its commentary on the DoD assessment, the American Enterprise Institute noted that the report also stressed that "The PRC has likely considered locations for PLA military logistics facilities in Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Angola, and Tajikistan."

Despite the progress made by China's military over the past two decades, "major gaps and shortcomings remain" in readiness and operational capability, the report said, but China's leaders are acutely aware of the problems and have detailed plans to overcome them.

"Of course, the CCP does not intend for the PLA to be merely a showpiece of China's modernity or to keep it focused solely on regional threats," the report said.

"As this report shows, the CCP desires the PLA to become a practical instrument of its statecraft with an active role in advancing the PRC's foreign policy, particularly with respect to the PRC's increasingly global interests and its aims to revise aspects of the international order," it added.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Related: Russian and Chinese Military Harassment Is Increasing. Should the US Be Worried?
RUbble Biodiversity Samplers (RUBS) deployed in dead rubble habitat on a coral reef in Palau to attract the great diversity of cryptic animals. Credit: University of Queensland

"Dead" coral rubble can support more animals than live coral, according to University of Queensland researchers trialing a high-tech sampling method.

UQ's Dr. Kenny Wolfe said that reef rubble habitat was often overlooked as desolate, unattractive and 'dead', however reef rubble was very much alive.

"When people think of coral reefs they often think of larger invertebrates that are easily found, such as sea cucumbers, starfish and giant clams," Dr. Wolfe said.

"But interestingly, dead coral rubble supports more of what we call 'cryptic' animals than live coral. Cryptic animals are simply hidden creatures, that include tiny crabs, fishes, snails and wormsall of which hide in the nooks and crannies of the reef to avoid predation. And just like on land with small insects and bugs, biodiversity in the sea can be dominated by these tiny invertebrates."

As these creatures try to remain hidden, finding and surveying them requires particular care and attention.

Dr. Wolfe teamed up with UQ Innovate to design 3-D-printed coral stacks called RUBS (RUbble Biodiversity Samplers), to survey cryptic animals on coral reefs.

The 3-D-printed "coral" mimics the surrounding reef rubble, seamlessly inviting hidden reef organisms to be unknowingly monitored.

"Every piece of coral or rubble is different," Dr. Wolfe said.

"RUBS provide a uniform method to survey the hidden majority on coral reefs. By sampling the RUBS' structures over time, the team were able to identify changes in the cryptic population, adding pieces to the puzzle and filling in the unknowns of coral reef food webs. This data fills important knowledge gaps, such as how small cryptic animals support coral reefs from the bottom of the food chain, all the way up to bigger predators."

Dr. Wolfe believes that the new technique is another step in better understanding our precious reefswhether considered "alive" or "dead."

"We're really pulling back the curtain on just how alive these 'degraded' reefs are," he said.

"These are important habitats, which support coral reef biodiversity and important food webs. This new technology is a new opportunity for reef management, particularly for reef education and awareness. We're excited to learn about and celebrate the diversity of life in this misunderstood habitat."

Explore further Big vegetarians of the reef drive fish evolution

More information: Kennedy Wolfe et al. RUbble Biodiversity Samplers: 3-Dprinted coral models to standardize biodiversity censuses, Methods in Ecology and Evolution (2020). Journal information: Methods in Ecology and Evolution Kennedy Wolfe et al. RUbble Biodiversity Samplers: 3-Dprinted coral models to standardize biodiversity censuses,(2020). DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13462
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, left, and President Moon Jae-in shake hands after signing a Joint Declaration on Special Partnership between the two countries during Moon's state visit to Uzbekistan in April 2019. / Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan



Address of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Korea Vitaliy Fen to the readers of The Korea Times on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of Uzbekistan's Independence and the 28th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea.

It is my great pleasure to address dear readers of The Korea Times on the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the 28th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Korea.

Over the past three and a half years, under the leadership of the distinguished President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan has clearly seen a steady pace of development in all areas. An effective multilateral foreign policy has become an important factor in increasing export potential and expanding economic opportunities of Uzbekistan.





Uzbek Ambassador to Korea Vitaliy Fen

The ideas and initiatives advanced by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Action Strategy defined for 2017-2021 open up wide opportunities for deepening socio-economic reforms, further strengthening trade, economic and investment ties with other states.

As it was emphasized by the Esteemed President Shavkat Mirziyoyev the underlying idea of progressive reforms which are carried out in Uzbekistan is not people to serve the state bodies, but state bodies to serve the people. In fact, this idea is very similar to the Korean main concept, which defines the people as the true head of state.

The foundation for the development of bilateral relations between our states was laid on Dec. 30, 1991, when the Republic of Korea was among the first countries to recognize the Independence of Uzbekistan. Diplomatic relations were established on Jan. 29, 1992. Since that moment, an active political dialogue has been conducted between the two states, as evidenced by the 16 high-level meetings held over this 28-year period.

Regular dialogue between the leaders of the two countries, which has become one of the distinctive features of Uzbek-Korean relations, plays a key role in the consistent advancement and deepening of bilateral cooperation.

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in, made his first state visit to this country in Nov. 22-24, 2017.

The historic state visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Republic of Korea was comprehensively fruitful and identified new prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

Special emphasis should be given to the reciprocal visit of President Moon Jae-in to Uzbekistan on April 18-21, 2019, which can rightly be called as historical and unique in spirit. All this is confirmed by signing the Joint Declaration on a special strategic partnership between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Korea.

As a result of the business forum with the participation of the two presidents, investment agreements amounting to $12 billion were signed. In general, the visit was assessed by both sides as a visit at the highest level.

During President Moon Jae-in's stay in Uzbekistan on April 20, the opening ceremony of the House of Korean Culture and Art was held with the participation of the two leaders together with their spouses. President Moon Jae-in said that "This center of friendship, peace and harmony will become a common home for the Korean diaspora in Uzbekistan, Korean expats working here and all Uzbek people. The House will connect our brotherly nations and countries that have a lot in common."

Among the main goals of the construction of the House is to create favorable conditions for the preservation of the cultural heritage, traditions and art of the Korean diaspora in Uzbekistan, as well as to familiarize representatives of other nations and people of Uzbekistan with them.

The colorful concert program held at the Palace of International Forums in Tashkent in honor of the distinguished guest with the participation of domestic artists, members of centers of Korean culture and creative teams from South Korea became another embodiment of friendship and cultural cooperation between our countries.

This year, the main event in bilateral relations was the telephone conversation on April 13 between the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in.

During the telephone talk, the Heads of State in a traditionally friendly and warm atmosphere thoroughly discussed current issues of further strengthening bilateral relations of special strategic partnership and expanding multifaceted cooperation, primarily in the fields of trade and economy, and exchanged views on some problems of the regional and international agenda.

Special attention was given to the continuation of interaction and joint efforts in the fight against the spread of coronavirus infection.

The leader of Uzbekistan sincerely thanked President Moon Jae-in for the practical assistance provided in countering the pandemic. Since the end of March of this year for about two months in our country, Korean professors  epidemiology specialist Choi Jae-wook and anesthesiologist-resuscitator Yoon Seung-zhoo  have been actively working and sharing their skills. In accordance with the Decree of the President of Uzbekistan, "On rewarding citizens of foreign states and compatriots living abroad in connection with the 29th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan," Choi Jae-wook was awarded with the Salomatlik Order of the First Degree.

The leaders of Uzbekistan and South Korea firmly emphasized their commitment to expand practical cooperation and effective implementation of the best practices of Korean medicine in our country, including in organizing quarantine measures, diagnosing and treating diseases, conducting rehabilitation programs, and improving the qualifications of medical personnel. An agreement was reached on close coordination of actions and operational interaction between the ministries of health and leading medical centers of the two countries.

This year, projects for the establishment of a Children's Multidisciplinary Medical Center in Tashkent and the Uzbek-Korean International University in Fergana have been successfully implemented, creating about 1,000 new jobs.

The construction of the Innovative Scientific and Production Pharmaceutical Cluster in the Zangiata district of the Tashkent region, which was kicked off by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on April 17 of this year, is under full progress. The project also entails the creation of a Pharmaceutical Technical University, as well as a modern production of medicines.

On Sept. 24, 2019, the grand opening ceremony of the Textile Training and Research Technopark took place in Tashkent on the territory of the Tashkent Institute of the Textile and Light Industry. The project is implemented by the Uztekstilprom Association together with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Korea.

Such fields as innovation and ICT, mechanical engineering, chemical, pharmaceutical, light, electrical and jewelry industries, agriculture, education and healthcare were identified as promising spheres.

Within the framework of financial and technical assistance programs through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Economic Development Fund, 17 projects worth over $750 million are being implemented, including the construction of a Center for Chemical Technologies, a medical clinic for adults, equipping medical institutions and educational institutions of Uzbekistan.





Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov discusses the status quo of bilateral economic cooperation with Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki at the Seoul Government Complex in Seoul, July 6. / Courtesy of Embassy of Uzbekistan

As part of the practical implementation of the agreements reached at the highest level during July 6-8 of this year and with the purpose of successful preparation for the upcoming event at the highest level, a delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade H.E. Sardor Umurzakov paid a visit to Seoul and held meetings with government officials and seniors of leading companies of the Republic of Korea.

It is noteworthy that the first foreign delegation that the Republic of Korea has received since the start of the coronavirus pandemic was a delegation from the Republic of Uzbekistan. This once again confirms the special level of strategic partnership relations and the desire of the two countries to further strengthen them.

During the visit, meetings were held with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha, Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy Sung Yun-mo, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Sang-hee, Eximbank Chairman Bang Mun-kyu, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) President Lee Mi-kyung and heads of leading companies in Korea.

During the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Korea Hong Nam-ki, the current economic cooperation between the two countries, including 90 new joint investment projects, were analyzed and further tasks to expand bilateral cooperation were identified.

During the dialogue, the special strategic nature of relations between Korea and Uzbekistan was repeatedly emphasized, and it was also noted that the common priority of the parties is the complete, high-quality and timely implementation of the agreements reached during mutual visits at the highest level.

Special gratitude was expressed for the decision of the Government of Korea to provide grant support for the implementation of the "COVID-19 Emergency Response Program" in Uzbekistan, amounting to $5 million, which entails the provision of technical assistance in the areas of healthcare and social support of the most vulnerable segments of the population.

Uzbekistan's firm intentions were announced to support the New Northern Policy pursued by the President of Korea and provide comprehensive assistance in the implementation of promising projects within the framework of this initiative.

On a mutual basis, the initiative was supported to develop, together with the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Korea, a new three-year program of financial and technical cooperation between Uzbekistan and Korea for 2021-2023 with an increase in its budget to $1 billion.

Moreover, Korean side declared its readiness to support the implementation of new projects jointly with Eximbank Korea and the Economic Development and Cooperation Fund (EDCF) by accelerating the relevant procedures and processes, as well as promoting a number of new projects planned for implementation with the participation of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The tangible support of the Korean side in matters of bilateral cooperation in the framework of accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) was highlighted, in particular, due to the practical assistance of the Chairman of the Working Group on Uzbekistan's WTO Accession  Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Korea in Geneva, as well as close cooperation with the Korean Institute for International Economic Policy regarding research on the impact of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO. It is noted that the entry of Uzbekistan into the Organization and its integration into the multilateral global trading system will open up new opportunities for further increases in the volume of mutual trade.

In addition, it was announced that the Government of Korea is ready to fully support the measures taken in Uzbekistan to reduce the negative consequences of the Aral Sea ecological disaster, in connection with which the issue of allocating funding to support the activities of the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security in the Aral Sea region will be considered.

As a result of the meetings and negotiations, the parties reached an agreement on all issues on the agenda.

Interparliamentary cooperation plays an important role, which helps to raise the relations between our countries to an even higher level. The first foreign visit of the parliamentary delegation led by Tanzila Narbaeva, Chairwoman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in August 2019, is an example of this.

Further strengthening of cooperation between the two countries is facilitated by consistently developing cultural and humanitarian ties, especially in the areas of education, medicine, tourism and sports.

The Seoul Park in Tashkent, effectively functioning since 2014, the Korean House of Culture and Arts, which was built in Tashkent with the support of the Government of the Republic of Korea, as well as the renaming of one of the streets in Tashkent in honor of Seoul are vivid examples of cooperation in this field, as a symbol of special relations between the two countries.

The Korean diaspora in Uzbekistan, one of the largest in the world, plays an important role in strengthening friendly relations between our two countries. In 2017 the Korean diaspora celebrated the 80th anniversary of their residing on the hospitable Uzbek land that became their second motherland.

Relations are developing dynamically in the sphere of education. The universities of our country are cooperating with more than 30 scientific research institutions of South Korea. Centers of Korean language and culture are opened in a number of educational institutions. Additionally, the Korean language is taught at the Uzbek State University of World Languages, the Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies and the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages. Successful activity of Inha University in Tashkent since 2014 is an eloquent example of the prospects of partnership in the field of education. At present, Uzbekistan has branches of six Korean universities that train highly qualified specialists in the field of information technology, engineering, medicine and logistics at the level of international standards.

Within the framework of establishing close ties at the municipal level, the relationships between Tashkent and Seoul, Fergana and Incheon, Samarkand and Gyeongju, Yangiyul and Yangsan as well as many other cities are becoming stronger day by day.

All-in-all, over the past 28 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Tashkent and Seoul have forged a genuine strategic partnership and currently are closely cooperating with each other in further advancing multifaceted cooperation in various fields and strengthening mutually beneficial bilateral relations that serve the interest of the two countries and their nations.

In conclusion, taking this opportunity, I would like to wish to the esteemed readers of this reputed newspaper every success in all their endeavors, longevity and well-being.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 22:51:41|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Suspected members of terror group Boko Haram killed five civilians and injured several others on Monday night in raids on the remote localities of Kouyape and Talakachi of Cameroon's Far North region, according to local authorities.

In Talakachi, one person was killed and three others injured after the militants attacked the house of a respected community figure, officials said.

In Kouyape, the militants raided a camp for internally displaced persons (IDP) who were asleep, killing four people and wounding several others, according to several security sources, who said the attackers probably used an improvised explosive device on the IDPs.

The attack on the IDPs was the second of its kind in about a month in the volatile region.

In early August, at least 18 IDPs were killed when assailants threw an explosive device, thought to be a grenade, on a site hosting about 800 IDPs near the village of Nguetchewe, in the region, according to Cameroon army. Enditem
Self-styled godman Asaram, sentenced to life in prison for raping a teenager, bragged about his political connections while being taken into custody and told an officer he would receive orders from his superiors to not carry out the arrest, says an IPS officer who led the investigation.

The 79-year-old was arrested in August 2013 and convicted almost five years later in April 2018 on charges of raping a teen student of his ashram. Taking Asaram Bapu into custody was a challenging task and the toughest part of the entire course of the case. Despite all odds, it was done," Ajay Pal Lamba, who was posted as Deputy Commissioner of Police-West in Jodhpur in 2013, told PTI.

Lamba has penned his experience of the case in a book titled Gunning for the GODMAN - The true story behind Asaram Bapus conviction, recalling the hardship and challenges he and his team faced during the investigation and the trial. The book, co-authored by Sanjeev Mathur and published by HarperCollins Publishers, will be released virtually on September 5. Lamba said he, his team members, witnesses and even lawyers received threats during the investigation and trial.

Asaram was arrested by a team from the Jodhpur police from his ashram in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on August 31, 2013 and taken to Jodhpur via Delhi by air.

According to Lamba, it was while the team was talking to Asaram in his ashram before his arrest that he boasted about his political connections and told a police officer, Soon you will receive orders from your superiors that you cannot arrest me."

However, Asaram panicked when the officer switched off his mobile phone in front of him, Lamba, a 2005-batch IPS office presently posted as Additional Commissioner of Police in Jaipur, recounted.

Two members of the investigation team were deputed to stay at the ashram as Asarams followers to collect evidence.

It was discovered that he had some kind of sex addiction and demanded a new nubile girl every night," Lamba writes in the book, referring to the claim of some individuals associated with Asaram. The girls were made to believe by Asarams aides that they were sick and must surrender" to him if they wanted to be cured, he said.

It is claimed that members of Asarams ashram management, especially the matron of the Chhindwara ashram, Shilpi, were always on the lookout for underage and attractive girls studying or staying at the ashram who could be brainwashed into believing that the accused was god incarnate and that they were his chosen ones".

The girls were made to feel inadequate or sick, and convinced that their cure lay with Baba Asaram. They were told that they must surrender to him totally if they wanted to be remedied of their ills," Lamba said.

He said the young girls, usually from poor families, were either paid off" later or threatened with dire consequences if they say a word about their ordeal.

There was parental pressure too. They were, therefore, not in favour of taking any legal action against the accused," he said in the book.

Lamba narrated in detail his experience of questioning Asaram when he was brought to Jodhpur and lodged in a police guest house."

Baba, tu yeh bata ki yeh sab kya kar dala tune. Jaldi bata. I asked him in a gruff voice, with contempt in my eyes. (Baba, you tell me why you did all this. Tell me quickly) What he said in response astounded me. Galti kar di, galti kar di maine (I committed a mistake, I committed a mistake)."

That was exactly where I wanted him. My plan had succeeded. I knew that it would now be easy to make him confess to his crime and to corroborate the allegations against him," the officer said in the book.

Lamba said he meticulously selected every single member in his team, those with expertise in areas such as forensic science, legal matters and interrogation. They comprised both young and experienced officers with high integrity and reliability to be able to take the case to a logical conclusion.

He claimed that Gujarat police, which was investigating the case against Asarams son Narayan Sai, had revealed that an accused in that case planned to kill woman officer Chanchal by blowing up her vehicle with an IED.

In the wake of such disclosures, Chanchal had to be provided additional armed guards round the clock even when she was later transferred to Bhilwara district, he said.

The officer told PTI that he held regular media briefings to make sure that no speculative news was generated. This proved to be a crucial factor, particularly during his arrest.

I decided to write the book to give a first-hand account of the investigation and the challenges in the high-profile case. It tells about the importance of planning, teamwork, leadership qualities which are essential to execute a task," he said.

Asaram was sentenced to life in jail till natural death by a Jodhpur court on April 25, 2018. The court awarded 20 years imprisonment to two co-accused, including Chhindwara ashram matron Shilpi, and acquitted two others, Shiva and Prakash.

The teenaged victim from Shahajahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, who was studying at Asaram ashram, had accused him of raping her on the night of August 15, 2013. An FIR was lodged with a police station in Delhi and was transferred to Jodhpur for investigation.
With only a week left before the start of classes, Manitoba has amended its policy on mask use on school buses, now mandating even the youngest students wear face coverings to minimize spread of the novel coronavirus.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 1/9/2020 (506 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With only a week left before the start of classes, Manitoba has amended its policy on mask use on school buses, now mandating even the youngest students wear face coverings to minimize spread of the novel coronavirus.

School divisions learned of the directive Tuesday, and immediately began the process of informing affected families.

The government announced the decision, without elaboration, in its daily COVID-19 bulletin. Officials will have more to say on the issue Wednesday, a provincial spokeswoman said.

Until now, health officials required students in Grade 4 and up wear masks while riding school buses. Younger children had been exempt.

Alan Campbell, president of the Manitoba School Boards Association, said school divisions weren't totally caught off-guard, as a shift to mask-wearing for kindergarten students and older had been "on the table."

"Everyone has been fully aware throughout this process  especially when it comes to things like mask-wearing and who's going to wear masks and when they're going to wear them  that public health is going to shift that guidance as required," he said.

School divisions have been acquiring medical and non-medical masks on their own, as well as through the provincial government for weeks.

Students in Montreal wear masks on the school bus on Monday. (Paul Chiasson / The Canadian Press)

"This (the new policy) will certainly require an adjustment in ordering, and an adjustment in forecasting the replenishment of stock," Campbell said.

Having younger children wear masks on school buses isn't an issue for Winnipeg School Division, spokeswoman Radean Carter said.

"It's just an added layer of protection on the buses," she said Tuesday. "It might make it a little bit easier for where you can't physical distance as far as you would normally want to."

Between 1,900 and 2,000 students normally ride the school bus in the province's largest school division in a normal year. This year, with physical-distancing requirements, it appears the WSD will only be able to transport about 750 students, including those requiring wheelchair access, which will be given priority.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Manitoba  which represents approximately 5,500 support workers, including bus drivers  applauded the wider mask mandate. However, president Abe Araya questions why masks are not also being required in schools for all younger students.

The union penned a letter to the Manitoba education minister last week, with a list of recommendations to ensure staff return to safe workplaces.

Among their asks: staffing buses with at least one adult who can monitor mask and physical-distancing compliance; clear directions on protocol when a student exhibits COVID-19 symptoms before boarding a bus; and ensuring there are enough school buses and bus drivers where needed.

Also in favour of universal masks on school transportation is the union that represents nearly 100 bus drivers in the Winnipeg School Division.

Manitoba has amended its policy, mandating even the youngest students wear face coverings to minimize spread of the coronavirus. (Paul Chiasson / The Canadian Press)

"While we believe that mandatory masks for students of all ages is the right move, this wont matter in the (WSD)... if bus drivers dont get a fair deal before the Sept. 8 strike deadline," Jeff Traeger, president of UFCW Local 832, said in a statement.

Traeger said bus drivers are meeting Wednesday to discuss the looming strike deadline.

Tuesday's announcement was welcome among members of the Safe September MB campaign, a non-partisan collective of parents, teachers and community members pushing the province to create a remote learning option for all students this fall.

"Were pleased with this decision, but we know physical distancing is the best way to keep our students safe," said Lauren Hope, a Winnipeg mother, high school teacher and organizer with the collective.

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Hope said parents want to see the province delay the start of the school year and both update and provide clearer instructions about remote learning so no one is forced to home school their children if they dont feel comfortable sending them to class Sept. 8.

Brian O'Leary, superintendent at Seven Oaks School Division, said the school board is now trying to source smaller masks for the younger children.

"An 18-year-old in high school is going to need a different size than a four-year-old that is turning five and starting kindergarten," he said.

O'Leary said there will be challenges in implementing the mask policy for younger as well as older students. If students don't wear them properly, a lot of the effectiveness is lost, he said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Maggie Macintosh

Reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Winnipeg Free Press. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Read full biography
Sophia Antipolis, France - 1 Sept 2020: Heart patients hospitalised with COVID-19 can safely continue taking angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), according to the BRACE CORONA trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2020.1

ACE inhibitors and ARBs are commonly taken by heart patients to reduce blood pressure and to treat heart failure. There is conflicting observational evidence about the potential clinical impact of ACE inhibitors and ARBs on patients with COVID-19.2 Select preclinical investigations have raised concerns about their safety in patients with COVID-19. Preliminary data hypothesise that renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors could benefit patients with COVID-19 by decreasing acute lung damage and preventing angiotensin-II-mediated pulmonary inflammation.

Given the frequent use of these agents worldwide, randomised clinical trial evidence is urgently needed to guide the management of patients with COVID-19.

Membrane-bound angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the functional receptor for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).3 ACE2 expression may increase due to upregulation in patients using ACE inhibitors and ARBs.4

The BRACE CORONA trial was an academic-led, phase 4, randomised study testing two strategies: temporarily stopping the ACE inhibitor/ARB for 30 days versus continuing ACE inhibitors/ARBs in patients who were taking these medications chronically and were hospitalised with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. The primary outcome was the number of days alive and out of hospital at 30 days.

Patients who were using more than three antihypertensive drugs, or sacubitril/valsartan, or who were haemodynamically unstable at presentation were excluded from the study.

The trial enrolled 659 patients from 29 sites in Brazil. All participants were chronically using an ACE inhibitor or ARB and were hospitalised with COVID-19. Patients were randomly allocated to stopping the ACE inhibitor/ARB for 30 days or continuing the ACE inhibitor/ARB.

The average number of days alive and out of hospital was 21.9 days for patients who stopped ACE inhibitors/ARBs and 22.9 days for patients who continued these medications. The average ratio of days alive and out of hospital between the suspending and continuing groups was 0.95 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.90 to 1.01, p=0.09). The average difference between groups was -1.1 days (95% CI -2.33 to 0.17).

The proportion of patients alive and out of hospital by the end of 30 days in the suspending ACE inhibitor/ARB group was 91.8% versus 95% in the continuing group. A similar 30-day mortality rate was seen for patients who continued and suspended the ACE inhibitor/ARB (2.8% versus 2.7%, respectively with a hazard ratio of 0.97).

"This is the first randomised data assessing the role of continuing versus stopping ACE inhibitors and ARBs in patients with COVID-19," said principal investigator Professor Renato Lopes of Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, US. "In patients hospitalised with COVID-19, suspending ACE inhibitors and ARBs for 30 days did not impact the number of days alive and out of hospital."

He concluded: "Because these data indicate that there is no clinical benefit from routinely interrupting these medications in hospitalised patients with mild to moderate COVID-19, they should generally be continued for those with an indication."

###

Notes to editors

Authors: ESC Press Office

Mobile: +33 (0)7 85 31 20 36

Email: press@escardio.org

The hashtag for ESC Congress 2020 is #ESCCongress.

Follow us on Twitter @ESCardioNews

Funding: The BRACE CORONA trial was sponsored by the D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) and the Brazilian Clinical Research Institute (BCRI).

Disclosures: Research grants or contracts from Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Medtronic, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis. Funding for educational activities or lectures from Pfizer. Funding for consulting or other services from Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Portola.

References and notes

1Abstract title: Continuing versus suspending ACE inhibitors and ARBs: Impact of adverse outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19--The BRACE CORONA Trial.

2Patel AB, Verma A. COVID-19 and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers: What Is the Evidence? JAMA. 2020;323:1769-1770.

3Gheblawi M, Wang K, Viveiros A, et al. Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2: SARS-CoV-2 Receptor and Regulator of the Renin-Angiotensin System. Circ Res. 2020;126:1456-1474.

4Soler MJ, Barrios C, Oliva R, et al. Pharmacologic Modulation of ACE2 Expression. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2008;10:410-414.

The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives.

ESC Congress is the world's largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals contributing to global awareness of the latest clinical trials and breakthrough discoveries. ESC Congress 2020 takes place online from 29 August to 1 September. More information is available from the ESC Press Office at press@escardio.org.
Former Prime Minister Najib Razak (right) and UMNO party chief Ahmad Zahid Hamid flank Mohd Zaidi Aziz, the partys candidate, after he was announced as the winner of a state assembly by-election in Slim, a constituency of Malaysias Perak state, Aug. 29, 2020.

An UMNO candidate won a by-election in rural Perak state by a landslide over the weekend, in the first Malaysian election since ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak was convicted in late July for corruption, demonstrating the partys ongoing appeal despite corruption scandals tainting its top leaders.

In Saturdays State Assembly polls in the Slim River constituency, the United Malays National Organization crushed Pejuang, the new party led by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, which was contesting its first election since he launched it in early August.

Najib campaigned for UMNO candidate Mohd Zaidi Aziz, after being released on bail pending an appeal of his conviction, and was on stage to help celebrate Azizs victory, alongside party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

[B]arisan Nasional is still relevant and is greatly missed by the people, said Zahid, who is standing trial for 47 corruption charges, as he congratulated Aziz.

This is also sending a message to Tun Dr. Mahathir that the party formed by him is not relevant, Zahid said.

Mahathir, 95, who had also travelled to Perak to campaign for the candidate endorsed by his party, did not issue any direct comment on the results.

We succeeded massively in using the Slim by-election as a stage to promote and introduce Pejuang to all of Malaysia. Thus, the real struggle begins today. Dont give up! the party claimed on Sunday via Twitter.

Aziz, the UMNO candidate, got more than five times as many votes as the second-place finisher, Amir Khusyairi Mohamad Tanusi, the Pejuang hopeful who was listed on the ballot as an independent due to a technicality.

Saturdays by-election was called following the death of State Assemblyman Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib, an UMNO politician, on July 15.

A string of wins

Two years ago, Mahathir, now 95, led the new Pakatan Harapan coalition in ousting Najib and UMNO at the polls through a platform of ridding government of deep-seated corruption.

On July 28, a Kuala Lumpur court sentenced Najib to 12 years in prison after convicting him of seven charges  including abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money-laundering  in the looting of billions of dollars from 1MDB, a Malaysian state investment fund.

But Saturdays big win for UMNO was its fifth consecutive by-electoral victory at the state or national level, and its seventh overall in a dozen by-elections held since the May 2018 general election.

Mahathir resigned as prime minister as his government collapsed amid infighting in February. A non-elected government then took power after Malaysias king appointed Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister, and Pakatan Harapan became the opposition bloc.

Mohammad Siddiq Mohd Azani, who is with the Revolutionary Movement of Malaysian Youths (G3RAM), a local NGO, said the results of Saturdays polls in Slim River signaled a rejection by voters of Mahathir.

The Malays are tired of being fed with tales of thieves and bandits repeatedly, when the alleged thieves and bandits are already sweating in court, waiting to be thrown in jail, he told BenarNews.

Meanwhile Muhiddyin, who heads the Bersatu party, traveled on the weekend to Sabah, the Malaysian Borneo state set to hold State Assembly elections next month.

The upcoming election there was triggered when three assemblymen pulled their support for Chief Minister Shafie Apdal, causing the Sabah politician aligned with the opposition Pakatan Harapan bloc to lose a majority.

According to the Straits Times, the prime minister was expected to formally launch his Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition over the weekend, but had to postpone the plan after some Sabah-based parties and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), an UMNO ally, declined to join the bloc.

Last week, in a move analysts said was key to his political survival, Muhyiddin formally aligned his party with Muafakat Nasional, an alliance between UMNO and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).

Given that Muhyddin may call early elections, Mahathirs new party is potentially in a weak position because it will need time to build up its credibility among voters, according to James Chin, a political analyst with the University of Tasmania.

When Bersatu was formed it took them three years to build the party before the [2018] election. If Muhyiddin calls for elections earlier, Pejuang might not be ready, Chin told BenarNews.
Operating profits at Shannon Foynes Port fell more than 18pc last year because of a sharp drop in coal imports for the Moneypoint power station.

The Shannon estuary port operator - the nation's biggest handler of non-container bulk goods - reported net profits of 4.4m, a record high for the State-owned firm.

But that figure included an exceptional 1.36m gain from the December 2019 sale of a 3.2-hectare site at the Dock Road in Limerick.

Excluding this, pre-tax profits came to 3.53m versus 4.35m in 2018. The port paid a 350,000 dividend to the State, up from 300,000 in 2018.

Turnover was hit by the rundown of operations at Moneypoint, the State's only coal-fired station. The plant is supplied by a deep-water berth on the estuary. But it is due for closure by 2024 and is no longer used regularly to help power the electricity grid.

The port said it handled 9.6 million tonnes of bulk goods last year, 10pc lower than in 2018. Almost nine-tenths of that decline was attributed to lower coal imports for Moneypoint.

The volume of bulk shipments also declined for import and export of construction materials, liquid fuels and agricultural products, chiefly feed.

The port noted that 2018 was an exceptionally high year for importing livestock fodder because of that year's drought.

It said the lower fuel imports reflected the growing efficiency of modern lorries, an increasing number of which are powered by green alternative fuels.

The decline in construction material shipments chiefly was attributed to weaker British demand for Irish cement.

"Cement exports to the UK have been directly impacted by Brexit and the slowdown in UK economic activity," said port chairman David McGarry.

These factors combined to drive turnover down by 4.6pc to below 14m. Operating profits fell by 18.6pc to 3.9m.

Shannon Foynes is seeking to pivot from dependence on coal imports and become a preferred Atlantic hub for rolling out green electricity, including the development of offshore wind turbines.

Mr McGarry said the port's underlying profitability, low net debt and support from retail banks means its flagship 23m development plan for Foynes - including development of a 38-hectare industrial park - remains on course.

The port spent 1.1m last year on docks and quays infrastructure.
SOUTH HAVEN, MI  The loss of a beloved mascot had a happy ending Monday night, when Baby Blue was returned to her rightful owners at Sherman Dairy Bar.

According to a social media post from the popular ice cream business, located at 1601 Phoenix St., three suspects from Grand Rapids were detained for breaking the ears off the iconic blue cow mascot, known as Blue Moo, and stealing her blue baby calf, Baby Blue.

The good news came after a dramatic 12 hours, in which thousands of social media users pledged to keep an eye out for the classic symbols of the famed local summertime treat.

The vandalism and theft were discovered Monday morning, Aug. 31, the business wrote.

Sadly last night vandals destroyed one of western Michigans most loved symbols, reads a post on the ice cream stores Facebook page. We are heartbroken. These things cant be replaced.

Sadly last night vandals destroyed one of western Michigans most loved symbols.  Sometime between 12:30 and 8am, they... Posted by Sherman's Dairy Bar on Monday, August 31, 2020

Thousands of people shared the post and expressed their outrage in the comments. Some suggested looking through nearby security cameras. Others posted with memories of sweet summers spent under the stoic gaze of Shermans blue cows.

Later that evening, Shermans followed up with good news. The calf  and her mamas ears  had been returned.

Because of the HUGE pressure from social media and all of you getting the word out about Blue Moo and Baby Blues cow-napping, in less than 12 hours she has been returned to us and she brought Blue Moos ears with her!! the business wrote in a Facebook post Monday evening.

We have great news!  Because of the HUGE pressure from social media and all of you getting the word out about Blue... Posted by Sherman's Dairy Bar on Monday, August 31, 2020

They also credited South Haven police with detaining three suspects.

Baby Blue will not be immediately returned to the shops roof. Because of major injuries sustained during the theft, she will need to take some time off to recuperate, the business wrote.

She will return next year, they said.

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Moscow court finishes examination of evidence in actor Efremovs case

 RAPSI, Eugeny Varlamov

16:56 01/09/2020

MOSCOW, September 1 (RAPSI)  Moscows Presnensky District Court finished examination of evidence in a fatal crash case against actor Mikhail Efremov on Tuesday, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

On September 3, the court will hear arguments of parties in the case.

The famous actor stands charged with committing a traffic offense in a drunken state that led to a victims death. He could face from 5 to 12 years behind bars if convicted.

On the evening of June 8, Efremov driving his car crossed into the oncoming lane in central Moscow and collided with a delivery service vehicle. He was arrested on the scene. Alcohol and drugs were reportedly found in his blood. Victim Sergey Zakharov was taken to hospital where he died early in the morning of June 9.

On June 9, Moscows Tagansky District Court ordered Efremov to be put under house arrest; the measure is still in force. In particular, he was banned from communicating with other case parties, using mobile phone and Internet.
New Zealands Labour Party-led government reopened schools and workplaces in Auckland yesterday. The city was placed under a level 3 lockdown on August 12 after a new outbreak of COVID-19, following 102 days in which no cases of coronavirus were detected. About a quarter of workers and 250,000 school students stayed home during the lockdown.

The alert level is being lowered from 3 to 2.5 in Auckland, with travel restrictions to and from the city ending. Social distancing requirements remain and gatherings are restricted to ten people. Nationally, the government has mandated the wearing of masks on public transport.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference on Sunday: I cannot express how important [it] is to restrict gathering sizes. If we want to stop the spread, we need to stop socialising for some time, she stated. The rule, however, does not apply to schools or workplaces.

The lockdown is being ended despite new cases of COVID-19 being found every day. There are now 132 active cases of the virus: 99 from the Auckland cluster and the remainder among returned travellers. The country has experienced a total of 22 deaths and more than 1,400 cases since the pandemic began.

As was the case in April and May, when nationwide restrictions were progressively lifted, the decision to end Aucklands lockdown was taken against the advice of healthcare experts.

Ardern told the media the decision was not at all politically motivated. In reality, her government is following in the footsteps of its counterparts internationally, including in Australia, Europe and the US, which have carried out back to work and back to school campaigns despite opposition from medical experts and the working class.

With an election scheduled for October 17after being postponed by four weeksthe government is sending a clear message to the business elite: the Labour Party will place your profit interests ahead of protecting peoples health and lives.

The Auckland outbreak, which has spread to many parts of the city and the town of Tokoroa, was the avoidable outcome of an appallingly low level of testing and the failure to regularly test workers at the border and quarantine hotels. Testing and contact tracing capacity has been boosted in recent weeks, but the government is still limiting tests to people with symptoms and contacts of positive cases.

Professor Shaun Hendy, a modelling expert and advisor to the government, told Newshub he would have preferred a longer level 3 lockdown in Auckland. He said the fact that new cases were emerging every day meant there was far more risk of a resurgence than when the nationwide lockdown was lifted in May. At that time several days had passed without new cases of COVID-19 being detected, except for returned travellers.

Auckland University microbiologist Siouxsie Wiles told Radio NZ she was worried that the virus could be spread around the country by people who do not know that they have it. She said she would have extended the lockdown, and noted that the government had faced the business people saying we need you to open up [and] the health people saying we need to stay closed.

Otago University epidemiologist professor Michael Baker said there was a reasonable chance of eliminating the Auckland cluster at level 2.5, but it does depend on people following these rules. He called for the wearing of masks in all indoor environments outside the home, not just public transport.

Ignoring such concerns, Education and Health Minister Chris Hipkins urged Auckland parents to send their children back to school. He told Radio NZ today: There is no good reason not to be sending your kids back to school and branded reports to the contrary as misinformation.

Thousands of children stayed home. Sutton Park school principal Faatili Iosua Esera told Radio NZ about 30 percent of students attended yesterday because parents were fearful for their children. James Cook High School in Manurewa told the New Zealand Herald just over half of its students turned up, while Otahuhu Primary School and Mangere Central School reported attendance of just one third.

The governments decision is not based on healthcare advice. It wants children back in schools so that their parents can return to work and the extraction of profit can resume.

The teacher unionsthe New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) and the Post-Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)support the reopening of schools. Both unions opposed the initial lockdown in March, despite widespread calls for school closures from teachers and parents, only changing their position the day it was announced by Ardern.

On NZEIs Facebook page Anne commented: How is it safe for schools to reopen under Level 2 when outside the school gates group numbers are capped at 10? Endangering teachers lives.

The PPTA published an enthusiastic Facebook update saying: In the words of one of our Auckland field officers: Just a massive big fist pump for Auckland teachers who are heading back. It directed teachers to the official Ministry of Education advice.

A letter to the PPTA from a teacher, forwarded to the WSWS, said they would not return to school because they were in close contact with vulnerable people: I would like to continue to teach online and be paid. I am not satisfied that safety can be maintained in a school currently and there is evidence of continued transmission in several parts of Auckland.

This teacher continued: I am wondering where the PPTA is around this and why teachers are expected to put themselves at risk in areas of high population I feel like everyone is in denial about the risks in schools and the PPTA have had a role to play in not questioning the obvious contradictions in the school environment.

New Zealands union bureaucracy is collaborating with businesses and the government to reopen the economy and to attack workers living standards. In tourism, retail, manufacturing and other industries, unions have enforced thousands of redundancies and wage cuts.

The governments main response to the pandemic has been to give businesses tens of billions of dollars in subsidies, loans and tax concessions, and billions more to the banks in the form of quantitative easing.

Meanwhile, a social crisis is unfolding on a scale not seen in decades. Median incomes have fallen by 7.6 percent in the past year. The Ministry of Social Development now predicts over 16 percent of working-age people will be on welfare by January 2021which would be the highest rate ever recorded.

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T ravel companies have warned that the UK quarantine list is destroying the Portuguese tourist industry as fears mount that the Government will shut off the travel corridor between the two countries.

On August 22 the country was taken off the long list of destinations requiring two-week self-isolation on return to the UK.

But after a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in the country over the past week, there is speculation the popular tourist destination will be re-added to the list  less than a fortnight after thousands of holidaymakers had booked last minute breaks.

Searches for flights soared and many sold out after the country was deemed safe, and industry experts told the Daily Mail an estimated 75,000 British holidaymakers will be affected if the travel corridor is removed again.

Claudia Brion, founder and owner of A Terra, an eco-glamping business in the Southwest Alentejo region of Portugal, told the Standard: We are currently very worried, because having opened things again we are worried another quarantine will be imposed, that England will put Portugal on the list again and then restrict any movement further.

Claudia Brion, who runs an upmarket travel business in the southwest of Portugal, and husband Francisco / Claudia Brion

The UK quarantine has hugely affected Portugal this year. Speaking from our business in Alentejo, this year we lost pretty much 90 per cent of our English customers. We were lucky enough to be able to gain Portuguese clients this year, but there was a huge difference this year.

"And in the Algarve and Lisbon the tourism from the UK has collapsed completely. The Algarve has suffered so much because it was very reliant on the Brits. The restaurants, the hotels, the shops, everything has suffered a massive impact.

The quarantine is destroying the Portuguese tourist industry.

We have friends in Lisbon who have a travel company, which gives tours around the country, and they have been completely out of work..whereas in February before the crisis they were with around 10 drivers working full time. There has been a massive impact, from worldwide tourists, but England was definitely one of the countries that fed most tourists to here.

Hotels on the Algarve told the Mail the arrival of the British tourists in recent weeks had made it viable for them to reopen their doors. The Portuguese ambassador to Britain, Manuel Lobo Antunes, said the economic impact of the UK's initial decision to put Portugal under quarantine had been immense.

The owner of popular central Lisbon restaurant and wine specialist, Eating Bear, told the Standard up to a third of its winery clients were unlikely to reopen as a result of the pandemic.

The transport secretary has rejected the idea that testing at airports would alone solve the two-week quarantine issue / PA

He said that the lack of British tourists on the Algarve this summer had been devastating and that loyal British visitors form an important relationship that has taken decades to build up.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, warned in The Times on Tuesday that putting Portugal back on the UKs quarantine list would cause further chaos and hardship for travellers.

He said that the ever-shifting list of countries requiring quarantine means the UK has officially hung up the Closed sign.

Portugal saw 21.1 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to August 30, up from 19.4 in the seven days to August 29.

A seven-day rate of 20 is a threshold above which the UK Government considers triggering quarantine conditions. Most cases were around the capital, Lisbon, rather than the Algarve region most popular with British holidaymakers, but the Government has ruled out regional quarantine restrictions.

Not obeying quarantine directives is punishable by fine, and is a criminal offence. Another change in Portugals situation would see further scenes of holidaymakers scrambling to get back to the UK ahead of a quarantine deadline, many paying high prices for any available flights and trains. For some, the race back has already begun.

One CNN reporter, Anna Stewart, wrote on Twitter that she had booked three flights home on different dates via different countries in anticipation of Portugal being re-added to the list.

She wrote: So Im spending my holiday in Portugal watching Covid-19 daily case numbers and booking a multitude of flights in anticipation of quarantine restrictions.

EasyJet has sold out all its flights from Faro, which serves the popular holiday destination the Algarve, to airports in Britain on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Prices for flights have soared as British Airways is selling seats on a flight from Faro to Heathrow on Thursday for 554, while the same journey can be made seven days later for just 139.

Flights back from Portugal are selling out

The latest International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates predict the economy will lose 44.7billion this year as a result of travel restrictions.

The Governments two-week quarantine period has frequently been criticised by other industry leaders in recent weeks, who have called for a more "nuanced" approach.

The UK system has also been accused of being an inadequate stand-in for a testing regime in place at airports, with follow-up by the NHS Test and Trace system. Germany has put in place testing facilities at major airports, and implemented regional rather than blanket quarantines for countries in some cases in order to minimise disruption.

Senior Conservatives have backed industry calls for testing at airports. "It's baffling that the UK has failed to put an airport testing regime in place when so many other countries did so many weeks ago," Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, told The Times.

"Given that rates of hospital admissions and deaths continue to fall, this all looks so unnecessary. Jobs and livelihoods are being sacrificed."

The industry is piling on pressure for testing at airports / REUTERS

Nick Shay, Head of Travel at global digital consultancy Publicis Sapient, told the Standard that a comprehensive test on arrival scheme at airports could act like a "shot in the arm" for the sector.

But he warned that if the current situation continues, companies faces a difficult few months on top of a summer holiday season devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

With schools opening up this month signalling the end of the family holiday travel season, airports and airlines should be prepared for a tough autumn ahead, Mr Shay said.

However, the recent announcement that NHS Scotland will be using a 12-minute test could be a game changer. If pressure from airports leads to the government endorsing a test upon arrival scheme then this could be the shot in the arm that the travel industry needs.

Last month an Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey revealed just nine per cent of Brits think they are likely to go on a foreign holiday this year, with one in five already having cancelled plans. It showed just one in 10 respondents said they would make travel plans with the knowledge that they would have to quarantine on return.

But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has repeatedly rejected the idea of airport testing as a solution, claiming swab tests on passengers arriving would fail to spot almost 90 per cent of asymptomatic cases.

Last week Mr Shapps warned British holidaymakers that quarantine rules are likely to continue to change rapidly, and today holidaymakers were today warned that things can change over quarantine on their return to the UK.

He 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 100k over seven days but they take into account a wide range of factors, including level, rate & speed of change in confirmed cases."
From the New York Times to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to PRX, US news outlets have been grappling with the disconnect between their organizations and the Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities they serve. Considering these communities are among those hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, a lack of access to information in these precarious times is literally a health risk.

Over the past year, we have been following two communities: Chambersburg, a small town in Pennsylvania, and Maywood, a suburb in Illinois. These cases, while very different, illustrate the need for journalisms reckoning regarding racial justice to extend beyond major cities to issues faced by BIPOC communities in small towns and suburbs. In Chambersburg, local coverage is virtually non-existent. Meanwhile, in Maywood, coverage is provided by BIPOC-owned and -led media that have historically received little support or attention. After assessing the information needs and assets of each community through a series of focus groups, we collaborated with local partners to design and pilot possible interventions to strengthen local communication infrastructure. While what we have seen to date offers some promise, these efforts also illustrate the constraints of operating within larger journalistic structures that have historically been steeped in whiteness and are premised on unsustainable market-based business models.

In Chambersburg, a rapidly diversifying community in the middle of a largely white, heavily conservative county, the one consensus our study found across demographic divides was a frustration with a lack of substantive local news coverage. While all residents lamented the shrinking amount of coverage from the local Gannett paper, the Public Opinion, Black and Latinx residents underlined that they had never been well represented by this or other outlets. They shared a number of community issues that were not included in local news coverage, notably related to racial tensions within the school district, and a lack of focus on everyday issues impacting immigrant communities. Many also expressed concern around the lack of Spanish-language news coverage and Spanish-language information resources more broadly.

In Proviso Township, a series of Western suburbs of Chicago, residents participating in our Maywood focus groups expressed frustration with how they felt they were covered by metro news outlets (negatively, if at all). Residents of Maywood, Broadview, Bellwood, and Melrose Park, majority Black and Brown suburbs, expressed more confidence in their community newspaper, the Village Free Press. The paper is owned and edited by Michael Romain, an African American native of Maywood, who juggles his VFP work with his job reporting and editing for several community newspapers in the region. Romain affirms residents concerns that the free paper struggles to find adequate resources to cover the region.

Following our initial research, we gathered residents in both locations for workshops to brainstorm how to respond to the concerns they raised. In the Proviso Township workshop, residents shared ideas for a number of possible initiatives involving the Village Free Press. These included holding community editorial meetings where residents could share story ideas and offer critiques of VFP coverage, and a community news ambassadors program for residents to contribute content and help to facilitate community discussions. They also discussed more regularly tracking local taxing bodies in the region and partnering on initiatives to raise awareness of the census.

In Chambersburg, our follow-up discussions included a mixture of residents, community leaders and journalistsfrom the Public Opinion; La Voz, a Spanish-language outlet serving Central Pennsylvania; and the Franklin County Free Press, a hyperlocal online outlet. Responding to critiques of their coverage of BIPOC communities, the journalists expressed an interest in developing stronger relationships with these communities, and in potential collaborations. Following our discussions in May, Gannett and Public Opinion applied for a fellowship geared toward helping the paper produce more coverage of Chambersburgs 3rd Ward, the area where many African American and Latinx residents reside, as part of a larger project covering Central Pennsylvania. As part of our Tow fellowship, we partnered directly with the Franklin County Free Press and trained five community members to cover issues impacting marginalized communities within the borough.

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Just as we were working with stakeholders to follow up on our research study, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. This simultaneously amplified the need for reliable information, and exposed the disparities in access to it among BIPOC communities in small towns and suburbs.

The pandemic has taken a toll on communities in both of these locations, and has shaped the responses of the media outlets we have collaborated with. For the Village Free Press, this has meant adjusting the focus and methods of their intervention. They did some of their initially planned work on the census, a critical issue in this historically undercounted and under-resourced community. However, because of the pandemic, they had to shift their community ambassadors project to convening a series of online town-hall discussions on COVID, race, and schools. The pandemic has also affected their resources. VFP, which in the past struggled to access funding from philanthropic donors or groups such as Facebook, has received some emergency COVID response funding from area foundations. But at the same time, the non-profit publisher running the network of papers Romain writes and edits for has had to lay off staff, leaving Romain shouldering an even greater burden of coverage.

In Chambersburg, the pandemic highlighted the critical need for equitable access to information, and the overall lack of local media to cover significant local events. In May, the New York Times reported that the borough had the highest daily average growth rate of COVID in the nation. Despite this, access to local information, particularly in Spanish, remained scarce. Moreover, as protests related to Black Lives Matter came to Chambersburgand garnered attention from regional and national news outlets including the New York Timeslocal media continued to struggle in efforts to highlight BIPOC communities. Vicky Taylor, who worked for more than a decade at the Public Opinion before founding the Free Press in 2019, said she simply lacks the capacity to cover many stories, especially since the pandemic hit. She suspects that the Public Opinion, which is down to just two local reporters, is facing the same struggle. I think all these (local newspapers) do the best with what they have. Taylor says. Taylor hopes the community reporters trained in this project will help to fill this void, but the number of pieces published to date has been minimal. As noted in a recent piece published in Journalism Practice, efforts to train community members to do journalism are time consuming and can be particularly challenging in their early stages. In the case of this project, these efforts were made more difficult by the pandemic.

The challenge both of these projects face is the structures they must operate in are not set up to prioritize the inclusion of BIPOC communities. As numerous scholars and observers have convincingly argued, US journalism on the whole has not yet reckoned with its complicity with white supremacy and how that continues to impact its norms and practices. In addition, many, including in the tech and philanthropy sectors, still cling to hopes of finding market-based solutions to journalisms financial crisis when it would be more productive to reimagine what a genuinely public funded US media system might look like. Because of this, the interventions taking place in these communities can at best hope to help to reimagine models and to offer partial contributions to strengthening local communication infrastructure.

This is not to say these contributions are not meaningful. In both locations, small-scale projects facilitated connections between newsrooms and BIPOC community members that are likely to lead to mutually beneficial ongoing collaboration. In Chambersburg, Franklin County Free Press hopes to organize virtual community conversations, and area organizations have reported greater participation in virtual meetings following the social and racial justice uprisings. In Proviso Township, the Village Free Press plans to continue working with community ambassadors and local community groups to host discussions, and to publish resource guides in English and Spanish. The sustainability of these efforts is far from certain, but they illustrate the needs and opportunities that are missed when local journalism initiatives only focus on major cities and known news organizations.

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Letrell Deshan Crittenden and Andrea Wenzel are fellows for the Tow Center and co-facilitate the Germantown Info Hub project. Crittenden is program director and assistant professor of communication at Thomas Jefferson University where his research focuses on issues related to diversity and inclusion in media, and community and engaged journalism. Wenzel is an assistant professor at Temple University where her research focuses on initiatives to create more connected and inclusive communities through engaged journalism and solutions journalism.
CAAV would reopen eight flights to Japan and South Korea

Dinh Viet Thang, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam said that the authority has proposed the Ministry of Transport (MoT) to resume fights to Japan and South Korea.

According to discussions with Japanese and South Korean partners, Vietnamese carriers will operate two flights to each destination, while each Japanese and South Korean partner will conduct the remaining two.

However, Thang said they need the approval of other authorities like the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of National Defense before resuming international flights to ensure the handling of issues related to quarantine and pandemic control. If these ministries agree, the MoT will authorise airlines to begin selling tickets.

"Local airlines expecting to launch international flights any day now. Japanese and South Korean partners want to connect with Vietnam too," said Thang.

Today, September 1, the MoT is meeting with other ministries and agencies to decide whether to resume international flights.

Since April 1, Vietnam has halted all commercial flights to other countries. Some foreign airlines which can conduct international flights to Vietnam can only carry cargo into the country and carry passengers from Vietnam to overseas. Flights carrying passengers to Vietnam have been deployed under the directions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to carry people facing difficulties, experts, and highly skilled employees. All entrants have to be isolated after arriving.

On August 29, the Government Office released the prime minister's conclusions of the governmental meeting last week on COVID-19 prevention. Accordingly, the MoT has been assigned to carry Vietnamese employees to work in Japan and South Korea.
"We've built a fantastic team, and I'm thrilled to partner with Angie Kennedy, the Agency Principal at the new Daytona location," said Toney. "We've worked together for over 20 years, and I'm confident she'll be very successful as the lead Agent and Manager at the new Daytona office."

Toney, who owns one of the largest franchises in the system, opened his first Brightway store in central Florida in 2009. He joined a growing list of Multi-unit Owners in 2016, when he became the owner of a store now located in Georgia. Earlier this year, he became the owner of his first location in Texas.

"Ken Toney has done a tremendous job of empowering his team to expand his Brightway enterprise, and we're ecstatic to see him continue growing his business and are proud to partner with him," said Brightway President and CEO, Michael Miller. "We're committed to providing Franchise Owners like Ken with comprehensive business support so they can be wildly successful."

With the new franchise updates announced in June, becoming a Multi-unit Owner with Brightway is now easier than ever as all of the company's franchise offerings give franchisees the right to open two locations at any time with just one franchisee fee. The second unit free offer is also available with Brightway's newest option to join with a $5,000 franchise fee. Click here for details on the franchise updates.

Toney added, "I joined Brightway back in 2009 during the Great Recession and here I am 11 years later, opening my fourth location. I knew back then it would be a good opportunity for me and my family because it was, and remains to this day, a recession-proof company."

Brightway is a low-risk, high-reward business opportunities allow people from a wide variety of backgrounds to prosper. A centralized team of experts provides training and support in areas including Customer Service, Accounting, Marketing, Distribution, Business Analytics, Carrier Appointments, Licensing, Onboarding, Training, Hiring and Retaining personnel. The company's signature after-the-sale service empowers franchisees to focus on new business sales and provides their customers the personalized service they deserve.

In addition to providing holistic business support, Brightway has relationships with hundreds of insurance companies, giving Franchise Owners like Toney the ability to offer more choice in insurance brands to consumers. During tough financial times, having options is incredibly important for consumers.

While many businesses depend greatly on the economy to profit off of the sale of goods, Brightway Franchise Owners earn residual income year-after-year for as long as each policy sold is in place, no matter the economic forecast.

If you are interested in becoming a Brightway Franchise Owner, please fill out this form or you may email [email protected].

About Brightway Insurance

Brightway Insurance is a national property/casualty insurance distribution company with more than $705 million in annualized written premium, making it one of the largest Personal Lines agencies in the U.S.

Brightway's focus is on producing Win, Win, Win outcomes for consumers by offering customized insurance solutions and for people wishing to sell insurance by providing business opportunities that span from single Agent to multi-unit enterprises. Regardless of the path taken, Brightway provides the support necessary to consistently outsell other insurance agents.

Brightway got its start in 2008 and has since grown to more than 900 people in 233 offices across 22 states serving customers in all 50 states.

Consumers seeking a better insurance buying experience may visit Brightway.com, and people wishing to learn more about franchise ownership with Brightway may visit BrightwayDifference.com.

SOURCE Brightway Insurance

Related Links

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Future Retail hit a lower circuit of 10% at Rs 146.10 amid profit taking after a recent steep surge.

The stock gained 38.4% in the past three sessions to end at Rs 162.30 on Monday, from its recent closing low of Rs 117.30 recorded on 26 August 2020.

The recent rally was backed by the latest deal between Reliance Industries (RIL) and Future Group. On Saturday (29 August 2020), RIL's subsidiary Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL) announced the acquisition of the retail & wholesale business and the logistics & warehousing business from the Future Group as a going concern on a slump sale basis for Rs 24,713 crore.

RIL said that the acquisition of the retail, wholesale and supply chain business of the Future Group complements and makes a strong strategic fit into Reliance's retail business. This will help Reliance retail to accelerate providing support to millions of small merchants in increasing their competitiveness and enhance their income during these challenging times. Future Group's portfolio composition in apparel, general merchandise and own FMCG brands will allow for a wider offering to its customers.

Meanwhile, Norges Bank, on behalf of Norwegian sovereign wealth fund, sold 95 lakh shares or 1.75% stake in Future Retail on Monday (31 August), NSE bulk deals data showed. It held 1.23 crore shares or 2.28% stake in the company as on 30 June 2020.

Future Retail is engaged in the business of retailing a range of household and consumer products through departmental store facilities under various formats. The company is primarily engaged in the business of multi-brand retail trade.

The company's consolidated net profit fell 16.7% to Rs 164.56 crore on a 3.3% decline in net sales to Rs 5,193.19 crore in Q3 December 2019 over Q3 December 2018.

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By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has issued standard operating procedure (SOP) for proposed physical hearing of the cases which will commence on an experimental basis on the request of various lawyers' bodies.

The apex court has been holding hearings through video conferencing since March 25 due to the COVID-19-induced nationwide lockdown and even after the restrictions were relaxed; it has decided to continue with the practice.

A seven-judge committee headed by Justice N V Ramana has earlier this month after consideration of requests made by various Bar Associations has recommended to the Chief Justice of India S A Bobde, to resume physical hearing of the cases on an experimental basis while adhering to additional safety norms.

However, no date has been mentioned in the SOPs, as from when the physical hearing of cases in limited manner will commence.

The SOP issued by secretary general Sanjeev S.

Kalgaonkar of the top court said "On an experimental basis, and as a pilot scheme, physical hearing of matters may initially commence in three Court-rooms; eventually, number of matters or the number of Court-rooms may be increased or reduced, as the situation may warrant or permit".

It said that only such number of lawyers or parties may be permitted to appear during physical hearing inside Courtrooms, so that the total number does not exceed the working capacity of the Court(s) as determined considering the physical distancing norms.

"If in a matter the number of parties is more, then one Advocate on Record AOR and one arguing counsel per party will be allowed entry; one registered Clerk per party, as may be chosen by the AOR, shall be allowed entry to carry paper-books/journals etc. of the Counsels upto the Court-rooms", it said.

The top court administration has said that entry into the High Security Zone through proximity cards/long term passes shall be kept suspended, till further orders.

It said that the entry of counsels/parties or such other stakeholders to appear for such limited physical hearing will be through daily "Special hearing passes" which will be issued by the Registry, on the basis of authorization by the concerned Advocate on Record.

The two-page SOPs said that multiple sets of one chair and table are being placed inside the Court Rooms, in the areas demarcated for Advocates/Parties-in-Person, and it shall be incumbent upon the users to maintain minimum prescribed physical distancing norms between each set, which should not be removed from their positions.

"Advocates/Parties-in-Person/Clerks or other stakeholders, who have been issued Special Hearing Passes, upon completion of necessary formalities, online or otherwise as may be notified in due time, shall enter the High Security Zone through the designated Gate, after subjecting themselves to the thermal and such other scanning devices as may be installed for detecting body temperature, infection status", it said.

The administration said that on entering the High Security Zone, Advocates/ Parties-in-Person would proceed to the staging areas/vacant Court-rooms as may be designated, and wait for their turn to enter respective Court Rooms where physical hearing of their respective case(s) may be scheduled, and they would proceed only through the movement corridors created and demarcated for the purpose.

"The entry into and exit from each Court Room shall be by separate doors; entrants into the Court Rooms are advised to use the sanitization devices for sanitizing their hands and also the papers and other items/articles that they may seek to carry into the Court Rooms, with them, it said.

Earlier, the top court administration had informed bar bodies that three among the bigger courtrooms will be readied within that time for physical hearing of the final hearing cases, while adhering to the prescribed distancing and other norms and as per medical advice.

It had clarified that all other matters, including miscellaneous ones which are listed on Mondays and Fridays, shall continue to be heard through video/teleconferencing mode, as per existing Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) till further orders.

On August 11, a committee of seven Supreme Court judges, which is looking into the suggestions and requests for resumption of physical hearing, recommended sitting of three out of the 15 benches in the apex court with some additional safety measures.

The judges' panel has met leaders such as Bar Council Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra, Supreme Court Bar Association President Dushyant Dave and Supreme Court Advocates On Record Association (SCAORA) Shivaji Jadhav on the issue of resumption of physical hearings in the top court.

Bar leaders have been demanding the start of the physical hearings as soon as possible, while continuing with virtual court hearings with an improved system for limited types of matters.

However, several lawyers have been opposed to the idea of starting of physical court hearing of the cases while referring to the rise in number of COVID-19 cases.

Justices Ramana, Arun Mishra, Rohington Nariman, U U Lalit, A M Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and L N Rao are part of the committee set up by the CJI to look into the issue of resumption of physical hearings in the top court.
www.subta.com The SUBTA Women in Subscription event will tap into the expertise of successful subscription innovators, provide a platform to inspire, build relationships, and create opportunities by and for women, said Paul Chambers, co-founder of SUBTA

Innovation, trends and consumer engagement will be the focus at Women in Subscription, a free virtual conference on Thurs., Sept. 24, 2020 presented by SUBTA, the Subscription Trade Association serving the subscription commerce industry.

Highlights of Women in Subscription, the industrys first female-focused event, include a virtual expo hall featuring services and companies serving subscription businesses, a networking lounge to connect with attendees in addition to live talks and Q&A sessions by industry leaders.

Featured speakers include:



Julie Ball, Founder and Chief Sparkler at Sparkle Hustle Grow will present on one of the guiding principles that has created serious momentum in her business: collaborations.

Stephanie Jarrett, Co-Founder and CPO of Bulu Group has launched and managed 17 subscriptions and will offer her tips on creating a successful subscription business.

Sree Menon, COO for Tophatter will explore what the next phase of subscription retail looks like and how brands can make it in this new era.

Jessica Principe, Founder of All Girl Shave Club will address maintaining the mindset of ownership of all tasks while being a woman entrepreneur.

Consumer habits are changing rapidly, and the demand for subscriptions continues to increase. This industry is filled with women doing amazing work, and were excited to celebrate their stories, said Paul Chambers, co-founder of SUBTA. The Women in Subscription event will tap into the expertise of successful subscription innovators, provide a platform to inspire, build relationships, and create opportunities by and for women.

Women in Subscription virtual event, presented by SUBTA, takes place from 12:00  4:00 p.m. on Sept. 24, 2020. For more information and to register for free, visit http://www.subta.com.

About SUBTA

The Subscription Trade Association (SUBTA) is the first and only trade association serving the subscription commerce economy. SUBTA offers the expert resources and support for the ever-growing community of innovators, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and dedicated teams that are eager to scale their businesses and catalyze the subscription industry. Based in Troy, Michigan, SUBTAs mission is to be the leading voice for the global subscription industry. For more information, including industry research and upcoming events, visit SUBTA.com.
A flag flies in front of a department of corrections building after it was set ablaze during a second night of rioting in Kenosha, Wis. on Aug. 24, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Critical Theory Brings Chaos to Our Streets

Commentary

The violence and hatred currently roiling this countrywhere does it come from? For those of us who have been following the antics of the left for nearly half a century, the answer is quite clear: from Germany, via the U.S. educational system.

When youve been raised to hate your countryto see it as historically illegitimate and in dire need of fundamental transformation, to quote Barack Obamathen, in a time of relative international peace, there can be no moral crusade higher or more important than its destruction. Because, according to the Manichean logic of the American left, the perfect must always and everywhere be the enemy of the good.

The source of this inhuman lie is the Frankfurt School, a group of Marxist professorial refugees from Nazi Germany who, in the wake of the communists defeat by their fellow leftists of the National Socialist German Workers Party, established a secure beachhead at Columbia University, to which they transplanted something with the anodyne name of the Frankfurt-based Institute for Social Research, and in which they developed their doctrine of critical theory to be spread to educational institutions across the country.

As I wrote in my 2015 book, The Devils Pleasure Palace, a philosophical examination of the Frankfurters and the havoc they wrought on the nation that gave them a safe harbor from Hitler and National Socialism, critical theory holds that there is no received tenet of civilization that should not either be questioned (the slogan question authority originated with the Frankfurt School) or attacked.

Our cultural totems, shibboleths, and taboos are declared either completely arbitrary or the result of a long-ago conspiracy, steadfastly maintained down through the ages  In its purest form, which is to say its most malevolent form, Critical Theory is the very essence of satanism: rebellion for the sake of rebellion against an established order that has obtained for eons, and with no greater promise for the future than destruction.

What were seeing today on the streets of Portland, Kenosha, Seattle, and elsewhere is critical theory in practice: No longer simply the province of crabby old nihilists, some of them sexual deviants, with Dr. Strangelove accents and communist malice in their corrupted souls, critical theory has gone mainstream.

One by one, the pillars of the American past and our Constitutionthe cream of Enlightenment thoughtare being knocked down, not to symbolically redress any real or imagined wrongs, but for the sake of destruction itself. Which, according to Frankfurt dogma, is the whole point. In answer to the question often asked by clueless conservativeswhat do they propose to replace Western civilization with?the answer is: nothing.

Critical theory is therefore merely another name for vengeful anarchy, and in the Democratic Party, it has found the ideal vehicle for its political expression. The process began in the 1960s when one of the most prominent Frankfurters, Herbert Marcuse, emerged as a kind of guru to American college radicalsthe love childrenof that era, preaching his doctrine of repressive tolerance, which might best be explained as tolerance for me, but not for thee.

Or, in Marcuses own words: This means that the ways should not be blocked on which a subversive majority could develop, and if they are blocked by organized repression and indoctrination, their reopening may require apparently undemocratic means. They would include the withdrawal of toleration of speech and assembly from groups and movements which promote aggressive policies, armament, chauvinism, discrimination on the grounds of race and religion, or which oppose the extension of public services, social security, medical care, etc.  Liberating tolerance, then, would mean intolerance against movements from the Right and toleration of movements from the Left.

Organized Anarchy

America has been through periods of organized anarchy beforethe oxymoron is only apparently contradictoryin which icons and shibboleths have been smashed and prominent leaders assassinated.

At the turn of the last century, for example, a wave of assassination swept Europe and America, claiming the lives of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, King Umberto I of Italy, and U.S. President William McKinley, all murdered within three years of each other. Indeed, McKinleys shooting death at the lands of Leon Czolgosz in 1901 capped a period of lawlessness that began circa 1864 with the International Workingmens Association, which embraced socialists, communists (Marx was a founding member), trade unionists, and anarchistsin todays parlance, social justice warriors all.

Its interesting to note as well that this period almost exactly comprises one of the darkest stretches of U.S. history, which saw the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln by a Southern Democrat; the murder of James Garfield by a sex-cult lunatic, and McKinley by an anti-religious anarchist. In other words, three of the first six Republican presidents were murdered by their political or social opponents.

Even the lone Democrat to fall to the gun, John F. Kennedy, was shot by a self-proclaimed Marxist and defector to the Soviet Union.

Anarchism continued to plague the nation through the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italian immigrants convicted in 1921, perhaps wrongly, of murder during an armed robbery in Massachusetts, and well into the 1950s with the mad bomber, George Metesky, who terrorized New York City with a string of bombings from 1940 to 1956, striking Grand Central Station, Macys, and the Staten Island Ferry, among other places.

Metesky, who maimed without remorse, turned out to be a disgruntled worker for Consolidated Edison, the power company, angry over a rejected disability claim that dated back to 1931.

Now, the anarchists have returned in the form of the neo-Marxist Black Lives Matter movement, which has little to do with saving black lives (see, for example, the appalling murder rate in Chicago, which goes unremarked on the left) and everything to do with faddish revolutionary causes.

We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location, reads its manifesto.

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and villages that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable. We foster a queeraffirming network  We embody and practice justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another.

Joining them has been the cowardly Antifa, largely comprised of soy boys with backpacks and skateboards whose preferred method of combat is to swarm lone victims and sucker-punch them, smash plate-glass windows, and set car dealerships on fire.

They are direct descendants of the Antifaschistische Aktion alliance of Communists and Social Democrats in Weimar Germany, which battled the brownshirts of the National Socialists in the streets. And in case you havent noticed the resemblance, the American Antifa logo is effectively identical to the one used by their German forbears.

In short, we can draw a straight line from the Frankfurt Schools origins in Germany and transplantation to America, through the 1960s and into our own time. Over the course of what my colleague and publisher Roger Kimball has described as the lefts Long March through the institutions (the phrase derives from Maos 1934 retreat and regrouping during the Chinese civil war between Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalists and Maos Communists), the American lefts attempts at violent revolution, such as in 1968, are now being realized to their fullest extent yet.

Encouraging Violence

The result has been death and destruction on a scale we havent witnessed since the late 60s. That it has been tacitly and even overtly encouraged by Democrat politicians is an ongoing national disgrace.

This is a movement, Im telling you, said Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for vice president, a few months ago. Theyre not going to stop before Election Day in November, and theyre not going to stop after Election Day. Theyre not going to let up, and they should not. And we should not.

If thats not an unveiled threat, its hard to say what it is. But the opportunistic Harris, the partys favorite, who failed miserably in her attempt to win the presidential nomination earlier in the year but now is poised to take over immediately for a doddering Joe Biden should he somehow win in the fall, is only one of many Democrat politicians irresponsibly and enthusiastically egging on the mayhem in the name of social justice, or blaming it on conservatives, who are always supposed to just sit back and take whatever the left feels like dishing out.

But when the word justice requires a modifier, its no longer justice, any more than Marcuses repressive tolerance was actually tolerance. Instead, its simply the havoc of bitter political losers, to be wreaked on America for the crime of existing. Its a German philosophical import that needs to be rejected as thoroughly as National Socialism was in 1945.

Michael Walsh is the editor of The-Pipeline.org and the author of The Devils Pleasure Palace and The Fiery Angel, both published by Encounter Books. His latest book, Last Stands, a cultural study of military history from the Greeks to the Korean War, will be published in December by St. Martins Press.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 1, 2020 / The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated traveling abroad. Nearly 56% of travelers planning to journey abroad do not know if their current health insurance policy will cover a health emergency or hospitalization in another country. In fact, many domestic policies do not extend coverage overseas. If you intend to travel abroad, personal health risks must be considered prior. Issues such as trip and fall accidents, the coronavirus, food poisoning, and other problems will not only affect your trip; they may cost thousands of dollars in surprise medical fees.

Rene is a startup that is currently raising its second round of funding to expand its successful travel insurance platform in the U.S. Rene's founder and CEO, Atilio Spaccarotella began this venture to help protect the safety and health of travelers on their journeys. The platform provides travelers with tailored travel insurance complemented by telemedicine services, wellness programs, and access to healthcare wherever they may be located. In this era of the pandemic, both business travelers and vacationers need what the company refers to as 'Caresurance,'(), a user-centered approach to travel that allows access to affordable healthcare travel insurance and safety reports.

Atilio Spaccarotella was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was working for the startup that he founded when he was 17 years old but decided to leave that business to start Rene after having an accident while traveling that left him with a huge bill that his insurance company didn't cover.

Rene features a savvy digital platform that uses a proprietary algorithm to match the right type of policy for each type of trip. Besides obtaining the best coverage available, travelers can access the latest travel restrictions, COVID-19 updates, and safety information about their destination.

The Rene model focuses on business travel, but with the coronavirus crises, the company is expanding offerings to the leisure space, partnering with luxury travel agencies.

"Most of our customers were corporations, but when the pandemic hit, numerous travel agencies reached out to us asking for help navigating the new norm, so we created a product that allows them to give their customers reliable safety information about their destinations, as well as a superb insurance product. We are currently closing pilots with several clients around the globe and looking to onboard 100 agencies within the next 6 months" - Atilio explains.

Mr. Spaccarotella explained, "people are afraid to travel. We want to make sure that they have the right tools to navigate the new norm once they are ready to travel." With Rene, travelers have healthcare access and coverage, plus safety-related updates that are tailored to their travel destinations, literally at their fingertips.

Rene Fundraising Efforts

Since its 2019 launch, Rene has already secured major investment backing and is now raising its seed round. Its chief investors include Quake Capital, a venture capital fund that specializes in seed-stage investment, and Nex Cubed, a healthcare investment firm focused on the growth and acceleration of tech startups.

According to Managing Partner of Quake Capital Jason Fernandez, "we were impressed by what Rene achieved in such a short period, and how its team was able to adapt and thrive during the Coronavirus pandemic." He is particularly excited to see what the next 12 months have in store for Rene and noted, "the COVID crisis is affecting the travel industry in an unprecedented way, and we are glad to be a part of the effort to make travel a safer experience."

Rene Expansion to Reach More Travelers

Rene's team is now using its newly raised funds and resources to market to luxury travel agencies throughout the U.S.; encouraging them to offer Rene to travelers. Many people don't consider travel insurance or mistakenly believe that their domestic policy will take care of their medical needs abroad should they arise. Travel agents will appraise their clients on deficiencies associated with domestic policies and introduce them to Rene and its features.

The travel industry is experiencing a major shift and Rene is leading that change by guiding travelers and businesses through this new reality. In this era of the pandemic, we must not forget to prioritize our well-being and mitigate risks associated with travel. It's better to be covered so we may continue to enjoy adventures that await.

Rene Health Holdings Inc.

Rene Insurance Services in California

(833) 977-7363

Atilio Spaccarotella

info@rene.md

SOURCE: Rene Health Holdings Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/604221/Travel-Insurance-startup-Rene-led-by-Atilio-Spaccarotella-raising-second-round-of-funding
Communities benefit greatly when they have a sense of place. Such understanding adds cultural richness to a neighborhood. It nurtures a sense of belonging, an awareness of roots. It provides a sense of purpose.

A new project in Council Bluffs provides a great example. The Historic Lincoln-Fairview Neighborhood Association has installed a set of three large-scale photo murals depicting the areas history. One mural shows a horse and buggy circa 1910 trotting past picturesque houses on tree-lined Oakland Avenue.

Other murals provide a time-travel window back to 1920, showing since-demolished buildings: Washington School and the former Council Bluffs Fire Department Central Station.

Preserving local understanding is essential, says Susan Seamands, the neighborhood association president. We have an essential mandate to preserve that for the generations to come.

Many Omaha neighborhoods stand out for their appreciation of local roots. Murals at 24th and Lake Streets in North Omahas historic district celebrate past and present achievement and connections. The Union for Contemporary Arts Neighborhood Arts provides key support, with new community murals added regularly at various locations.
(@FahadShabbir)

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Tuesday discussed strengthening the Russia-Syria cooperation and political dialogue with Syrian Ambassador in Moscow Riyad Haddad, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st September, 2020) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Tuesday discussed strengthening the Russia-Syria cooperation and political dialogue with Syrian Ambassador in Moscow Riyad Haddad, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The meeting was initiated at the request of Syria, according to the ministry.

"During the meeting, they have exchanged opinions on the latest developments in the middle East, with the emphasis on the current situation in and around Syria. they paid special attention to the relevant issues of further strengthening of the Russia-Syria multifaceted cooperation, including maintaining the active political dialogue," the ministry said in a statement.

The Syrian Civil War has been ongoing since 2011. During the war, a considerable part of the Syrian infrastructure was destroyed in the fight between President Bashar Assad's forces and different terrorist groups, including Islamic State (banned in Russia). In 2017, it was announced that the Islamic State had been defeated in Syria and Iraq. Even though there are still remnants of various militant forces in some regions of the country, the most pertinent issues right now are political stabilization, the rebuilding of Syria and the return of Syrian refugees.
Vodafone Ghana has reinforced its commitment to helping Small & Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) become more resilient and continue to experience growth during this pandemic by dedicating the month of September to SMEs.



The Telco, as part of this years celebration, has outlined a host of initiatives purposely aimed at helping SMEs transition from surviving to thriving businesses during this pandemic.



These include free digital advertising opportunities, free website presence for six months, free use of Vodafones Bulk SMS platform for promotional campaigns, twelve months free insurance cover as well as other unique products.



Additionally, Vodafone has once again partnered with the Makola Foundation to train market traders and business owners on digital skills. This forms part of its drive to accelerate SMEs adoption of digital solution.



The virtual capacity-building programme will also educate participants on how digital solutions such as Vodafones Red Trader, Mobility Solutions, and Vodafone Cash enhance productivity. Together with MicroEnsure and the United Nations Capital Development Fund, we will also provide FREE insurance cover for over 200 SMEs.



Commenting on the initiative, Tawa Bolarin, Director of Enterprise Business Unit (EBU) at Vodafone Ghana said:



Technology is transforming the global economy and our pre-occupation as the enterprise unit of Vodafone Ghana, is to help businesses succeed in this digital world. With our expertise in connectivity and emerging technologies, we continue to enable SMEs progress and thrive during this pandemic.



SMEs are the bedrock of every nation and deserve the best of innovative solutions to grow and connect better with their customers. We believe that empowering them will improve their productivity and agility, which will ultimately contribute to Ghana's economic development. This is why I am particularly excited about the many initiatives we have put in place this month to develop, transform and create digital SMEs.



Vodafone since the pandemic has developed unique products including Your Business Online to boost SMEs growth. The leading enterprise communications provider also introduced the Vodafone Business Runway platform, a new webinar series aimed at empowering SMEs with the requisite skills, insights and opportunities that will enable them manage and build thriving businesses.



The Telcos leadership in the SME space reaches its peak every year in September. Throughout the month, Vodafone engages SMEs across the country through various initiatives, to empower, celebrate and reward them. This campaign is part of its commitment to transforming SMEs in the country and maximizing their digital potential.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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High school students in line to have temperature checked before entering the building in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

White House Medical Adviser Backs Florida on School Reopening: We Cant Panic

Scott Atlas, the newest member of the White House task force on the CCP virus pandemic, joined Gov. Ron DeSantis on a tour that aimed assure the Floridians its safe to bring students back to school.

We are the only country of our peer nations in the Western world who are so hysterical about reopening schools, said Atlas on Monday during a press conference. We seem to be the only country willing to sacrifice our children out of fear.

This Monday marked the first day of the 2020-21 school year Florida. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran issued an emergency order requiring the public schools to offer brick and mortar classes five days per week. About 1.6 out of the states 2.68 million students are now back to in-person learning in traditional classroom settings.

We cant panic. Theres no place for fear in public policy, said Atlas, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to the nations top team of health experts last month. The children are not at any significant risk, although there are exceptions. But the exceptions, of course, exist in every medical illness. If you are a doctor you understand that, they do not overwhelm the rest of the evidence.

Atlas said healthy people exposed to the CCP virus dont need to be tested unless they exhibit symptoms. Florida was only testing people with symptoms until May when DeSantis began lifting statewide restrictions on restaurants and bars and testing was expanded.

When you start a program of testing, simply to detect positive cases among asymptomatic low-risk, it proves that really the only outcome is to close the schools, Atlas said. And the goal of testing is not to close things.

DeSantis echoed Atlass idea that the priority of COVID-19 testing should be shifted from schools, including colleges and universities, to symptomatic people. Having our universities up and operating is very, very important, he said at the University of South Florida in Tampa. We want to continue to support those efforts going forward.

Meanwhile, the Florida Democratic Party (FDP) criticized Atlass remarks, taking a particular issue with the fact that he is a neuroradiologist who does not have a background in infection diseases or epidemiology.

The last thing Floridians need is another premature victory lap from Donald Trumps lackeys, FDP spokesperson Frances Swanson said in a statement, noting that Atlass advice goes against with what Anthony Fauci Deborah Birx has advocated for, which is to offer frequent CCP virus testing to everyone on college campuses. We know how it ended last time: Coronavirus cases exploded, thousands of people died, and more workers lost their jobs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its recommendations to say that asymptomatic people no longer need to be tested.
TDTTP4000W065AN Leverages SuperGaN FET Performance in Simpler Design

Transphorm, Inc. (OTCQB: TGAN)-a pioneer in and global supplier of high reliability, high performance gallium nitride (GaN) power conversion products-today announced availability of its newest evaluation board, the TDTTP4000W065AN. Designed for single-phase AC-to-DC power conversion up to 4 kilowatts (kW), this board uses the bridgeless totem-pole power factor correction (PFC) topology with a traditional analog control. This pairing provides fast and easy access to the top-notch conversion efficiency made possible by Transphorm's latest SuperGaN FETs without the need for firmware development required when using digital signal controllers (DSCs).

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005326/en/

Transphorm's TDTTP4000W065AN evaluation board is a 4 kW analog totem-pole design tool for AC-to-DC power solutions. (Photo: Business Wire)

Driving GaN Adoption with RDDR

Transphorm's innovation path for its high voltage GaN platform and related design tools centers on delivering best-in-class GaN Reliability, ease of Designability, ease of Drivability and high-volume Reproducibility (RDDR). To that end, the TDTTP4000W065AN offers power systems engineers an upgrade in efficiency over standard CCM Boost PFC designs that use superjunction MOSFETs.

The evaluation kit is rated at 4 kW highline (180-260 V) and 2 kW lowline (90-120 V). The main advantages of the analog totem-pole solution follow:

Maintenance power-power required to support basic functionality such as powering up and supplying chipsets-is a relatively fixed amount in any system. Therefore, as an application's power level decreases, the maintenance power becomes a larger percentage of the system's overall power loss. When compared to a DSP solution, Transphorm's analog board requires lower maintenance power at the onset, thereby increasing overall system efficiency.

No DSP firmware programming is needed, suitable for standard CCM boost AC-to-DC PFC power stages.

For engineers requiring more design flexibility, Transphorm released the TDTTP4000W066C earlier this year. This DSC-based 4 kW AC-to-DC board also uses the bridgeless totem-pole PFC with the company's SuperGaN FETs. However, it integrates a dsPIC33CK DSC board from Microchip that has been preprogrammed and is backed by dedicated firmware support.

"Transphorm's analog evaluation board provides an unprecedented opportunity to access our highly efficient GaN in the easiest way possible. Much like the preceding digital board, it gives power system engineers a choice that the high voltage device market was previously lacking," said Philip Zuk, VP of Worldwide Technical Marketing and NA Sales, Transphorm. "Regardless of the end application's targeted value proposition, we have the diverse toolset and the most robust GaN possible to help you succeed."

SuperGaN Devices: Performance Beyond Superjunction MOSFETs

The TDTTP4000W065AN employs Transphorm's SuperGaN Gen IV TP65H035G4WS FETs in the board as the fast-switching leg with low-resistance Silicon MOSFETs in the slow-switching leg. The resulting performance is similar to that of its digitally controlled counterpart, the TDTTP4000W066C.

The TP65H035G4WS is a 650-volt device with a 35 milliohm on-resistance in a TO-247 through-hole package with an inherently high thermal dissipation ability. This feature eliminates the need to parallel devices for higher power output, a design method required by competitive surface-mount GaN solutions. And, as with all other Transphorm GaN devices, the SuperGaN FETs can be driven with a threshold voltage (Vth) of 4 volts and standard off-the-shelf gate driver operating from 0 to 12 volts.

Availability

The TDTTP4000W065AN evaluation board is currently available through Digi-Key and Mouser.

About Transphorm

Transphorm, Inc., a global leader in the GaN revolution, designs and manufactures high performance and high reliability GaN semiconductors for high voltage power conversion applications. Having one of the largest Power GaN IP portfolios of more than 1,000 owned or licensed patents, Transphorm produces the industry's first JEDEC and AEC-Q101 qualified high voltage GaN semiconductor devices. The Company's vertically integrated device business model allows for innovation at every development stage: design, fabrication, device, and application support. Transphorm's innovations are moving power electronics beyond the limitations of silicon to achieve over 99% efficiency, 40% more power density and 20% lower system cost. Transphorm is headquartered in Goleta, California and has manufacturing operations in Goleta and Aizu, Japan. For more information, please visit www.transphormusa.com. Follow us on Twitter @transphormusa.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200901005326/en/

Contacts:

Heather Ailara

211 Communications

P: +1.973.567.6040

heather@211comms.com
Bhubaneswar:

Trinamool MP Tapas Pal, who was arrested by the CBI for his alleged role in the Rose Valley chit fund scam, on Monday underwent medical tests after he complained of health problems at the start of his interrogation by the investigating agency.



Pal, who is on a three-day remand with the CBI, was first taken to state-run Capital Hospitals cardiology, neurology and ophthalmology departments for check-ups.



In the evening, the MP again underwent health check-up, this time at the hospitals psychiatric department after he again complained of health problem.



We have examined Pal. He has epilepsy and diabetes. But, he is fit to face interrogation by the CBI, Dr Prasant Mohanty, head of psychiatric department in the hospital, said.

Also read | #mce_temp_url#Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal arrested by CBI for alleged involvement in Rose Valley chit fund scam

After being arrested by the CBI in Kolkata on December 30, the cine star-turned-politician was brought to Bhubaneswar the next day. He was sent to three-day CBI custody by a special court.



The Trinamool MP was one of the directors of the tainted chit fund group that allegedly duped investors in Odisha, West Bengal and some other states.



Pal is accused of promoting the company and misleading people to deposit money in the firm. He was also charged with giving senior posts to his family members in the company, a senior CBI official said.



In its charge sheet submitted in the court, CBI had accused the ponzi firm of duping investors of Rs 17,000 crore, of which Rs 450 crore is from Odisha alone. The company was active in Odisha and had 28 branches in the state.



While being taken to hospital, Pal, for the second consecutive day, claimed before the mediapersons that he is innocent and had not done anything wrong.



Meanwhile, his daughter Sohini Pal also appeared before the CBI here after the investigating agency sought certain clarification from her, sources said, adding she was given a job in the Rose Valley Group allegedly due to her fathers influence.

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Dorian, a San Francisco, CA-based interactive platform for writers to deliver diverse, interactive storytelling, raised $3.25m in a seed funding round.

The round was led by March Gaming, with participation from VGames, Konvoy Ventures, London Venture Partners, the talent management company Night Media, Michael Chow and Andover Ventures. In other news, John Howell, former VP of Global Partnerships at Twitch, joins the Dorian board as an independent director.

The company intends to use the funds to launch the platform to the public later this year.

Led by Julia Palatovska, CEO, Dorian is a smart, no-code platform that allows writers to turn fiction into interactive visual games and generate revenue from their content. Dorians first application is mobile, however its cloud-based engine will allow the company to expand to other emerging platforms and interfaces in the future. Writers can fully customize their characters and instantly see the results of their work without any coding or art skills. Writers who want to build their recognizable brand can upload their own cover art. They can also collaborate with each other in the engine in real-time and share feedback before their content goes live to followers. The platform  created by an experienced team that has come from game-as-a-service and social companies such as Nexon, Pixelberry, Telltale, G5, and Snapchat  has been in closed alpha for several months.

Dorian is now accepting new writers to its invite-only beta through applications on its website.

FinSMEs

01/09/2020
As part of our latest series on PR Conversation, we at Adgully are speaking to some of the industry leaders from both PR agencies and the corporate communications world about how PR as a business and communication tool has evolved and grown over the years. In the last 10 years, PR has taken a different dimension, especially after the entry of social media in a big way. While the PR business has grown, some of the challenges that the industry is facing have also multiplied as clients are becoming more demanding and are expecting their consultants to be on their toes to manage their brand reputation, as news today travels fast and clients are expecting quick response and action in case of a crisis situation.

Also read: Immersive storytelling platforms are the future: Arpan Basu, Coca-Cola India

In conversation with Adgully, Prasidha Menon, Global Head of Communications, OYO Hotels & Homes, takes us through the evolution of OR over the last 10 years, addressing the larger reputation goals through a multi-stakeholder focus, impact of COVID-19 on the way companies and PR partners engage, and much more.

How has PR evolved in the last 10 years? Going forward, how will the industry shape up as the dynamics of the PR is changing with the acceleration of digital?

Having spent over a decade and a half in the PR & Communications industry, I have seen both Indian and global companies leverage the power of storytelling. Over the years, the role of the communications function in a company has evolved in a big way. During the mid 2000s, PR was still a very nascent industry in India, with only a handful of local agencies playing the field. At that time, many global companies were making headway in the country. Following the arrival of some of these Fortune 500 companies, several global PR agencies soon established their presence in India, usually through acquisitions of smaller, local players.

I still remember, things were done very differently compared to the present day. We snipped physical copies of newspapers for coverage clips. We would make coverage dossiers. Sometimes, we personally delivered press releases to the journalists and organised a lot more press conferences for announcements, compared to today. We also worked on AVEs to show impact, those unending excel sheets. While some companies didnt have Corporate Communication functions, the ones that did were usually run by marketing teams.

Today, this has changed. Corporates and start-ups alike understand the importance of the communication function and the value it brings to the organisation. I believe that this shift mainly occurred owing to the emergence of an explosive media landscape in India. In the past decade, weve seen Indian media change dramatically with the advent of digital and social media platforms, the rise of influencers, the evolution of traditional media, their foray into the online space and of course, the importance of prime time television news. More companies started acknowledging the need for a strong communications team to be the flagbearer of their reputation. Another factor that led to the growth of the PR industry is the fact that today anything could make news, sometimes fake news. All you need is three sources close to the development. Such stories are often damaging. This made many companies realise the importance of focusing on corporate reputation, the need to stay connected with their stakeholders, or simply, just tell their stories before others do it for you.

While PR was still a nascent industry in India when I started out as an associate, today it is a function thats not just important but essential for brands. Companies are starting to realise the potential of earned media, the authenticity it brings to the table and its importance in carrying forward the brand or organisations reputation.

As we know it, the media and PR industry are hand in glove, both work together to create impactful stories. Since those early days, the advent of communication technologies has enabled us to connect with the media, share and track information in real time, measure the success of a PR campaign and become thinkers and enablers in building brands, as opposed to solely relaying information. Now, as we move forward, I believe that the line between marketing and communications is slowly blurring. Both functions cross paths and the success of a companys efforts in reaching their consumers lies in integrated communications or the practice of One Organisation, One Voice. Since the reputation of the company has a huge impact on business continuity, as a corporate communications professional, in the present day, one has a stronger voice in the boardroom, seat on the leadership bench, and sometimes the ability to veto a decision. We have now thought partners focused on delivering business outcomes aligned with reputational goals, and not execution partners focused on next-day coverage.

Historically, the PR industry often had more women employees at the junior and middle levels, but not necessarily at the leadership level. But this is changing too. We see more and more women step up as leaders in the industry, which is a welcome change.

The pandemic has disrupted everyone. In these times, how have you managed the expectations from your PR agency? Did you redefine your objectives to them and revisited your deliverables?

Yes, absolutely. In times of crisis, as the torch-bearer of the companys reputation, one cannot go about the usual. The pandemic has gravely impacted industries across the world, with the hospitality and tourism industry being one of the hardest hit. In light of the pandemic, we had to re-tool and rethink our plans and align our objectives to our business goals. As a leading Indian hospitality start-up that went global, we also had to set a precedent for the rest of the industry  one that stems from compassion and being a good corporate citizen, helping ones nation and the industry at large, and fighting the pandemic but also keeping in mind the changing business dynamics. As the communications team, we were all instantly onboard and focussed our efforts towards enabling others, getting our house in order and thinking ahead of time. We have a full in-house Comms team at OYO that dedicated all its time on planning the way forward and tackling the crisis, being transparent and proactive. During these times, interpersonal relationships matter the most. Updating your media colleagues and friends with authentic information goes a long way in nurturing these relationships. Our agency partners were aligned and we carefully planned to sail through the crisis. At the heart of all our efforts, we wanted to continuously engage and support all our stakeholders, be it our asset partners, consumers, or employees.

In my opinion, communications teams that are agile and quick to adapt to fast-evolving crises like these emerge stronger. When faced with a once-in-a-lifetime crisis (hopefully) like COVID-19, we all have a responsibility to shoulder, and by tackling it head on, we carve a niche for the company and ourselves through a constant learning and unlearning process.

Today artificial intelligence and data analytics are becoming very important in marketing and communication. How are you making use of this to help in your overall messaging and achieving your ROI?

While I think we still have a long way to go, we do synergise with our marketing teams to leverage data and narrate impactful stories backed by hard facts and numbers. At OYO, technology is embedded in everything we do. And as the PR team, we recognise that and leverage the power of data to tell exciting stories for our consumers. For instance, we use data to build our annual travel and lodging consumer trends report called Travelopedia and many such topical pieces on Womens Day, Valentines Day, among others.

PR measurement and effectiveness of PR has always been a subject of debate. As a PR professional, what steps the PR industry should take to bring in uniformity so that everyone speaks one language when it comes to PR measurement?

On the measurement front, in todays corporate world, yes of course  numbers matter the most. However, showcasing ROI on PR-led campaigns remains a major challenge for the industry. Unfortunately, even today, AVE is one of the oldest measurement metrics in the PR industry. However, not the most sophisticated/ reliable one, which is why many are doing away with it for more authentic metrics (changes from organisation to organisation).

While there isnt much work done in terms of measuring the impact, there are ways through which we can measure output and outcome, for example, through the tonality, sentiment and quality over quantity analysis of coverage. Measuring the quality of the campaign over quantity definitely is one such change that is in the positive direction across the Communications industry.

We currently work with media monitoring and measurement agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of our communications, and are also considering working with leading market research and data companies to measure perception change at a stakeholder level.

Getting the right skillset and training has always been a challenge in the PR profession. What is your view on the same and what would be the valuable tips that you would like to give to the budding young professionals?

As communications professionals, the onus of protecting the companys reputation lies in our hands. It is super important for all PR & communications professionals to upskill and stay up to date with the changing media and communications environment. It is also important for us to invest in understanding business and operations, competitive landscape, and regulatory and legal frameworks, within which any company operates. All of this will enable us to deliver on not just reputational goals, but also drive business outcomes, which is critical to our success.

Simply put  always Pre-empt, Plan, Prepare and Prioritise. Read. This will help you identify good stories that will help drive your communications goals and will also be relevant for the readers. Know the world around you and the pace at which it is evolving. Think from a business perspective rather than a PR perspective. Stay connected with your stakeholders. Build valuable relationships with the media and influencers. Be a thought partner rather than a medium/ mediator, both for your business stakeholders as well as your media friends.

Most importantly, be patient and persevering. Communication is often a thankless job, so if you are not self motivated, you will not be able to face the day to day challenges.

Do you think the traditional role of interpersonal communication, which was so critical to the profession, has somehow been put to the back burner because of too much virtual engagement? How are you experiencing that, is it bringing down the efficiency and the final output?

Absolutely not. COVID-19 has surely impacted the way we engage, but in essence things have not changed. We at OYO continue to work on building and strengthening those relationships even further. We are conducting virtual media tours, most of which are not coverage driven. We are constantly in touch with our stakeholders (beyond media) virtually, and continuously ensure that information is being shared responsibly and efficiently. At the end of the day, during such tough situations the relationships that weve built over the years reflect. Be it a journalist or a communications professional, were all here to tell interesting stories. Its a shared/ common goal.

My two cents to every communications professional  engage frequently, but not unnecessarily. There is a thin line between good storytelling and pushing stories that are exciting only for the company but not the world at large. So, its important to think like a journalist before you decide the pitch. Last but not the least, build quality relationships over transactional ones during the course of your career. It goes a long way.

Your PR partner plays an important role in building your brand reputation and also helps you in shaping a positive opinion of the company. How do you measure your agencys performance and evaluate them every year?

Communications agencies that invest in specialised resources understand core business problems and, therefore, have the ability to address the larger reputation goals through a multi-stakeholder focus, multi-pronged approach and leveraging multiple mediums across owned, earned and paid are bound to thrive. After all, essentially agencies are an extension of communications teams.

These are exciting times, and I think the best ideas and best minds will rule the roost. And thats what were chasing in our journey together with our agency partner. To ensure were all on the same page, at OYO, we conduct monthly reviews internally and externally to evaluate the teams performance as well as showcase the good work thats being done. We also have weekly chats with our external partner agency to align objectives, strategies and expectations. We divide work and trust each others intelligence and intent. The only expectation I have from my agency partner is that they feel our pain, which they do. Thats why they are always ready to share the load, and be our thought partner.
Russian, Belarusian Foreign Ministers To Hold Talks In Moscow On September 2

August 31, 2020

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks with his Belarusian counterpart Uladzimer Makey in Moscow on September 2, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on August 31.

The meeting comes amid three weeks of mass protests against the rule of authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka following disputed presidential elections on August 9 that handed him another six-year term.

The protests represent the biggest challenge to Lukashenka since he came to power 26 years ago and the 66-year-old has turned to his nation's traditional ally, Russia, for support.

The Kremlin announced over the weekend that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenka had agreed to meet in Moscow in the coming weeks. The two leaders have spoken over the phone several times since the protests began.

Western leaders, on the other hand, have criticized the election and the police crackdown on protesters. They have called on Lukashenka to negotiate with the protesters and threatened to impose sanctions on members of his government.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-belarusian -foreign-ministers-to-hold-talks-in- moscow-on-september-2/30813570.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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Peru's coronavirus death rate is now the highest in the world, surpassing Belgium and exceeding even Brazil (7th) and the U.S. (8th).

Why it matters: Peru and Belgium illustrate the divergence between the world's two hardest-hit regions since the eye of the storm shifted from Europe to Latin America in the spring.

Zoom in: Belgium saw an incredibly sharp spike over a single month, from its first death on March 11 to a daily high of 321 deaths on April 9.

The post-lockdown descent was nearly as sharp. It has now been three months since Belgium last recorded more than 15 deaths in one day.

was nearly as sharp. It has now been three months since Belgium last recorded more than 15 deaths in one day. The trend is similar in other European countries, like Italy: a terrifying spike, a steady decline and consistently low death tolls even after the lifting of lockdowns.

The flipside: Peru was hit later than Belgium, and it imposed a lockdown in March before recording a single death. Death tolls climbed much more slowly, but over nearly three months rather than one.

On April 27, Perus daily death toll crossed 150 for the first time.

Perus daily death toll crossed 150 for the first time. Since then, Peru (pop. 33 million) has recorded over 150 deaths nearly every day for four months.

Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra was initially praised for locking down early and hard, while passing a large aid package for workers.

But Peru's health care system has been chronically underfunded, its economy is largely informal, and social distancing is difficult in its densely populated slums and crowded food markets.

Hospitals struggled to cope with rising caseloads, while attempts to restart the economy caused further spikes.

Peru is facing the worst of both worlds. In addition to the world's highest death rate, its lockdown also caused the worlds deepest economic contraction in the second quarter, per Bloomberg.

Zoom out: Over the past week, the 10 countries with the highest population-adjusted death rates have all been in Latin America and the Caribbean (Peru is 5th).

Brazil and Mexico have grabbed international headlines for their high overall death tolls and COVID-skeptic leaders, but Colombia (1st) and Argentina (4th) are now recording among the world's highest death rates despite far stricter policies.

Buenos Aires has been under continuous quarantine for nearly six months, but it hasn't followed the trend of European cities like Milan or Madrid, where fast-growing outbreaks were eventually brought under control.

Latin America's economic downturn could be the most severe in the world, with the recovery stretching into 2023, per WSJ.

What to watch: While death tolls remain relatively low across Europe, cases have begun to spike dramatically in Spain and France while ticking upward elsewhere, including in Belgium.

Family gatherings and domestic travel have been cited as potential drivers, in addition to significantly higher testing rates.

In Spain, the median age of those testing positive has fallen to 37 from 60, per NYT.

The bottom line: Latin America was unable to match Europe's success in quickly suppressing the virus  but it remains to be seen if Europe can sustain it.

Go deeper: 9 things for the next pandemic
Spaulding Academy & Family Services, formerly Spaulding Youth Center, is excited to announce a new name and brand which embodies the bright future for this industry-leading organization. As part of our 150th anniversary celebration, Spaulding Academy & Family Services is ready to take this important step forward toward our bright future, said Michael Ventura, Board Chair of Spaulding Academy & Family Services.

Spaulding Academy & Family Services, formerly Spaulding Youth Center, is excited to announce a new name and brand which embodies the bright future for this industry-leading organization.

For 150 years, the organization has served children and families with a variety of special needs. The organizations legacy began in 1871 as the New Hampshire Orphans Home and School for Industry, which later was renamed as the Daniel Webster Home. This organization merged with the Golden Rule Farm in 1958 to become Spaulding Youth Center.

To best represent the evolution of available programs and services as well as plan for new future offerings, the organization began a renaming and rebranding analysis last year. Based on results collected from staff, parents, donors, stakeholders, DCYF, school districts and more, the board and executive leadership team processed this feedback and prepared for the next phase of the organizations rich history. Effective September 1, 2020, the organization will continue to fulfill its mission as Spaulding Academy & Family Services.

As part of our 150th anniversary celebration, Spaulding Academy & Family Services is ready to take this important step forward toward our bright future, said Michael Ventura, Board Chair of Spaulding Academy & Family Services. We proudly do our work each and every day because we believe every child deserves a childhood, shared Susan C. Ryan, President & CEO.

Spaulding Academy focuses on the special education school that offers an outstanding and robust curriculum for both residential and day students. Spaulding Family Services focuses on the programs and services offered via Community Based Programs as well as the work done with children and families served residentially and otherwise. Combined, Spaulding Academy & Family Services keeps Spaulding, which so many people strongly associate with the organization, but clarifies what we do and who we support. The logo has been updated with more modern colors, the people are slightly changed and in more joyful positions, but the original tree, which exemplifies our beautiful campus and a sense of hope, was maintained.

To learn more about Spaulding Academy & Family Services and its new name and brand, please visit SpauldingServices.org/rebrand.

ABOUT SPAULDING ACADEMY & FAMILY SERVICES

Spaulding Academy & Family Services is a leading provider of educational, residential, therapeutic and community based programs and services for families, and children and youth with neurological, emotional, behavioral, learning or developmental challenges, including Autism Spectrum Disorder and those who have experienced significant trauma, abuse or neglect. Established in 1871, Spaulding Academy & Family Services is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was formerly known as Spaulding Youth Center since 1958. Our scenic hilltop campus is located on nearly 500 acres in Northfield, NH and welcomes boys and girls from ages 4 to 21 from around the state of New Hampshire and beyond. In addition to programs provided on our Northfield campus, Spauldings community based programs include foster family licensing, Individual Service Option (ISO) foster care, ISO in-home services, child health support services, and more for children ages 0 to 20 and their family. For information about Spaulding Academy & Family Services, visit http://www.SpauldingServices.org.
New research from an international team of evolutionary geneticists, bioinformaticians and paleontologists suggests that dramatic environmental changes accompanying the shift or melting of continental glaciers played a key role as American mastodons moved north from their southern ranges.

In the first large-scale genetic study of American mastodons, published today in the journal, Nature Communications, researchers reconstructed complete mitochondrial genomes from the fossilized remains of 33 individual animals. The species went extinct approximately 11,000 years ago during the megafaunal extinctions that took out many of the large mammals such as mammoths, sabre-toothed cats and giant ground sloths.

The mastodon was among the largest living land animals on Earth at the time, roaming from Beringia (present-day Alaska and the Yukon) east to Nova Scotia and south to Central Mexico. They were primarily browsers, living in swampy settings, eating shrubs and low-hanging tree branches.

"The genetic data show a strong signal of migration, moving back and forth across the continent, driven, what appears to be entirely by climate," says evolutionary geneticist Hendrik Poinar, director of the McMaster Ancient DNA Centre and author on the study.

"These mastodons were living in Alaska at a time when it was warm, as well as Mexico and parts of Central America. These weren't stationary populations, the data show there was constant movement back and forth," he says.

There has been much speculation about what caused their extinction, along with 44 other large mammals, though many scientists believe it was a combination of climate change, increasing competition for food sources and overhunting by early humans.

Dramatic and repeated temperature fluctuations occurred routinely on the planet for millions of years--the most dramatic of which over the last 800 000 years--resulting in ice-sheet expansion and retraction and the warming of previously frozen northern regions whose new forests and wetlands provided new food sources for some animals like the mastodon, moose and beaver, but took away grasslands from others like horses, mammoths and bison.

Researchers suggest that by examining how different ecologically adapted Pleistocene megafauna responded genetically and ecologically to such climate transitions can provide valuable information on how climate change is affecting modern-day species in the north.

For the study, the team teased out and reconstructed DNA from fossilized samples including teeth, tusks and bones.

Analysis show that mastodons were moving vast distances in response to warming climate conditions and melting ice sheets, from warmer environments, to the northernmost reaches of Alaska and the Yukon. However, despite these massive increases in territory, northern populations were much less genetically diverse, rendering them more vulnerable to extinction.

"By looking genetically at these animals which lived for the last 800,000 years, we can actually see the make-up of these populations that made it up to the north. It's really interesting because a lot of species presently, like moose and beaver, are rapidly expanding their range northwards by as much as tens to hundreds of kilometres every century," says Emil Karpinski, lead author on the study and a graduate student at the Ancient DNA Centre and the Department of Biology at McMaster University.

"Analysis of DNA preserved in these fossil mastodon bones gives us so much more information on how these now-extinct beasts lived and died in comparison to what we know based on traditional paleontological approaches. These data hold the key to our understanding of how ancient animal communities like mastodons adapted to changes in the past, and provide clues to how arctic ecosystems will respond to future warming scenarios", says Dr. Grant Zazula, a coauthor on the study and paleontologist with the Government of Yukon.

###

The paper was a collaboration between scientists across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Australia, and made possible with the help of many museums and research institutions that donated specimens for this study.

Attention editors: High resolution photos and video, with credit information, can be found at this link: https://shared-assets.adobe.com/link/386e0ab4-fd37-4384-6f71-a164f853e97a

A copy of the paper is available at this link once the embargo lifts: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17893-z
An Asda hit by a coronavirus outbreak was accused by customers of letting the store get 'overcrowded' and allowing people in without face masks.

Eight workers at the superstore in Smethwick, near Birmingham, have now tested positive for the deadly bug.

Asda deep cleaned the site over night following the confirmed cases and said the staff who had tested positive were now self-isolating.

Meanwhile, the supermarket rejected criticism that the branch was overcrowded, claiming that even at the busiest times it was never higher than 57% of its capacity, allowing for 'two metres between customers'.

Eight workers at the superstore in Smethwick, near Birmingham, have now tested positive for the deadly bug. Shoppers are pictured at the store after it reopened

But today locals claimed the supermarket had been 'overcrowded' with some shoppers refusing to wear face coverings.

One customer wrote on Facebook: 'Asda should introduce entrance and separate exit.

'The store has been overcrowded [with] shoppers not adhering to guidelines on wearing a face mask.'

A second shopper wrote: 'I agree. It's not policed properly', while a third added: 'They were very good at the start of the outbreak but I think they must be worn down by the anarchic behaviour some of their customers have shown.'

Despite the outbreak, the store remained open today. Shoppers were seen sanitising their hands and trolleys.

Asda said the risk to the public was 'low'.

The company updated its policy on face masks in August after getting complaints about people not wearing them in their stores.

But it said it would not 'police' the rules.

The company said at the time: 'Whilst we will do all we can to strongly encourage customers to wear a face-covering inside our stores, it is the responsibility of the relevant authorities to police the new rules.'

Coronavirus rates in Sandwell, the council area that envelops Smethwick, are currently among the highest in Britain.

The area had a rate of 25.3 cases per 100,000 to 27 August and was declared as an area for enhanced support.

Asda deep cleaned the store following the confirmed cases and said the staff who had tested positive were now self-isolating

In a statement Asda said: 'A small number of colleagues at the Cape Hill store have tested positive and immediately self-isolated.

'As soon as we became aware, we notified Public Health England and Sandwell Council and enacted a comprehensive deep clean at the store, while introducing additional cleaning.

'The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority and we have introduced extensive measures across all our stores to help keep everyone safe, including protective screens at every checkout, social distancing signage and hand sanitiser.

'No delivery drivers have been infected and the shop remains open. The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority.'

Sandwell's director of public health Dr Lisa McNally said the current high infection rates in Smethwick meant all businesses 'need to be especially careful to maintain social distancing' and 'ensure face coverings are worn'.

She said: 'We are grateful to Asda for their prompt response to this incident.

'Local people in Smethwick are reminded that this virus can be fatal. We are strongly advising everyone to avoid crowds and social gatherings as much as possible right now. This is a serious situation and we all need to be very careful.'

Sandwell Council's Deputy Leader Councillor Maria Crompton said: 'It's vital businesses keep their employees safe.

'This is another reminder that everyone - wherever they live, work or visit - needs to stay vigilant. The virus is still out there and the situation remains very serious.'
TORONTO, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arch Biopartners Inc. (Arch or the Company) (TSX Venture: ARCH and OTCQB: ACHFF), a clinical stage company developing new drug candidates for treating organ damage caused by inflammation, today announced that applications to the Turkish Ministry of Health and local Ethics Committee have been submitted to obtain permission to recruit COVID-19 patients in Turkey for the Phase II trial of its lead drug, LSALT peptide (Metablok).



Arch is planning to expand the existing Phase II trial about to begin in the U.S. by adding hospital sites in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey. These two sites will be working concurrently with up to three hospitals in the United States to enroll sixty patients into the trial. The Turkish sites will follow the same trial protocol and will be connected to the same patient database that will be used by the American sites during the trial. Patient data from Turkey will be admissible to the U.S. FDA, similar to the U.S. patient data, in support of the Companys Investigational New Drug Application.

We are very pleased to be working with our Turkish collaborators and investigators to expand our patient enrollment beyond North America for this important Phase II trial, said Richard Muruve, CEO of Arch.

Progress toward the start of the trial continues in the U.S. with the dosing of the first patient expected to occur this month. Recruitment of patients in Turkey will follow once the trial has been approved by the Turkish regulatory authorities, expected during the month of September.

About the Phase II trial for LSALT Peptide

The Phase II trial will be a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof of concept study of LSALT peptide as prevention of organ inflammation known to trigger acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

The composite primary endpoint of the phase II trial reflects the severe effects often experienced by hospitalized COVID-19 patients and deemed appropriate for LSALT peptides novel mechanism of action in blocking consequential inflammation in the lungs and kidneys.

The Phase II results will be used to design a Phase III trial, including greater patient numbers and optimal drug dosing.

About COVID-19

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that emerged in China in late 2019. Severe complications from COVID-19 are in large part due to excessive host immune responses to the virus that result in progressive lung inflammation and acute respiratory distress syndrome that often requires mechanical ventilation and critical care1. Patients with severe COVID-19 also experience multiple organ dysfunction including acute kidney injury, liver dysfunction, cardiac failure, and blood abnormalities. Currently, no approved vaccine or effective antiviral drug exists for SARS-CoV-2 nor its inflammation complications. Treatment of severe COVID-19 has been primarily supportive, relying heavily on respiratory, infectious diseases, and critical care medicine.

Survival rates and health care system capacity could both be improved with new treatments that prevent the severe manifestations of COVID-19, such as worsening lung inflammation (ARDS) and AKI experienced by patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.

1 J. S. Ayres, Sci. Adv 10.1126/sciadv.abc1518 (2020)

About Arch Biopartners

Arch Biopartners Inc. is a clinical stage company focused on the development of innovative technologies that have the potential to make a significant medical or commercial impact. Arch is developing a pipeline of new drug candidates that inhibit inflammation in the lungs, liver and kidneys via the dipeptidase-1 (DPEP-1) pathway for multiple medical indications.

Metablok (LSALT peptide) is a novel peptide drug candidate and the lead DPEP-1 inhibitor in the Arch development pipeline. In August 2019, a scientific team led by Arch scientists Dr. Donna Senger and Dr. Stephen Robbins published a paper in the journal Cell describing a novel mechanism of action for organ inflammation. In the publication, DPEP-1 was identified for the first time as a major leukocyte (white blood cell) adhesion receptor on the lung, liver and kidney endothelium in pre-clinical models. LSALT differs from typical anti-inflammatory drugs by targeting this novel adhesion receptor rather than targeting individual cytokines, of which there are over 30 currently known.

A total of 40 out of 52 healthy, normal volunteers received Metablok during the recent placebo-controlled Phase I human trial. In all cases, Metablok was well tolerated during the trial and no significant drug-related adverse effects were observed.

Continuing under development in the Arch portfolio are: AB569, a potential new treatment for antibiotic resistant bacterial infections in the lung and wounds; and, Borg peptide coatings that increase corrosion resistance and decrease bacterial biofilm on various medical grade metals and plastics.

For more information on Arch Biopartners, its technologies and other public documents Arch has filed on SEDAR, please visit www.archbiopartners.com

The Company has 60,782,302 common shares outstanding.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, in this news release are forward looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, statements regarding the future plans and objectives of the Company. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. These and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements are based on the estimates and opinions of management on the dates they are made and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements should circumstances or managements estimates or opinions change.

The science and medical contents of this release have been approved by the Companys Chief Science Officer

The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain Covid-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time

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
IDE brings world class desalination experience coupled with environmental awareness to drought-stricken region of Chile

KADIMA, Israel, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDE Technologies , a global leader in desalination and water treatment, was recently awarded by Aguas Pacifico SpA the EPC contract for the Aconcagua Desalination Plant. The project includes the engineering, supply, construction, start-up and commissioning of a seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant with a nominal production capacity of 86,400 m3/day (1,000 liters per second), that will be located in the bay of Quintero in the Valparaiso Region, Chile. The plant will be the first drought-proof source of fresh water in the Aconcagua basin to serve municipal, agricultural, industrial and mining clients in the region.

IDE presented the best offer both technically and economically to Aguas Pacifico, an investment vehicle of Patria Investments Infrastructure Fund, after the successful conclusion of a highly competitive international tender process for the Aconcagua Projects EPC contract. Project Aconcagua is the first permanent, secure and sustainable multi-client non-continental fresh water source in Chiles Valparaiso Region," stated Enrique Cruzat, CEO of Aguas Pacifico.

IDEs experience encompasses hundreds of desalination plants worldwide, with more than 20 successfully operating in Chile since 1990, including the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 desalination project scheduled to be completed next year. IDEs innovative, state-of-the-art design of the Aconcagua Desalination Plant will be in accordance with the stringent environmental requirements and regulations in Chile.

The Aconcagua award is a statement to our decades of experience, and mission to deliver superior results to our clients in the design and construction of desalination facilities in Chile, said Miki Tramer, VP, Sales and Marketing for IDE. We look forward to partnering with Aguas Pacifico SpA in other regions of the country that will benefit from this type of multi-client desalination plant.

Story continues

About IDE Technologies

A world leader and provider of desalination and water treatment solutions, IDE specializes in the development, engineering, construction and operation of some of the worlds largest and most advanced thermal and membrane desalination facilities and industrial water treatment plants. IDE partners with a wide range of customers  municipalities, oil & gas, mining, refineries and power plants  on all aspects of water projects and delivers approximately 3 million m3/day of high-quality water worldwide.

For more information, visit www.ide-tech.com .

Press Contact:

ide-tech@pancomm.com








"Jeff is a great addition to USAA, bringing significant financial knowledge and leadership, industry experience and strong advocacy for developing individuals and teams," said USAA CEO Wayne Peacock.

Over his more than 30-year career, Wallace has held leadership positions with a variety of large financial institutions. He has significant experience streamlining work processes and simplifying organization strategies, as well as working with federal regulators.

Wallace also brings a long track record as a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, serving as a member of the Corporate Advisory Board for the national nonprofit Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA).

"It's a tremendous honor to join the USAA team and become a part of this incredible association," said Wallace. "Our mission is inspiring, as are the talented employees in the Chief Financial Office, and I am eager to begin working with them in serving USAA and our membership."

Wallace succeeds Laura Bishop, who announced her retirement in February 2020 after more than 19 years of service to USAA and its members.

About USAA

Founded in 1922 by a group of military officers, USAA is among the leading providers of insurance, banking and investment and retirement solutions to nearly 13 million members of the U.S. military, veterans who have honorably served and their families. Headquartered in San Antonio, Tex., USAA has offices in seven U.S. cities and three overseas locations and employs more than 35,000 people worldwide. Each year, the company contributes to national and local nonprofits in support of military families and communities where employees live and work. For more information about USAA, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@USAA), or visit usaa.com.

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David Jones came home from work in 2011 and told his wife that he was quitting his million-dollar-a-year job at Porter Hedges to become a federal bankruptcy judge, which paid $160,000 annually.

Dont you think this is something we should have talked about first? she asked.

I told her that I could definitely see her point, Jones said. Not too much later, we were divorced.

Fast forward nine years, and Jones is chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas and is widely heralded for making Houston the most popular jurisdiction in the U.S. for complex, billion-dollar corporate restructurings.

On HoustonChronicle.com: A flood of business bankruptcies hit Houston  and even more are on the way

Lawyers overwhelmingly agree that Jones single-handedly breathed new life into a Texas business bankruptcy practice that had witnessed nearly all its work shift to Delaware and Manhattan during the previous two decades.

Starting in 2016, Jones implemented a series of substantive reforms that created a special two-judge panel to handle the biggest and most complicated corporate restructurings, to provide parties increased access to court officials and to make procedures more transparent and predictable.

Very few (large-dollar) complex bankruptcies were getting filed here, Jones said. There was not a next generation of Texas lawyers in the bankruptcy practice because there wasnt a need. I was worried we would not have a generation of bankruptcy lawyers left in Texas.

Im not married and have no children - just me and my three rescue dogs - and that has allowed me to put so much time and focus into making this work, said Jones.

The result: Jones and fellow U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur now have more business bankruptcies of $300 million or more - including filings by Neiman Marcus, J.C. Penney, Denbury Resources, Noble Corp. and Rosehill Resources - than any other bankruptcy court in the country.

Isgur had 303 high-dollar complex corporate restructurings on his docket as of July 31, including lead cases and subsidiaries. He recently added another case: London-based offshore drilling contractor Valaris filed to restructure citing up to $10 billion in liabilities.

Jones has 770 such business bankruptcies on his docket.

David shows that the force of one determined person to get something done, Isgur said. He decided everything we did would be more consumer friendly. The fact is, he just did it. He did it, and then he persuaded me to do it.

The Force

There is no doubt that Jones will go down in history for reinvigorating the corporate restructuring practice in Texas, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue for lawyers, bankers and financial consultants in Houston.

There were 602 companies that filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas during the first six months of 2020 - more than triple the number from the prior six months, according to data from Androvett Legal Media Research.

Legal experts predict that hundreds of more businesses will seek Chapter 11 protection over the next four months in Texas.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Arena Energy files for bankruptcy as latest downturn casualty

The goal was never to be busier than anyone else, Jones said. The goal was to have a bankruptcy court where I always wanted to practice and where it wasnt about the judge but all about the case.

In fact, the objective of Jones reforms was to persuade large Texas companies to consider restructuring through courts in Houston instead of filing for bankruptcy in Delaware and the Southern District of New York, as Enron, American Airlines, Energy Future Holdings, Radio Shack, Dynegy and dozens of other large Texas businesses had done for the past 20 years.

Those reforms have proven so successful that even several large corporations headquartered outside of Texas have filed their bankruptcies in Houston, including Chesapeake Energy of Oklahoma City, California-based Mens Warehouse, Los Angeles-based California Pizza Kitchen and Kansas-headquartered NPC International, which is the largest Pizza Hut and Wendys franchisee in the U.S.

Judge Jones has been the force behind this, said John Higgins, a partner at Porter Hedges who practiced with Jones for several years. He got the bankruptcy bar and the federal district bench together and made it happen.

Having a consistency on rulings and constant access to the courts was a huge problem before, Higgins said. When you seek an emergency hearing on a billion-dollar filing and restructuring, it would sometimes take a couple weeks.  Judge Jones and Judge Isgur rule quickly and decisively.

A technical start

Jones, 58, was born and raised in rural North Carolina.

After receiving his degree in engineering from Duke University in 1983, he worked for a large defense contractor doing chip design for missile guidance systems. A year later, he moved to Dallas to get an MBA from Southern Methodist University. He graduated in 1986 and went to work for an accounting firm.

In 1987, Jones life took a turn. He was hired to design a document management system for defense lawyers representing about 120 developers, appraisers and bankers in the I-30 savings and loan/fraudulent condominium scheme to design a document management system.

Eighteen months later, Jones started law school at the University of Houston Law Center.

During Jones second year, Tom Kirkendall said he and his then-law partner Marvin Isgur asked him to be a consultant overseeing their development of a computer networking system.

Within a couple weeks, David had run off all the tech people we had hired, Kirkendall said. David did the work himself and we had the best computer network of any law firm in Texas, and he did it at a fraction of the costs.

Isgur and Kirkendall hired Jones at Kirkendall & Isgur, a Houston boutique that specialized in complex corporate bankruptcy litigation, as an associate when he received his law degree in 1992.

Jones - the Lawyer

In 2004, Isgur left the firm to become a bankruptcy judge in Houston.

Marvin trained me. Weve been friends for 30 years. We have great communications, Jones said. He taught me patience. He taught me to always try to leave a little something for the other side. This is who Marvin is - he is the essence of a judge.

A year later, Jones moved his legal practice to Porter Hedges.

Texas Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox

David would come to the office on Saturdays wearing a Duke T-shirt and shorts and would have documents all over the floor looking for potential new clients, said Higgins, who officed next to Jones for nearly seven years.

In 2011, Judge Jerry Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit approach Jones, told him that he had made enough money in his career and said he should accept an appointment to the bankruptcy court in the Southern District of Texas. It was an opportunity to join his mentor, Isgur, who was then the chief judge, on the bench.

I had no designs to be a judge, Jones said. I loved being a lawyer. It was one of the true privileges of my life.

To be truthful, much of the Texas bankruptcy bar had doubts about Jones as a judge, too.

There were a lot of concerns about my temperament early on, he said. I was a litigator with a litigators mentality. It didnt bother me as a lawyer to turn up the tension in a case.

The lawyers who know him best admit there were widespread concerns.

David, in his practice, was never one to take any prisoners, Higgins said. He was an aggressive lawyer, and there was fear that he would inject himself into cases and even start calling his own witnesses.

Once on the bench, Jones put those fears to rest.

David realizes that nobody knows everything about business, Kirkendall said. David has no problem telling the lawyers, Whoa, slow down and explain this to me again. He is an outstanding judge.

The other Southern District of Texas judges elected Jones to be their chief in 2015. Thats when he started focusing on creating the complex business docket for Chapter 11 restructurings.

Jones said it took two years to get the special docket structured correctly. Because filings are done electronically, the court created a special designation for lawyers to mark the case as complex - 111 instead of just 11. The 111 marked cases automatically go to Isgur and Jones.

Predictability and access are so important for the bar because the numbers are so big in some of these cases, he said.

Jones and Isgur agree that, despite the wave of large corporate restructures filed with them so far this year, they are not overwhelmed - in fact, they have yet to reach capacity. And they make it clear that they do not need additional help at this point.

There will never be more than two judges on the complex panel, Jones said. It doesnt work if there are more than two.

For a longer version of this article, please visit TexasLawbook.net.
A British mother is fighting for her life after coming down with a mystery illness in a Turkish hospital where treatment is set to cost her desperate family 10,000 per day.

The British Consulate said they will not repatriate breast cancer-survivor Carole Fleming, 67, while she is still alive, her daughter Stephanie Uyar, 36, claims.

Now, Mrs Uyar is trying to raise 25,000 for a commercial air ambulance to bring the mother-of-two back to Britain and into the hands of the NHS.

The family are paying 1,000 per day for treatment for a blood disorder related to a potential bone marrow deficiency - but daily costs are set to skyrocket to 10,000 as the doctors change their course of action.

Mrs Uyar said she feels like she's 'trapped in a horror movie'. Her mother's condition in intensive care in Mugla is so dire she 'cries blood' due to her body's inability to clot.

British mother Carole Fleming, 67, (pictured in hospital) is fighting for her life after coming down with a mystery illness in a Turkish hospital where treatment is set to cost her desperate family 10,000 per day

The British Consulate said they will not repatriate breast cancer-survivor Ms Fleming, 67, while she is still alive, her daughter Stephanie Uyar, 36, (pictured with her mother before she fell ill) claims

Ms Fleming's brother Ian, 55, claims medics in Turkey mistakenly believed his sister's illness was brought about by a medication related to her breast cancer - which she recovered from last year.

The link to her previous condition meant her medical insurer would not cover the costs.

Doctors backtracked when they took Ms Fleming off the medication and her condition got worse. But the insurer won't budge.

Ms Fleming was in Turkey visiting her daughter's husband Alper Uyar's family when she felt tired before collapsing on August 18.

She was rushed to hospital where doctors tested her blood. They found her platelet count was just 6,000 per microlitre of blood  the minimum safe level is 150,000.

This means she's unable to form clots and needs regular transfusions just to stay alive.

Now, Mrs Uyar (pictured) is trying to raise 25,000 for a commercial air ambulance to bring the mother-of-two back to Britain and into the hands of the NHS

She has been moved around several hospitals in Turkey. Her platelet count is now just 1,000 per microlitre.

Mrs Uyar said: 'In the last three weeks, there have only been two nights when I've not stayed by her side in a hospital chair.

'It's not even a duty, it's a reflex. After everything she's done for me the least I can do is be by her side.

'It's like I'm trapped in a horror movie. The things I've seen and witnessed in the last three weeks, I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy.

'No child should see their mother in a condition like that.

'To see the woman who's always been my rock, who's always been there to help me, to see her so vulnerable in a strange place. I'll have nightmares about this ward for the rest of my life.

'I've been trying to keep her mind off it by talking about EastEnders or gossiping about people we met on the beach, but it's hard to stay composed when I look up and see my mum like this.

'Her blood can't clot, so she has constant uncontrollable nosebleeds  sometimes she even cries blood. At one point her tongue was just one huge blood blister, she could barely talk.

'On August 18 the doctors gave her 48 hours to live. But she's a fighter, and she's still here  even though they don't know what's wrong with her yet. She's refusing to give up. She's told me she's not going to die in this hospital.

Ms Fleming was in Turkey visiting her daughter's husband Alper Uyar's family when she felt tired before collapsing on August 18. Pictured: Mr and Mrs Ulyar

Mrs Uyar said she feels like she's 'trapped in a horror movie'. Her mother's condition in intensive care in Mugla is so dire she 'cries blood' due to her body's inability to clot. Pictured: Ms Fleming with her son-in-law's mother Hilal

'She'll make it home, somehow. I don't care what I have to do to make that happen, I'll do it.

'When the doctors said they couldn't start treatment without the money, I immediately asked if there was a form I could sign where they'd start it and if I didn't pay, I'd go to prison.

'I don't care how bad the prisons are out here. I don't care if it's 15 years, 20 years, 25 years  I'd do that time in a heartbeat if it gave mum a chance of making it.

'She's been my best friend for my entire life. She was there when I met my husband  we were on holiday in Turkey like best friends and I tripped over outside Alper's shop and he just caught me.

'It was like a movie  I think she knew on the spot that I'd marry him.

'I might lose my mum and my best friend because of an insurance loophole, and that's what's hardest to come to terms with.

'It's not right that my mum could be taken away because of a form in an office somewhere.

'I just hope the insurance underwriters have a heart and realise what's at stake.'

Mr Fleming told how Turkish doctors mistakenly revoked his sister's cover by telling the insurance firm the low platelet count was down to her breast cancer medication.

Mrs Uyar (right and left with her husband Alper, mother Ms Fleming and brother Alex Haworth before her mother fell ill) is trying to raise 25,000 for a commercial air ambulance to bring the mother-of-two - who is currently in intensive care in Mugla - back to Britain and into the hands of the NHS

He said: 'They said Carole's issues were a side-effect of hormone tablets she was taking for her breast cancer recovery.

'But when she stopped taking them nothing changed. If anything, she got worse.

'The doctors admitted they were wrong and the insurance company is looking into her case, but these things take time.

'Every hour counts. At the moment all they can do is keep up the blood transfusions, but she needs immunoglobulin therapy just to get her in shape to fly home.

'That costs 10,000 a day. So far we've dug deep to pay 7,000, but that kind of money just isn't possible.

Mrs Fleming was rushed to hospital where doctors tested her blood. Mrs Fleming (left) with her son-in-law's parents Hilal and Osman

'The doctors are ready and waiting to start, but they can't do anything until they know who's paying for it. That's just how it works.

'It's such a difficult situation  if I was out in Turkey I would have lost my temper by now.

'Carole means the world to me. She helped raise me, she's more than just a sister.

'She's just an incredibly kind, incredibly warm, caring person.

'She spent her life helping disadvantaged kids get into apprenticeships, and those success stories always gave her such a lift.

'After all she's done to help people, it's awful to think that she could die because of something like an insurance error.

Ms Fleming (right with Mr and Mrs Uyar) has been moved around several hospitals in Turkey. Her platelet count is now just 1,000 per microlitre

'Steph has been amazing throughout all of this. She and Alper are just such incredibly warm, supportive people who would move heaven and earth to help Carole.

'She's going through hell and probably feels like her mum is being unnecessarily ripped away.

'I'm trying to be strong for them but I feel so helpless. So utterly helpless.

'There's nothing we can do from the UK. We're just sat here going around in circles while Carole is fighting for her life out in Turkey.

'We called the Foreign Office and they said there was nothing they can do  but then told us they'd "repatriate" her if she died.

'We're the fifth richest nation in the world. It's not that we don't have the means to fly a citizen home.'

To donate to Mrs Uyar's GoFundMe appeal, click here.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'We are in contact with the family of a British woman who has been admitted to hospital in Turkey.'
"We'll be struggling with COVID. I don't know whether it will surge in the winter, but it certainly will stick around," Shaffner said. Health experts pinned some of the blame for the summertime surge on Memorial Day and Fourth of July gatherings, and now they worry that Labor Day will contribute to the virus' spread. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and the state's epidemiologist, Dr Paul Byers, held a news conference on Monday in which they implored people to avoid big Labor Day parties. "I think all we are is just a moment away from us all forgetting and getting tired of doing the things that have gotten us this far," Byers said. Russia passes 1 million COVID-19 cases

Russia became the fourth country to pass 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, joining the US, India and Brazil, on the day schools across the country reopened for the new academic year. The Russian government's virus response centre reported 4729 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the total to 1,000,048. The number of new daily cases has gradually declined from a peak of more than 11,000 in May. The death toll increased by 123 to 17,299, a mortality rate that remains much lower than that of many other large nations. The number of fatalities is also significantly lower than those reported by the Federal Statistics Service, which said there were nearly 25,000 COVID-19 related deaths in May and June alone, the most recent data available. While a strict nationwide lockdown in the spring helped tame the initial surge, new infections have remained stubbornly high and averaged more than 5000 per day in August. Several countries in Europe are now facing a second wave of the epidemic, raising concerns that Russia could see a spike in infections as schools reopen.

India eases virus restrictions even as cases soar Many Indian states eased lockdown restrictions on Tuesday, allowing more businesses and public areas to reopen to reduce economic pain caused by the coronavirus, even as the country's new daily infections remain the highest in the world and its confirmed cases near 3.7 million. A day earlier, the government reported that the economy contracted by 23.9 per cent in the April-June quarter, its worst performance in at least 24 years. Unemployment is soaring, with millions left jobless. Hoping to avoid more economic damage, India is gradually relaxing restrictions and has announced that urban metro trains can resume service next Monday. India has been reporting the highest single-day caseload in the world for nearly three weeks. On Tuesday it recorded 69,921 new coronavirus infections. More than 65,000 people have died.

Experts say India, the world's third most affected country, is fast becoming the new coronavirus epicentre and its case total is likely to soon pass Brazil and ultimately the US. Most of India's cases are in western Maharashtra state and the four southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, but new surges are being recorded in the country's vast hinterlands, overwhelming the poorly equipped healthcare system. In poorer states, the federal government has deployed special teams to monitor the situation. "This was to be expected," said Dr Gagandeep Kang, an infectious diseases expert at the Christian Medical College at Vellore in southern India. "It was inevitable that the numbers would climb." Indian authorities have pointed to the recovery rate of virus patients in the country, now at more than 76 per cent, as evidence of the success of its policy. India is also doing more tests  nearly 100,000 per day  but its testing rate at around 32,000 per million is still far lower than in the US. Spain's daily COVID-19 infections retreat from peaks

Spain's health ministry said on Tuesday that the number of coronavirus cases detected daily had declined over the past four days, further off a peak of around 10,000 reached about 10 days ago, and officials said no new lockdown was necessary. The country diagnosed 2731 infections in the past 24 hours, but the data could be revised in the future as Spain updates its statistics retroactively. Tuesday's update raised the tally since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to 470,973 overall, more than any other western European nation. People queue to be tested for COVID-19 in Barcelona, Spain. Credit:AP Since bringing the first wave largely under control through a strict lockdown that ended in June, Spain has suffered a sharp resurgence of infections as measures were relaxed and mass testing began. Still, Health Minister Salvador Illa stressed that the surge in infections had not led to heightened pressure on hospitals, where occupancy of beds earmarked for COVID-19 patients is at around 6 per cent across the country.

He also said the mortality rate of the virus remains far below the March-April peak, when nearly 900 daily deaths were reported. The latest data showed 159 deaths were registered in the past seven days, bringing the total up to 29,152. Scotland bans household visits in Glasgow because of COVID-19 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a ban on indoor household gatherings in Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, and two nearby areas on Tuesday following a rise in coronavirus cases. Loading Sturgeon said that from midnight the 800,000 residents living in Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire should no longer host people from outside their households indoors.
ALBANY, N.Y.  Albany County Executive Dan McCoy confirmed 10 new positive cases of COVID-19 during a Tuesday morning press conference.

According to McCoy, included within the new cases were two people with close contact to positive cases, four out of state travelers, and four did not have a clear source of infection.

McCoy detailed additional numbers pertaining to the pandemic in the county.

Since data began being recorded in March, Albany County has seen 2,531 confirmed cases. People under mandatory quarantine has decreased to 409. The five-day average for new daily positives has dropped to 8.4 from 9.4.

Currently, there are 46 active cases. Thus far, 9,701 people have completed quarantine. Of those who completed quarantine, 2,485 of them had tested positive and recovered.

McCoy also voiced his concern on the rising hospitalization rate in the county.

Thats the one thing under the control room that we watch every day is the hospitalization rates. As you know, the last couple of weeks we were down, we were down below five, and then wed go up to seven, back and forth. Again, thats the one that were tracking to see how the virus is affecting people now versus almost six months ago, McCoy noted.

Those hospitalized rose to 12 Tuesday with two patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the hospitalization rate bumping up to 0.47%.

McCoy also touched on how theyre monitoring the potential impact of schools reopening has on the community during the pandemic.

As colleges reopen and with some children to be brought back into classrooms in the Capital Region, we must continue to monitor the severity in which the virus is affecting residents and our hospital data, McCoy explained.

Another important thing to watch is the total of residents who have ever been hospitalized. That number has gone up from 297 on August 14 to 316 [Tuesday], McCoy added.

Albany County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen continued to advocate for people to get tested for the virus.

We are in an area where testing is readily available. We do continue to advocate testing for individuals that certainly anyone whos symptomatic and if you have minor symptoms and if you are in that age demographic that we discussed, 20-29, if you are concerned about contact or if you just are concerned about your status, please get tested, Whalen said.

We do have widespread availability, and we are still testing asymptomatic individuals and still recommending that practice throughout New York State but especially Albany County where we do have availability, Whalen explained.

As of Aug. 30, 107,692 Albany County residents had been tested for COVID-19, with 2,770 testing positive. The 20 to 29-year age group continues to lead in the number of total positive cases, which has now grown to 532. That an increase of 19 since a week ago. People in their 50s have had a total of 391 positive cases, up 12. Those in the 30 to 39 age range saw an increase of eight positive cases in the last week.

While the 12203 zip code continues to have the highest concentration of positive cases since the outbreak began, that growth has been slowing. Since August 18, the number of positives has only grown by nine.

Whalen also encouraged people to get their flu shots.

The other thing that I think is going to be important to stress going forward is getting flu shots, Whalen said.

We know that the flu season starts in October and peaks in February. If you get a flu shot today, it takes you about two weeks to develop antibodies and be protected. So it is not too early to get your flu shot, Whalen added.

Whalen also noted that she expects the county health department to get their batch of flu shots sometime next week and that people can begin obtaining their flu shots at most retailers or health clinics.
The United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday (September 1, 2020) paid his condolences on the passing of India's former President Pranab Mukherjee.

Donald Trump took to his official Twitter and wrote, "I was saddened to learn of the passing of India's former President, Pranab Mukherjee. I send my condolences to his family and the people of India as they grieve the loss of a great leader."

I was saddened to learn of the passing of India's former President, Pranab Mukherjee. I send my condolences to his family and the people of India as they grieve the loss of a great leader.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2020

Former President Pranab Mukherjee was cremated with full state honours at the Lodhi road electric crematorium on Tuesday (September 1) afternoon. His son Abhijit Mukherjee performed his last rites at the Lodhi Road crematorium.

The mortal remains of Mukherjee arrived at the crematorium in a hearse van instead of the gun carriage in the wake of ongoing restrictions due to COVID-19.

In pics: India bids teary farewell to former President Pranab Mukherjee

Prior to this, Mukherjee's wreath-laying ceremony was held at his residence at 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi. The wreath-laying was scheduled in three phases - for official dignitaries from 9:15 am to 10:15 am, for other dignitaries between 10:15 am and 11 am and an hour`s time was kept for the general public from 11 am to 12 noon.

Mukherjee who served as the 13th President of India passed away at the age of 84 in Delhi on August 31 and was hospitalised at the R&R Hospital since August 10.
Hans A. Linde, a retired justice on the Oregon Supreme Court who achieved a national reputation for his work on state constitutional law and other legal topics, died Monday. He was 96.

Hans was, by far, the most nationally prominent Oregon law professor or judge ever, said Tom Balmer, former chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.

During Lindes long law career, he was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas and a professor at the University of Oregon School of Law, as well as a Fulbright lecturer in Germany.

In 1977, Linde was sworn in as a justice for the Oregon Supreme Court, where he served until 1990.

While many lawyers, judges, and law professors tend to think narrowly, Hans thought broadly and creatively, Balmer said. He looked at things from different perspectives.

Balmer said that Lindes work on the independent importance of state constitutions, a subject he began writing about 50 years ago, was hugely influential around the country.

Charles Hinkle, senior counsel at the Portland-based law firm Stoel Rives, called Linde a brilliant scholar.

Among the important opinions Linde wrote while on the Supreme Court, Hinkle said, was Sterling v. Cupp (1981), which clarified the rights of prisoners to be free from unnecessary rigor during their confinement, including freedom from invasion of personal bodily privacy by guards of the opposite sex.

Hinkle added that Linde had a prickly personality.

Even in formal writings, he could resort to mockery, sarcasm, and personal attacks directed against people who disagreed with him, Hinkle said.

That side of Lindes personality didnt stop him from being widely admired.

He was also the intellectual godfather of the revival of state constitutional law, said Gov. Kate Brown in a statement, a pioneer of Oregons constitutional doctrines governing the rights of prisoners, search and seizure, equality of treatment, and free expression, to name just a few.

I will miss his intellectual leadership and his compassionate spirit, the governor added.

Linde was born in Germany in 1924. In 1933, his Jewish family moved to Denmark and in 1939 to Portland to escape the Nazis.

In Portland, Linde attended Lincoln High School.

Linde served in the U.S. Army during World War II. When he returned, he attended Reed College. He graduated from the University of California Berkeley Law School in 1950.

Linde married Helen Tucker in 1945 and the couple had two children, Lisa and David.

Our father and grandfather lived a life few of us can imagine, his family said in a statement.

From being a Jewish child in Nazi Germany, to coming to Portland after having read about it in a book, to serving in the American Army in World War II, to clerking for Justice William O. Douglas, to teaching generations of Oregonians to becoming a Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, the family said, he is a portrait of the American dream and instilled in us an unwavering dedication to ensuring all Americans and those who want to become Americans have the same opportunities afforded to him.

The family is holding a small, private memorial. They said they will hold something more public when it is safe to gather again.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Fifty-two Black former McDonald's franchisees are suing the fast-food giant, seeking more than $1 billion in damages.

The franchisees say they were forced to close or sell more than 200 McDonald's locations because of "systematic and covert racial discrimination."

One franchisee in the complaint described acquiring McDonald's locations as a Black franchisee as a "financial suicide mission."

"Based upon our review, we disagree with the claims in this lawsuit and we intend to strongly defend against it," McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a video message on Tuesday morning.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Black McDonald's franchisees say they were forced to close or sell more than 200 McDonald's locations because of "systematic and covert racial discrimination." Samantha Lee/Business Insider

McDonald's is facing a new lawsuit from Black former franchisees who say they faced decades of discrimination at the fast-food chain.

A complaint filed by 52 former franchisees on Tuesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is seeking more than $1 billion, collectively, in direct damages from McDonald's.

Franchisees in the complaint said they faced "systematic and covert racial discrimination," with the company denying them the same opportunities as their white counterparts. McDonald's has to approve all new franchisees, and the lawsuit argues it "systematically steered" Black franchisees to buy locations in Black neighborhoods. These locations tend to have higher insurance and security costs while bringing in less revenue.

One franchisee said in the complaint that Black franchisees were at such a significant disadvantage that acquiring McDonald's locations as a Black franchisee was a "financial suicide mission."

The franchisees say they lost more than 200 McDonald's locations over the past decade because of misconduct by the company. The franchisees are seeking compensatory damages averaging $4 million to $5 million a store, with collective damages of more than $1 billion.

Dozens of other Black franchisees have been forced out of the chain over the past two decades, according to the complaint. The complaint says there are only 186 Black McDonald's franchisees, down from 377 in 1998.

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Related: Every difference between U.K. and U.S. McDonalds

"But for Plaintiffs' race, McDonald's would have offered Plaintiffs profitable restaurant locations, opportunities for growth and expansion, on equal terms as White franchisees, rather than forcing them out after decades of sweat and tears dedicated to the franchise," the complaint says.

McDonald's said that, while it has consolidated its total number of franchisees, the overall proportion of Black franchisees within the system is unchanged. (Business Insider previously reported that from 2007 to 2017, Black franchisees went from making up 13.4% of all McDonald's US franchisees to 12.5% of all US franchisees.)

"My priority is always to seek the truth," McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a video message about the lawsuit to employees and suppliers on Tuesday morning.

"When allegations such as these occur, I want them investigated thoroughly and objectively," Kempczinski continued. "That's been our approach to this situation. Based upon our review, we disagree with the claims in this lawsuit and we intend to strongly defend against it."

McDonald's said in a statement to Business Insider that the company categorically denies the allegations, saying that they "fly in the face of everything we stand for as an organization and as a partner to communities and small business owners around the world."

Why McDonald's Black franchisees face inequalities

Last December, Business Insider reported that Black McDonald's franchisees made hundreds of thousands of dollars less a year, on average, than their white counterparts at the fast-food giant. Two of the plaintiffs in Tuesday's lawsuit spoke with Business Insider last year as part of the investigation.

Read more: McDonald's black franchisees are fighting to earn as much as their white counterparts, as dozens leave the company they once considered family

Tuesday's complaint states that the plaintiffs' average annual sales of roughly $2 million were more than $700,000 lower than McDonald's national average of $2.7 million from 2011 to 2016 and $2.9 million in 2019.

"These differences are statistically significant and are the result of Defendants' racial bias and barriers within the McDonald's franchise system," the complaint says.

Conversations with five current and former Black franchisees over the past year, as well as the lawsuit filed Tuesday, indicate numerous reasons Black franchisees make significantly less than their white counterparts. The complaint says McDonald's:

"Covertly" restricts Black franchisees to owning locations predicted to bring in less money. Black franchisees say they were offered only opportunities to own older stores in primarily Black neighborhoods. These locations tend to have higher insurance and security costs while bringing in less revenue.

Excludes Black franchisees from growth opportunities while offering new white franchisees the opportunity to buy newer, more desirable locations.

Enforces harsher renovation and rebuilding requirements on locations owned by Black franchisees than white franchisees.

Deploys "targeted, rigorous, and unreasonable" inspections, forcing Black franchisees out of the business when they receive poor grades.

Forces Black franchisees to sell stores at a loss by controlling which franchisees are presented as qualified buyers.

McDonald's denied allegations that the company limits where Black franchisees can operate, noting that the plaintiffs are from across the US and that the "overwhelming majority of business transactions involve a sale directly between franchisees." The company also said it has sold high-performing company-owned locations in "various communities to Black franchisees'

"We're always taking on the worst stores," Juneth Daniel, one of the former franchisees suing McDonald's, told Business Insider last year.

"They had serious problems with having to be staffed, if they weren't being robbed," Daniel added. "But you want into the system, you want it to be a McDonald's owner-operator. So, you took the bad to hopefully get to a better place.

The franchisees' attorney says McDonald's is 'more focused on PR' than doing the right thing

"It's my belief that our franchisee ranks should and must more closely reflect the increasingly diverse composition of this country and the world," Kempczinski said in his message on Tuesday morning.

Kempczinski continued: "At Worldwide Connection, we discussed an even more ambitious approach to attract diverse franchisees and to increase spend with diverse suppliers." At the time, McDonald's did not specify exactly how it planned to recruit more diverse franchisees.

Recently, McDonald's has been emphasizing the importance of values and diversity at the company. The company donated $1 million to the National Urban League and the NAACP in the aftermath of protests over George Floyd's death in Minneapolis. McDonald's released an advertisement in early June mourning the deaths of Black people killed by the police or in incidents of racist violence. Joe Erlinger, the head of the US business at McDonald's, said in an internal meeting at the time that "silence is not an option."

Read more: McDonald's says it has made more Black millionaires than any other company. But Black franchisees say they face systemic inequality.

"We've probably  McDonald's has created more millionaires within the Black community than probably any other corporation on the planet, but there's still work to do," CEO Chris Kempczinski told CNBC in June. "We're certainly not perfect  we're talking with our franchisees about how do we continue to bring in diverse franchisees."

The franchisees' attorney James L. Ferraro told Business Insider in an interview that the chain had been on a "PR campaign" since he alerted the company of the coming filing in early June.

McDonald's is "more concerned about PR than they are about action, about doing the right thing," Ferraro said. "They're just purely about protecting their image."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 00:27:29|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Aug. 1, 2020 shows a Kenya Airways plane arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, capital of Kenya. (Xinhua/Fred Mutune)

The World Health Organization cautioned Kenya against relaxing measures aimed at containing the COVID-19 pandemic. It stated that the decline in the number of total cases in the last three weeks is not an indication that there is a national decline of the disease.

NAIROBI, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday cautioned Kenya against relaxing measures aimed at containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHO said in a statement issued in Nairobi that the decline in the number of total confirmed symptomatic and asymptomatic cases in the last three weeks is not an indication that there is a national decline of the disease.

It said while the decline is a welcome trend, it is important to interrogate if this is an indication of the country's true flattening of the curve and how well it represents the national picture of the overall COVID-19 status.

"However, we caution against a too rapid interpretation that this decline in reported numbers already constitutes a true decline in the spread of the disease," WHO said.

The UN health agency said the country had registered fewer laboratory tests in the last three weeks of decline.

It said the testing strategy was not adhered to strictly during the period in that low-risk groups were tested instead of the high-risk groups who include health workers and truck drivers.

"Some laboratories supporting counties reported shortage of test kits and or specimen collection kits and did limited tests for suspected cases and their contacts," WHO said.

It noted that there has also been minimal contact tracing going in the recent past, which would have given more accurate transmission numbers and status.

Pedestrians and cyclists wearing face masks move along a street in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, June 2, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Yan)

It called for the use of its guidelines in interpreting such a decline to determine the level of epidemic control.

"While the positivity rate gives an indication that the epidemic could be declining, we note that this rate can be adequately interpreted only with comprehensive surveillance and testing of suspected cases," WHO added.

It called on Kenyans to adhere to the set guidelines and wear masks regularly, wash hands frequently, keep social distance from persons in all public settings and restrict their traveling.

Meanwhile, the ministry of health confirmed 144 new COVID-19 cases from 4,260 samples tested in the last 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 34,201.

Mutahi Kagwe, the cabinet secretary, said in a statement that the new infections include 133 Kenyan nationals and 11 foreigners.

Kagwe said some 205 patients were discharged from various health facilities, bringing the total number of recoveries to 19,893.

He said three people died between Sunday and Monday, bringing the total number of deaths to 577.

The east African nation has so far tested 454,406 samples since the disease was reported in the country.
While talking to a police officer, Chabad of Poway members hug after a 19-year-old gunman shot multiple people inside the synagogue, killing Lori Gilbert-Kaye, 60, on April 27, 2019, in Poway, Calif. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)

California lawmakers approved legislation Monday that would close a loophole in state gun control laws that surfaced after a mass shooting at a suburban San Diego County synagogue last year. The Senate sent the bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom for consideration.

The state currently prohibits the sale of rifles to people under age 21 unless they have a valid hunting license, but the 19-year-old Poway shooter was able to buy a semiautomatic rifle for the attack despite his age and though he did not posses a valid hunting license.

The bill by Sen. Anthony J. Portantino (DLa Canada Flintridge) would require gun dealers and the state Department of Justice to confirm that rifle purchasers under age 21 have a valid hunting license.

We have a gun violence epidemic in our country and it sadly has become all too common to see senseless violence in the news, Portantino said. It is even more appalling that these shootings, including the Poway tragedy, have increasingly targeted houses of worship.

The state has enacted numerous other gun restrictions following mass shootings in recent years, including deadly attacks in Gilroy and San Bernardino.

Portantino's measure, SB 914, had previously been approved by the Senate but heads back there for concurrence on amendments that included delaying the implementation date until July 1, 2021.

The loophole was discovered by the investigation into the April 2019 shooting attack on the Chabad of Poway that left one person dead and three injured. The shooter had paid for a hunting license but it was not yet valid at the time he bought the rifle. Nobody checked its validity.

The bill requires the seller of rifles to visually inspect a purchasers hunting license to make sure it is valid during the 10-day waiting period for buying a gun, and to record the document number and dates during which time it is valid. The state Department of Justice, which reviews gun purchases, would be required to verify the validity of the license with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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A letter to lawmakers from the San Diego city attorney's office said that Portantino's legislation "would close that loophole."

The measure is opposed by advocates for firearms owners including the group Gun Owners of California.

This legislation will eliminate most, if not all, youth shooting programs throughout the state by making it virtually impossible for youth to shoot a firearm provided by anyone other than parents, the group wrote to lawmakers. This includes youth camps, and high school shooting teams that have become very popular throughout California.

The Portantino bill was one of several gun control measures approved over the last few days of the session.

The Legislature also sent the governor a bill that requires semiautomatic pistols to be equipped with chamber load indicators, magazine disconnect mechanisms and microstamping technology that allows law enforcement to better track firearms. The bill would take effect on July 1, 2022.

This is a bill that will assist law enforcement in solving gun-related crimes via using microstamping technology and reduce the number of accidental gun deaths and injuries, said Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco), who introduced the bill.

Lawmakers also approved a bill that would require the state to honor gun violence restraining orders issued by other states. The orders temporarily remove firearms from people a court decides are a danger to themselves or others.

Another measure approved by the Legislature gives the state Department of Justice new powers, beginning July 1, 2021, to impose civil fines on firearms dealers who violate state regulations.

The actions came just days after a study by gun-violence research experts at UC Davis Health said there has been a significant drop in firearm injuries in recent years in California, but there has been a substantial increase in the states overall death rate among those wounded by firearms.
Amaravati, Sep 1 : With the massive surge in Covid-19 cases continuing in Andhra Pradesh, the state government has hired over 1,350 ambulances across all 13 districts.

These ambulances will be used to transport Covid patients from one hospital to another or from their house to a hospital or Covid care centre, officials said on Tuesday.

The authorities have made it mandatory for district collectors to hire at least two additional ambulances in every mandal (a cluster of villages). The collectors have been authorised to hire as many as needed, depending on the workload. In certain mandals, even 5-6 additional ambulances have been hired in order to provide better services to the citizens.

These ambulances will help the authorities implement the recently introduced 'referral system' under which the hospital referring the patient will have to arrange for an ambulance to transport the patient apart from informing the receiving hospital. To ensure smooth functioning, a call centre has been set up in every mandal. The local health workers, doctors and hospitals have been given the call centre number using which they could call for an ambulance.

"We already have one 108 ambulance in every mandal but due to the increased workload, in an attempt to decentralise things further, the districts have been instructed to hire at least two additional ambulances per mandal exclusively for transporting Covid positive persons. These aren't critical patients. While the minimum is two per mandal, there is no upper limit. Districts have been given the right to hire as many as needed," said Kattamaneni Bhaskar, Commissioner, Health and Family Welfare.

With over 4.34 lakh Covid cases, Andhra Pradesh has become the second worst affected state in the country after Maharashtra. As of Monday, the number of fatalities in Andhra stood at 3,969.

For the last six days, the state has been adding over 10,000 cases every day and also reporting a daily death rate of 85-90.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
AMC Theaters announced on Tuesday that approximately 70% of its locations will be open this coming Labor Day weekend for the release of Warner Bros. Tenet, including seven California theaters in San Diego County.

In total, approximately 420 AMC locations will be open nationwide starting this Thursday, including 140 locations that are opening for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The San Diego locations are being opened in accordance with California Gov. Gavin Newsoms recently announced reopening system, which allows counties to reopen certain businesses if they lower the rate of COVID-19 infection below certain thresholds.

San Diego County, which is currently in the second level of reopening, can reopen theaters with 25% of maximum capacity. Counties that reach the third level of reopening can raise that capacity limit to 50%. San Francisco County is also currently cleared for the second stage of reopening, though county health officials and theater chains have yet to disclose any details on when theaters may open there.

Also Read: AMC Theatres Lays Out 'Safe & Clean' Plan for Reopening Cinemas (Video)

AMCs announcement comes one day after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy gave the green light for the states 80 movie theaters to reopen this weekend with a 25% capacity limit. AMC says it will announce more reopenings in California and New Jersey in the coming days as they continue to monitor directives from state and local health officials.

The safety of movie theaters, even with best efforts to protect moviegoers, is still being debated. The National Association of Theater Owners has developed a series of safety protocols that have been adopted throughout the industry. AMCs version of the protocols, called Safe & Clean, puts buffer seats in between moviegoer groups, requires masks to be worn at all times except while eating, deep cleaning of auditoriums between screenings, and overhaul of each theaters air filtration system.

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Also Read: AMC Theatres CEO: On-Demand Deal With Universal Has Been Offered to Other Studios

However, many epidemiologists still consider movie theaters to be a high-risk environment for contracting COVID-19, as it involves sitting in an enclosed space with strangers for an extended period of time. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has cited these concerns as the main reason why he has not reopened theaters in his state, though he says that discussions with health experts are still ongoing. AMC CEO Adam Aron, meanwhile, extolled the effectiveness of the Safe & Clean system in the 200+ AMC locations that have opened in the past two weeks.

Guests returning to AMC can do so knowing that weve been in constant dialogue with top scientists and experts in public health and cleaning about how best to reopen our theatres in ways that will be responsible and welcoming, he said.

Read original story AMC to Open 70% of Theaters for Tenet Release, Including San Diego At TheWrap
Poe San, an Arakan National Party lawmaker who represents Kyaukphyu township in the Rakhine state parliament, stands in the parliament building in Sittwe, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Feb. 13, 2019.

Election authorities in western Myanmars Rakhine state have rejected a sitting ethnic Rakhine lawmakers application to run for reelection in November, citing his Myanmar soldier sons 2018 defection to an armed rebel group now at war with government, the legislator told RFA on Monday.

Phoe San, an Arakan National Party (ANP) lawmaker who represents Kyaukphyu township in the state parliament, said district election officials told him on Aug. 22 that he was disqualified because his estranged son, former Myanmar army major Aung Myint Soe, had switched sides to the Arakan Army (AA) two years earlier.

Phoe Sans supporters called the ruling unreasonable, noting that he was already serving as a state lawmaker and was out of contact with his son.

The AA, a 7,000-8,000-strong, mostly ethnic Rakhine force, has been fighting the government army for the last 21 months in a quest for greater independence for ethnic Rakhines and to fulfill a long-term goal of establishing its own government in the region that is its historic homeland. In March, the Myanmar government declared the AA an illegal association and terrorist organization.

They said the Union Election Commission sent a letter to me, but I was not allowed to read the letter, Phoe San told RFAs Myanmar Service. They didnt even tell me letters registration number. They read the letter out loud to me.

The letter said that his son, who had enlisted in the army in 2002, deserted in May 2018, and that an investigation found that he had joined the AA, he said.

So they alleged that my candidacy violated Chapter V, Section 10(n) of the Pyithu Hluttaw Election Law, Phoe San said, referring to one of the two laws regulating elections for Myanmars parliament.

The section prohibits a candidate from running in an election if there is credible evidence against him of contact with an organization declared an unlawful association, with a group or individuals who have committed terrorist acts, or with an insurgent organization or its members in revolt with arms against the state.

Phoe San said he had lost contact with Aung Myint Soe and was unaware that his son had joined the AA. He was also not aware that his candidacy violated the election law for parliamentarians.

Appeal rejected

The lawmaker said he appealed to the Union Election Commission, the national-level body responsible for overseeing the countrys elections and vetting parliamentary candidates, on Aug. 24 to reconsider his disqualification.

But he received word that the appeal was rejected again by the Kyaukphyu District Election Subcommission, noting that the military-controlled Ministry of Home Affairs requested that his candidacy be turned down.

Tin Htun, chairman of the subcommission, declined to comment on the decision.

The rejection was made by the central government. I cannot say anything, he said.

ANP attorney and spokeswomen Aye Nu Sein said the subcommissions allegation is not reasonable and may not be legitimate because Phoe San is already serving as a state lawmaker.

The accused person is already serving as a MP for the state parliament, she told RFA. His sons activities do not invalidate his current term as an MP.

Our party believes that the election subcommissions decision is not reasonable or legitimate because it is based on assumption or opinion, she added.

Aung Myo Min, executive director of the Yangon-based human rights education group Equality Myanmar, agreed.

Just because the son has joined the armed group does not mean that his father will become a co-conspirator, he said, adding that it was not unusual for Myanmars former military regime to persecute or harass relatives of members of insurgent groups decades ago.

But the authorities always assumed that the family members would contact or collaborate with the insurgents, Aung Myo Min said. This supposition has not changed under the current administration.

They should be able to show strong proof that the insurgent has a connection with their family members, he added.

Decision is very unfair

Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun denied that the army was behind the decision to reject Phoe San's application to run in the elections.

We were not behind this decision, he said. The election commission is an independent commission. We didnt even know about the rejection.

AA spokesman Khine Thukha called the decision unfair.

It raises questions about the impartiality of Myanmars laws, he said. I think this decision to reject the father as a candidate because the son has joined the insurgent group is very unfair.

He also noted that under international law, those who are 18 years of age or older are deemed to act on their own.

Their actions should not implicate their parents, Khine Thukha said.

The ANP, which represents the interest of the Rakhine people in the state, has nominated 386 individuals to contest in the Nov. 8 elections.

With Phoe Sans rejection, it is now too late for the ANP to nominate another candidate to run for the parliamentary seat against a contender from the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD).

Nearly 100 political parties have put forward candidates for the elections, in which contenders are vying for 1,171 seats in both houses of the national parliament and in state and regional legislatures.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
CANTON, Conn., Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelyniam Global (OTC:KLYG), a maker of custom cranial implants, today announced results for its half year ended June 30, 2020.

"Despite the Covid-19's pandemic effects, Kelyniam was able to continue operating profitably and significantly increased sales compared to the same period in 2019," said Ross Bjella, Kelyniam's CEO.

Financial performance for the six months ended June 30, 2020 compared to the six months over the same period in 2019 includes:

Total revenue of $1,256,235 compared to $931,894 an increase of 34.8% in sales revenue

compared to an increase of 34.8% in sales revenue Gross margin of $621,966 compared to $462,660

compared to Operating income of $86,978 compared to a loss of $181,395

compared to a loss of Net Income $14,047 compared to a loss of $184,567 over the prior year

The resultant turnaround in profitability is attributable to the growth in sales and reduced general & administrative expenses, primarily travel and legal fees.

Events that significantly affected the quarter included:

In mid-March (depending on the state), the Federal Government's recommendation for the termination of elective surgeries essentially curtailed most business operations at the Company. The regulatory restrictions were eased in mid-May enabling the Company to begin manufacturing and shipping units. Kelyniam mostly supported emergency surgeries for this 60-day period.

On May 11 , the Company received a Payment Protection Loan of approximately $111,000 enabling the Company to remain in operation with full staff. The Company used the proceeds of the loan to support employee salaries which should allow for forgiveness of the loan balance later this year.

, the Company received a Payment Protection Loan of approximately enabling the Company to remain in operation with full staff. The Company used the proceeds of the loan to support employee salaries which should allow for forgiveness of the loan balance later this year. A Kelyniam implant was used on the first-ever cranioplasty performed onboard a ship, the USNS Comfort. Kelyniam is proud to have our implant selected for this historic procedure.

"It is impossible to predict our financial results for the balance of the year," said Bjella, "The effects of the virus across geographies and health systems is unequal across our client base. The rest of the year will be a balancing act for the neurosurgery marketplace and results could be positively or negatively impacted in profound ways".

Kelyniam continues to provide 24 hour and difficult to execute design services for the marketplace without interruption to the Provider Community across the United States.

The complete financials can be found on the company's website at https://www.kelyniam.com/news/

Kelyniam Inc., specializes in the rapid production of custom prosthetics utilizing computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing of advanced medical grade polymers. The Company develops, manufactures, and distributes custom cranial and maxillo-facial implants for patients requiring the reconstruction of cranial and certain facial structures. Kelyniam works directly with surgeons, health systems and payors to improve clinical and cost-of-care outcomes. Kelyniam's web site address is www.Kelyniam.com.

As a cautionary note to investors, certain matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such matters involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the following: changes in economic conditions; general competitive factors; the Company's ability to execute its service and product sales plans; changes in the status of ability to market products; and the risks described from time to time in the Company's SEC reports.

SOURCE Kelyniam Global, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.kelyniam.com


Bhutan is set to gradually lift its coronavirus lockdown after detecting limited community transmission

Bhutan, the remote Himalayan kingdom famous for measuring gross national happiness, on Tuesday took the first steps to lift its coronavirus lockdown, saying there was limited community transmission.

The country of 750,000 people between India and China -- one of the few nations in the world that have yet to register a virus death -- has so far recorded 225 infections.

"Experiences in many countries reveal a surge in Covid-19 cases, mostly detected in the second week of post-lockdown," Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, a doctor who continues to practise on weekends, said in a television address late Monday.

"Which is why our re-opening strategies should be gradual."

The shutdown was first imposed in early August after a Bhutanese woman tested positive after interacting extensively within the community. She had earlier tested negative.

The health ministry said the lockdown was being gradually lifted as there had been an uptick in cases in recent days but no widespread community outbreak.

It added that most new cases were from confined clusters or quarantine facilities where Bhutanese returning from overseas have to stay for 24 days.

Under the new guidelines, people will be allowed to leave their homes for non-essential activities like walking from Tuesday to Thursday.

In the following three days, public transport would resume. Private travel would be allowed after that.

If there is no major outbreak, the government would further relax other restrictions.

International flights to the isolated nation remain suspended.

str/grk/qan
Amber Heard claims Johnny Depp 'organised and orchestrated' an internet 'smear campaign' against her, US court documents reveal.

The documents - which are publicly available online - claim Depp attempted to 'defame Ms Heard and interfere with her reputation, career and livelihood' through an online trolling campaign.

Heard claims Depp - and his lawyer Adam Waldman - arranged for both authentic Twitter accounts and fake 'bots' to 'smear and harass' the Aquaman star.

The papers allege that Waldman 'is publicly associated with Russian individuals with the capability to organise such attacks'.

Amber Heard (left) claims Johnny Depp (right) 'organised and orchestrated' an internet 'smear campaign' against her, US court documents reveal

This papers were filed on August 10, at the end of Johnny Depp's 1million libel trial against The Sun.

The Pirates of the Carribean star is suing the newspaper over an April 2018 article that suggested he was a 'wife beater'.

Explicit details of the couple's turbulent marriage has dominated headlines, as each accused the other of domestic violence.

One claim included Depp bashing Heard's head into a fridge and sending texts threatening to cut off Elon Musk's penis after suspecting they were having an affair.

The documents - which are publicly available online - claim Depp attempted to 'defame Ms Heard (pictured) and interfere with her reputation, career and livelihood' through the online trolling campaign

In another, the model, 34, claimed her ex-husband, 57, used his severed finger to paint 'I love you' in blood on a mirror while they were temporarily based in the Gold Coast while he was filming.

Heard's case has seen Depp hit with 14 allegations of domestic violence, claims he defended during three days of testimony.

The end of this trial is set to have a major impact on another high-profile case the Hollywood star is bringing against his ex-wife.

In the US proceedings, Depp is suing Heard for $50million over a 2018 article she wrote in the Washington Post in which she describes herself as being a domestic abuse survivor.

Although Depp is not specifically named, his lawyers allege that it is obvious that the article refers to him and labels the actor of being a domestic abuser.

The three-week libel trial against The Sun in London, in which Depp hopes to win 350,000 in damages, has widely been seen as a 'dress rehearsal' for the US hearing, which will take place in Virginia.

It will feature all the same witnesses that appeared on behalf of either Depp or Heard in London and is also based on the same bombshell evidence that was produced at the High Court over the past few weeks.

The papers filed in Virginia by Heard form part of her counter claim.

They read: 'Mr Depp is attempting to defame Ms Heard and interfere with her reputation, career and livelihood through an online smear campaign he has organised and orchestrated.

Heard's case has seen Depp (pictured) hit with 14 allegations of domestic violence, claims he defended during three days of testimony

'As part of his ongoing smear campaign, Mr Depp has directed both authentic and inauthentic social media accounts and "bots" to target Ms Heard's Twitter account and attempt to interfere with her contracts and business.'

'Many of these accounts smear and harass Ms Heard while simultaneously promoting and praising Mr Depp's attorney, Adam Waldman.

'Mr Waldman is publicly associated with Russian individuals with the capability to organise such attacks.'

She claims Depp called her a 'disgusting pig', an 'inhuman scum-filled sickfish' and a 'whore c***' - verbal abuse which 'laid the groundwork for the smear campaign he spearheads today'.

Mr Waldman replied to the claims, saying 'the people demand facts and evidence, not nonsense'.
Innovative new model relies heavily on telemedicine and medical cost sharing to reduce costs and increase access to quality health care for a wider range of employers and employees

Travelers Rest, S.C., Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quality Business Solutions, Inc. (QBS), the leader in outsourced payroll, human resources and employee benefits recently launched Direct Care, a subscription-based alternative to traditional healthcare plans designed to increase access to affordable, high-quality healthcare options for employers and employees.

Direct Care is comprised of four solutions: telehealth, telehealth with a dedicated primary care physician, partnerships with regional healthcare clinics, and a medical cost-sharing program that addresses more acute or advanced needs, including hospitalization, surgery and advanced tests. Each aspect of the Direct Care program allows patients 24/7 access to medical attention from board-certified doctors via private, secure connections and in-person visits. The telemedicine options have been enhanced in response to pandemic concerns and the need for greater convenience and flexibility.

Direct Cares primary health options offer unlimited 24/7 visits, available 365 days, most with no co-pay, deductibles or co-insurance required. Direct Cares medical cost sharing option provides for the division of medical costs across a wide membership base with predetermined upfront costs and sharing maximums for members. The healthcare solution is customizable based on desired employee and employer contributions, making it an extremely attractive option for both larger employers and those smaller employers who have been priced out of the market due to skyrocketing costs associated with traditional health insurance. According to a recent Harris Poll, studies indicate that more than 50 percent of U.S. employees admit to delaying or avoiding obtaining healthcare because of increased deductibles, inflated co-pays and higher out-of-pocket minimums, making them functionally uninsured. Direct Care addresses the main aspects of traditional healthcare, including primary and preventive care, acute and non-emergent care, and emergency care or hospitalization to ensure that patients get care without compromise.

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Direct Care is a good option for any company looking to control rising health care costs while focusing on employee well-being. This provides a viable and effective option for employers with fewer than 50 employers who are not required to provide healthcare benefits to employees but realize that healthy employees affect the overall health of any business. Moreover, employers who switch from traditional healthcare insurance model to Direct Care empower employees to take control of their health by shifting the focus from reactive care to proactive health management and wellness.

While similar options have existed for a number of years to a select handful of employers or communities, the QBS Direct Care package brings affordable, high-quality, subscription-based healthcare to the mainstream by uniquely combining plan elements for maximum reach and effectiveness. Services like those offered as part of the Direct Care program are rapidly becoming more desirable and highly sought-after by businesses who want to provide a healthcare solution to their employees, but for whom traditional health insurance is no longer, or has never been, a viable option for the business.

Direct Care, available to all QBS clients, leverages technology and patient utilization preventive and routine care, rather than the high cost, last resort or emergency care often required when uninsured persons delay seeking medical attention or do not adequately manage their conditions.

Our nation is experiencing a significant surge in the need for quality healthcare options that are not only sensitive to the financial situation of many patients but are also focused on improving access to medical attention, said David Evette, president, Quality Business Solutions. This program gives employees the opportunity to take control of their healthcare options at a time when getting medical attention in a safe environment, like your home, is of the utmost importance. We have disrupted the market with this innovative approach, and we are excited to see it take hold in our backyard and across the country.

For more information on QBS human resources and employee benefit offerings, including how Direct Care can help employers, employees and area families, please contact us today or visit https://qualitybsolutions.net/services/direct-care/.

About QBS

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Travelers Rest, S.C., Quality Business Solutions, Inc. (QBS) offers a wide and comprehensive range of integrated PEO/ASO services, including payroll administration, unemployment management, insurance, benefit administration, human resources, workers compensation and tax reporting, that can be tailored to meet each companys individual needs. The company employs a team of experts familiar with the most innovative and advanced business processes and strategies in these areas, providing a cost-effective outsourced solution for non-core business functions. For more information, visit http://www.qualitybsolutions.net/.

Contact Information

To learn more about QBS, please contact:

Quality Business Solutions, Inc.

280 Hindman Road

Travelers Rest, SC 29690

Office: 864.834.3985

Attachment

CONTACT: JoAnne Laffey Abed Quality Business Solutions 7733085519 joanne@brightcomarketers.com




Protesters clash with deputies of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department during protests following the death of Dijon Kizzee on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Christian Monterrosa/AP Photo)

LA Sheriffs Deputies Kill Black Man Who Dropped Gun

The Los Angeles Sheriffs Office said one of its deputies shot and killed a black male who dropped a handgun, prompting calls for demonstrations.

According to a live stream, protesters gathered in a neighborhood in Downey, California, and other areas, while reports said that a crowd marched to the sheriffs office station and demanded justice. They chanted the usual slogans including Black Lives Matter and no justice, no peace, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Sheriffs deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez told reporters the incident took place at 3:15 p.m. near West 109th Place and South Budlong Avenue. A man who was riding a bicycle was stopped by deputies for violations. He then ran away before the deputies caught up with him, leading to a melee between the man and the deputies.

The suspect then allegedly punched a deputy and dropped some clothing, revealing a black handgun, officials said. Two deputies opened fire and shot him several times. Its not clear if the gun dropped before or after the shooting.

Sheriffs Department Lt. Brandon Dean told ABC News: Our suspect was holding some items of clothing in his hands, punched one of the officers in the face, and then dropped the items in his hands. The deputies noticed that inside the clothing items he dropped was a black semiautomatic handgun, at which time a deputy-involved shooting occurred.

Black Lives Matter organizers in Los Angeles identified the suspect as Dijon Kizzee, calling on protesters to gather.

Los Angeles County Sheriffs killed a Black man  Dijon  on 109th and Budlong and left his body face down in the dirt. We need all hands on deck, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles wrote on Twitter.

Officials said an investigation is ongoing.
The CCP has not defined exactly what it means by its ambition to have a world-class military, Sbragia said. Within the context of Chinas national strategy, however, it is likely that China will aim to develop a military by mid-century that is equal to, and in many cases superior to, the United States military or that of any other great power that the Chinese view as a threat.
The Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa, has lampooned former President John Mahama, and the hierarchy of the party for 'shamelessly' running away from their own 'people's manifesto' after spending so much time to prepare it.

According to him, the NDC and its leadership have suddenly abandoned their own 'people's manifesto' because they realized the NPP launched what he called 'unbeatable and comprehensive' manifesto which he said virtually addresses the immediate needs of Ghanaians under the broader theme: Leadership Of Service: Protecting Our Progress, Transforming Ghana For All.

He said as soon as NPP launched its manifesto for the 2020 general election, the NDC elements decided to throw away their 'underwhelming and nothing to write home about manifesto'and are now hurriedly trying to prepare another one that would compete with what had been done by the NPP.

People's Consultation

Addressing a news conference at Alisa Hotel in Accra yesterday, the NPP Communications Director stated, Months before Covid-19 changed the world, John Mahama's NDC set out on a perilous journey of trying to find out what Ghanaians want.

He said, After 16 years of NDC in the 28-year-old Fourth Republic, six of those years as Government Official 1, the final decision maker in Ghana, he is still struggling to find out what Ghana's governance priorities are. On July 1, 2020 the whole world was told that Candidate Mahama had received 'the people's manifesto'. He said he would launch it in August. When the NPP announced August 22, 2020 as its date for launching its manifesto, we were told theirs would follow on August 29, 2020.

Mr. Buaben Asamoa fired again that then came the bomb. 'Leadership Of Service; Protecting Our Progress, Transforming Ghana For All' hit them so hard they hurriedly postponed to 31st August 2020. As we speak, we are not sure whether it will happen on September 7, 2020 as nobody seems ready to own up to another promise.

Listening In

The NPP was sure that they were not going to be able to launch it. We knew they had to listen to the commentaries, criticisms and suggestions that have greeted our manifesto in order to try and rewrite theirs ostensibly to pander to the public debates on our manifesto. Candidate Mahama has no vision. He just follows the wind, he pointed out.

The NPP guru insisted that what the NDC people are doing now after the launch of the NPP's manifesto is to meticulously scrutinize its content which touches on all aspects of the needs of Ghanaians and come up with the same policies.

John Mahama and NDC leaders want to steal our good policies and that is why they could not launch their manifesto on the well-publicized date of August 27 for their manifesto launch, he added.

He said John Mahama and the NDC are completely bereft of ideas on pragmatic policies and that was why Ghanaians voted them out in 2016.

Covid-19 Challenges

He said the main focus of the NPP government for 2020 is how to effectively manage the economy in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and also expand the economy after the pandemic, but former President Mahama had never got the chance to know about the real challenges in Covid-19 economic, let alone being able to find solutions to them.

Flip-Flop

He said, Candidate Mahama flip-flops. He follows the wind. As you can see, he is now converted by the forward-looking policies of the current administration, the strong, focused wind generated in the wake of President Nana Akufo-Addo's credible delivery, adding Candidate Mahama cannot do it. He had his chances and squandered them all.

So, all the policies he rejected as impossible when in power, the good governance he could not deliver, he is now saying he will do, after Nana Akufo-Addo had already delivered.

President Mahama hated free SHS with a passion. His government paid for over forty advertisements against it from his assumption of the Presidency. He failed to deliver on his ill-conceived alternate of E-Blocks. Today, he says he should be voted into office to maintain free SHS, he added.

4 More To Do More For You

He said that the Akufo-Addo government is clear on what it wants to achieve with the support of governance partners. He took his time to list all the programmes they had set out in the NPP manifesto sector by sector.

He also said the heartbeat of our manifesto is part 3, the sole chapter 3 of which sets out the 'CARES programme'. The Ghana Covid-19 Alleviation and Revitalization of Enterprises (Ghana CARES) Programme. Having seen our manifesto, the NDC is desperately trying to come to grips with our chapter 3 of part 3. How will the NDC leadership offer a solution without a vision? (sic)

Media Admonishing

Mr. Buaben Asamoa also admonished the media to continue to monitor activities of the government and the opposition objectively, saying we expect that you remain steadfast independent arbiters in helping to redirect the debate to sifting the grain from the chaff and weighing the grain in the white light of fair inquiry.

We hope that in this fast evolving media environment of competing claims, you use the versatile tools at your disposal to throw even more light on the real issues of poverty eradication and jerky growth hindering our forward march (sic).

---Daily Guide
The partnership provides customers with leading-edge data center services and cybersecurity tools for a seamless digital transformation journey

MONTREAL, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - eStruxture , the largest Canadian-owned provider of network and cloud-neutral data center solutions, and ITSS Canada Inc ., a company specialized in designing, sourcing, and managing complex technologies to accompany businesses in their digital transformation, have announced today their new partnership which will help customers better evaluate their technology infrastructure and digital transformation needs in the context of their business goals.

"As many companies continue to work remotely, providing a secure and flexible cloud offering is important to help employees work productively and efficiently at home. This 'new normal' brings new challenges and securing data and preventing breaches is business critical. Partners like ITSS Canada Inc. help companies effectively manage their cybersecurity strategy and better understand their technology challenges and infrastructure needs, which is a must in this unprecedented time. Our pan-Canadian network of data centers boosts geo-redundancy and offers direct access to a robust ecosystem of network, applications and cloud service providers, which is of critical value for companies like ITSS," says Todd Coleman, President and CEO of eStruxture Data Centers.

Over the past months, many IT departments have allowed additional access to their corporate network, causing new exposures to organizations' critical data as new methods of cyberthreats and ransomware attacks strike businesses. In order to help companies navigate this situation, eStruxture and ITSS Canada Inc. are working together to bring current and prospective clients a free initial scan and assessment of their digital footprint. The new FireTower SaaS-based tool set from ITSS Canada Inc. identifies vulnerabilities and breaches and provides an overall report on the health of a company's digital presence. Pre and post any major infrastructure change is a great time to take a look at your security posture - FireTower makes this easy.

"Partnerships are what powers ITSS Canada - major cloud, data center and managed service providers ensure we match the unique environment of each client and optimize their data estate. Our new partnership with eStruxture, the premier data center provider in Canada, will allow us to complement our service offering and provide leading-edge colocation and connectivity solutions to an engaged pool of customers with unique technology requirements. We are glad to add eStruxture to our partner community, which supports businesses across Canada and beyond," explains Marc Gagnon, Managing Partner, ITSS Canada.

About eStruxture

eStruxture is the largest Canadian-owned cloud and carrier-neutral data center provider. Our solutions are designed with the capacity, performance and flexibility to run modern, demanding enterprise applications, and the control to rapidly scale in response to unpredictable changes in business processes. Headquartered in Montreal, the company provides access to an ecosystem of over 900 customers that trust and depend on eStruxture's mission critical infrastructure and customer-centric support, including carriers, cloud providers, media, content, financial services and enterprise customers. eStruxture offers colocation, private cloud, managed services, bandwidth, and security and support services to customers of all sizes.

For more information, visit www.estruxture.com . Follow us on Twitter @estruxture and LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/estruxture/.

About ITSS Canada

ITSS Canada, your trusted business and technology strategy experts. We specialize in designing, sourcing, and managing complex technologies. From leading technology infrastructure projects to simplifying your global sourcing needs - our goal is to accelerate the value you can realize from your digital transformation.

With a global ecosystem of partners and an extensive network of transformation experts and consultants across the country, ITSS is headquartered in Calgary, AB, with offices in the Greater Toronto Area.

Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/itsscanada/ .

SOURCE eStruxture Data Centers Inc.

Related Links

estruxture.com


www.onewire.com We feel there is an enormous market opportunity to launch our recruiting platform across the Asian markets especially given the uncertainty in Hong Kong, as finance firms and workers evaluate transitioning their business and career to different countries in the Asia Pacific rim

OneWire, the leading online recruitment platform for the financial services industry, today announced the offering of its suite of products to Asian based customers through a partnership with i6TG. i6TG is a human resource service solutions provider in Japan and is a member of the TG Group, which is a regional human resource services consultancy with direct investments in human resource solution companies in the Asia Pacific region, namely Singapore, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.

Through the partnership, i6TG customers will be able to advertise open job positions in different cities and countries and search from over 700K candidates on OneWire.com to source and recruit talent in the financial services sector. Hiring managers will also be able to join Matchbook.io, a role-based talent marketplace that presents screened and vetted finance talent ready to make a career move, while interviewing candidates all free of charge. Matchbook charges a reduced success fee if a hire is made, limiting the up-front risk, and putting the firm in control of the hiring process.

Our strategic alliance with i6TG will allow multi-national financial services firms to utilize our global sourcing and recruiting platform across Asia, while we leverage local expertise to build and cultivate commercial business relationships on the ground, said Eric Stutzke, CEO of OneWire. Stutzke continued, We feel there is an enormous market opportunity to launch our recruiting platform across the Asian markets especially given the uncertainty in Hong Kong, as finance firms and workers evaluate transitioning their business and career to different countries in the Asia Pacific rim. We are well positioned to follow the flow of assets and human capital across the region.

Ryuji Sato, CEO of i6TG said, This exciting launch of the OneWire recruiting service in the Asian region will realize the mobilization of finance and fintech talent within Asia, which will contribute to the further development of Asian financial markets and enhance the leading position of Japan as an international financial center that will attract professionals from Hong Kong and other countries in the surrounding area. Sato continued, Moreover, our partnership will create a pipeline of professionals between Asia and the world largest financial centers such as New York and London. I believe that OneWires global platform will connect the major financial centers across the world by skill and talent.

Please direct all press inquiries to:

For OneWire: Eric Stutzke, CEO | eric@onewire.com | (646) 786-0866

For i6TG: Ryuji Sato, CEO, COO | ow@tg-hr.com | +81 (3)5775 6616

About OneWire | OneWire is a SaaS-based recruiting platform that hosts the largest community of professionals in the financial services industry. Candidates can confidentially search and apply to jobs, while employers can advertise open opportunities or search directly from our candidate database. Through the Companys Matchbook product, candidates are pre-screened in advance and showcased in a talent marketplace where employers can directly send interview requests and pay on success. The Company also offers tech-enabled executive search services that is customized for each firm.

About i6TG and TG Group | i6TGis a Human Resources service solutions provider located in Japan. It provides a wide range of HR services from HR consulting, Payroll Process Outsourcing, Recruitment Process Outsourcing to licensed employment placement services.

TG Group, headquartered in Singapore operates workforce solution businesses spanning across Asia (Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.) Our core competencies are in Contingent Workforce, Business Process Outsourcing, Payroll Process Outsourcing, HR Consulting, Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Executive/ Professional Placement. We specialize in marrying both manpower and technology to provide a hermetic solution to our valued customers to meet their business objectives.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- THIRTEEN's Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning series Nature premieres new episodes Wednesdays at 8 p.m. beginning October 21 on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app. Season 39 starts with Pandas: Born to be Wild, which follows two Chinese cinematographers as they trek through the steep trails of the Qinling Mountains to catch a glimpse of wild pandas and learn more about startling new behaviors of one of the world's most endangered animals.

From Australia to Africa to the Alps, Nature's 39th season travels the globe to film never-before-seen animal behavior alongside crucial conservation stories of at-risk species. Experience from your screen the wildlife across the globe, from pumas in the Patagonian Andes, to sharks around the volcanoes of Hawaii, to ibexes in the European Alps. Witness the grueling, emotional volunteer efforts to rescue wildlife survivors from Australia's devastating bushfires earlier this year. A three-part series on the primate family delves deeper into lesser-known species, such as the slow loris and the tarsier, than ever before. Nature gets in the holiday spirit with a trip to Lapland, a region in northern Finland, the fabled land of Santa Claus and actual home of reindeer, wolverines, bears and more.

New Nature Season 39 documentaries include:

Nature: Pandas: Born to be Wild (Season 39 premiere)

Premieres Wednesday, October 21 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Unlock the mysteries of wild pandas whose counterparts in captivity are known for their gentle image. Journey through the steep Qinling Mountains with filmmakers, scientists and rangers to witness pandas' startling courtship and aggressive behavior.

Nature: Australian Bushfire Rescue

Premieres Wednesday, October 28 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Meet the people rescuing and caring for the animal survivors of Australia's devastating bushfires. Iconic species such as koalas, kangaroos and wombats face a series of hurdles to recover from their trauma. The film is a follow-up to a series of digital shorts produced by Nature that captured the immediate aftermath of the fires and relief efforts.

Nature: Primates (three-part miniseries)

Premieres Wednesdays, November 4-18 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Get to know the many species of primates, from the popular chimpanzee and gorilla, to more obscure species such as the snub-nosed monkey, the slow loris, the tarsier and many others.





Nature: Santa's Wild Home

Premieres Wednesday, November 25 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Get an intimate look at the wildlife of Lapland, a region in northern Finland, the fabled home of Santa Claus and actual home of reindeer, wolverines, eagles, wolves, brown bears and more.





Nature: The Alps (two-part miniseries)

Premieres Winter/Spring 2021 on PBS, pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Explore Europe's majestic mountain range, where plants and animals brave extreme seasonal fluctuations and treacherous natural disasters.





Nature: Pumas (w.t.)

Premieres Winter/Spring 2021 on PBS, pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Travel to the mountains of Chile to discover the secrets of the puma, the area's biggest and most elusive predator.





Nature: Big Bend (w.t.)

Premieres Winter/Spring 2021 on PBS, pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Roam the Wild West frontier land of the Rio Grande's Big Bend alongside its iconic animals, including Black bears, rattlesnakes and scorpions.





Nature: Sharks in Hawaii (w.t.)

Premieres Winter/Spring 2021 on PBS, pbs.org/nature and the PBS Video app

Meet the 40 species of shark that call the waters near Hawaii's islands their home, including Whitetip reef sharks, Galapagos sharks and the deadly Tiger shark.

Led by executive producer Fred Kaufman, Nature pioneered a television genre that is now widely emulated in the broadcast industry, bringing the natural world to millions of viewers. Consistently among the most-watched primetime series on PBS, Nature continues to innovate through original digital programming and a commitment to converting viewers into doers.

The series has won more than 700 honors from the television industry, the international wildlife film communities and environmental organizations, including 18 Emmys and three Peabodys. Nature received two of the wildlife film industry's highest honors: the Christopher Parsons Outstanding Achievement Award given by the Wildscreen Festival, and the Grand Teton Award given by the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. The International Wildlife Film Festival honored Kaufman with its Lifetime Achievement Award for Media.

Nature's award-winning website, pbs.org/nature, features full episodes, short films, digital series, behind-the-scenes content, news articles, educational resources and more. The series is available for streaming simultaneously on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. PBS station members can view episodes via Passport (contact your local PBS station for details).

Nature is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET and PBS. Fred Kaufman is Executive Producer. Bill Murphy is Series Producer. Janet Hess is Series Editor. Danielle Steinberg is Digital Content & Strategy Lead.

Support for Nature is made possible in part by the Arnhold Family in memory of Henry and Clarisse Arnhold, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, The Fairweather Foundation, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao, the Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation, Charles Rosenblum, Sandra Atlas Bass, the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.

Websites: pbs.org/nature, facebook.com/PBSNature, @PBSNature, instagram.com/pbsnature, youtube.com/naturepbs , tiktok.com/@pbsnature, #NaturePBS

About WNET

WNET is America's flagship PBS station: parent company of New York's THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey. Through its new ALL ARTS multi-platform initiative, its broadcast channels, three cable services (THIRTEEN PBSKids, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each month. WNET produces and presents a wide range of acclaimed PBS series, including Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, and the nightly interview program Amanpour and Company. In addition, WNET produces numerous documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings, as well as multi-platform initiatives addressing poverty and climate. Through THIRTEEN Passport and WLIW Passport, station members can stream new and archival THIRTEEN, WLIW and PBS programming anytime, anywhere.

SOURCE Nature on PBS
Demonstrators in Massachusetts gathered on Sunday to protest the state's decision to make the flu vaccine mandatory for students.

The protesters called the state's decision an assault on their individual rights.

According to The Boston Herald, a freshman high school student, Emerson Kearns, addressed the crowd to voice her dissatisfaction with the state's mandate.

"I should be starting school, not fighting for my right to be in school," she said.

The state made the flu vaccine mandatory earlier this year. Under the new rules, any student older than 6 months is required to get the vaccine, and must do so by the end of the year. Individuals with medical or religious exemptions may forgo the vaccination.

Recommended Oxford coronavirus vaccine begins final stage of US trials

Many protesters said the flu vaccine should be a choice, echoing the concerns of those critical of wearing face masks to diminish the spread of the coronavirus.

"I think parents are vulnerable right now," Taryn Proulx, a parent, told local broadcaster WCVB. "They need their kids to go to school and they backed us into a corner. We feel like we have to just comply or rearrange our whole lives and homeschool our children."

Carla LeClerc, a chiropractor who spoke with Agence France-Presse reporters, said that it the choice to vaccinate should be between parents and their doctors, and claimed that immunisations were not effective.

"I'm strongly against the proposed vaccination and mandated anything. It should be a parent's choice whether to vaccinate their kids, especially for the flu shot, which is not even safe, necessary or effective," she said.

Massachusetts already requires a number of vaccines for students entering public schools.

At varying ages, students must receive the polio, MMR, chickenpox, Hepatitis B and DTaP vaccines.

The state issued the mandate in mid August after health experts issued warnings that the upcoming flu season mixing with the ongoing coronavirus could prove disastrous for public health.

Dr Larry Madoff, the medical director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, pressed the importance of receiving a vaccine in a statement he issued announcing the new mandate.

"It is more important now than ever to get a flu vaccine because flu symptoms are very similar to those of Covid-19 and preventing the flu will save lives and preserve health care resources," Dr Madoff wrote.
Mali's new strongman, Colonel Assimi Goita, and his junta have proposed a military-led transitional body to rule for three years

The junta that seized power in Mali wants a military-led transitional body to rule for three years and has agreed to release the ousted president, a source in a visiting West African delegation and the rebel soldiers said Sunday.

Last week's coup -- Mali's second in eight years -- followed months of protests calling for Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to resign as public discontent with the government grew over the collapsing economy and a brutal Islamist insurgency.

"The junta has affirmed that it wants a three-year transition to review the foundations of the Malian state. This transition will be directed by a body led by a soldier, who will also be head of state," a source in the ECOWAS delegation told AFP after talks with the junta.

"The government will also be predominantly composed of soldiers" under the proposal, the source said on condition of anonymity.

A junta official confirmed to AFP that "the three-year transition would have a military president and a government mostly composed of soldiers".

The source and the official added that the soldiers have agreed to free Keita, detained along with other political leaders since the coup on Tuesday, and he would be able to return to his home in the capital Bamako.

"And if he wants to travel abroad for (medical) treatment, that is not a problem," said the source from ECOWAS, which stands for the Economic Community of West African States.

Prime minister Boubou Cisse, who has been held with Keita at a military base outside the capital where the coup began, would be moved to a secure residence in the city.

While the coup was met with international condemnation, thousands of opposition supporters celebrated the president's ouster in the streets of Bamako.

- Talks in Bamako -

The junta has said it "completed the work" of the protesters and has vowed to stage elections "within a reasonable time".

However, Mali's neighbours have called for Keita to be reinstated, saying the purpose of the visit by the delegation from the regional ECOWAS bloc was to help "ensure the immediate return of constitutional order".

Story continues

Tuesday's coup has heightened concern over regional stability as Mali's jihadist insurgency now threatens neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

The ECOWAS talks are set to resume in Bamako on Monday after two days of negotiations with the junta.

"We have reached a number of agreements but we have not reached agreement on all the issues," Nigerian ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, head of the delegation, told reporters as Sunday's discussions drew to a close.

Both the regional delegation and the military officers "want the country to move on" after the coup, he said. "We are just discussing the way forward."

Jonathan met Keita on Saturday and said that he seemed "very fine".

Keita won an election in a landslide in 2013, presenting himself as a unifying figure in a fractured country, and was re-elected in 2018 for another five-year term.

But he failed to make headway against the jihadist revolt that has left swathes of the country in the hands of armed Islamists and ignited ethnic violence in the country's volatile centre.

ECOWAS Commission chief Jean-Claude Kassi Brou expressed hope over the weekend that it would be possible to "finalise everything" on Monday, underlining the military's "strong will to move forward".

"We need results, because on August 26, the ECOWAS heads of state meet to say whether they will strengthen sanctions against the junta, or if the grip on them will be loosened," said a member of the delegation.

sd/siu/dl/kaf/axn
Partnering with an experienced real estate investor can be an effective way for busy people to get involved in real estate investing. (Fotolia)

Higher JobSeeker Rate Must Be Permanent: Anglicare Australia

Anglicare Australia makes the case in a new report that renting is unaffordable amid the CCP virus pandemic for people who earn a low income or receive various forms of welfare payments, and pushes for the higher rates to become permanent.

With the current higher rate of government support costing billions of dollars per month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it cannot go on forever.

I think Australians understand that. They know that a current scheme that is burning cash, their cash, taxpayers cash to the tune of some $11 billion a month cannot go on forever. Australians understand that, Morrison said.

Anglicare claims that, contrary to the opinion of commentators, Australia is not currently experiencing a renters market.

Instead, it suggests that for those receiving welfare support payments at the current temporarily elevated rate only one percent rental properties listed were affordable.

Some of those federal government support payments are set to reduce, such as JobKeeper, JobSeeker, and the Coronavirus Supplementan amount provided in addition to regular paymentswhich decreases from $550 a fortnight to $250 a fortnight starting from Sept. 24.

People wait in line to enter Centrelink in Melbourne, Australia, on March 24, 2020. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Renters have found themselves on the frontlines of the economic collapse wrought by the Coronavirus. They are much more likely to be in low-paid or insecure work, and many now face an impossible situation: Not only losing income, but at risk of losing their homes, stated the report (pdf), released on Aug. 31.

The survey also observed that only 625 properties are affordable for a person who is currently on the aged pension, and 192 properties were affordable for someone on the disability support pension.

Anglicare is calling on the government to keep the increased rate for JobSeeker permanently. They are also calling for it to be extended to those with disabilities and age pensioners, declaring that this will help keep people housed, stop poverty, and keep them from making bad life choices.

A woman sits on the pavement as a woman behind her withdraws money from an ATM machine in Melbourne, Australia on Aug. 31, 2009. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Morrison has flagged changes to JobSeeker and other support payments will be addressed in the upcoming October budget.

Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers said in the report: This is a historic pandemic, and it demands a historic and structural response. Increases to JobSeeker and other payments must become permanent, and they must be expanded to everyone in need.

Currently, Chambers noted that renters are on the frontline of the pandemic in Australia with many set to lose their incomes, and potentially their homes.

Rent deferrals and eviction moratoriums are ending soon, with many in arrears for thousands of dollars. Some are facing cuts to JobSeeker, while othersage pensioners, people with disability, and those earning the minimum wagewere left out of the Governments response altogether, she said.

It is time for governments to take real action, and ensure every Australian has a home, said Chambers.
What Is the Chinese Regime Anxious About?

Commentary

The Chinese regimes mouthpiece, Peoples Daily, published a series of commentaries that claim the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is not a threat to its own people or to the world.

The editorial, headlined The Communist Party of China and the Chinese People on the Great Long March, issued five commentaries from Aug. 18 to 24.

The Peoples Daily wrote: The international environment is becoming increasingly complex; instability and uncertainty are obviously growing; protectionism, unilateralism, and populism are becoming more and more intensified; and hegemonic thinking and bullying are becoming more and more severe. What happened to the world? What about mankind?

Why is the CCP anxious? Its because the world is unanimously resisting the CCP, as more and more countries are beginning to recognize the nature of the regime and the harm it inflicts upon the world. The CCP doesnt truly care about mankind. Instead, it is concerned with maintaining its power and legitimacy.

The communist media charged the United States with protectionism, unilateralism, and bullying. These allegations have come handy to attack U.S. countermeasures against Huawei. It is only natural for the CCP to engage in illegal activities, such as espionage and theft of intellectual property.

Does the CCP Maintain World Peace?

The Peoples Daily editorial deliberately frames the CCP issue as the China issue, and conceals the CCPs motives of world domination behind the so-called will of the state. According to one of the commentaries, Some people are worried that China will take the path of a hegemony, and thus come up with the theory of China threat.

In the past two years, top U.S. officials such as Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have made it known that there is a clear distinction between China and the CCP. The primary threat is the CCP, not China, nor the Chinese people.

The Peoples Daily wrote, It has always been Chinas unwavering national will to actively strive for a peaceful international environment to develop itself, and to better maintain world peace and promote common development with its own development.

Is the CCP really promoting peace? Over the years, the CCP has given financial support to the dictators of North Korea and Iran as a bargaining chip to expand its political influence and to strengthen their alliance in confronting the United States.

At the end of the last century, two Chinese military officers published Unrestricted Warfare to propose a war strategy to attack the United States. The authors claimed the strategy that breaks through all the rules and boundaries is the future war zonesranging from network warfare, resources warfare, media warfare, economic warfare, to cultural warfare.

In reality, the CCP has launched an unrestricted war against the freedom camp in many areas. For example, in recent years, Western media and intelligence agencies have repeatedly exposed and condemned Chinese hackers cyberattacks. Government departments, private companies, military companies, and hospitals in the United States, Australia, and Europe have been hacked.

According to a French media report, many hospitals and clinics in Europe have encountered cyberattacks since March. Sources say these attacks originated from China and the purpose was to steal patients information and research data pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.

Starting on July 1, the CCP implemented the national security law in Hong Kong. Under Article 38 of this law, the Hong Kong police issued arrest warrants for six overseas Hong Kong residents at the end of July, including an American citizen and two people who were granted asylum in Britain and Germany. On Aug. 10, the Hong Kong police arrested 10 pro-democracy activists, including Jimmy Lai. And more than 200 police officers raided the Apple Daily building. The white terror has permeated the entire city.

On July 21, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi, agents of the Guangdong State Security Department of the Ministry of State Security, alleging that they had stolen large amounts of data from high-tech companies and conducted a hacking campaign that began more than 10 years ago. They targeted companies in countries with high tech industries, stole information ranging from trade secrets, defense, to COVID-19 vaccine research. The nature and value of the material stolen by these hackers cannot just be measured in dollars and was indicative of being state driven, according to a statement from the DOJ.

On July 31, the CCP completed its BeiDou-3 global satellite navigation system. According to an article on the official Weibo site of Chinese Academy of Sciences titled Ten Questions on BeiDou, the author claimed the development of BeiDou helped the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) engage in asymmetric information warfare, bypassing the reliance on GPS (Global Positioning System), and conduct precision, spotted, and beheading operations.

In addition, the CCP bought media overseas, used student organizations to engage in United Front work, infiltrated various organizations to collect intelligence, and its diplomats slandered the United States and other countries as the source of the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

These actions are all forms of unrestricted warfare tactics aimed to export communist ideology, suppress the freedom of speech, media, and academics, and undermine the stability of a free society.

The Biggest Fear of the CCP

On July 23, Pompeo said in a California speech: If the free world doesnt change, communist China will surely change us. Pompeo called on free nations to counter the CCPs aggression.

To change communist China means to help the Chinese people disintegrate the CCP and eliminate tyranny. This call from the United States is the CCPs greatest fear.

The CCP seems to be huge and unshakable. In fact, the inside of the Red Boat has fallen apart. The 90 million Party members are ready to jump ship. Many have withdrawn and severed their ties with the CCP. Others want to transform China into a free and democratic nation by cooperating with people outside the Party and Western democratic forces.

While the CCP faces crises at this time, it could be a turning point and an opportunity for mankind to reflect on the injustices of communism. The worlds people are faced with a choice: to follow the CCP or to support justice.

Tian Yun, M.A., specializes in education management and historical-cultural research. She has published articles on China-related current affairs in The Epoch Times since 2018.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Punjab witnessed an average seven suicides a day in 2019, reveals the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report that was released on Monday.

The report, however, fell short of making vocational classification of these deaths and attributes illness as the single largest contributing reason behind the suicide cases reported in the state at 27.7%. A total of 2,357 suicide cases were reported in Punjab last year.

The report shares only national figures for farm suicides. Even the state-wise breakdown of the all-India numbers has not been released by the bureau.

Experts and rights associations claim that small and marginal farmers and farm labourers form a sizeable section of those taking their lives due to financial stress.

What makes them equally worried is that Punjab witnessed a surge of 37.5% per 1 lakh population in 2019 than number of suicides reported in the previous year. The report says Punjab was the second state after Bihar (44.7%) that saw the highest spike in suicides in percentage terms over the last year.

Of the 1.39 lakh suicide cases reported in all states last year, 10,281 (7.4%) were associated with the farming sector. Of these, 5,957 were farmers/cultivators and 4,324 agricultural labourers.

The NCRB reports claim that bankruptcy or indebtedness was behind only 4.2% suicide cases across the country has been contested by the farmer organisations.

Joginder Singh Ugrahan, state chief of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU Ugrahan) raised finger at the figures of suicide cases in Punjab. As per our estimate, about 3,000 farmers ended their lives in Punjab whereas the NCRB pegs the overall figure at less than 2,400. Projection of linking only 4% deaths to indebtedness reflects dilution of facts, he said.

Harinder Singh Lakhowal, general secretary of another BKU faction, said even in the suicide cases attributed to illness financial stress among farmers cannot be ruled out.

It is only tweaking of figures as anyone taking life due to a disease is actually facing non-availability of resources like healthcare facilities. For a small and marginal farmer, illness and family disputes are directly related to their inability to repay loans and an increased cost of living, said Lakhowal.

Central University of Punjab chancellor SS Johl, an agriculture economist, said the debt waiver scheme the Congress government launched has not helped the farmers in distress.

Following local waiver scheme announcement, small and marginal farmers stopped repaying loans. As the Amarinder Singh-led government did not implement the plan in letter and spirit, farmers are in now more miserable situation as interests have spiraled, said Johl.

Kesar Singh Bhangoo, a professor at the Centre for Research in Economic Change at Punjabi University who has done an intensive research on farm suicides, said the number of farmers who took the drastic step has been rising since 2011.

There may be instances wherein families were reluctant to complete the legal formalities of deaths to claim the death as suicides. It is contrary to the ground reality that a sizeable number of farmers are taking extreme steps. Even the Punjab State Farmers & Farm Workers Commission has ended up as a government organ and failed to prepare any roadmap for the farming sector, said Bhangoo.

Suninder Tung, a professor of psychology at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), said it is important to identify the vulnerable sections who were committing suicides. The suicide rate is alarming. It is important to identify the reasons behind such a high rate of suicides in a holistic manner, she said.
A New Jersey man is accused of beating a friend to death and fleeing to Michigan, officials said.

Jose Elizondo-Mena, 51, of Dover, was arrested in Michigan in mid-August after the June death of an acquaintance, whom police only identified as C.R.R. He is charged with manslaughter and weapons charges.

On June 4, police were alerted to a body in an area of the Dover woods, home to a homeless encampment known as the rock, police said.

The body showed signs of decomposition, but was later identified as C.R.R., charging documents say. A spokesperson for the prosecutors office said the slain man is not being publicly identified at this time.

A witness told police he was drinking with Elizondo-Mena and the man in early June when the two got into a fight, court records show. Elizondo-Mena pinned the man to the ground, hitting him in the face with a piece of wood, the witness reportedly said.

Police said a broken tree branch was found near the mans body, and an autopsy showed fractures in the eye sockets, right cheek and the right side of the skull.

Elizondo-Mena left Dover for the Trenton area shortly after the fight, police said, and fled New Jersey in early June. He was arrested in Michigan on Aug. 13.

His next court date is set for the end of September.

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

Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Turkey: exploration in Mediterranean extended to 12/9 New Navtex for Oruc Reis surveying off Cyprus

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, SEPTEMBER 1 - Turkey's controversial oil and gas exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean off Cyprus will continue at least through September 12, said authorities in Ankara. They issued a new Navtex warning to restrict navigation in the area, where they are already working with the Oruc Reis seismic research vessel. The survey activity was previously scheduled to end on Tuesday. This is the third extension of the Navtex issued last month for prospecting in search of hydrocarbons. The Oruc Reis is accompanied by the ships Ataman and Cengiz Han. The announcement comes after escalating tensions with Greece in recent weeks over disputes on the two countries' respective maritime borders. Ankara is also carrying out military exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean, off Iskenderun on the southern coast of Turkey. The exercises are scheduled to continue through September 11.(ANSAmed).



(ANSA).




An Indian couple were forced to 'sell' their newborn baby to a hospital because they could not afford their medical bills, it is claimed.

Shiv Charan and his wife Babita were left with a bill of 35,000 rupees (350) after their baby son was delivered by caesarian section at the hospital in Agra.

The rickshaw driver and his wife did not have the money - so the hospital 'bought' the child for 100,000 rupees (1,000) to settle the bill, the parents told the Times of India.

Hospital manager Seema Gupta says the child was 'given up' for adoption rather than 'sold', claiming that the parents signed paperwork agreeing to the move.

Shiv Charan and his wife Babita (pictured) were left with an unaffordable bill of 35,000 rupees (350) after their baby son was born at a hospital in India

The couple already have five children and Mr Charan makes no more than 100 rupees per day driving rickshaws.

In addition, the shoe factory where their eldest son used to work has been closed because of the coronavirus crisis.

When the hospital demanded the money, the family could not afford to pay and the baby was taken away - but Babita, 36, wants her newborn son back.

Although the hospital claims that paperwork was completed, Mr Charan says the couple cannot read or write and that any documents were signed with thumb prints.

District magistrate Prahbu N Singh said the alleged 'sale' would be investigated and 'suitable action' taken.

Some babies who are taken into the hospital's care will later be 'sold' to couples looking to adopt a child, it is believed.

A child rights activist told the Times of India that the alleged 'sale' had not met the legal requirements for adoption.

India's government has previously warned of a 'baby trafficking' trade which reduces the number of children available for legitimate adoption.

The newborn baby (stock photo) was allegedly 'sold' to a hospital because its mother and father could not afford to pay for the caesarian section

Families have faced long waits to adopt a child, with willing parents outnumbering available children by as much as seven to one.

Separately, India's Rajasthan this month launched a new drive to stop older children being trafficked across its borders for child labour.

The state is known for its handicraft industry and authorities are concerned about a rise in child labour as coronavirus restrictions are eased.

It is illegal to employ anyone under 15 in India, but children are permitted to support family businesses outside of school hours.

Campaigners say this provision is widely exploited by employers and human traffickers.

Police and transport officials have been told to verify the movement of every child to prevent the trafficking of child workers from poorer states.
From the estimate, 90% of the world trade is carried by the international shipping industry, which has made cargo shipping more important than it used to be. As a result of this, cargo theft has become an issue of concern to many people. Part of the measures put in place to address this is tracking cargoes, and a way of achieving this is by using the GICCS cargo tracking system.

Image: gettyimages.com

Source: Getty Images

In this digital age, a lot of things have been simplified to make life worth more enjoyable. For instance, with the smartphone, people can find different things, including their favourite restaurant and the nearest gas station. They can place orders online and even track people.

To boost a companys growth through increased efficiency in how goods are transported or shipped is part of what makes tracking systems essential. Businesses employ the services of cargo shipping organisations to get their consignments delivered efficiently and on time.

By using cargo tracking technology, it is easier to monitor metrics relating to ship movement, and more importantly, business owners can enjoy peace of mind as they can track the movement of their cargoes and know when they are likely to get them delivered either to themselves or their clients.

READ ALSO: GCNet Ghana location, head office, car values

Background information on GICCS

Fully known as Ghana Integrated Cargo Clearance System, the GICCS is one of the electronic systems set up in the country and integrated within Ghana Single Window to cater to tracking cargoes online. Other electronic systems are the following:

GCNet eMDA. This is used for documenting relevant information as expected by Ghana's government; eTax. It helps taxpayers manage tax documents and payments; eRegistrar. This portal helps citizens to register legal entities in the country.

These online portals make the exchange of information easy with the government of Ghana and the logistics community. Besides, people can track the progress of their application and also relate to logistics companies, clearing agents, and governmental agencies.

Then, with the systems, customs clearance process for documents and the clearance of imported goods through the ports can be facilitated and sped up.

Ghana Integrated Cargo Clearance System (GICCS) portal

As one of Ghana's Single Window portal, the portal houses the submission and payment of Manifest that relate to the processing and the submission, validation, notification, and payment of Declaration.

More so, it makes it easy for commercial users of the system to monitor/track the status of their cargoes so that they can have accurate information relating to the movement of their containers and delivery orders.

Specifically, the GICCS container tracking system makes it is easy to access details, including the source, present location, destination, dispatch and delivery date of any cargo. If there is any delay, details about it are also provided.

Image: gettyimages.com

Source: Instagram

With the online tracker system, tracking air freights, airlines cargoes, courier delivery status information, and airways shipments, among others, are done without stress, as long as their tracking numbers are available.

READ ALSO: E-Visa system to be introduced in 2020  Bawumia

Interestingly also, different users, including vessel/aircraft operators, slot charterers, clearing agents, container terminal operators, and statutory bodies, among others, can better understand their functions through the information available on the GICCS portal.

Then, apart from being a platform to monitor cargo status, those who want to familiarise themselves with the processes involved in import, export and international trades can access information on that.

How to track your cargo online

There are a few steps that must be followed before you can begin to use the GICCS tracking portal for your shipments. In starting the process, it is expected that a registration request would have been submitted to the GCNET Administrator.

This is done through the port authority, customs and exporters/importers, clearing agents or shipping agents, among others, depending on which obtains to individuals. It is after then that an account is created for each user. Once the user ID and password are available, the following are then the steps to follow:

Log on to the official website of the GICCS; Enter your user ID and password at the right-hand corner on your PC; Click on the "Submit tab;" Once you are logged in, at the left-hand side of your computer screen, you will see a list of options under the Navigation section; click on "Cargo tracking;" From there, the "Search Cargo Tracking" page will open up; Enter your BL number correctly before clicking on the "Search" button; Once the BL list displays, click on the "Tracking" link for you to access your BL status.

Once the page opens up, you can view details, including your:

Clearance status;

Consignment;

Vessel information

Status of goods or container; and

Importer and consignee information.

Tracking and tracing cargoes play significant roles in logistics as far as business continuity is concerned. Interestingly, the process has become simplified with globalisation. With GICCS cargo tracking system, companies/individuals who transport goods can monitor the status of their shipments online from the comfort of their office, while protecting them against thefts and crimes.

There are several reliable logistics companies in Ghana that render satisfactory services. In a post published by YEN.com.gh, some of these companies were discussed. Comprehensive details on their services and how to connect them are explained in the post.

READ ALSO:

FedEx tracking for shipments and packages in Ghana

Ghana post tracking explained

Shipping from USA to Ghana - a list of reliable shipping companies in Ghana

A comprehensive list of courier services in Ghana

Source: YEN.com.gh
The Supreme Court on Monday, August 31, imposed a 'nominal fine' of Rs 1 on lawyer Prashant Bhushan after he was convicted of criminal contempt for two tweets against the judiciary, observing it was 'showing magnanimity' instead of handing out any severe punishment.

On the other hand, 24-year-old student and cultural activist Suvarna Salve has been issued notice by the Mumbai police seeking surety of Rs 50 lakh -- yes, you read that right, Rs 50 lakh!!! -- for participating in a protest in January, in the wake of the attack on students and faculty members at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus.

Uttam Ghosh offers his take on these contrasting images of Freedom of Speech that exists in our great land.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The boroughs political delegation asked that an official date be set for the opening of indoor dining in a letter that was sent with mounting trepidation to Gov. Andrew Cuomos office on Tuesday.

Staten Islands elected representatives, who have repeatedly said that indoor dining should happen in a safe and responsible manner, ask that the borough be used as a starting point for the reopening process as its the least populated of the five boroughs.

The letter sites the citys compliance following health and safety guidance; willingness to continue working with state, city, and other partners; as well as having met the benchmarks of testing, hospitalizations, and infection rates as the rest of the state.

Safety and health benchmarks aside, the city and hard-working Staten Islanders are being deprived of economic recovery opportunities, the letter says.

If our local restaurants are forced to maintain the current outdoor dining only model as we enter the fall and winter months, the ramifications will be devastating and permanent, it says, adding the current re-opening model is not sustainable.

The letter was signed by Assemblymembers Michael Cusick (D-Mid Island); Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn); Michael Reilly (R-South Shore); and Charles Fall (D-North Shore); Senators Diane Savino (D-North Shore) and Andrew Lanza (R-South Shore); Councilmembers Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore) and Steven Matteo (R-Mid-Island), Rep. Max Rose (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn); Borough President James Oddo and District Attorney Michael McMahon.

When asked about her absence from the letter, North Shore Councilwoman Debi Rose issued the following statement: I am concerned that businesses have not been able to meet the filtration and ventilation standards that will ensure the safety of the workers and customers. The government should provide finances to help our small businesses install the necessary equipment and filtration systems, so that already cash-strapped businesses do not have to incur these costs. We should not move forward with indoor dining until strict filtration and ventilation standards are met to protect workers and customers.

On behalf of all our constituents, we implore you to take immediate action in support of the well-being and prosperity of all New Yorkers, the letter concluded.

INDOOR DINING TO RESUME IN N.J. ON FRIDAY

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that restaurants and bars can resume indoor dining on Friday, nearly two months after he cancelled indoor dining before July 4 during Phase 2 of the states reopening plan.

The decision to pull back was made due to scenes from expanded outdoor restaurants and bars showing packed crowds, no masks, and patrons ignoring social distancing, the Advances sister site NJ.com reported.

New Jersey establishments can operate at 25% capacity, Murphy said, and must have socially distanced tables.

Additional guidelines must be followed as well, like wearing a mask when not eating, no walking around the restaurant, and encouraging reservations for greater crowd control.

Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday during their respective press conferences that indoor dining in the five boroughs is still a no-go.

De Blasio and Cuomo postponed plans to bring back indoor dining on July 6 indefinitely after states around the country saw a spike in coronavirus cases tied to early reopening and indoor dining.

FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER.
Emma Cline, whose new short story collection is titled "Daddy," near her home in Silver Lake. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

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Emma Cline has just finished speaking with me off the record when she ducks her head, offers a sheepish smile, and says, I just learned about it. As in, after six years of publicity in the wake of her $2-million, three-book deal at the unheard-of age of 25, somebody had just now, between our first and second conversations, told Cline that she could speak off the record with a journalist.

During our first talk, Cline had seemed uncomfortable on-screen, blushing and chuckling nervously in her un-air-conditioned Silver Lake bedroom. Luckily, Zoom kept freezing up, and after 25 minutes we ditched it for the phone. She settled comfortably into invisibility and began talking about her new short story collection, Daddy  whose title, Cline knows, may make you a smidgen uncomfortable. I was talking to a friend and, I think as a joke, he said Why dont you call it Daddy? she says with a laugh. I like the vulgarity, but also the innocent version of the word  that it has all these double meanings. You can almost hear the wink.

The 2016 publication of The Girls, the narrative of an average 14-year-old girl who toys with joining a cult in 1969, occasioned the barrage of breathless profiles we reserve for young phenoms: a chatty British Vogue profile, a James Wood review in the New Yorker, a T Magazine tour of the crystal-strewn, paperback-piled, unheated Brooklyn backyard shed in which she wrote most of the novel. There were moody photographs of Cline, clad mostly in plain tees but occasionally a fashion-house-supplied gown.

The coverage started even before publication  her reputation literally preceded her. Then it galloped out of control when an ex-boyfriend, also a writer, brought a plagiarism lawsuit against her and, as she said at the time, weaponized  [her] sexual history. The press latched on, and her newfound literary celebrity was suddenly tainted. Its no wonder she doesnt love beaming reporters into her bedroom, that shes delighted to learn she can exert some agency in our conversation. Theres already a mythologized version of her, frothed up by journalists eager to vivisect a prodigy, turn her into a Thing.

Story continues

At 25 Cline felt unformed, the product of what she calls a very unworldly upbringing. But the roots of her writing obsessions lie there. The second of seven kids, including four younger sisters, Cline was intrigued by group dynamics ... the way allegiances are always shifting. Raised on her familys winery in Sonoma County, I was privileged in a million ways, she says. But I didn't feel engaged in any larger cultural conversation, or didn't have that ease and fluency. I didnt know what success would look like or how to get it. Her high school boyfriends parents, both spiritually generous artists, educated her in the small wonders of San Francisco coffee shops and bookstores.

In the course of an independent study, a high school English teacher asked her to send off some of his stories to literary magazines. He tossed me a bone, she says dryly; he told her she could send one of her own too. Tin House accepted it, and when they sent her the contract she asked if her parents also needed to sign. As she remembers, the magazine thought she was joking.

It was only a few years later that she was about as famous as a debut author could be. When journalists came calling, it was peculiar to have to communicate your selfhood when you're a little bit like, I'm an amorphous blob, she says. Its an idea she comes back to a few times  that shes always aware of how her self is forming, or dissolving, alongside her work.

"I think fiction benefits from ambiguity," says author Emma Cline. "Whereas obviously life doesn't." (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

The Girls is a sidewise look at the Manson family in the summer of 1969, shearing off names and scrambling other details. With that bit of distance, Cline retrofitted the story, focusing on Evie as she clings to the other teenage members of the family, especially a drifter who lures her into their dusty, trash-strewn ranch but also protects her from committing too completely. From its title on, The Girls presents an extreme example of a common conundrum: Why are young women too often subject to  and sometimes complicit in  acts to which they dont fully consent, or romance narratives they dont create?

Its the easiest script for women to have, Cline says. Even if it didn't quite fit. As Evie thinks to herself, All that time I had spent readying myself, the articles that taught me life was really just a waiting room until someone noticed you  the boys had spent that time becoming themselves.

The stories in Daddy, the second piece of that massive three-book deal, were assembled over time, many published in prestigious magazines, but its preoccupations are so consistent that it could have been written in one straight caffeinated shot. Unlike The Girls, with its narrow viewpoint, Daddy approaches questions about power and connivance from a flurry of different angles.

Several stories hover over dried up older men  a once-powerful film director discarded by the industry, a father whose grown children shrug off his too-late love  or predators now languishing in cancellation limbo. The kind of men who call suicide hotlines after a fall from grace just to tell their ex-fiancees about it. Bad daddies, lame daddies, out-of-touch daddies.

Other, more vigorous pieces chronicle young girls performing their sexuality when they dont really feel it. In Los Angeles, Alice works the floor at an American Apparel-like store where she is daily reminded to put her prettiness to work, to leverage the idea that she is what customers are really buying. The developing young women of Marion, just 11 and 13, pose each others nude bodies, red ribbons tied around their throats, like theyve seen in Playboy. You look young, they cheer at one another as the Polaroids glide out of the camera, really great.

Every story leaves a sticky sheen, something alluring that youre a little afraid to touch. It would be easy to read these as #MeToo parables laced with arsenic, but many were written well before 2017, and they are uninterested in regurgitating the now-obvious fact that powerful men do despicable things to women.

A studio art major in college, Cline still pops into figure drawing classes. The difference between what you imagine a body looks like in your mind, the cartoonish sort of version of a body versus the reality of a body: That feels relevant to writing, she says. Her stories are like those bodies  volcanic ingrown hairs and acne-scarred backs alongside perfectly arced cheekbones and oceanic eyes.

In the story A/S/L, 35-year-old Thora is at a not quite rehab facility in the Southwest. Shes been pretending to be 18 isshh in online chats, posing with her hand thrown across her nipples, logging on as DaddyXO. When G., a TV chef accused of lewd harassment, turns up at the facility, Thora adds him to her to-do list. He cries frequently and keeps to himself, doing the work. She proceeds to systematically dismantle his recovery.

I try to write them as full characters, Cline says, not because I want to redeem them or because I believe their version of themselves or I think they were badly mistreated. I write them like that because I want to write characters that occupy their full humanity.

She tells me about reading Gitta Serenys Into That Darkness, a book based on 70 hours of interviews with Franz Stangl, commandant of Treblinka. It's one of the most insane, intense, humane books  and it works, because [Sereny] is  I guess respectful might be the word, as weird as it sounds, says Cline. He's obviously beyond a monster, but the way he conceptualizes himself and the story he tells himself about his life  she trails off.

As a novelist she was inspired; as a human being, she was repulsed. I think fiction benefits from ambiguity  she says, whereas obviously life doesn't.

Emma Cline's debut novel, "The Girls," was acquired as part of a $2-million, three-book deal when she was 25. (Random House)

So yes: In December 2017, Clines ex-boyfriend sued her, alleging shed spied on him and plagiarized his work. The case, which you can read about in many of the same outlets that also breathlessly hyped her work, mushroomed into a volley of accusations. Nude, though blacked-out, images of Cline appeared in the suit, and she hired revenge-porn attorney Carrie Goldberg to represent her. The schadenfreude over her book deal found a target-rich environment in a suit meant to sow doubts about her talent.

Cline spent a few minutes talking about it with me. The plagiarism suit has been dropped. A judge ruled it had no merit. Its an asterisk Cline doesnt need beside her name every time her work is written about. When the subject came up a few hours into our conversations she whispered, I knew this was coming.

Though the lawsuit was a boondoggle for everyone but the blue-chip lawyers, the fallout was nearly career-ending. Her ex used it as a platform to destabilize Clines life, threatening to expose private behaviors, like porn habits, that seem scandalous only when women engage in them. In a statement at the time, she said, Ill never be able to get back the years Ive now spent responding to an ex-boyfriends baseless legal assaults  instead of writing another book. Thats a loss I dont know how to fully comprehend.

The public melee unhoused Cline from the one place shed felt secure: her work. I trust fiction as the place where I could be vulnerable, she says  in part because it isnt exposing my secret self or how I think about the world  its dredged from some  unconscious sludge. By besmirching both her character and her work, the lawsuit stripped away all of her armor at once.

The second time Cline and I talk, on FaceTime, she is in a more comfortable place  physically (a friends air-conditioned bedroom) and emotionally (she just received a finished copy of Daddy). I was holding the book and kind of looking through it, and feeling very proud, she says with a self-deprecating shrug, before pushing up a tiny smile. I think there was a moment where I was so hurt and so bowled over that I didn't think that I would work again, because it requires so much tenderness and openness. It's like you don't have skin.

Rereading The Girls, what is striking is Evies failure to forgive herself. She narrates her youthful brush with infamy from the vantage of middle age. As a teenager Evie saw how she was, first and foremost, a thing to be judged. Now, with grayed hair and folds in her skin, not much has changed. Shed left the cult long before the stabbing spree, and yet shes damned to the Sisyphean task of reminding everyone she meets that this one outsize moment from her youth isnt the entirety of who she is.

(Random House)

Cline doesnt have a frilly persona that she slides on and then does a little dance in. She wants to be, she says with a little self-mockery, like the character in a story by Barry Hannah whose title she cant remember (it was Love Too Long). Shes just done acid at a faculty party  She's talking about how it's her dream to just be a pair of eyes floating, like a little cloud with eyes. I think that's often how I experience myself. In the best moments you're just this observing consciousness, and it's disconcerting for that reason to have anyone talk about you as if you're a fixed self in the world.

Cline has been asked by magazine editors to write profiles, sometimes of people shes keenly interested in. But she cant bring herself to do it. Im not sure I feel that I would be getting close to the truth of who they are as a person. Its easier in some ways to find the truth of a character through fiction. Its also easier to avoid being judged as anything more than a set of eyes.

The story White Noise, published this summer in the New Yorker but not included in Daddy, brings Clines work to a sharper point; its like a prison shiv carved out of a toothbrush. In The Girls Manson is given a new name, and the celebrity predator in A/S/L, the moral center of the story, has only an initial. But White Noise  a fictional profile of a real celebrity  follows a day in the life of a post-downfall, pre-trial Harvey Weinstein. He bumbles around a Connecticut estate and reminds himself of his power, his innocence, his goddamn expensive team of lawyers. He believed, truly, that he would be exonerated. How could he not be? This was America. Weinsteins lawyer, David Boies, also represented Clines ex-boyfriend in his lawsuit.

Clines Harvey recalls the pain he put women through, how he enjoyed it all  it was like different flavors of ice cream. But hes pitiful, fumbling, washed up. A hit of ketamine loosens him up into idiocy. He mistakes an elderly neighbor for the literary lion Don DeLillo and fantasizes that a film adaptation of his novel White Noise will revive his career. Its a humiliating portrait, more damning for its nuance.

I tend to avoid writing real people for whatever reason, Cline says. But it wouldn't have worked if it was a vague version of Harvey Weinstein. Something about his specificity was important. Painting a sexual predator of any ilk would have drawn comparisons to Weinstein anyway. This way, Cline hit a series of targets at once: a new emotional window onto the banality of evil; an homage to a literary hero; and a squarely landed blow across the bogeymans glass jaw. She comes for the king and she doesnt miss.

One aspect of that Barry Hannah story that Cline didnt remember is that the woman at the party doesnt just want to be eyes  she wants a mouth and ears too. The little cloud doesnt just watch. It listens. And it talks back.
Baylor University psychologist Annie Ginty, Ph.D. Credit: Baylor University

People who did not have a large heart rate response to a stress task surprised researchers laterafter the onset of the COVID-19 pandemicwhen they showed more symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder related to the crisis than others who also did the stress task and COVID-19 stress ratings.

Researchers had anticipated that the reverse would be truethat those with higher heart rate reactions to the stress task would experience more distress related to COVID-19. Previous work shows individuals with a PTSD have higher responses to stress. But very few studies have examined heart rate responses to acute stress before the onset of a traumatic event, researchers said.

"The study shows that diminished biological arousalhow the body responds when it is exposed to something startling or stressfulbefore a global pandemic may predict PTSD symptoms related to the event," said principal investigator Annie T. Ginty, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University.

The biological reactions were measured by blood pressure and heart rate, said co-author Danielle Young, Psy.D., research coordinator in the Baylor Behavioral Medicine Lab.

The study, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, grew out of an ongoing study of undergraduate students at Baylor University.

"The research also showed that some college students were experiencing distress related to the pandemic in its earliest stages, even when social distancing was just beginning," Ginty said.

In the study's first phase, with 120 participants, researchers measured their resting heart rate and blood pressure before and during a standard acute psychological stress test. They asked students to do mental math, rather than writing down figures or using a calculator, and give the scorers verbal responses. In a four-minute test, they were asked to add consecutive single-digit numbers while remembering the most recent and adding it to the next number presented. They did this while being videotaped with a scorer present and looking at themselves in a mirror.

"The standard acute psychological stress task is meant to increase levels of stress by including requirements of cognitive effort, social evaluation, self-evaluation and competition," Ginty said. "The task substantially increases heart rate and feelings of stress."

The study's first phase, which ended in February 2020, was done in Central Texas. After the pandemic's onset, researchers launched a second phase between March 26 and April 5, sending participants a follow-up questionnaire about COVID-19. The participants were in 22 states after early campus closure due to COVID-19. When asked, none had tested positive for COVID-19 and 87.5 percent were living in a city/state with a "shelter in place" order.

The questionnaire included standard items used to measure PTSD symptoms of intrusion (dreaming about the event and having trouble staying asleep), hyperarousal (irritability and having trouble concentrating) and avoidance (trying not to think or talk about the event) in the seven days before they responded to the questionnaire.

The findings are in line with a previous study of soldiers, which showed that a lower response of cortisolthe primary stress hormoneto an acute psychological stress task before deployment predicted greater PTSD symptoms post deployment.

The present study supports growing evidence that lower biological arousal in response to psychological stress may be bad for health outcomes, particularly mental health outcomes. The findings support Ginty's previous work, which demonstrated that lower arousal to acute stress is associated with higher levels of perceived stressmeaning that people rate their environment as more stressful.

Previous work also has shown that higher levels of biological arousal may be associated with developing PTSD symptoms. But those studies used what are considered passive taskssuch as hearing loud bursts of noise. Lower biological responses to stress tasks that require participants to actively engage in the task may be a unique biomarker for mental health outcomes.

Ginty said that future research should aim for more comprehensive measures of biological reactivity and include a lifetime history of traumatic event exposure. However, the current study did account for childhood trauma and diagnosis of a mental health condition before the pandemic's onset.

"Since findings suggest that individuals with diminished arousal to active stress may be at greater risk for negative mental health outcomes, it could be helpful to offer preventive treatment or resources to them at the early stages of stress or trauma exposure," Ginty said.

More information: Annie T. Ginty et al, Heart rate reactivity to acute psychological stress predicts higher levels of PTSD symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, Psychosomatic Medicine (2020). Journal information: Psychosomatic Medicine Annie T. Ginty et al, Heart rate reactivity to acute psychological stress predicts higher levels of PTSD symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic,(2020). DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000848
Coronavirus pandemic: WhatsApp calls to now support up to 8 people, here's how to use it

Will fee be charged to send money through WhatsApp? Here is what Zuckerberg has to say

Risk of his posts 'too great': Facebook, Instagram extend ban on Trump's account till transition is complete

Problematic when Facebook employees on record abuse PM: Union Minister to Zuckerberg

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 01: Amid a huge controversy over reports alleging a Facebook executive was biased towards members of the ruling BJP, the government has written to Mark Zuckerberg.

Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that employees of the social media giant "are on record abusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior cabinet ministers" while still working in Facebook India and managing important positions.

"There was a concerted effort by the Facebook India management to not just delete pages or substantially reduce their reach but also offer no recourse or right of appeal to affected people who are supportive of the right-of-centre ideology", he said.

The minister's allegations have emerged at a time opposition parties, especially the Congress, have seized on US media articles suggesting Facebook's bias while dealing with posts from members of the BJP or the rightwing.

Expert witnesses depose before Delhi Assembly panel, Facebook officials summoned

A report in the Wall Street Journal earlier this month had brought to fore similar allegations, which were strongly rejected by both Facebook and the BJP.

After the controversy had broken out, the BJP had attacked the Congress over the opposition party''s allegations, saying people whose political base has "shrunk like anything" seek to dominate discourse on these platforms while asserting that everybody regardless of his ideology has got the right to air his views there.

Facebook had earlier said the company''s social media platform prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence, adding these policies are enforced globally without regard to political affiliation.

However, Facebook, which counts India among its largest markets globally, acknowledged that "there is more to do".

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Story first published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 18:44 [IST]
By James A. Hughes

As a community banker, I see the toll the pandemic has had on small businesses on a daily basis. Many small businesses that we know personally are struggling to survive. While I completely understand the need to proceed with caution when it comes to COVID-19 and re-opening businesses, I think we can and should be doing more.

Recent national data on the state of the small business community is extremely concerning. Yelp, the review website that has been tracking small business closures, reports that nationally 73,000 businesses have permanently closed since March 1. Researchers from Harvard think the number of permanent business closures since March 1 is closer to 110,000.

We need to help small businesses get back to something that resembles normal and an important step is giving employers a fighting chance to rehire their employees. Small businesses simply can not afford to pay entry-level employees a wage that competes with unemployment and federal stimulus subsidies. As reported by fivethirtyeight.com, one study noted that the estimated median replacement rate  the share of a workers original weekly salary that is being replaced by unemployment benefits  is 134%, or more than one-third above their original wage.

Small business employers need a level playing field. Federal and state lending programs have provided important support to many, but most business owners are looking for a return to normalcy now before they add to the aforementioned statistics.

New Jersey has some of the most vibrant downtowns in the country, but those Main Street shops that have stayed open have been too quiet for too long. Give small businesses a chance to bring back employees and our downtowns will start to rebound. While it is great news that beginning Friday restaurants can serve people indoors with a maximum capacity of 25% and following social distancing rules, it will still be quite difficult for these businesses to survive.

Restaurants are the lifeblood of our downtowns. Restaurants, the largest private employers in New Jersey, help bring people into our shops and stores and are an important part of life in our small towns and cities. New Jerseys nearly 19,500 restaurants employ about 350,000 people, according to the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, and its time to put more of them back to work.

The overwhelming majority of our restaurants cannot survive by just offering takeout, outdoor dining and indoor dining at 25% capacity. Furthermore, restaurants in Hunterdon County, where our bank is headquartered, have been extremely disadvantaged for months by the fact that just a few miles away, across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, restaurants have been serving people indoors for most of the summer. The restaurant serving capacity needs to increase quickly to help these businesses survive.

New Jersey has done a good job of taking action to protect our residents and flatten the COVID-19 curve. Most people have been responsible in practicing social distancing, wearing protective masks indoors in both public and non-public areas, and wearing protective masks outdoors when social distancing is not possible.

Most people want to do what is right for their family, neighbors and colleagues. We also need to do what is right for our states small businesses. We need to support one another through this pandemic in every possible way. If we fail, our downtowns will be ghost towns when COVID-19 is no longer the daunting healthcare challenge it is today. The pandemic has already taken far too many lives, dont let it take our way of life, too.

James A. Hughes is president & CEO of Unity Bank, headquartered in Clinton with 19 branches throughout New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

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D ominic Cummings ditched his usual T-shirt and jeans and made a rare appearance in a suit as ministers returned to Westminster this morning.

The Prime Minister's most senior advisor was pictured in a black suit with a pink shirt as he headed for the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak were also pictured leaving Downing Street for the meeting which is to be held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London.

The cabinet meeting is taking place in the Foreign Office because there is more space for all the cabinet ministers to socially distance than in Downing Street.

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak leave Downing Street and head for a Cabinet meeting to be held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office / Jeremy Selwyn

Mr Cummings has reportedly told aides a hard rain is coming and has promised to shake-up an incoherent Cabinet Office as part of an overhaul of Whitehall culture, according to the Financial Times.

The Prime Minister is expected to urge his ministers to get Britain back to more normality during the meeting.

It comes as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was pictured flouting coronavirus restrictions by shaking hands with someone on his way to a socially distanced meeting of Boris Johnson's top table.

Meanwhile Mr Johnson has come under fire for presiding over several U-turn decisions over the last few weeks, including on exam results and face coverings in schools.

After months of what one Tory MP called a megadisaster from one day to the next, many are now demanding reassurances from ministers as Parliament resumes.

Matt Hancock arrives in the Foreign Office Courtyard / Jeremy Selwyn

A senior Conservative MP said that backbenchers were tired of the U-turns.

Theres that element of calamity  and frankly there are people from the Red Wall seats who are getting jittery," they said.

But not only Red Wall seats, but other people who havent got marginal seats like that.

Priti Patel arrives for today's Cabinet meeting / Jeremy Selwyn

Wed like to be in a Government that has the impression of being competent  rather than lurching from one issue to another and then after a short time doing a U-turn.

The Government is also under pressure to ensure the reopening of schools in England this week goes without a hitch  and that the move does not push up coronavirus cases.

Around 40 per cent of schools welcomed back students for the start of autumn term today.

Conservative chairman of the Education Select Committee Robert Halfon said he wanted the Government and exam regulators to provide absolute clarity on syllabuses so teachers know what to teach  as well as reassurance for parents and teachers that it is safe to return.

He also said schools should run tests to assess pupils academic attainment, mental health and wellbeing, and send the results to the Department for Education and Ofqual to help determine when exams should take place next year.

Im not talking about nationwide exams  I think thats the last thing we need  but just some basic understanding of what catch-up is needed and to work out what delay is needed if (exams) need to be delayed, he told PA.

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Other challenges facing the Government this autumn including trying to strike a Brexit deal before the end of the transition period, the merger of the Foreign Office and Department for International Development, and the expected rise in unemployment when the furlough scheme ends.

Additional reporting by PA Media.
Residents of a northern Colorado Springs neighborhood were victims in an early Monday crime spree that police say was caused by three males who allegedly broke into multiple vehicles and stole guns.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM), operator of financial markets for 11,000 U.S. and global securities, today announced Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSX-V: YGT; OTCQX: TRXXF), a junior gold exploration company, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market. Gold Terra Resource Corp. upgraded to OTCQX from the OTCQB Venture Market.

Gold Terra Resource Corp. begins trading today on OTCQX under the symbol "TRXXF." U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

The OTCQX Market is designed for established, investor-focused U.S. and international companies. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance, and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Graduating to the OTCQX Market from the OTCQB Market marks an important milestone for companies, enabling them to demonstrate their qualifications and build visibility among U.S. investors.

"With the resurgence of the gold market and the Company's recent exploration success on its YCG project, we are delighted to be traded on the OTCQX," said David Suda, President and CEO of the Company. "Trading on OTCQX is a reflection of our increased focus on growing our investor base in the U.S. as we continue to build awareness and unlock the potential of our gold project in Yellowknife."

About Gold Terra Resource Corp.

Gold Terra Resource Corp. is a junior gold exploration company that has assembled a highly prospective district scale land position on the doorstep of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. The company is currently focused on expanding and delineating gold resources at the company's Yellowknife City Gold Project. With ready access to infrastructure and multiple new high-grade gold discoveries Gold Terra is on track to re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

About OTC Markets Group Inc.

OTC Markets Group Inc. (OTCQX: OTCM) operates the OTCQX Best Market, the OTCQB Venture Market and the Pink Open Market for 11,000 U.S. and global securities. Through OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN, we connect a diverse network of broker-dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. We enable investors to easily trade through the broker of their choice and empower companies to improve the quality of information available for investors.

To learn more about how we create better informed and more efficient markets, visit www.otcmarkets.com.

OTC Link ATS and OTC Link ECN are SEC regulated ATSs, operated by OTC Link LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

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OTC Markets Group Inc., +1 (212) 896-4428, [email protected]

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Christie & Co, specializing in research, branding, advertising, PR, and content development for ethical businesses nationally and internationally, has achieved placement in one of the most prestigious design competition books, the Graphis Design Annual 2021. Graphis has been featuring the work of exceptional talent in design, advertising, photography and art/illustration since 1944. Christie & Co received this distinction for their print branding work for SENPA, a non-profit alliance of US independent natural retailers, aligned manufacturers and consumers.

Christie & Co used their proprietary Brand Architecture and Brand Bridge2Design process to research and develop an evolved and refreshed brand identity that connects SENPA with their diverse target audiences from independent natural retailers to the membership of manufacturers and service providers in these challenging times. Christie & Co's Brand Architecture and Brand Bridge2Design process is based on understanding emotional triggers that motivate a brand's target audiences, defining the brand story in a meaningful, unique and impactful manner that deepens engagement, and creating lasting loyalty.

As a full-service strategic branding and marketing agency that has been supporting the growth of brands for over 26 years, Christie & Co has a deep understanding of what it takes to create a brand that impacts consumer engagement and sales. When Christie & Co takes on a rebrand, they listen, learn, experience and dig to find the true essence of the brand. Before their pencils hit the paper to create a design, they analyze data and market trends, do a deep dive with the management team, and study the competition.

"We have seen our Brand Bridge2Design work for so many companies, it's a tried and true process that allows us to capture the real essence of a brand, the one that inspires their customers, and transform it into a cohesive visual identity," says Christie & Co founder and CEO, Gillian Christie. "We are truly honored to have been selected for this prestigious placement for our Brand Bridge work with SENPA."

The award-winning rebrand of SENPA was led by Christie & Co founder Gillian Christie and designer Arthur Rumaya.

About Christie & Co

Christie & Co is a strategic brand development and growth agency specializing in branding, PR, market research, advertising and marketing experience in the sustainability, manufacturing, food & beverage, nutraceuticals, health and wellness, natural products, outdoor sports, sustainable agriculture, technology, and renewable energy sectors.

Christie & Co identifies and accomplishes the goals of ethical companies worldwide, expanding their impact and strengthening their bottom line through integrated, effective branding and communication services. Christie & Co's highly experienced teams of expert brand builders apply their Organic Marketing approach - a precise and proprietary technology that obtains maximum results to build brand awareness and demand with an outstanding track record.

Christie & Co Founder, Gillian Christie was recently awarded as one of the Top 100 Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet as well as the prestigious Joe Nida Entrepreneurial Spirit Award for the agency's pioneering efforts in the field of Clean Business. The company was also recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential Kingmakers in Consumer and Retailer Companies.

For more information on Christie & Co, please visit www.christieand.co. For media related inquiries, or to set up an interview please contact Robert Ensign, of Christie & Co at (805) 969-3744 or via email at [email protected].

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New Delhi, Sep 1 : India's top security and defence authorities are currently meeting to discuss the fresh Chinese incursions in Indian territory at Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh.

"A high-level meeting is underway to discuss the ongoing situation and future strategy in Ladakh," said a government source.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief General M.M. Naravane and Director General Military Operations Lt Gen Paramjit Singh are holding discussions on the further course of action.

The meeting is happening after Indian and Chinese troops were engaged in a brief skirmish at the southern bank of the Pangong Lake. The Chinese brought in close to 450 troops but the Indian Army said an attempt to change the status quo was thwarted.

Sources said Chinese People's Liberation Army with help of ropes and other climbing equipment started climbing at a table-top area between Black Top and Thakung Heights at Pangong Tso, south bank.

Hearing the commotion Indian Army was alerted and swung into action.

Earlier, Indian intelligence agencies had alerted Indian Army about the Chinese's PLA plans to change status quo in other areas along Line of Actual Control. Thereafter, despite skirmishes between both armies things did not escalate. When Chinese troops saw the strength of Indian Army troops, the skirmishes stopped.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Minnesota, which once looked like a vanity project for Donald Trump, is suddenly emerging as a critical test of his effort to turn his campaign around.

Interviews with more than a dozen officials and strategists from both parties in recent days depict a state in which Joe Biden is leading, but where the president is making inroads in rural Minnesota.

Public surveys and internal polling by Democrats and Republicans alike in recent weeks has suggested the race is narrowing, though with Biden still ahead. In a sign of its increasingly competitive nature, Biden today will begin airing his first television ads in the state, in the Twin Cities as well as Duluth and Rochester markets. And last week, Biden included Minnesota in a list of battleground states he said he wants to visit  travel that suggests the state is far from a lock.

Its tightening up, said Ken Martin, chairman of Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. But I wouldnt trade our position with theirs in a million years.

In the run-up to the 2016 election, Minnesota seemed like a stretch for Trump. No Republican had carried the state since Richard Nixon in 1972, and Trump made minimal effort there. Even so, Trump came close to victory, carrying 78 of Minnesotas 87 counties and losing the state by fewer than 45,000 votes.

Following the election, Trump said he regretted not doing more. The states 10 electoral votes  the same number as neighboring Wisconsin  became an enduring source of infatuation for him.

Hes still preoccupied with his near-miss four years later.

One more speech, I would have won, Trump told a crowd recently in Mankato, a small college town in southern Minnesota. It was so close.

This time, his campaign has poured staff into the state, creating an operational footprint that Democrats only recently eclipsed. He reserved millions of dollars in TV time for a fall ad blitz, and seized on protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis  the states liberal stronghold  as a springboard for his broader law-and-order campaign.

Story continues

Jeff Johnson, the Republican who defeated former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty in the gubernatorial primary in 2018 before losing to Democrat Tim Walz in the general election, said, It almost seems personal for him, that he came close and they didnt put a tremendous effort into Minnesota [in 2016].

This year, he said, Theres no question he has a shot of winning.

If Trump has a path forward in Minnesota, it will likely rely on an improvement in the Twin Cities suburbs, combined with spiking turnout in rural areas of the state. Its a tall task, but there is reason for Democrats to be concerned. By the partys own estimates, there are 250,000 white, non-college-educated men in Minnesota who are eligible to vote but arent registered, a rich target for Trump.

Trump may find some of those voters in the rural western reaches of the state; Trump won every county west of Minneapolis Hennepin County. But his greater opportunity for growth appears to be in northeastern Minnesota, in and around the blue-collar, ancestrally Democratic Iron Range.

The region has been targeted for extra attention. Ivanka Trump, the presidents daughter, visited Duluth Pack, a bag- and pack-making company, in July. The appearance sparked resentment in Democratic-heavy Duluth, with some customers cutting patches off of their bags in protest.

Minnesotans kept their streak of support for Democrats in 1984 by voting for native son Walter Mondale, even though no other state did.

Last week, Eveleth Mayor Robert Vlaisavljevich, who described himself as a lifelong Democrat, addressed the Republican National Committee on Trumps behalf. Scott Dane, executive director of Associated Contract Loggers and Truckers of Minnesota, did, too. And on Friday, the day after the Republican National Convention concluded, Vice President Mike Pence visited Duluth, the most populous city in northern Minnesota.

Flanked by shipping containers draped with banners that read, Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Pence said, The road to victory begins in Duluth, Minnesota, and were going to win this state on Nov. 3.

Much of the Trump campaigns effort in northeastern Minnesota is focused on mining and its economic impacts in the region. On telephone calls and in door-to-door campaigning, canvassers for Trump are criticizing Biden for declining to take positions on a controversial proposal to replace a crude oil pipeline in the state and on a plan to build a copper-nickel mine at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

But there are cultural issues at work, as well. Following Floyds death and the resulting protests, Larry Cuffe Jr., a former Democrat and the mayor of small town Virginia, said he planted a Support Law Enforcement and First Responders sign in his lawn. The centering of Minnesotas population growth in and around the more progressive Twin Cities metropolitan area has created friction between urban Democrats and their outstate counterparts in recent years.

Its concerning, all the violence thats going on in Minneapolis and the lack of support for police in the metropolitan area, said Cuffe, one of several Iron Range mayors who have endorsed Trump.

On issues ranging from mining to gun control and criminal justice, Cuffe said, The Democratic platform has moved further and further to the left, and the Democrats who I grew up with  theyre left out in the lurch.  What we stand for, and me being a former Democrat for many years, we stand for our flag and were proud Americans and we kneel to pray.

Democrats have been aggressively organizing in the state, including in northeast Minnesota. The DFL broke fundraising records last year, and in the days since the Democratic National Convention alone, the Biden campaign has held nearly 50 virtual organizing events in Minnesota.

The two ads Biden will start airing today in Minnesota focus on the economy and the coronavirus. And labor organizers and Democratic strategists believe that in the Iron Range and elsewhere, the health and economic wreckage of the pandemic is likely to pull Trump down below levels he hit in 2016.

I think voters are going to remember theyre not better off now than they were four years ago, said Ron Harris, chair of the Democratic National Committees Midwest caucus.

Tim Walzs victory in the 2018 gubernatorial victory may offer a formula for success for Minnesota Democrats this year.

Even Republicans acknowledge Trump is facing headwinds in Minnesota, shedding support in the suburbs and among women as he has nationally. Biden is a less polarizing nominee than Hillary Clinton, who drew nearly 180,000 fewer votes in Minnesota than President Barack Obama in 2012. And turnout rates in the state are historically among the highest in the nation, leaving Minnesota less susceptible to the kind of low-turnout election that might benefit Trump.

Michael Brodkorb, a former deputy chair of the Minnesota Republican Party, said Trumps campaign is probably miscalculating why the race was close in 16, and I dont think it necessarily extrapolates now.

In 2016, he said, there were a lot of frustrated Democrats who decided to sit home.

In fact, Trumps memory of a close finish in 2016 doesnt account for the lessons of the statewide election two years later, when Walz beat Johnson by nearly 300,000 votes.

Democrats that year reclaimed 10 of the 19 counties that flipped from Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016. And the distribution of the vote carried ominous signs for Trump. In and around Minneapolis-St. Paul, Walz ran the Democratic vote total up so high that Johnson could not come close to making up for it in rural Minnesota.

For Trump, said Rick Kahn, who has advised Walz and was a longtime friend and campaign treasurer to the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, Its not in the math.

If you look at the math, he said, the votes just arent there.
BUA Group, one of Africas leading foods, mining and infrastructure conglomerates, has signed an agreement with Axens of France for the supply of process technologies for its upcoming 10 million tonnes per annum megarefinery and petrochemicals facility to be sited in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria.

This multibillion dollar integrated 200,000 bpd refinery and petrochemical plant aims at producing Euro-V fuels and Polypropylene for the domestic and regional market. According to BUA, Axens was selected after a comprehensive process, for its advanced technology licenses, basic engineering, catalysts & adsorbents, proprietary equipment, training and technical services. The landmark agreement was signed between the Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and the CEO of Axens, Jean Sentenac, in a ceremony presided over by Frances Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, Franck Riester.

BUA Group Chairman and CEO, Abdul Samad Rabiu said the 10million tonnes per annum refinery & petrochemicals project is in line with BUAs vision to develop local capacity in key industries where we can add most value and where raw materials can be sourced locally.

Once completed, this RFCC-based complex will produce high-quality gasoline, diesel, jet fuel meeting Euro-V specifications for the Nigerian market and the larger region. In addition, it will produce propylene, an essential component for the petrochemical industry used in polypropylene-based plastics and packaging. This project will help in reducing Nigerias dependence on imported fuels and petrochemicals.

It is in the DNA of BUA Group to create efficient, innovative and sustainable businesses; look at our cement plants, the most sustainable in Nigeria, same with our sugar plants., Mr Rabiu added.

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Axens Chairman and CEO Jean Sentenac said: We are delighted to be part of this strategic project providing the most advanced technologies on the market that are energy-efficient and ensure the production of high-quality fuels and petrochemical intermediates. This state-of-the-art integrated complex will allow BUA Group to develop its refining and petrochemical capabilities in Nigeria and produce highly valuable products for the domestic market. It is a great pleasure and a pride to partner with them to concur to develop Nigerian economy and ensure the success of this strategic state of the art project.
The two renders that Blass has published show the Tab A7 in two colours. Both have black display bezels, which are relatively large by modern standards. Samsung has positioned the tablet's front-facing camera on one of its long sides, along with power and volume buttons. There is a single rear-facing camera too.

According to a Dutch retailer, the Tab A7 will have a 10.4-inch display. Hence, Samsung will probably officially market the tablet as the Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020). The tablet is expected to have a 2,000 x 1,200-pixel display, along with a Snapdragon 662 SoC and 3 GB of RAM. 32 GB and 64 GB storage options should be available, as will LTE and Wi-Fi only models. The same retailer indicated that Samsung would release the Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) on September 13, too. The tablet is expected to start at 230 and US$250 in the US.

Sale off - Buy Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 now on Amazon
An 'Instagram famous' baker known for her decadent but remarkably simple desserts has revealed how to make caramel slices flavoured with Rolo chocolate - no oven required.

Eloise Head, 26, is the founder of FitWaffle Kitchen, an Instagram page where she posts videos of decadent desserts that take just a few minutes to prepare.

In her latest tutorial, the amateur chef from London shows viewers how to make a tray of 'gooey, caramel' laced slices using five basic ingredients.





Ms Head - whose recipes garnered a mammoth following of 666,000 during COVID-19 lockdown when a baking craze swept social media - uses 50g of butter, 260g of biscuits, 400g of chocolate, half a tin of condensed milk and 250g of Rolos.





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London baker Eloise Head's Rolo slices, which can be made without turning on an oven

'Just five ingredients and super quick and easy to make!' she wrote in the caption.

To make the base, Ms Head melts Rolos and butter in the microwave, then adds condensed milk and crushed biscuits.

After mixing well, she spoons the mixture into the base of an 8cm x 8cm baking dish and refrigerates for roughly one hour until set.

Once hardened, she removes the dish from the fridge and melts milk chocolate to pour over the top.

After shaking the tray to ensure chocolate spreads to every corner, Ms Head presses leftover Rolos into the liquid chocolate before refrigerating for another hour until set.

A video of the slices has been liked 10,600 times since it was shared on Saturday, with one viewer tagging her friend and saying: 'Next sleepover, we have to do these!'

The 'Instagram famous' chef says the slices (pictured) are 'super quick and easy to make' regardless of skill

Recipe for Rolo caramel slices Ingredients 250g Rolos 50g butter 1/2 tin condensed milk 260g plain biscuits (crushed) 400g milk chocolate Method 1. Melt Rolos and butter in the microwave, then fold in condensed milk and crushed biscuits. 2. Spoon the mixture into the base of an 8cm x 8cm baking dish and refrigerate for roughly one hour until set. 3. Melt milk chocolate and pour over the top. 4. Shake dish to ensure chocolate spreads to every corner, then press leftover Rolos into the top before refrigerating for another hour until set. Source: FitWaffle Kitchen Advertisement

Another followed suit, writing: 'This girl has so many tasty recipes!'

Indeed it's the latest in a long line of viral recipes shared by the British social media star, who wowed foodies with a luscious Mars bar cheesecake earlier in August.

Ms Head makes the soft nougat filled dessert with 230g of Mars ($5), 300g of plain biscuits ($3.95), 150g of unsalted butter ($5), 480ml of double cream ($3), 500g of cream cheese ($5.50) and 200ml of caramel sauce ($4.50), all available from leading supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths.

For the base, she crushes the biscuits and stirs them into a saucepan of melted butter, then presses the buttery crumbs into the base of a 9cm tin.

London baker Eloise Head's mouthwatering Mars bar cheesecake made from seven simple ingredients

The base is made by crushing biscuits into melted butter while the filling is an indulgent blend of cream cheese, icing sugar, double cream and chunks of Mars chocolate

To make the filling, Ms Head whisks the cream with icing sugar and cream cheese before adding chunks of Mars into the mixture.

She spoons the filling over the biscuit base and leaves to set in the fridge for six hours, minimum.

Once set, Ms Head drizzles ready-made caramel sauce over the top, allowing it to flow down over the edges to coat every inch of the cake.

She decorates with leftover chunks of Mars bar and sprinkles grated chocolate over the top to finish.

For more of Eloise Head's recipes, follow FitWaffle or FitWaffle Kitchen on Instagram.
Childcare support key to keeping factories ticking over: experts

Manufacturing firms are increasingly focusing on offering quality childcare services to ensure they retain workers.









At a kindergarten built by Taekwang Vina Company (Photo: the company)







Without a factory-based childcare centre, we would lose a lot of female workers who could not work due to the difficulties of raising their children in the early stages, said Dinh Sy Phuc, head of the Labour Union Association of Taekwang Vina Company.



The export-oriented manufacturing sector has been a key driver of economic growth and job creation in Vietnam, particularly for women who make up more than 80 percent of the sectors workforce. While the global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted demand, the manufacturing industry is well-positioned for recovery and growth, if workers can be retained.



With 35,000 employees, Taekwang Vina Company based in Dong Nai province makes shoes for export and assembles products for brands like Nike.



It is of great effectiveness to attract female workers with the child-care centre and the childcare policies," Phuc told Vietnam News.



The firms centre was built at a cost of 50 billion VND (2.15 million USD) on a green area inside the industrial zone (IZ) of Bien Hoa and has space for up to 500 children from three to six years old. As the centre also has extra-hour nursing available, Phuc said the women feel secure leaving their children there to focus on their work.



He recalled the case of a disabled couple who have been working for the firm for more than 10 years and had a baby five years ago.



"It was a great opportunity for them as our centre opened when their daughter was at kindergarten age. They could bring her to work and bring her back with them after work.



If not at least one of them would have to stay home or send their daughter back to their hometown 500km from the factory and we would have lost one of our best workers," he added.



Last week IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, released a report that considered providing childcare for employees has a positive impact on Vietnamese businesses, improving recruitment, retention, and worker productivity.



The IFC report 'Tackling Childcare: The Business Case for Employer-Supported Childcare in Vietnam' said due to the projected contraction of the nations workforce by five percent by 2040 due to an ageing population, the challenge for manufacturers will be to attract and retain quality workers



The report said offering childcare support to working parents can be part of the solution.



Kyle Kelhofer, IFC Country Manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos told Vietnam News: "The research reveals a gap between the need for and the supply of childcare in Vietnam. Employers can play a role in addressing this gap, not just by directly providing care, but by creating family-friendly workplaces that help employees combine productive work with parenting."



When schools and daycares closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear how closely linked productivity is to childcare. We cannot forget that as we head into recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. There is an opportunity for businesses in Viet Nam to gain a competitive edge and differentiate themselves by introducing childcare support for employees," he added.



With six case studies of companies with nearly 100,000 workers in the garment and footwear sector offering various childcare options, from on-site childcare to monthly childcare allowances, the report found they all benefited from a reduction in employee turnover, improved recruitment and increased productivity.



Eric Lee, Human Resources Manager of Taekwang Vina, said: An average unplanned absenteeism rate of 0.6 percent across the 33,000-people workforce costs the company close to 1 million USD a year. Opening a kindergarten has helped our factories cut unplanned absenteeism by 20 percent. We have also seen a significant decrease in monthly worker turnover compared to our other factory without a kindergarten.



The benefits certainly outweigh the challenges and we believe childcare is an important part of the companys growth strategy," he said.



IFC Gender Program Lead for EAP Amy Louinstra told Vietnam News: There is an impressive reduction in staff turnover among working parents at workplaces offering childcare support compared to at one without it. The difference could be nearly 200 percent. "



With many factories facing the risk of losing qualified workers, Louinstra said: Lack of childcare is often the single most important reason for workers, especially female workers, leave their job.



In addition to on-site childcare facilities, employers can offer other, less resource-intensive childcare support options, such as flexible work hours, an emergency backup care, summer programmes for children, extended paternity and maternity leave or a breastfeeding lactation room for female workers," she said.



Manufacturers can have a better relationship with clients who appreciate their supplying factories to have childcare for their employees, she said, adding, "Other labour-intensive sectors like banking and tourism can also consider having childcare support and family-oriented policies as part of what can make them good employers and good businesses."



The IFC official also said there was a chance for education centres to serve the demand of workers in the IZs across the country



The private sector, which accounts for about 90 percent of jobs in developing countries, is a critical engine for creating more and better jobs. They can work with the public to create markets for childcare support.



Louinstra said that while Vietnam already spends more money than most of its neighbouring countries in ASEAN on early childhood care and development, a lot more could still be done.



According to data, the current public provision of kindergarten, preschool and care is about 20 percent of market demand.



So there is a lot more room to expand the supply of quality and affordable childcare and preschool, said Louinstra.



There has to be a team effort in the childcare support from employers, Government, parents and teachers. The Government can look at incentivising private sector participation  both by having more employers providing childcare and promoting larger-scale private-sector childcare businesses. In other countries, we can see franchise models or other larger-scale childcare provision moving into cities and industrial zones.



There is still a gap between men and women in Vietnam in labour participation of about 10 percentage points. Closing the gap will help contribute billions of dollars more to the economy," she said.



Helping female workers with childcare and elderly-care responsibilities will enable them to work more productively, get better jobs and achieve better positions, including participation in leadership.
This is the end spoke The Doors. And we may now have come to that moment as a nation.

New guidance from Diana Becton, first-term Costa County (California) District Attorney, states that law-enforcement officers must consider if looters needed the merchandise they stole before charging them. And whether a shop is open or closed when the thievery takes place matters, and whether the looting was done because of a "state of emergency" or "just because" makes a difference in who gets charged, too. That the looting happened seems irrelevant.

RedState's Deputy Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar has a watermarked screen shot of an internal Contra Costa County DA's office internal guidance document called "Looting Guidlines.docx (sic)" that appears to confirm the prosecution policy.

And if all true, it would explain why looters keep looting in the Bay Area, given all the huge loopholes for avoiding any charges. There likely isn't a single charge that can't be dismissed in Contra Costa on these described grounds.

California law, under Penal Code 463, defines looting as taking advantage of a state of emergency to commit burglary, grand theft or petty theft, and those engaged in the act can be charged with a felony and serve up to three years in jail. But Becton, who is one of many radical district attorneys financially supported by George Soros, is attempting to circumvent the law by proposing preposterous charging guidelines for the crime. Becton says that when considering charging looters, law enforcement types should ask, Was the theft committed for financial gain or personal need. (Emphasis mine.)



Pardon me, did you need the big screen television, those Louis Vuitton handbags, and those bottles of Wild Turkey?

Becton believes stealing is perfectly acceptable if one needs what one takes from someone else. Or if a shop is closed at the time. Or if one was motivated by the "state of emergency" rather than greed, and couldn't stop oneself from stealing as a result.

A governments primary responsibility, be it local or federal, is to protect its citizens and their private property. Absent property rights and the rule of law, chaos, anarchy, and unfettered violence will reign interminably. The United States, uniquely founded on these principles enshrined in the Bill of Rights, would simply cease to exist without them.

And Becton isnt the only person desperately seeking to justify looting.

National Public Radio published a lengthy interview with Vicky Osterweil, author of In Defense of Looting, a book in which she argues that looting is a powerful tool to bring about real,lasting change in society. Yes, and so are murder, abortion and a nuclear holocaust. Osterweil defends looting and says that white supremacy is behind the idea of property. She claims the rioters-cum-looters who break windows and steal things from stores are merely engaging in a powerful tactic that questions the justice of law and order, and the distribution of property and wealth in an unequal society. She avers that looting attacks the very way in which food and things are distributed, and the idea of property itself, which she believes is unjust because it means that in order for someone to have a roof over their head or have a meal ticket, they have to work for a boss, in order to buy things that people just like them somewhere else in the world had to make under the same conditions. Yes, its called trade and commerce. Osterweil needs to read Adam Smiths The Wealth of nations.

Osterweil says that looting doesnt really harm anyone. (Like CNN, she thinks its mostly peaceful.) Tell that to the countless small business owners who have seen their stores, dreams and lives destroyed. But she doesnt worry about that, because she claims that the supposed value of small businesses is a right-wing myth. She further argues that the world is organized for the profit of the people who own the stores and the factories, and that looting allows rioters to demonstrate that without police and without state oppression, we can have things for free. Ah, there it is. Screw work, screw the rule of law, just give us free stuff! But wait, I thought property was bad. Why, then, do you want it so badly, free or not?

There are only two ways to get free stuff. One is to steal it. The other is through the forcible taking and redistributing of others property via state oppression. There may be a difference without a distinction here. Or vice-versa.

If the Its not a crime to take whatever you need school of thought permeates the countrys institutions, no ones property will be safe, including their own lives. No one will be secure in his or her person. An obvious rape defense would be, he needed her, needed a release. He has never had a really attractive girl before, obviously due to systemic racism/ableism/ageism/body shaming/fill-in-the-blank.

So everyone will be free to take what they want need from whomever, whereverbe it a business, neighbor, school or church.

It will be historys most tragic irony if the American Revolution ends up being cancelled by modern-day Jacobins, leftist spawn of the disastrous French Revolution.

Image credit: Wikipedia // public domain
CARGOTEC CORPORATION, PRESS RELEASE, 1 SEPTEMBER 2020 AT 3 PM (EEST)

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, will supply additional 20 Kalmar Hybrid Shuttle Carriers to The Port of Virginia, a deep water port in the U.S. East Coast. The order, booked in Cargotec's Q3 2020 order intake, follows a similar order from the third quarter of 2019, demonstrating the strength of The Port of Virginia's relationship with Kalmar and the company's commitment to Kalmar equipment. The delivery of the machines is scheduled to be completed by the end of July 2021.

The new units will be delivered to Virginia International Gateway (VIG), which is the port's second largest terminal and capable of handling the biggest vessels in the Atlantic trade. The Port of Virginia has been using Kalmar hybrid shuttle carriers since August 2015. Kalmar provides the port with support and servicing through a dedicated, local team of technicians with many years of experience and a comprehensive, local parts inventory.

Kalmar is the leading supplier of hybrid horizontal transportation solutions for ports and terminals globally. With more than 300 hybrid straddle and shuttle carriers delivered until now, Kalmar outnumbers other port equipment manufacturers in the industry by far. With this delivery, there will be more than 100 Kalmar Hybrid Shuttle/Straddle Carriers operating in the USA alone.

Rich Ceci, Sr. Vice President of Technology and Projects, Port of Virginia: "These shuttle carriers help increase the eco-efficiency of our operations by replacing some of the older equipment and support our continued growth at The Port of Virginia. Kalmar's hybrid technology helps us cut fuel consumption, reduce emissions, increase operator comfort, and improve the overall sustainability of our operations. Overall, we have been pleased with our close collaboration and long partnership with Kalmar. They are always innovative with their eco-efficient solutions and provide excellent support to us with their local team."

Troy Thompson, Vice President, Sales, Kalmar Americas: "It is a great pleasure to continue our exceptional partnership with the Virginia Port Authority. This repeat order is a proof of the superior performance of our eco-efficient hybrid shuttle carriers. In addition, the dedication and commitment of our local Virginia product support team has been instrumental in securing this order. We have an extensive and highly trained product support team in the USA fully dedicated to supporting the local customers, which enables them to keep their fleets reliable while making Kalmar the industry leader in hybrid deliveries."

Further information for the press:

Troy Thompson, Vice President, Sales, Kalmar Americas, tel. +1 919 949 1192

Maija Eklof, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Kalmar, tel. +358 20 777 4096, maija.eklof@kalmarglobal.com

Kalmar offers the widest range of cargo handling solutions and services to ports, terminals, distribution centres and to heavy industry. Kalmar is the industry forerunner in terminal automation and in energy efficient container handling, with one in four container movements around the globe being handled by a Kalmar solution. Through its extensive product portfolio, global service network and ability to enable a seamless integration of different terminal processes, Kalmar improves the efficiency of every move.www.kalmarglobal.com

Kalmar is part of Cargotec. Cargotec's

Attachment
Sowmya Mani By

Express News Service

TIRUCHY: Asymptomatic Covid patients quarantined at home alleged that neither officials from the Tiruchy Corporation nor the health department were calling on them and checking their condition. Home isolation had started in Tiruchy in July and around 100 persons are in home isolation currently, but a a majority of them share similar experiences.

A patient in Kumaran Nagar, who was in home isolation in the beginning of August, said he volunteered information to Corporation that he tested positive. After I tested positive, I did not receive any call from the Corporation or Collectorate. I informed the corporation and my neighbours that I tested positive. It was only after my call that someone from the corporation came home and pasted a notice for home isolation. After that, I didnt get any call from any authority. I had to consult my doctor and get medication, said the patient.

In another patients case, despite being above 50 and having co-morbidities, the patient was allowed home isolation. No one from the corporation visited their house. My father was supposed to undergo a surgery at a private hospital. As per protocol, his COVID test was taken and he was positive. As he was asymptomatic, we decided on home isolation. We just received a call from the corporation that day and they asked how many people are at home. After that, there was no call from any authority, said the patients son from Chinthamani.

Another patient says that in other districts, patients in home isolation are provided everything from medicines to kabasura kudineer. My husband tested positive and even I was advised to stay at home. We expected that a doctor from the health department would help us with medications etc. We werent even told to get an oximeter, which is a must for home isolation. No one asked if family members have symptoms. If a family member gets sick, onus is on us to get a test. There is no call after day 1, said a patients wife from Thennur.

When TNIE brought this to the notice of Corporation Commissioner S Sivasubramaniam, he said doctors at the Corporation have been asked to call patients thrice a day. In corporation limits, only 80 people are in home isolation currently. Doctors are calling them daily and we paste the home isolation sticker outside their houses too. We are allowing home isolation only for asymptomatic people below 50, said Sivasubramaniam.
She is the CEO of her own cosmetics company, KKW Beauty.

And Kim Kardashian put her make-up skills on display while getting ready for a glamorous photoshoot on Monday evening.

'I'm on set of a shoot and I just wanna show you guys that I did my whole eye with the new KKW x Allison eyeshadow palette,' began the 39-year-old on her Instagram Story.

Skills: Kim Kardashian put her make-up skills on display, while getting ready for a glamorous photoshoot on Monday evening

She added that she 'smoked out [her] under eye' with a brown toned eyeshadow from the highly sought after palette.

Kardashian gave her younger sister Kylie Jenner's beauty brand Kylie Cosmetics a little plug, when she admitted that she 'used Kylie's lashes that she just dropped with her Sailor collection' on her eyes.

'I was impressed! I love these lashes. They look really pretty,' said the KUWTK star, as she turned her head for the camera and grazed the fluffy lashes with her finger.

Despite straying from her makeup line in the fake eyelash department, Kardashian stayed true to her brand for the rest of the look.

Step by step: 'I'm on set of a shoot and I just wanna show you guys that I did my whole eye with the new KKW x Allison eyeshadow palette,' began the 39-year-old on her Instagram Story

Smokey: She added that she 'smoked out [her] under eye' with a brown toned eyeshadow from the highly sought after palette

To achieve her plump put, Kim used the 'KKW Beauty Nude 2 lip liner' and just 'a little bit' of the London Lip Crayon, which she admitted is '[her] fave.'

Returning to her recently launched KKW Beauty x Allison collection, which dropped on August 28, Kardashian reached for 'the P.P.S. clear gloss to make her lips 'juicy.'

'So, I just like having a juicy lip no matter what,' she admitted, while generously applying the gloss to her lips.

Lashy: Kardashian gave her younger sister Kylie Jenner's beauty brand a little plug, when she admitted that she 'used Kylie's lashes that she just dropped with her Sailor collection'

Fave: To achieve her plump put, Kim used the 'KKW Beauty Nude 2 lip liner' and just 'a little bit' of the London Lip Crayon, which she admitted is '[her] fave'

Kim finished off the makeup look with a generous amount of bronzer, blush, and highlighter straight out of the Ladera palette from the KKW x Allison collection.

Before signing off her Instagram Story, the wife of Kanye West gave her 187million followers one last glimpse of her completed makeup application.

'It looks so cute,' remarked Kim as she blew a tender kiss to the camera.

Juicy: 'So, I just like having a juicy lip no matter what,' she admitted, while generously applying the gloss to her lips

In the string of clips, Kardashian had her lengthy brunette tresses styled in loose waves, while a set of clips kept strands of hair away from her face.

She had on only a white bathrobe and there was a clothing rack filled with various pieces from her SKIMS line.

Kim has been aggressively advertising her KKW x Allison collection, a collaboration with her childhood best friend Allison Statter, due to its sentimental value.

Last looks: Before signing off her Instagram Story, the wife of Kanye West gave her 187million followers one last glimpse of her completed makeup application

The packaging, as well the product names, are inspired by memories, inside jokes, and other special tokens the pair have collected over the span of their lifelong friendship.

Although fans will have to wait to see Monday's photoshoot, Kim recently treated her devout following to a slew of stunning self-portraits she had taken, while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

For the sexy shoot, which was captured on the beach, Kim slipped her famous curves into a tiny hot pink string bikini.

KKW x Allison: Kim has been aggressively advertising her KKW x Allison collection, a collaboration with her childhood best friend Allison Statter, due to its sentimental value

Sentimental: The packaging, as well the product names, are inspired by memories, inside jokes, and other special tokens they've collected throughout their lifelong friendship

Memories: Kim shared a look at old school days letters and mementos she and Allison exchanged in a series of images on her Instagram Story

Old friends: She also shared a look at a collage of old photos

Her hair was intricately styled into two braids that cascaded far past her chest, while using a smoky hue of eye shadow and bronze blush to amplify her facial features.

Happy place', Kim captioned the photo series, which saw her walking along the sand with her gym-honed physique on full display.

Kim was spotted on the beaches of Cabo earlier this month taking these photos, which are said to be for her KWW beauty range.

The shoot occurred amid a tumultuous time for Kim and her husband Kanye West, who have been embroiled in marital drama since his wild presidential rally in South Carolina.

Beach babe: Although fans will have to wait to see Monday's photoshoot, Kim recently treated her devout following to a slew of stunning self-portraits she had taken, while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico;

The couple, who share daughters North, seven, Chicago, two, and sons Saint, four, and Psalm, 14 months, subsequently headed to the Caribbean in a reported bid to save their marriage amid his bipolar struggles.

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Kanye is keen on purchasing another ranch in Wyoming, where he already spends much of his time working.

The Bound 2 rapper is reportedly interested in purchasing the Double Doc Ranch in Cody, Wyoming after visiting it the other day.

Hard times: The shoot occurred amid a tumultuous time for Kim and her husband Kanye West, who have been embroiled in marital drama since his wild presidential rally in South Carolina
Commissioner of Police Rakesh Agrawal warned people against spreading rumours or sending fake messages during a Facebook live on Tuesday.

The police chief said that people are spreading rumours on WhatsApp and social networking sites stating that hospitals are stealing kidneys and other organs of patients after declaring them coronavirus positive.

He said that doctors and medical staff are risking their livesto treat Covid-19 patients, but some people are creating panic among residents. The police are tracing people who are spreading rumours and if caught they will be jailed for at least three years.

Agrawal added that Covid-19 cases are rising in the city, but with stringent curbs like weekend lockdown and night curfew, the number of cases has come down. He appealed to the people to venture out only when it is necessary.

He said that the police and district administration has roped in private hospitals for the treatment of coronavirus patients. The city has 3,500 beds that have been reserved for coronavirus patients.

Facebook users have appealed to the government to set a limit on bills charged by private hospitals from Covid-19 patients, as there are complaints of fleecing. The police commissioner said that the government has already set a limit for private hospitals and no hospital can charge more from patients.

Agrawal said that shops selling essential commodities are allowed to operate on Saturday and Sunday, while all other shops will remain closed. There will be restrictions on movement from 7 pm to 5 am till further orders. Factories can be operational on weekends.

Facebook user Akshay Mishra has inquired about procedures for home isolation. In his reply, the police chief said that Covid-19 patients can be home isolated if they are following the necessary procedures. A team of the health department will visit them and issue instructions; the patient has to maintain social distancing from other members of the family, the cop said.

Facebook user Balbir Singh has urged for allowing study centers and institutions to operate, however, the police chief said that they should wait for government instructions.

Agrawal appealed to the residents to stay at home and wearing masks while venturing out.
(Natural News) In August, the Tennessee Department of Education unveiled an invasive new plan to check up on every child in the state. The invasive new plan sends government bureaucrats to each home to conduct monthly interviews with each child. These child wellbeing checks enlist community stakeholders to interrogate each child in the community, preferably without parents present, to make sure that parents are properly caring for their children.

Since we know many children have experienced adversity due to the pandemic, child wellbeing checks are a deliberate way all stakeholders in the community can help ensure the needs of our children are met, said Penny Schwinn, the commissioner of the invasive new plan.

The state wants to invade each home, monitor stress levels, mandate psychiatric drugs and vaccines to ensure the well being of the child

The Tennessee Department of Education put together a task force to verify the well being [of children] and identify needs of all Tennessee children including those who are home schooled, those who attend private schools, those who participate in online learning, and those who attend the public-school system.

The task force calls on communities to come together to check on the kids and support the holistic needs of the children. Holistic needs was not defined by the governments guidance.

I am encouraged by the hard work and dedication of the Task Force and our districts to support kids and their holistic needs, said Schwinn. The Task Force guidance requires the checkers to speak with every child, from birth to 18 years, as directly and as privately as possible.

The task force wants to train and develop an army of bureaucrats to check in on children every month in order to sell government services to families. These services include food, transportation, devices and hygiene procedures. Most notably, the bureaucrats would be tasked with evaluating the mental health of the child, which opens the door to the administration of psychiatric drugs and other behavioral modifications. These well-being ministers of the state also want to make sure the children are getting every single vaccine recommended by the CDC. (Related: The CDC is developing a nationwide medical police state program to track vaccine compliance; may lead to medical kidnapping of children.)

By letting these bureaucrats in the home, parents are giving away their parental rights, surrendering their parental sovereignty to the state. If one of these bureaucrats identifies a need, a parent will be pushed into a corner to comply with an order, or they might be turned in for neglect or abuse. According to the task force, these bureaucrats will gauge general stress level and could alert authorities to households that do not operate to proper standards or fit the criteria that the state is looking for. The government can then build a case that a child is in a dangerous environment, and the parents could lose custody of their own children. If the parent disagrees with the assessment, they could be labeled difficult or uncooperative and could find themselves at the mercy of the Child Protective Services, an agency that has used the accusation medical neglect countless times to kidnap children from parents custody.

The invasive new plan did not go over well with most Tennessee families. After public outcry, the Tennessee Department of Education withdrew the commission, but they also promised to revise it.

Education expert and former Tennessee County Commissioner, Karen Bracken, said, No matter what warm and fuzzy words you wrap around this policy it is a total violation of our Constitutional rights and an overreach into an area in which they have no authority.

It is felt they are using COVID as the excuse to implement a plan that has been in the works for quite some time.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

NaturalNews.com

MedicalKidnap.com
The winning design "Open Source Communities" addresses challenges often found in developing countries by using smart open-source planning to design affordable communities with sustainable clean water resources. Accepting the award, John Brian Kamau said " It was a great honor for us as BellTower, to be one of the 6 finalists and then win the Grand Prix of Lexus Design Award 2020. Our journey began with many challenges. However, we persevered to showcase our ambitious concept. Our experience has taught us invaluable lifelong lessons. All our future designs will be aligned with the key principles we learned as part of the Lexus family."

Considering this year's unique circumstances, Lexus innovated to create its first ever virtual jury as part of this process that supports and nurtures the next generation of creative talent. The Grand Prix winner was announced after each of the six international finalists presented to our panel of esteemed judges explaining how they would create a Better Tomorrow. The program's four mentors, who supported and guided the finalists for six months, were also on hand for the grand finale of the Lexus Design Award 2020.

Announcing the panel's decision, program judge and Studio Gang Founding Principal Jeanne Gang said, "At different moments in time, design has celebrated bold aesthetics, extreme functionality, and even humor and wit. But today, with our world plagued by the enormous issues of climate change and social inequality, there is a design imperative for systemic design solutions. The Grand-Prix winner expands our definition of design to include systems of finance for community projects and engages the critical role clean drinking water plays in citizens' ability to thrive. By addressing the way that the project will come into being and be sustained economically, the designers broaden our thinking about what design is and could be. While the project is an apparatus to collect and store rainwater for safe drinking, it is also a financial game plan for empowering a community."

Lexus sincerely thanks the six finalists of the Lexus Design Award 2020 for their hard work and is grateful for the passion and commitment of our judges; Paola Antonelli, Jeanne Gang, John Maeda, and Simon Humphries; and mentors; Joe Doucet, Bethan Gray, Philippe Malouin, and Shohei Shigematsu.

The trophy presented to the winner was designed by Hideki Yoshimoto, a winner of the Lexus Design Award 2013 and now an established professional designer himself based in London. In Yoshimoto's words, "This trophy will be the face of the Award for years to come, so I tried to create a simple, dignified form, free of affectation, in a design where boldness and subtlety coexist. Artisans carve the trophy from smoke-seasoned wood and lacquer made in the traditional Kawatsura style from Akita Prefecture in Japan. Handcrafting each trophy imbues it with heart and soul to resonate with the winner's creative passion."

For more information, please visit LexusDesignAward.com

Lexus Design Award 2021 is open for entries until October 11. Please note the details at our website, below.

https://discoverlexus.com/highlights/entries-open-for-lexus-design-award-2021

Official Hashtag: #LexusDesignAward

| ABOUT LEXUS

Lexus launched in 1989 with a flagship sedan and a guest experience that helped define the premium automotive industry. In 1998, Lexus introduced the luxury crossover category with the launch of the Lexus RX. The luxury hybrid sales leader, Lexus delivered the world's first luxury hybrid and has since sold over 1.5 million hybrid vehicles.

A global luxury automotive brand with an unwavering commitment to bold, uncompromising design, exceptional craftsmanship, and exhilarating performance, Lexus has developed its lineup to meet the needs of the next generation of global luxury guests and is currently available in over 90 countries worldwide.

Lexus associates/team members across the world are dedicated to crafting amazing experiences that are uniquely Lexus, and that excite and change the world.

| ABOUT LEXUS DESIGN AWARD

First launched in 2013, the Lexus Design Award is an international design competition that targets up-and-coming creators from around the world. The award seeks to foster the growth of ideas that contribute to society by supporting designers and creators whose works can help to shape a better future. It provides a unique opportunity for each finalist to work with a globally recognized designer as a mentor to create prototypes of their designs, and then exhibit them at one of the design calendar's most important events.

#LexusDesignAward

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LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2020 FINALISTS (1/2)



Title of work Biocraft Biocraft materials combine natural biopolymers with emerging technology to produce materials with advanced capabilities that better our health and the environment. They are intended to replace the inert products in our daily lives with ones that actively engage with their surroundings by removing CO2 from the air and disseminating nutrients.

Name Sutherlin Santo (Paul Sutherlin Santo, Garrett Sutherlin Santo) Country USA Paul and Garrett Sutherlin Santo are designers from Downtown Los Angeles. Their work seeks to project a future where design's connection to nature and technology are symmetrical by exploring the relationship of emerging digital processes, ecologically engaged materials, and traditional techniques.



Title of work Feltscape Feltscape is a breathing cloud that fosters the philosophical idea of isolation. It is made of felt and recycled bio-plastic with an innovative robotic fabrication process. By the implementation of sensors and kinetic mechanisms, the cloud will follow the visitor's breath. The membrane rhythm gradually accelerates or decelerates guiding the occupant to inhale/exhale more slowly.

Name (Country) Theophile Peju & Salvatore Cicero (Theophile Peju (France), Salvatore Cicero (Italy)) Based in United Kingdom Theophile Peju & Salvatore Cicero are architectural designers based in London. They graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture  UCL, where they pursued research on textile composite materials. Their design approach, through hands-on experience, combines traditional craftsmanship and innovative robotic fabrication techniques.



Title of work Flash Pak Flash Pak, installed on lamp posts, makes life jackets easily accessible and provides protection to people in high-risk flooding areas. By utilizing the natural buoyancy of the life jacket, it allows the life vest to rise up to the water's surface for easy access regardless of how high the water is.

Name Yaokun Wu Country China / Based in USA Yaokun Wu is an industrial design student at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He feels grateful for everything he has and wishes to use design to help people who need it most. He believes design is everywhere, but only that which brings people warmth will never be forgotten.

LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2020 FINALISTS (2/2)



Title of work L.I.C.K. L.I.C.K. is a portable body cleaner that will help people who are unable to use a bath.. The device has a soft cleaning surface like a cat's tongue similar to how cats clean their body from impurities. This cleaning surface has papillae with a U-shaped cavity, with each papillae having the same hardness, going from hard on the tip to soft at the root, just like a cat's tongue.

Name Irina Samoilova Country Russia Irina Samoilova is a product & furniture designer. She is currently studying for a master's degree at Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Art in the furniture design department. Before starting a new design, she first studies animal shapes and how such forms already work in nature.



Title of work Open Source Communities Open Source Communities is a proposal outlining an efficient way of designing communities in developing countries based on using smart open-source plans. The designer's endeavor is to see how these designs may be refined to create a water resource center that is sustainable.

Name BellTower (John Brian Kamau, Joyce Wairimu Gachiri, Ian Githegi Kamau, Esther Wanjiku Kamau and Arvin Booker Kamau) Country Kenya BellTower was established in 2014 with the vision of using open source systems and technologies to solve problems. They came together to create a team with skills in Risk Management, Information Technology, Design, Project Management and Strategy to build an open-source community model for personal, corporate and industrial needs.



Title of work Pursewit Pursewit, a newly designed sewing machine which simplifies use for the visually impaired. Operation is made more intuitive and tactile, aiding in the cumbersome process of sewing. It provides an opportunity for the visually impaired to gain economic stability which contributes to society as a whole.

Name Aqsa Ajmal Country Pakistan Aqsa Ajmal, Industrial Designer, graduated from National University of Sciences and Technology. She is steered by her belief in design as a problem-solving tool, devising relationships between ideas and reality. Through her tangible interaction and firsthand experiments in design, she looks forward to improving connections between people and products.

LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2020 PANEL OF JUDGES

PAOLA ANTONELLI SENIOR CURATOR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN AT MoMA, NY Paola Antonelli is Senior Curator of Architecture & Design at The Museum of Modern Art, as well as MoMA's founding Director of Research & Development. Her goal is to promote design's understanding, until its positive influence on the world is universally acknowledged. Her work investigates design's impact on everyday experience, often including overlooked objects and practices, and combining design, architecture, art, science and technology. She has curated shows, written books, lectured worldwide, and taught in several schools, including Harvard and UCLA. Following the XXII Triennale di Milanoher 2019 Broken Nature, devoted to the idea of restorative design she has opened at MoMA the exhibition Material Ecology, on the work of architect Neri Oxman. She is currently working on several new sessions of her MoMA R&D Salons; and on the Instagram series @design.emergencyconceived with design critic Alice Rawsthorndevoted to the role of design in the Covid-19 pandemic. JEANNE GANG ARCHITECT / FOUNDING PRINCIPAL, PARTNER OF STUDIO GANG Jeanne Gang, FAIA, is the founding principal and partner of internationally renowned architecture and urban design practice Studio Gang. Recognized for an approach that expands beyond architecture's conventional boundaries to foreground relationships between individuals, communities, and their environment, Jeanne has a diverse, award-winning portfolio of work throughout the Americas and Europe. These include Aqua Tower in Chicago, an expansion of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the new United States Embassy in Brasilia. A MacArthur Fellow and Professor in Practice of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Jeanne this year was named one of the most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine and won her largest commission to date: the 2.2 million sf O'Hare Global Terminal. JOHN MAEDA TECHNOLOGIST / CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER, PUBLICIS SAPIENT

John Maeda is an American technologist, designer, engineer, artist, investor, author, and teacher. He was recently appointed chief experience officer at Publicis Sapient, the technology consulting and delivery arm of communications and marketing conglomerate Publicis. He has held positions with Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com; the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins; led research at the MIT Media Lab; and served as president of the Rhode Island School of Design. Named as one of the "75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century" by Esquire, Maeda draws on his diverse background as an MIT-trained engineer, award-winning designer, and executive leader to bring people and ideas together at scale. He is the author of several celebrated books, including The Laws of Simplicity and Redesigning Leadership and How to Speak Machine published in November 2019. He has appeared as a speaker all over the world, from Davos to Beijing to Sao Paulo to New York, and his talks for TED have received millions of views. SIMON HUMPHRIES HEAD OF TOYOTA & LEXUS GLOBAL DESIGN Simon Humphries is Head of Toyota & Lexus Global Design. He was appointed to oversee design for both brands in 2018. As Head of Lexus Global Design Humphries seeks to define Lexus' unique values in the form of a brand philosophy, incorporating a clear cultural reference to Lexus' Japanese heritage and building a design direction that is relevant to users around the world. Humphries joined the company in 1994. His many roles in leadership and advanced design include defining the signature spindle grille that has become an icon for the Lexus brand. In 2016 he became President of ED2 (Toyota Europe Design Development) where his team spearheaded development of mobility concepts such as the Toyota e-Palette concept as part of the brand's transition from "automotive company" to "mobility company." Humphries began his career in design in 1988 when he was awarded the Royal Society of Arts Bursary Prize for Product Design in the UK. The award gave him the opportunity to work for Sony, which jump started his passion for living and working in Japan. In his spare time Humphries enjoys carpentry and is restoring a 100-year old Japanese farmhouse.

LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2020 PANEL OF MENTORS

JOE DOUCET FOUNDER, JOE DOUCET X PARTNERS A designer, entrepreneur, inventor and creative director, Joe Doucet is one of the most sought-after creative talents working in America today. His work deftly hybridizes function and visual appeal while conveying layers of meaning and message. Doucet believes that design and, more importantly, a designer's thought process can play a larger role in innovation and problem solving, as well as aesthetics. He currently holds numerous patents for his designs and inventions.



Doucet's work has been exhibited globally and has received numerous international awards, including a World Technology Award for Design Innovation and multiple Good Design Awards. Doucet was named the 2017 Winner of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award as Product Designerthe highest honor in his field. He is also Designer of the Year 2019 finalist by Dezeen, and a recipient of Fast Company's Most Important Design Companies of 2019. BETHAN GRAY CREATIVE DIRECTOR, BETHAN GRAY DESIGN London-based Bethan Gray is one the UK's most celebrated furniture and homeware designers, having been awarded four Elle Decoration British Design Awards including the coveted Best British Designer. Her work features extensively in global media; and she has exhibited in London, Milan, Paris, New York and Dubai.

Bethan's ancestors went on an incredible journey across continents - Bethan has since visited many of the places they passed through, inspired by a love of travel, art and culture. Today, her mission is to bring contemporary relevance to the traditional techniques from these regions  keeping both cultural narratives and craft skills alive. She believes in the power to tell stories through craft and design and has formed joint ventures based on mutual trust and respect that support over 400 master crafts people globally. Established in 2008, Bethan Gray Design creates luxury handcrafted collections of furniture and home accessories that are sold through global retailers such as Harrods, Liberty, Lane Crawford. Within her own practice in London, she nurtures, connects and encourages new design talent and mentors upcoming female designers. She has recently launched a Prize for Women in Craft with Cardiff Metropolitan University where she is an honorary fellow. PHILIPPE MALOUIN DIRECTOR, PHILIPPE MALOUIN STUDIO British-Canadian Philippe Malouin holds a bachelor's degree in Design from the Design Academy Eindhoven. He has also studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Creation Industrielle in Paris and the University of Montreal. He set up his studio in 2008 after working for English designer Tom Dixon. Philippe has also taught at the Royal College of Art in London between 2012-2015. He is also the director of POST-OFFICE, the architectural and interior design practice. His diverse portfolio includes tables, rugs, chairs, lights, art objects and installations. Philippe's client list includes SCP, Marsotto Edizioni, Resident, OTHR, Hem, Ace hotel, Matter-Made, Established & Sons, Roll & Hill, 1882 ltd., Kvadrat, Umbra Shift, Caesarstone, IZE, Swarovski, Bloomberg, Aesop and Touch Digital. Philippe is represented by Salon 94 Design gallery in New York City. He has recently won the Wallpaper* Magazine 'designer of the year' award. Philippe lives and works in London, where he operates his design studio. SHOHEI SHIGEMATSU PARTNER AND DIRECTOR OF OMA NEW YORK Shohei Shigematsu joined OMA in 1998, has led the New York office since 2006, and became a partner in 2008. He has recently completed the renovation of Sotheby's New York headquarters, luxury high-rise towers in San Francisco and Miami, and OMA's first ground-up building in New York City, a residential complex at 121 East 22nd Street. Sho has successfully completed designs for cultural venues including the Quebec National Beaux Arts Museum and the Faena Arts Center in Miami Beach. Currently in progress are the expansion of Buffalo's Albright-Knox-Gundlach Art Museum and a second building for the New Museum. Sho has also designed exhibitions for Prada, the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Park Avenue Armory, and Dior's first US retrospective at the Denver Art Museum and Dallas Museum of Art. He oversees OMA's projects in Japan, including a new business center in Fukuoka (2021) and OMA's first mixed-use tower in Tokyo for Mori Building Co, Ltd. (2023).

A design critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Sho has lectured at TED and Wired Japan conference, and at universities throughout the world.

ABOUT THE NEW TROPHY OF LEXUS DESIGN AWARD LEXUS DESIGN AWARD TROPHY DESIGNER HIDEKI YOSHIMOTO Hideki Yoshimoto is a designer and engineer, working on a wide range of creative and technology projects. He studied aeronautics and astronautics at the University of Tokyo and carried out PhD research at the Royal College of Art, before founded TANGENT , his own lighting brand in 2015 in London. His projects and research have received several international awards in both of design and engineering, such as Lexus Design Award's Grand Prix, Red Dot Design Concept's Best of the Best Award, and Best Conference Award from Japanese Society of Artificial Intelligence. He was also appointed as a visiting associate professor at Osaka University of Arts in Japan in 2018.

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BarcelonaMonday was the monthly reality-check day for Spains three million self-employed workers: even if they can benefit from a partial exemption, they still had to pay their social security contribution regardless of their turnover this month. Since the Covid-19 crisis broke out, for many of them this monthly payment has become an uphill struggle, financially speaking.

Only 148,000 gig workers (fewer than 5 per cent) meet the conditions set by the State to receive a benefit that will see them through the pandemic: being able to show that their turnover last month was 75 per cent lower than the average of the last six months. On Monday those who did were paid a new benefit set up by the Spanish government to support struggling self-employed workers. Many others who have been unable to return to work or have lost a significant chunk of their business do not meet the requirements to apply for this benefit. According to Spains ATA (National Federation of Self-Employed Workers Associations) they are the ones who have drawn the short stick and their business is truly in jeopardy. ATA has estimated that they number about 280,000 people, nearly 10 per cent of all self-employed workers in Spain.

A total of 154 million has been paid out on Monday to the 148,000 workers who were entitled to the special benefit, so a little over one thousand euros a head. This sum is much smaller than what was paid in April to nearly one million free-lancers, when the benefit was first brought in. This is happening as the number of self-employed staff in Spain keeps growing: Economy VP Nadia Calvino has announced that between April and 27 August an additional 60,000 workers have gone self-employed in Spain, 19,000 in August alone.

Stringent requirements

28-year-old Maria is an example of someone who hasnt been able to apply. She is a makeup artist who had been doing mostly weddings for some time, a business that has ground to a halt due to the pandemic, with many couples putting off their big day because of the limitations imposed on the number of guests at receptions. Marias turnover has dropped by 50 per cent, a catastrophic percentage for her pocketbook, but short of what is required to apply for the Covid benefit. She says that she had 35 bookings lined up this season but so far Ive only managed 10. She has only got two dates booked in September. To make matters worse, Maria was banking on doubling her revenue this summer because she had begun to offer hairdressing services, too.

Laura has not received a penny, either, even though she was able to show that her income has dropped by 75 per cent. A 27-year-old photographer, Laura went self-employed just two years ago, so she was allowed to pay a reduced social security rate: only 60 a month. But by doing so, she was ineligible for the Covid-19 benefit. As she pays such a small monthly amount, she intends to remain self-employed till the end of the year, even though she has no bookings coming up in the next few months.

According to a mid-August survey published by ATA, self-employed staff have seen an average income drop of 60 per cent. 80 per cent of them report that their business has shrunk. ATA president Lorenzo Amor complains that the workers he represents are lagging behind and he insists that we need to put a stop to it for Spain to do well. The other large association of self-employed workers, UPTA (Union of Self-Employed Workers and Professionals), points out that self-employed workers enjoy far worse working conditions than ordinary employees. UPTA president Eduardo Abad argues that self-employed staff are the spark plug of the Spanish economy and they are capable of driving the economys locomotive.

Risk of going under

ATA warns that many self-employed workers might end up shutting up shop for good. 71 per cent of the survey respondents stated that they would struggle in the event of another lockdown and 28 per cent of them claimed that they would definitely have to close down (49 per cent thought it was possible and 22 believed they would have to streamline their business).

Ramon is among those who have thrown in the towel. At age 60, this solar panel technician is struggling to make ends meet. On the one had, he was making additional voluntary payments to the social security kitty in order to receive a higher retirement pension, but he was also trying to pay off some debts with the taxman that he incurred during the 2008 recession. He was paying a surcharge, as mandated by law. Now he has no income and relies on his children to survive. He is entitled to no benefit. His elderly mother-in-law lives at home with him and she draws a widows pension. Ramon reckons he wont be able to go back to work for another two months.
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Monday urged a federal appeals court not to let Manhattan's top prosecutor have his tax returns, saying "the deck was clearly stacked against" him, and said he would ask the Supreme Court to intervene if necessary.

The argument was made in a filing with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, which on Tuesday will hear arguments on Trump's bid to delay Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's subpoena for the tax returns during Trump's appeal.

Absent a delay, Trump requested a stay to give the Supreme Court time to consider his request.

A spokesman for Vance declined to comment.

The district attorney is seeking eight years of tax returns from Trump's longtime accounting firm Mazars USA in connection with a criminal probe of the president's business practices.

Trump has fought the subpoena for a year. He suffered a defeat in July when the Supreme Court rejected his claim of immunity from criminal probes while in the White House.

The tax returns are unlikely to become public before the Nov. 3 presidential election. Vance has said the continued litigation has effectively given Trump the "temporary absolute immunity" that courts have rejected.

On Aug. 20, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero refused for a second time to block the subpoena, saying "justice requires an end to this controversy."

But Monday's filing said Trump was not resurrecting his broad immunity claim, arguing instead that the subpoena was overbroad and issued in bad faith, and that Vance should have to show why its contents were relevant to his probe.

"The District Attorney should not have been allowed to 'run roughshod' over the President in his pursuit of claims that the Supreme Court held he could raise," the filing said.

The filing said enforcing the subpoena would cause Trump irreparable harm.

"It is disclosure of these records to the government--not just to the public--that causes injury," it said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Leslie Adler)
Prisoners have lit at least four fires in the past 24 hours in a southeast Queensland jail locked down for five days due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Queensland Corrective Services say blazes were lit inside cells at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, southwest of Brisbane on Monday.

As well as the fires, frustrated prisoners who are unable to leave their cells smashed windows and flooded their rooms - with medical staff reportedly walking off the job.

The first fire in the morning was put out by prison officers, with five inmates suffering smoke inhalation.

Queensland Corrective Services say blazes were lit inside cells at Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, southwest of Brisbane on Monday (pictured rubbish seen outside prison)

A banner reading 'COVID FTS' was also seen hanging on the wall of the prison

A second fire was lit in the afternoon, which was also put out after three hours, while a third blaze was set late on Monday night, which officers also dealt with.

QCS says a number of additional inmates and an officer were treated for smoke inhalation.

'Officers from Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre have been praised for their professionalism and resilience in dealing with a complex situation,' QCS said in a statement.

A banner reading 'COVID FTS' has also been seen hung across one of the walls of the prison.

Queensland Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Martin said as many as 20 inmates were involved in the riots.

CCTV cameras were also damaged while huge piles of rubbish were seen strewn outside inmates' cells on Tuesday.

As many as 20 inmates were involved in the havoc at the prison after being confined in lockdown

'We are in a 14-day isolation period, currently we're at about day four, and so this has got a fair way to go and the prisoner population has largely been compliant,' Mr Martin said.

'This is a difficult situation and it's one that will go on for a considerable period of time until no further COVID-19 cases occur.'

Mr Martin said there had been at least three instances where a 'code black' was called while nurses walked off the job on Monday evening, worried for their safety, The Courier Mail was told.

The commissioner said as of Tuesday afternoon there was a 'state of calm' in the prison and inmates had been allowed out for an allocated amount of time.

The Queensland Police Dog Squad was also called in as well as firefighters and paramedics.

More than 1,000 inmates are at Arthur Gorrie, which has an official capacity of 890 prisoners.

They have been kept in their cells for the past five days after Queensland's chief health officer ordered a lockdown of prisons to stem the local virus outbreak.

More than 1000 inmates are at Arthur Gorrie, which has capacity for 890 prisoners

Another 6000 inmates in jails from the central coast to southeast Queensland also remain confined to their cells.

Corrections workers union secretary Alex Scott, who warned last week that the lockdown would lead to more violence against prison workers, said the incident was deeply concerning.

While he still supported the lockdown to stem the virus, he said the fires highlighted the important of prison safety for staff and inmates.

'The staff at the centre are continuing their work in very difficult circumstances in a dedicated, professional way and deserve our respect,' he said in a statement.

'We will continue to engage with management at the centre and with QCS to ensure that our concerns about workplace health and safety at our prisons are addressed.'

Arthur Gorrie is directly linked to the 27-case COVID-19 cluster in the state's southeast after two staff contracted the virus following a visit to the QCS Academy at Wacol.

The academy, where a senior trainer was diagnosed with the virus on Thursday, is at the centre of the state's outbreak.
ALBANY, N.Y.  A Troy man recently pleaded guilty to drug charges in federal court.

Selvin Joiner, 29, pleaded guilty Monday to distributing crack cocaine.

Joiner admitted that on June 28, 2020, he sold approximately 26 grams of cocaine base (aka crack cocaine) to a buyer in Troy.

Officials said Joiner faces up to 20 years in prison, a term of post-imprisonment supervised release of at least three years, and a fine of up to $1 million, when he is sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Fredrick J. Scullin, Jr. on Dec. 9.
KAMPALA  The Cairo International Bank has rebranded to Cairo Bank Uganda Limited, with effect from September 1, 2020. Cairo Bank Uganda lmLimited (The Bank) is a fully owned subsidiary of Banque Du Caire (BDC) set up with the intention of expanding BDCs presence across the continent whilst providing an entry point into the COMESA market for a wide range of its customers. BDC is one of the largest banks in Egypt with a balance sheet of over $12bn dollars.

The Bank underwent a comprehensive restructuring process in 2019 with an eye to boasting operational efficiency and positioning it to be able to sustainably grow and offer competitive products and services to our market segment which is in line the strategic intent of being the preferred small and medium enterprise Bank in Uganda.

The shareholders invested a significant amount of money in 2019 and the Bank was able to move into a new fit for purpose head office with a renewed brand identity, procured and implemented a world class new core banking system and hired personnel at executive and middle management level with proven industry experience to support and execute the transformation journey

The rebrand means the Bank is now positioned to leverage on a strong shareholder relationship and be part of a larger group with a strong global network and supporting millions of customers by opening their doors to endless opportunities. Our customers can continue banking with us as confidently as they always done but also count on new innovative and exciting product offerings to the market and enjoy the advantages of banking with a brand that is part of a multinational group.

The bank will continue to play a critical role in supporting the lifeblood of the economy which is the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

The Managing Director of Cairo Bank Uganda, Ahmad Nada Maher while commenting about the change said Our customers can look forward to a new, refreshed banking experience which will include a wide range of new innovative products and services, internet banking, exciting partnerships with fintechs and aggregators to provide mobile payment and cash management solutions. The change in name will come with a brand new logo, slogan and brand color.

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N early 1,500 migrants arrived in the UK by small boats in August despite a vow from Priti Patel to make the dangerous route "unviable".

In recent weeks, the Home Office has sought to blame French authorities and "activist lawyers" for rising numbers of crossings and difficulties removing asylum seekers once they arrive in Britain.

But despite the deployment of RAF planes and the appointment of a clandestine Channel threat commander, large numbers of people have continued to attempt the perilous crossing.

More suspected migrants were seen arriving in the Port of Dover on Tuesday morning and Border Force remains active in the English Channel.

Charities have continued calls for the Government to establish safe and legal routes for migrants to claim asylum instead of crossing the Channel in small boats.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought into Dover, Kent, by Border Force officers / PA

More than 1,450 migrants are known to have reached the UK in small boats in August, data analysis by the PA news agency shows.

This is believed to be the record for a single month and is almost as much as June and July combined.

In January, just 94 migrants successfully made it to the UK across the Channel, but better weather and increased success appear to have led to a spike in crossings in the summer months.

Last month also saw a new single-day record for migrant arrivals set, with at least 235 migrants making it to the UK on August 6.

Priti Patel vowed to make the route "completely unviable" / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

This is despite Home Secretary Ms Patels vow last year that the crossings would be an infrequent phenomenon by now, and her recent pledge to make the route completely unviable.

On Tuesday more suspected migrants were brought into Dover aboard Border Force patrol boat Hunter.

They were seen being ushered out of the cabin onto the back of the vessel where they were given life jackets.

Immigration officials in yellow jackets then helped them ashore one by one and escorted them up the gangway.

A dinghy believed to have been used to cross the Channel was seen being towed into the harbour shortly after.

Border Force, the RNLI and French authorities remain active in the Channel with more arrivals in Dover possible later on Tuesday.

On Monday the Ministry of Defence confirmed that an Army drone previously used in Afghanistan is to fly over the English Channel to monitor migrant boats as the crisis continues.

It is the first time the Watchkeeper unmanned air system, which has been used by the Army in Afghanistan, will fly in the UK operationally.
Tony Mokbel may not have received a fair trial when he was sentenced to prison on drug trafficking charges because of his lawyer's double life as a police informer.

The head of an inquiry into the Lawyer X scandal, which saw a high-profile lawyer double as an informant, made the conclusions in a 2,000-page report which was released on Tuesday.

Mokbel had a professional relationship with lawyer Nicola Gobbo from early 2002, and he believed their conversations were subject to legal privilege.

'It was submitted that Ms Gobbo failed to disclose to Mr Mokbel her personal relationships with witnesses (both civilian witnesses and police officers),' the submission read.

'It was submitted that the circumstances in which Mr Mokbel was convicted of each charge gave rise to a substantial miscarriage of justice.'

Nicola Gobbo and drug lord Tony Mokbel were once close. She had acted as his lawyer but doubled as a police informant

Counsel assisting argued Victoria Police had an obligation to offer Mokbel a right to a fair trial, which included informing him or the court that his lawyer was a 'human source' in the investigation, Herald Sun reported.

During the inquiry, Commissioner Margaret McMurdo received recommendations that both Gobbo and Victoria Police should be the subjects of a criminal investigation.

Submissions by Chris Winneke QC, counsel assisting the royal commission into Ms Gobbo's informing, were released on Tuesday night.

'The submissions included contentions that I should find various named current and former Victoria Police officers and Ms Nicola Gobbo may have committed criminal offences,' Ms McMurdo said.

'I decided not to make findings in my final report, which will be publicly available, that any named individuals may have committed criminal offences.'

Tony Mokbel was stabbed almost to death inside jail. He hopes that he will soon be let free due to the meddling of his then lawyer Nicola Gobbo

Nicola Gobbo, who went into hiding, acted as a police informant while representing some of Victoria's hardened criminals

The documents also include separate submissions from Victoria Police, former chief commissioners Simon Overland and Graham Ashton, Ms Gobbo and drug kingpin Mokbel.

But the sections naming individuals who may have committed criminal offences or breached Victoria Police legislation will be blacked out.

Ms McMurdo said a decision around criminal charges was for Victoria's Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerri Judd QC.

Public discussion could unfairly prejudice future trials and the contentions made in submissions 'will be detrimental to the reputations of those named', she said.

Ms Gobbo was registered as an informer three times, her longest stint between 2005-09 when she helped police bring down a number of her former clients, including Mokbel and killer Carl Williams.

Mokbel is one of nearly a dozen people currently appealing convictions they claim were tainted by Ms Gobbo's informing.

Ms Gobbo was registered as an informer three times, her longest stint between 2005-09 when she helped police bring down a number of her former clients, including Mokbel and killer Carl Williams

Mokbel spent 15 months on the run after fleeing his 2006 drug trial, in which more than 15 million pills hidden in tomato cans from Italy

He spent 15 months on the run after fleeing his 2006 drug trial, in which more than 15 million pills hidden in tomato cans from Italy.

Evidence suggests both federal and state prosecution agencies knew Ms Gobbo was working as an informer during the trafficking case.

Zlate Cvetanovski was freed on bail while he awaits his appeal, after spending almost a decade in jail, while Faruk Orman had his murder conviction quashed by Victoria's Court of Appeal last year.

Victoria Police sensationally apologised for the gangland barrister's involvement as a police informant, and said steps had been taken to ensure it could 'never happen again'.

'It was an indefensible interference in the lawyer/client relationship, a relationship that is essential to the proper functioning of the criminal justice system and to the rule of law,' a police spokeswoman said.

'Our failure at that time to ensure that these circumstances were identified and disclosed was also a significant and missed opportunity to right a wrong.'

'We have taken steps to make sure that what happened with Ms Gobbo can never happen again.'
By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's administration took new steps to curb steel imports from Brazil and Mexico on Monday, boosting protections for battered U.S. steelmakers and jobs in the election battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. The U.S. Trade Representative's office said it was reducing Brazil's remaining 2020 quota for semi-finished steel imports into the United States to 60,000 metric tons from 350,000 tons "in light of recent deterioration in market conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic ...
PITTSBURGH: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Monday called for rioters and looters to be prosecuted, and slammed President Donald Trump for stoking violence in American cities gripped by protests over police brutality and racial inequality.

Biden`s speech in battleground state Pennsylvania was his most forceful counter yet to accusations by Trump that he is weak on crime and that leaders in his Democratic Party have lost control over the mass demonstrations that in some instances have turned violent.

"Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting," Biden said from a converted steel mill in Pittsburgh. "It`s lawlessness, plain and simple, and those who do it should be prosecuted."

Trump, who trails his rival in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, has argued he stands for "law and order." The theme featured prominently at his nominating convention last week as he sought to motivate his political base and broaden his support.

Republicans deny Trump is seeking to exacerbate violence with incendiary rhetoric. But Biden on Monday said Trump was sowing chaos.

"This president long ago forfeited any moral leadership in this country," Biden said. "He can`t stop the violence because for years he has fomented it."

Trump, noting he had watched Biden`s remarks, said in a tweet afterward that the former vice president seemed to blame police more than the "Rioters, Anarchists, Agitators, and Looters."

Biden has repeatedly condemned disorder at demonstrations but has defended peaceful protesters, arguing justice must be served in cases of "unwarranted police violence."

Biden pushed back on Republican assertions that he catered to his party`s most liberal members. "Ask yourself, do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?" Biden asked.

SWING STATE

Biden`s visit to Pennsylvania, an important swing state that helped propel Trump to victory in 2016, marked an unusual trip afield for the former vice president, who has worked mostly from his Delaware home since March, when the coronavirus began spreading widely in the country.

His campaign has indicated that Biden expects to increase his travel to the states that will decide the election as the vote draws nearer. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are both due to campaign in Pennsylvania this week.

In Pittsburgh, Biden depicted an America that was unsafe under Trump, with COVID-19 killing thousands of people a week and an economy in tatters. He said he wanted a country safe from the coronavirus, crime, racially motivated violence and "bad cops." "And let`s be crystal clear: Safe from four more years of Donald Trump," he said.

Samuel DeMarco, the Republican chairman in Allegheny County, where Biden was speaking, said his speech showed "desperation." "We have violent protests for 90 some days and now he`s going to address it and try to blame Trump. Good luck with that," he said.

Demonstrations have swept the United States since the killing in May of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

New protests erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last week following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, another African-American man, multiple times in front of his children, paralyzing him.

Tensions between rival protest groups have led to more shooting deaths. Last week, a white teenager was charged with shooting three demonstrators, two fatally, in Kenosha, and a clash in Portland, Oregon, over the weekend resulted in a fatal shooting.

Trump is set to visit Kenosha on Tuesday, but Democrats including the state`s governor have urged him to stay away.

The White House said it is making efforts to reach Blake`s family but has been unable to connect.

Biden has been in touch with Blake`s family. As he delivered pizzas to firefighters in Pittsburgh on Monday, Biden told reporters he hoped to visit Wisconsin soon.
KB Financial Group Chairman Yoon Jong-kyoo, right, with Prudential Life Insurance Company of Korea CEO Min Ki-sik at Prudential Tower in Seoul, Tuesday, during a ceremony to celebrate the life insurer becoming the financial group's subsidiary. / Courtesy of Prudential Life Insurance Company of Korea
Liftr Cloud Components Tracker provides data about public cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The semi-monthly data tracks processor and accelerator chips used by the clouds at a detailed level.

Cloud infrastructure purchases represent over 50% of the worldwide data center infrastructure market (chips, servers and other equipment). Cloud service providers choose not to make this data available and restrict their supply chain from providing data via non-disclosure agreements.

Increased Cadence for Forecasting Cloud Deployments

In July 2020, Liftr Insights increased its cadence to semi-monthly scans. From March 2019 to July 2020, Liftr Insights customers witnessed the doubling of the number of unique combinations of configuration and deployment locations.

The Impact of COVID-19

COVID-19 started to impact planning in March 2020. Planned cloud deployments were not substantially affected at a month-to-month level until May.

May 2020 was a pivotal month. The overall compound monthly growth rate (CMGR) of the top four public IaaS providers from May 2020 through the first half of August 2020 was nearly double overall CMGR from March 2019 through May 2020 (6.1% to 3.3%, respectively).

"This data will help our customers gauge the growth direction and magnitude every few weeks," says Tab Schadt, CEO of Liftr Insights. "They will be among the first to observe and react when cloud growth returns to pre-COVID-19 levels."

About Liftr Insights

Liftr Insights, based in Austin, Texas, provides several tools for evaluating its data and analysis:

Quantitative and algorithmic investors use Liftr Insights' data definitions, sample data, and backtesting guide to assess Liftr Cloud Components Tracker data in their own modeling environments.

Research analysts, fundamental investors, and supply chain planners assess Liftr Insights sample monthly reports and spreadsheets.

Liftr Insights' data collection is compliant with SEC policies and currently gathers publicly available data about the top four public clouds: Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Alibaba Cloud, and Google Cloud, as well as semiconductor vendors AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and Xilinx.

Liftr Insights provides a high-level map overlay of service growth and availability for the four tracked cloud service providers at https://bit.ly/LiftrCloudRegionsMap.

Liftr and the Liftr logo are registered service marks of Liftr Insights. The following are trademarks and/or service marks of Liftr Insights: Liftr Insights, Liftr Cloud Components Tracker, and Liftr Cloud Regions Map.

The following are registered intellectual property marks, trademarks or service marks of their respective companies, along with related icons and logos:

Amazon

Amazon Web Services

Microsoft Azure

Alibaba Cloud

Google Cloud

Intel Corporation

NVIDIA

AMD

Xilinx

SOURCE Liftr Insights

Related Links

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By Ayya Lmahamad

Pakistan is keen to strengthen bilateral relations with Azerbaijan in the areas of tourism, trade, defense and energy, Pakistan President Arif Alvi said in a conversation with the newly appointed Azerbaijan Ambassador Bilal Hayee in Islamabad, Pakistani media has reported.

The president noted that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Azerbaijan.

Moreover, he stressed that Pakistan and Azerbaijan have deep economic, political, military and cultural ties and called on the ambassador to play his role in increasing bilateral trade.

Furthermore, president expressed his gratitude to Azerbaijani government for supporting Pakistan during the coronavirus pandemic, in particular for the repatriation of 533 Pakistani citizens.

Likewise, Alvi highlighted the regular high-level bilateral meetings held between Pakistan and Azerbaijan to explore the potential in various areas for mutual benefit.

Additionally, the president expressed his hope that the new ambassador to Azerbaijan would contribute to further strengthening relations between two countries.

Bilal Hayee was appointed Pakistans Ambassador to Azerbaijan on June 23, 2020.

It should be noted that Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the two countries have always supported each other in the international arena. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on June 9, 1992.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
September 2 marks the official end of the Second World War in the Pacific, and therefore the end of the global conflict. On that day 75 years ago, formal documents of Japans unconditional surrender were signed by representatives of the United States and Japan aboard the ship USS Missouri, as it lay anchored in Tokyo Bay.

With Germanys surrender on May 8, World War II had come to an end in Europe. Nonetheless, fighting raged on in the Pacific, and the war would not be over until Japan laid down its arms.

On July 26, ten days after the United States successfully tested the atomic bomb, Allied leaders issued the Potsdam Declaration, a document which outlined the terms of surrender for the Empire of Japan. If Japan refused the offer, it would suffer prompt and utter destruction. Japan declined the ultimatum.

It therefore became necessary to defeat Japan on the battlefield, clearly a formidable task. For over three years, the United States and its allies in the Pacific clashed with Japan in some of the largest naval battles in history. Fierce battles across the Pacific Islands, which more often than not resulted in mass suicides by defeated Japanese soldiers and civilians alike, convinced the United States command that an invasion of Japan would result in enormous loss of life on both sides.

It was therefore decided that the war must be ended swiftly and decisively. After dropping leaflets warning of imminent air attacks and urging civilian populations to evacuate, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on two Japanese cities, three days apart. Finally, Japanese leadership became convinced that the war was unwinnable, and on August 14, Japans Emperor Hirohito announced that Japan would surrender.

Today the guns are silent, General Douglas MacArthur, who accepted Japans surrender on behalf of the Allies, said after the ceremony aboard the USS Missouri.

[ACT 1 0:46  DALET: POLICY/ACTUALITIES]A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won. The skies no longer rain with death--the seas bear only commerce--men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. The entire world lies quietly at peace. The holy mission has been completed"

To the Pacific basin has come the vista of a new emancipated world. Today, freedom is on the offensive, democracy is on the march. Today, in Asia as well as in Europe, unshackled peoples are tasting the full sweetness of liberty, the relief from fear.

On September 2, 1945, the Second World War had truly, finally ended and a new era began.
The impact of Covid-19 on the fuel market has been pronounced, but the virus could also spur a move to more sustainable sources of fuel.

Although activity has bounced back from the lows of late April and early May, the level of activity in business aviation is still significantly below 2019s.

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C.R. Sincock II, executive vice president of Avfuel is anticipating a gradual rise in business aviation activity as uncertainty over the future decreases, as long as there is not a significant second wave of coronavirus cases: In 2021, as vaccines begin to reach a large percentage of the population, we anticipate further growth in business aviation activity, though probably not yet back to 2019s record levels. The economy will determine what those activity levels will be for our industry.

But our industry supports some of the most critical infrastructure worldwide. Its necessity is beyond refute and we can be confident business will return.

Unsurprisingly, Avfuel felt the effects of the pandemic immediately, with a severe reduction in airline fuel sales, flight hours, FBO activity and crude oil prices. Like most, day-to-day operations were adapted to maintain business continuity and ensure health and safety. For many people this meant working from home  while others kept the

fuel flowing.

Sincock says, Early on in the pandemic, we actually found it easier to supply fuel for our customers. Because of the lower demand, it was easier to source the fuel and for the hauler to transport it. As demand started to pick up however, refineries werent running at full capacity and so sourcing became a bit more difficult. But thats where we shine  handling the logistics to get people fuel where and when they need it.

Avfuel also leveraged its size and role in the sector to help others in a number of ways: helping industry organizations educate customers about the need for reduced operations and decommissioning fuel equipment, assisting with PPE shortages, waiving fees for its online FAA-approved Part 139 courses in fuel safety, releasing scholarships early, protecting tier status for members of its loyalty program, offering complimentary consultations via its trip planning division and communicating the latest information about the crisis to its customers.

It was a similar situation with another major fuel supplier, Air bp, which provided support through a number of initiatives around the world, including giving PPE to medical services in Australia and donating fuel to Aviation Sans Frontieres to support the transport of medical staff and equipment in France. In the UK the company donated fuel to air ambulance services and in the USA to FedEx and Alaska Airlines to support the delivery of medical supplies and essential goods. In China, its South China Blue Sky joint venture fuelled more than 800 epidemic relief and repatriation flights. Jon Platt, CEO of Air bp says, We were pleased to play our part in supporting our communities during these difficult times. Our commitment to safe, reliable fuelling operations remains unwavering and were grateful for the hard work of our front-line Air bp operators who continue to enable us to meet the needs of our customers.

Market effect

Covid-19 has disrupted the aviation fuel market significantly. Despite dropping in recent months, supply is still outpacing demand, leading to a dramatic drop in oil prices. According to the USAs Energy Information Administration (EIA), Brent crude oil averaged just US$18 / barrel in April, a US$13 / barrel drop from March. In January, Brent crude oil averaged US$64 / barrel.

A decline in production is expected for 2020 as a whole, accompanied by an even larger decline in demand, an increase in inventories and continued price weakness, perhaps averaging out to just US$41 / barrel according to the EIA. Next year, analysts predict a rebound in demand and a decline in inventories, with fuel prices averaging US$50 / barrel.

Avfuel mostly agrees with these assessments, with the caveat that there is still a lot of volatility in projections. Sincock says, Over the longer term, analysts are beginning to worry that there may actually be a chronic under investment in crude oil and refining infrastructure. This would eventually lead to under supply relative to demand as the economy recovers, making prices skyrocket.

We have seen growing interest from our customers in fixed forward pricing contracts, where we agree to supply a fixed amount of fuel to a customer over a set period of time at a fixed price. These fixed price contracts are a way for customers to protect themselves from possible price spikes, while simultaneously providing complete visibility into one of their largest variable costs for the years ahead.

One of the largest factors affecting the price of aviation fuel is fluctuating market demand for fuel from commercial aviation, which directly affects business aviation costs. Commercial aviation is a large driver of jet fuel demand for the industry, so as demand decreases, so do jet fuel prices. With a decline in fuel prices, airports and FBOs resort to other services to recoup lost profits, such as ramp / handling fees. Were seeing an increase in flowage and storage fees as a direct result of decreased airport fuel volume, says Sincock.

These are costs that are often passed down to the end user in some way or another  including business aviation operators in the end.

We expect that as business aviation bounces back, fuel prices will slowly increase as supply and demand return to a semblance of balance and inventories begin to draw.

Sustainable aviation fuel

Avfuel has experienced interest in the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from business aviation operators, airports and maintenance stakeholders during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many companies may be using the pause to evaluate how to incorporate their operations and CO2 emissions into their sustainability platform and reporting metrics. In Europe this is being driven by the implementation of CORSIA and the role that sustainable aviation fuel can play in reducing CO2 emissions along with other market-based measures, such as purchasing carbon offsets.

However, Sincock again points to commercial airlines role in the aviation fuel markets future: The uptake of SAF by these carriers may be delayed until their balance sheets improve. Since they account for a large portion of global jet fuel demand, this could slow SAF adoption.

Business aviation accounts for approximately 5% of global jet fuel demand. SAF can be adopted by business aviation operators as they face pressure to adopt sustainability metrics to reduce their CO2 emissions.

The sector can play a role in leading SAF uptake forward. There is also the option of purchasing carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights. At Avfuel, we approach sustainability by bringing these two offerings to the table and deploying them in the appropriate situations for our customers.

Sustainable market matures

An indication that in longer term the deployment of SAF will not be harmed by Covid-19 is the continued launch of projects to build production plants for sustainable aviation fuel. Two new plants were launched during the last few months. The Velocys plant being built in the UK is one of several next generation facilities that will produce SAF suitable for use in business jets and larger turboprops. British Airways is a partner in Velocys, so its focus to date has been on commercial aviation. However, Neville Hargreaves, vice president of waste to fuels at Velocys agrees that business aviation could become an early adopter of SAF.

Business aviation could be a valuable enabler in the development of the SAF industry. The key will be whether the contract requirements of producers and distributors and customers can be aligned. New fuel plants will need stable, committed offtake in order to finance their projects.

Hargreaves also believes the Covid-19 pandemic will not impact the roll out of SAF. The industry will restart and with it the momentum for cleaner skies experienced of late. SAF has a critical role to play in this recovery, which needs to be green if we are to achieve net zero goals.

Meanwhile in the USA, Lanzajet, a subsidiary of sustainable New Zealand-based fuel developer Lanzatech, has announced the construction of a demonstration SAF plant in Georgia that will be operational by early 2022. The demonstration plant is being backed by investors who have earmarked funds to follow it with the construction of commercial-scale plants, building up to a production capacity of 100 million gallons of predominantly SAF by 2025. The company expects to break ground on the first demo plant at the end of this year.

Jimmy Samartzis, CEO of Lanzajet says, The mechanism we are using to commercialize the technology represents a significant investment. We have worked with aircraft manufacturers and our drop-in SAF was approved by the ASTM in 2018, so its ready for the market.

For aviation of any kind to continue to see the success it expects around the globe, SAF will be a key component.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP ("Scott+Scott"), an international securities and consumer rights litigation firm, is investigating whether certain directors and officers of American Electric Power Company, Inc. ("AEP") (NYSE: AEP) breached their fiduciary duties to AEP and its shareholders. If you are an AEP shareholder, you may contact attorney Joe Pettigrew for additional information toll-free at 844-818-6982 or [email protected].

Scott+Scott is investigating whether members of the AEP Board of Directors (the "Board") made, or caused AEP to make, false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts, about AEP's business, operations, prospects, and financial health. Specifically, Scott+Scott is investigating whether the Board failed to disclose material information, including whether: (1) AEP covertly participated in the "the largest public corruption case in Ohio history," secretly funneling substantial funds to bribe politicians to pass Ohio House Bill 6 ("HB6"), which benefitted AEP and its coal-fired generation assets, and partially funding a massive, misleading advertising campaign in support of HB6 and in opposition to a ballot initiative to repeal HB6 by passing substantial sums through a web of dark money entities and front companies in order to conceal AEP's involvement; and (2) as a result of the foregoing, statements regarding AEP's regulatory and legislative efforts were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

On July 25, 2020, the Columbus Dispatch published an article entitled "Columbus utility giant AEP funded dark money spending in HB6 campaign," detailing actions taken by AEP in furtherance of the illegal scheme. On this news, shares of AEP fell $4.79 per share, or over 5%, to close at $83.26 per share on July 27, 2020, the next trading day.

What You Can Do

If you are an AEP shareholder, you may have legal claims against AEP's directors and officers. If you wish to discuss this investigation, or have questions about this notice or your legal rights, please contact attorney Joe Pettigrew toll-free at 844-818-6982 or [email protected].

About Scott+Scott

Scott+Scott has significant experience in prosecuting major securities, antitrust, and consumer rights actions throughout the United States. The firm represents pension funds, foundations, individuals, and other entities worldwide with offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Connecticut, California, and Ohio.

Attorney Advertising

CONTACT:

Joe Pettigrew

Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP

230 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10169

844-818-6982

[email protected]

SOURCE Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP

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Srinagar, Jan 20 (UNI) A 44-year-old woman was charred to death while two others sustained injuries in a fire incident in Srinagar on Thursday, a Fire and Emergency service official said.

20 Jan 2022 | 11:23 PM

Lucknow, Jan 20(UNI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday assured that houses will be constructed for the poor and dalits on the land freed from the mafia in every urban body of the state, adding that the work has already started in Prayagraj.

He also said that the Anti-Land Mafia Task Force of the Uttar Pradesh Government is active and action will be taken by marking such land under every urban body.
China's Coast Guard cruises for high seas fishery in North Pacific

PLA Daily

Source: China Military Online

Editor: Huang Panyue

2020-08-31 18:13:27

By Liu Xin

China has recently sent two coast guard ships to enforce fisheries law on the high seas of the North Pacific Ocean. [Photo/Official WeChat account of China Coast Guard]

BEIJING, Aug. 31 -- Recently, the China Coast Guard (CCG) dispatched two Coast Guard vessels to the North Pacific Ocean to carry out a 31-day high seas fishery law enforcement cruise mission, with a total voyage of 11,189 nautical miles and a cruising area of approximately 74,000 square nautical miles.

This move aims to implement the UN General Assembly Resolution 46/215 and relevant international conventions and agreements including the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in the North Pacific Ocean, and to jointly maintain the order of high seas fishery production in the North Pacific Ocean.

It is known that since the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources in the North Pacific Ocean came into effect in July 2015, the CCG has proactively dispatched vessels to the North Pacific Ocean to carry out law enforcement on high seas fishery under the requirements of the Convention.

The mission of this time marks the first cruise mission of a CCG vessel, which has just obtained the right to board and inspect after registered at the North Pacific Fisheries Commission for law enforcement.

From July 25 to August 24, the fleet attached to the CCG observed and supervised the vessels operating in waters of the North Pacific Ocean, and recorded the basic information of a total of 105 Chinese fishing boats, ensuring a generally ordered fishery production.

Next, the CCG will continue to carry out in-depth high seas law enforcement cruises, intensify law enforcement and supervision for commercial fishing vessels, strictly crack down on illegal fishing, so as to jointly maintain the order of high seas fishery production.

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PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 31, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE American: FAX) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund, today announced that it paid on August 31, 2020, a distribution of US $0.0275 per share to all shareholders of record as of August 21, 2020 (ex-dividend date August 20, 2020).

Your Fund's distribution policy is to provide investors with a stable monthly distribution out of current income, supplemented by realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, paid-in capital.

Under U.S. tax rules applicable to the Fund, the amount and character of distributable income for each fiscal year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year. However, under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and related Rules, the Fund may be required to indicate to shareholders the estimated source of certain distributions to shareholders.

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the sources of the distribution for purposes of Section 19 of the 1940 Act and the Rules adopted thereunder. The table has been computed based on generally accepted accounting principles. The table includes estimated amounts and percentages for this distribution and for the cumulative distributions paid relating to fiscal year to date (11/01/2019 - 07/31/2020), from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short-term capital gains; net realized long-term capital gains; and return of capital. The estimated composition of the distributions may vary from month to month because the estimated composition may be impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and currencies.



Estimated Amounts of Current Monthly Distribution per share ($) Estimated Amounts of Current Monthly Distribution per share (%) Estimated Amounts of Fiscal Year to Date Cumulative Distributions per share ($) Estimated Amounts of Fiscal Year to Date Cumulative Distributions per share (%) Net Investment Income $0.0118 43% $0.1183 43% Net Realized Short-Term Capital Gains* - - - - Net Realized Long-Term Capital Gains - - - - Return of Capital $0.0157 57% $0.1567 57% Total (per common share) $0.0275 100% $0.2750 100% *includes currency gains

The Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income."

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of the Fund's current distributions or from the terms of the distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy").

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The final determination of the source of all distributions in 2020 will be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The following table provides information regarding the Fund's total return performance based on net asset value (NAV) over various time periods compared to the Fund's annualized and cumulative distribution rates.

Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 07/31/20201 4.90% Current Fiscal Period's Annualized Distribution Rate on NAV2 7.07% Fiscal Year to Date (11/01/2019 to 07/31/2020) Cumulative Total Return on NAV1 1.89% Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV2 5.30% 1Return data is net of all fund expenses and fees and assumes the reinvestment of all distributions reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan. 2 Based on the Fund's NAV as of July 31, 2020.

While NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market.

Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2010, the Fund may distribute any long-term capital gains more frequently than the limits provided in Section 19(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. Therefore, distributions paid by the Fund during the year may include net income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or a return of capital. Net income dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, while generally taxable at ordinary income rates, may be eligible, to the extent of qualified dividend income earned by the Fund, to be taxed at a lower rate not to exceed the maximum rate applicable to your long-term capital gains. Distributions made in any calendar year in excess of investment company taxable income and net capital gain are treated as taxable ordinary dividends to the extent of undistributed earnings and profits, and then as a return of capital that reduces the adjusted basis in the shares held. To the extent return of capital distributions exceed the adjusted basis in the shares held, capital gain is recognized with a holding period based on the period the shares have been held at the date such amount is received. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the terms of the distribution policy. The final determination of the source of all distributions will be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The payment of distributions in accordance with the Distribution Policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expense ratio and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The Distribution Policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the distribution. The Fund's Board of Directors has the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Distribution Policy at any time. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Distribution Policy may affect the Fund's market price per share. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances.

Circular 230 disclosure : To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the U.S. Treasury, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

In the United States, Aberdeen Standard Investments is the marketing name for the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc., Aberdeen Asset Managers Ltd., Aberdeen Standard Investments Australia Ltd., Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) Ltd., Aberdeen Capital Management, LLC, Aberdeen Standard Investments ETFs Advisors LLC and Standard Life Investments (Corporate Funds) Ltd.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the NAV of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact [email protected]

aberdeenfax.com

SOURCE Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 1

By Elnur Baghishov  Trend:

As many as 1,682 people have been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours in Iran, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Trend reports citing the ministry.

According to Sadat Lari, 101 more people have died from the coronavirus over the past day.

Sadat Lari added that the condition of 3,709 people is critical.

The official said that Iran's Tehran, Mazandaran, Gilan, Qom, Isfahan, Razavi Khorasan, East Azerbaijan, Kerman, North Khorasan, Semnan, Yazd, Zanjan, and Qazvin provinces are considered 'red' zones.

So far, more than 3.25 million tests have been conducted in Iran for the diagnosis of coronavirus.

Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 376,800 people have been infected, and 21,672 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 325,100 have reportedly recovered from the disease.

The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings. The man died later from the disease.

The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.

The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.
Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting at a rate which matches climate scientists worst-case scenario forecasts and has raised the global sea level by 1.8cm in the past two decades.

Sea levels will rise by a further 17cm and put 16 million people at risk of yearly coastal flooding if global warming continues apace, British and Danish researchers warned.

Melting of ice in Greenland has pushed the worlds oceans up by 10.6mm since the sheets were first monitored by satellite in the 1990s, while Antarctic ice has contributed a further 7.2mm, according to a study by scientists at the University of Leeds and the Danish Meteorological Institute. The latest measurements show the worlds seas are now rising by 4mm each year.

Although we anticipated the ice sheets would lose increasing amounts of ice in response to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere, the rate at which they are melting has accelerated faster than we could have imagined, said the studys lead author, Tom Slater, a climate researcher at the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at the University of Leeds.

The melting is overtaking the climate models we use to guide us, and we are in danger of being unprepared for the risks posed by sea level rise, he added.

The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, compares the latest results from satellite surveys of ice sheet mass with calculations from climate models. The authors warn the sheets are losing ice at the worst-case rate forecast by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC.)

Anna Hogg, study co-author and climate researcher at Leeds universitys School of Earth and Environment at Leeds, said: If ice sheet losses continue to track our worst-case climate warming scenarios we should expect an additional 17cm of sea level rise from the ice sheets alone. Thats enough to double the frequency of storm-surge flooding in many of the worlds largest coastal cities.

Global sea levels have historically mostly increased due to a mechanism called thermal expansion, which means that volume of seawater expands as it gets warmer. But in the last five years, water from the melting ice sheets and mountain glaciers has become the main cause of the rising oceans.

Greenland lost one million tonnes of ice for every minute of 2019, generating enough water to cover the US state of California in more than four feet of water, according to a study published last month.

But Ruth Mottram, climate researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute, said: It is not only Antarctica and Greenland that are causing the water to rise. In recent years, thousands of smaller glaciers have begun to melt or disappear altogether, as we saw with the glacier Ok in Iceland, which was declared dead in 2014. This means that melting of ice has now taken over as the main contributor of sea level rise. 

A separate study published last week by US researchers warned global warming threatened to rapidly destroy Antarctic ice shelves with huge implications for sea level.

Rising temperatures could push meltwater into fractures in the shelves surface, making them vulnerable to collapse, warned scientists at Columbia Universitys Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

The worst-case scenario is lots of places will be covered by lots and lots of water by the end of the century, said glaciologist and study author Jonathan Kingslake.
AstraZeneca is completing late-stage trials of the vaccine candidate in the UK, US, Brazil, and South Africa. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Oxford Biomedica (OXB.L) said on Tuesday that it had signed an expanded agreement with AstraZeneca (AZN.L) to manufacture the drugmakers coronavirus vaccine candidate for an initial period of 18 months.

Under the terms of the deal, AstraZeneca will pay Oxford Biomedica 15m ($20m) upfront to reserve capacity for the large-scale production of the vaccine.

Oxford Biomedica said it expects additional revenue of more than 35m from the deal if the vaccine programme continues and it can satisfactorily scale up its manufacturing capacity of the candidate, known as AZD1222.

The company said that the agreement could be extended by a further 18 months into 2022 and 2023 by mutual agreement.

AstraZeneca is currently completing late-stage trials of the vaccine candidate in the UK, Brazil, and South Africa, and said on Monday that it had begun enrolling adults in a US-funded trial.

That trial, which is being conducted under the US governments Operation Warp Speed programme, will involve 30,000 subjects.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: German firms slowly wean off short-hours scheme

Oxford Biomedica, an Oxford University spin-out company that specialises in gene therapy, had previously signed a supply agreement with AstraZeneca in May.

We have been working hard with AstraZeneca and other partners to establish GMP manufacturing of AZD1222 at scale, and we are therefore very pleased to extend our current partnership to include large-scale manufacturing of the vaccine candidate, said John Dawson, chief executive of Oxford Biomedica.

The AZD1222 vaccine, one of the most promising COVID-19 vaccine candidates, is being developed by the Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group, both of which are located at Oxford University.

There are currently over 25 potential vaccine candidates in clinical trials around the world, according to the World Health Organisation.

Several smaller biotech firms and research labs are partnering with large drugmakers to fund the processes and ensure that, should a candidate prove viable, billions of doses can be produced in short order.

BioNtech (BNTX) and Pfizer (PFE), Moderna (MRNA), Novavax (NVAX), Johnson&Johnson (JNJ), and Germanys CureVac (CVAC) are some of the leaders in the vaccine-development race thus far.
The on Tuesday allowed the consolidation of multiple FIRs filed in Bihar against foreign nationals, who attended the congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin area, and ordered the transfer of all cases before one court.

The Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna asked the State of Bihar and foreign nationals to approach the Patna High Court for transfer of all cases pending before different Courts to one Court.

It directed Patna High Court to decide the issue within a period of one week of transferring all cases to one Court and also asked trial Court to decide the criminal case within eight weeks from the date it is transferred.

"By these applications, the intervenors seek directions to transfer pending criminal cases instituted against the respective applicant(s) in different districts throughout the State of Bihar to one Court in district Patna and to issue directions to expeditiously dispose of the stated cases...Counsel appearing for the State of Bihar has no objection in this behalf," the Bench stated in it's order.

"In our opinion, the prosecution must forthwith move a formal application before the High Court for such relief, which we are certain would be considered appropriately in light of and on similar terms vide order of this Court dated August 6, 2020, in reference to similar cases in the NCT of Delhi. After the High Court allows the proposed application of the State, the trial court may make an endeavour to dispose of the concerned criminal case within eight weeks from the date it is transferred. If the State of Bihar fails to move an application before the High Court within one week from today, as indicated earlier, it will be open to the applicants either individually or together to move a formal application(s) before the High Court of Patna, after one week from today and such application(s), if filed, be considered by the Court expeditiously, preferably within one week from the date of the institution," the top court order further stated.

The Bench accepted the assurance of the counsel appearing for the State of Bihar that needful will be done by the State within one week from today.

On August 25, the apex court had sought a response from the Bihar government in the application filed by 30 foreign nationals who are accused in 6 FIRs and undergoing trial in different courts in Bihar.

The foreign had sought similar relief of consolidated FIRs and expedited trial, as had been granted by with respect to the 34 petitioners from Delhi.

The main case pertains to plea challenging blacklisting of foreign nationals by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for their alleged involvement in activities at Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz in March.

Several foreign nationals had attended the Markaz congregation in Nizamuddin congregation, which had become an epicentre for spread across the country.

(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.)
Two weeks ago, Shirlyn Sia flew out of Singapore to pursue a masters degree at the University of Texas, Austin. Despite the severity of the COVID-19 situation there, 26-year-old Sia decided to make the move.

I did consider deferring my enrollment, but I was awarded a scholarship by my current institution, and they did not offer the option to defer the scholarship, she told Coconuts Singapore, a week after heading off to the third hardest-hit American state, where roughly 2% of all Texans have been infected.

Sia is among Singaporeans who have made the difficult decision to leave the city-states relative security  its infection rate is about half that of Texas and mostly contained to worker housing projects  for countries with higher numbers of COVID-19 cases in the middle of a global pandemic.

She was among four Singaporeans to open up to Coconuts Singapore about the anxiety of boarding long flights at the height of pandemic panic, whether it would be taken seriously in their new homes, and why they decided to do it anyway.

Sia described the anxiety of having to fly round trip between Texas and Singapore in June, when the outbreak was peaking in Austin. She had been working as a researcher in Texas prior to enrolling in the universitys Health Science Center, but had to return to Singapore for two months to apply for a new visa.

Traveling [was] a nightmare at this point, especially because I was in the plane in close proximity with others for over 10 hours, she said of the flight back to Singapore.

She was mainly concerned with infecting her family members in Singapore. But that was put to rest after learning about the regulations in place, such as mandatory stay-at-home notices and swab tests.

Photo: Shirlyn Sia

Moving back to the states was also stressful. Despite opting for the route with the fewest layovers, the trip spanned 26 hours with stops in Narita, Japan, and San Francisco. The stress from traveling long distances was worsened by the possibility of catching the virus during travel, especially with the crowds and lack of safety precautions at some airports.

Story continues

Moving back to the States was harder as the airports were packed, and there [were] no mandatory quarantine or testing, so there was no way to know for sure if I am infected, she said.

The U.S. State Department by then had banned entry to travelers who have been to China, Iran, Brazil, and most of Europe in the past 14 days, with the exception of citizens, permanent residents, and their families. Incoming travelers from other parts of the world, such as Singapore, were not required to undergo testing or quarantine.

COVID made it more stressful as I had to be very mindful of what I am touching, making sure I am cleaning my surface areas, such as the tables in the planes before I eat, and trying to social distance from others in the airport and plane to reduce the chance of catching the virus, she added.

Reflecting on her decision to move, she said: I wouldnt say I regret it as my options were limited, but it was extremely stressful for me.

While there is no data on the number of Singaporeans who have moved overseas during the pandemic, a government agency which coordinates with citizens abroad told Coconuts Singapore they are still taking up jobs internationally.

Based on queries we get daily, there are definitely still Singaporeans taking up jobs overseas, the Singapore Global Network, or SGN, said in a statement. Some do still contact us about travel policies and tests that they may need to take before flying overseas to start their new roles, and some have asked about how they can stay updated about the latest developments.

SGN communicates with overseas Singaporeans through its online network of around 80,000 people, which also includes their friends and families. The network is a division of the Economic Development Board and fosters ties with citizens abroad or foreigners considering to reside in Singapore.

London calling

Nurul Asyiqin Binte Radzuan, 23 and a recent Glasgow University graduate, moved to London in June to start an internship before taking a full-time job at a pension consultancy around 60 miles away in Winchester.

She was offered the position late last year and had to be in the country when she switched to a work visa several months before starting the job. So she decided to fill her time with the internship.

I was told by my grad offer that when I apply for the visa, I should be in the U.K. (which I applied for about two months before I started the offer), so I planned my summer and internship along that, she wrote to Coconuts Singapore.

Nurul Asyiqin was not as concerned as Sia when deciding to move. But she did confess to panicking about COVID-19 when outbreaks began to sprout across the globe in March.

Photo: Nurul Asyiqin Binte Radzuan

The only time when I was really panicking about the situation was in March when it all broke out, she said. We got an email from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about students flying back to Singapore. But right now, especially seeing the number of cases in the U.K., and especially in London, Im not as concerned about it.

The U.K. has so far been spared from the second wave of COVID-19 infections ravaging some of its European counterparts. In Romania, the rate of positivity in testing is at 6.2% is the highest in the continent and orders of magnitude higher than the United Kingdoms 0.5%.

More than 300,000 cases have been reported since the outbreak began there in late January, but the anxiety seems to have settled down, according to Nurul Asyiqin.

It just seems like lifes gone back to normal; its just that everyones wearing a mask, thats it, she said.

But she fears that the situation may change for the worse in September when international students return, and workers head back to the office.

In London, especially with most people working from home, right now, isnt as populated as it was, she said. My main issue is when September comes when all the international students start coming in, and all the offices start opening up to allow people to start working from the office, so September is when Ill be the most concerned.

Pandemic childbirth

In March, 32-year-old Gabriel Zhou quit his job as a data scientist at a bank in Singapore to be with his wife, Eirene Koh, 29, in Baltimore, Maryland, where she had been attending John Hopkins University since January.

Koh was pregnant when she moved but the virus had yet to reach Baltimore at the time. So she made the move more afraid of the crime she associated with the city from television series.

Speaking of dangerous, its more of the crime rate and the guns, Koh said. When we were telling people, they were asking why Baltimore, its so dangerous, so many drugs. If you search Baltimore on Netflix, theres a lot of drug-related content.

The couple had contemplated whether it was better for Koh to give birth in Singapore but ultimately decided to remain in Maryland.

Photo: Eirene Koh

I decided to give birth in the U.S. as I was afraid my maternal instincts would not let me leave my daughter in Singapore and fly to the U.S. to pursue my studies, she told Coconuts Singapore. I would also like to breastfeed her as much as possible.

To help Koh settle down, her husband followed her to Baltimore before returning to Singapore for work. He flew back in April after quitting his job to be with his family.

Returning to Baltimore in April was difficult as airlines had begun canceling flights due to a rising tide of travel restrictions.

I booked with four different airlines, Zhou said. In the end, I brought forward my (departure) date, and my boss was very understanding. I left with 3 or 4 days of notice.

Traveling amid the height of the pandemic was worrying for Zhou, but he felt safe after seeing that precautions were taken seriously. He also recounted being reprimanded by a local for standing too close on a bus.

When I took a public bus to come to Baltimore, everyone wanted to safe distance. They sprayed bleach on their chairs to make sure it was clean, he said. Then one guy scolded me because I was too close to him, he said you should be at least 2 seats apart.

It was a sense of fear he found reassuring.

I was very taken and very comforted by all of these actions, he added. This means that people are generally afraid and thats good when people are afraid.

Other stories:

Drawing the line on political cartooning in Singapore

Loving outside the lines, Singapores interracial couples break down racism and division

This article, Singaporeans on their decisions, anxieties of moving overseas during a pandemic, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company.
Niagara Regional Police were cautioning residents in the area of Ashby Drive and Hillside Drive in Beamsville to be cautious as officers from the local detachment investigate reports of a loose ball python snake.

If you do see the snake, do not approach it and contact the humane society, the NRP said in a Twitter post shortly after noon on Sunday.

The Lincoln County Humane Society is at 905-682-0767.
Confident about the ruling NDA returning to power in Bihar, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi said on September 1 that no political party is in a position to form a government alone in the state where 'alliance politics' has become a reality with the BJP, JDU and RJD being three major triangular forces.

In an interview to PTI-Bhasha, the senior BJP leader claimed the opposition grand alliance, led by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and known as 'Mahagathbandhan', was nowhere in fight against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and also lacked credibility.

He said the NDA, under the state leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, would contest the elections unitedly and form the government against.

"BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), JDU (Janata Dal United) and RJD are major triangular forces of Bihar politics and alliance is the state's reality. There should not be any misconception about it. Today, no political party is in a situation to form a government of its own," Modi said.

The term of the Bihar legislative assembly is scheduled to end on November 29 and the polls are likely to be held sometime in October-November.

Referring to the 2015 assembly polls that the BJP had contested alone and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections fought alone by JDU, Modi said, "The BJP has no misunderstanding about its strength. We are strong and we have an organisation, but we will succeed only when we fight together. The BJP's central leadership is also not under any illusion about it."

He said the alliance between the BJP and JDU has been a smooth affair since 1996 and it has provided good governance in the state with robust coordination among alliance partners.

"We will contest the next assembly polls unitedly and succeed," Modi said.

Asked about the alleged discontent among the NDA partners with the JDU and the LJP (Lok Janshakti Party) targeting each other over a host of issues including holding elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, Modi called it "momentary" and hoped the issue will be resolved soon.

"The leadership of all allies are very matured and strong-minded. Everything will be resolved. There will be no split in the BJP-JDU-LJP alliance. We will fight unitedly," he said.

Modi, a long-term associate of Chief Minister Kumar, rejected the opposition parties' charge that there was resentment among people over the state government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and floods and also its alleged apathy towards migrant labourers.

"The state government turned every crisis into an opportunity. There is no resentment as is being claimed. Today, neither the migrant labourers nor floods are any issue," he said.

Modi said there might have been some issues in initial days as no one was fully aware of the then emerging situation after imposition of lockdown in view of the coronavirus crisis, but the situation was under control after 10 days.

Asked whether the BJP would be in a position to lead the alliance in the state in the near future, the senior BJP leader did not give a direct reply.

"The place that the BJP has attained in the politics of Bihar today is not below par," he said.

Modi said the party has already decided on who will be the chief minister.

"Nitish is already there and there are no ifs and buts about his role. We will contest the elections under his leadership. The BJP will ensure victory of its candidates as well as of the allies," he said.

He rejected any notion about the opposition grand alliance being able to put any major challenge against the NDA and said, "They have neither any leadership nor any credibility. There is no credibility of their leadership also. There is not even transparency."

"Their entire leadership is immersed into corruption." he alleged, while asserting that the opposition alliance "stands no where against us".

Modi said the NDA has contested five elections against the grand alliance and defeated them every time.

"As far as the difference of vote share between the two alliances is concerned, it has been upto 13 per cent (in state polls). The difference reached 23 per cent in the last Lok Sabha polls. It's a huge difference," he said.

Before the 2014 parliamentary polls, the JDU had left the NDA and contested the 2015 Bihar assembly elections in alliance with RJD. The then grand alliance of RJD, JDU and Congress had formed the government in the state also, but the political scenario changed in 2017 with the JDU returning to the NDA.

Modi slammed opposition parties for "ruining" Bihar under their 55 years of rule and said he was challenging them to contest the next elections on issues of 'bijli, sadak and pani' (electricity, roads and water).

"Had they performed on these basic issues, we would have taken the state to greater heights," he said, while claiming 80 per cent of the promises made by the BJP during the 2015 assembly polls have been already fulfilled.

"Be it electricity, roads or water or even agriculture, we have done unprecedented work," he said.
A group of community members gathered at the Gospel Fellowship Church in Harrisburg on Monday evening to grieve over the death of a 16-year-old boy and find solutions so it doesnt happen again.

The man charged in the death, Orlando Duarte, 45, is a registered sex offender.

Anthony Payne, of Harrisburg, organized the meeting after he saw Emergency Medical Technicians take Kyan King to the hospital Saturday afternoon after he was shot.

Seeing them carry that young man, his body lifeless like that, it just broke me to pieces and made me feel like I needed to spring into action, Payne said before Mondays meeting. What can we do to stop that from happening again? Because that should not have happened.

The 6 p.m. meeting was closed to all media and public officials to let the community gather in a family-like setting where everyone could be comfortable and speak freely.

We dont want people in here to feel like they have to act or be a certain way because we have officials here, Payne said. Were here to keep it peaceful and respectful and try to see what we can do as a community, together as a family, to stop this type of stuff from happening again.

Megans Law requires a registry of registered sex offenders in the state of Pennsylvania. There are 18,731 registered sex offenders in the state, approximately 600 of those live in Dauphin County, according to the Dauphin County District Attorneys office.

Websites such as City-Data offer maps that show where these offenders live in a city, but sometimes they dont feature a new address if the offender moves.

Neighborhoods such as Allision Hill have become home to high numbers of registered sex offenders, some say. Kevin Maxson, a local activist, led a rally just two weeks ago that pushed for action to be taken against sex offenders to protect the children.

Payne said hed like to see landlords notify neighbors when a registered sex offender moves to the neighborhood and put up signs around playgrounds so parents are aware.
The Federal Government on Monday said passengers who fail to comply with the COVID-19 protocol put in place as it prepares to open international flights would be suspended from travelling for six months.

The Coordinator, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, said this at the daily briefing of the PTF on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday.

Aliyu said that there would be sanctions for non-compliance with the guidelines on the part of the airlines and the passengers.

Recall that FG had announced September 5, 2020, as the resumption date for international flights.

There will definitely be sanctions if they do not comply. Sanctions to the airlines if they allow passengers without a Covid-19 PCR result to the board, they will be sanctioned on arrival in Nigeria, Aliyu said.

For passengers that decline to do the test, at Day 7, we will still allow them after Day 14 to have a test done after which their details will be forwarded to Port Health, Immigration, and part of the security services.

Its very likely we will put in place measures to enforce this by suspending travel up to six months or deny foreign travels altogether.
Until a few days ago, Democrats were content to pretend the disorder in American cities didnt exist.

Now, worried that Joe Biden is on his back foot on the issue, they readily acknowledge the rioting  and blame it on President Donald Trump.

One would think that, given the fusillade they unleashed against Trump at the convention, if Democrats truly believed that the president is responsible for Black Lives Matter activists and anarchists attacking cops and burning down buildings, they would have mentioned it at least once.

But no, they didnt bring it up, in keeping with how progressives have minimized the violence all along as inconvenient to a narrative of courageous young people rising up against systemic racism.

Theres no doubt that Trump constantly stirs the pot and often acts more the Twitter provocateur than the president. This is an abdication of an important part of his leadership role, but its not him or his allies torching businesses and vandalizing public property.

The violence has overwhelmingly racked cities governed by Democratic mayors and city councils for decades. They run the police departments, the schools, and the housing authorities. If the cops are violent and corrupt, its on them. If they are such miserable places to live that they are powder kegs, its on them. If they cant maintain basic order, its on them.

If Joe Biden thinks these localities are doing a poor job, he can say so, but, of course, since blue mayors are his allies, he wont say a discouraging word.

Portland continues to be a flashpoint. The city and state authorities have had more than 100 days to get the city under control, which shouldnt be mission impossible. We are talking a midsize city in the Pacific Northwest of the United States of America, not Juarez, Caracas, or San Salvador.

Even after years of coddling left-wing extremists, Portland could control its streets if it had the will. It doesnt.

Mayor Ted Wheeler wants to cater to the mob as much as possible, even if the mob doesnt like him very much. He apologized earlier this summer for the Portland police allegedly using excessive tear gas, and issued guidance saying cops could use it only if they feared injury or death.

Story continues

Wheeler showed up at the federal courthouse when it was being besieged by unruly crowds to demonstrate his sympathy and, for his trouble, got shouted at and jostled (a security team protected him).

Even as Wheeler traded barbs with Trump over the weekend, protesters staged a sit-in in the lobby of his condo building, demanding that he cut the police budget by half and then eliminate the police entirely. They also called on him, as an embodiment of white supremacy, to resign.

Wheelers fecklessness is matched by that of the local prosecutor. The Multnomah County district attorney, Mike Schmidt has been dropping most of the charges against rioters. As the Oregonian reported, his prosecutors wont pursue demonstrators accused of interfering with police, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, escape or harassment, unless theyve deliberately targeted property or people.

None of this is Trumps fault, and it runs counter to his inclinations.

It wasnt anything Trump said or did that set off the initial nationwide unrest a few months ago. It was a spontaneous reaction to the death of George Floyd, which Trump repeatedly condemned. The dynamic has been the same, only on a larger scale, as Ferguson, Mo., while Barack Obama was president  anger at police action, followed by rioting treated with kid gloves by the media.

Everyone knows there are different rules for Black Lives Matter. If a conservative movement with the cachet and corporate support of BLM staged an event featuring a single act of arson, the group would be shunned and its cause discredited. That this would never happen to BLM acts as a giant permission slip, and its not Trump writing it, but all the people now blaming him for the rioting.

 2020 by King Features Syndicate

More from National Review
Saudi-led coalition says it foiled Yemeni rebel attacks: The Saudi-led coalition allied with Yemen's government said it foiled two attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, including an explosives-laden boat dispatched into the Red Sea near international shipping lanes. A spokesman said the coalition also intercepted and destroyed a drone carrying explosives over the Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia. There was no claim of responsibility from the Houthis. They have in the past targeted military ships belonging to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, another member of the coalition, which has been at war with the Houthis in Yemen since March 2015.


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SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- UnPresidential.org reports that the recent medical protests in South Korea are the next in a long line of President Moon Jae In's government failures to protect citizens. As coronavirus cases are once again in the hundreds per day, the government's fingerprints are all over the latest outbreak and political unrest.

An August 15th anti-government rally attended by Sarang Jeil church members is often cast as the epicenter for the current outbreak, but it's not just church-goers who are voicing discontent. Medical professionals recently went on strike to express their displeasure over the government's plan to prepare for future public health crises: adding 4,000 medical students over the next 10 years. However, underpaid medical professionals claim that adding more would only serve to dilute the workforce. The money would be better spent raising wages and paying physicians to go to more remote locations outside of Seoul.

This is another clear example where the government's plans to manage the coronavirus outbreak is misguided: it either goes too far, or not far enough. Back in February, the doctors warned to close the country's borders, but the government chose not to do so, citing the importance of its relations with China. In this case, the government did not go far enough. On the other end of the spectrum, the government is currently dictating rules and policies for medical professionals that the professionals themselves believe are harming the relief effort.

South Korea's aggressive policies have paid no respect to minority groups. The LGBTQ community is a prime example. Due to COVID-19 outbreaks in South Korea's Itaewon District, where most of the country's LGBTQ nightclubs are, hostility increased and a crackdown on businesses in the area ensued as the government rushed to track and test anyone who may have been exposed. This backlash particularly targeted South Korea's LGBTQ minority , who were blamed for the spread because of "non-cooperation."

Additionally, many who tested positive for the virus had their identities publicly made known, exposing them to shame and putting them at risk of discrimination and harassment. If contact tracing is to continue, the country must at the very least preserve the privacy of its citizens for the sake of their individual freedom.

The outbreak at Shincheonji Church in Daegu this past February likewise resulted in mass discrimination against the members of Shincheonji Church, as well as the arrest of several leaders on charges relating to the spread of the virus. Two Shincheonji members were driven to commit suicide because of the spousal abuse that followed after Shincheonji became widely blamed for the spread of COVID-19. Even Shincheonji's Chairman, 89-year-old Lee Man Hee, has been imprisoned and is awaiting prosecution for an indefinite amount of time.

Sarang Jeil Church, after the most recent outbreak, has provoked the government to even greater action. This time, places of worship in particular have been closed around the country with no sign of opening any time soon. However, many churches are now refusing to close , citing freedom of religion and denying the government's right to continue imposing such actions against them in their freedom to worship.

Like the story of many governments during national health crises, the pressure brought about by the pandemic is bringing out its true colors. The government is taking advantage of the Coronavirus outbreak to push forward its own political agenda, and anyone who offends them risks lawsuit and imprisonment . A government's responsibility should be to protect its people, yet the Korean Government did many things that caused more harm than good.

Read more at unpresidential.org .

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Part of the uniqueness of the flight was the additional political dimension it reflected in what CBC News called: the implementation of the historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two nations which solidified the long-clandestine ties between them that have evolved over years of shared enmity toward Iran.





by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne

writing from Montreal





It is time to re-imagine how life is organized on Earth. Were accelerating into a future shaped less by countries than by connectivity. Mankind has a new maxim  Connectivity is destiny  and the most connected powers, and people, will win.

 Parag Khanna





On Monday 31 August 2020, an aircraft bearing the nationality of Israel adorned with a Star of David-insignia, took off from Israel's Ben Gurion Airport for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This marked the establishment of commercial air links between the two countries and the cementing of diplomatic and political relations between Israel and the third country in the Gulf (the other two being Egypt and Jordan). Although Israel has a history of armed conflict with Egypt and Jordan, there has been no such belligerence with the United Arab Emirates in the past. Apart from fare-paying passengers, the Boeing 737 aircraft, which was given permission by the authorities of Saudi Arabia to fly over its airspace, carried a high-ranking American and Israeli delegation to Abu Dhabi.













Part of the uniqueness of the flight was the additional political dimension it reflected in what CBC News called: the implementation of the historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between the two nations which solidified the long-clandestine ties between them that have evolved over years of shared enmity toward Iran.





Before one gets into the air transport aspects of this historical landmark it might be relevant to dwell on the political connotations flowing from the flight. Plainly speaking, the opening of skies between Israel and UAE brings to bear the significance of how Iran is perceived in the eyes of Saudi Arabia, UAE and its allies. It will be recalled that in June 2017 Qatari aircraft were banned from the skies of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the two States alleged that Qatar posed a security threat in its alleged support of Islamic militants linked to Iran . This ban also applied to land, maritime and aerial lines of communication with Qatar. This measure, seemingly adopted without prior consultation with Qatar, caused much inconvenience to Qatar Airways which had to reroute its flights, causing inflated costs to the airline and political contention in the region.





The dispute went to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization and onwards to the International Court of Justice, where the latter handed down its decision in July of this year. One might be tempted to link the skirmish with Qatar (perceived as an ally of Iran) to the airlink between Israel and UAE if only for the fact that Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to the passage of the historic flight on Monday. This seminal airlink could be a sign of things to come where like-minded States follow suit. As The Economist of August 22-28, 2020 says:  A good bet is Oman, which congratulated Israel and the UAE on their agreement. In the past Oman has played the role of interlocutor between Israel and the Arab worldIf Oman doesnt go next, perhaps Bahrain will. Its cabinet praised the historic Israel-UAE deal. Its prime minister has reportedly talked to the chief of Israels spy agency. And it has hosted Israeli officials beforeSome point to Sudan as a strong possibility. Its interim leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met Mr Netanyahu this year in Uganda, where they agreed to start normalising ties. Lately, though, Sudan has sent mixed messages.





On the other side of Africa, Morocco is a decent bet too. It has played a leading role in previous Arab peace initiatives with Israel and was once a hub of Jewish life. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis hail from the north African state. Nearby Mauritania is another contender. It had formal ties with Israel from 1999 to 2009, but broke them off because of war over Gaza. Still, it praised the UAEs good judgment.





A long shot is Saudi Arabia. Muhammad bin Salman, the kingdoms crown prince and de facto ruler, has said that formal relations could be mutually beneficial.





Israel is one of the most advanced countries in the world in education, science and technology not to mention medical science, where breakthroughs are pioneered. It goes without saying that any country which endears itself to Israel would stand to benefit immensely in uplifting the living standards of its people.





From the aviation point of view (leaving aside political considerations) any airlink between two countries has to be applauded as such a measure would be consistent with the aim and objective of the originalist approach at the Chicago Conference of 1944 where, at the end of the Second World War, 52 nations signed the Chicago Convention which is based on connectivity that forges friendship and understanding among the people of the world. At that conference, the Delegate of China, Dr. Chang said:  As the Chairman, Mr. Berle has just said, the air has been used as a medium of aggression, and it is our purpose hereafter to make it a highway serving all peoples of the world. Fortunately, aviation is still a young art and therefore more subject to the influence of forethought in shaping the course of its development and its role in human affairs. Adolf A. Berle, Chairman of the Conference and representative of The United States said, adding a nuance to the statement of China: The use of the air has this in common with the use of the sea: it is a highway given by nature to all men. It differs in this from the sea: that it is subject to the sovereignty of the nations over which it moves. Nations ought therefore to arrange among themselves for its use in that manner which will be of the greatest benefit to all humanity wherever situated.





Another compelling argument for the establishment of airlinks between Israel and UAE is embodied in the statement of the Delegate of Canada at the Chicago Conference:  Nations can exercise, in an anti-social way, their present right to refuse foreign airlines air transit over their territories. Nations can likewise exercise, in an anti-social way, their present right to prevent foreign airlines from landing on their territories to pick up and discharge traffic. The obstructionist use of the one right can be an outrageous exploit of geography for purely negative and destructive purposes by nations which are situated athwart the great airways of the world. The obstructionist use of the other right can be an equally outrageous exploitation of economic power for purely negative and destructive purposes.





From a purely aeronautical and economic perspective which is founded on the need to connect the world through air transport, as the forefathers and founding fathers envisioned, the airlink between Israel and UAE could be heralded as a positive step in a negative thinking world.





Dr. Abeyratne is an aviation consultant who teaches air law and policy at McGill University
President Donald Trump has defended his supporters involved in recent deadly clashes with the social justice protesters.

Trump suggested that the teen accused of killing two protesters in Wisconsin last week and his fans involved in clashes in Oregon on Saturday had acted in self-defense.

According to BBC News, Trump pointed out that his opponent, Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, has not renounced far-left activists accused of the civil disorder.

During the White House news conference on Monday, the President blamed Biden and his Democratic allies for the violence in the cities run by Democratic governors and mayors.

A CNN reporter asked Trump whether he would condemn his supporters who fired paint pellets during the confrontation with counter-protesters on the weekend in Oregon.

As a result of the street clashes, a member of a right-wing group was killed by a suspect reportedly described as a member of Antifa, a loosely-affiliated network of far-left activists.

The man shot dead was Aaron Danielson, according to the Monday report of the police. There was no reported arrest made until today.

"Well, I understand they had large numbers of supporters, but that was a peaceful protest," Trump told the CNN reporter. The Republican President claimed that the paint is a defensive mechanism and not bullets.

Another reporter asked Trump if he would condemn the shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, wherein a teenager was pictured at one of the President's rallies.

Kyle Rittenhouse was the teenager accused of shooting three protesters, two was dead, last week during the demonstrations in Kenosha over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

In Trump's first public comments on the shooter, he said: "We're looking at all of that. It was an interesting situation, you saw the same tape as I saw, and he was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him."

The President assumed that Rittenhouse was in big trouble, and "he probably would have been killed." As per the Washington Post, Trump amplified his call for federal forces to help get better off protests in American cities.

Trump denounced local Democratic leaders and other partisan tensions after a deadly clash between social justice protesters and his supporters in Portland, Oregon, emphasizing the threat of the increasing incidents of politically motivated violence.

During a "Trump cruise rally" caravan in Portland, there were scenes that Trump's supporters are firing paint and pellet guns at protesters.

The downtown Portland was said to be a liberal place that has been the street demonstrations site for weeks.

America's summer turmoil has started a new phase in which Trump backers are rallying to fight back against other groups that Trump labeled as "anarchists" and "terrorists." Besides, Trump's supporters are defending businesses.

Check these out:

Trump Believes Teen Gunman Who Killed Kenosha Protesters Only Acts in Self-Defense

Beneficiaries Who Owe More Stimulus Money have Until September 30 to Get It

Latin American Hospitals Allowing Visitors of Dying COVID-19 Patients Increases
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-01 17:54:19|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been widely denounced by domestic media for his egregious performance in office, most recently on Monday with The Washington Post calling him "the worst secretary of state in history."

In an opinion piece published Monday, Deputy Editorial Page Editor of the newspaper Jackson Diehl pointed out that the top diplomat in Washington "has failed to fill dozens of senior positions at the State Department, and hundreds of career diplomats have left or been driven out in political purges."

Diehl wrote that the State Department's morale is at a historic, all-time low, citing surveys which showed that people who think senior leaders of the State Department "did not maintain high levels of honesty and integrity" grew by 34 percent between 2016 and 2019.

He noted the reason might be that Pompeo has defied legal mandates from Congress, ordered staffers to carry out errands for himself and his family, and fired the State Department's inspector general who was investigating Pompeo's violations, according to the report.

Diehl also wrote in late March that "Pompeo's pandemic performance will ensure his place among the worst ever." Enditem
Jo Jun-ki, CEO of travel marketing agency followed by more than 2 million fans on social media, has been found unconscious after hinting at suicidal thoughts. Screengrab of his Instagram



By Lee Gyu-lee



Jo Jun-ki, CEO of Travelholic, a travel marketing agency followed by more than 2 million fans on social media, is in hospital after an apparent suicide attempt, police said Tuesday.



This incident comes three days after he mistakenly uploaded a porn video on the firm's Instagram, angering many followers who called him to account.



According to police, Jo is receiving treatment after being found unconscious at his home in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, around 11 a.m.



"I don't want to be a burden on anyone anymore. So I'm going to take off to where I should be," he had written on his Instagram half an hour before police and firefighters arrived. "I feel terribly sorry to everyone  my colleagues who are taking the flak for what I did, friends and my beloved family.



"I appreciate the support and encouragement that people gave me as a family, CEO, friend, and as a loved one. It's heartbreaking to leave without seeing them."









Jo and his company were thrust into the spotlight Saturday after people saw a porn video uploaded along with the pictures of a sheep farm in Pyeongchang on Travelholic's Instagram, which had 1.2 million followers.





Instagram     (@travelholic_insta)  ,2020 8 29 10:08 PDT




At the invitation of the President of the Lebanese Higher Council of Customs, Mr. Assaad Tfaily, WCO Secretary General Dr. Kunio Mikuriya had a conference call on 31 August to discuss the reform and modernization of Lebanon Customs. This request followed the tragic explosion at the Beirut port on 4 August. Both WCO and Lebanon Customs agreed on the way forward for tackling this national priority.

During the call, Mr. Assaad was accompanied by other Higher Council members, namely, Mr. Hani El Haj Chehade, Mrs Gracia kazzi, as well as Mr. Raymond El Khoury, Acting Director General of Lebanon Customs Administration and Mr. Hisham F. Abou-Ibrahim, senior adviser to the President of the Lebanese Higher Council of Customs. This composition showed the willingness, preparedness and support for Customs reform by all parties in Lebanon.

The Lebanese representatives expressed their short-term need of infrastructure, including IT equipment, building and vehicles, damaged by the blast as well as the mid-term need of Customs modernization, including a new Customs Code based on the WCO and other international standards such as the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and the SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade, administrative structure and strategic planning. The WCO suggested the comprehensive diagnostic approach to identify the concrete needs, based on the previous work undertaken by the WCO in Lebanon.

Contacts were designated and all parties agreed to keep on coordinating to determine the work schedule in the immediate future.
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Linkedin Rizki Fachriansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, September 1 2020

The National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) had said that the use of the word anjay  a euphemistic form of the word anjing (dog), which is often used as a curse word  may be considered a form of criminal verbal violence. The assertion went viral over the weekend, eliciting parodies and mockery from social media users.

A statement concerning the word signed by Komnas PA chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait and secretary general Dhanang Sasongko responded to a number of questions and complaints from distraught parents concerned about the widespread use of the word, especially its impact on children.

The commission said the use of the word anjay had to be assessed from the speakers point of view, the place and situation in which it was used and the meaning the speaker wished to impart.

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By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Centre and the RBI on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the moratorium period on repayment of loans during the pandemic is extendable by two years and several steps have been taken to help the stressed sectors, amid uncertainty over the scheme that ended on August 31.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a three-judge bench, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, that a formal decision was yet to be taken, adding that a fresh affidavit has been filed in the top court on the issue.

We are in the process of identifying the distressed sectors to vary benefits as per the impact of hit they have taken, Mehta said.

Noting that the economy has contracted by 23 per cent due to the Covid-19, he said several steps had been taken for stressed sectors.

I am saying with a great sense of responsibility. Harish Salve also spoke with the bankers association. Most of the issues are addressed, the Solicitor General said.

The bench was seized of petitions demanding waiver of interest, or waiver of interest on interest on the suspended EMIs during the moratorium.Maintaining that the matter cant delay any further, the bench posted it for further hearing on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court had last week sought the governments stand on waiving interest on loan repayments during the moratorium, saying it cannot hide behind the RBI.

During the hearing, the RBI and the Centre maintained that a complete interest waiver was not possible as banks, too, had to pay interest to depositors.

Noting that everything cant be left to banks, the SC had asked the government to consider interfering on the issue of interest waiver for the loan moratorium announced in view of the lockdown.
Vertara co-founders and sisters Namrita Khandelwal and Sweta Khandelwal with their favorite Vertara handbags, the Urban Triad and Asteria Pret We infuse every Vertara handbag with choices that have real world social impact, from our socially accountable supply chain to our commitment to ensure power, voice and choice for women.

Vertara, the vision of two socially conscious women in the San Francisco Bay Area, has bucked the retail trend during Covid-19 by launching its debut collection of sustainable luxury handbags on the company's interactive 3D platform. The startup empowers women artisans in developing countries who handcraft the custom handbags in Vertaras breakthrough designs fusing form and function.

Inspired by the belief that a brand is only as valuable as its convictions - and the certainty that women have the power to uplift other women - Vertara's co-founders Namrita Khandelwal and Sweta Khandelwal have gathered a global team of close to 100 primarily women designers, artisans, technologists and business leaders in their pursuit of an ethical, environmentally-conscious and equitable luxury label that empowers both creators and customers.

The two sisters, who have had successful global careers in business strategy, marketing and law, felt a need for a handbag that, like them, could do-it-all. Merging art, heart and science, Vertara was born as a disruptive carry your purpose luxury brand that minimizes waste, maximizes functionality and invests in the women workers whose attention to detail brings luxury leathercraft to life.

Created by women, for women, Vertara enhances the lives of women artisans in India who earn a fair wage in a safe and positive workplace. Vertaras partner employs grassroots artisans with a stable payroll and benefits, rather than hiring temporary workers which is the norm in the countrys handcraft leather industry. In the spirit of empowerment, Vertara pledges to give 10% of annual profits back to the women communities the company serves.

Vertara is a deeply personal endeavor for principal founder Namrita Khandelwal, who acknowledges that it takes courage to launch a new brand during Covid-19. Growing up in India and then working around the world, Khandelwal observed that women often worked twice as hard as men, for little compensation and even less credit.

Its a tough time, but we did not want to wait to make our vision a reality. Vertara stands for fashion that is disruptive, as opposed to fast changing and wasteful, said Khandelwal. We infuse every Vertara handbag with choices that have real world social impact, from our socially accountable supply chain to our commitment to ensure power, voice and choice for women.

Co-founder Sweta Khandelwal echoes the sentiment: We are neither fashion models nor fashion addicts. We are two sisters on a mission to transform fashion to realize double dividends for our women stakeholders: purposeful style for our customers, fairness for our artisans, and sustainable for our communities.

The creation of a Vertara handbag is a meticulous process. Every Vertara product is handcrafted using 100% top-grain leather. Hand-assembly steps that include leather cutting, reinforcement, trimming, stitching and finishing are shared among the 20-25 artisans who craft each custom Vertara bag for its discerning customer.

This bespoke creation process can often require up to 100 separate components per bag. Individual pieces are flawlessly synthesized over a period of three to seven days to the exacting requirements of each handbags design and company standards. Vertara offers more than 50 leather choices in eye-popping colors and textures on the brands tech platform which renders products in 3D. Women can select pre-designed combinations or custom create their own unique handbag.

Vertaras designs are styled for versatility and purpose. The Ember Handsfree Trio converts from clutch to crossbody. The flagship Urban Triad is a classic 3-in-1: Carry-all, Laptop Case and Clutch that can be worn independently or together. Triad will keep the busiest woman organized and on point from morning coffee through the boardroom into evening yoga class.

By combining high tech with high touch, Vertara is a one-stop sustainable luxury brand for women who need a one-of-a-kind handbag that holds everyday essentials, as well as beliefs, goals and aspirations.

Alongside Europes avant-garde and eco-brands, European sustainable luxury magazine Luxiders has featured Vertara in its Sustainable Shopping Summer Wishlist. Belvis Soler, Luxiders founder, noted that Vertaras sustainable mark fuses luxury and responsible consumption: We totally love the Vertara label  it really aligns with our ethics and aesthetics.

From two sisters in Silicon Valley with empowerment on their minds, an idea took root: Vertara. For every woman who wants to carry her day with meaning and purpose, there is a unique Vertara handbag.

About Vertara

Vertara, a sustainable luxury brand with tall aspirations and firm convictions, is majority-owned, operated and managed by women. Vertaras design and company vision are inspired by global experiences rooted in the fundamental issues of empowerment and sustainability. Our mission is to enable power, voice and choice for women. Every made-to-order Vertara luxury handbag is meticulously handcrafted by women artisans in India; 10% of our annual profits are committed to gender equality initiatives. Vertara is derived from the Latin root Ver (True) and the Vedic root Tara (the Astral Goddess of infinite strength): True Star.

Learn more about Vertaras story, support our mission or create your custom Vertara handbag on our interactive 3D platform: https://www.vertara.com/
Islamabad, Sep 1 : Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has decided not to lodge an appeal against the European Union Aviation Safety Agencys (EASA) suspension of the flag carrier's flights to and from the EU member states as the two-month deadline for filing the appeal expired on August 30.

The decision was taken ahead of a scheduled visit to Pakistan of the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) team on September 7 to assess the operational management and control systems of the PIA, Dawn news reported on Tuesday.

According to sources, the IATA-designated safety audit team is expected to be in Islamabad for five days.

On June 30, the EASA had written a letter to the PIA, informing the latter that apart from the pending issue of implementing safety management tools in the airline's flight operation within the stipulated time, it had suspended authorisation of PIA flights to and from the EU member countries for six months effective from July 1.

However, the EASA said an appeal against the suspension of authorisation could be filed in writing within two months.

The Operational Safety Audit is carried out after every two years. The last such audit was carried out in 2018, said the Dawn news report.

The audit programme was designed by the IATA in 2003 to assess the operational management and control systems of airlines.

The IATA had expressed concern over the "serious lapse in the licensing and safety oversight by the aviation regulator".

Besides the IATA, the EASA had also expressed concern after the PIA flight PK-8303 crash in Karachi on May 22, followed by Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan's June 24 disclosure that licences of 262 of the 850 pilots "suspicious".

Regarding the EASA issue, PIA spokesman Abdulah Hafeez Khan told Dawn news: "We are in continuous talks with the UK and EU authorities to get this suspension lifted and have engaged one of the biggest aviation firms to assist PIA in this regard."
Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday questioned the parents of actress Rhea Chakraborty in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, officials familiar with the matter said.

Chakraborty s father Indrajeet Chakraborty and mother Sandhya reached the DRDO guest house in Mumbais Kalina, where the CBI probe team is stationed around 11 am and left in the evening after close to nine hours of interrogation, a police official said on condition of anonymity.

The central investigation agency also questioned Rajputs cook Neeraj Singh, house help Keshav Bachner, roommate and creative director Siddharth Pithani, his former business manager Shruti Modi and house manager Samuel Miranda.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14 following which the Mumbai police had registered a case of accidental death and recorded statements of nearly three dozen people.

The late filmstars father subsequently filed a police complaint in Patna, accusing Rhea Chakraborty and her family of abetting Rajputs alleged suicide and misappropriating his money.

The Supreme Court last week upheld the transfer of the FIR lodged in Patna to the central agency.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) , which is investigating a money laundering case linked to the actors death, questioned Goa hotelier Gaurav Arya for a second day on Tuesday.